Latest news with #flagship
GSM Arena
a day ago
- Business
- GSM Arena
Oppo Find X8 Ultra bend test doesn't end well
Oppo launched the Find X8 Ultra in April, and unfortunately it's a China-only device so most of the world will never see it. That hasn't stopped Zack from JerryRigEverything getting one in order to perform his famous durability testing on Oppo's latest flagship device. And it's an interesting test to say the least. It starts off normally with the glass on top of the screen scratching at level 6 on the Mohs hardness scale, with deeper grooves showing up at level 7. The frame is metal, the screen takes an open flame for about 35 seconds, but no visible marks remain afterwards. Finally, the bend test is where things get bad. When bending from the back, nothing happens, but when bending from the front, the frame separates along the antenna line that's right in between the power and volume buttons. It doesn't get damaged any further, however, which makes for a very weird test result - it hasn't categorically failed, but it definitely hasn't passed either. And it now has an odd shape, and the IP rating might be compromised. At the end of the video you can find a bonus teardown section, so if you've always wanted to take a peek inside the Find X8 Ultra, make sure you don't miss it. And if you want to learn more about this device, read our in-depth review.
Geeky Gadgets
3 days ago
- Business
- Geeky Gadgets
Sony Xperia 1 VII: A Camera Powerhouse, But What Else?
The Sony Xperia 1 VII seeks to establish itself as a distinctive option in the competitive flagship smartphone market by focusing on niche features rather than following mainstream trends. With standout elements like a headphone jack, microSD card slot, and professional-grade camera tools, it caters to users who prioritize functionality and customization. However, despite these unique offerings, the Xperia 1 VII struggles to justify its premium price, falling short in areas such as hardware innovation and overall performance. The video below from The Tech Chap gives us a look at the handset. Watch this video on YouTube. Design & Build: A Blend of Nostalgia and Practicality Sony retains its signature design philosophy with the Xperia 1 VII, featuring a symmetrical display devoid of notches and framed by noticeable bezels. This clean and distraction-free aesthetic appeals to purists but feels outdated when compared to the sleek, edge-to-edge designs of competing flagship models. Key design features include: A headphone jack and microSD card slot, both rare inclusions in modern flagship smartphones. A textured back panel that enhances grip, though the material's feel may not suit all preferences. A dedicated two-step shutter button, a thoughtful addition for photography enthusiasts. The device is available in three understated colors: Slate Black, Moss Green, and Orchid Purple. While these options provide subtle variety, the overall design leans more toward functional minimalism than bold visual appeal. Display: Bright and Functional but Not New The Xperia 1 VII features a 6.5-inch Full HD+ HDR10 display with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio, delivering a sharp and vibrant viewing experience. Its peak brightness of 1500 nits—a 20% improvement over its predecessor—ensures excellent visibility even in bright outdoor conditions. Additionally, the screen supports 10-bit video playback, offering rich and accurate color reproduction. However, the absence of Dolby Vision support is a notable drawback, particularly given the device's premium price point. While the display performs well in terms of brightness and clarity, it lacks the standout features necessary to differentiate itself in a highly competitive flagship market. Performance: Reliable but Not Exceptional Powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, the Xperia 1 VII delivers solid performance for everyday tasks and gaming. It handles multitasking efficiently and maintains consistent performance during extended use, thanks to effective thermal management. However, it falls slightly behind competitors like the Galaxy S25 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro Max in raw processing power. The device offers 256GB of internal storage, which can be expanded up to 2TB via a microSD card—a rare and highly appreciated feature in the flagship segment. While this flexibility is a strong selling point, the overall performance does not quite match the expectations set by its high price. Camera: Advanced Tools with Mixed Results The Xperia 1 VII is equipped with a triple-lens camera system: A 48MP main sensor for detailed shots. A 12MP telephoto lens for zoom capabilities. An upgraded 12MP ultrawide lens with a larger sensor and wider aperture. While the ultrawide lens benefits from hardware improvements, the overall camera performance is inconsistent. Features like AI-powered subject recognition and stabilization enhance usability, but the telephoto lens and motion capture capabilities underperform compared to rivals. Sony's professional-grade photo and video apps provide advanced manual controls, making the device appealing to photography enthusiasts. However, the lack of features like log recording limits the full potential of these tools, leaving the camera experience somewhat underwhelming for its price range. Audio: A Clear Strength The Xperia 1 VII stands out in the audio department, making it an excellent choice for audiophiles. Its audio features include: Stereo front-facing speakers with enhanced bass and clarity. Support for Snapdragon Sound and DSEE Ultimate upscaling for improved audio quality. Bluetooth 6 compatibility for seamless wireless audio connections. The device is also optimized for use with Sony's high-end