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OnePlus 5
449 inc VAT from tinyurl.com/ybk58nn5
O
nePlus just graduated its no longer in the
second division, pushing for the big time.
The OnePlus 5 is technically brilliant and
is the natural product of the past three years for
the company. From 2014s OnePlus One to today,
these phones have shown mobile techs natural
progression to where it is now. The only thing is,
when you release a phone every few months there is
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only so much you can change. The OnePlus 5 is an

exquisitely designed,high-spec flagship phone with
outstandingcameras, a decent display and a sense
of individualism. But so were the OnePlus 3 and its
successor just five monthslater, the 3T.
Just 12 months after the OnePlus 3, it is no longer
an out-and-out bargain. It has joined the top table of
smartphone royalty and still undercuts the price of
most of them, but not by quite the distance it once
did a long time ago. With only one network partner
in the UK, OnePlus might find it hard to find a wider
audience who are willing to spend 449 outright
rather than get a similar phone on contract.
Design
Ignoring past phones for a moment, the OnePlus
5 isabrilliantly well thought out and designed
premiumslab of phone. I reviewed the Midnight
Blackmodel (8GB RAM, 128GB) and it is
impressivelythin yet sturdy just 153g.
The aluminium rear of the phone is slick and
clean, with no aerial lines breaking the design, but
rather hugging the top and bottom of the phone.
This meansit now looks akin to an iPhone 7 Plus
with its dual cameras and clean back, broken
onlybycameras,flash and logo.
The front of the phone has a forehead with a
camera, ambient light sensor and earpiece and a
chin with the excellent ceramic fingerprint sensor,
but very slight side bezels. The bezels have an ever
so slight dip to them, not an edge, but it only adds
to the exceptional feel. The display remains 16:9
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and even with my small mitts I was able to do a few

thingswithone hand.
The right edge is clean save for a power/lock
button with the Alert Slider and volume rocker on
the left. The top edge is clean while the bottom
houses a single down firing speaker, USB-C port
and3.5mmheadphone jack.
OnePlus describes the ridge that runs all around
the edges of the phone as the horizon line, showing
dark on one ridge and light on the other in the right
light. More simply, it makes the phone look and feel
premium while allowing for a better grip on what is
undoubtedly a fairly slippery phone. You may want
toinvest in one of the attractive cases OnePlus sells
(Ilike the carbon-fibre one).
Attention to detail has always been a strong
point for OnePlus. Marketing descriptions can be
overblown;the OnePlus 5 speaks for itself. Its a
revision of the 3, and feels like an end point. Its
an excellent place to be, but its hard to see where
the OnePlus goes from here without completely
renovating its design language.
The handy Alert Slider remains a key design
featurebut theres still no waterproofing here.
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Its a company that understands better than many

that how a device feels and how the customer relates
to that is what strengthens a brand. However, it does
bear almost exactly the same design as the Oppo R11.
OnePlus was borne out of Oppo, one of Chinas
biggest phone companies and on this evidence the
two still share some designers. The R11 has exactly the
same design as the OnePlus 5 bar the different style of
aerial lines and the Alert Slider. This is, it would seem,
perfectly legal, and shows more obviously than before
what the two companies still obviously share. But it
takes away from the power of OnePlus marketing
clout once you realise a doppelgnger is available
from another company.
Performance
Despite this the OnePlus 5 is one of the best
specifiedphone on the market right now. It has more
RAM than any of its direct competitors. Who needs
8GB RAM? You do, apparently. Or, you will do, in a
year or two as the phone naturally slows and apps
become more demanding. But youll upgrade in
twoyears, wont you?
The Snapdragon 835 (a la HTC U11 and Sony Xperia
XZ Premium) is a phenomenal chip, and the OnePlus
5 has not so much as stuttered in my time with it. It
is the fastest phone I have ever used, and Ive used all
the main flagships of the last year to some extent.
You can hop between apps with absolutely no
slowdown, while games such as the graphically
intense Asphalt 8 run seamlessly. This is helped
by theAdreno 540 GPU, which makes a great
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processorrun even smoother, swatting away

difficulttasks with ease.
The phone also has a silent feature called App
Priority that supposedly learns your behaviour over
time and stops rarely used apps taking up memory
space. Not that youll need to worry about that.
Even if you get the cheaper model you still have
6GB RAM to keep you ticking over. 8GB is overkill
forthe average user, but wont find another phone
with that much RAM at 499.
As mentioned earlier you get either 64- or 128GB
of internal storage and its worth noting theres not
microSD card slot like the iPhone.
Benchmarking the phone against others with the
Snapdragon 835 shows the 5 is no slouch. In fact, it
matches and sometimes outdoes its nearest rivals,
particularly notably in the Geekbench 4 test.
Its worth noting however reports that OnePlus
has set up the phone to cheat benchmarks by
purposefully over-performing when using such
software. OnePlus has countered this claim, but
asidefrom the reports, I can confirm that this
phoneisstupidly fast and it doesnt really matter
inthegrandscheme of things.
The display is AMOLED like in Samsungs Galaxy
S8. The 5.5in screen displays colours very vividly and
brightly, even in direct sunlight. OnePlus has stuck
with a 16:9 aspect ratio so video wont display with
black bars in most instances like on taller phones
suchas the S8 and LG G6.
The screen uses 2.5D Gorilla Glass, a version of
the drop and scratch resistant material that allows for
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slight curvature. OnePlus has noticeably improved

the touch response and latency of the display, one of
the main complaints held against the last generation.
Touch input is near flawless.
We finally find something on the spec sheet to
warrant the cheaper price compared to rivals and
thats the display resolution. The OnePlus 5 is still Full
HD (1920x1080) with most Quad HD or even higher.
That said, it still looks crisp and in our experience
the average user cant tell the difference.
While the handset packs in NFC, 11ac Wi-Fi,
Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX and a headphone jack,
it noticeably leaves out wireless charging and
waterproofing. Sure, its splashproof
(I tried it) but with no IP rating, the 5
has a clear couple of features missing
considering its going head to head
against phones that have one or both.
Thats two more reasons why its
cheaper than the other 2017 flagships.
OnePlus has run the Shot on
OnePlus social media campaign for a
while now and it hopes it can inspire
another raft of fans to get involved
with the improved camera set up on
the 5. With dual cameras it looks a hell
of a lotlike the aforementioned Oppo
R11 and, in black, the iPhone 7 Plus.
Its headline bokeh feature is snatched
straight from the latter.
It works incredibly well though, better I
feel than on the Huawei P10. The effect doesnt
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feel gimmicky but is instead well integrated into

the camera app, and you can get amazing results
withoutusing pro mode.
There is a 16Mp sensor supported by a 20Mp
telephoto lens with an aperture of just f/1.7 on the
main one. The second sensor means the phone can
also perform a handy optical zoom, bringing better
quality images than the digital zoomed alternative.
OnePlus confirmed though that it is not the 2x
opticalzoom like on the iPhone 7 Plus, but a 2x
lossless zoom the difference being optical zoom
is1.6x, with a further 0.4x achieved digitally.
The front-facing camera is also 16Mp and feels
like an upgrade to the one on the 3T which struggled
Camera sample at
1x on auto mode
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in low light considerably. Its tricky to get the

portrait mode to work every time though. Its clearly
softwaredoing all the work, and sometimes I lined
upa good shot only for the post-image processing
tofail on me, leaving no bokeh effect. The camera
setup is improved from the 3T, but still falls short of
the Samsung GalaxyS8 and Google Pixel.
The phone intelligently compiles several frames
of the same photo and clears up noise before saving
the final image to your gallery. The results are always
good and often stunning. Theres no doubt this is a
substantial upgrade from the 3 and 3T.
Call quality on the OnePlus 5 is excellent, with
voices coming through bright and clear. Hands-free
Notice the excellent

blurring of background
in portrait mode
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The cameras also perform

well reproducing challenging
light conditions
calls are adequate with the one down facing speaker

but sound best with the device placed on a surface.
The vibration motor has also been changed. It
wasquite loud as well as being audible with the
OnePlus 3, but I never missed a notification. Now
it ismuch moresubtle and quiet. It feels more
premium,but hasmeant Ive never really felt the
motor at all unlessIm holding it.
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Even in tight trouser pockets its hard to feel it.

Thisposed a problem as I missed calls and texts
frequently. I dont want to hold the phone every
waking second, even if some people do.
Battery life is solid, and occasionally outstanding.
I never ran out over the course of a day but with
heavyuse youll dip to about 20 percent by 8pm,
which is respectable. I felt it emptied on a morning
commute unusually fast on some days but it
seemed to level outafter a week. The capacity is
3,300mAh despite rumours of it being larger. Many
users wouldchoose a thicker phone with a bigger
batteryover making it more slender.
It remains an annoyance that you can only fast
charge with OnePlus own Dash Charge brick and
cable combo any other USB-C charger will see you
phone charge agonisingly slowly in comparison.
With the bundled charger youll be able to top
up 50 percent in half an hour just like the company
promises though, which is very good and faster
thanpretty much any other phone out there.
Software
The best thing manufacturers can do with decent
hardware is integrate excellent software. Thankfully
OnePlus understands this, and OxygenOS is the best
Android skin around. This is not change for the sake of
change as every little tweak to Googles stock Android
interface is well thought out and worthy of use.
The notification shade is easily customizable, the
app tray is a smart swipe up (like on the Google Pixel)
and the smaller options deep in the operating system
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will be a tad confusing at first but if they are your

