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The 3 best VPNs of 2026 will make you feel like a ghost

The 3 best VPNs of 2026 will make you feel like a ghost

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ExpressVPN is my top choice for anyone who needs a VPN while they’re traveling. It’s a well-established provider that offers city-level access to servers throughout the entire U.S. Plus, some of its plans come bundled with useful bonus tools — including an eSIM with several days’ worth of unlimited data.

ExpressVPN launched a separate free VPN service called EventVPN in September 2025. I haven’t tested the free version yet, but it seems promising: Users get access to servers in over 35 countries with zero data limits. (Proton Free restricts you to servers in 10 randomly selected countries, while TunnelBear’s free tier caps you at 2GB of data per month.) The only catch is that EventVPN makes you watch ads before every session. I’ll update this guide with my thoughts once I’ve tried it.

Read Mashable’s full review of ExpressVPN.

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ProtonVPN may have the bigger global server network, but ExpressVPN has a few advantages over its competitor when it comes to travel. For one thing, it’s the rare VPN provider with servers in all 50 U.S. states. (ProtonVPN and other premium VPNs stick to major U.S. cities.) Anyone working or living abroad won’t have trouble accessing content back home. Additionally, ExpressVPN Pro and Advanced subscribers get access to a holiday.com eSim with a couple of days of unlimited data, among other extra privacy features that make its plans a decent value. An eSim will let your phone connect to a cellular network outside of your home country without a physical SIM card.

ExpressVPN’s heavy U.S. presence also makes it great for unblocking local content — say, regional sports games or adult sites. (For legal reasons, I’m not telling anyone to break laws or violate streaming services’ terms of use.) VPN servers that are close to your actual, physical location will be faster and more reliable than those further away.

Going broader, ExpressVPN has over 3,000 servers in 105 countries worldwide. That’s a pretty small network overall, but there’s still a good amount of global geographic diversity. ProtonVPN’s network is bigger and more spread out, while TunnelBear has more servers but a vastly less extensive reach.

ExpressVPN’s privacy and transparency practices are top-notch. Its privacy policy is thorough and clear on the kind of data it does and doesn’t collect. Most importantly, it never logs users’ browsing history and other sensitive data. This policy has been vetted in independent audits along with ExpressVPN’s apps, server technology, browser extension, and more. (The company started doing these audits in 2018, and since 2022, it’s undergone nearly 20 of them.) It’s only been issuing biannual transparency reports since 2024, but its no-logs claim held up in court way before then. Like ProtonVPN, it offers a bug bounty program.

In my testing, browsing while connected to ExpressVPN servers felt no different than browsing unprotected. It didn’t have a noticeable impact on my connection speed. It was also able to unblock streaming services in the UK, no problem. You get 10 to 14 simultaneous connections, depending on your subscription tier. All plans are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee and include 24/7 live chat support.

The ExpressVPN app has a clean Corporate Memphis look, and it’s super easy to navigate. As far as features go, you can turn on a kill switch and a split tunneling tool that lets you choose which apps and websites get sent through your VPN tunnel. ExpressVPN lacks common advanced VPN tools like multi-hop and Tor over VPN, which offer extra layers of protection. However, there is a neat built-in “ShuffleIP” feature that swaps your IP address every time you visit a new website, making you tough to track.

As a final note, I think it’s important to mention that ExpressVPN’s parent company doesn’t have the best reputation in the cybersecurity space. My take is that the severity of its issues hinges on your use case. Privacy sticklers and users with critical VPN needs will probably use them as reasons to rule out ExpressVPN entirely, but more casual users might be inclined to brush them off. For more details, read my ExpressVPN review in full.

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Bob Iger is returning to Thrive Capital as an advisor, just one month after stepping down as CEO of Disney, a role he held for nearly two decades.

Iger previously served a two-month stint as a venture partner at the firm in late 2022, but left when the Disney board asked him to retake the helm of the media conglomerate, following his initial departure from the company in 2020.

“Bob leads with boldness and conviction because he knows what he is building and why. He is rejoining Thrive at a time when that kind of leadership matters most,” Thrive’s founder Josh Kushner posted on X.

Iger, who already owns a stake in the firm, will work with Thrive’s investment staff and portfolio founders, the Wall Street Journal reported. However, his advisory role will likely not require a full-time commitment.

Thrive manages over $50 billion in assets, according to PitchBook. In February, the firm announced that it raised $10 billion in capital commitments for its 10th fund, the largest in the firm’s 17-year history. Thrive holds significant stakes in OpenAI, Stripe, and SpaceX. The firm also amassed a 7% ownership stake in Cursor, whose potential sale to SpaceX could be worth about $4.2 billion, Bloomberg reported.

#Bob #Iger #rejoins #Thrive #Capital #advisor #Disney #exit #TechCrunchBob Iger,Disney,Thrive Capital">Bob Iger rejoins Thrive Capital as advisor after Disney exit | TechCrunch Bob Iger is returning to Thrive Capital as an advisor, just one month after stepping down as CEO of Disney, a role he held for nearly two decades. Iger previously served a two-month stint as a venture partner at the firm in late 2022, but left when the Disney board asked him to retake the helm of the media conglomerate, following his initial departure from the company in 2020. “Bob leads with boldness and conviction because he knows what he is building and why. He is rejoining Thrive at a time when that kind of leadership matters most,” Thrive’s founder Josh Kushner posted on X. Iger, who already owns a stake in the firm, will work with Thrive’s investment staff and portfolio founders, the Wall Street Journal reported. However, his advisory role will likely not require a full-time commitment. Thrive manages over billion in assets, according to PitchBook. In February, the firm announced that it raised billion in capital commitments for its 10th fund, the largest in the firm’s 17-year history. Thrive holds significant stakes in OpenAI, Stripe, and SpaceX. The firm also amassed a 7% ownership stake in Cursor, whose potential sale to SpaceX could be worth about .2 billion, Bloomberg reported. #Bob #Iger #rejoins #Thrive #Capital #advisor #Disney #exit #TechCrunchBob Iger,Disney,Thrive Capital

posted on X.

Iger, who already owns a stake in the firm, will work with Thrive’s investment staff and portfolio founders, the Wall Street Journal reported. However, his advisory role will likely not require a full-time commitment.

Thrive manages over $50 billion in assets, according to PitchBook. In February, the firm announced that it raised $10 billion in capital commitments for its 10th fund, the largest in the firm’s 17-year history. Thrive holds significant stakes in OpenAI, Stripe, and SpaceX. The firm also amassed a 7% ownership stake in Cursor, whose potential sale to SpaceX could be worth about $4.2 billion, Bloomberg reported.

#Bob #Iger #rejoins #Thrive #Capital #advisor #Disney #exit #TechCrunchBob Iger,Disney,Thrive Capital">Bob Iger rejoins Thrive Capital as advisor after Disney exit | TechCrunch

Bob Iger is returning to Thrive Capital as an advisor, just one month after stepping down as CEO of Disney, a role he held for nearly two decades.

Iger previously served a two-month stint as a venture partner at the firm in late 2022, but left when the Disney board asked him to retake the helm of the media conglomerate, following his initial departure from the company in 2020.

“Bob leads with boldness and conviction because he knows what he is building and why. He is rejoining Thrive at a time when that kind of leadership matters most,” Thrive’s founder Josh Kushner posted on X.

Iger, who already owns a stake in the firm, will work with Thrive’s investment staff and portfolio founders, the Wall Street Journal reported. However, his advisory role will likely not require a full-time commitment.

Thrive manages over $50 billion in assets, according to PitchBook. In February, the firm announced that it raised $10 billion in capital commitments for its 10th fund, the largest in the firm’s 17-year history. Thrive holds significant stakes in OpenAI, Stripe, and SpaceX. The firm also amassed a 7% ownership stake in Cursor, whose potential sale to SpaceX could be worth about $4.2 billion, Bloomberg reported.

#Bob #Iger #rejoins #Thrive #Capital #advisor #Disney #exit #TechCrunchBob Iger,Disney,Thrive Capital
F31 Pro+ implemented this formula pretty well, and the Chinese smartphone maker is back at it again, with the F33 Pro.

It’s an interesting phone with a design that turns heads, a new processor family, and camera sensors. Sadly, without beloved AI companions jacking up RAM prices and ruining value smartphones, I wondered: how does the F33 Pro justify its price tag? To find out, I called OPPO, got the F33 Pro two weeks back, and made it my daily driver, using it to take hundreds of photos, play BGMI, and scroll through reels. Here’s my experience.

OPPO F33 Pro Review

Hisan Kidwai

Summary

The OPPO F33 Pro has the same ingredients as its predecessor, including a stellar battery, protection that’ll withstand the end of the world, and a beautiful design. Sadly, it’s not perfect. The cameras aren’t as versatile, and the performance is only good enough for everyday tasks. The F33 Pro is for people who value design, protection, and battery over anything else. And if you’re that person, then the F33 Pro makes a ton of sense.

