OnePlus has announced that it is exiting North America and Europe. No new products will be launched in these regions, though existing users will continue to receive software updates and aftersales service, and OnePlus will still honor warranty obligations.

The decision to wind down North American and European operations was apparently a carefully-considered long-term strategy plan, and one which wasn't dictated by parent company Oppo, nor made unilaterally by OnePlus. OnePlus will continue to operate in the Indian market, where it believes it can better serve its customers. To fill the gap left by the OnePlus departure from Europe, Oppo said it plans to increase investment in its European operations, placing a greater emphasis on its flagship phones, as well as increasing its overall product availability. This direction builds on its existing efforts to increase brand awareness in Europe, such as its sponsorship of the UEFA Champions League. However, OnePlus users in North American don't have such an easy alternative: Oppo phones aren't officially sold there, meaning there's no direct OnePlus replacement brand.

The news that OnePlus is leaving two of its largest markets will come as a surprise to many. It's hard to overstate just how big an impact OnePlus had when it burst onto the smartphone scene back in 2014. Its first phone model, the OnePlus One, was a true disruptor in the Android sector, offering flagship-level performance at a significantly lower price point than more established contemporary brands like Samsung and HTC. OnePlus traded heavily on this, evidenced by its ‘Flagship Killer’ slogan. The appeal of the OnePlus One was heightened not just by its value, but also its exclusivity. In the early days of OnePlus, you could only buy a OnePlus One by entering an invite system, reducing available supply and thereby increasing demand. The phone itself ran on OnePlus's new OxygenOS - fresh in name, but also in nature, as it was close to stock Android and largely free of speed-sapping bloatware.

In the years that followed, OnePlus continued producing phones with a strong value-for-money ethos, but fast forward to 2026 and the brand finds itself in a very different smartphone market. There is now far more competition in the value sector, with brands like Nothing (and its sub-brand CMF), Redmi, Poco and Realme (also an Oppo sub brand) all competing directly with OnePlus. OnePlus's pricing has also increased in recent years as it's sought to develop a more premium market position, and we've seen a closer relationship with parent brand Oppo. Oxygen OS and Oppo's ColorOS share the same platform, and it’s easy to see similarities between the two brands when it comes to hardware, with the OnePlus 15's rear panel looking suspiciously similar to the Oppo Find X9 Pro.

The close tie between the two brands' operating systems is now about to become a fusion. Oppo has stated that going forward OnePlus phones will run ColorOS, with ColorOS being rolled out to OnePlus phones in North America, Europe, and other regions, such as India, over the coming months. Users will be able to choose whether or not to switch from OxygenOS, while older OnePlus models that are not included in the ColorOS update scope will continue to receive version maintenance support.

So there you have it: the end of an era for what's been an integral element of the Android phone story in the west. OnePlus, you will be missed.

"It's not the gear, it's the photographer," a phrase that's often debated, but in many genres, still rings true. Especially now that camera phones have come further than ever – packing 50MP sensors, computational photography, and even variable apertures – yet are still underestimated by many photographers.

This award- winning series, shot entirely on smartphones, proves just how capable they really are – even when the camera is a decade old...

Kuanglong Zhang has been named the overall winner of the 15th Annual Mobile Photo Awards (MPA), impressing judges with a striking portfolio captured exclusively on smartphones – with models from 2016 to 2023.

15th Annual MPA winner

The jury praised his work for its "diverse palette and a deeply convincing, impressive range of subject matter", pointing out Zhang's eye for color, framing, and detail.

Zhang's work highlights just how much creativity and skill can be captured with older phones, smaller sensors, and the device we carry every day – even if it no longer should be a surprise that award-winning images can be created on smartphones...

Zhang was thrilled to hear the news of his international victory and stated, "...Winning this award truly means so much to me.

"I'm really looking forward to growing alongside the MPA, and to inspiring people around the world to discover mobile photography – and to see that phones are more than capable of creating images that are both warm and full of heart, with a beautifully crafted feel."

The camera phones

Zhang's winning images were captured using a mix of older and newer smartphone cameras – from early single-camera systems to modern multi-lens flagships.

1. Huawei Mate 60
Released primarily in China in 2023, it is the most advanced device in Zhang's lineup. The Huawei Mate 60 features a 50MP main camera and variable aperture (f/1.4-4), offering a level of manual control rarely seen in smartphones.

2. Oppo Find X6 Pro
Launched 2023, the Oppo Find X6 Pro is a China-exclusive flagship with a 50MP triple-camera system built for high-end imaging performance.

3. Vivo X60 Pro+
A top camera-focused phone, released in 2021. The Vivo X60 Pro + was co-engineered with Zeiss. It features a quad-camera setup. 48MP ultra-wide lens, and advanced gimbal stabilization.

4. OnePlus 9RT 5G
A China-first release in 2021, followed by a wider global rollout in 2022, the OnePlus 9RT 5G packs a 50MP Sony IMX766 main sensor and is known as a "flagship killer".

5. iPhone 11 Pro Max
The iPhone 11 Pro Max launched back in 2019, and its specs only tell half the story. As highlighted in our review, "it's the real-world results from this triple-camera phone that matter". It features a versatile triple-lens system with 12MP sensors.

6. iPhone 7
The iPhone 7 is the oldest smartphone on the list and was launched in 2016! Its highest camera features a 12MP sensor with a fast f/1.8 aperture – still capable of producing award-winning images in the right hands.

To discover all category winners and for more information, visit the Mobile Photo Awards website.

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Looking for competitions to enter? Here are 10 global photo contests now open for entries from March to July.

After the release of the triple 50MP rear camera OnePlus 15, the global technology brand is at it again, this time with the OnePlus 15R. The 'R' at the end means it's a stripped-value version of the flagship device with spec reductions primarily aimed at the camera system and display.

This is the first phone launching globally that features the new Qualcomm Snapdragon® 8 Gen 5 mobile platform. This chip falls short of the Elite alternative but still delivers efficiency and advanced AI at a more affordable price point. This enables OnePlus to keep the price low.

The OnePlus 15R is now available for preorder across Europe, India and North America with colorways including Charcoal Black for a warm, soft touch and Mint Breeze for a subtle shimmer.

Dual-cameras with DetailMax Engine

The OnePlus 15R features a dual-camera setup at the rear. This begins with a 50MP camera that is backed up by the same IMX906 sensor found on OnePlus 15. Then there's an 8MP ultra-wide sensor with a 112-degree field of view. At the front is a 32MP selfie camera with autofocus to boot.

The stripped-back sensors would result in disappointing results if it wasn't for the DetailMax Engine that is also found on the OnePlus 15. When we reviewed the flagship device, we found a "pleasing sharpness and clarity to photos without an overaggressive artificial sharpening, causing unwanted artifacts. Colors are also very true to life."

The DetailMax Engine technologies include Ultra Clear Mode, Clear Burst and the Clear Night Engine, which OnePlus claims delivers "amazing results whether you're capturing day, night or motion shots."

The OnePlus 15R is also capable of recording 4K video at up to 120 frames per second. There's also onboard functionality for editing footage without having to transfer files to a laptop.

An impressive display and promising battery

The OnePlus 15R has a 1.5K AMOLED display with a refresh rate of 165Hz LTPS. This should deliver deep blacks and high contrast, although we'd have to reserve judgement until we've reviewed it properly. At the very least, the refresh rate promises to be exactly what is required for those into mobile gaming.

The display measures 6.83 inches and features 450 pixels per inch. It can also go as high as 1800 nits of brightness and as low as 1 nit with Reduce White Point activated. Based on the display specs, comparable phones include the Xiaomi 15T Pro and Realme P3 Ultra.

The 7,400 mAh battery is larger than what is found in the OnePlus 15 and more substantial than any phone released by OnePlus. You'll also find SUPERVOOC fast charging technology, which is suited to harsh environments and designed to keep running with at least 80% capacity after four years.

In terms of durability, the OnePlus 15R is covered by four separate IP ratings, IP66, IP68, IP69 and IP69K, for an impressive level of protection from the elements.

Pricing and availability

The OnePlus 15R is now available for preorder, with open sales starting from January 15 2026. The 12GB RAM and 256GB storage ship in Charcoal Black and Mint Breeze finishes for £649 (US pricing and availability to be confirmed).

For an upgraded 512GB of storage, you'll only have the Charcoal Black option, and it'll cost £729. OnePlus is running a £100 discount until January 21 but only on the 512GB version.

Whichever you choose, OnePlus is also giving away two free gifts (while stocks last), which include a 120W Adapter Kit (£69.99) and an additional gift, including OnePlus Buds 4 Black Only (limited) or a OnePlus 15R Sandstone Magnetic Case (£24.99).

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After months of speculation and rumors, the OnePlus 15 is finally here. With a 50MP triple rear camera system, a whopping 7,300mAh battery, and a superfast Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset – the OnePlus 15 is here to challenge the best camera phones of the year.

As expected, OnePlus has skipped the number 14, presumably on account of that number being considered unlucky in China. Although I'm just glad they've not followed suit with Xiaomi, who skipped the number 16 to align themselves with the iPhone 17.

We called the previous-gen OnePlus 13 "a stunning phone with cameras that can play among the best", and you can read our first impressions of the OnePlus 15 here. But first, read on for a rundown of what the latest model offers.

A triple 50MP rear camera system & new image engine

The big story here is OnePlus' decision to park its collaboration with Hasselblad in favor of its own DetailMax Engine. This is a big decision by the company, which has for years promoted Hasselblad's influence in design and color science as a big selling point of its devices.

So why have they done it? Well, OnePlus claims this will not only afford its design team more control of the finer aspects of color and image quality, but it can also introduce a new level of computational photography in its images. The AI-driven engine will include AI deblurring, edge reconstruction, and other features to enhance photo quality. The inclusion of these AI features should help capture high-quality photos even when lighting conditions are far from optimal.

The OnePlus 15 features a triple 50MP rear camera system. As far as resolution goes, this lineup puts it firmly in the realm of more expensive flagships, including the impressive iPhone 17 Pro and Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL.

The main camera of the OnePlus 15 uses a 1/1.56" Sony IMX906 sensor with a 24mm equivalent focal length, f/1.8 aperture, and OIS. The 1/2.88" ultrawide camera has a 16mm equivalent focal length with f/2.0 aperture, while the 1/2.76" telephoto lens has a 3.5x (80mm) optical zoom, a f/2.8 aperture, and OIS and is capable of lossless shooting up to 140mm (7x).

The front selfie camera adopts a more modest 32MP sensor. Additional specs include an f/2.4 aperture, 21mm focal length, and, for the first time in a OnePlus phone, autofocus.

Video recording is also getting a boost; you can shoot in 8K30p, and now in 4K at up to 120fps for cinematic slo-mo. OnePlus is also introducing Real-Time Tone Mapping to video, which separates the subject from the background for more accurate skin tones and sudden lighting shifts.

Class leading performance and battery capacity

Aside from the triple-camera system, perhaps the most exciting element of the OnePlus 15 is the whopping 7,300mAh battery. That puts it well ahead of the iPhone 17 Pro Max (5,088mAh) and even the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL (5,200mAh). As a result, users can expect to get significantly more use time between charges. OnePlus' SuperVOOC tech also unlocks ludicrous wired charging speeds of up to 120W and 50W for wireless with compatible chargers.

The phone is one of the first devices released to be powered by the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, which OnePlus is promising will bring a 20% higher phone performance with 35% better power efficiency, while the Adreno GPU increases graphics performance by 23% increase with 20% better power efficiency. The phone also includes a dedicated Wi-Fi chip, which should increase speeds by up to 50%

In addition, the phone sports an advanced 6.78-inch 1.5K LTPO display, slightly smaller than the 6.82-inch screen found in the OnePlus 13, but the company has increased the refresh rate to a super-fast 165Hz, which should work with the new processor for smooth gameplay at high framerates.

Availability

The OnePlus 15 is available to pre-order now in Sand Storm, Infinite Black, and Ultra Violet colorways.

The Sand Storm and Ultra Violet colors come in 16GB+512GB variants and will cost $999 / £979, although until Dec 12, you can get these devices for an early-bird discount at $899 / £879. The Ultra Violet version will be exclusive to Amazon and the OnePlus store and available in limited quantities.

The Infinite Black model comes with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage and will cost $899 / £849.

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A fresh leak from prolific tipster Digital Chat Station suggests that the upcoming OnePlus 15 may sport more optical zoom than the current OnePlus 13 (if you're wondering what happened to the OnePlus 14; that number's being skipped, as the number 4 is unlucky in China - there was no OnePlus 4 either).

Read more: OnePlus 13 full review

The tip states that the OnePlus 15 will feature a 50MP periscope telephoto module with an 85mm-equivalent lens and an f/2.8 aperture. For comparison, the OnePlus 13 has a 73mm-equivalent telephoto lens. If, like the 13, the 15 ends up with a primary, wide-angle camera with a 23mm-equivalent focal length, then an 85mm telephoto lens would provide around 3.7x zoom (the OnePlus 13's set-up produces approximately 3.17x zoom).

However, if the leak is correct and the new lens has an f/2.8 aperture, this would actually be a slight downgrade on the f/2.6 periscope lens in the OnePlus 13. While this is technically detrimental to image quality, the difference would likely be so marginal that it could plausibly be cancelled out by advances in image processing.

A separate post also suggests that the OnePlus 15 may get a price cut. Though little more than speculation at this stage, it does tally with another Digital Chat Station leak claiming the new phone might have a 6.78-inch 1.5K display, much like the cheaper OnePlus 13R, whereas the full-fat OnePlus 13 has a 6.82-inch 2K screen. It's also been revealed that OnePlus's partnership with Hasselblad has come to and end, with the former now developing its own image engine, called the DetailMax Engine. This may save OnePlus money in the long term from not having to pay licencing fees, but the cost of developing a new image engine might not bring immediate overall savings.

The OnePlus 15 doesn't yet have a definitive release date, but with the last two flagship OnePlus phones both launching at the end of each year, we likely only have 2-3 months to wait for the OnePlus 15 to break cover.

Story credit: Android Authority

OnePlus has confirmed the end of its long-running partnership with medium format giant Hasselblad, as the smartphone maker looks to take complete control of its imaging future with a brand-new in-house system.

Announced by CEO Pete Lau on the OnePlus Forum, the company’s next flagship will debut the OnePlus DetailMax Engine – a proprietary computational photography platform designed to push smartphone image clarity and realism to new levels.

The announcement brings to a close five years of close collaboration with Hasselblad, which began with the OnePlus 9 series and has pushed OnePlus flagships to be some of the best camera phones around. Hasselblad brought its storied color science and decades of photographic expertise to OnePlus devices, giving the phones a strong claim to some of the most natural and balanced tones in the business.

But Lau says the time has come to take the next step. “This is not the end. It’s the beginning of our next adventure,” he wrote, describing Hasselblad’s influence as “woven into every future OnePlus camera.”

The DetailMax Engine is said to focus on one of the most important aspects of smartphone imaging: what happens when you zoom in. Based on extensive user feedback, Lau explained that OnePlus wants to ensure every photo holds up to closer inspection, with a leap forward in computational imaging to capture more detail and depth without artificial over-processing.

Lau insists the DetailMax Engine is about authenticity: “Designed from the ground up to deliver the clearest and most real photos on a smartphone… the moment you zoom in on a photo, you’ll understand why I’m confident you’ll love the results.” While still early in development, Lau revealed he is personally testing prototype hardware, with promising results already on show.

While OnePlus might be going solo, parent company Oppo has just signed a new deal with Hasselblad to extend its partnership – but OnePlus is now looking to prove it can stand on its own.

Whether the DetailMax Engine can genuinely set a new benchmark for smartphone imaging remains to be seen. The company’s next flagship, expected by the end of the year, will be the first test of whether OnePlus can truly deliver “the clearest and most real photos” without the weight of Hasselblad behind it.

Tablets occupy a strange place for me now that smartphones are so powerful, and that much of what I do work-wise is best done on a laptop. Saying that, I do appreciate the lightweight and portability of larger and more powerful productivity tablets such as the OnePlus Pad 3.

The OnePlus Pad 3 is undoubtedly one of the best iPad alternatives available, and as a devoted Windows and Android fan, it certainly ticks the boxes for me. Although if you are an Apple user, it can be linked to Apple devices with easy file sharing, so you can incorporate it into an Apple ecosystem.

The model I reviewed features 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, which is reasonably priced. Adding on accessories, two of which will allow you to get more out of the tablet, does drive up the cost, however. The 13.2 3.5K screen with a refresh rate up to 144 Hz is an absolute pleasure to view for work and entertainment.

Most tablets are pretty mediocre when it comes to sound, and although the Pad 3 won’t be winning any audiophile awards, the eight speakers do produce impressive sound for a device of this size. Alongside the screen, this does provide pleasing performance, and we haven’t even considered the processing power and the OxygenOS 15 operating system yet.

OnePlus Pad 3: Specifications

OnePlus Pad 3: Price

The OnePlus Pad 3 comes in at a reasonable price for a tablet offering such high specs at $700 / £529 for the 12GB RAM / 256GB storage version. Australian pricing is to be confirmed. There is also a higher-spec 16GB / 512GB version in the UK, and that costs just £599, so it’s well worth parting with a little more cash for that additional memory and storage.

At the time of writing, there are deals available to choose one or two accessories for free alongside the tablet, but if you have to buy the keyboard case and stylus, things do begin to get expensive. The OnePlus Pad 3 Smart Keyboard costs a whopping $200 / £169, and the OnePlus Stylo 2 costs $100 / £99.

OnePlus Pad 3: Design & Handling

It’s all about the screen when it comes to tablets since this is their prime real estate, and the Pad 3 does not disappoint in this area. It’s not the largest screen available for an Android tablet, but at 13.2 inches with a 3.5K 3392x2400px resolution, a 315ppi pixel density, the LCD screen creates a stunning image.

This is further backed up by a 144 Hz refresh rate, 12-bit color depth that translates to 98% of DCI-P3 and a default brightness of 600 nits. This means that you can realistically edit photos in Lightroom Mobile and Photoshop alongside video editing in LightCut, etc., knowing that colors will be fairly reliable.

The screen size and 7:5 aspect ratio work well for having up to three app windows open at the same time. This is great for productivity, where you might want a web browser or PDF viewer open while also working in Google Docs or Microsoft Word.

With its aluminum all-metal unibody and thin 0.23in / 5.97mm design, the OnePlus Pad 3 is incredibly svelte for a 13.2in tablet. The bezel is also thin around the edges of the screen, giving the Pad 3 the modern look you’d expect from a high-end tablet released in 2025. To give you a point of reference, the USB-C port is just over half the depth.

A weight of just 23.81oz / 675g means it’s also not much heavier than 11in tablets, so it’s incredibly comfortable to carry, whether you opt for a folio case or a smart keyboard that doubles up as a folio case and stand. In reality, if you want to get the most out of the Pad 3, the OnePlus Pad 3 Smart Keyboard is an essential accessory.

The Smart Keyboard is about the same size as a 13-inch laptop keyboard, and having it attached to the tablet makes it perform more like a laptop than a tablet, thanks to the trackpad. But, of course, you still have a touchscreen, and OxygenOS 15 is a tablet operating system, so it sits somewhere between, like most larger productivity tablets with a keyboard case.

For typing, I found the keyboard comfortable to use, but like all tablet keyboards, the keys have short travel and feel a little mushy. It’s what you get with such a thin keyboard, but the overall typing experience does improve as you get used to the keyboard. AI is a significant feature of the Pad 3, and there is a dedicated AI button on the keyboard to launch Gemini AI.

The OnePlus Pad 3 is available in two colors: Storm Blue and Frosted Silver. The review unit was the former, and it’s so dark it almost looks black, so I had to check the box to be 100% sure. The rear camera is positioned in the top left corner with the tablet facing you, while the front-facing camera is unsurprisingly located on the bezel at the top.

There are eight speakers in total, which include four woofers and four tweeters. This helps to produce fantastic sound for a tablet. Where I often find myself saying that tablet sound lacks bass and depth, the Pad 3 undoubtedly provides both of these. This makes watching streaming services, listening to music and gaming a much more enjoyable experience.

OnePlus Pad 3: Performance

Power is a key element of the Pad 3, and the tablet uses the octa-core Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. OnePlus claims that this provides a 45% CPU boost and a 40% GPU performance increase. This is paired up with 12GB or 16GB of RAM, depending on which model you choose, and the 12GB RAM in the review unit made for a smooth experience when editing photos, editing videos and gaming.

For the latter, I connected an Xbox controller via Bluetooth, which was much more comfortable and precise than using onscreen controls. One aspect of the screen I loved during testing is the addition of Open Canvas, as part of OxygenOS 15, and was first seen on the Pad 2. This software allows you to have up to three vertical windows open at once.

Some skinned versions of Android aren’t great, but OnePlus has always done a great job, in my opinion, and OxygenOS 15 is a pleasant tablet operating system to use. Alongside Open Canvas, you get screen sharing, screen mirroring, control nearby phones and laptops, including Apple devices and file sharing. Many Android tablets are now offering Apple integration, which is great for those looking for an Apple alternative device that can be incorporated into an existing Apple ecosystem.

AI is an important feature of the Pad 3, like many devices these days, but it’s certainly not overwhelming and in your face. There’s the AI toolbox, which offers AI-powered assistance, including a toolbar where you can select things like translation and AI summaries, like those offered at the top of Google searches. The tablet also has Google Gemini AI built in, so you can open this up easily using the app icon or the AI key on the Smart Keyboard, if you buy it.

With productivity in mind, the 12,140mAh battery is quite a beast and I found it perfectly adequate for my typical kind of tablet use, which typically involves typing, photo and video editing, web browsing, entertainment and gaming. It could easily manage a day of near-constant use. OnePlus claims it'll play AAA games for up to 6 hours, short videos for more than 15 hours and long videos for over 17 hours.

For charging, the Pad 3 supports 80W SUPERVOOC charging and will charge 1-100% in 92 minutes, while 10 minutes will charge it 18%. I used my 100W charger, and it definitely was faster to charge than lower-end tablets with lower capacity batteries that I’ve used in the past. OnePlus also claims it will last for 70 days on standby, although this wasn’t tested since I didn’t have the tablet for that long and leaving it unused for that period of time would be strange, to say the least.

One thing that I did find strange is that there’s no SIM tray or LTE connectivity. It’s not the end of the world since we all have a smartphone and can set up WiFi hotspots easily for data, but this does seem like an omission for people who would prefer to have a dedicated 4G or 5G data connection for their OnePlus Pad 3.

OnePlus Pad 3: Verdict

The OnePlus Pad 3 is a delight to use thanks to its amazingly bright and detailed screen, not to mention the amazing sound quality for a tablet. OnePlus has done a fantastic job in the design department to produce a large tablet that’s thin and not too heavy for one-handed operation. And the power – the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset and 12GB of RAM in the review model made everything incredibly smooth.

To get the most out of the Pad 3, you need to buy the Smart Keyboard. The stylus would also be useful for notetaking and sketching, as well as using photo editing apps, and these are both separately available. Buying one or both of these does drive up the cost of the Pad 3, which, for the tablet alone, is quite reasonable.

Alternatives

OnePlus has long punched above its weight in mobile imaging, but the forthcoming Nord 5 looks set to close the gap on the company’s flagship 13 series in a big way. The OnePlus 13 is one of the best camera phones I have used this year – so those are some big boots to fill!

The Nord 5 won’t get its full launch until July 08, but OnePlus has teased some of the key details we can expect from its camera system. The mid-range handset arrives with what OnePlus is dubbing a flagship-grade dual 50 MP “Ultra-Clear” camera system on both the front and the back.

On the rear you’ll find Sony’s LYT-700 sensor, previously exclusive to the OnePlus 13, which is paired with OnePlus’ HDR algorithm. If it is anything like the OnePlus 13, then I found that combination delivered clean, detailed shadows, smooth highlights, and noticeably rich color.

OnePlus is also claiming the sensor to be better in low light – an area where smaller mid-range sensors often falter – than the previous Nord models. Also on the rear is an 8MP ultra-wide camera (with a 116° field of view), which will handle landscapes, tight streets and group shots.

Portraits should also feel the benefit of tighter color calibration. OnePlus is promising more accurate skin tones and less noise, something the current crop of budget phones rarely nail consistently. Meanwhile, the front-facing camera receives a big upgrade. A 50 MP Samsung JN5 sensor with hardware multi-focusing. If it performs as advertised, expect sharper selfies and also group shots.

Beyond stills, the Nord 5 steps up to 4K 60 fps recording on both lenses – and a refreshed LivePhoto mode that captures 3-second motion clips with Ultra HDR covers.

OnePlus has not yet confirmed pricing, but the Nord line traditionally undercuts rivals such as Google’s Pixel 8a and Samsung’s Galaxy A55. If the company keeps to that strategy while delivering on its imaging claims, the Nord 5 could well become 2025’s budget camera phone to beat.

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A new leak from prolific leakster Digital Chat Station suggests that the upcoming OnePlus 15 could ship without Hasselblad branding for its camera system. It's also reported that the camera island may no longer be circular. The OnePlus 15's camera array is expected to comprise a primary (wide-angle) module, an ultrawide snapper, and a 3x periscope telephoto module.

If OnePlus does indeed opt to go with self-developed camera branding, that would make it the first OnePlus phone since the OnePlus 8, launched in 2020, to not be developed in conjunction with the legendary Swedish camera brand. In 2021 OnePlus announced a three-year partnership with Hasselblad to help develop the Chinese brand's flagship camera phones, starting with the OnePlus 9 series that launched in March of that year. While the camera hardware in subsequent OnePlus handsets retained Sony image sensors, Hasselblad was employed to develop things like image processing, color tuning, and sensor calibration. And of course it can't be underestimated how much credibility the Hasselblad name has brought to OnePlus devices, given its esteemed status within the photographic community. But with the three year collaboration presumably ending last year, it therefore makes sense that this year we would see a return to a self-branded camera system for OnePlus's 2025 flagship handset.

Elsewhere, the OnePlus 15 is claimed to feature a 6.78-inch flat display with a 1.5K resolution and super-thin bezels. It's expected that the premium Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 chipset will run the device, while power could come from a huge 7000mAh battery capable of 100W wired and 50W wireless charging. An ultrasonic in-screen fingerprint sensor and IP68/69 ingress protection have also been rumoured.

Assuming OnePlus sticks to its annual release schedule, we might expect the OnePlus 15 to launch this October.

The OnePlus Pad 3 has landed. If you’re in the market for an Android alternative to the incredibly popular iPad Air, you may well be looking towards OnePlus' latest tablet to fill that gap. And while I’ll get to that monster CPU and battery in due course, perhaps the most obvious change from previous offerings is a redesigned rear camera.

The OnePlus Pad and OnePlus Pad 2 both sported a rather large lens situated near the center of their rear panels. That’s gone now in favor of a more conventional lozenge-shaped camera in one corner of the device. Available specs remain the same as the OnePlus Pad 2, though, with a 13-MP rear camera and an 8-MP front camera. The rear camera can capture video footage up to 4K 30p, and has electronic image stabilization and a digital zoom.

Under the hood, you’ll find Qualcomm’s flagship CPU, the Snapdragon 8 Elite, making the OnePlus Pad 3 the first tablet on the market to house this powerful chipset. And with options for 12GB or 16GB of RAM (with 256GB and 512GB of storage, respectively), this tablet has got the guts to complement it. According to OnePlus, the Snapdragon 8 Elite boosts CPU and GPU performance by 45% and 40%, respectively, while also providing a “massive reduction in power consumption.”

Speaking of power consumption, the OnePlus Pad 3 houses a massive 12,140mAh battery. To put that into perspective, the 13-inch iPad Pro M4 has a 10,340mAh battery. OnePlus is quoting up to six hours of “super high end AAA games”, more than 15 hours of short videos, and 17 hours of long videos, as well as 70 days of standby power. And in the highly unlikely event you pick up a OnePlus Pad 3, charge it fully, power it off and then never pick it up again for two years, I'm told it'll still power on! And for charging with an 80W SUPERVOOC, it’ll take 92 minutes to go from 1% to max charge, while it’ll reach 18% in ten minutes.

The OnePlus Pad 3 is the series’ thinnest tablet at 5.97mm. For comparison, that’s even thinner than Apple’s latest iPad Air (6.1mm). And to ensure it remains light and doesn’t flex, OnePlus says its all-metal single-piece body is made from a “different type of aluminium not usually seen in tablets”. But with such a thin body and such a powerful processor, you might be wondering if the tablet will run hot. Thankfully, the OnePlus Pad 3 is fitted with graphene-composite vapor chambers to dissipate heat. And while that might not mean much to those of us who aren’t computer engineers, OnePlus states that in one lab test, during an hour running a high-end mobile game alongside a competitor, the OnePlus Pad 3 was three degrees cooler.

This tablet boasts the series’ largest display to date. The 13.2-inch LCD screen has a 3.4K resolution, boasting more pixels per inch (315PPI) than the OnePlus Pad 2, a 12-bit color depth, and 96% color gamut. Like its predecessor, it can reach a 144Hz refresh rate and has a 600-nit brightness, with the ability to reach 900 nits in high-brightness mode. The OnePlus Pad 3 has eight speakers (four woofers and four tweeters), which OnePlus says have been strategically positioned to deliver “great quality audio, whatever you're watching”, and are said to adapt to the orientation of the tablet.

Anyone who’s used a previous OnePlus Pad or OnePlus phone will know that they run on the China-based company’s proprietary OxygenOS (based on Android). As you’d expect, the OnePlus Pad 3 comes with the latest OxygenOS 15, but it boasts a few exclusive tweaks to accommodate the tablet’s big 13.2-inch screen, and includes the ability to share, mirror, and control nearby phones and laptops (Apple devices included). The OnePlus Pad 2’s Open Canvas has also been enhanced for this latest iteration and is said to perform even smoother due to that mammoth CPU.

And beyond the tablet, OnePlus is launching an enhanced OnePlus Pad keyboard to suit the OnePlus Pad 3. The OnePlus Pad 3 Smart Keyboard comes with larger and more spaced-out keys, a range of command keys and an all-new AI button. The keyboard is adjustable between 110 and 165 degrees, is slightly lighter than past incarnations, continues to support NFC transfers and connects magnetically. The OnePlus Stylo 2 has also launched, along with 16,000 pressure levels, and has a leather-like texture.

OnePlus says it’s “worked on the connection between OnePlus Stylo 2 and OnePlus Pad 3, helping remove any unwanted accidental removals.” This second-generation stylus also boasts new interactivity with the OnePlus Pad 3. When the screen is turned off, a tap will navigate to the shorthand notes page, while swiping the stylus in the upper-right corner of the screen will allow you to annotate whatever is currently displayed. Finally, there’s also OnePlus Pad 3 Folio Case, which connects to the tablet magnetically, protects the OnePlus Stylo 2 via a magnetic buckle, and can be folded to provide 20-, 44-, 60-, and 72-degree viewing angles.

The OnePlus Pad 3 is available for pre-order now and retails for $699.99 / £599 (approx AU$1070). The OnePlus Pad 3 Folio Case retails for $49.99 / £59 (approx AU$77) and the OnePlus Pad 3 Smart Keyboard retails for $199.99 / £169 (approx AU$306).

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Check out the best tablet for photo editing and the best tablet camera. Plus, here's how I edit photos with an Apple Pencil and my iPad Pro.

Mobile photography continues its ascent, and Oppo is once again staking its claim at the forefront. The Chinese tech giant has officially launched the Oppo Photography Awards 2025, its annual competition celebrating creativity, emotional storytelling, and the evolving potential of camera phones.

This year’s edition arrives with its most ambitious scope to date, with a broader category lineup, a record prize pool and a renewed focus on human-centered visual narratives.