stylethen youll love it.
You can program off-screen shortcuts to actions
by drawing on the blank locked screen in an O, V,
S, Mor W, do a three finger screenshot, and even
controlmusic with gestures.
You can set on-screen hardware buttons, but I
prefer the physical capacitive keys here with theirs
subtle blue-tint lights lying beneath the chin. These
can be swapped over and even long- and double
pressfunctions added.
There are other thoughtful additions like the
clumsily named but nonetheless does-what-it-
says Gaming Do Not Disturb mode. Tap this setting
on fromthe notification shade and your gaming
sessionswill no longer be disturbed by notifications
from other apps.
Coupled with the insanely fast hardware, Oxygen
OS (version 4.5.0 at the time of writing) zips you
around the phone, almost to the point where it feels
one step ahead. The App Priority software inclusion
seemed to silently kick into effect and positively
affected battery performance.
As mentioned, the latency is so much better than
it was on the 3 and 3T. It feels as responsive as the
best phones out there (no Android phone can beat
theiPhone 7 in this instance though). It all adds up to
an Android phone that excels in customization.
Technically they all should but sometimes it isnt
the case. The phone makes it easy for you to make
ityour own.
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Verdict
The OnePlus 5 is a logical refinement of the young
companys back catalogue. It marries solid design
withexcellent software in a package under 500. But
ayear ago, it did this all for a sliver over 300.
The phone feels like the end of OnePlus phase one
and a bridge to whatever the company does next.
It might not be the obvious bargain price OnePlus
is known for but its still significantly cheaper, is
incredibly fast and has improved cameras.
There are downsides with no waterproofing,
Quad HD screen or wireless charging. We strongly
recommend considering this phone if youve
been tempted by the Galaxy S8 or LG G6 but cant
stretch tothem the fact its in that conversation
is testamentto OnePlus continuing impressive
achievements. Henry Burrell
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Specifications
5.5in (1920x1080, 401ppi) 1080p Full HD AMOLED
display
Android Nougat 7.1.1
2.45GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
processor
Adreno 540 graphics
6/8GB RAM
64/128GB storage
16Mp rear camera, f/1.7, support for 4K video at
30fps
16Mp front camera, f/2.0
802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi
Bluetooth 5.0
4G
Dual Nano-SIM
NFC
3,300mAh non-removable battery
154.2x74.1x7.25mm
153g
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HTC U11
599 inc VAT from fave.co/2tQGZUJ
T
he annals of Android are littered with one-and-
done gimmicks that were originally hailed as
the next big thing. Indeed, from slide-out game
pads to built-in projectors, way too many Android
phones have included features that never caught on.
So, will the new Edge Sense feature in the HTC U11
meet a similar fate? Probably. But the U11 is still a
greatphonethats fun to use.
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A more pocketable version of the ill-conceived U

Ultra, HTCs newest flagship isnt just another highly-
specified handset with good looks and a great camera.
The new Edge Sense feature lets you launch apps and
actions by squeezing the sides of the phone. Its a
gimmick for sure, but one of thebestgimmicks ever
tograce an Android handset.
Its great to see HTC thinking outside the box, and
with the U11, HTC is making a statement: Anyone can
make a powerful phone, but remember when these
handheld computers used to bedelightful too?
Design
If youve ever seen a U Ultra in the flesh, the U11 will
be instantly familiar. From the front, it looks exactly
the same as the U Ultra, with the off-centre camera,
pill-shaped home button/fingerprint sensor, and extra-
large forehead and chin. A textured power button is
still unfortunately positioned below the volume rocker.
Flip it over, and the U11 is even more reminiscent
of the U Ultra. The back plate uses the same liquid
surface, which looks just as stunning as it does on
the U11s big brother, despite the persistence of the
microphone hole, which mars the liquid effect a bit.
The Ultras Sapphire Blue colour remains as well.
Youll find some other small design changes, like
a round camera instead of a square one, a far-less-
protrusive camera bump, and slightly less tapered
edges. But HTC has fully embraced its new design
language with the U11, putting all traces of the
antennalines and speaker grills of the HTC 10 and
OneM9 firmly in the past.
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While the U11 and U Ultra may share many of

the same visual cues, the similarities end when you
pick it up. Gone is the U Ultras second screen. And
wherethe Ultra was monstrous and cumbersome,
the5.5in U11 is downright svelte. Its smooth
contourslet it restnaturally in your hand with a
glassback that somehow feels more luxurious than
the glass on the Galaxy S8 orthe LG G6.
One of the many complaints we have with the U
Ultra is that its enormous size makes it far too prone
to dropping when holding it with one hand. The U11
fixes that with not just smaller dimensions, but also
(reportedly) a change in materials. We repeatedly
rubbed my fingers across the back of each
phone, andthe U11 felt tackier and
more resistant to gliding. The new
liquid design phone is still a fingerprint
magnet, but the U11 seems to pick up
fewer smudgesthan the U Ultra.
Display
After the LG G6, the Galaxy S8, and now
the Essential Phone, we have certain
expectations for screen-to-body ratio
in new flagship handsets. HTC didnt get
that memo. The U11s bezels are about
as big as the eight-month-old Pixels,
and its 71 percent screen-to-body
ratio makes it look more like a budget
phoneandless like a premium one.
But just because its Super LCD5
Quad HD screen doesnt stretch to the
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edges doesnt mean youre getting an inferior product.

At 534ppi, its display has a higher pixel density than
the U Ultras 513ppi, and despite sticking with an LCD
panel, the U11 is just as bright and vibrant as its OLED
peers. Elsewhere, you get a Snapdragon 835 chip, 4GB
of RAM, and 64GB ofstorage, all of which add up to
a phone that can stand shoulder to the shoulder with
the G6s and S8s ofthe world.
Audio buffs will be bummed to learn that the U11
doesnt return the headphone jack that was cut from
the U Ultra. That said, HTC has included a 3.5mm-
to-USB-C adapter this time around. Also in the box
is a pair of noise-cancelling USonic earbuds that use
the phones ear-scanning wizardry to deliver the best
possible audio profile for each user.
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Performance
The U11 runs off Qualcomms Snapdragon 835 chip,
which wasnt available in time for the U Ultra launch.
The difference between the two processors isnt
all that great, but its nice to know the U11 has the
latest-greatest chip inside.
But even without a massive speed boost over the
prior model, the U11 is still a beast of a performer. Like
the S8, the phone zips through tasks and switches
apps effortlessly, but it feels like weve reached a
level where all phones perform basically the same.
The U11 is plenty fast, but like the Galaxy S8, neither
benchmarks nor real-world testing show it running
circles around the G6 or even the Pixel.
One thing HTC hasnt upgraded in the U11,
however, is the battery. Like the U Ultra, it has a
3,000mAh battery, but with the smaller screen, its
much better prepared to keep the phone powered
throughthe better part of a busy day. Its no
Galaxy S8, mind you, but it beats the LG G6 in our
preferredbattery test. In our benchmarks it got about
seven hours of use, and real-world testing bore that
out. On long trips, youll want to keep a battery pack
nearby just to be safe, but the U11 should get you
through to the end of most days. The U11 supports
the Quick Charge 3.0 standard (which will fill a half-
drained phone in about ahalf-hour), but doesnt
havebuilt-in support for wireless charging.
Edge Sense
Since the U11 is something of a mea culpa responding
to the U Ultras slippery, oversized frame, it only
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figuresthat gripability, if you will, would factor into

thephones premier feature.
HTCs Edge Sense is basically a shortcut trigger
you literally squeeze the sides of the phone to
launch various features, apps and actions. You can
set up twodifferent behaviours to trigger: one with a
short squeeze and one with a long squeeze. It sounds
somewhat silly, but try it for yourself, and you just
mayappreciate it. We did.
The phones set-up process will take you through
several Edge Sense orientation screens, where youll
customize the experience with your favourite app, and
practice squeezing. The phone will measure how hard
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you can squeeze the sides while still maintaininga

comfortable grip. You get a surprising level of
personalization, and while its all a little weirdat
first, HTC clearly doesnt want Edge Sense to be
agimmickthat you quickly forget about.
Edge Sense runs on top of the entire interface,
so it will work anywhere you are, whether youre in
an app or on the lock screen. Since you can set it to
launch any app and even some actions (like taking a
screenshot or toggling the flashlight), it can reduce
multi-step actions to a single squeeze.
For example, if were writing a text message and
want to send our recipient a picture of where we
are, we only need to squeeze the sides of the phone
to launch the camera. Or if we want to ask Google
Assistant a question while in my calendar, we can
squeeze a little harder. Theres a visual indicator
on the sides of the screen to indicate the force of
your squeezes, as well as a small vibration once the
featurehas triggered the action.
After a while, Edge Sense became second nature.
Sure, we needed to take a couple trips to the set-
up screen to nail down our squeeze force level,
but oncewe learned to use my palm rather than
my thumb, it became much more comfortable.
Its fun to use, but its also the kind of feature you
need to remember to use. As such, we dont see
itexpandingbeyond the U11.
Cameras
If you do remember to use Edge Sense, it will no
doubt be to launch the camera (its the default, in fact),
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Cap The U11 more than held its own against

the LG G6, our pick for the best camera phone
and HTC has put a great camera in the U11. Users of

the U Ultra will be familiar with the specs a 12Mp
lens with an f/1.7 aperture, optical image stabilization
and phase detection autofocus.
Using the same camera isnt necessarily a bad
thing. The U Ultras camera was one of the few
features that really shined, and the U11s does as well.
Its score in thevaunted DxOMark benchmark is 90, the
highest ever handed out to a mobile phone (though,
to be fair,the camera quality differences between U11,
Pixeland the Galaxy S8 are small). We put the HTC
through a battery of tests against our favourite current
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Its hard to find much to complain about when comparing

the U11 (left) to the Pixel (centre) and the Galaxy S8 (right).
And in this particular comparison, the U11 captured colours
that were more true to the actual objects appearance
camera, the LG G6, which has already bested the Pixel

and the Galaxy S8 in our camera shoot-outs. You can
find the full details of our testing here, but the short
story is that while the G6 still came out ahead, it was
an extremely close contest.
Both cameras produced true-to-life colour (see
above), and while the U11 struggled a bit with white
balance in dark environments, it often resulted in shots
that were truer to life. The U11 also performed well
when it came to clarity and exposure, and handled
bright light and shadows better when shooting in
HDRmode. In fact, with the exception of slight pauses
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when processing HDR and RAW images, the HTC

wason par with, or better than, the G6.
HTC hasnt added any new shooting modes or
filters to its camera app. We were still able to take
crisp, balanced shots with little to no effort, but the
U11 experience pales in comparison to the G6s
robustMatch Shot mode or the selective focus
featureof the S8.
On the front of the phone, you get the same
gigantic 16Mp camera as on the U Ultra. Your selfies
willsing as a result, but the front shooter still lacks
whimsy. For instance, Samsung added a ton of
Snapchat-style filters and stickers to its camera
app, and it would have been a good addition here
too. Still, its nice that HTC has finally realized that
the front camera is just as important as the rear
one (if not moreso), and now wed like to see HTC
embracetheselfies wackier side.
Software
The U11 runs Android 7.1, which brings a few
improvements over the U Ultras 7.0 Sense interface.
Most notable is the ability to bring up app shortcuts
and a new 5x6 grid size for the app drawer. But
mostlyits the same experience as in the U Ultra,
whichis hardly a bad thing.
HTC treads pretty lightly on top of stock Nougat,
adding a few useful features and settings, but mostly
keeping things as Google intended. We missed Pixel
features like swiping up to access the app drawer
and the classy weather widget, but from Senses
settings suggestions to the Flip to mute toggle, we
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generally enjoyed HTCs spin on Nougat. Where HTC

