Apple iPhone Duo - Don't Believe the Anti-Hype

I've been critical of Apple over the years.

Mostly, before I started using the products. That's pretty unforgiveable.

It's one thing to write something off if you've tested it and it's come up short. But to slam something you've only read about or seen other people using... That's poor form, to say the least.

The gist of my general (far too general) anti-Apple sentiment usually revolved around products being too slow to evolve and Apple's habit of playing catch-up with new devices and trying to convince everyone they'd reinvented the wheel.

The Apple Watch was a classic case in point. Other tech brands had been selling smartwatches for years before Apple came up with one.

Trouble is, Apple's version turned out to be better.

So yes, several years ago now, I had a change of heart. I got hands-on with a wide range of Apple devices and quickly realised to dismiss them all in one fell swoop was juvenile and ignorant.

That's not to say I'm suddenly an Apple uber-fan. Hopefully you can still trust me to offer my honest opinion and to judge every device that comes my way on its merits.

That being said...

The iPhone Duo is definitely not the world's first folding phone. Apple missed that particular bus by so far, the bus has been back in the garage and the driver's been home with his feet up for at least 8 years.

So this was never going to be an iPod/iPhone/iPad moment, where Apple shakes up the tech world with something entirely new. Which might, ironically, be why the Duo was so long coming. If you're not going to create the product category yourself, you better damn well have something tasty on your plate when you do eventually arrive at the party.

In the weeks between the launch of the Duo and my review unit arriving I consumed a lot of Duo-based content. I was surprised by the level of negativity out there. Rumours of cracked screens, overheating and sub-par camera performance abounded. It was a bit of a downer.

Until I actually unboxed the Duo and fired it up.

Of course, I almost ruined everything when I saw the 7.6-inch inner display for the first time. I knew it was a breakthrough matte display with a glare-free finish. But I didn't realise when it's switched off, it would look exactly like one of those papery stick-on screen protectors they ship phones with in the box. I'm used to peeling those covers off and moving on. Luckily, I resisted the impulse to do that here - that outer layer is an essential component of the folding Super Retina XDR screen - a screen that's 50% bigger than the one on the iPhone 18 Pro Max.

So let's start with that folding display. It's kind of genius. Not the folding part - I've seen plenty of those before and lately some even leave less of a crease than this one, which is saying something, because the crease on the Duo is pretty hard to detect, especially when viewing straight on. The extremely matte nature of the screen helps with this and I've seen videos of people demonstrating how any scratches don't really show up either - it just feels nice to use too. 

And none of that compromises the brightness, the colour or the clarity - not to my eye anyway. This is a ProMotion, Always On capable display, just like on the Pro-series handsets - which makes this larger space the ideal palette for editing film and video. Support for Apple Pencil with USB-C is on the way too - so a pretty handy note/sketch pad that folds away into your pocket as well.

We've all heard the reports of some Duo screens apparently cracking or otherwise malfunctioning. What can I say? Mine hasn't shown any signs of that sort of thing. Quite the opposite. To me the Duo feels pretty much as robust and durable as any other Apple handset. In fact, the hinge mechanism seems super solid and I like the way it's firm enough to leave the phone open at almost any angle.

The aspect ratio of the unfolded Duo is similar to that of an iPad - and indeed certain other phones and monitors. It's a much better shape for streaming video on and many apps - including Netflix and Apple TV (obviously) - have already been optimised to take advantage. That also means if you half-fold the Duo, leaving one half angled up to face you, the show or movie you're watching will automatically switch around to that half while the media controls then appear on the bottom half. I haven't explained that well but I do a better job demonstrating it in the video below.

Another notable new feature of Apple's debut folding screen is the 4MP FaceTime camera, sneakily embedded beneath the display, peeping out from under a less-dense concentration of pixels. I've tried a few under-display selfie-cams before and they've all been utter rubbish. Not this time. Again, check out the video below for a demo.

After experiencing the camera compromises on the iPhone 16e, 17e and last year's iPhone Air, I have to admit, the photographic performance of the Duo was my primary concern - perhaps even more so than that of the bendy inner display. However, rather than the physical limitations of the single-sensor setups of the aforementioned iPhones, the Duo at least has two. Apple uses the term "Fusion Camera" a lot. The implication is they've somehow managed to squeeze the abilities of multiple sensors into just one or two.

