The fact is that since Nothing Phone (2) saw the light of day in the summer of 2023, we have tested Nothing Phone (2a), Nothing Phone (2a) Plus, CMF by Nothing Phone 1, Nothing Phone (3a) Pro and CMF by Nothing Phone 2 Pro, among others.

All of these phones have been more or less at the cheaper end of the price spectrum, and they all share Nothing’s special transparent design and unique Nothing OS user interface.

In that sense, the Nothing Phone (3) is truly something new from the manufacturer, which was founded as recently as 2020 by Swedish-Chinese Carl Pei, who had previously helped start another well-known mobile phone manufacturer, OnePlus.

The Nothing Phone (3) is the most expensive smartphone ever from the British company. The most expensive configuration, with 16 gigabytes of RAM and 512 gigabytes of built-in storage, costs just under €900 for the first time, which is truly a different price range than we have seen previously from Nothing.

That said, the Nothing Phone (3) is still not a ‘true’ top model that should be compared to smartphones such as the iPhone 16 Pro Max or Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Instead, it is in the same class as the regular Samsung Galaxy S25 and the Chinese Xiaomi 14T Pro – both popular models from major manufacturers – so the big question is, of course, whether Nothing can get consumers to choose a different brand than they usually do with the Phone (3), now that they have to dig deep into their pockets to pay for their mobile phone at the checkout.

Nothing believes that tech has become boring and that all smartphones look alike and do the same things. With Phone (3), they want to show the world that a mobile phone can be cool, different and worth the money. We have investigated whether this is just hot air or whether there is substance to the promises.

Appearance and construction

The Nothing Phone (3) is certainly still different. The phone retains the transparent design that has made all its predecessors recognisable since the Phone (1). But take a closer look and you will discover significant changes in the construction.

The most striking difference is the new Glyph Matrix, which has replaced the predecessor’s characteristic Glyph Interface. Where the Nothing Phone (2) had 900 small LED lights that formed a pattern on the back, the Phone (3) features a circular disc with 489 individually controllable micro-LEDs that can display icons, text and animations.

Viewed from the front, the Nothing Phone (3) still resembles an iPhone with its flat screen, rounded corners and symmetrical edges. An aluminium frame surrounds the entire phone and gives it a solid feel in the hand.

On the right side, we find the power button and the dedicated Essential Key. The two volume buttons are located on the left side of the phone. The buttons feel precise and responsive, although the placement of the Essential Key takes some getting used to.

Phone (3) has grown slightly in both thickness and weight compared to its predecessor. At 8.99 mm thick and weighing 218 grams, it is slightly larger than Phone (2), which measured 8.6 mm and weighed 201 grams. The difference is not noticeable in everyday use, but the increase in size is probably a sign that Nothing has chosen to prioritise a larger battery and better components over making the phone as thin as possible.

For the first time, a Nothing phone has IP68 certification, which means it is waterproof to a depth of up to 1.5 metres. Both the front and back are protected by Gorilla Glass – Gorilla Glass 7i on the front and Gorilla Glass Victus on the back. Despite the glass protection, however, the Phone (3) proved vulnerable during our test.

Despite the glass protection, however, Phone (3) proved vulnerable during our test.

When the phone was dropped on the ground from a height of one metre (because the writer is clumsy!), the glass on the back around the camera module broke. Without extra protection, the Phone (3) cannot withstand much abuse, and the damage is particularly unfortunate since Nothing actually includes a phone case in the box. We therefore recommend using it from day one if you want to avoid damage to the otherwise attractive transparent back.

Display and sound

Nothing Phone (3) comes with a 6.67-inch AMOLED display, which on paper impresses with a maximum brightness of 4,500 nits, but this only applies to small areas of the screen when displaying HDR content.

In practice, the screen can be difficult to read if the sun is shining brightly from a cloudless sky. In such a situation, the Phone (3) offers 1,600 nits of brightness, which is actually quite a lot, but still less than you get if you choose even more expensive top models such as the iPhone 16 Pro Max (2,000 nits), Google Pixel 9 Pro XL (no official figure, but measured at 2,700 nits) or Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra (2,600 nits).

The resolution has been upgraded from Phone (2)’s FHD+ to a sharper 2,800 x 1,260 pixels, giving a pixel density of 460 ppi. The screen image is therefore razor sharp with good colour reproduction and deep blacks.

LTPO technology provides a dynamic refresh rate between 1 and 120 Hz, and the user experience is silky smooth. The screen automatically adapts to the content – from a low, power-saving refresh rate for static text to a high frequency for games and video playback.

HDR10+ is supported, and with a contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1, films and images have cinema-like quality with powerful colours and deep shadows.

On the audio side, the built-in stereo speakers deliver a decent soundstage with good volume. However, they are not among the best we have heard on the mobile front and lack a little richness in the midrange. On the other hand, the phone supports Qualcomm’s aptX, so the sound via Bluetooth earbuds is quite excellent.

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The gigantic memorial to the Battle of Leipzig photographed with the Nothing Phone (3)'s camera from ultra-wide angle up to 30x AI zoom. The camera delivers excellent sharpness at 1x-3x zoom, while 6x hybrid zoom remains usable. At AI zoom levels, the image is digitally overprocessed, but can be used for viewing on a mobile screen if necessary. (Photo: Peter Gotschalk)

Cameras

Nothing has significantly upgraded the camera in Phone (3). Where its predecessor had to make do with two 50-megapixel sensors, the new phone offers four 50-megapixel cameras, including the series’ first periscope telephoto lens.

The primary camera is based on a 1/1.3″ sensor, which, according to Nothing, captures 44 percent more light than Phone (2). Our test images are certainly sharp with precise focusing, and the improved light intake means significantly better results in poor lighting conditions.

The biggest news, however, is the aforementioned periscope telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom. Here, Phone (3) delivers images with impressive sharpness and contrast. Even at 6x hybrid zoom, the details remain usable, while the limitations become apparent at the extreme 30x and 60x AI Super Res Zoom levels. Here, the images are digitally overprocessed and lose sharpness.

The periscope lens also functions as a macro camera and delivers microscopic details. You can see the wing structure of a bee or count the dust particles on a flower. This is a level that normally requires dedicated macro lenses.

The 50-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera with a 114° field of view performs well in the centre, but sharpness and quality decline towards the edges. This is not unusual, but contrasts with the consistent quality of the main camera.

The 50-megapixel front camera takes excellent selfies with realistic skin tones. The HDR function effectively balances the face and background without losing natural shading.

Nothing has improved the image processing so that colours appear natural without oversaturation. The colour profile is consistent across all lenses, which is not a given on smartphones with multiple cameras.

All in all, Nothing Phone (3) delivers a camera setup that can match far more expensive top-of-the-line phones. The periscope telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom is the big news compared to Phone (2), which in itself makes it worth upgrading to the new model, and the macro function impresses with microscopic details.

Performance and features

The Nothing Phone (3) is equipped with the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 processor, which delivers significantly better performance than the Phone (2)’s Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. In our benchmark tests, the phone performed well with 2,093 points in Geekbench 6 single-core and 6,702 in multi-core – results that put it on par with competitors such as the Xiaomi 14T Pro, which, however, costs a little less.

In everyday use, the improved performance is clearly noticeable. Apps open quickly, multitasking works smoothly, and even heavy tasks are handled with ease. However, the phone became extremely hot during some of our benchmark tests – so hot that it had to be put in the fridge. This did not happen during normal use, but when playing larger games such as the racing game Asphalt Legends, you can feel the phone working hard.

Nothing Phone (3) comes with AI features as part of Nothing OS 3.5. However, they are not as innovative as Nothing would like to imply.

‘Essential Space’, which functions as an AI-organised notebook for screenshots, voice memos and ideas, is strikingly similar to the Motorola feature ‘Remember this’, which we became acquainted with when we tested the Motorola Razr 60 Ultra a few months ago. ‘Flip to Record’, which can transcribe and summarise meetings when the phone is turned upside down, has great similarities with Motorola’s ‘Pay Attention’. And for that matter, also the Galaxy AI feature ‘Transcript Assist’. All in all, there is not much new in a dictaphone feature that can transcribe and summarise recordings.

The AI tools are useful, but Flip to Record, for example, requires a Nothing account to transcribe up to 300 minutes of recordings – a limitation not found in Samsung’s Galaxy AI, for example. Furthermore, only English is supported from the outset, and we do not know when Scandinavian languages will be added. Or if it ever will be.

Nevertheless, we believe that Nothing is on the right track with the dedicated Essential Key and the AI features they have chosen to focus on. Nothing’s AI venture is still in its infancy, but the foundation has been laid.

Glyph Matrix

Glyph Matrix, on the other hand, seems far more useful than its predecessor, Glyph Interface. There are both fun features such as Spin the Bottle to choose who pays the bar bill, and useful options for displaying notifications on the back of the phone – e.g. caller ID or weather alerts. You can individually set which symbol Glyph Matrix should display when your mother-in-law calls. Nothing claims that it helps with digital detox because you don’t have to constantly look at the screen, and it actually works as intended. Unique and now finally truly useful.

The battery life is slightly disappointing despite the largest battery ever in a Nothing mobile phone. With 8 hours and 50 minutes in our stress test of battery performance, it’s a step back from the Phone (2)’s 11 hours and 16 minutes. In addition, no charger is included in the box.

This year, the Google Pixel 9a is available for purchase now. The price is exactly the same as the Pixel 8a was at launch – and that’s without adjusting for inflation. We have had the opportunity to try the phone in advance.

Small improvements on the display

The screen is improved compared to the Pixel 8a. But most improvements are so small that you need a magnifying glass to spot them. The Google Pixel 9a has a 6. inch OLED display – a full fifth of an inch larger than the 6.1 inch display on the Pixel 8a. And the same size as the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro.

The screen resolution is 2,424 x 1,080 pixels. An increase of a full 24 pixels in length!

One improvement that can be seen with the naked eye, however, is the brightness, which has now been increased to 1,800 nits instead of the Pixel 8a’s 1,400 nits. The screen has a variable refresh rate of max 120 Hz. This is exactly the same as all other Pixel models.

Water and dust resistance has been improved to IP68, so the phone is now as waterproof as it gets. The front glass is Gorilla Glass 3 like its predecessor. It’s not quite as solid as Gorilla Glass Victus 2, but it’s perfectly adequate for the price. The back is plastic, and the plastic isn’t even new…

True to tradition, the Google Pixel 9a comes in a new range of colours. Alongside black Obsidian and off-white Porcelain, it is available in Iris (light purple) and Peony (pink). Whichever colour you prefer, it will be invisible when the phone is placed in a protective case.

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The Google Pixel 8a is available in four colours: Obsidian (black), Iris (purple), Peony (pink) and Porcelain (off-white) (Photo: Google)

Same processor

While the differences in the exterior are minimal, there is no difference at all in the internal components between the models. All devices in the Pixel 9 series – including the Pro models – are equipped with the Tensor G4 processor. This is a significant advantage as the Tensor G4 processor, while not matching the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite in pure computing power, makes up for this through its advanced AI capabilities both in the hardware and software.

When less is more

Google describes the camera in the Pixel 9a as an improvement over last year’s budget model. However, in terms of numbers, the sensor has lower resolution than before. The Google Pixel 9a has a 48 megapixel sensor on the main camera, while its predecessor had 64 megapixels.

On the other hand, the flagship models all have a 50 megapixel image sensor, so there’s more to it than sheer megapixel numbers. One of the things you get with the new sensor is a macro mode for super close-ups.

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0.5X super wide angle. (Photo: John Alex Hvidlykke)

The switch to a lower resolution sensor may have been made to make physical space for the sensor in the new camera section. On the Pixel 9a, Google has said goodbye to the distinctive lateral camera bridge that protruded from the back. The rear cameras are now recessed into the back, which means the phone can lie flat on a table without rocking. The Pixel 8a should be in its cover to present a flat back.

The focal lengths of the main lens are unchanged. You get the same 2x optical zoom as its predecessor. Or for that matter, as on the regular Pixel 9. Only the Pro models boast 5x optical zoom.

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Same motif with Pixel 9 Pro XL. The text on the hotel sign is legible here. (Photo: John Alex Hvidlykke)

Useable digital zoom

The AI-based superzoom can handle up to 8x digital zoom, and although the result is not on par with a real optical zoom, the images are quite serviceable. Other budget mobiles don’t have a long-range telephoto lens either.

The ultra wide-angle lens is 13 megapixels. And the same goes for the selfie optics on the front. In both cases similar to the Pixel 8a.

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The selfie camera is only 13 Mp, but it's enough to capture all the creases on the writer's face. (Photo: John Alex Hvidlykke)

Big battery with slow charging

The battery has received a nice upgrade this year. The A models have previously had a smaller battery than the full-price mobiles. But 5,100 mAh is actually larger than on any other Pixel phone.

With cable, the Google Pixel Pro 9a charges with up to 23 watts. It’s not overwhelming, but only slightly slower than the Pixel 9 Pro models. Wireless charging is just 7.5 watts, which is sluggish to say the least. But since the phone is likely to spend either the night or the working day resting comfortably on the Qi pad, this doesn’t really matter.

A charging cable is included, but no charger. On a budget phone like this, that’s fine. But only on budget mobiles. Unfortunately, it has become the norm everywhere.

AI makes the difference Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been the buzzword for several years and 2025 is no different. However, Google has delivered on their promises and not only the new mobiles, but also the existing ones are continuously updated with new machine-intelligent features. Not least on the photo side.

Since last year, for example, Add me, which allows photographers to share their own group photos, has been added. This is in addition to indispensable features such as Remove Blur, which can rescue blurry images, and Best Photo, which can combine multiple versions of the family photo into one where as many people as possible appear awake. And AI-based background noise reduction in phone calls is so addictive that I wouldn’t want to be without it.

Benchmarks

The Google Pixel 9a has the same processor as the full price models, but with slightly less RAM (8 gigabytes instead of 12 gigabytes). This means that the budget model is actually just as fast as them. For this reason, the comparison is not particularly interesting.

If you compare it to the Google Pixel 8a instead, you can see that the Tensor G4 processor is faster than its predecessor. But not by a huge amount. The Geekbench processor test gives a good picture of the raw, mathematical performance. The Pixel 9a scores 1,659 in single-core and 3,967 in multicore in this test. In comparison, the Pixel 8a scored 1,430 and 3,353 in the same test. That’s between 10 per cent and 20 per cent higher performance.

The same improvement can be found in the graphics area. The AnTuTu 10 test ends with a score of 1.2 million, which is just under a fifth better than what the Pixel 8a achieved.

You can easily find much faster mobiles on the market, and every time we test one of the more expensive Pixel mobiles, we realise that processing power is not their strong suit. Compared to other budget mobiles, however, the picture is different. And the Google Pixel 9a is every bit as fast as other similarly priced mobiles.

The Google Pixel 9a has the largest battery in a Pixel mobile phone to date. This can be seen in the battery test, which ends with a result of just under 11 hours at maximum screen brightness. That’s among the best we’ve measured under the same conditions.

Appearance and construction

Say what you will about the design of the Oneplus 12 camera module, but it certainly wasn’t pretty. Fortunately, we don’t have to worry about trying to merge it with the edge. Instead, it’s a distinct island with a thoughtful placement that makes it almost elegant. The same can be said for this year’s sober colour choice. You can choose between a black with a wood texture, a smooth glass back in white or a blue in microfibre-based vegan leather. Luckily, we got the blue version, which was our favourite.

Last year we criticised that this model was only IP65 rated, which meant it could only withstand water splashes. This year, Oneplus has got their act together and not only certified it to IP68 (waterproof to a depth of 1.5 metres for 30 minutes), but also IP69 (high-pressure flushing with 80°C hot water). As far as we can remember, it’s the toughest mobile we’ve had on the test bench.

The display

At first glance, nothing has changed with the display since last year. It’s still one of the largest and most high-resolution displays we’ve seen, with an excellent brightness of 1,600 nits and an LTPO panel that can adjust the refresh rate continuously to save power. Oneplus boasts a Displaymate A++ award, but the question is whether last year’s couldn’t have received that honour too.

On the other hand, Oneplus has introduced a number of subtleties behind the scenes. So-called RadiantView should make reading in sunlight even easier and reading in low light should be less strenuous. The popular AquaTouch feature, which allows you to use the screen even when wet, has been further improved. But even more remarkable is the new Glove Mode, which allows you to use the touchscreen with both mittens and lambskin gloves. We tried it with the latter and it actually worked. It’s a much appreciated feature in the Nordic climate!

The camera

The Oneplus 13 is equipped with the fifth generation Hasselblad Camera for Mobile, whatever that means. The main camera is, as far as we can tell, the same as in the Oneplus 12. But it finally has a new ultra-wide-angle camera with slightly higher resolution, better light sensitivity and a slightly wider wide angle. The telephoto camera has also been upgraded, albeit with a lower resolution, but with new and more compact optics and a larger image sensor. We’re really happy with the image quality, which we were almost expecting.

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Believe it or not, the rear wheel of the bike actually turns very fast! (Photo: Jonas Ekelund)

However, it’s worth highlighting some of the really useful photo features that have been introduced. The problem with moving subjects is that they can easily become blurred because the exposure is too long. With Dual Exposure, the Oneplus 13 can take two images with different exposure times and fuse them together to achieve both sharpness and good image quality. And it actually works! There’s even an Action mode that can freeze moments like a champagne cork in mid-air. We were even more impressed with the digital zoom, which actually produces sharp images with detail. And that’s not even getting into all the AI image editing options available.

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(Photo: Jonas Ekelund)

Usability

The screen is equipped with a new ultrasonic fingerprint reader, which is faster and works even when the screen is switched off and even if your finger is wet. Very handy. The Oneplus 13 also has magnetic charging, which we hoped would mean QI2, but that didn’t happen. Instead, you need one of Oneplus’ magnetic covers. They say, somewhat cryptically, that it provides compatibility with a variety of magnetic accessories. We can reveal that charging it with a Magsafe charger worked fine. But if you want to achieve the claimed 50 watts, you’ll need Oneplus’ own wireless chargers.

The latest generation of OxygenOS, the Oneplus user interface, of course has a wealth of AI features. They mention Google Gemini en passant, and we do recognise many of the features. They include more intelligent multimodal searches, help with summarising and creating texts and changing the tone of a text. Maybe not innovative, but very practical. In the photo editing app, you can more or less fix blurry images, enlarge and emphasise details and remove annoying reflections.

Performance

Last year we complained that the Oneplus 12 wasn’t noticeably faster than its predecessor, but this year it’s not the case. Thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, the Oneplus 13 is a real runner. It easily beats most of the Android phones we tested last year, with the exception of the monster Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro Edition. However, it is several thousand dollars more expensive. Compared to the Oneplus 12, it’s typically 30 per cent faster and in some cases up to 100 per cent. But it was when it came to AI performance that our jaws really dropped. The Oneplus 13 pulls away from the competition in spectacular fashion. In the AItutu test, it was 35 per cent faster than the runner-up, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6! Thanks to the extra large battery, it also has an extremely long battery life. 14.5 hours of constant use is actually the longest we’ve measured in years!

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(Graph: Jonas Ekelund)

The Nothing Phone (2a), the company’s third smartphone, which Nothing launched at the beginning of March, costs just over half of what you had to pay for the first two phones. We took a look at whether you get as much ‘nothingness’ with the Nothing Phone (2a) as you did with its predecessors.

Design and construction

From the front, Nothing Phone (2a) certainly looks like its predecessors. In other words, it looks like an iPhone! The design with the rounded corners and the frame that surrounds the entire phone is certainly … er, inspired by the iPhone’s iconic design. The same goes for the design and placement of the buttons on the phone.

It’s only when you turn the Nothing Phone (2a) over and take a look at the back that it becomes clear that we’re not in Cupertino anymore. The back is made of plastic and blends in with the aluminium frame, but most importantly, it’s transparent, as we know from the two previous Nothing models. Fortunately, it’s not bad at picking up fingerprints.

Nothinging’s special Glyph Interface, which the manufacturer launched with the Phone (1), has been retained, but takes up far less space than on previous models, which means that the LED lights – divided into three sections – are only located in the area around the camera.

The camera module itself consists of two lenses that sit in the centre of the top half of the back, almost like two eyes looking at the person being photographed.

Screen and sound

While the back is slightly curved, the screen is completely flat. And both the screen and the frame around it are completely symmetrical, so there’s an equal distance to the edge of the phone all the way around the screen. It’s a pretty cool and consistent design choice that we can only applaud.

The screen measures 6.7 inches and has a dynamic refresh rate of 30-120 Hz and FHD+ resolution ( 2412 x 1084 pixels). It also has a maximum brightness of 1,300 nits. In other words, it is extremely bright, and the colour reproduction and contrast are absolutely approved when watching videos, for example. The same goes for sound quality.

Camera

There are two cameras: 50 Mp wide-angle and 50 Mp ultra-wide-angle. Nothing promises that images taken with the mobile camera will be as realistic as possible thanks to the algorithms in Nothing’s proprietary TrueLens Engine.

That promise is honoured part of the way. Images taken with the camera are decently sharp with good contrast and true-to-life colour reproduction, and ultra-wide-angle images don’t suffer too much from distortions that could otherwise interfere with the visual impression.

Indoors, a special Glyph Interface feature comes into its own. Instead of using the flash, the camera app allows you to activate all the LED lights on the back to illuminate your subject, giving a softer, more natural light.

Optical zoom, on the other hand, you can forget about. Up to 2x digital zoom is fine, but after that, the result is grainy and almost unusable.

Performance and features

The two things that characterise Nothing mobiles in particular, Glyph Interface and Nothing OS, are also available with the Nothing Phone (2a).

Well, as mentioned earlier, there aren’t quite as many of the small LEDs on the transparent back of the phone, but different ringtones and notification sounds can still play a unique combination of sound, light and vibration when you receive a call or text message.

Best of all, you can also completely switch off ringtones and only use the Glyph Interface to indicate that someone is calling. Because it’s about time someone said out loud that all Nothings ringtones are absolutely horrible!

Glyph Interface can also be used for e.g. visual countdown, and you can create your own little light show when listening to music.

Nothing OS 2.5 is based on Android 14 and has its own design language and aesthetic expression. And there are no superfluous apps either. Fans of a pure Android experience should take a look at the Nothing Phone (2a), as it features an almost minimalistic version of the operating system, almost exclusively with Google’s own apps. The user interface is presented in the very distinctive Nothing OS design, consisting of, among other things, custom fonts and widgets drawn with dots in a black and white colour combination.

