Design and Hardware

The OnePlus Pad 2 is technically the third tablet to come out of the OnePlus design studio, they had the original pad that launched around the same sort of time last year and then came the Pad Go which I reviewed on the site right here. What OnePlus has done here is to take what they learned from feedback on both of these devices and then build it into the new Pad 2 as a result we do have some notable changes to the hardware

I have already covered the hardware in an unboxing video which can be found just below or if you want to read the article then take some time to do so now.

I was very impressed with the hardware of the Pad 2 but I want to just focus on a few of the significant parts that lept out at me. In addition I will also be looking at some of the optional extras that I was lucky enough to be provided with as this unit was given to me very kindly by OnePlus for review.

(Disclaimer: The thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own and have not been influenced by OnePlus who will not be given a preview of this review before it’s published. I have not been paid for this review, however, the items in the review have been provided at no cost to me.)

First things first is the size of the Pad 2, it has grown slightly from an 11″ screen to a 12.1″ screen now and this comes with some benefits to the rest of the design. By having a slightly bigger screen size the Pad 2 can now fit a massive battery (9150mAH) and it can also accommodate a better cooling system which in turn means a more powerful chipset. The size increase does of course have some downsides too though. It now has a bigger footprint than the previous design and this can be shown here by comparing this to the smaller Pad Go. The pad is also slightly thicker than the Pad Go and it is also a tad heavier as well. None of these aspects are really issues for me as I find that the size is a great size for a tablet and it is really nice to use for both work and play.

Coming onto play the next thing I want to highlight is the display on the Pad 2 as this is a great display as I mentioned above it is 12.1″ diagonal but it has an aspect ratio of 7:5 which makes it great for content viewing. It is also sporting a resolution of 3000 by 2120 with a PPI of 303. The panel will output anywhere between 30Hz and all the way up to 144Hz with various stops in between. It will also offer up to 900nits HBM but in normal conditions will go up to 600nits. All of this comes from an LCD panel which OnePlus is calling a Readfit display. Now I don’t want to gloss over the LED display part here as I was actually genuinely surprised that the panel was LCD after I got my first look at it. Had I not been told by the rep from OnePlus I would have assumed that this was an OLED display. It is a great display and one I have enjoyed using to consume content a lot I have also really enjoyed working on this display as well it is clear and vivid and the aspect ratio is really conducive to multitasking but more on that later…

Next up is the sound stage provided by the Pad 2. This is very good and more than enough for watching movies, YouTube and listening to music. The Pad 2 packs in six speakers to give a great range of sound and as the tablet is not a bit wider we get great distance between the individual drivers so we are able to get more of a stereo effect. In addition to the speakers’ physical setup, OnePlus has also sprinkled in some magic in the form of OReality Audio. This is the company’s take on what Dolby has been doing for years and offers you some preset sound settings some of which can be customised.

I have been using the Music mode whilst I am writing this review on the tablet now and I have been quite happy with my tunes blasting out. That being said you cannot always use your device with the speakers blaring out for everyone to hear or endure! This brings another nice feature that we are now seeing across OnePlus’s portfolio which is of course Spatial audio on Bluetooth headphones. Thankfully I have a pair of OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro which I have been able to use alongside the Pad2 and this creates a great audio experience when you use an app that supports this feature. I have used this setup on Disney+ whilst on an overnight trip and it was great.

That about sums up the key external point of design and hardware that I wanted to highlight. However, as suggested above there is a lot more going on inside the OnePlus Pad 2!

So the first internal feature I want to talk about is the chipset. OnePlus has been able to cram a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SOC into the Pad 2, bringing a lot of power to the table. I am not going to go into the performance of the chip as I don’t do benchmarking here, what I will say is that I have used a few devices with the 8 Gen 3 chipset and this is by far the biggest to date. This is relevant as the inbuilt graphic has to drive a bigger display than on a phone. the good news is that the Adreno 750 GPU is more than capable of the task and provides crystal-clear images regardless of what you are trying to do. I have already mentioned it is great for watching movies and videos. It is also a great platform for some light gaming, while handheld but it comes into its own when used with a controller setup like shown below.

The next bit I want to cover is the battery. As I have already mentioned the battery has a little bit more space due to the bigger chassis however it has not increased in size over the original Oneplus Pad. The battery is still a 9150mAh size and will charge at up to 67W when using a SuperVooc charger from OnePlus. I don’t have the appropriately sized SupperVooc charger to test the charging speed but I have been using a GAN charger and the Pad 2 will charge very fast allowing me to get from 0 to 100% in just under 1hr 30 mins. If using a OnePlus charging brick then the officially measured time is 81 minutes according to their own internal testing.

While this isn’t an amazing step up from the OG Pad it is nice to see that it hasn’t gone down and that the charging speed remains consistent. I am also really happy that you can leave this device to sleep for a really long time and pick it up again knowing that you should have some power left. This was one of the features I liked about the Pad Go in my review. Also of note is that there is no significant heat build-up within the tablet when it’s charging. The one thing that I would like to pick fault with is the location of the charging port. While having it mounted on the die is not by any means the worst place it does mean that handheld gaming is not really a viable option when charging. This must have been a designer-based decision for the inclusion of the optional keyboard accessory. It is not a bad thing but just something I would like to mention.

The next thing and indeed the last is the build quality of the tablet. The Pad 2 is built very well with no indication of torsional twisting or flexing when it is held in one hand. The rounded-off edges of the case make it a joy to hold. the texture of the Aluminium body is grippy and not an absolute fingerprint magnet either. Whilst the bezels on the front are larger than some people would like they are useful being that size as it stops accidental screen touches when you are holding it.

If I had one complaint, I would have to say that this is not a light tablet especially when you include the optional accessories. The tablet feels very similar in weight to my Macbook Air Pro when I am carrying it around. Its bare weight is 584g but once you add the Smart keyboard case then you are including another 800g. Include the Stylo 2 at a tiny 1 gram and you are carrying a total of 1.385 kg, my MacBook Pro weighs in at 1.6kg. Dont get me wrong I like the reassuring heft to it but this is worth bearing in mind for those looking to purchase.

So that brings me nicely onto the optional accessories that can be purchased (or can be free depending on offers). First up and I think this one is an essential extra, is the Smart Keyboard case. This is a two-in-one affair and it allows for the tablet to be used as a laptop replacement to a degree. it comes in two parts the first is the keyboard itself which is one of the best typing experiences I have had on a tablet keyboard case. the keys are well spaced and they have a solid feel to them. They have just enough travel to keep most people happy. It is a relatively standard layout but it now has an extra row that has been added to the top in the form of shortcut keys. this was not present in the previous version. the actual keyboard base is solid as well and this can be used with relative ease when on the lap. However, that is not the only way it can be used, as inside the Smart Keyboard is a hidden battery and some Bluetooth connectivity. This means that you can also use this as a removable keyboard separate from the tablet. So if you are on a Plane, train or automobile and you need to get some work done then you can remove the keyboard from the tablet and then have just the keyboard on your lap and the tablet screen positioned somewhere else. This is very convenient when I have been writing this review as I have been doing the majority of this on the Pad 2 itself, in either my office or my recliner in my lounge. In the latter setup, I will have the screen on a separate piece of furniture and the keyboard on my lap as this is the most comfortable position for me to use it.

Another thing that has grown from the previous folio-style keyboard is the trackpad. This is now a massive 8640mm surface area which is a significant increase in size. It is bigger than my Pixel Fold in its folded state! Now if I am being entirely honest, I had some issues with the trackpad on my device. So much so that it required a new one to be sent from OnePlus, for some reason on the first trackpad, I got there was no discernable click from the trackpad and this created all sorts of problems effectively rendering it useless.

Fortunately, after some email exchanges with OnePlus Tech support, I was sent a replacement unit and the issue was solved. I have asked some other reviewers who received their devices at the same time as me and they have had no similar issues so it may have just been a glitch on mine. As you would expect you can use the trackpad for all the normal gestures and swipes that you would expect and it does have a nice feel and responsive click to it. It also does not get in the way too much when I have been typing and I haven’t had issues with accidental presses with my palm.

There is another feature on the keyboard which the eagle-eyed would have seen from the pictures. In the bottom right-hand corner, there is an NFC logo. This is to indicate the position where you can hold your OnePlus phone to initiate a wireless connection between the Pad2 and the Phone allowing you to screen share your phone and also take control of the phone on the Pad 2. It also allows you to access content from the phone’s storage and shares the Mobile data connection. I will cover this a bit more in the software section of the review as it is mostly software-based.

I mentioned that the Smart Keyboard was a 2 in 1 accessory. This is because the standing element of the keyboard is a completely separate component to the keyboard. The stand is a panel that has a central hinge going across it at the halfway point. This hinge will allow you to fold the backplate into various different positions.

The top half of the panel contains several magnets that align with magnets in the back of the Pad 2. This is how the back panel attaches and also how the panel supports the weight of the tablet. This setup allows for a large range of angles to be achieved when you are using the stand and the keyboard together. I have found that you can have the set-up as shown in the image below and this is the most conducive for typing and still being able to use the last accessory the Stylo 2.

The Stylo 2 is OnePlus’s take on a Stylus for its tablet lineup. As far as I am aware it will only work on Pad 2 as there was a different Stylo for the original Pad. The Stylo 2 will not work on the OnePlus Open internal display as far as I have been advised. I have not had the chance to test this so your mileage may vary. The Stylo 2 has got an internal battery that will recharge wirelessly when you “dock” the Stylo 2 on the top right-hand edge of the screen.
The Stylo 2 will also detect up to 16,000 levels of pressure to allow you to get the pressure of the screen just right when drawing and writing. When writing the Stylo 2 will vibrate ever so slightly to recreate the feel of using a pencil on paper. It can also be used as a laser pointer when being used in conjunction with a presentation. For the most part I have been using the Stylo 2 as a mouse-style device as I find that I can get a slightly higher level of accuracy with it.

I have tried to do some drawing with it but I am by no means an artist so I decided to skip this test. One thing I did like is that I was able to use the Stylo to take notes with the screen off. previously this has been something I have only found on Samsung kit so it is a nice feature to see here. How much I would use this in my day-to-day life is still up for debate.

Normally I would now go into the camera section of a review but, I am not going to give it much time here as let’s be honest no one will use the camera for taking photos as you don’t want to be that person.

The rear camera is a 13MP sensor which will record video at up to 4K at 30fps. It also has EIS on board as well if you really want to use it for photos/video when moving. Here are some pictures from the rear camera for your viewing pleasure.

Not too shabby I am sure you would agree but not something I would use to capture photos with unless I had no other option.

What is more important and will be vastly more useful is the front-facing camera which is an 8MP sensor that will record at up to 1080p 30fps and also includes EIS. The front camera is also used for Face Unlock but this is just regular 2D Face Unlock not the depth-sensing 3D version. This does mean that it doesn’t pick up a lot of the time which is a bit annoying. Facial recognition is the only biometric unlock option here as there is no fingerprint sensor. I do feel that this is a bit of a miss but for most people, it won’t bother them.

I also included a few images from the front camera as well as a quick video clip to show what video calls would be like.

Really if you want to get photos onto your pad 2 the best way is to take them on another device and then transfer them either through the OneTouch Transmission option (taping the NFC point on the keyboard if you have it) or using nearby share.

Now moving to the software lets see what makes Pad 2 tick under the shiny hardware skin.

Software

The software is very what we have to come to know from OnePlus. We have got Android 14 on board with Oxygen OS 14.1 UI over the top. As far as UI’s go this is one of the better ones especially as OnePlus has brought the excellent Open Canvas elements across from the OnePlus Open.

Open Canvas makes multitasking on a large-scale device like a foldable or a tablet a much more fluid and enjoyable experience. It allows you to expand the useable desktop space virtually by having windows that can be slid out of sight until needed. It also supports the normal Split screen functions that you would expect but has the added benefit of having up to 3 active apps at any one time.

I have included a few screenshots below so you can get an idea of what it looks like.

As you can see you can have the apps appear as 3 normal size apps side by side and you can switch between them as above. Pinching in with 4 fingers on the screen will give you an overview mode as well.

Or you can have one full-screen app with the others sitting just below the main app but still easily accessible.

What I found really cool is that if you are using something like YouTube then it will continue playback while you can be using another app. The only time I couldn’t get this to work was when I had two apps trying to play media at the same time which is understandable. i have found this really useful whilst writing this review as it has allowed me to have the OnePlus page open for reference and the WordPress app running alongside it in addition to having my Gmail app open as well. You can also fully interact with the apps even when they are in the overview view which is awesome to see.

Here is a quick screen recording of the app switching in action.

Pretty sweet I think.

However, there are other quite cool software tricks in the OnePlus Pad 2, I am of course talking about the previously mentioned OneTouch Transmission function. This allows you to use the NFC on the Smart Keyboard to initiate a screen-sharing mode on the Pad 2 with a compatible OnePlus Phone. However, screen sharing is just one fo the things that it can do. Once the process has started and the phone is being displayed on your Pad 2 you can then use the Pad 2 to control every aspect of your phone in a window. You can use this “phone ” to interact with any of your apps and even use it to make calls and share the data connection with the Pad 2. I’ll be honest this last one I was never able to get to work probably due to an error on my part but the functionality is there. I was however able to use it to transfer files from the phone to the tablet which was extremely useful during the course of this review.

I am sure this can also be done without the use of the Smart Keyboard but it is not going to be as smooth an operation as it would be just tapping the NFC point on the keyboard to initiate it.

Here is what the Phone looks like when shared with the Pad 2.

Other than these two features you have got a fairly regular Android 14 tablet and all the goodness that comes from that along with the weaknesses. Android as an OS has never fully embraced the tablet form factor as much as the likes of iPadOS which is a shame as there are some very good tablets on the market now including this one. if Google is serious about large format devices and making Android into a multiplatform OS then they need to get more apps designed with Tablets in mind. There are still too many apps that just scale up to be a big phone UI on a tablet which gives the user a poor experience. being an Androdi tablet user for many years and now a foldable user I have learned to live with these issues but it is not enticing for newcomers.

There is however one major omission from the OnePlus Pad 2 software suite and this is a “desktop mode”. We have seen the likes of Honor, Samsung and Huawei (even after the Google Mobile Services ban) implement their own version of a desktop mode for use when you have a keyboard connected to your tablet and it can make things a lot more useable for power users. Again I have learned how to navigate around the pitfalls of Android on Tablets and things like Open Canvas certainly go a long way to help with this but the key phrase in that sentence is “learned”. A new user shouldn’t have to learn how to do these things it should be intuitive. The Chromebook experience can run on the same processor as the ones we have on tablets and it would be awesome to see this being implemented on tablets that have the powerful enough chipsets to do it. The OnePlus Pad 2 is certainly one of these devices. However, I have gone a bit off-topic, back to what we do have today.

The use of AI in the software is not something that has been missed by the Pad 2 and it is as present here as it was on the Oneplus Nord 4 that I recently reviewed. You have got the same SmartSidebar as found on the phone and this allows quick access to tools depending on what app you are in and also to multitasking. AI Eraser is present in the Photos App and is effective at doing so.

You also have AI doing its thing in the Notes app where it will allow you to carry out a voice recording whilst the Pad2 will transcribe what is said into Notes for you to use later as required. Currently, this is limited to English and Chinese only. there are more AI features to come in the form of AI Toolbox in Q4. How much of this will be used in the day-to-day I can’t be sure but at least we know it is already here or coming soon. Before we leave AI though I am sad to see that OnePlus has not embraced what Google has made available in the form of Circle to Search and Googles other goodies like Live Translate and Generative Wallpapers or example. to be fair a lot of Googles new AI features are limited to Samsung and Pixel devices at the time of writing so it is not surprising that we have not seen them on a OnePlus device yet.

Overall despite my early rant about the state of Android on tablets (which to be fair is not the fault of OEM’s like Oneplus), I am very happy with the software that I am presented with on the OnePlus pad2 and it has been a joy to use it for the past few months.
Conclusion

So it has come to the time where I need to gather my thoughts and try to answer the question I posed at the beginning of this review. IS the OnePlus Pad 2 a suitable laptop replacement?
Quick answer No it is not.
Long answer yes but with caveats and a learning time.

I dont think that the OnePlus Pad 2 can replace your laptop outright for all your needs especially if you use any pro tools at all. But then the same can be said of things like Chromebooks, or the latest laptops to feature Snapdragon chipsets in them. If you are not someone who needs programs (I deliberately called them that) and can make do with Apps then the OnePlus Pad 2 may work for you just as well as some of the lighter computing alternatives i.e. Chromebooks. I have been able to get a lot of the reviews for both the Pad 2 and the Nord 4 written on the Pad 2. It has been my lighter-weight travelling computer when I have been away from home and I have even used it for a bit of gaming on the side. The OnePlus pad2 is a powerful and productive mobile computer that could potentially fill the needs of a lot of people over a laptop and it is also a significantly cheaper cost.

However with all that being said, there is another threat looming for tablets and that is the emerging foldable market for me that is where I will be planting my flag into moving forward as it gives me my dream two-in-one device which ticks the vast majority of the boxes for what a tablet used to do especially as I lent towards the smaller tablet like the Nexus 7 and the iPad Mini, My Pixel 9 Pro Fold is the same size as these when unfolded and is a phone size when folded.

It is incredibly expensive though and if money is an important factor then a separate tablet like the OnePlus Pad 2 and high-end mid-ranger like the excellent OnePlus Nord 4 would be worth looking into.

Just remember that this combination even with the accessories is less than the cost of a folding phone and some may say more practical…..

Check out the OnePlus Pad 2 on the OnePlus website now for the latest offers

The post OnePlus Pad 2 – Review is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

Following the EU launch of HONOR’s latest foldable device, the Magic V3 at IFA last week, Global technology brand HONOR today announced record breaking sales in the first few days from launch. According to data from HONOR.com, sales for the Magic V3 in the first day of trading in the UK were 195% higher than the same period for the previous foldable device, the Magic V2.

While stock is currently limited, especially for the unique ‘Reddish Brown’ colourway, which is exclusively available from HONOR.com, an additional, larger shipment is expected to arrive in Europe imminently. Customers can still purchase the Magic V3 from HONOR.com, network operators and other channel partners across the region.

Following the success of the Magic V2 launch in Europe earlier this year, which made the Magic V2 the most shipped foldable device in Europe in Q1 2024, the Magic V3 continues to push the boundaries of foldable devices. The all-new HONOR Magic V3 is the world’s thinnest inward foldable phone with enhanced durability, battery, display and AI experience, to EU consumers at Europe’s largest consumer electronics fair, IFA, on 5^th September. It has so far garnered significant praise from leading global tech media, winning numerous ‘Best in show’ awards. These accolades from respected tech publications underscore HONOR’s successful push to the forefront of foldable technology, with the HONOR Magic V3 setting new benchmarks for design and functionality in the competitive flagship device landscape.

 Bond Zhang, HONOR’s UK CEO, added:

“The Magic V3 is a game changer, and we are delighted to see that customers are as excited as we are to get their hands on our latest foldable device. It’s also great to see the demand for the foldable category continuing to rise, and we are proud that HONOR can deliver this type of innovation to UK customers.”

With a sleek folded thickness of 9.2mm[2] and featherlight body weighing just 226g, the HONOR Magic V3 rivals the slimness and weight of a flagship bar phone, ensuring utmost portability for users. This feat is accomplished through the meticulous application of 19 innovative materials and 114 microstructures, propelling foldable devices into a new era of precision and slimness. Featuring a dome-shaped octagonal camera module, the HONOR Magic V3 seamlessly combines the architectural beauty of dome structures with technological innovations. This camera module showcases a diamond cut, adding an element of elegance and sleekness to the device’s overall appearance.

Adding to its durability, the HONOR Magic V3 incorporates a Special Fiber into its body material, enhancing impact resistance by 40 times compared to other flagship bar phones while reducing the back cover’s thickness by over 30%. Moreover, featuring the proprietary HONOR Super Steel Hinge, the device can withstand up to 500,000 folding cycles and has attained the prestigious SGS Durability Certification. Fortified with the HONOR Super Armored Inner Screen and HONOR Anti-scratch NanoCrystal Shield, the HONOR Magic V3 is crafted to endure the rigors of daily use.

Equipped with a 6.43-inch external display and a 7.92-inch internal foldable screen, the HONOR Magic V3 delivers an immersive dual-use experience, offering an enjoyable visual journey to users. Dedicated to prioritizing user well-being and comfort, this device incorporates a range of innovative eye-comfort features, such as the world’s first AI Defocus Display technology, 4320Hz Risk-free PWM Dimming, Dynamic Dimming, Circadian Night Display and Natural Tone Display.

In addition, the HONOR Magic V3 is packed with an advanced 5150mAh.  Third-generation Silicon-carbon Battery, supported by the lightning-fast 66W Wired and 50W Wireless HONOR SuperCharge, ensuring users an uninterrupted and stress-free mobile experience. Featuring the innovative HONOR Falcon Camera System which encompasses a 50MP Periscope Telephoto Camera, a 50MP Main Camera, and a 40MP Ultra-wide Camera, the device promises unparalleled imaging quality and versatility for users seeking stunning smartphone photography.

HONOR Magic V3 offers a host of intelligent features. These include Magic Portal on Foldable, along with on-device AI enabled photography features like HONOR AI Motion Sensing for Lightning-fast shots, and the HONOR AI Portrait Engine for portrait enhancement. Collaborating with Google Cloud, HONOR enriches a range of productivity features supported by Google’s AI models and Cloud technologies to empower users to improve overall efficiency, including HONOR AI Eraser, Face to Face Translation, and Translation tools in HONOR Notes. These deliver on HONOR’s promise of a new era of AI-enabled versatility and productivity, catering to the evolving demands of business and professional users.

Colour and Pricing
Inspired by the wonders of natural landscape, the HONOR Magic V3 is available three stunning colorways[13]: Reddish Brown, Green and Black, starting at £1,699 in the UK and is be available from honor.com/uk, O2, Three, Amazon, Argos and Very.

The HONOR Magic V3 will also be available from both EE and Vodafone, with availability due to be announced in the coming weeks.

For a limited time only, UK customers purchasing through one of HONOR’s retail partners will be able to claim Bang & Olufsen Beoplay HX headphones worth £549 with their purchase of HONOR Magic V3.

Customers who purchase HONOR Magic V3 from honor.com/uk, will not only be able to take advantage of a 24 month interest free offer, but for a limited time will be able to claim a £300 Discount Code plus a HONOR Magic-Pen, HONOR Watch 4, HONOR Earbuds X6 and other gifts totalling £383.

The post HONOR announces unprecedented demand for Magic V3 and confirms stock is currently limited in some European markets. is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

CUKTECH, an integral member of the Xiaomi ecosystem, is today excited to announce the launch of its latest innovation, the CP253L 45W Power Bank, a powerful and portable charging solution designed to meet the diverse demands of today’s users. With a robust 20,000mAh capacity and advanced fast-charging technology, this portable charger is engineered to keep devices powered up throughout the day, making it an essential companion for extended travel, busy workdays, and on-the-go lifestyles.

Exceptional Power Capacity and Versatility

The CUKTECH CP253L boasts a substantial 20,000mAh battery capacity, offering multiple charges for a wide range of devices. This power bank can charge an iPhone 15 up to 3.9 times, a Samsung S24 Ultra 2.9 times, an iPad Air 1.9 times, or even a MacBook Air 1.2 times, making it perfect for those who require reliable power on the go.

Two-Way Fast Charging for Maximum Efficiency

Equipped with 45W maximum output, the CP253L delivers fast and efficient charging, capable of powering an iPhone 15 from 0 to 60% in just 30 minutes. The power bank itself can be recharged just as quickly, with a 40W input that restores up to 43% of its capacity in just 60 minutes, ensuring that the CP253L is always ready when needed.

Built-In Convenience and Smart Features

The CUKTECH CP253L is designed with convenience in mind, featuring a built-in USB-C cable for easy access and portability. It also supports a wide range of devices, from smartphones and tablets to smaller gadgets like AirPods, Bluetooth headsets, fitness trackers, and smartwatches. These are devices that many power banks struggle to charge efficiently.

To keep users informed, the CP253L includes a smart LED display that provides real-time battery percentage status. This offers a clear and intuitive way to monitor the power bank’s charging progress.

Safety and Reliability Assured

Safety is paramount with the CUKTECH CP253L. The power bank has passed rigorous testing standards, including those set by Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL) and the IEC 62133 standard, ensuring that it meets high-quality benchmarks and offers safe and reliable operation for all users.

The CUKTECH CP253L 45W Power Bank is available in the black colourway from Amazon UK for 26.95, with a 20% voucher available. It is also onAmazon US for $29.99 in the black colourway, with a 30% coupon and 50% promo code offered, and $32.99 in the white colourway.

The post CUKTECH Launches the CP253L 45W 20,000mAh Power Bank: A Powerful, Portable Charging Solution for Modern Devices. is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

Ostand Spin – 360° Spin Kickstand: 

The O-Shape stand allows for a 360° rotation with adjustable angles. Besides landscape mode for video-viewing and portrait mode for FaceTime, this feature comes in handy for using the signature “Camera Control” button with just one hand, as the metal ring offers an additional strong grip.

Protection with Fashion: Available in 2 different back designs and 7 colors in total (Classic Version for 4 translucent colors at $42.99, & Flagship Version for 3 solid colors at $45.99) , TORRAS is adding a pinch of fashion on top of protection. Notably, the Dune & Nude color is inspired by Apple’s newest “Desert Titanium”.

Flagship Version – From Left to Right: Onyx, Dune, Ivory

40% Stronger Magnet: The case is perfectly compatible with MagSafe accessories and Qi wireless chargers. The powerful magnet makes it easy for the phone to stick to any magnetic surface.All-Round Protection: The spinning stand is built in the phone case to keep your phone’s back scratch-free during rotation. The phone case is also carefully engineered to withstand a 12-foot accidental drop.

