December 2024 is shaping up to be an exciting month for smartphone enthusiasts, with some highly anticipated launches lined up. Mostly flagships, might we add. Vivo and iQOO—sister brands—will battle it out with their respective premium offerings, Vivo X200 series and iQOO 13. While the iQOO 13 will have Qualcomm’s fastest chip, the X200 series will come with MediaTek’s latest at the time of writing. For budget-conscious buyers, Xiaomi is gearing the Redmi Note 14 series, due to release early this month.
Mark your calendars for these standout releases:
iQOO 13 on December 3: The iQOO 13 is set to launch in India on December 3, with a few differences from the Chinese model that debuted in late October. While both versions share the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, Indian buyers will see changes in colors and battery capacity.
In India, the iQOO 13 will be available in two colors: Nardo Gray and the Legend Edition. The latter continues iQOO’s collaboration with BMW M Motorsport, featuring an exclusive white finish inspired by racing. Interestingly, iQOO doesn’t charge extra for this premium design. Nardo Gray, a new addition, is inspired by Italy’s racetracks, adding a unique touch to the lineup. However, two Chinese color options—Track Black and Isle of Man Green—won’t be available in India, at least for now.
Another notable difference is the battery size. The Indian variant has a 6,000mAh battery, slightly smaller than the 6,150mAh battery in the Chinese model. While it’s a minor downgrade on paper, it’s worth considering.
The rest of the specifications remain impressive and unchanged. The iQOO 13 features a 6.82-inch 2K (1440p) LTPO OLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 1,800 nits. It runs Android 15 and boasts a triple rear camera setup with a 50MP primary sensor. Other highlights include 120W fast charging and an IP69 rating for durability.
Redmi Note 14 series on December 9: The Redmi Note 14 series is set to launch in India on December 9, bringing three models: Redmi Note 14, Note 14 Pro, and Note 14 Pro Plus. These smartphones, first unveiled in China, pack some impressive features, though Xiaomi has hinted we might see a price hike in this generation.
The Redmi Note 14 Pro and Pro Plus both feature a 6.67-inch 1.5K OLED display with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate, 3,000 nits peak brightness, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and 12-bit colour depth. Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 adds durability. The Note 14 Pro is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Ultra, while the Pro Plus runs on Snapdragon 7s Gen 3, with LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage for faster performance.
For cameras, the Note 14 Pro has a 50MP main sensor, 8MP ultra-wide, and 2MP macro cameras. The Pro Plus ups the game with a 50MP OIS main camera, 8MP ultra-wide, and a 50MP telephoto lens. Both phones have 20MP front cameras. The Pro has a 5,500mAh battery with 45W charging, while the Pro Plus gets a larger 6,200mAh battery with 90W charging.
The base Redmi Note 14 features a 50MP main camera, MediaTek Dimensity 7025 Ultra chip, and a 5,100mAh battery. All models run Android 14 with HyperOS and include 5G, Wi-Fi 6, IP68 rating, and Dolby Atmos stereo speakers.
Vivo X200 series: The Vivo X200 series is set to launch in India sometime in December, earlier than the X100 series. The lineup includes the X200, X200 Pro, and X200 Pro Minithough the Mini may remain exclusive to China. Based on past launches, the X200 and X200 Pro are almost certain to debut in India.
As expected, the X200 series emphasises photography. The top-tier X200 Pro features a powerful triple-camera setup: a 50MP Sony LYT-818 (f/1.57), a 200MP Zeiss APO telephoto (3.7x, f/2.67), and a 50MP ultrawide (f/2.0) with autofocus. The X200 includes a 50MP Sony IMX921, a 50MP IMX882 telephoto, and a 50MP ultrawide lens. The X200 Pro Mini packs three 50MP sensors for wide, telephoto (3x), and ultrawide shots.
All three models are powered by MediaTek’s latest Dimensity 9400 chipset and come with large batteries: 6,000mAh for the X200 Pro, 5,800mAh for the X200, and 5,700mAh for the Mini.