Under the screen is a MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro processor, while the battery is 5,000 mAh. It can be charged with up to 45 watts, but no charger is included when you buy the phone.

The processor matches the price, but judging from our benchmark tests, the Nothing Phone (2a) is still slightly slower than other smartphones in the same price range. Both the OnePlus Nord 3 5G from 2023 and the Google Pixel 6a from 2022 are still available today and cost the same or less than the Nothing Phone (2a). Yet they both outperform the latest Nothing Phone in the same benchmark tests.

This suggests that Nothing is not as good at getting the most out of the MediaTek processor, although we hasten to emphasise that the phone performs brilliantly on a daily basis and doesn’t get hot, even when pushed with big games and heavy apps.

The battery lasts a long time (13 hours and 3 minutes in our PCMark battery test). And the phone can be charged from 0 to 100 per cent in 59 minutes with a compatible charger. That’s definitely approved.

Conclusion

When a mobile phone costs in the region of €400, you can’t expect to get everything you want. Most smartphones in this price range are pretty boring, and the Nothing Phone (2a) stands out with special features such as the very special Nothing OS user interface and the Glyph Interface, which is unique to Nothing mobiles.

Considered as a smartphone, the Nothing Phone (2a) is definitely worth the price. It is beautifully designed, has a good screen and camera, and the battery life is looooong.

You can buy other smartphones with more power in the same price range, but these are small differences that hardly matter in everyday life.

And compared to its own predecessors, the Nothing Phone (2a) gives you at least as much ‘nothingness’ but costs half as much. Therefore, it might be worth a try if you’ve previously considered buying a Nothing phone but have been put off by the price. Regardless, the Nothing Phone (2a) will be an excellent mid-range mobile phone for most people.

The Zenfone 11 Ultra is, as the name suggests, the 11th generation of the family. The name also suggests that we are dealing with the extra feature-packed luxury model in the series. However, this is not correct.

Where is the standard version?

Most major mobile phone manufacturers, with Samsung and Apple at the forefront, have for several model generations chosen to make different variants of the mobile phone of the year. Usually a standard version and a slightly scaled-down and more compact economy model. And to top it all off, an Ultra, Pro or Max version with extra speed, more memory and more powerful cameras.

The Zenfone 11 Ultra pretty much has it all. But you’re looking in vain for a standard version. There is only the Ultra model.

At Asus’ recent press briefing, several people asked if there would be other editions. And especially a compact version, which has been Asus’ hallmark for several years.

The answer from Asus was vague, to say the least. “There is no other version right now. But the Zenfone 10 is still on the market!”

Bigger and twice as bright

Asus’ Zenfone mobiles have changed their look and image like no other mobile series. Both in design and size. Sometimes the models in the same generation have even been so different that you’d be forgiven for thinking there had been a mix-up at the maternity hospital.

The last two Zenfone generations have been compact, pocket-friendly flagship mobiles. The Zenfone 11 Ultra, on the other hand, features a full-sized 6.78″ AMOLED display with a resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels. The screen resolution and speed (144 Hz) are the same as the Zenfone 10, but the screen is almost an inch larger in diagonal dimensions and the brightness has doubled to a blinding 1,600 nits.

And where all previous generations have had to make do with two rear cameras, the arsenal has now been expanded with a 3x telephoto lens.

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The Zenfone 11 Ultra is available in four colours. (Photo: Asus)

The three cameras are gathered in a square camera block on the back, which is made of matte aluminium. The test model had a blue back, but more colour variants are available.

Is it a Zenfone or a ROG Phone?

While the Zenfone 11 Ultra looks nothing like any previous Zenfone model, it bears more than a superficial resemblance to the ROG Phone 8 Pro we tested earlier this year. And it’s no wonder. In fact, the two phones are practically identical!

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The Zenfone 11 Ultra doesn't look like any previous Zenfone. However, it does look a lot like the ROG Phone 8. And with good reason. The two are technically almost identical (Photo: Asus) (Photo: Asus)

This is confirmed in an official statement from Asus:

“From a component perspective they are quite similar, but from Asus’ side we see these products and lines from the end user’s perspective and here the user of ROG8 and ZF11 Ultra will be quite significantly different. ROG 8 wants to design for those who identify as “gamers” – and Zenfone for those who don’t.”

Do you want the rally model or a luxury sedan?

It’s common practice for a mobile manufacturer to make multiple versions of the same smartphone; it’s almost become the norm for major manufacturers. But the fact that the mobiles belong to different series is completely out of the question.

From an economic point of view, it makes sense that Asus, as a very small mobile manufacturer, does not spend resources on developing each model from scratch, but instead builds almost identical mobiles that are optimised for different tasks.

The ROG Phone 8 is the “rally model” made for gaming, so it is tuned to run as fast as possible and with the best cooling. The screen can handle a refresh rate of 165 Hz, and Asus’ so-called Air triggers give a console feel to the mobile phone. Zenfone 11 Ultra is the “family sedan model” where comfort, silence and battery life are prioritised. Here you have to make do with 144 Hz screen refresh and there is no external cooler.

Now with 3x telephoto lens

Previous Zenfone models (and ROG phones too, for that matter) have had excellent normal cameras and wide-angle lenses, but have lacked a telephoto lens. Thanks to a 32 Mp lens with 3x optical zoom – and pixel binning – you can now take pictures from a little further away. In addition, there is up to 30x digital zoom. The images with digital magnification are actually usable, but the light sensitivity decreases proportionally with the degree of zoom.

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1X standard optics (Photo: John Alex Hvidlykke)

The main camera has 50 Mp wide-angle optics with a 120-degree field of view for most things. The camera is equipped with Asus’ excellent integrated gimbal, which provides six-axis image stabilisation and makes it possible to shoot video even in rather choppy conditions.

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30X digital zoom on the Zenfone 11 Ultra. Colours are blurred and the image is heavily pixelated. (Photo: John Alex Hvidlykke)

Dertil er der 13 Mp ultravidvinkel til landskaber og andre situationer, hvor det hele skal med.

Med frontkameraet på 32 megapixel, kan man vælge mellem to forstørrelser på henholdsvis 0,7X og 1X.

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The selfie camera is excellent. (Photo: John Alex Hvidlykke)

Wireless charging and large battery

The battery is a solid 5,500 mAh, which is a significant upgrade from the Zenfone 10’s 4,300 mAh. It can be charged with the 65 W cable. Wireless Qi charging at 15W is also supported. However, it was more than a little difficult to find the right point where the charging pad and phone recognised each other. And if the Qi charger has high edges, it may in practice be impossible to find a position where the phone charges without falling off the charger.

Asus has always included a charger in the past. Also on the ROG Phone 8, which is the twin of the Zenfone 11 Ultra. But now Asus has unfortunately decided to follow the example of its competitors and make the acquisition of a suitable charger an extra cost.

Benchmarks

Since the Zenfone 11 Ultra is identical to the ROG Phone 8 beneath the elegant surface, the result of our speed measurements is a deja vu with the results from the ROG test.

In the Geekbench 6 processor test, the Zenfone 11 Ultra scores 2,286 in single-core and 7,065 in multi-core. That’s within a one per cent chance of the ROG Phone 8. And it’s only surpassed by the iPhone 15 Pro Max. And only by a narrow margin.

Where Asus really gives everyone else a run for their money is in the 3D graphics test AnTuTu 10, where the Zenfone 11 Ultra, like the ROG Phone 8, achieves a score of 2.1 million. No other mobile phone from any manufacturer has come close. The closest “competitor” is the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra with 1.6 million.

The AI computing capability is also quite excellent: 1.4 million in the AItuTu 3 test. That’s slightly better, but not dramatically better than Samsung’s top model. But it still makes Asus the world champion in AI calculations.

According to Asus, the Zenfone 11 Ultra is tuned for long battery life rather than extreme performance. The battery test could suggest that this is true. The Zenfone ran almost a third longer than the ROG Phone 8. And with a battery life in the PCMark test of eleven and a half hours, Asus is far ahead of all competitors’ flagship mobiles.

Conclusion

The Asus Zenfone 11 Ultra is an excellent, but also very strange Asus smartphone. It looks like its ancestor. However, that parent is not the Zenfone 10, but the ROG Phone 8, with which it is identical in almost all respects.

The engine in the two mobiles is also the same, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. This makes the Zenfone 11 Ultra one of the undeniably fastest mobiles on the market right now. It also makes it expensive, but Asus has still managed to keep the price below €1,200. This makes it one of the cheapest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 mobiles.

With three rear cameras, including one with Asus’ ingenious gimbal image stabilisation, the Zenfone 11 Ultra is a super powerful phone that should be considered by anyone looking for a high-end Android phone. But mobile buyers are loyal to Apple, Samsung and OnePlus. So it’s likely that the Zenfone 11 Ultra will also remain a well-kept secret.

Like last – and the previous – year’s Ultra model, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is still a Samsung Galaxy Note in disguise. Ergo, it comes with an integrated S-Pen again this year, just as the expensive mobile phone – with its flat and angular design – at first glance does not differ much from its predecessors.

Last year was the first time Samsung launched its Galaxy S models on the European market with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processor. This year, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra comes with the latest and fastest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, while Samsung’s own Exynos processor is back in the two cheaper models in the range.

But the most important news that the Galaxy S24 Ultra has in common with the S24 and S24+, as the middle model of the series is called, is that the mobiles are packed with artificial intelligence!

The new features are based on Samsung’s own AI software, Galaxy AI, and in some cases run on the user’s smartphone and will therefore work even when the mobile phone is not connected to the internet, while in other cases the features run in Samsung’s cloud.

We have already tested several of the Galaxy AI functions when we reviewed the Samsung Galaxy S24, while this time we take a closer look at what Galaxy AI means for the camera in the Galaxy S24 Ultra. We’ll come back to that later.

Appearance and construction

As mentioned, the new Galaxy S24 Ultra with its flat and angular design has more in common with previous Note models such as the Galaxy Note 10+ and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra than it does with the first two Galaxy S Ultra models, the Galaxy S20 Ultra and Galaxy S21 Ultra.

New this year is that the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is made of titanium – just like Apple’s latest iPhone 15 Pro models. A really nice design choice.

Samsung has also abandoned the curved so-called Edge screen, so this year the 6.8″ OLED screen is completely flat.

As mentioned, the Galaxy S24 Ultra comes with the S-Pen integrated. More specifically, there is a slot for the small digital stylus in the mobile phone itself, where it is hidden away via a small hole in the bottom.

Our test sample is grey and the back is matte with the camera lenses directly integrated into the phone, with no camera body to stick out and make the phone rock when placed on a table. The Galaxy S24 Ultra is also available in black, violet, yellow, blue, green and orange, the last three of which are only available from Samsung directly.

Both the front and back of the phone are protected by Gorilla Glass Armor, while the narrow metal frame around the screen is made of hardened aluminium. The Galaxy S24 Ultra is also IP68-certified, so there’s nothing to quibble with in terms of build quality.

Screen and sound

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is equipped with a Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with adaptive 120 Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ certification and a maximum brightness of up to an insane 2,600 nits, which at least on paper is a significant improvement over its predecessor! This is more than enough for you to use your mobile phone outdoors while the sun is shining from a clear sky.

The screen is razor-sharp and very bright, the colours are extremely vivid and it’s a real pleasure to watch high-quality content (e.g. from Netflix) on the HDR10+ certified screen. There is great depth in the image and the contrast level is excellent. And the user experience when moving around menus, web pages and the home screen is extremely fluid and fast.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra also delivers when it comes to the audio experience. The mobile phone offers high-resolution audio using the built-in 32-bit DAC and supports Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Plus and, of course, aptX.

The camera

Ever since the first version saw the light of day in early 2020, the camera in the Galaxy S Ultra series has always been something special. This year, the camera in the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has received a lot of attention.

Basically, the camera system is similar to its predecessor, but with a new 50 Mp telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom, which together with a 10 Mp telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom and with the help of AI – in connection with the camera called ProVisual Engine – should be able to deliver optical zoom quality up to 10x and up to 100x so-called Space Zoom – Samsung claims.

The camera module also consists of a wide-angle camera with 200 Mp sensor and OIS as well as a 12 Mp 120° ultra-wide-angle camera. The front camera is also 12 Mp.

The overall image quality is, of course, excellent. As you can see for yourself by looking at the examples in the article, all images are sharp and have vibrant colours. The contrast is also high, and whether we’re talking about portrait mode, ultra-wide angle or macro, there’s absolutely no compromise on the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s level.

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All lenses in the comprehensive camera system deliver sharp images with vibrant colours and high contrast. Here, ultra wide angle, wide angle, 3x optical zoom, 5x optical zoom and 10x hybrid zoom are used. (Photo: Peter Gotschalk)

However, there is a single hair in the soup, and unfortunately it is due to the AI function, ProVisual Engine, which according to Samsung should be able to improve image quality, for example in connection with digital zoom.

We have compared images taken with 30x digital zoom with the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and Galaxy S23 Ultra on several occasions, and the results are unmistakable. Last year’s model takes better and sharper zoom images than the latest AI-enhanced smartphone!

You can see two examples in the gallery below. The first example is taken indoors, zoomed in on a security guard, while the second example is taken in a park on a sunny day. Here we zoomed in on the top of an old stone oven. In both cases, the images taken with the Galaxy S23 Ultra are significantly sharper, and in addition, the images from the Galaxy S24 Ultra even have more image noise.

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This image of the two Galaxy S Ultra models (S24 Ultra top, S23 Ultra bottom) was taken at the launch of the S24 series in San Francisco. It's obvious that of the two zoom images (both 30x zoom), the bottom one is the sharpest. (Photo: Peter Gotschalk)

That’s a big drawback, considering that AI features are supposed to be the advantage that sets the Galaxy S24 series apart from the competition.

Galaxy AI

Unfortunately, this is not only true when AI is used in the actual photography process, but also when it comes to the parts of the Galaxy AI software that can help with editing once the photo has been taken.

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Generative Edit has a hard time distinguishing the objects from the background in detail, and when a new background is created where the moved or deleted object was, the result is not impressive either. See how there's a big hole in the sail of the sailboat after we've moved it. Or how the fountain is replaced by a column of water in this gallery. (Photo: Peter Gotschalk)

Google was first with seemingly ‘magical’ editing tools that, for example, let users remove or move people and objects around in an image – something we first tried when we tested the Google Pixel 7 Pro – and with Generative Edit, part of Galaxy AI, Samsung wants to follow Google’s lead.

It worked brilliantly when we saw it demonstrated in San Francisco for the launch of the Galaxy S24 series, but when we try it with our own test images, the results aren’t nearly as impressive. Generative Edit struggles to distinguish objects from the background in detail, and when it comes to creating a new background where the moved or deleted object was, the results aren’t impressive either.

The best image-based AI feature is actually Circle to Search, developed by Google. In simple terms, the feature works by pressing the home button for a few seconds and then you are given the option to draw a circle around anything you see on the screen, typically an image, regardless of which app you are in. Google will then perform the search and present the results in a comprehensive overview that you see at the bottom of the screen.

We tried it a few times with different images and it works every time!

Another AI trick that really impresses is Instant Slow-mo. This Samsung proprietary feature lets you click on any video to watch it in slow motion, even if it wasn’t recorded in slow motion to begin with! The artificial intelligence simply generates the frames that are missing from the video, and the action in the video is then shown smoothly and slowly, with no visible evidence of Galaxy AI having a hand in it.

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The best image-based AI feature is actually Circle to Search, developed by Google.

Performance

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is only the third smartphone we’ve tested that comes with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 from Qualcomm. The first two were the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro and the OnePlus 12, and overall, Samsung gets almost as much out of the Qualcomm processor as Asus. In other words, the Galaxy S24 Ultra performs brilliantly in almost all benchmark tests – and in some respects significantly better than the OnePlus 12.

However, the most remarkable thing is that the Galaxy S24 Ultra is not significantly faster than the cheaper S24 model, which, as mentioned, is equipped with Samsung’s own Exynos 2400 processor. On most parameters, the two models are equally good, although the Galaxy S24 Ultra performs significantly better than the S24 in AITuTu, which specifically measures AI performance. This is particularly relevant given that the Galaxy S24 series is largely marketed as AI mobiles, and there are indications that the S24 Ultra is the one to get if you want to take full advantage of Galaxy AI.

The battery life is also significantly better than its predecessor, even though the battery size has not changed. Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 seems to have significantly better power management than last year’s processor generation.

Conclusion

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra belongs in the price range where you have to pay the price to be in the absolute top. There are few other smartphones on the market that cost as much – including the iPhone 15 Pro Max, OnePlus Open and Samsung’s own Galaxy Z Fold 5 – and if you’re not into foldable mobiles, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is the only real alternative where you get to pay this much.

The big difference between the two products is, of course, AI features, where Samsung has taken a quantum leap forward with Galaxy AI. And we’re duly impressed. Many of the new features work well, some not so well, but Samsung shows with the Galaxy S24 series that the future holds many more AI-based smartphones, because the potential is huge.

Instant Slow-mo doesn’t just let you watch any video in slow motion, even if it wasn’t shot in slow motion to begin with. You can also edit the video and save the slow-motion effect, as we’ve done here with the video of the Samsung Galaxy Ring shown in San Francisco during Galaxy Unpacked. (Video: Peter Gotschalk)

If we don’t give the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra top marks, it’s mainly because much of its potential is still unrealised. In the case of the camera, the AI-based ProVisual Engine actually means that zoom images are worse than images taken with the last-generation Galaxy S Ultra, and Samsung’s image editing is not yet on par with what Google can achieve with its Pixel phones.

In general, we miss better AI integration with apps other than Samsung’s own, and Danish language support would also be nice.

We reckon those things will be in place this year, and then the next Galaxy S Ultra might just be the best smartphone the world has ever seen. We are looking forward to it!

It’s fair to say that they succeeded beyond all expectations, as consumers really got their money’s worth in the form of a relatively affordable smartphone with great performance, great screen, great camera, solid battery life and lightning-fast charging. Only the lack of wireless charging detracted from the overall rating.

So, of course, it makes sense for OnePlus to repeat the success, and that’s the plan with the OnePlus 12, which has only now been launched internationally, but was actually launched in China in early December last year to mark the Chinese mobile manufacturer’s 10th anniversary.

However, one thing is different this year. For the first time, OnePlus has also launched the so-called R model, the OnePlus 12R, on the European market. This is a slightly downgraded version of the top model at a lower price, but with a focus on performance. In fact, it is very similar to the OnePlus 10T model that we tested back in 2022. We will bring you a test of the OnePlus 12R in early February.

But here we’re looking at the OnePlus 12, which in every conceivable way is a logical upgrade from last year’s model. Essentially the same mobile phone with the same concept, but with better specs here and there to draw new and old customers into the store.

Design and construction

Apart from the OnePlus 12 being slightly bigger and heavier than the OnePlus 11, the new smartphone looks just like its predecessor!

On the back is a round camera module that almost blends in with the aluminium frame of the phone.

On the right is the power button and the volume control button, while the small slider that switches between sound, vibration and silent mode is on the opposite side.

The back of the phone is protected by Gorilla Glass 5, while the screen is made of Gorilla Glass Victus 2.

Our test sample had a matte green colour tone (called Flowy Emerald by OnePlus) that, while inspired by rivers criss-crossing a mountainous landscape in the Southern Alps, looks more like green marble. I guess it’s a matter of taste whether you find the colour elegant or cheesy. Fortunately, the phone is also available in a subtle matte black, and regardless of colour, the OnePlus 12 offers high build quality and feels sturdy in the hands.

In terms of IP certification, the OnePlus 12 offers a slight improvement over the OnePlus 11, which was IP64 certified. The new model is IP65-certified, which in practice means that the new mobile phone is completely dust-proof, while also being protected against heavy water splashes from all directions.

Screen and sound

The fact that the OnePlus 12 is slightly larger than its predecessor also applies to the screen, which now measures 6.82 inches (compared to 6.7 inches on last year’s model).

The mobile’s curved screen delivers a razor-sharp, high-resolution display with an almost velvety user experience. Add to that a hefty brightness of up to 1,600 nits, which in practice means that the screen can be used seamlessly outdoors, even if the sun is shining from a cloudless sky. In special situations, such as explosions or bright flashes in videos or games, the monitor even supports a maximum brightness of up to 4,500 nits. Don’t forget your sunglasses!

The refresh rate is adaptive up to 120 Hz, which in practice means that the screen frequency automatically adapts depending on what’s happening on the screen. The OnePlus 12 also supports Dolby Vision HDR, so you can watch films and series in Dolby Vision.

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The images in this gallery were taken from the water tower on Alcatraz Island near San Francisco. The camera has a good handle on exposure, focus and sharpness. And the image quality remains high even when zoomed in up to 6x on the subject (Photo: Peter Gotschalk)

A very welcome new feature OnePlus calls ‘Aqua Touch’. In a rainy country, we all know how difficult it can be to operate your smartphone if the screen gets wet. The touch of your fingers on the screen is simply misinterpreted. But with the OnePlus 12, that problem is a thing of the past.

We tested the OnePlus 12 on a trip to San Francisco, where it rained most of the time. Still, using the phone outdoors for things like searching and navigating Google Maps was no problem. No matter how wet the screen got. In contrast, the other two mobiles we brought along, from Apple and Samsung respectively, were virtually unusable as soon as their screens got wet.

We don’t know exactly how Aqua Touch works. OnePlus hasn’t revealed it, but an educated guess is that it’s software rather than hardware. Whatever the reason, the feature works flawlessly. Sweet!

When it comes to the audio experience, OnePlus is once again the king of the mobile market. The phone is of course equipped with aptX HD from Qualcomm, which optimises the sound when streaming wirelessly via Bluetooth, and the integrated speakers have Dolby Atmos, so the sound is also crisp and detailed if you use the phone to listen to music, watch videos or play games without headphones.

Camera

The OnePlus 12 offers a real camera upgrade over its predecessor. Only the ultra-wide angle lens is the same.

The primary wide-angle camera is almost identical to the corresponding camera in the OnePlus Open, the Chinese company’s foldable smartphone from last autumn. It has 50 Mp and is based on Sony’s latest LYTIA-808 sensor (the OnePlus Open was equipped with the 48 Mp LYTIA-T808), which among other things uses Dual-Layer Transistor Pixel technology that optimises light collection by separating and stacking two layers of pixel transistors under the photodiodes, which should improve image quality in low light.

Last but not least, the OnePlus 12 has a new 64 Mp OmniVision OV64B telephoto lens with 3x true optical zoom plus 6x hybrid zoom.

