We were left impressed with Oppo's Find X5 Pro last year, so naturally, we have high expectations for its successor. As announced earlier, the upcoming Find X6 Pro meets the basic requirements you'd expect from a 2023 flagship: Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, Sony's IMX989 "1-inch" sensor for the main camera, a bright 6.82-inch 3,168 x 1,440 AMOLED screen, a generous 5,000mAh battery, an IP68 ruggedness rating and up to 16GB of RAM plus 512GB of storage. As a bonus, Oppo also brought back a periscopic telephoto camera — a missing feature since the Find X2 Pro from 2020 — to make full use of its photopgrahy partnership with Hasselblad, as well as its very own MariSilicon X imaging neural processor.

The Find X6 Pro features what's arguably the largest external redesign since the Find X3 Pro, with the three rear cameras — all with a 50-megapixel resolution plus optical stabilization — residing within a large circular island. The glass-covered upper part houses the main camera (23mm equivalent), the ultra-wide camera (15mm equivalent), the LED flash and Hasselblad's logo, while the lower part features the periscopic camera with 3x optical zoom (65mm equivalent) or 6x "in-sensor" zoom — we'll get to that later. As for video recording, you can get up to 4K at 60fps, though the 32-megapixel punch-hole selfie camera (21mm equivalent) on the other side is limited to 1080p at 30fps.

Richard Lai/Engadget

While the 3x optical zoom on this new periscopic camera may sound less exciting than the 5x counterpart on the Find X2 Pro, it does offer a 6x "in-sensor" zoom. This is thanks to the relatively large Sony IMX890 sensor (1/1.56-inch), which still offers a good amount of pixels even when cropped natively. With a pre-release firmware, I was able to capture impressively clean and sharp shots even at 6x. Of course, any other 10x optical zoom camera would beat this hybrid solution, but this is still a viable alternative, especially given how handy the 3x optical zoom comes in for food photography and the new Hasselblad Portrait Mode — the latter claiming to simulate "the colors and depth of field of Hasselblad’s classic XCD30 and XCD80 lenses."

As for the ultra-wide camera, it also uses an IMX890 sensor, which is apparently the largest offering to date in this category. Like before, this camera packs a freeform surface lens to minimize distortion, along with a relatively large f/2.2 aperture.

Of course, there are plenty other non-photography goodies on the Find X6 Pro. The 5,000mAh battery is now paired with a new 100W SuperVOOC fast charging, which goes from zero to 100-percent charge in just 28 minutes. Or you can go with 50W AirVOOC wireless charging, which takes 52 minutes to reach a full charge. Oppo also claims to double the battery lifespan with its Battery Health Engine from last year.

In addition to the usual stereo speakers, Oppo implemented a design dubbed "Active Privacy Protection for Voice Calls" to the earpiece, which is apparently "capable of improving sound insulation by up to a factor of 3.5 to reduce audio leakage." In other words, people stood around you are less likely to eavesdrop on your calls.

Last but not least, while not all flagship phones come with an infrared remote control, some may still appreciate this feature on the Oppo Find X6 Pro to control things like TVs, air conditioners and lights.

Richard Lai/Engadget

The Oppo Find X6 Pro will be available in China from March 24th, with design options including a dual-tone brown (glass plus vegan leather), black (glass) and green (glass). Prices range from 5,999 yuan or about $873 (12GB RAM with 256GB storage) to 6,999 yuan or about $1,018 (16GB RAM with 512GB storage).

There's also a similar-looking but more affordable Find X6, which swaps out the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip with MediaTek's Dimensity 9200. Also, its main camera uses an IMX890 instead of the 1-inch IMX989, whereas its ultra-wide camera uses a Samsung JN1 sensor and, sadly, lacks a freeform lens. That said, this phone still packs a generous 4,800mAh battery with 80W fast charging, and it comes with an IP64 ruggedness rating. It'll be offered in green, gold and black, with prices going from 4,499 yuan or around $654 (12GB RAM with 256GB storage) to 4,999 yuan or about $727 (16GB RAM with 512GB storage).

