It's Actually Easy Being Green

How important is the colour of your phone?

Important enough to influence which phone you end up buying?

Given I once drove from Auckland to Hamilton to get the car I wanted in the colour of my choice, you could easily argue I'm pretty engaged about the colour of my stuff.

While phones don't quite inhabit the same price bracket as a car (well, hopefully not anyway) they still represent a significant investment for most people so it's no surprise many consumers would be likely to shop around to get everything just right - including the colour.

Meanwhile, not every phone-maker has the resources to offer every colour of the rainbow. The wider the range of hues available, the more expensive the cost of manufacture. Luckily for Apple fans, there are enough iPhones sold to justify a pretty good selection,

And that selection just got bigger...

Over the last couple of years, green has come back into fashion with a flourish. From clothes to furniture to appliances, everyone is turning green - both literally and figuratively. Yes, the world's changing attitude towards preserving the environment is probably at least partly to blame for the increasing popularity of the more natural shades.

Apple has jumped on board with all four feet. The iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini are now available in Green or you can go for either the Pro or Pro Max in Alpine Green.

Before we get into a refresher course on the differences between all those phones themselves, let me try and describe the difference in the two new shades of green.

The green on the 13 and the mini is quite a dark shade of green - I'd probably describe it as Forest Green, although Apple simply calls it, Green. The glass on the back of these phones has been “precision milled” apparently - I don’t really know what that means but the result is a flawless, almost mirror-like surface that catches and reflects light quite dramatically.

Unfortunately, because it’s so shiny, it also catches a fair few fingerprints as well - not at all uncommon for most glass-backed handsets. The aluminium band around the edge of the device has a much more muted, matte finish but is also coloured green to match, as are the power and volume buttons. As a bit of a contrast, the glass covering the the camera module seems to be slightly frosted, creating a lighter green than the rest of the rear panel. On the iPhone 13 mini, this is quite prominent as although the whole phone is smaller, the camera module is the same size as its larger siblings, so proportionally you get more of that lighter green.

Meanwhile, the Alpine Green on the 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max is a different story altogether. In fact, it’s almost a completely opposite scenario; the majority of the rear panel seems frosted - almost with the sheen of brushed metal - while the green under the glass of the camera module is a shinier, brighter shade. In fact, what you’re looking at on the iPhone 13 Pro is multiple layers of nanometre-scale metallic ceramics combined with textured matte glass… but then you probably guessed that already, right?

The point is, not only is this all extremely durable but the shimmering effect is very translucent and soothing. Best of all, because of the softer finish, no fingerprints to speak of at all. However, the bands around the edge of the Pro models are made from surgical grade stainless steel, so that’s the really shiny part on these phones and yes, prone to being smeared with disgusting finger grease. While these steel edges are also coloured to match the rear panel, the effect is incredibly subtle and again the sheer shiny-ness of the steel reflects most of the light so the colour is actually kind of hard to detect.

The whole package though is standout. And I don’t even really like green that much. (Bit of a frank confession in a review about green phones, I know) But when I lifted the iPhone 13 Pro out of its box, I actually did a little involuntary intake of breath and may have said, “Oh yeah. That’s nice.” Out loud. With only the dog in the room. He seemed moderately interested. But then he loves to chew boxes.

Let’s not forget these phones are not just all about pretty colours, they’re two of the best phones money can buy right now.

I’d never even used an iPhone mini before, so I was intrigued to tuck it into its matching green MagSafe case and put it through its paces.

Obviously, at 5.4-inches, the display is quite a bit smaller than the iPhone 13 and 13 Pro, which both sport 6.1-inch screens. In saying that, the new generation iPhone SE has a smaller display again - just 4.7-inches so I was surprised to find I didn’t feel all that cramped when using the mini - although there was the odd bit of text that made my tired, old eyes squint a bit, something than can be adjusted in the settings of course.

I’ve used the base-model iPhone 13 a lot since it came out last year and while I was aware that technically, the mini is effectively identical, just smaller, it still took me by surprise when I could use all the same camera effects and use the phone in all the same ways - the whole time taking up a lot less space in my pocket.

