Oppo Reno 15 F review: A mid-range battler that powers on

7.9

Even with a monster battery, the Oppo Reno 15 F doesn’t do enough to stand out from the crowd.

These days, you don’t need to pay top dollar for an Android flagship in order to get a great handset. Mid-range competition is very tough in the $500 to $1,000 bracket, producing some impressive all-rounders.

Enter the $679 Oppo Reno 15 F, taking a decent price jump from the last $599 Reno F model, but still considerably cheaper than the last $899 standard Reno. While it strikes a balance on price, the Reno 15 F really struggles to hit the sweet spot in terms of features and performance.

Table of contents

• First impressions
• Specifications and price
• Features
• Quality
• Who is the Oppo Reno 15 F for?

Oppo Reno 15 F first impressions

With a 6.57-inch display, the Oppo Reno 15 F stands reasonably tall but not so wide as to be unmanageable. It sticks with Oppo’s move away from slightly bevelled edges and curved screens, in favour of a more utilitarian flat-edge aluminium frame which could easily be mistaken for an Apple iPhone.

Apart from the button layout, the Oppo Reno 15 F looks a lot like an iPhone. Image: Adam Turner.

Oppo can be a bit hit-and-miss when it comes to bringing its smartphone ranges and variants to Australia, so there’s some explaining to do. For example, the Reno 14 range completely bypassed us, so the Reno 15 F is actually the local successor to the Reno 13 F.

To make things more complicated, Oppo’s Australian Reno 15 lineup has changed compared to previous years, so it’s difficult to make direct comparisons. 

The standard Reno 15 isn’t coming to Australia, but the 15 F has shrunk, so it’s roughly the same size as the old standard Reno 13. At the same time, the Reno 15 Pro has also shrunk to make way for the new 6.78-inch 15 Pro Max, which we won’t see locally.

All of that aside, the Oppo Reno 15 F’s design is by-the-numbers, with the power button on the right sitting comfortably under your thumb, or left index finger for southpaws, and the volume buttons above. The fingerprint reader is built into the screen, lighting up as soon as you pick up the handset to make it easy to find, but personally, I’d rather it be built into the power button.

There’s no sign of the Apple-esque extra buttons adorning the Oppo Find X9 Pro, such as the touch-sensitive Quick Button for launching the camera on the right, or a customisable Action button on the left.

The Reno 15 F comes in a choice of two colours, an understated matte Twilight Black and a more striking Aurora Blue (pictured), with a rear etched texture which shimmers like the northern lights. In return, the Aurora Blue model is a fraction thicker and heavier.

The Aurora Blue Oppo Reno 15 F (and 15 Pro) shimmer when they catch the light. Image: Adam Turner.

Across the bottom of the handset, you’ll find a USB-C port and SIM card slot, supporting dual nano-SIM, eSIM and a microSD. There’s no sign of an old-school 3.5 mm audio jack.

Fire up the Reno 15 F, and you’re presented with a decent 2372×1080-pixel AMOLED display (leaving Australian OLED-lovers regretting that we don’t get the standard Reno 15). 

The screen offers 10-bit colour with a 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut, along with up to 120 Hz refresh rate for smooth scrolling. It delivers a peak brightness of 600 nits indoors and 1,200 nits outdoors.

That’s way down from 1,800 nits outdoors on the Reno 15 Pro, also meaning the 15 F doesn’t let you enjoy Netflix with the benefit of HDR 10+, for extra detail in the brightest highlights and deepest shadows.  

Flip the handset over, and you’ll find a triple lens rear camera array, with the same specs as the old Reno 13 F.

There’s a 50 MP five-piece lens main shooter with the benefit of optical image stabilisation. Alongside is an 8 MP ultrawide and a 2 MP macro, which might disappoint those hoping instead for a telephoto lens like on the 15 Pro. To be fair, a telephoto lens with optical zoom isn’t common at this price point.

Around the front, you’ve got an upgraded 50 MP ultrawide selfie camera, opting for a punch-hole design rather than relying on a notch.

