We’ve finally made it folks—this is the last weekend tech roundup for 2025, but that doesn’t mean that the tech headlines have slowed down. In fact, Christmas was a busy day for Xiaomi, following the launch of its new premium flagship camera phone and its latest smartwatch, and we even got a preview of Samsung’s upcoming Odyssey gaming monitors. With all that said, let’s get started!
Samsung Unveils its 2026 Odyssey Monitor Lineup
Samsung’s smart monitor division has been nothing short of impressive, and the Korean tech giant recently unveiled its 2026 Odyssey monitor portfolio, which includes five new models. This includes the new 32-inch Odyssey 3D, which features glasses-free 3D visuals and a 6K resolution, the new Odyssey G6 which comes with an extremely smooth 1,040Hz refresh rate. The new lineup also includes three Odyssey G8 models, all of which support AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and NVIDIA G-Sync.
The Xiaomi 17 Ultra is Now Official, and Packs a Massive Camera Hardware Set-up
Meanwhile, Xiaomi spent Christmas 2025 showcasing its newest flagship phone, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra. Currently exclusive for buyers in China, the 17 Ultra also uses a high-powered camera hardware setup developed in collaboration with veteran camera brand Leica. The phone comes with a large circular camera island which houses a 50MP main camera, a high-resolution 200MP telephoto lens, and a 50MP ultra-wide camera. One interesting difference this year is that Xiaomi is also offering a model that comes with a rotating mechanical zoom ring, which adds for a bit more precision when using the camera.
Xiaomi’s Newest Smartwatch goes Live With Up to a Week of Battery Life
Also unveiled during Xiaomi’s December 25 event was the Xiaomi Watch 5—priced at around £210 (when converted), Xiaomi has managed to keep the watch’s aesthetics in line with its predecessors while adding in several new features. This includes built-in support for eSim functionality, and a 930mAh cell which according to Xiaomi can last for up to six days of regular use. The Xiaomi Watch 5 also comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 SoC, although Xiaomi has paired it with a Hengxuan 2800 low-power chipset, similar to what OnePlus is doing with its own watches.
The OPPO Pad Air5 Makes its Debut with Midrange Pricing
Priced at around £250 when converted, OPPO’s new Pad Air5 is aimed at the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Tab FE series, as well as newer contenders such as Xiaomi’s new line of POCO tablets, all of which fall within the midrange segment. The tablet features a large 12-inch LCD screen with a resolution of 2800×1980 pixels and a 120Hz refresh rate, MediaTek’s Dimensity 7300 Ultra chipset, and a large battery which comes in at 10050mAh and should easily last most users a day or more.
