Tag Archives: Android

Mudita Minimalist Phone and Alarm Clocks Design a Calmer Day at CES 2026

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The day often begins and ends with a smartphone, from checking notifications before getting out of bed to scrolling in the dark when you should be asleep. Even people who care about design and well-being end up with glowing rectangles on every surface, and that constant presence quietly shapes attention, sleep, and mood more than most of us like to admit. The usual fix is another app that promises to help you use your phone less, which is like asking the problem to solve itself.

Mudita has been quietly building devices meant to step in where traditional smartphones can cause the most trouble. At CES 2026, that takes the form of three products: Mudita Kompakt, a minimalist E Ink phone, Mudita Harmony 2, a mindful alarm clock with an E Ink display, and Mudita Bell 2, an analog-style alarm clock with a few carefully chosen digital tricks. Together, they sketch out a different way to move through a day, keeping connections and routines intact while pushing screens out of the moments where you may choose to be “disconnected.”

Designer: Mudita

Mudita Kompakt: A Phone That Does Less on Purpose

Kompakt looks more like a small e-reader than a slab of glass, built around a 4.3-inch E Ink screen that is paper-like, glare-free, and easy on the eyes. It runs MuditaOS K, a de-Googled operating system based on AOSP, with only essential tools on board: calls, SMS, offline maps, calendar, up-to-date weather forecasts, music, notes, a meditation timer, and an e-reader. There is no app store by design, keeping the interface focused on what you planned to do instead of what a feed wants to show you next. But if you do need some very specific functionality, your favorite apps are just a sideload away.

Offline+ Mode physically disconnects the GSM modem and microphones, while also disabling Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and the camera, turning Kompakt into a sealed, offline device when needed. That hardware-level privacy goes beyond airplane mode, which matters when you want verifiable disconnection. Long battery life, up to six days on a charge, and both USB-C and wireless charging mean it can live on a desk or in a bag without constant topping up.

A dedicated Mudita Center desktop app handles contact syncing, music, and file transfers from a laptop, keeping the phone itself simple and uncluttered, its user experience reflecting its mission. As a primary phone for someone stepping away from feeds, it keeps communication and navigation intact while stripping away most reasons to pick it up mindlessly. As a secondary focus phone for anyone who wants to disconnect from the hustle of a smartphone, it can handle calls and texts without the usual app notifications to help nurture balance and peace of mind.

Mudita Harmony 2: A Bedroom Without a Smartphone Glow

Harmony 2 is an E Ink alarm clock with three physical knobs on top for light, volume, and alarm settings, designed to live where a phone usually sits on a nightstand. The E Ink display is easy to read and uses an adjustable warm backlight that minimizes blue light, so you can check the time at night without a blast of white light or the temptation to swipe through notifications that make it harder to fall back asleep.

The wake-up experience is built around a gradual, ascending alarm that starts softly and increases in volume, paired with a pre-wake-up light that mimics a sunrise by slowly brightening five to fifteen minutes before the main alarm. Harmony 2 offers seventeen melodies, including real nature sounds, and lets you enhance alarms with light or upload custom audio via the Mudita Center app. The goal is to make waking feel less like an interruption and more like a natural transition.

Extra features support a phone-free bedtime, Relaxation mode with customizable sounds and white noise, a Bedtime Reminder to nudge you into a consistent routine, a Meditation Timer with gong sounds, and a Power Nap Mode. With over forty days of battery life and USB-C charging, Harmony 2 can stay on a nightstand without becoming another device you plug in every night, reinforcing the idea that the bedroom can be a low-tech space.

Mudita Bell 2: Analog Mornings with a Few Smart Tricks

Bell 2 is the more analog-leaning sibling, an alarm clock with a clear, minimalist dial and an internal quartz mechanism, but also an E Ink display and a light-enhanced gradual alarm. It offers nine gentle melodies and a pure-tone alarm that starts quietly and grows to a set volume, plus a warm wake-up light that can be activated before the alarm to mimic sunrise, easing you out of sleep without a harsh jolt.

A built-in meditation timer starts and ends sessions with a gong, and the deliberate absence of Wi-Fi or Bluetooth means Bell 2 does not compete for attention or add to the ambient connectivity load in the room. It runs on a 2,600 mAh rechargeable battery that can last up to six months on a full charge, with USB-C for the rare times it needs topping up. It is designed to be set and then mostly forgotten.

Bell 2 has been awarded a Platinum Calm Technology Certification, recognizing products that respect attention and promote well-being. Available in charcoal black and pebble gray, it is meant to blend into different interiors while still feeling like a considered object. In a home shaped by Kompakt and Harmony 2, Bell 2 completes the picture: a simple, focused object that reflects Mudita’s belief that technology can be present without being intrusive.

Mudita at CES 2026: Technology for Mindful Living

Together, Kompakt, Harmony 2, and Bell 2 create intentional, screen-free moments throughout the day; focused time on the go with Kompakt, a calmer evening and wake-up routine with Harmony 2, and a simple, analog-leaning start to the morning with Bell 2. None of these is meant to replace a smartphone entirely. Instead, they offer a considered alternative for the moments when a screen adds little value. This is an approach that stands out at CES, where innovation is often defined by more features, rather than more thoughtful use.

The post Mudita Minimalist Phone and Alarm Clocks Design a Calmer Day at CES 2026 first appeared on Yanko Design.

Honor Magic8 Pro Review: Brilliant Night Shots, Big Battery, Built to Last

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PROS:


  • Versatile camera system with great low-light performance

  • Comfortable ergonomics

  • Comprehensive AI features

CONS:


  • Some users will prefer a completely flat screen instead of the gentle curve.

  • Slower shutter speeds, especially in low light

  • No teleconverter-style telephoto option like some close rivals offer

RATINGS:

AESTHETICS
ERGONOMICS
PERFORMANCE
SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

The Honor Magic 8 Pro feels like a carefully considered flagship, not a spec stunt. It mixes bold battery life, a genuinely comfortable design, and a playful yet reliable camera system with impressive low light performance, then adds long-term software support to tie it all together.

You might already have seen the Honor Magic 8 Pro, and you might already know all the specs. You might have caught its debut in China or noticed it arriving in parts of Asia and the Middle East last year. Now, Honor is finally bringing this big battery, big camera flagship to Europe, where it steps onto a larger global stage.

On paper, the Honor Magic 8 Pro is all about a trio of promises. It leans on a suite of AI features that aim to make the phone feel smarter and more helpful in the background. It builds around a camera system that claims strong low-light performance and long-range telephoto power. It wraps everything in a premium OLED display that is bright, sharp, and clearly meant to impress the moment you turn it on.

Aesthetics

At first glance, the Honor Magic 8 Pro looks like a confident evolution of modern flagship trends rather than a radical break. It will look very familiar if you have seen the Honor Magic 7 Pro, with a similar silhouette and camera layout that signal continuity rather than reinvention. The proportions, curves, and overall stance feel like a refined second draft rather than a fresh sketch, which can be reassuring if you liked the previous generation.

Honor uses a large camera island that feels more like a sculpted element than a simple bump, and the overall back design reads as deliberate and composed rather than purely functional. The round camera unit sits on a raised, rounded square plate with ring chamfers, which adds depth and a sense of jewelry-like layering when light hits the edges. The black camera unit houses four circles, three of which are actual cameras, plus a small oval-shaped LED flash that tucks neatly into the composition instead of looking like an afterthought.

Color choices for the Magic 8 Pro include Sunrise Gold, Sky Cyan, and Black. The black unit I received features a matte, frosted glass-like finish that feels understated and professional in the hand. The other two color options also use a matte finish, but they add a subtle wave-like pattern, which gives the phone a more playful, tactile character. All three color variants use a color-matching camera island base and side frame, which helps the phone read as a single, continuous object rather than a sandwich of mismatched parts.

Ergonomics

The Honor Magic 8 Pro measures 161.15 mm x 75 mm x 8.4 mm, and weighs 213 g, which puts it on the lighter side of premium flagship smartphones in this size class. The slightly narrower width and relatively low weight make one-handed use more manageable than you might expect from a phone with such a large display and battery. Honor also sticks with a curved screen while many premium flagships have moved back to flat panels, yet the curve here is very slight, so it feels like it borrows the best parts of both approaches without the usual drawbacks.

