Latest news with #OnePlusX
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First Post
3 days ago
- First Post
Best phones under Rs 60,000 (June 2025): OnePlus 13s, Realme GT 7 Pro to Apple iPhone 15
With a budget of Rs 60,000 it is time to look at some flagship-grade phones from top brands. We have a good mix of last-gen flagship phones and some current flagships too. Our list this month is dominated by phones with Qualcomm's top of the line Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC, barring the two elite brands, of course. Time to look at your best options under Rs 60,000 this month. Best phones to buy under Rs 60,000 in India OnePlus 13s Let's start with the first of the three phones with Qualcomm's flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite chip. The brand new OnePlus 13s that goes on sale today is the first attempt from the company, since the ill-fated OnePlus X, to bring a compact phone to the market. And while at it, they have thrown in the most powerful chip available in the market for Android phones. When we say compact, it is only a relative term with respect to the size of most phones today, but we have grown fond of what's on offer here. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The phone feels great in hand and the design is extremely elegant, especially the Green Silk variant. It has an IP65 rated ingress protection. The Alert slider has now been replaced with a Plus button that can be customised to accomplish more tasks. The 13s is fitted with a sharp 6.32-inch LTPO AMOLED display with a resolution of 2640 x 1216 pixels and Crystal Shield Glass. The HDR10+ and Dolby Vision compliant screen supports 10-bit colour depth, 120 Hz refresh rate and 1600 nits peak brightness. OnePlus 13s Other than Qualcomm's powerhouse, you get 12 GB RAM and a choice of 256 GB or 512 GB UFS 4.0 storage. The phone runs the latest OxygenOS 15 based on Android 15, and OnePlus has promised four major OS updates and six years of security updates for this phone going ahead. Despite its compact footprint, it flaunts a sizable 5850 mAh battery that can last close to two days of moderate use. The bundled 80W fast charger can juice it up fully in about an hour. The camera department on the OnePlus 13s is not its strongest suit but it is pretty good. You get two cameras at the back comprising a 50MP primary camera with OIS and a 50MP telephoto camera that offers a modest 2X optical zoom, which helps in portrait photography too. A notable absentee here is an ultrawide camera; a questionable decision on OnePlus' part, but it is what it is. You get a quality 32MP selfie camera up front; supposedly the first from the company with auto-focus. All cameras do their respective jobs well. Pro tip: If you choose to take a leap of faith early, you can avail further Rs 5,000 off using SBI cards or by claiming an exchange bonus. OnePlus 13s price in India: Rs 54,999 for 12 GB RAM/ 256 GB storage; Rs 59,999 for 12 GB RAM/ 512 GB storage Realme GT 7 Pro STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The current Realme flagship is also powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC and you can now get its top variant with 16 GB RAM + 512 GB storage comfortably in this budget. The Realme GT 7 Pro has a 6.78-inch QHD+ 10-bit LTPO AMOLED display with 120 Hz refresh rate and up to 6500 nits of peak brightness. The HDR10+ and Dolby Vision compliant screen is protected against scratches by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 7i. Realme GT 7 Pro This rugged phone flaunts an IP69 rated ingress protection that allows you to do underwater photography as well. Speaking of photography, the camera department here consists of two 50MP cameras at the back (primary and telephoto with 3X optical zoom), both with OIS, and an 8MP ultra-wide shooter to cover the extra base. The phone lets you record videos at up to 8K resolution. The 16MP front camera does a decent job with selfies and video calls. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A large 5800 mAh battery keeps the phone running for close to two days of moderate use, and the bundled 120W fast charger juices it up fully in under 40 minutes. The Realme GT 7 Pro runs the latest Android 15 out of the box with Realme UI 6.0, and the company has promised at least 3 major OS and 4 years of security updates for this device. Realme GT 7 Pro price in India: Rs 52,999 for 16 GB RAM/ 512 GB storage iQOO 13 5G The iQOO 13 5G is another loaded smartphone in this budget and the third Elite phone. Yes, it is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC, and you get to choose between its 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage variant or the 16 GB RAM and 512 GB storage variant in this budget. This phone has a 10-bit 6.82-inch HDR10+ compliant LTPO AMOLED display with a resolution of 3168 x 1440 pixels and 144 Hz refresh rate. It can get up to 4500 nits bright. