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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.

Realme Watch 5 First Look – Inside the Factory Behind Its Made-in-India Build

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.

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

Vivo X300 Pro Review: Pro-grade cameras, fantastic performance, but is it truly unbeatable?

Editorji News Desk

Vivo

Vivo X300 Pro

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;

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

Vivo X300: The compact flagship for 2025

Vivo X300

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.

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

Nothing Phone 3a Lite

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

iQOO 15 Review: A premium leap that finally puts iQOO in the top tier

iQOO

iQOO 15

<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?

Realme GT 8 Pro Dream Edition: Premium or Just Racing Paint? Full Review  

Sahil Maniktala

Realme

Realme GT 8 Pro Dream Edition

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.

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 & X300 Pro Hands-On: Still the camera king?

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.

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.

iQOO 15 Camera Hands-On: How good is the Photo Quality?

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;

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:

Asus ROG Xbox Ally review: For the ultimate portable gaming experience

Asus

Asus ROG Xbox Ally

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.

Motorola launches the Moto G67 Power 5G in India with a massive 7,000mAh battery, Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chipset, 120Hz HDR10+ display, and vegan leather finish. Priced at ₹15,000, it runs Android 15 and promises smooth everyday performance with long-la

Moto G67 Power 5G Launched in India: 7,000mAh Battery, Snapdragon 7s Gen 2, Android 15

Moto G67 Power ASMR Unboxing: A battery-first phone that still gets the design right

The Moto G67 Power 5G is Motorola&rsquo;s latest mid-range phone focused on battery endurance. It features a 7,000mAh battery, Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chip, 120Hz display, and a premium vegan leather design.&nbsp;

Motorola has finally launched the Moto G67 Power in India and this one is all about that all-day battery life. Priced around ₹15,000, it packs a massive 7,000mAh battery and is paired with the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2, which should deliver steady everyday performance. The phone also feels quite premium thanks to a soft vegan leather finish, offered in Pantone-style shades like Blue Curacao, Parachute Purple, and Cilantro. You get 8GB RAM by default, with 128GB or 256GB storage options. Here&rsquo;s a quick look at what you get straight out of the box.
<h2>A minimal and clutter-free unboxing&nbsp;</h2>
The unboxing is simple and clean. The Moto G67 Power comes in Motorola&rsquo;s familiar eco-friendly cardboard box, with soft branding and no plastic wrap. Lift the lid and the phone is right on top, wrapped in a thin paper sheet instead of plastic.
Beneath it, we see a slim cardboard packet containing the paperwork and SIM ejector tool. Further down is the accessories compartment, which includes a 33W charging brick and a USB-A to USB-C cable. It&rsquo;s a minimal, straightforward unboxing experience with everything neatly arranged and easy to get to.
<h2>Vegan leather finish with playful colours&nbsp;</h2>
Our unit comes in the Blue Curacao finish, one of Motorola&rsquo;s three Pantone-inspired shades. The other two colours are Parachute Purple and Cilantro, all featuring a soft vegan leather back that adds grip and avoids fingerprints.The texture feels comfortable and premium without being flashy. The camera module has a rectangular island in the top-left corner, which keeps things clean but also adds a bit of flair. At 8.6mm thick and weighing about 210g, the phone does have some weight, which is expected given the massive 7,000mAh battery inside.
<h2>Big display meets practical durability&nbsp;</h2>
The Moto G67 Power comes with a 6.7-inch FullHD+ LCD display and has a smooth, 120Hz refresh rate. This makes scrolling through social media apps and the overall UI feel super fluid. The panel also supports HDR10+ for better contrast so no matter what you're streaming, everything just looks gorgeous. The front is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 7i to help guard against scratches. For durability, Motorola includes MIL-810H testing and an IP64 rating, offering resistance against dust and light splashes, so it&rsquo;s built to handle daily use without worry.
<h2>Smooth everyday performance&nbsp;</h2>
The Moto G67 Power 5G runs on the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2, offering solid day-to-day performance. It comes in 8GB/128GB and 8GB/256GB variants, with RAM Boost allowing virtual expansion up to 24GB. The phone ships with Android 15 out of the box. Motorola promises one major Android update and three years of security patches, keeping things reliable over time.
<h2>Capable cameras with flexible shooting options&nbsp;</h2>
The Moto G67 Power features a 50MP Sony LYT-600 main camera on the rear, paired with an 8MP ultrawide and a dedicated flicker sensor. For selfies, you get a 32MP front camera housed in a centre punch-hole. The camera app offers familiar shooting modes such as Dual Capture, Timelapse, Slow Motion, and Audio Zoom. For video, the phone supports recording up to 4K at 30fps.
<h2>Big battery with everyday-friendly audio&nbsp;</h2>
The Moto G67 Power packs stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos for clearer, louder sound, and it includes Google&rsquo;s Gemini AI tools in the software. The highlight, of course, is the 7,000mAh battery &mdash; the core feature that defines this phone&rsquo;s endurance-focused design. You also get 30W fast charging.
<h2>Early impressions&nbsp;</h2>
That&rsquo;s the Moto G67 Power 5G straight out of the box. The phone&rsquo;s priorities are clear &mdash; a massive battery, a clean and comfortable design, and hardware that&rsquo;s meant to be reliable rather than flashy. We&rsquo;ll now start daily use testing to see how the charging holds up, how the display behaves outdoors, how the cameras perform in different lighting, and how the chipset manages everyday tasks. Once we&rsquo;ve spent enough time with it in real-world conditions, we&rsquo;ll have a clearer picture of how well it actually performs.

