It has a larger battery and screen compared to the Galaxy S24.

Samsung’s Plus is the most overlooked mid-range model in the Galaxy S lineup. For most people, the Galaxy S24+ is simply a Galaxy S24 with a bigger display and battery. Most people will spend more and opt for the better Galaxy S24 Ultra. But the Galaxy S24+ is so much more. Sure, it has almost the same specs as the Galaxy S24, but bigger is better, and that’s what I realized after using the Galaxy S24+ for about a week.

Should you consider the Galaxy S24+ instead of the Galaxy S24 or Galaxy S24 Ultra? Find out below.

Samsung Galaxy S24+ Price in India

The Galaxy S24+ is pricey! It is available in two versions in India – the 12GB + 256GB option priced at Rs 99,999 and the 12GB + 512GB version at Rs 1,09,999 .

The Galaxy S24+ supports 45W fast charging, but no charger is included.

In terms of colour options, the Galaxy S24+ is available in Cobalt Violet and Onyx Black, while online buyers can also get the phone in exclusive finishes like Sapphire Blue and Jade Green. We received the Cobalt Violet option with 12GB RAM and 512GB storage.

Inside the box you’ll find the phone, documentation, a SIM eject tool, and a USB Type-C to Type-C cable.

Samsung Galaxy S24+ 5G Review: Design

Design-wise, it’s basically a larger version of the Galaxy S24, or the Galaxy S23/Galaxy S22. The design hasn’t changed in years, but the materials are better and stronger. Compared to the Galaxy S23+, the new Galaxy S24+ has a stronger Armor 2 aluminum frame. Despite the larger footprint compared to the standard Galaxy S24, if you have larger hands, this phone can be held comfortably in one hand. It weighs 197 grams, but is 7.7mm thick, almost the same as the Galaxy S24. The phone feels premium and can withstand impacts (not tested).

The Galaxy S24+ features an Armor 2 aluminum frame.

The front features slim display bezels that are uniform throughout, even slimmer than last year’s. At the top are slits for the speaker/earpiece and an in-display ultrasonic fingerprint scanner. The Galaxy S24+ has the same Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection and IP68 rating as its smaller sibling. At the back, there’s the familiar triple-camera system, with each camera housed in a separate metal ring. The LED flash is next to the three vertically-aligned sensors, but is positioned lower than on the Galaxy S23+.

Samsung Galaxy S24+ Review: Specs and Software

In terms of specifications, the only difference between the Galaxy S24+ and the Galaxy S24 is the larger battery. It’s powered by a 4nm Exynos 2400 SoC with an Xclipse 940 GPU, up to 12GB of RAM (up from 8GB on the Galaxy S23+), and up to 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage. There’s no expandable storage on the phone. For communications, you get tri-band Wi-Fi 6E, NFC, Bluetooth 5.3 LE, a USB Type-C 3.2 port, and the usual GPS satellite support.

Samsung’s ultrasonic fingerprint reader is also reliable, and I honestly think more smartphone brands should adopt this technology instead of optical sensors. It’s faster and more accurate, and I’ve never had any issues with it.

Samsung has promised to provide software updates for the Galaxy S24+ for seven years.

The Galaxy S24+ comes with a 4,900mAh battery, much larger than the 4,000mAh cell in the Galaxy S24 and slightly larger than the 4,700mAh unit in the older Galaxy S23+, but the phone still only supports 45W fast charging and 15W wireless charging, which is the same as last year.

What’s different this year is the promised software support. Samsung now offers seven years of Android OS and security updates. The Galaxy S24+ runs Android 14-based One UI 6.1 out of the box. It also gets the new Galaxy AI suite of features, which you can read more about in our Galaxy S24 review.

Samsung Galaxy S24+ Review: Performance

Talking about performance, the Exynos 2400 SoC in the Galaxy S24+ offers flagship performance in all scenarios. Looking at the benchmark numbers, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in the Galaxy SoC is better, but you won’t notice the difference in everyday use or gaming. We ran some tests on the Galaxy S24+ and its scores were almost the same as the Galaxy S24. In AnTuTu, the phone scored 1,457,608 points, and in Geekbench, it had a single-core score of 1987 and a multi-core score of 6137. The AnTuTu score was slightly lower than that of the Galaxy S24, but the Geekbench score was higher. This is probably due to the larger area for cooling in the Plus model. The results were similar in GFXbench as well.

The Galaxy S24+ display has a peak brightness of 2,600 nits.

Now, let’s talk about the display, where you’ll find the changes. The Galaxy S24+ comes with a 6.7-inch display, which is slightly larger compared to last year’s Galaxy S23+ (6.6 inches). The display also has slimmer bezels and is now a brighter LTPO AMOLED 2x panel with 2,600 nits peak brightness and QHD+ resolution. It still offers a 120Hz refresh rate. The display is bright enough and easy to read even outdoors.

The phone comes with a hybrid dual speaker setup that delivers loud volume and decent bass, and the call quality is also excellent.

Gaming on the Galaxy S24+ is a similar experience to gaming on the smaller S24. All games run at maximum settings and there is no noticeable lag. What you do notice is heat. During extended gaming sessions, the phone gets a little warm. We also noticed that the phone heats up quickly when running benchmark tests.

My phone gets hot while charging or playing games.

Talking about the battery performance, the phone lasted for 19 hours and 17 minutes in the HD loop test with the screen resolution set to QHD+. High resolution screens drain the battery, but you can extend the battery life by lowering the resolution. With normal usage, the phone easily lasted more than a day. But with heavy usage, it needed to be charged at the end of the day. With a 45W+ charger and a higher rated cable, the phone takes around 1 hour and 15 minutes to charge. The phone comes with a 3A rated cable that only supports 25W fast charging. We used a 125W charger for the charging tests.

Samsung Galaxy S24+ Review: Camera

The Samsung Galaxy S24+ features the same camera setup as the smaller Galaxy S24 we’ve already reviewed: a 50-megapixel main rear camera with OIS, a 10-megapixel telephoto sensor with 3x optical zoom, and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle unit with a 120-degree FoV. For selfies, it has a 12-megapixel sensor with autofocus support.

The Galaxy S24+ can take great photos even in daylight.

To be honest, there is no difference in the photo and video performance of these two smartphones. However, compared to last year’s Galaxy S23+, there is slightly less saturation and more contrast. Ultra-wide shots are good, but the lack of autofocus results in blurry shots, especially in low light. Night shots from the main camera are good in low light. Below are some sample shots to gauge the camera performance.

Samsung Galaxy S24+ Review: Verdict

Before making a final decision, let’s talk about the alternatives. The OnePlus 12 (Review) is a great choice with a larger screen, slightly better camera, Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC, a bigger battery, and faster charging. It’s also cheaper than the Galaxy S24+. The Google Pixel 8 Pro (Review) offers better stills camera performance, added AI features, and an equal or better software experience. Again, the Pixel 8 Pro is also cheaper and has a better telephoto camera. You could also switch to the iPhone 15 Plus . It doesn’t have a telephoto camera, but it has better battery life and performance. Finally, you could try the Galaxy S23 Ultra. It has better performance, a similar display size, S Pen support, a bigger battery, and a better camera. You could probably get the phone for about the same price as the Galaxy S24+.

As mentioned at the beginning, the Galaxy Plus is often ignored by consumers because it only has a larger screen and battery compared to the smaller S. That may have been the case for the past few years, but the Galaxy S24+ changes things. It offers a better and brighter display, improved build quality, 12GB RAM as standard, and 7 years of software updates. It’s closer to the Galaxy S24 Ultra in terms of specifications, so it’s the better buy if you’re looking to save money, aren’t particularly interested in the better camera that the Ultra offers, and want a bigger display and battery.

The post Samsung Galaxy S24+ Review: Bigger is Better appeared first on Review Products.

Xiaomi’s Redmi 13C 5G offers 5G connectivity at an affordable price, but leaves out a lot.

Xiaomi’s Redmi 13C aims to offer a solid 5G experience combined with an attractive design and good battery life. Moreover, it also comes with a large display, which makes it a good choice for content consumption. The design is not only stylish but also dust- and splash-proof. Indeed, the Redmi 13C 5G seems like the perfect starter phone for those upgrading from an entry-level smartphone with a focus on battery life. Or for those buying their first smartphone after years of using a feature phone. With this criteria in mind, let’s see if the Redmi 13C 5G meets the basic smartphone requirements of such users.

Xiaomi Redmi 13C 5G Review: Price in India

The Xiaomi Redmi 13C 5G price in India starts at Rs 10,499. For this price, you get 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. This is essentially the entry-level hardware for a smooth software experience and running apps. But it’s nice to have 128GB of base storage, which should be enough to meet most app requirements of smartphone buyers in this price range. The phone also comes in a more future-proof 6GB RAM model, attractively priced at Rs 11,999.