We'll be keeping an eye out for international availability, even though it'll likely be limited to Europe for the west. Stay tuned.

Tecno, a relatively unknown mobile brand on our side of the world, surprised us with a pop-out portrait lens on its Phantom X2 Pro flagship phone back in December. For its MWC event today, the Chinese company brought us the Phantom V Fold, which happens to be the first horizontally-folding phone to be powered by MediaTek's Dimensity 9000+ processor (hello, Oppo Find N2 Flip!), rather than something from Qualcomm. This usually means a lower entry barrier, which is always a good thing.

Like Honor's Magic VS and Xiaomi's Mix Fold 2, the Phantom V Fold has opted for a body that's wider than Samsung's counterparts — just not as wide as Oppo's. Tecno's "virtually crease-free" foldable screen comes in at 7.85 inches with a 2,296 x 2,000 resolution, and on the other side, you're greeted by a 6.42-inch 2,550 x 1,080 sub-screen. Both AMOLED panels feature a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. As far as durability goes, the claim here is that "the device is capable of 200,000 folds," which matches that of Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 4, though that's just half of what the Chinese competition has achieved lately.

Richard Lai/Engadget

The Phantom V Fold comes with a complete set of cameras, too. On the rear side, there's a 50-megapixel main camera, a 50-megapixel telephoto camera (2x optical zoom) and a 13-megapixel ultra-wide camera. These are surrounded by an eco-friendly back cover — in black or white — composed of recycled plastics. Then you get two punch-hole selfie cameras: a 16-megapixel one on the foldable screen, and a 32-megapixel version on the outer screen. The latter is fine for video calls on that smaller screen, but you'd probably want to unfold the phone and use the main camera instead for better selfies.

Tecno didn't cheap out on the battery here, either. The Phantom V Fold packs a 5,000mAh battery with 45W fast charge. This reaches 40-percent charge in 15 minutes, or 100-percent charge in 55 minutes. That's a tad slower than the Chinese competition, but it still beats the Galaxy Z Fold 4 — assuming you don't mind missing out on wireless charging.

Richard Lai/Engadget

On the software side, the Phantom V Fold runs on Tecno's HiOS 13 Fold based on Android 13. The company claimed that it's customized the folding experience on its device for the top 1,000 most downloaded apps globally, and 90 percent of which have also been optimized for split-screen and multi-window modes.

So how much more affordable is the Phantom V Fold? Well, not bad. The base model with 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage costs $1,099, whereas the 512GB variant is asking for $1,222. These are very competitive when compared to Samsung and even Honor outside of China, though prices will vary across countries — namely India, in this case, followed by various African and Latin American countries where Tecno is usually active in.

Realme, a sister brand of Oppo, is finally bringing its 240W SuperVOOC fast charging tech to the international market by way of a familiar-looking device. Freshly announced at MWC, the Realme GT3 is identical to the Chinese GT Neo5 model, meaning it benefits from the same rapid charging speeds: a quick 80-second connection with the custom 12A cable will replenish the 4,600mAh battery to 20 percent, and a 9.5-minute session will get it fully charged.

To cope with the extra heat from the higher charging power, the GT3's battery is covered with a massive vapor chamber liquid cooling system, and this is complemented with various safety sensors plus a fireproof design. The battery will apparently maintain at least 80-percent health after 1,600 charging cycles (at 240W) — doubling that of the industry standard.

Realme

Realme threw in a small C-shaped RGB lighting ring — dubbed "Pulse Interface System" — sandwiched between an NFC ring and a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 icon on the back (yep, no love for the newer Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 here). These are all housed inside a translucent window next to the camera module, with the customizable light ring indicating the battery level, incoming calls, notifications and camera countdown. See? RGB isn't just for showing off.