OnePlus unveiled its new OP Gaming Core, Performance Tri-Chip, and OP FPS Max in Singapore, setting the stage for the OnePlus 15 India launch on November 13

OnePlus unveils new gaming tech OP Gaming Core ahead of OnePlus 15 launch

OnePlus shows off next-gen gaming tech at Singapore ahead of OnePlus 15 launch

At its Singapore showcase, OnePlus revealed the OP Gaming Core, Performance Tri-Chip, and OP FPS Max, a new gaming system built for the upcoming OnePlus 15 series.

OnePlus is all set for the global launch of the OnePlus 15 in Singapore this week, and we at Editorji are on the ground at the event, where the smartphone giant showcased its next big leap in smartphone gaming.
Ahead of the global launch, OnePlus revealed an all-new gaming architecture designed specifically for the upcoming OnePlus 15 series, and we got to experience it first-hand. Now, this new gaming tech isn&rsquo;t just about pushing higher frame rates; it&rsquo;s about rethinking how performance, power efficiency, and touch response work together to make gaming on a phone feel seamless.
The new gaming setup, known as OP Gaming Core, comes with a powerful Performance Tri-Chip system and a high-frame-rate feature called OP FPS Max, and it operates at the chip level to make gameplay smoother, faster, and more stable than ever. And yes, all of this will debut with the OnePlus 15 lineup, set to launch in India on November 13.
<h2>What&rsquo;s with the new OP Gaming Core in the upcoming OnePlus 15?</h2>
At the heart of all this new gaming feature is OP Gaming Core, OnePlus&rsquo;s new game-focused system architecture. It basically acts as a smart scheduler, deciding which parts of the processor handle which gaming tasks, all in real time. The company says this helps reduce CPU instructions by up to 22%, lowering system load and keeping the frame rate steady even during high-pressure gameplay.
But the big story here isn&rsquo;t just numbers. It&rsquo;s how this whole architecture coordinates across the CPU, GPU, and display pipeline. OnePlus has also upgraded its graphics system with HyperRendering, which boosts per-frame rendering efficiency by around 80%. The result? Faster frame processing, minimal latency, and improved battery efficiency, &nbsp;all without turning your phone into a mini heater.
<h2>What exactly does the Performance Tri-Chip?</h2>
Think of this as OnePlus building a mini gaming rig inside your phone. The new Performance Tri-Chip setup combines three chips working together:
A Performance Chip, tied to Qualcomm&rsquo;s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, handles heavy-duty performance and optimises resource allocation through the new Gaming Core.
A Touch Response Chip, which takes over touch processing from the main SoC, supports up to 3,200Hz instantaneous touch sampling and 330Hz continuous sampling which means quicker, more accurate touch recognition.
And finally, a Wi-Fi Chip G2 that manages connectivity through SmartLink algorithms, keeping your connection stable even when signal strength drops.
In short, OnePlus wants lag, stutter, and dropped frames to be a thing of the past.
<h2>How does OP FPS Max change gaming?</h2>
Now comes the flashiest part of this entire new system, the OP FPS Max. This is OnePlus&rsquo;s way of pushing high-frame-rate gaming to the next level. It combines the new Gaming Core, display tuning, GPU rendering tweaks, and touch improvements to deliver 165fps gameplay on supported titles.
Yup, 165 frames per second on a phone display. OnePlus claims this setup doesn&rsquo;t just focus on raw frame output but also on consistent frame pacing, ensuring smoother motion and better input response during long gaming sessions. The company says this is achieved while maintaining thermal efficiency and power stability, meaning you can game longer without cooking your hands or draining your battery in an hour.
During our hands-on session at the Singapore event, games ran with impressive smoothness and low latency, even during frame-heavy scenes. The display and touch response felt almost console-like, which is an early sign that OnePlus&rsquo;s new architecture isn&rsquo;t just marketing speak.
<h2>When is OnePlus 15 launching in India?</h2>
The first phones to feature all this new tech will be the OnePlus 15 and OnePlus 15 Pro, launching in India on November 13. Both will come equipped with the full OP Gaming Core suite, the Performance Tri-Chip hardware, and the OP FPS Max display optimisations out of the box.
OnePlus says this is part of its bigger plan to position the 15 series as its most gamer-focused flagship lineup yet, not just in terms of raw power but also in sustained performance and gameplay comfort.
If the early demo in Singapore is anything to go by, mobile gaming on the OnePlus 15 might finally feel like something truly next-gen, not just another spec upgrade.