I did notice the effect of the smaller battery but thanks to my collection of wireless chargers everywhere I go - especially in my car - the couple of hours less charge never prevented me getting through the day.

The real surprise is how much the mini has in common with the iPhone 13 Pro. First up, of all manufacturers Apple absolutely leads the way when it comes to changing from one of its devices to another. It’s so effortless, it makes me smile every time I do it. All four of the iPhone 13’s share the same A15 Bionic chip, widely accepted as the fastest and most powerful in the current crop of phones anyone has to offer.

This means operating any of these devices is truly seamless - always smooth and super fast. The Pro models take this even further thanks to their adaptive refresh rates on their ProMotion displays. Make no mistake, the display on the mini is wonderful; sharp, accurate and a pleasure to use - it’s just that the Pro takes that experience to another level.

The other big differences are all to do with the camera setup. All four 13’s have improved night-shooting abilities and new video features like Cinematic mode but the Pro has an extra telephoto lens for even better optical zoom and a LiDAR scanner enabling much faster focus, especially in low light. The Pro’s are also setup to shoot in macro too.

Oh, and when it comes to battery life, the 13 Pro absolutely smashes it. You’ll have no concerns there.

There’s a lot of discussion about which phone has the best camera right now. I’m not a photography expert but I do know the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max are always part of that discussion.

I could get bogged down listing off the dozens of other features these phones offer. But we know they’re great, that’s why so many people keep buying them. Personally, I still don’t love iOS as a user interface - it just isn’t customisable in the ways I want it to be. For instance, a rotating Home Screen like you get with the iPads would be a good start. But these days the updates seem to come through thick and fast with constant little tweaks and improvements that lead me to believe iOS will soon give me everything I ask for - and more.

One thing’s for sure, if what you’ve been asking for is a green phone, has Apple got a deal for you. In fact, there are four deals and they all look pretty damn good.

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the Apple iPhone 13 mini (now in Green).

Click here for more information and pricing on the Apple iPhone 13 Pro (now in Alpine Green).

Perhaps the Best Looking Phone Ever?

When you test a million different phones (I literally had five different new phones on my desk this week) it's easy to lose touch with how "normal" people see the smartphone market. Unlike me, unless you're extremely clumsy or careless, you're probably not changing phones several times a year.

This means you're more likely to notice how dramatically smartphone tech has evolved from one generation to the next. For the geeks like me, we see it as a gradual improvement, one small feature at a time and that can make finding something genuinely interesting to say a bit of a challenge.

But every now and then a phone comes along that shakes things up a bit, breaking the mould so to speak...

The OPPO Find X5 Pro is nothing if not eye-catching. Love it or hate it, there's no denying it looks like no other phone on the market. To be honest, I haven't found anyone who hates it yet, only people who don't really care about how phones look and can't understand why I'm so excited about this one.

In case you hadn't noticed, the trend with flagship handsets lately has been to shy away from curves and glossy finishes, in some cases even reverting to polycarbonate rear panels instead of glass.

Well the OPPO design team has taken all that into account and gone completely the other way. And I love it.

I'm not really into cars but the models I've always preferred have been the ones that are all curves. That's why I think I'm so into this new design on the Find X5 Pro. They've used a new kind of microcrystalline ceramic to create a one-piece, unibody rear panel that is claimed to be twice as hard as glass. Apparently OPPO spends 168 hours on each panel, heating it to 1000 degrees then honing it to its mesmerisingly smooth finish using diamond knives and diamond liquid. 

This all sounds hard to believe but then so is the way this thing looks.

The asymmetrical triple-lens camera module rises a few millimetres from that incredible rear panel like a ripple on a pond. It all looks more like something that's been tested in a wind tunnel for minimum resistance.

I could go on all day about how the Find X5 Pro looks - but there's a lot more to talk about.

