So your teen has dropped their phone. Again. Now the camera's not working properly. Or the screen's cracked. Or they did it on purpose to try and get a new one.
They don't deserve a $1000+ replacement.
But maybe there's an alternative that'll keep everyone happy...
Seems like mid-range phones are now offering so many premium features, calling them mid-range is kind of insulting.
The Huawei nova 3e is a classic example.
Technically, this phone is the P20 Lite - but I suspect it's such a good phone, the powers-that-be have decided to re-name it because there's nothing much "lite" about it.
First up, the nova 3e is a really eye-catching device, especially in Klein Blue (also available in Midnight Black) It has metal edges but a glass-covered back which catches the light in the most dazzling way. This mesmerising effect even worked after I fitted the transparent case included in the box.
Although the display is 5.84 inches, which is getting up there, it certainly doesn't feel like a large phone in your hand, due mostly to the narrow bezels and lack of physical buttons on the front. This all results in a very good screen to body ratio, enhanced further by the increasingly popular "notch" design at the top of the display.
This is the first time I've encountered the notch on a phone in this price range, but it seems to be becoming the norm. I didn't love it at first, but I have to concede you may as well stick your notification bar up there so you can use the rest of your screen for more interesting things. Like some (but not all) other phones with notches, you can choose to blank it out if it's not for you.
The nova 3e sports 64GB of built-in storage, which again is quite unusual for a sub-$500 handset. This is expandable up to 256GB with the addition of a microSD card. While we're talking numbers, the 4GB of RAM seems to keep things ticking along nicely and although the Kirin 659 processor isn't the most powerful Huawei has to offer, overall my user experience was pretty smooth. Things started to get a little clunky if I was really pushing the envelope - for example, streaming video while downloading other files, but nothing like the freezes and crashes I've endured on other "lite" versions of flagship phones I've reviewed in the past.
While there are few mid-range phones with fingerprint sensors, the nova 3e is the first one I've come across with facial recognition. What's more, it works and it works fast. Just like the much higher-priced P20, the face unlock even functions in landscape, which is great for me because that's how I have it positioned in my car holder. One small hint for new users of this device - if you've activated facial recognition, the phone will hide the content of any notifications on your lock-screen. Don't panic, this can be changed in the face lock settings, although it took me a fair amount of Googling to figure out.
Other than that, the EMUI-over-Android 8.0 user interface will be pretty familiar to previous Huawei users, with a choice of an iPhone-style all icon home screen, or the more logical app-drawer configuration. As usual with Huawei, battery optimisation is pretty damn aggressive and you might find some apps you want to keep running in the background keep turning off automatically. Like the lock-screen notifications, there is a setting for this but again, it's not easy to find. Type "ignore battery" into the settings search box and you'll figure it out from there.
While this is a medium-sized handset with a medium-sized battery, I found there was still plenty of charge left by the end of the day and the more-modern Type-C USB charging cable is another bonus that sets the nova 3e apart from many other devices in the mid-range pack.
The camera configuration is yet another feature of the nova 3e that belies its price-tag. For starters, this time last year only top-of-the-line phones offered dual-lens rear-facing cameras. Even then, only a few did. Now this $499 device can take some seriously crisp shots from distance in relatively low light. Obviously we're not talking the market-leading, A.I. assisted performance of the tri-lensed P20 Pro, but I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the photos from this phone compared to any other I've tried in this price bracket. While some camera operations were a little slow to react, functions like the instant shot you can take by double-pressing the down volume key worked in under a second.
As for the selfie lens, you can't really ask for more than the nova 3e's 16MP camera, with plenty of portrait effects and filters on offer.
Not hard to understand why demand for phones like these is expanding exponentially - Spark tells me the mid-range market has doubled in size over the last four months alone.
If you're part of that growing crowd, make sure you take a good look at the Huawei nova 3e - there aren't many high-end features missing but there are certainly many hundreds missing off the price.
