Category: mobiles

Qualcomm unveiled its Snapdragon 8 Elite mobile platform during its annual Snapdragon Summit last month, and brands including Xiaomi, OnePlus, Realme, and Asus released phones with the new processor inside, following the chipmaker’s announcement. It is built on TSMC’s 3nm process technology and is claimed to offer 44 percent improved power efficiency compared with its predecessor, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip. Now, early tests with two of the first devices using the chip have revealed some significant battery life improvements.

YouTuber Dave2D posted a video offering insights about the battery life and performance of Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro and OnePlus 13. Both models run on the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite chip are compared with their predecessors in the video. The Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro and OnePlus 13 have a 5,800mAh and 6,000mAh battery, respectively, while their predecessors were equipped with 5,500mAh (ROG Phone 8) and 5,400mAh (OnePlus 12) batteries.

The video notes that the battery life of the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro surged to 14.29 hours from the 11 hours of the ROG Phone 8 Pro (with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3) in the PCMark battery test. Similarly, the OnePlus 13’s battery lasted 17.25 hours in the same test, up from 12.13 hours offered by the OnePlus 12 (with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3). The tests indicate significant improvement in battery life over previous generation phones and the YouTuber attributes the advancements to the new Snapdragon chip.

He also ran a few more tests highlighting the performance potential of the new chip. On Genshin Impact, the ROG Phone 9 Pro offered nearly five hours of battery life whereas the predecessor lasted up to 3.42 hours.

Similarly, the OnePlus 13’s battery life is impressive at 5.39 hours with Genshin Impact, while the OnePlus 12 lasted only 3.51 hours. In his video, Dave2D says the Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC is energy efficient and offers battery longevity alongside battery health.

During the launch event, Qualcomm claimed a 44 percent improvement in power efficiency for the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip over its predecessor. It is also promised to deliver up to 45 percent better CPU performance and up to 40 percent improved GPU performance. The mobile platform has an Oryon CPU with a custom eight-core structure with prime cores clocked at 4.32GHz and performance cores with a peak frequency of 3.53GHz.

Oppo Reno 13 series will launch in China soon. The company has announced the launch date of the lineup in the country. It has also revealed the smartphones’ design, RAM and storage configurations, and a single colourway. The series is expected to comprise a base model and a Pro variant, which will succeed the Oppo Reno 12 and Reno 12 Pro, respectively. Meanwhile, one of the upcoming handsets has been spotted on a benchmarking website, giving us a look at its chipset. The global launch timeline of the lineup has also been leaked by a tipster.

Oppo Reno 13 Series Launch Date

The Oppo Reno 13 series will launch in China on November 25 at 7pm (4:30pm IST), according to a Weibo post by the company. The phones will be available in a Butterfly Purple colourway, while other colour options will likely be confirmed in the days leading up to the launch. Notably, the Oppo Pad 3 and Oppo Enco R3 Pro TWS earphones will be unveiled alongside the smartphones.

The Oppo China e-store listing for the base Oppo Reno 13 suggests that the phone will be available in five RAM and storage configurations — 12GB + 256GB, 12GB + 512GB, 16GB + 256GB, 16GB + 512GB and 16GB + 1TB.

According to a post by X user @chunvn8888, the Oppo Reno 13 series will launch globally in January 2025. Previously, a leak also claimed that the Reno 13 handsets may arrive in India around that time.

Oppo Reno 13 Series SoC (Expected)

Both the vanilla and Pro variants of the Oppo Reno 13 are expected to be equipped with MediaTek Dimensity 8300 chipsets. Earlier leaks suggested that the Oppo Reno 13 Pro could feature a yet-to-be-released MediaTek Dimensity 8350 chipset.

Meanwhile, an Oppo handset with the model number PKK110, expected to be the Chinese version of the Oppo Reno 13 Pro, was spotted on Geekbench. The CPU and GPU configurations suggest that it could have the MediaTek Dimensity 8300 SoC. The phone is said to support 16GB of RAM and run on Android 15.

Vivo has confirmed the India launch date of Vivo Y300 5G. The Chinese smartphone brand has also shared the first look of its next Y series phone through social media handles and a dedicated landing page on its website. It is teased to be available in at least three colour options. The Vivo Y300 seems to have a dual rear camera unit. It will arrive as a successor to last year’s Vivo Y200. The handset could be a rebrand of the Vivo V40 Lite which was launched in select global markets in September.

Through its X handle, Vivo India announced that the Vivo Y300 5G will be unveiled in India on November 21. As per the post, the launch event will begin at 12pm. It is teased in black, green, and silver shades.

Vivo has created a dedicated landing page on its website for the Vivo Y300 5G giving us a glimpse of the design. It houses a vertical dual-camera setup at the rear. The arrangement of camera sensors and the LED flash are quite similar to the Vivo V40 Lite, which debuted earlier this year in Indonesia. Even the teased shades of the Vivo Y300 5G resemble the Dynamic Black and Titanium Silver colourways of the Vivo V40 Lite 5G.

