Ben Sin

Hong Kong, Los Angeles

Contributor at Forbes

Senior Editor at XDA Developers

Content Creator at Freelance

tech reviewer https://t.co/7AYu25KZtD | also contributor @xdadevelopers Instagram: bensgadgetreviews

Articles

Oppo’s New Ultra Flagship Has Two Periscope Zoom That Work Well

6 days ago | forbes.com | Ben Sin

Almost eight years ago I reported on a new mobile zoom camera technology being developed by Shenzhen headquartered Oppo. In the report, I wondered when the tech will be ready for prime time. Well, Oppo released the lens in a commercial device by 2019, but I'd argue now, in 2025, Oppo has finally mastered it, because the company's newest highest-tier flagship phone, the Find X8 Ultra, features not one but two optical zoom lenses using this "Periscope" technology, and it works very well.
Hands-On: Zeiss Zoom Lens For The Vivo X200 Ultra

1 week ago | forbes.com | Ben Sin

Vivo’s newest Ultra smartphone, the X200 Ultra, has a very impressive camera system on its own: a triple 50-megapixel lens array with (relative in the mobile space) large sensors and fast aperture. By itself, the phone has a high chance of claiming “the best smartphone camera” throne of 2025. But Vivo didn’t stop there.
Xiaomi’s $650 POCO F7 Ultra Runs ‘Genshin Impact’ Better Than The $1300 S25 Ultra

1 month ago | flipboard.com | Ben Sin

NowGoogle TV boxes are finally getting more storage, Xiaomi upgrades to 32GBGoogle TV (and Android TV) boxes and streamers have been stuck at a mere 8GB of storage for a long time, but things are finally changing as new hardware hits the market including the new Xiaomi TV Box S which jumps up to 32GB.
Xiaomi’s $650 POCO F7 Ultra Runs ‘Genshin Impact’ Better Than The $1300 S25 Ultra

1 month ago | forbes.com | Ben Sin

Xiaomi has announced a new phone under its POCO sub-branding, and while it brings the above-average displays and camera performance relative to its $650 price tag, the biggest news may be that the phone introduces a new silicon self-developed by Xiaomi named the VisionBoost D7. The chip, manufactured on 12nm process, works along the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC to help the new phone handle heavy graphical processing.
Xiaomi 15 Review: The Best ‘Small’ Phone

1 month ago | flipboard.com | Ben Sin

2 hours agoPixel 9a vs Pixel 9: There’s a clear winner for meOne of them offers better value overall. The Pixel lineup has expanded with the arrival of the new Pixel 9a, adding another layer of complexity to the purchase decision. Should you opt for the budget-friendly Pixel 9a, or invest a bit more in the Pixel 9, which boasts superior specs on paper?
Xiaomi 15 Review: The Best ‘Small’ Phone

1 month ago | forbes.com | Ben Sin

Phones have gotten bigger and bigger in the last half decade, a trend that makes sense considering we’re doing and consuming more on our phones than ever before. Almost all the highest-tier flagship phones come at the 6.7- to 6.9-inch size. But there is a small but vocal minority who do not like the trend, constantly yearning (on Reddit, on X/Twitter, in my YouTube video comment section) for the days of a sub-6-inch phone.
MacBook Air (M4, 2025) review: More power for less money

1 month ago | xda-developers.com | Ben Sin

Apple's new MacBooks for 2025 are the exact definition of a spec bump: other than getting a new M4 chip, a paintjob, and an improved webcam, the laptop is exactly the same as the M3 model that came out barely 12 months ago. I understand that makes the laptop rather boring, and I myself have been critical of smartphones that are just spec bumps updates, but the MacBook Air, in my opinion, is exempt from criticism for two reasons. Number one: the MacBook Air is the world's best-selling laptop.
M4 MacBook Air Review: The Best Laptop Gets Slightly Better And Cheaper

1 month ago | forbes.com | Ben Sin

Apple’s been releasing new silicon at a breakneck pace, sometimes shorter than the usual one year period. The M4, for example, debuted just 10 months after the M3. As a result, Apple’s computing products are also seeing more frequent updates, because selling a laptop with a chip that is not the newest version out isn’t a good look. And so, just barely 12 months after the last update comes a new MacBook Air—this time powered by Apple’s latest M4 chip.
Nothing Phone 3a Pro Review: A Great 3X Zoom And Some Attitude

2 months ago | forbes.com | Ben Sin

Budget Android phones used to be so cheap, generic looking affairs. Thanks to upstart brands like Nothing -- founded by former OnePlus frontman Carl Pei -- that is changing. The Nothing Phone 3a Pro is a $450 phone that looks every bit as premium as Google or Apple's $1,000 phones, and in my opinion at least, Nothing's phone looks cooler.
M3 iPad Air (2025) Review: Still The Best, But Changes Needed Next Time

2 months ago | forbes.com | Ben Sin

Apple’s new iPad Air comes just ten months after the release of the last model, and the new one is just a silicon bump, meaning the only change is the chip got upgraded to a newer one. Otherwise, everything else from display tech to dimensions to construction are exactly the same. My initial reaction to this release was, “do we need a new iPad Air already? The last model isn’t even a year old?”But then I realized that’s the wrong way to look at it.