Realme

The true wireless stereo (TWS) market in India is becoming increasingly competitive. While this particular category has traditionally been dominated by Chinese and Indian players, including Oppo, OnePlus, Realme, Boat, and Mivi, the market has also seen other players enter, such as CMF. Each brand wants to offer more value-for-money propositions, which is often appreciated by Indian customers. This is where the Realme Buds Air 8 come in, which were recently launched in India alongside the Realme 16 Pro series.

Since smartphones with 7,000mAh batteries (silicon-carbon or otherwise) are now the norm in mid-range and premium segments, Realme has pulled off the unthinkable and launched a production device with a powerbank-like 10,001mAh battery. Given that smartphone chipsets today are much more power-efficient than those in older big-battery (or Max-branded) smartphones, most of them easily last beyond a day or deliver up to 1.5 days of battery life for the casual user. And so, we arrive at the question: Do you need a 10,001mAh capacity battery in a smartphone in 2026? Is it overkill? Or are you better off with something else that delivers better hardware at the same price?

The Realme 15T was marketed as a budget smartphone but thanks to a price rise now retails at mid-range pricing. Compared to the Realme 14T, it does have a few upgrades and downgrades. Realme has retained its IP69-rated design, added a high-tech and high-capacity battery and a new camera. The only downgrade is a slightly smaller display compared to the previous model. Are these upgrades necessary? Or, are they present just to fill up a spec sheet? Read on to find out if Realme's 15T is worth your money.