Click here for more information and pricing on the Huawei nova 3e
Just when you were getting used to the idea Nokia is back on the New Zealand market with the very reliable and good-value Nokia 6.1 - they've released another option...
The Nokia 7 plus is even more striking than the 6.1 with the same copper highlights but a much wider copper band right round the edge of the device. It's probably a matter of personal preference, but I find this a real touch of class and it certainly makes the phone stand out beside other boring-black or all-gold competitors.
Like the 6.1, the 7 plus is molded from a solid block of aluminum and it also has that heritage feel of durability we've all associated with Nokia devices over the years. I haven't dropped it on a snowy European road like they do in the promotional video on the Nokia website, but it certainly feels like it would survive a little bit of rough treatment.
What's more, there's a clear case included in the box. Normally I wouldn't make to much of this, but it's actually a very well-designed case that still manages to show off the Nokia 7 plus' unique copper accents.
One thing accented in copper is the camera, which, as you can see from the image above, is actually two things. Yes, the 7 plus boasts a Zeiss dual-lens rear camera configuration which takes great photos inside and out. The camera setup is designed to achieve a better low-light result, and also offers an effect called "Live Bokeh", which lets you adjust the amount of blur on the parts of your picture you're not focused on.
Once focused on your subject, you also have the option to adjust the brightness of the shot - this worked well enough, although I didn't find the on-screen slider control very responsive. I took some really good pics with this camera and the bokeh is both easy and fun to use, as demonstrated below...
The selfie camera is a significant upgrade over the 6.1 too - twice the MegaPixels and it seemed to perform better in low light too. The beauty effect didn't make me unnaturally beautiful, even when wound all the way up. This is a relief because it's a feature that can be overly aggressive on many other handsets. "Live Bokeh" is available on this camera too, along with the "Bothie" option the Nokia 6.1 introduced us to - a side by side picture or video featuring shots from both forward and rear-facing cameras at once. The major photographic limitation here is zoom quality - neither of those dual-lenses are telescopic, so once you get past 3X or so, your close-ups start to lose quality.
Again, as the 7 plus also runs on the androidone operating system, the Google virtual assistant seems ready and waiting at all times. Today I've asked it for the opening hours at the local Farmers and what the Warriors score was - I got an instant and correct response both times. I've also found the Google virtual assistant invaluable this week as a text scanner - there have been several times when I needed to send or print a document I only had in hard copy. Not a problem for the virtual assistant. It recognised the text in photos and screen shots so I could copy it and distribute accordingly. I've used Samsung's Bixby Vision the same way, but my impression is Google is faster and more accurate.
The speaker on the bottom edge is far more powerful than the one on the Nokia 6.1, and I'm actually quite enjoying Charlie Puth's new album through it as I write this - it's pretty loud and seems to have a reasonably wide frequency response.
As you'd expect, you get more processing power with the 7 plus, and while the 6.1 ran smoothly enough (probably due in part to the stripped back androidone OS) there's a noticeable increase in sheer grunt with this one. The whole phone is bigger, of course - it's a 6" display with the more modern 18:9 aspect ratio. It doesn't feel bulky though, as the edges are more rounded than on the 6.1. You get twice the storage with the 7 plus too - 64GB plus whatever you want to add into the microSD slot.
What really blew me away was the battery life. Due to some complicated work commitments, I was up at 2am yesterday and when I hit the hay at around 10pm, I noticed the battery percentage was still at 55%. That's after being connected to a smart watch all day, not to mention several hours playing bluetooth audio via my car stereo and earbuds. That's up there with some of the best performing handsets I've reviewed.
In fact, everything about the Nokia 7 plus stacks up with the high-end big name phones; it looks good, it's powerful and runs smoothly, has plenty of storage and amazing battery life. No, the camera is not the absolute best on the market, but it still takes great pics. Meanwhile, the Google virtual assistant may well be the most useful I've tried.
Sadly, unlike early Nokia smart phones, there's no wireless charging option and there's no IP rating listed on the spec sheet, so it's probably not very waterproof.
Taking those minor pitfalls into account, this is still a $1200 phone, no question. The good news is; it's only $699.
