featured
Latest
After two years of updates, the HomePod mini is actually pretty good
Apple's HomePod mini has improved significantly in two-plus years, and that makes it a better deal.
What to expect from Samsung's February Unpacked event
Samsung is holding its first Unpacked of 2023 on February 1st — here's what to expect beyond the Galaxy S23.
What to expect from Microsoft's Surface event on October 12th
Microsoft is holding its fall hardware event, and new models of the Surface Pro, Laptop and Studio might be on tap.
What to expect from Google's Pixel 7 event on October 6th
Google is about to hold an event launching the Pixel 7 and Pixel Watch — here's what to expect from those devices.
What to expect from Samsung's August 10th Unpacked event
Samsung is holding a major Unpacked event on August 10th — here's what to expect, including new smartwatches and foldable phones.
What to expect at WWDC 2022
Here's what to expect at WWDC 2022, including a big update to iOS 16 and the possible launch of a new MacBook Air.
There isn't a truly complete Android experience right now
Android manufacturers aren't offering a truly complete experience right now — here's where they've missed the mark, and how they might do better.
What to expect at Google I/O 2022
Here's what you can expect to see at Google I/O 2022 — including Android 13 and possible launches for the Pixel 6a and Pixel Watch.
OnePlus 8T review: More power, more features
The OnePlus 8T is a great choice among the latest crop of flagship phones. It focuses on practicality, speed and, to an extent, value. For some, this will be all they need -- at least until the OnePlus 9 comes along.
Logitech’s Powered 3-in-1 Dock makes a case for premium wireless chargers
Logitech's Powered 3-in-1 Dock may be a pricey wireless charger, but it's worth the premium.
Oppo's Find X2 Pro is a huge, high-spec phone to rival the Galaxy S20 Ultra
Even though Oppo isn't as well-known in the US, chances are you might have come across one of its recent tech demos. This is the brand that brought us the pop-up camera wedge, periscope-based 10x hybrid zoom, under-screen camera, waterfall screen and 65W fast charging, among other things. But when it comes to design, it was the company's Find X which first stood out with its super minimalistic appearance, courtesy of its hidden cameras. It was definitely a one-of-a-kind smartphone. So naturally, phone nerds such as myself have high expectations for its successor, the Find X2 Pro, which is pitched as an "all-round 5G flagship."
OnePlus 7 Pro review: The first true OnePlus flagship
OnePlus can be funny. Sometimes, the company reveals top-notch smartphones with minor flaws. Other times, new devices land with new features that were a flop. The 6T I reviewed earlier this year is a prime example of the latter: OnePlus' first in-display fingerprint reader wasn't very responsive, and even though I was a fan of the dewdrop-notch design, the phone's selfie camera often took blurry shots. Today, OnePlus makes another attempt, and it's more ambitious than ever. For the first time, the company is releasing two flagship models simultaneously: the OnePlus 7 and the larger OnePlus 7 Pro. I've spent the last five days living with the $749 maxed-out OnePlus 7 Pro (with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage), and yes, with its $669 base price, it's the most expensive phone ever from the company. Still, this is easily my favorite OnePlus phone to date, and if all goes well, it may even end up being my favorite smartphone of the year.
How Oppo fit a 10x zoom camera into its 5G phone
Oppo may have already teased its first 5G smartphone in Zurich earlier this month, but today, the company is bringing its entire Reno family -- including the mid-range Reno and the flagship Reno 10x Zoom -- to Europe. This means the Chinese brand will be going head to head with Huawei using its very own 10x hybrid zoom camera outside of its home territory. With the $1,000 Reno 5G leading the party ahead of its May launch, the Reno 10x Zoom follows with a €799 (about $890) base price due in early June, whereas the Reno lands at a more modest €499 ($560) on May 10th.
Razer says software, not hardware, is holding back mobile gaming
In between launching a range of outlandish pink products and affordable accessories so far this year, Razer made the surprising move of abandoning its online game store and mobile team. The latter, in particular, is an awkward move after two generations of Razer Phones, while the likes of ASUS, Xiaomi, Nubia and Vivo are capitalizing on the rapidly growing mobile gaming market. Never one to admit defeat, CEO Min-Liang Tan said this was just part of his company's evolving mobile gaming strategy, with its focus shifted to software as the industry transitions to 5G.
