The Redmi 12 5G has been officially launched in India. The new 5G smartphone from Xiaomi is making its global debut in India, and is currently the company’s most affordable 5G smartphone starting at just Rs. 10,999. The device brings some class-leading features such as a glass back panel, new Snapdragon SoC, and more. Is the Redmi 12 5G the real deal? While we work on the full review, here is our first impressions of the phone.

Starting with the unboxing, the Redmi 12 5G comes with all the necessary accessories bundled such as a SIM tray, translucent case, and some documents. The box also packs a 22.5W fast charger and a USB Type-A to Type-C cable.

Redmi 12 5G 4 Redmi 12 5G

Moving on, the Redmi 12 5G comes in three colours. Xiaomi sent us the Moonlight Silver colour which has a shimmery finish for the glass back and produces prism-like colours when light falls on. The phone also comes in Classic Black and Pastel Blue options.

The Redmi 12 5G feels quite hefty mainly due to the big battery and the glass back design. Xiaomi has managed to keep the weigh under 200g while maintaining a thickness of 8.17mm. To offer some extra protection against drops and scratches, the Redmi 12 5G has a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass on the back.

The Redmi 12 5G sports a tall 6.79-inch full-HD+ IPS LCD with a 90Hz refresh rate support. The screen is claimed to offer 450 nits of peak brightness. Indoors, the display gets amply bright to consume content. We have not been able to test the display’s performance in outdoor conditions mainly due to the Mumbai rains but do stay tuned for our full review.

There is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 SoC under the hood. The base variant comes with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage which is priced at Rs. 10,999. The one with 6GB of RAM is riced at Rs. 12,499, while the top-end variant with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage is priced at Rs. 14,999. The phone also packs a 5,000mAh battery and supports 18W fast charging.

The Redmi 12 5G features a dual-camera setup on the back with a 50-megapixel primary camera and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. The handset has an 8-megapixel front camera inside the centrally-aligned hole-punch cutout of the display. To make the camera experience more fun, Xiaomi has added some filters which are based on its learnings from its Leica partnership.

In terms of software, the Redmi 12 5G boots the latest MIUI 14 based on Android 13. The software does offer many customisation and personalisation options. However, there are a few bloatware apps preinstalled. Other specifications include a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, AI-based facial recognition, an IR emitter, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity.

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As seen in the numerous rumours and leaks leading up to Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event, there aren’t many changes to this year’s Galaxy Z Fold 5 when compared to last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 4. The new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is easily overshadowed by the smaller and more accessible foldable, the Galaxy Z Flip 5, which has received more notable upgrades. This year’s Galaxy Z Fold 5, focuses on the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, and a new hinge design meant to reduce the sharp crease that’s visible on the outgoing Fold and Flip models. I got to spend about an hour with Samsung’s latest productivity powerhouse and here are my first impressions.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 brings many such refinements, which includes bringing down the weight of the device from the current 263g, to 253g. When folded, the new device is now slimmer by 2.4mm. This is possible thanks to the new hinge design. Samsung claims that apart from making the inner display’s fold look less prominent, the hinge is also more durable to shocks when dropped. The new device is also IPX8 rated like the previous model.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5’s design appears very similar to the previous model despite packing a new hinge

The two halves of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 now sit nearly flat against one another when folded, as there’s only a minor gap and is not as evident as on the Galaxy Z Fold 4. The reduced gap means that its overall thickness when folded is also less, making the Galaxy Z Fold 5 feel slimmer to hold and not as chunky as the previous model.

During my brief hands-on time with the device, I found the hinge to have the same resistance as the Galaxy Z Fold 4 model. It’s still stiff enough to be held at an angle of your choosing and for use with the various Flex-mode related software features.

The rest of its design from the bezels around the 6.2-inch HD+ Dynamic AMOLED cover display, to the inner 7.6-inch QXGA Dynamic AMOLED flexible panel appear very similar to the previous model. Both displays seem identical to the previous model, but the main display has a higher peak brightness of up to 1,750 nits, which is about 30 percent brighter than the previous generation. This should make outdoor viewing on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 a lot better than the previous model.

