Android Advisor 113 - 2023 UK

REVIEWED: GOOGLE PIXEL TABLET
ADVISOR
ISSUE
113
PIXEL FOLD
GOOGLE’S AWESOME NEW HANDSET
CONTENTS
REVIEWS BUYING GUIDE

4 Google Pixel Fold 67 Best budget phones
22 Motorola Razr 40 Ultra
34 Asus Zenfone 10 AUDIO
45 Honor 90 77 Final Audio ZE8000
55 Google Pixel Tablet 81 EarFun Air Pro 3
55 FEATURES
87 The real secret to better
Android battery life
92 Android’s hidden Smart
Display superpower
2 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 113

Credit: Getty Imagesalengo
87
22
34
92
67
ISSUE 113 • ANDROID ADVISOR 3

Credit: Getty Images/andresr Credit: Getty Images/Kar-Tr
REVIEWS
Google Pixel Fold

Price: £1,749 from fave.co/3D5LiR3
G
oogle’s folding phone has Ì½ÃÌ>}Ìiw}ÌÌÛ>ÀÕÃÀÛ>ÃLÕÌ
been a long time coming. mainly Samsung. The South Korean
Rumours that the company was company has a big lead on Google,
developing one began several years >Û}Àii>Ãi`ÌÃwÀÃÌ>>ÝÞ`
back and in a surprise revelation during Óä£>`ÃÌÀ>VÌ>ÕVÌÃwvÌ
a recent Made by Google podcast generation foldable phone soon.
episode, the world found out that the The history lesson is relevant
*Ýi`Ü>Ã½ÌÌiwÀÃÌ° here because the Pixel Fold doesn’t
A previous design hadn’t made the exist in a vacuum. And while there’s
grade and was cancelled because it a lot to like about the phone, there’s
wasn’t good enough. The Pixel Fold, some frustration too – some of which
then, must have passed muster and }ÌLiwÝi`ÃvÌÜ>ÀiÕ«`>ÌiÃ°

Then there’s also the
price, which isn’t a million
miles away from £2,000.
DESIGN
Quite obviously, the Pixel
Fold is the type of folding
phone which aims to be a
tablet replacement rather
Ì>Ìi¼y«½ÃÌÞiÜV
takes a normal phone On the top edge is one speaker with a second on the bottom
and folds it in half. And edge along with the nano-SIM tray and a USB-C port.
this makes the Pixel Fold
a big, heavy phone. It’s 12.1mm thick screen hides it. It’s even more hidden
(not including the camera bump) and if you’re running one app on each
80mm wide. At 140mm tall, it’s shorter side of the screen.
than many phones but at 284g, quite Where the Fold differs from its rivals
a lot heavier – 20g heavier than the – notably the Samsung Galaxy Fold4
Galaxy Z Fold4. – is that it has a 6:5 aspect ratio. That
And everyone I handed the Pixel means it is more landscape than portrait
`ÌViÌi`ÌiÜi}ÌwÀÃÌ° ÜVÃÀiÃ}wV>ÌÌ>ÞÕ}Ì
But, as with any folding phone, it also imagine as it affects how apps behave.
has a huge wow factor. Pictured here is When folded, there’s no gap
the Obsidian colour but you can also between the screens. The gap is one
get it in Porcelain. vÌiÌ}ÃÞÕÌViwÀÃÌ>LÕÌ
Opening it up to reveal the 7.6in the Galaxy Fold4, but which Samsung
internal screen will usually elicit
a ‘wow’ or a gasp because,
even now in 2023, not that
many people have seen a
phone that folds in half.
The crease doesn’t ever
go away, but a lot of the The edges are rounded, polished alloy and the hinge is
time the brightness of the essentially a thicker version.

REVIEWS
is likely to address in the Fold 5 that ÃVÀiiÌ>Ìw>wÛiì}ÀiiÃÀÃÌLi

launches in just a few weeks’ time. >LÃÕÌiÞy>Ì]LÕÌÌìÃ½Ìvii}`
ÌÃ½ÌÌiwÀÃÌv`}«iÌ to do that on such an expensive device.
VÃiy>Ì\À½Ã>}V6ÃìÃÌ° In fact, prominent warnings in the
On the top edge is one speaker with LÝÌiÞÕÌ>ÌyiÝLiÃVÀiiÃ>Ài
a second on the bottom edge along softer than on traditional phones and
ÜÌÌi>-ÌÀ>Þ>`>1-
you should ‘avoid contact with sand,
«ÀÌ°"ÌiÀ}Ì>`Ãì]ÌiÀi>À VÀÕLÃ]w}iÀ>ÃÀÃ>À«LiVÌÃ½°
part of the phone (when folded), is the You’re also instructed not to remove the
volume rocker and power button, which v>VÌÀÞÃÌ>i`ÃVÀii«ÀÌiVÌÀ>`
`ÕLiÃ>Ã>w}iÀ«ÀÌÃV>iÀ° ÌÌ>««Þ>ÌÀ`«>ÀÌÞi°
The edges are rounded, polished The overwhelming feeling, then, is
alloy and the hinge is essentially a that this is an especially delicate phone
thicker version: its smoothness feels that needs a lot of care. There’s also the
ÜìÀvÕÞÕÀw}iÀÃ°ƂÃÃ>Ã disappointment that, despite the price,
ÞÕÌÕVÌ]ÞÕÀw}iÀ«ÀÌÃÜLi Google doesn’t include a case in the
>ÛiÀÌLÕÌwÃÃÜÀÌÌiÀi}Õ>À box. It will sell you one, of course: the
cleaning required. vwV>V>ÃiVÃÌÃËÈx°
One area that doesn’t pick up With an IPX8 rating, the Pixel
w}iÀ«ÀÌÃÃÌiÀ>>ÃÃ6VÌÕÃ Fold can ‘take a splash’, according
the back of the phone, as it has a matt to Google. In fact, that’s an
wÃ°ƂÕ}iV>iÀ>ÃiVÌÕÌÃÕÌ understatement: it can withstand
about 3mm.
This, and the fact the
Pixel Fold doesn’t open
to exactly 180° means it
ìÃ½Ìiy>Ì>}>ÃÌ>
surface. That’s annoying if
you want to type, swipe or
do something that involves
touching the screen as it
rocks in all directions.
You can apply a bit "iLiiwÌvÌiÃÌvv}iÃLi}>LiÌ>`ÕÃÌÌi
of pressure to force the screen to a certain angle and it’ll stay there.

immersion in water up to 1m deep
for 30 minutes. Not that you’d want
to test that, mind.
"iLiiwÌvÌiÃÌvv}iÃ
being able to adjust the screen to
a certain angle and it’ll stay there.
That’s useful if you want to watch a
Ûì>`ÃvÀiiÌiÕÌiÀÃVÀii
in ‘tent’ mode, but it also means
you can do the same sort of thing
with the internal screen in a kind of
‘laptop mode’.
That could be useful for video
calls as there’s a camera on the inside The Pixel Fold’s outside screen is similar in
bezel as well as one embedded into proportions to a normal phone.
the outer screen. When Android 14
launches, there will also be an update to are great and – no surprise – viewing
YouTube which displays the video in the angles are, too.
top part of the screen and puts playback Some may dislike Google’s choice
VÌÀÃÌi«>ÀÌ>Þ}y>Ì° Ì }ÜÌ>«ÕViÃiwiV>iÀ>
but it really doesn’t get in the way.
DISPLAY Prise open the Fold – something
It isn’t supposed to be the main Ì>Ìii`ÃÌÜ>`Ã>`>w}iÀ>
attraction, but the Pixel Fold’s outside because there’s no gap at all – and it
screen is unusual for a folding phone becomes a small tablet. The screen
because it’s very similar in proportions has the same 7.6in diagonal as the
to a normal phone. Or, at least, a Galaxy Z Fold4 and although this
normal phone from a few years ago. >iÃ LÌ«iÃÃµÕ>ÀiÃ]Ìi
The 17.4:9 aspect ratio is much Pixel Fold has a 6:5 aspect ratio against
more usable than the Galaxy Z Fold4’s the Z Fold4’s 21.6:18.
23.1:9 outer screen. It’s a really bright Human brains can’t easily compare
OLED panel, peaking at 1,550 nits and those numbers, but what it boils down
a real joy to use even in bright outdoor to is that the Galaxy Z Fold4 (and pretty
conditions. Resolution is great, colours much every other competitor) has a

REVIEWS
taller, narrower screen while the Pixel foldable buyers, is that the screen
Fold is wider and shorter. Ã½Ì«iÀviVÌÞy>Ì°7i½Ài>ÃÕÃi`Ì
ÃÌÃ>LiiwÌ¶/i>ÃÜiÀÃ the thick glass on traditional phones
complicated, and one best answered Ì>Ì>yiÝLiÃVÀiiqÜVÃÜ>Ì
when I talk about the Pixel Fold’s it is – looks wavy and, well, cheap. As
software later. mentioned already, the fold remains
Both screens support a variable even when the hinge is fully open, just
refresh rate up to 120Hz, but the like the crease when you fold a piece of
internal screen isn’t quite as bright paper in half and then unfold it.
at 1,000 nits, with peak brightness of Overall, quality is great but you
1,200 nits. The other thing to note is do notice a band either side of that
the bezel around the internal screen. It’s crease showing slightly different
thicker at the top and bottom than the brightness and colours as you move
sides but it’s not something you notice the phone around in your hands. It’s
in normal use. If anything, it’s too thin Ì>ì>LÀi>iÀ\Ì½ÃÕÃÌÜ>ÌyiÝLi
at the sides and means it’s hard to grip screens are like at the moment.
the phone without accidentally touching /iÕÌÀ>Ì}>ÃÃÃVÛiÀi`LÞ
something on the screen. a plastic protector that doesn’t quite
However, a more important reach the outer bezel. There’s a gap
LÃiÀÛ>Ì]iÃ«iV>ÞvÀwÀÃÌÌi v£ÌÓ>ÀÕ`Ìii`}iÜV
collects dust and dirt like
you wouldn’t believe. The
same thing happens in the
tiny gaps between the top
and bottom of the screen
and the hinge.
At least one (vocal)
reviewer’s Pixel Fold screen
has been damaged by
crumbs getting caught in
the screen protector gap
and seemingly causing the
screen to fail. I’ve had no
/iv`Ài>ÃiÛiÜiÌi}iÃvÕÞ«i° such issues, but have also

extra space and resolution.
Where others, such as Honor
with the Magic Vs, haven’t done
an amazing job, Google is in the
fortunate position that Apple is
with the iPhone and can control
both hardware and software.
To this end, it has
optimized all its apps for the
`½Ã``ÞÃ>«i`ÃVÀii°
/iÀi½Ã>}>«v£ÌÓ>ÀÕ`Ìi`Ã«>Þ½Ãi`}i >]
>i`>À]7i>ÌiÀ]ÀÛi]
which collects dust and dirt. Photos – they all look beautiful
and show a lot more than you
been careful to give the screen a wipe, see on the outer screen.
iÛiÕÃÌÜÌ>w}iÀ]LivÀiVÃ}Ì That’s great, but not all apps work
each time. well on the Fold. Those that aren’t
Ƃw>ìÌ>Ì>Ì½Ãi>ÃÞÌÃÃÃÌi optimized display with black bars at
V>iÀ>ÌiÌ«À}ÌÃiVÌvÌi the edges – Facebook is a notable one
bezel. It’s there so no matter how you q>`ÌiÞÜ>ÞÌ>iÌiw
use the Fold, there’s always a way to the screen is to rotate the Fold by 90
>Ûi>ÛìV>ÀÌ>i>Ãiwi°
Speakers, to change the subject,
are surprisingly good. They don’t put
out much volume until you ramp the
slider up to the max, but they are
capable of decent audio for watching
videos, listening to podcasts and
even the odd bit of music.
SOFTWARE
Software is critical with any folding
phone because apps need to appear
differently when you use it in tablet }i>Ã«Ìâi`>ÌÃ>««ÃvÀÌi`½Ã
mode and take advantage of the oddly-shaped screen.

REVIEWS
ÛìwÌiÃVÀii° ÕÌÌ½Ãi
going back to the days before
widescreen TVs.
*iÀ>«ÃÌi>LiiwÌÃ½Ì
running a single app, though, it’s
having two open at the same time.
This works well, especially because
Google has added a taskbar that
appears when you slowly swipe up
from the bottom of the screen. If
you’re already running an app, you
can drag another one to the left or
À}Ì>`ÌÜwÜViÛiÀ>v
Some apps, such as Facebook (pictured) only you’ve dragged it two.
work in portrait mode. You can then drag the divider
bar left or right to make one app
degrees and use it in ‘portrait’ mode. wider (and the other thinner) and
The trouble is, in many cases, apps are you can rotate the phone to portrait
simply scaled up so everything is larger if the apps work better in that
instead of showing more information. orientation, such as when you want to
Even some of Google’s apps
aren’t fully optimized. Maps
sometimes reverted to the Facebook
ÃÌÞivw}ÌiViÌÀivÌiÃVÀii
but with black bars at the edges.
The aspect ratio isn’t great for
video either: if you want to see all
of a 16:9 video, it’s displayed at
a size that’s barely larger than the
outer screen. And it’s worse if you’re
watching a movie that uses an even
thinner, wider aspect ratio.
YouTube is optimized, of course, YouTube is optimized, so you can zoom in and
so you can zoom in and make the >iÌiÛìwÌiÃVÀii°

watch a video and have
a web page open at
the same time.

iÀÌ>>««ÃiÌÞÕ
drag and drop between
them, but I never found
this to be particularly
game changing. Yes,
you can select a bunch
of photos from Google
Photos and drop them Some apps let you drag and drop between them.
into an email or a
WhatsApp chat, but it’s just as easy to do different things when you close it
attach photos from within those apps. depending upon what sort of app you

«Þ}>`«>ÃÌ}ÌiÝÌLiÌÜii were using in tablet mode. I asked
apps feels more convenient when both Google about this and was told that it’s
are on screen, but even after a week, I a feature developers call ‘wakelock’.
didn’t discover the killer app pair that Some apps tell the screen to stay on
made the Fold an indispensable tool. qiÛiv`}«iÃq>`
A problem that may well be ignore any idle timers. So if you’re
addressed when Android 14 drops is the watching a video, reading a book or
absence of a way to launch pairs of apps playing a game and close the screen, it
that you like to use together. Instead, will appear on the outer screen instead
you have to launch one full screen, bring of locking the phone and displaying the
up the taskbar and either use the Split >Ü>ÞÃvÀ>Ì°
VÀw`Ìi>««>``À>}ÌÌÌi />Ì½ÃwiViÞÕÕìÀÃÌ>`Ì]
one side. but there’s no setting to change this
Another issue is that apps don’t behaviour if you don’t like it.
remain paired if you close the Fold. One other thing Google could
7>Ì>««iÃÜiÞÕÀi«iÌÃ change is to add the option to save
that one of the apps displays full screen, different home screen layouts for the
something that’s very irritating. inner and outer screens. As it is, the
It can also get confusing because Fold replicates your outer home screen
Google has chosen to make the Fold ÌiivÌ>`ÃìvÌiiÀ

REVIEWS
screen, and puts the apps from the but performance is somewhat moot
second page on the right. because so few games have been
Unlike the Galaxy Z Fold4, there’s optimized to use the Fold’s unusual
no way to run three apps at once, nor resolution and aspect ratio. Optimized
>Ûi>y>Ì}Ü`Ü°/i*Ýi` games are highlighted in the Play
doesn’t have stylus support either, which Store and include Minecraft, Asphalt
might disappoint some people. ]i>}Õi v i}i`Ã]
>Ãv
>Ã]
/iÀi>ÀiLiiwÌÃvLÕÞ}>*Ýi
>`Þ
ÀÕÃ>`
>vÕÌÞLi°
«i]ÌÕ}°}i«ÀÃiÃwÛi Asphalt 9 ran smoothly and provided
years of updates, and there’s Google’s a decent experience. However, just
VPN that you can use for free. A feature LiV>ÕÃi>}>iwÃÌiÜiÃVÀii
coming soon is the ability to show doesn’t mean it’s any easier or better
translated speed on the outer screen to play than on a standard ‘candy bar’
– useful in situations where you don’t ÃVÀii° «Ìâi`}>iÃ}Ì
speak someone’s language. The inside adjust to the aspect ratio but show less
screen will show what they’re saying in than they do on a taller screen.
your language. Besides this, the Pixel Fold gets
noticeably warm even when running
PERFORMANCE iÃÃì>`}Ì>ÃÃ°1ÃiÌiV>iÀ>
The Fold’s chipset, RAM and storage app for a while, perhaps to record video
are the same as the Pixel 7 Pro’s. There’s À>}iÝ«ÃÕÀi}ÌÃÞ«Ì>`
plenty of grunt, even if benchmarks it quickly heats up. That never caused
show it’s not the
fastest out there and
it makes the Pixel
Fold feel smooth and
responsive in daily use.
Apps launch quickly
and, in combination
ÜÌÌi}ÀivÀiÃ
rate screens, they run
exceptionally well.
Games also
run pretty well, /i*Ýi`vviÀÃ«iÌÞv}ÀÕÌ°

other issues, such as any perceptible Huawei Mate X2: 65%
throttling, but it’s not what you’d expect Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4: 59%
from such a premium device. Samsung Galaxy S23: 41%
Geekbench 5 (multi-core) Talking of being a premium device,

Google Pixel Fold: 3,054 it has premium haptics. They’re subtle
Google Pixel 7 Pro: 3,162 and feel very natural. You can adjust
Huawei Mate X3: 4,240 the strength for different things such
Huawei Mate X2: 3,260 >ÃV}V>Ã]ÌwV>ÌÃ]>>ÀÃ
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4: 3,636 and general touch feedback. I found the
Oppo Find N: 3,252 Fold was great for phone calls, being
Samsung Galaxy S23: 5,001 able to clearly hear the caller using both
the earpiece and speakers. As you’d
GFX Manhattan 3.1 iÝ«iVÌ]Ì>ÃV>«>Li7È >`
Google Pixel Fold: 57fps ÕiÌÌ]ÕÌÀ>ÜìL>`>`
°
Google Pixel 7 Pro: 89fps /iÀi½Ã>Ã}i>-ÌÀ>ÞLÕÌÞÕ
Huawei Mate X3: 44fps can use the eSIM for a second number.
Huawei Mate X2: 22fps It supports 5G mmWave and Sub 6GHz.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4: 77fps
Oppo Find N: 52fps PHOTOGRAPHY
Samsung Galaxy S23: 120fps You’d assume that Google would have
copied and pasted the cameras from
Battery life the Pixel 7 Pro, but no. All three sensors
Google Pixel Fold: 14 hours, 28 minutes on the rear have different resolutions (all
Google Pixel 7 Pro: 12 hours, 46 lower, surprisingly) and the front camera
minutes has an unusual 9.5Mp count.
Huawei Mate X3: 7 hours, 8 minutes Not that it matters: these are great
Huawei Mate X2: 7 hours, 38 minutes cameras which deliver very pleasing
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4: 7 hours, 40 photos – and videos – in the majority
minutes of situations. Photos from main rear
camera are sharp, well exposed and
Charge in 30 minutes have good dynamic range.
Google Pixel Fold: 42% There’s a 2x mode in the camera
Huawei Mate X3: 85% app, but this is done in software so

REVIEWS
Photos
vÀ
main rear
camera are
sharp, well
exposed
and have
good
dynamic
range.
Here’s a
selection.