Click here for more information and pricing on the Nokia 7 plus...
I have a confession to make. My first smart phone was a Nokia. That's not the confession. The confession is; I really loved that phone.
In those days, Nokia was using a Windows O.S. which actually worked really well, but made Android and iOS users laugh at me because there was very little content available in terms of apps.
A shame really, because the phone was solid, reliable and had a fantastic camera.
Things have changed. Nokia is back...
The moment I picked the Nokia 6.1 up out of its box, I was reminded of that first smart phone experience all over again. As usual, Nokia has constructed a handset that feels durable - tough even - yet looks modern and elegant.
The brushed aluminium unibody is a welcome relief from the fingerprint-fest of some of the other all-glass devices around at the moment, while the contrasting copper edges are just... styley as.
Yes, I really like the look and feel of this phone. The question is, can Nokia still come up with a device that performs as well as the other big brands in this price range?
The Nokia 6.1 boasts the latest in processing technology and 3GB of ram seems plenty to keep it ticking along nicely.
While it's essentially just another Android phone, the 6.1 comes with Android 8.1.0 straight out of the box, which is pretty much unheard of for a device in this price bracket.
The U.I. itself is called androidone, and the Nokia 6.1 is the first phone to offer it in New Zealand.
Essentially, androidone is about the most stripped-down interface you could ask for, with nothing but the basic suite of Google apps pre-installed. The phone is a veritable blank slate, waiting for you to set it up the way that suits you best, almost an anti-iPhone in a way.
For example, the default home screen, which is basically a new version of Google's Now Launcher, offers 6 different choices of icon shape alone. Obviously I chose squircles, because squircle is just the coolest word ever.
This simple but effective U.I. works smoothly and quickly - apps won't fire up with quite the lightning speed you'll experience on those $1000+ flagship phones, but the Nokia 6.1 certainly isn't far behind, and features like multi-window are only one long press away. While the 5.5" display isn't huge, it's plenty big enough to make the most of two apps at once.
There's a couple of big advantages with the Nokia 6.1 running androidone. The update policy, (Google guarantees at least two years of updates) and unlimited high quality photo storage on Google Photos - something pretty useful given there is only 32GB of built-in storage. (Although this can be expanded via micro SD)
So far I've found battery life to be good, without being great - despite Google's claims androidone works hard to keep prevent apps draining power in the background. The good news is a fast charger is included in the box and it connects via USB Type-C - more flagship features at the Nokia 6.1's midrange price.
I've also been impressed by the bluetooth connectivity - speakers, cars, watches, earbuds, everything paired easily and stayed connected reliably.
The fingerprint sensor is not as accurate or as fast as I would like, but at least it's in the right place - in the middle on the back.
The camera setup seems to be the major compromise on this handset. I really struggled to take consistently high-quality shots, with either the rear or front facing cameras. Ironically, the camera interface is perhaps too stripped back and I found I was missing easily accessible settings like selective focus and brightness controls. I was surprised because the cameras are Carl Zeiss designed and admittedly, some photos were crisp and clear, but it was a bit hit and miss.
However...
There were two photo features I hadn't encountered before - you can take "bothies" with the Nokia 6.1, a side-by side shot that uses both cameras at once. This feature is available for both stills and video, so you can capture your reaction while you capture someone else's.
The other unusual photographic trick really took me by surprise, literally as I was writing this review. I just got a notification from Google Photos telling me it had created a "Stylized Photo" for me. Apparently, the Google Photos Assistant wasn't satisfied with this photo...
So it created this one for me instead...
Definitely more Instagrammable. Thanks again Google. You're amazing... and a bit scary.
In spite of those pictorial surprises, if a high quality camera is your main priority, this is not the phone for you. On the other hand, if you're on a bit of a budget but you're looking for a handset with the processing power to run your favourite apps, that looks pretty stylish as well, Nokia is the old name in phones with a new-look Android device. The Nokia 6.1 is only $499, incredible value for what's under the hood. What's more, Spark has interest-free and complimentary headphone deals to really launch this device with a bang.