The curvature of the side frame and back is carefully tuned, which matters a lot for comfort over a full day. The edges of the otherwise flat side frame curve just enough to soften the contact points without creating a slippery, knife-like profile that digs into your palm. The back panel has a gentle bow that nestles into your hand and helps the phone feel slimmer than the numbers suggest, even when you use it without a case.

Button placement is conventional, with the volume rocker and power button located on the left side where your fingers naturally rest. These are joined by a new AI button placed just below, which works a bit like the camera button on an iPhone and gives you quick access to Honor’s smart features. The AI key is slightly raised and has a distinct click that helps avoid accidental presses, and the ultrasonic fingerprint scanner sits high enough on the display that unlocking and general use feel smooth and natural.

Performance

Honor gives the Magic 8 Pro a 6.71-inch LTPO OLED panel with a 1.5K resolution of 2808 x 1256 px and a 120 Hz refresh rate. The company claims 6,000 nits of HDR peak brightness and 1,600 nits of global peak brightness, and while you will not see those numbers all the time, outdoor visibility is excellent even under strong sunlight. In everyday use, the screen feels crisp, fluid, and bright enough that you rarely have to think about legibility or glare.

The panel supports 1.07 billion colors and covers 100 percent of the DCI P3 wide color gamut, so photos and video look rich and saturated without instantly blowing out detail. Color profiles and temperature sliders let you nudge the tone toward either punchy or more neutral, depending on your taste. It is an easy display to enjoy, whether you are scrolling social feeds, reading long articles, or watching HDR content in a dark room.

Honor also pushes very hard on eye comfort. The Magic 8 Pro stacks features like 4320 hertz PWM dimming, Circular Polarized Display 2, Chip Level AI Defocus Display, Dynamic Dimming, Circadian Night Display, Natural Tone Display, and Motion Sickness Relief. These are meant to reduce eye fatigue, support healthier sleep patterns, and adjust color temperature more intelligently over the course of the day.

Audio gets similar attention. The Magic 8 Pro features dual speakers with a large 8 cubic centimeter sound chamber and Honor’s own spatial audio algorithms, which together offer a richer and deeper sound than you might expect from a slim phone. Volume is strong enough for video watching and gaming, and there is a satisfying sense of width and body to music and dialogue.

Portrait Mode

The Honor Magic 8 Pro’s camera system is built to impress on paper and feels very capable in real use, especially once the light starts to drop. At the hardware level, you get a triple rear setup built around a 50 MP main camera with an f/1.6 aperture, a 1/1.3 inch sensor, optical image stabilization, and CIPA 5.5 rated shake compensation. This is joined by a 50 MP ultra wide with an f/2.0 aperture and a 122 degree field of view, plus a headline-grabbing 200 MP telephoto with an f/1.6 aperture, a 1/1.3 inch sensor, optical image stabilization, and CIPA 5.5. Turn it around, and you find a 50 MP front-facing camera for selfies and video calls. Beyond the hardware, Honor has pushed its AiMage system with upgraded image engines that aim to improve detail, color, and low-light performance across all lenses.

The main camera and the telephoto handle most everyday scenes well, with good dynamic range, pleasing color accuracy, and a natural look that avoids heavy over-sharpening. Skin tones in particular look natural, which helps portraits feel more believable and less filtered, even when taken with the phone. Focus is quick and decisive in most situations, so you can frame and shoot without feeling like you are waiting on the phone.

Ultra-wide

In low light, the processing leans toward brightening the entire scene, often making it look noticeably more illuminated than what you actually see with your own eyes, while highlights stay well controlled, so streetlights and signs do not immediately blow out. The trade-off is that shutter speeds tend to be on the slow side, whether you use Night mode or stick with the standard Photo mode, yet stabilization works very well, so handheld shots still come out sharp more often than you might expect from the exposure times involved.

Honor also layers on a few creative tools that make the camera feel more playful. Magic Color gives you professional-like color tuning in a single tap, letting you mimic golden hour warmth or blue hour coolness even when you are not shooting at those exact times of day. Moving Photo now includes Motion Trail, Motion Clone, and Slow Motion effects, which let you capture a bit of motion around your subject and then stylize it without leaving the gallery, so everyday scenes can turn into something closer to a mini motion poster.

Video recording is similarly flexible, though not perfect, with the main camera able to shoot up to 4K at 120 frames per second, while the rest of the rear cameras and the front-facing camera are capped at 4K at 60 frames per second. Stabilization and exposure are solid, but colors can look a bit washed out compared to still photos, and while there is a Log recording option for more serious creators, it is limited to the main camera and only up to a 2x zoom range.

Magic Color – Warm Sunset

Motion Clone

Motion Trail

Inside the Magic 8 Pro, Qualcomm’s latest top-tier processor, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, paired with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, handles everything you throw at it. It is built for high performance in both traditional workloads and AI-heavy tasks. Day-to-day navigation feels snappy, with apps opening quickly and multitasking between social networks, messaging, and media happening without visible stutter. Even with many background apps, the phone maintains a fluid feel that matches its premium positioning.

Honor gives the Magic 8 Pro a dedicated AI button and plenty of AI features, including tools for image editing and productivity. A long press on the AI button analyzes whatever is on screen and suggests context-aware actions such as Circle to Search, AI Photo Agent, AI Summary, and Blur Private Info. It does not always guess exactly what you want, yet it genuinely reduces the number of steps between seeing something on screen and acting on it, which makes AI feel like a physical part of the phone rather than just another icon in the app drawer.

If you do not fancy AI, you can still customize its behaviour, so a single press, double press, or press and hold can trigger different actions. That flexibility turns the AI button into a handy shortcut for whatever you use most, whether that is voice control, the camera, or a specific app you open dozens of times a day. Over time, it starts to feel less like a novelty and more like a small, well-placed tool that quietly adapts to your habits rather than forcing you into a specific way of using the phone.

The Magic 8 Pro packs a 6,270 mAh silicon carbon battery, which is still huge by flagship standards even if it is not quite as oversized as some of the more extreme phones on the market. In everyday use, that capacity translates into very comfortable endurance, with enough headroom to get through a heavy day and, for lighter users, even stretch into a second. Charging is handled by HONOR SuperCharge at up to 100 W wired and up to 80 W wireless, so topping up never feels like a chore, whether you plug in or drop it on a stand.

Sustainability

Honor approaches sustainability on the Magic 8 Pro through durability and longevity rather than bold recycled material claims. The phone carries IP68, IP69, and IP69K ratings, so it is protected against dust, immersion, and even high-pressure water jets, which makes it easier to treat as a true everyday object instead of something fragile. On the front, the HONOR NanoCrystal Shield promises up to ten times better drop resistance than conventional glass and is backed by an SGS 5 Star Drop Resistance Certification, which should help it survive the usual pocket and desk-level accidents with fewer scars.

Software support is the other major part of the story. Honor promises seven years of OS updates for the Magic 8 Pro, which puts it among the longest supported Android phones and encourages you to keep it far beyond a typical two or three-year cycle. Combined with the robust build and strong water resistance, that long support window turns the Magic 8 Pro into more of a long-term device and less of a short-lived gadget, which is a practical, user-friendly angle on sustainability.

Value

In the UK, the Honor Magic 8 Pro is priced at £1,099.99, around $1,350, for the model with 12 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage. That puts the phone firmly in the ultra-premium flagship space, yet the pricing is aggressive in a quiet way when you line it up against the obvious rivals. An iPhone 17 Pro Max with 512 GB of storage sits noticeably higher on the price ladder, and a Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra with 512 GB tends to land in a similar or slightly higher bracket once you match storage. Honor counters with a bigger battery, a well-balanced, great-performing camera system, and very fast wired and wireless charging, which helps the package feel competitive even without the same brand pull.

If you look at closer competition, the Magic 8 Pro sits more naturally alongside phones like the Vivo X300 Pro and Oppo Find X9 Pro. All three offer well-rounded flagships with industry-leading camera performance and a strong focus on telephoto. Both the Vivo X300 Pro and Oppo Find X9 Pro add teleconverter-style lenses for extra flexibility, while Honor leans on well-integrated AI features, a display with one of the most complete eye comfort feature sets on the market, and long software support to make its case.

