Design is an important factor that impacts your overall experience. The device has a sleek and modern look. Its slim profile and rounded edges make it comfortable to hold. Plus, it’s made from high-quality materials like glass and metal, giving it a sophisticated and elegant vibe.
One thing that stands out about the Honor X9b is its large 6.78-inch edge-to-edge display. It’s perfect for watching videos or playing games, and the minimal bezels make it feel really immersive. The camera module on the back is also really stylish, with a multi-camera setup that’s been carefully designed to look perfectly balanced. The Honor X9b review unit we received has a matte finish on the rear panel, which looks great and helps prevent fingerprints.
Of course, we all know that accidents happen. The Honor X9b has reinforced glass on both the front and back, like Corning Gorilla Glass, to protect against scratches and drops. The metal frame also adds extra toughness while making the phone feel even more premium.
PERFORMANCE
The Honor X9b delivers impressive performance, thanks to its powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 Gen 3 processor. Both the software and hardware are optimized well. I have used it for a week now, and the X9b is able to effortlessly handle multitasking, gaming, and demanding applications with ease. Whether I’m streaming HD content, navigating through apps, or running intensive tasks, I haven’t noticed any significant lags. However, once I complete a quick task, the device lags a bit. Additionally, the device has advanced cooling technology that prevents it from overheating during prolonged usage sessions, ensuring consistent performance even under heavy workloads.
The camera user interface on the Honor X9b is easy to use. It includes modes like Pro mode, Panorama, Super Macro, High-Res, Time-Lapse, Multi-View video and Night mode. The rear camera produces 12MP output after pixel binning, while the front camera images are 16MP in size.
The Honor X9b has a new 108MP sensor that captures daylight shots beautifully. The dynamic range is better with auto HDR. The portrait mode is good, with accurate edge detection, and the 5MP ultra-wide camera is decent, but could have given a better pixel sensor.
The night mode is helpful but takes a few seconds to process. The 16MP front camera takes decent photos but performs best in good lighting conditions. The portrait shots are good as well.
The Honor X9b is a capable device when it comes to video recording. It can record videos at a maximum frame rate of 4K 30 fps, which is impressive. Additionally, it also supports slow-motion video recording at 720p resolution with a frame rate of 120fps. This means you can capture slow-motion footage with this device, perfect for capturing action shots or creating cinematic effects.
VERDICT
Overall, the Honor X9b is a mid-range smartphone with a stylish design, long battery life, and smooth visuals. However, its inconsistent camera performance, limited software features, and lack of additional functionalities may deter users that prioritize these features.
Realme has announced the launch of two new devices – the Realme 12 Pro and Realme 12 Pro Plus. Both devices are the successors of the Realme 11 Pro. Realme is known for its commitment to providing the best technology and stylish design at affordable prices. We recently got our hands on the latest Realme 12 Pro and we’re excited to share our thoughts on it.
DESIGN
Design is one of the appealing features of the Realme 12 Pro series. Like its predecessor, Realme 12 Pro offers the same design but with some design improvements. Realme 12 Pro has a vegan leather finish with a camera module ring in gold colour. A golden line extends from the camera module and divides the panel into two halves, adding an elegant touch. The leather finish at the rear makes the device less slippery. Although it is not prone to fingerprints, it may accumulate visible smudges over time if used with dirty hands. You can easily clean it with a soft cloth. It’s important to keep the phone away from sharp objects like keys as they may damage the leather surface.
Moving to the front panel, the phone features a curved display with slim bezels that offers an immersive viewing experience. The punch-hole cutout on the front houses the selfie camera. The phone has a gold frame, which gives a golden aesthetic to the device.
DISPLAY
The Realme 12 Pro has a stunning 6.7-inch AMOLED curved display with minimal bezels and impressive image quality, making it perfect for watching movies and playing games. The screen brightness is decent, reaching 950 nits, lower than other devices like the OPPO Reno11 Pro. However, it’s still bright enough to use even in direct sunlight. One of the best features of the display is its touch-haptic response. When interacting with the power, back, and menu options, it feels like pressing a physical button and provides gentle vibration or feedback, especially when gesture control is enabled. This adds realism and immersion to the experience. The haptic feedback is particularly impressive when playing high-octane games, as it provides a feel for the impact and responsiveness in your hands.
PERFORMANCE
Realme 12 Pro has impressed with its design and display, but a smartphone’s performance matters in the end. Unlike Realme 11 Pro, Realme 12 Pro shifted towards the Qualcomm processor. The realme 12 Pro has a budget Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 processor, on paper it is a mid-budget processor. Testing the Realme 12 Pro in day-to-day activities, the device performed well in various tasks like watching videos, listening to music, playing games, and using popular messaging and social media apps. Even after one week of usage, there were no noticeable lags or slowdowns in day-to-day usage. The phone did not have any heating issues except when the camera app was open for an extended period.