really distinguishes itself is with its digital assistant.
Make that digital assistants, plural, as there are no
fewer than three of them in the U11. While Google
Assistant is still present in the home button, HTC
includes its own AI aide called Sense Companion. It
works more consistently on the U11 than it did when
we tested theU Ultra, offering regular restaurant and
battery-saving tips via a little bubble that pops up on
the sideof the screen and in the notification shade.
Its not so obtrusive that I wanted to quickly turn it
off,but were not sure we need another AI bot to
doourthinking for us.
HTC has also built Alexa into the U11, making this
the first phone to bring true hands-free support for
Amazons digital Assistant. Unlike the implementation
on the Huawei Mate 9, which requires a separate
appto be launched first, HTC says the U11 will
actuallyrespond to Alexa just like your Echo does.
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The feature wasnt live on my review

unit so we couldnttest its skills, but
its definitely an intriguing reason
toconsider the U11.
Verdict
If youre in the market for a
phone that costs 600, theres no
shortage of options. Even if you
exclude the aging Pixel, theres the
LG G6, Samsung Galaxy S8, and
the upcoming Essential phone.
And theOnePlus 5, whichisalso
rumoured to sport an 835 chip, is
just around the corner.
But the U11 has something that
none of those otherphones have.
Edge Sense may be a gimmick,
butits a fun one, and youd dont
have to sacrifice much of anything
to get it. Take it away, and the U11 still
has the best processor, a top-notch camera,
and a nice design, even if it doesnt quite have the
edge-to-edge appeal of the Galaxy S8.
The U11 harkens back to a simpler time when a
phones body was celebrated and not just something
that got in the way. If phones with visible bezels and
frames that stand out are truly a dying breed, then
HTChas given them a proper and fitting send-off
with the U11. The U Ultra felt like a bogged-down,
staid phone, but the U11 is light, invigorating, and
justplainfun to use. Michael Simon
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Specifications
5.5in (2560x1440, 534ppi) LCD 5 display
Android Nougat 7.1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
4GB RAM
64GB storage with microSD up to 256GB
12Mp main camera, f/1.7 with OIS
16Mp front facing camera, f/2.0
Edge Sense
802.11ac dual-band Wi-Fi
Bluetooth 4.2
4G LTE Cat16
Nano-SIM
GPS
NFC
USB-C 3.1
Quick Charge 3.0
154x76x7.9mm
169g
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Sony Xperia XZ Premium

649 inc VAT from tinyurl.com/y7gzLwzf
M
WC 2017 saw the introduction of many 2017
flagship smartphones from manufacturers
including Sony. While you might still be pining
after the Xperia Z6, you might want to let that go and
get to know the brand-new Xperia XZ Premium. Read
on for our thoughts.
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Design
The XZ Premium is a bigger version of the XZ
with improved specifications. Like other Sony
smartphones,it has a similar Loop Surface design,
which aims to mimic a seamless tube of glass.
Its not quite as seamless as Sony would have
you believe theres still a small seam between the
displayand the body, and between the sides and
top of the device but its not big enough to be
noticeable most of the time.
The main thing is the very rounded sides that feel
comfortable in the palm of our hand, an important
factor when discussing a 5.5in smartphone. Were also
big fans of the bevelled metal top and bottom, which
further adds to the premium look of the smartphone.
As if it makes any difference, the phone is a tiny
0.2mm thinner at 7.9mm but is a fair amount heavier
at 195g when compared to the standard XZ this
is mainly due to a larger screen and bigger battery,
which might be a trade-off youre fine with.
The XZ Premium is also IP68 rated like many
previous Sony phones, a necessary step to compete
with rival water resistant smartphones such as the
Samsung Galaxy S8 and iPhone 7. Speaking of the
iPhone 7, we can confirm that the XZ Premium
doesinclude a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Sony has decided, quite literally to mirror, the style
of the Z5 Premium. Both colour options, Deepsea
Black and Luminous Chrome, are highly reflective and
can get grubby quite quickly. We think the mirror finish
looks absolutely stunning and it helps the smartphone
stand out from a sea of metallic smartphones, but only
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when its completely smudge free (and unless you

carry a microfibre cloth with you, that wont be often).
For those that arent a fan of Deepsea Black or
Luminous Chrome, Sony has also announced a pink
version of the premium smartphone.
Beside the dedicated Camera button on the side
of the XZ Premium is the power button. Its slightly
dented in compared to the rest of the edge of the
smartphone, making it easy to locate by touch, and
hides a secret: a fingerprint scanner. Thats right,
youllunlock your smartphone at the same time
as you turn on the display. Its quick and accurate,
although the setup of the fingerprint scanner was
alittle bit fiddly for our liking.
Display
One of the main features the XZ Premium borrows
from the Z5 Premium is the large 5.5in screen with
a 4K resolution. That means the device is bigger
than the standard XZ, but is a worthy trade in our
opinion. The 4K display is gorgeous: its bright, vibrant
(thanks to Sonys Triluminos technology) and has
an eye-melting pixel density of 807ppi, providing
incredible detail unmatched by most other high-end
smartphones and thats not all either.
The Sony Xperia XZ Premium supports 4K HDR like
many modern TVersus and lends technology from
Sonys own Bravia range. Sony says HDR provides
better colour, contrast and detail, something that
we can vouch for after spending time with the
smartphone. However, theres a catch: you can
only take advantageof HDR with selected titles on
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AmazonPrime Video such as The Grand Tour and

TheMan in the High Castle.
If anything, we found the Xperia XZ Premiums
display to be a little too over the top at times due to
the intense colours displayed, although thats more
of a personal issue and Sony does provide different
display options for those that prefer something a
littlemore subtle.
Battery life and connectivity

Despite rumours of Qualcomms latest chip being
reserved for the Samsung Galaxy S8, Sony has put it
inside the Xperia XZ Premium alongside 4GB of RAM
and an Adreno 540 GPU. The Snapdragon 835 uses
a 10nm process and offers better performance and
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battery life when compared to the previous generation

and it provides a noticeable difference.
The XZ Premium is extremely responsive in use;
theres no lag when opening and switching between
apps, playing power-hungry games and accessing the
camera. In fact, even when we tried our best to make
the smartphone lag, it wasnt possible.
Theres also noticeable improvements to battery
life, as the XZ Premium lasted all day with standard
useduring our testing, including tasks like talking on
the phone, texting, browsing social media, playing
games and taking photos.
The built-in battery estimates suggest the non-
removable 3,230mAh battery should last around
2- to 3 days on a single charge, and while that
wasnt the case, it can quite easily break the 24-
hour barrier. Our only complaint is that while quick
charging is supported, the quick charge adapter isnt
included inthe box, so it can take a while to charge
especiallyfrom empty.
Its good to see 64GB of storage as standard
on theXZ Premium, and Sony continues to offer a
microSD card slot so you can add up to 256GB of
additional storage.
Plenty of specifications from its predecessor
remainincluding the fingerprint scanner built into
thehome button on the side of the smartphone,
USB-C (now v3.1), NFC and Bluetooth 4.2.
Performance
According to our Geekbench 4 benchmark results,
performance is very much the same as that of the
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Galaxy S8, which isnt entirely surprising as they

bothuse the same chipset.
In fact, the Xperia scored a little higher in both
the multi-core component (6475 versus 6106)
and inthe single-core test (1923 versus 1915),
although the difference in performance is so small
that it wouldnt be noticeable for most. Generally
speaking, the XperiaXZ is one of the most powerful
smartphonesonthe market at the moment at
leastaccording tobenchmarks.
Along with Geekbench 4, we also ran a series of
GFXBench tests to test the graphical power of the
smartphone. Rather impressively, it seems the Xperia
XZ Premium is also better in this department than the
Galaxy S8. It scored higher not only in Car Chase (25-
versus 21fps) but Manhattan 3.1 too (42- versus 40fps),
and matched the 60fps of T-Rex.
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Last but not least, we ran JetStream, a benchmark

that tests the speed of the smartphones built-in
browser. In the case of the Sony Xperia XZ, thats
Google Chrome. It managed a respectable 62.8,
beating the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus at
56.5, although it cant compete with the iPhone 7
Pluss 168.7.
Cameras
Its the camera that Sony is really pushing here,
aside from the gorgeous 4K HDR screen. The
resolution hasdropped to 19Mp, but the firm has
some interesting innovations here in what it calls
theMotionEye camera that generally produces
incredibly detailed images and videos, although it
doeshave its strengthsand weaknesses.
You might be surprised that even though the
resolution has dropped, pixels are 19 percent larger
compared to the standard XZ. This means that low-
light photography on the XZ Premium is improved
compared to the standard model, although we
foundthat images taken in dark environments (like
at sunset) looked noisy in places. The overall image
quality isnt bad, but it struggles to capture the finer
details in low light.
Where the Xperia XZ Premiums camera does
perform is with regards to its dynamic range. As you
can see from the opposite photo, the XZ Premium
caneasily pick up details in the shadows of the bag,
aswell as the areas lit by bright sunlight, without
beingover- or under-exposed.
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Its a similar story with macro photography the XZ