Verdict

The Honor Magic 8 Pro feels like a very confident statement from Honor. It is not chasing a single headline spec at the expense of everything else. Instead, it combines a sleek design, a genuinely comfortable in hand feel, a bright and eye-friendly display, and a camera system that is both capable and fun, then backs it all with a huge battery and long-term software support.

It is not perfect. Video colors could be richer in some scenarios, the shutter can feel slow, and the price is firmly in ultra-premium territory. Yet when you look at the full package, especially the 6,270 mAh battery, the long OS support, the AI implementation, and the well-tuned cameras, the Magic 8 Pro stands out as one of the more thoughtful big flagships of this cycle. If you want a phone that looks and feels high-end, lasts all day and then some, and leans into AI without feeling gimmicky, this is a very easy device to recommend.

The post Honor Magic8 Pro Review: Brilliant Night Shots, Big Battery, Built to Last first appeared on Yanko Design.

Realme 16 Pro+ Review: Naoto FUkusawa Helped Make a Battery Beast Beautiful

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PROS:


  • Sleek design by Naoto Fukusawa

  • Strong portrait camera performance for the price range

  • Huge 7,000mAh battery with 80W wired charging

CONS:


  • Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 is carried over from the previous generation

  • No wireless charging

RATINGS:

AESTHETICS
ERGONOMICS
PERFORMANCE
SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

By combining Naoto Fukasawa’s Urban Wild design with a 7000 mAh battery and a sharp 200 MP portrait camera, realme 16 Pro+ proves that refinement and stamina can matter more than chasing raw benchmark numbers.

The realme 16 Pro+ seems to be a modest upgrade in the company’s Number Series. While it is not packed with major improvements in every area, it tries to win you over as a well-rounded package built around design, battery life, and cameras. On paper, it still reads like a wish list: a 200 megapixel main camera with 3.5x telephoto, a 6.8 inch 144 Hz AMOLED display, a 7000 mAh battery with 80 W charging, IP68 and IP69 protection, and a Naoto Fukasawa-designed back made from bio-based silicone.  

It also arrives with a few important caveats. The Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 chipset is carried over from the realme 15 Pro rather than being a big step up, and the rumoured pricing pushes the 16 Pro+ toward affordable flagship territory rather than a classic, value mid-ranger. That raises a clear question. Does the mix of master level design, big battery stamina, and creator-focused camera hardware do enough to justify the price, or are you better off with a more conventional spec monster? We took a closer look.

Designer: Naoto Fukasawa x realme

Aesthetics

For the realme 16 Pro+, realme partnered again with world-renowned product designer Naoto Fukasawa. The brand has previously collaborated with Fukasawa on the realme X Master Edition, X2 Master Edition, GT Master Edition, and GT2 Pro Master Edition, and this new phone continues that lineage. The design fuses natural elements with contemporary style in what realme calls the Urban Wild Design, aiming to bring a calmer, more tactile character to a very modern device.

The Urban Wild Design is articulated through a deliberate contrast of the mirror-polished camera deco set against a natural texture back panel. The back is built around what realme calls a Metal Mirror Camera Deco, a mirror finish metal plate that frames the lenses like a piece of jewellery on top of a matte, softly grained surface. The back panel uses a bio-based organic silicone derived from plant-based straw, processed with an eco-friendly method that the brand positions as an industry-first eco material. The result is a surface that feels soft, finely textured, and grippy, with a visual warmth and calmness you do not usually get from glass or glossy plastic.  

The 16 Pro+ comes in two colors in most markets. Master Gold is described as the soft golden glow of ripened wheat, with a gentle shimmer that catches the light without looking flashy. Master Black is inspired by the smooth, muted sheen of river pebbles, giving a more understated and refined look. Each variant features a color-matched mirror-polished camera bump and side frame, so the camera island, mid frame, and back panel read as one coherent piece rather than separate parts.

Ergonomics

On paper, the realme 16 Pro+ is not a small phone, yet it feels more considered than the raw numbers suggest. The phone is 8.49 mm thick and weighs 203 g, which puts it firmly in the large phone camp without feeling unwieldy. The square camera bump does not protrude too much, and its sloped edges merge into the back panel to create a smooth transition. The back panel resists fingerprints and smudges quite well, though the glossy camera bump is a different story and picks up marks easily.  

Thanks to the balanced weight and the gentle flow from the slightly curved display to the slightly curved side frame to the slightly curved back panel, the phone is very comfortable to hold in the hand. The volume rocker and power button are positioned where they are easy to reach, so basic controls fall naturally under your fingers. The fingerprint scanner, on the other hand, sits close to the bottom edge of the screen, which makes the move from unlocking the phone to actually using it feel a bit less smooth than it could be.

Performance

Since there was no Pro+ version of the realme 15, there is no direct predecessor of the realme 16 Pro+, but many specs are unchanged from the realme 15 Pro, including the chipset. The 16 Pro+ is powered by Snapdragon 7 Gen 4, Qualcomm’s upper mid-range chipset. While it does not deliver brute flagship power, it is more than strong enough for long gaming or browsing sessions without noticeable throttling. In daily use, the chipset has no trouble keeping up with realme UI 7.0, based on Android 16. Swiping through the 144 Hz interface feels fluid, apps open quickly, and multitasking between social media, messaging, and browsing remains consistently smooth.

The realme 16 Pro+ features a 6.8-inch AMOLED display with a 1280 by 2800 resolution and up to 144 Hz refresh rate. According to the spec sheet, it supports a 240 Hz touch sampling rate, 1.07 billion colors, 100 percent DCI P3 coverage, a 5,000,000 to 1 contrast ratio, and a peak brightness of 6500 nits. It is a sharp, bright, and vibrant panel that looks flagship-grade and comfortable in day-to-day use.

Realme brings a 200 megapixel camera to its Number Series for the first time. The triple camera setup consists of a 200 MP main camera, a 50 MP 3.5x telephoto camera, and an 8 MP ultra wide camera, with a 50 MP front-facing camera handling selfies. In the camera app, you can choose between Vibrant and Natural color modes for the rear cameras, depending on whether you prefer punchier social media-ready shots or a more restrained look.

The 23 mm equivalent 200 MP main camera uses Samsung’s HP5 sensor with an f/1.8 aperture lens and both optical and electronic image stabilisation. It can capture very detailed shots with a wide dynamic range in good lighting conditions, and stabilisation helps keep images sharp when light levels drop. In the standard Photo mode, you also get an AI composition feature that analyses your framing and suggests small adjustments for a stronger composition, nudging you to tilt, reframe, or shift your subject for a more balanced shot. This tool is not available in Portrait mode, but it is genuinely helpful for quick point-and-shoot photography.

The 80 mm equivalent 50 MP 3.5x telephoto camera uses Samsung’s JN5 sensor behind an f/2.8 aperture lens, again with OIS and EIS. Portrait mode lets you shoot at 1x, 1.5x, 2x, 3.5x, and 4x, and results across these focal lengths are consistently strong, with pleasing separation and natural-looking depth. realme also packs in a wide range of dedicated Portrait filters, so you can switch between more cinematic, vintage, or punchy looks without leaving the mode.

The 15 mm equivalent 8 MP ultra wide rounds out the rear trio. It does the job for landscapes, interiors, and group shots, but image quality is more functional than exciting, with less detail and dynamic range than the main and telephoto cameras. On the front, there is a 50 MP OmniVision OV50D selfie camera with an f/2.4 aperture lens. This is unusually ambitious for the class. It can capture crisp selfies with plenty of detail.

As for video, the main and front-facing cameras both support 4K recording at up to 60 FPS. The telephoto and ultrawide cameras are limited to 1080p at 30 FPS, which feels a bit disappointing on the telephoto side, especially given how capable it is for stills. It would have been nice to see at least 4K 30 fps from the zoom camera to fully match the rest of the system.

realme 16 Pro+ is built around a huge 7000 mAh battery, and you feel that capacity in day-to-day use. With this much headroom, it comfortably handles a full day of heavy messaging, social media, camera use, and streaming, and lighter users can easily stretch into a second day without reaching for the charger. When you finally do need to charge, the 80 W wired charging support keeps downtime short.

