OPPO Reno 16 Pro and OPPO Bubble - Come for the Phone. Stay for the Whacky Accessory

There are two things I think of straight away when I hear the name OPPO; firstly, great camera phones. Secondly, fearless innovation.

For as long as I've been reviewing OPPO phones, they've always had a camera-first philosophy, frequently out-performing more "established" brands when it comes to photographic accomplishments.

On the innovation side of things, we often see OPPO releasing "concept devices" - unusual configurations of folding or rolling displays and of course, outside-the-box camera advances.

The first pop-up camera I ever saw was on an OPPO. And the first time I heard of a "periscope camera" - that was on an OPPO too.

So when I get the OPPO-tunity to review one of their new devices, I'm usually pretty keen. Even when that device isn't a phone. Or indeed, like any other device I've ever used...

OPPO's new Reno 16 range features a couple of extremely capable handsets that stack up very well against other options in their respective price ranges - NZ$1,199.00 for the more mid-tier Reno 16 F and NZ$1,799.00 for the fairly flagship Reno 16 Pro I'm reviewing here today.

I use the quantifier, "fairly" because strictly speaking, OPPO's Find range is supposed to be the flagship selection while the Renos are usually a step down, specs-wise.

However, the Reno 16 Pro certainly blurs that line with its scintillating 6.3-inch, Crystal Guard AMOLED display, capable of a 144Hz refresh rate (depending on the game you're playing), 512GB internal storage, 12GB of RAM and 6000mAh battery - one of the largest you'll find in a phone this compact.

As for the camera array, that deserves its own paragraph.

Not only do you get a whopping 50MP front-facing camera, capable of shooting selfie videos in 4K HDR, but the rear module teams a 50MP Ultra-Wide sensor with a 50MP telescopic lens that allows you to click off 3.5x optical zoom shots and up to 120x digitally. This is capped off with a 200MP main wide shooter that provides enough high-res clarity for you to edit and crop however you want without losing any of its stunning precision.

There are, of course, a host of AI-powered filters and effects, which can be applied before or after shooting.

Like I always say, when OPPO makes a phone, they really make a camera with a phone attached.

But what if you could attach an extra screen as well?

With the advent and swift evolution of the folding phone in recent years, the ability to take selfies or to record and stream selfie videos using the primary camera array has become common practice. All folding phones (and OPPO's own Find N6 is no exception) allow you to use the outer display as a preview screen while making the most of the main camera for portraits, group shots, live vlogs and more.

Boy, those folding phones cost a pretty penny though. And many of them don't actually have a camera setup as good as the one on the Reno 16 Pro anyway.

Which is why OPPO has found a way to bring you the best of both worlds.

The OPPO Bubble is essentially just a second display for your phone - one just for previewing your photos and videos with. Now, unless you skip ahead to my amateurish demonstration in the video below, this may be a hard thing to get your head around, so I'll try and break it right down.

The Bubble is literally just a circular AMOLED touchscreen that pairs with a phone like the Reno 16 Pro via the OPPO Bubble app. Once paired, you swipe to open it - just like a phone screen - and launch the phone's camera app. At this point, you're technically controlling the phone's camera by remote control - from many metres away if you like, which could be handy for a scenic selfie you might want to shoot from distance.

But to help you really use it as a second screen for your phone, OPPO has included an adhesive magnetic ring in the box. Stick this to the back of the Reno 16 Pro (or the case that comes with it) and you can then magnetise the Bubble to the back of the handset just like any other magnetic accessory. Now you can preview what your main camera is seeing, effectively turning that 200MP high-res sensor into one of the most powerful selfie-cams you've ever used.

Unfortunately, while the magnet is strong, it's not quite as strong as I'd like and I have ended up dropping the bubble on a number of occasions - once on an outdoor walking path, leaving a sizeable gash in its edge.

It's probably for this reason OPPO has also included a case with its own key-chain in the Bubble's box too - although, there's a slight design flaw here as well; the Bubble case is not magnetic and the magnetic ring itself is not strong enough to penetrate the case and stick to the Bubble when the case is on. Whoops.

