After beta testing for over 8 months, WhatsApp for iPad has finally landed in the Apple App Store for everyone to download. “As one of our biggest requests, we’re excited to announce that WhatsApp is now available on iPad,” said WhatsApp in a blog post. The new app brings support for Apple’s Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil as well.
“WhatsApp for iPad makes keeping in touch with friends and family even easier.” Users can make video and audio calls with up to 32 people, share their screen, and use both front and back cameras.
The platform says that it has built WhatsApp for iPad ideal for multitasking so you can get more done. One can take advantage of iPadOS multitasking features such as Stage Manager, Split View, and Slide Over to view multiple apps at once, so the user can send messages while browsing the web, or research options for a group trip while on a call together. WhatsApp also works with your Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil.
WhatsApp for iPad uses the platform’s multi-device technology to keep everything in sync across your iPhone, Mac and other devices while protecting your personal messages, calls and media with end-to-end encryption, no matter what platform or device you’re messaging. It also supports features such as chat lock as an added layer of privacy to your chats.
Meanwhile, WhatsApp recently announced Voice Chats for all sizes of groups on the platform. With the feature, you can connect live over audio whenever, without having to leave your group chat or switch to a call, that people in your group can hop into whenever they want. Previously available only for large groups, now anyone in your group can start a voice chat by going to the bottom of your chat, swiping up and holding for a few seconds. Starting a voice chat doesn’t notify or ring anyone, so that people can join and leave the hangout whenever.
Realme has announced new hardware globally, including in India, namely the Realme GT 7, Realme GT 7T, and the Realme Buds Air 7 Pro earbuds. The new phones come powered by the MediaTek processors under the hood. Here’s everything to know about the new Realme products.
Realme GT 7: Price, Availability, Specifications
Realme GT 7 price in India starts at Rs 39,999 for the base 8GB + 256GB trim, Rs 42,999 for the 12GB + 256GB model and Rs 46,999 for the 12GB + 512GB model. There’s an Aston Martin Green edition of the device called Realme GT 7 Dream Edition which has 16GB RAM and 512GB storage, priced at Rs 49,999. The device is otherwise available in IceSense Blue and IceSense Black shades. The Realme GT 7 sale in India starts from May 30 onwards. One can avail bank discounts up to Rs 3,000 with all bank cards.
The Realme GT 7 sports a 6.78-inch 1.5K Resolution (2780 x 1264 pixels) 8T LTPO AMOLED Display with a 120Hz refresh rate, 360Hz touch sampling rate, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, 2160Hz PWM dimming, and 6000 nits peak brightness. The handset is powered by the MediaTek Dimenaity 9400e chipset paired up to 16GB LPDDR5x RAM and up to 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage. The phone runs on Android 15 with Realme UI 6.0 skin on top.
As for the optics, the GT 7 has triple cameras on the back, including a 50-megapixel Sony IMX906 f/1.8 primary sensor with OIS, an 8-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide angle lens and a 50MP f/2.0 Samsung JN5 telephoto sensor with 2x optical zoom. The front houses a 32-megapixel Sony IMX615 f/2.4 selfie camera.
Connectivity options include 5G, dual 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, GPS, NFC, and a USB Type-C port for charging. Further, GT 7 packs a 7000mAh battery with 120W Fast charging support. Additionally, it includes an in-display optical fingerprint sensor for security, X-axis linear vibration motor, IR blaster, stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos, and an IP69 rating.
Realme GT 7T: Price, Availability, Specifications
The GT 7T is priced at Rs 34,999, Rs 37,999 and Rs 41,999, respectively, for the 8GB + 256GB, 12GB + 256GB, and 12GB + 512GB trims. It comes in IceSense Blue, IceSense Black, and Racing Yellow shades. The sale in India for the device starts from May 30 onwards. One can avail bank discounts up to Rs 3,000 with all bank cards. Pre-booking the device will entitle you to a free 1-year screen damage protection as well.
The Realme GT 7T sports a 6.8-inch 1.5K Resolution (2800 x 1280 pixels) AMOLED Display with a 120Hz refresh rate, 360Hz touch sampling rate, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut, 2160Hz PWM dimming, and 6000 nits peak brightness. The handset is powered by the MediaTek Dimenaity 8400-Max chipset paired up to 12GB LPDDR5x RAM and up to 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage. The phone runs on Android 15 with Realme UI 6.0 skin on top.
As for the optics, the GT 7T has dual cameras on the back, including a 50-megapixel Sony IMX896 f/1.8 primary sensor and an 8-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide angle lens. The front houses a 32-megapixel Sony IMX615 f/2.4 selfie camera.
Connectivity options include 5G, dual 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 6.0, GPS, NFC, and a USB Type-C port for charging. Further, GT 7T packs a 7000mAh battery with 120W Fast charging support. Additionally, it includes an in-display optical fingerprint sensor for security, X-axis linear vibration motor, IR blaster, stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos, and an IP69 rating.
Realme Buds Air 7 Pro: Price, Specifications
The realme Buds Air7 Pro comes in Racing Green, Metallic Grey, Glory Beige and Fiery Red colours and is priced at Rs 5,499. The special launch price for Glory Beige and Fiery Red hues is set at Rs 4,999. These will be available to buy via realme.com, Amazon.in, Flipkart, Myntra, realme.com, and across mainline stores starting from May 30th.
The case of the Buds Air 7 Pro has a matte finish and is made of aviation-grade aluminum along with a plastic strip running around the whole case with a brushed metal look. They support touch controls and are IP55 rated for dust and water resistance.
These feature up to 53dB Active Noise cancellation with 5000Hz maximum noise reduction bandwidth. For audio, you get 11+6mm dual DAC drivers, LHDC 5.0 hi-res audio codec, and 45ms low Latency as well. Realme claims up to 48 hours of total battery life with the case. The company claims over 80% battery health even after 1000 charging cycles.
