Unitop Fitness, a Chinese fitness equipment maker, unveiled the U-trainer Plus in September, at a price of $649. Our team was given a fortnight to review the home gym. 

The U-trainer Plus enables users to exercise on their own schedule with real-time performance tracking and built-in workouts. It eliminates the need for gym memberships and, despite this meaning the lack of a supportive fitness community, the personalized nature of the smart equipment enhances individualized training. 

Assembly at home

The difficulty of assembling home fitness equipment can vary widely depending on the type of equipment, the manufacturer’s instructions, and your own level of experience and comfort with assembling items.

The U-trainer Plus arrives in two relatively large, heavy  boxes.

The entire assembly process, including unpacking, reading the instructions, watching the assembly video, and manually assembling the equipment, took four hours. Although the fitness equipment includes installation tools, the tester, with limited assembly experience, still found the process somewhat challenging. For added convenience, it is recommended to have two people to work on the assembly together, especially since some parts of the equipment are quite heavy.

It’s also worth noting that the equipment takes up a sizable space in the home. Here are some of its basic specifications:

Packaging size: 1,445 x 490 x 275mm
Folded: 702 x 992 x 2,105mm
Expanded: 1,450 x 992 x 2,105mm
Net weight (main parts): 47kg
Gross weight (including accessories): 58kg
Resistance level: 100 levels
Maximum resistance: 50kg on each side
Resistance range: 2-50kg
Maximum weight capacity: 110kg

Customized app for home workouts

The U-trainer Plus comes with an app called Unitop, which features built-in programs and the option to customize workouts according to individual fitness levels and goals.

Through the app, users can establish a Bluetooth connection between their equipment and their chosen device, enabling them to choose from various training programs and set up personalized training plans. 

Different combinations of exercises, repetition rates, and the resistance weight of the equipment are all customizable. Each training exercise in the app comes with instructional videos and detailed explanations, providing assistance for beginners and alleviating concerns about confusion during workouts.

The equipment includes a barbell rod, wrist straps, handles, deltoid ropes, and a waist belt. Users have the flexibility to choose to use the appropriate accessories based on their individual training goals. However, some functions in the app require paid membership, and the one-year membership fee is an additional expense not included with purchase of the equipment.

Motivational partner mode

The U-trainer Plus offers adjustable resistance on both sides, enabling users to exercise together with friends or family members. Although this function was not tested during our two week trial, it is an interesting option for home fitness. Typically, exercising with friends or family is more motivating than working out alone.

Dual electromagnetic motors

The U-trainer Plus is equipped with dual electromagnetic motors, ensuring a friction-free workout experience without any physical wear and tear. It allows independent adjustment for each side, with the motors supporting 100 levels of resistance weight increments, precisely adjustable at 0.5kg per level. This enables users to train with a maximum resistance weight of 50kg on each side, totaling 100kg.

Workout at home with ease

The U-trainer Plus suits individuals who are seeking privacy, convenience, and a focused exercise environment at home. It enables users to engage in personalized workouts without the distractions or potential discomfort associated with public gyms. 

The equipment set seamlessly transitions between different functions, serving as a cable machine, a rowing machine, or a boxing machine. This provides users with the opportunity to engage in a comprehensive, low-impact workout that effectively targets a wide range of muscle groups throughout the body.

While home workouts offer convenience and flexibility, they may lack the social element found in traditional gym settings, which can serve as a significant source of motivation for some individuals. 

Therefore, the potential impact and value for money of this fitness equipment varies completely based on an individual’s personality, as some people may lack the motivation to exercise at home. While it provides virtual coaching and tutorials, it may not be a substitute for in-person guidance from a certified fitness professional, especially for beginners who need more personalized instruction and support.

Conclusion

The choice between using smart fitness equipment at home or going to a traditional gym depends on individual preferences, lifestyle, and fitness goals. It is essential to weigh the advantages and disadvantages to determine the best fit for an individual’s needs.

But the U-trainer Plus is suitable for fitness enthusiasts with a basic level of exercise awareness who enjoy working out at home. Beginners or those who prefer the atmosphere of a gym should carefully consider their purchase.

Pros:

Convenient and flexible at home option
Individualized training to fit different fitness levels
Customized app with built-in programs
Motivational partner mode
Dual electromagnetic motors
Comprehensive workouts targeting all muscle groups

Cons:

Assembly may be challenging for one person
Extra charges for certain features in the app
Lack of social element compared with traditional gyms
Challenging for beginners who need in-person guidance

Oppo launched its latest high-end foldable phone, the Find N3, on Oct. 19, highlighting advances in screen, imaging, security, and system interaction. The 12GB+512GB variant is priced at RMB 9,999 ($1,392), while the collection edition with 16GB+1TB storage costs RMB 12,999 ($1,810). The new device comes in three colors: green, gold, and black. Our team was given a fortnight to review a black 12GB+512GB model.

The Find N3 is a stylish device, albeit slightly weighty in the hand, with a dual high-resolution display, and a processor that plays to its visual prowess. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor ensures a steady performance, placing it among the top foldable smartphones currently available. 

Mature leathery design

The leather case with a discernible grain offers users a comfortable grip and a pleasant feel. In terms of dimensions, when folded, the device feels hefty both in the hand and pocket compared with other non-foldable devices’ lightweight profiles. However, for a foldable device, the Find N3 surprises with its relatively lightweight, coming in at approximately 239 grams. The device boasts a thin profile, measuring a mere 5.8mm when unfolded and 11.7mm when closed.

In terms of overall appearance, the Find N3 leans towards the classic, giving it a business look. This is an aesthetic geared somewhat towards older generations.

LTPO technology and durable hinges

The Find N3 unfolds to a 7.82-inch screen with a resolution of 2,440 x 2,268 pixels, and the outer cover screen measures 6.31 inches with a resolution of 2,484 x 1,116 pixels. LTPO (low-temperature polycrystalline oxide) technology makes a smooth 1-120Hz dynamic refresh rate possible for fluid scrolling and gameplay, with up to 2,800 nits peak brightness.

Both screens are covered in toughened glass, improving drop resistance and strength. In addition to IPX4 splash resistance, the Find N3 is the first phone to be independently tested to withstand one million folds by TÜV Rheinland, according to Oppo. The phone’s crease is not visible unless you look at it from a certain angle.

Enhanced imaging performance

The Find N3’s camera system is branded by Hasselblad and sets new benchmarks in its category. It features two selfie cameras, with a 20MP camera inside and a 32MP camera on the cover screen. On the back, there is a 48MP LYTIA-T808 sensor from Sony, which is a 1/1.43″ sensor equipped with dual-layer transistor technology. This technology ensures great light sensitivity and ultimately leads to improved image quality.

The device’s day and night time photography capabilities stand out within the foldable phone category, as evidenced by the following images. In portrait mode, photos have a great sense of contrast, even in low light.

Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 powers high-performance gaming

The Find N3 features the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 with 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB. Qualcomm unveiled the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 at its Snapdragon Summit on Oct. 24 but as no foldable phone currently on the market features the new processor yet, the N3 is the most powerful in its category. Our two-hour test of the mobile game Honor of Kings revealed stable performance without any overheating. Stereo speakers also enhance gameplay.