As with the GT Neo5, the GT3 packs a 50-megapixel main camera (featuring a Sony IMX890 sensor and optical stabilization), an 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera and a 2-megapixel macro camera. Flip to the other side, you'll find a 6.74-inch 2,772 x 1,240 AMOLED screen with a 144Hz refresh rate, an under-display fingerprint reader and a 16-megapixel punch-hole selfie camera. The infrared remote blaster at the top is here to stay, and likewise with the Dolby Atmos stereo speakers.

Realme

The Realme GT3's charging speed may not match Xiaomi's five-minute record claim from earlier today, but at least it is already available in the market. Starting at $649, this Android 13 device comes in four flavors, with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage being the base model, and maxing out with 16GB RAM plus 1TB of storage for the special variant. You'll be able to pick one up across Europe and Asia soon.

Back in late October, we saw Xiaomi releasing its 210W mobile charging tech by way of its Redmi sub-brand, and this was eventually beaten by a 240W version from Realme — part of the Oppo and OnePlus family — in early February. Given that it's MWC week, today Xiaomi swiftly responded with a whopping 300W demo, which brought the charging time down to a little under five minutes — almost half that of the two aforementioned achievements. Xiaomi added that this new 300W charger comes in the same size as its earlier 210W counterpart, thanks to a better modular design plus heat dissipation on the inside.

The 300W demo featured a Redmi Note 12 Pro+ modified with a 4,100mAh battery, which is a little smaller than the 4,300mAh in the 210W Redmi Note 12 Discovery Edition (and the Realme has a far more generous 4,600mAh). As you can see in the video, the phone reached 20 percent in just a little over one minute, followed by the 50 percent mark in 2 minutes 12 seconds, and then 100 percent in just a little under 5 minutes. The power meter indicated a peak input of a little over 290W for the charger, and it also managed to sustain 280W and above for around two minutes at one point.

The company said the battery here pack more powerful 15C cells (as opposed to the 10C cells in the Discovery Edition), which consist of new carbon materials in place of some of the conventional graphite parts, thus reducing the electrodes' thickness by 35 percent. Together with an improved electrolyte formula, this lithium ion battery can pack a higher power density with a faster charge and discharge rate, while apparently reducing the amount of heat produced in the process. These ultra-thin cells are then stacked with thermal materials in between as part of a new "sandwich" design, in order to optimize heat dissipation while making better use of internal space. As far as safety is concerned, Xiaomi claimed that there are over 50 features built into the system to keep tabs on the current, voltage and temperature on each charging chip.

Xiaomi's announcement today has definitely set another milestone for the mobile industry, though the company didn't mention whether this 300W charging tech will be mass produced. Nor did Xiaomi share figures on charging cycles, which makes for a sober reminder of how battery lifespan can be affected by higher charging power.

It's been a long time coming, but Xiaomi is finally bringing its Leica-endorsed smartphones to the international market. Following their China launch back in December, the Xiaomi 13 and 13 Pro are going global at MWC, with Germany, France, Spain and Italy being some of their first markets in the west. As you'd expect, both Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 flagships now come with Google services pre-installed, but they are otherwise identical to their China counterparts.

The Xiaomi 13 and 13 Pro share similar-looking Leica camera islands on the back, but only the 13 Pro offers the much-hyped Type 1-inch sensor (Sony's IMX989; 1.6um pixel size) — arguably the industry's most powerful camera sensor at the moment — for its 50-megapixel f/1.9 OIS (optical image stabilization) main shooter. You also get a 50-megapixel 3.2x telephoto camera (75mm equivalent) with OIS and a 50-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide camera (14mm equivalent).

As for the lesser Xiaomi 13, it comes with a 50-megapixel f/1.8 OIS main camera with a smaller sensor (IMX800; 1um pixel size), a 10-megapixel 3.2x zoom OIS zoom camera and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide (15mm equivalent) camera.

Both models share the same 32-megapixel f/2.0 punch-hole selfie cam on the other side. On a similar note, both phones offer two modes of capture — Leica Authentic and Leica Vibrant — along with Google's Magic Eraser tool.

