We were in Munich recently for the Huawei Mate 30 launch. We also spent some time with the new handset. While there was the usual rush of people posting their thoughts, we thought we’d take some time to reflect, and also see if we could get some more details – this was no ordinary launch.

The Mate 30 is Huawei’s second hero phone of 2019, following the excellent P30 Pro which is still our daily driver – and camera. 

Naturally, the Mate 30 sports usual expected upgrades of cosmetic tweaks, uprated display and cameras. So, what else were we waiting to find out? Well, this was no straight forward launch.

Awks

Unless you’ve been avoiding the news (which we totally understand), you will know that President Trump is upset with China and so has prevented the likes of Google playing with them. The upshot of this hissy fit is that Huawei is unable to release the Mate 30 loaded with the Play Store. The result of this is no Google Maps, Google Pay, Gmail app, you get the idea. It sucks. 

As discussed with fellow tech journalists out there, everything felt a “tad awks” before, during and after the launch. That’s not to say it wasn’t impressive with many gasps, applause and the rest of it; it’s just that there was also a slight undercurrent to the whole proceedings.

Anyhoooo – enough of that. What about the phone?

Mate 30 Pro hands-on

The Mate 30 Pro certainly has the looks and the spec to claim its crown as a flagship. 

The newcomer boasts a curved ‘Horizon’ display, a super-powerful chipset, and a huge camera sensor. Additionally, there’s mind-melting slow-mo and 8K capture skills, ToF (Time of Flight) modules front and back, and a battery with super-stamina as well as a range of charging options.

Mate 30 Pro and Android

OK – let’s get tackle the irritating pachyderm in the room first. The Huawei Mate 30 Pro runs Android 10. Is that a confused look on your face after everything we’ve said? Let us explain – this is the AOSP version (Android Open Source Project) which is free to use across the world. All previous Huawei Mate phones used the “standard” version of Android, which includes all the proprietary software many of us use every day. So – you get Android, just not the Google apps.

Huawei already has the apps needed to replace much of the Google suite. There is an app store, a mail client, a browser, a fitness tracker and a cloud storage service, but we know that this might not be enough. We reckon we won’t see the likes of Netflix, WhatsApp, even Facebook appearing in the Huawei app store anytime soon – but we could be wrong. We suppose that some apps have browser versions we could use…

During our hands-on time with the phone EMUI10 (Huawei’s Android wrap) seemed to work smoothly with no hint of any loss of full-fat Android.

What were we waiting for?

Originally, Huawei’s Richard Yu stated that bootloader unlocking would be available to give customers “more freedom.”

We limited [bootloader unlocking] because we wanted to guarantee more security for consumers. But this time we will leave more freedom for the consumers so they can do more customisation by themselves.

Naturally, everyone read that as it’s making it easier to install Google apps.

That glimpse of light, however, was soon diminished after the company then said it has “no current plans” to allow bootloader unlocking.

Did Yu misspeak? Did he show Huawei’s hand too soon? Only those closer to the situation than us knows for sure.

Mate 30 Pro improved camera

This is what most people will be interested in after the P30 Pro grabbed awards left, right and centre for its snapper.

Seeing the Mate 30 Pro in the flesh for the first time, the most noticeable thing that grabs you is the new circular lens array. Dubbed Halo the circular lens grouping looks great to us. If you recall, the 20 Pro rocked the square-style, much like the latest iPhone does.

Camera quartet

The flagship 2019 edition Mate boasts a quartet of cameras on its rear.

Firstly, there’s a standard-view 40-megapixel sensor, then an 8-megapixel 3x zoom and a 40-megapixel ultra-wide. Finally, there is the ToF (time of flight) depth sensor.

The P30 Pro is still king of the zoom, although the Mate 30 Pro is very capable; however, it is the Mate’s ultra-wide that steals the show with its performance thanks in part to its 1.54-inch sensor.

If you’ve used a P30 Pro, then the Mate 30 Pro’s camera app will feel very familiar. You can zoom in by 5x and still get decent results, or up to 30x if you don’t mind a slight hit-and-miss aspect to your shooting. 

We weren’t able to test the Mate 30 Pro’s night mode, but it is still one of the P30 Pro’s stand-out skills, so we assume the new Mate will match it. Again, Huawei is using an RYB pixel set up in the main sensor that swaps the typical green pixels (RGB) for yellow pixels. The result is that the sensor can capture more light and so the bright f/1.6 lens with OIS, along with some software magic, means the phone can shoot pictures in near darkness.

The snaps we took in Munich (although not able to keep them) showed the expected good dynamic range, even without HDR engaged. The images seemed to have plenty of detail on screen with very low noise.

The Mate 30 Pro gives you a decent macro camera too, enabling you to take incredibly sharp shots as close as 2.5cm from the object.

Video

The Mate 30 Pro boasts a dedicated cine camera so videos promise to be top-notch.

Slo-mo is really impressive looking at the specs. Where 960fps has become the high-end mobile standard for slo-mo video, the Mate 30 Pro trumps that (so to speak) and goes up to 7,680fps, for 256x slo-mo.

This uses smart interpolation skills thanks to complicated algorithms that works out what the frame between two others should look like.

Would we ever use that setting? Perhaps not. However, that upper limit does mean that 64x, 32x, 8x and 4x is silky smooth.

Mate 30 Pro front cameras

On its front, the Mate 30 Pro sports another three lenses.

In addition to a primary 32-megapixel selfie snapper, the Mate 30 Pro features an ultra-wide-angle shooter and another ToF sensor.

Overall, the Mate 30 Pro is armed with a mind-bending total of seven cameras.

Curvy display

The Mate 30 Pro comes with what Huawei calls a “Horizon” display.

This essentially means the curves on the display’s sides are more prominent than on its curvaceous rivals such as the P30 Pro or Samsung Galaxy S10.

Also, the added curvature makes the hardware look more like a single piece of glass than any of its competitors. The display curves 88 degrees to the sides, and if you look at the phone head-on, you practically don’t see any side bezels. 

The curvy 6.53-inch display is also called in for volume control dutues as the Mate 30 Pro has no physical volume rocker. A double-tap on the side wakes the virtual slider up and then you make the adjustments. It seemed to work well during our time with it.

We were a little concerned about accidentally triggering things while the phone is in our hands with that extra bit of side-screen, but all seemed well. We were told that the side areas were “switched off” for the most part – which explains the need for the double-tap to wake the volume control.

Sophisticated notch

Huawei has created “the most sophisticated notch” – is this going to be the new battleground for phones? 

It’s a lot smaller than the Mate 20 Pro‘s and still manages to pack in a gesture sensor, a 3D (ToF) depth camera, a proximity sensor and a selfie camera.

Rolling the Mate 30 Pro around in our hands it certainly feels like a premium device thanks to its all-glass and forged metal casing. Additionally, you get a choice of Space Silver, Emerald Green, Cosmic Purple and black colourways to choose from. There’s also cool-looking vegan leather options too, available in orange and green. We fell in love with the orange pleather in a rather major way.