Users can play the same game on two different screen sizes: unfolded and folded. Although the display size and games have been adjusted to some extent, the gaming experience may feel quite different to what users are used to when the phone is unfolded. Gaming enthusiasts be warned that, folded, it also takes some time to get used to the phone’s thickness.

High-capacity battery 

The Find N3 is equipped with a high-capacity 4,850mAh battery. For reference, the iPhone 15 Pro features a battery rated at 3,274mAh. Our practical tests have shown that the new Oppo phone’s battery life can support a full day’s use even under moderate or high-intensity usage. The phone also supports 67W fast charging technology and can be fully charged in around an hour.

Privacy protection and office functions

The Find N3 offers multiple privacy protection functions, including a security chip with national encryption certification, file encryption technology, and end-to-end cloud transmission encryption. The device is equipped with a button on the side, allowing users to easily switch to “VIP” mode, which disables the camera, microphone, and location permissions in one go. 

On the software interaction front, the Find N3 improves office efficiency by enabling users to directly access files made in Apple’s office trio Keynote, Pages, and Numbers, as well as CAD engineering drawings. This breaks down a barrier between Android and Apple, enabling seamless file sharing.

Conclusion

The Oppo Find N3 performs well in terms of chipset performance, screen quality, camera capabilities, and battery life, setting a new benchmark in the foldable smartphone category. It is just as well that the Find N3 is suitable for business professionals, as its relatively high price excludes many other consumer groups.

Pros

• Thin and lightweight entrant in the foldable category
• Leathery design for a firm grip
• LPTO screen with 120Hz adaptive refresh rate
• Great camera performance for a foldable phone
• Large battery and 67W fast charging technology
• Self-developed security chip

Cons

• Slightly heavy for long-time use and carrying in the pocket 
• Gaming on the device takes some getting used to
• No wireless charging support
• Expensive

OnePlus launched its Nord Buds 2 globally at a budget-friendly price of $59 in April. Our team received a gray model for a two-week trial. Here’s our take on the new earbuds. 

The Nord Buds 2, may cost $20 more than their predecessors, but they’re still some of the most affordable earbuds on the market and deliver solid audio quality and impressive active noise cancellation (ANC). Equipped with four microphones, the stylish earbuds – also available in white – come with a 12.4mm dynamic titanium driver, a 36-hour battery life, and IP55 water and dust resistance.

Stylish design and comfortable fit

With a stylish look and sustainably sourced materials, the Nord Buds 2 ought to appeal to a younger consumer base. The smooth, eye-catching design is augmented with speckled accents on the buds’ bodies, though at first glance this can be mistaken for specks of dust.

The compact, oval-shaped charging case and earbuds may be made of plastic, but they feel durable. There are three sizes of silicon tips available, the buds weighing 4.7 grams per earpiece, and despite somewhat chubby stems, they sat in my ears comfortably. 

The snug fit, combined with an IP55 rating which means they are resistant to light sweat and rain, makes the earbuds suitable for wearing during exercise. Over the fortnight I had them, I walked and jogged with them in and they didn’t fall out. 

Audio quality and active noise cancellation

For the price, the Nords Buds 2 deliver a relatively crisp sound quality with clear vocals, soothing treble, and convincing deep bass. The plus-sized 12.4 mm drivers feature a larger diaphragm with titanium coating, meaning users rarely need to turn the volume up beyond 50%. 

Impressively, the Nord Buds 2 are the first Nord product with up to 25dB2 of active noise cancellation. While noise-canceling is a standard feature in more expensive wireless earbuds, it is still not common in earbuds costing less than $100. ANC is effective at muting consistent low-frequency sounds, and can block some high-pitch frequencies too, without eliminating them. 

A surprising drawback is that the earbuds lack in-ear detection, meaning they are unable to automatically detect if they are being worn or removed. 

Battery life and tap controls

The Nord Buds 2 come with a 480 mAh battery that gives you seven hours of usage. With the case, they work for up to 36 hours. However, when using ANC, the battery life is reduced to five hours for the earbuds and 27 hours with the charging case. 

The earbuds support fast-charging and can gain five hours more battery life on just a 10 minute charge. Based on our test, the buds can support a two-hour commute every day and only need to be charged once a week.

The Nord Buds 2 come with built-in controls for quick adjustments, such as:

• One tap: Play or pause your music
• Double tap: Skip forward
• Triple tap: Skip backward
• Press and hold: Turn noise-canceling on or off

There is no tap control for volume however, and sometimes you can trigger commands without meaning to: when we went to adjust the earbuds to fit our ears, we accidentally turned off the noise-canceling mode. There is also no option to seamlessly switch between devices while wearing the buds. Each time you change from a laptop to a phone or tablet, you have to reconnect the earbuds, adding a degree of inconvenience. 

Conclusion

In general, the Nord Buds 2 are great value at $59. They deliver good sound quality and functional noise-canceling, despite lacking in-ear detection and seamless connectivity.

Pros

• Stylish design
• Lightweight and comfortable fit
• Dust and water resistant
• Great audio performance with convincing bass
• Impressive noise-canceling for the price
• Long-lasting battery
• Fast-charging support

Cons

• Speckled design looks dusty
• No in-ear detection
• Connectivity issues

Oppo released the flip foldable phone Find N2 Flip globally in February as the brand’s first foray into the flip foldable smartphones. The device has been on sale in Europe and Asia since March, with a price of 849 euros ($978). The phone comes with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage and in two colors: purple and black. Our team received a black model for review and tried it out for a fortnight. 

The Find N2 Flip is the smaller flip foldable in Oppo’s first foldable release. The Find N2 is a bigger standard foldable that gives users twice the usual screen space. The Find N2 Flip is well-designed, likely to appeal to younger customers with lightweight design, large secondary display, and pocketable size. 

The key specs

Powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 9000+ processor, the Find N2 Flip offers a 6.8-inch AMOLED main screen and a 3.26-inch external screen. Flip phones tend to have small batteries due to their compact bodies and large hinges, but the Find N2 Flip managed to use a large battery of 4300mAh. In addition, the camera system includes a 50MP main camera with a Sony IMX890 sensor, 8MP ultra-wide camera, and a 32MP front camera.

Cute outer display and pocketable

The Find N2 Flip is surprisingly thin and light, weighing just 191g and measuring 7.45mm when folded. The device’s size when folded resembles a small makeup mirror – it’s delicate and compact and can be easily placed in a small bag or pocket. When handled in the palm of the hand, the Find N2 flip delivers a smooth and natural feel. 

With 3.26 inches, the Find N2 Flip’s external screen is the largest of any flip smartphone currently available. Despite the device’s lightweight and pocketable size, its external screen is big enough to showcase meaningful information and also allows users to check notifications, play music, answer calls, and take photos, so there’s no need to flip open the phone constantly. The Find N2 Flip offers six widgets for its cover screen, including weather, timer, audio recorder, camera, calendar, and earbud controls. Though the cover screen functions are currently limited, Oppo has repeatedly promised that it will expand the selection over time. 

Once opened up, the device feels a bit less convenient, the phone seems a little long and isn’t as easily swipe-able, especially after easy access on the external screen. The size of Find N2 Flip after unfolding is 166.2mm x 75.2mm x 7.45mm, while the 6.8-inch AMOLED inner screen has a ratio of 21:9. 