Sustainability

realme 16 Pro+ makes a stronger effort on sustainability than many mid-range phones. The most visible element is the back panel material. Instead of conventional petroleum-based plastic or glass, realme uses a bio-based organic silicone derived from plant-based straw, processed through an eco-friendly method. It is designed to be safer for the skin, gentler on the environment, and more resistant to aging, dirt, and wear, which should help the phone look fresh for longer and reduce the urge to replace it early.

Durability also plays into sustainability. The phone carries both IP68 and IP69 ratings, meaning it is tested for dust tightness, immersion in water, and high-pressure water jets. In practical terms, that level of protection makes the 16 Pro+ far more likely to survive everyday accidents, from rain and spills to brief drops into water. A device that shrugs off this kind of abuse is less likely to be written off early, which again extends its usable life.

On the software side, realme commits to three years of Android OS updates and four years of Android security patches. That is not at the very top of the industry, but it is long enough that you can realistically keep the phone for a full contract cycle and beyond without falling behind on major features or basic security. Combined with the durable hardware and more sustainable back panel material, it makes the 16 Pro+ feel like a phone designed to be used hard and kept in service rather than quickly replaced.

Value

At the time of writing, realme has not confirmed official pricing, but multiple leaks suggest the realme 16 Pro+ will start at INR 39,999 (around $445) for the 8 GB and 128 GB variant. The 8 GB and 256 GB model is rumoured to land at INR 41,999 (around $470), while the 12 GB and 256 GB version could reach INR 44,999 (around $500).

If these figures hold, the 16 Pro+ will sit at the upper end of the mid-range bracket, nudging into affordable flagship territory. In that context, the phone’s value depends on what you care about most. For users who prioritise a premium design, camera versatility, a truly huge 7000 mAh battery, a bright 144 Hz AMOLED display, and sustainability, the package looks competitive.

Verdict

realme 16 Pro+ is not a revolution for the Number Series, but it is a carefully tuned evolution that leans into design, cameras, and battery life instead of chasing raw specs in every direction. The Naoto Fukasawa Urban Wild Design, bio-based silicone back, and Metal Mirror Camera Deco give it a distinctive look and feel, while the solid ergonomics and IP68 plus IP69 ratings make it more robust than many mid-range rivals. Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 is familiar rather than exciting, yet in practice, it keeps realme UI 7.0 and the 144 Hz AMOLED display running smoothly, and the 7000 mAh battery with 80 W charging turns it into a genuine all-day workhorse.

As for the camera, the realme 16 Pro+ consistently turns out pleasing portraits across its various focal lengths, with good subject separation and flattering rendering. The front-facing camera also performs well. Where things get complicated is value, because the rumoured pricing nudges the 16 Pro+ into premium mid-range territory rather than classic budget-friendly mid-range. If you prioritise a phone that looks and feels special, lasts comfortably through heavy days, and gives you reliable portrait and selfie performance, realme 16 Pro+ makes a strong case for itself even as a modest generational upgrade.

The post Realme 16 Pro+ Review: Naoto FUkusawa Helped Make a Battery Beast Beautiful first appeared on Yanko Design.

Punkt. MC03 Is a Smartphone You Buy With Money, Not Your Data

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Most phones make a familiar bargain: free services and slick apps in exchange for constant tracking, profiling, and data being treated as currency. The line about how if you do not pay for the product, you are the product, has gone from cliché to lived reality. Punkt. has been quietly pushing back against that logic for years, starting with minimalist feature phones and now moving into full touchscreen territory with the same philosophy intact.

The Punkt. MC03 is a premium secure smartphone designed in Switzerland and built in Germany, running AphyOS instead of mainstream Android skins. It is subscription-based by design; you pay for the OS and services, so you are not paying with your data. The pitch is simple: a modern, fully capable phone where privacy is the default, not a buried settings menu you hope you configured correctly.

Designer: Punkt.

AphyOS splits the phone into two spaces. Vault is the calm, minimalist home screen with Punkt. curated, privacy-friendly apps and Proton services, a hardened enclave for mail, calendar, messaging, and files. Wild Web is a swipe away, where you can install any app you want, but each one lives in its own privacy bubble, with clear controls over what data flows where and who gets to see it.

The interface is deliberately color-free and stripped back. Icons are simple, backgrounds are monochrome, and the whole thing is designed to reduce visual noise and cognitive load. The idea is to make the phone feel less like a slot machine and more like a tool, nudging you toward intentional use instead of endless scrolling, without taking away the apps you actually rely on for work or getting around.

Privacy tools include Digital Nomad, the built-in VPN that protects connectivity on the move, and Ledger, which lets you dial app-specific permissions from full access to full restriction, even showing the carbon impact of background activity. The MC03 can be de-Googled, reducing reliance on Google Mobile Services, and Proton Mail, Drive, VPN, and Pass live in Vault, reflecting a Swiss Tech ethos where you pay to retain your data.

The hardware is quietly competent, a 6.67-inch FHD+ OLED at 120 Hz, a 64 MP main camera with ultra-wide and macro companions, dual stereo speakers, and a removable 5,200 mAh battery with 30 W wired and 15 W wireless charging. It is IP68 rated and manufactured at Gigaset’s German facility, leaning into durability, repairability, and a European supply chain as part of the trust equation, not just marketing.

The MC03 is talking to people who are tired of feeling like their handset is a tracking device with a screen attached, but who do not want to retreat to a feature phone. It suggests a different path, a smartphone that still does all the smartphone things, but asks you to pay for the privilege of keeping your data yours, and makes that trade-off feel intentional instead of hidden. For anyone looking for an alternative to the usual iOS or Android bargain, Punkt. keeps building that alternative, one monochrome screen and one Swiss principle at a time.

The post Punkt. MC03 Is a Smartphone You Buy With Money, Not Your Data first appeared on Yanko Design.

This CMF Phone Mini Concept Is The Compact Android Fans Have Been Begging For

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The market for compact smartphones didn’t disappear because people stopped wanting them; manufacturers simply decided the economics didn’t justify the engineering. The iPhone 13 mini was the last great holdout, and its discontinuation left a void that has been filled with nothing but silence. That makes this CMF Phone Mini concept, posted by designer Preet Ajmeri on the Nothing Community forum, feel less like a flight of fancy and more like a genuine market opportunity. It suggests a smarter middle path for small phones, one built around accessibility and modularity rather than specs-sheet maximalism. This isn’t just another shrunken flagship render; it’s a thoughtful take on what a small phone in 2025 ought to be.

What makes Ajmeri’s concept work is its complete lack of flagship pretension. The design has a satisfying, tool-like quality, with an aesthetic that leans closer to a Braun appliance than a miniaturized glass sandwich. The two-tone back panels, secured by exposed screws, are a direct nod to the modularity of the CMF Phone 1 and 2 Pro. That little circular element in the lower corner is a brilliant touch, practically begging for a lanyard or a clever magnetic accessory. The camera housing is integrated into a stepped corner plate, making it feel like a distinct, functional component rather than a generic camera island. It’s an honest object, designed to be held and used without demanding reverence.

Designer: Preet Ajmeri

The colorways Ajmeri mocked up are subtle, and a deviation from the flagship phones’ vibrant color schemes. The sage green has a distinct, almost military-grade feel, while the slate blue is more of a classic tech color. But that brown and cream version is the real standout; it feels like something Braun would have designed in 1975, a perfect piece of retro-futurism. The hard split between the two tones gives it a clear visual hierarchy, and the presumed matte texture looks like it would feel fantastic in the hand. That aside, the modularity is still retained, with the screw-in design, and the knob on the bottom for fixing accessories.

This thing would live or die in the sub-$300 space, and that’s exactly where it belongs. You wouldn’t expect a top-tier Snapdragon processor here; a power-efficient MediaTek Dimensity 7000-series chip would be more than enough to drive a 5.4-inch OLED display without destroying the battery. And battery life would be the biggest engineering challenge, as it always is with small devices. But the appeal isn’t raw performance. The appeal is ergonomics, a one-handed user experience, and a design that has more personality than anything five times its price. CMF has already proven it can deliver a thoughtful software experience on a budget, and that’s all a device like this would need.

