Xiaomi 11T Pro

Price R14000/takealot.com

Phones at this price don't tend to P push at the boundaries of tech. It's not really their job. But the mid-priced Xiaomi 11T Pro really does qualify as a flagship smartphone, in at least one small but useful way.

This phone has 120W charging, almost three times as powerful as the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra's. Sure, the power brick is a bit of a beast as a result, but Xiaomi says it will up the 11T Pro's battery in just 17 minutes.

But does it? We got out the stopwatch for a test and used the same method as Xiaomi, charging from 2% to avoid the slow safety charge that kicks in if it dies completely. At 5mins we were at 38%. It hit 69% by 10mins. And, sure enough, at 17mins it reached 100%.

The 11T Pro doesn't charge up in 17 minutes and 57 seconds, it's 17 minutes and zero seconds. Fair play, Xiaomi.

Key specs: beefy

Fast charging is not why you should buy a Xiaomi 111 Pro, mind. It's all the rest that makes it such a compelling alternative to spending R28000.

The speakers are loud and meaty, laid out in a proper stereo array. Its screen is a big 'n' bold 6.67in OLED panel topped with Gorilla Glass Victus, not normally seen in mid-range phones. The back is glass too, although the outer part of the sides is plastic. You should probably use the supplied case anyway.

The high-end Snapdragon 888 CPU completes the picture, making the 11T Pro one of the very best gaming phones that won't obliterate your overdraft.

Screen: zingy