For example, the sumptuous 6.7-inch WQHD+ AMOLED display - OPPO boasts this 10-bit screen is capable of showing more than a billion colours. I haven't counted them all but there certainly seems to be a lot of colours, very bright and very clear. This is a sensational device for consuming video content and unusually, the punch-hole selfie camera is in the top-left corner when in portrait, so that becomes the bottom-left corner when streaming in landscape - which is about the most inconspicuous place you could possibly put it.

The downside is this isn't the best place to look if you're recording or live-streaming; you're far more likely to focus on the middle of the phone and that will make it seem as though there's something far more interesting behind the viewer's right shoulder.

Which is not to take anything away from the camera quality itself. I don't think I've ever reviewed an OPPO phone with a substandard selfie-cam and why would this 32MP effort be any different? There's some lovely features here, both with the software and hardware. The impressive 90-degree field of view kicks in automatically for group selfies and being able to adjust the background blur with a user-friendly slider makes snapping professional, shareable shots so easy.

And that's before we return to the Hassleblad-enhanced primary shooter around the back. Both the Wide and Ultra-Wide cameras are 50MP sensors, both capable of capturing video at that insane 10-bit rate and providing consistent colour performance between your wide and not-so-wide shots. This year OPPO has forgone the clever-but-not-very-useful macro-lens of 2021's Find X3 Pro for a 13MP telephoto lens, resulting in vastly improved optical zoom performance - thanks also in no small part to the new 5-axis OIS image stabilisation system.

All this photographic wizardry is merged together through the OPPO's remarkable MariSilicon X imaging NPU chip. You can even shoot raw if you want, this chip is up to the task. Wait till you see what it can do with low-light shots - actually, here's a selfie I took in the dark this morning. Excuse the reflection of the screen in my glasses, that's just me being a useless photographer.

Speaking of chips, the whole shebang is run by the Snapdragon 8-Gen-1 from Qualcomm, the latest and greatest brain available for top-of-the-line Android devices. This means the Find X5 Pro is as powerful and as efficient as it can be.

Once again, OPPO has come up with a different way of doing batteries, with a dual-cell configuration to split the workload and preserve battery life. And as usual, they've gone completely over-the-top with charging speeds. You'll get 80watts from the included SuperVOOC charger. (Yes, it actually comes in the box. How old-skool.) What's really crazy is the 50watt wireless charging you can get using the optional AirVOOC charging stand. That's twice as powerful as many other phones' wired rate. Even reverse charging from the phone itself is twice the rate of competitor devices for when you need to top up those earbuds or that smartwatch on the go.

Look, it's all there. And I haven't even covered off the latest ColorOS user interface based on Android 12 - it's everything you want from a modern OS; easy access to a lot of settings, with totally customisable themes, wallpapers and icons. Let's just say ColorOS has come a long way in a short time.

If you're getting the impression I love this phone it's because I love this phone. I love the way it feels, I love how well the camera works, I love how fast it charges but most of all, I love the way it looks. Because it actually has a look. If you want the most unique flagship on the market today, (excluding foldables, obviously) this is the one.

    

Click here for more information on the OPPO Find X5 Pro.

No-one Ever Notices the Middle Child

 For the last few years Samsung has released three flagships at once with each S-Series launch, a base model, a Plus and an Ultra.

Some years the difference between the three variants is mostly just a matter of screen size. Other times there have been significant physical features available on one or two models but not others. 

So what's the story in 2022? And is the middle option the Goldilocks of the S22 range? Just right?

By now, even if you're only semi-interested in high-end Android handsets, you'll know Samsung's S22 range is quite a departure from what we've seen previously. This is because the S22 Ultra is more of a Galaxy Note by another name; built-in stylus, square-cornered display - all the things Note users used to love and can now choose again. 

That left the S22 and S22+ to be the more logical evolution from last year's S-Series phones. At first glance these devices don't look dramatically different from their S21 predecessors; similar size, shape and weight - even the camera configuration kind of looks the same.

But once I picked up the S22+ in my hand, I could immediately start to see a few enhancements. Most obviously, the S22+ has now gone back to a glass rear panel, which adds a much more premium look and feel over the plastic backed S21+. Samsung has gone with Corning's Gorilla Glass Victus front and back - which is pretty much the toughest glass you'll find on a phone right now. What's more, the back isn't a glossy fingerprint magnet like all-glass phones often are. Instead it's an attractive matte finish, which also makes the handset a little easier to hold.