I had a decent gaming experience on the Realme 12 Pro. The phone remained smooth at standard settings; going to ultra settings gives noticeable lags. In standard settings, I encountered no stutters even after long gaming sessions. In benchmarking, the Realme 12 Pro performed well, achieving a single-core score of 941 and a multi-core score of 2667 on Geekbench 6.
However, the Realme 12 Pro has some drawbacks, and one of them is its software experience. The phone comes with Realme UI 5.0, which has a lot of bloatware that makes the home screen cluttered and confusing. There are pre-loaded apps that are unnecessary and unwanted.
Realme should address the bloatware issue and provide a cleaner, more streamlined software experience that allows users to choose the apps they want instead of bombarding them with not-so-useful apps. The focus should be on providing a better user experience without overwhelming notifications and pre-installed clutter.
BATTERY
The Realme 12 Pro has a 5000mAh battery and comes with a 100W fast charger. To test the battery, I played a 4K HDR video from YouTube. During the test, the phone’s battery went from 28% to 18% in just 22 minutes of playing the video. Surprisingly, the phone was only slightly warm, which is impressive considering the device’s curved display.
In my everyday use, the phone lasted a full day on a single charge with no issues. The included fast charger came in handy, as it was able to refill the battery by approximately 25% in just five minutes of charging. Overall, I’m very satisfied with the Realme 12 Pro’s battery performance.
CAMERA
It was surprising to see that the Realme 12 Pro has a 50-megapixel primary camera sensor, which is lower than the predecessor Realme 11 Pro’s 100-megapixel sensor. However, it’s essential to note that the number of megapixels doesn’t guarantee better picture quality. Despite being a mid-range phone, the Realme 12 Pro’s highlight is its 32-megapixel telephoto sensor. The device also has an 8-megapixel wide-angle lens and a 16-megapixel sensor for selfies.
Let’s discuss the camera’s performance in different scenarios. In good lighting conditions, the Realme 12 Pro takes impressive daylight shots. The images are vibrant, with rich colours and intricate details. You can appreciate the clarity and sharpness, even when zooming in to explore finer textures. Whether you’re taking photos of expansive landscapes or getting close to objects, the camera does an excellent job. For instance, the picture of the bunch of orange flowers showcases vivid and accurate colours, making the image visually captivating.
However, the camera struggles in dimly lit indoor environments. When taken to a restaurant with softer lighting, it had difficulty dealing with the direct lights facing the camera. As a result, some low-light images appeared grainy, especially when using the 20x zoom. In contrast, the camera performs better when there’s ample lighting available. The macro lens, in particular, shines in outdoor settings. The close-up image of the orange flower showcases vibrant colours and intricate details, making it quite impressive.
It’s worth noting that any subject can be zoomed very closely. The phone can capture tiny grain from a Relax case of my iPhone 15. You can achieve good image quality by zooming in on objects, giving you added flexibility to capture close-up shots without relying solely on the macro lens.
The Realme 12 Pro features a 32-megapixel telephoto 2x Optical zoom lens. Although the 2X is optical zoom, it can go up to 20X digital zoom. However, the quality of the picture degrades the more you zoom. My experience with the Zoom mode was underwhelming. However, it is a helpful feature that Realme still packs on a budget smartphone.
Realme 12 Pro 20x
Realme 12 Pro 0.6xRealme 12 Pro 20x
Another issue I encountered is that even when I thought I had captured the image perfectly, it turned out blurry after processing. This was especially noticeable in low-light settings. The camera struggles to maintain sharpness and clarity in challenging lighting conditions.
VERDICT
The Realme 12 Pro is a device that offers a lot to its users. It has a visually stunning design, an immersive display, and reliable performance. The device offers a smooth user experience across various tasks, including multimedia consumption and gaming, without any noticeable lags or slowdowns. The battery life is impressive and can easily last a full day, and the included fast charger adds to the convenience. However, the camera performance of the Realme 12 Pro is a mixed bag. While it excels in capturing vibrant and detailed images in good lighting conditions, it struggles in dimly-lit environments. Additionally, the software experience falls short with Realme UI 5.0, as it is cluttered with bloatware and unwanted notifications, which can affect the overall user experience. Despite these shortcomings, the Realme 12 Pro still manages to impress with its attractive design and reliable performance. It is a solid mid-range option for users looking for a visually appealing device with satisfactory performance.
Vivo’s most recent top-of-the-line smartphone, the X100 Pro, has generated a lot of buzz with its triple 50MP camera system and modern specifications. However, with so many smartphones available on the market, does it truly distinguish itself from the rest? Let’s take a deep dive into a thorough review to find out.