Oppo Reno 15 F specifications and price

Display size	6.57-inch
Display resolution	2372×1080 pixel, 397 ppi
Display technology	AMOLED Corning Gorilla Glass 120 Hz max refresh rate 240 Hz max touch sampling rate 10-bit colour, 100% DCI-P3 600 nits brightness, 1400 nits high brightness mode
Bands	2G GSM 3G WCDMA 4G LTE FDD/TDD 5G Sub-6
Chipset	8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 Mobile Platform
GPU	Adreno 710@676MHz
Rear cameras	Wide angle: 50MP; f/1.8; FOV 79°; 5P lens; AF supported; Supports 2-axis OIS
	Ultra-wide angle: 8MP; f/2.2; FOV 112°; 5P lens
	Macro: 2MP; f/2.4; FOV 89°; 3P lens
Front camera	50MP; f/2.0; FOV 100°; 5P lens; AF supported
RAM	8 GB LPDDR4X
Onboard storage	256 GB UFS 3.1
microSD slot	microSDXC
SIM	Dual Nano-SIM and eSIM
Charging	USB-C Supports (Max): 80W SUPERVOOC Compatible with: 67W and below SUPERVOOC, 55W PPS, 13.5W PD, 13.5W QC
Battery	6500 mAh / 25.48 Wh
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.1, Low Energy SBC, AAC, LDAC, aptX, aptX HD codecs
Operating system	ColorOS 16 (based on Android 16)
Security	Fingerprint reader, Facial recognition
Ruggedness	IP69 rating for water and dust resistance
Dimensions	158.18 x 74.93 x 8.14 mm (Twilight Black) 158.18 x 74.93 x 8.27 mm (Aurora Blue)
Weight	189g (Twilight Black) 196g (Aurora Blue)
Colours	Twilight Black, Aurora Blue
Price	$679 RRP
Warranty	2 years
Official website	Oppo Australia

Features

The Oppo Reno 15 F runs Android 16, customised as usual with Oppo’s own ColorOS UI, which bears more than a passing resemblance to Apple’s iOS.

As is the trend, the ColorOS comes with plenty of AI-powered features, primarily around multimedia editing and the smart assistant. Oppo also strives to play nicely with Apple devices, such as AirDrop-like functionality, which kicks in when you place it alongside an iPhone.

The handset will receive five major Android OS updates and six years of security patches, which is good these days for a mid-range handset, even if it falls short of the seven years promised for the Samsung and Google flagships.

When it comes to connectivity, it’s a sub-6 5G handset, but it lags behind the times with Bluetooth 5.1 and Wi-Fi 5.

Under the bonnet is an ageing mid-range 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 Mobile Platform, also carried over from the old Reno 13 F. It’s accompanied by stock standard 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of onboard storage.

Powering all this is a massive 6500 mAh battery, which has long been a standout feature of the Reno F variants. As a result, the Reno 15 F should easily go 36 hours before recharging, perhaps longer if you nurse it.

When you do need a top-up, the handset can take advantage of SUPERVOOC wired fast charging, using the supplied bulky AC charger, but not wireless charging.

Quality

Geekbench 6 results are disappointing considering the price tag, at 935 single-core, 2,745 multi-core and 1,537 GPU (OpenCL). It’s enough for day-to-day tasks, but is outgunned by the similarly priced Samsung Galaxy A56 and Motorola Edge 60 Fusion.

Phone	CPU single-core	CPU multi-core	GPU
Apple iPhone 16e	2,679	6,144	23,732
Oppo Reno 15 Pro	1,555	6,330	11,828
Xiaomi Poco F6	1,899	4,734	8,762
Google Pixel 9a	1,716	3,895	8,011
Samsung Galaxy A56	1,364	3,898	6,539
Samsung Galaxy A55	1,153	3,428	3,086
Motorola Edge 60 Fusion	1,050	3,014	2,581
Motorola Edge 50 Fusion	1,016	2,937	1,802
Oppo Reno 15 F	935	2,745	1,537

Geekbench 6 results.

When it comes to photography, the 50 MP main shooter produces run-of-the-mill results, looking reasonably detailed but a bit dull.