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD iQOO 13 5G Rear camera department on the iQOO 13 5G flaunts three 50MP units, starting with a 50MP primary camera with OIS. It is accompanied by a 50MP ultra-wide camera with auto-focus that provides macro photography capabilities too and a 50MP telephoto lens with OIS that provides 2X optical zoom and is useful for portrait photography as well; a slight downgrade from the 64MP periscope telephoto camera on its predecessor. You have a superior 32MP unit up front that handles selfies and video calls quite well. The iQOO 13 5G is fitted with a large 6000 mAh battery that can last up to two days of moderate use on a full charge. The bundled 120W fast charger promises to charge it fully in just 30 minutes. The phone runs Android 15 with FunTouch OS 15, with the company promising four major OS updates for this device going ahead. iQOO 13 5G price in India: Rs 54,999 for 12 GB RAM/ 256 GB storage; Rs 59,999 for 16 GB RAM/ 512 GB storage STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Samsung Galaxy S24+ 5G You can now get Samsung's previous generation flagship phone comfortably in this budget. The Samsung Galaxy S24+ is powered by the company's Exynos 2400 chip, which is comparable to Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC in terms of performance. You get 12 GB RAM and 256 GB internal storage to go with it. The phone has IP68 rated dust and water resistance and sports an Armor Aluminium 2 frame and a glass back with a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2, which also protects the screen. Samsung Galaxy S24+ 5G Speaking of the screen, the Samsung Galaxy S24+ 5G has a 6.7-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X display with a resolution of 3120 x 1440 pixels, peak brightness of 2600 nits, HDR10+ compliance and 120 Hz refresh rate. The phone has a 4900 mAh battery with support for fast wired and wireless charging. The phone launched with Android 14 and Samsung's One UI 6.1. The company has promised 7 major Android updates going ahead. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Photography department on the S24+ consists of a 50MP primary camera with dual pixel PDAF and OIS, a 12MP ultra-wide camera with Super Steady video support and a 10MP telephoto camera with OIS for 3X optical zoom. You also get a 12MP front camera with PDAF for selfies and video calls. The camera performance is best in class, and can also record videos in up to 8K resolution. Samsung Galaxy S24+ 5G price in India: Rs 52,999 for 12 GB RAM/ 256 GB storage Apple iPhone 15 You can now purchase the Apple iPhone 15 in this budget but with 128 GB storage. It brings a few new things to the table (new for Apple users) as compared to its predecessors like the USB-C charging port instead of the proprietary Lightning port. The iPhone 15 has a bright 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with a resolution of 2556 x 1179 pixels, 2000 nits peak brightness and HDR10 and Dolby Vision compliance. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Apple iPhone 15 It has the Dynamic Island too (Apple's fancy notch) that was first introduced in the 14 Pro series. The phone feels great in hand due to its compact size and low weight, and has IP68 rated ingress protection. It has a modest 3349 mAh that can last a working day of moderate use and supports wired and wireless charging. The phone is powered by Apple's A16 Bionic chip, which is still sufficiently powerful for most tasks. The main camera sports 48 megapixels and offers dual-pixel PDAF and optical image stabilisation (OIS). You also get 12MP ultra-wide secondary and 12MP selfie cameras. The performance in photography and videography is excellent, as one expects from an iPhone. The Apple iPhone 15 launched with iOS 17 with more OS updates to follow for years to come. Apple iPhone 15 price in India: Rs 59,300 for 128 GB storage
The Guardian
05-02-2025
- The Guardian
OnePlus 13 review: the rapid Android with a gorgeous fabric back
OnePlus is trying to prove you don't need a Samsung or a Google to have a top-tier premium Android in 2025, and mostly succeeds. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. The OnePlus 13 is the latest in the Oppo sub-brand's series of keenly priced phones. Despite becoming more expensive every year, the £899 (€1,049/$899) new model still costs a little less than its £1,000-plus Google and Samsung rivals. The OnePlus comes in a choice of colours, including a particularly attractive blue microfibre back version as pictured, which feels great and stands out in the sea of glass and metal slabs modern phones have become. The 6.8-in screen is bright, sharp, smooth and colourful, putting it on par with some of the best. The bevelled metal sides are almost retro, reminiscent of the OnePlus X from 2015, but make the 13 fairly easy to handle. Though it is still a big phone requiring two hands to wield most of the time. The handset is well-built with IP68 water resistance against immersion, similar to most competitors, and an unusual IP69 rating against 80C water jets, should it end up in the dishwasher by accident. The OnePlus is one of the first handsets to use Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, which will no doubt find its way into most high-end Androids in 2025. In tests, the chip is about 40% faster than its predecessor and makes short work of games and other intensive tasks. But the OnePlus feels even faster in day-to-day use than the numbers suggest as the software has been tuned for speed, rapidly responding to app launches, taps, swipes and other interactions. Even the ultrasonic fingerprint scanner in the screen