Hopefully when we get our hands on the new iPhone, we will get some of these cases in for a full review.

The post iPhone 16.. 360° Spin Kickstand Case from TORRAS. is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

UGREEN, a leading innovator in consumer electronics, is set to showcase its latest Ugreen Uno Series at IFA 2024 in Berlin, Germany, from September 6-10, highlighting a lineup of innovative fast-charging products designed to deliver a fun and fast charging experience for iPhone users under the theme “Activate You”.

The UGREEN Uno series offers fast and fun accessories designed specifically for iPhone users, including wired PD chargers that provide high-wattage fast charging, as well as the latest Qi2 magnetic wireless charging devices compatible with Apple’s MagSafe, along with hubs and cables. The Ugreen Uno Series flagship products include the UGREEN Uno Charger 100W, UGREEN Uno Magnetic Wireless Power Bank 10000mAh 15W, and UGREEN Uno 2-in-1 Magnetic Wireless Charger 15W. These innovative chargers and power banks are designed with “Fast and Fun Charging” in mind. The Groovy, unique robot appearance can be cool and cute. During the charging process, the TFT Screen could support the display of more cute emojis, offering a more interesting experience to the users.

In addition to this unique design, the UGREEN Uno Charger 100W stands out with its impressive 100W rapid charging capability. A single port can charge a MacBook Pro 16” to 43% in just 30 minutes. Furthermore, the three USB-C and one USB-A ports can fast charge up to four devices simultaneously, eliminating the need for multiple chargers. The latest GaNInfinity Chip enables faster charging in a compact size, while UGREEN’s built-in ThermalGuard system monitors temperature changes in real-time helping UGREEN Uno Charger provide instant protection from overheating, overcharge, and excessive current.

Another exciting product in the Uno Series is the UGREEN Uno Magnetic Wireless Power Bank 10000mAh 15W. Qi2 certified and equipped with 15W magnetic fast charging, this power bank is twice as fast as traditional 7.5W magnetic charging*. It boasts 20W two-way USB-C fast charging for rapid wired power delivery, and a foldable metal stand enabling convenient charging and use, all encased in a sleek, compact, and portable design. With its strong magnetic force, the power bank ensures effortless and reliable charging, even in trickle charging mode for low-current devices like Bluetooth earphones and smartwatches.

The UGREEN Uno 2-in-1 Magnetic Wireless Charger 15W is another must-see product at IFA 2024. With its 15W wireless magnetic charging, it is Qi2 certified and can meet the needs of iPhone 15W wireless fast charging. This charger has dual wireless charging pads – one for charging the phone at 15W, and another for charging wireless earbuds at 5W simultaneously. It also includes a 5W USB-C port to plug in a watch charger and juice up the smartwatch. It also features an adjustable viewing angle of up to 70 degrees, wide compatibility with the latest Apple devices, and foreign object detection protection. The strong magnetic force and high-temperature resistance ensure safe and efficient charging.

This series will also feature the UGREEN Uno Power Bank 10000mAh 30W, featuring 30W two-way USB-C fast charging to fully juice up in just 2 hours, along with a built-in durable USB-C cable for conveniently charging all your devices on-the-go. Additionally, The UGREEN Uno 6-in-1 USB-C Hub boasts four blazing-fast 10Gbps USB 3.2 Gen2 ports, delivering pristine picture quality complemented by HDMI ports that support ultra-high refresh rates for an immersive visual experience. And for individuals needing a reliable USB-C to USB-C cable, the UGREEN Uno USB-C to USB-C cable 100W is the perfect solution.

The post UGREEN Unveils Uno Series at IFA 2024: Fast-Charging Solutions with a Fun Twist. is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

Global technology brand HONOR today announced its groundbreaking AI-enabled hardware capabilities and a collaborative AI privacy protection architecture, showcasing its commitment to innovative empowerment in an AI-driven world, at IFA 2024. The event also saw the debut of HONOR’s latest AI-empowered flagship devices, including the HONOR Magic V3, the world’s slimmest inward foldable smartphone, as well as the sleek and artistic laptop HONOR MagicBook Art 14, and the cutting-edge innovative digital canvas HONOR MagicPad 2, and a stylish health tracker HONOR Watch 5.

George Zhao, CEO of HONOR.

AI is fundamentally reshaping our industry, enriching and creating new experiences that improves creativity and productivity for consumers all around the world, every day, Our role as a smart device provider gives us incredible access to consumers. Combined with our expertise in devices, it informs our AI roadmap, allowing us to create personal, intuitive, and more secure AI experiences that best meet their needs. Through all our new flagship devices, we hope to deliver human-centric AI experiences that consumers will find truly magical.

During the presentation, HONOR also highlighted its collaboration with Google Cloud.

We’re delighted to deepen our collaboration with HONOR,” said Matt Waldbusser, Managing Director of Global Solutions and Consumer AI of Google Cloud. By incorporating Google’s AI models and Cloud technology, HONOR is giving Magic V3 users the ability to experience exciting new possibilities with AI in their daily lives.

Bond Zhang, HONOR’s UK Managing Director, added

The Magic V3 is a game changer, and we are delighted that, for the first time in the UK, it will be available from all major operators in addition to our retail partners. Customer demand for foldable devices continues to grow so we are thrilled to bring true innovation to the UK with its industry leading thinness, weight and durability. We are also pleased to showcase our continued commitment to innovation with the HONOR MagicPad2, MagicBook Art 14 and Watch 5.

HONOR Magic V3: The World’s Thinnest Foldable with Robust Performance

Continuing to push the boundaries of foldable devices, HONOR introduced the all-new HONOR Magic V3, the world’s thinnest inward foldable phone with enhanced durability, battery, display and AI experience, to global consumers.

With a sleek folded thickness of 9.2mm[2] and featherlight body weighing just 226g, the HONOR Magic V3 rivals the slimness and weight of a flagship bar phone, ensuring utmost portability for users. This feat is accomplished through the meticulous application of 19 innovative materials and 114 microstructures, propelling foldable devices into a new era of precision and slimness. Featuring a dome-shaped octagonal camera module, the HONOR Magic V3 seamlessly combines the architectural beauty of dome structures with technological innovations. This camera module showcases a diamond cut, adding an element of elegance and sleekness to the device’s overall appearance.

Adding to its durability, the HONOR Magic V3 incorporates a Special Fiber into its body material, enhancing impact resistance by 40 times compared to other flagship bar phones while reducing the back cover’s thickness by over 30%. Moreover, featuring the proprietary HONOR Super Steel Hinge, the device can withstand up to 500,000 folding cycles and has attained the prestigious SGS Durability Certification. Fortified with the HONOR Super Armored Inner Screen and HONOR Anti-scratch NanoCrystal Shield, the HONOR Magic V3 is crafted to endure the rigors of daily use.

Equipped with a 6.43-inch external display and a 7.92-inch internal foldable screen, the HONOR Magic V3 delivers an immersive dual-use experience, offering an enjoyable visual journey to users. Dedicated to prioritizing user well-being and comfort, this device incorporates a range of innovative eye-comfort features, such as the world’s first AI Defocus Display technology, 4320Hz Risk-free PWM Dimming, Dynamic Dimming, Circadian Night Display and Natural Tone Display.

In addition, the HONOR Magic V3 is packed with an advanced 5150mAh Third-generation Silicon-carbon Battery, supported by the lightning-fast 66W Wired and 50W Wireless HONOR SuperCharge, ensuring users an uninterrupted and stress-free mobile experience. Featuring the innovative HONOR Falcon Camera System which encompasses a 50MP Periscope Telephoto Camera, a 50MP Main Camera, and a 40MP Ultra-wide Camera, the device promises unparalleled imaging quality and versatility for users seeking stunning smartphone photography.

HONOR Magic V3 offers a host of intelligent features. These include Magic Portal on Foldable, along with on-device AI enabled photography features like HONOR AI Motion Sensing for Lightning-fast shots, and the HONOR AI Portrait Engine for portrait enhancement. Collaborating with Google Cloud, HONOR enriches a range of productivity features supported by Google’s AI models and Cloud technologies to empower users to improve overall efficiency, including HONOR AI Eraser, Face to Face Translation, and Translation tools in HONOR Notes. These deliver on HONOR’s promise of a new era of AI-enabled versatility and productivity, catering to the evolving demands of business and professional users.

HONOR MagicBook Art 14: Unlocking AI-powered Future Productivity Elegantly.

Showcasing the Vine-leaf Curves Design and Satin Enamel Spraying Technology, this laptop is a marvel of lightweight engineering, incorporating cutting-edge platform-level AI features alongside robust hardware and software solutions, ensuring unmatched productivity and user experience. Translating the lightweight and slim characteristics synonymous with smartphones to laptops, HONOR is introducing the so far lightest and slimmest AIPC to the market. The HONOR MagicBook Art 14 showcases the pioneering Topology Lightweight Structure, weighing just approximately 1kg and measuring a slim thickness of 10mm. Boasting an alloy body crafted from magnesium and a keyboard constructed with titanium, this laptop epitomizes a perfect balance of lightweight design and durability.

Integrating an industry-leading Modular Camera Design, the laptop features a detachable magnetic configuration that enhances privacy and adaptability, delivering a wider and immersive visual journey. The HONOR MagicBook Art 14 features a captivating 14.6-inch HONOR FullView Touch Display boasting a crystal-clear 3.1K resolution. With an outstanding 97% screen-to-body ratio, the largest among 14-inch laptops, it guarantees an immersive and enriching viewing experience. Demonstrating HONOR’s commitment to users’ well-being, the display is equipped with the industry’s foremost eye protection technologies, such as 4320 High-frequency PWM Dimming, Dynamic Dimming technology, and E-book Mode, ensuring a comfortable and safe viewing experience.

In collaboration with Microsoft, the HONOR MagicBook Art 14 offers users access to the advanced Copilot features, including Intelligent Email Management, Data insight & visualization, and Real-time Transcription and Summarization, elevating productivity and efficiency. Further enhancing power efficiency, the laptop features AI-driven OS Turbo 3.0, optimizing power consumption by analyzing user behavior and adjusting performance strategies precisely, guaranteeing a powerful yet reliable laptop experience. Driven by HONOR’s Spatial Audio Technology and AI computing power, the HONOR MagicBook Art 14 redefines audio excellence. This technology combines Spatial Reconstruction and Sound Quality Equalization to create a lifelike audio environment. Coupled with advanced AI algorithms, the Bidirectional-enhanced Microphone Design ensures superior sound capture and noise reduction in any conditions, perfect for scenarios like group meetings and interviews, enabling users to enjoy an elevated communication and collaboration experience.

Powered by the high-performance Intel® Core Ultra 7 Processor 155H the HONOR MagicBook Art 14 adopts heterogeneous cores, featuring six performance cores, eight efficient cores, and two low-power efficient cores that can turbo boost the device to 4.8GHz, allowing the laptop to handle demanding tasks while delivering excellent battery-saving multitasking performance efficiently. It showcases a twofold enhancement in GPU performance and a 70% boost in AI performance, making it a reliable choice for users seeking high-performance laptop experiences. Adding to its versatility, the laptop comes with multiple ports including Thunderbolt 4, USB-C, USB-A, HDMI, and a 3.5mm Headphone/Mic jack, enhancing overall convenience and ensuring a seamless user experience. Moreover, housing a Heterogenous Battery Design, the HONOR MagicBook Art 14 Series improves space utilization by 30% while offering a robust 60Wh capacity that extends battery life for users.

HONOR MagicPad2: Perfect Integration of Productivity and Entertainment.

The HONOR MagicPad2 stands out with its impressive slim design, boasting an ultra-thin 5.8mm body and weighing just 555g, making it the ideal companion for on-the-go use. It features a 12.3-inch HONOR Eye Comfort Display with a 144Hz screen refresh rate, creating a visually stunning experience with enhanced smoothness and responsiveness across various content. Additionally, holding dual TÜV certifications, the tablet ensures optimal eye care through advanced innovations such as AI Defocus Display, 4320Hz high-frequency PWM dimming Circadian Night Display, and Dynamic Dimming functionalities.

The HONOR MagicPad 2 excels not only visually but also in its audio experience. The HONOR MagicPad2 is IMAX-Enhanced certified, ensuring a high-quality entertainment experience with stunning picture quality and audio by DTS, immersing users in cinematic audio-visual feasts anytime, anywhere on Disney+. By incorporating HONOR Spatial Audio Technology, the tablet features a widened sound field of 25% compared to its forerunner, enriching the audio experience for all users.

The HONOR MagicPad 2 is powered by the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 flagship platform, excellently handling multiple tasks such as office work and gaming. The massive 10050mAh battery serves as a powerful backup for work and entertainment, complemented by 66W fast charging technology for rapid charging and efficient power consumption, giving users peace of mind.

The HONOR MagicPad2 runs on the new MagicOS 8.0, which is based on user intent-based recognition and possesses powerful AI capabilities, bringing users an unprecedented intelligent magical experience. The Magic Portal feature can predict interaction needs and recognize intentions in advance, allowing users to generate schedules or more tasks with just a long press and drag. From Voice to Text to Handwriting Beautification and Formula Recognition capabilities, the AI-driven office tools further enhance the HONOR MagicPad 2’s productivity, empowering users to achieve more in their daily endeavors.

HONOR Watch 5: Lightweight Design and Advanced Features.

HONOR also introduced the HONOR Watch 5, a blend of modern technology and sleek design. Weighing 35g, it measures only 11mm in thickness, making it lightweight and comfortable for all-day wear. The 1.85-inch AMOLED color display with a resolution of 450×390 pixels and 322 PPI supports full-screen touch operation, providing a vivid visual experience.

The HONOR Watch 5 features a Silicon-carbon battery, offering an impressive 15-day battery life with its 480mAh capacity. Powered by Turbo X Smart Power Management, it ensures efficient energy use. This watch also tracks essential health metrics, including heart rate and SpO2 levels, helping users monitor their well-being in real-time. With the AccuTrack positioning system, the HONOR Watch 5 significantly enhances GPS accuracy, offering users more precise activity tracking.

Colour and Pricing 

Inspired by the wonders of natural landscape, the HONOR Magic V3 is available three stunning colorways  Reddish Brown, Green and Black, starting at £1,699 in the UK and will be available from September the 5th via honor.com/uk, O2, Three, Amazon, Argos and Very.

The HONOR Magic V3 will also be available from both EE and Vodafone, with availability due to be announced in the coming weeks. For a limited time only, UK customers purchasing through one of HONOR’s retail partners will be able to claim Bang & Olufsen Beoplay HX headphones worth £549 with their purchase of HONOR Magic V3.

Customers who purchase HONOR Magic V3 from honor.com/uk, will not only be able to take advantage of a 24 month interest free offer, but for a limited time will be able to claim a £300 Discount Code plus a HONOR Magic-Pen, HONOR SuperCharge Power Adapter Max 66W and 6 Months Screen Protection worth £214.

Starting at £499, the HONOR MagicPad2 comes with two color options: Moonlight White and Black and will be available to buy in the UK from 5^th September via HONOR.com. For a limited time, customers in the UK will be able to claim a £50 discount plus an HONOR Magic-Pencil 3, HONOR MagicPad2 Smart Bluetooth Keyboard and HONOR SuperCharge Power Adapter Max 66W worth £186. UK customer will also be able to choose from either 12 or 24 month interest free purchase options.

Available in Emerald Green, Starry Grey and White the HONOR MagicBook Art 14 while the HONOR Watch 5 will also come in three colors: Black, Gold and Green. Specific purchasing dates and pricing for the UK and Republic of Ireland for these products will be announced in the future.

For more information, please visit HONOR online store at www.honor.com.

The post HONOR Unfolds a Future with Possibilities with the Record-breaking HONOR Magic V3 at IFA 2024. is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

Specs:-

The most notable part about this ePaper gadget is the Carta 1300 screen, the latest generation of E Ink display technology. It brings enhanced visual quality and performance to this monochrome eReader. Compared with its predecessors, Carta 1300 delivers deeper blacks and brighter whites, which will greatly improve the reading experience. Book lovers can enjoy sharper texts and images on an eye-friendly screen.

To complement its high-quality display, Go 6 offers a versatile reading app, NeoReader. This native app opens up to 20 document formats and is packed with a wealth of reading features, with which users can effortlessly highlight, annotate, adjust layout, and use TTS. Most importantly, NeoReader is constantly being upgraded and iterated upon through the BOOX team’s continuous updates. For example, the latest firmware V3.5.3 allows users to choose a light or dark mode, switching between a clean calming feel or a futuristic high-tech vibe.
Unlike most brands that stick to closed systems, Go 6 runs on an open Android OS. Each device has been preinstalled with the Google Play Store, offering users direct access to their favorite apps for reading, web browsing, and audio listening. It gives users the choice to personalize their device. Such flexibility reflects the values that the Go series pursues.

Despite its compact size, the Go 6 comes with good hardware specs. To guarantee robust performance for seamless page turns and app launches, it is equipped with an Octa-core CPU. Besides, there is an expandable microSD card slot so that users can easily add more storage and never run out of space for their favorite novels. Inside this eReader is the chic, minimalist UI and a series of useful built-in apps such as BOOXDrop, PushRead, and AI Assitant.
Designed for on-the-go reading, Go 6 is an ideal travel mate. At a slim 6.8mm thickness and a mere 160g, it’s comfortable to hold for extended reading sessions. For frequent travelers, it is small enough to fit in a pocket yet powerful enough to carry a whole library, and the durable battery lasts days on a single charge, ensuring endless reading delight during journeys.

As a massive e-reader user hopefully we get one in for a full review.

The BOOX Go 6 eReader is available to buy from the BOOX website for $149.99/ EU €169.99 /UK £149.99.

The post BOOX Unveils Go 6: A Pocket-Sized eReader with Carta 1300 Screen. is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

I have already covered the hardware extensively in my unboxing post that went out the day the phone was announced. If you missed this or want to refresh your memory then I would recommend checking it out.

So now that you are all caught up let’s dive into the key features that distinguish this phone from the masses.

Hardware

There are some elements of this phone that I feel I need to highlight in the hardware department as they not only separate the phone for the wealth of midrange devices on the market but they also make this phone unique in the industry for the moment.

The first one I want to talk about is of course the materials that have been used to make the phone.

The phone is unique in this first aspect as it is (at least at the time of release) the only 5G-enabled smartphone that has a metal back panel which has been made possible by the use of a new antenna design.

This makes for a phone that has stood up well over the last month or so while it has been getting used. I have in fact suffered from the fate that every phone user fears. I dropped the phone when working on a server rack and it fell from the middle of the rack so about 3 to 4 feet onto a concrete floor. Now if this had been my Pixel 8 Pro then this would have potentially been a disaster as it hit the floor quite hard on one of the corners, not only that but it hit a few different levels on the way down. I am certain it would have broken the screen on the Pixel and done significant damage to the back. I dread to think what I would have done to my Pixel Fold!

The Nord 4 though came out of the ordeal relatively unscathed. It had a few dents and one significant indent on the upper left-hand corner which can be seen in the image below.

The next aspect of the hardware is the new antenna design I mentioned above. Now whilst this is not visible as it is under that glorious metal body it works very well. It is claimed that the design actually allows the casing to be utilised as a means to boost signal strength. Whilst I can’t actually test I’m this for certain I have found that I do get better signal strength than the Pixel devices I regularly use as my daily drivers. It also seems to be quicker to regain the signal when I do lose it which is something that OnePlus were very keen to talk about at their press event.

Next up is the display, this display is very very good and gets plenty bright in direct sunlight with a maximum brightness of 2150 nits when using auto brightness. It was perfectly usable under the glaringly bright Greek sunshine and when using it with sunglasses on everything was still perfectly legible.

I have not been able to test the touch response when the screen is wet as was shown in the keynote by a friend of the site JP. I do not doubt that this tech works but I will be honest I have not needed to test this yet as it has not rained very much in the last month. I also don’t want to deliberately put the phone in that scenario despite the IP rating that the phone has of IP65. The one thing I can say is that it works with sweaty fingers absolutely fine but it can get a bit slippery when things get sweaty!

Another hardware plus is the way that the phone feels in the hand. I just love how slim this device is. I also love the squared-off edges and the confidence that the metal construction offers when in the hand. The phone just feels well-built without feeling like a tank(which it is as seen above). When you pick it up and the back is cold you appreciate the feeling of the cold back. However, when it is being used intensively this can be a negative as it can get a bit hot especially when the camera is being used a lot. I did also find that the phone will absorb the ambient heat very quickly and it can take a bit of time to cool down. Whilst this made things a bit toasty I was not experiencing any significant drop in performance during these times, it’s just harder to hold on too! I have to say that back in the UK, I have not had these issues but then again I have not been pushing the phone with continuous camera use etc.

The phone’s speakers are also surprisingly good and more than adequate for playing YouTube clips and listening to podcasts. I have predominantly been using the phone with OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro though but when I have not had them to hand I have been very impressed. The speaker setup is your traditional bottom-firing loudspeaker with a front-facing earpiece. Whilst it is not as advanced as some setups it works well and there is okay separation on both channels.

That brings me into the alert slider which is a very handy feature and one that I love to see. Whilst it is no longer a unique feature to OnePlus as it has now been seen in some form on other devices (Vivo X Fold 3 Pro), it is something that I think every phone should have and credit to OnePlus for keeping it there as it is so easy to use to quickly change your sound profiles. It also makes for a great thing to fidget with!

Moving away from the hardware to the area always blurs the line between the performance.

Performance

A lot of this is driven by the hardware and I don’t follow the use of benchmarks as I prefer to experience the way the phone works day to day and gauge it on that.

In terms of battery life for me at least this is easily a two-day phone in my normal use case. If I was really hammering it then I could get the Nord 4 to dip below 20% before bedtime but that was very rare.

In terms of daily performance and app opening speed, I have not found there to be any real issues here at all as the apps work exactly as expected with no slowness that I could perceive especially when I have compared this to the likes of my Pixel devices and other phones that I have around me at the moment. I have been able to test it using the GPS for sustained periods and it was perfectly adequate for this even when using it on battery.

The ability of the phone to hold multiple apps open in RAM is very impressive which is again hardly surprising given that the phone comes with 16GB of RAM in the version I have. Even if you were to go for the version with 12GB of RAM, I don’t think you would ever be left wanting more as the Oxygen OS is very good at keeping on top of RAM demands. I was able to keep more than enough apps open in the background without them reloading for my normal use. I think the most I had open at one time that I was able to count was 40+ after which I stopped counting! This included a mix of games, streaming services, weather, maps and heavy hitters like Google Photos. So I think it is fair to say that you can have a substantial app load out if required. The RAM extends to more than just that though as it is a core component of the ability to multitask. Whilst this is not something I tend to do much on slab phones you can of course take advantage of some split-screen action if you want to. An example of this is shown below where I have had the Calendar app and the Booking .com app open at the same time. You have the apps sit one on top of the other as you would expect and you can also swap the app’s position by tapping the three dots in the middle. Whilst I have stated this is not something I tend to use on slab-style phones (I use it a lot on tablets and folding phones) it is helpful to have and to know that the phone can cope with it.

So we have covered the battery and multitasking the other big areas are gaming performance and heat build-up. Let’s cover the heat first.

This is one area where I have found that the phone did present some issues. I do want to add some context here though. I was predominantly using this phone in ambient temperatures of more than 30 degrees while I was doing the majority of my camera testing as I was away from the UK at the time. When I was using the camera intensively I did find that the phone was getting a tad warm. Now whilst this is not unusual for phones to get hot when using the camera it got uncomfortably warm. It was not only while I was using the camera though. I was finding that even using the phone for web browsing and doom scrolling on social media it was getting a bit toasty. The good news is that when I have been back here in the UK I have not had the same level of heat build-up, however, if I am being totally honest I have not been using the camera as intensively either. I think the issue is that the metal casing of the phone effectively becomes the phone’s heat sink and is being used to dissipate the heat. This can cause it to be uncomfortable. Don’t get me wrong I have experienced similar heat build-up on other devices (mainly my Pixel Fold), but I was just wanting to make you aware that if you are in a warmer climate than the UK then you may see this issue yourself.

That leads me to performance. I did not have the occasion to do any gaming testing whilst I was on holiday but if I have been using it for some light gaming in the evening since I returned from holiday and in the games I tested the max frame rates were being reached with ease and the phone did remain reasonably cool during longer sessions as well. I was playing Asphalt Unite for about 20 mins without any significant overheating and the games were running on max settings throughout.

It looks like the new Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chip and the associated Adreno graphics are well-suited for this level of device. To be honest these days you will be hard-pressed to find a modern chipset that struggles with much of what can be done in terms of gaming performance on Android. Until we start seeing the Triple AAA games that Apple are introducing to the iPad/iPhone then we won’t need to worry about gaming chops yet.

Next up is the software.

Software

I have already indicated that the phone is running a skin over the Android core and this is called Oxygen OS. The version is 14.1 and the underlying Android version is Android 14. OnePlus has promised updates for the phone’s core OS for 4 versions of Android and security updates for 6 years Whilst this is not the same level as we are now starting to see from Samsung and Google this will take your devices up to Android 18 which is pretty good going. To be honest, by that stage, the phone will probably need to be replaced due to component wear and tear. That being said another claim being made is that the battery will maintain its peak health for 4 years as well due to the Battery Health Engine. OnePlus has also tested under TUV Rheinland conditions that the Software will remain fluent for up to 6 years. This is all part of OnePlus’s Fast and Smooth promise, only time will tell how long this will stay true but the fact that they have backing on the test performed by TUV Rheinland gives me some hope for the accuracy of the claims.

