Name: Samsung announces Galaxy Unpacked Part 2 event for October 20
Uploaded: 2021-10-14T20:02:19.000+05:30
Duration: T00M34S
Channel: Editorji News Desk
Description: Samsung has announced a virtual launch event called Galaxy Unpacked Part 2, which will be held at 7.30 PM IST on October 20.

Nothing Phone 3a Lite delivers solid performance, clean software and a premium display, but faces strong competition from the CMF Phone 2 Pro 

Nothing Phone 3a Lite review: Strong basics, tough rivals

Nothing Phone 3a Lite nails the basics with a premium display and clean software, but its price puts it too close to the stronger the CMF Phone 2 Pro.

I&rsquo;ve been trying to make sense of the Nothing Phone 3a Lite, and it has honestly left me a little unsure. When I look at it in isolation, it feels like a genuinely good package. For ₹20,999, the overall experience holds up well, whether it is the performance, the design, or the software polish Nothing is known for.
The confusion starts the moment I compare it to the CMF Phone 2 Pro. That phone matches the 3a Lite almost part for part. The display feels the same, the software behaves the same, and the cameras on the CMF option are clearly ahead. When two products under the same larger brand start overlapping this tightly, it makes me wonder what the actual plan is.
So I am now trying to understand who the 3a Lite is really meant for and whether it genuinely deserves a spot next to a much stronger sibling.
<h2>Nothing Phone 3a Lite&rsquo;s Design: Still turning heads</h2>
The Nothing Phone 3a Lite grabbed my attention from the moment I unboxed it, which honestly didn&rsquo;t surprise me. Nothing has always had a way of making phones that stand out, and this one follows that tradition. Even if someone isn&rsquo;t familiar with the brand&rsquo;s transparent, industrial look, this design has enough visual character to make them stop and take a closer look. It carries the familiar Nothing flavour, but there is a tiny bit of novelty in the way it has been executed.
I have always seen Nothing&rsquo;s design language split opinions. Some people love the whole exposed-tech, slightly futuristic vibe, while others think it goes a bit over the top. Personally, I appreciate that the company never plays it safe. Their phones always have personality, and the 3a Lite is no exception. My white review unit highlights this even more. The exposed screws pop nicely, the small red accent draws your eye without trying too hard, and the entire back looks premium without needing to shout about it.
There is a new design detail here called the Battery Simulation layout on the rear panel. It adds a retro feel that instantly reminded me of old remote controls. It is quirky in a way that feels intentional, and I actually find it fun. At the same time, I do feel Nothing is starting to rely a little too heavily on the same visual formula. After eight phones that broadly look like variations of the same theme, I am hoping 2026 is when they attempt something riskier.
While using the phone, the build impressed me more than I expected. Its 8.3 mm thickness and 199 gram weight give it a dense, confident feel. It sits well in the hand and feels more premium than its price would suggest. The front and back both use Panda Glass, while the frame is plastic. The back picks up fingerprints faster than I would like, so for me, going without a case is not practical. Thankfully, Nothing includes a clear case in the box, which helps immediately.
There is an aluminium mid-frame on the inside that keeps everything solid and reassuring. You also get IP54 protection, which may not sound like much, but plenty of phones in this bracket skip any form of rating, so I definitely see it as a positive.
The rear camera arrangement is one area I am a little unsure about. The three lenses sit directly on the surface with no traditional camera island, which gives them a floating look. I am still deciding whether I like it or not.
And despite Carl Pei hinting at a future beyond the Glyph system, the 3a Lite still keeps it alive. There is a single Glyph strip at the bottom that handles countdowns, alerts and basic notifications. It is subtle but still gives the phone that Nothing identity.
The last design element is the Essential Key under the power button. It has a slightly curved shape, but the moment you put a case on, both buttons feel almost identical. I kept mixing them up until I eventually started checking before pressing anything.
<h2>Nothing Phone 3a Lite&rsquo;s Display: Smooth, sharp and mostly impressive</h2>
The Nothing Phone 3a Lite uses a 6.77-inch FHD+ flexible AMOLED panel, and the moment it lights up, it feels far more premium than what you usually get at this price. The screen is crisp, colours look rich without going overboard and the 120Hz refresh rate genuinely lifts the experience. Whether I am scrolling through socials or watching YouTube, everything feels fluid and clean. Nothing says this is the same panel used on the 3a and 3a Pro, and based on how refined it looks, I do not doubt that for a second.
Because this is a flexible AMOLED screen, the bezels are slim on all four sides, giving the phone a more polished look. Viewing angles hold up well, touch response feels snappy and overall, it performs at a level that reminds me of phones that cost much more. Black levels are exactly what you expect from OLED, and the colour tuning feels tasteful.
The compromises start to show once you dig deeper. This is not an LTPO panel, so the refresh rate cannot drop down to 1Hz when you enable Always On Display. That means the phone keeps running at a higher refresh rate even when it does not need to, which is not ideal for long-term battery efficiency.
Brightness is also where I noticed the first real limitation. HDR peaks are impressive at 3000 nits, but the 1300 nits outdoor brightness is just about fine. On a sunny day, the glossy glass on top makes reflections more noticeable. Nothing OS&rsquo;s high-contrast UI helps a bit, but there were still plenty of moments where I had to shift angles just to see things clearly.
Audio, unfortunately, is the biggest disappointment. A mono speaker on a phone costing over ₹15,000 in 2025 simply feels outdated. It gets loud, but it has no depth or fullness, and the bottom-firing setup gets blocked far too easily when I am holding the phone. It is passable for quick clips, but not something I would trust for long movies or gaming sessions.
<h2>Nothing Phone 3a Lite&rsquo;s Cameras: Capable, but clearly limited</h2>
The Nothing Phone 3a Lite technically arrives with three cameras, but in real-world use, only one of them truly feels meaningful. The 50MP primary sensor with EIS is the workhorse here and carries almost the entire shooting experience. The other two cameras are an 8MP ultrawide and a 2MP macro, and I will say it straight: the macro lens adds nothing of value. Even one of Nothing&rsquo;s own executives publicly criticised the industry trend of adding filler macro sensors, and this feels like exactly that kind of decision.
The main camera, thankfully, performs well enough to hold the setup together. In daylight, it captures solid detail, gets colours fairly accurate and handles dynamic range with confidence. There are times when the processing becomes a little too intense, especially in scenes with a lot going on. Some photos look slightly over-processed, but not to a point where the image becomes unusable.
At 2X zoom, which is just a crop from the main sensor, you do lose a bit of sharpness and consistency in colour. Even then, for a phone at this price, the results are acceptable and sometimes surprisingly decent. The ultrawide camera is serviceable but clearly limited by its 8MP resolution. It often produces slightly darker images, and while sharpness is fine in the centre, finer details quickly fall apart. It is usable, but it never really impresses.
Low-light photography is where things start falling apart. Both the main and ultrawide sensors struggle to control noise, and 2X zoom becomes very grainy. You can get okay results when there is enough ambient light, but once the lighting becomes challenging, noise becomes difficult to ignore.
For video, the Phone 3a Lite records up to 4K at 30fps, which is reasonable at this price. Colours look good, dynamic range is handled well and EIS keeps footage fairly steady. There is also a 1080p 120fps option for slow motion.
The 16MP selfie camera turned out to be a pleasant surprise. It delivers good detail, natural skin tones and surprisingly clean portraits. Overall, the camera system is fine for casual use, but there are clearly stronger options available if photography is your priority.
<h2>Nothing Phone 3a Lite&rsquo;s Performance: Surprisingly strong for the segment</h2>
The Nothing Phone 3a Lite runs on MediaTek&rsquo;s Dimensity 7300 Pro, the same chip used in the CMF Phone 2 Pro. Because of that, I went in expecting solid everyday performance, and the phone delivered exactly that. It feels smooth in day-to-day use, apps open quickly and moving between tasks never really slows it down.
The bigger surprise showed up in the benchmark tests. I assumed the phone would pull in a fairly standard score for this segment, but the AnTuTu result climbed to almost 9.6 lakh. That instantly got my attention, especially because the phone barely warmed up during the run. Geekbench results were just as reassuring, with 1015 for single-core and 2942 for multi-core.
My review unit came with 8GB of RAM, and Nothing also gives you the option to add virtual RAM through their RAM booster feature. Storage options include 128GB and 256GB, and there is even a microSD card slot that supports up to 2TB. It is rare to see expandable storage on phones in 2025, so I genuinely appreciate this flexibility.
I spent a fair amount of time gaming on it as well. For casual and moderately demanding titles, the experience was smooth, and BGMI ran well enough for me to play comfortably. Still, the Dimensity 7300 Pro is not built for serious competitive gaming. It cannot fully utilise the 120Hz display in heavy titles, and you will notice the limitations if you push it too far. For anyone who plays casually, though, the 3a Lite performs better than expected for the price.
<h2>Nothing Phone 3a Lite&rsquo;s software experience and UI: Clean, but some unhappy changes</h2>
My time with the Nothing Phone 3a Lite started on a slightly uneven note. It runs Nothing OS 3.5 based on Android 15, and while the interface looked familiar and clean, the first two days were not perfectly smooth.&nbsp;
Apps like Chrome and the Play Store sometimes refused to open or would shut down halfway through loading. A small update arrived almost immediately, and once I installed it, the phone settled into the stable, polished behaviour I normally expect from Nothing. Animations felt consistent again, and the UI regained that clean rhythm that has become one of the brand&rsquo;s strengths.
Nothing is said to be working on a major design overhaul for early 2026, but the 3a Lite sticks to the current blueprint. I have seen a few early hints of Nothing OS 4.0, and some of those ideas do not sit well with me yet. Lock Glimpse is the clearest example. It cycles through curated wallpapers and short pieces of content on the lockscreen, and the first thing I thought of was Glance. I have never liked the idea of turning the lockscreen into a space that seeks engagement, and while Nothing&rsquo;s approach is much more toned down right now, I hope they do not lean further into this direction.
There is also a small but noticeable shift in the amount of pre-installed apps. Facebook and Instagram now come bundled with the phone. I use both, so it does not bother me personally, and you can uninstall them without any trouble. Still, it does feel like a departure from the original promise of keeping the software as clean as possible.
Once those concerns are out of the way, the good parts shine through. Nothing OS still has one of the most cohesive visual identities in the Android world. The widgets feel polished, the menus are tidy and the stock apps have a simple, thoughtful design. I genuinely prefer their gallery app over Google Photos when I want to browse images quickly.
In terms of updates, Nothing promises three years of OS upgrades and six years of security patches. Since the phone launches with Android 15 and Android 16 is already on the horizon, this effectively means two major platform upgrades. The Essential Key, Essential Space and Essential Search continue to be genuinely useful tools and round out the experience in a practical way that I appreciate in daily use.
<h2>Nothing Phone 3a Lite&rsquo;s battery life &amp; charging: Reliable for daily use</h2>
The Nothing Phone 3a Lite&rsquo;s 5,000mAh battery has been dependable in my usual day-to-day use. I can get through a full day without worrying about charging, and even on heavy days, the phone does not leave me anxious. The 33W fast charging helps a lot, although some rivals now offer larger batteries at similar prices.
A quick 20-minute top-up gets the phone close to the halfway point, and a complete charge finishes in just under an hour. There is also 5W reverse wired charging, which I find useful for quickly powering smaller accessories when I need it.
<h2>Verdict: Does the Nothing Phone 3a Lite hold its ground?</h2>
The Nothing Phone 3a Lite is actually quite easy to appreciate. The screen feels premium, day-to-day performance is steady, and Nothing OS still delivers that clean, minimal vibe that makes the brand stand out. The cameras won&rsquo;t amaze you, but for casual photography they&rsquo;re perfectly capable. Add dependable battery life, and the fundamentals are all in place.
The problem starts when you look at the price tag.
At ₹20,999 without any launch deals, the 3a Lite walks straight into the territory of the Phone 2 Pro. And that&rsquo;s where the equation tilts. The 2 Pro simply offers a stronger overall package, especially with its better camera setup, and that naturally makes buyers think twice.
Then there&rsquo;s the India-specific angle. CMF has become a massive part of Nothing&rsquo;s strategy here, and the CMF Phone 2 Pro sits extremely close to this device in both pricing and performance &mdash; while still offering clear hardware advantages. That creates unavoidable overlap.
So the 3a Lite isn&rsquo;t a weak product. It&rsquo;s just running into competition from its own family. If someone genuinely likes Nothing&rsquo;s design language, the UI, and the overall aesthetic appeal, the 3a Lite will absolutely fit their taste. But for most buyers, it may take a strong launch offer or a very specific preference for the phone to stand out as the better pick.

iQOO 15 is a balanced 2025 flagship with a 2K 144Hz LTPO OLED display, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, big camera upgrade and a 7000mAh battery for all-day use.

iQOO 15 Review: A Balanced 2025 Flagship That Delivers Big Time

<h3>The iQOO 15 delivers top-tier performance, refined design, strong cameras and a massive battery, making it one of the most balanced flagship phones you can buy in 2025.</h3>

