First Look
Match Pulse: HONOR Watch 5 Ultra
Is it just another watch slapped with an “Ultra” branding?
I don’t get to test out a lot of smartwatches. But when a once in a blue moon opportunity knocks on my door, I never hesitate.
Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever — no matter how much you take good care of it.
TMI: the Xiaomi Watch S1 Pro I have continuously used (but never abused) for two years was suddenly unusable with its unresponsive display and major ghosting issues.
But, with the arrival of the HONOR Watch 5 Ultra in the scene, it felt like I received a gift from the gods.
First Look
Of all the smartwatches released so far, only HUAWEI’s Watch GT 5 Pro caught my attention with its striking octagon-shaped watch face. In a sea of circular and squircular watches, looking at it felt new and refreshing.

Fortunately, the HONOR Watch 5 Ultra doesn’t look far off from its “cousin”. It also boasts what HONOR calls a “dome octagonal design” made from a Grade 5 Titanium Case alongside a Sapphire Crystal display.

I would be lying though if I don’t say I’m quite disappointed that HONOR decided to remove that tachymeter in favor of a slimmer watch bezel. Luckily, its 1.5-inch AMOLED display with a pixel density of 310ppi is the saving grace.
It felt bright and sharp enough for an everyday wear regardless if you’re indoors or out.
However, my disappointments don’t end there. Upon unboxing, I got the color that I don’t totally prefer. Maybe it’s just me being very nit-picky as I like my timepiece to stand out against my monotonous dark outfit scheme.
@gadgetmatch New smartwatch alert! #HONORWatch5Ultra ♬ original sound – GadgetMatch
Lastly, the included “fluoroelastomer” strap is the thing I least love about it. This is not totally exclusive to the HONOR Watch 5 Ultra as this goes to all smartwatch offerings.
I understand that the rubber watch band is meant for sports activities but personally, it always felt flimsy and cheap to me.

If I were given the choice, I would automatically pick the silver version with a brown leather strap. No questions asked.

I’m just happy that just like most smartwatches, the HONOR Watch 5 Ultra uses the standard 22mm strap + locking system. This means that previous third-party bands I have from my Xiaomi and HUAWEI smartwatches all work with this all-new watch.
First Date
Just like any other first date, that “getting to know” stage is crucial in assessing whether one could be a potential partner or not.

The first time I wore the HONOR Watch 5 Ultra, my unnecessary woes easily faded away. It felt light and right on my not-so-small wrist.
Even if it doesn’t run Google’s very-own WearOS, MagicOS is still a good option. The overall look and functionality doesn’t differ that much from its competitors.

It felt familiar with its touch gestures: swipe down for the control center, swipe left to go back, swipe right for some cards (or widgets). The digital crown acts as the home button, while another can be set for a shortcut.
Combined with the watch’s LTPO display tech, animations feel smoother overall — even if it only has a 60Hz refresh rate.

There are a plethora of watch faces to choose from — from classical to mechanical to quirky. There are even watch faces with a color palette that fully complements the OOTD you wear.
Although one thing I don’t understand is how HONOR has a limit when installing watch faces on the device itself. Before I forget, the Watch 5 Ultra boasts a built-in 8GB storage.
It’s also a huge bummer that you can only copy songs from the local storage and not from music-streaming apps like Spotify or Apple Music.

Having a 480mAh battery is very common in smartwatches. But as I was writing this part, the HONOR Watch 5 Ultra still holds up quite well. Mind you, I never topped it up the day I unboxed it (which only had around 50% of battery level).
If I were to count, the watch is still alive on its 5th day. How much more if it was fully-charged?

It doesn’t stop there. Not only it can read your heart rate and blood oxygen, there’s an ECG function as well. Even stress levels can be detected.
I’m also relieved that it has both an IP68 rating and 5ATM water resistance. It’s not only beneficial for some strenuous workout sessions but also, when you unhesitatingly swim with it.
First Impressions
At first, I (obviously) sounded so disappointed. But, after knowing the HONOR Watch 5 Ultra further, I truly appreciated its overall form and function.
Sure, it’s just another smartwatch slapped with an “Ultra” superlative branding. But that is still justifiable with how HONOR chose to create this product with premium materials and a watch that’s overall “smart”.