Overall, the new camera performs well. We took a number of different test shots in different situations and overall the camera is very versatile and manages to produce detailed images across a wide range of focal lengths.

Different lighting conditions are also handled excellently, and both focus and sharpness are maintained even at the higher 6x zoom level. Colour reproduction and white balance management are also approved, and our test images also show that the OnePlus 12 handles image noise quite effectively.

Performance and features

The OnePlus 12 is one of the first smartphones we’ve tested with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor. OnePlus promises near superpowers thanks to the new processor and a series of optimisations to Oxygen OS, which the manufacturer has dubbed the ‘Trinity Engine’. The idea is that various hardware components such as CPU, ROM and RAM will perform better thanks to better software integration.

In addition, the OnePlus 12 has been equipped with nothing less than the ‘Dual Cryo-velocity VC Cooling System’, a new solution for cooling the phone when gaming, which consists of a larger ‘vapor chamber’ than on previous models.

Unfortunately, none of this is something we noticed when we tested the OnePlus 12. In everyday use, it runs lightning fast, no doubt about it, but in benchmark tests, the results were a mixed bag.

Roughly speaking, the benchmark tests that measure pure CPU performance (such as Geekbench 6 and PC Mark Work 3.0) showed an unsatisfactory result that was actually on par with its predecessor and even worse than the autumn OnePlus Open. However, the phone performed significantly better in the tests that measure graphical performance (e.g. AnTuTu 10, 3DMark and Geekbench 6 GPU). While there were clear improvements over previous models, the phone also got quite hot during these tests, as it did when we tested it with big games like Asphalt 9.

At no point did we see the OnePlus 12 stall or get so hot that it was uncomfortable to hold in our hands, but the trees don’t grow as high up in the sky as OnePlus had promised.

Battery life is acceptable, but not quite on par with its predecessor. On the other hand, the OnePlus 12 has finally got 50 watts of wireless charging, which is a good complement to the lightning-fast 100 watts SUPERVOOC charging, which takes just 26 minutes to charge the 5,400 mAh battery from 0 to 100 per cent.

Conclusion

OnePlus proved with the OnePlus 11 5G that there’s no need for a Pro model, and the OnePlus 12 confirms that impression, giving the user both in bag and baggage. The new flagship phone is slightly larger than its predecessor, but also offers a robust design, a mega-sized screen with QHD+ resolution and the brightest maximum brightness (4,500 nits) we’ve ever seen. Add to that the wildly practical ‘Aqua Touch’ feature, which means users can actually operate their smartphone even if it’s raining.

The camera also offers significant updates, including a significantly better zoom function, and the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor ensures better graphics performance.

On the other hand, the price has also increased. The OnePlus 12 costs around 10 per cent more than last year’s model, which means that it is now suddenly competing more directly with the most expensive models from Apple and Samsung, among others.

Its predecessor received the highest possible rating and our special recommendation, but the higher price and small bumps in the road in terms of performance mean that this year we can’t give quite as unreserved a recommendation. The OnePlus 12 is an excellent smartphone, but competition is fierce at the high end.

According to a report from research firm IDC, Apple was the top-selling smartphone manufacturer in 2023, pushing Samsung off the mobile throne it has held since 2010.

However, the gap between the two arch-rivals is small. Apple sold 234.6 million units in 2023, giving them a market share of 20.1% according to IDC. In comparison, Samsung with 226.6 million units had a share of 19.4%. So, just half a per cent separates the two mobile giants.

Third place went to Xiaomi, which with 145.9 million units achieved a market share of 12.5%. Oppo was in fourth place with 8.8%, while fifth was Transsion, an unknown brand in Europe, with 8.1%. All other manufacturers had to fight for the last 31% of the market.

But the iPhone wasn’t just the best-selling mobile phone brand in the world. It was also the only major one to experience growth. In 2023, Apple increased its iPhone sales by 3.7 per cent. Samsung, by comparison, suffered a 13.6 per cent decline in mobile sales. Xiaomi lost 4.7 per cent, while Oppo declined 9.9 per cent.

More info: IDC

The Google Pixel 8 we’re testing here is built on the same platform as the Google Pixel 8 Pro, which we recently recognised as the high-end smartphone of the year. The processor is the same, but the size and price are conveniently smaller.

It’s not an idea that Google can take credit for coming up with on their own, as all the major mobile manufacturers have given us two or more compact versions of their top models in recent years.

More angular appearance

The Google Pixel 8 looks similar to its predecessor, but the display has straight edges instead of being rounded. A metal frame all the way around the phone acts as a protective bumper. The screen and back are covered in Gorilla Glass Victus. The camera section is framed by a transverse metal band that gives the Pixel phones a recognisable look. It all feels reassuring, as it should on a phone at the upper end of the premium segment.

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The Google Pixel 8 is available in three colours: Obsidian, Hazel and Rose. (Photo: Google)

The most visible difference between the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro is the size. The Pro model is 6.7 inches diagonally, while the Pixel 8 measures 6.2 inches. The same size difference as last year’s models. And while half an inch doesn’t sound like much, the difference is clearly noticeable when the phone is in your hand – or in your pocket.

Same “brain” in both models

The processor in the phone is the same as in the top model. Or maybe we should say “the brain”, since Google’s Tensor G3 processors are optimised for artificial intelligence rather than raw computing power. The only difference in the hardware is the amount of RAM, which is 8 gigabytes instead of the Pro’s 12 gigabytes.

The Google Pixel 8 is available with 128 gigabytes or 256 gigabytes of storage. The 512 gigabytes is only available on the Pro edition, where it makes sense because of the ability to take super high-resolution photos. The Pixel 8 doesn’t have that option.

The OLED display on the Google Pixel 8 is not quite as high-resolution and bright as on the Pixel 8 Pro; they are 1,080 x 2,400 pixels / 1,400 nits and 1,344 x 2,992 / 1,600 nits respectively. But it’s still a razor-sharp display with a brightness that shines through on a sunny day.

The charger is missing – still

The Google Pixel 8 is available in three colours: Obsidian (black), Hazel (grey) and Rose (dark pink). It is IP68 waterproof, so the phone can be used in all environments and weather conditions without worry. There’s room for one physical SIM card and one eSIM. But no SD card.

The battery is the same as in the Pixel 8 Pro, it is rated at 5,050 mAh. In other words, basically the same as last year. It can be fast charged with 30 watts. But you’ll be looking in vain for a charger in the box. Only a USB cable is included. For the price, it seems cheap. Although not as relatively cheap as the more expensive Pixel 8 Pro, which also doesn’t come with a charger. Nor, for that matter, do Apple and Samsung.

Scaled-down camera section

Whereas last year Google had chosen to use identical camera sections in the two models, but equip the top model with an additional telephoto lens, this year the picture is less clear.

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Google Pixel 8 - 2x telephoto. (Photo: John Alex Hvidlykke, L&B Tech Reviews)

Det kan virke, som om Google har lagt sig ekstra i selen for at synliggøre forskellen mellem Pixel 8 og pixel 8 Pro og dermed berettige prisforskellen. Pixel 8 er ikke bare en mindre Pixel 8 pro uden teleoptik. Kamerasektionen er tydeligt neddroslet.

Pixel 8 har ganske vist samme 50 Mp-hovedkamera som Pixel 8 Pro. Men Pro-funktionerne mangler, vi savner især muligheden for at arbejde med billeder i fuld 50 Mp-opløsning. Her må vi nøjes med 12 Mp.

Og mens Pro-modellen fik en ny supervidvinkel på 48 Mp, må Pixel 8 nøjes med den samme 12 Mp-supervidvinkel, som var i Pixel 7 og 7a.

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Google Pixel 8 Pro - Vidvinkel. (Foto: John Alex Hvidlykke, L&B Home)

The 10 Mp selfie camera is the same for the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro.

In all fairness, the camera section in the previous generation of Pixel phones was one of the best on the market. And of course, those qualities are still there, even though the Pixel 8 Pro has moved on.

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The ultra-wide angle does an excellent job (Photo: John Alex Hvidlykke, L&B Tech Reviews)

På normaldistancen og ved brede vidvinkelskud får man billeder med fremragende dynamik og farver, der med AI-processering næsten er endnu bedre end i virkeligheden!

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Google Pixel 8 - 5X (digital) tele. (Foto: John Alex Hvidlykke, L&B Home)

The magic is still there!

The AI features are still almost borderline magical. For example, Remove Blur, which can lift the quality of shots that were just “barely” in focus.

And the Pixel 8 has thankfully also got the new AI-based features Best Picture (where you can combine multiple versions of your family photo into one best-of-all-worlds photo) and Magic Eraser for Sound (which can remove the parts of the background sound you don’t like).

And it’s the AI features – with more to come – that set Google Pixel phones apart from the rest of the market.

Benchmarks

With the same processor as the Google Pixel 8 Pro, there are very few surprises in the speed measurements: they are virtually identical in almost all areas. And since the top model is currently the best phone in its class, the results on the cheaper model are not bad at all!

In dry numbers, the Geekbench 6 processor test comes out with a score of 1,336 in single-core and 4,284 in multicore. In terms of pure processing power, the Pixel phones are not as fast as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2-based models, including the Asus Zenfone 10. But it’s still pretty good.

The same trend can be seen on the PC Mark Work 3.0 test, where the score is 11.257.

As my colleague Jonas Ekelund noted in his test of the Pixel 8 Pro, the graphics performance of the Google phones is similar to last year’s top models from Samsung. Thus, the Pixel 8 performs just over a million in score on the Antutu graphics test.

The Pixel 8 outperforms its big brother in one respect: the battery test. With a result of 15 hours and 45 minutes, it is more than four hours better than the top model. Of course, this is due to the smaller and not quite as bright display.

Conclusion

The Google Pixel 8 is an excellent phone in most respects. And if you need a modern smartphone in a pocket-friendly format, it’s one of the best bets. But while its predecessor wiped the floor with competitors in its price range, this year’s junior model is so uncomfortably expensive that it has to “settle” for five out of six stars. Google only have themselves to blame for this, as they have improved the camera section in the Pro model so much that it seems more attractive to spend 25 per cent more money on the Pixel 8 Pro.

If you’re on a tight budget – and we’re dealing with some pretty expensive mobile phones here – the Google Pixel 7 Pro is an interesting alternative that, with a bit of luck, can be found cheaper than the Pixel 8. However, if you opt for the 7 Pro, you’ll have to forgo the latest AI wizardry; for example, the ability to stitch together group photos from multiple attempts.

Not least because the Xiaomi 13 Pro suffered from quite a few minor flaws and poor design decisions. The entire user interface was too ‘Chinese’ and full of bloatware, and the phone also had problems with overheating.

But true to tradition, Xiaomi has launched a cheaper successor, the Xiaomi 13T Pro, just over six months later, and we have to say that things have changed. The price has been significantly lowered and most of the problems of its predecessor have been solved. On top of that, without quite as many compromises as last year’s T-model, the Xiaomi 12T Pro, had to make to hit roughly the same price point.

The closest competitors in the same price range as the Xiaomi 13T Pro are the Motorola Edge 40 Pro and the OnePlus 11 5G. Both are excellent smartphones, so Xiaomi’s new phone has a lot to live up to.

Appearance and construction

Starting with the exterior, the Xiaomi 13T Pro is not the most eye-catching smartphone we’ve seen. Like the Xiaomi 13 Pro, it’s quite chunky and the design is characterised by the massive camera module on the back. It takes up almost the entire top fifth of the back of the phone, but unlike before, some of the thickness of the module has been cut so that the phone can lie normally on a table without ‘tipping over’ because of the camera.

The Xiaomi 13T Pro is available in two versions with either a black glass back or blue vegan leather. Our test sample was the vegan leather model, which has a nubby texture that feels great in the hand and doesn’t collect fingerprints, so we’d highly recommend it. Because Xiaomi’s glass models tend to be so glossy that you can literally use your mobile phone as a hand mirror.

From the front, the Xiaomi 13T Pro is reminiscent of its predecessor from last winter. However, the display is made of Gorilla Glass 5 instead of Gorilla Glass Victus and is almost completely flat rather than slightly curved along the edges like its predecessor. Both the power and volume buttons are still conveniently located on the right side of the phone. The phone is virtually bezel-less and has the front camera built in as a punched hole in the screen.

Like the 13 Pro, the Xiaomi 13T Pro is IP68-certified, making it completely resistant to dust and can withstand being submerged in water for up to 30 minutes.

Display and sound

The Xiaomi 13T Pro has a 6.67-inch AMOLED display with FHD+ resolution (2,712 x 1,220), which corresponds to an image sharpness of 446 ppi. In addition, the display has a refresh rate of 144 Hz (which is an improvement over its predecessor and puts the 13T Pro on par with the Motorola Edge 40 Pro), HDR10+, Dolby Vision and a maximum brightness of 2,600 nits. The screen is therefore extremely bright and, due to the high pixel density, also razor-sharp.

The brightness makes the display very usable in daylight – even when the sun is shining – and the black level is also excellent.

As for the sound, the Xiaomi 13T Pro is equipped with built-in stereo speakers that can play loud enough, although the audio is a bit on the tinny side. Fortunately, the phone supports both Dolby Atmos as well as aptX from Qualcomm, which optimises the sound when streaming wirelessly via Bluetooth.

Camera

As before, Xiaomi emphasises that the cameras are developed in cooperation with Leica and therefore have lenses from the German camera manufacturer. The main camera is 50 megapixels with a 24 mm focal length. The telephoto lens, also 50 megapixels, has a 50 mm focal length and therefore 2x optical zoom. The ultra-wide angle makes do with 12 megapixels, while the front camera is 20 megapixels.

Just like the Xiaomi 13 Pro, the 13T Pro has special ‘Leica filters’ added to the camera software, allowing even amateurs to capture more unique images with atmosphere and soul. In addition, there are so-called ‘photographic styles’ that capture images with a special adjustment and preset of tone, tonality and texture. In the camera software, users can define their own photographic styles or simply choose between two presets, ‘Leice Vibrant’ or ‘Leica Authentic’, where the former is dynamic and lively, while the latter creates neutral images with natural colours. We’ve tried them both, as you can see in the sample images.

Overall, the Xiaomi 13T Pro represents a step in the right direction for the Chinese, who were already on the right track with its predecessor. The collaboration with Leica has worked wonders for Xiaomi, and the 13T Pro is perhaps the best camera phone we’ve seen to date.

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The same subject photographed with ultra wide angle, wide angle and 2x optical zoom. And also with 'Leica Authentic' and 'Leica Vibrant'. The difference between the two photographic styles is subtle, but still makes a big difference to the result. (Photo: Peter Gotschalk)

Performance and features

But as we all know, trees don’t grow into Heaven, and to keep the price down, the Chinese have abandoned the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which otherwise made the Xiaomi 13 Pro lightning fast. Instead, Xiaomi 13T Pro has to make do with a processor from MediaTek, namely Dimensity 9200+, which is admittedly the Taiwanese chip manufacturer’s top processor, but still can’t quite compete with Qualcomm’s best chip when we reach the higher air layers and the mobile phone is pushed to the maximum.

That said, the MediaTek Dimensity 9200+ performs absolutely satisfactorily, and unlike the Xiaomi 13 Pro, the 13T Pro does not overheat when playing heavy games or otherwise pushing the mobile phone. So while the MediaTek processor may be slightly behind the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, it’s clearly better integrated with the mobile phone’s hardware and software, so the user experience ends up being better. This also applies to battery life, although the difference is not overwhelming. Incidentally, the Xiaomi 13T Pro has the same 120-watt fast charging as its predecessor, so it’s hard to run out of power if you’re near your charger even once a day. So it’s acceptable that the 13T Pro has to do without wireless charging.

Xiaomi has also cleaned up the many bloatware apps that marred its predecessor. Granted, there are still many of Xiaomi’s own apps installed when you start the mobile phone for the first time, and Xiaomi still thinks it is necessary to be absolutely, absolutely sure, so you have to wait 10 seconds before you are allowed to press ‘Ok’ in many of the menus. But overall, the user experience is cleaner and it seems that the Chinese manufacturer is finding the right balance between offering something unique and giving European users a familiar user interface.

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In collaboration with Leica, Xiaomi has also added three different modes to the portrait mode that capture images with a bokeh effect: 35mm Documentary lens, 50mm Swirly bokeh lens and 90mm Soft focus lens. The difference is striking and the images are unique. (Photo: Peter Gotschalk)

Conclusion

Xiaomi has done a lot of things right and not a lot wrong with the Xiaomi 13T Pro. We criticised its predecessor, the Xiaomi 13 Pro, for a number of minor flaws, poor design decisions and a high price, but with the successor, the Chinese manufacturer has solved most of the problems and, not least, the price has become much more affordable.

The design has been optimised, the screen is brighter and has a faster refresh rate, and although performance drops slightly due to the switch from Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 to MediaTek Dimensity 9200+, the new processor seems to be better integrated into the phone to avoid overheating. The Xiaomi 13T Pro, on the other hand, has to do without wireless charging, but otherwise it offers the same 120 watts of fast charging as its predecessor.

Last but not least, the collaboration with Leica – thanks in part to inbuilt Leica filters and photographic styles – means that the camera gives users more options for capturing unique images.

Compared to its closest competitors in the price range from Motorola and OnePlus, the Xiaomi 13T Pro has absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.

But the rumoured Pixel Watch, which we had heard whispers about, wasn’t launched in the Nordics. Not at the time. But its successor, the Pixel Watch 2, did this year. And we’ve now had the opportunity to test it.

And in many ways, it’s the smartwatch I’ve been looking for. Or at least a step in the right direction.

What’s so smart about that?

Smart watches aren’t so much about seeing what time it is. Even the cheapest Swatch can do that just fine. Or you can use your mobile phone, as anyone under 30 does.

Smart watches are all about having all your information at (or on) hand, James Bond style. And if the watch is not capable of firing a laser beam that cuts through steel, at least you can read your emails on the postage stamp-sized screen.

They’re also about fitness and health. A good smartwatch can not only measure your heart rate, but analyse heart rate, sleep patterns, blood oxygen saturation and much more. The Pixel Watch 2 works with the Fitbit fitness app. We’ll come back to that later.

Collect them all!

For manufacturers, smart watches are also about “tie-in” – creating a connection between multiple products and getting consumers to buy an entire product family. Apple and Samsung are experts at this, and Google is following in their footsteps. The key is integration and collaboration. And if you have a Pixel phone, Google will do everything it can to get you to choose Pixel Buds Pro as your earbuds and Pixel Watch as your smartwatch.

Geek – but not a fitness geek

For myself, I clearly fall into the first group. Excessive physical activity is something I only do out of necessity. And I don’t get excited by being told that I have burned 2,113 calories today. On the other hand, I’m a geek through and through. And so I approached the task with the expectation of a 007 experience.

So what gadgets do you have for me, Q?

The Google Pixel Watch 2 is smaller than the Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch. The watch is 41 mm in diameter and circular. The top is covered in black glass and the underside is metal. And with its softly rounded shape, the Pixel Watch 2 is the closest I’ve seen to an elegant smartwatch.

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The watch comes with a silicone rubber strap, but you can buy straps in other colours and materials (Photo: Google)

The watch comes with a silicone strap, but you can buy straps in other colours and materials, and the strap can be clicked off at the touch of a button and changed in seconds. Once you’ve learnt the trick. Pixel Watch 2 uses the same type of watch straps as last year’s version, so there’s already an extensive selection available.

Ready in minutes

Setting up the Google Pixel Watch 2 is as easy as we’ve come to expect from Google. From switching on the watch to pairing it with your phone and signing it into your Google account takes less than 10 minutes. And you’re being held securely by the hand all the way. Gone are the days of having to enter network codes every time you set up new hardware. Your phone already knows the code – and it’s new best friends with your watch.

Of course, this assumes you already have a Google account. But since an Android phone is required to use the watch, we can take that part for granted. iPhone owners are not invited. Just like the Apple Watch doesn’t work with Android phones.

The latest technology

Google provides operating systems for more phones and watches than anyone else – for free. But their own hardware gets it before anyone else. That includes the Pixel Watch 2, which is the first smartwatch to ship with Google Wear OS 4.0 installed.

This means that virtually all existing watch apps will be compatible with the Pixel Watch 2. And Google has wisely chosen to use the same file format for watch faces as Samsung, so you have access to an infinite number of watch faces. Note, however, that the watch screen itself is only 32 mm in diameter, so some Samsung watch faces may be difficult to read.

Inside the watch you find a Snapdragon Wear 5100 processor with Cortex M33 co-processor, 2 gigabytes of RAM and 32 gigabytes of storage. This means most apps run smoothly and without any hesitation, which is crucial for the illusion that you’re wearing a watch with extended features. And not a computer with a wrist band.

However, major apps still take some time to load and launch. Google Maps took so long the first time that I thought the watch had crashed.

The Google Pixel Watch 2 is available in two versions: one with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. And one that also has a built-in 4G modem for eSIM. The price quoted is for the Wi-Fi version.

Eyes in the night

The Google Pixel Watch 2 has such an extensive arsenal of sensors that I don’t need to mention them all here (they are listed below the article), but I was excited about the new inbuilt thermometer, among other things.

If, like me, you assumed that the watch could tell you your temperature, you’re wrong. The only thing the temperature sensor can do at the moment is to detect if the skin temperature varies overnight compared to previous days.

In fact, a large amount of the measurements in the Pixel Watch 2 take place during the night, where breathing rate, resting heart rate, blood oxygen saturation and variations in heart rate are also analysed. In the morning, the overnight results are accessed and the software paints an increasingly personalised picture as it learns about the range of variation.

Not a medical instrument

The measurements are used to paint a picture of the user’s health. A diagnosis, one might be tempted to say. Although Google and Fitbit emphasise that the measurements are in no way intended for medical purposes. And that you should talk to your doctor if you are concerned about your health.

Still, it was a reassuring experience to be told that my cardiovascular health is “Excellent” for a 59-year-old man. So expect to see many more tests from my hand in the years to come…

Fitbit included

As a buyer of the Pixel Watch 2, you are offered a six-month free trial subscription to Fitbit Premium. After that, the membership costs €8.99 per month. It’s not absolutely necessary to use the premium version, but in most cases you get access to more in-depth information. For example, free users only get to assess sleep quality with a single score between 0 and 100, while premium users get access to a graph of the distribution between deep sleep, REM sleep, light sleep and awake periods. It’s well understandable that Google, the owner of Fitbit, wants to make money, and the analyses seem thorough. However, if you choose the free version, you actually get less information than with other smartwatches.

