Category: Android Phone Reviews

Acer Liquid S1 – Review

I’ll come out and say it, I love enormous phones, call them phablets, small tablets, massive phones or just plain old stupid. I’m a convert, I’ve come to terms with the fact I’m never going to be able to wear super skinny jeans and own a large phone. …

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 – Initial Impressions

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 arrived on my desk a few days ago. The Note 3 marks the third generation of the Galaxy Note range, it also marks the third Galaxy Note that I’ve owned. So as is often the case with a new device here at Coolsmartphone …

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini Review

So, Samsung then. We should skip a few chapters straight off. It’s a Samsung handset, so you know it’s going to be a well-built thing and the UI is going to be a polished and elegant place to be. The Galaxy S4 got a huge amount of attention …

My time with the HTC One Mini

A few months ago I had a HTC One for review, ever since it went back my life has been different, I’ve been constantly looking for a new phone to fill the 5″ 1080p Aluminium unibody sized gap in my life. I’ve played about the Galaxy S4 and …

Acer Liquid S1 phablet – Initial Impressions

The current generation of Acer devices are pretty impressive, at the top of the pile is the “S” range, which is the flagship device range. The Liquid S1 phablet is a great big thing with a 5.7″ screen and specs similar to the Galaxy Note II. I’ve had …

Xiaomi Mi2S Review

Review contributed by Richard King I first become a follower of MIUI back in 2012 when I was searching for a stable rom to put on an HTC Sensation XE. I was fed up with constantly finding bugs in other development ROMs that I was using, so I searched …

Acer Liquid Z3 Duo – Initial Impressions

The Acer Liquid Z3 could be called the “Liquid E2 Duo Mini” but not every manufacturer has to follow the Samsung rules. The Acer Liquid Z3 is a budget sub £100 dual core device and I’ve got one for the next few weeks. So to start off proceedings here …

ThL W8s – Initial Impressions

I saw what appeared to be a cracking deal on a decent spec’d smartphone whilst surfing the web a couple of weeks ago, took the plunge and ordered directly from China. I’d never seen or heard of the brand-name ThL or the W8s phone before and to be …

Huawei Ascend P6 – Review

So I’ve mentioned this new handset already. Out of the box it’s a corking design. Glance at it from the sides and you there’s a whiff of iPhone about it. Before I start though, I should also mention something else. I’m becoming increasingly impressed with Huawei. Sure, no-one …

GOCLEVER FONE 570Q – Initial Impressions

I’ve always been a fan of large oversized phones and also dual SIM phones, so imagine what I was like when a large white device with dual SIM slots arrived on my desk. I opened it up and I did a double take, I was hit with a …

Acer Liquid E2 – Review

Now and again a phone comes along that impresses me. It’s normally when the price, design, specifications, software and something special all combine to make something great. I’ve been using the Acer Liquid E2 for a few weeks now and am I impressed? Yes, but there are a …

HTC One mini review

The HTC One is the best handset that HTC have made, in my opinion at least. Now they’ve shrunk it down, but only a little bit. Whilst writing this review I’ve shown this new HTC One mini handset to three HTC One owners and they’re all pretty impressed …

Acer Liquid E2 – Initial Impressions

Acer have been flogging away in the tech industry for many years now, in the mobile tech industry they are onto about their fifth generation of mobile devices and the Liquid E2 sits firmly in the mid range budget bracket. I’ve got one for the next few weeks …

My time with the LG Nexus 4

Believe it or not I’ve never managed to use a Nexus 4, I’ve been near a smashed one once but that’s as close as I’ve got. My recent manoeuvres have been with slightly smaller phones than my regular Galaxy Note II, I’ve bought a Motorola RAZR i and …

LG Optimus L3 II – Review

The LG Optimus L3 was part of the surprisingly successful L-Series of budget Android phones. So successful that there is a second series now available. I’ve had the entry level Optimus L3 II for a couple of weeks to see what all the fuss is about. Tech Specs …

My time with the Sony Xperia Z

The Sony Xperia Z, to the masses it has been eclipsed by the HTC One and the Samsung Galaxy S4, to me it is the next logical step in my hunt to find my ideal “next generation” device. By next generation I mean compared to my Galaxy Note …

LG L3 II – First Impressions Review

The LG L3 II is part of the second generation of the quirky L-Series smartphones. The range is characterised by its almost square screen. It’s certainly an individual look, and because/despite of this they have sold millions worldwide. LG have been kind enough to loan us one, and …

Prestigio MultiPhone PAP4500 Duo – Review

Now and again I like to try something a little different. Be it food, clothes, holidays, new words or just mobile phones. This weeks review is exactly that, something different. Prestigio have been selling tablets for a while now and recently they’ve branched out into Smartphones. There range is …

My Time with the Samsung Galaxy S4

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of using the HTC One and when my time with it was up I just knew what phone I had to get next. It just had to be the Samsung Galaxy S4. I had heard a lot of fuss online about …

Huawei Ascend Mate – Review

Pop along to any major supermarket and you’ll no doubt find a bargain-basement 7″ tablet. Those cheap tablets will usually have a fairly large frame around the edge of the device but, for keeping the kids entertained, they will do. Now, imagine lopping less than an inch off …

