The OnePlus 15R has long been a strong contender in the sub-flagship segment, but it now faces fresh competition from the Motorola Edge 70 Max. Motorola's first gaming-focused smartphone shares several key traits with the OnePlus offering. Both devices are powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 SoC, support high-frame-rate gaming, pack large batteries, and feature impressive displays, making them compelling options for performance-focused users.

The Motorola Edge 70 Max (review) and OnePlus 15R (review) also approach the cameras in the same way, with identical resolutions. So, which smartphone deserves your money? We set out to answer that by putting both devices through their paces.

Design

Despite their gaming-focused positioning, the Motorola Edge 70 Max and OnePlus 15R don't look out of place alongside conventional smartphones. Both follow the signature design language of their respective brands. The OnePlus 15R features a sleek rectangular camera module, while the Edge 70 Max opts for a squarish camera island. Personally, I prefer the cleaner, more understated look of the OnePlus 15R. Its Mint Breeze colourway also stands out more than the Aqua Grey variant of the Edge 70 Max that we received for review.

Although the OnePlus 15R is slimmer and lighter on paper, the difference is marginal and has little impact on day-to-day usability. Both smartphones feel comfortable to hold and use for extended periods. The durability of the smartphones is also on par with each other. The handsets boast an aluminium frame and Corning Gorilla Glass 7i protection on the front. The Motorola Edge 70 Max even has the same glass protection at the back, lending it a more premium in-hand feel, and MIL-STD-810H military-grade durability against minor drops and falls. The handset is also IP68 and IP69 water and dust resistance certified.

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The OnePlus 15R may not have the military-grade durability, but it comes with an additional IP69K certification, protecting it from high-pressure and temperature jets. The placement of ports, speakers, optical in-display fingerprint scanner, and buttons is identical on both smartphones.

Ultimately, the choice comes down to what you value more: a cleaner, more understated design or a more premium in-hand feel. The decision is yours. 

Display

The Motorola Edge 70 Max and OnePlus 15R both feature large 6.8-inch AMOLED displays with centred punch-hole cutouts, ultra-slim bezels, and HDR10+ support. However, there are a few key differences. The OnePlus 15R boasts a higher peak refresh rate of 165Hz, while the Edge 70 Max counters with a sharper 2K (QHD+) resolution, compared to the 1.5K panel on its rival, along with an LTPO display that dynamically adjusts the refresh rate up to 144Hz for improved power efficiency.

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In day-to-day use, though, the viewing experience is remarkably similar. Both displays are equally sharp, produce vibrant colours, offer deep blacks, and deliver excellent contrast. Animations and UI transitions also feel equally smooth, largely because both smartphones operate at a maximum of 120Hz during regular use.

The OnePlus 15R only unlocks its 165Hz refresh rate in supported games such as BGMI and Call of Duty: Mobile. The Motorola Edge 70 Max, meanwhile, remains capped at 120Hz even while gaming. While this isn't a deal-breaker for most users, competitive gamers who spend a lot of time playing fast-paced titles may appreciate the extra smoothness offered by the OnePlus 15R. The latter also outshines its competitor with better legibility outdoors under direct sunlight. This is despite the Motorola Edge 70 Max's lofty 7,000 nits peak brightness claim.

Performance

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Performance is virtually identical on both smartphones, thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 SoC. Each device is equipped with a large vapour chamber cooling system - 5,500mm2 on the Motorola Edge 70 Max and a slightly larger 5,704mm2 unit on the OnePlus 15R - to keep thermals in check during sustained workloads. While the OnePlus 15R comes with 'Ultra' LPDDR5X RAM, it doesn't feel any faster in real-world use.

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Both smartphones deliver equally smooth performance in day-to-day tasks and maintain stable temperatures under heavy loads. This was irrespective of the fact that the Edge 70 Max had 8GB RAM as opposed to the 12GB RAM on the OnePlus 15R.

The smartphones also excel at multitasking, keeping multiple apps active in the background without noticeable slowdowns. Complementing the flagship chipset is UFS 4.1 storage on both devices, ensuring fast app launches, quick file transfers, and an overall responsive user experience. We even rendered a 4K video on both smartphones, and it was done at the same time.

Software

The Motorola Edge 70 Max and OnePlus 15R both run Android 16, customised by their respective skins. The Motorola smartphone is layered with Hello UI, which keeps the experience closer to stock while also adding a handful of third-party apps. The handset even supports a handful of Moto gestures; however, the AI features are not available out of the box on its 8GB RAM variant. It will be rolled out via a software update, bringing a new cross-device AI experience called Qira, which lets you catch up with notifications, generate images, and record live conversations, among other things.

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The OnePlus 15R, on the other hand, boots OxygenOS 16 (will be changed to ColorOS via software support). The handset offers AI features out of the box, including its AI Mind Space, which stores all the relevant information such as voice recordings and screenshots in one place and summarises them for you. The handset offers a fully customisable experience with a bunch of apps pre-installed. Unlike the Motorola smartphone, the 15R lacks gestures such as chop chop to turn on the flashlight, flip to open the camera app, and more.

Apart from the visual and feature differences, both smartphones offer plenty of personalisation options. However, the software support on the Motorola Edge 70 Max remains limited to three major OS upgrades and five years of security updates. The OnePlus 15R, meanwhile, offers four major OS upgrades and six years of security updates, making it a favourable choice for longevity.

Battery

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The OnePlus 15R packs a larger 7,400mAh battery compared to the Motorola Edge 70 Max's 7,100mAh cell. Both smartphones support fast wired charging—80W on the OnePlus and 90W on the Motorola—along with bypass charging and reverse wired charging. The Edge 70 Max, however, gains an advantage with Qi2.2 wireless charging support, allowing for up to 25W wireless charging when paired with a compatible MagSafe charger or power bank.

That wireless charging support is one of the Edge 70 Max's key strengths in this comparison. Otherwise, the OnePlus 15R holds the edge when it comes to battery endurance. That's not to say the Motorola underperforms - it can comfortably last a day and a half with regular use and continues to deliver solid battery life under demanding workloads such as gaming. It also posted a respectable runtime of over 16 hours in the PCMark battery test.

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The OnePlus 15R, however, takes things a step further with superior efficiency across the board. It lasted 18 hours in the PCMark battery benchmark and can comfortably stretch to nearly two days of regular use on a single charge. The handset also delivers excellent battery endurance during extended gaming sessions, making it a more appealing device for power users.

Cameras

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The Motorola Edge 70 Max and the OnePlus 15R offer identical camera resolutions. That said, while the primary camera on the Motorola smartphone is a 50MP OIS Sony LYT-710 sensor, the 15R sports a 50MP OIS Sony IMX 906 sensor. The main sensors on both smartphones are paired with an 8MP ultrawide lens. Up front, you get a 32MP snapper for selfies and video calling. Speaking of video, the handsets are capable of recording 4K videos, but 1080p remains standard across cameras.

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The OnePlus 15R delivers contrasty images that look appealing straight out of the camera and should work well for social media. While the dynamic range is decent, exposure in shadowy areas could be better. The ultrawide camera follows a similar colour science, maintaining consistency across the cameras. Portraits are another strong point, with the computational processing doing a respectable job of separating the subject from the background, even though the skin tones and colours may not look accurate. Overall, the OnePlus 15R offers a pleasing camera experience, but its handling of shadows and oversaturated skin tones and colours leaves room for improvement.

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The Motorola Edge 70 Max impresses with more realistic colours and natural-looking skin tones in well-lit environments, while also handling contrast and dynamic range better than the OnePlus 15R. Portraits benefit from multiple focal lengths using the primary camera, although there is a noticeable loss of detail. Edge detection, however, remains precise. In low-light conditions, the Edge 70 Max struggles more with controlling light flares than the OnePlus 15R. Overall, the Motorola Edge 70 Max delivers the more natural and balanced camera output, despite some shortcomings in portrait detail and flare control.

Verdict

The Motorola Edge 70 Max is more competitively priced than the OnePlus 15R. The handset is also more feature-rich, with a sharper display, better durability, wireless charging, and a power-efficient LTPO panel. The Motorola smartphone also outshines its rival with more natural-looking cameras.

The OnePlus 15R, on the other hand, starts with 12GB of RAM, with a higher 16GB configuration also available. The OnePlus smartphone offers better battery endurance for everyday usage, higher FPS support in supported games, better outdoor legibility, and longer software support.

Those are the major differences between the two smartphones. In other areas, the Motorola Edge 70 Max and OnePlus 15R are closely matched, with both smartphones delivering flagship-level performance, capable displays, strong gaming credentials, and impressive battery life.

For most performance-focused buyers, the OnePlus 15R is the better overall choice. However, if your budget is tight, the Edge 70 Max remains a compelling alternative, offering most of the same core performance at a lower starting price, with some additional features.

Whether you're a student buying your first Mac, a professional who needs a machine that lasts a full workday without a charger, a video editor weighing whether the Pro chips justify their premium, or someone simply wondering if the Air is enough, this guide sorts the range by what each model is actually best at. In this guide, we help students trying to work out which MacBook is worth their money, now that Apple's lineup runs from under Rs 70,000 to well past Rs 4 lakh.

Apple now sells six meaningfully different MacBooks in India across the Neo, Air and Pro families. We've assessed each on performance, display quality, battery endurance, portability, thermal behaviour, and value for money, drawing on our own testing where we've had a unit in hand and on the broad consensus from extended real-world use elsewhere where we haven't.

The MacBook Pro M5 is our best overall MacBook for its balance of power, display, and battery. The MacBook Air M5 13-inch is the value pick, the MacBook Pro M5 Max is built for professionals, and the MacBook Neo is the one for students. The MacBook Pro M5 Pro is our video editing recommendation, and the MacBook Air M5 15-inch is the endurance champion. Updated for July 2026 with the latest launches and price changes.

A note on pricing: all prices here are Apple India's official launch pricing for each model. MacBook prices in India have moved noticeably through 2026, and street prices at authorised resellers and during sale events can differ substantially in either direction. Verify current pricing before you buy.

How we assess MacBooks

Our recommendations come from hands-on use wherever we've had a review unit. For the rest of the lineup, we've built our picks from the consensus that emerges once a machine has been in wide circulation for months. That consensus is remarkably consistent on Apple silicon, because the variables are few: the same chassis designs carry across configurations, the displays are shared within each family, and the differences that matter come down to chip tier, memory, thermal headroom, and battery capacity. Where reviewers who have spent extended time with these machines agree on something, from sustained performance under load to how quickly the fans spin up, we've weighted that heavily.

We also apply the same questions to every Mac regardless of price. Does the performance hold up over a long render rather than a short benchmark run? Is the battery figure achievable in real use or only in video playback? Does the base configuration make sense, or does Apple's upgrade pricing push the real cost somewhere else entirely? Those questions decide the picks below.

MacBook Pro M5 — Best MacBook Overall

Launch price: Rs 1,69,900 (16GB/512GB)

Why we picked it

The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 is our best overall MacBook because it delivers the single biggest jump in capability per rupee in Apple's lineup, pairing a genuine pro-grade display and a rated 24 hours of battery life with a chip that closes much of the gap to the Pro-tier silicon above it.

The M5 is the reason. Its 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU carry a Neural Accelerator inside every graphics core, which Apple says lifts on-device AI performance by up to 3.5 times over the M4, alongside higher memory bandwidth and roughly double the SSD speed of the previous generation. The consensus from reviewers who have lived with this machine is that the chip is genuinely quick, comfortably ahead of the Windows ultrabooks it competes with, and that the practical benefits show up in exports, local AI workloads and app launches rather than just benchmark charts. For anyone whose work sits below professional video or 3D, this is more machine than they will use.

What tips it into the overall win is everything around the chip. The 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR panel, available with a nano-texture finish, remains the display every premium Windows laptop is measured against. You get a 12MP Centre Stage camera, a six-speaker system that reviewers consistently rate among the best in any laptop, and a proper spread of ports rather than a dongle hunt. At Rs 1,69,900, and Rs 1,59,900 with education savings, it undercuts the M5 Pro by over Rs 60,000.

The known limitations are worth understanding. This model retains Thunderbolt 4 rather than the Thunderbolt 5 reserved for the Pro and Max chips, wireless tops out below the Wi-Fi 7 found on the newer Pro models, and the consensus is that the fans become audible under sustained full load. Nothing here is user-upgradeable, so buy the memory and storage you'll need for the machine's whole life.

Pros	Cons
Excellent M5 performance with major AI gains	Thunderbolt 4, not Thunderbolt 5
Superb Liquid Retina XDR display with nano-texture option	Wireless lags the newer M5 Pro and Max models
Rated up to 24 hours of battery life	Fans get audible under sustained load
Best price-to-capability ratio in the Pro family

Key specs:

• Chip: Apple M5 (10-core CPU, 10-core GPU with Neural Accelerator per core)
• Display: 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR, 120Hz ProMotion, nano-texture option
• Memory/Storage: 16GB unified (up to 32GB) / 512GB SSD (up to 4TB)
• Battery: Rated up to 24 hours
• Camera/Audio: 12MP Centre Stage camera, six-speaker system
• Finishes: Space Black, Silver
• Other configs: Rs 1,89,900 (16GB/1TB), Rs 2,09,900 (24GB/1TB)

MacBook Air M5 13-inch — Best Value MacBook

Launch price: Rs 1,19,900 (16GB/512GB, 8-core GPU)

Why we picked it

The 13-inch MacBook Air with M5 is our best value MacBook because it now ships with 512GB of storage as standard, runs completely silently, and delivers the performance most people actually need at roughly Rs 50,000 less than the cheapest MacBook Pro.

Apple doubled the Air's base capacity to 512GB this generation while keeping 16GB of unified memory standard, which removes the single biggest complaint about buying a base Air. Add an SSD that Apple rates at twice the read and write speed of the previous generation, and the entry configuration finally feels complete rather than like a machine engineered to push you one tier up. The M5's 10-core CPU handles the browser-heavy, document-heavy, video-call-heavy work most buyers do without ever spinning up a fan, because there isn't one.

The consensus on this machine is that it hits a sweet spot: not Pro-level performance, but close enough that the difference only surfaces in sustained professional workloads. The 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display runs at 500 nits with a billion colours, Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 arrive via Apple's N1 wireless chip, and the 12MP Centre Stage camera with Desk View is the same one fitted across the lineup. 

Two caveats. The base configuration uses an 8-core GPU; choosing any upgrade moves you to the 10-core version, which starts at Rs 1,31,900. And unlike the Pro models, there's no ProMotion here, so the display runs at a fixed refresh rate. Neither undermines the value case, but both are worth knowing before you configure.

Pros	Cons
512GB storage and 16GB memory as standard	Base model uses the slower 8-core GPU
Completely silent fanless design	No ProMotion, fixed refresh rate display
Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and a rated 18-hour battery	Thunderbolt 4 only, and just two ports
Roughly Rs 50,000 cheaper than the entry MacBook Pro

Key specs:

• Chip: Apple M5 (10-core CPU, 8-core or 10-core GPU)
• Display: 13.6-inch Liquid Retina, 500 nits, one billion colours
• Memory/Storage: 16GB unified (up to 32GB) / 512GB SSD (up to 4TB)
• Battery: 53.8Wh, rated up to 18 hours, 50% in about 30 minutes
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, Thunderbolt 4
• Weight: 1.23kg, 11.3mm thin
• Finishes: Sky Blue, Midnight, Starlight, Silver

MacBook Pro M5 Max — Best MacBook for Professionals

Launch price: From Rs 3,66,900

Why we picked it

The MacBook Pro with M5 Max is our pick for professionals because it is the only Mac laptop that removes every ceiling at once, combining the highest core counts Apple offers with up to 64GB of unified memory and 4TB of storage in a chassis that still fits in a backpack.

This is the configuration you buy when the machine is the bottleneck. The standard M5 Max pairs an 18-core CPU with a 32-core GPU, and Apple offers a 40-core GPU version for roughly Rs 30,000 more. Apple describes the M5 Max as engineered from the ground up for AI, and the consensus among professionals working with these chips is that the gains are most visible exactly where you'd want them: local model inference, multi-stream timelines, large 3D scenes and the kind of sustained multi-hour workload where thermal headroom decides whether performance holds or collapses. The 16-inch chassis has the most cooling capacity in the lineup, which is why it remains the default recommendation for anyone running long renders.

The supporting hardware matches. You get the Liquid Retina XDR display with 120Hz ProMotion, Thunderbolt 5 for external storage arrays and multi-display setups, Wi-Fi 7, a 12MP Centre Stage camera, and up to a 100Wh battery with 96W charging.

The honest caveat is that very few buyers need this. The M5 Max costs well over twice the base MacBook Pro, and unless your work genuinely saturates a 32-core GPU or exceeds 36GB of memory, the M5 Pro below will finish the same job for a lot less. Buy the Max because your workload demands it, not because it's the top of the menu.

Pros	Cons
Highest CPU and GPU core counts Apple offers	Extremely expensive, and upgrades add fast
Configurable to 64GB memory and 4TB storage	Overkill for the majority of professional workflows
Thunderbolt 5, Wi-Fi 7 and up to 100Wh battery	The 16-inch model is heavy at 2.15kg
Best sustained performance under long, heavy loads

Key specs:

• Chip: Apple M5 Max (18-core CPU, 32-core or 40-core GPU)
• Display: 14.2-inch or 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR, up to 120Hz
• Memory/Storage: 36GB unified (up to 64GB) / 2TB SSD (up to 4TB)
• Battery: Up to 100Wh, up to 96W charging
• Connectivity: Thunderbolt 5, Wi-Fi 7
• Weight: 1.62kg (14-inch), 2.15kg (16-inch)
• Indicative configs: 14-inch 36GB/2TB around Rs 3.99 lakh; 16-inch 36GB/2TB around Rs 4.29 lakh

MacBook Neo — Best MacBook for Students

Launch price: Rs 69,990 (256GB), Rs 79,900 (512GB)

Why we picked it

The MacBook Neo (review) is our best MacBook for students because it is the first Apple laptop priced within reach of a college budget that still delivers the complete MacBook experience, and because a Rs 10,000 education discount takes it down to Rs 59,900.

We tested this one ourselves, and the display is what wins the category. The 13-inch Liquid Retina panel runs at 2,408 x 1,506 with 500 nits and an anti-reflective coating, and in our testing, it held its own against similarly priced Windows machines shipping OLED screens, while beating them on single-thread performance. In our benchmark suite, it returned 8,727 in Geekbench 6 multi-core and 3,466 in single-core, with 1,391 in Cinebench 2026 multi-core and a CrossMark score of 1,717. For coursework, research, writing, presentations and even light 4K video editing for short projects, it is comfortably enough machine.

The rest is classic Apple. The aluminium chassis shows no creak or flex, it weighs 1.23kg, and it runs fanless and silent through a full library session. The trackpad is the same class-leading unit found across the range, and the battery comfortably covers a full working day. It comes in blush, indigo, silver, and citrus.

Know the limits before you commit. Memory is fixed at 8GB, which becomes a real ceiling once your files get heavy or your tab count gets silly. There is no keyboard backlight, which is a genuine problem for late-night work. Ports run to two USB-C and a headphone jack, wireless stops at Wi-Fi 6E, and Touch ID only appears on the 512GB model. We rated it 8.5/10.

Pros	Cons
Compact, lightweight and well-built	Can't handle heavy workloads on 8GB
Good display, performance and battery life	No keyboard backlight
Delivers the core MacBook experience	Limited ports and Wi-Fi 6E only
Genuine value for money, especially with education pricing	Touch ID only on the 512GB model

Key specs:

• Chip: Apple A18 Pro
• Display: 13-inch Liquid Retina (2,408 x 1,506), 500 nits, anti-reflective
• Memory/Storage: 8GB / 256GB or 512GB SSD
• Battery: Full working day, 30W charger, 50% in about 1 hour 15 minutes
• Connectivity: 2x USB-C, 3.5mm jack, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 6
• Weight: 1.23kg, fanless
• Rating: 8.5/10

MacBook Pro M5 Pro — Best MacBook for Video Editing

Launch price: From Rs 2,32,900

Why we picked it

The MacBook Pro with M5 Pro is our best MacBook for video editing because it is the point in the lineup where the hardware stops compromising on the things editors actually feel: memory headroom, sustained GPU throughput, external storage bandwidth, and colour-accurate output.

The case rests on three specifics. First, memory: the M5 Pro starts at 24GB rather than 16GB, and the consensus is that this is the threshold where multi-stream timelines, colour nodes, and background renders stop fighting each other. Second, Thunderbolt 5, which the base M5 model doesn't get. If you edit off external drives, and most editors do, the jump in bandwidth changes how you work rather than just how fast files copy. Third, thermal headroom. The M5 Pro sustains its clocks through long exports where thinner machines throttle, and reviewers who have run extended renders on these chips consistently report that the performance you see at minute one is what you get at minute forty.

The display packs in a Liquid Retina XDR panel with 120Hz ProMotion remains the reference screen for grading work in a laptop, and it pairs with up to a 100Wh battery and 96W charging, Wi-Fi 7, and a 12MP Centre Stage camera. 

At Rs 2,32,900 to start, if your editing is occasional rather than professional, the base M5 will handle it and save you Rs 60,000 or more.

Pros	Cons
24GB base memory suits multi-stream editing	Significant step up in price from the base M5
Thunderbolt 5 transforms external storage workflows	Overkill for casual or occasional editing
Sustains performance through long exports	16-inch model is noticeably heavier
Reference-grade XDR display for grading

Key specs:

• Chip: Apple M5 Pro
• Display: 14.2-inch or 16.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR, up to 120Hz ProMotion
• Memory/Storage: 24GB unified / 1TB SSD (configurable higher)
• Battery: Up to 100Wh, up to 96W charging
• Connectivity: Thunderbolt 5, Wi-Fi 7
• Weight: 1.60kg (14-inch), 2.14kg (16-inch)
• Indicative configs: 14-inch 24GB/1TB around Rs 2.49 lakh; 16-inch 24GB/1TB around Rs 2.99 lakh

MacBook Air M5 15-inch — Best MacBook for Battery Life

Launch price: Rs 1,44,900 (16GB/512GB)

Why we picked it

The 15-inch MacBook Air with M5 is our battery life pick because it carries the largest battery in Apple's fanless lineup at 66.5Wh, and because a silent, low-power chassis is what turns a rated figure into genuine all-day endurance rather than a number you only hit watching video.

Apple rates this machine at up to 18 hours, and roughly 15 hours of web browsing, but the reason it earns this category is behavioural rather than numerical. With no fans and no discrete GPU, power draw stays flat across the mixed, unglamorous work most people actually do: browser tabs, documents, video calls, music, the occasional export. Machines with more aggressive silicon post bigger headline numbers and then drain far faster the moment the workload gets real. The consensus on this generation of Air is consistent on exactly that point, with reviewers describing it as the best balance of design, near-pro performance and endurance in the lineup.

The 15.3-inch Liquid Retina display is the other half of the argument, and the reason the consensus generally favours this size over the 13-inch. You get more screen for Rs 25,000 more, in a machine that still weighs just 1.51kg and measures 11.5mm thick, with a larger multi-speaker array than the smaller Air. Every 15-inch configuration ships with the full 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU, so there's no base-model compromise to navigate. Charging runs up to 70W.

The trade-offs are the same as the 13-inch Air. There's no ProMotion, ports are limited to Thunderbolt 4, and sustained professional workloads will find the ceiling. For everyone else, this is the Mac you stop carrying a charger for.

Pros	Cons
Largest battery in the fanless MacBook lineup	No ProMotion on the display
Full 10-core CPU and GPU on every configuration	Thunderbolt 4 and limited port count
Excellent screen-to-weight balance at 1.51kg	Not built for sustained professional workloads
Silent operation with flat real-world power draw	Rs 25,000 more than the 13-inch Air

Key specs:

• Chip: Apple M5 (10-core CPU, 10-core GPU)
• Display: 15.3-inch Liquid Retina, 500 nits
• Memory/Storage: 16GB unified (up to 32GB) / 512GB SSD (up to 4TB)
• Battery: 66.5Wh, rated up to 18 hours, up to 70W charging
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, Thunderbolt 4
• Weight: 1.51kg, 11.5mm thin
• Finishes: Sky Blue, Midnight, Starlight, Silver

Winners at a glance

Prices below are Apple India launch pricing and are subject to change.

MacBook	Category win	Chip	Display	Memory/Storage	Battery	Launch price
MacBook Pro M5	Best overall	Apple M5	14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR, 120Hz	16GB / 512GB	Rated up to 24 hrs	Rs 1,69,900
MacBook Air M5 13-inch	Best value	Apple M5	13.6-inch Liquid Retina, 500 nits	16GB / 512GB	53.8Wh, up to 18 hrs	Rs 1,19,900
MacBook Pro M5 Max	Best for professionals	Apple M5 Max	14.2 or 16.2-inch XDR, 120Hz	36GB / 2TB	Up to 100Wh	Rs 3,66,900 onwards
MacBook Neo	Best for students	Apple A18 Pro	13-inch Liquid Retina, 500 nits	8GB / 256GB	Full working day	Rs 69,990
MacBook Pro M5 Pro	Best for video editing	Apple M5 Pro	14.2 or 16.2-inch XDR, 120Hz	24GB / 1TB	Up to 100Wh	Rs 2,32,900 onwards
MacBook Air M5 15-inch	Best battery life	Apple M5	15.3-inch Liquid Retina, 500 nits	16GB / 512GB	66.5Wh, up to 18 hrs	Rs 1,44,900

FAQs

Which is the best MacBook in India?

The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 is the best MacBook in India overall. At Rs 1,69,900, it pairs a Liquid Retina XDR display, a rated 24 hours of battery life and near-Pro-tier performance, making it the best balance of capability and price in Apple's lineup.

Which MacBook is best for students?

The MacBook Neo is the best MacBook for students. It starts at Rs 69,990 and drops to Rs 59,900 with education pricing, delivering a 500-nit Liquid Retina display, fanless silent operation and full-day battery in a 1.23kg body.

Is the MacBook Air M5 enough for most people?

Yes. The 13-inch MacBook Air M5 now ships with 16GB of memory and 512GB of storage as standard, which covers browsing, documents, video calls and light creative work comfortably. You only need a MacBook Pro if you run sustained professional workloads like video editing, 3D or local AI models.

Should I buy the 13-inch or 15-inch MacBook Air?

The 15-inch is the better buy for most people at Rs 25,000 more. It has a bigger battery, a larger display, better speakers and ships with the full 10-core GPU on every configuration, while still weighing just 1.51kg. Choose the 13-inch only if maximum portability or the lowest price matters most.

Which MacBook is best for video editing?

The MacBook Pro with M5 Pro is best for video editing, thanks to 24GB of base memory, Thunderbolt 5 for fast external storage, sustained performance through long exports and a colour-accurate XDR display for grading.

Is the M5 Max worth it over the M5 Pro?

For most professionals, no. The M5 Max costs well over Rs 1.3 lakh more and only pays off if your work genuinely saturates a 32-core GPU or needs more than 36GB of unified memory. For everything else, the M5 Pro delivers the same result for considerably less.

Which MacBook has the best battery life?

The 15-inch MacBook Air M5 offers the most dependable real-world endurance, with the largest battery in Apple's fanless lineup at 66.5Wh and consistent power draw thanks to its silent, fanless design. The MacBook Pro M5 carries a higher rated figure at up to 24 hours, but it weighs more and costs Rs 25,000 more.

Is 8GB of memory enough on the MacBook Neo?

For coursework, writing, browsing, presentations and light editing, yes. For heavy multitasking, large creative files or professional work, 8GB becomes a bottleneck and you should step up to a MacBook Air, which starts at 16GB.

Do students get a discount on MacBooks in India?

Yes. Apple India offers education pricing on select configurations, worth Rs 10,000 on the MacBook Neo and the 14-inch MacBook Pro M5, and up to Rs 17,000 on qualifying M5 Pro configurations. Education pricing applies through Apple's own store rather than resellers.

This guide is for students in India who need a laptop that survives four years of assignments, lectures, group projects, and the occasional Netflix binge, without wrecking a semester's budget. Whether you're a first-year student buying your first machine, an engineering student who needs real multi-core muscle for compiling and simulations, a design student chasing colour accuracy, or someone who just wants a laptop that lasts a full day of classes on one charge, we narrow the field to machines that earned their spot in testing. It's especially useful if you have a hard price ceiling and want to know exactly what you get at each one.

We tested and compared laptops across the sub-Rs 30,000, Rs 40,000, Rs 50,000, and Rs 60,000 segments, plus premium student machines, to find the best student laptops in India. Rankings are based on real-world usage, synthetic benchmarks, battery endurance, display quality, keyboard comfort, build quality, upgradability, and value for money.

The Acer Aspire 15 AS15-42 is our best overall pick for its Ryzen 7 muscle at a Rs 40,990 price. The Acer Aspire 3 A324-53 leads under Rs 60,000, the Lenovo ThinkBook 16 Gen 7 under Rs 50,000, the Dell Vostro 14 3440 under Rs 40,000 and the CHUWI CoreBook X Pro under Rs 30,000. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 13ARP10 is the one for engineering and coding, the Apple MacBook Neo wins for design, and the Acer Aspire 14 AI is untouchable on battery. Updated for July 2026 with the latest launches, testing data and price changes.

A note on pricing: all prices listed here are what each laptop cost at the time we reviewed it. Laptop prices in India have moved sharply over the past few months, driven largely by memory and storage costs, so verify current pricing before you buy. Sale events can also swing these numbers by Rs 10,000 or more in either direction.

How do we test laptops for students?

Every laptop here has been used as a daily driver for weeks, not benchmarked for an afternoon and shipped back. That means the actual student workload: dozens of browser tabs, Word and Excel, video calls, streaming, light photo editing, and in a few cases coding and casual gaming.

The benchmark suite is consistent across every machine, which is what makes these comparisons meaningful. We run Cinebench R23, R24 and 2026 for CPU performance, Geekbench 6 for cross-platform comparison, PCMark 10 and PCMark 10 Extended for real-world productivity, the 3DMark stack from Night Raid to Time Spy for graphics, and CrystalDiskMark for storage speeds. Battery life comes from the PCMark 10 video loop test at 80 percent brightness, which is why the numbers you'll see below are directly comparable to each other rather than manufacturer claims.

