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-   -   The Mobile Phone Thread - Queries, decisions, discussions all here (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/gadgets-computers-software/63048-mobile-phone-thread-queries-decisions-discussions-all-here-797.html)

45W fast charging is only reserved for S23+ and S23 Ultra. Vanilla S23, which I own, maxes out at 25W only.

Update on this issue. I just came back from my 5500km Ladakh roadtrip (for which the Pixel 7 was the primary camera). I switched to a Jio ESim prior to the trip. We had the following phones amongst my fellow travellers, both phones on Jio.

Realme X7 Max (Dimensity 1200)
Xiaomi 12 Pro (8 Gen 1)

Pixel consistently outperformed when it comes to 5G coverage wherever we went. On most occassions, the Realme and the Xiaomi wouldn't even detect a 5G network when the Pixel would give a 700MBPS speedtest.

On the 8th day, I was contemplating whether I made the wrong decision and ruing the fact that I had missed the 7 day return window. As I used the phone, I realized that only the signal strength being shown is low, the coverage was solid wherever it was available.

Anyone considering the Pixel 7, go right ahead. It is a solid performer across most areas apart from charging speed. But then again, charging speed is at par with iPhone and Galaxy S phones so if you are used to that, there is no issue with the Pixel 7 apart from the fact that the 7a is almost as good as the 7 at ~10k less.

Has anyone dealt with the following Website: https://www.cellcity.in/ or checked this guy in Mumbai?

The guy claims that he is selling Original Mobiles imported from Indonesia/Malaysia and is on OLX as well. He has put up a Mumbai Address:
Andheri East. Chakala Road, Gurudwara Nagar Colony, Mumbai - 400 056.

Example:
S23 Ultra: https://www.cellcity.in/specificatio...3%20Ultra.html

Is this a scam or are prices lower in Indonesia/Malaysia to this extent?

[Update]
Got my answer with little bit of Google search:
https://ie.trustpilot.com/review/cellcity.in

The prices posted there are too good to be true, & we all know when something is too good to be true, it is.

Debating between the Xiaomi 13 Pro and the Vivo X90 Pro. Anyone on this group who own these please share your views and experiences on these devices.

Some context:
I am an Android guy - so iPhone is ruled out.
S23 Ultra and S23+ are out of budget. S23 is too small to my liking.

From what I could make out:
Xiaomi 13 Pro Advantages:

• Samsung E6 Display Panel with LTPO and GG Victus + Dolby Vision
• Leica Tuned Cameras
• Higher PPI (552)
• SD 8 Gen 2 Processor
• 50 MP x 3 Cameras

Vivo X90 Pro Advantages:

• Lighter than 13 Pro and better weight balanced
• Zeiss Optics
• Historically Vivo cameras have been better than Xiaomi

Having checked out both these phones from a few friends of mine, I can say that while the cameras on X90 Pro may be a little better., the 13 Pro has a better battery life and a better performing processor, the display is also one of the best in its class too. Unless you hate MIUI and aren't too obsessed with the slightly better camera, the 13 Pro is the best option here.

What is your primary usage?
Do a comparison on GSMArena.com to make a better decision, since it lists out hardware pretty neatly. Vivo is a bit heavier, doesn't have wireless charging & has a Mediatek Processor (Deal breaker for me)

Instead of falling for these camera marketing craps, I would suggest to spend few minutes on this page of the GSMArena website and compare the photo quality of your desired phones then take an informed decision.




Mobile cameras are all about the software and AI based image processing. So whichever company has better database and R&D will win (for eg Google and Apple). Whereas camera hardware still hasn't grown enough to justify so much money to be spend just on the basis of the camera specs. Even the cheap Sony ZV E10 camera costing 60 thousand Rupees beats the best of the camera phones and will continue to do so for years.

Spending money on a dedicated camera is an investment if you have the usage of it whereas spending money beyond a certain limit on the smartphone is just a waste. You are forced to throw away all the other perfectly working hardware components of it Once the battery dies.

If the camera technology had advanced so much to make all of the hardware fit into a small package then the size of the professional cameras would have also gone down a lot smaller. Professionals will tell you the pain of holding and carrying their heavy camera rigs all day and how desperately they keep looking for the ways to reduce the weight and bulk.

Bigger sensors need bigger lenses as well which have to maintain appropriate distance from the camera sensors. This results into increasing the size of the camera further. Fitting all of it is not possible in the small smartphone size, atleast not in the near future. Few companies like Lumix tried to fit 1 inch sensor with a protruded lens in the 2015 but the phone failed in the market.