Premium can produce great macro shots with perfect
focus thanks to predictive phase detection and laser
autofocus. Take a look at the below image of a daisy
chain; the flowers are sharp and detailed, and you can
even make out the pink specs on some of the petals.
The hardware-enabled bokeh effect provides clean
lines that help define fore- and background.
Another handy feature of the XZ Premium is
predictive capture. Essentially, the smartphone can
detect motion and takes up to four photos before
youve even hit the shutter button perfect for group
shots and photos taken of fast-moving objects.
It doesnt always get triggered, but weve found it
to be extremely helpful when it does. Simply tap and
hold the display to swipe between the different shots,
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choose your favourite and discard the rest to save

precious storage.
Oh, and the XZ Premium also features a dedicated
camera button that performs in a similar way to that
of a digital camera. This means that you can half-press
the button to focus before taking the photo, providing
a more natural and comfortable photo-taking
experience than most other 2017 flagships.
Of course, the flagship feature of the XZ
Premiumscamera is its slow-mo capabilities.
The XZ Premium is the worlds first phone to offer
super slow motion video at a whopping 960fps.
Although the effect is pretty spectacular, its not like
with the iPhone 7 where you record the whole video
at a high frame rate and select the period of slow-mo
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afterwards. That is an option, but the slo-mo video

willbe capped at 120fps, half of what is possible on
the iPhone 7.
In fact, the XZ Premium can only record at 960fps
for around a second and has to be triggered by an
on-screen, so timing it right is extremely difficult and
we failed to get it right on more than one occasion.
As you can see from the below video sample,
theres a noticeable change in the quality of the
video when shooting in slow-mo, as videos are
noisy even when shot in perfect lighting conditions.
Its technically impressive and were sure that some
people will get full use out of it, but we think its a
bitof a gimmick.
Aside from the ability to shoot in slow-mo, the
Xperia XZ Premium offers the ability to shoot in 1080p
at either 30- or 60fps, and 4K at 30fps. Oddly, Sony
decided against offering the 4K recording option
alongside the 1080p and 720p options in the Video
mode of the Camera app, and instead made it its own
mode alongside AR filters, meaning some users may
not be aware of the capability. While were not sure
why its hidden away, but at least you can view back
your 4K videos at native 4K right?
The front camera remains at 13Mp with an f/2
aperture and 22mm wide-angle lens for great selfie
shots and video calls. Images taken are crisp, clear and
surprisingly detailed for a front-facing camera.
Theres not much in the way of distortion around
the edges of the camera either, a concern when
opting for a wide-angle lens. Like many other Android
smartphones, it also has a built-in beauty filter that
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helps improve the look of your face by removing

blemishes, wrinkles and other imperfections.
Software
The Sony Xperia XZ Premium ships with Android 7.1.1
Nougat, although its not a vanilla implementation
it features Sonys own UI, something featured on a
fraction of Android smartphones compared to those
that launched a few years ago. However, unlike many
of the other Android UIs, were a fan of the tweaks
andfeatures that Sony has brought to the OS.
First up is Lifelog its an app that can measure
almost everything about your day-to-day life, from
how long you spend walking and travelling to how
long you spend using WhatsApp or Snapchat every
day. It may have limited use for some, but its an easy
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way to get an overview of your habits and could help

you cut down on unhelpful hobbies (such as gaming)
and concentrate more on exercising.
Theres also the addition of PS4 Remote Play, an
app exclusive to Sony smartphones. With the PS4
Remote Play app, users can game on their PS4s
from anywhere with a decent Internet connection.
You canconnect a DualShock 4 controller to the
smartphone using Bluetooth, or you can use the
optional on-screen controls (although its not
recommended for hardcore gaming sessions).
There are a range of other, smaller changes
to Android that die-hard users will pick up on,
while some are immediately noticeable. The app
launcherscrolls horizontally instead of vertically,
which admittedly did take some getting used to.
Verdict
The Sony Xperia XZ Premium is a stunning
smartphone, both in terms of design and performance.
The mirror-like look isnt for everyone due to the
appearance of smudges, but it helps provide an
elegant, high-end look. The 4K HDR display is one-
of-a-kind, bright and vibrant, and shows off snaps
taken by the impressive Motion Eye camera perfectly.
The camera itself can handle almost anything you
can throw at it, although performance does slip in
low-lit conditions and the super slow-mo video mode
takes some practice. If youre looking for a gorgeous
high-end smartphone with a huge focus on display
and cameras with above average battery life, the Sony
Xperia XZ Premium is a solid option. Lewis Painter
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Specifications
5.46in (3840x2160, 807ppi) IPS LCD display
Android Nougat 7.1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
Adreno 540
4GB RAM
64GB storage with microSD up to 256GB
19Mp main camera, f/2.0
13Mp front-facing camera, f/2.0
Bluetooth 5.0
Nano-SIM
GPS
NFC
USB-C 3.1
156x77x7.9mm
195g
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Honor 9
599 inc VAT from fave.co/2uocDct
T
he Honor 9 is the latest flagship from the
Huawei sub-brand, and it liberally borrows
fromthe Huawei P10s specifications while
sticking to the Honor aesthetic and aiming for a
muchfriendlier price point.
Design
In terms of looks, the Honor 9 is a blend of the Honor
8 and the Huawei P10. Its available in three colours
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Glacier Grey, Sapphire Blue and Midnight Black and

our review unit is the brands signature blue, which is
immediately eye-catching.
The blue is shown off to maximum effect by the
glass body built, like the Honor 8, out of 15 curved
layers which leaves the phone with an almost
impossibly glossy finish (with the inevitable downside
of being a bit of a fingerprint magnet).
Honor has intensified the effect this time around by
rounding the edges of the glass rear like the Galaxy
S7, which helps the phone catch and reflect the light
in even more hues, while also making it a bit more
comfortable to hold.
At 7.5mm and 155g its comfortable enough to hold
and use one-handed without too much of a stretch,
though the glass finish is about as slippy as you might
expect especially on smooth, flat surfaces. Even
the camera lenses are totally flush with the body, so
theres no friction at all.
The sides of the body are made of sandblasted
metal in the same hue as the front and back, though
the finish is less durable than you might hope. Ours
had already picked up a (tiny) chip within the first day
of fairly careful use combine that with the slippy
finish and youll definitely want a case for this one.
The right-hand side has the power button and
volume rocker, with a the dual-SIM (or single-SIM
andmicroSD) slot on the left. At the bottom youll
findthe 3.5mm headphone jack, USB-C charging
port,and speaker.
The front of the phone is almost directly lifted from
the P10 including the fingerprint scanner built into
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the oval home button below the screen while the

dual lens camera layout on the back is also identical
other than the removal of the Leica branding.
There is one downside borrowed from the P10
too,though like that phone, this doesnt feature
any sort of waterproofing, so youll have to follow
Gremlins rules about keeping it dry.
It may sound like a bit of a hodgepodge of design
choices from other phones, but the good news is that
it comes together into one very attractive whole.
You dont get the stunning bezel-less front thats
oh-so-2017, but the glass finish and simple design
leave the Honor 9 undeniably striking and do
yourself a favour and opt for the blue model which
really shows it off the best.
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Display
The screen at least is slightly different from the
P10 though not by too much. The Honor 9 has a
5.15in FullHD display with a pixel density of 428ppi,
compared to a 5.1in screen in its big brother.
In action, its bright and glossy, with a great colour
range thats enough to make sure it isnt going to get
outshone by its (admittedly very shiny) body.
Processor
Just like its older (and substantially more expensive)
brother, the Honor 9 is packing a Kirin 960 octa-core
processor, with four cores at 2.4GHz and another
fourat 1.8GHz.
Thats backed by 4GB of RAM, 64GB of built-in
storage, and a microSD card slot that supports up
to256GB. Again, exactly like the P10.
That translates to rock solid performance, with
tinyload times, and never a hint of lag no matter
whatwe threw at it during our time using the phone.
Its just as comfortable when it comes to our
formal benchmarks, with results that put it in
graspingdistance of some of the years top flagships.
Note: our review unit came with 6GB of RAM, a
spec which isnt available in the UK. The units are
otherwise identical, but the extra 2GB will have
helpedit perform slightly better in these benchmarks.
Battery life
Battery life boasts some improvements from the
P10. Despite using the same 3,200mAh battery,
there have clearly been some optimization tweaks,
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as the Honor 9 has comfortably lasted a day or two

betweencharges. A 90-minute video call was enough
to dent it by 20 percent or so in one go, but otherwise
battery ticked down very gradually and thanks to
USB-C fast charging, its quick to top back up too.
Cameras
Finally, the camera setup is one of the most
impressivefeatures of the P10, and were pleased
to see it arrive in the Honor phone pretty much
unscathed. The hardware isnt Leica-branded this
time,but otherwise the set-up is identical.
The rear camera is dual lens, with a 12Mp colour
sensor and 20Mp monochrome one, which helps
thecamera perform better in challenging light
conditions by combining the results from each,
alongwith offering up to 2x hybrid zoom.
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Photographs are consistently clear and vivid, and

the camera does a great job of picking up on varied
lighting within the frame without losing any detail.
Also borrowed from the P10 is the increasingly
popular portrait mode, which uses the dual lens
setup and facial recognition software to subtly blur
backgrounds (aka the bokeh effect) and enhance facial
detail in portrait shots, mostly to impressive effect.
You also get the usual selection of other photo
modes, including moving pictures (essentially a two-
second video), panorama, time-lapse, light trails, and a
special night mode thats optimized for low light.
As for the front-facing camera, its 8Mp (though
single lens) and has the same software support as the
rear. The front camera can capture HD video, while
the rear is capable of full 4K.
Software
Software is arguably the biggest letdown of the Honor
9. It runs Android Nougat 7.0 out of the box, but its
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customized with Huaweis EMUI 5.1 skin, which has a

tendency to bring a lot of unwelcome clutter with it.
Thats most evident in things like the Quick
Settingsdrop-down, which is by default packed
with features you probably dont need immediate
access to,and extends to minor annoyances like
notofferingan AppDrawer by default.
Youll also have to contend with a fair few of
Huaweis own basic apps being installed instead of
Googles own though you can of course install the
big Gs alternatives and an assortment of bloatware
that youll probably want to uninstall after you first
turn it on, including a surprising number of games.
Still, there are some nice touches. Like a few other
phonesthis year, the Honor 9 builds the Android
on-screen navigation buttons into the fingerprint
sensor, freeing up some screen space. If you prefer,
you can also use the capacitive buttons hidden in
thebody to the side of the sensor.
There are also features like the Eye comfort
mode,which reduces blue light from the screen to
make it more comfortable to look at in the dark, as
well as the custom camera app mentioned above.
You also get plenty of customization, so you
cantweak the phone to suit your needs more
closely itjust takes a little patience.
Verdict
The Honor 9 is an undeniably impressive phone for
an unmatched price right now. In performance terms,
its nipping at the heels of the years top flagships,
and only lacking flashy features like waterproofing or
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a bezel-less screen. It looks great, it runs fast, and it