So, will Nothing ever actually build it? Almost certainly not, and that’s the real shame. The big players are too risk-averse to cater to a niche they’ve already declared dead. But this concept proves the desire for a well-designed, affordable, and genuinely compact phone is very much alive. It’s a perfect fit for a brand like CMF, which has built its identity on challenging the assumption that budget-friendly has to mean boring. The first company to take a chance on a design with this much character and common sense won’t just sell a phone; they’ll create a cult classic.

The post This CMF Phone Mini Concept Is The Compact Android Fans Have Been Begging For first appeared on Yanko Design.

OnePlus Pad Go 2 Battery Lasts From Morning Coffee to Bedtime

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Tablets have settled into a role somewhere between couch companion and light laptop stand-in, mostly used for streaming, reading, browsing, and occasional work. Android tablets have been uneven for years, with some brands throwing hardware at the problem while others barely try. OnePlus has been quietly building a more coherent story, and the Pad Go 2 is its latest attempt to make a large screen feel natural.

The OnePlus Pad Go 2 is a 12.1-inch Android tablet with a tall 7:5 display, a MediaTek Dimensity 7300-Ultra chip, and OxygenOS 16. It is not trying to be a halo device. Instead, it’s aiming for the sweet spot where a big, sharp screen, smooth performance, and long battery life matter more than headline-grabbing specs or ultra-thin bezels that sacrifice durability and comfort for millimeters.

Designer: OnePlus

The 12.1-inch LCD runs 2,800 × 1,980 resolution at 120 Hz, with 98 percent DCI-P3 coverage and up to 900 nits in high-brightness mode. The 7:5 aspect ratio gives more vertical space for web pages, documents, and split-screen apps than a 16:10 panel while still feeling natural for video. The extra vertical real estate makes reading and scrolling more comfortable, and the 120 Hz refresh means UI animations feel smooth without jitter.

The Dimensity 7300-Ultra, 8 GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and 128 GB of UFS 3.1 storage make the tablet feel snappy for streaming, browsing, and light gaming. The 4 nm SoC and fast memory mean apps open quickly, multitasking feels smooth, and OxygenOS animations take advantage of the 120 Hz panel without stutter. This is not a flagship chip, but it is over-specced enough for a mid-range tablet that the experience feels polished.

The 10,050 mAh battery handles long streaming sessions, reading, and mixed use without needing a charger nearby. The 33 W SUPERVOOC charging means topping up during a break is useful, rather than the slow trickle many budget tablets deliver. The goal is a tablet you can pick up in the morning and still be using on the couch at night, without babysitting the battery percentage or planning your day around outlets.

The quad-speaker setup, Bluetooth codec support from SBC through aptX HD and LDAC, and Wi-Fi 6 with Bluetooth 5.4 handle the supporting roles. The 8 MP front and rear cameras are there for video calls and quick scans rather than photography, and face unlock handles biometric login without a fingerprint reader cluttering the frame or adding cost to the bill of materials.

OxygenOS 16 is more than a phone skin stretched out, with split-screen multitasking, floating windows, and better scaling for the 7:5 display. It plays nicely with OnePlus phones for clipboard sharing, where supported, and the overall feel is closer to a lightweight desktop than a blown-up phone UI when you dock a keyboard or prop it on a stand for a few hours.

The OnePlus Pad Go 2 sits as a large-screen Android option that prioritizes display quality, smoothness, and battery over chasing ultra-high-end features. It makes the most sense for people who want a comfortable reading and streaming device that can also handle some work, and who like the idea of OxygenOS bringing OnePlus phone polish to a bigger canvas without flagship pricing or complexity they do not need for watching shows and scrolling feeds.

The post OnePlus Pad Go 2 Battery Lasts From Morning Coffee to Bedtime first appeared on Yanko Design.

TCL Note A1 Tablet Feels Like E-Ink Paper but Shows Full Color and Video

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People bounce between paper notebooks, e-ink readers, and glossy tablets, each good at one thing and bad at others. E-ink is gentle but slow and monochrome, LCD is fast and colourful but tiring for long reading, and paper is great until you need to search or backup. TCL Note A1 NXTPAPER is an attempt to merge those worlds into a single, paper-leaning tablet that does not make you choose between comfort and capability.

TCL Note A1 NXTPAPER is an 11.5-inch eNote tablet that blends a full-colour LCD with a paper-like surface. The 3A Crystal Shield Glass brings anti-glare, anti-reflection, and anti-fingerprint coatings, plus TÜV Rheinland certifications for eye comfort, flicker-free operation, and low reflection. The idea is a screen you can stare at for hours of reading and writing without feeling like you are looking into a lightbox, which is exactly what most tablets become after the first hour.

Designer: TCL

The tablet is built around handwriting, with a stylus that has dual tips, an eraser, and haptic feedback from an X-axis linear motor. Each stroke is meant to feel smooth and controlled, closer to pen on paper than plastic on glass. TCL’s pitch is that every note and sketch feels natural and expressive, making it a place where you actually want to write instead of just tapping keys or hunting for the right toolbar icon.

Note A1 has an octa-microphone array and tools for audio-to-text transcription, real-time translation, and AI summaries. In meetings or lectures, it can record, transcribe, and condense discussions so you can focus on listening instead of frantic note-taking. Writing helpers handle rewriting, grammar, translation, and summarising drafts, turning the tablet into a quiet collaborator rather than a blank page waiting for you to figure everything out alone.

The infinite canvas feature lets you zoom, expand, and sketch without hitting page edges, and the split-screen mode lets you read on one side while taking notes on the other. That combination makes it easier to absorb and organise information at the same time, whether you are annotating a PDF, outlining a report, or sketching over reference images without juggling windows or losing your place.

Note A1 supports syncing via Wi-Fi and cloud services like Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive, plus wireless screen casting for presentations. The aluminium body is 5.5 mm thick and around 500 g, which keeps it light enough to carry all day. It feels more like a slim notebook than a chunky laptop, but with enough solidity to survive bags and desks without worrying about scratches or dents.

Note A1 NXTPAPER is aimed at people who read and write a lot, sit through meetings or lectures, and want a single device that feels kind to their eyes and helpful with their words. A paper-leaning, AI-assisted slate that treats focus and handwriting as first-class citizens offers a different path from the usual entertainment tablet, especially when long-form thinking matters more than another hour of streaming.

The post TCL Note A1 Tablet Feels Like E-Ink Paper but Shows Full Color and Video first appeared on Yanko Design.

Poco Pad X1 & Poco Pad M1 Review: Budget Tablets That Challenge the iPad

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PROS:


  • Strong display for the money

  • Complete accessory ecosystem

  • Big batteries

CONS:


  • Neither tablet is light enough for comfortable one-handed use

  • Fully kitted-out X1 with Floating Keyboard and Focus Pen gets expensive fast

RATINGS:

AESTHETICS
ERGONOMICS
PERFORMANCE
SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

Poco Pad X1 and M1 are not perfect, but together they deliver more screen, battery, and versatility than almost any other budget tablet pair right now.

Poco built its name on phones that punch above their price, and now it wants to do the same on your coffee table. With Poco Pad X1 and Poco Pad M1, the brand is not just throwing out a couple of cheap tablets. It is trying to turn its budget DNA into a fuller ecosystem that covers gaming, work, and everyday media.

You can feel that ambition in how these two models are drawn. The Poco Pad X1 is a slightly more compact, high refresh performance slate, tuned for games and quick multitasking on an 11.2-inch 3.2K display. The Poco Pad M1 steps up to a 12.1-inch 2.5K panel and the largest battery Poco has ever shipped in a global device, aiming to be the big screen that carries you through movies, sketching sessions, and long days away from a charger.

Designer: Poco

If you have been eyeing an affordable Android tablet for gaming, streaming, or light work, should you reach for the sharper, faster Poco Pad X1, or the larger, more relaxed Poco Pad M1? In this review, we will live with both, compare their strengths, and help you decide which one actually fits your desk, your bag, and your budget.