The phone’s IP68 rating should protect it from water and dust, which is a good thing.

The single, bottom-ported speaker, however, not such a good thing.

5G-ready

The Mate 30 Pro is powered by Huawei’s new Kirin 990 chipset.

The Kirin 990 comes in two variants – one that supports 4G networks and another with 5G capabilities.

Most notably, the 5G version has support for the next-generation networks built-in, meaning an external modem is not required.

We hear plenty of people saying 5G skills are unwarranted right now but as 3 year contracts are commonplace, we would rather buy a handset that is ready for tech coming in the next 1-2 years.

Mate 30 Pro – Neat tricks

We saw a demo of the Mate 30 Pro’s AI gesture control. Using the front-facing sensors you can interact with the screen without touching it. For example, we were able to scroll through web pages simply by waving our hand. Additionally, using another gestrure we could perform screen captures.

Auto Rotate is cool and all but it can be easily confused, especially if you’re reading in bed or on the sofa. However, AI Auto Rotate can detect your head movements and rotate the screen from portrait to landscape automatically as you move around.

We also really liked AI Private View. Here your privacy is further enhanced. The phone is able to detect if there’s somone trying to see your screen and so hides the content – for your eyes only.

Mate 30 Pro battery

Of course, we were unable to test the battery life on the Huawei Mate 30 Pro, but we’d expect it to be excellent with its 4500mAh cell inside. There’s fast-charging technology on offer, plus fast wireless charging.

Mate 30 Pro first impressions

Huawei has certainly created the best Mate yet with the 30 Pro. 

The Mate 30 Pro has it all – a fantastic display, impressive stamina, and excellent picture quality, all of which hinges on class-leading performance. 

It is just rubbish timing that the ‘leader of the free world’ as decided to prevent the company from pre-installing Google apps for its users. Knowing full well that his decision makes the Mate 30 Pro practically unusable in the Western world without some sideloading antics which could open the phone up to security concerns.

Nevertheless, as Walter Ji told us, Huawei has faced challenges throughout its 32 years and this is just another one to overcome.

However, the moment Google gets the license to provide products and services to Huawei, then you will see Samsung, Apple and all the rest run for cover.

Price and availability

We haven’t got an exact release date for the Mate 30 or even if it will ever come to the UK.

Huawei gave pricing of €799 for the Mate 30 and €1,099 for the Mate 30 Pro. The 5G model has an asking price of €1,199.

The post Huawei Mate 30 Pro Hands-on Review appeared first on GadgetyNews.

At the usual small gathering of close friends and family, the Cupertino firm has unveiled its iPhone 11 range of handsets. Naturally taking cues from its rivals, the new iPhone range features more cameras than ever before. Additionally, the new fruity phones pack an updated processor that’s faster yet more economical with power.

Apple iPhone 11

Apple stated at the show-and-tell that the two Pro models would last between four to five hours longer than their XS predecessors.

5G-less

An area where Apple has yet to catch up to the competition is by outing a 5G model. Granted, the 5G infrastructure is yet to be anything like useful at the moment, but, interestingly, companies such as Huawei can fit modems that are ready for full-fat 5G. Apparently, the lack of 5G is down to Intel not being able to develop the required modem in time. 

Personally, if I were going to be signing up to a three-year contract, I’d want to know that my smartphone was at least ready for next year’s tech.

The iPhone 11 sports a 6.1-inch Liquid Retina display, which is the same size as the screen on 2018’s iPhone XR. Also the same as last year’s model is the position and size of the notch.

The dimensions of the phone are 150.9mm x 75.7mm x 8.3mm, and it tips the scales at 194 grams.

You should be able to bathe with your iPhone 11 as it’s water-resistant, boasting an IP68 rating. 

Camera

On its glass-covered rear side, the new iPhones introduce an “ultrawide” camera, offering 2x optical zoom-out.

The Pro models add the new lens to the telephoto and standard lenses as per the last generation’s XS and XS Max, giving them three lenses. Some have likened the lens format to a fidget spinner while other reports say that the design has triggered people’s trypophobia (the fear of small holes).

The cheapest iPhone 11 rocks a dual-lensed rear with an ultrawide and standard lens.

Night Mode

Apple has watched Samsung, Google and especially Huawei sprint ahead in the low-light photography stakes and so proudly announced the iPhone 11’s new Night Mode.

The iPhone 11 Night Mode automatically brightens the image if needed as well as mitigates the digital noise produced as a result.

Deep Fusion

More interestingly, Apple’s Deep Fusion was touched upon. The sci-fi-sounding tech takes nine snaps with a variety of exposures and then sorts through them “pixel by pixel” finding the best parts from each to create a superior image.

The uprated camera tech also includes the ability to shoot slow-motion videos with the front camera as well as the rear.

Power

Under the hood, you’ll find the upgraded A13 Bionic processor.

Apple boasts that its CPU and GPU are both more potent than those featured in any Android phone.

Additionally, the chip’s “neural engine” has been optimised to handle matrix calculations better. Furthermore, they say its 20% faster than the A12.

No Poking

If you were fancying using the Apple Pencil stylus with the new iPhone 11, well, you can’t. Also, the new phones are not able to wirelessly recharge other accessories, unlike Samsung and Huawei’s premium phones.

iPhone 11 Price and Availability

The iPhone 11 starts cheaper than its XR forerunner in the UK, ranging between £729 and £879 depending on storage. That said, the Pro models are more spendy than the XS ones, with an asking price of between £1,049 and £1,499. 

The new iPhone 11 comes in Purple, White, Yellow, Green, Black and Product Red. 

You can pre-order the iPhone 11 from September 13, and it’ll ship (and be on the shelves) from September 20.

Apple Subscription services

Tim Cook announced that the upcoming Apple subscription services that would each cost £4.99 per month – Apple TV+ and Apple Arcade.

The Apple Arcade all-you-can-eat game service comes with a 1-month free trial. 

You also can get Apple TV Plus for free for a year if you buy an Apple device such as a set-top box or computer. This TV show and movie-streaming platform will carry exclusive content and make its first programmes available on November 1.

In the presentation, it wasn’t stated whether Apple would bundle these new services with the company’s existing cloud storage, and music offerings for a discount, as was previously rumoured.

The New iPad

The seventh-generation model has a 10.2in (25.9cm) Retina Display screen – making it bigger than before.

The new iPad runs on the new iPadOS and will also connect with a full-sized Smart Keyboard.

Powered by the A10 Fusion chip that promises impressive performance. This means that it should handle games as well as multitasking. On the subject of gaming, you can pair an Xbox Wireless Controller with Bluetooth, PlayStation DualShock 4 controller or MFi game controller with the iPad to create a portable games console.

Going on sale at the end of the month the new tablet will start at £349, a £30 increase on the earlier model.

Apple Watch Series 5

Apple has also revealed a new version of its smartwatch. The latest wearable features an “always-on” display.