Fitbit Premium also includes personalised training guidance and advice. I received the “Boat shoe” medal as a reward for walking 5,000 steps on the first day. If this was supposed to make me want to exercise more, it didn’t work at all. In this respect, Fitbit is preaching to the choir of devotees who use the app and watch to enhance their already existing exercise programme.

Unpalatable diet plan

The Fitbit app also includes a calorie counter that calculates the number of calories burned in relation to activity. And it is also supposed to be able to be used to manage a diet by entering calorie and fluid intake. This is where Fitbit completely fails! It’s simply unfeasible to include information about meals.

For example, my breakfast today consisted of toast with butter, coffee and juice. None of these exist in the Fitbit app universe! With a little searching, you find “toast” and are presented with menu suggestions from a dozen American restaurant chains. And will my coffee be equivalent to the coffee at TGI Friday’s? And even though I managed to attempt to guess both coffee and a cup of juice (most of the options were in American ounces), my fluid intake remains at zero. All beverages that are not tap water must therefore be entered in two places.

In a world where every technology product is marketed with a rhetoric of almost god-like artificial intelligence, this is plain stupid! It should be possible to explain in normal language what you’ve consumed and then get an educated guess at the calorie content. And ideally, it should be possible to take a picture of the meal with the phone camera and let the AI do the rest. After all, there’s not exactly a shortage of food photos to train the AI on!

Range anxiety

For petrol car owners considering switching to an electric car, range anxiety is a common disorder. The fear of not being able to reach your destination on a single charge. The Google Pixel Watch 2 makes it to the finish line, but only that. The battery life is claimed to be “up to 24 hours,” which in practice turned out to be quite accurate. In comparison, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 promises up to 40 hours of battery life, while the Apple Watch 9 manages around 36 hours.

The fact that most smartwatches, regardless of brand, have a usage time on a single charge of less than two days is simply not good enough. And only our urge to try out a new toy can make us accept the obvious absurdity of having a gadget that needs to be worn 24/7 to analyse our health, but at the same time needs to be charged for at least an hour a day with a proprietary charging cable that only fits that particular model and therefore needs to be brought along and placed at the top of the luggage on every trip – even if it’s just one overnight stay away from home.

Conclusion

Overall, the Google Pixel Watch 2 is a smartwatch that does many things easily and elegantly, while in other areas there is room for great improvement. The design makes all other smartwatches look clunky and the arsenal of sensors is so extensive that it’s hard to imagine another. The speed and screen quality are beyond reproach. And with Google Wear OS 4.0, you’ll be ahead of the game with the latest software.

The Fitbit app is designed for serious training, and it offers far more than you need if you just want to keep track of your health. But the calorie counting is in dire need of an AI update.

But where most people are frustrated with their smartwatches – regardless of brand – is battery life. And here the Pixel Watch 2 is at best only on par with the competition. If Google really wants to compete with Apple and Samsung, it needs to add half or even full days to the battery life. Ideally we would like to see a larger “men’s version” like the Apple Watch Ultra – only nicer. Then you could fill the extra volume with battery – and at the same time make room for a larger screen.

In other parts of the world, the selection is somewhat larger. Google Pixel Fold, Honor Magic Vs, Oppo Find N2 and Xiaomi Mix Fold 3 are the main competitors to Samsung’s foldable top model abroad, but Samsung – and of course Apple – have a strong market presence here.

But if you’ve been moaning and groaning for a foldable smartphone from a manufacturer other than Samsung, Christmas will come early this year. OnePlus has launched the foldable OnePlus Open, and this is truly a hybrid monster mobile phone that will give Samsung a run for its money in the shops. Also in terms of price, even though the OnePlus Open is by no means cheap.

L&B Tech Reviews is among the very few media outlets that have had the opportunity to test the foldable mobile phone before the official launch, and without giving too much away in advance – you usually read the conclusion at the end – the OnePlus Open is in many ways the Chinese manufacturer’s masterpiece.

We’ve simply never seen a better and more beautifully designed smartphone from OnePlus, but maybe that’s partly because the OnePlus Open is jointly developed by OnePlus and the much larger manufacturer Oppo? The two companies are owned by Chinese BKK Electronics, which is actually the world’s second largest mobile phone manufacturer and, in addition to OnePlus and Oppo, also owns the mobile phone brands Realme, Vivo and IQOO.

So there was no shortage of resources when it came to developing the foldable smartphone, and the OnePlus Open will be available in virtually all parts of the world, although in the domestic market in China it will be known as the Oppo Find N3.

Design and construction

In other words, there is both serious money and big ambitions behind OnePlus Open, and you can see that at first glance.

While Samsung needed five attempts before the Koreans succeeded in producing a foldable mobile phone with no gap between the two halves of the screen when folded, the first foldable OnePlus mobile phone has a design so precisely cut that even a fairy hair would find it difficult to squeeze into the gap.

Now, to be fair, the design is based on the first two foldable Oppo models, the Oppo Find N and Oppo Find N2, but neither of those phones had as much trouble with air between the screen halves as Samsung’s early Galaxy Z Fold versions. And the OnePlus Open has become even more compact when folded than its Oppo predecessors, not least thanks to a new hinge, the so-called Flexion Hinge, which consists of only 69 moving parts.

Not only does the tight closure eliminate the risk of, for example, a grain of sand finding its way between the two halves and scratching the screen. The new hinge design also helps make the OnePlus Open 1.7 mm slimmer than its competitor when folded.

The hinge can’t take all the credit though, because at just 5.8mm when unfolded, the OnePlus Open is the slimmest foldable smartphone we’ve tested. This also makes it feel easier to handle and lighter than it actually is. At 245 grams, it weighs five grams more than last year’s iPhone 14 Pro Max, which still was a bit of a handful, but that’s not noticeable in everyday use.

Like the spring’s OnePlus 11, the OnePlus Open has a rather large circular camera module on the back that really stands out. And while the foldable form factor is new to OnePlus, there’s still room for the popular ‘alert slider’ – a small slider that switches between sound, vibration and silent mode – at the top of the left-facing half of the screen when the phone is unfolded. The power button (with inbuilt fingerprint reader) and volume rocker are on the opposite side. However, all three buttons naturally face the same way when the OnePlus Open is folded.

The foldable screen is made of Ultra Thin Glass, while the front screen is protected by Ceramic Guard. OnePlus claims that Ceramic Guard is 20 per cent more robust than Gorilla Glass Victus, and we’re guessing that the protection is akin to Ceramic Shield, which Apple uses as screen protection for the iPhone.

In addition, the exterior of the phone is made from an alloy that combines several types of metals, including titanium, with the stated aim of striking the perfect balance between lightness and robustness. Perfection is a big word, but what is certain is that the OnePlus Open feels extremely robust. And it’s the first time we’ve tested a foldable smartphone without ever being afraid of breaking it!

Our test sample was matte green (called Emerald Dusk by OnePlus), and this is the only colour we’ll see in our latitudes. However, the phone is also available in a black colour (which OnePlus calls Voyager Dark).

Display and sound

Both the front display and the foldable display deliver a razor-sharp, high-resolution screen with an almost velvety smooth user experience. Add to that a hefty brightness of up to an insane 2,800 nits, which in practice means that the display can be used seamlessly outdoors, even if the sun is shining from a cloudless sky.

The refresh rate of both displays is adaptive up to 120 Hz (1-120 Hz for the foldable display and 10-120 Hz for the front display), which in practice means that the display frequency adapts automatically depending on what’s happening on the screen. The result is a smooth and fast user experience.

But most remarkably, the 6.31-inch front display with its 20:9 aspect ratio is as wide as we know it from regular smartphones. In other words, it’s actually usable, which is in stark contrast to all previous Samsung Galaxy Z Fold models. And even though Samsung’s front screens have justifiably become bigger and wider over time, even the latest model, the Galaxy Z Fold 5, has to make do with a front display in a mysterious 23.1:9 aspect ratio, which is significantly narrower than you’re used to from your normal mobile phone

A narrow display format significantly impairs the user experience, which is why it’s a huge advantage that OnePlus Open has managed to make room for a 20:9 aspect ratio front display. This is exactly the same format as the OnePlus Nord 2 and Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, and in daily use, this means that you have far more flexibility than with Samsung’s foldable mobile phone.

You can simply open your mobile phone and use the large display when it makes sense to do so. The rest of the time, you can use the OnePlus Open with the front display as a regular mobile phone, and although it may sound like a small thing, it’s exactly the kind of thing that could make more people opt for a foldable smartphone.

If the front display format is too narrow, you don’t want to use it more than necessary, but instead have to open the phone to use the large display. It’s an extra action that takes time and quickly becomes annoying when you have to do it 60 times an hour, which is not unrealistic given how often most of us use our mobiles anyway.

With OnePlus Open, it’s as easy as a regular smartphone to reach into your pocket and check Facebook or read the latest email while waiting for the bus. And you can do it with one hand. If you’re sitting down and have time to be productive or entertained, you can open your phone and take advantage of all the possibilities the foldable display offers. That’s how the foldable format makes sense!

The OnePlus Open is also at the front of the bus when it comes to the audio experience. The phone is of course equipped with aptX from Qualcomm, which optimises the sound when streaming wirelessly via Bluetooth, and the integrated speakers have both Dolby Atmos and spatial audio, which provides a unique sound experience, whether you use the phone to listen to music, watch videos or play games without headphones.

Cameras

The large circular camera module houses a triple camera consisting of a 48 Mp wide-angle with optical image stabilisation based on Sony’s latest LYTIA-T808 sensor, a 48 Mp ultra-wide-angle with a 114° field of view, and a 64 Mp telephoto with periscope technology and 3x true optical zoom plus 6x hybrid zoom. On top of that, there’s a small selfie camera integrated into each display.

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Same subject photographed with ultra-wide angle, wide angle, 3x optical zoom and 6x hybrid zoom. High image quality across all zoom levels, with good colour reproduction and depth of field across the board. (Photo: Peter Gotschalk)

The aforementioned LYTIA-T808 sensor from Sony uses Dual-Layer Transistor Pixel technology, which optimises light collection by separating and stacking two layers of pixel transistors under the photodiodes to improve image quality in low light. And OnePlus doesn’t disappoint.

Overall, the camera in the OnePlus Open delivers on both counts! It captures the finest details with impressive sharpness. Images are generally good with a wide dynamic range and colours appear vibrant and natural without any traces of over-saturation, which is a sign of excellent colour calibration. Furthermore, the camera handles different lighting conditions with ease, even in dimmer lighting, where images remain noise-free.

The periscope lens also delivers. Even at higher magnifications, the camera manages to maintain sharpness and detail without noticeable loss of quality.

In other words, there are no compromises when it comes to the camera, even though the OnePlus Open is a foldable smartphone.

Performance

Like the OnePlus 11, OnePlus’ foldable phone is also equipped with 5G and Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor and 16 gigabytes of memory, and the two phones are roughly equally fast. What’s certain is that the OnePlus Open is not only blazing fast, it can handle all tasks – including large apps and games – without overheating. And without the power consumption going crazy. On the contrary, the battery lasts longer than we expected, considering the large, bright screens. Charging is also fast. The phone comes with a 67 watt fast charger that can charge the battery from 0 to 100 per cent in about 45 minutes. The only downside is that the OnePlus Open doesn’t have wireless charging, but that’s about the only compromise you have to make with an otherwise almost perfect smartphone.

Features

Using the front screen, the OnePlus Open works just like any other smartphone. It’s when you open the foldable mobile phone that the magic happens. The 7.82-inch screen gives the user a true tablet experience, and of course, the OnePlus Open can multitask like any other tablet and foldable smartphone. There is also a computer-like taskbar that provides an overview of recently opened apps etc. This in itself is nothing to brag about. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 also has a taskbar and can handle four apps at once. But it’s hardly manageable and not very useful in practice.

No, the speciality of OnePlus Open is the way the app windows are displayed. OnePlus calls it Open Canvas, and the idea is that you see two (or three) apps on the screen at the same time, but you can “push” the one or two you’re not actively using to the side. It’s like pushing a piece of paper to the side of your physical desk so it doesn’t get in the way of what you’re doing.

In practice, this has the same effect on the foldable screen as if it were a window to a larger workspace, and you simply drag the app(s) you need to use right now into your field of view. It’s the best thought out and most elegant multitasking solution we’ve seen. Well done, OnePlus!

Conclusion

The OnePlus Open is the best foldable tablet-sized smartphone we’ve ever tested. There’s no one above and no one below.

Why? It took two simple moves to change the foldable form factor forever and make it truly usable.

Firstly, the OnePlus Open can be used as a normal mobile phone because the front display has the same format as many regular smartphones. Think about how often you take your mobile phone out of your pocket to check this or that. With OnePlus Open, you get an ordinary user experience, making the unfolded display an added luxury and not an annoyance because you have to open it all the time, as is the case with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold models, for example. Yes, they also have a front display, but it’s too narrow and limits usability.

Secondly, multitasking just plays on the large foldable display thanks to Open Canvas. The new interface OnePlus has created for this purpose is easy to use and a real game changer.

On top of that, by all other parameters – construction, design, image quality, sound, camera and performance – the OnePlus Open just oozes quality. This is a smartphone from the very top shelf.

Appearance and construction

It would be wrong to say that the Pixel 8 Pro has been radically redesigned. The three cameras in the slightly elevated camera panel are now hidden behind a common glass. Last year’s upgrade was to make the band metallic, and we like that they’ve kept the metallic stripe as it makes the phone stand out from the crowd. The flash has been moved slightly to make room for the new temperature sensor. The phone is available in black (obsidian), off-white (porcelain) and light blue (bay), which is a bit more cheerful than last year’s muted colours. The back is also made of matte glass (Gorilla Glass Victus), which makes it less slippery. The screen has got Gorilla Glass Victus 2.

The screen

We get the same large display as last year, but curiously with a slightly lower resolution. The display technology is the same excellent LTPO OLED panel. But the brightness has been pushed up to a whopping 1,600 nits in high brightness mode and with a peak brightness of an impressive 2,400 nits. That’s 60 per cent brighter than last year’s model and 15-20 per cent brighter than the regular Pixel 8. In addition to the display being able to go up to 120 Hz refresh rate to make games run smoothly, it can also go down to just 1 Hz to save power when you’re displaying a static image.

Camera upgrades

The cameras have also been upgraded. Some to a lesser extent, such as the main camera, which has only improved light sensitivity by 21 per cent, but is said to have better image quality. The telephoto camera has become 56 per cent more light sensitive. The ultra-wide angle has also been beefed up, which is wise, as it was the weak point of the previous model. It has been upgraded from 12 to now 48 megapixels and has become significantly more sensitive to light, as well as having better autofocus. It also has better macro focus.

Photo quality hasn’t improved dramatically, except that thanks to the more light intensive optics, night shots have improved slightly. But this should be seen in relation to an already very high level, where we rate the photo quality among the very best mobiles. With the ultra-wide angle, on the other hand, the quality has improved significantly, and with such detail and sharpness, it’s hard to find anything to complain about without being pedantic.

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Pixel 7 Pro Night Sight (Photo: Jonas Ekelund, L&B Tech Reviews)

As usual, however, it’s on the software side that Google’s camera shines. The 8 Pro has been given Pro controls, which means you can shoot at full 50 megapixel resolution, save images in RAW format to preserve image information, and have full manual control over focus, white balance, ISO, shutter speed and aperture.

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Pixel 7 Pro macro (Photo: Jonas Ekelund, L&B Tech Reviews)

But above all, the editing tools are fantastic. We already had Magic Eraser, where we can remove unwanted details from images. This is complemented by Magic Edit, which can move objects around and change the sky. As well as Best Picture, where by taking many pictures you can replace the head of people with their eyes closed with one where their eyes are open. For video, there’s now Audio Eraser, where you can remove distracting background noise. And coming soon is Videoboost, which brings HDR+ and colour grading to video, as well as dark mode to video.

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Pixel 7 Pro ultrawide (Photo: Jonas Ekelund, L&B Tech Reviews)

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Pixel 8 Pro ultrawide (Photo: Jonas Ekelund, L&B Tech Reviews)

Usability

Most of the usability improvements in the Pixel 8 Pro are due to the new Android 14. These include a health centre, a smart assistant that learns the user’s habits and preferences, and adaptive charging to save battery life. But it also comes to other manufacturers’ phones, so it wouldn’t be right to emphasise it as a particular advantage of the Pixel 8 Pro.

Something we’ve long complained about is the effectiveness of unlocking using facial recognition on Android phones, which lags far behind Apple’s FaceID. Google now says their Face Unlock is so secure that it can be used for banking logins and payments. Hooray! But even though it works faster and more accurately, it still doesn’t work in the dark.

What’s unique, however, is that the Pixel 8 Pro has a temperature sensor. It works just like infrared thermometers, so you simply point it at a surface and press the button. However, these thermometers are big as guns and not particularly cheap, so it’s quite impressive that Google has managed to squeeze the feature into the phone. And as far as we can tell, it works. However, you can’t tell if you have a fever, as only the skin temperature is measured.

Just point the thermometer at the object you want to measure the temperature of. (Photo: Jonas Ekelund, L&B Home)

In recent years, there has been a lot of talk about products that have to be scrapped prematurely because they are no longer supported. We’re looking at you, Chromebook! Most mobile phone manufacturers only offer three years of updates, which isn’t very long. So we commend Google for offering seven years of Android upgrades, security updates and new features. That means you should be able to keep your Pixel 8 until 2030!

Performance

Under the hood is Google’s own Tensor G3, and need we say it’s the fastest Pixel processor ever, according to Google? The interesting thing about the Samsung-built chip is that it’s not built to break Snapdragon or Apple performance records. It’s designed to deliver amazing AI and machine learning performance to support all those features Google has crammed into the phone.

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The same goes for performance when it comes to game graphics (Graphic: Jonas Ekelund, L&B Tech Reviews)

Compared to the previous model, raw performance, as measured by Geekbench, has increased by 15-20 per cent, which is comparable to the previous performance gains. Graphics performance has increased by an impressive 37 per cent, but it’s from a low level, so we can say it’s starting to catch up with the competition. Overall performance, measured with Antutu 10, tells us that performance has increased by a whopping 29 per cent. But that only brings it up to the level of last year’s Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. Compared to this year’s top models, it lags behind, but as mentioned, it’s not supposed to be the fastest either. However, according to Geekbench ML, machine learning performance has improved by a whopping 41 per cent, which Google says is what they’ve been aiming for.

The Pixel 8 Pro has a marginally larger battery, but faster charging. We measured 70 minutes from 10 to 90 per cent charge. PCMark’s battery test gave us 12 hours and 47 minutes, which is among the better results, but without being outstanding in any way.

Conclusion

It’s clear that with its Pixel mobiles, Google wants to set the direction for Android mobiles. And the future is not an arms race on raw speed. Our mobiles are already as fast as computers, but do we really need it? Instead, it makes everything a little smarter. The camera takes better pictures for us, the microphone cancels noise for us, the assistant understands what we want, and it charges the battery smarter than we can figure out on our own. That’s not to say that there are no new features, because the performance has really improved, the screen has become extremely bright – and the phone has a thermometer! Sure, it has its flaws, but you just have to surrender to the feeling of desire.

Appearance and construction

The big change in appearance is that it is now made of titanium instead of stainless steel. Titanium is a very durable yet lightweight material, which means the Pro Max is actually 10 per cent lighter! The sides have a nice brushed metal look and we think our test sample in natural titanium colour is very nice, although we also fancy the blue model.

The display also has a narrower edge, which has been used to make the phone a few millimetres smaller instead of making the screen larger. On the other hand, it has become slightly thicker, probably due to the new camera. The result is that you have to buy a new case. However, the mobile phone also has slightly more rounded edges, which makes it more comfortable to hold if you prefer to go caseless.

The display

Not only has the display not gotten any bigger, it’s exactly the same display as last year’s iPhone 14 Pro. However, that in turn was upgraded from the 13 Pro with much better brightness, an ‘always on’ display, and a refresh rate that can go down to 1Hz to save power. But Apple’s displays have always been good, with excellent colour reproduction, so we can’t really complain about the screen.

Camera

Apple says we now have the equivalent of seven camera lenses, but that’s stretching the truth a bit. We have the ultra-wide angle lens (0.5 zoom, 13mm), the main camera (1x, 24mm) and the telephoto lens (5x, 120mm). That’s three. But then Apple counts the macro mode, which uses the ultra-wide angle lens. And the new option to choose between 24, 28 and 35 mm for the main camera (it’s the same lens, but the image is cropped). And the so-called 2x, which is not a lens, but just a zoom function. It’s a 12-megapixel down-sampling of the main camera’s 48-megapixel sensor.

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15 Pro Max 0.5x13 mm (Ultra wide angle)

The main camera has the same 48 megapixel sensor as in the 14, which was a big upgrade from the 12 megapixel sensor in the 13 series. What’s happened is new processors and new algorithms. Thanks to an upgraded Photonic Engine, we now get 24 megapixel images as standard without any noticeable reduction in image quality. For professionals, you can now take 48 Mp photos in HEIF in addition to ProRAW and have it as a quick selection in the camera app.

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It pays to familiarise yourself with the new camera settings to get the best possible results (Screenshot: L&B).

The result is not bad at all. Performance in dark conditions has been improved, with better focus and more preserved details. The new HDR algorithm provides less aggressive shadow highlighting and more natural colours. We’re also more excited about the focal length settings than we expected, as there’s no need to crop afterwards. We also like that you can now add portrait mode afterwards if you forgot to do so at the time of shooting.

Instead, the big news is the new telephoto lens. It doesn’t actually have the expected periscope design that competitors use, but a tetraprism where light is reflected four times to achieve a focal length of 120mm. With longer telephoto lenses, however, the risk of image shake increases, so it has a new image stabilisation feature where the entire sensor moves three-dimensionally to compensate for movement. After testing it against competitors with large optical zoom, we have to say that Apple has done a great job, it’s right up there with the Google Pixel 7 Pro, in fact a little better!

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Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5x

But what’s getting stale is the ultra-wide angle, which is still at 12 megapixels without any image stabilisation. We guess it’ll get an upgrade when next year’s model is introduced.

Video recording has also received nice upgrades for those who want to use the iPhone professionally. You can now select Log encoding when recording ProRes video for later colour grading. And thanks to the USB-C port, you can now record in 4K60 to external SSD storage. You can now also lock the white balance when recording video and use digital zoom, even in cinema mode.

Application

But one small innovation that makes life a little easier is that the old ring/mute switch has now been replaced by an action/shortcut button. By default, it does exactly the same thing, but you can change the function in the settings. Such as switching on the flashlight, switching to a specific focus mode, starting a voice recording or even starting the camera. It can also be used as a shutter button. More efficiently, it can be linked to a shortcut, which can do everything from opening your favourite app to starting an automation in your smart home. It took no time at all to get used to. But we’re hoping for a software update that allows you to activate more functions, for example with a double tap.