Nothing’s new 3a Lite brings Nothing's signature design and subtle flair to the mid-range segment. Early impressions say that it’s Lite only by name.

Nothing Phone 3a Lite First Impressions: Lite in name only

Nothing’s new 3a Lite brings signature design, smooth performance, and subtle flair to the mid-range. Early impressions say that it’s Lite only by name.

Nothing&rsquo;s new 3a Lite feels premium despite its tag. A stunning AMOLED screen, subtle Glyph light, and reliable power make a strong early impression.

Nothing has officially launched the Nothing Phone 3a Lite for the international market, and although it is yet to be launched in India I&rsquo;ve spent a few hours, testing and playing around with it.&nbsp;
My first takeaway is that it might be called &ldquo;Lite,&rdquo; but it doesn&rsquo;t feel like a watered-down phone at all. This is the cheapest model in Nothing&rsquo;s line-up, yet it still captures everything that makes &nbsp;a quintessentially Nothing phone. It reflects the brand&rsquo;s design DNA perfectly: thoughtful, industrial, and distinctly &ldquo;Nothing.&rdquo; Even at first glance, it&rsquo;s clear the company hasn&rsquo;t compromised where it really matters.
<h2>Design: Stripped-back but still smart</h2>
The Nothing Phone 3a Lite feels like a distilled version of the brand&rsquo;s signature look: exposed screws, that tiny red square detail, and an overall design that looks premium without shouting for attention. Nothing has gone for this &ldquo;Battery Simulation Design,&rdquo; which is basically this old-school, TV-remote battery cover looking thing. Say what you will, it does look very retro.
The build immediately stands out for something at this price. At 8.3 mm thick and weighing 199 grams, it feels solid but surprisingly light and comfortable to hold. The front and back panels use Panda Glass, while an aluminium mid-frame keeps everything sturdy. Add IP54 dust and water resistance, and you get a phone that feels ready for everyday life.
Now, about the Glyph Lights. Remember when Carl Pei said they were basically done? Well, turns out they aren&rsquo;t quite gone yet. The 3a Lite brings them back in a subtler form: a single light strip at the bottom. It&rsquo;s small, functional, and far less distracting than before, yet still retains the personality Nothing phones are known for. You still get features like Flip-to-Glyph, Camera Countdown, and notification alerts, all in a much cleaner, simplified way.
There&rsquo;s also the company&rsquo;s &ldquo;Essential Key&rdquo; and &ldquo;Essential Space&rdquo; baked into the design and software experience, but details on those are still under embargo, so more on that in our full review.
<h2>Display: Bright, bold, and anything but budget</h2>
Up front, the 3a Lite sports a 6.77-inch FHD+ AMOLED panel with a 120 Hz refresh rate and 10-bit colour support. It&rsquo;s sharp, smooth, and far better than what you&rsquo;d expect in this segment. YouTube videos pop with lively colours, and Nothing claims it&rsquo;s basically the same display used on the 3a and 3a Pro, which means the visual experience remains top notch even here.
Brightness isn&rsquo;t an issue either. The display can hit 1,300 nits outdoors and 3,000 nits peak in HDR content, which makes it comfortably usable under direct sunlight. Combined with Nothing&rsquo;s clean UI and thin bezels, it genuinely feels like a screen you&rsquo;d find on a more expensive device.
<h2>Performance and software: Reliable mid-range power</h2>
Under the hood, the Nothing Phone 3a Lite runs on MediaTek&rsquo;s Dimensity 7300 Pro chip, the same one found in the Phone 2 Pro. That&rsquo;s good news, because this chip has already proven itself as a strong mid-range performer. You can expect Antutu scores between 6 and 7 lakhs, which puts it in solid territory for everyday use and gaming alike. Paired with up to 16 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage (expandable up to 2 TB via microSD), there&rsquo;s plenty of room for multitasking and media.
On the software side, it runs Android 15 with Nothing OS 3.5 on top. Android 16 is already rolling out, so an update should follow soon. There&rsquo;s minimal bloatware, just Facebook and Instagram pre-installed, and both can be uninstalled. The promised update policy is impressive too: three years of major OS updates and six years of security patches.
<h2>Cameras</h2>
The phone features a triple-camera setup led by a 50 MP main shooter using a Samsung sensor with OIS and EIS support. This is paired with an 8 MP ultra-wide and a 2 MP macro camera, while the front gets a 16 MP selfie camera.
Because of embargo restrictions, I can&rsquo;t share image samples or verdicts yet, but what I can tell you, is that the images in day light at least look very promising. Stay tuned for our in-depth camera tests once the embargo lifts.
<h2>Battery</h2>
The Nothing Phone 3a Lite comes with a 5,000 mAh battery that supports 33 W fast charging and 5 W reverse-wired charging. I haven&rsquo;t had enough time to test it fully yet, but during my brief use, it seemed well optimised for everyday tasks. I&rsquo;ll have more to say about charging speeds and endurance once I&rsquo;ve spent more time with the phone.
<h2>Pricing: aggressive and promising</h2>
In Europe, the Nothing Phone 3a Lite starts at &euro;250 for the 8 GB + 128 GB variant, which is roughly about ₹25,000. Given Nothing&rsquo;s usual India pricing strategy, it&rsquo;s safe to expect the phone to arrive closer to ₹20,000&ndash;₹22,000 here, before any launch offers or bank discounts. At that price, it sits squarely in the mid-range sweet spot.
<h2>Early impressions: Lite in name only</h2>
After spending just a few hours with it, the Nothing Phone 3a Lite already feels like one of the most polished mid-range phones of 2025. It nails the essentials: design, display, performance, and build, while keeping the Nothing identity intact. If the cameras and software refinement hold up in the long run, this might just be the best-looking and most balanced phone you can buy around ₹20K.
Stay tuned for the full review, where I&rsquo;ll dive deeper into performance benchmarks, camera quality, and how Nothing&rsquo;s &ldquo;Essential Space&rdquo; shapes the overall experience. For now, though, my first impressions are clear: the Nothing Phone 3a Lite may be Lite in name, but definitely not in ambition.

