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❤ OnePlus 10T

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Galaxy Expert , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 

 

An update to the phone that never was, the OnePlus 10T arrives in late summer to fill a slot a notch below the 10 Pro. There was no OnePlus 10 to be succeeded, and there’s no 10T Pro now either, so the 10T is in somewhat of weird spot – superior to the 10 Pro is some ways, not quite as good in others.

 

 

 

 

 

The upgrades come in areas that one easily associates with OnePlus. On the one hand, is performance – the new model uses the latest Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset, the TSMC-made version coming with improved speed and efficiency. It’s coupled with the most advanced cooling system the company has made, so it can make the most out of that chip. And then there’s charging speed – the 150W charging capability of the OP10T sounds excessive on paper, but it does make it one of the fastest charging handsets we’ve seen.

Not being a Pro, the 10T does make some concessions in other areas, key among them being the camera. The rather unimpressive setup is missing a zoom camera (a 3x one present on the 10 Pro), and the ultrawide one is a midrange-grade unit (if even that). That only leaves the main camera with some proper imaging chops, but it, too, is hardly cutting edge.

A similarly not-quite-flagship bit is the display – sure, it’s a 120Hz capable OLED, but it omits the granular adaptive refresh rate we’ve come to expect from top-end models.

But framing the 10T as a flagship and pointing out ways in which it misses the mark may be unfair to its aspirations. There’s a reason why there’s no Pro in its name, and with a starting price of $650/€740 it’s fighting a different battle. Let’s see how it does.

OnePlus 10T specs at a glance :

NETWORK Technology GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G
2G bands GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 – SIM 1 & SIM 2
3G bands HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100
4G bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 38, 39, 41, 46, 48, 66, 71 – International
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41 – India
5G bands 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 25, 28, 30, 38, 41, 48, 66, 71, 77 SA/NSA – International
1, 3, 5, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 77, 78 SA/NSA – India
Speed HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE-A (4CA), Cat20 2000/200 Mbps, 5G
HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE-A (3CA), Cat16 1000/150 Mbps, 5G – India
LAUNCH Announced 2022, August 03
Status Available. Released 2022, August 06
BODY Dimensions 163 x 75.4 x 8.8 mm (6.42 x 2.97 x 0.35 in)
Weight 204 g (7.20 oz)
Build Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), plastic frame, glass back (Gorilla Glass 5)
SIM Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
DISPLAY Type Fluid AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR10+
Size 6.7 inches, 108.0 cm2 (~87.9% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution 1080 x 2412 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~394 ppi density)
Protection Corning Gorilla Glass 5
PLATFORM OS Android 12, OxygenOS 13
Chipset Qualcomm SM8475 Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (4 nm)
CPU Octa-core (1×3.19 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3×2.75 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4×1.80 GHz Cortex-A510)
GPU Adreno 730
MEMORY Card slot No
Internal 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 16GB RAM
UFS 3.1
MAIN CAMERA Triple 50 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 1/1.56″, 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS
8 MP, f/2.2, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/4″, 1.12µm
2 MP, f/2.4, (macro)
Features Dual LED flash, HDR, panorama
Video 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, gyro-EIS
SELFIE CAMERA Single 16 MP, f/2.4, 24mm (wide), 1/3″, 1.0µm
Features HDR
Video 1080p@30fps
SOUND Loudspeaker Yes, with stereo speakers
3.5mm jack No
24-bit/192kHz audio
COMMS WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct
Bluetooth 5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD
Positioning GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (L1), BDS (B1I+B1c+B2a), GALILEO (E1+E5a), QZSS (L1+L5)
NFC Yes
Radio No
USB USB Type-C 2.0
FEATURES Sensors Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, color spectrum
BATTERY Type Li-Po 4800 mAh, non-removable
Charging 150W wired (125W for 110V sockets)
MISC Colors Moonstone Black, Jade Green
Models CPH2415, CPH2413, CPH2417
Price $ 431.00 / € 538.99 / £ 482.00 / ₹ 44,999 / C$ 1,123.23
TESTS Performance AnTuTu: 1016958 (v9)
GeekBench: 3907 (v5.1)
GFXBench: 103fps (ES 3.1 onscreen)
Display Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal)
Camera Photo / Video
Loudspeaker -24.7 LUFS (Very good)
Battery life

Disclaimer. We can not guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct.

OnePlus 10T unboxing

There are no surprises in the presentation – the 10T arrives in a familiar bright red cardboard box. It’s a full-size one, too – it has to be in order to fit the chunky power adapter. There’s a 160W stamp on it, but the phone will max out at just 150W, as mentioned before. In the US, the power output will be capped at 125W, too – bummer. It’s worth mentioning that the charger is also USB PowerDelivery compliant and will put out up to 45W through its USB-C port.

There’s little more in terms of accessories inside the box other than the adapter and cable to go with it. There are a couple of 1+ stickers, for what it’s worth.

 

 

 

 

There’s no bundled protective case, but OnePlus sent us a couple from their case roster that you can purchase at an extra cost. One of them is black and mimics the sandstone texture of earlier models by the company – from when they still did things to stand out from the pack. The other one is the cooling type, similar to the one we had for the Oppo Find X5 Pro. It has cutouts in a striped pattern, and with some imagination, you could see stylized lightning bolts in there.

 

 

 

 

Competition

The OnePlus 10T‘s base price of $650/€740 (for an 8GB/128GB version) makes it reasonably competitive, both in the US and Europe, while the INR 50K asking price sounds like a bargain in India.

 

 

 

 

A Galaxy S22 is nominally $800 but now runs for $700 (for the same base 8GB/128GB configuration), while it’s €750 or less in Europe. It comes with a few advantages to make up for the small premium in the US, while the level playing field in Europe makes it a fight on the merits entirely. At INR 75K, the Galaxy is in a very different price bracket in India.

The IP68 rating is among the S22’s pros in this head-to-head, as is the more versatile camera system (3x tele, higher-res ultrawide, AF-capable selfie camera). The OP counters with better battery life and way quicker charging, though the S22’s wireless charging could settle it in the opposite direction for some buyers. The 10T does have a brawnier chipset, though it goes to waste with the gaming fps caps – the Galaxy does allow high fps gaming. The S22 could be too small for some folks looking at the OP 10T, and the plus-size model can be out of budget.

If, however, small is good, there’s always the Zenfone 9, retailing for €800 in Europe. At less than 10% more expensive than the 10T, this one too has its advantages – the IP68 rating and superior camera setup (though missing a tele) aren’t surprising, but the Zenfone also has its own solid implementation of the SD8+ Gen 1, making it one better than the Galaxy. There’s no matching the 10T’s charging speed, however, and if you want big, the Asus is not it.

In a way, you might be able to get a Xiaomi 12 Pro for OnePlus 10T money in Europe – if you’re eyeing the 16GB/256GB OP at €820. A 12GB/256GB Xiaomi goes for as much and is a proper flagship – with the cameras and display of one. It also charges about as fast as the 10T, which is quite the achievement, though the OnePlus still wins for endurance. In India, even a base 8GB/256GB 12 Pro is more than 10% pricier than the top-of-the-line 10T, but it may still be worth the extra money if you’re after a more competent cameraphone.

Meanwhile in the US, Google will sell you a Pixel 6 Pro for the same $650 that OnePlus charges for the 10T – admittedly, it’s a temporary discount from the usual $900, but it’s the number we’re looking at right now. The Pixel has more and better cameras, software from the very source, wireless charging, and an IP68 rating. It matches the 10T’s battery life, though the 10T obviously takes the wind for wired charging speed. If you’re on this side of the Atlantic, the Pixel 6 (non-Pro) for €650 can be a reasonable alternative to the 10T as well.

With the close ties between the brands, can the Realme GT2 Pro count as a rival? Well, why not – it’s different enough and is priced in the same ballpark wherever the two share markets. We got significantly better battery life out of the Realme, perhaps thanks to its more advanced display, and while the OP maintains an advantage in charging speed, the Realme is no slouch either. Main cameras are similar, but the Realme’s fisheye ultrawide and microscope are infinitely more interesting than the 10T’s meh ultrawide and pointless macro.

 

 

Samsung Galaxy S22 5G • Asus Zenfone 9 • Xiaomi 12 Pro • Google Pixel 6 Pro • Realme GT2 Pro

 

 

Verdict

The OnePlus 10T is hardly an exciting release, and it makes it easy on us to pick on it for its missteps. For the most part, those were already there in the spec sheet – the so-so camera system and lack of wireless charging and IP rating weren’t exactly surprises, and the press images readily reveal the absence of the alert slider too. That last bit, coupled with the fact that OnePlus and Oppo Android overlays have been steadily converging, may also put off long-time fans of the brand.

 

 

 

 

But the 10T doesn’t have to be all things to all people quite like a ‘proper’ flagship does, and the 10 Pro is still there to cater to a more demanding audience. The 10T’s main selling points were also right there on the official product pages, and the phone does deliver top-level performance and charging speed. For its conservatively specced camera, it delivers an okay experience, the display is solid in its average-ness, battery life is similarly middle-of-the-road – all of these to be taken in a good way if that makes any sense.

In its essence, the OnePlus 10T is an upper-midrange phone with a top-tier chipset and class-leading charging capability. We’d say it’s priced accordingly and is worth what OnePlus is asking – perhaps you can read that as sort of a recommendation.

Pros

  • Bright 120Hz display.
  • Competent main camera for both stills and video, in good light and at night alike.
  • Some of the fastest charging in the business, solid battery life.
  • Nice sounding stereo speakers.
  • Fastest Android chipset on the market, great sustained performance.

Cons

  • Alert slider is now gone.
  • No wireless charging.
  • No IP rating.
  • OxygenOS is now but a reskinned ColorOS.
  • Most games limited to 60Hz, browsers to 90Hz.
  • No telephoto camera, the ultrawide is so-so.

❤ Oppo Find X3 Pro 5G

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Galaxy Expert , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 

 

We’ve grown to appreciate Oppo‘s relentless drive for breaking the mold and introducing unorthodox innovations – be it a swivel or a pop-up camera, geometry-inspired panels, the VOOC fast charging, or even soccer-themed phones.

The latest Find X3 Pro flagship doesn’t shy away from innovation either – in addition to the cutting-edge specs and design, the new Find also bets big on 10-bit color by pushing 10-bit cameras and a 10-bit screen to make sure you are viewing what you’ve captured in its full glory.

 

 

 

 

 

Indeed, the Oppo Find X3 Pro was presented under the Awaken Color slogan, meaning you can capture and see 1 billion colors with the hit of a button – something you can’t do anywhere else, not that easily, at least.

There is a curved 6.7″ 10-bit OLED screen of high resolution and high refresh rate, while on the back, you’ll find a quartet of snappers that can capture the world around you with 10-bit color.

 

 

 

 

The whole Find X3 Pro was thoughtfully designed to envelope these two key features into one extraordinary-shaped and waterproofed body. Everything looks so well designed, and the organic curves around the rear camera are something we haven’t seen so far, so kudos for that!

The quad-camera on the back is also bringing surprises – while it looks like your typical quartet of wide/ultrawide/tele/macro, it is, in fact, more than meets the eye. The two wide snappers use identical 50MP Sony IMX 766 sensors, with different optics, of course, then we have a 13MP 2x tele, and a 3MP microscope camera with 60x magnification and a LED ring flash around the whole things. The micro camera will let you to see details that are invisible to the naked eye and sounds really cool on paper. We just can’t wait to test it. Is it another gimmick? Maybe! But color us intrigued as we haven’t seen such type of shooter on any phone.

 

 

 

 

The Oppo Find X3 Pro offers the current best Snapdragon 888 chipset with a 5G modem and support for thirteen 5G bands.

The phone is sold in a single configuration, but it is more than fitting for a flagship – 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM with 256GB of UFS3.1 storage.

You also get Dolby Atmos-certified stereo speakers and a large 4,500mAh battery with the latest 65W VOOC fast charging. It can even do fast wireless and reverse wireless charging if that’s your thing.

