Mobile Reviews
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Honor 90 review: The sleekest midrange phone to come out this year
The Honor 90 is one of the most comfortable phones to hold with a very good main camera too. But the software and pointless 2MP camera drag it down
Honor seems to have adapted sleek designs as its M.O. Last week, Honor introduced a foldable phone that was the thinnest and lightest the industry has ever seen. Now comes a mid-range slab phone that's also refreshingly light and thin compared to just about every other great modern phone. In fact, I may go out on a limb and say the Honor 90 is the most comfortable slab phone to hold that has been released this year.
Beats Studio Pro review: Giving the AirPods Max a run for their money
Beats' latest over-ear headphones, Studio Pro, offer a lot of premium features at a very digestible price point.
Beats has been on a comeback tour in the years since it was purchased by Apple, recently culminating in the impressive Beats Studio Buds+ we reviewed last month. That model was a refresh of the original Beats Studio Buds, which were first released in 2021. Now, the company is giving the product that started it all the same treatment.
ESR 3-in-1 MagSafe Stand review: An unoriginal stand with one neat trick
ESR's charging stand can charge your iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch, but does it do enough to warrant its high price tag?
Despite some advancements in battery technology and efficiency over the years, most of our devices require charging at least once a day. You might even want to charge products that can last longer than a day, like AirPods, since they won't do you much good if they're dead when you need them. It can be a lofty task to get a laptop, phone, smartwatch, and earbuds all charged every single night, which is why some of the best wireless chargers are multi-device charging stands.
Nothing Phone 2 review: Style and substance
The Nothing Phone 2 is an eye-catching phone, but beyond just looks is a polished, well-rounded near flagship phone
When I reviewed the Nothing Phone 1 last year, I said the phone was good but fell victim to its own hype machine. For weeks the Carl Pei-founded company teased a mobile experience that was unlike anything else. When you make such bold claims and deliver just a well-rounded solid mid-range phone, people are going to be disappointed.
Honor Magic V2 hands-on: The new thinnest foldable changes the game
The Honor Magic V2 is the new thinnest and lightest foldable phone on the market, with a folded footprint roughly that of the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Chinese phone brands are notoriously competitive and very quick to one-up each other. And that's led to some exciting races (for phone nerds like me, anyway), such as the 2017 battle to have the thinnest bezels, or the 2018 race to hide the selfie camera in creative ways. Now, we have the race to have the thinnest and lightest book-like foldable.
UGreen 145W Power Bank review: Powering a laptop doesn't come cheap
UGreen's 145W Power Bank can comfortably power a laptop on the go, but that functionality comes with a premium price tag attached.
Most of our favorite mobile devices last a full day without needing a charge, but it's a good idea to carry one of the best portable chargers with you just in case. Though a lot of these options can give your phone a bit of extra juice, not many of them can sustain a laptop. Even portable chargers that have a USB-C port compatible with a laptop probably don't have the wattage requirements to power them. That's where the UGreen 145W Power Bank comes in. Packing a massive 25,000mAh capacity, it can charge just about anything you need, including the best phones and laptops.
Adonit Note-M review: Apple Pencil's less sophisticated sibling
Feature-packed, but not super reliable.
When a user buys one of the latest tablets, such as the iPad Air 5, they often consider pairing it with a stylus. After all, an iPad is a wide canvas that you can easily rely on for drawings or handwritten content. However, picking the right stylus can be challenging, especially now that there are all sorts of different models, with each offering a unique set of capabilities and price tag.
Casetify Pixel Fold case review: Adding some much needed fun to the foldable case scene
If you want to slap a case on the Google Pixel Fold while adding a dose of personality, Casetify has plenty of options.
Google's long-awaited foldable, the Pixel Fold, is now on sale. While the phone's stainless steel construction gives it a premium and sturdy in-hand feel, most consumers will likely want to protect their $1,800 investment by going with a case. Last month we compiled a list of best cases for Pixel Fold, including usual players like Spigen and DBrand. All of those cases offer great protection, but almost all are solid colored, and many have a masculine, rugged armor look. In fact, this seems to be the trend for foldable phone cases. A look at our best cases for the Galaxy Z Fold 4 also shows mostly black Kevlar cases that look like they were made for Bruce Wayne.
Sony WH-1000XM5 review: Great looks and sound, but too bulky
The Sony WH-1000XM5 has a new design that looks more premium than its predecessor, but it's significantly bulkier
The title for best wireless headphones has mostly been fought between Sony and Bose in recent years, with Bose's QuietComfort series holding the crown in the late 2010s, then Sony snatching it with the universally acclaimed WH-1000XM4 in 2020. Sony did not sit idly by for its follow-up, the WH-1000XM5, which got a complete redesign that gives the headphones more of a premium, Apple-like aesthetic. However, the design compromises on practicality, and there was even a controversial decision to tone down bass output.
Shargeek Retro 67W GaN Charger review: Throwback look with futuristic capabilities
Chargers mostly look the same — unless you have the Shargeek Retro 67W Charger. It's in a class of its own.
Purchasing a wall charger has become more of a necessity these past few years thanks to many of the best phones not coming with one included in the box. Then you have to factor in how devices can charge at different wattages. So buying other chargers is always a good idea. While there are a lot of great fast chargers on the market, none look as cool as the Shargeek Retro 67W GaN Charger.
Huawei Mate X3 review: Impeccable hardware for enthusiasts only
The Huawei Mate X3 is a showcase of cutting-edge hardware craftsmanship in the foldable space. But several factors make it a tough sell for many.
