A few months ago, I wrote that the telephoto camera is the only lens that matters any more, at least when it comes to Ultra-class flagships. As phones got better, cameras became where manufacturers tried to stand out. As cameras got better, telephoto lenses became the next point of focus. The most recent Ultra phones […]
Oppo’s Find X9 Ultra offers something that no other new phone has for three long years: a 10x telephoto lens. In an attempt to win the photography front of the war between the various Ultra flagships, Oppo has turned to a trick last employed by Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra. It’s a better 10x lens than […]
There are always a few reasons people give for not buying a foldable phone. Some – price, battery life, camera quality – are mostly a matter of manufacturers balancing spec sheets to offset the added cost of the folding hardware. Others – durability, size – were practical design problems that have mostly been solved. But […]
CEO Carl Pei says Nothing won’t release a flagship phone this year. So instead we have the 4A Pro, a $499 phone that looks and feels higher-end than last year’s flagship Phone 3, helped in large part by a new metal design. Compare the Phone 4A Pro to its immediate rivals, the Pixel 10A and […]
“Someone might be watching everything I’m doing on my screen,” I tell myself in public. Even when I’m doing nothing of consequence – just making my little Wordle guesses – there’s a sense of unease that stays with me. It’s never bothered me too much, and I generally save the sensitive stuff like banking for […]
I’m not entirely sure why the Pixel 10A exists. Google hasn’t upgraded the chipset, cameras, or battery in the new phone, and the tweaks it’s made elsewhere are minimal at best. The flatter camera island is good, I guess! In one sense this isn’t a big problem: The Pixel 9A is an excellent device, and […]
While Samsung has treated its Flips and Folds to a few major hardware upgrades over recent years, the Galaxy S flagships have often felt like a long, unbroken line of minor spec refreshes. The S26 and S26 Plus do nothing to change that trend. The Galaxy S26 Ultra at least benefits from the company’s new […]
The iPhone 17E is a better value than the 16E was when it arrived, but that should matter to basically nobody. The main thing to know about the 17E is that the iPhone 17 exists, it costs $200 more – or maybe more significantly, an extra $9 per month on a two-year payment plan not […]
Xiaomi and Leica’s long-running phone partnership just got a little closer. Alongside the new international release of its 17 Ultra flagship, Xiaomi has been entrusted with manufacturing a separate version that is the first Leica Leitzphone to release outside of Japan, following three Sharp-made models exclusive to the country. In truth, the Leitzphone is a […]
I have a simple gut check I use when reviewing phones, especially ones that rely on their cameras as a selling point: how often do I wish I had another phone with me instead? These days, it’s mostly the Vivo X300 Pro I miss when I’m testing something else, a phone whose camera remains unmatched. […]