The crease on the main display is still quite noticeable on the Galaxy Z Fold 5

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy, which is a slightly customised version of the standard processor. Just like with the Galaxy S23 series, Samsung claims that the new chipset brings several noticeable improvements to the phone’s performance, image quality and battery life.

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is available in three storage variants, all of which come with 12GB of RAM. There’s a base model with 256GB of storage, one with 512 GB of storage, and a top-end model with 1TB of storage. Samsung says it has also included a bigger vapour cooling chamber which it claims will help provide sustained performance when playing demanding 3D games.

The gap between the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5’s two halves has reduced but is still noticeable

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 runs Samsung’s One UI 5.1.1 with Android 13, and comes with some added features and improvements. It can now also open apps in floating windows that should help with multitasking. One can now use two fingers to copy and paste data between apps, by holding one finger on the item (in the Gallery app) and using the other to access the second app. Samsung now also lets users access up to four recent apps in its taskbar, located at the bottom of the main display.

Like the Galaxy Z Flip 5, the camera hardware on the Galaxy Z Fold 5 also remains similar to its predecessor. There’s a 50-megapixel primary camera, 10-megapixel telephoto camera with 3X optical zoom, and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera. Selfies are handled by two cameras — a 10-megapixel camera on the cover display and a 4-megapixel camera under the folding display.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 offers the same cameras as the previous model

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is powered by a 4,400mAh battery, which again is the same as before. It can be charged using a cable at 25W, or wirelessly at 15W.

Samsung has also announced a revised S Pen for the Galaxy Fold 5. It’s called the S Pen Fold Edition and it has a slimmer design which is 40 percent slimmer than the one used for the Galaxy S23 Ultra. However, the phone does not have a dedicated silo for it which means it will have to be carried separately or with the optional folio case.

Unlike the smaller Galaxy Z Flip 5, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 5 upgrades can mainly be described as refinements. Whether they add to the phone’s overall value and if it is worthy of an upgrade over the already excellent Galaxy Z Fold 4, is something we know after we have reviewed it.

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The Kia Seltos has been among the most popular cars in its category in India, since its launch in 2019. The mid-sized urban SUV is just as well suited to city driving as on the highway, but what has truly worked for the car in India is its feature-heavy approach to the market. Various features such as Kia Connect (previously known as UVO) and autonomous safety tricks built into the car have helped set the Kia Seltos apart from the strong competition in the segment.

Kia has now unveiled the 2023 facelift for the Kia Seltos, which comes with further improvements to the already rich feature set of the car, along with a new premium ‘X-line’ trim, and improved engine and transmission options across variants. I had a chance to drive the new Kia Seltos and check out the features during a drive from Nagpur to the Pench Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, and here are some of the key highlights of Kia’s new mid-sized Seltos.

kia seltos 2023 first impressions matte black KiaThe Kia Seltos (2023) X-line comes in a new Matte Graphite colour and finish

Kia Seltos (2023) price in India, variants

The Kia Seltos (2023) is priced from Rs. 10.90 lakh to Rs. 19.99 lakh rupees (ex-showroom) in India, depending on the variant. The price depends on the engine, transmission, and trim options, with variants ranging from the entry-level HTE trim to the new top X-line, which is the only one available in the new Matte Graphite colour. Other colour options include the new Pewter Olive, along with various other glossy metallic colours.

Available in Petrol, Diesel, and Turbo Petrol variants across trims, you can also choose between different transmission options, including manual, iMT (clutchless manual), and three automatic variants such as CVT, torque converter, and DCT. Some variants also have manual override through paddle shifters. For my drive, I had the Kia Seltos (2023) GT-line with the Turbo Petrol engine in Pewter Olive, which comes with all major safety and tech-related features.

Kia Seltos (2023): Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) wants to take care of you

With a renewed focus on safety, the Kia Seltos puts its ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) at the forefront of its feature offerings, apart from having six airbags and disc brakes on all four wheels as standard across all variants. ADAS is available in various cars at different levels ranging from 0 (no automation) to 5 (full automation), and the Kia Seltos slots in at ADAS Level 2, which is able to offer some level of hands-off automation and control.