REVIEWS

Next up,
we have a
VÕ«iv
examples
v>}iÃ
taken
with the
ultrawide
lens.

REVIEWS
Our next
two shots
were taken
with the 5x
zoom.

7i½wÃ
vvÜÌ>
iÝ>«iv
>Ãiwi°
hit the ‘5’ for the telephoto lens. Both You can erase objects from photos,
the ultrawide and telephoto lenses unblur them, pick the best shot from
V>«À`ÕVi}`}«ÌÃ] >LÕÀÃÌÃiÀiÃ>`>Ì>ÌÌiÀ*ÝiÞ
but the latter needs plenty of light to good stuff.
perform at its best. It’s a good phone for video,
Ü}Ì«iÀvÀ>ViÃ½Ì>>â}\ particularly because of the excellent
noise creeps into photos more than stabilization. You can shoot at up to
you’d want. Plus, the Fold’s macro {ÉÈäv«Ã°-ÃÜÀÌ}}Ì}
capabilities are nothing special. as well, being easily accessible within
I’d say the same about the portrait the main video mode and producing
mode on all cameras: it’s not the best. outstanding results.
Fortunately, Google’s software The other bonus of a folding phone
magic makes this a great phone for like this is that you can use the front
photography and most people won’t ÃVÀii>Ã>ÛiÜwìÀÌÌ>iLiÌÌiÀ
notice or care about the drawbacks. µÕ>ÌÞÃiwiÃÕÃ}ÌiÀi>ÀV>iÀ>Ã°

REVIEWS
BATTERY LIFE v>ÃÌV>À}}«i°}iìÃ½Ì

The Pixel Fold uses a pair of batteries include a charger in the box, but if you
that add up to around 4,800mAh so have one that can output 30 watts, the
many regular phones have bigger Fold will take it.
cells. Google says that’s enough to last 1Ã}>È£Ü>ÌÌ,>Û«ÜiÀV>À}iÀ
beyond 24 hours, which is true. But it’s I had to hand, the fold charged from
not true every day. empty to 14 percent in 15 minutes and
I used the Fold for over a week was up to 28 percent at 30 minutes:
before writing this review and while the nice and linear but also very slow.
clever Adaptive Battery may not have Wireless charging is possible at
had enough time to properly kick in, my ÌiL}ÃÌ>`>À`Ç°xÜ>ÌÌÃÕÃ}>Þ
mileage varied a lot. +V«>ÌLiV>À}iÀ°ƂÌi>ÃÌÌ½Ã
In my estimation I used the Fold for there, unlike the Honor Magic Vs.
about the same amount of time each
day – give or take – and did basically VERDICT
the same things, using a mix of the My opinion of the Pixel Fold has
outer and inner screens to browse, play changed a lot over a week. I remain to
games, take photos, use social media: be convinced that this type of folding
the usual. phone is something the world needs.
Some of those days ended with But even if it is, the Fold is so expensive
VvÀÌ>LiiÛiÃq>ÀÕ`ÓäÌÓx it’s merely a curiosity for most people.
percent – but on others,
it didn’t even make it to
bedtime without needing
>ÀiV>À}i°
ÛiÀÃiÞ]
another day, there was
almost 40 percent left
which lasted until after
lunch the following day.
Weirdly, Google hasn’t
caught up with the sort of
fast charging other phone
makers now offer and it’s
hard to call the Fold a /i*Ýi`Ã>>ÀÛivi}iiÀ}°

Software needs to improve, too. It’s Dual Pixel PDAF, Laser AF, OIS;
ÌiV>ÃÃVVVi>ì}}ÃVi>À 10.8Mp, f/3.1, 112mm (telephoto),
where developers won’t optimize their 1/3.1in, 1.22μm, Dual Pixel PDAF,
apps for such a niche device until it OIS, 5x optical zoom; 10.8Mp, f/2.2,
becomes more popular, but punters will £Ó£ì}Àii]ÕÌÀ>Üì®]£ÉÎ]
be wary about buying them until the 1.25μm
apps work properly. • -iwiV>iÀ>\n«]vÉÓ°ä]Ó{
The other big drawback is the heft. Üì®]£É{]£°£Ó°
ÛiÀV>iÀ>\
It’s a marvel of engineering, but it’s still 9.5Mp, f/2.2, 24mm (wide), 1.22μm,
a chunky, heavy device that makes your Dual Pixel PDAF
hand ache after holding it for a while. • 7näÓ°££>ÉLÉ}ÉÉ>VÉÈi]ÌÀL>`]
1Ì>ÌiÞ]ÌÃÃ>wÀÃÌ}iiÀ>Ì 7ÀiVÌ
device and if you can afford it and really • Bluetooth 5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD
want it, you’ll probably love it to bits. • GPS, GALILEO, GLONASS, BDS,
Everyone else should stick with a regular •
phone – perhaps a Pixel 7 Pro – and • 1- /Þ«i

Î°Ó]"/
swap to an iPad, laptop or TV when you • }iÀ«ÀÌÃV>iÀÃìÕÌi`®
want a bigger screen. Jim Martin • ÀiÛ>Li{]nÓ£ƂÌÕ
polymer battery
SPECIFICATIONS • Unfolded: 158.7x139.7x5.8mm.
• Internal 7.6in (2,092x1,840; 378ppi) Folded: 139.7x79.5x12.1mm
foldable OLED, 120Hz, HDR10+. • 283g
External 5.8in (2,092x1,080; 408ppi)
120Hz, HDR OLED display
• Android 13
• Google Tensor G2 (5nm) processor
• "VÌ>VÀiÓÝÓ°nxâ
ÀÌiÝ8£]
ÓÝÓ°Îxâ
ÀÌiÝƂÇn]{Ý£°nâ

ÀÌiÝƂxx®
*1
• >Ç£ä*Ç*1
• 12GB RAM
• 256GB/512GB storage
• /ÀiiÀi>Àv>V}V>iÀ>Ã\{n«]
f/1.7, 25mm (wide), 1/2in, 0.8μm,

REVIEWS
Motorola Razr 40 Ultra

Price: £1,049 from fave.co/44B4P7t
T
he Motorola Razr 40 Ultra is more DESIGN
Ì>ÕÃÌÞiÌ>ÌiÀy««i° It’s hard to talk about the design of the
ÀiÌ}]ÌÕ«i`ÃÌivÀ Razr 40 Ultra without addressing that
v>VÌÀÜÌÌÃÛiÀÃâiìÝÌiÀÀ`Ã«>Þ] iÞiV>ÌV}VÛiÀ`Ã«>Þ°½VÛiÀ
vastly increasing how much you can do how it works later, but what you need
with the phone without ever opening to know is that it stretches from near
it up. More than that though, the the top of the phone right to its bottom
company’s fourth attempt at a foldable edge when closed – even wrapping
«iÃÌiwÀÃÌÌviiiÌV>«ÌÕÀiÃ >ÀÕ`ÌiV>iÀ>Ã>`y>Ã°
the charm and cool factor of the original This is an immediate contrast from
Õ}ÌiÃy««i° iÃÌv>¶Ì>Ã ÌiÀv`}y««iÃiÌi
happens to be really, really good. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4, Oppo Find N2

Flip, or indeed last year’s
Razr, all of which feature
comparatively compact
outer screens primarily for
ÌwV>ÌÃÌÕ}Ì½Ã
worth noting that leaks so far
suggest Samsung is about
to reveal a similar design in
its Z Flip5). If you’re not a
fan of that expansive screen,
remember that Motorola
also offers the regular Razr /iVÛiÀ`Ã«>ÞÃÌÀiÌViÃvÀi>ÀÌiÌ«vÌi«i
40 (or Razr (2023) for the right to its bottom edge when closed.
States), which packs a more
familiar smaller outer display. An upgraded hinge means that
Back to the Ultra. One thing you when the phone is folded it closes
might notice is that the phone’s fully, with hardly any gap between the
shape is different to previous Razrs. two halves, while keeping the display
Gone are the deep curves and sharp crease minimal. The only downside
angles that emulated the original Razr is that when open the phone doesn’t
aesthetic, in favour of a blocky shape µÕÌi }vÕÞy>Ì]ÀiÃÌ}>Ì>Ã>Ü
with curved edges. It is, let’s just admit angle a few degrees shy of 180.
it, clear mimicry of the Galaxy Z Flip The display is coated in protective
line, but maybe that’s okay – this is a Gorilla Glass Victus to help avoid
VvÀÌ>Li]«À>VÌV>ìÃ}Ì>ÌwÌÃ scratches, as is the rest of the phone in
easier in the hand than prior iterations, my black model or the light blue colour.
even if the look is a little less unique. That’s swapped for vegan leather in
/i«iìÃ½ÌµÕÌi>Þy>Ì>ÌÕÀ>Þ°

REVIEWS
Ìi*>Ìi>««ÀÛi`¼6Û>>}iÌ>½ display is also impressively high quality,

version in case you want something ÃÌiÛiÀviiÃi>ÃÕL«>ÀÜ>ÞÌ
iÛiÀiiÞiV>ÌV}° view apps or messages. Like other
Impressively, the phone also y««iÃ]ÞÕV>ÕÃiÌÃÃVÀii
has an IP52 rating – meaning it has ÌViVÌwV>ÌÃ]V>}iµÕV
good protection from dust and light settings, access a few custom widgets,
protection from splashes of water. That’s >`Ì>iÃiwiÃÕÃ}Ìi>V>iÀ>Ã°
ÜÀÃiÜ>ÌiÀÀiÃÃÌ>ViÌ>->ÃÕ}½Ã It’s also just about big enough to
foldables offer, but better protection actually run full apps on, with the option
from dust and sand – arguably a bigger to see them in a rectangular box above
threat to the internal mechanisms of a the cameras, or a larger view that
folding phone. goes all the way down, but sees some
content blocked, including parts of the
DISPLAY keyboard and other interactive elements
Let’s start with the outer cover display, – one of the signs that there’s still room
which is the one grabbing all the for more polish.
headlines. This 3.6in screen is unique in Surprisingly, the main screen still
y««iÃLÌvÀÌÃÃâi>`vÀÜ w`ÃÃ«>ViÌ«ÀiÃÃÌ°Ì½ÃiÃÃ
it goes through and around the phone’s revolutionary, but it’s both larger than
ÌÜÀi>ÀV>iÀ>iÃiÃ>`y>Ã°7Ì> ÌiÀy««iÃ>ÌÈ°]>`ÃÌiÀ
120Hz refresh rate and OLED tech, this ÌÕÃiÜÌÌÃ£ÈxâÀivÀiÃÀ>Ìiq>wÀÃÌ
for any foldable.
The screen here is large
– this is a surprisingly big
phone when you open it –
and narrow enough to still
use comfortably, though
>ÌÌiÃÞÕ>Þw`Ì>
ÃÌÀiÌVÌÕÃii>ì`°
It looks great too.

ÕÀÃ>Ài«ÕVÞ]Ì½Ã
bright enough to use even
in direct sunlight (I’ve tested
We were impressed by the Ultra 40’s 3.6in cover display. that in the UK’s recent

heatwave), and the 165Hz
refresh rate makes the phone
as a whole feel exceptionally
snappy and fast.
As mentioned, the
improved hinge design
does double duty, and has
also made the crease in the
centre of the screen less
noticeable – both in terms
of visibility, and how deep
it feels as you swipe up and
down. The crease is still The main screen looks great, too.
there, but it’s really unlikely
to bother you. has been supplanted since, so this
As for audio, there’s no headphone isn’t quite top tier. Still, the new Razr
>V]ÃÌ½Ã ÕiÌÌÀÌiLÕÌ packs more than enough power to
Ã«i>iÀÃ°/iÃiÃÕ`wi]LÕÌ>Ài do the basics well without slowing
surprisingly quiet – even for something or stuttering, and enough oomph to
as simple as using Duolingo I have to make this a capable gaming or work
crank the volume up near max, and the device if you need it to.
phone is far too quiet to use as even a
makeshift speaker. Geekbench 5 (multi-core)
Motorola Razr 40 Ultra: 3,249
PERFORMANCE Motorola Razr 2022: 4,102
The 40 Ultra is powered by the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4: 3,659
->«`À>}n³i£]>y>}Ã«V« Oppo Find N2 Flip: 3,090
which launched in 2022. In fact, it’s the Huawei P50 Pocket: 2,946
exact same chip used in last year’s Razr
(2022), so there’s no step up there (and GFX Aztec Open (high)
in fact this phone sees slightly worse Motorola Razr 40 Ultra: 43fps
performance in our benchmarks than Motorola Razr 2022: 56fps
the previous model). Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4: 57fps
The 8+ Gen 1 is powerful, but Oppo Find N2 Flip: 59fps

REVIEWS
GFX Aztec Open (normal) is standard for foldables right now –

Motorola Razr 40 Ultra: 56fps though face unlock is also available.
Motorola Razr 2022: 80fps
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4: 81fps PHOTOGRAPHY
Oppo Find N2 Flip: 60fps One of the inevitable compromises
>y««iÀ}ÌÜÃÌ>ÌÌi
Battery life camera won’t be on par with what
Motorola Razr 40 Ultra: 9 hours, 4 ÞÕ½ w`ÌÀ>`Ì>Ã>ÀÌ«iÃ
minutes at the same price, and the Razr 40
Motorola Razr 2022: 9 hours, 9 minutes Ultra is no exception. The two main
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4: 7 hours, 42 lenses here aren’t bad, but don’t go in
minutes expecting a camera on a par with the
Huawei P50 Pocket: 7 hours, 7 minutes latest Pixel or iPhone handsets.
You’ll do most of your shooting
Charge in 30 minutes with the 12Mp main camera, which
Motorola Razr 40 Ultra: 55% LiiwÌÃvÀ>ÕÕÃÕ>ÞÜì
Motorola Razr 2022: 59% aperture of f/1.5. This is the one camera
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4: 48% that could just about hold its own in
Oppo Find N2 Flip: 59% another phone: shots are bright, vibrant,
Huawei P50 Pocket: 70% and detailed, and the camera even
>ìÃÜ}Ì«ÀiÌÌÞÜi°
The biggest downside is that Galaxy The Roger Waters gig photos I took
Z Flip5 is around the corner, and likely with the phone aren’t the best of my
to be powered by the more recent life, but they’re better than I expected
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, so there’ll be an and easily good enough to throw on
iÛiv>ÃÌiÀy««iLivÀi}° Instagram. The camera does a good

iVÌÛÌÞViÃÌivÀv L v>Û`}ÛiÀiÝ«Ã}Ìi
ÕiÌÌx°Î]7È ]>`x°/iÀi½Ã lights in shot, and I only wish it would
>Ã
vÀVÌ>VÌiÃÃ«>ÞiÌÃ] do more to bring out the detail in
which you can even use without the darker areas.
opening the phone up – though you You’ll probably also use this camera
still have to unlock it. Speaking of, vÀÃÌÃiwiÃ]>ÃÞÕV>`Ã
Ìi«i½Ãw}iÀ«ÀÌ ÃiÃÀÃLÕÌ with the phone folded shut using
into the side power button – which the outer display. Results are great,

We’ll start
vvÜÌÌi
same scene
taken with
the main
camera…
…and the
ultrawide
lens.

REVIEWS
These next
two photos
were taken
at a Roger
Walters
gig.

