Category: Android

#MWC2018 Samsung Unpacked – Our live coverage

This is one of the bigger events before MWC 2018 kicks off proper – Samsung Unpacked. We are expecting to see the Galaxy S9 and S9+ properly revealed to the world. Leigh is at the event and will be live blogging his thoughts, opinions and reactions here. If …

#MWC2018 – Nokia live stream

Do you want to be part of our reporting team here in Barcelona? Well, come on, grab a seat next to us as we watch the Nokia Live Event. Sadly they’ve not made this feed “shareable”, so you’ll need to click here to watch it over on YouTube. …

#MWC2018 Huawei live blog

Time for us to see what Huawei have got up their sleeve for at this years MWC keynote. We pretty much know that we are not going to see a new phone but there may be some new tablets on the horizon. Join the live blog to find …

#MWC18 – Is it the LG G7? No, but we do get an LG V30S

One thing we won’t be seeing here in Barcelona (and yes, I’ve made it!) is the all-new LG G7. I’ve owned quite a few LG handsets – the G6 is a big favourite of mine and I held onto the LG G4 for absolutely ages. Loved that. The …

#MWC18 – The S9 and S9+. Squeezing even more leaks from Samsung

The Samsung Galaxy S9 and the Samsung Galaxy S9+. Ok, come on. Is there anything that we don’t know about these phones ? Well, if there is, there’ll be lots more unknowns filled in with the video below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQBpW-zWMXY This was quickly grabbed and re-uploaded by SlashLeaks after …

#MWC18 – Alcatel 1x, 3, and 3x revealed

Hello! Today, here in Barcelona (yes, we made it), Alcatel will be launching their new handsets. It’s Mobile World Congress, so it’s the start of the mobile madness! You can whack your refresh button right here on the site to get the latest information. That or Twitter, whatever …

#MWC18 – Sony Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact leakage

On Monday at Mobile World Congress we’ll have another big launch from Sony. This time, according to serial leaker Evan Blass, it’ll include a couple of full-screen smartphones. First, there’s this, the Xperia XZ2. The XZ2 will have a 5.7″ screen, but there’ll be another handset announced too …

Acorn, yes Acorn, announces the Micro Phone C5

Those of a “certain age” may recall using an Acorn computer at school. In the “computer lab” you may have had a Research Machines 380Z or a BBC Micro, with Acorn being the brains behind the latter. If you remember any of that, well, it was about 30-40 …

#MWC18 – LG refresh the K10 and K8

Well, this is a bit weird. We’re getting told what’ll get launched before they’re actually… launched. Either way, LG have emailed in to tell us about a couple of lower-end phones which will be making an appearance at Mobile World Congress. They say that these have some “premium …

#MWC18 – Meet the Land Rover Explore

Sadly no, we’re not getting to test-drive a new Land Rover. However, Land Rover have started making phones. This is their first, and it comes via Bullitt Group, the same people who came up with the CAT phones. It’s another rugged handset for rugged lives. It’ll be on …

Boston Dynamics notch up the freakiness

Alright, this is just plain scary now. We saw the oh-my-god dog robot things just a week ago, but Boston Dynamics have decided to go and attack one as it’s doing the clever door-opening trick. What freaks me out is the natural movements of this thing. The way …

#MWC18 – The CAT S61. A phone that can smell.

Back in 2015 I managed to get a look at some cool new tech that could give your smartphone a sense of smell. Now, it’s here, inside the all-new CAT S61. This is a smartphone that can check the air quality around you. It’ll measure temperature, humidity and …

Huawei P20 Spotted?

A few days ago we had some mysterious postcards sent to us from Huawei. There was a definite emphasis on camera tech and, although we’re not expecting the handset in question to be announced at Mobile World Congress. This, we think, is all about the upcoming Huawei P20. …

Doogee Mix 2 – Now it’s crazy cheap

This morning an email dropped into my mailbox from Banggood. Within the promotional mail was a link to the DOOGEE MIX 2. This is now down to just £153.70 – that’s 30% cheaper than previously. I’ve not reviewed this one personally but the specs do seem very decent …

Samsung Galaxy S9 – The leaks continue!

Remember how the esteemed leaker, Evan Blass, told everyone that he was going to retire? Yeah, well… that didn’t happen, and his leaks continue to be rock solid, year after year. We’ve already had lots of specs being leaked, but now there’s clearer shots of both the Galaxy …

Honor 9 Lite – Video review

This morning I had a bit of a rant about this phone, and I’ll tell you why. I’ve been in this business since 2002. For years I’ve reviewed the “top-end” phones and a smattering of “budget Android handsets”. The latter, and let’s not beat about the bush, are …

Honor 9 vs Honor 9 Lite – The camera test… and a rant

I’m properly intrigued by these two phones. The Honor 9 has been in my pocket for many months now and I think it’s a brilliant handset. It’s £349.99 from the official UK store. The newly-announced Honor 9 Lite, on the right here, has an arguably better screen and …