We also weigh the things that matter more to students than to anyone else. Can you type on it for three hours without your hands complaining? Does it survive being thrown into a backpack daily? Can you upgrade the RAM in year three instead of buying a new laptop? Is the display readable in a bright classroom? Those questions shape the picks below just as much as the benchmark charts do.

Acer Aspire 15 AS15-42 — Best Overall Student Laptop

Price: Rs 42,990

Why we picked it

The Acer Aspire 15 AS15-42 (review) is our best overall student laptop because it delivers genuine Ryzen 7 multi-core performance at a price where most rivals are still shipping entry-level chips, making it the single best performance-per-rupee buy for students right now.

Performance is where this machine earns the top slot, and it isn't close. The Ryzen 7 7730U paired with 16GB of DDR4 and a 512GB Gen4 SSD scored 9,262 in Cinebench R23 multi-core in our testing, ahead of the Lenovo ThinkPad E14's 8,062 and effectively matching machines costing more. In daily use, juggling 20-plus Chrome tabs, multiple desktops, and light photo editing stayed smooth with only minor slowdowns after long sessions. Our review scored it 8.5/10 on performance alone.

The practical stuff holds up too. The full-sized backlit keyboard has good travel and tactile feedback, the trackpad is spacious and responsive, and the port selection is genuinely excellent: HDMI, three USB-A, two USB-C 3.2, a microSD slot and a physical camera shutter, so no dongles. RAM upgrades to 32GB and an easy-access storage slot means it can grow with you.

Be clear-eyed about the trade-offs. The 15.6-inch panel covers just 45 percent NTSC at 300 nits, so colours look washed out and outdoor use is a struggle. There's noticeable chassis and screen flex. And the 55Wh battery managed only 5 hours 40 minutes in the PCMark 10 video loop test, the weakest here. 

Key specs:

• Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 7730U
• GPU: AMD Radeon (integrated)
• Display: 15.6-inch FHD TFT LCD, 16:9, 45% NTSC, 300 nits, anti-glare
• RAM/Storage: 16GB DDR4 (upgradeable to 32GB) / 512GB Gen4 SSD
• Battery: 55Wh, 5 hours 40 minutes (PCMark 10 video loop), 65W charger
• Weight: 1.79kg
• Rating: 7/10

Acer Aspire 3 A324-53 — Best Student Laptop Under Rs 60,000

Price: Currently Rs 46,990

Why we picked it

The Acer Aspire 3 A324-53 (review) is our best student laptop under Rs 60,000 because it combines surprisingly fast storage, genuine all-day battery life, and the best keyboard in this price band into a 14-inch body light enough to forget in your bag.

The headline surprise here is the SSD. In CrystalDiskMark, the 512GB Gen 4 drive posted 7,039MB/s reads and 5,279MB/s writes, numbers that belong on laptops costing twice as much. The Intel Core i5-1334U backing is an efficiency chip rather than a powerhouse, but it topped this group in real-world productivity scoring, hitting 6,342 in PCMark 10 and 8,061 in Geekbench 6 multi-core, both ahead of the Aspire 15. Fifteen-plus Chrome tabs alongside light photo editing genuinely isn't a problem. Just don't expect it to run Black Myth: Wukong, GTA V, and Valorant with tweaked settings.

Around that sits a well-judged package. At under 1.5kg and 19.4mm thin, in a steel grey finish with a subtle grainy texture, it's a legitimately nice-looking machine. The 180-degree hinge is more useful than it sounds. The keyboard leans clicky rather than mushy with good travel and a backlight, and the port selection means no dongles ever: two USB-C, two USB-A, HDMI, microSD, headphone jack, and a Kensington lock, plus Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2. The 45Wh battery ran 7 hours 25 minutes on the PCMark 10 video loop test, roughly double what most budget alternatives manage.

The compromises are again on the display side of things, while the audio quality is none too good. It scored 7.5/10. Worth knowing: this laptop has been spotted as low as Rs 43,000 in sales and frequently sits around Rs 50,000, which is where it becomes a genuine no-brainer.

Key specs:

• Processor: Intel Core i5-1334U
• GPU: Intel integrated graphics
• Display: 14-inch FHD non-reflective IPS, 45% NTSC, 60Hz
• RAM/Storage: 16GB (expandable to 32GB) / 512GB Gen 4 SSD
• Battery: 45Wh, 7 hours 25 minutes (PCMark 10 video loop), 65W USB-C PD
• Weight: Just under 1.5kg, 19.4mm thin
• Rating: 7.5/10

Lenovo ThinkBook 16 Gen 7 — Best Student Laptop Under Rs 50,000

Price at time of review: Around Rs 46,990

Why we picked it

The Lenovo ThinkBook 16 Gen 7 (review) is our best student laptop under Rs 50,000 because it pairs an HS-series processor with dual RAM and dual SSD slots and 9 hours of battery life, making it the most future-proof machine you can buy at this price.

Most laptops in this bracket run U-series chips built to sip power rather than deliver it. The ThinkBook rolls in with a Ryzen 5 7535HS, and the gap shows immediately. It scored 9,393 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, 5,779 in PCMark 10, and 8,072 in Geekbench 6 multi-core, beating the Aspire 15 and comfortably clearing the Chuwi CoreBook X Pro and Dell Inspiron 15 3530 in our head-to-head. Even the integrated Radeon 660M pulls ahead of the pack, scoring 16,305 in 3DMark Night Raid, enough for light creative work and casual gaming after hours.

The upgrade path is what really sets this apart for a four-year degree. Dual SO-DIMM RAM slots and two M.2 SSD slots mean you can add memory and storage in year two or three instead of replacing the laptop. The 16-inch WUXGA 16:10 panel gives you real vertical room for spreadsheets, code, and split-screen work, and the keyboard is comfortable enough that long essay sessions stop being a chore. The port selection resists the USB-C-only trend, keeping USB-A, HDMI, Ethernet and a headphone jack, plus a physical webcam privacy shutter. And despite the modest 45Wh battery, the efficient chip pushed it to 9 hours in the PCMark 10 video loop test, roughly double what most laptops in this range manage.

At 1.7kg and 16 inches, it's not the machine you carry between five lectures a day, and the display trades brightness and colour accuracy for size. But at 8.5/10, it's the smartest long-term buy on this list.

Key specs:

• Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS
• GPU: AMD Radeon 660M
• Display: 16-inch WUXGA, 16:10
• RAM/Storage: 16GB DDR5 / 512GB PCIe Gen4 SSD (dual RAM + dual M.2 slots)
• Battery: 45Wh, 9 hours (PCMark 10 video loop), 65W USB-C
• Weight: Around 1.7kg
• Rating: 8.5/10

Dell Vostro 14 3440 — Best Student Laptop Under Rs 40,000

Price at time of review: Rs 39,990

Why we picked it

The Dell Vostro 14 3440 (review) is our best student laptop under Rs 40,000, delivering dependable everyday performance in a genuinely portable 1.46kg build that feels considerably more professional than its Rs 39,990 price suggests.

Set expectations correctly, and this machine delivers. The 13th-gen Core i3-1305U is a quad-core chip boosting to around 4.5GHz, paired with 8GB of DDR4 that's expandable to 16GB. In testing, it scored 4,730 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 4,494 in PCMark 10, with 8,336 in Essentials and 6,202 in Productivity, which is exactly the profile you want for browsing, office apps, and light multitasking. It'll strain under Photoshop or video editing, but for typical coursework, meetings, and streaming it performs admirably.

Where it quietly wins is the everyday feel. The matte black chassis is reinforced around the hinges, the rounded edges look more refined than the usual boxy budget laptop, and at 1.46 kg it's easy to carry between classes. The 14-inch FHD display is crisp with vivid colours and thin bezels, the full-size island-style keyboard has enough travel for long typing sessions, and the 41Wh battery stretches to around 4 hours and 29 minutes of light usage with fast charging support.

The compromises: brightness struggles outdoors, the trackpad is functional rather than precise with occasional lag, and there's no keyboard backlight, which is a genuine annoyance for late-night work. It scored 7.5/10 on our review.

Key specs:

• Processor: Intel Core i3-1305U (13th Gen, quad-core, up to 4.5GHz)
• GPU: Intel UHD Graphics
• Display: 14-inch FHD (1920 x 1080)
• RAM/Storage: 8GB DDR4 (expandable to 16GB) / SSD
• Battery: 41Wh, up to 9 hours light usage, fast charging
• Weight: 1.46kg
• Rating: 7.5/10

CHUWI CoreBook X Pro — Best Student Laptop Under Rs 30,000

Price at time of review: Around Rs 30,000

Why we picked it

The CHUWI CoreBook X Pro (review) is our best student laptop under Rs 30,000 because it puts a 12th-gen H-series processor, 16GB of RAM and a properly upgradeable chassis at a price where the competition is still shipping sluggish entry-level chips and 768p screens.

The processor is the whole story. The Intel Core i5-12450H is a full H-series part, the kind you normally find in Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000 creator and gaming laptops. In our benchmarks, it scored 7,128 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 5,104 in PCMark 10, landing neck and neck with entry-level gaming laptops running the same chip, and demolishing typical budget contenders built on Core i3-1305U silicon. Paired with 16GB of DDR4, multitasking across Chrome tabs, video calls, and productivity apps simply doesn't stutter.

Then there's the upgradability, which is genuinely rare at any price. Chuwi put dedicated flaps on the bottom for RAM and SSD access, so no prying the chassis apart. The single 16GB stick means you can go to 32GB, and a second M.2 slot takes up to 2TB. For a student who wants this machine to last through a full degree, that matters. 

Two things to know. The 6-bit display shows muted colours and gradient banding, so it's most definitely not for colour work. And Chuwi's after-sales support in India remains an unknown quantity, which is the real gamble here. Battery is average at just under 5 hours. It earned 8.5/10.

Key specs:

• Processor: Intel Core i5-12450H (12th Gen H-series)
• GPU: Intel UHD Graphics
• Display: 15.6-inch Full HD, 60Hz, 6-bit panel
• RAM/Storage: 16GB DDR4 (upgradeable to 32GB) / 512GB NVMe SSD (second M.2 slot free)
• Battery: 49.08Wh, just under 5 hours (PCMark 10 video loop), barrel-pin charger
• Weight: Around 1.7kg
• Rating: 8.5/10

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 13ARP10 — Best Laptop for Engineering and Coding Students

Price at time of review: Rs 61,190

Why we picked it

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 13ARP10 (review) is our best laptop for engineering and coding students because it packs an HS-class Ryzen 7 into a 1.15kg aluminium body, giving you the sustained multi-threaded performance that compiling and simulation work demands without the weight penalty.

Engineering workloads punish weak CPUs, and this is where the Slim 5 separates itself. While most ultraportables at this price settle for low-power U-series chips, Lenovo dropped in the Ryzen 7 7735HS, silicon normally found in far bigger performance laptops. It scored 2,543 in Cinebench 2026 multi-core and 8,978 in Geekbench 6 multi-core in our testing, beating similarly priced rivals from Dell, Acer, and even Apple's entry-level MacBook in multi-threaded work. Thirty Chrome tabs alongside a compiler, documentation, and a video call: nothing made it flinch. The Radeon 680M graphics scored 21,204 in 3DMark Night Raid, comfortably handling visualisation work and esports titles between labs.

For a student carrying a laptop across campus daily, the rest of the package is close to ideal. At 1.15kg and 14mm thin it disappears into a backpack. The 13.3-inch 16:10 display covers 100 percent sRGB at 400 nits with a matte finish that stays readable under lecture-hall lighting, and the taller aspect ratio means more visible lines of code. Crucially for a compact machine, it features two USB-C ports, two USB-A ports, HDMI, and a microSD reader, allowing lab equipment and external displays to connect without the need for a dongle hunt.

Here is the catch: RAM is soldered at 16GB with no upgrade path, which stings on a machine you'll keep for four years, and battery life is decent rather than exceptional at 6 hours 22 minutes in the PCMark 10 video loop test. At 8.7/10, it's still the sharpest tool here for technical coursework.

Key specs:

• Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS
• GPU: AMD Radeon 680M
• Display: 13.3-inch WUXGA IPS, 16:10, 100% sRGB, 400 nits, matte
• RAM/Storage: 16GB LPDDR5x (soldered) / 512GB Gen4 SSD
• Battery: 6 hours 22 minutes (PCMark 10 video loop), 65W USB-C fast charging
• Weight: 1.15kg, 14mm thin
• Rating: 8.7/10

Apple MacBook Neo — Best Laptop for Design Students

Price at time of review: Rs 69,900 (256GB), Rs 79,900 (512GB)

Why we picked it

The Apple MacBook Neo (review) is our best laptop for design students because its 13-inch Liquid Retina display is good enough to almost match OLED rivals, and because a Rs 10,000 student discount brings the core MacBook experience within reach of a college budget for the first time.

The display is the reason it wins this category. At 2,408 x 1,506 with 500 nits of brightness and an anti-reflective coating, it's vibrant, bright, and reproduces text and images beautifully. In our testing, it holds its own against similarly priced Windows rivals like the ASUS Vivobook S16 and Motorola MotoBook 60, which ship OLED panels, and it beats them in Geekbench single-thread performance. For design students working in Figma, Illustrator, Canva, or light video, that combination of colour fidelity and responsiveness is exactly right. It even handles basic 4K video editing for short-form content.

The build is classic MacBook: aluminium, no creaks or flex, 1.23kg, and fanless, so it runs silently through a full studio session. The trackpad is superb, and once you've used it, going back to a Windows trackpad genuinely hurts. Battery comfortably delivers a full workday on a charge, which scored 8.8/10 in our review. And students can claim a Rs 10,000 discount, bringing the entry price to Rs 59,900.

Now the honest limits, because they matter for design work. You're stuck with 8GB of RAM, which becomes a bottleneck the moment your files get heavy, and this is the first Mac built around a smartphone chip, the A18 Pro. There's no keyboard backlight, which is a real problem for late-night studio work. Ports are limited to two USB-C, connectivity tops out at Wi-Fi 6E rather than Wi-Fi 7, and TouchID only appears on the 512GB model. If you're doing serious video editing or 3D, this isn't your machine. For everything short of that, at 8.5/10, it's a lot of Mac for the money.

Key specs:

• Processor: Apple A18 Pro
• Display: 13-inch Liquid Retina (2,408 x 1,506), 500 nits, 60Hz, anti-reflective
• RAM/Storage: 8GB / 256GB or 512GB SSD
• Battery: Full workday of use, 30W charger (0 to 50% in about 1 hour 15 minutes)
• Connectivity: 2x USB-C, 3.5mm jack, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 6
• Weight: 1.23kg, fanless
• Rating: 8.5/10

Acer Aspire 14 AI — Best Battery Life

Price at time of review: Rs 43,999

Why we picked it

The Acer Aspire 14 AI (review) is our best student laptop for battery life because it ran 15 hours 13 minutes in our PCMark 10 video loop test, surpassing every rival on this list by a huge margin and genuinely changing how you use a laptop.

During testing, it comfortably cleared 10-hour workdays at full brightness with multiple tabs open and the display running at 120Hz, still finishing with over 25 percent left, which stretched to roughly 12 hours of total use. After a week, our reviewer stopped carrying the charger entirely. For a student moving between lectures, the library, and a hostel room with contested plug points, that is the single most useful feature a laptop can have.

The enabler is the Snapdragon X X1-26-100, an ARM chip paired with 16GB of LPDDR5X running at 8,448 MT/s. It's not a powerhouse, but it scored 10,514 in Geekbench 6 multi-core and 704 in Cinebench R24 multi-core, actually ahead of Intel-powered rivals like the Moto Book 60 and ASUS Vivobook S14 in those tests, and it managed 54fps in GTA V. Thirty-plus tabs across two browsers with music playing caused no issues. The 14-inch 1920 x 1200 120Hz IPS panel covers 100 percent sRGB at around 400 nits, making it one of the better displays here, and at 1.26kg with Wi-Fi 7, a QHD+ webcam and a full port selection including HDMI and microSD, it's a genuinely well-rounded machine.

The one real catch is Windows on ARM. Most mainstream apps now run fine, but After Effects, Premiere Pro, and AutoCAD still lack ARM versions, and Linux support is absent. Engineering and video students should note that carefully. The trackpad also occasionally registered phantom right-clicks in testing. It scored 8/10.

Key specs:

• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon X X1-26-100
• GPU: Adreno X1-45
• Display: 14-inch IPS (1920 x 1200), 120Hz, 16:10, 100% sRGB, around 400 nits
• RAM/Storage: 16GB LPDDR5X 8448 MT/s (soldered) / SSD
• Battery: 15 hours 13 minutes (PCMark 10 video loop), 65W USB-C PD
• Weight: 1.26kg
• Rating: 8/10

Winners at a glance

PS: Prices below are as of the time each laptop was reviewed and are subject to change.

FAQs

Which is the best laptop for students in India?

The Acer Aspire 15 AS15-42 is the best overall laptop for students in India, offering Ryzen 7 7730U performance, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB Gen4 SSD at Rs 40,999, making it the strongest performance-per-rupee buy for everyday student work.

Which is the best laptop for students under Rs 30,000?

The CHUWI CoreBook X Pro is the best student laptop under Rs 30,000. Its 12th-gen Core i5-12450H H-series chip, 16GB of RAM, and upgradeable RAM and SSD slots deliver performance normally found in laptops costing twice as much.

Which is the best laptop for students under Rs 40,000?

The Dell Vostro 14 3440 at Rs 39,990 is our pick under Rs 40,000, combining dependable Core i3 performance and a lightweight, professional 1.46kg build that handles coursework, meetings and streaming comfortably.

Which is the best laptop for students under Rs 50,000?

The Lenovo ThinkBook 16 Gen 7 is the best student laptop under Rs 50,000. Its Ryzen 5 7535HS HS-series chip outperforms the U-series competition, and dual RAM plus dual SSD slots mean you can upgrade it years later instead of replacing it.

Which laptop is best for engineering and coding students?

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 13ARP10 is best for engineering and coding students, with an HS-class Ryzen 7 7735HS for compiling and simulation work, a 100 percent sRGB 16:10 display for more visible code, and a 1.15kg all-aluminium body.

Which laptop is best for design students?

The Apple MacBook Neo is our pick for design students, thanks to a 500-nit Liquid Retina display that rivals OLED panels, a class-leading trackpad, and a Rs 10,000 student discount that brings the price down to Rs 59,900.

Which student laptop has the best battery life?

The Acer Aspire 14 AI has by far the best battery life, running 15 hours 13 minutes in our PCMark 10 video loop test and delivering roughly 12 hours of real-world use, enough that you can leave the charger at home.

Is 8GB RAM enough for students in 2026?

For basic coursework, browsing, and office apps, 8GB works, as the Dell Vostro 14 3440 and MacBook Neo both show. But for engineering, coding, design or anything with heavy multitasking, 16GB is the sensible minimum, and a laptop with upgradeable RAM like the ThinkBook 16 Gen 7 or CHUWI CoreBook X Pro is the safer long-term buy.

Should students buy an ARM-based laptop like the Acer Aspire 14 AI?

For most students, yes, since mainstream apps now run well on ARM and the battery advantage is enormous. But if your course requires After Effects, Premiere Pro, AutoCAD or Linux, those still lack ARM support, so an x86 Windows laptop is the safer choice.

This page is built for laptop buyers in India who are tired of spec-sheet roulette and want a tested, trustworthy shortlist instead of marketing fluff. Whether you're a student hunting for a lightweight machine under a fixed budget, a professional who needs enterprise-grade reliability, a creator eyeing serious GPU muscle, or someone finally making the jump to macOS, this guide narrows the field to the machines that actually earned their spot. It's especially useful if you care about one specific strength, like battery endurance, raw performance, portability, or display quality, and want a clear winner for it.

We tested and compared over 30 laptops across budget, mid-range, premium, and workstation segments to identify the best laptops in India for different needs and budgets. Our rankings are based on real-world usage, synthetic benchmarks (Cinebench, Geekbench, 3DMark, PCMark), sustained performance and thermals, display quality, battery endurance, build quality, and overall value for money.

The Dell Pro Max 16 Plus is our best overall laptop thanks to its desktop-class performance and stunning Tandem OLED display. The Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra is our value flagship pick, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 13ARP10 wins for students, and the ASUS ExpertBook Ultra is the one for professionals. The Apple MacBook Pro M5 Pro takes the MacBook crown, the Dell XPS 14 (2026) is the best Windows ultrabook, and the ASUS ROG Flow Z13 Kojima Edition is the best 2-in-1 you can buy. Updated for July 2026 with the latest launches, testing data, and price changes.

How do we test laptops?

Our recommendations are built on extensive, hands-on testing, not spec sheets. Every laptop on this list has spent weeks as a daily driver, pushed through real workloads: heavy multitasking with dozens of browser tabs, video editing timelines, code compilation, AAA gaming sessions, and long stretches of unplugged use.

We back that up with a standardised benchmark suite. For CPU performance, we run Cinebench R23, R24, and 2026 alongside Geekbench 6. For graphics, it's the full 3DMark stack, from Night Raid to Time Spy Extreme, plus real-game testing in titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Forza Horizon 5. PCMark 10 handles productivity scoring, CrystalDiskMark measures storage throughput, and battery life comes from the PCMark 10 video loop test at 80 percent brightness, cross-checked against real screen-on time.

Just as importantly, we test what benchmarks miss. How hot does the keyboard deck get during a render? Does performance hold up after 30 minutes of sustained load, or does it fall off a cliff? Is the display actually usable near a bright window? Each laptop is scored across design, display, performance, battery, and connectivity, and those scores decide who makes this list.

Dell Pro Max 16 Plus — Best Overall Laptop in India

Starting price: Rs 7,99,990

Why we picked it

The Dell Pro Max 16 Plus (review) is our best overall laptop in India because it delivered the most extreme combination of CPU power, GPU performance, display quality, and build engineering of any machine we tested this year.

The numbers back it up. The Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX, a 24-core Arrow Lake-HX chip, posted some of the highest Cinebench multi-core scores we've ever recorded in a 16-inch chassis, sprinting to 159W in burst workloads and holding around 90W sustained. The NVIDIA RTX Pro 5000 Blackwell with 24GB of VRAM is the real shocker, though. In 3DMark, it lands within striking distance of RTX 5090 gaming laptops, scoring 21,954 in Time Spy and 37,222 in Fire Strike, and it pushed Cyberpunk 2077 to 126fps at FHD. That's a workstation GPU trading blows with bulky gaming rigs.

Then there's the stuff you can't benchmark. The 128GB of CAMM2 memory is upgradeable. The GPU sits on a modular DGFF module instead of being soldered down. Even the USB-C ports can be swapped out individually. Add a 4K Tandem OLED panel with near-complete DCI-P3 coverage and VESA HDR TrueBlack 1000, wrap it all in a MIL-STD-810H chassis, and you get a machine built to outlast everything else on this list. It scored 9.5/10 in our review, the highest rating we've given a laptop this year.

It runs hot under load, and the battery lasts 4 to 6 hours at best, but if you want the most laptop money can buy in India right now, this is it.

Pros	Cons
Exceptional CPU and GPU performance	Runs extremely hot under load
Modular RAM, GPU, and even ports
Stunning 4K Tandem OLED display
Enterprise-grade durability and build

Key specs:

• Processor: Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX (24 cores)
• GPU: NVIDIA RTX Pro 5000 Blackwell, 24GB GDDR7
• Display: 16-inch 4K (3840 x 2400) Tandem OLED, 16:10, 500 nits, HDR TrueBlack 1000
• RAM/Storage: 128GB CAMM2 / 2TB SSD (triple Gen5 slots)
• Battery: 96Whr, 280W charging
• Ports: 2x Thunderbolt 5, Thunderbolt 4, HDMI 2.1, 2.5GbE LAN, SD Express, USB-A

Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra — Best Value Flagship Laptop

Starting price: Rs 3,10,990 (RTX 5070 variant)

Why we picked it

The Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra (review) is our best value flagship because it packs RTX 5070 graphics, a stunning AMOLED touchscreen, and workstation-level internals into a boardroom-ready chassis, with the quietest thermals of any performance laptop we tested this year.

Value at three lakh rupees sounds like a contradiction, so let us explain. Powered by the Intel Core Ultra 7 356H with 32GB of LPDDR5X RAM and a fast 2TB NVMe SSD, this machine comfortably trades blows with proper gaming laptops across Cinebench, Geekbench, and PCMark in our testing. In games, 2K gaming across demanding titles like Cyberpunk 2077, Black Myth: Wukong, and Forza Horizon 5 felt surprisingly effortless. Samsung runs the RTX 5070 at 90W rather than the 115W of chunkier rivals, yet the gap isn't nearly as wide as you'd think: Cyberpunk 2077 hit 177fps at FHD with DLSS, ray tracing, and frame generation, against 217 to 219fps on 115W machines nearly twice its thickness.

The trick is the cooling. Thanks to the vapour chamber design, there's essentially no throttling to speak of, and the fans never get obnoxiously loud even in Turbo mode. This is the quietest we've ever gamed on a laptop with this much muscle. Around that sit a gorgeous AMOLED touchscreen, a six-speaker system (four force-cancelling woofers, two tweeters) that fills a room without falling apart, a massive trackpad that rivals the best in the business, and an 80.2Whr battery that comfortably lasted an entire workday in our testing.

Our review rated it 9/10. You're paying flagship money, but you're getting a creator laptop, a quiet gaming machine, and a premium ultrabook in one body. That's where the value is. And if hardcore gaming isn't your priority, the Core Ultra X7 358H variant at Rs 2,42,990 carries the same premium DNA for a lot less.

Pros	Cons
Stunning AMOLED touchscreen	Shallow keyboard feel
Powerful yet slim design	GPU not fully unleashed
Excellent thermal management, near-silent under load
Top-tier six-speaker audio system

Key specs:

• Processor: Intel Core Ultra 7 356H
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Laptop, 90W TGP
• Display: AMOLED touchscreen [confirm size/resolution/refresh from First Impressions]
• RAM/Storage: 32GB LPDDR5X / 2TB NVMe SSD
• Battery: 80.2Whr, 140W USB-C charging
• Audio: Six speakers (4 woofers + 2 tweeters)

Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 13ARP10 — Best Laptop for Students

Starting price: Rs 75,500

Why we picked it

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 13ARP10 (review) is our best laptop for students because it delivers a premium all-aluminium build, a genuinely powerful Ryzen 7 processor, and a class-leading display at a price that most students can actually justify.

The trick here is the processor. While most ultraportables at this price settle for low-power U-series chips, Lenovo dropped in the Ryzen 7 7735HS, silicon you'd normally find in bigger performance laptops. The difference shows up everywhere. In our testing, it scored 2,543 in Cinebench 2026 multi-core and 8,978 in Geekbench 6 multi-core, beating similarly priced rivals from Dell, Acer, and even Apple's entry-level MacBook in multi-threaded workloads. Thirty Chrome tabs, video calls, document editing, light photo work: nothing made it flinch. The Radeon 680M graphics even handle older AAA titles and esports games at sensible settings, which is a nice bonus between lectures.

The hardware around it punches above its price too. The 13.3-inch 16:10 display covers 100 percent sRGB at 400 nits with a matte finish that laughs at classroom lighting. At 1.15kg and 14mm thin, it disappears into a backpack. And unlike most compact laptops, it keeps two USB-C ports, two USB-A ports, HDMI, and a microSD reader, so no dongle tax.

The 16GB of RAM is soldered, and battery life is decent rather than epic at around 6.5 hours in our PCMark loop test. But at 8.7/10, this is one of the easiest recommendations we've made all year.

Pros	Cons
Premium all-aluminium chassis at a budget price	Soldered RAM with no upgrade path
Powerful everyday performance	Battery life is average under heavier workloads
Bright, colour-accurate 16:10 display	Side-mounted power button is easy to press accidentally
Excellent port selection

Key specs:

• Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS
• GPU: AMD Radeon 680M (integrated)
• Display: 13.3-inch WUXGA IPS, 16:10, 100% sRGB, 400 nits, matte
• RAM/Storage: 16GB LPDDR5x (soldered) / 512GB Gen4 SSD
• Battery: 65W USB-C fast charging, Lenovo Rapid Charge
• Weight: 1.15kg, 14mm thin

ASUS ExpertBook Ultra — Best Laptop for Professionals

Starting price: Rs 2,39,990 (reviewed variant: Rs 3,49,990)

Why we picked it

The ASUS ExpertBook Ultra (review) is our best laptop for professionals because it combines workstation-class specs, a game-changing matte Tandem OLED display, and close to 14 hours of battery life in a roughly 1.1kg machine that outperforms rivals running the same silicon.

Business laptops used to be the boring choice. This one isn't. Under the hood sits Intel's Core Ultra X7 358H from the new Panther Lake lineup, paired with 64GB of RAM and a blazing-fast 2TB Gen 5 SSD. That combination is the difference-maker: pitted against the Dell XPS 14 running the exact same CPU, the ExpertBook Ultra often pulls ahead, largely thanks to its higher memory capacity and faster storage. 

Then there's the display, the machine's biggest talking point. ASUS pairs a flagship Tandem OLED panel with Corning Gorilla Matte coating, and what sounds like a compromise on paper feels like a revelation in practice. Reflections are almost nonexistent near windows or under harsh office lighting, colour accuracy is excellent, and the 120Hz refresh keeps everything smooth. The Ceraluminum-finished chassis resists smudges and feels tank-solid despite the featherweight build, the haptic glass touchpad comes close to (and sometimes surpasses) the MacBook's, and the 70Whr battery ran close to 14 hours in our PCMark 10 video loop test, with the 90W charger taking it from zero to 50 percent in about 30 minutes.

The matte layer does soften OLED's inky blacks slightly, and ASUS is still building the brand cachet that Apple and Dell enjoy in this segment. Neither dents the verdict: at 9.3/10, this is the highest-rated business laptop we've tested this year, a machine for professionals who value substance over status.