In terms of the software being Fast and Smooth now, I have to say I have not had any reason to find any fault with it. I do like what OnePlus has been able to do with the Oxygen OS UI. Now for those of you who read my reviews often you will know that this is not my normal stance on UI’s and normally I find them to be bloated and annoying. Now don’t get me wrong there is of course some bloat and app duplication here it wouldn’t be a UI from a Chinese manufacturer without it.

Apart from the apps shown in the screenshot above there is not too much other bloat that has been forced onto the device. There are also a few apps that I didn’t end up relegating to the folders of shame as they have actually proved to be useful. An example of this is the new Photos app from OnePlus. This now allows you to pull your images in from Google Photos (my go-to app for images) and view them within the app. In addition to this, it is also where some of the phone’s new AI features are hiding. So we have two new additions to the photos app.

AI Best Face is the first one and this will allow you to correct images from a photo where some of the subjects have perhaps blinked or have their eyes closed. This is an app that sounds like it was made for me and my family as I am constantly having to retake photos of my wife and son when they have their eyes closed or they have blinked at just the wrong moment. Unfortunately, it is an app I have been unable to use as it requires three faces to be seen in the photo for it to work its magic. I guess I just need to get some more friends to be able to test this. I just wanted to add that I have also never been able to use this feature on my Pixel devices either so this is not an issue specifically with OnePlus. Here are some sample images of what should happen.

Next up is AI Clear Face, this will allow again in a groufie image to improve the image by removing blur from the faces in that image. Again this is something I have not been able to test for real as I don’t take many “groufies” but here are some examples again to allow you to see what it looks like.

The last thing that AI will do in the photos app is AI Eraser, which will allow you to remove photo bombers and unwanted actions of an image, it will then fill that missing section with a fresh background to match the rest of the image.

Now this is something I was very keen to try on my photos from my holiday but I was stymied by the phone. So it turns out that AI Eraser will not work on PRO XDR images which is what the camera will default to using to take photos. This meant that whenever I tried to use AI Eraser on an image I had taken it wouldn’t let me unless I had remembered to turn Pro XDR off which needed to be done every time I took a photo! This was very annoying and it meant that I just didn’t edit the photos until I got home and did the edits on my Pixel. The good news is that this now seems to have been resolved since a software update as I am now able to use AI Eraser on any image I wish to.

Pretty impressive I am sure you agree. That is not all the AI will do though as it has a few more tricks up its sleeve but these two are some of the most visible ones. The AI will also allow you to summarize audio recordings from the Recorder App capturing the key points from that recording and transcribing them for future use. This is called the AI Audio Summary.

Another trick is an AI Article Summary which will scan a webpage pull out the relevant and important details from the page and present it in an easier-to-read format.

Next up in the AI arsenal is AI Smart Cutout, You can simply press and hold on an item from an image and it will allow you to use that section of the image somewhere else. For example, I could extract the watch from this image and use it in a document such as a review article!

This is a pretty neat feature and one that I think I may use more going forward.

There is one other big feature that I will mention now even though this is not a phone-based feature it uses the phone. If you are lucky enough to also have a OnePlus Pad or Pad 2 then you can set up a wireless connection between the two devices and drag and drop items between the phone and tablet. This allows for very quick and easy file transfers from one device to the other. It is so easy and quick it is exactly what I just did to move the files above from my phone to the tablet just now.

This is all part of the greater OnePlus Ecosystem and allows the software of different devices to share the same architecture behind the scenes. It is something that Apple and Samsung have been doing for a long time and I am pleased to see that OnePlus have joined the party.

In terms of other things that the software has you have the usual features of a floating sidebar which will house some of your AI functions and this changes depending on what app you are using. This is an example of AI Writer from the Gmail app

You also have the other normal features expected for a OnePlus Android 14 device, such as screen off gestures and Air gestures neither of which I have or intend to ever use as I just don’t find them helpful, with the notable exception of double tap to wake. Honestly, I just thought this was a standard OnePlus feature and couldn’t understand why it didn’t work until I turned it on in the settings menu!

I am quite impressed with the software of the OnePlus Nord 4 so much that I have been jumping in between this and my Pixel Fold almost daily as I really like how it works and feels to use daily.

Next up is the camera

Camera

The camera system on the OnePlus Nord 4 is a relatively simple affair as we have two rear cameras and one front-facing camera. The rear-facing units comprise a 50 MP Sony LYTIA Camera as the main camera which is supported by an 8MP Sony Camera. The front camera is an unbranded 16MP sensor.

In terms of specs these are as follows

Rear Cameras:

•  50 MP Sony LYTIA Camera, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 1/1.56″, 1.0µm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS
• 8 MP, f/2.2, 112˚ (ultrawide), 1/4.0″, 1.12µm

Front camera

• 16 MP, f/2.4, 24mm (wide), 1.0µm

Both cameras can support a wide variety of shooting modes and both will record at up to 1080p at 30fps if you want higher than that you will need to use the main rear camera which can go up to 4k at 60fps.

I have found that in good lighting conditions, the camera produces some very good images as shown below.

The video is also pretty darn good as well

Here are some close-up shots showing its close-up skills

When things get dark it becomes a little bit tougher for the sensor but it still works remarkably well all things considered. you do start to lose a little bit of detail but the below images were taken in a very dark environment so the camera has down well to pick up what it could.

As for Selfies I have included one with Portrait mode on and with it on at the strongest aperture settings and one without any modes on just normal camera settings.

Here is some low light video as well

You can see that there was some slight distortion there from motion blur but again not too bad a result.

You can see that the portrait mode is quite effective at blurring the background out without messing with the lines of my face too much. It has clipped a few of the extraneous hairs from my very messy bear which may be seen as a good thing to some.

Overall if your expectations are for a good point-and-shoot and you are not going to be using it too much in low light then the Camera setup will be fine for you however if you want a higher-performance camera then I would look at the like of the similarly priced Pixel 7A as it will include the use of Google Advanced Camera Algorithms for in my opinion the best camera experience that is available at the moment.

That wraps my review all that is left now is to draw some conclusions.

Conclusions

First and foremost this is a damn good phone and were I not a specs whore and addicted to Folding phones then I would be more than happy to daily drive this phone. It is solid it is nice hold and is well made. The software has some very nice features and touches and works very well with the rest of the OnePlus ecosystem. There is just enough sprinkling of AI on board to keep it relevant but most of it can be ignored if you want to and from what I can see all of it is included in the price no extra subs are required (unlike Google).

Is it the best value for your money though given its current asking price of £429 for the 12GB RAM and 256GB storage version or£479 for the 16GB RAM and 512GB storage version? Yes if you want the OnePlus experience and all that comes with that, SuperVooc charging at 100w, inter-device connectivity with OnePlus Pad/Pad 2/Go the Alert Slider and the only metal unibody 5G phone currently on the market.

However, if none of these things bother you then, there are other potentially cheaper options available. I am not going to list them here but I have mentioned one in the article above.

If you haven’t considered a OnePlus Nord 4 then it is a phone that is worth taking a look at as I have been very pleased with it and there are always some good deals to be had at the Oneplus website. For example, you can currently get the phone for the prices above which is £50 off RRP and you can choose from either a OnePlus SuperVooc 100W charger or Sandstone Case for free.

Check out the OnePlus Nord 4 at the link here

The post OnePlus Nord 4 – Review – The metal midrange king? is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

CUKTECH, a member of the Xiaomi ecosystem, has announced the launch of the highly anticipated 15 SE 85W 20000mAh Fast Charging Portable Charger, a versatile and high-performance power bank designed to meet the demanding needs of modern mobile device users. This state-of-the-art portable charger is engineered to provide lightning-fast charging, a substantial power capacity, and multi-device compatibility, making it an essential accessory for those constantly on the move.

The CUKTECH 15 SE differs itself from other portable chargers with its innovative two-way fast charging technology, offering a dual-port 85W Max output that can charge devices at unprecedented speeds. In just 30 minutes, users can charge a MacBook Air to 55%, an iPhone 15 Pro Max to 56%, or a Samsung S24U to 68%. Even the power bank itself recharges rapidly, reaching full capacity in approximately two hours when using a 65W and above, Type-C to Type-C cable included in the packaging.

Despite its impressive 20000mAh capacity and multiple output options, the CUKTECH 15 SE maintains a sleek and portable form factor. Its V0 fire-resistant shell and nine layers of protection ensure a safe and reliable power supply, providing peace of mind with every charge. The massive capacity allows users to charge an iPhone 15 up to 3.6 times or a MacBook Air about once, with a convenient digital display showing the remaining battery level clearly.

The power bank’s 3-in-1 fast charging capability, featuring 2 USB-C ports and 1 USB-A port, enables users to power up to three devices simultaneously. This means a MacBook Air, an iPhone 15, and AirPods can all be charged at once, with a dual-ports output of up to 85W Max, delivering an efficient and convenient charging experience.

Furthermore, the CUKTECH 15 SE boasts universal compatibility, supporting multiple quick charging protocols like PD, PPS, QC, FCP, and SCP. This makes it suitable for a wide range of devices, including iPhones, Samsung smartphones, Xiaomi devices, MacBook Air, iPads, photographic equipment, and Bluetooth headsets, among others.

The CUKTECH 15SE 85W 20000mAh Fast Charging Portable Charger is available from Amazon UK for £49.99 (With a 30 percent discount coupon currently available) and Amazon for $49.99 (With a 10 percent discount coupon currently available).

The post CUKTECH Introduces the 15 SE Power Bank: – 85W 20000mAh Fast Charging Portable Charger for Laptops and Phones is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

Honor has come in strong with their new devices in the Honor 200 series. I have been lucky enough to have the opportunity to use the Honor 200 Pro for the past few weeks and it is now time to start the Review process so without further ado let’s get right into it.
I have already covered a hardware tor and comparison in my Unboxing post.

Hardware
before we get into the individual specs for the device it is time that we pull up a specs list for the phone,

Specs

It is a pretty impressive specs list for a non-flagship tier device. I do however want to single out a few key points on the hardware for further review.

Battery

This is the first thing I wanted to highlight as what Honor is currently doing with its battery technology is incredible. They are managing to squeeze bigger batteries into smaller spaces through the use of their first-generation 5200mAh Silicon-carbon. Not only will this be enough to get you through a full days usage, but it is also capable of recharging very quickly when used with the 100W wired charger. If you are not a fan of wired charging then you are still covered as the Honor 200 Pro can also be charged wirelessly at up to 66W again with the correct wireless charging stand.

I have been able to get through at least a full day of using the phone without the need to charge it up but I have to emphasise this is now the case for most phones I use as a daily device as I am very light on phone use during the day due to the demands of my day job.

Display

The next section I wanted to discuss was the display. Honer seems to be one of the few mainstream OEMs that are still using the curved style display on the edges of the screen. This practice has now been dropped by Google Samsung and OnePlus (at least they have with their Nord 4 devices anyway). I am a fan of the flattened screen edges as it means that you can use it right up to the edge of the display without having to worry about your finger not registering your tap. It also makes fitting a screen protector on the display easier. The screen does come fitted with a screen protector out of the factory and while I would normally remove this in favour of a glass one, that has not been the case here due to the curved edges. It is very hard to find a good quality glass screen protector for curved displays.

Before I leave the display I do want to give a nod to the dual camera array and the associated cut-out that this creates. It has been once again very carefully used for the Magic Capsule function we first saw on the Magic 6 Pro. I know this is a rip-off of Apple’s similar tech but I like it and the fact that it is still offering some limited functions such as media playback info etc.

Back Panel

The next one is a bit strange but I am just loving the back panel for this Honor 200 Pro. I have the Moonlight White variant here and it is glorious to look at however I was lucky enough to see the Ocean Cyan one in person and that is the one I would personally buy with my own money were I going to buy one. I love the texture of the back panel as it gives just the right amount of roughness to provide grip without feeling like sandpaper. The way it catches the light at various different angles, it almost has a mother-of-pearl sheen to it. Added to the fact that the materials used are conducive to allowing wireless charging through the panel, you can see that a lot of engineering has gone into the development of the back panels and this is something I appreciate.

Rear Camera

I am not going to go into the camera software here but I do quickly want to talk about the hardware and more importantly the layout of the cameras within the module. The three cameras used on the Honor 200 Pro are all high-end cameras in their own right. However, when they have been combined in the array in just the correct way allowing for the focal lengths to meet up correctly is one of the key aspects being utilised in the Studio Harcourt software algorithms to allow this phone to produce some stunning portrait shots.

What Honor has had to do is arrange the cameras in a very specific pattern to allow them all to work in harmony. Starting at the top camera we have a 50MP Portrait Main Camera with the following specs:

-1/1.3-inch H9000 ultra-large sensor
-OIS
-4-in-1 with equivalent 2.4 μm large pixel
-2-in-1 motor with 8-wire SMA AF + OIS
-f/1.9 aperture
-7P Lens

Below this is the 50MP Telephoto Camera
-HONOR x Sony IMX856 ultra-large sensor
-2.5x optical zoom
-up to 50x digital zoom
-OIS
-f/2.4 aperture

Finally on the bottom is the 12MP Ultra Wide and Macro Camera
-2-in-1 with wide angle & macro lens
-112° ultra-wide angle
-2.5cm ultra-short focus

All of these cameras work harmoniously with the AI-based algorithms learnt by Honor analysing Studio Harcourt photos in their thousands. using machine learning the AI then learned how to use the individual cameras to create the perfect portraits for three distinct camera modes Harcourt Vibrant, Harcourt Colour and Harcourt Classic.

Each mode has its character and subtlety about the produced image. I will delve into these images further in the camera section of the review though.

Air Gesture

Another camera-driven function is one that I had skimmed over initially but having now set it up I can genuinely see how it would be useful for me. The ability to use your phone via air gesture for basic navigation is very cool albeit a bit gimmicky. This uses the front-facing cameras (yes there are two) to construct a rough 3D image of your hand and the phone can then interpret certain gestures to allow tasks like scrolling up or down or switching a page in an ebook. You can also use it to go through your images in the Honor Gallery app if you use this.

An elegant feature to have but not an everyday one I think.

The above things are the key highlights for me in terms of the hardware that you can see and interact with however I do also want to quickly mention the Chip that is being used to power this portrait shooting phone. Inside the phone we have a Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, this is the first time I have had the chance to use one of these chips and I am impressed. To the average user, you would not know that this is any different from the flagship chip in the form of the 8 Gen 3. I myself would have struggled to tell you of any significant differences. The key difference between the two chips is that the 8s is dialled back a bit from the 8 and that it uses a slightly slower CPU clock speed of 3000Mhz in the 8s Gen 3 vs 3300Mhz in the 8 Gen 3.

What this means in reality is that the phone is slightly slower across the board and if you are using it for graphically intensive activities such as gaming or video rendering then you will notice a slight drop in performance over its more powerful brethren. In the testing i performed i saw no such issue but hen i am also not the biggest gamer in the world so it is hardly surprising that I didn’t notice anything. (ED Note I have also used the latest SD 7 Gen 3 in the OnePlus Nord 4 and saw no significant issues there either).

In summary, unless you are trying to edit hours worth of 4K video and doing hours of AAA gaming without taking any breaks then you will not have any problem with this phone in terms of processing power at all. That takes me nicely to the next section which is the performance

Performance

Measuring the performance of a phone means many different things to different people. For me, I like to gauge it by a few metrics. How long can I use it before I have to charge? How warm does it get in normal usage? Are my calls clear and crisp? Can I use the phone on my normal day without compromising on anything?

As you can see these are quite subjective, particularly the last one. A typical day for me means that the phone comes off an overnight charge and will then be used for a combination of email and social media. I will normally also add in a bit of light web browsing. I then head out for work and for the most part, the phone will be sat in the van and unused save for notifications that are pushed through to whatever smart watch I am using (currently a Garmin Epix 2). At lunch there will normally be about a half hour of light YouTube use in a layby or car park in the middle of nowhere so the mobile signal is sometimes sketchy.

In the afternoon it goes back into its dormant state while I finish the rest of the day off. During the main parts of the day, it is rare for me to get or indeed make any calls but it can occasionally happen. I also sometimes use the phone for SatNav but this will be via wired Android Auto so it is charging anyway. In the evening it will be again used for surfing the web more social scrolling and YouTube (over Wifi). It is not unusual for me to end the day with more than 50% battery in most phones these days. I will then rinse and repeat this cycle for the next day until at the end of that day I will then need to charge my device up.

The TLDR version is I am a light user 99% of the time. When I attend a press event that changes to an intensive user I can normally chew through a full charge before dinner time!!

So with that in mind am I able to use the Honor 200 Pro without compromising my normal day, Absolutely yes I am, the phone will get me through a normal day of use with plenty left in the tank and I have been known to stretch this out to two full days especially when working. I was recently on holiday and even then I was able to get a full day’s usage out of it and that was whilst using it for a lot of photos, videos and sat nav use even with the ambient temps being in the 30 deg+ ranges.

That brings me to the next performance concern. Will it overheat and become too hot to handle? I am pleased to say that even whilst using it as a sat nav and roaming the phone was never a temperature where I would call it uncomfortable. Slippy yes, but not uncomfortable! I was able to capture the photographic delights of the Lindos Acropolis in Rhodes without any issue which is more than can be said for my son who gave up once we had climbed to the top and missed the best view of the pillars.

In answer to my final question as I have already mentioned I have been able to get through a normal day with the phone lasting over 16 hrs sometimes with no real issues. If you wish to find out more about the battery drain and how it compares to other devices then please watch this video by Ben from Lover of Tech as he is best at what he does for battery testing vids. Also if you like this sort of testing then give Ben a Like and Subscribe as I am sure he would appreciate it.

That concludes my performance assessment of the Honor 200 Pro. This is a phone that will perform perfectly adequately in all but the most extreme of conditions. I am hardly surprised given the components that have been utilised on the device as they are all sitting just below the flagship tier and they are certainly premium components.

Camera
What Honor has done with the 200 Pro is truly an exemplary example of what can be done when AI and machine learning are applied correctly. The use of machine learning to analyse the Studio Harcourt process. Capturing unique and classical style portraiture has taken what is capable of AI to another level
As a result, the end user is now able to utilise, the three Studio Harcourt photography modes available, by the toggle in the camera settings. To emulate what can be done by a DSLR camera.

How you enable this mode is extremely simple. Enter the camera, select portrait and then select the Studio Harcourt mode that you require You then point and shoot and the AI will work its magic in the background to help create a unique style of portrait shots that previously would have taken some real skill to create.

I am extremely impressed with the portrait shots that this camera has been able to catch.

However, This camera is more than just a portrait shooter. For close-up photos, the macro mode works to a satisfactory level. And for anything under 10 times zoom you can get good photographs. With good colour representation and accuracy.

Unfortunately, once you go beyond 10 times, things get messy and the digital cropping. Unfortunately, as a negative effect. The further away zoomed shots. This is shown in the photograph of the cathedral here in Milan where I have tried to zoom in on the Statute at the very top and all I was able to get was a bit of a blurry mess.

In terms of video quality, I have captured a few shots of video. You can see the results for yourself these were unusual for me to capture in portrait as opposed to landscape. But I think, I guess the message across Overall, I have been pretty pleased with the camera performance.

And, I think this will serve as a good camera for the intended Market which is in my opinion is 20 to 30 somethings. Who are interested in using their photography for the likes of social media and some vlogging capabilities. This is again, showcased by the fact that you have the Dual video functionality built into the camera as has been the case with every Honor number series device since the Honor 70 was released a few years ago.

Here are some shots that I have taken with the camera over the last few weeks on my travel both to Milan and Rhodes.

Software
In terms of software. The Honor 200 Pro is very similar to what we have seen before from the likes of the Honor Magic 6 Pro S and also the previous, the preceding Honor devices, Honor Magic UI is a middling skin, it isn’t too aggressive but it also does add certain functionalities.
One thing I do, find slightly annoying that it does add is there is a lot of app duplication here which, Creates an unnecessary deluge of apps.

I have enclosed a screenshot below showing the amount of pre-installed apps that come from the factory. These can all be deleted, but it is annoying that you have to do that.

In terms of AI Honor has enabled some AI functionality. However, there is a distinct lack of Google’s inbuilt AI functions.

On this phone. For example, there is no Circle to Search which is something that I do tend to use when I’m using my Pixel devices most days and The recording to notes function of Google’s recorder app on Pixel devices is another function that I am missing. However, that being said, If you are comfortable using Honors UI, then there will be no drastic changes here.

Some people have criticised Honor in the past for having a cartoon-like element to their user interface. But, That is something that I think is just being super critical. The interface is pleasing to the eye and it can be themed via the owner theme store. And there is a good selection of free themes in there if you don’t want to pay for them.

For the most part, Honor has improved their UI over the years. But, I would still like to see less bloatware and app duplication than we are seeing here. I think that will create a much cleaner and more user-friendly experience overall.

Conclusion

The Honor 200 Pro is a great device that has focused heavily on it’s camera skills, which is a good thing as it does work very well as. Camera particularly in close quarters. That being said it is by no means a one trick pony as it is a component phone for gaming and never let me down on the performance side of things. Whilst it is not quite flagship tier, it is so close that it is actually difficult to class it’s position in the brands lineup.

I see it this way, if you want the top of the line flagship specs then you have the Honor Magic 6 Pro which is a great phone from the limited time I had with it. However if you don’t need the top of the line in terms of specs and want to focus on the camera and particularly portraits then the Honor 200 Pro is a solid buy.

Just remember that the Ocean Cyan one looks the best!

You can buy the Honor 200 Pro from the Honor store right now for £599 but make sure to check for discounts as these appear regularly.

The post Honor 200 Pro, The portrait master, does it meet the hype? – Review is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

Designed to elevate the sports audio experience with three customisable EQ modes, multipoint connectivity, new BassDirect technology ensuring clear, deep bass and the LISO 2.0 algorithm enhancing audio details

OneOdio a leader brand in audio innovation, announces the launch of OpenRock X, setting a new standard in open-ear headphone technology. In a groundbreaking move for fitness enthusiasts and audiophiles alike, these advanced earbuds blend exceptional sound quality with state-of-the-art design, offering a seamless blend of performance, comfort, and safety for all sporting activities.
At the heart of the OpenRock X is its custom dynamic driver. This 14.2 mm long-stroke loudspeaker features a high-quality nanometer bio-fiber and cis-molecular polymer diaphragm. This unique construction ensures extremely low distortion and high resolution, delivering a richer and more delicate sound. Enhancing this setup is a magnetic circuit system with a high-tension 9999 pure copper large black coil and an N45 neodymium magnet, boosting low-frequency density for a powerful auditory experience.

OneOdio’s proprietary BassDirect bass acoustic cavity technology further elevates sound quality by efficiently transmitting energy to the ear canal. This ensures unparalleled bass response and sound leakage prevention, making the OpenRock X stand out among open-ear designs.
Equipped with the industry-leading LISO 2.0 algorithm, the OpenRock X has undergone over 200 days of testing and refinement. Supported by HiFi 5 DSP supercomputing, it optimizes sound quality across its full frequency range, ensuring each detail is reproduced with precision.
Understanding the needs of active users, OneOdio has integrated professional sound effects tailored for sports. The Rock Mode enhances deep bass and rhythmic audio, perfect for running, cycling, and HIIT, helping reduce exercise fatigue and boosting performance. Relax Mode offers a natural, comfortable sound ideal for yoga, stretching, and meditation, while Boom Mode maximizes sound pressure levels to deliver powerful music experiences even in noisy environments. Additionally, the Spacial Sound feature, enabled via the app, simulates theatre-like acoustics for an immersive audio experience.
The open-ear design of the OpenRock X ensures the ear canal remains dry and breathable, reducing the risk of otitis. This design also enhances situational awareness, providing a safer workout environment. The unique adjustable biaxial joint, crafted with inspiration from luxury watch brands, ensures ergonomic comfort and stability, customizable to any exercise intensity or ear size.

For seamless connectivity, the OpenRock X utilizes Bluetooth 5.3 and supports multipoint connections, allowing effortless switching between devices. The earbuds offer an impressive 48-hour battery life with the charging case and feature fast charging capabilities. With IPX5 water and sweat resistance, the OpenRock X can withstand rigorous workouts.

Safety and user comfort are paramount. The OpenRock X includes a max volume limiter, over-time wear reminders, and adaptive volume control, all adjustable via the app. The four AI noise-cancelling microphones ensure clear communication even in windy conditions.

OneOdio’s commitment to quality extends to the design and materials. The earbuds and charging case are crafted from high-strength, corrosion-resistant stainless steel and solid aluminum alloy, respectively. The elegant silver-black and gold-white finishes undergo meticulous processes to achieve a sophisticated appearance. The earhooks are made from soft, skin-friendly liquid silicone rubber, enhancing comfort during extended use.

With the launch of the OpenRock X, OneOdio sets a new standard in sport earbuds, combining cutting-edge technology, superior sound quality, and user-centric design to offer an unparalleled audio experience for athletes and music lovers alike.

The OpenRock X is available on Amazon for $179.99 and AmazonUK for £179.99. They can also be purchased now worldwide from the OpenRock website.

The post OneOdio Introduces OpenRock X Open-Ear Air Conduction Sport Earbuds with BassDirect™ technology is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

Good Points:-

• Amazing Battery Life
• USB Type C charging
• Waterproof IPX 7 Rating
• 360 Suround Sound
• Stereo Paring of 2 devices
• Bluetooth 5.3
• Waterproof

Bad Points:-

• No 3.5mm aux cable included in the box.
• Only one colour available

The Tribit Stormbox 2 takes all the good points of the original Stormbox and improves them even further , for example USB Type C charging and more powerful at 34 Watts, it comes, 360° sound, and  the ability to pair 2 storm box speakers together to give you that full room stereo surround sound.

