April's New Phone Frenzy: A Sneak Peek at OPPO Find X8s/Ultra, Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, vivo X200s/Ultra, Meizu Note 16, and More

April's New Phone Frenzy: A Sneak Peek at OPPO Find X8s/Ultra, Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, vivo X200s/Ultra, Meizu Note 16, and MoreApril marks a crucial period for new phone releases following the Lunar New Year, with manufacturers unveiling mid-generation upgrades and Ultra flagship models featuring impressive camera capabilities. This article delves into several highly anticipated April releases, analyzing their specifications, design, and positioning to aid your purchasing decisions

April's New Phone Frenzy: A Sneak Peek at OPPO Find X8s/Ultra, Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, vivo X200s/Ultra, Meizu Note 16, and More

April marks a crucial period for new phone releases following the Lunar New Year, with manufacturers unveiling mid-generation upgrades and Ultra flagship models featuring impressive camera capabilities. This article delves into several highly anticipated April releases, analyzing their specifications, design, and positioning to aid your purchasing decisions.

I. OPPO Find X8s/Ultra: A Compact Flagship Joins the Ultra Powerhouse

The OPPO Find X8s series and Find X8 Ultra were officially announced on March 31st and will launch on April 10th. The Find X8 Ultra abandons the previous generation's emphasis on a luxurious and business-like design, opting for a younger and more vibrant color scheme, with pink as the main highlight. The rear camera module adopts a simpler "Oreo"-style design, creating a layered effect through different protrusions and material combinations.

Compared to its predecessor, the Find X8 Ultra boasts significant improvements. It retains the industry's only dual periscope telephoto solution, with upgrades to the lenses, sensor, and aperture. It supports telephoto macro photography and features the newly introduced "Danxia Original Color" lens, promising impressive imaging capabilities and a refined camera bump. Battery capacity has increased by over 1000mAh, significantly improving the Ultra flagship's endurance. Furthermore, the Find X8 Ultra is equipped with a one-inch ultra-large sensor main camera, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (likely referring to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy or a similar top-tier chipset), an extra-large 0916T custom vibration motor, and other flagship-level configurations. Notably, the Find X8 Ultra may be the "only straight-screen ultra-flagship this year," offering a compact, straight-edged body that simplifies screen protector application.

The Find X8s, the first compact flagship in the OPPO Find X series, features a 6.3-inch 1.5K OLED straight screen, dubbed "the world's narrowest four-sided equal bezel," with a screen bezel width of only 1.25mm. It also boasts impressive specifications, including the debut of the mid-generation upgraded MediaTek Dimensity 9400+ platform, 80W wired fast charging + 50W wireless fast charging, full-focal-length imaging capabilities, and IP69K & IP68 water and dust resistance. In short, the Find X8s inherits the flagship configuration of the Find X series while optimizing its size.

In terms of positioning, the Find X8s takes the place of the original Find X8 standard version as a regular numbered flagship. The Find X8s+, an iteration of the Find X8, serves as the "larger" model in the Find X series, offering several trendy new colors to enhance its youthful appeal and maintain its popularity.

It's worth noting that both the Find X8s and Find X8 Ultra remove the characteristic three-stage button of OPPO/OnePlus, adopting a button design similar to Apple's Action Button. The button functions are customizable and can be integrated with AI capabilities, offering new features like AI one-click memo. The Find X8s and Find X8 Ultra demonstrate OPPO's flagship strategy this year: solidifying the "OPhone" label. From product line adjustments to color and functional design, it seems to be targeting the iPhone 17 series launching in the second half of the year.

II. Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: An Excessively Slim Large-Screen Flagship

While the 2025 Lunar New Year is still some time away, the Samsung Galaxy S25 series, including the S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra, has been pre-released. However, Samsung has also introduced a "One More Thing" model the S25 Edge, a slim and large-screen variant.