The iQOO 15 lands at a time when &ldquo;affordable flagships&rdquo; don&rsquo;t really feel affordable anymore. For the last few years, phones like the iQOO 13, Realme GT 7 Pro and OnePlus 13 stayed safely under ₹60,000, but this generation has pushed past that ceiling, forcing brands to justify the hike in different ways. OnePlus went all-in on a 165Hz display, but the drop in resolution annoyed long-time users. iQOO, meanwhile, decided not to gamble. Instead, they took the already-solid iQOO 13 blueprint and simply polished everything that needed attention.
After using the iQOO 15 for two weeks, it&rsquo;s clear those tweaks were deliberate. The new Q3 chip is less about chasing headline FPS and more about making games look smoother and more detailed. The camera system also gets meaningful upgrades. So the real question is: does this subtle refinement strategy pay off? In many ways, it absolutely does.
<h2>iQOO 15 design check: Real upgrade or minor refinement?</h2>
The design is really where the iQOO 15 starts making its case. On spec sheets it looks like a gentle evolution of the iQOO 13, but the moment you pick it up, it feels like a completely more grown-up device. There is a noticeable jump in how premium it feels, and that caught me off guard in the best way.
I have been using the Legend White variant, which leans into a very clean, almost classy look. It is a proper glass sandwich with Schott Xensation Alpha on the front and a glass back that feels more expensive than the price suggests. The frame is metal, likely an aluminium alloy, and it ties the whole thing together with a solid, reassuring feel in the hand.
All that glass and metal does have a consequence. The iQOO 15 is not trying to be a featherweight. My unit weighs around 220 grams, and you do feel that density. However, at roughly 8.17mm thick, it never becomes awkward to hold. The flat sides and the matte finish on the back help a lot with grip, and considering there is a 7000 mAh battery inside, the phone feels surprisingly well-balanced rather than bulky.
Visually, the Legend White version keeps things minimal. It is essentially a clean white slab with shiny metallic edges and a small racing-flag strip near the bottom. If you enjoy simple, uncluttered designs, this will probably hit the spot. For me, it borders on being a little too plain, but the fact that it barely shows fingerprints is a big win.
If you want something slightly different, there is the Alpha Black version with a fibre-glass back. It shaves off a bit of weight and thickness, but the difference is subtle enough that you will only really notice it if you compare them side by side. The one I really wish was available globally is the Lingyun edition from China, with a marble-like rear panel that gives the phone a genuinely distinctive character.
iQOO&rsquo;s Monster Halo light is back as well, but it has been moved outside the camera module and now sits under the outer ring. The glow is softer and more subdued, to the point where I actually missed a few notifications because it was so faint. Interestingly, once you put on the bundled case, the light stands out a bit more.
In terms of durability, there are no real complaints. The chassis feels solid, there is no creaking or flex, and the phone carries IP68 and IP69 ratings, so dust, splashes and the occasional dunk in water should not be a problem. Overall, the iQOO 15&rsquo;s design feels more refined, more secure in the hand and noticeably more premium than I expected when I first saw it on paper.
<h2>The iQOO 15&rsquo;s display is one of the best in its segment</h2>
The moment you switch on the iQOO 15, the display makes it very obvious that this phone is aiming for top-tier territory. It uses a 6.85-inch 2K LTPO AMOLED panel with a 144Hz ceiling, and the visual quality hits you instantly. iQOO has gone with Samsung&rsquo;s M14 OLED, and the clarity and colour accuracy honestly make it feel like something straight out of a much more expensive flagship lineup.
Brightness is where this screen flexes the hardest. It can comfortably hold 2600 nits in HBM and jump all the way to 6000 nits for tiny highlights in HDR scenes. With that kind of range, HDR movies and games pop beautifully, and since this is the first iQOO model with Dolby Vision support, the contrast and tone mapping across Netflix and YouTube look extremely polished. Everyday use also benefits &mdash; everything from menus to social feeds feels crisp and punchy.
The 144Hz refresh rate is more of a bonus than a constant. You will mostly see 120Hz across the UI, but a few titles can push the full 144Hz. I tested this with BGMI and Call of Duty Mobile and both ran smoothly at higher frame rates. Because the panel is LTPO, it can drop right down to 1Hz for the Always On Display, which helps keep battery drain under control.
Another small win is the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. It unlocks quickly, works even with slightly wet fingers and feels more dependable than the optical readers most phones still use.
Where the iQOO 15 takes a step back is audio. The stereo speakers can get reasonably loud, but they do not match the richness or low-end punch you get from bigger flagships like the iPhone 17 Pro Max or Galaxy S25 Ultra. For casual viewing, calls or background videos, they are fine; they just don&rsquo;t stand out in any way.
<h2>The iQOO 15 gets some pretty big camera upgrades</h2>
Anyone who has followed iQOO&rsquo;s flagship phones over the years knows that cameras have never been the brand&rsquo;s strongest claim. The company has usually prioritised raw performance, display technology and gaming features, while treating photography as a supporting act. With the iQOO 15, that behaviour finally changes. This is the first time I have felt the brand genuinely invest in its camera system, and the difference is visible in both hardware choices and the way the images are processed.
The camera setup looks impressive even before you take a photo. The primary sensor is a 50MP Sony IMX921 with optical stabilisation. The telephoto camera is the biggest upgrade in the entire system. It now uses a 50MP 3x periscope based on the Sony IMX882. The ultrawide camera is also a 50MP unit. On paper, it is one of the most balanced triple camera systems iQOO has ever shipped.
Real improvements only reveal themselves when you start shooting, and this is where the iQOO 15 genuinely surprised me. The main 50MP camera produces clean photographs with excellent detail and a much more natural approach to colour. Many older iQOO devices boosted saturation a little too heavily, which often made scenes look artificial. That behaviour has now been toned down. Even in a difficult situation like shooting directly into bright sunlight, the exposure stayed controlled. Skies kept their texture, highlights stayed intact and shadow areas did not collapse into muddy patches. This feels like the most confident tuning iQOO has done until now.
The ultrawide camera keeps up well. It matches the primary camera in colour tone and contrast, which helps the entire system feel more cohesive. Sharpness remains respectable and distortion correction is handled with much more care than before. Edges look straight, buildings do not lean unnaturally and the frame stays accurate. This was a clear weakness in older models, so the improvement feels meaningful.
The standout upgrade is the new 3x periscope telephoto. This is easily the most capable zoom experience iQOO has created. Images at 3x are crisp, stabilised and full of detail. The real surprise is how well the phone performs at longer focal lengths. Up to around 20x or even 30x, the results remain very usable. Even beyond that point, the phone manages to produce images with decent clarity. At 165 mm and even close to 600 mm equivalent, textures remain visible and colours stay surprisingly consistent. This is a huge jump compared to anything the brand has previously offered.
Portrait photography benefits from this stronger telephoto system. The 85 mm portrait mode offers pleasing facial compression and natural tones. The 2x portrait mode from the main sensor also performs well. Skin tones remain clean and believable. Edge detection is accurate and the separation between subject and background looks smooth. Portraits from the 3x telephoto lens feel almost cinematic. You get sharp subject detail and a soft, controlled depth effect that looks much more polished. iQOO has added new portrait style filters too. They are fun and can add some variety, even if they are not transformative features.
Low light performance shows the biggest generation-over-generation leap. The main camera brings in a significant amount of light without producing the waxy textures that many phones fall into. Skin tones remain realistic and finer details stay intact. The phone sometimes takes a moment longer to capture the frame, but the results justify the extra second. The ultrawide camera is the only area where some refinement is still needed. Noise becomes noticeable when you zoom in on night shots, although the overall output is still good enough for social media.
For video, the iQOO 15 can record in 8K at 30 fps, although most people will prefer 4K 60 fps for stability and practicality. Footage in 4K looks clean with solid dynamic range and reliable stabilisation. Motion is handled smoothly and colours look natural. It is a strong video performer for its segment.
The 32MP selfie camera performs well too. HDR is handled intelligently. Even in strong outdoor lighting, the background maintains detail while the face stays properly lit. Skin tones look authentic and not overly softened. The consistency between indoor and outdoor selfies is particularly impressive.
After spending time with the iQOO 15, it is clear that the brand has finally put serious effort into its camera system. It is not the absolute best camera phone you can buy, but it is polished, reliable and far ahead of previous iQOO flagships.
<h2>The iQOO 15&rsquo;s real-world performance is top-notch</h2>
If there is one thing iQOO has been known for since the beginning, it is sheer brute-force performance. Even their so-called entry-level flagships often trade blows with much more expensive devices. The iQOO 15 continues that tradition with a level of confidence that feels very deliberate. It is clear that performance is still the brand&rsquo;s favourite arena.
At the centre of the phone is Qualcomm&rsquo;s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. It is paired with LPDDR5X Ultra RAM and UFS 4.1 storage. The RAM deserves a special mention because the &ldquo;Ultra&rdquo; tag is not simply a marketing flourish. It actually runs at a higher clock speed than the standard LPDDR5X modules used in most flagships.&nbsp;
This gives the phone an incredibly responsive feel. Navigating the interface, loading heavy assets, switching between multiple apps or jumping into visually demanding games all feel genuinely instantaneous. During my entire testing period, the phone did not stutter or hesitate once.
Benchmark numbers match what you feel in day-to-day use. The iQOO 15 delivers around 3.89 million on Antutu. On Geekbench, it records 3672 in single-core and 10548 in multi-core. These results place the phone very close to the Realme GT 8 Pro and the OnePlus 15. Realme&rsquo;s flagship reaches approximately 3.83 million on Antutu with 3611 single-core and 10482 multi-core scores. The OnePlus 15 pushes slightly ahead with 4.06 million on Antutu and 3646 single-core and 11025 multi-core. In simple terms, the iQOO 15 is right in the middle of this pack and competes confidently.
However, benchmarks are only a small part of the story. The iQOO 15 becomes far more interesting once you start gaming. After adjusting a couple of in-game settings, I was able to get consistent 144 Hz output in both BGMI and Call of Duty Mobile. The smoothness is immediately noticeable, but the real highlight is not the high refresh rate. The most surprising improvement is how well the phone handles ray tracing in supported titles.
Ray tracing is known for destroying performance on gaming PCs. Seeing it run comfortably on a phone is genuinely impressive. This capability comes from the new Q3 Supercomputing chip that iQOO is using. It has its own dedicated RT core and works with Vivo&rsquo;s QNSS Super Rendering Engine. Games that support ray tracing, such as Genshin Impact, gain far richer reflections, more realistic lighting behaviour and deeper shadows. All of this happens without the performance dip you would normally expect.
The Q3 chip also brings two helpful technologies called Game Super Resolution and Lossless Frame Interpolation. Game Super Resolution allows the phone to render scenes at a lower internal resolution and then upscale them to 2K using AI. This significantly reduces the load on the GPU during heavy battles or open-world exploration. Lossless Frame Interpolation inserts artificially generated frames between real ones, which results in smoother motion and a more consistent frame rate. When both features work together, the iQOO 15 delivers an experience that feels very close to a dedicated handheld gaming device.
Thermal performance deserves credit as well. Even after long gaming sessions, the phone maintained comfortable temperatures. iQOO uses an 8K single-layer vapour chamber, and the company claims it is the largest cooling system in the industry. After hours of continuous testing, I can confidently say the phone stayed far cooler than expected.
If you want a device that performs like a top-tier flagship, excels at gaming and stays cool throughout heavy use, the iQOO 15 stands out as one of the strongest performers of 2025.
The software on the iQOO 15 feels like a clean break from everything the brand has done until now. Instead of the familiar Funtouch OS, the phone boots into OriginOS 6 built on Android 16, and that instantly changes the personality of the device.
<h2>iQOO 15&rsquo;s OriginOS 6 completely changes the user experience</h2>
The overall design direction feels far more refined. The interface leans into a lighter, more airy aesthetic with soft gradients, semi-transparent layers and rounded elements that give the UI a calmer look. Animations feel smoother, transitions flow more naturally and the entire OS carries a sense of polish that older iQOO phones struggled to maintain. Although a few aspects remind you of visionOS or iOS, the general styling still feels unique enough to stand on its own.
Performance within the OS benefits as well. App launches feel quicker, multitasking behaves predictably and background management has noticeably improved. I did not run into random closures or apps resetting themselves, which used to be a mild annoyance on earlier models. Most system apps have already adopted the new design language. The few that have not yet been updated do not interfere with usability.
OriginOS also introduces several thoughtful touches. Photo editing tools feel more capable, and moving data or interacting with other devices in the Vivo ecosystem feels more seamless. These are small changes, but they add up during daily use.
The AI feature set remains fairly basic. You get writing assistance and AI-based photo tools, but nothing that rivals the more advanced experiences offered by Samsung, Google, Oppo or OnePlus.
What stands out is iQOO&rsquo;s long-term update promise. Buyers get five years of Android updates and seven years of security patches, which gives the software experience a strong sense of longevity.
<h2>The iQOO 15 manages power and charging pretty well</h2>
The iQOO 15 behaves exactly like a phone with a massive 7000 mAh battery should. The extra capacity over the iQOO 13&rsquo;s 6000 mAh pack is immediately noticeable in daily use. Screen time stretches longer, power drops more slowly and the phone generally feels built for endurance.
Charging, however, sees a slight reshuffle. The wired system now tops out at 100 W instead of 120 W, but in return you get 40 W wireless charging. There is no magnetic alignment, so you need to place the phone carefully on a pad, although the charging speed remains consistently strong. Using the wired charger, the device went from 5 percent to a full charge in under an hour during my testing.
A full battery easily carries the phone through a full day of heavy usage. If you drop the resolution and manage background activity sensibly, reaching close to two days on one charge is very achievable.
<h2>Verdict: Is the iQOO 15 worth it?</h2>
After spending a considerable amount of time with the iQOO 15, I kept waiting for a major flaw to appear, and it never really did. The only area that consistently felt behind its competitors is the AI suite. For a 2025 flagship, the AI tools feel quite basic and lack the depth you see on devices from Oppo and OnePlus. To be fair, iQOO has never marketed this phone as an AI pioneer. The focus has always been on performance, day-to-day reliability and strong hardware, so the software limitations are not completely unexpected.
What you do get is a phone that handles the fundamentals extremely well. Performance is consistently top tier, the UI feels polished and responsive, and the camera setup finally steps into territory where it can comfortably compete with other brands in the segment.&nbsp;
The main and telephoto cameras deliver dependable results in almost every lighting condition. The ultrawide camera is the only part of the system that still needs a step up in low light. It performs well enough, but it does not fully match the standard expected from a premium flagship.&nbsp;
If photography is your primary reason for upgrading, the Vivo X300 or Oppo Find X9 will offer a more complete camera package. The OnePlus 15 also remains a strong all-rounder, although its display compromises make the choice a little more complicated.
What makes the iQOO 15 stand out is how well it balances everything. It does not chase one headline feature at the cost of another. Instead, it offers strong performance, reliable software, capable cameras, excellent battery life and premium design in a way that feels cohesive. For many buyers, this is exactly what a flagship should be.
The pricing shift is the one factor that will spark debate. The iQOO 13 launched below ₹60,000 and even dipped close to ₹52,000 during early sale offers. The iQOO 15 starts at ₹72,000 before discounts, which is a significant jump. However, the overall situation is more complicated. Rising component costs, the weaker rupee and higher RAM and storage prices give brands very little room to manoeuvre.
Whether long-time iQOO fans accept the new pricing is something only time will answer. What I can say with confidence is that the iQOO 15 earns its place in the 2025 flagship crowd. If you are planning an upgrade, it absolutely deserves to be on your shortlist.
&nbsp;

Realme GT 8 Pro Dream Edition review — racing-inspired flagship with Ricoh cameras, Snapdragon 8 Elite & 7,000mAh battery. See if the Dream Edition is truly worth it.

Realme GT 8 Pro Dream Edition review — Truly premium or just hype?

The Realme GT 8 Pro Dream Edition mixes Aston Martin F1's styling with Ricoh-powered cameras, Snapdragon 8 Elite muscle, and a 7,000mAh battery for a loud, unapologetically extra flagship experience.