The Huawei Mate X3 is a hard phone to review. On one hand, it has the most impressive foldable hardware I've ever seen— and I've tested every single foldable phone ever commercially released. Speaking purely of hardware, it makes the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 look a generation behind. But the Mate X3 is also missing easy access to services used by billions of people on Earth, and it's priced on the highest end of the mobile phone spectrum. Due to the latter two factors, the Mate X3 has no chance of being anything other than a niche enthusiast phone in regions outside its native China.
Google Pixel Fold review: An impressive first attempt
Google's introduction into the foldable world is here, and it's almost everything I could've hoped for.
The Google Pixel Fold, perhaps the most anticipated piece of hardware from Google in a long time, is finally here. While the recently released Pixel Tablet has been another device that's garnered a fair bit of excitement, it's this foldable that's gotten tech fans in a frenzy. Sure, folding a functioning display in half is really cool, but it's also the first in this growing category from Google, with the hope it would bring fan-favorite software, a different shape, and Pixel's photography prowess into the space.
ESR Geo Wallet Stand review: More than meets the eye
ESR might have made the perfect MagSafe wallet with Apple-certified Find My built-in. Oh, and it holds cash — sort of.
We all use a wallet of some kind, but what constitutes a wallet has evolved a lot over the years. I remember at one point carrying one that held not only my cash and cards but also a checkbook. Nowadays, some people don't carry a physical wallet at all, and instead, opt to use a digital option like Google Wallet or Apple Pay. For those times you need to have physical cards with you or just prefer them, there are plenty of slim options out there, including some wallet cases for your phone. But the new ESR Geo Wallet Stand is so much more than that.
Motorola Razr+ (2023) review: The best clamshell foldable right now
Samsung, take note. The Razr+ is a major improvement for clamshell foldables simply by using a larger outside screen.
After inexplicably making last year's Razr a China-exclusive device, Motorola is bringing the Razr line back to the U.S. and other international markets. And there's good news: The Razr+ (2023) is a polished and eye-catching clamshell foldable that makes the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 look outdated. Of course, the Flip 4 is almost a year old, so it's not the most direct comparison, but the Razr+ is the biggest challenge yet to Samsung's dominant grip on the foldable market in the U.S., all thanks to its much larger cover screen. If you've ever been unsure about this kind of phone, the Razr+ is a great place to start.
Peak Design Everyday Case for Pixel 7a review: A case meant for accessories
Peak Design's Everyday Case for the Google Pixel 7a is only great if you plan to use it with the company's other accessories.
While most case manufacturers usually try to provide appeal in the form of looks or protection with their products, Peak Design has gone with a different approach. It's been creating cases that look good and provide solid protection, with a slim, sleek form factor, but each case also features an inset square that is used to offer compatibility with other Peak Design accessories, like charging stands, mounts, and wallets. The company's Everyday Case for the Google Pixel 7a is no different.
Google Pixel Tablet review: The best Android tablet experience ever
Google finally optimized Android for widescreen devices, which is great for the future of Android tablets.
Apple products are quite successful in all their respective product categories, but the most dominant Apple product is probably the iPad. Ever since its introduction in 2010, the iPad has led the global tablet market share, sometimes accounting for half of all tablets sold worldwide. Android tablets never could catch up in sales or mainstream recognition despite attempts by just about every major Android phone manufacturer. Google too tried its hand at the tablet very early in the game with a series of Nexus tablets, but they were budget offerings that lacked polish.
It's easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer number of cases that are available for smartphones and other gadgets, and I get it. Part of my job is to search for the best cases for popular handsets, be it an Android phone or the latest iPhone, and there are just too many factors to consider. Not all cases guarantee the best fit and finish or damage control, and too many sacrifice style for protection. So if, like me, you prioritize those two aspects of a case over other specialty features, then I can't recommend Dbrand's Grip case enough.
Bark Phone review: An excellent phone for kids with an odd way to get it
Bark is well-known amongst parents for its excellent app to keep kids safe on their devices, but now it has a phone of its own.
Bark is known as the go-to app for parental controls for kids' devices, and the Bark Phone is its first all-in-one solution. I have reviewed many of the best smartphones for kids and smartwatches for kids, so although I've never used the Bark App myself, I was interested in checking the new phone out with my two young kids.
OnePlus Nord N30 Review: A decent but unremarkable entry-level phone
The Nord N30 could be had for as low as $269. I suppose I can't nitpick at this price, but OnePlus can and should've done better.
OnePlus' new entry-level phone, the Nord N30, brings mostly the same experience as last year's Nord N20, which we thought was a good-looking, serviceable phone with some odd choices. This is all true with this year's device. The phone looks great (unfortunately, it looks better than it feels), and there's not much to complain about with display, processor, and general UI performance at this price point. But the cameras are seriously underwhelming.
Moto G Stylus 5G (2023) review: Do you even need a stylus in a midrange phone?
Motorola's new Moto G Stylus 5G gives you a built-in stylus for $400, but are you willing to take all the other compromises?
As smartphone manufacturers continue to push the limits of pricing, Motorola has gone in the opposite direction. There is a market for affordable smartphones, and Motorola has carved out a niche in this area. With the Moto G Stylus 5G (2023), the company is aiming to create a midrange smartphone with a built-in stylus. Not many midrange smartphones offer this functionality — or smartphones in general for that matter — so this feature alone makes it in the running to be one of the best budget smartphones this year.