Tech
Deals: Poco F6 and Galaxy F55 go on sale, Phantom V Flip gets a massive discount
The Poco F6 arrives in India alone – the Pro model isn’t coming. Not a huge loss, perhaps, as it’s starting to look like the F6 will be the more popular of the two. It features the new Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset and a premium display – 6.67” with 1,220 x 2,712px resolution and 120Hz refresh rate, 12-bit colors and Gorilla Glass Victus. The more durable glass is paired with an IP64 dust and water resistance rating, which is better than the Pro got.
Anyway, the phone is equipped with a 50MP camera with OIS and 4K @ 60fps video recording, plus 8MP ultra wide and 20MP selfie cameras (the latter is capped at 1080p @ 60fps). It has a 5,000mAh battery with 90W fast charging and this year there is no microSD slot (the F5 had one).
The Galaxy F55 is a deviation from Samsung’s usual design – when was the last time you saw a faux leather back with stitching on a Galaxy? Looks aside, this is basically the same as the M55. This means a 6.7” OLED display (FHD+, 120Hz), a Snapdragon 7 Gen 1, 50+8MP rear cameras and a standout 50MP selfie camera (both capable of 4K video recording) and a 5,000mAh battery with 45W charging (take that, Galaxy S24).
The Phantom V Flip from Tecno is one of the cheapest foldable phones that money can buy – especially with the massive discount available on Amazon. It brings the Flip on par with old-fashioned Android mid-rangers despite offering what could be the form factor of the future.
The phone itself is a mid-ranger with a Dimensity 8050 chipset, 64+13MP cameras (and 32MP inside). However, the 6.9” LTPO display and relatively large 4,000mAh battery with 45W charging stand out. The circular cover display makes for an interesting look, though it’s not as functional as the cover displays of some other flip foldables. Those cost a lot more, though.
Nothing unveiled a special edition of its Phone (2a), which may have been inspired by Mondrian’s love of primary colors and the transparent back really shows off the red, yellow and blue color accents. Other than that, it’s a regular Nothing Phone (2a). Still, it might be your ticket out of the world of boring black rectangles.
The iQOO Z9 arrived in March with a 6.67” OLED display and a Dimensity 7200 chipset, plus a 5,000mAh battery with 44W wired-only charging. The 50MP main camera has the Sony IMX821 sensor and OIS, plus 4K video recording (which will become relevant in a minute).
A month later came the iQOO Z9x at a lower price. This one has a 6.72” IPS LCD instead (both with FHD+ resolution and 120Hz refresh rate) and it uses a Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 instead. The Dimensity is the more powerful chip, especially when it comes to gaming, but the x-phone features a larger 6,000mAh battery, so it should last longer (charging is done at the same 44W rate).
The Realme Narzo 70 Pro also has a 6.67” OLED display (FHD+, 120Hz), though it has the weaker Dimensity 7050 chipset. It makes up for that with a larger sensor in the main camera (1/1.56” vs. 1/1.95”), but it tops out a 1080p video at just 30fps. On the plus side, the 5,000mAh battery charges faster at 67W.
Alternatively, you can get the regular Realme Narzo 70. It has the same display (though its brightness is limited) and same chipset. The main camera gets a tiny 50MP 1/2.76” sensor – well, it’s not like it can record 4K video, is it? Another change is that charging drops down to 45W.
Then there is the cheapest model of the trio, the Realme Narzo 70x. This one switches gears and brings a 6.72” IPS LCD instead (FHD+, 120Hz) and drops down to the Dimensity 6100+.
We will wrap up with a pair of sub-₹10,000 phones. The Poco M6 has the same Dimensity 6100+ chip and an IPS LCD – though the 6.74” panel has only HD+ resolution and 90Hz refresh rate. But even if you pick the version with 6GB of RAM (you should, it’s only ₹750 more), it’s still noticeably cheaper than the Narzo 70x.
The Lava Yuva 5G will go on sale on Wednesday. It brings a smaller 6.53” IPS LCD (HD+, 90Hz) and a Unisoc T750 chipset. Both it and the M6 have 50MP main cameras and a helper module on the back, both have 5,000mAh batteries with 18W charging.
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