Of the three, the 6GB RAM is the best value for money as it helps with basic multitasking and storing apps in memory. Finally, there is the 8GB RAM model with 256GB storage. This model is not costly at Rs 13,999, but in this price range, you will find more attractive and competitively priced options from Samsung and other brands.

Xiaomi Redmi 13C 5G Review: Design

The Xiaomi 13C 5G has a sleek design with straight lines and flat sides. The back panel of the phone is made from polycarbonate, as is the frame and chassis. But it feels well-built and very sturdy.

The phone has a 6.74-inch display with a waterdrop notch on top for the selfie camera. Overall it has a modern look, but when the display is on, the waterdrop notch makes it look a bit dated.

The back panel of the Xiaomi Redmi 13C 5Gs has a flat mint green appearance from a distance.

Most premium devices have such large displays, but these panels also have thin black borders. As this is a budget smartphone, the Redmi 13C 5G does not have such a border. Therefore, the large panel and thick bezels make it a bit too large to handle with one hand. It is also heavy at 192 grams, but this is not unusual considering its size.

I’m not a fan of flashy back panels, but the Startrail Green finish (which is similar to the Startrail Silver finish) is a nice understated touch. Thin lines run from side to side on the back panel, giving it an animated look. These lines animate when light hits the phone at an angle. Otherwise, the phone looks like a mostly flat, monochromatic green finish. If you don’t like animated back panels, Starlight Black is a more understated option.

If you hold it near a bright light source, you’ll see lines running from side to side.

This modern, minimalist design also offers basic water and dust resistance, although Xiaomi hasn’t confirmed these ratings on its website so they’re not official, so we wouldn’t recommend submerging this phone in water or taking it out in the rain.

Xiaomi Redmi 13C 5G Review: Specs and Software

The Xiaomi Redmi 13C 5G is equipped with the MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ SoC, which is also found in some budget smartphones at a slightly higher price point. This chipset is not performance-focused. It is not made for gaming, but it is efficient when running everyday apps and offers a stable 5G connection. It also supports a number of 5G bands (both NSA and SA), dual-band Wi-Fi for a decent data connection in the home, and Bluetooth 5.3, which is more than enough to connect to TWS earphones and other accessories. There is also support for the regular GPS navigation system, so you won’t have any problems using the Maps app for navigation. The phone has a 5,000mAh battery and comes with a 10W charger in the box. It also offers microSD card storage expansion up to 1TB for those who need extra space. Finally, there is a fingerprint reader for secure biometric authentication, which worked reliably during the testing phase of this review.

The Redmi 13C 5G comes preloaded with a large number of third-party apps and games.

What really disappoints me (even at this price point) is the sheer number of pre-installed apps. Moreover, there are a lot of duplicate apps, such as two web browsers (Chrome + Opera), two gallery apps (Gallery + Photos), and two file managers (File Manager + Google Files). You can uninstall and clean up the unnecessary apps, but for a first-time smartphone user, it can be confusing and overwhelming. Add to this several daily spam notifications from apps like GetApp, Game Center, Theme Store, and more, and your software experience will be ruined.

The phone runs MIUI 14, which is based on Android 13. It feels a bit outdated for a budget phone in 2024. The software experience is typical MIUI and a bit outdated, but upcoming HyperOS updates should improve this experience.

Xiaomi Redmi 13C 5G Review: Performance

As for software performance, it worked very smoothly and without any issues on the 8GB RAM + 256GB model, and apps even stayed in memory, but we couldn’t say the same for the 4GB base model as we weren’t able to test it.

The 6.74-inch HD+ LCD display isn’t the sharpest we’ve seen at this price point. Performance is adequate and it shows the best colors in the standard display color scheme, but we did notice a yellowish tint to the bottom half of the panel when viewing indoors.

The Redmi 13C 5G’s LCD panel has a waterdrop notch on the top and thick bezels around the display.

Since this is an LCD panel, it cannot reproduce the deep blacks that an AMOLED display can, so you might find yourself squinting at the display when viewing content in dark scenes. Surprisingly, there are phones like the Samsung Galaxy M34 5G that offer AMOLED displays at this price point.

The Redmi 13C 5G’s display is bright enough indoors, but I found it lacking outdoors, especially in direct sunlight. Content looks dim and colors look a bit washed out. If you spend most of your time outdoors or in the field (rather than in the office), this might not be the phone for you.

Aside from making software animations and transitions look smooth, the 90Hz screen refresh rate doesn’t do much else with games running mostly at medium graphics settings, and while watching movies, this refresh rate is fixed at 60Hz and rarely drops to 30Hz.

We’re pleased that the phone supports Widevine L1, which means streaming content is displayed in full HD quality, with everything appearing sharp and clear. However, the single speaker, while clear enough, wasn’t loud enough and we often found ourselves cranking the volume all the way up, which also introduced noticeable distortion.

The Redmi 13C 5G’s bottom speaker isn’t loud enough for hands-free listening.

Battery life is pretty good, thanks to the power-efficient processor, HD+ display, and large battery. The phone will easily last a day and a half, and two days with normal usage. Though Xiaomi offers 18W wired charging, you only get a 10W charger in the box, which takes a very long time to charge this phone. The charger charges to 21% in 30 minutes, reaches 40% in an hour, and is fully charged in just 2 hours and 37 minutes. So, if you’re buying this phone, make sure you add the optional 18W charger to your shopping cart.

Xiaomi Redmi 13C 5G Review: Camera

Photos taken in sunlight with the 50MP main camera don’t have much high-resolution detail or sharpness: Objects in any scene lack definition, making everything look a bit blurry, and the HDR system doesn’t have good control over bright and dark areas, so highlights in photos were often clipped.

The phone has two rear cameras, but only one of them is available to the user.

Shooting with 2x digital zoom makes the situation even worse, as most images look like paintings. Selfies taken with the 5MP camera are only passable in terms of overall quality, with portrait mode not showing the edges of the subject in the frame very well. Shooting in low light or using the dedicated night mode makes the situation even worse, as most images are unusable.

The second camera is only used to gather depth data for the main camera when using portrait mode, but edge detection isn’t very good here either, and the same goes for the overall quality of the image. This means that despite having dual cameras and a selfie camera, you can only really use one selfie camera and one rear camera.

Xiaomi Redmi 13C 5G camera samples: Top: Main camera in daylight, Bottom: Main camera in low light (tap image to enlarge)

The Redmi 13C 5G can record videos at up to 1080p 30fps. The quality of these videos is about average, with decent dynamic range and saturated colors. There’s little detail, and the frame rate is choppy and there’s no stabilization, making panning look quite shaky.

Xiaomi Redmi 13C 5G Review: Verdict

In fact, Xiaomi has cut some costs with the Redmi 13C 5G, bringing 5G connectivity (often referred to as the “5G tax”) to a price of under Rs 11,000, which includes an extremely bloated and spammy software experience, poor camera performance (for a budget phone) and painfully slow charging.

At the same time, it ticks some boxes when it comes to style, content streaming (clearer video), battery life, and a smooth (but outdated) software experience. But it’s very hard to recommend it, especially when you consider the existence of phones like the Motorola Moto G34, which offers a smoother display, a cleaner software interface (updated to Android 14), stereo sound, and faster charging. That’s if you can ignore the average camera performance.

If you’re looking for better value and don’t mind spending Rs 13,999, the Samsung Galaxy M34 5G is a strong contender, with a much better and higher-resolution Full HD+ 120Hz AMOLED panel, updated software with OneUI 6.0 (Android 14), better camera options, and a 6,000mAh battery.

The post Xiaomi Redmi 13C 5G Review: 5G on a Budget appeared first on Review Products.

OnePlus reportedly said that the soft preload on the OnePlus 12 was an error that occurred during testing.

The OnePlus 12 and OnePlus Open are the Chinese smartphone maker’s top-end devices. Now, users of these phones are complaining that the phones are suggesting to install “bloatware” apps. One user claimed on X (formerly Twitter) that in India, OnePlus is installing up to four additional third-party apps on the OnePlus 12 during the device’s setup process. These unwanted apps appear under the “From OnePlus” header on the “Check for additional apps” screen during setup. The issue has since been resolved by the company.

X user Gauraang Arora spotted a new “Check for additional apps” screen that appears during the setup process of the OnePlus 12. The screen has four Google Play apps selected by default: LinkedIn, Policybazaar, Block Blast and Candy Crush Saga. The apps are found under a header that reads “From OnePlus.”

