Design & Build (9/10)

Klipsch hasn't messed with the winning look of the previous gen, but instead refined it further with an elevated finish. The Sevens II wear real wood veneer in Ebony, Walnut or a new Red Oak with a white baffle, which is my personal favourite, but our review sample wore the walnut and black suit that will fit the vast majority of Indian decors. A 1-inch titanium tweeter in a Tractrix horn pairs with a 6.5-inch Jet Cerametallic woofer, a Klipsch staple in their serious speakers and almost a signature of the brand.

Even the grilles have been beefed up with an upmarket-looking vintage Klipsch logo on a metal coin and powerful magnets that snap the grilles into place on the front baffle if you like a discreet look. The metal volume wheel on the primary speaker is charming, offering a small but satisfying hit of analogue interaction in a world determined to put everything behind an app. Although some sort of front panel display or coloured LED to indicate the source selected would've been ideal while seated. Almost everything is done via the Klipsch Connect app, which works well but doesn't allow for a device-free listening experience late into the night. There is a remote included, though, which is handy for track changes, volume control and selecting sound modes.

Connectivity (9/10)

This is where the second generation earns its upgrade. Klipsch has practically plonked an Onkyo AVR inside the Sevens II, justifying much of the premium it commands over the previous generation. You get a robust supply of power, HDMI 2.1 with eARC, a second HDMI input, optical, coaxial, analog, MM phono, USB-C and a subwoofer output. Streaming covers AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect and Qobuz Connect. The optional wireless link between the speakers caps resolution at 48kHz, so I'd recommend using the supplied Ethernet cable for true Hi-Res.

The Klipsch Connect app lets you control everything, from EQ presets to custom modes, different Dirac filters, DSP sound modes, Dynamic Bass, Night and Dialog modes, input selection and firmware updates. If you mostly use AirPlay, the app is still the better way to control volume. It allows much finer control in single steps, whereas the iPhone's volume buttons only work in increments of five steps.

There is a macOS app too, sort of. You can run the iOS app on a Mac, which helps if your laptop is your main music source, say in an office, and you don't want to reach for your phone to change tracks or adjust the EQ.

Sound (8.5/10)

The three sound modes that shape the presentation are Movie, Music and Direct. Each opens up the perceived soundstage depth in increasing amounts, so it really depends on your taste. Some music actually sounds better in Movie mode, thanks to the Dolby Atmos virtualisation, with larger scale and more image width that projects beyond the boundaries of the two speakers. Direct is the most focused and works best if you can manage more than 6 to 8 feet between the left and right speakers.

Dirac adds weight to the low end and helps in a difficult or asymmetrical room layout. It also works well as a low-level listening mode, filling out the bottom end with more oomph and spicing things up. The bigger challenge in India is finding a window quiet enough, without any ambient noise, to get the Dirac calibration done. The supplied mic is overly sensitive to even a faint, errant bike or rickshaw passing in the distance, and calibration simply won't complete. I literally had to set an alarm for 4 am and hope the morning laughing therapy club members didn't show up early.

Once you have all your parameters dialled in just right, the Sevens II sound dynamic and detailed, with bass that runs deeper than the cabinets suggest. It may be too much of a good thing depending on your room size and source, so don't be afraid to use the EQ or experiment with the myriad of Dynamic Boost, Dirac on/off and sound mode combinations. Imaging and instrument separation on tracks like Diving Duck Blues by Taj Mahal is sharp, with a reasonably believable phantom centre and respectable soundstage that almost make you forget that you're listening to an all-in-one overachiever. The midrange is natural and for the most part, neutral, whereas the highs didn't exhibit any of the sibilance and shoutiness that I was apprehensive of. Klipsch has judged the tonal character just right on the Sevens II and shipped them with a recipe book for you to make your own dish. Mostly, just add salt to taste.

Switching between sound modes or toggling Dirac took a couple of seconds too many for my liking, but it's not something that you will be using often once you find your sweet spot with these speakers. Turning up the volume to higher SPLs did cause audible disintegration of the tonal balance, and they start sounding strident and harsh. But keep it at sane levels, and they are plenty rewarding with high levels of dynamic energy.

Verdict

While the sound can be expansive, it is also now very, very expensive compared to the earlier generation. Almost Rs. 90,000 more expensive at approximately Rs. 2,60,000 now, they are a tough pill to swallow. For the extra outlay, though, you get Wi-Fi streaming, Dolby Atmos decoding, Dirac (limited bandwidth) and a second HDMI input. Sure, you could assemble your own entourage of bookshelf speakers, integrated amplifier, phono amp and streamer, but you'd have to spend a lot more time and energy in finding components that work as a synergistic whole and, even then, take a whole lot more space than just two speakers. So, while they are hard to recommend at their high price, they also pack in a tempting amount of kit in a good-looking package.

As one pair handling TV, vinyl, streaming and consoles, they are hard to beat. These are big, lively, unapologetically Klipsch speakers that throw a wide, high-energy stereo image, dig surprisingly deep without a subwoofer, and make films and OTT sound far grander than they have any right to from two cabinets.

Editor's Rating: 9 / 10

Pros

• Big, bold sound with deep bass
• Fantastic build with charming analog touch
• Comprehensive connectivity and flexible app control

Cons

• Sound mode switching lag
• Dirac calibration needs near-silent surroundings
• Steep price jump over predecessor

Read this OPPO K14 Plus review to find out.

Quick verdict

The OPPO K14 Plus stands out as a solid everyday mid-ranger thanks to its vibrant, detailed display, outstanding battery life, stylish build with robust IP protection, and the advantage of shipping with Android 17. However, the somewhat flat camera performance and relatively limited software update support are its drawbacks. It's a strong pick if battery endurance and durability matter most to you, but camera enthusiasts or those seeking long-term software support may want to look elsewhere.

Design: surprisingly easy to wield and carry

[pdp-expert-review]
Despite boasting a large 8,000mAh battery, the OPPO K14 Plus impresses with its fairly lightweight and easy-to-carry form factor. The striking marble-like patterns on the rear panel and robust IP ratings are nifty add-ons.
[/pdp-expert-review]

Taking cues from previous phones in the OPPO K14 series, such as the K14x, the K14 Plus sports a pill-shaped camera housing with two camera lenses, an LED flashlight, and an IR blaster. As noted in my initial impressions, the OPPO K14 Plus features a smooth, marble-like rear finish in a boxy chassis with flat sides. Despite its beefy 8,000mAh battery, the phone feels relatively light in hand, weighing 208g. For haptics, the K14 Plus uses a basic vibration motor.

While the rounded corners add comfort during extended use, the back panel can slip out of your hands if you don't hold it tightly. To address this, OPPO bundles a transparent TPU case for a firm grip. For durability, like several previously released OPPO phones, the K14 Plus features a 360-degree Armour Body claimed to reduce drop damage, while IP66, IP68, IP69, and IP69K ratings ensure it can withstand high-pressure water jets and submersion. During my testing, I washed the phone under a running tap and haven't run into any durability issues so far.

[comparative-benchmark type="1000" products="42475,42310,42361,," ][/comparative-benchmark]

Display: detailed and vivid tones

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The OPPO K14 Plus' 6.78-inch 1.5K AMOLED panel delivers crisp detail and vivid colour, offering a joyful viewing experience across all content, from OTT shows and movies to YouTube videos.
[/pdp-expert-review]

With OPPO heavily emphasising the smartphone's large battery, durability, and performance, I feel the K14 Plus's display remains an overlooked aspect. Featuring a 6.78-inch 1.5K (2772 × 1272 pixels) AMOLED panel, I was highly impressed by the detail and clarity, especially on YouTube. When watching videos in 4K, the sharpness was spot-on. As for the colours in the 'Vivid' colour settings, the vibrancy was satisfactory for my liking, and the contrast was well balanced.

As for the refresh rate, while OPPO claims the display can peak at 144Hz, I couldn't notice the panel exceeding 120Hz in any scenario. At 120Hz, paired with ColorOS' swift transitions, the phone offered smooth scrolling. In terms of legibility, with 800 nits of typical brightness and 1,800 nits in High Brightness Mode (HBM), the K14 Plus stays fully viewable indoors, while outdoors the screen is visible under a shed.

Complementing the viewing experience are stereo speakers, with the earpiece serving as a secondary speaker. The speakers can get quite loud, delivering crisp vocals and solid depth.

Performance: suitable for most users

[pdp-expert-review]
The MediaTek Dimensity 7630 MAX processor on the OPPO K14 Plus, paired with ColorOS, prioritises a swift, smooth-flowing experience in daily use by delivering fast animations, while in games like CODM and BGMI the phone hits up to 40FPS in the highest frame rate settings. Casual games like Subway Surfers use the display's 144Hz refresh rate.
[/pdp-expert-review]

With the 4nm-based MediaTek Dimensity 7630 MAX processor on board, the OPPO K14 Plus is a swift-to-operate smartphone. Paired with ColorOS optimisations, every tap responds instantly, letting you get things done quickly with minimal waiting. In benchmarks such as AnTuTu and Geekbench, the device scores similarly to the Realme P4s' Dimensity 7400 Ultra and iQOO Z11's Dimensity 7500 Turbo, both of which are often found selling for under Rs 35,000.

[comparative-benchmark type="1" title="AnTuTu score" caption="AnTuTu assesses a smartphone's CPU, GPU, memory, and overall user experience (higher is better)" highlight="product_1" products="42475,42361,41836,," ][/comparative-benchmark]

[comparative-benchmark type="10" title="Geekbench single-core score" caption="Geekbench assesses the efficiency of the CPU's single and multiple cores (higher is better)" highlight="product_1" products="42475,42361,41836,," ][/comparative-benchmark]

[comparative-benchmark type="11" title="Geekbench multi-core score" caption="Geekbench assesses the efficiency of the CPU's single and multiple cores (higher is better)" highlight="product_1" products="42475,42361,41836,," ][/comparative-benchmark]

As for performance in games, when playing Call of Duty: Mobile in the 'Very High' graphics and 'Max' frame rate settings for around 30 minutes, the K14 Plus delivered average frame rates of 39, while in BGMI, it outputted average frame rates of 38 in the 'HDR' graphics and 'Ultra' frame rate settings in the same duration. Games like Clash Royale and Subway Surfers ran at 120FPS and 144FPS, respectively. Like most mid-range phones, the K14 Plus ran these casual games at high frame rates for long periods.

While hardcore games may have to shell out more on more powerful phones to achieve higher frame rates, such as the POCO X8 Pro or Motorola Edge 70 Pro (review), the OPPO K14 Plus is more than capable for users with casual workflows who occasionally play games for an hour or two a day. OPPO also bundles UFS 3.1 storage speeds across all K14 Plus memory variants, which is notable at a time when many brands have moved to UFS 2.2 speeds under Rs 35,000. For RAM, the phone utilises a respectable LPDDR4X type.

Software: the latest ColorOS goodies with Android 17

[pdp-expert-review]
As the first OPPO smartphone in India to run Android 17 out of the box, the OPPO K14 Plus introduces several new lockscreen customisation options and UI effects, such as bouncy transitions across several elements. On the other hand, its promise of two OS upgrades may feel less competitive than rivals.
[/pdp-expert-review]

While the OPPO Find X10 and Find X10 Pro Max are the first smartphones to run ColorOS 17, based on Android 17, the OPPO K14 Plus runs Android 17-based ColorOS 16.5. On closer inspection, the entire UI design matches ColorOS 17, which we recently took a deep dive into in our hands-on story. This means you get bouncy elements in buttons, menus, and navigation bars, plus several new lockscreen customisation options.

[gallery link="file" columns="2" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" ids="719872,719873"]

However, right off the bat, it was clear that the OPPO K14 Plus runs a nerfed version of ColorOS, likely to keep up with midrange hardware long term. That means you may find little to no blur effects or textures in the UI, unlike flagships such as the OPPO Find X9 and Find X10 series. Beyond that, the K14 Plus offers standard ColorOS features, including enlarged icons and folders, Live Alerts for glanceable information in the status bar, a sidebar to quickly launch apps from the screen's edge, and more.

In terms of AI, there's AI Writer, along with multiple AI imaging tools in the Photos app, including AI Eraser, AI Portrait Glow, AI Detail Boost, and AI Unblur. Regarding software updates, the K14 Plus is promised two OS upgrades and three years of security patches, which may seem low compared with phones in the segment like the Redmi Note 17, which is promised to receive four Android upgrades.

Battery and charging: the strongest aspect of the phone

[pdp-expert-review]
The 8,000mAh battery of the OPPO K14 Plus has been tuned exceptionally well to the point that it offered around ten hours of screen-on time during a three-day battery cycle on a full charge. Similarly, the phone scores high endurance numbers in our PCMark Battery Drain test.
[/pdp-expert-review]

The battery endurance is easily the strongest aspect of the OPPO K14 Plus. With an 8,000mAh cell, the device held up well, delivering close to three days of backup on a single charge and around ten hours of screen time. During this battery cycle, usage included scrolling Instagram, watching videos, playing light games, and more, on a mix of WiFi and mobile data. While the endurance wasn't as good at first, the K14 Plus adapted to usage over time and delivered exceptional numbers.

Since ColorOS no longer shows the screen-on time since the last charge, here are some battery stats you can refer to, obtained from the Battery Guru app, which calculates the actual screen time:

[gallery link="file" columns="2" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" ids="719870,719871"]

In our PCMark Battery Drain test, the OPPO K14 Plus ran for 18 hours and 49 minutes from 100 to 20 per cent. For context, this test mimics real-world usage you typically encounter day-to-day, such as web browsing, watching and editing videos, scrolling through documents, and more, to assess battery endurance. For a phone with an 8,000mAh battery, the runtime delivered is respectable.

With 45W SuperVOOC fast charging support, we were able to charge the OPPO K14 Plus from 20 to 100 per cent in under 1.5 hours. While this isn't the fastest charging time out there, since last year we've had phones with as high as 80W fast-charging speeds, it should be manageable given how long the battery lasts on a full charge.

Cameras: produces flat tones; everything else looks good

[pdp-expert-review]
While portrait and selfie outputs appear lively with a good balance of contrast and dynamic range, the primary camera shots in daylight may appear dull. Night mode shots, however, preserve good detail and colour.
[/pdp-expert-review]

The OPPO K14 Plus features a dual rear camera setup led by a 50MP Smartsense SC532HS 1/2-inch primary sensor with optical image stabilisation (OIS) and an f/1.8 aperture, paired with a 2MP monochrome sensor. The front features a 16MP selfie camera. The rear cameras support 4K video recording at 30FPS, while the front camera is limited to 1080p.

For camera performance, the K14 Plus often takes a toned-down approach in daylight, making images look natural, though some may find them dull. On the plus side, it handles highlights and dynamic range well, keeping skies and backgrounds sufficiently vibrant. While the detail levels could've been better given the primary camera's large sensor, the results were crisp enough for social media. The camera could also use improved contrast.

OIS support significantly helps deliver blur-free shots in low light. Paired with the software's automatic scene recognition to adjust shutter speed, night shots are well-lit and sharp. The selfie camera offers a wide field of view, letting several people fit in the frame, while the hint of vividness makes the shots quite appealing.

[smartslider3 slider=2210]

Here's a camera comparison of the OPPO K14 Plus against the Moto G Max (review), which is also priced under Rs 35,000 and features a 50MP 1/2-inch primary camera, to see how the two cameras stack up:

Daylight

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/OPPO-K14-daylight-scaled.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/Moto-G-Max-daylight-scaled.jpg" offset="0.5" before="OPPO K14 Plus" after="Moto G Max"]

In the daylight comparison above, the Moto G Max shot's higher contrast makes it stand out instantly, while the OPPO K14 Plus shot's colours appear blown out. The K14 Plus delivers better detail overall, though it's most noticeable when zoomed in. Overall, if you prefer bright images, the K14 Plus' image may seem better to you, while the Moto G Max's contrasty colours may appeal to some.

Portrait

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/OPPO-K14-portrait-scaled.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/Moto-G-Max-portrait-scaled.jpg" offset="0.5" before="OPPO K14 Plus" after="Moto G Max"]

In this portrait comparison, I'd say the OPPO K14 Plus delivers a better image by not overdoing the vibrancy and keeping the sky and skin tones as they are. The handset also leads in detail and sharpness, since the Moto G Max appears to oversharpen textures. Similarly, the K14 Plus handles the edge detection around the face better than the Moto G Max.

Selfie

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/OPPO-K14-selfie-scaled.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/Moto-G-Max-selfie-scaled.jpg" offset="0.5" before="OPPO K14 Plus" after="Moto G Max"]

For selfies, the Moto G Max's shot looks dull, with blown-out highlights, while the OPPO K14 Plus keeps things lively and maintains proper colours. However, when it comes to detail, the Moto G Max edges it out, with the skin, hair, and T-shirt texture looking slightly sharper.

Low light

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/OPPO-K14-lowlight-scaled.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/Moto-G-Max-low-light-scaled.jpg" offset="0.5" before="OPPO K14 Plus" after="Moto G Max"]

Despite rocking an identical-sized primary camera sensor as the Moto G Max, the OPPO K14 Plus delivers sharper detail in low light, while the Moto smartphone struggles to keep up and often produces softer results. Furthermore, the OPPO K14 Plus produces brighter results and has better exposure control over bright subjects, such as bulbs and indoor lighting.

Final verdict: Is the OPPO K14 Plus a solid pick under Rs 35,000?

Launched at Rs 29,999, the OPPO K14 Plus now sells for Rs 32,999 after receiving its first price hike, almost a month after its launch. Despite that, its value proposition doesn't change much since it still acts as a perfect alternative to the over-Rs 35,000 performance- and battery endurance-centric phones, such as the Realme P4s (review) and iQOO Z11 (review).

You get a neat-looking design that doesn't add much bulk when carrying around despite having an 8,000mAh battery, which impressed me through and through with its endurance, a vibrant, crisp 1.5K AMOLED display, and the benefits of Android 17 with signature ColorOS features. Moving up the pricing ladder, the Realme P4s and iQOO Z11 also offer similar attributes with marginally better performance gains and ultrawide lenses.

Unless you want better cameras and longer software support with at least three OS upgrades, which the Realme and iQOO smartphones offer, the OPPO K14 Plus remains an impressive pick for the value it offers.

Editor's rating: 8.1/10

Reasons to buy

• Crisp AMOLED display that makes watching content a joy.
• The battery can last days on a single full charge with medium use.
• Robust durability with an IP69K rating and a marble-like pattern on the rear panel gives the phone its own character
• Ships with Android 17 out of the box, delivering the latest ColorOS features.

Reasons to skip

• The primary camera often produces flat-looking colours.
• Software support is limited to two OS upgrades, shorter than the competition.

But then, there's a whole other spectrum, which is budget keyboards. These create an excellent entry point for anyone who wants to get the gist of the hype. They let you see why people obsess over mechanical boards and how a keyboard can become a key part of your desk personality. We recently got our hands on the Consistent Sigma mechanical keyboard. In this review, you'll find out what kind of vibe this board brings, along with my thoughts after a month of daily typing and slamming away on it.

Full-Size, Minimum Fluff

Starting with the design, the Consistent Sigma features an all-black, 100% full-size layout. I'm glad Consistent chose an edge-to-edge key layout. A full-sized keyboard already takes up a lot of horizontal desk space, so extra frame borders would have made it look huge and eat up your whole setup. For all the gamers out there, yes, this keyboard features RGB. I'm personally not a big fan of full rainbow lighting running across my setup, but for anyone who cares, the Sigma includes rainbow LED backlighting with 12 different lighting modes.

Now on to the build. The Sigma mechanical keyboard features an all-polycarbonate chassis. On first impression, it felt quite sturdy. After a month of use, lugging it between my work desk, studio desk, and home setup, it's still holding its ground pretty well. The matte black finish also does a great job hiding minor scratches. On the bottom, it features a two-level adjustable kickstand, though there's definitely room for improvement here. In my testing, it popped out a few times when I put some pressure on it.

The keyboard weighs around one kilo. Thanks to the added rubber feet, this thing barely moves out of place, even during aggressive typing or intense gaming sessions. At just Rs 2,500, it offers a solid price-to-quality ratio. If I had to nitpick, the overall build feels a bit hollow inside, but honestly, that doesn't ruin the experience. The keycaps are well-crafted, and their rounded edges with a slight depth add to overall typing comfort.

Click, Clack, & Key Rattle

The Consistent Sigma boasts Huano Clicky Blue mechanical switches. Trust me, if you're an aggressive typer and use this in an office, be ready for an HR call or email (based on true events!). The keys are very tactile. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of this loud, clicky sound. But for someone who is, the Sigma keyboard could be a great go-to choice if your budget is under Rs 3,000.

The Sigma comes with 100% anti-ghosting keys. It also offers super easy key removal. I could literally pull the keycaps off with my bare hands without using a tool. That doesn't mean they're loose, though. The keys stay firmly in place during regular use and feel reliable enough.

In my daily use, the typing experience has been pretty good. I usually type on laptop keyboards, but I always come back to dedicated mechanical boards when working at my office or home setup. If you aren't familiar with mechanical keyboards, you might find the typing feel on the Sigma or any mechanical keyboard per se a bit overwhelming at first. But trust me, once you get used to mechanical keyboards and find your vibe, there's no going back. I recently reviewed the ASUS Jelly75 keyboard, and it took me hardly an hour to get hooked, thanks to its transparent jelly-like design and thocky keys (which I prefer). Do check out that full review if you're interested.

Of course, price is one thing someone could argue. If you want something different, you might want to check out the EvoFox X75 (Rs 4,999) or the EvoFox Wireless Mechanical Keyboard (Rs 3,499). Both are under Rs 5,000 and offer a very similar thocky typing experience in a compact tenkeyless form factor, basically, with no numpad.

Coming back to the star of the show: while it's a compelling choice under Rs 3,000, keep in mind that it has its shortcomings. First and most noticeable is key rattle. You don't get that super solid sturdiness when you're blasting away at the keys. Then there's the loud, clicky tactile sound. While it sounds stellar in an ASMR video or a quiet room, this keyboard isn't made for crowded environments or a sound-sensitive room.

Plugs, Ports, & Zero Lag

On the back of the keyboard, there's a USB Type-C port, which is the one and only way to connect this board. Out of the box, the Sigma mechanical keyboard comes with a Type-C to Type-A braided cable. However, unlike standard wired options, this model has a detachable cable, meaning a damaged cord won't force you to replace the whole keyboard. An option for Bluetooth would have been very welcome, but let bygones be bygones, if you buy this keyboard, be ready to see a cable on your desk at all times.

On the bright side, thanks to that wired connection, you'll hardly ever notice any latency issues. That's very useful if you're a gamer. In my experience playing Valorant, GTA V, and Forza Horizon, I hardly noticed any hiccups.

While we're on the subject of connectivity, keep one thing in mind: if you're like me and use a wireless dongle mouse, make sure you have plenty of ports on your system. Between your mouse dongle and this keyboard, two of your USB Type-A ports will always be occupied. On a positive note, Mac compatibility is much appreciated here. Once you plug it into a Mac, it automatically adjusts key layouts for macOS.

Verdict: to click or not to click?

The question arises: does the Consistent Sigma mechanical keyboard make sense in this crowded market of sub-Rs 3,000 mechanical keyboards? The quick answer is yes. The Sigma is a very obvious choice if you love that loud, clicky mechanical switch sound profile.

Of course, there are other capable options on the market from well-known brands like HP, Portronics, EvoFox, and others. Quite frankly, every keyboard in this price bracket has its own quirks. Ultimately, as a buyer, you just have to decide if its specific feature set aligns with what you need on your desk. If you want an affordable, full-sized mechanical keyboard that delivers a satisfyingly tactile typing experience without breaking the bank, the Consistent Sigma gets the job done. Just make sure your housemates or coworkers are ready for the noise before you hit buy!

Editor's Rating: 8 / 10

Pros

• Great budget value
• Good tactile feedback
• Solid grip and stability

Cons

• Slight key rattle and hollow feel
• Only wired connectivity

There's a lot to like about that combination on paper. After using the phone, though, I found that while the phone has its highs, its strengths don't extend equally. The battery life is great, the clean software is a welcome touch, but the phone is on the heavier side, the display is not as sharp as you'd want it to be, and the cameras struggle in demanding conditions. The Nova 2 Power gets a few important things right, but stops short of a more rounded experience.

Quick verdict

I would definitely consider the Ai+ Nova 2 Power if battery life is my main concern and I'm willing to live with a heavy phone. The clean software is a plus, and the ultrawide camera gives me another option when taking photos. However, the HD+ screen, inconsistent touch response and incomplete photography make it harder to recommend as an all-rounder.

Design: looks better than it feels

The first thing I liked about the Nova 2 Power was its thoughtful aesthetics. I got the glossy Midnight Black finish, which looks good from a distance. The starry effect catches the light, and the colour-changing panel adds something different to an otherwise usual design. However, the in-hand feel reminds you of the segment you're working with, as the polycarbonate back doesn't have a premium feel to it. Up close, the fingerprints are hard to ignore. The back picks them up quickly, so keeping it looking clean takes more effort than it should.

The weight was harder to get used to. At 222 gms, the Nova 2 Power is hefty, and the top-heavy balance makes one-handed use awkward. I found myself adjusting my grip to reach across the screen, and holding the phone for long periods wasn't particularly comfortable. That's not something a spec sheet can tell you, but it matters when you're using a phone throughout the day.

The camera module also protrudes noticeably, and the individual lenses stick out enough to make me cautious about putting the phone down without a case. The phone also wobbles on a flat surface. The transparent TPU case included in the box is useful here, though it doesn't change the fact that this is a bulky device.

Ai+ has added a NxtHalo Ambience Light under the flash, which gives the phone a little visual distinction. I can see why it might appeal to someone who likes these small touches, but I didn't find myself getting much use out of it, and would rather keep it off as it can be distracting at night. When the phone is face down, a notification sound already tells me when something has arrived. The light is a nice extra, not a feature I'd miss.

The side-mounted fingerprint scanner is quick and accurate, but only when it wants to be; at other times, you'll find yourself scrambling to remember your PIN. The power and volume buttons are smooth; there's a hybrid SIM slot with microSD card support, plus a USB-C port and stereo speakers. Ai+ also includes a 33W charger in the box, which we'll get to later. There's no 3.5 mm headphone jack, though, which is worth keeping in mind if you still use wired earphones.