The Series 5 Watch adjusts how often it refreshes the screen to as little as one frame per second. That way, it can retain the18-hour battery life as the previous version.

The new watch also adds a compass and sleep-tracking software to its skills. Also, there’s a new titanium case option.

The company added that it will keep selling its Series 3 model, which will cost £199. A nifty way of offering an affordable entry-level to Apple Watch ownership. The Series 5 Apple Watch starts at £399.

The post Apple iPhone 11, Watch Series 5 and new iPad appeared first on GadgetyNews.

Hive has announced Siri Shortcut integration with its smart home kit’s Quick Actions.

Hive and Siri Shortcuts is now a thing with the announcement that the Apple assistant now plays nice with the smart home brand’s Quick Actions.

Previously Hive users could set up Actions through the Hive app, allowing Hive devices to react automatically or work together through the push of a button. Now, Hive has provided its users with hands-free control of their homes with Siri Shortcuts.

Whether you want to ramp up the heating, dim the lights for a movie, or switch everything off as you head out, you can now use any Quick Actions you have set up by merely asking Siri via your iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch.

Additionally, you can also access your Hive View camera live feed quicker than ever by asking Siri to open the camera screen and start streaming right away. Handy, if your spider senses are tingling when you’re away from home.

Adding Quick Actions to Siri

If you already have Quick Actions, tap on the one you’d like to use with Siri. OR If you don’t have any Quick Actions set up then you can find out morehere. After creating a Quick Action you’ll be asked if you’d like to add this Quick Action to Siri

The upgrade is available now. All you need is an iPhone and/or iPad using IOS 12 or later.

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I have been living with Huawei’s latest flagship phone, the Mate 20 Pro, for some weeks now. I have already given my first impressions but what is the smartphone like after the honeymoon period has passed? Read on to see my long-term test thoughts.

I was totally hyped when I first got my hands on the Mate 20 Pro. It looked and felt so good. Taking a few snaps and short video clips and I was suitably impressed. At that point, I was prepared to declare the Mate 20 Pro as being the most impressive phone that Huawei has ever produced. So, if you’re considering one of the two other smartphone titans of 2018, the Apple iPhone XS Max and Samsung Galaxy Note 9, give me a moment.

Check out our Mate 20 Pro first impressions

Huawei Mate 20 Pro design

The Huawei Mate 20 Pro looks and feels like a Samsung Galaxy S9, but better. Was that a sharp intake of breath I heard? Well, you’d better buckle up as there’s more where that came from.

When first lifting the new Huawei out of its box it feels like you’re holding something special. In fact, in the little enclave of press folks gathered, there were plenty of knowing nods to one another. Let’s face it; the precision curved glass design sets the theme for the rest of the device — those smooth curves of the 3D glass stretching seamlessly over to merge with the phone’s thin metallic frame.

Huawei bigged up its claim that they had “built a design that is truly iconic”. Yes, the square lens placement on the phone’s rear is unique, but I’d argue that Samsung was here first with the overall design. That said, Huawei has taken that and improved it with a more luxurious flare.

Holding a friend’s S9 in my hand and the Mate 20 Pro in the other, the Sammy feels quite lighter (163 grams compared with the 189 grams of the Mate 20 Pro) and the Huawei feels more quality for it. Additionally, on my Emerald Green model, the hyper optical pattern tech on the backplate adds yet more premium exclusivity to the handset.

Notch-lovers rejoice! The new flagship boasts an ultra-thin bezel. Yes, it does mean that the Mate 20 Pro has a bit of Apple iPhone XS about it. However, the very slick finish only has a bottom-mounted USB Type-C port and SIM card slot, as well as a right-mounted volume rocker and colourised power button, breaking the device’s lines.

Huawei Mate 20 Pro perfomance

Mate 20 Pro screen

The Mate 20 Pro’s 6.39-inch screen has a resolution of 1440 x 3120, and it’s gorgeous. The 19.5:9 OLED panel packs in 538 pixels per inch (ppi) as well as boasting HDR.

Even though this could be classed as a rather large screen, it never feels that way. Not only is it comfortable to hold, thanks to the tapered edges, but it’s a joy to behold. The curved OLED is a thing of beauty, and the long aspect ratio means there’s plenty of screen space. Add to that the rich HDR capabilities, and crisp 2K+ resolution with sharp 538 ppi, means that everything looks good.

Slip on some high-resolution, HDR content from Netflix or Amazon and impress your friends. Sit back while they marvel at all that detail, the vivid colours and impressive levels of contrast.

Colour reproduction is also remarkable, which not only helps with the videos but also makes viewing your photos taken using the phone’s equally impressive camera super sweet.

Mate 20 Pro hardware

The Huawei Mate 20 Pro is rocking some excellent hardware muscle. Firstly, the 7nm Kirin 980 CPU is the fastest mobile processor in the world. Furthermore, that chip is hooked up to a generous 6GB of RAM.

The Huawei Mate 20 Pro was awarded a multi-core score of 9,800. That score totally bests the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, which showed 9,016 in the same test. Additionally, the Huawei currently sits at the top of the AnTuTu ratings although my personal device ranked number 10.

It’s all well and good having a powerful engine, but you’ve got to get that power to the track. In other words, power is nothing if it isn’t useful. Thankfully, the Mate 20 Pro’s robust hardware package translates to super smooth performance. Android 9.0 Pie and EMUI 9.0 are silky, and apps and games run without hiccups.

Tekken, Asphalt 9, PUBG Mobile and Darkness Rises all run exceptionally well. Additionally, downloading and installing these titles was done in no time at all.

Granted, you would expect a brand’s flagship blower to be able to run apps and games without any hassle. However, it’s not only good to know that the Mate 20 Pro does indeed achieve this, but that it should be able to do so for a good few more years too.

The Huawei Mate 20 Pro I have here has 128GB of storage space, which is what should be the going rate for a top phone. There’s also a humongous 4,200 mAh battery keeping the lights on – more on that later.

Mate 20 Pro camera

As well as the looks, the feel and the power, Huawei is pretty proud of the cameras on their flagship phones. The Mate 20 Pro is another case in point. The latest smartphone builds on the already legendary system found on the Huawei P20 Pro.

The Huawei P20 Pro’s triple-Leica set-up is excellent and saw many people leaving their DSLRs, not to mention compact cameras, at home. So, I was excited to see what the Mate 20 Pro could do.

What you get here is another triple lens grouping on the rear of the range-topping Huawei. The trio consists of a 40MP f/1.8 wide-angle lens partnering a 20MP f/2.2 ultra wide-angle and 8MP f/2.4 telephoto lens to bring far things closer.

Also, around the front, there’s an equally impressive 24MP f/2.0 selfie snapper. This camera also takes care of face detection duties as well as 3D-scanning.

Backing those Leica lenses up are the likes of autofocus, laser focus, phase focus, contrast focus, and artificial image stabilisation. Additionally there’s advanced dual tone flash and, on the front-facer, 3D depth sensing.