OxygenOS 16 brings Flow Motion animations, Plus Mind AI, Mind Space, and tighter privacy controls. OnePlus just made Android smarter than ever.

OxygenOS 16 review: OnePlus’ smartest and smoothest update yet

OxygenOS 16 Review: OnePlus sets the benchmark on how smartphones should do AI

<h3>OxygenOS 16 adds Flow Motion, Plus Mind AI, Mind Space, and Private Cloud Computing, making OnePlus&rsquo; UI one of the best and Android skins in the market.</h3>

OnePlus has been doing something really interesting with OxygenOS.&nbsp;
I&rsquo;ve been using the closed beta of OxygenOS 16 on my OnePlus 13S, and I&rsquo;ll be honest, it feels like a massive jump from OxygenOS 15.&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s not just smoother; it&rsquo;s much smarter.&nbsp;
And this time, AI actually feels a lot more useful than it ever has been on a smartphone.
<h2>Major design changes</h2>
Let&rsquo;s start with the basics first. The first thing you notice about OxygenOS 16 is how buttery smooth everything is. Animations are ridiculously smooth.&nbsp;
That&rsquo;s because of OnePlus&rsquo; new Flow Motion and Parallel Processing 2.0. Fancy names, but what they do is simple:&nbsp;
When you&rsquo;re scrolling through the UI, every animation starts even before the previous one finishes. It&rsquo;s small, but it makes the whole system feel instant.
There&rsquo;s also a new design language called &ldquo;Breathe With You.&rdquo; Everything looks softer, more fluid.&nbsp;
You&rsquo;ve got Rounded corners, a light Gaussian blur, subtle lighting effects in apps like Calculator and Compass. It looks a little like Liquid Glass from iOS 26, but hey, I am not complaining.&nbsp;
There are some new customisation features too.&nbsp;
You have this new flux-themed lock screen that lets you add a ton of widgets, depth effect etc. This looks really cool.&nbsp;
On the home page, now, you can not only resize widgets, but also resize and reshape icons and folders. I&rsquo;ve made my most-used apps bigger, so my home screen looks like this neat little dashboard.&nbsp;
There&rsquo;s also a new icon theme called Flux. Basically, your app icons get a single colour palette. Looks clean, feels premium.
<h2>AI, Mind Space and Plus Mind</h2>
But the real star here is AI, especially in Plus Mind and Mind Space.
So, a quick explainer. Plus Mind is OnePlus&rsquo;s AI system.&nbsp;
Mind Space is like your smart notebook. You can dump screenshots, voice notes, etc.&nbsp;
Plus Mind will go through all of that, and if there are any actionable pieces, like adding a reminder to your Calendar, it will prompt you to save that.&nbsp;
Plus, it will generate basic summaries and keep everything organised.&nbsp;
Now, with OxygenOS 16, Plus Mind can also create folders or collections, and group screenshots and notes around similar topics.&nbsp;
For example, I&rsquo;m hosting a small party soon and have been grabbing a lot of screenshots of food items, cocktails, etc. from Instagram pages and websites using the Plus Key
All of that goes straight into Mind Space. Plus Mind will suggest that I create a collection of all these screenshots. Or, I can create a collection of my own, and Plus Mind will sort all of the screenshots that I take into these collections.&nbsp;
I can also then ask Mind Space to create a party menu for me. It goes through everything I&rsquo;d saved in that collection, pick out the right items for a menu and creates a proper shareable list.&nbsp;
No need to juggle between tabs or take notes, just my screenshots turned into an actual plan.&nbsp;
But where OnePlus has made things truly magical is by integrating Gemini with Mind Space
Let&rsquo;s say you&rsquo;re planning a two-day trip to Osaka to explore its food scene and have saved a lot of screenshots of reels, Insta posts and blogs.&nbsp;