7i½wÃ
vvÜÌ>
example
v>Ãiwi
taken with
the inner
camera…
…and another taken with the

outer lens.
helped by a capable portrait

mode, though you may
want to change the phone’s
default square aspect ratio
when shooting with the
screen closed.
On the outside of the
«iÞÕ½>Ãw`>
13Mp ultrawide lens. Despite
being higher resolution than
the main camera quality is
ìwÌiÞÜÀÃi]iÃ«iV>Þ

REVIEWS
`>ÀiÀV`ÌÃ°/ÃÃ>wiL>V wireless charging, though the wired

up for sunny shots and bright days, but speeds are capped at 30 watts, which is
you’ll want to avoid it at night. a little sluggish these days, but far from
>Þ]ÌiÀi½Ã>Ã>ÎÓ«Ãiwi a dealbreaker. In my test, the phone
camera on the phone’s internal topped up to 55 percent in half an hour
screen. Again, the megapixel count on the charger, though wireless speeds
is misleading here – the main camera are much slower.
ÃìwÌiÞÌiLiÌÌiÀLiÌvÀÃiwi
calls, but this is a great other option, SOFTWARE
especially for video calls, when you’ll It’s been promised three full version
likely want that whole inner screen updates – so you’ll get Android 14, 15
active to see who you’re talking to. and 16 – plus four full years of security
Impressively, it can handle 4K video updates. That’s not quite a match for
at up to 60fps, the exact same as the Samsung’s commitment, but it’s only a
phone’s main camera, which really year off on both counts.
hammers home that Motorola had video Motorola phones these days run
in mind for this lens. a version of Android that looks a
lot like Google’s default, but packs
BATTERY LIFE plenty of extra features inside. There
I was a little worried when Motorola are gesture controls that work better
announced that the Razr 40 Ultra
packs only a 3,800mAh battery. That’s
bigger than last year’s, and the Z
Flip4’s, but it’s still not very large.
ÀÌÕ>ÌiÞ]ÌiivwViÌn³i£
chip makes the most of it, and battery
life itself is good – if not quite great.
I found the phone capable of lasting
a full day of use most of the time,
with battery to spare, only struggling
once – a day when I used the phone
extensively and kept the main screen
running for hours straight. /i,>âÀ{ä1ÌÀ>Ã«ÃÜÌč`À`£Î]Ìi
The phone offers both wired and >ÌiÃÌÛiÀÃv}i½Ã"-°

than you’d expect, a more
ÌiÀ>VÌÛi>Ü>ÞÃ`Ã«>Þ]
>`ÃiÀi>Þì«ÌìÛVi
personalisation options.
For my money, Motorola’s
take on Android is among the
best out there, and certainly
preferable to Samsung’s, so this
is a point in the Razr’s favour.
Of course, what really
matters here is the software on
the phone’s novel outer display, You can play games on the Razr’s external display.
and this is more of a mixed bag.
7iÞÕwÀÃÌÌÕÀÌi«i I personally love the ability to use my
Ì½ÃÃiÌÕ«>ÌÌiiÃ>iÀÃVÀiii` workout app and calculator in the gym.
rivals. You can swipe through a range You can even type messages with a
of widgets, access quick controls like vÕÃVÀiiiÞL>À`]ÌÕ}ÞÕ½Ãi
ÕiÌÌÀ7]>`>VÌÛ>ÌiÌi the ability to see what you’re typing at
V>iÀ>ÌÌ>iÃiwiÃ° the same time.
The only immediate addition is the You quickly learn that some apps
>``Ìv>À>}ivVÕÃÌLÕÌ aren’t suited to this screen. Navigating
}>iÃìÃ}i`ÜÌÌÃÃ«iVwV using Google Maps on a closed phone
screen in mind. These are good for sounds great until you try it, with the
mindless fun, though there’s nothing busy UI overwhelming the display.
here worth buying the phone for. ÃÌ>}À>«ÃÌÃ`½ÌvÕÞwÌ]Üi
The bigger change is the option to Duolingo won’t work at all unless you
open any – and I mean any – Android extend the display to cover the cameras.
app on the screen and try to run it. YouTube is an unexpected success
These aren’t custom, optimized versions though, so long as you don’t mind
of apps, but simply the ability to run watching videos on such a small screen.
an app on the dinky screen and hope /iyiÝLÌÞiÀiÃÜiVi]
ÌÜÀÃ°-iÜÀ}Ài>Ì°
iV} >`ÌÀ>½Ã>`Ãvv>««À>VÌ
WhatsApp messages or emails without compatibility means your options are
opening the phone is an easy win, and pretty endless, but it’s clear that to make

REVIEWS
folding display is still likely

ÌLiÌiwÀÃÌ«Ìv
failure.
i>Þy««i]
you’ll also have to live
with a little less battery life
and a weaker camera than
similarly price slabs. But
if those are compromises
you can live with, the Razr
40 Ultra does everything it
needs to put Samsung on
You can view Google Maps on the phone’s external display. notice. Dominic Preston
displays like this truly useful we need SPECIFICATIONS

devs – and Google – to get behind the • Internal 6.9in (2,640x1,080; 413ppi)
form factor and optimize for it. 165Hz, HDR10+ Foldable LTPO
AMOLED display. External 3.6in
VERDICT (1,066x1,056; 413ppi) 144Hz, HDR10+
The Razr 40 Ultra is a slick piece of AMOLED display
hardware that sees Motorola not only • Android 13
catch up to Samsung but surpass it, • Qualcomm SM8475 Snapdragon 8+
delivering a foldable package its chief Gen 1 (4nm) processor
competitor currently can’t beat. • "VÌ>VÀi£ÝÎ£â
ÀÌiÝ8Ó]ÎÝ
That said, things aren’t quite perfect. Ó°Çxâ
ÀÌiÝƂÇ£ä]{Ý£°nâ
/iÕÌiÀ`Ã«>Þ]ÜiiÞiV>ÌV}]
ÀÌiÝƂx£ä®
*1
Vi>ÀÞii`Ã>ÌÌiÃvÌÜ>ÀiwiÌÕ} • Adreno 730 GPU
to get the most out of it. • 8GB/12GB RAM
Meanwhile the combination of a • 256GB/512GB storage
slightly older chipset and the shorter • /ÜÀi>Àv>V}V>iÀ>Ã\£Ó«]vÉ£°x]
software support promise than (wide), 1/2.55in, 1.4μm, PDAF, OIS;
Samsung means this phone won’t £Î«]vÉÓ°Ó]£änì}ÀiiÕÌÀ>Üì®]
>ÛiÌi}iÛÌÞvÌiiÝÌ}i 1/3in, 1.12μm, AF
Z Flip – though in both cases, the • -iwiV>iÀ>\ÎÓ«]vÉÓ°{]Üì®]

0.7μm
• Stereo speakers
• 7näÓ°££>ÉLÉ}ÉÉ>VÉÈi]`Õ>L>`
ÀÌÀL>`Ài}ì«iìÌ®
• Bluetooth 5.3, A2DP, EDR, LE
• GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (L1), BDS
(B1I+B1c+B2a), GALILEO (E1+E5a),
QZSS (L1+L5)
•
• 1- /Þ«i
Ó°ä
• }iÀ«ÀÌÃV>iÀÃìÕÌi`®
• ÀiÛ>LiÎ]nääƂÌÕ
polymer battery
• Unfolded: 170.8x74x7mm. Folded:
88.4x74x15.1mm
• 184.5g/188.5g

REVIEWS
čÃÕÃ<ivi£ä
Price: £749 from fave.co/3O2nELr
A
sus is best known for its For the most part, the Zenfone
laptops and gaming gear, but 10 is all those things, though it’s not
each year it also releases a the smallest phone around. It’s taller
«ÀiÕÃ«iVÃ>ÀÌ«iÕìÀÌi than the iPhone 13 mini and SE and
Zenfone name. The Zenfone 10 is the is roughly the same dimensions as an
latest iteration, and it’s much like 2022’s iPhone 14 but with a smaller screen.
Zenfone 9: an Android phone marketed Don’t get me wrong, Asus has a good
as a small, compact device with an eye phone on its hands here – it ticks
V>ÌV}ìÃ}]Ì«i`Ã«iVÃ]>` practically every possible box on the
thoughtful software. spec sheet. In doing so the Zenfone 10

ends up doing everything well, but its of the rear. Under that is some subtle
display and camera aren’t top drawer. Zenfone branding with a logo on the
bottom right.
DESIGN It’s grippy and feels better than
Asus has not changed much of the look >}ÃÃÞ}>ÃÃwÃÌ>Ì>ÌÌÀ>VÌÃ
of the Zenfone 10 from the Zenfone 9. w}iÀ«ÀÌÃ]LÕÌ«ÀiviÀ>>ÌÌ}>ÃÃ
In fact, it’s exactly the same dimensions texture such as the one found on the
at 146.5x68.1x9.4mm. That’s smaller iPhone 14 Pro or OnePlus 11. Making
than many of the biggest phones out up for that is the headphone jack, which
there, but it’s not the smallest. The V>«ÜiÀÀiÃÜÀi`>Õ`°/iÀi½Ã
iPhone 13 mini is 131.5x64.2x7.7mm >Ã>ÃìÕÌi`«ÜiÀLÕÌÌÜÌ
and the Samsung Galaxy S23 is >iLi`ì`w}iÀ«ÀÌÃiÃÀÃÌi>`
146.3x70.9x7.6mm – both are of one under the screen.
thinner and shorter than the Zenfone. Asus markets the Zenfone 10 as
Heck, even the regular iPhone 14 is Ãii>ì`«iÀ>Vi]
146.7x71.5x7.8mm, only 0.2mm taller but it’s very similarly sized to other
and 0.1mm thicker than the Zenfone 9. }L>Þ>Û>>Li}i`>`ÃiÌÃ
I only labour this point because Asus The phone also has an IP58/IP68
>ÀiÌÃÌi<ivi£ä>ÃÃii dust and water resistance rating. This
handed mini phone miracle, but it’s very means it’s protected against dust, jets
similarly sized to other globally available of water, and immersion in water. It’s
}i`>`ÃiÌÃ°
My review sample was
ÌiL`Ài`L>Vi`ÛiÀÃ]
though there’s also green,
white, black, and blue. The
L>VÃ>ìvÀ>L
based polycarbonate and
feels a bit like hard paper to
touch. I grew to like it, but it
won’t be to everyone’s taste.
Neither will the bold circular
islands that house the dual /iL>VÃ>ìvÀ>LL>Ãi`«ÞV>ÀL>Ìi>`
rear cameras on the top left viiÃ>LÌi>À`«>«iÀÌÌÕV°

REVIEWS
better than phones that have

just an IP68 rating, meaning this
is a phone that can take a few
splashes and live to tell the tale.
DISPLAY
The Zenfone 10 has a 5.92in
OLED 2,400x1,080 display.
It’s quite skinny with a 20.4:9
aspect ratio, which makes it
easier to hold in one hand and
doomscroll. It has a maximum
refresh rate of 144Hz. This is /i<ivi£ä>Ã>x°Ó" Ó]{ääÝ£]änä`Ã«>Þ°
higher than the 120Hz seen
ÃÌ}i`«iÃÃÕV>ÃÌi The dual stereo speakers are
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and is a spec nothing to write home about. They
usually found on gaming phones, which can get loud enough for podcasts, but
makes sense as the Zenfone can only hit given the smallness of the phone they
144Hz in supported games. aren’t very full, and it can get quite
"ÌiÀÜÃi]ÞÕV>ÃiiVÌÈä]ä]À tinny at loud volumes.
120Hz, or ‘auto’ that switches between
these three to save battery depending PERFORMANCE
on what you’re doing. Powering the phone is the Snapdragon
It’s a good display, and noticeably 8 Gen 2, Qualcomm’s best mobile
pokier than, say, an iPhone 14, as it’s chipset yet. My review phone was
narrower than that and many other paired with 16GB LPDDR5X RAM and
compact rivals. I didn’t miss having a 512GB UFS 4.0 storage, but you can
higher resolution given it’s quite a small also get 8GB/128GB and 8GB/256GB
screen by modern standards. I wish versions depending on your country.
it went a little brighter though – it’s /iÌ«Ã«iV<ivi£äyiÜ
capable of 1,100 nits at peak brightness through everything I threw at it, coping
but Asus says it only has 800 nits of with all apps and demanding games
outdoor readable brightness. The ÃÕV>Ã
>vÕÌÞLi]Ì}iÌÌ}
screen is hard to read in daylight. too hot in the process despite its small

size. The models with 8GB RAM might Charge in 15 minutes
fare less well, but I haven’t tested those. čÃÕÃ<ivi£ä\18%
čÃÕÃ<ivi\33%
Geekbench 5 (multi-core) -Þ8«iÀ>£6\20%
čÃÕÃ<ivi£ä\4,893 Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: 21%
čÃÕÃ<ivi\3,294 "i*ÕÃ££\71%
-Þ8«iÀ>£6\4,841 Google Pixel 7 Pro: 18%
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: 4,996
"i*ÕÃ££\4,884 Asus admirably went full kitchen
Google Pixel 7 Pro: 3,162 sink with the specs of the Zenfone 10:
x]
] ÕiÌÌx°Î]7Ç°Ì>Ã
GFX Aztec Open (high) ÃÕ««ÀÌÃÀiÃ>Õ`Û>Ìii>`«i
čÃÕÃ<ivi£ä\88fps jack and supports it wirelessly with the
čÃÕÃ<ivi\48fps Ƃ
VìV]>``ÌÌ>«Ì8]>«Ì8
-Þ8«iÀ>£6\66fps ]>«Ì8Ƃ`>«ÌÛi]>`ƂƂ
vÀ>ÌÃ°
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: 49fps Audio is also tuned in partnership with
"i*ÕÃ££\50fps Dirac. That’s a very impressive list,
Google Pixel 7 Pro: 50fps upgrading in several areas over the
<ivi]>`ÞÕÜÃÌÀÕ}}iÌw`
GFX Aztec Open (normal) all of this on any other phone.
čÃÕÃ<ivi£ä\120fps The one thing it’s missing is a
čÃÕÃ<ivi\77fps microSD slot for expandable storage.
-Þ8«iÀ>£6\102fps There is a dual physical SIM slot, but no
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: 47fps eSIM support.
"i*ÕÃ££\60fps
Google Pixel 7 Pro: 69fps PHOTOGRAPHY
I found the Zenfone’s cameras solid
Battery life but a little inconsistent. In daylight,
čÃÕÃ<ivi£ä\17 hours, 36 minutes the 50Mp, f/1.9 main sensor, a Sony
čÃÕÃ<ivi\13 hours, 37 minutes 8ÇÈÈ]Ì>iÃwi]Ã>À«>}iÃÜÌ
-Þ8«iÀ>£6\9 hours, 6 minutes decent colour reproduction. Low light
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra: 12 hours, 43 shots are also good, and the high
minutes dynamic range (HDR) produces some
Google Pixel 7 Pro: 12 hours, 46 minutes fun, punchy images.

REVIEWS
Its main issue is saturating colours, The 13Mp, f/2.2 ultrawide is merely
though this is something Samsung wivÀ}À>LL}Àiv>ÃVii°/i
phones also love to do, and it struggles shots are good enough to share with
with oversharpening. At other times, friends on WhatsApp but you’re not
shots looks too pale. going to be bowled over by results or
This is a widely used sensor also want to post them on social media.
found in cheaper phones such as the
ÕÀÃ>ÀiÛiÀÃ>ÌÕÀ>Ìi`>`ÌiÀiÃ
OnePlus 10T and Nothing Phone (1). a lot of noise when you zoom in.
Given the Zenfone 10 costs much more I was disappointed with the front
than those, the camera is a weaker 32Mp camera, which pixel bins images
point. The dual lenses on the £849 down to 8Mp. It was actually better for
iPhone 14 and the £449 Google Pixel 7a quick fun videos of groups, whereas
are better. photos were sometimes washed out and
As there’s no telephoto lens, you >V}ìÌ>iÌiwÀÃÌiLiÜ°
have to rely on the main lens to digitally
«>ÀiÌ>ÌÌÌiÃiV`Ãiwi]
zoom. There’s a 2x button in the camera which is excellent – you can see both
app and you can go to 8x. images on page 41).
Here are
some
examples
v«ÌÃ
taken with
the phone

REVIEWS
"ÕÀiÝÌÌÜ>}iÃÜiÀiÌ>iÜÌÌiÓÝivÌ®>`nÝâÀ}Ì®°

-iwiÃ>ÀiVÃÃÌiÌ>`V>Li}Ài>ÌivÌ®ÀÜ>Ãi`ÕÌÀ}Ì®°
Asus is really pushing the main Galaxy phones of the same price.
V>iÀ>½ÃÈ>ÝÃ}L>ÃÌ>LâiÀ]ÜV The real test of a phone camera
it claims improves image stability is taking it to an important event
more than traditional optical image and seeing if you are happy with the
stabilization (OIS) tech. There’s even a results. I took the Zenfone to a good
dot and line animation in the camera friend’s wedding, and though I got
app to make sure you aren’t shaking some decent shots, I also got some
around too much. awful ones, and was frustrated with the
This is all well and good and seems experience of using it for the day as my
to work, but it seems overkill on what camera. It left me not wanting to take
Ã>wÀÞ`À>}iÃiÃÀ]>`ƂÃÕÃ photos with the phone.
doesn’t see to do much additional 6ìÃwi]ÌÕ}`½ÌÃÌ
computational processing on the many on my phones. It can capture up
images to improve them like you will to 4K at 60fps, and results looked great
w`}i*Ýi>`->ÃÕ} with the gimbal stabilization.