Still not convinced? The Nokia 7 plus is on the way - with a bigger screen, bigger battery, more processing power and yes, an extra camera lens. I'll be reviewing that one for you in a couple of weeks' time.
Click here for more information and pricing on the Nokia 6.1
As one of the first phone-makers to give us a dual-lens camera, it makes sense Huawei would be happy to whack a third lens on there.
The question is; does more mean more?...
Let's start with the camera, because it isn't just one point of difference, it's actually a whole suite of differences.
The P20 Pro from Huawei features the most ambitious Leica rear-facing lens configuration to date, with a 20MP monochrome lens for contrast and detail, an unheard-of 40MP RGB lens to capture everything else and an 8MP telephoto lens which means the clearest, most powerful zoom I've ever seen on a phone camera.
Once again, thanks to the same Kirin 970 processor found in last year's Mate 10 series, Huawei has created an AI-driven device that combines images from each of those three rear-facing lenses to create picture quality most people wouldn't have thought possible just a year or two ago. Traditional challenges for camera-phones like low light, distance and movement have been swept aside in Huawei's new AI ecosystem and best of all, you don't even have to think about it, the P20 Pro does the thinking for you. There are now 19 different scenarios the camera recognises automatically, from food shots to waterfalls. If you're shooting a portrait, not only will the camera instantly sense this, it will re-frame the subject (or subjects) itself to make sure everyone's in the middle - even if you're a bit off balance when you take the shot.
Oh, this phone is smart alright.
As I've already mentioned, the zoom on the P20 Pro is ground-breaking - 5X before any noticable digital noise. I could easily do a whole review just on the camera alone and I haven't even mentioned the selfie-cam yet. This is a healthy 24MP and while it is only a single lens, it still takes very nice bokeh shots and the reasonably wide f/2.0 aperture means excellent results, even in dark conditions. (If things are really dark, the camera white-outs the screen to create an effective flash)
Huawei has a few new video tricks up its sleeve too, including AI Image Stabilisation and 960fps Super Slow Motion.
Given the new corner-centric position of the rear-facing tri-lens camera, you could be forgiven for thinking this phone is only about the photos. The Huawei and Leica branding on the back is printed to be read in landscape and when you hold the phone that way, it looks just like a digital camera.
But the P20 Pro is so much more than a camera.
The body is constructed from several layers of curved, toughened glass, creating a premium, luxurious finish. Unfortunately, Huawei is only releasing the black and midnight blue variants in the New Zealand market. Internationally there are pink/gold and twilight options that actually appear to transform from one colour to another. In saying that the blue is pretty enough.
While all that glass is beautiful to look at, and to hold, this is perhaps the most fingerprint-prone phone I've ever handled, so you might want to keep a cleaning cloth handy. It's also damned slippery. Don't tell Huawei, but I've dropped this thing several times already - luckily not over concrete and not from any great height... yet. I must get a case for it. (There's one included in the box of course)
Also in the box, a set of USB-C earphones and a USB-C headphone adapter - that's right; no more headphone jack here. I know this upsets some people but as a bluetooth earbud wearer, it doesn't bother me at all.
Other than the sheer beast-like power of the processor I've already alluded to, battery life is another department where the P20 Pro absolutely smashes it. Although the handset is slim and light, there's a 4000mHa battery in there somewhere. It may charge super fast, but it will easily last you all day, if not two.
The 6.1 inch OLED display is a little weird because of the notch. If you don't know what the notch is yet, you will, as more and more manufacturers decide to extend their screens up and around the front-facing camera. This really only affects where the notification icons show and if you decide you don't like it, you can hide it using the display settings.
Other than the selfie-cam, you'll find a tiny speaker in that notch too. This is combined with the more conventionally-placed bottom speaker to create a stereo effect when the P20 Pro is held sideways. At maximum volume, this setup is certainly loud enough to stop a conversation and the sound quality is actually comparable to some of the small bluetooth speakers I've tried.