Just ask Gemini to go inside Mind Space and plan a trip. Gemini will now go through everything you&rsquo;ve saved, analyse it and within seconds, build a full itinerary, only from the information that you have saved. How neat is that!
There are some other AI upgrades too.&nbsp;
If you&rsquo;re feeling lazy on Instagram, you can ask your AI Writer to write captions right inside the Instagram app.&nbsp;
Or when you&rsquo;re reading something long, like an article or guide, you can select the text and ask the AI Writer to turn it into a table or a mind map.&nbsp;
I used it for my mom, who&rsquo;s heading to Berlin for a work trip.&nbsp;
I fed it a travel article about the metro system, asked it to make a mind map, and it spat out a clean diagram that I could export as a JPG, PDF or even share it over as a note. That&rsquo;s super handy.
Even the Photos app gets some new AI features.&nbsp;
There&rsquo;s AI relighting, which basically adds fill light to your photos, but in a very smart way.&nbsp;
It doesn&rsquo;t just crank up brightness; it analyses the scene, fixes colour, and lets you tweak how much glow you want.
Then there&rsquo;s AI Perfect Shot. You know those moments when your eyes are half-closed or your expression&rsquo;s a bit off?&nbsp;
You can literally fix that now. OnePlus&rsquo; AI will go through your gallery and find a better face from your other pictures and swap it in. It&rsquo;s not perfect every time, but when it works, it&rsquo;s freakishly good.
OnePlus also has a new thing called AI Playlab. It&rsquo;s like a sandbox where they test experimental AI tools. One feature called &ldquo;Party Up&rdquo; can turn a single photo into a short video.&nbsp;
It's open only to a few select members in the OnePlus Community, but boy, does it look like fun!
<h2>Security and Privacy</h2>
Of course, with all this AI, the big question is privacy. OnePlus seems ready for it.&nbsp;
OxygenOS 16 brings the Private Computing Cloud, which encrypts everything using both the CPU and GPU.&nbsp;
Basically, your sensitive data stays private. Even OnePlus can&rsquo;t access it.
And if your phone ever goes missing, there&rsquo;s Plus Lock. You can remotely lock your device, and with 11 layers of encryption plus two-factor verification, your data&rsquo;s untouchable.&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s India-only for now and will roll out first on the OnePlus 15 series, but it&rsquo;s a nice security feature.
<h2>New and improved connectivity features</h2>
OnePlus has also fine-tuned how your OnePlus device connects to a PC, a Mac or an iPhone.&nbsp;
Touch-to-Connect for example, works better than ever; you can share photos and videos instantly by tapping phones together.&nbsp;
But yes, you still need to have the O+ Connect App. Even iPhone-to-OnePlus transfers are smoother and faster now.&nbsp;
OnePlus also claims that they&rsquo;re adding support for Apple Watch&nbsp;
So, now you&rsquo;ll be able to see notifications, messages, take calls, use Find My Phone and even control your Phone&rsquo;s camera from the watch
Now, I tried to use it with my Apple Watch Series 10, but for some reason, it did not work.&nbsp;
Probably because I was running the closed Beta. Still, it&rsquo;s an interesting option!
<h2>Verdict</h2>
So, what do I make of all this? Well, OxygenOS 15 was already one of the best Android skins in my book.&nbsp;
OxygenOS 16 builds on that, not by changing everything, but by polishing the experience and making AI actually useful.&nbsp;
Mind Space with Gemini is something I can see myself using every day, whether for work, travel, or random plans.
Everything about this update looks like it has huge potential, especially the AI bits.
OxygenOS 16 might just be the Android skin that finally gets the balance right, fast, clean, and genuinely smart.&nbsp;
Other smartphone makers should be taking notes.

We compare Samsung Galaxy S25 FE, Vivo X200 FE, and Oppo Reno 14 Pro cameras across main, ultrawide, zoom, video, selfies, and portraits. See which phone wins.

