Category: Android Phone Reviews
You might be confused already. A phone with two numbers in the title – one written as a word, one as a digit? It’s basically the shrunken-down version of the HTC One M8 which I spent a week with very recently, but of course you’re going to going …
LG have come on leaps and bounds over the last few years and in my eyes 2013 was their year. They device after device that captured people’s hearts, souls and wallets. The Nexus 4, Nexus 5, G2 and of course the G Pad 8.3 which were all great …
This handset has a lot of the features I’ve seen on the HTC One M8. I mean sure, if you fire up the camera you won’t have the Zoe camera option, or the Pan 360 setting, or that rather clever “Dual capture” options, but you still get those …
I’ve used the HTC One M8 for a week now. It’s been my primary phone, so it’s had to put up with my daily abuse. As a heavy smartphone user, that’s no small ask. First up, I’m an existing Android owner, so out of the box I …
Samsung are known for pumping out device after device from their design factory, and one that was rather unique but caught a lot of attention was the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom. The handset packed an S4 mini and a Samsung camera into a single device and we reviewed …
In this day and age now and again you have to take a punt on something, just in case you’ve found something special. That’s exactly what I did with the Oppo Find 7a. But is it a dud? No its not, you’ll have to read on to find …
Over the years I’ve not really had much time for Sony, I’ve had a play with most of their devices and I’ve never really been that impressed. Yes the build quality and design on the Z, Z1 and the Z1 Compact is rather splendid, but something always ruined …
I recently received the Acer Z5 budget smartphone through for review, and despite there being a dual-SIM variant, this is the single SIM version. After unboxing my first impressions were… “Hang on, someone has put a Nexus 5 in here by mistake!” Good Points Good feel in the …
Whoway? Who are they? The answer of this question is really a simple one. Huawei are the people who have been, and continue to, make the equipment that powers our mobile networks. It’s the kit that keeps us all talking to each other, but it’s mostly hidden in cabinets. They’ve …
EE as a brand have been around for 2 years now. They hit the headlines after launching 4G services nearly a full year ahead of the competition. Both Orange and T-Mobile brands have had quite a few devices made for them by manufacturers already, but with 4G being …
The Galaxy S range has become a bit of a Marmite thing. Many many people love the Galaxy S range, with the S3, the S4 and now the S5. But contrary to there are many people who really do hate them. Often on Twitter I’ll mention something to …
I have now had the Huawei Ascend P7 in my hands for a little under 12 hours and in that time I have had a play with the device properly. This includes that new “Panoramic Selfie” feature. All in all I think it is a very nice handset. …
Oppo are slowly getting a name for themselves in the Western world, here at Coolsmartphone we’ve bought and reviewed several of their recent flagships. This time round with the Find 7a it was down to me to dig into my pockets and order one. As I’ve only had …
The new Sony Xperia Z2 was announced back in January at CES and after a few delays it has finally arrived with pre-orders being sent out over the last week and available in stores from tomorrow. I’ve been lucky enough to get hold of one, a smartband …
HTC are a company known for making high end smartphones such as the Desire, Sensation and Legend. Their premier device of 2013 – the One – has now been uprated and the new version is known as the M8. The company announced two new devices at MWC in …
Cast you mind back to 2013 Motorola announced the Moto X, resplendent in many different colours and accents with talk of tiny bezels and no need to have the latest and greatest spec . Fast forward eight months and us poor UK residents can finally get hold of …
For some people flagship phones such as the original Sony Xperia Z1 are a little on the large size. A 5″ screen could be a little too much, Whilst we have ‘mini’ versions of some phones, like the S3 Mini, S4 Mini etc; normally picking a mini device …
Archos may not be the first name you think of when it comes to buying a mobile phone, but maybe it should be on your list. I spent a fortnight in the company of the Archos 50 Oxygen to see what the French company had to offer. Good …
Archos? I know what you’re thinking: the ones who make the weird Gamepads, right? No thanks… But wait, what if I told you Archos make a quad core Android phone with a 5″ Full HD display, a 13MP camera, and costs less than £300? Still dubious? Me too. …
“Have you sat on that mate?” It’s an interesting first reaction to the LG G Flex when people see it sat on the desk. The curved appearance of the handset is like nothing else on the market and, despite what people might think, I’ve not sat on it. …