The facial unlock on this thing is a revelation. You can set the lock screen to appear as soon as you pick up the phone. Not only is the face-scanner crazy fast, but it even works in dark conditions. That's right, not just dim, dark. Amazingly, just the illumination from the P20 Pro's own screen provides enough light for it to recognise your face.
When I was at the P20 launch recently, I complained to the Huawei team about how face-unlocking is all well and good until your phone is in landscape position as it is in my car's phone cradle. They agreed it would be good for it to work in both profiles. What I (and apparently they) didn't realise is on the P20 Pro, it does. Now if we could just get the home screen and lock screen to rotate to landscape too, we'd really be getting somewhere.
At $1299 the P20 Pro is certainly up there in the premium handset dollar range, but given its highest of high-end specifications, that price is still hundreds less than most of its big brand competitors. Given the fact it out-performs these other phones in vital areas like battery-life and photography features, you can rest assured your money would be well spent.
Click here for more information on the Huawei P20 Pro
With the recent launch of the Galaxy S9 and S9+, Samsung has re-established itself as the innovation leader in the world of smart phones.
Apple has tried to play catch-up with last year's overpriced iPhone X, but until there's a serious overhaul of the iOS, it still looks disturbingly similar to the first one from 2007.
Other manufacturers have made big strides in features like waterproofing, wireless charging, speaker quality, dual-lens photography, A.I. and processor speed. Samsung has either led the charge on these advances or incorporated them into its flagship handsets.
But not everyone has $1500 to spend on a phone...
This phone is $899 and it really does stack up against the $700 more expensive Galaxy S9+... Surprise; Samsung makes this one too.
The Samsung Galaxy A8+ has so many "flagship" features, not only does it completely outshine most other competitors in this price range, you'd have to seriously ask yourself why you'd fork out the extra for an S9 or Note8.
The A8+ is powerful, fast, has great battery life - it's even IP68 water and dust resistant... so... what's wrong with it?
To be honest, its only major fault is purely cosmetic. The A8+ is not going to win any smart phone beauty contests.
It's not that it's bad looking, it's just not good looking. Unlike the curvy-edged S9 and S9+, the A8+ has a much more conventional, boxy feel and because of its large 6" screen, it's not the most comfortable device to hold in one hand. Of course, it's not really fair to compare any phone to the super sexy S-series models, but there's no escaping the heavier, thicker sensation.
There are some other physical features I found just weird. Firstly, I was completely stumped when I tried to install my sim card. I popped out the tray and found there was only a slot for a microSD card - the space for the sim was filled in. On further inspection, I discovered there's a completely separate sim tray towards the bottom of the left-hand side. I've seen side-by-side trays before, but never at opposite ends of the phone.
The other bit of strangeness is on the right-hand edge of the device - that's where you'll find the speaker. Most phones play out of a speaker at the bottom, while the S9's sport an amazing stereo setup that converts the earpiece into a left-side speaker when holding the device in landscape.
The A8+ is different again - hold it in landscape (as you would when watching video) and that oddly placed speaker starts making more sense as it is now on top. It's still only mono, but boy does it blast out at high volume. From what I've heard from the Samsung devices I've used since they partnered up with Harman, the AKG-tuned speaker arrays are a noticeable cut above the rest.
You'll also get the latest in bluetooth connectivity, which a means better quality, more powerful signal. Speaking of connectivity, unlike many other devices in this mid-price field, the A8+ also boasts NFC so you can paywave with this phone, no problem.
I pushed the A8+ pretty hard, connecting to multiple accessories simultaneously, running several apps at once and it never even stuttered - in fact, it purred. So whatever it lacks in good looks, it more than makes up for it under the hood.
Oh, did I mention the dual-lens selfie camera? That's right - the A8+ even has a feature the S9's don't. While the 16MP rear-facing camera is solid enough, I did find it struggled a bit in low light. So you might want to consider turning your phone around for those really important shots, because the dual-lens configuration on the front facing camera results in great selfies inside or out - even of me! Two lenses mean you can create that genuine blurry-background bokeh effect we've all come to know and love. This camera lets you adjust exactly how much blur you'd like on each shot.
