As one of the first phone-makers to give us a dual-lens camera, it makes sense Huawei would be happy to whack a third lens on there.
The question is; does more mean more?...
Let's start with the camera, because it isn't just one point of difference, it's actually a whole suite of differences.
The P20 Pro from Huawei features the most ambitious Leica rear-facing lens configuration to date, with a 20MP monochrome lens for contrast and detail, an unheard-of 40MP RGB lens to capture everything else and an 8MP telephoto lens which means the clearest, most powerful zoom I've ever seen on a phone camera.
Once again, thanks to the same Kirin 970 processor found in last year's Mate 10 series, Huawei has created an AI-driven device that combines images from each of those three rear-facing lenses to create picture quality most people wouldn't have thought possible just a year or two ago. Traditional challenges for camera-phones like low light, distance and movement have been swept aside in Huawei's new AI ecosystem and best of all, you don't even have to think about it, the P20 Pro does the thinking for you. There are now 19 different scenarios the camera recognises automatically, from food shots to waterfalls. If you're shooting a portrait, not only will the camera instantly sense this, it will re-frame the subject (or subjects) itself to make sure everyone's in the middle - even if you're a bit off balance when you take the shot.
Oh, this phone is smart alright.
As I've already mentioned, the zoom on the P20 Pro is ground-breaking - 5X before any noticable digital noise. I could easily do a whole review just on the camera alone and I haven't even mentioned the selfie-cam yet. This is a healthy 24MP and while it is only a single lens, it still takes very nice bokeh shots and the reasonably wide f/2.0 aperture means excellent results, even in dark conditions. (If things are really dark, the camera white-outs the screen to create an effective flash)
Huawei has a few new video tricks up its sleeve too, including AI Image Stabilisation and 960fps Super Slow Motion.
Given the new corner-centric position of the rear-facing tri-lens camera, you could be forgiven for thinking this phone is only about the photos. The Huawei and Leica branding on the back is printed to be read in landscape and when you hold the phone that way, it looks just like a digital camera.
But the P20 Pro is so much more than a camera.
The body is constructed from several layers of curved, toughened glass, creating a premium, luxurious finish. Unfortunately, Huawei is only releasing the black and midnight blue variants in the New Zealand market. Internationally there are pink/gold and twilight options that actually appear to transform from one colour to another. In saying that the blue is pretty enough.
While all that glass is beautiful to look at, and to hold, this is perhaps the most fingerprint-prone phone I've ever handled, so you might want to keep a cleaning cloth handy. It's also damned slippery. Don't tell Huawei, but I've dropped this thing several times already - luckily not over concrete and not from any great height... yet. I must get a case for it. (There's one included in the box of course)
Also in the box, a set of USB-C earphones and a USB-C headphone adapter - that's right; no more headphone jack here. I know this upsets some people but as a bluetooth earbud wearer, it doesn't bother me at all.
Other than the sheer beast-like power of the processor I've already alluded to, battery life is another department where the P20 Pro absolutely smashes it. Although the handset is slim and light, there's a 4000mHa battery in there somewhere. It may charge super fast, but it will easily last you all day, if not two.
The 6.1 inch OLED display is a little weird because of the notch. If you don't know what the notch is yet, you will, as more and more manufacturers decide to extend their screens up and around the front-facing camera. This really only affects where the notification icons show and if you decide you don't like it, you can hide it using the display settings.
Other than the selfie-cam, you'll find a tiny speaker in that notch too. This is combined with the more conventionally-placed bottom speaker to create a stereo effect when the P20 Pro is held sideways. At maximum volume, this setup is certainly loud enough to stop a conversation and the sound quality is actually comparable to some of the small bluetooth speakers I've tried.
The facial unlock on this thing is a revelation. You can set the lock screen to appear as soon as you pick up the phone. Not only is the face-scanner crazy fast, but it even works in dark conditions. That's right, not just dim, dark. Amazingly, just the illumination from the P20 Pro's own screen provides enough light for it to recognise your face.
When I was at the P20 launch recently, I complained to the Huawei team about how face-unlocking is all well and good until your phone is in landscape position as it is in my car's phone cradle. They agreed it would be good for it to work in both profiles. What I (and apparently they) didn't realise is on the P20 Pro, it does. Now if we could just get the home screen and lock screen to rotate to landscape too, we'd really be getting somewhere.