Although I don’t belong in the category of sports-minded and fitness-inclined individuals, I truly enjoyed the HONOR Watch 5 Ultra as a buddy for my casual workouts. Even more, as the new companion whenever I go out and about — regardless if my OOTDs are results of random Mix and Match.
The HONOR Magic V6 doesn’t immediately scream “massive leap” — and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
If you’ve used the Magic V5, this feels familiar. The silhouette. The proportions. The confidence of an ultra-thin foldable that doesn’t feel like a science experiment. At first glance, it’s evolution, not revolution.
But spend a few minutes with it, and the refinements start to show.
Better ergonomics, lighter feel
The first thing I noticed? The buttons.
On the Magic V5, the power and volume keys sat slightly too high on the right side. Not unusable — just not ideal. On the Magic V6, they’re perfectly placed. It’s a small change, but it immediately improves one-handed usability when folded.
It also feels lighter. Not dramatically so, but enough that you notice it when moving between folded and unfolded states. That balance is important for a device that constantly shifts form.
HONOR continues to push the “ultra-thin meets ultra-light” philosophy, and in hand, the Magic V6 genuinely doesn’t feel like a tablet folded in half. It feels like a proper flagship phone that just happens to unfold into something bigger.
All the flagship boxes checked
Spec-wise, this is firmly top-of-the-line foldable territory.
You get dual LTPO AMOLED displays:
- 6.52-inch outer display (1–120Hz, up to 6,000 nits HDR peak)
- 7.95-inch inner display (1–120Hz, up to 5,000 nits HDR peak)
Under the hood, it runs on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, paired with flagship-grade memory and storage configurations. Performance shouldn’t be a question mark here.
Battery is one of the headline features. HONOR is packing what it claims is the largest battery in a foldable, using next-gen silicon-carbon tech with 25% silicon content. It supports:
- 80W wired charging
- 66W wireless charging
- Wireless reverse charging
Durability is also heavily emphasized:
- Super Steel Hinge rated for hundreds of thousands of folds
- IP68 + IP69 dust and water resistance
- UTG inner display with reduced crease depth
- NanoCrystal Shield outer glass
On paper, it reads like a no-compromise foldable.
The gold finish stands out
The Gold colorway is eye-catching without being loud. It has depth and texture that make it feel deliberate, not flashy.
Bonus points: it comes with a protective case out of the box that actually complements the device. That’s rare. Usually, included cases feel like an afterthought. Here, it feels cohesive with the overall design language.
Cross-platform curiosity
One interesting angle is its Apple-ready positioning.
Through HONOR Connect and HONOR WorkStation, the Magic V6 can sync notifications with iPhone and iPad, share files with a Mac, and even act as an extended screen for macOS.
For users who live in multiple ecosystems, that’s a meaningful pitch. It’s less about replacing your other devices and more about fitting into them.
This is something we’ve yet to fully test and will definitely explore more for the full review.
So… what is it, really?
Right now, the HONOR Magic V6 feels like an incremental update over the Magic V5.
Refined ergonomics. Slightly lighter feel. Stronger durability claims. Bigger battery ambitions. A more polished ecosystem story.
What’s curious is the timing. It’s been announced less than a year since the global release of the Magic V5. That makes this feel less like a generational shift and more like a rapid optimization cycle.
Early impression? It doesn’t reinvent HONOR’s foldable formula, itt sharpens it.
We’ve only just started seeing the Infinix NOTE 60 Pro, and I have to be honest — this one didn’t walk into the room quietly.
Sometimes you go on a first date and immediately think, “You remind me of someone.” That’s the NOTE 60 Pro for me.
So in this edition of Match Pulse, here’s what stood out so far — the good, the questionable, and the things I’m still figuring out.
First Look
Let’s address the elephant in the room.
The back design pulls heavily from the iPhone playbook. The camera layout, the proportions — even the default lock screen aesthetic feels familiar. And not in a subtle way.