costs less than 400. Were sold. Dominic Preston
Specifications
5.15in (1920x1080, 428ppi) touchscreen
Android Nougat 7.0 with EMUI 5.1
Kirin 960 octa-core processor
4GB RAM
64GB storage
Dual lens rear camera: 12Mp colour, 20Mp
monochrome, support for 4K video at 30fps
8Mp front-facing camera
Fingerprint sensor
Bluetooth 4.2 4G LTE
Dual Nano-SIM
GPS
NFC
70x147.3x7.45mm
155g
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Snapchat Spectacles
155 inc VAT from tinyurl.com/ych5qk5a
S
napchat is a hugely popular social networking
appavailable for iOS and Android that lets users
share photos and videos that automatically
expireafter a set amount of time.
While Snap came from small beginnings, the
company is estimated to be worth $29 billion and is
looking to enter the camera market with its inaugural
product, Snapchat Spectacles.
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Design
The design of the Spectacles will divide opinion; while
some will love the quirky and out-there design of the
sunglasses, others will think its a bit too in-your-face
and would prefer something a little more understated.
Its available in three colours: Black, Teal (Blue) and
Coral (Red), with the Black variant being the most
understated in terms of design.
It features a black frame, black lenses and yellow
rings around the camera and light modules on either
side of the glasses. Theres also a light detailing
presenton the arms of the sunglasses.
However, the teal and coral Spectacles are a
little more in-your-face. They both feature brightly
coloured reflective lenses and colourful detailing on
the arms of the glasses. While the Snapchat Spectacle
models on the site look cool, weve a feeling that not
everyone will be able to pull them off.
In terms of the featured technology, the Spectacles
feature a camera on the right-hand side of the glasses
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and a light and a button to start and end recording

on the left-hand side. The light is outward facing
and displays a circle of light when the Spectacles are
recording it makes it easy for those around you to
know when youre recording, and helps to alleviate
some of the privacy concerns raised when mounting
acamera onto a pair of sunglasses.
Theres also a light on the inside of the glasses to
give you a heads up when a video is being recorded
and when its about to finish (itll flash when there
aretwo seconds left).
Along with the Spectacles, Snapchat provides
a soft-to-the-touch triangular glasses case that
doublesup as a wireless charger for the glasses.
In fact, the casecan provide four full Spectacle
chargesbefore requiring a top-up itself.
Snapchats camera-enabled glasses arent perfect,
though. There are blind spots on the left- and right-
hand side of the glasses due to the camera and light
housings. Its not enough to be put off from using
them completely, but its noticeable when wearing
theglasses. The glasses arent waterproof or even
water-resistant, meaning you cant wear them in
therainor ina swimming pool.
Oh, and theyre not polarised either, meaning
thatunlike standard sunglasses, they wont reduce
glare from reflective surfaces like water and glass.
Using Snapchat Spectacles

The Spectacles feature a wide-angle 115-degree lens
that is said to mimic how humans see and while that is
generally the case, you still should be conscious that
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the camera is mounted on the right of the glasses and

that it might miss out on things happening to the far
left of you. Apart from that, the hardware is incredibly
simple to use its when it comes to the software side
of things that it starts to get complicated.
Recording snaps
To record a video using Snapchat Spectacles, simply
press the button in the top-left of the sunglasses. A
light will appear on both the outside and inside of
the glasses to let everyone know that the glasses are
recording, and the light will flash when youve got
twoseconds of video left.
From here, you can press the button again to
extendit by 10 seconds (this can be done up to 30
seconds) or, if you want to stop recording before the
10seconds is up, simply press and hold the button
for asecond or so. The sunglasses can store 10 snaps
locally but if you want to record more, youll need to
sync with your smartphone.
The battery lasts for around 100 snaps, or around
a day of general usage, and is charged wirelessly
using the supplied glasses case. To check the current
batterylevel of the glasses, users need only gently tap
the left side of the glasses. So far, so simple, right?
Android support
Snapchat Spectacles are compatible with both iOS
and Android, although Android seems to be the better
choice for Spectacle users. Why? While Android users
connect to the Spectacles exclusively via Wi-Fi, its not
the case for iOS devices. Granted, it doesnt seem like
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a huge deal initially, but it means that while Android

userswill import HD snaps by default, the same cant
be said for iOS users.
Instead, iOS users must first connect to Spectacles
via Bluetooth and import a SD version of the snaps.
Once imported, you can re-import selected snaps
in HD by leaving the app, connecting to Spectacles
via Wi-Fi in the settings menu then heading back
into the app to sync the snaps. Its an extra step
thatgetsquiteannoying, especially on days where
many snapsare recorded.
Viewing and sharing snaps

To view the snaps recorded via Spectacles, youll
(somewhat obviously) need to use the Snapchat app
for iOS and Android. To view your recently imported
story, you simply swipe up to access Snapchat
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Memories and select the new Specs tab to view your

stories on a day-by-day basis.
Of course, not every video you record via
Spectacleswill be worthy of being added to your story.
Thats why Snapchat automatically analyses each
video and automatically selects those that it thinks is
interesting. It makes it easier to search through tens
of videos for the ones you want to share, although its
not always 100 percent accurate. When it does make a
mistake, its easy enough to remove/add snaps.
To view the videos recorded via Snapchat
Spectacles, simply select the day youd like to view and
itll open full-screen. This is where one of Spectacles
most underrated features comes into play: the glasses
record in a circular format but display it in a standard
16:9 aspect ratio. This means that users can rotate
theirphones when watching Spectacles-recorded
snaps and get a different angle of what is happening.
It doesnt add much to the viewing experience
beyond being a cool little feature you can show your
friends, but its a cool feature nonetheless.
When it comes to sharing the Spectacles story, its
a relatively straightforward process. In fact, its almost
the exact same process as posting a regular snap;
simply tap the blue send icon on any video youd like
to share and youre then presented with options to
share it to your Snapchat Story or with specific friends.
Exporting snaps
Of course, you are free to export your Spectacle
videos for use in other apps like Facebook, Instagram
and Twitter, but they wont perform in the same way
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as in Snapchat. Why? Itll be exported in a circular

format rather than the standard 16:9 view, and wont
supportthe intelligent rotation mentioned above.
Verdict
While we were initially dubious about Snapchat
Spectacles and its value in a world full of action
cameras and smartphones, but Spectacles do make
recording videos much simpler and much more fun to
watch too. The design isnt for everyone but if youre
a Snapchatter or someone going on holiday that has
a spare 130, its a fun piece of tech that will help you
document your life and experiences. Lewis Painter
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Best Android
smartphones 2017
Picking an Android phone can be difficult, but were here to
help.We round up the top models of 2017
C
hoosing a new Android phone isnt easy. The
Android universe is teeming with options, from
super-expensive flagship models, to affordable
handsets that make a few calculated compromises, to
phones expressly designed for, say, great photography.
Chances are that whichever phone you buy, youll
keep it for at least two years. So choosing the best
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Android phone for you isnt a decision you should take

lightly. But we can make things easier. Everyone has
different priorities and needs, so weve made some
picks for the best Android phone in several categories.
At the bottom of this article, we reveal our top 10
Android phones reviewsin case you have your eye
on a model that doesnt make our cut.
Best overall phone

Samsungs flagship phones are usually quite good,
butthe Galaxy S8 really pulls out all the stops and
deliver a phone that is more polished, usable, and
technically impressive than ever before. Inside and
out, this phone is a masterpiece.
The gorgeous design is built around a big, tall
18.5:9 aspect ratio AMOLED display that delivers the
best brightness, contrast, and colour weve ever seen.
The new form factor isnt just good looking, its more
comfortable and usable, too.
Inside youll find the first phone with a 10nm
Snapdragon 835 chip, which gives it top-tier
performance and excellent power efficiency. In fact,
these phones performed just great in our battery
benchmarks (roughly nine hours), with real-world
useeasily taking us through a busy day.
There are so many features its hard to list them all.
Bluetooth 5, support for future gigabit LTE, wireless
charging (Qi and PMA), iris scanner, Samsung Pay
andAndroid Pay support, USB-C, headphone jack,
IP68 water proofing and microSD card support. For
sucha smooth, slim, attractive phone, it sure packs
ina ton ofstuff.
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Samsungs software is better than ever, too. You

still have to contend with far too much bloatware and
from Samsung and carriers, and the fingerprint sensor
is placed in a terrible location. But these sore spots are
relatively minor distractions from a phone that does
more, looks better, and is more delightful to use than
anything else on the market.
Best phone for photographers

You really cant go wrong with the Google Pixel or
the Galaxy S8 if you just want to take your phone
out of your pocket, snap the shutter, and then put it
away knowing you got a great shot. But if youre a
dedicated smartphone photographer, the LG G6 is
the phone youll want. It features a dual-camera setup
with one standard and one wide-angle lens, both of
which use the same Sony IMX258 sensor (13Mp with
1.12 micron pixels). The main camera has optical
image stabilization and an f/1.8 aperture, while the
secondarylens has an f/2.4 aperture and no OIS.
LG G6
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But the dual-camera system isnt for wide-aperture

portrait shots (in fact, there isnt an option for that in
the app). Rather, LGs second camera lets you shoot
wider angle shots than any other phone. And even
if you just take the G6 out of your pocket and start
shooting, youre bound to get photos as good if not
better than the Pixel, which is high praise.
The real killer feature of the LG G6 may be its
camera app, which is stacked with manual controls
unlike the bare-bones approach of the Pixel. Whats
more, the G6s 18:9 screen can be divided into two
perfect squares, and LG takes full advantage of the
unique proportions. Enter Snap Shot mode, and you
can see your latest shot alongside the viewfinder
window. Or check out Match Shot to snap images
withthe front and rear cameras simultaneously.
The G6 doesnt beat the Pixel of Galaxy S8 in all
photo scenarios, but its an extremely close contest.
And youll definitely have more fun with the G6 than
with any other camera phone.
Best phablet (over 5.5 inches)

Every bit as good as the Galaxy S8, and probably
better, the Galaxy S8+ simply bumps up the screen
size to 6.2 inches and increases the battery size from
3,000- to 3,500mAh.
In our battery benchmarks, the bigger screen offset
the larger battery size, and the two delivered similar
results. But thats with the screen on all the time. In
practice, the bigger phone should have longer screen
off time thanks to the larger battery, and will probably
have a little more gas in the tank at the end of the day.
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Dont be worried by that 6.2in screen size, either.