Xiaomi

The Xiaomi 13 series also comes in two designs. The 13 Pro comes with a curved 6.73-inch 3,200 x 1,400 AMOLED screen with vegan leather or ceramic back versions. On the other hand, the 13 packs a flat 6.36-inch 2,400 x 1,080 AMOLED display, which is surrounded by iPhone-like aluminum sides and complemented by either glass or leather back options. Both screens support a refresh rate of up to 120Hz for a slick scrolling experience.

Other noteworthy features include the 13 Pro's 120W charging (from zero to 100 percent in just 19 minutes for its 4,820mAh battery), the 13's 67W charging (38 minutes to fully charge its 4,500mAh cell), and 50W wireless charging, Dolby Atmos dual speakers and IP68 ruggedness for both Android devices. The 13 Pro starts from 1,299 euros (around $1,370), whereas the 13 starts from 999 euros (around $1,060).

Xiaomi

As a surprise for MWC, Xiaomi also announced the 13 Lite, which appears to be a variant of the selfie-centric Civi 2 sold in China. And no, there's no Leica involvement here. This model starts from 499 euros (around $530) and boasts dual front cameras (32-megapixel + 8-megapixel depth sensor) plus dual "Selfie Glow" LEDs for supposedly better selfies. It's powered by a Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 processor, and it also packs a 50-megapixel main camera (IMX766), a 20-megapixel ultra-wide camera, a 2-megapixel macro camera, a 4,500mAh battery with 67W charging, and a 6.55-inch Full HD+ 120Hz display. This is all tucked into a 171g-heavy, 7.23mm-thick body, which obviously goes well with its "Lite" branding.

Remember that Redmi phone which featured a whopping 210W charging? Well, another Chinese contender has made its next move with a 240W upgrade. The Realme GT Neo5 can apparently charge its 4,600mAh dual-cell battery from zero to 20 percent in merely 80 seconds, or to 50 percent in four minutes, or to 100 percent in 9.5 minutes. On an mAh-per-minute basis, this actually beats the Redmi Note 12 Discovery Edition's 9-minute record, considering that it has a smaller 4,300mAh battery.

Realme's 240W SuperVOOC rapid charging feat is enabled by a surprisingly compact dual-GaN power adapter, which is paired with a proprietary high-current USB-C cable to deliver 20V/12A of power. This is then converted to 10V/24A by three 100W power management chips before it reaches the battery — a similar implementation to the Redmi. The adapter is also compatible with USB-PD at up to 65W, as well as existing Qualcomm QC and Oppo VOOC-based solutions — the latter's previous record was 150W. Realme further claimed that even after 1,600 cycles (about four years of usage), the battery health wouldn't go lower than 80 percent.

Realme

Realme's GT Neo5 has a nice little gimmick on the back: an under-glass Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 decoration surrounded by an RGB light ring, which can be customized with 25 colors for scenes including charging, gaming, messages and more. This is all wrapped around an NFC circuitry positioned to the right of the camera island. Speaking of, you'll also find a 50-megapixel main camera (featuring a Sony IMX890 sensor and optical stabilization), an 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera and a 2-megapixel macro camera here.

On the other side, there's a 6.74-inch 2,772 x 1,240 AMOLED screen (supplied by China's Tianma) which not only runs at up to 144Hz, but also offers a sensitive 1,500Hz touch sampling rate — a plus for mobile gaming. This is complemented with an under-display fingerprint reader and a 16-megapixel punch-hole selfie camera. Other notable features include a infrared remote blaster at the top (a common feature on Chinese phones), a pair of stereo speakers and an 8-layer heat dissipation design for optimal gaming performance. All of these are packaged into a 199g-heavy, 8.9mm-thick body which comes in black, white or purple, and it's mostly covered with a piece of frosted glass on the rear side.