Built around the theme 'Super Every Moment', the competition encourages photographers to find the extraordinary in everyday life. It’s a sentiment that resonates across the eight entry categories – Snapshot, Youth, Live Photo, Connection, Portrait, Vibe, Photo Series, and Environment – each aimed at revealing the beauty, spontaneity, and emotional weight of life and the human condition.

Having experienced Oppo’s imaging system firsthand, using an Oppo handset while at Paris Photo last year, I can attest to its impressive capabilities. Sharp rendering, cinematic bokeh, and rich color depth gave the phone’s images a resonance usually reserved for bigger glass.

It was at Paris Photo, too, that Oppo’s gallery of winning images from the previous year’s Awards stood out. Among the esteemed walls of prints and curated booths, the selection offered a compelling glimpse into mobile photography’s rising stature.

This year’s Awards build on that momentum, with submissions now open to Oppo and OnePlus phone users worldwide until November 20 2025. In line with its expanded ambition, Oppo has introduced its largest-ever prize structure.

The top prize, the coveted Gold Award, includes $25,000 (around £18,800 / AU$38,600) in cash alongside the latest Oppo flagship devices. Three Silver Award winners will each receive $11,000 (£8,200 / AU$17,000) and a flagship phone, while six Bronze Awards come with $2,800 (£2,100 / AU$4,300) and a device to match.

Further cash prizes will be distributed across the competition’s eight categories, ensuring that a broad spectrum of talent and vision is recognized.

To ensure a robust and diverse evaluation process, the competition will be judged by a panel of internationally acclaimed photographers. Among them are Magnum’s Alec Soth, Hasselblad Masters Tang Hui and Tina Signesdottir Hult, Chinese fashion photographer Trunk Xu, and OPPO’s own Pete Lau, Senior Vice President and Chief Product Officer. Their varied backgrounds reflect the competition’s commitment to both artistic excellence and global reach.

With over a million submissions in previous editions, the OPPO Photography Awards continue to assert themselves as one of the most vibrant platforms for mobile image-makers today. More than a celebration of device capability, the Awards speak to a deeper shift in photographic culture, where immediacy and intimacy meet sophistication, and where mobile photography is no longer defined by limitations.

Further information, rules, and how to submit your work can be found on the official awards website.

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Check out our guides to the best camera phones and the best Android phones.

The best Android phones for photography are increasingly a valid alternative to the latest iPhones. They come in a wide range of shapes and sizes, and each offers a slightly different take on what the best camera phone should provide. 

Some chase huge sensors and optical zoom, others lean on computational smarts, and a few – like the new Oppo Find X9 Ultra and Vivo X300 Ultra – now come with optional camera grips and teleconverter lenses that turn your phone into something much closer to a proper camera system. 

Below I've chosen the best Android phones for photography based on their design, the quality of their displays, processing power, battery life, unique features, value, usability and of course, camera quality. 

The best Android phones for photography

Best Android phone for most people

The Google Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL continue Google’s long-standing focus on photographic consistency and everyday use-case excellence, making them a compelling choice for most mobile photographers who want great results without fuss.

What sets the Pixel 10 Pro line apart is its ability to turn point-and-shoot simplicity into reliably strong stills, regardless of conditions. The triple-camera array – with a 50 MP main sensor, 48 MP ultra-wide and 48 MP 5× telephoto – delivers images with excellent color, dynamic range and detail straight out of the phone. Computational tools such as Camera Coach and powerful AI editing features further elevate images with minimal effort. While the headline “100×” super-resolution zoom isn’t a replacement for true optical performance at extreme range, it does extend versatility and can produce usable handheld shots beyond typical smartphone reach.

The phones’ Super Actua displays also make reviewing and editing photos a pleasure, with bright, sharp panels that stand up well to outdoor use. Design and ergonomics are thoroughly premium too, with a build quality that feels at home alongside Samsung and Apple’s flagship Android rivals.

Video capture is less of a highlight, trailing class leaders with middling quality and an over-reliance on AI upscaling, so if your photography leans heavily into video work, check out the Vivo X300 Ultra. Still, for stills, photographers who want dependable, easy-to-use image quality backed by excellent software intelligence, the Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL represent one of the most consistent Android camera experiences available.

Read our full Google Pixel 10 Pro and 10 Pro XL review

Best Android phone for zoom

Oppo's Ultra series has been steadily closing the gap on dedicated cameras, and the Find X9 Ultra closes it further still. Its five-camera Hasselblad Master Camera System spans 14mm to 230mm optically, with a 200MP main sensor, a phenomenal 200MP 3x telephoto, and a 50MP 10x periscope that comfortably beats rivals' digital zoom for detail and usability. Let's be clear: this is the best telephoto system I've seen on a phone to date.

Elsewhere, Hasselblad Master mode is the standout feature, stripping away over-processed sharpening and HDR for results that feel genuinely photographic, while an optional grip case and 300mm teleconverter lens push things even further for those willing to invest in extra glass. 

Some small niggles: standard photo mode can still look a touch over-sharpened, and the teleconverter sadly can't be used alongside Master mode's film-style presets. But as an all-round photography tool, it's exceedingly capable.

Read more: Oppo Find X9 Ultra review

Best Android phone on a budget

Nothing’s second‑generation CMF handset proves you don’t need deep pockets to get a phone that feels genuinely exciting. For $279 / £219, the Phone 2 Pro upgrades last year’s formula with a symmetrical 6.77‑inch 10‑bit OLED that’s richer, brighter, and smoother than anything else at this price, and it even supports contactless payments thanks to newly added NFC.

The headline, though, is photography. A true triple‑camera array – a 50 MP main sensor, a 50 MP 2x portrait‑friendly telephoto, and an 8 MP ultrawide  shoots colourful, natural images, with RAW capture and optional macro or fisheye adapters for creative play. The lack of OIS and the modest ultrawide hold it back, but the main and tele units comfortably narrow the gap to mid‑range rivals.

MediaTek’s Dimensity 7300 Pro and 8 GB RAM keep daily use snappy, though demanding games ask for low graphics. A 5,000 mAh cell routinely leaves 40 % in the tank at bedtime, and 33 W wired charging refills to 60 % in half an hour.

Nothing OS remains a joy: monochrome icons, zero bloat and the new Essential Key give the phone a premium vibe, but the fledgling Essential Space – and its rumoured subscription – feels half‑baked. Combined with only IP54 protection and shorter software support than class leaders, the CMF Phone 2 Pro isn’t flawless. Yet its blend of style, modular fun, and outright value makes it our top budget pick for Android buyers who prize photography and personality over raw horsepower.

Read our full CMF Phone 2 Pro review

Best phone for Samsung fans

The Galaxy S26 Ultra is a more mixed camera upgrade than usual, but it's still one of the most complete Android flagships around. The 200MP main sensor gets a brighter f/1.4 lens, and Nightography video is meaningfully improved, but the 3x camera has actually been downgraded with a smaller sensor, and macro focusing has taken a hit on both the main and 5x lenses.

Where the S26 Ultra wins is everywhere else: a gorgeous 6.9in display with a genuinely useful Privacy Display mode, fast charging, excellent performance, and the S Pen all still present. If you're keen to stay within Samsung's ecosystem and the fact that rivals such as Oppo and Vivo now shoot more natural-looking stills doesn't excite you, this brilliant all-rounder is the one to go for.

Read more: Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review

Best foldable Android phone

The Honor Magic V5 takes the foldable crown for photographers who want a large, tablet-style canvas without major camera compromises, making it one of the most interesting Android phones for photography if you value both versatility and imaging quality.

Honor’s slimmest, lightest foldable yet pairs a capable triple-lens array – a 50 MP main sensor, a 50 MP ultra-wide and a 64 MP periscope telephoto with 3× optical zoom and up to 100× digital reach – with bright, detailed OLED screens that make reviewing and editing images a pleasure. Across real-world shooting, all three cameras deliver reliable results with good colour, clarity and dynamic range, while Honor’s AI-assisted zoom and portrait modes extend creative flexibility.

Where the Magic V5 really stands out in a photography buying guide is its foldable form factor: unfolding to a nearly 8-inch display gives you a mini-tablet view for culling shots, fine-tuning edits and working with compositional tools on the go. That extra space, combined with flagship performance from the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, makes casual retouching and AI-assisted tweaks feel genuinely productive without a laptop.

It’s not without compromises for photographers: Honor’s image processing can feel a little heavy-handed at times and switching between lenses may produce perceptible shifts in colour balance, and foldable phones generally trail slab rivals in pure camera performance at equivalent price points. Still, for anyone who prioritises a larger editing workspace and capable-enough photography in one sleek package, the Honor Magic V5 is a compelling Android choice.

Read more: Honor Magic V5 review

Best camera-like processing

Xiaomi continues to champion big sensors, and the 17 Ultra's 1-inch main camera delivers extraordinary detail and dynamic range, especially at night. The headline new feature is a single 200MP telephoto with a 75-100mm mechanical optical zoom, replacing last year's two separate tele lenses. That's some clever engineering, even if the practical difference between the focal lengths is smaller than you'd hope.

What really sells the 17 Ultra is character: Leica's Authentic and Vibrant color profiles give images a genuinely filmic look that few rivals can match. Lens-to-lens consistency could be better, and macro shooting isn't quite as close-up as before, but for photographers who care about style as much as sharpness, this is one of the most rewarding Android cameras around.

Read more: Xiaomi 17 Ultra review

Best Android phone for value

Seeking the best combination of camera quality and value? Google's mid-range smartphone doesn't reinvent the formula, but it remains one of the smartest buys in Android. The same dependable 48MP main camera and 13MP ultrawide combo from the Pixel 9a returns, now joined by Camera Coach for in-app shooting tips, and everyday shots are still some of the most naturally balanced you'll get at this price.

The bigger draws come in the form of design and longevity. Specifically: a flat, bump-free back, a vibrant 120Hz display, all-day battery life, and Google's class-leading seven years of software support. Zoom is limited without a telephoto lens, but for reliable daylight photography and long-term peace of mind, the Pixel 10a is hard to beat for the money.

Best Android phone for video

If shooting video is your main area of interest, here's my top pick. The Vivo X300 Ultra takes an unusual approach with a 35mm main camera rather than the usual ultrawide-leaning default, and it pays off with naturally pleasing perspective and excellent detail. The 85mm telephoto is outstanding for stills, and the 14mm ultrawide is one of the best around. But it's video where this phone truly shines, with gimbal-level stabilization, full manual Pro Video controls, 4K 120p 10-bit Log, and a built-in teleprompter.

Optional 200mm and 400mm teleconverter lenses add real reach without the mode limitations seen on rival accessory systems. It's expensive, the camera kit itself feels a little plasticky, and it's not yet widely available, but as a video-first creative tool, nothing else in Android comes close.

Read more: Vivo X300 Ultra review

Great all-rounder

The OnePlus 15 delivers a compelling all-round Android experience, pairing flagship-tier performance and battery life with a capable, flexible camera system that’s reliable for everyday photography.

At its heart is a triple-50 MP rear array with main, ultra-wide, and telephoto lenses, supported by OnePlus’s new DetailMax image engine – the company’s first iteration after parting ways with Hasselblad. In practice, this produces sharp, colour-accurate stills in good light, with tone and balance that feel natural and consistent across the focal range. While the upgrade in camera performance over last year’s model is more evolutionary than revolutionary, it keeps pace with what most photographers will need day-to-day without introducing glaring weaknesses.

The system’s HDR handling and low-light performance aren’t class-leading, with some scenes feeling a little flat or soft in very dim conditions, but overall, the 50 MP sensors deliver dependable results that can be quickly shared or edited. OnePlus also boosts creative photo control with support for higher-frame-rate video capture in 4K at 120 fps and AI-enhanced editing tools within the Photos app, which help bring out the best in captures straight from the camera.

What the OnePlus 15 lacks in standout imaging brilliance, it makes up for in other areas that matter to photographers on the go: an excellent, bright display for reviewing shots, class-leading battery life that can easily last more than a full day, and a design and performance package that rivals much more expensive rivals. For those wanting a balance of strong camera performance without sacrificing overall flagship value, the OnePlus 15 is one of the most appealing Android phones in its price bracket.

How to choose the best Android phone

The main considerations to look at when buying a new Android phone are the camera, design, and price.

Let's start with the camera, or cameras, as most modern smartphones come with two or more cameras offering different perspectives. To pick the right camera for you, you need to ask yourself what you like taking pictures of, if you take a lot of close-up shots, make sure that the Android phone you pick has a good macro mode, if you like wide dramatic landscapes, then opting for a phone with the best wide-angle camera is essential, and for far away shots, a good telephoto lens is a must.

It is easy to get carried away with cameras and specs though, but you'll find most Android phones offer a great experience. Find the design that resonates with you, with the features you really need, and luckily there is an Android phone to suit practically every budget.

How we test Android phones

As a photography website, I pay special attention to the photo and video quality of Android phones. Camera phones are all-around digital assistants too, of course, so I will also check general handling, usability, and practicality – such as battery life. And as I do more and more editing on my phone now – it's essential that my choice has a sharp and color-accurate screen.

To test Android phone cameras I take hundreds (sometimes thousands) of photos with the phone and carefully compare the images side by side to look for any inconsistencies in quality or color between shots. I also compare Android phone cameras to one another – I keep a range of the latest phones on hand, so I can take the same pictures with multiple devices and see which performs best.

For images, I rate resolution, noise, and color rendition in the context of what rival Android phones can do, and what the manufacturer promises. I also test all the special camera features, such as ‘night modes’ or ‘portrait modes’ to see their effectiveness, and how they compare to rivals.

I can then put all the data, as well as a healthy dose of my informed opinion, together in this list to help you decide on which might be the best Android phone for your photography needs.

Deals

The OnePlus 12 was one of last year's big surprises when it came to capable phone camera systems – after some fine but forgettable cameras on previous models, the OnePlus 12 finally brought a phone that could meet the lofty expectations of having the Hasselblad logo printed on the rear.

However, this success piles the pressure on OnePlus to keep improving its cameras to keep up with the increasingly fierce competition. Last year's crop of phones was the best we've seen yet – and 2025 has only just begun. However, OnePlus has the distinct advantage of being one of the few China-based phone makers with a significant US presence.

OnePlus hasn’t reinvented the wheel here, and the OnePlus 13 continues along the path set by previous OnePlus phones. Although the 13 is not quite the flagship killer OnePlus phones once were, it still offers a healthy mix of premium features at an affordable price.

This year's updates include the latest Snapdragon processor, the best screen OnePlus has ever put on a phone, some new and clever AI features, and a new mix of camera sensors. But does all this translate into the best OnePlus yet? Let's find out…

OnePlus 13: Specifications

OnePlus 13: Price

Increased competition means OnePlus is no longer quite the genuine flagship killer brand on which it built its reputation; however, the OnePlus 13 still offers incredibly good value for money and is, perhaps, pound-for-pound, the best-value flagship you can get right now.

Launching for $899 / £899 for the 12GB + 256GB version (although only in black), you get more bang for your buck than Google’s Pixel 9 Pro XL and Samsung S24+, which both sport similar camera setups, but for a higher price. And if you are thinking of switching from iPhone, then the OnePlus is far closer to an iPhone Pro level experience – but for an iPhone Plus price. If you want the Midnight Ocean version I have here, then it costs $999 but comes with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.

Although, have phone cameras moved on that much? If you are truly after a bargain, you can grab last year's Pixel 8 Pro model at some substantial discounts, which still stands up today as one of the best camera systems on a phone.

OnePlus 13: Design & Handling

The OnePlus 13 is a beautiful phone – an elevated version of the OnePlus 12, shaving off a couple more millimeters in depth but keeping the general design of the previous model with its large camera island placed asymmetrically on the left.

But does the OnePlus 13 stand out from the crowd? There are only so many ways you can design a camera hump, and wanting to do things differently is how we ended up with the Pixel 'visor' design – love it or hate it. But with the latest Vivo X200 Pro, Oppo Find X8 Pro, Xiaomi 14 Ultra, and Honor Magic 6 Pro (to just name a few) all sporting very similar round camera islands, it's getting harder and harder to tell phones apart.

Luckily, this is where the new rear colors and finishes come into play. The version I have is the new microfibre vegan-leather blue option (officially named Midnight Ocean), which I thought looked a little kitschy at first; however, I have really grown to like it. Even if you aren’t a fan of the color, just the feel of the leather alone might be enough to win you over. The phone feels really nice in the hand, with the material having a soft touch, which I found almost comforting to hold, and it is more grippy than the glass backs on other devices.

I wasn’t really a fan of the green-marbled OnePlus 12, so I am glad to see it not make a return, but I hope OnePlus keeps this faux-leather material for longer – maybe with a few more color options next time around. However, I will have to see over the next few months how well it holds up to prolonged use.

You can also get the OnePlus 13 with a black wood grain effect finish (named Black Eclipse) or with a white smooth glass finish (Arctic Dawn) if those colors or finishes are more your style.

Although, does any of this really matter when the phone will likely spend the majority of its time in a case? OnePlus has opted not to include magnets in its wireless charging array, which it claims is to keep the size of the phone down to a minimum. Or perhaps it has something to do with OnePlus’ 50W wireless charging – which, however technically impressive it is, I still feel is just not something most people will really use as it requires specific SuperVOOC chargers, which is just an additional hassle and expense. If it meant a slightly thicker phone or losing the 50W charging – I’d take built-in MagSafe all day long.

If you want to use MagSafe accessories, OnePlus is selling MagSafe-compatible cases, and I am sure there will be third-party ones available in the coming days/weeks as well.

Around the edges is a polished aluminum rail that has the usual array of buttons and switches with a power button and volume rocker on the right-hand side and OnePlus’ signature three-way ring/vibrate/mute switch on the left – one of my favorite OnePlus features, long may it stay. I really expected OnePlus to rush to add camera buttons to their phones this year akin to Apple’s own, but it has decided not to go there, well at least just yet anyway – although other BBK brands haven’t held back.

The significant new feature that OnePlus is keen to shout about is IP68/69 waterproofing, which is coming to a OnePlus phone for the first time. But what does that actually mean? Is this going to be replacing your GoPro on your next underwater adventure?

Most likely, no, but getting closer! For the first time, you can be confident shooting in rain, snow, sand, or taking a dip in a freshwater pool down to a couple of meters – however, salt water is still out of bounds. But more freedom in where I can shoot without worrying is incredibly welcome. Also, the day-to-day reassurance that if I dropped the phone in the bath or accidentally left it in my pants as it went through the washing machine is comforting (if it survived a spin cycle that is).

Screen

The screen on the OnePlus 13 is absolutely stunning – incredibly sharp when turned up to the max 3168 x 1440 resolution and bright at up to 1600 nits with a peak of 4500 nits. The screen also has an adaptive 1-120Hz refresh rate, which, combined with improvements in OxygenOS, produces some perfectly smooth animations that are a joy to use.

I am also giving top marks to the color balance OnePlus has tuned here. In ‘natural’ mode and without the annoying adaptive tone mode on, the white point and colors are incredibly accurate, although perhaps a touch muted. If you prefer slightly bolder colors, then the OnePlus offers a more saturated ‘Vivid’ screen option as well as D65 or custom screen color temperatures. The screen is lovely, and I would be as confident editing photos and videos on the OnePlus 13 as I would be on my MacBook Pro.

At 6.82in, the screen is just about what I can get my hand around and still reach the top with my thumb. We might be in the midst of a small screen comeback, and I have recently swapped to the smaller Pixel 9 Pro as my personal device, but using the OnePlus 13 has made me regret my decision to move to a smaller phone – I miss my big beautiful screen, and I am finding myself picking up the OnePlus more often.

The screen area is also now flat, although there is a slight curve on the edges of the glass over the bezels, and this slight falloff does make the phone more comfortable to grip. I am really not a fan of big curved edges on screens, so it makes me very happy to see them gone.

The screen is protected from drops and falls with a Ceramic Shield top layer and comes with a screen protector pre-installed in the box, which helps keep minor scratches at bay. The phone can also be used with gloves up to half a centimeter in thickness and can be used with wet hands or while covered in water (which I tested in the middle of a swimming pool, and it worked flawlessly).

OnePlus 13: Camera Specs

The OnePlus 13 has three cameras on the rear – a main camera, ultrawide, and a telephoto. All three cameras boast 50MP sensors, although not all 50MP sensors are created equally.

The main camera offers a 23mm equivalent focal length, and its 50MP sensor is a 1/1.4” Sony LYT-808 paired with a f/1.6 aperture and 2.24um pixels – the camera also has optical image stabilization (OIS). This camera also handles the 2x zoom for a 48mm equivalent focal length.

Next up, the ultrawide camera has a 50MP Samsung ISOCELL JN5 sensor, which is the smallest on the OnePlus 13 at 1/2.75”. The ultra-wide lens delivers a 120º field of view, or 15mm in full frame terms.

Lastly, the telephoto lens has a brand new ‘Triprism’ design, which, you guessed it, uses three prisms. OnePlus says this enables a smaller camera bump – 24% smaller and 30% lighter than a “traditional periscope lens” to be exact. This triprism lens is paired with a 50MP 1/1.95” Sony LYT-600 sensor and offers a 3x optical zoom, or 73mm, with an f/2.6 aperture. The lens also has optical image stabilization built-in, and for any zooming beyond 3x, this will be the sensor that does the work – with some AI assistance once you go to 10x digital zoom and beyond (the camera stops at a pretty unusable 120x zoom).

There is also a front-facing or selfie camera, which is a 32MP Sony IMX615 sensor with a f/2.4 aperture and a 90º FOV (25mm) with a fixed focus.

When it comes to video, all three rear cameras can record in up to 8K30, and all the cameras, including the front camera, can also record in a more usable 4K in 60/30 or FullHD – finally, all cameras can also shoot in up to 4K60 in Dolby Vision (HDR). For slow-mo footage, the OnePlus 13 can record 1080P at 240 fps or 720P at 480fps.

OnePlus 13: Camera Performance

With the launch of the OnePlus 12 last year, the brand made huge strides in catching up with the leaders in smartphone photography – and I am pleased to say the OnePlus 13 continues to challenge the very best. The OnePlus 13 doesn’t reach for the stars with flashy camera features, and while that might be disappointing when other brands are creating headlines with groundbreaking features, I like that the team at OnePlus concentrates here on the core camera experience, and it nails that very very well.

OnePlus has again teamed up with Hasselblad for its cameras, and while you’re not going to mistake a OnePlus 13 photo for a medium format one, there is a Hasselblad influence in the portrait styles and the color science OnePlus uses. I really love the images the OnePlus 13 produces – images have accurate and pleasing colors with the right amount of vibrancy without falling into my pet peeve of overly boosted saturation to make an otherwise dull image "pop". White balance was pleasingly neutral, although it defaults slightly to the warmer side.

However, the consistency of the white balance and processing was the thing that tripped the OnePlus up most during my testing – sometimes reading two similar consecutive shots differently.

The white balance made the most errors when flicking quickly between the cameras. In the first image below, these four images were taken one after the other, but the white balance varies between each camera – with the main camera getting the balance most accurately. The second image is very much the same, with the main camera producing a better representation of the scene than the 3x camera.

This might seem a minor issue, as it's only really obvious when directly comparing images – but if your photography is important to you, then knowing you consistently have the most accurate color balance should be as well – without having to rely on pro modes or raw files.

Zoom in beyond the 3x optical zoom, and the AI-assisted digital zoom will take over. The OnePlus 13 was actually very impressive and very usable up until around 30x digital zoom, with the AI-powered processing producing clean images on subjects that didn’t require huge amounts of detail to be caught. You can push the zoom up to 120x, but after 30x, I found significantly diminishing returns – but its there if you really need it.

The AI does struggle with humans unfortunately, so this means you can forget about photographing people at this distance, as faces become unrecognizable blurs. You also need to have a steady hand, as unsurprisingly, at 728mm, any minor shake can become pretty major, but the combined optical and digital stabilization does a pretty great job.

Both the main and the ultra-wide cameras offer impressive performance, but the telephoto camera is the star of the show, producing the cleanest, sharpest, and most consistent images of the bunch.

While the 3x camera is solid, I personally would have preferred a 5x telephoto lens as there is just not enough of a leap between the 2x output of the main camera and the 3x telephoto. Digital zoom is getting better, but I would still rather have the real deal of a longer optical lens.

Macro performance stands out, with an impressive amount of detail captured without leaning too heavily on post-processing to sharpen everything up. Although a little trick is you can combine macro with the AI detail boost (more on that in a sec) to crop in even closer to macro shots and make up some of the lost quality – although some would consider that cheating.

The OnePlus 13 also has fantastic nighttime photography skills; even with its smaller sensor, I was able to get detailed night shots, even with reasonably quick-moving subjects. This also applied to all the cameras – including digitally zooming in beyond the 3x optical camera.

AI

The most recent evolution in photography – AI. Of course, like the rest of the industry, OnePlus has its own versions of the latest AI tools to manipulate your images.

However, the big downside to OnePlus’ AI tools is that they are all handled in the cloud, which means if you don’t have a steady internet connection, then you should forget about trying to use them. Even with an internet connection, sometimes the processing dragged on and on or just failed.

But are they even worth using? Let's start with the familiar object removal tool. OnePlus’ version is very good, although there are limited options for refining your selection, so if you lasso a person but it misses off an arm, you have to do a second removal for the missed bits.

But the AI usually recognizes and outlines subjects you might want to remove from photos very well, and it does a decent job of filling in the background – and sometimes bested Google's Magic Eraser. Most results were quite usable, so ling as you don't zoom in too far. The OnePlus only struggled to replicate certain textures and also has a habit of cloning objects rather than reimagining them. Take a look at the examples below, the stone surface behind the seagull is not recreated convincingly, and in another shot it cuts off the front of a bike – although you might not notice without looking closely.

There is also an AI unblur, which does well on correcting very minor blurring, although really don’t expect miracles with this one. Similarly, AI clarity enhancement is also good for just a little extra boost, but again, it will only do so much. I found this worked best on close-up details in macros where there was already something to work with rather than trying to enhance a small section of a landscape.

AI reflection removal is the tool I find most exciting, and it does a pretty good job, although it is quickly thrown by more complex scenes, defaulting to replacing removed reflections with gray masses. It also fared much better at removing clearly reflected objects like light spots but struggled to remove a reflected person from a window.

OnePlus 13: Phone Performance

Forgetting about the camera for just one moment – the rest of the OnePlus 13 performance is outstanding. The SnapDragon 8 Elite processor keeps everything humming along beautifully. OnePlus is promising a 45% performance boost from the last model, and I have yet to notice a single stutter or drop in day-to-day performance when using the phone. Photo and video editing is also incredibly quick – I was impressed by how fast I could hop into a video, make some edits, and save a copy.

A new OnePlus phone brings a new version of OxygenOS, and the 15th iteration is an excellent refinement. I do prefer the core Google Pixel flavor of Android, but if there must be a skin on top of it, then OxygenOS is one of my favorites. The OS does a good job of not getting in the way too much – there are a few features and settings that aren’t where you might find them usually, and there are a couple of uninstallable bloatware apps, but otherwise, the OS is just clean and simple – and comes with 4 years of OS updates and 6 years of security updates which isn't the best available, but it's decent.

The OnePlus 13 also packs an impressive 6,000mAh battery (the largest ever in a OnePlus phone), but the latest Silicon NanoStack tech means a much smaller battery. Using OnePlus/Oppo SuperVOOC charging, the battery can charge from 0-100% in just 36 minutes with the included 100W charger. I found the battery life very impressive – testing the phone, I was focused on the cameras, and almost an entire day of taking pictures and videos (as well as some messaging) on a bright day, with a high screen brightness and maximum resolution, I only burned through around 80-85% of the battery – this phone just keeps going and going.

OnePlus 13: Verdict

It would take a really good camera system to knock the Pixel 9 Pro off the top spot as my first choice camera phone, and the OnePlus 13 comes agonizingly close, with all three of its cameras offering great images – although a few white balance mistakes and a shorter telephoto just take it away from perfection.

Photos are detailed, with great results from each of the three different cameras. The colors are accurate and nicely saturated. The white balance, on the whole, is accurate, although it can veer slightly warmer, however, consistency has been a minor issue with some quirks in white balance and processing as you switch between cameras.

And when it comes to hardware, I wish OnePlus had chosen to go further than a 3x optical zoom camera, I am a big zoom fan, and this doesn’t quite do it for me – I would really hope for at least a 5x optical zoom. The AI-assisted digital zoom is good, but it can’t compete with a true optical camera, and overprocessing becomes an issue.

But taking the focus off the cameras, the OnePlus 13 is an excellent all-round device. The 6.82-inch screen is beautiful to use, incredibly sharp, and with great color balance. The latest Snapdragon processor also keeps the phone flying through tasks. Design-wise, the OnePlus 13 feels every bit as premium as other flagships, and I am a huge fan of the new microfibre vegan leather back cover – although I really wish OnePlus had incorporated magnets into the wireless charging rather than relying on cases.

Starting at $899, this might not be a flagship killer, but the OnePlus 13 is certainly one of the year's first flagship challengers.

Alternatives

After launching in China at the end of last year, OnePlus is ready for the rest of the world to get their hands on its latest flagship smartphone, the OnePlus 13 – alongside the more wallet-friendly OnePlus 13R with a brand new triple camera system.

OnePlus 13

The new OnePlus 13 is the company's most powerful phone to date – available in three colors and finishes – a blue micro-fiber vegan-leather option (Midnight Ocean), a black wood-grain texture (Black Eclipse), and smooth white glass (Arctic Dawn). The OnePlus 13 features the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, up to 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. Inside there is also a substantial 6,000mAh battery which should make a whole day of shooting photos and video much easier.

But what about the cameras? Continuing its collaboration with Hasselblad, OnePlus has equipped the OnePlus 13 with a triple camera system co-designed with the renowned camera maker. The camera setup includes a 50MP main camera, sporting the Sony LYT-808 sensor, with a 1/1.4" size and f/1.6 aperture, and optical image stabilization. The ultra-wide camera has been upgraded to 50MP, providing a 120º field of view and macro capabilities with focusing down to 3.5cm. The periscope telephoto camera has a new ‘triprism’ design for a smaller profile but manages to squeeze in a 50MP sensor with optical stabilization and some AI-assisted digital zoom algorithms for clearer shots beyond 10x.

The phone also comes with OnePlus' latest OS – OxygenOS 15, which brings a whole heap of improvements, but perhaps the most exciting is the new AI features in photo editing. The AI-powered Eraser tool is joined by AI Unblur, AI Detail Boost, and AI Reflection Eraser to remove reflected objects when shooting through glass.

For viewing and editing your photos, the OnePlus 13 boasts a 6.82-inch AMOLED display with a 2K resolution of 3168x1440 pixels, delivering a pixel density of 510ppi. The screen supports 1.07 billion colors and achieves a peak brightness of 4,500 nits, which should ensure good visibility even in bright outdoor conditions – and is certified A++ by DisplayMate.

The screen is protected by Crystal Shield Ultra Ceramic Glass for enhanced durability, and the OnePlus 13 is also the company's first phone to feature an IP68 and IP69 rating, offering protection from spills, spray, and even a dip in the pool – although not the ocean. Additionally, the device introduces OnePlus' first ultrasonic fingerprint reader embedded under the display, promising faster and more reliable biometric authentication.

The OnePlus 13 is available to order now and will cost $899.99 for the 12GB+256GB version – although this is only available in Midnight Black. Upgrading to the 16GB+512GB version of the phone will cost $999.99, and opens up all the OnePlus 13’s available finishes.

OnePlus 13R

Alongside the OnePlus 13 comes the OnePlus 13R – aiming to provide high-level performance and AI-powered features at a more accessible price point. Equipped with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset and up to 12GB of RAM (in North America, more powerful versions are available in India), the phone promises to power through tasks, and with a monster 6,000mAh capacity battery – the OnePlus 13R should keep going for longer.