The new USB-C connector means that in addition to using the same charging cable as for Mac and iPad, there are actually new applications. For example, you can charge your Apple Watch or Airpods from the connector at up to 4.5 watts. The connector also supports Displayport, so you can connect the iPhone 15 Pro Max to a monitor and display up to 4K60 video with HDR. With a Thunderbolt 4 cable, you get up to 20 times faster performance than Lightning, opening up new possibilities, like in the example above with video recording to an SSD.

Like the new Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2, iPhone 15 features the second generation Ultra Wideband circuitry. It has three times the range, making it practical to use it to find a friend ( who has an iPhone 15) in a crowd. We wouldn’t mind an upgraded Airtag with the same technology.

For those of us concerned with the smart home, we found in the fine print that the iPhone 15 Pro is actually the first smartphone to support the Thread standard. This means that in the future, after an upcoming update, you won’t need a hub to connect to a Thread-enabled smart device. One of the technologies included in the Matter standard.

Performance

Inside we find the new A17 Pro system on a chip (SoC). It’s built with new 3nm technology and is said to have a twice as fast Neural Engine (for machine learning), which should deliver a total of 10 per cent better performance. The fact that the 15 Pro has more memory should also make everything feel faster. According to the Geekbench performance test, it’s a bit modest. It’s 18 per cent faster with one core and 16 per cent faster with all cores. Not bad!

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The new graphics processor has really accelerated gaming graphics (Illustration: Jonas Ekelund, L&B Home).

A major change in the system circuitry is that the graphics processor has gotten an extra core and has reportedly been completely redesigned. It now supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing and has adopted technology from the Mac to achieve higher quality with lower power consumption. This is said to give a performance boost of 20 per cent. According to the 3DMark Wild graphics performance test, it fits the bill nicely, which is a significant performance improvement.

Synthetic tests are fine, of course, but also in more reality-based tests like Basemark Web and Antutu HTML5, which measure browser performance, we got 20-25 per cent higher results.

In its presentation, Apple emphasised that the A17 Pro is significantly more energy efficient. Something that has been long awaited, as the iPhone 14 Pro Max actually had worse battery life than the 13 Pro Max. If we are to be constructive, we can say that the battery life is now back to the 13 Pro Max level, which was actually very good. But more realistically, why isn’t the battery life better than on a two-year-old model?

With the new USB-C connector, you would expect official Power Delivery support with the ability to fast charge with third-party chargers. But that’s not what happened. The 15 Pro Max charges at the same mediocre 27 watts as the old Lightning models. Yes, it delivers 50% charge in 30 minutes. But that’s exactly the same charging speed as the 13 Pro Max. We’ve measured.

However, we are happy that the iPhone Pro now supports Wi-Fi 6E, 6 GHz band, so it can really get the highest wireless speed without having to compete with all the devices on the 5 GHz band.

Conclusion

Our initial impression that the iPhone 15 Pro Max had only isolated improvements has been replaced by a feeling of satisfaction. It turns out that all the little things add up to a great experience. We like the lighter design and everyday conveniences like the quick button, not having to look for a Lightning cable when charging and the fact that battery life is back to a comfortable level. We’re also impressed with the increased performance and the new telephoto camera. After last year’s disappointment, the Pro Max is back in the game!

The watch, like the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro phones, was presented at the Made By Google event that took place around the world yesterday.

The Google Pixel Watch is interesting for several reasons. Firstly, users who are not engaged to either Samsung or Apple have an alternative that is backed by a major manufacturer. Even though Google is the underdog in the mobile and watch world.

The Pixel Watch can be used with all Android mobiles with Android 9 or later. iPhone owners are left out in the cold. Which they probably don’t care about, as long as they can have their Apple Watches, which they are the only ones who can use.

30 mm in diameter

With a screen diameter of 30 mm, the Pixel Watch 2 is comparatively smaller than its competitors from Apple and Samsung. On a narrow office worker’s arm like mine, it’s a plus to be able to get a watch that’s smaller than a manhole cover. But the screen will necessarily be smaller – and thus harder to read. The resolution is 384 x 384 pixels (or it would have been if the screen was round).

The screen is made of curved glass, which gives it a rather elegant and, for a smart watch, rather untouched look. The watch can be combined with a wide range of straps.

Many features require a Fitbit subscription

The Pixel Watch 2 is well equipped with sensors. An electrical sensor detects pulse and heart rate, while an optical sensor measures blood oxygenation using LED light. There is also a temperature sensor that measures skin temperature. With a Fitbit subscription, you can access sleep and stress analysis. You get a six-month trial subscription with the purchase. After that, it costs €10 per month. It will be interesting to see how many health features require a Fitbit subscription in practice. The sensor collection also includes an altimeter, gyroscope and compass.

In addition to tracking exercise, the gyro sensor is also used to detect falls and car crashes. Just like Apple and Samsung users have long had access to.

At the heart of the Google Pixel Watch 2 is a Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 processor, and there’s 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. The watch case is made of aluminium, which Google proudly describes as recycled aluminium. However, in very small print, it mentions that recycled aluminium only makes up 3%.

The watch costs €399 in a Wi-Fi only version. In some countries, a slightly more expensive version with LTE is also available.

Battery life is rated at 24 hours with the screen on all the time and a full charge takes 80 minutes.

Watch out for your timepiece!

In the press material from Google, you can see people doing rock climbing and other extreme sports with a Pixel Watch 2 on their arm. The curved bezel may be made of Gorilla Glass 5. But it’s not unbreakable. And once it’s broken, there’s no other solution than to replace the entire watch. There are no spare parts to repair a shattered Pixel Watch 2. Neither from independent mobile phone repair shops nor from Google itself.

Google is aware of the problem, and if the screen fails, the company will exchange the watch and take the defective watch to the lab to find out what failed. If the defect is due to rough handling, that’s another matter that will be handled by the retailers, taking into account the law. The answer will likely be an exchange price, but that was not clarified today.

New features – but not new earbuds

Google Pixel Buds Pro was also present at the presentation. But there won’t be a new version this time round. Instead, there will be a software update – which will also benefit existing owners. The most interesting new feature is conversation detection, which automatically stops music playback and switches to ambient sound when the buds detect that the wearer is talking to someone in their surroundings.

Pixel Buds Pro costs €229.

Google Tensor G3

Both Pixel models feature the new Google Tensor G3 processor. Leaked performance tests show that it’s obviously faster than last year’s G2, but it can’t really keep up with the competition. This is deliberate, however, as Google’s ambition is not to be the fastest, but to be the smartest. They don’t focus on raw performance, but on AI and machine learning. Google believes that machine learning is 10 times more complex than on the Pixel 6. It should provide better image processing, improved audio and video quality, clearer voice dialogue and “magical” video editing tools. We’ll see how well it works in our upcoming tests.

Both models have been given an updated design with softer styling, new finishes and new colours. The Pixel 8 has a metal frame with a satin finish and a polished glass back. The Pixel 8 Pro has a polished aluminium frame and, for the first time, a matte glass back, which we hope will make it less slippery. Both are IP68 certified, making them dustproof and highly water resistant.

Google Pixel 8 Pro

The Pro model has received a significant upgrade. In addition to Tensor, it has 12 GB of memory as standard. It has a so-called Super Actua display, which actually has a somewhat lower resolution, but on the other hand, the brightness has been upgraded from 1,000-1,500 nits to 1,600-2,400 nits (HDR/max brightness). That’s very bright! The screen is now also protected by Gorilla Glass Victus 2.

The big news for photography is that the neglected ultra-wide angle has now been upgraded to 48 megapixels and has better sensitivity. Both the main camera and the telephoto camera have also been given slightly better and brighter lenses. Otherwise, it’s the image processor and algorithms that have been trimmed. Many of the impressive photo and video effects on display are due to AI performance.

When it comes to communication, the wireless network has been upgraded to Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth to 5.3. It’s also the first standard handset we’ve heard of with a thermometer! Simply scanning things to find out the temperature. It needs to be tested!

Google Pixel 8

The upgrades to the regular Pixel 8 look more modest, which leads us to assume that this year Google wants there to be a bigger difference compared to the Pro model. Last year we found that apart from the telephoto camera and screen, it was really just a cheaper Pro.

The screen is slightly smaller than last year’s model, making the phone a few millimetres smaller and 10 grams lighter. In addition to the processor, it has a screen with a refresh rate of 120 Hz, which can be lowered to 60 Hz to save battery power. The brightness has been increased from 1,000-1,400 nits to 1,400-2,000 nits (HDR/max brightness). The camera has slightly brighter lenses and the ultra-wide angle has a wider field of view, but otherwise the difference seems to be mainly in the image processing. It’s also got WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 5.3. The battery is slightly larger and should charge a little faster.

Price and availability

Both models are available for pre-order from today and will go on sale on 12 October.

Pixel 8:

128 GB: €799.
256 GB: €859

Pixel 8 Pro:

128 GB €1099.
256 GB €1159
512 GB €1299.

We’re already testing, so keep an eye on this page!

Appearance and construction

Design-wise, not much has changed since 2022, or 2021 or 2020 for that matter. The Sony Xperia 5 V is very similar to its predecessors, with a fairly angular design and all surrounded by a metal frame, but this year with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on both the front and back.

The Xperia 5 V is available in three different colors: black, platinum silver and blue. And even though the back is made of glass, the color is matte, so the phone is both comfortable to hold and doesn’t attract fingerprints.

Just like its four predecessors, Sony’s latest compact model is also equipped with a 21:9 screen. This makes the phone slim and long, and the narrow format means it’s easy to hold in the hand. There’s even a little more space at the top, as Sony has again this year chosen to place the front camera next to the speaker in the frame above the screen itself.

The camera module sits in the top left corner of the back when viewed from the rear. One of the reasons is that Sony has made room for a 3.5 mm minijack on the top of the phone, which is a nice touch for audiophiles.

The fingerprint reader is integrated into the power button on the right side of the phone. There you’ll also find the volume control and the dedicated camera button, which is a little bonus that you don’t get with many other smartphones.

Display and sound

The display on the Xperia 5 V is a faithful copy of the display on last year’s model, unfortunately including the rather wide black border that goes around the entire display, which is starting to look a bit dated now at the end of 2023.

This is an OLED display with FHD+ resolution, and like its predecessor, the Xperia 5 V features Creator Mode, which makes the display’s image reproduction as color-accurate and lifelike as possible. Among other things, the technology gives the mobile display a wider color space, while 10-bit HDR provides more detailed rendering of color transitions.

The technology is supported by Netflix, among others, and the image quality is quite impressive. On the Sony display, the picture looks like it does in the cinema or on the very best TVs on the market, and of course, it gets really cool if the content is available in 21:9 format.

On Netflix, this applies to about two out of three movies, while the vast majority of TV series are only in 18:9 format. Unfortunately, this means that black bars appear on the right and left side of the image. But perhaps it’s worth putting up with this in exchange for the opportunity to take full advantage of the content that is actually recorded and available in the cinema format.

The 21:9 format also allows you to run two apps at the same time in the so-called 21.9 multi-window mode, which works really well.

The cinematic feel of the 21:9 format is enhanced if you use a decent pair of headphones with your Sony Xperia 5 V. The sound quality from the built-in speakers is also acceptable, although the Xperia 5 V still lacks a bit of depth and volume compared to the last few editions of the Xperia 1 model.

As mentioned, the phone has a built-in minijack socket, and in addition, the Xperia 5 V supports Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res Audio, including Sony’s LDAC format and DSEE Ultimate technology, as well as Sony’s 360 Spatial Sound.

Cameras

The most notable thing about the Sony Xperia 5 V compared to last year’s model is that the camera has actually been downgraded in a way. Specifically, the Xperia 5 V no longer has a dedicated telephoto lens, which most of its predecessors had. Instead, the compact phone comes with the same Exmor T sensor as the Xperia 1 V – with 48 megapixel resolution and an extra layer of photocells to improve light sensitivity and make the phone better able to take pictures in night mode, which has previously been one of the Xperia models’ biggest weaknesses.

The camera is controlled via the Photography Pro app, which basically has the same user interface as Sony’s Alpha cameras and thus offers manual settings for exposure, white balance, shutter speed, etc. The camera has also borrowed a few other tricks from Sony’s Alpha series, such as Real-time Eye-AF, which follows and focuses on the subject’s eyes even when the person is moving, which now works with all camera lenses.

However, if you are not a camera enthusiast, you can still choose the Sony Xperia 5 V. Photography Pro also has a so-called Basic mode, which gives the user a simple interface that does most things automatically.

And where we previously (actually ever since the first Xperia 1 and Xperia 5 models) experienced annoying weaknesses in Sony’s software as soon as the camera was left to its own devices – for example, for years the Xperia mobiles had problems with automatic HDR, which often led to either over- or underexposed images – Sony has finally got it right. Even pictures taken in Basic mode turn out quite well, and Sony has got the automatic exposure under control.

But it’s the Alpha user interface that makes the Sony Xperia 5 V special, and the fact that Sony prioritizes its own professional camera app is a good example of the Japanese electronics manufacturer knowing its audience. Too many loyal Xperia users choose Sony’s top phones because of their close affinity with the company’s system cameras.

In other words, the Sony Xperia 5 V is probably one of the most interesting smartphones on the market right now for those who are more than generally interested in photography and like to spend time manually adjusting camera settings.

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The 'Grotta' in Prague photographed with ultra wide angle, wide angle and 2x zoom. This is as close as we can get with optical zoom. On the other hand, the Sony Xperia 5 V has no problems controlling exposure (Photo: Peter Gotschalk)

This also applies to those who prefer to record video rather than taking pictures. There are two different apps to choose from, Video Pro and Cinema Pro, the latter of which has a number of color profiles, so-called “Looks”, that adjust color curves, contrast and saturation to give the finished videos a look that corresponds to the way different film genres tend to look.

The new Video Creator app, on the other hand, is for those who want to post cool videos on TikTok and Instagram but haven’t taken a video editing course. At the touch of a button, Video Creator transforms the user’s video into a social media-friendly format that’s ready to share.

Performance and features

Just like its big brother, the Xperia 1 V, the Sony Xperia 5 V is equipped with the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, which we also know from OnePlus 11 and Motorola Edge 40 Pro.

In benchmark tests, the phone even performs better than the Xperia 1 V, despite the fact that the two phones have the same type of processor, and the Xperia 5 V even has to make do with 8 gigabytes of RAM compared to the 12 gigabytes in the Xperia 1 V.

Compared to the other top phones, the Xperia 5 V’s performance is also top notch, which means that at the time of writing, the Sony Xperia 5 V is one of the fastest Android phones money can buy.

As mentioned, the fingerprint reader is neither in the screen nor on the back of the phone, but integrated into the power button, which is a good solution that works every time. Like its predecessor, the Sony Xperia 5 V is also water and dust resistant (IP65/68).

The 5,000 mAh battery ensures excellent battery life – just like last year’s model – and this year it’s even better, probably thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which offers various power-saving features. Add to that 30 watts of fast charging and, of course, wireless charging.

A few of its predecessors had problems with them getting extremely hot at peak loads, making them almost impossible to hold in your hand. The Sony Xperia 5 V also tends to get too hot, but the problem has lessened. Perhaps the Japanese manufacturer has mastered the game-enhancing software that dedicates more memory to the game that’s running. We can only hope that the problem of excessive heat generation has been completely resolved by the time next year’s model hits the market.

Conclusion

“Don’t mess with a working system,” as the saying goes, and Sony dutifully follows this recipe with the compact Sony Xperia 5 V, which as always is a slightly downgraded and thus cheaper version of this year’s excellent top model, the Sony Xperia 1 V. So you get the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and the new 48 megapixel camera with Exmor T sensor as well as the large 5,000 mAh battery with a long lifespan if you choose the Xperia 5 V, but you have to do without the telephoto lens and live with the fact that the compact phone tends to get a little too hot sometimes.

In hindsight, however, you might wish that Sony would dare to experiment a little more than they currently do. The Xperia 5 V is, apart from a few changes, a faithful copy of its predecessor, and especially the angular design with the rather wide black screen border is starting to look old-fashioned here at the end of 2023.

Appearance and construction

That’s why the Sony Xperia 1 V looks just like many of its predecessors. The design is elegant, with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 to protect the screen and Gorilla Glass Victus on the back, all surrounded by a metal frame.

And just like last year, the Xperia 1 V is available in three different colours, this year black, silver and khaki green. As a new feature, the back is now dimpled and non-slip, thanks to a textured glass that prevents the phone from slipping. And no more fingerprints from greasy fingers. Thank you, Sony!

Just like its four predecessors, Sony’s latest flagship model has a 21:9 aspect ratio display. This makes the phone long and narrow, and the slim format means it’s easy to hold in your hand, even though the screen size is a full 6.5 inches. There’s even a little more room at the top, as Sony has again this year chosen to place the front camera next to the speaker in the frame above the screen.

Like its predecessor, the camera module is located in the top left corner of the back. One of the reasons for this is that Sony has made room for a 3.5 mm mini jack on the top of the phone, which is a nice touch for audiophiles.

The fingerprint reader is integrated into the power button on the right side of the phone. There you’ll also find the volume button and the dedicated camera button that acts as a shutter release when taking pictures, which is a little bonus that you don’t get with many other smartphones.

The camera button is located on the far right when the phone is held horizontally, and it also has a grooved pattern to make it easier to find with your fingers. Nice detail!

The display

The display on the Xperia 1 V is almost a faithful copy of the display on last year’s model. The refresh rate is 120 Hz, and as we know, the high refresh rate means that the user experience is smooth when moving around the home screen, menus, etc.

What’s more, it’s an OLED display with 4K resolution and a maximum brightness of around 1,000 nits, making Sony’s smartphone highly usable outdoors. This can come in handy when using the screen as a viewfinder when taking photos.

The Sony Xperia 1 V is one of very few smartphones on the market with such a high screen resolution, and like its predecessors, the phone also features Creator Mode, which makes the screen’s image reproduction as colour-accurate and lifelike as possible. Among other things, the technology gives the mobile screen a wider colour space, while 10-bit HDR provides more detailed rendering of colour transitions.

The technology is currently supported by Netflix, among others, and the image quality is quite impressive. On the Sony screen, the picture looks like it does in the cinema or on the very best TVs on the market, and of course, it gets really cool if the content is available in 21:9 format.

Audio

The cinema feel of the 21:9 format is enhanced if you use a decent pair of headphones with your Sony Xperia 1 V.

As mentioned, the phone has a built-in minijack connector, and in addition, the Xperia 1 V supports Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res Audio, including Sony’s LDAC format and DSEE Ultimate technology, as well as Sony’s 360 Spatial Sound. The technology is similar to Apple Spatial Audio, and like Apple’s solution, 360 Spatial Sound provides listeners with a 3D-like audio experience to add authenticity and authenticity to music. Like hearing the music live, in other words.

While Apple’s solution only works with Apple Music and Apple headphones such as AirPods Pro or AirPods Max, 360 Spatial Sound works with several streaming services. First and foremost Tidal, which even has a dedicated 360 Reality Audio section in the app, but also other services such as Deezer.

On the other hand, Sony’s technology is also limited to Sony products when it comes to hardware support. Without Sony headphones or earbuds – such as the WH-1000XM5 or WF-1000XM4 – 360 Spatial Sound will not work.

And the sound isn’t just great with the right headphones. The phone’s in-built speakers also deliver a dynamic and rich soundstage that makes playing games and watching videos on your Sony Xperia 1 V a pleasure.

Camera

The Sony Xperia 1 V is equipped with three cameras. As on last year’s model, we find a 24 mm wide-angle lens with 12 megapixels, a 16 mm ultra-wide-angle lens, also with 12 megapixels, and a 12 megapixel telephoto lens.

Unlike last year’s model, the wide-angle camera has been upgraded with a new sensor, Exmor T, with 48 megapixel resolution and an extra layer of photocells to improve light sensitivity and make the phone better able to take pictures in night mode, which has previously been one of the Xperia models’ biggest weaknesses. Sony also promises that skin tones, for example, will look more natural thanks to Exmor T.

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Kronborg photographed with ultra-wide angle, wide angle, 85 mm telephoto and 125 mm telephoto respectively. (Photo: Peter Gotschalk)

And the telephoto lens is again equipped with variable focal length periscope technology as an alternative to traditional optical zoom. This means the Xperia 1 V offers a focal length between 85mm and 125mm (85mm gives 3.5x zoom, while 125mm zooms 5.2x) with the option of seamless optical zoom throughout the range. Zooming less than 3.5x – or higher than 5.2x – is digital, while any zoom mode between 3.5x and 5.2x is true optical zoom.

The camera is controlled via the Photography Pro app, which basically has the same user interface as Sony’s Alpha cameras and thus offers manual settings for exposure, white balance, shutter speed, etc. However, even if you’re not a camera enthusiast, you can still go for the Sony Xperia 1 V. Photography Pro also has a so-called Basic mode, which gives the user a simple interface that does most things automatically.

And where we previously (actually ever since the first Xperia 1) experienced annoying weaknesses in Sony’s software as soon as the camera was left to its own devices – for example, Xperia mobiles for years had problems with automatic HDR, which often led to either over- or underexposed images – Sony has now got it right. Even pictures taken in Basic mode turn out quite well, and Sony has got the automatic exposure fairly well under control.

But it’s the very Alpha user interface that makes the Sony Xperia 1 V special, and the fact that Sony prioritises its own professional camera app is a good example of the Japanese electronics manufacturer knowing their audience. Because many loyal Xperia users choose Sony’s top mobile phone because of its close affinity with the company’s system cameras.

In other words, the Sony Xperia 1 V is probably the most interesting smartphone on the market right now for those who are more than casually interested in photography and like to spend time manually adjusting camera settings.

This also applies to those who prefer to record video rather than take photos. There are two different apps to choose from, Video Pro and Cinema Pro, the latter of which has a number of colour profiles, known as “Looks”, that adjust colour curves, contrast and saturation to give finished videos a look that matches the way different film genres tend to look.

The Sony Xperia 1 V is powered by the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor as the Motorola Edge 40 Pro, Xiaomi 13 Pro and OnePlus 11 5G.

Add to that 12 gigabytes of RAM, and you’ve got a lot of speed. And the Sony Xperia 1 V lives up to expectations. In most benchmarks, it’s as fast as the fastest of the aforementioned Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 smartphones, the Motorola Edge 40 Pro, so the Xperia 1 V is actually one of the fastest smartphones money can buy at the time of writing. We weren’t expecting that. Well done, Sony!