Vodafone Smart III Android phone – Initial Impressions

The Vodafone Smart III (aka Alcatel 975) is an entry level Android smartphone with an eye on those who want something a little different; something fun, functional and funky (you can have that one, Apple, if you’re after a tag-line for iOS7!). I’ve got one for a week, …

LG Optimus L5 II – Review

The LG Optimus L5 II is an interesting little phone, plasticy, lightweight and covered in fingerprints yet still it is an appealing little phone. Introduced as the middle device in the 2nd generation of budget “Optimus L” phones, there is also an L3 and a L7 which are …

OPPO Find 5 initial impressions – Review

OPPO are an unkown quantity to many in the UK. It’s no surprise then that the launch of their latest flagship, the Find 5, was virtually undetected. I saw it on their web store and was so intrigued that I spent my own hard earned 399 Euros (about …

My time with the HTC One

Now and again a company gets it right when designing a phone. Like Apple did with the iPhone 4s, Nokia with the Lumia 800, Sony with the Xperia Z and now HTC with the One. When the HTC One arrived I knew that I wouldn’t be that shocked …

LG Optimus L5 II – Initial Impressions

LG and their phones have pretty much passed me by during my time on this planet. In fact I don’t think I’ve ever even touched one. Here is my history if you’re interested, (according to that I did once have an LG). So getting my hands on the Optimus …

Sony Xperia SP review

When I was contacted by Three about reviewing Sony Xperia SP device I was really looking forward to trying it out. The reason? Well, I already use the Sony Xperia Z as my own phone and wanted to see how it compared. At time of writing this review …

Samsung Galaxy S4 – Review

It’s fair to say that Samsung’s success with the Galaxy S3 has been nothing short of astonishing. The handset even gave the lauded iPhone 5 a run for it’s money in terms of pure numbers, and for good reason. Great performance, a slim plastic (sorry Samsung, polycarbonate) shell …

Cat B15 Review

It’s a sad fact that, if you choose to go for a traditional “tough” or “rugged” phone, people have often pointed and laughed at you. Oh, come on, don’t pretend. It’s true. Deep down you also know that you’ve cut some corners too. The screen is rubbish, the …

HTC One – Review

HTC have suffered somewhat this last year. Samsung, with a massive marketing budget and good quality handsets, have bashed the company over the head. It was clear that the next HTC flagship had to be something special. Something to help bring the company back into the forefront of …

Motorola RAZR HD – Review

First of all I’ll quickly run through the good and bad points. Good Points 4.7″ inch 720p Display Expandable storage up to 32GB Smooth Operating system Bad Points Not a good looking device Non-removable battery Build I don’t think the RAZR HD is a good looking device, there …

Sony Xperia Z – Review

Sony have been producing some fantastic phones since they took over the Sony Ericsson brand and now just produce Sony smartphones.  There have been a few so far in the S, P, U and T which was last years flagship camera phone. Now Sony go a step further …

Motorola RAZR HD video review

There are so many great phones out there at times the team end up getting hands on two at the same time.  This can be a good thing because it brings different opinions and thoughts to the table and helps create more content for you all to read. …

HTC Butterfly – Review

I am an avid user of iPhones and I have been for the last 4 years and I’m currently getting bored of iOS, yes, bored. I have been wondering what to get next and the opportunity to review one of HTC’s top end devices arose, so I jumped …

Samsung Galaxy Camera – Review

Cameras are a part of our lives these days. Be it taking photos of your lunch and posting it to Instagram, taking photos of your ugly children and posting them to Facebook or even taking photos for a living.  I take a lot of photos every day, normally …

Huawei Ascend G330 – Review

Huawei are quickly becoming a major force in the mobile world and their latest budget offering, the Ascend G330, has a lot of pressure on it to continue the impressive trend of affordable handsets that punch above their weight. The Ascend G330 is the replacement for the Ascend …

Huawei Ascend G330 – initial impressions

The popular budget Huawei Ascend G300 has now been replaced with the G330, and I have one for a fortnight to see how it fairs. Huawei are dragging their reputation from cheap ‘n’ cheerful to serious contender in impressive style, not least because the G300 was such good …

LG Nexus 4 – Initial Impressions

Having finally got my hands on a Nexus 4 yesterday (massive thanks to Dan!) I wanted to write down some quick first impressions before I do a full review. Screen Wow! What an upgrade. So much sharper than the Gnex. Everything looks crystal clear. The improvement is just …

HTC One X+ Review

Earlier this year HTC launched the One X.  It was generally acknowledged at the time as the best Android handset available, it had a stunning screen and a class leading camera.  Unfortunately for HTC along came the Samsung Galaxy SIII which with its aggressive marketing campaign left all …

HTC One X+ Initial Impressions

HTC recently released the HTC One X+, the update to the well received One X. After a small amount of pleading and thanks to the rather lovely guys at HTC, we here at Coolsmartphone have managed to get our grubby mitts on one to have a play with and write …

ZTE Kis – Review

Budget phones have a place in the world, as not everyone can afford to have the latest and greatest handset. I find reviewing entry level phones harder than the rest. Quite often with no standout features you are left clutching at straws over what to write. On which …