While the rear-facing camera didn't wow me indoors, it did surprise me with a few cool tricks like Food Mode, Hyperlapse Video (creating fun time-lapse vids for Instagram) and a new video stabilisation technology Samsung calls VDIs which compensates a little for my terrible filming technique.
Sadly, the A8+ doesn't charge wirelessly.
That's it. That seems to be the only thing this phone doesn't do.
Facial recognition?
Yup.
Retina unlock?
No. Okay, two things then.
And at the moment it's only running Android 7.1.1... but to be honest... I'm not sure I can tell the difference!
Admittedly, you only get 32GB of onboard storage, so that dedicated microSD tray might come in handy after all.
However, when you add it all up, the A8+ is really only about $200 less of a phone than its S9 cousins, but you'll be charged much, much less than that.
By the way - the standard A8 does all that too, it's just a bit smaller (and yes, even cheaper)
Click here for more information and pricing on the Samsung Galaxy A8+
I would normally never do this... When I'm reviewing a device, it's usually my policy to use it like an everyday, normal person would, preferably for at least a couple of weeks, before passing judgement.
When it comes to the best phone in the world, sometimes you have to make an exception...
As far as I'm concerned, Samsung’s been leading the pack for several years now, with both the S and Note series. Granted, the more flammable Note7 wasn't perfect, but overall, the flagship handsets from Samsung have pioneered advances in screen technology, wireless charging, water and dust resistance and camera quality.
I'm breaking my routine and publishing this review on the day the Galaxy S9 and S9+ have been launched because I was lucky enough to have a brief sneaky peek at these new devices before they actually go on sale in a few weeks' time. Although I only had about an hour to play with them, some of the new features made such an impact on me, I thought I'd give you my take which may be of assistance if you're considering pre-ordering a shiny new S9 or S9+.
Available in black, blue and for the first time, lilac (which I can assure you, is definitely not pink) the latest models in the Samsung Galaxy line are again the most beautiful phones I've ever seen. The (by now) trademark curved edges of the all glass front and back, now recess slightly into the bezel making the S9's easier to grip than their predecessors. Like the S8's, the fingerprint sensor is still on the back but to placate last year's moaners, it's been centered to a more sensible position below the camera instead of beside it - so no more accidental fingerprint smudges on your camera lens.
The camera features wider aperture capabilities than ever before - right down to F1.5 in fact, which as far as I am aware makes it the widest aperture lens currently available. This should mean the best low-light shots ever seen from a smart phone and while I didn't have the opportunity to try it out myself, I saw some very nice shots taken in near darkness that certainly looked the goods. If you prefer a dual-lens configuration, you'll have to go for the larger S9+. For some reason, I assume budget, the S9 has just the single rear-facing lens although it seems to offer most of the same photo-functionality as its big brother.
One of the new, and perhaps the most exciting photographic features is Super Slow-Mo video recording. This means you can create your own GIFs that transition from normal time to slow-motion and back again effortlessly. I had a good play around with this feature and it's the real deal. Think capturing that kid crossing the finish line, blowing out the birthday candles or throwing a bucket of water over your dad - the S9's can easily record these moments in Super Slow-Mo and then they are instantly shareable.
While you're sharing things, you might want to create your own AR Emoji - one selfie is all it takes to convert your image into an animated 3D avatar that can be attached to messages or sent in a variety of emoji GIFs. Personally, I hate emojis... but I have to admit - when they look a bit like me and they blow kisses, cry tears of laughter or have bright ideas, they're a lot more fun.
This facial scanning technology also lends itself to an enhanced facial unlock, which combined with the retina scanner makes for a more reliable and secure phone all round.
