Phones launched this week: Xiaomi 13 series, Realme GT 3, Tecno Phantom V Fold, and more

This week saw MWC 2023 taking place in Barcelona, Spain in full force. The biggest mobile technology event saw several new smartphone launches and innovative technologies on display for the world to see. Many smartphone makers took the stage at MWC 2023 to unveil brand-new smartphones. This week saw launches from Xiaomi, Tecno, Realme, Vivo, and Samsung. The list includes the Xiaomi 13 series, Realme GT 3, Tecno’s first foldable phone, and more. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the top phones launched this week.

Smartphones launched this week

Xiaomi 13 series

The week started with Xiaomi launching its latest flagship line of smartphones, the Xiaomi 13 series, on February 27th. The lineup includes three devices: Xiaomi 13, Xiaomi 13 Pro, and Xiaomi 13 Lite. However, only the Xiaomi 13 Pro has made it to the Indian market.

Xiaomi 13 Pro: The Xiaomi 13 Pro flaunts a 6.73-inch QHD LTPO AMOLED panel that supports 3200×1440 pixel resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, 522PPI density, 1900 nits peak brightness, and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection on top. 

Powered by Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, paired with Adeno 740 GPU, the Xiaomi 13 Pro ships with up to 12GB LPDDR5x RAM and 512GB UFS 4.0 storage (UFS 3.1 for the base 128GB model). A 4,820mAh battery with 120W fast charging support keeps the light on. The Xiaomi 13 Pro boots Android 13-based MIUI 14 out of the box.

Photography needs on the Xiaomi 13 Pro are taken care of by a 32MP front-facing shooter and a Leica-powered triple rear camera setup: 50MP primary, 50MP telephoto, and 50MP ultrawide lenses. It is capable of capturing 8K HDR videos at 24fps.

Price: Rs 79,999 for 12GB RAM and 256GB storage unit. 

Xiaomi 13: The vanilla Xiaomi 13 has a 6.36-inch OLED display that supports 2400×1080 pixel resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, 414PPI density, 1900 nits peak brightness, and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection on top.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset runs the show and an Adreno GPU for graphical needs. It packs up to 12GB RAM and 512GB internal storage. With the Xiaomi 13, you get a 4,500mAh battery with 67W wired, 50W wireless, and 10W reverse wireless charging support. It runs on Android 13-based MIUI 14 out of the box.

It houses a Leica-powered triple rear camera setup, including a 50MP primary sensor, a 50MP ultrawide angle lens, and a 50MP telephoto shooter. A 32MP snapper on the front takes care of selfies and video calling needs.

Price: EUR 999 (Approx. Rs 87,000)

Xiaomi 13 Lite: The Xiaomi 13 Lite sports a 6.55-inch AMOLED panel that supports 2400×1080 pixel resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, 402PPI density, 1000 nits peak brightness, and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection on top.

The device is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 SoC at the helm, paired with Adreno 644 GPU. Xiaomi ships the 13 Lite with 8GB RAM and 128GB/256GB storage. As for the optics, the device has a triple rear camera setup: 50MP primary, 8MP ultrawide, and 2MP macro. There’s a 32MP front-facing snapper for selfies and video calls. The device runs on Android 12-based MIUI 14 out of the box.

While there is no word yet on the Xiaomi 13 Lite’s India launch, we did go hands-on with the phone at MWC 2023 to share our first impressions.

Price: EUR 499 (Approx. Rs 44,000)

Realme GT 3

The company received much attention from tech enthusiasts with the launch of the Realme GT 3 at MWC 2023. It touts Realme’s new 240W SuperVOOC charging technology and a Pulse Interface lighting system. Besides this, the device features a 6.74-inch FHD+ AMOLED panel that supports 2772×1240 pixel resolution, 144Hz refresh rate, HDR10+, 451PPI density, and 1400 nits peak brightness.

Realme GT 3 comes with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC and Adrena 730 GPU. It features up to 16GB RAM and 1TB storage.

Photography needs on the Realme GT 3 are taken care of by a 16MP front-facing shooter and a triple rear camera setup: 50MP primary, 8MP ultrawide, and 2MP micro. It is capable of capturing 4K videos at 60fps. The device runs on Android 13-based Realme UI 4.0 out of the box.

Realme GT 3 is expected to launch in India later this year. You can check out our first impressions of the device here to get a better understanding of the phone’s new fast charging technology and Pulse Interface.

Price: USD 649 (Approx. Rs 53,700)

Tecno Phantom V Fold

Tecno launched its first foldable phone at MWC 2023, the Tecno Phantom V Fold. It has a 6.42-inch FHD+ dual 120Hz LTPO cover AMOLED panel with 2550x1080p resolution, 1100 nits peak brightness, 431 PPI density, and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection. Furthermore, it has a 7.65-inch 2K LTPO AMOLED foldable screen that supports 2296×2000 pixel resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, 1100 nits peak brightness, and 388PPI density.

