Redmi 10X and 10X Pro 5G Smartphone Presented

A couple of days ago, Xiaomi subsidiary Redmi announced the new 5G cell Phone: Redmi 10X 5G and Redmi 10X Pro 5G. The most exciting thing about it is the new SoC adopted, the newly unveiled SoC Mediatek Dimensity 820 works in the new mid-range 5G smartphone.

MediaTek Dimensity 820 SoC

It was a few days ago that Mediatek launched the Dimensity 1000+, a new top SoC. Now the next “System on a Chip” follows with the Mediatek Dimensity 820, which is for 5G smartphones of the upper middle class.

 

The new Dimensity 820 should be at the same level as the Snapdragon 765G from Qualcomm, since it also has 5G support on board. Eight ARM cores with a structure width of 7 nm are used as the CPU. In detail, these are four ARM Cortex-A76 with 2.6 GHz and just as many ARM Cortex-A55 with 2.0 GHz clock rate. There is also an ARM Mali G57 GPU with 5 cores. According to the manufacturer, further features of the Mediatek Dimensity 820 include support for LPDDR4x-RAM M up to 16 GB, displays with a 120 Hz refresh rate and 2,520 x 1,080 pixel resolution as well as cameras with max. 80 MP. Thanks to HyperEngine 2.0, mobile games should also run well on smartphones with the new Mediatek SoC inside.

Redmi 10X and 10X Pro – mid-range 5G smartphone

Matching the new SoC, Redmi 10X 5G is the first smartphone that has installed it. Here now the Huawei Honor Play 4 5G phone also uses the MediaTek 5G chipset. The Redmi 10X 5G smartphone comes in 6.57 inches size and the display is AMOLED capacitive touchscreen that provides 1080 x 2400 pixels resolution. The screen is protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 5. Additionally, it consists of HDR10+ and 600 nits typ. Brightness.

 

The Xiaomi 5G smartphone is fueled by a Non-removable Li-Po 4520 mAh battery + Fast charging 22.5W. The phone runs on the Android 10.0 + MIUI 11 operating system providing smooth operation of the device.

The rear camera consists of a 48 MP (wide) + 8 MP (ultrawide) + 2 MP (depth) sensor lenses that help to click pictures. The front camera has a 16 MP (wide) sensor. The smartphone is Splash-proof which makes the users care-free. Xiaomi Redmi 10X 5G is available in different colors like Blue, Gold, and Pink/Blue.

 

Both phones pack a 4,250mAh battery. The Redmi 10X Pro 5G variant supports charging speeds up to 33W, while the non-Pro version caps out at 22.5W. Redmi is throwing in a fast-charging brick in the box. Some of the other features include support for dual-5G SIMs, an under-screen fingerprint sensor, an IR blaster, and a 3.5mm audio jack.

The primary differences between the Redmi 10X 5G and Redmi 10X Pro 5G lie in their cameras. The former comes with a triple camera setup consisting of a 48MP primary sensor assisted by an 8MP ultra-wide camera, a 2MP depth sensor, and a 16MP selfie snapper. The Redmi 10X Pro adds an 8MP telephoto lens to that setup and upgrades the selfie camera to 20MP. Oh, and there’s NFC support on the Pro model too.

 

 

Both phones will be up for grabs in the Chinese market this week. There is no word about their international availability just yet. Still, it shouldn’t be long before Redmi releases them in highly competitive markets such as India, before making them available in Europe.

 

With the Redmi 10X 5G, Xiaomi also offered Redmi 10X 4G, which is offered at a cheaper price since loss of 5G support. If you don’t really need 5G, 4G version may also be good to consider.

VIVO Presented X50 Series 5G Smartphones

A couple of days ago, the new 5G smartphones Vivo X50, X50 Pro and X50 Pro Plus were officially announced in China. As the high end series 5G smartphones, the X50 series will compete with the 5G cell phones from other brands such as OPPO, Xiaomi and Huawei.

Snapdragon 765G and 865

The equipment of the three VIVO 5G Smartphones from the BBK subsidiary Vivo is quite different. It is important to mention, however, that they are all 5G-compatible, i.e. they support the new cellular standard. The mid-range SoC Snapdragon 765G is used in the Vivo X50 and the Vivo X50 Pro. There is also 8 GB RAM and 128 GB or 256 GB storage. In the VIVO X50 Pro Plus, the flagship model of the X50 series, the top SoC Snapdragon 865 with 8 or 12 GB RAM and 128 GB or 256 GB memory is installed. The battery measures 4,200 mAh, 4,315 mAh or 4,350 mAh.

The 5G mobile phones all have a 6.56-inch AMOLED display that has a resolution of 2,376 x 1080 pixels. The top model X50 pro Plus is with 120 Hz, while the other two models with 90 Hz. The display also has a 32 MP front camera in a punch hole. However, there are differences in the camera on the back. The X50 Pro Plus uses the Samsung ISOCELL GN1 sensor with 50 MP, Tetracell technology and dual pixel auto focus. There is also a 32 MP portrait camera, a 13 MP periscope zoom camera and a 13 MP ultra wide-angle lens. A 48 MP main camera is installed in each of the two cheaper models, the X50 and X50 Pro. There is also a portrait camera with 13 MP each, an ultra wide angle with 8 MP and in the X50 a 5MP macro or in the X50 Pro an 8 MP periscope zoom camera.