The camera system has seen significant improvements compared to the OnePlus 12R. The macro camera has been replaced by a 50MP telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom, and while this won’t get you super close to the action, it should make for nicer portraits. The camera can also use new algorithms for clearer digital zooming beyond 8x. The main camera features Sony's 50MP LYT-700 sensor with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), with new pixel-level algorithms that should deliver better low-light performance. Finally, rounding out the new triple camera setup is an 8MP ultra-wide camera.

The phone features a 6.78-inch 1.5K ProXDR flat display, designed to reduce eye strain and improve clarity, and has a TÜV Rheinland Intelligent Eye Care 4.0 certification. It also introduces Corning Gorilla Glass 7i for enhanced durability and scratch resistance. The screen also supports Aqua Touch 2.0 technology, which helps usability when the screen is wet – which it now can be, with the phone being IP65-rated for water and dust resistance.

The OnePlus 13R will cost $599.99 for the 12GB+256GB version and is available in two color options – Nebula Noir (black) and Astral Trail (grey). The 13 R is available to pre-order now, with deliveries and in-store availability from Jan 14.

For more on the latest devices, check out our guide to the best camera phone or the best Android phone for photography.

OnePlus is known for delivering high-performance phones and tablets that are, well, extremely competitively priced, but in the main offer comparable performance to more expensive rivals. The OnePlus Pad Go falls within this profile perfectly to offer an 11-inch 2.4K tablet with LTE so you can install a SIM card for connectivity on the go alongside using WiFi when available.

This is a consumer tablet so it's not superpowered for productivity, although it can handle some more demanding tasks reasonably well, which we'll discuss later. But for everyday tasks such as web browsing, on-demand video, gaming, and general app use. Quite simply, for the average user, it's more than adequate and handles most apps with ease.

The Pad Go is a sleek and well-made tablet that looks and feels more expensive than it is. The main downside in terms of design is that it's only available in Twin Mint with no other color options. It's not the end of the world and when placed in a case it's unlikely you'd ever see the color of the sides and rear anyway, but it is a shame that it's not available in more neutral colors.

OnePlus Pad Go: Specifications

OnePlus Pad Go: Price

The OnePlus Pad Go Android Tablet 8 GB RAM 128 GB Storage LTE is available in the UK for an attractive price of £219. A case is essential for general protection and protection of the rear camera, and there's a OnePlus Folio Case in green available to match the tablet alongside third-party options. For an 11-inch LTE tablet with more than adequate performance, this is undoubtedly a great price.

OnePlus Pad Go: Design & Handling

The OnePlus Pad Go looks and feels like a quality device that belies its competitive price and can respectably compete with many more expensive rivals. Although, of course, not all, that's far from the end of the world given the price difference.

It features a svelte design that's 10.04x7.40x2.72in / 255x188x69mm with a fairly narrow bezel around the screen so you're not looking at acres of black when using the tablet. At 18.06oz / 512g it's marginally heavier than some rivals but remains comfortable to hold. The screen and rear are fingerprint magnets, so a case and screen protector will help to alleviate this while also adding protection.

The 11.35-inch / 28.85cm screen provides a comfortable viewing area with a 2.4K (2408x1720px) 260ppi resolution. It's certainly not aimed at gaming, but it can handle games well thanks to the 90Hz refresh rate, processor, and RAM. The image produced is bright and clear with the ability to display 96% NTSC with a 1500:1 contrast ratio and a 400nit maximum brightness.

A 4K OLED screen would be amazing, but that's not something we'll be seeing at this price point for some time. The Eye Care feature, which intelligently reduces brightness and reduces blue light at night is, however, a welcome feature that, like with smartphones, does make later use/viewing more comfortable.

I found the Pad Go great for watching on-demand movies and YouTube in bed, in the bath, and on the sofa, but what I did find was that darker videos were often difficult to view even under house lighting. This certainly isn’t a deal breaker, but it's something to be aware of if watching movies is a key reason for purchasing a tablet.

In terms of usage and productivity, there's no official OnePlus keyboard available for the Pad Go, so it's very much an on-screen typing affair. This is fine for writing the odd email, web searches, and messaging, but screen typing is never ideal for long periods so this isn’t a tablet that could become a laptop replacement.

That said, putting processing power to the test, I installed Adobe Lightroom Mobile and copied some Raw files to the Pad Go by plugging a portable SSD into the USB-C port. These were 12MP Raw files shot with a DJI Mini 3 Pro drone, so not the largest Raw files by a long shot.

The Pad Go handled these with ease and I was able comfortably to process images using the Lightroom Mobile touch interface. One point to note here is that the Pad Go hasn’t had multiple apps installed and uninstalled alongside other data, so you could say it's fairly 'clean' at this point. How it would perform a year down the line after extended use is anyone's guess.

Alongside, gaming and Lightroom, I also took myself into the YouTube app and quickly scrolled through YouTube Shorts to look for any delays. And I'm happy to say that scrolling was always smooth with no lagging, which can be an issue with cheaper tablets with lower-end processors and less RAM. It's far from a benchmarking test, but it's one that my teenage son believes is incredibly important.

OnePlus Pad Go: Performance

Like most tablets, setting up the Pad Go couldn’t be simpler and, as always, you’re guided through the process so it doesn’t take too long to set up the device. Once set up, you'll be inundated with updates so expect a little longer to get up and running fully, but these naturally improve performance and stability, so it's well worth doing this straight away.

With the MediaTek Helio G99 64-bit Octacore processor and 8GB LPDDR4X RAM, the operation is smooth overall and, as previously mentioned, provides more than adequate performance. The Pad Go runs on OxygenOS 13.2 which is skinned over Android 13 and provides an intuitive interface that makes navigating apps and settings pleasantly simple. There's also a split screen mode which allows you to view two apps at once, which works well if you'd like to view a couple at once.

Access to the tablet is secured by PIN, password, or pattern alongside face scan, but there's unfortunately no fingerprint scanner. This would be a useful touch, but at the price of the device, it's a small concession to make. On the plus side, the face scan works well and even recognizes me when wearing glasses, even though it was set up without, but it still doesn’t open for other people using face scan.

Both the front and the rear cameras are 8MP and can capture video in 1080p and 720p at 30fps. The rear camera also features Electronic (EIS). Despite this, image quality from the rear camera is far superior to the front with greater clarity, detail, and saturation. For video calls, however, the front-facing camera is fine, but not outstanding. The EIS is noticeable and is better for static video capture since when walking and recording some jello was visible on the screen.

Sound is in some ways similar. The Pad Go features Dolby Atmos Quad Speakers which do indeed produce pleasing sound. Sound is clear when watching movies and listening to music, but although it's certainly not 'tinny', it lacks the bass and warmth that would help to create a richer and ultimately more enjoyable sound.

Finally, we couldn’t finish without looking at battery life. Battery life isn’t advertised beyond the battery capacity of 8000mAh with 33W SUPERVOOC charging and up to 514 hours battery life on standby. In reality, the tablet charges reasonably quickly, and with between 30 minutes and three hours each day depending on what I was doing, it typically lasted six between charges. This was with the tablet switched on but in standby mode between uses, so fairly typical usage patterns.

OnePlus Pad Go: Verdict

All in all, I found the OnePlus Pad Go to be a useful and, indeed, more than adequate device for general use with no major slowdowns or stuttering during testing. Even working with 12MP Raw files in Adobe Lightroom Mobile worked well, although, with the 96% NTSC color gamut of the screen, I certainly wouldn’t want to focus on more color-critical work. But for basic Raw processing in front of the TV for social media, The Pad Go was perfectly adequate.

Despite not having a 4K LOED screen, the on-screen image is sharp and vivid, although as previously mentioned it doesn’t handle darker scenes in movies particularly well in more brightly lit conditions. This isn’t, however, a dealbreaker, and for the price it’s fair to say that the Pad Go represents good value for money, especially considering it's an 11-inch LTE tablet.

Alternatives

Ever since they were first unveiled I have been lusting after a foldable phone – entranced by the ability to view and edit my photos on the bigger internal screen, I could ditch my iPad and stop carrying around two devices for on-the-go editing.

However, the staggering price tags of the best foldable phones have prevented me from ever pulling the trigger! But today it is Cyber Monday, and I have found some pretty epic deals on the latest foldable models that are tempting me hard to part with some of my cash!

I am personally drawn to the OnePlus Open, a device I have tested before and been hugely impressed by its beautiful screens, but also its amazing camera setup tuned by the legendary Hasselblad. But no matter where your brand allegiances lay, there are significant savings to be had on Samsung's latest Galaxy Z Fold 6 and the only months-old Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Check out the best deals below...

Looking for more of the best camera phones – check out our guide for more of my top picks.

Ever since they were first unveiled I have been lusting after a foldable phone – entranced by the ability to view and edit my photos on the bigger internal screen, I could ditch my iPad and stop carrying around two devices for on-the-go editing.

However, the staggering price tags of the best foldable phones have prevented me from ever pulling the trigger! But today it is Cyber Monday, and I have found some pretty epic deals on the latest foldable models that are tempting me hard to part with some of my cash!

I am personally drawn to the OnePlus Open, a device I have tested before and been hugely impressed by its beautiful screens, but also its amazing camera setup tuned by the legendary Hasselblad. But no matter where your brand allegiances lay, there are significant savings to be had on Samsung's latest Galaxy Z Fold 6 and the only months-old Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Check out the best deals below...

Looking for more of the best camera phones – check out our guide for more of my top picks.

OnePlus has just announced its brand new flagship – the OnePlus 13 – at an event in China. This marks OnePlus' most powerful phone yet, with the company's largest battery and tons of power under the hood – but it also continues the brand's team-up with Hasselblad, with the iconic camera maker helping to design and tune the OnePlus 13's triple camera system.

The cameras in the new OnePlus 13 are not a huge departure from the previous OnePlus 12. Both phones featured three cameras – made up of a wide camera, an ultra-wide camera, and a periscope 3x zoom. Like the OnePlus 12, the cameras in the 13 were designed in partnership with Hasselblad, and feature Hasselblad's legendary color science as well as the ability to mimic the look of some of Hasselblad's uber-desirable lenses.

The main camera in the OnePlus 13 uses the same sensor as last year – Sony's LYT-808. This is a 1/1.4" sensor matched with an f/1.6 aperture which is capable of 50MP images. The camera also is optically image stabilized which should help with smoother footage. The main camera sensor also boasts a huge 1/10,000 second shutter speed – so you can really freeze even the fastest moving action.

The ultra-wide camera has had a small boost to 50MP (up from 48MP on the OP12), and has a slightly wider field of view, jumping from 116º on the prior model to 120º on the OnePlus 13. The ultra-wide angle camera is also the go-to for macro shooting, with focusing down to 3.5cm (1.38in).

Finally, the biggest change is in the periscope telephoto camera, which actually drops in resolution from 64MP in last year's model to 50MP in the 13 – but does get a slightly larger sensor with a 1/1.95" sensor (vs 1/2" in the OP12), the new sensor is also optically stabilized which is a huge benefit when zooming.

Screen

For reviewing photos – the OnePlus 13 sports the second generation of OnePlus' 2K Oriental screen, with a large 6.82in corner to corner screen with a 3168x1440 510ppi resolution. The screen is capable of showing 1.07 billion colors, so you can be more confident with the color accuracy of your edits, and has a peak brightness of 4500nits for outdoor viewing. The screen is also protected by Crystal Shield Ultra Ceramic Glass which should prevent damage from minor knocks and drops.

Under the screen is the company's first ultrasonic fingerprint reader which should be faster than the optical fingerprint readers used in previous devices. The screen also features OnePlus Glove Touch and Rain Touch, which aim to make the screen easier to use with gloves on or with water on the screen or your hands.

Power and battery

The OnePlus 13 will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Extreme Edition, which offers a single and multicore improvement of 45%, a 40% improvement in GPU performance, and a reduction in CPU and GPU power consumption of 44% and 40% respectively – when measured against the previous generation. The 13 will also have a whopping 24GB of LPDDR5X memory, and up to 1TB of storage.

The OnePlus 13 will feature OnePlus' largest ever smartphone battery at 6,000mAh, which OnePlus quotes as lasting up to 1.96 days. The battery can also charge at a super-speedy 100W via wired charging, or 50W via wireless charging – which OnePlus says should get you to 50% in just 13 minutes, and a full 100% in 36 minutes.

Worldwide availability

Currently, as is OnePlus' tradition, the latest OnePlus 13 has been announced only in China right now – although a worldwide launch will be coming soon, and if past precedent is anything to go by, then we can expect a global launch of the phone in a couple of months.

While the major specs for the phone are unlikely to be too different, the international version will come with software optimizations, network band/connectivity, and photo algorithms all fine-tuned for different regions – the OnePlus 13 will also likely come with a global version of OxygenOS 15 – OnePlus' take on the Android experience.

The OnePlus 13 has been announced in three ludicrously named colors – 'White Dew Dawn', which has a silky glass back, 'Blues Hour' with a faux leather textured back, and 'Obsidian Secret Realm' with a black wood grain effect. It is not currently clear if all these will make it to the global version of the phone... or if they might be renamed.

For more on mobile photography – check out our guide to the best camera phones (where you might spot a new OnePlus models).

The Vivo V40 and V40 Pro have just been announced with Zeiss-tuned camera systems and a new fill light with temperature control. Positioned as a pair of upper-midrange portrait camera phones, the lower-cost V40 goes up against the OnePlus Nord 4 while the pricier V40 Pro takes on the Google Pixel 8a and Honor 200 Pro.

While both phones look almost identical, the key differences are power and cameras, with the Pro getting a specced-up MediaTek Dimensity 9300+ chipset and a 2x telephoto portrait camera, as well as a slightly more premium primary camera sensor.

Both phones pack the same ultra-wide and selfie cameras, huge batteries, great-looking 1.5K displays. and Zeiss features when you dive into the camera app.

With both available in India at launch, with a more widespread rollout expected in the coming months, if you've got your eye on a Vivo V40 or V40 Pro, which one's right for you?

Vivo V40 and V40 Pro price and availability

The first deciding factor between these two phones is price, with the Vivo V40 costing significantly less than the V40 Pro. 

While global pricing is yet to be confirmed, the V40 costs roughly the same as the priciest OnePlus Nord 4 in regions it has launched, so will likely come in at around £450-500 (roughly $570-635) in Europe

The V40 Pro's price matches the Pixel 8a and Honor 200, suggesting a £500-£600 price (roughly $635-760) globally.

Vivo looks to be making its phones more widely available in the West, with the V40 Series part of its Euros sponsorship, and recent legal wins that unblock it from selling in Europe, not to mention rumors of the upcoming X200 flagship launching on EE in the UK, it's looking promising that the V40 Series could be more widely available in the coming months.

V40 and V40 Pro cameras

Both the Vivo V40 and V40 Pro have the same ultra-wide and selfie camera hardware, while the primary cameras feature different sensors and the Pro gets a telephoto camera. All their cameras are also 50MP, a trend we're seeing across more phones of late, including the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus.

V40 and V40 Pro 14mm ultra-wide camera

The V40 Series's ultra-wide cameras have 50MP sensors with a 1/2.76-inch size matched with an f/2 lens and a 15mm equivalent focal length. They also feature autofocus, so support macro photography as near as 4cm from a subject.

V40 and V40 Pro 20mm selfie camera

Both phones' selfie cameras are powered by the same 1/2.76-inch Samsung ISOCEL JN1 sensor in the ultra-wide camera, though this time with a 20mm equivalent focal length.

Aura Lighting

Both phones also feature an Aura Light ring as well as a traditional flash. These shine a bright fill light to help when capturing portraits, and also offer control over color temperature which is a great touch to add a bit of warmth or cool down a subject.

Vivo V40 and V40 Pro wide cameras

While the Vivo V40 uses a 1/1.57-inch Samsung ISOCELL GNJ sensor, the V40 Pro uses a 1/1.56-inch Sony IMX921 sensor. Both are 50MP and are combined with f/1.88 aperture lenses and OIS, so they have very similar properties, though the Sony sensor creates slightly more natural-looking detail than the Samsung sensor of the V40. The V40 Pro also has a slightly wider 23mm equivalent focal length, versus 24mm from the V40.

V40 Pro telephoto camera

With a 2x telephoto camera that delivers a 50mm equivalent reach, the V40 Pro brings back the 1/2.51-inch IMX816 of the V30 Pro for portraits, combining it with an f/1.85 aperture, though no OIS.

The video credentials across both V40 phones are also impressive, with the V40 able to capture 4K 30fps across all its cameras, and the V40 Pro upping that to 4K 60fps across all its cameras.

You can see some photos above captured on both phones, with our first impressions being very positive for the price.

The Zeiss Natural color profile creates detailed, croppable shots. While white balance wasn't always consistent, photos from both the V40 and V40 Pro enjoy a wide dynamic range and natural levels of saturation.

In bright environments, the V40 Pro edges ahead with its zoom, creating a much more natural-looking shot than the AI-enhanced V40. However, in dark scenes the Pro switches to the main camera for zoomed-in shots, and results are more comparable.

The Zeiss Portrait Mode is a nice touch for anyone who's happy with artificial bokeh. The degree to which you can dial it back means you can create subtle effects that look natural. Both phones also deliver impressive night photography and video capture for their respective prices.

Vivo V40 and V40 Pro features

While the Vivo V40 Pro is poised for intensive tasks like 4K video editing and demanding gaming, the V40 is more of a casual user's phone. This largely comes down to the chipsets in each, with the Pro getting a flagship MediaTek Dimensity 9200+, and the V40 powered by a midrange Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3. They also have different RAM and storage speeds as well, helping the Pro earn its name.

Whichever phone you go for, each is available with 256GB or 512GB storage, with the V40 adding a more entry-level 128GB to the mix.

Vivo includes a huge 5500mAh battery inside the slimline V40 and V40 Pro, which is roughly 500mAh larger than most of the main competition despite both phones' slender 7.58mm profiles. With 80W fast charging, they can hit a 50% charge in roughly 25 minutes.

The V40 and V40 Pro also have large 7.58-inch displays with 1.5K resolution, giving them a pixel density of 453 pixels per inch. With a sky-high peak brightness of 4500 nits for HDR content, and a respectable 1200 nits in direct sunlight, we had no issues seeing the screens even in bright environments. Both phones also support Netflix HDR10 out of the box which isn't typical at the price.

The main drawback compared to the best from OnePlus and Google is Vivo's software support, with two years of major OS updates and three years of security updates expected for both the V40 and V40 Pro. By comparison, OnePlus offers four years of OS updates and six years of security updates with the Nord 4, while Google offers seven years of OS updates for its Pixel 8a.

Early verdict

Both the Vivo V40 and V40 Pro are great phones on first impression. While they provide the same core experience making the V40 a great value option, the Pro edges ahead for gaming, demanding tasks like 4K video editing and its cameras reach further and capture at higher frame rates.

Each phone enjoys fantastic battery life, fast charging, relatively premium styling (albeit with a plastic, not metal frame), great-looking screens and impressive cameras.

The Vivo Zeiss highlights across the V-Series aren't as extensive as on the flagship X Series. There's no T* coating as found on the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro or X100 Pro, for example. However, the refined photo processing and Aura Light are welcome additions, making the V40 Pro impressive midrange camera phones.

OnePlus has impressed us with its flagships – the OnePlus 12 and OnePlus Open have class-leading cameras in their respective categories – but how are lower-cost OnePlus phones like the Nord 4? 

Going up against the Google Pixel 8a and Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus, the Nord 4 has its work cut out for it, and a quick glance at the phone’s camera spec doesn’t blow us away either. But after four weeks with the phone, it’s definitely greater than the sum of its parts and a smart choice for anyone looking to hold onto their phone for a while.

So what's the Nord 4 all about? Because it isn't a flagship line, the Nord series misses out on OnePlus's partnership with Hasselblad, so the camera is less of a focal point here. The phone does, however, sport a respectable Sony LYT600 primary sensor with an f/1.8 lens and OIS.

More standout than the camera is the Nord 4's unibody design, quality screen, best-in-class battery size and charging speeds, and relatively nippy performance. Moreover, OnePlus promises years of support, which isn't something typically seen outside the Apple, Google and Samsung camps.

OnePlus Nord 4 Design and Screen

The OnePlus Nord 4's unibody design is standout, particularly in the color we tested – Mercurial Silver – with its striped metal back that looks textured, but feels smooth to the touch. For a more subdued alternative, you could go for Obsidian Midnight, which has a matte black finish, or Jade Green, which looks minty fresh by contrast.

Whichever color Nord 4 you pick up, it's skinny 8mm frame slips into a pocket, which the body nuzzles comfortably into a hand. The fact the sides and back are made from one piece of metal and smoothed to perfection make sure the whole phone feels cohesive. 

The two cameras around the back of the Nord 4 are encased within a glass panel, the left side sports a notification slider with three settings – sound on; vibrate; silent – and the right side houses the power and volume buttons. At the base of the phone is a USB-C port, a loudspeaker and a dual-SIM slot.

The OnePlus Nord 4 is IP65 dust and water-resistant and can be used when the screen's wet thanks to OnePlus's AquaTouch technology. There's no case or charger in the box, but there is a pre-fitted screen protector, a charging cable, and a SIM eject tool.

From the front, the Nord 4 is all-screen, with its 6.74-inch AMOLED screen and its 93.5 percent screen-to-bezel ratio. The 2772 × 1240 resolution gives it a crisp 450 PPI pixel density, and the screen's smooth too, gliding at up to 120Hz (though the default refresh rate is capped at 90Hz in the settings). The Nord 4 also shines at up to 2,150 nits when playing back HDR content and 1,100 nits in high brightness mode.

OnePlus also includes multiple display modes in the settings to help you eke out a little extra from its screen. Standard options like Vivid and Natural are available, and there's also Cinematic, which uses the P3 color gamut, and Brilliant for extra vibrancy.

The Nord 4's display is excellent for a midrange phone, with solid viewing angles, a punchy picture, and deep blacks. The lack of bezel helps it edge ahead of its key competition in the West, the Nothing Phone 2a Plus. Having tested it in 40ºC China and 35ºC Milan, outdoor viewing also impressed, proving it to be one of the best-looking screens around at the price.

OnePlus Nord 4 Camera Specs

While OnePlus has typically impressed with its cameras in the past, the Nord 4 is on the back foot out of the gate thanks to small camera sensors. The primary camera is a 50MP LYTIA 600 sensor with a 1/1.95-inch size, and the ultra-wide camera with its tiny 1/4-inch sensor size and 8MP resolution is even less promising.

What saves the Nord 4's photos, however, is OnePlus's flagship RAW domain photo processing, so while there's no Hasselblad here, it does look like the Nord 4 benefits from OnePlus and Oppo's HyperTone image engine, or at least aspects of it.

Breaking down all the camera specs, the Nord 4 has two around the back and one on the front:

Wide: 50MP, 1/1.95-inch sensor; f/1.8 26mm lens with OIS and autofocus.

Ultra-wide: 8MP, 1/4-inch sensor; f/2.2 16mm fixed-focus lens.

Front: 16MP, 1/3-inch sensor; f/2.4 24mm lens with autofocus.

While the Nord 4 does have a Pro Mode for manual control, it doesn't support RAW photo capture natively, though you can overlay a histogram, activate focus peaking, an on-screen level, and there's a high-resolution 50MP mode.

The Nord 4's primary camera captures 4K video at up to 60fps, while the ultra-wide and selfie cameras cap out at 1080p. It's also worth noting, only the primary camera can access Pro Mode capture, creating a slightly jarring experience across the camera mix.

OnePlus Nord 4 Camera Review

We've tested a lot of phones and can usually get the measure of one after seeing its specs, but the Nord 4 surprised us. The photos across all its cameras are relatively balanced in bright environments, and the auto-night mode saves the day when the lights drop, though there are some caveats.

The first thing to note is that the Nord 4 doesn't ramp up sharpness and saturation to the degree some other midrange smartphones do. Colors have punch, but they still tend to look natural.

Photos taken on the main camera are nice and sharp and can be cropped into comfortably. There's also a 50MP mode to unlock full-resolution images, however, the ultra-wide camera's 8MP resolution's shots don't hold up so well when cropped.

The Nord 4 applies a moderate HDR effect to photos, but it tends to be respectful of shadows, so they aren't brighter than any highlights, which is something we see in more heavy-handed HDR processing. When the lighting is right, the result is a versatile, typically reliable camera experience.

When the lights drop, the ultra-wide camera struggles even more, typically producing muddier-looking photos noticeably lower in detail. Both cameras handle mixed lighting relatively well, but in typically dark scenes, the primary camera should be any Nord owner's go-to. Even the primary camera struggles in low light with moving subjects, relying heavily on OnePlus's computational photography to pull the scene together.

While the OnePlus Nord 4 doesn't have an optical zoom, the in-sensor zoom lets you comfortably punch in at around 4x for casual snaps in bright environments, and up to 2x if you need a quality picture.

The Nord 4's selfie camera takes flattering selfies. While they're a touch low on detail, OnePlus's processing helps balance faces and backgrounds, with the adjustable beauty mode and portrait features likely able to get the type of shot you're looking for.

The Nord 4's primary camera captures great-looking 4K video at up to 60fps, while the ultra-wide's footage is comparatively weak, capping out at 1080p resolution. The selfie camera also caps out at 1080p, putting it in the same camp as the ultra-wide, though it's passable for a front camera.

Provided you're happy sticking with the primary camera, the Nord 4 will do a great job for the money, with its video looking smooth and crisp for the most part. At night, it does struggle, but you need top-tier flagships like the Xiaomi 14 Ultra to get remotely usable nighttime footage when the lights drop. For any vloggers who want 4K selfie capture or ultra-wide, high-impact footage, the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus edges ahead of OnePlus.

OnePlus Nord 4 Additional Features

OnePlus's six-year fluency promise is a big sell for the Nord 4, but what does that actually mean? The phone launches with Android 14, and OnePlus will push four major OS updates, taking it all the way up to Android 18. You can get buy with an out-of-date version of Android, though, especially if you have the latest security patches, so OnePlus promises six years of security updates. The final piece to the fluency puzzle is certification from a third-party that after six years of simulated typical use, the Nord 4 still runs smoothly.

An addendum to OnePlus's promise: the Nord 4 has the biggest battery of any of its main competitors, which should also reduce the noticeable effects of battery degradation. This adds another string to the phone's six-year fluency promise.

This is an excellent start for a phone at the Nord 4's price, and the fact the core experience is smooth builds on this. OnePlus does load up some handy 'AI' features on the Nord 4, so it's able to read webpages out loud and summarise them, or transcribe and summarise voice recordings. All these features worked well.

Performance from the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 chipset was reliably competitive, playing back demanding games at medium graphics settings relatively well, and the phone's 256GB or 512GB storage gives you plenty of room for content. There is no microSD card or eSIM, though the dual-SIM slot does support two physical SIM cards.

Thanks to a large 5,500mAh battery, the OnePlus Nord 4 comfortably lasts a full day of heavy use and two days of light use. There's no wireless charging, but we wouldn't expect it at the phone's price. Fast 100W charging powers up the phone in around 30 minutes, making it very convenient to quickly top up in a pinch.

OnePlus Nord 4 Verdict

The OnePlus Nord 4 is a very balanced phone. Everything about it is good to great, including the camera experience, despite it missing out on a quality ultra-wide and 4K-recording selfie camera.

What makes the Nord 4 such a smart buy is how geared it is to last for a long time. Anyone who hates updating their smartphone and doesn't need the very best camera could pick this up and – if OnePlus's promise holds-up – hang onto it for six years.

So while it isn't the best camera phone of 2024, the Nord 4 could be the most sensible option on the market. It won't break the bank, has plenty of storage, power, interesting styling, a great screen, and fantastic battery life.

For anyone who needs 4K video across all front and rear cameras, the Nothing Phone (2a) Plus is a smart choice. Gamers who want more grunt, the Poco F6 and F6 Pro are powerful alternatives. And if you want to spend a bit more on a more robust camera system, the Pixel 8a could edge ahead while also bundling in wireless charging, though it will force you to take a big hit on storage, and its primary camera's video is actually weaker than that of the Nord 4.

Foldables always sacrifice camera quality thanks to their extra thickness, moving parts and hinge, and the fact they have to squeeze in two screens, but the Vivo X Fold 3 feels like the lowest-compromise foldable to date. 

While Samsung hass enjoyed a monopoly on the big-screen foldable market with its Galaxy Z Fold line – the Z Fold 6 being the latest addition – and the Google Pixel Fold's clunky design let it down, lesser-known smartphone makers have been making much more compelling foldable camera phones.

The OnePlus Open set the trend in motion, featuring a periscope camera and a Sony LYTIA-808 stacked primary sensor, and bringing back its Hasselblad co-branding to great effect when we tested it. It launched globally in 2023, and you can buy it right now. In China, phones like the Xiaomi Mix Fold 3 also ship with a periscope camera and Leica co-engineering. 

The new X Fold 3 Pro brings Vivo and Zeiss’s impressive image processing we saw on the Vivo X100 Pro to a foldable form, with a primary 1/1.3-inch sensor – around the same size as the iPhone 15 Pro’s main camera – and a 64MP periscope camera, plus an autofocusing 50MP wide angle camera. Vivo also crams in the largest battery of any foldable, while making the X Fold 3 Pro lighter than an iPhone 14 Pro Max.

The problem with Vivo

The main issue with Vivo phones has been their limited availability. Most of its phones, including the X100 Ultra – regarded as the best camera phone around by many – are only available in China. The X Fold 3 Pro also has limited availability, with the recent launch outside China being limited to India and potentially some other markets in the future.

An Indian launch is excellent for enthusiasts in the West. For starters, it’s the first Vivo foldable to launch outside China. It also means anyone looking to import the phone with Western services, including Google Wallet, Android Auto, and the Google Play Store, can do so without any headaches. For typical smartphone buyers, though, importing a pricey foldable isn’t realistic.

And so, Vivo’s undeniably impressive X100 Ultra and X Fold 3 Pro may be applying pressure on Samsung from a distance, even showing its phones up in areas, but they aren’t taking market share from the Z Fold 6 maker in global markets just yet.

But this is changing; Vivo has reached an agreement on a patent dispute that has unlocked Western availability. The new Vivo V40 series has been confirmed for Europe as part of a Euro 2024 sponsorship campaign. The rumoured X200 Pro flagship has also popped up on UK carrier EE's databases, bolstering rumours of more widespread launches for the Zeiss partner.

Whether this means we will get an X Fold 3 Pro launch remains to be seen, but we're hopeful that a successor may hit Europe in the future.

Vivo X Fold 3 Pro camera

So why are we covering the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro? Because the phone is a technology showcase, and a peek into the future of foldable smartphone photography. 

Starting with the primary camera, its 50MP Omnivision OV50H sensor has a 1/1.3-inch size, and the f/1.68 lens is optically stabilized. This is the biggest sensor of any foldable. The lens also features a Zeiss T* coating to reduce reflection and boost clarity. The ultra-wide camera is powered by a 50MP 1/2.76-inch Samsung JN1 sensor, matched with an f/2.0 lens and it has autofocus so can lock onto close-up subjects and keep everything in focus for landscape shots.

As for the periscope Zeiss telephoto camera, it features a 1/2-inch Omnivision OV64B sensor, an f/2.57 aperture and OIS. The 3x zoom reach might not sound too impressive, but Vivo’s demonstrated how powerful its AI zoom is in the X100 Pro, and this clarity-boosting works to great effect on the X Fold 3 Pro. 

We comfortably shot at 10x with usable photos for sharing, and up to 6x for croppable results. The tele camera also supports telemacro capture with a nearest focus distance of around 20cm, making it great for product photography. 

Vivo includes three shooting modes – Vivid, Textured, and Zeiss Natural – and also captures at five optical or digital focal lengths in its Zeiss Portrait Mode capture: 24mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm and 100mm. The X Fold 3 Pro also shoots 8K video at up to 30fps, 4K video at up to 60fps, and can shoot at either 8.6 or 24Mbps bit rate.