Android Authority recently tested the setup process in three regions and found that the Indian version of the OnePlus 12 running the latest Oxygen OS 14.0.0.610 build has four apps pre-selected during setup. The US is reported to offer one third-party app, while the EU is not offered any pre-selected apps. Users can opt out of installing the listed apps, which are selected by default, but this could mean skipping the setup process and pushing bloatware onto your device.

Additionally, the publication discovered that there are three more Meta apps pre-installed on the OnePlus Open: Meta App Installer, Meta App Manager, and Meta Services. All these Meta apps were previously reported to have been spotted on the OnePlus 8 series, and the brand had received criticism for this as these apps could not be easily uninstalled from the device.

OnePlus has reportedly addressed the issue, calling it a mistake: “The soft preload on the OnePlus 12 was an error that occurred during testing and was fixed on May 6. The OnePlus 12 does not come preloaded with these apps and will continue to keep the phone light, fast and smooth,” OnePlus told Android Authority.

The company added that OxygenOS is free of any bloatware, but acknowledged that two apps — Instagram and Agoda — came pre-installed on the OnePlus Nord CE 4. It also said that apps are easy to remove or uninstall, and that the company works closely with app developers to improve the performance of OnePlus devices.

Prominent X tipster 1NormalUsername has suggested that the latest OxygenOS version will bring even more bloatware to the OnePlus 12. Third-party apps like Fitbit, Bubble Pop, Facebook, Amazon, Amazon Music, Amazon Prime Video, Zomato, Agoda, Swiggy, etc. may come pre-installed or appear as APK shortcuts.

The post OnePlus 12 and Open Found with Bloatware: Company Responds appeared first on Review Products.

The price of this phone in India starts at Rs 13,999.

As per schedule, Motorola launched a new G-series smartphone last month to enter the premium budget segment. I am talking about the Moto G64 5G, the successor to last year’s Moto G54. The new smartphone is the world’s first smartphone to feature the MediaTek Dimensity 7025 SoC , but the design has barely changed and is only a marginal improvement over its predecessor.

Here are my thoughts on the Moto G64 5G after using the phone thoroughly for about two weeks: If you’re considering this as your next budget phone purchase, make sure you read this review.

Moto G64 5G Price in India

First, a quick word on pricing: The Moto G64 5G is currently available in India for Rs 13,999 for the 8GB + 128GB storage model and Rs 15,999 for the 12GB + 256GB model. Our review unit comes with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage.

The Moto G64 5G comes in three color options: Ice Lilac, Mint Green, and Pearl Blue. I received the Mint Green model.

The Moto G64 5G also comes with a case.

Motorola continues to be mindful of environmental issues and ships the Moto G64 in a plastic-free box, but inside the box is a plastic/silicone case. Besides the case, the box also contains the usual paperwork, a SIM ejector tool, a USB Type-A to Type-C cable, and a 33W fast charging adapter.

Moto G64 5G Review: Design

As mentioned at the beginning, the new Moto G64 5G doesn’t have any major design changes compared to the Moto G54 5G. The only difference is that this year, the black color option is gone, with Motorola taking a colorful turn. The phone has a plastic frame with the power and volume buttons on the right edge, the SIM tray on the left edge, and a microphone on the top. The bottom frame houses the 3.5mm headphone port, USB Type-C port, second microphone, and speaker.

The plastic back panel has a glossy finish that reveals a pattern when light hits it. The top left corner of the back has the familiar rectangular camera module, which protrudes and causes the phone to wobble when laid flat on its back. The front now has a Gorilla Glass panel to protect the display, but there are still thick bezels all around, especially at the bottom. There’s a hole at the top to house the front camera.

The phone features hybrid dual speakers with Dolby Atmos support.

Overall, the Moto G64 5G feels similar to last year’s phone. It weighs 192g and is 8.9mm thick, roughly the same as the Moto G54. The phone is IP52 rated for dust and water resistance, but we don’t recommend exposing the phone to water or rain.

Moto G64 5G Review: Specs and Software

The Moto G64 5G is equipped with the world’s first MediaTek Dimensity 7025 SoC, a slight improvement over last year’s model. The chipset is paired with an IMG BXM-8-256 GPU, up to 12GB of LPDDR4X RAM, and 256GB UFS 2.2 storage that’s expandable via microSD card.

In terms of connectivity, the Moto G64 supports 14 5G bands with three carrier aggregation, dual SIM support with a hybrid SIM tray, Bluetooth 5.3, dual-band Wi-Fi, GPS, A-GPS, LTEPP, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, NFC support, a 3.5mm headphone port, FM radio, and a USB Type-C (USB 2.0) port.

The Moto G64 5G comes with some bloatware, but you can uninstall it.

The phone comes with a side-mounted fingerprint scanner housed within the power/wake button, it’s a capacitive sensor and it worked flawlessly during the review period – we found it to be flawless and fast.

Like last year’s Moto G54 5G, the new phone comes with a 6,000mAh battery that supports 33W fast charging.

Talking about the software, the Moto G64 5G comes with Android 14 based My UX. You get the latest software, but Motorola will only provide the Android 15 update on the phone. However, it will provide three years of security updates. In terms of features, the phone comes with Motorola features like Family Space 2.0, Moto Secure, Game Mode, and several Moto apps. You also get a lot of bloatware in the form of pre-installed apps, GamesHub, entertainment, and shopping apps. Luckily, most of the bloatware on the phone can be uninstalled.

Moto G64 5G Review: Performance

The Moto G64 5G is equipped with a slightly better MediaTek Dimensity 7025 SoC compared to its predecessor the Dimensity 7020. Motorola claims the phone has achieved a score of 500k+ on AnTuTu and in my testing it scored 4,94,364 points. On Geekbench, the phone scored 1012 points in the single-core CPU test and 2403 points in the multi-core test. Overall, the phone performed reasonably well in day-to-day usage and I hardly encountered any lag or stuttering while doing app launches, system animations etc. This is also thanks to the screen.

This Phone Supports Widevine L1

Motorola has equipped the G64 with a 6.5-inch IPS LCD display. The panel offers up to 120Hz refresh rate, Full HD+ resolution, 240Hz sampling rate, and HDR10 support. In terms of brightness, the display is rated at 560 nits peak brightness , which isn’t very high. Indoors, the display is bright enough without using maximum brightness, but outdoors it’s hard to read. The display has Natural and Saturated color modes and has good viewing angles, although colors appear washed out at certain angles.

The Moto G64 5G has a hybrid dual-speaker setup, with the earpiece acting as the second speaker. Audio quality is adequate, but it lacks bass and isn’t very loud. Call quality, on the other hand, is excellent. The phone has two microphones.

You can play most games and your phone won’t heat up too much.

Can I play graphic intensive games on the Moto G64 5G? Definitely, but not at full settings. I was able to play Asphalt 9 at very high graphics, but it gave me a warning that this mode is not supported on the phone. Casual games are fine though, I can play BGMI and Call of Duty at medium settings too.

In terms of heat management, Motorola has done a good job: the phone didn’t heat up while gaming, using apps like the camera, or even while charging.

The phone has a large 6,000mAh battery that can easily last for two days with normal usage. In our HD video loop test, the phone delivered about 16 hours of screen-on time. Even with heavy usage, the Moto G64 5G can last for about a day and a half. Despite supporting 33W fast charging, charging is slow. It took about an hour and 50 minutes to fully charge the battery from 0%.

Moto G64 5G Review: Camera

Now, let’s talk about the camera. The Moto G64 5G has a dual rear camera with a 50-megapixel primary sensor with f/1.8 aperture, quad pixel binning, and optical image stabilization. It also has an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera with autofocus, macro mode, and a 118-degree field of view. For selfies, it has a 16-megapixel sensor with f/2.4 aperture. The phone has an easy-to-use camera app with several modes, including Pro and Night modes.

The 50MP main rear camera takes good photos even in daylight.

The main rear camera’s image quality is good in daylight. The colors are a bit oversaturated and you lose detail when you zoom in. The ultra-wide camera also takes good photos in good light, but there is inconsistency in the colors between the main and ultra-wide cameras. You’ll also notice less detail in the photos. The phone offers 2x digital zoom, which is basically a crop of the main sensor, and produces good images when the sun is out. The selfie camera also takes good images in daylight, but it’s not the sharpest and can be blurry at times.

In low light, enabling Night Mode on the main camera takes decent photos. Without Night Mode, photos are washed out with lots of noise and artifacts. The same goes for the ultra-wide camera, where even photos taken in Night Mode aren’t that great. Check out the samples below.

Video performance in sunlight is not bad, but not great either. Colors look oversaturated, panning is not smooth, and stabilization is also so-so. The phone can only shoot in 1080p resolution with a maximum frame rate of 60fps. Videos in low light lack detail and are noisy.