Adding to its cuteness factor and a clear attraction for younger users, the Find N2 Flip comes with five exclusive cartoon pet wallpapers. Users can choose different animals to display on the external screen, with cartoon pets displaying different animated states based upon how the device is being used. For example, when listening to a song, the pets on the wallpaper will “listen along.” Users can also click on the screen to “interact” with the pets.

Oppo uses a new Flexion Hinge, which ensures better resistance to dust, leaves little gap when closing the device and makes the fold barely visible. Although we admittedly only used the device for two weeks, we could hardly see the crease of the inner screen from the front and could only view a faint hint from the side under bright lighting. According to the company, even after 216,000 folds and unfolds, lab tests found that the crease remains almost imperceptible from most angles.

Durable battery and standard performance

When it comes to smartphone design, less space usually means less room for other components, like batteries. The improved, miniaturized hinge in Find N2 Flip made room for a high-capacity, fast-charging battery. To improve battery performance further, Oppo also worked closely with MediaTek to create an optimized version of the Dimensity 9000+ chip. In addition to the large battery capacity of 4300mAh, 44W SUPERVOOC fast charging allows users to go from nearly empty to 50 percent in just 23 minutes, and to 100 percent within one hour. Under normal usage conditions with screen time of between four and five hours, we were easily able to make the batter last for a day and a half or even two days. However, the device does not support wireless charging. 

The phone handles multitasking with ease and glides through multiple apps without a stutter. It’s unfortunate that the Find N2 flip is only available in a single memory and storage configuration of 8GB RAM/256GB internationally. In the Chinese market, the phone options are more diversified with 12GB RAM or 16GB RAM and 512GB of storage.

Photo friendly

The Oppo Find N2 Flip is equipped with a 50MP main camera with a Sony IMX890 sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 32MP front camera. The 50MP main camera performs well in the day, offering detailed, crisp, and natural-colored imagery. Oppo’s self-developed MariSilicon X imaging system introduces better night shooting capabilities. 

Here are some examples of the device’s daylight and nighttime photography capabilities from our trial: 

The Find N2 Flip’s foldability also expands its photography features. With the cameras still operable when the device is partially folded, the phone can be placed on a surface for stable photography or video recording without the use of a tripod. It can also be used as a sort of camcorder when opened up to 90º, making for a more stable filming experience compared to the standard smartphone.

Conclusion

Although the Find N2 Flip is Oppo’s first flip foldable phone, it provides a mature product experience. The elegant design, compact body, weight, strong camera performance, and large battery all make Find N2 Flip an impressive option in the foldable phone category. 

Pros

• Large external screen
• Unnoticeable crease
• Decent 50MP main camera
• Large battery capacity for a flip phone

Cons

• Limited functions on the external screen
• No wireless charging
• No water resistance

Vivo, the Chinese phone maker known for its budget-friendly devices, released its new V27 series in India in early March, priced from $289 to $459. The mid-range smartphone lineup consists of the V27, V27 Pro, and V27e, with the V27 Pro being the premium model. TechNode has been trying V27 Pro out for the last fortnight and below are our thoughts.

The specs

The V27 Pro features a 6.78-inch 120Hz AMOLED screen, 50MP front and rear cameras, a 4,600mAh battery, 66W fast charging support, and a FunTouch OS 13 system based on Android 13. The Aura Light Portrait System is equipped with a Sony IMX766V Sensor and OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) support, which can create clear natural night photos in low-light environments. 

Powered by Dimensity 8200, a competitive 4nm chip, the V27 Pro is available in two colors, namely the Magic Blue and Noble Black. It offers three storage variants: 8GB + 128GB, 8GB + 256GB, 12GB + 512GB; the prices are respectively  37,999, 39,999, and 42,999 rupees ($462, $486, $523).

Sleek design

The V27 Pro’s most unique design features include its incredibly thin body design, color-changing back panel glass, and a 3D curved display with a 120Hz refresh rate. 

Vivo shaved the device’s thickness down to 7.4mm, making the V27 Pro the thinnest phone with a curved edge screen in the company’s history. The thickness of the Noble Black edition is 7.36mm while the thickness of the Magic Blue edition is 7.4mm. The thin design also makes the phone lightweight, weighing only 182g. But the phone does feel occasionally slippery in hand without a case, however. So the accompanying transparent phone case is a must if you want to ensure a good grip on the device. 

The phone’s back cover can change colors from light blue to dark blue depending on the light, adding to the phone’s stylish feel. 

The V27 Pro offers a 6.78-inch 3D curved screen with a refresh rate of 120Hz and ultra-high brightness. The 120Hz refresh rate and a visual enhancement feature provide a smooth gaming and video-watching experience. The 3D curved screen offers rich detail, but the device lacks stereo speakers, meaning the sound quality of the phone is average at best.

Beautiful night shooting

The V27 Pro features a 50MP primary rear camera with an f/1.9 aperture and OIS (optical image stabilization). It is assisted by an 8MP ultra-wide lens, a 2MP macro camera, and a ring-shaped dual-LED flash. On the front, the phone gets a 50MP selfie camera with an f/2.5 aperture and autofocus support.

The rear camera of V27 Pro has a 50MP OIS Ultra-Sensing Camera with Sony IMX766 sensor, which allows users to shoot clear, natural, and atmospheric night photos with ease. In addition, OIS allows for a longer exposure and increases light intake by six times, producing more stable snapshots and boosting image quality in low-light conditions. 

The following are some night street scenes we took with the device:

On cloudy days, the V27 Pro struggles to accentuate and enhance the natural light. Images taken in overcast conditions can therefore look a little dull and mediocre. However, the camera performs much better in warmer, brighter climates. Here are some photos we took to demonstrate the contrast between cloudy days and sunny days shooting with the phone:

The V27 Pro comes with a new wedding-style portrait feature, which is inspired by styles from Indian weddings. We did not have the opportunity to shoot a wedding, but this feature is worth exploring. The mode allows users to select three different filters, such as Prosecco, New Retro, and Pastels. Each one creates unique aesthetics, allowing users to choose the best style based on their preferences.

Performance and software

The V27 Pro is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 8200 (4nm) chipset as its core processor, which is paired with 8GB/12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 128GB/256GB UFS 3.1 storage. The storage isn’t expandable. The V27 Pro scored 839,769 points on the AnTuTu software benchmarking system, which is a good performance for mid-range phones in similar price ranges. As a reference, the Apple iPhone SE 2022 (iPhone SE 3) AnTuTu overall benchmark score is 762,983. Daily tasks such as watching videos, screen scrolling, sending messages, and playing games are relatively smooth compared to other mid-range phones. However, the phone does slow down and heat up a bit when running multiple apps in the background or playing high-performance games for more than an hour.

The V27 Pro comes pre-installed with the latest version of FunTouch OS 13, which is based on Android 13. It is a highly-customized mobile OS system based on Android. The “app pinning” feature helps to secure sensitive data that is convenient when someone else uses your phone. It is the capability to lock an application on the device’s screen and restricts the user from accessing anything else on the phone. However, this feature comes with a certain limitation as you will affect other functions on your device such as incoming calls, notifications & alarms.

Its split-screen mode is also effective, especially when wanting to copy information from one app to another, or when sending a message without interrupting the video-playing. 

While the phone comes with a 4600 mAh battery and support for 66W fast charging, it lacks wireless charging capability. Another downside is that the phone comes pre-installed with a slew of unnecessary apps. Also disappointing is the phone’s lack of dust and water resistance, making it less adaptable to different conditions.