Oppo Find X3 Pro specs at a glance :

NETWORK Technology GSM / CDMA / HSPA / CDMA2000 / LTE / 5G
2G bands GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 – SIM 1 & SIM 2
CDMA 800
3G bands HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100
CDMA2000 1x
4G bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 66 – International
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 66 – China
5G bands 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA – International
1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA – China
Speed HSPA, LTE-A, 5G
LAUNCH Announced 2021, March 11
Status Available. Released 2021, March 19
BODY Dimensions 163.6 x 74 x 8.3 mm (6.44 x 2.91 x 0.33 in)
Weight 193 g (6.81 oz)
Build Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), glass back (Gorilla Glass 5), aluminum frame
SIM Nano-SIM and eSIM
IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min)
DISPLAY Type LTPO AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR10+, BT.2020, 500 nits (typ), 1300 nits (peak)
Size 6.7 inches, 108.4 cm2 (~89.6% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution 1440 x 3216 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~525 ppi density)
Protection Corning Gorilla Glass 5
PLATFORM OS Android 11, upgradable to Android 13, ColorOS 13
Chipset Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm)
CPU Octa-core (1×2.84 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3×2.42 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4×1.80 GHz Cortex-A55)
GPU Adreno 660
MEMORY Card slot No
Internal 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 16GB RAM
UFS 3.1
MAIN CAMERA Quad 50 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.56″, 1.0µm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS
13 MP, f/2.4, 52mm (telephoto), 1/3.4″, 1.0µm, 2x optical zoom, PDAF
50 MP, f/2.2, 16mm, 110˚ (ultrawide), 1/1.56″, 1.0µm, multi-directional PDAF
3 MP, f/3.0, (microscope), AF, ring flash, 60x magnification
Features LED flash, HDR, panorama
Video 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps; gyro-EIS; HDR, 10‑bit video
SELFIE CAMERA Single 32 MP, f/2.4, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8″, 0.8µm
Features Panorama
Video 1080p@30fps
SOUND Loudspeaker Yes, with stereo speakers
3.5mm jack No
COMMS WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct
Bluetooth 5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD
Positioning GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (L1), BDS (B1I+B1c+B2a), GALILEO (E1+E5a), QZSS (L1+L5)
NFC Yes
Radio No
USB USB Type-C 3.1, OTG
FEATURES Sensors Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, color spectrum
BATTERY Type Li-Po 4500 mAh, non-removable
Charging 65W wired, PD, 40% in 10 min (advertised)
30W wireless, 100% in 80 min (advertised)
10W reverse wireless
MISC Colors Gloss Black, Blue, White, Cosmic Mocha, Mars Edition, Photographer Edition
Models CPH2173, PEEM00
Price $ 608.90 / € 635.00 / £ 565.00
TESTS Performance AnTuTu: 656467 (v8)
GeekBench: 3316 (v5.1)
GFXBench: 33fps (ES 3.1 onscreen)
Display Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal)
Camera Photo / Video
Loudspeaker -25.4 LUFS (Very good)
Battery life

Disclaimer. We can not guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct.

A quick look through these specs, and we are already intrigued by the 10-bit promises and the microscope camera. We appreciate Oppo throwing in official IP68 certification, and it seems Xiaomi is the last one of the major makers that still stubbornly refuses to get that for its phones.

The Find X3 Pro will be sold in many international markets, and Oppo is offering a free global warranty to go with it, one similar to what Apple is promising for its iPhones and Macbooks. It is one of the concerns when buying a Chinese phone, and we like that Oppo is stepping up its game.

And now, without further ado, let’s unbox our Gloss Black Oppo Find X3 Pro.

Unboxing the Oppo Find X3 Pro

Unlike them Galaxies and iPhones, the Oppo Find X3 Pro arrives in a big fat retail box jam-packed with stuff. In addition to your new Find X, inside, you’ll also find a 65W VOOC 2.0 power adapter and a 6.5A-rated USB-A-to-C cable that you’ll need to reach the max wattage.

The retail bundle also contains a USB-C EarPods-like headset and a black protective case made of rubber with a nice matte finish.

 

 

 

 

The Oppo Find X3 Pro comes with a thin plastic film applied on the screen, but this can hardly pass for a screen protector. There is a Gorilla Glass 5 shielding the screen, so you are well covered. This cheap film gets smudgy in seconds, so we’d suggest peeling it off immediately and opting for a proper protector, if you decide you need one, that is.

The competition

The Find X3 Pro seems like a meaningful upgrade over the X2 Pro, even if it doesn’t look as major as some might have hoped. We can see a point there – after all, the 6.7″ AMOLED is great, but the old one wasn’t shabby either. The jump to the next-gen Snapdragon is great, but it doesn’t bring breath-taking performance benefits.

But, the camera, on the other hand, has seen a lot of improvements, including new high-end sensors and this unique 3MP microscope snapper. The larger battery and the fast wireless charging complete the list of the major upgrades.

 

 

Find X3 Pro and Find X2 Pro

 

 

Oppo will be selling the Find X3 Pro globally with an international warranty not unlike Apple’s. Purchasing it won’t be as easy as opening, say, Amazon, and clicking Buy, as not all countries will have a regional seller. But we do hope Oppo will be able to expand its market reach even more with the Find X3 Pro. And while we are on the topic of availability, for now, only the Find X3 Pro will be available outside China, and you won’t see the other Find X3 options as alternatives in this section.

 

 

 

 

So, the first phone that comes to mind as a viable alternative to this €1150 Find X3 Pro is the €750 Xiaomi Mi 11, which we reviewed just recently. The Mi 11 matches the screen and the chipset of the Oppo, as well as the speaker quality, the battery capacity, and the charging speed. It runs on MIUI, which is a lot more popular and gets regular updates for years. But there is no zoom camera on the Mi 11, no micro snapper, and no official water-protection. It makes up for those deficiencies with a price tag that’s some €400 cheaper than the Find X3 Pro, and we can easily forgive the missing zoom in and zoom out cameras.

The Galaxy S21 Ultra costs as much as the Find X3 Pro, and while it has a similar screen, chipset, and speakers, it impresses with zooming capabilities. The Ultra features a 3x and a 10x telephoto camera, both with OIS. Its 40MP selfies camera with PDAF and 4K capturing is superior, too. Finally, the Galaxy has much better battery life, and unless you need the microscopic camera, the Ultra might be your better choice.

Huawei P40 Pro costs only €640, and it is quite the treat if you can live without Google services and stereo speakers. The water-resistant P40 Pro packs a great 1200p 90Hz AMOLED, a powerful Kirin 990 5G chip. Still, its camera prowess is what makes it such an attractive offer – all four snappers – the 50MP main, the 40MP ultrawide, the 12MP 5x tele, and the 32MP AF selfie excel in photo and video quality. Zooming across these cameras while shooting video is quite smooth, too.

Finally, we want to mention the upcoming vivo X60 Pro+, which might be a niche smartphone, but what a phone it is. The X60 Pro+ is expected to cost the same as the Oppo on the international markets, and it will match its screen, processor, main camera, and battery specs. But the vivo will offer a more versatile imaging setup by accompanying the 50MP primary with a 48MP ultrawide shooter with a second-generation gimbal stabilization and two zoom cameras – 32MP 2x portrait one and 8MP 5x OIS telephoto. That’s something we’d like to try for sure.

Finally, the OnePlus 9 series announcement is just around the corner, and the Pro model should be a close match to the Find X3 Pro. The OnePlus phones enjoy a wider availability, they run the fan-favorite Oxygen OS, and they are usually more reasonably priced, so they may be worth looking into.

 

 

Xiaomi Mi 11 • Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G • Huawei P40 Pro • vivo X60 Pro Plus

 

 

The verdict

We liked the Oppo Find X3 Pro and the time we spent together. It has a marvelous screen and design, powerful hardware, and a multi-camera setup that delivers on every promise. The fast battery charging is something many will appreciate, too.

 

 

 

 

The Find X3 Pro is not without competition; in fact, it’s an all-out war. And while the Find X3 Pro delivers on its promises, it’s not a perfect phone either. The Mi 11 is cheaper, the Galaxy – heavier but better spec’d, the P40 Pro – quite attractive but Google-less, while the vivo X60 Pro+ and the OnePlus 9 are yet to hit the shelves.

But that’s the great thing about the market and the rich competition – you are free to buy the phone that suits you best.

Pros

  • Remarkable 1440p OLED HDR10+ display with 120Hz refresh.
  • Exquisite, water-resistant design.
  • Fast wired and wireless charging.
  • Loud stereo speakers, equally balanced.
  • Flagship-grade performance, 5G.
  • Outstanding photo and video quality, day and night.
  • Intriguing one of a kind microscope camera, gimmick or not.
  • Fluid ColorOS on top of Android 11, rich customization options.

Cons

  • Battery life could have been better.
  • The telephoto camera needs OIS.
  • The selfie camera is long overdue for an upgrade.
  • Limited market availability.

❤ OnePlus 9r

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Galaxy Expert , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 

 

Reviewing the OnePlus 9R feels like a deja vu. Except it’s not just a fleeting feeling. We have reviewed this phone before. Back then it was known as the OnePlus 8T.

 

 

 

 

 

It’s not often that we see a manufacturer launch pretty much the same phone twice in a row, but that appears to be the case here. Calling the OnePlus 9R similar to the OnePlus 8T would be an understatement. For all intents and purposes, they are almost exactly the same phone.

 

 

 

 

OnePlus 9R specs at a glance :

NETWORK Technology GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G
2G bands GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 – SIM 1 & SIM 2
3G bands HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1800 / 1900 / 2100
4G bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 46
5G bands 78 SA/NSA
Speed HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE-A (CA) Cat18 1200/200 Mbps, 5G
LAUNCH Announced 2021, March 23
Status Available. Released 2021, April 14
BODY Dimensions 161 x 74.1 x 8.4 mm (6.34 x 2.92 x 0.33 in)
Weight 189 g (6.67 oz)
Build Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), glass back (Gorilla Glass 5), aluminum frame
SIM Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
DISPLAY Type Fluid AMOLED, 120Hz, HDR10+
Size 6.55 inches, 103.6 cm2 (~86.8% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~402 ppi density)
Protection Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Always-on display
PLATFORM OS Android 10, upgradable to Android 13, OxygenOS 13
Chipset Qualcomm SM8250-AC Snapdragon 870 5G (7 nm)
CPU Octa-core (1×3.2 GHz Kryo 585 & 3×2.42 GHz Kryo 585 & 4×1.80 GHz Kryo 585)
GPU Adreno 650
MEMORY Card slot No
Internal 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM
UFS 3.1
MAIN CAMERA Quad 48 MP, f/1.7, 26mm (wide), 1/2.0″, 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS
16 MP, f/2.2, 14mm, 123˚ (ultrawide), 1/3.6″, 1.0µm
5 MP, f/2.4, (macro)
2 MP, f/2.4, (monochrome)
Features Dual-LED flash, HDR, panorama
Video 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, Auto HDR, gyro-EIS
SELFIE CAMERA Single 16 MP, f/2.4, (wide), 1/3.06″, 1.0µm
Features Auto-HDR
Video 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS
SOUND Loudspeaker Yes, with stereo speakers
3.5mm jack No
COMMS WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA
Bluetooth 5.1, A2DP, LE, aptX HD
Positioning GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (G1), BDS (B1), GALILEO (E1+E5a)
NFC Yes
Radio No
USB USB Type-C 3.1, OTG
FEATURES Sensors Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
BATTERY Type Li-Po 4500 mAh, non-removable
Charging 65W wired, 1-100% in 39 min (advertised)
MISC Colors Carbon Black, Lake Blue
Models LE2101, LE2100
Price $ 323.40 / ₹ 28,899

Disclaimer. We can not guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct.

Okay, there are a few differences. Perhaps the most important one is the fact that the OnePlus 9R is currently exclusive to India, with no announced plans to release it elsewhere. Also, the OnePlus 9R is launching at a lower price than the OnePlus 8T did, starting at INR 39,999 versus the INR 43,999 of the OnePlus 8T.

The other differences are less meaningful. The OnePlus 9R runs on the new Snapdragon 870 instead of the 865. Calling it “new” is greatly exaggerating the situation, as it is essentially the same part as the 865 but with an overclock on the CPU and GPU. And finally, the OnePlus 9R has also received a slight facelift and comes in two new color options.

Is that enough for the OnePlus 9R to be a separate phone? We’ll just have to find out.

Unboxing

The OnePlus 9R comes with a fairly standard OnePlus packaging, consisting of the phone, charger, cable, and a clear silicone case. The packaging is identical to the OnePlus 8T, except for one major difference.