The primary array on the Duo features a 48MP "Fusion Main Camera" - which is also capable of 2x optical telephoto shots. The good news is, there's also a 48MP Ultra Wide - the very same one as on the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. This combination has proved more than satisfactory. Sure, the zoom is limited - but at least it's there. Likewise with macro shooting and all the clever portrait tricks Apple has absolutely mastered over the last few years.

You can still shoot cinematic video with spatial audio and remaster those videos with a host of editing tools that get more sophisticated, yet more user friendly, with every iOS update.

We'll come back to the iOS shortly, but while we're talking cameras, there's one more to tick off; the so-called "Centre Stage front camera" - the selfie-cam on the outer display.

That's right. I haven't even mentioned this screen yet.

Described as, "passport sized," the 5.4-inch Super Retina display is not as weird to use as I thought it would be - primarily due to the bespoke iOS that moves the permanent shortcut icon tray from the bottom of the home screen to the right-hand side, thereby keeping the rest of the screen more or less in the usual aspect ratio so the layout of icons and widgets feels more familiar than I expected.

Given folding phones offer the option of using the primary camera for selfies, by previewing what you're shooting on the outer display, I've never fully understood why there's a selfie-cam on that screen at all. Yet there is one on the Duo - a very good one too; a 12MP Centre Stage sensor that offers features like dual capture and ultra-stabilised video.

The great irony here is, I've hardly used the outer display at all. Which is quite the opposite of pretty much every other foldable I've ever tested. As cool as folding screens may be, I'm so conditioned to using a phone a certain way, I often hardly feel the need to open up a foldable because I can do what I need to do on the external screen.

On the other hand, with the Duo, I reckon I've been using the inner display at least 85% of the time. There are two reasons for this.

Firstly, the case. My Star White review handset (also available in Night Sky) arrived with a choice of two different cases; the iPhone Duo Case and the iPhone Duo Folio with Kickstand. Cases for foldables have always been a challenge. I mean, how do you cover something that folds?

Until now, the general consensus has been a clumsy, two-piece affair consisting of a clip-on back panel with a hole for the camera module and a next-to-useless clip-on frame that protects three of the four edges of the outer display. These are usually held on with the help of sticky strips on the inner edges which all sounds janky and fiddly and essentially means you can't take the case off and put it back on as you wish.

That's what the iPhone Duo Case is like. And it's thick. And it's plasticky. So un-Apple. And I won't be using it.

Conversely, the iPhone Duo Folio with Kickstand is a masterstroke. 

It brings together everything Apple has learned from developing MagSafe accessories and everything it has done with iPad covers. It doesn't clip on. It doesn't have sticky strips. It uses magnets. It's slim. it's elegant. It's durable. And it covers the external display entirely - just like an iPad cover does. That doesn't mean you can't use that screen. It just means you may as well use the foldable screen as it's no harder or easier to get to than the outer one.

The second reason I've gravitated more to the inside display is I just really like it. It's a good size, there's no reflection and the crease is unnoticeable. It's a shame not every app has been optimised for it yet, but I'm sure they will be fairly shortly - hopefully that'll sort Duo-specific bugs like the settings controls disappearing on the Kindle app or some web pages bordering on being unusable with Arc Browser in landscape mode.

Obviously, Apple's own Books and Safari apps work seamlessly... but those aren't my preferred options.

These kinds of minor teething issues are typical of a first-generation device and if they're all I have to worry about, I can definitely live with them until they're remedied.

As opposed to cracked displays and poor camera performance - which I haven't experienced at all, so for the time being, I'm treating such reports as online beat-ups.

I was surprised it took Apple so long to come out with its own foldable. I've been even more surprised by how good it is, on debut. All the cameras have exceeded my expectations, the displays are both stunning and the user-interface isn't far off from being great. Battery life is good, performance from the A20 Pro is faultless and the device feels fully formed, reliable and durable.

Is it worth more than four-thousand dollars? Don't be ridiculous. No phone is. But is one of this year's greatest phones? Absolutely.

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the Apple iPhone Duo.

Apple iPhone 18 Pro - So Much More Than Just a Placeholder

Well, there's no doubt this is one of those years Apple will steal the bulk of the limelight in the tech world with its launch of the Duo, the first folding iPhone.

As usual, although folding phones have been around for years, for many people - especially those embedded deeply in the Apple ecosystem - a foldable iPhone will be the first example of this form-factor a lot of people have ever used or seen.

