Category: Hardware Reviews
Just a few weeks ago I rather hesitantly went to meet with Sony, and there I was given the replacement to my trusty and long-suffering Xperia Z5 in the form of the Xperia X. Now to say I wasn’t thrilled with this exchange was an understatement as I …
There’s now four own-branded smartphones in the Vodafone armoury. We looked at the entry-level Vodafone Smart first 7 the other day and we’ve reviewed the mid-range Vodafone Smart prime 7. Now it’s the turn of the Vodafone Smart ultra 7. However, if you want an even higher-spec smartphone, …
Imagine having a smartphone made of metal and glass, beautiful design, a great quality 16 megapixel camera, 2K resolution display and a fast fingerprint reader on the back. Now think what a device like that might cost you? £400? £450……….. Well, what if I said you can have …
Honestly. £20. It’s all bonkers isn’t it? This, as I’ve said before, is an Android phone that would’ve cost you £100 only a very short time ago. Now you can purchase a smartphone for a mere £20. Let’s get some things out the way. This is entry level. …
They only announced that this would be available the other day, but us being eager beavers here at Coolsmartphone (and with me being in Shanghai), I thought it would be worth a visit to ZTE. Before we get into that though let’s see what this thing is all …
OnePlus seem to have been in the news quite a lot recently, and this time it seems to be for all the right reasons. No over the top, morally and ethically questionable campaigns or events this time. It’s all about the OnePlus 3, the third flagship from the …
A smartphone can be a scary proposition for some. It’s like being asked to perform brain surgery for a certain section of society and it’s something that they’ll run from. Why? Well, they’re older. Age will happen to all of us, but put a modern smartphone in front …
It has been a bit of time since we last heard any news from Jide (the makers of Remix Ultra Tablet and the Remix Mini). They have been working very hard on a few different projects and building their portfolio up. So, what have they been working on so …
Glory, glory. Hallelujah. I had to spell check that last word. Anyhow. We’ve got another battery pack here. This one is a chunky monkey too. Not chunky as in physical size (it’s 123mm long by 69mm wide and 16mm thick. Basically it’s about as thick as a standard …
The great thing about the Android operating system is manufacturers in all shapes and sizes can produce some decent hardware at a low price. This is enabling networks to jump on board too, and they’re making some of their own branded phones. Network-branded smartphones are not a new …
On first impressions you have to wonder why. Is this a product that didn’t need inventing? What was wrong with the way we do it now? Noke was founded in 2014 after a very successful Kickstarter campaign when it launched its ‘Smart Padlock’ product rating over $652,828 in …
I write this shortly after reviewing the Huawei P9 and, I have to say, the first thing I noticed is how much heavier the HTC 10 is. The P9 is 144g and the HTC 10 is 161g. It might not sound much, but boy – I noticed it …
There is a new Sony hitting the shelves today, it is the much awaited Xperia X that was announced at MWC 16. This is slightly scaled down version of what went before in the form of the Xperia Z5 range. It shares a lot of features of its …
Acer’s newest Windows phone is about to hit the prime time, and I have been able to have a bit of a play around with it. First off lets have a look at the unboxing video.. The phone feels good in the hand due to its slightly curved …
I’m going to take a slightly different approach to this review and note down everything as I unbox the device. First, the specs. This is the Huawei MediaPad M2 10.0 and it’s available in either “Luxurious Gold” or in this fine shade – “Moonlight Silver”. It weighs in …
The Acer Predator 8 is a device we have seen a few times now, but up until now I have not really had a good chance to have a play with it. That all changes today as I am in Belfast with #acerliveblog2016 and they have let me …
Although they’ve probably made dongles that you’ve used, Huawei is a name that relatively few people are properly aware of. This, though, is a company that I’ve spent some time with recently and they’re eager for that to change. They’re already pushing aggressively with their Honor brand, and …
About a week ago I unboxed a new 2-in-1 PC that had a retail value of £150, and I posed the question of ‘can a machine this cheap be any good’? I also mentioned that I was going to be able to compare this to a more standard-priced …
The Netatmo Weather Station was reviewed back in early 2013. As technology improves I thought it would be a good time to look at the latest version of the Netatmo Weather Station to see how the product has developed. Especially as being British the start of every conversation …
We’ve head quite a few security cameras cropping up here at Coolsmartphone. This one is from Annke and you can control and move it from anywhere via your smartphone. First up, the plus points. Although you’ll spot an ethernet port on this, it connects very easily via WiFi …