 

 

 

 

Both the OnePlus 9R and 8T claim to come with the Warp Charge 65 charger, but they are not the same models. The OnePlus 8T comes with WC065A21GB in India, while the OnePlus 9R comes with WC065B22GB. The difference is that while both can send 65W of power to a compatible OnePlus device, the OnePlus 8T charger can also send up to 45W to a USB-Power Delivery (PD) and Programmable Power Supply (PPS) compatible devices.

 

 

OnePlus 8T charger on the left and OnePlus 9R charger on the right

 

 

On the other hand, the OnePlus 9R charger will fall back to standard 10W charging when connected to a non-OnePlus device. It also has a standard USB-A port, unlike the USB-C port on the 8T charger, which is necessary to support USB PD. This doesn’t change anything for charging the OnePlus 9R itself. Still, if you also intend to use the charger for other devices around you, especially USB PD devices, then the OnePlus 9R charger isn’t going to be anywhere as good as the OnePlus 8T’s charger.

Competition

The OnePlus 9R faces some pretty severe competition, including some from other BBK brands.

The toughest competition comes from the Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro. This phone has a 108MP camera, Snapdragon 865, 144Hz LCD, and a 5000mAh battery and costs less than the OnePlus 9R in India. Then there’s the Mi 10T, which swaps out the 108MP camera with a still fairly impressive 64MP one and costs even less.

Next is the Samsung Galaxy A72. Samsung doesn’t try as hard in the specs department, with a relatively tame 90Hz display and Snapdragon 720G but it does have a 64MP main camera, a proper telephoto camera, and a 5000mAh battery. It’s also a fair bit cheaper than the 9R.

The older Galaxy S20 FE 5G is still quite a good option. It’s a bit more expensive than the OnePlus 9R but it does have all the bells and whistles, including a 120Hz AMOLED display, an impressive triple camera system, Snapdragon 865, and a 4500mAh battery.

Finally, there’s the Realme X7 Pro 5G. This phone is a lot cheaper than the OnePlus 9R but has a surprisingly similar spec sheet, including a 120Hz AMOLED display, MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ chipset that is fairly close in performance to the Snapdragon 870, 64MP main rear camera, and 65W fast charging.

Conclusion

The OnePlus 9R is an unusually lazy product, so much so that we are left wondering why OnePlus didn’t just drop the price on the 8T and continue selling it. It’s like showing up to the class with the same homework two days in a row and expecting the teacher to not notice.

It’s not that the OnePlus 9R is a bad product; we thought the 8T was quite good overall and being largely the same phone, the OnePlus 9R is also a good smartphone for most users. However, it doesn’t exactly push the needle forward in terms of innovation, technology, or even value.

 

 

 

 

Yes, the 9R is cheaper now than what the 8T launched for in India but after six months, that is to be expected. In the meantime, the competition has gotten much more aggressive and many of them are now better value.

Of course, OnePlus still holds an advantage in terms of the software experience over its rivals. It’s something that one can only experience first-hand and not something that can be quantified on a spec sheet. However, the company has continued to push the limits of what the users might find annoying in terms of promotional content by masquerading it as value-added services. The whole host of features that were added over the course of a couple of years also tend to be quite nagging and attention-hungry. These may seem like small things, especially if you are coming from other manufacturers but when your entire brand is built on a reputation for clean and distraction-free software, it will always be the little thing that breaks the camel’s back.

As lazy as it is, we do still recommend the OnePlus 9R for buyers in India as it is still a more robust complete package compared to some of its rivals. However, there’s some good competition out there right now and you can’t really go wrong with any of it.

Pros

  • Premium build quality and finish
  • Great display performance
  • Excellent UI performance
  • Good main camera performance in daylight
  • Blazing fast charging speeds
  • Great stereo loudspeakers
  • Relatively clean and well-designed software

Cons

  • No water and dust resistance rating
  • Mediocre ultra-wide and macro camera
  • Useless monochrome camera
  • Outdated front camera
  • Minor annoyances in software
  • Most games locked to 60Hz

❤ Oppo Find X3 5G

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OPPO presented the new one in March Find X3 series, where especially that Promodel with the extremely good equipment and the high recommended retail price of 1.149 euros. It’s without a doubt one of the best smartphones out there, but the MSRP seems a bit high, especially when you compare it to the cheaper OnePlus 9 Pro compares, which has hardly any disadvantages. So it seems like the X3 Pro hardly a chance in this country and that becomes even more apparent when we take a closer look at the normal OPPO Find X3.

 

 

 

 

 

Compared to Promodel, there are hardly any significant differences. Under the hood is “only” the Snapdragon 870 instead of the 888, which is also “only” supported by 8 GB RAM and it is not officially protected against the ingress of water and dust according to IP68. Otherwise it offers the same hardware as the X3 Pro and does not cost more than 650 euros in Chinese shops, which sounds good, but customers must remember that this is a Chinese smartphone without Google apps ex works, because the regular X3 is unfortunately not available in Europe. Whether the X3 due to the significantly lower price compared to the Promodel is perhaps even the better option or whether a Chinese smartphone is not worthwhile in this country, you will find out in the following lines.

Oppo Find X3 Specs :

NETWORK Technology GSM / CDMA / HSPA / CDMA2000 / LTE / 5G
2G bands GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 – SIM 1 & SIM 2
CDMA 800
3G bands HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100
CDMA2000 1x
4G bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 66 – China
5G bands 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 77, 78, 79 – China
Speed HSPA, LTE-A, 5G
LAUNCH Announced 2021, March 11
Status Available. Released 2021, March 19
BODY Dimensions 163.6 x 74 x 8.3 mm (6.44 x 2.91 x 0.33 in)
Weight 193 g (6.81 oz)
Build Glass front (Gorilla Glass), glass back, aluminum frame
SIM Nano-SIM and eSIM
Dust/water resistant
DISPLAY Type LTPO AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR10+, BT.2020, 500 nits (typ), 1300 nits (peak)
Size 6.7 inches, 108.4 cm2 (~89.6% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution 1440 x 3216 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~525 ppi density)
Protection Corning Gorilla Glass
PLATFORM OS Android 11, upgradable to Android 13, ColorOS 13
Chipset Qualcomm SM8250-AC Snapdragon 870 5G (7 nm)
CPU Octa-core (1×3.2 GHz Kryo 585 & 3×2.42 GHz Kryo 585 & 4×1.80 GHz Kryo 585)
GPU Adreno 650
MEMORY Card slot No
Internal 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM
UFS 3.1
MAIN CAMERA Quad 50 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.56″, 1.0µm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS
13 MP, f/2.4, 52mm (telephoto), 1/3.4″, 1.0µm, 2x optical zoom, PDAF
50 MP, f/2.2, 16mm, 110˚ (ultrawide), 1/1.56″, 1.0µm, multi-directional PDAF
3 MP, f/3.0, (microscope), AF, ring flash, 60x magnification
Features LED flash, HDR, panorama
Video 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps; gyro-EIS; HDR, 10‑bit video
SELFIE CAMERA Single 32 MP, f/2.4, 26mm (wide), 1/2.8″, 0.8µm
Features Panorama
Video 1080p@30fps
SOUND Loudspeaker Yes, with stereo speakers
3.5mm jack No
COMMS WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct
Bluetooth 5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD
Positioning GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (G1), BDS (B1I+B1c+B2a), GALILEO (E1+E5a), QZSS (L1+L5)
NFC Yes
Radio No
USB USB Type-C 3.1, OTG
FEATURES Sensors Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, color spectrum
BATTERY Type Li-Po 4500 mAh, non-removable
Charging 65W wired, PD, 40% in 10 min (advertised)
30W wireless, 100% in 80 min (advertised)
10W reverse wireless
MISC Colors Gloss Black, Blue, White
Models PEDM00
Price About 600 EUR

Disclaimer. We can not guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct.

Haptics, design and processing

Comparing the OPPO Find X3 with the Find X2 Pro from last year, you will quickly notice the minimally more compact form factor, which is not only suggested by the numbers on the paper of 163,6 mm in height and 74 mm in width, but is also noticeable in everyday life. Due to the slightly rounded edges on the front and back, the smartphone looks even a tad narrower in the hand, which definitely facilitates one-handed operation. Nevertheless, the X3 is anything but small and those who have not been able to make friends with larger smartphones in the past, the X3 is not the right choice either. Nevertheless, I would like to praise OPPO for making the device relatively compact despite the huge 6,7 inch display. The weight of 193 grams is absolutely okay and the thickness of 8,26 mm also fits perfectly with the rest of the design.

The frame is made of high-gloss metal and feels extremely high quality. However, the transition to the back is not perfect, which gives a minimally sharp-edged feel in the hand, but that is really grumbling on a very high level. Due to the high-gloss finish, the frame is also very susceptible to fingerprints and should probably have minor scratches over time.

Both the front and the back are made of glass. The color I tested, white, is even matt and therefore extremely immune to fingerprints. Even after days without cleaning, you can hardly see any annoying fingerprints. OPPO has managed that as well as hardly any other manufacturer. The blue color is very similar, whereas the black model is the complete opposite. The surface is shiny and extremely reflective. As long as the back is not smeared with fingerprints, which is almost inevitable with this color, the smartphone can be used as a mirror.

In summary, I can say that the OPPO Find X3 – due to the choice of materials of glass and metal – feels very high quality, which is unfortunately no longer too understandable nowadays, even in this price range.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Standalone camera design or iPhone copy?

In addition to the beautiful colors, the camera design immediately catches the eye, which was already very controversial before the launch. Is it an iPhone copy or a standalone design? This is exactly the question I asked myself shortly after the performance and at first I wasn’t sure until I picked up the device for the first time. The positioning of the individual sensors is of course very much reminiscent of that of the current iPhones, which cannot be denied, but I also see OPPO‘s own ideas: not only the camera hill, but also the area around it, rises slightly from the back, what about the looks beautiful on the one hand and feels very smooth on the other. The word “sharp-edged” is absolutely out of place here.

Personally, I like the new camera design very much, because it is something newproand implemented it well. The similar positioning of the sensors as with Apple doesn’t bother me at all, but that’s a matter of taste.

 

 

 

 

Front nothing special anymore

A 6,7-inch display dominates the front, the quality of which we will take a closer look at in a moment. It is interrupted by a small punch hole in the left corner, in which there is space for the front camera, and the edges around the screen are pleasantly thin, even if hardly anything has changed here compared to last year. Most smartphones now look like this, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like the front. On the contrary, I really like it, which is also due to the slightly rounded edges that never bothered me in everyday life.

 

 

 

 

Good workmanship and positioning of the keys

I have absolutely no reason to criticize the workmanship. The Find X3 makes a high-quality impression, the keys have a good pressure point, sit bomb-proof in the case and are easy to reach.

Display – (almost) one of the best OLED panels

The screen has a diagonal of 6,7 inches, has a razor-sharp resolution of 3.216 x 1.440 pixels and supports a fluid refresh rate of 120 Hertz, which means that the image is updated up to 120 times within a second. Paired with the Snapdragon 870, the Find X3 feels extremely smooth to use.

Thanks to the OLED technology, the black level is at an extremely high level and there is also the excellent color rendering, which can be adjusted to your own taste in the settings with just a few clicks. While the colors are rendered realistically in the “Gentle” color mode, they appear a little too saturated for my taste in the “Vivid” mode. The white value is also great.

However, there are a few other smartphones with the maximum brightness, especially the Samsung Galaxy s21 ultra, OnePlus 8 Pro and even that P40 Pro+, even a little better, although of course you have to consider the significantly higher RRPs of the respective smartphones. For less than 650 euros, the maximum brightness is really good, because I didn’t have any even in direct sunlight Proproblems with readability. Last but not least, I would like to briefly report on the viewing angle stability, which I really liked. The colors only change color a little from extreme viewing angles from the side. White content in particular then appears slightly yellowish.

Software – ColorOS

The in-house user interface ColorOS in version 11, based on Android 11, is used as software. The in-house software has less to do with stock Android because it is quite colorful and sometimes confusing, especially the settings. Otherwise, I actually really like ColorOS, as there are many additional and personalization functions. For example, you can adapt the colors of the UI to your own taste or change the symbol style. There is also a good night mode and ingenious gesture control.