All well and good and very exciting. But despite being launched a couple of weeks ago, we still have a couple of weeks to wait before it's out.

So what are we going to talk about in the meantime?

The "Surprise and Shine" launch event at the beginning of the month was different. In recent years, we've seen Apple launch four handsets around this time of year; usually the base model iPhone, a Pro version and a larger Pro Max - along with another option. Sometimes a Mini, sometimes a bigger base model or then last year, the very impressive iPhone Air.

But this time, other than the Duo, there was no "vanilla" iPhone at all - just the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max.

For some reason, the plain old iPhone 18 won't be out till Autumn, 2027 our time, perhaps alongside a more entry-level "e" version and maybe even a next-gen Air.

So all I can really tell you about right now is the iPhone 18 Pro. 

To be honest, initially I was disappointed. With the colour.

I was hoping my review handset would be the "hero" Burgundy variant. Alas, I got sent a silver one. At least I didn't get black. Although the light-blue Glacier option looks good too.

Actually, the 2026 design is appealing in any of those four colours. The heat-forged aluminium unibody does a much better job of incorporating the prominent camera module that now sweeps up and out with a sexy curve, instead of looking like a random, thick piece of glass that's just been superglued on as we've seen from handsets with multi-sensor cameras in the past.

There's a Ceramic Shield glass MagSafe panel on the back, perfectly colour-matched of course, while the display is protected by even tougher Ceramic Shield 2. Me being me, I've dropped this phone a few times since I've been using it; in the car, at my desk, while cooking - you know, the usual - and it doesn't seem to be exhibiting even the slightest scratch, dent or scuff.

I should probably put it in the MagSafe case I was sent to go with it - but it just feels so nice to hold without it. This year, Apple also has added to its selection of cross body straps with wrist straps of a similar design - quite useful if you're planning on using your iPhone 18 Pro to do something adventurous, like ziplining perhaps.

Why did I automatically suggest ziplining? Because the last time I did it, I was too scared to get my phone out in case I dropped it into the dense Fijian rainforest, many metres below. A wrist or crossbody strap would have solved that problem quite elegantly.

Which is a shame, as the iPhone 18 Pro has, of course, Apple's finest camera array yet. The claim is this phone essentially puts "eight pro lenses in your pocket." This is a bit of a stretch but what is technically true is the Fusion Main, Fusion Ultra Wide and Fusion Telephoto sensors are each 48MP, which means total consistency between focal lengths in terms of colour, contrast and clarity.

But the headline here is the new rotor system that physically changes the aperture between f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8 and f/4.0. If you (like me) don't really know what that means, don't stress, Apple's "advanced intelligence" will automatically decide which aperture to use, based on your subject, the lighting conditions and the distances involved. 

On the other hand, if you are a smarty-pants photographic pro, manual aperture adjustment is just a swipe away. Here's a photo I took the other night at f/2.8...

And the same shot at f/1.48...

If you look very carefully, you'll see a bit more detail of Jerry's fur in the approaching twilight conditions.

Another useful addition to the iPhone 18 Pro's box of camera tricks is smart focus tracking. Yes, this is something I've seen on certain other phones previously; while filming, you can tap on a person or object and lock the focal point on them/it as they move around. This phone takes it a step further; using its on-device machine learning abilities (more AI) it can snap back into focus even if the subject moves off screen and comes back. Pretty clever.

For all its AI smarts and clever camera trickery, the iPhone 18 Pro does have some limitations. I've seen some huge advances in zoom technology with certain flagship phones in recent years and I'm not sure Apple is quite there yet. This shot of Mother Paradise Duck and her multitudinous brood was taken from about 30 metres away. I thought it might have come out a bit clearer.

Battery life is also really, really good. But not unbelievable. This is another one of those areas where ardent iPhone loyalists will be quite blown away if they're upgrading from a 13 or 14 series device. And don't get me wrong - you might even squeeze two days out of the 18 Pro at a push, and you definitely will with the 18 Pro Max's bigger power cell. But I've experienced quite startling battery performance from quite a few other phones, and not all of them high-end flagships like this one.

Meanwhile, there are other genuinely impressive features of note. 

Every iPhone Pro always boasts a stunning advance in chip technology and the A20 Pro running this handset is no exception. The CPU is faster. The GPU is faster. And most importantly, the Neural Engine is faster. So whether you want to call it AI, Apple Intelligence, advanced intelligence or machine learning - it happens a lot more smoothly on this year's Pro.