While official specifications are unavailable, GSMARENA suggests its main highlight is its exceptionally slim body, measuring approximately 6.4mm excluding the camera module and weighing around 162 grams. The S25 Edge will feature a 6.6-inch OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a 1080x2400 resolution (although some reports suggest a 2K resolution). As a flagship device, it will likely be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy. The camera system will adopt a dual-camera setup, featuring a 200-megapixel main sensor and a 12-megapixel ultrawide lens.

The current smartphone market shows a booming trend in various segments. International brands are leading the charge in the ultra-slim large-screen segment, with Samsung's S25 Edge and Apple's iPhone 17 Air both focusing on ultra-thin bodies and large screens. According to @DigitalChatStation, the top 5 domestic manufacturers are also planning Slim ultra-thin new phones equipped with flagship platforms, telephoto lenses, and a battery capacity starting with "6".

The emergence of both small-screen and ultra-slim large-screen phones is attributed to advancements in processor power efficiency and battery technology, allowing for smaller and thinner devices without compromising the user experience. Although Samsung hasn't announced the S25 Edge's release date, the available information suggests its imminent arrival.

III. vivo X200s/X200 Ultra: The "Mid-Cup" Addresses Shortcomings, While the Ultra Moves Beyond the "Arms Race"

The vivo X200 Ultra, a 2025 imaging flagship, has seen adjustments to its camera system. According to @DigitalChatStation, the vivo X200 Ultra is one of the few new phones to step away from the "one-inch sensor arms race," utilizing the Sony IMX818 sensor (1/1.28-inch) for both the main and ultrawide cameras, while the telephoto remains a 200-megapixel HP9 sensor. Compared to its predecessor, the X200 Ultra offers more balanced hardware, resulting in more consistent image quality across all focal lengths, avoiding the issue of "strong strengths and weak weaknesses."

In terms of focal length selection, the vivo X200 Ultra takes a different approach, employing a native 35mm focal length for its main camera, a rarity among imaging flagships with only Nubia currently using this approach. Of course, a large-sensor native 35mm main camera may result in a more pronounced camera bump. Vivo's Han Bo Xiao stated that the vivo X200 Ultra boasts industry-unique full-focal-length three-lens OIS, supporting full-focal-length 4K 120fps recording and full-focal-length 4K 10-bit true Log recording, along with other exciting features. This means that, besides exceptional photography, the vivo X200 Ultra's video recording capabilities will also be a standout among imaging flagships.

The X200s is positioned as a higher-volume product. While its imaging capabilities are inferior to the Ultra model, it addresses some shortcomings of the X200, resulting in a more well-rounded standard version. It will likely feature the MediaTek Dimensity 9400+, a single-point ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, and wireless charging. On the software side, vivo will highlight its "Apple alternative" cross-device collaboration feature, enabling seamless file transfer and data synchronization with Apple devices. Information like calls, messages, and location data from an iPhone can be seamlessly transferred to the vivo device.

Both OPPO and vivo are accelerating compatibility with Apple's hardware ecosystem, from Mac office suites and media transfer to current communication integration. This showcases their ambition to be more than just "iPhone backup phones," but true "iPhone replacements." While vivo hasn't officially announced the X200s and X200 Ultra, various reports indicate a launch in mid-to-late April.

IV. Meizu Note 16: Aiming to Be an Affordable AI Device?

On March 27th, the long-silent Starry Sky Meizu suddenly announced the return of the Meizu Note series, confirming an April launch and "preheating" for the Meizu 22 series. They claim to be "exploring forms and interactions more suitable for the AI era," with an expected summer release.

The Meizu Note series traces its roots back to the Meizu Blue Note series, known for its "youthful value" and focus on exceptional cost-effectiveness. The Note series has sold over 30 million units, making it a best-selling product under the Meizu brand. With the independence of the Meizu Blue brand, the Note series is now under the Meizu brand, effectively renaming Meizu Blue Note to Meizu Note. Given this is Meizu's 16th year in the mobile phone industry, the new phone is named Meizu Note 16.

Based on its historical positioning and official marketing, the Meizu Note 16 series will continue to target the value-for-money market, potentially competing with the Redmi Note series. Starry