OnePlus Nord N20 5G Review: Great Value Never Looked So Good

For better or for worse, OnePlus is changing. In the past year, the company has merged with Oppo, transitioned OxygenOS to Oppo’s ColorOS code base, and replaced Warp Charge with Oppo’s SuperVOOC. But here in the US, OnePlus also grew almost 3x thanks in no small part to its affordable Nord N series handsets. And while the OnePlus Nord N10 5G ($300) missed the mark somewhat, we really enjoyed the OnePlus Nord N200 5G ($240). Today, we’re checking out the newest member of the Nord N series, the OnePlus Nord N20 5G ($282), an ultra-stylish 5G phone that gains a Snapdragon 695 processor...

OnePlus 10 Pro Review: A Solid Android Flagship With Innovative Cameras

by Myriam Joire - Thu, Mar 31, 2022

A lot has changed at OnePlus over the past year. The company has merged with Oppo, and OnePlus’ OxygenOS now shares a common codebase with Oppo’s ColorOS. Warp Charge is now called SuperVOOC, which is Oppo’s fast charging brand. OnePlus also set sales records in 2021, shipping 11 million phones worldwide, and growing by 286% in the US market, thanks to its affordable Nord N series handsets. Then, in January, after years of simultaneously launching its flagship globally, the company released the OnePlus 10 Pro in China only with ColorOS 12 and 80W fast charging, but without a OnePlus...

Oppo Find X5 Pro Hands-On: A Premium Flagship With Serious Camera Chops

by Myriam Joire - Sun, Mar 06, 2022

Last week, Oppo launched its latest Android flagship – the Find X5 Pro (€1,299 / ~$1400) – and we just spent a few days using the phone in Barcelona during Mobile World Congress 2022. Before we share our first impressions, let’s provide some context. Oppo’s Find X series has always delivered top specs with premium design – for a price. It’s popular in markets outside the US, and is somewhat similar to the OnePlus Pro line of flagships. The original Find X featured a motorized camera pod and a notch-less display. In 2020, the Find X2 Pro boasted a 5x...

RedMagic 7 Review: A Crazy-Fast, Affordable Snapdragon Gaming Phone

by Myriam Joire - Tue, Feb 22, 2022

Over the years, Chinese phone manufacturer RedMagic has managed to build a reputation for making affordable, feature-packed gaming phones and selling them in the US. The company typically releases new models in the spring using Qualcomm’s latest flagship processor, then launches similar, but updated versions in the fall, often with Qualcomm’s revised “plus” chipsets. And since the RedMagic 3, these handsets have included a built-in cooling fan to maintain optimal, sustained performance. With last year’s RedMagic 6, the company also introduced Pro variants with slightly...

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra And S22+ Review: Ultimate Android Flagships

by Myriam Joire - Fri, Feb 18, 2022

Another year, another triplet of Samsung Galaxy S flagships. Last week, Samsung launched the Galaxy S22 ($799), S22+ ($999), and S22 Ultra ($1,199), three premium phones with high-end specs that are targeted at dominating the Android landscape in the US, and battling the Android competition abroad. Needless to say, these are important handsets for the company, the carriers, the industry, and consumers alike. But things are different this year. Samsung has a lot more riding on the S22 series, especially after last year’s lackluster flagship sales. Regardless, by all accounts, the S21 series...

Unpacking Samsung's Hot New Galaxy S22 And Tab S8 Flagships, A Hands-On First Look

by Marco Chiappetta, Paul Lilly - Wed, Feb 09, 2022

Ahead of today's Galaxy Unpacked 2022 event, Samsung had teased the introduction of "the most noteworthy S series device we've ever created," and had even been accepting reservations, with a $50 credit serving as an incentive for doing so. Samsung was obviously referencing its Galaxy S22 series, and today's reveal makes it official—the Galaxy S22 lineup is here, and we've gone hands on with the series for a first look at the actual phones (read: these are not renders). And spoiler alert, they're gorgeous. There are three main models to choose from, including the Galaxy S22 Ultra, Galaxy S22+,...

Sony Xperia 5 iii Review: Petite Android Phone With Camera Chops

by Myriam Joire - Tue, Feb 08, 2022

For a few years now, Sony’s been making premium, feature-rich, media-centric, flagship smartphones that incorporate technologies from its Alpha cameras, and target die-hard Sony customers. This niche strategy appears to be working for the company, as it continues to bring new handsets to market. In 2021, Sony launched the Xperia Pro ($2000), Xperia Pro-I ($1800), Xperia 1 iii ($1300), and Xperia5 iii ($1000). Today we take a look at Sony's most affordable flagship, the Xperia 5 iii. If you’ve been keeping tabs, Sony’s “bread and butter” phones – if there is such...