Pros	Cons
Stunning matte Tandem OLED panel	Matte finish reduces OLED's cinematic feel
Premium, lightweight yet durable build	Brand perception still catching up
Excellent keyboard and haptic touchpad
Exceptional performance for an ultralight laptop

Key specs:

• Processor: Intel Core Ultra X7 358H (Panther Lake)
• GPU: Integrated Intel graphics
• Display: Tandem OLED, 120Hz, Corning Gorilla Matte with Gorilla Glass Victus
• RAM/Storage: 64GB / 2TB Gen 5 NVMe SSD
• Battery: 70Whr, ~14 hours (PCMark 10), 90W USB-C PD charging
• Build: ~1.1kg, Ceraluminum finish, USB-A, dual USB-C, HDMI

Apple MacBook Pro M5 Pro — Best MacBook

Starting price: Rs 2,49,990

Why we picked it

The Apple MacBook Pro 14-inch with M5 Pro delivers the strongest balance of performance, battery life, and display quality in Apple's entire laptop lineup, without crossing into M5 Max pricing that most buyers simply don't need.

The M5 Pro chip is built from the ground up for AI workloads, with a Neural Accelerator baked into each GPU core, and Apple claims a roughly 30 percent CPU uplift over the previous generation. Testers who have spent extended time with the new M5 Pro machines consistently report that the performance gains show up exactly where they matter: faster exports, snappier local AI tasks, and sustained workloads that don't throttle. The 24GB of unified memory in the base configuration, now paired with a 1TB SSD as standard, means the entry model finally feels like a pro machine out of the box rather than an upsell waiting to happen.

The fundamentals remain the best in the business. The 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR display with 120Hz ProMotion is still the panel every Windows OLED gets compared against, the six-speaker system embarrasses most laptop audio, and this generation adds three Thunderbolt 5 ports, Wi-Fi 7, and Bluetooth 6. Then there's the battery: Apple rates it at up to 24 hours, and real-world reports from those who have tested it put it comfortably beyond anything on the Windows side.

We recommend it without hesitation for anyone committed to macOS. If your workflow lives in Final Cut, Logic, or Xcode, this is the machine to buy in 2026.

Pros	Cons
Class-leading battery life, rated up to 24 hours	Expensive, and upgrades cost even more
Superb Liquid Retina XDR display with 120Hz ProMotion	No touchscreen, unlike premium Windows rivals
M5 Pro delivers major AI and sustained performance gains	Limited to macOS workflows and app ecosystem
Three Thunderbolt 5 ports, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6

Key specs:

• Processor: Apple M5 Pro (up to 18-core CPU)
• GPU: Integrated, with per-core Neural Accelerators
• Display: 14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR (3024 x 1964), 120Hz ProMotion, nano-texture option
• RAM/Storage: 24GB unified memory / 1TB SSD (base)
• Battery: Up to 24 hours video playback, 96W charging
• Ports: 3x Thunderbolt 5, HDMI, SDXC, MagSafe 3

Dell XPS 14 (2026) — Best Windows Ultrabook

Starting price: Rs 2,57,890

Why we picked it

The Dell XPS 14 (2026) (review) is our top pick for the best Windows ultrabook because it pairs the segment's most stunning OLED display with exceptional battery life and premium build quality, marking one of the most convincing comebacks of the year.

Dell killed the XPS line in 2025 and revived it a year later, and honestly, the time off did it good. The 14-inch 2.8K OLED touchscreen is the star: 120Hz variable refresh, 100 percent DCI-P3, VESA DisplayHDR True Black 500, and 500 nits peak brightness. Movies look sublime, spreadsheets look crisp, and scrolling feels buttery in a way LCD ultrabooks just can't match.

Performance from the Intel Core Ultra X7 358H is properly quick for a thin-and-light. In our testing it scored 12,500 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 16,438 in Geekbench 6 multi-core, outclassing the ThinkPad X1 Carbon and HP EliteBook 8 G1i in multi-threaded work. But the battery is what sold us. It ran 11 hours and 8 minutes in the PCMark 10 test, and in real-world use we got roughly 14 hours of active screen-on time, or about a day and a half of heavy productivity, with around 30 Chrome tabs open throughout. At 1.36kg with a robust aluminium build and a comfortable keyboard, it's the ultrabook we kept reaching for. It earned 9.2/10 in our review.

The glossy panel gets reflective with a light source behind you, and there's no physical webcam shutter. Neither dents the overall verdict: the king is back.

Pros	Cons
Brilliant 14-inch 120Hz OLED touchscreen	Glossy display gets reflective in bright environments
Outstanding battery life, 11+ hours tested	No physical privacy shutter for the webcam
Premium, robust build with a comfortable keyboard
Strong CPU and iGPU performance for the class

Key specs:

• Processor: Intel Core Ultra X7 358H (Panther Lake)
• GPU: Intel Arc integrated graphics
• Display: 14-inch 2.8K (2880 x 1800) OLED touch, 20-120Hz, 500 nits peak, 100% DCI-P3
• RAM/Storage: 32GB / 1TB SSD
• Battery: 11 hours 8 minutes (PCMark 10)
• Weight: 1.36kg

ASUS ROG Flow Z13 Kojima Edition — Best 2-in-1 Laptop

Starting price: Rs 3,79,990

Why we picked it

The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 GZ302EAC Kojima Edition (review) is our best 2-in-1 because no other convertible on the market comes close to delivering genuine AAA gaming performance, tablet versatility, and collector-grade design in a single device.

Let's start with the absurd part: this is a 13-inch tablet with a detachable keyboard, powered by the AMD Ryzen AI MAX+ 395 and a frankly ridiculous 128GB of unified memory, of which up to 96GB can be assigned directly to the Radeon 8060S GPU. In our lab, it scored 27,861 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 10,041 in 3DMark Time Spy, numbers that put it shoulder to shoulder with full-size gaming laptops packing dedicated RTX GPUs. During testing, we played Baldur's Gate 3, Resident Evil Requiem, and Forza Horizon 5 on battery power for over 90 minutes straight, on an aeroplane tray table. Try that with a Zephyrus.

The 2-in-1 form factor is the point, though. Keyboard on, it's a work machine with a surprisingly good trackpad. Keyboard off, kickstand out, it's a premium Windows tablet for movies. HDMI to a TV with a controller, and it's a living-room console. The Kojima Productions treatment, from the gold-and-black Ludens-inspired finish to the briefcase-style packaging, makes it feel like an art piece that happens to benchmark like a monster.

At Rs 3,79,990, it is aggressively expensive, and the speakers are merely fine. But as a shape-shifting flagship, it has no real competition. It scored 8.3/10 in our review.

Pros	Cons
Incredible performance-to-size ratio	Eye-watering price tag
True tablet, laptop, and console versatility	Average built-in speakers
Stunning collector-grade Kojima design	Battery drains quickly under gaming loads
128GB unified RAM with up to 96GB for the GPU

Key specs:

• Processor: AMD Ryzen AI MAX+ 395
• GPU: AMD Radeon 8060S (integrated, up to 96GB assignable memory)
• Display: 13.4-inch touchscreen, detachable keyboard, built-in kickstand
• RAM/Storage: 128GB unified / 1TB SSD
• Battery: 90+ minutes of AAA gaming unplugged in our testing
• Form factor: Detachable 2-in-1 tablet

Winners at a glance

Laptop	Category win	Processor	GPU	RAM/Storage	Display	Battery (tested/rated)	Price
Dell Pro Max 16 Plus	Best overall	Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX	RTX Pro 5000, 24GB	128GB / 2TB	16-inch 4K Tandem OLED	4-6 hrs	Rs 7,99,990
Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra	Best value flagship	Intel Core Ultra X7	RTX 5070	32GB / 1TB	16-inch 3K AMOLED, 120Hz	All-day, 83Whr	Rs 3,10,990
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 13ARP10	Best for students	Ryzen 7 7735HS	Radeon 680M	16GB / 512GB	13.3-inch WUXGA IPS	6:22 (PCMark)	Rs 75,500
ASUS ExpertBook Ultra	Best for professionals	Intel Core Ultra X7 358H	Intel Arc B390	64GB / 2TB Gen 5	14-inch Tandem OLED, 120Hz	13.8 hrs	Rs 2,39,990 onwards
Apple MacBook Pro M5 Pro	Best MacBook	Apple M5 Pro	Integrated	24GB / 1TB	14.2-inch Liquid Retina XDR, 120Hz	Up to 24 hrs	Rs 2,49,990
Dell XPS 14 (2026)	Best Windows ultrabook	Intel Core Ultra X7 358H	Intel Arc	32GB / 1TB	14-inch 2.8K OLED touch, 120Hz	11:08 (PCMark)	Rs 2,57,890
ASUS ROG Flow Z13 Kojima Edition	Best 2-in-1	Ryzen AI MAX+ 395	Radeon 8060S	128GB / 1TB	13.4-inch touch, detachable	90+ min gaming	Rs 3,79,990

FAQs

Which is the best laptop in India?

The Dell Pro Max 16 Plus is the best overall laptop in India right now, thanks to its desktop-class Core Ultra 9 and RTX Pro 5000 performance, modular design, and stunning 4K Tandem OLED display.

Which is the best laptop for students in India?

The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 13ARP10 is the best laptop for students, offering a premium aluminium build, a powerful Ryzen 7 7735HS processor, and a bright 16:10 display for under Rs 70,000.

Which laptop is best for professionals and business use?

The ASUS ExpertBook Ultra is our top pick for professionals, with 64GB of RAM, the fastest SSD we've tested this year, a matte Tandem OLED display, and 13.8 hours of battery life in a MIL-STD-certified chassis.

Which MacBook should I buy in 2026?

The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 Pro is the MacBook to buy in 2026. It hits the sweet spot between performance and price, with up to 24 hours of battery life and 24GB of unified memory in the base model.

Which is the best Windows ultrabook in India?

The Dell XPS 14 (2026) is the best Windows ultrabook, combining a brilliant 120Hz OLED touchscreen with over 11 hours of tested battery life and a premium 1.36kg build.

Which is the best 2-in-1 laptop in India?

The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 Kojima Edition is the best 2-in-1, delivering gaming-laptop performance from its Ryzen AI MAX+ 395 chip and 128GB of unified memory in a detachable tablet form factor.

Is the Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra worth the price?

Yes, if you want flagship performance without a gaming laptop's bulk. The Galaxy Book6 Ultra pairs RTX 5070 graphics with a 3K AMOLED touchscreen and strong battery life, making it the best value among premium flagships despite its Rs 3,10,990 price.

Which laptop has the best battery life?

The Apple MacBook Pro M5 Pro leads on rated battery life at up to 24 hours. Among Windows machines, the ASUS ExpertBook Ultra's tested 13.8 hours is the best on this list.

The iQOO Z11 Lite is the latest budget smartphone from the brand, aiming to stand out with a large 6,500mAh battery, a stylish yet durable design, Android 16-based software, and a suite of AI-powered features. However, as smartphone prices continue to rise, the Z11 Lite enters a segment where buyers may be making compromises with the HD+ display and dated notch.

With price brackets shifting and competition becoming fiercer, does the iQOO Z11 Lite still offer good value for money? Here's our detailed review.

Verdict

The iQOO Z11 Lite gets the basics right. The handset offers dependable day-to-day performance, reliable battery life, and genuinely useful AI features in a durable package. However, the HD+ display and dated notch make it feel a step behind rivals that offer sharper FHD+ panels. If battery life and reliable everyday usage matter more than display quality, the Z11 Lite is a solid choice.

Design and display: premium but slightly dated

[pdp-expert-review]
The iQOO Z11 Lite impresses with its attractive design, durable build, and eye-catching Solar Flame finish. However, the HD+ display and dated notch make it feel a step behind rivals that offer sharper FHD+ panels.
[/pdp-expert-review]

The iQOO Z11 Lite does enough to stand out. It comes in Midnight Blue and Solar Flame, with the latter easily being the more eye-catching option. The patterned finish gives the phone a premium look that you don't often find in this segment.

Despite housing a large 6,500mAh battery, the phone doesn't feel overly heavy. It is slightly large in the hand, but remains comfortable enough for extended use. iQOO has also focused on durability, offering an IP65 rating for dust and water resistance, alongside Swiss SGS Five-Star Drop Resistance and military-grade durability certifications. These additions make the phone feel reassuringly sturdy for everyday use.

The display is where compromises begin to show. The phone features a 6.74-inch HD+ LCD panel with a 120Hz refresh rate and up to 1,200 nits peak brightness. While scrolling feels smooth and the display gets sufficiently bright indoors, the HD+ resolution feels slightly inferior, especially at this price point. Rivals like the Samsung Galaxy M17 offer sharper FHD+ AMOLED panels, making content noticeably crisper.

The waterdrop notch also looks dated when several competitors have moved to punch-hole displays. Outdoor visibility is acceptable, although harsh sunlight can affect readability.

For casual content consumption, the display is perfectly usable, and HD+ has now become the standard in this price segment. However, those who prefer a FHD+ panel can consider the Galaxy M17. 

Performance: capable for everyday tasks

[pdp-expert-review]
The Dimensity 6300 SoC delivers a dependable experience for everyday tasks, while excellent thermal management makes it a surprisingly capable option for casual gaming. Power users, however, may find its performance limiting under heavier workloads.
[/pdp-expert-review]

The iQOO Z11 Lite is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 6300, a chipset that has become increasingly common in the budget smartphone segment. It isn't designed to top benchmark charts, but it delivers a reliable experience for everyday users.

Whether it's browsing social media, messaging, watching videos, or switching between multiple apps, the phone handles routine tasks without much trouble. The interface remains smooth for the most part, and app loading times are respectable. However, users who frequently play demanding games or multitask heavily may notice occasional slowdowns, as the chipset does have its limitations.

[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="41838,41950,42230,," ][/comparative-benchmark]

One area where the phone performs better than expected is thermal management. During our gaming tests with BGMI and Call of Duty: Mobile, the Z11 Lite stayed noticeably cooler than several other phones powered by the same chipset. It also maintained stable performance over longer gaming sessions, earning one of the better thermal scores in our benchmark testing. While it isn't a gaming powerhouse, casual gamers will appreciate its consistent performance without excessive heating.

Battery: easily reliable 

[pdp-expert-review]
The 6,500mAh battery is one of the phone's biggest strengths, comfortably lasting a full day and delivering impressive benchmark results. Combined with 44W fast charging, it offers a worry-free experience for most users.
[/pdp-expert-review]

Battery life is easily one of the iQOO Z11 Lite's biggest strengths. The phone packs a 6,500mAh battery, which is more than enough to comfortably get most users through an entire day, even with moderate to heavy usage. In our PCMark Battery benchmark, the phone recorded an impressive 15 hours, putting it close to devices like the Realme P4R, despite the latter featuring a significantly larger 8,000mAh battery. This highlights how well iQOO has optimised power efficiency.

[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="41838,41950,42230,," ][/comparative-benchmark]

During our tests, we found that the Z11 Lite's battery dropped 5 percent after 60 minutes of YouTube video streaming, which is better than phones with bigger batteries like the Realme P4R and the same as the Moto G37 Power, which has a bigger 7,000mAh cell. Battery drop after 30 minutes of gaming BGMI and COD Mobile is also on par with phones having the same or bigger battery capacity. 

The phone also supports 44W fast charging, which is sufficient for a battery of this size, as it takes just over an hour to reach 100 percent. For users who prioritise long-lasting battery life over fast charging, the Z11 Lite delivers a dependable experience.

Cameras: made for casual photography

[pdp-expert-review]
The primary camera captures good photos in daylight and handles portraits well, but the lack of an ultra-wide sensor and average low-light performance hold it back. Overall, the camera system is reliable for casual photography rather than for enthusiasts.
[/pdp-expert-review]

The iQOO Z11 Lite takes a fairly conservative approach to cameras. The handset features a 50MP primary sensor alongside a 0.8MP secondary sensor and a 5MP front camera. Since there's no ultra-wide camera here, almost all of your photography depends on the primary sensor.

Fortunately, the main camera delivers decent results in daylight. Images offer good colours, acceptable dynamic range, and enough detail for social media uploads. It performs well enough for casual photography and everyday moments.

[smartslider3 slider="2165"]

To better understand where the iQOO Z11 Lite stands, we compared its cameras with the OnePlus N6, one of its key rivals in the segment.

Daylight

The OnePlus N6 delivers sharper images with better fine details and more accurate colours. The iQOO Z11 Lite, however, has a slight advantage in dynamic range, retaining more detail in darker areas of the frame and preventing shadows from being crushed.

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/07/iQOO-z11-lite-daylight-scaled.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/07/op-n6-daylight-scaled.jpg" offset="0.5" before="iQOO Z11 Lite" after="OnePlus N6"]

Selfies

The iQOO Z11 Lite reproduces skin tones and colours more naturally, although it tends to overexpose the subject in certain situations. The OnePlus N6 brightens the image, resulting in selfies that may look more appealing on social media. In terms of detail and clarity, the iQOO holds a slight edge, while both phones offer similar dynamic range.

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/07/iQOO-z11-lite-selfie.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/07/op-n6x-selfie-scaled.jpg" offset="0.5" before="iQOO Z11 Lite" after="OnePlus N6"]

Portrait

The OnePlus N6 captures more accurate skin tones and colours in portrait shots. The iQOO Z11 Lite, meanwhile, preserves finer details better and delivers superior edge detection and background blur. The OnePlus N6 struggles around tricky areas like hair, where the iQOO produces cleaner subject separation.

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/07/iQOO-z11-lite-portrait-scaled.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/07/op-n6x-portrait-scaled.jpg" offset="0.5" before="iQOO Z11 Lite" after="OnePlus N6"]

Low-light (night mode)

The OnePlus N6 is the clear winner in low-light photography. It controls light flares and exposure more effectively, produces colours that are closer to reality, and captures cleaner images with less noise and noticeably better detail.

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/07/iQOO-z11-lite-night-mode-scaled.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/07/op-n6x-night-scaled.jpg" offset="0.5" before="iQOO Z11 Lite" after="OnePlus N6"]

Overall, the iQOO Z11 Lite offers a capable primary camera for everyday photography, with strengths in dynamic range, portrait mode, and producing natural-looking selfies. However, the OnePlus N6 offers a more consistent camera experience across different lighting conditions, particularly in daylight and low light, making it the stronger choice for users who prioritise photography.

Software: useful AI features

[pdp-expert-review]
OriginOS 6 offers a smooth software experience, and the AI features are genuinely useful. While the software support is fairly standard, the productivity-focused AI tools add meaningful value to the overall package.
[/pdp-expert-review]

The iQOO Z11 Lite runs OriginOS 6 based on Android 16, delivering a customisable and responsive software experience. The handset is promised two Android OS upgrades and four years of security updates, which is fairly standard for this price segment.

The highlight, however, is iQOO's suite of AI features. AI Creation is surprisingly useful in everyday scenarios. It can summarise lengthy documents, rewrite text, expand notes, translate content, correct grammar, or even draft emails based on prompts. During testing, it responded quickly and produced useful results. Students and working professionals are likely to benefit the most.

AI Captions provides live transcription, translation, and one-tap summaries, while AI Transcript Assist converts recordings into text with summaries and highlights. These features help improve productivity and add value beyond the hardware.

Verdict

The iQOO Z11 Lite is a phone that focuses on getting the fundamentals right. Its dependable everyday performance, long battery life, good thermal management, durable design, and genuinely useful AI features make it a practical smartphone for most users. That said, the HD+ display is difficult to ignore in this price segment. The dated notch further adds to the feeling that the display has been compromised to meet the price.

If your priorities are battery life, reliability, software features, and a phone that can comfortably last through a busy day, the iQOO Z11 Lite is easy to recommend. However, if a better display is on your mind, then the Galaxy M17 is an alternative to consider, and the OnePlus N6 for better camera performance, and a bigger battery too. For everyday users, students, and those upgrading from older budget smartphones, the Z11 Lite remains a dependable all-rounder that gets more right than wrong.

Editor's rating: 8.1/10

Reasons to buy

• The 6,500mAh battery is quite dependable for regular to moderate usage. 
• The phone comes with useful AI features for productivity.
• The Z11 Lite has good thermals for gaming among the competition.

Reasons to skip

• The HD+ resolution feels lacking among rivals.
• It has a waterdrop notch, which looks dated. 

The Indian gaming laptop market has peaked. Whether you're a competitive esports player chasing frames, a AAA enthusiast who wants maxed-out settings, a student gaming on a tight budget, or a creator who edits by day and raids by night, in this guide, we narrow the field to the machines that earned their category through real testing. It's especially useful if you care about one thing above all: raw FPS, thermals, portability, display quality, or price.

We tested and compared numerous gaming laptops across budget, mid-range, premium, and flagship segments to identify the best gaming laptops in India. Our rankings are based on real-world gaming FPS, sustained performance and thermals, synthetic benchmarks (3DMark, Cinebench, PCMark), display quality, battery endurance, build quality, and value for money.

Here are the winners across categories:

The Dell Alienware 18 Area-51 is our best overall gaming laptop for its RTX 5090 performance and class-leading thermals. The MSI Titan 18 HX AI is the ultimate premium pick, the Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 10 wins on value, and the ASUS ROG Flow Z13 Kojima Edition is the best thin-and-light. The ASUS TUF A14 takes the esports crown, the ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026) is the one for creators, and the ASUS Gaming V16 and Acer Nitro Lite 16 are our budget picks under Rs 1,00,000 and Rs 80,000.

Updated for July 2026 with the latest launches, testing data, and price changes.

How do we test gaming laptops?

Every laptop on this list has been through weeks of hands-on testing, and gaming machines get the harshest version of our process. We run real games, not just synthetic loops: Cyberpunk 2077, Black Myth: Wukong, Forza Horizon 5, GTA V, and competitive titles like Valorant and CS2, measuring average FPS at native resolution, with DLSS, and with ray tracing and frame generation where supported.

Because gaming laptops live and die by sustained performance, thermals get special attention. We log CPU and GPU temperatures under extended load, check for throttling during long sessions, and note how hot the keyboard deck gets and how loud the fans scream while doing it. A laptop that benchmarks well for five minutes and melts for the next thirty doesn't win anything here.

The synthetic suite covers the full 3DMark stack (Night Raid through Time Spy Extreme), Cinebench R23, R24, and 2026, Geekbench 6, PCMark 10, and PugetBench for DaVinci Resolve where creator workloads matter. Battery life comes from the PCMark 10 video loop test at 80 percent brightness. Each machine is then scored across design, display, performance, gaming, battery, and connectivity, and those scores decide the winners below.

Dell Alienware 18 Area-51 — Best Overall Gaming Laptop in India

Starting price: Rs 4,95,389

Why we picked it

The Dell Alienware 18 Area-51 (review) is our best overall gaming laptop in India because it pairs RTX 5090 firepower with the most impressive thermal management we've tested on a flagship, delivering desktop-class performance that never falls apart under sustained load.

The numbers are borderline unfair. In our testing, the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX and RTX 5090 combination scored 38,048 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 12,622 in 3DMark Time Spy Extreme, making it the best overall performer among every flagship laptop we tested this year. In games, Cyberpunk 2077 runs at 171fps at FHD native and rockets to 348fps with DLSS, ray tracing, and frame generation enabled. Competitive titles like Valorant and CS2 feel almost comically smooth on the 18-inch 300Hz panel.

But here's what actually won it the category: thermals. Most manufacturers can cram this hardware into a chassis. Almost none can cool it. During extended gaming sessions, the Area-51's vapour chamber cooling kept CPU temperatures in the mid-70s and the GPU at just 60 to 65 degrees Celsius. That's not flagship-laptop cooling; that's desktop-tower cooling, and it means the performance you see in minute one is the performance you get in hour four. Creators get a bonus too: 11,365 in PugetBench for DaVinci Resolve means it renders as hard as it games.

At nearly Rs 5 lakh, it's an enthusiast purchase. But for that enthusiast, it earned our 9.5/10, the joint-highest laptop rating we've given this year.

Key specs:

• Processor: Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX (24 cores)
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop, 24GB
• Display: 18-inch WQXGA (2560 x 1600) IPS, 300Hz, 100% DCI-P3
• RAM/Storage: 64GB DDR5 / 2TB SSD
• Battery: ~4.5 hours (PCMark 10 video loop)
• Weight: Desktop-replacement class

MSI Titan 18 HX AI — Best Premium Gaming Laptop

Starting price: Rs 6,59,990

Why we picked it

The MSI Titan 18 HX AI (review) is our best premium gaming laptop because it is the most uncompromising machine money can buy in India, pairing the RTX 5090 with a 4K 120Hz Mini-LED display and the fastest laptop storage we've ever tested.

Calling this thing a laptop almost feels wrong. Inside the magnesium-aluminium alloy chassis sits Intel's Core Ultra 9 285HX, NVIDIA's RTX 5090 with 24GB of GDDR7, 64GB of DDR5-6400 RAM, and a trio of 2TB PCIe Gen 5 SSDs in RAID 0 for 6TB of storage. That array averaged 16,475MB/s reads in CrystalDiskMark, the fastest laptop storage we've tested to date. In our benchmarks, it scored 2,140 in Cinebench R24 multi-core and 22,823 in 3DMark Time Spy, numbers that outshine plenty of desktop gaming rigs, and in AAA heavyweights like Cyberpunk 2077 and Black Myth: Wukong it pushes 4K gaming past 60fps with ease, with DLSS 4 Frame Generation keeping things silky.

What separates it from the Alienware above is everything around the silicon. The 18-inch UHD+ Mini-LED panel punches past 1,000 nits in HDR with DisplayHDR 1000 certification and genuine 100 percent DCI-P3 accuracy, close enough to a reference monitor for grading HDR video. The Cherry MX ultra-low-profile mechanical keyboard is a first at this level, the Dynaudio six-speaker system out-thumps most gaming laptops, and dual Thunderbolt 5 ports open an accessory ecosystem, from 6GB/s external SSDs to multi-display editing hubs, that makes you rethink what a laptop can anchor. MSI's Cooler Boost Titan system, dual fans and quad heatpipes with one dedicated to the Gen 5 SSD, keeps thermal throttling out of the machine's vocabulary entirely.

At Rs 6,20,990 and 3.7kg, this is unapologetically overkill, and that's the point. It earned 9.5/10 in our review. You don't buy the Titan out of necessity. You buy it because you want the best.

Pros	Cons
Extreme performance with Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX & RTX 5090	Very expensive
Stunning 18-inch 4K Mini-LED HDR 1000 display	Big and heavy
Blazing 6TB Gen 5 RAID 0 storage	Fans get loud under load
Thunderbolt 5 for high-speed accessories

Key specs:

• Processor: Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX (24 cores)
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop, 24GB GDDR7, 175W TGP
• Display: 18-inch UHD+ (3840 x 2400) Mini-LED, 120Hz, DisplayHDR 1000, 100 percent DCI-P3, 16:10
• RAM/Storage: 64GB DDR5-6400 / 6TB PCIe Gen 5 RAID 0 (3x 2TB)
• Battery: 99.9Whr, 3:39 (PCMark 10), 400W charging + 140W USB-PD
• Weight: 3.7kg

Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 10 — Best Value Gaming Laptop

Starting price: Rs 3,16,989

Why we picked it

The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 10 (review) is our best value gaming laptop because it runs its RTX 5070 Ti at full power, pairs it with a gorgeous 240Hz OLED display, and delivers sustained performance that embarrasses laptops with bigger GPUs.

Value at Rs 3 lakh needs explaining, so here's the explanation: this laptop punches above its silicon. In our testing, the Core Ultra 9 275HX and 140W RTX 5070 Ti combination scored 34,179 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, 18,369 in 3DMark Time Spy, and 20,431 in Geekbench 6 multi-core. It edged out the ASUS ROG Strix G16 with the exact same CPU and GPU in almost every benchmark. More impressively, it beat the previous Zephyrus G16 that technically carried an RTX 5080, because that machine ran its bigger GPU at a conservative 130W while the Legion lets its 5070 Ti stretch its legs.

The 16-inch 2560 x 1600 OLED panel at 240Hz is the other half of the value equation. True blacks, 100 percent DCI-P3 coverage, and motion clarity that makes both Night City and competitive shooters look dramatic. Panels like this simply don't show up at this price with this much GPU behind them. Lenovo's Coldfront Hyper cooling keeps the CPU under 92 degrees even at full tilt, and the 10,907 PugetBench DaVinci score means creators get real mileage too.

The fans get loud, and battery life is a typical-for-class 3.5 hours in our PCMark loop. Neither changes the maths: this is the most performance per rupee on this list. It earned 8.7/10 in our review.

Pros	Cons
RTX 5070 Ti runs full power	Expensive for RTX 5070 Ti
Gorgeous 16-inch 240Hz OLED display	Fans get loud under load
Excellent sustained performance and thermals
Comfortable keyboard and solid build

Key specs:

• Processor: Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop, 12GB GDDR7, 140W TGP
• Display: 16-inch WQXGA (2560 x 1600) OLED, 240Hz, 100% DCI-P3
• RAM/Storage: 32GB DDR5 / 1TB SSD
• Battery: 80Whr, 3:25 (PCMark 10 video loop)
• Weight: 2.43kg

ASUS Gaming V16 — Best Gaming Laptop Under Rs 1,00,000

Starting price: Rs 84,990

Why we picked it

The ASUS Gaming V16 (V3607VU) (review) is our best gaming laptop under Rs 1,00,000 because it pairs decent FHD gaming with something no rival in this bracket offers: nearly 11 hours of battery life and a professional design you can carry into a lecture hall or meeting without a second glance.

Let's be upfront about the trade this laptop makes, because it's a deliberate one. The Intel Core 5 210H and 65W RTX 4050 deliver decent 1080p gaming, and the 16-inch 1920 x 1200 144Hz panel keeps competitive titles feeling smooth. But hitting 60fps in AAA games needs settings tweaked down to medium-high, and higher-wattage RTX 4050 rivals will out-frame it. What you get in exchange is the V16's genuine superpower: it lasted 10 hours and 48 minutes in our PCMark 10 video loop test. Most budget gaming laptops manage around 3.5 hours. That is not a typo, and for a student or professional whose laptop is a gaming machine second, it changes everything, no charger in the backpack, all day.

The rest of the package leans the same way. The matte black, logo-lite design is a wolf in sheep's clothing, the 1.95kg weight is genuinely manageable for a 16-incher, the 16:10 aspect ratio helps documents as much as games, and a Puget DaVinci Resolve score of 4,923 makes it a capable editing machine on the go. Know the compromises: the display covers just 45 percent NTSC, so colour work needs an external monitor, there's no Ethernet port for wired play, and CPU temps peak at 96 degrees under the quiet fan tuning. It earned 7/10 in our review, with battery scoring a 9.

