Phones

If you do not use a device then maybe somebody will pay you to let them use it.

When is an Android smartphone not an Android smartphone? Could it ne when it has been deGooglised?

Another recent offering from Emporia a company that produces phones that look normal while offering extra assistance for those of us over 65 who may or may not be retired. Early assistance phones tended to look rather different and while they offered the assistance needed some were reluctant to use them as they were embarrassed.

The CES show in the USA is where a lot of technology gets launched however the show made a big thing of not inviting certain big players this year as their support for Ukraine holds firm. There are still a good number of new offerings around launched at about the same time but not actually in the CES show. Technically this SmartPhone was launched in 2022 but only now have I been offered one to review.

This can be a near standard Android phone or by clicking on Emporia during the initial setup one that offers more assistance and help without looking like a phone designed for the older user. While it does have an emergency button the back below the camera it does not look like one it just looks like a second camera so no one need know.

This is the latest Gimbal from Zhiyun. It comes in a solid fitted zip up case with the parts easily accessible. In facts the only assembly required is attaching the tripod to the base of the handle for those times that you use it remotely. The whole Gimbal has a very solid construction and feel in your hand.

Having recently reviewed the best phone I have ever used and then one that any other company apart from Google would have consigned to the bin 18 months ago this was always going to be, shall we say, difficult. In the past I have reviewed several other Honor offerings, so to be as fair as possible I took a good bit longer before presenting my thoughts.

Not everyone wants the latest or biggest phone that can take fantastic photos in near darkness. What they do want is something that can make and receive calls and take the odd photo or three and browse the Internet while out and about for things like when will that bus or train arrive and possibly will it ever rain again in my lifetime. So perhaps a solid reliable phone like this Google Pixel 4A, while this is well over two years old it still gets updated to the latest version of <

As with most recent SmartPhones it is all about the cameras. Here one of its four cameras is an amazing 108MP. However with 5G those who download a lot to their phone are also able to do this with minimal delay. So what has this latest offering got to make you choose it apart from of course the extremely powerful camera that it has?

Having recently reviewed another Find X5 device that had what I considered a ‘strange’ feature I was more careful when I did the setup and this unit did not have it, however as it also did an update to the ‘Color Overlay’ of the Android operating system this could have been why it now works as I would consider all phones should function.

Having just told you about a very unusual phone the Samsung Fold I expected my next to be more normal the initial setup seemed to go OK but here a cautionary tale do read the choices carefully and I must admit I did not and so after two days trying to switch it off I conceded and started again and read the choices more carefully now I do have a normal phone.

This can be considered two phones in one, ‘folded’ it’s a little narrow compared to most recent offering, ‘unfolded’ you need large hands or a flat surface to lay it on. Having told you about the Samsung Flip last year here is its big brother the Samsung Fold.

Last year I told you about a Pixel 5 and if the advertising is correct the Pixel 6 is available so why should I now get the look at the Pixel 4XL. On the face of it a phone launched at least two years ago would be well past its sell by date. After a few days of use I was offered an upgrade to Android 12 so Google certainly do not consider it past it. Yes more recent phones offer more from their cameras but I still took some excellent pictures and videos.

Like a lot of recent SmartPhones this was one of a range of models. Having told you about one of the lower specification’s model I now get to test the top of the range model – the one they use in the TV ads – so what does this latest offering from Apple have to temp you away from your current SmartPhone?

This phone folds horizontally across the centre of the screen it means when open you are able to have 6.7 inches of depth in a single view. When your finger moves across the central area of the screen there is a little resistance and if you look closely at the darkened screen you can see the crease in the screen, however does this affect anything else?

Apple seem to offer new phones each year so here is one of the recently launched iPhone 13 range. I have been using it out and about over the last few weeks with especial attention paid to its photographic abilities. So what does it offer the user apart from a name to justify its high end price?

The latest offering from Vodafone to cross my desk is the Motorola Edge 20 Pro, this SmartPhone feels nice and well balanced in your hand and comes supplied with a silicon back and sides cover. While the face is of course shiny black it remains almost mirror like as finger marks do not tend to show, the back is a shimmering midnight blue.

As smartphones enter the 5G environment, Fairphone joins the trend.

Oppo are an upcoming company who hit the UK a few years ago, they made a big splash with small well positioned adverts at Wimbledon and other such events. Of course all this would mean nothing if their phones were not up to scratch. This is one of a range of recently released offerings.

Samsung are one of the most popular brands of Android Smartphones. As with most recent Smartphones the main advances are made with the cameras and for that reason you could say this is a camera phone as a lot of people no longer bother to carry a camera day to day.

Developed in Spain, a new smartphone arrives to tempt users.

When purchasing a Xiaomi handset from Affordable Mobile with a specific contract, you could end up with a free gift.

Maybe you should search your drawers, attic, garage or other storage areas to see if you have any old mobile phones long forgotten about.

While not as convenient as a smartphone when it comes to portability, a tablet can provide various useful for those in a more sedentary environment.

This is the latest SmartPhone to cross my desk loaned from Vodafone. I remember when Oppo first arrived in the UK and you saw their name at Wimbledon and I am sure most people had no idea who they were, I noticed it this year at The Queens tennis and I am sure more now know they are a mobile phone company.

Sounding a little like a Star Wars device, DOOGEE has developed a smartphone that can act as your message.

This offering from Xiaomi is another recent offering that is perhaps sold on its photographic and video abilities but instead of it costing a lot it’s more of a mid-range to budget offering. This is a name that may not be known that much in the UK.

POCO has added to its range of smartphones with the release of its M3 Pro 5G model. The POCO M3 Pro 5G offering comes with MediaTek Dimensity 700 processor. This handset is available in a choice of POCO Yellow, Power Blue or Cool Blue to show off its ergonomic 3D curved back design and glossy finish in the best light.

This is the latest offering from Samsung to cross my desk. While it supports 5G it also works perfectly well for those of us who do not have those faster transfer speeds available on our doorsteps. The phone feels very solid with what looks to me a light violet back, and, on this back, three cameras in a vertical line at the top left corner that look like a set of traffic lights, for some reason this area is in a gold colour which draws your eye to it, so why not smile.

This offering is a partnership between Emporia and RNIB. So while it can be used by a sighted person, most of those using it will either have severely limited sight or be registered as blind. While most of us take our phones with us to stay in contact and indeed I know of people who run their lives from their phones, for a blind or partially sighted person being in contact can be much more important than that.