Moto G64 5G Review: Verdict

The Moto G64 5G has a lot of competition in this segment. The recently launched Realme P1 (Review) has a more powerful processor but only 8GB of RAM, no ultra-wide camera and a tiny 5,000mAh battery. There’s also the Redmi Note 13, Vivo T3x and Samsung Galaxy A15, all of which are around the same price but inferior in most ways to the Moto G64 5G. The Vivo T3x has a better processor and the same size battery, but falls behind in other key areas like camera and RAM.

If you’re looking for a budget phone with great battery life, a great display, and a decent camera, the Moto G64 5G is a great choice. You might not get the best gaming performance on this phone, but you can still play all your favorite games with lower graphics settings. Motorola has only slightly improved the specs on the Moto G64 5G, but it’s still an easy phone to recommend.

The post Moto G64 5G Review: Just Better Specs appeared first on Review Products.

With Samsung promising four years of Android OS updates, are these the phones worth buying and holding onto until 2027? Here’s our review.

Samsung’s Galaxy A series brings some of the company’s premium software features to the mid-range segment at a slightly higher cost compared to the Galaxy M and Galaxy F series. The company launched the Galaxy A55 and Galaxy A35 smartphones in India earlier this year, priced at under Rs 40,000 and Rs 30,000 respectively. These devices are powered by the company’s Exynos chip and come with four years of OS updates up to Android 18. But how do they compare to smartphones in the same price range? I’ve been using both the handsets for a while now and here are my impressions.

Samsung Galaxy A55 vs Galaxy A35 Price in India

The Samsung Galaxy A55 is priced at Rs 39,999 for the 8GB+128GB RAM and storage model. The phone also comes in 8GB+256GB and 12GB+256GB memory models, priced at Rs 42,999 and Rs 45,999 respectively.

Meanwhile, prices of the Samsung Galaxy A35 start at Rs 30,999 for the base model with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage, while the 8GB+256GB storage variant is also available for Rs 33,999.

The Samsung Galaxy A55 has a flat display, flat edges and a flat back panel.

The Galaxy A55 comes in Ice Blue and Navy, while the Galaxy A35 comes in Ice Blue, Lilac and Navy. Samsung sent us both the Ice Blue (Galaxy A55) and Lilac (Galaxy A35) devices for review.

Both devices are sold in a slim box that includes a charging cable, a SIM ejector tool, and some documentation, but they don’t come with a clear TPU cover or charging brick, so you’ll need to buy those separately.

Samsung Galaxy A55 vs Galaxy A35 Review: Design

The Samsung Galaxy A55 and Galaxy A35 share a striking similarity in appearance, with the SIM tray location, USB Type-C port, triple rear camera layout, and bottom speaker grille. The Boost device also features a new key island for the volume and power buttons, which are also in the same location. If you look at both the devices together, you’ll be indistinguishable.

Among Samsung’s mid-range smartphones, the Galaxy A series is known as the most premium looking smartphones, and the Galaxy A55 and Galaxy A35 are no exception. The back panel is very similar to this year’s Galaxy S24 (review) device, which is a premium smartphone. In my experience, both the Galaxy A55 and Galaxy A35 have a glossy back panel that is less susceptible to fingerprints.

Samsung Galaxy A55 (left) and Galaxy A35

On the front, these devices come with a Super AMOLED screen with up to 120Hz refresh rate and Gorilla Glass Victus+ protection. The display bezels are quite thick and the selfie camera is located in a center-aligned punch-hole cutout.

The Galaxy A55 has flat brushed aluminum edges, while the Galaxy A35 also has flat matte-finished aluminum edges. Neither phone came with a TPU case, so we used them without a cover during the review.

Samsung Galaxy A55 vs Galaxy A35 Review: Specs and Software

Both the Samsung Galaxy A55 and Galaxy A35 feature 6.6-inch Full HD+ (1,080 x 2,408 pixels) Super AMOLED displays with a 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of up to 1,000 nits. Protected by Gorilla Glass Victus+, these screens are flat with somewhat thicker bezels compared to other devices in their price range.

Samsung is promising four OS upgrades and five years of security updates for the Galaxy A55 and Galaxy A35, meaning these devices running Android 14-based One UI 6 will be supported until 2028. That’s far better than any other mid-range smartphone, even by today’s standards.

The phone comes with a few pre-installed apps, including Spotify, but you can uninstall them. The Galaxy A35 also downloaded Candy Crush Saga via the pre-installed AppCloud service, but there doesn’t appear to be an opt-out option. And both phones periodically prompt you to enable the built-in Glance lock screen feature after every software update, requiring a few taps to skip through this menu.

Samsung’s One UI 6.1 Interface

However, the software experience is largely clean, which is to be expected of Samsung’s One UI interface, which has matured over the years since it was introduced in 2018. These Galaxy A- series smartphones also come with features like Samsung Wallet for contactless payments and secure document storage, advanced Link to Windows integration, and Good Lock for further customization and theming options.

The devices also come with Samsung’s Object Eraser feature, which uses machine learning to remove unwanted objects in photos.In terms of connectivity, both the devices have 5G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, GPS, a USB Type-C port for charging, data transfer, and audio output, but no 3.5mm audio jack.

Samsung Galaxy A55 vs Galaxy A35 Review: Performance

The Galaxy is powered by a 4nm Exynos 1480 chip with up to 12GB of RAM, while the Galaxy A35 5G is powered by a 5nm Exynos 1380 processor with 8GB of RAM. In theory, these devices should have enough performance overhead to stay fast for a few years, and they’ll handle everyday tasks like web browsing, social media apps, light gaming, and photo and video capture without a hitch.

Most games were playable on the Galaxy A55 and Galaxy A35, with titles like Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) and Asphalt 9 running well without throttling even after around 30 minutes of gameplay. However, slightly heavier titles like Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile couldn’t run without noticeable lag, and even the Galaxy A55 struggled with MiHoYo’s graphics-intensive Genshin Impact.

Android 14-based One UI 6 offers a polished software experience on the Galaxy A55 and Galaxy A35, with a few exceptions. RAM management is excellent, and your most used apps like Instagram, WhatsApp, Gmail, Outlook, X (formerly Twitter), Threads, etc. remain in memory even when you switch between apps.

Samsung should follow Motorola and Nothing’s lead and stop annoying users with prompts to enable features like Glance on their Galaxy A series phones with every software update, especially after the user has explicitly opted out once. On both devices, updates were available after the initial setup process. Additionally, Samsung has finally added support for system A/B updates (Galaxy A55 only), making it much faster to use your phone after an update.

The displays on the Samsung Galaxy A55 (left) and Galaxy A35 offer decent outdoor visibility.

We also ran synthetic benchmark tests, and both the Samsung Galaxy A55 and Galaxy A35 lagged behind the competition: the Galaxy A55 scored 1,132 points and 3,346 points in Geekbench 6’s single-core and multi-core CPU tests, respectively, while the Galaxy A35 scored 1,013 points in the single-core test and 2,805 points in the multi-core test.

In the AnTuTu v10 benchmark test, the Galaxy A55 and Galaxy A35 scored 678,167 and 606,767 points respectively. Interestingly, the Galaxy A55’s PCMark Work 3.0 score of 13,315 is only slightly higher than the Galaxy A35, which scored 13,176 points.

For comparison, the iQoo Z9 I recently reviewed had a single-core score of 1,151 points and a multi-core score of 2,669 points. It also scored 687,545 points in AnTuTu v10. The Dimensity 7200 chip in iQoo devices performs better than the Exynos chips in these devices. The AnTuTu score and Geekbench single-core score of the iQoo Z9 is higher than both the Galaxy A55 and Galaxy A35, and the price of this device starts at Rs 19,999.

Both the Galaxy A55 and Galaxy A35 feature 6.6-inch Super AMOLED screens with a 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of up to 1,000 nits. These screens are bright enough to be used outdoors during the day, as long as auto-brightness is enabled. One UI also has an Extra Dim mode that can be enabled via a quick settings toggle. This mode allows you to dim the screen even further to reduce eye strain.

Equipped with 5,000mAh batteries, the devices are highly optimized, and in our HD video loop battery playback test, the Galaxy A55 lasted 28 hours 14 minutes on a single charge, while the Galaxy A35 lasted 26 hours 34 minutes. In real-world usage, with moderate usage, they didn’t need to be charged more than once every 30-35 hours.