That's all a convenience thing though. What I can assure you is that technically, the Bubble works exactly as it should, immediately opening up a whole new world of more professional selfie options.

For example, as you'll see from the video, I'm now able to shoot ultra-stable, HDR 4K action movies, basically by remote control.

Oh, and you can load it up with a virtual pet of your choice, so there's something fun on the super-clear, 1.7-inch circular display when you're not using it with your camera.

See? Another classic example of the OPPO design team coming up with an unusual solution to a common challenge.

For anyone who loves to take pics on the run, who loves to stream, or who just wants to be able to catch any spontaneous moment that arises in the best quality possible, the Reno 16 Pro / Bubble combo has got to be a winner.

Even without the Bubble, the Reno 16 Pro is an attractive option for someone looking to upgrade from mid-tier to upper end, while stopping well short of the $2k mark. 

Is it perfect? Not quite. I've found, despite its large battery cell, it still finishes out the day without an overly impressive amount of juice in the tank. It's definitely not a two-days-without-charging kind of a phone.

And annoyingly, OPPO has skimped on wireless charging here, as usual. You'll have to graduate fully to the Find Series if that's as much of a dealbreaker for you as it is for me. At least you'll find a very speedy SuperVOOC charger and cable in the box.

Other than those two tiny niggles, it's a pretty great little handset. The camera is crazy good. There's plenty of processing power and storage and the Pop White option I reviewed is actually pretty fun to look at too. 

As for the Bubble? Turning your main camera into a selfie shooter for under $300? Sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

Click here for more information and pricing on the OPPO Reno 16 Pro.

Click here for more information and pricing on the OPPO Bubble.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra - New Name the Biggest Change

How would you feel if you were the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra?

Your original model brought the whole concept of bendy screens to the global market. You've slowly but steadily been improved, streamlined and updated every year since. And now some Flash Harry new phone comes along and everybody's suddenly wanting a shorter, fatter phone than you.

Not very fair, is it?

So, just to recap if you're still confused (I know I am); the original name in folding phones has changed. The 2026 version of last year's Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 is the Z Fold8 Ultra, not to be confused with the Z Fold8, the more traditional name which has been seconded by the new form-factor phone I reviewed last week.

Being significantly taller when closed, the Ultra has more screen real estate when opened - a full 8-inches compared to the 7.6-inch inner display of the Z Fold8. This might be reason enough for many users to stick with the more tried and true design.

If you think the all the talk of multi-tasking on a foldable screen is just that; talk - I can testify to using a fold this way on many occasions. In fact, I've even typed entire reviews just like this one on Galaxy Z Fold devices, having different windows open simultaneously so I can refer to specs and features on other web pages while I write on my own.

In the past, I've even paired a small mouse and a foldable keyboard to use this kind of phone as a sort of micro-mini-PC when travelling. You think I'm kidding? Although the "base" Z Fold8 Ultra starts with 256GB of internal storage and 12GB of RAM, you can opt for a 1TB device with 16GB of RAM - that's more than most people's desktops offer.

Which might be why that top-end device carries one of the most exorbitant price tags I've ever seen on a phone; NZ$4,699.00. So if you're the kind of person who likes to own the most expensive phone in the room, that's another reason to choose the Ultra.

As with its more squat young sibling, Samsung has given this year's foldables a sweet durability upgrade by applying a dual layer of titanium below the inner (or main) display, enhancing its shock-absorbing abilities and strengthening the screen at the same time. And while I can't honestly claim the crease is now completely invisible, it's a lot harder to spot than on any other Fold before this one and more importantly, it's even more difficult to feel - if you can at all.

The Ultra is unbelievably thin when opened; just 4.1mm. To be fair, that's only 0.1mm thinner than last year's but it's still amazing to hold a device engineered to that level of precision. It's also surprisingly light, given the size of what it folds out to - a mere 215grams - although not actually any lighter than the 2025 model, it's almost as light as the single-screened Galaxy S26 Ultra.

It might be the latter handset we should really be comparing the Z Fold8 Ultra to, rather than other foldables, because these two Ultras have an interesting amount of features in common. Starting with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy processor; a chipset specifically tuned and overclocked for Samsung flagships.

