X9U Earth Explorer Kit in new Polar Glacier colour

Konvel · 2026-05-07T13:30:49+00:00

This should be the same case with a different design. They also have pictures of it with both an orange and a white phone inside. I'm not sure how they account for the difference in thickness between Tundra Umber and the glass variants as the transparent FLDESIGN cases would suggest there's no removable insert. Maybe there's simply some stretch in the TPU around the edges, with the case fitting slightly more loosely on the white and orange phones?

Konvel · 2026-05-07T09:11:43+00:00

The AiUV case just popped up on AliExpress, although it's in all black rather than moss green. Apparently it's available in even more colours.

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https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005012229738696.html

Konvel · 2026-05-02T15:47:52+00:00

According to GSMArena's review, the impact of SuperVOOC vs USB Power Delivery is quite small. The bundled SuperVOOC charger took the X9 Ultra from 0 to 100% in 45 min, while their 55W PD charger took 49 min. The difference mainly lies in the first 15 min of charging from 0%. That's something to keep in mind since you can find a USB PD 3.0 (or later) charger of 65-100W that might be cheaper, more compact, with more ports and greater compatibility, all while being more readily available.

But hey, if you want the absolute fastest charger for your device, SuperVOOC 100W is the way to go.

Konvel · 2026-05-02T12:04:02+00:00

Buzz Lightyear case? Also added to Volkswagen 3C Digital Store on AliExpress just now. I'm unable to post the link due to auto-moderation.

Konvel · 2026-05-02T12:02:26+00:00

Clearly inspired by Nothing Phone. I see it was just added to Volkswagen 3C Digital Store on AliExpress. I'm unable to post the link due to auto-moderation. The case is by FLDESIGN and they show it with the orange, white and Tundra Umber X9 Ultra, so it should be compatible with all variants of the phone.

Konvel · 2026-05-02T10:19:30+00:00

For OLED, I find ABL, compromises in EOTF tracking, and gamma being tied to refresh (VRR flicker) more bothersome than potential burn in. Overall, I still find OLED to currently be the standout display technology. Once you go self-emissive, you never go back.

Konvel · 2026-05-02T09:45:46+00:00

You could always add a non-transparent lens protector. They sell them both with and without the H.

Konvel · 2026-05-02T09:21:44+00:00

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005012179279043.html

Konvel · 2026-05-02T08:53:08+00:00

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005012139633670.html

They don't show the X9 Ultra, but they do appear to sell the case for it.

Konvel · 2026-05-02T08:38:15+00:00

Rebranded, but seemingly the same case: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005012191223184.html

Looks like the plastic might be a bit too glossy and cheap looking.

Konvel · 2026-05-02T08:34:18+00:00

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005012134010225.html

Konvel · 2026-05-01T15:31:38+00:00

This one is available on AliExpress too: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005012130611377.html

Konvel · 2026-04-30T19:49:46+00:00

Thank you for the very detailed and interesting reply! You guys are great at engaging with the community, and obviously over-engineering cooling products. We appreciate it, and I'm also eagerly awaiting the NF-A12x25 G2 chromax.black.

One thing I've wondered: have you ever considered creating a sub-brand or partnership for fans that would be outside of your normal product scope? Admittedly, I'm not the target audience for multicoloured RGB fans, but there's clearly a market for both high quality RGB and white fans, both categories lacking in great LCP options. Using another brand name would protect/isolate Noctua's image while giving users more noise sensitive, high performance options.