Back in May, Realme came out of nowhere with that Aston Martin Aramco F1 collab &mdash; the GT 7 Dream Edition. Nobody expected it, and suddenly people were like&hellip; okay, Realme is trying something.
Now six months later, we&rsquo;ve got the follow-up. The Realme GT 8 Pro Dream Edition. Same racing pedigree, full Aston Martin vibe, and a ₹79,999 price tag. For context, the normal GT 8 Pro starts at ₹72,999
But here&rsquo;s the thing&hellip; the moment you open the box, you kind of get it. This variant doesn&rsquo;t just show up &mdash; it performs an entrance. There&rsquo;s real premium energy here, and after using it, a lot of it actually lands.
There are also a few choices that made me tilt my head a little and go&hellip; huh. So let&rsquo;s break down what Realme nailed, and what probably needed another round of changes.&nbsp;
<h2>Realme GT 8 Pro Dream Edition: Top-Notch Unboxing Experience!</h2>
The unboxing is dramatic. Like, Realme actually committed to the bit.
You lift the lid and the box opens with these wing-style flaps inspired by Aston Martin&rsquo;s Silver Wing emblem. Sitting inside is the phone in full Racing Green. The texture on the back has these aerodynamic carve lines &mdash; it has grip, it has attitude, it looks fast even when it&rsquo;s not moving.
Even the SIM ejector tool looks like something pulled out of an F1 pit garage. It&rsquo;s extra&hellip; but it works. Then you flip the phone around and&hellip; boom. Aramco. Front and center. Loud and proud.
It kind of steals the spotlight from the Aston Martin badge sitting below it. And look...I understand the sponsorship thing. Aramco is Aston Martin F1&rsquo;s headline partner. Fair.
But nobody (and I mean nobody) is buying this because it&rsquo;s an Aramco phone. They&rsquo;re buying it because it&rsquo;s the &ldquo;Aston Martin edition,&rdquo; and yet the Aston Martin crest feels like it got demoted.
Realme also gives you a tiny Torx screwdriver in the box so you can remove the circular camera plate and swap it for a square one. It&rsquo;s cool for about five minutes. You do it once, look at it, realize the phone looks 98 percent the same, and then that screwdriver goes straight back into the box for the rest of its life.
And because of this whole swap system, Realme throws in two cases &mdash; one cutout for the round plate and one for the square. Cute idea, but let&rsquo;s be real &mdash; nobody is changing these plates every weekend.
Once you push the branding decisions and the novelty hardware aside, the phone itself is legitimately premium. The Realme GT 8 Pro Dream Edition feels great in the hand.
It&rsquo;s got a metal frame, a very manageable 214-gram weight, and legit durability with both IP68 and IP69 ratings. This is one of those phones you can actually use outdoors, not just admire on your desk.
<h2>Realme GT 8 Pro Dream Edition: 2K 144Hz AMOLED Display &nbsp;</h2>
The display is one of those parts you notice immediately. You&rsquo;re looking at a 6.78-inch 2K AMOLED panel that feels fast from the moment you unlock it. It&rsquo;s sharp, it&rsquo;s responsive, and every swipe lands exactly how you expect. Would LTPO have pushed it into ultra-premium territory? Definitely. But even as LTPS, the way it handles brightness, contrast, and colour makes it feel like a proper flagship display.
Now, Realme loves throwing big numbers around and yes, the display technically does 144Hz. The catch is that it only unlocks in a small list of supported games. Everywhere else, the UI is capped at 120Hz. On the plus side, the bezels are super thin and the panel is fully flat, which means zero accidental side touches and no strange edge reflections outdoors.
Brightness is where Realme goes full &ldquo;spec sheet chaos.&rdquo; They&rsquo;re claiming 7,000 nits peak and around 2,000 nits outside. And it actually holds up. Outdoor visibility is solved. Pair that with HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, and HDR content pops without blowing out skin tones or nuking shadows.
The stereo speakers are loud, but kind of one-note. You get volume, but not much texture in the highs or weight in the lows. It&rsquo;s fine for TikTok runs and reels, but not something you&rsquo;ll brag about.
The good news is that everything else around the display feels locked in. The haptics land clean, and the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor is one of the most reliable I&rsquo;ve used. It just works every single time. &nbsp;
<h2>Realme GT 8 Pro Dream Edition: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Power</h2>
Once you look past the special green paint, the GT 8 Pro Dream Edition is running the same hardware as the standard GT 8 Pro &mdash; and honestly, that&rsquo;s a win. At the heart of it is Qualcomm&rsquo;s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, and the phone wastes no time flexing it. Heavy apps, big games, long sessions&hellip; nothing makes it hiccup. It stays smooth in the way a proper flagship should.
Benchmarks do bring out the drama, though. During stress runs, the phone can hit around 45&deg;C, which is hot, but not unusual for top-end silicone. In real gameplay, it settles under 40&deg;C even after an hour of BGMI. On Antutu, it drops a 3.8 million score. That&rsquo;s a step below the OnePlus 15&rsquo;s 4 million, but still very respectable.
You also get 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB of UFS 4.1 storage, so multitasking never chokes and apps stay loaded for long stretches. My only real &ldquo;why though?&rdquo; is the USB 2.0 port on an 80K phone. That one stings.
Now, for the gaming side. BGMI and Call of Duty: Mobile run smoothly, and the display does switch to 144Hz. Realme claims its new Hyper Vision+ AI chip injects extra frames to make gameplay appear smoother, even when the game isn&rsquo;t actually rendering them. And yes, it does feel fluid.
However, in my testing, COD: Mobile still caps at 60fps if you want max graphics. I unlocked 120fps, but only by dropping everything to Low plus Ultra frame rate.
<h2>Realme GT 8 Pro Dream Edition: New Ricoh Cameras!</h2>
This is the first Realme phone made in collaboration with Ricoh, and they didn&rsquo;t treat it like a token marketing badge. Ricoh&rsquo;s GR series is iconic in the street-photography world, and Realme actually pulls some of that DNA into the camera app.&nbsp;
There&rsquo;s a dedicated GR shooting mode with 28mm and 40mm focal lengths, a 3:2 aspect ratio, film tones tuned by Ricoh, and a &ldquo;Snap Focus&rdquo; mode that lets you raise the phone, tap, and instantly capture fixed-focus shots the way street shooters do.&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s a surprisingly well thought-out creative tool but strip away the Ricoh flair and the hardware still holds its own. On the back you&rsquo;re working with a 50-megapixel main sensor, a 50-megapixel ultra-wide, and a 200-megapixel telephoto with 3X optical zoom, which is a first for Realme. Up front, there&rsquo;s a 32-megapixel selfie camera.
The main camera delivers crisp detail, vivid colours, and strong contrast, though it does nudge toward the saturated side. Night shots lean brighter than necessary at times, but the noise control is solid. Since it&rsquo;s using the same Sony IMX906 as the OnePlus 15, the results feel familiar.
The 200MP telephoto is easily the most fun lens on this phone. At 3X, portraits and zoom shots look sharp and clean with a nice depth to them. Push up to 6X and you&rsquo;ll see small losses in texture and clarity. Beyond that, it&rsquo;s mostly about bragging rights &mdash; yes, it does 120X, but the quality falls off well before you get there.
The ultra-wide is the weak link. It works fine in daylight, but fine textures get mushy, and low-light scenes lose dynamic range fast. It gets the job done, but it&rsquo;s not the lens you&rsquo;ll reach for unless you have to.
On video, Realme went aggressive. You can shoot up to 4K 120fps on the main and telephoto cameras, or 8K 30fps if you&rsquo;re feeling brave. You also get 10-bit LOG and Dolby Vision HDR, and the results are genuinely impressive for a phone in this price bracket.
Colour depth is strong, highlights don&rsquo;t blow out easily, and you can still use pro formats at 4K 120, which is wild. Stabilisation is the only area that needs polish &mdash; quick pans, fast movement and low-light clips can introduce wobble or jitter that breaks the otherwise solid footage.
The selfie camera lands firmly in the middle. In good lighting it&rsquo;s sharp and vibrant, but in poor light it slips quickly. There&rsquo;s no autofocus either, which hurts group shots or close-range framing more than you&rsquo;d expect.
<h2>Realme GT 8 Pro Dream Edition: &nbsp;Realme UI 7 is here!</h2>
On the software side, the GT 8 Pro Dream Edition boots straight into Realme UI 7 on top of Android 16. It&rsquo;s actually the first Realme phone to launch with it out of the box, so you&rsquo;re getting the newest version without waiting for an update.
Because this is the Dream Edition, Realme went all-in on the Aston Martin theme. The UI comes pre-dressed in racing green accents, custom icons, and F1-style wallpapers. It&rsquo;s cool for the first few days, but after that, I switched back to the standard icon pack because it&rsquo;s cleaner and way easier to live with.
Realme is promising 4 years of major Android updates and 5 years of security patches, which puts it in a comfortably &ldquo;flagship&rdquo; upgrade cycle. Not quite Samsung or Google territory, but much better than expected.
The big visual change is something Realme calls &ldquo;Light Glass.&rdquo; Think translucent widgets, softer highlights, and a more layered lockscreen that mimics depth. Yes, there&rsquo;s obvious inspiration from iOS 26, but to Realme&rsquo;s credit, it doesn&rsquo;t feel like a copy-paste. It feels like their take on the idea.
Expanded icons are genuinely useful &mdash; tap and stretch an app icon, and it turns into a mini widget with shortcuts. It&rsquo;s quicker than long-press menus and way more intuitive. There are also video lockscreen backgrounds and a revamped theming engine that finally paints the UI more consistently instead of half-colouring everything.
The AI additions are everywhere but not in your face. You get Google&rsquo;s big hitters like Gemini Assistant, Gemini Live, Circle to Search, and instant translation on-screen. Inside the gallery, Realme adds its own tools like AI Eraser, AI Ultra Clarity, Unblur, Perfect Shot, and a few other smart edits that actually deliver usable results. They&rsquo;re not &ldquo;demo features,&rdquo; they&rsquo;re things you will genuinely end up using.
Then there&rsquo;s Mind Space &mdash; the same system you&rsquo;ll find on the Oppo Find X9 Pro and on the OnePlus lineup as Plus Mind. It&rsquo;s basically a digital catch-all for everything your brain wants to collect throughout the day. Screenshots, notes, links, webpages &mdash; dump them all in, and AI organizes the chaos into summaries and reference boards. If you&rsquo;re a student, a reviewer, or someone who constantly screenshots ideas, this might be your new favourite app.
<h2>Realme GT 8 Pro Dream Edition: 7,000mAh Battery &amp; 120W Fast Charging</h2>
The 7,000mAh battery on this thing is borderline absurd &mdash; in a good way. I was cruising past six and a half to seven hours of screen-on time without trying to baby it.&nbsp;
But, as always, gaming is where the real story shows up. Forty-five minutes of Call of Duty: Mobile knocked off around 11% of the charge. That&rsquo;s almost double what the OnePlus 15 burns through in the same session, and that phone is literally pushing 165fps. So if you&rsquo;re grinding competitive matches or long sessions, the battery will remind you it&rsquo;s human.
Charging is where Realme flexes. With 120W wired charging and Smart Rapid enabled, it jumps from zero to full in about 45&ndash;50 minutes. Switch that mode off, and the charge time stretches past an hour, but the phone stays noticeably cooler while it juices up &mdash; which I&rsquo;ll take any day. There&rsquo;s 50W wireless charging too. Not crazy fast, but perfect for that &ldquo;drop and forget&rdquo; desk or bedside setup.
<h2>Realme GT 8 Pro Dream Edition Review: Verdict</h2>
The Realme GT 8 Pro Dream Edition does not try to blend into the lineup. It walks into the room loud, polished, and very sure of itself. And honestly, a lot of the package backs that confidence &mdash; performance is strong, the display feels premium in everyday use, and the Ricoh camera features actually make shooting more enjoyable.
But then you hit a few head-scratchers. A USB 2.0 port on an almost ₹80k phone. An LTPS panel instead of LTPO. A camera plate swap system that feels gimmicky.
Spend a few days with it though, and the real personality shows. This is Realme at its loudest, most experimental, and honestly, most fun.&nbsp;
So is it worth the extra ₹7,000 over the regular GT 8 Pro? If you&rsquo;re into F1, Aston Martin, or you just want a phone that looks like it came from a pit lane&hellip; you already know your answer.
If you just want the performance, cameras and battery without the cosplay? Save the cash &mdash; the standard GT 8 Pro gives you the same muscle minus the drama.

Blaupunkt 65-inch Mini QD Google TV brings premium design, bright Mini LED visuals, and a feature-packed Google TV experience at a premium price. But is it the right big-screen upgrade for 2025 buyers?

Blaupunkt 65-inch Google Mini QD TV Review: The Surprise Package of 2025?

Blaupunkt 65-inch Mini QD Google TV brings premium design, bright Mini LED visuals, and a feature-packed Google TV experience at a premium price. But is it the right big-screen upgrade for 2025 buyers?

Blaupunkt&rsquo;s reputation in India has always leaned more toward audio products than televisions. That&rsquo;s why the arrival of its first Mini QD Google TV in the country feels like a major shift &mdash; not just in product strategy, but in ambition.&nbsp;
This isn&rsquo;t another entry-level TV meant to blend into the crowded budget segment. At ₹94,999 for the 65-inch model and ₹1,49,999 for the 75-inch variant, Blaupunkt is deliberately entering territory dominated by established premium players.
And the brand doesn&rsquo;t tiptoe in. It walks in confidently, offering a 4K Mini LED panel with 1500 nits peak brightness, Google TV, Dolby Vision, Atmos support, and a premium design that immediately sets expectations high.&nbsp;
What becomes interesting is how this TV performs when you push beyond first impressions &mdash; because Blaupunkt gets several big things right, several small things wrong, and a few surprising things unexpectedly uneven.
<h2>Design &amp; Build: Understated but Firmly Premium</h2>
One thing Blaupunkt clearly didn&rsquo;t compromise on is build quality. The 65-inch unit I received for review has slim bezels, a metal stand, and a clean design that gives it a premium look many mid-range brands still miss.
It also feels solid. Whether you set it up on the stand or mount it on a wall, the panel sits firm and stable &mdash; a level of sturdiness you don&rsquo;t always see even on more expensive TVs.
This sense of physical quality matters more than people think. A TV this large becomes part of your living space, and Blaupunkt&rsquo;s design feels considered rather than decorative. It&rsquo;s a design that communicates, &ldquo;We may be new to premium TVs, but we understand what one is supposed to feel like.&rdquo;
<h2>Start-up Delay: The First Thing You'll Notice</h2>
Ironically, the very first interaction with the TV highlights one of its biggest usability drawbacks. From the moment you press the power button on the remote, there is a noticeable pause &mdash; roughly 10 seconds &mdash; before the screen lights up.
Ten seconds isn&rsquo;t catastrophic, but it&rsquo;s long enough to feel like the system is gathering itself before waking up. On a daily basis, the delay becomes part of the TV&rsquo;s personality: capable once running, but slow to get moving. It&rsquo;s unusual for a modern Google TV, and definitely an area where Blaupunkt needs optimization.
<h2>Picture Quality: Natural, Controlled and Dependably Bright</h2>
Blaupunkt&rsquo;s Mini LED implementation avoids the common trap of prioritizing sheer brightness over picture stability. Mini LED, essentially, uses more densely packed, smaller LEDs for better illumination control. The advantage is obvious in real-world use: higher brightness, stronger colours, better shadow separation than standard LED TVs.
But Blaupunkt doesn&rsquo;t push the panel into overly vibrant territory. Instead, it takes a balanced, almost conservative approach &mdash; and this turns out to be one of the TV&rsquo;s quietly impressive strengths.
Blaupunkt&rsquo;s take on brightness is actually pretty interesting. A lot of TVs in this price range try way too hard to look &ldquo;impressive,&rdquo; cranking up highlights until everything looks like it&rsquo;s glowing. This one doesn&rsquo;t do that.&nbsp;
With 1500 nits of peak brightness, it plays it cool. The picture stays steady and controlled. It looks consistent across different types of content, whether it&rsquo;s animation, travel videos or fast sports. Colours stay natural and don&rsquo;t slip into that fake, over-processed look.
Moreover, with Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HLG, the TV pulls out more detail from supported content. Highlights look cleaner and shadows show more depth, revealing things you&rsquo;d usually miss on a standard LED panel.
Where the TV feels immediately confident is in sports. Fast camera pans in football matches, and tennis smashes all hold up well. The action feels smooth, with minimal judder or artifacts.
The 120Hz panel refresh rate plays a huge role here. Even rapid transitions between brightly lit frames do not throw the TV off. Motion interpolation doesn&rsquo;t create that unnatural &ldquo;soap-opera&rdquo; sheen either &mdash; a welcome relief, given how often mid-range TVs mishandle fast content. Viewers who binge sports during the day will find this TV especially satisfying.
Darker scenes on this TV is&hellip; fine. Not amazing, not bad &mdash; just right in the middle. The 100,000:1 contrast ratio and local dimming do help, so you actually see more in the shadows than you would on a basic LED TV.
When you&rsquo;re watching darker scenes in crime dramas or thrillers, the little details don&rsquo;t disappear. You can still follow what&rsquo;s going on. That said, the panel still can&rsquo;t escape the inherent limitations of Mini LED technology.
Blacks hover closer to charcoal than true deep black, and certain scenes expose faint halos around bright objects. I noticed this clearly while watching Paul Thomas Anderson&rsquo;s One Battle After Another.&nbsp;
The film relies heavily on night sequences, and while the TV kept the overall image coherent and watchable, the deepest shadows never quite reached the inky richness you&rsquo;d get from an OLED. Subtle gradients in the darkness were visible, but they lacked the velvety smoothness that cinephiles would hope for.
<h2>Audio: Loud, But Lacking Control</h2>
On paper, Blaupunkt&rsquo;s 108W Dolby Atmos-certified system sounds formidable. Six speakers and two subwoofers should theoretically offer depth, power and spatial clarity. In practice, the system delivers volume, not finesse.
The TV can get genuinely loud &mdash; loud enough to overwhelm smaller rooms &mdash; but the audio profile becomes messy at higher volumes. The bass resonates so strongly that the frame vibrates, particularly during explosions, chase scenes or high-intensity soundtracks.&nbsp;
This isn&rsquo;t the controlled rumble you get from a premium audio system. It&rsquo;s a rattling, boomy vibration that interrupts immersion rather than enhancing it.
Dialogue clarity remains usable, but midrange tones sometimes compete with the overactive bass. The result is sound that feels unbalanced, powerful but undisciplined.
A soundbar is not merely an upgrade here &mdash; it is almost mandatory.
<h2>Software &amp; Performance: Perfect Polish</h2>
So the software here is Google TV &mdash; and honestly, that&rsquo;s a win right out of the box. You get all the usual heavy hitters: Netflix, Prime Video, JioCinema/Hotstar, Apple TV+. Everything&rsquo;s right there on day one, no hunting, no weird app store stuff.
And the UI? It feels clean. It feels intentional. Nothing looks slapped together. Your rows make sense, the recommendations aren&rsquo;t chaotic, and the whole thing just feels&hellip; modern. Like, this is what a smart TV in 2025 should look like.
Bluetooth 5.0 and dual-band Wi-Fi handle the connectivity side pretty well, so everything just stays connected without drama.
Chromecast is also built in &mdash; as it should be &mdash; so sending a YouTube video or a tab from your laptop is basically instant. Google Assistant also does its job without acting confused or lagging behind your voice.
But really, the best part is how the whole thing flows. App switching feels smooth, animations are subtle but satisfying, and the entire experience has that polished &ldquo;yeah, this is nice&rdquo; energy you usually expect from brands that have been doing premium TVs for years.
<h2>Remote Control: Too Busy for Today&rsquo;s Streaming World</h2>
The remote feels like a relic of an older TV era &mdash; large, button-heavy and visually cluttered. While Google Assistant performs well through the microphone, the physical button layout lacks intuitive flow. For a streaming-first television, the remote feels unnecessarily complicated.
<h2>Verdict: A Promising First Attempt With Clear Strengths and Gaps</h2>
The Blaupunkt Mini QD TV doesn&rsquo;t try to be something it isn&rsquo;t. It doesn&rsquo;t chase OLED-level deep blacks. It doesn&rsquo;t try to win with exaggerated colour. And it doesn&rsquo;t pretend to offer perfect audio.
What it does offer is a thoughtfully built, bright, stable, premium-looking TV with a natural picture profile and excellent daytime performance. For households that prioritize sports, streaming, general entertainment and all-day usage, the 65-inch model at ₹94,999 is more compelling than expected.
But if you require fast startup, disciplined audio, and better handling of darker scenes, you&rsquo;ll find the weaknesses harder to ignore.
&nbsp;For now, this TV stands as a respectable, confident debut aimed squarely at everyday Indian viewers rather than videophile purists.

Oppo Find X9 Pro brings a massive 7500 mAh battery, a powerful 200MP telephoto, a flat ultra-bright AMOLED and the Dimensity 9500. At ₹1,09,999, it wants to beat Samsung, OnePlus and Apple at their own game.

Oppo Find X9 Pro Review: Massive Battery, Pro Cameras, Big Price — Worth It?

The Oppo Find X9 Pro goes all-in with a 7500 mAh battery, a flagship-grade 200MP telephoto camera, a flat 6.78" AMOLED display and the Dimensity 9500 chip. At ₹1,09,999, it aims to be the premium Android flagship of 2025.