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE Review: Full-Featured Yet Affordable

by Dave Altavilla - Tue, Jan 18, 2022

Samsung's previous generation Galaxy S20 Fan Edition was met with high praise for its value proposition when it launched last November. The goal of Samsung's Galaxy FE products is to deliver key features most mainstream and enthusiast users want at a price point that's more approachable for the masses. This class of smartphones has been wildly popular with tech-savvy enthusiast consumers, so it's no surprise Samsung is bringing the Galaxy S21 FE 5G out as an extension of its successful Galaxy S21 family, just ahead of its next generation product launch that we should be hearing about in short order....

OnePlus 10 Pro Flagship Shows Off Premium Design In Its Official Launch Unveil

by Jeff Butts - Mon, Jan 03, 2022

Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus has given us an official sneak peek at its newest flagship handset. Rumors and leaks about the OnePlus 10 Pro have surfaced recently, but the company has kept quiet officially until now. With CES 2022 just around the corner, the excitement is building. As it did with the OnePlus 9 series of smartphones, OnePlus has partnered with renowned camera brand Hasselblad. For decades, Hasselblad has produced some of the finest camera equipment money could buy, making things look real good for the trio of camera lenses we can see on the rear of the OnePlus 10 Pro. While the...

Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Benchmarks: Huge AI And Gaming Gains For Next-Gen Android Flagships

by Paul Lilly, Myriam Joire - Tue, Dec 07, 2021

Qualcomm recently announced a new flagship mobile chipset for next-gen Android devices, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, which also kicks off a rebrand of the Snapdragon platform. Going forward, Qualcomm will no longer use three-digit model number designations as it has done with past chipsets like the Snapdragon 888+ 5G. In somewhat vague terms, Qualcomm said it needed a "bigger tent, a longer playing field so to speak," as it aims to broaden the appeal of Snapdragon "while keeping true to its core." The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 gets the party started, with Qualcomm kicking off its rebranding effort with a premium...

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Arrives To Supercharge Next-Gen AI Powered Flagship Phones

by Paul Lilly - Tue, Nov 30, 2021

Last week, Qualcomm teased a fresh new look and colors as part of a bold rebranding effort, with Snapdragon becoming a standalone consumer brand. Now a week later, at the Snapdragon Tech Summit that's currently underway, Qualcomm is ready to share more details about what lies ahead for Snapdragon. To kick off the rebrand, Qualcomm has announced the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, a brand new flagship chipset that not only supplants the Snapdragon 888+ 5G at the top of the stack, it also leaves behind the old three-digit model number designations it had been using. Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon At Snapdragon...

Google Pixel 6 And Pixel 6 Pro Review: A Bold Return To Android Flagships

by Dave Altavilla - Mon, Oct 25, 2021

Last week we gave you an early hands-on look at Google's oft leaked Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. Even Google has teased these new Android flagships a time or two, leaning into the engineering the company has done on the semi-custom design of its Tensor mobile platform processor. Tensor is rumored to be based on Samsung's Exynos 2100 SoC with an amped-up neural processing engine, or TPU (Tensor Processing Unit) for improved machine learning performance, and a few other tweaks as well. Regardless of whether the rumblings of Tensor's silicon lineage are true, the new chip is manufactured by Samsung on...

iPhone 13 Pro Review: Fast, Impressive But Unfinished

by Ben Funk - Wed, Sep 29, 2021

Another Apple iPhone launch event has come and gone, with the company's latest flagship and mid-range phones already shipping to customers, arriving on front porches just a few short days ago. In a second consecutive year of component shortages, Apple's deep resources and influence seemed to mitigate any potential issues securing chip fab space, which means there's plenty of iPhone supply to go around. This year's devices bring a mix of needed catch-up features, improvements and interesting bonuses that are designed to set the company's smartphones apart from its Android-bearing rivals. ...

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 Review: Third Time's The Charm?

by Ben Funk - Wed, Sep 15, 2021

Samsung has been refining its innovative foldable phone line-up for a couple of years now. While the first iteration of the company's Galaxy Z Fold may not have been terribly robust out in the wild, last year's follow up was by most accounts a solid device. This year, the newest Galaxy Z Fold3 5G seems to have it all: a malleable 7.6" screen, more durable construction, Qualcomm's flagship Snapdragon 5G Mobile Platform, and enough memory and storage to keep the Galaxy Z Fold3 viable for a long time to come.  There are many questions we wanted to answer with this device. What's it like...

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 Review: The Folding Flagship Refined

by Myriam Joire - Mon, Sep 13, 2021

Two years ago, Samsung ushered the era of folding phones with the daring (but ultimately flawed) Galaxy Fold. In 2020, the company followed suit with three much improved foldables -- the stylish Galaxy Z Flip, Z Flip 5G, and the powerful Galaxy Z Fold2. With most of the kinks worked out (pun intended), these excellent handsets were finally worth recommending, though cost and durability were still obstacles for many. But things are different today. Samsung’s new water-resistant $1800 GalaxyZ Fold3 and $1000 Galaxy Z Flip3 are more affordable and life-proof than ever. While the Fold series...