In the box, you get a simple user manual. The USB type A to type C charging cable and the speaker itself,  Taking a look at the speaker itself. This is definitely a simple but nice looking speaker,It’s not too heavy, but does have a good heft to it, which is always a good thing.

There are 3 very large buttons on the front meaning you can easily control your music with them. be it play pause track forward track back or volume up-and-down.  All around the speaker is a fabric mesh material, which gives the Stormbox a premium feel in the hand.

Round the back  is where you have all your buttons power button Bluetooth button X based button, which is basically a base boost, and then you have your link, button so you can connect more than one speaker. Lower down down you have a waterproof flap and inside of this, you have your Auxiliary port and USB C charging port

Diving into the audio specifications The Stormbox 2 has a total of 34 W,  it has 248 mm full range drivers as well as 2 passive radiators one on the top and one on the bottom  they’re encased in a rubber shock system, that easily handles all the vibrations as you crank up the volume.

There is a slight Ark on the base, so when you’re listing into it, you could place it on its side, or upright as well and it’s not going to interfere with the bottom radiator. As far as connectivity goes this has Bluetooth 5.3 which compared to older Bluetooth versions, will give you better range, better battery life and better quality, according to the specs, this also has up to 150 feet of range.

those two channels on both ends vibrate quite a bit to give the bass response and the “oomph” that you feel as it pushes the air about. Yes, it’s good, yes it’s fun to experience, but there’s also a crisp treble and detailed mid response too. It’s a great all-rounder.

You can control the StormBox 2 via the Tribit app, which enhances your listening experience. While you can’t turn the speaker on remotely, the app offers equalizer presets, including ‘Audiobook,’ ‘Classical,’ ‘Rock,’ and ‘Jazz.’ Additionally, you can customize the EQ and toggle the ‘XBass’ mode on or off.

The StormBox 2 lives up to its self-proclaimed portability. It’s easily held in one hand, lightweight, and won’t take up much space in your bag or backpack. As for water-resistance, it’s rated IPX7, which means it’s more than sufficient for protection against water. However, it hasn’t been specifically tested against dust, hence the “X” in IPX7.

The speaker also  allows you to take calls using its built-in microphone, whether you’re at home or on the go. While the clarity might be better when using your phone or computer alone, having this feature is a bonus, especially considering its price point. As for design, although it shares similarities with the original StormBox, the upgraded feel—thanks to the fabric and indented buttons—gives it a more premium vibe compared to its plasticky predecessor.

The sound from this speaker was better than a normal speaker of the same size. The bass was really good, and the battery life was better than expected. It’s a great design and you can also get a couple of these and daisy chain them together to enjoy an amplified sound.

The Stormbox 2 is available from Amazon UK for £62.99 or Tribit Direct for $67.99 

Conclusion:-

It sounds great, it’s really easy to use and navigate, plus it’s a solid and well-built product which did really well in our tests. I liked how rugged but how sleek it looked, and it’s a really good product for the price.

The post Tribit Stormbox 2 – Bluetooth Speaker – Review is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

The first is the unboxing of the OnePlus Pad 2 along with the OnePlus Smart Keyboard and the OnePlus Stylo 2.

This is the successor to the OnePlus Pad which came out last year and at the time of writing is the most powerful Android tablet on the market with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip powering it. Alongside this chip we have got 256 GB of Storage and 12 GB of RAM.

It has a very crisp and vibrant screen with 3K resolution from a 12.1″ diagonal LCD panel that is capable of up to 900 nits in brightness. The tablet follows a similar design to last years however now comes in a more toned down Slate gray colour way. We still have the centrally mounted 13 MP rear camera when the device is being held in landscape. This is very much the way the tablet is designed to be used which is also reinforced by the fact that the front facing 8MP camera is situated in the middle of the top edge of the device.

The OnePlus Smart keyboard is significantly different in design to the previous gen as it now has an extra row of tools along the top room of the keyboard and it has a bigger track pad area. One other major improvement is the fact that you can use the keyboard when it is not physically connected to the device via a Bluetooth connection. This is very useful as you can set the tablet up in a standing position using the magnetically attached back stand, which can fold to a variety of angles from near vertical to almost flat allowing a good range of adjustability. I am actually using the Smart Keyboard to write this article whilst on holiday in Rhodes! This combination of the OnePlus Smart Keyboard and the powerful Pad 2 does make it possible for this to be the “laptop replacement for mobile work” that I have been looking for since I had to give up Xperia Z4 Tablet many years ago due to it no longer being supported by updates.

The last piece of the tablet based kit is the OnePlus Stylo 2, which as the name suggests is the stylus based input for the Pad 2 and it is very good from the limited use I have given it so far. I have found that the accuracy of the pen on the screen is very good and when I have used it for writing notes the tracking works very well with the accompaniment of some audible feedback that makes it sound like you are writing on paper. There is also just enough resistance on the display so that it feels like you are getting some feedback. The Stylo 2 is capable of detecting up to 16000 levels of pressure which is more than I could ever discern!

All of this makes for a really easy to use mobile workstation, there are of course limitations but I will cover this more in the full review as for now this is merely a first impressions post.
OnePlus Watch 2R and the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro.

Next up we have got the OnePlus Watch 2R and the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro.

This video is a combo of the two in one as they are accessories but they do deserve some airtime in their own right.

OnePlus Watch 2R

This is the update to the extremely well received OnePlus Watch 2 which I previously reviewed for the site and was very impressed with. Again this is not going to be a full review but I have got an unboxing video below for your viewing pleasure.

In the above video I unbox both the Watch 2R and the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro I have been using the Watch 2R as my daily watch since the moment I unboxed it and as I mentioned above I am currently on Holiday in Rhodes and this has been performing extremely well during this time. I have been putting it through its paces and testing the water resistance which has been awesome. I have not been particularly kind to the watch as I have been using it in the sea and in swimming pools and it has barely skipped a beat.

I have still got some further testing to do before I form my final review thoughts. I will try and test it up against my Garmin Epix 2 that I have been driving daily for the past month or so. This will give me a true idea of its accuracy in terms of health metrics but so far I have been very impressed with the overall package.

Next up and last but by no means least are the new OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro

OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro

These have been in use a lot since I received them as they have been my headphones of choice for my trip.

They are comfortable and provide very good and adequate noise cancellation and can wear them for a sustained period of time which makes them amazing for traveling.

Yes they are a bit more basic in terms of functionality than the Google Pixel Buds Pro that I normally rely on exclusively but it is entirely possible that these may end up being my go to earphones for the future.

iF you want to find about any more about any of the specs or prices for the above products then please check out the OnePlus website.

I have included a gallery of some other pictures of the devices below if you want a closer look at them.

OnePlus Pad 2

OnePlus Watch 2R

OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro

The post OnePlus Summer Launch – Unboxing extravaganza is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

Award-winning designer of personal audio technology JLab, today announces the UK availability of its JBuds Lux ANC Wireless Headphones. The new over ear headphones are JLab’s first foray into the higher end headphone market, delivering a suite of advanced features like Immersive Lab quality sound, smart active noise cancelling, spatial audio support, and Bluetooth. These features, paired with impressive 40mm drivers for expansive sound and up to 70 hours of playback, make the £79.99 JBuds Lux ANC headphones a no-brainer for anyone looking for a premium listening experience at a great value.

Technical Specifications

• Smart active noise canceling (ANC) up to 25 dB with three noise control modes: ANC High, ANC Off, Be Aware (customizable levels via JLab App)
• 70+ hours playtime (40+ hours ANC)
• EQ3 + fully customizable EQ via JLab
• Immersive Lab quality sound via 40mm drivers
• Bluetooth 5.3, Multipoint
• Spatial Audio
• Google Fast Pair for locating headphones
• Fast Charge: 10 minutes for 4 hours with USB-C
• 2-Year Warranty

JLab CEO Win Cramer.

“Everyone deserves to experience the magic of exceptional audio quality. However, not all music lovers have $300 to spend on great headphones. We took that as a challenge, The JBuds Lux ANC wireless headphones redefine the category, demonstrating how much is possible at a relatively low entry point. We integrated the best Bluetooth technologies, exceptional noise canceling capabilities, an incredibly comfortable platform, and all the bells and whistles to produce exceptional sound. Lux offers an unparalleled listening experience for sub-£100 headphones and we can’t wait for you to try them on for size.”

Uncompromising Audio Quality & Noise Cancellation.

Ideal for those seeking a pair of headphones that can deliver against all their day-to-day needs without skimping on audio quality, the JBuds Lux ANC headphones excel at producing high fidelity playback. Imbued with the same size 40mm drivers as manufacturers like Sony, Bowers & Wilkins, Shure, Technics, JBL, Bose, and others, the Lux headphones are a huge step up in terms of audio quality. The massive 40mm drivers produce a 20 – 20 kHz frequency response with very low distortion (THD) of <1% at 1.0kHz/1mW, 98 +/- 3 dB at 1.0 kHz. The result is an incredible listening experience that more accurately reflects the true wishes of the artists who recorded their music

Audio quality also extends to the JBuds Lux Smart Active Noise Canceling (ANC) technology. The ANC technology not only expertly filters out external noises for audio playback, but also gives users the ability to take exceptionally clear calls without worrying about unwanted noise from either end.

Fine Tune Listening with the JLab App

Since not all users listen and hear the same way, JLab offers the ability for users to fully customize their listening experience via the JLab App. Listeners can enjoy advanced features like Safe Hearing Mode, which limits the maximum volume output to World Health Organization recommended limits. In addition to this, a complete set of EQ controls allow users to fine tune their sound by using the equalizer settings or with three default settings: JLab Signature, Balanced and Bass Boost.

Easy to Use & Comfortable for Extended Listening

The JBuds Lux ANC Wireless Headphones are foldable for easy storage and feature incredibly soft and comfortable rotating Cloud Foam Earcups and Headband. The lush Cloud Foam Earcups make it easy to wear the headphones for long periods of time like during flights or at work. When not in use, listeners can position the ear cups flat around their necks, making them easy to wear on and off over extended periods. The addition of Bluetooth Multi-Point enables the headphones to seamlessly connect to any two devices—like a smartphone and a computer—making it easy to switch between devices as needed for hassle-free listening.

In a market where quality often comes at a high cost, JLab is known to stand out by providing cutting-edge features without breaking the bank. JLab’s commitment to innovation and dedication to affordability sets the JBuds Lux ANC Wireless Headphones apart as the go-to choice for serious and casual listeners, alike.

Availability & Price

The new headphones are available for £79.99 from the JLAB UK website, Argos, Very, JD Williams and John Lewis and Amazon in three different colourways, cloud white, graphite, sage and mauve.

The post JLab Introduces its First Luxury Wireless Headphones to the UK. is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

CUKTECH, an integral member of the Xiaomi ecosystem, has  announced the launch of the CUKTECH 20, a ground-breaking 140W 25000mAh power bank that sets new standards for high-power, swift charging, and modern design. This power bank is engineered to cater to the demanding charging needs of today’s technology users, making it an essential companion for professionals, gamers, and travellers alike.

The CUKTECH 20 is a powerhouse, delivering 140W of charging power and fully compatible with the latest PD3.1 charging protocol. This feature ensures supercharged performance for devices such as the MacBook Pro, outperforming ordinary high-power chargers and eliminating sluggish charging times.
Equipped with an automotive-grade battery, the CUKTECH 20 boasts over 1000 charge cycles, more than three times the lifespan of standard power banks. Its robust 25000mAh capacity allows it to charge a MacBook Pro 1.2 times or an iPhone 14 up to 4 times, providing reliable power whenever it is needed.

The CUKTECH 20 features an intuitive TFT display that offers real-time information on battery level, power, voltage, and current. This smart display ensures users are always informed and in control, making the power bank’s status easy to understand with its graphical interface. Its design is both modern and compact, roughly the size of a can of cola. Its classic gray matte finish, accented with a futuristic blue light strip, merges fashion with high technology, making it an unbeatable choice for both travel and daily use.

Designed for convenience, the CUKTECH 20 supports an ultra-speedy 110W input, allowing it to recharge rapidly. Achieving a 40% boost in just 19 minutes and a full charge in around 2 hours. The USB-C1 port of the CUKTECH 20 supports 140W PD 3.1 super-fast charging for laptops and 120W for Xiaomi phones. In just 30 minutes, it can charge a MacBook Pro 16″ to 59%, a Steam Deck to 57%, an iPhone 15 Pro Max to 71%, and a Samsung S23 Ultra to 75%. For Xiaomi devices, the USB-C1 port offers high-speed charging of up to 120W, while the power bank also supports Super Fast Charging 2.0 for compatible Samsung devices, enabling the Galaxy S23 Ultra to reach full battery in under 60 minutes. This power bank is ready for action whenever it is needed.

The CUKTECH 20 Power Bank comes with 2C1A ports, a 6A 240W C-to-C charging cable, an instruction manual, and an 18-month worry-free service backed by a dedicated customer service team. This comprehensive package ensures users have everything needed for an optimal charging experience.

Hopefully we will get one in for a full review in the not too distant future.

The CUKTECH 20 is available for RRP £94.80 on Amazon UK (On offer currently at £75.84) and $99.99 Amazon US with an additional $15 discount coupon also available.

The post CUKTECH launches the CUKTECH 20 140W 25000mAh Power Bank: The Pinnacle of Power and Portability. is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

Before we dive into the tour of the device let’s just throw up the specs table in all its glory.

Specs

Now that is out of the way lest have a little closer tour around the phone in all its glory.

Starting as always at the top we have a pinhole mic, an IR emitter some antenna break lines on either side and a mystery aperture which I have never been able to determine what it is.

Next around the right-hand side is where we will find two more antenna break lines, below which sits the volume rocker and then the power button which can be configured to launch Google Assistant should you wish.

On to the bottom, we have some more antenna lines that are flanking the USB Type C port. It is also down here that we find the dual SIM card slot with its waterproof rubber ring seal. on the other side is the bottom-firing speaker.

Moving around to the left we have the all-important Alert slider which is one of the OnePlus phone’s highlight features for the brand. This is also flanked by antenna break lines.

The antenna design on the Nord 4 is very interesting as they have had to work with materials to get the best performance for your signals. Now obviously radio waves and metal are not good bedfellows. OnePlus has redesigned the internals of the phone to allow for a more compact antenna array, they have also managed to use the metal construction of the phone as a means to boost the signals coming into the phone. This is something I am keen to test in due course over the next few weeks.

Onto the back is where we will find snuggled up in the top third is the camera module. This contains the Lytia 50MP camera alongside the 8MP ultrawide. Both of these are accompanied by a dual LED flash. I do really like that they have used metal on the rear of the phone as I have missed this from phones like those from HTC back in the day. It is a nice change from the slippy and fragile glass that we saw on the previous-generation Nord CE 3 Lite. I am not to annoyed that I don’t have a case to put this in.

When we move around to the front at the very top is where we can find the 8MP front-facing camera that sits under an imperceptible small slit where the earpiece speaker is hiding. below this stretches out the expansive 6.74 inch 1.5K display containing a massive 450 PPI, the resolution is 2772 x 1240. The screen is a really crisp and vibrant colour and can max out a peak brightness of 2150 nits. Now I have not had much time with the phone but I will be testing this in some very bright conditions over the next few weeks so we will see how effective this screen is in some variable conditions.

On the screen is the obligatory factory-fitted screen protector which is included in most phones from Chinese-based manufacturers. The screen protector is not as annoying as it is on curved displays because it is a flat screen. I do like that we are seeing a trend of going back to flatter displays and more angular phones long may it continue.

A few more things I want to cover before I finish this post are to do with battery and also the water resistance. 

So first up is the water resistance level. It is an IP65-rated Nord series phone which I believe is a first for Oneplus and I am all here for it, particularly with the British summer going as well as it has been so far!

It also sports a large 5500 mah battery in a dual cell construction which will allow the SUPERVOOC charging of up to 100W with a compatible SUPERVOOC charger, which sadly must be bought separately.

That wraps up the unboxing and tour of the device. If you want to get yourself one of the Nord 4 devices then you can do so now by going to the OnePlus website and preordering now with prices starting at £429 for the 12GB RAM and 256 GB version and the 16GB RAM 512GB version coming in at £529.

The post OnePlus Nord 4 – Unboxing is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

One Plus Nord 4

First up I want to talk about the OnePlus Nord 4, this is a device that I was very lucky to have the opportunity to have hands-on with for a few days before the event as I got an early preview unit. However, that being said the unit I received was a special edition that was only unveiled at the launch event today. You can get the Nord 4 in one of 3 different “Nordtones” (or colours) the two tones that had been announced before the event were Mercurial Silver and Midnight Black. We had to wait until today to announce the third tone. It is called Oasis Green and it is the one I have been given. This was inspired by the extremely active OnePlus Community who had shown a great interest in the colour of a previous device the OnePlus Nord LE. I have done a separate boxing article on the Nord 4 here if you want to check it out in more detail.

If you preorder one today from the OnePlus store then not only can claim one of three free gifts but you will also be entered into a prize draw to win a Tumi Suitcases, worth 1150 EUR / GBP each the choices for the free gifts are one of the following:-

• -A TUMI Voyageur Persia Crossbody Bag (worth 210 EUR / GBP)
• -OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro (worth 79 EUR / GBP)
• A OnePlus Nord 4 case (worth up to 39.99 EUR /GBP)
• A OnePlus 80W SuperVOOC Adapter (worth 59.99 EUR/ GBP)

The next announcement was for the OnePlus Pad 2 Having recently reviewed the OnePlus Pad Go for the site I was particularly keen to see what the latest tablet from OnePlus was going to be about and I was not disappointed. The OnePlus Pad 2 comes with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor onboard and is supported by 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It still carries the same screen aspect ratios from the previous generation devices at 12.1′ diagonal but with an aspect ratio of 7:5 and a resolution 3,000 x 2,120 pixels at a density of 303 PPI. The screen will support up to 900 nits of brightness which will be great for use in all but the brightest of conditions. I will adjust the refresh rate depending on what is being done on the device at the time. The supported refresh rates start from 30Hz and go all the way up to 144Hz with various stops in between. There is an entire smattering of AI tools and cross-device tools on board here for you to use if you are within the OnePlus EcoSystem and I am excited to get into all of these in due course over the next few weeks.

The Oneplus Pad 2 is available to pre-order now from the OnePlus site and it will cost £499 for the one model that they are offering. As is usaula for a Oneplus launch there are various offers available and these are as follows:-

• Free OnePlus 80W Type-A Adapter (worth £39.99)
• AND the choice between a FREE OnePlus Pad 2 Keyboard (worth £149) OR a FREE OnePlus Pad 2 Stylo (worth £99) OR a FREE OnePlus Pad 2 Case (worth £59).
• There is also a £50 discount instantly applied for all preorders between today and the 1st of August

Next up is the OnePlus Watch 2 R, this is a tweak to the design of the OnePlus Watch 2 that came out earlier this year and was very well received by reviewers including myself. The new Onepluds watch 2 is a refinement of that original design They have moved away from the asymmetrical design to that of a more standard style watch but they have kept the internals predominantly the same as what made the Watch 2 such a success. We still have the dual architecture OS allowing the Watch 2R to last for up to 10 hours in normal use. It is still running the same Wear OS 4 /RTOS platforms and 2 GB or RAm with 32 GB pf memory. The Watch 2 R also features dual-frequency GPS for enhanced location tracking, which is something I was missing on previous Wear OS smartwatches like the Pixel Watch 2. There have been some significant changes to the O Health App that should make it a bit more user-friendly for your health metrics from the watch.

The OnePlus Watch 2R is available in two colourways: Forest Green and Gunmetal Gray the Forrest Green one is particularly striking due to the two-tone bezel design and the side buttons are now a bit more distinct more like what you would expect to see from a normal chronometer.

The OnePlus Watch 2R will be available to preorder from today and can be bought for £249. As you expect those who get in early will be rewarded and below is a list of what can be had:-

• £30 discount for orders placed today
• FREE gifts worth £69.98, including OnePlus Fluoro-rubber Strap (£ 34.99) and a OnePlus Watch 2R White charging base (£29.99).

Last but by no means least are the newest headphones the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro. These headphones bring most of the features of the OnePlus Buds 3 pro to the Nord family and do so with out breaking the bank. I was a big fan of the last gen Nord Buds and from what I have seen of this new version they should,d not disappoint either. They feature flagship-level hybrid adaptive ANC in a small but long lasting form factor. the battery life of put to 44 hours will be perfect for travelling. The charging case ha been redesigned to be more pocket-friendly than the previous gen with a pebble-shaped matte finish with some subtle metallic accents.

The Buds themselves feature a dedicated tetanized driver. Its 12.4mm extra-large diaphragm is crafted from high-quality TPU with a titanium coating to enhance the sound being delivered and will keep your music sounding clear and precise. The active noise cancellation will work at up to 49dB noise cancellation and an ultra-wide frequency range reaching 4,000Hz, It should provide near silence and isolation from most background noise including traffic and high pitched instruments. The OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro have received TÜV Rheinland for High Performance Noise Cancellation for their performance which makes them stand out at the price point being offered.

The OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro can be purchased today for £79 and they are available in Starry Black and Soft Jade. If bought alongside the OnePlus Watch 2R on launch day from oneplus.com will be rewarded with a £10 discount.

That is all we have for now from the press event i will be sharing more photos and video from the vent in due course and I will also have some more unboxings of the Oneplus Pad 2, The OnePlus Watch 2 and the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro in due course.

The post OnePlus Summer Launch Event 2024 is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

We can see that the phone will feature a dual camera design in what looks to be a glass section with a metallic panel below presumably made from stainless steel. In terms of other aspects of the design not much else has been shared with us so far but I would expect this to be around the 6.5″ sort of sizing of the previous generation Nord devices lineup.

I am very excited to see more of this phone and I will be lucky enough to be on the ground at the event in Milan when it happens. I will be bringing my first impression of the phone as soon as I can after the announcement has been made.

Here are some other images of the phone’s two colour versions by themselves.

First up Mercurial Silver

Next is the Obsidian Midnight

I do like the simplicity of the design here especially the ridged effect on the Mercurial Silver version.

That is all I have for now but more to come here on the 16th July.

The post OnePlus Nord 4 design revealed ahead of unveiling in Milan is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

Honor has worked alongside Studio Harcourt utilising the power of AI to analyse thousands of photographs to “learn” how to use some of the pillars of of the Studio Harcourt process to allow your phone to capture the very best portrait images with ease. Having experienced this in a relatively controlled environment, I was very keen to get the phone into a normal atmosphere to allow me to really use it in anger. 

So without further ado let’s look at the phone in all its glory.

Hands-on video

Display

The display measures 6.78″ and is a Quad-Curved Floating AMOLED display covered in Aluminosilicate glass for protection. This screen is purportedly as tough as Gorilla Glass and Honor is claiming that the glass is extremely scratch-resistant. The screen has a resolution of  FHD+ 2700×1224 and an aspect ratio of 19.85:9. The screen will also output up to 4000 nits during peak brightness whilst watching HDR content. It has a colour gamut of DCI-P3 and its Delta E is 0.27. Lastly, it has a refresh rate of 120Hz and is DXI Gold mark certified.

Before I move away from the screen one last thing for those of you who are sensitive to PWM. The 200 Pro screen has a PWM frequency of 3840Hz which has been flicker-free certified by TUV Rheinland

On the top of the phone, we can find a couple of different things. The most prominent thing here is the upward-firing speaker grill which allows the sound to be pushed out to the side when you are using the phone for gaming, music or video viewing. The good news is it does really help and is not just a gimmick. Next to this, we have a a good old Honor favourite in the form of the IR blaster allowing you to control various IR compatible kit. Next to this is one of the various pinhole mics around the phone.

On the right-hand side of the phone is where we find the power/sleep/wake button, which as is the norm now can be doubled up as an assistant button. The volume rocker sits above this. The buttons are positioned in a way that they fall under the right-hand thumb nicely, it is a bit more awkward if you are left-handed though but this is quite normal in the phone world unfortunately.

On the bottom of the phone, we have got the USB Type-C port which will support USB 2.0 and more importantly up to HONOR 100W SuperCharge with a compatible charger (not included in the box, but currently being included as a gift when you buy the phone from Honor direct). We also have the downward firing speaker which like the one on the top of the phone works well. on the other side, we find another pinhole microphone and the Micro SD card slot which has a waterproof gasket on the inside to aid with the IP rating of the phone.

The left-hand side is void of anything at all not even an antenna break line. An interesting note here is that there are no visible antenna lines on the frame exterior which is nice to see and a nice nod to design simplicity.

On the back, we have a very pretty design which is inspired by the moonlight on the Moonlight White version we have here. On the Ocean Blue version, the phone has a wavelike pattern which resembles a meandering coastline. The final colour version is simple called Black to represent simple serenity. We have also got the camera module which contains three camera elements including a 50MP Portrait Main Camera, a 50MP Telephoto Camera, a 50MP Portrait Selfie Camera. net tot his is a dual-lens flash module. The camera module’s shape has been inspired by Guadi’s Cass Mila of Barcelona.

In terms of the profile below is the Honor 200 Pro being compared to the Google Pixel 8 Pro. You can see that the phone is very slim (8.2mm excluding camera bump) This is accentuated by the use of the curved screen and it makes for a comfortable feel in the hand. However, this curved edge screen does also have its downside mainly in that it can make the phone feel like it is going to slip out your hand. There is a reason why we are seeing a trend back towards flat screens again.

Again another comparison here with my Pixel 8 Pro which is on the right. you can see that the Honor 200 Pro is marginally narrower. It is also interesting to see the scaling of the displays at work here both these phones have their scaling and font size at their lowest settings. More on this in the main review though.