Display and audio: smooth scrolling can't hide the soft text

The 6.75-inch LCD gave me plenty of room to browse, read and watch videos. The 120Hz refresh rate is decently smooth, and colours look reasonable for a budget LCD. Indoors, I had little trouble using the screen for everyday tasks, but outdoors it was less comfortable. The screen worked well enough in the shade, but direct sunlight made it harder to read. Peak brightness is around 450 nits, which explains why the display doesn't have much room to spare on a bright day. Viewing angles are acceptable, though brightness and colours shift slightly when you look at the screen from the side.

The resolution is where I openly wish Ai+ had spent a little more time, thought and $$$. At HD+, the panel doesn't look particularly sharp at this size. I noticed it most while reading articles and looking at smaller text, where the edges aren't as crisp. Videos are watchable, but fine details don't look as defined as they would on a Full HD+ screen, obviously. It's not a deal-breaker on its own, but at close to Rs 20,000, I think a sharper panel would have made the phone easier to recommend. I don't completely blame Ai+ here, though, as most OEMs have started cutting corners with the display and cameras, thanks to the memory prices crisis.

Ai+ has given a 120Hz screen, which is more or less standard now, but there's a caveat. Scrolling can look smooth, but I still noticed occasional stutters and small jumps when switching apps or moving through heavier feeds. That made the display feel less consistent than what its refresh rate suggested.

Coming to audio, the stereo speakers are loud enough for watching videos without reaching for earphones. Dialogue was clear at moderate volume, which is what I care about most when watching something casually. For music, the sound felt a little bottom-heavy, with weak bass, and the vocals became sharper and more boxy as I turned the volume up. At maximum volume, there was some distortion, and I could feel the vibrations through the back of the phone while holding it. The speakers are serviceable, but nothing I'd use to judge the phone favourably.

Performance and software: the little delays add up

The MediaTek Dimensity 7100 is capable of handling everyday use, and the Nova 2 Power generally manages messaging, browsing, video streaming and switching between lighter apps without much fuss. The phone comes in 6GB and 8GB RAM options, with storage fixed at 128GB. Its benchmark results are actually pretty good for the segment, and we found it to be the leader in most performance tests in the segment.

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[comparative-benchmark type="10" title="Geekbench single-core score" caption="Geekbench assesses the efficiency of the CPU's single and multiple cores (higher is better)" highlight="product_1" products="42354,42381,42529,," ][/comparative-benchmark]

[comparative-benchmark type="11" title="Geekbench multi-core score" caption="Geekbench assesses the efficiency of the CPU's single and multiple cores (higher is better)" highlight="product_1" products="42354,42381,42529,," ][/comparative-benchmark]

As evident, the Dimensity 7100 scores well in synthetic benchmarks, but the phone doesn't always feel as responsive in everyday use. I suspect the issue could lie in software optimisation, particularly how the interface handles animations, touch inputs and app switching. RAM management could also be a factor when several apps are running in the background, although I can't pin the delays on that alone. Whatever the cause, the benchmark scores don't quite translate into the consistently smooth experience I'd expect from a 120Hz display. That's what makes the experience a little puzzling. The phone can feel perfectly fine one moment and sluggish the next. I don't expect a budget phone to match a flagship for speed, but I do expect routine interactions to be predictable.

Gaming is more encouraging, provided you keep expectations in check. Casual matches in BGMI and Call of Duty: Mobile remained playable. During longer sessions, though, I noticed occasional frame-rate dips and stutters, especially when the action got intense. If you play a few matches to pass the time, the phone should do. If gaming is a regular part of your day, I'd look for something with more consistent performance.

The phone didn't get excessively hot in our tests. After 30 minutes of Call of Duty: Mobile, the temperature rose from 26.1°C to 30.8°C, while BGMI took it from 26.9°C to 31.2°C. Battery drain was 8 percent and 7 percent, respectively. Those temperatures are manageable, but the occasional performance dips remained noticeable.

Software is one area where Ai+ has made a good decision. NxtQ v1, based on Android 16, comes without third-party bloatware or system-level promotional ads. I really appreciate not having to spend time uninstalling unwanted apps or switching off promotional notifications after setting up a new phone.

[gallery link="file" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" size="full" ids="719671,719672"]

The interface borrows some visual cues from Vivo's OriginOS, more so in the control centre and rounded cards, though the feature set is much simpler. You get standard Android tools such as split-screen and picture-in-picture, along with NxtPrivacy Dashboard and NxtSafe Space. Google's Gemini and other standard Google tools are also available.

I don't mind that the software is relatively simple. In fact, I'd take a clean interface over a crowded one full of features I rarely use. What needs work is the polish. The inconsistent animations and occasional glitches make the experience feel unfinished. Ai+ has promised one OS update and quarterly security patches, which is the bare minimum the segment offers, but some companies push that to two, which would've been better for longevity.

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Battery and charging: the phone's strongest argument

The 7,000mAh battery is what impressed me most about the Nova 2 Power. I didn't have to keep checking the remaining charge through the day, and two days of use is realistic with moderate usage. For people who spend long hours travelling (which I did while using the phone), work outdoors or simply don't want to charge every night, that kind of endurance has real value.

Our YouTube playback test used 6 percent battery over an hour, with brightness and volume set to 50 percent. In the gaming tests, BGMI used 7 percent over 30 minutes and Call of Duty: Mobile used 8 percent. We couldn't get a reliable PCMark battery result because the test crashed overnight, so we wouldn't put a benchmark figure on the phone's endurance.

The trade-off is recharge time. Ai+ bundles a 33W charger, which took two hours and 23 minutes to charge the battery from 20 to 100 percent. I don't mind charging less often, but when I do need to top up, it is a long wait. The other consideration is weight. A 7,000mAh battery is useful, but it contributes to a phone that already feels bulky. I think some people will gladly make that compromise. Personally, I'd want the rest of the experience to be more consistent before accepting the extra weight without hesitation.

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Camera: useful in daylight, less dependable after dark

The Nova 2 Power has a 48MP Sony IMX582 primary camera, an 8MP ultrawide and a 13MP front camera. Having an ultrawide is useful and not so common at this price point, and it's a useful addition if you like photographing buildings, landscapes or groups of people. After trying the cameras, though, I wouldn't buy this phone specifically for photography.

Check out the camera samples from the Ai+ Nova 2 Power here:

[gallery link="file" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" size="full" ids="719686,719687,719688,719689,719690,719693,719694,719695,719699"]

Daylight

In daylight, the main camera produces usable photos with reasonably vivid colours. The pictures look pleasant at first glance, although some colours can be a bit oversaturated and bright areas can lose detail. The camera does the job for casual photos, but it doesn't leave much room for cropping or examining finer details. We took the Ai+ Nova 2 Power around with the Lava Virat V1 Pro and here are what the results look like.

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/Lava-Virat-V1-Pro-scaled.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/Ai-Nova-2-Power-main-scaled.jpg" offset="0.5" before="Ai+ Nova 2 Power" after="Lava Virat V1 Pro" hover="true"]

The Ai+ Nova 2 Power captures a brighter image, with more vivid blues in the pool and better visibility in the shaded foliage. The Lava Virat V1 Pro's shot looks slightly warmer, with the stonework appearing more yellow, but it retains a similar level of detail across the scene. The differences are subtle here, though the Ai+ image has a little more punch, while the Lava's exposure looks more restrained.

Ultrawide

The addition of an ultrawide lets me fit more into a frame, which is useful when space is limited or I want to capture a wider view of a scene. Compared to the results from the main lens, the UW image looks softer, especially around finer details, and the dynamic range isn't as good as it is on the main camera. It's a useful second camera, but I wouldn't expect the same quality from both lenses.

There's no ultrawide on the Lava Virat V1 Pro, so we couldn't compare the shots.

Portrait

Portraits are more hit-and-miss. I noticed inconsistent edge detection around hair and clothing, where the background blur can bleed into the subject. The effect doesn't always look convincing, so you'd want to double check the result before sharing it on social media. The front camera is adequate for casual selfies and video calls, but it isn't a reason to choose the Nova 2 Power over another phone.

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/Ai-Nova-2-Power-portrait-scaled.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/Lava-Virat-V1-Pro-portrait-scaled.jpg" offset="0.5" before="Ai+ Nova 2 Power" after="Lava Virat V1 Pro" hover="true"]

Here too, the Ai+ Nova 2 Power's image looks brighter overall, with more vivid greens and stronger contrast in the pool tiles. The Lava Virat V1 Pro captures a slightly wider view of the same scene, but its image looks darker, particularly in the foliage and shaded areas. The Ai+ shot has more punch, though the difference in exposure also makes some of the sunlit surfaces look a little washed out.

Low light

Low light photography exposes the limitations more clearly. Images look soft and noisy, and bright lights can create prominent flare. Night mode brightens the scene but it doesn't recover the detail lost around bright light sources. I found night mode useful for making a scene more visible, but it doesn't transform the final image.

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/Lava-virat-V1-Pro-2-scaled.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/Ai-Nova-2-Power-scaled.jpg" offset="0.5" before="Ai+ Nova 2 Power" after="Lava Virat V1 Pro" hover="true"]

The Ai+ Nova 2 Power brings out more detail, while the Lava Virat V1 Pro's shot is marginally darker. However, both images show blown-out highlights around the illuminated signs, and neither handles bright lights too well.

Selfie

The 13MP front camera of the Ai+ Nova 2 Power captures decent selfies in good lighting, with reasonable facial detail and natural-looking colours. Facial textures are visible, and the images don't look excessively smoothed, though finer details could be sharper. Overall, the camera is good enough for casual selfies and video calls, but I wouldn't expect it to handle tricky lighting as well.

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/Lava-Virat-V1-Pro-4-scaled.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/Ai-Nova-2-Power.png" offset="0.5" before="Ai+ Nova 2 Power" after="Lava Virat V1 Pro" hover="true"]

The Lava Virat V1 Pro captures more facial detail, while the Nova 2 Power's selfie looks softer. The Ai+ handles the bright sky reasonably well, but the Lava's image has a more balanced exposure on the face, with slightly better definition in skin texture. Both retain some detail in the background, though the sky is washed out in the Lava shot. Overall, I'd give the Lava the edge for selfie detail, while neither produces a particularly strong result with the bright sky behind the subject.

Video

Video recording is fairly basic. The rear camera supports up to 2K at 30fps, while the front camera records at up to 1080p at 30fps. There's no 4K or 60fps option, and stabilisation is limited. Handheld footage can look shaky, especially while walking. For occasional clips, that's manageable. If you regularly record video or take a lot of photos after sunset, the camera setup will feel restrictive.

Final verdict

The Ai+ Nova 2 Power makes a strong case for itself in one specific area. Its 7,000mAh battery lasts long enough to take charging off my mind for much of the day, and the clean software is a welcome change from phones that come loaded with unwanted apps. I also like having a dedicated ultrawide camera, even if its results are noticeably weaker than those from the main sensor.

But the 222-gm body isn't comfortable for everyone, the HD+ display looks soft, and inconsistent touch response can make simple tasks annoying. The cameras are fine for casual daylight shots but less convincing for portraits and night photography. Charging is slow, and the lack of a clear long-term software update commitment doesn't help.

The Lava Virat V1 Pro (review) is worth considering in the same segment. At Rs 15,999, it offers a similar 6.75-inch HD+ 120Hz LCD, a 6,000mAh battery, a 50MP main camera and clean Android 16-based software. In our review, it lasted over 14 hours in the PCMark Battery Drain test from 100 to 20 percent, and took just over two hours to charge from 20 to 100 percent. The Ai+ has the larger battery, but the Lava costs less and also includes a 3.5 mm headphone jack and IP64 protection.

If you're willing to spend a little more, the Realme P4x (review) brings a Full HD+ 144Hz display, a faster Dimensity 7400 Ultra chipset, a 7,000mAh battery and 45W charging. The Moto G37 Power is another option if you want a large battery with clean software and a brighter display.

At Rs 17,999, I find it difficult to recommend the Nova 2 Power without an "ummm" before my statement. If a bank offer brings it below Rs 17,000, and battery life matters more to you than display sharpness, camera quality or consistently smooth performance, it becomes easier to make a case for it.

Editor's rating: 7.7/10

Reasons to buy

• The 7,000mAh battery can comfortably last two days with moderate use.
• The clean software avoids third-party bloatware and system-level promotional ads.
• The dedicated ultrawide camera is useful for wider scenes and group photos.

Reasons to skip

• The 222-gm body feels heavy.
• The HD+ display lacks sharpness on a screen this large.
• Portraits and low-light photos are inconsistent.

Based on these benchmark tests conducted by our in-house team and experiences from reviews, here's a performance comparison between the OnePlus Nord 6, Motorola Edge 70 Pro, and Redmi Turbo 5. 

Before that, here's a quick look at the key specs of all three phones.

OnePlus Nord 6 vs Motorola Edge 70 Pro vs Redmi Turbo 5: AnTuTu, CPU Burnout 

To better understand their performance, we put the three phones through several popular benchmark tests. One of these is AnTuTu, which evaluates performance across the CPU, GPU, memory, and user experience. The OnePlus Nord 6 comes out on top, scoring 23,66,913 points. The Motorola Edge 70 Pro follows with 21,94,258 points, while the Redmi Turbo 5 scores 21,35,669 points. Based on these results, the Nord 6 has the strongest overall performance potential among the three.

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Interestingly, the Redmi Turbo 5 performs the best in the Burnout test, which pushes the CPU, GPU, and NPU to their limits to assess sustained performance, thermal throttling, and power efficiency. The OnePlus Nord 6 scores 45.40 percent, narrowly ahead of the Motorola Edge 70 Pro with 43.6 percent. 

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Overall, the OnePlus Nord 6 leads in peak performance, the Redmi Turbo 5 handles sustained heavy workloads the best, and the Edge 70 Pro falls between the two in the AnTuTu benchmark. 

OnePlus Nord 6 vs Motorola Edge 70 Pro vs Redmi Turbo 5: Geekbench

Geekbench is another popular benchmark used to evaluate a phone's raw CPU performance. It measures single-core and multi-core performance to assess how well a chipset handles different computing tasks. The single-core test evaluates the performance of an individual CPU core, while the multi-core test measures how all available CPU cores perform together. Higher scores indicate better performance.

In our tests, the Motorola Edge 70 Pro achieved the highest multi-core score of 6,864, while the OnePlus Nord 6 led the single-core test with 2,040 points. The Redmi Turbo 5 secured the second-highest multi-core score, followed by the Nord 6. In the single-core test, the Edge 70 Pro and Redmi Turbo 5 delivered closely matched results.

Overall, the Motorola Edge 70 Pro has an advantage in multi-core performance, making it better suited to heavily multi-threaded workloads, while the OnePlus Nord 6 takes the lead in single-core performance. The Redmi Turbo 5 remains competitive, delivering results close to the Edge 70 Pro in single-core testing.

OnePlus Nord 6 vs Motorola Edge 70 Pro vs Redmi Turbo 5: reviews

Benchmarks provide a useful indication of a phone's performance, but they don't always reflect real-world usage. Having reviewed all three phones, we found that each delivers reliable performance, albeit with some differences.

The OnePlus Nord 6 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chipset, paired with up to 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 256GB of UFS 4.1 storage. The processor is known for its strong performance in the mid-range segment, and the Nord 6 handles everyday tasks and demanding workloads with ease. It also stands out for gaming, achieving up to 165fps in BGMI and COD Mobile with Pro Gamer Mode and Adaptive Frame Booster enabled. The phone can get slightly warm during extended gaming sessions, but it never becomes uncomfortably hot.

The Motorola Edge 70 Pro isn't specifically designed as a gaming-focused phone, but it still delivers solid performance. It packs the MediaTek Dimensity 8500 Extreme chipset, paired with up to 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 256GB of UFS 4.1 storage. The phone feels snappy during everyday use and handles demanding tasks well. However, pushing it harder can cause it to heat up quickly, partly due to its smaller vapour chamber. While this doesn't take away from its overall performance, users should be prepared for some heating during intensive workloads.

The Redmi Turbo 5, meanwhile, is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 8500 Ultra chipset, paired with up to 12GB of LPDDR5X Ultra RAM and 256GB of UFS 4.1 storage. It features Redmi's 3D IceLoop cooling system, which the brand claims offers better cooling than a conventional vapour chamber. In our testing, the phone delivered smooth performance during everyday use and gaming. It also maintained 120fps gameplay in BGMI and COD Mobile during extended sessions with Wild Boost enabled. Although the phone didn't become uncomfortably hot, we noticed some warmth around the camera module.

Overall, the OnePlus Nord 6 is the best choice for high-frame-rate gaming, while the Motorola Edge 70 Pro delivers snappy performance but is more prone to heating under heavy loads. The Redmi Turbo 5, meanwhile, offers smooth gaming with consistent frame rates and effective thermal management. However, the Nord 6 is also the most expensive of the three. If gaming is your top priority, it's worth considering; otherwise, the Edge 70 Pro and Redmi Turbo 5 are more affordable alternatives that deliver reliable performance. 

What's in the box

You get the headphones with colour-matched knit cushions, a soft woven ripstop carrying case, a quick start guide and some documentation. That's it. There's no charging cable and no power adapter, so you'll need to supply your own, which feels like a miss at Rs 42,900. I received the headphones in Black, and they look absolutely stunning. But the unboxing experience was fairly minimal compared with the Momentum 5, which included a hard case and cables; it feels like you get a lot less for the money.

I also received the Cushion Kit in Performance Knit texture and Cloud colourway. This is sold separately and costs Rs 6,900.

Design and comfort

The Beats 360 look really nice, especially the Black unit we received. Even though the outer body is 80% recycled plastic, its matte finish gives it a metal-like look from a distance, and it doesn't have the same plasticky feel as the Momentum 5. The inner arms and sliders are stainless steel, and feel sturdy and smooth, and provide a solid clamp force.

Customisation is the heartbeat of the Beats 360. You can buy the headphones and standalone cushion kits in Black, Pink, Cloud, and Sky colours. You can also choose Volt (bright neon yellow) and Navy as additional cushion kit colours. The idea is that you can mix and match colours if you don't want the headphones to be entirely one colour, so you don't get bored. Each ear cushion twists off and on easily, and you can swap the headband cushion too.

The Cloud colour cushion kit I received gives a nice black and white contrast look, but I was terrified of dirtying them when placing them on a dusty surface or from the sweat from my skin. I quickly switched back to the default Black cushions after taking some photos for this review!

You have the option to choose between Performance Knit and UltraPlush when you buy either the headphones or standalone cushions. The former is more breathable, with an airy knit material made of 36 micro-threads, designed for active use and workouts, while the latter is classic, with a soft faux-leather feel designed for extended comfort and casual or travel use.

The clever part is that sensors inside the cushions detect which ones you've fitted and adjust the sound and noise cancellation accordingly. Both the headphones and the extra cushions I received were Performance Knit, and they feel breathable, especially for someone whose ears tend to warm up when wearing over-ear headphones for long sessions. I didn't get to try the UltraPlush material, but I assume, given the design, it would seal better around the ears, allowing for better passive noise cancellation and more immersive sound. However, they might also feel less comfortable for longer periods.

The headphones weigh 294.5g, but Beats says it has shifted the weight to the cushions to keep the frame light. Instead of running wires across the headband, each ear cup has its own battery, antenna and processor, which allowed Beats to slim down the headband. In my opinion, the Beats 360 fit larger ears better than the Momentum 5, and the clamp force is firmer, which you want if you're taking them to the gym or out for a run. They're also the first Beats headphones with sweat and water resistance, rated IPX4, which is something the Momentum 5 lacks. And when the cushions get sweaty after a workout, you can simply swap them for a fresh pair.

Connectivity and controls

The Beats 360 supports Bluetooth 5.3 and works with both iPhones and Android phones, though it's clearly built with Apple users in mind. On an iPhone, you get one-touch pairing, iCloud pairing, automatic switching between your Apple devices, audio sharing, Find My and hands-free "Hey Siri". On Android, you get Fast Pair, audio switching, Find Hub and a Beats app that handles battery status, customisation and firmware updates. It lacks wired audio support, and the USB-C port is strictly for charging, unlike the Momentum 5, which also offers a 2.5mm to 3.5mm cable in the box.

Controls are where the Beats 360 beat (pun intended) the Momentum 5 for me. I personally prefer physical, clicky buttons over touch-based gestures, and the Beats 360 has four physical ones on the back of the ear cups, which you operate with your thumbs. The left cup has the power and listening mode buttons, and the right has a volume rocker and a play/pause button: one press plays or pauses, two skips forward, and three skips back. You can customise the controls in iOS Settings or the Beats app on Android. They're simple and reliable, with none of the oversensitivity of the Momentum 5's touch controls.

That said, I wish some buttons had a textured finish to make them easier to tell apart.

I also wish the Beats 360 had wear detection to automatically stop or resume music when you take the headphones off or put them back on. It's a small but convenient feature that rivals like Sennheiser, Bose, and Sony offer. This would have been easy to ignore if the Beats 360 had had Conversation Awareness, which could automatically lower media volume and enhance voices when you start talking. Unfortunately, you don't get this Apple-specific feature as the Beats 360 uses a custom-designed chip rather than Apple's H2 chip.

Sound quality

The Beats 360 uses a custom 40mm dual-magnet driver, and Beats says the output is 12dB higher than the Beats Studio Pro's. It offers personalised spatial audio with head tracking and Dolby Atmos when connected to Apple devices, plus Adaptive EQ that tunes the sound to your fit, but it only works when you disable ANC and Transparency. You don't get EQ presets as you do with rival headphones.

[block-highlights] I tested the same songs on both the Beats 360 and Sennheiser Momentum 5 to get a sense of how they are tuned out of the box. [/block-highlights]

In practice, the Beats 360's tuning with ANC on leans toward a sharper, bassier, more energetic sound. If you want punchy bass with plenty of bite, the Beats 360 delivers. The catch is that it's less balanced than the Momentum 5, and tracks like Tame Impala's "Loser" and "Let It Happen" miss the wide soundstage they get on the Momentum 5, or the Bose QuietComfort Ultra and Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones, for that matter. The sharper profile can also get tiring during long listening sessions. Mids and highs can sound grating, thin, flat, and tinny, causing ear discomfort on certain high-frequency songs, such as Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now" or poorly mastered tracks.

In my opinion, the Beats 360's punchy bass response is best suited for pop, hip-hop, and EDM, delivering a bright sound signature with thumping bass to get your blood pumping for high-energy activities. 

To see how that sharper tuning plays out with rock songs, I tested the Beats 360 with Radiohead's "Paranoid Android", a song that swings between quiet acoustic passages and a chaotic wall of electric guitars. With ANC on, the bass was more pronounced, which is great if you want to enjoy the melodic bassline, but the frenzied guitar sections felt too sharp for my ears. Things improved a little with ANC off and Adaptive EQ, which tunes the sound to how the headphones fit your head, doing its job. The Momentum 5 handled the same song better, partly because you can switch to its Rock preset, which gives the instruments more room to breathe.

ANC and call quality

Beats says the Beats 360 delivers 1.75x more noise cancellation than the Beats Studio Pro, a claim I couldn't test because I've never used the Studio Pro. It uses 9 microphones in total, 8 of which handle ANC, and the system adapts to how the headphones fit your head each time. Transparency mode is meant to sound more natural too.

In reality, I found the ANC performance quite strong, almost on par with flagship headphones from Sony and Bose. Even with the Performance Knit cushions, which by design don't create the kind of seal the UltraPlush cushions would, the headphones did a solid job in blocking out environmental noise. I tried the Beats 360 at my gym with loud music blaring through the speakers and could comfortably listen to my own music. I even took them on the train during my metro commute, and they suppressed the train screeching through the tracks and the announcer calling out upcoming stations well enough. I reckon the UltraPlush cushions would do an even better job by combining ANC with passive noise cancellation.

The Beats 360 uses 3 dedicated voice-pickup microphones out of its 9 total mics to deliver clear voice calls. Again, the UltraPlush cushions are the ones to pick if you want a better seal and clearer voice calls. I typically don't like taking calls on headphones, so the Performance Knit cushions worked just fine for my limited calling use.

Battery life

Beats claims up to 32 hours of playback with ANC and spatial audio on, and its Fast Fuel feature gives you up to an hour of playback from a 5-minute charge. That's a long way short of the Momentum 5's 55-plus hours, though still comfortable for most people and on par with rival headphones from Bose and Sony.

If you use the Beats 360 for a couple of hours at the gym or outdoors, it should comfortably last a few weeks before needing a full charge, as long as you remember to turn them off after every use. The headphones also don't have auto power-off, so you need to manually turn them off after listening to prevent idle battery drain. I also noticed some Beats 360 users on Reddit complaining about the battery draining even when the headphones are switched off, linking it to Apple's Find My running in the background.

Verdict

The Beats 360 is for people who want a stylish, customisable pair of over-ear headphones for the gym or outdoor runs that can withstand sweat and dust. The selling point is the IP rating and interchangeable cushions. They aren't the best-sounding headphones at around Rs 40,000, but they are among the better-looking options. They look sleek, yet they don't fold. They have a plastic outer shell, yet a sturdy, durable hinge and strong clamping force. They are very Apple-coded, yet they work well with Android phones, too.

All in all, the Beats 360 are worth buying if you're into fitness and want the creativity and freedom to customise the headphones. They'll never feel dull, as long as you can spend money on buying different-coloured Performance Knit or UltraPlush cushions. But know that this will be an expensive affair: the headphones cost Rs 42,900 and additional cushions are priced at Rs 6,900. But if sound, battery life, and having that wired option to satisfy the audiophile in you matter more, then you're better off buying the Sennheiser Momentum 5, Bose QuietComfort Ultra, or Sony WH-1000XM6 instead.

Editor's rating: 8.4 / 10

Pros:

• Firm, secure fit that's suited for workouts
• IPX4 sweat and water resistance
• Physical buttons are easy to use
• Interchangeable cushions and colour options to keep things exciting
• Punchy, energetic sound for bass lovers

Cons:

• Sharper sound can get tiring over long sessions
• No support for wired audio
• Lacks wear detection
• No EQ presets; relies on Adaptive EQ when ANC is disabled

Design

OPPO has gone for what it calls a borderless design, with one-piece sculpted glass that flows into the camera module so the bump looks less like an afterthought. The Pro Max comes in Titanium Grey and Luna White, and Luna White is clearly the showpiece: a silver camera island, a matte orange accent ring that OPPO calls a Hasselblad signature, and a two-tone back that mixes smooth matte glass with a fabric-inspired pattern. Titanium Grey is the quieter option.