CAMERA
Without a doubt, the highlight of the X100 Pro is its camera. The back of the phone has three camera sensors, all of which are 50MP sensors (main, wide, telephoto) that shine in their own way. The Main camera has the Sony IMX989 sensor, which captures stunningly detailed photos with accurate colours and excellent dynamic range. Low-light performance is commendable, thanks to effective noise reduction. The Wide lens captures expansive landscapes or group shots into the frame. However, slight sharpness and colour fringing issues are noticeable. Then comes the Telephoto lens, which offers an impressive 5x optical zoom for close-up shots with minimal loss of detail. In photo mode, the zoom can go up to 60x, where the photo looks grainy but readable.
The Vivo software adds Gimbal Stabilization, further polishing the photography experience. The Astro Mode features the AR Planetarium, a fun addition for astronomy enthusiasts.
However, the X100 Pro has some camera quirks. The ultrawide lens could benefit from better sharpness, and the zoom capability doesn’t quite match the best in the market (like the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra). Additionally, while AI processing generally enhances photos, it can sometimes lead to oversaturated colours.
With impressive clarity and stability, the phone can record 8K videos at 30fps and 4K videos at 60fps.
The front camera of the Vivo x100 pro is a 32MP sensor that can take decent selfies, but it is not as impressive as the rear cameras. The selfies tend to look soft and overexposed, and the portrait mode could be more accurate. The front camera can also record 4K videos at 30fps, but the quality could be more impressive.
DESIGN
The X100 Pro stuns with its sleek, curved design and premium materials. The matte glass back features a fluorite anti-glare coating and a Circular camera module, a familiar Vivo X series design. The phone is quite heavy at 225 grams and thick at 8.91mm, but it feels solid and premium in the hand. The phone also has an IP68 dust and water resistance rating, a plus point.
DISPLAY
The phone features a large 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED display with an impressive 120Hz refresh rate. The display is sharp, vibrant, and responsive, offering excellent viewing angles and colour accuracy. It supports HDR10 and HDR10+ but not Dolby Vision. However, the screen has some curvature on the sides, which may cause accidental touches. Nevertheless, it also enhances the immersive viewing experience.
PERFORMANCE
The Vivo x100 Pro has the powerful MediaTek Dimensity 9300 chipset, a 5G-enabled processor that can compete with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset. With 16GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage, the phone can easily handle multitasking and store media files. Thanks to its liquid cooling system that prevents overheating and throttling, it provides a smooth and lag-free experience while running any task or game.
The Vivo x100 Pro runs on Android 12 with Funtouch OS 12 on top, which offers a user-friendly and smooth software experience. It has useful features like the Ultra Game Mode, the Smart Split Screen and the Always-on Display. Although the software has some bloatware and ads, which can be irritating, they can be easily deleted with some effort. The phone also has an in-display fingerprint scanner and face unlock that is quick and reliable.
BATTERY LIFE
The Vivo X100 Pro has a 5,000mAh battery that can easily last a full day, even with moderate to heavy usage. Additionally, the phone supports 120W fast charging, which means it can be charged from 0 to 100 percent in just 15 minutes. Unfortunately, the phone doesn’t support wireless charging or reverse wireless charging, which can be a drawback given its price.
VERDICT
The Vivo X100 Pro is undeniably a high-end smartphone with a phenomenal camera system, making it a value-for-money smartphone. Its camera is the phone’s main selling point, and it excels in this department, possessing a versatile and powerful rear camera system that can rival the best in the market. Additionally, the phone has a stunning curved display, fast and smooth performance, and long-lasting battery life with super-fast charging. However, it has some drawbacks, such as the underwhelming selfie camera and unwanted apps/games, but they are not deal-breakers. If you’re looking for a phone that will make you believe in your photography skills, the Vivo X100 Pro is definitely worth considering.
Everyone loves to watch movies on a larger screen, and experiencing a theatre-like atmosphere is everyone’s biggest desire. One of the TVs we received was the massive 97-inch slim OLED TV at our office! The picture quality is fantastic and looks sleek and modern. However, we were surprised to learn about its cost. The TV we received costs more than a modern-day top-of-the-line family car, with a whopping price tag of ₹20,49,990. You may be curious about the luxury TV and the company that manufactures it. The TV is created by a well-known brand that dominates the market. It is from LG, specifically the top-of-the-line G2 OLED model. I made sure it had the giant 97-inch OLED panel in the thinnest body, which transformed the office/home into a movie theatre and improved the aesthetics of the space.