Samsung Galaxy S25 FE vs Vivo X200 FE vs Oppo Reno 14 Pro: Cameras compared

Vivo X200 FE vs Oppo Reno 14 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S25 FE: The ultimate camera test

<h3>We tested the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE, Vivo X200 FE, and Oppo Reno 14 Pro cameras in every mode. From selfies to zoom, here&rsquo;s which phone delivers the best overall results.</h3>

The Samsung Galaxy S25 FE, Vivo X200 FE, and Oppo Reno 14 Pro are pitched as phones that bring flagship-level cameras at prices that feel a little easier on the pocket.&nbsp;
Samsung&rsquo;s S25 FE is the priciest option at around ₹60,000, while Vivo&rsquo;s X200 FE comes in slightly lower at ₹55,000 and adds some Zeiss branding to its optics. Oppo takes the most aggressive route with the Reno 14 Pro at ₹50,000, yet still offers a triple 50MP camera setup.&nbsp;
I tested all three to see which one actually delivers the best results in everyday photography, and boy, do I have some thoughts!
<h2>Main camera performance on the Reno 14 Pro, Vivo X200 FE, and Galaxy S25 FE</h2>
All three phones come with 50MP main cameras and OIS, but the sensors behind them aren&rsquo;t the same. Vivo uses Sony&rsquo;s IMX921, Oppo has gone with the Omnivision OV50E, while Samsung is keeping its choice a mystery.&nbsp;
In good lighting, like daylight, I found the results pretty similar across the board, with sharp, detailed shots. The real differences show up in colour tuning. Samsung, which usually leans towards punchy tones, has gone more natural this time, though the photos can look a bit darker.&nbsp;
To me, Oppo seems to strike the best balance, with colours that feel true-to-life and pleasing. Vivo, despite having a strong sensor, tends to oversaturate and sometimes slips on white balance in tricky conditions.&nbsp;
In this round, Samsung and Oppo finish almost neck and neck, while Vivo falls slightly behind.
Comparing the ultrawide cameras on the Reno 14 Pro, Vivo X200 FE, and Galaxy S25 FE On paper, the Reno 14 Pro looked the most promising with its 50MP ultrawide, while Samsung went with 12MP and Vivo just 8MP. Once I started shooting, Oppo&rsquo;s photos had that extra bit of detail, especially in shady corners, and Samsung&rsquo;s shots were decent but not as clean when you zoom in.&nbsp;
Vivo didn&rsquo;t hold up as well, the pictures felt soft, and the colours had this reddish shift that threw things off. For me, Oppo stood out the most on ultrawide, Samsung was reliable enough, and Vivo just didn&rsquo;t quite keep pace.
<h2>Zoom performance on the Reno 14 Pro, Vivo X200 FE, and Galaxy S25 FE</h2>
Zoom is where the differences between these three phones really start to show. The Galaxy S25 FE takes the straightforward route with an 8MP telephoto camera offering 3X optical zoom. Oppo&rsquo;s Reno 14 Pro, on the other hand, goes bigger with a 50MP Samsung JN5 sensor at 3.5X, while Vivo&rsquo;s X200 FE packs a 50MP Sony IMX882 periscope lens at 3X.
At their native optical zoom levels, I found the Oppo and Vivo to be evenly matched, both delivering crisp, detailed shots. Samsung does a decent job, but the detail falls slightly short when compared with the other two.&nbsp;
Colour tuning varies, yet Vivo gets closest to natural tones. Beyond 10X, Oppo and Vivo continue to produce strong, usable images, while Samsung starts to drop off in sharpness. By 20X, Oppo still surprises with impressive clarity, though Vivo introduces some ghosting, and Samsung struggles heavily.
I also pushed their digital zooms to the limit, and found that the differences are stark. The Reno 14 Pro stretches all the way to 120X, the X200 FE hits 100X, and Samsung stops at 30X. While the maximum ranges are more fun than practical, Oppo&rsquo;s ability to hold detail at such extremes makes it the clear winner in the zoom battle.
<h2>Video recording on the Reno 14 Pro, Vivo X200 FE, and Galaxy S25 FE</h2>