Further, they support dual-device connectivity, Google Fast Pair, Microsoft Swift Pair, 3D Spatial Audio, along with AI simultaneous interpretation, real-time conversation translation for 34 foreign language. There are 6 mics on the earbuds. Realme Link App support is also present.
Realme’s latest launches include a new pair of earbuds under its Air series, called the Realme Buds Air 7 Pro. Here’s our detailed review of the same to help you find out whether Realme’s new flagship earbuds are worth their price of Rs 5,499 or not.
Design & Comfort
The Realme Buds Air 7 Pro comes in four colour options and the brand sent us the Racing Green hue which, in one word, looks gorgeous. Resembling the signature Aston Martin shade, the case has a matte finish and is made of aviation-grade aluminum along with a plastic strip running around the whole case with a brushed metal look.
At the top is the Realme branding, while at the front there’s an LED light that turns green, red, and white to show you the battery status and pairing status of the buds. There’s also a thin ridge for opening the case with ease. At the back you get the “Hi-res audio” branding along with a USB-C port.
The inside of the case is all black, with the “Make it real” branding on the lid. There is also a pairing button inside that can be held to make the earbuds enter pairing mode. The lid opens with a spring mechanism and isn’t flimsy at all.
The finish of the whole case feels premium while it looks so, too. As for the buds, we have seen this design before with multiple earbuds and it works just fine for my ear shape. It fits perfectly, feels comfortable for extended sessions, and stays in place even during vigorous movement. The shape of the stem is a little different than other earbuds and it is given a glossy finish which does look appealing but attracts fingerprints when you operate the touch controls. The ear tips also have a yellow accent.
Speaking of touch controls, you can customise them with the Realme Link app. There are four controls on offer, including double tap, triple tap, touch and hold, and slide up or down where only the sliding one cannot be customised as it is locked to volume control. The slide gesture is also a little finicky as it required multiple attempts before it worked. The tap gestures worked without any issues, though.
The buds are also rated IP55 for dust and splash resistance.
The Realme Buds Air 7 Pro have coaxial dual drivers (6mm + 11mm). Further, they are Hi-Res Audio Wireless certified and support the LHDC 5.0 codec. They connect wirelessly over Bluetooth v5.4.
The sound quality of the Buds Air 7 Pro is quite impressive. All my testing was carried out with Realme’s latest Realme GT 7 (for which the review is now also live). The buds get a classic V-shaped EQ tuning as default as the mids take a slight backseat with the higher-end frequencies being more prominent in the sound signature. The treble is handled really well while the vocals sound clear. Instrument separation is also clear while the amount of bass on offer is decent.
However, if you take the custom EQ route and tune the audio to your liking, you can further enhance the bass where the vibration intensity gets much higher than default. Once you do that, each beat hits you in the head. This will be liked by the bassheads who prefer to have an equal amount of bass as the clarity of the audio.
Playing with the LHDC 5.0 codec paired with Apple Music’s lossless playback further really amped up the whole experience. Even without the codec, the sound quality of the Realme Buds Air 7 Pro is still quite impressive.
Further, there’s a Dynamic Audio feature available in the Realme Link app that can further enhance the low, mid, and high-end frequencies and create a minor echo effect. They do create a difference in the audio signature for the better but the difference is noticeable only at higher volumes.
The Spatial Audio feature further enhances the echo effect and boosts the vocals in music which doesn’t sound the best in daily use. It is best to turn on this feature when watching movies or videos where dialogues play a major role.
There’s also a Golden Sound feature where Realme claims to offer studio-quality audio customised to the user’s ear canal structure. The feature messed up with my preference of the audio signature, hence, I kept it turned off.
There’s a Volume Enhancer toggle that purely increases the volume of the earbuds if you prefer listening at louder volumes which, however, we wouldn’t recommend for extended periods. They are so loud that even at 50% volume I was comfortable with listening to them, unlike other earbuds where I have to keep it at around 70%.
A Game mode is also there that can reduce the Latency between the audio and video up to 45ms when playing games and it worked as it should. It brought down the latency to some extent which is vital for those who game a lot on their phones.
Then comes the MindFlow mode that can play sounds of nature and various seasons if you prefer sleeping with your earbuds on and while listening to these peaceful sounds.
The buds support multi-point connectivity also which worked fine for me as I could easily switch between my tablet and phone while using the buds to take calls and listen to music.
Wear detection is also present which is quite a useful feature and again, worked without any hiccups. Auto-answer for calls can automatically answer incoming calls for you if you take the earbud out of the case and wear it.
Earbud fit test and Find my Phone features are also there for added convenience. At the bottom of the app, an estimated remaining time for the buds is also shown based on the battery left in the earbuds. Google Fast Pair is also supported by the earbuds so pairing it with new Android devices is seamless.
The earbuds support active noise cancellation up to 53dB which is quite a high value, and that translates well in real life too. You can feel the vacuum they create when you put them in your ears the first time.You can feel the vacuum they create when you put them in your ears the first time.
The ANC on the Buds Air 7 Pro is impressively effective in blocking out all frequencies of sounds, even the higher pitched ones. Noises like that of the fan were handled very impressively. Surprisingly, even with the music turned off, only a small fraction of the ambient noise made it through.
There’s also a wind noise reduction feature that specifically targets wind noise and cancels it out. While the feature does work and it cancels out more wind noise than any other earbuds I have tried in the segment, some amount of wind noise does still make it through.
The only issue I had with ANC is that when it was enabled, the left earbud, for some reason, cancelled out less noise than the right one due to which there was this weird sound distortion where I could hear more external noises from my left ear and none from my right one. However, changing the position of the earbuds and moving them within my ear would solve the issue.
The transparent mode worked well too. While the ambient noise was still a bit muffled, it still did a good enough job for me to call it effective at this price.