Realme

The Realme GT Neo5 is already available in China with two flavors offered: the model with 16GB RAM and 256GB storage is asking for 3,199 yuan (around $470), but bumping it up to 1TB storage is just 3,499 yuan (about $520). Interestingly, there's also a 5,000mAh variant of the GT Neo5 which features "just" 150W charging, and it ranges from 2,499 yuan ($370; 8GB RAM and 256GB storage) to 2,899 yuan ($430; 16GB RAM and 256GB storage).

Realme has confirmed to Engadget that the GT Neo5 will be headed to international markets "soon." That said, the 240W SuperVOOC feature will actually be introduced to the global market by way of the company's upcoming flagship phone, the Realme GT3, later this month. Smells like an MWC special here.

If you like Squid Game but not enough to brave the real-life version, you'll soon have a VR option. Netflix has partnered with Sandbox VR to produce a game based on the Korean TV series, and from "late 2023," you'll be able to enter this gruesome dystopia at any of the Sandbox VR arcades around the world. The game developer has over 30 locations globally — 26 of which are in North America — at the time of writing, which is a much needed rebound after lying dormant throughout the worst part of the pandemic.

According to Sandbox VR, its upcoming experience will have players "transported to iconic Squid Game locations, where they become contestants in a variety of pulse-pounding challenges inspired by the Netflix series." You'll "compete against each other to be the last one standing" — presumably without anyone actually dying. As with all Sandbox VR games, players will be able to immediately rewatch, share and even download a personalized mixed-reality highlight reel.

The San Francisco-based VR company didn't share further details on its Netflix collaboration, but judging by my recent experience with its latest zombie-shooter, Deadwood Valley (pictured above), the upcoming Squid Game title shouldn't disappoint. All Sandbox VR games allow up to six players to roam around freely in each room, while wearing wrist and ankle trackers for full-body motion capture, as well as a bHaptic TactSuit to feel gunshots or zombie scratches. Players also hold a prop weapon that matches the size of its virtual counterpart, thus making these VR games more immersive than they already are.

I'm anticipating the likes of Red Light, Green Light, hopscotch and Squid making their way into the Squid Game VR experience, but I'm less keen on the idea of licking a prop to solve the dalgona candy puzzles.

Yukai Engineering, the team behind the strangely adorable cat tail pillow, is back with a new quirky invention. Unveiled at CES 2023, the Fufuly is yet another anxiety-reducing cushion from the Japanese company, but this time featuring a gentle rhythmical pulsation as the main therapeutic tool. The idea is that when you're hugging a Fufuly, its life-like behavior stimulates your belly to induce slower and deeper breathing. Despite its thought-bubble shape (supposedly to evoke the image of a puff of air), the cushion felt more like a mellow creature dozing off in my arms. I even mistook the quiet mechanical noise as a cat's purr, to which CEO Shunsuke Aoki assured me this was purely a coincidence.

For this project, Yukai Engineering partnered with the University of Tokyo, which researched on the "phenomenon of rhythmical synchronization between individuals or between individuals and objects" as they interact with one another. Think how we usually feel calm when we're holding a baby or pet in our arms — it's all subconscious. "Using the cushion for just 5 minutes can reduce users’ stress levels and make them more alert," according to Aoki.

The Fufuly comes with three operating modes: you have the self-explanatory "regular" and "deep" modes to suit your calming needs, with the third mode based on common relaxation breathing techniques. Sadly, we couldn't change modes with the prototype on the show floor. Aoki added that his team already had the idea of a pulsating cushion around the same time as the Qoobo cat tail pillow, but in the end, they decided to develop the latter first.

Richard Lai/Engadget

Another new device shown off by Yukai Engineering was Lightony, a cute humanoid bedside lamp which literally nods off after a while. Supposedly, the robot's life-like head tilt and eye roll movements will encourage you to fall asleep faster, though it's also possible that kids would just stay up as they play with this toy. Lightony also responds to voice commands (all processed locally instead of the cloud), so you can tell the robot to set a countdown when you're in bed, or say "good morning" to wake it up. 