No Google Play Store pre-installed from the factory

Since this is a Chinese smartphone, no Google Play Store is pre-installed from the factory, although the online shop, for example TradingShenzhen this pre-installed. If you buy the Find X3 and can’t find a Google Play Store, you can easily install it:

  • Opens the in-house browser.
  • Search for “APK Pure”. APK Pure is an app store from which almost all apps can be downloaded.
  • After installing it, open the app and search for “Google Play Store”.
  • Click on “install”.
  • You should now be able to find the Google Play Store on the start screen or in the app drawer. Now you can open it, log in with your Google account and then delete the APK Pure Store, as we no longer need it.
  • Once you have successfully registered, you can start installing your apps.

No German as a system language

Unfortunately you can only choose between English, French and Chinese for the system languages. Unfortunately, the Find X3 cannot be used in German. If that bothers you, you should probably not use the OPPO Find X3.

Otherwise you don’t have to make any further compromises, not even with the reception, because luckily the Find X3 Band 20 is on board. I had very good reception in everyday life and I couldn’t see any differences to global smartphones.

Performance – the box runs despite the Snapdragon 870

Under the hood, the Snapdragon 870 from Qualcomm works with 8 GB of RAM and either 128 or 256 GB of internal storage that cannot be expanded.

The Snapdragon 870 is a slightly better Snapdragon 865+ from the previous year. So on paper it is a bit weaker than the Snapdragon 888, but in everyday life and probably also in the next few years you should probably not notice this minimal difference. The Snapdragon 870 is completely sufficient, especially for the offered price of less than 650 euros.

Apps start and close extremely quickly, stuttering and delays are virtually in vain here and the operating speed is at a very high level overall. In addition, there is the smooth refresh rate of 120 Hertz, which makes animations noticeably smoother. It’s just fun to use the Find X3 in everyday life. Even with more complex games, the smartphone never reaches its limits. With a little more intensive use it gets a little warmer, but that is completely normal. A Xiaomi Mi 11, for example, gets significantly warmer with more complex things, and now and then also in everyday use.

Only in terms of RAM management can the X3 not quite keep up with more expensive Android smartphones. Sometimes apps in the background are closed a little too early for my taste, but it doesn’t really bother me in everyday life.

Battery – full extremely quickly

OPPO has equipped the Find X3 with a 4.500 mAh battery that can be quickly charged with up to 65 watts using the included power supply. The battery is fully charged in just under 30 minutes, which is extremely impressive. Samsung and Apple can learn a slice of this from here. The Find X3 is also right at the top when it comes to wireless charging. It can be charged quickly with up to 30 watts.

The battery life then doesn’t stand out quite as positively as the extremely fast charging times. However, it is not bad either, as my measured screen-on-time values ​​of 8 and sometimes even 9 hours show. If you use it more intensively, the screen-on-time drops to about 7 hours, which is still enough for me to get through a day without a charge. However, if that’s not enough for you, you can set the display resolution to FHD + and / or the refresh rate to 60 Hertz. That takes you about 1,5 hours more. Overall, I am satisfied with the battery life considering the capacity and the power-hungry display.

Camera – good with daylight, very good with lowlight

When it comes to cameras, the Chinese manufacturer goes with the Find X3 and X3 Pro a slightly different way than last year. They focus on the main and ultra-wide-angle cameras, neglecting the zoom camera, which doesn’t seem to matter that much to the majority. While the X2 Pro from the previous year still had a 5x optical telecamera on board, unfortunately objects can now only be optically enlarged 2x. The resolution is 13 megapixels. For the main and ultra-wide-angle cameras, OPPO uses the same 766-megapixel IMX 50 sensor. This setup is supplemented by a 3 megapixel microscope camera. The front camera has a resolution of 32 megapixels.

Starting with the main camera, which is convincing across the board in good lighting conditions. Both the dynamic range and the sharpness are very good. Occasional lens reflections do appear in direct backlight, but this is limited and is no better with other smartphones. The sharpness is very natural, so unlike some other manufacturers, there is no artificial sharpening at any time. Nevertheless, I find Huawei a little better in terms of sharpness and OnePlus can keep up very well. Unfortunately, the color reproduction is typically OPPO unnatural. The X3 tends to have very saturated colors despite disabled AI scene detection, which I don’t really like, but that’s a matter of taste. After all, you can edit the color rendering according to your own taste, so it’s not that bad. It would be much worse if the sharpness wasn’t good, because sharpness can hardly be improved with editing. The greatest strength, however, comes from Lowlight. The night mode exposes for a few seconds and creates extremely natural and sharp images. Here I even like it much better than the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and even the Huawei P40 Pro+ has to admit defeat to the Find X3 in poor light conditions.

The ultra-wide-angle camera is also absolutely amazing in low light, especially in terms of color reproduction and sharpness. Even last year’s Huawei P40 Pro+, which in my opinion had the best ultra wide-angle camera in low light, has to admit defeat to the X3. However, the tide turns in good light conditions. The sharpness is convincing here, too, but the P40 Pro+ I still think it’s a bit better here, whereas the dynamic range is almost unrivaled.

I would also like to positively highlight the good color balance between the main and ultra-wide-angle camera. It’s not perfect, but no other manufacturer is currently doing it as well as OPPO with the Find X3.

The 2x zoom shots are okay for the price, but I would have liked at least a 3x optical zoom. Up to 5x magnification, the photos are still reasonably usable, but even then the expandable sharpness and the color reproduction that is too pale are noticed negatively. However, the current iPhones and the Find X3 Pro not really be any better.

With the microscope camera, you can take totally impressive pictures. It is extremely difficult to get the focus and the images could of course be a little sharper, but it is still impressive and I hope that we will see this more often in the future.

The front camera is completely sufficient for one or the other selfie, but nothing more. Despite the high resolution of 32 megapixels, there is a lack of sharpness and faces are reproduced too softly despite deactivated filters.

Others – speakers, vibration motor and more

The stereo speakers ensure a very loud and clear sound. A OnePlus 9 Pro or Mi 11 are a bit better here, but overall I was very satisfied here.

The built-in vibration motor is neither the best nor the worst in the price range from 600 to 700 euros. It gives a very high quality feeling in the hand and sounds anything but disturbing. A OnePlus 8T, for example, is a little better here, but where a Vivo X60 Pro is significantly worse. Overall, I was quite satisfied here.

The smartphone can be unlocked via the fingerprint sensor integrated into the display, which is positioned a bit too far down for my taste, but I got used to it after just a few days. It reacts extremely quickly and unlocks the device very reliably. Along with that of the OnePlus 9 Pro For me, it is currently one of the best optical in-display fingerprint sensors.

Finally, let’s look at another difference compared to the X3 Pro, namely the water resistance. during that Promodel is IP68 protected against the ingress of water and dust, the regular X3 lacks such official certification, although it is said to be just as waterproof. OPPO probably only saved the money for the certification.

Summary

The OPPO Find X3 is basically a slightly weaker Find X3 Pro, which has no major weaknesses for less than 650 euros. Especially the main and ultra wide-angle camera at low light, the unique microscope camera, the beautiful and high-quality design, the grandiose performance and the extremely fast charging are extremely positive. It convinced me across the board and I think it’s a shame that it’s not available in Europe, because it would probably have been enough for most people.

If the points just mentioned are important to you, you don’t necessarily want to spend 1.000 euros on a high-end flagship smartphone and gets by with a Chinese smartphone (no German as the system language and no Google Play Store ex works), is very happy to use the OPPO Find X3. The current surcharge of at least 80 euros to the Chinese X3 Pro and OnePlus 9 Pro wouldn’t be worth it to me.

However, if you don’t want to import a smartphone from China and/or need German as the system language, you shouldn’t use the Find X3 and rather get a global OnePlus 8 Pro, OnePlus 9, Xiaomi Mi 11 or Samsung Galaxy S21 for a similar price take a closer look.

❤ Samsung Galaxy A33 5G

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Galaxy Expert , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 

 

Samsung’s Galaxy A mid-range lineup has undergone its yearly refresh, and it’s looking really good. The new Galaxy A33 is probably one of the most interesting models this year as it has been significantly upgraded since the Galaxy A32 and makes for an excellent bang for the buck offer at the €300 mark.

The Galaxy A33 5G has been promoted to the waterproofed league, and it now features the same IP67-rated ingress protection treatment as the higher tier models. Until now, the A3x models weren’t sealed against water. But that’s not all, of course.

 

 

 

 

 

The Galaxy A33 is keeping the 90Hz Super AMOLED screen of the Galaxy A32, but it employs a much more powerful Exynos 1280 chipset with a newer processor and gaming-friendly graphics. And there is an integrated 5G modem, too, so now you won’t have to choose between 4G and 5G versions.

The camera has been improved, too. Now the 48MP primary features optical stabilization and supports up to 4K video capturing. The 13MP selfie camera can do 4K videos, too.

 

 

 

 

The Galaxy A33 also brings stereo speakers, something that was reserved for the A5x and higher models in the previous generations. And finally, but not of least importance, the Galaxy A33 now supports faster 25W wired charging.

Let’s go through the full specs sheet now.

Samsung Galaxy A33 5G specs at a glance :

NETWORK Technology GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G
2G bands GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 – SIM 1 & SIM 2 (dual-SIM model only)
3G bands HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100
4G bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 20, 26, 28, 32, 38, 40, 41, 66
5G bands 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6
Speed HSPA, LTE-A, 5G
LAUNCH Announced 2022, March 17
Status Available. Released 2022, April 20
BODY Dimensions 159.7 x 74 x 8.1 mm (6.29 x 2.91 x 0.32 in)
Weight 186 g (6.56 oz)
Build Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), plastic frame, plastic back
SIM Single SIM (Nano-SIM) or Hybrid Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
IP67 dust/water resistant (up to 1m for 30 min)
DISPLAY Type Super AMOLED, 90Hz
Size 6.4 inches, 98.9 cm2 (~83.7% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~411 ppi density)
Protection Corning Gorilla Glass 5
PLATFORM OS Android 12, upgradable to Android 13, One UI 5.1
Chipset Exynos 1280 (5 nm)
CPU Octa-core (2×2.4 GHz Cortex-A78 & 6×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55)
GPU Mali-G68
MEMORY Card slot microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot)
Internal 128GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM
MAIN CAMERA Quad 48 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/2.0″, 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS
8 MP, f/2.2, 123˚, (ultrawide), 1/4.0″, 1.12µm
5 MP, f/2.4, (macro)
2 MP, f/2.4, (depth)
Features LED flash, panorama, HDR
Video 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps
SELFIE CAMERA Single 13 MP, f/2.2, (wide), 1/3.1″, 1.12µm
Video 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps
SOUND Loudspeaker Yes, with stereo speakers
3.5mm jack No
COMMS WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct
Bluetooth 5.1, A2DP, LE
Positioning GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS
NFC Yes (market/region dependent)
Radio No
USB USB Type-C 2.0, OTG
FEATURES Sensors Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, compass
Virtual proximity sensing
BATTERY Type Li-Po 5000 mAh, non-removable
Charging 25W wired
MISC Colors Black, White, Blue, Peach
Models SM-A336E, SM-A336B, SM-A336B/DS, SM-A336B/DSN, SM-A336E/DS, SM-A336M, SM-A3360
SAR 0.35 W/kg (head)
SAR EU 0.57 W/kg (head)     1.59 W/kg (body)
Price $ 265.78 / € 262.86 / £ 249.12 / ₹ 23,695 / C$ 340.00
TESTS Performance AnTuTu: 354420 (v8), 394918 (v9)
GeekBench: 1900 (v5.1)
GFXBench: 20fps (ES 3.1 onscreen)
Display Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal)
Camera Photo / Video
Loudspeaker -26.5 LUFS (Good)
Battery life

Disclaimer. We can not guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct.

It’s not all updates, though, as two things have changed for the worse since the Galaxy A32. The Galaxy A33 has no audio jack, and the microSD bed is now shared with the second SIM option.

Still, we have to say we are intrigued by the Galaxy A33 5G as it has been clearly promoted in rank and now can be considered as part of the premium mid-rangers like the Galaxy A53 and A73.

Unboxing the Galaxy A33 5G

The Galaxy A33 5G is packed into one of the thinnest retail boxes we’ve seen, and we thought we’d find the phone all alone in there.