Battery Backup and Call Quality
Realme says the Buds Air 7 Pro can deliver up to 48 hours of playback with the case when ANC is turned off. I didn’t measure it down to the minute, but with ANC on and the volume set above 60%, I used them for 2 to 3 hours daily and still had around 20% battery left in the case after a week—which is pretty solid. As for individual use, you can expect over 5.5 hours of playback on a single charge with ANC enabled, which is quite respectable.
As for call quality, there’s a 6-mic system at play with 3 mics on each earbud. The mics on the Realme Buds Air 7 Pro do a fairly good job of capturing the speaker’s voice, ensuring clear calls in most situations. That said, they’re not completely immune to background noise—some ambient sounds still come through in busier environments. Even so, call quality remains quite reliable overall.
Realme’s GT series has been well received in India due to the well handled price-to-performance ratio and with the new Realme GT 7, the company is planning to replicate the same success formula. Will it be able to do so with a starting price of Rs 39,999? We’ll find that out in our review of the Realme GT 7.
Design & Display
The Realme GT 7 gets a design we have seen from the brand and that isn’t entirely a bad thing. You get a square camera module on the back with a red metal strip running around the boundary of the module along with the “Hyperimage+” branding also written in red.
Paired with the sky blue colour we got for review, the red accent gives it a contrasting look that’s definitely appealing to the eye. The red accent follows over to the power button as well which is another notable attention to detail.
While the frame is flat, it’s made of plastic but is given a brushed metal look and even in terms of in-hand feel, it doesn’t disappoint and doesn’t feel cheap by any means. The back is made of graphene cover infused with fiberglass with a matte finish which feels and looks quite premium.
However, the Realme GT 7 is quite large, thick, and noticeably heavy. If you prefer slimmer, lighter phones that are easier to use with one hand, this form factor might not be for you. For me though, it worked fine with the flat sides and it was grippy to hold.
The buttons on the right have a tactile feel and so do the Haptics which are tight and strong. At the top there’s the IR blaster along with a couple of mic openings.
Overall, the Realme GT 7 delivers a premium look and feels comfortable to hold in hand. It is also IP69 rated so a few splashes of water and some dust will not harm the device.
The stereo speakers are loud and clear, delivering crisp audio, especially in the treble and vocal ranges. However, the sound lacks depth and low-end punch, so if you’re after a bass-heavy experience, these might leave you wanting more.
Speaking of the display, the Realme GT 7 gets a 6.78-inch 1.5K LTPS AMOLED Display with 6000 nits peak brightness, 120Hz refresh rate, HDR 10+ and Dolby Vision support, and a 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut.
This display is sharp and vivid. The viewing angles are impressive while the brightness is excellent and handles direct sunlight with ease, so readability is never an issue with this panel.
You do get a couple of useful brightness related features as well, where you can enable Extra brightness so it gets brighter than the default values in conditions where high brightness is required.
Secondly, you can also set the lowest allowed brightness for when the device automatically drops the brightness in dark environments so it can go lower than the default values.
The display is also quite smooth and responsive. I did find it switching to 60Hz a little more often than it should when set to auto-select the Refresh Rate but that’s not a major issue.
Watching the content on this display was a treat. It supports not only HDR 10 but also the Dolby Vision format in the Netflix App which makes the colours look vibrant and the content sharper. The bezels, even though uneven, don’t look bad at all considering they are quite thin.
The optical fingerprint scanner worked as it should without any issues. It was fast, responsive, and accurate in detecting the print 10 out of 10 times.
Performance & Software
The Realme GT 7 is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 9400e processor, paired with up to 12GB LPDDR5x RAM and up to 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage.
The new Dimensity 9400e chipset isn’t short of a flagship chip in terms of daily use. It doesn’t show any signs of slowing down even during the heaviest of operations, such as gaming on the highest-end graphics possible in BGMI and Call of Duty Mobile.
The device does warm up a little after extended gaming which is normal, but it doesn’t lag one bit. Frame rates stay constant while the graphics look sharp in such titles. Some gaming features further elevate the experience, such as GT mode, Game focus mode, AI motion control, touch optimisation, and more.
Speaking of software, the device runs on Realme UI 6 based on Android 16 and if you are coming from a recent Oppo or OnePlus device, you’ll find the whole experience familiar. Pre-installed apps include the likes of Game Center, a Translate app, Theme Store, Clone Phone, Compass, App market, FinShell Pay, a stock Internet app, and a couple of more Realme’s own apps. Fortunately, these can be disabled at the user’s will and there’s no such adware that’ll bother you. There’s Glance for Realme as well which can also be disabled from the settings.
The animations are smooth and snappy which is expected considering this is a flagship chip and the software has been tuned well. Multitasking isn’t an issue either as it can handle everything you throw at it. Switching between apps was a breeze while RAM management was excellent, too.
There are a few Realme-exclusive features available, such as the ability to play audio from both a Bluetooth device and a wired device at the same time under the Realme Labs section.
Aside from that, there’s plenty of customisation options you’d expect from Realme UI including the new Flux themes, Always-on display with loads of styles, animation speed customisation, ability to separate or combine the quick settings and notifications shade, Live Alerts pill at the top for controlling music playback, seeing order status Swiggy and Zomato, etc., along with a Smart Sidebar, and more.
A couple of AI features, apart from Google Gemini, are also present, such as AI Smart Loop where you can drag a screenshot after capturing it to a set of apps you select for sharing it quickly. Then there’s the AI writer that can generate content for you or rework the existing content. The AI Studio app lets you generate a variety of image styles using your photo.
The AI speak feature recites the content on screen while AI summary can summarise the content on the screen and show it to you in a concise manner. Finally, there’s the AI planner feature where you can tap the back of your phone twice to activate it and it will then extract the information from your screen to find events and add them to your calendar on your behalf, thus saving you time.