The X Fold 3 also gets Vivo's V3 imaging chip it calls an AI ISP. Built on a 6 nm process, it supports computational photography processing while reducing energy consumption and, according to Vivo, delivers a 30% boost in power efficiency when compared to its prior model. Matched with the high-capacity battery, this bodes well for all-day shooters.

Being a foldable, the X Fold 3 Pro also captures part-folded photos and video. There’s nothing new here, but the fact you can part-fold the phone to steady it works very well with Vivo’s pro mode. You can also take a cover screen selfie and use the main camera, taking full advantage of Vivo’s large primary camera sensor. 

This arguably makes the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro the best vlogging phone around. No other phone gives you such a big sensor with a preview of your video, so you can easily frame yourself while benefiting from natural depth separation, and the fast f/1.67 aperture doesn't hurt either.

So after a few weeks with the X Fold 3 Pro, it’s definitely one of the best, if not the best, foldable camera phones we’ve used, especially when it comes to zoom clarity, even if it can’t topple Vivo’s flagship X100 Pro.

Vivo X Fold 3's best-in-class specs

The Vivo X Fold 3 Pro’s 5700mAh battery is the largest of any foldable, much larger than the 4400mAh battery in the Galaxy Z Fold 6, yet at 236g, it’s lighter than the 239g Galaxy. With very fast-charging, a 100W wired charge powers it up fully in just over 30 minutes, and there’s also 50W wireless charging.

Vivo’s the only foldable maker that’s been able to squeeze in two ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanners – one on the outer screen and one on the inner screen – so even when the screens are wet, you can still unlock the X Fold 3 Pro. And the phone’s screens are also much larger than those of the Z Fold 6, with an 8-inch inner screen versus the 7.6-inch Z Fold 6.

So what can Samsung learn from Vivo?

Before this turns into a Samsung bash-fest, there are many practical ways Samsung’s foldable bests Vivo’s. The Z Fold 6 has pen support with the inner screen, a longer software update promise, better after-sales support in the West, and the phone has a smaller footprint thanks to its smaller screens, which many will prefer.

Samsung is also pushing AI hard, so the Z Fold 6 is a more polished software package. From sketch to image to language tools like website summaries and translation support and tighter integration with popular services like Instagram, it offers a wide range of features.

It’s also clear that Samsung’s trying to keep its camera size down. While the OnePlus Open, Xiaomi Mix Fold 4 and Vivo X Fold 3 Pro have huge camera bumps, Samsung’s is a simple strip of relatively subtle cameras. So before we talk about what Samsung can learn from Vivo, it’s important to highlight some of the ways Samsung’s already getting things right for a certain kind of user.

But for us, the main way Samsung can improve its foldable series would be to give into a bigger camera bump and get more specced-out hardware in the Z Fold series. Bigger sensors and better optics are both critical to class-leading photography and video quality, and that’s where Vivo’s nailing it.

So if you’re a photographer on the hunt for the best foldable camera phone, the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro is likely the best flip and fold phone of 2024, followed by the OnePlus Open. But if you want the best after-sales support in the West, where Vivo’s foldable isn’t sold, the Z Fold 6 is still your safest bet.

Check out the best camera phones in 2024

The OnePlus Nord 4 and OnePlus Pad 2 are official, and we’ve got our hands on both devices at the launch event in Milan, with each taking on the best from Google and Samsung with gusto. 

Starting with the OnePlus Nord 4, the phone undercuts the excellent Google Pixel 8a and Samsung Galaxy A55 5G, two of the hottest Android midrange phones out now. At its price, the most notable win for the Nord 4 is long-lasting software support, though its metal body, quality display, and 50MP camera all look competitive for a midrange.

We’re arguably more smitten with the OnePlus Pad 2 on first impression. It’s the only mainstream Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 tablet at its price, so packs flagship smartphone power, and with a super-smooth 144Hz display, smart detachable folio keyboard, and pen support with up to 16,000 levels of pressure sensitivity, it could be an awesome option for photo and video editing.

OnePlus Nord 4

The OnePlus Nord 4 is a quirky-looking phone in its hero color, Mercurial Silver (pictured). The striated back panel is set against a glass camera surround, and for anyone who’s been geeking out on smartphones for a few years, it feels like a serious blast from the past, echoing old-school Pixels and HTC phones. This is largely down to the metal unibody, making the Nord 4 the only metal unibody current-gen smartphone, owing to difficulties fitting all 11 antennae required for modern 4G and 5G connectivity.

Other Nord 4 colors include Oasis Green and Obsidian Midnight, with all three colors clocking in at a slim 7.99mm. The phone is also splash resistant and the display works when wet – just like the flagship OnePlus 12. 

While we wouldn’t go so far as OnePlus and suggest the Nord 4 packs in flagship specs, it’s certainly no slouch with the current-gen Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chipset powering it.

The Nord 4 also has a huge 5,500mAh battery, putting plenty of flagships to shame, and charges up at 100W for a full charge in under half an hour. The one compromise on the battery front is a lack of wireless charging.

As for the camera, OnePlus loads up two around the back and one on the front. The rear cameras mix includes a primary 50MP Sony LYT-600 sensor and f/1.8 lens combo complete with OIS, and an ultra-wide 8MP camera with an f/2.2 lens, while the selfie camera is 16MP with a 24mm wide-angle and an f/2.4 aperture.

In addition to competitive camera hardware are the AI smarts OnePlus packs into its midrange phone, with the Nord 4 following the OPPO Reno 12 Pro by adding AI Best Face, AI Clear Face, and AI Eraser, as well as an updated version of OnePlus and Oppo’s Smart Cutout.

OnePlus Pad 2

Android tablets have struggled to compete with iPads for generations. Apple’s app ecosystem is better than Androids, but Samsung’s Galaxy Tab series and OnePlus’s Pad line have given hope to Android fans, with the Pad 2 looking set to be OnePlus’s most compelling tablet offering yet.

Anyone who read our OnePlus Open review might be familiar with OnePlus’s Open Canvas, an interface feature that supports easy multitasking across up to three apps. While we were disappointed Open Canvas didn’t make it to the original OnePlus Pad, it’s great to see the feature’s tablet debut on the Pad 2. Matched with its flagship power and impressive keyboard folio accessory that can be detached and still control the Pad 2 via Bluetooth, as well as the large, 12.1-inch display, the OnePlus Pad 2 looks set to be an impressive multitasking tool.

OnePlus makes a few smart choices to keep the Pad 2’s price down. Unlike Samsung’s pricier Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra and the iPad Pro 2024, the OnePlus Pad 2 Pro doesn’t have a 120Hz OLED display, instead featuring a 144Hz IPS panel. While it doesn’t get as deep and colors don’t pop with as much gusto, therefore, its fluid smoothness is seriously impressive at the display’s large size. There's also no fingerprint scanner, just face unlock via the selfie camera.

The Pad 2 is also sharp with its 3K resolution, and when matched with the Stylo 2 pen accessory, delivers an impressive 16,000 levels of pressure sensitivity. This looks set to be a winning match for Lightroom and other pen-compatible apps, we’re looking forward to testing it out as part of our creative workflow.

It’s also great to see OnePlus creating a solid ecosystem for fans. You can control your Nord 4 or OnePlus 12 on the OnePlus Pad 2, for example, enjoy a shared folder across devices and more.

OnePlus Nord 4 and OnePlus Pad 2 price and availability

The OnePlus Nord 4 is available in the UK, Europe, India, and other markets for £429 / €499 with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage, or £529 / €599 with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage. Pre-orders are open now, with the phone available from 8 August 2024.

The OnePlus Pad 2 is also launching in the US. A single memory option is available with 256GB storage and 12GB RAM, costing $549 / £499 / €549.

We’ve got both devices in for review, so check back in the coming weeks to find out whether the Nord 4 and Pad 2 live up to their impressive first impressions, and check out some of the best budget smartphones and best tablets to scope out the competition in the meantime.

Samsung has announced its 2024 foldable lineup, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6, iterative updates to last year's Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Galaxy Z Fold 5. In the past, Samsung has had a relative monopoly on the foldables market, but that's starting to change. Honor's mighty Magic V2 is exquisitely thin for a foldable, the OnePlus Open seriously impressed us with its cameras, and Motorola's new Razr 50 Ultra is upping the stakes for flip phones. So has Samsung done enough with its Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6?

Samsung seems most excited about the AI features its two new foldables are launching with. Its Galaxy AI has been rolled out across 3.2 million devices in the UK since January 2024, and Samsung clearly wants to be the poster child for artificial intelligence on smartphones. 

For the Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6, the most interesting AI feature is part-folded cover-screen interpreting, so you can have a conversation with someone, they see their language (French, for example) on the front display, and you see the English translation on the main display.

There are some smart AI imaging features we haven't seen on other Galaxy devices too. The Z Flip 6, for example, can auto-frame a subject when part-folded between 0.6-3x zoom. 

When editing a photo, you can sketch on a picture you've taken and Samsung's Galaxy AI will turn that sketch into an element on your picture – a hat, for example – and it will attempt to embed it within the image in a natural way. You can also create a Pixar-like illustration or sketch from a photo you've taken.

As for the more serious AI editing tools like object removal, these are all back from the Galaxy S24 series, read our Galaxy S24 Ultra review to find out more about them.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6: what's new?

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 is available in three colors: Mint, Silver Shadow, Yellow and Blue, all new for 2024. Samsung has rejigged its camera design and improved the cover screen UI, adding a new interactive wallpaper and also integrated AI into cover screen message replies. It does this by analyzing the last 10 messages in a conversation and choosing an appropriate tone.

The main camera of the Galaxy Z Flip 6 has also been upgraded over its predecessor, bumped up to a 50MP sensor (the same main camera as the Galaxy S24), and the ultra-wide also features a newer sensor, so challenging scenes and lowlight video should be handled better this time around.

Samsung has also worked to integrate all its photo processing, from night mode to lowlight video enhancement, directly within key third-party apps. This should save users from having to jump out of Instagram to record a Story or Reel.

Other updates include a new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy chipset, upping the power, and with a vapor chamber cooling system – a first for the line – it should manage heat better than the Z Flip 5, an issue we faced when reviewing it.

The phone will also have a modest 4000mAh battery and be available with either 256GB or 512GB storage and 12GB RAM.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6: what's new?

The Galaxy Z Fold 6 has had more of a design update than the Z Flip 6. It's a bit wider and shorter, so the cover screen feels a bit less stretched than past Z Fold phones, and the corners are more angular. As a result, it shares the same design DNA as the Galaxy S24 Ultra which is no bad thing.

The Z Fold 6 is also the lightest Z Fold to date, weighing 239g, though it isn't quite the lightest foldable, with both Honor and Oppo's alternatives weighing less. Available in Silver Shadow, Pink, and Navy, all finishes have matte back panels and metal frames, feel well-weighted on first impression, and are premium to the touch.

Just like the Z Flip 6, the Z Fold 6 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy and sports 256GB or 512GB storage, with the Fold also available in a 1TB model, with all options packing 12GB RAM.

The unfolded inner screen also supports S Pen input, and you can pick up a relatively slim-line case that stows the pen. It's a shame the S Pen doesn't work on the cover display like the Honor Magic V2's pen, though in our brief time doodling with it, pressure sensitivity and accuracy seemed on-point on the 7.6-inch main screen.

Price, availability and initial impressions

You can pre-order the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 for $1,099.99 / £1,049 / AU$1,799 for the 256GB model and $1219.99 / £1,149 / AU$1,999 for the 512GB model. 

The Galaxy Z Fold 6 starts at $1,899.99 / £1,799 / AU$2,749 for the 256GB model, costs $2,019.99 / £1,899 / AU$2,949 for the 512GB model, and $2,259.99 / £2,099 / AU$3,299 for the 1TB model. 

The phones will be on sale from 24 July, 2024.

On first impression, the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6 both seem like solid options and safe bets, but the hardware is a touch uninspiring when compared to the hottest foldables out now like the Vivo X Fold 3 (available in India and China), Honor Magic V2 and Motorola RAZR 50 Ultra.

Samsung does have some real advantages: its software and AI features are a cut above the rest in many respects, both foldables are IP48-rated water and dust-resistant, and on the subject of durability, Samsung has more repair centers globally than the competition.

When recommending a foldable, therefore, Samsung is a safe bet purely based on repairability, though fixing a Z Flip or Z Fold flexible display phone will still cost you a lot of money.

We're excited about the Z Flip 6's new cameras and the superior heat management as they were key shortcomings of the Z Flip 5. The Z Fold 6's new design feels much less dated than the Z Fold 5's, and the wider displays should work well in the real world.

The full reviews of both the Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6 will be dropping in the coming weeks, and to scope out both phones' key competition, read our guide to the best flip and fold phones of 2024.

After a few months of using the OnePlus 12, we already know it’s a standout smartphone that strikes a winning balance. But at $799 (AU$1,210) in the US and £849 (AU$1,625) in the UK, how easy it is to recommend will depend on how much the phone costs where you live. 

Putting price differences aside for a moment, the OnePlus 12 offers a compelling mix of performance, design, and features. It’s made of premium materials, has standout styling in the green version we tested, and with a mighty Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor and a huge 5,400mAh battery, it also goes full-throttle for a long time.

OnePlus’s latest flagship also sports a Hasselblad camera system that’s very similar to that of the OnePlus Open, which performed brilliantly when we tested it, combining a 50MP primary camera with a periscope zoom setup and an auto-focusing ultra-wide camera.

Now that 2024’s seen fresh competition from the Motorola Edge 50 Pro, Honor 200, and other lower-cost options, it’s the perfect time to revisit the OnePlus 12 and ask the question, is it still a great option on both sides of the pond?

OnePlus 12 design and screen

The OnePlus 12 enjoys a sleek and sophisticated design and is available in two finishes: Flowy Emerald and Silky Black. With a 9.15mm profile and weighing 220g, it's slightly chunky and heavy, even for a flagship smartphone. The curved edges and tapered frame do help the phone feel less bulky, while the camera module’s textured surround adds some flair. 

The phone is protected by Gorilla Glass 5 on the back and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front. It's also IP65 water and dust-resistant, so it can handle a splash but not a dunk.

OnePlus’s trademark alert slider gives you quick access to silent and vibrate modes. A typical selection of ports and buttons adorn the right side – power and volume buttons – and at the base is a USB-C port and SIM slot.

The OnePlus 12 boasts a 6.82-inch QHD+ display with a pixel density of 510 pixels per inch of screen. Its official peak brightness is 1,600 nits in standard viewing, and this climbs up to 4,500 nits for HDR content. 

On top of ensuring excellent visibility in all lighting conditions, OnePlus’s Pro XDR feature enhances the viewing experience for photos by utilizing the full range of brightness in the native gallery app and Google Photos. This feature makes highlights pop and adds depth to images, though it can sometimes make the highlights appear slightly overblown. 

The OnePlus 12’s adaptive refresh rate is also competitively smooth, ranging from 1-120Hz so menus glide smoothly.

With a pre-fitted screen protector, the phone gives you an extra layer of protection right out of the box, though unlike past OnePlus phones, there’s no included case this time around.

OnePlus 12 camera specs

The OnePlus 12 features a versatile triple camera system with a 50MP main camera, a 64MP telephoto camera, and a 48MP ultra-wide camera. The wide camera also supports three default primary camera focal lengths: 23mm, 28mm, and 35mm, so you can capture photos with a more punched-in point of view.

Main camera: The primary camera has a 50MP 1/1.43-inch Sony LYT-808 sensor, a wide f/1.6 aperture lens with OIS, and a 23mm equivalent focal length.

Telephoto camera: The OnePlus 12's telephoto camera combines a 64MP 1/2-inch OmniVision sensor with a 3x periscope lens with a 70mm equivalent focal length. The lens is f/2.6 and has PDAF and OIS.

Ultra-wide camera: With autofocus as close as 4cm, the OnePlus 12’s ultra-wide is the final piece of its camera system. It combines a half-inch sensor with a 14mm focal length, an f/2.2 aperture, and a 114º field of view.

Selfie camera: The 32MP front camera has an f/2.4 aperture, a 21mm focal length, and supports 4K capture at up to 30fps.

The OnePlus 12 also introduces Master Mode to the OnePlus line with full manual control and customizable saturation, contrast, sharpness, and vignette amount in Pro mode JPEGs.

As for video credentials, the phone can shoot 8K video at up to 30fps from the main camera, 4K video at up to 60fps across all rear cameras, and 10-bit 4K 60fps HDR (Dolby Vision) from the main camera.

OnePlus 12 camera review

The OnePlus 12’s camera is impressive thanks to refined photo processing that realistically balances shadows and highlights. The main camera captures rich colors, and realistic but extensive dynamic range as well as crisp detail. The large sensor and wide aperture allow for impressive low-light performance, capturing bright and detailed photos even in challenging lighting conditions.

The telephoto camera delivers clear and detailed shots with its 3x optical zoom, maintaining good image quality up to 6x digital zoom. This makes it perfect for capturing mid-distance subjects without significant loss of detail, and it’s also excellent for product photography between the 70-85mm range. A big part of this versatility is the telephoto lens’s nearest focus distance of around 20cm.

Even the ultra-wide camera adds versatility, allowing for expansive landscape shots and detailed macro photography. Autofocus ensures that close-up subjects are sharp and clear and OnePlus’s processing helps elevate results beyond the occasionally lacklustre ultra-wides on other phones.

In bright environments, video from the OnePlus 12 looks rich with strong dynamic range and solid stabilization, even at 8K which isn’t typically the case. The front camera’s 4K video capture keeps vlog-style footage crisp and video calls looking on-point, though struggles as the lights drop, as do the ultra-wide and telephoto cameras around the back when recording video.

OnePlus 12 additional features

Powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, the OnePlus 12 delivers top-tier performance. The base model includes 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, with a pricier option packing 16GB RAM and 512GB storage. With flagship-grade UFS 4.0 storage and LPDDR5X RAM, data transfer speeds and overall system performance are on point on paper and in real-world use.

Gaming on the OnePlus 12 is a top-tier experience, even four months after the phone launched in the West. Its specs haven’t been superseded, and 3D titles like Genshin Impact and Wuthering Waves look stunning on its quality display.

Thanks to efficient thermal management, the OnePlus 12 keeps its cool even when gaming, though, once you fire up performance mode to eke out a little extra from the processor, it does warm up. 

Running on OxygenOS 14, based on Android 14, the OnePlus 12’s interface is smooth and stable. It’s less overbearing than HyperOS on the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, though still has a couple of features that make it feel less simple than a Google Pixel-grade clean Android experience. 

The Smart Sidebar, File Dock, and enhanced gallery tools improve productivity if you don’t mind the extra clutter, and ease of use. Within the gallery, there’s also a feature that lets you cut out subjects and copy them as transparent PNGs or save them as stickers with a long press.

When it comes to futureproofing, OnePlus promises four years of OS updates and five years of security updates, so while you can't expect it to feel fresh quite as long as an Apple iPhone, Google Pixel, or Samsung Galaxy, it's still competitive on that front.

The OnePlus 12’s 5,400mAh battery lasts for a full day with heavy usage, even with a fair bit of gaming and photography. It supports 80W wired charging for a full charge in under 30 minutes and 50W wireless charging which is very competitive. While the wired charging speed is slightly reduced from the OnePlus 11’s 100W, the addition of wireless charging is a significant improvement.

OnePlus 12 verdict

For anyone in the US, at its price, the OnePlus 12 is one of the best camera phones of 2024. It’s exceptionally well balanced with its high-end features, impressive performance, and powerful camera system.

If you’re in the UK or Europe, the OnePlus 12’s recommended price is a tougher sell, going up against phones like the Pixel 8 Pro and Honor Magic 5 Pro. It holds its own, however, isn’t the clear flagship value champ it is in the US. 

Whatever its price, though, if you’re in the market for a flagship phone that offers excellent performance, a versatile camera system, and a premium design, that’s exactly what you get with the OnePlus 12, and with its Hasselblad-tuned camera system and new Master Mode update, it’s a capable imaging tool and smartphone with very few chinks in its armor.

Leaks are already surfacing regarding the camera specs of OnePlus's next flagship phone, the OnePlus 13. OnePlus is noteworthy in the camera phone sector due to its collaboration with Hasselblad, which supplies the optics for the cameras in many OnePlus phones. This joint effort looks set to continue for the OnePlus 13, according to the long-time (and usually reliable) tipster DigitalChatStation.

The latest leak, via 91mobiles, also suggests the OnePlus 13 will again feature a triple-camera array, but this time containing three 50MP sensors. These are said to include an improved ultrawide camera and a refreshed periscope telephoto module. The primary camera could likely use the same Sony LYT808 sensor as in the OnePlus 12. This is a 50MP, 1/1.43" chip with 1.12µm pixels. If OnePlus also carries over the same lens, then it'd offer a 23mm focal length and an f/1.6 aperture.

The new ultrawide snapper is rumored to be based around Sony's new 50MP IMX882 sensor - a 1/1.95-inch chip, which the tipster also states will be the basis of the OnePlus 13's periscope telephoto module. This is said to offer a relatively conservative 3x zoom - we've seen periscope lenses reach 10x the focal length of a phone's wide-angle module before, in phones like the Galaxy S23 Ultra. However, the S23 Ultra was only able to achieve such a long focal length by using a very small 1/3.52" sensor in its periscope telephoto module. If the OnePlus 13 does indeed employ the 1/1.95" IMX882 sensor, it'll likely offer superior telephoto image quality, and by using the same sensor in both the ultrawide and telephoto modules, image quality should also be consistent.

Elsewhere, DigitalChatStation suggests the OnePlus 13 will pack a hefty 6000mAh battery (up from 5400mAh in the OnePlus 12), which will be capable of 100w fast charging. Wireless charging has supposedly been dropped, presumably to make room for the increased battery size. Rumors also suggest the phone will be fronted by a 6.8" LPTO display with a 2K resolution, and will run a Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 SoC with 12GB or 16GB of RAM.

Although this tipster has proven to be accurate in the past, it should still be noted that the leaked specs have apparently come from an engineering sample phone, not a final retail example. This, combined with OnePlus's typical December launch of its new flagship phone, means there's still scope for specs to change before the OnePlus 13 goes one sale.

Story credit: 91mobiles

Smartphone photography is big business, so it's no wonder brands like OnePlus, Huawei, Xiaomi and Vivo have all partnered up with iconic photography brands like Hasselblad, Leica, and Zeiss to boost their imaging cred. 

Smartphone fans consider Vivo something of a darling with its exceptional X Series, despite the fact its phones aren’t always widely available in the West. But for customers who don’t know much about brands like Vivo, Oppo or Xiaomi, an iconic camera brand logo around the back of a phone could add a much-needed trust factor. But are these camera partnerships all empty marketing, or can they really give you confidence that taking the plunge will actually get you better photos? 

In this three-part piece, I will examine the three hottest smartphone brands with camera maker partnerships: Vivo and Zeiss, OnePlus and Hasselblad, and Xiaomi and Leica. I will also outline the scope of the collaborations, discuss critical reception, and cover the phones showcasing the joint camera tech. Finally, I will share my conclusion as to whether the partnership is a bad take or a winning shot.

So strap in as we deep-dive into the partnership between Chinese phone maker Vivo, behind the well-reviewed X100 Pro, and German imaging icon, Zeiss, best known for its quality lenses.

This isn’t Zeiss’s first rodeo

Unlike Xiaomi and Leica, or Hasselblad and BBK Group (OnePlus and Oppo), Vivo and Zeiss seem to have a partially open relationship.

My first trip to Zeiss HQ in Germany wasn’t with Vivo, it was in 2012 with Nokia, testing out the Nokia 808 Pureview, the first phone to use pixel binning, an image processing technique Zeiss actually had a hand in pioneering. This speaks to Zeiss's longstanding involvement in mobile photography.

While the partnership between HMD Global (Nokia’s parent company) and Zeiss ended in 2021, Zeiss branding has adorned Sony Xperia phones for years, with Zeiss’s T* coating featured on high-end models like the Xperia 1 V. This reduces visual imperfections like refraction and reflection.

What’s different about the partnership with Vivo, however, Is how deep the integration is across both hardware and software. I caught up with the Vivo team to get a full more detailed understanding of the collaboration.

Vivo and Zeiss: hardware

While speaking with Vivo’s in-house imaging experts, they shared a cooking analogy that sets the scene for how Vivo sees the collaboration. When you make a dish, you improve your chances of success if you use excellent ingredients. With photography, the ingredient is the raw data that falls on the sensor. Zeiss helps Vivo get the best-quality information to the sensor as a starting point.

According to Keshav Chugh, Vivo's camera R&D product manager, both Zeiss optics and a Zeiss T* coating help the primary camera get the best-quality raw data possible for the flagship Vivo X100 Pro and Vivo X100 Ultra, recently announced in China. You can see some samples from the Vivo X100 Ultra below in Keshav's X post. 

Vivo goes so far as to call its flagship’s primary camera a Zeiss 1-inch Main Camera, and the telephoto camera a Zeiss APO Floating Telephoto Camera, the first apochromatically corrected lens in a smartphone. While tele lenses typically suffer from worse chromatic aberration (purple fringing) than wider lenses, Vivo’s lens system, certified by Zeiss, reduces this effect and performs competitively in my tests.

Vivo and Zeiss: software

Vivo’s photo processing has been making waves over the last couple of years thanks to its impressive photo quality and progressive take on computational photography. When discussing the AI of it all with Vivo, the team was keen to hit home, before you even get to tuning, Vivo and Zeiss’s collaboration focuses on making sure the foundation of the photo is rock solid. In other words, images should pack minimum Delta E (variance between what’s seen, what’s captured, and what’s displayed). This is especially important in portraits, with the X100 Pro featuring six Zeiss-inspired portrait digital lenses.

At 24mm, Vivo’s portrait look emulates Zeiss’s Distagon flare, at 35mm, it’s the Zeiss B-Speed triangular cinematic spot, at 50mm you get a circular flare, or alternatively a Biotar rotary focus flare as a second 50mm option. Punching in further, and an 85mm portrait pulls up Zeiss’s Sonnar cream spot and finally, a tight 100mm portrait creates a Planar dreamy spot paired with soft, low-saturated, platinum tones. When you think some flagship smartphone Portrait Mode options are: on or off, Vivo and Zeiss’s efforts are impressive even before you come to take a portrait photo. Vivo was keen to stress that while many portrait modes are mathematical calculations to create blur, its own version is more bespoke.

Many people, myself included, shy away from portrait mode on smartphones. It can look clunky and overdone. But because Vivo offers such a range of options and you can dial up or down the effect after taking your shot, it's easy to refine the results to a level of subtlety that doesn't detract from the quality of a photo.

As for Vivo’s general photo processing, this is mostly handled by Vivo and certified by Zeiss, and what’s also interesting (if slightly off topic), Vivo applies different photo processing to China-focused devices compared to its global phones. Global devices feature no generative AI (gen AI) to enhance a picture, upscale dynamic range, apply opt-in beautification, etc. Vivo phones launched in China, on the other hand, do feature gen AI, and they also feature opt-out beautification to reflect typical regional user preferences.

Zeiss also lives in two more areas within Vivo phones. The first is in the Zeiss Natural look. This dictates the aesthetic of your photo, with Zeiss Natural being the most balanced of all the looks on offer, while Vivid and Textured, the two alternatives, add more stylistic processing.

Finally, Vivo’s Zeiss co-branded phones enjoy a branded watermark, complete with shooting parameters so you can easily see just how hard the camera (and the processing) have worked to get the shot.

Vivo and Zeiss: a marriage made in…

If Vivo’s recent phones are anything to go by, this partnership is most certainly a marriage made in heaven. Vivo’s X100 Pro is the most reliable camera phone I’ve ever used for point and shoot photography. Its processing isn’t always the most authentic, so Vivo’s phones might not be the top choice for photography purists, especially when zooming in beyond 10x owing to how much it cleans up shots – but as I covered in my feature on the X100 Pro’s processing, it was a crowd pleaser at my family Christmas. After I took a few group shots, everyone loved how the phone’s camera simultaneously flattered and captured the mood of the day.

Vivo phones and where to find them

While you could buy the Vivo X80 Pro and X90 Pro in Europe, the more recent X100 Pro, and the V30 Pro – its upper-midranger – are mainly available in Asian and Middle Eastern markets. This could be owing to a patent dispute with Nokia that has prevented brands like Oppo and Vivo from selling their phones in Europe. With Oppo returning to Western markets with the Reno11 F this year, and Vivo issuing a statement that the dispute has been resolved, there is a chance we could be welcoming Vivo phones back to Europe in the future. 

Until then, anyone who lives somewhere Vivo phones aren’t widely available will have to import one. Having used both the X100 Pro and V30 Pro in the UK and across Europe, I can confirm both phones work well, with full access to the Google Play Store and network bands. However, if you do decide to import a Vivo phone, there are pitfalls, not least of all the limited after-sales support.

Vivo's just revealed that its X Fold 3 Pro will be launching in India in June, making it the first foldable from Vivo to launch outside China. This wider release is a promising sign for anyone enamoured with Vivo's Zeiss imaging and on the market for a foldable for two reasons. The first is that Indian devices run what is termed global software, so they natively support Google services like Android Auto, making them more attractive imports. The India launch could also be the first wave of a wider release plan that includes the West.

Running down the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro's imaging highlights, it features three cameras, a 50MP main camera with a large 1/1.3-inch sensor, a 64MP periscope camera with a 1/2-inch sensor, and a 50MP ultra-wide with a 1/2.76-inch sensor and PDAF. As you can see in Vivo's tweet, linked above, the camera gets Zeiss portrait highlights, and given how good Vivo is at eking out quality images from mobile hardware, it could be the best foldable camera around when it drops.

Vivo and Zeiss: the future

There's no getting around it, the future of smartphone photography is generative AI. And with Vivo and Zeiss having announced an extension of their partnership in May 2024, we can look forward to both brands taking their next AI-imaging steps together for the foreseeable future.

But why is AI such a silver bullet for smartphone photography? Smartphone sensors and lenses are small, a particular challenge on the telephoto end, and AI looks set to be the weapon of choice for compensating for this inherent limitation. With Vivo at the cusp of incorporating computational photography in its phones, we're guessing it will be pioneering more advanced AI models in its upcoming devices, especially when it comes to zoom.

I touched on how much Vivo cleans up zoomed-in shots in the X100 Pro with its 50MP telephoto camera, and the new Vivo X100 Ultra, with a 200MP telephoto camera, looks set to be the cleanest zoomer the internet has ever seen based on early reports out of China. By instantly bracketing, masterfully pixel-binning, and using object recognition to clean up zoomed-in detail incredibly well, Vivo really is leading the charge, out-performing technically more complex, further-reaching zooms like the 85-170mm continuous zoom on the Sony Xperia 1 VI.

As for where Zeiss fits into Vivo’s imaging story, provided the lens specialist can keep delivering its expertise, lenses and coating, the mutually beneficial partnership should continue to bear fruits for both businesses.

So while Leica appears to be swaying Xiaomi in a very classical direction with its photo processing on the Xiaomi 13T and 14 Ultra, and Hasselblad seems to be meeting OnePlus and Oppo in the middle with measured computational photography on the OnePlus 12 Pro and Open, I’m arguably more excited by what Vivo and Zeiss are on track to do. Sure, the purist photographer in me may die a little when my X100 Pro takes a photo that looks much better than real life, but when you’re taking photos that look this good on a smartphone without labouring too hard over your shot, it’s very hard not to be impressed and excited by the shape of things to come.

Check out the best camera phones in 2024

Motorola has announced its Edge 50 Fusion, Edge 50 Pro, and Edge 50 Ultra, three sleek smartphones with curved screens, striking style, and the freshest Moto cameras around. In addition to the phones, the company's partnership with Pantone across both screen and camera colour calibration is also noteworthy, and the Edge 50 Pro and Ultra also offer Google's auto-enhance photo processing in-camera for automatically pumped-up shots.

