Recently I was fortunate enough to review the Huawei Mate 10 Pro, a phone that impressed me so much, it was hard to include all its great features in one article.
One feature in particular is so groundbreaking and unique, on reflection, I've decided to give it a bit more attention than the two and a half line paragraph it got in the original story...
Huawei Mate 10 Desktop Mode is more than just a gimmick; it has the potential to turn your phone into one of the most versatile business tools you can imagine.
If you currently do business on the road, or you're required to travel as part of your job, either nationally or internationally, chances are you're already using your phone to carry out tasks many other people perform at their desks.
Staying in contact via email, social media, maintaining your calendar, web stuff... all of these things can be handled with your handset - to one degree or another.
However, when it comes to creating and managing documents and presentations, or editing pictures and video, that's usually when the laptop comes out of the bag. By choosing a Huawei Mate 10, you may well be able to leave that laptop behind altogether.
What's more, the only extra piece of equipment you'll need is a single USB-C to HDMI cable so you can connect your phone to any screen with a spare HDMI port.
You'll be presented with a PC desktop-like screen seconds after you plug the phone in but unlike other similar systems I've trialled, your Mate 10 phone remains fully functional as a phone, even while it's running your new desktop experience.
Alternatively, you can choose to use your phone as a virtual track pad and keyboard.
These options are very easy to find and simple to use.
Obviously the most efficient setup of all is to add a bluetooth or wireless keyboard/mouse into the equation, which is exactly how I'm writing this review now. It works, it's so straightforward and once you start working through all the practical uses, it starts to sound a bit essential.
Let's just think about the practicalities involved moving through places like airports without having to worry about taking a laptop out every time you go through security, finding somewhere to stow it on planes with the rest of your carry-on. Even hefting less weight around has to be a bonus.
Now consider how much more connected you can be in your hotel room - if it has a TV, it has an HDMI port for you to plug into. This of course means you now have total desktop access to your work files, both stored on your phone and in the cloud. Even better, once you've clocked off you're no longer restricted to whatever channels the hotel has to offer; your Netflix favourites can be easily shown from your phone onto their screen.
Then, perhaps the next day when you arrive in that overseas office for your big presenation, there's no special projector software or WiFi network password chaos involved - just plug in the Mate 10 and your phone is the exact same, familiar presentation device you practiced on back in your hotel room.
No laptops involved.
Even gaming is possible, because unlike the screen mirroring function other devices rely on, there's virtually no lag when connected via a physical cable.
One big negative for me is the battery issue. Running HDMI is relatively power intensive and although you're connected via the Mate 10's charging port, don't be fooled into thinking that cable is charging the phone at the same time. Especially if you've connected a wireless keyboard and mouse too, you're battery life is going to seep away pretty much before your eyes.
Oh, you'll still have plenty of juice for that presentation or movie, but probably not a Star Wars triple feature!
Luckily, the Mate 10 Series phones all support Huawei’s SuperCharge fast charging system, so it shouldn't take too long to get all topped up again.
For sheer convenience, portability and ease of use, Huawei Mate 10 Series Desktop Mode is something any regular business traveller needs to investigate.
As I've said many, many times before; I'm not a fan of selfies.
The main reason? I'm usually in them. Nobody wants to see that.
But what if I could take selfies that actually make me look, you know... okay?
Study this picture very carefully and you might discover the little thing that makes the Huawei nova 2i quite unique. It's up at the top there. Right next to the camera. Yup. Another camera.
While there are plenty of phones out there offering some kind of dual-lens configuration for the rear-facing (or main) camera, the nova 2i is the first one I've encountered to bring those same features around to point at my face.
The results are quite simply breathtaking.
Often, when you read smart phone reviews, there'll be a lot words written about the performance of the rear-facing (main) camera, with a few lines tacked on to talk selfies. I'd suggest the nova 2i is such a game-changer, the (main) needs to be shifted to that front-facing camera too. Half the people I know take most of their photos with that camera so they can plug themselves directly into the Matrix. Why wouldn't they consider that camera to be the (main) one?
This is definitely the phone for them, no contest.
All the effects, filters and special settings available on the rear-facing camera can be applied to your selfies too. Most importantly, the now legendary bokeh effect (sharp foreground, blurry background) is simply an on-screen icon push away.
There are two other features that magically brought my selfies to life. Firstly, the Smile Capture setting. This is definitely the most natural way to get the camera to catch you in a more normal pose, rather than reaching for the camera button, especially if you're not using a selfie-stick. What's more, it really works. Admittedly, if you're going for a group selfie, only one of you has to be smiling for the photo to happen - but that usually results in a group smile anyway.
Secondly, and just go with me for a moment here, I actually dabbled with Beauty Mode. Don't worry - I'm not talking eye enlargement or a weirdly skinny face. There's an easily accessible icon on screen that lets you ramp up (or down) the beauty mode. It's mostly about evening out skin tone. Whereas previous "Beauty Modes" have resulted in making me look like some kind of weird anime cartoon character, I found the nova 2i's setting was much more natural, removing unsightly blemishes like wrinkles. And age. Nobody ever complained about that.
Of course, this is not just a selfie machine, it's a phone as well. If it doesn't perform like one, there's no point, right? Luckily, the nova 2i is a pretty decent phone. You'll find many of the features of Huawei's most recent high-end Mate 10 range on this device too. It has excellent battery life and multi-tasks well. While the operating system isn't the latest or greatest, the EMUI 5.1/Android 7.0 combo isn't clunky at all. What's more, you get my favourite (and hardest to find) function; a rotating home screen, from portrait to landscape, something I consider essential on a device with a screen of this size.
The nova 2i boasts a 5.9" display, with that new 18:9 long, skinny profile all this year's coolest phones have. The screen is pretty much edge-to-edge, and with the super-fast fingerprint sensor on the back, there are no physical buttons to clutter up the front of the phone. This means a genuinely big display, but on a phone that still fits easily in one hand.
The metal rear casing is solid and attractive, giving the impression of a very high-end phone indeed. There are plenty of other high-end specs here too; 64GB of built-in storage and 4GB of ram. Once again, Huawei manages to squeeze more performance out of the nova 2i's Kirin processor than black-and-white numbers suggest. Operation is fast, smooth and reliable.
Only one catch really... the price. You won't be boasting to impress your friends.
Unless they love a bargain. The nova 2i is only $499.
No typo.
$499.
Are the best selfies you've ever taken worth $499?
You'll find the phone with 4 cameras in a most unexpected price range, just in time for Christmas.
Say, "Cheese."
Click here for more information on the Huawei nova 2i