The Gallery also has a set of AI features like the AI ultra clarity, AI eraser, unblur, AI glare remover, AI landscape, and a remove reflections features.
All these features work well and without any major issues but may not match your expectations at times. Some of these AI features are present exclusively in Realme devices as of now and you find them in Oppo or OnePlus phones, such as the AI smart loop, AI planner, AI glare remover, and AI landscape.
Connectivity performance of the handset was optimal, including that of Wi-Fi, 5G, Bluetooth, and NFC.
Battery Backup
The Realme GT 7 packs a 7000mAh battery with 120W Fast charging support and as you’d expect, the battery life of the device surpasses excellence. You can easily get a 2-day backup if you go light on it and even slightly more than that in certain use cases. Even if you go heavy, you’ll hardly be able to kill it in a day which is what happened while I was reviewing the device
Even with gaming, the device lasted me for around 1 day 16 hours with an 8-hour screen-on time (SOT) which is outstanding. I could easily touch the 10-hour mark for SOT without gaming and that too with a total usage time of close to 2 days.
My usage patterns mostly included Wi-Fi calls through WhatsApp, scheduled Always-on display (which would turn off during the night and turn on in the morning), scrolling through Instagram reels, browsing Chrome, watching YouTube, Netflix, chatting on apps like Telegram, Instagram and WhatsApp, and using Apple Music for music playback through the device’s speakers.
As for charging, the included 120W charger took the phone from 1% to 100% in almost an hour which is again excellent considering it’s a huge cell.
There’s a couple of charging features one can enable to extend the lifespan of the battery, such as the ability to limit charge to 80%, enable smart charging so the device adjusts the speed of charging per your habits, along with the regular power saver. You can also monitor your battery health, thanks to the built-in option provided in the software.
Cameras
The Realme GT 7 gets a triple rear camera setup, including a 50-megapixel f/1.8 Sony IMX906 primary camera with optical image stabilisation (OIS), a 50-megapixel f/2.0 Samsung JN5 telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom, and an 8-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide angle camera. There’s a 32-megapixel Sony IMX615 sensor on the front for selfies.
The shots from the primary sensor are decent in terms of how the colours are captured. They are vibrant and punchy in nature. However, the dynamic range could be better considering the shadows get too dark with highlights going for a toss in some scenarios. There’s a high level of detailing in the shot which further elevates the look of the photo.
Shots from the ultra-wide angle sensor don’t deviate too much from the main sensor in terms of colours which is a good characteristic. However, don’t expect a high level of detailing in such shots. The EDGE distortion could also have been handled better.
Portrait shots look too good considering the bokeh effect appears natural and the edge detection is spot on. However, the shot can appear darker in some scenarios as the white balance could be mishandled by the device at times. Aside from that, there’s a good amount of detail present in the shot.
2x zoom
Coming to the telephoto sensor, it supports 2x Optical Zoom and shoots excellent photos at that zoom level. The dynamic range gets slightly better in these photos over the shots from the main sensor. The detailing is also high.
1x zoom2x5x zoom10x zoom20x zoom
The details remain sharp and clear at 5x zoom, but things start to take a turn at 10x—images begin to look artificial due to noticeable software-based smoothening. Push it to 20x, the phone’s maximum zoom level, and the results get quite soft, as it’s entirely Digital Zoom by then, heavily relying on how well the software processes the image.
In addition, the device offers two shooting profiles—Vibrant and Crisp. The Vibrant mode produces brighter images, while the Crisp profile results in slightly darker shots. However, aside from the difference in brightness, I didn’t notice any significant variation in the level of detail between the two.
Crisp styleVibrant style
Under artificial lighting, the camera doesn’t disappoint once again. There’s a good amount of details in the photo while the colours appear highly vibrant. However, again, the photo can sometimes appear darker than it should. Further, the HDR can sometimes overcomplicate the colours under warm lighting conditions, making the shot look unnatural.
Under extremely low light conditions, the photos can begin to look soft with details going for a toss. Turning on Night mode does crank up the device exposure for better visibility but it doesn’t help with the detailing in the photo.
Night Mode OFF (left), Night Mode ON (right)
Finally, for selfies, you can expect crispy results as the sharpness of the photo is high. Portrait photos have accurate edge detection as well. Skin tones are handled decently with an overall natural colour profile for the shots, unlike the vibrancy in the photos shots from the rear sensors.
Airtel has announced the launch of all-in-one OTT entertainment packs for Airtel prepaid users. Launched as first-of-its-kind packs in the country, they offer access to a portfolio of 25+ top OTT platforms—including Netflix, JioHotstar, Zee5 and SonyLiv. “Airtel is the only telco in India offering such an extensive entertainment experience,” said the telco operator.
Airtel All-in-One OTT Entertainment Packs: Pricing, Features
Starting at an introductory price of Rs 279 for 1 month validity, customers will get access to a wide variety of popular streaming platforms, of value worth ₹750, making it the only telco to enable access to such a wide bouquet of OTT streaming options. The company has also bundled entertainment packs with unlimited 5G data and unlimited calls at Rs 598.
The Rs 279 plan is offered in two variants, where one can either claim a direct subscription via Airtel Xstream Play App or buy it as a Prepaid Content Only Packs where 1GB of data is also included for a month. These two plans offer Netflix Basic, Zee5, JioHotstar, and Airtel Xstream Play Premium for a month.
The Rs 598 plan offers the same OTT services for 28 days and includes unlimited calls and 5G data. The Rs 1,729 plan offers the same benefits as the Rs 598 plan but for a validity of 84 days.
By launching All-in-One OTT Entertainment packs for Airtel prepaid users, the company seeks to meet the changing entertainment preferences of its prepaid users. This enables them to experience international, Bollywood, and regional content in more than 16 languages, including their preferred shows, films, and original content without the complications of managing individual subscriptions.