VIVO X50 Series Specs Comparison
Model X50 X50 PRO X50 PRO Plus
5G Mode SA/NSA SA/NSA SA/NSA
Chipset Snapdragon 765G Snapdragon 765G Snapdragon 865
RAM + ROM 8GB + 128GB
8GB + 256GB
8GB + 128GB
8GB + 256GB
8GB + 128GB
12GB + 256GB
Main camera – 48 MP, f/1.6(IMX598)(Wide)
– 13 MP, f/2.5(portrait)
– 8 MP, f/2.2(ultrawide)
– 5 MP, f/2.5(macro)
– 48 MP, f/1.6(IMX598)
– 13 MP, f/2.5(portrait)
– 8 MP, f/2.2(ultrawide)
– 8 MP, f/3.4 (periscope telephoto)
– 50 MP, f/1.9
– 13 MP, f/2.5(portrait)
– 8 MP, f/2.2(ultrawide)
– 8 MP, f/3.0 (periscope telephoto)
Front Camera  32 MP, f/2.5 32 MP, f/2.5 32 MP, f/2.5
Display 6.56 inches 90Hz AMOLED capacitive touchscreen 6.56 inches 90Hz AMOLED capacitive touchscreen 6.56 inches 120Hz AMOLED capacitive touchscreen
Fast Charge  33W  33W 44W
Battery 4200 mAh 4315 mAh 4350 mAh
Dimensions 159.5 x 75.4 x 7.5 mm 158.5 x 72.8 x 8 mm 158.5 x 72.8 x 8 mm
Colors Black, Blue, Pink Dark Blue, Light Blue Blue, Brown
Price/USD 659USD/724USD 799USD/869USD 869USD/949USD

 

Samsung Galaxy A51 5G – Cheaper price

The situation is different with the Samsung Galaxy A51 5G smartphone, which is also released recently. The price of Galaxy A51 5G is cheaper than Vivo X50 perhaps because the mid-range chipset Exynos 980 from Samsung.

 

ZTE AXON 11 SE 5G Cell Phone Presented

ZTE launched the new ZTE Axon 11 SE 5G cell phone this week, which offers a slightly poorer configuration compared to the older ZTE Axon 11 5G, but it offer 5G dual-mode connectivity SA & NSA.

Affordable Price for 5G Smartphone

Comparing with the current latest new 5G phones, the ZTE Axon 11 SE 5G is an affordable 5G smartphone. In China, where the device will initially come on the market, it is available from around 400 USD. There is 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of flash memory. If you want 8 GB of RAM, you will pay more. However, the version of 8GB RAM and 256GB ROM is not yet available. We suppose it will be available in near future.

When the ZTE Axon 11 SE 5G phone will be available in other markets such as Europe has not yet been confirmed. In the past, ZTE 4G smartphones have mostly also come onto the market in this country. So we are in good spirits that the ZTE Axon 11 SE 5G will soon enrich the range of 5G smartphones in Europe. The prices in this area will then probably be somewhat higher.

Based MediaTek Dimensity 800 5G chip

Nevertheless, the ZTE Axon 11 SE 5G should still is one of the cheapest 5G smartphones on the market. But buyers still get solid equipment. The MediaTek Dimensity 800 is used as SoC. Thanks to a graphite heat sink, this should remain below 40 degrees Celsius even when gaming and still offer good performance. The ZTE 5G smartphone battery measures 4,000 mAh and is 50 percent charged within half an hour.

The display does not offer 90 Hz like the OLED from the ZTE Axon 11 5G. Instead, a 6.53-inch LCD IPS panel is installed in the ZTE Axon 11 SE 5G. The resolution is 2,340 x 1,080 pixels. In the front, the selfie cam with 16 MP is housed in a punch hole. A quad camera on the back is waiting to be used. It consists of a 48 MP main camera, 8 MP ultra wide angle with a 120 degree angle of view and ToF and macro sensor with 2 MP each.

 

Like other 5G phones in China, there is no Google play service pre-installed. So if you want to use this phone personally, you must confirm you can accept this. Or if you can root the phone yourself and install Google play yourself, then go ahead to buy this phone.

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G Phone Test

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra was already available for a short time with the brother model Samsung Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S20 Plus. We had used this phone for one month and then provided this test report. First, let’s have a review of the Galaxy S20 Ultra specifications

 

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra Specifications:

  • Manufacturer:Samsung
  • Model name:Galaxy S20 Ultra
  • Price:from 1349 euros
  • Available:March 13, 2020
  • Size:9 x 76 x 8.8 mm
  • Weight including battery:220 g
  • Operating system:Android 10
  • Battery:5000 mAh
  • Display:9 ″ OLED display (QHD +, 120 Hz)
  • Camera:Quad camera (108 + 48 + 12 MP + ToF)
  • Storage:128 GB
  • CPU:Exynos 990
  • RAM:12 GB

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra Display

The display is the highlight with this model, because the OLED panel is not only of good quality, bright and has great viewing angles, it is also very fluid thanks to 120 Hz. For many latest phones, 90+Hz is the standard configuration and Samsung 5G phones are at the top. 120 Hz can currently only be used with FHD+, if you want QHD+, you have to live with 60 Hz. However, we hardly see a difference between FHD and QHD and therefore mostly used FHD+ with 120 Hz. However, an update will soon enable QHD+ with 120 Hz, only as a side note.

The display is now less bent on the sides. A small hole in the top middle is our preferred type on a display. The disadvantage is that only one camera fits in there and you cannot install a 3D sensor, but we even wonder why the hole in the Galaxy S10 was on the right.

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra Design

The S20 Ultra model would have looked good, and the Galaxy S20 and S20 plus better, especially with the colors. The camera hump is extremely large and ventures very far out of the body, which is definitely not a nice element. On this point, the models like a Huawei Mate 30 Pro or Apple iPhone 11 Pro look a bit more elegant The edges of the hump are also somewhat “sharp”.

The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra is not ugly, especially the front looks modern, but the back can’t keep up.