A cooler chip is a more efficient chip and a cooler battery lasts longer - not just between charges but over its lifespan too. So don't underestimate the impact if the 18 Pro's new thermal management system, combining a vapour chamber, graphite, the aluminium of the phone's own chassis and even some kind of copper plate that draws heat away from the display as well.

And I can't fault the advances in connectivity either. Apple's own N1 wireless chip means I've recorded Wi-Fi 7 speeds at home of more than 1.1Gbps. The bluetooth connection with the AirPods 5 I'll be reviewing in the coming days is the strongest, most reliable connection of any AirPods I've tested. And the inclusion of the Thread wireless protocol means Siri is now my go-to home assistant when it comes to things like opening and closing my garage door and turning off my bedside light at night.

This time last year, the ultra-thin iPhone Air drew some of the attention away from the 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max, even though it couldn't touch them in key areas like camera and battery performance. Sure was a cool phone though.

And the Duo might do the same thing this year, but at least the 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max have a few weeks head start this time. No, the iPhone 18 Pro doesn't fold - but that's about the only thing it can't do. I have a sneaking suspicion once I've tried the Duo in real life, I might end up coming back to the Pro - certainly for its sensational photographic abilities if nothing else. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the Apple iPhone 18 Pro.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip8 - The Forgotten Sibling

The problem with phone launches these days is there are just so many phones launched at each one.

I get it. For every full-priced flagship, with the latest chip and the best camera you also need a handset that doesn't cost multiple thousands of dollars for normal people.

That high-end device - maybe it's a whole new shape, maybe it folds in an exciting way. Meanwhile, the entry-level device might not be as pretty, but at least it probably has a nice big battery.

Then sometimes there's another one. One that gets a bit lost in all the hype and the noise. The new version of last year's device that perhaps isn't quite as revolutionary or groundbreaking or newsworthy.

Doesn't mean you shouldn't give it a look though.

Unfortunately, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip8 was launched in a year the phone-makers decided we needed a whole new shape and size of handset. Samsung fired off the first shot in the "passport" foldable war with the confusingly named, Galaxy Z Fold8, which was not a continuation of the previous line of Z Folds at all, but a new, shorter, squatter device we'd all been clamouring for. Allegedly.

Then, to make things worse for the poor little Flip, Samsung seriously beefed up the Z Fold8 Ultra (which IS the new version of last year's one) especially in terms of camera performance.

I've already reviewed the Z Fold8 and the Z Fold8 Ultra. And yes, they're great phones. Like, really great. Two of the best phones I've tested all year.

So...

Where does that leave the Z Flip8?

It's actually a bit of a head-scratcher because the Flip is usually one of my favourites. And, to be fair, the main reason I've loved it so much in the past hasn't changed; it's just so tiny.

And to be even fairer, Samsung has made the 2026 version slightly tinier still - it's now a mere 6.1mm thick when open and weighs only 180grams, which is basically nothing. This is the phone you can stash anywhere and effectively forget it's there; in your pocket, in your bag, any of your jacket pockets... Honestly, there have been times since I've been using it I genuinely thought I'd forgotten it - only to realise it was with me the whole time.

But while the Z Fold8 Ultra has been given a significant camera boost this year and even the new Z Fold8 performs pretty well, camera-wise, the Z Flip8 has the same camera it's had for three generations now; a 50MP Wide main shooter, with a 12MP Ultra Wide and no telephoto sensor at all.

Now, I know statistically people are holding onto their phones for longer before upgrading these days, but to offer customers the same photography specs three years in a row is unusual, to say the least.

That doesn't mean the camera app itself hasn't evolved in that time - there are plenty of fun shooting modes and filters to choose from. For example; when you opt to capture a dual recording using both the main camera and selfie cam simultaneously, you can save the two files separately for editing later. There have been great advances in Samsung's Optical Image Stabilisation, physically helping keep the primary 50MP sensor still for better-than-ever Super Steady videos and there's also now a Horizontal Lock option, effectively turning the Z Flip8 into a pretty decent action camera.

But there's just no getting past the fact this camera setup is inferior to even that of the Galaxy S26 FE - a phone almost a thousand bucks cheaper.

This is the paddock across the road from my house. See the sheep?...