Design & Hardware

OPPO F33 Pro Review: Looks Premium, Survives Drops, But Is It Worth ₹37,999? When smartphones first became mainstream, durability took a back seat. We were expected to take care of our precious electronics and protect them from the elements. Somewhere along this journey, though, durability changed course and phones became resilient. OPPO’s F-series is a prime example, with a reputation for being the toughest phones money can buy. Last year’s F31 Pro+ implemented this formula pretty well, and the Chinese smartphone maker is back at it again, with the F33 Pro. It’s an interesting phone with a design that turns heads, a new processor family, and camera sensors. Sadly, without beloved AI companions jacking up RAM prices and ruining value smartphones, I wondered: how does the F33 Pro justify its price tag? To find out, I called OPPO, got the F33 Pro two weeks back, and made it my daily driver, using it to take hundreds of photos, play BGMI, and scroll through reels. Here’s my experience. OPPO F33 Pro ReviewHisan KidwaiSummaryThe OPPO F33 Pro has the same ingredients as its predecessor, including a stellar battery, protection that’ll withstand the end of the world, and a beautiful design. Sadly, it’s not perfect. The cameras aren’t as versatile, and the performance is only good enough for everyday tasks. The F33 Pro is for people who value design, protection, and battery over anything else. And if you’re that person, then the F33 Pro makes a ton of sense. Design & Hardware OPPO is known for making gorgeous phones, and if I just had to use one word for the F33 Pro’s design, it would be, drum roll please, gorgeous. I’ve yet to see such an exquisite-looking midranger, and don’t even bother with the white; the red is the way to go. It looks super sophisticated, with a matte texture that picks up 0 fingerprints. The camera plateau does resemble the iPhone in shape, but that’s not a complaint. OPPO has added a halo ring around it, creating a floating effect and making it look super premium. While the inside of the plateau is the same color, OPPO has made it shiny and added sparkles for some flair. It’s not something I can easily describe with words, but if you see it, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Everyone I gave the phone to thought it cost much more than it actually does, and some, including my mum, wanted to switch over to it. The sides are, of course, made of plastic, and the same color as the back. In my clumsy day-to-day use, the phone held up decently well. I dropped it a couple of times, including once from head height, and it escaped with little more than a dent. The F33 Pro earns some brownie points in the comfort department, too. It’s not an overly large phone, similar in size to the OPPO Find X9, and you can reach the top corners of the screen with average-sized hands. As expected, the F33 Pro packs all the IP ratings available on the market. These include IP66, IP68, IP69, and IP69K ratings, which mean your phone should stay just fine under high-pressure jets and full immersion for up to 12 hours. While I didn’t leave it submerged, I did wash it once after dropping my protein mix on it. It handled it pretty well, but I do recommend not submerging your phone under water since water damage isn’t covered under warranty. Display The OPPO F33 Pro features a 6.57-inch flat FHD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. There’s not much to say about the panel, except that it is plenty good. Text and messages appear super sharp, and the AMOLED panel keeps colors popping with deep blacks. I took the F33 Pro outside on a hot summer day, and the 1400-nit peak brightness kept everything legible without me having to squint. As a result, the colors and HDR performance during the latest episode of The Pitt were amazing. I had no problems throughout my testing. OPPO has also done a good job with the bezels on three sides, except for the chin, which is ever so slightly bigger, but still not by much. In terms of protection, OPPO has installed AGC DT-STAR D+ glass. While I haven’t heard of this protection before, it fared pretty well against drops and my usage, with no major scratches. On a positive note, OPPO pre-installs a screen protector, so I’d recommend keeping it on. Performance Performance is what makes or breaks a phone. Last year’s F31 Pro+ was decent in terms of performance. I didn’t describe it as blazing fast, but good enough for everyday tasks. And the same can be said for the F33 Pro. At the beating heart of the F33 Pro lies the MediaTek Dimensity 6360 MAX (6nm) processor, essentially a bumped-up version of the 6300 we saw on the K14. ColorOS, being the best Android skin, keeps everything running super smooth without hiccups. The 8GB of RAM was enough to keep most of my apps in memory, and it was nice to see a mid-range phone with premium ColorOS features, including full lock-screen customizations and dark-mode icons. It’s a capable phone that can handle every daily task, be it scrolling through reels, watching Netflix, or reading a book. The OPPO F33 Pro gets a dose of my favorite AI features, such as AI Recompose, which looks at the photo you captured and improves it. The object eraser works exceptionally well, and the portrait glow is decent for when you need to relight the subject. That all being said, there’s plenty of bloatware. Even though I said no to installing the recommended apps, the phone did install about 20 of them. After which, I had to sit and manually delete them one by one. Since this is a review, I also put the MediaTek Dimensity 6360 MAX (6nm) through its paces by running some benchmarks. The results? About what you’d expect for this segment. The F33 Pro scored 1,039 on Geekbench’s single-core test and 2,833 on the multi-core test. On the flip side, in AnTuTu, the device scored 1,189,871 points. As benchmarks never tell the full story, I also played a few games on the F33 Pro, namely BGMI, since that’s the only game I’m actually good at. The experience was pretty decent; there’s no high-frame-rate support, but 60fps was maintained throughout the session without overheating. Battery Life & Charging Probably the biggest reason to consider the F33 Pro, aside from the design, will be its massive 7,000 mAh battery. I consider myself a heavy user, but even with my usage, I couldn’t kill the phone in a day. For context, I started my day with the excellent activity of scrolling reels, then replying to texts, capturing camera samples, taking the phone with me to struggle at the gym, and ending the day with BGMI sessions. When it was eventually time to recharge, the 80W fast charging came in handy. It brought the battery back from zero to full in just over an hour. Cameras Optics on the OPPO F33 Pro are headlined by a 50MP OmniVision 50D40 sensor, and that’s essentially it. Like last year, you don’t get any UltraWide or telephoto sensor, except for a 2MP depth lens. Despite my reservations, the F33 Pro’s cameras aren’t that bad. Give the sensor enough light, and the photos it produces are detailed, with slightly boosted colors, without blowing out the highlights. Sure, there’s some struggle with harsh sunlight, but it’s occasional, not a consistent issue. Similarly, low-light performance, when you use night mode, is decent. While you’ll find some noise creeping in, the results still retain decent sharpness, and colors weren’t washed out at all. Since there’s no telephoto lens, the main sensor doubles as the portrait sensor, and it works pretty well. Skin tones are true to life, and OPPO’s processing effectively separates the subject from the background. OPPO, when launching the F33 Pro, talked heavily about the 50MP Ultra-Wide GC50F6 selfie shooter, and I’m happy to report it works like a charm. You don’t have to worry about playing hand gymnastics to fit multiple people in the shot, as the 100-degree FoV does the job for you. The shots are detailed enough, and colors do tend to be accurate. That said, there’s quite a lot of over-sharpening action when taking a selfie at night. Another big complaint is the lack of any 4K video recording support, which in 2026 should be a no-brainer. Verdict Like many other smartphones this year, the F-series has received a price bump, with the F33 Pro now starting at ₹37,999. It has the same ingredients as its predecessor, including a stellar battery, protection that’ll withstand the end of the world, and a beautiful design. Sadly, it’s not perfect. The cameras aren’t as versatile, and the performance is only good enough for everyday tasks. The F33 Pro is for people who value design, protection, and battery over anything else. And if you’re that person, then the F33 Pro makes a ton of sense. #OPPO #F33 #Pro #Review #Premium #Survives #Drops #WorthOppo

OPPO is known for making gorgeous phones, and if I just had to use one word for the F33 Pro’s design, it would be, drum roll please, gorgeous. I’ve yet to see such an exquisite-looking midranger, and don’t even bother with the white; the red is the way to go. It looks super sophisticated, with a matte texture that picks up 0 fingerprints.

The camera plateau does resemble the iPhone in shape, but that’s not a complaint. OPPO has added a halo ring around it, creating a floating effect and making it look super premium. While the inside of the plateau is the same color, OPPO has made it shiny and added sparkles for some flair. It’s not something I can easily describe with words, but if you see it, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Everyone I gave the phone to thought it cost much more than it actually does, and some, including my mum, wanted to switch over to it.

Sides of the F33 Pro

The sides are, of course, made of plastic, and the same color as the back. In my clumsy day-to-day use, the phone held up decently well. I dropped it a couple of times, including once from head height, and it escaped with little more than a dent. The F33 Pro earns some brownie points in the comfort department, too. It’s not an overly large phone, similar in size to the OPPO Find X9, and you can reach the top corners of the screen with average-sized hands.

As expected, the F33 Pro packs all the IP ratings available on the market. These include IP66, IP68, IP69, and IP69K ratings, which mean your phone should stay just fine under high-pressure jets and full immersion for up to 12 hours. While I didn’t leave it submerged, I did wash it once after dropping my protein mix on it. It handled it pretty well, but I do recommend not submerging your phone under water since water damage isn’t covered under warranty.

Display

HDR video playing on the phone

The OPPO F33 Pro features a 6.57-inch flat FHD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. There’s not much to say about the panel, except that it is plenty good. Text and messages appear super sharp, and the AMOLED panel keeps colors popping with deep blacks. I took the F33 Pro outside on a hot summer day, and the 1400-nit peak brightness kept everything legible without me having to squint. As a result, the colors and HDR performance during the latest episode of The Pitt were amazing.

I had no problems throughout my testing. OPPO has also done a good job with the bezels on three sides, except for the chin, which is ever so slightly bigger, but still not by much. In terms of protection, OPPO has installed AGC DT-STAR D+ glass. While I haven’t heard of this protection before, it fared pretty well against drops and my usage, with no major scratches. On a positive note, OPPO pre-installs a screen protector, so I’d recommend keeping it on.

Performance

Lock screens closeup of the OPPO F33 Pro

Performance is what makes or breaks a phone. Last year’s F31 Pro+ was decent in terms of performance. I didn’t describe it as blazing fast, but good enough for everyday tasks. And the same can be said for the F33 Pro. At the beating heart of the F33 Pro lies the MediaTek Dimensity 6360 MAX (6nm) processor, essentially a bumped-up version of the 6300 we saw on the K14. ColorOS, being the best Android skin, keeps everything running super smooth without hiccups. The 8GB of RAM was enough to keep most of my apps in memory, and it was nice to see a mid-range phone with premium ColorOS features, including full lock-screen customizations and dark-mode icons. It’s a capable phone that can handle every daily task, be it scrolling through reels, watching Netflix, or reading a book.