Photos taken by the Reno 15 F (left) aren’t as vibrant or detailed as the Reno 15 Pro (right). Images: Adam Turner.

Likewise with the selfie camera, which struggles to pick up finer lines of a 50-something face, even when the default retouching isn’t too over-the-top.

Selfies look decent on the Reno 15 F (left), but you get nicer results with the Reno 15 Pro (right). Images: Adam Turner.

Meanwhile, the 2 MP macro lens is very disappointing, and it takes a lot of work to get even mediocre shots. Move the phone any closer, and it looks worse.

The macro camera. Image: Adam Turner.

Who is the Oppo Reno 15 F for?

Fantastic battery life aside, there’s not much to help the Oppo Reno 15 F stand out from the competition. The lack of firepower compared to rivals is to be expected from Oppo, but it fails to balance this out with the great camera quality that you might expect from the Reno range.

Oppo Reno 15 F

Giant battery aside, the Oppo Reno 15 F struggles to stand out in the cut-throat mid-range Android market.

Features

8

Value for money

7

Performance

7

Ease of use

9

Design

8.5

Positives

Hefty battery

Fast charger included

Negatives

Mediocre cameras

Lacks grunt compared to similarly priced rivals

7.9

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Oppo Reno 15 Pro review: Less is more

8.6

Shrinking the screen while overhauling the cameras, the Oppo Reno 15 Pro dukes it out with the mid-sized heavyweights.

There was a time when 6-inch smartphones were considered giants, but these days people expect a lot more screen real estate from top-shelf handsets.

Today, you can expect closer to 7-inch displays from flagship models, like the 6.7-inch Oppo Find X9 Pro, 6.8-inch Google Pixel 10 Pro XL, 6.9-inch Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and 6.9-inch Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max.

As such, it’s interesting to see Oppo dial things back with its new mid-to-high-end Reno contender, aimed at Android lovers who believe that size isn’t everything.

Table of contents

• First impressions
• Specifications and price
• Features
• Quality
• Who is the Oppo Reno 15 Pro for?

Oppo Reno 15 Pro first impressions

The Reno Pro range kept getting larger, peaking at a hefty 6.83 inches, but Oppo has decided to rein things in and scale back the new Oppo Reno 15 Pro to a more manageable 6.32 inches.

It’s worth mentioning that Oppo’s Reno 15 Pro has actually shrunk to make way for the new 6.78-inch Pro Max, bringing Oppo’s spread of handsets closer to that of its rivals. Unfortunately, the hefty Reno 15 Pro Max isn’t coming to Australia, nor is the standard Reno 15, as we only get the Reno 15 Pro and Reno 15 F.

It’s also important to note that the entire Reno 14 range completely bypassed Australia, so the 15 Pro is actually the local successor to the 13 Pro.

By sacrificing a little screen real estate compared to the 6.83-inch Reno 13 Pro, the 15 Pro is less unwieldy than its super-tall predecessors. The 19.5:9 aspect ratio ensures that the handset is not too wide and cumbersome.

The Reno 15 Pro’s aluminium frame sticks with Oppo’s move to abandon slightly curved edges in favour of an aluminium frame with dead straight lines that could easily be mistaken for an Apple iPhone. 

It comes in a choice of two colours, an understated matte Dusk Black (pictured) and a more striking Aurora Blue with a rear etched texture which shimmers like the northern lights. In return, the Aurora Blue model is a fraction thicker and heavier.

The Reno 15 Pro sticks with the tried-and-true form factor of a power button on the right, close to the centre, and the volume buttons above. Surprisingly, it hasn’t inherited the Apple-esque touch-sensitive Quick Button from Oppo’s flagship Find X range, for easily launching the camera app, or the customisable Action button.

Button configuration aside, the Oppo Reno 15 Pro looks a lot like an iPhone. Image: Adam Turner.

When the handset isn’t as tall, it’s not as much of a stretch to reach down to the onscreen fingerprint reader with your thumb, but personally, I’d rather see it built into the power button.