What if we zoom in 30x? - Which is all digital, remember...

Okay, I now see sheep. But that is not great quality. It's just so weird given this is the phone Samsung aims at fun-loving content creators on the go. Maybe their lives are all lived in portrait, with nice, blurry, bokeh backgrounds?

Battery life has seen no bump since last year either. It's still a 4,300mAh cell and it's still only okay compared with most other high-end phones. And unlike most recent flagships, there doesn't seem to be any evolution of the cooling system either. I've felt the phone get quite hot on a number of occasions - especially when wirelessly connected to Android Auto in my car, using the GPS for navigation. Often heat issues like this are able to be rectified to a degree with software upgrades down the track but I can't help wondering if it's something to do with Samsung opting for the Exynos 2600 chip in our region instead of Qualcomm's Sanpdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 that runs the Z Flip8 sold in China and North America.

Not that I encountered any obvious slowdowns, crashes or speed issues navigating the phone otherwise... Well, except when using the 4.1-inch cover screen.

This outer display has been a bit of a stumbling block for me since Samsung's very first Flip. I've never understood why it has limited functionality in terms of which apps you have access to and how you can set up the home screen. I get it's a very small screen and using it to do things like browse websites and read emails might be a bit finickity, but if that's what I want to do with it, that's my decision, isn't it?

Thankfully, Samsung has moved cover screen functionality forward a little bit in recent One UI updates - you can now add apps of your choice to a so-called "Labs" section of the external display's app drawer, so at least I can open my shopping list app without having to open the phone. But you still can't add any widgets other than a small selection Samsung has deemed fully functional for the smaller screen.

I just don't get it. Other clamshell foldables have fully functional external displays. But not this one.

Back to the good news though; this particular Z Flip8 is pink. And I don't mean just a bit pink. It's really pink. In fact, it might just be the pinkest phone I've ever seen. So if you're into pink - and who isn't? - this is probably the phone for you. If it's a bit too pink for your tastes, don't fret; it also comes in Graphite, Cream and Mint(Online only).

And cool colours aren't the only thing the Z Flip8 has going for it. Unlike the new Z Fold8, the Flip still does Flex Mode - giving you the ability to use the phone half-folded. This is not to be underestimated as a feature. Flex Mode means you can pop the handset down on a desk, table, wall or wherever, without a stand or tripod, and use either forward or rear cameras to take selfies or stream video.

Remember, that FlexCam ability also allows you to use the Z Flip8 as a de facto handycam, as you'll see me demonstrate in the video below.

It's that sort of thing that means the Flip still holds a special place in my heart - especially when it takes up less space than ever in my pocket. Maybe the 2027 version will finally see overdue upgrades to camera, battery and cooling performance but in the meantime, if you want a particularly pink phone that folds away to almost nothing, this is still a great pick.

Click here for more information and pricing on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip8.

HONOR Magic V6 - Hard to Break. Even Harder to Beat

So if you haven't heard, HONOR has just teamed up with One NZ as its first New Zealand telco partner. 

This is fantastic news.

I mean, it's fantastic news for HONOR and for One NZ - but it's really fantastic news for you because the deals they're doing on HONOR's latest and greatest handsets are pretty juicy.

You may have been tempted to dip your toe into the world of foldable phones before now but been put off by some of the rather steep price-tags on such devices.

Well, now's the time to snag yourself one of the most beautifully finished foldables I've come across yet.

As is often the way from one year to the next, outwardly, the HONOR Magic V6 doesn't seem like a wild departure from 2025's Magic V5, which in itself, is no bad thing.

The V5 was (and still is) an astounding feat of engineering, living up to some unprecedented claims around durability and performance I hadn't seen from other folding phones at that time.

But a year is a long time in tech and if you want to stay ahead of the competition, you have to keep innovating, refining.

Although HONOR is less than a year old in New Zealand, the brand hasn't become one of the smartphone world's most successful by standing still.

I could sense something exciting was happening as I unboxed the Magic V6, although, I'm not going to lie - I was a little disappointed my review unit was black and not the red-with-gold-trim version I'd seen in all the PR shots. It comes in white as well and I have to admit, even the "boring" black model is quite striking with its iridescent, yet remarkably fingerprint-proof rear panel and distinctive, octagonal camera module.