The OPPO F33 Pro gets a dose of my favorite AI features, such as AI Recompose, which looks at the photo you captured and improves it. The object eraser works exceptionally well, and the portrait glow is decent for when you need to relight the subject.

Gen AI features

That all being said, there’s plenty of bloatware. Even though I said no to installing the recommended apps, the phone did install about 20 of them. After which, I had to sit and manually delete them one by one.

Since this is a review, I also put the MediaTek Dimensity 6360 MAX (6nm) through its paces by running some benchmarks. The results? About what you’d expect for this segment. The F33 Pro scored 1,039 on Geekbench’s single-core test and 2,833 on the multi-core test. On the flip side, in AnTuTu, the device scored 1,189,871 points. As benchmarks never tell the full story, I also played a few games on the F33 Pro, namely BGMI, since that’s the only game I’m actually good at. The experience was pretty decent; there’s no high-frame-rate support, but 60fps was maintained throughout the session without overheating.

Battery Life & Charging

A person holding the F33 pro

Probably the biggest reason to consider the F33 Pro, aside from the design, will be its massive 7,000 mAh battery. I consider myself a heavy user, but even with my usage, I couldn’t kill the phone in a day. For context, I started my day with the excellent activity of scrolling reels, then replying to texts, capturing camera samples, taking the phone with me to struggle at the gym, and ending the day with BGMI sessions.

When it was eventually time to recharge, the 80W fast charging came in handy. It brought the battery back from zero to full in just over an hour.

Cameras

Closeup of the camera module

Optics on the OPPO F33 Pro are headlined by a 50MP OmniVision 50D40 sensor, and that’s essentially it. Like last year, you don’t get any UltraWide or telephoto sensor, except for a 2MP depth lens. Despite my reservations, the F33 Pro’s cameras aren’t that bad. Give the sensor enough light, and the photos it produces are detailed, with slightly boosted colors, without blowing out the highlights. Sure, there’s some struggle with harsh sunlight, but it’s occasional, not a consistent issue.

Similarly, low-light performance, when you use night mode, is decent. While you’ll find some noise creeping in, the results still retain decent sharpness, and colors weren’t washed out at all. Since there’s no telephoto lens, the main sensor doubles as the portrait sensor, and it works pretty well. Skin tones are true to life, and OPPO’s processing effectively separates the subject from the background.

OPPO, when launching the F33 Pro, talked heavily about the 50MP Ultra-Wide GC50F6 selfie shooter, and I’m happy to report it works like a charm. You don’t have to worry about playing hand gymnastics to fit multiple people in the shot, as the 100-degree FoV does the job for you. The shots are detailed enough, and colors do tend to be accurate. That said, there’s quite a lot of over-sharpening action when taking a selfie at night. Another big complaint is the lack of any 4K video recording support, which in 2026 should be a no-brainer.

Verdict

Back Design of the F33 Pro

Like many other smartphones this year, the F-series has received a price bump, with the F33 Pro now starting at ₹37,999. It has the same ingredients as its predecessor, including a stellar battery, protection that’ll withstand the end of the world, and a beautiful design. Sadly, it’s not perfect. The cameras aren’t as versatile, and the performance is only good enough for everyday tasks. The F33 Pro is for people who value design, protection, and battery over anything else. And if you’re that person, then the F33 Pro makes a ton of sense.

#OPPO #F33 #Pro #Review #Premium #Survives #Drops #WorthOppo">OPPO F33 Pro Review: Looks Premium, Survives Drops, But Is It Worth ₹37,999? When smartphones first became mainstream, durability took a back seat. We were expected to take care of our precious electronics and protect them from the elements. Somewhere along this journey, though, durability changed course and phones became resilient. OPPO’s F-series is a prime example, with a reputation for being the toughest phones money can buy. Last year’s F31 Pro+ implemented this formula pretty well, and the Chinese smartphone maker is back at it again, with the F33 Pro. It’s an interesting phone with a design that turns heads, a new processor family, and camera sensors. Sadly, without beloved AI companions jacking up RAM prices and ruining value smartphones, I wondered: how does the F33 Pro justify its price tag? To find out, I called OPPO, got the F33 Pro two weeks back, and made it my daily driver, using it to take hundreds of photos, play BGMI, and scroll through reels. Here’s my experience. OPPO F33 Pro ReviewHisan KidwaiSummaryThe OPPO F33 Pro has the same ingredients as its predecessor, including a stellar battery, protection that’ll withstand the end of the world, and a beautiful design. Sadly, it’s not perfect. The cameras aren’t as versatile, and the performance is only good enough for everyday tasks. The F33 Pro is for people who value design, protection, and battery over anything else. And if you’re that person, then the F33 Pro makes a ton of sense. Design & Hardware OPPO is known for making gorgeous phones, and if I just had to use one word for the F33 Pro’s design, it would be, drum roll please, gorgeous. I’ve yet to see such an exquisite-looking midranger, and don’t even bother with the white; the red is the way to go. It looks super sophisticated, with a matte texture that picks up 0 fingerprints. The camera plateau does resemble the iPhone in shape, but that’s not a complaint. OPPO has added a halo ring around it, creating a floating effect and making it look super premium. While the inside of the plateau is the same color, OPPO has made it shiny and added sparkles for some flair. It’s not something I can easily describe with words, but if you see it, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Everyone I gave the phone to thought it cost much more than it actually does, and some, including my mum, wanted to switch over to it. The sides are, of course, made of plastic, and the same color as the back. In my clumsy day-to-day use, the phone held up decently well. I dropped it a couple of times, including once from head height, and it escaped with little more than a dent. The F33 Pro earns some brownie points in the comfort department, too. It’s not an overly large phone, similar in size to the OPPO Find X9, and you can reach the top corners of the screen with average-sized hands. As expected, the F33 Pro packs all the IP ratings available on the market. These include IP66, IP68, IP69, and IP69K ratings, which mean your phone should stay just fine under high-pressure jets and full immersion for up to 12 hours. While I didn’t leave it submerged, I did wash it once after dropping my protein mix on it. It handled it pretty well, but I do recommend not submerging your phone under water since water damage isn’t covered under warranty. Display The OPPO F33 Pro features a 6.57-inch flat FHD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. There’s not much to say about the panel, except that it is plenty good. Text and messages appear super sharp, and the AMOLED panel keeps colors popping with deep blacks. I took the F33 Pro outside on a hot summer day, and the 1400-nit peak brightness kept everything legible without me having to squint. As a result, the colors and HDR performance during the latest episode of The Pitt were amazing. I had no problems throughout my testing. OPPO has also done a good job with the bezels on three sides, except for the chin, which is ever so slightly bigger, but still not by much. In terms of protection, OPPO has installed AGC DT-STAR D+ glass. While I haven’t heard of this protection before, it fared pretty well against drops and my usage, with no major scratches. On a positive note, OPPO pre-installs a screen protector, so I’d recommend keeping it on. Performance Performance is what makes or breaks a phone. Last year’s F31 Pro+ was decent in terms of performance. I didn’t describe it as blazing fast, but good enough for everyday tasks. And the same can be said for the F33 Pro. At the beating heart of the F33 Pro lies the MediaTek Dimensity 6360 MAX (6nm) processor, essentially a bumped-up version of the 6300 we saw on the K14. ColorOS, being the best Android skin, keeps everything running super smooth without hiccups. The 8GB of RAM was enough to keep most of my apps in memory, and it was nice to see a mid-range phone with premium ColorOS features, including full lock-screen customizations and dark-mode icons. It’s a capable phone that can handle every daily task, be it scrolling through reels, watching Netflix, or reading a book. The OPPO F33 Pro gets a dose of my favorite AI features, such as AI Recompose, which looks at the photo you captured and improves it. The object eraser works exceptionally well, and the portrait glow is decent for when you need to relight the subject. That all being said, there’s plenty of bloatware. Even though I said no to installing the recommended apps, the phone did install about 20 of them. After which, I had to sit and manually delete them one by one. Since this is a review, I also put the MediaTek Dimensity 6360 MAX (6nm) through its paces by running some benchmarks. The results? About what you’d expect for this segment. The F33 Pro scored 1,039 on Geekbench’s single-core test and 2,833 on the multi-core test. On the flip side, in AnTuTu, the device scored 1,189,871 points. As benchmarks never tell the full story, I also played a few games on the F33 Pro, namely BGMI, since that’s the only game I’m actually good at. The experience was pretty decent; there’s no high-frame-rate support, but 60fps was maintained throughout the session without overheating. Battery Life & Charging Probably the biggest reason to consider the F33 Pro, aside from the design, will be its massive 7,000 mAh battery. I consider myself a heavy user, but even with my usage, I couldn’t kill the phone in a day. For context, I started my day with the excellent activity of scrolling reels, then replying to texts, capturing camera samples, taking the phone with me to struggle at the gym, and ending the day with BGMI sessions. When it was eventually time to recharge, the 80W fast charging came in handy. It brought the battery back from zero to full in just over an hour. Cameras Optics on the OPPO F33 Pro are headlined by a 50MP OmniVision 50D40 sensor, and that’s essentially it. Like last year, you don’t get any UltraWide or telephoto sensor, except for a 2MP depth lens. Despite my reservations, the F33 Pro’s cameras aren’t that bad. Give the sensor enough light, and the photos it produces are detailed, with slightly boosted colors, without blowing out the highlights. Sure, there’s some struggle with harsh sunlight, but it’s occasional, not a consistent issue. Similarly, low-light performance, when you use night mode, is decent. While you’ll find some noise creeping in, the results still retain decent sharpness, and colors weren’t washed out at all. Since there’s no telephoto lens, the main sensor doubles as the portrait sensor, and it works pretty well. Skin tones are true to life, and OPPO’s processing effectively separates the subject from the background. OPPO, when launching the F33 Pro, talked heavily about the 50MP Ultra-Wide GC50F6 selfie shooter, and I’m happy to report it works like a charm. You don’t have to worry about playing hand gymnastics to fit multiple people in the shot, as the 100-degree FoV does the job for you. The shots are detailed enough, and colors do tend to be accurate. That said, there’s quite a lot of over-sharpening action when taking a selfie at night. Another big complaint is the lack of any 4K video recording support, which in 2026 should be a no-brainer. Verdict Like many other smartphones this year, the F-series has received a price bump, with the F33 Pro now starting at ₹37,999. It has the same ingredients as its predecessor, including a stellar battery, protection that’ll withstand the end of the world, and a beautiful design. Sadly, it’s not perfect. The cameras aren’t as versatile, and the performance is only good enough for everyday tasks. The F33 Pro is for people who value design, protection, and battery over anything else. And if you’re that person, then the F33 Pro makes a ton of sense. #OPPO #F33 #Pro #Review #Premium #Survives #Drops #WorthOppo