At $1299 the P20 Pro is certainly up there in the premium handset dollar range, but given its highest of high-end specifications, that price is still hundreds less than most of its big brand competitors. Given the fact it out-performs these other phones in vital areas like battery-life and photography features, you can rest assured your money would be well spent.
Click here for more information on the Huawei P20 Pro
With the recent launch of the Galaxy S9 and S9+, Samsung has re-established itself as the innovation leader in the world of smart phones.
Apple has tried to play catch-up with last year's overpriced iPhone X, but until there's a serious overhaul of the iOS, it still looks disturbingly similar to the first one from 2007.
Other manufacturers have made big strides in features like waterproofing, wireless charging, speaker quality, dual-lens photography, A.I. and processor speed. Samsung has either led the charge on these advances or incorporated them into its flagship handsets.
But not everyone has $1500 to spend on a phone...
This phone is $899 and it really does stack up against the $700 more expensive Galaxy S9+... Surprise; Samsung makes this one too.
The Samsung Galaxy A8+ has so many "flagship" features, not only does it completely outshine most other competitors in this price range, you'd have to seriously ask yourself why you'd fork out the extra for an S9 or Note8.
The A8+ is powerful, fast, has great battery life - it's even IP68 water and dust resistant... so... what's wrong with it?
To be honest, its only major fault is purely cosmetic. The A8+ is not going to win any smart phone beauty contests.
It's not that it's bad looking, it's just not good looking. Unlike the curvy-edged S9 and S9+, the A8+ has a much more conventional, boxy feel and because of its large 6" screen, it's not the most comfortable device to hold in one hand. Of course, it's not really fair to compare any phone to the super sexy S-series models, but there's no escaping the heavier, thicker sensation.
There are some other physical features I found just weird. Firstly, I was completely stumped when I tried to install my sim card. I popped out the tray and found there was only a slot for a microSD card - the space for the sim was filled in. On further inspection, I discovered there's a completely separate sim tray towards the bottom of the left-hand side. I've seen side-by-side trays before, but never at opposite ends of the phone.
The other bit of strangeness is on the right-hand edge of the device - that's where you'll find the speaker. Most phones play out of a speaker at the bottom, while the S9's sport an amazing stereo setup that converts the earpiece into a left-side speaker when holding the device in landscape.
The A8+ is different again - hold it in landscape (as you would when watching video) and that oddly placed speaker starts making more sense as it is now on top. It's still only mono, but boy does it blast out at high volume. From what I've heard from the Samsung devices I've used since they partnered up with Harman, the AKG-tuned speaker arrays are a noticeable cut above the rest.
You'll also get the latest in bluetooth connectivity, which a means better quality, more powerful signal. Speaking of connectivity, unlike many other devices in this mid-price field, the A8+ also boasts NFC so you can paywave with this phone, no problem.
I pushed the A8+ pretty hard, connecting to multiple accessories simultaneously, running several apps at once and it never even stuttered - in fact, it purred. So whatever it lacks in good looks, it more than makes up for it under the hood.
Oh, did I mention the dual-lens selfie camera? That's right - the A8+ even has a feature the S9's don't. While the 16MP rear-facing camera is solid enough, I did find it struggled a bit in low light. So you might want to consider turning your phone around for those really important shots, because the dual-lens configuration on the front facing camera results in great selfies inside or out - even of me! Two lenses mean you can create that genuine blurry-background bokeh effect we've all come to know and love. This camera lets you adjust exactly how much blur you'd like on each shot.
While the rear-facing camera didn't wow me indoors, it did surprise me with a few cool tricks like Food Mode, Hyperlapse Video (creating fun time-lapse vids for Instagram) and a new video stabilisation technology Samsung calls VDIs which compensates a little for my terrible filming technique.
Sadly, the A8+ doesn't charge wirelessly.
That's it. That seems to be the only thing this phone doesn't do.
Facial recognition?
Yup.
Retina unlock?
No. Okay, two things then.
And at the moment it's only running Android 7.1.1... but to be honest... I'm not sure I can tell the difference!