 

 

 

 

Well, there is no charger in the retail bundled, but that was expected. And while we didn’t see a cable at first, it turned out there is a USB-C cable inside the thin paper compartment.

The cable is compatible with 25W fast charging, so if you purchase Samsung‘s 25W Samsung USB-C charger or similar, you should be able to use that straight away.

The competition

The Galaxy A33 5G turned out to be not only an excellent upgrade over the previous A32 model but also one thoughtful all-round mid-ranger with many attractive treats and one nicely low pricing. Indeed, there is a lot to like about the A33 5G – its water-resistent design and seamless shape, the good 90Hz OLED, the powerful hardware, the larger battery, and even all cameras on both sides as they provide some notably good photo and video quality.

The Galaxy A33 5G costs €290 for the 4GB/128GB model, and we’d say this is quite reasonable, all things considered (war, pandemic, chip shortages, production delays, inflation).

 

 

 

 

Of course, 2021 was a better year for smartphones as the overall state of the economy was not as bad. The Galaxy A52s is still available, and it costs exactly as much as the Galaxy A33 5G. The A52s has a 120Hz AMOLED, a more powerful Snapdragon 778G chipset, and a higher-res primary camera, but it’s also larger. We would recommend getting the A52s instead of the A33 if the size doesn’t bother you.

The Realme 9 Pro+ is about €40 to €80 over the Galaxy A33 5G, depending on the retailer. It offers a similar screen and performance, and even camera experience, but we had some issues with its ultrawide camera, and the Realme has no ingress protection whatsoever.

The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G is about €50-€60 over the Galaxy A33 5G. It offers a faster 120Hz AMOLED screen with HDR10 support, a similar performance, and an overall good camera experience. This Redmi offers a speedy 120W charging, there is an audio jack on it, and together with the better display – we’d say this is a deal you may want to consider. You will trade the IP67 resistance for a basic IP53 splash-proofing, and there is no OIS on the main camera, though.

And, finally, you may want to consider the Poco X3 GT, which is still widely available and priced at €290. This Poco has a more traditional 120Hz LCD display, but it offers flagship-grade performance courtesy of the Dimensity 1100 5G chipset. The X3 GT offers a similar camera experience (even if there is no OIS); the stereo speakers and the battery life match the A33’s, while its charging is much faster at 67W (and there is a charger inside its box, mind you). The Poco X3 GT is an excellent choice for gaming on the go if you are on a budget, so it’s worthy of your consideration.

 

 

Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G • Realme 9 Pro Plus • Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro Plus 5G • Xiaomi Poco X3 GT

 

 

Our verdict

The Galaxy A33 5G turned out to be a well-executed sequel to the Galaxy A32, one that leveled up the A3x models by putting an IP rating and OIS. This means the Galaxy A33 is where the premium part of the A series begins now.

So, to sum up, the Galaxy A33 has a really attractive design. The 90Hz OLED display is bright and fast, and we are happy with its color accuracy and the overall experience. The same goes for the battery life and the charging speed, though you will need to buy a 25W charger if you don’t own one already.

The Galaxy A33 did not only upgrade the design and the camera but the speakers, too. It now offers stereo speakers with good loudness and sound quality. Oh, and its performance has improved significantly since the A32, and there is now 5G by default. Nice!

 

 

 

 

Finally, we were also impressed with the photo and video quality across all cameras, even if the colors often go a bit overboard with the saturation. This often happens with Samsung phones, so it’s not entirely surprising, though.

Maybe the best part about the Galaxy A33 5G is the thoughtful pricing that starts at just under €300. Which makes it easy to forgive the missing charger and audio jack. In fact, these are probably our only beefs with this phone, which says a lot.

So, if your budget is around the €300 mark, and you can’t get a faster recent Galaxy smartphone (like the A52s), the Galaxy A33 5G will be an excellent choice, and we do recommend it for its all-round feature set.

Pros

  • IP67-rated design, attractive and seamless form.
  • 90Hz AMOLED for smooth browsing.
  • Dependable battery life.
  • Stereo speakers with good quality.
  • Latest Android and One UI.
  • Excellent performance for this price range.
  • Great photo and video quality, lossless 2x zoom.
  • 5G, NFC, microSD.

Cons

  • Last year’s Galaxy A52s is cheaper and better.
  • No charger in the box.
  • 3.5 mm audio jack is gone this year, too.
  • Video stabilization only available in 1080p.

❤ Nokia 7.2

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The Nokia 7 was a China-exclusive from two years ago, while the 7 plus went global and was a bit of an unsung hero back in early 2018, offering a lot of phone at a very reasonable price. The 7.1 wasn’t quite its spiritual successor, slipping instead into a slightly lower tier in the midrange. We now have the Nokia 7.2 with us and we’ll attempt to answer the question whether the 7-series is happy where the 7.1 took it, or it wants back to the plus’ level.

 

 

 

 

 

One thing straight off the 7 plus is the chipset and we’re not entirely certain that’s a good thing. The Snapdragon 660 is plenty powerful, sure, but is now more than two years old and more efficient options are available. At least you can spec the 7.2 with up to 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, with the base model not coming with the .1’s measly 3/32GB but the plus’ 4/64GB.

Shared with that model are the overall dimensions too – while the 7.1 was a smaller phone, the 7.2 is back to plus size. But the build quality differs and the new phone has a composite frame that may be as tough as and lighter than aluminum, but it’s not strictly premium to the touch, which the 7 plus did manage.

 

 

 

 

Anyway, the Nokia 7.2 comes with a 6.3-inch IPS display bringing a significant increase in area over the 7.1. Helping with that is also the notch – Nokia‘s shifted some components around and now it it only holds the selfie camera, making for a smaller cutout.

What’s not small is the camera bump on the back, but it’s got a bunch of cameras to show for it – a 48MP Quad Bayer primary unit is joined by an ultra wide angle 8MP module and a 5MP depth sensor. So it does have one more meaningful camera than the 7.1, but still omits a telephoto, which the 7 plus did have.

Nokia 7.2 specs :

NETWORK Technology GSM / HSPA / LTE
2G bands GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 – SIM 1 & SIM 2
3G bands HSDPA 850 / 900 / 2100 – ROW
HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 – USA
4G bands 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41 – ROW
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 13, 28, 66 – USA
1, 3, 5, 8, 40, 41 – IN
Speed HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE-A (2CA) Cat6 300/50 Mbps or LTE Cat4 150/50 Mbps
LAUNCH Announced 2019, September 05
Status Available. Released 2019, September 23
BODY Dimensions 159.9 x 75.2 x 8.3 mm (6.30 x 2.96 x 0.33 in)
Weight 180 g (6.35 oz)
Build Glass front (Gorilla Glass 3), glass back (Gorilla Glass 3), plastic frame
SIM Single SIM (Nano-SIM) or Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
DISPLAY Type IPS LCD, HDR10
Size 6.3 inches, 99.1 cm2 (~82.4% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution 1080 x 2280 pixels, 19:9 ratio (~400 ppi density)
Protection Corning Gorilla Glass 3
PLATFORM OS Android 9.0 (Pie), upgradable to Android 11, Android One
Chipset Qualcomm SDM660 Snapdragon 660 (14 nm)
CPU Octa-core (4×2.2 GHz Kryo 260 Gold & 4×1.8 GHz Kryo 260 Silver)
GPU Adreno 512
MEMORY Card slot microSDXC (dedicated slot)
Internal 64GB 4GB RAM, 64GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 6GB RAM
eMMC 5.1
MAIN CAMERA Triple 48 MP, f/1.8, (wide), 1/2.0″, 0.8µm, PDAF
8 MP, f/2.2, 13mm (ultrawide), 1/4.0″, 1.12µm
5 MP, f/2.4, (depth)
Features Zeiss optics, LED flash, panorama, HDR
Video 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps (gyro-EIS)
SELFIE CAMERA Single 20 MP, f/2.0, (wide), 1/3″, 0.9µm
Features Zeiss optics, HDR
Video 1080p@30fps
SOUND Loudspeaker Yes
3.5mm jack Yes
COMMS WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct
Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, EDR, LE, aptX
Positioning GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS
NFC Yes (excl. India)
Radio FM radio
USB USB Type-C 2.0, OTG
FEATURES Sensors Fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
BATTERY Type Li-Po 3500 mAh, non-removable
Charging 10W wired
MISC Colors Cyan Green, Charcoal, Ice
Models TA-1193, TA-1178, TA-1196, TA-1181
SAR 1.15 W/kg (head)     0.90 W/kg (body)
SAR EU 0.99 W/kg (head)     1.44 W/kg (body)
Price $ 435.00 / € 279.99 / £ 149.99
TESTS Performance AnTuTu: 139495 (v7), 164484 (v8)
GeekBench: 5440 (v4.4), 1398 (v5.1)
GFXBench: 8.1fps (ES 3.1 onscreen)
Display Contrast ratio: 1342:1 (nominal)
Camera Photo / Video
Loudspeaker -29.6 LUFS (Average)
Audio quality Noise -93.0dB / Crosstalk -93.4dB
Battery life

Disclaimer. We can not guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct.

The specsheet is nothing out of the ordinary, but we do mention the notification LED as it’s inside the power button, which we hadn’t seen before. We hadn’t seen a 10W charger in a while either, and that’s less exciting. What else is in the package, you ask?

Nokia 7.2 unboxing

The Nokia 7.2 comes in a compact flat box with a photo of two people shaking hands and the outline of the phone printed on it. Get it? Nokia – connecting people. Inside it, the phone sits to the right, its plastic sleeve pointing at the Google Assistant dedicated button.

 

 

 

 

To the left of the phone is a box that holds the accessories. You get a basic 5V/2A adapter, a USB-A-to-C cable, and an inexpensive-looking set of earbuds. Essentially, you have the basics covered to get started, perhaps a freebie case was too much to ask for.

Competition

The Nokia faces some stiff competition and it’s not only the Xiaomis and Realmes it needs to deal with (which it very much does), but there are also Galaxies and Motos if you’re outside of Asia and are somehow skeptical about the less prominent brands (which you shouldn’t be).

 

 

 

 

Let’s start with the Galaxy A50 – as most Samsungs today, it comes with a Super AMOLED display and it’s superior to the Nokia‘s. It’ll also comfortably outlast the 7.2 in an endurance race, while the Nokia possibly inches ahead if you have to choose between these two uninspiring camera setups.

 

 

Samsung Galaxy A50 • Motorola One Vision • Huawei P30 lite • Realme 5 Pro • Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro

 

 

The Moto One Vision would take better pictures with its primary cam than the Nokia, but it’s missing an ultra wide-angle unit, which the 7.2 does have – you need to pick between the two. Battery life is similarly bad between the two, as are their somewhat flawed displays, but the Moto comes with a punch-hole selfie cam, which sometimes gets in the way. The One Vision is a bit cheaper too, which can’t be a bad thing, can it?

Another of the more global players and one that pre-dates the whole US-China thing, the Huawei P30 lite is a viable alternative to the Nokia 7.2. The P30 lite has the vastly longer battery endurance and a more color-accurate display, plus an overall superior camera experience, save for the lack of 4K video recording. The Google support future of the Huaweis is shaky though, so it’s worth keeping in mind.

On to the 5 Pro, one of the latest Realmes to offer fantastic value for money. Once more, the Nokia 7.2 loses badly in battery life, while also trailing significantly in performance, only to be narrowly beaten in display quality. The Realme takes nicer pictures and superior videos, too (gorgeous 1080p/60fps if that’s your thing). The only minor hiccup here is that the Realme 5 Pro may not be an option to everyone looking at the Nokia 7.2, simply due to its limited regional availability.

Xiaomis have made their way to more continents through official channels, and we’re looking at the Redmi Note 8 Pro as a more capable alternative to the Nokia 7.2 for the same or even less money. The Redmi has much better battery life, offers a leap in performance over the Nokia and delivers an overall superior camera experience, save for the dismal 1080p video.

 

 

 

 

Verdict

The Nokia 7.2 looked like a promising phone on paper, and we hoped it would offer the same understated goodness that we remember the 7 plus for. That ended up not being the case though.

For the price Nokia is asking for the 7.2 you can have better camera quality, superior display, longer battery life, beefier chipset – often more than one of these on the same phone. As such, the 7.2 is hard to recommend to anyone but the die-hard brand loyalist on a budget.