Alcatel V3 Ultra, V3 Pro, and V3 Classic smartphones have been launched in India with NXTPAPER display technology. All the phones start with a sub-Rs 20,000 price tag. They have a MediaTek Dimensity 6300 Chipset under the hood. Here’s everything else to know about the devices.
Alcatel V3 Ultra: Price, Availability, Specs
The V3 Ultra starts at Rs 19,999 and comes in Ocean Grey, Hyper Blue, and Champagne Gold shades. It comes in two models: 6GB + 128GB and 8GB + 128GB which is priced at Rs 21,999. It will be available starting June 2 at 12 noon on Flipkart and consumers can avail special launch offer of Rs 2,000 discount with select bank cards during the initial sale period.
The device sports a 6.78-inch 1080 x 2460 pixels resolution screen boasting a 120Hz refresh rate. Under the hood, both phone draws its power from MediaTek’s Dimensity 6300 processor, paired with up to 8GB RAM and 128GB storage which is expandable up to 2TB.
On the back, it gets a 108MP f/1.8 primary camera, an 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide, and a 2MP f/2.4 macro lens. There’s a 32MP front sensor for selfies and video calls. The device features 33W Fast charging for a 5010mAh battery, along with NFC, a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, and an 3.5mm audio jack.
For wireless connectivity, there’s also 5G, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth v5.3, and GPS. It runs on Android 14 and is guaranteed to receive two OS upgrades and security patches until 2029. The device supports a single SIM, eSIM, along with a microSD card for storage expansion. It also gets stereo speakers.
Alcatel V3 Pro: Price, Availability, Specs
The Alcatel V3 Pro starts at Rs 17,999 for the sole 8GB + 256GB model and comes in Metallic Grey and Matcha Green shades. One can avail a discount of Rs 2,000 with select Band cards. Sale date remains identical to the V3 Ultra.
The Alcatel V3 Pro sports a 6.67-inch IPS LCD display with HD+ resolution 1600 x 720 pixels, 570 nits brightness, 267 ppi, NXTPAPER technology, and a Refresh Rate of 120Hz.
Then, it gets a dual rear camera system with a 50MP primary sensor and a 5MP ultra-wide angle sensor. There’s an 8MP sensor on the front for selfies. It packs a 5200mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging. The handset comes with a MediaTek Dimensity 6300 SoC under the hood paired with 8GB LPDDR4x RAM and 256GB of UFS 2.2 storage which is expandable up to 2TB via a microSD card.
It further gets a USB-C port for charging and support for USB 2.0 data transfer, alongside a 3.5mm Audio Jack and stereo speakers. There’s also, hybrid dual SIM 5G, Bluetooth v5.4, Wi-Fi 5, NFC, and GPS for wireless connectivity. It runs on Android 15 and sports a side-mounted fingerprint sensor. It will receive 3 major OS updates and 4 years of security patches.
The Alcatel V3 Classic starts at Rs 12,999 for the 4GB + 128GB model while there’s also an 6GB + 128GB trim that costs Rs 14,999. It comes in Cosmic Grey and Halo White shades. Sale date remains identical to the V3 Ultra and V3 Pro while you can avail a discount of Rs 1,000 on both variants.
The Alcatel V3 Classic sports a 6.67-inch IPS LCD display with HD+ resolution 1600 x 720 pixels, and a Refresh Rate of 120Hz. It lacks the NXTPAPER technology found in the other two V3 series phones.
Then, it gets a dual rear camera system with a 50MP primary sensor and a 0.08MP QVGA sensor. There’s an 8MP sensor on the front for selfies. It packs a 5200mAh battery with support for 10W standard charging. The handset comes with a MediaTek Dimensity 6300 SoC under the hood paired with up to 6GB LPDDR4x RAM and 128GB of UFS 2.2 storage which is expandable up to 2TB via a microSD card.
It further gets a USB-C port for charging and support for USB 2.0 data transfer, alongside a 3.5mm Audio Jack and stereo speakers. There’s also, hybrid dual SIM 5G, Bluetooth v5.4, Wi-Fi 5, and GPS for wireless connectivity. It runs on Android 15 and sports an IP54 rating. It does have Face Unlock but lacks a fingerprint sensor.
iQOO Neo 10 has been launched in India as the brand’s latest mid-range flagship with the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 under the hood, also making it the first device in India to launch with the chip. The device comes with a huge 7000mAh battery along with support for 120W fast wired charging as well. Here’s everything else to know about the device.
iQOO Neo 10: Price, Availability
The iQOO Neo 10 is priced at Rs 31,999 for the 8+128 GB variant, Rs 33,999 for the 8+256 variant, Rs 35,999 for the 12+256 GB variant, and Rs 40,999 for the 16+512GB variant. It will be available in two color options: Inferno Red and Titanium Chrome. Additionally, iQOO Neo 10 is available for pre-booking starting today and will go on sale starting June 3, 12 noon at iQOO e-store and Amazon.in. Customers who pre-book the iQOO Neo 10 will receive a complimentary iQOO TWS 1e.
Customers can avail following offers on purchasing the iQOO Neo 10:
Rs 2000 instant discount on select bank cards
Exchange bonus of up to Rs 4000 on eligible devices
The iQOO Neo 10 sports a 6.78-inch (2800 x 1260 pixels) 1.5K AMOLED 20:9 display with a 144Hz refresh rate, 5500 nits peak brightness, HDR, 360Hz touch sampling rate, 4320Hz PWM dimming, and P3 colour gamut support. The device packs the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 SoC and runs on Android 15-based FunTouchOS 15. It will receive 3 major OS updates and 4 years of security patches. The smartphone also houses up to 16GB LPPDR5x RAM and 512GB UFS 4.1 storage. The 8GB + 128GB model has UFS 3.1 storage.