Motorola has long been a reliable choice for anyone looking for excellent value, especially when it comes to design, display, and performance. However, its smartphone cameras have struggled to compete above the $/£350 mark with stiff competition from the likes of Nothing, OnePlus and Redmi.

Having spent some time with the Edge 50 Pro, it looks like Moto's photo processing has taken a step in the right direction and embraced computational photography with a degree of finesse. Our Motorola Edge 50 Pro review is in the works, so check back for that in the coming days, but for now, let's deep-dive into the Edge 50 Series in a bit more detail...

Motorola Edge 50 Ultra

Whichever Motorola Edge 50 you pick up, in the display settings is a color mode that's Pantone Validated, and it's aptly called Natural. If you do opt for the Ultra, its display is a 6.7-inch 1220p panel with a crisp 446 pixel-per-inch pixel density, making it relatively large and as sharp as it needs to be.

With its silky 144Hz refresh rate, the Edge 50 Ultra's screen is smoother than any mainstream flagship while also competing with 10-bit and 100% P3 color and a peak brightness of 2,500 nits.

Flip the phone around, and if you pick up the Peach Fuzz or Nordic Wood options, you're in for some standout styling, and it's also available in a more traditional Forest Grey color. All three color options are IP68 water and dust resistant.

Also around the back is the Edge 50 Ultra's triple camera system, with a 50MP main camera, a 50MP ultra-wide camera, and a 64MP periscope telephoto camera. 

The main camera's spec is most impressive with its 1/1.3-inch sensor size and f/1.6 aperture, while the ultra-wide camera's party trick is autofocus, so it can capture macro shots. As for the telephoto camera, its 3x zoom reach and f/2.4 aperture should combine to make it well-suited to portraits and product shots.

Motorola's also got high-resolution selfies covered with the front camera's 50MP sensor matched with an f/1.9 aperture, and whichever camera you use, turning on Google's auto-enhance feature will give your pictures extra polish.

Powered by the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, running Android 14 and with either 512GB or 1TB storage, while the Edge 50 Ultra isn't a shoo-in for best camera phone of 2024 based on its specs, it still looks competitive and packs plenty of highlights, not least of all that optional wood finish.

Motorola Edge 50 Pro

The Edge 50 Pro dials back the spec and price without downgrading the 50 Ultra's display, packing the same 6.7-inch, 144Hz 1220p screen, it looks standout at the phone's price.

The main areas the Edge 50 Pro pares things back are the cameras and performance, with the phone's 50MP main sensor sporting a smaller 1/1.55-inch sensor size matched with a very fast f/1.4 aperture and OIS. 

The Pro's ultra-wide camera has a 13MP resolution but still focuses up close to an object for macro snaps, and the 10MP telephoto camera isn't a periscope lens, but still captures with a 3x optical zoom and has OIS.

The Motorola Edge 50 Pro is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 from Qualcomm, matched with 12GB RAM and a generous 512GB storage. At its price, while it isn't too hard to find more power for less, you'll be hard-pressed to get 512GB storage in a package that looks as good as the Edge 50 Pro.

The Edge 50 Pro and Ultra both charge at up to 125W, come with high-speed chargers in the box, and also support up to 50W wireless charging.

Motorola Edge 50 Series prices and availability

The Motorola Edge 50 Ultra will be available in the UK and other European countries from mid-May for £849, approximately $1,055 / AU$1,650. The Edge 50 Pro is available right now for £599, approximately $750 / AU$1,165. 

Alongside the Edge 50 Ultra and Pro, Motorola also announced a lower-cost, dual-camera Edge 50 Fusion, set to launch in mid-May for £349, approximately $435/AU$680.

With Huawei and Xiaomi achieving huge success after partnering with Leica, OnePlus and OPPO's cameras becoming amongst the best around following their partnership with Hasselblad, and Vivo's Zeiss partnership producing one of the best camera phones of 2024 – the X100 Pro – Motorola's Pantone partnership could mark a turning point for its photography cred.

Check back in the coming week for our full review of the Motorola Edge 50 Pro, with our Edge 50 Ultra review to follow in May.

The Honor Magic V2 launched in China in July 2023, it was announced for Europe in September 2023, and it's taken almost four months to get a Europe and UK release date complete with pricing and availability. 

Since its Chinese and global announcements, rival smartphone maker, OnePlus announced the OnePlus Open – which is currently our number one foldable camera phone – and there's also fierce competition from the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Google Pixel Fold.

OnePlus may have the best camera of the foldable bunch, but Honor's phone is the slimmest on the block, measuring just 9.9mm when folded, so the Magic V2 still packs plenty of appeal.

While Honor may have taken its time launching the Magic V2 in Europe, it's doing so in style, with a second device also headed to global markets – the Porsche Design Magic V2 RSR – a specced out version of the V2 with refreshed style.

Honor Magic V2 price and availability

The Honor Magic V2 will be available to buy from February 2024 for an eye-watering £1,699 (roughly $2,160). This might seem exorbitant, but foldables are always pricey, so for context, that's £100 more than the OnePlus Open and £50 less than the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Pixel Fold.

If you pre-order the phone, Honor promises to bundle it with over £600 worth of freebies, including a pricey pair of B&O headphones. For anyone who likes the idea of monthly instalments, Three UK has already confirmed it's ranging the thin foldable too.

As for the special edition, Porsche Design Magic V2 RSR, we don't have availability information just yet, though you can bank on it being incredibly expensive.

Honor Magic V2 cameras and features

The Honor Magic V2’s triple camera setup has been specced-up compared to the Magic Vs we tested. The 50MP primary camera with an f/1.9 lens now benefits from OIS, and there's a 50MP ultra-wide camera with an f/2.0 lens, and a 20MP 3x zoom telephoto camera with an f/2.4 lens and OIS.

There are two punch-hole selfie cameras, one on the cover screen and the other on the large main display. These sport 16MP resolution sensors and f/2.2 aperture lenses.

Honor's proven it can get cameras very right with the five-star Magic 5 Pro capturing fantastic quality photos despite undercutting much of the flagship competition. While it misses out on a periscope camera when compared to the OnePlus Open, we're still expecting great results from its latest foldable.

The Honor Magic V2 may be thin and light, but its screens are big. In the flesh, the lack of front bezel on the cover screen stood out for us – it looks stunning – especially set against cramped cover screens like the Galaxy Z Fold 5's. Measuring 6.43 inches, it's comfortable to use and responsive, and when you need a little more space, it unfolds to reveal a large, almost square 7.92-inch main display.

While the Honor Magic Vs had different specs across its screens, the V2 enjoys the same 120Hz refresh rate across both and identical pixel densities – 402 pixels-per-inch (PPI). Both screens also shine brightly: 1600 nits from the main display and 2500 nits from the cover screen.

In addition to 3840Hz PWM dimming for improved eye comfort at low brightness, the Honor Magic V2 has passed the VICO visual comfort test with an A+ rating and is TÜV Rheinland circadian-friendly certified.

Powered by the mighty Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset matched with a massive 16GB RAM, the Honor Magic V2 may have a previous generation processor, but it's still the best available on a foldable, and with 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB, will offer plenty of storage options.

Honor's latest foldable misses out on wireless charging but does get the same 66W fast charging as the original Magic Vs, so despite its large 5000mAh battery, topping it up shouldn’t leave you waiting around. 

Thanks to its thin, lightweight design, when closed the Honor Magic V2 feels more like a traditional phone than a foldable. We'd even go so far as to say that, on first impressions, it is the best folding phone if pocketability is your priority.

While we're yet to get our hands on the Porsche Design Magic V2 RSR, we do have a vanilla V2 in for review, so check back to see whether it doesn't just claim the title of best folding phone – but also best Android phone.

You’ve got an Android phone and a Windows computer and want a big-screened, high-end tablet for photo edits and on-the-go apps – an iPad seems altogether too Apple – so your obvious choice is a Samsung slate like the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra. After all, Samsung is the go-to for premium Android tech, known for excellent software, design and pen support (ideal for Lightroom). Most of all, Samsung’s premium tablets are known for having the best screens around, also critical for photo edits, a highlight we really appreciated when testing the Tab S8 Ultra. 

Over the last year, though, the Android tablet space got shaken up. Lenovo’s Tab Extreme, another 14+ inch Android behemoth, was launched, and so too was the smaller OnePlus Pad, a much cheaper alternative. Even Google got in on the action, launching the first-ever Pixel Tablet, complete with a booming docking station.

Never one to back down from a challenge, though, Samsung’s loaded up the new Tab S9 Ultra with the very best Android tablet hardware and software. And with its latest update to OneUI 6.0, it also enjoys many of the same features as the new Galaxy S24 series and IP68 water resistance. 

But with a punchy price tag and a potentially awkward, oversized body, would you be better served with an alternative from Samsung or the competition, or is the Tab S9 Ultra a perfect photography companion?

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra: Design

Despite its massive footprint thanks to that 14.6-inch screen, the Tab S9 Ultra is super-slender at just 5.5mm thin (thinner than any mainstream phone out now). Before you think it’s a featherweight, it isn’t. Clocking in at 732g, it’s relatively heavy, so it isn’t comfortable for long bouts of one-handed use. 

Over the last few years, Samsung’s premium design has been a benchmark for Android phones and tablets, and the Tab S9 Ultra carries this quality forward. Its Gorilla Glass front and aluminium frame and back create flat sides and curved corners, making it both easy to grip and not too sharp as the corners nuzzle into the hand.

The only premium tablet with IP68 water resistance, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra can be submerged without fear, and its you can write on it using the S Pen underwater.

Dotted around the frame is a quad-speaker system, an SD card slot, a USB-C port and the power and volume buttons. The back panel has a dual camera and a magnetic charging point for the S Pen, and on the front is the screen, a notch for the selfie camera and an under-display fingerprint scanner.

Available in Beige and Graphite, while we tested the Graphite model, the Beige option looks like it would fend off fingerprints a bit better and it also has a bit more of an ooh la quality to it.

As long as you’re okay with the size, the Tab S9 Ultra is a winning package from a design point of view. The only area it falls short is accessories. Samsung’s official keyboard folio isn’t particularly comfortable for laptop typing, so it isn’t ideal for a commute. Apple’s Magic Keyboard for iPads and Lenovo’s Tab Extreme keyboard folio are much more fit for purpose. So, if you’re picking up the Tab S9 Ultra for productivity, ensure you do most of your typing at a table or desk.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra: Screen

The Tab S8 Ultra’s excellent screen was only let down by a modest maximum brightness. This resulted in a mediocre view in direct sunlight, but the Tab S9 Ultra remedies this by with its brighter panel that peaks at a beaming 930 nits peak brightness. This might sound low compared to flagship smartphones, but tablet peak brightness is always significantly lower.

Bright and sharp, the Tab S9 Ultra is also has a 1848 x 2960 resolution, which equates to a pixel density of 239PPI. With its smooth 120Hz refresh rate, menus glide, and the widescreen 16:10 aspect ratio is a perfect pairing for 16:9 shows, especially when set against much more square iPads and their heavy letterboxing.

Samsung is one of the few tab makers that makes its own screens, so it’s little wonder the AMOLED display on the Tab S9 Ultra looks glorious, especially in darker areas and when playing back HDR content. There is a caveat, though. If you watch atmospheric, dark content in a bright environment, you may lose some detail in the shadows, but when watching indoors or in a darker space, no other tab can touch the Tab S9 Ultra’s rich, atmospheric quality.

The Tab S9 Ultra has a notch for the two front cameras. This keeps the bezel extremely slim, and falls outside the viewing window for 16:9 content and wider, so we didn’t find it interrupted our view.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra: Camera

Tablet cameras are generally significantly lower-spec than smartphone cameras, so we will touch on the Tab S9 Ultra’s cameras without going into too much detail and focus more on ways the Tab S9 Ultra can fit into a photography workflow.

Starting with the cameras, the Tab S9 Utlra has two on either side. Around the back is a 13MP main camera and an 8MP ultra-wide. On the front are two 12MP cameras for selfies and video calls. The main camera is good enough for a document scan and is the only camera on the tab with autofocus, with the rest featuring fixed-focus lenses.

As for the front camera mix, it’s great for video calls – in bright environments, it’s sharp enough for an HD feed – and all the cameras can shoot 4K 30fps video except for the ultra-wide rear camera. Drop the lights, and none of the cameras – front or back – hold up particularly well.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra: Productivity

Samsung pre-loads a few powerful apps on the Tab S9 Ultra to give creatives a jump start, bundling in a two-month trial subscription to Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, as well as a full version of Good Notes for a year, and a half-price offer for LumaFusion video editor.

Running Android 14 with OneUI 6.0, the Tab S9 Ultra features DeX, Samsung’s desktop UI. This year, we have two versions of the interface, a Classic DeX and New DeX. While the Classic version is a full-blown Windows-style interface, the New version looks like familiar Android but adds resizable floating windows to the mix. These two forms of DeX are very powerful, with Classic DeX working perfectly when projecting to an external monitor – ideal for big-screen editing – and New DeX looking better on the tablet itself, particularly suited to the keyboard folio cover or a keyboard and mouse setup.

While DeX works better than anything else in the Android space for both standalone and monitor-connected productivity, the Lenovo Tab Extreme’s second USB-C port supports video input, and gives it a slight edge in a creative workflow, enabling it to double up as a second screen for your MacOS or Windows device. The Tab S9 Ultra is only a wireless second screen for Windows computers – so Lenovo's tab is more versatile.

Samsung’s pressure-sensitive S Pen is also a powerful creative tool. Whether using a brush with precision in a drawing app like Concepts or with the Heal tool in Lightroom, the S Pen’s 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity and almost brush-like feel on-screen has always been a tonic to Apple’s hard plastic Pencil.

The main creative limitation of the Tab S9 Ultra is Android and, more specifically, app support. Yes, Concepts, Lightroom and LumaFusion are excellent. Still, with apps like Adobe Illustrator, DaVinci Resolve and ProCreate available for iPadOS, it is the better creative tool.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra: Performance

Thanks to a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset matched with 12GB RAM, the Tab S9 Ultra does an excellent job of 4K video edits and 3D gaming. The interface glides, even when loaded up with multiple apps on-screen, or projecting DeX to an external monitor. It’s very impressive to get into a rhythm with the tablet, smash out a load of work and realise, it was all powered by a skinny slate.

There’s also plenty of storage on offer, with either 256GB, 512GB or 1TB internal storage and a microSD card slot, so you can bump that up by an extra 1TB.

Talk about multi-function – the Tab S9 Ultra can charge phone in a pinch with its huge 11,200mAh battery – you just need a USB-C to USB-C port. You’ll probably have capacity to spare with Samsung’s tablet easily lasting a few days or longer with modest use – an episode and some browsing here and there. For more intense workloads, expect one or two days out of it. It also charges up at 45W, taking around two hours to power up fully.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra: Verdict

The Tab S9 Ultra has the best screen of any tablet we’ve tested, and the fact it’s water resistant makes it an obvious choice for anyone who needs a slate that can withstand the elements. Paired with your camera’s companion apps, it makes for an impressively oversized external monitor, and there are enough great photo editing and productivity apps for Android to make it the most capable Android tablet around.

There are some red flags to bear in mind before picking one up. This tablet is huge, so make sure the S9 Ultra is what you need, not the more modest, manageable Tab S9 Plus. The keyboard dock isn’t well-suited to resting on a lap; ergonomically, this isn’t a laptop replacement. Finally, even if you have a Windows laptop and an Android phone, you might still be better off getting an iPad, thanks to iPadOS’s superior creative app support.

If none of those caveats faze you, the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra could be the best tablet of 2024 for you and should add a brilliant, big-screened boost to your workflow.

The eagerly anticipated OnePlus 12 has finally launched internationally, after debuting in China in December 2023. The latest flagship smartphone promises impressive performance and serious camera quality, tuned by the experts at Hasselblad.

Starting with the looks, the OnePlus 12 doesn’t stray too far from its predecessor. The off-center circular camera array is still present, as is the Hasselblad branding and the popular notification slider. 

The only things that stand out as different are that the flash has moved slightly, and there’s a new Flowy Emerald color option, which has a marble-like texture, apparently inspired by a river in New Zealand. There’s also a Silky Black option for those who like a more subtle design.

Hardware and performance

The new device is powered by Qualcomm’s latest and greatest processor, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, so it’s guaranteed to be a speedy and powerful phone. In addition, OnePlus has beefed up the cooling solution. It now takes advantage of the largest vapor chamber that OnePlus has ever designed. If you like mobile gaming, this is starting to look like a great option.

The OnePlus 12 boasts the world’s brightest OLED mobile display, which tops out at an astonishing 4500 nits peak brightness. It also supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+, so content from apps like Netflix will look better than ever. The display also supports 2160Hz PWM dimming, so if you’re sensitive to flicker, you’ll have a much more comfortable experience.

OnePlus has developed a technology that it calls Aqua Touch, and essentially it means that the touchscreen works properly in heavy rain. OnePlus showed a pretty impressive demo, where the phone was working as expected while being blasted by jets of water from all directions, competing devices, like an unspecified iPhone model, registered all kinds of unintended touches in the same scenario.

The OnePlus 12 packs an ample 5400 mAh battery pack, and OnePlus is confident that it’ll outlast its rivals during continuous video shooting. When it needs charging, it can be done in a flash with either 100W wired charging or 50W wireless charging.

Cameras

When it comes to the cameras, the OnePlus 12 debuts a brand new main sensor, the Sony LYT-808, not to be confused with the LYT-T808 that we saw on the OnePlus Open, although the results will likely be quite similar. This 1/1.4-inch sensor is relatively large and has a 50MP resolution. It’s paired with a 23mm equivalent lens with an f/1.6 aperture and OIS.

Also new is a 64MP 3x periscope telephoto camera with a 1/2-inch sensor. This is a larger sensor than we’ve seen on most flagship telephoto cameras, so it should perform better in low-light conditions. However, the reach lags behind the competition, with iPhone 15 Pro Max and Samsung S24 Ultra both offering 5x telephoto lenses.

Finally, there’s a 48MP ultrawide camera with a 114-degree field of view, which appears to be the same as the one on the OnePlus 11. All the lenses benefit from a new ALC coating, which is designed to reduce glare artifacts and red flaring. Plus, there’s Hasselblad color science applied to the image processing, which should help bring the best out of your snaps.

Price and availability

The OnePlus 12 will hit the shelves on February 6 2024 at a price of $799 / £849 for the 256GB model, or $899 / £999 for the 512GB variant. 

OnePlus also announced a cheaper model, the OnePlus 12R, which cuts back on the camera tech and instead focuses solely on performance. The 12R will retail for $599 / £649.

If you’ve been following the evolution of folding phones, you’ll know that for all their wins – two screens in one device, wow-factor, smart features – they all miss out on excellent cameras, but the OnePlus Open is poised to buck this trend.

With key competition being the Google Pixel Fold and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, the OnePlus Open has two real objectives if it wants to win us over – be cheaper and be better. Out of the gate, it’s already nailed the latter, undercutting both. But what does it do to stand out alongside the best from Google and Samsung?

Firstly, it packs actual flagship camera hardware. The wide camera has the same sensor tech as the super-premium Sony Xperia 1 V, with stacked pixel technology and a relatively large sensor size. The ultra-wide camera has autofocus and a pretty large 1/2-inch sensor, and the telephoto camera isn’t a typical pancake setup, it’s a periscope camera.

But can the rest of this phone stack up to its camera hardware, or is the OnePlus Open a winner on paper, but a loser in real life?

OnePlus Open: Design

The first thing we noticed about the in-hand feel of the OnePlus Open was how flat the sides were. While many phones seem to have curved sides to make them feel thinner, the OnePlus Open’s flat metal sides actually add to its in-hand impression. This might sound like a criticism – thick phone = bad design – but it’s actually helpful in making the open easy to grip and unfold, something the Pixel Fold isn’t.

The phone also has a familiar, phone-like shape. It’s not super-squat like the Pixel Fold and isn’t super-tall like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5. Instead, its footprint is like a slightly smaller 20:9 phone, making it feel more natural to hold when closed than its main competitors.

Turn it around, and the OnePlus Open has one big camera bump. It’s almost comical how oversized it is on first impression; after all, the rest of the phone is relatively thin at 6mm when open and 11.9mm when closed. Of course, if a big bump means a great camera, we're not complaining.

The OnePlus alert slider is back, alongside the typical selection of ports and buttons – volume and power buttons and a USB-C port and SIM tray. The phone boasts three speakers and comes in two finishes: vegan leather or frosted glass.

Unfold the phone, and you’ll get a different hinge feel to Google and Samsung’s phones. While Google's is very (very) stiff, locking very securely at almost any angle throughout its range, and Samsung’s is a little less so, the OnePlus Open is the springiest of the bunch. Out of all three, it feels less geared to part-folded use, although it can stay open between roughly 45º and 145º before springing open or closed.

Once open all the way, the OnePlus Open has almost square dimensions, and its squircle shape and even border make it seem less cumbersome than the Pixel Fold, which has a heavy bezel above and below the screen. Its flat sides make it easy to grip, and weighing 239g in vegan leather and 245g in glass, it’s no heavier than a big phone like an iPhone 14 Pro Max, so it feels surprisingly comfortable for long bouts of use.

Samsung and Google do best OnePlus with their IP-rated weatherproofing, so it isn’t a clean sweep for the Open, though OnePlus claims its phone can handle a splash even without an IP rating.

OnePlus Open: Screens

While past foldables like the Honor Magic Vs have compromised with either the outer or inner screen specs, the Open seems to have two quality panels on paper.

The front screen is 6.3 inches, and the inner screen is 7.8 inches. Both are 120Hz AMOLED panels with a max brightness of 1400 nits (this fires up when in direct sunlight), both sport high-resolutions with over 425 pixels in every inch of screen, and they also have Dolby Vision and HDR10+ credentials. 

Interestingly, OnePlus taps into the screens’ HDR credentials (which ups the max spot brightness to an eye-searing 2600 nits) with a feature it calls ProXDR. This captures photos with HDR information, pumping out a wider dynamic range when viewing them on the phone itself, particularly with highlights.

After a few weeks with the phone, the overall impression of the screens is very positive. In fact, from a quality point of view, it’s entirely positive – this is the most invisible crease we’ve seen on a foldable to date, and the picture is inky, punchy, bright, and balanced – but there’s a slight issue with the screen shapes, specifically for gamers.

The front screen is great for messaging and even watching back super-wide-screen movies, but it is small for serious bouts of (on-screen) button bashing, especially if you have big hands. Meanwhile, the inner screen is too square for most games, so that’s our one caveat regarding the OnePlus Open’s displays' mostly positive impression.

OnePlus Open: Camera specs

There are three cameras around the back of the phone, and all three capture with high resolution, relatively large sensors, and wide apertures.

Wide: The wide sensor is a Sony LYTIA-T808, a 52MP 4.3:3 stacked pixel sensor, which is interesting because it actually uses a 48MP 4:3 area for photos. It’s matched with an f/1.7 lens with OIS, and has a wide 24mm equivalent focal length.

Ultra-wide: OnePlus's ultra-wide camera includes a 1/2-inch Sony IMX581 sensor and an autofocusing  f/2.2 lens with a 14mm equivalent focal length.

Telephoto: Finally, the telephoto camera is a 3x zoom equivalent periscope camera with another 1/2-inch sensor, this time from OmniVision, and a relatively wide f/2.6 lens and a 70mm equivalent focal length.

Being a OnePlus phone, a few Hasselblad elements are dotted about the UI, including a portrait mode that emulates the look of Hasselblad lenses, a Hasselblad Pro Mode, and XPan mode for super-wide snaps. The automatic photo mode also benefits from Hasselblad tuning, which has historically served OnePlus phones very well, with the OnePlus 11 taking excellent photos for its price.

Video fans should appreciate the fact the OnePlus Open records 10-bit Dolby Vision HDR video at up to 4K 60fps from the wide camera and 4K 30fps from the telephoto camera.

OnePlus Open: camera review

It doesn’t take long to realise the OnePlus Open camera is the best of any foldable out now, and a lot of that comes down to the OnePlus’s photo processing. It’s more subdued when it comes to exposure and saturation than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, takes significantly more detailed photos than Google’s Pixel Fold, and manages to level up that OnePlus look we’ve grown to appreciate thanks to upgraded camera hardware.

Shots from the main camera enjoy abundant shadow detail, a relatively shallow depth of field when capturing close-up subjects, and balance across a scene, doing especially well in challenging mixed lighting. The auto night mode kicks in to deliver exceptional results even in low light. Unlike other foldables, we never found ourselves propping the OnePlus Open up to capture a lowlight shot – handheld; it captures a great shot nine times out of 10 just fine.

The telephoto camera isn’t quite as adept in low light as its wide counterpart, but it isn’t bad by any means, outperforming the Pixel Fold and Z Fold zoomers at night. More notable is the optical quality achieved by its periscope lens. With a closest focus distance of around 20cm, the tele camera nails product shots and almost becomes a make-shift tele-macro camera of sorts. It’s also impressive for portraits too.

The ultra-wide is the least standout of the rear camera mix, but it still does a respectable job. Packing autofocus with a nearest focus distance of 4cm, it takes close-up macro shots with an action camera FOV and can go wide for landscapes and mid-wide shots that demand a less shallow depth of field, document scans, for example.

Video shot on the OnePlus Open also looks solid, with well-stabilized footage packed with detail. While the wide camera works well in tough lighting or with rigorous movement, the secondary cameras struggle. The Dolby Vision video is a real highlight though, especially when capturing sunsets and other tonally broad scenes.

OnePlus has struck a great mix of processing, quality sensors, and impressive lenses on its first foldable, not only making its best camera phone to date but also making the best foldable camera phone by some margin. 

The main criticism against the OnePlus Open’s camera is colour inconsistency across lenses, and limited zoom range compared to lower-cost non-folding phones like the Pixel 8 Pro and Galaxy S23 Ultra. If you just want the best camera phone out now, you're still better off with a non-folding alternative, but when set against its folding peers, the OnePlus Open's camera is a standout winner.

OnePlus Open: performance and battery

Running OnePlus’s OxygenOS 13 (built on Android 13), if you’ve used a OnePlus device before, expect familiar elements but updated for a big, unfolded display. While OxygenOS on the OnePlus Pad struggled to flex across its tablet-sized screen, it does a much better job this time.

When closed, the phone’s a phone – there’s nothing too special here. It’s Android through and through, with a few highlights we’ve seen before. Unfolded, though, the Open introduces a new feature called Infinite Canvas, which takes split-screen multi-tasking to another level, turning it into off-screen multi-tasking.

When Infinite Canvas is active, you can run up to three full-screen apps simultaneously, two side-by-side and one docked above. When one is in view, it takes up the whole screen, and you can swipe another into view to push your active app out of frame. While this sounds complicated, it’s easy to use and intuitive. It’s also flexible, so you can resize your Infinite Canvas apps to split-screen, so you can have up to three phone-sized apps open, two on-screen at a time, swiping one in while pushing one out.

We’ve often complained that foldables aren’t optimized to take advantage of the big screens within or their foldable form, so it’s great to see the OnePlus Open nail an aspect of unfolded usability.

This extends to the camera – you can shoot with the phone open and use the front display as a viewfinder, and you can also part-fold the phone for half-folded capture. This part-folded experience isn’t as accomplished as Samsung’s on the Z Fold 5, only working with a couple of apps on the OnePlus Open.

While the OnePlus Open does support pen input technically – specifically the OPPO Pen, which launched in China for the Find N2 – you can’t buy the pen in The West, so Samsung’s wider S Pen availability will make the Z Fold 5 a better choice for anyone looking to take handwritten notes on their foldable.

When it comes to power, though, the OnePlus Open and Fold 5 are relatively evenly matched, both running with Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipsets. Loaded up with 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB UFS 4.0 storage, though, OnePlus bests Samsung on the value for money front. And with a 4800mAh battery and 67W flash charging powering it up fully in under 45 minutes, it lasts longer and charges faster than the foldable competition, though it misses out on wireless charging.

OnePlus Open: Verdict

After the iterative Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 launched, it felt like foldables were getting a little stale – ironic for a cutting-edge category of tech – but the OnePlus Open seems to have shaken things up, not least of all in the camera department.

With the best camera mix of any foldable, and photos that rival many non-folding flagships, as well as a powerful telephoto camera and the measured processing we’ve come to expect from OnePlus in recent years, the Open is an imaging triumph.

The fact there aren’t any major red flags in other areas helps OnePlus’s debut foldable leap to the front of the pack. If you’re thinking about picking one up – take note: it misses out on wireless charging and an IP rating – but if that doesn’t phase you, this is the first foldable we’ve been able to recommend based on its camera wholeheartedly.

Editorial note: Basil has worked with Oppo's communications agency as a consultant. OnePlus and Oppo are part of the BBK group. Basil has never worked with OnePlus directly or any of its agencies. Having worked with Basil for years, we are confident in his ability to review OnePlus devices fairly.

Want to know more about the OnePlus Open's competition? These are the best flip and fold phones flexing their features right now, and if you aren't sold on the fold, check out our guide to the best camera phones of 2023.

The Pixel 8 has a tough job competing with Google’s own Pixel 7a and Pixel 8 Pro. The 7a is quite a bit cheaper without a huge number of tangible compromises, while the Pixel 8 Pro adds a periscope camera and pro-grade features to the shooting experience.

Google’s new advanced features introduced on the 8 Pro are not available for the Pixel 8 – so the shooting experience of the 8 and 7a are actually more comparable in some ways than those of the 8 and 8 Pro. So with pared-back camera software, what is the Pixel 8’s appeal? 

The Pixel 8 features Google’s Magic Editor tool and AI-powered computational photography at a chipset level. It's also a very comfortable size in hand, has enough power for all tasks other than top-tier gaming, and is future-proofed exceptionally well, with seven years of Android updates expected for the line.

With tough competition from affordable flagships like the OnePlus 11 5G and Xiaomi 13T Pro, not to mention Google’s own Pixel 7a and the light-up Nothing Phone 2, can the Pixel 8 really hold its own?

Google Pixel 8: Design

The Pixel 8 feels more compact and rounded than the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7a. With softer corners, it sits comfortably in the hand, and its Gorilla Glass Victus 2 front and back and metal frame feel rich.

Nice and light, Google’s latest Pixel 8 is 187g, a few grams lighter than the Pixel 7 and 7a, and the phone is IP68 water and dust-resistant.

Definitely a Google phone, a visor-style camera strip adorns the back of the Pixel 8, extending out of the buffed metal frame. You can pick up the new Pixel in three colors: Obsidian, Hazel, and Rose. 

We tested the Obsidian version, which is fond of clinging onto fingerprints thanks to its shiny polished glass back, but the lighter colors are better at fending off smudges.

Ports and buttons are predictable, with a USB-C port for charging at the base and all the buttons – power and volume – on the phone's right side. The SIM tray houses just one SIM card, but with eSIM support, you can still activate a second SIM.

The Pixel 8’s styling is simple but effective for anyone who wants a compact phone. It isn’t the thinnest or the most premium-feeling phone at its price, but it still sits well in-hand and carries forward that Pixel charm we have come to appreciate.

Google Pixel 8: Screen

With a slightly smaller screen than the Pixel 7, the 6.2-inch Pixel 8 display might seem like a downgrade when it comes to immersion, but this is a much better panel than we’ve seen on any 7-series Pixel to date.

The more rounded corners mean content looks a bit more stylistically framed. This isn’t always good, cropping out a tiny portion of the interface, but it adds to the display’s charm. 

The 20:9 aspect ratio is instantly familiar when set against other Android phones, and the 1080 x 2400 resolution and 428 pixel-per-inch pixel density are exactly what we’d expect at the price.

Where the Pixel 8 edges ahead is when it comes to brightness and visual quality. Climbing up to 1400 nits in high-brightness mode and a mighty 2000 nits peak spot brightness, it’s easy to see what’s on-screen even in direct sunlight.