Thanks to the 18.5:9 aspect ratio, its not hard to hold.
Its probably best to think of this as a 5.in screen,
only taller. Couple that with Samsungs impressively
slim bezels and 83 percent screen-to-body ratio, and
youve got a giant display that is remarkably easy to
hold and use.
All the benefits, and quirks, of the Galaxy S8 apply
to the big version. Which should you get? Its a matter
of personal preference, but we recommend seeing
them in person first, if you can. You might be surprised
at how usable, and pocket-able, this big phone is.
Oh, and its expensive, too. 779 or so, making it
more than 90 pricier than the regular S8.
Best budget phone (300 or less)

There was a time when the words budget
and Android conjured images of disposable,
plasticphones with small screens.
The Moto G5 (pictured) punches way
above its weight with a quality 5.2in 1080p
display, metal body, fingerprint sensor,
and a very decent camera for its price.
For 169 (from tinyurl.com/ybhwzz5q)
you get 32GB of storage and 2GB of
RAM with a Snapdragon 625processor,
or for 179 (from tinyurl.com/ybxgkq5h)
you canbump that up to 4GB of RAM
and64GB ofstorage.
The phone has its drawbacks,
including Micro-USB instead of USB-C
and a lack of NFC, not to mention that Moto G5
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the camera is adequate but doesnt hold up against

top-end phones. As a complete package, though, the
build quality, specs, performance, battery life, and
softwareexperience here is way better than were
used to seeing in the 150 to 200 price range.
Best value for money

While most of the Android phones that reach carrier
shelves are either premium (650 or more) or
budget (200 or less), there are still various unlocked
phonesthat fill the gap in between. And the leader of
the pack is the OnePlus 5 (see page 4).
OnePlus phones seem custom-designed to own
this mid-range market segment, and the OnePlus 5
delivers like other OnePlus models before it. Inside
its got the best smartphone silicon money can buy:
a Snapdragon 835 processor, 64GB or 128GB of UFS
2.1 storage, 6GB or 8GB of RAM, Bluetooth 5, and
a 3,300mAh battery. OnePlus hasnt done anything
to upgrade its predecessors screen, but its still a
respectable 1920x1080 Full HD AMOLED display. And
all the usual trimmings are here, including a super-fast
fingerprint scanner/home button, USB-C port, alert
slider, and headphone jack.
The OnePlus 5 also includes a new dual-camera
system that pairs a custom Sony IMX398 16Mp
sensor with a 20Mp telephoto sensor. Furthermore,
OxygenOS has been updated to Nougat 7.1.1, and its
as clean and bloat-free as its ever been.
The OnePlus 5 costs either 449 or 499 (from
tinyurl.com/ybk58nn5) depending on how much
storage and memory you want, pushing the phone
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OnePlus 5 awfully close to premium territory. But

for the performance and battery life
the OnePlus 5 delivers, you wont be
able to find a better value for money.
How we test Android phones

First and foremost, we spend at least
several days with the phone under
review, treating it as if it were our
one and only. No number of lab tests
or benchmarks will tell you as much
about a phone as living with it for
awhile. Were concerned with real-
world performance, stability, interface
usability, camera quality, and whether
proprietary features are useful or
cumbersome. We use social media,
check email, play games, take photos
and videos in a variety of conditions, navigate
around town, and do all the things most people
dowith their phones.
Of course, we also run extensive benchmarks:
AnTuTu, Geekbench, GFXBench and JetStream. We run
all our tests with the phone set up the way it would be
out of the box, without disabling any preinstalled apps
or services. We do, however, make efforts to make
sure benchmarks are not interrupted by notifications
and that background downloads arent taking place.
We may not report results from all of these tests (real-
world everyday performance is far more important
than benchmarks), but we do share the most
interesting results.
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Before running each benchmark, we make sure the

phone is charged to 100 percent, plugged in, and left
to cool off. Phones can sometimes run slower as their
batteries get low, and charging the phone can make
it hot and cause the SoC to slow down. So we do our
best to make sure every test starts with the phone
topped off and at room temperature.
When we run our battery benchmark test
(Geekbench), we calibrate the display to 200 nits
and disable all auto-brightness and screen-dimming
features. Display brightness plays a major role in
draining your battery, and we want to create a level
playing field. Of course, we also keep a close eye
on how long the battery lasts in our everyday use,
including screen-on time, standby time, and even how
fast the battery charges with the included charger.
What to look for in a phone

Smartphones are very personal. Everyone has different
needs, a unique budget, and personal preferences.
You might need to access secure corporate email
and documents with a phone that works on lots of
networks around the world. Or you might spend all
your time chronicling your life on Snapchat.
That said, there are major features of all
smartphones that you should compare before
makinga purchase decision.
Display: A good display has a high resolution

(1920x1080 for smaller phones, 2650x1440 for larger
phones), so that you can read fine text without it
becoming blurry or illegible. A high-resolution display
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Samsung
Galaxy S8
is especially important for VR. You want a display that

accurately displays colours when looking at it from
any angle, and a high contrast ratio and maximum
brightness will make it easier to see in bright sunlight.
Camera: Smartphone vendors like to tout camera

specs like megapixels and aperture, but a high
resolution and wide aperture (low f-stop number
like f/1.8) only get you so far. The particulars of
the sensor,image processing chip, and camera
softwarehave a huge impact on the photo- and
video-taking experience.
You want a camera that launches quickly, focuses
in an instant, and has no lag between when you hit
theshutter button and the photo is taken. A great
phone camera produces shots with accurate colours
and little noise in lots of different environments. If
you take selfies, pay particular attention to the quality
of the front-facing camera. Finally, we love manual
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camera controls, and reward phones that deliver

manual fine-tuning.
Processor and memory: Most modern phones are

fast enough for common tasks like web browsing
andsocial media. You dont always need a super
high-end processor and tons of RAM unless you plan
to use your phone for more taxing activities like 3D
gaming, VR, or video editing. Still, dont settle for
less than 2GB of RAM and a Qualcomm Snapdragon
600-series processor or better.
Battery: Every time they poll users about what they

want out of their next smartphone, better battery life
is at the top of the list. The capacity of a smartphone
battery is measured in milliamp-hours (mAh), and
ranges from just under 2,000- to over 4,000mAh.
Phones with bigger, brighter displays and more
powerful processors drain the battery more quickly,
though, so a smaller and less-expensive phone with
a 2,500mAh battery might actually last longer than
a bighigh-end phone with a 2,800mAh battery. Still,
asarule of thumb, more mAh is better.
Size and weight: Some people love big phones.

Somesmaller devices. Some want a lightweight
handset that disappears in the pocket, while others
needto feel some heft. Its a matter of personal
preference. Dont assume that you wont like large
phones if you have small hands, however. There
seems to be no realcorrelation between hand size
andpreferred phone size.
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Software and Bloatware: If you want a phone that

runs pure Android with no embellishments, you need
to buy a Nexus model. Anything else you buy is going
to have a custom build of Android; and that could be
good or bad (or both at once).
Phone makers change the Android interface and
icons to varying degree, and add features and software
of their own. Sometimes this stuff is useful, sometimes
it isnt. Preinstalled apps that cant be removed (usually
called bloatware) can slow down your phone or, at
the very least, take up valuable storage space. And if
you buy a phone from a carrier instead of an unlocked
carrier-neutral model, youll probably find a bunch
of carrier apps you may not want. Know what youre
getting into before you buy.
Now that weve explained what you
should look out for we reveal our top
10Android phones.
1. Samsung Galaxy S8
Price: 575 from tinyurl.com/yddn32va
Samsung has taken the best phone

around and madeit even better with an
impressive screen and design. It ticks a
shed load of boxes youd want a flagship
to do. Its the best phone of 2017 so far
but itis expensive and the biometrics
area let down. Werekeen to see what
the likes of Apple, HTC and OnePlus
cando to challenge.
You can read our full review in issue 37.
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2. LG G6
Price: 515 from
tinyurl.com/ydz7ogb6
The LG G6 is no doubt a striking

smartphone. Metal and glass shimmer
while the huge 18:9 screen is
impressively brought to life with the
improved software and its rounded
corner design. It is a more refined
smartphone than both the G4 and
G5, and should appeal to a broader
audience even if its features arent
the same globally.
Theres a lot to cover with the G6,
and its a complicated phone to assess.
The differences in hardware and the
tweaks in software mean that is a phone that reveals
itself to you slowly than the immediacy of, say, a
Samsung Galaxy S. The design looks uniform at first
until you realise how well it all comes together.
LG has managed to build a mature phone with next
to no bezels and some genuinely unique tweaks to
software, leaving it feeling fresher and more creative
than any Android phone weve seen for a while.
3. Sony Xperia XZ Premium

Price: 649 inc VAT from tinyurl.com/y7gzLwzf
Sonys Xperia XZ Premium is a stunning smartphone,

both in terms of design and performance. The mirror-
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like look isnt for everyone due to the appearance of

smudges, but it helps provide an elegant, high-end
look. The 4K HDR display is one-of-a-kind, bright and
vibrant, and shows off snaps taken by the impressive
Motion Eye camera perfectly. The camera itself can
handle almost anything you can throw at it, although
performance does slip in low-lit conditions and the
super slow-mo video mode takes some practice. If
youre looking for a gorgeous high-end smartphone
with a huge focus on display and cameraswith
aboveaverage battery life, the Sony Xperia XZ
Premium is a solid option.
You can read our full review on page 30.
4. OnePlus 5
Price: 449 from tinyurl.com/ybk58nn5)
The OnePlus 5 (reviewed page 4) is a logical

refinement of the young companys back catalogue.
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It marries solid design with excellent software in a

package under 500. But a year ago, it did this all for
asliver over 300.
The phone feels like the end of OnePlus phase one
and a bridge to whatever the company does next.
It might not be the obvious bargain price OnePlus
is known for but its still significantly cheaper, is
incredibly fast and has improved cameras.
There are downsides with no waterproofing,
Quad HD screen or wireless charging. We strongly
recommend considering this phone if youve been
tempted by the Galaxy S8 or LG G6 but cant stretch
to them the fact its in that conversation is testament
toOnePlus continuing impressive achievements.
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5. Samsung Galaxy S8+