Admittedly, you only get 32GB of onboard storage, so that dedicated microSD tray might come in handy after all.
However, when you add it all up, the A8+ is really only about $200 less of a phone than its S9 cousins, but you'll be charged much, much less than that.
By the way - the standard A8 does all that too, it's just a bit smaller (and yes, even cheaper)
Click here for more information and pricing on the Samsung Galaxy A8+
I would normally never do this... When I'm reviewing a device, it's usually my policy to use it like an everyday, normal person would, preferably for at least a couple of weeks, before passing judgement.
When it comes to the best phone in the world, sometimes you have to make an exception...
As far as I'm concerned, Samsung’s been leading the pack for several years now, with both the S and Note series. Granted, the more flammable Note7 wasn't perfect, but overall, the flagship handsets from Samsung have pioneered advances in screen technology, wireless charging, water and dust resistance and camera quality.
I'm breaking my routine and publishing this review on the day the Galaxy S9 and S9+ have been launched because I was lucky enough to have a brief sneaky peek at these new devices before they actually go on sale in a few weeks' time. Although I only had about an hour to play with them, some of the new features made such an impact on me, I thought I'd give you my take which may be of assistance if you're considering pre-ordering a shiny new S9 or S9+.
Available in black, blue and for the first time, lilac (which I can assure you, is definitely not pink) the latest models in the Samsung Galaxy line are again the most beautiful phones I've ever seen. The (by now) trademark curved edges of the all glass front and back, now recess slightly into the bezel making the S9's easier to grip than their predecessors. Like the S8's, the fingerprint sensor is still on the back but to placate last year's moaners, it's been centered to a more sensible position below the camera instead of beside it - so no more accidental fingerprint smudges on your camera lens.
The camera features wider aperture capabilities than ever before - right down to F1.5 in fact, which as far as I am aware makes it the widest aperture lens currently available. This should mean the best low-light shots ever seen from a smart phone and while I didn't have the opportunity to try it out myself, I saw some very nice shots taken in near darkness that certainly looked the goods. If you prefer a dual-lens configuration, you'll have to go for the larger S9+. For some reason, I assume budget, the S9 has just the single rear-facing lens although it seems to offer most of the same photo-functionality as its big brother.
One of the new, and perhaps the most exciting photographic features is Super Slow-Mo video recording. This means you can create your own GIFs that transition from normal time to slow-motion and back again effortlessly. I had a good play around with this feature and it's the real deal. Think capturing that kid crossing the finish line, blowing out the birthday candles or throwing a bucket of water over your dad - the S9's can easily record these moments in Super Slow-Mo and then they are instantly shareable.
While you're sharing things, you might want to create your own AR Emoji - one selfie is all it takes to convert your image into an animated 3D avatar that can be attached to messages or sent in a variety of emoji GIFs. Personally, I hate emojis... but I have to admit - when they look a bit like me and they blow kisses, cry tears of laughter or have bright ideas, they're a lot more fun.
This facial scanning technology also lends itself to an enhanced facial unlock, which combined with the retina scanner makes for a more reliable and secure phone all round.
For the first time, thanks to its recent partnership with Harman audio, Samsung now introduces AKG-tuned stereo speakers to make the most of what you're watching or listening to. The result is genuinely loud and crisp, perhaps the best I've heard from phone speakers to date. Although there's also a very nice pair of AKG earbuds included in the box, I imagine there'll be situations when you won't even plug them in and choose to use the speakers instead, especially watching Netflix etc - the sound really is that good.
Some things haven't changed much since the S8's of May last year. Both versions are more or less the same size as their 2017 counterparts (within a millimetre or so). The screen sizes remain the same; 5.8inches for the S9 and 6.2inches on the S9+. Unusually, the battery size hasn't changed either, although because the S9's now feature a faster, more intelligent processor, the team at Samsung assure me they're getting better performance from the battery than ever - obviously, there was no way for me to test this in the hour I had with the devices so we'll just have to wait and see.
There are a few software tweaks I like too; you can now pin multi-tasking shortcuts to the homescreen (previously you could only do this with the edge-screen) This means you can open two apps at once, eg: browser and email. What I've only just discovered though, is you an also open the same app twice. Why? How about moving files from one folder to another? It's a lot easier to do if you have both those folders open on a split-screen. Yes, the processing power of these new phones rivals a more conventional desktop PC experience. What's more, both models come in 256GB variants with the option to expand that storage via microSD. There are now 400GB microSD cards on the market, so potentially these phones can hold over 650GB of stuff. That's better than most laptops. Crazy.