When I checked out video on these phones, they all did a solid job. Vivo and Oppo record up to 4K at 60fps, while Samsung also gives you 8K at 30fps. For my tests, I just stuck to 4K60 and kept HDR off, even though you can switch it on with all three.
In good light, Oppo edges ahead with better colours and dynamic range, even if highlights occasionally blow out. I found that stabilisation is also noticeably stronger on Oppo, with Vivo not far behind, while Samsung felt the least stable to me.
Low-light recording continues the same pattern: Oppo delivers the cleanest results with sharp detail, natural tones, and well-controlled exposure. Vivo struggles with a greenish tint, and Samsung brightens too aggressively, leaving footage looking cooler and less natural. Overall, Oppo sets the bar for video performance here.
<h2>Selfie camera performance on the Reno 14 Pro, Vivo X200 FE, and Galaxy S25 FE</h2>
On the front, Vivo and Oppo step things up with 50MP selfie shooters equipped with autofocus, while Samsung goes with a more modest 12MP camera. However, I found that despite the lower resolution, Samsung still holds its ground. When I tried selfies on the Galaxy S25 FE, they looked the most natural to me. Colours felt right, the range was fine, though the photos did come out a bit darker.&nbsp;
Oppo&rsquo;s selfies had loads of detail, but skin tones leaned reddish, which made them look off at times. Vivo&rsquo;s shots were the weakest here &mdash; most of them looked too dark, almost underexposed in some cases.
But when I switched on the portrait mode, that changed things up: Samsung and Oppo both manage sharp edges, but Vivo stands out with a more convincing background blur that looks smoother and more flattering.
In short, Samsung&rsquo;s selfies feel the most realistic, Oppo&rsquo;s photos are sharp but imperfect in colour, and Vivo nails the portrait effect despite slightly darker exposures.
<h2>Portrait photography on the Reno 14 Pro, Vivo X200 FE, and Galaxy S25 FE</h2>
Portrait mode is one area where the Vivo X200 FE clearly flexes its strength. With Zeiss tuning at play, colours strike the right balance of vibrant yet natural, and edge detection is impressively precise. I liked how the bokeh looked; it felt natural and had a nice depth to it. At 3X zoom or higher, the blur faded in really smoothly and gave the portraits a finish that reminded me of what you&rsquo;d get from a proper camera.
Samsung&rsquo;s Galaxy S25 FE isn&rsquo;t far behind. It captures pleasing portraits with good colours, though its algorithm sometimes struggles with fine details.&nbsp;
In one of my tests, it missed a small cutout under a figurine&rsquo;s arm, which hurt the overall depth effect. Oppo&rsquo;s Reno 14 Pro produces decent portraits, but its blur comes across as flatter and less refined compared to the others.
Skin tones look solid across all three, though Vivo occasionally leans slightly red and Oppo skews warmer. Overall, Vivo takes the edge in portraits, with Samsung a close second.
<h2>Final verdict: Reno 14 Pro vs Vivo X200 FE vs Galaxy S25 FE</h2>
After testing all three, I feel that the Vivo X200 FE edges ahead as the most complete camera package. The Zeiss tuning really helps and delivers beautiful depth and natural colours, while low-light shots stand out with sharp detail and accurate exposure, for anyone who prioritises portraits or night photography, Vivo feels like the clear winner.
That said, I&rsquo;ve got to give the Reno 14 Pro credit. The colours look spot on, the zoom is easily the best of the three, and it rarely lets you down in day-to-day use. The Galaxy S25 FE, on the other hand, isn&rsquo;t about flashy specs but about consistency; the photos look natural and reliable, which makes it a solid pick if you just want results you can trust without fussing too much.&nbsp;
But if I had to choose one, I&rsquo;d still go with the Vivo X200 FE. It&rsquo;s the one that made shooting photos feel the most rewarding overall.