We received the Luna White variant for review, and it looks exquisite. The dual-tone back is clean, and the orange accent around the camera module is subtle, showing up only at an angle. The matte finish is soft and slippery to the touch, but you can rest your index finger just below the camera module for support when holding the phone. If you tend to drop your phone easily, slap on the silicone cover that comes in the box for a better grip.

Display

The 6.78-inch LTPO panel is flat, with symmetrical 1.15mm bezels. OPPO claims 3,600 nits of local peak brightness (2,000 nits global), Dolby Vision support, and dimming down to 1 nit with 3,840Hz PWM for night-time reading. The refresh rate adapts up to 120Hz in everyday use, with 144Hz reserved for supported games, which is fine by me - not many apps need more.

The headline claim is colour. OPPO says the Pro Max is among the first phones to support the BT.2020 colour gamut, which covers around 40 percent more colour space than DCI-P3, though its own spec sheet puts coverage at 95 percent. That's a big number, but most of the content you'll watch on a phone isn't mastered anywhere near that range, so I'm curious how often it will actually show. My initial impressions of the display are mostly positive: it looks attractive and stays legible in direct sunlight.

Cameras

Let me start with the hardware. The 200MP main camera uses a new 1/1.28-inch ISOCELL HPC sensor that OPPO developed with Samsung, with DeepPix technology that OPPO says gives up to 17 stops of dynamic range in video. The 200MP ultrawide has a 1/1.56-inch sensor, which OPPO says captures twice as much light as the previous generation, and a 124-degree autofocus lens. The 200MP telephoto has an f/2.1 aperture and a 10cm minimum focus distance, so it doubles as a telemacro camera. An OPPO Hasselblad Teleconverter accessory stretches the telephoto further, with OPPO claiming 3.28x optical magnification.

To make all that resolution usable, OPPO shoots 26MP by default from the ultrawide through 9.9x, with the option for Hasselblad Hi-Res mode for 50MP or 200MP shots available when you want them. Below are some early samples I was able to capture on the Find X10 Pro Max. I'll have more to share in my full review.

[smartslider3 slider=2209]

What interests me more than the megapixels is the processing. OPPO's new LUMO True Image Engine promises to keep colour, tone and detail closer to what you actually saw. A new-generation True Color Camera reads multispectral colour data to improve accuracy under mixed lighting, Hasselblad Master Mode's tonal approach comes to the default Photo mode, and sharpening, noise reduction and AI-generated detail are dialled back. On paper, that's the right call - I'd rather a phone leave some shadow in a backlit portrait than flatten it. It's a slightly awkward neighbour for the AI Photo Agent in ColorOS 17, which edits photos from natural-language instructions, on a camera pitched as true-to-life.

Performance and software

The Find X10 Pro Max runs on the 2nm MediaTek Dimensity 9600 Pro with vapour chamber cooling, and comes in a single 12GB + 512GB configuration. Since this is a brand-new chipset, we don't have historical data to share as a reference. In my full review, I'll break down how the chip performs in our synthetic benchmarks and real-world stress tests.

ColorOS 17 ships out of the box, and it is one of the smoothest skins we have tested so far. While I'll save my experience with the Find X10 Pro Max for my full review, you can read my colleague Ramneek's in-depth ColorOS 17 hands-on, which explores all the new features and changes you can expect.

Battery and charging

OPPO has fitted an 8,000mAh silicon-carbon battery with 80W wired and 50W wireless charging and calls it a substantial battery-life upgrade. While it's a big cell, I wish the charging speed could have been better. That said, I will share the exact charging speed in my detailed review. As for the battery, my initial thoughts are extremely positive. Over the past couple of days using the Find X10 Pro Max as my primary device, the battery life has been stellar out of the box, dropping only around 40 percent through the day, giving me enough to go almost the entire next day.

Early thoughts

On paper, the Find X10 Pro Max is a very camera-first flagship: three 200MP sensors, a restrained imaging engine, serious video tools and a big battery in a body that still looks like it was designed around the camera. Whether that's worth Rs 2 lakh depends on how much of it you'll actually use, and on how it compares with the cheaper Find X10, which shares the 8,000mAh battery, the 80W charging and the 200MP main and telephoto cameras, but gives up the 200MP ultrawide, the 2nm chip and the bigger display.

Stay tuned for my full review, where I'll go deeper into how good the camera system really is, with and without the teleconverter kit, whether the performance gains are noticeable, whether it is a genuinely two-day battery phone, and more.

Verdict

The Mivi One 5G is a solid budget smartphone that delivers reliable performance, clean software, and good battery life. Its stylish design and smooth 120Hz display add to the package, although the dated notch, thick bezels, and average cameras hold it back. However, if you prioritise everyday performance and a bloatware-free experience under Rs 15,000, the Mivi One 5G is worth considering.

Design, display: stylish but a dated front

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The Mivi One 5G offers an attractive design, IP64 rating, and a smooth 120Hz display. However, the thick bezels, notch, and limited outdoor brightness take away from the experience.
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The Mivi One 5G is a good-looking phone for its price, with a stylish design inspired by the iPhone 16, featuring vertically stacked rear cameras and flat edges. It has a tall profile and feels slightly bulky and thick to hold, although that's fairly common in the budget segment. The phone is available in five colour options: Blue, Burgundy, Green, Dark Blue, and Pink. The handset also comes with an IP64 rating for dust and water resistance, which is standard for this price range.

My only gripes with the design are the thick bezels and the notch, which take away from the phone's premium appeal. While these compromises aren't surprising at this price, most brands now offer punch-hole displays with slimmer bezels, giving their budget phones a more modern look.

The Mivi One 5G features a 6.75-inch IPS LCD panel with HD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. These specifications are typical for the segment, and the overall viewing experience is pretty good. The display has a slightly warm tone, while brightness is adequate for indoor use. However, its peak brightness of 450 nits makes outdoor visibility challenging under harsh sunlight.

You can choose between Auto, 60Hz, and 120Hz refresh rate modes. Scrolling feels particularly smooth and responsive, thanks to the high refresh rate and well-optimised, clean software.

Performance: smooth everyday usage

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The Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 delivers responsive performance, handles everyday tasks with ease, and runs popular games smoothly at suitable graphics settings.
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The Mivi One 5G is powered by the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 SoC, an entry-level 5G chipset designed for budget smartphones. It is also currently the only phone under Rs 15,000 to feature this processor. The handset scored a respectable 6,24,632 points on AnTuTu, placing it among the better-performing phones in this segment. Its Geekbench scores are also on the higher side, giving it an edge over rivals such as the Boltt Ace 5G and the Lava Virat V1 5G.

[comparative-benchmark type="1" title="AnTuTu score" caption="AnTuTu assesses a smartphone's CPU, GPU, memory, and overall user experience (higher is better)" highlight="product_1" products="42417,42383,42318,," ][/comparative-benchmark]

These benchmark results translate well to real-world performance. The Mivi One 5G feels snappy and responsive, with the clean software further contributing to a smooth experience. Switching between apps is quick, the camera app runs without noticeable lag, and everyday tasks feel effortless. Gaming is also well within its capabilities, including titles such as Call of Duty: Mobile and BGMI. While you won't be able to push the graphics settings to the highest levels, gameplay remains smooth, with no noticeable lag or stuttering. The phone also manages heat well, getting only slightly warm after around 20 minutes of continuous gaming.

The budget segment isn't one to push for performance, but with 5G connectivity and AI features, it's still important to have a capable processor that can handle daily usage with ease. The Mivi One 5G does just that, making it a solid option for anyone who wants a reliable daily driver. 

Cameras: average results with some strengths

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The 50MP rear camera delivers mixed results, with not very strong results in daylight and portraits. The Mivi One does better with selfies and low-light photography.
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For optics, the Mivi One 5G features a basic camera setup comprising a 50MP primary rear camera and an 8MP front camera for selfies and video calls. These specifications are fairly standard for the price segment, so the setup isn't particularly surprising. In terms of performance, the cameras deliver average results that should suffice for casual photography and social media uploads.

The primary camera tends to produce slightly dark images with subdued colours and limited vibrancy. The overall colour reproduction lacks the punch you get, which usually works for social media. The camera setup is adequate for everyday use, but don't expect particularly detailed shots or consistently balanced results across different lighting conditions.

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We compared the Mivi One's cameras with the Lava Virat V1 in different scenarios. Here's how they performed.

Daylight

As mentioned above, the Mivi One struggles with difficult lighting, even in slightly cloudy conditions. It results in weak details and sharpness in the overall image. The Lava Virat V1 does a better job in capturing details. The same can be seen in colour accuracy and contrast, with Lava clearly taking the lead here. When it comes to dynamic range and exposure, we continue to see better highlights in the Lava image. 

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/mivi-one-daylight-scaled.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/lava-daylight-scaled.jpg" offset="0.5" before="Mivi One" after="Lava Virat V1 "]

Selfies

When it comes to selfies, they are slightly overblown on the Lava Virat V1. The Mivi One does a better job at capturing the skin tone and colours, giving it a more natural look. Even with details and clarity, you get better results on the Mivi One. When it comes to dynamic range, it's almost the same, with the Lava Virat V1 leading, but only by a margin.  

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/mivi-one-selfie-scaled.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/lava-selfie-scaled.jpg" offset="0.5" before="Mivi One" after="Lava Virat V1 "]

Portrait

In portrait shots, the Lava Virat V1 clearly outperforms the Mivi One 5G. The Lava phone reproduces skin tones and colours better, though it applies noticeable smoothing that makes the subject's clothes look almost animated. Despite this, the Virat V1 captures more details than the Mivi One. The handset also handles edge detection more accurately and offers a more balanced background blur (bokeh), resulting in a better overall portrait shot.

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/mivi-one-portrait-scaled.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/lava-portrait-scaled.jpg" offset="0.5" before="Mivi One" after="Lava Virat V1 "]

Night

Both phones have a dedicated night mode that you can use for low-light shots. Here, the Mivi One produces better results. It has better control over light flares and exposure, as compared to the Lava Virat V1. You can also see less noise and better-clarified details in the Mivi One image, and more accurate colour reproduction as well. 

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/mivi-one-night-scaled.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/lava-night-mode-scaled.jpg" offset="0.5" before="Mivi One" after="Lava Virat V1 "]

Overall, the Lava Virat V1 has an edge over the Mivi One 5G in daylight photography and portraits, offering better detail, colour accuracy, and edge detection. However, the Mivi One fares better in selfies, with more natural skin tones and sharper details, and also delivers better results in low light, with improved exposure and noise control. Both phones have their strengths, but the Mivi One holds its own in certain scenarios despite its basic camera setup.

Battery life: dependable endurance

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The 6,000mAh battery offers long-lasting endurance, while 18W charging takes around 108 minutes to go from 20 to 100 percent, which is faster than most rivals.
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The Mivi One 5G packs a 6,000mAh battery, which is sizeable and should comfortably last a full day or more, depending on your usage. This capacity is also fairly standard for phones in this price segment. In our AnTuTu battery test, the Mivi One lasted an impressive 17 hours and 16 minutes, suggesting reliable endurance for everyday use. The battery dropped by around 9-10 percent after 30 minutes each of playing COD Mobile and BGMI, which might not look good for the phone, but this is similar to what we observed on competing phones like the Boltt Ace and Lava Virat V1.

[comparative-benchmark type="1" title="AnTuTu score" caption="AnTuTu assesses a smartphone's CPU, GPU, memory, and overall user experience (higher is better)" highlight="product_1" products="42417,42318,42383,," ][/comparative-benchmark]

While the drain is relatively high, it is understandable given the power demands of gaming on a budget chipset. The phone comes with 18W charging support, which is understandably slow, but it still takes less time to get from 20 to 100 percent (108 minutes) compared to rivals like the Boltt Ace (147) and Lava Virat V1 (187). Overall, the Mivi One 5G offers reliable battery life that should comfortably last a full day or even longer on a single charge.

Software: clean Android with limited extras

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Android 16 offers a smooth, bloatware-free experience, with two promised OS upgrades. However, limited customisation and missing AI features are drawbacks.
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On the software front, the Mivi One 5G runs what the company calls 'Pure Android', offering a clean, bloatware-free experience. The handset boots Android 16 out of the box and is guaranteed to receive upgrades up to Android 18, along with two years of security patches. While most phones in this segment typically offer just one major OS upgrade, Mivi's promise of two is a welcome addition. However, the limited security support means the phone may not be ideal for those looking for long-term software support, although this is a common trade-off in the budget segment.

The clean UI also makes for a smooth and straightforward experience, free from unwanted apps and ads. Navigation is simple, with a swipe down opening the notification and Quick Settings panels and a swipe up taking you to the app drawer. Google Search sits on the home screen, while a local search bar is available at the top of the app drawer.

However, the software experience comes with a few limitations. The Mivi One 5G lacks native on-device AI features for tasks involving text and photos, as well as Google's Circle to Search. You do get the Gemini app pre-installed, and other AI services, such as ChatGPT, can be accessed separately. Customisation options are also limited, which may disappoint users who like to personalise their phones. That said, the clean interface is a welcome choice for those who prefer a simple experience without third-party apps and intrusive ads.

Final Verdict

The Mivi One 5G gets the basics right, offering dependable performance, a clean and smooth software experience, and reliable battery life. Its stylish design, 120Hz display, and capable Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 chipset make it a good option for everyday use, while the promise of two Android upgrades is a welcome addition. However, providing an immersive viewing experience and a capable camera system are areas where it falls short, and rivals like the Lava Virat V1 (review) might be a better pick.

Nevertheless, if you want a reliable daily driver under Rs 15,000 without unwanted apps and ads, the Mivi One 5G makes a compelling case for itself.

Editor's rating: 7.8/10

Reasons to buy: 

• Smooth and snappy performance for everyday use.
• Android 16 with a clean and bloatware-free UI. You also get two OS upgrades, which is more than what most phones offer. 
• A 6,000mAh battery, which delivers reliable battery life and can last an entire day, maybe even more depending on your usage. 

Reasons to skip:

• A notch display and thick bezels, which look dated even for the budget segment.
• Cameras lack detail, sharpness, and colour accuracy, especially in daylight and portraits.

The upgraded Health Sensing system, in fact, counts as the biggest upgrade boasted by the new wearable, as unsurprisingly, the overall design language hasn't changed much. Read on for more.

Design and display

For better or worse, the design of the Apple Watch Series 12 is unchanged as compared to previous generations. Over time, this design has become quite iconic, I think, though the army of me-too's that spawned and copied the same look have somewhat diluted its appeal. That said, few others match the build quality, construction, and materials used in an Apple Watch. And the new Series 12 doesn't disappoint; instead, it takes the durability to the next level, with additions like Ceramic Shield 2. The wearable is available in aluminium, titanium and ceramic, and notably, the ceramic edition seems to have made a comeback to Apple's watch lineup after many years. I played around with the ceramic model briefly, and I can tell you that the build quality and finish on that is exquisite. However, it's also the priciest of the lot, and it'd be safe to say that the aluminium model will make sense for most potential buyers.

As usual, Series 12 is available in two sizes — 42mm and 46mm, and in regular or cellular options. I have the 46mm aluminium model in the new dark bronze colour — a shade that I love. It does look quite chic and elegant, I think. Also appreciated is the new Ceramic Shield 2 layer on the screen, which promises to keep scratches at bay. The watch is comfortable to wear for prolonged periods and doesn't cause wrist fatigue, so no complaints there.

Most aspects, like the rotating Digital Crown on the right and the side button below it, plus the band attachment mechanism, remain the same as before. The last point deserves emphasis, as it means that in case you have bands from any of the previous iterations, they'll work with the new Series 12 as well. In fact, as far as I know, Apple Watch bands are compatible across generations, going as far back as the very first model.

The 2,000 nits always-on Retina display is a beauty and is easy to read outdoors, even under harsh sunlight. The refresh rate can go down to 1Hz. The watch is water-resistant up to 50m, while the dust resistance rating of IP6X also adds to peace of mind. So sweat and rain don't really pose any threat, and you can take it swimming without a second thought too.

Features

From a features standpoint, Audio Intelligence stands out as the most noteworthy one. Unfortunately though, it's not available at the time of writing this review and is expected to land in beta in the next few weeks. Audio Intelligence includes Live Rewind, which takes you 15 seconds back in time by giving you a transcript of conversations around you, and Siri Recap, which promises to provide notes from conversations and meetings spontaneously. Both of these seem like handy additions, but only time will tell how useful they turn out to be in real life. Understandably, there are some privacy-related concerns, but as per Apple, no audio is stored anywhere, and everything is encrypted and handled by a secure exclave in the new S11 chip that powers the device. As of now. Audio Intelligence enables you to call up Shazam for song recognition with a tap on the Smart Stack widget.

[also-read urls="https://www.91mobiles.com/hub/how-apple-watch-series-12s-audio-intelligence-actually-works/"]

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Apart from Audio Intelligence, the other big headline is the new Health Sensing system. A look at the array of sensors on the back of the watch allows for visual differentiation, as it looks noticeably different compared to the sensors found on the back of previous-gen models.


The revamped sensors measure heart rate every five seconds, and the frequency of Heart Rate Variability (HRV) readings has also gone up. In fact, Apple calls this its most accurate heart rate sensor yet, and we're told that the results were compared with other wearables and dedicated chest strap-mounted heart sensors to verify this.

Another new feature comes in the form of a readiness score, which is visible in the Health app and gives you an indication of how ready you are to take on the day, based on various factors like physical activity, sleep quality, etc. This is similar to the readiness score measured by other wearable and health platforms like Google Health and Samsung Health, and it's nice to see Apple implement it on the Watch, especially since it can prove to be useful. As long as you don't obsess over the numbers and make sure you listen to your body first.


Otherwise, the list of features offered by Series 12 seems similar to last year's model, which means the list is quite long and comprehensive. The smart features are as expected, and you have the option to download and install third-party apps via the App Store, while the health and fitness side of things includes everything from basic step counting to something as advanced as ECG. Unlike Samsung's smartwatches though, it can't measure blood pressure, so that's one feature where Samsung edges ahead. You do, however, get advanced sleep monitoring, including sleep apnea notifications, respiratory rate, wrist temperature, blood oxygen, high and low heart rate notifications, and irregular rhythm notifications. A wide range of physical activities and workouts can be tracked, while safety features cover fall detection, crash detection, emergency calling and more. Thankfully, I can't vouch for any of these, but it's good to know they're there. In any case, there are numerous user testimonials out there that prove these features work and have saved many lives.

UI and app

The new watchOS 27 is on board, and it brings with it a slew of changes and new features. A UI change you're going to notice right away is the new app grid that opens up when you press the Digital Crown. It shows five app icons arranged in a circle, changing them dynamically based on what Siri thinks you need at the time, using factors like recently accessed apps, location, time of day, etc. The Siri icon gets a fixed place in the centre, and deservedly so, since that's another big update in the new platform. Siri gets its own dedicated app and acts as your personal AI assistant you can converse with, banking on new superpowers it has acquired as part of improvements to the Apple Intelligence suite. It understands personal context better and can even take action in apps. Smart Stacks have also received an upgrade and display contextual and useful info, which is actionable too — being able to wish a contact happy birthday, for instance, or view your car's parking location. There's also a new gesture that lets you select a widget from the Smart Stack by tapping your index finger and thumb together — useful when your other hand is occupied with something else.

As usual, the Watch app, which comes pre-installed on all iPhones, is the one responsible for setting up, configuring and customising your Apple Watch. watchOS 27 brings with it a bunch of new watch faces, adding to the big collection already available. You can choose from a wide variety of options, and customise them with different styles, colours and complications. All your health and fitness data gets synced with the Health app, as before. Apple's Health platform is extremely comprehensive, and remains your one-stop shop for viewing data and trends based on your physical activity, vitals, sleep, and more.

Performance and battery

The new S11 chip keeps ticking (pun unintended) nicely, and usage is super-smooth overall. The Apple Watch Series 12 is a breeze to use, with fluid animations, fast response and no signs of any jitters whatsoever. It faithfully and accurately tracks physical activity, though I must remind you that it's always a good idea to look at data trends captured over time instead of worrying over numbers from a day or two.


As far as battery life and charging speeds are concerned, the Apple Watch Series 12 shows noticeable improvements in both these aspects. It lasted me a couple of days on a single charge, with two full days of usage and sleep tracking during the intervening night. This included about GPS-based workout tracking for 30 minutes each of those two days. I usually needed a top-up charge to track my sleep before heading to bed on the second night. Battery drain during regular usage and workout tracking appears to be much slower than before.


Speaking of juicing up, the bundled magnetic charging puck does a swell job with fast charging. A quick 15-minute top-up just before leaving for work gives me 30-35 percent in the tank, enough to last till evening, and letting the watch stay on the charger for another 15 minutes adds about 70 percent or so. While there are other smartwatches that fare better from a battery perspective, I'd say that Series 12 should prove to be a solid upgrade as compared to previous generations.

Verdict

There's no doubt that the Apple Watch Series 12 is really an ideal option for you if you're an iPhone user and looking for an everyday smartwatch. While it might not be for you if you're a Series 10 or Series 11 user already (as things stand currently), it should make for a worthy purchase if you're upgrading from any of the previous generation models. Apple keeps adding new and useful features with each iteration, and in that respect, the Series 12 comes across as a compelling upgrade thanks to its new Health Sensing system and improvements in aspects such as fast charging. And when those promised Audio Intelligence land, the Series 12 could prove to be a worthy upgrade even for Series 11 users. Apple's tight control over both hardware and software makes it work seamlessly with your iPhone, and it plays well within the brand's ecosystem, compounding its usefulness if you've subscribed to services like Apple Music.

The pricing for the base model starts at Rs 56,900, which is a fair bit to pay for a smartwatch. In terms of other options, there are a lot of choices out there. Garmin's offerings stand out and are preferred by serious athletes, though the premium ones are priced high. I've also had a very good experience with Amazfit smartwatches, and if you're looking for something affordable and that works well with an iPhone, you should check them out. All said and done, no other smartwatch works as smoothly and seamlessly with an iPhone as an Apple Watch, and Series 12 is about the best there is at the moment. Sure, there's the Apple Watch Ultra 4 as well, but that's another story.

Editor's rating: 8.5 / 10

Pros:

• Reliable health tracking & insights
• Improved heart monitoring
• Smooth performance
• Battery & charging improvements

Cons:

• Design is unchanged 
• Audio Intelligence features not available yet
• Pricey (but not unexpectedly so)

Selection criteria

For this list, we've selected the top performers in each price bracket based on their gaming performance, battery capacity and power efficiency. Each phone has a minimum battery capacity of 6,500mAh and the power to handle demanding games. The aim is to highlight phones that deliver strong gaming performance and solid battery life, so you can play longer without compromising either.

Our list at a glance

Best under Rs 20,000 - iQOO Z11 Lite

The iQOO Z11 Lite (review) is a good option for budget-conscious buyers who want decent gaming performance without spending too much. Its MediaTek Dimensity 6300 chipset handles everyday tasks well and delivers reasonably good results in games, even at medium graphics settings.

Our tests show that it can maintain playable frame rates in both Call of Duty: Mobile and BGMI while losing just 7 per cent battery over 30 minutes in each game. You can expect even better frame rates at lower graphics settings, making it a worthwhile choice for casual gamers on a tight budget. 

Key specs

• Design: 8.39mm thick, 209g
• Display: 6.74-inch LCD, HD+ resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, up to 1,200nits
• Performance: MediaTek Dimensity 6300, up to 2.4GHz, Mali-G57 MC2 GPU
• RAM and storage: 4GB/6GB LPDDR4X RAM, 128GB/256GB UFS 2.2 storage
• Battery: 6,500mAh with 44W fast charging
• Software: Android 16 with OriginOS 6

Best under Rs 30,000 - iQOO Z11x

The iQOO Z11x (review) is a solid option for users who want strong gaming performance without sacrificing battery life. Its Dimensity 7400 Turbo chipset handles demanding games well, delivering playable frame rates even at higher graphics settings. 

The phone also manages power consumption well during gaming, making it a good choice for longer sessions without frequent charging. Finally, its large battery makes it all the more worthwhile. With nearly 20 hours of runtime in our PCMark battery test, you can expect the phone to handle everyday use and gaming comfortably.

Key specs

• Design: 8.39mm thick, 219g
• Display: 6.74-inch LCD, FHD+ resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, up to 1,200nits
• Performance: MediaTek Dimensity 7400, up to 2.6GHz, Mali-G615 GPU
• RAM and storage: 6GB/8GB LPDDR4X RAM, 128GB/256GB UFS 3.1 storage
• Battery: 7,200mAh with 44W fast charging
• Software: Android 16 with OriginOS 16

Best under Rs 40,000 - Motorola Edge 70 Pro

The Motorola Edge 70 Pro (review) is one of the most versatile phones in this price range, pairing a powerful Dimensity 8500 Extreme chipset with a surprisingly large battery for its thin profile. It delivers impressive gaming performance, handling demanding titles at high graphics settings with ease. 

While its battery efficiency during gaming isn't the best, the large battery helps offset the higher power consumption. With capable hardware, a high-refresh-rate AMOLED display, and fast charging, it is a strong all-rounder for users who want performance at a competitive price. 

Key specs

• Design: 6.99mm thick, 190g
• Display: 6.8-inch AMOLED, FHD+ resolution, 144Hz refresh rate, up to 5,200nits
• Performance: MediaTek Dimensity 8500, up to 3.4GHz, Mali-G720 MP8 GPU
• RAM and storage: 8GB/12GB LPDDR5X RAM, 128/256GB UFS 4.1 storage
• Battery: 6,500mAh with 90W fast charging
• Software: HelloUI with Android 16

Best under Rs 50,000 - OnePlus Nord 6

The OnePlus Nord 6 (review) is a great choice for power users who want near-flagship performance and excellent battery life. Its Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chipset delivers plenty of processing power for demanding games, while the 9,000mAh battery should let you game longer between charges. 

The 165Hz AMOLED display is another advantage, offering smooth visuals in supported games. While its hardware falls just short of flagship territory, the Nord 6 offers a good combination of performance, battery capacity and display quality for users who want a phone that can handle demanding workloads at a sensible price.

Key specs

• Design: 8.5mm thick, 217g
• Display: 6.78-inch AMOLED, FHD+ resolution, 165Hz refresh rate, 3,600nits
• Performance: Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, octa-core, up to 3.21GHz, Adreno 825 GPU
• RAM and storage: 8GB/12GB LPDDR5X RAM, 128/256GB UFS 4.1 storage
• Battery: 9,000mAh with 80W fast charging
• Software: OxygenOS 16 with Android 16

Best under Rs 60,000 - iQOO 15R

The iQOO 15R (review) sits at the top of this list, offering near-flagship performance with its Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset. It handles demanding games with ease, while its large battery and fast charging make it well-suited to users who spend a lot of time gaming. 