REVIEWS
BATTERY LIFE
From slight disappointment
with the camera to being
bowled over with battery life. I
don’t know what wizardry Asus
is doing here, but the Zenfone
10 has no right lasting this long
considering it’s running the
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and only
has a 4,300mAh battery.
Other premium phones like
the Galaxy S23 Ultra have the I don’t know what wizardry Asus is doing here, but the
same chip but barely eke out <ivi£ä>ÃÀ}Ì>ÃÌ}ÌÃ}
a day’s power on 5,000mAh
L>ÌÌiÀiÃ°*
>À½Ã7ÀÎ°äL>ÌÌiÀÞ charger. From 0 percent it only got to
test with the screen set to 200 nits, the 18 percent in 15 minutes, and was at
Zenfone 10 scored a very impressive 35 percent in half an hour.
17 hours, 36 minutes – this is far longer There are excellent charging options
than the 12 hours, 43 minutes of the in the software too, including high
S23 Ultra. performance, dynamic, durable, and
I thrashed the Zenfone 10 from ultra durable modes, three of which can
8am on the day of that wedding, be scheduled to kick in when the battery
using Google Maps, the camera, and hits your chosen level, scheduled
7>ÌÃƂ««iÝÌiÃÛiÞ]>`Ìw>Þì` charging to slower charge at certain
at midnight. That was the only way I times to protect the battery, and steady
could kill the thing. charging to always charge it slower.
Most other days I was ending up
with 40 percent or so at 11pm. It’s one SOFTWARE
of the best things about the phone, and The Zenfone 10 runs Android 13 but
proves smaller phones can have good Asus only promises two updates to take
battery life. it to Android 15 in 2025. This isn’t great,
It’s a good thing it lasts so long, and lags behind Google, Samsung,
because charging is annoyingly slow Apple, and Oppo. It slightly makes
ÜÌÌiVÕì`ÎäÜ>ÌÌÜÀi` up for it by promising four years of

security patches to 2027, but there’s no so slightly cramped. The Gboard
guarantee they will be monthly. software keyboard feels squished, so
Asus gives you so many customisable I changed the settings to make the
options that it’s a little overwhelming. keys bigger, even though I have quite
The Android skin is very plain, closer Ã> >`Ã°w`Ì>À`ÌÌÞ«i
to ‘stock’ Android than Google uses on quickly on this phone.
Pixels. The only duplicated app is Asus’s The default text size is also weeny
Gallery, otherwise Asus just lets you use and although you can enlarge it, you’ll
Google’s apps for everything. wÌiÃÃÌiÃVÀii°vÞÕii`
You can choose to run the stock reading glasses or struggle with small
look, or pick ‘Asus optimized’ elements text, this isn’t the phone for you.
such as an altered quick settings design,
power button menu, clock size, incoming VERDICT
call display, and volume adjustment The Zenfone 10 is an impressive phone
options. The side key can also be set to with a spec sheet rammed full of
react to swipes – I used it to swipe down everything you could possibly ask for.
ÌiÌwV>ÌÃ>ìLÕÌÞÕV>}iÌ Ì½Ã}Ì>>â}L>ÌÌiÀÞvi]Ì«ÌiÀ
quirky and use it to scrub back and forth performance, a headphone jack, and
through YouTube videos. some of the most customisable software
Though not a gaming phone, the going, all in a phone that’s actually
Zenfone 10 inherits the Game Genie }}ÌwÌÃÌ«ViÌÃ°
software found on
Asus’s ROG gaming
phones. Gestures are
also great – drawing
letters on the locked
screen to open certain
>««Ã]y««}ÌÕÌi]
and double tapping
to lock on the home
screen are all here.
But the phone’s
narrowness means /i<ivi£äiÀÌÃÌi>iiiÃvÌÜ>ÀivÕ`
apps can feel ever Asus’s ROG gaming phones.

REVIEWS
iÃ«ÌiÌÃ]Ì½Ã>«ÀiÕ«ÀVi` 1.12μm
«iÌ>Ì>ÃLiÜy>}Ã«V>iÀ>Ã° • -iwiV>iÀ>\ÎÓ«]vÉÓ°x]Üì®]
If you don’t care about having the best 1/3.2in, 0.7μm
phone camera then you won’t mind, but • 3.5mm jack
you can get a better shooter, and spend • 7näÓ°££>ÉLÉ}ÉÉ>VÉÈiÉÇ]ÌÀ
much less, with the Google Pixel 7a. L>`]7ÀiVÌ
Asus also needs to do better with • Bluetooth 5.3, A2DP, LE, aptX HD,
software support. A phone with a aptX Adaptive
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 will perform well • GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (L1), BDS
vÀ>Ìi>ÃÌwÛiÞi>ÀÃ]LÕÌƂÃÕÃÞ (B1I+B2a), GALILEO (E1+E5a), QZSS
promises two Android version updates £³x®] >Û
x®
with four years of security patches. •
But if you don’t care about Android’s • 1- /Þ«i

]"/
latest features then this is still an • }iÀ«ÀÌÃV>iÀÃìÕÌi`®
excellent small phone with battery life • ÀiÛ>Li{]ÎääƂÌÕ
Ì>ÌìwiÃLiiv° Henry Burrell polymer battery
• 146.5x68.1x9.4mm
SPECIFICATIONS • 172g
• 5.92in (2,400x1,080; 445ppi) Super
AMOLED, 144Hz, HDR10+ display
• Android 13
• +Õ>V-nxxäƂ ->«`À>}n
Gen 2 (4nm) processor
• "VÌ>VÀi£ÝÎ°Óâ
ÀÌiÝ8Î]ÓÝ
Ó°nâ
ÀÌiÝƂÇ£x]ÓÝÓ°nâ

ÀÌiÝƂÇ£ä]ÎÝÓâ
ÀÌiÝƂx£ä®

*1
• Adreno 740 GPU
• 8GB/16GB RAM
• 128GB/256GB/512GB storage
• /ÜÀi>Àv>V}V>iÀ>Ã\xä«]vÉ£°]
Ó{Üì®]£É£°xÈ]£°ä]ÕÌ
directional PDAF, gimbal OIS; 13Mp,
vÉÓ°Ó]£Óäì}ÀiiÕÌÀ>Üì®]£ÉÎ°äÈ]

Honor 90
Price: Ë{{vÀv>Ûi°VÉ{{
8-
B
ack when it was a subsidiary of outperforms its affordable price, and
Huawei, Honor was always best ÌiV>«>Li>V>iÀ>ÃÃÌ>}À>
>ÌÌÃVÕÌ«ÀViy>}Ã«iÀÃq worthy too. You’ll have to put up with an
«iÃÌ>ÌvviÀi`}i`vi>ÌÕÀiÃ unpleasantly plasticky design, and there
without the hefty price tag. are no niceties like wireless charging
Now independent, Honor has started ÀÜ>ÌiÀ«Àw}]LÕÌÌiÛ>ÕiiÀi
ÌV>ÀÛiÕÌ>y>}Ã«VivÌÃÜ remains decent.
with the likes of the Magic 5 Pro and
Magic Vs foldable, but the Honor 90 DESIGN
sees the company stick to what it’s The Honor 90 is slim and sleek, despite
always done best. With a slender build its large display. Together with curved
and a dazzling display, the Honor 90 edges that ensure it’s comfortable to

REVIEWS
hold, and will suit those who don’t to slide off gym machines more times
want a phone that feels like a brick in than I’d care to count.
their pocket. It’s worth emphasising that the
All of that is unfortunately let down Diamond Silver model is the only one to
LÞÌiìVÃÌwÃÞ>` «>VÌÃÕ«i>Ã>ÌwÃ>`Ì>Ì]
Silver version of the phone in a frankly fairness, a colleague was a fan of it even
horrid textured plastic, among the worst if I’m not. Honor says that the Emerald
«iwÃiÃ½ÛiÃiiÞi>ÀÃ° Green and Peacock Blue models
The bottom half of the back is have a “frosted” texture, while the
dotted with an effect that feels like Midnight Black is “glossy”, so make of
bubbles trapped under a screen that what you will.
«ÀÌiVÌÀqv>VÌ]ÞwÀÃÌÃÌVÌÜ>Ã "iL}w>µÕiÃÌ>ÀÃ
to try to peel off what I assumed was a around durability. While the plastic
protective layer installed at the factory L>VÃ«ÀL>LÞv>ÀÞÃ>ÌÌiÀÀiÃÃÌ>Ì]
until I realised it was a fundamental part Honor doesn’t appear to be using
of the phone. any toughened Gorilla Glass on the
I suppose it adds a little extra grip `Ã«>Þ]>`ÀÃÌ>`ÛiÀÌÃ}>Ü>ÌiÀ
to the handset, but it’s not enough to resistance rating for the phone, so it
make the phone any less slippy when it’s seems likely that this will be a little less
ÀiÃÌ}>y>ÌÃÕÀv>ViqÌ½Ã>>}i` tough than some other options.
DISPLAY
The display is the main
reason to seriously consider
buying the Honor 90.
This large, curved (on all
four sides), AMOLED panel
with 120Hz refresh rate is
VÃiÌy>}Ã«ÃÌ>`>À`q
the only thing really missing
is support for LTPO tech
to vary that refresh rate,
which instead can only
/iLÌÌ>vvÌiL>VÃ`ÌÌi`ÜÌ>ivviVÌÌ>Ì
viiÃiLÕLLiÃÌÀ>««i`ÕìÀ>ÃVÀii«ÀÌiVÌÀ° ÛiLiÌÜiiÈä]ä>`

hours of screen time is to
be applauded, and Honor is
leading the way here.
As for audio, there’s no
headphone jack, and the
phone’s dual speakers are
pretty much par for the
course. They’ll do for the
odd bit of YouTube or some
music when you don’t have a
speaker around, but there’s
/i>À}i]VÕÀÛi`]č" «>iÜÌ£ÓäâÀivÀiÃÀ>Ìi nothing here to set the phone
ÃVÃiÌy>}Ã«ÃÌ>`>À`° apart from rivals.
120Hz. It’s crisp, with a high resolution PERFORMANCE

of 2,644x1,200, and bright enough to The Honor 90 is powered by the
use in just about any lighting. ->«`À>}Çi£]>`ÌiÀV«ÃiÌ
More than that though, Honor from Qualcomm that’s right in line with
is emphasising its unique efforts to Honor’s pricing.
prioritise eye health within its display. In Technically this is an ‘Accelerated
>``ÌÌÌi`ÕÃÌÀÞ
standard option to lower
blue light output in the
evening, the company
has employed dynamic
dimming and other
tech that it says should
reduce eye strain and
help improve your sleep.
It’s hard to assess how
effective it all is from
just a week of using the
phone, but any effort Honor uses dynamic dimming and other tech that it says
to ease the impact of should reduce eye strain and help improve your sleep.

REVIEWS
Edition’ of the 7 Gen 1, though

that just means a slight overclock
from 2.4GHz to 2.5GHz on the
chip’s prime core.
Either way, the result is
performance that’s on par with
similarly priced handsets, apart
from the unusually powerful
Google Pixel 7a with its Tensor G2
V«vÀÌiy>}Ã«À>}i°
The Honor 90 technically packs a triple rear camera.
Geekbench 5 (multi-core)
Honor 90: 3,013 Charge in 30 minutes
Honor 70: 2,850 Honor 90: 70%
Google Pixel 7a: 2,720 Honor 70: 77%
Samsung Galaxy A54: 2,852 Google Pixel 7a: 38%
Ì}*i£®\2,722 Samsung Galaxy A54: 31%
OnePlus Nord 2T: 2,739 Ì}*i£®\67%
OnePlus Nord 2T: 100%
GFX Manhattan 3.1
Honor 90: 48fps It helps that the phone starts from
Honor 70: 50fps 8GB of RAM and 256GB storage, going
Google Pixel 7a: 62fps up to a hefty 12GB and 512GB (though
Samsung Galaxy A54: 46fps availability will vary by market).
Ì}*i£®\56fps Networking is all the usual suspects,
OnePlus Nord 2T: 53fps with 5G connectivity and most of
Ìi>ÌiÃÌ ÕiÌÌ]7>`

Battery life standards.
Honor 90: 9 hours, 9 minutes
Honor 70: 11 hours, 36 minutes PHOTOGRAPHY
Google Pixel 7a: 10 hours, 49 minutes The Honor 90 technically packs a triple
Samsung Galaxy A54: 10 hours, 54 rear camera, but for the most part, you
minutes can ignore the 2Mp depth sensor and
Ì}*i£®\7 hours, 33 minutes focus on the main and ultrawide lenses.

The former is the star, of course, creeping in. There are limits though,
and Honor has gone all out on the and once you hit proper darkness
hardware here with a 200Mp sensor. The quality drops off dramatically – one of
f/1.9 aperture isn’t the fastest around, Ìi>Ài>ÃÞÕ½ÃÌw`Ì>Ìy>}Ã«
but at 1/1.4in it’s fairly large, meaning phones prove their worth.
that it’s capable of capturing a fair There’s no telephoto camera here,
amount of light. but the camera app offers a shortcut
Photos are unsurprisingly excellent to a digital 2x zoom from the main lens
during the day, with attractive colours which should help in a pinch.
and plenty of detail from that high The 12Mp ultrawide sounds much
resolution sensor. I could probably less impressive on paper, though
nitpick a little about the dynamic range, doesn’t do badly so long as the
but there’s really very little to complain lighting is good. It really struggles
about. It handles itself admirably in low when it gets dark though, enough so
light as well, taking some great food that it’s not even worth trying to use
photos in dim and moody restaurant in dimmer conditions.
lighting, albeit with a little bit of noise «ÌÌivÀÌ>`ÞÕ½w`>
"ÕÀwÀÃÌ
ÃiÀiÃv
low light
photos
were taken
with the
main lens…

REVIEWS
…the 2x
zoom…
…and the
ultrawide
lens.

Next up,
we have an
iÝ>«iv
an image
taken with
the main
lens.
7i½wÃvvÜÌ>ÃiwiivÌ®>`>«ÀÌÀ>ÌÃiwiÀ}Ì®°

REVIEWS
Ã}ixä«ÃiwiV>iÀ>]ÌÕ} wireless charging support. The likes of

Honor lets you take photos at two the Pixel 7a and Nothing Phone (1) both
different zoom levels by default. include wireless around the same price,
I liked this lens much more than so the omission is beginning to feel
I expected too, though the edge Õ>VVi«Ì>LiÌiÕ««iÀ`À>}i°
detection on the Portrait mode
leaves something to be desired. SOFTWARE
As you’d expect, the Honor 90 ships
BATTERY LIFE with Android 13 – the latest version at
With a large 5,000mAh battery, it’s no the time of writing – with the company’s
Ài>ÃÕÀ«ÀÃiÌ>ÌÌiÀäÃ} MagicOS skin on top.
>ÃÌ}°/iÃ}ÌÞiÃÃ«ÜiÀivwViÌÇ MagicOS isn’t the worst of the
Gen 1 chip means that this isn’t among various Android versions, but I’ll admit
the absolute best phones for battery that it’s also pretty far from my favourite.
life, but I found it to happily run all day, There’s a welcome amount of
and it would take pretty heavy usage to VÕÃÌâ>Ì]iÃ«iV>ÞÌÌi>Ü>ÞÃ
empty the battery before bedtime. `Ã«>Þ]>`½>v>vÌÃyiÝLi
-«ii`ÞÈÈÜ>ÌÌÜÀi`V>À}} folder system.
ensures that topping it up is quick But aggressive power and
enough – I managed to get the phone networking systems mean that apps
from empty to 70 percent in just half an often run poorly – I’ve not been able
hour on the included charger. to get my running app to access the
The only real downside is there’s no GPS for proper tracking, while an
audio app that has to run in
the background has been
inconsistent since I switched
to the Honor 90.
You’ll also have to put
Õ«ÜÌÃiÛiÀ>«ÀiÃÌ>i`
Honor apps that sit alongside
the superior Google versions
– I currently have duplicate
With a large 5,000mAh battery, it’s no real surprise that calendar, clock, calculator,
the Honor 90 is long-lasting. and contacts apps, and

VERDICT
The Honor 90 is a capable
`À>}i«Ì]iÃ«iV>Þ
for those tempted by the
excellent display – among
the best at the price – or
the prospect of getting
512GB of storage at an
affordable price.
Elsewhere the phone
impresses a little less.
/iÀäÃ«ÃÜÌč`À`£ÎÜÌÌiV«>Þ½Ã Decent cameras and solid
MagicOS skin on top. performance are welcome
but don’t exactly excite, and
that’s just the ones that start with ‘c’. A the plasticky design is a letdown.
handful of trashy games add to the poor
Li`ÜÌÌi>ÜÜ>À`
wÀÃÌ«ÀiÃÃ\>Ûiì>Ü>Ì ÃvÌÜ>Ài>`Ìi`}ÌiÀÃÕ««ÀÌ]
‘Game of Sultans’ is, but I’m certainly ÌÃÕvÀÌÕ>ÌiÞviiÃi>>Ã
not going to play it any time soon. ran. At a discounted price it would
It doesn’t help that Honor has be worth snapping up, but otherwise,
VwÀi`ÌÞ«>ÃÌvviÀÌi the latest offerings from Google and
phone two major Android updates, Samsung offer you more and will last for
meaning it will receive Android 14 and longer. Dominic Preston
15. Beyond that, there will be a third
year of security support, but then you’re SPECIFICATIONS
on your own. • 6.7in (2,664x1,200; 435ppi) AMOLED,
With hardware that’s likely to still 120Hz display
run well a few years from now, it’s • Android 13, MagicOS 7.1
a real shame that Honor is hanging • Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1
users out to dry here, and it’s another Accelerated Edition (4nm) processor
reason to consider a phone like the Pixel • "VÌ>VÀi£ÝÓ°xâ
ÀÌiÝƂÇ£ä]
7a or Galaxy A54, which will receive ÎÝÓ°ÎÈâ
ÀÌiÝƂÇ£ä]{Ý£°nâ
software updates for years after the
ÀÌiÝƂx£ä®
*1
Honor 90 stops. • Adreno 644 GPU

