Tag: smartphones

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By the Benchmarks Budget Showdown! OnePlus Nord N10 vs TCL 10 5G UW!

It’s time for a showdown! FIGHT FOR BLOOD! Psh! Psh! Psh!

(Those were supposed to be the punching sounds from my old showdown videos.)

Budget hardware is brutally competitive these days. The daily driver experience found near $400 is formidable, and we’re getting more options for different features. Adding 5G to the mix, these are the phones that will help move 5G forward in the Android space. More reasonably priced, but not compromising too much from the upper mid-range tier.

OnePlus has represented the idea of  low price and high performance since the brand started. 2020 was a strong year for TCL coming out of the shadows with their own label on phones.

These two phones are primed for a battle!

Let’s see how some subtle differences effect performance! Continue reading “By the Benchmarks Budget Showdown! OnePlus Nord N10 vs TCL 10 5G UW!”

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There was no phone of the year in 2020!

There was no phone of the year in 2020.

In general I kind of despise a “winner / loser” review style. I try to find who might be the right fit for a gadget, even if that potential audience is REALLY small.

Even for my reluctance to declare “winners”, I’m wrapping up 2020 with a strong feeling that there legitimately was no ONE device that defined mobile computing for consumers.

Instead, this year cemented the idea that consumers should have more choice and more variety to satisfy their specific needs.

Here are some of my thoughts, and some of my favorite experiences, reviewing phones in a strange STRANGE year. Continue reading “There was no phone of the year in 2020!”

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Use Your Phone to Make BETTER Holiday Videos!

Share better holiday videos!

Chances are good that your phone is your main camera AND one of the main computers you own. Make something special for your friends and family! Your memories aren’t disposable.

A little editing effort can go a LONG way! Continue reading “Use Your Phone to Make BETTER Holiday Videos!”

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OnePlus 8T By The Benchmarks: Does Android 11 Degrade Performance?

OnePlus is a fascinating company to cover as a reviewer. Half year hardware refreshes and aggressive software updates keep you on your toes. Really using a OnePlus means following a conversation around refining a product after its launch.

As we close out the year, it’s worth taking a second look at a premium OnePlus, to see if these refinements improve performance over the phones launched earlier in the year. Especially looking at hardware scores from an older version of Android, as the 8T is one of the first phones to launch with Android 11 out of the box. Continue reading “OnePlus 8T By The Benchmarks: Does Android 11 Degrade Performance?”

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OnePlus 8T Review: The Right Compromises For You?

This phone rocks.

The mission of a snappy, quick, high performance phone is alive and well at OnePlus. There are no tragic deal breakers here. There are no critical missteps.

The mid-season refresh for OnePlus this year delivers in all the areas we should expect from the brand. The only “issue” is more aggressive competition from other manufacturers.

Where does the 8T fit into this market? Is it the right fit for you? Let’s take a look! Continue reading “OnePlus 8T Review: The Right Compromises For You?”

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The End of the Galaxy Note: The right time to say goodbye?

It makes me sad to lose a phone that focuses on productivity.

The Note has long been the crown jewel example of Android specialty hardware. Samsung built up this product line to represent the bleeding edge of mobile tech. It’s rightfully the first phone many consider when they need to really work while on the go.

But in light of increasing compromises, does the Note still have a place in the smartphone landscape? Is the niche of “stylus enabled” worth the loss of battery capacity?

Maybe it’s the right time to let it go? Continue reading “The End of the Galaxy Note: The right time to say goodbye?”

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ZTE Nubia RedMagic 5S By the Benchmarks: Does GAMER Hardware Improve Performance?

What should we expect from “GAMER” hardware?

In PC Land, we expect laptops and desktops that offer a higher tier of graphics performance, with enhanced cooling hardware for better system stability.

For phones though, we often don’t see significant differences in CPU and GPU performance, as all manufacturers are drawing from the same pool of chips. Mainstream phones now offer high refresh rate displays, and software built to enhance the gaming experience.

Gaming phones differentiate themselves more on design, accent lighting, and battery capacity.

But when a manufacturer adds an internal fan for better active cooling, that’s an interesting bit of hardware to test.

The ZTE Nubia RedMagic 5S has an internal cooling fan, so let’s see if we can drive this phone harder! Continue reading “ZTE Nubia RedMagic 5S By the Benchmarks: Does GAMER Hardware Improve Performance?”

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Split Screen Apps: The most underrated feature on your phone!

If you spend more on a phone, you should get more with your phone. Your pocket computer is insanely powerful. Here’s a quick chat about a feature that goes underused, and can help you do more on the go!

Split screen those apps! Multi-task! Continue reading “Split Screen Apps: The most underrated feature on your phone!”

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