Conclusion

The V27 Pro is an attractive phone with a decent design and impressive nighttime photography capabilities.  It can be a good mid-range phone for customers with a limited budget. 

Pros

• Elegant design and color-changing back panel
• Takes high-quality photos in low light
• 66W fast charging support
• 3D curved AMOLED screen with 120Hz refresh rate
• Triple camera system with a 50MP main camera

Cons

• Slippery without phone case
• Lack of stereo speakers
• No wireless charging support
• Lacks water and dust resistance
• Comes with unnecessary pre-installed apps

TechNode got hold of Vivo’s X90 Pro, the premium product of the Chinese phone maker’s new flagship series launched globally on February 3, and spent the last fortnight trying it out. Below are our thoughts on the phone.

The X90 Pro excels at visual capture. This is unsurprising given Vivo’s collaboration with optics master Zeiss and the phone’s 1-inch camera sensor. The X90 Pro introduces consumers to Vivo’s own optical image stabilization (OIS) technology, allowing for more intelligent and precise stabilization correction. It also boasts improved light sensitivity, aperture size, and natural color processing. The phone uses MediaTek Dimensity 9200 as the core processing chip, which we found gave it plenty of power for daily use plus enough left over to indulge in high-performance gaming.

The series was first released in China last November, starting with the X90 Pro. Now, you can buy the X90 in China and Southeast Asia, while the X90 Pro has reached stores in Southeast Asia and Europe. The new series ranges in price from $600 to $950, depending on model, storage, and where in Asia you’re shopping.

If you’re thinking of buying a new phone, it’s also worth comparing other offerings in a similar price range to Vivo’s X90 series. For example, Xiaomi’s 13 series will be launched globally on Feb. 26, costing an estimated $650 to $1,000.

Professional visuals with help from Zeiss 

For the series, Vivo partnered with German optical firm Zeiss to develop a large 1-inch IMX989 sensor. On the X90 Pro, the effort resulted in a stunning imaging system that excels in various scenarios and offers a wide aperture that opens up to f/1.75. 

Apart from Zeiss components, the X90 Pro is equipped with Vivo’s exclusively customized V2 Chip, which provides four major functional improvements on the imaging front. For example, the chip adopts a newly upgraded AI noise reduction algorithm, which boosts the main chip for further enhanced resolution in photos and videos captured at night. Some of our sample images were shot on a drizzling, foggy night in Shanghai, but the phone still managed to capture crisp, vivid images.

X90 Pro handled nighttime photography well in our tests. With a clean and depth-enhanced output, the camera displayed a similar level of professional, vivid imagery to photos taken with a large DSLR camera. In a richly lit environment, we can see the light and shadow effect between the buildings in great detail.

It is worth mentioning that when we shot a street lamp at night, the halo effect was minimized, and glare was almost absent. The phone also produces little noise in low-light settings. 

X90 Pro also uses ZEISS Natural Color 2.0 color profile, giving photos a realistic look. The two daylight photos above were taken in a natural tone setting. Many Android phones tend to render photos too bright, but the X90 Pro avoids this issue. 

A screen kinder for the eyes and a vegan leather back

X90 Pro features a 6.78-inch 3D curved screen with eye protection mode. With refinement of software and hardware, the screen decreases flicker and automatically adjusts brightness according to the ambient light and time of day, thereby reducing eye fatigue in dark environments. Besides, the new luminescent material reduces the level of harmful blue light.  

However, the X90 Pro only has a curved screen option, which may not be the first choice for users who favor a flat screen.

The X90 Pro features vegan leather which feels good in the hand and is dirt-proof. But this may not be popular with younger customers. Moreover, it’s a bit heavy to hold and somewhat lengthy to carry in the pocket. 

High gaming performance, cluttered UI

Vivo used a dual-chip setup for the new X90 series, including MediaTek Dimensity 9200 and vivo V2 Chip. With Dimensity 9200, X90 Pro, and X90 have ultrahigh AnTuTu Benchmark scores (a cell phone specs testing site) of 1.26 million and 1.22 million, representing a massive leap in performance.

We played Genshin Impact for 30 minutes, a mobile game known for its high demand on phone systems, setting it at the highest quality of 60 frames per second. The display was smooth when running pictures and fighting monsters. During playtime, the phone’s temperature was around 42 Celsius (107.6 Fahrenheit).

The phone’s user interface could use some improvement, as its default setting is a little crowded with all the recommended apps, games, and advertisements.

The X90 Pro offers a 120w wired fast charge and a 4,870 mAh large battery that takes only 29 mins to charge to 100%. For now, the series doesn’t support wireless charging.

Conclusion

In about two weeks’ use, the biggest advantage of the Vivo X90 Pro we found was its camera. It’s a good choice for photographers and can help hobbyists take better snaps. The vegan leather case design makes the phone unique. Its dual-chip setup assures smooth daily use and entertainment. As for long-term performance, it may need further observation when comparing MediaTek Dimensity 9200 with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. Below, TechNode summarized the main advantages and drawbacks we found with the Vivo X90 Pro: 

Pros

• Powerful camera system with Zeiss
• Dual chip technology MediaTek Dimensity 9200 and Vivo V2 chip
• Innovative design with the vegan leather
• High performance for gaming with eye protection screen
• 120W Dual-Cell FlashCharge

Cons

• No flat screen version, only rounded
• Inconvenient to carry in the pocket due to long screen
• Rear camera with protruding lens may cause dissenting views
• No support for wireless charging
• Too many built-in apps after startup

Phantom, a sub-brand of Chinese smartphone maker Tecno, released the X2, an update to its premium phone series, on Wednesday at a release event held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Tecno operates and serves in over 70 global markets. Transsion, Tecno’s parent firm, accounted for 48% of the African smartphone market in the second quarter of 2022, according to IDC, with Tecno alone taking 9.81% of the African smartphone market as of November.

Last year, Tecno relaunched its Phantom brand with a focus on the premium smartphone market amid an ambitious global expansion plan. The annual flagship, Phantom X2 5G, is the second generation of this brand and priced at 2,699 in South African Rands ($718) for all the first batches of available regions, including India, Nigeria, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, Colombia, Turkey, and the Philippines.

The phone has a decent body design and operating system, as well as long battery life. The device’s occasional inconsistent camera performance might undermine its ambition to compete with rivals’ high-spec flagship models. 

An impressive design

The Phantom X2 5G adopts a dual-curved body design. The rounded edges and glass back make it a comfortable device to hold. The “Stardust Grey” color – a lightly shiny graphite shade – gives it a smart, low-key business look. 

The frame on top has a mirror-like surface, while other parts are dull-polished to match the back case. The 6.8-inch punch-hole display looks frameless and is easy to control with one hand, considering its narrow width. And for a phone of this size, the X2 5 G’s weight is also acceptable – at 210.3 grams, slightly heavier than an iPhone 14 Pro.

The display performs well most of the time but can struggle when outdoors. Its peak brightness of 700 nits is not enough to see content in bright sunlight. There is an option in the settings that offer higher display brightness, but it consumes more power, and the phone might experience overheating.

Responsive OS 

The phone comes with the Android 12-based HiOS. The system runs smoothly and exceeds regular Android OS with rich built-in features and redesigned user interface.