I thought my phone was fast and smooth, then I picked up the Z Fold8 Ultra and realised I'd been missing out on a whole other level of breakneck, rocket-ship performance. The Ultra puts this power to fantastic use - keeping apps open when you swap between outer and inner displays, when you split screen to multi-task and when you use any of the AI tools available to you; Galaxy AI, Copilot, Gemini... whatever.

But perhaps the thing that really sets the Z Fold8 Ultra apart from other folding phones, and even the all-new Z Fold8, is the camera. It's a triple-sensor array with a 50MP Ultra Wide lens, a 10MP dedicated telephoto camera and a whopping 200MP wide main shooter. 

This means you can shoot 8K video, very high-res photos for more post-production power and most significantly, genuinely good zoom shots; 3x optical and up to 30x digital. Finally, these super expensive folding devices are getting the high-end cameras they deserved all along.

The 10MP selfie-cams on the cover and inner screens aren't quite so market-leading - but then, you shouldn't need to use those all that often when you can shoot selfies using the main camera with the press of an icon in the camera app.

I do have to pull up Samsung on its positioning of the forward-facing punch-hole camera on the internal display. It's still in the oddest place; about 3/4 of the way along the top edge, towards the right corner, or down from the left if you're holding the phone in landscape. It's a mystifying decision because it gets in the way of what you're doing all the time - especially watching sport for example. Seriously, guys - figure out which way around most users hold this phone and put the selfie cam in the middle of the top edge, or failing that, stash it right into a corner like some of the other guys do.

Samsung has also fallen behind the competition in terms of battery life too. Yes, this year's 5,000mAh cell is a significant bump compared to any previous model but they could still do better. At least the new cooling system in combination with the latest chip efficiencies mean this is a very high-spec phone that barely raises a sweat - even when generating AI video edits or playing the latest AAA games.

Make no mistake; the Ultra is more than deserving of its new name. This isn't just a high-end foldable; with the upgrades to cameras, chips and battery, it's a genuine flagship, full-stop.

What a pity it still doesn't really fit in my pocket and as a result, people will probably be more interested in its brand new baby brother.

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 - Branding Nightmare. Dream Phone

It's not every day we get a whole new kind of phone.

Since pioneering the folding screen on a handset back in 2019, Samsung has pretty much dominated a section of the market it literally created out of thin air.

Well, until recently.

Over the last couple of years it seems like all the big names have caught up, releasing their own folding phones and in some cases, laying down the gauntlet to Samsung with innovative form-factors and pushing the boundaries with hinge technology, latterly eliminating the dreaded "crease" almost completely.

Samsung hasn't taken this lying down, also continuing to refine its Z Fold and Z Flip lines, making each generation more durable, thinner, lighter and yes, less creasy.

And now they've got a new one entirely.

The confusing thing is, it has an old name. Last year's Galaxy Z Fold7 has been updated but it isn't the Z Fold8. It's become the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra instead. That's fine. The first one didn't have a Z in its name, it was just a Fold. If they want to add an Ultra to the title too, whatevs.

The trouble is, that's not the phone I'm reviewing today.

Today we're looking at the Galaxy Z Fold8. So, essentially last year's name on a brand new phone. Could Samsung actually have made this any more confusing?

I can only speculate as to why they've done this - and I'll touch on that shortly - but first, let's just enjoy something new and exciting.

Let me start by admitting I never quite understood why the original Fold was the size and shape it was. I mean, I get that when opened up, the proportions of the internal display matched up quite nicely with those of a small tablet. But in my view, Samsung's design team put too much focus on getting that part right and didn't pay enough attention to the cover (outer) display.

Sure, it's fun to show off that folding screen to your mates and when you're doing actual work on your phone - browsing websites, editing documents, pictures and video, obviously that larger display is just the ticket.

However, the rest of the time (and by "the rest" I mean "most") many people would be using the Fold in its folded state, kind of like any other phone. That meant a very long, skinny outer display, literally too tall for most people to be able to operate with one hand. Too long to fit comfortably in a pants pocket and too narrow to comfortably fit all your usual apps and widgets on the home screen.