Fire up the phone, and you’re faced with a bright and vivid 2640 × 1216 pixel AMOLED display. The trade-off for the reduced screen size is a boost in sharpness, up to an impressive 460 pixels per inch.

The screen offers 10-bit colour with a 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut, along with up to 120 Hz refresh rate for smooth scrolling. It supports a peak brightness of 600 nits indoors and an improved 1,800 nits outdoors.

As a result of that extra brightness, you can watch Netflix with the benefit of HDR 10+, but not Dolby Vision, for extra detail in the brightest highlights and deepest shadows. The Reno 15 Pro can also shoot video in HDR.

At the bottom of the handset, you’ve got a USB-C port, alongside a dual nano-SIM port and the benefit of eSIM, but no microSD card support. There’s also no old-school headphone jack.

Oppo Reno 15 Pro specifications and price

Display size	6.32-inch
Display resolution	2640×1216 pixel, 460 ppi
Display technology	AMOLED Corning Gorilla Glass 7i 120 Hz max refresh rate 240 Hz max touch sampling rate 10-bit colour, 100% DCI-P3 600 nits brightness, 1800 nits high brightness mode
Bands	2G GSM 3G WCDMA 4G LTE FDD/TDD 5G Sub-6
Chipset	8-core MediaTek Dimensity 8450
GPU	ARM G720 MC7@1300MHz
Rear cameras	Wide angle: 200MP; f/1.8; FOV 84°; 6P lens; AF supported; Supports 2-axis OIS
	Ultra-wide angle: 50MP; f/2.0; FOV 116°; 6P lens; AF supported
	Telephoto: 50MP; f/2.8; FOV 30°; 4P lens; AF supported; Supports 2-axis OIS
Front camera	50MP; f/2.0; FOV 100°; 5P lens; AF supported
RAM	12 GB LPDDR5X
Onboard storage	512 GB UFS 3.1
microSD slot	N/A
SIM	Dual nano-SIM and eSIM
Charging	USB-C Supports (Max): 80W SUPERVOOC Compatible with: 67W and below SUPERVOOC, 55W PPS, 13.5W PD
Battery	6200 mAh / 24.31 Wh
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) 160 MHz Wi-Fi channels over 5 GHz 2×2 MIMO
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.4, Low Energy, BLE Audio SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX-HD, LDAC, LHDC5.0 codecs
Operating system	ColorOS 16 (built on Android 16)
Security	Fingerprint reader, Facial recognition
Ruggedness	IP69 rating for water and dust resistance
Dimensions	151.21 x 72.42 x 7.99 mm (Dusk Black) 151.21 x 72.42 x 8.13 mm (Aurora Blue)
Weight	187 gm (Dusk Black) 188 gm (Aurora Blue)
Colours	Dusk Black, Aurora Blue
Price	$1,399 RRP
Warranty	2 years
Official website	Oppo Australia

Features

The Oppo Reno 15 Pro runs Android 16, customised as usual with Oppo’s own ColorOS UI, which has always felt a lot like Apple’s iOS. You have to deal with a little preloaded social media and online shopping bloatware.

One of the key updates with ColorOS 16 is smoother motion to support the OS’ dynamic effects, such as translucent visuals. You also get a decent dollop of AI-powered features, primarily around multimedia editing and the smart assistant.  

Oppo has also put a lot of work into playing nicely with Apple devices, including AirDrop-like functionality, which kicks in when you place it alongside an iPhone.

Oppo says the handset will receive five major Android OS updates and six years of security patches, which is pretty good these days for a high-end handset, but doesn’t quite match the seven-year deals for Samsung and Google flagships.

As you’d expect with the Pro moniker, one of the Reno 15 Pro’s big selling points is a triple-lens rear camera array. Flip the handset over, and you’ll find a 200 MP six-piece lens primary shooter with the benefit of optical image stabilisation.

Alongside is a 50 MP ultrawide and a 50 MP telephoto with 3.5x optical and 18x digital zoom. A 3.5x telephoto lens is better than what you’ll typically find at this price point. People’s priorities differ, but some will find that a telephoto lens is more useful than a macro lens.