Unlike some performance-focused phones, it also has a relatively compact form factor, with a 6.59-inch display. This makes it a good option for users who want powerful hardware without carrying a larger phone. If gaming performance is your top priority, the iQOO 15R is the best option in this price range.

Key specs

• Design: 7.9mm thick, 202g
• Display: 6.59-inch AMOLED, FHD+ resolution, 144Hz refresh rate, 5,000nits
• Performance: Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, octa-core, up to 3.8GHz, Adreno 826 GPU
• RAM and storage: 8GB/12GB LPDDR5X RAM, 256GB/512GB UFS 4.1 storage
• Battery: 7,600mAh with 100W fast charging
• Software: OriginOS 6 with Android 16

Conclusion

Smartphone prices have risen several times in recent months, and phones with powerful hardware are hit hardest. These devices often employ more expensive RAM and storage, both of which now cost exponentially more than they used to. With that in mind, we've picked five phones under Rs 60,000 that offer a strong balance of gaming performance and battery life.

These phones should serve users well over the long term and last most of the day on a single charge. We hope this list helps you find the right phone for your needs, especially if you need to upgrade now, as prices could change again at any time.

FAQs

1. Which phone offers the best balance of gaming performance and battery life under Rs 50,000?

The OnePlus Nord 6 offers a great balance of gaming performance and battery life. It combines a capable Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chipset with a 9,000mAh battery. In our tests, it also recorded the longest PCMark battery runtime among the five phones on this list.

2. Does a bigger battery always mean better battery life while gaming?

Not necessarily, as battery life also depends on the chipset's power efficiency, display settings and how demanding a game is. For instance, the Motorola Edge 70 Pro has a 6,500mAh battery, but its power consumption during gaming was higher than that of some phones with larger batteries. This makes efficiency just as important as battery capacity.

3. Can budget phones under Rs 30,000 handle demanding games?

Yes, phones such as the iQOO Z11 Lite and iQOO Z11x can handle games such as Call of Duty: Mobile and BGMI. However, you may need to lower graphics settings depending on the phone and game. The iQOO Z11 Lite is better for casual gaming, while the Z11x offers more room for higher graphics settings.

4. Is it better to choose a gaming-focused phone or an all-rounder?

This largely comes down to your preferences. The OnePlus Nord 6 and iQOO 15R are good options for users who prioritise gaming performance and battery life. The Motorola Edge 70 Pro is worth considering if you also want a slim, lightweight design and a versatile set of features. Consider how you use your phone outside gaming before deciding.

5. How much battery life can you expect from these phones during gaming?

In our 30-minute tests, battery drain ranged from 3 to 8 per cent across the five phones, depending on the device and game settings. However, these results reflect only shorter gaming sessions. Actual battery life can vary with longer play sessions, screen brightness, mobile data usage and background activity.

Our picks at a glance

*Prices as of October 19th.

Lava Virat Curve

The Lava Virat Curve, outputting an AnTuTu score of 8,76,509, tops the list with the highest AnTuTu score so far in our tests under Rs 25,000. It features the MediaTek Dimensity 7100, paired with UFS 2.2 storage and LPDDR4X RAM, and comes in a single storage option: 6GB RAM (expandable up to 12GB via memory boost) and 128GB storage. In real-world use, as noted in our review, the Virat Curve offers enough performance for daily tasks. However, the refresh rate may occasionally drop randomly, which could be fixed through OTA updates.

On to games, in Call of Duty: Mobile, the phone sustained up to 60 FPS on Very High graphics and Max frame rates across a 30-minute session. Clash Royale, meanwhile, ran smoothly at a steady 120 FPS through three to four consecutive matches. Furthermore, featuring the only AMOLED display in its segment, the Virat Curve is highly suitable not just for entertainment binge-watchers, but also for anyone who wishes to enjoy the display's experience in vivid, contrasty tones.

Infinix Hot 70 Pro

Like the Lava Virat Curve (review), the Infinix Hot 70 Pro runs on MediaTek's midrange Dimensity 7100 processor, with up to 2.4GHz clock speeds and a Mali-G610 MC2 GPU. Despite using the same performance hardware, the Hot 70 Pro's AnTuTu score of 7,56,960 trails the Lava Virat Curve, making it the second-highest AnTuTu phone under Rs 25,000 in our tests. While its both storage options feature 128GB UFS 2.2 storage, it's available in RAM options of 6GB and 8GB.

For real-world use and gaming, the Infinix Hot 70 Pro handles basic tasks well, including messaging, calling, navigation, streaming, and scrolling. However, noticeable stutters may appear when you run two or three activities at once. For games, we ran CODM at an average of 59.8 FPS after 30 minutes at ‘Very High' graphics and ‘Max' frame rates, while BGMI averaged 38.9 FPS over the same period. While the on-board display is IPS LCD, it offers 1080p resolution, unlike the other smartphones on the list, which are limited to 720p.

Redmi 17

The Redmi 17 gets one of Qualcomm's latest midrange chipsets, the Snapdragon 4 Gen 5, with clock speeds up to 2.4GHz, an Adreno 613 GPU, and either 6GB or 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM plus 128GB UFS 2.2 storage. With this combination, the phone delivered an AnTuTu score of 7,34,484. Along with offering usable day-to-day performance, the Redmi 17 makes its mark under Rs 25,000 with its massive 7,900mAh battery, which, in our PCMark Battery Drain test, lasted almost 20 hours from 100 to 20 percent.

Compared with other popular chipsets in the segment, the Redmi 17's Snapdragon 4 Gen 5 AnTuTu score sits between the Dimensity 7100 and the Dimensity 6300/6400. With a light version of HyperOS, the smartphone delivers day-to-day performance well-suited for basic to medium tasks, such as calls, YouTube videos, and casual games like Clash Royale at 120FPS.

POCO M8x

The POCO M8x is also powered by Qualcomm's latest mid-range chipset, the Snapdragon 4 Gen 5, with clock speeds up to 2.4 GHz, an Adreno 613 GPU, and either 6GB or 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM paired with 128GB UFS 2.2 storage. Despite the same hardware, the smartphone scored 6,53,645 in AnTuTu, placing it fourth on our list of top AnTuTu-scoring phones under Rs 25,000.

For real-world use, beyond solid everyday performance, thanks to smooth HyperOS animations, the phone's jumbo 7,900 mAh battery ensures multi-day battery life on a single charge, as noted in our review. Subsequently, in the PCMark Battery Drain test, the POCO M8x clocked over 22 hours of backup from 100 to 20 percent.

OnePlus N6

As a brand that has recently shifted toward a performance-oriented experience, OnePlus N6 (review) makes its mark on this list with an AnTuTu score of 5,88,319. At its core, it runs on the MediaTek Dimensity 6360 Apex and comes with either 4GB or 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. While the N6 may not have the highest AnTuTu score, it packs the largest battery on this list at 8,000mAh.

A decently sized 5,300mm square vapour chamber cooler helps keep temperatures in check during long, intensive gaming sessions. During our use, the phone comfortably ran Clash Royale at 120FPS, while heavier titles like CODM top out at ‘Medium' graphics settings and ‘Max' frame rates. Similarly, BGMI ran at ‘HDR' graphics and ‘Ultra' frame rates.

What is AnTuTu benchmark and what does it signify?

AnTuTu is one of the most widely used synthetic benchmarking tools for smartphones. It evaluates a device's overall performance by running a series of standardised tests that measure the CPU, GPU, memory (RAM and storage), and user experience (UX) components. The final score combines these factors into a single figure that reflects how well the phone handles them under controlled, intensive conditions.

A higher AnTuTu score generally indicates stronger raw performance. While real-world usage can differ due to software optimisation, thermal management, and specific workloads, AnTuTu provides a useful, consistent baseline for comparing devices on paper.

At 91mobiles, we run the AnTuTu benchmark on every phone that comes in. This gives readers a clear idea of how each device performs in real-world and synthetic environments, enabling straightforward comparisons.

Which top-performing AnTuTu smartphone should you consider?

With the Lava Virat Curve delivering the highest AnTuTu score on our list, it offers the best raw performance for gaming and heavy multitasking. However, the choice isn't that simple because, as noted in our review, the Virat Curve needs more UI polish and refinement, making the Infinix Hot 70 Pro the best alternative. Despite packing the same Dimensity 7100 chipset, the Hot 70 Pro outputs lower scores than the Virat Curve, but gains in the software department by packing an AI-focused UI and looks neat and is packed with productivity-based features.

If you're okay with a 720p panel but want the best endurance the sub-Rs 25,000 segment offers, the Redmi 17 and POCO M8x have you covered with their 7,900mAh batteries and reliable day-to-day performance. Similarly, while the OnePlus N6 may not look as impressive as other phones in AnTuTu scores, it packs an 8,000mAh battery and OxygenOS for those who want feature-packed software.

We tested out a couple of phones in this segment and based on that, the Motorola Signature is the strongest performer in this group, followed by the Moto Edge 70 Max and OnePlus 13s. The OPPO Reno15 Pro Mini and iPhone 16e complete the list, catering to buyers with different priorities.

The ranking follows the AnTuTu scores recorded in our tests, which ran for around 25-30 minutes. Geekbench single-core and multi-core scores provide additional context on CPU performance. While benchmarks help compare raw processing power, they do not tell the whole story about sustained gaming performance, battery life or everyday usability.

Best performers at a glance

*Prices are as of October 2026 and may vary with storage configuration, retailer and offers.

Motorola Signature

Price: Rs 59,999 (12GB + 256GB)

The Motorola Signature (review) leads this list with an AnTuTu score of 30,98,258. Its Geekbench results are equally strong, with 2,889 in single-core testing and 9,583 in multi-core testing. This makes it the most consistent performer among the top three phones in our results.

The phone is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset, paired with 12GB LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.1 storage. It also features a cooling system designed to manage heat during demanding workloads. This combination makes it a strong candidate for users who frequently play graphics-intensive games, multitask between demanding applications or edit content on their phones.

The hardware extends beyond performance. The Signature features a 6.8-inch 1.5K LTPO AMOLED display with a 165Hz refresh rate, a 5,200mAh battery, 90W wired charging and 50W wireless charging. Its triple 50MP rear camera setup and promise of up to seven years of software support add to its appeal.

At its asking price, few phones can match the Motorola Signature's overall performance. As per our revire, its display and software support are among the best in the segment, while its distinctive design helps it stand out from competing flagships. However, battery endurance falls short of expectations, the cameras take a conservative approach to image processing, and thermal inefficiency can affect demanding workloads. These drawbacks are worth considering, particularly for buyers who prioritise sustained gaming performance or camera versatility.

Motorola Edge 70 Max

Price: Rs 54,999 (8GB + 256GB)

The Motorola Edge 70 Max comes close to the Signature, recording an AnTuTu score of 29,72,932. Its Geekbench scores of 2,823 in single-core and 8,890 in multi-core testing are also competitive, although both fall short of the Signature's results.

Like the Signature, the Edge 70 Max uses Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset and LPDDR5X RAM. It features a 6.8-inch QHD+ AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate and a 7,100mAh silicon-carbon battery. Charging is handled by 90W wired charging, with 25W wireless charging also available. Its biggest advantage is the combination of near-top benchmark performance and a larger battery at a lower price. The Rs 5,000 difference between the two Motorola models gives buyers room to save without taking a substantial hit in our benchmark results.

Our review states the Edge 70 Max gets the fundamentals right, with powerful performance, effective thermal management and decent battery life. However, outdoor display legibility remains a concern, while its three OS updates software policy falls short of what some rivals offer. These compromises make it a better fit for buyers seeking a well-equipped all-rounder than those prioritising long-term software support.

OnePlus 13s

Price: Rs 54,999 (12GB + 256GB)

Launched in June 2025, the OnePlus 13s (review) is older than the two Motorola phones in this comparison. However, its benchmark results show why it remains relevant. The phone scores 25,81,355 in AnTuTu, while its Geekbench single-core and multi-core scores stand at 3,059 and 9,192, respectively. Its multi-core result is higher than that of the Moto Edge 70 Max in our testing.

The OnePlus 13s is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, paired with 12GB LPDDR5X RAM and up to 512GB storage. Its 6.32-inch 1.5K LTPO AMOLED display supports a 120Hz refresh rate, while the 5,850mAh battery and 80W charging help it retain the endurance expected from a modern performance-focused phone.

Its compact design is a major differentiator. While the Motorola phones offer larger displays, the OnePlus 13s is easier to handle for users who prefer smaller devices. The phone also has a vapour chamber cooling system to help manage heat during demanding tasks.

The OnePlus 13s may not top the AnTuTu chart, but its Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset and strong Geekbench scores mean it still has plenty of processing power for demanding games and multitasking. Buyers should weigh this against the remaining software support period and newer alternatives, but its performance and compact form factor keep it competitive at its current price.

OPPO Reno15 Pro Mini

Price: Rs 59,999 (12GB + 256GB)

The OPPO Reno15 Pro Mini launched in January 2026, making it newer than the OnePlus 13s but less powerful in our benchmark comparison. It records an AnTuTu score of 21,41,052, with Geekbench results of 1,630 in single-core and 6,387 in multi-core testing.

It uses MediaTek's Dimensity 8450 chipset, paired with 12GB RAM and up to 512GB storage. Its 6.32-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate makes it another compact option, while the 6,200mAh battery and 80W charging are useful for everyday endurance. The Reno15 Pro Mini's main advantage is its camera system. It features a 200MP primary camera, a 50MP ultrawide camera and a 50MP telephoto camera, giving users more flexibility for portraits, landscapes and zoom photography than a basic dual-camera setup.

Our review says the Reno15 Pro Mini delivers a compelling compact flagship experience, despite using a chipset that feels a step below what buyers might expect at this price. Its hardware and software optimisation help it deliver dependable performance, while the versatile camera system, impressive display and comfortable in-hand feel make it an appealing option for those who prefer smaller phones.

This makes it relevant for buyers who want a compact phone with versatile cameras and fast charging, rather than the highest possible benchmark score. However, at a price close to Rs 55,000 or above, the Reno15 Pro Mini is a less obvious choice for users whose main priority is gaming or raw processing power. The Motorola and OnePlus models deliver higher AnTuTu scores, while the OPPO's case rests on its camera hardware and form factor.

iPhone 16e

Price: Rs 59,900 (128GB)

The iPhone 16e (review) is the oldest phone in this group, having launched in February 2025. It also ranks last by AnTuTu score, recording 14,05,699 in our tests. However, its Geekbench results tell a different story: it scores 3,194 in single-core testing, the highest result in this list, and 7,868 in multi-core testing.

The phone is powered by Apple's A18 chip and has 8GB RAM. Its 6.1-inch OLED display, 48MP rear camera and support for Apple Intelligence make it a compact option for buyers who prefer iOS. The A18 chip remains capable of handling demanding applications and supported games. Its strong single-core score also illustrates why AnTuTu rankings shouldn't be treated as a direct measure of everyday responsiveness. AnTuTu and Geekbench assess different aspects of hardware performance, and cross-platform comparisons between iOS and Android need additional context.

The iPhone 16e's age does, however, mean buyers should consider what newer devices offer in this price range. Its 60Hz display and single rear camera are less versatile than the fast refresh rate displays and multi-camera setups offered by several Android rivals. It also has less storage at its entry price than some competing phones.

The iPhone 16e remains relevant for buyers who want the Apple ecosystem, strong CPU performance and a compact design. But those prioritising gaming benchmarks, display fluidity or camera versatility will find better-equipped alternatives in this list.

Which phone should you buy?

The Motorola Signature is the strongest all-round recommendation for buyers who want top benchmark performance, a premium display, versatile cameras and long software support. The Moto Edge 70 Max is the better value option for those who want similar processing power with a larger battery at a lower price. The OnePlus 13s remains a compelling choice for users who want flagship performance in a compact phone, even though it's an older model. The OPPO Reno15 Pro Mini is better suited to buyers who prioritise camera versatility and a compact form factor over benchmark leadership. The iPhone 16e, meanwhile, makes the most sense for users who prefer iOS and value its strong CPU performance.

The Vivo X200T also delivered a strong AnTuTu score of 28,21,319 in our testing, while the Vivo V70 Elite scored 18,15,619. Both were considered during the selection process but have been excluded because their prices rose above Rs 60,000 after launch, taking them outside the scope of this comparison.

Ultimately, the AnTuTu ranking gives a useful starting point, but the highest score does not automatically make a phone the best choice for everyone. Sustained performance, thermal management, battery life, software support, cameras and ergonomics all influence how well a phone holds up in everyday use. Buyers should choose the device whose strengths match their needs rather than treating benchmark scores as the only measure of value.

Design and connectivity: Dressed for work, not a fashion show

The ASUS ExpertBook P3 isn't winning any beauty contests, and I suspect ASUS knows that perfectly well. Its understated design doesn't scream premium, but neither does it feel like a budget laptop trying desperately to look expensive. Instead, the chassis strikes a comfortable balance between practicality and a little bit of polish.

The overall construction feels sturdy, with a slightly thicker profile that gives the laptop a reassuringly durable feel. It isn't the sort of machine that makes me want to admire its design every time I open the lid, but I appreciate that it feels built for regular use rather than occasional desk-side appearances.

At the same time, the ExpertBook P3 doesn't skimp on connectivity. Its selection includes Thunderbolt 4, another USB-C port, two USB-A ports, HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet, and a 3.5mm audio jack. Honestly, having Ethernet built in is especially useful in an office environment, where a stable wired connection can be preferable to Wi-Fi. The HDMI port also means there's no need to hunt for an adapter before connecting to a projector or external monitor.

In short, the ExpertBook P3 isn't particularly exciting to look at, but it gets the fundamentals right. And for a laptop designed to spend most of its life working, that's hardly a bad thing.

Display and Audio: Great for spreadsheets, less exciting for Netflix

The ExpertBook P3 comes with a 14-inch WUXGA IPS-level display with a resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels and a 16:10 aspect ratio. It's a perfectly reasonable specification for productivity, providing extra vertical space for documents, spreadsheets, and browser windows.

However, the panel isn't particularly impressive. Text looks sufficiently sharp, and colours are perfectly usable, but the display lacks the vibrancy that makes OLED panels so appealing. It's not washed out, exactly, but images and videos don't have quite the same visual punch.

This becomes more noticeable when considering the price. With OLED displays becoming increasingly common across several laptop segments, the ExpertBook P3's conventional IPS panel feels a little conservative. It's perfectly serviceable for office work, but creative professionals who care about colour reproduction may want something better.

Thankfully, the matte finish has a practical advantage. Reflections are well controlled, and the display remains comfortable to use under bright office lighting. The brightness is adequate for indoor environments, although I'd have appreciated a brighter panel for greater flexibility.

The audio experience is more encouraging. The speakers are suitable for casual media consumption and video meetings, while the webcam does a good job of balancing difficult lighting conditions. I noticed a little graininess in the camera feed, but HDR handling is effective, skin tones look natural, and the microphones pick up voices clearly. For a laptop intended primarily for work, the webcam and microphones are arguably more important than spectacular speakers. On that front, the ExpertBook P3 gets the job done.

Keyboard and Touchpad: Finally, a laptop that understands the assignment

If there's one area where the ExpertBook P3 genuinely impresses me, it's the input experience. The keyboard is excellent for extended typing sessions. The keys offer satisfying feedback, the layout is easy to adapt to, and I didn't need much time to feel comfortable using it. Whether writing, responding to emails, or working through lengthy documents, this is a keyboard I could happily use throughout the day.

The touchpad is equally dependable. It's generously sized, tracking is accurate, and Windows gestures work as expected. More importantly, ASUS has included its Smart Gestures functionality, which allows users to adjust brightness and volume using gestures on the touchpad. It's a small addition, but one I genuinely appreciate. Being able to make quick adjustments without reaching for the keyboard or navigating through Windows menus makes everyday use a little more convenient.

Neither the keyboard nor the touchpad is trying to reinvent the wheel, and that's precisely the point. Both work as intended, feel comfortable, and stay out of the way. For a productivity laptop, that's a win.

Performance: The Core Ultra 7 means business

The ExpertBook P3 is powered by Intel's Core Ultra 7 255H, an H-series processor with 16 cores and 16 threads. It's paired with 16GB DDR5 RAM and a 512GB PCIe Gen 4 SSD. In everyday use, performance is consistently smooth.

Browsing with multiple tabs open, writing, multitasking, and working with demanding applications presented no noticeable problems during my testing. The laptop feels responsive, and I didn't encounter any unexpected slowdowns that disrupted my workflow. The benchmark results in our full suite of Cinebench, PCMark, Geekbench, and 3DMark reinforce that experience.

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For added context, here's how the ExpertBook P3 compares with the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i Gen 11 and HP OmniBook X 14 in our tests.

The benchmark results show where the Intel Core Ultra 7 255H flexes its muscles. With 16 cores and a boosted 35W power budget, the ASUS ExpertBook P3 comfortably outpaces the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i Gen 11 and HP OmniBook X 14 in Cinebench R23 and R24 multicore tests, nearly doubling the Lenovo's scores. Geekbench 6 tells a slightly different story, with the HP taking the lead in single-core performance, but the ASUS is the clear winner when workloads demand more CPU cores.

Think code compilation, running virtual machines, or crunching large batches of data. It also scores over 9,000 in PCMark 10, making it a strong performer for everyday productivity. Its integrated Intel graphics outperform the Lenovo in 3DMark Time Spy, although the HP's Intel Arc 140V GPU has the upper hand in graphics-heavy tasks and casual gaming.

In other words, the ExpertBook P3 would rather crunch numbers than chase frames, and it knows exactly what it's good at. Overall, the ExpertBook P3 is a strong performer for productivity, multitasking, and CPU-heavy applications. Its integrated graphics are suitable for everyday use, but anyone prioritising GPU performance should look at alternatives with more capable graphics hardware.

Thermals and Upgradeability: Sensible engineering, thankfully

One of the things I appreciate about the ExpertBook P3 is that it doesn't make its performance particularly difficult to live with. The fans generally remain quiet during everyday tasks, and they only become noticeable when I push the laptop harder, such as while working in Photoshop. I didn't encounter any significant thermal concerns during normal use. The laptop remains comfortable for everyday productivity, and the cooling system doesn't constantly remind me that there's a powerful processor underneath the keyboard.

Upgradeability is another advantage. The ExpertBook P3 offers two SO-DIMM memory slots and two M.2 storage positions, providing flexibility to expand memory and storage as requirements change. That's particularly useful for anyone planning to keep the laptop for several years. Instead of replacing the entire machine when storage becomes insufficient, or workloads demand more memory, users have room to upgrade.

Battery Life: A working day, with a little planning

The ExpertBook P3 packs a 50Wh battery, which is relatively modest for a laptop powered by an H-series processor. In my everyday usage, involving web browsing, Photoshop, and Spotify running in the background, I managed approximately seven to eight hours on a charge. That's reasonable endurance for a productivity laptop, although it doesn't leave much room for an especially demanding day away from a power outlet.

In the PCMark 10 Battery Video Loop test, the laptop lasted 11 hours and 20 minutes. That's a respectable result, but it falls short of the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i Gen 11's 12 hours and 27 minutes and the HP OmniBook X 14's 14 hours and 24 minutes in the same test. The smaller battery is likely part of the explanation, although processor efficiency and system tuning also influence endurance.

Pricing and Verdict: All work, some compromises

At Rs 1,22,990, the ASUS ExpertBook P3 is the office nerd who actually gets things done. Its Core Ultra 7 255H processor packs a serious punch, the keyboard is a joy to type on, and the sturdy build, generous connectivity, and upgradeability make it a dependable work companion. No flashy gimmicks, no unnecessary drama, just a laptop that means business.

But even the office star has its flaws. The display lacks the pop of an OLED panel, and battery life is decent rather than dazzling. The HP OmniBook X 14 offers better graphics and longer endurance, but the ExpertBook P3 fights back with considerably stronger multicore performance. If productivity is the priority, this workhorse gets the job done; just don't expect it to moonlight as an entertainment superstar.

Editor's Rating: 8 / 10

Pros:

• Excellent multicore CPU performance
• Comfortable keyboard with useful touchpad gestures
• Sturdy build and practical connectivity
• Upgradeable RAM and storage

Cons:

• Display lacks OLED-level vibrancy
• Battery life could be better
• Weaker graphics than competing Intel Arc laptops

While I didn't have the Sony or Bose headphones with me at the time of reviewing the Momentum 5 Wireless, I did have the new Beats 360, which are only slightly more expensive at Rs 42,900. The two make for an interesting comparison, because they are almost entirely opposite to each other, designed for two very different kinds of buyers.

What's in the box?

I definitely enjoyed unboxing the Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless more than I did the Beats 360. That's mainly because of what you get for the money: a really nice, sleek hard case with a denim fabric finish and cables. It's one of the sleekest headphone cases I've seen, letting you slide it into your backpack with ease. I particularly appreciate the indent on the back, which lets you grip the case well while carrying it.

Inside the case, you get a pair of Momentum 5 Wireless headphones lying flat, a 2.5mm to 3.5mm cable, a Type-C to Type-C charging cable, and some documentation. What you get inside the box is similar to what Sony and Bose offer with their respective flagship headphones. The Beats 360, on the other hand, comes only with a soft, woven ripstop fabric carrying case and no cables.

Design and comfort

As premium as the unboxing experience is, the headphones themselves feel less so. While I like the denim fabric's look and feel on the headband, the outer material on the cans looks and feels more plasticky, making them seem cheaper compared to what Sony, Bose, or Apple offer. The unit we received was the White option, which looks nice but isn't really all that white. The woven fabric is a light beige or oatmeal colour, while the outer ear cups and headband arm are ivory white, and the inner ear cushions are mushroom grey.

Strangely enough, Sennheiser's India site didn't list this colourway; I could only see the Black and Denim colours. The latter two also look good, but I reckon the Black one's fabric will attract more noticeable dust.

I found the fit quite comfortable, as the cushions covered my ears completely and created a good seal. But those with bigger ears might find the fit less flattering. In my opinion, the Beats 360 can cover larger ears better. They also have better clamp force than the Sennheiser Momentum 5, which you want if you tend to take the headphones to the gym or out for a run.