For the first time, thanks to its recent partnership with Harman audio, Samsung now introduces AKG-tuned stereo speakers to make the most of what you're watching or listening to. The result is genuinely loud and crisp, perhaps the best I've heard from phone speakers to date. Although there's also a very nice pair of AKG earbuds included in the box, I imagine there'll be situations when you won't even plug them in and choose to use the speakers instead, especially watching Netflix etc - the sound really is that good.
Some things haven't changed much since the S8's of May last year. Both versions are more or less the same size as their 2017 counterparts (within a millimetre or so). The screen sizes remain the same; 5.8inches for the S9 and 6.2inches on the S9+. Unusually, the battery size hasn't changed either, although because the S9's now feature a faster, more intelligent processor, the team at Samsung assure me they're getting better performance from the battery than ever - obviously, there was no way for me to test this in the hour I had with the devices so we'll just have to wait and see.
There are a few software tweaks I like too; you can now pin multi-tasking shortcuts to the homescreen (previously you could only do this with the edge-screen) This means you can open two apps at once, eg: browser and email. What I've only just discovered though, is you an also open the same app twice. Why? How about moving files from one folder to another? It's a lot easier to do if you have both those folders open on a split-screen. Yes, the processing power of these new phones rivals a more conventional desktop PC experience. What's more, both models come in 256GB variants with the option to expand that storage via microSD. There are now 400GB microSD cards on the market, so potentially these phones can hold over 650GB of stuff. That's better than most laptops. Crazy.
Samsung's virtual assistant, Bixby is also being constantly refined. I already find Bixby's voice and text recognition capabilities indispensable, but the latest version has been pimped up to perform even more clever tricks, like helping you find nearby points of interest just by holding the camera up, translating foreign text in real time and even giving you the weather by pointing your phone skywards.
As I have mentioned, I haven't used these phones long enough to share the full experience, but even this small taste pretty much blew my mind. As usual.
Whether you choose the S9 or S9+, no matter what your previous phone was, I'm already convinced these handsets will not disappoint.
Click here for more information and pricing on the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+
There's no denying it, you no longer have to pay big-brand prices for a phone with premium features. But can you get all the features for under $1000?
OPPO's latest handset takes a pretty good run at it...
Whether you choose black, champagne or red, the OPPO R11s is unarguably one of the most attractive phones on the market. The brushed metal finish, curved lines and narrow bezel all combine to produce a truly first-class look. As usual with OPPO devices, this phone stops you in your tracks with its feather-light and super-slim feel.
If it seems like I'm starting this review pretty hot straight out of the blocks, that's because the first impression the R11s gives is one of sheer luxury. Like the R11 from a few months ago, it's hard not to compare the look of this phone with the latest Apple handsets - especially now OPPO has moved its fingerprint sensor round to the back (the best place for it) and eliminated the physical home button (which wasn't even a button, just a place to rest your finger) altogether. This means the front of the R11s is pretty much all screen.
That fingerprint sensor has to be one of the fastest out there and you can now choose to unlock the device via facial recognition too. I'd seen some comments about the facial recognition being a bit fiddly to set up, but I had the opposite experience (or is that the OPPOsite experience?) I was mucking around with the phone settings just after I'd taken it out of the box. I looked down at the phone and discovered it was unlocked. I could have sworn I'd put a lock code on it by that stage, then I realised I'd also set up my facial recognition almost without even trying. It was working, and working instantly. Impressive, considering I was sitting in a dimly lit hotel bar.
It's that kind of premium-level functionality that makes the R11s feel like it's worth about $1000 more than what they're charging for it. The processor is fast and powerful which means apps download, install and run quickly and smoothly. While this is an Android phone (running Android 7.1) OPPO's ColorOS 3.2 provides a user interface that's probably more familiar to iPhone users. Quick settings like sound, WiFi, bluetooth, mobile data and brightness are all accessed with a swipe-up from the bottom of the screen, which is how Apple's iOS does it. A swipe from the top gives you access to any app notifications. For some reason you can't just swipe these away, you have to swipe, then delete.
