It’s time, once again, to introduce you to another member of our incredible Snapdragon Insiders community. This month, meet Manos (@Orange_Scooter on X and @mf__os on Instagram) from Oxford, England. He’s passionate about street photography, the incredible battery life of devices with Snapdragon® platforms, and the future of XR technology. 

Before we dive into his Q&A, here’s a special video from Manos talking about why he loves the Snapdragon Insiders community.

How did you get involved with the Snapdragon Insiders community? 

Back in 2023, I got the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy), and I started posting a lot of my photography on X. I always used the hashtag #ShotOnSnapdragon and Chad Torres commented on my photos. We started exchanging comments and photography tips and eventually became friends. He brought my attention to the Snapdragon Insiders community at large, pointing out that it goes way beyond just photography, and the rest is history.  

Why are you a fan of Snapdragon?

Getting my Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra definitely made me a fan of Snapdragon. I was just amazed with the performance, the speed, the battery life — everything. The biggest difference I noticed with this phone versus my old one happened last year on a trip to Greece. It was super hot and the phone performed perfectly — it didn’t overheat, it didn’t lose performance, the battery was great all day long, and the cameras performed really well. That day really secured my love for the brand and convinced me that my devices need to have a Snapdragon platform. Otherwise, I can’t rely on them to perform the way I need them to. 

Also, the community definitely made me a fan of Snapdragon. I love posting pictures on X and Instagram, and engaging with everyone. It’s such a supportive and engaging community. It gives me a lot of joy to be a part of it. 

Pick one to describe you: audiophile, photographer, gamer, or all-around tech enthusiast?

I would say I’m an all-around tech enthusiast, with a big emphasis on photography — especially street photography. I really enjoy capturing everyday people just going about their lives. I try to be discreet, though sometimes I get caught. It always ends in laughter and I make sure to go up to them and share the picture. 

I actually have a great story about one photo. A couple weeks ago in Oxford, there was this family taking pictures in front of the Radcliffe Camera. The son was taking a picture of his father and I just noticed that it was a beautiful moment. I took a photo and did a quick edit to highlight some things, then went over and offered them the photo. Not only were they really happy with it, they insisted on buying me a drink!

What’s your favorite photo you’ve taken with a smartphone powered by Snapdragon?

I really like that picture of the father and son, but it’s not my favorite. My favorite is of a couple sitting on a bench at University Parks during a sunset. The atmosphere is so beautiful. My love for street photography is relatively new, and this photo is a great example of how lovely it can be.

If budget wasn't an issue, what's your ideal photoshoot location?

I really want to go to Japan. I want to capture the cherry blossom trees, the people going about their daily lives, and the amazing architecture you can find across Japan with both the traditional and modern buildings. That contrast is so inspiring. It’s definitely number one on my list of travel destinations for photography, especially with the AI features we have now for editing. I’m having a blast with the creative capabilities we have at our disposal. 

Who is your dream creator collaboration? 

I would like to collaborate with Fahim — I owe him a lot for the things he’s taught me about photography. When I first started uploading pictures, I followed him because I noticed we had the same phone and he’s a professional photographer. I knew I could learn a lot from him. We connected and he has taught me so much, so I’d love to do a photography collaboration with him. 

What future tech are you most excited about?

I’m most excited about the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses (powered by the Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 Platform). I’m definitely keeping an eye on them, pun intended, because I think that technology has a lot of potential. I did a trial of them in-store, and I was so impressed with the video, photo, and audio quality. If this is where the technology is now, then I can’t wait to see what it’s like ten years from now.

I’m also super excited about Snapdragon X Elite Compute Platform. The PC space really needed an upgrade of this kind, and Snapdragon X Elite is going to be the champion of this new wave of PCs. I’m waiting for devices with it to launch so I can upgrade my laptop.

Since you’re interested in XR — who would you most want to meet in the metaverse?

I don’t think I would want to meet just one person — although it would be cool to hang out with Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man — I’d want to meet a bunch of the people I know through the Snapdragon Insiders program so we could all hang out together. There’s so many of us from all over the world that the metaverse would be the perfect way for us to be together.

What’s your best tip for street photography? Head over to Discord to discuss.