Price: 652 from tinyurl.com/yddhmnjk
As with the regular Galaxy S8, were really impressed

by the Galaxy S8 Plus. Samsung has done a great job
of making last years phones even better. However,
with both offering the infinity edge screen and the
unwieldy size of the S8 Plus, theres little reason to
spend the extra.
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6. HTC U11
Price: 599 from fave.co/2tQGZUJ
Theres a lot to like about the HTC U11 and while

it certainly has flagship level specs, its hard to
differentiate in the market against the likes of Samsung
and LG. The glossy and colourful design is fresh but
wont be for everyone, even though were glad its
finally waterproof. The key is wether you want the
squeezable Edge Sense feature which is useful at
timesbut not something were blown away by.
7. Xiaomi Mi 6
Price: 381 inc VAT from fave.co/2sCQnuA
This really is an amazing phone, and only the Chinese

software puts us off recommending it for a UK
audience. It is crazy fast, crazy beautiful and crazy
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priced. If you know your way around Android go and

get one, and you wont be disappointed.
8. Google Pixel
Price: 619 inc VAT from tinyurl.com/yaactd8d
The Pixel has plenty going for it: its small, well built,
speedy and has excellent cameras. It also supports
Googles Daydream VR headset and runs the plain
version of Android 7 complete with Google Assistant
- and will get timely updates. But it isnt waterproof,
doesnt have a microSD slot or stereo speakers and
wed have preferred a quad-HD screen for VR use at
this price. If those downsides dont bother you, and
the OnePlus 3T is too large, then the Pixel is a fine
choice and a great Android phone.
Read our full review at tinyurl.com/ycsbg6qs.
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9. Huawei P10
Price: 569 inc VAT from tinyurl.com/y8chp5za
The Huawei P10 is an impressive beast its

gorgeous, powerful and the dual cameras are a huge
improvement over the 2016 flagship, the P9. Portrait
mode works better than expected, photos are crisp,
vibrant and detailed and even the selfie camera has
had a meaningful upgrade. Huaweis EMUI, one of the
most controversial Android overlays, is much better
to use than with previous smartphones, and offers
machine learning algorithms that should speed up
your phone the more you use it. Even the price is
competitive at 499.
The only downside? Despite being of a high
capacity, the battery life of the P10 isnt great, and
some users may find that they have to plug it in to
topit up once or twice a day, just to get through.
10. Huawei P10 Plus

Price: 573 inc VAT from tinyurl.com/y8yvvcgs
The P10 Plus is another solid smartphone from

Huaweioffering attractive design, high-end
hardwareand much improved software. However,
its missing a few features compared to rivals such
as waterproofing and wireless charging. The phone
is also pretty expensive so youre probably better-off
getting the regular P10 or even cheaper options such
as the OnePlus 3T or Honor 8 Pro.
Read our full review at tinyurl.com/yam2oxt8.
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Best Android apps

for Chromebook
Android apps are often better than the web-based versions you
would find via Chrome OS. DEREK WALTER reveals our favourites
R
unning Android apps on Chromebooks is still a
dream a dream in extended beta, that is. After
promising the feature earlier this year, Google
has pushed out the release date.
While a select number of Chromebooks can access
Google Play right out of the box, more adventurous
Chromebook users will need to run the developer
beta of Chrome OS to experience Android apps. After
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spending time with a number of Android apps that

have become Chrome-friendly, I actually prefer some
Android versions on Chrome over the web-based
versions, as mobile apps can be refreshingly simple
and uncluttered.
To get into the beta channel, go to your
Chromebooks Settings page and click About
ChromeOS. Next, click Detailed build information,
then click Change Channel. There, you can switch
from the stable channel to the beta channel.
You should steer clear of the developer channel,
however,as that will definitely be unstable.
The 10 Android apps below represent how good
it could be on Chrome once everything becomes
official. Just remember, this is beta software, so
treadcarefully. If things go awry, you can always
go back to stable channel or Powerwash your
Chromebook and start over.
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Microsoft Outlook
Price: Free from tinyurl.com/ng5ybvn
Sure, Gmail is great and all, but like many you

might have an Office 365 email address assigned
by your company. If thats the case, youll want to
grab the Microsoft Outlook Android application
for your Chromebook. Unlike the web app, you
can use Outlook to manage multipleaccounts
and access yourmessages offline. It even handles
Gmailaccountsif you want to use Outlook as your
all-in-one email application.
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Newton Mail
Price: Free from tinyurl.com/nvcdvff
Perhaps you want to extend the capabilities of

your email app by connecting it to your favourite
services. Newton Mail has several built-in plug-ins
for commonservices like Trello, Todoist, OneNote,
and Salesforce. You can quickly zap emails over to
thoseapps with just a couple of taps.
Newton Mail is clean and works well, but dont
gettoo attached unless you want to pay the
39.99-per-year fee for full access.
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Microsoft Office
Price: Free from tinyurl.com/jndjq6y
Microsoft has fully embraced Android, bringing

versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other key
Office apps to Android. One caveat: Office isnt yet
optimized for all Chromebooks that have the Play
Store, such as the Asus Chromebook Flip I use. Check
out the Play Store to see whether the Office apps will
work with your specific device
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Slack
Price: Free from tinyurl.com/nwhardx
If you collaborate with colleagues online, odds are

you do it through Slack. The service has grown very
quickly, and if youre a freelancer or have numerous
clients its easy to end up in a load of Slack channels.
Thats where the Android Slack app comes in. With
it, youre able to connect to all of your different teams
and manage your conversations much as you would
with the desktop version. Its far more capable and
useful than just running Slack in the browser.
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Mozilla Firefox
Price: Free from tinyurl.com/bw3q9cd
The idea of running another browser on something

called a Chromebook might seem a little weird. But
trying a different browser may be useful if a page isnt
loading right in Chrome, or youre testing how your
own site performs. Grab Firefox for Android. Chrome
is still the best experience, but the presence of Firefox
indicates how there is still room for innovation in web-
browsing on a Chromebook.
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Evernote
Price: Free from tinyurl.com/dyspv8p
Evernote remains a popular productivity platform

that lets you take notes, clip web pages, and organize
other content into a series of notebooks. The
Evernote Android app is another good contender for
Chromebooks, with a clean interface and most of the
tools youre already used to from the desktop version.
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Skype
Price: Free from tinyurl.com/yadw879g
Skype is one of the few messaging platforms that is

truly universal. While you can access it through the
web or Outlook.com, Skype for Android is handy to
have as a dedicated application on Chrome OS. The
Android interface stays consistent with Windows
and Mac, so you can hop over to your conversations
without any issues. If you want to live on the edge,
you can try out the Skype Preview version (free from
tinyurl.com/ydyaxt37) to get the latest features first.
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Squid
Price: Free from tinyurl.com/cse2gy4
Many Chromebooks offer touchscreens, and a few,

like the Samsung Chromebooks Plus and Pro, include
a stylus. If you have one of those, grab Squid. Its one
of the best apps for offering a paper-like experience,
with backgrounds that are useful for math equations,
note-taking, or general illustration. If OneNote or
Evernote dont do it for you, give this one a try.
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Adobe Sketchbook
Price: Free from tinyurl.com/hsefwgh
Another good app for the pen is Adobe Sketchbook.

This is for people with actual drawing talent, as
the application offers some sophisticated tools. Its
another good choice if you want to try out what you
can do with a stylus on your Chromebook, from work
projects to casual doodling.
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Adobe Illustrator
Price: Free from tinyurl.com/zpdqmpk
Vector artwork is another skill that many had thought

wouldnt be possible on a Chromebook. But with
Adobe Illustrator, artists, graphic designers, and
other creative types can tap into another of Adobes
powerful applications. Illustrator can also save work
toand connect with other tools in Adobes suite,
suchas Photoshop and Capture CC.
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FEATURE
Cut roaming costs

SIMON JARY looks at how you can cut your data charges abroad
D
ata-roaming charges have been scrapped
in the European Union as of 15 June, but
what happens after Brexit? We answer
this question,outlinethe changes made to these
chargesin the EU, plus reveal our top 10 tips on
avoiding data roaming charges.
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What is roaming?
Roaming is the word used to describe using your
mobile phone on another network for a short period,
while still being billed by your existing provider.
Your mobile phone number remains the same while
roaming. When you are roaming on another network
the temporary mobile phone company will bill your
usual mobile phone company for calls you make
whileroaming on their network.
How does Brexit affect roaming charges?

Until the UK leaves the EU Britain will benefit from the
new changes weve outlined below. However, when
Brexit is complete you could see your international
phone bill rise. The EU flat rate charges will no longer
apply once Brexit is complete.
The changes from 15 June 2017 are contained
within a European regulation, not a directive, so it
willbe up to the UK government to decide whether
ornotto adopt the EU price restrictions.
Changes to roaming charges in the EU

You can read the full announcement at tinyurl.com/
jxrprnu, but in essence the capped prices when
roaming within the EU as of 15 June are:
3.2 cents per minute of voice call

1 cent per text message
A step by step reduction over five years for data
capsdecreasing from 7.7 per GB (as of 15 June
2017) to 6 per GB (as of 1 January 2018), 4.5
per GB (as of 1 January 2019), 3.5 per GB (as of 1
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January 2020), 3 per GB (as of 1 January 2021) and

2.5 per GB (as of 1 January 2022).
The new rules are being touted as roam-like-

youre-at-home, but its worth checking with your
provider to make sure that calls, texts and data will
come out of your monthly allowance when youre
travelling in the EU. If you dont have an allowance and
pay as you go, youll be charged the same rates in the
EU as in the UK up to the maximum caps above.
And once youve used up your allowance, youll
bebilled as you would be in the UK.
Its also important to check exactly which
countriesare included by your provider, as they
appear to differ. And bear in mind that the new rules
are for travellers only. It will still cost more to call EU
countries from the UK, for example.
Also, these changes dont apply if youre travelling
outside the EU. In March 2017 Chancellor Philip
Hammond delivered the Budget. One of many things
changed will be a 20 percent tax paid by consumers
for roaming charges. The change is set to see those
who roam outside the EU slapped with a 20 percent
VAT charge. Its one of the few instances where VAT
would be charged to UK consumers for purchases
technically made outside of the EU.
How to avoid roaming charges