Pros

  • Frosted glass back feels nice, is hard to find in the midrange.
  • Android One delivers the Pixel experience at a fraction of the price, timely updates are nice to have too.
  • Good video stabilization in 1080p/30fps.
  • Has a Nokia badge?

Cons

  • While decently bright, the display’s prevalent blueness is nigh impossible to get rid of, black illumination is noticeable too.
  • Battery life isn’t competitive, neither is charging speed.
  • The chipset is showing signs of age, more powerful and power-efficient options are available.
  • Unimpressive camera output despite promising hardware.
  • No 1080p/60fps video, meh 1080p/30fps footage.

 

 

❤ OnePlus 9 Pro

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OnePlus continues to find its place in the smartphone industry with the OnePlus 9 duo. The 9 and 9 Pro establishes OnePlus with a new partnership in the camera space – every major Chinese OEM has one, after all. With the new smartphones bearing the “Hasselblad” name, does the OnePlus flagship finally have a camera experience free of compromises? OnePlus uses the tagline “Your best shot” so we are setting our expectations high for the cameras’ performance.

 

 

 

 

 

OnePlus has entered into a three-year cooperation agreement with Hasselblad and the first phones to benefit from that are the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro. For these phones, Hasselblad and OnePlus collaborated on calibrating the contrast and color processing with a view of tuning them to Hasselblad’s distinct style.

 

 

OnePlus 9 • OnePlus 9 Pro

 

 

In this review, we’ll focus on the larger of the two phones. The OnePlus 9 Pro‘s overall look does not deviate far from its predecessors, but it does dial back on a couple of design elements that help to improve the phone’s ergonomics. The centered linear arrangement of cameras is no more, and the 9 Pro now has a more conventional camera placement in a rectangular setup.

 

 

OnePlus 9 Pro next to OnePlus 9

 

 

The display on the 9 Pro uses a new display technology that OnePlus promises should reduce the power consumption of the panel by up to 50 percent. The savings is credited to a new LTPO backplane in the AMOLED panel. This enables the new ‘Smart 120Hz’ feature that variably adjusts the refresh rate all the way down to 1Hz if it needs to.

Debuting with the OnePlus 8T last year, the 9 Pro now sports the same dual-cell battery system compatible with an included 65W charger, capable of fully replenishing the 9 Pro’s battery in just about a half-hour but with improved charging software and lower internal battery resistance, they’ve been able to provide even faster initial charging from flat. OnePlus is also debuting a faster Warp Wireless charger with the 9 Pro that outputs 50W and we’ll be giving that a test as well.

OnePlus 9 Pro specs :

NETWORK Technology GSM / CDMA / HSPA / LTE / 5G
2G bands GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 – SIM 1 & SIM 2
CDMA 800 / 1900
3G bands HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1800 / 1900 / 2100
4G bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 – EU
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 46, 48, 66, 71 – NA
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 46 – IN
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41 – CN
5G bands 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 78 SA/NSA – EU
1, 2, 3, 7, 25, 28, 41, 66, 71, 78, 258, 260, 261 SA/NSA/mmWave – NA
41, 78 SA/NSA – IN
1, 3, 28, 41, 78, 79 SA/NSA – CN
Speed HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE-A (CA) Cat20 2000/200 Mbps, 5G
LAUNCH Announced 2021, March 23
Status Available. Released 2021, March 30
BODY Dimensions 163.2 x 73.6 x 8.7 mm (6.43 x 2.90 x 0.34 in)
Weight 197 g (6.95 oz)
Build Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), glass back (Gorilla Glass 5), aluminum frame
SIM Single SIM (Nano-SIM) or Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min)
DISPLAY Type LTPO Fluid2 AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1300 nits (peak)
Size 6.7 inches, 108.4 cm2 (~90.3% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution 1440 x 3216 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~525 ppi density)
Protection Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Always-on display
PLATFORM OS Android 11, upgradable to Android 13, OxygenOS 13
Chipset Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm)
CPU Octa-core (1×2.84 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3×2.42 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4×1.80 GHz Cortex-A55
GPU Adreno 660
MEMORY Card slot No
Internal 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM
UFS 3.1
MAIN CAMERA Quad 48 MP, f/1.8, 23mm (wide), 1/1.43″, 1.12µm, multi-directional PDAF, Laser AF, OIS
8 MP, f/2.4, 77mm (telephoto), 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3.3x optical zoom
50 MP, f/2.2, 14mm (ultrawide), 1/1.56″, 1.0µm, AF
2 MP, f/2.4, (monochrome)
Features Hasselblad Color Calibration, dual-LED flash, HDR, panorama
Video 8K@30fps, 4K@30/60/120fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, Auto HDR, gyro-EIS
SELFIE CAMERA Single 16 MP, f/2.4, (wide), 1/3.06″, 1.0µm
Features Auto-HDR
Video 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS
SOUND Loudspeaker Yes, with stereo speakers
3.5mm jack No
24-bit/192kHz audio
COMMS WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA
Bluetooth 5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD
Positioning GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (G1), BDS (B1), GALILEO (E1+E5a)
NFC Yes
Radio No
USB USB Type-C 3.1, OTG
FEATURES Sensors Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, color spectrum
BATTERY Type Li-Po 4500 mAh, non-removable
Charging 65W wired, PD, 1-100% in 29 min (advertised)
50W wireless, 1-100% in 43 min (advertised)
MISC Colors Morning Mist, Forest Green, Stellar Black
Models LE2121, LE2125, LE2123, LE2120, LE2127
Price $ 450.80 / € 579.00 / £ 567.97 / ₹ 35,999 / C$ 1,419.00
TESTS Camera Photo / Video
Loudspeaker -24.1 LUFS (Very good)
Battery life

Disclaimer. We can not guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct.

Apart from the screen size and resolution, the main difference between the 9 and 9 Pro‘s camera systems is the addition of a dedicated telephoto camera on the OnePlus 9 Pro. The main camera gets an updated IMX789 Sony sensor which still supports omnidirectional Phade Detection auto focus and dual native ISO, and the ultra-wide now gets a 50MP sensor and a new type of lens to reduce lens distortion.

Video recording has been beefed up to support 8K video at 30 frames, and 4K video at 120 fps. There’s also a new Nightscape Video 2.0 which promises better low-light video so we’re looking at all-around improvements to the camera system on the 9 Pro.

 

 

 

 

We’re excited to see how much the image quality has improved on the camera trio (main, tele, wide) of the 9 Pro with this new Hasselblad partnership. We’ll also be looking to see how much battery life will improve despite having the same 4,500 mAh capacity as its predecessor. The lower-power display and Snapdragon 888 with integrated Qualcomm X60 modem should help in this regard.

Tag along as we look over the ins and outs of OnePlus‘ new flagship device. If you’re looking to upgrade from an older OnePlus device, we’ll give you the scoop on whether the 9 Pro is improved in all the right places or if it’s more like a scoop of ice cream you’ve already tasted before.

Unboxing

The media package that we received from OnePlus included both the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro, along with one protective case for each, and the Warp Charge 50 Wireless Charger. This time around, some may be happy to learn that the new Wireless charging dock does come with a removable connector and supports any 50W USB-C PD charger.

 

 

 

 

The OnePlus packaging has become a standard fare and the 9 Pro is no exception. Inside the now familiar red box is the phone at the top layer, followed by some paperwork, a silicone case in some markets, the 65W Warp Charge power adapter, and the usual red Type-C to Type-C USB 2.0 cable.

The silicone case this year has been switched to an opaque design. It’s not clear yet why OnePlus chooses to omit this accessory in some markets and decides to leave it in elsewhere. There will be aftermarket cases, obviously, along with some first-party options from OnePlus.

 

 

 

 

Two things that we can always count on OnePlus smartphones to come with are a set of OnePlus stickers, and a letter from the company’s founder Pete Lau that encourages customers to participate in the OnePlus community forums. A SIM tool is attached to this letter.

As usual, there are no audio accessories inside the package. Not even an audio adapter.

The competition

With prices going up and the OnePlus 9 Pro starting at a lofty $969, there’s no shortage of quality alternatives on the market.

 

 

 

 

We will start off with the toughest competitor of all, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. While the phone is technically priced at $1199, as per Samsung tradition it can frequently be available below that. At the time of writing, the price was down to just $900 with a special coupon, which is handily undercutting the OnePlus 9 Pro launch price.

The Galaxy S21 Ultra is one of the most accomplished smartphones we have tested. Whether it’s build quality, display performance, camera performance, or battery life, the S21 Ultra has you covered on all fronts. The camera performance, in particular, is most impressive and we think that the S21 Ultra has one of the most versatile camera systems on the market.

 

 

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G

 

 

 

Another great option is the recently launched Xiaomi Mi 11, which is Xiaomi’s implementation of the ‘everything but the kitchen sink’ smartphone. While not available in all regions, the Mi 11 does undercut the OnePlus 9 Pro in pricing in regions where it is available. That’s not to say it’s compromised in any way, as the Mi 11 is packed to the gills with all the bells and whistles. Sure, MIUI may still be an acquired taste but in every other aspect it is a very strong contender in this segment.

 

 

Xiaomi Mi 11

 

 

Next is the Find X3 Pro from OnePlus‘ sister company, Oppo. The Find X3 Pro combines a stunning industrial design, top-notch feature set, and an excellent set of cameras, great display quality, and the same sort of blazing fast charging speeds that OnePlus is known for (it’s essentially the same tech). At $1099, the Oppo Find X3 Pro comes at a premium but one that may be worth paying, especially if you’re already considering spending over $900 on a phone.

 

 

Oppo Find X3 Pro

 

 

If you’re more into gaming, you might want to consider the ASUS ROG Phone 5. While marketed as primarily a gaming phone, the ROG Phone 5 is an extremely accomplished phone even outside of gaming, with great build quality, a quality display, terrific loudspeakers, great battery life with fast charging, and relatively clean build of Android. And while the camera quality may not be quite on par with some of the other flagships, it’s still very impressive and has come a long way from the original model. On top of all that, it’s also the cheapest phone in this bunch.

 

 

Asus ROG Phone 5

 

 

Lastly, there’s the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max. There was a time when it wouldn’t have made any sense to compare a OnePlus phone with an iPhone due to the large gulf in price tags, but those days are long gone now. As for the phone itself, it combines exceptional industrial design, class-leading display color performance with Dolby Vision support, an excellent set of cameras all-round, best in class performance, great battery life, easy to use software with unparalleled software and game library, legendary customer support and a high resale value to boot.

Few devices can match the complete package that the iPhone is and the 12 Pro Max is the best of its kind. Sure, the 60Hz display isn’t quite modern and the lack of fast charging in the box (or any kind of charging) is disappointing after paying so much but these may be things worth sacrificing if you want one of the most well-rounded smartphones on the market and aren’t tied to the Android platform.

 

 

Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max

 

 

Verdict

The OnePlus 9 Pro is pretty much what we have now come to expect from OnePlus, a likable, dependable smartphone with almost all the bells and whistles one could ask for but not one that’s particularly exciting or game changing. It’s as if the company is content with making smaller changes rather than doing something disruptive or potentially controversial.

 

 

 

 

You can see this in the year over year growth of the Pro line. Whether you look back one year to the OnePlus 8 Pro or even two years to the OnePlus 7 Pro, you aren’t going to be seeing a remarkable difference. And that’s the crux of the matter here as there is a palpable sense of staleness in the air surrounding the brand that we can’t quite shake off.

But this staleness, this sense of contentment with slow progress, is at odds with the steady increase in the price year over year. OnePlus fans and critics over the years have lamented the company’s slow but sure move upward on the pricing ladder, turning from the hero who rallied against the oligarchs to living long enough to becoming the villain.

 

 

 

 

But with a $969 starting price, the company is now truly into the upper echelon of the smartphone market. We are talking about a market of discerning buyers where there is no room for missteps, misgivings, and certainly no room for slacking or slowing down. Even brands like Samsung have to sweat it out every year to keep customer attention in check and companies like Google who couldn’t keep up with the pressure had to fall back and reevaluate.

Is the OnePlus 9 Pro good enough to compete in this segment? Not quite. Sometimes, it’s not enough to just dress for the job you want. You also have to be good at it.

