This week saw several notable announcements, headlined by the Poco F8 Pro and F8 Ultra launch. Both models feature Bose-tuned speaker systems, with the Ultra adding a dedicated rear subwoofer. The Poco F8 Pro houses a 6,210mAh battery, Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (last year’s premium SoC), and a triple camera including a 60mm f/2.2 telephoto lens. Meanwhile, the F8 Ultra upgrades to the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, a larger 6,500mAh battery, and a 115mm f/3.0 telephoto lens capable of close focusing.
Both smartphones are currently available for purchase. The Poco F8 Pro comes in Black, Blue, and Titanium Silver starting at €469/$529, while the F8 Ultra is offered in Black, White, and Denim Blue from €649/$679/£549.
OnePlus also teased three upcoming products: the OnePlus 15R smartphone, the OnePlus Pad Go 2 tablet, and the OnePlus Watch Lite smartwatch. These will be fully unveiled on December 17. OnePlus describes the 15R as an “ultimate value high-quality flagship,” the Pad Go 2 as the “best mid-range 5G tablet value,” and the Watch Lite as an “accessible high-quality smartwatch.”
Poco F8 Pro and F8 Ultra: Design and Features
A closer look at Poco’s new flagship designs and camera setups.
OnePlus 15R, Pad Go 2, and Watch Lite Officially Announced
All three devices will launch next month with key details revealed.
Qualcomm officially launched its Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset positioned below the flagship Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 variant. This new Gen 2 variant offers slightly lower clock speeds (2x Prime cores at 3.8GHz vs. 4.56GHz, 6x Performance cores at 3.32GHz vs. 3.62GHz), a less powerful Hexagon NPU, and uses last year’s X80 modem instead of the faster X85, creating a somewhat confusing hierarchy between the Gen 2 chips.
Honor debuted its 500 series in China, featuring large 8,000mAh batteries and Snapdragon processors with an iPhone Air-inspired design. The Honor 500 Pro utilizes the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, while the Honor 500 is powered by the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chip. Both models support 80W wired charging, with the Pro adding 50W wireless charging. The devices are available now in China.
Huawei unveiled the Mate 80 lineup, comprising the Mate 80, Mate 80 Pro, Mate 80 Pro Max, and Mate 80 RS. These models boast the brightest smartphone display to date, peaking at 8,000 nits. Under the hood, Huawei uses custom Kirin chipsets: the Kirin 9020 for the Mate 80, and the Kirin 9030 Pro powering the Pro and Pro Max models. Battery capacities range from 5,750mAh in the Mate 80 and Mate 80 Pro (with 66W wired and 50W wireless charging) to 6,000mAh in the Pro Max with faster 100W wired and 80W wireless charging.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Launched as Premium Yet Not Top-tier Chip
The chip is set to power the OnePlus Ace 6T/15R.
Honor 500 Series Launches in China with Snapdragon Chips and Large Batteries
Both models include 80W fast charging and 200MP main cameras.
Huawei Mate 80 Pro Max and Mate 80 RS Debut with Advanced Dual Telephoto Cameras
Equipped with Kirin 9030 Pro chipsets for high performance.
Sony introduced the LYTIA 901, a 200MP 1/1.12-inch image sensor designed for flagship smartphone cameras arriving in 2026. OmniVision followed with a similarly specced OVB0D sensor.
Sony Unveils LYTIA 901, a 200MP 1/1.12" Smartphone Camera Sensor
Confirms longstanding rumors of next-gen flagship sensors.
OnePlus Ace 6T Revealed for China, to be Rebranded as OnePlus 15R Globally
Supports the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset.
