This week marked an exciting Mobile World Congress (MWC) event, with Xiaomi launching the 15 and 15 Ultra in Europe, and Nothing revealing its 3a phone series. Apple’s “Air” week introduced new iPads and MacBooks featuring upgraded chips, available for pre-order until March 12. The Xiaomi 15 Ultra received praise for its camera capabilities, with discounts for Prime members. Nothing’s Phone 3a is being pre-ordered, while the older 2a is discounted. Meanwhile, Apple updated the vanilla iPad with a new chip and increased storage, and its iPad Air models now feature the M3 chip alongside new MacBook Airs with the M4 chip.
The kick-off of MWC made this week quite thrilling. Xiaomi introduced the 15 and 15 Ultra models to the European market, while Nothing showcased its new (3a) series of smartphones.
Meanwhile in Cupertino, it was “Air” week as Apple rolled out new iPads and MacBooks featuring upgraded processors. Keep in mind that the latest Apple devices are available for pre-order and will hit stores starting March 12 (Wednesday).
Our review of the Xiaomi 15 Ultra highlighted its impressive features (don’t miss the video review), positioning it as a strong contender for the best camera flagship of 2025. However, it comes with a hefty price tag. Prime subscribers can enjoy a 10% discount. And even if you’re not, you can still benefit from a free Xiaomi Smart Projector L1 (find more details here).
The Xiaomi 15, while missing the 1” main sensor and the 200MP periscope, remains a highly capable camera phone for its size (slightly larger than a Galaxy S25 and comparable to a Pixel 9 Pro). We also have a video review of this model. Just like the Ultra, it offers a free projector and 10% off for Prime members.
Nothing opted to launch the more budget-friendly a-phones first, before rolling out their flagship for 2025. In fact, the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro is still a few days away from debuting, so we’ll cover that in next week’s update.
Interestingly, Amazon has the Nothing Phone (3a) listed as available for pre-order, despite it being on sale already. You can grab the base 8/128GB model for €330, or decide to upgrade to the 12/256GB version for an additional €50.
The outgoing Nothing Phone (2a) is making its final appearance at a price that’s €80 less than the (3a). The (3a) features valuable upgrades such as a 50MP 50mm (2x) portrait lens. The Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chipset may not be significantly faster, but we still recommend going for the newest model.
Turning to Apple, the new iPad 2025 now sports the Apple A16 chip, which makes it the only model in the new lineup lacking Apple Intelligence support (the 2024 mini comes equipped with the A17 Pro chipset).
At least Apple has increased the base storage to 128GB, which is a welcome change (the previous 64GB option was quite limiting, and upgrading meant a costly jump to 256GB). It has been three years since the standard iPad received an upgrade, and while we appreciate the enhanced performance and storage, we would have liked to see additional features – AI capability, a 120Hz display, or something similar.
If you’re willing to forgo Apple Intelligence, the 2022 iPad might be a good alternative. However, we wouldn’t recommend the 64GB version; the 256GB model is €80 cheaper than the latest 2025 version. While there isn’t much difference between the two tablets apart from the chipset, the €80 savings aren’t significant enough to sway us – the new model seems like the better option.
The iPad Air saw its last upgrade last year with the M2 chip, but now those have been replaced with the M3 chip. Essentially, that is the sole update for the 2025 iPad Air 11” and 13”. Apple claims these new models are twice as fast as the previous M1-based Airs, leading the company to entice owners of 2022 models to consider an upgrade.
Additionally, the new 13” and 15.3” MacBook Air models feature the updated M4 chip along with a reduced price point. This new chip supports connectivity with up to two 6K 60Hz displays (an upgrade from the previous generation, which could only handle one). These new Air models also come equipped with upgraded 12MP Center Stage cameras (not entirely new – these are the same as found on the MacBook Pro). Plus, there’s a fresh color option called Sky Blue.
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