One honest note before you buy: if you can stretch your budget to around Rs 1,11,000, the HP Victus 15 (fa2009xx) is a serious performance step up. Its Core 7 240H and RTX 5060 running at 80W comfortably outmuscle last-gen RTX 4060 setups, and 24GB of RAM plus a 6,499 Puget score make it the stronger machine for both frames and creative work, though its battery lasted just 4 hours 27 minutes against the V16's near-11. If your budget is a hard ceiling or endurance matters, take the V16. If it can bend and FPS rules, take the Victus.

Pros	Cons
Exceptional battery life	Weaker RTX 4050 GPU
Relatively portable for a 16-incher	Display colour accuracy could have been better
Decent FHD gaming performance	No Ethernet port
Professional design and sturdy build

Key specs:

• Processor: Intel Core 5 210H
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop, 6GB, 65W TGP
• Display: 16-inch WUXGA (1920 x 1200) IPS, 144Hz, 300 nits
• RAM/Storage: 16GB DDR5-5200 / 512GB Gen 4 SSD (upgrade recommended)
• Battery: 10:48 (PCMark 10 video loop), 150W charger + USB-C PD
• Weight: 1.95kg

Acer Nitro Lite 16 — Best Gaming Laptop Under Rs 80,000

Starting price: Rs 79,900

Why we picked it

The Acer Nitro Lite 16 (review) is our best gaming laptop under Rs 80,000 because it packs a rare 16:10 165Hz anti-glare display, Thunderbolt 4, and genuinely portable 1.95kg design into a price bracket where those features basically don't exist.

Let's be clear about what Rs 80,000 buys in 2026: compromises. The question is which ones. The Nitro Lite 16 makes an unusual set of trades that work surprisingly well for entry-level gamers. The Intel Core i5-13420H and RTX 3050 handle esports and older AAA titles comfortably. In our testing, GTA V averaged 98 to 106fps and Cyberpunk 2077 managed a playable 56fps at FHD with DLSS. Geekbench 6 multi-core came in at 10,311 and Cinebench R23 multi-core at 10,037, both ahead of the similarly priced Lenovo LOQ on the CPU side.

Where it genuinely stands out is everything around the silicon. The 16-inch 165Hz anti-glare panel in a 16:10 ratio is an absolute rarity at this price, great for gaming and even better for the coding and spreadsheet work most budget buyers also need. The Pearl White chassis is a legitimate head-turner, Thunderbolt 4 and 2.5G Ethernet are premium inclusions, and the 7 hours 27 minutes it ran in the PCMark Modern Office battery test is respectable for a gaming machine.

Know the catches: the RTX 3050's TGP is capped at 55W, so demanding titles need medium settings, and colour accuracy (45 percent NTSC) rules out serious creative work. It scored 7.5/10 in our review, an honest rating for an honest budget machine.

Pros	Cons
Stand-out design for a gaming laptop	Poor colour accuracy (45% NTSC)
Lightweight and portable 16-inch machine	Sole USB-C/Thunderbolt port doubles as the charging port
16:10 165Hz Antiglare display	Limited upgradeability (1x M.2 slot)
Thunderbolt 4 and 2.5G Ethernet ports	Restrained CPU and GPU performance

Key specs:

• Processor: Intel Core i5-13420H
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050, 6GB (55W TGP)
• Display: 16-inch WUXGA IPS, 16:10, 165Hz, anti-glare
• RAM/Storage: 16GB DDR5 (upgradeable to 32GB) / 512GB SSD (1x M.2 slot)
• Battery: 53.99Whr, 7:27 (PCMark Modern Office)
• Weight: 1.95kg

ASUS ROG Flow Z13 Kojima Edition — Best Thin-and-Light Gaming Laptop

Starting price: Rs 3,79,990

Why we picked it

The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 GZ302EAC Kojima Edition (review) is our best thin-and-light gaming laptop because nothing else this portable comes remotely close to its performance, with benchmark numbers that go toe to toe with full-size gaming rigs from a detachable tablet.

The spec sheet reads like a typo. This is a 13-inch tablet with a detachable keyboard, powered by AMD's Ryzen AI MAX+ 395 and 128GB of unified memory, up to 96GB of which can be assigned directly to the Radeon 8060S graphics. In our lab, it scored 27,861 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, 10,041 in 3DMark Time Spy, and 23,903 in Fire Strike. For context, that Time Spy number beats plenty of laptops carrying dedicated RTX 5060-class GPUs, from a device you can hold in one hand.

The real-world proof came at 35,000 feet. During testing, we played Baldur's Gate 3, Resident Evil Requiem, and Forza Horizon 5 on battery power for over 90 minutes on an aeroplane tray table, something physically impossible with any traditional gaming laptop. And when you land, the versatility keeps going: kickstand out for a tablet, HDMI to a TV with a controller for console mode, or docked to a monitor for work. The Kojima Productions design treatment, with its gold-and-black Ludens-inspired finish, makes it the rare gaming device that's also a collector's piece.

At Rs 3,79,990, it demands deep pockets, and the speakers are only average. But if the mission is maximum gaming in minimum kilograms, nothing else qualifies. It scored 8.3/10 in our review.

Pros	Cons
Incredible performance-to-size ratio	Eye-watering price tag
True tablet, laptop, and console versatility	Average built-in speakers
128GB unified RAM, up to 96GB for the GPU	Battery drains fast under gaming loads
Stunning collector-grade Kojima design

Key specs:

• Processor: AMD Ryzen AI MAX+ 395
• GPU: AMD Radeon 8060S (integrated, up to 96GB assignable memory)
• Display: 13.4-inch touchscreen, detachable keyboard, kickstand
• RAM/Storage: 128GB unified / 1TB SSD
• Battery: 90+ minutes of AAA gaming unplugged in our testing
• Form factor: Detachable 2-in-1 tablet

ASUS TUF Gaming A14 (2026) — Best Gaming Laptop for Esports

Starting price: Rs 2,39,990

Why we picked it

The ASUS TUF Gaming A14 (2026) (review) is our best gaming laptop for esports because it runs Valorant at over 500fps and Apex Legends past 200fps on a fast 2.5K 165Hz display, all from a 1.48kg body built for the tournament bag rather than the desk.

Esports machines have different priorities: high, stable frame rates in competitive titles, a fast display to show them, and a weight you can actually carry to LANs and practice sessions. The TUF A14 nails all three by flipping the traditional formula. There's no dedicated GPU. Instead, AMD's Ryzen AI Max+ 392, a 12-core Zen 5 chip with a massively powerful integrated Radeon 8060S, drives everything through a unified memory pool that behaves more like a console than a laptop. In our testing, it scored 10,862 in 3DMark Time Spy and 24,172 in Fire Strike, shockingly close to laptops running a 140W RTX 4060, and the numbers hold steady during long runs without aggressive throttling.

The unified memory is the clever bit. With 32GB of LPDDR5X on board, you can dedicate 8 to 10GB to graphics, and moving from the default 4GB allocation to 8GB showed noticeable gains in our testing, removing the usual VRAM bottleneck entirely. Competitive play is where it all lands: Valorant sails past 500fps and Apex Legends holds over 200fps even at 2.5K, saturating the 165Hz panel with headroom to spare. And because the whole system runs on a single 55W chip, the A14 lasted around 9 hours in our PCMark 10 battery test, endurance no traditional gaming laptop on this list approaches. A Puget DaVinci Resolve score of 6,469 (ahead of every RTX 4060 machine we compared it against) is a genuine bonus.

It's not for max-settings enthusiasts: ray tracing trails NVIDIA's stack, and similarly priced RTX 5070 laptops push higher frames in AAA titles. But for competitive play on the move, nothing else at 1.48kg comes close. It earned 8/10 in our review.

Pros	Cons
Excellent performance	Not for gaming enthusiasts
Lightweight, portable, and efficient
RTX 4060-level GPU performance

Key specs:

• Processor: AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 392 (12-core Zen 5, 55W)
• GPU: AMD Radeon 8060S (integrated, 8-10GB assignable from unified memory)
• Display: 14-inch 2.5K IPS, 165Hz, full sRGB
• RAM/Storage: 32GB LPDDR5X (soldered, unified) / 1TB SSD, dual M.2 slots
• Battery: ~9 hours (PCMark 10), 200W adapter + USB-C charging
• Weight: 1.48kg, MIL-STD-810H certified

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026) — Best Gaming Laptop for Content Creators

Starting price: Rs 4,49,990

Why we picked it

The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026) (review) is our best gaming laptop for content creators and video editing because it combines a colour-accurate 240Hz OLED display, full-power RTX 5070 Ti graphics, and creator-first touches like a full-size SD card reader in a chassis under 2kg.

The display alone settles the category. The 16-inch 2.5K OLED ROG Nebula HDR panel runs at 240Hz with G-Sync and arrives with excellent factory colour calibration. It's one of those rare screens that genuinely excels at both grading a timeline and hitting flick shots, and in our testing it impressed across photo editing, video work, gaming, and binge sessions alike. Add the six-speaker audio system, one of the few on Windows that goes toe to toe with a MacBook Pro, and this is a legitimate multimedia powerhouse.

The internals back it up. Intel's Core Ultra 9 386H Panther Lake chip scored 21,219 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 10,111 in PCMark 10 in our benchmarks, big generational jumps over last year's model. The RTX 5070 Ti runs at a full 140W, and interestingly, that means this year's "smaller" GPU keeps pace with last year's conservatively tuned RTX 5080 while the 12GB GDDR7 buffer helps in editing workloads and newer AAA titles. Timeline editing, colour grading, and asset-heavy projects were handled effortlessly during testing, and Panther Lake's efficiency finally makes this a gaming laptop you can comfortably use unplugged all day.

At around Rs 4.5 lakh, it's very expensive, and the fans announce themselves during exports. But as a single machine that renders by day and games by night, it's unmatched. It earned 8.5/10 in our review.

Pros	Cons
Premium design that's both portable and practical	Very expensive compared to alternatives
Best-in-class multimedia experience	Fan noise gets aggressive under heavy loads
Excellent balance between gaming and content creation	Limited upgradeability
Strong all-round performance with improved efficiency

Key specs:

• Processor: Intel Core Ultra 9 386H (Panther Lake)
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop, 12GB GDDR7, 140W TGP
• Display: 16-inch 2.5K OLED ROG Nebula HDR, 240Hz, G-Sync
• RAM/Storage: 32GB LPDDR5X-8533 / 2TB PCIe Gen4 SSD
• Battery: 90Whr, significantly improved efficiency
• Weight: 1.95kg

Test data (FPS + thermals):

• Cinebench R23 MT: 21,219 | Cinebench R24 MT: 1,208
• PCMark 10: 10,111 | 3DMark Time Spy: 16,372 | Fire Strike: 32,565
• Temperatures cross 85°C under heavy load, but keyboard deck and palm rests stay comfortable
• Consistent gaming performance without excessive throttling in real-world sessions

Winners at a glance

Laptop	Category win	Processor	GPU	Display	RAM/Storage	Price
Dell Alienware 18 Area-51	Best overall	Core Ultra 9 275HX	RTX 5090, 24GB	18-inch WQXGA, 300Hz	64GB / 2TB	Rs 4,95,389
MSI Titan 18 HX AI	Best premium	Core Ultra 9 285HX	RTX 5090, 24GB	18-inch 4K Mini-LED, 120Hz	64GB / 6TB Gen 5	Rs 6,59,990
Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 10	Best value	Core Ultra 9 275HX	RTX 5070 Ti, 140W	16-inch OLED, 240Hz	32GB / 1TB	Rs 3,16,989
ASUS Gaming V16	Best under Rs 1,00,000	Core 5 210H	RTX 4050, 65W	16-inch WUXGA, 144Hz	16GB / 512GB	Rs 84,990
Acer Nitro Lite 16	Best under Rs 80,000	Core i5-13420H	RTX 3050, 6GB	16-inch WUXGA, 165Hz	16GB / 512GB	Rs 79,900
ASUS ROG Flow Z13 Kojima Edition	Best thin-and-light	Ryzen AI MAX+ 395	Radeon 8060S	13.4-inch touch, detachable	128GB / 1TB	Rs 3,79,990
ASUS TUF A14 (2026)	Best for esports	Ryzen AI Max+ 392 (55W)	Radeon 8060S	14-inch 2.5K, 165Hz	32GB / 1TB	Rs 2,39,990
ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026)	Best for creators	Core Ultra 9 386H	RTX 5070 Ti, 140W	16-inch OLED, 240Hz	32GB / 2TB	Rs 4,49,990

FAQs

Which is the best gaming laptop in India?

The Dell Alienware 18 Area-51 is the best gaming laptop in India right now, combining RTX 5090 performance with the best thermal stability we've tested, keeping its GPU at just 60 to 65 degrees under gaming load.

Which is the best gaming laptop under Rs 1,00,000?

The ASUS Gaming V16 is the best gaming laptop under Rs 1,00,000, pairing decent FHD gaming on a 144Hz display with an exceptional 10-plus-hour battery life. If you can stretch to around Rs 1,11,000, the HP Victus 15 with its RTX 5060 is a worthwhile performance upgrade.

Which is the best gaming laptop under Rs 80,000?

The Acer Nitro Lite 16 is our pick under Rs 80,000, offering a rare 165Hz 16:10 anti-glare display, Thunderbolt 4, and a lightweight 1.95kg build for entry-level and esports gaming.

Which gaming laptop offers the best value for money?

The Lenovo Legion Pro 5i Gen 10 is the best value gaming laptop, running its RTX 5070 Ti at full 140W power alongside a 240Hz OLED display, and outperforming some pricier RTX 5080 machines in our testing.

Which is the best thin-and-light gaming laptop?

The ASUS ROG Flow Z13 Kojima Edition is the best thin-and-light gaming laptop, delivering Cinebench and 3DMark numbers that rival full-size gaming rigs from a detachable tablet form factor.

Which is the best gaming laptop for esports?

The ASUS TUF A14 (2026) is our esports pick, running Valorant at over 500fps and Apex Legends past 200fps on a 2.5K 165Hz display, in a 1.48kg chassis with around 9 hours of battery life.

Which gaming laptop is best for video editing and content creation?

The ASUS ROG Zephyrus G16 (2026) is the best gaming laptop for creators, with a factory-calibrated 240Hz OLED display, a full-power RTX 5070 Ti, a full-size SD card reader, and class-leading speakers.

Which gaming laptop has the best thermals?

The Dell Alienware 18 Area-51 has the best thermals we've tested, holding CPU temperatures in the mid-70s and GPU temperatures at 60 to 65 degrees Celsius during extended gaming sessions.

Is the MSI Titan 18 HX AI worth Rs 6,20,990?

Only for buyers who want the absolute maximum with zero compromises. The Titan's 4K Mini-LED display, 6TB Gen 5 storage, and Thunderbolt 5 justify the premium over the Alienware, but most enthusiasts will be equally happy saving over a lakh with the Area-51.

The line between creator laptops and everyday laptops has become increasingly blurred. Today's creators aren't just editing videos in a studio—they're reviewing client presentations from a café, retouching photos during a flight, generating AI assets between meetings, and uploading finished projects before the day ends. That shift has changed what a creator laptop needs to deliver. Raw performance still matters, but so do battery life, display quality, AI capabilities, thermals, and the ability to stay productive from virtually anywhere.

To understand how well the Samsung Galaxy Book6 Pro fits into this evolving workflow, we spent time using it the way many creators would. Our testing involved editing photos, building presentations, working with multiple Adobe applications, browsing across dozens of Chrome tabs, joining Microsoft Teams calls, experimenting with AI-powered tools, and moving files between Galaxy devices. Rather than relying solely on specifications, the idea was to see how the laptop performs during the kind of work creators actually do every day.

After spending time with it, one thing became evident: the Galaxy Book6 Pro isn't trying to win purely on benchmark numbers. Instead, it focuses on delivering a balanced creative experience where performance, AI, display quality, portability, and ecosystem integration work together. For creators looking for a premium content creator laptop that can comfortably handle modern creative workloads, Samsung has built a surprisingly compelling package.

A Display That Creators Will Appreciate Every Day

Ask any photographer, designer, or video editor what matters most in a creator laptop, and the answer is usually the display. After all, every colour adjustment, timeline edit, and creative decision depends on what appears on screen.

Samsung clearly understands this. The Galaxy Book6 Pro features a Dynamic AMOLED 2X touchscreen with a sharp WQXGA+ (2880 × 1800) resolution, and it's easily one of the laptop's biggest strengths. During our workflow, which involved editing RAW photographs, reviewing presentation decks, colour grading short-form videos, and working across multiple creative applications, the panel consistently impressed with its vibrant colours, deep blacks, and excellent contrast.

Equally important is its colour accuracy, which gives creators greater confidence while editing photos or preparing visual content. Combined with HDR support and peak brightness of up to 1000 nits, the display remains usable even under brighter office lighting, while the anti-reflective Corning Gorilla Glass with DXC coating significantly cuts down distracting reflections. Compared to the 60Hz IPS panel on Apple's MacBook Air M5, Samsung's 120Hz AMOLED 2X display immediately feels smoother when scrolling through Lightroom libraries, scrubbing across video timelines, or simply navigating Windows.

Long editing sessions also proved surprisingly comfortable. Samsung's AMOLED technology, together with eye comfort optimisations and the adaptive 120Hz refresh rate, helps reduce fatigue during extended creative work. It's one of those advantages that becomes more noticeable after several hours than during the first few minutes.

Performance That Feels Built Around Modern Creators

Modern content creation is rarely confined to a single application. It's common to have Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Lightroom, Chrome, Spotify, Microsoft Teams, and cloud storage all running together while exporting a project in the background.

Powered by the latest Intel Core Ultra X7 processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 Series graphics, the Galaxy Book6 Pro handled this style of workload confidently throughout our testing. Rather than feeling overwhelmed by multiple applications running simultaneously, it maintained a responsive experience that allowed us to move naturally between editing, browsing, presentations, and communication without constantly waiting for the system to catch up.

That experience is backed by numbers too. In our testing, the Galaxy Book6 Pro achieved 10,052 points in PCMark 10, comfortably outperforming the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Ultra's 7,514 points. That difference isn't just visible on a benchmark chart—it translates into a laptop that feels noticeably quicker during everyday creator workloads involving multitasking, large creative applications, and productivity software.

The Intel Core Ultra X7 processor also brings Intel AI Boost and a dedicated 50 TOPS Neural Processing Unit (NPU) into the mix, allowing the Galaxy Book6 Pro to function as a capable AI PC. Instead of relying entirely on cloud processing, many AI-assisted tasks can run more efficiently on the device itself, helping maintain responsiveness even while several demanding applications remain open. Intel's "Unlock Everything More" philosophy is less about chasing specifications and more about helping creators unlock faster workflows throughout the day.

The inclusion of NVIDIA RTX 50 Series graphics further strengthens the Galaxy Book6 Pro's credentials as a creator laptop. GPU-intensive workloads such as AI video editing, rendering, image generation, motion graphics, and creative visualisation all benefit from dedicated graphics acceleration, making the laptop feel well equipped for both current creative applications and the growing role of AI in content creation.

AI Is Becoming Every Creator's Secret Productivity Tool

Artificial intelligence is changing creative workflows at an incredible pace. Rather than replacing creativity, it's increasingly handling repetitive tasks that would otherwise consume valuable production time.

The Galaxy Book6 Pro embraces this shift through its combination of the Intel Core Ultra X7 processor, Intel AI Boost, the dedicated 50 TOPS NPU, Microsoft Copilot, and Samsung's own Galaxy AI experiences. Together, they create a much more capable AI creative workflow than simply adding another chatbot to the desktop.

During our testing, Copilot proved genuinely useful for summarising lengthy research documents, restructuring production notes, drafting presentation content, brainstorming campaign ideas, and quickly organising project outlines before editing even began. These may seem like small improvements individually, but over the course of a busy workday they noticeably reduce repetitive work and help creators spend more time actually creating.

Samsung expands this further with tools like AI Select, Cut Out, and Intelligent Search. AI Select makes interacting with on-screen content much more intuitive, Cut Out speeds up background removal for quick visual edits, while Intelligent Search simplifies locating screenshots, reference images, or project files using natural language instead of relying solely on filenames or folder structures.

For creators already invested in the Galaxy Ecosystem, these AI experiences become even more useful. Quick Share makes transferring project files between compatible Galaxy devices almost effortless, while Samsung Notes keeps ideas synchronised across devices. During our workflow, moving reference photos from a Galaxy smartphone to the Galaxy Book6 Pro or extending the workspace with a compatible Galaxy Tab felt genuinely seamless, creating the kind of AI creator setup that removes friction instead of adding it.

One small caveat worth mentioning is that creators working with extremely complex multi-layer 8K projects or feature-length productions may still prefer a larger 16-inch workstation with more screen real estate. However, for the vast majority of photographers, designers, video editors, and digital creators, the Galaxy Book6 Pro strikes an excellent balance between portability and creative performance.

Cooling That Keeps Up With Longer Creative Sessions

Creative workloads are rarely short bursts of activity. Whether it's exporting a long video, rendering multiple assets, or juggling Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Lightroom, and Chrome together, sustained performance matters far more than peak performance.

Samsung has equipped the Galaxy Book6 Pro with a wider Vapor Chamber cooling system alongside a dual-path fan design, and it proved particularly effective during our testing. Even after prolonged editing sessions and repeated exports, the laptop maintained consistent performance without becoming uncomfortably warm around the keyboard deck. Rather than aggressively ramping up fan noise or noticeably reducing performance, it quietly managed thermals in the background, allowing the creative workflow to continue uninterrupted.

That consistency also shows up in our benchmark results. The Galaxy Book6 Pro recorded 15,915 points in Cinebench R23 Multi-Core, comfortably outperforming the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Ultra's 12,686 points, reinforcing its ability to sustain demanding multi-core workloads like rendering, encoding, and content creation.

Battery Life That Works Around Your Creativity

One of the biggest advantages of modern creator laptops is the freedom to work from almost anywhere. Whether editing a rough cut during a flight, reviewing photographs in a café, or finishing a presentation before a client meeting, battery life becomes just as important as performance.

Samsung rates the Galaxy Book6 Pro for up to 30 hours of video playback under optimised conditions, thanks in part to its Intel Core Ultra X7 processor, which prioritises efficiency alongside performance. While real-world battery life naturally depends on the workload, our experience was reassuringly positive. Across a typical day involving browser-heavy research, Photoshop edits, presentation work, Microsoft Teams meetings, and AI-assisted tasks, the laptop comfortably kept pace without creating constant battery anxiety.

The benchmark numbers reinforce that experience. In our standard battery test, the Galaxy Book6 Pro lasted 20 hours and 46 minutes, compared to 13 hours and 11 minutes on the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Ultra. For creators who spend long hours away from a desk, that's a meaningful difference that translates directly into fewer interruptions and greater flexibility.

Charging is equally convenient. The 78Wh battery is paired with a compact USB Type-C charger, making it easy to carry a single adapter alongside compatible Galaxy devices while travelling.

Built for Growing Creative Libraries

Creative projects rarely stay small. RAW photo libraries, layered Photoshop files, 4K footage, project backups, and AI-generated assets can quickly consume available storage, making long-term scalability an important consideration.

The Galaxy Book6 Pro offers generous LPDDR5X memory and high-speed Gen4 SSD storage, giving creators enough headroom for demanding creative applications today while leaving room for larger projects tomorrow. During our workflow, switching between Premiere Pro, Photoshop, Lightroom, cloud storage, and communication tools remained smooth even with several applications open simultaneously.

Storage performance is another highlight. Our testing recorded sequential read speeds of nearly 7GB/s, allowing large creative assets to load quickly while helping speed up imports, exports, and project transfers. Whether you're working with RAW photographs or editing a laptop for long videos, the storage subsystem keeps pace with demanding workloads instead of becoming a bottleneck.

Connectivity That Fits Modern Creator Workflows

Connectivity is often overlooked until it becomes inconvenient, but Samsung has clearly designed the Galaxy Book6 Pro with creators in mind.

For photographers and videographers, the built-in SDXC card slot is immediately useful. Instead of reaching for a card reader every time footage needs to be transferred, creators can simply insert a memory card and start importing files directly into their preferred editing software.

The laptop also supports Wi-Fi 7, helping accelerate cloud uploads, remote collaboration, and downloads on compatible networks. Combined with Thunderbolt 4, USB Type-C, HDMI, and a headphone jack, it integrates easily into both minimalist mobile setups and more elaborate studio environments.

For creators already invested in the Galaxy Ecosystem, the experience extends beyond hardware. Features like Quick Share, Samsung Notes, and Multi Control make moving assets between compatible Galaxy devices remarkably straightforward. Whether transferring photos captured on a Galaxy smartphone, sketching concepts on a Galaxy Tab, or continuing edits on the Galaxy Book6 Pro, the workflow feels connected instead of fragmented—something that becomes increasingly valuable in an AI creator setup.

Verdict: A Creator Laptop That Gets the Fundamentals Right

The Samsung Galaxy Book6 Pro gets the basics right by bringing together a stunning Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, the Intel Core Ultra X7 processor, NVIDIA RTX 50 Series graphics, and a dedicated 50 TOPS NPU into a premium creator laptop that's built for modern creative workflows. Whether it's photo editing, AI video editing, rendering, or multitasking, it delivers a balanced experience that goes beyond specifications.

Our testing backs that up too. From stronger PCMark 10 and Cinebench scores to longer battery life and faster GPU compute performance than similarly positioned competitors, the Galaxy Book6 Pro consistently performed well during real-world creative workloads. While creators working on massive feature-length projects may still prefer a larger workstation, its combination of portability and performance makes it an excellent fit for most photographers, designers, video editors, and content creators.

If you're looking to upgrade your creative setup, the Samsung Galaxy Book6 Pro is a compelling choice. Samsung is currently offering special student discounts, attractive EMI options, Samsung Upgrade benefits, and seasonal Back to School promotions on the Galaxy Book6 Series. Gear Up for Perfection and discover how an AI-powered creator laptop can help bring ideas to life.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is the Samsung Galaxy Book6 Pro a good creator laptop?

Yes. The Galaxy Book6 Pro is designed for photographers, designers, video editors, and digital creators who need a premium creator laptop with excellent colour accuracy, AI-powered performance, NVIDIA RTX 50 Series graphics, and long battery life. It comfortably handles modern creative applications while remaining portable enough for hybrid work.

Can the Galaxy Book6 Pro handle AI video editing?

Absolutely. Powered by the Intel Core Ultra X7 processor, Intel AI Boost, NVIDIA RTX 50 Series graphics, and a dedicated 50 TOPS NPU, the Galaxy Book6 Pro is well suited for AI video editing and AI-assisted creative workflows. Features like Copilot, AI Select, Cut Out, and Intelligent Search help simplify repetitive tasks and improve productivity.

How good is the Galaxy Book6 Pro's display for creators?

The laptop features a Dynamic AMOLED 2X touchscreen with WQXGA+ (2880 × 1800) resolution, excellent colour accuracy, up to 1000 nits HDR brightness, a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, and an anti-reflective Corning Gorilla Glass with DXC coating. Together, these features make it ideal for photo editing, video editing, graphic design, and colour-sensitive creative work.

Does the Galaxy Book6 Pro stay cool during long rendering sessions?

Yes. Samsung's wider Vapor Chamber cooling system and dual-path fan design help maintain consistent performance during extended creative workloads such as rendering, exporting videos, and multitasking across multiple applications, reducing the likelihood of thermal throttling.

Is the Galaxy Book6 Pro suitable for creators who travel frequently?

Definitely. Its lightweight aluminium chassis, long battery life, compact USB Type-C charger, Wi-Fi 7 support, and built-in SDXC card slot make it a practical choice for creators working from studios, cafés, client locations, or while travelling.

How does the Galaxy Ecosystem benefit creators?

Features like Quick Share, Samsung Notes, Multi Control, and compatibility with Galaxy AI experiences make it easier to move files, sketches, and ideas between compatible Galaxy devices. Together, they create a more seamless AI creator setup that reduces interruptions throughout the creative process.

Are there any offers available on the Galaxy Book6 Pro?

Samsung periodically offers special student discounts, attractive EMI options, Samsung Upgrade benefits, and seasonal Back to School promotions on the Galaxy Book6 Series. Since offers may vary over time, it's best to check Samsung's official website or authorised retailers for the latest details before purchasing.

A productive workday isn't defined by a single task anymore. It begins with clearing emails over breakfast, moves to back-to-back Microsoft Teams and Google Meet calls, stretches into hours of editing presentations, analysing spreadsheets, collaborating with colleagues, and increasingly, using AI to summarise reports or organise meeting notes. Throughout all of this, a laptop needs to stay responsive, last through the day, and help users work efficiently without becoming a distraction.

After spending time looking at how the Samsung Galaxy Book6 Pro fits into this kind of workflow, one thing becomes clear: it isn't trying to be the most powerful laptop on paper. Instead, it's built around making everyday productivity feel effortless. Powered by the latest Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processor, the Galaxy Book6 Pro combines AI-powered performance, intelligent cooling, premium hardware, and the Galaxy Ecosystem into a Windows laptop that's designed to keep pace with modern professionals. If the goal is finding a premium Windows laptop that can comfortably handle a full day of work, the Galaxy Book6 Pro makes a compelling case for itself.

Built for a Full Day of Productivity

One of the first things that stands out during everyday use is how consistently the Galaxy Book6 Pro handles multitasking. Modern work rarely happens inside a single application. It's common to have dozens of browser tabs open alongside Microsoft 365, Slack, Photoshop, spreadsheets, PDFs, and video conferencing software, all running simultaneously.

This is where the Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processor makes a noticeable difference. Rather than simply offering faster speeds, Intel's latest platform is designed around real-world productivity, combining responsive multitasking with built-in AI acceleration and improved power efficiency. The result is a laptop that remains fluid even as workloads become more demanding, allowing professionals to stay focused instead of constantly managing performance or battery life. Intel's "Unlock Everything More" philosophy is less about raw specifications and more about helping users accomplish more throughout the workday.

The dedicated 50 TOPS Neural Processing Unit (NPU) further strengthens this experience by accelerating AI workloads directly on the device. Rather than relying entirely on cloud processing, everyday AI experiences can feel faster and more responsive while helping improve overall efficiency.