Modes, filters and settings

I have been very impressed indeed with how fast, responsive and intuitive the Mate 20 Pro’s camera system is. There are many modes to assist your shooting. The selection of modes includes Photo, Night, Portrait, Video, Pro, Panorama, Monochrome (unlike the P20 Pro, all three lenses on the Mate 20 Pro are colour), Time-lapse, Light painting, Watermark, Underwater and so on. The main thing is that the camera is extremely fast, responsive and intuitive.

As if all that wasn’t enough, there are also plenty of additional options such as filters, beautification settings, colour balance, and so on.

The macro mode allows you to get up to within 2.5cm of an object and retain focus. It doesn’t take long till you’re snapping things up close like a pro.

It’s not just close work that the Mate 20 Pro is handy with either.

Calling the 5x zoom in to play still manages to retain a decent level of detail.

The Ultra Wide Angle lens is pretty special too for those that love architecture as well as the great outdoors.

Night owl

Also, night time shots. O. M. G!

Having a day job and also being in a band means that most of my outdoors time happens after dark – especially now. Thankfully the Mate 20 Pro has taken the P20’s night photography skills and improved them. I have been consistently amazed by the quality of the snaps I get at night. No tripod, no manual settings – just point, click, wait a few seconds and pow! Great night photography.

One thing that all these modes have in common is that the phone has the ability not to wash areas out in intense light. Moreover, areas in shadow are still treated fairly with graduated shading as well as good contrast.

Pointless but cute

Finally, and I was going to ignore this bit but thought I had to mention it, the Mate 20 Pro’s 3D Qmoji. It’s pointless, fun, and also is a demo for the 3D mapping from the front camera.

For those unfamiliar with Qmoji, this feature turns your face into one of the available cartoon animal avatars. It is very slick – albeit pointless.

Video has also been tweaked on the Mate 20 Pro. Now you get five new cinematic-style filters, enabled by the Kirin 980’s dual-NPU A.I. chip. That powerful processing means that the phone can show real-time effects as you film. The two most interesting are Background Blur and A.I. Colour. Background Blur adds a bokeh effect to your video, while A.I. Colour sets the background in black and white while keeping the subject in colour. However, for those to work, the Mate 20 Pro needs to detect a face. The other three are general filters for more atmospheric videos.

Mate 20 Pro stamina

The previously mentioned 4,200 mAh battery in the Huawei Mate 20 Pro has the lasting power to get through a day, two if you’re not hammering like I generally do. Also, it can slurp juice wirelessly at 15W. However, plug it into the SuperCharge plug and cable you get recharging at 40W which means from flat to 70% in 30 minutes.

My favourite trick with the Mate 20 Pro is helping my inevitably iPhone-armed buddies out with some charge via this phone’s world-first ability to reverse wireless charge other Qi-enabled devices. All you have to do is activate an option in the phone’s system settings and then unfurl your cape as you’re about to be a hero. Now, place another wireless Qi chargeable device on the Mate 20 Pro’s backplate, and it squirts electricity to it. It is such a great feature it’s one of those where you’re left wondering why nobody else thought of doing it. Hats off to Huawei for this one!

Mate 20 Pro audio

You might be aware of my work with StereoNET UK. I mention that only to underline that I take my audio very seriously.

The Huawei Mate 20 Pro supports a wide variety of file formats, including MP3, MP4, 3GP, OGG, AMR, AAC, FLAC, WAV, and MIDI. The phone also supports Dolby Atmos for mobiles, too. The onboard stereo speakers are decent, as far as phone speakers go. However, to get anything worth enthusing about, it’s time to whip your dongle out. Yup, the Mate 20 Pro has joined the legion of the portless when it comes to headphones. Huawei does bundle in a USB-C to headphone port adapter though.

Moreover, when jacked in, the quality is pretty darned good. I listen to a great deal of music as well as the occasional podcast, and I have had no reason to diss the Mate 20 Pro.

It’s also worth mentioning that the phone sports aptX HD Bluetooth. I recently used this to sling audio to a Cyrus ONE HD integrated amplifier, and I can honestly say that I’ve not heard Paul Young sound so good.

Mate 20 Pro software

Huawei’s light EMUI 9.0 wraps around Android 9.0 Pie. The Android/EMUI team is much cleaner than in its last incarnation. The Mate 20 Pro is also one of the first phones to come rocking Pie straight out of the box. This operating system is a marked improvement over Oreo.

It’s great to see that Huawei has simplified the phone’s menus. Additionally, app tap speed and app opening speeds are much swifter.

A further feather in the cap for this phone is the in-screen fingerprint reader. This neat accomplishment has been an oft-whispered grail-like engineering wish in the mobile phone arena for a few years now. Most people expected Samsung to be the first over the line with it, but it is Huawei who has brought it to the masses.

Being first is all well and good but what makes this innovation noteworthy is that it works brilliantly. So, not only do you get a hidden fingerprint scanner, it’s fast, accurate and does the job beautifully even if you have damp digits.

While we’re chatting about security features, the Huawei Mate 20 Pro also comes packing a Face unlock function, too. Perhaps not the level of the biometric system employed on Apple’s iPhone XS, but it is fast and hasn’t failed me yet.

There were some early teething troubles such as audible clicks when scrolling through Facebook when the phone was silent, but they disappeared with an update.

Overall, the software experience delivered by the Huawei Mate 20 Pro is fast and fuss-free, something that cannot be over emphasises when not dealing with vanilla Android.

Huawei Mate 20 Pro review conclusion

Flagship phones these days are generally excellent. They might have their foibles, and some are eye-wateringly expensive. However, on the whole, they do a good job day in, day out. That said, they can also be much of a muchness.

I can safely say that right from unboxing the device it felt that this phone wasn’t just another slick marketing tool.

The Huawei Mate 20 Pro is a phone that not only delivers state-of-the-art hardware and software, but it has that something special that appears to have only been the reserve of Samsung and Apple for far too long.

You not only get a stunningly desirable piece of hardware, but you also get the world’s fastest CPU, an excellent in-display fingerprint reader and mind-bending reverse wireless charging skills. Throw in a superb camera system, and you can see that Huawei are no longer following the leaders, they intend to be the leaders. If you’re considering treating yourself with a new flagship phone, you would be daft to ignore the Mate 20 Pro.

Huawei Mate 20 Pro price and availability

The Huawei Mate 20 Pro retails for £899 SIM-free and is available in Black, Twilight, Pink Gold, Midnight Blue and Emerald Green.

Carphone Warehouse are doing a Black Friday deal. They’re offering the Huawei Mate 20 Pro with 100GB Data for £36pm + £29.99 upfront. Click here to find out more!

The post Huawei Mate 20 Pro review: Best of the flagships? appeared first on GadgetyNews.