implemented this formula pretty well, and the Chinese smartphone maker is back at it again, with the F33 Pro.

It’s an interesting phone with a design that turns heads, a new processor family, and camera sensors. Sadly, without beloved AI companions jacking up RAM prices and ruining value smartphones, I wondered: how does the F33 Pro justify its price tag? To find out, I called OPPO, got the F33 Pro two weeks back, and made it my daily driver, using it to take hundreds of photos, play BGMI, and scroll through reels. Here’s my experience.

OPPO F33 Pro Review

Hisan Kidwai

Summary

The OPPO F33 Pro has the same ingredients as its predecessor, including a stellar battery, protection that’ll withstand the end of the world, and a beautiful design. Sadly, it’s not perfect. The cameras aren’t as versatile, and the performance is only good enough for everyday tasks. The F33 Pro is for people who value design, protection, and battery over anything else. And if you’re that person, then the F33 Pro makes a ton of sense.

Design & Hardware

OPPO F33 Pro Review: Looks Premium, Survives Drops, But Is It Worth ₹37,999? When smartphones first became mainstream, durability took a back seat. We were expected to take care of our precious electronics and protect them from the elements. Somewhere along this journey, though, durability changed course and phones became resilient. OPPO’s F-series is a prime example, with a reputation for being the toughest phones money can buy. Last year’s F31 Pro+ implemented this formula pretty well, and the Chinese smartphone maker is back at it again, with the F33 Pro. It’s an interesting phone with a design that turns heads, a new processor family, and camera sensors. Sadly, without beloved AI companions jacking up RAM prices and ruining value smartphones, I wondered: how does the F33 Pro justify its price tag? To find out, I called OPPO, got the F33 Pro two weeks back, and made it my daily driver, using it to take hundreds of photos, play BGMI, and scroll through reels. Here’s my experience. OPPO F33 Pro ReviewHisan KidwaiSummaryThe OPPO F33 Pro has the same ingredients as its predecessor, including a stellar battery, protection that’ll withstand the end of the world, and a beautiful design. Sadly, it’s not perfect. The cameras aren’t as versatile, and the performance is only good enough for everyday tasks. The F33 Pro is for people who value design, protection, and battery over anything else. And if you’re that person, then the F33 Pro makes a ton of sense. Design & Hardware OPPO is known for making gorgeous phones, and if I just had to use one word for the F33 Pro’s design, it would be, drum roll please, gorgeous. I’ve yet to see such an exquisite-looking midranger, and don’t even bother with the white; the red is the way to go. It looks super sophisticated, with a matte texture that picks up 0 fingerprints. The camera plateau does resemble the iPhone in shape, but that’s not a complaint. OPPO has added a halo ring around it, creating a floating effect and making it look super premium. While the inside of the plateau is the same color, OPPO has made it shiny and added sparkles for some flair. It’s not something I can easily describe with words, but if you see it, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Everyone I gave the phone to thought it cost much more than it actually does, and some, including my mum, wanted to switch over to it. The sides are, of course, made of plastic, and the same color as the back. In my clumsy day-to-day use, the phone held up decently well. I dropped it a couple of times, including once from head height, and it escaped with little more than a dent. The F33 Pro earns some brownie points in the comfort department, too. It’s not an overly large phone, similar in size to the OPPO Find X9, and you can reach the top corners of the screen with average-sized hands. As expected, the F33 Pro packs all the IP ratings available on the market. These include IP66, IP68, IP69, and IP69K ratings, which mean your phone should stay just fine under high-pressure jets and full immersion for up to 12 hours. While I didn’t leave it submerged, I did wash it once after dropping my protein mix on it. It handled it pretty well, but I do recommend not submerging your phone under water since water damage isn’t covered under warranty. Display The OPPO F33 Pro features a 6.57-inch flat FHD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. There’s not much to say about the panel, except that it is plenty good. Text and messages appear super sharp, and the AMOLED panel keeps colors popping with deep blacks. I took the F33 Pro outside on a hot summer day, and the 1400-nit peak brightness kept everything legible without me having to squint. As a result, the colors and HDR performance during the latest episode of The Pitt were amazing. I had no problems throughout my testing. OPPO has also done a good job with the bezels on three sides, except for the chin, which is ever so slightly bigger, but still not by much. In terms of protection, OPPO has installed AGC DT-STAR D+ glass. While I haven’t heard of this protection before, it fared pretty well against drops and my usage, with no major scratches. On a positive note, OPPO pre-installs a screen protector, so I’d recommend keeping it on. Performance Performance is what makes or breaks a phone. Last year’s F31 Pro+ was decent in terms of performance. I didn’t describe it as blazing fast, but good enough for everyday tasks. And the same can be said for the F33 Pro. At the beating heart of the F33 Pro lies the MediaTek Dimensity 6360 MAX (6nm) processor, essentially a bumped-up version of the 6300 we saw on the K14. ColorOS, being the best Android skin, keeps everything running super smooth without hiccups. The 8GB of RAM was enough to keep most of my apps in memory, and it was nice to see a mid-range phone with premium ColorOS features, including full lock-screen customizations and dark-mode icons. It’s a capable phone that can handle every daily task, be it scrolling through reels, watching Netflix, or reading a book. The OPPO F33 Pro gets a dose of my favorite AI features, such as AI Recompose, which looks at the photo you captured and improves it. The object eraser works exceptionally well, and the portrait glow is decent for when you need to relight the subject. That all being said, there’s plenty of bloatware. Even though I said no to installing the recommended apps, the phone did install about 20 of them. After which, I had to sit and manually delete them one by one. Since this is a review, I also put the MediaTek Dimensity 6360 MAX (6nm) through its paces by running some benchmarks. The results? About what you’d expect for this segment. The F33 Pro scored 1,039 on Geekbench’s single-core test and 2,833 on the multi-core test. On the flip side, in AnTuTu, the device scored 1,189,871 points. As benchmarks never tell the full story, I also played a few games on the F33 Pro, namely BGMI, since that’s the only game I’m actually good at. The experience was pretty decent; there’s no high-frame-rate support, but 60fps was maintained throughout the session without overheating. Battery Life & Charging Probably the biggest reason to consider the F33 Pro, aside from the design, will be its massive 7,000 mAh battery. I consider myself a heavy user, but even with my usage, I couldn’t kill the phone in a day. For context, I started my day with the excellent activity of scrolling reels, then replying to texts, capturing camera samples, taking the phone with me to struggle at the gym, and ending the day with BGMI sessions. When it was eventually time to recharge, the 80W fast charging came in handy. It brought the battery back from zero to full in just over an hour. Cameras Optics on the OPPO F33 Pro are headlined by a 50MP OmniVision 50D40 sensor, and that’s essentially it. Like last year, you don’t get any UltraWide or telephoto sensor, except for a 2MP depth lens. Despite my reservations, the F33 Pro’s cameras aren’t that bad. Give the sensor enough light, and the photos it produces are detailed, with slightly boosted colors, without blowing out the highlights. Sure, there’s some struggle with harsh sunlight, but it’s occasional, not a consistent issue. Similarly, low-light performance, when you use night mode, is decent. While you’ll find some noise creeping in, the results still retain decent sharpness, and colors weren’t washed out at all. Since there’s no telephoto lens, the main sensor doubles as the portrait sensor, and it works pretty well. Skin tones are true to life, and OPPO’s processing effectively separates the subject from the background. OPPO, when launching the F33 Pro, talked heavily about the 50MP Ultra-Wide GC50F6 selfie shooter, and I’m happy to report it works like a charm. You don’t have to worry about playing hand gymnastics to fit multiple people in the shot, as the 100-degree FoV does the job for you. The shots are detailed enough, and colors do tend to be accurate. That said, there’s quite a lot of over-sharpening action when taking a selfie at night. Another big complaint is the lack of any 4K video recording support, which in 2026 should be a no-brainer. Verdict Like many other smartphones this year, the F-series has received a price bump, with the F33 Pro now starting at ₹37,999. It has the same ingredients as its predecessor, including a stellar battery, protection that’ll withstand the end of the world, and a beautiful design. Sadly, it’s not perfect. The cameras aren’t as versatile, and the performance is only good enough for everyday tasks. The F33 Pro is for people who value design, protection, and battery over anything else. And if you’re that person, then the F33 Pro makes a ton of sense. #OPPO #F33 #Pro #Review #Premium #Survives #Drops #WorthOppo

OPPO is known for making gorgeous phones, and if I just had to use one word for the F33 Pro’s design, it would be, drum roll please, gorgeous. I’ve yet to see such an exquisite-looking midranger, and don’t even bother with the white; the red is the way to go. It looks super sophisticated, with a matte texture that picks up 0 fingerprints.