If youve read scare stories of massive mobile data
roaming charges where nave users have racked
up thousands of pounds on their mobile bills just by
browsing the Internet or downloading a few files or
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email attachments then you might be worried about

taking your Android smartphone abroad with you.
Recent reports suggest that the average
smartphone user gets through nearly 500MB of
data a month. With data roaming charges of 7.50/
MB outside Europe you can see how the bills can
rapidly add up... Indeed nearly 40 percent of us turn
off our phones when we go abroad, and a further 36
percentswitching off data roaming. Data roaming
prices have dropped 95 percent since2010.
1. Use Wi-Fi
This ones the first tip for a good reason. Where
possible only browse or download when using
your Android phones Wi-Fi connection. Users are
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not billedfor data downloaded over Wi-Fi. The

only charge might be if a particular Wi-Fi hotspot
chargesfor access, and you should be informed
ofthat before you can start using the connection.
2. Mind your email

Its okay to check your email, as attachments arent
downloaded until you tell the phone to do so by
selecting that attachment. That said, the text in
the email is downloaded, so long lists of messages
maystart to cost more than youd expect. If you can,
think about the previous tip again, and checkemail
when youre connected to Wi-Fiwhenever possible.
3. Check your settings

You can disable data roaming at Settings > Mobile
Networks. To restrict data usage, go to Settings >
Data usage, and tap on the three dots on the top-
right of the screen, then select Restrict background
data. Apps that you arent currently using will not be
allowed to use any data.
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You also dont want your apps to automatically

update while youre using mobile data abroad. They
should update only when youre connected to a Wi-Fi
network, but go to the Play Store app to ensure that
the Auto-update apps setting is set to Wi-Fi only.
4. Get a data bundle

You may be able to sign up to a flat-rate or capped
data package, where you pay a fixed amount each
month for using the mobile Internet. Contact your
network operator to find out what they offer. These
can be hard to get your head around. Make sure to
check they work for your travel destination.
5. Go to mobile-friendly websites only

An increasing number of websites now have specific
sites where their pages are specially optimized for
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mobile phone, thus making them lighter on the

megabytes. Our sister website TechAdvisor.co.uk
adapts to fit whichever device youre using. Others
that include their own mobile site are BBC News
Mobile and The Guardian Mobile.
Theres also Google AMP articles, which appear
near the top of search results. These load instantly
anduse less data.
Most mobile websites have a very similar address
tothe desktop (or fat) site. Try replacing the www
with m or mobile; or replace the .co.uk or .com
with .mobi, as with Microsofts mobile site.
6. Switch SIM card

Another way to avoid high roaming charges is to
switch your SIM cards. UK company Dataroam
(dataroam.co.uk) has a range of pay-as-you-go and
30-day plans that it claims could save users up to
90 percent on international roaming charges, with
prepaid data SIMs starting at 19.99.
But first the smartphone
needs to be unlocked
from its home
network. (Most UK
phone networks
lock their handsets
to prevent consumers
using alternative SIMs,
and so force people to pay
their high rates.)
You can ask your network
carrier to unlock your phone, but
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this isnt always an easy request, as you might

have guessed. Alternatively there are plenty of
small local independent mobile phone stores and
online unlocking specialists who can unlock your
handsetforyou.
Unlocking your smartphone shouldnt cause
anyproblems either in the UK or abroad.
7. Set up a MiFi
If a phone cant be unlocked you could create your
own personal (secure and fast) Wi-Fi hotspot with a
MiFi device, which will allow you to run up to five Wi-
Fi-enabled devices from that point ideal for group
or family trips abroad. A Mifi is a wireless modem
that emits a Wi-Fi signal that devices can connect to,
ensuring access to the web for more than one person.
Dataroam sells a Mifi (59 from tinyurl.com/
yc6q3u4e) that uses one of the companys data
SIMsthat work out much cheaper than standard
network rates abroad. Set up the Mifi as a wireless
hotspot, tell your friends/family the password, and
youre up and running.
8. Compress data
Theres an app for that, right? Correct. The Onavo
Extend app free from tinyurl.com/y8bacf7x) promises
to give you the ability to do up to five times more with
your current data plan without additional fees.
The app also provides a breakdown of your mobile
data usage, showing you how much data is being
consumed by each app and so allowing you to make
better informed data usage choices. Onavo Extend
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compresses your data so that you can do more with

your mobile device. It also reduces roaming charges
by providing a leaner version of the web.
9. Download maps offline

When youre away from home you actually need data
more than you do normally, so the high data charges
are doubly frustrating. Step off the plane/train/
automobile and the first thing we want/need to do is
fire up maps and GPS on our smartphones. The trick is
to download city or area maps before you leave home
or do so when you get to your hotel Wi-Fi. You can
now do this via a secret feature in the latest Google
Maps app (make sure its the most up to date).
Android users benefit from Googles own
Google Maps service. They can pre-download maps
coveringa 10-mile radius. Android users need to
enable the Download map area feature via the
Labstab in the Google Maps app.
Check that any travel-guide apps for example,
Lonely Planet, Rough Guide, DK Eyewitness, and Time
Out guides youve downloaded include offline maps.
10. Relax
Unless its a busy business trip, just switch your phone
off for a while. Do you reallyneed to check email
morning, noon and night, access Facebook, look at
Twitter, check the football scores? (Okay, you probably
need to check the football scores...)
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Great Android features

missing from iOS 11
Sure, iOS 11 looks cool, but Android is still cooler in some
keyways, enthuses BEN PATTERSON
C
all me a flip-flopper, but the new features in
iOS 11 have me thinking of jumping back to iOS
after switching to Android barely a year ago.
Indeed, the new version of iOS brings such enticing
features as a revamped App Store, a customizable
Control Centre, and drag-and-drop for iPad users,
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plus such catch-up features as one-handed typing and

easy person-to-person payments.
But returning to iOS would mean leaving behind
many Android features Ive grown to love, from the
ability to set up multiple user profiles to one-touch
Google searches on whatevers on-screen at a given
moment. Here are six awesome Android features that
iOS 11 has yet to match.
1. Multiple user profiles

Given all the innovations coming to the iPad courtesy
of iOS 11, from the ability to drag-and-drop elements
from one side of the split screen to the other and the
new, persistent app dock, youd think Apple would
tossin a feature thats been standard on Android
for years: user profiles, perfect for letting family
membersin a one-iPad household create their own
personal iPad spaces.
For whatever reason, though (privacy concerns,
perhaps?), Apple has yet again passed on adding user
profiles to the iPhone or iPad. That means if you share
your iPad with your toddler or teenager, youre sharing
all your iPad data, too, including your e-mail, your
open browser tabs, your Facebook app, everything.
2. Multiple Do Not Disturb schedules

Android has really spoiled me with its automatic
rules for Do Not Disturb mode. With automatic rules,
you can set up multiple Do Not Disturb schedules
for weeknights, weekends, meetings, and any other
scenarios you dream up. For example, I have Do
Not Disturb set to turn itself off early (as in 6 am)
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on weekday mornings, while on weekends, Do Not

Disturb keeps things quiet until about 8.
In iOS 11, though, Do Not Disturb mode still lets
you set only a single schedule, meaning you cant
set Do Not Disturb to give you more quiet time on
weekends or during meetings.
Yes, the new Do Not Disturb While Driving feature
(which automatically silences notifications whenever
your iPhone senses youre driving) is a nice innovation,
but its too bad iOS 11 didnt catch up to Androids Do
Not Disturb features.
3. Search the entire screen

As with previous versions of Apples mobile software,
iOS 11 lets you perform quick web searches on
selected text via Spotlight, iOSs universal search
feature. Thats helpful if you want a deep search on a
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narrow selection of text, but sometimes Im looking

for a broader search of everything on my screen.
Heres where Androids Screen Search feature
comes in handy. With a single tap of the Whats
on my screen button in Google Assistant, Android
will scan the entire screen and return any relevant
search results, handy if you want a quick, 360-degree
cheat sheet on a news article or web page. Pretty
neat, andtheres no real equivalent on iOS, not
evenonceiOS 11 arrives.
4. Clear all app windows

Heres an Android feature Id sorely miss even though I
know its more cosmetic than anything else. The Clear
All button on Androids Overview screen instantly
closes all your open app windows, leaving you with
a soothing No recent items message when you
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tap the Overview button again. For a neat-freak like

me,tapping the Clear All button never gets old.
On iOS, though and yes, this includes iOS 11
theres no easy way to clear out the massive stack
ofapp windows on the multitasking screen, forcing
you to flick up on dozens of individual windows
untilthe coast is clear.
Now, Im sure iOS comes with marvellous under-
the-hood tools that manage the resources used by
your apps and automatically suspends those that have
been sitting untouched in the background for too
long. Still, though, I know itll kill me the first time my
thumb reaches for the non-existent Clear All button
on my new iPhone 8 (assuming I make the big leap).
5. Delete all local photos

& videos from the Photos app
Youve probably heard about the new storage-saving
features in iOS 11, particularly when it comes to the
storage-hogging Photos app.
For example, Apple announced support for a new
image format (HEIF, for High Efficiency Image Format)
that can halve the amount of storage gobbled up
by your snapshots. Also coming in iOS 11: shortcuts
that do a better job of recommending storage-saving
features like iCloud Photo Library, which uploads
all your pictures and videos to the cloud and then
automatically pares down the number of images
sitting on your iPhone or iPad.
Those are worthwhile improvements, but heres
something Id sorely miss if I went back to iOS: the
free up space feature in Androids Photos app, which
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instantly zaps each and every local snapshot and

videostored on your handset.
Thanks to the free up space feature, photos take
up less than 100MB of space on my 16GB Nexus 5X.
W
ISS
On the other hand, the Photos app on my old iPhone
6 consumes a ridiculous 17GB of storage, even with
iCloud Photo Library turned on (and yes, with the
Optimize iPhone Storage option enabled).
6. Symbol shortcuts on iPhone letter keys S

As with the latest version of Google Keyboard for
Android, iOS 11 will bring symbol shortcuts to letter LA
M
keys on the iPad keyboard, handy for saving a few
keystrokes when you need to type a number key, an
ampersand, or another common symbol.
Thats a welcome change, but unfortunately, iOS
11s so-called QuickType keyboard is only coming
M
to iPad, not iPhone. Now, you could argue that the
iPhone keypad is too small for symbol shortcuts, but
the shortcuts on Google Keyboard work just fine on
+
my five-inch Nexus 5X. W
TI
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