The Find X9 Pro doesn&rsquo;t try to ease into the flagship conversation. It comes out looking and feeling like Oppo finally wants to sit at the very top.
The camera hardware is noticeably better, the battery is the biggest you&rsquo;ll find on any premium phone right now, the build feels cleaner and more thought-out, and the whole package gives off this energy that says, yeah, this is the one we want you to judge us by.
But when a company swings for the top spot, the price tag usually jumps with it. And at ₹1,09,999, this phone has zero room to slack. Everything has to land. Let&rsquo;s get into it
<h2>Oppo Find X9 Pro: Design &amp; Build</h2>
The X9 Pro doesn&rsquo;t throw away Oppo&rsquo;s design language, but it definitely feels like someone went back through the blueprint with a red pen and fixed the things that mattered in everyday use. My Titanium Charcoal unit has a soft, almost suede-like finish on the back that instantly feels more secure than the glossy, curved surface from last year.
The new flat frame helps too. It gives your fingers something firm to hold without feeling sharp, and even though the phone weighs 224 grams, the balance is so even that you stop noticing it after a few minutes.
The camera bump has had a design ovrhaul as well. Oppo ditched the big circular island for a cleaner, squared layout that blends into the frame much better. Sure, it wobbles a bit on a desk, but the trade-off is a sleeker, less smudge-prone module that doesn&rsquo;t dominate the entire back of the phone.
The thing that really stands out, though, is durability. Oppo went all-in this time. You get IP66, IP68, and even IP69 &mdash; which basically covers dust, water, and high-pressure jets. Pair that with the aluminium frame and Gorilla Glass Victus 2, and it finally feels like a flagship built for more than careful desk use.
Overall, the design doesn&rsquo;t scream for attention, but it doesn&rsquo;t need to. It&rsquo;s clean, it&rsquo;s refined, and it immediately feels like a phone made for the top tier.
<h2>Oppo Find X9 Pro: Display Quality</h2>
The move to a flat display might look like a small tweak on the spec sheet, but the moment you start using the Find X9 Pro, it feels like the right call. It&rsquo;s still a 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED with all the flagship buzzwords attached, but removing the curves changes the whole vibe.
No reflections catching the corners, no accidental palm inputs, no light bending off the edges. It just feels cleaner and easier to use, whether you&rsquo;re gaming or doom-scrolling at 2AM.
The bezels are another flex. Oppo shaved them down to roughly 1.15mm on all sides, and that uniform border gives the phone this near-floating screen effect. Watching HDR content feels more immersive simply because there&rsquo;s nothing pulling your attention away from the frame.
Speaking of HDR, brightness is kind of ridiculous here. The panel peaks at around 3,600 nits and sits comfortably at about 1,800 nits outdoors. That means sunlight is not a problem, and HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and HDR Vivid content all look punchy without over-cranking contrast.
Comfort is also clearly part of Oppo&rsquo;s plan. With 2160Hz PWM dimming and the ability to dip all the way down to a single nit, this is one of the easiest flagship screens to use late at night. No harsh flicker, no burning your eyes in a dark room.
You also get a couple of underrated extras. The ultrasonic fingerprint reader stays fast even with slightly sweaty or damp fingers. And Oppo&rsquo;s Vehicle Motion Alerts subtly stabilise the UI when the phone detects motion, making in-car reading noticeably less shaky.
So no, Oppo didn&rsquo;t reinvent displays here. What they did instead was refine every piece of the experience &mdash; the shape, the brightness, the comfort, the little usability upgrades &mdash; and the end result feels like one of their most mature panels yet.
<h2>Oppo Find X9 Pro: Camera Performance</h2>
After shooting with the Find X9 Pro for a while, the biggest thing that stands out is how confident this camera system feels. On paper it looks wild with a 50-megapixel main, a 50-megapixel ultra-wide and a 200-megapixel telephoto. Once you start taking photos, it becomes clear that Oppo is not just showing big numbers this year.
All three rear cameras now capture full-resolution 50-megapixel shots by default. You do not need extra toggles or hidden modes. Motion Photos also record in 4K instead of 1080p, so those short clips around your photos finally look clean and usable.
The 200-megapixel telephoto is easily the most interesting part of this setup. It uses a large 1/1.56-inch sensor with an f/2.1 aperture and a 70mm focal length, and it can focus as close as 9 centimetres. That allows proper macro-style shots on a zoom lens. At 3X and 6X, the images look sharp and detailed, and you can crop further without the photo falling apart. There is some sharpening and a bit of haloing around strong highlights, but it stays controlled.
The main 50-megapixel camera gets Sony&rsquo;s LYT-828 sensor, and it feels like a proper step forward. Autofocus is fast, dynamic range is balanced, shadows look natural and colours stay vivid without looking pushed. Older Oppo and OnePlus cameras used to brighten everything a bit too aggressively. This one looks more natural and cinematic.
Low-light results are strong as well. Even without Night mode, images stay detailed with minimal noise. When Night mode activates, it brightens the scene without blowing out highlights or creating that over-processed HDR look.
The ultra-wide camera is decent but clearly the weakest of the three. It uses the same 50-megapixel Samsung JN5 sensor found in the front camera. You get those wide, dramatic shots, but finer textures sometimes look softened, almost like a digital watercolour.
What is impressive is how consistent the output is across all lenses. Exposure, colour and tone remain steady whether you shoot ultra-wide, main or telephoto. Oppo&rsquo;s colour science with Hasselblad tuning has matured a lot. Images get a warm, slightly cinematic look with smoother highlight roll-off.
The phone also includes a small True Colour sensor that splits the frame into zones and measures colour temperature. It helps produce better white balance and more natural skin tones, especially indoors or in mixed lighting.
The pressure-sensitive Quick Button makes a return. A quick tap takes a photo, a long press fires a burst and in video mode it starts or stops recording. A capacitive slider underneath lets you zoom smoothly. It is clever hardware, even if the learning curve is not the easiest.
Video performance is excellent. The main and telephoto cameras record up to 4K at 120 frames per second. The ultra-wide and the front camera go up to 4K at 60. Footage looks sharp with accurate colours and wide dynamic range. Low-light video holds up well with controlled noise. Stabilisation is strong whether you walk, pan or hold the phone still.
The front camera finally gets a major upgrade. It is now a 50-megapixel sensor with autofocus. Selfies look sharp, HDR is handled well and the 4K60 recording makes the phone great for front-facing video.
Overall, this is the most complete camera system Oppo has made. It still has small issues like mild oversharpening and the ultra-wide trailing behind the other lenses, but the consistency and versatility make it a genuine flagship-level setup.
<h2>Oppo Find X9 Pro: Benchmarks &amp; Performance</h2>
The Find X9 Pro runs on MediaTek&rsquo;s new Dimensity 9500, a flagship chip built to take on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and Apple&rsquo;s A19 Pro. On paper it is finally a proper three-way fight, so I put the Find X9 Pro up against the OnePlus 15 and the iPhone 17 Pro Max to see how it actually performs.
In Geekbench 6, the OnePlus 15 posts 3646 in single core and a huge 11025 in multi core. That gives Qualcomm the strongest multi core numbers in this group. The Find X9 Pro scores 3198 in single core and 9383 in multi core.
The interesting bit is that this multi core number actually edges out the iPhone 17 Pro Max, which lands at 9634. Apple still keeps the lead in single core with a score of 3725, but this is the closest MediaTek has ever been in a flagship comparison.
The 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Stress Test tells a different story. The Find X9 Pro starts strong at 7248 and drops to 3560, which works out to 49 percent stability. That shows clear throttling during long gaming or GPU-heavy workloads.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max begins at 5531 and dips to 3769 for 68 percent stability, so performance stays more consistent. The OnePlus 15 comes out on top in sustained GPU results with a 7683 peak and 5282 minimum for 68.8 percent stability.
None of the phones dominate every benchmark, which is a good reminder that numbers only show part of the story. In the VN video export test, where the same 4K60 clips were stitched into a two-minute file, the Find X9 Pro finished first by a comfortable margin. It beat both the OnePlus 15 and the iPhone 17 Pro Max, which makes it the fastest when you look at real workflows.
The important thing is how the phone behaves in hand. Apps open instantly, the UI stays smooth under heavy load, and games run without stutter. BGMI held around 60 and pushed to 120 in supported modes, all while the phone stayed cooler than expected.
The 16GB LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB UFS 4.1 storage pair well with the Dimensity 9500, so the X9 Pro never feels like it falls behind any flagship in daily use.
<h2>Oppo Find X9 Pro: Software &amp; AI</h2>
ColorOS 16 sits on Android 16 and feels familiar if you have used any recent Oppo or OnePlus phone. However, the polish is where the difference shows. Animations feel smoother, the colour palette is more subtle and the whole UI feels less busy than before. There is some iOS influence in places, but that is becoming common across Android skins now.
There are a few smart additions. You can set a video as your lock screen wallpaper. Icons can expand to show shortcuts without long-pressing, which saves time if you use apps like Messages or the Camera frequently.&nbsp;
AI tools are everywhere this year. You get translation inside the recorder, Circle to Search, Gemini Live, and AI edits like object removal or sharpening. They work about as well as Samsung and Google&rsquo;s versions.
The standout addition is Mind Space, which collects screenshots, snippets and voice notes in one place. Oppo even added a Snap Key on the frame to make it easier. Tap it to capture whatever is on screen. Hold it to record a voice snippet that turns into text immediately. If you collect notes all day, this is genuinely handy.
AI Studio is the only part that feels unfinished. It turns your photos into stylised portraits, but the output looks odd and the gender selection options feel outdated.
Oppo says the Find X9 Pro will get five years of major Android updates and six years of security patches. It is not at Samsung or Google levels, but it is still a strong long-term commitment for an Android flagship.
<h2>Oppo Find X9 Pro: Battery &amp; Charging</h2>
The Find X9 Pro is carrying a battery that feels almost unfair. It packs a 7,500 mAh cell, the biggest ever in a mainstream flagship, and even bigger than the OnePlus 15&rsquo;s already huge 7,300 mAh pack. What makes it even more impressive is the fact that Oppo squeezed all of this into an 8.25mm body, thanks to its third-gen Silicon-Carbon tech that boosts energy density without adding bulk.
In day-to-day use, the phone holds up better than almost anything else right now. Light users can stretch it to two full days without even thinking about it. Heavy users still wrap up a full day with battery left. I was consistently seeing around seven hours of screen-on time, and even during gaming tests with BGMI and Call of Duty: Mobile, it only dropped roughly five percent in a half-hour session.
The streaming test was the biggest surprise. Three hours of YouTube took the Find X9 Pro from 100 to 93 percent. The iPhone 17 Pro Max dropped to 90 percent under the same conditions, and the OnePlus 15 ended at 91 percent. This is the best result I have logged in that test so far.
Charging speeds are solid as well. The 80W SuperVOOC charger takes the phone from almost empty to around 80 percent in about 70 minutes. Wireless charging hits 50W through AirVOOC, and the phone also supports 10W reverse wireless charging for accessories.
<h2>Oppo Find X9 Pro Review: Should You Buy it?</h2>
After using the Find X9 Pro for a while, it became obvious that Oppo wasn&rsquo;t trying to make a safe flagship this year. This feels like a phone built to sit right at the top of the Android stack, and most of the time, it actually does.
The camera system is the most complete Oppo has put on a phone, the performance goes toe-to-toe with the best hardware from Qualcomm and Apple, the battery life borders on overkill, and the build finally matches the durability claims on paper.
It is not perfect. The ultra-wide still trails the other cameras, and the Quick Button is more of a fun trick than a must-use feature. But none of these feel like dealbreakers.
What stands out is the consistency. Whether you are shooting photos, gaming, exporting videos, or jumping between apps, the X9 Pro behaves like a phone that knows exactly what lane it wants to dominate.
At ₹1,09,999, you are paying a premium, and that automatically raises expectations. The surprising part is that the Find X9 Pro meets those expectations in almost every area.
If you want raw power, long battery life, a seriously versatile camera system, and a level of refinement Oppo has never delivered before, this is the one to look at. Whether the price makes sense will depend on what you prioritise, but after living with it, I can say this much. Oppo finally made a flagship that justifies the number on the box.
&nbsp;
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Vivo X300 and X300 Pro bring a big camera upgrade, sleeker design, and a new imaging NPU. See how the 2025 flagships evolve. Explore the lineup now.

Vivo X300 and X300 Pro hands-on: Design and camera jump

Vivo X300 series brings flatter designs, premium finishes, and major camera upgrades powered by Zeiss optics and a boosted imaging NPU.

The Vivo X300 and Vivo X300 Pro are finally here, and if you are planning to pick up a premium flagship this year, these two are definitely phones worth paying attention to. The series officially launches on December 2, but we got early access to both models to take a closer look at what Vivo is doing in this new generation.
The X-series has built its entire identity around photography. Last year&rsquo;s X200 Pro set a remarkably high bar for imaging, so the big question this year is simple. How is Vivo evolving the formula with the X300 lineup, and can these phones push things forward once again? There is plenty happening across both models, so let&rsquo;s break it all down.
<h2>Vivo X300 Pro &amp; X300 Hands-on:&nbsp;Design</h2>
At first glance, both the X300 and X300 Pro feel familiar in the best possible way. You get the huge circular camera module on the back, a premium finish, and the same high-end design language Vivo has refined over the last few generations. But once you look closer, you start noticing subtle but meaningful updates that make the X300 series feel more modern and polished.
The most obvious change is the flatness of the design. Both the front and back panels are noticeably flatter than before, creating a cleaner aesthetic and a more contemporary flagship feel. The phones are slimmer as well, which improves the in-hand comfort considerably. This small shift alone gives the series a more refined identity that separates it from the slightly more curved approach of the X200 lineup.
Size is the big differentiator between the two phones. The X300 Pro sits in the same zone as most full-size flagship devices, but Vivo has shaped it well enough to remain comfortable to use. The regular X300 is where things get interesting. It is noticeably smaller, and anyone who prefers compact phones will immediately feel the difference. It almost feels like a successor to the Vivo X200 FE, but with a far more premium finish and a much larger camera module.
When you place the X300 and X200 FE side by side, you can clearly see how Vivo has refined the compact flagship formula. The X300 is slightly thinner, has nearly the same footprint as the previous compact model, and steps into a more premium tier with cleaner glass, a flatter design, and more metallic accents. The X200 FE felt modest and balanced, while the X300 feels more grown-up.
A new addition on the X300 Pro is the multi-function button on the side. It behaves exactly like the Action Button on the iPhone. You can assign it to shortcuts, and it is genuinely useful for quick tasks like triggering the camera or enabling specific modes. For people who love customisation, this button adds a surprising layer of convenience.
Build quality on both phones is exactly what you expect from a premium flagship. The frames are metal, the bodies feel solid, and the moment you pick either phone up you get that satisfying sense of density and craftsmanship. The edges are rounded enough to avoid digging into your palm and the overall grip is very comfortable. Both the X300 and X300 Pro use 3D curved glass on the back that blends seamlessly into the camera housing.
The Phantom Black variants we tested come with a matte, frosted back that not only looks elegant but also avoids fingerprint smudges. The camera housing is a big deal visually. The X300 Pro has a noticeably thicker module because of the more complex optical elements inside. It also gets a ribbed metal ring around the lens array which does not serve a functional purpose but definitely adds a more distinct, premium look.
<h2>Vivo X300 Pro &amp; X300 Hands-on:&nbsp;Cameras</h2>
Now let&rsquo;s talk about the main reason people buy Vivo&rsquo;s X-series. The cameras are where these phones truly try to stand out, and the X300 series continues to rely heavily on Vivo&rsquo;s long-running partnership with Zeiss.
The more premium X300 Pro brings some seriously stacked hardware. It features a 200MP APO telephoto lens with OIS, a 50MP ultra-wide, and a 50MP main camera with gimbal-grade stabilisation. The setup is versatile and powerful, and the samples we shot show clear improvements in detail, stability, and colour accuracy. You can check out the samples and let us know what you think in the comments.
The X300 Pro can shoot up to 8K at 30 frames per second with surprisingly stable footage even when shot handheld. It also offers Dolby Vision colour recording at 4K 60, something creators who upload to social platforms will really appreciate. On the front, you get a 50MP selfie camera with autofocus, delivering crisp detail and excellent skin tones.
The regular X300 takes a slightly different route. Its main highlight is the 200MP primary sensor with OIS, paired with a 50MP ultra-wide and a 50MP telephoto. The hardware is simpler compared to the Pro, but the early samples look promising. Vivo&rsquo;s processing and Zeiss tuning play a big role in ensuring consistency across both models.
For video, the X300 tops out at 4K 120 frames per second with reliable stabilisation. The front camera is the same 50MP autofocus unit found on the Pro model, so selfie performance remains nearly identical on both phones.
We will have a complete camera verdict in the full review once we test the devices across more lighting conditions and scenarios, but early impressions are definitely strong.
<h2>Vivo X300 Pro &amp; X300 Hands-on: Hardware and Software</h2>
Under the hood, both phones run on a special variant of the Dimensity 9500 that features a new imaging NPU defined specifically by Vivo. This results in a significant performance jump. GPU performance is up by 33 percent, single-core CPU performance rises by 32 percent, and NPU performance gets a massive 111 percent uplift.
The chipset is built on TSMC&rsquo;s third-generation 3 nm process, which naturally results in top-tier efficiency. But the real gains show up in imaging. Both the X300 and X300 Pro use Vivo&rsquo;s V3+ Imaging chip to enhance photo and video quality. The X300 Pro takes things further by using the Pro Imaging Chip VS1 alongside the V3+ chip. Think of it as an extra layer of processing sauce that refines details, reduces noise, and improves dynamic range.
On the software side, Vivo has moved on from Funtouch OS and introduced OriginOS 6. The UI is cleaner, faster, and more fluid. You get translucent panels, layered shadows, and smoother animations. There are new engines for performance optimisation, visual responsiveness, and a wide range of lock screen customisations.
There is still a lot left to test, including benchmarks, gaming performance, thermal behaviour, and battery endurance. The deeper analysis will be available soon.

The OnePlus 15 takes a new direction with a 165Hz display, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, huge 7,300mAh battery, and native 165 FPS gaming. It drops Hasselblad and uses smaller sensors, but focuses on performance, battery, and a cleaner design.