Another thing is the size due to the 6.9 inch display and the weight of over 200 grams, which would be far too big. It’s just a shame that the large Ultra model has in some cases significantly better configuration than the S20 models.

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra Camera

The highlight of the 5G cell phone in marketing is the camera with 108 megapixels. The number is irrelevant these days, but the camera is really a highlight.

The photos are extremely sharp and even with 10x or even 20x zoom you get acceptable results. The 100x zoom is a pure gimmick that you try out and then never use again because the photos look too washed out. When it comes to night shots, the S20 Ultra can’t quite keep up with Huawei, Apple and Google, but it does very well. In bad light, the images are a bit noisier than those of competing models, but they are not bad.

Basically, we was very satisfied with the camera in the test, it is fast, takes good and sharp photos, shows its strength when zooming, the large sensor lets in a lot of light.

The front camera also takes very good pictures and video recordings are acceptable. Not as good as Apple, but close to it in good light and better than, for example, Huawei P40.

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra Battery

If you use the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra with the 5000 mAh battery with a medium display brightness and 60 Hz, you can get by very long. But even with a higher brightness of over 80 percent and 120 Hz, the battery life is still acceptable.

Sometimes there was almost 20 percent less battery in the S20 Ultra overnight. Sometimes in the morning it was just on the table in the WLAN and you could watch the battery lose at percentage points.


The battery life is one of the worst on the market, especially with this size and weight. The S20 Ultra has a large display with 120 Hz, but that was not the problem, it was the standby mode. Maybe Samsung can optimize this with software. Since I heard a lot of positive feedback from the USA, it should be due to the Exynos chip in Europe.

Apart from that, the flagship offers everything you could wish for: fast charging with up to 45 watts, wireless charging and reverse charging are available.

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra Software

The performance of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra is great and especially with 120 Hz it looks extremely fluid. The basis is Android 10 with One UI 2.1. We like the pure Android phones more like OnePlus and Motorola, but the surface of Samsung is better than that of Huawei, LG or Xiaomi. And it is quite well optimized for this incredibly large smartphone, since a lot of content has been packed into the lower half of the display.

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra: Other features

  • A good vibration engine is something that was once underestimated and is still underestimated to this day. Samsung’s sensor isn’t as fine as Apple’s haptic engine, but it comes close. It’s one of the best sensors in the field of Android smartphones.
  • Face detection is solid. Not particularly fast and it weakens in bad light, but it is enough.
  • Nothing seems to have changed in the fingerprint sensor under the display since the S10. The error rate was already relatively high in 2019, it stayed the same with the Samsung Note 10 Plus and it is no better with the S20 Ultra. Perhaps Samsung should then say goodbye to ultrasound technology.
  • Many people will surely use their smartphone for several years and that will prepare them for the future.
  • In our opinion, 128 GB are a bit too little in the basic version of the Ultra model, at a price of 1499USD it should have been 256 GB.
  • The lower speaker of the S20 Ultra is very good, but the upper one in the area of ​​the earpiece is very bad. Sometimes that sounds a bit unbalanced and as if the second speaker was not available.
  • The jack connection is now also missing on the Galaxy S model, which we expected, since Samsung already parted with it in 2019. Two years ago, people were still making fun of Apple, and now you are there.
  • Samsung has preinstalled a bit of software, such as the apps from Microsoft, Facebook or Netflix. You take advantage of the high market share to earn a few euros, but sometimes you cannot delete apps, you can only deactivate them.

 

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra Conclusion

It is difficult to find major criticisms in the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra. It would be too big personally and somehow you still have to get to grips with the battery life (or simply separate yourself from the Exynos chips in the future), but in principle we can recommend the new flagship.

The S20 Ultra price is still at high end. But everyone has to know for themselves if they are willing to spend so much money. We cannot judge over this. But what can be said at Samsung: The prices drop quite quickly, so it is sometimes worthwhile to wait 3-4 weeks.

But we also have to say: The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra offers everything you can imagine and currently more than the competition, but that’s only really getting started. And since Samsung sells its highlight (the display) to others, very similar models will soon follow for less money.

By the way, Samsung itself advertises the camera and especially the good zoom. It is a highlight and can still convince with the 10x zoom, but the 100x zoom is then pure marketing.

Oppo Find X2 Pro 5G Phone Test

OPPO Find X2 Pro was available in a few days ago and we get this new phone now. We will check this new flagship phone from OPPO. Regarding the package boxing, the flagship monster has pretty much everything on board that you want at the moment and some of which you can’t even use.

In addition to the 5G smartphone itself, the packed content includes a transparent case, the usual paperwork, a SIM card needle, beautiful earphones including various attachments, a USB Type-A to Type-C cable and the 65-watt power supply, with which, the Oppo Find X2 Pro should be fully charged in 38 minutes.

 

Oppo Find X2 Pro Specifications:

  • Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
  • Display: 120Hz QHD + 10bit AMOLED with 6.7 inches
  • Cameras: 48 MP (IMX689) + 48 MP ultra wide angle (IMX586) + 13 MP (periscope telephoto camera) + 32 MP front camera (IMX616)
  • Memory: LPDDR5 12 GB RAM and 512 GB internal memory
  • Charging technology: 65 W SuperVOOC 2.0 Flash Charge quick charge function
  • Battery: 4260 mAh
  • Software: ColorOS 7.1 based on Android 10
  • IP68 certified (splash, water and dust proof)
  • Supports W-iFi 6
  • Dimensions: 74.4 x 165.2 x 9.5 (leather version – the ceramic is minimally thinner)

 

Oppo Find X2 Pro Appearance and Design

Due to the 6.7 inch display used, the smartphone (like almost all current smartphones) is no longer easy to operate in one hand. Oppo tries to compensate for this by pulling the phone a little longer and therefore a little narrower, but it is hardly possible to grip with your thumb from bottom to top without reaching back.