REVIEWS
• 8GB/12GB/16GB RAM
• /ÀiiÀi>Àv>V}V>iÀ>Ã\Óää«]
f/1.9, (wide), 1/1.4in, 0.56μm, PDAF;
£Ó«]vÉÓ°Ó]££Óì}ÀiiÕÌÀ>Üì®]
AF; 2Mp, f/2.4, (depth)
• -iwiV>iÀ>\xä«]vÉÓ°{]
£ääì}Àii]ÕÌÀ>Üì®
• 7näÓ°££>ÉLÉ}ÉÉ>VÉÈ]`Õ>L>`]
7ÀiVÌ
• Bluetooth 5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD
• GPS, GALILEO, GLONASS, BDS,
QZSS
•
• 1- /Þ«i
Ó°ä]"/
• Fingerprint scanner (under display,
optical)
• ÀiÛ>Lix]äääƂÌÕ
polymer battery
• 161.9x74.1x7.8mm
• 183g

Google Pixel Tablet
Price: £599 from fave.co/3NEBzHv
G
}i½ÃwÀÃÌÌ>LiÌÃViÓä£n½Ã efforts from the likes of Alcatel. They
*Ýi->Ìi>Ãw>Þ>ÀÀÛi`] still have a place in the market, but
but the Pixel Tablet is a move ÜÌ*>`ÃÃÌLi}ÌiµÕ>ÌÞ}Ì
in a completely new direction. It comes choice, has Google come up with a
LÕì`ÜÌ>
>À}}-«i>iÀV vÌÞ Ü>ÞÌÃÌ>`ÕÌ¶
which makes it just as much a smart The Pixel Tablet is undeniably
display as it is a regular Android tablet. interesting, even though we’ve seen
Android tablets have had their ups docking tablets like the Lenovo Smart
and downs over the years, from the Tab P10 in the past. In many ways, the
highs of the Nexus 7 which Google Pixel Tablet is a Google Nest Hub Max
built with Asus to the lows of appalling where the screen comes off, but it’s also

REVIEWS
very different, too. For the right user, and gives you space to hold the slate
it will be a real boon but for others, it without interfering.
won’t make sense at all. Ƃw}iÀ«ÀÌÃV>iÀÀiÃìÃÌi
power button and works well if you
DESIGN get a good scan (I did mine a second
On the whole, the Pixel Tablet looks time to improve recognition). It’s
and feels as I expected since Google worth noting that there’s no physical
wÀÃÌÌi>Ãi`Ì>ÃÌÞi>À°v>VÌ]Ì½ÃÀi switch to disable the microphones
premium than I thought, largely thanks and camera like on Google’s smart
ÌÌÃÕÕÃÕ>>ViÀ>VV>Ì}° displays so you’ll need to use the
This gives it a lovely tactile texture quick settings shortcut for each.
that feels nice to touch – it’s a bit like The Pixel Tablet comes bundled with
the underside of a mug where there’s no Ìi-«i>iÀ
>À}}VqÌiÀi½Ã
}>âiLÕÌÌ>ÃÀÕ}°ÌÃ>ÌÌiwÃ no option to buy the Tablet on its own,
looks clean and stylish, and gives the though you can pick up additional
Tablet a good amount of grip. Docks. The Dock comes in a matching
It’s suitably thin and light at 8.1mm colour and is much like the base part of
and 493g, only marginally more than the Nest Hubs, covered in fabric and with a
latest regular iPad which has a similarly grippy rubber base.
sized screen. Not everyone is a fan of Ì>ÀiÜi>ì>`ÌiÌ>LiÌ
a bezel around the display but it’s a is constructed with over 30 percent
lot smaller than the Nest Hub Max’s recycled materials (based on weight)
and the aluminium
chassis is 100
percent recycled.
Magnets allow the
Pixel Tablet to easily
snap onto the dock
and the four metal
pogo pin contacts
on the back of the
slate connect the two
together seamlessly.
čw}iÀ«ÀÌÃV>iÀÀiÃìÃÌi«ÜiÀLÕÌÌ>`ÜÀÃÜi° It’s a neat system

until you come to take
the tablet off.

ÕÀÕÃÞ]ÌÃ
is not something
Google provides any
instructions for (outside
of the journalist reviewer’s
guide), so it was a bit of
trial and error for me until
I developed a technique.
Simply pick the tablet
up and the dock comes
with it, push it down and Magnets allow the Pixel Tablet to easily snap onto the
it slams into the surface Speaker Charging Dock.
it’s on. There are rubber
feet on the bottom edge of the tablet problem on my desk but it’s not ideal
to save it from damage, though Google when it’s on a kitchen worktop when
tells me they are to help with leaning you are looking down at the display.
it against things. In the UK, the Pixel Tablet comes
In the end, I found the best way is in two colours: Porcelain and Hazel.
to grip the tablet on the top edge in I’ve tested the latter, which I personally
the middle or with both hands at either prefer, largely because it has a black
end, and push away using the top of the bezel around the screen rather than
dock as a pivot point. This allows the white. In the US, it’s also available in a
two to separate without much drama. third colourway called Rose which I’d
It would be nice to hold onto the dock describe as pastel peach.
with the other hand, but it’s obscured This gives the illusion of the tablet
behind the tablet too much. y>Ì}Üi`Vi`ÜVÃViLÕÌ
This gives the illusion of the tablet isn’t the most practical.
y>Ì}Üi`Vi`ÜVÃµÕÌi
nice, but isn’t the most practical. It’s DISPLAY
also worth noting that the angle of the As is becoming common for tablets,
screen is more upright than the Nest Google has gone for an 11in display
ÕLÃ>ÀÌ`Ã«>ÞÃ°``½Ìw`Ì> here. It’s technically 10.95in when you

REVIEWS
take the rounded corners into account, Ambient EQ feature also found on
LÕÌÌ>ÌÕÃVÕiÃ>VÀwViÃÜÀÌÌ Google’s Nest Hubs uses a light sensor
for aesthetics. to automatically adjust the brightness
It’s suitably crisp at 2,560x1,600 in and colour temperature based on the
resolution and has a wide 16:10 aspect surroundings and works very well.
À>Ì°"ÌiÀìÌ>ÃVÕì>>Ì In terms of audio, there are two
smudge coating and support for USI options here as the tablet itself has a
2.0 stylus pens – that’s the latest version µÕ>`Ã«i>iÀ>ÀÀ>ÞÜÌÌÜ`ÀÛiÀÃ
from the Universal Stylus Initiative. either side (when in landscape mode)
}i>Ã«Ìi`vÀ>
while the docking station has a 43.5mm
panel here rather than OLED, which on vÕÀ>}i`ÀÛiÀ°
paper isn’t as good but I’d say most /i>Õ`vÀÌi
>À}}
users won’t notice the difference or be Speaker Dock is reasonable. It’s not
`ÃÃ>ÌÃwi`°/i*Ýi/>LiÌÃ«iÌÞ ¼Àw}½>Ã}iÃÕ}}iÃÌÃ
bright – I measured it at 523 nits, which because that would require pumping
is more than the 500 Google quotes – the volume and introducing a lot of
rich and vibrant to offer an enjoyable distortion and a harsh tonal shift.
experience, even if OLED can provide w`ÌÌL>ÃÃ>``À>}i
better contrast and colour reproduction. focused, so it has a slight boomy sound

ÌiV>Ãi«ÃÜÌL>ÌÌiÀÞ and you can’t adjust the tone. It sounds
life which I’ll come to later. Finally, the like a cheap radio and I’ve tested plenty
of budget Bluetooth
speakers that sound
considerably better.
It’s strange because
considering the Nest
Hub Max is essentially
Ìi*Ýi/>LiÌLÕÌwÝi`
to the dock, that device
has a much better
sound system with two
tweeters and a woofer
creating a fuller and
The tablet’s display is bright, rich and vibrant. more dynamic sound.

benchmarks well up
against premium rivals.
The only choice you
have to make is whether
ÌLÕÞ£ÓnÀÓxÈ
of UFS 3.1 storage.
With cloud storage (all
Google users get 15GB
for free) and streaming
services, I’d say most
ÕÃiÀÃÜLiwiÜÌ
/i>Õ`vÀÌi
>À}}-«i>iÀVÃÀi>Ã>Li° the smaller amount but
have a think about it
Google should have just repurposed because there’s no microSD card slot
this into a magnetic dock especially here to add more.
given the asking price of the Dock as a ÃiÜiÀi]ÌiÀi½Ã7È]
separate accessory. ÕiÌÌ x°Ó>`>ÕÌÀ>ÜìL>`
It’s worth noting that when the chip ‘for accurate ranging’, though
tablet is undocked, you can’t use the Google doesn’t explain exactly what
docking station as a speaker, not via this means. Note that’s there’s no 4G
ÕiÌÌ]}i
>ÃÌÀÌiÀÜÃi° or 5G cellular model.
When docking and undocking, any It’s immensely more powerful than
audio playing will automatically move Google’s Nest Hub smart displays and
between the two audio systems. benchmarks well up against premium
rivals such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab
PERFORMANCE S8 and OnePlus Pad. I’ve certainly not
The Pixel Tablet is powered by Google’s had any performance issues with the
own Tensor G2 chipset, the same one Pixel Tablet during my time with it.
found in the Pixel 7 smartphones.
There’s 8GB of RAM and this Geekbench 5 (multi-core)
combination is more than up to the task Google Pixel Tablet: 2,979
of running things daily. OnePlus Pad: 3,168
It’s immensely more powerful than Xiaomi Pad 5: 2,758
Google’s Nest Hub smart displays and Samsung Galaxy Tab S8: 2,947

REVIEWS
Oppo Pad Air: 1,609 and there’s reasonable detail in good

iÛ9}>/>L£Î\3,040 lighting unless you need to crop
Ì>Ã>ÃiVÌ°/ivÀÌv>V}
GFX Manhattan 3.1 camera has a portrait mode and when
Google Pixel Tablet: 57fps used for Google Meet, the software
OnePlus Pad: 50fps automatically adjusts the image for
Xiaomi Pad 5: 38fps lighting and framing.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8: 51fps
Oppo Pad Air: 13fps BATTERY LIFE
iÛ9}>/>L£Î\59fps Inside the Pixel Tablet is a 27Wh battery
and Google says you’ll get 12 hours of
Battery life ÛìÃÌÀi>}°/>Ì½Ã>«Ài«À`ÕVÌ
Google Pixel Tablet: 14 hours, 19 test streaming 1080p video via YouTube
minutes >Ì>wÝi`nÓ«iÀViÌÃVÀiiLÀ}ÌiÃÃ°
OnePlus Pad: 10 hours, 43 minutes I haven’t found it to be quite that
Xiaomi Pad 5: 10 hours, 26 minutes }`ÌiÀi>ÜÀ`]LÕÌÌ½ÃÌÌ
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8: 8 hours, 38 far off. Using it as a video baby monitor
minutes for an hour seems to typically wipe off
iÛ9}>/>L£Î\10 hours, 10 around 10 percent of the battery. In our
minutes ÕÃÕ>*
>ÀvÀƂ`À`L>ÌÌiÀÞÌiÃÌ]
the Pixel Tablet lasted an impressive 14
Charge in 30 minutes hours and 19 minutes.
Google Pixel Tablet: 21%
>À}}Ã>Ã}ÌÞV«V>Ìi`
OnePlus Pad: 18% situation here. On the one hand, it’s
Xiaomi Pad 5: 25% Ã«i>ÃÌi
>À}}-«i>iÀV
Samsung Galaxy Tab S8: 37% – as the name gives away – will charge
Oppo Pad Air: 23% the device whenever it’s docked. It
iÛ9}>/>L£Î\39% Ü`ÌÃ>Ì>v>ÀÞÃÜ£xÜ>ÌÌÀ>Ìi
giving you just 21 percent charge from
On the photography front, the dead in 30 minutes.
Pixel Tablet has front and rear 8Mp The Pixel Tablet does also have a
cameras and, they’re decent enough 1-
«ÀÌvÀÌÀ>`Ì>V>À}}
for the kinds of things you’d use a but there’s no wall adapter in the box
Ì>LiÌV>iÀ>vÀ°
ÕÀÃ>ÀiÛLÀ>Ì and Google doesn’t state the charging

Here’s a
selection
v«ÌÃ
taken with
the Pixel
Tablet’s
camera.

REVIEWS

speed of this method. The accessories Ã«iVwVÌÌÃìÛViÌ>Ì>iÌ
section of the store does suggest its serviceable as both a tablet and a Nest
ÜÎäÜ>ÌÌV>À}iÀ]LÕÌÌÃìÃ½Ì ÕLÃÌÞiÃ>ÀÌ`Ã«>Þ°/>vÕÞ]ÌÃ
mean it will charge at that speed. is more than just the Google TV widget
In fact, Google has told me that it that’s on the home screen by default.
will take a similar time to the docking The main element is called Hub
ÃÌ>ÌÓÎÕÀÃÌvÕ®>`}>Ûii> Mode; the status the Pixel Tablet is
ÀiVi`>Ìv>£nÜ>ÌÌV>À}iÀ° Üi>ÌÌ>Vi`ÌÌi
>À}}
Speaker Dock. There’s a satisfying
SOFTWARE >>Ì>`ÌwV>ÌÃÕ`Üi
As you would expect, the Pixel Tablet you dock and undock.
ships with Android 13 and, being It’s not to be confused with how the
Google’s own tablet, is the pure vanilla Next Hub smart displays work as they
edition at a base level with the Material run Fuchsia OS instead of Android.
You UI as per Pixel phones. Perhaps it’s because I have three Nest
There are a few additions that are Hubs dotted around the house and use

REVIEWS
integration turning it into a

digital photo frame.
w`ÌÕ}iÞ
disappointing that some
features found on the Next
Hub Max are missing here.
They’re made possible on
Ìi>ÝÕÃ}ÌÃvÀÌ
facing camera so there’s no
reason why the Pixel Tablet
/i*Ýi/>LiÌÃ«ÃÜÌč`À`£Î° shouldn’t be able to do the
same things.
Ìi>>ÃÌ`>Þ]LÕÌw`ÕL The Next Hub Max can recognise
Mode on the Pixel Tablet lacklustre. users with Face Match to give you a
Fuchsia OS is custom made for smart personalized experience and the camera
displays and has an intuitive interface can also be used for gesture commands
with tiles for all kinds of information such as holding your hand up to pause/
and content as well as quick access to resume music. Meanwhile, the Nest Hub
settings like screen brightness. Ó`}i>Ã-ii«-iÃ}LÕÌÛ>
However, Google’s chosen to go Soli radar which is nowhere to be seen
down a different route here by giving on the Pixel Tablet.
you a small selection of
features, but then it’s
essentially an Android tablet
on a stand once you unlock
it (which you can’t do with
your face, frustratingly).
One of the main things
Hub Mode does is give
you a screensaver with a
choice of options including
Google’s weather forecast
complete with charming
frog or Google Photos Google’s Nest Hub Max smart display.

9Õ`}iÌ>`ÃvÀii}i and Google has optimized a selection
Assistant – though that’s no big deal of apps for the Pixel Tablet including
– as well as smart home controls for iiÌ] 7>ÌÃƂ««] iÌyÝ]-«ÌvÞ]
gadgets like lights and thermostats if Photos, and more. You could even
you have them and this is accessible feasibly get a Bluetooth keyboard
via a shortcut in the corner of the >` ÕÃiÌi>Ã>*
°
screensaver or lockscreen. It’s not much One of the plus sides of going with
more than a shortcut to the Google }iÃ>ÕvwÛiÞi>ÀÃ
Home app, though. of security updates. You should also
A unique selling point is that the expect three years of OS updates, with
*Ýi/>LiÌÃÌiwÀÃÌiÛiÀÌ>LiÌÜÌ Google’s update page for the tablet
}i
>ÃÌLÕÌ°Ìi>ÃÞÕV> showing updates until June 2026.
‘cast’ content from your phone or other
devices to be played on the tablet. VERDICT
ÕÌiÃÃ>««Ã>ÀiÃÕ««ÀÌi`VÕ`} The Pixel Tablet is a tricky customer

iÌyÝ]-«ÌvÞ>`
*>ÞiÀ° and the frustrating thing is that it
That’s what you’d expect from a doesn’t need to be this way.
smart display, but it’s a shame Google I really wanted to love this device
limits this functionality to when the – as both a fan of older Google
Ì>LiÌÃÕLì°ÜÕ`ìwÌiÞ Nexus tablets and the Nest Hub range
w`ÌÕÃivÕÛ>ÀÕÃÃÌÕ>ÌÃÌV>ÃÌ of smart displays. And in various ways,
to the tablet when it’s elsewhere – such I do love the Pixel Tablet; mainly in
as when my daughter is on my lap and I terms of its design and build along
want to put an episode of Bluey on the with premium performance. However,
tablet but can’t reach. Google has created an unnecessarily
Overall, it’s a shame that a big selling complicated system here by making
point of the Pixel Tablet – docking it ÞÕLÕÞÌiÌ>LiÌÜÌÌi
>À}}
and using Hub Mode – is mediocre, Speaker Dock, overcharging for
especially when you have to buy the additional docks and limiting the
device bundled with the dock, which is smart display experience compared
over prices as a separate accessory. to, in particular, the extremely similar
"Ìiy«Ãì]Ìiv>VÌÌ½ÃÀÕ} Nest Hub Max. As it stands, the Pixel
vÕLÜƂ`Àì>ÃÞÕV> Tablet ecosystem is a bit of a hard
install just about any app you want, sell. Chris Martin

REVIEWS
SPECIFICATIONS
• £ä°xÓ]xÈäÝ£]ÈääÆÓÇÈ««®*-

display
• Android 13
• Google Tensor G2 (5nm) processor
• "VÌ>VÀiÓÝÓ°nxâ
ÀÌiÝ8£]
ÓÝÓ°Îxâ
ÀÌiÝƂÇn]{Ý£°nâ