Aoki told Engadget that the Fufuly will be launching in Japan this year by way of crowdfunding, followed by a global launch eventually, though no price is announced just yet. As for the Lightony, it's still in its early development stage, so we'll have to circle back later for an update.

Back in August, Xiaomi showed us how to make a thinner horizontal folding phone with its Mix Fold 2, but now it's Oppo's turn to demonstrate how to make them lighter. The new Find N2 shares a similar landscape screen design with its predecessor, yet it weighs as little as 233 grams. That's 42 grams lighter than before, around 30 grams lighter than the likes of Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 4 and even a few grams lighter than an iPhone 14 Pro Max. Oppo therefore claims it's new device is the "industry's lightest horizontally folding phone." Both the green and white versions of the Find N2 weigh an extra 4 grams due to their glass back, but still come in lighter than the competition.

Oppo uses a smaller second-generation flexion hinge, as well as its carbon fiber underframe (instead of aluminum) for its flexible screen. According to TÜV Rheinland's certification, the Find N2 can apparently withstand over 400,000 folds under normal conditions (doubling Find N's record), and over 100,000 folds at 50°C (122°F ) or down to -20°C (-4°F). The same company also gave a green tick to the phone's 1.2-meter drop test. The battery is about the same size as before, bumping slightly up to 4,520mAh, but now supports faster 67W SuperVOOC charging, which takes 10 minutes to go from zero to 37 percent, or 42 minutes for a full charge.

This Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1-powered foldable phone has a slightly larger 5.54-inch external display, and while its 7.1-inch flexible screen has kept the same 9:8.4 "golden" aspect ratio (1,792 x 1,920), it apparently has a less visible crease along with improved visibility. To make full use of this big landscape screen, the company is also releasing the Oppo Pen, which supports 4,096 levels of pressure and has a battery life of 11 hours. You can also use the pen's button as a camera remote, which comes in handy when you prop up the camera for "FlexForm Capture."

Speaking of, the Find N2 has a new set of cameras that have benefitted from some extra help from Hasselblad. You'll find a 50-megapixel f/1.8 main camera (24mm equivalent) with optical stabilization, a 48-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide camera (14mm equivalent) and a 32-megapixel f/2.2 telephoto camera (47mm equivalent) on the back. There's also a 32-megapixel f/2.4 front-facing camera tucked into the top-left corner of the foldable screen. With Oppo's very own MariSilicon X imaging neural processor, the Find N2 can also capture 4K ultra night video and 4K ultra HDR video.

Oppo also unveiled the Find N2 Flip which, as you can tell from the name, is a direct competitor of Samsung's pocket-sized Galaxy Z Flip 4. The 3.26-inch external display here is apparently the "largest cover screen in any flip" device, which is handy for taking selfies, checking calendars and previewing messages. This device also packs the "biggest" battery in this form factor — 4,300mAh as opposed to Samsung's 3,700mAh, along with 44W fast charging support. Chief Product Officer Pete Lau added that the Find N2 Flip supports dual SIM dual 5G standby, which is apparently also a first for a small foldable phone, thanks to the MediaTek Dimensity 9000+ processor. Like the Find N2, the 50-megapixel f/1.8 main camera, 8-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide camera and 32-megapixel f/2.4 front-facing camera all get the Hasselblad treatment.

The Find N2 comes in two price tiers: the 12GB RAM with 256GB storage model is asking for 7,999 yuan (around $1,150), and the more advanced 16GB RAM with 512GB storage version costs 8,999 yuan (around $1,290). As for the Find N2 Flip, it starts at 5,999 yuan ($860) with the 8GB RAM plus 256GB storage version, and it maxes out at 6,999 yuan ($1,000) with the 16GB RAM plus 512GB storage variant.

