At a Glance Expert’s Rating Our Verdict Those looking to upgrade from a Nexus 5 will be happy and sad in almost equal measure. The 5X is a fantastic phone overall, with excellent cameras, a good turn of speed and an excellent screen. But it’s noticeably bigger than its predecessor despite the small increase in screen size, it has limited storage compared to the Nexus 6P and it lacks a couple of camera features due to the slower processor....
At a Glance Our Verdict If you want the best of Android in the exact form Google wants it to be, then the Pixel 3 is the phone for you. You’ll get timely security and Android updates and an exquisite camera. But the Galaxy S9 is a popular phone for a reason. The design is debatably slicker, the display is one of the best on a phone, the camera is nearly as good as the Pixel and has a headphone jack....
At a Glance Expert’s Rating Our Verdict The Pixel has plenty going for it: it’s small, well built, speedy and has excellent cameras. It also supports Google’s Daydream VR headset and runs the plain version of Android 7 – complete with Google Assistant – and will get timely updates. But it isn’t waterproof, doesn’t have a microSD slot or stereo speakers and we’d have preferred a quad-HD screen for VR use at this price....
At a glance Expert’s Rating Pros Stunning design Easy to use Smooth performance Packed with features Cons InConsistent battery life Old chipset Lacks proper automatic workout detection No Qi wireless charging Our Verdict The Pixel Watch is an excellent all-rounder for a smartwatch with only small caveats stopping it from getting full marks. This is the Apple Watch for Android. Best Prices Today: Google Pixel Watch Having made a smartwatch operating system for almost a decade, Google finally made its own smartwatch in 2022....
At a Glance Expert’s Rating Our Verdict It’s basic, but the Halfords Assist Hybrid takes the pain out of cycling up hills. Best Prices Today: Assist Hybrid For many people, the prospect of an electric bike for under £400 is a tempting one. Prices usually start at over £500 and many models cost well over £1000, and some a lot more still. But you get what you pay for, so at this low price there are quite a few compromises....
At a Glance Expert’s Rating Our Verdict If you can forgive the lack of a USB hub, and speakers that make sounds like two cans and a piece of string, and the sloppy documentation then this is a terrific gaming monitor. It looks great for starters then offers excellent colours and contrast, and LED illumination and a stand that enables full rotation. Best Prices Today: Hannspree HG324QJB One pitfall that reviewers can fall into is reading product specs like they are the result of forensic examination....
At a Glance Expert’s Rating Pros Capable performance Attractive design Fantastic value Cons No touchscreen Temperamental fingerprint scanner Frustrating webcam Our Verdict The Honor Magicbook 14 comes with an impressive sleek design, a large screen with slim bezels as well as robust performance – it’s hard to believe that this laptop is under £600. Best Prices Today: Honor MagicBook 14 Honor’s first UK laptop is finally here, and it’s a corker....
If your biggest complaint of House of the Dragon season 1 was that it dragged, you’ll be pleased to hear that the opening of the upcoming instalment is the absolute inverse. Season 2 of the Game of Thrones prequel series is not bogged down with exposition, time skips or endless character introductions. Like the heyday of the original show, we’re thrust into action almost immediately with minimal handholding, as the final moments of season 1’s ramifications catch up on the Targaryens and Hightowers....
How to avoid Game of Thrones spoilers: Block spoilers in your social feed There are a few extensions you can use for your browser to block spoilers automatically from your social feed. As you’re often going to have someone spoil the fun with them sharing their thoughts or emotions on social media. Spoiler Shield is a dedicated extension for Google Chrome that hides posts that contain spoilers. If you still want to read someone’s post, you can always do so by revealing the post hidden underneath the Spoiler Shield....
How to block a sender in Gmail The web version of Gmail works the same way on PCs, Macs and Chromebooks. It’s also easy to block people in Gmail in this version. Open your web browser and navigate to Gmail, log in, then find an email by the person or organisation that you wish to silence. With the email open, you’ll see three dots in the top right corner next to the Reply and Star icons....
Why buy from the US? However, there are a few things to bear in mind. Tax Those prices might seem tempting at first glance, but you’ll need to factor in the local sales tax which will be added at the checkout. These vary from state to state, so research is needed before you click on the Buy button. And that isn’t the only tax you need to consider. Any tech item with a value of over £15 that comes into the UK from non-EU countries is liable for VAT, which will be applied when the device reaches Customs....
Do phones have screensavers? The screensavers on modern smartphones are a little different to the ones you may have seen on older PCs. This is because one of the single biggest drains on a device’s battery is the display, so normally this will be shut off as quickly as possible when you’re not using the handset. Android does offer an in-built screensaver that only activates when a device is charging and has the screen turned off....
If you’ve got an iPhone or iPad and want to connect it to your TV, there are a few ways to do so. Whether you want to showcase your holiday snaps, show everyone your mad game skillz or watch your favourite YouTube videos on something larger than a mobile display, we’ve got you covered right here. Use physical cables It’s a handy bit of kit that provides a way for you to connect to any 1080p HDMI-enabled TV, and also comes with a second Lightning input, allowing you to charge your iPhone or iPad whilst using the Lightning port to mirror your display to your TV....
The official release of Android 16 has arrived, but it doesn’t have all the features Google has planned for the mobile operating system. However, developers (and curious tech fans) do have a means of downloading and installing a beta version on compatible phones and tablets. Google might have launched Android 16 (starting with Pixel phones) much earlier than it usually does, ahead of the Pixel 10 phones . However, it’s more like an Android 15....
Crashing and freezes are an almost inevitable part of owning a PC or laptop. Nearly everyone will have experienced an unresponsive screen at some, while the infamous blue screen of death always seems to be just around the corner. Once you do eventually get your device up and running again, it’s important to know what actually caused the issue in the first place. This helps you to prevent something similar from happening in the future....
Animated GIFs are great fun and it’s easy to send them in most messaging apps including Whatsapp , iMessage and Messenger. But what if you want to create your own instead of picking one from a library such as Giphy? Well, it’s surprisingly easy and here we’ll show you step by step how to make a GIF on your iPhone. How can I make my own Giphy? There are several apps you can download that let you record or use existing video for your GIF....
Snapchat is a hugely popular app for smartphones , enabling users to send photos and videos to each other that expire within 10 seconds. Even though Snapchat is a great app that lets you send quick snaps to your mates and look at specialised content via stories, it’s not for everybody, and that’s okay. Here, we’ll show you how to permanently delete your Snapchat account in a few easy steps. Also see: How to update Snapchat and Snapchat Spectacles review...
While you’ve previously had to take the Oculus Quest 2 off to check, an update now allows you to mirror your iPhone notifications and see them in VR, allowing you to quickly check and get back to the action. While it was initially exclusive to iPhone users, Oculus has since pushed out an update that brings the functionality to Android users. So, as long as you have an iPhone or Android and an Oculus Quest 2, here’s how to see your notifications while in VR....
NordVPN allows you to connect up to six devices simultaneously to its service. But if you set up a compatible router to use a VPN connection, then any device that connects to the internet through your router will be using the encrypted connection – no matter how many you have. It also means devices that don’t support VPNs (such as games consoles, or media streamers such as the Apple TV) can get the benefits of unblocking, and all devices – such as smart speakers, security cameras and other smart home gadgets – get that extra layer of security and privacy....
As the main portal for video content online, YouTube is a regular haunt for youngsters who want to keep up with the latest trends, music and vloggers. But, how can you ensure that the content they watch is appropriate for their age? We show you how to set up the built-in parental controls. If you’re worried about the general content they come across online, then consider dedicated parental control software such as Qustodio ....