The interface has a friendly color scheme and feels intuitive and accessible. The system provides a guide to help new users get familiar with the core features and system navigations.

There are also some well-designed widgets like Weather and To-dos. The negative home screen is replaced with a collection of widgets. 

Another highlight is one can access Tecno’s purpose-built sidebar using the “back” swipe. It’s useful for accessing common functions and apps quickly, even if the default trigger is a bit too sensitive at times.

Solid core performance 

Built with MediaTek’s 2021-launched flagship chipset Dimensity 9000, the phone can cope easily with daily use and is well-equipped for most heavy workloads. We tested it with top gaming titles from Google Play, such as Apex Mobile, Asphalt 9, and Genshin Impact. Apex Mobile and Asphalt ran smoothly, but when we pushed it further by running demanding games like Genshin Impact, the phone experienced frame drops and overheating.

The phone offers only 8GB RAM, but what surprised us is that, even while playing games, the system manages to keep previously-opened apps running in the background. 

For battery life and charging speed, the Phantom X2 5G is equipped with a large 5,160 mAh battery, meaning it can last all day with normal usage. But its 45-wattage charging speed falls well short of its premium market rivals, with other brands offering at least 60 W or even 200 W charging. With the charger coming in the box, it takes 90 minutes to fully charge from 20%. The phone also appears to use a private charging protocol, so when we connect it with a Power Delivery (PD) charger, the charging wattage is even lower.

The under-screen fingerprint recognition solution is appealing and easy to use, but it doesn’t always respond as quickly as expected, frustrating at times.

Mixed camera performance 

The Phantom X2 5G has a mixed camera performance. In some shooting scenarios, especially portrait mode, the results are stunning; yet the camera underperforms in full resolution mode, night mode, and can have some issues in color rendering.

The device has a triple camera system, with the main lens supporting a resolution of 64 million pixels. In regular mode, it can capture nice shots, but the full resolution – 64MP mode – is less ideal and pictures shot with this option can come out worse than ones taken in regular mode. The images do look larger than the low-resolution versions, but they would lack details.

The AI camera can recognize different scenarios most of the time, optimizing the images automatically. It can also combine different modes, for example, portraits with night or street view and HDR (high-dynamic range). 

The night mode is a bit disappointing, with a long wait (around six seconds) and often a worse image result than the normal mode.

The camera also occasionally captures images with some color issues. Highlights and shadows sometimes come with color aberration. The issue saw a slight improvement after a system update.

Conclusion

The Phantom X2 5G is pricier than other mid-end phones. The nice design in the back case and frameless display make a great first impression. Its front camera, system UI, system optimization, and battery life all perform well, but its back cameras and charging speed could use some improvements.

Here are our major takeaways on the Phantom X2 5G:

Pros

• A premium body design
• Satisfying selfie experience
• Well-optimized system
• Large battery

Cons

• Unstable image quality with back cameras
• Slow charging speed
• A display with low peak brightness and refresh rate

HHOGene, a new consumer electronics brand founded by the former CEO of Alibaba’s DingTalk Chen Hang, launched its first product GPods, an earbud that can beam lights, and have raised more than $120,000 on an Indiegogo campaign earlier this year. 

The GPods come with innovative light effects that are customizable, a unique selling point. It also has a comfortable wearing experience and decent sound quality in its price range. With a flashy light feature, the product targets fashion followers and music lovers that prefer something different. 

HHOGene GPods will be first available from Nov. 1 in the US, priced at $169. The brand offers four extra earbud casings to allow users to customize its light textures.

Shiny look with customizable light effects

The body design of the earbuds looks plain, but when you turn it on, its eye-catching light effects set it apart from other true wireless stereos (TWS).

The whole outer side of the “handle” parts of both earbuds can glow. The casing on the lights is well-processed to create a foggy effect, making the light look soft and elegant. HHOGene also offers detachable casings to help users switch from different textures. 

The light effects are customizable via a paired app, which has a neat and user-friendly UI and offers a variety of color pattern presets to choose from. Users can also generate customized patterns from photos. There’s even an option to make the earbuds glow with a color that matches one’s clothes.

The earbuds can also glow in sync with the rhythm of the song being played over them, with four modes for users to choose from – Ripple, Pulse, Bright, and Breath.

One can adjust brightness. However, the maximum brightness is still not enough, meaning the effect can be lost in bright daylight.

In-ear experience

HHOGene has done a good job in comfort. It’s less noticeable in the ears, thanks to its lightweight design (5.7 g per earbud) and comfortable tips. It remained a comfortable and snug fit after hours of wearing. However, the actual experience could naturally vary due to people’s different ear shapes.

The earbuds also offer controls on the handles. One can set different functions, such as skipping songs, pausing play, and answering phone calls, for gestures including single, double, or triple taps, and long presses for each side separately.

Clear sound with unique tone

GPods surprised us with its sound quality. The buds offers a clear and balanced tone and do a good job of capturing the details of music: high frequency is bright; the bass is solid and strong but not overwhelming. It don’t offer an intense, sometimes tiring listening experience as some of the other mainstream options in the market.

A special point lies in its presentation of the human voice, which feels especially close to our ears.

For the hardware specs, HHOGene GPods adopt a processor named BES2500 from Chinese firm Bestechnic, which is also used in Oppo and Huawei’s TWS products. They feature a mainstream Bluetooth 5.2 version, with AAC and SBC supports.

The potential of the earbuds’ sound quality is limited by its audio codec. It’s particularly telling when connecting to an Android device, as most of them have aptX codec, delivering higher-quality sound than the AAC codec, which GPods use. iPhone users don’t have such concerns as the devices only support AAC. 

Noise cancellation and other specs 

HHOGene Pods support active noise cancellation (ANC) and have a transparent mode like rival TWS in a similar price range. However, the feature is lackluster. 

One can tell the difference when turning the ANC feature on, but it’s far from satisfying. Another drawback is the background noise. One can hear weak white noise, like current pulses, when listening at certain low volumes. For people who prioritize ANC features in earbuds, there are better options in the market. 

Given the issues with this feature, it might be a better idea to simply turn it off and save an extra hour of battery life. The buds offer up to five hours with one charge, and 20 hours with the case.

Users can see the battery percentage of both earbuds and the charging case from their app. The app has also been optimized for Apple devices so that you can view the earbuds’ battery status on iOS’s widgets.

The earbuds have a relatively larger charging case in terms of body size. With the largest side facing up, the HHOGene Pods case is almost twice the size of that the Apple Airpods Pro in thickness. For people who are used to putting charging cases in their pockets, this may feel chunky. 

In summary, the HHOGene Pods is an impressive design. There are numerous TWS products that have hit the market in recent years but we rarely see something that introduces new designs while also offering a reasonable price and good sound quality.

Here are our main takeaways:

Pros

• Innovative light effects
• Comfortable in-ear experience
• Competitive price
• Long battery life 

Cons

• Oversized charging case
• Less-satisfying active noise cancellation
• No support for better audio codecs such as aptX or aptX HD

Correction: An earlier version of this article mistakenly said the brightness of the earbuds is unadjustable.

Chinese phone maker Oppo released its new generation of smartwatches, the Watch 3 series, in August with a price tag of RMB 1,599 – RMB 2,099 ($228 – $300). The company first entered the watch market in 2020 and updated it annually.  