Aesthetics

Poco Pad X1

Poco is not trying to reinvent tablet hardware with Poco Pad X1 or Poco Pad M1. Both follow a familiar rectangle with rounded corners, flat sides, and a camera module that sits quietly in one corner. On Poco Pad X1, the focus is clearly on framing its 11.2-inch display as efficiently as possible. Poco Pad M1 takes the same basic formula and scales it up with a 12.1-inch panel.

Color choices on the Pad X1 and the Pad M1 are simple. They both come in Grey and Blue. Grey leans more gunmetal and understated with a contrasting yellow accent around the camera module, while Blue reads a little more casual and friendly, but neither option is loud or experimental. Both tablets use a metal unibody design for the main shell, with separate parts for the camera island and buttons, and a big Poco logo stamped in the center for instant brand recognition. The Poco Pad X1 uses a square camera island, while the Poco Pad M1 switches to a softer oval, which gives each model a slightly different signature when you flip them over.

Poco Pad M1

Taken together, the two tablets look exactly like what they are meant to be. They are straightforward, modern Android slabs that fade into the background and let their screens and specs do the talking. For budget-friendly hardware, that quiet, functional design approach feels like the right call.

Ergonomics

In the hand, the main ergonomic difference between Poco Pad X1 and Poco Pad M1 is simply size and weight, but neither is a true one-handed tablet for long stretches. The Poco Pad X1, with its 11.2-inch footprint and 500 g weight, is the more compact of the two. It is easier to manage on a sofa or in bed than the larger Poco Pad M1, but you will still want a second hand or some support if you are holding it for a long time. Even though the Poco Pad X1 is relatively slim and light for an aluminum unibody tablet with an 8,850 mAh battery, with dimensions of 251.22 x 173.42 x 6.18 mm, it does not quietly disappear in one hand the way a smaller 8 or 9-inch device might.

Poco Pad M1

Poco Pad M1 stretches that template out to a 12.1-inch diagonal with dimensions of 279.8 x 181.65 x 7.5 mm and a weight of about 610 g, which puts it clearly into big tablet territory. It is still slim, but the larger footprint makes it even less suited to long one-handed use, especially if you are moving around. Instead, it feels more like a tablet you rest on a table, prop up with a cover, or pair with its official keyboard, where the extra screen real estate really pays off for split-screen apps, video, and drawing.

The accessory ecosystem around the Pad X1 and the Pad M1 makes them versatile, but in slightly different ways. Poco Pad M1 is compatible with the optional Poco Pad M1 Keyboard, Poco Smart Pen, and Poco Pad M1 Cover, a trio that turns it into a very capable small-screen workstation. The cover folds into a stand and adds a built-in holder for the pen, which makes it easy to move between bag, desk, and sofa without worrying about where the stylus went. The keyboard is lightweight and easy to carry, but the keys feel a bit plasticky in use, which slightly undercuts the otherwise solid metal body of the tablet.

Poco Pad X1

Poco Pad X1 has its own dedicated set of accessories. It supports the Poco Pad X1 Floating Keyboard, the Poco Pad X1 Keyboard, the Poco Focus Pen, and the Poco Pad X1 Cover, which together give it a surprisingly flexible setup for both work and play. The cover folds like origami and doubles as a stand, letting you enjoy the tablet vertically or horizontally, and for horizontal use, you can choose between two different viewing heights.

The Floating Keyboard is the standout here. It adds some weight and only offers a modest tilt range, but the key feel is excellent for this class, and the trackpad is responsive and accurate enough that you quickly forget you are on a tablet accessory. Clipped together, the Poco Pad X1 and the Floating Keyboard behave much more like a compact laptop than a budget slate with an afterthought keyboard, which makes it far easier to treat this smaller tablet as a real writing and work machine when you need it.
 

Performance

Living with Poco Pad X1 and Poco Pad M1 quickly shows how differently they lean, even though they share a lot of DNA. The Poco Pad X1 is the sharper and faster option, with an 11.2-inch 3.2K display at 3,200 x 2,136 px, around 345 ppi, and refresh up to 144 Hz in supported apps. It can hit about 800 nits peak brightness, supports Dolby Vision and HDR10, and uses a 3:2 aspect ratio that feels very natural for reading, web browsing, and document work, helped by TÜV eye care, DC dimming, and adaptive colors to keep things comfortable.

Poco Pad M1

The Poco Pad M1, on the other hand, trades a bit of sharpness and speed for sheer size and flexibility. Its 12.1-inch 2.5K panel runs at 2,560 x 1,600px with around 249 ppi and up to 120 Hz refresh, plus 500 nits typical and 600 nits in high brightness mode. You still get Dolby Vision, DC dimming, and TÜV certifications for low blue light, flicker-free behavior, and circadian friendliness, along with wet touch support that keeps it usable with damp fingers.

Poco Pad X1

Both tablets use quad speakers with Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res support, so you get surprisingly full sound from either. Crucially, the Poco Pad M1 also adds a 3.5 mm headphone jack and a microSD slot for up to 2 TB of expandable storage, which makes it a much easier media hoarder and a better fit for wired headphones and speakers. The X1 relies on its internal storage and wireless audio instead, which suits its more performance-driven, travel-friendly role.

Poco Pad X1

Poco Pad M1

Performance and gaming clearly favor the Poco Pad X1. It uses the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 with 8 GB of RAM and up to 512 GB of storage, and combined with the 144 Hz panel, it feels like a handheld console that also happens to be good at multitasking and productivity. The Poco Pad M1 steps down to the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage, which is still more than enough for apps and casual gaming, but clearly tuned more for streaming, browsing, and note-taking than for chasing every last frame. In practice, the Poco Pad X1 is the one you reach for when you care about smooth, high refresh gameplay, while the Pad M1 is the one you leave on the coffee table for everyone to use.

Poco Pad M1

Battery life follows the same logic. The Poco Pad X1 pairs its 8,850 mAh battery with 45 W turbo charging, which Poco says can go from zero to full in about 94 minutes, and my experience matches that claim in day-to-day use. The Poco Pad M1 leans into a 12,000 mAh pack, billed as the largest battery in a global Poco device, with up to 105.36 hours of music playback, around 83 days of standby, 33 W charging, and up to 27 W wired reverse charging so it can top up your other devices.

Poco Pad M1

Poco Pad X1

On the software side, both run Xiaomi HyperOS with Xiaomi Interconnectivity and Google’s AI hooks, so you get shared clipboard, call and network sync, Circle to Search, and Gemini support whichever size you choose. As for cameras, Poco Pad X1 pairs a 13 MP rear camera and an 8 MP front camera, while Poco Pad M1 sticks to 8 MP sensors on both sides. The results are perfectly fine for video calls, document scans, and the odd quick snap, but nothing special, which is exactly what you would expect from tablets at this price bracket.

Poco Pad M1

Poco Pad X1

Sustainability

Poco is not making a big environmental branding play with Poco Pad X1 and Poco Pad M1, but there are a few practical touches that matter if you plan to keep a tablet for several years. The most important one is long-term software support. Both Pad X1 and Pad M1 are slated to receive four years of security updates, which gives you a clearer runway for safe everyday use. For budget tablets, that commitment is still not guaranteed across the market, so it is good to see Poco spell it out.

Poco Pad M1


 
That longer support window pairs well with the hardware choices. The aluminum unibody shells on both models feel sturdy enough to survive several upgrade cycles, and the generous storage options, plus microSD expansion on the Poco Pad M1, reduce the pressure to replace them early just to fit more apps or media. It is not a full sustainability story with recycled materials and carbon tracking, but if your definition of sustainable starts with buying something that will not feel obsolete or unsafe in two years, these tablets are at least pointed in the right direction.

Value

The Poco Pad X1 and Poco Pad M1 both land in the affordable bracket, but they scale very differently once you add accessories. The Poco Pad X1 with 8 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage is $399 USD, which feels fair for the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 and high-end 3.2K 144 hertz display. Its accessories are priced like mini laptop gear, with the Floating Keyboard at $199 USD, the X1 Keyboard at $129 USD, the X1 Cover at $49 USD, and the Poco Focus Pen at $99 USD. A fully loaded X1 setup quickly pushes past $600 USD, but in return, you get a compact tablet that can genuinely stand in for a small laptop and drawing pad.