Vivo V40 Lite 5G Price, Specifications

Vivo V40 Lite 5G was launched in Indonesia with a starting price tag of IDR 4,299,000 (roughly Rs. 23,700) for the 8GB + 256GB option. It has a 6.67-inch full-HD+ (1,080 x 2,400 pixels) AMOLED display with up to 120Hz refresh rate, a Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 SoC paired with up to 12GB of LPDDR4X RAM, and up to 512GB of UFS 2.2 onboard storage.

The handset has a dual rear camera unit, including a 50-megapixel Sony IMX882 primary sensor and an 8-megapixel ultrawide shooter. The Vivo V40 Lite 5G has a 32-megapixel front camera and houses a 5,000mAh battery with 80W wired fast charging support.

The Vivo Y300 5G is expected to have these exact specifications too when it goes official in India next week.

Nothing OS 3.0 Open Beta 2 is now available for Phone 2 and Phone 2a users, the company has announced. Users can experience the new Android 15-based operating system (OS) before its public rollout in December and try out more features such as shared widgets, smart drawer enhancements, refined animations, and camera improvements. This release builds upon the rollout of the Nothing OS 3.0 Open Beta 1 update that was introduced earlier this month.

Notably, the beta program was first launched in October with the Phone 2a and will be available for other devices, such as the CMF Phone 1, later this year.

Nothing OS 3.0 Open Beta 2 Features

In a community post, Nothing announced that the OS 3.0 Open Beta 2 update adds more features to the already expansive list of introductions with the first beta. This includes a Shared Widgets feature which lets users see another user’s widgets displayed on their home screen and interact with them through reactions. This feature is exclusive to interactions between Nothing smartphones. Animations for Quick Settings have been refined, including those for Bluetooth, tile resizing, swiping interactions, and tile transitions.

The Carl Pei-led company introduced a Smart Drawer powered by artificial intelligence (AI) with the Nothing OS 3.0 Open Beta 1 which can automatically arrange apps in separate category folders based on usage. The Open Beta 2 is said to bring enhanced accuracy to this feature, while also adding an auto-sort feature.

Nothing Phone 2 and Phone 2a users will also be able to take advantage of camera enhancements with the update. It is claimed to deliver improved stability when switching between camera modes, an upgraded HDR algorithm for better picture quality, an optimised portrait mode, and enhanced brightness when using the Ultra HDR Mode.

Nothing OS 3.0 Open Beta 2 brings other visual and performance updates. There is now an AI-powered selection and prioritisation of the frequently used apps, support for a refresh rate of up to 90 frames per second (fps) in PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, an onboarding guide for first-time Pop-up view users, and other general bug fixes and performance improvements.

OnePlus Ace 5 and OnePlus Ace 5 Pro have been in the rumour mill for quite some time now. While the BBK-owned brand has yet to share details on the lineup, a new leak claims that the vanilla model will land in China next month. The OnePlus Ace 5 is tipped to get a 1.5K resolution display. It is said to run on Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC chipset. The OnePlus Ace 5 is expected to arrive in markets outside China with the OnePlus 13R moniker.

Digital Chat Station (translated from Chinese) claims in a Weibo post that the OnePlus Ace 5 will be launched in China in December. This indicates that OnePlus 13R will be released in global markets including India as a rebranded version of the OnePlus Ace 5 in the coming months, presumably in January.

The OnePlus Ace 3 was unveiled in China in January. In global markets, the handset is available as the OnePlus 12R.

OnePlus Ace 5, OnePlus Ace 5 Pro Specifications (Expected)

Previous leaks suggested that the OnePlus Ace 5 will come with a 6.78-inch BOE X2 8T LTPO display with a 1.5K resolution. It is said to be equipped with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip. The handset could pack a triple rear camera setup headlined by a 50-megapixel main camera.

The OnePlus Ace 5 may feature a 16-megapixel selfie shooter. It is said to come with an alert slider and carry a 6,300mAh battery with 100W fast charging support.

The OnePlus Ace 5 Pro, on the other hand, is speculated to run on the new Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. It is said to pack a 6,500mAh battery with 100W fast charging support. The Pro model could be exclusive to the Chinese market.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip FE is rumoured to launch next year, joining the South Korean technology conglomerate’s flagship foldable smartphone lineup as an affordable alternative to the Galaxy Z Flip series. Despite the rumour mill suggesting that it might cut down on some features in an attempt to be priced affordably, a tipster has revealed that the purported smartphone could be powered by the same Exynos processor as the flagship Galaxy S24 series.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip FE Processor Leaks

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), tipster @Jukanlosreve suggests that a flagship processor could be used in the purported Samsung Galaxy Z Flip FE. It is said to be powered by the Exynos 2400 under the hood — the processor which currently powers the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24 Plus in select regions including India. 