ÀÌiÝƂxx®
*1
• >Ç£ä*Ç*1
• 8GB RAM
• ,i>Àv>V}V>iÀ>\n«]vÉÓ°ä]Ó{
(wide), 1/4in, 1.12μm
• -iwiV>iÀ>\n«]vÉÓ°ä]Ó{
(wide), 1/4in, 1.12μm
• Stereo speakers
• 7näÓ°££>ÉLÉ}ÉÉ>VÉÈ]`Õ>L>`
• Bluetooth 5.2, A2DP, LE
•
• 1- /Þ«i
Î°Ói£®]>}iÌV
connector
• ÀiÛ>LiÓÇ7ÌÕ«ÞiÀ
battery
• 2258x169x8.1mm
• 493g

Credit: Getty Images/Kar-Tr
Best budget phones
The best affordable phones you can buy. ,9 1,, reports
S
martphones are more expensive We look out for things like battery
Ì>iÛiÀLÕÌ>ÃÌi}i`}iÌÃ life, performance, camera quality, and
better, so do the cheap phones. software support as these are often the
If you don’t want to spend hundreds things that can suffer when a phone
or even thousands on your next phone doesn’t cost that much.
then you have come to the right article! The best cheap phone right now
We fully test and review loads of is the Samsung Galaxy A14 because
budget phones at Android Advisor, and it ticks all those boxes. But the other
iÀiÞÕ½w`>Õ«ÌÌiÕÌiÃÌ nine phones here offer different
of our ten favourite cheap smartphones combinations of features – you might
that cost £250 or under. Ü>ÌÌ}vÀ>«iÜÌ>y>ÃiÀ

BUYING GUIDE
design, or one with a headphone jack. when it comes to entering young

Whether you’re buying for yourself or a adulthood, but if they’re a little younger
young or old family member, there’s a you’ll probably want to make the
budget phone out there for everyone. decision for them.
You’ll want to look at something
SHOULD YOU BUY A ÕÌÀ>>vvÀ`>LivÀ>wÀÃÌÃ>ÀÌ«i
$7&)'6|2*10'1764+)*6! (so you’ve come to the right place), it’ll
In our experience, the ideal way to get ii`Ì>Ûi>ìViÌÃâi`ÃVÀii]
> Vi>««iÃÌLÕÞÌ-vÀii] long battery life and be fairly durable,
Ìi}À>L>}Ài>ÌÛ>Õi-Þì>° so you should probably avoid phones
You won’t be paying loads every month with a glass back. As it’ll likely be
for a phone for the next two years and your main point of contact with your
you can swap it for a newer model child, you’ll also want to look for good
whenever you fancy without a massive call quality, something that’s often
impact on your wallet. overlooked on modern smartphones.
SHOULD YOU BUY WHICH PHONE IS

#.1%-'&2*10'! $'56(14567&'065!
9Õ½µÕVÞw`Ì>ÌÃivÌiLiÃÌ We’d recommend a more affordable
deals on cheap phones are sold via phone here too, but many of the
mobile operators. What you need to options in this chart may be within
watch out for is whether these phones reach. General buying decisions should
are sold locked to that operator’s LiÜiÌiÀÞÕ«ÀiviÀ>i>ÀÃÌV
network. In such situations, you won’t version of Android (as is available on
be able to put another operator’s SIM Google’s Pixel phones, and Nokia and
V>À`ÌÞÕÀV>ÀÀiÀVi`>`ÃiÌ Motorola phones), or don’t mind a
and will likely have to call the device’s heavier skin, as found on devices from
carrier to get the phone unlocked, Samsung or Xiaomi. Also, considering
which can cost money. what the most important aspect of a
phone is to you is key, and how many
WHAT’S THE BEST compromises you’re willing to make in
2*10'|(14#%*+.&! other areas. Many handsets at this price
Most children want to make up their «ÌÜÌ>À}iÌiÃ«iVwVvi>ÌÕÀi]
own mind about choosing a phone meaning corners are cut elsewhere.

WHAT WILL YOU
)'6|(14|;174/10';!
If you’re looking for a cheap phone,
you have to accept the fact that the
manufacturer is going to cut some
corners to achieve that low price and
you aren’t going to get the same
performance, features or display
quality as that of a phone costing
two, three, or four times the price.
It used to be the case that budget
£°
phones were instantly recognisable
LÞÌiÀÜÀiÃÕÌ`Ã«>ÞÃ]
meagre storage and chunky, plastic Day to day performance is much
bodies, but things are improving in improved over 2022’s Galaxy A13 with a
this area all the time. These days, for better chipset, and most tasks tick away
£250 or less, it’s quite possible to nicely with 4GB RAM. As with most
buy a phone with a Full HD display, cheap phones you will not be able to
a slim body, and a camera that takes wÀiÕ«ì>`}Li}>iÃi
pictures you might actually want to
>vÕÌÞ]LÕÌV>Ã]ÌiÝÌÃ]iÃÃ>}}
share. Most will support 4G (or even and video apps, and social media will
5G) connectivity but features like Li>LÃÕÌiÞwi°

] ÜÀiiÃÃV>À}}>`Ü>ÌiÀ There’s only 64GB storage which is a
resistance might be absent, unless bit low, but there’s a microSD card slot
Ã«iVwV>ÞÃÌ>Ìi`° to expand storage and you can’t really
complain when a cheap phone is this
1:5#/570)|)#.#:;# good. You can also pay a little more and
Price: £179 from fave.co/3pHQgQW get a 5G version, which is otherwise
The best budget phone you can buy is identical. If you don’t mind a 60Hz
the Samsung Galaxy A14 thanks to a display when other budget phones have
winning combination of good design ÃÌiÀäÀ£ÓäâÌiV]>`ÞÕ½Ài
excellent battery life, simple software, not fussed about having an outstanding
and at least four years of software smartphone camera, then the Galaxy
support to 2027. A14 is a top choice.

BUYING GUIDE
2:/16141.#|/161) software of this phone looks, and it’s a

Price:Ë£vÀv>Ûi°VÉÎ«
Û great alternative to Xiaomi’s cluttered
The cons of the Moto G62 are much UI, despite the strength of that brands
the same as all cheap phones, because budget phones.
they are cheap! You save money by Triple cameras on the back of the
Ã>VÀwV}«iÀvÀ>Vi]V>iÀ>µÕ>ÌÞ] Moto G62 exist, but it’s a push to
and faster charging. What you gain with call them all good – thankfully the
the Moto though is a solid plastic built 50Mp main sensor is very solid and
quality that surpasses other phones at will give you excellent daytime shots.
this price, a clean version of Android 12 Pair that with great battery life from
with changes only made where Moto the 5,000mAh cell that we sometimes
can improve, not add things for the found reached the end of the day at
sake of it. This is one of the best budget 50 percent and you have a great cheap
phones you can get. phone option.
/iÀi½Ã>ÃÕ«iÀL>Ü>ÞÃ`Ã«>Þ]
ìÃ«Ìi>Û}>
À>ÌiÀÌ> 3. NOKIA G60 5G
OLED panel, that lets you quickly view Price: £213 from fave.co/449gtqx
>`«iÌwV>ÌÃÌ>ÌÌiÀ It’s great to see the Nokia brand (the
phone brand has. If the performance phones are actually made by Finnish
occasionally stutters you will be able company HMD) represent good value
to forgive it for how attractive the phones once more. The Nokia G60
is an excellent budget
phone choice at £200 (it’s
ÌvwV>ÞÃ>iÌi
US but you can get it via
Amazon).
With 5G, a large screen,
great battery life and a
perfectly capable main
camera, the G60 ticks all
our top boxes for a phone
that doesn’t cost too much,
considering. Three years
2.
of software support is also

onto the same phone to encourage
iÃÃiÜ>ÃÌi°9ÕV>ÌiÃ«i`
ÌÃi«ÌÃiVì`V>ÕÃiÃ°
At this price it’s hard to fault the G60,
though it does charge very slowly.
4. REALME C35
Price: £169 from fave.co/46EEjMx
The folks at Realme pulled it out
of the bag with the design of the

Îx]>ÃÕLË£xä«iÌ>ÌÃ
3.
iÌVÃÌÃ>ÌÀi°7Ìy>Ì
sides taken straight from the latest
above average for this price segment. iPhone playbook and a smart looking
It’s good to see, and means you can camera module akin to the more
use your phone knowing its Android expensive OnePlus Nord phones,
security is up to date. You can buy Ìi
Îx>Ã«>VÃ>}Ài>Ì£änä«
the phone outright or you can get it display for the incredibly cheap price.
from £12.50 per month with Nokia’s You can even pay £20 extra to get
ÀVÕ>ÀÃÕLÃVÀ«Ì«>]ÜViÌÃ 128GB storage instead of 64GB, and

you upgrade when you want, or lets you all models have a microSD slot and a
accumulate points the longer you hold 3.5mm headphone jack. The processor
is nothing to write home about,
but the 50Mp main camera lens
is pretty good on a phone that
outperforms its asking price.
5. :+#1/+4'&/+
016'|241
Price: £208 from fave.co/46EEveJ
The Redmi Note 10 Pro is
essentially an upgraded Poco
8Î
]ÜÌ>ViÀ`Ã«>Þ
4.
and better camera.

BUYING GUIDE
The 6.67in 120Hz panel

boasts AMOLED tech,
meaning superb contrast
and vibrant colours. The
108Mp lead camera,
meanwhile, excels and
comes accompanied by a
pair of secondary snappers
that exceed expectation.
ÕiÝÌÀ>ÃiÎÎÜ>ÌÌv>ÃÌ
charging, a headphone
5.
jack and even an IR blaster
elevate the Redmi Note
10 Pro from a good to a great budget M series device in Poco history to pack
offering, considering what Xiaomi’s in an AMOLED display (which also
incorporated here. happens to support a 90Hz refresh rate
and Full HD+ resolution), the 64Mp
6. :+#1/+21%1/241 is an impressive improvement for the
Price: £189 from fave.co/3XLt8gN series and battery life (as well as fast
Not to be confused with last year’s Poco charging) is decent too. The design is
M4 Pro 5G, this device shrugs off 5G in >ÌÌi`ÛÃÛi>`1£ÎvÀ*"
"
exchange for some notable upgrades won’t be to everyone’s tastes but in
ÌiÀ>Ài>Ã°/i*V{ÃÌiwÀÃÌ terms of value for money, this is an
exceptional option, right now.
7. :+#1/+21%1/241)
Price: £159 from fave.co/3PUANYB
The updated Poco M4 Pro 5G offers
a little more than its predecessor
from the same year, without
changing the overall balance struck,
>Ì>ÌÕV°/Ãiì`
8>>`ÃiÌ>Ã>ÀÕvÌi
6.
mill Dimensity 810 5G chipset but

chipset and superb battery (with
ìViÌÎÎÜ>ÌÌv>ÃÌV>À}}®°

>iÀ>«iÀvÀ>ViÃÌi
obvious weak point here but
you’re still getting a lot for
your money.
9. NOKIA G22
Price:Ë£{ävÀv>Ûi°VÉ{{µ
µ
If you like the idea of repairing
your phone rather than
7.
replacing it every few years, the
Nokia G22 could be the phone
also delivers a high 90Hz refresh rate for you. If you can cope with the fact
viewing experience. Beyond that, a this is quite a slow phone – perhaps you
large 5,000mAh battery with upgraded only need one for basic functions like
ÎÎÜ>ÌÌv>ÃÌV>À}}ìÛiÀÃÃÕ«iÀL calls and messages and Google Maps
L>ÌÌiÀÞvi>`ÃiiÞiV>ÌV} – then it’s a good buy.
wÃiÃ>iÌÃ>V«i}wÌvÀ ÝÌÃiÃÃiÛiÀ>vwV>Ài«>ÀÌÃ
ÌÃi>vÌiÀ>ÌÕVÀiyÕ`ÌÞÌiÀ for the G22 including for screen cracks
user experience. and new battery. It means you can grab
a smartphone for £150 and be safe in
8. :+#1/+4'&/+016'
Price: £199 from fave.co/3NJbfe7
The Redmi Note 11 paints a similar
picture to the Poco M4 Pro (4G) with a
slightly hardware setup at play and a
whole family and variants to move up
through, should its humble hardware
not cut the mustard. In its own right
though, the Redmi Note 11 offers
great value for money, with a 90Hz Full
HD+ AMOLED display, respectable
8.
performance from its Snapdragon 680

BUYING GUIDE
concept and a budget phone you

should consider if you don’t need
a powerful device.
10. 5#/570))#.#:;#
Price: £141 from fave.co/3O5Eklf
Samsung’s budget Galaxy A13
can’t match similarly priced
rivals when it comes to pure
performance, but it makes up for
it with Samsung’s winning OneUI
9.
Android skin, and a promise to
receive two full Android version
the knowledge you can easily repair software updates and four years of
it yourself. It’s liberating, and Android security patches – giving this phone a
Advisor’s Hannah tried it out in our full longevity that few cheap handsets can
review. One thing to note is this phone match. It looks slick too, with a simple,
will only have software support for two understated design that we prefer
years, which somewhat contradicts the to many of the alternatives, and the
idea this is a product you should keep camera’s pretty good too.
for far longer and replace its failing Still, other phones in this chart
parts. That aside, this is an interesting include faster processors and smoother
displays, not to mention 5G
support, so make sure you
know what you’re giving up by
sticking with Samsung.
£ä°

>čÕ`< näää
Price: ËÓnvÀv>Ûi°VÉ{{Ç
>>
F
inal Audio has delivered one of have inspired the sharp corners and
ÌiLiÃÌÃÕ`}ÃiV>Vi} VVÀiÌiÌiÝÌÕÀi`wÃvÌi< näää°
earbuds you can buy: the ZE8000. They’ve created an earphone that has
Buy a set and you’ll also get one of no real parallels in the consumer audio
the more outrageous designs in the world, so buyers will stand out from the
earphone market, a look that will white earbud hordes.
enchant some and completely turn
off others. Final is based in Japan, a AUDIO QUALITY
country that embraced the Brutalist The ZE8000 have an impressive
architectural movement that seems to soundstage and excellent detail,

AUDIO
comparing favourably
to the Astell&Kern AK
17£ää>`
>«wÀi
Audio Orbit earbuds,
two models that ditch
active noise cancellation
in pursuit of the
best possible audio
reproduction.
Final offers a feature
called 8K Sound+, a /i«iLLi`ÌiÝÌÕÀivÌi< näääÃiV>Vi}i>ÀLÕ`Ã½
setting activated from wÃiÛiÃ«>Ìi`VVÀiÌi°
Ìi>
iVÌ>««
that ‘upgrades the signal processing aptX, and aptX Adaptive codecs, the
algorithm’ to improve the sound latter of which allow for transmission
quality to the ‘maximum limit’. When at up to 24bit/96kHz from compatible
listening in a quiet environment, 8K Android devices. The ZE8000 are also
Sound+ offered a slight but noticeable V«>ÌLiÜÌ->«`À>}-Õ`
improvement to audio quality. enabled devices. Final advertises the
The improvement wasn’t noticeable < näää½Ã¼v
", vÀn-Õ`½ÕÌÀ>
when using the ZE8000 earbuds low distortion driver with a large 13mm
outdoors or in a noisy environment. diaphragm. The lightweight driver
8K Sound+ was a massive drain on the ÕÃiÃ>>ÕÕ>}iÃÕì
battery, so I ended up turning it off and iVÌÕì`Ì>}ÞyiÝLi
never felt as though I needed it when ÃViÃÕÀÀÕ`]ÜÌ>y>Ì}
listening indoors. mechanism used for the voice coils.
I did most of my testing with /iv
", `ÀÛiÀÃ>Ài«ÜiÀi`
an iPhone 13 Pro Max, listening to LÞ
>ÃÃƂ >«wiÀÃ]ÜV>
Ƃ««iÕÃV]LÕÌi>À`>iÛiÀÃ says delivers a better balance
slight increase in audio quality when between sound quality and power
playing back lossless audio on an ivwViVÞÌ>Ìi
>ÃÃ>«wiÀÃ
Android device that supports the aptX that most true wireless earphones use.
Adaptive codec. The earbuds support Final promises lower total harmonic
ÕiÌÌx°Ó>`Ìi-
]ƂƂ
] distortion (THD) from these drivers

than we’ve experienced from other ACTIVE NOISE CANCELLING
true wireless earphone models, resulting Many users value maximum noise
in a higher level of detail and more reduction from wireless headphones,
precise sound texture. but audiophiles know that the
Janelle Monáe’s 2023 album The digital signal processing required
Age of Pleasure features a blend of vÀƂ
ÌÜÀ>ÃÌi`ÃÌ>ÌiÀ
soul and funk that blends in a mixture the music signal, sometimes in
of dub and dance hall. The album’s unacceptable ways.
mixes put Monáe’s voice front and The Final ZE8000 are meant to
center, pushing many of the musical appeal to serious music listeners, so
elements to the sides for a widescreen the company has made a serious effort
listening experience. The ZE8000 did a to balance audio quality with noise
v>Ì>ÃÌVLvÀi«À`ÕV}ÌiÜi` reduction. Both the Astell&Kern and
reverberations essential to the capturing
>«wÀii>ÀLÕ`Ã«ÀiÃiÀÛi>Õ`
Ìi>>V>ÕÃV>yÕiViÃÌi µÕ>ÌÞLÞ`ÌV}ÌiƂ
>Ì}iÌiÀ]
artist employs here. so Final is making an ambitious attempt
to balance features that
>ÀiL>ÃV>ÞVyVÌ
with each other.
Ƃ
Ìi< näää
is very good, but it’s not
}Ài>Ì°/iÓ`}iƂ««i
AirPods Pro offer the
LiÃÌL>>VivƂ
>`
music quality that I’ve
heard, and the ZE8000
can’t quite compete with
the noise reduction of
the Apple earbuds, and
it’s substantially less than
what you’d get with the
-Þ7£äää8{À
/iÀi½Ã>Ìv>ÀÃìÌi>< näääV>Ãi]ÃÌi`>Ã Ìi Ãi+ÕiÌ
vÀÌ
Ãi}ÛivÞÕ«ÀiÃÃ`ÜÜiÌiV>ÃiÃVÃi`° Earbuds II, two models