Poco Pad X1

The Poco Pad M1 starts cheaper at $329 USD for 8 GB and 256 GB, and its add-ons stay firmly in value territory. The M1 Keyboard is $99 USD, the M1 Cover is $29 USD, and the Poco Smart Pen is $69 USD, so even a complete kit undercuts an equivalently kitted X1 by a healthy margin. Factor in the microSD slot and 3.5 millimeter headphone jack, and M1 clearly aims to be the better deal for big screen media, note-taking, and family use, while X1 makes more sense if you are willing to pay extra for performance, storage, and that excellent Floating Keyboard experience.

Verdict

The Poco Pad X1 and Poco Pad M1 end up serving two somewhat different roles. If you prioritize performance, the Poco Pad X1 is the clear choice. The Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3, 3.2K 144 Hz display, 512 GB storage, and excellent Floating Keyboard make it feel like a serious little work and gaming machine, even if the full setup gets expensive and you give up the headphone jack and SD slot. If you care more about big-screen comfort and value, the Poco Pad M1 quietly wins. The 12.1-inch 2.5K screen, quad speakers, 3.5 mm jack, microSD expansion, huge battery, and cheaper accessories make it a better fit for big-screen media and everyday productivity.

Poco Pad X1

Whichever way you lean, you are getting more tablet than the price suggests. For context, Apple’s base iPad costs $449 with only 64 GB of storage and a 60 Hz screen. The iPad still has a faster processor and a tighter app ecosystem, but Poco gives you bigger batteries, sharper displays, and a lot more storage for less money. Pick the Poco Pad X1 if you want compact power and a great keyboard experience. Pick the Poco Pad M1 if you want maximum screen, battery, and flexibility for the money. Either way, you end up with a tablet that feels more considered than most of what you will find at this price.

The post Poco Pad X1 & Poco Pad M1 Review: Budget Tablets That Challenge the iPad first appeared on Yanko Design.

Poco Pad X1 & Poco Pad M1 Review: Budget Tablets That Challenge the iPad

Posted on by

PROS:


  • Strong display for the money

  • Complete accessory ecosystem

  • Big batteries

CONS:


  • Neither tablet is light enough for comfortable one-handed use

  • Fully kitted-out X1 with Floating Keyboard and Focus Pen gets expensive fast

RATINGS:

AESTHETICS
ERGONOMICS
PERFORMANCE
SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

Poco Pad X1 and M1 are not perfect, but together they deliver more screen, battery, and versatility than almost any other budget tablet pair right now.

Poco built its name on phones that punch above their price, and now it wants to do the same on your coffee table. With Poco Pad X1 and Poco Pad M1, the brand is not just throwing out a couple of cheap tablets. It is trying to turn its budget DNA into a fuller ecosystem that covers gaming, work, and everyday media.

You can feel that ambition in how these two models are drawn. The Poco Pad X1 is a slightly more compact, high refresh performance slate, tuned for games and quick multitasking on an 11.2-inch 3.2K display. The Poco Pad M1 steps up to a 12.1-inch 2.5K panel and the largest battery Poco has ever shipped in a global device, aiming to be the big screen that carries you through movies, sketching sessions, and long days away from a charger.

Designer: Poco

If you have been eyeing an affordable Android tablet for gaming, streaming, or light work, should you reach for the sharper, faster Poco Pad X1, or the larger, more relaxed Poco Pad M1? In this review, we will live with both, compare their strengths, and help you decide which one actually fits your desk, your bag, and your budget.

Aesthetics

Poco Pad X1

Poco is not trying to reinvent tablet hardware with Poco Pad X1 or Poco Pad M1. Both follow a familiar rectangle with rounded corners, flat sides, and a camera module that sits quietly in one corner. On Poco Pad X1, the focus is clearly on framing its 11.2-inch display as efficiently as possible. Poco Pad M1 takes the same basic formula and scales it up with a 12.1-inch panel.

Color choices on the Pad X1 and the Pad M1 are simple. They both come in Grey and Blue. Grey leans more gunmetal and understated with a contrasting yellow accent around the camera module, while Blue reads a little more casual and friendly, but neither option is loud or experimental. Both tablets use a metal unibody design for the main shell, with separate parts for the camera island and buttons, and a big Poco logo stamped in the center for instant brand recognition. The Poco Pad X1 uses a square camera island, while the Poco Pad M1 switches to a softer oval, which gives each model a slightly different signature when you flip them over.

Poco Pad M1

Taken together, the two tablets look exactly like what they are meant to be. They are straightforward, modern Android slabs that fade into the background and let their screens and specs do the talking. For budget-friendly hardware, that quiet, functional design approach feels like the right call.

Ergonomics

In the hand, the main ergonomic difference between Poco Pad X1 and Poco Pad M1 is simply size and weight, but neither is a true one-handed tablet for long stretches. The Poco Pad X1, with its 11.2-inch footprint and 500 g weight, is the more compact of the two. It is easier to manage on a sofa or in bed than the larger Poco Pad M1, but you will still want a second hand or some support if you are holding it for a long time. Even though the Poco Pad X1 is relatively slim and light for an aluminum unibody tablet with an 8,850 mAh battery, with dimensions of 251.22 x 173.42 x 6.18 mm, it does not quietly disappear in one hand the way a smaller 8 or 9-inch device might.

Poco Pad M1

Poco Pad M1 stretches that template out to a 12.1-inch diagonal with dimensions of 279.8 x 181.65 x 7.5 mm and a weight of about 610 g, which puts it clearly into big tablet territory. It is still slim, but the larger footprint makes it even less suited to long one-handed use, especially if you are moving around. Instead, it feels more like a tablet you rest on a table, prop up with a cover, or pair with its official keyboard, where the extra screen real estate really pays off for split-screen apps, video, and drawing.

The accessory ecosystem around the Pad X1 and the Pad M1 makes them versatile, but in slightly different ways. Poco Pad M1 is compatible with the optional Poco Pad M1 Keyboard, Poco Smart Pen, and Poco Pad M1 Cover, a trio that turns it into a very capable small-screen workstation. The cover folds into a stand and adds a built-in holder for the pen, which makes it easy to move between bag, desk, and sofa without worrying about where the stylus went. The keyboard is lightweight and easy to carry, but the keys feel a bit plasticky in use, which slightly undercuts the otherwise solid metal body of the tablet.

Poco Pad X1

Poco Pad X1 has its own dedicated set of accessories. It supports the Poco Pad X1 Floating Keyboard, the Poco Pad X1 Keyboard, the Poco Focus Pen, and the Poco Pad X1 Cover, which together give it a surprisingly flexible setup for both work and play. The cover folds like origami and doubles as a stand, letting you enjoy the tablet vertically or horizontally, and for horizontal use, you can choose between two different viewing heights.

The Floating Keyboard is the standout here. It adds some weight and only offers a modest tilt range, but the key feel is excellent for this class, and the trackpad is responsive and accurate enough that you quickly forget you are on a tablet accessory. Clipped together, the Poco Pad X1 and the Floating Keyboard behave much more like a compact laptop than a budget slate with an afterthought keyboard, which makes it far easier to treat this smaller tablet as a real writing and work machine when you need it.
 

Performance

Living with Poco Pad X1 and Poco Pad M1 quickly shows how differently they lean, even though they share a lot of DNA. The Poco Pad X1 is the sharper and faster option, with an 11.2-inch 3.2K display at 3,200 x 2,136 px, around 345 ppi, and refresh up to 144 Hz in supported apps. It can hit about 800 nits peak brightness, supports Dolby Vision and HDR10, and uses a 3:2 aspect ratio that feels very natural for reading, web browsing, and document work, helped by TÜV eye care, DC dimming, and adaptive colors to keep things comfortable.

Poco Pad M1

The Poco Pad M1, on the other hand, trades a bit of sharpness and speed for sheer size and flexibility. Its 12.1-inch 2.5K panel runs at 2,560 x 1,600px with around 249 ppi and up to 120 Hz refresh, plus 500 nits typical and 600 nits in high brightness mode. You still get Dolby Vision, DC dimming, and TÜV certifications for low blue light, flicker-free behavior, and circadian friendliness, along with wet touch support that keeps it usable with damp fingers.