The camera plateau does resemble the iPhone in shape, but that’s not a complaint. OPPO has added a halo ring around it, creating a floating effect and making it look super premium. While the inside of the plateau is the same color, OPPO has made it shiny and added sparkles for some flair. It’s not something I can easily describe with words, but if you see it, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Everyone I gave the phone to thought it cost much more than it actually does, and some, including my mum, wanted to switch over to it.

Sides of the F33 Pro

The sides are, of course, made of plastic, and the same color as the back. In my clumsy day-to-day use, the phone held up decently well. I dropped it a couple of times, including once from head height, and it escaped with little more than a dent. The F33 Pro earns some brownie points in the comfort department, too. It’s not an overly large phone, similar in size to the OPPO Find X9, and you can reach the top corners of the screen with average-sized hands.

As expected, the F33 Pro packs all the IP ratings available on the market. These include IP66, IP68, IP69, and IP69K ratings, which mean your phone should stay just fine under high-pressure jets and full immersion for up to 12 hours. While I didn’t leave it submerged, I did wash it once after dropping my protein mix on it. It handled it pretty well, but I do recommend not submerging your phone under water since water damage isn’t covered under warranty.

Display

HDR video playing on the phone

The OPPO F33 Pro features a 6.57-inch flat FHD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. There’s not much to say about the panel, except that it is plenty good. Text and messages appear super sharp, and the AMOLED panel keeps colors popping with deep blacks. I took the F33 Pro outside on a hot summer day, and the 1400-nit peak brightness kept everything legible without me having to squint. As a result, the colors and HDR performance during the latest episode of The Pitt were amazing.

I had no problems throughout my testing. OPPO has also done a good job with the bezels on three sides, except for the chin, which is ever so slightly bigger, but still not by much. In terms of protection, OPPO has installed AGC DT-STAR D+ glass. While I haven’t heard of this protection before, it fared pretty well against drops and my usage, with no major scratches. On a positive note, OPPO pre-installs a screen protector, so I’d recommend keeping it on.

Performance

Lock screens closeup of the OPPO F33 Pro

Performance is what makes or breaks a phone. Last year’s F31 Pro+ was decent in terms of performance. I didn’t describe it as blazing fast, but good enough for everyday tasks. And the same can be said for the F33 Pro. At the beating heart of the F33 Pro lies the MediaTek Dimensity 6360 MAX (6nm) processor, essentially a bumped-up version of the 6300 we saw on the K14. ColorOS, being the best Android skin, keeps everything running super smooth without hiccups. The 8GB of RAM was enough to keep most of my apps in memory, and it was nice to see a mid-range phone with premium ColorOS features, including full lock-screen customizations and dark-mode icons. It’s a capable phone that can handle every daily task, be it scrolling through reels, watching Netflix, or reading a book.

The OPPO F33 Pro gets a dose of my favorite AI features, such as AI Recompose, which looks at the photo you captured and improves it. The object eraser works exceptionally well, and the portrait glow is decent for when you need to relight the subject.

Gen AI features

That all being said, there’s plenty of bloatware. Even though I said no to installing the recommended apps, the phone did install about 20 of them. After which, I had to sit and manually delete them one by one.

Since this is a review, I also put the MediaTek Dimensity 6360 MAX (6nm) through its paces by running some benchmarks. The results? About what you’d expect for this segment. The F33 Pro scored 1,039 on Geekbench’s single-core test and 2,833 on the multi-core test. On the flip side, in AnTuTu, the device scored 1,189,871 points. As benchmarks never tell the full story, I also played a few games on the F33 Pro, namely BGMI, since that’s the only game I’m actually good at. The experience was pretty decent; there’s no high-frame-rate support, but 60fps was maintained throughout the session without overheating.

Battery Life & Charging

A person holding the F33 pro

Probably the biggest reason to consider the F33 Pro, aside from the design, will be its massive 7,000 mAh battery. I consider myself a heavy user, but even with my usage, I couldn’t kill the phone in a day. For context, I started my day with the excellent activity of scrolling reels, then replying to texts, capturing camera samples, taking the phone with me to struggle at the gym, and ending the day with BGMI sessions.

When it was eventually time to recharge, the 80W fast charging came in handy. It brought the battery back from zero to full in just over an hour.

Cameras

Closeup of the camera module

Optics on the OPPO F33 Pro are headlined by a 50MP OmniVision 50D40 sensor, and that’s essentially it. Like last year, you don’t get any UltraWide or telephoto sensor, except for a 2MP depth lens. Despite my reservations, the F33 Pro’s cameras aren’t that bad. Give the sensor enough light, and the photos it produces are detailed, with slightly boosted colors, without blowing out the highlights. Sure, there’s some struggle with harsh sunlight, but it’s occasional, not a consistent issue.

Similarly, low-light performance, when you use night mode, is decent. While you’ll find some noise creeping in, the results still retain decent sharpness, and colors weren’t washed out at all. Since there’s no telephoto lens, the main sensor doubles as the portrait sensor, and it works pretty well. Skin tones are true to life, and OPPO’s processing effectively separates the subject from the background.

OPPO, when launching the F33 Pro, talked heavily about the 50MP Ultra-Wide GC50F6 selfie shooter, and I’m happy to report it works like a charm. You don’t have to worry about playing hand gymnastics to fit multiple people in the shot, as the 100-degree FoV does the job for you. The shots are detailed enough, and colors do tend to be accurate. That said, there’s quite a lot of over-sharpening action when taking a selfie at night. Another big complaint is the lack of any 4K video recording support, which in 2026 should be a no-brainer.

Verdict

Back Design of the F33 Pro

Like many other smartphones this year, the F-series has received a price bump, with the F33 Pro now starting at ₹37,999. It has the same ingredients as its predecessor, including a stellar battery, protection that’ll withstand the end of the world, and a beautiful design. Sadly, it’s not perfect. The cameras aren’t as versatile, and the performance is only good enough for everyday tasks. The F33 Pro is for people who value design, protection, and battery over anything else. And if you’re that person, then the F33 Pro makes a ton of sense.

#OPPO #F33 #Pro #Review #Premium #Survives #Drops #WorthOppo">OPPO F33 Pro Review: Looks Premium, Survives Drops, But Is It Worth ₹37,999?

When smartphones first became mainstream, durability took a back seat. We were expected to take care of our precious electronics and protect them from the elements. Somewhere along this journey, though, durability changed course and phones became resilient. OPPO’s F-series is a prime example, with a reputation for being the toughest phones money can buy. Last year’s F31 Pro+ implemented this formula pretty well, and the Chinese smartphone maker is back at it again, with the F33 Pro.

It’s an interesting phone with a design that turns heads, a new processor family, and camera sensors. Sadly, without beloved AI companions jacking up RAM prices and ruining value smartphones, I wondered: how does the F33 Pro justify its price tag? To find out, I called OPPO, got the F33 Pro two weeks back, and made it my daily driver, using it to take hundreds of photos, play BGMI, and scroll through reels. Here’s my experience.

OPPO F33 Pro Review

Hisan Kidwai

Summary

The OPPO F33 Pro has the same ingredients as its predecessor, including a stellar battery, protection that’ll withstand the end of the world, and a beautiful design. Sadly, it’s not perfect. The cameras aren’t as versatile, and the performance is only good enough for everyday tasks. The F33 Pro is for people who value design, protection, and battery over anything else. And if you’re that person, then the F33 Pro makes a ton of sense.