Anecdotally, casual users spend 70% to 80% of the time using folding phones folded, so unless you're the kind of power user who tends to reverse those stats, perhaps a tall skinny phone has limited appeal.

Well, seven generations later and Samsung has finally come up with what I like to think of as "The People's Fold." Simply by making it shorter and wider, the new Z Fold8 solves pretty much all of those complaints in one fell swoop - with very little compromise on durability, power or performance.

The Z Fold8's more squat display measures 5.5-inches diagonally as opposed to 6.5-inches on the Ultra - but because of its extra width, the difference in screen size when opened isn't nearly so dramatic; 7.6-inches vs 8.0. 

As far as I'm concerned, this is a major win, certainly in terms of sheer pocketability. The Z Fold8 slips into my front pants pocket, or the inside pocket of my jacket in much the same way Samsung's clamshell foldable, the Z Flip8 does, taking up so much less vertical space and not stabbing me in the thigh or armpit with its sharp corners every time I move.

It still has the same flagship CPU as the Ultra; the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, both inner and outer displays offer 1-120HZ adaptive refresh rates and peak brightness levels top out at a dazzling 3000nits - all just like the Ultra.

The battery is slightly smaller, although given the screens are too, there's only about an hour's difference in how long the charge will last and the benefit is, the Fold8 ends up being noticeably lighter than the Ultra too.

The only significant tradeoff is the camera array. Both inner and outer selfie cams are the same; 10MP - which is fine, although these days that's lagging behind some competitors by quite a margin.

More conspicuously, there's a whole sensor missing on the Fold8 's main camera module compared to the one on the Ultra - no telephoto lens at all. The primary Wide shooter is 50MP as opposed to the 200MP option on the Ultra but the 50MP Ultra Wides are both the same.

So... Does that actually matter? Obviously, not if you take a lot of wide-angle shots and because Macro shooting uses the Ultra Wide sensor too, there won't be any difference in close-ups either.

However, keen-eyed camera buffs will probably detect the difference in detail and the accuracy of the background blur in portrait (or bokeh) shots taken with the main lens. Don't get me wrong, 50MP is great. But 200MP is super-great.

Then, depending on what you use your phone's camera to take photos of, the missing telephoto lens could be an issue if you take lots of sports shots or perhaps things like your kids/pets/partner playing in the surf.

To be honest, I've been clicking away with the Z Fold8 quite happily and not once have I thought to myself, "Gee, I wish I had a bit more optical zoom here" or "I wonder if I'm going to be able to blow this photo of my dog up to be a ten-foot mural on my wall?"

It is another interesting design decision from Samsung though, as this new aspect ratio (both on the outer and inner displays) was clearly focussed on creating and consuming more streamable, meme-able, portable content.

And I assume the slight camera compromise is the main reason the new shaped phone is now the Z Fold8 and the "Zoomier" one becomes the Ultra. Understandable? Maybe. Still confusing as hell though.

Name confusion and camera mismatch aside, I really love this phone. I've noticed how quickly I've taken to using it as my daily device - so easy to handle and recent upgrades to Samsung's durability ratings with its foldables mean I no longer feel as if I have to treat a handset like this with kid gloves. I also think, because it's more comfortable in the hand, that I do actually use the inner (sorry, "Main") display more often - especially when dealing with emails or watching video.

It has all the high-end features I've come to depend upon with a flagship; it charges wirelessly, connects via Wi-Fi 7 for incredible download speeds and One UI is certainly one of my favourite Android interfaces.

As for that squishy home-screen issue I had on the previous Folds - now I have the opposite challenge of course; plenty of room to fit my widgets widthways but a whole row of app icons shorter. Oh well, I'll get used to that, I guess.

Please don't ask me about AI . Like most Galaxy phones, this one is packed with it; Gemini, Co-Pilot - Galaxy AI itself - and as usual, I'm not always sure which one I'm using when. Just rest assured, the Z Fold8 does all the tricks. And when it comes to features like real-time translation, Samsung is one of the best I've tried.

Available in Cream, Graphite, Lavender or Pistachio(Online only) - the Z Fold8 is potentially one of the most exciting phones of the year - if for no other reason because it really is new. There's no other phone quite like it at the moment - well, not for another couple of months anyway.