There was a time that Samsung only really had Apple to worry about. However, Huawei, Xiaomi, and in some respects OnePlus and Honor should be taken very seriously now. This situation is great for the likes of us, consumers, though. For a start, it has pushed Samsung to promise us something entirely new for its next flagship smartphone, dubbed the Samsung Galaxy X. Well, at the Samsung Developer Conference in San Francisco yesterday, that’s precisely what it did.

Samsung Galaxy X reveal

It’s been a long time coming. In fact, Samsung promised us a folding phone (The Foldiplay) back in 2013, but who are we to complain?

Justin Denison, SVP of Mobile Product Marketing chatted about the challenges of developing a folding display. All very interesting but that’s not what everyone was waiting for. Then, Denison whipped out the prototype of the Samsung Galaxy X to much applause.

Actually, the phone hasn’t been officially named, but the screen has. Welcome to the stage the Samsung Infinity Flex Display.

If we go by what DJ Koh, Samsung’s President and CEO of IT & Mobile has said recently, it sounds that we can expect this device to be the first in a series of foldable handsets. It’s been a long time coming, but a significant change to the soap bar handset monotony is on the horizon.

Furthermore, Samsung has also confirmed that it is working on foldable laptops and tablets too. We suppose that once you’ve spent all that money on engineering folding screens, you’ll want to get your money’s worth. If that’s the case, can we expect folding 4K HDR tellies too?

Samsung Galaxy X first look

So, we got our first glimpse of the Samsung Galaxy X folding phone at Samsung’s Developer Conference. It was shown off in its folded state as well as unfurled. However, Justin Denison told us that:

We’ve disguised some elements of the design but trust me, there’s a device inside here, and it is stunning.

DJ Koh added:

The foldable display lays the foundation for a new kind of mobile experience.

Watch the reveal at the full event below. The phone appears near the end, of course.

Samsung Galaxy X screen

This is obviously the star of the show.

These days screen real estate is at the forefront of every smart device design. With the Galaxy X, this is especially true.

With the new Samsung device, we saw that there will be one phone-sized screen on the outside of the phone. Additionally, when you open the phone up, you are rewarded with one that’s twice the size. When the phone is folded, it will trigger the front-facing display that will function as a typical smartphone screen.

Samsung Galaxy X screen specs

Again, nothing definite was confirmed last night by Samsung. Although, this did not prevent Denison from make some quite strong claims:

We’ve been living in a world where the size of your screen can only be as large as the device itself. Well, we’ve just added a new dimension. The Infinity Flex Display is the foundation for the smartphone of tomorrow.

The display, when unfolded, apparently measures 7.3-inches.

He went on to add that the phone could be folded “hundred of thousands of times.”

Samsung Galaxy X One UI

Having super sweet screen swagger means shizzle without swanky software.

So, how will the Galaxy X adapt to users swapping between the phone screen and the tablet screen? Imagine, all those apps will have to move from one screen to the other seamlessly. How about multitasking? Will open apps resize automatically? Well, all of that is handled, promises Samsung.

Most of this will be taken care of by Samsung’s new interface called One UI, also announced at the November 7th event.

Samsung’s press release states:

The Infinity Flex Display together with One UI delivers a new kind of mobile experience allowing users to do things they couldn’t do with an ordinary smartphone. Users now have the best of both worlds: a compact smartphone that unfolds to reveal a larger immersive display for multitasking and viewing content. The app experience seamlessly transitions from the smaller display to the larger display as the device unfolds.

Regarding multitasking, One UI will enable the Samsung Galaxy X to run three apps simultaneously when in tablet mode. Also, the redesigned icons allow better integration. According to Jee Won Lee, Senior Designer of UX Design at Samsung Mobile: “the rounded corner of our hardware is reflected in our software.”

Initially, One UI will be land on the Galaxy S9, S9+ and Note 9 in open beta. This exercise should help to iron out any wrinkles in the software before it heads out on the new Galaxy flagship.

Samsung Galaxy X features

The short version here is that no features were shown off at the official Galaxy X debut. However, DJ Koh, Samsung mobile chief, said that the long-awaited folding flagship would offer similar functionality to a tablet when the screen is unfolded.

Before dismissing the sizable screen, we must remember that, when the company first launched its Galaxy Note series back in October 2011, naysayers mocked the 5.3-inch display.

DJ Koh pointed out that eight generations of the phablet later large-screen devices are now ubiquitous. It’s hard to ignore the 6.5-inch iPhone XS Max and 6.3-inch Google Pixel 3 XL.

Koh said:

Possibly when we start selling the foldable phone, it may be a niche market, but definitely, it will expand. I’m positive that we do need a foldable phone.

As expected, everything points to the Galaxy X being compatible with the company’s S Pen digital stylus. This information fits nicely with the whispers we’ve heard of the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note lines merging next year.

Other features that we would expect to see include 5G connectivity and an in-screen fingerprint reader. Waterproofing and wireless charging are also on our wish-list for this top-flight device.

One thing that I would like to know more about is the camera. Will Samsung use the clever display tech to distract potential buyers from a camera that is merely OK? Let’s face it, with everything else this pocketable device will be doing, will there be the space to fit multiple lenses and image processing? I do hope so but, right now, I’d brace yourselves for some possibly average image capturing tech.

Samsung X battery

Wireless charging brings us neatly to the other deciding factor for many – battery life.

A brace of screens, especially that monster folding one, could impact battery life in wrong ways. However, if we think about it a bit more, as one screen will always be visible, that would cut down on locking and unlocking the tablet sized one.

Interestingly, reports from Asia suggests that Samsung has been working on a flexible battery to go in a flexible phone. The battery sizes have ranged between 3,000mAh and 6,000mAh. I would say that, in this instance, more is more.

Samsung Galaxy X under the hood

If mass production is already happening, we are assuming that the Galaxy X will be loaded with the Snapdragon 845 successor. Unless, of course, Sammy has gone down a more unique route for this unique device.

RAM will most likely come in 4GB or 6GB flavours with internal storage anywhere from 64GB upwards. However, if this is to be an all-singing, all-dancing, Galaxy S/Note love-in, I would suggest that Samsung slings in 128GB and 256GB as the cherry on top. That’s if they can make it fit.

Samsung Galaxy X availability

Let me cut to the chase here. At the November 7th conference, no release date was given for the new handset. On the plus side, Denison did say that:

“We’ll be ready to start mass production in the coming months.”

To be honest, I don’t think anyone was expecting the foldy phone to land this side of Christmas. Besides, the amount of release date rumours pointing to it happening in 2019 seems almost nailed on.

Samsung previously hinted its first foldable handset might be unveiled on-stage at CES 2019 in early January, or MWC 2019 in late February, two of the biggest tech expos. However, being pushed by other companies revealing their own folding phones, Royole being one (pictured above), has apparently forced Sammy’s hand.

Announcing is one thing but, actually being able to buy one? I wouldn’t get your hopes up for seeing the Galaxy X on the shelves directly after a full CES reveal. Even a show-and-tell-then-release pitched at MWC 2019 seems a tad optimistic. We would think April would be the earliest we could hope to see the new device on sale – and that’s still on the ‘in an ideal situation’ side of optimism.