This being the first time I drove a car with any level of automation, I found the experience a little bit scary at first, with the ADAS functionality somewhat controlling the car for me in certain situations, which was a bit eerie. There are 17 functions that utilise ADAS on the Kia Seltos (2023), most of which you’ll hope to never have to see put to use, such as forward collision warning and forward collision assistance.

Other ADAS features were showcased in safe test environments during the drive, while some of the smaller inclusions could be constantly seen at work during the few hours I drove the Seltos. All of this is backed by a 360-degree camera system, which provides clear views all around the car, functioning while driving as well as in slow-moving situations such as when parking.

In the safe testing environments, trained Kia drivers demonstrated how the car would autonomously apply brakes, issue loud audio warnings, or autonomously counter-steer in situations where a collision was imminent, either with another car or even in situations where a door was opened while a vehicle was approaching along the side.

kia seltos 2023 first impressions inside

There are two 10.25-inch displays in the Kia Seltos – one for the infotainment system, and the second for the digital instrument cluster

I personally was able to see features such as lane-keep assist, blind-spot collision assist, and smart cruise control in action myself while driving. On multi-lane highways with well marked lanes, the Kia Seltos (2023) managed to maintain its lane much of the time, occasionally prompting me with physical feedback to make minor steering corrections. The fully-digital instrument cluster displayed the blind-spot clearly when indicating left or right, while the cruise control managed to vary its speed based on that of the car ahead of me when needed.

As mentioned earlier, it was a bit nerve-wracking when these features first started working for me, since I haven’t typically been used to my car acting on its own, even if it’s for my safety. That said, I got used to most of it soon enough, and to be fair, I continued to have primary control over the car at all times, with it only providing faint feedback through the wheel. That said, the Driver Attention Warning chimes every 15 minutes telling you to stop for coffee which got tiring very quickly.

Kia Seltos (2023): Kia Connect, voice commands, and big screens

Kia Connect is something I’ve tested previously on the Kia Sonet when it was still called Kia UVO, and things have improved a fair bit since then. This is mainly because of the large 10.25-inch touch infotainment system lining up next to the equal-sized digital instrument cluster. These two together give the Kia Seltos quite the futuristic look and feel, apart from putting a whole lot of information about the car within easy view.

While you have the option to connect your smartphone via USB for Apple CarPlay or Android Auto UI and functionality, you can just as easily rely on the Kia Connect system. The car has a fully connected system, relying on its own data connection to work with functions such as voice commands, detailed mapping for navigation, and more. I was able to navigate to major points of interest and give voice commands reliably, even in relatively remote areas such as the Pench tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh.

For music, you can connect various devices either through wired or wireless connections, with the Kia Seltos (2023) sporting a Bose speaker system on the variant I was driving. Sound quality was expectedly decent even over a Bluetooth connection, and there were also some interesting ambient soundtracks preloaded onto the Kia connect system for quiet, peaceful listening.

The Kia Seltos (2023) now comes with a 1.5L turbo petrol engine option, offering 158bhp and 253Nm of torque, and mated to an optional DCT automatic gearbox

The Kia Connect app also lets you view data about the car such as fuel range, status, and location, apart from remotely staring and stopping the car even when you aren’t sitting in it. Other tech-focused features include full diagnostics for the car and the ADAS features which can be controlled through the screens, navigation set up through the smartphone with instructions sent to the car, remote climate control, and a handy air purifier built into the car to ensure you’re breathing clean air when in the Seltos.

The voice commands work to control most car functions, such as opening the panoramic sunroof, navigating to specific locations and points of interest, turning on or off the air conditioning, and opening or closing the windows, among other things. There were occasions where I had to repeat myself, but the voice commands usually got it right. Notably, these work not only in English, but also in bilingual (Hindi with English), with commands such as ‘sunroof kholo’ or ‘AC band karo’ working reliably.