Samsung's virtual assistant, Bixby is also being constantly refined. I already find Bixby's voice and text recognition capabilities indispensable, but the latest version has been pimped up to perform even more clever tricks, like helping you find nearby points of interest just by holding the camera up, translating foreign text in real time and even giving you the weather by pointing your phone skywards.
As I have mentioned, I haven't used these phones long enough to share the full experience, but even this small taste pretty much blew my mind. As usual.
Whether you choose the S9 or S9+, no matter what your previous phone was, I'm already convinced these handsets will not disappoint.
Click here for more information and pricing on the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+
There's no denying it, you no longer have to pay big-brand prices for a phone with premium features. But can you get all the features for under $1000?
OPPO's latest handset takes a pretty good run at it...
Whether you choose black, champagne or red, the OPPO R11s is unarguably one of the most attractive phones on the market. The brushed metal finish, curved lines and narrow bezel all combine to produce a truly first-class look. As usual with OPPO devices, this phone stops you in your tracks with its feather-light and super-slim feel.
If it seems like I'm starting this review pretty hot straight out of the blocks, that's because the first impression the R11s gives is one of sheer luxury. Like the R11 from a few months ago, it's hard not to compare the look of this phone with the latest Apple handsets - especially now OPPO has moved its fingerprint sensor round to the back (the best place for it) and eliminated the physical home button (which wasn't even a button, just a place to rest your finger) altogether. This means the front of the R11s is pretty much all screen.
That fingerprint sensor has to be one of the fastest out there and you can now choose to unlock the device via facial recognition too. I'd seen some comments about the facial recognition being a bit fiddly to set up, but I had the opposite experience (or is that the OPPOsite experience?) I was mucking around with the phone settings just after I'd taken it out of the box. I looked down at the phone and discovered it was unlocked. I could have sworn I'd put a lock code on it by that stage, then I realised I'd also set up my facial recognition almost without even trying. It was working, and working instantly. Impressive, considering I was sitting in a dimly lit hotel bar.
It's that kind of premium-level functionality that makes the R11s feel like it's worth about $1000 more than what they're charging for it. The processor is fast and powerful which means apps download, install and run quickly and smoothly. While this is an Android phone (running Android 7.1) OPPO's ColorOS 3.2 provides a user interface that's probably more familiar to iPhone users. Quick settings like sound, WiFi, bluetooth, mobile data and brightness are all accessed with a swipe-up from the bottom of the screen, which is how Apple's iOS does it. A swipe from the top gives you access to any app notifications. For some reason you can't just swipe these away, you have to swipe, then delete.
Another way ColorOS 3.2 mimics iOS is the default launcher configuration, with any newly installed apps just loading their icons onto the home screen, creating new pages ad infinitum as required. This is of course messy, inefficient and stupid, but Apple cult members might find it reassuring. The rest of us normal people can easily install an alternative launcher with a proper app drawer or just go with Google Launcher as it is already installed out of the box.
Still just the single speaker at the bottom of the handset, but I found this surprisingly loud and clear. Bluetooth connectivity was also strong, loud and clear - not to mention reliable, be it in the car, or paired with speakers or earphones.
So what doesn't the R11s do? There must be some limitations for it to be retailing under $800...Well for starters, it's not water or dust resistant. This didn't really bother me at first as I'm not the person in our house with a history of toilet-dropping when it comes to phones. However... my heart did skip a beat the other day when I stopped to take a picture of the shark that had washed up on our local beach and then immediately proceeded to drop the R11s face down on the wet sand. I picked it up to discover the screen was now completely covered in clumps of damp beach. Obviously I didn't want to risk scratching the screen by wiping it on my shorts, but due to its lack of waterproofness, I couldn't run it under the tap either. Tricky. Thankfully, the R11s comes with a factory-fitted screen protector which probably helped mitigate any damage that may have been caused by my klutziness.