OnePlus 15 Review: Playing the Long Game?  (ft iPhone 17 & OnePlus 13)

<h2>The OnePlus 15 takes a new direction with a 165Hz display, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, huge 7,300mAh battery, and native 165 FPS gaming. It drops Hasselblad and uses smaller sensors, but focuses on performance, battery, and a cleaner design.</h2>

The OnePlus 15 is a turning point for the brand, and to really understand what this phone is trying to do, you have to look at it next to its closest rivals. So while this is a review of the OnePlus 15, it also makes sense to compare it to last year&rsquo;s OnePlus 13 and Apple&rsquo;s new iPhone 17 &mdash; because together, they paint a very interesting picture.
This year, OnePlus has taken a noticeably different direction. The OnePlus 15 comes with several trade-offs. The Hasselblad branding is gone, the display resolution steps down, the camera sensors are smaller, and even the haptics aren&rsquo;t as strong as before. On paper, it looks like OnePlus is pulling back.
Meanwhile, Apple is pushing forward. The iPhone 17 finally brings a smooth 120Hz ProMotion display to the base model, upgrades the ultrawide camera to 48MP, and starts at a much more practical 256GB.
And then you have the OnePlus 13, which still stands as a well-rounded flagship &mdash; strong performance, solid cameras, and that classic OnePlus feel.
So the question is simple: did OnePlus really take a step backward with the 15, or is this part of a bigger, smarter strategy? Let&rsquo;s dive in.
<h2>Design &amp; Build</h2>
The OnePlus 15 feels cleaner and more industrial this year. The new Sandstorm finish gives it a matte, grippy texture that hides smudges well, and the whole thing&rsquo;s flatter and lighter. This Sandstorm variant gets a glass-fiber back, while the black and purple versions use either Gorilla Glass 7i or Crystal Shield Glass.
So, depending on which color you pick, you&rsquo;re also getting a different material feel. Overall, it&rsquo;s a really comfortable phone to use and despite that 6.78-inch display, it doesn&rsquo;t feel bulky or oversized in the hand.
That said, I still prefer the frosty matte back on the OnePlus 13 &mdash; it has a nicer in-hand feel.
Side by side, the change is obvious. The circular camera bump is gone, and it&rsquo;s now a squared-off module. It's &nbsp;sharper, simpler, and clearly inspired by Oppo&rsquo;s design language.
The new nano-ceramic metal frame is aerospace-grade, 26% lighter than titanium, tougher, and better with heat. It feels dense yet cool &mdash; like metal and ceramic had a baby.
As for durability, the OnePlus 15 is rated IP66, IP68, IP69, and IP69K &mdash; basically meaning it&rsquo;s protected against dust, water, and even high-pressure jets. That&rsquo;s a level of protection you don&rsquo;t really see on other flagships.&nbsp;
For comparison, the OnePlus 13 has IP69 and iPhone 17 offers IP68, which is good, but not quite this extreme.
The OnePlus 13 still feels great in the hand &mdash; &nbsp; solid build, nice grip and yes, the alert slider&rsquo;s still here. Meanwhile, the iPhone 17 is the most compact and balanced of the bunch &mdash; light, premium, and classic Apple comfort.
<h2>Display</h2>
Now, let&rsquo;s talk about the display on the OnePlus 15 &mdash; this one&rsquo;s a bit of an oddball. It&rsquo;s the first phone with a 165Hz LTPO AMOLED panel, which sounds impressive&hellip; but you probably know by now that the screen resolution drops from QHD+ to 1.5K, and the 165Hz refresh rate isn&rsquo;t available when scrolling or swiping through the UI. That&rsquo;s capped at 120Hz.&nbsp;
Only select games, like Call of Duty Mobile, can take advantage of that high refresh rate. It does support 165FPS gameplay, but I&rsquo;ll discuss that later. &nbsp;So no, you&rsquo;re not seeing 165Hz magic in the UI or everywhere else. The 120Hz experience is still super smooth &mdash; but to be fair, you already had that on the OnePlus 13.
Infact, the OnePlus 13 still hits harder on paper with QHD+ resolution and 4,500 nits of peak brightness, but the 15 fights back with smarter HDR tone mapping and Ultra HDR support, giving you richer contrast and more lifelike colour. It also has some of the thinnest and most symmetrical bezels I&rsquo;ve ever seen on a smartphone.
As for the iPhone 17, it finally brings 120Hz to the base model and achieves a peak brightness of 3,000 nits. It&rsquo;s the smallest display here at 6.3 inches, but day to day, it&rsquo;s buttery smooth, incredibly bright, and the color accuracy is classic Apple &mdash; easily one of the most premium screens you can get right now.
<h2>Perfrmance and 165 FPS Gaming</h2>
The OnePlus 15 runs what OnePlus calls a Tri-Chip system, and it&rsquo;s kind of wild. There's the new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, a 330 Hz Touch Response Chip, and a Wi-Fi G2 chip that keeps connections rock solid, even with weak signal. Put all that together &mdash; CPU, touch, and connectivity &mdash; and you&rsquo;ve basically got a holy trinity of performance.&nbsp; &nbsp;
Compared to the OnePlus 13, which had the Snapdragon 8 Elite, you&rsquo;re looking at roughly a 20% boost on AnTuTu. Geekbench numbers tell a similar story &mdash; the 15 edges out both the 13 and the iPhone 17 in multi-core performance. It does run a little warmer under sustained load, but it barely throttles. (See video for exact benchmark results). That means even during long gaming sessions or heavy multitasking, you&rsquo;re not going to see sudden dips in performance.
Speaking of gaming &mdash; the OnePlus 15 takes things up a notch. As I mentioned earlier, it can run select games at a full 165 FPS, thanks to OnePlus&rsquo;s OP FPS Max technology. This isn&rsquo;t fake frame interpolation &mdash; it&rsquo;s true native 165 FPS on a custom 165Hz panel. We tested it with COD Mobile, and even after half an hour, the phone held that frame rate steady.&nbsp;
Will it matter to everyone? Probably not. Casual gamers won&rsquo;t see a huge difference beyond smoother motion. But for competitive players, that faster response and fluid gameplay can be a legit edge. Either way, it&rsquo;s super cool to see a phone actually hit native 165 FPS &mdash; because right now, no one else does.
Now, that&rsquo;s not to say the other two phones are bad for gaming. The OnePlus 13 can handle 120 FPS in supported games, and the iPhone 17 tops out at 60 FPS, but that A19 chip can crush any title you throw at it. But if you&rsquo;re chasing pure performance and high frame rates, the OnePlus 15 is the new king.
The OnePlus 15 pulls ahead when it comes to RAM and storage. The 16GB version uses LPDDR5X Ultra+ RAM, which boosts multitasking and overall responsiveness, while both the 12GB and 16GB variants get faster UFS 4.1 storage.
The OnePlus 13, on the other hand, offers up to 24GB of RAM but relies on regular LPDDR5X and slightly slower UFS 4.0 storage.
The iPhone 17 might only have 8GB of RAM, but Apple&rsquo;s tight integration between hardware and software keeps performance consistently smooth.
All three phones start at 256GB of storage, even the base iPhone 17.
Battery &amp; Charging 
&nbsp;The OnePlus 15 is packing a huge 7,300 mAh cell. That&rsquo;s one of the biggest batteries we&rsquo;ve seen in a flagship. Pair that with 120W wired charging &mdash; you&rsquo;re going from 0 to 50% in just about 17 minutes, and a full charge takes around 40. Plus, there&rsquo;s 50W wireless charging, making it a dream setup for gamers or heavy users.
The OnePlus 13 isn&rsquo;t far behind &mdash; 6,000 mAh battery, 100W wired charging and 50W wireless. This setup still offers excellent endurance and super-fast top-ups. For most people, that easily lasts a full day and more.
Then there&rsquo;s the iPhone 17 with just 3,692 mAh on paper, but Apple&rsquo;s efficiency is next level. The A19 chip and iOS optimization easily push it through a full day. Charging also got faster &mdash; 40W wired, 50% in 20 minutes, full in about 90. So yeah, smaller battery, but still really dependable in real-world use.
<h2>Camera Performance</h2>
Cameras are where you can see OnePlus shifting its priorities. When you line up the camera specs, it&rsquo;s clear the OnePlus 15 steps down a bit from the OnePlus 13. The new phone swaps last year&rsquo;s larger sensors and faster apertures for smaller ones across the board.
The main sensor moves from the 1/1.4-inch Sony LYT808 to a 1/1.56-inch IMX906. The ultrawide now uses a smaller OmniVision OV50D, and even the periscope zoom shifts from a larger IMX882 to the Samsung JN5.&nbsp;
OnePlus has also officially ended its partnership with Hasselblad. Instead, the company has moved to its own in-house DetailMax Engine for image processing.&nbsp;
Overall, photos clicked on the OnePlus 15 look sharp and detailed, but they do lean a little too saturated at times. Skin tones, especially, can come out warmer than they should. On the plus side, the video capabilities are seriously strong. You get 10-bit Log, 4K at 120 FPS video with Dolby Vision HDR, and even 8K at 30.&nbsp;
The tools are there, but it&rsquo;s clear OnePlus isn&rsquo;t trying to chase the absolute best camera crown this year. They&rsquo;ve made trade-offs to focus on performance and battery instead.
The OnePlus 13, on the other hand, feels more like the camera-focused OnePlus we used to know. You still get that triple 50MP setup (with larger sensors), and thanks to Hasselblad&rsquo;s color tuning, the images come out balanced and natural.
It&rsquo;s versatile across all focal lengths, and low-light performance holds up really well. Honestly, between the two, the 13 is still the better OnePlus camera phone in my opinion.
Then you&rsquo;ve got the iPhone 17, which takes the classic Apple route &mdash; a dual setup with a 48MP main and a 48MP ultra-wide. But here, it&rsquo;s not about the hardware, it&rsquo;s the processing.&nbsp;
Colors are consistent, dynamic range is excellent, and low-light shots look clean without getting noisy or crushed. And video quality is still the gold standard &mdash; smooth stabilization, natural tone, and that 24MP selfie camera with Center Stage is genuinely one of the best front-facing setups out there.
If you just want a phone that takes great photos and videos every single time without any tweaking, the iPhone 17 still makes that experience effortless.
<h2>Audio, Haptics &amp; Software</h2>
Now, let&rsquo;s talk about the little things &mdash; haptics, speakers, and all the extras that actually make using these phones feel premium day to day.
On the OnePlus 15, the speakers sound better this year. It's louder and more balanced, but the haptics have taken a hit. They feel softer than they did last year, and that iconic alert slider is gone. It has been replaced by a new programmable &ldquo;Plus Key,&rdquo; which is handy but lacks the same charm.
The OnePlus 13 keeps things classic &mdash; strong, crisp haptics and the alert slider still right where it should be. It just feels more familiar and satisfying to use.
As for the iPhone 17, it&rsquo;s peak polish. Haptics are perfect, stereo speakers are rich and full, and the overall experience &mdash; from hardware to software &mdash; just feels cohesive.&nbsp;
Sotware wise, the OnePlus 15 ships with OxygenOS 16 based on Android 16. I won&rsquo;t dive deep into it here, as we&rsquo;ve already written a full article on the topic when we tested Oxygen OS 16 on the OnePlus 13s. If you&rsquo;re curious, feel free to check it out. But in short &mdash; faster animations, deeper customization, and a bunch of new AI features that actually work pretty well.
&nbsp;The OnePlus 13 still runs OxygenOS 15 based on Android 16, but the OxygenOS 16 rollout has already started. So, most users should see the update hit their phones by the end of November. &nbsp;
On the iPhone 17, you&rsquo;re getting iOS 26. If you&rsquo;re an Apple user, you're probably going to swear by it. But even Apple fans would agree that Apple Intelligence still isn&rsquo;t quite on the same level as what OnePlus is offering with AI right now.
That said, Apple still wins on longevity &mdash; six to seven years of iOS updates versus four on both the OnePlus phones.&nbsp;
<h2>Final Verdict</h2>
Ok, so which one should you go for?
The OnePlus 13 remains the classic all-rounder &mdash; boasting great design, solid cameras, and that signature OnePlus feel. The iPhone 17 is easily the safest bet, especially if you are an Apple user&mdash; super consistent, great cameras, excellent software, and long-term reliability.
But the real standout this year, for me, is the OnePlus 15. It might look like a downgrade on paper, but once you actually use it, it&rsquo;s easily the most balanced phone of the bunch.&nbsp;
The performance is rock-solid, the battery life is excellent, and that new 165Hz FPS gaming feels ridiculously smooth. If the cameras were just a bit better, this would&rsquo;ve been an easy A+. But even as it stands, it&rsquo;s a solid A &mdash; and that&rsquo;s still pretty great.

Hands-on iQOO 15 camera review: triple 50MP setup (IMX921 + IMX882), periscope 3x zoom, superb low-light shots and 4K/60fps video — ahead of India launch.

iQOO 15 Camera Hands-On: Triple 50MP Cameras, Periscope Zoom

We tested the iQOO 15’s triple-50MP cameras and periscope telephoto — from daylight detail and 100x hybrid zoom to surprisingly strong low-light and portrait performance. Read our hands-on verdict.

The iQOO 15 combines Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 power with a triple 50MP camera setup, delivering exceptional detail, color accuracy, and low-light shots&mdash;making it a true flagship contender in smartphone photography.

Although the iQOO 15 was already launched in China last month, the successor to the powerful iQOO 13 is set to drop in India on November 26.
Now historically, iQOO has been more of a performance orie nted smartphone maker and has not really paid that much attention to its cameras. Well, with the 15 series, they hope to change that perception.
Now, along with top-notch performance, they have also tried to go all-out with their cameras as well. But has it worked?
I experienced the phone before its Indian release, and it&rsquo;s quite clear that <a href="https://www.editorji.com/tech-news/mobiles/iqoo-z10r-review-in-5-simple-points-what-you-need-to-know-1753349773828" target="_blank">iQOO</a> has done some sort of an engineering wizardry with their cameras this time around.&nbsp;
It features a triple camera setup at the back and comes with a 50MP main camera with Sony IMX921 sensor, a 50MP periscope 3x telephoto camera with a Sony IMX882 sensor and OIS, and a 50MP ultra wide camera.
And this being an offering from iQOO, it packs insane performance thanks to an all new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.
We take a deep dive into the cameras of the iQOO 15 and see how it fares.&nbsp;
<h2>The 50MP Main Camera</h2>
The 50MP main camera (23mm, f/1.88) actually sets the tone for the entire camera system on this phone. The level of detail it pulls is insane and genuinely surprising. The camera perfectly balances light, even in intense, harsh sunlight, preventing the sky from blowing out and keeping shadows well under control.&nbsp;
For instance, in a shot panned directly towards the sky (like a hanging house model), details remain sharp and not excessively shadowy.
This is a massive improvement over older iQOO models that sometimes had the tendency to oversaturate colours to make up for poor contrast. With the iQOO 15, the colors are rich.&nbsp;
<h2>The 50MP Ultrawide Camera</h2>
The 50MP ultrawide (15mm, f/2.1) camera is a massive step up from previous iQOO models, benefiting significantly from its high resolution and the new sensor. The 15mm lens delivers true flagship consistency, with superb dynamic range and excellent color signature matching the main sensor. While distortion correction is top-tier, a minor area for refinement is observed in complex low-light scenes, where there is a subtle, yet discernible, increase in digital noise when compared directly to the Main lens. Overall, it is a highly useful and powerful lens.
<h2>The 50MP 3X Telephoto</h2>
This phone really hits its stride when you move beyond the main lens, mixing crops from the main sensor with the dedicated periscope telephoto, which goes up to 100x magnification. Although the sweet spot is typically around 20-30x
The sample images genuinely demonstrate the phone's capabilities. The first image, shot at 165mm focal length, captures multiple subjects in the mid-distance. By zooming further to around 666mm the camera isolates the single pigeon, maintaining a recognizable texture on the bird and bricks despite the extreme zoom.
<h2>Portrait Mode</h2>
The Portrait Mode performs exceptionally well. It captures images with stunning depth and detail. It also has an 85mm lens option included in this section, for the perfect portrait capture. By offering versatility and professional results, it maintains good subject separation, and the colors are vibrant which looks naturally stunning.
<h2>From the Main Sensor</h2>
For tighter headshots, the 2x portrait crop is pretty solid. The camera does a pretty impressive job with edge detection, creating a beautiful, natural-looking separation from the background without weird halos or fuzzy hair. The depth of field is shallow and looks very smooth and creamy, which really helps the subject pop out.
Colours are again, very impressive, and the camera handles yellow tones really well, and balances it out beautifully.
<h2>From the 3X Tele Sensor</h2>
Portraits with the dedicated 3X optical telephoto camera are simply insane; in our example, one can easily see the texture on a watch face or the weave of a shirt's fabric without any mushiness. It also captures the skin tone perfectly balanced, without going overboard with the colours.
I also liked the perspective compression at this focal length. Seasoned photographers who have used a proper, full-frame DSLR or mirrorless camera will see how natural-looking it is. It also makes people look flattering, something previous iQOO <a href="https://www.editorji.com/tech-news/mobiles/samsung-galaxy-s24-vs-oneplus-12-in-depth-2024-flagship-comparison-check-specs-prices-and-more-1701340237455" target="_blank">flagships</a>, which often skimped on a proper optical telephoto.
Even when pushed to the 100mm setting, the detail held up way better than expected, maintaining clarity and ultra-depth behind the subject in portrait shots.&nbsp;
Although there is some room for improvement in the colour section here, sometimes in exposed lighting conditions the color vibrance acts differently and seems unnatural, this is a testament to the applause-worthy processing engine, which makes this hybrid zoom genuinely useful.
<h2>Low-Light Performance</h2>
&nbsp;If the daylight shots were impressive, the low-light performance is what really sells the flagship status.
In this photograph of the couple in their cocktail outfits, the phone pulled in a remarkable amount of light in what was a challenging scene with only a couple of fairy lights as a source. It handled this perfectly, blurring those lights into a soft, ethereal bokeh while maintaining texture and detail in the black suits and sequined dress in the foreground. Skin tones stayed true, even under the tricky, warm ambient lights.
Similarly in the cat&rsquo;s image, taken in minimal to practically no light) I was totally blown away. It captured a crisp image with no colour distortion. Of course, in such an extremely low-light condition, the camera takes a second or two to capture the image, but the processing is pretty much instantaneous.
<h2>The Front-Facing Camera</h2>
The 32MP front camera is again glorious, especially when challenged by harsh lighting. In a series of selfies with the sun blazing directly on the subject, the iQOO 15&rsquo;s HDR instantly kicked in to make sure the face was properly lit and not a distracting silhouette. You get natural-looking detail on skin and clothing, steering clear of that artificial, overly-smoothed "beauty filter" look that ruins so many selfies.
<h2>Capturing Action: Video Performance</h2>
In today's world where everybody wants to be a content creator, video capabilities of a phone truly are kingmakers, and iQOO 15 does not disappoint here .
You can shoot up to 8K on the main camera, but the 4K@60fps available on both the main and telephoto cameras yields seriously smooth results.&nbsp;
The video quality itself is impressive, holding onto detail perfectly, especially challenging conditions. Crucially, its dynamic range is also solid, balancing the light so the bright sky doesn't get completely washed out, and you don't lose all the detail in the shadows.&nbsp;
Normal stabilisation on the main camera is pretty solid since it uses OIS. That said, if you engage the special ultra-stabilization mode, I feel there&rsquo;s a little room for improvement there.
<h2>iQOO becomes a serious contender</h2>
The iQOO 15 shows that iQOO is no longer content with having one of the most bang for the buck devices in the performance category; it wants a similar crown in terms of cameras too, and is willing to pursue it pretty aggressively.
The consistency is what wins here; all three rear camera systems share the same excellent color science and image quality, which is a huge accomplishment.&nbsp;
The new periscope lens is a genuine powerhouse, and the night modes prove that iQOO has finally figured out how to use computational photography to create art, not just pump the brightness up. For me, this camera system is a whole new experience and easily the most exciting part of the entire iQOO 15 package.&nbsp;