Kia Seltos (2023): How is it to drive?

The Kia Seltos (2023) is available in three different engine variants, with different transmission options linked to specific variants. I had the new turbo petrol variant for my test drive, which is the most capable in terms of brake horsepower and torque output, making it the most powerful of the three variants. This was mated to an automatic seven-speed dual-clutch transmission (DCT), with paddle shifters offering a manual override for the occasions where I wanted to take some control.

The car is fairly capable and responsive in both city and highway conditions, thanks to the smooth and easy shifts from the DCT gearbox. It was also fairly responsive to throttle variations, and managed to set itself up well even on inclines such as hilly roads, where automatic transmissions sometimes feel sluggish and out of sorts. The manual override was a nice option to have, but even when overtaking on the highway, I rarely ever felt the need to invoke it; simply putting my foot down sent the message, and the Kia Seltos managed to deliver enough power both in the city and on the highway.

All of this is handled smoothly, with the Kia Seltos (2023) feeling almost sedan-like in the ride it offers. When cruising at around 70-80 kmph on the highway in seventh gear, the Seltos was at its absolute best, offering a smooth ride with the low revs ensuring good fuel efficiency. The DCT gearbox is nimble enough to quickly switch up as needed, setting me up quickly for lane changes and overtaking as needed.

Final thoughts

Car safety is an increasingly important factor in purchase decisions for buyers in India, and the Kia Seltos (2023) promises a lot more of that thanks to its ADAS Level-2 feature set. Apart from protecting you from potentially serious accidents, the Seltos is also well set up to prevent even small and typically avoidable incidents, thanks to its impressive 360-degree camera setup and various assistance features such as lane keep assist and blind-spot assistance. Some ADAS features such as Driver Attention Warning were a bit bothersome, but you can disable the various ADAS features as per your preferences.

Technologically, this is among the best cars in its price segment right now, representing the future of connected driving and giving drivers a taste of the future in the form of minor automation aimed at making the overall driving experience safer and easier. Features such as voice controls for car functions and navigation, as well as the Kia Connect app and interface for vehicle diagnostics, make the experience a lot better.

All of this is backed up by a great driving experience on the whole. That said, with such a wide price range across variants of the Kia Seltos, you’ll have to make sure you pick the variant that actually has everything you need. The well-equipped variants cost considerably more than the basic ones; the top-end X-line variants cost nearly twice as much as the entry-level variant.

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Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 4 was a big upgrade over the Galaxy Z Flip 3. It managed to turn, what was a more fashion-forward foldable, into a very useful and practical smartphone with major improvements to its cameras and battery life. With the new Galaxy Z Flip 5, Samsung has added even more features to the mix. There’s now a bigger cover display with its own widget-based interface, a new processor and improvements to the cameras. I got to spend some time with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 at the Galaxy Unpacked launch event, and here are my first impressions.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5’s overall design has not changed by much and it still offers an IPX8 rating for water proofing. However, look closely and you’ll quickly notice the expanded glass on the front that manages to hide a large 3.4-inch, Super AMOLED 60Hz display underneath. This new larger display has a resolution of 720 x 748 pixels (306ppi). Tapping on it wakes up the oddly shaped display which resembles a folder icon from Windows or Mac OS.

The standard Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 models come with a glossy-finish rear panel

Samsung’s approach to the cover display’s design on the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is very different compared to Motorola’s more radical design for the same. The cover display on the Flip 5 has some really thick bezels on the top, left and right sides with a cutout at the bottom which completely avoids the LED flash and the two cameras.

The inner display on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 has not seen much of an upgrade. It seems to be the same 6.7-inch full-HD+ Dynamic AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate in a 22:9 aspect ratio. It still feels a bit cramped when browsing through content vertically. However, the aspect ratio of this main display keeps its footprint quite compact compared to other foldables such as the Oppo Find N2 Flip. The phone’s weight is the same as before (187g) but is slimmer when folded (by 2mm) thanks to the new hinge mechanism.