That said, the Momentum 5 isn't designed for outdoor activities or the gym anyway; it lacks an IP rating for dust or water resistance, so the clamp force is fine if you're mostly stationary and indoors.

Connectivity and controls

There are a couple of ways to listen to music on Momentum 5. The easiest way is by pairing it over Bluetooth. The headphones support Bluetooth 5.4, but the hardware is Bluetooth 6.0-ready. You can pair them with an iPhone or Android device via Bluetooth settings and download the Smart Control Plus app to customise features like sound profile, ANC, and more.

If you're an audiophile looking for the best sound with no latency, go wired. I would occasionally connect the headphones to my iPod, which is always a nice option to have, unlike the Beats 360, which only allows wired pairing over Type-C.

Another area where the Momentum 5 differs greatly from the Beats 360 is with controls. While the Beats headphones use physical buttons, the Momentum 5 relies mostly on touch controls. There's one physical button to power on/off or enable pairing mode. For everything else, the right earcup has a large surface area for tap and swipe gestures. You can swipe up or down to adjust the volume, swipe left or right to change tracks, tap once to play or pause, and double-tap to switch between ANC and transparency. 

I personally prefer clicky buttons to gesture controls on headphones, but Sennheiser's solution is one of the easier and more intuitive ones. I got used to them pretty quickly, and the controls were easy enough to manage. I did find the touch sensitivity to be on the higher side, especially when trying to control the volume level, but it's not a dealbreaker for me.

Sound quality

The Momentum 5 Wireless uses 42mm drivers developed in-house by Sennheiser, and the overall sound is warm and easy-going. Out of the box, the Neutral tuning leans toward bass, with a rich, full low end you'll notice straight away on pop, disco, hip-hop, and film scores. If you've used the Momentum 4, you'll find this pair a touch warmer and bassier. Songs like "Beat Of Your Heart" by Purple Disco Machine and "Good Times" by Chic sounded groovy as intended, with the bass punching through without being overtly boomy. Tame Impala's "Loser" and "Let It Happen" had the right kind of spaciness, which felt missing on the Beats 360, which leaned towards a boomier bass and sharper highs. The Momentum 5 has something for bass lovers, but if you want a bassier, brighter sound, the Beats 360 might be the one to buy.

[block-highlights] I tested the same songs on both the Sennheiser Momentum 5 and Beats 360 to get a sense of how they are tuned out of the box. [/block-highlights]

If you listen to a lot of rock, as I do, try the Rock preset in the app. It tames the bass a little and gives the instruments more room to breathe. I tested it with Radiohead's "Paranoid Android", which swings between quiet acoustic passages and a chaotic wall of electric guitars, and the Momentum 5 handled both well. The same song on the Beats 360 with ANC on had more pronounced bass, which is great if you want to enjoy Colin Greenwood's melodic bassline, but the frenzied guitar sections felt too sharp for my ears. It was slightly better with ANC off and Adaptive EQ, which tunes the sound to how the headphones fit, doing its job.

The Momentum 5 does its best work in the middle of the sound, where vocals and most instruments live. They come across as natural, smooth, and clear, and the headphones never get harsh or tiring, even after a long listening session, something I did face with the Beats 360. The highs are on the softer side, so some cymbals and fine details feel a little toned down, and quieter songs can sound less spacious than they should. Most people won't notice this, but very picky listeners might. The Sony WH-1000XM6 sounds punchier and more energetic by comparison, while the Sennheiser is more laid-back. That suits relaxed listening, but fast, driving tracks lose some excitement.

The Smart Control Plus app has a Bass Boost option, and when it's on, the sound can sometimes get muffled, so turn it off if the bass feels too much. You also get an 8-band equaliser with presets, which should be enough to tweak the sound to your taste.

[caption id="attachment_719080" align="aligncenter" width="900"] Turn off bass boost if the bass gets too much.[/caption]

The headphones support AAC for iPhones and the aptX family of codecs for Android phones, including aptX Lossless on compatible Snapdragon phones for CD-quality streaming. It also supports Dolby Atmos spatial audio, if you like that sort of thing. As I mentioned earlier, going wired gives you the best sound, adding a bit more fullness and making vocals sound sweeter and more detailed.

Overall, I'd say the Momentum 5 is more of a crowd-pleaser than an audiophile's pick. It isn't perfect, but I enjoyed most genres in these headphones more than with the Beats 360. Sennheiser's bass tuning is just right while letting the mids breathe. It's a pair you can wear all day without getting tired of the sound.

ANC and call quality

Active Noise Cancellation is quite good on the Momentum 5. I didn't test the Momentum 4 to know just how much of an upgrade we're talking about, but from the user reviews I've read online, ANC wasn't the best aspect of those headphones. Sennheiser has done well with the Momentum 5, adding 8 microphones (4 per earcup) to improve ANC, transparency, and voice isolation. I tested them on the street in a heavy-traffic area, and while they don't completely block out sounds of honking and chatter, they reduce them to a very satisfying level. Unfortunately, I couldn't test the ANC on a flight, but I reckon they'll hold up well, though the Sony WH-1000XM6 and Bose QC Ultra might still top it.

You can also manually tweak the ANC and transparency levels to your preferred sensitivity and enable Anti-Wind mode in the Smart Control Plus app.

Phone calls are generally clear indoors. I don't particularly like taking calls on headphones, but I felt fairly comfortable with the Momentum 5.

Battery life

I couldn't fully test Sennheiser's battery-life claims during the review period, and that's because I found it hard to run them out of battery after fully charging them. I wore them for around 2 hours every day for a week, and it barely made a dent. Sennheiser claims over 55 hours of playback on a single charge with ANC enabled, which is almost double what Sony, Bose and Apple headphones offer.

Suffice it to say, you won't find yourself charging the Momentum 5 too often. If you're someone who uses headphones for about 2-3 hours a day, you can easily go 3-4 weeks without charging them.

What's more impressive is that the battery is user-replaceable. You can swap out the old battery for a new one by removing the left ear pad using a Phillips-head screwdriver. This is a welcome feature for those planning to keep the headphones for years to come.

Verdict

The Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless took four years to arrive, and it mostly justifies the wait. The sound is warm and easy to listen to for hours, with rich bass that doesn't get boomy and vocals that stay clear. The ANC is good enough for a busy street, and the battery is in a league of its own, with over 55 hours claimed and a cell you can replace yourself. The sleek, hard case with cables also makes it feel like a proper premium purchase.

The catch is that the headphones themselves don't feel as premium as the case they come in. The plasticky ear cups, lack of an IP rating, light clamp force, and slightly oversensitive touch controls are small things, but they add up at Rs 39,999, a step up from the Momentum 4's Rs 35,000 launch price in 2022 (available for around Rs 20,000 today). The price tag stings even more when you know the Sony WH-1000XM6 (review) and Bose QuietComfort Ultra are available at lower prices and deliver premium designs, exceptional sound quality and stunning ANC.

It also depends on what kind of buyer you are. If you mostly listen indoors, at your desk or on the couch, and want comfortable all-day sound, long battery life and a pair you can repair, I'd pick the Momentum 5 over the Beats 360. If you want something stylish and modular for the gym or a run, the Beats 360 make more sense. Overall, if you've been a Sennheiser user and value sound, battery and longevity, the Momentum 5 Wireless is worth the four-year wait.

Editor's rating: 8.8/10

Pros:

• Warm, comfortable sound that's easy to listen to for hours
• Excellent battery life, with over 55 hours claimed
• User-replaceable battery
• Good ANC for busy streets
• Premium hard case and a complete box

Cons:

• Ear cups feel plasticky for the price
• No IP rating and a light clamp force, so not ideal for the gym or runs
• Costs more than the Sony WH-1000XM6 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra in India

Short verdict

The AI+ Pulse 2 FE is a decent budget 4G smartphone with a good design, a smooth 120Hz display and surprisingly capable cameras for its price. However, sluggish performance, average battery life, and no confirmed software update policy hold it back. At Rs 9,999, it is worth considering if camera performance and design are your priorities, but some similarly priced rivals offer a more well-rounded experience.

Design: comfortable, likeable aesthetics

[pdp-expert-review]
The AI+ Pulse 2 FE has a likeable aesthetic, with a well-designed camera island and a comfortable in-hand feel despite weighing 191 grams. The glossy back attracts smudges, but you get an IP64 rating for dust and water resistance, along with a clear TPU case in the box. Overall, I'm quite satisfied with what it offers for the price.
[/pdp-expert-review]

The AI+ Pulse 2 FE has a simple slab design with a plastic rear panel and a glossy finish that is prone to smudges. The blue colour variant I received for review has a sparkling finish that catches the light at certain angles, giving it a bit more character. The camera island is also well designed, and the phone looks pretty decent for a budget device.

It weighs just 191 grams and feels well balanced in hand, making it comfortable to hold. Up front, you get a punch-hole display with a prominent bottom chin, and the bezels are fairly typical for a phone in this price range, and I have no complaints here.

[comparative-benchmark type="1000" products="42469,42384,42168,," ][/comparative-benchmark]

For the price, the AI+ Pulse 2 FE offers a decent design, a comfortable in-hand feel and an IP64 rating for dust and water resistance. You also get a clear TPU case in-box to safeguard it against falls and other cosmetic damage, which is another thing I appreciate. All in all, I'm quite satisfied with what it offers in this aspect.

Display and audio: surprisingly good experience

[pdp-expert-review]
The AI+ Pulse 2 FE's 120Hz LCD display is a welcome addition at this price, with decent colours and smooth scrolling. However, its HD+ resolution and poor outdoor visibility are compromises. The mono speaker sounds clear at moderate volumes but gets harsh at higher levels. Thankfully, you still get a 3.5mm headphone jack and handy YouTube background playback.
[/pdp-expert-review]

The AI+ Pulse 2 FE has a fairly typical budget 6.67-inch LCD display with an HD+ resolution (720 x 1600), but I'm happy to see a 120Hz refresh rate at this price. It makes scrolling and everyday use feel smoother, which is something you appreciate when using the phone throughout the day.

The display works well enough for everyday use, and the colours look decent. I'd recommend switching to Vivid mode in the display's colour settings for a more pleasing visual experience. The panel offers 500 nits of brightness, which is great for indoor use. The screen, however, is barely visible outdoors, even on cloudy days, so keep that compromise in mind.

You can play YouTube videos at up to 2160p, although this introduces stuttering, and there's not a significant visual upgrade to justify using it. Playback at 1440p works just fine, which was a pleasant surprise for a phone in this price range.

Another handy feature is background playback, accessible through the sidebar at the top-right of the screen. It lets you play YouTube audio in the background without a Premium subscription, which is useful if you mainly use the platform to listen to music. The feature plays audio without opening a floating video window, so you can only listen while using other apps.

[comparative-benchmark type="2000" products="42469,42384,42168,," ][/comparative-benchmark]

The mono speaker provides reasonably clear audio at 40-70 per cent volume levels, but the output becomes fuzzy and harsh when pushed to 90-100 per cent. Stereo speakers would have been nice, but their absence is understandable at this price. You still get a 3.5mm headphone jack at the bottom, to be fair, which is great for listening through wired earphones.

Despite its limitations, the display is still quite decent for the price, so kudos to Ai+ for getting one of the most important parts of the everyday smartphone experience right.

Performance and software: good enough for the price

[pdp-expert-review]
The AI+ Pulse 2 FE's biggest compromise is performance. Its Helio G81 chipset and 4GB RAM are enough for basic tasks, but the phone feels sluggish compared to some rivals. Demanding games struggle to stay above 30 FPS, while the software needs more polish. The lack of a clear update policy also raises concerns about long-term use.
[/pdp-expert-review]

The AI+ Pulse 2 FE's biggest compromise is, namely, its performance. It runs on the 12nm MediaTek Helio G81 chipset, paired with 4GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 64GB of internal storage, expandable via MicroSD card. These are modest specifications by today's standards, but they help keep the phone's price in check.

Day-to-day use is mostly manageable, but the phone feels sluggish compared to some of its rivals. Apps can take a while to open or switch between tasks, and you can notice lag. The Boltt Evo (review), another budget 4G phone, for instance, feels swifter due to its 6GB of RAM and more capable Unisoc chipset, making everyday use feel smoother.

[comparative-benchmark type="1" title="AnTuTu score" caption="AnTuTu assesses a smartphone's CPU, GPU, memory, and overall user experience (higher is better)" highlight="product_1" products="42469,42384,42168,," ][/comparative-benchmark]

Does that make the AI+ Pulse 2 FE a bad phone? Not necessarily so. It's a reasonable trade-off for a device at this price, and it still handles most basic tasks well enough. You can even run demanding games such as BGMI and Call of Duty: Mobile, but expect frame rates below 30 FPS even at the lowest graphics settings. This makes them playable, but not particularly enjoyable if you're looking for a smooth gaming experience.

[comparative-benchmark type="10" title="Geekbench single-core score" caption="Geekbench assesses the efficiency of the CPU's single and multiple cores (higher is better)" highlight="product_1" products="42469,42384,42168,," ][/comparative-benchmark]

The phone heats up moderately during extended gaming sessions, with temperatures rising by around 4-4.5 degrees Celsius over 40 minutes. This is reasonable for an entry-level device, although performance does dip over time. Basic games such as Hay Day and Beach Buggy Racing run much better, with only occasional stutters.

[comparative-benchmark type="11" title="Geekbench multi-core score" caption="Geekbench assesses the efficiency of the CPU's single and multiple cores (higher is better)" highlight="product_1" products="42469,42384,42168,," ][/comparative-benchmark]

Overall, the AI+ Pulse 2 FE offers enough power for everyday essentials and casual gaming, but its limited RAM and modest chipset make it less suitable for heavy multitasking or demanding games. These are understandable compromises at this price, provided you know what to expect.

The AI+ Pulse 2 FE runs Android 16 with AI+'s NxtQ 1.0 skin. The interface is fairly clean, and there are no third-party apps pre-installed, which is good to see. You also get a useful Privacy Dashboard widget that shows which apps have accessed sensitive permissions, along with Google Gemini and basic AI photo editing tools in Google Photos. However, there isn't much here that sets the phone apart from other Android devices.

[comparative-benchmark type="3000" products="42469,42384,42168,," pias="32,29,43,,"][/comparative-benchmark]

The software could also use some polishing, as certain parts of the interface feel less refined than those on other Android phones. More importantly, AI+ has not shared how long it plans to provide software updates for the Pulse 2 FE. This makes it difficult to judge how well the phone will hold up over the next few years.

Cameras: surprisingly capable

[pdp-expert-review]
The AI+ Pulse 2 FE's 50MP rear camera delivers a pleasant surprise, with decent detail, colours and contrast in daylight. Portrait shots can be hit or miss, while low-light results depend heavily on available lighting. The 8MP selfie camera is a highlight, and the dedicated Pro mode offers more control for those who need it.
[/pdp-expert-review]

The AI+ Pulse 2 FE features a 50MP primary rear camera with autofocus, HDR support and a single-tone LED flash. The camera app can feel a bit laggy, though, and may take a second or two to switch between different shooting modes.

I had my expectations in check, but the camera has positively surprised me with its results. Regular daylight shots capture decent detail, with pleasing colours and contrast. Exposure can sometimes be off, but manually adjusting it can often help produce better results.

Portrait mode is less impressive, as the background blur can be too aggressive, and the camera struggles to capture fine details. You can occasionally get good results, but it takes some tweaking. The 8MP selfie camera was a pleasant surprise, delivering good-looking selfies that are more than good enough for social media.

Low-light photography is a trickier affair, since even the dedicated Night mode can struggle when there isn't much light around. However, with decent lighting, the camera can produce satisfactory results. There's also a dedicated Pro mode, which should be useful for those who know their way around camera settings and want more control over their shots.

[smartslider3 slider=2206]

Overall, the AI+ Pulse 2 FE offers a basic but usable camera experience. It won't get everything right, especially in challenging lighting, but it's one of the better budget camera performers at this price point.

For more context, I compared its cameras against the Boltt Evo (review). Check it out below.

Daylight

The Pulse 2 FE's regular shots look quite appealing at first glance. Compared to the Boltt Evo, the former's image has better colour balance that's closer to the actual scene and holds more details. The Evo's image has a green hue, and its details get smudged once you zoom in closer, while the Pulse manages to retain the sharpness and finer details better.

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/Ai-Pulse-2-FE-daylight-scaled.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/Boltt-Evo-daylight-1-scaled.jpg" offset="0.5" before="Ai+ Pulse 2 FE" after="Boltt Evo"]

Portrait

In portrait shots, the differences between both phones largely come down to how well they isolate their subject and detail level. The Pulse still renders better colours and skintone, while the Evo's output looks overexposed.

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/Ai-Pulse-2-FE-portrait-scaled.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/Boltt-Evo-portrait-1-scaled.jpg" offset="0.5" before="Ai+ Pulse 2 FE" after="Boltt Evo"]

The former's image manages to isolate the subject from the background better and also retains a better detail level. The Evo's shot has trouble with edge detection, and the subject's details appear blurry once you zoom in closer.

Selfie

When it comes to selfies, the playing ground is more even for both. The colour output is still similar to previous categories, and Pusle maintains its lead. But when it comes to details and sharpness, the images from both phones are quite closely matched.

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/Ai-Pulse-2-FE-selfie-scaled.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/Boltt-Evo-selfie-1-scaled.jpg" offset="0.5" before="Ai+ Pulse 2 FE" after="Boltt Evo"]

Zooming in on the images at around 60 per cent is where the Pulse takes a definitive lead, with better facial details and sharpness compared to the Evo.

Lowlight

In lowlight, with night mode enabled on both phones, the results are obvious at first glance. The Pulse 2 FE maintains a sharper, more detailed image compared to the Boltt Evo. In terms of colour, the Pulse captures the scene more like the real world, while the Evo's shot looks hazy and overexposed.

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/Ai-Pulse-2-FE-lowlight-scaled.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/Boltt-Evo-lowlight-scaled.jpg" offset="0.5" before="Ai+ Pulse 2 FE" after="Boltt Evo"]

Battery: reliable, but slow to charge

[pdp-expert-review]
The AI+ Pulse 2 FE's 5,000mAh battery delivers around six hours of screen-on time with mixed usage, which is fairly average for the segment. You can expect less with 4G enabled throughout the day. The 10W in-box charger takes over 90 minutes to fully charge the phone, so overnight charging is worth considering.
[/pdp-expert-review]

The AI+ Pulse 2 FE packs a 5,000mAh battery with support for 18W charging. A compatible charger is included in the box, which is good to see, but it's rated at 10W. We'll come back to this later.

The phone failed to complete our PCMark battery test, making it difficult to compare its endurance with that of its rivals. Instead, we'll have to rely on our day-to-day experience and the battery drain we observed across different use cases.

[comparative-benchmark type="4000" products="42469,42384,42168,," ][/comparative-benchmark]

Streaming YouTube videos for 60 minutes at 80 per cent brightness drained 6 per cent of the battery, while around 1.5 hours of gaming resulted in a 22 per cent drop. These results aren't very reassuring, but they're mostly in line with the rest of the segment. Even phones with larger 6,000mAh batteries, such as the Boltt Evo and itel Zeno 200, don't offer a significant advantage, with the latter performing only marginally better.

Based on our usage, you can expect around six hours of screen-on time with mixed usage, dropping to roughly five hours if you keep 4G enabled throughout the day. That's neither particularly good nor bad for a phone with a 5,000mAh battery. Lowering screen brightness and using Wi-Fi when possible should help you squeeze more time out of it. You should, however, expect to charge the phone by the end of the day.

Charging is another area where the experience depends on the adapter you use. With the in-box 10W charger, the phone took a little over 90 minutes to charge fully. My personal PD charger dropped the full charging time to about 80 minutes, but we can't include that since it's not part of the actual package. This makes overnight charging a necessity, or you'll need to plan ahead and top up the battery before heading out.

Final Verdict

The AI+ Pulse 2 FE is a decent budget 4G smartphone, especially if camera performance and design are high on your list of priorities. At Rs 9,999 for the 4GB RAM + 64GB storage variant, it delivers better camera results than I expected for the price, plus a 120Hz display and a comfortable design. However, its modest performance and average battery life hold it back.

The Boltt Evo (review) is a good alternative, offering 6GB RAM and 128GB storage, smoother everyday performance and a larger 6,000mAh battery. Its cameras, however, are substantially worse performers in comparison. The itel Zeno 200 (review) is an even tougher rival, with better performance, comparable camers, higher dedicated storage, and a more refined software package at the same price. It also comes with a year of security updates, while Boltt Evo offers up to 3 years of Android upgrades.

The biggest concern with the AI+ Pulse 2 FE is the lack of a clear software update commitment, which makes it harder to recommend for long-term use. Ultimately, the choice comes down to whether you value camera performance over raw performance and battery life. If you want a budget phone that takes decent photos and looks good, the Pulse 2 FE is worth considering.

Editor's Rating: 7.9/10

Reasons to buy:

• The phone has a likeable, comfortable design with IP64 rating
• The rear and front cameras both capture good results for the price
• The 120Hz refresh rate makes scrolling feel smoother
• You get Android 16 out of the box

Reasons not to buy:

• The performance feels underwhelming compared to rivals
• The in-box 10W charger takes a long time to top up the phone
• There's no clear future software update commitment

But how well do all these aspects combine to offer a well-rounded smartphone experience? Find out in this Lava Virat Curve review.

Verdict

The Lava Virat Curve takes a different route from the company's previous releases by moving into the upper mid-range segment. The handset delivers a vivid curved AMOLED display, a sleek build, extremely clean software, and adequate raw performance for daily use. Its downsides include a dated UI with inconsistent design elements and cameras that do not quite match its rivals.

Design: one of a kind

[pdp-expert-review]
The Lava Virat Curve impresses with its lightweight 184g design and sleekness, making it comfortable to hold for long periods and easy to carry in a pocket.
[/pdp-expert-review]

The Lava Virat Curve takes a different design direction from Lava's recent releases. Instead of flat edges, the handset sports a sleek midframe and curved display. Weighing just 184g and measuring 73.5mm wide, the Virat Curve is one of the lightest and narrowest phones released this year in the Rs 25,000 segment. As a result, the phone is light to hold, pocket, and carry around.

As for the front and rear appearance, sans the camera module, the Virat Curve instantly reminded me of the Moto Edge 50 Fusion from two years back, given the similar corner curvature, vegan leather back, and bezels.

The leather rear panel hasn't picked up any scuffs or scratches during my use, even after rigorously putting it in and out of pockets and a backpack without the provided transparent TPU cover. While its battery capacity (6,000mAh) may not be as high as that of its rivals, the upside is a slim, burdenless design that doesn't cause discomfort no matter how long you hold the phone.

Noteworthy design additions include a top-firing speaker in the earpiece, which, combined with the bottom-firing speaker, delivers sufficiently loud audio, though it has a slightly shrill sound. The handset also includes an IR blaster for controlling home appliances, while an IP64 rating and MIL-STD-810H military-grade certification protect the phone from accidental water exposure and drops on hard surfaces.

Display: vivid tones, great clarity

[pdp-expert-review]
The curved 6.67-inch AMOLED display outputs vivid tones and sufficient detail, making it suitable for viewing everyday content, such as social media posts, YouTube videos, movies, and shows. However, the refresh rate may not always stay at its peak.
[/pdp-expert-review]

As its name suggests, the Lava Virat Curve features a 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with curved side edges. This panel supports touch refresh rates of up to 120Hz, with 800 nits of brightness and a peak of 1,100 nits. Given the panel technology, the Virat Curve offers a vibrant visual experience, making watching YouTube content joyful. Throughout my use, I set the colour mode to 'Vivid', and the media and social media posts were quite colourful.

The 1080p panel delivers sufficient sharpness for daily use, and the screen is bright enough to read content outdoors as long as the app uses a light theme. Indoors, keeping the brightness level at 70 to 80 percent gets the job done. While the entire system runs at 120Hz once you set the refresh rate to "120Hz" in the display settings, I found that the phone randomly drops the refresh rate to 60Hz or so after unlocking it. Fortunately, locking and unlocking it solves the problem. Hopefully, a permanent fix through an OTA update is rolled out in the future.

Mini Screen

What sets the Lava Virat Curve apart from others in its segment is the addition of a "Mini Screen" on the rear. This LED display lights up to showcase the phone's battery level, time, volume level, and even custom text and emojis. While this is a great cosmetic feature, I didn't use it much beyond displaying custom text.

Software and performance: UI requires polish

[pdp-expert-review]
While Lava continues to offer a clean, bloatware-free Android experience, certain elements and sections need a modern touch and polish. On the performance front, the phone is reliable for daily tasks and medium-intensity games, with certain titles even running at 120FPS.
[/pdp-expert-review]

The Lava Virat Curve ships with Android 16 out of the box, with the company's custom skin layered on top. It's promised two major OS upgrades and three years of security patches, which may seem low given that the Infinix Hot 70 Pro (review) and POCO M8x (review) within the segment offer three and four major upgrades, respectively.

As for the software experience, much like Lava's previous releases, the UI combines stock Android aesthetics with the company's own features. You can even choose between a combined and split quick settings panel.

Under the 'Special function' section, you'll find plenty of features, including Flip to silent, App clone, Double-click headset to capture a picture, AI Sidebar, Three-finger screenshot, Call recording, and more. On the AI front, it includes Google's Circle to Search, AI Voice Translation in chat apps, and Vayu AI to answer queries like ChatGPT or Gemini. While the UI design is workable for the most part, some elements could use a modern touch, such as the stock Phone app and Settings' About phone page.

[gallery link="file" columns="2" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" ids="718968,718967"]

At the Lava Virat Curve launch event, the company announced the "Neo UI", which should arrive on the phone in Q4 2026, followed by the Agni series. The new interface is expected to possess a revamped lock screen and app drawer, along with some glass touches on the quick settings panel and camera UI. So, hopefully, things will be improved for good going forward.

[comparative-benchmark type="1" title="AnTuTu score" caption="AnTuTu assesses a smartphone's CPU, GPU, memory, and overall user experience (higher is better)" highlight="product_1" products="42453,41913,42370,," ][/comparative-benchmark]

At the core of the Virat Curve is the MediaTek Dimensity 7100, the same chipset found in the rival Infinix Hot 70 Pro. In our testing, the Virat Curve achieved marginally higher AnTuTu scores than the Hot 70 Pro, while the Geekbench scores were identical. When playing CODM on 'Very high' graphics and 'Max' frame rates, the phone delivered up to 60 FPS during a 30-minute gameplay session, while Clash Royale ran at 120FPS throughout three to four consecutive matches. For day-to-day tasks, the processor keeps up with fluid performance.