Both phones are available for pre-order in China today, ahead of the December 23rd launch for the Find N2 and then the December 30th launch for the Find N2 Flip. Oppo reps also told Engadget that the Flip will launch in international markets, but they are still evaluating whether to do the same with the bigger Find N2.

Many smartphones these days offer artificial bokeh in their portrait photography modes, but with the help of a retractable camera, you can achieve true optical bokeh without missing any edges. Chinese brand Tecno is now bringing such a feature to its latest flagship device, the Phantom X2 Pro 5G, which packs a "world-first" pop-out portrait lens. This is just a little over two years after Xiaomi showed off a retractable 120mm-equivalent wide aperture lens, but it never left the prototype stage.

Tecno's intriguing portrait camera has a 50-megapixel resolution with a relatively large 1/2.7-inch sensor and 1.28um pixel size. Optically, this 2.5x zoom lens offers an f/1.49 aperture, 65mm focal length and 18.9cm depth of field. When you switch to portrait mode in the camera app, you can see (and hear) the portrait lens physically pop out on the back of the phone. This is complemented with Tecno's "self-developed" beautification mode with upgraded make-up settings — up to three faces are supported in each image. 

I had a chance to shoot some portraits with my Phantom X2 Pro 5G earlier today, and with the exception of the aggressive skin smoothing, my subjects were quite pleased with the natural bokeh, optimized brightness and virtually non-existent distortion.

Richard Lai/Engadget

There's more on this amusingly large camera island. The 50-megapixel main shooter uses Samsung's 1/1.3-inch GNV ISOCELL 3.0 sensor, which offers 1.2um pixel size and is supported with an f/1.85 aperture. You'll also find a 13-megapixel ultra-wide angle camera nearby, as well as a 32-megapixel front camera on the other side of the phone — in the form of a punch-hole near the top of the curved 6.8-inch AMOLED screen (2,400 x 1,080 resolution, 120Hz refresh rate; Gorilla Glass Victus).

The Phantom X2 Pro 5G is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 9000, which is a 4nm octa-core processor — similar to the faster Dimensity 9000+ found in ASUS' ROG Phone 6D series. It also packs 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage, along with a generous 5,160mAh battery with 45W fast charging support. While this phone lacks an IP rating, a company rep claimed that the retractable portrait lens is waterproof and dustproof — the interior of the lens is apparently sealed, and likewise with the connection between the lens and the body. Still, it's probably best to avoid the water when you're carrying this device.

Tecno's new phone runs on a customized Android 12 system dubbed HiOS 12, which features an AI gallery with face recognition and editing functions, along with some productivity tools (built-in translator, file scanner with text and PDF conversion etc.) and a connection speed optimization engine. Tecno added that its device passed TÜV Rheinland's fluency test over a 36-month simulation, meaning its storage memory performance shouldn't deteriorate much (read: fragmentation) during the same period in real life; but we'll take this claim with a pinch of salt for now.

Tecno will initially be launching the Phantom X2 Pro 5G in markets including India, Nigeria, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, Colombia, Turkey, and the Philippines from the end of December, and it'll reach over 60 markets globally later (we're waiting for specific details on Western markets). The device will be available in "Stardust Grey" and "Mars Orange," with the latter featuring an eco-friendly back cover composed of plastics recovered from the shores around the Indian Ocean. Tecno claims that this "Eco-Friendly Edition" reduces carbon emissions by approximately 38 percent when compared to virgin plastics, "with each individual cover producing an estimated 2.4g fewer emissions on average." 

If you manage to come across a Phantom X2 Pro, the asking price is around $930 (based on the 3,499 Riyal price tag in Saudi Arabia), which is probably difficult to justify for just some natural bokeh. There's also the Phantom X2 which is around $215 cheaper and looks very similar, but it only has 8GB of RAM and lacks a retractable portrait camera; you'll instead get a 64-megapixel main camera and a 2-megapixel depth camera, along with the same 13-megapixel ultra-wide camera and 32-megapixel front camera as the Pro model. The orange option is also replaced by a "Moonlight White" design.