Design & Hardware

OPPO F33 Pro Review: Looks Premium, Survives Drops, But Is It Worth ₹37,999? When smartphones first became mainstream, durability took a back seat. We were expected to take care of our precious electronics and protect them from the elements. Somewhere along this journey, though, durability changed course and phones became resilient. OPPO’s F-series is a prime example, with a reputation for being the toughest phones money can buy. Last year’s F31 Pro+ implemented this formula pretty well, and the Chinese smartphone maker is back at it again, with the F33 Pro. It’s an interesting phone with a design that turns heads, a new processor family, and camera sensors. Sadly, without beloved AI companions jacking up RAM prices and ruining value smartphones, I wondered: how does the F33 Pro justify its price tag? To find out, I called OPPO, got the F33 Pro two weeks back, and made it my daily driver, using it to take hundreds of photos, play BGMI, and scroll through reels. Here’s my experience. OPPO F33 Pro ReviewHisan KidwaiSummaryThe OPPO F33 Pro has the same ingredients as its predecessor, including a stellar battery, protection that’ll withstand the end of the world, and a beautiful design. Sadly, it’s not perfect. The cameras aren’t as versatile, and the performance is only good enough for everyday tasks. The F33 Pro is for people who value design, protection, and battery over anything else. And if you’re that person, then the F33 Pro makes a ton of sense. Design & Hardware OPPO is known for making gorgeous phones, and if I just had to use one word for the F33 Pro’s design, it would be, drum roll please, gorgeous. I’ve yet to see such an exquisite-looking midranger, and don’t even bother with the white; the red is the way to go. It looks super sophisticated, with a matte texture that picks up 0 fingerprints. The camera plateau does resemble the iPhone in shape, but that’s not a complaint. OPPO has added a halo ring around it, creating a floating effect and making it look super premium. While the inside of the plateau is the same color, OPPO has made it shiny and added sparkles for some flair. It’s not something I can easily describe with words, but if you see it, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Everyone I gave the phone to thought it cost much more than it actually does, and some, including my mum, wanted to switch over to it. The sides are, of course, made of plastic, and the same color as the back. In my clumsy day-to-day use, the phone held up decently well. I dropped it a couple of times, including once from head height, and it escaped with little more than a dent. The F33 Pro earns some brownie points in the comfort department, too. It’s not an overly large phone, similar in size to the OPPO Find X9, and you can reach the top corners of the screen with average-sized hands. As expected, the F33 Pro packs all the IP ratings available on the market. These include IP66, IP68, IP69, and IP69K ratings, which mean your phone should stay just fine under high-pressure jets and full immersion for up to 12 hours. While I didn’t leave it submerged, I did wash it once after dropping my protein mix on it. It handled it pretty well, but I do recommend not submerging your phone under water since water damage isn’t covered under warranty. Display The OPPO F33 Pro features a 6.57-inch flat FHD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. There’s not much to say about the panel, except that it is plenty good. Text and messages appear super sharp, and the AMOLED panel keeps colors popping with deep blacks. I took the F33 Pro outside on a hot summer day, and the 1400-nit peak brightness kept everything legible without me having to squint. As a result, the colors and HDR performance during the latest episode of The Pitt were amazing. I had no problems throughout my testing. OPPO has also done a good job with the bezels on three sides, except for the chin, which is ever so slightly bigger, but still not by much. In terms of protection, OPPO has installed AGC DT-STAR D+ glass. While I haven’t heard of this protection before, it fared pretty well against drops and my usage, with no major scratches. On a positive note, OPPO pre-installs a screen protector, so I’d recommend keeping it on. Performance Performance is what makes or breaks a phone. Last year’s F31 Pro+ was decent in terms of performance. I didn’t describe it as blazing fast, but good enough for everyday tasks. And the same can be said for the F33 Pro. At the beating heart of the F33 Pro lies the MediaTek Dimensity 6360 MAX (6nm) processor, essentially a bumped-up version of the 6300 we saw on the K14. ColorOS, being the best Android skin, keeps everything running super smooth without hiccups. The 8GB of RAM was enough to keep most of my apps in memory, and it was nice to see a mid-range phone with premium ColorOS features, including full lock-screen customizations and dark-mode icons. It’s a capable phone that can handle every daily task, be it scrolling through reels, watching Netflix, or reading a book. The OPPO F33 Pro gets a dose of my favorite AI features, such as AI Recompose, which looks at the photo you captured and improves it. The object eraser works exceptionally well, and the portrait glow is decent for when you need to relight the subject. That all being said, there’s plenty of bloatware. Even though I said no to installing the recommended apps, the phone did install about 20 of them. After which, I had to sit and manually delete them one by one. Since this is a review, I also put the MediaTek Dimensity 6360 MAX (6nm) through its paces by running some benchmarks. The results? About what you’d expect for this segment. The F33 Pro scored 1,039 on Geekbench’s single-core test and 2,833 on the multi-core test. On the flip side, in AnTuTu, the device scored 1,189,871 points. As benchmarks never tell the full story, I also played a few games on the F33 Pro, namely BGMI, since that’s the only game I’m actually good at. The experience was pretty decent; there’s no high-frame-rate support, but 60fps was maintained throughout the session without overheating. Battery Life & Charging Probably the biggest reason to consider the F33 Pro, aside from the design, will be its massive 7,000 mAh battery. I consider myself a heavy user, but even with my usage, I couldn’t kill the phone in a day. For context, I started my day with the excellent activity of scrolling reels, then replying to texts, capturing camera samples, taking the phone with me to struggle at the gym, and ending the day with BGMI sessions. When it was eventually time to recharge, the 80W fast charging came in handy. It brought the battery back from zero to full in just over an hour. Cameras Optics on the OPPO F33 Pro are headlined by a 50MP OmniVision 50D40 sensor, and that’s essentially it. Like last year, you don’t get any UltraWide or telephoto sensor, except for a 2MP depth lens. Despite my reservations, the F33 Pro’s cameras aren’t that bad. Give the sensor enough light, and the photos it produces are detailed, with slightly boosted colors, without blowing out the highlights. Sure, there’s some struggle with harsh sunlight, but it’s occasional, not a consistent issue. Similarly, low-light performance, when you use night mode, is decent. While you’ll find some noise creeping in, the results still retain decent sharpness, and colors weren’t washed out at all. Since there’s no telephoto lens, the main sensor doubles as the portrait sensor, and it works pretty well. Skin tones are true to life, and OPPO’s processing effectively separates the subject from the background. OPPO, when launching the F33 Pro, talked heavily about the 50MP Ultra-Wide GC50F6 selfie shooter, and I’m happy to report it works like a charm. You don’t have to worry about playing hand gymnastics to fit multiple people in the shot, as the 100-degree FoV does the job for you. The shots are detailed enough, and colors do tend to be accurate. That said, there’s quite a lot of over-sharpening action when taking a selfie at night. Another big complaint is the lack of any 4K video recording support, which in 2026 should be a no-brainer. Verdict Like many other smartphones this year, the F-series has received a price bump, with the F33 Pro now starting at ₹37,999. It has the same ingredients as its predecessor, including a stellar battery, protection that’ll withstand the end of the world, and a beautiful design. Sadly, it’s not perfect. The cameras aren’t as versatile, and the performance is only good enough for everyday tasks. The F33 Pro is for people who value design, protection, and battery over anything else. And if you’re that person, then the F33 Pro makes a ton of sense. #OPPO #F33 #Pro #Review #Premium #Survives #Drops #WorthOppo

OPPO is known for making gorgeous phones, and if I just had to use one word for the F33 Pro’s design, it would be, drum roll please, gorgeous. I’ve yet to see such an exquisite-looking midranger, and don’t even bother with the white; the red is the way to go. It looks super sophisticated, with a matte texture that picks up 0 fingerprints.

The camera plateau does resemble the iPhone in shape, but that’s not a complaint. OPPO has added a halo ring around it, creating a floating effect and making it look super premium. While the inside of the plateau is the same color, OPPO has made it shiny and added sparkles for some flair. It’s not something I can easily describe with words, but if you see it, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Everyone I gave the phone to thought it cost much more than it actually does, and some, including my mum, wanted to switch over to it.

Sides of the F33 Pro

The sides are, of course, made of plastic, and the same color as the back. In my clumsy day-to-day use, the phone held up decently well. I dropped it a couple of times, including once from head height, and it escaped with little more than a dent. The F33 Pro earns some brownie points in the comfort department, too. It’s not an overly large phone, similar in size to the OPPO Find X9, and you can reach the top corners of the screen with average-sized hands.

As expected, the F33 Pro packs all the IP ratings available on the market. These include IP66, IP68, IP69, and IP69K ratings, which mean your phone should stay just fine under high-pressure jets and full immersion for up to 12 hours. While I didn’t leave it submerged, I did wash it once after dropping my protein mix on it. It handled it pretty well, but I do recommend not submerging your phone under water since water damage isn’t covered under warranty.

Display

HDR video playing on the phone

The OPPO F33 Pro features a 6.57-inch flat FHD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. There’s not much to say about the panel, except that it is plenty good. Text and messages appear super sharp, and the AMOLED panel keeps colors popping with deep blacks. I took the F33 Pro outside on a hot summer day, and the 1400-nit peak brightness kept everything legible without me having to squint. As a result, the colors and HDR performance during the latest episode of The Pitt were amazing.

I had no problems throughout my testing. OPPO has also done a good job with the bezels on three sides, except for the chin, which is ever so slightly bigger, but still not by much. In terms of protection, OPPO has installed AGC DT-STAR D+ glass. While I haven’t heard of this protection before, it fared pretty well against drops and my usage, with no major scratches. On a positive note, OPPO pre-installs a screen protector, so I’d recommend keeping it on.

Performance

Lock screens closeup of the OPPO F33 Pro

Performance is what makes or breaks a phone. Last year’s F31 Pro+ was decent in terms of performance. I didn’t describe it as blazing fast, but good enough for everyday tasks. And the same can be said for the F33 Pro. At the beating heart of the F33 Pro lies the MediaTek Dimensity 6360 MAX (6nm) processor, essentially a bumped-up version of the 6300 we saw on the K14. ColorOS, being the best Android skin, keeps everything running super smooth without hiccups. The 8GB of RAM was enough to keep most of my apps in memory, and it was nice to see a mid-range phone with premium ColorOS features, including full lock-screen customizations and dark-mode icons. It’s a capable phone that can handle every daily task, be it scrolling through reels, watching Netflix, or reading a book.

The OPPO F33 Pro gets a dose of my favorite AI features, such as AI Recompose, which looks at the photo you captured and improves it. The object eraser works exceptionally well, and the portrait glow is decent for when you need to relight the subject.

Gen AI features

That all being said, there’s plenty of bloatware. Even though I said no to installing the recommended apps, the phone did install about 20 of them. After which, I had to sit and manually delete them one by one.