The R11s does not charge wirelessly. Now, this is something I'm always banging on about because personally, I love wireless charging. My constant moaning about how slow most manufacturers are to adopt it has pretty much been falling on deaf ears and I have a theory why; wireless charging might be one of those features you don't realise you're going to love until you have it. Of course, now the cult-leaders at Apple have finally put a phone out that charges wirelessly, maybe the trend will change. In defence of the R11s, it does charge incredibly quickly, using OPPO's VOOC Flash Charger (included). At 3205mAh, the battery provides plenty of oomph for a whole day or more, probably due in part to the somewhat aggressive powersaving proccessess the R11s runs in the background by default. While many phones will politely ask you if you'd like to put idle apps to sleep or keep them running behind the scenes, the R11s treats most apps as battery-hungry demons that must be killed off the moment they're not being actively used. You can change this in the battery settings menu but I'll admit, it's a bit of a hassle. One more slight charging niggle, the R11s still uses microUSB instead of the newer, reversible Type-C connector. Not a major, but it does mean a bit more fiddling around with the cord.
Final fancy feature the R11s is missing? NFC. You won't be able to tap'n'go with this one. Again, not exactly essential, but if, like me, you've become accustomed to leaving your wallet at home and waving your phone at the supermarket checkout, it's a bit of a pain.
Of course, OPPO has always proudly labelled their handsets as "Camera Phones" and once again, with the R11s you're getting a first-rate camera configuration at a mid-range price. While other brands use two lenses with different apertures to make the most of the rear-facing camera, OPPO's 16 and 20megapixel lenses have the same aperture. I have no idea how these things are supposed to work, but certainly there's a noticeable improvement in terms of low-light shots when compared with last year's R11.
The dual rear camera also offers an impressive 10X zoom - although at the maximum setting, there's a lot of noise and the pictures are not particularly clear. Generally, the pictures I took, either outside or indoors came out very clear and well defined, if a little dull. While some phones I've used recently seem to add too much colour, I felt the R11s could brighten things up just a tad. Playing around with the expert settings certainly helped with some of these issues and the panorama option works extremely well.
The portrait settings on both the rear and forward-facing cameras are probably the highlight. If I thought the R11 selfies were the best I'd ever seen, the R11s takes it a step further, now using Artificial Intelligence to compare each facial shot with millions of others to make small improvements. Even my ugly mug suddenly becomes almost viewable.
Other than the lack of wireless charging, NFC and water/dust-proofing, the R11s impresses in every other department. Even the 64GB of internal storage is more than you might bargain for in an $800 phone - and unlike an iPhone, you can expand that storage out to a whopping 256GB.
It really is hard to justify paying over $2000 for Apple's latest top-of-the-line handset when OPPO's R11s delivers almost all the same features for way under half the price. And it comes in red. I mean, come on.
Click here for more information on the OPPO R11s
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
Huawei is a premiere phone brand.
Trouble is, even now, especially in New Zealand, not everybody knows it.
That could be about to change, because if the latest Huawei offering isn't the best phone of 2017, it's certainly in the top three.
One thing's for sure, the Mate 10 Pro is definitely the prettiest phone I've seen this year.
Usually I'll go for the tried and true (and admittedly, boring) black when it comes to handset colour. I feel like white has done its dash and I know it's sexist to say, but gold is just too girly for me. (By that I mean, as a mere male, I don't deserve nice things like gold)
Silver is functional, but industrial and while some phones have had other brightly coloured variants, if they're too garish, the whole operation starts looking a bit cheap. Don't ask my why, it's just the way it is.
I'll stretch to a very dark blue if I have to and in a perfect world, my phone would come in metallic blood red.
Meanwhile, the mocha of Huawei's Mate 10 Pro will do me just fine. It's a luxury colour. Soft, but sophisticated. More subtle than gold... almost an antique look to it. Mocha is classy - which is appropriate, because everything about the Mate 10 Pro is classy.
For the first time, Huawei has wrapped the whole device in glass, front and back, which gives it the premium feel we've come to expect from high end products by other manufacturers.
The rear dual-lens camera is set in a contrasting stripe (I think of it as a racing stripe) and I wonder if this is inspired by Huawei's recent partnership with the Porsche design team.