Unlike the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7a with their 90Hz screens, Google also upgraded the display refresh rate of the Pixel 8 to 120Hz, and with HDR10+ support that works within Netflix, visuals when playing back content are excellent. 

This is on top of impressive viewing angles missing from pricier phones like the Sony Xperia 5V, creating a flagship-grade quality that showcases vibrant colors and deep, inky shadows to great effect.

Ultimately, the Pixel 8 has one of the best screens around for the price, especially at its 6.2-inch, compact size.

Google Pixel 8: Camera specs

If you’re an enthusiast photographer who wants manual control over photos out of the box, the Pixel 8 isn’t for you. The new Pro mode in the Pixel 8 Pro is missing on the vanilla Pixel 8. The camera software also misses out on the 8 Pro’s high-res capture, so photos are capped at 12MP. However, you get the same primary camera across the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro as well as RAW support.

Wide camera: 50MP resolution, 1/.31” sensor with 1.2-micron pixels, an f/1.7 aperture lens with a 25mm equivalent focal length.

Ultra-wide camera: 12MP resolution, 1/2.9” sensor with 1.25-micron pixels, an f/2.2 aperture lens with a 126° field of view.

Front camera: 10.5MP resolution, 1/3.1” sensor with 1.22-micron pixels, an f/2.2 aperture lens with a 20mm equivalent focal length.

As for shooting modes, we’ve mentioned what isn’t available on the Pixel 8 – Pro and high-res capture – but its automated modes are extensive. The camera fires up in Photo mode with auto night capture enabled. A Night Sight mode also forces a longer shutter time and is your gateway to Astrophotography. Panorama, Portrait, Long Exposure, and Action Pan are also back for a suite of automated ways to capture stylized videos and stills.

Video is recorded at up to 4K 60fps, with support for 10-bit HDR capture at up to 30fps. The Pixel 8 series’s editing tools are also worth mentioning, with Magic Editor and Audio Eraser adding AI smarts to stills and video edits.

Google Pixel 8: Magic Editor

Smart AI and AI-like features are peppered throughout the whole Pixel 8 experience. Live transcriptions of voice notes and videos, Google Assistant call-screening, and even battery management are tuned based on your specific needs with machine learning algorithms. But the aspect of AI that Google’s pushing the hardest in its marketing is photography, or more specifically, photo editing.

Open a photo on the Pixel 8 – it doesn’t have to have been taken on the phone – tap Edit, followed by the Magic Editor icon in the bottom left corner of the UI, and once your photo is backed up to Google’s cloud, the reality distortion begins.

Depending on what’s in your shot, you can access portrait optimizations, totally swap out the sky for a different one, generate some heavily stylized options, or apply a Golden Hour filter. Each time you generate a new set of images, you have four options to pick from, and if none fit the bill, you can keep generating another four until one does.

If your photo has an object in it, draw around it with your finger to select it, then move it around the frame at will. Generative AI will fill in the background behind the moved object or, using the same smarts, it can erase objects altogether.

Google Pixel 8: Camera review

As with all Pixels we’ve tested to date, the Pixel 8 is a very safe point-and-shoot camera. Its photos capture balanced tones and pull detail from shadows even in challenging light thanks to computational photography smarts.

The optical focal length mix is adequate yet unexceptional at the price. You get a solid wide camera and a fairly good ultra-wide, and any zooming is done using that 50MP primary camera.

While results aren’t too dissimilar to the Pixel 7 – processing is tidied up in areas, but detail and optical quality are comparable – if you’re deciding between the Pixel 7a and Pixel 8, you can see some comparison images below.

The Pixel 7a is excellent for its price, but the Pixel 8 edges ahead with shallower natural depth thanks to a larger camera sensor, better shadow reproduction, and richer colors. 

Unlike the Leica-tuned Xiaomi 13T, the Pixel 8 keeps shadows looking textured, so it might not be for anyone who likes a very high-contrast auto mode a la Motorola or Samsung. However, shots still have punch, and serve up extra scope to edit.

Color accuracy and saturation from the Pixel 8 are strong, though when capturing very dark subjects, the tendency to eke out extra information from darker tones can result in visible softened color noise. In bright scenes, however, Google does a commendable job of balancing dark and bright areas while retaining depth.

The Pixel 8 uses the ultra-wide camera to capture macro photos by default, though this can be switched off in the settings – something we’d suggest doing – as the main camera can also pull out pleasing close-up shots and does a better job in darker environments.

On the subject of low-light photography, the Pixel 8 is probably one of the best options for night shooters at the price. Its zoom won’t win any awards after the sun sets. However, thanks to Google’s computational photography smarts, the ultra-wide and especially the wide camera do a good job in most environments.

We also had good results from the selfie camera, with flattering detail and an accurate portrait mode, and video capture is also competitive for the price, with strong stabilization at up to 4K 60 from the main camera and clean sound recording.

Google Pixel 8: Additional features

Google’s Tensor G3 chipset that powers the Pixel 8-series is capable, but won’t best the newly announced Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and MediaTek Dimensity 9300 when it comes to GPU performance and in turn, gaming grunt. The Pixel 8 struggled with keeping frame rates high when playing back Genshin Impact at max graphics settings; however, you can expect reliably smooth performance in day-to-day tasks and less intensive games.

Google’s Tensor chip excels at on-device AI computation, something far less tangible but set to become more important over time. The phone is also future-proofed with up to seven years of major OS updates, so on top of launching with the latest version of Android – 14 – it should, in theory, be updated all the way through to Android 21 (if Google sticks with this number system).

The phone starts with just 128GB storage, which isn’t much if you intend on using it for more than a year, and with no SD card slot, we’d suggest the 256GB option for anyone concerned about space. This is especially important if you plan on shooting a lot of 4K video (a two-minute clip at 60fps is over 1GB). If you have a large WhatsApp backup or play top-tier games like Genshin Impact (currently clocking in at 31GB), 128 will fill up within a matter of months.

With support for both face unlock and an in-display fingerprint scanner, which worked well in our tests, it's quick to securely fire up the phone. Dual speakers ensure sound is clear, even when holding the phone sideways, though it’s also shriller than iPhones, for example, so listening to music from the Pixel 8 for long periods won’t be particularly comfortable.

The Pixel 8 lasts a comfortable day until you start hammering games, which we found to be the main battery drain, with its 4575 mAh battery going the distance, and the combination of wired (27W) and wireless (18W) charging rounding off the package nicely.

Google Pixel 8: Verdict

The Pixel 8 is a charming, compact option for anyone who wants a quality, pocketable phone that takes excellent pictures in auto mode.

Enthusiast photographers might get frustrated by the camera app’s limitations, but most will appreciate Google’s smarts working to help eke out a better shot.

The phone’s design and screen impress without being standout, and Google’s software update promise can’t be beaten, making the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro the most future-proofed phones around.

A great alternative that’s almost the polar opposite of the Pixel is the Xiaomi 13T. It’s cheaper, the camera app is more traditional and less reliant on computational photography, and it packs ample storage, though the design is lacking. Alternatively, the Nothing Phone (2) is also a powerful option that packs style in spades and delivers arguably better value.

So while the Pixel 8 isn’t the best camera phone of 2023, along with a few other choice options, the race for the best phone under $700/£700 is definitely hotting up, with Google leading the charge.

The next flagship camera phone from OnePlus is on the horizon. Details are emerging about the upcoming OnePlus 12, specifically its primary camera sensor. The sensor is named 'Lytia', which is a new sub-brand of Sony image sensors designed to market the tech giant's most advanced offerings. The OnePlus 12 will be the first phone to incorporate the new flagship sensor, codenamed LYT-808. This is said to be 1/1.4-inch in size, with a 50MP resolution, and includes "double-layer transistorized pixel technology".

Apparently photodiode capacity and transistor size have been increased, boosting light intake and resulting in a 2x improvement in saturated signal capacity. This is said to translate to class-leading image quality, with “excellent imaging capabilities” including "rich layers, accurate details, and natural light and shadow". The sensor is also supposed to bring multiple high-dynamic range modes and all-pixel autofocus.

The telephoto camera in the OnePlus 12 is also due to be upgraded, and is set to include a OmniVision OV64B periscope telephoto module. This enables a 70mm-equivalent focal length for 3x optical zoom, with an f/2.6 aperture and optical image stabilization. The sensor will be a 1/2-inch, 64MP chip that offers an advertised 483% increase in light sensitivity, making it "the industry's most powerful telephoto in strong light"

This hardware news comes shortly after Oppo announced an innovative partnership with Hasselblad to develop a new "Super Light Shadow Image System", comprising three core components:

HyperTone All Main Camera System:

Incorporating the aforementioned 50MP LYT-808 sensor, a 16mm ultrawide module, and the 64MP OmniVision OV64B periscope telephoto module.

HyperTone Image Engine:

A 400% increase in computation, giving 30% more clarity, 60% less image noise and fewer digital artifacts. A HyperTone Algorithm has been developed to provide more natural light and shadow, along with pixel-level brightness correction.

HyperTone ProXDR Display:

A new phone screen display technology designed to optimize screen viewing, with 8x enhanced brightness, "lucid layering" (no, we don't know what that means either!) and ProXDR Photon Matrix Display Technology.

A new Ultra Shadow Image Engine has also been developed, designed to give a more three-dimensional quality to faces in portrait photography, plus better skin tone accuracy, as well as more natural background defocus that better simulates true optical bokeh.

If OnePlus sticks to its previous release schedule, we can expect the OnePlus 12 to launch in January. This could make it the first flagship phone to launch in 2024, potentially beating the hotly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S24 away from the yearly start line.

Story credit: Sparrow News

Canon has submitted a patent application for a smartphone camera system that will enable users to use multiple smartphone camera lenses at once. 

This seems like a pretty out-of-character patent submission from Canon as, until now, it has never ventured into the world of smartphone cameras. Rumors started circling early in the year when it was reported that Canon was keeping watch on the smartphone market, and phone camera developments.

This new patent lends further credence to the idea, since it details a new camera system for smartphones, with sights set on producing what could be the best camera phone for photography. 

The patent has been helpfully outlined and shared by Toruara Photo. The main focus of the submitted patent is to make use of the smartphone's many lenses. Most modern phones have several different camera lenses, often of varying focal lengths, but as a rule only one is used at a time.

The patent outlines a system that allows multiple captures from multiple camera systems simultaneously. For example, one of the images on the patent application (pictured above) shows a phone recording a race scene at a wide angle and, at the same time, a smaller viewfinder being used to capture photographs using the telephoto lens. I imagine this could also be true for shooting a video at different focal lengths at the same time.

The same patent also mentions using the same system to seamlessly switch between focal lengths/lenses, without the camera having to jump between lenses. We have all been there when we are trying to take a photograph of something with our phones and having it annoyingly jump between lenses. Canon's system would, supposedly, prevent this.

This patent submission by Canon is an interesting one, as no one knows what this means. Are Canon thinking about creating their own smartphone or phone-like camera, like the Leica Leitz Phone 1? Maybe a compact camera like the Canon Powershot V10 but with multiple lenses? 

I suspect the real goal is licensing to smartphone manufacturers. There is much to be gained for camera manufacturers by collaborating with phone manufacturers thanks to the volume of their sales. Canon can offer both technology (the patent) and, if they choose, the clout of the brand. Recently we have seen such collaborations with Leica and the Xiaomi 13 Pro, and when Hasselblad teamed up with OnePlus for the optics of the OnePlus 11 5G.

I for one am intrigued to learn more and to follow Canon's venture into the world of smartphones. Phone photography and videography are becoming more popular and with higher quality tech the future will be exciting!

For more information on the best smartphone for photography or the best smartphone for vlogging, see our helpful guides. 

Rumors suggest that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 may not get a camera upgrade at all, sticking with the same cameras as its predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5. 

In fact that would be two generations without a change, since the Galaxy Z Fold 4 before that also sported the same camera, although both previous phones did make it into our guides to the best Android phones and the best fold phones. 

Samsung equips the current Z Fold 5 with a 50MP main camera, a 12MP ultrawide camera, a 10MP 3x telephoto camera, a 10MP outer selfie camera, and a 4MP inner under-display selfie camera. This on, paper seems, to be a substantial list of specs for a phone, but its biggest fold phone competitors – the Google Pixel Fold and OnePlus Open – now provide much higher quality.

Samsung may have decided against an upgrade to the camera, perhaps focusing efforts elsewhere. It has become a modern preference for a phone model to be updated every year, but it is unnecessary to upgrade the camera each time. Instead, manufacturers often focus on different aspects of the design or software of the phone. So where we may not see an update to the phone's camera, you can be confident that there will be upgrades elsewhere.

Reports suggest that there may instead be an update to the form of the phone. "Specifically with a wider front display, along with dust protection to accompany the current IPX8 water resistance rating," according to a recent article by Tom's Guide. "We may even get an all-new 'Lite' model that'll be a more affordable option than the $1,800 full-fat Z Fold."

Nothing official has been announced and this is all just speculation and rumors, although from some credible sources. We are expected to see the launch of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 next summer, with the Galaxy Z Flip 6 to arrive alongside it. We will have to wait until nearer the time to see if these rumors are confirmed.

See our articles on the best Android phones, the best smartphone gimbals, and the best wireless chargers for more information on smartphones.  

The OnePlus Open is official, launching in the US, UK, and other markets with a triple-camera system and Hasselblad co-branding. It's OnePlus's first foldable, and it packs the most exciting camera of any folding phone we've used, with Sony's new stacked pixel sensor tech, a 70mm equivalent periscope system, and a high-resolution ultra-wide camera with autofocus. 

If you're wondering what makes the Open a Hasselblad phone, the iconic camera brand had a hand in the phone's Portrait, Pro, and XPan modes. 

Available in two colors, Black (vegan leather back) and Emerald Green (glass back), the Black version weighs 239g, while the green option weighs 245g making the green option just 5g heavier than an iPhone 14 Pro Max. Only the Emerald Green OnePlus Open is coming to Europe, while both the black and green options will launch in the US.

OnePlus Open price and availability

Foldables are expensive, so while the OnePlus Open's $1,699 / £1,599 / €1,799 price might sound astronomically high, compared to Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Google's Pixel Fold, it's actually cheaper.

If you want to pick up the OnePlus Open, it's available from October 26 from OnePlus directly, with pre-orders running from October 20. 

OnePlus has some enticing after-sales support offerings to woo potential buyers: free inner display screen protector replacements for the warranty duration, four years of software updates, and five years of security updates.

OnePlus Open camera specs

The big thing about the OnePlus Open is its camera. No, really, it's a big thing. While the phone's frame and most of its body are relatively skinny – 5.8mm when unfolded – the camera bump appears to almost double that thickness. We're not grumbling at the fact, though, as this bump is likely why the OnePlus Open looks like it could be the best foldable camera phone around.

There are three cameras around the back of the phone, and all three capture with a high resolution, relatively large sensors, and wide apertures. Going into a bit more detail, the wide sensor is a Sony LYTIA-T808, a 52MP 4.3:3 stacked pixel sensor. 

The T808 sensor is interesting because it actually uses a 48MP area, and the rest to stabilize video (based on what we know about Sony's Xperia 1 V, which debuted the technology).

According to OnePlus, its stacked pixel structure means each pixel element is split across two layers. The photodiodes, which convert light to electrical signals, have more space to receive information, curb noise, and create detail.

While the OnePlus Open has a 1/1.35” wide camera sensor, which is about 20 percent larger than the primary sensor of Samsung's Z Fold 5, this doesn't account for the 4:3 crop that takes place, making the usable 48MP part of the sensor a bit smaller. This means we're a way off seeing a 1-inch sensor on a foldable, but OnePlus claims the Open should deliver a similar dynamic range to the 1-inch Sony IMX989 sensor, as found in the Xiaomi 13 Ultra.

The ultra-wide and telephoto cameras also look powerful, especially for a folding phone. The 14mm lens has autofocus, which is missing from most folding phone ultra-wides, an f/2.2 lens, a 4cm nearest focus distance, and a 1/2" 48MP sensor. 

The 3x periscope camera has a 1/2" sensor for zoomed-in shots, marrying it with an f/2.6 aperture lens, OIS, and a 64MP high resolution. While the OnePlus Open's zoom won't reach as far as the Pixel Fold's, for example, its on-paper specs are superior, and in early testing, it captures a great amount of detail with a seriously pleasing shallow depth.

Here are a few sample photos we took on the OnePlus Open when we got a hands-on with the device ahead of our full review:

OnePlus Open additional features

The OnePlus Open looks like a flagship in every respect, bar one: it doesn't have wireless charging. If you can get past that, you won't find any standout chinks in its spec sheet.

Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset with a massive 16GB RAM and 512GB storage, performance should be superb, and there's loads of space, too.

While there's no wireless charging, the phone does power up at a fast 67W, so according to OnePlus, it fills up from 0-100 percent in 42 minutes, and there's a 4800mAh battery inside.

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the OnePlus Open other than its camera, is Open Canvas and its user interface in general. While many foldables like the Honor Magic Vs offer up the same core interface for their big, unfolded screens as for the phone-sized cover screen, OnePlus totally overhauls its big-screen experience.

As you can see in the photos below, there's a taskbar, which has become something of a 101 in good foldable experiences. The Open also supports split-screen or full-screen multi-tasking across three apps, docking unused apps off-screen, for easy tapping into view. 

On first impression, Open Canvas looks like a fantastic solution to the challenge of optimizing an interface for foldables.

As for the screens, the cover display is a familiar 20:9 aspect ratio – no Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 cramped typing here – and at 6.3 inches, it's a relatively comfortable size. With a large 7.8-inch unfolded display, the OnePlus Open's unfolded view is a bit more expansive than that of Samsung and Google's, with both featuring 7.6-inch screens.

OnePlus also makes bold claims regarding brightness, with a peak brightness of 2,800 nits and a max brightness of 1,400 nits in high brightness mode, and both screens look crisp and vibrant in the flesh.

While you can't dunk the OnePlus Open in water, it is IPX4 splash-resistant, and it's the only foldable that's tested to withstand a million folds and still work. It's also worth noting that its unfolded screen has the least visible crease of any foldable we've used on first impression, though we'll need to get the phone in to see if that holds true after real-world use.

OnePlus Open early verdict

The OnePlus Open looks like the foldable shake-up camera fans have been waiting for. There's no getting around the fact that great camera hardware takes up space, so seeing OnePlus carve out a ton of space for the cameras while making the rest of the phone relatively thin is excellent.

How OnePlus's imaging software pulls the mighty camera hardware together with Hasselblad features remains to be seen in our full review, so watch this space. If you're thinking about picking up a OnePlus Open and want to know what the competition looks like, check out our guide to the best flip and fold phones out now, and if you're leaning towards a traditional non-folding phone, here are our top picks for the best camera phones of 2023.

Editorial note: Basil has worked with Oppo's communications agency as a consultant. OnePlus and Oppo are part of the BBK group. Basil has never worked with OnePlus directly or any of its agencies. Having worked with Basil for years, we are confident in his ability to cover OnePlus in an unbiased way.

OnePlus is likely readying its next flagship phone, the OnePlus 12. Rumors are brewing regarding what kind of camera hardware it'll be packing, and according to long-time leaker Digital Chat Station, the upcoming handset will feature at least three image sensor upgrades.

In-keeping with the trend toward ever-larger sensors, the leak suggests the OnePlus 12 will get Sony's IMX966 CMOS sensor. This is the same 50MP resolution as the primary sensor used in the preceding OnePlus 11, however at 1/1.4-inches in size, it's significantly larger than the 1/1.56-inch Sony IMX890 sensor in the OnePlus 11. This means each individual photosite/pixel will in turn be physically larger, more light sensitive, and therefore less prone to generating image noise in low light. The new primary camera is also said to have an f/1.7 aperture, making it slightly faster than the f/1.8 camera in the OnePlus 11 - all good news for low light shooting.

The OnePlus 12's telephoto snapper is also rumored to be receiving an upgrade. At the heart of it is said to be a 64MP, 1/2-inch sensor; the Omnivision OV64B, which is also slightly larger than the 1/2.74 telephoto sensor in the OnePlus 11. The sensor is rumored to be fronted by a 70mm lens, effectively giving 3x zoom relative to the 23mm wide-angle camera. That would be a handy upgrade over the OnePlus 11's 2x optical zoom.

The 48MP ultrawide camera is expected to be carried over from the OnePlus 11, but the leak suggests the 16MP front-facing selfie camera will go, replaced by a 32MP sensor giving a 2x resolution boost over the old phone.

However, we're still a couple of months away from the reported January 2024 release of the OnePlus 12, so there's every chance the camera hardware could change by then.

Story credit: Digital Chat Station, via GSMArena
Image credit: mysmartprice.com

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Sony has announced the Xperia 5 V, its latest compact flagship smartphone, and for 2023, the Xperia 5 series seems to be on the back foot on first impression. With fewer cameras and chunkier styling than last year’s Xperia 5 IV, some might call the latest in the line a downgrade, but while it doesn’t look set to be the best phone of 2023, it could still be a winner on the camera front for a number of reasons.

We’ve been using the phone for a few days, and when we first got our hands on it, we had a few concerns. Costing £849 – as much as a Google Pixel 7 Pro and significantly more than excellent alternatives like the OnePlus 11 – Sony’s Xperia 5 V has a smaller display, fewer cameras, and clunkier styling. 

After firing up its camera, though, the fact the Xperia 5 V is loaded up with the same main sensor as found in the much pricier Xperia 1 V seems to be its saving grace. That makes it the most affordable phone with Sony's latest stacked sensor technology, and when you factor in Sony’s pro shooting modes, the phone begins to flex on the photography and video fronts.

Xperia 5 V: Cameras

The Xperia 5 V has two cameras, a primary and ultra-wide camera, with the main camera featuring a 1/1.35-inch sensor. While its native resolution is 52MP, the effective photo resolution is 48MP. The reason for this difference is the sensor’s aspect ratio. It’s a little wider than traditional sensors – 4.3:3 – so when recording video, it captures the entire width of the sensor and has more information for stabilization. 

If you think that means you’ll be able to capture full-resolution, 48MP photos, though, we weren’t able to on our device. It shoots 4:3 photos which are then pixel-binned down to 12MP.

The Xperia 5 V also uses Sony’s stacked pixel architecture, resulting in superior noise handling when compared to other phones with the same sensor size.

As this phone has two cameras – a wide and an ultra-wide – it misses out on the optical zoom of its Xperia 5-series predecessors. This marks a continued trend – the gradual paring back of the Xperia 5 series cameras versus the flagship Xperia 1 series. Nevertheless, Sony makes a 48mm focal length available in the camera app, so you can punch in and capture with a native 12MP, two-times zoom by cropping into the high-resolution sensor.

An ultra-wide 12MP camera with a 1/2.5-inch sensor and a 16mm focal length sits alongside the main camera, and with autofocus, offers a bit more versatility than some wide-angle alternatives, and the front camera is a 12MP 1/2.9-inch setup.

On first impression, the Xperia 5 V’s camera captures impressive, realistic photos that are loaded with natural tones and colors, with a strong amount of resolved detail, and the digital zoom is also respectable. Noise-handling and low-light performance from the ultra-wide camera is a bit more disappointing, though, so its primary camera looks set to be the 5 V’s main selling point.

Sony Xperia 5 V: New features

Sony’s updated a number of camera features for the new 5 V. The first is portrait mode – finally – which has historically been a poor performer on Sony’s Xperia line. Called Bokeh mode, the UI takes inspiration from Alpha cameras, the phone captures deeper foreground/background separation, and we’re hoping that Sony’s improved edge detection as well, as we’ve had mixed results on past Xperias.

A new app, Video Creator, is also debuting on the Xperia 5 V. While it hasn’t landed on our review device, so we can’t test it out, it looks like a bit of a mishmash between GoPro Quik, thanks to its auto-generated highlight videos, and Kinemaster. 

Venturing beyond the camera, Sony’s also refreshed its Game Enhancer for the Xperia 5 V, while bringing back all the modes we’ve come to expect from a premium Xperia.

Sony Xperia 5 V: Additional features

The rest of the Xperia 5 V’s specs read well, but no better than we’d expect for a phone of its price. Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 power and 8GB RAM have done a good job of keeping the phone fast and cool in our time with it. 

A modest 6.1-inch 21:9 Full HD OLED screen with an up-to 120Hz refresh rate looks vibrant and bright enough for comfortable outdoor use, and the phone’s 5000mAh battery, complete with wireless charging, has no issues keeping it alive for a full day.

Xperia fan favorites are back too – a SIM tray you can pull out with a fingernail, IP68 dust and water resistance, a physical camera button, and a headphone jack – and Sony’s launching the phone in three colors: Black, Blue, and Platinum Silver.

Our biggest gripe with the phone after a few days with it is the 128GB storage. For not much more, the Honor Magic 5 Pro offers 512GB, and the Asus Zenfone 10 costs £100 less with 256GB. While the Xperia 5 V has a microSD card slot, with so many apps needing to be installed or save data on internal storage, Sony dropped the ball for a power user in 2023 on this front.

On the plus, the Xperia 5 V will double up as an external monitor for an Alpha camera, just like the flagship 1 V, and its battery life, main camera hardware, and powerful software should still make it a compelling package for keen smartphone photographers. 

Expected to be on shelves in late September for £849 (roughly US$1,075 or AU$1,660), if you want a preview of the main camera’s performance before it drops, check out our Xperia 1 V review, and if Sony isn’t quite doing it for you, read our guide to the best camera phones of 2023.

See our rundown of the Best Sony phones, and the best budget camera phones

Details have emerged that Google could be devising a new form of under-screen front-facing camera for future Pixel phones. If the recent patent application translates into a successful implementation of the technology, it'd mean a clean, notch-free display.

The best camera phones always have a front-facing camera, which is handy not just for taking selfies, but also for features like face unlock. However, as useful as the selfie camera is, it invariably has a negative impact on screen real estate, and the overall phone aesthetic. Smartphone design is all about maximising the 'screen to body' ratio, with the slimmest possible bezels. Historically that's not quite been possible, as the display has had to make way for the selfie camera, whether that be in the form of a notch, or a punch-hole. Some manufacturers have devised more creative solutions, like the OnePlus 7 Pro which featured a pop-up selfie camera, or the Asus Zenfone 8 Flip that was able to flip its entire rear-facing camera module forward when you wanted to take a selfie.

But mechanical moving parts in a phone are always potential weak points, while also adding extra bulk. The ultimate solution to eliminating the screen notch is an under-display selfie camera, which we've seen recently in phones like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5. It's technically challenging, however, as the display mustn't show any image imperfections as it passes over the camera lens, yet it simultaneously can't obstruct light entering the camera beneath. Something of a 'Catch-22'.

Google's patent shows an innovative take on the under-screen camera. Rather than using a single camera, which can compromise display quality in the area that passes over the lens, Google's design would use a pair of cameras, with each positioned behind two specific regions of the display. Each display region would feature a special material to block light in specific patterns; patterns which correspond to what the camera sensor behind has been tuned to capture. One sensor could then record specific information like sharpness, and the other color or monochrome data, with machine learning then combining these components into a single complete image. By splitting the image into separate elements like this, the display passing over each under-screen camera is presumably less compromised than if it was covering a single camera, thereby potentially reducing the impact on display quality.

It all sounds pretty ambitious, but as this is currently just a patent application, there's no guarantee if, let alone when, the theory may translate into actual hardware. If Google can turn a completely invisible under-screen camera into reality, it'd be quite a feat of engineering.

Story credit: Forbes

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There are perceptions that the Phone (2) maker, Nothing, is a plucky upstart that pulled the first Nothing Phone (1) out of thin air with blood, sweat, and tears, and that might be true to a degree. After all, Nothing is only in its third year, it's sold over 1.5m products to date between its earbuds and the Phone (1), and the Nothing Phone (2) is only the second phone from the London-based firm. 

With millions of dollars in funding, though, Carl Pei at the helm – the co-founder of OnePlus – and investment from the likes of Tony Fadell (who invented the iPod), Kevin Lin (who co-founded Twitch), Steve Huffman (Reddit's CEO), and Casey Neistat (yes, the YouTuber), if Nothing was ever a plucky upstart, it isn't anymore. For 2023, the Nothing Phone (2) is ready to be judged alongside the more established competition.

While the Phone (1) launched at £399 (roughly $522) in the UK, though, the Phone (2), which will sit alongside it, is getting a wider release, starting at $599 / £579 / AU$1049. This price bump suggests we should expect more from the Phone (2) – and the specs deliver.

The Phone (2) packs mightier internals, faster charging, a brighter display and a new, more refined interface. But its cameras are very similar to those of the Phone (1).

So what's the deal; are we simply getting a rehash of a lower-cost camera system, or does the Nothing Phone (2) actually offer meaningful photography and video upgrades?

Nothing Phone (2) review: design and screen

While the Nothing Phone (1) fit in an iPhone Pro Max case without much jiggery-pokery, the Nothing Phone (2) is an altogether more Android shape – taller, slightly curved around the back – and a far superior in-hand experience.

The Phone (2) looks very similar to its predecessor. It has a flat frame and front, matte blasted metal along the sides, and the same button and port configurations: power button on the right, volume buttons on the left, and a USB-C port at the base. It's the in-hand feel that made us appreciate the updates.

With its 6.7-inch screen, the Phone (2) isn't small, sporting a similar footprint to handsets like the Honor Magic 5 Pro, and it's larger than the Pixel 7a. Thanks to a relatively slim profile of 8.6mm and a lightweight 201.2g body, it avoids being cumbersome.

The Glyph Lights around the back of the original Nothing Phone (1) are back, and this time, they're more segmented and a little smarter. They're set against one of two back panel colors, White or Grey, and this all sits beneath a pane of glass.

The slight curve of the rear glass, which melds elegantly into the metal frame, belies the phone's actual thickness while still delivering a comfortable grip. Nothing uses a 100 percent recycled aluminum mid-frame, buttons, and sim tray tip, while 80 percent of Phone (2)'s plastic parts are made with recycled and bio-based materials, and 100 percent of the tin and copper – both conflict minerals – are recycled.

The unboxing experience is also a fun one, with the flat, stylized packaging, SIM eject tool, and USB-C cable. There's no power connector or case in the box, though the phone does have a pre-fitted screen protector.

As for water and dust resistance, the Nothing Phone (2) is IP54 rated, so can handle splashes but not being submerged – competitive at the price – and what the phone lacks in durability, it makes up for with panache.

Measuring 6.7 inches, the Nothing Phone (2)'s screen is slightly larger than that of the 6.55-inch Nothing Phone (1), and like other competition in its price range, from the Honor 90 to the Pixel 7, it has a pixel density of around 400PPI, so clarity is on point.

With a 2412x1080 resolution LTPO OLED display that caps out at 120Hz, in addition to being as sharp as it needs to be, the Nothing Phone (2) looks punchy, complete with HDR10 credentials, and it's also smooth.

Thanks to a dynamic refresh rate, the phone can switch between 1-120Hz to save power based on what's on-screen. If you want to save juice, you can also set it to lock at 60Hz, and for the silkiest scrolling possible, keep it at 120Hz.

With excellent viewing angles and impressive 1,000-nit brightness, in addition to a peak brightness of 1,600 nits in HDR mode, it’s easy to see what’s on-screen when outdoors, even on a sunny day.

Nothing Phone (2) review: camera specs

The Nothing Phone (2)'s main camera features a Sony IMX890, a minor upgrade to the IMX766 in the Nothing Phone (1). Measuring 1/1.56-inch, it isn't the largest sensor we've seen at the price, with the lower-cost Honor 90's main camera clocking in at 1/1.4-inch, but it's hardly small, slightly larger than the Pixel 7a's 1/1.73-inch sensor.

In the  Phone (2)'s favor, when compared to the Honor 90 specifically, Nothing includes OIS, which is a boon. The Phone (2)'s main camera lens also has an open f/1.9 aperture and a 24mm equivalent focal length.