Samsung complements this with an efficient Vapor Chamber cooling system, which helps maintain stable performance during prolonged workloads. Whether it's editing large presentations, running multiple business applications, or spending hours in consecutive meetings, the laptop is designed to sustain performance while helping minimise thermal throttling. Combined with dependable battery optimisation, it becomes a laptop that's comfortable to rely on from the first meeting in the morning until the final task of the day.

Designed Around Hybrid Work

Hybrid work has changed what professionals expect from their laptops. It's no longer enough to simply complete tasks quickly. A modern productivity laptop also needs to communicate clearly, collaborate effortlessly, and adapt to different working environments.

The Galaxy Book6 Pro performs particularly well in this area. During video meetings, the AI-enhanced webcam works alongside Windows Studio Effects to intelligently improve framing, reduce background distractions, and maintain a more professional appearance. Whether joining a Microsoft Teams discussion, presenting over Zoom, or catching up with colleagues on Google Meet, these AI-powered enhancements help meetings feel more polished without requiring constant manual adjustments.

The collaboration experience extends beyond video quality. A six-speaker audio system delivers fuller sound during meetings and presentations, while dual microphones help voices come across clearly during conference calls. Wi-Fi 7 support further improves wireless connectivity on compatible networks, making it easier to stay connected while working remotely or travelling.

Samsung has also included a practical selection of ports, including Thunderbolt 4, USB Type-C, HDMI, microSD, and a headphone jack. Instead of carrying multiple adapters, professionals can quickly connect external displays, storage devices, or presentation equipment wherever work takes them.

A Connected Workspace Instead of Connected Devices

One of the biggest productivity gains doesn't come from faster hardware—it comes from reducing the number of small interruptions throughout the day.

For professionals already using Galaxy smartphones or tablets, the Galaxy Book6 Pro becomes the centre of a connected workspace through the Galaxy Ecosystem.

Quick Share makes phone-to-laptop file sharing feel almost effortless, allowing presentations, PDFs, photos, videos, and business documents to move quickly between compatible Galaxy devices. Instead of emailing files to yourself or repeatedly uploading content to cloud storage, documents are available where they're needed almost instantly.

Windows Phone Link further reduces unnecessary distractions by bringing notifications, calls, messages, and recent photos directly onto the laptop. That means fewer interruptions caused by constantly reaching for a smartphone during focused work sessions.

The productivity story continues with Multi Control, Second Screen, and Samsung Notes. A Galaxy Tab can become a wireless second display during presentations or spreadsheet work; compatible devices can share a single keyboard and trackpad, and handwritten notes remain synchronised across the ecosystem. These aren't simply convenience features—they remove small points of friction that add up over the course of a busy workday.

AI That Actually Saves Time

Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming an integral part of professional workflows, not by replacing existing software, but by helping users complete everyday tasks more efficiently. The Galaxy Book6 Pro embraces this shift through the combination of the Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processor, its dedicated 50 TOPS NPU, and Microsoft Copilot.

Rather than treating AI as a standalone feature, it becomes part of the way professionals already work. Copilot can generate AI summaries from lengthy reports, draft emails, organise meeting notes, build AI presentations, brainstorm ideas, simplify research, and accelerate document creation without disrupting the workflow. Because many AI workloads are accelerated by the dedicated NPU, these experiences feel smoother while allowing the system to continue handling multiple applications simultaneously.

The AI experience extends beyond the laptop itself. Compatible Galaxy smartphones and tablets introduce Galaxy AI features like Circle to Search, making it easier to understand unfamiliar concepts, charts, or documents before seamlessly continuing work on the Galaxy Book6 Pro using Quick Share or Samsung Notes. Instead of existing as separate AI tools, these experiences work together to create a smarter, more connected workflow that genuinely saves time throughout the day.

How the Galaxy Book6 Pro Fits Into a Typical Workday

Features often sound impressive on paper, but their real value only becomes apparent during everyday use. To understand how the Galaxy Book6 Pro performs beyond its specifications, we incorporated it into a typical professional workflow involving Microsoft Teams meetings, Microsoft 365 applications, browser-heavy multitasking, presentations, spreadsheets, AI-assisted tasks, and hours of work away from a desk.

Throughout this workflow, the Galaxy Book6 Pro consistently felt responsive. Working with multiple browser tabs alongside Teams, Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Photoshop, and Slack never felt overwhelming, while Microsoft Copilot proved genuinely useful for quickly summarising documents, organising meeting notes, and preparing presentation outlines. The dedicated 50 TOPS NPU also helped AI-powered tasks feel smooth without affecting the responsiveness of other applications running in the background.

Equally important was how naturally the rest of the experience came together. The AI-enhanced webcam and Windows Studio Effects made video meetings look more polished, Quick Share and Windows Phone Link reduced the need to constantly switch between devices, and the Vapor Chamber cooling system helped maintain consistent performance during extended work sessions. Combined with dependable battery life that comfortably supported a typical workday, the Galaxy Book6 Pro delivered an experience that felt less like individual features working independently and more like a laptop designed around the way professionals actually work.

A Premium Experience That Makes Everyday Work Easier

A premium productivity laptop isn't defined by specifications alone. It's the little things—display quality, keyboard comfort, touchpad responsiveness, and overall usability—that professionals notice after spending hours working every day.

The Galaxy Book6 Pro's Dynamic AMOLED 2X touchscreen is easily one of its biggest highlights. Whether you're reviewing lengthy reports, editing presentations, analysing spreadsheets, or simply working across multiple windows, the display delivers vibrant colours, deep contrast, and excellent clarity that make long work sessions more comfortable. Samsung pairs this with a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, making scrolling, multitasking, and navigating Windows feel noticeably smoother while intelligently balancing responsiveness with battery efficiency.

Another thoughtful addition is the anti-reflective Corning Gorilla Glass with DXC coating. Professionals don't always work in ideal lighting conditions, and reflections can quickly become distracting in offices, cafés, airport lounges, or near large windows. The anti-reflective treatment improves visibility in brighter environments, making it easier to stay focused regardless of where the workday takes you.

The experience extends beyond the display. The large haptic touchpad delivers precise, consistent feedback across its entire surface, while the spacious keyboard remains comfortable during extended typing sessions. Together, these details contribute to a premium experience that's immediately noticeable during everyday work.

Built to Protect What Matters

A work laptop isn't just another device—it's where confidential files, client presentations, financial reports, contracts, and years of work often reside. That makes security just as important as performance.

Samsung addresses this through Samsung Knox, which provides hardware-backed security designed to help protect confidential files, sensitive business information, and personal data. Working alongside Windows security features, it helps create a more secure PC while strengthening data protection and adding another layer of malware protection for professionals handling important information throughout the day.

Convenience hasn't been overlooked either. An integrated fingerprint reader with Windows Hello enables fast, password-free sign-ins, allowing users to unlock the laptop securely with a single touch instead of repeatedly entering passwords during the workday.

The Galaxy Book6 Pro also feels reassuringly well-built. Its lightweight aluminium chassis makes it easy to carry between offices, client meetings, airports, and co-working spaces without sacrificing portability. Inside, Samsung's Vapor Chamber cooling system continues to support consistent performance during extended workloads, helping professionals stay productive even during demanding workdays.

Like many premium ultrabooks, there are a couple of trade-offs worth noting. The LPDDR5X memory is soldered, so buyers should choose between the available 16GB and 32GB configurations based on their long-term requirements. Likewise, the keyboard adopts relatively shallow key travel to maintain the laptop's slim profile, although it remains comfortable for prolonged typing once users become accustomed to it.

The Verdict: A Premium Windows Laptop Built for Real Productivity

The Samsung Galaxy Book6 Pro isn't trying to impress with benchmark numbers alone. Instead, it focuses on delivering the kind of experience professionals actually value—consistent performance, intelligent AI features, premium hardware, dependable security, and seamless collaboration throughout a full workday.

From the Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processor with its dedicated 50 TOPS NPU and Microsoft Copilot integration to the Dynamic AMOLED 2X 120Hz display, AI-enhanced webcam, Windows Studio Effects, Vapor Chamber cooling, Samsung Knox security, and the Galaxy Ecosystem's productivity features, every aspect of the Galaxy Book6 Pro contributes to making everyday work feel smoother, faster, and more connected.

More importantly, it never loses sight of its purpose. Rather than overwhelming users with specifications, it combines thoughtful hardware with practical software experiences that help professionals spend less time managing technology and more time focusing on meaningful work.

If you're looking for a premium Windows laptop that balances AI-powered productivity, portability, security, and ecosystem integration, the Samsung Galaxy Book6 Pro is a compelling choice. Samsung is also offering special student discounts, attractive EMI options, and other seasonal benefits on the Galaxy Book6 Series, making it an even better time to upgrade.

Gear Up for Perfection with the Galaxy Book6 Series and explore how a truly connected AI-powered Windows laptop can transform the way you work every day.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is the Samsung Galaxy Book6 Pro a good laptop for professionals?

Yes. The Samsung Galaxy Book6 Pro is designed for professionals who need a premium Windows laptop with dependable battery life, strong multitasking performance, AI-powered productivity, and seamless collaboration features. It comfortably handles Microsoft 365 applications, video conferencing, presentations, content creation, and demanding day-to-day business workflows.

How does the Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processor improve productivity?

Rather than focusing solely on performance, the Intel Core Ultra Series 3 processor combines responsive multitasking, improved power efficiency, and a dedicated 50 TOPS Neural Processing Unit (NPU) for AI acceleration. This enables experiences like Microsoft Copilot, AI summaries, AI presentations, and intelligent multitasking to feel faster and more responsive during everyday work.

Is the Galaxy Book6 Pro suitable for Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Google Meet?

Absolutely. The Galaxy Book6 Pro features an AI-enhanced webcam with Windows Studio Effects, dual microphones, a six-speaker audio system, and Wi-Fi 7 connectivity, helping professionals look and sound their best during virtual meetings across Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Google Meet.

What AI productivity features does the Galaxy Book6 Pro support?

The Galaxy Book6 Pro supports Microsoft Copilot and other AI-powered experiences that can generate AI summaries, organise meeting notes, draft emails, create AI presentations, simplify research, and assist with everyday productivity tasks. Combined with the dedicated 50 TOPS NPU, these experiences become a natural part of the workflow instead of interrupting it.

How secure is the Samsung Galaxy Book6 Pro for business use?

The Galaxy Book6 Pro combines Samsung Knox with Windows security features to create a secure PC experience. It helps protect confidential files, strengthens data protection, provides additional malware protection, and includes Windows Hello fingerprint authentication for fast and secure password-free sign-ins.

Is 16GB RAM enough for professional workloads?

For most professionals, 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM is sufficient for Microsoft 365, web browsers, video conferencing, AI-assisted productivity tools, and multitasking. Users with heavier creative, engineering, or development workloads may benefit from choosing the 32GB configuration since the memory is not user-upgradable.

Does the Galaxy Book6 Pro work best with Samsung phones and tablets?

Yes. Users with compatible Galaxy smartphones and tablets unlock additional Galaxy Ecosystem features such as Quick Share, Samsung Notes, Multi Control, Second Screen, Windows Phone Link, and Galaxy AI experiences. Together, these features create a more connected workflow across devices and help improve everyday productivity.

Are there any offers available on the Samsung Galaxy Book6 Pro?

Samsung periodically offers special student discounts, attractive EMI options, Samsung Upgrade benefits, and seasonal promotions on the Galaxy Book6 Series. Since these offers may vary over time and across retailers, it's worth checking Samsung's official website or authorised stores for the latest offers before making a purchase.

Tribit is not a name that gets talked about often in India, but the brand has been quietly building a solid reputation in the portable speaker segment globally. The StormBox Mini Plus is their latest compact Bluetooth speaker, and it arrives with a spec sheet that punches noticeably above its Rs 2,499 price. Two 48mm drivers, a passive radiator, 12W output, IPX7 waterproofing, Bluetooth 5.4, and dynamic LED lighting in a package that weighs 545 grams and fits in a jacket pocket. After spending time with it, I can say Tribit has built something worth paying attention to.

Design: compact, rugged, and livelier than it looks

The StormBox Mini Plus is a squat, cylindrical speaker measuring 119 x 91 x 91mm — compact enough to slot into a bag side pocket or sit on a desk without demanding attention. The fabric-covered exterior gives it a grip that smoother-finish speakers lack, and the rubberised silicone caps at both ends add to the durability feel. We received the blue variant, which has an understated look. Black and green are the other, seemingly more attractive options. All three colours are available on Amazon India, though at different prices starting from Rs 2,499.

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The one design caveat worth flagging upfront is the weight. At 545 grams, it is heavier than you might expect for a speaker this size. The UE Wonderboom 4 and JBL Go 4 are both smaller and weigh meaningfully less. If you are the kind of traveller who counts every gram, that is worth knowing before you buy. For most people, it will not matter, but it is not a pocketable speaker in the true sense.

The control panel is clean and well-organised. Volume controls sit on the front, large and easy to hit without looking. A multifunction button handles playback, speakerphone, and voice assistant access; a long press activates Siri or Google Assistant, which is a feature you do not get on JBL's portable range. The LED ring and Bluetooth pairing button sit on the spine. The Type-C charging port and 3.5mm AUX input are on the bottom behind rubber gaskets. The IPX7 rating means the speaker can survive submersion in a metre of water for 30 minutes, and it floats, which is a useful property for poolside or beach use. The one durability caveat is that the "X" in IPX7 means there is no official dust-resistance rating, which is worth keeping in mind if you plan to use it in particularly sandy or dusty conditions.

The LED ring on top pulses and fades in time with the music in two modes - breathing and blinking - and can be controlled either from the speaker itself or the app. The breathing pattern is genuinely soothing even without music playing, with a lava lamp-like quality that makes it a pleasant ambient light as much as a speaker feature. A minor missed opportunity: the LED ring is not used to display volume level or battery status. The only battery indicator is a blinking power button when the charge drops below 20 percent, which is not ideal.

Sound: balanced and bigger than the size suggests

The two 48mm drivers fire left and right, giving the StormBox Mini Plus a 360-degree dispersion pattern that means there is no bad seat in the room. Place it in the middle of a table or garden, and everyone gets the same listening experience. The passive radiator and 2+1 Band DRC system handle clarity and balance across volume levels, and the results are better than you would expect from a speaker at this price.

Whether playing jazz classics, pop, or vocal-forward tracks, the StormBox Mini Plus handles each genre with more confidence than its size and price suggest. The clarity is decent but not as good as what a Wonderboom 4 offers using the default presets. The five built-in presets - Music, Audiobook, Classical, Rock, and Jazz - are a good starting point but didn't really impress me. However, the nine-band custom EQ fixed this easily and allowed me to save up to 15 custom mixes, which is genuinely more control than you typically see at this price. 

I've been listening to "Fireflies" a lot, a new song by U2 in collaboration with Martin Garrix. The song has an extremely catchy riff by The Edge, combined with Bono's still-incredible vocals, and I love the overall clarity of the song. That clarity wasn't immediately present when using any of the preset EQs, but some tinkering with the nine-band EQ gave me the sound I wanted.

One of the more impressive qualities is that you can push the volume to 100 percent with almost no distortion. At that level it is loud enough to irritate your neighbours, and the speaker will literally bounce itself around on a flat surface from the vibration, but it remains an enjoyable listen. Most portable speakers at this price become harsh or strained at high volume. This one does not.

Bass is present but limited, which is the expected trade-off for a speaker of this size and price. It is not a party speaker if deep, thumping lows are what you are after. TWS mode, which pairs two StormBox Mini Plus units for wider stereo coverage, works if you have access to a second unit. I didn't.

Battery: honest expectations

Tribit claims 12 hours of playtime at 50 percent volume with the LED lights off. In real-world use at mixed volume levels above 50 percent with the ring lit, expect closer to 10 hours. That is still a comfortable full day of moderate listening, and you can top up overnight for a fully charged speaker the next day.

Personally, I used the speaker for about an hour or two daily, and it got me through a week easily.

Connectivity: more than the competition offers

Bluetooth 5.4 with a 30-metre range, AAC and SBC codec support, and a stable connection across my testing period cover all the bases. The 3.5mm AUX input made me the happiest as I could connect my iPod Classic to it, which is rare among waterproof portable speakers at any price, let alone this one. One thing to note: connecting the AUX cable disables the Bluetooth connection, so TWS stereo pairing is not possible when using an analogue source.

The built-in speakerphone works well for calls at close range, but I honestly don't like taking calls on a portable speaker, or any speaker for that matter. Move more than about 60cm away from the speaker, and your voice becomes noticeably fainter to the caller. It is adequate for desk use but not ideal for hands-free calls from across a room. Voice assistant access works reliably.

Final verdict

The Tribit StormBox Mini Plus is a hard speaker to argue against at Rs 2,499. It delivers balanced sound that holds up at high volume, genuine IPX7 waterproofing, a speakerphone, a 3.5mm AUX input, which I personally appreciated, a genuinely useful 9-band custom EQ, and TWS pairing make up a feature set that no direct competitor at this price can match in full. The weight is higher than you might expect for the size, the bass has limits, and clarity might feel a little wanting in some genres, but none of those are reasons to look elsewhere at this price point. For the money, very little comes close.

Editor's rating: 8/10

Reasons to buy:

• Clear, balanced sound that handles multiple genres well and reaches 100 percent volume with almost no distortion.
• IPX7 waterproofing and a 3.5mm AUX input are both rare at this price point.
• Speakerphone and voice assistant access are features most competitors in this category do not offer.
• App-based nine-band EQ with five built-in presets and 15 saveable custom mixes give you more sound control than expected.
• TWS pairing and dynamic LED lighting add value well beyond what the price would suggest.

Reasons not to buy:

• Heavier than comparably sized competitors, which limits true pocketability.
• Bass is limited for its size. Not suitable as a primary party speaker.
• Real-world battery life at higher volumes with LED on is closer to 10 hours, not the claimed 12.
• No dust resistance rating despite the IPX7 waterproofing.

The Tecno Camon 50 Ultra is a stylish camera-focused phone that gets a lot right for buyers who care about design, battery life, and versatile photography. With a premium build, a telephoto lens, and a large battery, it feels well thought out for the sub- Rs 40,000 segment. Still, there are a couple of trade-offs worth noting with this smartphone; here are four quick reasons to buy it and two reasons to skip, based on our full review.

Reasons to buy Tecno Camon 50 Ultra

Stylish design

The Camon 50 Ultra gives an excellent first impression with its slim 7.75mm profile, light 190g weight, and matte back panel that feels premium in hand. The Cypress Green colourway is quite appealing with a classy algae green finish, while the dual-tone style around the camera island gives the phone a more polished and distinctive look.

It is also very comfortable to hold, thanks to the curved edges, and the included case adds another layer of refinement with its soft-touch texture. On top of that, the phone has great durability specs with IP66, IP68, IP69, IP69K ratings and MIL-STD-810H compliance, making it a stylish device that can also handle rough everyday use.

A capable telephoto camera system

The Camon 50 Ultra is quite special in this segment because it includes a proper telephoto lens, something that only one other phone offers at this price point. The rear setup consists of a 50MP main camera with OIS, a 50MP 3x telephoto lens, and an 8MP ultrawide camera, while the front gets a 50MP selfie shooter.

In daylight, the main camera does especially well with good detail, accurate white balance, and strong dynamic range, while selfies also impress with natural skin tones.

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The low-light results from the main camera remain pretty good too, and the telephoto lens is useful for zoom and portraits, even if it loses some detail at 3x zoom level. The camera tuning is biased toward vibrant, social media-ready results, which will suit most casual users.

Bright, immersive display

The 6.78-inch curved AMOLED ProXDR display is one of the most appealing parts of the phone. It offers vibrant colours, HDR10 support, and a peak brightness of 4500 nits, which makes it easy to use even in bright outdoor conditions. The curved panel gives the screen a premium feel and helps make content look more immersive, even if curved displays might not appeal to everyone.

The panel has a 144Hz refresh rate, though it is not universally available across all apps and games yet. Still, for video watching, browsing, and general media use, the display does a very good job. 

Big battery and fast charging

The battery life is another major advantage of the Camon 50 Ultra. The 6,500mAh battery is impressive for a phone this slim, and it delivered over 13 hours in the PCMark battery benchmark, which is a good result for the segment. In everyday use, it also held up well, with modest battery drops during YouTube playback and gaming.

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Most users should comfortably get well beyond a full day of use, and even heavier users can expect a respectable screen-on time of around 8 hours. The included 45W charger can take the phone from 20 to 100 per cent in just a little over an hour. That makes it a practical choice for users who want a phone that looks good but still lasts long enough to avoid constant charging.

Reasons not to buy Tecno Camon 50 Ultra

Performance is only average

The Camon 50 Ultra uses the MediaTek Dimensity 7400 Ultimate with 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 256GB of UFS 2.2 storage, which is enough for regular everyday use, app switching, and moderate gaming. It generally feels smooth enough, but it is not performance-focused, and that shows in benchmark results as well as in heavier use.

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The OS can get a little laggy at times, and heat buildup becomes more evident when the phone is used outdoors, especially during long camera sessions. That can lead to extra stutter, which makes the experience less polished than what performance-focused rivals offer. 

Limited 144Hz support

The 6.78-inch curved AMOLED display looks great overall, with vibrant colours, strong brightness, and a premium in-hand experience. However, the 144Hz refresh rate is not fully available across the interface and only kicks in for a few apps, which reduces its practical impact.

That means the screen does not feel as consistently smooth as the spec sheet might suggest, especially if you are expecting the high refresh rate to be a major everyday advantage. 

Final thoughts

The Tecno Camon 50 Ultra is an easy phone to recommend if you want a stylish device with good cameras, a bright display, and excellent battery life. It is not the fastest phone in its segment, and the limited 144Hz implementation keeps the display from feeling fully premium in daily use. Still, for camera-focused users who value design and endurance, it remains a convincing option under Rs 40,000.

With the Rs 25,000 segment left vacant after the Edge Fusion series moved above Rs 30,000, the Moto G77 Power is the company's take on the midrange segment. Rocking a massive 7,000mAh battery, the MediaTek Dimensity 6400, and a good-looking design, the device excelled in key aspects, as noted in our detailed review. However, the Moto G77 Power has several flaws that might make you want to consider alternatives. Here are a few quick reasons to help you decide whether you should buy it.

Reasons to buy Moto G77 Power

Tall, smooth, and sufficiently vibrant display

Despite relatively large bezels and an LCD panel, the G77 Power's expansive 6.72-inch Full HD+ display doesn't disappoint when it comes to binge-watching content. While AMOLED displays might still have the upper hand in producing better contrast, the LCD panel outputs vibrant enough colours in most scenarios, whether you're viewing social media posts, browsing the web, or going through photos in the gallery.

Unlike other custom skins, despite being a midrange device, the Moto G77 Power runs every app, except unsupported games, at a 120Hz refresh rate, resulting in a cohesive, smooth scrolling experience.

Tried and tested design

Although the phone's appearance may seem repetitive, since the same design was featured on previous Motorola releases, such as the Moto G37 Power, G57 Power, and others, there's no denying that the build offers comfortable ergonomics.

The vegan leather back, at least on Fuchsia Red and Nautical Blue, offers a soothing feel and a distinct texture, especially in a segment where most smartphones feature plastic, matte finishes. So, while the phone is slightly on the heftier side at 215g, the rear panel makes up for it.

Strong battery life

Another area where the Moto G77 Power leads the way is battery life. The 7,000mAh cell provided us over nine hours of screen on time on a single charge over the course of three days. The usage included watching YouTube videos, scrolling Instagram, chatting on WhatsApp, and playing games, such as Clash Royale, for a few minutes a day.

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While this can be considered casual use, if you're willing to push the phone further by playing games for hours or clicking pictures, the Moto G77 Power should still achieve excellent results, given the large battery capacity and excellent optimisation.

Top-notch audio experience

Along with rocking Dolby Atmos-backed stereo speakers, the Moto G77 Power stands out by including a 3.5mm headphone jack, which has become a rare sighting in phones priced above Rs 25,000.

The speakers deliver loud and crisp output, while the headphone jack is a nifty addition for those who still rely on wired audio solutions, especially users preferring IEMs over TWS or neckbands for their superior soundstage and less compression.

Reasons to skip Moto G77 Power

Set to receive just one Android update

In a segment where smartphone OEMs are delivering at least two OS upgrades, the Moto G77 Power is promised just one OS update, i.e. Android 17. While the latest version, Hello UI based on Android 16, offers several nifty additions from prior versions, such as Live Updates, a new quick settings panel, and tons of brand new lockscreen clock styles, the longevity falls short of the competition.

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On the positive side, the Moto G77 Power will gain three years of security updates, which is on par with the competition. If you're seeking a smartphone that stays ahead of the curve with the latest features and advancements for years to come, it's better to consider alternatives, such as the OnePlus Nord CE 6 Lite or iQOO Z11x over the G77 Power.

Primary camera needs work

Despite utilising the Sony LYTIA 600 1/2-inch primary camera sensor, the Moto G77 Power doesn't produce results as appealing as previous Motorola models with the same sensor, such as the G67 Power (review). For instance, the details and clarity felt lacking, which could be due to the Dimensity 6400's inferior ISP compared to the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 SoC found on the G67 Power.

[smartslider3 slider=2160]

While the images are sharp on their own, the fineness falls apart when you zoom in. On the other hand, daylight shots carry slightly boosted warm tones, while the brightness is generally on the lower side. At night, though, the G77 Power has good control over exposure and colours, making the scene look close to reality.

Sekyo - a Delhi-based wearable, GPS tracker, and home security brand - has introduced the WiFi Smart Door/Window Sensor. It's a compact device designed to alert you the moment a door, window, shutter, or locker is opened. Whether someone attempts to force open a lock or simply gains access, the sensor instantly sends a notification to your smartphone.

We got our hands on the Sekyo WiFi Door Alarm Sensor to see how it works, what features it offers, and whether it can add an extra layer of security to your home. So, without any further ado, let's dive in.

Design and form factor

The Sekyo Wi-Fi Smart Door/Window Sensor consists of two units: a main sensor and a smaller magnetic unit. The main unit, which houses the electronics, is slightly bulkier, while the magnetic unit is slim and roughly the size of an eraser. Both are completely wireless, although the main unit is powered by two AAA batteries, which need to be purchased separately. The battery compartment is tamper-protected, meaning the batteries can't be removed without alerting the owner.

The Sekyo Wi-Fi Smart Door/Window Sensor is available in two variants. The standard model sends instant notifications whenever the sensor is triggered, while the higher-end version also features a built-in siren that sounds an alarm when access is detected. Both units attach to a flat surface using adhesive tape (we'll explain how that works later). The installation looks clean and unobtrusive, but I do wish the sensor were available in additional colour options besides white, making it easier to blend in with wooden or metal doors and door frames.

How to install Sekyo WiFi Smart Door sensor

Find a flat section on your door or window, preferably at the top so that it doesn't get dislodged easily, next to the gap between the frame and the moving panel. Attach the main unit using the double-sided tape provided in the box, ensuring the arrow indicator faces the gap. Then, fix the companion unit on the adjacent surface, aligning its arrow with the arrow on the main unit. Both units should sit close together, if not completely attached, when the door or window is closed.

How it works, app connectivity

The Sekyo Wi-Fi Door Sensor is quick and easy to set up. Once the batteries are inserted into the main unit, it automatically pairs with the companion unit. The sensor responds instantly with a blue indicator light whenever the two units are separated or brought back together. If you have the built-in siren variant, it also emits a loud alarm at the same time. Both the visual and audible alerts happen instantly, with a minor latency, which is nothing to be concerned about. The siren variant also has a physical button to turn the alarm off.

Users can pair the sensor with a mobile app, SmartLife, available on both the Android and iPhone app stores, and remotely get updates from the sensor. The updates aren't real-time, but you are notified within seconds. Pairing the sensor with the app is also not much of a trouble, and you have the option to use it with and without an account. I connected my iPhone to it, which took me almost a minute, and the device requires a connection to an active Wi-Fi to send notifications.

Beyond receiving notifications, the app offers a range of useful controls. You can adjust the siren volume or mute it entirely, choose between light and voice notifications, enable both, or disable them altogether to suit your preferences. The app even lets you customise the smartphone notifications, so that they don't bug you too much. Additionally, users have the option to check the history - how many times the sensor was active, battery health, and assign a location if you have multiple sensors in place.

However, there is one major concern with the smart sensor that could have been addressed to make the device more reliable and secure. It relates to smartphone notifications over Wi-Fi, which must remain active at all times for remote alerts to work. The problem is that the device does not notify users if the Wi-Fi connection is lost. This is a significant oversight, as a disconnected sensor would fail to send intrusion alerts precisely when they are needed most.

Final thoughts

There might be several competing products on the market that offer a similar feature set, some at even lower prices. However, during my time testing the Sekyo sensor to monitor my room, it handled the basics well. Every time the door was opened, the siren sounded immediately, followed shortly by a notification on my phone, ensuring I was promptly informed of the event.

If you're looking for an affordable way to add an extra layer of security to your home, office, locker, cupboard, or drawer beyond conventional locks, the Sekyo Wi-Fi Smart Sensor could be worth considering as long as you can guarantee an active internet connection.

The Sekyo Wi-Fi Smart Door Sensor is priced at Rs 999 for the standard version and around Rs 1,300 for the variant with a built-in siren. That's reasonable pricing for a device designed to notify you of potential intrusions, even when you're away from the location. Of course, while the sensor can alert you in real time, you'll still need to take the necessary action in response.

The mid-range segment has shifted again in 2026, with rising memory costs pushing many phones that were once under Rs 20,000 into the sub-Rs 30,000 bracket. However, there are still capable options available that deliver good everyday performance and capable cameras. These include the iQOO Z11x (review), Motorola Edge 70 Fusion (review), OnePlus Nord CE6 Lite (review), and Redmi Note 15, all of which aim to offer the best value in a highly competitive space.

In this blind camera comparison, we've put these four mid-rangers head-to-head to see which one truly stands out for photography. To keep things fair and focused, we've stuck to the primary camera, as two of these phones do not include an ultrawide lens. That means no ultrawide shots in this round, letting us concentrate on the core shooting experience most users rely on daily.