To be fair, Infinix isn’t alone here. A lot of Chinese smartphone brands borrow from Apple’s design language. But there’s always a fine line between inspiration and imitation. When it leans too close to the latter, it can feel a little tacky.
To its credit, Infinix tries to differentiate the NOTE 60 Pro with its Active Matrix Display. It’s an interactive LED strip embedded across the camera module that lights up for notifications, shows the time, and even runs small animations and pixel pets.
It’s cute and playful.
Right now, though, it feels more like a gimmick than a defining feature. I haven’t spent enough time with it to know whether it becomes genuinely useful or something you admire once, then forget about.
In hand, the phone feels… fine.
Not bad. Not exceptional. Just firmly midrange. The metal frame and contoured edges help, but the overall feel doesn’t quite cross into premium territory. It’s comfortable, inoffensive, and familiar — which is both its strength and its limitation.
There are also more buttons than usual. An extra button sits on the right side, echoing what we’ve seen from Apple and even devices like the HONOR Magic8 Pro. On the left, another button triggers Infinix’s AI assistant, Folax, with a long press.
It’s a lot of physical shortcuts. Whether that translates to convenience or clutter will depend entirely on how much you lean into them.
First Date
This is the first Infinix phone powered by the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 5G, and that’s a notable shift for the brand.
In use, the phone feels quick and stable. Apps launch without hesitation, multitasking is smooth, and the system holds up well even when you start doing more than one thing at a time. CPU and GPU improvements are clearly there, and the phone is tuned to support up to 120FPS gaming in titles like Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.
The 144Hz 1.5K display is one of its strongest traits. It’s bright, fluid, and genuinely enjoyable for content consumption. Brigida showed up on screen in one of our shots, and the clarity immediately stood out — sharp details, lively colors, no distractions. It’s an easy panel to appreciate.
Paired with JBL-tuned stereo speakers, the NOTE 60 Pro makes a solid case for itself as a media-first phone. If you watch a lot, scroll a lot, or play a lot, this is where it shines most confidently.
The cameras are less compelling.
The 50MP main camera tends to lean bright. Images come out clean but a little flat, often brighter than my personal taste would prefer. It’s perfectly usable, but it doesn’t feel particularly expressive or memorable.
Battery life, at least on paper, looks promising. A large capacity battery paired with aggressive wired charging and even wireless charging suggests endurance won’t be an issue. But that’s something that needs time to really validate.
First Impressions
So, is there a spark?
I’m still undecided.
The Infinix Note 60 Pro feels ambitious. It wants to offer high refresh rates, gaming-ready performance, flashy design elements, and features you don’t always expect in this segment — all at once.
That ambition is admirable. But right now, it also feels like a phone still searching for its clearest identity.
Is it about performance?
Is it about visual flair?
Is it about borrowing familiar design cues and remixing them with playful extras?
Maybe it’s a bit of everything.
At the moment, the Note 60 Pro feels like a first date that tries very hard to impress. There’s a lot to like, a few things to question, and just enough intrigue to warrant a second look.
We’ll need more time to see where this goes.
Infinix NOTE 60 Pro specs
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Display | 6.78-inch 1.5K Ultra HDR Display |
| 144Hz refresh rate | |
| Up to 4500 nits peak brightness | |
| Corning® Gorilla® Glass 7i | |
| Processor | Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 5G |
| Cooling | 3D IceCore Vapor Chamber Cooling |
| Rear Camera | 50MP Night Master Main Camera (OIS) |
| 8MP Ultra-Wide | |
| 4K video recording (30fps) | |
| Front Camera | 13MP |
| Audio | JBL-tuned dual stereo speakers |
| Battery | 6500mAh or 6000mAh (market dependent) |
| Charging | 90W wired fast charging |
| 30W wireless charging | |
| Bypass charging support | |
| Operating System | XOS 16 (based on Android 16) |
| Software Support | 3 years OS updates |
| 5 years security updates | |
| Connectivity | 5G, LTE |
| Wi-Fi | |
| Bluetooth | |
| eSIM support (region dependent) | |
| Durability | IP64 splash and rain resistance |
| Frame | Metal frame |