Unboxing the OnePlus 15 — the first smartphone with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. See the box contents, new Sand Storm design, OxygenOS 16 features, and early camera samples before the full review.

OnePlus 15 Unboxing – India’s First Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Phone!

<h2>Unboxing the OnePlus 15 &mdash; the first phone with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. We check out the box contents, new Sand Storm design, IP69K durability, and early camera samples before the full review drops.</h2>

The OnePlus 15 launches in India on November 13 and it&rsquo;s already grabbing attention for being the first phone powered by Qualcomm&rsquo;s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.
OnePlus has been teasing the device for a while, and the big headline feature is that massive 7,300mAh battery &mdash; that&rsquo;s around 21 percent larger than what we got on the OnePlus 13. We&rsquo;ve had early access to the device, so before the full review drops, here&rsquo;s a quick unboxing and first look at what&rsquo;s new.
<h2>Inside the Box</h2>
Here&rsquo;s what you get in the box: a 120W SuperVOOC fast charger, the classic red USB-A to USB-C cable, a color-matched soft case, SIM ejector tool, all the paperwork, and the OnePlus Red Cable Club card. Simple, complete, and very OnePlus.
<h2>OnePlus 15: Design and Build</h2>
The OnePlus 15 comes in three colors: Infinite Black, Sand Storm, and Ultra Violet. We have the Sand Storm version here &mdash; inspired by natural sand dunes with a matte texture that feels premium and hides fingerprints really well.
This year, OnePlus has added IP68, IP69, and IP69K ratings, giving the phone better protection from dust, water, and even high-pressure sprays. You&rsquo;ll also notice the new flat front and back paired with a matte frame for a cleaner, industrial look. One big change: the iconic alert slider is gone.
Instead, we get the new Plus Key, similar to what we saw on the OnePlus 13S. It lets you capture what&rsquo;s on your screen or save snippets directly to Mind Space for later. The OnePlus 15 doesn&rsquo;t just look different from the OnePlus 12 or 13, it feels different too &mdash; more solid, more refined, and more minimal.
<h2>OnePlus 15: Camera Changes</h2>
If you&rsquo;ve noticed, the Hasselblad branding is missing. That&rsquo;s because OnePlus has officially ended its eight-year partnership with Hasselblad. So, the camera system here is entirely OnePlus&rsquo;s own. We&rsquo;ve shot a few quick samples in different lighting conditions, and they look promising so far, but we&rsquo;ll need to dive deeper to really see what&rsquo;s changed. (Check the video for camera samples)
<h2>OnePlus 15: Performance</h2>
Under the hood, the OnePlus 15 runs on the new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 &mdash; the same chip that&rsquo;s setting benchmark records right now. According to reports, in tests like AnTuTu, it&rsquo;s been hitting between 3.4 and 3.8 million points, so we&rsquo;re expecting top-tier speed for gaming, multitasking, and heavy use.&nbsp;
<h2>OnePlus 15: Software &ndash; OxygenOS 16</h2>
This is the first phone to launch with OxygenOS 16 out of the box, based on Android 16. We&rsquo;ve already tried this version on the OnePlus 13S, and it&rsquo;s a big step up. Animations feel faster and smoother, and there&rsquo;s a lot more customization across the lock screen and home screen.
OxygenOS 16 also brings new AI features like Mind Space, which sorts your screenshots and notes automatically. It even works with Google Gemini now, so you can search through your saved content. Plus, there are new AI editing tools in the gallery that help clean up photos with one tap.
<h2>Early Thoughts</h2>
Overall, the OnePlus 15 is shaping up to be a complete flagship.&nbsp; We&rsquo;ll be testing it in depth over the next few days &mdash; especially the cameras and gaming performance &mdash; so stay tuned for the full review.

The ROG Xbox Ally is built for take-anywhere play, with a comfortable grip, a smooth 120Hz display, and enough power to carry your PC and Xbox library on the move.

Asus ROG Xbox Ally review:

Built for gaming away from the desk, the ROG Xbox Ally blends console-like comfort with a smooth 120Hz display and practical performance for everyday play.

Handheld gaming has been slowly finding its feet again, and the Asus ROG Xbox Ally feels like a product that understands the assignment. It isn&rsquo;t trying to take over from your main gaming laptop or console, and it doesn&rsquo;t chase the title of &ldquo;strongest handheld on the planet.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Instead, the point here is simple: make your existing game library feel easier to access, more comfortable to play, and a lot more fun to carry around. And honestly, it succeeds more often than it fails.
Calling it an Xbox is a stretch. It&rsquo;s better described as a compact Windows machine that just happens to play really nicely with both your Xbox and PC titles. The design choices show that someone actually thought about how people hold and use these things; the ergonomics are quite good, the hardware is capable, and the experience feels well-rounded when everything is running the way it should.
Is it flawless? No. There are quirks, some rough edges, and certain moments where you&rsquo;ll be reminded that Windows wasn&rsquo;t built with handhelds in mind. But as a portable gaming companion for people who like playing on the move, the ROG Xbox Ally has more than enough charm to make you seriously consider it.
<h2>Design and in-hand feel</h2>
The first thing that stood out to me about the ROG Xbox Ally is how naturally it sits in the hand. Asus has clearly leaned into that familiar Xbox controller shape, and it pays off. If you&rsquo;ve ever held an Xbox pad, your fingers will know where to go before you even think about it. The grips flare and curve in a way that lets your hands relax instead of clench, and that makes longer play sessions genuinely easier on the wrists. The display also tilts forward ever so slightly. It&rsquo;s a tiny detail, but over a couple of hours of steady play, it keeps your posture from feeling tense or hunched.
The button layout follows the classic Xbox-controller&rsquo;s template: ABXY buttons, triggers, D-pad, and two analogue sticks. The buttons have a satisfying, confident click, and the hall-effect triggers feel smooth and precise. The thumbsticks, though, are where I wish Asus had gone the extra step. At this price, hall-effect sticks would have been the obvious durability win, so it&rsquo;s a small miss. The two rear macro paddles are practical and easy to map, and the haptics feel unexpectedly put-together for a handheld of this size.
Since it&rsquo;s an ROG device, so yes, there&rsquo;s RGB. But it&rsquo;s not screaming for attention. It&rsquo;s subtle, customisable, and actually adds a touch of personality rather than noise. The real surprise, though, is the audio. The front-firing speakers are loud, clear, and frankly better than what I&rsquo;ve heard in a lot of mid-range gaming laptops. Dolby Atmos improves things further, especially if you switch to headphones. The built-in mic won&rsquo;t impress anyone, but it gets the job done for quick party chats.
Connectivity is flexible too: a 3.5mm jack, two USB-C ports with DisplayPort, and a microSD slot. And if you want to use it docked like a mini PC, that&rsquo;s absolutely an option.
<h2>Display and viewing experience</h2>
The ROG Xbox Ally comes with a 7-inch Full HD IPS panel running at 120Hz, and for handheld gaming, it hits a very comfortable sweet spot. The size feels just right. It&rsquo;s compact enough that the device stays easy to hold for long stretches, but still large enough that games don&rsquo;t feel cramped or visually cluttered. I do wish this was an OLED panel, because that extra depth in blacks and contrast would have taken the experience up a notch. But even without that, what&rsquo;s here holds up well enough that the absence doesn&rsquo;t feel like a deal-breaker.
The resolution works well for this screen size. Text, UI elements, and textures appear sharp, and the higher refresh rate makes everything feel smoother, from navigating through menus to fast-paced gameplay. Colour performance is better than I expected. With full sRGB and good Adobe RGB coverage, things look lively without that artificial, boosted look some handheld displays tend to lean towards. Shadows and darker scenes retain clarity instead of turning into muddy patches.
Brightness indoors feels solid, though the glossy surface can be reflective if you&rsquo;re near strong light or trying to play outside. It&rsquo;s manageable, but noticeable. The Gorilla Glass Victus helps with durability, so dropping it into a bag without a case doesn&rsquo;t feel nerve-wracking.
Where the display really shines is motion. The 120Hz refresh combined with FreeSync Premium keeps gameplay smooth even when frame rates dip. Whether a game was coasting at 60FPS or hovering around the 40s in heavier titles, the overall motion stayed clean and controlled, which goes a long way in handheld play.
<h2>Performance and real-world gaming</h2>
The ROG Xbox Ally runs on AMD&rsquo;s Ryzen Z2 APU, which pairs older Zen 2 CPU cores with RDNA 2 graphics. On a spec sheet, that doesn&rsquo;t exactly scream cutting-edge, and I went into testing with fairly measured expectations. This isn&rsquo;t trying to compete with a dedicated gaming laptop. But once I actually started playing, the performance felt a lot better than what the raw numbers suggest.
The biggest advantage here is that the hardware and display resolution are well matched. You&rsquo;re not forcing a tiny chip to push unrealistic pixel counts. The device comes with 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM and a 512GB PCIe 4.0 SSD, so in theory, loading speeds should be snappy. In practice, lighter and indie titles load fast, while heavier AAA games can take a bit longer to get going. Once they&rsquo;re up, though, the experience smooths out and feels surprisingly steady.
At 1080p with medium to low settings, most modern games are perfectly playable, and the experience is closer to console-like than I expected. If you switch down to 720p, performance jumps in a noticeable way, and honestly, on a 7-inch screen, the drop in sharpness is barely something you register mid-game. It&rsquo;s a very practical trade-off.
Forza Horizon 5, for instance, looks vibrant and runs fluidly, and it feels right at home on this device. Even something heavier like Black Myth: Wukong is enjoyable as long as you don&rsquo;t chase ultra settings. Keep expectations grounded and settings sensible, and the Ally holds up remarkably well.
So the conclusion is pretty simple: the Ally performs best when you play to its strengths instead of trying to brute-force performance. Dial your settings realistically, and it gives you a consistently smooth, genuinely enjoyable handheld gaming experience.
<h2>Software and overall user experience</h2>
The software side of the ROG Xbox Ally is honestly where I was most pleasantly surprised. When you turn it on, it doesn&rsquo;t just dump you into a regular Windows desktop. Instead, it boots into a clean, full-screen Xbox-style launcher that immediately makes it feel like a proper console rather than a shrunken-down PC. The interface is simple, controller-friendly, and gives the device a full gamer-y vibe, right out of the box.
As long as you're living inside the Xbox ecosystem, the experience stays smooth and console-like. It launches games quickly, keeps navigation simple, and everything feels unified. The moment you step outside that space though, the Windows reality shows up.&nbsp;
Opening Steam, Epic, or Ubisoft Connect brings back the usual PC friction: logins, update prompts, background windows, and the occasional stubborn error pop-up. It&rsquo;s not frustrating enough to ruin the experience, but it&rsquo;s a reminder that this is still Windows, just wearing a nicer jacket.
There&rsquo;s also a quirk with switching environments. Holding the Xbox button lets you view open apps or jump over to the traditional Windows desktop, which is great if you want to use it like a mini PC for a bit.&nbsp;
But switching back to the full-screen Xbox interface isn't as smooth. Performance can dip unless you restart the device entirely, so it's easier to commit to one mode per session.
The saving grace here is Armoury Crate. It&rsquo;s integrated cleanly and actually feels useful rather than like bloatware.&nbsp;
I used it constantly to change performance modes, adjust RGB, tweak fan curves, or lock frame rates per game. It&rsquo;s quick to access mid-play, which genuinely matters when you&rsquo;re trying to get the best balance of performance, heat, and battery life on the fly.
<h2>Battery life and charging</h2>
Battery performance on the ROG Xbox Ally really comes down to what you&rsquo;re playing and the performance profile you choose. The 60Wh cell is actually pretty decent for something this compact, and when I stuck to lighter or less GPU-heavy games, I was able to get a pretty decent hours of playtime without thinking about the battery too much.
The moment you jump into heavier hitters like Black Myth: Wukong, the story changes. In those cases, I was getting roughly an hour and a half before needing to recharge, which honestly feels in line with what this hardware can realistically deliver.&nbsp;
In one of my sessions with Skillsong, the battery dipped by around 20% in an hour, which matched this general trend. Higher brightness, Bluetooth headphones, and RGB lighting all nudge the drain a bit faster.
The 65W charger does soften the blow. A quick top-up during a break can get you back in the game without waiting too long. It&rsquo;s not built for continuous marathon play, but with a bit of performance tuning, the battery is workable.
<h2>Verdict</h2>
The Asus ROG Xbox Ally isn&rsquo;t trying to replace your main gaming setup, and going in with that expectation makes all the difference. For around ₹69,990, what you&rsquo;re paying for is the freedom to take your existing library with you and play comfortably wherever you are, not chase raw, desktop-level performance.&nbsp;
If sheer power matters most, a proper gaming laptop or tower is still the better call. And if you&rsquo;re looking to save money, the Steam Deck remains a reliable option, even if its hardware is starting to feel a little dated now.
What makes the Ally stand out is its balance. It&rsquo;s genuinely comfortable to hold, the display works great for handheld gaming, the speakers are surprisingly strong, and the performance feels better than the specs would have you believe. If you&rsquo;ve been wanting a portable gaming buddy that&rsquo;s simply enjoyable to use, this one&rsquo;s easy to like.

Editorji is a popular short video news and information platform based in India. It was founded in 2018 by Vikram Chandra, one of India’s leading journalists, and has risen to prominence in the digital news space in a relatively short span of time. The platform is primarily designed for mobile devices, with applications available for Android and iOS.

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Samsung has announced a virtual launch event called Galaxy Unpacked Part 2, which will be held at 7.30 PM IST on October 20.

Samsung announces Galaxy Unpacked Part 2 event for October 20

Samsung announces Galaxy Unpacked Part 2 event for October 20
Samsung has announced a virtual launch event called Galaxy Unpacked Part 2, which will be held at 7.30 PM IST on October 20. The event can be viewed on Samsung's YouTube Channel. According to speculation, Samsung could launch the Galaxy S21 FE smartphone at this event, along the lines of the Galaxy S20 FE launched last year. However, some rumours suggest that the event could be software focused, seeing the launch of OneUI 4.0 based on Android 12.
Samsung announces Galaxy Unpacked Part 2 event Samsung's latest launch event on October 20 at 7.30 PM IST Galaxy S21 FE smartphone could launch at event OneUI 4.0, based on Android 12, said to be on the cards

Samsung has announced a virtual launch event called Galaxy Unpacked Part 2, which will be held at 7.30 PM IST on October 20.