I have also added a Samsung device here in the form of the Galaxy A 34 to give a bit more of an idea of sizing.

So that covers my hand-on and unboxing of the phone. I have not included any of the in-box items as this is a review device and typically they don’t come with included accessories however I can confirm that the following items will be included in the box.

1. Phone (Built-in battery) x 1

2. Type-C Cable x 1 (Europe is C2C, other regions are A2C)

3. Quick Start Guide x 1

4. Eject Tool x 1

5. Warranty Card x 1*

6. TP protective film (Attached on the phone before delivery) x 1

The Honor 200 Pro is currently available to buy from the Honor Store. If you want to pick one of these devices up then you can currently get one for £599.99 (down from £699.99) and this will include the HONOR Earbuds X6 and HONOR SuperCharge Power Adapter (Max 100W) for free. Honor will also stand by their screen quality by offering a free 1-year screen replacement policy with a one-time use.

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HONOR has revealed two industry-leading on-device AI innovations created to empower individuals and introduce a new level of user safety. During its keynote at MWC Shanghai 2024, titled “The Human-AI Synergy: Intelligent Devices Will Empower People Better,” HONOR showcased its latest advancements in human-centric AI, AI Defocus Eye Protection and AI Deepfake Detection. During the keynote session, the brand also reiterated its focus on human-centric on-device AI and its belief in the potential for AI-enabled hardware to empower users by delivering tailored services while protecting user privacy.

George Zhao, CEO of HONOR Device Co., Ltd

AI is revolutionizing our lives and driving the smartphone industry forward, but much of the industry has focused on cloud-based AI, which is just a part of the puzzle. On-device AI, which is run on smartphones that understand us better than any other devices, is uniquely positioned to deliver services that are tailored to us and our preferences,

At HONOR, we believe on-device AI has the potential to empower users and become more capable in everything they do. We invite all industry players to join us as we explore the untapped potential of on-device AI.

Wearing defocus glasses is proven to be conducive to eye health as they intentionally induce controlled defocus in the user’s peripheral visual field to help maintain clear central vision. This effect creates an altered visual perception that slows down the eye elongation process, which leads to nearsightedness. Taking eye protection from prevention to creating technology that can lead to relief for consumers, HONOR’s AI Defocus Eye Protection has been shown to decrease users’ transient myopia by 13 degrees on average after reading for 25 minutes, with some users experiencing a maximum reduction of 75 degrees.

Mitigating Fraud with AI Deepfake Detection.

Circumventing the risks presented by cloud-based “deepfake” AI technology, HONOR has introduced AI Deepfake Detection. To help prevent fraud and detect digitally manipulated content, AI Deepfake Detection examines frame-by-frame information such as eye contact, lighting, image clarity, and video playback to identify flaws that are imperceptible to the human eyes.

Additionally, the AI Deepfake Detection has been trained through a large dataset of videos and images related to online scams, enabling the AI to perform identification, screening, and comparison within three seconds. If synthetic or altered content is detected by the feature, a risk warning is immediately issued to the user, deterring them from continued engagement with the potential scammers for their safety.

HONOR is pioneering on-device AI and how it works with cloud-based AI, and these innovations are the perfect example of how its doing that. With deepfake ubiquity and sophistication on the rise from deepfake porn, government announcements and more, this detection on-device could be the future of what viewing content on a smartphone is really like globally

The post HONOR Unveils Industry’s First AI Defocus Eye Protection and AI Deepfake Detection. is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

HiDock H1 is a cutting-edge audio dock designed to revolutionize productivity and communications. This compact 11-in-1 audio dock, powered by ChatGPT, transforms conversations into structured transcriptions, effortlessly capturing ideas, taking notes, and summarizing details from any audio source using the power of Artificial Intelligence.

Specs :-

• 11-in-1 Future Proof Docking Station
• 100% Auto: Record->Transcribe->Summary
• GPT-4o Powered AI Meeting Summary
• World 1st Bi-Directional Noise Cancellation
• Power Station with 118W PD Fast Charging
• Free Companion App and OTA Supported

HiDock H1 is much more than just a speaker system – it’s an intelligent work companion. By integrating ChatGPT technology, the device offers an unmatched AI-powered transcription and summary feature. At the press of a button, users can highlight essential conversations, and then all the audio can be conveniently transcribed and summarized via proprietary ChatGPT-powered software, HiNotes. This powerful combination of ChatGPT and HiNotes lets users remain focused on important meetings, calls, and content while capturing key information for later review.

HiDock H1 features unparalleled conversation clarity thanks to its Bidirectional Noise Cancellation (BNC), which minimizes distracting noise from both ends of a conversation. This technology improves upon standard Active Noise Cancellation technologies, providing perfect conversation clarity for both sides

HiDock H1 provides productivity beyond the conference room. With the latest Bluetooth 5.2 capabilities, the audio dock seamlessly connects to smartphones, enabling users to record phone conversations, podcasts, and other online audio.

To declutter any workspace, HiDock H1 is an 11-in-1 docking station, featuring multiple USB-C ports, two HDMI ports, an Ethernet port, and two SD Card readers. This design ensures that all essential devices are connected and ready to go, simplifying and streamlining productivity. Additionally, HiDock H1 offers an earphone add-on that connects via a proprietary protocol, enhancing call security and privacy, allowing users to take short breaks during lengthy meetings.

HiDock H1 establishes a new standard as a go-anywhere, next-gen productivity assistant ready to streamline workflow, save time, and boost efficiency. With its user-friendly ergonomic design and revolutionary ChatGPT integration, HiDock H1 becomes an essential AI companion for any audio task.

HiDock Co-founder, Linna Peng.

At HiDock, we believe that AI-powered communication devices will greatly enhance human productivity. To realize that vision, we are relentlessly working on innovative devices that allow people to achieve more through optimized communications. After launching our first-generation product – HiDock Conference Speakerphone, on Kickstarter in 2022 – our successful campaign helped us reach a wider audience of trusted users worldwide. Now, with HiDock H1, we take communications to a new level of efficiency and productivity using the power of AI.

The HiDock H1 is available to purchase for $299/£235(cuAIrrently $89/£69 discount) on The HiDock website.

The post HiDock H1 A ChatGPT Powered Audio Dock With AI Summary. is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

It is an invite to an event with OnePlus in the glorious city of Milan in Italy. The event is being held on July 16th at 3pm CEST (so 2pm UK time).

The invite is made of a single sheet of stainless steel which may be a clue for the build material of whatever is being launched at the event.

We know that OnePlus has recently announced a new tech in China but we don’t have any idea what we will be seeing when I get to Italy. Be rest assured that I will be on the ground at launch time to announce what is unveiled.

If you want to be kept in the loop then follow our X account

Until then here are some pictures of the invite for you.

The post OnePlus Invite to Summer event is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

In the current mobile tech environment where we have got standard smartphones with displays of bigger than 6 1/2 inches screen size and we also now have the newer book-style folding devices like the Honor Magic V2  and Pixel Fold, do we still need tablets and if so what is there purpose? So this is something I have been wrestling with for quite some time whilst I have been using the Pad Go

I have been fortunate enough to use some of the latest and greatest phones from a variety of manufacturers including the Honor, Google, Samsung and indeed OnePlus. I have used their normal candy bar-style devices and their book-style folding devices. I have been very happy with those devices and in the case of the folding style devices they have become a dual purpose device for me as they can act as phones and tablets simply by unfolding the device. For me, I thought that ticked the boxes for what I would need from a tablet. However just before this review period started I sold my Pixel Fold and I changed to a Pixel 8 Pro. This in turn meant that I did not have that dual functionality device anymore. My timing couldn’t have been better because the Pad Go arrived the day after I made the switch. This meant that for a significant cost saving, I now had a phone and a tablet albeit as two separate devices. Now the true test would be whether will I use them in the same sort of way I used my Pixel Fold.

Typically when I was out and about I would use the Pixel Fold in closed mode and I would limit myself to relatively basic phone functions, quickly skimming emails, on-the-go gaming and some very light media content in the form of either YouTube tube or music playback. When I needed to get more stuff done this is when I would typically unfold the device, for example, if I needed to respond to an email with more than a few lines, if I was editing an image I had taken, reading a PDF or watching a video of more than 10 minutes in length. All of these things I had identified as “tablet mode” tasks. These tasks were simpler on a larger screen and being able to have two apps open at the same time was advantageous. An example is when I was renewing my car insurance as I could be on a live chat at the same time as searching for price comparisons in a web browser.

So now that we have had some background on my uses for a tablet let’s see if the Pad Go can tick the boxes and see if it will work as part of a two-device mobile setup for me. Firstly let’s recap the hardware tour from the unboxing.

Design

As always with a device tour we will start on the top edge of the device and to avoid confusion I am going to be orienting the tablet in landscape mode as that is what is suggested as its normal use mode by the camera positioning.

This is where we can find the volume up and down buttons on the far left edge the next noticeable thing is the pinhole microphone that will be brought into function when the front camera is being used. on either end of the top edge, there are two antenna bands for the inbuilt connections.

Moving around to the right-hand side we will then find that there are two of the 4  speakers, nestling inside these you will find another pinhole microphone next to the USB type C port. This port does not support Display Out, unfortunately, but given the price point and target demographic, this is hardly surprising.

Moving around to the bottom of the tablet there is nothing to see here which makes holding the device in the landscape orientation comfortable.

Continuing to the right-hand side we can see that we have got the other two speakers but this time they are flanking a Nano SIM/microSD card slot. This allows the tablet to support LTE bands for full phone and data duties if you wish to use it as a phone! You can also expand the storage by up to 1TB via the Micro SD card slot. You can also find the sleep-wake/power button on this side. This is simply just a button there is no fingerprint reading going on here.

Around the back we have the Camera module that is mounted on the upper third of the device in a shinier section of the back cover, presumable this is where the twin Mint naming comes from. Incidentally, this colour is the only variant you can get in the UK and it matches up with a lot of the other OnePlus devices of late. The camera itself is an 8MP sensor which has EIS and will support 1080P/720P video recording at 30FPS.

Going around the front finally, we have got the 11.35″2.4K screen which has a pixel density of 260PPI, and a refresh rate of 90Hz. The screen is reasonably bright at 400 nits with a contrast ratio of 1500:1 and a colour gamut of 96% NTSC. As is the case on most devices these days the screen is set up for Eyecare as well meaning that it will automatically adjust in lower light settings to limit Blue light and adjust colour temperatures to suit the available lighting in your viewing environment. It is a TÜV Rheinland Certified Full Care Display. Very good to know especially if this is a purchase being considered for younger users.

Also at the very top of the display is where we find the 8MP front-facing camera.

Thickness comparison with RedMagic 9 Pro gaming phone

Overall I really do like the aesthetics of the design and the way the tablet feels in the hand. It is comfortable to hold due to the 7.5mm bezels surrounding the devices and the 7.:5 aspect ratio of the display means it is not too wide for a 11.35″ screen size. I can find that I can interact with the tablet easily enough but typing is a bit easier using the thumbs when in portrait mod. it is light enough to hold in one hand while poking at the screen with the other hand which is great if you’re doing a quick search for something to watch or listen to. It is also pretty useful for games as well as I found with a quick session of Asphalt 9. As I mentioned earlier the device has a quad-speaker setup which creates a very good sound stage. I was more than happy to have this playing music in the background as I was working on writing this review.

Hardware

The outside may be good to look at but none of that makes any difference unless the internal hardware is any good. thankfully we have got some pretty good-looking kit inside. bear in mind that this is by no means a flagship-grade tablet so the expectations need to be aligned to that. To start with we have got a MediaTek Helio G99 CPU powering the tablet. This is an octa-core CPU built on the 6 NM process it has 2x Arm Cortex-A76 up to 2.2GHz and  6x Arm Cortex-A55 up to 2.0GHz and is paired with an Arm Mali-G57 MC2. We also have 8GB of LPDDR4X and 128b GB of UFS 2.2 storage which will give a reasonably fast read and write speed but is not anything groundbreaking, more than adequate for streaming media and some light gaming. As I mentioned above the device has a SIM card slot and this is down to the CPIU being able to support 4G for both calls and data. Alongside that, you have the usual WIFI 5 and 2.4Ghz available frequencies and Bluetooth 5.2. Lastly, we have got support for GPS (L1), BEIDOU (B1I), GLONASS (G1), GALILEO (E1), and WLAN positioning. All in all, this is some pretty good spec for the price and is comparable with tablets from other players like Honor in the form of the Honor Pad 9u

We also have a standard suite of sensors that you would expect to see in an entry-level tablet; a Geomagnetic sensor, Light sensor, Acceleration sensor, Gyroscope, and Hall sensor.

I am pretty pleased with the hardware and especially happy to see that this device carries a battery with 8000mAh in it that is also capable of charging at 33W SUPERVOOC with the appropriate power supply unit (not included). This will allow for use for at least two days but it also supports a standby time of 514 hours according to OnePlus, which works out as just under 21.5 days. This is an important metric for a tablet as you tend not to use it constantly all day long. You will use it for a quick look at something or maybe to catch a TV Show watch a film etc. Having the ability to shut the screen off and then come back to it and still have some charge a few days later is a very useful feature.

The screen is plenty bright enough for use inside but it does struggle when in direct sunlight outside due to that max brightness of 400 nits. however, at this price point, you will struggle to find a much brighter screen. As you would also expect there is a lot of reflection in very bright conditions, however, I have yet to use a tablet that doesn’t suffer from this issue so I can let it slide.

Software

A key area for this tablet to be used in the way I am looking to use it is the ability of the device to work for the “tablet tasks” that I have identified above. the first of these that is important for me is long-form email. I have found that when typing up longer emails in the landscape orientation the keyboard spacing does prove to be a little bit of a stretch for me to thumb type. That being said though if the tablet is supported then I can type reasonably efficiently but it is far from ideal. This is where a keyboard attachment would have been advantageous for me. If I use the tablet in portrait then I can get on a bit better when thumb-typing as the keyboard is a bit more condensed but this is true of all tablets not just the Pad Go. Image editing is another area where having the bigger screen provides for a better experience and this was true for the Pad Go, particularly taking advantage of the fact that Google Photos has been enabled for tablet mode when using the in-built edit function. I can still see the full image and the tools easily as the tooling appears on the right-hand side of the image in a list view as shown in the image below.

Split Screen mode is something I have found to be very useful when using a folding device and I have been trying to use it as effectively on the pad go as well and for the most part it does work just as well. Using the split screen to reference something whilst working in a different app is extremely useful and productive. I will be going to Rhodes in the summer and have been able to do some sightseeing planning on the tablet by using the split screen. Whilst I could easily do this on my Pixel 8 Pro having the ability to have two apps open side by side does make this much easier especially when I want to show this to someone else as the device size is more conducive to doing so.

Media playback is another huge aspect of the tablet experience and I have been using this a lot for that function. I was away doing some training for my new job and having the pad Go with me during this time was a big advantage as I was able to stream Netflix on a screen that was big enough to be enjoyable for long durations in the evening instead of having to make do with watching the in-room TV  which was showing mostly football and reality TV rubbish. Again this is something that could be done on either my phone or Macbook but the Pad Go made the process easier and more flexible as I could take the Pad Go with me if I wanted to indulge in my viewing in the bar or the beer garden. What would have been useful in this scenario is a stand which I don’t have for review but there is one available from the OnePlus Store.

An area where I was hoping that I would be able to use the extra screen real estate was in the writing of this review but unfortunately, as the Pad Go does not have an attachable keyboard cover like the OnePlus Pad this was not a successful endeavour. Unfortunately, the keyboard takes up too much of the screen real estate to be used in this mode and this was enough to stop me from trying to get the review written up on the Pad Go. Admittedly I could have used a Bluetooth keyboard but the lack of a stand and and mouse made this prohibitive to me and it was more practical to use my laptop for this. The hardware deficiency is not the only issue here as this has been an issue with Android and if I recall correctly iPad tablets for some time so the Pad Go is not to blame here. This is one of the reasons I moved to a Chome-based solution the last time I had a tablet. While it is certainly possible to create content using a word processor and then copy this into our chosen platform (WordPress) it is not as fluid as it could or should be.

One nice surprise that I did get when doing this review was that the tablet was updated to Android 14 which is great to see as normally these cheaper tablets get left behind in terms of updates to the core OS. At the time of writing the Pad Go is on Android 14 and the Google Play system update is on the 1 May 2024.

Which is not too bad given that is the same as my Redmagic 9 Pro is, (my Pixel 8 Pro is on the latest beta version of Android 15 so the Google Play System update is a bit out of whack).

The Multitasking is smooth and you can choose to use an app in Picture in Picture mode if you wish as well as the split screen shown mode above.

So overall the Pad Go software is exactly what I was expecting it to be for a mid-range Android tablet. It does not have the extra hardware to support the possibility of being laptop replacement but it does have the benefits of the bigger size which makes it great for web browsing and media consumption whilst travelling or away from home (or just when you are kicked out of the living room).

Gaming is another thing that I have used Tablets for in the past and did use my Pixel Fold for and the Pad Go is perfectly adept at the medium-weight games that I have be playing recently The refresh rate is adequate for all but most intensive games and the brightness is okay for indoor gaming but you will struggle outside under direct sunlight. I tested the Pad Go by playing Asphalt 9 and Grand Mountain and both were fine. I do find that the hardware is a bit too big for my liking and i couldn’t get my Stadia Contoller to pair with the Pad Go correctly but I was still able to get by. It will not replace a dedicated gaming console or handheld by any means but the same can be said for any mid-range Android tablet that is over 10″ in size. I have found that the best-sized device for gaming is around 7″ to 8″ and it seems that the industry is in agreement with me as this is the screen size of the Steamdeck and the Nintendo Switch console.

There is also the Games app which is very useful for configuring your gameplay settings and keeping track of your games on the device.

Next up is the camera,

I will be honest the camera is an addition that I have never really looked to use on a tablet. They are not the best device to take photos with due to their size. However I have taken a few sample shots here to showcase what it can do and it is not terrible but still, the rear camera is for me largely superfluous. Video can be recorded at 1080p and 720p at 30fps as well. Although as you can see from the results below I probably wouldn’t bother if I were you!

The front camera on the other hand is more useful as it will allow the user to use the tablet for video calls etc. It is also not too bad for selfies but i feel that the video call experience has been what has been prioritised here. The camera will record at 1080p or 720p at 30fps. I have enclosed a sample of the video at 1080p below and a couple of static shots as well one with middling bokeh and one without any.

Conclusion

That about finishes up the review so we just now need to wrap things up.

The need for a standalone tablet is in my opinion coming towards an end. I can fill the need for a tablet and a phone in one device now as I have been bitten by the foldable bug in a big way. At the time of writing this, I have just re-bought my Pixel Fold back from the person I sold it to a few weeks ago.  However, not everyone is on board with the foldable phone concept and I can see where it would be useful to have a separate device like the OnePlus Pad Go as a secondary device for use around the house when travelling etc. This is where the Pad Go fits into a use case and it does so very well. However, this is not by any means a high-end device, which is fine as it is not meant to be. if you are looking for a laptop replacement then I would advise looking for a tablet like the OnePlus Pad with a keyboard or any of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 lineup (although be prepared to pay more for these).

I am glad I have had the opportunity to review the OnePlus Pad Go as it has answered a question for me that I had been pondering. Do I need (as someone who uses a folding phone) a standalone tablet? For me, the answer is no but that is because my phone will perform as one and I am happy with the compromises that foldable phones entail. if you prefer your phone to be non-folding but want the extra real estate sometimes then the OnePlus Pad Go would be a very good addition to your kit.

If you want to pick up the Oneplus Pad Go you can do so by going to the OnePlus website where you can get one for £269 and it will come with a free Folio case worth £39.99 included. You can also look at the bigger brother the OnePlus pad which has the option of Stylus use and an attachable keyboard as well.

The post OnePlus Pad Go – Review is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

Mobile charging specialists, CUKTECH, has announced the launch of the CUKTECH 10, a state-of-the-art 100W 10000mAh power bank designed to meet the diverse and demanding charging needs of modern users. This sleek and futuristic design power bank delivers unmatched performance, ensuring devices are charged at maximum speed, whether a laptop, smartphone, or gaming console

The CUKTECH 10 is the ultimate solution for high-power charging. It offers a single-port output capable of delivering an impressive 100W for laptops, up to 27W for iPhones, and 45W for Samsung Galaxy devices. This versatility ensures that devices remain powered up and ready to go in record time.

For gamers on the go, the CUKTECH 10 is a game-master companion, seamlessly compatible with handheld consoles. It can charge a Nintendo Switch 1.3 times, supports 45W fast charging for the Steam Deck, a remarkable 65W for the ROG, and a powerful 100W for the Legion Go, making it an ideal choice for uninterrupted gaming enjoymen

Rapid self-charging takes convenience to the next level as the CUKTECH 10 boasts a 90W MAX self-charging capability, ensuring the power bank is always ready for action. With the ability to achieve 55% capacity in just 15 minutes, users can quickly get enough power to fully charge an iPhone 15 once.

A vibrant TFT colour screen provides real-time visibility into crucial details such as voltage, current, battery level, power output, and the remaining time for both charging and recharging. This intuitive display keeps users informed and in control.

The CUKTECH 10 also features fast charging specifically for Xiaomi devices. The USB-C1 port delivers high-speed fast charging of up to 120W for all Xiaomi mobile phones and tablets, and up to 100W for Xiaomi notebooks. Built with automotive-grade 21700 power cells produced by top-tier manufacturers, the CUKTECH 10 ensures guaranteed quality and reliability. It supports single-port ultra-fast charging at 100W and offers two-way support with a combined USB-A and Type-C maximum power output of 133W. Compatibility with PD 3.1, PPS, and various fast charging technologies makes it a versatile power solution for a wide range of devices.

Despite its high-power capacity, the CUKTECH 10 maintains a portable and space-efficient design. Measuring just 143mm in length and 45mm in width, it is comparable to a Snickers bar and fits comfortably in the palm of the hand or in a pocket. Weighing a mere 10oz, it offers the perfect balance of convenience and performance.

Included with the CUKTECH 10 Power Bank is a 6A 240W C-to-C charging cable, an instruction manual, and an 18-month worry-free service backed by a dedicated customer service team committed to providing utmost satisfaction. CUKTECH prides itself on delivering products of equal or even better quality than more well known competitors in the market but at a more affordable price point.

The CUKTECH 10 is available on Amazon UK for RRP £49.99 (An additional 40  percent discount coupon is also currently live). It is also available on Amazon.com for RRP $59.99 (An additional $20 discount is also currently live).

The post CUKTECH Unveils the Ultimate Charging Companion: The CUKTECH 10, 100W, 10000mAh Power Bank with Fast Charging, 2 Ports, PPS PD, and Smart Display is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

The way the architecture to work is defined below.

1) At the base layer, Cross-device and Cross-OS AI form the foundation of an open ecosystem, which allows the sharing of computing power and services among devices and operating systems.

2) Building upon this foundation, the Platform-level AI layer enables a personalised operating system, allowing intent-based human-computer interaction and personalised resource allocation.

3) At the third layer, App-level AI is poised to introduce a wave of innovative, generative AI applications that will revolutionise user experiences.

4) Lastly, at the top, the Interface to Cloud-AI services layer provides users with easy access to massive cloud services while prioritising privacy protection, creating a truly holistic and future-forward AI experience.

A use case scenario of this new architecture would be for sharing a file from your phone to laptop seamlessly without having to export it via any cloud sharing services.

Another aspect of the AI architecture is going to allow the phone to learn about your habits and make it more useful item to allow ease of use of the functions that the phone can offer. For example, if you listen to music first thing in the morning then the phone will offer up the music app when you wake up without being prompted.

Another way that AI will be used on the newly announced Honor 200 series (which was also teased today) is to help implement. This has used AI to learn. This has allowed Honor to break down the entire portrait photography process into nine distinct steps, which is now being and implemented into the new AI-enhanced Portrait mode that will be present in the new Honor phones going forward.

Another nod to the increase in AI development with Honor is the fact that Honor will be using Google Cloud to help support the back end of the AI infrastructure

The new Honor 200 Series will be announced in Paris on the 12th of June and will come with all of the enhanced AI functionality that has been announced today.

It will also include the new AI-enhanced Portrait Experience that has been co-developed with Studio Harcourt. It will also include MagicPortal the industry’s first intent-based UI.

The MagicOS 8.0 update will start it’s rollout to the Honor Magic V2 and Honor 90 in the next few weeks as well.

The post Honor Announces 4-layer AI architecture @ VivaTech in Paris is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

Product Specifications:-

• Working Platform: Android
• Connectivity: Low-latency Bluetooth
• ABXY Buttons: Microswitch
• Hall Effect Sticks
• Hall Effect Triggers
• Trigger mode: Analog triggers or hair triggers
• 2 mappable Back Buttons
• Customization Software: Yes, GameSir APP
• Button Layout: Xbox / Switch
• Compatible Model Width: 68-95mm / 2.68-3.74 in
• Compatible Maximum Model Thickness: 12.5mm / 0.49 in
• Pass-Through Charging: Yes
• Battery: Yes, one 400mAh battery in each controller
• Product Size: 120*104.6*42.7 mm / 4.72*4.12*1.68 in
• Net Weight: 188.5 g / 0.42 lbs
• Gross Weight: 426.3 g / 0.94 lbs

GameSir, a leading provider of gaming peripherals, has unveiled  the X4 Aileron, a groundbreaking mobile controller that redefines gaming. The cutting-edge telescopic controller has been meticulously designed to accommodate most Android devices and allow mobile gamers to enjoy ultra-responsive Bluetooth connection and low-latency play, anywhere, anytime.