| Special Features | Active Matrix Display (rear LED interface) |
| Halo Light status indicator | |
| One-Tap multifunction button | |
| Advanced health monitoring | |
| IR Blaster | |
| Dimensions | 162.36 × 77.17 × 7.36mm (Torino Black) |
| 162.36 × 77.17 × 7.45mm (other colors) | |
| Weight | 201.7g |
| Colors | Torino Black (Pininfarina edition) |
| Frost Silver | |
| Mist Titanium | |
| Deep Ocean Blue | |
| Solar Orange | |
| Mocha Brown |
Believe me or not, I only had one encounter with an OPPO Reno phone, and it was the Reno10 Pro from 2021. However, my time with it was very short.
Almost five years in, I was finally given the chance to hold the Chinese brand’s latest and greatest Reno.
Without beating around the bush, here’s my first time with the OPPO Reno15 Pro.
First Look
The moment I unsealed its sturdy packaging, the OPPO Reno15 Pro greeted me in this shining, shimmering blue backing.
Dubbed as the “Aurora Blue” colorway, it instantly reminded me that I’m still not over that Aurora Borealis scene in the latest hit K-Drama “Can This Love Be Translated?” starred by Kim Seonho and Go Younjung.
I said it before and I’ll say it again, flashy finishes are the least of my options when choosing for a new phone. Still, this finish wins over the less impressive Dusk Brown shade.
Just like that dazzling northern lights, the Reno15 Pro shows off its aurora accents depending on how the sun hits it.
In the faintest of light, that aurora simply vanishes. Even so, the OPPO Reno15 Pro still shines through with its specks of glitter.
That’s more evident when you bring the OPPO Reno15 Pro indoors — be that your cool room (literally) or a warmly-lit café.
Its camera cutout may not be the most unique out there, but it’s uniformed enough to look clean. After all, a phone’s camera arrangement isn’t what defines the overall performance of its cameras.
First Date
Although 8.13mm isn’t “thin” in today’s standards, holding and keeping the OPPO Reno15 Pro for prolonged periods never felt a sore. Its aerospace-grade aluminum frame may just be one among many factors.
One after another, that 6.32-inch AMOLED 120Hz display is a huge complement to the hands. It fits my huge palms, more so, pockets of all sorts. This sweet screen size is also a breath of fresh air in a vast world of large slabs.
When hit by that harsh sunlight, it’s more than bright– up to 3600 nits of peak HDR brightness if I must insist. And, no matter what kind of content I consume, it’s truly crisp, clear, and even color-accurate.
Being powered by MediaTek’s Dimensity 8450 SoC alongside OPPO’s ColorOS 16 is what made me stuck longer. It honestly felt like I’m in a smooth ride without any road traffic.
The OPPO Reno15 Pro has a great harmony between its software snappiness and fluidity. Animations flow without feeling rushed — much like enjoying date nights without being pressured to catch the last bus trip back home.
Speaking of staying out late for a date, the Reno15 Pro lasted me more than enough. And, despite its petite form, it managed to fit in a 6200mAh battery inside.
The screen size to battery ratio is just a perfect match. Not only it fits in most (if not all) hands and pockets, it also meant being able to squeeze in more battery to make the most out of your day, night, and even midnight.
If juice gets squeezed out, its 80W SuperVOOC charging will truly save the day!
That doesn’t even end there. With triple IP ratings (IP66, IP68, IP69), you’re more than assured that it’s durable enough in occasional (and accidental) phone drops.
First Impressions
The OPPO Reno15 Pro, despite being categorized as a midrange device, already feels like a solid vanilla flagship.
Much like any other first dates, its overall appearance is just on the surface level. What made me invested more to know the Reno15 Pro further are none other than its intrinsic qualities.
That includes that screen size (or form factor) on the sweet spot plus oh-so-fluid ColorOS. Moreover, its powerful core paired with a humongous battery that will truly last you long.
While I may not have included any photo sample in this early look, I can already assure you that it has one of the greatest camera performers for its class. And actually, it is for another story 😉.
My first time with an OPPO Reno smartphone not only made me impressed. This phone also enticed me to consider switching to the OPPO system when another review opportunity arises.
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