As mentioned, the fingerprint reader is neither in the screen nor on the back of the phone, but rather integrated into the power button, and it’s actually a good solution that works every time. Like its predecessor, the Sony Xperia 1 V is also water and dust resistant (IP65/68).

The 5,000 mAh battery ensures excellent battery life – just like last year’s model – and this year it’s even better, probably thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which offers various power-saving features. Add to that 30 watts of fast charging and, of course, wireless charging.

Conclusion

The Sony Xperia 1 V is the best Xperia 1 model from Sony to date. And that’s saying something, because last year’s model already offered plenty of improvements for the discerning.

So if you buy the Sony Xperia 1 V, you’ll enjoy a bright, high-resolution display, a large battery with long battery life, great performance and perhaps the best mobile camera for enthusiasts and semi-professionals on the market.

The Asus Zenfone 10 is a relatively compact mobile phone with a diagonal measurement of 5.9 inches. That’s between half an inch and a full inch smaller than its competitors’ top models, making it significantly more pocket-friendly.

Just like its predecessor.

Fits big brother’s hand-me-downs

In fact, the external differences between the Zenfone 9 and Zenfone 10 are so small that you can use the same mobile cover on both!

The screen is once again an AMOLED display with FHD+ resolution (2400 x 1080 pixels). The refresh rate has improved slightly as the display now supports variable refresh up to 144 Hz, where it was 120 Hz on the Zenfone 9.

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The Zenfone 10 is available in Comet White, Midnight Black, Starry Blue, Aurora Green and Eclipse Red (Photo: Asus)

Integrated gimbal

The camera section on the back is the most striking feature of the Zenfone 10, and it’s virtually identical to its predecessor in every way. Two huge “portholes” (21 mm in diameter) cover a 50 Mp wide-angle and a 13 Mp ultra-wide-angle respectively. The large camera openings are due to the main camera being suspended in a stabilising gimbal!

Although the movement of the gimbal must be measured in millimetres, it actually provides a full three degrees of stabilisation during video recording. And together with software-based stabilisation, where part of the image field is cut away to centre the rest, the Zenfone 10 can actually correct as much as 11 degrees of displacement.

Stable in rough conditions

The Zenfone 9 also had this feature, and this writer can confirm that the stabilisation works. Even when you’re on a RIB boat pounding the tops of waves at over 100 kilometres per hour, the image is stable!

Image stabilisation is slightly improved on the Zenfone 10, as autofocus is now used to stabilise in the depth plane.

The selfie camera has received a substantial upgrade from 12 Mp to 32 Mp.

No telephoto lens – but still improved telephoto

The Asus Zenfone 10 still only has two cameras on the back, so we have to do without a real telephoto lens. Considering the price (and the space a telephoto with periscope like on the Google Pixel 7 Pro would require in the case), this is fair enough. But for a top-of-the-range model, it’s a stretch.

To make up for it, the performance of the main camera zoom has actually been improved. Creative use of artificial intelligence on the raw data from the sensor has managed to extract more information from the camera at medium zoom distances. This means that 4x or 5x digital zoom shots are actually more usable than usually on dual-camera mobiles.

The best mobile processor today

While the screen and camera section are virtually unchanged, the Zenfone 10 is equipped with the latest and most advanced mobile processor from Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which is probably the best mobile processor on the market at the time of writing. It can be found in the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, where it, in the words of my colleague Peter Gotschalk, “performs like a nuclear power plant”.

Wireless charging at last

The energy in the Zenfone 10 is provided by a 4,300 mAh battery. The same capacity as last year. But Asus has broken with a long-standing tradition by finally giving the mobile phone wireless charging. It’s a long-awaited and very useful improvement. Wireless charging is at 15 watts, which is nice, while wired charging is at 30 watts, which is slower than most – but faster than Google. Slow or not, Asus deserves credit for including a charger in the box.

Benchmarks

Our benchmark tests prove that there is no equivalence between “compact” and “scaled down.” The Asus Zenfone 10 is every bit as fast as its bulkier competitors. And then some. In several respects, it’s the fastest mobile phone we’ve tested!

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The selfie camera is the only thing that has improved (Photo: John Alex Hvidlykke, L&B Tech Reviews)

The Geekbench 6 processor test ends with a result of 2,050 in single-core and 5,541 in multi-core. This is better than all Android mobiles to date, but is surpassed by the more than twice as expensive iPhone 14 Pro Max.

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Digital 5x zoom. The image is clearly pixelated, but better than its predecessor. (Photo: John Alex Hvidlykke, L&B Tech Reviews)

In return, the Zenfone 10 is – by a narrow margin – ahead of all mobiles in the AnTuTu 10 graphics test with a result of 1.57 million. Like its predecessor, the Zenfone 10 excels in the GFX Bench T-Rex test, scoring 6,686 frames. This is far better than most fast mobiles. But slightly below the Google Pixel 7 Pro.

The battery test ends with a result of 8:42 hours. In practice, this means one to two days of use, which is in line with competitors’ flagships. But all of them are distanced by the mid-range models, which in most cases run slowly but for a long time.

Conclusion

The Asus Zenfone 10 isn’t just the most powerful compact model on the market right now. It’s one of the most powerful Android mobiles on the market altogether – and in terms of speed, it’s on par with the best from Samsung, Xiaomi and OnePlus. At the same time, the Zenfone 10 has the best image stabilisation of any phone, paired with a pretty good camera section.

Despite all these advantages, it’s unlikely to change Asus’ position as a niche manufacturer. The brand loyalty of mobile phone buyers is too strong for that. But if you need a mobile phone that fits in a normal pocket and can take pictures under really difficult conditions, it’s impossible to ignore.

If you already have a Zenfone 9, you can safely skip the Zenfone 10. There are small improvements and the speed is 15-20 per cent faster. But it’s not a revolution. Better wait until next year, when we might hope that Asus may give us a telephoto lens.

So what’s the difference between the Pixel 7a and the Pixel 7 Pro, which costs twice as much? The Pro model has a larger, higher resolution, faster screen with better image quality. It has more memory and comes with significantly more storage. The Pro model has an additional camera, a telephoto with 5x optical zoom. The battery is slightly larger and charges faster. It’s also slightly more robust.

Design and construction

The Pixel 7a now has the same sleek design on the camera module as the pro model, and the quality feel is far from that of a cheaper model. With its solid metal frame, it also feels stable. In our comparison of mid-range phones, the Pixel 6a was the smallest, and the Pixel 7a retains the comfortable format. However, it has become noticeably heavier. Where the 6a was among the lightest in the comparison, the 7a would have been among the heaviest.

The display

With an OLED screen, we get the great depth and contrast that really makes colours pop. However, it is also not as bright as LCD screens. Google claims that the screen has improved brightness, but if so, this is not immediately apparent. The bigger news is that the screen has finally been upgraded to 90Hz refresh rate, so there’s a better flow when scrolling the screen.

Camera

The main camera has been upgraded to a much more high-resolution one, but Google didn’t want to reveal more than that. Image quality is very good, with correct white balance and fine colours and more detail, but a lot of that is also down to Google’s fantastic image processing. HDR images are excellent, on par with the Pro in fact, with detail in the shadows without burning out the highlights. The Pixel was already the best in its price range when it came to dark images, and now they’ve taken it a step further.

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Pixel 7a 2x digital zoom (Photo: Jonas Ekelund)

The ultra-wide angle is also new, with marginally higher resolution and a slightly wider wide angle. We’re not particularly satisfied with it, though, as it doesn’t seem as sharp as the one on the Pixel 6a, and has less detail.

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Pixel 7a colors (Photo: Jonas Ekelund)

Comparing 2x digital zoom, the 6a is overly sharp, the 7a softer and the 7 Pro far more detailed. With the optical zoom in the Pro model, the difference is almost laughable. Let’s just say that Google’s talk of ‘Super Res Zoom’ in the 7a is somewhat of an overstatement.

Sound

The Pixel has neither a real speaker at the top nor a headphone jack. If you want really good sound, you’ll have to use an adapter. However, we still think the speaker sound is better than on the Pixel 6a. The volume seems a bit louder, there’s no distortion, and the sound is probably a bit fuller. It’s stretching it to say that listening to music is a pleasure, but it doesn’t sound as bad as on many other mobiles.

Usage

As expected, you get a pure Android experience, but enhanced with unique Pixel features like camera quick launch, magic eraser in the photo app, and live translations. In contrast to its predecessor, wireless charging is now available.

Facial recognition is actually among the best we’ve seen on Android mobiles.

You also benefit from the instantaneous distribution of updates. Google guarantees three major Android upgrades and a full 5 years of security updates for the phone.

Performance

The big news is that the Pixel 7a has the same processor as the Pixel 7 Pro. In other words, it’s basically just as fast! However, it’s not as big a step as you might think, as the Tensor G2 processor is actually not as big a generational shift as, for example, Apple’s upgrades usually are. And when it comes to graphics, the three are actually pretty much equally fast, depending on which test you rely on. What really stands out is the battery life, which we measured at 17 hours and 14 minutes, the best we’ve seen in years!

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Chart: L&B

Conclusion

We already praised its predecessor for its performance and camera, and now they’re even better! We complained about the slow screen and the lack of wireless charging, both of which Google has now fixed. The mobile phone also has incredible battery life. However, the price has gone up by 10 per cent.

There’s not much to worry about anymore, if you want a reasonably priced mobile phone at a reasonable price, the Pixel 7a is the one to go for right now!

And just like OnePlus, which launched the OnePlus 10T in late summer – a downgraded and cheaper, but also faster, successor to its flagship phone from earlier this year – Xiaomi has now come up with a successor to this spring’s flagship model. It’s the Xiaomi 12T Pro, which comes with a faster processor and more megapixels than its predecessor, but is still – just like the OnePlus 10T – really a kind of downgraded upgrade.

The price is now pushed below €900, and when we take a closer look at the Xiaomi 12T Pro, we quickly discover that the phone actually has more in common with last year’s T-model, namely the Xiaomi 11T Pro.

The Xiaomi 12T Pro has a completely different camera layout than the Xiaomi 12 Pro, and the manufacturer has dropped the same features as was the case with the Xiaomi 11T Pro. For example, the new T model has to do without wireless charging, just as the screen is a conventional AMOLED screen, where the Xiaomi 12 Pro could boast LTPO technology. What this means in practice, we’ll come back to.

Appearance and construction

At first glance, we can see that the Xiaomi 12T Pro feels more plasticlike than the more expensive Xiaomi 12 Pro. The back is actually kept in matte colours, but still picks up fingerprints easily. Visually, the rectangular camera module doesn’t seem too bad, but if the phone is lying on a table when you operate it, it tilts considerably to the left side. Annoying.

In addition, the manufacturer has saved on screen protection by opting for the older version 5 of Gorilla Glass, which can withstand drops from a height of one and a half metres. That’s a surprising downgrade – not only compared to the Xiaomi 12 Pro, but indeed also the Xiaomi 11T Pro, as both said phones were equipped with the current 2020 Gorilla Glass Victus version, which can withstand longer drops and is more resistant to scrapes and scratches.

At least the Xiaomi 12T Pro is IP53 certified, which in practice means that the phone is both dust and splash proof.

Screen and sound

As mentioned, the Xiaomi 12T Pro lacks LTPO technology. The same was true for the Xiaomi 11T Pro, which means that the phone probably has an adaptive refresh rate, so that the screen speed is automatically adjusted depending on what is happening on the screen. But the screen frequency doesn’t get down to 10 or even 1 Hz if you’re looking at photos or still images, for example, which smartphones with LTPO AMOLED screens – such as the Xiaomi 12 Pro – are capable of. The lower the refresh rate, the less power consumption.

In terms of screen size at 6.67 inches, the Xiaomi 12T Pro is similar to the 11T Pro, but this year’s model has a higher resolution (2712 x 1220 pixels), while the screen brightness, in turn, has been given a downward nudge to a maximum of 900 nit.

The higher resolution contributes to a slightly sharper screen image, but the Xiaomi 12T Pro is nowhere near the Xiaomi 12 Pro in terms of resolution and screen brightness. In other words, compared to the spring’s top model, we experience the screen of the 12T Pro as clearly inferior. This also applies to the brightness, which has a big impact on how usable the phone is outdoors if the sun is shining – it’s not even on par with its direct predecessor from 2021, the Xiaomi 11T Pro. We wonder.

Like the Xiaomi 11T Pro, by the way, the 12T Pro has built-in stereo speakers and audio developed in collaboration with Harman Kardon. The sound is a bit tinny, but fortunately the phone supports aptX from Qualcomm, which optimises the sound when streaming wirelessly via Bluetooth.

Camera

As mentioned, the Xiaomi 12T Pro has a completely different camera setup than the Xiaomi 12 Pro. Rather, the camera is similar to that of the Xiaomi 11T Pro, although the primary lens on the 12T Pro has grown and is now at a whopping 200 megapixels.

The 8-megapixel ultra wide-angle lens is shared by the 12T Pro and the 11T Pro, while the telephoto macro lens has been downgraded from 5 to 2 megapixels. It still has 2x optical zoom, though, and the large wide-angle lens has optical image stabilisation, which the Xiaomi 11T Pro didn’t have.

We’ve only tested one other handset with a 200 megapixel camera sensor to date, the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra, but the Xiaomi 12T Pro delivers better results than Motorola’s handset on all accounts.

High-resolution images shot with the 200-megapixel wide-angle lens are extremely detailed and sharp when taken in good lighting, just as portraits taken with the front camera are beautiful and lifelike without too much bokeh effect. On the other hand, Xiaomi is still not quite there with the macro function, which was also one of our criticisms when we tested the 11T Pro.

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Same subject photographed with wide-angle, ultra-wide-angle and telephoto lenses with 2x optical zoom. (Photo: Peter Gotschalk)

In addition, it should be mentioned that the Xiaomi 12T Pro, like all other Xiaomi smartphones, of course comes with fun extra features – like the so-called VLOG function that lets you easily create pre-edited video sequences using templates.

Performance and features

A heel has been chopped and a toe clipped to bring the price of the Xiaomi 12T Pro down compared to this spring’s top model, not least of which, as mentioned, is the absence of wireless charging. But on the other hand, there has been room for the latest Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor from Qualcomm, just as the 12T Pro has the same insanely fast 120 watts of so-called HyperCharge technology as the Xiaomi 11T Pro and Xiaomi 12 Pro.

The technology enables 100 percent charging of the 5000 mAh battery in just 17 minutes, which is achieved through technologies such as dual charge pumps, dual cell battery structure, MTW, graphene coating on the lithium-ion battery and Mi-FC technology. It sounds complicated, but it works in practice – and even without the Xiaomi 12T Pro getting hot.

In addition to lightning-fast charging and the lightning-fast processor, the Xiaomi 12T Pro offers 12 gigabytes of LPDDR5 RAM and 256 gigabytes of built-in storage. Both in daily use and in benchmark tests, the phone delivers and is – in terms of raw performance – right up there with its predecessor, but also with more expensive competitors such as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4.

Conclusion

It is very natural to compare the Xiaomi 12T Pro with the OnePlus 10T. Both mobiles can be said to be downgraded upgrades compared to the respective top models, both come with the fastest Qualcomm processor, Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, and the two mobiles cost roughly the same.

With the Xiaomi 12T Pro you get a better camera, IP53 certification and a higher resolution screen, while the OnePlus 10T actually comes with even faster charging, namely 150 watts, than the Xiaomi 12T Pro. Amazing, but true.

But the camera in particular makes us recommend the Xiaomi 12T Pro if the choice is between the two Chinese T models.

On the other hand, it is crazy that the Xiaomi 12T Pro will cost substantially more than the 11T Pro did a year ago. In some respects, the 12T Pro is actually worse than its direct predecessor – such as the brightness of the screen, the size of the camera’s telephoto lens, and the choice of Gorilla Glass 5 for screen protection, where the 11T Pro came with Gorilla Glass Victus – so if you already own than Xiaomi 11T Pro you’ d better keep it.

Thus, the Nokia X30 5G is made with 100% recycled aluminium, and 65% of the plastic used is also recycled. The packaging is also green; or rather brown recycled cardboard.

Also highlighted is that the phone is software future-proofed through a guarantee of three years of security updates and three operating system upgrades. The phone, which comes with Android 12, should thus be up-to-date up to and including Android 15. This should translate into a year longer than most other phones before the phone is sent for electronic scrap. But of course that doesn’t mean the phone will feel modern and fast throughout its service life.

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The Nokia X30 5G is available in two colours, called Ice White and Cloudy Blue. (Photo: HMD Global)

Confident impression

The Nokia X30 5G makes a confident impression when you unpack it. The 6.4-inch screen is among the largest in its price range, and the rest of the phone is either bluish-grey or greyish-white aluminium, which looks quite exclusive. The selfie camera is hidden in a small circular cutout in the screen, and a fingerprint reader is built in behind the screen. On the back, you’ll find two cameras and an LED flash.

The screen has a resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels and a refresh rate of 90 Hz. Just like most mid-range phones. And the screen glass is just as predictably Gorilla Glass Victus. So Nokia/HMD is right on the money here. If we are to put a finger on the screen (and that’s how it’s used), a brightness of 450 nit is underwhelming. The best mobile screens today are twice as bright.

There’s 8GB of RAM and either 128GB or 256GB of storage. This is just as it should be, and should last you most of the phone’s life. The Nokia X30 5G has space for two physical SIM cards, but not eSIM. It’s also not possible to expand the storage with SD cards.

OK camera section

The main camera on the Nokia X30 5G features optical image stabilization and a 50 megapixel sensor. It’s right up there with today’s standard, and so is camera number two, which is an ultra-wide angle with 13MP sensor. The lack of a third camera is also quite usual in the mid-range.

So everything is as expected, and if you’re not an enthusiastic mobile photographer, you’ll probably just be pleased that the phone takes sharp, high-resolution pictures without any significant delay. This includes night shots, which thanks to optical image stabilisation and artificial intelligence remain sharp and usable even when the phone is held in the hand without support.

But there’s definitely room for improvement, and it’s probably the AI image processing in the camera that’s the weakest link. The Nokia test images were taken at the same time as the Google Pixel 7 review, and there’s a big difference in quality.

Where the slightly more expensive Pixel 7 impressed with colourful and dynamic images, all the Nokia images appear to have been taken in grey weather, and there’s a yellowish tinge to several of them.

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The cameras take sharp and well-resolved, but also slightly dull images (Photo: John Alex Hvidlykke, L&B)

There’s also so much pixelation on digital zoom images that the zoom function might as well have been omitted.

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There is so much pixelation in digital zoom images that the feature might as well have been omitted. (Photo: John Alex Hvidlykke, L&B)

On the plus side, the Nokia X30 5G does perfectly fine selfies, and macro shots are just fine too.

Benchmarks

At the heart of the Nokia X30 5G is a Snapdragon 695 5G, which excels at having a full implementation of 5G – and thus the ability for high data speeds. The same can’t be said for the computing speed, which is more humble. Which is what you’d expect from a mid-range phone.

The Geekbench 5 processor test quantifies the mathematical processing power of the processor. It comes out with a score of 669 in single-core and 1,922 in multicore. This is an acceptable result. And quite sufficient for daily use for years to come. PCMark Work 3.0 simulates office applications and web browsing, and it ends up with a score of 8,655, which doesn’t stand out significantly in the price range.

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The selfie camera is impeccable and with good bokeh effect. Macro and night shots are also just fine. (Photo: John Alex Hvidlykke, L&B)

The integrated graphics processor, Adreno 619, fares less well. The AnTuTu 9 3D graphics test ends with a score of 401.867, which is mediocre. And 3DMark Wild Life finishes with 1,205 – that’s between half and a quarter as fast as similar phones!

The battery test with intense browsing and app simulation yielded a result of just under eight hours. That’s right on the money, and most people will be able to use their phone for a few days before it needs to be put back in the charger. The phone will need to spend some time here, as it can only be charged at 33 watts. You have to buy the charger yourself, and wireless charging is not possible.

Competitors

If the price is very important and a few euros difference is decisive, you have to live with compromises. But they don’t have to be that big. The Motorola Edge 30 is an excellent example of a phone that’s a little faster, a little cheaper and even has a better and faster screen.

Nothing Phone (1), at about the same price as Nokia, has its very special design as its strong point. It also has much faster graphics.

If you can afford to spend a quarter more, you can get the excellent Google Pixel 7, which outperforms all the phones mentioned above in every way. Both on speed and image quality.

Conclusion

The Nokia X30 5G has about the range of features you’d expect from a decent mid-range phone. The Finns also get points for thinking about the environment in the form of recycled materials and a three-year updates warranty. But price and performance struggle to come together. Basic computing power is fine for everyday use, but when it comes to graphics, the Nokia is beaten by most competitors – even those that cost considerably less. HMD Global highlights the X30 5G as the best Nokia handset to date. It may be, but it’s unlikely to be the one that recaptures Nokia’s lead among handset makers.

But they do exist, and not just at the detail level.

The most obvious improvement is the processor: Apple’s latest 5nm M2 processor, still with 8-core CPU, but now with 10-core GPU and up to 35 percent better graphics performance.

Improved performance of the processor’s Media Engine and more graphics cores also means iPad Pro can now be used for much more demanding image and video editing, such as 4K content, including in Apple ProRes with Dolby Atmos sound. For Pro models with a minimum of 256 GB, that is.

There’s just one catch, Apple ProRes doesn’t appear to be supported in the iPad’s camera app. At least for now, you’ll need a third-party app, such as the very useful Filmic Pro, to take advantage of the iPad’s ability to edit Apple ProRes footage.

BlackMagic Design’s DaVinci Resolve is another app – soon to be available for iPad – that also supports ProRes.

Flying Apple Pencil

So until then, it’s performance that’s the focus. Because pretty much everything else is like the 2021 model. iPad Pro still comes in two sizes, 11 and 12.9 inches. With mini LED display that supports ProMotion, variable refresh rate from 24 to 120 Hz and expanded P3 color space.

The display is very sharp with over 10,000 mini LEDs, distributed over 2,596 zones on the screen surface, and a maximum brightness of 1600 nit.

The only new thing here is a nifty solution for the Apple Pencil 2, which I thought was a gimmick. Instead, it turned out to be much more useful than I had imagined.