Poco Pad X1

Both tablets use quad speakers with Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res support, so you get surprisingly full sound from either. Crucially, the Poco Pad M1 also adds a 3.5 mm headphone jack and a microSD slot for up to 2 TB of expandable storage, which makes it a much easier media hoarder and a better fit for wired headphones and speakers. The X1 relies on its internal storage and wireless audio instead, which suits its more performance-driven, travel-friendly role.

Poco Pad X1

Poco Pad M1

Performance and gaming clearly favor the Poco Pad X1. It uses the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 with 8 GB of RAM and up to 512 GB of storage, and combined with the 144 Hz panel, it feels like a handheld console that also happens to be good at multitasking and productivity. The Poco Pad M1 steps down to the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage, which is still more than enough for apps and casual gaming, but clearly tuned more for streaming, browsing, and note-taking than for chasing every last frame. In practice, the Poco Pad X1 is the one you reach for when you care about smooth, high refresh gameplay, while the Pad M1 is the one you leave on the coffee table for everyone to use.

Poco Pad M1

Battery life follows the same logic. The Poco Pad X1 pairs its 8,850 mAh battery with 45 W turbo charging, which Poco says can go from zero to full in about 94 minutes, and my experience matches that claim in day-to-day use. The Poco Pad M1 leans into a 12,000 mAh pack, billed as the largest battery in a global Poco device, with up to 105.36 hours of music playback, around 83 days of standby, 33 W charging, and up to 27 W wired reverse charging so it can top up your other devices.

Poco Pad M1

Poco Pad X1

On the software side, both run Xiaomi HyperOS with Xiaomi Interconnectivity and Google’s AI hooks, so you get shared clipboard, call and network sync, Circle to Search, and Gemini support whichever size you choose. As for cameras, Poco Pad X1 pairs a 13 MP rear camera and an 8 MP front camera, while Poco Pad M1 sticks to 8 MP sensors on both sides. The results are perfectly fine for video calls, document scans, and the odd quick snap, but nothing special, which is exactly what you would expect from tablets at this price bracket.

Poco Pad M1

Poco Pad X1

Sustainability

Poco is not making a big environmental branding play with Poco Pad X1 and Poco Pad M1, but there are a few practical touches that matter if you plan to keep a tablet for several years. The most important one is long-term software support. Both Pad X1 and Pad M1 are slated to receive four years of security updates, which gives you a clearer runway for safe everyday use. For budget tablets, that commitment is still not guaranteed across the market, so it is good to see Poco spell it out.

Poco Pad M1


 
That longer support window pairs well with the hardware choices. The aluminum unibody shells on both models feel sturdy enough to survive several upgrade cycles, and the generous storage options, plus microSD expansion on the Poco Pad M1, reduce the pressure to replace them early just to fit more apps or media. It is not a full sustainability story with recycled materials and carbon tracking, but if your definition of sustainable starts with buying something that will not feel obsolete or unsafe in two years, these tablets are at least pointed in the right direction.

Value

The Poco Pad X1 and Poco Pad M1 both land in the affordable bracket, but they scale very differently once you add accessories. The Poco Pad X1 with 8 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage is $399 USD, which feels fair for the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 and high-end 3.2K 144 hertz display. Its accessories are priced like mini laptop gear, with the Floating Keyboard at $199 USD, the X1 Keyboard at $129 USD, the X1 Cover at $49 USD, and the Poco Focus Pen at $99 USD. A fully loaded X1 setup quickly pushes past $600 USD, but in return, you get a compact tablet that can genuinely stand in for a small laptop and drawing pad.

Poco Pad X1

The Poco Pad M1 starts cheaper at $329 USD for 8 GB and 256 GB, and its add-ons stay firmly in value territory. The M1 Keyboard is $99 USD, the M1 Cover is $29 USD, and the Poco Smart Pen is $69 USD, so even a complete kit undercuts an equivalently kitted X1 by a healthy margin. Factor in the microSD slot and 3.5 millimeter headphone jack, and M1 clearly aims to be the better deal for big screen media, note-taking, and family use, while X1 makes more sense if you are willing to pay extra for performance, storage, and that excellent Floating Keyboard experience.

Verdict

The Poco Pad X1 and Poco Pad M1 end up serving two somewhat different roles. If you prioritize performance, the Poco Pad X1 is the clear choice. The Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3, 3.2K 144 Hz display, 512 GB storage, and excellent Floating Keyboard make it feel like a serious little work and gaming machine, even if the full setup gets expensive and you give up the headphone jack and SD slot. If you care more about big-screen comfort and value, the Poco Pad M1 quietly wins. The 12.1-inch 2.5K screen, quad speakers, 3.5 mm jack, microSD expansion, huge battery, and cheaper accessories make it a better fit for big-screen media and everyday productivity.

Poco Pad X1

Whichever way you lean, you are getting more tablet than the price suggests. For context, Apple’s base iPad costs $449 with only 64 GB of storage and a 60 Hz screen. The iPad still has a faster processor and a tighter app ecosystem, but Poco gives you bigger batteries, sharper displays, and a lot more storage for less money. Pick the Poco Pad X1 if you want compact power and a great keyboard experience. Pick the Poco Pad M1 if you want maximum screen, battery, and flexibility for the money. Either way, you end up with a tablet that feels more considered than most of what you will find at this price.

The post Poco Pad X1 & Poco Pad M1 Review: Budget Tablets That Challenge the iPad first appeared on Yanko Design.

AYANEO Pocket PLAY Brings Back the Slider Phone, Now With D-Pad

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AYANEO is known for gaming handheld devices that run Windows and, sometimes, Android, but not phones. Most gaming phones still feel like regular slabs with RGB lights and higher refresh rates, treating games as an app category instead of the reason the device exists. Pocket PLAY is AYANEO’s first smartphone, and they are not shy about calling it “more than a phone,” framing it as a handheld console that happens to live on a SIM card instead of a desktop operating system.

AYANEO calls it “the ultimate fusion of mobile phone and gaming handheld,” built “in the name of games, made for the dreams of gamers.” The minimalist front follows golden-ratio proportions and AYANEO’s “handheld artistry” philosophy, looking like a clean black slab until you slide it open and the real personality appears. The idea is that it should not shout gamer aesthetic when you are checking email, only when you want to play.

Designer: AYANEO

The classic side-slide mechanism is a light push that reveals a full controller under the screen. Anyone who remembers Sony’s Xperia Play will feel a flicker of déjà vu, another Android phone that hid a gamepad under a slider. The difference is that Pocket PLAY arrives in a world where handheld gaming and emulation are mainstream, and AYANEO has spent years building hardware for that exact crowd, not for casual mobile gamers who might try it once.

Pocket PLAY reinterprets a standard gamepad layout in a compact way, with a D-pad, ABXY buttons, and shoulder controls tuned for the sliding mechanism. AYANEO promises crisp, light presses and fast response, and a grip shaped so your fingers land where you expect. The idea is that you slide, and you are instantly in handheld mode, no adaptation period or clip-on accessories. The D-pad and buttons are meant to bring back the pure, satisfying feel of classic handheld gaming.

The dual intelligent touchpads sit where analog sticks might go, and they can map virtual joysticks, act as traditional touch surfaces, or trigger custom input combinations. That opens up camera control, mouse-like input for streaming PC games, or macro shortcuts for complex titles. The positioning is ergonomic, and the goal is to make every swipe and tap feel natural, closing the gap between a dedicated handheld and a phone that also runs Genshin Impact or emulators.

AYANEO leans into “cyber-romanticism” language, calling handhelds a culture and a shared emotional language among players. Pocket PLAY is pitched as a tribute to classic designs and an exploration of how handheld spirit can extend to a new medium. It is meant to feel like a daily-carry extension of the devices people already use for emulation and retro gaming, not a generic Android gaming phone with triggers and marketing.

Xperia Play hinted at this form factor years ago, but the ecosystem and audience were not ready. Pocket PLAY picks up that thread with modern hardware, a serious controller, and a brand that already lives in handheld culture. For players who want a phone that slides into a console instead of just another slab with shoulder buttons, it feels like a very specific dream finally getting another shot, this time built by people who actually understand why sliders and D-pads still matter.

The post AYANEO Pocket PLAY Brings Back the Slider Phone, Now With D-Pad first appeared on Yanko Design.