The problem with reviewing such massive premium TVs is you get lost while experiencing content, so you forget that you’re supposed to be working and end up just watching TV for hours. That’s what happened to me with the LG G2 OLED TV. Perhaps not my most productive work moment, but it says a lot about this TV.
LG’s G2 OLED TV is its top-of-the-line model, featuring a 97-inch OLED panel. LG is a big proponent of OLED technology, and the G2 aims to be the best 4K TV available from LG. It is likely the most expensive 4K TV on the market. G2 is the second generation OLED TV from LG, and the most significant improvement is the brightness level, which has been upgraded over the previous generation G1.
Although the TV shares the same ‘Gallery’ design name as its G1 predecessors, it actually looks completely different: gone is the dark frame and chamfered edges, it is a nifty two-layer effect with a thin black rear ‘slab’, and the screen encased in an opulent-looking silver metal coat. The bezel is so thin that LG decided not to put any logo on the front.
The television stands out due to its OLED panel. The panel offers a nearly infinite contrast ratio that displays deep blacks, which makes it an excellent choice for watching movies in a dark room. Additionally, the panel is exceptionally bright for an OLED TV, making it a perfect choice for watching TV shows in a brightly lit room. Because of its OLED technology, the TV provides an incredibly wide viewing angle, making it a suitable option for a place with a broad seating arrangement. With a 120Hz refresh rate, it’s also an excellent choice for use as a PC monitor and provides an outstanding gaming experience overall. Furthermore, it supports GeForce Gsync, making it the preferred choice for gamers.
Performance-wise, LG decided to give it a powerful (alpha)α9 Gen5 AI Processor with AI Picture Pro & AI 4K Upscaling. The processor delivers a few extra improvements to LG’s picture quality for good measure. Upscaling of sub-4K video to actual 4K video without adding noise, and the results look remarkably more polished and sharp.
Like other LG TVs, it uses the webOS smart interface. It is one of LG’s most reliable operating systems on its smart TVs. It does support major streaming apps like Netflix and Apple TV+. So you don’t have to rely on a 3rd party smart dongle.
Audio performance is among the most impressive features of the LG G2 OLED TV. It encourages the setup of AI Sound Pro, which upgrades the set’s standard 2.1 stereo to virtual 5.1 surround sound, effectively adding dimension and height to the audio. Listening to Songs with AI Sound Pro emphasized the vocal’s megaphone effect, creating a stadium concert atmosphere in our testing studio.
In conclusion, the OLED G2 is undoubtedly LG’s best OLED TV to date. It has shown a significant improvement over its predecessor, the G1. The added brightness enhances everything from standard HD videos to stunning 4K HDR and the latest graphically advanced games on consoles and PCs. The best part is that the increased brightness is not forced or unnecessary. It blends in seamlessly without making anything look artificial.
Sony has been nailing the art of perfection since they launched WH-1000X series headphones in 2016. The 6-year-old flagship active noise cancelling (ANC) headphone series is one of the most loved and has helped the company to stay one step ahead of the competition. I spent 2-weeks getting to know the recently released Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones and realised why they’re referred to as one of the best in the segment.
Design
The WH-1000XM5 headphones are the first one in the series to receive a complete redesign, and the company has named them as a noiseless design. The slimmer and lightweight headphones are way too attractive than their predecessors. The earcups are in a flattened dome shape and can swivel sideways, while the hinge of the headband is hidden. Along with the headphones, the case also looks classy and can be flattened to half when empty.
Comfort
The earcups are made of recycled soft-fit leather padding, but they no longer collapse inwards within the headband like their predecessors, which is not quite welcome. The headphones have wide padding to accommodate all types of ears, which means anyone can wear them for hours without feeling irritated. The left earcup has two physical buttons: a power button and another to switch ANC modes like ANC, ANC off, or Ambient sound modes.
Controls
Input (touchpad) > Action
Swipe up > Volume up
Swipe down > Volume down
Swipe forward > Track forward
Swipe back > Trackback
Hold (centre) > Voice assistant
Double tap centre> Pause/resume
Cup hand > Ambient sound passthrough
Connection
You can connect the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones to your source device via Bluetooth or TRS cable and can charge the headphones by plugging into the USB-C port, which is at the bottom of the right ear. To get the most out of these headphones for your phone, you must get the Sony Headphones Connect App (iOS/Android). The app is required for features like ANC optimisation, 360 Reality Audio, a custom equaliser and, of course, to get updates.
Audio Quality & Noise Cancelling
The headphones feature a single 30mm driver instead of 40mm like its predecessor, which made us think we would lose the signature dynamism of the WH line. Thankfully, they sound as good as the WH-1000XM4s, but not better for sure. The headphones support SBC, AAC, and LDAC codecs over Bluetooth. The sound of the WH-1000XM5 headphones is dominated by strong bass but fails lavishly when it comes to delivering premium audio quality.