Since this is a review, I also put the MediaTek Dimensity 6360 MAX (6nm) through its paces by running some benchmarks. The results? About what you’d expect for this segment. The F33 Pro scored 1,039 on Geekbench’s single-core test and 2,833 on the multi-core test. On the flip side, in AnTuTu, the device scored 1,189,871 points. As benchmarks never tell the full story, I also played a few games on the F33 Pro, namely BGMI, since that’s the only game I’m actually good at. The experience was pretty decent; there’s no high-frame-rate support, but 60fps was maintained throughout the session without overheating.

Battery Life & Charging

A person holding the F33 pro

Probably the biggest reason to consider the F33 Pro, aside from the design, will be its massive 7,000 mAh battery. I consider myself a heavy user, but even with my usage, I couldn’t kill the phone in a day. For context, I started my day with the excellent activity of scrolling reels, then replying to texts, capturing camera samples, taking the phone with me to struggle at the gym, and ending the day with BGMI sessions.

When it was eventually time to recharge, the 80W fast charging came in handy. It brought the battery back from zero to full in just over an hour.

Cameras

Closeup of the camera module

Optics on the OPPO F33 Pro are headlined by a 50MP OmniVision 50D40 sensor, and that’s essentially it. Like last year, you don’t get any UltraWide or telephoto sensor, except for a 2MP depth lens. Despite my reservations, the F33 Pro’s cameras aren’t that bad. Give the sensor enough light, and the photos it produces are detailed, with slightly boosted colors, without blowing out the highlights. Sure, there’s some struggle with harsh sunlight, but it’s occasional, not a consistent issue.

Similarly, low-light performance, when you use night mode, is decent. While you’ll find some noise creeping in, the results still retain decent sharpness, and colors weren’t washed out at all. Since there’s no telephoto lens, the main sensor doubles as the portrait sensor, and it works pretty well. Skin tones are true to life, and OPPO’s processing effectively separates the subject from the background.

OPPO, when launching the F33 Pro, talked heavily about the 50MP Ultra-Wide GC50F6 selfie shooter, and I’m happy to report it works like a charm. You don’t have to worry about playing hand gymnastics to fit multiple people in the shot, as the 100-degree FoV does the job for you. The shots are detailed enough, and colors do tend to be accurate. That said, there’s quite a lot of over-sharpening action when taking a selfie at night. Another big complaint is the lack of any 4K video recording support, which in 2026 should be a no-brainer.

Verdict

Back Design of the F33 Pro

Like many other smartphones this year, the F-series has received a price bump, with the F33 Pro now starting at ₹37,999. It has the same ingredients as its predecessor, including a stellar battery, protection that’ll withstand the end of the world, and a beautiful design. Sadly, it’s not perfect. The cameras aren’t as versatile, and the performance is only good enough for everyday tasks. The F33 Pro is for people who value design, protection, and battery over anything else. And if you’re that person, then the F33 Pro makes a ton of sense.

#OPPO #F33 #Pro #Review #Premium #Survives #Drops #WorthOppo
recording you discreetly, you probably don’t like smart glasses. Video and photo capture are easily some of the most divisive aspects of the form factor, if not the most divisive. However divisive the recording part is, though, there are unifying aspects of smart glasses with cameras—things that fans and critics can hate together. Take subscriptions, for example.

As noted by Wired, L’Atitude 52°N, a smart glasses company that successfully crowdfunded last year, just launched its Berlin model of AI specs, which is set to go on sale May 26, and they have one tiny little quirk that I haven’t seen yet, or at least not to this extent: the AI features on the smart glasses (a good deal of the stuff that might actually convince you to buy them) will all be paywalled after a year’s trial.

Smart Glasses Are Eyeing the One Thing People Hate More Than Being Spied On If you don’t like the idea of someone recording you discreetly, you probably don’t like smart glasses. Video and photo capture are easily some of the most divisive aspects of the form factor, if not the most divisive. However divisive the recording part is, though, there are unifying aspects of smart glasses with cameras—things that fans and critics can hate together. Take subscriptions, for example. As noted by Wired, L’Atitude 52°N, a smart glasses company that successfully crowdfunded last year, just launched its Berlin model of AI specs, which is set to go on sale May 26, and they have one tiny little quirk that I haven’t seen yet, or at least not to this extent: the AI features on the smart glasses (a good deal of the stuff that might actually convince you to buy them) will all be paywalled after a year’s trial. © L’Atitude 52°N Per Wired, which spoke to L’Atitude 52°N CEO Gary Chen, there’s no word on how much the 9 smart glasses’ subscription will cost, but if you don’t pay up, Berlin will be limited to “base features,” which include playing music and capturing media. I guess anyone interested in buying Berlin will have to be okay with a looming, unknown cost down the road. It’s an interesting choice for a company that positions its smart glasses as being ideal for travel, pitching stuff like an “AI tour guide” that uses computer vision to provide information on your surroundings as a centerpiece of that travel functionality. Outside of a tour guide, the Berlin smart glasses also appear to lean into translation and a voice assistant in the AI department. On the bright side—call it transparency if you want—at least Chen is being honest about future ambitions to squeeze recurring profits out of anyone who buys the company’s smart glasses. A lot of the time, that’s just an unacknowledged minefield customers unknowingly step onto when buying any gadget with a cloud service. If you’re okay with potentially having to cough up a monthly sum to get the most out of your smart glasses, the Berlin look like a decent pair, but not quite the best. There’s no screen, but there’s a 12-megapixel camera, which is the same as the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses, though there’s a significant difference in capture resolution. The Berlin have a max recording resolution of 1080p, while the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses can record in 3K. They do look stylish, or at the very least unique, and if they can compete on open-ear audio, they might be a worthy consideration even with that very annoying subscription caveat. I’m skeptical that smart glasses are practical enough to justify paying for monthly, but I guess the only way to find out is by adding to everyone’s already Sisyphean monthly subscription budget. #Smart #Glasses #Eyeing #People #Hate #Spiedsmart glasses,wearables
© L’Atitude 52°N

Per Wired, which spoke to L’Atitude 52°N CEO Gary Chen, there’s no word on how much the $399 smart glasses’ subscription will cost, but if you don’t pay up, Berlin will be limited to “base features,” which include playing music and capturing media. I guess anyone interested in buying Berlin will have to be okay with a looming, unknown cost down the road.

It’s an interesting choice for a company that positions its smart glasses as being ideal for travel, pitching stuff like an “AI tour guide” that uses computer vision to provide information on your surroundings as a centerpiece of that travel functionality. Outside of a tour guide, the Berlin smart glasses also appear to lean into translation and a voice assistant in the AI department.

On the bright side—call it transparency if you want—at least Chen is being honest about future ambitions to squeeze recurring profits out of anyone who buys the company’s smart glasses. A lot of the time, that’s just an unacknowledged minefield customers unknowingly step onto when buying any gadget with a cloud service.

If you’re okay with potentially having to cough up a monthly sum to get the most out of your smart glasses, the Berlin look like a decent pair, but not quite the best. There’s no screen, but there’s a 12-megapixel camera, which is the same as the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses, though there’s a significant difference in capture resolution. The Berlin have a max recording resolution of 1080p, while the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses can record in 3K. They do look stylish, or at the very least unique, and if they can compete on open-ear audio, they might be a worthy consideration even with that very annoying subscription caveat.

I’m skeptical that smart glasses are practical enough to justify paying for monthly, but I guess the only way to find out is by adding to everyone’s already Sisyphean monthly subscription budget.

#Smart #Glasses #Eyeing #People #Hate #Spiedsmart glasses,wearables">Smart Glasses Are Eyeing the One Thing People Hate More Than Being Spied On If you don’t like the idea of someone recording you discreetly, you probably don’t like smart glasses. Video and photo capture are easily some of the most divisive aspects of the form factor, if not the most divisive. However divisive the recording part is, though, there are unifying aspects of smart glasses with cameras—things that fans and critics can hate together. Take subscriptions, for example. As noted by Wired, L’Atitude 52°N, a smart glasses company that successfully crowdfunded last year, just launched its Berlin model of AI specs, which is set to go on sale May 26, and they have one tiny little quirk that I haven’t seen yet, or at least not to this extent: the AI features on the smart glasses (a good deal of the stuff that might actually convince you to buy them) will all be paywalled after a year’s trial. © L’Atitude 52°N Per Wired, which spoke to L’Atitude 52°N CEO Gary Chen, there’s no word on how much the 9 smart glasses’ subscription will cost, but if you don’t pay up, Berlin will be limited to “base features,” which include playing music and capturing media. I guess anyone interested in buying Berlin will have to be okay with a looming, unknown cost down the road. It’s an interesting choice for a company that positions its smart glasses as being ideal for travel, pitching stuff like an “AI tour guide” that uses computer vision to provide information on your surroundings as a centerpiece of that travel functionality. Outside of a tour guide, the Berlin smart glasses also appear to lean into translation and a voice assistant in the AI department. On the bright side—call it transparency if you want—at least Chen is being honest about future ambitions to squeeze recurring profits out of anyone who buys the company’s smart glasses. A lot of the time, that’s just an unacknowledged minefield customers unknowingly step onto when buying any gadget with a cloud service. If you’re okay with potentially having to cough up a monthly sum to get the most out of your smart glasses, the Berlin look like a decent pair, but not quite the best. There’s no screen, but there’s a 12-megapixel camera, which is the same as the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses, though there’s a significant difference in capture resolution. The Berlin have a max recording resolution of 1080p, while the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses can record in 3K. They do look stylish, or at the very least unique, and if they can compete on open-ear audio, they might be a worthy consideration even with that very annoying subscription caveat. I’m skeptical that smart glasses are practical enough to justify paying for monthly, but I guess the only way to find out is by adding to everyone’s already Sisyphean monthly subscription budget. #Smart #Glasses #Eyeing #People #Hate #Spiedsmart glasses,wearables

, you probably don’t like smart glasses. Video and photo capture are easily some of the most divisive aspects of the form factor, if not the most divisive. However divisive the recording part is, though, there are unifying aspects of smart glasses with cameras—things that fans and critics can hate together. Take subscriptions, for example.