Around the front, you’ve got a 50 MP ultrawide selfie camera, opting for a punch-hole design rather than relying on a notch.

You’ve also got the benefit of AI Flash Photography 2.0, with dual rear flashes delivering softer, more natural lighting, while the new front screen flash helps with selfies.

The Oppo Reno 15 Pro’s triple camera array punches above its weight. Image: Adam Turner.

Under the bonnet, the handset packs the energy-efficient yet powerful octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 8450 chipset. It’s accompanied by a generous 512 GB of storage and 12 GB of RAM.

When it comes to connectivity, it’s a sub-6 5G handset with the benefit of dual nano-SIM and eSIM. You can take advantage of Bluetooth 5.4 with a good spread of audio codecs, but it hasn’t joined the Wi-Fi 7 club and leaves you relying on Wi-Fi 6.

The phone packs a hefty 6200 mAh battery which, combined with the smaller screen, ensures that it should get you through a long day. When you do need to top up, the handset can take advantage of 80-watt SUPERVOOC wired charging, using the supplied bulky AC charger. You miss out on wireless charging, which is disapppointing at this price point.

Quality

Geekbench 6 results tell a slightly underwhelming story for a mid-to-high-end handset, scoring 1,555 single-core, 6,330 multi-core and 11,828 OpenCL. It’s outgunned by the standard-issue Apple iPhone 17, Samsung Galaxy S25 and Google Pixel 10, which each sell for roughly the same price. That said, it’s still more than enough power to cope with day-to-day tasks, especially with 12 GB of RAM at hand.

Phone	CPU single-core	CPU multi-core	GPU
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max	3,768	9,443	45,451
Apple iPhone 17	3,520	9,057	37,161
Oppo Find X9 Pro	3,165	9,418	20,447
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra	2,360	8,911	14,671
Apple iPhone 16e	2,679	6,144	23,732
Google Pixel 10 Pro	2,317	6,455	3,233
Oppo Reno 15 Pro	1,555	6,330	11,828
Xiaomi Poco F6	1,899	4,734	8,762
Motorola Edge 60 Pro	1,432	4,695	9,107
Google Pixel 9a	1,716	3,895	8,011
Samsung Galaxy A56	1,364	3,898	6,539
Motorola Edge 60 Fusion	1,050	3,014	2,581

Geekbench 6 results.

When it comes to photography, that 200 MP primary shooter sounds impressive, but we all know by now that pixels aren’t everything. Thankfully, it produces sharp and vivid images that don’t look too overblown and do a good job with tricky lighting conditions and low-light environments.

It’s worth mentioning that the Reno 15 Pro’s photos below look a lot more vivid when viewed on my MacBook Pro, which can make the most of the Reno 15 Pro’s Extended Dynamic Range photography. Here, they don’t look much better than the shots taken on the Reno 15 F.

On the left, the Oppo Reno 15 Pro’s main shooter captures deeper and more detailed photos than the base Reno 15 (right). Image: Adam Turner.

The 120x super zoom also does an impressive job, even though Oppo doesn’t draw as much attention to it as with the Find X9 Pro.  

At a range of 150 metres, the AI-assisted 120x zoom does a fair job of guestimating what’s on this sales board. Image: Adam Turner.

Around the front, the 2x optical zoom comes in handy for portraits, producing impressive results with good bokeh. The quality is assisted by the fact that the default retouching isn’t too over-the-top.

Like the main rear camera, the Reno 15 Pro (left) captures more colour and depth than the Reno 15 (right). Image: Adam Turner.

Who is the Oppo Reno 15 Pro for?

The Oppo Reno 15 Pro has a lot going for it if you’re looking for great cameras, particularly a telephoto lens, in a relatively compact handset with a decent battery life. Just keep in mind that you’re sacrificing some grunt compared to what you can get for roughly the same price elsewhere.

Oppo Reno 15 Pro

Squeezing impressive cameras into a compact body, the Oppo Reno 15 Pro is quite a handful.