Later might actually be better than sooner in the case of the Galaxy X though. Why? Well, because you’re going to need to start squirrelling away your pocket money right now as it’s not going to be cheap.

Samsung Galaxy X price

Naturally, Samsung avoided giving away any price details at the developer’s conference. However, we think that it is safe to say that the GX is going to be pitched at the same demographic that is happy to pay out for a fully-loaded iPhone XS Max.

Currently, there many rumours that Galaxy X will carry a price tag of £1,365 or $1,775 – that’s the current exchange rate for 2 million won, the mooted Korean price.

That price isn’t exactly just grabbed out of thin air, either. Just look at the asking price of a Galaxy Note 9 with all the trimmings – £1,099 ($1,249.99). Moreover, the Note 9 only has an everyday single screen. How very 2018!

Additionally, as mentioned earlier, Californian technology firm Royole also recently launched a folding phone. The Royole is equipped with a single OLED screen and is listed at £999 ($1,300). The Galaxy X boasts two screens.

Yup, 4-year phone contract, anyone?

The future

This could be the start of a whole new wave of smart devices. Would we still be correct in calling them just smartphones? Could we see the return of the Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)?

We at GadgetyNews are excited about the new Samsung. To be honest, we’re even more excited at how the likes of Huawei will respond. Stay tuned for that.

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Apple has finally unveiled its highly-anticipated trio of new iPhones. Furthermore, the fruity phone company has added yet another, more expensive, iPhone to its stable – the 6.5-inch iPhone XS Max.

The iPhone XS Max (or, 10S Max if we’re pedantic) will start at £1099. Boasting a Super Retina Display, it also now stands as the largest iPhone yet.

Apple revealed the new handset alongside its new £999 iPhone XS – a 5.8-inch device CEO Tim Cook says is “by far the most advanced iPhone we have ever created.” The firm also unveiled a more affordable model in a bid to ensure their devices “reach even more customers,” with the 6.1-inch iPhone XR shipping at £749. Finally, the new Series 4 Watch was also unveiled, featuring an overhauled design and new safety features including fall-detection.

iPhone XR and XS

There had been concerns that the relatively high £999 entry price of iPhone X would limit its appeal. However, Apple has said that the 10 had been more popular than either of the lower-priced iPhone 8 models. Where the cynical side of me would be prone to shrug and think “well they would, wouldn’t they”, word on the street is that the iPhone X also outsold other flagship phones.

Proof of those sales can be found in Apple becoming the world’s first company with a market capitalisation above $1tn (£768bn).

The XS Max will become the most expensive handset Apple has sold to date, with its price ranging from £1,099 to £1,449 depending on its amount of storage.

The XS will match the original X’s £999-£1,349 cost, while the XR will be £749-£899.

Bigger screen

Apple highlighted that the iPhone XS Max’s display was significantly larger than the 5.5-inch screen of the old iPhone 8 Plus despite the two handsets being similar in size.

The iPhone XR also has a bigger screen but uses LCD rather than the OLED technology found in the more expensive models. Therefore, blacks won’t be as deep, and colours will have less contrast on the XR.

Additionally, its chassis is made from aluminium rather than steel, which means it is likely to be less damage-resistant. However, unlike the more expensive models, it comes in six different colours.

These options might encourage iPhone owners who did not upgrade last year to do so this generation.

New brain

The latest phones feature a fresh processor – the A12 Bionic. It the firm’s first to feature seven-nanometre transistor technology, which should aid energy efficiency and computation speeds.

Its inclusion means the iPhone XS will last about 30 minutes longer on a battery charge than the X, Apple suggested.

The firm also said that its Face ID system would now work faster than before and it demoed several apps, showing off its augmented reality prowess.

Huawei recently announced it had developed a rival 7nm mobile chip of its own.

Rumours had us expecting at least one of the new iPhones would feature three rear cameras like Huawei’s P20 Pro. However, Apple has stuck with two 12 megapixel lenses for the XS and XS Max. The XR only has one rear camera.

Apple did unveil a new feature that will allow users to alter the depth-of-field of their photos after they have been taken. The new application effectively changes the degree to which the background is blurred. Real-time preview in Depth Control will be available via a free software update later this Autumn.

Dual SIM

The XS and XS Max also introduce support for two mobile contracts. In most countries, this will be via a physical Sim card in addition to an electronic eSim, which can be activated via a QR code among other means. Dual SIM support will be available via a free software update later this Autumn.

The version sold to Chinese consumers, however, will require two physical SIM cards to achieve this.

iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max are splash-, water- and dust-resistant. The devices were tested under controlled laboratory conditions with a rating of IP68 under IEC standard 60529 (maximum depth of 2 meters up to 30 minutes).

Health Watch

Earlier at its California event, Apple unveiled a new smartwatch. The Cupertino company has refreshed the timepiece with a display that extends further towards its edges than earlier models.

The firm said the Watch Series 4’s usable screen was more than 30% larger despite the device itself having similar dimensions to its predecessor.

This allows more information and shortcuts to be shown at once.

It can also display electrocardiogram heart waveforms for the first time. This works via new sensors in its back and crown to allow owners to check if their heart has an irregular rhythm.

Also, the watch will automatically warn its user if it detects their heart is beating abnormally fast or slow during everyday use.

A new fall-detection facility also debuts thanks to the introduction of “next-generation” gyroscope and accelerometer sensors.

If the associated software believes the user has suffered a hard fall and remained immobile for a minute or more, it will send the emergency services an alert including the user’s location, as well as contacting chosen friends or family if set to do so.

The cellular 40mm version of the Watch Series 4 begins at £499 and the 44mm at £529.

That marks an increase on the 38mm and 42mm Series 3 equivalents, which respectively cost £359 and £429.

Apple also confirmed that the next version of its mobile operating system – iOS 12 – will be released for existing devices on 17 September.

The post Apple iPhone XS, XR, Watch 4 announced with iOS 12 appeared first on GadgetyNews.

The special edition Beoplay E8 Racing Green is inspired by one of the most iconic colours in the car racing world, British Racing Green. This is a colour that has become synonymous with performance, cutting-edge technology and classic sports cars.

Furthermore, Beoplay E8 Racing Green also exudes simplicity, style and freedom by combining a true wireless experience and a design in premium materials.

Beoplay E8 Racing Green

Beoplay E8 Racing Green delivers industry-leading sound and a seamless listening experience on the move. The earphones combine Digital Sound Processing capabilities with superior Bang & Olufsen Signature Sound for a rich, full-bodied and precise soundstage that will leave your ears wanting more.

Ergonomically engineered to fit comfortably into your ears, Beoplay E8 Racing Green comes in a premium, genuine leather case for charging on the go, with up to 12 hours of playtime.

