The best smartphones of March: flagships Honor, OPPO, HUAWEI and folding TECNO
Many manufacturers met the beginning of spring with the release of flagship models. Top smartphones were shown by Honor, HUAWEI, Nubia and OPPO. Of the interesting, it is also worth highlighting the inexpensive but powerful OnePlus device and the first TECNO foldable phone.
Honor Magic5 Pro
Sales start time: Q2 2023
Estimated price: 12 + 512 GB – € 1119
Features: curved display, 120 Hz, in-display fingerprint scanner, three 50 MP cameras, 66 W wired and 50 W wireless charging, eSIM, NFC, stereo speakers, IP68 water protection
Honor Magic5 Pro suddenly turned out to be a flagship without obvious compromises. It has a 6.81-inch AMOLED screen with Full HD+ resolution and a dynamic refresh rate (from 1 to 120 Hz). The display is IMAX certified and peaks at 1800 nits. Inside is a top-end Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, the fastest LPDDR5X RAM and a high-speed UFS 4.0 drive. Responsible for autonomy is a 5100 mAh battery with support for 66-watt wired charging and 50-watt wireless. The main camera, ultra-wide and telephoto with a 3.5x zoom received the same resolution – 50 megapixels. The matrix has a built-in double front camera with a 3D face recognition function for safe unlocking. The device supports the latest Wi-Fi 7 wireless standard, an electronic SIM card and has full protection against water.
HUAWEI Mate X3
Sales start time: April 2023
Estimated price: 256 GB – $1905, 512 GB – $2051, 1 TB – $2345
Features: foldable form factor, 120Hz screen, side-mounted fingerprint scanner, 5x zoom camera, 66W wired and 50W wireless charging, NFC, stereo speakers, IPx8 water resistance, satellite (China only)
HUAWEI Mate X3 surpasses its predecessor in every way. Thanks to a redesigned design, the unfolded case is only 5.3 mm thick and weighs 239 grams. Outside, the smartphone has a 6.4-inch OLED screen with FHD + resolution and a refresh rate of 120 Hz, inside – a 7.85-inch display with dynamic hertz (from 1 to 120 Hz) and a coating of non-Newtonian liquid material. It is important that the gadget is protected from water according to the IPx8 standard. System performance is provided by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor without 5G support. The main camera is represented by an RYYB sensor (50 MP), ultra-wide (13 MP) and telephoto (12 MP, 5x optical zoom). The battery capacity in versions with 256 and 512 GB is 4800 mAh, in the top version for 1 TB, a 5060 mAh silicon-carbon battery is used. Supports two-way satellite communication, which can be used in case of no signal from cellular operators. But this service only works in China.
HUAWEI P60 Art
Sales start time: April 2023
Estimated price: 512 GB – $1316, 1 TB – $1609
Features: curved screen, 120Hz, in-display fingerprint scanner, variable aperture camera, 88W wired and 50W wireless charging, NFC, stereo speakers, IP68 water resistance, satellite (China only)
HUAWEI P60 Art is the top model in the new flagship series. The smartphone is equipped with a 6.67-inch OLED panel with Full HD + resolution and a dynamic refresh rate (1-120 Hz). This display is the first in the industry to receive TÜV Rheinland certification for color accuracy. Protects the matrix branded Kunlun Glass. The basis of the hardware platform is the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor without 5G support. As the main camera, a 48 MP module with an RYYB sensor, OIS and a variable lens aperture (from f/1.4 to f/4.0) is installed. The ultra-wide-angle has a resolution of 40 megapixels, and for shots at long distances, a 48-megapixel camera with 3.5x optical zoom, 200x digital and sensor-shift stabilization is used. 5100mAh silicon-carbon battery supports wired charging (88W).
Nubia Z50 Ultra
Sales start time: on sale now
Estimated price: 8 + 256 GB – $577, 12 + 256 GB – $620, 12 + 512 GB – $678, 16 GB + 1 TB – $865
Features: 120Hz display, in-screen fingerprint scanner, in-screen camera, 80W charging, NFC, stereo speakers, mute switch
Nubia Z50 Ultra attracts with an almost frameless screen without any cutouts, since the front camera is hidden under it. The display itself is a 6.8-inch Full HD+ AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. Top-end filling: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, up to 16 GB of LPDDR5X RAM, UFS 4.0 drive up to 1 TB. The 5000mAh battery only supports 80W wired charging. The rear camera is triple: the main module (64 MP, OIS), ultra-wide (50 MP), telephoto (50 MP). A switch is placed on the case to activate the silent mode, as in Apple and OnePlus smartphones.