Nothing has brought back the same 50MP ultra-wide it debuted on the Phone (1), combining a Samsung JN1 1/2.76-inch sensor with an f/2.2 lens and autofocus.

For 2023, the selfie camera has been upgraded to a 32MP Sony IMX615 with an f/2.34 aperture, and the phone can capture 4K video at up to 60fps.

Nothing Phone (2) review: camera review

The Nothing Phone (2)'s 50MP camera system is reliably easy to use in most conditions, which is a great start. Really challenging backlit scenes can throw it off, particularly in the highlights, so while it does a fair job of balancing shadow detail, its processing isn't as reliable as slightly pricier phones like the OnePlus 11 5G, even if it is competitive.

Color balance across the cameras is, for the most part, consistent, and detail is fairly strong when shooting in well-lit scenes too. While phones like the Honor 90 see a vast detail discrepancy across ultra-wide and main cameras, Nothing gives a more comparable primary/wide experience – even if it can't measure-up to Oppo flagships.

The main camera will still be your go-to in most situations. It handles mixed /low-lit scenes well, the automatic night mode fires up when the lights drop, and focus is reliably good. Processing is more nuanced than it was on the Nothing Phone (1), so while the hardware is very similar, the Nothing Phone (2) appears to deliver greater clarity with less discernable sharpening.

The main camera isn't perfect – while many brands are getting very aggressive with their HDR capture, salvaging incredible amounts of detail from highlights, Nothing's pared-back processing hurts it in some situations. The image below doesn't just illustrate a blown-out sky, but also some gnarly purple fringing. 

When faced with most situations, though, from natural to artificial lighting, daylight to sunset, and even nighttime shots, while the Nothing Phone (2) will seldom be the best at capturing every kind of photo, it will usually be at least good – oftentimes very good. 

So while the hardware is very similar across the Nothing Phone (1) and Phone (2) cameras, the Phone (2) is definitely better, possibly down to processing or the new 18-bit ISP that's packed in the mighty Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip powering the phone along.

The chipset's power also helps the Nothing Phone (2) with video, capturing 4K clips at up to 60fps, and they look mighty, with plenty of detail and quick focus. Selfies are also improved for the Phone (2), with the handset handling different skin tones we tested it with well, and being relatively flattering, though the front camera's video capping out at 1080p might turn some off.

Nothing Phone (2) review: performance and battery

The Nothing Phone (2)'s Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip does a very good job of powering the Nothing experience, from the Glyph lights to its smooth interface and that brilliant screen when gaming or powering through tasks.

While there is a newer, more powerful processor out now – the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, that doesn't change the fact most people won't need more power than the Nothing Phone (2) packs, so the price-to-performance ratio is spot-on.

What Nothing adds that other phones with more power miss out on is personality. The Phone (2)'s glyph lights are matched with dot-matrix interface elements and retro sounds to create the strongest branding effort we've seen on any smartphone since, well, the iPhone.

Nothing also plays with its interface experience, making Phone (2) users feel like they're on-trend, while simultaneously being fantastically geeky. Take the Glyph Composer – an app that lets you create your own ringtone with corresponding flashing light elements. Then there's the Nothing Icon Pack, which turns your icons black for distraction-free scrolling through your interface.

Nothing's folder management in Nothing OS 2.0 (which runs on Android 13) is also worth mentioning. It gives you control over your folder appearance in a smart, minimalistic way so that you can hide folder contents with a dot-matrix icon. In the same breath – if you want to be maximalist and flood your UI with widgets and folders, Nothing's experience is flexible enough to accommodate that.

The Nothing Phone (2) doesn't have expandable storage, but it does start with 128GB and climbs up to either 256GB or 512GB storage. With either 8GB or 12GB RAM and that Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, we found multitasking across apps was handled well, though we did notice in our time with it, the Phone (2) was slower to get notifications than our iPhone 14 Pro Max or Pixel 7 Pro.

An adequate 4700mAh battery makes sure the Nothing Phone (2) lasted a whole day in our tests, even with plenty of photo taking and video capture, and upgraded 45W fast charging means you can power up the phone in under an hour. We love the fact Nothing has opted for a standardized PD charging system, so while it falls behind some faster-charging competition on paper, more types of charging bricks and cables will hit those high speeds – and the 15W wireless charging is excellent to have too.

Verdict

The Nothing Phone (2) is a landmark handset, even if it isn't the best camera phone of 2023.  

Its styling is nothing short of a tonic to the slew of samey smartphones on shelves, and that extends to the interface as well as the exterior. 

Nothing's managed to create a brand identity that's stronger than the established competition in a fraction of the time, and the fact it's pairing that feat with competent hardware and software is excellent going.

We applaud Nothing for sticking with two good-quality cameras. There aren't any depth sensors or 2MP macro fillers tarnishing a competent camera array. Both of the rear cameras do a reliable job of being good, even if there are occasional misses in challenging environments.

With the Nothing Phone (1) staying on shelves in regions it's on sale (not the US), at its lower-than-launch price, it's still an attractive option a year on. What's also handy is that the Nothing Phone (2) is a better phone in every respect, so we don't have to look for a reason for it being more expensive – it upgrades everything without rendering the original obsolete.

Add four years of security updates and three years of software updates to the mix, and between future-proofing, good value, and style in spades, the Nothing Phone (2) is a superb smartphone.

Read more: if you like the look of the Nothing Phone (2), but want an alternative with more consistent photo processing, read up on some of the best Google Pixel phones out now.

Motorola is going from strength to strength – finally cracking the foldable nut with the RAZR (2022), delivering a mighty flagship for last year – the 200MP Edge 30 Ultra – and now we’ve got the Edge 40 Pro, one of the finest-looking phones we’ve seen in a long time.

While it’s the Edge 40 Pro in the UK and Europe, Motorola has also launched the Edge Plus (2023) in the US, which packs virtually identical specs save for a slightly larger battery capacity.

Both the Edge 40 Pro sports the latest internals, stacks of power, plenty of storage, and OLED screens with class-leading, smooth 165Hz refresh rates.

At £799 ($800) the Edge 40 Pro is super-competitive given its specs, costing the same as the excellent OnePlus 11, and just undercutting the Pixel 7 Pro.

Interestingly on the photography front, Motorola has opted for an OmniVision camera sensor in its Edge 40 Pro and Edge Plus (2023) – a sensor maker we don’t usually see taking center stage on flagships.

But does this imaging gamble, and Motorola’s notoriously heavy-handed photo processing hold the Edge 40 Pro back from greatness?

MOTOROLA EDGE 40 PRO REVIEW: DESIGN

The Edge 40 Pro is an instant win when you get it in your hand. The curved glass front and back taper into the metal frame, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a rough edge on this sleekster. 

The phone is relatively light for a flagship-grade handset, weighing 199g. And at 8.6mm and with the tapered design, it’s elegant even if it isn’t the slimmest phone around on paper.

With the front and back constructed of Gorilla Glass Victus and IP68 dust and water-resistance, it’s ticking all the right durability boxes, and available in Interstellar Black and Lunar Blue, whether you’re after a classic or more light-hearted look, Motorola obliges.

When you’re using the phone, the right side is where the buttons live and there’s a USB-C port at the base.

Thanks to the fact its screen isn’t one of the biggest around, the Edge 40 Pro’s footprint should be agreeable to most, and all said and done, this is one of the most balanced-looking smartphones around.

MOTOROLA EDGE 40 PRO REVIEW: SCREEN

With a 6.67-inch screen, the Edge 40 Pro gives you a good amount of space to see movies and messages without being uncomfortably large.

The phone’s Wide Full HD resolution might sound a little low when set against QHD phones like the OnePlus 11, but we couldn’t spot any pixels unless we peered right up close, with the 394 pixel-per-inch pixel density being absolutely fine for the price.

More important than best-in-class numbers, the Edge 40 Pro has a great-looking OLED screen. It’s punchy, calibrated to look vibrant and rich, and helps content pop.

Anyone who wants to dial back the screen’s look can dive into the settings and choose between Natural and Saturated modes, and there’s also scope to control color temperature too.

With 10-bit color, HDR10 support, Dolby vision, and an impressive 1300 nits max brightness, you shouldn’t struggle with seeing content even on a sunny day.

If you think we’re done waxing lyrical about the screen, we haven’t covered its highlight feature – a best-in-class 165Hz refresh rate that’s smoother than anything on the block. 

The competition generally caps out at 120Hz, so there’s no denying that Moto's nailing it with screen quality this time around.

MOTOROLA EDGE 40 PRO REVIEW: CAMERA SPECS

While most high-end smartphones are launching with Samsung or Sony sensors, from the 1-inch Sony IMX989 in the Vivo X90 Pro, to the 200MP Samsung ISOCELL HP2 in the Galaxy S23 Ultra, the Motorola Edge 40 Pro packs a 1/1.5" OV50A OmniVision sensor. Getting into specs, the main camera marries a 50MP resolution with an f/1.8 lens, as well as OIS.

While the ultra-wide camera matches the main camera with its 50MP resolution, its sensor is smaller at 1/2.76", and its lens combines a 114º field of view with a f/2.2 aperture.

Finally, for the rear camera mix at least, the telephoto camera has a 12MP resolution and a super-wide f/1.6 aperture with a 2x zoom, though no OIS.

The 60MP selfie camera seems a bit ridiculous on paper – sixty million pixels worth of detail in a selfie – sounds like a pore-fest. Thankfully for our self-esteem, the Edge 40 Pro’s 1/2.8" selfie sensor actually produces 12MP shots, and they pack modest detail.

Shooting modes are exactly what we’ve come to expect from Motorola: Photo, Video, Slow motion, Portrait, Pro, Spot Colour, Night Vision, Panorama, Ultra-res (50MP), Scan, Dual capture (photo), Dual Capture (video), Timelapse and Spot Colour.

MOTOROLA EDGE 40 PRO REVIEW: CAMERA

The Motorola Edge 40 Pro's photos generally look good until you crop into them. They're loaded with contrast and saturation, and provided lighting is abundant, are sharp too. 

You can see shots captured at three focal lengths below: ultra-wide, wide, 2x optical telephoto, and 16x hybrid telephoto. A bright, sunny day makes the Edge 40 Pro's job a lot easier, and all the images look good in isolation, but when you look at the sky in the first three photos, it's clear that Motorola's colors aren't consistent across all three sensors, making it feel like less of a unified camera system than some phones like the Xiaomi 13 Ultra.

While we can't say for sure, this could have something to do with the fact the three sensors around the back of the Motorola Edge 40 Pro are made by different manufacturers – OmniVision (primary), Samsung (ultra-wide), and Sony (telephoto). 

So while most daylit photos from the Edge 40 Pro look good from a distance, there's room for improvement. When you crop into photos or edit them, though, Motorola's heavy-handed processing holds the camera back. 

Cropped shots have a mottled look, a sign of a lot of sharpening and noise reduction. Meanwhile, trying to edit photos taken in auto mode is like swimming upstream – so much image information has been lost to the processing phase, there isn't a huge amount left to work with.

This might sound very damning, but we are nitpicking – the Edge 40 Pro will absolutely be good enough for most users. That said, it definitely isn't one of the best camera phones of 2023, and if you're a discerning photographer, it probably won't be for you.

The Edge 40 Pro's night mode isn't bad. Shots taken from the main camera are loaded up with detail, though the ultra-wide and telephoto cameras fall behind. Dynamic range is also respectable, as you can see in the shot below with a strong light source and varied exposure across the shot.

If you do pick up the Edge 40 Pro, we'd suggest you lean into the Ultra HD mode, which takes 50MP pictures when there's plenty of light. It dials back the sharpening and processing a bit and makes shots more croppable.

The Edge 40 Pro also has a strong macro mode, using the ultra-wide camera for close-up photos. This does require you to get right up close to your subject which can often result in an unsightly shadow, though the Macro mode automatically activates a 2x digital zoom into the Ultra-Wide, which really helps combat this, and works to great effect on a sunny day. When the lights drop, though, it's less impressive, and you could just be better off shooting with the main camera, then cropping your shot.

The camera we were most excited to try was the telephoto camera. While the 2x reach isn't impressive, Motorola promised us a great experience from the Sony sensor and that wide-open aperture f/1.6 lens. Specifically, it was touted as a portrait lens, however, with no OIS, and hit and miss processing, the camera actually ended up being the weakest of the three.

Selfies taken on the 60MP front camera look flattering for the most part, and automatically soften features a touch. The camera struggles with high-contrast lighting, and low-light selfies are noisy without the screen fill flash brightening things up, but the Edge 40 Pro's front camera is still good enough.

Video is captured at up to 8K resolution if you're happy turning off image stabilization, and 4K if you aren't. Motorola's also introduced a new horizon locking mode, which isn't dissimilar to that showcased on action cameras like the GoPro Hero 11 Black and the DJI Action 3. It's great to see this feature on a phone, and we hope more phone makers follow suit.

Video at 4K and 1080p looks good, even in mediocre lighting, though you'll only really want to use footage shot in bright environments if you need of quality material.

MOTOROLA EDGE 40 PRO REVIEW: PERFORMANCE

With a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, the Motorola Edge 40 Pro performs superbly. 

Whether gaming, chopping up 4K video, or projecting content to a big screen or desktop UI – more on that shortly – it’s smooth as butter.

The Edge 40 Pro also runs with Android 13, the latest version of Google’s operating system, and with a few fantastic value adds from Motorola laid atop a very stock interface, if you’ve used a Pixel before, the Edge 40 Pro isn’t too dissimilar to Google’s purest Android experience.

One area Moto really nails the software is with Ready For. The feature activates when you hook up your phone to a big screen via the USB-C port at the base, and projects either a Windows-style UI for upgraded productivity, quick access to media apps like Netflix, games, or video calls. 

While we won’t go so far as to say Ready For can replace a PC, if you hook up a keyboard and mouse, it does provide a very usable computer-like experience in a pinch.

With either 256GB or 512GB storage, even with no SD card slot, you should still have plenty of space for apps and content on the Edge 40 Pro.

There’s also biometric security in the form of an in-display fingerprint scanner, and the Pro’s face unlock is pretty nippy too.

When we first saw the phone’s specs, the 4600mAh battery gave us pause – it’s smaller than the 5000mAh batteries in most flagships today. Nevertheless, we comfortably made it through a full day out with the phone. 

An hour of Netflix playback over WiFi at max brightness only drained the Edge 40 Pro by 6 percent, and the fact Motorola crams super-fast 125W charging, and 15W wireless charging only adds to its battery appeal. 

MOTOROLA EDGE 40 PRO REVIEW: VERDICT

The Motorola Edge 40 Pro and Edge Plus (2023) are fantastically specced phones with brilliant screens, tonnes of power, and ample storage for the price. 

Focusing on the European variant, the Edge 40 Pro, its camera is mostly good, but seldom great, and is out-ranked by a few other options at its price.

That means that while the phone, on the whole, is great to excellent in nearly every respect, its camera holds it back. 

So if you’re happy to sacrifice its wireless charging, the OnePlus 11 is a better shout for photographers. Alternatively, if you don’t mind paying a bit extra, the Pixel 7 Pro is still one of the best camera phones at its price. 

If the shots in this review look good enough for you, and you don't need to edit or crop your photos too much, though, the Motorola Edge 40 Pro is a brilliant smartphone despite its shortcomings.

Read more: See more from Motorola in our guides to the best Motorola phones in 2023, or check out how the Edge 40 compares to rivals in our guides to the best budget camera phone and the best Android phone.

The OnePlus Pad launches off the back of the OnePlus 11 and OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite, and it marks the brand’s first foray into tablets. Out of the gate, it packs loads of power thanks to MediaTek Dimensity 9000 internals, smoother screen specs than an iPad Pro, and premium glass and metal design. 

Most interesting for photographers and creators in general, the OnePlus Pad has a 7:5 aspect ratio screen. This might not sound like a big deal, but it creates a canvas perfectly suited to apps like Lightroom, and video editing tools like Lumafusion.

By choosing a screen that’s so much more square than alternatives like the Samsung Galaxy Tab S series, OnePlus also down-prioritizes content consumption slightly. Cinematic, 21:9 video is played back with chunky black strips above and below the picture.

So OnePlus looks like it’s taken a risk with at least one aspect of its tablet – the screen – and as photographers, we’re happy with that gamble. But what about the rest of the tab, though, and can it really justify that $479 / £449 asking price?

ONEPLUS PAD REVIEW: DESIGN

The OnePlus Pad’s size sits in between traditional and plus-sized tablets. It’s heavier than a standard iPad (2022) or Galaxy Tab S8 at 552g, but smaller than a 682g, 12.9-inch iPad Pro or 567g, 12.4-inch Tab S8 Plus.

Available in just one color, Halo Green, the tablet is instantly recognizable, looks rich, and the metal back and sides feel premium to the touch.

With rounded corners and edges, when compared to an iPad or Galaxy Tab S8, the OnePlus Pad sits into the hand for a softer hold, so while it isn't particularly light, it's comfortable to handle it and watch an episode on Disney Plus or Netflix without any discomfort. 

We also like the brushed metal pattern along the back, as well as the camera surround styling – it's instantly recognizable, though some might miss having a more traditional colour option like black to choose from.

To get the most out of the OnePlus Pad, we can recommend picking up the Stylo (pen) ($/£99) and keyboard dock ($/£149) which doubles up as a folio cover. These aren't cheap, but they add stacks of utility. 

Starting with the folio keyboard, there's plenty it gets right between its responsive trackpad and the keys serving up excellent travel. So while its keys aren't backlit, and there's only one angle of view, we found it to be a great tool paired with apps like Google Docs, Simple Mind, or Microsoft Word.

It'll take a more specific type of user to benefit from the Stylo. Unfortunately, OnePlus doesn't go above and beyond to customize the interface to take advantage of the pen input. So while there's support for pressure sensitivity and a notes app for quick sketching, you'll have to download a third-party app to get advanced features.

If you're happy firing up the Google Play Store, downloading Nebo for notes, Concepts or Autodesk Sketchbook for drawing and enabling handwriting recognition in Google's keyboard, then it goes some way to make the pen feel more fit for purpose. Out of the box, though, the OnePlus Stylo falls behind Samsung's S Pen and the Apple Pencil.

ONEPLUS PAD REVIEW: SCREEN

The OnePlus Pad's screen is more square and less stretched out than most Android tablets. With that 7:5 aspect ratio, its dimensions more closely resemble a Microsoft Surface 9 or an iPad than an Android tablet like the Honor Pad 8 or Xiaomi Pad 5.

At 11.61 inches, there's plenty of space for your on-screen content to do its thing, and whether you're swiping through the interface or sketching away, visuals are on point.

Going into specifics, the display resolution of 2800 x 2000 means the tablet has a pixel density of 296 pixels per inch. That's actually a little sharper than iPads and Galaxy Tabs, and with a 144Hz refresh rate, the screen is smoother too. At 500 nits, it's also bright enough to easily see indoors and outside in all but the sunniest environments, 

If we had to level one criticism against the OnePlus Pad's screen, it would be the fact it runs with LCD  tech. That isn't a bad thing in itself, iPads all have LCD screens, but they aren't quite as zingy or punchy as OLED panels like those found on premium Samsung Galaxy Tabs or some midrange Lenovo options like last year's P11 Pro or this year's P12 Pro.

ONEPLUS PAD REVIEW: CAMERA AND PHOTOGRAPHY

Tablet cameras are notoriously bad, and the OnePlus Pad is just that, even when compared to a budget smartphone. That's far from a deal-breaker, though, as the things you will need it for – video calling and very infrequent, casual snaps – are within its capabilities.

The main camera around the back is a 13MP sensor with an f/2.2 lens, with shooting modes consisting of Night, Video, Photo, Selfie, Pano, Slo-Mo and Time-Lapse. It's a shame there's no pro mode, as matched with the keyboard folio case, it might have enabled some long-exposure photography to eke a little extra out of the camera. That said, you're better off sticking to your smartphone and quickly firing your shots over to the tablet using Google's Nearby Share feature.

If you do need to take photos in a pinch, outdoor lighting is the OnePlus Pad's best friend for photos and video, and while you can capture 4K content on the main camera, stick with Full HD if you don't want to sacrifice on image stabilisation. 

As for the 8MP front camera, it's good for well-lit selfies and video calls, but little else.

What the OnePlus Pad really does do well is showcase photography apps. We used it with Canon's Camera Connect, pictured above, and the screen's squat aspect ratio was perfect for giving us a large preview. That arguably makes the OnePlus Pad the best-suited tab for photographers in need of an impromptu wireless monitor.

We also loved using Lightroom on the OnePlus Pad for exactly the same reason, you can get an expansive, full-screen view of your 4:3 photo without any pinching or zooming, and make full use of the Stylo.

ONEPLUS PAD REVIEW: PERFORMANCE

It's unsurprising that the OnePlus Pad tore through all the tasks we needed it to. It's powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 9000 chip, and that's coupled with 8GB RAM for multi-tasking. 

Performance in our time with the tab was great, and we could even fire up some power-hungry games like Genshin Impact at 60fps without much in the way of slowdown.

What's more impressive from a photo and video point of view is that the OnePlus Pad was able to process a 3-minute, 826MB, 4K video in Lumafusion in just over a minute. We even threw in a bunch of transitions and titles for good measure. While the app isn't as powerful as DaVinci Resolve on M1 iPads, given the OnePlus Pad's price, it's still an excellent tool.

With only one storage option available – 128GB – the OnePlus Pad represents good value on this front, but very little flexibility. There's no SD card support which means you can't bump up the internal space, so if you consider yourself a file hoarder, you have been warned.

Running Android 13 with OnePlus's Oxygen OS over the top, the OnePlus Pad has a few fun customizations to help you get a little bit more out of it. When you're in an app, for example, you can swipe down with two fingers to activate split-screen multitasking. There's also an option to launch apps as floating windows, so they can hover above other apps. 

OnePlus 11 users can take advantage of a screen mirroring tool that lets them see and interact with a smartphone's screen on the OnePlus Pad wirelessly, sharing their phone's data plan in the process without having to turn on a hotspot.

With a huge 9510mAh battery the OnePlus Pad will make it through a full working day or a long-haul flight – just keep an eye on your brightness if you really have to push it. An hour of video playback drained the battery by just 10 percent at roughly 50 percent brightness.

We did experience faster drain when our OnePlus Pad had the Stylo docked and was stowed on the keyboard folio, but battery life shouldn't be too much of a concern. When you do run low, topping up is speedy, with 65W wired charging filling it up to 50 percent in half an hour, and a full charge taking around 90 minutes.

ONEPLUS PAD REVIEW: VERDICT

The OnePlus Pad isn't a perfect gadget – Android isn't as good as iOS when it comes to tablets, and we would have loved OnePlus to level up the interface a bit more. Despite those shortcomings, though, it's still a creative powerhouse.

With an 11.6-inch screen, the Pad's size is a great middle-ground between standard and plus-sized tablets, its screen is smooth, bright, and responsive, the speakers are loud, and it packs decent battery life and very fast charging. The icing on the cake is the fact it's powerful enough for 4K video edits without breaking a sweat.

Ideal for Android users who don't want to spend Samsung prices or work across platforms by picking up an iPad, it looks like OnePlus joins Lenovo as another safe bet in the mid-range tablet space.

So if you love the idea of using apps like Lightroom and Lumafusion and want to stick with Android, the OnePlus Pad is probably the best tablet for photo and video editing at its price point.

Read More: Find the best tablet for your needs in our guide to the best tablet for photo editing or the best drawing tablet. Or for more from OnePlus check out our guide to the best OnePlus phone.

Motorola has announced the global release of its Edge 40 Pro flagship smartphone, a £799 (roughly $1,000 / AUS £1,480) featuring two attention-grabbing inclusions, a screen with a lightning-quick 165Hz refresh rate, and a main camera sensor made by relatively unknown sensor designer – OmniVision.

When compared to big hitters like the OnePlus 11 and Samsung Galaxy S23, its camera mix might not sound that interesting on first impression with its 50MP main camera resolution and a maximum 2x optical zoom, the fact Motorola has opted for an OmniVision sensor to lead the charge could mark a continued shift in flagship smartphone imaging.

While most high-end smartphones are launching with Samsung or Sony sensors, from the 1-inch Sony IMX989 in the Vivo X90 Pro, to the 200MP Samsung ISOCELL HP2 in the Galaxy S23 Ultra, more brands are looking to OmniVision, a lesser-known image sensor maker to power their camera experiences of late.

Who is OmniVision?

OmniVision is an American subsidiary of the Chinese company, Will Semiconductor, and its camera sensors power webcams – both for laptops and standalone, surveillance equipment, automotive parts and more. 

When it comes to smartphones, OmniVision is best known for making secondary cameras, like the 2MP macro cameras in many midrange phones. In recent years, though, OmniVision sensors have been climbing the ranks, featuring as primary cameras in more devices.

The first reputable flagship we can recall with an OmniVision main camera was the Lenovo Legion Phone Duel, a gaming phone with a 64MP OV64A sensor. Now, with its Edge series, Motorola, a Lenovo company is clearly doubling down on its relationship with the camera sensor maker, packing a 1/1.5-inch OV50A primary sensor in its Motorola Edge 40 Pro.

Motorola Edge 40 Pro key features

The Moto Edge 40 Pro is a fine-looking, powerful phone that's made of glass and metal. We've spent a week with it, and love how it looks – the screen is curved on all edges, there's a sand-blasted aluminium frame, and it isn't too big, with a low-on-bezel 6.67-inch screen.

Protected by Gorilla Glass Victus, and packing IP68 water and dust resistance, the phone's hardy, and it also ships with a case in the box and a pre-fitted screen protector for some added value.

In addition to that primary 50MP OmniVision camera, the phone has a Samsung-powered ultra-wide which doubles up as a macro camera, and a 12MP telephoto camera, with a Sony sensor matched with a 2x zoom. Most interesting about the telephoto camera is its wide f/1.6 aperture, atypically open for a camera with reach.

Motorola's camera packs a few notable highlights: the inclusion of night vision video, and a new horizon lock feature. There's also a 60MP selfie camera too – powered by another OmniVision sensor.

The Edge 40 Pro should deliver mighty gaming performance with its Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 power, which is matched with 12GB LPDDR5X RAM. It also has 256GB UFS 4.0 storage, though no SD card expansion options.

The screen also looks set to be a high-point of Motorola's latest flagship with its sky-high 165Hz refresh rate and Dolby Vision credentials. With a peak brightness of 1300 nits, it also gets very bright, so content should be easy to see indoors or out.

Loaded up with wireless charging and very fast 125W wired charging, complete with a charger in the box, it looks like all the specs are on point. So whether or not the phone is the best camera phone of 2023 when we come to review it in the coming weeks will come down to that OmniVision sensor, and Motorola's photo and video processing – check back for our verdict.

Read More: Find out more about the latest phones with our guides to the best Android phone, the best budget camera phone, and the best Motorola phones.

The OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G may have one of the most longwinded names around, but its styling and price are easier to stomach as the phone hits shelves costing £299 (roughly $370 / AUS $540), despite packing 108MP resolution imaging, 5G data speeds, and nippy fast charging.

Don't get us wrong, there are some telltales off the bat that OnePlus's latest entrant is a budget phone. It misses out on the OLED screen tech of some similarly priced competition like the Poco X4 Pro, and its specs echo those of 2022 phones like the Redmi Note 11 Pro.

The Nord CE 3 Lite also misses out on an ultra-wide camera, a staple, even at its price. So with its dated specs and pared-back camera, should OnePlus's latest Nord blip your radar, or is it dead on arrival?

OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G: design and Screen

If you like big phones and modest prices, then the CE 3 Lite checks those boxes. The big screen measures 6.72 inches, and the phone has a flat frame that adds heft in the hand.

While the back's plastic, it looks like glass from a distance, with a curve that rounds off into the matte frame, which is also plastic. We prefer its styling to competing phones like the Poco X5 Pro 5G, especially in its green color option, which looks striking.

The fact the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite includes a headphone jack is handy, and there's also a USB-C port at the base alongside one of two speakers for expansive sound from such an affordable phone.

On the right of the phone is a responsive fingerprint scanner which doubles up as a power button, and on the left is a SIM tray complete with a microSD card slot, and volume buttons.

Flip the phone around and OnePlus's dual-ring camera design looks confident set against the light-colored back panel, with the top ring housing the primary 108MP camera, and the macro camera and depth sensor in the lower ring.

Despite its hefty size, the Nord CE 3 Lite 5G isn't too heavy, weighing 195g. With its 20:9 aspect ratio and relatively chunky bezels above and below the screen, it is tall, though, so anyone who doesn't fancy stretching to reach the top of their phone screen might want to look elsewhere.

On paper, the worst thing about the Nord CE 3 Lite 5G could be the fact OnePlus opts for an LCD screen rather than an AMOLED panel found on much of the competition. Even at its budget price, handsets like the Redmi Note 12 which cost less pack AMOLED display tech, so it isn't easy to argue away. 

Practically speaking, an LCD screen's blacks are less deep, and colors less vibrant. They are less likely to sport HDR credentials because their contrast ratio and brightness tend to fall short, especially at the budget end of the market. 

While the Nord CE 3 Lite's expansive screen does look good, therefore, with its smooth, adaptive 120Hz refresh rate, and its crisp 2400 x 1080 resolution, it falls short of being best-in-class by some margin.

With a peak brightness of 680 nits, in most environments, you should be able to see what's on-screen easily, and in our testing in London (UK), even when the sun was out we didn't run into any viewability issues. Still, if you live somewhere exceptionally sunny, competing Redmi and Poco phones offer higher peak brightness and should be easier to see outdoors.

OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G: camera specs

The 108MP sensor powering the Nord CE 3 Lite's main camera is a Samsung HM6, clocking in at 1/1.67" in size, and by default, capturing 12MP images with nine-in-one pixel combining (also known as pixel binning). 

There's no OIS, which is unsurprising at the phone's price point, though OnePlus does highlight that EIS is present, and the phone also offers a 3x lossless zoom. This bypasses pixel binning to achieve this, making it lossless at 12MP, not 108MP. 

The phone also packs a dedicated 2MP macro camera, which is fun for creative shots, especially on a sunny day when you can experiment with lens flare – see below. If you want quality results, though, it will let you down, especially when the lights drop.

Video is captured at up to Full HD resolution across both the front and rear cameras,  which is lower than we'd expect at the price. In our tests, though, footage from the camera looks competitive, and you can get some striking shallow depth when filming close-up objects.

OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G: camera samples

OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G: additional features

Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G chipset, the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite should run with similarly mediocre performance to the Poco X4 Pro, which packs the same internals. But we actually found the phone to be seriously smooth in our time with it. 

Whether playing back Marvel Snap, powering through Twitter, or even playing Genshin Impact on low graphics settings, OnePlus has done great work optimizing the interface to eke out smooth results from the modest processor.

Running Android 13 with OnePlus's OxygenOS 13.1, the interface is clean and app support is great. There's also 8GB RAM inside, and up to 8GB virtual RAM (borrowed from the internal storage), and with up to 256GB storage and SD card support, you likely won't miss it.

The final piece to the confusing puzzle that is the CE 3 Lite is a large 5000mAh battery. It lasts for ages, charges quickly at 67W, and you get a fast charger in the box, so can hit the ground running without needing to buy any additional accessories.

OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G early verdict

After four days of using the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite, it just shouldn't be as fun to use as it is. We know there are better value options elsewhere packing superior camera mixes and AMOLED screens with more punch and brightness.

OnePlus's pared-back photo processing and its software optimization really are the CE 3 Lite's saving graces, as is its fun, zingy styling in green. 

We're not far off wrapping up our tests and turning this into a full review, so check back in the coming week to see if OnePlus's latest low-cost handset ends up being one of the best budget camera phones of 2023.