The earphones feature an intuitive anodised-aluminium touch interface that will instantly get in you the driver’s seat by offering effortless control over music, calls, voice commands and Transparency Mode activation. The Beoplay App for Android, iPhone and Apple Watch enables a personalized listening experience, including fine-tuning the tonality and sound staging through the ToneTouch feature, and matching the sound to different types of activities and situations.

Beoplay E8 Racing Green is part of the Special Edition Collection, a wider collection of Beoplay E8 colour variants, each with its own unique colour concept. Naturally, all are only available in very limited quantities.

Price and availability

Beoplay E8 Racing Green Special Edition is available at www.beoplay.com/e8specialedition, in selected Bang & Olufsen stores, as well as at selected retailers.

As well as the leather charging case, the earphones come with five eartips and a charging cable.

Beoplay E8 Racing Green retails for £259.

The post Bang & Olufsen Beoplay E8 now sports Racing Green appeared first on GadgetyNews.

If you intend to go trekking this summer, perhaps add the SanDisk iXpand V2 flash drive to your rucksack essentials.

Should you be heading off the beaten track in search of photogenic landscapes the worse thing would be for your phone to run out of storage space. Granted, you could upload snaps to the cloud but there are still parts of the planet without WiFi. Yeah, I know, right!?

SanDisk iXpand

The diminutive iXpand is a thumbdrive that works with either a regular USB port on a computer, or a lighting port on an Apple mobile device.

Just connect it to your iDevice and, via the free app, you have just increased your storage capacity.

It’s not just there to free memory though. You can actually view and playback content stored on the drive through your phone. Furthermore, the drive supports myriad video, audio and document types. Of course, the drive can also be used to back up your phone’s photos and contacts.

Price and availability

You can buy the SanDisk iXpand now from Amazon. Prices range from £26.99 for 16GB to £193 for 256GB.

The post SanDisk iXpand – holiday essential iPhone backup appeared first on GadgetyNews.

Honor launched their latest flagship, the Honor 10, a month ago. Since then it has been with me night and day. It’s about time for a review then, I guess.

Has it really been a month? Well, May 15th saw the UK unveiling of Honor’s well-priced top-of-the-line phone. At under £400 SIM free it finds itself half the price of other flagship phones, including the amazingly adept Huawei P20 Pro from its parent company. The question is, is it half as good or is it “Good? Not half!”

There has to be some concessions though, surely?

Well, a quick glance over the spec sheets and, it’s quicker and easier to say what you don’t get. The Honor 10 lacks optical image stabilisation.

That’s it if you are comparing it with the standard Huawei P20; and that’s still another couple-hundred pounds more expensive.

However, looking at other brands, such as Samsung, they offer OLED displays, super slow mo at 960fps, waterproofing, and wireless charging.

This is the point where you have to ask yourself, are those extras actually worth an extra £300 to you?

Honor 10

Design

Honor once again made a great song and dance (literally) about their flagships’s super-polished, ridiculously blue finish. This was achieved by them cleverly stacking more than 15 layers of glass over each other. It does look gorgeous though.

However, if you look past the shiny, you still get a metal and glass design similar to every other handset released this year. Basically, you have metal sides and a shiny 2.5D glass back.

But, oh so shiny!

The 10’s 5.8-inch IPS HD+ (2280 x 1080) display takes up 78% of the front surface. Additionally, it also has the now ubiquitous ‘notch’ that’s become increasingly common since the launch of the Essential PH-1 (not, as fruity fans will state, the £1,000 Apple iPhone X). This is a consequence of the phone’s near-bezel-free 19:9 design.

In that notch you will find a 24 megapixel selfie snapper.

On the right side are the volume rocker and power button.

Whilst, over on the left side, you’ll find the dual SIM tray.

The audio gods be praised for the Honor 10 retains a 3.5mm headphone socket. There’s also a USB-C port for charging.

In a nifty bit of cleverness, Honor have slipped the fingerprint scanner into the home button just under the screen. It’s ultrasonic, you know. Admittedly, I would have been much more impressed had they put the fingerprint sensor under the viewable display area. Maybe next time, huh?

Still, having the scanner/home button under the screen certainly gives the 10 a seamless look.

The only branding on the rear of the phone is the Honor logo and “AI Camera” legend. Thankfully, there’s also the dual lens set up featuring a 24-megapixel and 16-megapixel sensor to distract you from the AI tramp-stamp.

The design is solid and ticks all the right boxes when it comes to functionality. Also, and quite importantly, it gives the phone a much more premium feel than your average £400 handset.

It isn’t overly heavy at 153g but there is enough about it to feel sturdy.

In short, build quality is excellent.

Honor 10 performance

The Honor 10 is loaded with a HiSilicon Kirin 970 octocore chip mated with 4GB RAM. This is the same chip as found on the Huawei P20 and P20 Pro, by the way. The Honor 10 must be the most affordable phone loaded with this tech.

We’ve lost the microSD card slot but are compensated with 128GB of built-in memory.

The whole thing runs on Android 8.1 Oreo, skinned with EMUI 8.1.

Display

I dare say that the Honor 10’s 5.8-inch IPS display is one of the best you’ll find at this price. Granted, you don’t get the inky, leathery blacks of AMOLED screens, but colours are nicely calibrated and whites are super clean.

Naturally, you can tweak the colour temperature and contrast in the phone’s settings. However, I have had it running in the out-of-the-box Vivid mode.

The screen’s maximum brightness level is more than bright enough. On a sunny day traipsing through London the screen remains legible in everything but direct, very bright sunlight. Let’s face it, we don’t get in those situations that often in the UK.

The HD+ 2280 x 1080 resolution isn’t noticeably higher than regular FHD. That said, it is mainly there to accommodate the phone’s longer 19:9 aspect ratio. In daily use, both text and icons look sharp and are readable. I have not noticed any blurring or haziness at any point.

Extra points to Honor for supplying the phone fitted with a screen protector all ready to go!

Android P is set to support notched screens, but as it stands Honor’s set it to display incoming notifications as well as battery life and network availability. If this is not to your liking, you can nudge the notch in the settings and leave a plain black bar.

Software

Just like its high-end sibling, the Huawei P20 Pro, the Honor 10 runs Android 8.1 wrapped in Emotion UI (EMUI) 8.1 skin. I have to add here that I also downloaded one of the new themes announced at the launch event.

The EMUI software is considerably better than it was when I first met it. It does have some additions, but I’m still not convinced that it’s better than stock Android or on a par yet with other skins. Huawei/Honor still doubles up on apps that already feature in Android too which is more a niggle than a deal breaker.

Face unlock is quick and, until we got a software update, the fingerprint sensor was slow and would take me at least a couple of tries to to unlock the device. However, I am pleased to say that, along with Party Mode, all that’s sorted. It even works with wet fingers.

The bundled SwiftKey keyboard is familiar to me but might take some getting used to if you’re coming from a stock Google board. It does work well and swipe-typing is generally quick. Although some of the words presented can be a tad odd.