 

The orange-brown synthetic leather on the back does not allow the smartphone to slide away easily and also does not offer any surface for fingerprints. The golden metal frame between the back and the display makes the device look classy.

Oppo Find X2 Pro Processor and Memory

A Snapdragon 865 has been installed in the Oppo Find X2 Pro. This also applies to 5G. Apart from that, you have an enormous amount of memory in the Pro version. 12 GB of RAM and 512 GB of internal storage were installed here. We have to say that it’s fantastic in conjunction with the 120 Hz display mentioned above! Just drag large amounts of data from the computer to the internal memory – no problem. Scroll through the screens and large lists – nothing jerky! The OPPO Find X2 Pro performed very well and just did well as we expected for a high-end smartphone.

The OPPO 5G Cell Phone just manages 901/3243 points in Geekbench. In my opinion, the Huawei P40 Pro, which is also fast, comes to similar results.

 

Oppo Fnd X2 Pro Display

The built-in 120 Hertz display with a processing rate of 240 Hertz is, to put it bluntly, a stunner! At 6.7 inches, it’s not exactly small, but the trend is simply towards smartphones with larger displays. Oppo is not left out.

The display supports the display of over 1 billion colors with HDR video optimization, video motion compensation and HDR 10+ certification. Every user should be satisfied with a resolution of 1440 x 3168 pixels (517 pixels per inch). The magnificent colors thanks to AMOLED and the absolutely smooth operation on the display is also a dream in everyday life.

If you want, you can also set from automatic to 120 Hz. Then you always get the full 120 Hz on the eye. Usually the screen brightness is 500 – 800 nit. However, if you watch an HDR film, the brightness can reach up to 1200 nit. Once the automatic is deactivated and the brightness is set to full carrot and the Find X2 Pro is so bright that it almost bothers the eyes.

The negative point of the display / design remains the rounded edge of the display. Like many other manufacturers, the Find X2 Pro initially offers various misinterpretations of inputs that are recognized, for example, by the ball of the thumb when the device is held. If you use the enclosed cover, these are minimized, but precisely because of this (and because of the color distortions at the “kink”), we would prefer to forego a curved display.

Oppo Fnd X2 Pro Battery

Thanks to the built-in charging technology (SuperVOOC 2.0), even the missing Qi doesn’t bother us. The smartphone charges so quickly with the included 65 W power adapter that it is enough to plug the thing in the morning before going to the bathroom and until you leave the house, the battery becomes full and ready to go.

As you can see, the tapped current is only briefly at 65 W and then drops continuously. In just under 40 minutes everything is over and the charger switches to trickle charging so that (if you charge overnight) you don’t get a half-discharged smartphone the next morning.

Oppo Find X2 Pro Cameras

Regarding the camera, the Oppo Find X2 Pro has also got some good hardware installed. A 32 megapixel punch-hole camera (IMX616) with the usual beauty algorithm has been installed on the front.

Oppo bored the camera app nicely. There is the mandatory AI today that recognizes which motif should be photographed and adjusts the settings accordingly.

Of course, we also find all possible other functions. From adjustable wide angle, zoom and hybrid zoom, to HDR, resolutions for photo and video and much more. We come to the far more interesting part, the camera module on the back.

Here we find the 48MP main camera, another 48MP ultra wide angle and a 13MP telecamera. The camera module is easily 1-2mm out of the body. This means that the smartphone also likes to wobble when you place it on a flat surface and tap it.


The 48 megapixel main camera turns 4 pixels into one. We already know this technology from other manufacturers and we really like the quality of the photos. The ultra wide angle is also chic and we like to use it on large objects / buildings.

Because it was requested in unboxing, we went straight to a less frequented place and compared the cameras of the Huawei Mate 30 Pro and the Oppo Find X2 Pro with the wide angle and the various zoom functions. Apart from the night mode, the Oppo Find X2 Pro also has a macro mode. But pretty much every current smartphone can do that.

 

Oppo Find X2 Pro: Android with OxygenOS

On the Oppo Find X2 Pro, OxygenOS 7 is pre-installed based on Android 10. Visually, it basically corresponds to the stock Android with just a few changes. Apart from 1-2 extra apps that can be uninstalled, no bloatware is installed.

The operating system itself was drilled out in some places and equipped with additional functions. Vibration patterns can be set, the animation and the sound of the fingerprint sensor below the touchscreen can be adjusted and much more.

Here we would say Oppo did everything right. The operating system was subtly but comfortably optimized on some ends of Android 10.

Oppo Find X2 Pro: What else?

  • The speakers of the Oppo FInd X2 Pro are stereo (one is on the bottom and the speaker in the earpiece) and quite loud. Despite the small size of a speaker on a smartphone, I would say that you can almost feel and hear bass. 🙂
  • The vibration motor of the Oppo Find X2 Pro is unusually strong and therefore unfortunately noisy. In very quiet conditions, it is almost disturbingly loud.
  • There is a sidebar with shortcuts, which offers access to selected functions from every app. The detection point can be adjusted from right to left and also in transparency etc.
  • The fingerprint sensor in the display reacts swiftly, with a chic animation and in my case is almost 100% accurate. We can hardly remember any unsuccessful attempts at recognition.
  • The face unlock also works and can be set so that you no longer have to wipe it up. In our case, it was so good that the cell phone was happy to be unlocked when it was pushed into the shirt’s breast pocket. That’s why we switched on the additional wiping required.
  • We let the missing Qi (Wireless Charging) pass because of the great, non-slip and visually appealing back and of course because of the battery that was charged in just under 40 minutes.