But don't get one just because it's the new thing - get one because it's the right thing. I'm not saying the taller, skinnier Ultra isn't still the best option for many users, and I'll be reviewing that one in more detail in the weeks to come.

I just happen to think for the more casual, drop-it-in-your-pocket and forget it's there users like me, the Z Fold8 might just be a better fit.

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8.

motorola signature and motorola razr fold - New Zealand's New Perfect Power Couple

I've been doing this for years. I've reviewed dozens and dozens of phones.

So you might think I'd get a bit blasé about it. If you've seen one phone, you've seen them all. Right?

Except...

Every now and then, I take a phone out of the box and I immediately find myself saying, "Oh yeah. That's nice. That's a really nice phone."

I mean, literally. Like, out loud. Actually saying that. Even though no-one else is in the room.

It doesn't happen often.

But the other day, it happened twice. Simultaneously.

And I never would have expected it from a motorola... let alone a pair of motorolas.

Today, motorola has launched 7 new handsets to the New Zealand market, which in itself, is pretty unprecedented. These range wildly in both price and form-factor. From the NZ$549 g37 with its enormous battery life, to the iconic clamshell foldable, the razr 70 ultra, at NZ$2,499, there's something for everyone - even for people like me who thought they'd seen it all before.

Yes, as part of this major handset shakeup, there are two completely new models and these are the ones that took my breath away.

But not before I got a good whiff of them. I'd completely forgotten motorola likes to imbue its premium handsets with an enticing scent that permeates through the box and the packaging, creating a unique "new phone smell" that ensured my unboxing of the razr fold and motorola signature was always going to be a feast for all five of my senses. (Did I taste them? Maybe. What if I did?)

I'll start with the razr fold, because this is the one I thought I knew most about. For those of us who are aware motorola still actually makes phones, decades after the world-sweeping success of the original razr, we were well aware they'd immediately jumped on board the foldable wave to try and recreate a bit of clamshell mania.

But few of us had anticipated the introduction of a book-style folding handset as well. This form-factor has quickly become both an indispensable productivity tool for busy power-users on the go, as well as a bit of a corporate flex, when owners unfold the phones in front of their colleagues to make a note on their presentation or just to check their calendar.

Against the odds, on its first attempt, motorola's longways foldable has managed to tick all the boxes most other brands have taken several generations to perfect; durable, sturdy hinge mechanism, excellent internal screen-to-body ratio, long battery life, flagship-quality external display, stylus compatibility... the razr fold has pretty much nailed it all on debut.

To a very discerning eye, the crease on the main, internal display is admittedly still a little more prominent than those on a few of the other similar-style phones I've trialled lately, but so far, that's honestly the only place the motorola has fallen ever-so-slightly short.

And in one other area, it surges into first place. Which is why it carries the DXOMARK Gold Award for its primary camera array. Since the very first foldable screen, I've been somewhat bemused to see people handing over thousands for a phone with a just-alright camera.

Apparently motorola thought that was weird too, so they've put their best camera on their most expensive phone. Kind of... what's the word?... logical?

What remains to be seen is how many Kiwis are prepared to hand over NZ$3,499 for a phone from a brand a lot of people still think stopped making phones some time before the turn of the century.

The good news is, you can get that same camera on another phone that costs a lot less.

The motorola signature is my favourite phone ever. And it became my favourite phone about half a second after I picked it up for the first time. I've never come across a handset that looks or feels as good as this.

And that's before I even turned it on.

My review unit is Martini Olive. If that's not the coolest name for a phone colour, I don't know what is. What's more, it's actually a cool colour; a luxurious shade of green that tends more towards gold, which looks incredible on the glimmering aluminium side rails and matching camera module surround. 

The rear panel is described as "twill-inspired" - a sumptuously tactile matte finish that's easy to grip and allays any fear of a cracked glass back so many of us have had to have repaired in the past. (The alternate Carbon option is more of linen look and feel, apparently)

And wow, is this thing thin. A mere 6.99mm and just 186grams.