headphones, making sure a premium listening experience. This focus on audio quality sets the Xperia 1 VII apart from many competitors, offering a compelling feature for users who prioritize sound. Battery & Charging: Adequate but Unremarkable The Xperia 1 VII is equipped with a 5,000mAh battery, providing reliable endurance comparable to other flagship devices. It supports 30W wired charging and standard wireless charging, but the absence of a charger in the box may inconvenience some users. A full charge takes approximately 1.5 hours, which is adequate but falls short of the faster charging solutions offered by competitors. Software & Updates: Clean but Lacking Innovation Sony's software provides a clean and intuitive user experience, with multitasking features like Side Sense enhancing productivity. The company promises four years of Android updates and six years of security patches, ensuring long-term support and reliability. However, the Xperia 1 VII lacks advanced AI tools for photo editing or productivity, which are increasingly common in competing flagship models. This absence makes the software feel less innovative, especially given the device's premium positioning. Price & Value: A Tough Proposition Priced at £1,400/$1,400/€1,500, the Xperia 1 VII is one of the most expensive non-folding smartphones on the market. Outside of Asia, the device is limited to 256GB of internal storage, which may disappoint users seeking more built-in capacity. When compared to rivals like the Galaxy S25 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro Max, the Xperia 1 VII offers fewer innovative features and a less versatile overall experience. Its high price makes it a challenging choice for most users, positioning it as a niche option for enthusiasts who prioritize its unique features. Browse through more resources below from our in-depth content covering more areas on Sony Xperia 1 VII. Source & Image Credit: The Tech Chap Filed Under: Android News, Mobile Phone News, Top News Latest Geeky Gadgets Deals Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, Geeky Gadgets may earn an affiliate commission. Learn about our Disclosure Policy.
GSM Arena
3 days ago
- Business
- GSM Arena
Redmi K80 Ultra's price officially revealed
The Redmi K80 Ultra is coming soon to join the already available Redmi K80 and K80 Pro, and today the brand's General Manager has shared an interesting detail about it over on Weibo. According to Wang Teng, the K80 Ultra will be priced in the CNY 3,000 range. Right now that translates into approximately $416 or €367. The phone is also confirmed to come with a metal frame and a lot of other features that are normally reserved for flagships. Wang says we should expect it to provide the best performance at that price. Redmi K80 Pro Past rumors told us to expect the K80 Ultra to come with a 6.83-inch "1.5K" flat OLED screen, an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor, the MediaTek Dimensity 9400+ SoC, a triple rear camera setup with a 50 MP main shooter, and a 7,500 mAh battery with support for 100W wired charging. It should be IP68 and IP69 rated for dust and water resistance. Past leaks have insisted that the K80 Ultra is getting official in June, so let's look forward to that. Source (in Chinese) | Via
Android Authority
3 days ago
- Business
- Android Authority
These are the 5 phone features I think are overrated
Joe Maring / Android Authority Flagship smartphones are the best that a manufacturer has to offer, with these devices including premium hardware and innovative features. While some brands seem to be resting on their laurels, others continue to provide consumers with inventive updates that draw more loyal fans. But not all features are created equal — and some are definitely more about selling products than providing a good user experience. Having spent years testing out different devices from a variety of brands, I've decided that the following features are mostly overrated… What flagship smartphone feature do you think is the most overrated? 0 votes 100MP+ camera lenses. NaN % Generative AI features. NaN % More than 12GB of RAM. NaN % 8K video recording. NaN % 4K displays. NaN % Other (specify in the comments). NaN % 1. 100MP+ lenses Megan Ellis / Android Authority I used to make the mistake of thinking that a higher resolution usually resulted in a better camera experience. However, the era of smartphone cameras featuring 100MP or higher resolution lenses (including some camera lenses with 200MP) and my experience using them has thoroughly debunked this notion. While some of the best camera phones feature these high resolution lenses, there's a lot more that determines a photo's quality than simply the raw megapixel value. HDR support, light sensitivity, optical zoom, and sensor size all contribute to the quality of a photo. Then there's the post-processing that smartphones apply to these images. There's a lot more that determines a photo's quality than simply the raw megapixel value. I've found that high resolution lenses have improved over the years, but many companies slap these onto their flagship smartphones as a marketing gimmick. My own S23 Ultra features a 200MP lens — and I rarely ever switch to this resolution. This is mainly due to the trade-offs that come with these lenses. For example, when I switch to the 200MP lens on my smartphone, I can no longer zoom into the subject. You could argue that a higher resolution lens allows you to crop to zoom into the subject of the photo. But I've often found strange artifacts in the image when cropping to zoom. I also find that images I take with high resolution lenses are less saturated and lack as much contrast, leading to a duller photo overall. The reality is that most of us use the default shooting mode on our smartphones. So I'd take a capable 50MP lens with a good sensor and zoom capabilities over the super high resolution lenses that I seldom use on smartphones. It's one of the reasons the Samsung S25 Edge is unappealing for me — limited to only two lenses, Samsung opted for a 200MP lens and a 12MP lens. There is also no telephoto camera. 