[comparative-benchmark type="10" title="Geekbench single-core score" caption="Geekbench assesses the efficiency of the CPU's single and multiple cores (higher is better)" highlight="product_1" products="42453,41913,42370,," ][/comparative-benchmark]

[comparative-benchmark type="11" title="Geekbench multi-core score" caption="Geekbench assesses the efficiency of the CPU's single and multiple cores (higher is better)" highlight="product_1" products="42453,41913,42370,," ][/comparative-benchmark]

Battery and charging: a day's worth of endurance

[pdp-expert-review]
The 6,000mAh battery lasts a full working day, and 45W fast charging tops up the phone in under 80 minutes.
[/pdp-expert-review]

The Lava Virat Curve boasts a 6,000mAh battery, plus 45W fast charging via an adapter included in the box. In our PCMark Battery Drain test, which simulates real-world tasks such as web browsing, watching and editing videos, scrolling through documents, and more, the Virat Curve was able to run for 12 hours and 13 minutes from 100 to 20 percent, which can be considered a respectable score since the Infinix Hot 70 Pro with the same 6,000mAh battery lasted 13 hours and 5 minutes in the same test, which is just marginally better.

[comparative-benchmark type="3" title="PCMark Battery score (in hours)" caption="PCMark battery test measures phone battery life from 100% to 20% (higher is better)" highlight="product_1" products="42453,41913,42370,," ][/comparative-benchmark]

Coming to charging, the Lava Virat Curve topped up decently quickly in our tests, taking 77 minutes to go from 20 to 100 percent. Subsequently, 30 minutes of charging should bring the phone to over 50 percent, which should provide enough battery life for a working day.

Camera: trails behind the competition

[pdp-expert-review]
While the camera outputs are usable, they don't deliver the best results in the segment, largely because it struggles with highlights, dynamic range, and sharpness.
[/pdp-expert-review]

The Lava Virat Curve features a 50MP Sony IMX752 primary camera with EIS support, plus a 13MP selfie shooter. Both lenses can record video at up to 2K resolution, with frame rates maxing out at 30. Some of the key camera modes within the app include Night mode, Beauty, Panorama, Slow Motion, Time Lapse, 50MP mode, Pro-Mode, Pro Video, Dual View Video, and Film Mode.

Now, coming to how the cameras actually perform, the Lava Virat Curve outputs neutral colour tones with a bit of oversharpening across lighting conditions. Also, contrast levels in bright daylight shots can be off. In low-light conditions, the lack of OIS can make images blurry, but the results are still usable because the scene and subject colours are retained. Overall, with a bit of editing, Virat Curve's images can be improved to make them social media-sharing-worthy.

[smartslider3 slider=2205]

To assess how the cameras fare against the competition, I compared the results of the Lava Virat Curve with those of the Infinix Hot 70 Pro:

Daylight

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/Lava-Virat-Curve-daylight-scaled.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/Infinix-Hot-70-Pro-daylight-scaled.jpg" offset="0.5" before="Lava Virat Curve" after="Infinix Hot 70 Pro"]

While the sunlight is quite harsh, the Lava Virat Curve fails to control highlights as well as the Infinix Hot 70 Pro, resulting in a hazy effect, especially on the left side of the image. Zooming in also shows that the Hot 70 Pro's image is slightly more detailed, while retaining the scene's actual colours.

Portrait

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/Lava-Virat-Curve-portrait-scaled.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/Infinix-Hot-70-Pro-portrait-scaled.jpg" offset="0.5" before="Lava Virat Curve" after="Infinix Hot 70 Pro"]

In portrait mode, the Infinix smartphone captures more detail throughout the image and does a slightly better job at edge detection. The Lava photo keeps the subject adequately sharp, though skin and fabric textures appear slightly softer. Its edge separation is respectable, but it trims stray hair along the edges. Furthermore, the added warmth in Infinix's image makes it livelier, while Lava's output blows out the highlights in the foreground and background.

Selfies

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/Lava-Virat-Curve-selfie-scaled.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/Infinix-Hot-70-Pro-selfie-scaled.jpg" offset="0.5" before="Lava Virat Curve" after="Infinix Hot 70 Pro"]

Just like in portrait mode, the highlights on Lava's image aren't on point, making the subject and background look whitish. The Hot 70 Pro does a better job here, adding a hint of vibrancy to the T-shirt and face while delivering sharper details. Though the Virat Curve has the advantage of having a wider field of view.

Night mode

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/Lava-Virat-Curve-Night-mode-scaled.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/Infinix-Hot-70-Pro-night-mode-scaled.jpg" offset="0.5" before="Lava Virat Curve" after="Infinix Hot 70 Pro"]

In night mode, the differences are slim, since both phones deliver almost the same colours and handle flares and exposure equally well. However, the Hot 70 Pro still has the edge, capturing the finer details.

Final verdict: Is the Lava Virat Curve a suitable choice under Rs 25,000? 

Priced at Rs 23,999, the Lava Virat Curve stands out as one of the few smartphones in its segment to pair a curved AMOLED display with a lightweight, sleek design, and it delivers. The display is vibrant and detailed, while the build makes the phone easy to carry. The processor is well-chosen for the price, offering strong performance in everyday use and benchmarks, and the clean, bloatware-free software is another highlight.

That said, the software design is the phone's weakest point, with several elements and sections looking dated and unpolished. The primary camera delivers usable results, but its detail and highlight control lag behind competitors like the Infinix Hot 70 Pro.

As things stand, the Infinix Hot 70 Pro at Rs 24,999 is a better option for those who prioritise stronger cameras, a more mature software experience, and equally good battery life. However, the Lava Virat Curve remains a solid choice if you want a slim phone with a beautiful, vivid display, competent performance, clean software, and a few extras like the Mini Screen.

Editor's rating: 8/10

Reasons to buy

• The slim, lightweight build makes it easy to carry in pockets and hold for long periods.
• The curved AMOLED display outputs suitable detail for the price and vibrant tones.
• Clean and bloatware-free software experience.
• Performance keeps up with most daily use cases and medium-intensity games.

Reasons to skip

• The software requires polish and refinements in certain areas.
• The cameras don't deliver the best results in the segment.

Things got considerably more interesting when NVIDIA loaned me an ASUS ProArt laptop powered by RTX Spark for testing. I've spent the past week experimenting with it, setting up AI agents, exploring creative applications, and playing games. And somewhere along the way, my perspective on what I want from a computer began to change.

This isn't a conventional laptop review. I'll save the detailed performance comparisons, pricing discussion, and hardware verdict for the full review when the embargo lifts. Instead, I want to talk about RTX Spark as a computing platform, how I've been using it, and why I think it could represent something more interesting than another powerful processor. Because the most exciting thing about RTX Spark isn't simply how fast it can be. It's what it allows a computer to do.

Setting up an AI agent is surprisingly easy

One of the biggest challenges with AI agents is getting started. It's one thing to read about an agent that can organise files, install applications, or automate repetitive tasks. It's quite another to figure out which software to install, which models to download, and how to connect everything without spending an entire evening buried in documentation.

NVIDIA and Microsoft appear to have recognised this problem. When setting up the RTX Spark-powered laptop, Windows offers options to get started with AI agents such as Hermes, OpenClaw, and Perplexity. There are explanations to help users understand what these tools do and which might suit their requirements.

I went with Hermes, which I found better suited to my needs. OpenClaw may appeal to users who want agents running continuously, while Perplexity offers a different approach to AI-assisted work. There's no need to limit the experience to a single agent, either.

What impressed me was how straightforward the initial setup was. Once Hermes was installed, I could use natural language to ask it to install additional components and configure the environment it needed. Instead of manually tracking down every dependency, I could tell it what I wanted and let it work through the process.

That might sound like a small convenience, but it removes a significant barrier to entry. AI agents can be intimidating for people who aren't comfortable configuring software environments. You don't have to figure out what's the right model for you, what's the right version, where to download it, and what all. Everything is done for you. And honestly speaking, making the initial experience approachable is an important step towards making them useful beyond a relatively small group of enthusiasts. Once everything is running, the possibilities become considerably more interesting.

My AI agent now helps me manage my work

As someone who spends much of the day researching products, handling review material, and juggling multiple editorial projects, I have plenty of repetitive tasks that could benefit from automation.

I've started setting up Hermes to help organise my work and manage information. The idea is simple: rather than manually sorting everything myself, I can give the agent instructions in natural language and let it handle parts of the process.

The bigger advantage, however, is where that processing happens.

A conventional AI chatbot is convenient, but working with it can mean relying on cloud services, dealing with usage limits, or paying for subscriptions and API calls. With RTX Spark, compatible AI models can run directly on the device, allowing supported tasks to be processed locally without sending every request to a remote server. For my work, that distinction matters.

Product reviewers regularly handle information that isn't ready for public consumption. Embargoed product details, preliminary findings, internal notes, and research material aren't things I want to upload indiscriminately to online services. I can now experiment with an AI agent that works with my information locally, giving me greater control over where that data goes.

Of course, local processing doesn't automatically guarantee privacy. An agent can still access the internet or communicate with external services if configured to do so. The advantage comes from having greater control over the setup and being able to keep appropriate workflows offline.

There are other practical applications, too. Someone returning from a holiday could ask an agent to organise hundreds of photographs. A journalist could use one to structure research notes. A developer could automate parts of a coding workflow. These aren't entirely new ideas. What's interesting is how much easier it can be to start experimenting with them when the hardware, software, and setup experience work together.

Why RTX Spark makes local AI more interesting

Of course, local AI isn't exclusive to RTX Spark. It is possible to run models on conventional computers, including Macs and other Windows PCs. I've experimented with local AI tools before, and the experience can be rewarding. The difference is that RTX Spark is designed around bringing substantial AI compute capabilities to a personal computing device.

The platform combines NVIDIA's Blackwell GPU architecture with a Grace CPU and unified memory. Depending on the configuration, the GPU can offer up to 6,144 CUDA cores, while the CPU can feature up to 20 Arm-based cores. The platform supports up to 128GB of unified LPDDR5X memory, with peak memory bandwidth of up to 300GB/s. It also uses NVLink-C2C to provide up to 600GB/s of bidirectional bandwidth between the CPU and GPU. This is particularly relevant to AI workloads, where moving large amounts of data between processing components can become a bottleneck.

The important part is how these components work together. AI models can demand substantial memory, particularly as their size and complexity increase. A platform with a large unified memory pool and substantial bandwidth can accommodate workloads that might be difficult to run on a conventional system with more limited GPU memory.

This doesn't mean every model will run equally well, or that RTX Spark will outperform every alternative in every workload. Model selection, quantisation, software optimisation, and the task itself all matter. But it does make the platform appealing to people who want to experiment with local inference, AI agents, and more involved workflows without depending entirely on cloud computing.

For me, the most significant benefit isn't avoiding a subscription fee. It's having a computer that gives me more freedom to experiment with AI without constantly thinking about where the processing happens.

AI agents could change creative workflows, too

The potential extends beyond research and file management. During NVIDIA's demonstrations, I saw how an AI agent could be connected to applications such as DaVinci Resolve to automate parts of a video-editing workflow. For instance, an agent could help perform basic cuts based on instructions rather than requiring every step to be carried out manually.

The interesting part is that users don't necessarily have to build every integration from scratch. With the right tools and configuration, an agent can help set up parts of a workflow in response to natural-language instructions. That's an important distinction. AI automation becomes considerably more approachable when users can describe what they want to accomplish instead of having to understand every technical component required to make it happen.

RTX Spark also supports a wider creative ecosystem. NVIDIA Broadcast offers features for improving webcam footage and audio, alongside video-processing capabilities. Tools such as ComfyUI provide another route for experimenting with image generation and processing workflows locally. For creators who regularly work with large media files, AI-assisted editing, or image-processing tools, having these capabilities available on the same machine could be useful.

I particularly like the idea of being able to experiment with a workflow without having to send my material to an external service or pay for every processing request. It makes trying something new feel less like a commitment and more like an ordinary part of using a computer.

Yes, RTX Spark can play games, too

AI might be the headline attraction, but gaming is another interesting part of the RTX Spark experience. You see, the Blackwell GPU isn't built solely for AI inference. It also brings NVIDIA's RTX graphics capabilities, including hardware-accelerated ray tracing and support for technologies such as DLSS.

During my testing, I was able to play games at Quad HD resolutions, with supported titles delivering more than 60 frames per second at high settings. DLSS can make a meaningful difference here, helping improve performance while maintaining image quality.

There's an important caveat: results depend on the game, settings, and upscaling configuration. Performance with DLSS enabled also shouldn't be confused with the frame rate produced through native rendering alone. Windows on Arm compatibility is another consideration, particularly for games that rely on specific drivers or anti-cheat systems. Still, it's encouraging to see a platform designed around AI workloads offering a capable gaming experience as well.

I've seen NVIDIA demonstrate these capabilities before, but testing them myself has been a different experience. Installing the software, getting everything running, and seeing the results on a machine I'm using daily gives me greater confidence in the platform's potential.

Of course, I wouldn't buy RTX Spark purely as a gaming machine. But for someone who wants local AI, creative tools, and gaming in one system, having all three capabilities together makes a compelling case.

Windows on Arm is finally feeling promising

Perhaps the biggest surprise for me has been Windows on Arm. I've been using the RTX Spark-powered laptop for a week, and my experience has been remarkably smooth. I've worked with Hermes, explored ComfyUI, and tried applications including DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro, and Photoshop. I haven't encountered the sort of compatibility problems I was expecting.

Microsoft's Prism emulation layer helps run many applications originally designed for x86 or x64 processors, although results vary depending on the application and its dependencies. Add to that, NVIDIA's work with Microsoft on Windows scheduling, power management, graphics, and AI integration appears to be helping deliver a more cohesive experience.

Now, I want to stress that this is my experience with a pre-release system. Other users may encounter issues, and developers still need time to optimise applications for the platform. One week of testing also isn't enough to establish how the system will behave across every workload. Even so, I find it encouraging. Windows on Arm has needed more than impressive specifications; it has needed an experience that feels dependable in everyday use. So far, RTX Spark has given me a taste of what that could look like.

RTX Spark feels like a glimpse of computing's next chapter

RTX Spark has already changed how I think about using a computer. From running AI agents locally and automating my workflow to editing videos and playing games, it feels less like a machine that simply runs applications and more like one that can actively help get things done. Sure, AI agents still need supervision, and there's plenty of room for improvement. But the fact that I can build these workflows without constantly worrying about cloud dependencies or complicated setups makes RTX Spark genuinely exciting.

I've only scratched the surface of what this platform can do, and that's precisely what makes it promising. RTX Spark isn't just about making today's computing faster; it's about making tomorrow's computing more capable. A PC that can think locally, work alongside its user, and seamlessly switch between AI, creativity, and gaming? That's a future I can get behind. And if this is just the beginning, I'm genuinely excited to see where NVIDIA takes it next

Testing methodology

To find out which phone performs best, we tested every device with Call of Duty: Mobile and BGMI using the same graphics and frame rate settings. For consistency, every device was also set at 80 per cent brightness and 50 per cent volume to level the playing field.

We recorded the average frame rate and surface temperature before and after 30 minutes of gameplay to see how well each phone handles sustained gaming output. This helps us compare not just how smoothly these phones run games, but also how much they heat up during longer sessions.

Here's what our tests revealed.

Call of Duty: Mobile

Game settings: Max graphics + Ultra FPS

The OPPO Find X9 seems to have the edge in CoD: Mobile, delivering the highest average frame rate while keeping temperatures in check rather well. Its temperature rise is only marginally higher than the Xiaomi 17, which manages thermals best, but the Find X9 offers better gaming performance. The OnePlus 15's results are decent, but it doesn't quite match the OPPO's combination of performance and thermal management in Call of Duty: Mobile.

BGMI

Game settings: Ultra HDR graphics + Ultra Extreme FPS

The OnePlus 15 is the clear winner in BGMI, delivering considerably better performance than the other phones while keeping temperatures in check. The realme GT 8 Pro and Xiaomi 17 also put up a good showing, offering a good balance of frame rates and thermal management. The OPPO Find X9 is another capable performer, as it stays relatively cool during gameplay, although its frame rate is much lower. 

*Higher FPS is better and lower temperature rise is better
*OPPO Find X9s faced compatibility issues with our testing software, so it has been excluded. 

The top contenders for gaming

OnePlus 15: The phone's exemplary BGMI performance gives it a clear advantage, and it also delivers strong results in Call of Duty: Mobile. While it doesn't lead every test, its performance across both games makes it a solid option for gamers who play a wide range of titles. The OnePlus 15 is also the only phone with a 165Hz refresh rate in this segment, meaning it could support higher frame rates in compatible games in the future.

Realme GT8 Pro: The most consistent performer across both games, with high average frame rates combined with impressive thermal management. The GT8 Pro's results across both games make it a versatile gaming phone, and it is one of the two devices on this list with a proper 2K display (iQOO 15 being the other), meaning its image output is sharper than all other rivals in this segment. 

OPPO Find X9: A great alternative for Call of Duty: Mobile players. It delivered the highest average frame rate in our test while keeping temperatures relatively low. It is a good choice for those who want smooth gameplay without a significant rise in temperature. For users who want a more compact but still capable gaming phone, the Find X9 is worth its mettle. 

Xiaomi 17: The pick for gamers who value thermal efficiency. Despite its smaller form factor, it recorded the lowest temperature rise in Call of Duty: Mobile while delivering frame rates close to the OnePlus 15. It may not match the OnePlus in BGMI, but it remains a well-rounded option, especially if you play games in short bursts.

If you're serious about mobile gaming and play a mix of titles, the OnePlus 15 is the safest all-round bet. Pick the Realme GT8 Pro if consistency matters more than peak performance, as it delivers strong frame rates across both games while keeping thermals impressively in check, and its 2K display gives it an edge in overall visual quality. OPPO Find X9 players who primarily live in CoD: Mobile will find it hard to beat, especially given how cool it runs during extended sessions. If you game in shorter bursts and want a phone that barely breaks a sweat, the Xiaomi 17's thermal efficiency makes it the most comfortable long-term companion. Whichever you choose, all four will handle anything you throw at them. The differences come down to which game you play most and how long your sessions tend to run.

Reasons to buy the Vivo X Fold 6

Sharp, vibrant displays

The Vivo X Fold 6 features an 8.01-inch foldable AMOLED display and a 6.51-inch cover display, both with a 120Hz refresh rate. The panels support HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, delivering vibrant colours and an immersive viewing experience. They also offer high peak brightness, making them sufficiently legible outdoors, even under direct sunlight. While the crease on the inner display is noticeable to the touch, it does not significantly detract from the overall experience.

Flagship-grade performance

[comparative-benchmark type="1" title="AnTuTu score" caption="AnTuTu assesses a smartphone's CPU, GPU, memory, and overall user experience (higher is better)" highlight="product_1" products="41818,41935,42221,," ][/comparative-benchmark]

The Vivo X Fold 6 is powered by the new MediaTek Dimensity 9500 Super Edition SoC, which is identical to the regular flagship Dimensity 9500 SoC that powers several other smartphones. The chipset is paired with 12GB of LPDDR5X Ultra RAM and 512GB of UFS 4.1 storage. This combination enables the handset to handle demanding workloads, intensive multitasking, and graphics-heavy games without noticeable lag or stutter. The Vivo smartphone also manages thermals well, with only a modest increase in temperature during extended gaming sessions. This makes the X Fold 6 a capable choice for users who want flagship performance alongside the flexibility of a foldable smartphone.

Detailed cameras

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The Vivo X Fold 6 features a triple rear camera setup comprising a 200MP primary sensor, a 50MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom, and a 50MP ultrawide camera. The cameras capture sharp, detailed images across different shooting scenarios, including low-light conditions. The telephoto camera is particularly useful for portraits, delivering fine details and clean subject separation. While the image processing tends to boost colours and smooth out facial details, the overall camera system remains one of the handset's key strengths.

Useful multitasking tools

The Vivo X Fold 6 runs Android 17-based OriginOS 7 Fold out of the box, which is designed to make the most of its large inner display. Features such as Origin Workbench and split-screen support allow users to run multiple apps simultaneously, making multitasking more convenient. The interface also offers a range of productivity-focused tools that help users switch between tasks and make better use of the foldable form factor. These are in addition to the numerous customisation and personalisation options that the software offers.

Reasons to skip the Vivo X Fold 6

Battery optimisation needs improvement

[comparative-benchmark type="3" title="PCMark Battery score (in hours)" caption="PCMark battery test measures phone battery life from 100% to 20% (higher is better)" highlight="product_1" products="41818,41935,42221,," ][/comparative-benchmark]

The Vivo X Fold 6 packs a 6,900mAh battery, supported by 80W wired and 40W wireless charging. While the large battery delivers respectable endurance and charges fully in under an hour, battery drain can be higher than expected during demanding workloads, particularly gaming. Buyers who frequently play graphics-intensive games may find the battery performance less consistent than the capacity suggests.

The Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold, with its relatively smaller 4,800mAh battery, is better optimised to manage demanding workloads.

Camera colours aren't always accurate

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/Vivo-X-Fold-6-selfie.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/Google-Pixel-11-Pro-Fold-selfie.jpg" offset="0.5" before="Vivo X Fold 6" after="Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold"]

Although the Vivo X Fold 6 captures detailed images, its camera processing tends to boost colours. A comparison with the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold shows that the Vivo smartphone renders reds and greens with more saturation than they have in real life. Furthermore, portraits and selfies can feature subtle skin smoothing, even with beauty effects disabled. While this processing makes images visually appealing, those who prefer natural colours and accurate skin tones may find the results less convincing.

Expensive even by foldable standards

At Rs 2,19,999, the Vivo X Fold 6 is an expensive proposition. While it offers flagship performance, capable cameras, and a large battery, competing foldables from Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra (review) and Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold (review) are available at lower starting prices. The Vivo X Fold 6's battery optimisation and camera colour accuracy also leave some room for improvement, making the premium price harder to justify for buyers who don't specifically need its combination of features.

Design, Build, and Connectivity: Featherweight Champ, Scratch Magnet

Right out of the box, the Acer Aspire Pro greets you with a clean, minimal design with standard Acer branding in the centre. The Aspire Pro features a light silver finish across its polycarbonate chassis, paired with a black contrast running across the bezels, hinge, rubber feet, and entire keyboard. I personally prefer a single-tone design language simply because it looks more premium.

Meanwhile, the most noticeable thing out of the box is the weight. At just 1.3 kg and 19 mm thick, the Aspire Pro simply vanishes into your backpack without feeling like a burden. On the bottom of the laptop, you get a speaker grille on each side, rubber feet for added support, and an air intake grille. The minor flex on the lid and keyboard is nothing to worry about. The hinge feels sturdy and lets the screen bend back up to 180 degrees with minimal screen wobble.

Overall, the build quality of the Aspire Pro is okayish at best. Beware of the plastic chassis, it attracts scratches very easily. On the bright (or not so bright) side, the light silver finish does a very good job hiding those scratches. We've actually noticed this same issue with another Acer Aspire machine in the past.

Moving on to the ports: on the left side, the Aspire Pro boasts a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C port (which supports charging), an HDMI port, a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port, and a standard barrel-pin charging port. One weird detail worth mentioning is that while you get a Type-C charger in the box, Acer still included that barrel-pin charging port. Meanwhile, on the right-hand side, there's a microSD card slot, a headset/audio jack, a USB 2.0 Type-A port, another USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port, and a Kensington lock slot for added security. I would have much appreciated a full-sized SD card slot instead of the microSD slot.

Yes, you get ample ports, so you won't need to carry any sort of dongle. But on the other hand, having just one Type-C port in 2026 is kind of a bummer. I meaaaaan, Acer, please fix this! Meanwhile, on the wireless connectivity front, the Aspire Pro supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1, keeping your connections smooth. The FHD webcam comes with a privacy shutter and outputs decent quality.

Display and Audio: Punchy Pixels, Muted Decibels

The Aspire Pro features a Full HD (1920x1080) TFT LCD panel with what Acer claims to be "IPS-level". Essentially, that means you still get better viewing angles compared to a standard TFT panel. Truth be told, the display is one area where the Aspire Pro really punches above its weight. Colours come out surprisingly accurate and punchy, and it gets bright enough for easy viewing, even under harsh lighting conditions. I personally kept the brightness at 60% to 80% most of the time, depending on where I was working.

A 1080p TFT display has its limits if you want a top-notch, flawless viewing experience. But considering its price tag and target audience, you shouldn't doubt this display. It most definitely gets the job done.

As for the audio, the Aspire Pro comes with a built-in dual stereo speaker setup. It works fine if you're sitting in a fairly quiet environment. However, the moment you step into a noisier space with lots of background chaos, you will definitely need external speakers or a pair of Bluetooth earphones. In my experience, the speakers performed well enough for taking office meetings and casual video watching. Meanwhile, the mics are pretty solid.

Keyboard and Trackpad: Decent Typing, Cramped Gliding

Acer clearly took design cues from Apple here. The MacBook Air inspiration is obvious the moment you look at the keyboard. The keys are well-spaced and feel comfortable to type on, making them very easy to adapt to quickly. They also have a satisfying, subtle clicky sound. It's a two-level backlit keyboard with a 75% layout.

The keyboard also features three indicators near the top centre: a new mail/message indicator, a Caps Lock indicator, and a power/system status indicator. I don't find them very useful. Acer could have easily built these indicators directly into the corresponding keys instead of placing them separately at the top of the keyboard.

As for the trackpad, that well-spaced keyboard comes at the cost of trackpad real estate. The centre-aligned trackpad stretches out horizontally, but it feels a bit short vertically. Of course, it still gets the job done, and you'll get used to it in no time. It is actually very responsive, and I didn't experience a single hiccup during my usage.

Performance and Battery: 8GB RAM in 2026? Surprisingly Fine

Under the hood, the Acer Aspire Pro packs an Intel Core Ultra 5 125H processor, paired with 8 GB of DDR5 RAM and a 512 GB Gen 4 SSD. On paper, 8 GB of RAM looks concerning given the price tag. But in practical daily use, it didn't feel like a wrong move. Acer made a clever play here: with global component price fluctuations, Acer opted for a smaller RAM capacity running at higher speeds, which translates to performance close to 16 GB.

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However, just like every other Rs 70k machine on the market, the Aspire Pro struggles when you bombard it with 20 Chrome tabs, PowerPoint presentations, YouTube, and Spotify all running simultaneously. But for normal, everyday laptop use, it works smoothly and gets the job done.