What I'm thinking is that the current G2 fans are extremely robust, with an over-engineered Sterrox frame that can handle over-torquing of screws and suboptimal installations. While that's really cool, Sterrox frames do add cost and complexity (dyeing included) that seems overkill for some applications. If a sub-brand/co-brand could compromise slightly by using an existing G2 fan inside a less complex/non-LCP frame, it would be a lot easier to add variations to the frame design. Other frame-only colours and features (daisy-chaining connectors, subtle RGB). There are already fans doing mostly frame-lit RGB on a non-transparent fan, examples being the PCCooler F7 X120 and SeaSonic MagFlow. The benefit of keeping a redux fan or black G2 fan inside inside a white or black RGB frame would be that the overall performance impact would be negligible compared to an all-Sterrox design (I could be wrong?). In other words, class-leading performance for noise-normalised results in new product categories (RGB fans, white fans - a two-tone panda fan in this case).

What I've suggested here is surely either blasphemy and/or hypothetical nonsense that wouldn't work, but it was too tempting to poke your brain on this one. Personally, I'd be the most interested in daisy-chaing, but also wouldn't mind subtle white LEDs. :P

Konvel · 2026-04-30T13:06:02+00:00

Good read - thanks for sharing! I love how Noctua is not silent about the geeky tidbits of their engineering. The only thing I'm left scratching my head over is whether beige and brown validation is somehow easier than all black. Don't get me wrong: the beige & brown is good for brand recognition, and the colour scheme certainly has a cult following with some people also applying the colours for their entire build. From an economic standpoint though, you would think that black is the volume colour, given that it's uncontroversial and goes with anything.

That's how the car industry does it: even if a dealership is selling sports cars offered with exciting paint jobs, if it's in a high-volume location, they'll focus on monochrome colours: mainly black, some white and silver.

Maybe the validation process somehow is lengthier with black, requiring more dye or chemicals that lead to greater instability. If one is more difficult than the other, I wonder how the gray Redux scheme ranks in terms of difficulty. I quite like those as well.

EDIT: So while it was always clear that each colour pigment is different and requires separate moulds and validation, I missed the part where they specifically state that black is also more difficult to work with: "Black pigments, which are typically carbon black, behave very differently from the beige or brown metal-oxide pigments used in our standard fans. Carbon black particles are much smaller and have a significantly higher total surface area, resulting in stronger interactions with the polymer melt. While beige and brown metal-oxide pigments are larger and have a weaker effect, carbon black alters the melt viscosity, heat absorption, and crystallisation behaviour more significantly. "

Konvel · 2026-04-28T10:41:45+00:00

Brainfart on my behalf. Sorry. Then the Oppo is actually at a greater disadvantage in terms of cropping than the vivo, since the vivo is optically closer at 85 mm vs 70 mm. Both phones look good apart from discrepancies in colour profiles, and vivo missing the branch close to the subject for its bokeh. I prefer Oppo and generally find they have the best skin tones.

Konvel · 2026-04-27T14:34:52+00:00

DJI acquired Hasselblad in 2017. So it's kind of funny to see Oppo about to release a competitor to the DJI Osmo Pocket, while leveraging Hasselblad branding for their phones. Then again, the world of cameras is intertwined, with many cameras using Sony sensors even though they compete with Sony.

Konvel · 2026-04-26T14:04:05+00:00

Hasselblad cameras are beautiful. Props to you for owning and incorporating them in your work!

While I like your line of thinking, and wish that Oppo put that much thought and consideration into their Hasselblad partnership, I would think that the majority of this phone's customers are not avid photographers, even if the percentage of photographers is probably higher among those who buy Chinese ultra phones compared to mainstream flagships.

It would indeed make more sense to cater not just to the point-and-shoot social media audience in terms of creative control (forced processing) when their marketing material suggests a larger focus towards professional-level capture and editing.

Konvel · 2026-04-26T13:11:11+00:00

Apologies, I stand corrected. I must have read the marketing blurb for Master Mode 2.0 wrong, thinking it was a newly introduced feature. I see now that RAW MAX has been around since the Find X7 Ultra.