The photos will simply be called Phone ‘A', ‘B', ‘C', and ‘D', so there's no brand bias involved. Your job is straightforward: pick the photo that looks best in each comparison and vote without knowing which phone shot it. Once the votes are in, we'll reveal the phones behind each image and crown the real camera champion based purely on your choices. Let's see which sub-Rs 30,000 mid-ranger comes out on top when it comes to photography. Let's get started!

Daylight

For this daylight scene, focus on dynamic range, colour, and sharpness. Pay attention to how each phone balances the sky while still retaining details, the building's colour, and its texture. Choose based on which image's colours and details appeal most to you.

[yop_poll id="638"]

Portrait

When judging these portrait images, you should ideally focus on three main areas: realistic skin tones, the quality of the background blur (bokeh), and the precision of edge detection around the subject. 

[yop_poll id="639"]

Selfie

For the selfie comparison, evaluate each photo for skin tone reproduction and its ability to retain facial details without softness or excessive skin brightening. Choose the image that appeals the most to you. 

[yop_poll id="640"]

Low light (night mode)

In this challenging scene, assess how each phone manages night photography with its night mode enabled. Look for control over light sources and lens flare, visible noise in the sky, and how much detail is preserved in shadows.

What's Next?

And that concludes the blind camera test. Thank you for taking the time to examine the photos and cast your votes. In the coming days, we will compile all the poll results to determine which phone is the true camera champion.

Our follow-up analysis will reveal which photos were shot by which device and explore the final results in detail based on the reader votes received. If camera quality is your top priority when choosing a new smartphone, we recommend waiting for that breakdown before making a buying decision. Make sure to cast your votes, and come back soon for the final verdict.

When AMD introduced 3D V-Cache a few years ago, it changed what gamers expected from a desktop processor. Suddenly, chasing higher clock speeds wasn't the only path to better frame rates. A massive chunk of L3 cache proved just as important, especially in CPU-heavy titles, and processors like the Ryzen 7 5800X3D and 7800X3D quickly became favourites among PC builders.

Now AMD is bringing that same formula to a slightly lower price point with the Ryzen 7 7700X3D. Think of it as the sensible sibling in the X3D family. It doesn't chase benchmark records or boast the highest boost clocks, but it promises the one thing most gamers actually care about: excellent gaming performance without stretching the budget. So, does it hit that sweet spot? We put it through our usual benchmark suite to find out.

What's New with the Ryzen 7 7700X3D?

The Ryzen 7 7700X3D is built on AMD's Zen 4 architecture using TSMC's efficient 5nm process. It packs 8 cores and 16 threads, making it a familiar configuration for mainstream gaming PCs. The highlight, of course, is the cache. AMD stacks an additional 64MB of 3D V-Cache on top of the CPU die, taking the total L3 cache to 96MB. While clock speeds have been dialled back compared to higher-end X3D processors, that's a deliberate trade-off. Games tend to benefit far more from the extra cache than an additional few hundred megahertz.

Another advantage is platform longevity. Existing AM5 users can simply update the BIOS and drop this processor into their system, making it an easy upgrade for gamers coming from a non-X3D Ryzen chip.

Test Bench Explained

To ensure the Ryzen 7 7700X3D delivered its best possible performance, we paired it with high-end components that eliminate potential bottlenecks elsewhere in the system. This allows the benchmark results to accurately reflect the processor's capabilities, without being limited by the cooling solution, graphics card, storage, or memory.

CPU Cooler: MSI MAG Coreliquid i360 Black

While the Ryzen 7 7700X3D is a relatively power-efficient processor, maintaining low temperatures helps it sustain higher boost clocks during prolonged benchmark runs. The MSI MAG Coreliquid i360's 360mm radiator provides more than enough cooling headroom, ensuring consistent performance throughout our testing.

Motherboard: ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E HERO

The ASUS ROG Crosshair X870E HERO offers a robust AM5 platform with excellent power delivery, PCIe 5.0 support, and extensive BIOS tuning options. It provides a stable foundation for the Ryzen 7 7700X3D while ensuring the processor isn't held back by motherboard limitations.

Memory: 32GB G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo DDR5-6000

AMD recommends DDR5-6000 as the sweet spot for Ryzen processors, making this 32GB EXPO-certified kit an ideal companion for the 7700X3D. It delivers the right balance of bandwidth and latency, helping maximise gaming performance while providing ample memory for productivity workloads.

Storage: Samsung SSD 9100 PRO 1TB PCIe 5.0

Samsung's PCIe 5.0 SSD ensures storage never becomes a performance bottleneck during testing. Its blazing-fast read and write speeds help minimise game loading times and allow benchmark applications to run without delays.

Graphics Card: Gigabyte AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE

To accurately evaluate CPU performance, the graphics card should stay out of the way. We paired the Ryzen 7 7700X3D with AMD's Radeon RX 9070 GRE, a powerful GPU that minimises graphics bottlenecks in CPU-bound gaming scenarios, allowing the processor's gaming capabilities to shine.

Power Supply: MSI MAG A1000GL Black

A high-performance test system deserves a reliable power supply. The fully modular MSI MAG A1000GL delivers stable power to both the CPU and GPU, ensuring consistent performance even under sustained workloads.

Cabinet: MSI MAG PANO 100R PZ Black

Housing everything is the MSI MAG PANO 100R PZ, a chassis designed with excellent airflow and plenty of room for premium hardware. Its spacious interior and airflow-focused layout help keep component temperatures in check during extended benchmarking sessions.

AMD Ryzen 7 7700X3D: Performance Analaysis

The Ryzen 7 7700X3D is one of those processors where benchmark numbers only tell half the story. If raw productivity is the goal, higher clocked Zen 5 processors will naturally come out ahead. But if gaming is the priority, the extra cache helps narrow that gap considerably. With that in mind, let's look at how it performed.

To put the Ryzen 7 7700X3D into perspective, I've also compared its numbers against the Ryzen 7 9800X3D, Ryzen 7 9850X3D, and Ryzen 9 9950X3D. Since those processors were tested with different graphics cards, it's only fair to compare the CPU-only synthetic benchmarks. As expected, Cinebench heavily favours higher clock speeds, giving AMD's newer Zen 5 chips a noticeable advantage. That said, the Ryzen 7 7700X3D still delivers more than enough muscle for everyday productivity, multitasking, and even the occasional creative workload.

The story remains largely the same in Geekbench. Zen 5's architectural improvements and higher boost clocks help the newer processors pull ahead in both single- and multi-core performance. If regular video rendering, 3D modelling, or lengthy code compilations are part of the daily routine, the extra horsepower is certainly worth having.

But synthetic benchmarks only tell half the story. Games care far more about low latency and quick access to data than they do about squeezing out another few hundred megahertz. That's where the Ryzen 7 7700X3D's 96MB of 3D V-Cache comes into play, helping deliver smoother frame pacing and consistently high frame rates in titles like Counter-Strike 2, Valorant, and Cyberpunk 2077.

So while it may not be the CPU for someone exporting 4K videos all day, it's perfectly happy if the desktop spends more time launching Steam than Premiere Pro.

Pricing and Verdict: More FPS, less financial damage

Priced at roughly Rs. 38,000, the Ryzen 7 7700X3D sits in a sweet spot that makes a lot of sense for gamers. It brings the biggest reason to buy an X3D processor in the first place—AMD's excellent 96MB of 3D V-Cache—without venturing into flagship territory. Better still, the Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 15,000 saved over a higher-end X3D chip can go towards a faster graphics card, more DDR5 memory, or a larger SSD, upgrades that will almost always have a bigger impact on the overall gaming experience than a few extra benchmark points.

The Ryzen 7 7700X3D isn't here to top productivity charts, and it doesn't pretend to. If the daily routine revolves around 4K video exports, complex 3D renders, or compiling code for hours, AMD's newer Zen 5 chips are the better fit. But if the PC spends more time loading Steam than Premiere Pro, this processor is right at home. It delivers exactly what most gamers are after: excellent gaming performance, impressive efficiency, and a price tag that leaves enough room in the budget for the component that matters most: the GPU.

Editor's Rating: 8.8 / 10

Pros:

• Excellent gaming performance
• Great price-to-performance ratio
• Cool and power-efficient
• Future-ready AM5 platform

Cons:

• Slower productivity performance
• Lower boost clock speeds
• Not the best choice for creators

The Moto G77 Power is the latest addition to Motorola's G-series, bringing the same tried-and-tested combo to a higher price segment. Coming at Rs 25,999 for the sole 8GB RAM and 128GB storage configuration, the G77 Power packs the MediaTek Dimensity 6400, a large 7,000mAh battery, and a 50MP LYTIA-600 primary camera. With others in the same segment offering the slightly superior Dimensity 7400 SoC, how does the G77 Power stack up against the competition? Find out in this review where I daily drove the device for over a week.

Quick verdict

The Moto G77 Power features a tall display that delivers sufficiently vibrant colours, while the stereo speakers provide an immersive sound experience. The vegan leather rear panel is soothing to hold, and the battery life is stellar. On to the downsides: it's set to receive only one OS upgrade, while the primary camera needs work to produce better detail.

Design: repetitive, yet comfortable

[pdp-expert-review]
While the Moto G77 Power's appearance may seem repetitive, as previous Moto G series smartphones featured the same design, it is comfortable to wield. The handset is sleek, lightweight, and comes with a vegan leather back for a good in-hand feel.
[/pdp-expert-review]

Right off the bat, the Moto G77 Power looks and feels strikingly identical to the Moto G37 Power (review). Since we received the blue colourways of both smartphones for review, it was nearly impossible to distinguish the two based on the back and even the front panel, unless you take a closer look at the cameras of the G77 Power, which carries the "LYTIA" branding. The Fuchsia Red and Nautical Blue colourways of the device feature a vegan leather back, while the Black variant's rear is made of acrylic.

The Moto G77 Power weighs 215g and measures 8.9mm in thickness, making it heavier than its close rivals, such as the Redmi Note 15 (review) and OnePlus Nord CE 6 Lite (review). Its build may feel hefty initially, but one should get used to it over time. Just like the G37 Power, the G77 Power is IP64 rated and carries MIL-STD-810H protection to absorb shocks during accidental drops.

A fair advantage the G77 Power has over its competitors is the inclusion of a 3.5mm headphone jack, making it crucial for people who still rely on wired headphones. Then there are Dolby-backed stereo speakers, which produce loud and thumpy sound output.

That said, Motorola hasn't moved an inch in terms of design language with the G77 Power, as it's the fourth consecutive G-series smartphone to sport the same front and rear appearance. While this helps the company maintain consistency and develop an identity, it can often come across as monotonous to the public.

Display: detailed with smooth scrolling

[pdp-expert-review]
The 1080p LCD display offers sufficient clarity and detail for watching content, while the colours are well preserved for the type of panel on offer. The 120Hz refresh rate also provides smooth scrolling.
[/pdp-expert-review]

Moving on to the display and viewing experience, the Moto G77 Power gains a 6.72-inch Full HD+ LCD display with a 120Hz refresh rate, and the same front appearance as the Moto G37 Power. Meaning, you get relatively thick bezels with a considerably large bottom chin.

The 1080p resolution offers sufficient clarity and detail for watching content on YouTube and JioHotstar, while the colours may not preserve their tone when the display is viewed from different angles. Otherwise, I found the colours to be vibrant enough in most scenarios, be it viewing social media posts, web browsing, or going through photos in the gallery. Speaking of which, it runs all apps at 120Hz in the 'Hyper smooth' setting, resulting in a fluid scrolling experience throughout.

Like most previous Motorola releases, the Moto G77 Power's display is protected using Corning Gorilla Glass 7i. Unfortunately, since Motorola doesn't pre-apply a factory screen protector, the display has endured noticeable scratches and scuffs.

Performance: fares well for daily use

[pdp-expert-review]
The Dimensity 6400 SoC may not offer the highest benchmark scores in its price class, but it offers sufficient prowess for running daily-use apps and casual games.
[/pdp-expert-review]

Despite a price markup of Rs 10,000 over the Moto G37 Power, the Moto G77 Power is equipped with the same MediaTek Dimensity 6400 processor. In real-world use, the chipset falls behind in raw power on benchmarks compared to its close rivals, as you can see in the chart below. However, the chipset offers enough prowess to run light to medium tasks, such as chatting, playing Clash Royale, and browsing Instagram.

[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="42273,38945,42001,," ][/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="42273,38945,42001,," ][/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="42273,38945,42001,," ][/comparative-benchmark]

The device is available in a single storage variant of 128GB UFS 2.2 paired with 8GB LPDDR4X RAM. Given this combo, the Moto G77 Power does a fine job of holding several apps in memory, unless you load games or the camera into RAM. When we ran Call of Duty: Mobile for 30 minutes in the 'Medium' graphics and 'Max' frame rate settings, the G77 Power offered average frame rates of 55.4, while in BGMI's 'HDR' graphics and 'Ultra' frame rates, the device delivered 38.5 frame rates on average, also in 30 minutes of gameplay.

All in all, while the Dimensity 6400 SoC falls behind the likes of the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 and Dimensity 7400 chipsets, it can offer a fairly reliable day-to-day usage experience, unless you push the limits by running games at the highest frame rates or multitask heavily.

Software: lacks update longevity

[pdp-expert-review]
The Moto G77 Power runs the signature Hello UI software, which is identical to other G-series phones launched earlier this year. However, its update longevity lags behind the competition by a good margin.
[/pdp-expert-review]

On the software front, you get Motorola's Hello UI on top of Android 16, which looks and feels identical to the interface found on the Moto G37 Power (review). Therefore, all the nifty new software additions made on that phone are present on the G77 Power, which include native support for Android 16's Live Updates for Google Maps, a OneUI-like Now Bar pill on the status bar to track timers, a stopwatch, and a torch toggle, and several new lockscreen clock styles.

[gallery link="file" columns="2" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" ids="703043,703044"]

With many similarities in the software, which we've already covered all the newly introduced elements in-depth in our Moto G37 Power review, the core Hello UI experience remains the same as any other midrange Motorola phone. Meaning, you get the essential goodies, such as karate chop to turn on the flashlight, twist gesture to summon the camera, and Smart Connect for running your phone apps on a PC.

In terms of updates, the device lags behind the competition as it's set to receive just one major Android upgrade, i.e. Android 17, along with three years of security updates. In comparison, the OnePlus Nord CE 6 Lite is promised two major OS upgrades, while the Redmi Note 15 will get three Android updates down the line.

[comparative-benchmark type="3000" products="42273,42001,38945,," pias="41,52,64,,"][/comparative-benchmark]

Battery: stellar endurance

[pdp-expert-review]
The 7,000mAh battery provides solid battery endurance on a single charge, to the point you can achieve 8 to 9 hours of Screen On Time.
[/pdp-expert-review]

The Moto G77 Power runs on a 7,000mAh battery, paired with 30W fast charging. During my use of over a week, the phone delivered around 9 hours of screen-on time on a single charge. But that's not even the best part, as this result was obtained over the course of three days, indicating strong endurance even when the device is idle.

[gallery link="file" columns="2" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" ids="708982,708985"]

So, if your usage is typical, such as watching YouTube videos, scrolling Instagram, chatting on WhatsApp, and playing games for a few minutes a day, the Moto G77 Power will serve you well with multi-day battery life. Furthermore, the usage included a mix of WiFi and mobile data, with location and Bluetooth enabled throughout.

On to the battery stats achieved in our PCMark Battery Drain tests, the G77 Power clocked over 16 hours in the test; while not the best, these are respectable numbers. However, the OnePlus Nord CE 6 Lite, with a 7,000mAh battery, fares better in this regard.

[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="42273,42001,41949,," ][/comparative-benchmark]

When it comes to topping up the battery, we were able to charge the Moto G77 Power from 20 to 100 percent in 84 minutes, which is fairly swift for a 7,000mAh battery.

Camera: daylight outputs require work

[pdp-expert-review]
The daylight shots could do with better details; otherwise, the colours come out. When it comes to charging, the devices take just over an hour for a full top-up.
[/pdp-expert-review]

Since almost all new releases under Rs 30,000 have started omitting 1/2-inch or larger primary camera sensors in favour of smaller ones, the Moto G77 Power differentiates itself by packing the 50MP Sony LYTIA 600 camera. This comes with a 1/2-inch sensor size with no OIS support. Tagging along is an 8MP ultrawide lens, while the punch-hole cutout upfront gets a 32MP selfie camera.

As for video recordings, both the front and back cameras can capture 2K video at up to 30 FPS. As for the actual photography outputs, despite using such a prolific camera sensor, the details and clarity don't match the levels of Motorola's own phones with the LYTIA 600 camera sensor, such as the Moto G67 Power (review), which could possibly be due to the inferior ISP of the Dimensity 6400 over the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 SoC. That said, the images from the main camera are sharp enough, but fall apart when you zoom in. Most of the daylight outputs contain slightly boosted warm tones, while the brightness is generally on the lower side even in well-lit conditions.

Apart from that, the dynamic range is balanced, and exposure control is good at night. That said, night outputs may turn out soft when there's no significant light source, which you can see for yourselves in the image gallery below. Lastly, the ultrawide camera severely lacks detail compared to the primary sensor, even though colour consistency is well maintained.

[smartslider3 slider=2160]

As for how the cameras perform against the competition, I compared the Moto G77 Power against the Redmi Note 15, which is equipped with a 108MP primary and an 8MP ultrawide camera, to see how it stacks up:

Daylight

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/07/Moto-G77-Power-daylight-16-scaled.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/07/Redmi-Note-15-daylight-scaled.jpg" offset="0.5" before="Moto G77 Power" after="Redmi Note 15"]

It's instantly noticeable that the Moto G77 Power's shot carries an unappealing amount of warmth to the image, while the Redmi Note 15 delivers a contrasty image with slightly punchier colours. What's more, the Redmi Note 15's 1/1.67-inch sensor does a much better job of capturing details from the scene.

Ultrawide

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/07/Moto-G77-Power-ultrawide-scaled.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/07/Redmi-Note-15-ultrawide-scaled.jpg" offset="0.5" before="Moto G77 Power" after="Redmi Note 15"]

Coming to the ultrawide shot, while both smartphones have rendered the image soft, the Note 15's image is slightly sharper, as you can make out the individual tiles on the building. However, the Moto G77 Power maintains colour consistency with the primary camera better.

Portrait

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/07/Moto-G77-Power-portrait-scaled.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/07/Redmi-Note-15-portrait-scaled.jpg" offset="0.5" before="Moto G77 Power" after="Redmi Note 15"]

Switching to portrait mode, the Moto G77 Power takes the lead by handling background highlights noticeably better while maintaining the subject's actual colours. Surprisingly, it also yields better detail, even though edge detection is superior on the Note 15.

Selfie

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/07/Moto-G77-Power-selfie-scaled.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/07/Redmi-Note-15-selfie-1-scaled.jpg" offset="0.5" before="Moto G77 Power" after="Redmi Note 15"]

In selfies, once again the Moto G77 Power goes for a sharper and clearer look, while the Note 15 struggles to bring out the details. It also outputs more pleasing colours, be it for the background or foreground, while capturing a wider perspective, ideal for group selfies.

Low-light

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/07/Moto-G77-Power-night-mode-scaled.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/07/Redmi-Note-15-low-light-scaled.jpg" offset="0.5" before="Moto G77 Power" after="Redmi Note 15"]

Despite carrying a superior primary camera sensor, the Note 15's low-light shot falls apart when it comes to details compared to the Moto G77 Power. The Moto smartphone also adds enough exposure to the scene, whereas the Redmi Note 15's image appears darker. However, many may prefer the Note 15's shot as well for its contrasty look, if we keep the detail levels aside.

Final verdict: Should you buy the Moto G77 Power?

The G77 Power feels solid and comfortable to hold with the inclusion of a vegan leather back, even though it may seem bulky initially. The 1080p LCD panel produces crisp details, but is no match for phones with AMOLED displays in its price range, such as the Redmi Note 15 and Samsung Galaxy M47, while the stereo speakers certainly add to the experience.

The 7,000mAh battery on board grants the phone multi-day endurance, with users likely to get over eight to nine hours of screen on time on a single charge, while topping it up takes just slightly over an hour. When it comes to areas of improvement, while the software currently performs excellently and delivers smooth, swift performance, the promise of just one OS upgrade for a phone priced at Rs 25,999 leaves a bitter taste. On the other hand, I expected better details and colour science from the camera given the hardware, though selfies and portrait shots turn out decent.

While the Dimensity 6400 processor trails behind the likes of the Dimensity 7400 and Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 in terms of raw power, the G77 Power's day-to-day usability remains intact. Furthermore, with smartphone prices on a constant rise, phones with Dimensity 6300/6400 SoC could soon retail at the Rs 25,000 mark or above, just like the G77 Power.

Moreover, phones like the Redmi Note 15 offer punchier tones, thanks to an AMOLED display, superior daylight shots, and a fairly lightweight, more comfortable build. That said, if you value a comfortable vegan leather design, strong battery life, sharp portraits and selfies, decent daily performance, and wired audio output, then the Moto G77 Power is worth considering. 

Editorial rating: 8.1/10

Reasons to buy the Moto G77 Power

• Tall display that is sufficiently detailed for everyday use.
• Vegan leather back makes the device comfortable to hold.
• Stellar battery life on a single charge.
• Stereo speaker setup enhances the entertainment experience.

Reasons to skip the Moto G77 Power

• Set to receive just one Android upgrade, while most rivals are offering at least two.
• Primary camera produces less detailed results than expected.

The Motorola Edge 70 Max reviews are out, including our own, with many praising the value it offers. That said, it is not without its shortcomings. While Motorola's feature-packed smartphone delivers strongly in several key areas, there are a couple of aspects where it could have performed better. Even so, for power users and in the right usage scenarios, the Edge 70 Max (review) presents a compelling case.

In this article, we take a closer look at what it gets right, where it falls short, and whether it deserves a place on your shortlist.

Reasons to buy Motorola Edge 70 Max

Impressive build

The Motorola Edge 70 Max may not stand out with its design, but it is certainly designed to endure demanding usage. The handset boasts an aluminium frame sandwiched between Corning Gorilla Glass 7i protection on the front and back. Then, there is IP69 water and dust resistance and MIL-STD-810H military-grade durability for protection against minor drops and falls.

The Edge 70 Max is also designed differently from the previous lot of Edge 70 series. The handset features flat edges, making it easy to grip and preventing accidental touches while gaming. 

Sharp display

The Motorola Edge 70 Max features a 6.8-inch ‘Extreme' AMOLED 10-bit LTPO display with 144Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ support, and 100 percent DCI-P3 colour gamut. However, the real highlight of the panel is the 2K QHD+ resolution, making it the sharpest in its class. While the difference isn't immediately apparent when watching videos, the higher pixel density makes text noticeably crisper, making the phone a better choice for users who spend a lot of time reading on their device.

Excellent 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="42264,41748,41310,41759," ][/comparative-benchmark]

At the core of the Motorola Edge 70 Max lies a sub-flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 SoC, which breezes through intensive gaming, multitasking, and productivity workloads. Furthermore, the handset offers an efficient 5,500mm2 VC cooling system, ensuring performance remains consistent even during extended gaming sessions.

Overall, the handset keeps pace with similarly equipped rivals such as the iQOO 15R and OnePlus 15R, while avoiding any noticeable throttling during prolonged gaming sessions.

Reliable cameras

[gallery link="none" columns="1" size="full" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" ids="708849,708852,708850,708851,708848"]

Despite being positioned as a gaming-focused smartphone, the Edge 70 Max's primary camera is a pleasant surprise. The handset features a dual-rear camera setup, comprising a mid-range 50MP Sony LYT710 main sensor and an 8MP ultrawide lens. The front camera is a 32MP snapper.

The cameras deliver detailed photos with pleasing colours, good dynamic range, and dependable low-light performance. The image quality remains well-exposed, often outperforming the iQOO 15R in daylight and ultrawide comparisons. However, the absence of a telephoto camera lens and an underwhelming ultrawide lens makes it less appealing for camera enthusiasts.

Reasons not to buy Motorola Edge 70 Max

Limited software support

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The Motorola Edge 70 Max feels intuitive with a near-stock Android experience, even though the list of pre-installed apps on the Android 16-based Hello UI remains on the higher side. However, the three major OS upgrades and five years of security updates feel modest in this price segment. Rivals such as the iQOO 15R and OnePlus 15R offer longer software support while also bundling AI features across all variants, giving them an edge for buyers planning to keep their phone for several years.

Outdoor legibility could be better

Although the 2K AMOLED panel is among the sharpest in its class, its outdoor brightness doesn't quite match the rest of the package. The display, which supports up to 7,000 nits peak brightness, struggles under direct sunlight, allowing rivals like the iQOO 15R (review) and OnePlus 15R (review) to pull ahead in terms of outdoor readability.

Final thoughts

To sum it up, the Motorola Edge 70 Max may not be the ideal choice for users seeking class-leading software support or excellent outdoor display visibility. However, gamers and power users, who are typically indoors, will find plenty to like. Its strong performance, gamer-friendly form factor, and sharp display make it a compelling option, while the reliable primary cameras are a welcome bonus despite the limited versatility of the overall camera system.

Xiaomi has built a strong reputation for offering feature-rich, value-for-money smart TVs, while TCL is widely recognised for its in-house display technology and focus on picture quality. With both brands offering compelling options across price segments, choosing between them can be confusing. Which brand offers the better display? Which one delivers more features for the price? Where does each brand excel, and where do they fall short? Most importantly, which models are worth buying?

To help answer these questions, we've compared Xiaomi and TCL TVs across their features, strengths, weaknesses, and best models. Check it out.

Which is better for...

Sizes available

TCL offers a wider range of TV screen sizes than Xiaomi. Both brands start with 32-inch models, but Xiaomi's lineup currently tops out at 75 inches. TCL, by comparison, offers significantly larger options, including 85-inch, 98-inch, and flagship 115-inch models, making it the better choice for buyers looking for large-screen home entertainment setups.

*Sizes as mentioned on Xiaomi and TCL's official websites in India.

Display

Both TCL and Xiaomi offer a wide range of display technologies across their smart TV portfolios. In the budget and mid-range segments, both brands rely on LED and QLED panels, delivering comparable picture quality with sharp visuals, vibrant colours, and decent contrast.

[caption id="attachment_699459" align="aligncenter" width="1920"] Xiaomi-X-Pro-QLED-TV-2026[/caption]

The competition becomes more interesting in the premium segment. Both Xiaomi and TCL now offer QD Mini LED TVs, which combine Mini LED backlighting with a Quantum Dot layer. Compared to conventional QLED TVs, these panels deliver higher brightness, better contrast, more precise local dimming, and a wider colour gamut, resulting in deeper blacks and more impactful HDR performance.

[caption id="attachment_431361" align="aligncenter" width="1057"] tcl-c825-mini-led-4k-tv[/caption]

TCL, however, takes things a step further with its flagship SQD Mini LED technology. This is an enhanced version of QD Mini LED that incorporates a more advanced Quantum Dot layer and improved light control, helping reduce colour bleed, improve contrast, and produce more accurate, lifelike colours. When paired with TCL's advanced local dimming system, the technology delivers deeper blacks and a viewing experience that comes closer to OLED than conventional Mini LED TVs.

Apart from that, TCL's premium TVs also boast impressive local dimming zones and higher peak brightness. This translates into stronger HDR performance, brighter highlights, and better shadow detail, making dark scenes and colourful HDR content appear more immersive.

Winner: TCL

Smart TV experience

While TCL has the upper hand in display technology, Xiaomi offers a more feature-rich software experience. In addition to Google TV, Xiaomi TVs include the company's PatchWall interface, which provides a personalised content discovery experience. PatchWall aggregates movies and TV shows from multiple OTT platforms into a single, easy-to-browse interface, reducing the need to open individual streaming apps. It also includes dedicated content collections, recommendations, and, in India, free access to more than 200 live TV channels through Xiaomi TV+.

[caption id="attachment_701232" align="alignnone" width="1920"] Xiaomi TV[/caption]

TCL TVs, on the other hand, run Google TV out of the box, which offers a pretty standard experience. The TV sticks to personalised recommendations based on your viewing history, support for multiple user profiles, Google Assistant, Chromecast built-in, and the ability to sync your Watchlist from your Google account - all these features you will also find on a Xiaomi TV.

However, unlike PatchWall, it does not provide a dedicated content-first interface that lets you browse extensively across streaming platforms without eventually opening the respective OTT app. For users who prioritise content discovery and convenience, Xiaomi's software experience has a slight edge. The software also comes with the Mi Home app, which lets you control other Xiaomi home appliances directly from the TV.

Winner: Xiaomi

Gaming

If you're looking for a TV that can double as a capable gaming display, TCL is the stronger choice. That's not to say Xiaomi TVs can't handle gaming. Many of its models include features such as Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), MEMC for smoother motion, and HDMI 2.1 ports on select models. However, Xiaomi's current lineup is largely limited to native 60Hz refresh rate panels.

[caption id="attachment_431360" align="aligncenter" width="993"] tcl-c825-mini-led-4k-tv[/caption]

While a 60Hz panel is perfectly adequate for casual gaming and slower-paced, story-driven titles, it falls short for competitive first-person shooters, racing games, and other fast-paced genres, where higher refresh rates deliver smoother motion and more responsive gameplay. Some Xiaomi TV options offer a 120Hz refresh rate with Game Boost, but that comes at the expense of reduced resolution.

For users looking for both high resolution and high frame rates, TCL TVs come across as a better proposition. Several TCL models offer native 120Hz and even 144Hz panels, along with support for Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), ALLM, HDMI 2.1, and gaming modes on select models. These features make TCL TVs better suited for getting the most out of modern consoles such as the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, particularly in games that support high frame rates.

Winner: TCL

Audio

Audio performance is fairly evenly matched between Xiaomi and TCL. Both brands equip their larger TVs with 2.1-channel speaker systems, while their smaller and more affordable models rely on bottom-firing stereo speakers. Speaker output is also broadly similar across comparable models, and both brands support DTS Virtual for a more immersive soundstage.

The TVs also feature HDMI eARC, allowing you to pass high-quality audio to compatible soundbars and AV receivers. The only notable difference is the Dolby Atmos support on select TCL models, whereas Xiaomi primarily offers Dolby Audio. Technically, this means a more immersive listening experience on compatible TCL TVs, but the difference is unlikely to be significant through the built-in speakers, which aren't designed to fully reproduce the height and spatial effects that Dolby Atmos is designed to deliver.