For optics, the handset features a dual rear camera setup with a 50-megapixel f/1.8 Sony IMX882 sensor with OIS and an 8-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide angle lens. For selfies, the handset houses a 32-megapixel f/2.45 selfie camera.
Connectivity options include 5G dual SIM, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth v5.4, Dual-Band GNSS, IR blaster and NFC. It has dual stereo speakers and is IP65 rated as well. The handset also features an in-screen optical fingerprint sensor. For battery, the smartphone packs a 7000mAh silicon-carbon battery along with support for 120W fast wired charging.
Taiwan-based semiconductor giant MediaTek is sharply increasing its investments in India, betting on its engineering talent and growing digital economy to drive its next wave of innovation in artificial intelligence (AI), automotive, and EDGE computing technologies.
David Ku, the company’s Co-Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer, said India is now MediaTek’s second-largest global base, with 12 offices and a rapidly expanding team. While geopolitical factors have recently reshaped global supply chains, Ku said India’s value lies beyond just politics.
“The driver isn’t geopolitics — it’s talent,” Ku said to The Mobile Indian. “India has strong software capabilities, and we knew it even before setting up our second-largest R&D Centre in India. For us, a software-heavy semiconductor company, it’s a natural fit.”
Ku noted that MediaTek continues to invest heavily in India’s R&D infrastructure, especially in areas like AI frameworks, device software, and support for global edge computing initiatives.
“We see India not just as a market, but as a critical node in our global innovation network,” he said.
India as a Market: “Without a Doubt”
Ku emphasized that India, with its vast population and rapid digitization, is also a key growth market. MediaTek has been increasing its footprint in the country’s telecom and device ecosystems, including partnerships in IoT, 5G, and entry-level computing.
“India is without a doubt a major market,” Ku said. “That’s why we’re investing heavily — both in people and partnerships.”
However, he was cautious about India’s near-term potential as a semiconductor manufacturing hub. “On the foundry and packaging side, it will take time,” Ku said, citing talent gaps and the long lead times required to build a mature fabrication ecosystem. But on the software and R&D side, he is of the opinion that India can be a world leader.
From Smartphones to Smart Everything
Globally, MediaTek is moving aggressively to diversify beyond its traditional stronghold in smartphones — which still account for about 55% of its revenue — into high-growth areas like automotive and data center AI.
“We’re one of the few companies with a product portfolio that spans from edge to cloud,” said Ku. “From a $0.10 sensor to a $20,000 AI accelerator — that’s our range.”
The company invested about $4 billion last year in R&D and is allocating 15% of its current revenue to automotive technologies. MediaTek’s goal: build foundational platforms for intelligent vehicles, especially advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and AI-driven cockpit interfaces.
“We believe automotive will soon be a market even bigger than mobile,” Ku said.
AI-Native Future
Ku outlined a vision for “AI-native” computing — where devices no longer just run applications, but intelligently anticipate user needs through embedded AI agents.
“Think of AI as the new operating system,” Ku said. “Like the mouse changed how we interacted with DOS, AI will redefine how we interact with our devices.”
He pointed to AI use cases like virtual assistants that manage real-world tasks — booking a car based on traffic or scheduling reminders based on personal behavior — as examples of how edge devices are evolving.
MediaTek currently supports over 540 AI models on its platforms and sees edge AI as a key battleground, especially as generative AI models become more efficient and accessible.
Data Centers and Custom AI Models
MediaTek aims to generate $1 billion in data center-related revenue by 2026, as part of its strategic pivot. Rather than building large general-purpose models, the company is focusing on optimized chips for specific AI workloads.
“You don’t always need a trillion-parameter model,” Ku said. “For a smart car, you need a model that understands your vehicle, not the weather. It’s about context and efficiency.”
MediaTek’s AI platforms are also designed to support hybrid cloud-edge workflows, a necessity as AI adoption expands across consumer, enterprise, and industrial sectors.
New PC Ecosystems and AI Workstations
Ku also discussed MediaTek’s efforts to redefine the personal computing experience with “AI-native workstations,” particularly through Linux and open-source ecosystems. He expressed skepticism about current AI PCs from major OEMs, calling them more “Microsoft-native than AI-native.”
“There’s a market gap right now. People want AI features, but the software ecosystem isn’t ready. That’s why we’re focusing on building foundational, open AI platforms,” he said.
The company’s DG series devices, running Linux and capable of handling 200+ billion tokens locally, signal MediaTek’s intent to compete in a new category of high-performance edge devices.
Outlook
MediaTek’s multi-pronged expansion — from smartphones to smart cars, from India to AI-native computing — reflects a broader pivot within the semiconductor industry. With edge AI and domain-specific computing taking center stage, Ku believes MediaTek is well-positioned to lead.
“Computation, packaging, and communication — those are our core technologies,” he said. “We’re building for the next decade, not just the next quarter.
CMF came out with a trio of buds belonging to its Buds 2 series. While we have already reviewed the Buds 2, it is now time for the more pricier one, the CMF Buds 2 Plus, priced at Rs 3,299. Do these sound better than the Buds 2, and should you pay the asking price for them? We’ll answer that in our detailed CMF Buds 2 Plus review.
Design and Comfort
Design-wise, the Buds 2 and the Buds 2 Plus are not different from each other at all. The buds are the same shape and size, which makes them equally comfortable and also hard to distinguish from the cheaper buds and the original CMF Buds that came out last year.
The buds don’t sit loose in the ear, which is a good thing as they won’t fall out during workout sessions. The touch controls work the same as the Buds 2, with no single-tap gesture on offer. Apart from that, the gestures you can perform include double tap, triple tap, tap and hold, and double tap and hold, all of which are customisable.
The Buds are also IP55 rated, so handling dust, sweat, and splashes of water shouldn’t be an issue.