OnePlus 6T review: Trivial changes hamper a great phone
Never missing an opportunity to spread the good word, not only did OnePlus push out the 6T just in time to mark its fifth anniversary but it also released a tantalizing Thunder Purple edition shortly afterward, followed by the limited McLaren Edition with a whopping 10GB of RAM. It wasn't like the company needed this extra marketing ammo; the 6T brought exotic features, like an in-display fingerprint reader and dewdrop notch to the West. It's also the company's first ever tie-in with a US carrier, available on T-Mobile. The biggest question was whether the OnePlus 6T would make a fitting successor to my previous main phone, the OnePlus 6. Back in May, I concluded that the 6 was a very compelling package tagged with an attractive price. It's a hard act to follow. I've since switched to the 6T, and while it does offer some upgrades, there are some new trade-offs, too.
My robot butler dreams are getting closer to reality
The last time I fully interacted with a robot was when ASUS launched the Zenbo back in 2016. As cute as it was, the fact that it lacked arms meant it couldn't exactly help out with everyday tasks. Ironically, two years later Honda discontinued its iconic humanoid robot, Asimo, which painted a grim future for home robots. But not all is lost. Chinese robot maker Ubtech has been developing its own machine with all four limbs, which ended up being the Walker. Here at CES, I got to spend some quality time with this charming robot, and despite the controlled nature of the demo, I got a taste of what life might be like in the near-future.
Google Pixel 3 XL hands-on in Hong Kong -- three days early
With some smartphones, it seems inevitable that the closer the launch date, the more leaky they get. Google's upcoming Pixel 3 series -- due to launch in New York next Tuesday -- is no exception, and I'm speaking as someone who had just gotten up close and personal with a Pixel 3 XL earlier today. I borrowed the phone from Hong Kong mobile shop WahPhone Digital, which is actually offering this fully-boxed device for a mere HK$15,880 or around US$2,030. Ouch.
I tried to beat an overclocking robot and failed
Extreme overclocking is hard. I had my first taste of this delicate hobby at last year's Computex, in which, with a lot of back and forth between pouring liquid nitrogen and torching, I managed to push Intel's 4.2GHz Core i7-7700K processor to an epic 7GHz. Still, I had it easy. Professional overclockers from G.SKILL and HWBOT had set everything up in the first place. Even the pros can find this all a little mundane. EVGA's Vince "Kingpin" Lucido and Illya "Tin" Tsemenko are well-known for their GPU-overclocking records over the years, but they, too, grew tired of the tedious "monkey work," to the point where they decided to build a rig that could overclock itself. The result is the Roboclocker, a PC that can intelligently and efficiently pump liquid nitrogen to both its CPU and GPU. While this may not be the first automatic liquid-nitrogen-overclocking rig, it's the first of its kind to actually break records.
A brief (and depressing) history of gaming phones
ASUS' surprisingly ambitious ROG Phone is a clear sign the company has confidence in the gaming smartphone category. And it wasn't that long ago that the likes of Razer, Xiaomi and Nubia thought they saw an opportunity for a cash grab here. But as history has shown, gaming hardware is risky business, especially a segment this niche. Remember, not even Nokia at the height of its powers could crack the gaming phone equation with its legendary infamous N-Gage. While we wait for the ROG Phone to arrive later this year, let's take a stroll down memory lane and revisit some of its precursors.
OnePlus 6 review: A big step closer to the perfect smartphone
I still remember that day, more than four years ago, when OnePlus came out of nowhere with its promise "to spare no expense" to bring us "the perfect smartphone." Ever since then, the OnePlus handsets have consistently punched above their weight against the other flagships, especially in terms of build quality, performance and value. While the OnePlus 5 and 5T might have looked a little generic, design-wise, the company has upped its game with the OnePlus 6, while hitting pretty much all the checkmarks: the latest specs, better cameras and slick performance, all packaged within a beautiful new glass body. Even with a slightly higher price, starting at $529, the OnePlus 6 is a desirable handset -- and one that can stand toe to toe against the likes of Apple and Samsung this year.