The Galaxy Z Flip 5 has a new hinge mechanism which is said to have better resistance to drops and shocks

According to Samsung, the new hinge is more durable when subjected to drops or shocks and also allows for the zero-gap design between the two halves of the clamshell when folded shut (apart from reducing the display’s crease).

Samsung has gone with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy in the Galaxy Z Flip 5, which is a customised version of the standard chipset just like on the Galaxy S23 series which launched earlier this year. Samsung claims that the new chipset brings improvements to image quality and battery life.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 will be offered in two storage variants. The first with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage and the second with 512GB of storage, which is an improvement over last year’s model which had a 128GB base variant.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 shows no gap between the two halves when folded shut

The phone follows Samsung’s recent trend with the standard Galaxy S23 series and offers the same camera hardware as on the previous Galaxy Z Flip 4. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 has a 12-megapixel primary camera with dual pixel PDAF and OIS with an 83-degree field of view (FOV). The ultra-wide camera offers a 12-megapixel sensor with a 123-degree FOV. Selfies are handled by a 10-megapixel camera.

The phone’s battery capacity also remains the same at 3,700mAh, along with 25W wired charging and 15W wireless charging as before.

The software is where things have changed, but primarily for the cover display. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 runs One UI 5.1.1 with Android 13. The Galaxy Z Flip 5’s Flex Window is basically a bigger version of its previous display, but it comes with a lot of added functionality.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5’s Flex Window cover display cannot run full apps

As observed from previous leaks, it is indeed a widget-based interface. There’s a widget for most native apps, but I could not spot any from Google during my brief hands-on time. One can place calls from the call log widget, check the weather, and even reply to notifications with a full keyboard, which is a big leap from the previous implementation, which used voice input for sending out replies.

The cover display cannot run full apps like on the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra (Review) which seems like a big missed opportunity for Samsung, but we will reserve our final opinion for the full review. The Flex Window also has quick toggles (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc) and comes with Samsung Pay support. Samsung has also added the ability to show one’s boarding pass at the airport from the outer display itself, thus reducing the need to open the phone. A neat trick which Samsung has included is Multi-Widget view, which basically uses the pinch gesture to give a zoomed-out view of all the active widgets in the cover display.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5’s success depends heavily on the practicality of its new cover display and how frequently it reduces the need to unfold the main display. Our eyes are also on the new chipset which gives Samsung a natural edge in terms of performance over the competition, but we have to use it more to see if there is any improvement with imaging quality and battery life as well. There’s more to come in the full review.

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The iQoo Z7 Pro 5G is the latest addition to the company’s Z series of smartphones in India. iQoo is pushing the processor and the design as some of the phone’s unique selling points. Armed with a more stylish design than the iQoo Z7 5G, should you be considering the new Z7 Pro 5G as your next mid-range purchase? Here’s our initial thoughts on the new 5G smartphone.

The Z7 Pro 5G comes with the typical bundled accessories, and this includes a 66W power adapter and a transparent case. The charging brick is pretty big and has a USB Type-A port. The phone is priced at Rs. 21,999 and Rs. 22,999, for the 128GB and 256GB variants respectively.

The iQoo Z7 Pro 5G looks very stylish in this Blue Lagoon colour. It’s also available in a Graphite Matte colour. It’s very light at just 175g and is only 7.36mm thick, giving it a very premium look and in-hand feel. Despite this slim size, iQoo has managed to pack a 4,600mAh battery inside. The body is also IP52 rated to withstand dust and water.

The iQoo Z7 Pro 5G ships with a charger and case in the box

The other highlight is the processor. The iQoo Z7 Pro 5G features a MediaTek Dimensity 7200 SoC which is built on a 4nm fabrication process and should be very power efficient. iQoo is touting that the Z7 Pro 5G can achieve an AnTuTu (v10) score of over 700K. The phone has 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and comes in two storage configurations of 128GB and 256GB, both adhering to the UFS 2.2 standard.