Features

9

Value for money

8.5

Performance

8

Ease of use

9

Design

8.5

Positives

Great cameras

Decent battery life

Generous storage

Fast charger included

Negatives

Lacks grunt compared to similarly priced rivals

No wireless charging

8.6

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Ultra-slim Dyson PencilWash takes the effort out of mopping

Dyson has a thing for pencil-thin appliances now, having recently launched the PencilWash wet-dry vacuum in Australia.

It follows the brand’s PencilVac from last year, a vacuum with a diameter of just 38mm. Dyson’s PencilWash is identically thin, adding wet mess cleaning to the equation.

When launching its new appliance, Dyson compared the PencilWash to other wet-dry vacuums, saying that a major difference is the lack of a filter. Hypothetically easier to clean the appliance, Dyson claimed that omitting the filter was to reduce the likelihood of dirt and bacteria getting stuck.

At the bottom of the PencilWash is a microfibre roller that spins at 650RPM, capable of collecting dry and wet messes. As the wet-dry vacuum goes, it removes dirty water and continually supplies fresh water to the roller, so it doesn’t track muck throughout the house. This clean water comes from a built-in 300mL tank, while a separate 360mL tank contains the dirty water.

It’s possible to change the strength of the wet cleaning, too. Lighter spills only need a light amount of water, while the PencilWash also supports a heavier water flow for stickier floors. To help with cleaning, Dyson also sells a probiotic solution, a “non-toxic” formula that’s compatible with the brand’s range of wet-dry cleaners.

Dyson estimates the runtime of the PencilWash to reach up to 30 minutes, claiming it’s enough to clean about 110 square metres. On an empty battery, the appliance takes roughly 3.5 hours to fully charge.

Dyson’s new appliance is a more affordable and portable alternative to its existing wet-dry range. In 2023, the company debuted its first wet-dry vacuum in the form of the $1,549 V15s Detect Submarine.

Priced at $499 in Australia, the PencilWash launches on 5 March via appliance retailers and directly through Dyson.

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Price hike: ROG Xbox Ally X now $200 more expensive in Australia

Xbox quietly raised the price of its flagship handheld gaming PC by $200 in Australia, with the more expensive listing now live across retailers.

As spotted by Press Start Australia, the ROG Xbox Ally X now costs $1,799 via the Asus online store and JB Hi-Fi, up from its original $1,599 launch price. That works out to be around a 12.5 per cent increase from the price of Xbox and ROG’s portable hardware when it arrived in October last year. At the time of writing, the Australian Xbox website still listed the obsolete $1,599 price.

Xbox’s website still displayed the old pricing this morning. Screenshot: Chris Button.

So far, Japan is the other region affected by the Xbox Ally X’s price increase. In Japan, the high-end version of the device now costs ¥169,800, up from ¥139,800. Converted into Australian dollars, Japan’s increase is close to $275.

At this stage, the lower-spec ROG Xbox Ally still costs $999 in Australia. Aside from a different colour, the ROG Xbox Ally X uses the more powerful AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme chipset and a higher 24GB RAM allocation that uses LPDDR5X memory. By comparison, the cheaper model has 16GB of LPDDR5 memory.

Why the ROG Xbox Ally X price increase?

Neither Xbox nor Asus have publicly explained the reasoning behind the price increase. However, given the current economic environment, including global memory shortages driven by demand for AI datacentres, price increases are on the agenda for many tech companies.

Another factor to consider is the ROG Xbox Ally X’s Australian launch price. In the US, the device launched at US$999, which was US$200 more expensive than the non-Xbox-branded ROG Ally X. Meanwhile, $1,599 in Australia was the same price as ROG’s older hardware, so the recent increase could be to catch up with the comparatively higher overseas pricing.

As I wrote in my review of the ROG Xbox Ally X, I enjoyed the device’s improved comfort and performance, but found the Windows 11 integration frustrating.

GadgetGuy has contacted Xbox for comment.

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Familiar Google Pixel 10a retains its sub-$1,000 status

It’s subtle, but the newly announced Google Pixel 10a marks an iterative change over last year’s phone, while keeping the price below $1,000.

At $849 in Australia, Google’s new lower-cost phone retains the same price as last year’s Pixel 9a model. From there, the next step up is the Pixel 10, which starts at $1,349.

