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Novo X2 review: the battery is real, the camera is not

Four days of heavy use from one charge, a bright screen and a fast chip, but photos struggle indoors and at night.

Key points

  • Battery lasted four days of mixed use in our test.
  • Main camera is sharp outdoors and soft in dim rooms.
  • At 24,999 rupees (demo price) it undercuts most rivals on battery alone.
Novo X2 review: the battery is real, the camera is not
Photo: Illustration: Bastion Tech (synthetic)
In this story

We used the Novo X2 as our only phone for ten days, with two work email accounts, a navigation app on the daily commute and about three hours of video a day.

The 6.6-inch screen is the first thing you notice. It reaches 1,800 nits outdoors, stays readable in harsh afternoon sun and scrolls smoothly at 120 Hz. The 6,000 mAh battery is the second: we never saw less than 38 percent left at bedtime on day three.

Camera

Daylight photos are crisp and colours stay natural. Indoors, the sensor loses detail quickly and night mode needs a steady hand and two seconds of patience. Portraits are decent; the 8 MP ultra-wide is only good enough for group shots in good light.

Performance and software

The mid-range chip never stuttered in everyday use and kept cool during a 30-minute game session. Software is clean, with three years of promised updates and a short list of pre-installed apps that can all be removed.

Specifications

Novo X2: key specifications (demo figures)
SpecDetail
Display6.6-inch AMOLED, 120 Hz
ChipOcta-core, 8 GB RAM
Battery6,000 mAh, 45 W charging
Main camera50 MP with OIS
Weight201 g
Price (demo)INR 24,999

What works

  • Four-day battery in mixed use
  • Bright, smooth AMOLED screen
  • Clean software with three years of updates

What does not

  • Weak low-light photos
  • Ultra-wide camera is basic
  • Charger not in the box

Verdict

4 out of 5. The best battery phone under 25,000 rupees in this fictional market, as long as you do not live by the camera.

This is a demo story: every name, place, organisation and figure in it is fictional.

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