Kazam have appeared in the last few months, offering some cheap devices with dual SIM slots and a few extra quirks. The company was formed by two ex HTC UK staff so they know a thing or two about phones. The Trooper 4.0 is their entry level model …
Remember our HTC Desire 500 review? Well, this is the Desire 300, and it’s a …. bit… different. The Desire 500 has a quad-core 1.2GHz CPU, an 8 megapixel and 1.6 megapixel camera. This Desire 300 has a dual-core 1GHz CPU and a 5 megapixel shooter with a …
It’s unfeasibly big, it’s got a rotating camera, a rear touch panel, and it runs a custom ROM out of the box, but is the Oppo N1 CM Edition innovative or just a giant freak? I put my credit card where my mouth is to find out. So …
Budget Android phone. Those three words for many years have basically meant that somewhere in the phone there will be a compromise. A compromise that was so badly thought out you’d think it was made by a child or a large rock. Over the years many many many …
You want an initial impression of the Oppo N1 CM Edition? It’s massive! Seriously, that’s the first impression everyone has of it. Let’s get over that for now, because size isn’t everything. No really, it isn’t. An impressive package In fact, the initial impression I got of the …
The Samsung Galaxy Express 2 fills a size gap between the Galaxy S4 and the Galaxy S4 mini, but its price is the lowest of the three. Is it an awkward, overgrown child, or a serious smartphone worthy of consideration? I’ve spent a fortnight with one to find …
The budget end of the smartphone world is always a tad scary. This, the ZTE Blade V, has a 5 megapixel camera with flash, 4GB of internal memory, a microSD card slot and a quad-core 1.2GHz CPU. That’s a good start. Not only that, but if you’re a …
It’s got many of the HTC One features, but it’s much cheaper. Currently you can pick one up unlocked for less than £200, so does the HTC Desire 500 perform? Specs Weight – 123g Dimensions – 131.8 x 66.9 x 9.9mm Display – 4.3″ WVGA CPU – Quad-core …
Introduction I have been a fan of the iPhone ever since the iPhone 3G, but find that after around 12 to 18 months of using a phone I get very bored. The issue with iOS is that it looks and feels the same no matter which device you’re …
When reviewing the Nexus 5, I’m extremely conscious of getting caught up in the excitement phase that accompanies receiving a new phone. After looking back at last year’s review, I actually feel that my assessment was mostly fair. But still, the passing of time has allowed that device’s …
Just how bad is the LG skin? Is it worse than TouchWiz? How is that button on the back? That’s what people say to me when the see I’ve got the LG G2. The LG G2 is one of the most unique devices of recent times and as …
Let’s face it, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is the new flagship for Samsung. No longer does the Galaxy S range sit at the top of the pile. With the original Note it was very similar to the S2, with only the screen size and the design being …
This is a review of the ThL W8S. You can read my initial impressions post here. I purchased the phone from Pandawill, a China based exporter and it cost $295 (which converted to £185.67 on the day). It is now listed at $279 with only one battery and …
The Huawei Ascend P2 was a device we first spotted back in Barcelona some months ago and, finally, it’s here. Inside there’s some pretty decent specs. Decent? No, that’s not the right word. Very good. Firstly you have that 4.7″ 720×1280 pixel screen. Resolution is great – the …
The last few weeks have been interesting, I’ve been using the GOCLEVER FONE 570Q phablet as one of my main devices and it’s about time for the main review. My initial impressions are here if you’re interested. The GOCLEVER is one of those devices that look identical to …
HTC have been making pretty good hardware for a while now and their latest range of ‘One’ handsets have been some of the most impressive phones of the year so far. However, large phones are becoming more popular now. We’ve already seen the Samsung Galaxy Note range and …
The LG G2 has a tough market to compete in, the high end Android arena has a lot of big players in it currently. We have HTC, Samsung and Google all with devices around about 5″ so the G2 will draw lots of comparisons. I’ve only had the …
As mentioned in this weeks podcast, 2013 has very much been LG’s year. With the relative success of the Nexus 4, the rumoured Nexus 5 and the release of the much vaunted LG G2 what was a bit part player in the Android ecosystem has become a big …
Small things have a place in life, small phones definitely do too. Not everyone wants a huge device and not everyone wants a super complicated device covered in widgets and shortcuts. Good Points DTS Audio Small and compact Several different launchers designed for kids and the elderly Dual …
The LG G2 was announced on the 7th of August in New York and in true LG style the UK sort of got left behind, the G2 is only just starting to appear at retailers and networks. Last night we attended the UK launch party in …