The ANC of the XM5 headphone is one of the best in the market and will make sure you have a great music experience. Compared to the previous generations, XM5 offer better performance in the low end and can easily beat its competitors, such as Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 and Bose QuietComfort 45. I have used them at all the noisy places like local trains, busy streets etc., and they outperform everywhere as they drop off unwanted sounds by around 30 dB.
Microphone
The WH-1000XM5 headphones feature 8 microphones, double that of its predecessor XM4, and in terms of performance, they are impressive. The XM5 headphones arrive with an AI noise rejection algorithm, so you don’t have to think twice before receiving a call in noisy outdoors. The headphones offer good voice quality, and your callers can hear you clearly. There are some glitches in the headphones, which Sony could fix in a software update.
Battery Life
The company has claimed the headphones have a battery life of up to 30 hours with ANC enabled and up to 40 hours with noise cancelling switched off. In our testing, the headphones lasted slightly longer than advertised in both cases, with ANC enabled and disabled. The battery life is enough for a week whether you commute for 2+ hours daily or take 3+ long-haul flights. The headphones provide about 3 hours of playback in just 3-minutes of charge.
Verdict
The Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones are going to be a memorable purchase and a remarkable experience if you’re someone who travels a lot, be it commuting to work or taking several work flights. We know they are expensive, and investing ₹34,990 on headphones would be too much to gamble on, but you can’t forget the reality that they’re one of the best ANC headphones on the market.
One should learn marketing and advertising techniques from the guys who work at OnePlus. The company has launched 3-smartphones in a span of 4-weeks, which justifies its slogan “Never Settle”. On 28th April, OnePlus India launched a premium smartphone – OnePlus 10 R 5G, a mid-range smartphone – OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite and budget earbuds – OnePlus Nord Buds.
The Status Quo
The Nord Duo of OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite and OnePlus Nord Buds is budget-friendly and work best when clubbed together. The price of the smartphone starts from ₹19,999, while the earbuds are currently priced at ₹2,799. The OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite appears classy, but once you dive deep, it shows the real mid-range colours, while the earbuds are pretty adequate for the price point.
The OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite is available in two colours – blue tide and black dusk. The blue tide colour looks classy, while the black dusk colour seems somewhat dank and ordinary. The IP55 dust and water resistance earbuds look dapper and offer ultra-fast charging (10 minutes for 5-hours). They are available in two colours: white marble and black slate.
OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite
The OnePlus Nord 2 CE 2 Lite boasts a 6.59” IPS LCD display and is loaded with a 120 Hz refresh rate, 5,000 mAh battery, 3.5 mm headphone jack, 64-megapixel primary sensor, and 33W fast charging. The watered-down version of the OnePlus Nord 2 CE runs on the Android 12 Operating System with custom OxygenOS 12.1 skin and is a value-for-money deal.
The plastic-made OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite is the first smartphone from the house of OnePlus, which features a 120Hz IPS screen and a side-mounted fingerprint scanner which also functions as a power button. The display of the Nord CE 2 Lite offers a lot of screen space, thanks to the thin bezels. The display also has superb colour reproduction, one of the top necessary things for gamers and binge-lovers.
The OnePlus Nord 2 CE Lite is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G chipset paired with Adreno 619 graphics unit and is available in two RAM options, 6GB and 8GB. The smartphone is power-packed with a mammoth 5000mAh battery which comes with a 33W SUPERVOOC fast charging. The Nord 2 CE Lite is excellent for gaming and runs well for a long period without any hiccup.
OnePlus Nord Buds
The OnePlus Nord Buds are well-built, value for money and probably one of the best budget earbuds in the current market. They offer about 7-hours of listening once charged fully and have AI Noise reduction, which helps you have better calls. The Nord buds have a gigantic pair of audio drivers and a smooth equalizer to make you dance.
The earbuds feature a big 12.4 mm Titanium Audio Driver and Dolby Atmos support for deeper bass and crisp sound. The lightweight earbuds are pretty suitable for outdoors as they have a tight grip and hold. The serenade composition mode offers one of the best vocals, and the ergonomic design makes sure to offer all the comfort you want.
If you own a Lamborghini or Ferrari, you must have missed a very creative TVC of Samsung Galaxy A series smartphones, including Galaxy A33, A53 and A73. All the smartphones from the A-series were well appreciated and added a lot of success to the company’s portfolio, particularly in the mid-range smartphone market. Out of these three recently launched smartphones, we picked Galaxy A53 5G.