As noted by Wired, L’Atitude 52°N, a smart glasses company that successfully crowdfunded last year, just launched its Berlin model of AI specs, which is set to go on sale May 26, and they have one tiny little quirk that I haven’t seen yet, or at least not to this extent: the AI features on the smart glasses (a good deal of the stuff that might actually convince you to buy them) will all be paywalled after a year’s trial.

Smart Glasses Are Eyeing the One Thing People Hate More Than Being Spied On If you don’t like the idea of someone recording you discreetly, you probably don’t like smart glasses. Video and photo capture are easily some of the most divisive aspects of the form factor, if not the most divisive. However divisive the recording part is, though, there are unifying aspects of smart glasses with cameras—things that fans and critics can hate together. Take subscriptions, for example. As noted by Wired, L’Atitude 52°N, a smart glasses company that successfully crowdfunded last year, just launched its Berlin model of AI specs, which is set to go on sale May 26, and they have one tiny little quirk that I haven’t seen yet, or at least not to this extent: the AI features on the smart glasses (a good deal of the stuff that might actually convince you to buy them) will all be paywalled after a year’s trial. © L’Atitude 52°N Per Wired, which spoke to L’Atitude 52°N CEO Gary Chen, there’s no word on how much the 9 smart glasses’ subscription will cost, but if you don’t pay up, Berlin will be limited to “base features,” which include playing music and capturing media. I guess anyone interested in buying Berlin will have to be okay with a looming, unknown cost down the road. It’s an interesting choice for a company that positions its smart glasses as being ideal for travel, pitching stuff like an “AI tour guide” that uses computer vision to provide information on your surroundings as a centerpiece of that travel functionality. Outside of a tour guide, the Berlin smart glasses also appear to lean into translation and a voice assistant in the AI department. On the bright side—call it transparency if you want—at least Chen is being honest about future ambitions to squeeze recurring profits out of anyone who buys the company’s smart glasses. A lot of the time, that’s just an unacknowledged minefield customers unknowingly step onto when buying any gadget with a cloud service. If you’re okay with potentially having to cough up a monthly sum to get the most out of your smart glasses, the Berlin look like a decent pair, but not quite the best. There’s no screen, but there’s a 12-megapixel camera, which is the same as the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses, though there’s a significant difference in capture resolution. The Berlin have a max recording resolution of 1080p, while the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses can record in 3K. They do look stylish, or at the very least unique, and if they can compete on open-ear audio, they might be a worthy consideration even with that very annoying subscription caveat. I’m skeptical that smart glasses are practical enough to justify paying for monthly, but I guess the only way to find out is by adding to everyone’s already Sisyphean monthly subscription budget. #Smart #Glasses #Eyeing #People #Hate #Spiedsmart glasses,wearables
© L’Atitude 52°N

Per Wired, which spoke to L’Atitude 52°N CEO Gary Chen, there’s no word on how much the $399 smart glasses’ subscription will cost, but if you don’t pay up, Berlin will be limited to “base features,” which include playing music and capturing media. I guess anyone interested in buying Berlin will have to be okay with a looming, unknown cost down the road.

It’s an interesting choice for a company that positions its smart glasses as being ideal for travel, pitching stuff like an “AI tour guide” that uses computer vision to provide information on your surroundings as a centerpiece of that travel functionality. Outside of a tour guide, the Berlin smart glasses also appear to lean into translation and a voice assistant in the AI department.

On the bright side—call it transparency if you want—at least Chen is being honest about future ambitions to squeeze recurring profits out of anyone who buys the company’s smart glasses. A lot of the time, that’s just an unacknowledged minefield customers unknowingly step onto when buying any gadget with a cloud service.

If you’re okay with potentially having to cough up a monthly sum to get the most out of your smart glasses, the Berlin look like a decent pair, but not quite the best. There’s no screen, but there’s a 12-megapixel camera, which is the same as the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses, though there’s a significant difference in capture resolution. The Berlin have a max recording resolution of 1080p, while the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses can record in 3K. They do look stylish, or at the very least unique, and if they can compete on open-ear audio, they might be a worthy consideration even with that very annoying subscription caveat.

I’m skeptical that smart glasses are practical enough to justify paying for monthly, but I guess the only way to find out is by adding to everyone’s already Sisyphean monthly subscription budget.

#Smart #Glasses #Eyeing #People #Hate #Spiedsmart glasses,wearables">Smart Glasses Are Eyeing the One Thing People Hate More Than Being Spied On

If you don’t like the idea of someone recording you discreetly, you probably don’t like smart glasses. Video and photo capture are easily some of the most divisive aspects of the form factor, if not the most divisive. However divisive the recording part is, though, there are unifying aspects of smart glasses with cameras—things that fans and critics can hate together. Take subscriptions, for example.

As noted by Wired, L’Atitude 52°N, a smart glasses company that successfully crowdfunded last year, just launched its Berlin model of AI specs, which is set to go on sale May 26, and they have one tiny little quirk that I haven’t seen yet, or at least not to this extent: the AI features on the smart glasses (a good deal of the stuff that might actually convince you to buy them) will all be paywalled after a year’s trial.

Smart Glasses Are Eyeing the One Thing People Hate More Than Being Spied On If you don’t like the idea of someone recording you discreetly, you probably don’t like smart glasses. Video and photo capture are easily some of the most divisive aspects of the form factor, if not the most divisive. However divisive the recording part is, though, there are unifying aspects of smart glasses with cameras—things that fans and critics can hate together. Take subscriptions, for example. As noted by Wired, L’Atitude 52°N, a smart glasses company that successfully crowdfunded last year, just launched its Berlin model of AI specs, which is set to go on sale May 26, and they have one tiny little quirk that I haven’t seen yet, or at least not to this extent: the AI features on the smart glasses (a good deal of the stuff that might actually convince you to buy them) will all be paywalled after a year’s trial. © L’Atitude 52°N Per Wired, which spoke to L’Atitude 52°N CEO Gary Chen, there’s no word on how much the 9 smart glasses’ subscription will cost, but if you don’t pay up, Berlin will be limited to “base features,” which include playing music and capturing media. I guess anyone interested in buying Berlin will have to be okay with a looming, unknown cost down the road. It’s an interesting choice for a company that positions its smart glasses as being ideal for travel, pitching stuff like an “AI tour guide” that uses computer vision to provide information on your surroundings as a centerpiece of that travel functionality. Outside of a tour guide, the Berlin smart glasses also appear to lean into translation and a voice assistant in the AI department. On the bright side—call it transparency if you want—at least Chen is being honest about future ambitions to squeeze recurring profits out of anyone who buys the company’s smart glasses. A lot of the time, that’s just an unacknowledged minefield customers unknowingly step onto when buying any gadget with a cloud service. If you’re okay with potentially having to cough up a monthly sum to get the most out of your smart glasses, the Berlin look like a decent pair, but not quite the best. There’s no screen, but there’s a 12-megapixel camera, which is the same as the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses, though there’s a significant difference in capture resolution. The Berlin have a max recording resolution of 1080p, while the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses can record in 3K. They do look stylish, or at the very least unique, and if they can compete on open-ear audio, they might be a worthy consideration even with that very annoying subscription caveat. I’m skeptical that smart glasses are practical enough to justify paying for monthly, but I guess the only way to find out is by adding to everyone’s already Sisyphean monthly subscription budget. #Smart #Glasses #Eyeing #People #Hate #Spiedsmart glasses,wearables
© L’Atitude 52°N

Per Wired, which spoke to L’Atitude 52°N CEO Gary Chen, there’s no word on how much the $399 smart glasses’ subscription will cost, but if you don’t pay up, Berlin will be limited to “base features,” which include playing music and capturing media. I guess anyone interested in buying Berlin will have to be okay with a looming, unknown cost down the road.

It’s an interesting choice for a company that positions its smart glasses as being ideal for travel, pitching stuff like an “AI tour guide” that uses computer vision to provide information on your surroundings as a centerpiece of that travel functionality. Outside of a tour guide, the Berlin smart glasses also appear to lean into translation and a voice assistant in the AI department.

On the bright side—call it transparency if you want—at least Chen is being honest about future ambitions to squeeze recurring profits out of anyone who buys the company’s smart glasses. A lot of the time, that’s just an unacknowledged minefield customers unknowingly step onto when buying any gadget with a cloud service.

If you’re okay with potentially having to cough up a monthly sum to get the most out of your smart glasses, the Berlin look like a decent pair, but not quite the best. There’s no screen, but there’s a 12-megapixel camera, which is the same as the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses, though there’s a significant difference in capture resolution. The Berlin have a max recording resolution of 1080p, while the Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses can record in 3K. They do look stylish, or at the very least unique, and if they can compete on open-ear audio, they might be a worthy consideration even with that very annoying subscription caveat.

I’m skeptical that smart glasses are practical enough to justify paying for monthly, but I guess the only way to find out is by adding to everyone’s already Sisyphean monthly subscription budget.

#Smart #Glasses #Eyeing #People #Hate #Spiedsmart glasses,wearables

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