It draws power from MediaTek Dimensity 9000+ SoC and Mali-G710 MC10 GPU. The device comes with two storage options: 12GB LPDDR5 RAM RAM/256GB UFS 3.1 storage and 12GB LPDDR5 RAM RAM/512GB UFS 3.1 storage.

The device has a triple camera setup on the back, featuring a 50MP primary sensor, a 13MP ultrawide lens, and a 50MP portrait shooter. The cover screen houses a 32MP selfie shooter, while the one on the inner display is a 16MP snapper. Tecno Phantom V Fold runs on Android 13-based HiOS 13 Fold custom skin out of the box.

We went hands-on with the Tecno Phantom V Fold at MWC 2023 as well. Here’s what we thought about the foldable phone.

Price: Rs 89,999 for the 12GB/256GB model and Rs 99,999 for the 12GB/512GB unit. 

Vivo V27 series

This week ended with the launch of the Vivo V27 series. The lineup included the Vivo 27, V27 Pro, and V27e. However, the company only ships the Vivo V27 and Vivo V27 Pro models to the Indian shores. The Vivo V27 series phones feature a unique design that changes colour when in contact with direct bright light.

Vivo V27: The vanilla Vivo V27 has a 6.78-inch AMOLED display that supports 2400×1080 pixel resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+, 388PPI density, and 1300 nits peak brightness.

The Mediatek Dimensity 7200 chipset runs the show and Mali-G610 MC4 for graphical needs. It packs up to 12GB RAM and 256GB internal storage. With the Vivo V27, you get a 4,600mAh battery with 66W fast charging support. Vivo V27 runs on Android 13-based Funtouch 13 out of the box.

It houses a triple rear camera setup, including a 50MP primary sensor, n 8MP ultrawide lens, and a 2MP macro shooter. A 50MP snapper on the front takes care of selfies and video calling needs.

Price: Rs 32,999 for the 8GB/128GB model and Rs 36,999 for the 12GB/256GB unit.

Vivo V27 Pro: The Vivo V27 Pro flaunts a 6.78-inch FHD+ AMOLED panel that supports 2400×1080 pixel resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+, 388PPI density, and 1300 nits peak brightness. 

Powered by Mediatek’s flagship Dimensity 8200 SoC, paired with Mali-G610 MC6 GPU, the Vivo V27 Pro ships with up to 12GB RAM and 256GB UFS 3.1 storage. A 4,600mAh battery with 66W fast charging support keeps the light on. The Vivo V27 Pro boots Android 13-based Funtouch 13 out of the box.

Photography needs on the Vivo V27 Pro are taken care of by a 50MP front-facing shooter and a triple rear camera setup: a 50MP primary sensor, n 8MP ultrawide lens, and a 2MP macro shooter. It is capable of capturing 4K videos at 60fps.

Price: 

• Rs 37,999 for the 8GB/128GB model 
• Rs 39,999 for the 8GB/256GB unit
• Rs 42,999 for the 12GB/256GB varaint

Vivo V27e: The Vivo V27e sports a 6.62-inch AMOLED panel that supports 2400×1080 pixel resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, 398PPI density, and 1000 nits peak brightness.

It has MediaTek’s Helio G99 SoC at the helm, paired with Mali-G57 MC2 GPU. Vivo ships the V27e with 8GB RAM and 128GB/256GB storage, expandable via a microSD card. The device runs on Android 13-based Funtouch 13 out of the box.

As for the optics, the device has a triple rear camera setup: 60MP primary, 2MP macro, and 2MP depth. There’s a 32MP front-facing snapper for selfies and video calls.

Price: RM 1,299 (Approx. Rs 23,970) 

Samsung Galaxy A14 4G

Although the company has officially listed the Samsung Galaxy A14 4G on its website, it’s yet to announce the device’s pricing and Indian availability details. Samsung ships the Galaxy A14 with a 6.6-inch FHD+ LCD panel that supports 2408×1080 pixel resolution and 400PPI density.

The device draws power from MediaTek Helio G80 SoC paired with Mali-G52 MC2 GPU. It packs 4GB/6GB RAM and 64GB/128GB storage, expandable via microSD card. Samsung Galaxy A14 runs on Android 13-based One UI 5 out of the box.

It features a triple rear camera setup: 50MP primary, 5MP ultrawide, and 2MP macro. There’s a 13MP selfie shooter at the front. You can capture 1080p video at 30fps from both the front and back cameras of the Samsung Galaxy A14 4G.

Price: TBA