Best of all, motorola has utterly eschewed the recent trend in flagship phone design; the dreaded camera module bump. Somewhere along the way we all agreed it was okay for the best phones with the best cameras to have a massive slab of glass and metal whacked on the back, just to hold the lenses. These unwieldy eyesores have only grown bigger as cameras have become more powerful, in some cases doubling the thickness of the phone and throwing the balance out completely.

I happen to hate sharp corners and I absolutely love curves. Both the razr fold and the signature still have camera modules, but the rear panels swoop up to the edges seamlessly. Comparing this design to other high-end phones is a bit like comparing a Corvette Stingray to a container ship.

Other than their wonderful curves, the signature and razr fold have a lot else in common - starting with their primary camera arrays consisting of 50MP wide, 50MP ultra-wide and 50MP periscope telephoto sensors. This means very consistent and accurate colour and contrast, no matter the focal length, from 0.5x through 1x and 3x optical, right out to 100x Super Zoom Pro.

You can shoot strikingly detailed video in 8K, enhanced by remarkable intelligent stabilisation.

This is the kind of camera that never leaves you asking, "I wish I could..." ...because you probably can.

The selfie camera situation gets complicated because the razr fold has two of them - well, three if you count the primary camera, of course. In fact, there's an onscreen shortcut to do just that when you open its camera app. So you have a choice; the 20MP front-facing cam on the outer screen, the 32MP inside, or you can go full 50MP with the main shooter because, why wouldn't you?

Not to be outdone, the single selfie-camera on the signature is 50MP too, and it shoots video in 4K. So that's pretty crazy.

Both the fold and signature draw on 12GB of RAM and the superior power of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chip to perform any task instantly, or indeed simultaneously with other tasks, smoothly and flawlessly.

Whether you're using Moto AI, Gemini, Perplexity or Co-Pilot to create, edit, search or streamline your workflow, neither handset misses a beat. Have I mentioned how much I appreciate the motorola OS, Hello UI? It's about the most stripped-back version of Android 16 you'll find on a phone and that means I get everything I want and nothing I don't.

Oh, and how does seven years of Android security updates sound?

Both these phones charge wirelessly - which for me is essential. And again, they go a step further. If you have the right charger, you can juice up at 50W. That's still wireless, by the way. Even faster plugged in.

Both have big batteries too - lasting well into a second day on a full charge if not seeing it out two days completely.

Both phones are also surprisingly tough - the signature because it's so slim, the razr fold because, well, it folds. The latter carries IP48 and IP49 water resistance ratings and the outer display is protected by the latest and greatest Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 3.

Meanwhile, the signature's screen is Gorilla Glass Victus 2, it's both IP68 and IP69 rated against water and dust and is MIL-STD-810H compliant. So extreme altitude, heat and cold can't really hurt it.

These phones even sound good - both pump out pretty decent Dolby stereo tuned by a little company you may have heard of called Bose.

For me - and remember, I've reviewed a lot of phones - there's only one area where these two come up short - and it's nothing to do with the phones themselves. I want an ecosystem; in short, I want more motorola. I've paired them both with the truly excellent moto buds+ but don't they know I need a watch too?

I know motorola makes them, but for some reason, you can't easily find them in New Zealand. Let's hope that changes. And soon.

Meanwhile, I'll enjoy these two handsets while I have them, especially the signature which, I'll say it again, is my new favourite phone ever. Not bad for $1699. Not bad at all.

    

Click here for more information on the motorola signature.

Click here for more information on the motorola razr fold.

HONOR X9d - A Lot of Tough for Not Many Bucks

Compromise.

Not everyone has $2000+ to drop on a phone. 

So if you've just dropped yours. Or drowned it. Or cracked it. Or just lost it... What features are you prepared to give up in order to keep the price down?

Bearing in mind, if your new phone isn't dust or waterproof or particularly robust, it might only be a matter of time before you're having to replace it again. So you won't have saved any money at all.

However, if you work or play in demanding environments - building sites, outdoors - or you're just a bit of a klutz, destroying your phone might just be an unfortunate inevitability.

But it doesn't have to be.

The HONOR X9d is built to take a knock. Or two. Or all of them. And it'll cost you less than eight-hundred bucks.