We live in an amazing age where you can buy a reasonable spec computer for less than £300. However, this price usually gets you a non-touch-screen laptop tloaded with compromises and inferior components. The BravoWin 10KT is looking to challenge that perception and show that you can get a …
HTC have had a pretty tough time of it recently, and their range of handsets has definitely throttled back compared to years gone by. Remember the HTC Wildfire, ChaCha, Sensation, Rhyme and Butterfly ? The Desire series has outlasted all of them. If memory serves, we first saw …
BlackBerry are a brand that have been around for countless years and have a huge reputation when it comes to security on mobile devices. So much so they are still, to some, considered the industry leader – even in 2016. With the introduction of the iPhone and countless …
Have you ever dropped your phone, and then had that moment of panic before you pick it up when you think “Oh s*!t How much is that going to cost me to fix?” If you have, then this is the review you need to read. The Moto X …
Recently I was at the Honor 5X European launch in Munich, Germany. Since then, as well as recovering from a Red Bull Cola high, I’ve been working on the review of the Honor 5X. In this article I’ll give you my review of the hardware and my impressions. …
I love it when I get to review Action Cams and enter the Kitvision Escape 4KW. Action Cams are great, they allow us to capture our must rugged of family adventures, and as technology advances the price has dropped making them readily available to a wider audience. Yes I …
Lenovo had a slightly smaller presence at MWC this year. but nonetheless we still went out to see them and to see what other new products they were announcing. Phone-wise we have already seen most of their stuff for this year. That is taken care of under the …
The white Kingston MobileLite Wireless G3 provides you with a rechargeable 5400 mAh battery in addition to a USB and SD Card storage options. The black Pro version also includes 64GB inbuilt storage and increases the battery to 6,700 mAh. Whilst not the lightest mobile battery I have …
The first Linx tablets shook up the market place when they were first released, they were available in 3 screen sizes, offering good Windows performance at a very reasonable price, they were also easily upgradable to Windows 10. Consumers no longer had to spend a fortune on Windows …
Today is an exciting day. I have received a new phone to review. One that comes with a very bold claim. It apparently has a shatterproof screen. Yes, I’m talking about the new Moto X Force. This is a phone that, at first glance, looks unassuming and mild-mannered. However, …
As Microsoft launch the new flagship Lumia 950 XL, it’s easy to forget the other end of the smartphone market, for example the BLU Win 4.5″ JR which was recently available for just under £40 from Amazon, but what do you actually get for your money a decent …
Powerline adaptors that allow you to extend your network have been around for a while, and potentially provide the perfect way to extend your network range. When these first launched on the consumer market, I purchased a pair to extend my extremely poor WiFi coverage. My home WiFi …
Let’s have a look at this then. First up, it’s a well-built Android 5.1.1 tablet with an 8″ 1280×800 IPS screen. Inside you’ll also find a 1.3GHz quad-core CPU plus a 5 megapixel rear camera and a 2 megapixel front one for those selfies. GPS, Bluetooth and, of …
We finally have the Lumia 950 XL on our testbed. We had to wait a long time for this one – it has been nearly two years since the last flagship-spec device from the Microsoft brand. Many people were hoping for a direct Lumia 1020 upgrade, which has …
Canary is more than a simple surveillance camera for your home. From the very moment you purchase your Canary for £159, you’ll instantly notice the quality. Canary was launched back in July 2013 on crowdfunding site Indiegogo. There was clearly a market demand, as within a month over …
We have one in the house – the infamous Lumia 950 XL from Microsoft. The kind people at Lumia Voices have decided to lend us a review kit with not just the Lumia device, but the full package. This includes a Lumia 950 XL of course, but in …
Mini PC’s are quite the thing at the moment and seem to be popping up everywhere. Now for a while, these were nothing more than Netbook components being shoved into a small box. However, with the recent developments in Android and, to a lesser extent Chrome, there has …
Welcome to the Coolsmartphone Award Ceremony and Podcast, coming to you, prerecorded from Coolsmartphone Towers. Our team of experts got together yesterday and decided on the best and worst bits of 2015 in order to entertain you and reward/shame those responsible. As with all good awards ceremonies we’re …
Part 2 – The Lenovo Miix 3 Review (Read Part 1 here) Which Device? So, the scene having been set, how did I proceed? There were a variety of other options. First the size issue, 8 inch or 10 inch. There were 8 inch tablets by Linx, Lenovo …
Part 1 – Setting the Scene Come around the winter fire kids! Let me tell you a story, this particular story is about my search for a work device without breaking the bank. I am an unashamed tech geek, I love things all bright and shiny. I love …