Samsung doesn’t include a 25W charger with the Galaxy A55 or Galaxy A35, so you’ll need to buy one separately. My Belkin USB PD 3.0 charger charged both devices up to 50 percent in about 45 minutes, but it took an average of an hour and 25 minutes to charge from 0 to 100 percent. Both devices are IP67-rated for dust and water resistance, which means they shouldn’t be damaged if you accidentally drop them in water, which is good for a mid-range device.

Samsung Galaxy A55 vs Galaxy A35 Review: Camera

Both the Samsung Galaxy A55 and Galaxy A35 have a 50-megapixel main camera with f/1.8 aperture, a 5-megapixel macro camera with f/2.4 aperture, and a 12-megapixel and 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera with f/2.2 aperture, respectively. The Galaxy A55 has a 32-megapixel front-facing camera, while the Galaxy A35 has a 13-megapixel front-facing camera for selfies and video calling.

The Samsung Galaxy A55’s Auto (left) and Portrait modes produce images with vibrant, punchy colors.

The Galaxy A55 and Galaxy A35 feature the same camera interface as the more expensive Galaxy S series smartphones, which includes a Pro mode that lets you tweak various settings, including white balance, focus, and exposure. You can also access these settings when shooting video using the Pro Video mode, which is great. Both devices also support Samsung’s Super Steady (stabilization), Slow-Mo, and Super Slow-Mo modes for video recording.

The main cameras on the Galaxy A55 and Galaxy A35 are capable of taking detailed images, and both devices support 2x in-sensor zoom, which allows you to take clearer images of objects at a distance. These cameras work very well outdoors when there is sufficient natural light, and tend to provide somewhat more vibrant colors in images. These devices can also take high-quality portrait shots, which work best in natural light.

The Galaxy A55’s ultra-wide-angle camera is slightly better than the one on the Galaxy A35, but both are significantly worse than the main camera, especially in low light. They can be used to take photos of nearby buildings and other subjects, but images taken with these cameras are a bit distorted around the edges and color accuracy isn’t as reliable as with the more advanced 50-megapixel main camera.

Samsung’s Camera app takes long exposure photos by default in low-light conditions (Night Shot), but you can manually disable it with a tap to capture darker but less blurry images of moving subjects. For very dark scenarios, the Galaxy A55 and Galaxy A35 come with a dedicated Night mode that delivers very bright images that are smoothly processed to reduce noise.

The 5-megapixel macro cameras on the Galaxy A55 and Galaxy A35 were able to capture images of the subject well, but only when there was enough natural light. Also, I had to tap the subject in the viewfinder to take multiple images of the subject to ensure the image was in focus. Selfies taken using the front cameras on both phones are clear, but selfies taken with the Galaxy A55, which has a higher-resolution 32-megapixel camera, have more detail.

Samsung Galaxy A55 and Galaxy A35 Take Nearly Identical Macro Photos

Both the Samsung Galaxy A55 and Galaxy A35 support video recording at 4K/30fps or 1080p at 30fps and 60fps. The rear cameras’ gyroscope-enabled Super Steady mode provides excellent stabilization in most lighting conditions. The selfie cameras on both phones offer 4K/30fps and 1080p/30fps, while the Galaxy A55 also offers 1080p/60fps video recording from the selfie camera.

Samsung Galaxy A55 vs Galaxy A35 review: Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy A55 and Galaxy A35 have great cameras and processors, but are they the best mid-range smartphones you can buy right now? The answer depends on what you want from a smartphone. Subjectively speaking, these are good-looking smartphones that are promised to receive Android OS updates for four years, plus one year of security updates.

It’s also nice to see that these phones are IP67 rated, and battery performance is excellent, despite Samsung sticking to support for 25W charging and not including an adapter in the box.

On the other hand, if you want a smartphone with pure performance, you’re better off looking at the Nothing Phone 2 (Review), OnePlus 12R (Review), or iQoo Neo 9 Pro (Review) rather than the Galaxy A55. Similarly, the OnePlus Nord CE 4 5G (Review), Redmi Note 13 Pro, Infinix GT 20 Pro, or iQoo Neo 7 Pro (Review) offer better CPU performance at a similar price point.

If you’re looking for a smartphone with good camera performance under Rs 40,000, Samsung’s Galaxy S23 FE (Review) is a good choice. It has more versatile cameras, including a good telephoto camera, and a more powerful Exynos chip. As an alternative to the Galaxy A55, you could also consider the Google Pixel 7a (Review). Other alternatives to the Galaxy A35 include the Galaxy M55 (Review), Vivo V30e, and Oppo Reno 11 5G.

The post Samsung Galaxy A55 vs Galaxy A35 Review: Mid-Range Performance, Impressive Battery Life appeared first on Review Products.

Infinix aims to offer basic features in a segment that doesn’t have many options in the mix.

Infinix makes decent smartphones in the sub-Rs 10,000 price range and offers pretty good hardware with them too. The brand launched the Infinix Smart 7 HD in April last year and has now revamped the model with the latest Infinix Smart 8 HD. The new phone comes with a slightly revised look and packs 3GB of RAM instead of 2GB on last year’s Smart 7 HD. We have tested the device thoroughly and in this article, we will tell you whether this entry-level smartphone is value for money or not.

Infinix Smart 8 HD Price in India

The Infinix Smart 8 HD is priced at Rs 7,990 and comes with 3GB RAM and 64GB storage. It comes in four colour options – Crystal Green, Timber Black, Shiny Gold and Galaxy White. We got the Crystal Green colour option for our review. In the box, you will find the smartphone, a clear case, a charging brick, a USB Type-A to USB Type-C charging cable, a user manual and a SIM ejector tool.

Infinix Smart 8 HD review: Design

The phone looks pretty similar to its predecessor. The matte back panel barely features the Infinix logo, and the camera module protrudes quite a bit from the matte polycarbonate side rails. The main difference between the Smart 8 HD and the 7 HD is the texture on the back panel. Instead of a textured polycarbonate back panel, you get this unique shimmery design. The phone uses a side-mounted fingerprint reader instead of the rear-mounted one used on the 7 HD. Despite the heavy use of polycarbonate, the Infinix Smart 8 HD feels good in the hand with flat sides and a thickness of 8.5mm.

Infinix Smart 8HD Back Panel Infinix Smart 8HD Back Panel

The Infinix Smart 8 HD looks very different from its predecessor.

Weight distribution is good, and at 184 grams, it doesn’t feel bulky. For a short time, I used this smartphone as a secondary smartphone, and I had no problem carrying it in the same pocket as my daily smartphone. The Smart 8 HD’s bezels are quite thick, but that’s not a problem considering the price. The front camera uses a punch-hole cutout, which is refreshing for an entry-level smartphone. However, there is no official IP rating or splash resistance, so it’s not wise to take it swimming. A dedicated microSD card is included, making it a good choice for those who want more storage space but need to use two 4G SIM cards.

Infinix Smart 8 HD review: Specifications and Software

The smartphone is powered by the Unisoc T606 SoC, an entry-level processor that can handle light tasks with ease. You can use the smartphone for daily VoIP calls, checking emails, replying to texts on WhatsApp, and light website browsing. I had a second 4G SIM card inserted while I was carrying the device and the reception was good. The internet speeds are not as fast as 5G-enabled devices, but considering it is a 4G smartphone, it works well enough.

For a smartphone in this price range, it is good to see the phone moving to a USB Type-C port instead of the usual micro USB port. It has a fingerprint reader on the side, which is a nice feature at this price range. Face unlock is also available, but we don’t recommend it as it is not secure. The Infinix Smart 8 HD is powered by a 5,000mAh battery and can be charged using the included 10W charger. It runs on Infinix’s XOS 13 based on Android 13 Go. It uses a Dynamic Island-like feature that Infinix has named Magic Ring, but it has limited functionality. The brand has not made any promises regarding future software updates, which may be a bit worrying for those who want to keep the smartphone for a long time.

Infinix Smart 8 HD review: Performance

Being an entry-level device, our expectations on performance were not very high. Nevertheless, we ran all the required benchmarks on the device and the scores were decent for a smartphone in this price range. It scored 2,32,007 in AnTuTu v10.2.1 , 379 in single-core and 1,322 in multi-core tests in Geekbench 6. The Infinix Smart 8 HD sports a 6.6-inch HD+ LCD with a 90Hz refresh rate which seems new in this price range, while Xiaomi’s Redmi A3 offers the same. The display shows colors well when viewed from the front, but colors start to wash out when viewed from an angle. Indoors, the brightness levels of the smartphone are adequate with a peak brightness of said to be 500nits . But, when you take it outdoors, the display is quite disappointing.

Infinix Smart 8HD Display Infinix Smart 8HD Display

The Infinix Smart 8 HD’s display is barely readable outdoors.