The latest series has a new look and offer more premium features such as long battery life, and always-on feature supported by LTPO OLED display. 

The version we tested, the Watch 3 Pro, is currently only available in mainland China and Oppo has yet to reveal any plans regarding overseas markets, but there is an expectation that it will eventually be sold internationally. 

A refreshed design

The first thing that impressed us about Oppo’s new Watch 3 Pro is the massive 48.5 mm curved display. It offers more space to display content than most of its Android rivals. Apple’s newly released Apple Watch Ultra comes with a 49 mm display but is more than doubled the price of Oppo’s offering.

The larger display enables the watch to showcase more information and users can track more metrics at the same time. An innovative change is the watch’s curved display, which fits better with one’s wrist and offers a clearer view when checking the watch from different angles. 

Another good touch of the watch is the mechanical rotating crown on the side. It offers another tangible way to interact with the watch, considering slides on the touch screen may sometimes block the display of other content. The crown also stimulates realistic mechanical vibration feedback when spinning.

Improvable on-wrist experience

The watch’s large size leads to a heavier weight of 37.5 g (without bands), – a thing to adjust for those who are used to a more lightweight watch. 

The black model we reviewed came with a classic-looking black rubber strap. The band is fastened through steps rather than being completely adjustable, which leaves it open to the possibility of being either too loose or too tight if your wrist doesn’t match up with the fixed steps. 

The rubber material is waterproof (potentially making it a good companion for swimmers) and is also easy to clean. But for all-day use, we would recommend getting a nylon or Milanese strap, which fits more wrist sizes and has better breathability. If you want a more stylish look, the silver version with a leather strap could also be a better choice.

Solid core experience

The system interface has a decent design, with good readability and accessibility. The font size and weight are well chosen, while essential information is marked with vivid colors. The transitional animation is quick and clean. 

With a swipe of the home screen, the watch can access all essential secondary interfaces, like essential health metrics, widgets, quick setting toggles, and notifications, similar to a phone’s swipe-up feature.

The watch we reviewed was installed with ColorOS, and given its marketing to the Chinese market, it did not support Google Play or any other WearOS features. It provided over 80 apps through the built-in app store, covering the most common Chinese apps such as WeChat and Alipay. This means that if you enable the e-SIM feature, you can leave your phone at home and have access to the most essential software.

And just like other smartwatches, you can receive notifications and calls, monitor sleep stages, and conduct a quick electrocardiogram (ECG) test. However, the ECG app, for now, says “coming soon.”

A good workout companion 

When doing intense workouts, the weight of the watch and its slightly rigid watch band take some getting used to. 

Despite that, the Watch 3 Pro has the potential to be a great exercise companion tool. Oppo sets four goals for users to hit, displaying these as four loops: steps, calories, workout, and activity. We found it a little harder to achieve the default goals, but one can adjust them to meet your needs.

The device can auto-detect six kinds of workout, including running, walking, cycling, swimming, elliptical machine work, and rowing machine activity. We tested walking and cycling and it had no problem detecting the former, but somehow missed the latter so we had to manually record the workout from the health app instead.

When it comes to manually recording, the watch offers dozens of types of workouts to choose from, with some featuring detailed subcategories. Dance, for example, has ten different styles, including waltz, street, and jazz. While this enables fitness enthusiasts to track their niche interests, it can feel daunting to new dancers. It also lacks a more general choice to record less common or freestyle workouts.

The recorded workout generally offers information about GPS mapping, duration, burnt calories, heart rate, etc. It even highlights different heart rate zones, helping users understand how close to their maximum heart rate a certain activity is getting them; for example, zone one is “warmup” and zone two is “fat burn.” 

Long battery life

The Oppo Watch 3 Pro’s battery life is impressive. Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 processor provides higher performance and halves the amount of power consumption compared with the last generation. It has a large 550 mAh battery, even bigger than Apple Watch Ultra’s battery volume, according to iFixit.

We turned almost all features on, including the always-on-display, all-day heart rate and blood oxygen monitoring, and workout auto-detect, to drain its power as soon as possible. We also paired it with a phone that was installed with dozens of news and social media apps, sending a plethora of notifications to ensure that the watch display has a longer illuminated period. Despite all this, the watch managed to last three days without charging. For regular usage, the battery should last a few more days.

With its charging stand, the watch can be fully charged in around an hour. 

What surprised us is that Oppo adopted a universal design for its charging stand: you can plug in any USB Type-C cable and supported charger to power it. Helping travelers to carry one less cable. 

Another neat feature is that the stand uses magnets to connect with the watch, charging through contactors. Compared with wireless charging, it can reduce overheating issues, but the contact points could also age from oxidation and corrosion.

Conclusion

The Oppo Watch 3 Pro has a classic design, a large display, long battery life, and a solid core experience. There is room for improvement, such as a more comfortable strap and weight reduction, but overall it is a reasonably priced high-end Android smartwatch. 

The upcoming overseas version should come with the full suite of Google offerings. We would recommend this watch to Android users with a larger wrist size, especially those who own an Oppo phone and can therefore unlock features across devices. For Apple users, it can still provide core smartwatch features and comes with a cheaper price tag than an Apple Watch. 

Here is our summary:

Pros:

• Long three-day battery life with all features on
• Large display
• Classic design
• Solid core experience and health monitoring
• Separate charging stand
• A competitive price tag

Cons:

• Less comfortable on the wrist with the default rubber band
• Auto workout detection and data monitoring are less reliable on occasion

Major Chinese phone vendor Vivo launched its new V25 Pro overseas last month, targeting mid-end markets. Launched in 2015 with the V1, the V series is a product line exclusive to overseas regions. The V25 series is priced from $310 to $550 and sell in more than 20 markets across Southeast Asia, South Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and others. 

The new phone has powerful cameras and a unique light-changing design on the body case. Its core performance specs are also enough for daily use. Yet there are notable shortcomings with its system user interface design and gaming performance. It’s a phone for people who prioritize good camera functions, but may not be ideal for an avid gamer on the same budget, which Xiaomi’s Redmi and Realme might have more competitive offers. 

Customizable, color-changing design

The V25 Pro’s back case has a shiny effect courtesy of its processed glass material. It reflects light in a “bling-bling” way. According to Vivo, the phone adopts a color-changing technique that alters its color after exposure to sunlight or ultraviolet (UV) rays for ten minutes. The function offers users a way to customize the back case by blocking the light with stickers. The parts exposed to light will present a deeper blue, while the rest remains in the original light blue like a watermark. The eye-catching effect is temporary and disappears within minutes depending on the lighting conditions. Vivo also didn’t provide stickers or other tools to help with such customization. 

The phone’s camera area in the back is well-designed, with lenses less prominent than rivals. Also, the phone adopts the popular dual-curved design, which gives it a great visual impact and makes for a good holding experience.

Realistic imagery

The Vivo V25 Pro’s cameras are among its most impressive features. The phone is equipped with triple back cameras: a 64 million pixel ultra-sensing camera, an 8 million pixel super wide-angle camera, and a 2 million pixel macro camera. The ultra-wide and macro cameras have much lower resolutions than the main one.

The cameras can capture realistic tones and deliver a natural look without being too plain.