Honor gives you four options for navigation. You can opt to have the traditional soft navigation bar, draw a virtual home button which takes multiple navigation gestures, use the under-glass sensor (with multiple navigation gestures), or an onscreen blob. Option 3 retains more screen real estate and has been my choice.

Camera

You get dual-sensor imaging, with a decent stab at the fun effects of this year’s iPhone and Galaxy S-class: portrait photos that isolate and enhance the subject, and the wacky real-time AR stickers that kids love for about a day and never use again.

Along with the 24 MP secondary monochrome sensor and 16 MP primary colour sensor, you get an LED flash unit. Both the sensors have f/1.8 lenses and support PDAF.

On the front, the phone has a 24 MP sensor which has a large, 1.8 micron pixel size. The front camera also supports 3D portrait lighting as seen in the gorgeous shot of yours truly

Beauty in AI

Honor is touting the AI chops of the cameras on the Honor 10. These features enable the cameras to intelligently optimise their settings to capture “500+ scenarios in 22 categories” in real time. Those categories include a ‘Panda’ mode and, as I discovered, one specifically for bicycles; note the bike icon just above where it says Photo.

These features aren’t at all unique to Honor or Huawei. Qualcomm’s been making a similar move via its latest line of Snapdragon CPUs and you’ll struggle to find a mid-to-top-tier handset that’s not boasting something similar. The only difference being the addition of Huawei’s “Semantic Image Segmentation technology”, which apparently lets Kirin 970 phones recognise more than one object in photos.

Images

The AI processing is turned off by default, and can be turned on by a big AI button on the default camera app’s main screen.

During my testing, the AI, although good, does tend to slightly over-saturate things when snapping in good light. It does make the images pop, but also can look unnatural.

The software tends to brighten dark areas a lot. Additionally, it also ramps up saturation and contrast. These are great if you’re uploading eye-catching snaps to social media. However, I’d rather start with something more natural and then, if I want to, boost the settings in post. This is where I have to remember Honor’s target market – the young and the brave.

Taking snaps of green fields or trees does produce *very* green things, almost to the point of bleeding the colour. Focusing is quick though. In fact, I have very few complaints during daylight photography. Monochrome mode is also pretty great.

The AI mode also adds a little bit of processing time. That said, it does a decent job fixing blemishes and adding minor bokeh effects to photos. Also, if the result is not to your taste the camera does automatically save a non-optimised version you can check just by tapping the top AI icon on the top right of the camera app UI.

The dedicated aperture mode is a nice touch, especially as it’s separate to the Pro mode. Portrait mode was good most of the time. I do like the 3D lighting but not sure how often I would actually use it. Beautification mode doesn’t take much before the images look unreal.

Bad light

In low-light and mixed-lighting, the Honor 10 still seemed to bump up the saturation too much. This can cause skin tones to look unnatural.

I was hoping that the P20 Pro might donate a version of its Night mode, but no dice. Above is the Honor 10’s night mode without a tripod.

Noise is noticeable when the sun goes down. Also, as there’s no image stabilisation, things can get a little blurry at times. That said, the AI does manage to eliminate some of the noise.

Video

In terms of video, the phone will shoot 4K (3,840 x 2,160) at 24fps, FHD+ (2,160 x 1,064) 18:9 at 30fps, and Full HD (1,920 x 1,080) at 60fps. Conveniently, it can also record using the H.265 (or HEVC) codec, which produces much smaller files than H.264.

Video footage is OK. Daylight footage is good so long as you are not panning vigorously, and the microphones capture sound well.

Camera thoughts

Overall, the camera is excellent considering the Honor 10’s price tag. It was never going to be on a par with the Huawei P20 Pro but then they are both at different price brackets too.

In every sense of the word, it is the successor to the Honor 8 Pro, which impressed with its camera performance.

Other stuff

Call quality and radio reception are, of course, first rate. Both SIM slots support LTE and the Honor offers to keep your internet data going on one SIM while you talk on the other. The free case is also a welcomed addition.

Honor 10 review conclusion

[amazon_link asins=’B07CVWDZKQ’ template=’ProductAd’ store=’gadgnews-21′ marketplace=’UK’ link_id=’29050f5e-74da-11e8-8fec-cd3372437b84′]Honor continues to impress me with each new handset. The company has rolled out a series of great phones thus far and the Honor 10 is its strongest showing yet.
 
The phone certainly nails the basics. Furthermore, I can’t readily think of a device that offers quite as much value at this price point.
 
Granted, the phone may not have the same camera capabilities as the P20 Pro, and while OIS would have made it a superb all-rounder, it still offers one of the better shooters in this bracket.
 

Price and availability

You can buy the Honor 10 right now for £399 outright. There are also a multitude of contract options through Three.

The post Honor 10 smartphone review – best phone under £400 appeared first on GadgetyNews.

Well, we called it. Parrot has finally unveiled the Anafi. Moreover, this new drone clearly targeted at DJI’s Mavic line.

The French flying tech company say that their new portable UAV is the product of two years of development and a “wish list of user feedback and a biomimetic design inspired by insects.”

Parrot Anafi 4K drone

It is difficult not to compare the Anafi with the Mavic. Firstly, the new 0.7-pound Parrot drone is foldable. This is one thing that I really love about the DJI device. This allows photographers to be able to stash it away along with the rest of their equipment for travel. It also means that you can just stuff it in your jacket pocket or small bag.

Secondly, there’s a 4K HDR camera on-board, and a 21-megapixel still unit mounted on a gimbal.

Parrot tells us that the battery should last around 25 minutes in flight, which is pretty decent. If you are planning on spending a day out flying capturing scenes, you can swap the dead cell with additional batteries. Additionally, you can recharge the drone via USB-C using regular phone chargers or by plugging it in to your car power port.

The company also claims the drone is the quietest in its class. It’s not silent, of course, but that buzzing lawn mower sound has been reduced by about a third compared to earlier models from the company.

Control

The drone has a controller that plugs into an iPhone or Android device, for touchscreen visualisations via the FreeFlight 6 app.

Just like the Mavic line, there’s a number of different control modes focused on capturing different camera content, including an option for following a subject. Naturally, it of course has a selfie mode.

Video

• 4K Cinema: 24 fps
• 4K UHD: 24, 25, 30 fps
• 1080p: 24, 25, 30, 48, 50 or 60 fps

Clever Wi-Fi

Each foot of Anafi is equipped with a dual-band antenna (2.4GHz and 5GHz). This ensures optimal connection with the Parrot Skycontroller 3 regardless of the orientation of the drone.

This omnidirectional transmission system uses Wi-Fi compliant protocols developed by Parrot.

The drone constantly monitors its Wi-Fi environment in order to switch to another channel when the one it uses is too crowded. This guarantees optimal spectrum utilisation performance and allows Anafi to fly up to 4kms without interference, keeping video transmission.

Price and availability

The price should get DJI worried. Parrot are asking £650 for the Anafi. That’s £120 less than the Mavic Air.

The Anafi is due out July 1st from Parrot, Amazon and “selected retailers.”

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