The smartphone’s bottom speaker offers acceptable sound quality despite having very little bass. When played at maximum volume, it can sound sharp and volume adjustments will be required to improve clarity during playback.

Android 13 Go edition is quite lighter than the full version, which works in the smartphone’s favour quite a bit. The smartphone did not feel slow or lagging while scrolling through the UI of the smartphone, but it is a bit slow to launch third-party apps. Despite the price, the performance of the Infinix Smart HD 8 is quite good. It is not a gaming device but it can handle basic casual games without any issues. Subway Surfers ran well without any lag and the touch response rate of the smartphone was also good.

Considering it is an entry-level processor, I was surprised to see the phone heat up after just 15-20 minutes of playing casual games. There are also heating issues while using the camera app, but everyday tasks like web browsing and using messaging apps like WhatsApp work just fine.

The phone achieved a respectable 20 hours and 10 minutes in our battery loop test. After a full day of use, including calls, streaming videos, and even taking photos with the default camera app, there was about 30% battery left at the end of the day, which is decent for a phone in this price range. In our battery charging test, the phone charged just 4% in 30 minutes, 27% in an hour, and was fully charged in 3 hours. This may seem a bit slow, but most phones in this price range perform similarly.

Infinix Smart 8 HD review: Camera

The Infinix Smart 8 HD sports a dual rear camera setup with a 13MP primary camera with f/1.8 aperture and a 0.08MP secondary camera. The smartphone uses an 8MP camera for selfies. The camera UI is simple and without any fancy features. It offers basic photo and video controls as you would expect on an Infinix smartphone.

The Infinix Smart 8 HD has one user-accessible camera.

The 13MP main camera takes decent images even in sunlight, and although it takes a second for the final image in the gallery to appear, the result is very different from the image you see in the Camera app’s viewfinder when you take the shot.

The camera does a lot of processing in the background, but the results are average. Images have good saturation but lack detail resolution. I took a few shots of moving and still objects in sunlight and the results were satisfactory for a smartphone in this price range. The camera handles backlit situations well in portrait mode and has decent edge detection, which is typical for a smartphone in this price range.

The phone uses 2x digital zoom and a lot of processing to produce softer images, but in enough light you can take serviceable photos. As expected, the phone struggles with low-light photography.

Daytime photo taken with 2x digital zoom

The night mode gives you clearer images and decent colors. One thing that caught my attention is that you can’t set the exposure when using the dedicated night mode, which can lead to bad photos and you having to retake them. In other words, the low light performance is not what you would expect from a smartphone in this price range and is not reliable at all.

Night mode photo from the main rear camera

The Infinix Smart 8 HD’s front camera doesn’t perform well in low light.

The 8MP selfie camera is adequate for daytime shots. Photos taken are sharp enough with a good level of detail. The front camera struggles quite a bit in low light, taking noisy and blurry images. The Infinix Smart 8 HD can shoot videos up to 1080p 30fps with the main camera. If you stay still, the results are mostly good. If you start moving or panning, the video shakes a lot and becomes unusable. Video performance in low light is not great, and recorded videos are very blurry and noisy. The front camera takes pretty good daytime shots in both moving and stationary situations, which is a plus.

Infinix Smart 8 HD Review: Verdict

The Infinix Smart 8 HD is a good device if you want a second phone with a long battery life and you are on a tight budget. However, it has some drawbacks like very slow support for 10W charging, poor camera performance in low light, unreadable outdoors and very limited viewing angles. So, it is good for calls and basic app usage, but not much more. There is no doubt that there is not much choice in this price range, but Xiaomi offers something similar with the Redmi A3 starting at Rs 7,299. It has a better processor, more RAM variants and a 90Hz refresh rate display. You can also consider the Redmi 13C (starting at Rs 7,699), which is a little more expensive but has a better display and cameras.

The post Infinix Smart 8 HD Review: The most basic Android Go smartphone appeared first on Review Products.

Google’s latest Pixel 8a aims to be an all-rounder, but it falls a little short of expectations.

Google’s Pixel A series of smartphones have always been the go-to mid-range device for reliable smartphone photography, not performance. They have also always offered the cleanest and most up-to-date Android software experience (along with a reliable update timeline) compared to all other brands in this price range, making them the go-to device for people who want a vanilla Android software experience. So, while Google’s Pixel A series was not the best device in terms of gaming or battery life, it was still an attractive choice for the average consumer. But Google had to upgrade with the times. It wanted to pack more features in it to compete with other brands. And hence the very interesting and feature-packed Pixel 7a was launched at Rs 43,999 (same as the Pixel 6a).

Times have changed, and Google has once again increased the price of this practical little smartphone, now with a starting price of Rs 52,999. The premium price means this affordable offering from Google will be competing with some very interesting smartphones from Chinese brands and Samsung. Meanwhile, Google has upgraded the AI smarts of its A-series this year with the introduction of Tensor G3 (bringing it almost on par with the Pixel 8). It will be interesting to see how these features perform against a host of devices that offer better performance at this price point. I’ve been using the Pixel 8a for a few weeks now, and here’s why I think there’s a slight chance that it could be your next premium smartphone:

Google Pixel 8a Review: Price in India

The Google Pixel 8a is the first A-series smartphone to be offered in multiple storage variants in India. The base 8GB RAM and 128GB storage variant is priced at Rs 52,999, while the new 256GB storage variant is priced at Rs 59,999. While it might seem logical to spend a bit more and get the 256GB storage variant (more storage is always better), you might change your mind when you see what the competition is offering at this price point.

has included in the box a Type-C to Type-C USB cable for charging and data transfer, a USB Type- A adapter for data transfer, and a SIM ejection tool.

Google Pixel 8a Review: Design

The Google Pixel 8a has a very attractive design, including new Aloe and Bay finishes exclusive to this model. The phone has evolved from a boxy design with sharp edges to a rounded look that feels very comfortable in the hand. The overall size is compact, making it easy to handle even with one hand.

The Google Pixel 8a’s back panel is still made of polycarbonate, but it has a premium matte finish.

We received the Bay finish for review. It has a matte polycarbonate rear panel that is bifurcated by the iconic visor-like camera stripe. The flat camera module and the slightly rounded sides of the phone’s frame are colour-matched, resulting in a very trendy and vibrant design targeted at the youth. Though the rear panel is made of polycarbonate, it is dust and fingerprint resistant and looks very premium .

The quality issues we noticed in our Pixel 7a review have also been addressed: Aside from being IP67 certified (submersible to a depth of one meter) , the fit and finish of the phone is excellent and justified given its new premium price.

One aspect of the Pixel 8a’s design that I didn’t like at all was the display. As is common with entry-level smartphones, the bezels are quite thick, reminding me of 2018’s iPhone XR. Also, the thick black bezels (thickest at the bottom) eat into the display area, which is crucial on such a compact smartphone. The Samsung Galaxy S24, which was released last year and is similarly priced, has very thin bezels compared to the Pixel 8a.

The Google Pixel 8a’s display is sunlight-readable, but the bezels are very thick.

Google Pixel 8a Review: Specs and Software

While the hardware specs and bragging rights aren’t the highlights of the Pixel 8a, it does pack some interesting features considering the price. First, there’s the Tensor G3 SoC, which enables a host of AI features (some on-board, others not) that aren’t possible with the Tensor G2 currently found in the Pixel 7a. The processor also features Google’s Titan M2 coprocessor for added security. The Tensor G3 also enables the new secure Face Unlock feature that debuted on the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. During the review period, the feature worked perfectly as long as there was enough light for the selfie camera to clearly see my face. If not, I had to use the fingerprint reader, which also worked perfectly.

The Tensor G3 also brings the modest Pixel 8a on par with the more premium Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro when it comes to communication standards. There’s Wi-Fi 6 for a stable data connection at home or in the office, and Bluetooth 5.3, which is more than enough to connect to both Pixel and third-party accessories. It also includes NFC and Google Cast functionality, and has the usual Global Positioning System support. In addition to the physical SIM slot, eSIM is still available with dual standby and support for multiple 5G bands.

The Pixel 8a runs Google’s Pixel UI based on Android 14. As with the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro devices, Google is also offering seven years of OS, security, and Feature Drop updates, something that most smartphone brands at this price point and above can’t match. It remains to be seen if the new Tensor G3 processor can adequately power Google’s future Android experience, but such a commitment says a lot about the brand when it comes to software support (not to mention after-sales support).

The Google Pixel 8a’s Android software experience is the best and is packed with AI-enabled features.

As for the Pixel UI, it’s very similar to what we saw on the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro devices launched late last year, with a few new features added since then: I really like the fun widgets (that match the system theme and accent perfectly), including the new separate contacts widget with a photo in the background and call and message buttons on the front.