Sharing stories of two recent camera launches to understand why the size is important in the camera hardware. Camera division of Sony tried to fit the hardware of full frame mirrorless camera into a slightly smaller and lighter plastic body of the ZV-E1 than a conventional Alpha series cameras and the result is that camera has received bad fame of overheating during the video shooting sessions even before launching it in the all parts of the world.

On the other hand Nikon who has always played on conservative lines had a successful launch of Z8 which is capable of recording RAW 8K 60fps in the camera for longer lessons.

I have Pixel 6 and once faced the issue of camera throwing error of not allowing me to record in the 4K due to overheating. This is with someone like me who shoots in shorts bursts of just few minutes. On the image quality front, it beats the other camera phones around but still nowhere near my decade old APSC DSLR.

My current phone is a Redmi K20 Pro - so I do not have any issues with MI UI.

Is the Vivo heavier (vivo shows up as 214.9g)? GSMarena has given two weights for Xiaomi 13 Pro: 210 g or 229 g
Trackin Tech's Review showed the 13 Pro at 233g!



Thanks for sharing your views and I agree with what you say but my Panasonic Mirrorless GX-85 with Dual IS + 5-axis Image Stabilization has been sitting untouched now for more than a year well secured in its camera bag with 3 lenses including one Prime Lens. I used to be enthusiastic about carrying all this extra gear including a tripod before my son was born but post that with a younger kid around, somehow find it hard to carry anything extra anywhere, I go. Opinions do differ but, in my opinion - in real world usage what we carry where we go without thinking twice is the Mobile phone and so that's about it - rest is theory :)

The world seems to be heading in that direction too...

^that chart applies to cheap consumer digital cameras. The high end camera market is not so bad. Good camera on a phone is welcome but I always have a high quality digital camera that I use for occasions that I care about. I don’t use cameras with interchangeable lenses and other bulky gear etc. but prefer compact high end cameras like Fuji x100v, Leica Q, Sony RX1. These are very expensive point and shoot cameras but have saved me money by helping me not to fall for the so called high end camera phone trap. I do enjoy taking photos with a regular camera, so I don’t mind carrying a compact one with me. The cameras I listed above don’t make you look like a wildlife photographer at a family dinner. They also support super quick sharing etc through phone app.

I stopped using DSLR (interchangeable lenses in general) after I bought my Fuji X100T in 2014. That camera is still going strong.

I have nothing against high end camera phones but there is no need to think that digital cameras are clumsy, out of fashion or offer poor incremental value. Leica Q beats iPhone 99 Pro Max both in making a statement and image quality - for those who want to enjoy photography in the modern times.

Curious, what is wrong with your K20 Pro? I have one, but have cracked it's screen, which is still functioning flawlessly. On the camera front, it still produces decent images which can be uplifted with lightroom for wow category to share across.

Don't think I meant any of those words that you have called out - my only message is that there is a certain level of convenience that a camera on the smartphone brings which everyone is growing towards as the quality offered on the smartphone cameras have reached a level which people find acceptable and possibly shall we say impressive.

There is no debate on the quality offered by a regular camera vs a smartphone camera. Regular camera will win most of the time...

The updates have stopped but it has served me well for 3.5 years. Beyond a point an unsupported phone without updates becomes a risk given how the phone has also evolved into a payment device. So the point that BHPian tbppjpr made on "You are forced to throw away all the other perfectly working hardware components of it Once the battery dies." is very valid. While the point is not just about battery but it's about the software and the security updates part as well.

Then you should not look at anything else other than the Google Pixel lineup which come with the assured minimum 5 years of security updates at the earliest.

Also if you are really worried about the security then you should stay away from the phones made by the Chinese origin brands which have 'Chinese' version of the Android with the notorious history of dumping the data of users including SMS onto the servers registered on the name of Chinese government.

Very good point!

Sure, P&S is dead. That's settled for years now: who carries a separate camera for snapshots when the phone is there and phone cameras are improving all the time.

I only ever take a "real" camera out when I am going to photograph. And then I take camera with as many as five to six lenses!

(For travel, I go out with my camera and one or two zooms)

Hi all, needed advice on whether it's a good idea to buy a phone from Dubai and get it back to India. The phone I am looking at is either the Samsung S23 plus or the S23 ultra both are cheaper in Dubai.