2. Generative AI Megan Ellis / Android Authority AI is essential when it comes to smartphone features — algorithms power image processing, hardware optimization, and other important software features. But the recent wave of generative AI features are mostly unhelpful in my opinion and I've rarely come across people who use them. As a result, I mostly avoid generative AI features on my smartphone. The features are usually unhelpful at best and inaccurate at worst. There was the occasional instance where I was excited to try out a generative AI feature. For example, I looked forward to trying out Samsung AI's Interpreter. But the tool proved underwhelming due to its limited support for languages I use. When I tried to see if it could correctly detect what I was saying in Mandarin by using simple phrases, the translations were inaccurate. Generative AI also comes with privacy trade-offs, but some models allow you to use on-device AI. Though you should note that by opting for this privacy setting, you actually lose out on other AI features. For example, Samsung doesn't allow me to use the AI feature that summarizes transcripts from voice recordings without turning off the option to only process data on my device. 3. More than 12GB of RAM Robert Triggs / Android Authority Many brands have started to push past 12GB of RAM, with many flagships now including 16GB or even 24GB of RAM. For me, 12GB has been a good balance for me when it comes to most tasks such as gaming and multi-tasking. In fact, I'd argue that for most people, 8GB of RAM is more than enough and that 12GB is mostly for those doing performance-heavy tasks such as video editing. Past this amount, it feels like brands are just increasing RAM for the sake of it. Other times, brands inflate their actual RAM allocation by counting virtual RAM as part of it. 12GB has been a good balance when it comes to most tasks such as gaming and multi-tasking. The exception is when the device is being used for many generative AI tasks. But since I don't use generative AI on my phone, I find more than 12GB of RAM to be a bit of an overkill. It's one overrated feature that is mostly implemented for another overrated feature. If you enjoy using the latest AI features, you should make sure your next smartphone has a lot of RAM. However, there's no guarantee that your current smartphone will receive AI features in post-release updates, even if it has enough RAM and a good processor. After all, One UI 7 is missing many features for Galaxy S23 owners. 4. 8K video recording Megan Ellis / Android Authority 8K video recording has been around for some time on flagship smartphones, but it's one of those features that I've rarely seen people use due to its drawbacks. Smartphones that offer 8K video recording usually cap the video's framerate at 30fps, which drastically reduces the quality of the viewing experience. There's also the fact that most of us use displays that don't support an 8K resolution — reducing the overall appetite for this type of content. That said, there may be benefits to downsampling an 8K video to 4K, but that is a niche use case and most people who are very serious about video quality would likely opt for a standalone camera rather than their smartphone. I don't even really use 4K video recording on my smartphones. I don't even really use 4K video recording on my smartphones, even though they both support up to 60fps. This is mostly to save space, as I don't want a simple video of my cat taking up hundreds of megabytes or several gigabytes on my phone. What I would like to see when it comes to video recording on my next flagship smartphone is the ability to shoot video in challenging lighting environments, as this is an area where my videos always fall short. 5. 4K screens Robert Triggs / Android Authority I don't even bother with a 4K screen for my PC or my laptop, so 4K on a smartphone screen is definitely overkill in my opinion. However, this hasn't stopped some manufacturers creating smartphones with this resolution. With most flagship smartphone displays measuring between 6 and 6.9-inches, there isn't much room to let a 4K resolution screen show its sharpness in all its glory. While my S23 Ultra supports a 1440p resolution, I actually use it set to 1080p to increase battery life. This isn't a common flagship feature, but it is one that has appeared over the years — specifically on Sony phones like the Sony Xperia 1 V. But it seems like even Sony has realized that this isn't the hardware specification most flagship users are looking for, with the newer Sony Xperia 1 VI and Xperia 1 VII both including lower resolution displays. I'd much rather that smartphone manufacturers improve displays through HDR support, higher refresh rates, and improved pixel density. Though, with foldable smartphones, especially trifold smartphones, featuring bigger displays; we may see a return to more companies opting for higher resolutions. While I'm sure some people will disagree that a certain feature I find overrated is essential to them, I'd rather have brands focus on real improvements over marketing gimmicks. One area I would like to see some significant improvement in is durability, especially with displays being so expensive to replace nowadays. Many brands could also improve their battery technology and longevity. In fact, I'd love to see faster charging on Samsung's high-end phones.