It doesn’t over-process pictures, like up saturation and contrast levels for a more vivid and digitally sharpened look. The phone’s algorithm shows a preference for restricting highlights to keep more detail, offering a well-balanced tone. This could be a differentiator for users wanting a more realistic rendering.

The cameras also perform well in low light, capturing pictures fast and preserving details, thanks to its algorithms and optical image stabilization tech. The phone also comes with rich features for vlogging, such as dual view and fast autofocus.

Underwhelming UI

The phone comes with Funtouch 12, an Android-based system. But Vivo’s customization of this UI has a dated feel and is a bit disappointing. 

Most phone brands design their own home widgets like clocks, weather, and calendar. The system’s icon designs lack contrast in color and pattern, making it hard to distinguish their functions, while the names lack shadows and darkening effects to stand out from the wallpaper sometimes.

Vivo’s theme store can upgrade the looks but will cost money.

Ample for everyday apps

Built with a mid-end processor, MediaTech Dimensity 1300, and 12 GB RAM (plus eight RAM more offered by software), the phone can handle most daily tasks with ease.

We attempt to open as many apps as possible from the Google Play store and find the phone can handle over 20 frequently used apps running in the background and can resume any of them in an instant. Due to its high-speed UFS 3.1 storage chip, the phone is also fast when opening new apps.

The phone can handle playing casual game titles that demand less performance, with no overheating or frame-dropping issues. But with a 6nm mid-end processor, don’t expect the phone to handle heavy work for extended periods. 

When we played the demanding open-world game Genshin Impact with the highest setting, the CPU temperature reading from popular benchmark app Antutu shot up from 40 degrees Celsius to almost 80 degrees Celsius. The frame stability was fine, but the display emitted a lot of heat, which makes it uncomfortable to hold while playing.

Battery and charging performance is enough for daily use, too. The Vivo V25 Pro has a 4830 mAh battery with 66 W maximum charging wattage. We tested it with 20% battery life remaining, and within the first 10 minutes, it had charged to 47%. The phone took another 35 minutes to be fully charged, not as fast but still at an acceptable speed.

The battery can last reasonably long if you don’t push it too much. In the Genshin Impact testing, 50% of the battery life was gone in just two hours of gameplay. But left alone, with no heavy apps running, and the phone’s battery could last for more than two days. 

Conclusion

The Vivo V25 Pro is a good budget choice as a primary phone for daily use. It has a large battery to support all-day use, considerable RAM for heavy multitasking, and good cameras that deliver realistic shots. And yes, it has a unique back case that can change color for a short period. 

But it struggles to handle high-performance game titles, and some may find the system UI uninspiring. For people looking for higher performance within the same budget, the phone faces some serious competitors. 

Here’s our main takeaways on the phone:

Pros

• Unique, customizable back case design
• Good cameras that deliver realistic pictures 
• Large memory with extra volume powered by software
• All-day use battery life

Cons

• Dated system UI 
• Slower charging speed than some rivals
• Overtly overheat when playing performance-demanding titles

READ MORE: Honor 70 review: a mid-end phone with style

Chinese phone maker Honor released the Honor 70 for the overseas market on Saturday at Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin (IFA) 2022, an industry exhibition in Germany. The model was first launched in China earlier this year and was the best seller in mid-priced phones during the 618 shopping holiday, according to Honor.

Honor 70 is a primary product line with a mid-range price tag and specs, compared to its high-end Magic series and lower-priced X series. 

For the review, TechNode is testing the Honor 70 Crystal Silver with 8 GB RAM and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G Plus processor. 

The phone is targeted at users who have a tight budget but a preference for stylish design. It offers solid performance in terms of core specs and surprised us a little in some aspects. 

Design that shines

The phone adopts dual-curved edges on the display with a frame in the middle, which makes it feel frameless.

The crystal silver colorway we have has a crystal-like back case. The base color is mixed with sparkly “stardust” with a gradient from the top to the bottom. Using a faceted design usually seen in diamonds and other jewelry, the case reflects surrounding light while still giving a comfortable holding experience.

In keeping with the sleek design, the back cameras are contained within two circles: one with two cameras and the other with one camera and a flash. The black surface of the two circles also contrasts pleasingly with the silvery back of the phone.

Modern user interface with smooth experience

We are pleasantly surprised by the phone’s stylish user interface. The wallpaper corresponds with the phone’s body color, the icons are well-designed, and the widgets (clock, calendar, weather, and search bar) are composed in a comfortable and appealing way.

The interface uses vivid but not overtly bright color while incorporating smooth and natural motion and transition animations. In some cases, such as shutting down background apps, the animations are even a little playful, like giving out a flipping motion. The phone’s high refresh rate of 120 HZ display works well with the system animation, leveling up the user experience compared to previous models.

Mid-end specs that exceed expectations

From the look of the spec, Honor 70’s 8 GB RAM and a mid-end processor, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G Plus, the phone may not seem built to handle heavy work such as playing games that consume a lot of memories and put pressure on processors. But after trying it with a few different types of games, the phone responds relatively well.

We started by trying out casual games like Subway Surfers, an endless runner game. The phone runs quite well without dropping any frames and we barely feel any heat from the device. 

We then push it further by running the demanding roleplaying game Genshin Impact. When it runs this title, the system kills almost all other background apps, with its 8 RAM creating a bottleneck. And with the highest graphic preset of 60 fps option on, it runs smoothly most of the time, but it does drop frames when loading complex scenes or if you move your character quickly around the game. 

Meanwhile, playing Genshin Impact on the phone sees the CPU temperature rise from 30 to 47 degrees Celsius, according to a reading from Antutu, a popular Chinese phone benchmark app.

That temperature may seem acceptable, but we felt it was a bit too hot to hold when playing games in summer. For such memory-consuming game titles that may push the processor to its limits, you could consider lowering the graphic settings for a better experience.

The phone can handle ambitious tasks, but our advice is to not push it too hard. As for everyday apps, the specs are more than enough. The phone’s 8 GB RAM (plus 2 GB extra offered by an effective feature allowing storage to be added to RAM) can run more than 10 lightweight apps in the background at the same time. 

Cameras with rich features

The Honor 70 has a triple back camera module and single front camera, with rich and playful features for vlogging and shooting. Two of the back cameras support 50 million-plus pixel resolution.

We took it out for some shots and the camera did a good job, capturing some nice colors and proper exposure even in complex scenes with large shadows. 

Lowlight scenarios are challenging for phone cameras due to the tiny size of the sensor which directly determines the image quality. We test the Honor 70 in a darkened art gallery and the phone does quite well, capturing detailed images, with a good balance of highlights and shadows; the white balance is accurate most of the time. The camera also has a night mode and a Macro feature. 

Its Aperture Mode, which can create partially-blurred bokeh images, works well. Shots with this mode may not look as flawless as true optical bokeh driven by a larger sensor and aperture, but this mode nevertheless exceeds our expectations of what a phone camera can do.

A highlight feature is Multi-Videos, which offers a great filming experience for vloggers and e-commerce livestreamers when looking to demonstrate an item or experience. It allows you to use both the front and back cameras at the same time and display the image in a split screen. It can quickly catch and focus on the main subject with options to adjust the zoom and beautify the image.

Display and charging

The Honor 70 adopts a 6.67-inch punch-hold OLED display, with 2400 x 1080 resolution. The display works nicely when we test it with HDR video samples. This mode shows off the benefits of the phone’s OLED display which offers great contrast and definite black without lighting up the pixels.