Only a little easier, because the S22+ now has quite sharp corners along the edges, due in part to the display being flat, no longer curving down the sides. This makes the whole thing feel a lot more like a certain other flagship phone with a certain fruit embossed into the back. The S22+ comes in Phantom Black, Phantom White, Pink Gold and yes, because it's all the trend these days, Green.

That display is 6.6-inches of exquisite viewing pleasure, by the way. Samsung is truly leading the way right now when it comes to variable refresh rates, brightness and clarity. Whether you're streaming, browsing or gaming, inside or out, everything absolutely pops. And thanks to an amazing 240Hz touch sampling rate in Gaming Mode, the screen response is faster and more intuitive than anything else on the market.

In fact, although I'm not much of a gamer, I can't deny how immersive the experience is on this device. As I smashed my way through roadblocks and jumped over pesky police cruisers in Need for Speed, not only did the screen pick up every detail of every reflection in every puddle but the stereo speaker array did a pretty convincing job of the pursuing helicopters overhead.

This is all made possible with the oh-so-beefy Qualcomm Snapdragon 8-Gen-1 processor - the fastest and most powerful chip available for Android phones right now. Just like the even beefier S22 Ultra, this year the Plus gets the Snapdragon chip here in New Zealand instead of the less-favoured Exynos option we normally end up with. It's just like living in America.

That new and improved little brain combines with Samsung's latest advances in imaging tech to provide some of the best smartphone photography you could ask for, from both the forward-facing, 10MP camera with its generous 80-degree field-of-view, through to the triple-lens primary shooter. This consists of a 12MP Ultra-Wide, a 50MP Wide and a 10MP Telephoto - the latter providing first-rate, 3x optical zoom images.

Obviously this setup is a slight step down from the all-things-for-all-situations blunderbuss of a camera found on the S22 Ultra but it's still a hell of a shooter - especially in low light and from distance.

Unfortunately, because the camera module has been pushed right to the very top left-hand corner of the rear panel, I found I inadvertently ruined many of my landscape shots because my finger got in the way. In fact, it's actually very difficult to hold the phone in a way that stops this from happening - especially with my clumsy, fat fingers. Hopefully I can train myself to get this right, as the vast majority of my pics without a finger in them look amazing.

As do the vids. Obviously, you get the fabulous Samsung camera app with all its easily accessible features - like Director's View, which now lets you film from both front and rear cameras simultaneously and can instantly swap zoom between the three rear-lenses while you're shooting or streaming.

As usual for any Samsung flagship, the One UI software experience is bordering on perfect - as far as I'm concerned anyway. Why it's so hard for other manufacturers to deliver features like rotating home and lock screens is a mystery to me but kudos to Samsung for coming up with the goods here.

Further kudos for their pledge of four years of software updates - nice to know your new phone won't go obsolete until at least 2027!

Integration with Windows devices continues to develop and improve and it's now easier than ever to bring up your Galaxy's screen on your laptop or PC. This is a productive way to keep track of notifications while you're working, reply to messages on whatever platform and to share files between devices.

Battery life and charging speeds are nothing to write home about - if those are your primary concerns there are other devices out there making crazy fast charging claims and there are certainly phones with bigger batteries. That being said, I've had no issues getting through my long days, regardless of how I've been using the phone. It probably helps that I've populated my world with wireless charges wherever I go - it's hard for me to put my phone down without it being charged at the same time.

It's rare I pick up a Samsung flagship and don't enjoy the experience. The S22+ is certainly no exception. If I had the opportunity to make this my primary handset, I'd leap at it - the display is sublime, the processing power class-leading and the camera array one of the best available. I don't play games but if I did, this'd be a great phone to do it with. Starting at NZ$1599.00, I think the Ultra's slightly smaller brother is pretty good bang for your buck.

    

Click here for more information and pricing on the Samsung Galaxy S22+.