With a sleek, compact two-piece design that magnetically joins together, gaming on-the-go has never been this seamless and immersive. The X4A is compatible with most Android devices, whilst also allowing for extra space for phone coolers and wireless chargers, meaning users can enjoy extended sessions without needing to worry about devices overheating or the battery dying. The controller is equipped with an ultra-responsive Bluetooth connection, so gamers can stay in the zone and conquer their opponents with low-latency and lightning-fast reactions. With state-of-the-art Hall Effect sticks, users can also enjoy anti-drift performance, unmatched longevity and unparalleled accuracy, giving them the competitive edge for an affordable price.

Promising E-sport level microswitch buttons, the face buttons, bumpers and D-pad of the controller strike the perfect balance between responsiveness and durability, boasting a lifespan of up to 5 million clicks. Dual trigger options also ensure that gaming style is fully customizable, meaning users can effortlessly and seamlessly switch between analog triggers and hair triggers. The controller is also equipped with interchangeable ABXY buttons, thumb sticks and D-pads, as well as the option to change light effects easily via key combo or the GameSir app.

The X4 Aileron has been thoughtfully enhanced with anti-friction glide rings that provide the ultimate control, allowing users to glide through their gaming adventures with ease. For complex manoeuvres, gamers can rely on the multi-function M button for convenient controls at their fingertips, with the ability to adjust trigger mode, RGB brightness, lighting effects, volume and key value freely.

The GameSir X4 Aileron is available to purchase now from Amazon US, Amazon UK and the GameSir website, with an RRP of £99.99/$99.99.

The post GameSir redefines the mobile gaming experience with the X4 Aileron Bluetooth controller is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

A reliable MagSafe charger for travel is truly invaluable. That’s why the Twelve South ButterFly 2-in-1 MagSafe Charger (referred to as the ButterFly from now on) immediately caught my eye up on its initial release. Upon unboxing, the ButterFly charger has a distinct resemblance to a yo-yo with it’s circular shape, divided into two halves, evokes memories of that classic toy. Alternatively, it could be mistaken for a pocket watch or even a macaroon.

The metal exterior exudes a premium feel, while the vegan leather strap that secures the two parts and the faux leather interior add to the overall elegance of this accessory. The ButterFly charger includes instructions for using it in various orientations, and magnets seamlessly join the metal components together.

Specs:-
Charging Speed 15W/5W
Dimensions0.9 x 2.4 x 2.4in (2.35 x 6 x 6mm)
Weight4.2oz (119g)
Adapter included30W.

Pros:
Stunning Design: The accessory boasts an impressive and visually appealing design.
Dual Device Charging: It conveniently charges two devices simultaneously.
High-Quality Build: The build quality is top-notch, ensuring durability and a premium feel.

Cons:
Challenges with Standby Mode on Larger iPhones: Navigating Standby Mode can be a bit tricky, especially when using larger iPhones. It might take some extra effort to become fully comfortable with its functionality.
Uncertainty Regarding Long-Term Durability: While the initial build quality shows promise, questions remain about its long-term durability. Only time and extended use will reveal how well it stands up over the years.
Consider the Price Tag: Keep in mind that this accessory comes with a higher price. Before making the investment, weigh it against your budget and priorities.

The Twelve South ButterFly 2-in-1 USB-C MagSafe charger is available for $129 or £129 on Twelve South’s website and Apple.com. The Apple retail seal of approval speaks volumes about the quality of this accessory. Although it’s a recent release, the charger has not been discounted during my testing period, and stock availability has remained steady.
To help mitigate the cost, the ButterFly charger includes a 30W USB-C charger, a braided USB-C cable, and international wall adapters. While it’s a thoughtful addition, I’ll likely only incorporate the cable into my collection. The power adapter, though not massive, still occupies nearly the same volume as the ButterFly itself. As for the international adapters, they might be redundant for anyone willing to invest in a £130 charger, as they likely already possess a solution for international plugs.

The ButterFly 2-in-1 MagSafe Charger aims to fill the void left by Apple’s discontinued MagSafe Duo. While Apple occasionally releases charging accessories mid-cycle, it remains uncertain whether they will reintroduce the old Duo with a USB-C port.

If you already own and use a MagSafe Duo, I wouldn’t recommend trading it in for the ButterFly charger. Apple’s charger boasts an incredibly slim and well-constructed design. However, Twelve South’s charger does offer fast-charging capabilities for the Apple Watch and utilizes USB-C, which I found appealing—though these features aren’t absolutely critical for a nightstand accessory.

Compared to the Mophie 3-in-1 charger, the ButterFly charger gets my recommendation. Twelve South’s product is smaller and more affordable. While it lacks a third charging spot, I’m not convinced that such a feature is necessary.
For AirPods, you can power them up on the iPhone spot or, if you have AirPods Pro 2, charge them using the Apple Watch charger.
The leather-like strap connecting the two halves allows the charger to be folded and used in four specific ways: flat with two devices, watch-only, phone-only, or horizontally for StandBy mode.

The Twelve South ButterFly 2-in-1 MagSafe Charger boasts a truly unique design, offering a fresh perspective on the concept of a 2-in-1 charger. When unfolded, each charging panel is elegantly coated with soft vegan leather. While the iPhone side appears straightforward, the Apple Watch portion features a magnetic charger on a hinge that can be opened up, allowing your Apple Watch to rest in Nightstand mode.

If you only need to charge one device, simply fold the ButterFly back on itself—the magnets securely hold the pieces together. This configuration not only facilitates Nightstand mode for your Apple Watch but also serves as a clever solution for propping up your iPhone in StandBy Mode. Although not flawless, the two folded components act as a rudimentary kickstand, allowing your iPhone to rest at an angle in landscape mode.
For smaller iPhones, such as the iPhone 15, the ButterFly is particularly effective. However, if you own Apple’s larger iPhone, the iPhone 15 Pro Max, deploying the charger with the leather strap off to one side becomes necessary to prevent the weight of the phone from collapsing the stand. Despite its imperfections, this secondary feature adds a touch of functionality.

In addition to its design, the ButterFly charger comes with a charming velvety travel bag secured by a drawstring. The bag provides ample space for both the charger and the included USB-C cable, which features an attractive braided design. As expected, the features of a simple MagSafe charging unit are somewhat limited, but that doesn’t diminish its quality. The ButterFly MagSafe charger can charge any iPhone from the iPhone 12 onwards (regardless of size), delivering 15W of power. While faster than standard Qi wireless charging, it falls short of the speed achieved by plugging your iPhone directly into a power source. Additionally, the ButterFly can also charge Apple’s AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 3, and AirPods 2 with wireless charging cases—all at 15W.

On the other side, the Apple Watch fast charger provides 5W of power and is compatible with any Apple Watch model, from the original to the Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2. Notably, the Apple Watch panel can also charge AirPods Pro 2, so you’re not limited to pairing it solely with an iPhone.

While the ButterFly’s design sets it apart, it’s not the sole contender in the 2-in-1 charging market. Apple’s own MagSafe Duo charger is an alternative, but it’s equally pricey and lacks the same stylish appeal. Furthermore, it doesn’t include the necessary charger, making the ButterFly a better overall value.
Among our top picks for portable travel Apple Watch chargers, the Anker MagGo Wireless Charging Station stands out. It’s a foldable 3-in-1 charger with clever design features and an additional charging station compared to the ButterFly. Similarly, the Mophie 3-in-1 Travel Charger with MagSafe offers similar functionality to the Anker, along with a convenient carrying case. Lastly, Ampere’s Unravel travel charger boasts a unique folding design and 3-in-1 charging capabilities. While capable, these alternatives fall short of the ButterFly’s premium aluminium finish and stylish leather coating. Ultimately, the ButterFly prioritizes form over pure functionality. Users seeking a more practical solution or those with multiple devices to charge may find better options elsewhere.

Conclusion:-
You should consider purchasing the Twelve South ButterFly 2-in-1 MagSafe Charger if:
You’re looking for a practical and stylish travel charger.
You own a MagSafe-compatible iPhone and an Apple Watch.
You appreciate compact and unique accessories.
However, you should avoid buying it if:
You don’t have a MagSafe-compatible iPhone or an Apple Watch.
You need to charge more than two devices simultaneously.
You’re specifically seeking the most budget-friendly charger on the market.

As someone who appreciates efficient ways to keep all my devices powered while traveling light, I find the Twelve South ButterFly 2-in-1 MagSafe Charger to be a valuable travel accessory. Its clever design accommodates both an iPhone and an Apple Watch in various positions. While it does have a few quirks, the primary drawback is its £129.99 price tag. Understandably, this cost prompts many to pause and question whether they truly need this device for their travels.

I agree that the value proposition isn’t ideal, especially when there are more affordable alternatives that achieve similar functionality. However, the ButterFly performs well overall, with only minor cosmetic considerations. If your budget allows or if frequent travel justifies the investment, the ButterFly is a reliable choice.

The post Twelve South ButterFly 2-in-1 MagSafe charger – Review is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

Design

Here is a brief unboxing video showcasing the phone.

This is one of the biggest things when it comes to a gaming phone and the RedMagic 9 Pro (hereafter referred to as the 9 Pro). The phone has some very specific gaming cues. Time to take the tour around the device starting from the top edge.

On the top of the device, we find one of the side-firing speakers along with an IR blaster for controlling IR-equipped devices. In addition to this is something that is a bit of a rarity these days, a 3.5mm headset jack is sitting up there on the top. We also find one of the pinhole mics and some of the many antenna line breaks.

Moving around the right-hand side we have a lot going on so let’s go from the edges in. On the edges, we have the RGB shoulder trigger buttons which can be configured within games. The RGB lighting can be set in different modes from the software which we will cover more later on. The trigger buttons support up to 520hz touch detection making them very responsive for use in games. Next, we have one end of the fan channel, I believe this is the exhaust vent but I could be wrong. Next, we have the volume rocker switch which has good feedback and is distinctive when compared to the sleep/wake/power switch. The next thing here is again a hint at the gaming focus of this phone as we have a dedicated home mode slider switch. by moving this switch towards to power key then the phone will enter into its gaming mode where you have all the toggles from various software-led functions. I will cover these more later in the gaming section of this review. The last thing of note here is the presence of another pinhole mic.

On the bottom edge of the phone is another one of the side-firing speakers another pinhole microphone and the USB 3.2, Type-C with DisplayPort functionality, for plugging into an external display. This port will also support fascharing if you use the correct charger and the phone will charge at up to 80W giving a pretty good 0 to full charge time of under 35 minutes. We also have a dual SIM card slot.

Moving around to the left-hand side of the phone apart from the usual antenna break we have got the other end for the fan channel which I think is the intake end.

On the rear, we have got a fair amount of things going on alongside some graphical exuberance In the top right-hand corner we have a reference to this being the 9th Generation of RedMagic phones with a 09 that will illuminate when the phone is in gaming mode. Coming down from his but sticking to the right-hand side we have the “Win More Games” text written on the rear panel with the Redmagic Logo at the very bottom right. On the left-hand side at the bottom edge, there is again some text outing the phone brand name REDMAGIC and then as you move up the phone there are more text references this time under the camera array we have Ice Cooling System written around the middle section. above this is where things get a bit more interesting. we have what looks to be three camera modules in a vertical stack, however, this is not the case. The bottom of the stack is a very small but powerful fan. This fan will spin at a speed of up to 22,000 RPM and is fully customisable with RGB as well fitting into the gaming phone vibe very nicely. The fan can be quite loud when it is operating at max capacity but in normal use, it is barely audible over the background noise.. I have got is set to be one most of the time. I will hear it ramp up to full speed if I have it fast charging but otherwise it will just spin away pulling cold air through the cooling chamber for me.

Above the fan, we have two camera sensors which are both 50mp sensors one being an ultra-wide and the other being the normal aspect ratio. I believe that the lower of the two cameras has also got an OIS which is a first for a camera on a RedMagic gaming phone. Both cameras feature a 7-element lens and the sensors are from Samsung manufacturer. But that is not all as we also have an additional 2MP sensor off to the side sitting below the dual LED flash. This camera is there to pick up the macro shots duties as you would expect in this sort of set-up. Above the 2MP Macro camera is a Dul LED flash light which will also pull double duty as a torch if required.

A few things to note about the back cover is that this is incredibly slippy despite there being a texture to the glass panel which means that unless this is on a flat surface it will slip off things and make its way to the ground a lot. There is a clip-on shard plastic case included in the box but this does little to negate these inevitable tumbles. You can also buy an additional case from the RedMagic store but I cannot see this helping this situation much further. I have combated this by purchasing a skin for the rear panel which provide just enough grip to stop is sliding away from me all the time.

Moving around the the front of the phone is where we have the display along with the camera but we will come back to that in a moment. The display itself is really large and the panel under the Corning Gorilla Glass 5 surface is maxed out as much as possible. The screen is a 6.8 inches FHD+ panel and it is of the AMOLED variety. It has a brightness of up to 1600nits with a colour accuracy of △E＜1. The Screen-to-body ratio is 93.7% which is one of the highest I have used recently, and it has a resolution of 2480 x 1116 with a PPI of 400. The panel has a refresh rate of up to 120 hz (this can be adjusted in software). There are a couple more gaming-specific stats as well that I need to share and these are that the Instant touch sampling rate is 2,000Hz, with an overall sampling rate of up to 960Hz multitouch. I presume that these are meant to indicate that it will pick up on detections of input a lot quicker in fast-paced games.

Well, that concludes our tour of the device’s exterior. But as with all phones, we also need to investigate what is under the skin of the phone, in the hardware section.

Hardware

Firstly here is a specs table as there is lot of stuff going on here.

I am going to focus on the aspects that will take this from a regular phone to begin a gaming hone as all the other hardware is very commonly seen on most high-end phones these days, there are however some exceptions to this which I will cover later on in my review.

• Cooling system

As this is a gaming phone let’s start with the cooling system as this is the real headline grabber for this phone. As you can see from the specs sheet above the 9 Pro has got quite an elaborate system in place for cooling which is a combination of both heat dissipation foils and thermal pastes and active cooling via the cooling fan itself. The fan is a very small component as it is smaller than the diameter of a 5-pence coin. That being said it is very intricately built as it has 59 0.1mm fan blades that are capable of up to 22,000rpm to pull air into the cooling duct. As you will be able to imagine this cooling duct is where the main heat dissipation happens with the components that are generating the heat being located close to the cooling duct. The image below shows the various elements in more detail.

You can see from the above image that the Snapdarogn 8 Gen 3 Chip is located on the underside of the cooling channel to give the optimum exposure to the airflow being managed by the fan. In addition to this, there is an extensive area of thermally conductive material on the midframe to help stop any heat coming through the display from the motherboard. All of this means that the *gen 3 Chip can run at higher temp fro longer meaning that it can push more calculations through. This in turn will mean faster processing of files, quicker video rendering and most importantly for buyers of this phone a better gaming experience with higher frame rates being provided in the game with more fluid motion characteristics etc. There is however one very minor downside to this and that is that when you have got the fan cranked up to max it is audible.

I have recorded this small clip to give you an idea of the difference between the fan on and off. I was using the phone plugged in whilst playing Asphalt 9 in the mode called Diablo Mode which is when everything it maxed out and the processor and GPU are both running at full power.

Hopefully, that will demonstrate my point, Please be aware though that this was an extreme scenario and the fan is not normally quite as noticeable during normal gaming use, it would be easily cancelled out with a pair of headphones or by the sound from the game itself, I only bring this up to be thorough. next up we have the shoulder triggers which are a standout feature of the 9 Pro.

• Shoulder trigger buttons,

Unlike some gaming phones that offer generic shoulder buttons, the  9 Pro’s triggers are built for serious gamers. You can map specific in-game actions to each trigger, giving you more control over your gameplay. Imagine using them for aiming and firing in shooters, or activating abilities and spells in MOBA games – all while keeping your thumbs free for movement and other on-screen controls. This frees up valuable screen space and allows for more natural and intuitive control schemes. The 9 Pro doesn’t just offer basic buttons; these triggers boast high accuracy and a satisfying tactile response. This means your in-game actions will register precisely when you press the triggers, minimizing any lag or missed inputs. Not everyone has the same finger pressure. The 9 Pro understands this and allows you to fine-tune the sensitivity of the triggers. This way, you can set them to activate exactly when you want them to, reducing accidental presses during intense gaming moments. The shoulder triggers benefit from the phone’s incredibly high touch sampling rate of 520Hz. This translates to near-instantaneous responses when you press the triggers, further enhancing the feeling of precise control and minimizing any perceivable delay between your action and the in-game response. You can also have the buttons pull double duty as they will work as notifications LEDS when you get an event you need to be notified about.

The 9 Pro’s shoulder triggers are more than just buttons; they’re customizable tools designed to give you a significant edge in mobile gaming by providing a more precise and responsive control experience.

• Display

Mobile gamers will likely be impressed by the 9 Pro’s display, which boasts a combination of features designed to deliver an exceptional gaming experience. The phone’s large 6.8-inch AMOLED screen offers ample space to enjoy even the most visually complex games, while the sharp 2480 x 1160 resolution ensures crisp and detailed visuals. Unlike some displays that use LCD technology, AMOLED displays are known for their rich colours and deep blacks, creating a more immersive and vibrant gaming atmosphere. However, the true strength of the 9 Pro for gaming lies in its refresh rate and touch response. The 120Hz refresh rate means the screen refreshes the image 120 times per second, resulting in noticeably smoother visuals. This is a significant advantage in fast-paced games like shooters or racing titles, where every frame counts and a smooth refresh rate can give you a competitive edge. To complement the high refresh rate, the 9 Pro boasts an incredibly responsive touch screen with a 2000Hz instant touch sampling rate and a 960Hz average touch sampling rate. In layman’s terms, this means the phone can recognize your touch commands near-instantaneously, minimizing input lag. With minimal delay between your touch and the corresponding action on screen, you can react faster and more precisely in-game. Further enhancing the immersive experience is the phone’s under-display camera. Unlike some phones with notches or punch-holes that intrude on the viewing area, the 9 Pro keeps the display uninterrupted. This allows you to enjoy a truly fullscreen view without any obstructions while gaming, maximizing your immersion in your game, although in reality I barely noticed the camera on my other phones so this would not be a major difference to me based on my experience. Brightness is another crucial factor for mobile gamers, and the 9 Pro appears well-suited for various lighting conditions. While exact specifications may vary, some sources claim the screen can reach a remarkable 1600 nits in HDR mode. This means you can comfortably play games outdoors on a bright day or in a dimly lit room without compromising on the visuals. The 9 Pro’s display presents a compelling option for gamers seeking a large, clear, smooth, and responsive experience with minimal distractions. The phone’s combination of a high-resolution AMOLED display, a fast refresh rate, an ultra-responsive touch screen, and an under-display camera creates a feature set specifically tailored to enhance your mobile gaming experience.

• Processor

The 9 Pro’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor throws down the gauntlet for smooth and visually impressive mobile gaming. This cutting-edge chip boasts significant performance improvements over its predecessors, translating to noticeably smoother gameplay in even the most graphically demanding titles. This translates to a competitive edge, especially in fast-paced games where split-second reactions are the difference between victory and defeat. Unlike some phones that struggle to maintain peak performance during extended gaming sessions, the 9 Pro takes a different approach. Its robust cooling system specifically addresses this concern by preventing the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 from throttling. This ensures you can enjoy uninterrupted gameplay with consistent frame rates, allowing you to focus on the game and not on thermal limitations. The benefits of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 extend beyond raw power. It works in perfect harmony with the 9 Pro’s 120Hz display. By enabling the phone to render graphics at high frame rates that match the display’s refresh rate, the processor unlocks the display’s full potential. This translates to a buttery smooth and graphically immersive gaming experience, making every in-game action feel incredibly responsive. Imagine perfectly rendered explosions and lightning-fast character movements coming to life with minimal lag – that’s the kind of visual fidelity the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and 120Hz display combination can deliver. But the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 isn’t just about brute force. It boasts some exciting features that cater specifically to mobile gamers. One such feature is the Snapdragon Game Super Resolution. This technology can upscale the visuals of mobile games to an impressive near-8K quality when connected to a high-resolution monitor through RedMagic Studio. This takes mobile gaming visuals to a whole new level, offering an unprecedented level of detail and sharpness that can further deepen your immersion in the game world. Imagine playing your favourite mobile games on a large monitor with visuals that rival high-end consoles – that’s the potential of Snapdragon Game Super Resolution.

It’s important to consider some potential trade-offs, however. Powerful processors like the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 can drain battery life faster. While the 9 Pro packs a large battery of 6500mAh, extended high-performance gaming sessions might require more frequent charging to keep you powered up throughout the day. Additionally, not all games may be fully optimized to leverage the full potential of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 just yet. However, this is likely to change over time as both game developers and Qualcomm release updates that improve compatibility and performance for this cutting-edge mobile chipset. With ongoing optimization, the  9 Pro with its Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor has the potential to be a future-proof option for mobile gamers who prioritize smooth performance, high frame rates, and support for innovative features.

Camera

The 9 Pro might be a gaming powerhouse, but it doesn’t neglect to capture those winning moments. Let’s delve into what this phone can do in the camera department, A triple-camera system graces the back, with the 50MP main sensor taking the lead. This Samsung GN5 sensor with an f/1.9 aperture excels in bright environments, ensuring crisp and vibrant photos – perfect for commemorating victories, adventures, or casual hangouts. A big upgrade from previous models is the 50MP ultrawide camera with an f/2.2 aperture (courtesy of a Samsung JN1 sensor). Now you can capture those sprawling landscapes or ensure everyone fits in for epic group selfies. Rounding out the trio is a 2MP macro camera for those interesting close-up textures or tiny objects begging to be photographed. The 9 Pro shines when it comes to daylight photography. The main sensor delivers sharp images with accurate colours, making it ideal for outdoor gaming sessions or sightseeing. However, low-light performance might be a bit of a challenge. Photos might show more noise (grain) and reduced details in darker environments. If low-light prowess is a priority, you might want to explore other options. Just like most smartphones, the 9 Pro uses digital zoom to magnify images. Remember, excessive zooming can significantly reduce image quality and introduce blur. Sticking to the phone’s native zoom range will ensure sharper results. The phone boasts a near bezel-less look thanks to the under-display selfie camera. While convenient for casual selfies or video calls, the under-display technology might not deliver the same level of detail and sharpness as the rear cameras – a trade-off for the sleek design.

Overall, the RedMagic 9 Pro’s camera prioritizes usability over professional-grade photography. It delivers good image quality in well-lit conditions and offers versatility with the ultrawide and macro options. If you’re a gamer who wants a phone that captures everyday moments without needing the best low-light camera, the RedMagic 9 Pro is a capable choice. But serious mobile photographers might crave a phone with more advanced camera features.

Here are some sample shots that I have taken on the camera to give you an idea of what the camera can do.

All in all in daylight the shots are pretty good. 

here si a sample of the video recording (this was recorded at 1080p at 60fps but has been downsampled to allow it to be shared via WordPress)

There is a fair bit of camera wobble going on here as I don’t think the stabilization is the best but as you can see I was walking while shooting this clip.

Finally here are some samples of how the camera performs in low light

Software

The 9 Pro avoids cluttering the user interface with unnecessary software, keeping things clean. However, it caters to gamers with a dedicated gaming mode activated by a red slider on the phone’s side. This gaming mode provides a central hub to customize and fine-tune various settings to optimize your gaming experience. I have included some shots of the gaming mode UI below to give you an idea of what it can do. 

One of the options that you can get when you get the 9Pro is the Shadow Blade 2 gamepad (pictured below), however, I was not able to get one of these sent out as part of the review kit so I sadly don’t have one. I do however have the next best thing which is the GameSir Galileo G8. This actually the exact same unit as the Shadow Blade 2. When you combine the two you can then get a similar experience to something like the Razer Edge Wifi however this is more powerful due to the better chipset

Shadow Blade 2 Gamepad

The inclusion of the gamepad made this such an interesting prospect for me when I first tried this, at MWC back in February. Now whilst the Galileo G8 is not completely set up correctly to work with the 9 Pro out of the box I have found that for the most part, it will work with the games I have been testing it with. I have got some pictures below to show you what it look like below.

The above picture shows that the 9 Pro is in gaming mode, which is activated primarily by the toggle switch on the side of the unit. Within the is software you can change various different settings for your in game experience. I have found that using “Diablo Mode” gives you all the power when you need it. However, that being said I have not been able to find a game that runs at anything higher than 60FPS yet. In this Game suite, you can also set up specific details for a game. So for example, if I wanted my game to run on the Highest performance then I can set this up on a per-game basis by editing the “Cube” settings for that game. I can also change the way the game will looking by changing the “show” mode which will change how the colours are displayed in the game which may help with the gameplay experience.

The in-game menu is accessible via a double swipe in the top right or left-hand corner. The menu on the left-hand side is all the various Plugins that you can enforce on the games if you wish too. On the right-hand side, you have other controls such as turning on the RGB LED effects, blocking calls during gaming etc. It is fairly intuitive and easy to use the right-hand menu but the one for the plug-ins can be adjusted in more detail if required, if you were a gamer and you really wanted to take advantage of the extra tools then I am sure that there would be plenty to dig into here. I have only really looked over it but I have not delved much further than that.

other than the Gaming mode we are presented with a very clean version of Android 14 albeit with the Redmagic UI on top of it. I like how they have not messed around too much with the UI apart from the increased icon size which is all too common on anything other than a Pixel these days. In terms of updates I have not had a firmware update since I received the phone however I have had a Play systems update which is currently on the March 24 version, however, the Security update is still on October 23 so this is not great but I have seen worse. I don’t know how often and frequently these updates will be delivered to the phone as it tends to be the case that instead of issuing an update the phone is superseded by the next model version. Whether this will be the case with the 9 Pro only time will tell.

