Dropped around a week ago, this is the latest phone from Apple. As with any Apple, it costs an arm and a leg; in return, you get a chunk of metal and glass that is a slight improvement over the last generation. Under the hood, it runs Apple’s A16 Bionic chipset, with 6GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage. The back camera comprises a 48MP main camera, a 12MP 2x telephoto, a 12MP 3x telephoto, and a 12MP ultrawide. At the same time, the front camera is 12MP as well. The screen on the iPhone 14 is a 6.7-inch OLED with a 2796x1290-pixel resolution. Depending on your phone configuration, the entire thing weighs around 240g. It’s available in four colours of deep purple, gold, silver, and space black. iPhone has not bothered to jump to USB C yet, sticking to the Lightning connector on this phone. What is fascinating is that the charger is missing the new iPhone, and it will also be missing the SIM card tray in the US version of the phone. So, you can expect this inconvenience to appear in other brands in the future. The Indian version of the phone will now feature a SIM card tray. If you were expecting your cousin to pick one up for you from the US or buy one from the grey market for a bargain, remember that the SIM card tray may not be there anymore.

ASUS ROG 6 Pro

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ASUS constantly pushes the boundaries when it comes to their ROG phone, and the latest one is no different. The ROG 6 Pro comes only in their Storm White colour and features the latest Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset with an Adreno 730 graphic processor. The phone will have a whopping 18GB of LPDDR5 RAM and a maximum of 512GB of storage. The screen is a 6.78-inch 2448 x 1080 pixel AMOLED display with a 165Hz refresh rate. On the rear, the phone has a 50MP Sony IMX766 main camera, supported by a 13MP ultra-wide and a macro camera. In the front, there is a 12MP camera for selfies.

Since this is a gaming phone, there is a focus on the speakers here, with stereo sound and hi-res audio capabilities. Like any good Android phone, this comes with Dual 5G capable SIM slots. The phone also features its signature big battery, and this time it’s a 6000mAh with quick and PD charging support. Included in the box is a 65W fast charger. Despite all these features packed in, the phone still weighs under 250gms.  The phone, while launched abroad, is yet to launch in India, but ASUS is typically very competitive in its pricing, which makes the ROG a great deal. The downside is ROG has a very distinct gamer look, it has majorly toned down over every iteration of the phone, but it is still as flashy as you would expect it to be. There’s a programmable screen at the back, the digital design with geometric shapes instead of curves, and not to forget, the air triggers give it that gamer aesthetic. It’s not a look everyone will like, but under all of that, this phone is usually a great bargain.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra

If you are going to talk about flagships, then there is only one brand other than Apple you can’t miss: Samsung. The S22 Ultra is the Korean company’s latest and greatest. The S22 Ultra comes in three colours Phantom White, Phantom Black, and Burgundy. The phone runs on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 with 12GB of RAM and up to 1TB of Storage. It has a dual-SIM tray along with eSIM capabilities. The rear has a quad camera setup with a 108MP primary camera paired with a 10MP periscope telephoto, a 12MP ultra-wide, and a 10MP telephoto. The front camera is an equally impressive 40MP.

The display on the Samsung is 6.8-inches AMOLED 2X with a resolution of 3088 x 1440 pixels and a 120Hz refresh rate. The screen is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus +. Not to mention there is a built-in stylus hidden inside the phone’s body. The phone is supported by a 5000mAh battery that supports 45W fast charging. However, it must be said, like Apple, this one has done away with the bundled charger. The Samsung Ultras are typically great phones, but they generally perform well at everyday tasks while they cost a lot. The missing charger is a little annoying, but Samsung is one of those companies that follows Apple’s lead. You can expect the SIM card tray to disappear in the S23 Ultra or definitely the S24 Ultra whenever it releases. You aren’t wrong if you think this phone has been around for a while. Samsung typically releases flagships at the beginning of the year.

Oppo Find X5 Pro

Oppo has not launched their latest and greatest in India for a while now. They are still hawking the Find X2 Pro on their Web site, so the chances of the X5 Pro showing up here are very slim at best. However, this phone is a masterpiece, and its successor, which should be out by the end of the year, will have the new Snapdragon processor and a bunch of other rumoured upgrades. For now, let’s focus on the Find X5 Pro. There are a few focus points for this phone, first the camera. The cameras have the Hasselblad collaboration and added a special chip specifically for pictures called MariSilicon. The rear camera combines two 50MP cameras, one wide-angle and the other ultra-wide, and a 13MP telephoto. There is also a 32MP camera on the front for selfies. The phone runs the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage space. The screen is a 6.7-inch AMOLED that can dynamically change its refresh rate from 120Hz to 1Hz, depending on the application. It also has a resolution of 3216 x 1440 pixels. The screen is protected from Gorilla Glass Victus, and the rear of the white version is made out of Ceramic, making it highly scratch resistant. For power, it has a 5000mAh battery, which is two 2500mAh batteries working in tandem. Splitting the battery like this enables higher fast charging at 80W, and thankfully the charger is included in the package along with a cover that fits its unusual curves. Sadly, Oppo won’t launch this range in India anymore. Hopefully, that will change with the next iteration, but I wouldn’t hold my breath for it.