Oppo Find X2 Pro Conclusion

At the moment, we affectionately refer to the Oppo Find X2 Pro as the flagship monster. It has the latest Snapdragon, the large memory, the good cameras or the outstanding 120 Hertz display, in addition with the delicacies of convenient quick charging or good stereo speakers. It’s a good phone with high price.

In terms of price, Oppo Find X2 Pro plays directly on one level with the new Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra with a significantly higher level of awareness. We’ll see how things go with sales in the coming weeks.

ZTE Nubia RedMagic 5G Phone Unboxing

The Nubia RedMagic 5G smartphone was available for sale on April 21 and today we get this new 5G cell phone. Let’s have a look at this new 5G smartphone good at mobile gaming.

The style of the Nubia RedMagic 5G is quite minimalistic. In a stylish cardboard packaging we find the smartphone itself (8GB / 128GB version in Eclipse Black), plus a small handbook, a thick and red USB Type-A to Type-C cable and a power supply. The latter cannot be used for fast charging with 9V 2A, but as a middle-range model, it is quite understandable to skimp a bit.

 

Incidentally, we had attached the Redmagic 5G phone to a 30W PD power supply, which enables fast charging (the cell phone would even support 55W fast charging). When plugging in, the cell phone then asks whether the integrated fan may be activated, which can protect the battery and the rest of the hardware. In less than 10 minutes, the 31 percent battery became 47 percent. 🙂 And when we connected with packed adapter, it said that at about 60 percent the fan has turned off again and the device still continued to charge quickly.

Nubia RedMagic 5G First Impression

In our opinion, the Nubia RedMagic 5G feels very good in high quality. At almost 220g, the RedMagic 5G is also one of the heaviest smartphones we have ever held in hands.

On the left there is the ventilation duct entrance and on the right the warm air comes out again. We also find a shoulder button on the right (held crosswise) left and right, which resembles the fingerprint sensors of some smartphones. The docking port is in the middle on the left and then a red switch on the far left to quickly get to the gaming center.

This is basically the central point of contact to access the supported games, monitor the fan and also activate the RGB LED lighting on the back.

 

Of course, the AMOLED display with 144Hz technology is worth mentioning! This is particularly important to Nubia and even integrates an optionally activatable display in the notification bar, which shows how many Hz are currently being driven.

One should also mention the built-in camera module. We can’t make any statements about this after just unpacking, but it is subtly increased and visually adapted to the gaming concept. The rest will be shown in the complete test report.

 

So far this is for the first impressions. As already mentioned at the beginning, the ZTE 5G phone will be tested and in a few days there will be a moving image and the written test here in the blog.

OnePlus 8 Pro 5G Cell Phone Test

OnePlus presented the OnePlus 8 Pro a few days ago and now it’s available for order. According to the pre-order quantity, we can see the OnePlus 8 Pro gained a very very good reputation in the potential users even the price is in high-end range.

 

The OnePlus 8 Pro has high-end configuration like IP certification, wireless charging and there are stereo speakers. There are also things like the best display on the market. We will test this new 5G smartphone to see whether it’s worth the high price and a recommendation. First, let’s have a check of the OnePlus 8 Pro specifications:

OnePlus 8 Pro and OnePlus 8 Specifications

OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro Specifications
OnePlus 8 Pro OnePlus 8
Display 6.78-inch AMOLED 6.55-inch AMOLED
3,168 x 1,440 (19.8:9) 2,400 x 1,080 (20:9)
120Hz refresh rate 90Hz refresh rate
In-display fingerprint sensor In-display fingerprint sensor
3D Corning Gorilla Glass 3D Corning Gorilla Glass
Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
RAM 8GB / 12GB LPDDR5 8GB / 12GB LPDDR4X
Storage 128GB / 256GB UFS 3.0 128GB / 256GB UFS 3.0 2-LANE
Cameras Rear: Rear:
48MP, f/1.78, 1.12µm, OIS, EIS 48MP, f/1.78, 0.8µm, OIS, EIS
8MP 3x telephoto, f/2.44, 1.0µm, OIS 2MP macro, f/2.4, 1.75µm
48MP ultrawide, f/2.2, 119.7° 16MP ultrawide, f/2.2, 116°
5MP color filter, f/2.4
Front:
Front: 16MP, f/2.0, 1.0µm, EIS, fixed focus
16MP, f/2.45, 1.0µm, EIS, fixed focus
Battery 4,510mAh 4,300mAh
Warp Charge 30T (5V/6A) Warp Charge 30T (5V/6A)
Warp Charge 30 Wireless
IP Rating IP68 None
Software Oxygen OS Oxygen OS
Android 10 Android 10
Dimensions 165.3 x 74.35 x 8.5mm 160.2 x 72.9 x 8.0mm
Weight 199g 180g

These are not all specifications of the OnePlus 8 Pro. On the official OnePlus website, you can get more information about the OnePlus 5G phone.

 

OnePlus 8 Pro Design and Feel

The OnePlus 8 Pro is a large smartphone, whose dimensions are similar to the latest the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra and Oppo Find X2 Pro. We find the more compact OnePlus 8 here would be enough in the size.

 

However, the workmanship is great and it lies very well in the hand with the slightly rounded sides. We like the feel of the matt surface, and we suppose every manufacturer should have a matt version in their new product.

You can see the color of my test device in the pictures, but it is difficult to capture it there. It always looks a little different depending on the time of day and the light, but basically we find the color very nice. We just don’t know if it would be too colorful in the long run, but you can’t argue about taste.