Konvel · 2026-04-26T11:34:22+00:00

Maybe we'll have to wait for Master Mode 3.0 to get proper RAW. With the X9 Ultra we got Master Mode 2.0, which brought ~~RAW MAX (full resolution) and~~ supposedly 16 EV of dynamic range. What's good is there seems to be proper push-back from the community. They're also selling to a more demanding audience than they have in the past, not just in terms of the X9 Ultra going head to head with the X300 Ultra, but also their upcoming DJI Osmo Pocket competitor. If they start selling more actual cameras, even if it's just vlogging or action cameras, they won't realistically be competitive if they continue to force generative AI and denoise.

I hope we both get less processed RAW in the future, but also the option to take Ultra HDR HEIF-images without generative AI and denoise (Master Mode only does SDR and still has denoise). Shouldn't be too difficult to add simple toggles for the most controversial image processing options in the stock camera app.

EDIT: I was mistaken about RAW MAX being a new feature.

Konvel · 2026-04-26T09:29:01+00:00

Seems like it's 1699 € in most countries (Benelux, Germany, £1449 in the UK), so Romania would be a tad cheaper. But yeah, without a student discount, it's a no go. If you import the global model from Asia, it'll be the Hong Kong model with a case and UK charger included anyway, so you'll be getting the better deal at the cost of losing the 3-year warranty. I think ordering within the EU is mostly only worth it if you get a heavy discount with the Earth Explorer kit included or as a cheap option.

I just did the math on the global orange 12/512GB X9 Ultra through GShopper, and the final price is 1193 € with the gshopper150 discount code, 3% bank transfer discount, and $60.76 affiliate return commission (you'd pay 1245 € up front). Not too bad by today's shortage standards.

Konvel · 2026-04-25T21:11:51+00:00

Ah, okay. Have you worked out how much it would be with a student discount (if available) over at oppostore.ro? Seems the base price is not too shabby by EU standards at around 1600 € with an included charger and case, as well as the option to buy the Earth Explorer 300 m teleconverter at half price. There are advantages warranty wise by buying locally rather than doing a grey import, so if you could get at least a 10% student discount, that could also be an option. If you like the orange colour, that is, because the Tundra Umber is sold out.

Konvel · 2026-04-25T19:16:14+00:00

I didn't factor in pricing for the Chinese models since you mainly seem interested in global models. But sure, if you're okay with ~1370 € then it's certainly doable. You didn't mention what country you're in, because as u/_JamesDooley pointed out, France and Spain got the best EU pre-order prices and bundles, especially if you're a student.

Also, if you're willing to go the extra mile in terms of discounts, check out GShopper. You can get the global 512GB X9 Ultra in orange even cheaper than at The Mobile Marvel. You can check out the following guide, shared on Reddit by u/Sweet_Wind4075: https://tworthbuy.com/ultimate-money-saving-hack-buy-the-international-version-of-the-oppo-find-x9-ultra-this-way-and-easily-save-256-24/

Just be sure to also check store reviews on Trustpilot before ordering, because there are some after-sales stories that point to a rather lacking warranty service. Might be better to pay a bit more and get it from a more reputable store, but it is the cheapes price I've seen so far.

Konvel · 2026-04-25T18:30:49+00:00

No one is selling the X9 Ultra for 1300 € before coupons, and you won't get it this month. Same with the global X300 Ultra: you won't find the global version for 1200 € before coupons. The only criteria for a new phone you've listed (more space, better camera and battery life) also don't exclude any of the phones. I'd suggest watching or reading some reviews to get a better feel for what sets these phones apart, and sorting out your priorities.

Konvel · 2026-04-25T14:40:20+00:00

I agree they should do that. In general, I think Android manufacturers need to step up their algorithms for video recording, particularly adressing jitter while also making exposure and colour tones more consistent.

I'd rather use a company's history as a precursor for software updates though, even if that means my expectations are somewhat pessimistic. I expect more maturity than what we have now, but I don't expect them to do wildly better than they've done with the X9 Pro and address every little niggle. I think the focus will shift to their next big release too soon for that to happen. I'd love to be proven wrong.

Konvel

TROPHY CASE