Conclusion

So should you buy a RedMagic 9 Pro? Well, that really depends on where your priorities lie. if you want what is one of the most powerful phones on the market for gaming currently then for the bang for your money then I would say this is a good option, especially when you factor price into the mix. For a starting price of £579.00 as reviewed, you are not going to find another Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 powered phone for anything close to that price. to get the same sort of footprint you would need to consider something like the ROG Phone 8 which is currently retailing for £949.00 for the equivalent spec.

If the camera is the main focus for you then I would recommend looking elsewhere as this is not the best camera on the market, dont get me wrong it is good again when factoring in the price but there are better options out there the recently launched Pixel 8a would actually be a better alternative for near the same price (£559) for the 256GB version. 

If you want the best of both worlds, then maybe consider one of the Samsung Galaxy S 24 Line up as they give great gaming performance and are also backed by some fantastic support from Samsung regarding software updates. they will also offer a good enough gaming experience.

You may also wish to look into the sister brand for this phone which is Nubia (they are both operated by ZTE) as they have a very compelling camera-focused version of the Redmagic 9 Pro in the form of the Nubia Z60 Ultra but this adds a couple of hundred pounds to the asking price for the better optics.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with the RedMagic 9 Pro but for now I am going to be hanging it up for my daily driver and returning to my Pixel 8 Pro, I may however dig it back out for some gaming sessions when i want that customisable gaming experience to hand.

The post RedMagic 9 Pro – Review is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

Design

As always with a device tour we will start on the top edge of the device and to avoid confusion I am going to be  orienting the tablet in landscape mode as that is what is suggested as its normal use mode by the camera positioning.

This is where we can find the volume up and down buttons on the far left edge the next noticeable thing is the pinhole microphone that will be brought into function when the front camera is being used. on either end of the top edge, there are two antenna bands for the inbuilt connections.

Moving around to the right-hand side we will then find that there are two of the 4  speakers, nestling inside these you will find another pinhole microphone next to the USB type C port. This port does not support Display Out, unfortunately, but given the price point and target demographic, this is hardly surprising.

Moving around to the bottom of the tablet there is nothing to see here which makes holding the device in the landscape orientation comfortable.

Continuing to the right-hand side we can see that we have got the other two speakers but this time they are flanking a Nano SIM/microSD card slot. This allows the tablet to support LTE bands for full;l phone and data duties if you wish to use it as a phone! You can also expand the storage by up to 1TB via the Micro SD card slot. You can also find the sleep-wake/power button on this side. This is simply just a button there is no fingerprint reading going on here.

Around the back we have the Camera module that is mounted on the upper third of the device in a shinier section of the back cover, presumable this is where the twin Mint naming comes from. Incidentally, this colour is the only variant you can get in the UK and it matches up with a lot of the other OnePlus devices of late. The camera itself is an 8MP sensor which has EIS and will support 1080P/720P video recording at 30FPS.

Going around the front finally we got the 11.35″2.4K screen which has a pixel density of 260PPI, and a refresh rate of 90Hz. The screen is reasonably bright at 400 nits with a contrast ratio of 1500:1 and a colour gamut of 96% NTSC. As is the case on most devices these days the screen is set up for Eyecare as well meaning that it will automatically adjust in lower light settings to limit Blue light and adjust colour temperatures to suit the available lighting in your viewing environment. It is a TÜV Rheinland Certified Full Care Display. Very good to know especially if this is a purchase being considered for younger users.

Also at the very top of the display is where we find the 8MP front-facing camera.

Thickness comparison with RedMagic 9 Pro gaming phone

Overall I really do like the aesthetics of the design and the way the tablet feels in the hand. it is comfortable to hold due to the 7.5mm bezels surrounding the devices and the 7.:5 aspect ratio of the display means it is not too wide for a 11.35″ screen size. I can find that I can interact with the tablet easily enough but typing is a bit easier using the thumbs when in portrait mod. it is light enough to hold in one hand while poking at the screen with the other hand which is great if you’re doing a quick search for something to watch or listen to. It is also pretty useful for games as well as I found with a quick session of Asphalt 9. As I mentioned earlier the device has a quad-speaker setup which creates a very good sound stage. I was more than happy to have this playing music in the background as I was working on writing this review.

Hardware

The outside may be good to look at but none of that makes any difference unless the internal hardware is any good. thankfully we have got some pretty good-looking kit inside. bear in mind that this is by no means a flagship-grade tablet so the expectations need to be aligned to that. To start with we have got a MediaTek Helio G99 CPU powering the tablet. This is an octa-core CPU built on the 6 NM process it has 2x Arm Cortex-A76 up to 2.2GHz and  6x Arm Cortex-A55 up to 2.0GHz and is paired with an Arm Mali-G57 MC2. We also have 8GB of LPDDR4X and 128b GB of UFS 2.2 storage which will give a reasonably fast read and write speed but is not anything groundbreaking, more than adequate for streaming media and some light gaming. As I mentioned above the device has a SIM card slot and this is down to the CPIU being able to support 4G for both calls and data. Alongside that, you have the usual WIFI 5 and 2.4Ghz available frequencies and Bluetooth 5.2. Lastly, we have got support for GPS (L1), BEIDOU (B1I), GLONASS (G1), GALILEO (E1), and WLAN positioning. All in all, this is some pretty good spec for the price and is comparable with tablets from other players like Honor in the form of the Honor Pad 9u

We also have a standard suite of sensors that you would expect to see in an entry-level tablet; a Geomagnetic sensor, Light sensor, Acceleration sensor, Gyroscope, and Hall sensor.

I am pretty pleased with the hardware and especially happy to see that this device carries a battery with 8000mAh in it that is also capable of charging at 33W SUPERVOOC with the appropriate power supply unit (not included). This will allow for use for at least two days but it also supports a standby time of 514gours according to OnePlus, which works out as just under 21.5 days. This is an important metric for a tablet as you tend not to use it constantly all day long. You will use it for a quick look at something or maybe to catch a TV Show watch a film etc. Having the ability to shut the screen off and then come back to it and still have some charge a few days later is a very useful feature.

The screen is plenty bright enough for use inside but it does struggle when in direct sunlight outside due to that max brightness of 400 nits. however, at this price point, you will struggle to find a much brighter screen. As you would also expect there is a lot of reflection in very bright conditions, however, I have yet to use a tablet that doesn’t suffer from this issue so I can let it slide.

In terms of the hardware that is all I have at the moment for initial first impressions as I need to spend d a bit more time with it but I am impressed with things so far.

As I have only been using the device for a short period I have been unable to draw any conclusions about the software yet but I am happy to say that it all looks pretty good so far. There has been a lot of development on the adaptation of Oxygen Os to accommodate the larger display and the tablet is better for it. I would have appreciated it if the device was running Android 14 but it is currently still on Android, With that being said though the tablet did receive a security update a few days ago bringing it up to March 2024 for security patches which is okay. it will be interesting to see if they can get this more aligned with Android in terms of the OS platform as we are not that far away from Android 15 being launched by Google. I have an older Oneplus Nord CE 3 Lite that is running more up-to-date software than the PadGo so it should be possible for them to push through the update to keep at least near relevance regarding the the core OS.

So for the moment that is all I have got for the OnePlus Pad Go and my brief time with the device.

if you are interested in picking one of them up for yourself or a family member it is definitely worth considering it, especially as at the moment OnePlus is giving a £30 discount on its RRP which is normally £299. You can pick one up from the OnePlus website for £269.00 from this link.

I will continue to run this device and will follow this up with a full review after a bit more time with the device during which I will be trying to use it for some gaming and also more consumption of media. Check back in with me in a few weeks for some more.

The post OnePlus Pad Go – Unboxing is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

PITAKA, the No.1 Aramid Phone Case Brand, has announced the release of its latest innovation, the MagEZ Car Mount Pro 2 Qi2, a cutting-edge solution designed to revolutionize your driving experience with its advanced features and sleek design. Equipped with powerful MagSafe magnets, this car mount offers a secure attachment between a phone and mount, ensuring stability even on the bumpiest roads or during sudden movements.

With Qi2 certification, the MagEZ Car Mount Pro 2 supports 15W fast wireless charging when paired with a charger boasting a 20W output. This ensures that devices remain powered up throughout the journey, providing uninterrupted connectivity and convenience. Compatible with both iPhones and Android phones using a MagSafe case, it offers versatility for users across different platforms.

Enhancing convenience and safety while driving, the MagEZ Car Mount Pro 2 features three customized NFC shortcuts. Users can easily access their preset apps by attaching their NFC-enabled phones to the mount, activating their desired apps with a simple switch of the NFC shortcut. This innovative functionality streamlines phone usage on the road, minimizing distractions and maximizing efficiency.

Designed with user experience in mind, the MagEZ Car Mount Pro 2 incorporates numerous air vents for effective heat dissipation. This prevents excessive heat accumulation, safeguarding the phone’s battery health and ensuring optimal performance during prolonged usage.

Boasting a universal swivel ball with a 17mm diameter, the car mount is compatible with a wide range of car brands and models, providing versatility and ease of installation for users. Additionally, its durable construction with vacuum-plated PC and Aramid fiber weave ensures longevity and resilience against daily wear and tear, while its streamlined design seamlessly complements your vehicle’s aesthetics.

Elevate the driving experience with the PITAKA MagEZ Car Mount Pro 2, the ultimate MagSafe car mount charger offering seamless connectivity, fast charging, and enhanced convenience on the road. Experience the future of car mounts today.

The PITAKA MagEZ Car Mount Pro 2 Qi2 is available from Amazon and the PITAKA website for $53.99 using the 10 percent discount currently available.

The post Introducing the PITAKA MagEZ Car Mount Pro 2 Qi2: The Ultimate MagSafe Car Mount Charger for Seamless Connectivity and Fast Charging on the Go is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

Product Specifications:

• Material: Aramid fiber, TPU, Nappa leather
• Thickness: 1.86mm (0.07inch)
• Weight: 34.77g (1.23oz)
• Color: 1500D black/grey

PITAKA, a trailblazer in innovative smartphone accessories, proudly unveils the latest addition to its lineup: the MagEZ Case Pro 4 for Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. Crafted from top-grade aramid fiber, this case sets a new standard in durability, functionality, and style.

Premium Material, Unrivaled Strength.

In a departure from conventional practices, the MagEZ Case Pro 4 for Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is meticulously woven from top-grade aramid fiber. Renowned for its superior strength and resistance to scratches and corrosion, aramid fiber delivers unmatched protection for your device. To further enhance durability and impact resistance, PITAKA combines this robust material with flexible TPU, ensuring a protective case without unsightly seams.

Innovative PinButton Design.

Setting itself apart, the MagEZ Case Pro 4 features three customizable PinButtons on the side of the case. With a simple press, users can access preset apps, streamlining navigation and enhancing convenience. Say goodbye to cumbersome app searching and hello to effortless efficiency.

Comprehensive All-around Protection

Designed with every angle in mind, the protective Galaxy S24 Ultra woven case provides all-around protection for vulnerable components. A soft Nappa leather lining safeguards the back of the device, while precisely designed camera rings protect lenses from scratches and damage. Additionally, a subtle screen bezel ensures added protection against face-down drops.

MagSafe Compatibility for Enhanced Convenience.

With built-in MagSafe magnets, the Galaxy S24 Ultra woven case enables effortless attachment to MagSafe chargers and accessories. Samsung users can now enjoy the convenience of MagSafe charging and accessory connectivity, expanding the possibilities of their devices.

Seamless Integration with PITAKA’s MagEZ Ecosystem.

Experience a seamless user experience across devices and gadgets with compatibility with PITAKA’s MagEZ ecosystem. From the MagEZ Slider (a MagSafe charger) to the MagEZ Car Mount Pro 2 (a MagSafe car mount), users can enjoy a cohesive and connected experience like never before.

Understated Elegance with Superior Protection.

The MagEZ Case Pro 4 boasts a 1500D black/grey plain finish, exuding understated elegance that complements the sleekness of the titanium Galaxy S24 Ultra. Embrace minimalist style without compromising on protection.

Screen Protector Friendly

Worried about compatibility? Fear not. The protective Galaxy S24 Ultra woven case works seamlessly with most screen protectors on the market, allowing users to add an extra layer of defence to their devices.

The MagEZ Case Pro 4 for Samsung Galaxy S24 is available from PITAKA website for $69.99

The post PITAKA Introduces the MagEZ Case Pro 4 for Samsung Galaxy S24: Unmatched Protection Woven from Premium Aramid Fiber is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

Mixx, known for its premium yet affordable audio solutions, has announced the Mixx StreamBuds Ultra Mini True Wireless Earbuds range. They provide the ultimate audio immersion with a beautifully designed, robust zinc alloy charge case and sound settings that are fully customisable via the Mixx Control App. With hands free calling, personalised touch sensor control and quick charge, they are ideal for use when exercising, on a daily commute or on a holiday break. The earbuds are made from a silicon stem design, perfect for those that prefer the more traditional stem design. They come with three sizes of silicon cushions for the perfect fit to make them comfortable enough for all day use. The MIXX StreamBuds Ultra Mini true wireless earbuds are available from MIXX in a choice of black gun metal, silver white or champagne for a very affordable RRP of £69.

Find it:

The App has another useful function which may prove invaluable to many who are constantly misplacing earbuds. Just use ‘find it’ and it will show the last location the Ultra Mini earbuds picked up signal and by pressing the ‘click to play’ button it will produce a noise to help find them

Clear Voice:

‘Beam-forming’ technology is used to focus the four 4 built-in microphones which pick up more of the voice and less of the surrounding noise, making phone calls sound much clearer. Ideal in a noisy environment, a busy office or for a conference call from home. 

Quick charging:

The Ultra Mini earbuds offer 6 hours of playtime on a single charge with the magnetic flip top case adding another 18 hours of charge totaling an impressive 24 hours. In the unlikely event, a wearer runs out of juice, the quick charge feature gives 2 hours of additional playtime in only 15 minutes, so the music never needs to stop. The digital display on the charging case shows the battery status so users know when a recharge is needed. Ideal for long commutes, for holiday travel or to keep the tunes coming all day long.

The MIXX Ultra Mini true wireless earbuds are the ultimate partner for a premium, customisable audio journey and at only £69 offer true value for money too.

The post MIXX launches its new StreamBuds Ultra Mini true wireless earbuds offering true customisation of sound and touch control at an affordable price. is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

Specifications:

• Bluetooth Version: V5.3
• Output Power: 2x 15W
• Bluetooth Protocol: A2DP, AVRCP, HFPHSP
• Frequency Response Range: 50~20KHz
• Frequency Band Range: 2402-2480MHz
• Maximum Transmission Power: ?6dBm
• Battery: 2400mAh
• Play Time: 24 hours(At 60% volume with XBass off)
• Charging Time: About 4 hours
• Waterproofing Grade: IPX7
• Size: 198.5mm x66.5mm x 70mm
• Weight: 1.76 lb

Once upon a time, discovering a decent Bluetooth speaker was akin to navigating a minefield. The market was flooded with tinny options that distorted sound more than they delivered full-range audio. Established brands cautiously introduced solutions, but their sky-high prices left many potential buyers hesitant. Then came the explosion—the entry of companies like Tribit—offering a harmonious blend of affordability and quality. Suddenly, finding the perfect speaker became music to everyone’s ears.

As this trend unfolded, compact speakers capable of delivering impressive audio output within the £50-£99 price range became increasingly commonplace. These are the kind of speakers you’d happily take along on your travels—whether it’s a road trip, a beach day, or a cozy picnic. And among these portable companions, the Tribit XSound Plus 2 Wireless Speaker stands out, ready to amplify your adventures with its tunes

This portable speaker is incredibly versatile—it slips effortlessly into almost any backpack. Comparable in size and performance to the Bose Soundlink, it boasts typical features you’d expect from a modern Bluetooth speaker. Plus, it strikes a balance with its reasonable weight.

What sets it apart? Well, it’s IP7-rated, meaning it can handle quite a beating. Whether you’re caught in a sudden rain shower or navigating dusty trails, this speaker won’t flinch. It’s the perfect all-around companion for both wet and dry adventures.

Button Layout and Features on the Tribit XSound Plus 2 Wireless Speaker

Similar to most speakers, the Tribit XSound Plus 2 places all its buttons conveniently at the top. These physical buttons are not only durable but also offer a range of useful functions:

1. Power Button (Single Press):
   • Turns the speaker on or off.
   • A simple press gets the party started or brings it to a graceful pause.
2. Bluetooth Button:
   • Initiates pairing mode, allowing seamless connection between your devices.
   • Pairing your phone or tablet is a breeze.
3. Volume Buttons:
   • Adjusts the speaker’s volume to your liking.
   • Crank it up for a dance party or dial it down for a cozy evening.
4. Multi-Function Button (Double or Triple Tap):
   • This versatile button serves as both play/pause control and track selection.
   • Double-tap to skip to the next track, or triple-tap to go back.
5. EQ Button (Second from Right):
   • Directly switches between different sound modes:
     • Normal Mode: Balanced sound for most situations.
     • Audiobook Mode: Optimized for clear dialogue and spoken words.
     • XBass Mode: Adds extra bass for a richer audio experience.
6. TWS Pairing Button:
   • Enables True Wireless Stereo (TWS) pairing.
   • Pair two Tribit XSound Plus 2 speakers for immersive stereo sound.
   • Remember, the second speaker should pair exclusively with this one for the best results.

The back of the speaker contains a USB-C connection for charging, which is now the world standard, helping to cut down on cable clutter. You can thank the EU for that one. The EU’s battles with companies like Apple have led to this outcome. There is also a 3.5mm AUX input for plugging a wired device into it when you have something that doesn’t support Bluetooth.

Unboxing the Tribit XSound Plus 2 Bluetooth Speaker

Bluetooth speakers, by design, keep things refreshingly straightforward. When unboxing the Tribit XSound Plus 2, you’ll find the essentials:

1. Simple Set of Instructions:
   • The included instructions guide you through all the speaker’s features.
   • Fear not; there’s not much complexity to unravel.
2. USB-C Charging Cable:
   • The basic USB-C cable ensures hassle-free charging.
   • Keep your speaker juiced up for hours of music.
3. No AUX Cable Included:
   • Note that there’s no AUX cable in the package.
   • If you plan to connect the speaker to a wired device, you’ll need to provide your own cable.
4. Clear Instructions:
   • The provided manual is concise and easy to follow.
   • You’ll likely spend just a few minutes reading it—no PhD in speaker science required!

In summary, the Tribit XSound Plus 2 keeps things simple, letting you focus on enjoying your music without any unnecessary fuss.

When it comes to performance, the Tribit XSound Plus 2 Wireless Speaker places a strong emphasis on mids and highs, with a modest attention to lows. Given its compact footprint, there are inherent limitations, but the results are still commendable. This is precisely why you’ll likely find yourself frequently engaging the XBass mode for that extra punch.

Now, let’s dive into the specifics:

1. Bluetooth 5.3 Advantages:
   • Thanks to Bluetooth 5.3, you enjoy extended battery life and an impressive physical range between the speaker and your connected device—up to 150 feet.
   • Bluetooth 5.3 also brings better compression, improved battery efficiency, and other perks that elevate the sound performance of Bluetooth devices.
2. Surprising Volume Output:
   • Despite its diminutive size, this little speaker packs a punch.
   • It delivers a remarkable 30W of sound, defying expectations.
   • For an even more immersive experience, consider pairing two of these speakers together (although we haven’t personally tested this yet).
3. Fine-Tuning with the Tribit App:
   • The Tribit app allows you to fine-tune the speaker’s performance via an actual EQ (equalizer).
   • Personalize your sound preferences by adjusting settings to suit your taste.
   • You can also switch between some of the same settings available via the physical buttons on top of the speaker.
   • Plus, keep your speaker up-to-date by installing firmware updates through the app.

In summary, the Tribit XSound Plus 2 defies its size, delivering impressive sound quality and versatility. Whether you’re rocking out solo or pairing it up for stereo bliss, this little powerhouse won’t disappoint.

Our Verdict: The Tribit XSound Plus 2 Wireless Speaker

This speaker packs a punch, belting out impressive sound across various environments, including the great outdoors. Its IP7 water resistance rating ensures it can handle splashes, making it ideal for poolside parties, beach outings, and other wet scenarios.

Here’s what stands out:

1. EQ Customization:
   • The ability to set a custom EQ via the app adds a personal touch.
   • But fear not—the essential controls are also available via physical buttons, ensuring ease of use.
2. User-Friendly Design:
   • Minimal steps, maximum enjoyment.
   • Whether you’re grooving to jazz or rocking out to heavy metal, this speaker adapts seamlessly.
3. Surprising Sound Output:
   • While it doesn’t boast thunderous bass (understandable given its compact size), it still delivers more sound than expected.
   • Passersby will raise an eyebrow when they discover the source of the music—it’s a delightful surprise!

In summary, the Tribit XSound Plus 2 strikes a harmonious balance between convenience, performance, and unexpected volume

The post Tribit XSound Plus 2 Wireless Speaker – Review is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

GameSir, a leading brand in gaming peripherals, introduces the GameSir Nova and Nova Lite, two revolutionary multi-platform gaming controllers that redefine the gaming experience. Featuring cutting-edge technology, including anti-drift Hall effect sticks and tri-mode connectivity, these controllers offer unparalleled precision, versatility, and affordability. Embracing the motto “Just In Game”, GameSir is dedicated to providing gamers with a superior gaming experience through its exceptionally cost-effective controllers.

The GameSir Nova: the ultimate multi-platform gaming controller.

Nova Product Specifications:

• Working Platform: Switch, Android, iOS, PC, Steam
• Connection: Bluetooth, 2.4GHz, and wired connection
• ABXY Buttons: Membrane
• Hall Effect Sticks: Yes
• Analog Triggers: No, hair triggers for faster response
• Rumble Motors: Yes, 1 RH rumble motor in each grip
• 6-Axis Gyro: Yes
• Back Buttons: Yes, 2 mappable back buttons
• Battery: 1200mAh
• Colorway: Retro White or Neon Teal
• Product Size: 155*104*61mm / 6.10*4.09*2.40 in
• Net Weight: 217g / 0.48 lbs

The GameSir Nova stands as the epitome of unrestricted gaming experience, seamlessly adapting to the Nintendo Switch, PC, iOS, Steam and Android devices. This cross-platform adaptability makes it the go-to gaming controller for users seeking a versatile and immersive gaming experience. With anti-drift Hall effect sticks for precision and consistency, the Nova provides unparalleled consistency and smoothness, maximizing gaming performance with specially optimized algorithms. It also includes interactive motion controls to tilt, shake, or rotate the controller for ultimate gaming immersion.

The personalized RGB lighting effects allow users to tailor their gaming experience with a spectrum of colours and saturations, so gamers can immerse themselves in a unique and heightened gaming experience by customizing the appearance of the controller to match the atmosphere of the game. The Nova also boasts tri-mode connectivity for unparalleled flexibility with three connectivity options—Bluetooth, 2.4GHz, and wired connection to seamlessly switch between devices for hassle-free gaming. Dual HD Rumble Motors in the grips provide strong and subtle vibrations, offering real and precise feedback for impacts, gunshots, and surface irregularities.

Gameplay is enhanced with 2 macro back buttons, allowing for the execution of complex combo motions with ease and specially tuned tactile face buttons with 5-million-click micro switches reduce travel distance to only 0.6mm. The soft rubber pads produce satisfying yet cushioned button presses.

The GameSir Nova is available for £39.99/$35.99 from Amazon UK, Amazon and the GameSir website,

The GameSir Nova Lite: affordable gaming excellence.

Nova Lite Product Specifications:

• Working Platform: PC, Steam, Android, iOS, Switch
• Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wireless Dongle, Wired
• Battery: 600mAh
• ABXY Buttons: Membrane
• Hall Effect Sticks: Yes
• Analog Triggers: Yes
• Rumble Motors: Yes, one motor in each grip
• Colorway: Stellar White or Space Purple
• Product Size: 155*104*61mm / 6.10*4.09.2.40 in
• Net Weight: 205 g / 0.45 lbs

The GameSir Nova Lite offers an affordable yet exceptional gaming experience. Equipped with Hall effect sticks, analogue triggers, 20Hz Turbo function and 2 motors in the grips, it caters to gamers’ requirements without compromising on performance or quality. Like the Nova, the Nova Lite is also featured packed with anti-drift GameSir Hall effect sticks for long lifespan and tri-mode connectivity for hassle-free gaming. The Lite also includes a 20Hz turbo function with customizable buttons, providing a convenient way to enhance gameplay with faster response times.

In addition, the Nova Lite includes a multi-function M button, offering control over vibration intensity, ABXY layout, and sticks’ dead zone to seamlessly adjust various settings as and when required with ease.

Nova Lite is available for £29.99/$24.99 from Amazon UK,  Amazon and the GameSir website.

The post GameSir unveils budget-friendly controllers: Nova and Nova Lite is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

ESR , has announced the availability of its brand-new collection of Qi2 chargers. Fresh off the back of its recent MagSafe + CryoBoost release, the brand is excited to debut its new lineup of 15W fast chargers for iPhone.

What is Qi2 Charging?

Qi2 is the latest standard in wireless charging technology. It delivers up to 15W of charging power and uses magnetic alignment to drastically improve charging speed. This not only ensures optimal power transfer but also minimizes energy wastage, making the entire charging process more efficient. The Qi standard was originally limited to 5-watt charging speeds, but Qi2 allows certified phones to charge at 15 watts. Any Qi2 charger can charge any Qi2 device. Additionally, the latest iOS 17.4 update has also unlocked Qi2 support for the iPhone 12.