 

Visually, not much has changed compared to last year and the camera is still in the same position. Actually there is only the hole in the display, but apart from that and the color, you could quickly confuse the OnePlus 8 Pro and OnePlus 7 Pro. Of all the current Android flagships, the OnePlus 8 Pro has so far been the best one, apart from the silver version of the Huawei P40 Pro (also matt).

OnePlus 8 Pro Display

OnePlus has placed increasing emphasis on the display in recent years and for the 2020 Pro model, they have even given themselves the latest Samsung panel, which can also be found in the other brands such as Oppo Find X2 Pro.

The display is available in the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra and the Oppo Find X2 Pro and we can conclude there is no better panel on the market. High resolution, great colors, good viewing angles are very high-lighted, if necessary very bright and 120 Hz are optimal.

Someone would have liked to have avoided the curved sides, because the bend offers no added value, sometimes leads to incorrect entries and it reflects in some situations. Apart from the size, but that’s very subjective, there’s nothing else to complain about.

 

OnePlus 8 Pro Camera

OnePlus got the same sensor as the Oppo Find X2 Pro, which BBK probably bought exclusively from Sony (Sony IMX689, 48 megapixels).

This provides great photos in good light and you can see that OnePlus has been working on the software since the OnePlus 7 Pro. In some areas, the OnePlus 8 Pro does not come close to other models, especially when compared to the Huawei P40 Pro you can sometimes see larger differences (e.g. in terms of sharpness).

The ultra-wide-angle sensor also has a resolution of 48 megapixels, but here too it is not at the level of Huawei or Samsung. The results are similar in good light and outdoors, but you can no longer excel with them today, it’s about details and difficult conditions.

The difference in zoom is even greater, because there is “only” a tele-sensor with 8 megapixels. Competitors are already opting for significantly better periscope cameras that offer much more sharpness when zoomed. Even the Oppo Find X2 Pro is clearly superior to the OnePlus 8 Pro when zooming.

The fourth camera is a color filter with 5 megapixels, which comes with something like Instagram filters. We tried it once, but it’s such a feature that we don’t need it. To be honest, it also does good software for image editing. This place could have been used better.

 

For example with a ToF sensor that can better analyze the distance or directly with a periscope camera, we would classify the color filter as a gimmick, because as we said, this function can be replaced quite well with software.

The front camera has a resolution of 16 megapixels and delivers solid results. It is also used for Face Unlock, which is extremely fast with OnePlus. But it is still a 2D scan of the face and the camera takes longer in bad light (Face Unlock can sometimes fail in very bad light).

OnePlus 8 Pro Battery

It is the largest battery that OnePlus has built into a smartphone so far and you can also feel this in the battery life. If you use the device very intensively with high brightness and 120 Hz, you can quickly bring the battery to your knees, but we still got through the day very well.

What we also noticed: The OnePlus 8 Pro is roughly the same size as the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra and has a smaller battery, but lasts longer for me (just over an hour or two). Only the Huawei P40 Pro is more efficient, but its display is not as bright and has “only” 90 Hz.

By the way, fast charging takes place with 30 watts, both with cable (so there is no progress here), but finally also wirelessly. To be honest, I waited a long time for this moment at OnePlus and if you want to have the details about the OnePlus Wireless Charging Dock, check out this one.

There is also reverse charging here, so you can charge other Qi devices. In summary, we can say that the OnePlus 8 Pro had a very good battery life in the first week, it finally has Qi and we therefore no longer have any criticism in this category. The step was long overdue.

OnePlus 8 Pro Software

The software is one of the highlights at OnePlus because it is minimalist and damn fast. Coming from Samsung and Huawei in particular, it is violent how much liquid OxygenOS is. The combination of the new hardware with the 120 Hz and OxygenOS is fun, even more than “pure” Android.

The OnePlus 8 Pro is of course delivered with Android 10 and shortly before the weekend there was a major update with some optimizations and the device should be delivered with the March patch. OnePlus guarantees two years of major updates and three years of security updates.

New are a few animated wallpapers, which also look quite good, but the always-on display is not yet available and should be submitted later. OnePlus has also optimized the dark theme and there is actually not much more to say. Nice, slim and fast user interface.

OnePlus 8 Pro other features

  • The fingerprint sensor is again under the display and is very fast. As a fan of Face Unlock, we have now activated this because the camera no longer moves out of the body.
  • The vibration motor is very pleasant and comes close to Apple’s haptic engine. In my opinion, no Android manufacturer was as good as an iPhone yet, but the days when uncomfortably strong and hardly adjusted vibration motors were the standard are over.
  • What surprised me about the stereo speakers: The upper one sounds really good and even better than the lower one. In addition, the top speaker is aimed directly at one and often dominates the other very strongly. The stereo sound is good, but the lower speaker should have liked a bit more power.
  • OnePlus includes a transparent case in the scope of delivery. We don’t like these cheap TPU cases, but at least that’s how you see the color of the device and you don’t have to go looking for a case. Such a color should honestly be used without a case.
  • OnePlus has finally submitted and received their smartphone for IP certification. If we understood that correctly in the briefing, nothing has changed in terms of construction, but with the now significantly higher price, there is finally the IP68 standard. Fun fact: The OnePlus 8 was built the same way, but was not submitted for a test. Both should be waterproof.

OnePlus 8 Pro Conclusion

We have to say that the OnePlus 8 Pro has been the best of the current Android flagships so far. But it is a shame that this model has also become quite large and heavy. The normal OnePlus 8 would be enough in size.

But due to the price increase and the rapid fall in price of the competition, OnePlus is now right at the top. But now it deliver what the competition offers. Only in the camera you cannot play at the top in my opinion, which is probably also due to the software.