Also new is the Snapshot widget, which turns your home screen into a board for taking and pinning photos. The widget features a camera button to instantly take an image and pin it to your home screen, and also acts as a reminder every time you unlock your device.

Additionally, the premium Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro models have a host of AI-powered features, including Audio Eraser (which lets you erase unwanted sounds in any video), Magic Editor (which lets you remove, move, or enhance objects in your photos), and Best Take (which lets you choose a different facial expression), which are included here too. All of these features work beautifully and, if needed, are solid additions rather than just gimmicks.

Google Pixel 8a Review: Performance

The Tensor G3 processor is designed with Google’s artificial intelligence and machine learning requirements in mind, but it’s by no means inferior when it comes to running everyday apps and casual games, so most regular users who use the phone daily for social media apps and calling won’t notice any issues related to those, but boot up a game or the camera and it’s clear that this phone isn’t cut out for either.

The Google Pixel 8a takes two hours to charge, which is quite slow compared to the competition.

Starting with synthetic benchmarks, the smartphone scored lower than usual, scoring 8,69,163 points in AnTuTu, while it received a more acceptable 1,580 and 3,558 points in Geekbench’s single-core and multi-core tests. These scores put it at a par with the mid-range Poco F6 (priced at Rs 30,999), but it doesn’t quite compare to devices like the iQoo 12, which is powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC and is similarly priced, and scored an AnTuTu score of 1,98,3471 (as per our own testing), which is more than double that of the Pixel 8a.

Once you launch a game, you start to realize the limitations of the Tensor G3. Call of Duty: Mobile was playable at Ultra and Very High graphics, but it wasn’t as responsive as most smartphones under this price range, and I did skip a few frames while gaming. The phone also heats up quite a bit when playing 3D games. Gaming aside, I experienced more real-world issues when using the phone’s camera. When I launched the camera app, the phone heated up in less than five minutes, and when I started shooting video (4K or 1080p), it got even hotter. After about 10 minutes in the afternoon sun, the phone was too hot to hold, but then I noticed other underlying issues.

The display automatically dims to a near-invisible level to reduce heat build-up (making it hard to see what’s in the viewfinder), and the phone’s manual controls also disappear – along with the usual white balance, shadow and brightness controls, the shadow controls also disappear, only to reappear once the phone has cooled down.

Once it gets moderately warm (about 10 minutes of mixed camera use), the phone displays warnings that it’s “too hot,” “recording may end abruptly,” and “video quality will be reduced to compensate for overheating.” This is apparently due to the lack of a cooling system. Google has previously refused to put a cooling system on any of its phones, opting instead for “software optimizations,” but as the above messages make clear, this doesn’t work.

These issues ruin the camera experience. However, it is a bit odd that the Pixel 8 Pro did not have such a big heating issue. My guess is that it is due to the compact size of the Pixel 8a. Like the Pixel 8 Pro, the Pixel 8a also suffers from the same issue in portrait mode, where taking multiple portrait photos in rapid succession can cause the phone’s shutter button to grey out (buffer full), causing you to miss some moments. In fact, the Pixel 8a is well suited to perform best in cold weather and is not the phone to take on your next summer vacation.

Considering the larger battery, the Pixel 8a’s battery life unfortunately didn’t last as long as the Pixel 7a’s. It barely lasted 12 hours and 15 minutes in our video loop battery test, which isn’t great by any standards. This is likely due in large part to the 120Hz display versus the Pixel 7a’s 90Hz display. With normal use (no camera or games), you can get the phone to last more than a day, but you’ll likely end up with only around 20% battery left and need to charge it at the end of the day. With heavy use (lots of calls), the phone won’t last a full day and you may need to charge it before leaving the office on your way home.

Google Pixel 8a Review: Camera

The Google Pixel 8a also inherits the new camera interface that’s been rolled out to other recent Pixel models (except for the Pro Controls). Nothing’s different here, just tap the settings icon near the top-left corner to access basic white balance, shadow, and brightness sliders. What hasn’t changed is the camera; Google has kept the rear and front-facing cameras from the Pixel 7a, which means we might see some small improvements, mainly due to the new processor.

Google Pixel 8a daylight camera samples, from top to bottom: ultra-wide, primary, 2x digital zoom crop.

Photos taken with the main camera show natural colors and good dynamic range, but it was easy to see blown highlights in some photos, especially in photos taken under contrasty lighting. Photos show the typical cool tones that Pixel cameras have long adopted, unlike the Pixel 8 Pro. Thankfully, there is a white balance slider to correct this while shooting. Noise is well controlled whether shooting outdoors, indoors, or in low-light or dim environments. Results with the 2x digital zoom focal length are good in sunlight, but detail drops significantly in low light, so it is best not to use it in dim light.

Portraits taken with the rear camera have good details and edge detection but are noisy, especially when photographing subjects in artificial lighting or low light conditions. In fact, it is best to avoid 2x zoom in portrait mode. Most users will find the default 1.7x in portrait mode to be enough to remove unwanted distortion. Selfies are packed with a lot of detail, but the edge detection is a bit aggressive and doesn’t detect edges evenly, resulting in noticeable borders around the subject. Skin tones look very natural, but I noticed that the selfie camera can’t handle bright background lighting and the background gets washed out.

Google Pixel 8a’s daytime selfies have inaccurate edge detection and washed-out backgrounds.

The Google Pixel 8a’s main camera performs well in low light.

The ultra-wide camera takes impressive photos with great detail and better dynamic range, capturing more in the frame compared to the main camera, and it’s great that Google has managed to perfectly match the color tones of both rear cameras, which is still a rarity at this price point.

Video quality is hit or miss depending on how hot the phone gets as it automatically downgrades. Still, we were able to capture a decent sample. 4K 30fps video seems to hit the sweet spot for this phone, delivering good image quality and contrast. However, the camera, for some reason, doesn’t maintain focus while panning and looks a bit blurry when panning. Low-light video capture isn’t as great for a smartphone in this price range, with footage showing noise and textures looking a bit blurry overall.

Google Pixel 8a Review: Verdict

Google’s Pixel 8a certainly seems like a strong contender at the lower end of the premium segment. But the phone does have some flaws. While the Tensor G3 processor handles everyday tasks without a hitch, it heats up too much under load. Battery life isn’t best in class, and wired charging is quite slow compared to competing devices at this price point. It’s also notable that the display is small compared to most smartphones at this price point. So, unless a compact form factor and timely updates are all you’re looking for in your next premium phone, it’s very hard to recommend this phone.

The situation is made worse by the Pixel 8a’s starting price of Rs 52,999 (8GB + 128GB), with plenty of devices from competing brands selling for less in India.

If you’re looking for a compact form factor, Samsung’s Galaxy S23 (reviewed, albeit a year ago) is a much better option, and it also features Qualcomm silicon (Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC) that was dropped from this year’s model. The AI features of the latest S24 series are also included in the S23, so there’s no major lack in terms of features. The S23 also offers a more flexible camera setup, with a proper 3x telephoto camera. It also has an evaporative cooling system that manages heat, so it doesn’t slow down or get hot under load.

Sold for the exact same price, the iQoo 12 (Review) offers a bigger display, much better performance, better cameras and faster wired charging, and if you’re happy to spend a bit more, the OnePlus 12 (Review) isn’t too far behind at Rs 64,999 (12GB + 256GB) and is a great all-rounder in this price range.

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If you are on a tight budget, should you spend more than Rs 25,000 on a gaming phone?

Smartphone manufacturers usually offer one or two models aimed at gamers at different price points. These smartphones are usually performance-focused, with powerful chipsets and displays that support higher frame rates. The recently launched Infinix GT 20 Pro, powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 8200 Ultimate SoC and a gaming-specific Pixelworks chip, is one of the gaming smartphones in the mid-range segment. We tested the smartphone for a few days to see if it lives up to the company’s performance and battery life claims.

Infinix GT 20 Pro Price in India

The Infinix GT 20 Pro price in India starts at Rs 24,999 for the base model with 8GB RAM and 256GB inbuilt storage. The phone also comes in a variant with 12GB memory and 256GB storage, priced at Rs 26,999. The company is selling the phone in Mecha Blue, Mecha Orange and Mecha Silver colour options.

The company sent me the Mecha Blue edition of the GT 20 Pro, with a charger and cable included in the box. The device also came with a GT Pro Gaming Kit, which includes a GT Mecha case, a GT cooling fan, and a GT finger sleeve. There’s a catch, though: Infinix says these accessories will ship with the phone at no extra cost, but for a limited time (to be determined).