The Good
The Bad
The Ugly
Great Display
User Interface
No charger included
Outdoor Camera Performance
Overall Performace
Exynos 1280 Chipset
Design & Display
The smartphone has an almost similar design to its predecessor, Galaxy A 52s 5G, but it has a distinct design language that helps it appear as a premium smartphone. The smartphone looks stunning from every angle, but the bezels are noticeably thinner, which lowers the interest somehow. The 6.5-inch full-HD+ Super AMOLED display of the Galaxy A53 5G is protected by a flat piece of Gorilla Glass 5.
The Galaxy A53 5G weighs only 189 grams, and the comfortable rounded body of the smartphone allows you to have an excellent grip on the phone. The smartphone is mainly made from plastic, yet it feels premium in hand, thanks to the matte-finished polycarbonate back panel and placement of the cameras. The fingerprint reader of the A53 5G is embedded in the display and is quite reliable.
Chipset & Performance
The smartphone is equipped with Samsung’s new in-house chipset Exynos 1280 but doesn’t offer a few top-notch features which we usually get in Galaxy phones. However, the company does offer the promise of extended software support for the Galaxy A53 5G, which means one can expect about 4 OS upgrades and 5-years of security patches.
The smartphone supports 5G, Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 5.1, NFC, and regular satellite navigation systems. The predecessor of the Galaxy A53 had a much more powerful chipset (Galaxy A52 – Qualcomm SM7125 Snapdragon 720G) compared to this one. However, the company remarks speak a different story. The Galaxy A53 failed to impress us in the game testing as there were some hiccups here and there.
Camera & Battery
The Galaxy A53 5G features a familiar quad-camera setup which includes a 64 MP F1.8 primary camera with optical image stabilization, 12MP ultrawide and two 5MP sensors. Overall, all the cameras are satisfactory, but thanks to the increased AI performance, it helps the phone to have an improved portrait mode for both front and back cameras. Also, the phone now has more vivid and saturated colours.
Verdict
The base model of the Galaxy A53 5G (6GB+128GB) is priced at ₹34,499, while the top variant of the A53 is priced at ₹35,999. The phone is available in awesome blue, black, peach, and white. The smartphone looks premium, works well, and offers a pleasing outdoor camera output, but if you compare it with the M33, priced at ₹17,999, you would definitely scrap the idea of buying the Galaxy A53.
The month of February 2022 is undoubtedly going down in history as a month of smartphone launches. We’ve witnessed many launches during the month, except for Apple iPhones, which came a little late to the party. Who cares? Especially when you’ve Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra in your hand – a perfect blend of Galaxy S Ultra and Galaxy Note Ultra.
The new-age smartphone from Samsung arrives in a black cardboard box that’s now even smaller than before, which kind of makes you think about iPhone packaging. Oh, have I mentioned anything about the S-Pen yet? Of course not. Well, the company has successfully managed to fit the S-Pen entirely into the device itself.
First Impression
They say the first impression is the last impression, and Samsung took it very seriously. To be honest, this is the perfect smartphone I have ever held in recent times. It has premium looks, and even a single glance is enough to predict the price. However, after two weeks of use, I understood that the saying nobody is perfect could be applied here.
Design & Display
I’ve already mentioned above that the Galaxy S22 ultra is a crossover of two old flagship models, but the sharp and squared-off angles make it appear as a stunning device. The smartphones ship in four colours – Phantom Black, Phantom White, Green and Burgundy. The only thing I would like to appreciate about this device’s design is its camera module.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra has a metal and glass slab with sharp corners, but no worries, the rounded side edges will save the game. The S22 Ultra boasts a power button and a volume rocker on the right, advertised as made from recycled fishing nets. The front glass of the smartphone has high-gloss and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+, while the back is covered with a satin finish.
The flagship smartphones from Samsung are always loved for their classic displays and the same proceeds to the Galaxy S22 Ultra. The S22 Ultra has a sharp, bright, colour-rich and ideal for outdoor viewing display, probably the best in the current smartphone world. The 6.8-inch AMOLED display of the S22 Ultra has rounded side edges and has a 120Hz refresh rate.
Build Quality
The phone is massive (dimensions – 163.3 x 77.9 x 8.9mm) and takes you back to its NOTE roots but weighs about 230 gms, making it lighter than Apple’s flagship devices. The flat surfaces of both sides wrap the device like a sandwich. Overall, the build quality of the S22 Ultra is superb, but with curved edges like this, it’s going to be an uncomfortable ride for the first few days.
Camera
When it comes to S22 Ultra’s camera, indeed Samsung has plans for overtaking the camera legacy of the iPhone 13 Pro Max and Google Pixel 6 Pro. The camera module appears similar to the S21 Ultra, but it’s completely different, thanks to the processor. The S22 Ultra has a 40-MP selfie camera that supports dual video calls and offers 4K video quality at 30/60fps and 1080p@30fps.