The OnePlus 8 Pro does not take bad photos now, but while the display, battery life, performance and software shine and some are left behind. The OnePlus 8 Pro has become a flagship like any other, in some respects like the display and the performance it trumps most, but you could still work on the camera for a possible estate model. It’s not bad, but not at the level of competitors like Huawei.

Conclusion: Despite the “only” good camera and the now “normal” price, the OnePlus 8 Pro is one of the best Android smartphones in this year.

TCL Launched TCL 10 Series Smartphones

The Chinese manufacturer TCL had launched three new smartphones at the CES at the beginning of the year: the TCL 10 Pro, the TCL 10 5G and the TCL 10L. Now some more information about the devices is known.

TCL 10 5G with Snapdragon 765G

 

Of course we are particularly interested in the TCL 10 5G, the only 5G smartphone in the new 10 series from TCL. As SoC, TCL uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G. This is clocked at up to 2.3 gigahertz and is known to have a Snapdragon X52 5G modem directly on board. There is 6 GB of RAM, plus 128 GB of internal UFS 2.1-based flash memory.

 

In the front of the TCL 10 5G phone, there is a 6.53 inch LCD panel with 2,340 x 1,080 pixels. A selfie cam with a resolution of 16 megapixels sits in a corner in a corner. TCL has four lenses on the back: a 64-megapixel camera as the main sensor, a 16-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, a 5-megapixel macro camera and a 2-megapixel camera for depth effects. There is also a 4,500 mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0, Bluetooth 5.0 and WLAN-ac. A fingerprint sensor and a headphone jack are not missing either. A modified version of Android 10 is used as the operating system. The price is unknown yet but we suppose it will be more than 600USD.

 

 

Two more LTE smartphones

 

In addition to the 5G smartphone, two other models belong to the 10 series from TCL. The TCL 10 Pro will cost 500USD without a contract and has installed the Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 without 5G support. There are also 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of memory, a 6.47-inch AMOLED display and a 4,500 mAh battery. The camera equipment in the front and back is similar.

In terms of price, the cheapest alternative is the TCL 10L. Here, too, there is no 5G and equipment that is slimmed down appropriately for the price range. These include the Qualcomm Snapdragon 665, a 6.53-inch LC display with FHD +, a triple camera with a 48-megapixel main camera and a 4,000 mAh battery. All three devices are expected to be available in the course of the second quarter of 2020.

 

OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro 5G Phone Officially Launched

Yesterday, OnePlus launched two new flagship 5G smartphones, the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro. Like other cell phone manufacuturers, OnePlus also launches two models, one basic model and the other Pro version.

On the new models for 2020, OnePlus wants to finally remove the criticisms and there are many current standard configurations for flagship models such as wireless charging and an IP certification, which has also been given to the Pro model. However, the prices of OnePlus 8 and 8 PRO have now reached the very top and costs up to 1000 USD.

But before we get to the prices and the date for the market launch, there is an overview of the specifications for you again. Most of the specs for One+ 8 and 8 pro have been known for weeks, but not everyone has followed the rumor mill.

OnePlus 8 Specifications:

  • 55 inch Fluid AMOLED display with FHD+ and 90 Hz
  • Snapdragon 865 for 5G modem
  • 8 or 12 GB of RAM
  • 128 or 256 GB UFS 3.0 storage
  • Main camera: 48 MP (Sony IMX586)
  • Ultra wide camera: 16 MP
  • Macro camera: 2 MP
  • Front camera: 16 MP
  • Battery: 4300 mAh
  • Charging: 30 watts with cable
  • Size: 160.2 x 72.9 x 8.0 mm
  • Weight: 180 g

OnePlus 8 Pro Specifications:

  • 78 inch Fluid AMOLED display with QHD + and 120 Hz
  • Snapdragon 865 for 5G modem
  • 8 or 12 GB of RAM
  • 128 or 256 GB UFS 3.0 storage
  • Main camera: 48 MP (Sony IMX689)
  • Ultra wide camera: 48 MP
  • Telephoto camera: 8 MP
  • Color filter: 5 MP
  • Front camera: 16 MP
  • Battery: 4510 mAh
  • Charging: 30 watts with cable and wireless
  • IP68 certification
  • Size: 165.3 x 74.35 x 8.5 mm
  • Weight: 199 g

 

OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro Prices

The OnePlus 8 starts at 800USD with 8/128 GB in the colors Onyx Black and Glacial Green. For 12/256 GB you have to put 8700USD on the table, there are Glacial Green and Interstellar Glow (but comes a little later).

The OnePlus 8 Pro starts at 900 USD with 8/128 GB in Onyx Black, if you want 12/256 GB and one color, you have to put 1000USD on the table, here you get Glacial Green and Ultramarine Blue. Market launch (apart from Interstellar Glow) is April 21st, more details are available on the OnePlus website.

In addition to its own online shop, the new OnePlus 5G phone models will be available from others online stores. Not every partner will have every version available.

Battle of Foldable Phone: Huawei Mate Xs VS Samsung Galaxy Fold

2019 was the year when the first foldable phone was announced. Samsung launched the first model with the Galaxy Fold, and now there is a new foldable phone Samsung Galaxy Z Flip available now. Huawei announced the Mate X in early 2019, but now Mate X was discontinued and only the second generation and optimized Huawei Mate Xs is available for sale. The Motorola Razr also joins the product range to compete. If you plan to get the foldable phones, you’d better prepare 3000USD or more on the table. The foldable phones are at high price range now.

Since the Huawei Mate Xs and Samsung Galaxy Fold are the the top two models, we will compare the two foldable phones to see which is better on design and performance. Hope this will give some advice to the potential buyers.