is super fast at unlocking the phone. Pleasingly, the 13's top performance does not come at the expense of battery life. The phone lasts a consistent 50 hours on a full charge when used on a mix of 5G and wifi with the screen actively used for about six hours. That means charging it every other day, or nightly on very heavy usage days, which is roughly on par with top competitors. A full charge using a standard 45W USB-C charger (not included) hits 50% in under half an hour and completes in 68 minutes, or as little as 37 minutes if you buy a special 100W SuperVooc charger. The phone has up to 50W wireless charging too. Screen: 6.82in, 120Hz QHD+ OLED (510ppi) Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite RAM: 12 or 16GB Storage: 256 or 512GB Operating system: OxygenOS 15 (Android 15) Camera: 50M + 50MP ultrawide + 50MP 3x; 32MP selfie Connectivity: 5G, eSIM, wifi 7, NFC, Bluetooth 5.4 and GNSS Water resistance: IP68/69 (1.5-metre depth for 30mins/80C water jets for 30 seconds) Dimensions: 162.9 x 76.5 x 8.5mm Weight: 210g The battery is rated to maintain at least 80% of its original capacity for 1,600 full charge cycles and can be replaced for £80. The phone does not contain recycled materials but is generally repairable, with screen replacements costing £280. The company does not publish product environmental impact reports, but is included in parent-company Oppo's yearly sustainability reports. The 13 runs Oxygen OS 15, which is the firm's customised version of Android 15. It behaves like most western versions of Android and is truly rapid in operation. It has a few rough edges, such as text descriptions of features displayed only in Chinese, but also a good amount of customisation options for those that like to tinker. A few new AI tools have been added that were lacking from previous versions as it tries to play catch up with rivals. It has a few of Google's AI features including its Gemini voice assistant, Circle to Search, and writing tools in Gmail and Messages. The OnePlus photos app now has a few AI editing tools, too, one of which is able to erase reflections from pictures shot through windows with impressive results. OnePlus has some AI summary, writing and proofing tools of its own, but they are confined to its Notes app and an odd pop-out dock at the side of the screen. They are hit and miss and feel tacked on rather than being part of the system like better rivals. OnePlus will provide only four years of Android updates with six years of security patches, ending on 7 January 2031. That falls far short of the seven-plus years of full software and security support provided by Apple, Google and Samsung. The 13 has three 50-megapixel cameras on the back, including a 0.6x ultrawide, 1x wide and 3x telephoto that can reach 6x magnification before requiring digital zoom, plus a 32MP selfie camera on the front. The triple rear camera is a marked improvement over the phone's predecessor, shooting detailed and well-balanced images across a range of lighting conditions. Images from the ultrawide can look a little soft, but the telephoto camera is one of the best at 3x zoom. The phone also does a good job of capturing motion and handles low-light conditions very well. OnePlus has a tendency to overbrighten and over-sharpen images more than rivals, but otherwise the 13 is the closest yet to the best in the business. Most people will be very happy with the results. The camera app also has a solid set of features including a 'master' mode for manual control, fun macrophotography, slow-mo, tilt-shift and time-lapse modes, and a setting to shoot photos at the full 50MP resolution of the sensors. The OnePlus 13 costs from £899 (€1,049/$899). For comparison, the Google Pixel 9 Pro costs from £999, the Samsung Galaxy S25+ costs £999 and the iPhone 16 Pro costs £999. The OnePlus 13 is the most expensive non-folding smartphone the company has made, but the money has mostly been spent wisely to create a top-tier phone that rivals the best in the business on many, if not all fronts. It sets a new speed benchmark as one of the first phones of 2025 with the new top Snapdragon 8 Elite chip from Qualcomm, which is expected to be used in most high-end Androids this year. The camera is improved on predecessors and the closest OnePlus has come to the best in the business from Google, Samsung and Apple. The screen is great, the two-day battery life is good and the phone looks particularly special in the blue microfibre version. The Oxygen OS Android software is rapid, making the phone feel very fast indeed, but has a few rough edges. It has a couple of good AI tools from Google, but many of OnePlus's own AI features are poorly integrated and not quite up to scratch. OnePlus also lags Google and Samsung on software updates, which is a shame. At just shy of £900 the OnePlus is certainly not a budget option. But it undercuts big-screen rivals by about 10% and is well worth considering alongside the top Androids this year. Pros: Slick, attractive design, good screen, long battery life, rapid performance and top Android chip, good camera, water resistance, Google Gemini and other AI tools. Cons: Oxygen OS has rough edges and poor AI integration, fewer AI tools than rivals, software support short of best, more expensive than predecessor.