OnePlus Ace 2V
Sales start time: on sale now
Estimated price: 12 + 256 GB – $332, 16 + 256 GB – $360, 16 + 512 GB – $404
Features: 120Hz display, in-display fingerprint scanner, 80W charging, 64MP camera, NFC, stereo speakers, mute switch
OnePlus Ace 2V is a return to the roots of the brand: the device offers a powerful filling at an affordable price. The smartphone received a flat 6.74-inch AMOLED screen with Full HD + resolution and a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz. The declared PWM dimming frequency is 1440 Hz. The flagship 4nm MediaTek Dimensity 9000 processor, along with LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 3.1 storage, is responsible for the speed. The 5000 mAh battery provides 80-watt fast charging. The main camera (64 megapixels, optical stabilization) is complemented by ultra-wide (8 megapixels) and macro (2 megapixels). Ace 2V, like the brand’s more expensive gadgets, was equipped with a proprietary mute preset switch.
OPPO Find X6 Pro
Sales start time: on sale now
Estimated price: 12 + 256 GB – $873, 16 + 256 GB – $945, 16 + 512 GB – $1019
Features: 120Hz display with 2500 nits brightness, in-display fingerprint scanner, 1-inch sensor camera, 100W wired and 50W wireless charging, Wi-Fi 7, NFC, stereo speakers, IP68 water resistance
The OPPO Find X6 Pro is a flagship with little to no compromise. The smartphone received a 6.82-inch AMOLED screen with Quad HD + resolution, dynamic hertz (up to 120 Hz) and a record brightness (2500 nits). It has a top-of-the-line Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset with proprietary MariSilicon X imaging co-processor, up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and UFS 4.0 storage up to 512GB. There are three cameras on the back: the main one (50 MP, IMX989 inch sensor), ultra-wide (50 MP, IMX890) and telephoto (50 MP, IMX890, periscope lens with 3x optical zoom). The 5000mAh battery supports wired (100W) and wireless (50W) charging. The phone recognizes the latest Wi-Fi 7 wireless protocol and is protected from water according to the IP68 standard. The manufacturer promises 4 major Android OS updates and 5 years of security patches.
Samsung Galaxy A54
Sales start time: on sale now
Estimated price: 6 + 128 GB – €490, 8 + 256 GB – €550
Features: 120Hz display, in-display fingerprint scanner, 25W charging, 50MP camera, NFC, stereo speakers, IP67 water resistance
The Samsung Galaxy A54 is easy to confuse with the flagship Galaxy S23 as the devices have an almost identical design. The smartphone is equipped with a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display with Full HD + resolution, a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz and Vision Booster picture enhancement technology. A proprietary 5-nm Exynos 1380 processor was installed in the gadget. A 5000 mAh battery with support for 25-watt charging is responsible for autonomy. The rear camera consists of the main module (50 MP, OIS), ultra-wide (12 MP) and macro (5 MP). Declared protection against water according to the IP67 standard, which is not often found in mid-range models.
TECNO PHANTOM V Fold
Sales start time: Q2 2023
Estimated price: 12 + 256 GB – $1088, 12 + 512 GB – $1209
Features: foldable form factor, 120Hz display, side-mounted fingerprint scanner, 45W charging, 50MP camera, NFC, stereo speakers
PHANTOM V Fold is TECNO’s debut foldable phone. The novelty attracts with a top-end filling and a low price for its form factor. The model has a 6.42-inch external AMOLED screen with a frequency of 120 Hz and a 7.85-inch internal display with the same hertz. The hardware platform is last year’s top-end MediaTek Dimensity 9000+ processor, paired with new LPDDR5X RAM and a UFS 3.1 drive. Autonomy provides a powerful 5000 mAh battery, fast 45-watt charging is supported. Triple camera: main module (50 MP), telephoto (50 MP, OIS) and ultra-wide (13 MP).