 

Huawei Mate Xs vs. Samsung Galaxy Fold: Specifications

Samsung Galaxy Fold Huawei Mate X
Display size, resolution 4.6-inch Super AMOLED; 7.3-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED 6.6-inch (2,480×1,148 pixels); 6.38-inch (2,480×892); 8-inch OLED (2,480×2,200)
Mobile software Android 9.0 with Samsung One UI No Android on the Chinese model
Camera 12-megapixel main, 16-megapixel ultra wide-angle, 12-megapixel telephoto 40-megapixel main, 16-megapixel ultra-wide, 8-megapixel telephoto
Front-facing camera Two 10-megapixel, 8-megapixel 3D depth Same as above
Processor Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Kirin 980 processor
Storage 512GB 512GB
RAM 12GB 8GB
Expandable storage No No
Battery 4,380 mAh 4,500 mAh
Fingerprint sensor Power button Power button
Connector USB-C USB-C
Special features Foldable display, wireless charging, fast charging, 5G in select countries Foldable display, fast charging, 5G
Price off-contract (USD) $1,980, £1,900, converts to AU$2,800 16,999 yuan, converts to $2,400, £1,830 or AU$3,546

 

Huawei Mate Xs vs. Samsung Galaxy Fold: Design and Feel

The fact that Samsung grabs the display on the inside and is glass on the outside makes the Galaxy Fold appearing more valuable in the hand. In addition, the Galaxy Fold is more compact when folded and is also more comfortable to hold when opened (but both are almost the same weight). Since the display size is enough for me, we find the feel of Samsung better.

The folding mechanism on both models is good, although we have to say that it works a bit “lighter” with the Galaxy Fold. With the Huawei Mate Xs you have to exert some pressure to open and close the display. You could also operate the fold with one hand.

The workmanship is good on both devices, the keys have good pressure points and nothing wobbles. But since the Galaxy Fold is easy to use and more comfortable to hold, the point goes to Samsung

 

Huawei Mate Xs vs. Samsung Galaxy Fold: Display

The quality of the two displays is great in both cases. Both have built very solid OLED panels, but missing the current standard at 90 or 120 Hz. But the colors are good; they are both bright and have very good viewing angles. In that regard, I would give both a point.

 

But this is exactly where the difference comes: The display from Huawei Mate Xs is on the outside and that from Samsung on the inside. There you can argue whether this is a good idea with the Mate Xs, because plastic displays scratch faster, but this difference is even more noticeable.

When folded, the Huawei Mate Xs is a much too big, thick and heavy smartphone. The small external display of the Galaxy Fold is too small for almost everything.

Considering this, we will give the point to the Huawei Mate Xs, even if we never expect to put such a expensive display on the outside if we wanted to use my smartphone for many years.

 

Huawei Mate Xs VS Samsung Galaxy Fold: Software

Actually, we would have thought that this point goes very clearly to Samsung, since the Huawei Mate Xs comes without Google apps. But there are two things that should be mentioned here and where we have to criticize.

The Samsung Galaxy Fold has only had Android 10 this week. This is not necessarily acceptable for a model for 3000USD after this time.

 

The Samsung Galaxy Fold is recognized by apps as a normal smartphone. So the apps are often just stretched out. However, the Huawei Mate Xs is recognized as a tablet, which means that many apps are available when opened with a special tablet view.

For many users, if without Google apps, you can’t do many things such as Email, banking app or Google apps.

By the way, one thing must to be mentioned: The performance of the Huawei Mate Xs was really not good for some third-party apps. I compared that to the Huawei P40 Pro, which has similar hardware (Kirin 990) – no problems.

 

Huawei Mate Xs VS Samsung Galaxy Fold: Camera

In this category – roughly speaking – the hardware from 2019 will compete against each other. Means: A mixture of Huawei P30 Pro and Mate 30 Pro competes against the Samsung Galaxy S10. Samsung has not installed a bad camera, but it’s clear that Huawei was ahead in 2019.

In addition, with the Huawei approach, the main camera can also be conveniently used as a front camera. Samsung is only superior to Huawei in the videos, but since photos are more important to many users, this point goes to the Huawei Mate Xs.

 

 

 

Huawei Mate Xs VS Samsung Galaxy Fold: Price

If we consider the prices of both models, then you have to put in almost 2500 USD for a Samsung Galaxy Fold and almost 3000 USD for a Huawei Mate Xs. That’s a lot, no question at all, because the development was expensive.

You can get the Galaxy Fold every now at lower price, but it is also older. But the price difference of almost 700USD is quite large, so this point goes to Samsung.

 

 

Huawei Mate Xs VS Samsung Galaxy Fold: other features

The fingerprint sensor is located on both sides and is fast, both are available with 5G, both are not IP-certified due to the design and it was difficult for me to find a unique selling point that makes one of the models stand out. But then we found a standard feature.

The Samsung Galaxy Fold has stereo speakers on the side. So if you turn the device while watching a video, you have the sound from the left and right and honestly: It is great for media consumption.

Stereo speakers are a standard feature for smartphones that cost over 1000USD in these days. So the point goes to the fold.

 

Huawei Mate Xs VS Samsung Galaxy Fold: Conclusion

When opened, they are great fun reading and consuming things. As of today, you will consider one more time to buy a foldable for 2500USD or more, but if the models are now more stable, lighter and thinner and have all the features of the normal flagships, you can imagine it.

Actually, we also tried the Galaxy Z Flip, we have to say: this category (Fold and Mate Xs) from Foldables will be better because it brings more display space.

For a successor we would only wish that the outside display is bigger and Android better adapted and the notch on the inside can be replaced with a hole like the Galaxy S10, Galaxy Note10+ or Galaxy S20.

It’s a pity that Huawei will have a tough time against Samsung without the Google apps in this very special category. Otherwise it could have been an exciting duel between the two giants.