Another way ColorOS 3.2 mimics iOS is the default launcher configuration, with any newly installed apps just loading their icons onto the home screen, creating new pages ad infinitum as required. This is of course messy, inefficient and stupid, but Apple cult members might find it reassuring. The rest of us normal people can easily install an alternative launcher with a proper app drawer or just go with Google Launcher as it is already installed out of the box.
Still just the single speaker at the bottom of the handset, but I found this surprisingly loud and clear. Bluetooth connectivity was also strong, loud and clear - not to mention reliable, be it in the car, or paired with speakers or earphones.
So what doesn't the R11s do? There must be some limitations for it to be retailing under $800...Well for starters, it's not water or dust resistant. This didn't really bother me at first as I'm not the person in our house with a history of toilet-dropping when it comes to phones. However... my heart did skip a beat the other day when I stopped to take a picture of the shark that had washed up on our local beach and then immediately proceeded to drop the R11s face down on the wet sand. I picked it up to discover the screen was now completely covered in clumps of damp beach. Obviously I didn't want to risk scratching the screen by wiping it on my shorts, but due to its lack of waterproofness, I couldn't run it under the tap either. Tricky. Thankfully, the R11s comes with a factory-fitted screen protector which probably helped mitigate any damage that may have been caused by my klutziness.
The R11s does not charge wirelessly. Now, this is something I'm always banging on about because personally, I love wireless charging. My constant moaning about how slow most manufacturers are to adopt it has pretty much been falling on deaf ears and I have a theory why; wireless charging might be one of those features you don't realise you're going to love until you have it. Of course, now the cult-leaders at Apple have finally put a phone out that charges wirelessly, maybe the trend will change. In defence of the R11s, it does charge incredibly quickly, using OPPO's VOOC Flash Charger (included). At 3205mAh, the battery provides plenty of oomph for a whole day or more, probably due in part to the somewhat aggressive powersaving proccessess the R11s runs in the background by default. While many phones will politely ask you if you'd like to put idle apps to sleep or keep them running behind the scenes, the R11s treats most apps as battery-hungry demons that must be killed off the moment they're not being actively used. You can change this in the battery settings menu but I'll admit, it's a bit of a hassle. One more slight charging niggle, the R11s still uses microUSB instead of the newer, reversible Type-C connector. Not a major, but it does mean a bit more fiddling around with the cord.
Final fancy feature the R11s is missing? NFC. You won't be able to tap'n'go with this one. Again, not exactly essential, but if, like me, you've become accustomed to leaving your wallet at home and waving your phone at the supermarket checkout, it's a bit of a pain.
Of course, OPPO has always proudly labelled their handsets as "Camera Phones" and once again, with the R11s you're getting a first-rate camera configuration at a mid-range price. While other brands use two lenses with different apertures to make the most of the rear-facing camera, OPPO's 16 and 20megapixel lenses have the same aperture. I have no idea how these things are supposed to work, but certainly there's a noticeable improvement in terms of low-light shots when compared with last year's R11.
The dual rear camera also offers an impressive 10X zoom - although at the maximum setting, there's a lot of noise and the pictures are not particularly clear. Generally, the pictures I took, either outside or indoors came out very clear and well defined, if a little dull. While some phones I've used recently seem to add too much colour, I felt the R11s could brighten things up just a tad. Playing around with the expert settings certainly helped with some of these issues and the panorama option works extremely well.
The portrait settings on both the rear and forward-facing cameras are probably the highlight. If I thought the R11 selfies were the best I'd ever seen, the R11s takes it a step further, now using Artificial Intelligence to compare each facial shot with millions of others to make small improvements. Even my ugly mug suddenly becomes almost viewable.
Other than the lack of wireless charging, NFC and water/dust-proofing, the R11s impresses in every other department. Even the 64GB of internal storage is more than you might bargain for in an $800 phone - and unlike an iPhone, you can expand that storage out to a whopping 256GB.
It really is hard to justify paying over $2000 for Apple's latest top-of-the-line handset when OPPO's R11s delivers almost all the same features for way under half the price. And it comes in red. I mean, come on.
Click here for more information on the OPPO R11s