The display also feels premium. The iQoo Z7 Pro 5G sports a large 6.78-inch AMOLED display with a full-HD+ resolution, curved edges on two sides, and an in-display fingerprint sensor. The display is also claimed to have a touch sampling rate of 300Hz and a boosted rate of up to 1,200Hz. It also has a 120Hz refresh rate. As for scratch protection, the display also gets Schott’s Xensation Up glass.

The iQoo Z7 Pro 5G has a curved-edge AMOLED Display

The iQoo Z7 Pro 5G runs Funtouch OS 13 based on Android 13, and you get many preinstalled apps. Coming to the cameras, the phone features a 64-megapixel main camera and a 2-megapixel portrait camera, but sadly, misses out on an ultra-wide camera. iQoo has provided optical stabilisation or OIS for the main camera, and the sensor in use is the Samsung GW3. The selfie camera is a 16-megapixel sensor.

Overall, the iQoo Z7 Pro 5G could potentially be decent mid-range contender if design and performance are important to you. We’ll have our final verdict on the phone very soon in the full review.

The post iQoo Z7 Pro 5G First Impressions: Style With Substance? appeared first on Review Products.

HP has launched its latest laptop in the Dragonfly series in India, called the HP Dragonfly G4. We got our hands on the device for a brief period of time and here is our first impressions of the laptop. The HP Dragonfly G4 is aimed at professionals and business users who need a powerful machine which also looks stylish. It will retail starting at Rs. 2,20,000 in India and will come in two colour options, Slate Blue and Natural Silver. The HP Dragonfly G4 comes equipped with Intel 13th Gen processors and integrated graphics.

HP Dragonfly G4 body HP Dragonfly G4 body

The HP Dragonfly G4 laptop sports a 13.5-inch display

 The look and feel of this laptop is quite premium. The matte-finished housing is smooth to the touch and offers a durable feeling while carrying it around. It weighs just under 1kg but this will vary based on the configuration you choose. It is also just 16.4mm thick which makes it the thinnest laptop from HP. The chrome Dragonfly branding on the inside and on the hinge does look kinda trendy and will stand out.

The Dragonfly G4 features a 13.5-inch display and you can choose from a variety of options such as an LCD or OLED panels. The WUXGA+ Sure View Reflect display for instance supports a peak brightness of up to 1000 nits, and one feature that I particularly liked about it is that it can block the view of your displayed content to anyone trying to snoop in from the side. It is definitely a unique privacy feature.

You get a full-sized backlit keyboard on this one with a trackpad which has chamfered edges. The keys are quite responsive too.

HP Dragonfly G4 keyboard HP Dragonfly G4 keyboard

The HP Dragonfly G4 features up to a 2TB M.2 PCIe Gen 4 SSD and up to 32GB LPDDR5 soldered RAM. It does have an extensive host of ports, including two Thunderbolt 4 ports, one Superspeed USB Type-A port, one HDMI 2.1 port, one nano-SIM slot and a 3.5mm headphone and mic combo jack. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 and an optional M.2 WWAN adapter for up to 5G cellular support.

The HP Dragonfly G4 comes with HP Fast Charge support that can charge the battery up to 50 percent in 30 minutes, according to the brand. It also sports a speaker system by Bang & Olufsen, a 5-megapixel webcam and comes preloaded with Windows 11 Pro for Business.

Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 the best foldable phone you can buy in India right now? We discuss the company’s new clamshell-style foldable handset on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

The post HP Dragonfly G4 First Impressions: Slim, Yet Powerful appeared first on Review Products.

The Realme 10 was a pretty decent smartphone with thin bezels and an overall sleek look. The brand has now launched its successors called the Realme 11 5G and Realme 11X 5G. We got to spend some time with the former and here’s our first impressions. The smartphone comes in two colours, Glory Gold and Glory Black. Prices start at Rs. 18,999 for 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, and Rs. 19,999 for the 256GB storage variant.

Realme 11 5G Glory Gold colour option

The Realme 11 5G has flat side rails with the SIM slot on the left, and the volume buttons, fingerprint sensor/ power button, on the right. The USB Type-C charging port, speaker grille, microphone and a 3.5mm audio jack at the bottom. The phone weighs 190g and feels quite light in the hand. The side rails don’t attract a lot of fingerprints, especially on the Glory Gold colour variant.