The impressive 6 inch display curves slightly at the edges, combining ergonomically with the arc of the back panel to ensure this phone is not at all slippery to hold. Rather, it's silky smooth and comfortable in the hand.
One handed operation is surprisingly doable for a handset with such a large screen. This is partly due to the edge-to-edge nature of that display, which allows the Mate 10 Pro to be significantly smaller overall than 2016's Mate 9 - even though last year's screen wasn't as big.
The other one-handed feature is the fingerprint sensor, ready and waiting for your forefinger in the centre of the back panel. You know... where your forefinger naturally sits. It's even slightly recessed to make it impossible not to find. It's lightning quick, unlocking and opening the phone to the last used screen instantly.
In fact, everything about the Mate 10 Pro is lightning quick. If you thought the Kirin 960 chip in the Mate 9 and P10 had things humming, the Mate 10's Kirin 970 is yet another leap forward. Huawei has spent millions on R & D to develop an Artificially Intelligent phone brain that is truly next level.
Much of this AI functionality has been directed to the cameras. On the back, one Leica lens is 20MP monochrome, while the other is a 12MP wide-aperture Leica to let in the most light possible. Not only does this mean a range of on-trend "bokeh-style" dual focus effects, but with the widest aperture lens on the market, low light shots are no longer hit and miss.
But back to the Mate 10 Pro's massive brain.
Since becoming one of the first phone makers to incorporate dual-lens technology into its handsets, Huawei has offered the potential to snap photos of the highest quality - if you knew what you were doing. Often I found I had to play around with the expert settings (which to be fair, have always been just a swipe away) to get my shot just right.
Now the Mate 10 Pro literally does my thinking for me. This new age of photographic A.I. means the phone already recognises millions of images and keeps learning on the job. So point the camera at your dinner, a little knife and fork symbol appears and the shot becomes instantly Instagrammable. Frame up a pretty tree and the flower symbol comes on, ensuring those blossoms look prettier still. Portraits are recognised straight away - group or solo. These cameras really are the final word in point and shoot.
Oh, and there's a neat trick; The 3D panorama shot which renders a VR style picture you can pan around by swiping or just by moving the phone. You can also use this effect shooting around your subject, resulting in a portrait you can see all sides of.
This is quite simply the most user-friendly and fully-featured camera configuration I've encountered to date.
With 128GB of on-board storage, you'll have plenty of room to store your nice new pics too.
Of course, all that processing power pays off with the rest of the Mate 10 Pro's operation. Whether it's the downloading and installation of apps, streaming, browsing or multi-tasking all those things, you just can't slow this beautiful beast down.
Especially given its massive battery, at 4000mAh, surely one of the biggest on the market. Fully charged, you'll easily pump through a full day, if not two depending on your binge-watching habits. Sometimes a high-capacity battery means an inconveniently long charging time. Not the case with the Mate 10 Pro - it comes with what Huawei calls a "Supercharger" and yes, it is very quick. Sadly, still no wireless charging from Huawei. Maybe next year.
Another unique feature offered by the Mate 10 series is Desktop Mode - simply plug into any screen with an HDMI port and you've converted your phone into an ultra-portable PC, no dock required.
Nobody's perfect, and while some features of the Mate 10 Pro come close, one or two fall shorter than I would have expected. The Mate 10 Pro carries an IP67 dust and water resistance rating, certainly better than nothing, but not fully submergible like some of its IP68 competitors.
The Mate 10 Pro is also part of the new phone breed to spurn its headphone socket, you'll have to use the earbuds with the USB-C connection included in the box or buy an adapter. I use bluetooth earbuds so this didn't bother me in the slightest.
Perhaps most significantly of all, (if you're a geek like me) the Mate 10 Pro is built on Android 8.0 (Oreo), the first such device widely available in New Zealand. This means a noticeably improved settings interface with many more customisation options. Combined with Huawei's latest EMUI operating system, I finally have almost all the features I demand from a large-screen device. Why don't all smart phones offer a home screen that will rotate to landscape? Or side-by-side email display?
Because there aren't any phones that can do all the things the Mate 10 Pro can do.
That's why it makes my top three phones of the year... and at $1299 it's actually several hundred dollars cheaper than the other two.
Click here for more information and pricing on the Huawei Mate 10 Pro