On the rear, the phone has a 12-MP ultra-wide camera, 108-MP wide-angle camera, and two telephoto cameras with 10-megapixels, one with 3X optical zoom and another with 10X optical zoom. The smartphone offers better low-light photos, 4x faster multi-frame processing, and an AI-boosted portrait mode. The nightography camera of the S22 Ultra is advertised as Samsung’s best innovation yet.
S-Pen
The S-Pen acts as a smartpen, pull it out, and the phone will automatically launch the Notes app. The S-Pen is an active one and has its battery, gyro, accelerometer and Bluetooth connectivity for communicating with the phone. The Smart select option of the S-Pen allows you to take differently shaped screenshots, which you can use to create short GIF animations.
Chipset & Performance
The Galaxy S22 Ultra is one of the first smartphones that get the latest flagship SoC from Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. The device runs on Android 12 with OneUI on top and a 4nm chip that promises better CPU and graphics performance. The smartphone arrives with 12GB of RAM, and for storage, it has in 3-options, 256GB, 512GB or 1TB.
I’ve been using iPhone 13 Pro Max as my primary device for the last few months, and I’m not ashamed to say that the Galaxy S22 Ultra felt faster than it and completely outperforms Apple’s latest flagship phone. The smartphone offers fantastic gameplay with high graphics games such as Call of Duty Mobile without a single hiccup.
Battery
A 5,000mAh battery powers the S22 Ultra, but the phone comes with an FHD+ resolution with an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate, which makes the chances of decreasing the battery life relatively high. Of course, with out-of-the-box settings and an average of 6.5 hours of screen-on time, the device can smoothly run for a day and spare a little juice (about 25% to 35%) for another one.
Verdict
The Galaxy S22 Ultra has no single competition in the current market, and no other smartphone has the guts to tick off the boxes that S22 Ultra accomplishes. The phone is packed with the latest processor, brightest smartphone display, the highest megapixel camera, and the built-in S Pen, making the S22 Ultra superior in every section. So, if you’ve loads of money, I’ve three words for you – GO FOR IT!
iQOO is a newbie in the world of smartphones, but in just 3-years, the company managed to grab millions of eyes and thousands of customers. Their latest launch, the iQOO 9 series is one of the most awaited flagship series’ in recent times which includes 3-smartphones – iQOO 9 Pro, iQOO 9 and iQOO SE.The one we received for the review was an iQOO 9 – BMW Motorsport Edition, and this is the first iQOO phone I ever used as a primary device. Let me tell you one crucial forte upfront, the iQOO 9 series’ launched in China, and the one launched in India is altogether a separate series of phones in many aspects.
First Impressions
Let’s begin with the packing – the company has made sure to come up with an innovative packing to grab your attention. The box contains a device, a 120W charger, a few other necessary things and yes, a 3.5-mm adapter. The smartphone looks stunning at first sight, and you couldn’t stop yourself from saying, “Wow!”
Design & Display
The phone looks premium, and the one thing that makes you go weak at the knees is its design, particularly the camera module and the rear side that features BMW’s tri-colour stripes. A single look at the iQOO 9, and you would say, oh, finally, somebody’s working on the design and appearance.The smartphone has a 6.56″ punch-hole AMOLED display in the front and is coated with matt gorilla glass at the back, not prone to fingerprints. The iQOO 9 Pro and iQOO 9 have almost similar-looking BMW stripes on the back, but if you look closer, the iQOO 9 Pro has a slightly different shade of white, making it more attractive.The power button brings an absolute charm to the phone as it has a blue-coloured tone. The phone is not massive and can fit into average-sized hands. About the display, it has a pixel density of 398ppi, a refresh rate of 120Hz, and it supports HDR in the Netflix app, which is like a cherry on the top moment.
Chipset & Performance
iQOO has been known to manufacture powerful smartphones such as iQOO Z3, iQOO Z5, iQOO 7, and 7 Legend, but the iQOO 9 series is on another level when it comes to performance. The smartphone runs on a Snapdragon 888+ chip and directly competes with the OnePlus 9 RT. The unit we had for a review was loaded with 12GB RAM and up to 256GB storage.
Camera
The iQOO 9 sports a triple camera set-up – a 48 MP primary camera with f/1.8, 25mm (wide), 1/2.0″, 0.8µm, PDAF, gimbal OIS and 13 MP telephoto camera with f/2.5, 50mm, PDAF, 2x optical zoom. While the third one is a 13 MP ultrawide camera, f/2.2, 16mm, 120˚ and 16 MP selfie camera, f/2.5, (wide), 1/3.1″, 1.0µm with support for 1080p@30fps.