Realme 11X 5G First Impressions: A Strong Player in the Budget Segment

The Realme 11 5G sports a 6.72-inch full-HD+ IPS display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 680 nits. I found the display to be quite bright in the little time I had with it.

The Realme 11 5G’s display has a 240Hz touch sampling rate

The Realme 11 5G is powered by a MediaTek’s Dimensity 6100+ 5G SoC which seems to be decent at handling multiple apps at once. On the back of the phone is a circular camera module which protrudes a little. It houses the dual-camera setup including the primary 108-megapixel camera and a 2-megapixel portrait camera, but no ultra-wide. The camera interface does feel familiar with the usual options in the menu. The smartphone sports a 16-megapixel front camera which captures decent photos when given appropriate light.

The smartphone comes equipped with a 5,000mAh battery which can be charge using the provided 67W SuperVOOC charger. The company claims that it should be able charge up to 50 percent in just 17 minutes. Finally, the Realme 11 5G runs Realme UI 4.0 which is based on Android 13.

With a starting price of Rs. 18,999, the Realme 11 5G seems to be priced on the higher side as some competitors do offer OLED displays and an in-display fingerprint sensors in this segment. What do you think about the 11 5G? Let us know in the comments.

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In the era of true wireless earphones, the old-school neckband style feels a bit dated and overbearing in some ways. That said, the form factor comes with various advantages, the biggest of which is reasonable pricing for the features and performance on offer. OnePlus continues to promote this form factor, and its latest neckband-style wireless earphones take a proven winner one step further.

The OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z2 ANC is exactly what the name suggests — the rather capable Bullets Wireless Z2, but with active noise cancellation as an added feature.

OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z2 ANC first impressions: Familiar design

There’s really not much to tell the OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z2 ANC apart from its non-ANC predecessor; the two headsets look and feel the same. This includes the flexible neckband, physical controls, USB Type-C charging port, and magnetic power control. Like before, linking the two earpieces together magnetically turns the headset off, and separating them turns it on.

OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z2 Review

Interestingly, you get some app-like controls (within the Bluetooth settings) if you pair it to a compatible OnePlus smartphone, including the ability to cycle between ANC and transparency modes, equaliser presets (including the ability to create a fully customised preset for yourself), and a very small degree of customisation for the physical buttons on the neckband. It will take some time to build muscle memory, but the controls are convenient enough once you’ve figured it out.

The earpieces being attached to wires admittedly feels a bit weird to me in 2023, but the advantages of a neckband-style headset are hard to look past. Things such as battery life, fast charging, and the tuning and ANC performance tend to benefit from this form factor, as does pricing and the value-for-money proposition. I’ll tackle all of this in more detail in my review.

OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z2 ANC first impressions: Decent active noise cancellation

The big change here is the addition of active noise cancellation, while the sound and sonic performance remain largely the same on the OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z2 ANC, as expected. This means that you can expect the sound to be punchy and bass-driven, as well as loud and occasionally fatiguing if you listen to a lot of bass-heavy tracks.

Of course, the key feature of active noise cancellation is what makes all the difference here. For a price of around Rs. 300 over that of the regular Bullets Wireless Z2, you get decent active noise cancellation on the OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z2 ANC. It’s not exceptional or comparable to premium-grade ANC in my initial listening impressions, but it’s definitely better than the kind of basic active noise cancellation you’d get on similarly-priced true wireless earphones.

Battery life is something I’ll explore in detail in my full review, but I did have a chance to try out the fast charging, which is on par with the rather impressive 20-minute charging time offered by the OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z2.

As mentioned, I’ll be writing my full review of the OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z2 ANC soon, but it’s safe to say that there aren’t too many products like this anymore. The neckband form factor for wireless earphones retains significant advantages when it comes to pricing, and the Bullets Wireless Z2 ANC is arguably the best you can buy at around Rs. 2,500 or so, especially now that it comes with active noise cancellation.

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