The case, on the other hand, features a sturdy spring-loaded opening mechanism that feels solid and well-built. Inside, there’s a dedicated button for pairing, while an LED light on the front indicates the battery and charging status for both the earbuds and the case. The magnets inside the case are also strong enough to keep the buds in place.
The case also has a dial on the top that can be used to attach a lanyard, but that’s about it. On the right side, it gets a USB-C port to top up the case.
Compared to the Buds 2, the case has a rubberised matte finish instead of the hard plastic matte finish, which makes this one feel slightly more premium to the touch. The light grey shade we received definitely has an eye-catching look, but due to the finish, the case could get dirty sooner than expected.
The only issue I faced with the case is that it didn’t charge the left earbud after I closed it and the earbud was still connected to my phone. In other words, the left earbud didn’t shut off even after it was in the case.
The CMF Buds 2 Plus packs 12mm LCP drivers and supports a Hi-Res LDAC audio codec as well. The support for a Hi-Res codec gives them the advantage over the CMF Buds 2, as the sound is crisper on the Buds 2 Plus and has more details to hear. During my CMF Buds 2 Plus review and the Buds 2 review, I could easily make out the difference in sound quality. I was using Apple Music for lossless audio playback, and the Buds 2 Plus clearly did better.
They don’t have the Dirac Opteo equaliser, but you can choose from other options, including a custom one, which I used during my testing. In terms of bass, the sound from the CMF Buds 2 Plus was even slightly better than the CMF Buds 2 Pro from last year.
The Buds 2 Plus’s bass sounded much more powerful, with those thumping vibrations, while the vocals were clear and the mids were also well defined. Ultra Bass technology further enhances the bass if that’s what you are into. Aside from that, they are loud enough and overall provide a balanced sound signature with no frequencies overlapping each other.
Coming to ANC, the buds support hybrid ANC up to 50dB, and it’s quite effective in most scenarios, except for cancelling out higher-pitched sounds, which do leak in at times. Noise like that of people talking around you, traffic noises, and other low-end Frequency sounds is kept out nicely. Wind noise was also handled decently by the earbuds, also thanks to Wind Noise Reduction 3.0.
The transparency mode, on the other hand, is a little muddy, as it has been with all the CMF earbuds I have tested so far. It works and does let in some ambient noise, but not as well as you’d expect a transparency mode to be.
The Nothing X app offers several useful features. You can turn the low lag mode on or off—it works best if you have a Nothing or CMF phone. In my experience, it handles gaming pretty well. There’s also in-ear detection and support for multi-device connectivity, both of which worked smoothly.
You can use the app to find your earbuds if they go missing or run an eartip fit test to ensure you’re using the right size and wearing them properly.
One of the touch gestures can be customised to launch ChatGPT for voice assistance with a single tap. That said, I didn’t use it much and preferred sticking to the usual touch controls like adjusting volume, skipping tracks, and switching between ANC and Transparency modes.
The app also includes a Spatial Sound feature that creates an echo chamber effect, making it feel like the audio is coming from different directions. This feature is decent for movies as it adds a layer of immersion, but it might not appeal to everyone for music.
Lastly, there’s a Personal Sound feature that customises the audio based on your hearing profile. It takes about 3 to 5 minutes to set up, but honestly, I preferred the sound with it turned off — it just felt more natural that way.
Call Quality, Battery Backup
The CMF Buds 2 Plus come with 6 mics (3 on each earbud) featuring Clear Voice Technology 3.0. The Buds 2 Plus certainly offer better call quality over the Buds 2. While they still cannot completely cancel out background noise during a call, they still do a better job than Buds 2 and moreover, my voice sounded clearer to the person on the other end.
The Buds 2 Plus are claimed to offer a 61.5-hour backup with the case and 14 hours with buds only. If you turn on ANC, these numbers, as per CMF, drop to 33 hours with case and 7.5 hours with buds only.
In my testing, the case fully charged the earbuds about two to three times before running out of juice. With around 3 to 4 hours of daily use—including calls, with ANC at high intensity and volume at 70 to 80%—the buds and the case easily lasted me a full week. That kind of battery life is seriously impressive.
As May 2025 concludes with significant launches like the Galaxy S25 Edge, June also appears promising with several major releases on the horizon. Here is a list of smartphones launching in June 2025, including both confirmed and anticipated debuts.
OnePlus 13s (India Launch)
As confirmed by OnePlus, the company will be launching its OnePlus 13s in India in June. It is expected to be a rebranded OnePlus 13T with a few changes in specifications. It will be available in three colours including Black Velvet, Pink Satin, and Green Silk. The OnePlus 13s could feature a 6.32-inch (2640 × 1216 pixels) AMOLED Display with 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, up to 1600 nits peak brightness, 2160Hz high-frequency PWM dimming, 240Hz touch sampling rate, 100% DCI-P3, and 460 ppi.
It packs the Snapdragon 8 Elite Processor paired with up to 12GB LPDDR5x RAM and up to 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage. The device gets a dual rear camera setup, including a 50MP Sony IMX906 primary camera with f/1.8 aperture, OIS, and 10-bit HDR, paired with a 50MP 2x telephoto Samsung JN5 sensor with an f/2.0 Aperture and up to 20X digital zoom.
At the front, there’s a 16MP f/2.4 front camera. The device is backed up by a 6260mAh battery with 80W SuperVOOC fast wired charging. For connectivity, you get 5G SA/NSA, Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), Bluetooth v5.4, Beidou, GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (G1), GALILEO (E1+E5a+E5b), QZSS (L1+L5), dual-antenna NFC, and a USB Type-C port.
The OnePlus 13s also features stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos, an in-display optical fingerprint sensor, IP65 rating, along with an IR blaster as well. The device runs on Android 15-based ColorOS 15 and will get 4 years of OS updates and 6 years of security patches.