This development contradicts previous reports which suggested that the purported smartphone could feature toned-down internals to keep the costs as low as possible. It is speculated to hit the market in 2025 as a more affordable variant of the Galaxy Z Flip series’ clamshell-style foldable model.

According to Samsung, it is exploring “ways to lower entry barriers so that more customers can actually experience foldable products”. Thus, the rumours about the development of more affordable variants of the Galaxy Z Flip and Z Fold smartphones could hold some truth to them.

Meanwhile, the tipster also suggests that the Galaxy Z Flip 7 could get Exynos 2500 under the hood. Notably, Samsung’s current flagship foldable smartphone lineup is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. This suggests that the South Korean company could make the shift from Qualcomm to its in-house fabricated chipsets in some regions. In addition to affordable versions of its foldables, Samsung is also tipped to be developing a Samsung Galaxy S25 Slim and an additional model in the Galaxy Z Fold 7 series.

iPhone 16 series was launched in September comprising four models: iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max. The Cupertino-based tech giant’s Plus model packages all of the same features as the base model but in a bigger, 6.7-inch form factor. Nearly two months after its debut, YouTube users have been testing the smartphone’s durability through various “scratch” tests and the handset appears to survive better compared to other devices in the market.

iPhone 16 Plus Durability Test

YouTuber Zack Nelson, popularly known by his channel name JerryRigEverything, has now tested the new iPhone 16 Plus for its durability in a recent YouTube video. The smartphone was tested for seven years worth of damage. As per his claims, the Plus model outperforms other smartphones, especially on the Mohs hardness scale.

During the scratch test, the iPhone 16 Plus appears to show very faint scratches at level six when scratched with a razor blade. Only at level seven do the deeper groves appear distinctly. This is in stark contrast to the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra which showed very prominent lines even at level six which could not be rubbed off. The YouTuber says Apple’s latest generation Ceramic Shield “still feels very smooth”.

However, that is not the case for the rest of the smartphone as its 85 percent recycled aluminium frame easily gets scratched. The side panels, including the power and volume buttons on the iPhone 16 Plus visibly get some damage with blade scratches.

When put to fire test, the smartphone’s display did not get a permanent burn mark and its Super Retina XDR display still appeared to work. The iPhone 16 Plus also survived the bend test, showing good structural strength without any visible cracks or fractures on its chassis. However, it should be noted that these tests are not a definitive indicator of the ability of these handsets to survive real-world damage and are just meant for reference purposes.

The YouTuber suggests that it might be even easier to repair than the Pro models courtesy of the new electrically de-bonding adherent at the back which loses its abilities when a current is passed through it. Meanwhile, the iPhone 16 Pro models still feature the traditional adhesive glue pull tabs.

Itel S25 and Itel S25 Ultra were launched in the Philippines on Friday as the company’s latest midrange smartphones that bear a familiar name — Samsung is also expected to launch the flagship Galaxy S25 series in early 2025. The new phones from Itel are equipped with Unisoc processors and sport 6.78-inch AMOLED screens with an under-display fingerprint scanner. They are also equipped with a 50-megapixel rear camera and a 32-megapixel selfie camera. Both handsets are also expected to receive an update to Android 15.

Itel S25, Itel S25 Ultra Price and Availability

Itel S25 pricing reportedly starts at PHP 5,799 (roughly Rs. 8,400) for the base model with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, while the Itel S25 Ultra begins at PHP 10,999 (roughly Rs. 15,900). Customers in the Philippines can pre-order the Itel S25 via Shopee, while the Itel S25 Ultra will be up for pre-orders on Sunday.

The standard model will be sold in Bromo Black, Mambo Mint, and Sahara Gleam colourways, while the Itel S25 Ultra will be available in Bromo Black, Komodo Ocean, and Meteor Titanium colour options.

Itel S25, Itel S25 Ultra Specifications

Both the Itel S25 and Itel S25 Ultra are dual SIM smartphones that run on Android 14. The company has equipped the standard model with a 6.78-inch AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, while the Ultra variant has a curved AMOLED screen with the same size and refresh rate, along with Gorilla Glass 7i protection.

The company is yet to reveal details of the chipset powering the Itel S25, while the S25 Ultra is powered by a Unisoc T620 chipset, along with 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and up to 512GB of UFS 2.2 storage. 

Both the Itel S25 and S25 Ultra are equipped with a 50-megapixel primary camera on the rear panel, while a 32-megapixel front-facing camera handles selfies and video calls.

Connectivity options on the Itel S25 and S25 Ultra include 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and NFC, as well as a USB Type-C port. The Ultra model is also touted to feature an infrared transmitter to control various appliances.

Both handsets pack a 5,000mAh battery, but there’s no mention of support for fast charging. The Itel S25 has an IP54 rating for dust and splash resistance, while the Itel S25 Ultra has a slightly better IP64 rating. Both phones have an in-display fingerprint scanner for biometric authentication.