Samsung has announced a virtual launch event called Galaxy Unpacked Part 2, which will be held at 7.30 PM IST on October 20. The event can be viewed on Samsung's YouTube Channel.
According to speculation, Samsung could launch the Galaxy S21 FE smartphone at this event, along the lines of the Galaxy S20 FE launched last year.
However, some rumours suggest that the event could be software focused, seeing the launch of OneUI 4.0 based on Android 12.

Sony PlayStation dominated Comic Con Delhi with packed PS5 gameplay zones, exclusive discounts, merch drops, and the high-stakes India Cup finale featuring a ₹4,00,000 prize pool.

Comic Con Delhi 2025: Sony PlayStation Leads the Floor

Sony PlayStation dominated Comic Con Delhi with packed PS5 gameplay zones, exclusive discounts, merch drops, and the high-stakes India Cup finale featuring a ₹4,00,000 prize pool.

Among all Comic Con city editions, Delhi still operates like the headline act.
It&rsquo;s the biggest crowd, the densest lineup of pop-culture exhibitors, and the place where brands roll out the polished, show-ready experience first.
If Comic Con Bengaluru is energetic and Mumbai is stylish, Delhi is simply the benchmark &mdash; the edition that sets expectations for the rest of the country.
Walking into Comic Con Delhi means crossing from the unstructured city logic into a curated chaos where gaming setups, anime art stores, Funko walls, manga kiosks, collectibles, and indie artists all share the same floor with equal visibility.
It&rsquo;s not just fandom gathering &mdash; it&rsquo;s commerce, community, and cultural data in one hall.
<h2>Sony PlayStation&rsquo;s Presence in Delhi Hits Different</h2>
At Delhi, Sony PlayStation isn&rsquo;t competing for attention &mdash; it naturally gets it.
The booth sits at a high-flow corridor where most major brands aim to land but rarely do with this level of consistency. The PS5 stations stay booked, but never bottlenecked. You get your slot, you play, you move &mdash; the design is clearly intentional.
No themed theatrics, no stunt installation, no &ldquo;please take a photo here&rdquo; obligation.Just hardware, access, titles ready to run, and a clean booth layout that respects the pace of Comic Con Delhi rather than fighting it.
<h2>Interaction That Feels Controlled, Not Loud</h2>
Comic Con Delhi is inherently high-decibel &mdash; stage cues, cosplay parades, influencer meetups, panel audio, celebrity drops. What makes PlayStation stand out is understated control.
You game without commentary blaring in your ear You queue without being herded. You participate without needing to shout over PA systems
And when giveaways happen &mdash; quizzes, winner calls, merch drops &mdash; it&rsquo;s done at tempo, not volume.
<h2>Retail with Intent, Not FOMO</h2>
DT Zone brings the PS ecosystem into one physical lane:
<ul>
<li>PS5 consoles</li>
<li>Ghost of Yotei plates + controller</li>
<li>Controller discounts</li>
<li>Select PS5 titles going up to half off</li>
<li>A Delhi-only PS5 price cut during the event</li>
</ul>
No aggressive pitch, no &ldquo;grab it now before someone else does&rdquo; undertone. You evaluate tech, you check pricing, you buy because you&rsquo;re convinced &mdash; not cornered.
<h2>Delhi Is Also the Finals Arena</h2>
The India Cup finale being staged here is not coincidence &mdash; Delhi Comic Con provides the right audience density and the right competitive ambience.
December 6&ndash;7 turns the PlayStation booth into a performance zone:
<ul>
<li>Live matches</li>
<li>Real-time crowd reactions</li>
<li>₹4,00,000 prize pool</li>
<li>The 2025 champion crowned inside Delhi&rsquo;s biggest fandom event</li>
</ul>
What started as a focused EA FC competition is now part of the annual circuit of Comic Con Delhi programming. The city didn&rsquo;t just absorb the tournament &mdash; it made it a repeatable headline fixture.
<h2>Why Delhi Matters More Than the Rest</h2>
Comic Con Delhi continues to be where:
<ul>
<li>Pop culture brands test scale</li>
<li>Gaming finds high-intent footfall</li>
<li>Merch sells without coaxing</li>
<li>Fandom shows purchasing power, not just dressing up</li>
</ul>
PlayStation didn&rsquo;t need banners, light rigs, or celebrity walk-ins. It needed Delhi &mdash; the largest, loudest, most willing audience for gaming in India &mdash; and it showed up with precision instead of noise.

OnePlus marks 12 years in India with six new brand ambassadors and a “Power On. Limits Off” campaign ahead of the OnePlus 15R and Pad Go 2 launch in Bengaluru on Dec 17.

OnePlus marks 12 years with six ambassadors ahead of 15R reveal

OnePlus has unveiled six brand ambassadors — Jasprit Bumrah, Smriti Mandhana, Jonathan, Armaan Malik, Kush Maini and Nitanshi Goel — as part of the cinematic “Power On. Limits Off” campaign. The films lead into the Rise as One launch for OnePlus 15R and Pad Go 2 in Bengaluru on December 17.

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OnePlus has introduced a new six-member ambassador lineup and a six-part &ldquo;Power On. Limits Off&rdquo; campaign as it marks 12 years in India. The brand will unveil the OnePlus 15R and Pad Go 2 at the &ldquo;Rise as One&rdquo; launch event in Bengaluru on December 17.
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OnePlus has decided to do things a little differently as it completes 12 years in India. Instead of leaning on one big celebrity, the brand has brought together a completely new mix of people to represent it this year. The list is surprisingly diverse, you&rsquo;ve got Jasprit Bumrah and Smriti Mandhana from the cricket world, gaming creator Jonathan, singer Armaan Malik, Formula racer Kush Maini, and even actor Nitanshi Goel.
It&rsquo;s a lineup that feels less like a typical endorsement deal and more like OnePlus trying to tap into different pockets of Indian pop culture at the same time.
<h2>The New Brand Faces</h2>
This fresh roster is the face of their new campaign, &ldquo;Power On. Limits Off,&rdquo; which is setting the stage for the upcoming launch of the <a title="OnePlus 15 Review: Playing the Long Game? (ft iPhone 17 &amp; OnePlus 13)" href="https://www.editorji.com/tech-news/gadget-review/oneplus-15-review-playing-the-long-game-ft-iphone-17-oneplus-13-1763045383836" target="_blank">OnePlus</a> 15R and OnePlus Pad Go 2.
According to the brand, this isn't just about plastering faces on billboards. They&rsquo;ve commissioned a six-part ad film series, conceptualized in-house and produced by Helsinki-based creative shop Kameron. The concept seems to steer clear of standard glossy tech ads, instead focusing on the gritty, internal monologues of these performers. The films explore themes like the long road to recovery after an injury, the mental toughness required to ignore criticism, and the courage to reinvent oneself, narratives that OnePlus is using to mirror its long-standing "Never Settle" philosophy.
<h2>A Campaign Built on Performance</h2>
The strategy here is pretty clear. By pulling in names like Jonathan Gaming and Kush Maini alongside mainstream cricket stars, OnePlus is trying to tie its hardware specs, specifically speed and processing power, to real-world performance in esports and motorsport. Ishita Grover, Director of Marketing at OnePlus India, highlighted this intentional diversity, noting that blending sport, art, and tech allows them to reflect a "performance-first approach" that appeals to different corners of their user base.
Jasprit Bumrah, speaking on the tie-up, stripped it down to work ethic rather than just products. "Pushing limits is a quiet journey that involves challenging yourself to be better. It is about showing up every day, trusting the work... and rising stronger," he said. Singer Armaan Malik added that the collaboration felt natural because it focused on "choosing growth over comfort," a sentiment the brand is hoping to attach to its new devices.
<h2>The Launch Event</h2>
All eyes are now on December 17. The company is treating its 12th anniversary as a major community moment with the &ldquo;Rise as One&rdquo; event in Bengaluru. This is where the OnePlus 15R and the <a title="OnePlus Pad Go review: Best budget Android tablet? Know price, specs, pros and cons" href="https://www.editorji.com/tech-news/gadget-review/oneplus-pad-go-review-best-budget-android-tablet-know-price-specs-pros-and-cons-1699003168616" target="_blank">Pad Go</a> 2 will officially break cover. Breaking from standard media-only launches, OnePlus has opened this up to the public; fans wanting to catch the unveil live can actually grab tickets via BookMyShow right now.

Vivo X300 Pro delivers stunning cameras, a clean premium design and fast, cool performance, making it one of the strongest flagship phones of 2025. Here's our full review.

Vivo X300 Pro Review: The 2025 Camera King Arrives

Vivo X300 Pro delivers stunning cameras, a clean, premium design and fast, cool performance, making it one of the strongest flagship phones of 2025. Here's our full review

The Vivo X300 Pro delivers outstanding cameras, fast and cool performance, a premium flat design, a sharp 2K display and strong battery life, making it a top flagship for 2025.

The Vivo X300 Pro comes to us at a time when nearly every major flagship brand is reworking its entire photography playbook. OnePlus has stepped away from it&rsquo;s collab with Hasselblad and built a fresh imaging system powered by the DetailMax Engine inside the OnePlus 15. iQOO, a company that usually focuses on sheer speed, has also shifted its priorities this year by giving the iQOO 15 a far more serious camera setup. Across the industry, everyone seems to be rewriting their rules for mobile photography from the ground up.
Vivo stands apart because it never needed to rediscover its direction. It established its reputation in mobile imaging long ago, and that legacy still holds strong. When everyday users casually place your photos next to those from an iPhone or a Pixel and still lean towards yours, the task is no longer to close gaps. The real effort is to maintain that lead.
Which brings us to the obvious questions. What exactly has Vivo changed or refined this year? Does it still hold the top spot in smartphone photography in 2025? And beyond the camera, how well does it perform as a premium flagship priced at ₹1,09,999 for the single 16 GB RAM and 512 GB storage version?
After spending two full weeks with the Vivo X300 Pro, testing every feature thoroughly and using it as my everyday phone, I think I can answer that
<h2>Vivo X300 Pro Review: A camera setup that feels built for creators</h2>
I have been testing the Vivo X300 Pro for a while now, and the first thing I wanted to figure out was simple. Is this the new camera champion for 2025? Vivo has been delivering excellent imaging for years, so I knew it would perform well, but I honestly did not expect it to be this enjoyable to use. Within a day of shooting with it, I felt like a discounted version of Joseph Radhik or Atul Kasbekar. All I really had to do was compose the frame, tap the shutter and let the phone handle the rest.
The camera hardware alone reads like a checklist that any photography enthusiast would appreciate. The primary camera uses a 1/1.28 inch 50MP sensor with optical stabilisation. The telephoto setup is built around a 200MP periscope sensor paired with 3.5x optical zoom. The ultrawide camera is a 50MP unit. The front camera is also 50MP and can shoot 4K video at 60 frames per second. On paper, it already feels stacked, and in day-to-day use, that impression stays true.
The main camera consistently produced shots that made me want to keep finding new things to photograph. In bright outdoor conditions, images looked lively, crisp and incredibly well judged in terms of exposure. The dynamic range is handled confidently. Shadows do not collapse into muddy patches and highlights rarely blow out without reason. Colours look vibrant without being pushed to a point where they turn unrealistic.
Low-light performance is where this sensor really shines. The amount of detail it captures in dim environments is remarkable. There were moments where I checked the gallery and thought an invisible light source had been added to the frame. Surfaces on buildings, strands of fur, fabric patterns and even foliage stayed beautifully textured. The results did not turn waxy or muddy. Several of the evening shots I captured looked ready to be printed and hung on a wall.
Zoom performance follows the same trend. At 2x and 3x, sharpness stays intact and the overall look stays consistent with the main camera. Vivo&rsquo;s colour tuning remains reliable, and the white balance rarely drifts into warmer or cooler territory without reason. The real standout is the 200MP periscope camera. This thing feels like a dedicated tool packed inside the phone. Close-up photos show so much detail that I kept zooming into textures just to appreciate how much it could resolve. At times, I felt the contrast leaned a bit higher than ideal, but the overall clarity made up for it. Yes, the phone uses plenty of AI, but the processing never crossed into looking fake or glossy.
Portrait shots were equally impressive. Even when I did not switch to portrait mode, the natural depth of field produced by the main camera created a soft background blur that looked like something out of a proper interchangeable lens camera. When portrait mode was enabled, edge detection stayed accurate, and the separation between subject and background looked clean.
The ultrawide camera also held up well. It handled large scenes with minimal bending at the edges, and the annoying fisheye look that many phones struggle with was barely noticeable. The colour profile still needs a slight amount of fine tuning to perfectly match the main sensor, but it is already dependable enough for landscape shots and architectural photos.
The 50MP selfie camera performed nicely in most conditions. Skin tones looked believable, and colours stayed true to life. Under harsh backlighting, the phone sometimes brightened the entire frame a little more than required, which shifted skin tones slightly, but the results were still usable for both photos and video.
Video recording was the part I approached with caution because Vivo has traditionally been behind Apple in this category. This time, though, the gap feels much smaller. All four cameras can shoot 4K at 30 and 60 frames per second. The main and telephoto cameras can even record 4K at 120 frames per second. The primary lens supports 8K at 30 frames per second at both 1x and 2x. Dolby Vision recording works in all modes except 8K. Stabilisation is smoother than before, colours look pleasing and the telephoto unit captures steadier footage than I expected. Digital zoom still loses detail, but that is completely normal. Pro mode includes Log recording with a live preview and a built-in LUT, which is perfect for anyone who enjoys colour grading.
After testing everything, I genuinely feel that if Apple does not deliver a major upgrade in video recording soon, Vivo will take the top spot here too. It has already beaten most brands in photography, and the video gap with the iPhone is now the narrowest it has ever been.
<h2>Vivo X300 Pro Review: A refined design that keeps things clean and premium</h2>
The Vivo X300 Pro instantly reminded me of older X-series models, yet it still feels like a clear step forward. The overall shape is recognisable, but the tweaks this year give it a more polished character. Vivo has gone with a completely flat front and back, and when that is paired with the frosted glass rear and flat aluminium frame, the phone feels far more modern. It has that clean, slab-like look many 2025 flagships are embracing, and it sits very naturally in my hand during long sessions of gaming, typing or watching videos.
The moment you turn the phone around, the familiarity disappears because the camera module still grabs all the attention. The island remains large and sits high on the back, so there is no hiding it. What I like, though, is how Vivo has refined the design. The thick border around last year&rsquo;s camera housing has been replaced with a neat circular ring. The ribbed metal texture on the ring continues, and it adds a nice premium touch that makes the module feel more deliberate rather than oversized.
Even with the substantial camera hardware and glass on both sides, the phone never felt awkwardly weighted. The X300 Pro measures 226 grams and about 8 mm in thickness, which sounds heavy on paper, yet the distribution is done well. Whether I was shooting photos, gaming for long stretches or simply scrolling through social media, the phone did not feel uncomfortable or top-heavy. It is definitely not a light device, but the ergonomics keep the weight from becoming annoying.
As for the bump itself, I have no real complaints because the output it delivers more than justifies the size. Vivo includes a soft rubber case in the box, and it not only improves the grip but also visually tones down the camera bump, which helps the overall design look a little cleaner.
My review unit is the Elite Black colour, and I think it might be my favourite finish from the entire X-series so far. The matte texture feels smooth and premium, barely attracts fingerprints and only becomes slightly slippery when I use it without the case. The placement of the buttons and ports feels natural, and I am happy that the shortcut button remains. The only thing I miss is the dedicated camera control key from the X200 Ultra.
For durability, the phone comes with IP68 and IP69 ratings, and the Diamond Armour Glass on the front held up perfectly during day-to-day use without visible wear.
<h2>Vivo X300 Pro Review: A display that stays elite without chasing gimmicks</h2>
The X300 Pro&rsquo;s screen does not attempt anything wildly experimental, and I actually think that works in its favour. Vivo has reused the same display found on the X200 Pro and even the X100, and there is no real reason to complain because it was a flagship-grade panel back then and it still performs like one today. The phone features a 6.78 inch 2K LTPO panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, full DCI P3 colour coverage, 2000 nits of HBM brightness and an impressive 4500 nits of peak brightness. In everyday use, it consistently feels premium, fluid and exceptionally sharp.
HDR10+ and Dolby Vision support help round out the visual experience. No matter what I was watching or browsing, the panel delivered rich colours without pushing them into an unnatural zone. Highlights stayed controlled and textures remained detailed. Whether it was Netflix, YouTube or downloaded HDR clips, the display handled everything confidently, and I never felt the need to adjust the colour profile for extra punch.
There is an optional Vision Booster mode for people who want more saturation and deeper contrast. I tested it out for a short while, but eventually switched back to the standard tuning because it already looks lively and well-balanced.
What stood out more to me was the sheer number of eye comfort features Vivo has included. Smart Eye Protection Mode 3.0, Anti Fatigue Brightness 2.0, Adaptive Color Temperature, Full Range High Frequency PWM Dimming, Full Range DC Dimming and Night Eye Protection Mode all work behind the scenes to reduce strain. The screen also carries T&Uuml;V Rheinland Flicker Free and Low Blue Light certifications, which adds to the reassurance when I use the phone for long sessions.
The ultrasonic fingerprint reader is just as dependable as before. It unlocks the phone quickly, stays accurate and even works if my fingers are a little damp.
If I had to point out one weak link, it would be the speakers. They get reasonably loud and stay clear, but the overall audio lacks depth and feels slightly flat for a phone at this price point.
<h2>Vivo X300 Pro Review: A performance beast that loves showing off</h2>
The Vivo X300 Pro delivers the kind of performance you expect from a proper flagship, and a lot of that comes down to the Dimensity 9500. This chip holds its own against the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and occasionally even feels a touch quicker in real use. My unit has 16GB of LPDDR5X Ultra RAM and 512GB of UFS 4.1 storage, so there is absolutely no shortage of speed anywhere in the system.
Calling the phone fast feels too mild. Across my two weeks of testing, the X300 Pro behaved like it was built to stay ahead of whatever I threw at it. General navigation is incredibly fluid, animations glide smoothly, and multitasking never forced the phone to pause or reset anything in the background. Even with a stack of apps open, the overall responsiveness remained consistent. It has the kind of reliability I expect from a flagship that costs more than a lakh, and it never once dipped below that expectation.
Gaming performance has also been impressive. I played multiple extended BGMI sessions lasting around 45 minutes at a time, and the phone barely warmed up. This is especially noteworthy because previous high-end MediaTek chips often ran hot even with aggressive cooling setups. Vivo&rsquo;s approach this year uses a sizeable vapour chamber paired with a graphite sheet, and the difference is obvious. The X300 Pro manages heat extremely well, frame stability stays high and the phone never throttled enough for me to notice any drop in smoothness.
Overall, the Dimensity 9500 performs like a proper flagship-class processor and finally gives MediaTek the level of consistency and thermal control users have been waiting for.
<h2>Vivo X300 Pro Review: A smoother, shinier UI that refuses to slow down</h2>
The Vivo X300 Pro marks a proper turning point for the X series on the software front. It ships with OriginOS 6, and from the moment I started using it, the difference felt dramatic. The whole interface has been refreshed with a transparent, liquid-like design language that feels modern and polished. It reminded me a little of Apple&rsquo;s glossy visual style, but it still carries enough of Vivo&rsquo;s personality to stand out on its own.
Lock screen customisation has taken a big step forward. There are more layout options, more styles and an overall easier setup flow. Animations across the system feel smoother, and the dynamic island style pop-up now looks far more refined than previous versions. The newly designed icons and cleaner transitions give the software a level of sophistication that earlier builds of OriginOS never fully reached.
What surprised me most is the sheer smoothness of the entire system. App launches, fingerprint unlocks, swiping through menus and pulling down notifications all feel fluid. This is the first time Vivo&rsquo;s software has had that uninterrupted premium feel from top to bottom. There were stretches during testing when I genuinely did not feel like going back to my other review devices because the experience here was so consistently pleasant.
OriginOS 6 also feels better organised. The revamped control centre looks sharper and behaves more predictably. The layout is less busy, icons match each other more neatly and the overall visual structure is far easier to follow. Origin Island adds an interactive element for apps such as Maps, Music and Clock. I do wish more third-party apps supported it, but the idea itself is fun and practical. Phone to PC mirroring and cross-device note syncing have already become a regular part of my everyday workflow.
There is also a visible push towards AI. You get tools for text and image creation, an AI circle search feature and enhanced editing options including object removal and image expansion. Most of these feel useful rather than gimmicky.
Vivo has also committed to five years of OS updates and six years of security updates, which significantly boosts the long term value of the X300 Pro.
<h2>Vivo X300 Pro Review: A battery setup that lasts longer than you expect</h2>
The X300 Pro packs a 6510 mAh battery, which is a slightly unusual capacity at a time when other brands are jumping to 7000 mAh and beyond. Even so, the battery life has been consistently reliable. I usually pulled six to seven hours of screen time on a full charge, and that included long gaming stretches and a fair amount of OTT streaming. With lighter use, the phone comfortably lasted a day and a half.
Charging speeds are equally dependable. The included 90W adapter takes the phone from zero to full in just under an hour, and you also get 40W wireless charging. The device supports both wired and wireless reverse charging for accessories, which adds extra convenience.
<h2>Vivo X300 Pro Review: A flagship that gets almost everything right</h2>
So, how good is the Vivo X300 Pro? In my experience, Vivo has not only protected its long-standing camera legacy, it has pushed it to a new high. The main, telephoto and ultrawide cameras deliver dependable results across every scenario I tried, and the consistency alone makes this the most enjoyable camera setup I have used this year. Video recording is still a notch below the iPhone, but the gap has never been this small.
The overall package feels equally strong. The refreshed design looks cleaner and more mature, the display continues to compete with the best in the business and the Dimensity 9500 keeps the phone running fast and cool without any drops in stability. OriginOS 6 might be the biggest leap of all. It finally feels unified, premium and smooth in a way previous versions never quite managed, and Vivo&rsquo;s long-term update promise only strengthens the phone&rsquo;s value.
Sure, the speakers could have used more depth and the camera bump remains large, but these are minor complaints in a device that excels in so many areas. At ₹1,09,999 for the 16GB and 512GB variant, the Vivo X300 Pro sets the standard for 2025 and is easily the phone to beat this year.&nbsp;