There's also a matching snap-on case included in the box, with a matte, leather-feel surface and a flip-down stand that folds flush around the camera housing when not in use to protect it. It's a cunning yet simple design that means you can easily prop up the Magic V6 when streaming video or perhaps participating in a video chat.

The case is also slim - which is essential as the phone itself is also incredibly thin - just a whisker over 4mm when open. This makes it just barely thick enough to accommodate its USB-C charging port for fast wired charging at up to 80W. However, given the Magic V6 is capable of charging wirelessly at a phenomenal 66W, surely it's only a matter of time before HONOR gets rid of that pesky port altogether so they make the phone even thinner.

As a result, you'd think the Magic V6 would feel somewhat fragile. I mean, yes, you want this phone to bend - but only down the middle, right? Well, the complete opposite is true. There's nothing flimsy about this handset, folded or unfolded.

The outer 6.52-inch display is protected by HONOR's anti-scratch "NanoCrystal" shield. The inner 7.95-inch screen uses a layer of reinforced UTG (Ultra-Thin Glass) that's so tough, it's been tested to withstand over 500,000 folds. The Magic V6 has a 5-star SGS drop resistance and screen anti-impact rating but most significantly of all, it carries the IP68 and IP69 water and dust resistance certifications. I've never seen a foldable you can literally drop in the sink before. Well - not one you can leave in there for 30 minutes, then come back, fish it out and still expect it to be in working order.

This heralds an exciting new age for foldables. There have always been two key factors that would be major disincentives to spending the thousands being asked for a phone like this - from day one, durability has been a big concern and now it seems like the Magic V6 can stack up against pretty much any other flagship phone in the "I'm so tough, how tough are you?" department.

The second thing that puts a lot of people off is camera quality. Why would a power user spend over three grand on a phone that can't take the pictures a non-bendy flagship can?

It's certainly a weird compromise I've never understood. Well, today I have something very interesting to show you.

The trail of condensation left behind a jet plane flying at very high altitude, on a brilliantly fine winter's day. Ever wanted a closer look?...

So, there's the plane and what do you know? Not one contrail but two. Quite spectacular results at 100x zoom from the 64MP periscope telephoto lens. This has been teamed up with a 50MP wide primary shooter and a 50MP ultra-wide sensor to finally give users the true, flagship-level photography someone shelling out in this price-range deserves.

By the time you add the processing power of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Mobile Platform chip and a truckload of onboard AI smarts, it's actually quite difficult to take a bad photo with this phone.

That applies to video as well, of course. You'll see me doing a bit of that out and about in the demo-vid below, as I shoot from both the primary camera and one of the two 20MP "front-facing" selfie-cams - although I can't remember which one; on the outer or inner screen? So many cameras.

And the great thing about the AI the Magic V6 has to offer is that it's there if you need it but easy enough to ignore if you don't. Beauty and bokeh settings for portraits aren't compulsory - but they're only the press of an on-screen icon away.

Then there are tools, as a very amateur photographer, I'd never even consider using to adjust lighting and exposure to get the most out of your shot - either as you take it or to edit it with after. This is a shot I snapped of my long-suffering best friend from across the room. As I lined it up, the Magic V6 gave me the option to enhance the lighting and clarity to mitigate the distance. I said, "Sure." I was only taking the picture as proof of life to send to Domestic Manager who was out while I was dog-sitting. She must have then shown the photo around because the next message back was, "Everyone wants to know what kind of phone this was taken with."

And of course, the cool thing about a phone like this, is you can show off your pretty puppy pics in all their glory, on that nice, big internal screen. Very nice, in fact; it can get wickedly bright - achieving 5000nits of peak brightness, with the outer display going up to 6000nits. And because HONOR has used something it calls 5600 Silicon Nitride Coating, both screens are unbelievably reflection-resistant, even in bright sunshine, reflecting just 1.5% of light. You can also use a stylus on either display, which will be music to any power user's ears.

I can't find a single reason not to love this phone. The challenge HONOR faces, given it hasn't even been in New Zealand a year yet, is convincing those power users a phone like the Magic V6 can genuinely stack up against other, more established brands. What I'm telling you today is not only does it stack up against other foldables, because of significant upgrades in durability and camera technology, it out-performs many other non-folding flagships too. Don't believe me? Get down to a One NZ store and try it out for yourself. I'm 100% confident you'll be as impressed as me.

    

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the HONOR Magic V6.

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.