To experience a noticeable improvement, you'll need a capable soundbar or home theatre system.

Winner: Tie

Price comparison

The Xiaomi TVs are most competitively priced, starting as low as Rs 13,499 for the 32-inch variant. A comparable 32-inch TCL TV, by contrast, typically costs around Rs 17,000. The price gap widens further in the larger screen segments. For instance, Xiaomi's 75-inch TV is listed on the company's website for Rs 69,999, while TCL's 75-inch models start at around Rs 1,79,990.

*Starting price, as listed online

The higher price of TCL TVs reflects their positioning rather than simply a brand premium. Many of the company's larger models feature QD Mini LED or SQD Mini LED panels, higher refresh rates, superior local dimming, and better HDR performance, features that are generally absent from Xiaomi's lineup.

As a result, Xiaomi remains the better value option for budget-conscious buyers, while TCL justifies its premium pricing with more advanced display technology and gaming-focused features.

Winner: Xiaomi

Top Xiaomi TVs in India

Top TCL TVs in India

Verdict

Xiaomi TV seems to be a better choice for most buyers, offering excellent value with a polished smart TV experience, good picture quality, capable audio, and useful features like PatchWall and smart home integration, all at highly competitive prices.

TCL, on the other hand, should be your top priority for premium picture quality and gaming. Its Mini LED technologies, higher brightness, superior HDR performance, high-refresh-rate panels, and wider range of large-screen models make it the stronger choice for home theatre enthusiasts and console gamers.

The Tecno Camon series is the brand's lineup of devices that are focused on design and camera performance. There was no new Camon series phone launched in 2025, but the new Tecno Camon 50 Ultra marks the latest entry into the lineup this year. The new Camon 50 Ultra boasts a beautiful design that catches your eye immediately, packs a big 6,500mAh cell and is one of the few phones under Rs 40,000 to offer you a telephoto lens. 

In this review, I'll discuss how the device performs in day-to-day use, its camera output, battery life and other aspects and try to answer if it's worth its asking price. Let's get started!

Short verdict

The Tecno Camon 50 Ultra is a good choice for users who want a stylish phone with a good camera setup, bright display, and solid battery life under Rs 40,000. It is not the most performance-focused phone, but it feels well balanced and thoughtfully put together. For camera-focused buyers who want a phone that looks good and lasts well through the day, it makes a convincing case.

Design: slim and oh-so-chic

[pdp-expert-review]
The Tecno Camon 50 Ultra has a slim, stylish design with a classy dual-tone finish, a comfortable in-hand feel, and strong durability ratings that make it look good while feeling sturdy enough for everyday use.
[/pdp-expert-review]

The Tecno Camon 50 Ultra has a really likeable design right out of the box, with a matte finish on the back panel. My Cypress Green colourway has a beautiful algae-green finish that looks quite classy. The dual-tone finish around the camera island also adds a nice touch, and the final design is definitely a head-turner.

The paired case in the box takes things up a notch with a similar dual-tone finish, while the larger section gets a rubberised texture that feels soft to the touch. It is already a noteworthy design, but the case makes it feel even more refined, and I really like that.

[comparative-benchmark type="1000" products="41843,42000,41523,42052," ][/comparative-benchmark]

The phone also feels extremely comfortable to hold, thanks to its curved edges, thin 7.75mm profile, and 190g weight. On top of that, it brings serious durability credentials with IP66, IP68, IP69, and IP69K protection, along with MIL-STD-810H compliance. That makes it feel durable enough to handle quite a bit of abuse, and it is easily one of its strongest aspects.

Cameras: finally a telephoto lens

[pdp-expert-review]
The Camon 50 Ultra features a versatile camera system with a 50MP main sensor, 3x telephoto lens, and 50MP front camera. It delivers vibrant, social media-ready photos with strong daylight performance, natural selfies, and usable low-light shots. The telephoto adds zoom and portrait flexibility, while the ultrawide is functional but less impressive. Overall, it offers a well-rounded, camera-first experience for the price.
[/pdp-expert-review]

Next up is the camera, and the Camon 50 Ultra brings a pretty good setup for the price, a telephoto lens, in particular. You get a 50MP front camera, and at the back there is a 50MP 1/1.56-inch main camera with OIS, a 50MP 3x telephoto lens, and an 8MP ultrawide camera. It is nice to see another smartphone under Rs 40,000 with a telephoto lens, which immediately gives it a big advantage in this segment.

In general, the cameras produce likeable results with slightly punchy, vibrant colours that make the shots look social media-ready. The main camera does especially well in daylight, with good detail, accurate white balance, and dynamic range, while the selfies are also a highlight thanks to good detail and natural skin tones.

[smartslider3 slider=2162]

In low light, the main camera continues to perform well with good detail and dynamic range, while the 2x zoom remains usable, although the detail level is substantially diminished. 

The telephoto lens is handy for zoom and portraits, though it does have its quirks with loss of detail at the 3x level. The lens has a mixed output at night, with softer and less consistent results. The ultrawide camera, in my opinion, is the weakest and gets the job done in daylight, but expect softer results in low light.

I compared the phone's camera against the only other contender under Rs 40,000 to offer a telephoto lens, the Nothing Phone (4a) (review). Check it out below. 

Daylight

In daylight scenes, the Camon 50 Ultra's shots look a little washed out with a low contrast level. The Phone (4a), meanwhile, does a much better job in delivering a cohesive image with more appealing colours. In terms of detail level, Phone (4a) is a step behind its peer, Tecno, which offers a sharper, more detailed picture.

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/07/Tecno-Camon-50-Ultra-daylight-scaled.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/07/Nothing-Phone-4a-daylight-14-scaled.jpg" offset="0.5" before="Tecno Camon 50 Ultra" after="Nothing Phone (4a)"]

Ultrawide

Turning to the ultra-wide shot, both phones undergo a massive colour shift. The Phone (4a) is the one that struggles with contrast level and washed-out colours, while the Tecno's image is a lot more vibrant and contrast-heavy. The Camon 50 Ultra maintains its superiority in terms of detail level.

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/07/Tecno-Camon-50-Ultra-ultrawide-scaled.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/07/Nothing-Phone-4a-ultrawide-scaled.jpg" offset="0.5" before="Tecno Camon 50 Ultra" after="Nothing Phone (4a)"]

Portrait

Both phones perform quite decently in portrait modes at their individual optical lengths. The Camon 50 Ultra's shot is more detailed in terms of facial features and textures while keeping the colours more in line with the actual scene. The Phone (4a)'s image is slightly warmer in comparison. The edge detection is quite on par on both devices.

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/07/Tecno-Camon-50-Ultra-portrait-scaled.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/07/Nothing-Phone-4a-portrait-scaled.jpg" offset="0.5" before="Tecno Camon 50 Ultra" after="Nothing Phone (4a)"]

Selfie

The Nothing Phone (4a)'s image shows true-to-life colours, be it skin tone, the background environment or the subject's clothes. On the other hand, the Camon 50 Ultra's image is significantly more detailed and sharper. 

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/07/Tecno-Camon-50-Ultra-selfie-scaled.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/07/Nothing-Phone-4a-selfie-scaled.jpg" offset="0.5" before="Tecno Camon 50 Ultra" after="Nothing Phone (4a)"]

Low light

With the dedicated night mode enabled on both phones, the actual scene looks closer to the Camon 50 Ultra's image in terms of colour accuracy. The detail level is also better on the Camon's image, keeping it in the lead for night shots. 

[twenty20 img1="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/07/Tecno-Camon-50-Ultra-nightmode-scaled.jpg" img2="https://static.hub.91mobiles.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2026/07/Nothing-Phone-4a-nightmode-scaled.jpg" offset="0.5" before="Tecno Camon 50 Ultra" after="Nothing Phone (4a)"]

Display: curved panels have their charm

[pdp-expert-review]
The 6.78-inch curved AMOLED display offers vibrant colours, high brightness, and an immersive viewing experience. The 144Hz refresh rate is smooth but limited to select apps. Speakers are loud with Dolby Atmos, though they can sound a bit sharp at higher volumes.
[/pdp-expert-review]

Next up is the display, a 6.78-inch curved AMOLED ProXDR panel with 4500 nits peak brightness, a 144Hz refresh rate and HDR10 support. It has good colours, and while I don't personally like curved displays, they do have their charm. The content looks quite immersive, and there is a sense of premium-ness to the overall panel.

The higher 144Hz refresh rate kicks in only for a few apps, as I'll show below, and some games will likely get support down the line. As for the multimedia experience itself, it is pretty decent, with likeable, vibrant colours and good visibility even under direct sunlight.

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The speakers are Dolby Atmos-supported, but they are not my favourite. They are decently loud, but there is a shrillness to the sound signature that shows up when you play audio at higher volume levels, which I found a little unpleasant personally. All in all, it is mostly a decent multimedia device that works well across the board.

Performance: good enough for everyday use

[pdp-expert-review]
The Tecno Camon 50 Ultra uses the MediaTek Dimensity 7400 Ultimate with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage, delivering smooth everyday performance for apps, multitasking, and casual gaming. While generally stable, the OS can feel slightly laggy at times, and the phone tends to heat up during extended outdoor use or camera sessions, leading to occasional stutter. Overall, Tecno has balanced specs and cost wisely, making it a practical choice for typical users.
[/pdp-expert-review]

Next up is performance, and the Tecno Camon 50 Ultra is specced just enough to deliver a decent everyday experience. It uses the MediaTek Dimensity 7400 Ultimate, paired with 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 256GB of UFS 2.2 storage, and that setup handles app switching, general use, and even gaming to a decent level.

[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="41843,42000,41523,42052," ][/comparative-benchmark]

I did not run into too many stutters, although the OS can get a little laggy at times. The phone also has a little trouble dissipating heat, particularly when shooting outdoors. The device can get rather hot and stutter even more.

[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="41843,42000,41523,42052," ][/comparative-benchmark]

It is competing against phones like the Nothing Phone (4a) and the OnePlus Nord CE6, with the latter being the more performance-focused option, while the 4a offers a similar level of output.

[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="41843,42000,41523,42052," ][/comparative-benchmark]

There is nothing really bad to complain about here since Tecno has kept the specs modest to keep costs low, and that has paid off. In my opinion, it is a smartly planned device given the current market conditions.

Battery: decent longevity and charging time

[pdp-expert-review]
The 6,500mAh battery delivers strong endurance, lasting over 13 hours in benchmarks and comfortably more than a day in typical use. Even with high brightness and gaming, expect 7–8 hours of screen time. The included 45W charger fills the battery from 20 to 100 per cent in just over an hour, offering solid value.
[/pdp-expert-review]

A 6,500mAh battery inside a phone this thin is pretty decent, and it lasted over 13 hours in our PCMark battery benchmark, which is a solid result for the segment. It also holds up well in everyday use, with around a 6 per cent drop after 1 hour of YouTube and about 13 per cent after more than 1 hour of gaming.

[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="41843,42000,41523,42052," ][/comparative-benchmark]

You can expect around 7 to 8 hours of SOT if you keep brightness high and game often, but for most users, it should comfortably last well beyond a day before needing a charge. The 45W charger in the box also tops it up from 20 to 100 per cent in just a little over an hour, which is great for the price. While the phone may not dominate the segment in power efficiency, it is more than capable of meeting the needs of most users. 

[comparative-benchmark type="4000" products="41843,42000,41523,42052," ][/comparative-benchmark]

Software: relatively clean and snappy

[pdp-expert-review]
Running Android 16 with HiOS 16, the phone promises 3 OS upgrades and 5 years of security patches. HiOS adds useful customisation like enhanced Always-on Display options, depth-effect screens, and AI-generated themes. Features such as the Ella assistant, FlashMemo, translation, and AI image tools offer practical value without overwhelming users who prefer a simpler experience.
[/pdp-expert-review]

The Camon 50 Ultra ships with Android 16 with Tecno's HiOS 16 skin on top, and the brand is promising 3 OS upgrades and 5 years of security patches. HiOS 16 brings a good amount of customisation, including improved Always-on Display options, depth-effect lock and home screens, plus AI-based themes and wallpaper generation.

[comparative-benchmark type="3000" products="41843,42000,41523,42052," pias="52,54,30,47,"][/comparative-benchmark]

The AI features are where the software tries to be useful for both power users and regular users. Tecno's Ella assistant can help with voice commands, settings, and everyday tasks, while features like FlashMemo, translation, writing help, and image editing add more practical value if you use AI often.

At the same time, most of these tools are easy enough to ignore if you only want a simple phone experience, so the software does not feel too overwhelming.

Final verdict

The Tecno Camon 50 Ultra is priced at Rs 39,999 for the single 8GB + 256GB configuration on Amazon. For the price, it brings a lot to the table, especially for users who want a stylish phone with a great camera setup, a bright display, and good battery life. Its main weakness is that performance is not quite as ambitious as some rivals, and the 144Hz rate is limited in its implementation. Still, it feels like a smartly put-together device that focuses on the right things for its price.

Against the Nothing Phone (4a) (review), Tecno feels more balanced with its bigger battery. The OnePlus Nord CE6 (review) is the better pick if performance and speed matter more to you, but it gives up camera performance in the process. The Motorola Edge 70 Pro (review) is a better all-rounder, although it does not offer a telephoto lens, which makes the Camon 50 Ultra more appealing for users who care about zoom shots and portraits.

The Tecno Camon 50 Ultra is a good fit for users who prioritise cameras, want a device that turns heads, and need something they can carry around without worrying too much about running out of charge. For anyone looking under Rs 40,000, it presents itself as a capable camera-first option with a good balance of design and battery. 

Editor's Rating: 8.2/10

Reasons to buy:

• Impressive eye-catching design that feels comfortable in hand
• The display feels bright, vibrant, and enjoyable for media
• Impressive cameras with a telephoto lens
• Battery life makes it easy to rely on through a full day and beyond

Reasons not to buy:

• Performance isn't the strongest in the segment
• Limited 144Hz support.

Samsung has been trying to position its Health platform as an all-encompassing, holistic platform for well-being, and over the years, its wearables have ably supported that mission by acting as advanced trackers that capture data reliably. Advanced health features combined with the power of AI have been the differentiator, and the latest Galaxy Watch9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra2 carry that mission forward. 

Hands-on with the Galaxy Watch9

While the Galaxy Watch9 is the lighter of the two, designed for effortless all-day wearing, its capabilities cannot be taken lightly. Sticking to the same design language as before, it uses an aluminium casing and signature cushion design in typical Samsung style. Thanks to the new Snapdragon Wear Elite platform powering it, it promises smooth, lag-free usage, and in the brief period that I got to play with it, the UI certainly seemed quite zippy. 

As far as the specs are concerned, the Samsung Galaxy Watch9 comes in two sizes: a 44mm model (available in Graphite and Silver) weighing a lightweight 34.0g, and a 40mm model (Graphite and Cream) weighing just 31.5g. Both variants feature a Sapphire Crystal-protected Super AMOLED display capable of up to 3,000 nits peak brightness, with the 44mm sporting a 1.47-inch (480x480) panel and the 40mm housing a 1.34-inch (438x438) screen. The Watch9 packs 2GB of memory and 32GB of storage, running Wear OS 7 layered with One UI 9 Watch. Battery capacity stands at 445mAh for the 44mm model and 390mAh for the 40mm model, both supporting WPC-based wireless Fast Charging.

For fitness and health monitoring, the Watch9 is equipped with the Samsung BioActive Sensor (combining Optical Bio-signal, Electrical Heart Signal, and BIA) alongside temperature, accelerometer, barometer, gyro, geomagnetic, and light sensors. Rounding out the hardware, it offers comprehensive connectivity via LTE, Bluetooth 6.0, dual-band Wi-Fi, NFC, and dual-frequency GPS, supported by 5ATM + IP68 water/dust resistance and MIL-STD-810H durability certification.

Checking out the Watch Ultra2

Moving on to the richer cousin, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra2. It comes as the successor to the Watch Ultra, Samsung's ultimate high-performance smartwatch built for extreme outdoor sports and continuous wellness monitoring. Housed in a shock-resistant titanium casing that is 12 percent thinner than its predecessor, it packs a massive 800mAh battery, which is a 35% capacity jump over the previous model. This is good news, since the OG model was rather large and bulky for wearing 24/7.

The Ultra2's 1.52-inch (498x498) Super AMOLED display is protected by Sapphire Crystal and boasts a world-first 5,000 nits peak brightness, while the Snapdragon Wear Elite platform powers its capabilities. Designed for extreme environments, it carries IP69K, 10 ATM, and EN13319 certifications, enabling pro-level diving capabilities with real-time tracking of depth, water temperature, and safe dive limits (developed in partnership with Mares). For endurance athletes, it introduces a dedicated Trail Run mode (tracking elevation and terrain impact) and Nutrition Alert for real-time hydration guidance based on sweat loss. Anchored by the upgraded BioActive sensor, it also delivers Samsung's AI health intelligence suite, including sleep apnea detection, continuous Vitals alerts, heart health scoring, and daily cardio load tracking.

To give you a rundown of the specs, the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra2 comes in a single 47mm size option (available in Titanium Silver and Titanium Gray), weighing 61.5g. It runs Wear OS 7 with One UI 9 Watch. Health and fitness tracking are powered by the Samsung BioActive Sensor (combining Optical Bio-signal, Electrical Heart Signal, and BIA) alongside dedicated sensors for temperature, acceleration, barometric pressure, gyroscopic motion, geomagnetism, and ambient light. Connectivity options include LTE, Bluetooth 6.0, dual-band Wi-Fi, NFC, and L1+L5 Dual-Frequency GPS, backed by 10ATM + IP69K water and dust resistance, MIL-STD-810H military durability, and EN13319 diving certification.

To sum it up

Both watches seem to be taking their health and fitness tracking responsibilities quite seriously, and while the hardware seems on point, the Samsung Health platform is looking like a solid and capable health companion too. Looking well-rounded from an aethetics PoV as well, both the Watch9 and Watch Ultra2 do look quite compelling, based on my quick hands-on. We'll have more on these wearables as soon as we get them in for review. 

Disclosure: The writer attended Samsung Unpacked in London on Samsung India's invitation

Both the flip and the fold form factors have been around in the foldable smartphone segment for a while now, but a new contender is emerging that could sway many buyers in its direction. I'm referring to the new Galaxy Z Fold8, which is the so-called 'Wide' version of Samsung's book-style foldable. Rather than a book though, it resembles a passport more closely, and I have to tell you this – if you've been considering a foldable smartphone before and find the regular flip a bit too small and the fold a bit too big, the Z Fold8 could be the ideal sweet spot. Within just a few minutes of playing with it, I've fallen in love, and I suspect you will too.

Design and build

Weighing 201g, the Z Fold8 is said to be the lightest fold smartphone ever, and it's quite compact too. Measuring 81.9 x 123.9 x 9.7mm when folded, it's not much bigger than a passport, and that's a good analogy since I think this device could be your passport to immersive content.


Samsung is highlighting its new Flex Titanium tech as a major breakthrough, resulting in a design that's slimmer and more durable, and also helps reduce the crease. This technology involves a titanium-based display structure, using a titanium-alloy film with an enhanced titanium plate, capable of absorbing pressure and impact, and also reducing the crease. There's IP48 rating to indicate resistance to dust and water.

That screen

The word ‘immersive' comes up a few times in Samsung's messaging around this phone too, and it's easy to see why. The 5.5-inch cover display is nice for all your regular tasks, and the 120Hz Dynamic AMOLED 2x screen looks nice and punchy too. Open up the device to feast your eyes on the 7.6-inch, 1,848 x 2,448 pixel, 120Hz Dynamic AMOLED 2X main display. With the brightness going up to 3,000 nits, covered with an anti-reflective coating, and bearing support for Vision Booster, the screen looks gorgeous.


The 4:3 aspect ratio works well for watching videos in landscape, with slim black bands appearing on the top and bottom. And if you switch the orientation to portrait, the aspect ratio becomes ideal for reading content – web pages, magazines, documents, what have you. In terms of build quality, the Z Fold8 seems pretty good, and it carries an IP48 rating too.

Shooting

For shooting, you get dual cameras on the back – a pair of 50MP sensors, with the primary one offering OIS and 2x zoom, and the other one handling ultrawide photography. The setup might not seem as versatile as other contenders which offer dedicated telephoto sensors, but Samsung's cameras have delivered well in the past, and there's no reason why the Z Fold8 won't do the same. 10MP sensors handle selfie and video calling duties – there's one on the main display and another 10MP one on the cover display. There's a new My FanCam feature that's quite interesting: it lets you track a selected person in an existing video and reframe it to an aspect ratio of your choice, giving you social-ready videos in a matter of seconds.

The innards

Core specs are true-blue flagship – there's the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy SoC, mated to 12 or 16GB of RAM, along with up to a terabyte of storage, depending upon the variant you choose. Despite the compact form factor, the battery capacity is a respectable 4,800mAh, and you can juice it up at up to 45W speeds using a cable or up to 20W wirelessly.


Notably, the Fold8 lineup is the first from Samsung to use silicon carbide battery tech, and hopefully, we'll get to see bigger batteries in Samsung phones going forward. For now, the Z Fold8 uses it to keep its battery capacity respectable and its chassis super-slim.

Software

Samsung's One UI 9 with Android 17 makes up the software side of things, and while I didn't get enough time with the device to check out the new features properly, I know how intuitive the platform is and the ecosystem benefits it brings. Security should be top-notch with Knox baked in, while Galaxy AI has also been improving with each new iteration. Now Brief (personalised, contextual info) and Now Nudge (surfaces relevant prompts automatically) are features that have proven to be quite useful and make their way into the new device too. There's Gemini Intelligence and App Automation that can tie in multiple apps, and the ability to just describe what you need and let the AI do its thing, and more. The overall direction is agentic AI, and with each step, Samsung seems to be moving in that general direction.

To sum it up

I'll have lots more to say about the Galaxy X Z Fold8 after I get to use it properly, but for now, I'll just say this: it's a refreshing new form factor that holds a lot of promise. Making content consumption more immersive seems to be one of its key highlights, and it does that without compromising on any of the core features expected of a Samsung flagship.


I can't wait to get my hands on it again and use it as my daily driver to see what it can do for me, but my sense is that this form factor might just turn out to be quite popular, despite the premium sticker price it's bound to carry. Let's see if I'm right about this.

Disclosure: This writer attended Galaxy Unpacked 2026 in London on Samsung India's invitation

Samsung's new Flex Titanium tech that uses a titanium-alloy film with an enhanced titanium plate in the display structure is said to be one of the main reasons why the new Fold8 lineup is quite slim and more durable than before. The creases in the middle are also barely noticeable.

Up close with the Galaxy Z Flip8

First up, the Galaxy Z Flip8. Weighing 180g and 6.1mm thick, it's the lightest and thinnest Flip ever, and that bodes well for a device which boasts sleekness as one of its USPs. But there's more to it, of course. Apart from its compactness, the beauty of this form factor lies in the unique use cases it offers – FlexCam is a good example. Using the flip design and the cover screen, it provides flexible shooting angles and real-time previews, aiding photography and letting you get creative in ways you couldn't imagine before.


The Camcorder Grip is another feature that only the flip form factor can offer, and it allows for an intuitive way to shoot videos on the go. And now with Horizontal Lock added to the Super Steady mode, you can really go all out. A new Mirror View lets you check your appearance before you head out. Shooting is handled by a 50MP primary and a 12MP ultrawide, while a 10MP sensor handles selfies.

[gallery link="file" columns="1" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" td_gallery_title_input="Galaxy Z Flip8" size="full" ids="709069,709068,709067,709065,709061,709062,709063"]

Next, the 4.1-inch cover screen displays more apps and useful info so a fair bit can be accomplished without even unfolding the device. The Now Brief AI feature that keeps surfacing useful info through the day also finds a spot on the cover display. Open it up, and the 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x display with 120Hz refresh rate and Vision Booster tech is revealed in all its glory.


As far as the innards are concerned, the device is powered by the Exynos 2600 SoC, with 12 gigs of RAM and up to 512GB of storage. A 4,300mAh battery that can charge at 25W with a cable and 15W sans wires keeps the lights on. Other key specs include an IP48 rating and Android 17 with One UI 9.

Next up, the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra

Moving to the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, this device is the successor to the Z Fold7 from last year. Samsung seems to have slapped on the Ultra suffix this time to indicate that this is the top model in its flagship lineup. And since the Fold8 Ultra is the torchbearer, it's the most loaded among the new trio. And as the line goes, "with great power comes… ". Unsurprisingly, the Galaxy Z Fold8 gets the responsibility of focusing on productivity as one of its key USPs.


At 4.2mm when unfolded, the Z Fold7 was already quite slim. With its successor, Samsung has shaved off another 0.1mm, making the Z Fold8 Ultra the thinnest Fold yet. Tipping the scales at 215g, it's not too unwieldy to carry around and use. Overall, the design language sticks to the tried and tested, and frankly, the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra seems happy to let the new Z Fold8 with its snazzy new form factor get all the limelight as it stands by its side to do the heavy lifting.

[gallery link="file" columns="1" size="full" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" td_gallery_title_input="Galaxy X Fold8 Ultra" ids="709044,709047,709048,709042,709050,709051,709052,709049,709055,709054,709058"]

With the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy providing the grunt, along with 12 or 16GB RAM and up to a terabyte of storage, the Z Fold8 Ultra takes the ‘Ultra' bit quite seriously. The cover display measures 6.5 inches across and boasts flagship specs including Dynamic AMOLED 2X tech and 120Hz refresh rate. The main screen measures 8 inches, making the device pretty much akin to a small tablet when unfolded.


The Fold8 Ultra also promises pro-grade creativity with its 200MP main camera, 50MP ultrawide sensor and 10MP telephoto. The Nightography mode has been improved, so low-light photos should get brighter and clearer, while 8K video recording using the new APV codec and Cine LUT support ups the ante for serious videographers. All of this needs juice, so the battery has been bumped up to 5,000mAh, with Samsung going for silicon carbide tech for the very first time. The Fold8 Ultra also uses a new dual-path charging architecture to support up to 45W fast charging. Wireless charging is also supported at 20W speeds.


Needless to say, Samsung has added tons of AI features as part of the Galaxy AI bouquet and both the Z Flip8 and the Z Fold8 Ultra offer the full gamut. Features like Now Brief and Now Nudge have been there and new ones have been added too. One of the most interesting ones is app automation that can work across different apps to carry out the user's command – looking up tickets, getting a table reservation and the like. We've been told that this would only be available in the US and Korea to begin with, though. Still, the healthy mix of useful AI features, the intuitive and customisable One UI platform and the ecosystem goodies that only Samsung can offer, make the software side of things quite robust.

To sum it all up

It's an AI world out there, and with each successive generation, the story is becoming more about what you can do with these devices than just specs. And this is where Samsung's new foldables aim to deliver. Users looking to buy a device in the super-premium league have sky-high expectations, and from what I can make out, the Galaxy Z Flip8 and the Z Fold8 Ultra should be able to meet them.

Disclosure: This writer attended Galaxy Unpacked 2026 in London on Samsung India's invitation

Mini-LED stopped being a premium-only technology sometime in the last year. It used to mean dropping Rs 1.5 lakh-plus for real dimming zones and proper brightness control. But Xiaomi's newest launch just broke that assumption, and it's worth examining what actually changed when hunting for the best mini-LED TVs under Rs 80,000 in India right now.

A genuinely good mini-LED TV at this price needs to clear a few real bars. For starters, it needs enough local dimming zones to control contrast scene by scene rather than one giant backlight zone doing all the work. It also needs HDR format support that actually includes Dolby Vision rather than settling for HDR10 alone, and a refresh rate that holds up for both movies and gaming, along with audio that doesn't feel bolted on as an afterthought. Most budget "mini-LED" TVs in India cut at least one of these corners to hit their price.

Xiaomi TV S Mini LED Series (65-inch) - Best overall TV

Price: Rs 71,999

Most brands treat mini-LED and colour accuracy as separate purchases. You either get precise local dimming or a proper Quantum Dot colour layer, rarely both at a mid-range price. Xiaomi's TV S Mini LED Series refuses that trade-off by pairing genuine QD Mini-LED backlighting with a full HDR stack most competitors reserve for their flagship tiers. For anyone searching for the best mini-LED TV under ₹80,000 in India in 2026, it resets what "budget mini-LED" is supposed to mean.

Specifications:

• 65-inch QD Mini-LED, 4K UHD, 384 local dimming zones
• 1200 nits peak brightness, 94% DCI-P3 colour coverage
• Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HLG, Dolby Atmos + DTS:X
• 144Hz refresh rate, AI Game Boost, MEMC
• 34W quad speakers, Google TV, 32GB storage

TCL Q6C (65-inch) - Best for gaming

Price: Rs 76,990

Most budget mini-LED TVs advertise "mini-LED" without publishing an actual dimming zone count, leaving buyers to take contrast performance on faith. TCL doesn't do that here because the Q6C ships with 512+ Precise Dimming Zones and TCL's All-domain Halo Control Technology, specifically built to suppress the blooming and halo effects that plague cheaper mini-LED panels. It's also backed by Dolby Vision IQ and a genuine 144Hz panel rather than a lower refresh rate dressed up as premium.

Specifications:

• 65-inch QD-Mini LED, 4K UHD, 512+ Precise Dimming Zones
• 144Hz refresh rate, Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10, TCL All-domain Halo Control Technology
• 46W speakers, Dolby Atmos, DTS Virtual:X
• AiPQ Pro Processor, AMD FreeSync Premium, MEMC 120Hz, HDMI 2.1
• Google TV, 3GB RAM, 32GB storage, 178° viewing angle

Hisense E8S (65-inch) - Best audio

Price: Rs 76,990

Audio is the corner where most mini-LED TVs cut hardest at this price. Brands will spend on the panel and ship a thin 20W speaker setup that undoes half the viewing experience the moment dialogue or bass shows up. Hisense doesn't take that shortcut with the E8S. A 61W system tuned by Devialet is a genuinely unusual inclusion in this bracket, backed by Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ Adaptive on the picture side, so the TV isn't leaning on one strength while quietly starving the other.