Realme Watch 5 review: 1.97" AMOLED, built-in GPS, Bluetooth calling, IP68 and up to 16 days battery. Find out if the ₹3,999 introductory price makes it the best budget smartwatch.

Realme Watch 5 First Look: Made in India Manufacturing Tour

Go behind the scenes of the Realme Watch 5 and see how the smartwatch is built under the Make in India initiative. From assembly lines to final finishing, here’s a closer look at the factory producing Realme’s latest wearable.

The Realme Watch 5 brings a larger 1.97-inch AMOLED display, better build and built-in GPS to the budget smartwatch segment.&nbsp;

The budget smartwatch market in India has been overflowing for years, but only a handful of devices genuinely manage to deliver anything meaningful. Realme&rsquo;s new Watch 5, launched today alongside the P4x 5G, tries to position itself as that rare product, one that doesn&rsquo;t just chase numbers but tries to fill the gap between a cheap fitness band and a proper smartwatch.
A big part of Realme&rsquo;s pitch this time is its manufacturing story. The Watch 5 is being built locally under the &ldquo;Make in India&rdquo; program through Optiemus Electronics.&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s a nice detail to mention, but for most buyers, the real concern is, is it a good choice, one that warrants them to spend ₹4499 of their hard-earned money?
<h2>Display and Design</h2>
Realme has clearly prioritised the screen. The Watch 5 moves up to a 1.97-inch AMOLED panel, and the difference compared to the <a title="Realme Watch S launched in India with SpO2 monitor, IP68 rating &amp; more" href="https://www.editorji.com/tech-news/gadget-review/realme-watch-3-pro-review-affordable-and-capable-1663236735073" target="_blank">Watch 3&rsquo;s</a> smaller 1.80-inch screen shows the moment it lights up.&nbsp;
Colours have more punch, the blacks actually look like they should, and the screen just feels sharper overall, definitely better than what you usually see in this price range.
Realme has pushed the brightness up to 600 nits as well, which helps a lot outdoors, the screen stays readable instead of fading out under direct sunlight.
The build also deserves a mention. The Watch 5 feels more solid in the hand than most budget wearables, with a sturdiness that gives it a slightly more premium character than the price tag would suggest.
The rotating aluminium crown isn&rsquo;t just for show either; it actually works for scrolling and navigating through menus, which is more intuitive than swiping endlessly on a small screen. A 60Hz refresh adds on to the smooth experience.
The front glass is a flat 2D panel protected by Panda Glass, nothing luxurious, but good enough for day-to-day scuffs. And since Realme has opted for standard 22mm straps, switching to leather, nylon or metal bands later is easy.
<h2>Fitness Tracking and Connectivity</h2>
The built-in GPS is a serious highlight here. This means you can finally leave your phone behind and still get accurate route tracking in a budget watch.
It&rsquo;s obviously not trying to replace a high-end marathon watch, but for daily runs, that freedom is a game-changer.&nbsp;
You also get Bluetooth calling, the mic has also got a noise reduction.&nbsp;
For health tracking, the watch covers the essentials: heart rate, SpO2 readings, stress levels and sleep analysis.&nbsp;
Women&rsquo;s health tracking options are also available. Realme&rsquo;s companion app now supports 108 sports modes.
<h2>Battery and Durability</h2>
A 460mAh battery powers the Watch 5, and <a title="Realme Watch S launched in India with SpO2 monitor, IP68 rating &amp; more" href="https://www.editorji.com/story/realme-watch-s-launched-in-india-with-spo2-monitor-ip68-rating-more-1608715188953" target="_blank">Realme</a> claims up to 16 days of regular use. There&rsquo;s also a stripped-down &ldquo;Light Mode&rdquo; that pushes the battery closer to 20 days for those who mainly use the basics.
The IP68 rating means the watch can handle sweat, rain and accidental splashes without stress. It's not meant for deep swimming or high-pressure water, but for everyday use, it&rsquo;s well protected.
<h2>Price and Availability</h2>
Realme has priced the Watch 5 at Rs 4,499, with a limited introductory price of Rs 3,999. It will be available in Titanium Black, Titanium Silver, Light Blue and Sun Orange starting December 10 at 12 PM through Flipkart, Realme&rsquo;s official site and offline stores.

A compact flagship with a 200MP camera, big 6040mAh battery, fast charging and smooth OriginOS 6. The Vivo X300 delivers more than its size suggests.

Vivo X300 Review: The compact flagship for 2025

The Vivo X300 brings a compact form factor, a powerhouse of a camera set up, strong performance and clean software. Read before you buy.

Do you usually pick a phone for its camera, its raw horsepower, or a clean, reliable software experience? With the Vivo X300, you don&rsquo;t really have to choose. This compact flagship tries to nail all three, and surprisingly, it gets pretty close.
I&rsquo;ve been using it as my main phone for the past week, and that&rsquo;s been enough to understand where it shines, where it slips a little, and what it actually feels like to use every day. The overall experience turned out to be more impressive than I expected, largely because of the hardware Vivo has packed in at a starting price of ₹75,999. It&rsquo;s a small phone, but definitely not a lightweight in what it delivers.
<h2>How does the Vivo X300&rsquo;s design come together in real use?</h2>
What caught my attention first wasn&rsquo;t the camera; that crown belonged to last year&rsquo;s X200. This time, it was the design. Vivo has shifted to a cleaner, more minimal look, and the frosted glass back lands in that sweet spot where it resists smudges without losing its premium feel. The unibody 3D glass design helps too, giving the phone a smoother, more cohesive look. I still gravitate toward the Elite Black variant, but the Mist Blue finish adds a softer, calmer vibe for anyone who prefers something understated.
The camera module also feels far more polished. The X200&rsquo;s bump was noticeably chunky and made the phone wobble on tables; the X300 still has a bump, but it blends seamlessly and keeps the phone steady on flat surfaces.
The essentials are neatly placed along the flat aluminium frame, which curves slightly at the corners for a more comfortable grip. You get the power button and volume keys on the right, plus a dual-SIM tray and USB-C 3.2 port at the bottom. Stereo speakers round out the basics.
The biggest highlight, though, is the size. At roughly 190 grams and about 7.9mm thick for the Elite Black model, the X300 feels compact in a world where flagships keep getting bulkier. With both IP68 and IP69 protection, it&rsquo;s a device that&rsquo;s genuinely easy to use and carry every day.
<h2>Is the Vivo X300&rsquo;s screen actually worth the hype?</h2>
Turn on the display and the X300 keeps the momentum going. It packs a 6.31-inch 1.5K LTPO AMOLED panel with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate, boosted by Vivo&rsquo;s Ultra Motion algorithm for noticeably fluid animations. The 10-bit screen supports HDR10+, HDR Vivid and Ultra HDR across apps like YouTube and Netflix, delivering rich but well-controlled colours with excellent overall calibration.
There&rsquo;s also a Visual Enhancement mode if you prefer a punchier look, though the default profile already feels lively without going overboard. For protection, Vivo uses SCHOTT Xensation XT Core. It isn&rsquo;t quite on the level of Gorilla Glass Victus 2, but it&rsquo;s still dependable for everyday safety.
Brightness peaks at 2000 nits globally and hits a local high of 4500 nits, making outdoor visibility solid even under harsh sunlight. The ultrasonic in-display fingerprint reader is fast, accurate and easy to trust.
<h2>How well does the Vivo X300&rsquo;s battery hold up?</h2>
The Vivo X300&rsquo;s battery life was stronger than expected. Its 6040mAh cell, combined with 90W wired and 40W wireless charging, easily carried me through a full day of heavy use &mdash; everything from long camera sessions to nonstop streaming and even intensive gaming. Only during multiple benchmark loops did it drain a bit quicker, but it still made it to the evening without stress.
On most days, I consistently got around 7&ndash;8 hours of heavy usage on a single charge. A full recharge takes roughly an hour, which feels reasonable considering the massive battery size.
<h2>How strong is the Vivo X300 when it comes to performance and gaming?</h2>
The Vivo X300 delivers performance that comfortably sits in flagship territory, even though it&rsquo;s not completely immune to occasional heat spikes. It&rsquo;s powered by the Dimensity 9500 chipset built on a 3nm process, paired with up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB of UFS 4.1 storage. In everyday use, the phone feels fast, fluid, and consistently reliable, whether you&rsquo;re juggling multiple apps, editing photos, or zipping through social media, it never shows any hesitation.
Benchmarks back this up. The X300 scored around 3.3 million on AnTuTu with only mild warmth during the run, while Geekbench results came in at 3278 for single-core and 9825 for multi-core. These numbers place it right alongside other 2025 flagships. In a 20-minute CPU throttling test with 30 threads, the chip dipped to roughly 76 percent of its peak performance. That&rsquo;s still respectable, though the heat during this specific stress test was noticeable.
When it comes to gaming, the X300 handles titles like Call of Duty Mobile smoothly at basic settings. You&rsquo;ll feel a bit of warmth near the camera module after longer sessions, but it never becomes uncomfortable. Vivo&rsquo;s new Glacial Cooling system also kicks in effectively, helping the phone cool down faster than expected once gameplay stops.
In everyday performance, even for heavy users, the device stays cool, responsive, and stable. It&rsquo;s a dependable flagship for gaming, content creation, and everything in between.
<h2>How polished is the software experience on the Vivo X300?</h2>
The biggest upgrade on the Vivo X300 is easily the software. It runs Vivo&rsquo;s new OriginOS 6 based on Android 16, and the difference is obvious the moment you unlock the phone. The redesigned icons, smoother animations, and refreshed control centre give the interface a cleaner, more premium look. Origin Island adds an interactive layer for apps like Maps, Music, and Clock, though it still needs wider app support to reach its full potential.
What really stands out is the overall refinement. Funtouch OS often felt a bit scattered, but OriginOS 6 feels far more organised and visually consistent, even if some of the translucent elements clearly take cues from iOS 16&rsquo;s liquid-glass style.
There are genuinely useful additions as well, including phone-to-PC mirroring and cross-device note syncing. The AI suite is stacked too, with text and image generation, AI Circle for search, Gemini-powered features, and handy editing tools like object erasers and background expand options.
Vivo is also promising long-term support with 5 years of OS updates and 7 years of security patches, ensuring the X300 stays reliable well into the future.
<h2>Is the Vivo X300 the best camera phone you can buy right now?</h2>
The Vivo X300 stays true to Vivo&rsquo;s imaging-first legacy. Powered by the Dimensity 9500&rsquo;s built-in processing and supported by Vivo&rsquo;s in-house VS1 and V3+ imaging chips, the camera system produces consistently impressive photos and videos. The 200MP main sensor delivers rich, detailed shots with excellent colour accuracy and dynamic range. Skin tones look natural, and the phone handles complex lighting conditions with confidence.
The 50MP 3x periscope telephoto lens also holds up well. Colours remain consistent with the main camera, and portrait mode, especially at 100mm, looks almost DSLR-like with sharp detail, clean separation, and realistic texture. In bright conditions, results are strong, though very fine detail can occasionally dip.
The ultrawide is where the system stumbles slightly. Despite using a 50MP sensor, images sometimes appear softer and less detailed, but switching to the high-resolution mode improves sharpness noticeably. Selfies from the 50MP front camera look crisp with accurate skin texture and pleasing depth.
In low light, the main sensor performs impressively, keeping noise low and detail high. Telephoto shots soften a bit and portrait edge detection can slip around hair, but overall output remains reliable.
For video, the rear camera shoots up to 4K 120fps while the front goes up to 4K 60fps. Footage is good overall, though finer detail can waver at times, and the standard X300 misses out on Dolby Vision. Even with those drawbacks, the X300 remains one of the strongest all-round camera phones available, especially for still photography.
<h2>Is the Vivo X300 a smart buy in 2025?</h2>
After pushing the Vivo X300 through everything from heavy multitasking to camera stress tests, calling it &ldquo;good enough&rdquo; would be selling it short. Sure, the ultrawide camera needs work and parts of OriginOS 6 clearly take inspiration from elsewhere, but none of that overshadows the bigger picture.
The X300 gets the fundamentals absolutely right. Smooth, reliable performance, standout main and telephoto cameras, a premium build, strong battery life, and a compact form factor that feels almost rare in 2025&rsquo;s flagship world.
I liked the X200 last year, but the X300 makes an even stronger mark. If you want a compact flagship without compromising on core features, this one is genuinely easy to recommend.

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