Compared to last year’s phone, the Google Pixel 10a takes the incremental upgrade approach. Like its predecessor, it opts for a smooth back, rather than the protruding mega camera arrays of most other phones.

Except this time, Google says the Pixel 10a is completely flat on the back; the rear cameras don’t stick out at all. Even without a case, the phone should sit flush on a surface without wobbling at the hint of any contact.

Image: Google.

Not much else has changed, though. On the inside, the Pixel 10a uses the same Tensor G4 chip and 8GB of RAM as the Pixel 9a. Similarly, the cameras retain the same 48MP main rear lens and 13MP ultra-wide lens as the 2025 phone.

One of the few main hardware changes comes from an 11 per cent brighter 6.3-inch screen, which is made from the tougher Corning Gorilla Glass 7i material. Plus, Google claims that the Pixel 10a’s battery charges faster than the 9a, reaching 50 per cent capacity in roughly 30 minutes when using a 45W charger.

Software is where Google hopes to make the biggest difference. When announcing the Pixel 10a, the company doubled down on its Gemini AI assistant and various AI-powered features. Some of Google’s AI tools have filtered down to the Pixel 10a, including the photography-assisting Camera Coach, which we tested on the Pixel 10 Pro last year.

Google Pixel 10a price and release date

Google confirmed that the Pixel 10a will launch on 5 March in Australia. Pre-orders are live now via major tech retailers and Google’s online store.

This year’s colours include Fog, Obsidian, Berry, and Lavender. Alongside the Pixel 10a announcement, Google also added Berry and Fog as additional Pixel Buds 2a colours.

Like all of Google’s recent phones, the Pixel 10a supports seven years of operating system and security updates, including future features added through Pixel Drops.

For those with friends and family who use iOS devices, the Pixel 10a can also share files via AirDrop. Google added the functionality late last year, bridging the gap between Android and iOS devices.

Between the Pixel 10a, Apple’s expected iPhone 17e announcement, and Samsung’s new Galaxy S phones, expect plenty of competition in the coming months.

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YouTube partially down, leaving thousands with blank screens

For a frighftul few moments, YouTube was partially down, with an outage impacting the major video platform’s home page. According to an official statement, an issue with the platform’s recommendation system was the cause.

During the outage, trying to load the YouTube home page on a desktop brought up a blank page. The sidebar menu appeared as normal, but the home feed, normally filled with algorithmically recommended videos, showed nothing.

Screenshots: Chris Button.

Tens of thousands of users reported outages on Downdetector in Australia. It wasn’t an isolated issue confined to one location, either. Reddit is filled with threads and comments from confused users who can’t access YouTube.

YouTube videos accessed via the subscriber bar or search still worked, despite the home page issues. For example, searching for Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show brought up the video, which was then viewable in full.

In a response to users reporting the partial outage, the official TeamYouTube account on X acknowledged the issue.

Thanks for the report. We can confirm that we're aware of the issue & our team is currently working on a fix. We appreciate your patience while we get this sorted

— TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) February 18, 2026

“Thanks for the report,” the post said. “We can confirm that we’re aware of the issue & our team is currently working on a fix. We appreciate your patience while we get this sorted.”

YouTube being partially down also affected the mobile app. Like the desktop view, the home page showed either a blank screen or an error message. When trying to access the subscriptions tab, it took a couple of refreshes before it would display any content.

Screenshot: Chris Button.

It’s not currently clear what caused the issue. At the time of publication, YouTube’s home page started working again across both desktop and mobile.

An update from YouTube

YouTube’s support account on X provided a follow-up, linking to a thread on the YouTube Help site. According to the thread, the outage was caused by an “issue with [YouTube’s] recommendations system”.

Here’s the latest statement in full:

“An issue with our recommendations system prevented videos from appearing across surfaces on YouTube (including the homepage, the YouTube app, YouTube Music and YouTube Kids). The homepage is back, but we’re still working on a full fix – more coming soon!”

So, while the home page is up and running again, it appears there are still some under-the-surface tweaks to be made.

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