Pros

  • Great display performance
  • Relatively clean software and great UI performance
  • Powerful loudspeakers
  • Good performance from the main wide and ultra-wide cameras
  • Excellent 4K 120fps mode
  • Fast charging

Cons

  • Rear camera performance still behind the competition
  • Outdated front camera
  • No pro video features or true HDR recording
  • Hasselblad partnership mostly a marketing gimmick
  • Telephoto camera lacks Nightscape and 4K video support
  • Worse battery life performance than previous models
  • Most games still locked to 60fps

❤ Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra 5G

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A year later, the Note that isn’t returns. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra brings predictably minor upgrades – camera tweaks here and new chipset there, mostly – but how much can you really improve on the S22 Ultra in just a year? We’ll attempt to answer that question and see if the new Ultra can spark excitement in ways the specsheet couldn’t.

 

 

 

 

 

And it’s an expansive specsheet, of course. At the Ultra’s heart is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, and it’s one specifically made for the Galaxies – with higher clock rates than competitors get. The latest Qualcomm top-end chip also comes with efficiency promises, and we would never say no to some extra endurance.

The camera sees the introduction of a new 200MP sensor, up from the 108MP resolution of Ultras past. The couple of telephotos remain a staple of the lineup and a standout feature in the market where 10x optical zoom is nowhere to be found outside of the Samsung offerings. The 2023 Ultra is still the only model in the lineup with an autofocusing ultrawide – more of an ongoing rant we just had to include here about the lack of it on the lesser S23s than an actual noteworthy feature of the ultimate Galaxy.

 

 

Galaxy S22 Ultra (top) next to Galaxy S23 Ultra

 

 

The otherwise lengthy list of numbers and features below doesn’t really bring major changes from the previous generation. Battery capacity remains the same as does the charging rating; the ultrasonic fingerprint reader hasn’t gotten optical all of a sudden, proprietary features like DeX and Samsung Pay are still here, and you can count on the display being the best in the business. A small victory is the 256GB base storage – last year’s model started at an unreasonably low 128GB – so yay?

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra specs at a glance :

NETWORK Technology GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G
2G bands GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 – SIM 1 & SIM 2 (Dual SIM model only)
CDMA 800 / 1900 & TD-SCDMA
3G bands HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100
CDMA2000 1xEV-DO
4G bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 – International
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41, 46, 48, 66, 71 – USA
5G bands 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 75, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 – International
1, 7, 28, 41, 66, 71, 78, 258, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave – USA
Speed HSPA, LTE-A (up to 7CA), 5G
LAUNCH Announced 2023, February 01
Status Available. Released 2023, February 17
BODY Dimensions 163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9 mm (6.43 x 3.07 x 0.35 in)
Weight 234 g (8.25 oz)
Build Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame
SIM Nano-SIM and eSIM or Dual SIM (2 Nano-SIMs and eSIM, dual stand-by)
IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min)
Armor aluminum frame with tougher drop and scratch resistance (advertised)
Stylus (Bluetooth integration, accelerometer, gyro)
DISPLAY Type Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1200 nits (HBM), 1750 nits (peak)
Size 6.8 inches, 114.7 cm2 (~89.9% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution 1440 x 3088 pixels (~500 ppi density)
Protection Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2
Always-on display
PLATFORM OS Android 13, One UI 5.1
Chipset Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm)
CPU Octa-core (1×3.36 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2×2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2×2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3×2.0 GHz Cortex-A510)
GPU Adreno 740
MEMORY Card slot No
Internal 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM, 1TB 12GB RAM
UFS 4.0
MAIN CAMERA Quad 200 MP, f/1.7, 24mm (wide), 1/1.3″, 0.6µm, multi-directional PDAF, Laser AF, OIS
10 MP, f/4.9, 230mm (periscope telephoto), 1/3.52″, 1.12µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS, 10x optical zoom
10 MP, f/2.4, 70mm (telephoto), 1/3.52″, 1.12µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom
12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55″, 1.4µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, Super Steady video
Features LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama
Video 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 1080p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS
SELFIE CAMERA Single 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), Dual Pixel PDAF
Features Dual video call, Auto-HDR, HDR10+
Video 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps
SOUND Loudspeaker Yes, with stereo speakers
3.5mm jack No
32-bit/384kHz audio
Tuned by AKG
COMMS WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct
Bluetooth 5.3, A2DP, LE
Positioning GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO
NFC Yes
Radio No
USB USB Type-C 3.2, OTG
FEATURES Sensors Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer
Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support)
Bixby natural language commands and dictation
Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified)
Ultra Wideband (UWB) support
BATTERY Type Li-Ion 5000 mAh, non-removable
Charging 45W wired, PD3.0, 65% in 30 min (advertised)
15W wireless (Qi/PMA)
4.5W reverse wireless
MISC Colors Phantom Black, Green, Cream, Lavender, Graphite, Sky Blue, Lime, Red, BMW M Edition
Models SM-S918B, SM-S918B/DS, SM-S918U, SM-S918U1, SM-S918W, SM-S918N, SM-S9180, SM-S918E, SM-S918E/DS
SAR 1.12 W/kg (head)     0.92 W/kg (body)
SAR EU 0.96 W/kg (head)     1.40 W/kg (body)
Price $ 1,055.00 / € 1,149.00 / £ 1,149.00 / ₹ 124,999 / C$ 1,649.99
TESTS Performance AnTuTu: 1241531 (v9)
GeekBench: 4927 (v5.1)
GFXBench: 67fps (ES 3.1 onscreen)
Display Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal)
Camera Photo / Video
Loudspeaker -25.6 LUFS (Very good)
Battery life

Disclaimer. We can not guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct.

We did call the S23 Ultra a Note from the get-go, and the S Pen is indeed here to stay – despite habitual pessimists around the office writing if off after the beloved Note moniker disappeared with the S22 Ultra. Sure, you can have an S Pen (a different one) for your Fold, but no S Pen case beats the convenience of an in-body stylus like the one you get here.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra unboxing

You don’t get a lot else, though. The Ultra shows up in what has become the norm for Samsung high-end phone packages – a thin as possible black cardboard box with a likeness of the handset printed on the lid in a corresponding color to the actual unit inside.

 

 

 

 

The size of the box guarantees there’s no charger inside, but there’s still a USB-C cable – despite our continued droning how ‘this time may be the last time you’re getting a cable’, Samsung actually persists in including one – does that count as winning? There’s also a SIM eject pin, which we normally wouldn’t mention, but the unboxing section could use the extra words.

Competition

In the rarefied atmosphere the Galaxy S23 Ultra calls its home market segment, purchasing decisions are likely not necessarily driven by value for money, at least not as top priority. Perhaps more important here are factors like having the absolute best camera, or getting all the productivity, or less reasonable but still entirely understandable motivators like brand loyalty or having the latest and greatest there is.

 

 

 

 

With those last couple of thoughts in mind, the S23 Ultra‘s standing is challenged by the Z Fold4 – isn’t a cutting-edge foldable more modern and awesome than a bar that’s, in principle, the same as any other? And the fact that it’s a Galaxy foldable helps too. The Fold can also win a productivity battle with the Ultra – easily, thanks to a way larger display and, yes, S Pen support too, even if the stylus is not quite as convenient to store as the Ultra’s. But the bendy Galaxy is merely an okay cameraphone, and that’s where the Ultra’s victory isn’t up for debate.

Cameraphones from Xiaomi are among our favorites, but it’s hard to name a Galaxy rival at this point in time. The Mi 12s Ultra is a remarkable picture-taking device, but it’s limited to the Chinese market. The Mi 11 Ultra may be international, but can’t really be found in stores, plus it’s now a full two years old. We’ll go with the 13 Pro for its specsheet – promising in many ways, but it’s zoom-challenged, not to mention we haven’t seen it in person yet.

How about a Google Pixel 7 Pro then. Once an undisputed photo taking champ, if a relatively niche one, the Pixel is no longer one-of-a-kind in its capabilities. But the 7 Pro does capture great photos, and its 5x zoom might be just what you’re missing on the Galaxy. There’s also the tiny detail that the Pixel is way less expensive than the S23 Ultra (call it a $500/€500 difference), and you may be giving a second thought to that ‘money is no object’ preamble.

Finally, a rather obvious alternative presents itself in the shape of an iPhone 14 Pro Max. The iPhone stands out as the best option for video capture, and it’s got a compelling camera system altogether, even if it can’t compete with the Galaxy for reach. Then come arguments of the non-quantifiable kind like status, brand preference, and bubble color.

 

 

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 • Xiaomi 13 Pro • Google Pixel 7 Pro • Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max

 

 

 

Verdict

The ultimate Galaxy smartphone for 2023 (that doesn’t bend in the middle) doesn’t bring anything ground-breakingly new and exciting – how’s that for a single con?

 

 

 

 

Indeed, the Galaxy S23 Ultra‘s one flaw is perhaps entirely not its own – the S22 Ultra was just too good. Following up on that was always going to be little more than polishing touches that inevitably lack the wow factor. But if you can switch into managing expectations mode, rather than moan about the lack of innovation or originality, you’ll appreciate this year’s Ultra for its maturity.

 

 

 

 

A increase in battery life, faster charging (only slightly, but still quicker than Apple or Google will give you), one of the best displays in the business – that’s a strong start on the fundamentals. The camera, too, is improved, beyond just the 200MP number on the posters, cementing the Ultra as one of the top cameraphones on the market. And then there’s the S Pen – a proposition as unique in its utility in 2023 as it was last year. None of this is novel or thrilling stuff, but it all adds up.

With all of that in mind, the Galaxy S23 Ultra‘s only verdict can be ‘Highly recommended’.

Pros

  • Traditional Note form factor, improved handling, still premium as ever.
  • S Pen has wide-ranging functionality for work and play, is virtually without competition.
  • Wonderful display.
  • Excellent battery life, faster charging than big-name competitors.
  • Ultra-grade camera system is one of the best on the market; primary module is a genuine improvement, zooming capability is hard to rival.

Cons

  • Nothing is, in principle, really new or different.

❤ Samsung Galaxy S23 5G

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One of the best compact phones in the world just got better – the Samsung Galaxy S23 is faster, sturdier, better connected, and with more battery juice. The Galaxy S23 is still as small, lightweight and attractive as ever, and we expect it to become a fan-favorite in the compact segment.

The new Galaxy S23 models introduce a refined design, and that’s the first thing you will notice. The contour-cut camera housing is no more; there are just three small rings for the lenses. Additionally, the front and rear glass panels are now made of Gorilla Glass Victus 2 sheets with improved drop resistance.

 

 

 

 

 

The Galaxy S23 retains the compact 6.1-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen with extended 1080p resolution and dynamic 120Hz refresh rate. The peak brightness of the panel has been improved, and it’s now 1750 nits, up from 1300 nits on the Galaxy S22.

 

 

 

 

For the first time in a long time, the entire Galaxy S23 lineup uses a Snapdragon chipset, so you don’t need to import a Qualcomm-powered unit if you are not a fan of the Exynos platform (we won’t blame you). Even better, Samsung used an overclocked version exclusive to the Galaxy S23 phones with higher CPU and GPU clocks. The new models also rely on next-generation memory chips made by Samsung themselves.

The triple camera on the back has seen no improvements – the 50MP OIS primary, the 10MP 3x telephoto, and the 12MP ultrawide camera stay the same. What has been upgraded is the selfie camera – it is now 12MP and supports Super HDR, while autofocus and 4K capturing remain available.

 

 

 

 

The battery capacity has been increased by 200mAh, and it’s now 3,900mAh. The charging capabilities are the same as on the S22 – 25W wired charging, with wireless and reverse wireless options available.

Connectivity-wise, the Galaxy S23 introduces tri-band Wi-Fi with 6e support and Bluetooth 5.3. The Ultra Wideband support is still reserved for the Plus and Ultra versions.

Long story short – the Galaxy S23 is a faster version of the Galaxy S22 with a brighter screen and a larger battery. And a more beautiful design, though that is always subjective.