Thanks to the efficiency-focused Intel chip, battery performance is quite decent. In our testing, the Aspire Pro provided over 7 hours of battery backup. In my personal daily use, I easily got around 5 hours of screen-on time, which is solid for a laptop of this calibre. Of course, if battery life is your top priority, you might want to look at ultra-efficient AMD- or Snapdragon-powered laptops instead. For instance, the Acer Aspire 14 lasted over 15 hours in our PCMark battery test and easily serves as a full-day laptop in real-world use.

Verdict

One might argue that 8 GB of RAM is on the lower side for 2026, but at a price tag under Rs 70k, the Aspire Pro remains one of the more compelling options on the market. It's an entry-level professional laptop that fits students and working professionals well. Of course, it has its shortcomings. This machine is literally a scratch magnet, and the battery life and heavy multitasking performance are just decent at best.

To give you a bit more context, take a look at similarly priced laptops in the market like the Acer Aspire Neo, which offers similar specs but with 16 GB of RAM out of the box. The Aspire Pro surprisingly beats it in raw CPU performance, though it falls behind in the graphics department. Meanwhile, in this Rs 70k segment, you also have Snapdragon-powered options like the HP Omnibook 3 or Acer Aspire 14. Put up against those, the Aspire Pro falls far behind in battery efficiency, but it performs significantly better when it comes to raw graphics power. And of course, there's also the budget MacBook Neo on the market, which could make a lot of sense for a specific set of buyers.

Realistically, the Acer Aspire Pro is an easy recommendation if your workflow mostly consists of answering emails, browsing social media, working on college assignments, and general web tasks. If you can live with the single Type-C port and don't expect it to handle heavy video editing or extreme multitasking, it's a dependable everyday workhorse. It doesn't try to be a flashy flagship, but for the price, it hits the sweet spot where it counts most.

Editor's Rating: 7.8 / 10

Pros:

• Lightweight & Portable
• Punchy Display
• Comfortable Keyboard
• Ample Port Selection

Cons:

• Scratch-Prone Body
• Features only a single USB Type-C port

Are these upgrades enough to make the smartphone worth buying, or is there more to it than meets the eye? Read our Vivo X Fold 6 review to find out whether it justifies its hefty Rs 2,19,999 price tag, making it the most expensive Android foldable in the country yet.

Verdict

The Vivo X Fold 6 is a pricey proposition, but it certainly has a lot going for it. Between its sharp, vibrant displays, flagship-grade processing power, genuinely productive software, and the most capable camera system seen on a foldable in India, it gets most things right. However, faster-than-ideal battery drain under demanding workloads and a noticeable inner crease keep it just short of absolute perfection.

Design: new colour adds freshness

[pdp-expert-review]
The Vivo X Fold 6 retains its predecessor's design, with a new Nebula Teal finish adding a touch of freshness. It feels reasonably manageable despite its 226g weight and the well-distributed weight. However, unfolding the device can be cumbersome without the bundled case, and it isn't the slimmest foldable around.
[/pdp-expert-review]

The Vivo X Fold 6 is nearly identical to its predecessor, the X Fold 5 (review), in terms of design and form factor. The only notable change is the addition of a new colour variant, Nebula Teal, which is quite a looker. The frosted glass back adds a dual-tone effect when you tilt the phone, with the finish changing as light hits it from different angles.

Vivo bundles a matching case with the phone, which I recommend using as it improves grip and makes unfolding the device easier. You have to press your thumbs firmly against the sides of the phone to unfold it, which can be inconvenient at times. The case makes the process more comfortable while also offering some protection against minor falls and drops.

Speaking of protection, the Vivo X Fold 6 comes with IP58, IP59, IPX8, and IPX9 ratings, offering comprehensive resistance to dust and water. However, we wouldn't recommend taking it into a swimming pool or to the beach. The handset weighs 226 grams, placing it between the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, making it manageable. 

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Vivo has slightly adjusted the X Fold 6's form factor by reducing the display sizes slightly compared to its predecessor. However, it still isn't the slimmest foldable on the market. Samsung holds that distinction, with its foldable measuring 4.1mm when unfolded and 8.9mm when folded, compared to 4.4mm and 9.4mm, respectively, on the Vivo X Fold 6.

The fingerprint scanner is on the right spine of the phone, under the power button, and unlocks the device instantly. The phone also features a volume rocker and a customisable shortcut button to mute the device, launch the camera app, turn the torch on or off, enable voice recording, and more.

Display: sharp but not creaseless yet

[pdp-expert-review]
The Vivo X Fold 6 offers vibrant, sharp displays with a 120Hz refresh rate, high peak brightness, and HDR10+ and Dolby Vision support. The dual stereo speakers further enhance the multimedia experience. That said, the inner screen is not entirely creaseless yet.
[/pdp-expert-review]

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The Vivo X Fold 6's display specifications remain unchanged from its predecessor, except for the peak brightness. The handset features an 8.01-inch foldable display and a 6.51-inch cover display, both of which use LTPO AMOLED panels with a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision support, and a peak brightness of 5,500 nits. While the foldable display offers a resolution of 2,312 × 2,504 pixels, the cover display has a resolution of 2,528 × 1,120 pixels. 

The Vivo X Fold 6 uses an upgraded hinge mechanism rated to withstand over 6,00,000 folds, similar to its predecessor. However, I wish Vivo had put more effort into making the crease as seamless as the OPPO Find N6 (overview), where it is almost indistinguishable to the touch. While the crease isn't particularly prominent or bothersome, you can still feel the slight indentation on the inner display of the Vivo X Fold 6 where it folds.

Other than that, there are no major concerns with the X Fold 6's displays, which feature appropriately sized bezels for a foldable. Both screens get sufficiently bright for outdoor use, even under direct sunlight, while HDR10+ and Dolby Vision support make content viewing an immersive experience. However, for a truly immersive viewing experience, it is better to watch content on the cover display or use the foldable display in its partially folded form, as most video content isn't optimised for the inner screen's 4:3 aspect ratio.

Dual stereo speakers back up the experience and can get sufficiently loud without compromising quality.

Performance: on par with competing foldables

[pdp-expert-review]
The Vivo X Fold 6's MediaTek Dimensity 9500 Super Edition SoC puts it on par with competing foldables. It handles everyday tasks and demanding workloads effortlessly, with excellent thermal management and minimal temperature increases during gaming. While there are a few software optimisation issues, the hardware delivers an impeccable experience.
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Coming to the key upgrades, the Vivo X Fold 6 is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 9500 Super Edition SoC, paired with 12GB of LPDDR5X Ultra RAM and 512GB of UFS 4.1 storage. Vivo has not only switched from Qualcomm to MediaTek but has also opted for a relatively new processor. In fact, the Dimensity 9500 (with practically no difference from the Super Edition) also powers Vivo's conventional X300 and X300 Pro smartphones, putting the X Fold 6 on par with them in terms of processing hardware. This also brings the smartphone's performance up to par with other flagship foldables, rather than sitting a notch below like the X Fold 5 did last year.

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The Vivo X Fold 6 manages thermals efficiently and never gets uncomfortably warm under heavy loads. We ran the Burnout CPU Throttle test on the smartphone, where it delivered a respectable 44 percent stability score. To further assess its thermal performance, we played BGMI and Call of Duty: Mobile for 30 minutes each. The temperature increased by just 2.9 degrees Celsius, making it more thermally efficient than even conventional smartphones in the same segment.

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[comparative-benchmark type="11" title="Geekbench multi-core score" caption="Geekbench assesses the efficiency of the CPU's single and multiple cores (higher is better)" highlight="product_1" products="41818,41935,42221,," ][/comparative-benchmark]

I've been using the Vivo X Fold 6 as my daily driver for almost a week, constantly switching between the cover and foldable displays. The smartphone handled everything effortlessly, without a hint of lag or stutter. While there are a few optimisation issues, those can be pinned on the software. The phone's hardware remains impeccable.

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Software: smart multitasking

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OriginOS 7 Fold makes the Vivo X Fold 6 a genuine productivity powerhouse rather than a mere novelty. Despite minor UI quirks (like clunky split-screen setup) and a mandatory native AI, its robust desktop-level multitasking, seamless PC integration, and stellar 5-year OS update policy deliver a highly capable and future-proof foldable experience.
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The Vivo X Fold 6 runs Android 17-based OriginOS 7 Fold, which builds on OriginOS 7. We recently went hands-on with OriginOS 7 and even compared it to last year's OriginOS 6, which you can read here. For the X Fold 6, the recipe remains the same, but a few features have been added specifically for the form factor. Hence, the moniker OriginOS 7 Fold.

Origin Workbench returns and is one of the better multitasking features on a foldable phone. It lets you work with five apps simultaneously for a near-desktop experience. One app occupies the main screen, while the other four appear as thumbnails and remain active, allowing you to keep track of their activity and switch between them seamlessly. I still wonder why the shortcut to launch Origin Workbench, which involves swiping in from the bottom-right corner of the screen, isn't enabled by default.

[caption id="attachment_718659" align="aligncenter" width="2312"] Origin Workbench[/caption]

This multitasking feature complements the split-screen mode, which now supports up to four apps at once. The layout is dynamic, allowing you to adjust the size of each app, although the experience isn't as intuitive as it sounds. I would have preferred a drag-and-drop gesture to add multiple apps to the split screen. Instead, you need to tap the three-dot icon at the top of an app's window and select 'Add apps' to go beyond two apps. The apps remain active and support cross-app content sharing, which is handy if you want to drag photos and videos from, say, WhatsApp to Google Drive, Instagram, and more.

For added convenience, split-screen app combinations are grouped and can be accessed next to the dock at the bottom of the screen. The dock also provides quick access to recent apps and activities, including Origin Workbench. In addition, the handset lets users switch between split screens and Origin Workbench seamlessly, so they can keep working in whichever layout is most convenient.

[caption id="attachment_718658" align="aligncenter" width="2312"] Split screen[/caption]

Another handy feature is the swipe down for notifications and quick settings on the foldable display. Unlike the cover display, they combine and appear from the left, right, or middle, depending on where you swipe down.

The X Fold 6 also supports Vivo's Office Kit app, available for download on Macs and Windows PCs, which lets you mirror the smartphone's screen to a computer for remote access and easy sharing of content between devices. The phone comes with its AI assistant, Jovi, to generate images, text, and more. Interestingly, you can't turn the assistant off in the settings. Google's Gemini is present too and lets you do even more, like searching what's on the screen with Circle to Search.

Overall, the handset ensures the foldable display is more than a novelty and genuinely usable, with smart multitasking options. On top of that, the new custom Android skin delivers plenty of customisation and personalisation options. To keep it up to date with the latest features, the Vivo X Fold 6 will receive five major Android updates and seven years of security patches.

Hopefully, a future update will address the occasional jitter in animations when switching between the cover and main display. I also wish more apps were optimised for the form factor, including quick-commerce apps, down the line.

Cameras: promising

[pdp-expert-review]
The Vivo X Fold 6 remains one of the most promising foldables for camera enthusiasts. While its cameras exhibit slight colour inaccuracies across sensors, they consistently capture fine details, even in shadowy areas.
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The Vivo X Fold 6 features a triple rear camera setup comprising a 200MP OIS Samsung ISOCELL HPB primary sensor, a 50MP 3x OIS Sony LYT602 telephoto sensor, and a 50MP Samsung ISOCELL JN1 ultrawide unit. For selfies and video calls, the handset has a 20MP camera on both its cover and main displays. This is the most capable camera system you will find on a foldable in India yet, and it largely delivers sharp results across all three rear sensors. 

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While the handset may fall short on absolute colour accuracy, its colour tones are pleasing to the eye. Vivo's image processing also tends to brighten shadowy areas to bring out finer details, sometimes at the expense of natural shadow retention. Google's Pixel 11 Pro Fold may be a better alternative if you want near-accurate colours and better contrast, but the Vivo X Fold 6 outshines it in all other departments. Here's a quick comparison between the two phones across scenarios to give you a better perspective.

Daylight

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/Vivo-X-Fold-6-daylight-1.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/Google-Pixel-11-Pro-Fold-daylight-1.jpg" offset="0.5" before="Vivo X Fold 6" after="Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold"]

The Vivo X Fold 6's primary camera captures images with well-controlled highlights, punchy colours, and fine details. However, the smartphone tends to boost colours, particularly reds and greens, to make images more visually appealing, often at the expense of colour accuracy. The Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold outshines the Vivo in this regard, delivering more accurate colours and images with a greater dynamic range.

Ultrawide

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/Vivo-X-Fold-6-ultrawide.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/Google-Pixel-11-Pro-Fold-ultrawide.jpg" offset="0.5" before="Vivo X Fold 6" after="Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold"]

A similar pattern emerges when switching to the ultrawide cameras on both smartphones. That said, Vivo produces higher-contrast images, making them well-suited for social media. The handset also outperforms the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold in terms of detail and exposure in shadowy areas. However, the Pixel's colour processing produces more lifelike images while preserving a wider range of shades.

Portrait

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/Vivo-X-Fold-6-portrait.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/Google-Pixel-11-Pro-Fold-portrait.jpg" offset="0.5" before="Vivo X Fold 6" after="Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold"]

Despite having the beauty effect turned off, the Vivo X Fold 6 continues to apply subtle skin enhancement, making portraits appear slightly brighter than they naturally should. The Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold captures more accurate skin tones, colours, and contrast, but struggles with fine detail and edge detection. In comparison, the Vivo X Fold 6's telephoto camera captures finer details and separates subjects from the background cleanly, with no noticeable distortion around the edges.

Selfie

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/Vivo-X-Fold-6-selfie.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/Google-Pixel-11-Pro-Fold-selfie.jpg" offset="0.5" before="Vivo X Fold 6" after="Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold"]

The Vivo X Fold 6 processes selfies in much the same way as portraits, adding a warm tone that makes them pleasing to the eye. However, this comes at the expense of facial details, which appear smoothed out, while the background tends to be overexposed. The Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold, in contrast, preserves details in both the foreground and background while capturing more accurate skin tones.

Low light (night mode)

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/Vivo-X-Fold-6-low-light.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/Google-Pixel-11-Pro-Fold-low-light.jpg" offset="0.5" before="Vivo X Fold 6" after="Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold"]

In low light, the Vivo X Fold 6 has a clear edge over the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, with better control over light flares and exposure. Its superior primary camera also helps it retain more detail and keep noise in check compared to its counterpart. However, the Google smartphone maintains the upper hand in dynamic range and scene reproduction accuracy.

Overall, the Vivo X Fold 6 remains one of the most promising foldables for camera enthusiasts. While its cameras exhibit slight colour inaccuracies across sensors, they consistently capture fine details, even in shadowy areas. The punchy colour tones also make images visually appealing and ready for social media. The handset further offers a range of shooting modes, colour styles, and AI-powered camera features, including Four Season Portraits, Festival, and Fantasy modes.

Furthermore, the device supports up to 4K at 30 fps Dolby Vision, 4K at 120 fps, and 8K at 30fps video recording from the rear camera, which can also be used to record selfie videos with the cover display acting as a viewfinder. Like the Vivo X300 series, the X Fold 6 supports the Telephoto Extender kit, sold separately.

Battery: charges quickly but lacks optimisation

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The Vivo X Fold 6 packs a large 6,900mAh battery, which takes less than an hour to charge. While battery life is decent for everyday use, with up to two days possible on lighter workloads, gaming leads to higher-than-ideal drain. It could benefit from further battery optimisation under demanding workloads.
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The Vivo X Fold 6 houses a 6,900mAh battery, backed by 80W wired FlashCharge and 40W wireless FlashCharge support. The wired charging solution, with a compatible charger included in the box, takes less than an hour to fully charge the largest battery on a foldable in India. This is another achievement for the device, as many rivals take considerably longer to reach a full charge. But how long does a full charge last on the Vivo X Fold 6?

[comparative-benchmark type="3" title="PCMark Battery score (in hours)" caption="PCMark battery test measures phone battery life from 100% to 20% (higher is better)" highlight="product_1" products="41818,41935,42221,," ][/comparative-benchmark]

In our PCMark battery test, the Vivo X Fold 6 had a runtime of 17 hours and 40 minutes, 8 minutes less than the Google Pixel 11 Fold Pro's 4,800mAh battery. The battery level while streaming a 60-minute YouTube video and playing games for an hour dropped by an average of 8 percent on the Vivo smartphone, which is again higher than the drain on the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold. 

The battery drain was noticeably higher during gaming, indicating that the Vivo X Fold 6 could benefit from further battery optimisation under demanding workloads. While the smartphone is designed to handle intensive tasks such as heavy multitasking, if you abstain from prolonged gaming, you can expect up to two days of battery life between charges if your usage is limited to everyday tasks such as browsing, streaming, scrolling through social media, casual gaming, online shopping, and occasional navigation.

Final verdict

The Vivo X Fold 6 competes with the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, both of which start under Rs 2,00,000 (at the time of writing this review) and come from more popular brands. While the Vivo X Fold 6 is the most expensive of the three, it attempts to justify its premium price tag with a superior camera setup, a larger battery, and faster charging support.

However, a comparison with the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold (review) highlights areas where the Vivo smartphone could benefit from further refinement, particularly in battery optimisation and colour accuracy. It also lacks the ecosystem integration and DeX mode that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra (review) offers.

Nevertheless, the Vivo X Fold 6 takes an ambitious approach. Rather than undercutting its rivals on price, it prioritises top-tier performance with a flagship-grade chipset that handles demanding workloads effortlessly. Its software further complements the hardware with productivity-focused features such as Origin Workbench and split-screen multitasking.

The phone also benefits from sharp, vibrant displays and a versatile triple-camera system that captures detailed images across all its sensors, even if true-to-life colour accuracy takes a back seat to punchier visuals. The large 6,900mAh battery, which can last close to two days with regular use, alongside fast charging support further adds to its appeal.

If you can count on Vivo's software updates to iron out its minor rough edges, the X Fold 6 is an easy recommendation, as long as it fits your budget.

Editor's rating: 8.4/10

Reasons to buy

• Sharp, vibrant inner and outer displays, excellent for media consumption.
• Breezes through heavy workloads and intensive multitasking.
• Useful multitasking tools like Origin Workbench and smooth split-screen support.
• Images look sharp, punchy, and highly detailed across all lenses.

Reasons not to buy

• Battery optimisation could be better under demanding workloads.
• The cameras have slight inaccuracies in colours.
• Most expensive Android foldable smartphone yet.

With both smartphones targeting a similar audience, we compare the Vivo V80 (review) and OPPO Reno 16 (review) across key aspects to help you decide which one better suits your needs.

Vivo V80 vs OPPO Reno 16: design

Both Vivo V and OPPO Reno series place a strong emphasis on design. The Vivo V80 features a prominent camera island, dubbed the Floating Camera Module, which houses the rear camera sensors and an LED flash. Its design may remind some users of the iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone 18 Pro. The V80 is available in three colour options: Sunrise Anthem, Horizon Blue, and Stellar Black.

The OPPO Reno 16, meanwhile, takes a different approach with a 3D planet-inspired pattern and a shimmering finish that changes with the viewing angle. This effect is particularly noticeable on the Starry White variant. Twilight Violet offers a more understated appearance, while Stellar Purple has a more pronounced, bubbly shimmer.

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/vivo-v80-reasons-to-buy-e1791787252526.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/08/OPPO-Reno-16c-design-shot.jpg" offset="0.5" before="Vivo V80" after="OPPO Reno 16"]

In terms of ergonomics, the Reno 16 is the more compact option, thanks to its 6.3-inch display, compared to the Vivo V80's 6.59-inch screen. If you prefer a smaller phone that is easier to handle, the Reno 16 is the better choice. However, if you want a relatively compact design without compromising too much on screen size, the Vivo V80 is worth considering. Both phones are lightweight, feature flat edges, and are comfortable to hold and use.

Durability is another point of difference. The OPPO Reno 16 carries IP66, IP68, IP69, and IP69K ratings, offering broader certified protection against dust and water. The Vivo V80, meanwhile, comes with IP68 and IP69 ratings.

Ultimately, the choice comes down to your design preferences, preferred form factor, and durability requirements. The Reno 16 is better suited to those who favour a smaller phone with distinctive finishes and more extensive ingress-protection ratings, while the Vivo V80 caters to users who prefer a slightly larger display and a bold camera-centric design.

Vivo V80 vs OPPO Reno 16: display

The Vivo V80 and OPPO Reno 16 both offer vibrant AMOLED displays with adaptive refresh rates, ensuring smooth scrolling and an enjoyable viewing experience. However, the Vivo V80 has an edge in terms of screen size, refresh rate, and peak brightness. It features a 6.59-inch FHD+ AMOLED panel with a 2,750 × 1,260-pixel resolution, a 144Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ support, and up to 5,000 nits of peak brightness. While you can manually set the refresh rate at 144Hz, all apps are capped at 90Hz or 120Hz, and only select titles like Clash of Clans support it. So the visual scrolling experience is largely 120Hz. Otherwise, the display delivers crisp details, punchy colours, and fluid animations, making it well-suited for everything from everyday browsing to watching videos and gaming.

The OPPO Reno 16, meanwhile, sports a smaller 6.32-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a 2,640 × 1,216-pixel resolution, a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, 3,600 nits peak brightness, and HDR10+ support. It offers vivid colours and a pleasing viewing experience for streaming content, gaming, and scrolling through social media. Its smaller size also makes the phone easier to handle, particularly for users who prefer a more compact form factor.

The Vivo V80 might seem to have an advantage here, thanks to its higher refresh rate and peak brightness. But real-life differences may not be very noticeable, so unless you're too concerned about the numbers, either should be fine. Both offer smooth, vibrant screens, so the choice largely comes down to screen size.

Vivo V80 vs OPPO Reno 16: performance

Both the Vivo V80 and OPPO Reno 16 are powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 chipset. While it is a capable mid-range processor, it feels underwhelming at this price point, where buyers might expect a newer and more powerful SoC. On paper, this should translate to similar performance on both phones, but our testing revealed some differences.

[comparative-benchmark type="1" title="AnTuTu score" caption="AnTuTu assesses a smartphone's CPU, GPU, memory, and overall user experience (higher is better)" highlight="" products="42040,41823,,," ][/comparative-benchmark]

Starting with benchmarks, the OPPO Reno 16 scored higher than the Vivo V80 on both AnTuTu and Geekbench. While benchmark scores don't always reflect real-world performance, the difference was noticeable in everyday use as well.

[comparative-benchmark type="11" title="Geekbench multi-core score" caption="Geekbench assesses the efficiency of the CPU's single and multiple cores (higher is better)" highlight="" products="42040,41823,,," ][/comparative-benchmark]

The Vivo V80 handled routine tasks such as social media browsing, switching between apps, and multitasking comfortably overall, but we encountered occasional stutters and lags during use. The OPPO Reno 16, in comparison, delivered a smoother and more consistent experience across the same tasks. This makes it the more reliable option for everyday use and could be a deciding factor for buyers choosing between the two.

[comparative-benchmark type="10" title="Geekbench single-core score" caption="Geekbench assesses the efficiency of the CPU's single and multiple cores (higher is better)" highlight="" products="42040,41823,,," ][/comparative-benchmark]

That said, neither phone is particularly suited to demanding workloads, so users looking for performance-focused devices may want to explore alternatives in this price segment.

Vivo V80 vs OPPO Reno 16: battery

The Vivo V80 packs a 7,200mAh battery, the largest yet on a V-series smartphone, while the OPPO Reno 16 houses a slightly smaller 6,700mAh unit. However, the benchmark results tell a different story. In our PCMark battery test, the Reno 16 lasted 23 hours and 48 minutes, significantly longer than the Vivo V80, which clocked 18 hours and 36 minutes. This suggests that the Reno 16 has better battery optimisation, despite having a smaller battery.

[comparative-benchmark type="3" title="PCMark Battery score (in hours)" caption="PCMark battery test measures phone battery life from 100% to 20% (higher is better)" highlight="" products="42040,41823,,," ][/comparative-benchmark]

In real-world usage, however, both phones deliver reliable endurance. They comfortably last an entire day with typical activities such as browsing social media, streaming content, and using mobile data. Depending on your usage, you may even be able to squeeze out some battery life into the following day.

Both smartphones support fast charging, with the Vivo V80 offering 90W charging and the OPPO Reno 16 supporting 80W. The difference in charging times is marginal, though. The V80 took around an hour to charge from 20 to 100 percent, while the Reno 16 took approximately 62 minutes.

Overall, both phones offer comparable battery experiences in everyday use. The Reno 16 has the advantage in our battery endurance test, but the Vivo V80 counters with a larger battery and slightly faster charging. Your choice will depend on whether you prioritise measured battery life or battery capacity and charging speed.

Vivo V80 vs OPPO Reno 16: cameras

The Vivo V80 and OPPO Reno 16 both offer versatile camera systems with 50MP primary, telephoto, and front cameras, along with AI-powered photography tools. However, they differ in their ultrawide cameras and zoom capabilities. The V80 features Zeiss-backed optics, comprising a 50MP main camera, a 50MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom, and an 8MP ultra-wide camera. The Reno 16, meanwhile, gets a 50MP Sony LYT-600 primary sensor, a 50MP ultra-wide camera, and a 50MP Samsung JN5 telephoto camera with 3.5x optical zoom.

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/vivo-v80-cameras.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/10/oppo-reno-16-cameras.jpg" offset="0.5" before="Vivo V80" after="OPPO Reno 16"]

Both phones also offer several AI editing and creative features, including portrait effects and tools to enhance photos and videos. For example, the Vivo V80 offers more than 30 AI-powered creative features, AI Diwali Portrait 2.0, and 4K Cinematic video recording. The Reno 16 comes with features such as AI Remix Collage and AI Portrait Glow.

In real-world testing, the Vivo V80's colour science favours punchy colours and high contrast in daylight. Its 3x telephoto camera performs well for portraits and focal length variety, but pushing into digital zoom leads to a noticeable loss of detail. Low-light performance is also a weak spot, with significant noise reducing clarity, though the phone handles exposure and lens flares impressively well.

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The OPPO Reno 16, in comparison, prioritises a more natural look, delivering accurate skin tones, well-preserved details, and good dynamic range across most shooting conditions. Even in portrait shots, you can see that the Reno 16 delivers natural bokeh and precise edge detection. In low-light shots, the Reno 16 captures sharper images with better detail retention. The handset also produces images with more natural colours and overall realism compared to the Vivo V80.

