Posts From Ben Sin

Ben Sin
Ben Sin

I'm a senior editor at XDA Developers. I have been a journalist for a decade, the last five years covering the mobile tech scene closely, reviewing just about every phone and attending trade shows and launches. I also run a gadget review channel on YouTube.

Hands on with the Apple iPhone 13 & 13 Mini: Not as pro, but still great value

Hands on with the Apple iPhone 13 & 13 Mini: Not as pro, but still great value

September 21, 2021
When Apple announced four new iPhones for the first time last year, the bottom two non-Pro phones got arguably more attention and interest. The Mini brought back a form factor that tech media had long clamored for, and the standard iPhone 12 was close enough to the 12 Pro in features that it seemed like...
Hands on with the Apple iPhone 13 Pro & 13 Pro Max: Cinematic mode is a game changer

Hands on with the Apple iPhone 13 Pro & 13 Pro Max: Cinematic mode is a game changer

September 21, 2021
Last year’s iPhone 12 series was a bit complicated to review: In addition to the expected differences between the Pro and non-Pro models, there were subtle deviations between the Pro Max and the Pro models too. Compounding matters even further was the fact that the Pro models were released weeks apart. This year, the iPhone...
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 vs Xiaomi Mi Mix Fold: The two biggest Android brands destined to battle in the foldable space

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 vs Xiaomi Mi Mix Fold: The two biggest Android brands destined to battle in the foldable space

September 19, 2021
It's often said that Samsung's biggest rival in the smartphone space is the Apple iPhone. But that's a lazy narrative in my view -- realistically speaking, consumers don't jump between eco-systems often, and iPhone users tend to be pretty happy in their walled garden with no intentions of really leaving. In other words, Samsung's biggest challenger...
Xiaomi Pad 5 Review: A sleek and sexy Android tablet made for work and play

Xiaomi Pad 5 Review: A sleek and sexy Android tablet made for work and play

September 15, 2021
Apple's iPads have dominated the tablet market for as long as they've existed. Android tablets, on the other hand, have been the butt of many jokes. This may be changing, though. After Samsung's excellent Galaxy Tab S7 last year comes the new Xiaomi Pad 5. The last tablet from Xiaomi, the Mi Pad 4, was released...
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 vs Galaxy Z Fold 2: Samsung’s new foldable is better in many ways, but worse in two areas

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 vs Galaxy Z Fold 2: Samsung’s new foldable is better in many ways, but worse in two areas

September 13, 2021
Go through recent smartphone history and you'd be hard-pressed to find a phone that improved on the last generation as much as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 upgraded from the original Fold. In fact, I personally think the Galaxy Z Fold 2 brought one of the biggest generation-to-generation hardware improvements in smartphone history. The...
These are the Best 5G Phones you can buy in September: Samsung, Apple, Google, and more!

These are the Best 5G Phones you can buy in September: Samsung, Apple, Google, and more!

September 9, 2021
5G rollout continues to happen around the world, so if you're buying a new phone, it might be worth picking one up that supports this fifth-generation network. Most of the phones in our Best Phones and Best Android phones list already support 5G – but you don't have to spend flagship money to get that...
Best Smartphone Cameras in September: Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, OnePlus — We’ve tested them all!

Best Smartphone Cameras in September: Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, OnePlus — We’ve tested them all!

September 9, 2021
Picking the phone with the best camera used to be an easy exercise. In the early days of the smartphone, the iPhone's camera was leaps and bounds better than Android's offerings. Then big-name Android brands caught up and for a couple of years in the mid-2010s Samsung held the crown. Towards the latter part of the...
The Best Smartphone to buy in September: Apple, Samsung, OnePlus, Xiaomi, and more!

The Best Smartphone to buy in September: Apple, Samsung, OnePlus, Xiaomi, and more!

September 8, 2021
This has been a great year for smartphones so far -- conventional slab phones are all extremely polished, and foldables are coming into their own. So if you're looking to upgrade your phone, now is as good a time as any. We here at XDA test almost every smartphone on earth, so here's our expert...
These are the Best Xiaomi phones to buy in September: Mi 11 Ultra, Redmi Note 10 Pro, and more!

These are the Best Xiaomi phones to buy in September: Mi 11 Ultra, Redmi Note 10 Pro, and more!

September 7, 2021
Between Xiaomi and its various sub-brands, the company seemingly has a new phone out every few weeks. This might be annoying if these releases were mediocre, but that's not the case. Xiaomi's flagship phones have become very good over the years -- not just a contender to challenge for the top spot of our Best...
Best Foldable Phones: The Top Folding Smartphones that you can buy in September

Best Foldable Phones: The Top Folding Smartphones that you can buy in September

September 5, 2021
The foldable smartphone has seen its fair share of supporters and detractors, with the latter mostly bemoaning their high prices and supposed fragility. Samsung’s taken a major first step in addressing those concerns with the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3, two foldables that are priced lower than previous generations and more...
Google went from a simple webpage to an ubiquitous internet giant in 23 years

Google went from a simple webpage to an ubiquitous internet giant in 23 years

September 4, 2021
Knowledge is power, and in this modern digital age, one company shapes the entire world’s knowledge more than any other — Google. With the exception of mainland China, where Google is banned, the NorCal tech giant’s search engine is used in over 87% of desktop computers and 94% of mobile devices worldwide, according to research firm...
These are the Best Android Phones to buy in September: Galaxy S21 Ultra, Pixel 5a , ROG Phone 5, and more!

These are the Best Android Phones to buy in September: Galaxy S21 Ultra, Pixel 5a , ROG Phone 5, and more!

September 3, 2021
The Android phone scene is in very good shape right now. Every reputable brand has become very skilled at crafting a great device at every price range. The top end flagships offer stunning screens and exceptional cameras; mid-tier phones are polished and could pass for a flagship for some; and entry level budget options are...