AUDIO
that get rave reviews from users who appearance, but it also means they feel
prize noise reduction over all else. >LÌyÃÞ°/iÀi½Ã>ÃÕÀ«ÀÃ}>ÕÌ
of give to the lid when pressing down
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN on the closed case, and that lid feels
The ZE8000 are available in black like it could snap off when it’s open.
or white, even though the white /iV>ÃiÃ>Ì}ÌwÌÌivÀÌ
seems to have grey undertones that pocket of jeans, and I wouldn’t want to
i«>ÃâiÌiÀViìÃ}°/iÞ put it in a back pocket and accidentally
have a distinctive angular design in sit on it. That’s mostly because the lid
sharp contrast to the rounded corners seems like it’s going to crack, even
featured on almost every other wireless though it didn’t break during testing.
i>Ài>`«i° The Final case takes some getting used
The ZE8000 come with a massive to if you’ve used other earphones with
case, measuring 78x62x32mm. The ÀVÃ`V>ÃiÃ°
lid slides back to reveal the earbuds,
and there’s a lot of empty space inside BATTERY LIFE
the case. That means they’re very >Ã>ÞÃÌi< näääÜìÛiÀwÛi
light, despite their textured concrete hours of continuous playback, but I
never managed to get more than four
and a half hours on a charge. A fully
charged case is rated for a total of 15
hours of playback, but my experience
puts the total at something like 13.
That’s an acceptable number for
i>ÀLÕ`ÃÌ>ÌvviÀLÌƂ
>`
signal processing.
You’ll need to plug the case in
Û>1-
ÌV>À}i° ÌÃÕ««ÀÌ}
wireless case charging seems like
a big omission for a product at this
price. On the upside, those wires
will give you a full earbud charge in
ÃÌvÌiÜi}ÌvÌi>< näääi>ÀLÕ`Ã 90 minutes and a full case charge in
in the stem that sits outside the ear canal. ÌÜÕÀÃ°ƂÀ>«`V>À}}«Ì

provides 45 minutes of listening
>vÌiÀ>wÛiÕÌi V>À}i°
WEARABILITY
The Final ZE8000 come with
multiple sizes of eartips, and I had
no trouble getting a great seal
with them – they went straight
into my ear canal with no twisting
ÀiµÕÀi`vÀ>}`wÌ°ÞwÀÃÌ
impulse was to twist, since that’s
>ÀiµÕÀiiÌvÀÌiLiÃÌwÌ
with most earbuds. At least for
me, twisting the ZE8000 caused
substantial discomfort after only a
1ÃiÀÃV>½ÌÀi>«Ìi>< näääÌÕVVÌÀÃ]
few minutes. LÕÌÌiÀi½Ã>i«vÕV>ÀÌÌ>ÌV>Li>VViÃÃi`
"Viw}ÕÀi`ÕÌÌ>Ì}Ì vÀÜÌÌi>
iVÌ>««Ì}ÕìÞÕ>Ã
>}Ài>ÌwÌÜÌÕÌÌÜÃÌ}]Ü>Ã you learn the controls.
able to wear the ZE8000 for a
couple of hours before they became a time, so maybe Final’s design should
uncomfortable. A substantial amount be considered a safety feature.
of their weight sits on the stem outside
of the ear, so that’s not a surprise. I’m CONTROLS
>LiÌÜi>ÀÌiÃiV`}iƂ««i All the touch controls are preset by
AirPods Pro and the Google Pixel Buds Final, so users can adjust them to
Pro for a lot longer without discomfort, their preferences. The good news is
sometimes for the full length of a that they’re responsive and provide
battery charge. both audio and spoken feedback,
Removing the ZE8000 for a couple of so it’s relatively easy to keep track of
minutes made any discomfort disappear, what you’re doing while mastering
and I was able to wear them for another the controls.
long stretch right away. Your audiologist The earbuds don’t automatically
would certainly tell you that you pause music when you remove one from
ÃÕ`½ÌÜi>Ài>ÀLÕ`ÃvÀwÛiÕÀÃ>Ì ÞÕÀi>ÀÃ]LÕÌ>Ã}iÌ>«ÌiÀ}Ì

AUDIO
hand earbud controls play and pause. A ÌiÓ`}iƂ««iƂÀ*`Ã*À

single tap on the left switches between audio if not quite matching their noise
ambient sound and noise cancellation. A V>Vi>ÌµÕ>ÌÞ°/iƂ
>`
ÌÜÃiV`ÌÕV>``ÌiivÌ little impact on audio quality, so they
>ì>ÀLÕ`>VÌÛ>ÌiÃÀÌÕÀÃvvÜ` compared well to the Astell&Kern and
cut mode, and the same gesture on the
>«wÀiƂÕì>ÀLÕ`ÃÌ>Ì`½ÌÕÃi
À}ÌVÌÀÃÛViÌÀÕ}ì°v any kind of digital signal processing.
you want to activate your phone’s voice Whether the Final ZE8000 earbuds are
>ÃÃÃÌ>Ì]ÞÕV>Ì>«iÌiÀi>ÀLÕ`wÛi for you ultimately comes down to your
times. This gesture takes some practice, reaction to their design.
and I never quite mastered it. Five taps Final took the kind of design
are too many, at least for me. risks that were common for audio
manufacturers in the 1970s and 80s. Not
APP every one of those creative decisions
/i>
iVÌ>««iÌÃÕÃiÀÃÃÜÌV worked, but we got some iconic audio
LiÌÜiiÌivÕÀÃiV>Vi} gear out of the experimentation. At a
modes, make EQ adjustments, and ÌiÜiÃÌi>ÀÌÀÃ
use Final’s Volume Step Optimizer so much like each other that it would
ÌiV}ÞvÀwiÀÛÕi>`ÕÃÌiÌ° Lii>ÀÞ«ÃÃLiÌw}ÕÀiÕÌÜ
Users can also switch the voice prompt made them, Final has made some bold
language between English and choices that give listeners a compelling
Japanese. Users can access the manual alternative to the norm. James Barber
via the app, which includes a helpful
chart detailing the earbuds’ touch
VÌÀÃ°/i>««VÕìÃ>vÕÀL>`
equalizer, so users can create and
save a single custom EQ setting. You
can also see the battery level for each
i>ÀLÕ`]Õ«`>ÌiÌiwÀÜ>Ài>`ÃÜÌV
LiÌÜii>Õ`«ÀViÃÃ}ìÃ°
VERDICT
/i>< näää>ÀiÌiLiÃÌÃÕ`}
Ƃ
i>ÀLÕ`Ã½ÛiÌÀi`]«ÀÛ}

>ÀÕčÀ*ÀÎ
Price: ËÇvÀv>Ûi°VÉÎ
9
+Î
P
ardon me while I stand and salute
vÀÌiÛiÃ}`qV>
>ÀÕ½ÃiÜy>}Ã«Ãi wear them for hours – and the active
cancelling earbuds, the Air Pro 3. ÃiV>Vi>ÌƂ
®Ã«ÀÛi`
/iÃivi>ÌÕÀiwi`}ÌÞÌiÃìÛiÀ compared to the company’s earlier
`Þ>V]ìÌ>i`]>`vÕLì` efforts, wiping away a goodly amount
sound. While they’re just a bit shy in of plane, train, and bus noise as well as
bass articulation, they deliver much of Ü>>LÕÌÜ`Ãi°
what you’ll get from buds with much I’m happy to report that the Air Pro
higher price tags. Î½ÃÃiV>Vi}>ÃLiiÕ«}À>ì`°

AUDIO
What really sets the Air Pro 3 apart As luck would have it, a pair of
vÀÌÃ`«ÀVi`V«iÌÌÃ> the EarFun Air Pro 3 landed on my
futuristic feature set that could grow doorstep just a few days after I looked
in usefulness and service for years at the EarFun Air S. Those similarly
ÌVi°/>««}ÌiLÀ>ìÜ ÃÌÞi`ââiÌ««i`LÕ`Ã>Ài>Ã
+Õ>V+
ÎäÇ£>Õ`V«] much more affordable alternatives to

EarFun outmanoeuvred the majors the ‘true wireless’ offerings from Apple,
ÌìÛiÀÌiÛiÀÞwÀÃÌi>ÀLÕ`ÃÌ Bose, Jabra, and the like. While I liked
ÃÕ««ÀÌÌiiÝÌ}iiÀ>Ì ÕiÌÌ the battery features, price, and overall
ƂÕ`>ÀVÌiVÌÕÀi]ÜÀ}>` ÃÕ`«ÀwivÌiƂÀ-]>`}À«iÃ\
>ìÀiÜÌÌiiµÕ>ÞiÜ
Î Those buds are slippery in my ears and
Ü
«iÝÌÞ
ÕV>ÌÃ® need periodic readjustments to stay
VìV°
iVÌÛiÞ]ÌiÃiÕ«}À>ìÃ seated in primo position. They also have
VÕ`«ÀÛì>À>ÃvÕÃiÀvÀi`Þ i`VÀiÃiV>Vi>Ì>`y>iÞ
enhancements – if hardware makers touch controls.
on the playback side of the equation The Air Pro 3 addresses and largely
also adopt these standards and play to wÝiÃÌÃiÃÃÕiÃ]>}iviiÕÃÌ
their strengths. As it stands, however, a little prescient.
that’s a very big ‘if’. The curvature of the new buds’
enclosure has been shaved
and reoriented, so these things
sit still and maintain a tighter
seal in my ear canal – which
is crucial for both passive
and active noise cancelling
– and they deliver fuller
bass performance.
The newly planted dimples
at the top of the earbuds’
pipes aren’t just a cute
decorative design element,

«>Ài`ÌÌi >ÀÕčÀ-ivÌ®]ÌičÀ*ÀÎÀ}Ì® they help the wearer land a
ÃÜÃ>ÀiÃ>ÀÌÞÃVÕ«ÌiìVÃÕÀi>`>i«vÕ] w}iÀÌiÀ}ÌV>ÌvÀ
dimpled touch-spot. some thermal touch control

operations. EarFun’s
user guide, however,
still doesn’t
adequately explain how to
get the volume up (using
ÌiÀ}Ì>`LÕ``«i
control) and the volume
`ÜÌiivÌ>`
bud) to cooperate. The
instruction to ‘tap once’
should really suggest
¼µÕVÞyVÞÕÀw}iÀÌ«
up (or down)’ in the
thermal touch zone. Let >ÀÕ>Ã>Üivi>ÌÕÀi`>««Ì>ÌVÕìÃL>ÌÌiÀÞÌÀ>V}
ÞÕÀw}iÀ}iÀ>`Ìi >`VÕÃÌâ>Li +ÃiÌÌ}Ã°
bud’s sensor will interpret
Ìi}iÃÌÕÀi>Ã>`ÕLiÌ>«]«>ÕÃ} I haven’t encountered these issues
the music. It’s very strange. And its very ÜÌÌ`>Þ½ÃÃÌÃ«ÃÌV>Ìi`Ƃ

annoying. i>ÀLÕ`ÃqÌi Ãi+ÕiÌ
vÀÌ
On the upside, I’m happy to report Earbuds II, the Apple AirPods Pro
that the Air Pro 3’s noise cancelling has (2nd generation), and as my colleague
LiiÕ«}À>ì`ÜÌ>ÃÝVÀ«i Ài«ÀÌi`]Ìi-Þ7£äää8{qLÕÌ
array – the earlier model used four mics you’ll pay three or four times more for a
– and I found that it works reasonably set of any of those.
well at suppressing a variety of whining/
roaring motor as well as wind noises. AUDIO
It’s still not much help at shushing The EarFun Air Pro 3 cozy up kindly in
the sound of other people chatting in your head, with a very clear and present
your presence (live or on TV), or for `À>}i>`Üi>ÀÌVÕ>Ìi`}i`
suppressing extraneous environmental ÀiÃ«Ãi°/iÀi½Ã>Ì>`ÀiLÌÌ
noise when answering phone call. end kick here than in the Air S, although
>iÀÃ>ÛiÃ>`ÃÕ`Õvyi` the wooly warm bass is still not as

>` >Ãi`ºƂÀiÞÕÕÌÃì¶»iÛi Õ>Vi`>ÃÞÕ}iÌÌ«ÌiÀLÕ`Ã°
when I wasn’t. I’m also happy to report that the

AUDIO
v>VÌÀÞÃiÌiµÕ>â}v
ÌiÌÀiiÃiV>Vi}
modes has been adjusted,
so the sound contouring
vÌiÃÌiiÀ}Þ
ivwViÌ ¼ À>½ÃiÌÌ}
is now more balanced
and less trebly.
ƂiÃÃÌ>ì>
maximum volume level
remains an ongoing EarFun
issue with the Air Pro 3.
They play loud enough /i >ÀÕčÀ*ÀÎwÌÜi>`>ÀiVvÀÌ>LivÀ}
for me indoors, but on listening sessions.
>ÃÞVÌÞÃÌÀiiÌÃÌÀ]
I really craved more kick from a new listening outdoors; but in quiet
collection of rock concert performances zones, with less distraction, my crude
I found on Amazon Music: Glory trick blunted the intimate charms of
Days, Glory Shows, compiling tunes Melody Gardot’s cooing chanteuse
from Springsteen (of course), Bowie, ÛV>Ã>`>ÀÌÞ>VÕÃÌViÃiLi
The Doors, Genesis, Talking Heads, on the aptly named The Absence,

ÕV iÀÀÞ>`,}iÀ7>ÌiÀÃ° ÕÌÀiiLiÀi`ÌÌÌi +
As I discovered with the Air S, it is reset button. That returned all the
possible to compensate, to circuitously vÀiµÕiVÞ ÃìÀÃÌÌi¼y>Ì½«ÃÌ]
crank up the volume of the Air Pro 3 at restoring the sweet sonorities to Ms.
least a couple decibels by opening the Gardot’s sonic landscape.
EarFun app’s EQ screen and pushing up
the virtual sliders on all six frequency NEW FEATURES
bands to the max position. Do that and >ÀÕ½ÃÌ«vÌiii>ÀLÕ`ÃÃÕ««ÀÌ
ÞÕ½w`ÌiÀi½ÃÀiÌ>iÕ} Bluetooth 5.3 – they have to, to work
volume to play with, albeit with some with Bluetooth LE. Their deeper bass
signal compression. response is thanks to their 11mm wool
This sonic squeezing is hardly composite drivers. They deliver run time
noticeable or troublesome when v>LÕÌÇÕÀÃÜÌƂ
]ÕÀÃ

with it turned off. And their charging paired device or return them to their
case can deliver four full recharges. The case. They will pause the music and
case itself can be recharged with its temporarily switch to a phone call,
1-
V>LiÀ>+«>`«ÀÛì even if you’ve been streaming music
your own). You can track both the buds’ from a different Bluetooth source.
and the case’s battery level in the app. That’s how the multipoint connection
Activating Game Mode reduces the works: You can pair the buds with two
audio lag time to 55ms (from 100ms in devices at the same time, one active
the Air S) to improve gamer twitches and the other in standby.
>`Ûì«ÃÞV}ÆLÕÌÌi¼
free lunch’ department, Game Mode BLUETOOTH
reduces battery run time. In development since 2015, Bluetooth
I was surprised to discover the LE’s advancements are several and
absence of one common feature Ã}wV>Ì°-Ì>ÀÌÜÌÜiÀ«ÜiÀ
of modern earbuds, which will consumption for longer battery run
automatically pause the music when time. And the Bluetooth SIG says the
you pull them out of your ears. The iÜ
ÎVìVV>V«ÀiÃÃ>£°xLÉÃ
AirFun Pro 3 keep playing and will shut audio stream to just 160Kb/s, compared
down only if you disconnect them the ÌÎ{xLÉÃÕÃ}Ìi-
VìVÌ>Ì
arrived with the original
Bluetooth spec.
Some other promised
Bluetooth LE features have
yet to be delivered, but
the biggest problem is the
V>ÃÃVº7VViÃwÀÃÌ]
ÌiVViÀÌii}}¶»
dilemma going on here.
/iÀi}ÌLi>viÜÌ
Ài>`ÞvÀ«ÀiÌiÃÃÕiÃ]
too. Even with Bluetooth
9ÕV>V>À}iÌi >ÀÕčÀ*ÀÎ½ÃV>À}}V>ÃiÜÌ 5.2 and 5.3 compatibility
>+V>À}iÀÀ>1-
V>Li°/iV>ÃiÜÀiV>À}iÌi baked into multiple new
LÕ`ÃvÕÀÌiÃ° smartphone models, and

AUDIO
notations of ‘LE Audio’ popping up in

>viÜÃ«iVwV>ÌÃiiÌÃÃÕV>ÃÌi
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4), smartphone
makers have yet to fully embrace the
new standard.
VERDICT
Even if your playback device can’t take
full advantage of the EarFun Air Pro
3’s advanced Bluetooth features, these
wireless earbuds deliver a whole lot
of performance using technologies–
VÕ`}ÌiƂƂ
>`>«Ì8Ƃ`>«ÌÛi
codecs – that are more widely
supported today. And they do it at a
very reasonable price. Add in the long
battery life and – most importantly
– very good audio performance, and
you have a strong value in personal
audio. >Ì>/>vv