Specifications:

• 65-inch Hi-QLED Mini-LED, 4K UHD, 144Hz refresh rate
• Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10+, HDR10+ Adaptive, Filmmaker Mode, 500 nits (peak 700 nits)
• 61W speaker system tuned by Devialet, Dolby Atmos, AI Sound, built-in subwoofer
• AMD FreeSync Premium, ALLM, VRR, Gaming in Dolby Vision
• VIDAA OS, built-in Alexa, AirPlay2, 4 HDMI ports, Bluetooth 5.4

Samsung M2EH (65-inch) - Best display

Price: Rs 79,990

Most mini-LED TVs squeeze into a 65-inch price point by trimming something you don't notice until you're already watching. Screen size, panel technology, or picture processing - all get quietly downgraded to hit the number. Samsung's M2EH doesn't take that route. Supreme Mini LED Dimming and Pure Spectrum Colour arrive at full 65-inch scale, no asterisk attached. What actually gets sacrificed here is speed. Refresh rate ties for the slowest on this list, alongside the LG, which reframes who this TV is actually built for: someone watching a film or a match, not someone chasing frame rates in a shooter.

Specifications:

• 65-inch Mini LED, 4K UHD, 60Hz refresh rate
• Mini LED HDR, HDR10+, Pure Spectrum Color, Supreme Mini LED Dimming
• 30W sound output, Object Tracking Sound Lite, Q-Symphony
• Vision AI Companion, Football Mode, Auto Game Mode (ALLM), VRR, HGiG
• Samsung Knox Security, 150+ free channels via Samsung TV Plus

LG QNED65 (55-inch) - Best software

Price: Rs 58,499

Not every buyer shopping for a mini-LED TV wants to spend right up to the ₹80,000 ceiling - some are looking for the cheapest entry into the category that doesn't feel like a compromise the moment the remote is in hand. LG's QNED65 answers that specific search. It settles for a 60Hz panel to hit this price, but webOS 26 running underneath is anything but stripped down. It is loaded with AI Concierge, a working chatbot, and Copilot-powered search, which are the kind of smart TV software most brands only bother building for their flagship tier.

Specifications:

• 55-inch QNED Mini LED, 4K UHD, 60Hz refresh rate
• Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG, α7 AI Processor 4K Gen9, Dynamic Tone Mapping
• 20W 2.0-channel speakers, Dolby Atmos, AI Sound Pro (Virtual 9.1.2 Up-mix), WOW Orchestra
• webOS 26, AI Concierge, AI Chatbot, AI Search with MS Copilot, LG Shield
• 3 HDMI (eARC, ALLM), Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.3, FILMMAKER Mode

Which TV do we recommend?

The Xiaomi TV S Mini LED at Rs 71,999 is the only TV here running Dolby Vision, Atmos, and DTS:X together on a 144Hz panel, and it does it for less than every other entry on this list except the LG. That's the easiest recommendation of the five.

If dimming zones and raw contrast control matter more than any single brand name, the TCL Q6C's 512+ zones and dedicated halo-control tech make the strongest case, provided the missing HDR10+ doesn't bother you.

The Hisense E8S argues the opposite position just as well: fewer disclosed dimming zones, but a 61W Devialet-tuned sound system nothing else here comes close to matching, and it covers both Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ where TCL only manages one.

Samsung's M2EH is the one to pick if screen size is the priority that can't be compromised, a full 65-inch panel where Samsung's usual tier would otherwise shrink to 55-inch, but that 65-inch commitment costs the TV its refresh rate, tied for the slowest of the five.

And the LG QNED65 sits slightly outside this bracket on price, cheaper than everything else here, but it earns that price with the sharpest webOS software experience on the list, at the cost of the thinnest hardware spec sheet. There isn't one TV that wins outright, but there's a TV for whichever trade-off actually matters to the person buying it.

When foldables first appeared on the scene, I used to get goose pimples each time I picked up one. Touted by one and all as the future of smartphones at the time, these devices have evolved significantly since then. The first name that really comes to mind when talking about foldable smartphones is Samsung, because let's face it — no other brand has focused so intently on this segment, especially from an India perspective. With each new model, Samsung brought improvements and tweaks. Sometimes big, sometimes small, but each change was meaningful, designed to improve the user experience. Tweaking, polishing, changing, improving, enhancing, cleaning, modifying, and then polishing again, to a point where I think it delivered a foldable that comes across as a really compelling device, one that I can really use as my daily driver. I'm referring to the Galaxy Z Fold7 (review), a foldable that shows how far this segment has come.

The engineering

I remember how durability used to be a concern with foldables, but I'd say that despite their shortcomings, those early devices were engineering marvels. Sure, they were bulky and needed to be handled with kid gloves, but the tech that went into them was quite amazing. Fast forward to today, and thanks to some solid behind-the-scenes work, the Galaxy Z Fold7 comes across as a really mature device that's ready to take on the rigours of daily use. The hinge and the folding screen are a couple of the aspects that have really defined the progress for foldables, I think, along with the chassis, and Samsung seems to have worked hard to show noticeable improvements with each successive iteration in all of these.


The Z Fold7's Armor FlexHinge for example, is thinner and lighter than before, uses a new multi-rail structure that reduces the crease and helps make the phone more durable too. The cover display uses Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2, while the frame and hinge utilise Advanced Armor Aluminium for added strength. When it comes to the chassis, the Z Fold7 is 8.9mm thick when folded, and a mere 4.2mm when open — that's super svelte. And at 215 grams, the weight is quite manageable too. And all of these things aid usability… by making the phone easier to wield, and adding to peace of mind. That's the real benefit of all that engineering.


I said this in my review, and I'll say it again now. The Z Fold7's beauty is that it feels like a regular phone when folded, and that means there's none of that bulk usually associated with foldables. And when you need a bigger window into your stuff, all you need to do is to unfold it.

The softer side

While I am referring to the software as the softer side, it doesn't mean it doesn't have an important role to play in the bigger scheme of things. Quite the opposite, in fact. There are just too many things and features to talk about here, but I'll keep things simple. First, the base — One UI. While it does come with a fair share of preloaded apps, the simple and intuitive interface and the customisability work in its favour. There are special features that make use of the large screen and help with multitasking. For example, you can drag and drop content in Multi Window mode. Then there's the AI goodness Samsung has infused, upping the ante with each new refresh. Samsung phones are usually the first ones to get new AI goodies from Google, and features like Circle to Search, Gemini Live, etc, have proved to be quite useful. I find Now Brief quite useful, as it keeps surfacing useful info throughout the day.

The core

A true flagship should offer flagship specs, and there are no nasty surprises in this regard. The Z Fold7 is a loaded one in this aspect, and it expectedly gets the most high-end SoC from Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. A device that focuses on productivity can't afford slowdowns, whether one is using multiple apps together, juggling between work emails and long documents, running AI workloads, or getting some leisure time with streaming apps, and the chipset delivers smooth performance throughout. The battery life might not be its strongest suit, but the Galaxy Z Fold7 can last about a day with light usage. Foldables aren't known for their camera, but the Z Fold7 doesn't really disappoint in that department.

To sum it up

With the ultimate aim of having a single device being able to do it all, a book-style foldable's magic lies in what you can do with it when it's folded and when it's open. The Galaxy Z Fold7's dual personality works in its favour, as it delivers on both sides. When closed, it's a regular, albeit powerful flagship that works for most use cases. And unfolding it opens a larger window into your apps, allowing you to work and play on a larger display that treads on tablet territory. Features like DeX even aim to displace laptops, but that's a story for another day. In my own usage, I find the Galaxy Z Fold7 a solid companion while commuting, to be able to read or edit large documents on the go, and even at night when I read some news or articles before I head to slumberland.

The Z Fold7 is still a solid foldable phone, if you're looking to buy one right now. But with its successor just around the corner, you might want to wait and see what's on offer before pulling the trigger. I can't wait to see what Samsung does next. And with another model with a new form factor expected, the foldable smartphone space continues to generate waves. Tomorrow is a new day.

Motorola smartphones have rarely been associated with gaming, but the brand is looking to change that with the Edge 70 Max. Designed with power users in mind, the handset packs a sub-flagship chipset, a large battery, a flat-edged design, bypass charging, and several other performance-oriented features. Starting at Rs 54,999 in India, the Motorola Edge 70 Max is competitively positioned, but it still has its worth to prove against the more established iQOO 15R and OnePlus 15R in this segment.

To see where the Motorola Edge 70 Max stands in this competitive segment, we put it through its paces as both a gaming device and a daily driver. We also compared it with one of its closest rivals, the iQOO 15R, to find out how it stacks up in real-world use. Before we get to the Motorola Edge 70 Max review, it is worth noting that we received the base variant of the phone, which comes with an 8GB RAM configuration.

Verdict

The Motorola Edge 70 Max may not be the most competitively priced gaming smartphone on the market, but it offers features that punch above its price tag, including a 2K AMOLED display and magnetic wireless charging. The handset also delivers on the essentials, with powerful performance, impressive thermal management, and decent battery life, but it is not without its shortcomings. Outdoor legibility remains a concern, while the device's software support feels limited compared with what some of its rivals offer.

Design

[pdp-expert-review]
The Motorola Edge 70 Max is aimed at gamers, starting with the flat edge design, offering a more secure landscape grip and reducing accidental touches. However, its 221-gram weight and 8.29mm thickness make it less handy for one-handed use. Despite its gaming focus, the phone retains an understated premium flagship design with a textured glass back, aluminium frame, Gorilla Glass 7i, IP68/IP69 ratings and MIL-STD-810H durability.
[/pdp-expert-review]

To appeal to gamers, Motorola has swapped the curved edges we've come to associate with the Edge series for a flat-frame design. This has been done to minimise accidental touches and provide a more secure grip when holding the phone horizontally. As mentioned in our first impressions, this does make the Edge 70 Max feel less handy for everyday one-handed use.

At 8.29mm thick and weighing 221 grams, it's certainly on the heavier side, which may not appeal to lifestyle users. Gamers, however, are unlikely to mind the added width and weight, as the phone is typically used with both hands in landscape orientation. The weight is also evenly distributed, making extended gaming sessions feel comfortable.

Despite being gaming-focused, the Edge 70 Max looks just like a regular premium flagship. There are no gaming aesthetics, like the RGB light or flashy logos. Instead, the smartphone sports an understated look, with a glass back and a slight texture and an aluminium frame. The squarish camera module appears identical to other Motorola smartphones.

The Motorola Edge 70 Max comes in three colour options (Pantone-certified), namely Aqua Grey, Icy Melt, and Dark Shadow. Each one has Corning Gorilla Glass 7i protection on both the front and back, an IP68/IP69 water and dust resistance rating, and MIL-STD-810H military-grade durability. The handset should easily survive minor drops and falls. We received the Aqua Grey variant for review. It has an understated, elegant finish, though it doesn't stand out quite as much as some of the bolder designs we've seen from contemporary smartphones.

As for the I/O, the Edge 70 Max features a USB Type-C port on the bottom edge, alongside a speaker grille and SIM tray. The secondary speaker is tucked behind the earpiece at the top, while the power and volume buttons are placed on the right spine. The left spine houses a dedicated AI Key, which can be customised to launch any app instead of just the digital assistant, which is the default action. I do wish Motorola had also allowed the button to be mapped to system functions, such as toggling between ring and silent modes.

Display

[pdp-expert-review]
The Motorola Edge 70 Max's 6.8-inch QHD+ 144Hz AMOLED display is among the sharpest in its segment, delivering vibrant colours and excellent text clarity. Despite its 144Hz claim, the display was limited to 120Hz during testing, while outdoor visibility remains a weakness despite the 7,000-nit peak brightness claim. Moving on, the stereo speakers are loud but lack bass depth, and while the optical in-display fingerprint scanner is fast and accurate.
[/pdp-expert-review]

The Motorola Edge 70 Max features a 6.8-inch 'Extreme' AMOLED 10-bit LTPO display with a QHD+ (1,440 × 3,168) resolution, a dynamic 144Hz refresh rate, up to 7,000 nits of peak brightness, HDR10+ support, and 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage. While most smartphones in its segment, and even many premium rivals, still use FHD+ or 1.5K panels, the Edge 70 Max stands out with its 2K QHD+ display, making it the sharpest in its class at an impressive 510 pixels per inch (ppi).

Don't expect a dramatic improvement over a high-quality FHD+ panel, as the extra pixels deliver diminishing visual returns on a smartphone-sized display. I compared the Edge 70 Max's display against the iQOO 15R's 1.5K panel, and both delivered near-identical results while watching videos. The difference became noticeable only when reading, with text appearing marginally sharper on the Motorola smartphone, making it a better choice for users who spend a lot of time reading on their phones.

The 10-bit AMOLED panel with 100 percent DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage produces vibrant, punchy colours with smooth tonal gradations. Colour reproduction also remains consistent when viewed from an angle. Users can customise the display profile by choosing between Natural, Radiant, and Vivid modes in the Settings app. While the display promises up to a 144Hz refresh rate, it could only clock 120Hz during my time with the device across UI, system apps, and gaming. This is the issue we have faced on many other Motorola smartphones with the high refresh rate.

My only qualm with the display remains its outdoor visibility. Despite Motorola's claim of up to 7,000 nits of peak brightness, the highest in its segment, the panel remains only just readable under direct sunlight. Part of this could be down to the reflective nature of the Corning Gorilla Glass 7i protecting the display, although the relatively modest 1,800-nit High Brightness Mode (HBM) also appears to limit outdoor legibility. Indoors, however, the screen is more than bright enough and offers a comfortable viewing experience even in well-lit environments.

Backing that experience are dual stereo speakers, fine-tuned by Dolby Atmos. The speakers get decently loud but lack depth, so the bass doesn't sound fuller. Moving on, the smartphone sports an optical in-display fingerprint scanner, which is quick and accurate in unlocking the device, but it isn't very conveniently placed at the bottom edge. A more intuitive approach would have been towards the centre where the thumb naturally rests.

Performance

[pdp-expert-review]
The Motorola Edge 70 Max delivers smooth everyday performance and benchmark results comparable to other smartphones within the segment. However, its 38 per cent Burnout CPU throttle score is underwhelming despite the 5,500mm2 ArcticMesh vapour chamber. In gaming, the phone delivered respectable frame rates without getting uncomfortably warm while playing graphically-enhanced games such as BGMI and COD: Mobile.
[/pdp-expert-review]

At the heart of the Motorola Edge 70 Max is Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 SoC, paired with LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.1 storage. As you may know, it is a sub-flagship chipset with two 3.8GHz prime cores and six performance cores clocked at 3.32 GHz. It's paired with an Adreno 829 GPU and on-device multimodal AI processing capabilities. All this ensures a smooth everyday experience, with not an iota of hiccup or stutter.

[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="42264,41748,41310,41759," ][/comparative-benchmark]

The chipset was previously seen on other gaming smartphones, such as iQOO 15R and OnePlus 15R. The Motorola Edge 70 Max delivers identical performance on AnTuTu, Geekbench, and other benchmarking apps, despite the lower memory and RAM type than its counterparts. However, its Burnout CPU throttle test performance remains underwhelming at 38 percent. This is with the ArcticMesh cooling system, which uses a 5,500 mm2 vapour chamber designed to distribute heat more effectively to keep the CPU cool.

[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="42264,41748,41310,41759," ][/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="42264,41748,41310,41759," ][/comparative-benchmark]

In day-to-day use, the Edge 70 Max felt exceptionally fluid, with buttery-smooth scrolling and seamless app switching. However, the phone's capabilities extend well beyond a slick user experience. It's also designed to handle demanding workloads, including graphically intensive games. To evaluate its gaming prowess, we put the handset through our usual tests with BGMI and Call of Duty: Mobile, both of which are optimised to support frame rates of up to 120fps on the device.

[comparative-benchmark type="888" title="Burnout Score" caption="Burnout assesses CPU throttling and sustained performance under heavy load (higher is better)" highlight="product_1" products="42264,41748,41310,41759," values="38,33.6,53.5,51.7,"][/comparative-benchmark]

The Edge 70 Max averaged close to 60fps in Call of Duty: Mobile and around 40fps in BGMI at the highest graphics settings. Even under sustained gaming loads, the handset's surface temperature rose by an average of just 3.6 degrees C. This thermal performance is notably better than what we observed on the iQOO 15R and OnePlus 15R during our internal testing.

We were also able to clock 120 fps in both games at moderate graphics settings, staying true to its appeal among power users.

Software

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The Motorola Edge 70 Max offers a mostly stock Android experience with smooth animations and extensive customisation, although it includes some bloatware. The software also includes interactive Dynamic Island-style notifications and Motorola's new Qira AI platform, though the latter is currently limited to the 12GB RAM variant. However, the phone's three major OS upgrades and five years of security updates lag behind several rivals.
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The Motorola Edge 70 Max runs Android 16-based Hello UI out of the box. The software delivers an experience that's close to stock Android, retaining Google's app icons, animations, and app drawer. However, it isn't quite as clean as Motorola's software used to be. The handset comes preloaded with a handful of third-party apps, offers app recommendations, and even has an Indus Appstore - in addition to the Google Play Store.

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Fortunately, most of the pre-installed apps can be uninstalled after the initial setup, resulting in a much cleaner software experience. Beyond that, there's plenty to like about Hello UX, which complements the phone's snappy performance. Animations are fluid and well-optimised, making navigation feel effortless, and I didn't encounter any awkward stutters, app freezes, or crashes during my time with the device.

The phone boasts plenty of customisation and personalisation options as well, including dynamic wallpaper styles. The Edge 70 Max also offers iPhone-like Dynamic Island notifications, which you can interact with; however, you cannot simply swipe them right to hide them. It stays there like a sticky note, which is a little frustrating.

Speaking of frustrations, the Motorola Edge 70 Max will only receive three major OS upgrades and five years of security updates. This is lower than its rivals, as well as its younger sibling, Motorola Signature, which offers seven years of software support.

Motorola has introduced a new cross-device AI experience called Qira with the Edge 70 Max. It brings together all of the company's moto AI features, including Chat Mode, Next Move, Creator Zone, Pay Attention, and Catch Me Up, under a single interface. Qira also enables contextual experiences across compatible Motorola and Lenovo devices, including laptops and tablets.

Unfortunately, Qira and all the AI features under it are currently exclusive to the 12GB RAM variant of the smartphone. Motorola says support for the 8GB RAM model will arrive through a future software update.

Battery

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The Motorola Edge 70 Max offers solid battery endurance, typically requiring a charge every other day with moderate use. However, its 16 per cent battery drain after an hour of streaming and gaming is relatively high for a gaming-focused phone. The 90W TurboPower wired charging helps offset this, fully charging the phone in about an hour, while 25W Qi2.2 wireless magnetic charging adds further convenience and supports MagSafe accessories.
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The Motorola Edge 70 Max boasts a large 7,100mAh battery, which isn't the largest in the segment but does well to deliver an acceptable backup. On the PCMark battery test, the handset lasted for over 16.5 hours. Meanwhile, using the smartphone for an hour of YouTube video streaming and gaming tests showed its battery dropping by 16 percent. For a gaming-focused smartphone, the drop is on the higher side, meaning power users will end up charging the phone by the end of the day, if not then by the next morning.

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The battery life won't bother you considering the fast 90W Turbo wired charging support on the smartphone. A compatible charger is provided in the box, and it takes only an hour to juice up the device to 100 percent from nothing. The Motorola Edge 70 Max is also the first of its kind to come with 25W Qi2.2 wireless magnetic charging support. Users can also slap iPhones' MagSafe accessories, such as a wallet, stand, and more, to the phone. Motorola has promised to bring compatible accessories for the phone in India soon.

After using the smartphone for a week, I found myself charging it every other day. I'm not a heavy user by any means. Instead, I use it the way most people do, for browsing, streaming, social media scrolling, navigation, messaging, casual gaming, and other everyday tasks. To test the phone's performance, I also spent some time on extensive multitasking and gaming, but the impact on battery life was only marginal. Even the standby performance is impressive, with the battery dropping by just 2 per cent overnight.

Cameras

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The Motorola Edge 70 Max delivers surprisingly capable results for a performance-focused smartphone. Its 50MP primary camera captures crisp images with good colours, contrast, and dynamic range, while portraits offer decent edge detection and a pleasing bokeh effect. The 8MP ultrawide camera is less impressive, and video recording suffers from inconsistent quality between lenses, but overall, the camera system is more than capable for everyday photography.
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The Motorola Edge 70 Max features a fairly ordinary camera setup, consisting of a mid-range 50MP Sony LYT-710 primary sensor with OIS and an 8MP ultrawide lens. On the front, it has a 32MP camera for selfies and video calls. The device supports 4K video recording, but the experience isn't entirely consistent. It also offers multi-focal-length portrait modes using the primary camera; however, the results fall short of what a dedicated telephoto lens can deliver.

The 8MP ultrawide lens also feels underwhelming for the price, but then again, this is not a camera-centric smartphone, and a hardcore gamer might not need high-resolution sensors or the most capable camera system. Even so, the camera setup on the Motorola Edge 70 Max does more than enough to stand out. The phone captures relatively crisp shots with decent colour reproduction, contrast levels, and dynamic range across lighting conditions. This is mostly consistent across the camera lenses.

Moreover, the portraits offer relatively clear edge detection with a nice bokeh effect and different focal points using computational photography. My only real qualms with the phone are the less natural-looking shots when the sun goes down and inconsistent video quality between lenses. For starters, there is no 4K video recording with the ultrawide lens, and a weird transition can be seen when switching to the ultrawide lens.

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Nevertheless, for a performance-oriented device, the Motorola Edge 70 Max is surprisingly capable in the photography department. To assess its camera performance, we compared its results with those of the iQOO 15R across various lighting conditions. Here's how the two phones fared.

Daylight

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The Motorola Edge 70 Max produces a more contrasty and better-exposed image than the iQOO 15R. The latter struggles to control exposure, resulting in a weaker dynamic range and less detail.

Ultrawide

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The Motorola Edge 70 Max maintains the colour consistency when switched to its 8MP ultrawide lens from the primary camera. There is certainly a loss in detail and dynamic range, yet the Motorola smartphone outshines the iQOO 15R by keeping the scene closer to reality. It seems an update has degraded the iQOO 15R's colour consistency, which wasn't the case when we reviewed the device.

Portrait

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When it comes to portraits, the iQOO 15R's results look more artificial than those of the Edge 70 Max. Its processing takes away from the natural skin tones and colour consistency, while it also struggles to cleanly separate the subject from the background. The Motorola Edge 70 Max has a clear edge in this regard, although it fails to control exposure in harsh sunlight. Its skin tones and colours look close to accurate, but a dedicated telephoto lens would have done a better job with detailing.

Selfie

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Despite capturing the scene at the same time, the two phones produce entirely different results. The iQOO 15R keeps things soft, with less dynamic range and slightly muted colours. The Motorola Edge 70 Max, on the other hand, prioritises a more realistic look, with vibrant colours, crisp detail, and well-preserved shadows.

Low light (night mode)

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In low light with night mode, the iQOO 15R keeps the visuals closer to reality. However, it fails to control the light exposure and flare as effectively as the Motorola Edge 70 Max, which also outshines with cleaner output and superior detailing.

Final verdict

The Edge 70 Max is an impressive beginning from Motorola in the gaming category. The handset has plenty going for it, starting with its core strength: performance. Its Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset, paired with fast RAM and storage, delivers smooth performance not just during everyday use but also under demanding workloads. We didn't encounter any noticeable slowdown, even with everything thrown at it.

Apart from performance, the Edge 70 Max also stands out with its 2K AMOLED display, which is among the sharpest in this segment. If only it held up better in terms of outdoor visibility, it would have been the best display in its price range. Moreover, the stock-like Hello UI is smooth and highly customisable, while the 7,100mAh battery provides reliable endurance. The addition of 25W Qi2.2 magnetic wireless charging is also a genuinely useful feature that most rivals in this price range do not offer. The camera system is another pleasant surprise, with the primary camera delivering better-than-expected results for a gaming-oriented smartphone.

Having said that, the 8MP ultrawide camera feels underpowered for the price, while the sheer number of pre-loaded apps, lack of AI features on the 8GB RAM variant, and limited software support give its competitors room to breathe. Both the iQOO 15R (review) and OnePlus 15R (review) offer longer software support, better display legibility, and AI features out of the box. Moreover, options such as the Vivo V70 Elite (review) and Motorola Signature (review) outshine the Edge 70 Max when it comes to cameras in the sub-Rs 60,000 segment.

The Motorola Edge 70 Max may not be the outright winner in every category, but it offers a more distinctive overall package than many of its rivals. If gaming performance, display sharpness, thermal management, battery life and a clean user experience are your priorities, the Edge 70 Max is an easy recommendation.

Editor's rating: 8.5/10

Reasons to buy

• The Edge 70 Max boasts an impressive build quality with an IP69 rating and military-grade durability.
• The phone boasts the sharpest 2K AMOLED display in its segment or beyond.
• Powerful performance and excellent thermal management.
• Cameras are surprisingly capable for a gaming-focused smartphone.

Reasons not to buy

• The display struggles with outdoor visibility under direct sunlight.
• The 3+5 years of software support is relatively limited compared to rivals.

With smartphone prices having climbed steadily in India over the past few months, finding a good option under Rs 30,000 takes a lot more effort than it used to. This list pulls together a few phones that still make a good case for themselves, whether you care most about overall balance, cameras, performance, battery life or software.

We've included quite a few older devices that launched last year and now offer a lot more value for their current prices. Each option stands out for doing one thing especially well, so you can match your budget to the priority that matters most to you. Check it out below:

This list should help make the buying process much easier if you're looking to purchase a new phone under Rs 30,000. Each phone here has a clear strength, so you can choose based on your priorities.

If you want a balanced phone, the Motorola Edge 60 Pro is the best all‑rounder; if performance matters most, the OPPO K13 Turbo Pro is the one to go for. Camera‑focused buyers should look at the Vivo T4 Pro, while anyone who wants the longest battery life will find the Realme P4 Power hard to beat. And if software support is your main concern, the Samsung Galaxy M47 is easily the best option at this price point. So the "best" phone really depends on what you care about most. 

Motorola Edge 60 Pro — Best overall

Current price: Starting at Rs 29,999 (8GB + 256GB variant)

Why we chose it 

The Motorola Edge 60 Pro (long-term review) is now a year old, but that actually works in its favour at the current price of Rs 29,999. It still sits at its initial launch price and offers excellent value for money.

Its core strengths have aged quite well, too: the Dimensity 8350 still delivers smooth day-to-day performance, the battery life remains one of its best traits, and the display is bright and immersive. It is also very durable, especially against water, and the clean software with useful AI features adds to the appeal. 

Key specifications

OPPO K13 Turbo Pro — Best performance 

Current price: Starting at Rs 31,999 (8GB + 256GB variant)

Why we chose it

The OPPO K13 Turbo Pro (review) is the best performance pick in this list because it brings near-flagship power at a price that still sits just around the Rs 30,000 mark after bank offers. Its Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, fast LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage give it the sort of hardware you'd usually see around Rs 45,000 currently. The active cooling fan and large vapour chamber also help it stay steady under heavy gaming loads.

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What makes it special is not just the raw specs, but how well it holds performance when pushed. If you want a phone that outclasses anything at this price in terms of performance, this is the one to pick. 

If the phone is not deliverable to your location or you want to stay strictly under Rs 30,000, the OPPO K13 Turbo is also another great option at this price point, which is a great performer as well. 

Key specifications

Vivo T4 Pro — Best camera

Current price: Starting at Rs 29,999 (8GB + 256GB variant)

Why we chose it 

The Vivo T4 Pro (camera review) is easily the best camera phone at its price because it delivers a versatile setup with a useful 3x telephoto lens. It gives you punchy, vibrant photos with good detail and solid day-to-day reliability, which makes it easy to recommend for casual photographers.

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The telephoto camera is the real draw here, since it lets you zoom in without the usual loss in clarity. Given the current memory shortages, no new smartphone currently brings a telephoto lens under Rs 30,000, and the Vivo T4 Pro bridges that gap, which makes it the most flexible camera phone at its price. 

Key specifications

Realme P4 Power — Best battery

Current price: Starting at Rs 28,999 (8GB + 128GB variant)

Why we chose it 

The Realme P4 Power (review) earns the battery crown because it simply outlasts the rest. Its huge 10,001mAh cell gives it a clear advantage in endurance, and the testing backs that up across PCMark, streaming and longer gaming sessions. It is also faster to charge than a battery of this size might suggest, which helps reduce the pain of carrying such a bulky device.

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Which brings me to its obvious trade-off: it is a thick, heavy phone, so you feel the bulk in daily use. But if battery life is your main priority and you want the phone that lasts the longest in the list, the Realme P4 Power is the easiest recommendation.

Key specifications

Samsung Galaxy M47 — Best software 

Current price: Starting at Rs 28,999 (6GB + 128GB variant)

Why we chose it 

The Samsung Galaxy M47 gets this spot because Samsung is doing something most mid-range phones still do not. It runs Android 16 with One UI 8.5 and comes with a rare 6-year OS and security update cycle, which makes it one of the safest long-term buys on this list. If you are someone who keeps a phone for years, support matters just as much as the hardware.

One UI has its usual polish, and Samsung's Galaxy AI features add more value to the overall experience. At its price, the Galaxy M47 offers software support usually reserved for much more expensive phones, and that alone makes it worthy of this list. 

Key specifications

FAQs

Is it wise to buy a 2025 phone under Rs 30,000 in 2026?
Yes, as long as the price reflects its age and the core hardware is still good enough. With prices rising, last year's phones that have dropped into the sub‑30k range often offer better value than many fresh launches at similar prices.

Should I prioritise specs or software updates under Rs 30,000?
If you upgrade every two years, you can think more along the lines of specs and features. If you plan to keep the phone for four to five years, long‑term software support, security patches and a clean UI matter just as much as the chipset and camera.

How long can I realistically use these phones?
All the phones in this list should realistically net you at least 3 to 5 years of updates and have batteries and storage that will age well. That way, you are not forced into an upgrade just because the software or hardware feels outdated too soon.

Are sale offers and bank discounts worth waiting for in this market?
Yes, but there's a catch. Predictable price drops are largely gone, especially in the mid‑range segment. If you already need a phone, it is better to buy when you find a good deal, bank or exchange offer rather than wait months hoping for a big cut that may never come.