On the 2022 iPad Pro, all you have to do is move the stylus to the screen. Within 12mm of the screen, the iPad detects that an Apple Pencil is nearby, and then most apps respond with a preview of the setting when the stylus comes close. Tabs can open when the stylus is close, close when the stylus is pulled away, and so on.

iPad with iPadOS 16 also has support for Stage Manager, which makes multitasking a little easier. Now you can finally have multiple apps open at the same time, and see them in a row of tabs next to the active app. You can also switch between apps by putting the active one on top and the inactive one in the background. iPadOS 16 on iPad Pro also supports an external 6K display, connected to iPad via USB-C.

Performance test

In most apps, you barely notice that the M2 processor is faster than its predecessor with the M1 processor. Unless you’re using some of the more demanding apps, like Capture One, Adobe Photoshop, Affinity or Pixelmator. In other words, apps for creative users who are involved in image and video editing, among other things.

If you want an iPad for surfing, movies and TV shows, an iPad Air is a better choice. But then you don’t get laptop-class performance.

In our Geekbench 5 test, it turns out the 2022 model is slightly faster. In the single-core test, the difference isn’t much compared to the 2021 model, but in the multi-core test, the new Pro model scores 8,482 points and 33,231 in the Compute test. That’s certainly an improvement in theory, but what does it look like in practice?

Launching apps like Capture One and Photoshop is no faster than before, but tasks like adding filters and saving are experienced as faster. Stitching 4K footage together is just as easy as before, but adding and saving changes is more seamless, and the iPad plays back the 4K footage afterwards without any visible artifacts or layers.

What about the cameras?

They haven’t changed – it’s the same 12 megapixel cameras on the back and front. One rear camera is a wide-angle camera with 2x zoom, and the other is an ultra-wide-angle camera. Next to that a flash and Apple’s Lidar scanner, which can be used to display objects in AR – augmented reality – on the screen. For example, it could be a display of a piece of furniture in AR, showing how it would look in the living room.

iPad Pro or MacBook Pro?

When you’re faced with the choice between a new iPad Pro or a MacBook Pro, there are some obvious differences that will have a big impact on what you can do with them. The iPad’s touchscreen and pencil offer options that aren’t available on a laptop like the MacBook Pro.

The tablet can be expanded with accessories like a regular keyboard or one with a trackpad. A so-called Magic Keyboard. That makes the iPad almost like a MacBook, only with fewer connections. Just one: USB-C with Thunderbolt 4. Which is more than fast enough, but it means you can’t charge when the 9-10 hours of battery life is about up unless you disconnect other devices.

The iPad also lacks the card reader and HDMI output found on a newer MacBook Pro.

But don’t forget that with the same M2 processor and integrated memory at 50 percent faster memory speeds (up to 16GB on an iPad Pro with more than 512GB), the difference in performance won’t be much in practice.

A bonus of the iPad Pro is the combination of Wi-Fi 6 and 5G. That means you can quickly combine Wi-Fi access with access to the 5G network and be connected anywhere.

Conclusion

The biggest drawback with the 2022 models of the iPad Pro is the steep price increase. It makes a fully featured iPad Pro 12.9 with 2TB of storage and 5G more expensive than a MacBook Pro with a 14-inch retina display and 2TB of storage. And that’s before adding a keyboard to the iPad. Still, there’s no denying that the 2022 edition of the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is a formidable tool for creative professionals who need a powerhouse in a convenient form factor.

When the Pixel 7 phones launched with a bang two months ago, on October 6, a number of innovative features were initially conspicuous by their absence.

They weren’t bad phones by any means – in fact, the Pixel 7 Pro won our award for best premium smartphone of the year – but some of the most interesting AI-powered features initially remained promises of the future.

Part of those promises are now being fulfilled. These days, two major updates are rolling out for the Pixel 7 phones, bringing brand new features.

For those who actually use their phone to talk, the Clear Calls feature is here. With the help of artificial intelligence, it reduces background noise from traffic, for example, and highlights the voice of the person you’re talking to, making the sound clearer during calls.

Security Centre brings security features together in one menu, where you can customise protection for your phone, internet accounts and adjust passwords. It’s also possible to get tips for tightening up privacy settings.

VPN by Google One – Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro owners get free access to a VPN service. It provides an extra layer of security and ensures your browsing activity is private when you’re online at the coffee shop or airport, for example.

Live Chat Translate – The feature allows you to translate text in messaging apps into five new languages. So if you have friends in Sweden or Denmark, you’ll be able to find out what they’re actually saying.

The updates come in two phases, and you need to be patient when installing them. The largest is a whopping 547 MB, and can easily take more than two hours to install once downloaded!

And it doesn’t stop there. The Pixel Buds Pro earbuds will soon get spatial audio with head tracking, meaning the sound image will stay in front of you in space even if you turn your head. Just like on the then groundbreaking Audeze Mobius. But that feature won’t arrive until January 23, when the next feature rollout takes place.

But the up-and-coming handset maker has bigger ambitions than serving users who just want a good smartphone for little money. Indeed, it’s at the expensive end of the mobile market that money is made and a strong brand established, so Motorola is slowly trying its hand at true top-of-the-range models to compete with the iPhone and Samsung’s Galaxy S models. It began with the Motorola Razr flip phone, which was sadly unsuccessful, but now the Chinese have come up with a new top model in the Edge range, the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra, which we’ve been eagerly testing. And we have to say that this is something else entirely.

Today, the mobile phone manufacturer is owned by Chinese Lenovo, but it certainly wasn’t always that way. In fact, Motorola was among the biggest mobile phone manufacturers, competing with Ericsson and Nokia for market share in the already valuable mobile phone market back in the 90s.

Originally an American company founded back in 1928, Motorola manufactured radio equipment and electronics, and introduced its first mobile phone as early as 1983. In 1998, two thirds of the company’s turnover came from mobile phone sales.

In the mid-’00s, Motorola had great success with the Motorola Razr flip phone, which sold 120 million units worldwide. But after Apple launched the first iPhone in 2007, and smartphones came to dominate the mobile market in the years to come, things went downhill for Motorola, which was acquired by Google in 2011.

In the three years that followed, Motorola launched several smartphones under their own name under Google ownership – such as the Motorola Moto X – but also a precursor to the current Google Pixel smartphones, the Google Nexus 6, was produced by Motorola.

In 2014, however, it was announced that Google would sell Motorola to Lenovo. The purchase was finalised in autumn 2014, and in the years since Motorola has launched a wide range of smartphones, mainly in the budget and mid-range.

At the time of writing, Motorola has a market share of around 2.4% of the total mobile market worldwide. By comparison, the company was alternately the second and third largest mobile phone manufacturer in the world when it was American-owned.

Design and appearance

You can tell with the naked eye that the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra is different and more luxurious than the other mobiles in the Edge series – or any other Motorola smartphone for that matter.

The phone is available in two stylish colours – Interstellar Black and Starlight White – and the back is matt with a subtle Motorola logo in the centre. The phone is slim, and that means the camera module is going to seem a bit bulky. The Motorola Edge 30 Ultra does tilt when placed on a hard surface, which is a slight annoyance.

But otherwise, it’s a very well-built and robust smartphone with a slightly curved screen, aluminium frame and both buttons (for volume adjustment and power on/off respectively) located on the right side, which is a nice little touch.

The phone is IP52 certified, while the screen is protected by Gorilla Glass 5. It’s not the most up-to-date standard, but should ensure that the Edge 30 Ultra can withstand being dropped from a height of one and a half metres, as well as being dust and splash-proof. So make sure your phone doesn’t get too wet in heavy rain, and especially don’t drop it in the toilet.

A more robust Gorilla Glass and a better IP certification would certainly have made the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra more expensive, even though it would have suited a top model. The fifth-generation Gorilla Glass used is from 2016, while the present Gorilla Glass Victus version from 2020 can withstand longer drops and is more resistant to scrapes and scratches. When it comes to IP certification, the phone at least has an IP certification where another top model in the same price range, the OnePlus 10 Pro, has to do without entirely.

We think Motorola has chosen a reasonable balance between robustness and price, and in any case it’s a marked improvement over previous models in the Edge range. The Motorola Edge Pro, for example, had to make do with Gorilla Glass 3.

Screen and sound

And there’s good reason to pay a little extra to protect the screen, because it’s good! The pOLED panel measures 6.67 inches and has FHD+ resolution and a refresh rate of 144 Hz (this is set manually, but you can also choose a dynamic refresh rate of up to 120 Hz).

We’re a little puzzled by the resolution, which doesn’t exactly scream high-end. On the other hand, the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra offers bright colours and good contrast, and the screen is extremely bright (up to 1250 nit), so it can also be used outdoors in sunshine without any problems. This is a significant improvement over the cheaper Motorola Edge 30 Pro, where one of our criticisms was the screen’s low brightness (max. 660 nit).

As mentioned, the screen is slightly curved along the edges and also offers so-called edge lights that let the user choose between five colour options, which should then draw attention to a new notification. You assign a specific colour to a specific notification, so the phone lights up in red when the boss calls, for example …

Of course, the Edge 30 Ultra delivers excellent stereo sound from the built-in speakers, making it suitable for both gaming and other entertainment.

Camera

Perhaps the most ambitious feature of the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra is the camera. Not because the Chinese have started collaborating with companies like Leica or Hasselblad – they leave that to their Chinese counterparts from Xiaomi and OnePlus – but because the phone has got the most extreme camera specs on a Motorola phone ever.

First of all, the Edge 30 Ultra has a main camera sensor of an insane 200 megapixels. The sensor is designed to capture more light by combining 16 pixels into a 2.56μm Ultra Pixel, says Motorola. Ergo, the camera normally delivers images at 12 megapixel resolution – with quality enhanced by 16x pixel binning – but it’s also possible to manually set the camera to take images at the full 200 megapixels. However, this only makes sense if you have plenty of light available and need to photograph a subject packed with detail. Not least because each image file takes up around 60 megabytes!

The phone is also equipped with a 50 megapixel ultra wide angle lens (which also functions as a macro lens) and a 12 megapixel telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom. The front camera is a full 60 megapixels.

Now this sounds very promising, but despite their ambitions, Motorola doesn’t quite get the camera right this time either. It’s not the first time we’ve had to criticise Motorola’s camera performance. As recently as last spring, we had to conclude that the Motorola Edge 30 Pro fell short when it came to image quality. The Motorola Moto G200 5G with 108 megapixel lens was also a real disappointment on the camera front.

However, the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra does deliver fine images in most everyday situations, and the portrait function with bokeh effect, for example, gives a good result. But where Motorola promises that the large sensor should deliver sharp and bright images, we find that our test images become a bit blurry and flat, even if the subject is in fact detailed and offers plenty of natural contrasts.

Images at full 200 megapixel resolution offer a high level of detail, of course, but the sheer number of pixels does little to change either colour rendition or the lack of contrast.

In short, the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra does not live up to expectations as far as the camera is concerned. Of course, it can be used by most people to take satisfactory photos in everyday situations, but photo enthusiasts should probably be looking for another phone.

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While Motorola promises that the large sensor will deliver sharp and bright images, we find that our test images become a bit blurry and flat, even though the subject is in fact detailed and offers plenty of natural contrasts. (Photo: Peter Gotschalk)

Performance and features

If you’re looking for high performance and fast charging, the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra is a no-brainer. Our benchmark tests show that, in terms of raw processing power, the phone is on par with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Asus Zenfone 9 – both phones we’ve given high marks and which come with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor, as does the Edge 30 Ultra – and that goes for everyday use, too, where the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra is among the fastest Android phones we’ve tested.

In addition, battery life is top notch, just as the Edge 30 Ultra also offers extremely fast charging, whether we’re talking wired or wireless charging. A 125W charger is included, which charges the battery from 0 to 100 percent in under half an hour.

So there’s no wearing out the phone, and when you do need power at the end of the day, the Edge 30 Ultra can be fully charged in the time it takes to drink a cup of coffee. Impressive.

Conclusion

The Motorola Edge 30 Ultra is the Lenovo-owned mobile manufacturer’s best bid for an absolute top mobile in recent times. In particular, the towering performance, long battery life and fast charging lift the overall impression significantly. Moreover, the Edge 30 Ultra is stylishly and elegantly designed, and although it doesn’t use the very latest technologies to protect the phone, it is well protected against scratches and glass damage, as well as being dust and splash-proof. The screen is nice and bright, while the fast refresh rate ensures a smooth user experience. So you can live with the fact that the screen resolution could have been higher.

Unfortunately, the camera drags down the overall rating. Ambitions have clearly been high, but perhaps Motorola should consider following in the footsteps of Xiaomi and OnePlus, who have both allied themselves with camera experts from Leica and Hasselblad respectively. This has given the two manufacturers’ flagship products a boost that Motorola could also do with. If anything, it would have guaranteed the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra our absolute top rating if the image quality had been better. Now it has to ‘settle’ for our second best score and a special warm recommendation.

Not everyone wants to pay that much for a smartphone, though. Or have pockets big enough for a 6.7-inch flagship phone.

The Google Pixel 7 can rightly be considered a mini version of the same phone. It measures 6.3″ in cross-section, which means it can just about be operated with one hand. And the price is correspondingly easier to handle.

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The Google Pixel 7 is available in three colours: black, white and green. (Photo: Google)

A slightly smaller version

Pixel 7 looks exactly like what it is: A smaller version of the Pixel 7 Pro. That also means that from the screen side, it looks like most other smartphones; that is, a large, unbroken black Gorilla Glass Victus glass surface. The back is also made of glass that’s either black, white, or a greenish color that Google calls lemongrass. The two sides are held together by an aluminium frame that goes all the way around the phone like a bumper on a radio car.

That the Google Pixel 7 is waterproof with IP68 certification goes pretty much without saying these days. But it still needs to be said.

An aluminium bar running across the back houses the camera section, which on the Pixel 7 consists of a 50MP wide-angle lens for standard images and a 12MP ultra-wide-angle for capturing the big landscapes. The latter also functions as a macro lens.

The two cameras are identical to those found on the Google Pixel 7 Pro, so you can reasonably expect the same high quality.

What’s missing, on the other hand, is the telephoto lens. This means that you have to settle for 2x optical zoom against the pro model’s 5x. That means a goodbye to super-long 30x telephoto shots with AI assistance. The Google Pixel 7 only manages digital zoom of up to 8x.

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The two rear cameras are similar to those on the top-of-the-range Pixel 7 Pro. But the 5x telephoto lens is missing. (Photo: Google)

There are two speakers in the phone, and while we’d always advise against using your phone for music without headphones or external speakers, the sound is very good and clean in the frequency range covered by the tiny speakers.

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The lack of telephoto optics means that long zoom shots become heavily pixelated. It's no worse than other phones without telephoto. But no better either. (Photo: John Alex Hvidlykke, L&B)

Best camera for the price

One of the things that impressed on the Pixel 7 Pro was the camera section, which provided vividly colourful images at all distances from macro to long zoom shots. The Google Pixel 7 can do much the same.

At normal distances and wide-angle shots, you get images with excellent dynamics and colors that, thanks to AI processing, are almost even better than in real life!

The Pixel 7 is also based on Google’s own newly developed G2 processor, and you’ll find the same automatic functions as on the more expensive model.

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The images are colourful and dynamic. (Photo: John Alex Hvidlykke, L&B)

This includes features like Remove Blur and Magic Eraser. Even images that appear sharp at first glance can be brought into perfect focus with Remove Blur. And it’s not hocus-pocus and placebo. The feature is only offered on images that can actually be improved.

Magic Eraser impresses once again. You can pinpoint elements in the image that seem distracting. The feature is at its best when the background is natural. A construction crane against a patchy autumn sky disappears without a trace, while complicated backgrounds like tiles and brickwork can’t be recreated with AI.

AI image editing can also be used on old images stored on Google Images.

Strong hardware

On the inside, the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are pretty much the same. That is, they’re built over Google’s own mobile processor, called Tensor G2. It’s an eight-core ARM processor with a special focus on artificial intelligence.

The Pixel 7, however, has to make do with 8GB of RAM (versus 12 in the Pixel 7 Pro) and either 128 or 256GB of storage.

The 6.3-inch OLED display has FHD+ resolution (2400 x 1080 pixels). This is slightly less than the PRO model’s QHD+, but perfectly adequate for the screen size. So is the 90 Hz refresh rate. And the brightness is a generous 1000 nit at HDR (and 1500 nit at the peaks).

The battery is the same, which means at least 4,926 mAh – and typically 5,000 mAh. It can be fast-charged at 30 W (that’s not very fast, actually). But you look in vain for a charger in the box, only a USB cable is included. This can be justified, considering the price. And the phone can be charged wirelessly.

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Selfies and macro shots are fine, and night shots are also perfectly acceptable. (Photo: John Alex Hvidlykke, L&B)

Benchmarks

Pixel 7 is built on Google’s own processor platform. That means you can’t easily compare it to other Android phones just by reading the datasheet.

Google has nothing to be ashamed of, though. The Pixel 7 isn’t the fastest phone on the market, but it’s definitely snappy enough for everything, and the interface never feels sluggish.

In terms of dry numbers, the Geekbench 5 processor test comes out with a score of 1006 in single-core and 2735 in multi-core. That’s not as fast as the slightly more expensive Asus Zenfone 9, but still on the nice end.

The PC Mark Work 3.0 test, with a score of 10,718, also shows that the Tensor G2 processor is fast – but not as fast as the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1.

When it comes to 3D graphics, the Pixel 7 performs very well. The AnTuTu 9 test ends with a score of 715,311. That’s on par with most flagship models.

Battery life is downright excellent: almost 12 hours. And that’s with full brightness on the screen and uninterrupted simulation of browsing and apps.

Conclusion

The Google Pixel 7 is a nearly perfect compact version of the Pixel 7 Pro. It’s just as fast, and the screen is pretty much just as good – just smaller. If you’re a smartphone paparazzi, you’ll miss the great telephoto lens. But the other cameras are thankfully the same as on its big brother. And they really are excellent. With a price that’s a quarter less expensive than the Pro model, the Pixel 7 is a very attractive phone that has no real serious competitors for the price.

It lacks the lovely 48-megapixel camera found in 14 Pro models. It also doesn’t have 77mm telephoto, or the option of professional video in 10-bit Apple ProRes, RAW images or Apple’s ProMotion OLED display with 120Hz refresh rate. Or Dynamic Island, which turns the notch – the black area at the top of the screen – into an area that can be used for something active.

But iPhone 14 does have upgraded front and rear cameras with 12 megapixels and larger pixels that capture more light.

Like the other 14-generation models, iPhone 14 also has a built-in crash detector. It works in much the same way as the detector in an Apple Watch, using the accelerometer in the phone to detect sudden impacts of up to 256g. If you have an accident, or simply fall over on a bike, the phone detects that there has been a collision and notifies 911.

Same processor as before

iPhone 14 does not have the Pro version’s new A16 processor, but the previous generation’s A15 Bionic processors. Nevertheless, the performance is still slightly better than on its predecessor.

The obligatory performance test in Geekbench 5 showed that the iPhone 14 scores 1,738 points in the Single-Core test and 4,675 in the Multi-Core test. In comparison, iPhone 13 scored 1,656 (Single-Core) and 4,373 points (Multi-Core). That’s not a lot, but fully on par with the performance of an iPhone 13.

The 6.1-inch OLED display still lacks the 120Hz refresh rate that would make scrolling, gaming and action sequences smoother and less choppy, but the screen delivers a very good brightness of 800 nits. Or up to 1200 nits for HDR images and video.

Nevertheless, the iPhone 14 comes across as more polished and faster than the iPhone 13. Apps load without hesitation. Saving changes to photos or video with simple editing steps is quick and smooth.

It’s lighter and somehow more practical than a 14 Pro. The front and back glass are glued to an aluminium alloy core, keeping the weight down to 174 grams. As before, the phone is waterproof for up to 30 minutes at a depth of six metres, and as with all 14th-generation phones, it’s delightfully simple to repair and replace the glass.

The battery lasts as long as the battery in an iPhone 13, but battery life is slightly lower compared to the 14 Pro. As usual, there’s no charger included in the box, and Apple insists on the Lightning to USB cable. A bit odd, since all other recent Apple products have long since rejected Lightning in favor of USB-C.

The phone can be charged with Apple’s magnetic Magsafe charger, which attaches magnetically to the back of the phone, or on a mobile cover with MagSafe.

Cameras and image quality

As before, there are two cameras. Tele is only available in the Pro models, and the new 14 Pro and Pro Max, as mentioned, have Apple’s new 48MP camera as the main camera.

Here you get a 12 Mp 26mm f1.5 wide-angle with image stabilisation and 2x zoom, and with larger 1.9 µm pixels, which at least in theory can capture more light with less image noise. The even wider 13mm, 12MP ultra-wide-angle camera has the same 2.4 brightness as before. The front camera has also been upgraded with a focal length of 23 mm with 12 Mp, f1.9 and autofocus.

Although iPhone 14 lacks support for Apple’s ProRes and ProRaw formats for video and still images, it can still record video at up to 60 fps and 4K resolution. It also supports Dolby Vision HDR. That’s High Dynamic Range for better dynamics, and it has Apple’s very nice Action Mode. Which is software-based image stabilisation, where the image becomes more stable when you play back the recording.

Cinematic Mode, which debuted on iPhone 13, has finally been upgraded from 1080 HD to 4K/30p.

As always in a new generation iPhone, image processing has been fine-tuned. Slightly better image chip, and upgraded Photonic Engine, as the processing is called, results in less noise in images taken in low light. Detail reproduction is slightly sharper, and colour reproduction is smoother. Skin tones in particular have been boosted with smoother transitions and more natural tone in images.

Video recording in 4K is much better than before, but Action Mode doesn’t work as well in low light as in bright daylight. Cinematic Mode makes shooting more fun because you can control the depth of focus in the shot in a way that makes video footage look more professional. The depth of field can be changed afterwards, so you have full control over the expression of the footage.

Conclusion

The iPhone 14 can’t be called a major upgrade, but for some, better cameras are always a reason to switch phones. For most others, with either an iPhone 13 or iPhone 12, there’s not much else to be gained, unless you find that the SOS feature, for example, is yet another reason to switch to the iPhone 14. Which is a little faster, a little better and a lot more expensive than its predecessor. So still a very good phone, which is still faster than the competition, but unfortunately a lot more expensive.

Targeted towards extreme sports enthusiasts, Apple Watch Ultra delivers on its promise with a flat sapphire crystal display, titanium case, water resistance to 100 metres and a design that can withstand temperatures between -20 and 55 degrees Celsius.

Apple Watch Ultra also packs a bigger battery, promising 36 hours of battery life, which is double what we’re used to from all of its predecessors.