The device tends to display colors in a cooler tone if you compare its display with that of other phones or juxtapose it with a white wall. You may get used to it after a long time using it, but it could make you feel slightly uncomfortable if you use multiple devices at the same time.

The model we tried had a 4,800 mAh battery, supporting 66 W charging with the charger that comes with the device. The battery life won’t be a concern if you don’t overburden it. The 66 W charging speed is another compromise, as many other similarly priced phones in China now offer 150 W or even 200 W high-speed charging speed.

However, for the average user, the 66 W charging speed should be plenty: it can still fully charge this phone up from 20% in less than 40 minutes. 

Conclusion 

The Honor 70 is a stylish choice for vloggers and fashionistas on a tight budget. Its core specs can support everyday apps quite well and even deliver in some demanding scenarios.

However, it does have certain compromises as a mid-end model, in particular with regards to its display, charging speed, and cameras.

Even so, we are still impressed by its rich camera features and elegant design, including both the body and the user interface. In short, here are our major takeaways:

Pros

• Eye-catching design with good holding experience
• Featured camera system for vloggers and livestreamers
• Well-designed and friendly user interface

Cons

• Relatively lower charging wattage
• Compromised display
• Lack of dual speakers
• Only one memory option available overseas

Xiaomi launched the 12S Pro in China in early July. The phone is the mid-range offering in Xiaomi’s new 12S lineup (including the 12S, 12S Pro, and 12S Ultra), which updates annually and targets a broad range of mid-end to high-end users. The series is also the first Xiaomi phones to use Leica lenses. TechNode got a hold of the 12S Pro and spent a week using and testing it. Below are our thoughts on the phone. 

The phone can be a solid choice as a primary daily device. The Leica-branded cameras can lure photography lovers, and the 12S Pro’s specs offer a quality entertainment experience. We would also recommend it to avid gamers and video watchers.

Pleasant holding experience

Xiaomi 12S Pro has curved edges from the back case to the front display, with a metal frame in the middle. The model has a higher width-to-height ratio, narrow enough to hold with one hand. The curved edges help reduce discomfort.

The back case is made of delicately frosted glasses, which, in combination with the white color, will be free from fingerprints. 

Gaming and video experience

The phone runs on Qualcomm’s latest flagship processor, Snapdragon 8 Gen 1+, and its power excels. 

We played Genshin Impact, a detailed sandbox mobile game known for demanding high device specs, and it ran quite smoothly on the device under the highest graphic preset. After almost two hours of gameplay, it rarely dropped frames, and the phone temperature remained relatively consistent, with the back case feeling a little heated. Antutu, a popular Chinese benchmark app, reads around 36 degrees Celsius of CPU without workload and up to 50 degrees Celsius after two hours of Genshin Impact gameplay. The metal frame lets out more heat than the back case. We would describe it as “warm” rather than “burning.” 

The phone has a 6.73-inch punch-hole display with 3200 x 1440 pixels. It also comes with a high 120 Hz refresh rate. A highlight we enjoy is the phone’s 20:9 display ratio. The phone offers a better experience for watching videos, considering most popular films display at around a 21:9 ratio.

The display can also achieve a 1,500-nit peak and a 1,000-nit general maximum brightness. A benefit lies in the outdoors experience with this phone, especially in bright, sunny environments. We tested it in such bright lighting conditions, and it offers decent display quality – the color looks normal, and the phone didn’t overheat when operating with the display set to maximum brightness.

The phone can also handle 4K HDR videos quite well in high-contrast scenes, showing details in both shadows and highlights. The dual speaker with Dolby Atom enhances the entertainment experience even further.

Built-in Leica profiles for the camera

A key highlight of the phone is its Leica lens and software. The phone comes with various Leica color profiles. In Photo mode, there are two default options: Leica Authentic and Leica Vibrant. Both modes offer a sharp, vivid look. The colors are punchy yet not too overwhelming, keeping much of the detail in the dark and highlighted areas.

There are two additional monochromatic Leica profiles listed in the filters tab. The high contrast one – Leica HC – provides the distinctive black and white look that Leica is known for. If you are a fan of black and white photography and perhaps a fan of Japanese street photographer Daido Moriyama’s work, this would be a fun filter to explore. 

When it comes to the portrait mode on the rear camera, however, Xiaomi 12S Pro’s algorithm-driven bokeh falls short. It couldn’t always recognize the edge of many subjects, including human hair and other complex scenes. Therefore, we recommend shooting at a lower aperture to improve this issue.

The phone has three rear cameras, offering a range from teleport to ultrawide with five times optical and 20 times digital zoom capacity. We shot in different zoom ranges from a single perspective to demo how it works.

We use the main rear camera to do a standard test of its optical performance in a 16:9 frame to put some extra pressure on the lenses. A notable takeaway is the slight chromatic aberration that appears in high contrast areas. But overall, the image is quite sharp from the center to the corners. 

The front camera takes good quality shots most of the time and comes with a built-in beautification feature to offer choices, making you look better in pictures. However, the phone’s algorithm tends to overexpose when using the front camera, losing details in the highlights. After upgrading the system, the issue improved a little so it could be more of a preset preference issue rather than a bug. 

Long battery life, ultra-fast charging, and multi-tasking 

The phone is equipped with a 4600 mAh large battery, with 120 W speed charge support. Battery life is not a concern for daily use, and we were surprised by the efficiency of the fast charging feature. 

Furthermore, the phone’s battery holds up in demanding situations. For example, after two and a half hours of demanding gaming in the highest image quality, with 75% display brightness and Wi-Fi on, the battery went down 34%. Streaming a movie for two and a half hours using the same settings consumed 25% battery life.

Under these conditions,  the phone should theoretically give you over seven hours of demanding gameplay and 10 hours of streaming video playback.

When it comes to charging, the 12S Pro took only 4 minutes to charge from 20% to 40%. From 20% to full, it only took 23 minutes using the 120 W charger that comes in the box, if you close all apps. The phone lets out surprisingly little heat during the charging process, which is impressive because such a high wattage charging speed will generally lead to overheating. 

The phone’s large 12 GB RAM is a plus to the processor. We opened 20 apps, including news apps, social apps, and Chrome, and all work seamlessly in the background.

The phone system will automatically kill some inactive apps to save battery when you open power-intensive apps or games or lock the phone. But you can easily resume any previously opened app without much delay, thanks to its powerful processing and high-speed storage chips.  

Conclusion 

As a premium Android phone, Xiaomi 12S Pro has a low-key design and feels good in the hands. The performance, battery life, and charging capacity are more than enough for daily usage. You can play popular game titles like Diablo Immortal and Genshin Impact in the best image quality without experiencing frame drops. The new Leica camera system also performs well most of the time. 

It should be a phone that fits the bill for most Android users for daily use. Below, TechNode summarized the main advantages and drawbacks of the Xiaomi 12S Pro. 

Pros 

• Curved body design, feels good in the hand
• Brillant performance when gaming. Impressive heat control
• Large battery and 120 W fast charging
• Vivid photos with Lecia profiles
• A relatively competitive price

Cons

• Algorithm-driven bokeh does not always work as expected
• Charging when playing games can cause overheating issues
• Less promising image quality when shooting with the telephoto lens