Infinix’s latest GT series smartphones build on the cyber-mecha design introduced with the GT 10 Pro model back in August 2023. Both of these phones feature the company’s Mecha Loop Lighting, inspired by Nothing’s monochrome glyph interface for smartphones.

The back features a transparent panel over what appears to be a mostly metal finish, with the camera module having a similar shape and layout to its predecessor. The RGB LED lighting module on the back panel is shaped like a “G,” with a curved section that lights up for calls, notifications, charging, and music. There’s also a Party Mode that can be enabled to keep the lights on continuously, at the expense of battery life.

The Infinix GT 20 Pro has metal-like edges and gets scratched easily.

Infinix has equipped the GT 20 Pro with metal-look plastic sides that feel smooth to the touch and won’t slip out of your hand when you grip the phone. The power button and volume rocker are on the right side, while the SIM tray and USB Type-C port are at the bottom along with the speaker grille. There is no 3.5mm headphone jack.

The top edge of the Infinix GT 20 Pro features an infrared (IR) blaster that lets you control various devices and home appliances using quick settings shortcuts. There’s a second speaker grille and the text “Sound by JBL” in small letters.

The 6.78-inch screen feels vertical and is a bit difficult to use with one hand, but the phone’s slim design makes it easy to hold. My thumb could easily reach the power button. It’s also very comfortable to hold in landscape mode, which is good news for gamers.

The Infinix GT 20 Pro is equipped with MediaTek’s Dimensity 8200 Ultimate chip, a Pixelworks X5 Turbo chip for improved gaming performance, and up to 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM. The 4nm mobile processor is equipped with one Arm Cortex-A78 core clocked at 3.1GHz, three Cortex-A78 cores clocked at 3.0GHz, and four Cortex-A55 cores clocked at 2.0GHz.

The company’s latest GT series smartphone runs on Android 14 out of the box with XOS 14 for GT skin running on top of it. According to Infinix, the GT 20 Pro will receive two major Android version upgrades and a third year of security updates. It has an in-display fingerprint sensor which is extremely reliable and can unlock in less than a second .

The Infinix GT 20 Pro runs on XOS 14 based on Android 14.

The Infinix GT 20 Pro supports 5G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, NFC, GPS, and a USB Type-C port. It also has a range of sensors, including an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, electronic compass, gyroscope, and proximity sensor. The device is equipped with a 5,000mAh battery that charges at 45W using the included charging brick. The phone also has an IR blaster that can control home appliances and works well with several Sony entertainment devices.

Infinix GT 20 Pro Review: Performance

The company claims that the Infinix GT 20 Pro can deliver up to 90fps in games that support higher frame rates, and I tested it with Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) and Call of Duty: Mobile. The phone easily handles titles like Genshin Impact on “medium” settings, and there were no stutters or glitches, unlike other phones in the same price range.

I didn’t notice any slowdown in the phone after gaming for over an hour, and I barely used the included GT cooling fan while playing with the phone. It’s worth keeping in mind that the gaming test was conducted in the summer, when temperatures were well above 40 degrees. The cooling fan attaches magnetically to the case, and keeps the back of the phone pretty cool, if you don’t mind extra wires getting in the way while you play.

There’s also an X-Boost mode that offers battery saving, standard power consumption, and performance modes. Other optimizations are available, including an HDR mode that subtly improves the visuals (mainly color) in games like Asphalt 9 and Genshin Impact. There’s also an eSports mode that optimizes notifications, performance, and other settings for a more immersive gaming experience.

The Infinix GT 20 Pro can handle games like Genshin Impact at the “Medium” setting.

The phone runs an optimized version of XOS 14 for GT, with very few pre-installed apps, which is surprising for a phone in this price range. There are no ads either. Browsing the web and social media apps is smooth, and other apps work fine too, although there were a couple of rare instances where some apps would reload when switching after loading another app.

The Infinix GT 20 Pro performed well in common benchmark tests, scoring 895,790 points in the AnTuTu v10 test, 1,000 points and 3,413 points in Geekbench’s single-core and multi-core tests respectively. In PCMark’s Work 3.0 performance benchmark, the GT 20 Pro scored 18,328 points.

Infinix GT 20 Pro benchmarks

The phone also performed well in graphics benchmark tests, scoring 6,514 and 6,441 points in the Wild Life and Wild Life Unlimited tests respectively. It scored 3,865 points in the Sling Shot test and achieved “Best” in the Sling Shot Extreme test. Similarly, the phone scored 54 fps in GFXBench’s Car Chase test, 101 fps and 144 fps in the Manhattan 3.1 and T-Rex tests respectively.

Infinix has equipped the GT 20 Pro with a 6.78-inch Full HD+ (1,080 x 2,436 pixels) AMOLED screen with a refresh rate of up to 144Hz and a peak brightness of up to 1,300 nits. The display is very responsive when using everyday apps and games, works well outdoors, and has good visibility, although it’s not as bright as other smartphones that boast the same peak brightness level.

According to the Digital Wellbeing app, the most frequently used apps and games on the Infinix GT 20 Pro were Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), Genshin Impact, WhatsApp, and YouTube Music. With the device’s 5,000mAh battery, the screen-off on time was around 6 hours and 22 minutes (average).

The Infinix GT 20 Pro has a Bright Display

The Infinix GT 20 Pro lasted for 17 hours and 32 minutes in our HD battery video loop test, and it took about 63 minutes to charge from 0 to 100 percent using the included charging cable. After 30 minutes, about 48 percent of the battery was still charged. It also supports in-game bypass charging, which seems to help keep battery levels consistent during gaming sessions while preventing overheating without the need for a cooling fan.

Infinix GT 20 Pro Review: Camera

Powered by the Samsung HM6 sensor, it has a 108-megapixel main rear camera with optical image stabilisation (OIS) support, a 2-megapixel macro camera, a 2-megapixel sensor for capturing depth information, and a 32-megapixel front-facing camera for selfies and video chats.

Two of the Infinix GT 20 Pro’s rear cameras can be used to capture images using the default camera app. The 108-megapixel camera captures images with a fair level of detail, especially when there is enough natural light and you are close enough to the subject. The built-in camera app also has a Pro mode that lets you adjust various parameters such as white balance and ISO levels, but I got much better results using the default mode called “AI Cam.”

When taking photos with the main camera, you need to make sure there is enough light.

When taking photos of distant subjects in less than ideal lighting conditions, the Infinix GT 20 Pro’s main camera may capture images with slightly inaccurate colors – images with brown areas may appear dark or have a slight reddish tint.

The main camera can also capture images with 3x zoom using in-sensor crop, which works well when the subject is not too far away and there is enough light. If you take photos in low light or at night, the captured image will lose a lot of detail as the camera produces a smooth image to reduce noise.

Images taken in low light environments are very smooth.

The Infinix GT 20 Pro’s macro camera is very mediocre, even when taken in daylight. Edges of objects are blurred, colors are not as vibrant as those of the main camera, and images lack sufficient detail. Low-light images taken with the macro camera have even less detail and are noisy.

The default camera on the Infinix GT 20 Pro supports OIS up to 4K/30fps and can record videos up to 4K/60fps. To use OIS, you need to enable Ultra Steady mode in the camera app. We highly recommend using this feature if you plan on walking around while taking videos.

The Infinix GT 20 Pro’s macro camera struggles to capture detailed, sharp images.

On the other hand, the selfie camera on this phone is pretty good, but to get full resolution images you need to enable the 32MP mode from the camera interface. It’s good that I didn’t notice any “beautify” feature while clicking pictures. Images are very sharp in normal lighting conditions and average in low light scenarios too.

The Infinix GT 20 Pro also comes with a dual video mode in the default camera app, which lets you capture videos using both the main (rear) camera and the selfie camera simultaneously. There is no lag while capturing dual videos and you can also adjust the size of the videos captured using both the cameras.

Infinix GT 20 Pro Review: Verdict

Is the Infinix GT 20 Pro the best performance-oriented phone you can buy under Rs 25,000 right now? If you’re looking for a powerful phone that can handle most games and other intensive tasks, the answer is yes. No other phone offers the same level of CPU and display performance while gaming. The phone also comes with a neat operating system, which is becoming increasingly rare in this price range. The phone also gets two OS upgrades that make it an improvement over its predecessor.

Other smartphones available in the same price range include the Samsung Galaxy F55 (first impressions), Motorola Edge 50 Fusion, Nothing Phone 2a (review), Poco X6 Pro (review) and OnePlus Nord CE 4 (review). Of these, only the Poco X6 Pro beats the Infinix GT 20 Pro in benchmark tests. Meanwhile, the other smartphones offer a better overall experience, including better camera performance. This is worth keeping in mind if top-notch gaming performance isn’t the only consideration when buying a smartphone.

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