OnePlus 13s: Launch Date (Confirmed)
The OnePlus 13s will launch in India on June 5, according to the confirmation by OnePlus.
OnePlus 13s: Price (Expected)
As for the expected price, the company could position it against the likes of Galaxy S24 FE, Vivo X200, and more, in the sub-Rs 60,000 price segment considering the OnePlus 13, which is the more powerful device, is selling for Rs 69,999 in the country.
Infinix GT 30 Pro (India Launch)
Infinix will also be amongst the brands who’ll have smartphones launching in June 2025. The Infinix GT 30 Pro will be positioned as a gaming phone in the country. The device has already launched in global markets, giving us a hint at what to expect from it in terms of specifications.
The smartphone sports a 6.78-inch FHD+ AMOLED screen with 144Hz refresh rate, up to 1100 nits brightness, 2340Hz PWM dimming and Corning Gorilla Glass 7i protection. It is powered by the Dimensity 8350 Ultimate Chipset paired with up to 12GB RAM and up to 512GB of storage. It runs on Android 15-based XOS 15 custom skin.
In terms of optics, it gets a 108MP f/1.9 primary sensor at the rear along with an 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle lens. At the front is a 13MP f/2.2 selfie sensor. Under the hood, it packs a 5500mAh battery with 45W wired and 30W wireless charging and 10W reverse wired and 5W reverse wireless charging support as well.
Connectivity options include 5G, 4G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, GPS, NFC, and a USB Type-C port. The phone is further IP64 rated and comes with an in-display fingerprint sensor, XBoost Gaming Engine, IR blaster, stereo speakers, and VC Cooling system.
Infinix GT 30 Pro: Launch Date (Confirmed)
The GT 30 Pro will launch in India on June 3 at 12 noon.
Infinix GT 30 Pro: Price (Expected)
The device costs MYR 1299 (approx Rs 26,000) for 12GB RAM + 256GB storage model and the 12GB RAM + 512GB storage version retails for MYR 1499 (approx Rs 30,200). One can expect similar pricing in India also.
OnePlus Nord CE 5 (India Launch)
Some reports suggest that the list of OnePlus smartphones launching in July 2025 will also include the Nord CE 5. While the exact details remain unconfirmed, it is expected that it could be a rebranded OnePlus Ace 5 Racing Edition that is yet to launch in China. As for specs, the device may get a 6.7-inch Full HD+ OLED display with a flat panel and a 120Hz refresh rate.
Under the hood, the Nord CE 5 is likely to be powered by MediaTek’s Dimensity 8350 chipset, paired with a 7,100mAh battery. The device is also expected to support 80W fast charging.
On the camera front, the phone might feature a dual rear camera setup with a 50-megapixel primary sensor (Sony’s LYT-600) and an 8-megapixel ultra-wide lens (Sony IMX355). A 16-megapixel camera could be there on the front. Additional features may include 8GB RAM, up to 256GB of storage, an in-display fingerprint sensor, an IR blaster, a hybrid SIM slot, and a single speaker.
OnePlus Nord CE 5: Launch Date (Expected)
It is expected that the Nord CE 5 may launch in India around mid-June. However, an exact date is yet to be announced.
OnePlus Nord CE 5: Price (Expected)
Price-wise, the Nord CE 5 could be priced at around Rs 25,000 according to OnePlus’ previous pricing trends. This is a speculative figure and should be taken with a grain of salt.
Vivo T4 Ultra (India launch)
Vivo T4 Ultra is also one of the smartphones launching in June 2025 according to leaks. It will be the successor to last year’s T3 Ultra and is likely going to sport a 6.67-inch, 120Hz pOLED display along with a Dimensity 9300 series chipset. It will also support 90W charging while the battery capacity remains unspecified as of now.
At the back, it will supposedly get a 50MP Sony IMX921 primary camera and a 50MP Periscope sensor. Details about other Sensors are scarce at the moment. The device will run on Android 15-based FunTouch OS 15 out of the box.
Vivo T4 Ultra: Launch Date (Expected)
Leaks suggest that the device will be announced in India in early June. However, an exact date hasn’t been confirmed.
Vivo T4 Ultra: Price (Expected)
We expect Vivo to price the device around Rs 35,000. However, this is a speculation and nothing has been confirmed on the brand’s part.
Poco F7 (India, Global launch)
Poco F7 will be amongst smartphones launching in June 2025 as the device has appeared at multiple certification websites, suggesting the device is likely going to launch soon. It is likely that the device is a rebranded Redmi Turbo 4 Pro, which sports a 6.83-inch (2772 x 1280 pixels) 1.5K 12-bit OLED 20:9 display with a 120Hz refresh rate, 480Hz touch sampling rate, up to 3200 nits peak brightness, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, 3840Hz PWM Dimming, Gorilla Glass 7i protection, and DC Dimming.
The device packs the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 SoC and runs on Android 15-based HyperOS 2.0. The smartphone also houses up to 16GB LPPDR5x RAM, 1 TB UFS 4.1 storage, and VC liquid cooling system. The device is IP66 + IP68 + IP69 rated.
For optics, the handset features a dual rear camera setup with a 50-megapixel Sony LYT-600 f/1.5 sensor with OIS and an 8-megapixel ultra-wide angle lens. For selfies, the handset houses a 20-megapixel OV20B f/2.2 selfie camera.
Connectivity options include 5G dual SIM, WiFi 7, Bluetooth v5.4, Dual-Band GNSS, IR blaster and NFC. It has dual stereo speakers. The handset also features an in-screen optical fingerprint sensor. For battery, the smartphone packs a 7550mAh silicon-carbon battery along with support for 90W fast charging.
Poco F7: Launch Date (Expected)
The Poco F6 launch date is still unknown as of now but the device will likely launch next month.
Poco F7: Price (Expected)
According to Poco’s past pricing patterns, the Poco F7 may debut under Rs 30,000 in India.