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Overall, the OPPO Reno 16 is the more consistent camera phone, particularly for those who prefer natural-looking images with reliable detail and colour accuracy. The Vivo V80 is a worthy alternative for users who favour punchier colours and stronger contrast in their photos.

Vivo V80 vs OPPO Reno 16: software

The Vivo V80 runs Android 17-based OriginOS 7 out of the box, while the OPPO Reno 16 ships with Android 16-based ColorOS 16. Both offer long-term software support, with Vivo promising four OS upgrades and six years of security updates, compared to OPPO's five OS upgrades and six years of security patches. This balances out the software update policy, as both phones would be updated to the same final software version, which is Android 21.

OriginOS 7 focuses on visual customisation, with fluid Dynamic Glow animations, translucent interface elements, and interactive Pet Pals themes featuring cats and dogs. ColorOS 16, meanwhile, puts greater emphasis on AI-powered productivity. Features such as Mind Pilot bring Gemini, Perplexity, and ChatGPT into one interface, while the AI Snap Key saves on-screen content to Mind Space. Other tools include AI Bill Manager, translation features, and AI-powered photo editing.

Overall, the OPPO Reno 16 is better suited to users who want AI tools and productivity features. The Vivo V80 is a better fit for those who enjoy visual customisation, playful interface elements, and getting the latest Android version out of the box. Both offer solid long-term support, so the choice largely depends on which software experience better suits your needs.

Verdict

The Vivo V80 and OPPO Reno 16 cater to similar buyers but have distinct strengths. The Vivo V80 starts at Rs 62,999 for 8GB + 128GB, while the Reno 16 costs Rs 66,999 for 8GB + 256GB. The 8GB + 256GB variant of the V80 is actually more expensive, costing Rs 69,999.

The Reno 16 has a more compact design, delivers smoother everyday performance despite sharing the same Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 chipset, and captures more consistent photos with better detail, skin tones, and dynamic range. It also lasted longer in our battery test. The Vivo V80, meanwhile, offers a larger 6.59-inch display with a 144Hz refresh rate, a bigger 7,200mAh battery, and faster 90W charging. Its cameras also produce punchier colours and stronger contrast.

On the software front, you get the latest Android 17-based OriginOS 7 on the V80 and playful customisation options, while the Reno 16 offers AI-focused tools through ColorOS 16. Both promise six years of security updates.

Overall, the OPPO Reno 16 is the better all-rounder for performance, cameras, storage, and battery endurance. The Vivo V80 is worth considering if you want a brighter, higher-refresh-rate display, a larger battery, faster charging, and a lower starting price.

Performance: No need to throw in the towel

Let's get straight to the fun stuff. The ASUS TUF Gaming 16 packs an Intel Core i5-14450HX processor with 10 cores, 16 threads, and a maximum boost clock of 4.8GHz, paired with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Laptop GPU featuring 8GB of GDDR7 memory. The GPU gets an 85W power budget, including 15W of Dynamic Boost, making this a fairly sensible combination for gaming at 1920 x 1200. Just don't expect it to bully every AAA game into running at maximum settings. Even TUF has its limits.

Putting the laptop through our benchmarking gauntlet, including Cinebench, PCMark, Geekbench, and more, the TUF Gaming 16 puts up a respectable show. The combination of Intel's HX-series processor and the RTX 5050's 85W power budget delivers a solid showing across CPU and GPU benchmarks. It's not exactly reinventing the gaming laptop wheel. Still, the hardware combination gets the fundamentals right, which is more important than having a spec sheet that looks like a marketing team assembled it on three energy drinks.

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For context, I compared it with the Dell Alienware 15, which pairs an AMD Ryzen 7 260 with a higher-powered, 95W version of the RTX 5050. The results are pretty much what the spec sheet reads: the ASUS edges ahead in CPU-heavy workloads, while the Alienware flexes its extra GPU power in graphics benchmarks. Gaming performance follows a similar pattern, with Dell's machine holding a modest lead.

The difference isn't massive, though, so the TUF Gaming 16 isn't exactly getting left in the dust. It's more of a friendly neighbourhood rivalry than a one-sided beatdown.

Thermals and upgradeability: No TUF choices here

Keeping all that hardware from melting into a puddle is a cooling system featuring dual Arc Flow fans, three heat pipes, and enlarged rear exhausts. The fans get noticeably enthusiastic under demanding workloads, particularly in Turbo mode, so a headset might be appreciated by everyone within earshot.

On the upgrade front, ASUS gets brownie points for two DDR5 SO-DIMM slots supporting up to 64GB RAM and two M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD slots. The included 16GB RAM will do for most gaming and everyday tasks, although 32GB makes more sense for heavier multitasking and creative workloads. The 512GB SSD, meanwhile, is about as spacious as a Mumbai apartment once a couple of modern AAA games move in. Thankfully, the second M.2 slot makes adding more storage straightforward, without evicting the original SSD.

Design and build quality: Stealth mode, activated

The ASUS TUF Gaming 16 sports an Off Black plastic chassis with a restrained, industrial design that doesn't scream gamer. Honestly, I like that ASUS has kept the aesthetics relatively understated, without excessive lighting or aggressive gaming flourishes. It looks perfectly at home on a college desk or in an office meeting, rather than a gaming convention. Sometimes, subtlety is the ultimate flex.

At 2.2kg, the laptop isn't exactly a featherweight, but that's par for the course for a 16-inch gaming machine. Its thickness ranges from 19.4mm to 26.9mm, making it reasonably portable for its class, provided the bag can accommodate its size. ASUS also advertises an anti-fingerprint coating on the lid and keyboard deck, which is a welcome addition on a dark-coloured laptop. I wouldn't say it was entirely successful against fingerprints, but it does accumulate far fewer smudges compared to most of the other laptops out there, so I will give ASUS some credit for this.

The plastic construction doesn't have the premium feel of an all-metal chassis, but during my usage, the laptop felt reassuringly solid, with little apparent flex and a firm hinge. ASUS also promotes military-grade durability across its TUF lineup, which is always nice to have. Overall, the build feels practical and sturdy enough for everyday use, without pretending to be something it isn't.

What about the connectivity, though?

As far as connectivity goes, the TUF Gaming 16 offers a practical selection of ports, including two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, one USB 2.0 Type-A port, a USB-C port supporting 10Gbps data transfer, DisplayPort output and power delivery, HDMI 2.1 FRL, Gigabit Ethernet, and a 3.5mm audio jack.

The placement deserves a mention, too. ASUS puts the HDMI output, Ethernet connection, and power connector at the rear, keeping thicker cables away from the sides where a gaming mouse needs room to move. It's a small design decision, but one that makes a desk setup tidier, especially when an external monitor is involved.

Display and audio: Colour me impressed, brightness me less so

The ASUS TUF Gaming 16 features a 16-inch WUXGA (1920 x 1200) IPS-level display with a 16:10 aspect ratio, a 144Hz refresh rate, and 100% sRGB coverage. It's a welcome combination that makes the laptop more than just a gaming machine, offering extra vertical space for browsing, documents, and editing timelines alongside smoother gameplay.

During my usage, the display's colour reproduction makes for a pleasant viewing experience, while the 144Hz refresh rate keeps motion looking smooth in fast-paced games. The 100% sRGB coverage is also handy for photo editing and content creation, although colour-critical work would benefit from proper calibration measurements. After all, covering the right colours and displaying them accurately aren't quite the same thing.

Brightness, however, is where the TUF could do better. With a rated peak brightness of 300 nits, the panel works well enough indoors but doesn't offer much headroom in brightly lit environments. It's perfectly serviceable for everyday use, but a brighter screen would have made the experience considerably sweeter. You can't have your TUF and eat it too, apparently.

Audio comes courtesy of bottom-firing stereo speakers, with AI noise cancellation, Hi-Res-certified headphone output, and a 3.5mm combo jack rounding out the package. The speakers should handle casual videos and everyday use, but don't expect earth-shattering bass or cinematic explosions. For competitive gaming, a decent headset remains the better bet. Those enemy footsteps aren't going to hear themselves.

Keyboard and touchpad: WASD is where the heart is

ASUS has equipped the TUF Gaming 16 with a backlit chiclet keyboard, a dedicated number pad, full-size arrow keys, and highlighted WASD keycaps. The latter are a small but welcome touch, making the movement keys easier to identify during gaming sessions. The keyboard uses single-zone backlighting rather than per-key RGB, keeping things functional without turning the laptop into a miniature nightclub.

The number pad is useful for spreadsheets and data entry, although it shifts the main typing area slightly to the left. ASUS also includes a dedicated Copilot key and shortcuts for system controls, while Armoury Crate provides access to performance and fan profiles. These features are more useful than they might sound, particularly when switching between everyday work and gaming.

The integrated touchpad handles routine navigation, and its Windows precision-gesture support should make scrolling and multitasking straightforward. Most gamers will connect an external mouse anyway, but a touchpad still needs to behave itself during everything that happens between gaming sessions. Nobody wants to wrestle with a cursor just to open a browser.

Battery life and everyday usability: The charger is your co-op partner

The ASUS TUF Gaming 16 packs a 63Wh battery and ships with a 150W charger, alongside support for up to 100W USB-C Power Delivery. In our testing, the laptop lasted almost 8 hours in the PCMark 10 Battery Video Loop test, which is pretty good for a gaming laptop. However, in a more realistic use-case scenario with Photoshop and web browsing, the laptop struggled past the 4-hour mark.

Of course, the inclusion of USB-C charging is handy for browsing, office work, and lighter tasks, but don't expect it to replace the bundled charger when gaming gets serious. The 150W adapter remains your best bet for squeezing out maximum performance. If spending an entire day away from a power outlet is part of the plan, a more power-efficient laptop might be a better co-op partner.

Verdict: TUF love, with a small asterisk

The ASUS TUF Gaming 16 pairs the Core i5-14450HX and RTX 5050 well for 1920 x 1200 gaming, backed by a 144Hz display, capable cooling, sturdy build, and upgradeable RAM and storage. The 512GB SSD, 300-nit screen, and average battery life are compromises, but this is a solid pick for gamers who also need a laptop for college, productivity, and occasional creative work. Just keep the charger handy.

The bigger question is value. At Rs. 1,59,990, the TUF Gaming 16 faces stiff competition. The Dell Alienware 15 and HP Victus fb3185AX offer higher-powered RTX 5050 GPUs paired with the Ryzen 7 270, while the HP also packs 24GB RAM. The Lenovo LOQ 83JE01FTIN goes a step further with a more powerful Core i7-14700HX and a 1TB SSD, although its display is slightly smaller at 15.6 inches. Ultimately, the TUF Gaming 16 is a capable all-rounder, but at this price, it needs the right deal to stand out from the crowd.

Editor's Rating: 8 / 10

Pros:

• Solid, sturdy build quality
• Smooth 144Hz display
• Capable gaming performance
• Excellent RAM and storage upgradeability

Cons:

• Limited 512GB SSD storage
• Average battery life

What's in the Box

The unboxing is a pretty standard affair. You get the earbuds, the charging case, four sizes of ear tips (which is a great inclusion), and the standard documentation—Warranty/Warning and QSG/Safety Sheet. It's nice to see four pairs of ear tips, giving you more flexibility to find the perfect fit. A missing charging cable is a bit of a bummer, but we live in a day and age where you are bound to have a USB-C cable lying around.

Design, Build, and Smart Case Magic

The JBL Live Beam 4 comes in a bunch of different colours: Orange, Black, Sand, Green, Silver, and Blue. JBL sent the Orange one for review, and it looks quite complementary to the orange iPhone 17 Pro Max. The case is well-built and quite compact. It may not be the smallest case out there, but it's small enough to fit in my pocket without hassle.

I personally prefer a slightly bigger case; its ring box design is ideal for single-handed use. Flipping the lid open and closed has a satisfying weight to it, though the case may feel a bit heavy to some. I prefer the slight heft because I like to feel the case in my pocket rather than scrambling to check if it's still there. The case also supports wireless charging, and it boasts up to 40 hours of total playtime, which is a huge plus. The earbuds themselves feature an IP55 water and dust resistance rating, making them perfectly safe for workouts.

Moving on, let's talk about the display on the case. Whether you feel it is gimmicky or not is a personal preference, but there are a bunch of features and controls you can execute directly from the case rather than resorting to your phone, which is a welcome change.

Let's get the worst thing about the case out of the way first: the display is super bright, even on the lowest brightness setting in a pitch-dark room. I am someone who puts the kids to sleep and slips on my earphones for some podcast time in the dark. The minute I touch this case, it's like someone lit up the Bat-Signal in the room. It isn't an issue most will face, but I wish the display could get a lot dimmer. This is a nitpick, of course. On the other end of the spectrum, if I need a flashlight in the middle of the night, I don't need to reach for my smartphone; the case display works beautifully as one—a nice touch for ageing people like me who don't want to kick a toy lying on the floor in the dark.

When the display is locked, you have a bunch of wallpaper and clock options to choose from. One of the screens shows you the precise charge level of both the buds and the case, which is super handy. I don't usually charge my TWS very often, and only when the case and buds are dead do I reach for the charger, so having this info front and centre is incredibly helpful. Slide to unlock the display, and you are greeted with a host of controls. You can manage music playback, volume, Ambient sound controls, the equaliser, spatial audio, case display settings, and more. If you don't want to resort to your phone for basic controls, and if you, like me, hate the whole "tap and double-tap the earbud stem" routine, this case display is a godsend. I found myself using it more and more, effectively bypassing touch controls entirely.

Overall, this is the first time I am using a pair of TWS with a display on the case, and I find the features on offer to be far more useful than a mere gimmick.

Audio Performance and Customisation

Let's move to the actual use of the TWS: the audio quality. The JBL Live Beam 4 pack 10 mm dynamic drivers, support Hi-Res Audio Wireless via the LDAC codec, feature Bluetooth 5.3 with multipoint connection, and sound really good for a mixed-use case.

While I preferred the "Studio" equaliser from the preset list (which also includes Bass, Club, Extreme Bass, Vocal, and Jazz), I found that leaving the equaliser off entirely gave the best, most neutral-sounding audio. You can, of course, customise the EQ if you prefer.

There is also a "Spatial Sound" feature with three options: Movie, Music, and Game. The Movie mode gives you a more expansive feel when watching content, but this is a setting I mostly kept off. For both movies and music, I preferred the natural channel separation.

A really cool feature is the Private Call mode, where you can remove one earbud, hold it close to your mouth, and use it as a mic. This makes it easier to talk softly while ensuring your voice is heard clearly on the other end—a small but brilliant touch. You also get Sound Settings to adjust the vocal tone of the person on the other end, and Voice Settings to adjust how you sound to them. Again, some may find these gimmicky; I used them for a while and then switched them off.

Media Consumption & Everyday Use

Coming to the core sound performance, these earbuds sound fantastic. Let's break down the performance across movies, podcasts, and music.

I watch a ton of movies on my phone. I binge-watched the entire season of Lanterns on JioHotstar, and it was a highly enjoyable experience with clean vocals, very good channel separation, and excellent dynamic range. Even in a movie like Top Gun: Maverick, during the dogfight at the end of the film, the channel separation of the planes panning from left to right was very pronounced. I actually preferred this natural tuning over the built-in "Spatial Sound" mode. The same goes for the race at the 11-minute mark in Ready Player One—very clear dialogue amidst all the chaotic action.

Whether you are watching shows like Young Sheldon, The Grand Tour, Mirzapur, or Slow Horses, dialogue clarity mixed with background scores and good separation is crucial, and that works exceptionally well here. The same applies to podcasts: clear vocals, great clarity, and excellent stereo separation.

When it comes to music, the earbuds impress once again. I listened to a lot of Alan Walker, Teddy Swims, Coke Studio, classical music, and more. The tuning naturally leans slightly on the bassier side, but it never gets muddy or uncomfortable. The "Studio" EQ mode helps flatten this out, but I still found switching the EQ off completely sounded best for my liking. This is subjective, of course, and you may prefer tweaking the settings.

I am someone who doesn't prefer ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) on TWS, and I generally keep it off during long content consumption sessions. I found myself using the earbuds mostly with ANC off, but even when turned on, it wasn't the absolute best at drowning out the noises around me.

There is also a setting called Personi-Fi, which plays a series of individual tones in each ear and asks you to confirm when you can no longer hear a particular tone. The process takes a good five minutes and gives you a detailed report of your specific hearing capabilities, customising the audio output to suit your exact ears. Considering how subjective audio is, this is an incredible touch to ensure the audio sounds the best it possibly can for you.

Verdict

Overall, "feature-packed with great sound output" is the best way to describe the JBL Live Beam 4. They are comfortable to wear for long hours, deliver very good sound with deep customisation options, and offer stellar battery life. The case display, which I initially dismissed as a gimmick, turns out to be genuinely useful. The only downside is that the ANC isn't as strong as some of its direct competitors. If you are in the market for a pair of TWS under Rs. 15K, you should absolutely consider the JBL Live Beam 4. The fact that it is available in a few funky colours is definitely the cherry on top.

Editor's Rating: 8.8 / 10

Pros:

• Useful smart charging case display
• Excellent, clear audio quality
• Deep customisation features
• Comfortable for long listening sessions
• Fun colour options available

Cons:

• Case display doesn't dim enough for pitch-black environments
• Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) falls slightly behind the competition

Living Flow Design: seamless transitions, bounciness and luminous effects

ColorOS 17 takes OnePlus' Flow Motion from OxygenOS 16 to a higher level. For instance, when using the Flux Clock widget, from your first interaction on the fingerprint scanner to unlocking the phone and reaching the home screen, the clock seamlessly reacts based on where it's positioned. While this animation is available in specific clock styles, the entire UI is filled with flowing elements grouped under 'Living Flow Design'.

A major highlight of Living Flow Design is its responsiveness to taps and swipes. During my brief time with ColorOS 17, every element, from the quick settings panel to Live Alerts, three-dot menus, and overlay buttons, illuminates on interaction, creating impressive immersion. Lively, bouncy animations and translucent visuals match the luminous effects across the UI, which can be witnessed by pressing and stretching a menu or button with high intensity. As soon as you release your finger, the element returns to its original state while delivering a soothing bounce.

[gallery link="file" columns="5" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" size="full" ids="718551,718564,718553,718552,718557"]

While this was just a gist of Living Flow Design, ColorOS 17 adapts to the new design language in multiple areas:

Seamless page and pop-up transitions

In first-party apps such as Settings, Photos, Notes, Recorder, and more, moving from one page or section to another uses a morphing animation for seamless behaviour. You can see this on the 'Home screen & Lock screen' page when selecting sections like Wallpapers, Icons, and others. Similarly, tapping any three-dot menu triggers a flying-like animation before revealing the options list.

Floating navigation bar

Following the current trend, ColorOS 17 transforms the bottom navigation buttons into a floating bar in system apps. Like iOS 27 and One UI 9, the navigation bar appears over the content when you scroll through an app. This is most noticeable in the Clock app, where the text behind the bar blurs out.

[caption id="attachment_718568" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Floating navigation bars[/caption]

Progressive blur in more areas

In OxygenOS 16, progressive blur was largely limited to the App Drawer and Photos app. ColorOS 17 raises the stakes by bringing this visually appealing design to more apps, such as Settings, Clock, Notes, File Manager, and more. For the uninitiated, progressive blur mimics natural camera depth-of-field (bokeh), helping users distinguish what is in the foreground versus the background.

Glassy quick settings panel

While the core functionality of the quick settings panel hasn't changed much, since it still doesn't offer the flexibility to resize the quick toggles into various layouts found on iOS 27 or One UI 9, the Gaussian blur has taken a back seat in favour of a more transparent effect paired with contour glow on the borders of the toggles. Similarly, notifications use the same Luminous effects found throughout the UI. Expanding or collapsing them uses an elastic effect.

[gallery link="file" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" size="full" ids="718554,718556,718555"]

Redesigned Live Alerts

Like the quick settings panels, the Live Alerts interface has received a new translucent, Luminous design treatment. Like the Siri AI Dynamic Island design, Live Alerts on COS 17 feature a gradient-like finish that fades to transparency toward the bottom. Furthermore, the Music Live Alert displays a glowy seekbar with shaded border effects that match the album art's colour. Personally, I found this highly impressive, and it seems someone put serious dedication into it.

[caption id="attachment_718561" align="aligncenter" width="900"] Revamped Live Alerts design[/caption]

In conjunction with Live Alerts, the Live Space interface introduced with ColorOS 16.5 on the lock screen has received some love as well. In full-screen mode, the song's album art now stretches edge to edge with meticulous blur effects on the borders, while the playback buttons and the same glowy seekbar sit on top of the album art. In my opinion, ColorOS 17 probably has the most beautiful-looking expanded media player of any Android skin currently.

[gallery link="file" columns="2" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" size="full" ids="718558,718559"]

Tweaked sidebar transparency and animation

If you thought the sidebar reveal animation on OxygenOS 16 was extraordinary, wait till you try ColorOS 17. While the generic layout stays the same, the swipe-from-the-edge animation to open the sidebar feels more extensive and charming, paired with nice glassy translucency effects.

[caption id="attachment_718562" align="aligncenter" width="900"] Updated sidebar transparency[/caption]

Customisation: just got better

Since OxygenOS 16 and ColorOS 16 introduced a host of customisation options, such as large lockscreen clock fonts, dark theme icons, enlarged icons, and revamped accent theming by ditching Google's Monet theming, ColorOS 17 simply improves on the existing functionality. This totally makes sense since the personalisation options were already sufficient, to the point that other software skins need to catch up to ColorOS' level.

[caption id="attachment_718565" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] New lockscreen clock, weather theme[/caption]

As for what's actually new, the large lockscreen clock fonts finally get the option to display a colon (:). To add it, simply drag right from the corner, or drag left to remove the colon. Like HyperOS, ColorOS 17 also adds lockscreen weather themes that react to local weather in real time and display effects such as rain, fog, sun, and others.

On the home screen, as noted above, ColorOS 17 adds a slew of Flux Clock widgets, while the rest of the personalisation options stay the same. However, coming from OxygenOS 16, you'll find OnePlus has dropped the distinct OxygenOS icons refined over the years in favour of ColorOS app icons.

New game manager UI

When summoning the game manager and going to the "Me" section, you'll find a brand new 'Esports' theme, which revamps the look and feel of the UI, making it look more futuristic and sci-fi. Since switching, I haven't gone back to the previous theme.

Remembering OxygenOS: just a few traces left

Over the years, OnePlus added small details to OxygenOS that gave it its own identity, even after merging with and using the ColorOS codebase since 2021. This included using its own app icons, a custom two-tone monochrome theme, 'Never Settle' easter eggs scattered throughout the UI, and more. Fast forward to ColorOS 17, and OnePlus has dropped most core OxygenOS elements, especially the cosmetic ones.

This includes the "Never Settle" text in the world clock, the "Never Settle" animation in Calculator when entering "1+=", a major highlight of OxygenOS 16's unveiling, and the special tone that played when dialling "1+" in the Phone app. Similarly, OnePlus ditched the OG OxygenOS camera icon. Fortunately, the iconic red "1" hour clock in the lock screen and status bar has been retained, while a particular Clock widget continues to display the "Never Settle" text.

Performance boost: several under-the-hood improvements

As with every major OS upgrade, ColorOS 17 includes several under-the-hood performance improvements. With this iteration, a new rendering architecture called Luminous Rendering Engine has been introduced, which promises up to 25 percent less RAM usage for rendering key scenarios and up to 30 percent less rendering load. While I won't dive deep into jargon, this means the system is optimised to use less memory to render smooth, flowing animations.

In real-world scenarios, every swipe on ColorOS 17 is silky smooth and responsive, and I expected nothing less. Whether you're opening or closing apps, unlocking the phone, or scrolling through Photos, the system delivers fluid interactivity. Easily one of the best out there.

OnePlus AI: major AI advancements made

What's a major OS upgrade in 2026 without new AI features and advancements, right? So ColorOS 17 not only builds on existing AI features, but also adds new features to help users with their workflow and daily productivity.

The biggest new addition this time around is AI Mind Pilot, a prompt-based system that combines ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini to deliver relevant results based on the given query. What makes this special is its 'Agent Mode', which, as the name suggests, is an Agentic AI that can execute tasks based on the prompts. It can work around by accessing local files, photos, and documents to organise, collect, or modify them.

When I asked it to create a collage from the flower photos in the gallery, it completed the task in a few minutes and delivered a usable result. Similarly, it can look through files and photos and pull out the information you need, simply by typing or speaking. I can definitely see this coming in handy for sorting a large chunk of files into a folder, or finding specific information or notes in PDFs and documents, as I tried out in the screenshots below.

[gallery link="file" columns="2" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" size="full" ids="718566,718575"]

Introduced over a year ago with the OnePlus 13s, AI Mind Space can now proactively scan saved content and suggest reminders and departure countdowns, such as for flights or trains, through Live Alerts and the AI Suggest home screen widget. Next up is the OSee app. Built into ColorOS 17, OSee helps users scan and look up information quickly with AI. For example, if you point the camera at an apparel item, it'll pull up styling suggestions for how to pair it with other clothing. Consider this an advanced version of Google Lens, but from the house of OnePlus and OPPO.

[caption id="attachment_718570" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] OSee in action[/caption]

Closing thoughts

After using ColorOS 17 for well over three weeks, I can safely say I had the most enjoyable experience using a software skin since ColorOS 16 and OxygenOS 16. True to its nature, the update again delivers a noticeable uplift in smoothness and fluid interactivity, especially with the addition of Living Flow Design, given how it flawlessly transitions between pages, menus, and sections within the UI. The elasticity, bounciness, and luminous elements make things feel lively, while the new translucency effect creates more depth than the Gaussian blur in OxygenOS 16.

On the AI front, the company has also put in dedicated effort by introducing Agent Mode in Mind Pilot, which can dig deep into the system and pull out, sort, and organise information in a few minutes. Neat stuff here. Lately, agentic AIs are entering the picture, such as Google's Gemini Spark and Grok Bot, so it makes sense for OnePlus to implement its own system-level AI agent. Then there's OSee, which finds information by just pointing the camera. Both implementations should proactively assist users in their professional and personal lives, especially for routine tasks.

Overall, while core OnePlus users may miss the cosmetic additions and easter eggs from OxygenOS, ColorOS 17 as a whole delivers an immaculate experience in usability, personalisation, and AI functionality. Since it continues to carry OxygenOS' philosophy of being fast and smooth, it'll genuinely leave anyone impressed after a few minutes of use.