Gaming & Battery
The smartphone scores 851,613* on AnTuTu but still offers average gaming performance. One can’t play Marvel Future Revolution fluently on this smartphone due to the frame drop issue, but one can have a little fun on low graphics. In the case of Asphalt 9, it runs well and doesn’t cause any trouble. iQOO has claimed the charger will take only 18 minutes and a few other necessary items. Maybe that’s one of the reasons BMW teamed up with the iQOO.
Verdict
Being the first flagship smartphone from iQOO, we were expecting a lot, but iQOO 9 disappoints us with many elements. The smartphone is priced at ₹42,990 and packs a lot of features, especially when you’re taking a look at the other smartphones from BBK electronics. At first, iQOO seems like a decent and premium smartphone, but you’ll encounter a few troubles on the way. At this price range, other smartphones are available that offer very classy features.
OnePlus is a brand that entered into the world of smartphones with premium smartphones, and until today it is known for its flagship devices only. However, the Chinese brand has manufactured many mid-range smartphones in the last couple of years, including their most popular NORD series. The company recently added another mid-range smartphone on their resume – OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G, an updated version of the OnePlus Nord CE.
First Impressions
The new Nord looks admirable, and one can immediately fall in love with this smartphone, but one thing I would like to glorify here – the OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G is not altogether a new smartphone, as it makes you think, you are you looking at the identical version of the Oppo Reno7 5G. Sadly, both smartphones are available for sale at the same time in the same marketplaces, and only Oppo will explain why!
Design & Display
Though the smartphone is made for a budget audience, it doesn’t look like one when you hold it for the first time. The subtle looking smartphone has a typical hole punch camera design and looks more premium and separate from the Nord CE. The smartphone has a flat ceramic-like plate on the rear, which is basically a glass made of Corning Gorilla Glass 5, and it houses its camera module. The smartphone is available in 2 colour options only – Bahama Blue and Gray Mirror.
The new Nord features 6.43 inches Fluid AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate, and it houses a 32MP Sony IMX615 camera with an f/2.4 aperture on the extreme left side of the phone. On the rear side, the smartphone has two large camera sensors and one smaller one, placed right above the flash. The right profile of the phone boasts a lock button, while the left one sports a SIM tray with space for a microSD card and volume rockers.
The bottom edge of the smartphone houses a USB-C charging port, 3.5 mm audio jack, and a speaker grille, while the top edge of the smartphone features a microphone. The Nord CE 2 5G features an in-display fingerprint sensor, and it’s pretty quick all the time. Sometimes the contrast of the phone gets a little too heavy due to the dark bezels of the phone, causing trouble to the eyes.
Chipset & Performance
The Nord CE 2 5G gets OxygenOS 11.3 out of the box and features a MediaTek Dimensity 900 chipset, but still, you should not expect lightning-fast reaction times and absolutely zero lag from the mid-range smartphones as they’re not built for the same. However, the OnePlus Nord CE 5G offers decent performance and is fast enough, especially compared to the other smartphones in the mid-range category.
The company has advertised the smartphone as having fast-smooth performance, and in most gaming sessions, it works fine without much of an issue. In our short gaming test, the phone seemed powerful enough to offer a pretty good touch response and handling while playing games such as Asphalt 9: Legends and Marvel Future Revolution. Though, sometimes the back of the phone got a little warm during long gaming sessions.
Camera & Battery
The OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G sports a triple camera setup (64-MP primary camera, an 8-MP ultra-wide camera, and a 2-MP macro camera) on the back, with each camera having a metal rim. While in the front, you get a 16-MP selfie camera with an f/2.4 aperture. The primary camera offers decent and exploited daylight images, but not as good as the Nord 2. In the lower light conditions, it fails to deliver anything good and delivers dark and artificially sharp clicks.
When it comes to the selfie camera, it doesn’t even offer proper skin tones. All you get in the outcomes are over-softened images. The low-light camera performance could be better, but it is a mid-range smartphone and focusing on that, what it offers is pretty enough. The battery of the smartphone is genuinely excellent and lasts long for over 24 hours, even after heavy use. It has a 4,500mAh battery, and to pump up the battery quickly, the phone comes with a 65W fast-charging support.
Verdict
Overall, the Nord CE 2 5G is a decent buy and worth the price, especially when you haven’t experienced the previous model. The mid-range smartphone market is very congested as many companies are trying to fit their smartphones in the range, including Apple. The OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G is a complete package and can be referred to as an everyday phone. However, there are other smartphones in the market too that you can consider, such as Realme 9 Pro+, Mi 11X and Xiaomi 11i.
The Good
Premium Design
Great Battery
The Bad
No Android 12
Low-light Camera Quality
The Ugly
Limited Color Options (Bahama Blue and Gray Mirror)