Samsung Galaxy S23 specs at a glance :

NETWORK Technology GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G
2G bands GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 – SIM 1 & SIM 2 (Dual SIM model only)
CDMA 800 / 1900 & TD-SCDMA
3G bands HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100
CDMA2000 1xEV-DO
4G bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 – International
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 20, 25, 26, 28, 38, 39, 40, 41, 46, 48, 66, 71 – USA
5G bands 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 75, 77, 78 SA/NSA/Sub6 – International
1, 7, 25, 28, 41, 66, 71, 78, 258, 260, 261 SA/NSA/Sub6/mmWave – USA
Speed HSPA, LTE-A (up to 7CA), 5G
LAUNCH Announced 2023, February 01
Status Available. Released 2023, February 17
BODY Dimensions 146.3 x 70.9 x 7.6 mm (5.76 x 2.79 x 0.30 in)
Weight 168 g (5.93 oz)
Build Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame
SIM Nano-SIM and eSIM or Dual SIM (2 Nano-SIMs and eSIM, dual stand-by)
IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min)
Armor aluminum frame with tougher drop and scratch resistance (advertised)
DISPLAY Type Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1200 nits (HBM), 1750 nits (peak)
Size 6.1 inches, 90.1 cm2 (~86.8% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~425 ppi density)
Protection Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2
Always-on display
PLATFORM OS Android 13, One UI 5.1
Chipset Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm)
CPU Octa-core (1×3.36 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2×2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2×2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3×2.0 GHz Cortex-A510)
GPU Adreno 740
MEMORY Card slot No
Internal 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 512GB 8GB RAM
UFS 3.1 – 128GB only
UFS 4.0
MAIN CAMERA Triple 50 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 1/1.56″, 1.0µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS
10 MP, f/2.4, 70mm (telephoto), 1/3.94″, 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom
12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/2.55″ 1.4µm, Super Steady video
Features LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama
Video 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 1080p@960fps, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS
SELFIE CAMERA Single 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), Dual Pixel PDAF
Features Dual video call, Auto-HDR, HDR10+
Video 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps
SOUND Loudspeaker Yes, with stereo speakers
3.5mm jack No
32-bit/384kHz audio
Tuned by AKG
COMMS WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct
Bluetooth 5.3, A2DP, LE
Positioning GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO
NFC Yes
Radio No
USB USB Type-C 3.2, OTG
FEATURES Sensors Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer
Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support)
Bixby natural language commands and dictation
Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified)
BATTERY Type Li-Ion 3900 mAh, non-removable
Charging 25W wired, PD3.0, 50% in 30 min (advertised)
15W wireless (Qi/PMA)
4.5W reverse wireless
MISC Colors Phantom Black, Cream, Green, Lavender, Graphite, Lime
Models SM-S911B, SM-S911B/DS, SM-S911U, SM-S911U1, SM-S911W, SM-S911N, SM-S9110, SM-S911E, SM-S911E/DS
SAR 0.95 W/kg (head)     0.88 W/kg (body)
SAR EU 0.96 W/kg (head)     1.30 W/kg (body)
Price $ 725.00 / € 857.44 / £ 749.00 / ₹ 79,999 / C$ 1,097.99
TESTS Performance AnTuTu: 1231075 (v9)
GeekBench: 4950 (v5.1)
GFXBench: 110fps (ES 3.1 onscreen)
Display Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal)
Camera Photo / Video
Loudspeaker -27.0 LUFS (Good)
Battery life

Disclaimer. We can not guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct.

The Galaxy S23 is a flagship by the book; there are no two words about that – it has the build and looks, the screen, the chipset, and the cameras of a premium smartphone. The only things we consider missing are 10-bit color depth for the screen – something many high-end phones are offering, and the Ultra Wideband support – a connectivity option that would have allowed support for the SmartTag+. You can still use the regular Bluetooth-reliant SmartTags, of course.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 is a minor update over the Galaxy S22, and we doubt that many S22 owners will find enough novelties to make them upgrade. But it has more than enough new features over the Galaxy S21 and older to make it an attractive offer. Even better, it is shaping as the best compact Android phone on the market. And now it’s time to properly meet it, shall we?

Unboxing the Samsung Galaxy S23

The Galaxy S23 arrives in a thin paper box, which contains the phone itself, a USB-C cable, and a SIM ejection tool.

 

 

 

 

Samsung removed chargers and headphones from its boxes a couple of years ago, but we are glad it still provides cables (unlike Sony). And if you’ve bought a Samsung 25W charger, the one that has been available for a few years already, or any USB-C PD + PPS power adapter, you are already well prepared.

Alternative offers

Samsung has priced the Galaxy S23 at €950 for the 8/128 model and about €1,000 for the 8/256 version. Some retailers may be offering the higher-tier storage at the same price as the base one, and we do recommend getting it for the faster UFS 4.0 chip.

The compact niche, especially the compact flagship class, rarely sees new additions, and those mostly come from Samsung, Asus, Apple, and sometimes – Xiaomi. And naturally, we’d explore their most current offers.

 

 

 

Let’s start with the Zenfone 9 by Asus. It is €200 cheaper than the Galaxy S23 and has an identical size, but its screen is a bit smaller (5.9-inch vs. 6.1-inch), and the Zenfone runs on the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset. The Zenfone 9 has no dedicated telephoto camera, instead, it relies on a sort of lossless zoom from its primary shooter, which may not be everyone’s cup of tea. Still, if you are after a compact flagship, and the Galaxy S23 is not in your budget, the Zenfone 9 is an excellent choice.

The Galaxy S22 price has dropped significantly and it’s not about €350 cheaper than the current S23. It has the same screen, camera department and charging capabilities, while its performance isn’t that behind either. The only thing that’s noticeably worse on the Galaxy S22 is its battery life, but then again, at €350 cheaper, we’d say that is a rather acceptable deal.

 

 

 

 

Apple’s iPhone 14 is much lighter and thinner than the iPhone 14 Pro and a good match to the Galaxy S22 because of its lightweight design. It’s a powerful phone with good battery life and top-notch performance, but it’s 60Hz OLED, and the lack of optical zoom are some big omissions, especially considering its €900 price.

The iPhone 14 Pro is 40g heavier than the Galaxy S23 – it has a more luxurious design with a stainless steel frame. It offers a better Dolby Vision display, and 2x lossless zoom in addition to the 3x optical one provided by its triple-camera setup. There are other cool features like UltraWideband support, LiDAR scanner, but, as we said, it’s heavier, and costs €350 over the Galaxy S23.

Finally, the Xiaomi 13 deserves a mention, too. It will soon hit the international markets, and it’s shaping as one of the cheapest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 featuring smartphones with a rumored price between €700-€800. It is also among the first IP68-rated Xiaomi phones. It is slightly larger than the Galaxy S23 because of its bigger 6.36-inch Dolby Vision OLED screen, and its rear cameras are a match to Samsung‘s. The selfie department is still years behind the Galaxy’s, and that’s probably its only downside.

 

 

Asus Zenfone 9 • Samsung Galaxy S22 5G • Apple iPhone 14 • Apple iPhone 14 Pro • Xiaomi 13

 

 

 

Verdict

Samsung has made yet another excellent compact flagship that excels in every aspect and aces every test. The phone has an excellent 6.1-inch OLED screen with high brightness and adaptive refresh rate, the most powerful chipset on the Android market, and a superb quartet of cameras that will reliably capture whatever you put in front of their lenses.

We are glad that Samsung took the extra step and made an exclusive deal with Qualcomm for an overclocked version of the SD8G2 chip, and this will surely convince quite a few Exynos-doubting users to grab a Galaxy S23.

Throughout our review, we found that the Galaxy S23 has an excellent design with great handling experience, improved battery life and speaker quality over the Galaxy S22, it is also more powerful, too, and offers an improved camera experience thanks to faster Night Mode shooting. Things that didn’t change this year, but are still alright, are the charging speed and the camera hardware.

 

 

 

 

The Galaxy S23 has its peculiarities, too. The 128GB model uses the older UFS 3.1 storage chips. And while this year the S23+ got UWB support, it is still missing on the Galaxy S23. Then, many competitors’ displays have 10-bit or even 12-bit color depth, while the Galaxy S23 series is still stuck on standard 8-bit color. And, finally, the GPU stability is not ideal, though this is an occasional thing among phones with passive cooling solutions and top of the line chipsets.

The Galaxy S23 isn’t a major upgrade over the Galaxy S22, and we doubt many people will jump on the new generation. But we can see a lot of people using older phones chose this one for its compact design and all-around package and experience. Even better, those who chose not to get a Galaxy S because of Exynos – well, they can finally get a phone they like, with an overclocked chipset at that.

The new Galaxy S23 made our verdict quite easy this time – it’s an impressive smartphone with modern specs and capabilities. It’s a compact and lightweight phone, still priced below or around €1,000, making it much more attractive than Apple’s offers. And for all of these, the vanilla Galaxy S23 gets a big thumbs up from us!

Pros

  • No-nonsense sturdy and grippy design, IP68.
  • Outstanding OLED screen, bright and fast.
  • Great battery life.
  • Superb stereo speakers.
  • Top-notch performance, the fastest Android chip inside.
  • Excellent photo and video quality across the board.
  • Exciting One UI with DeX support, great connectivity options.

Cons

  • 128GB uses UFS 3.1 instead of UFS 4.0 memory chips.
  • No UltraWideBand support.
  • No Dolby Vision or 10-bit color depth support for the screen.
  • The GPU is very quick to throttle under load to 60% of its max performance.
  • No charger in the box.

❤ OPPO A57 5G 2022

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Galaxy Expert , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

 

 

As tech companies continue to release new phones on an almost annual basis, it can be daunting to choose which is the right one for you. This is especially true for entry-level smart smartphones that midrange price.

One of the newest contenders in that segment is the OPPO A57. Launched last 2022, the A57 comes with a 6.56-inch HD+ display, 64GB storage, 4GB of RAM. But is it a worthy contender against all other smartphones within the same price point? Well, I suggest you keep reading to find out.

 

 

 

 

 

Oppo A57 specs :

 

NETWORK Technology GSM / CDMA / HSPA / CDMA2000 / LTE / 5G
2G bands GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 – SIM 1 & SIM 2
CDMA 800
3G bands HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
CDMA2000 1x
4G bands 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 28, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41
5G bands 1, 5, 8, 28, 41, 77, 78 SA/NSA
Speed HSPA, LTE, 5G
LAUNCH Announced 2022, April 14
Status Available. Released 2022, April 15
BODY Dimensions 163.8 x 75.1 x 8 mm (6.45 x 2.96 x 0.31 in)
Weight 186 g (6.56 oz)
Build Glass front, plastic frame, plastic back
SIM Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
DISPLAY Type IPS LCD, 90Hz, 480 nits (typ), 600 nits (HBM)
Size 6.56 inches, 103.4 cm2 (~84.0% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution 720 x 1612 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~269 ppi density)
PLATFORM OS Android 12, ColorOS 12.1
Chipset Mediatek MT6833P Dimensity 810 (6 nm)
CPU Octa-core (2×2.4 GHz Cortex-A76 & 6×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55)
GPU Mali-G57 MC2
MEMORY Card slot microSDXC
Internal 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM
UFS 2.1 (128GB/8GB)
UFS 2.2 (128GB/6GB)
MAIN CAMERA Dual 13 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.06″, 1.12µm, AF
2 MP, f/2.4, (depth)
Features LED flash, HDR, panorama
Video 1080p@30fps
SELFIE CAMERA Single 8 MP, f/2.0, 26mm (wide)
Video 1080p@30fps
SOUND Loudspeaker Yes, with stereo speakers
3.5mm jack Yes
COMMS WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct
Bluetooth 5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD
Positioning GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS
NFC No
Radio No
USB USB Type-C 2.0, OTG
FEATURES Sensors Fingerprint (side-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
BATTERY Type Li-Po 5000 mAh, non-removable
Charging 10W wired
MISC Colors Black, Blue, Lilac
Models PFTM20
Price About 200 EUR

Disclaimer. We can not guarantee that the information on this page is 100% correct.

Conclusion

If you’re in the market for a new smartphone for under PHP 10,000 then the OPPO A57 is a great choice. It looks and feels premium compared to other models within the same price range. At the same time, it has a big battery. While the camera could be better at night or in dark places, it is great in well-lit environments. The only downside would be playing games. Graphic intensive titles have a hard time with the phone, and there is noticeable lag too.

All in all, I think the Oppo A57 is a great phone if you’re looking to get a new unit. If you do need more space, OPPO says storage is expandable up to 1TB.

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