In other words, the new smart watch should be especially suitable for those who go hiking in the wilderness, diving with dolphins and sharks, or launching themselves from mountain peaks in a hang glider.

Then again, I must add, that I don’t fit into any of the categories above. I don’t like sleeping in a tent (too cold and too many mosquitoes!), I prefer swimming in a heated hotel swimming pool, and my weight doesn’t allow for rock climbing or hang gliding.

Still, the Apple Watch Ultra is the smartwatch I’ve always wanted. And in my opinion, the best smartwatch on the market at the time of writing. There are several reasons for that.

A watch for men!

First of all, the size is a welcome improvement over previous Apple Watch models. With a 49mm screen, a watch that’s sizeable enough to finally fit around larger forearms. It also doesn’t matter that Apple Watch Ultra weighs 61.3 grams – just over 10 grams more than the largest 45mm Apple Watch Series 8 – because it gives me a level of ruggedness and quality I’ve never experienced with an Apple Watch before.

And it’s also liberating not to have to worry about accidentally breaking the watch. The stylish Apple Watch watches can quickly look very ‘used’ with lots of scratches and scuffs on the glass, but the Apple Watch Ultra’s tough design protects the screen and digital crown, among other things, significantly better than before.

The larger screen and more robust design also means the watch is easier to operate. Whether you have thick fingers or are trying to operate the watch while wearing gloves, Apple Watch Ultra makes it easier. It even comes with an additional Action Button that can be programmed to instantly start a specific function, such as a specific workout, mark a route point with the compass or even use the watch’s bright screen (up to 2000 nits) as a flashlight.

Luminance and performance

Overall, Apple Watch Ultra’s large and extremely bright display is another factor that will delight anyone. There’s room for more – whether you want more or bigger text on the screen – and the display is readable both in sunlight and in pitch-black darkness. Without glare, that is. At least if you’re using the unique Apple Watch Ultra ‘Guide’ watch face, which has a special night mode that turns all the elements on the watch face red so they don’t interfere with your night vision.

It’ not possible to benchmark the watch’s battery life per se, but I can say this much: during the test, I used the watch for a full day, including martial arts training, then wore it all night to test the feature that monitors the user’s sleep, and there was still over 40 percent battery left the morning after.

Considering it takes just an hour to charge the watch from 0 to 80 percent – which you can do in the morning while showering and eating breakfast, for example – Apple Watch Ultra makes it possible for the first time to completely relax without constantly having to check where the nearest power outlet is located.

New features

Apple Watch Ultra shares a few key new features with the other new Apple Watch models. The most important of these we haven’t really been able to test in practice, but assuming it works as promised, Apple have really struck a blow for safety when driving.

It’s called Car Crash Detection, and it can detect if you’re in a serious car accident. This is possible thanks to the watch’s accelerometer, gyroscope and barometer – as well as its built-in microphones, which help determine if there’s an accident that requires assistance.

Should this be the case, the watch will call the emergency services itself, as well as any emergency contacts, with a message informing them of your location.

The same function is available in all new iPhone 14 models, but if you are wearing both an iPhone 14 and an Apple Watch Ultra in the event of an accident, the smart watch will be responsible for alerting the surroundings. Simply because the watch’s sensors are more accurate.

Lots of health features

And of course, Apple Watch Ultra is packed with health features. These include automatic recognition and detection of physical activity, fall detection, ECG, blood oxygen levels, sleep detection and a new temperature sensor that helps women measure and track their menstrual cycle (which I didn’t get to test for obvious reasons!) and generally measures your temperature at night if you wear the watch while you sleep.

It’s hard to find a smartwatch on the market that has as many fitness and health features combined with as extensive an ecosystem of other services (e.g. Apple Pay and Siri) as the Apple Watch Ultra.

Extreme sports

And then, on top of that, there are all the features unique to Apple Watch Ultra – which definitely deserve a mention here, although you don’t have to be an extreme athlete or a wilderness hiker to get plenty out of Apple’s wildest smartwatch.

In addition to the ability to track specific sports such as interval training, multisport (another word for triathlon) and open water swimming, Apple Watch Ultra features enhanced GPS (via two separate GPS signals, L1 and L5), which, along with the new compass app, makes it easier to find your way. The dual GPS signal is more accurate, and thanks to the new ability to mark route points along the way, it’s hard to get lost. Whether you’re exploring an unfamiliar city or the wilderness north of the Arctic Circle.

And thanks to the watch’s depth sensor and water resistance down to 100 metres, Apple Watch Ultra is also the smartwatch many scuba divers have been waiting for.

The ‘Depth’ app is automatically activated when Apple Watch Ultra is immersed in water, and later this autumn the Oceanic+ app, developed in partnership with Huish Outdoors, will give the smartwatch the same functionality as a real diving computer.

Although the Apple Watch Ultra is actually waterproof down to 100 metres, Apple advises that you stick to a maximum depth of 40 metres. In turn, Oceanic+ will be able to keep track of factors such as tide, water temperature, visibility and current conditions when diving. That is, once the app launches.

Verdict

Whether you’ve never owned an Apple Watch before or you already have an older model, there’s plenty of reasons to invest in the Apple Watch Ultra. As long as you’re already using products in Apple’s ecosystem, that is. If you’re an Android-only user, read no further.

Apple Watch Ultra is Apple’s best smartwatch to date. In addition to special features for extreme athletes and adventurers – such as an enhanced GPS and compass app, depth sensors, water resistance down to 100 metres and a rugged construction that can withstand temperatures ranging from -20 to 55 degrees Celsius – the smartwatch also offers new safety and health features such as Car Crash Detection, temperature sensor, enhanced sleep tracking, etc. It also comes with all the smart health and fitness options that have already been launched with previous generations of Apple Watch.

And you don’t have to go wilderness or complete a triathlon four times a year to benefit from Apple Watch Ultra. Thanks to its rugged construction, large 49mm display with a hefty brightness of up to 2,000 nits, and the best battery of any Apple Watch ever, if you’re a man and have been wanting a smartwatch that can do it all, can hold up to anything, and most importantly, can hold power day or night without needing to recharge in a hurry, this smartwatch is a must-have.

But now the wait is over. At a global launch the other day, which was live-streamed to local events in numerous capital cities, the latest generation of Pixel phones was unveiled.

The Google Pixel 7 comes in two editions: a standard edition and a Pro version. Here, we test the Pixel 7 Pro, which is a full-size 6.7-inch mobile in 20:9 aspect ratio. That’s pretty much the same size as the competitors’ flagship models. Most specifications are also at flagship level, while the price is put in the premium class.

Black monolith

Designing a modern smartphone that stands out is pretty much impossible. Unless you’re doing a pure style exercise like Nothing Phone (1). Google hasn’t gone down that road with the Pixel 7 Pro. The front is therefore a large black glass monolith with wall-to-wall display. Just like every other phone in its class. The screen is held in place by an aluminium frame (which Google stresses is 100 per cent recycled). The front camera sits in a circular cutout in the OLED screen. We had heard rumours prior to launch that the camera might be located behind the screen. But it ended up being a normal camera hole.

The back is actually quite elegant. Most of it is covered in glass, but offset by a horizontal aluminium strip in which the cameras are mounted. On the Pro model, there are three: A 50MP wide-angle camera, a 12MP super-wide-angle and a 48MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom. As the telephoto lens has a considerable length, it is angled at 90 degrees and placed in a small ‘periscope’ inside the housing. A technique that we have also encountered on the Huawei P30 Pro. The glass on both sides is of course Gorilla Glass Victus, which is the most durable screen glass right now.

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Pixel Pro 7 is available in Obsidian, Snow and Hazel. (Photo: Google)

Close, closer, closest – even closer

One thing that separates many high-end mobiles from their smaller premium siblings is the tele-optics. In the upper mid-range, you usually have to make do with a standard camera and a digital zoom. But not in the Pixel 7 Pro, which has a dedicated telephoto lens with true 5x optical magnification. This allows you to zoom in really far on your subject without the image becoming pixelated due to loss of resolution. And since the image sensor behind the telephoto zoom also has 48MP resolution, you can extend the range dramatically. The Pixel 7 Pro offers 30x combined optical and digital zoom at a resolution equivalent to 8MP. The aforementioned Huawei P30 Pro manages 50x zoom, but then the resolution is effectively reduced to 0.8 Mp.

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Pixel 7 Pro has a super wide angle, a normal lens and a telephoto with 5x optical zoom. Plus a digital zoom on top. Even at 30x, images are usable. (Photo: John Alex Hvidlykke, L&B)

Pixel 7 Pro also has a feature Google calls Super Res Zoom, which uses artificial intelligence to upscale the image at high magnifications.

At the opposite end of the scale, the Pixel 7 Pro in macro mode can focus on objects down to three centimetres away. This allows for really good macro photos. Switching between normal and macro focus is automatic. So does the selection of night shots, called Dark Lens.

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Night photo mode gives sharp images where there is still detail in the dark areas (Photo: John Alex Hvidlykke, L&B)

Vibrant, colourful images

And I have to say, the Pixel 7 Pro is a really good camera phone. Both macro shots and long zoom shots are excellent. But that’s even more true at normal distance and wide-angle shots, where you get sharp images with really vivid, deep colours. Image stabilisation in dark shots isn’t quite as extremely sharp as with the Asus Zenfone 9, which costs about the same. But it’s close. And the arsenal of lenses and shooting options is so much bigger with the Pixel 7 Pro.

The Pixel 7 Pro is based on Google’s own newly developed G2 processor, which is supposed to be optimised for artificial intelligence. And the phone is crammed with automatic features – some of which are really clever.

On the photo side, you have features like Remove Blur and Magic Eraser. The former can bring blurry subjects into focus, and if you have a near-good picture where the face isn’t quite sharp, the result can be really nice.

Magic Eraser almost lives up to its name. When you select the function, the artificial intelligence suggests objects that can be removed. And they’re relevant suggestions, mind you. If the AI doesn’t guess correctly, you can use your finger to frame the parts you want to avoid seeing.

The eraser works really well, but it’s not magic after all. Electric wires against a backdrop of blue sky disappear without a trace, but larger objects against a more complicated background leave smudged traces that are just as distracting as what was removed. Just like in the past when you first tried to use the stamp function in Photoshop.

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The magic eraser is almost magical. But once the background is patterned, the AI has to give up. (Photo: John Alex Hvidlykke, L&B)

AI image editing doesn’t just work on photos taken with Pixel 7 Pro. Old photos stored on Google Images can also be refreshed.

Solid hardware

Google has chosen to develop its own mobile processor, and it’s now up to its second generation, called Tensor G2 – not to be confused with the M2 processor found in Apple’s MacBook Air. It’s an eight-core ARM processor with a special focus on artificial intelligence. However, by using their own processor, Google has also made it difficult to directly compare specifications with competitors.

Google itself highlights in its presentations that the Pixel 7 Pro is the fastest Pixel phone to date. A promise which is obviously easy to keep since only Google makes Pixel phones. However, it seems that in practice the computing power is roughly equivalent to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 – that is, the second fastest Snapdragon processor at the time of writing.

The Pixel 7 Pro comes with 12GB of RAM and either 128GB or 256GB of storage. That puts it on par with most flagship phones anno 2022. Many of which are somewhat more expensive.

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The colours are splashy and there is good contrast between light and shade. (Photo: John Alex Hvidlykke, L&B)

The 6.7-inch screen has a resolution of QHD+ (3120 x 1440 pixels) and a variable refresh rate of up to 120 Hz. It delivers up to 1000 nit brightness at HDR (and 1500 nit at peak), so it should be readable even on a clear summer day. This is probably one of the best mobile screens right now, and it’s a pleasure to view and edit photos on it.

The battery is specified for at least 4,926 mAh – and typically 5,000 mAh. It can be fast-charged with 30 W. But you will look in vain for a charger in the box. Only a USB cable is included. That’s a bit cheap, in our opinion. On the other hand, you can find the same cheap approach from Apple and Samsung – at a much higher price. On the other hand, it’s a plus that you can also charge the Pixel 7 Pro wirelessly.

Benchmarks

The benchmark section is somewhat shorter than usual. That’s because most of our benchmarks haven’t yet come in a version that supports Android 13.

However, the Passmark Performance general performance test shows that the Tensor M2 processor is fast, but not quite as fast as the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 found in this summer’s top Android handsets. The Passmark test scores 15,614 (the Zenfone 9 scores 18,688 by comparison).

The AnTuTu 9 graphics-heavy test shows the same trend. Here, the Pixel 7 Pro scores 751,937, placing it at the top end of today’s phones. Ahead of the OnePlus 10 Pro, for example, but behind the Asus Zenfone 9.

Due to a lack of benchmark apps, we couldn’t perform a standardized battery test either. But it seems prima facie likely that the ’24 hours of battery life’ promised by Google will translate into performance that matches most phones in the same (top) class.

Conclusion

The Google Pixel 7 Pro is the first Pixel phone we’ve had the opportunity to get our hands on. But it’s been worth the wait. Thanks to a rather aggressive pricing of a really excellent phone, there should be a basis for Google to grab a bigger slice of the mobile pie. The screen and three good cameras in particular set the Pixel 7 Pro apart from most competitors at the price. In fact, the OnePlus 10 Pro is the only competitor that comes close to competing on performance for price. And a slightly better telephoto lens and a bunch of (artificially) clever AI features tip the scales in the Pixel’s favour. Google’s latest Pixel devices have put it in Apple’s wake, but Apple devotees are unlikely to choose the Pixel 7 Pro over the iPhone 14 Pro Max for that reason. Which is a shame, as you get comparable quality – but at half the price.

The foldable hybrid of a smartphone and a tablet is a product category all its own, with unique uses in both productivity and entertainment. And it should, because you’re paying big bucks for two screens, three separate camera modules, S-Pen support, multitasking, the (second) fastest mobile processor on the market, etc. That was true last year, and it’s certainly true this year, with the successor Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 again costing an arm and a leg. Plus everything in between.

That also means that Samsung’s foldable monster mobile isn’t for everyone. The vast majority are better served by a traditional smartphone, but if you’re a ‘first mover’ and an absolute power user (as well as being extremely well-off), the latest addition to the Galaxy Z Fold range is definitely worth considering. It’s more of the same in a good way.

Don’t expect any major revolutions. Rather, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is a solid upgrade that improves on the Koreans’ most expensive smartphone in a few key ways.

Appearance and construction

Just like its predecessor, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is sturdy and solid. This is particularly noticeable when the phone is unfolded and folded again. There is so much resistance in the hinges that it is difficult to open with one hand. The body of the phone itself – now made of Gorilla Glass Victus on the front and an aluminium alloy combined with Gorilla Glass Victus on the back of the folded phone – is so sturdy that you don’t worry about holding the phone in a tight grip, or dropping it for that matter.

The Galaxy Z Fold 4 also features a hinge, with the hinge area itself built into a form-fitting cylindrical housing – very precisely designed to keep out dust and dirt as much as possible. The construction is made of so-called Armor Aluminium and the phone is IPX8 certified, which means that it is waterproof down to a depth of 1.5 metres for 30 minutes. However, it is not dustproof.

Screen and sound

When it comes to the screens on the latest Samsung foldable, everything is pretty much the same. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 has a 6.2-inch front screen, which is very narrow (25:9 aspect ratio), but still has enough space for you to use the foldable phone as a regular smartphone – including all apps – without unfolding it. There’s a little more space on this year’s front screen than on last year’s model (2316 x 904 versus 2268 x 832 pixels), but it’s a minimal improvement that’s not visible to the naked eye.

The significantly larger foldable screen is made of so-called Ultra Thin Glass (UTG), which is a kind of glass alloy with a thin layer of plastic as a protective layer and flexible glass underneath. It doesn’t quite feel like real glass, and the soft material means you can see a physical fold running across the screen even when it’s unfolded.

However, this doesn’t interfere with the user experience or image quality, which is largely on par with what we’re used to from Samsung’s other top models. In the same vein, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 also features HDR10+, which optimises the image in terms of colour rendition and contrast.

The most distinctive feature of the foldable screen is actually the 4:3 aspect ratio, similar to the picture on older cathode ray TV sets. Most apps adapt to the special format without problems, but when you want to watch video, you have to put up with rather wide bars both above and below the image. That is, unless you enjoy older TV clips on YouTube from the good old days before flat-screen TVs.

Incidentally, the foldable screen on this year’s model is barely as tall but slightly wider than was the case on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 (2176 x 1812 versus 2208 x 1768 pixels), making multitasking, where multiple apps are open at the same time, more useful. We’ll come back to that later.

Also this year, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 supports Samsung’s S Pen, which must be purchased separately.

The Galaxy Z Fold 4 also offers very good speech quality. And there are actually people who talk on their mobile phones from time to time.

There’s no physical headphone output, so you’ll have to connect your earplugs or earbuds via Bluetooth. But then the foldable mobile also offers a dynamic sound image with plenty of juice and power in all frequency bands. The Samsung Z Galaxy Fold 4 is even equipped with two excellent stereo speakers that deliver a powerful sound experience. In fact, both sound quality and volume are so impressive that the phone sounds better than many of the cheaper Bluetooth speakers.

Camera

As far as the camera is concerned, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 differs significantly from its predecessor. At least when it comes to the primary camera module. This time, Samsung is relying on camera technology from the Galaxy S22 series, which all things considered means a significant upgrade of the camera’s capabilities compared to last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 3, where Samsung had not prioritised the camera very much despite the foldable phone’s extremely high price.

Thus, the main camera module of this year’s foldable top model consists of three lenses: a 50 megapixel regular wide-angle (f/1.8 with optical image stabilization), a 12 megapixel ultra-wide-angle (f/2.2) and a 10 megapixel telephoto with 3x optical zoom.

The phone takes excellent pictures whether zooming in, using the ultra wide angle lens or taking standard pictures with the 50 megapixel wide angle lens.

The camera also offers a host of features familiar from the Galaxy S22 series. What they all have in common is that they make extensive use of artificial intelligence to achieve the best results. This is the case, for example, with the improved portrait setting, which uses the so-called AI Stereo Depth Map to ensure that the bokeh effect is more precise and correct – even with ‘difficult’ subjects.

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Here you can see various examples of images taken with the camera's different lenses, both indoors and outdoors. (Photo: Peter Gotschalk)

The Galaxy Z Fold 4 also takes better pictures at night – or in dark environments in general – than we’ve seen from any Samsung foldable phone before. Again, it’s the artificial intelligence that helps optimise images taken at night or in poor lighting, giving them higher resolution with more sharpness and detail.

The camera app has a variety of photo and video settings, and in automatic mode the interface is pretty clean with focal length selection, filters and automatic help. In manual mode, as usual, you can adjust ISO, focus points, white balance and exposure compensation – but also contrast and colour saturation, as well as manual aperture shift.

The app also offers a few special features that take advantage of the foldable screen – including the so-called Capture View Mode, which shows the user the most recent shot on the lower half of the main screen, while the camera mode remains activated on the upper half.

In addition, due to its special design, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 has not just one, but two selfie cameras. Above the small front screen, we find a single 10 megapixel lens that takes excellent pictures.

On the inside, there’s a small selfie camera so you can take quick self-portraits no matter which screen you’re using. Already on the predecessor model, the latter selfie camera was hidden behind the screen, and this year Samsung has increased the pixel density in front of the camera lens, so it’s even better hidden. Unfortunately, this doesn’t exactly do wonders for the image quality from the tiny 4 megapixel camera, which is nothing to write home about.

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Above the small front screen we find a single 10 megapixel lens that takes excellent pictures, and on the inside there's a small 4 megapixel selfie camera so you can take quick self-portraits no matter what screen you're using. As we can see from the two examples, however, there's a big difference in the quality the two cameras deliver. (Photo: Peter Gotschalk)

Performance and features

You’d be a fool to spend your savings on the most expensive foldable phone on the market and not take full advantage of its special screen format.

Fortunately, you can with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, which is among the first products from the Korean electronics giant to come with Google’s new tablet version of Android.

Android 12L (L for Large), as the new operating system is called, is better at making use of space on large screens, including tablets and foldable mobiles. Among other things, multitasking is made easier for the user in practice thanks to a new processing line similar to what we know from Windows and Mac OS. All the apps that you normally have as favourites at the bottom of the screen on your Android smartphone are now fixed items in the taskbar, while the two most recently opened apps are displayed further to the right. If you want to multitask and thus run several apps at once, just drag the app icon up on the screen from the taskbar. In total, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 screen can accommodate three apps at a time, plus an additional app as a pop-up view that hovers over the other apps. It doesn’t get any easier than this.

Extended drag-and-drop features that let users drag text, images and documents from one app to another are also part of the package.

And while it obviously takes a lot of effort and energy to power such a large mobile phone with so many features, screens and cameras, the Galaxy Fold Z 4 more than holds its own on that front too.

But the foldable phone has also been equipped with the currently (second) fastest processor on the market: the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. It’s the same processor that sits in the OnePlus 10T, which we just tested, but the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 performs significantly better in all but one benchmark test. In other words, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 really packs a punch, which is necessary if you want to put its multitasking capabilities to good use.

The Galaxy Z Fold 4 disappoints in only one respect. Like its predecessor, the new foldable phone comes with a relatively undersized 4400 mAh battery, and where the Galaxy Z Fold 3 still managed a good eight hours in our benchmark test, which pushes the phone to the limit, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 performs just 4 hours and 36 minutes in the test!

It’s a weakness that we also notice in daily use, where the foldable mobile quickly gasps for more power. All the more odd, then, that it only supports 25W wired charging, where both the Galaxy S22+ and Galaxy S22 Ultra support 45W. It thus takes almost an hour and a half to charge the Galaxy Z Fold 4 from 0 to 100%, which, coupled with the poor battery life, is not the most fortunate combination.

Conclusion

Samsung is betting big on foldable phones like the Galaxy Z Fold 4, and the Koreans aren’t afraid to lace their most expensive product with top-shelf technology. The price is then – you can buy a used car for the same money – and the question is, who is actually in the target audience?

There’s no doubt that the foldable format is here to stay, and the Galaxy Z Fold 4 delivers on most counts. Even with a really good camera, which is the best we’ve seen in the Galaxy Z Fold series to date.

But while the uses are many, we think few will actually get anything out of the big foldable screen and what goes with it in terms of multitasking and related mobile productivity features. This is not meant as a criticism, but simply a reminder to potential buyers to consider their needs carefully before breaking the bank.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is a smartphone for the few, but if you’re among the select few (e.g. professional influencers, digital nomads, entrepreneurs, journalists, etc.) there may be many good reasons to consider a purchase. Just not the battery life, which Samsung literally has to do something about before a possible successor is launched next year.