Geeky Gadgets
3 days ago
- Business
- Geeky Gadgets
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: More Than Just an Upgrade
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra represents a pivotal advancement in the realm of smartphones, combining state-of-the-art hardware, refined software, and a user-first design philosophy. This flagship device sets new standards in performance, photography, and overall usability, positioning itself as a leader in the highly competitive smartphone market. Here's an in-depth exploration of what makes the Galaxy S26 Ultra a standout device. Watch this video on YouTube. Exceptional Performance and Processing Power The Galaxy S26 Ultra is equipped with a next-generation chipset that ensures unparalleled performance across all applications. Whether you're streaming high-definition content, engaging in resource-intensive gaming, or managing multiple apps simultaneously, this device delivers a seamless and efficient experience. Key performance features include: Lightning-fast app launches and fluid transitions for a responsive user experience. Enhanced energy efficiency, allowing extended battery life without compromising performance. Support for AI-driven applications and real-time data processing, making sure the device stays ahead of modern demands. This combination of speed, efficiency, and advanced processing capabilities ensures the Galaxy S26 Ultra excels in both everyday tasks and high-performance scenarios. Advanced Camera System for Professional-Grade Photography The Galaxy S26 Ultra's camera system is designed to meet the needs of both casual users and professional content creators. Its multi-lens setup, featuring a high-resolution primary sensor, ultra-wide lens, and periscope zoom, enables users to capture stunning visuals in any environment. Noteworthy camera features include: Enhanced night mode for capturing sharp and vibrant images in low-light conditions. AI-powered image processing that ensures photos are rich in detail and color accuracy. 8K video recording with advanced stabilization technology for smooth, cinematic-quality footage. This versatile camera system enables users to explore their creativity, whether capturing everyday moments or producing professional-grade content. Refined Design and Robust Durability Samsung has carefully crafted the Galaxy S26 Ultra to strike a balance between elegance and resilience. The device's sleek, ergonomic design is complemented by premium materials, making sure both comfort and durability. Design highlights include: An edge-to-edge display that delivers vivid colors and sharp details for an immersive viewing experience. Gorilla Glass protection, offering enhanced resistance to scratches and impacts. Water and dust resistance, making sure reliability in a variety of environments. This attention to detail reflects Samsung's commitment to delivering a device that is both visually appealing and built to withstand the rigors of daily use. Long-Lasting Battery and Efficient Charging Solutions Battery performance is a cornerstone of the Galaxy S26 Ultra's design. With a larger battery capacity and optimized power management, the device is engineered to keep up with even the most demanding schedules. Battery innovations include: All-day usage capabilities, even under heavy workloads, making sure uninterrupted productivity. Fast charging technology that minimizes downtime and gets you back to full power quickly. Wireless and reverse wireless charging options for added convenience and versatility. These advancements ensure that the Galaxy S26 Ultra is always ready to support your lifestyle, whether at work or on the go. Streamlined Software for Enhanced Usability Running on Samsung's latest One UI, the Galaxy S26 Ultra offers a user-friendly interface designed to simplify tasks and boost productivity. The software is tailored to provide a seamless and intuitive experience. Key software features include: Enhanced multitasking capabilities, such as split-screen and pop-up views, for improved efficiency. AI-driven suggestions that adapt to your habits and optimize your workflow. Robust security measures, including advanced encryption, to safeguard your data. Integration with Samsung's ecosystem, including wearables and smart home devices, further extends the device's functionality, creating a cohesive and connected experience. Innovative Hardware for Future-Ready Technology The Galaxy S26 Ultra incorporates innovative hardware advancements that push the boundaries of mobile technology. These innovations not only enhance the current user experience but also pave the way for future developments. Hardware highlights include: An under-display camera, allowing a truly bezel-free design for an immersive screen experience. Improved haptic feedback, delivering a more tactile and engaging interaction with the device. Advanced biometric security options, such as facial recognition and ultrasonic fingerprint scanning, for added convenience and safety. These features demonstrate Samsung's commitment to staying at the forefront of technological innovation. Designed for a Superior User Experience Every aspect of the Galaxy S26 Ultra is crafted with the user in mind. From its responsive touchscreen to its customizable settings, the device adapts to individual preferences and needs. User-focused features include: Adaptive refresh rates, making sure smoother scrolling and an enhanced gaming experience. Comprehensive accessibility options, catering to a diverse range of user requirements. A customizable interface, allowing users to tailor the device to their unique preferences. This focus on personalization and adaptability ensures that the Galaxy S26 Ultra delivers a versatile and satisfying experience for all users. Browse through more resources below from our in-depth content covering more areas on Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. Source & Image Credit: Demon's Tech Filed Under: Android News, Mobile Phone News, Top News Latest Geeky Gadgets Deals Disclosure: Some of our articles include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, Geeky Gadgets may earn an affiliate commission. Learn about our Disclosure Policy.
