This week the new iPhones may have stolen the spotlight, but they are still on pre-order and it’s not like Apple offers any pre-order freebies, so let’s focus on other phones. We will pay a visit to Apple’s new smart wearables, though.
Just last week, the Poco F7 Ultra was €580 for a 12/256GB unit and €650 for the 16/512GB upgrade. This week you can grab the upgraded model for €600. The Ultra boasts Snapdragon 8 Elite power and a sharp 6.67” 1440p+ display, plus a 5,300mAh battery with 120W wired and 50W wireless charging. It has a 50MP (1/1.55”, OIS) main, 50MP 2.5x/60mm telephoto and 32MP ultra-wide cameras.
Sony unveiled the Xperia 10 VII this week with a brand new design and key upgrades. The 6.1” display is now wider (19.5:9 vs. 21:9), now with 120Hz refresh rate (finally!). The new design preserves the trademark Sony bezels (with speaker and cameras on them). The main camera was bumped up to a 50MP 1/1.56” sensor (vs. 48MP 1/2.0” on the old one) and the ultra-wide camera has a 13MP sensor (vs. 8MP).
Sony is promising 4 OS updates and 6 years of security patches for the Mark 7 model (vs. 3 OS updates and 4 years of patches). The Xperia 10 VII is on pre-order and won’t be out until the end of the month. If you order one now, you can score a pair of Sony WH-CH520 on-ear headphones for free (normally worth €70, but available on their own for €31 right now).
For less money, you can have the Nothing Phone (3a). It doesn’t have a microSD slot or a 3.5mm headphone jack like the Xperia and it’s a lot larger too with a 6.77” 120Hz OLED display. You get the better Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chipset, however, instead of the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 that Sony chose. Also, the 50MP main (1/1.57”) camera is joined by a 50MP 2x/50mm telephoto camera (no OIS) and an 8MP ultra-wide. The battery capacity is the same (5,000mAh), but the Nothing charges faster at 50W. Nothing has committed to only 3 OS updates and six years of security patches, so the Xperia is a bit better in this regard.
Alternatively, you can grab the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro – still for less money than the Xperia (even if you add the headphones). This model upgrades the telephoto camera to 3x/70mm zoom and adds OIS (the sensor is still 50MP) and the selfie camera goes from 32MP to 50MP. Check out our Nothing Phone (3a) vs. (3a) Pro article for a more detailed comparison between the two.
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 brings an important upgrade that matches its adventurous spirit – satellite messaging. This includes SOS, short text messages and location sharing via Find My. Other changes include a refined LTPO3 display with wider viewing angles. Also, its cellular connectivity is 5G instead of 4G like other watches.
You could still buy the old Apple Watch Ultra 2, but right now the discount is quite minimal – you may as well get the improved model. Note that the Ultra 3 has Hypertension detection, which is expected to be enabled on select older watches via an update.
The Apple Watch Series 11 is a fairly small upgrade – the highlights are improved battery life (up to 24h) and ceramic-coated glass that is reportedly 2x tougher than the glass on the Series 10. The improved battery life does enable sleep tracking and 24/7 heart-rate and blood-oxygen tracking.
The Apple Watch Series 10 is still around with a €60 discount. Note that both watches are available in 42mm and 46mm sizes, aluminum and titanium, GPS and GPS+Cellular – the latter is a €120 upgrade.
The Apple Watch SE 3 is a more tangible upgrade to Apple’s affordable smartwatch. It brings Always-On Display and last year’s Apple S10 chipset (plus double the storage, 64GB). Also, charging is twice as fast as on the SE 2, getting 8 hours of use from a 15 minute charge. The Watch SE 3 is available in 40mm and 44mm sizes, in GPS and GPS+Cellular flavors.
The older Apple Watch SE 2 is available for €40-€50 less, but you will be missing out on important upgrades.
Additionally, Apple launched the AirPods Pro 3. They offer double the ANC performance and improved battery life. A built-in heart-rate sensor lets you use them for workouts (without needing a watch or a chest strap). The buds also have live translation, but note that this feature is not available in the EU for now.
Of course, the previous generation, the Apple AirPods Pro 2 model, is still available at a €40 discount.
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