Let's talk what this phone doesn't do shortly but first; its strengths. Which are mostly about its strength.

These days, most flagship phones carry an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance. Essentially, that means you can submerge the device in question down to a metre or so for up to half-an-hour.

The X9d can do that too.

Some other devices carry an IP69 rating. This means they can resist high-pressure, high-temperature jets of water. Why you would want to steam-clean your phone is a bit of a mystery, but...

Yes, the X9d can do that too. In fact, throw in IP66 and IP69K too. What the hell?

Okay then. How about the SGS rating that proves triple resistance against drops, water and dust? Has it passed the IEC 62262 impact resistance test?

Apparently. And I haven't even heard of some of those before.

The X9d isn't just built to keep water, dust and extreme temperatures out, it'll definitely take a knock or two. The display is covered by "ultra tough tempered glass" - and also a factory-fitted TPU screen protector which HONOR insists on putting on these devices, even though the aluminosilicate glass underneath is probably more scratch-resistant and much harder to crack.

There are six layers of cushioning built into the handset which has earnt it a 2.5m drop-resistance rating.

Remember, this isn't just HONOR talking. These are highly-regarded, independent tests.

It's indisputably one of the most durable phones I've ever reviewed.

To capitalise on the amphibious abilities of such a device, you'll even find an underwater mode in the camera app, as you'll see me demonstrate in the video below. While in this mode, you can use the physical buttons on the side of the phone to take still pictures or videos - complete with sound.

The camera setup is where we start to see a little of the trade-off in order to bring the price down. The dual array on the rear module consists of a 108MP main shooter and a 5MP wide lens - perfectly respectable and still capable of 10X digital zoom and 4K video. But you're not quite achieving the masterful low-light performance, or consistency of colour and contrast between lenses that you would expect from a much more expensive flagship like the HONOR Magic8 Pro I reviewed earlier in the week.

In saying that, regardless of whether you're using the rear-shooter or the 16MP selfie-cam, you still have access to a mind-bending array of effects, filters and post-shooting AI editing tools. As a quick example I just clicked off a shot from my desk of a badly lit picture on the wall, about 3 metres away from where I'm typing right now. In this first shot, there's a lot of reflection in the glass, essentially obscuring that part of the picture completely.

Using HONOR's on-board AI eraser, I was quickly able to remove almost all the reflection, as if by magic, in a matter of seconds.

So I certainly have no issue with the performance of the Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 CPU, or the Adreno A810 graphics chip, both supported by a healthy 12GB of RAM.

Just like the Magic8 Pro, the X9d sports both an in-screen fingerprint sensor and face unlock - and just like its flashy cousin, I've found these to be quick and reliable. Meanwhile, this phone costs $1600 less.

In fact, as I go about my day using the X9d as my primary handset, I find myself not really missing that previous flagship at all.

Okay, it doesn't charge wirelessly and there's no eSIM capability - which I'd usually find pretty frustrating. But with its enormous 8300mAh li-ion polymer power cell, the X9d actually outperforms the Magic8 Pro in terms of battery life. I really only need to plug it in to charge every third day or so.

Finally, the X9d looks a lot more premium than its price-tag would suggest. My review device is Sunrise Gold, which features a fetching coral-coloured cloud effect on the matte back panel, brushed gold-coloured side rails and a classy gold ring around a rear camera module that doesn't protrude very far at all.

It's also available in Midnight Black - yawn - or you can go for Reddish Brown, which is gutting for me because that's undoubtedly the option I would have gone for if I was given the choice - because after all, who doesn't want a red phone?

I'm aware there are other phones out there that claim to be extra tough - perfect for the pocket of a tradie on a building site or clamped to the handlebars of a mountain bike in the weekend. Trouble is, most of those look like a brick... and operate just about as smoothly as a brick does too.

The HONOR X9d isn't that.

It looks like an expensive phone. Runs like an expensive phone. Has more battery life than most expensive phones and has been independently tested to be straight out tougher than most other phones. 

If eight-hundred bucks is all you have to spend (or all you WANT to spend) you're not cutting too many corners here to get a phone that'll go the distance.

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the HONOR X9d.