In the year running up to its 2023 flagship line, the 13-series, Xiaomi's been making waves globally with its camera news, especially since it announced its partnership with Leica, and the co-development of the 1-inch IMX989 sensor with Sony. Yes – Xiaomi stumped up a hefty chunk of change for the sensor's development, and so it could get exclusive access to the tech for its 12s Ultra – the first phone to launch with the RX100-sized sensor.

While the Ultra was a China-only release, now, Xiaomi's ready for the IMX989 world tour, with the new Xiaomi 13 Pro bringing both the big sensor and Leica camera software to MWC 2023. 

Launching alongside the smaller Xiaomi 13, the 13 Pro costs £1,099 (approximately $1,320), and is set to launch across Europe and the UK, as well as other global markets – though, once again, no US availability has been confirmed yet.

The 13 Pro looks like a winning phone when you look at its specs. It's got a premium design with a ceramic finish, that mega-camera-sensor at the helm, cutting-edge Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 power, and a big battery with fast wired and wireless charging.

Where the 13 Pro's specs appear to miss the mark are flourishes and camera zoom. What do we mean by flourishes? It doesn't pack an S Pen like the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, for example. It also misses out on the zoom of competitors like the Honor Magic 5 Pro, and Google Pixel 7 Pro.

With cheaper competition from Google packing more zoom, and such a strong showing from recent affordable flagship phones like the OnePlus 11, is the Xiaomi 13 Pro's huge camera sensor enough to woo photographers on the hunt for a new phone, and is it worth that sky-high price?

• Order from Xiaomi UK from £1,099

Xiaomi 13 Pro: Design

Elegant and weighty, at 229g, the Xiaomi 13 Pro isn't much lighter than the beefiest smartphone on the block, the 240g iPhone 14 Pro Max. Unlike Apple's superphone, though, the 13 Pro is curvaceous with its tapered sides and edge-free ceramic back. The weight also adds a sense of premium to the whole phone, emphasized by the stark, metal frame.

While it's available in certain regions in a black ceramic or white ceramic, only the black one can be picked up from Xiaomi's site in the UK at the time of writing this review. As premium as it looks and feels, the mirror finish clings onto fingerprints, so if you want a phone that looks box-fresh, put it in the included soft plastic case. 

There's also a pre-fitted screen protector as well, the phone's tested to IP68 standards, so can handle a dunk or barrage of dust, and the screen is made of Gorilla Glass Victus, so should be relatively scratch-resistant, even if the screen protector is removed.

All the phone's buttons are on the right side, along the tapered, polished metal frame. At the base is a USB-C port and loudspeaker, as well as the SIM tray, and at the top is a 3.5mm headphone jack. 

There's a mighty camera bump around the back of the 13 Pro. It's a big squircle, so seems a bit iPhone-like, but rather than jut out, the ceramic back smoothly curves to create the raised triple camera system. Inside the camera squircle is a Leica insignia, as well as the wide, ultra-wide, and telephoto camera modules, and an LED flash.

While there's nothing about the 13 Pro's design that makes us fall in love with it, if you want a premium-looking, feeling phone that's as hardy as a 2023 flagship should be, it doesn't disappoint. 

Xiaomi 13 Pro: Screen

A high point of the Xiaomi 13 Pro is its screen. The WQHD+, 3200 x 1440 resolution panel is sharp, and with its ample 6.73-inch size and tall 20:9 aspect ratio, the phone delivers immersive visuals, especially for movie watching and gaming. 

Xiaomi uses a Samsung AMOLED panel, so that explains the vibrant, punchy colors on show, and the curved glass and slim bezel only adds to the package's appeal.

The LTPO display tech means a variable refresh rate is possible, so the phone can technically ramp up or down smoothness between 1-120Hz to save power. We only found the interface did this in Netflix and YouTube, though, taking visuals to 60Hz from 120Hz, so you'll only get battery gains from the tech if you hammer video playback. Still – it's nice to have in case of further optimization.

We were also very happy with screen viewability in our time with the phone. Advertised brightness can be hiked up to 1200 nits, and in high brightness mode – i.e. when the phone detects sunlight, this climbs to 1900 nits.

Xiaomi 13 Pro: Camera specs

Xiaomi's 13 Pro combines a few different Leica elements. From a hardware point of view, there's a Leica Vario-Summicron lens, and from a software point of view, there are two different modes – Leica Authentic and Leica Vibrant.

Of course, the headline hardware isn't from Leica, it's from Sony, and it's that 50MP 1-inch IMX989 sensor, featuring native 1.6-micron pixels, which combine with four-in-one pixel binning to create a 3.2-micron 'Super Pixel', as Xiaomi calls it. That's matched with a 23mm, f/1.9 aperture lens packing OIS for a powerful primary camera setup.

With a 75mm telephoto camera, the Xiaomi 13 Pro isn't the weakest zoomer on the scene. Its 50MP resolution has a Samsung sensor at the heart, and it's matched with an f/2.0 lens and OIS. What made us fall in love with this telephoto camera, however, is that it's actually a tele-macro camera – an evolution of the 5MP module on the Redmi Note 10 Pro and Xiaomi Mi 11. With a nearest focus distance of 4cm, therefore, you can take dynamic macro shots across all three cameras. This makes the Xiaomi 13 Pro one of, if not the most versatile macro camera phone around.

Finally for the back, and there's the ultra-wide 50MP Samsung sensor with a 14mm focal length, an f/2.2 aperture, and 5cm macro focus.

When it comes to the looks, we already mentioned Leica Authentic and Leica Vibrant, but there's also a Leica Master-lens system, which consists of four preset shooting modes: 35mm Black and white lens; 50mm Swirly bokeh lens; 75mm Portrait lens; 90mm Soft focus lens.

Shooting modes include Pro, Documents, Video, Photo, Portrait, Night, 50MP, Short video, Panorama, VLOG, Slow motion, Time-lapse, Movie effect, Long exposure, Supermoon, Dual video, and Clone.

Pro mode is where you can shoot RAW photos, and these are captured at different resolutions depending on the camera you're using. The ultra-wide and primary cameras capture roughly 12MP RAW photos, while the telephoto camera's RAW photos are around 10MP. There's no scope for full-resolution, 50MP RAW capture.

Flip the phone around, and selfies are captured on a 32MP OmniVision camera sensor matched with an f/2.0 lens. While the rear camera can shoot at up to 8K resolution, the front camera caps out at Full HD.

Xiaomi 13 Pro: Camera review

Thanks to its large main camera sensor, the Xiaomi 13 Pro is instantly a novel camera phone that's poised for portraits. Photos of people look rich in detail, and the phone delivers better foreground/background separation than anything else widely available. 

We also really like the Leica-fication of Xiaomi's flagship cameras. The Leica Authentic look is very subdued – too much so for our tastes, but it does feel like a tonic to the hyper-zingy snaps captured on many phones these days. That said, the Leica Vibrant isn't overkill, so we tended to shoot in that mode.

Detail from the main camera is strong when the light is right. In dimly-lit scenes though, it drops, with moving subjects will create a bit more blur than we expected – so a steady hand is necessary. The auto mode doesn't ramp up the ISO (and shorten the shutter speed) as readily as some other camera phones.

While the main camera is definitely the best when it comes to dynamic range and performance across conditions, we're happy to see all three of the Xiaomi 13 Pro's cameras perform at least respectably, capturing plenty of detail even without upping the resolution to 50MP. 

The ultra-wide camera is the least nuanced of the bunch – great for expansive snaps, and its macro feature is handy, but it isn't going to win any awards. 

The versatility of the telephoto camera, however, really does give it an edge over competing camera phones. While on paper, the zoom range seems similar to that of the iPhone 14 Pro, the macro focus feature makes it a superb option for nearby photography.

You can see a photo below captured using the telephoto camera. While using the ultra-wide would have created an ugly shadow, and using the main camera shot with too shallow a depth of field, the Xiaomi 13 Pro's telephoto camera captured a unique, preferable photo with a superior balance of detail and depth.

The Xiaomi 13 Pro's nighttime photography doesn't quite transform night-to-day like Samsung's photo processing. Handheld, lowlight photos aren't tack-sharp either, as you can see below. If you really like the HDR-style night photography look of phones like the Google Pixel 7 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, therefore, Xiaomi's slightly more traditional, pared-back take on computational photography might not do it for you.

The Xiaomi 13 Pro's selfie camera does a good job of balancing a flattering beauty filter with realistic results, unlike older Vivo phones we've reviewed – namely the X80 Pro.

As far as videos go, nippy autofocus and impressive noise handling combine across all three cameras to make the Xiaomi 13 Pro a bit of a Full HD and 4K champ. 8K video is only captured on the primary camera, but even that is held together well, making a strong case for big sensors when it comes to raw video quality.

Xiaomi 13 Pro: Additional features

We have to hand it to Qualcomm for its latest chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. While last year's 8 Gen 1 got hot in just about every phone that launched with it after 15 minutes of gaming at maxed-out settings, its successor (not counting the much improved 8+ Gen 1) is one cool cat.

We played Genshin Impact on the 13 Pro for 30 minutes on maxed-out graphics settings over 5G and it got warm, but never uncomfortably hot which is excellent going. The power behind the phone also ensures that the whole interface operates like a well-oiled machine, and that's despite Xiaomi's heavy skin, MIUI 14 that sits on top of Android.

While MIUI isn't any heavier than Samsung's OneUI, Xiaomi's interface doesn't add as much utility – there's no desktop interface when you hook the phone up to a big screen, and because there's no pen, unlike the S22 Ultra and S23 Ultra, a comprehensive notetaking suite isn't baked in.

Scratch the surface, though, and what Xiaomi does is make the whole experience feel a bit more iOS-like than competing Android phones. This should help someone transitioning from an iPhone feel a bit less like a fish out of water.

While Xiaomi's official site only lists a 256GB storage option in the UK, some markets will get a 512GB version, and that's the 13 Pro we tested. Whichever you go for, there's no microSD card support, though there is an ample 12GB RAM.

Xiaomi's 4820mAh battery is a little smaller than the roughly 5000mAh found in competing phones like the Honor Magic 5 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, but the modest difference isn't enough to stop it from lasting a comfortable day even with some gaming, watching and music listening.

In the box, the phone ships with a 120W wired charger, so you can power up in around 20 minutes which is excellent. There's also 50W wireless charging support too, though we found our 13 Pro unit to be a bit fussy about wireless charger positioning.

Xiaomi 13 Pro: Verdict

When we first saw the Xiaomi 13 Pro, we were underwhelmed. It has hardly any zoom compared to periscope cameras, and the main standout camera feature – that 1-inch sensor, is something we saw a good while ago on another Xiaomi phone, the 12s Ultra. After a couple of weeks with it, though, we've come to appreciate the ways Xiaomi's latest flagship gets so much right.

For starters, the phone's ceramic design and mirror finish look very premium, even if it is a little flagship-by-numbers. The screen is also vibrant, bright, zingy, and optimized for Netflix HDR and Dolby Vision content.

Most importantly for us, the phone doesn't rely on its main camera to do all the heavy lifting. Yes, the 1-inch sensor-packing primary camera is exceptional for portrait photography, and its performance, especially when shooting in Pro mode is a serious flex. But it's the telephoto camera's macro capabilities that gave us a little something extra we didn't know we needed, and then there's the solid-performing ultra-wide.

Round the whole imaging experience off with strong video capture, a respectable selfie camera, and back it up with excellent performance whether gaming or going about your day, and aside from a handful of niggles, the Xiaomi 13 Pro has left us with an excellent impression.

So if you want a big-sensor smartphone to capture great automatic photos, and stellar RAW and manual photos if you're prepared to dive into advanced modes, the Xiaomi 13 Pro could be for you. While Xiaomi's new flagship can't outperform the iPhone 14 Pro when it comes to finesse, or the Galaxy S23 Ultra when it comes to zoom range, it's still one of the best camera phones of 2023.

• Order from Xiaomi UK from £1,099

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• If Xiaomi's 13 Pro doesn't do it for you, check out the other best camera phones you can buy today, and check out the best Xiaomi phones

The OnePlus 11 5G isn't a Pro model, but don't be fooled – this is the most balanced phone we've seen from OnePlus in years. Despite missing out on wireless charging, it sports a slick glass and metal design, the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon power, and a very attractive price. What's also delightful is the fact that, unlike other recent OnePlus phones, it's launching in the US.

Costing $699 / £729, the OnePlus 11 5G hits the market with plenty of competition. There are the similarly priced 200MP Xiaomi 12T Pro and Motorola Edge 30 Ultra, and it undercuts the iPhone 14 by around $120 / £100. So why's our money on this new OnePlus?

It's one of the first phones to pack the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, so should be a gaming champion. It also includes the same powerful camera system introduced on the OPPO Find N2, and it's very well-priced, given the spec. 

Also read our guide to the best Android phone for photography.

Undercutting top-end flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra also gives OnePlus a pass, so it doesn't have to compete on things like zoom range or pack a huge, Vivo X90 Pro-grade, 1-inch camera sensor. 

As a result, the OnePlus 11 5G doesn't need to be the best camera phone, it just needs to be the best at its price. And you know what? We think it is.

OnePlus 11 5G design

If you're thinking about buying the OnePlus 11 5G, get the black one. It's also available in a fingerprint-loving, glossy green, but the black version feels better and looks fresher for longer. It has a diffuse, matte texture that's rich to the touch, and it's great at fending off smudges.

The phone's screen and back both taper into the metal frame elegantly. Unlike the OnePlus 10T, the 11 5G sports an alert slider, last seen on the OnePlus 10 Pro, and the polished metal frame feels and looks great. 

We like the loud, off-center, circular camera surround. It's a bit of a statement, bleeding into the back of the phone from the side, and the Hasselblad insignia stands out nicely. 

The glass over the cameras feels smooth, though it has a fine craquelure texture beneath it, and tiny micro-dials around the circumference that add a watch-like quality to the bezel.

The 11 5G also has some weight behind it at 205g, feeling both solid and elegant, and it's relatively slender at 8.5mm. There's also a pre-fitted screen protector on the Gorilla Glass Victus screen for added protection. Meanwhile, the back is Gorilla Glass 5, though there is no case in the box or an official water resistance rating.

Ultimately, OnePlus has made a premium-looking, feeling phone with a couple of flourishes that does what it needs to do at its price.

OnePlus 11 5G screen

The OnePlus 11 5G's screen is a Super Fluid AMOLED panel with a 120Hz display, complete with support for Dolby Vision and HDR10+. It curves off at either side, so gives the illusion there's less bezel than there is, and as soon as it fires up, looks expansive and high-quality.

At 6.7 inches and with a resolution of 3216 x 1440 pixels, OnePlus brings back the clarity we've come to expect from the line, cramming in 525 pixels in every inch of screen (PPI). That's iPhone 14 Pro-beating levels of sharpness.

OnePlus has included plenty of display settings so you can make the visual experience your own. In addition to dark mode, and other standard features, the phone's Video Enhancement Engine features an Image Sharpener and a Video Color Enhancer, as well as a handy option to brighten up HDR video.

Set the screen refresh rate to either high (120Hz) or standard (60Hz), with the high setting automatically switching down to 60Hz when using an app like Amazon Kindle, which doesn't need silky motion smoothness. 

We had no issues seeing what was on-screen outdoors on a sunny day, and the OnePlus 11 5G's LTPO 3 panel, in general, looks fantastic head-on or off-angle. Animations have punch and pop, illustration-heavy games like Marvel Snap look sumptuous on it, and photo editing in apps like Lightroom are also on the money.

OnePlus 11 camera specs

OnePlus is an OPPO brand, and nowhere is that clearer than in its camera setup. Just like the OPPO Find N2, the OnePlus 11 5G is Hasselblad co-branded. It also shares identical camera hardware with – a 50MP Sony IMX890 at the helm, a 48MP ultra-wide, and a 32MP portrait camera. 

Diving into specifics, the main 50MP camera features a relatively large 1/1.56-inch sensor. It's matched with a six-element lens, optical image stabilization, and a 24mm focal length, as well as an f/1.8 aperture.

The ultra-wide camera has a 1/2-inch Sony IMX581 sensor with a 48MP resolution, as well as an f/2.2 six-element lens with a 115º field of view. As for the 2x zoom portrait camera, its 1/2.74-inch 32MP sensor is matched with a roughly 50mm lens and an f/2.0 aperture.

OnePlus's shooting modes include all the usual suspects – Photo, Video, Portrait, and Night. These are supplemented by the Hasselblad Pro Mode, Panorama, Slow motion, Time-lapse, Film, Long exposure, Dual video, Tilt-Shift, and XPAN mode – results pictured below.

We love the fact OnePlus gives us control over the interface layout, so shooting modes we use frequently are where we need them to be. We're also happy that OnePlus has brought back the Film mode, so can capture LOG-type footage that's ready for editing. In automatic video mode, you can shoot up to 8K resolution at 24fps for plenty of versatility in your edit.

Selfies are shot on the 20MP Sony IMX471-powered front camera, which features a fixed-focus f/2.45 lens and 16MP resolution, complete with support for up to Full HD video capture.

OnePlus 11 5G camera review

What we love about the OnePlus 11 5G's photos is that they almost always look balanced. They aren't the sharpest, they don't pack the most background blur, and they definitely aren't the very best across lighting conditions – but nine times out of ten, they're balanced.

Is this down to the Natural Colour Calibration with Hasselblad optimization we've also seen on recent Oppo phones? Or does the "13-channel multi-spectral sensor for light-color identifying” in this phone actually work? We couldn't tell you why – but we can tell you that the OnePlus 11 5G is a no-frills camera phone champ.

Images from its main camera have a great amount of detail, contrast, and saturation and are usually exposed very well. Dynamic range is broad, but not HDR-effect unrealistic, so should please photo purists and folks who love pulling out shadow detail alike.

Colors also strike a healthy balance of looking both natural and punchy. A photo captured alongside the Galaxy S23 Plus showed Samsung's more aggressive processing compensated for ambient light with a heavily corrected white balance. Meanwhile, the OnePlus 11 5G's photo looked like what the eye saw, delivering a more natural tone.

The OnePlus 11 5G does a good job in low, mixed, or ambient light. Its noise suppression isn't class-leading, but it can still capture a beautiful shot when matched with a steady hand. Below, you can see some examples of hand shake softening the foot shots, though the portrait, taken in the same environment, looks superb given the limited light available.

There's no getting around the fact that both the ultra-wide and portrait cameras are weaker than the main camera, and markedly so in poor light. At its price and positioning, though, they still best the secondary cameras on phones like the Xiaomi 12T Pro by a country mile and benefit from that tasty OnePlus color science.

The ultra-wide in particular doubles up as a macro camera, with a nearest focal distance of around 10cm.

We're excited to see what OnePlus can do with a 1-inch sensor or, less specifically, better hardware. Occasionally, the 11 5G's shutter speed just couldn't keep up with our subjects – the dog picture above was the a crisp shot in a flurry of blurry ones. With a larger sensor and better light-grabbing hardware, though, the OnePlus 11 would be better able to stop time, adding another highlight to its balanced camera.

Selfies from the OnePlus 11 look fine, though the camera is frill-free. No autofocus means you'll want to grab shots at arm's length, but even so, casual shots and video calls are all handled well.

OnePlus 11 5G additional specs

With Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 power, the OnePlus 11 5G goes toe-to-toe with the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra when it comes to performance, with both phones scoring around 4850 in Geekbench (multi-core). 

It's no surprise games are handled well, from simpler titles like Marvel Snap, through to the more demanding Genshin Impact, and the phone doesn't get as hot as last year's 8 Gen 1 OnePlus 10 Pro. 

With either 128GB (UFS 3.1) or 256GB (UFS 4.0) storage, there's plenty of space, and the higher-capacity version ships with faster storage and 16GB RAM, so should tear through tasks for years to come. If you like to store tons of offline content or capture a lot of 4K or 8K footage, there's no SD card slot – just a dual-SIM slot, so pick up the higher-capacity option, and the phone also supports eSIM as well.

Running Android 13 – the latest version of Google's OS, with OnePlus's OxygenOS 13, the OnePlus 11 5G is future-proofed from a software point of view too. App support is excellent, and the interface, which feels like a love child between OxygenOS of old and Oppo's ColorOS, performed well in our week with the phone.

The large 5000mAh battery also helps the OnePlus 11 5G last all day, irrespective of whether you're taking a lot of photos or gaming on the go, and with its very fast 100W charging speeds, you can power up in under half an hour, with 12 minutes of charging taking the battery to 50 percent. 

The lack of wireless charging initially put us off, but when you consider the phone's price, and the convenience its fast charging offers, the OnePlus 11 5G battery package is still a good one.

OnePlus 11 5G verdict

If we could use one word to describe the OnePlus 11 5G, it would be "balanced". The phone balances a very fair price with a rich feature set and a powerful camera system, and importantly – doesn't pull up any real red flags. 

By going back to its roots, OnePlus has created a phone that doesn't need to compete on every single feature. It costs less than the incredibly expensive iPhone 14 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, so its zoom range can afford to be pared back, and the lack of wireless charging isn't a deal-breaker.

In the core areas you need your smartphone to be great – design, screen, primary camera, performance, battery life – OnePlus absolutely nails it. While in the past, therefore, we weren't sold on OnePlus being absorbed into Oppo, if this phone's anything to go by, the future is once again bright for this once plucky upstart.

Pre-order the OnePlus 11 5G at the OnePlus store

For a great alternative to the OnePlus 11 5G that costs a bit more, but levels up the camera zoom, the Google Pixel 7 Pro is a fine choice – and if you want a lower-cost Pixel, check out our best Google Pixel phones guide to help you find the right one for you.

The OnePlus 11 5G has officially been announced in China, with global availability set to follow in February 2023. It's one of the first phones to feature Qualcomm's powerful new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, and brings back the Hasselblad highlights introduced on the OnePlus 9 Pro. 

The flagship also features a new Sony camera sensor, the IMX890 – first seen on the Oppo Find N2, which we got an early hands-on with at the end of 2022.

Since OnePlus and Oppo officially started publically sharing IP, some have argued the OnePlus brand has become diluted. That hasn't stopped the phone maker from launching some of the best phones of last year – the OnePlus 10 Pro and OnePlus 10T being the most premium of the bunch.

This year, though, it seems like OnePlus is skipping the 'Pro' model, and is instead only launching a OnePlus 11.

Also read our guide to the best Android phones.

Confusing names aside – after all, what makes this a non 'Pro' phone? – the OnePlus 11 still looks like a mighty offering. It crams in cutting-edge power with up to 16GB RAM and features a 6.7-inch 2K display with a 120Hz refresh rate. 

While we don't have exhaustive specs just yet, we do know the screen's an LTPO 3.0 panel, suggesting it will be efficient and look striking, and you should be able to watch it for ages thanks to the phone's large 5000mAh battery. 

One Oppo tech OnePlus has borrowed for the OnePlus 11 5G is SUPERVOOC charging, and with speeds of up to 100W, you can expect nippy top-up times when you plug the phone in. 

As for the camera, the phone appears to have the same mix as Oppo's Fine N2, a 50MP primary camera, a 48MP ultra-wide camera, and a 32MP 50mm portrait camera. 

If you're wondering what makes the 11 5G a Hasselblad camera phone, this refers to the return of Hasselblad's Professional Mode, and the new 13-channel multi-spectral light-color identifying sensor.

With pricing to be confirmed and a global launch set for February 7, 2023, if the OnePlus 11 5G whets your appetite, check back to see if it's one of the best camera phones of 2023, and for more detailed information on the OnePlus flagship.

It seems like five minutes ago that OnePlus added to its budget smartphone line with the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G. Actually, it was back in April, and now thanks to prolific leaker Steve McFly (@Onleaks) and GadgetGang, we know its successor, the OnePlus Nord CE 3, is on its way. 

With upgrades including a 108MP camera (up from 64MP), it’ll be some extra competition for the best camera phones on the market. And it could also be one of the best OnePlus phones before long if the rumored specs are true.

OnePlus Nord CE 3 specifications 

The Nord CE 2 Lite 5G, which was coincidentally also leaked ahead of its launch, has a Snapdragon 695 5G chip, and so will the OnePlus Nord CE 3. There is said to be a 5000mAH battery with 67W charging speed, too. 

Moving on to the camera system, the leak says that although we can expect to see the same 2MP macro and depth cameras from the CE 2 Lite 5G, the OnePlus Nord CE 3 has been upgraded to a 108MP main camera (instead of 64MP). The front-facing selfie camera is said to be as per the Nord CE 2 5G – 16MP. Improvements continue with the display which is alleged to be 6.7 inches, up from 6.59. 

The Nord CE 2 Lite 5G came with 128GB storage regardless of how much RAM you opted for, but thanks to this leak we know that the OnePlus Nord CE 3 will come with 256GB of storage with the 12GB RAM option. 

OnePlus Nord CE 3 price and availability

According to Steve McFly (@Onleaks) and GadgetGang, we can expect to see the OnePlus Nord CE 3 around Q1 / Q2 of 2023, which makes sense as it would make the release about a year after that of the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G. The leak doesn’t mention the price, but we expect it to cost around the same as its predecessor, which starts at $280/£279.

You might also like the best budget camera phones and the best 5G phone.

OnePlus’ latest Nord series phone, the OnePlus Nord N300 5G, is now official and will go on sale in the US next month. A follow-up to the ultra-popular budget Nord N200 5G, which and accounted for 60% of all OnePlus Nord series phone sales in the US, the new budget offering comes with the Dimensity 810 SoC and 33W charging. 

OnePlus Nord N300 5G: Features 

Comparing the Nord N300 5G to the Nord N200 5G and it’s clear that OnePlus are keen to stay a major play in the US budget phone market. As well as the very competitive $228 price tag, new Dimensity 810 chip, the HD+ display with 90Hz refresh rate is bigger at 6.56-inches (as opposed to 6.49-inches). 

There’s a huge 5000mAh battery on the Nord N300 5G, as there was on it’s predessor, but fast charging has improved considerably too at 33W, up from 18W. 

The impressive specs don’t stop there either – there’s a 48MP main camera (up from 13MP), a 2MP depth lens, but the new model is a dual camera offering rather than the predecessors triple. The punch hole cut-out on the Nord N200 5G has been replaced by a waterdrop notch cut-out housing the 16MP selfie camera up front.

The new budget 5G phone has a simple yet stylish design with a fingerprint scanner embedded in the power button. The Nord N300 5G runs on Oxygen OS, based on Android 13 and is available in a single Midnight Jade colorway with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage that can be upgraded to 1TB.

OnePlus Nord N300 5G: Price & Availability 

The OnePlus Nord N300 will be exclusive to the US and available from November 3, on T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile, priced at $228. 

These are the best camera phones all around, while we've also got expert guides on the best iPhone for photography and the best 5G phone.

The best flip phone is nice and easy to slip in your pocket, while the best folding phone opens up to reveal an enormous screen. Whichever you prefer, this guide will reveal the best model for you, at the best possible price.

The arrival of the smartphone temporarily killed the flip phone market, but we're not surprised they're on their way back, albeit reimagined with the latest tech. After all, there's something very satisfying, as well as practical, about closing the phone to hide your screen. It's a great way to take a step away from the incessant demands of the digital world: you can still be contacted, but you're not constantly being bothered by screen updates.

The best fold phones, meanwhile, provide many of the advantages of a large tablet screen, without having to carry around a tablet. And of course, you can make calls too. For more on fold phones, read: Why I Fold While Others Flip.

Best flip phone & best folding phones

Best folding phone for cameras

The Honor Magic V5 is well known for being one of the thinnest and lightest foldables on the market at the moment. When folded, it's not much thicker than most regular phones, and when unfolded, it provides a large 7.95-inch, 2172 x 2352 pixels display.

All the cameras in the V5 are also excellent, with the standout being the 64MP periscope telephoto, which takes clean, crisp photos. It doesn't have the resolution of the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, but unless you need unbelievably high-res photos, you won't be missing out.

Honor delivers in almost every area that counts with quick processing, two fantastic, bright, and colorful screens, and a battery that lasts all day and has super-fast charging. Aside from the price, which we'll come to in a minute, our only slight issue would be that the images still look overprocessed.

The V5 is eye-wateringly expensive, although a little more affordable than many of its rivals. If your priority is having the best cameras, then I wouldn't go for a folding phone, but if you need great cameras and folding technology, then the Honor Magic V5 is a fantastic option.

Read more: Honor Magic V5 review

Best flip phone overall

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 is the best flip phone out today, bar none. We continue to rate the main rear camera, which was upgraded to 50MP in the previous version. Despite the 12MP ultrawide camera still underperforming in low light, the overall photo quality is solid for casual use.

Powered by the Exynos 2500, the Flip 7 delivers excellent performance and fantastic thermal management. Its slightly larger 4300mAh battery improves longevity, though charging remains capped at 25W wired. The 4.1-inch cover screen is convenient for quick tasks, but its design feels dated compared to rivals. The 6.9-inch AMOLED main display is bright and responsive, despite the visible crease down the middle.

With a matte aluminum frame, IP48 water resistance, and seven years of software updates, the Flip 7 is durable and future-proof. It’s an excellent choice for fans of stylish, compact foldables, even if it doesn’t bring groundbreaking changes.

Read more: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 hands-on review

Best fold phone overall

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is the best foldable phone available today. Its beautiful squared-off design and matte finish give it a clean, premium look, while IP48 water resistance ensures durability. The 8-inch AMOLED main screen is vibrant and spacious, ideal for multitasking, though the crease is still noticeable.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset powers seamless performance, and the excellent AI tools add value for productivity and creativity, from real-time translation to photo editing. Unfortunately, S Pen support has been dropped, which is disappointing for designers and note-takers.

The main camera has had its resolution supercharged to 200MP and our reviewer found photos were packed full of detail. The 12MP ultrawide and 10MP telephoto could certainly be better in terms of resolution and zooming capabilities. The 4400mAh battery is unchanged, and 25W charging lags behind the competition.

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 delivers a refined experience, excelling in software and design. It’s ideal for users seeking a versatile productivity device, even if its price and thicker build may deter some.

Read more: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 review

Best designed folding phone

The Oppo Find N6 takes the brilliantly slim, light design of last year's Find N5 and refines it further, with a "Zero-Feel Crease" that's a real step up. It's still just visible under certain light or under a stylus, but it's about as shallow as foldable creases currently get. At 225g and 8.93mm folded, it barely feels different from a normal flagship bar phone in the hand.

The cameras have had a useful boost too. A new 200MP main sensor and 50MP ultrawide join the existing 50MP 3x telephoto, with Oppo's Hasselblad-tuned colour science producing natural, well-balanced images with good HDR control. They're not going to trouble the best bar-style camera phones, but for a foldable, they're very impressive, particularly the in-sensor zoom out to around 6-10x.

The big catch is availability: as with previous Find N models, Oppo isn't officially selling the N6 in the UK, Europe or the US, so you're looking at importing it and forfeiting warranty support. If that's not a dealbreaker, it's one of the most complete foldables around.

Read more: Oppo Find N6 review

Best fold phone for AI editing

The Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold boasts an 8-inch main display, which is equal with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 as the largest among Western foldables. The display is not only bright and vibrant, but, as importantly, the crease is barely visible. The new Tensor G5 processor ensures smooth performance and fantastic heat management, paired with seven years of software updates for long-term reliability.

Unfortunately, the camera system disappoints. The 48MP main sensor is competent, but small sensors across the ultrawide and telephoto cameras result in weaker low-light and video performance compared to competitors. Still, Google’s software enhances usability, with features like Best Take, Add Me, and Magic Editor offering creative flexibility.

The 5015mAh battery provides all-day usage, though charging speeds are slow. While it lacks stylus support and multitasking capabilities that fall behind rivals, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold excels in AI-driven tools and its user-friendly stock Android interface.

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is a significant step forward for Google’s foldable lineup, but its camera limitations and high price may deter photographers. For those prioritizing a refined foldable design with robust AI features, it’s a strong contender.

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