Samsung Galaxy A17 review 2025: A reliable mid-range phone with long battery life, fast charging, and six years of software updates. Offers solid performance and cameras, but the 90Hz display and drop notch feel outdated.

Samsung Galaxy A17 Review 2025: Reliable Battery, Long Updates, But Dated Display

Samsung Galaxy A17, Samsung review, Galaxy A17 review, Samsung A series 2025, Budget smartphones India, Best phones under 20000, Android 15 phones, Long battery life phones, Mid-range smartphones, One UI 7, Exynos 1330 smartphones

Samsung Galaxy A17 Review: Premium vibes at a budget

Samsung 

Samsung Galaxy A17 

Samsung Galaxy A17 at ₹18,999 nails battery, design, and long-term software updates, but feels dated with its 90Hz display, drop notch, and average cameras. A reliable pick if you want stability, though rivals like Motorola Edge 60 Fusion offer more polish.
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The Samsung Galaxy A series has always carried a sense of nostalgia for longtime users, especially those who have seen the Galaxy J series morph into the A series.&nbsp; My first ever phone was the iconic Galaxy J7, and truth be told, I enjoyed every moment I spent with it.
Fast forward to today, I&rsquo;ve been testing the new Samsung Galaxy A17 for about a week, and the experience has been a mixed bag to be honest. The Galaxy A17 definitely has some strengths that make a truly solid phone. However, it also has some pretty glaring shortcomings.&nbsp;
<h2> Design &amp; display of Samsung Galaxy A17 &ndash; premium-ish but with bummers&nbsp;</h2>
Samsung&rsquo;s design language is super consistent across its A-series and S-series, and honestly, I like that. The A17 looks classy in blue, black, and grey.&nbsp;
I&rsquo;ve got the blue one for testing, and although it is terrific to look at, the blue coloured plastic back is a massive smudge magnet. Even though it&rsquo;s a plastic back with a plastic frame, it doesn&rsquo;t feel cheap.&nbsp;
The flat sides make for a good grip and at 192 grams it&rsquo;s not bulky to carry. You get a mono speaker at the bottom and a no headphone jack. There is dual nano SIM support too.&nbsp;
My only complaint would be the that it&rsquo;s a big phone, which makes it slightly awkward to slip into jeans pockets.
The display is a 6.7-inch AMOLED panel with a 90Hz refresh rate. Colours are crisp, natural, and watching any content feels fun. But here&rsquo;s the thing; 90Hz in 2025 is a bit disappointing.&nbsp;
To make matters worse, smartphone brands like Motorola and Realme are already pushing 120Hz in the same price segment, so Samsung feels behind the curve here.&nbsp;
To add to that, the drop notch on the front feels outdated too.&nbsp;
On the positive side though, the IP54 rating and Gorilla Glass Victus protection are solid, so at least you get scratch resistance and splash protection out of the box.
<h2>Performance &amp; software of Samsung Galaxy A17 &ndash; smooth (mostly)</h2>
The A17 runs on Exynos 1330 with storage and RAM options that go up to 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. Benchmarks scores are mid-tier at best, 970 single-core and 2184 multi-core in GeekBench.&nbsp;
But that&rsquo;s okay because, it&rsquo;s not aiming to be a performance beast anyway.&nbsp;
In day-to-day use it&rsquo;s smooth. I faced no heating as such, until I started clicking a ton of photos back-to-back, where the area around the camera bump warms up a bit.&nbsp;
Switching between apps feels chill, but the one weak spot is the camera app, which sometimes lags when processing multiple shots.
On the software side, this is where Samsung really nails it. The A17 runs One UI 7 on Android 15 and you get six OS updates promised, which is insane for an ₹18K phone.&nbsp;
One UI itself is clean and well organised, though sometimes it still looks a little old-school. Honestly, using it gave me a weird throwback to my J7 days. That said, small touches like Samsung Notes syncing and notes import are underrated gems that really make the experience feel good even on a budget device.
<h2>Samsung Galaxy A17 battery life &ndash; surprisingly good&nbsp;</h2>
You get a 5000mAh pack with a 25W charger in the box. I thought charging would be a pain, but nope, it went from 15 percent to 94 percent in just an hour, which is actually pretty chill.&nbsp;
Usage wise, it easily survives a full day on moderate use. I watched a two-hour podcast and the phone only dropped by 10 percent.&nbsp;
A bit of casual gaming shaved off just 2 percent. That&rsquo;s impressive because it basically means it doesn&rsquo;t die on you mid-day, and it doesn&rsquo;t take forever to charge either.
<h2>Samsung Galaxy A17 camera &ndash; Insta-ready but not flawless</h2>
The camera setup includes a 50MP main shooter, a 5MP ultrawide, and a 2MP macro. The main camera clicks balanced shots with natural colours and sharpness, but the finer details don&rsquo;t always hold up when you zoom in.&nbsp;
Portraits look sharp overall and the separation between foreground and background works well, though the edge detection around hair and faces is still a bit messy.&nbsp;
Ultrawide shots keep the colours consistent, but they lose out on sharpness, with HDR being only decent at best.
Selfies, on the other hand, are natural and sharp, though skin tones can sometimes look oversaturated.&nbsp;
Videos max out at 1080p 30FPS, with stabilisation that&rsquo;s fine. In low light, the performance is okay at best usable, but definitely not a standout.&nbsp;
Overall, the photos are solid for what you pay for the phone, and are totally Instagram-ready, as long as you keep your expectations in check.
<h2>Verdict of Samsung Galaxy A17 &ndash; worth it or nay?&nbsp;</h2>
The Galaxy A17 has some strong positives like solid battery life, fast charging, a premium-looking design, Samsung&rsquo;s unmatched OS update policy, and cameras that deliver decent results for the price.&nbsp;
But there are also a few issues that are hard to ignore, like the outdated 90Hz refresh rate in 2025, the drop notch that feels like a relic from the past, slight heating while clicking photos, and the occasional lag in the camera app.
At ₹18,999, I&rsquo;d still call it a value-for-money device, especially if you&rsquo;re looking for something reliable with long-term software support.&nbsp;
But if you&rsquo;re chasing the absolute best performance in this range, something like the Motorola Edge 60 Fusion might tempt you more. The A17 is a safe choice, reliable, and easy to recommend, but with just a couple of tweaks, it could&rsquo;ve been a straight-up no-brainer.
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