The iQOO Neo9 Pro was announced just this week – judging by its price, it’s a mid-ranger, however, it features a large LTPO display (6.78” 144Hz with 1,260 x 2,800px) and a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. It even boasts a 5,160mAh battery with super fast 120W charging (1-50% in 111 minutes).
Looking a bit closer, you see that is indeed a mid-ranger. Its body is made of plastic and lacks even basic dust and water resistance. Also, the 50MP main camera has a decently sized 1/1.49” sensor with OIS, but is only joined by an 8MP ultra wide (119°).
Another new addition this week is the vivo Y200e, this one is still on pre-order (the first units will be delivered on March 1). It’s a much more affordable device and is equipped with a 6.67” 120Hz display with FHD+ resolution. It is powered by the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 with 6 or 8 gigs of RAM (the latter costs just ₹1,000 more) and 128GB of expandable storage.
The 50MP camera is alone on the back (unless you count the depth sensor) and is limited to 1080p @ 30fps video. The 5,000mAh battery has pretty fast 44W charging (1-32% in 15 minutes, according to official stats). The body may be plastic, but at least it has an IP54 rating.
The Tecno Camon 20 Pro 5G also has a 6.67” 120Hz FHD+ AMOLED display. It uses the Dimensity 8050, which can record 4K @ 30fps video through the 64MP main camera (1/1.7”, OIS). And there is a 32MP selfie camera on the front. The phone has a microSD slot, 3.5mm headphone jack and stereo speakers. The 5,000mAh battery charges at 33W. Note that this is a Mr Doodle edition, named after the artist.
The iQOO Z6 Lite is a 5G phone on the cheap, powered by the original Snapdragon 4 Gen 1. It has a 6.58” FHD+ 120Hz display, an IPS LCD. The cameras are pretty basic with a 50MP module on the back and an 8MP selfie. There is a microSD slot and a 3.5mm jack, but no dust or water resistance rating. The 5,000mAh battery supports a relatively slow 18W charging.
Alternatively, there is the Poco M6 Pro 5G. This one has a larger 6.79” IPS LCD that runs at 90hz and the newer Snapdragon 4 Gen 2. And while it’s not amazing, the phone does come with an IP53 rating. The 50MP rear and 8MP front cameras along with the 5,000mAh battery with 18W charging are pretty much the same as on the iQOO.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ has several things going for it – an 11” 90Hz LCD with 1,920 x 1,200px resolution, a promise for 2 OS updates and 4 years of security patches and quad speakers. What is not so great is the Snapdragon 695 and the fact that the phone comes with Android 13 out of the box, so it will end on Android 15.
The JioPhone Prima 4G runs KaiOS, which enables some vital functionality – it has WhatsApp, Facebook and JioChat apps, plus YouTube, JioTV, JioCinema and JioSaavn. And thanks to JioPay it supports UPI payments too. It’s not glamorous, but this is a lot of connectivity on a shoestring budget.
The Redmi Buds 5 are among the cheaper buds with active noise cancellation (ANC) and at 46dB, it’s pretty good. There is a transparency mode too. The buds have 12.4mm drivers and promise up to 40 hours of play time plus fast charging (5 minutes = 2 hours of play time).
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