Moto Z2 Play coming to Three UK

Three emailed us recently with some exciting news for gaming fans, but with the mass emails for Mobile World Congress it looks like it was overlooked. Thankfully the news is that the Motorola Z2 Play will be coming to Three UK in April, with an exclusive gamepad thrown …

Honor 9 Lite vs Honor 9

We’re lucky enough to have an Honor 9 and an Honor 9 Lite, so we figured a big batch of comparison photos was definitely worth showing. They’re both blue (here at least, you can get the 9 Lite in grey too) and they’re both shiny, but which is …

Huawei are up to something

Hello, what’s this? Some postcards? Sent via Royal Mail? From Huawei? What could it all mean? With Mobile World Congress just a week away, we figured Huawei might be sending us something about that, but it looks to point to a P20 launch in Paris on March 27th. …

Get yourself a Sony PS4 with your next phone

Just a few years ago, I vividly remember some of the free gifts being given away with some of the less-popular phones. Usually these would be in the back of newspapers, and you’d find some Nokia B7 Lite (I made up that name) on offer with a “free” …

MWC – Get ready for Samsung Unpacked

Every year we pack up the Coolsmartphone office, grab a flight to Barcelona, and cover the utter insanity that is Mobile World Congress. To many it might sound like some sort of business conference, but it’s the place where the latest mobile phones, services and apps all get …

Three and EE launch Samsung Galaxy S9 pre-registrations

Being careful not to reveal whether it’s the Galaxy S9 or just the Galaxy 9, Three have put their pre-registration site online already. Once the thing is actually announced, you’ll be one of the first to know exactly when you can get it and how much it’ll be. …

Honor 9 Lite now on sale

Want to get the Honor 9 Lite we revealed the other day? Well, now you can. Splash out £199 on the Honor Store and then get yourself a good SIM only deal. Boom. You’re done. Why they’ve called it “Lite”, I really don’t know. OK, it’s got a …

Meet the Energizer Hardcase H550S

OK, so following hot on the heels of the P600S is this, the Energizer Hardcase H550S. This sucker is water resistant and shock proof. Drop it from 1.5 metres and it’ll survive. Stick it under water for up to 30 metres and again, it’ll be fine to use. …

Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus Unboxing

The Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus has arrived. I’m quite excited by this device as it is amazing vale for money at around £130. Here is the video of me unboxing it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=levTES8VCW0 What do you get for £130? Quite a lot: 5.99 FHD+ (1080×2160) 18:9 screen 12MP camera …

Official. The Honor 9 Lite.

A new phone, with an extremely attractive pricepoint, has just been announced in London by Honor. It’ll cost, get this, just £199.99. Why is that a big deal? Because it’s got 4 cameras? Because it’s got the nano-scale optical coating? Because of the high-end glass casing? The 5.65″ …

Google release Visual Core upgrade for Pixel 2

Owners of the Pixel 2 will already know how great the camera is, in fact often referred too as ‘the best camera ever on a smartphone’ There are thousands of photos online being promoted using the #teampixel tag, some from myself too and some of these are seriously …

PayPal no longer eBay’s first payment choice

In a move that says it will be a benefit to both sellers and buyers alike, eBay is going to drop PayPal as the site’s main payments processor, the online giant stated in a blog post. People buying items on eBay will be able to pay without leaving …

More Galaxy S9 and S9+ details

Samsung is now gearing up to launch the 2018 versions of its flagship Galaxy series, the S9 and the S9+. They have an unpacked event scheduled for the 25th February, which is just prior to this years Mobile World Congress, in Barcelona. Both handsets will be powered by …

It’s the start of the year, and we’re all a bit skint.

I spend a lot of my day on my smartphone. However, I perhaps use it very differently to many others. Instead of browsing Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, you’ll instead find me working. Using either a Notepad or the official WordPress app to write stories, or editing and sharing …

Honor 9 and Honor 8 Pro getting Android Oreo very soon

It’s not arrived on my Honor 9 just yet, but Honor UK tell me that the Honor 8 Pro handsets should be getting a big dose of Oreo goodness very soon indeed. The company tell me that you’ll have improved boot times, better speed, more efficiency and reduced …

Get an Honor 7X, grab yourself some in-game credit and a free case

Back in November last year we took a good look at the Honor 7X. It comes equipped with a 5.93″ (2160 X 1080) edge-to-edge “FullView” screem (at the 18:9 ratio). For £269.99 you get 4GB of memory, 64GB storage, a dual-lens 16 and 2 megapixel camera arrangement, microSD …

TomTom, remember them? Now they’re killing off lifetime updates.

Every. Single. Time someone asks me what TomTom to get, I say, “Why? Use Google Maps”. Across Europe, you get inclusive data, so you can use Google Maps there and benefit from live traffic and routing information. Meanwhile, if you want to go further, you can download offline …