Google Pixel 5a 5G Review: A Well-Executed Battery Life King

by Myriam Joire - Tue, Aug 17, 2021

After weeks of leaks and rumors, and a mere ten months since the original's launch, Google just revised its mid-range Pixel 4a 5G and lowered the price by $50. Behold the slightly larger and heavier Pixel 5a ($449), which bumps the display size from 6.2 to 6.34 inches, increases the battery capacity from 3,885 to 4680mAh, swaps the plastic body for a metal shell, and adds water resistance. The Pixel 4a 5G was arguably Google's best phone of 2020, striking the perfect balance between cost and specs. We're big fans, so there's nothing wrong with an update and price drop. In all, the Pixel 5a inherits...

Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders Review: Qualcomm & ASUS Set The Bar

by Marco Chiappetta - Mon, Aug 16, 2021

Although a number of leaks hinted at is existence, it wasn’t until early last month that ASUS and Qualcomm made the Smartphone For Snapdragon Insiders official. According to Qualcomm’s website, its Snapdragon Insiders program is already 1.5M+ members strong. The program, which is meant to directly engage with Snapdragon enthusiasts, consists of regular email newsletters and exclusive invitations to contests, influencer events and AMAs with product experts. The Smartphone For Snapdragon insiders is a device developed with these users in mind. Built by ASUS in collaboration with Qualcomm,...

Updated [Video] Hands-On Samsung’s Gorgeous, Powerful Galaxy Z Fold 3, Z Flip 3 And Galaxy Watch 4

by Brandon Hill - Wed, Aug 11, 2021

Although all of Samsung's announcements for its latest Galaxy Unpacked event were leaked weeks ago, the company officially revealed the new products today. On the smartphone side, we have the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3. For smartwatches, there's the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic. And some new buds were introduced as well -- the Galaxy Buds 2 with active noise canceling. Luckily, we were able to get some hands-on time with all four of the new products this week in New York City. Update, 8/11/21 - 2:22 PM ET - Check out our live hands-on guided video tour of Samsung's Galaxy...

Nubia Red Magic 6R Review: Affordable, Powerful Gaming Phone

by Myriam Joire - Fri, Jul 30, 2021

Gaming phones have really matured in recent years, with ASUS’ ROG, Lenovo’s Legion, Xiaomi’s Black Shark, and Nubia’s RedMagic all offering compelling performance-packed handsets for gamers. Oppo’s even rumored to be joining the party soon. Here in the US, RedMagic is the gaming phone value champ, and this year’s $599 RedMagic 6 is no exception. It basically updates last year’s $579 RedMagic 5G with a 165Hz display and a Snapdragon 888. That’s all well and good, but what got our attention recently is the $499 RedMagic 6R -- a super-affordable Snapdragon...

TCL 20 Pro 5G Review: Premium Features, Midrange Pricing

by Myriam Joire - Tue, Jul 06, 2021

In 2020, TCL ventured beyond its successful TV business by launching three TCL-branded phones in the US -- the $450 TCL 10 Pro and $250 10L (which we both reviewed), followed by the $400 TCL 10 5G UW. The company is no stranger to mobile, having previously sold budget handsets under the Alcatel brand. But last year’s TCL 10-series was aimed squarely at Moto’s US mid-range lineup, and was quite competitive. Then, at CES 2021, TCL announced the 20-series, which first landed in other regions, but is now available in the US with three phones -- the $500 TCL 20 Pro 5G, $250 20S, and $190...

OnePlus Nord N200 5G Review: A Budget 5G Phone That Delivers

by Myriam Joire - Mon, Jun 21, 2021

Last summer we reviewed the eponymous OnePlus Nord, and came away impressed. It never made it to North America, but its successor -- the $300 OnePlus Nord N10 5G -- did, and while the price was on point, we found that it simply cut too many corners to really hit the sweet spot. Most importantly, it seemed to lack that signature combination of OnePlus design and performance magic and the company's special attention to detail. We were somewhat disappointed, but it still flew off the shelves. Enter the $240 OnePlus Nord N200 5G, an attractive looking Snapdragon 480-equipped 5G phone which brings OnePlus...

ASUS Zenfone 8 Review: The Tiny But Mighty Android

by Myriam Joire - Thu, Jun 03, 2021

Most of you are likely familiar with ASUS’ extensive line of PCs and related components, including ASUS’ ROG gaming products. You’ve probably also seen our ASUS ROG Phone 5 benchmarks, which showcase this incredibly fast gaming phone. But let's not forget that ASUS has also been making innovative non-gaming handsets for years. In fact, the Zenfone series was first to introduce both the periscope camera and the flip camera to market. This year ASUS decided to launch two Android flagships, the €799 Zenfone 8 Flip, which continues the flip camera lineage, and the US bound €599...

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