Credit: Getty Imagesalengo
The real secret to better
č`À`L>ÌÌiÀÞvi
Attention, Android phone owners: stronger smartphone stamina is well
within your reach. ,,č*č reports
I
f there’s one question I get asked >««iÃ½Ì>Ì>Ì`vwVÕÌ°v>VÌ]>
more than any other, it’s how to it requires is some careful planning.
boost a phone’s battery life. While
the notion of achieving better Android THE ANDROID BATTERY
battery life may sometimes seem like .+('|/'%*#0+%5
rocket science, it’s actually just regular The main thing to know about your
science – and the secret to making it phone’s physical battery is that it’s a

FEATURE
limited resource that loses capacity over the more they degrade, the less charge
time. That’s an inherent quality of that they’re able to maintain.
type of technology, unfortunately, and In human terms, the takeaway is
the same is true no matter what type of ÌÃ\iÌÌ}ÞÕÀ«i}ÃÕ«iÀ}
mobile device you’re using: the more ÀÃÕ«iÀÜV>À}iÃL>`°ÃÌi>`]
ÞÕÕÃiÌq>`]Ã«iVwV>Þ]ÌiÀi what you want to do is stay in the
you stress it via ongoing charging – the middle as much as possible.
less power it’s able to hold, and thus the And luckily, that’s easy to do. You
worse battery life it gives you over time. just have to make some simple changes
That’s at least in part why even a to your charging habits, and you’ll set
Þi>À`«ivÌi>ÃÌÃvÀÌVi>LÞ ÞÕÀÃivÕ«vÀ>}iÀ>ÃÌ}L>ÌÌiÀÞ
iÃÃÌiÌ>>LÀ>ìÜÕÌvÌi for months or even years to come.
box model. But once you’re aware of
that unavoidable reality, you can take 1. )11).'2+:'.2*10'5
some smart and relatively simple steps ÀÃÌ]vÞÕ½Ûi}Ì>}i>ì*Ýi
to address it. phone from 2019 or later – so the Pixel
And here’s the easiest and most 4 model and up, in other words – take
effective one of all: stop charging your 20 seconds now to dig up your device’s
phone all the way to 100 percent and Ƃ`>«ÌÛi
>À}}ÃiÌÌ}\
iÌÌ}ÌÃÌÌiV>À}iÀìwÌiÞ°
Most battery experts will tell you 1. Open up the Battery section of your
the same thing: the fastest way to system settings.
shortening your battery’s life and 2. Tap ‘Adaptive preferences’.
making it perform more poorly is 3. Find the line labelled ‘Adaptive
regularly charging it all the way to full
>À}}½£°) and make sure the
– or, worse yet, keeping it plugged toggle next to it is in the on and
in and maintaining that fully charged active position.
state for extended periods.
There’s a bunch of technical That’ll allow your phone to take a
gobbledygook behind that, but slow and steady approach to charging
the basic idea is that the higher when it knows you’re going to have it
your charging state, the faster the plugged in for a while, like during the
electrolytes – the components that overnight hours. That way, at least in
make the battery work – degrade. And theory, it’ll reach the 100 percent mark

But if you want to take your Android
battery life to the max and allow for the
best possible battery health and thus
best possible stamina over the long
haul, you’ll want to keep reading (to
ÕLiÀÎÌÃÃÌ]Ã«iVwV>Þ®°
2. 5#/570))#.#:;&'8+%'5
Got a reasonably recent Samsung
>>ÝÞìÛVi¶9ÕÀ «i>Ã>
similar sort of system in place that can
£°
automatically limit charging, though
with a bit of a different twist:
at the end of your charging period
instead of getting there quickly and then 1. Head into your system settings and
VÌÕ}Ì>Ì>Ì>ÌvÕV>À}i search for the word battery.
state with ongoing power pushing. 2. Find the option labelled ‘Protect
Now, notably, this feature originally battery’ and tap it.
worked only when you charged your 3. Turn the toggle on the line labelled
Pixel between 9pm and 4am and you ‘Protect battery’ into the on position (2.).
had an active alarm set for somewhere
between 3am and 10am. That’s a pretty
Ã}wV>ÌÌ>Ì]ÌÃ>ÞÌii>ÃÌ°
More recently, some Pixel users
have noticed the system being far more
yiÝLi>`ÜÀ}ÌiÃ>iÜ>Þ
even when an alarm isn’t set, based on
ÌÞ«V>V>À}}«>ÌÌiÀÃ°/ivwV>
documentation for the feature hasn’t
LiiÕ«`>Ìi`ÌÀiyiVÌÌ>ÌV>}i]
though, and it isn’t entirely clear how
widely available it might be at this point.
ÌiÀÜ>Þ]ÌÃÃiÌÕ«Ã>Ã>ÀÌÃÌ>ÀÌ
2.
q>ì>}ÌÃ>}`wÀÃÌÃÌi«°

FEATURE
That’ll stop your phone from

charging anytime it hits the 85 percent
>À]ÜVÃ>ÃiÃLiÌvÀ}
term battery health and maximum
ongoing stamina. That does mean you’ll
have a little less battery power to work
ÜÌ>`>ÞÌ`>ÞL>ÃÃ]LÕÌ>Ã}
as you can make that work you’ll get
better battery life over the lifespan of
your device as a result.
/>ÌLi}Ã>`]ÌÃÃiÌÕ«ÃÌÃ½Ì
perfect, as it will still continuously kick in
and keep charging your phone anytime
3.
it dips below that 85 percent level.
-vÀÌiÃÌ>`ÛÃ>Li>>ÀÕ`
option, you might want to consider it in >
>À}}Ì>L]vÀÌiLÕi
conjunction with our next tip. ÃìÀ y>Ì}vvÌi«iÀViÌ>}iVÀVi
at the top.
3. FOR ANYONE AND 3. -ìÌ>ÌÌÌiLÕiy>}ivÌÀÀ}Ì
EVERYONE USING ANDROID to land on the value you want (3.).
ÛivÞÕ½Ài>Ài>`ÞÕÃ}>L>ÌÌiÀÞ I’d suggest starting at 90 percent; if
saving system from Samsung, Google, ÞÕw`Ì>ÌÜÀÃ>ÞvÀÞÕ]ÞÕ
À>ÞÌiÀƂ`À`«i>iÀÜ can then inch your way down closer
vviÀÃ>Ã>ÀÃÀÌvÃiÌÕ«]ÞÕ½`Li to 85 percent or even 80 percent and
Üi>`ÛÃi`ÌVÃìÀÌÃ>ÃÌÃÌi«>Ã see how you do.
>ÃÌ>>«ÀÌiVÌ}ÃÕ««iiÌ°Ƃ`v
you’re using a phone that doesn’t offer 7ÌÌ>ÌÃÌi«wÃi`]ƂVVÕ >ÌÌiÀÞ
>ÞÃÀÌvLÕÌL>ÌÌiÀÞ«ÀÌiVÌ will now sound an alarm anytime your
vi>ÌÕÀi]ÞÕ½ìwÌiÞÜ>ÌÌ`ÌÃ\ phone reaches the level you set – and
that’ll be your indication that it’s time to
1. Install an excellent app called take it off the charger.
AccuBattery (fave.co/3D7aXZF) onto Now, the manual part of this process
your Android phone of choice. is a minor hassle, admittedly, but once
2. Open the app up and, on its you get used to it, it isn’t that big of a

deal to manage. The easiest way is to Android battery life for longer than
get in the habit of charging your phone ever as a result.
iÌiÀi`>ÌiÞLivÀiLi`ÀwÀÃÌ
thing in the morning, as soon as you
wake up. And, again, you can always
` >``>ÞÌ«vvÌ}iÌÌÀÕ}
the day and avoid letting your battery
level drop too low.
If you really to go all out, there are
also some physical accessories that can
manage this for you and essentially
cut off the power for every charge
completely once a certain battery level’s
LiiÀi>Vi`°/>Ì½Ã>wiiÕ}
option, if you don’t mind dropping
the extra cash and charging only in a
Ã«ÌÜiÀiÌ>ÌÃ«iVwV>««>À>ÌÕÃÃ
available. But I’m telling you: taking
your phone off the charger when it hits
a certain point is something you’ll get
accustomed to quickly, provided your
schedule supports it.
However you go about it, the
ultimate ideal is to keep your phone
LiÌÜiiÓä>`nä«iÀViÌvÌÃ
battery capacity as often as possible,
without any extended time sitting on a
charger and constantly being fed fresh
power. The same is true whether you’re
using an Android phone or any other
ÌÞ«ivL>ÌÌiÀÞì«iìÌ}â°
And with any combination of the
tactics we just went over, you’ll be able
to make that happen – and enjoy better

FEATURE
Credit: Getty Images/andresr

Android’s hidden Smart
Display superpower
Turn your phone into a completely customized intelligent info centre
ÜÌÌÃÌÜÕÌiÌÀV°,,č*č reports
F
or Android users there’s an iOS update. In short, the system brings
elephant in the room right now, >ÌiÀ>VÌÛi]vwi`ÌiÀv>ViÌ
and that elephant is Apple’s new an iPhone’s screen anytime it’s charging.
StandBy mode for phones. It’s kind of like turning it into a Smart
StandBy mode, if you haven’t heard, Display, and it’s something Android
is a fancy new feature in Apple’s latest) ÕÃiÀÃVÕ`LiiwÌvÀ>ÃÜi°

Well, have I got good news for you: VÕ«iÕÌiÃvµÕVVw}ÕÀ>Ì]
Android’s had something similar for it can add a whole new dimension
ages now. Here’s what you need to do. of usefulness onto any phone you’re
V>ÀÀÞ}° iÃÌv>¶iÃÌÌ}Ã
FINDING YOUR ANDROID Ƃ`À`]Ì½Ã«ÀiÃÃÛiÞyiÝLi>`
STANDBY-STYLE SET-UP i>ÃÞÌi>ViÜÌÌÀ`«>ÀÌÞ>``
ÀÃÌÌ}ÃwÀÃÌ\Ì½ÃÜÀÌÀi`} ons that let you take total control over
ourselves that Android has a few exactly how the system operates.
`vviÀiÌ«ÌÃvÀ>-Ì>` ÞiÃiÌ /w`ÌiÃÞÃÌiÌiwÀÃÌ«>Vi]
Õ«>Þì«i°-«iVwV>Þ\ wÀiÕ«ÞÕÀ«i½ÃÃÞÃÌiÃiÌÌ}Ã
and search for the phrase screen
1. vÞÕ½Ûi}Ì>}i>ì saver. (The feature was once called
*ÝiìÛVi]ÌivwV>*Ýi-Ì>` Daydream, but Google then used that
is designed to turn your phone into same name for another service that’s
a Smart Display of sorts anytime it’s since been discontinued.)
charging – without any meaningful Ü]w`>`Ì>«Ìi¼-VÀiiÃ>ÛiÀ½
ivvÀÌ ÀÃiÌÕ«ÀiµÕÀi`° option in the list of results that comes
2. On Samsung Galaxy gadgets, an up, and make sure (a) the toggle to
expanded version of the standard activate it is in the on position and (b)
Ƃ`À`>Ü>ÞÃ`Ã«>Þvi>ÌÕÀiiÌÃ the ‘When to start’ setting is set to
ÞÕw`>`Vw}ÕÀivÕyi`}i` ‘While docked and charging’.
widgets within your phone’s default idle
interface – though you have to tap twice A SMARTER ANDROID
on the clock in that environment and 5/#46|5%4''0
ÌiÃÜ«iÕ«À`ÜÌw`Ìi° By default, Android comes with a few
different and simple options for its
Beyond that and more broadly, screen saver system. But you can give
Android’s had a universally available ÞÕÀÃiv>ÕVÀiÕÃivÕÃiÌÕ«LÞ
«ÜiÀ«>Vi`ÃVÀiiÃ>ÛiÀÃÞÃÌi>Ì Ã>}}}>vÀiiÌÀ`«>ÀÌÞ«À}À>
the operating system level since way called Widget Screensaver from the
back in the platform’s 2012 Android 4.2 Google Play Store (fave.co/3XJIiTP).
era. It’s gone through a couple of name Widget Screensaver automatically
changes and largely been forgotten activates anytime your device is idle and
over time, but it’s still there – and with a turns it into a completely customized

FEATURE
£° 2.
intelligent info centre. It’ll make your Next, use the top two sliders –
phone indispensable at a time when it’s for the widget’s width and height,
usually useless. respectively – to increase its size and
Once you’ve installed it, head back
into that same ‘Screen saver’ section of
your system settings, and you should
see it as an option (£°). Tap it to select
Ì]ÌiÌ>«Ìi¼
ÕÃÌâi½LÕÌÌÌ>Ì
appears within it. And now it’s time to
create your personal masterpiece.
Widget Screensaver lets you
add any Android widgets you want
ÌÞÕÀ iÜìÌiÃVÀii>`
arrange them however you want. Tap
the ‘Pick a widget’ box at the top of
Ìi >««½ÃVw}ÕÀ>ÌÃVÀii]Ìi
w` >`ÃiiVÌÜ>ÌiÛiÀÜ`}iÌÞÕ
3.
want to use (2.).

get it exactly where you want on the
screen (3.). Note, too, that you can tap
the little phone orientation button in the
centre of that screen to shift between a
landscape and horizontal view.
You can add as many widgets as
you want and put them in any size and
position you want. That makes the
possibilities with this practically limitless:
ÞÕVÕ`>ÛiÞÕÀ«i½ÃìÌi
interface show you a view of your
upcoming calendar events and your
inbox, for instance, or maybe your tasks
and your notes.
You can also set Widget Screensaver
to work in both landscape and
horizontal orientations, depending on
how your phone is placed whenever it’s
charging – or you can force it to always
go into the landscape style if you prefer.
Peruse through the other options
in that area and then all that’s left is
to plug your phone in and watch your
iÜÞ«Ìâi`]«À`ÕVÌÛÌÞi>V}
creation come to life.
And there you have it: your phone is
vwV>ÞÜÀi>`ÞÌÜÀvÀÞÕiÛi
when it’s sitting around and seemingly
doing nothing.

Android Advisor 113 - 2023 UK

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REVIEWED: GOOGLE PIXEL TABLET

REVIEWS BUYING GUIDE

2 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 113

ISSUE 113 • ANDROID ADVISOR 3

Google Pixel Fold

4 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 113

ISSUE 113 • ANDROID ADVISOR 5

is likely to address in the Fold 5 that ÃVÀiiÌ >Ìw>wÛi`i}ÀiiÃÀÃÌLi

6 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 113

ISSUE 113 • ANDROID ADVISOR 7

8 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 113

ISSUE 113 • ANDROID ADVISOR 9

10 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 113

ISSUE 113 • ANDROID ADVISOR 11

12 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 113

Geekbench 5 (multi-core) Talking of being a premium device,

ISSUE 113 • ANDROID ADVISOR 13

14 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 113

16 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 113

ISSUE 113 • ANDROID ADVISOR 17

18 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 113

ISSUE 113 • ANDROID ADVISOR 19

BATTERY LIFE v>ÃÌV >À}}« i°}i`iÃ½Ì

20 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 113

phone – perhaps a Pixel 7 Pro – and • 1- /Þ«i

ISSUE 113 • ANDROID ADVISOR 21

Motorola Razr 40 Ultra

22 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 113

ISSUE 113 • ANDROID ADVISOR 23

Ì i*>Ìi>««ÀÛi`¼6Û>>}iÌ>½ display is also impressively high quality,

24 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 113

ISSUE 113 • ANDROID ADVISOR 25

GFX Aztec Open (normal) is standard for foldables right now –

26 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 113

ISSUE 113 • ANDROID ADVISOR 27

28 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 113

…and another taken with the

helped by a capable portrait

ISSUE 113 • ANDROID ADVISOR 29

`>ÀiÀV`ÌÃ°/ ÃÃ>wiL>V wireless charging, though the wired

30 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 113

ISSUE 113 • ANDROID ADVISOR 31

folding display is still likely

displays like this truly useful we need SPECIFICATIONS

32 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 113

ISSUE 113 • ANDROID ADVISOR 33

34 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 113

ISSUE 113 • ANDROID ADVISOR 35

better than phones that have

36 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 113

ISSUE 113 • ANDROID ADVISOR 37

38 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 113

40 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 113

ISSUE 113 • ANDROID ADVISOR 41

42 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 113

ISSUE 113 • ANDROID ADVISOR 43

But if you don’t care about Android’s • 1- /Þ«i

44 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 113

ISSUE 113 • ANDROID ADVISOR 45

46 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 113

120Hz. It’s crisp, with a high resolution PERFORMANCE

ISSUE 113 • ANDROID ADVISOR 47

Edition’ of the 7 Gen 1, though

48 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 113

is likely to address in the Fold 5 that ÃVÀiiÌ>Ìw>wÛi`i}ÀiiÃÀÃÌLi

BATTERY LIFE v>ÃÌV>À}}«i°}i`iÃ½Ì

phone – perhaps a Pixel 7 Pro – and • 1- /Þ«i

Ìi*>Ìi>««ÀÛi`¼6Û>>}iÌ>½ display is also impressively high quality,

`>ÀiÀV`ÌÃ°/ÃÃ>wiL>V wireless charging, though the wired

But if you don’t care about Android’s • 1- /Þ«i

Ã}ixä«ÃiwiV>iÀ>]ÌÕ} wireless charging support. The likes of

ÕÌiÃÃ>««Ã>ÀiÃÕ««ÀÌi`VÕ`} The Pixel Tablet is a tricky customer

2:/16141.#|/161) software of this phone looks, and it’s a

ÀVÕ>ÀÃÕLÃVÀ«Ì«>]ÜViÌÃ 128GB storage instead of 64GB, and

hand earbud controls play and pause. A ÌiÓ`}iƂ««iƂÀ`ÃÀ

ÎäÇ£>Õ`V«] much more affordable alternatives to

>iÀÃ>ÛiÃ>`ÃÕ`Õvyi` the wooly warm bass is still not as