The Biggest and Fastest Collection of 15W MagSafe Chargers.

ESR’s lineup unleashes the true potential of MagSafe with the biggest, fastest collection of 15W MagSafe chargers and accessories. Whether at home, at work, or on the go, ESR’s expansive collection of 15W Qi2 and Apple-certified MagSafe chargers delivers full-speed charging wherever users want it.

As of November 2023, ESR is the all-time top-selling brand of MagSafe accessories on Amazon.com, with over 12 million products sold. From cases to chargers and other accessories, ESR has been finding innovative ways to get more out of MagSafe in order to make users’ everyday experience with their iPhones better. The launch of this Qi2 collection is the next step in their continued mission to make tech easier to use.

Qi2 Charging at Home and Work.

For home and work, ESR’s Qi2 3-in-1 Watch Charger  delivers all-in-one full-speed charging for iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch in one sleek, space-saving device. It features Qi2 15W fast charging for iPhone and Apple-certified 5W fast charging for Apple Watch. The charger’s ring of magnets enables user’s iPhone to be placed in portrait for FaceTiming, landscape for watching, or StandBy Mode while charging.

For fast, convenient, and compact iPhone charging, ESR has the Qi2 Mini Wireless Charger. It also fast-charges compatible iPhones at 15W, and the extended, braided nylon cable and fortified cable base offer users the flexibility to move around and comfortably utilize their phone while charging, guaranteeing exceptional durability.

Available in Black and White – RRP $79.99 on Amazon  – Currently on offer at $72.99 with a further 10 percent discount coupon available.

Coming to Amazon UK soon…..

Qi2 Charging in the Car.

ESR has also got users covered when driving. The world’s 1st Qi2 Car Charger brings safe and reliable 15W fast charging to the car and is an upgrade on its best-selling Car Charger for MagSafe. Its Qi2 certification also ensures safe and reliable 15W fast charging for iPhones. Designed for iPhone 13 series and later, it features strong magnets with a holding force of 1,600g, and a 3-point vent mount with support arm, ensuring steady viewing and navigation even on bumpy roads.

The car charger offers convenient mounting options via the included dashboard anchor or its secure air vent for ultimate flexibility. The adjustable ball joint and full ring of magnets enable precise angle adjustment in portrait or landscape mode for comfortable viewing at any angle, and compatibility with practically all cars.

Available to purchase on Amazon  for RRP $35.99 – Currently on offer at $29.99 with a further 10 percent discount coupon available

Available to purchase on Amazon UK for RRP £35.99 – Currently on offer at £27.19.

Qi2 Charging on the Go.

When on the go, ESR’s Qi2 3-in-1 Travel Charger is the perfect companion for any trip. Its foldable design and included travel bag let users take the power of MagSafe with them on the road, and it offers 15W fast charging for iPhone, Apple-certified 5W fast charging for Apple Watch, and 5W charging for AirPods. It also includes a small, lightweight USB-C portable watch charger to power up on the go via numerous devices for tangle-free magnetic wireless watch charging anytime, anywhere. Its compact, lightweight design makes taking it on the go easy, and its all-in-one charging capability takes the stress out of staying powered up when traveling.

Available in Black and White for RRP $69.99 on Amazon – Currently on offer at $64.99 with a further 10 percent discount coupon available

Available for UK customers on offer at £62.99 via the ESR website

The post ESR unleashes New Lineup of Qi2 15W fast chargers with the full power of MagSafe is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

The post Twelve South introduces ButterFly, the world’s smallest 2-in-1 USB-C MagSafe charger . is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

BIGBIG WON, a pioneer in gaming accessories, today announces the release of its Gale Wireless Gaming Controller. This state-of-the art controller is designed to elevate the gaming experience to unprecedented heights with a range of high-end features despite its affordable pricing. It also supports multiple platforms including Windows PC, Android, iOS and Nintendo Switch. This versatile controller boasts an array of advanced features that cater to the needs of both hardcore gamers and casual gamers alike.

The Gale excels in its advanced features designed to provide a competitive edge for gamers. The BIGBIG WON ‘Elite’ App allows real-time adjustments for motion control, joystick, trigger, buttons and Macro settings. The RGB lighting effects can also be personalized through the app, which enhances the gaming experience according to the user’s preference. It also features 2 back buttons and 2 additional top buttons, which can be remapped as required. Additionally, Dual Motor Vibration is built-in, which has 256 adjustable intensity levels, helping to make the gaming experience even more immersive. Interchangeable thumb-sticks and D-Pad are even included, which can be swapped for each game genre to help gain an advantage over other players.

The Gale also includes ‘GYROCON+’ technology, delivering an unparalleled motion aiming experience for PC gamers. With a 0 dead-zone joystick for accurate aiming, 12-bit, 2000+ axis resolution joystick, the controller guarantees smooth and responsive gameplay. The Hall-effect trigger further enhances precision, offering gamers optimal control for different gaming genres. Whether it’s steadying an aim on a sniper rifle in the latest FPS, or going for 1st position in a racing sim, the Gale is the ideal precision tool.

The Gale is a high-performance controller, designed for seamless compatibility with some of the most popular gaming platforms such as Windows PC, Android, iOS and Nintendo Switch – eliminating the need for additional drivers. It introduces an array of features that elevate the gaming experience to new heights, including 1000Hz ultra-high polling rate (perfect for FPS and e-sports Games), a 6-Axis Gyro (125Hz wireless), 4x remappable buttons, App customisation, Vibration and Turbo controls.

With its unique feature set, the Gale Gamepad supports three connectivity options, ensuring seamless compatibility across multiple platforms. Whether the precision of a wired connection is preferred by using the included Type-C cable, the freedom of wireless gaming via Bluetooth, or the reliability of the included USB adapter, the Gale Gamepad delivers unparalleled flexibility.

There is also a 1000mAh rechargeable battery built-in to the gamepad, designed to provide extended gaming sessions without interruption. With its efficient power management, this battery is capable of delivering up to 10 hours of continuous gameplay on a single full charge. Users of the Gale can immerse themselves in intense battles or explore vast virtual worlds whilst enjoying uninterrupted entertainment.

Manufactured with precision and innovation in mind, the controller also features an anti-slip textured surface, and is available in two colour options, providing a sleek and ergonomic design for comfortable gaming sessions.

The Gale is available in two colour options (black or white) for RRP £49.99 from Amazon UK and $39.99 on Amazon. It is also available as a combo with a charging dock for RRP £59.99 on Amazon UK and $59.99 on Amazon.

The post BIGBIG WON Launches the Gale Wireless Controller, Packed with High-Performance Features at an Affordable Price. is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

About OXS

OXS is an immersive audio brand created by Rayleigh Labs – an acoustic solution team formed with experts in the sound algorithm, digital sound processing, hardware design, and industrial design field, from Harman and Philips. Engineers have been deep-diving into the audio industry for a decade. After they came together as Rayleigh Labs, they started to work with well-known brands such as Jamo, Jacob Jenson, Marley, and more

Specifications:

• Material: ABS & Metal
• Audio Channel: Dolby Atmos 5.1.2
• Speaker Driver: 2* 0.75” Tweeter, 2* 2.5” Full-range Driver, 4* 1.5” Full-range Driver, 4* Passive Radiators
• EQ: Standard, FPS, RAC, MOBA,
• Soundbar Output Power: 80 watts
• Soundbar Peak Output Power: 160 watts
• Bass Output Power: 40 watts
• Frequency: 75Hz-20kHz
• Distortion: <1%
• Sound Level: 96dB

OXS, a leading innovator in gaming audio technology, proudly unveils the Thunder Pro Dolby Atmos® 5.1.2 Gaming Sound System, an unparalleled audio experience that takes gaming audio to the next level. This ground-breaking system offers a truly immersive 3D audio space for gamers and movie-buffs alike and stylish aesthetics to compliment any gaming setup.

At the heart of the OXS Thunder Pro is its 5.1.2 Channel Dolby Atmos technology, designed to precisely position each sound in a three-dimensional space, providing gamers and movie watchers with a detailed and rich audio environment that puts them in the midst of the action.

The sound system comprises two 0.75” Tweeters, two 2.5” Full-range Drivers, four 1.5” Full-range Drivers and four passive radiators to boost bass, delivering a peak output of 160 watts (80 RMS). The EQ options include Standard, FPS, RAC, MOBA. Users of the Thunder Pro will feel like they are closer to the action than ever before, transporting them to the battlefield and hearing every bullet and explosion happen around them. Switch to FPS mode to gain a competitive edge by enhancing the sound of footsteps to detect opponents’ movements more accurately. Activate RAC mode for a hyper-realistic auditory experience, where every skid, break, and roar of the engine is vividly brought to life. Engage MOBA mode to enhance the clarity of character skills sounds and team communications, ensuring you never miss a critical moment in team play.

Compact yet powerful, the Thunder Pro can even fit seamlessly under most monitors, taking up around 40% less space while filling the entire room with loud and rich audio. The Reactive Gaming RGB Light further enhances the gaming experience by bringing games to life with atmospheric lighting, ensuring a deeper level of immersion.

Additionally, the Thunder Pro boasts ultra-low latency, a crucial feature that ensures even the slightest in-game movements are noticeable. This not only enhances the overall gaming experience but also provides gamers with a distinct competitive advantage, enabling flawless execution of their character’s movements.

To allow users to change audio settings quickly and easily, the Thunder Pro features Toggle Control, enabling users to quickly manage volume levels and EQ modes to suit their preferences. The soundbar also comes equipped with a convenient remote control, granting users access to essential settings. This allows for seamless switching between audio sources, game modes.

To complete its versatility, the OXS Thunder Pro is designed to be compatible with most of the current major gaming consoles, including PS5, Xbox, Switch, and PC. Users can connect to their gaming console via HDMI IN and HDMI eARC, experiencing the full effect of Dolby Atmos® 3D audio. And the HDMI IN supports 8K video or 4K UHD 120FPS video transmission. The sound system also supports Bluetooth 5.0, and includes AUX-in, USB-C, USB-A, 3.5mm stereo jack with a 3.5mm MIC-in. It also has the option of upgrading to 7.1.2 Dolby Atmos when purchasing the optional neck pillow speaker with USB dongle.

The OXS Thunder Pro is available from Amazon US and Amazon UK for $599.99/£599.99 – NOW Currently only $499.99/£499.99 using discount code THUNDER100

The post OXS introduces its Thunder Pro Dolby Atmos® 5.1.2 Gaming Sound System is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

HONOR today announced the launch of the HONOR 90 Smart. Featuring a 108MP Superior Main Camera, a long-lasting 5,330mAh battery, and 200% high volume speakers, the HONOR 90 Smart provides extended battery life and impressive hardware that caters to a variety of needs throughout the day. With its well-rounded features and affordability, the new HONOR 90 Smart offers users an exceptional, uninterrupted user experience.

Superior Photography Capabilities for Crystal-sharp Visuals

The HONOR 90 Smart boasts a 108MP Main Camera with a 1/1.67-inch sensor. Boosting light intake massively, the HONOR 90 Smart supports 9-in-1 pixel binning to achieve a pixel size measuring 1.92µm, enabling the camera to capture bright and vivid shots even in challenging low-light conditions, ensuring that night colours are faithfully reproduced in the images. The HONOR 90 Smart also features the Portrait Mode that supports 2X zoom, providing a diverse range of use that allows users to capture a wide variety of moments with versatility and flexibility. In addition to the camera, it offers multi-video recording feature that enables the front and rear cameras work at the same time, making people and sceneries shot in a more harmonious manner.

Long-lasting Battery to Support All-day Use

The HONOR 90 Smart has equipped with a 5,330mAh ultra-large battery, delivering an outstanding battery performance for daily usage. On a single charge, the latest HONOR 90 Smart can support up to 16.6 hours of video streaming, 17.9 hours of social media browsing or 37.8 hours of calls making it a reliable companion for users who are on the go.

The cell of the HONOR 90 Smart comes with a higher energy density and a reduced thickness thanks to HONOR’s innovative battery technologies, which immensely contribute to the device’s long battery life and slim form factor, enabling users to stay connected without constant recharging. Additionally, the battery exhibits exceptional longevity, with the ability to maintain over 80% of its health even after three years of usage.

Immersive Audiovisual Experience with Hyper-Transmissive Display  

Featuring a 6.8-inch[5] HONOR FullView Display with a 91.3% screen-to-body ratio, the HONOR 90 Smart supports an FHD+ resolution and a color depth of 16.7 million colors, delivering visuals with stunning clarity and vibrant hues. Delivering the brand’s commitment to human centric technology, the HONOR 90 Smart comes with industry-leading eye comfort features including Circadian Night Display and Dynamic Dimming. Received the certification from TÜV Rheinland for its low blue light emissions, the HONOR 90 Smart is suitable for extended usage without causing eye strain, perfect for today’s digital-savvy generation who spend long hours viewing content on their smartphones.

Furthermore, the HONOR 90 Smart incorporates advanced audio capabilities, thanks to the sound field expansion algorithm and scene-based audio optimization with dual stereo speakers, ensuring the 200% high volume and an immersive audio experience. Whether users are indulging in entertainment or focusing on work-related tasks, the HONOR 90 Smart is well-equipped to meet the demands of various real-life scenarios, providing users with an enjoyable and captivating experience across different outdoor activities.

Uninterrupted Access and Ample Storage Capacity.

Users who enjoy keeping their media always accessible at their fingertips can fully leverage the expansive 128GB storage drive, which can keep over 28,000 pictures, 11,000 songs or 450 HD videos locally. The HONOR 90 Smart is also equipped with the HONOR RAM Turbo (4GB+4GB), an HONOR proprietary technology that moves a portion of flash memory to RAM, meaning 4GB RAM can be increased to 8GB, enabling users to carry on with their tasks seamlessly with ease.

Pricing and Availability

Designed for a style-conscious audience, the HONOR 90 Smart is available in two stunning colours Emerald Green and Midnight Black. Starting from today, the HONOR 90 Smart will be available to purchase in the UK via HONOR.com/uk, Argos, Amazon, Currys, Very and Vodafone for an affordable price starting at £199.99 RRP. On HONOR.com/uk, customers can also receive FREE Earbuds X6 (worth £39.99 RRP) when they purchase an HONOR 90 Smart, whilst stocks last.

The HONOR 90 Smart is also available from Three. Tariffs start from just £17.50 a month with £0 upfront cost, For more information, visit HONOR online store at www.honor.com/uk

The post HONOR Introduces the New HONOR 90 Smart. is original content from Coolsmartphone. If you see it on another news website, please let us know.

I am of course talking about the recently announced OnePlus Watch 2, which I have had the pleasure of using for the last few weeks. OnePlus launched this device with a smallish off-site event at MWC in February and I have been eager to get my muggy mits on one since they announced it. They had one big headline claim that this was a Wear OS smartwatch that could last for 4 days without having to recharge it! This proved to be very intriguing to me and I had to get one.

Now before the arrival of the OnePlus Watch 2, I had been using my faithful and reliable Pixel Watch 2 (Wifi). I was able to normally stretch the battery to this out to 2 days with light use. My use case is very light as I only really have the watch as a way of monitoring my steps during the day and my sleep at night. I also have notification coming through from my normal daily which is my Pixel Fold. I was not using always on display and I did not have other always on display active. I also ran a very dark theme which extended the battery as best as it could. I feel that is important to cover this as it will give you a metric of what can be reasonably expected for my usage case.

Normally for a review, I will split it up into two different posts the first of which will be an unboxing with some very quick first impressions. However, I was so keen to get the watch on my wrist and start using it that I skipped this step and started using it immediately. I have now shot a brief tour of the device for you to enjoy along with the box contents which you can see below.

Design

The watch has a nice good-looking design and mixes the nuances of being subtle but also has a decent-sized screen for me without appearing too much. There is some clear inspiration for the OnePlus phone lines of late in particular the OnePlus 11, OnePlus 12 and OnePlus Open

In terms of size, it is on the large size with a screen measuring 1.43″ which is significantly larger than my Pixel Watch 2 which came in at 1.2″ Now while 0.2″ doesn’t sound much it makes a big difference when it comes to actually using the screen more on this later though.

The screen is also significantly tougher than the Pixel Watch 2 as it is made of sapphire crystal glass instead of the Gorilla Glas 5 used on the Pixel Watch 2 Bezels on both watches are bigger than what I would have liked especially when compared with the best from Samsung however this is something i can get along with without too many issues.

I am a bit torn on the next design choice as on both the Pixel Watch 2 and the OnePlus Watch 2 there is no raised physical bezel on the screen which is great for the look and the design of the watches as it makes a smooth uninterrupted surface which is great to interact with using your fingers. However it does mean that the first thing to come into contact with a surface is glass, and as a great man has said many times “Glass is glass and glass breaks” (Thanks Zak @jerryrigeverything). The lack of the raised bezel does however mean it is less bulky allowing you to slide a shirt sleeve over the top of the watch which is very welcome when you are breaking out the formal wear.

The OnePlus Watch 2 comes in two different colour ways which have appropriate coloured straps alongside the different watch body colours. I have got a Radient Steel version here which comes with a green fluroelastomer band. The other colour  Black Steel will come with a Black version of the same strap. The strap is plenty comfortable and is easily swappable with a standard 22m strap thanks to the universal strap lugs being used.

On the controls side we have got two side-mounted buttons one of which looks like it should have been a rotating crown but is not functional. A lot of talk has been made about why this was used but not enabled in the software as we have crowns on other watches that are used for navigating the software. OnePlus states that by having it as a free spinning crown the chances of it breaking are reduced. A lot of my contemporaries are also speculating that this will be a feature that is opened up by software in the future. I have not seen any evidence for this so I remain undecided, personally, it is not something I ever used much on my Pixel Watch 2 so it doesn’t bother me. Out of the box, this crown/button is set up as the home button with a long press activating Google Assistant. The second lower button is for Power on a long press and other functions. It can be configured in the watch menu under Controls. I have mine set for one press to open the most recently used app and two will open the Sleep mode.

On the back of the watch, we have of course the sensor array which hides a multitude of sensors for health tracking shenanigans. The sensors are made up of an optical heart rate sensor and an optical pulse oximeter. It is also where we will find the Pogo Pins for charging the watch which is a bit disappointing to see as it means that this is a proprietary charger. This is again no different from the Pixel Watch 2 which also now uses Pogo Pins for charging which I discovered at my cost whilst I was out at MWC as my watch ran out of charge on the second morning of the trip. of course, I didn’t have my charger and due to the lack of wireless charging I was left unable to recharge my watch despite having multiple devices capable of delivering reverse wireless charge. In fairness to the Pixel Watch 2, I would have had the same issue with charging the OnePlus Watch 2 but based upon my usage to date I wouldn’t have needed to as the battery would have run out!

The only other thing of note down here is the speaker which is more than loud enough for notifications and the occasional if embarrassing hands-free call when you trigger it by accident!

Other items included with the watch are the obligatory OnePlus charging cable albeit not in OnePlus Red, we also have the removable charging puck which of course has the Pogo Pins as previously mentioned. On one side it has a USB Type C input capable of supporting OnePlus 7.5W VOOC Fast Charging, which means that when it comes to charging the watch, it is done quickly from zero to full in under 60 mins!

I do like the idea of the removable sharing puck/base as it means that I don’t have to unplug the whole cable which is normally wrapped around or secured to my bedside table or desk in some elaborate way. With the puck, I can pick it up and throw it in my bag or pocket as I head out for work and then plug it back in when I need it to any USB Type C Cable.

That about wraps up the design of the watch and now it is time to do a deep dive into the hardware of the watch which is where things get really interesting.

Specs comparison vs Pixel Watch 2

Hardware

So why is this more interesting than any other Wear OS 4.0 Smartwatch currently on the market? Well, it is very simple this watch has two brains, however, it goes further than that. The watch is capable of using both these brains as and when needed and it does so seamlessly. This is the key difference and what separates this from other long-life Android smartwatches like the TicWatch Pro 3 G Ultra GPS that I used to have and the newer TicWatch Pro 5 from Mobvoi.

So the Mobvoi watches used to allow you to have the option of a low power mode which will effectively run the watch like a non-smart watch. This did help to stretch out the watch’s battery life but the switching was not the greatest experience and it made for a laggy UI (based on My Experience of TicWatch Pro 3 Ultra GPS).

The OnePlus Watch 2 use the new Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 when it is working on parts of the UI that require Wear OS 4.0 to function. i.e. if using 3rd party apps like Spotify Strava etc. However, in normal operational mode, it will run RTOS (Real Time OS) for simpler tasks such as health tracking processes etc. This means that you will be effectively running 2 OS platforms in the same container. Now for this to work Google have needed to address the way Wear OS works and this is the first watch to have this new system in place.

If I am being honest based on my experience so far this is the way forward as it works really well. If I didn’t know what was going on and I was new to smartwatches I would assume this is how they all work. I have yet to come across anything in using the watch that has slowed down or lagged. I can run the watch the way I want to with the features I want in place and I can use a more complex watch screen without having to worry about the battery life.

Coming back to battery life this is powered by a 500 mah battery which has as you would expect from the above two estimated longevities. In Smart Mode (how I have been using it) you can expect anything up to 100hrs ( have achieved this). In Power Saving mode you can expect up to 12 days of runtime, however, this mode will lose the Wear OS features as it relies solely on RTOS.  There is also of course the Heavy Smart mode and this is when you are using the watch with all the bells and whistles on ie using Always on Display, and a Third-party watch face. If you are interested in the differences in the power modes as they are defined by OnePlus then check out these images below.

I liken the way the watch works to a Hybrid Car which will work on battery power when it is just trundling along in town but then when you hit the accelerator and ask for more power you get the petrol engine kick in. You don’t notice the difference in terms of the driving as it just transitions between the power units for you with the only difference being you can hear the engine working when the power is applied.

I think this is a great way to solve the problem of the short battery life for Android-powered smartwatches and I am excited to see where this can be taken and developed in the future. It is perfect of course not but in terms of the underlying hardware experience it is great now we just need the software to match.

Software

This is really what is going to make or break the Dual-Engine Architecture and I am happy to say for the most part it does work well, however, this is new software on a new system so it will of course come with some teething issues. These limitations come from the low-powered RTOS as this is essentially a “dumb OS” in the simplest possible terms. What I mean about that is that any third-party apps needs to run on the Wear OS side of the architecture. This brings some limitations to the watch.

An example is that I wanted to run the same watch face that I run on my Pixel Watch 2 and I was advised that doing so will dramatically reduce battery life. Okay fine, I will run an RTOS one, if I want to use Google Fit for complications on a watch face then I again get the warning message saying reduced battery life.

Now, whilst this is by no means a deal breaker you can just accept that the running of the Wear OS app will require more power. I would like to see a low-power alternative natively created by Google as they will hopefully offer a better alternative to those offered by RTOS. What we end up with is a bit of a hodgepodge of health and fitness readings which contradict each other.

If I am being honest this is one of the reasons why I ended up moving to the Pixel Watch 2 as I can use my Google Fit apps with no real problem. Now dont get me wrong Google has not got this 100% correct either as they also have Fitbit which is also active and only offered as a trial version for the full features, which some could say is worse. In an ideal world, we would have a version of Google Fit Lite that could run on a low-power custom Tensor chipset. Sadly though we don’t have that yet, this is the next best thing we have.

I have been using the Oneplus Watch 2 to track watch to track my steps with both the RTOS Step counter and the Google Fit step counter running as well and the results from a recent walk are shown below.

Unfortunately, as you can see there is a difference between the total on both services. As to which one is wrong, I don’t know but I have grown to rely on Google Fits tracking over a bunch of different smartwatches in the past so I am inclined to stick with Google here.

The main feature of the RTOS operating system is of course the Health Tracking service OHealth here is a video of the overview app on the watch.

It is much more than the actual watch software as OHealth is the companion app. for the phone. Without the OHealth App, you will not actually be able to pair the phone watch with the phone. This is very similar to the likes of the latest Samsung Watch as you need to use the Samsung Wear app to set one for the new generation watches. You have to use this watch for pulling data from the watch along with setting all your functions on the watch up. I have included some screenshots below for the OHealth App so you can check it out.

This is what things look like on the phone but on the smartwatch, as you saw above it is much simpler.

Overall in terms of the software I am left a bit torn as I want to love the OnePlus Watch 2 and I do really like the hardware but there are just some things about the software that annoy me a bit too much for my liking. There are also some features that I have grown accustomed to with my Pixel Watch  2 which would be missed, The main one being something that will not really affect the normal user but for me is nearly enough to be a deal breaker. I am talking about the ability to transfer the watch from one phone to another without having to complete a full reset of the phone.

At the moment if you want to move from one phone to another then the only way to do that is to delete the pairing of the other phone with the watch and then set the pairing again on the phone which loses all your settings and also any OHealth fitness data that had been accumulated. This feature is a core feature of Wear OS 4 and it should be present. I can only presume that it is missing due to the complicated setup of the RTOS being active all the time and Wear OS then sitting beside it. Hopefully, this is something that Google and OnePlus will keep working on it!

Just one final note before I move on the OnePlus Watch 2 will only run on Android as you cannot get the OHealth app currently on iOS, who knows if this will change in the future but it is something to be aware of if you are using an iOS device.

That pretty much concluded my thoughts about the OnePlus Watch 2 software.

Conclusion

I really do think that the OnePlus Watch 2 is the smartwatch to usher in the next-gen of Android Wear OS that uses this new Dual-Engine Architecture. There will as always be work that needs to be done to iron out the kinks which have come out on the OnePlus Watch 2. I do feel that Google and OnePlus are good partners in this development as Google can work out the issues on a device that essentially isn’t part of their own hardware lineup with little risk if it were to go wrong. OnePlus however benefit by having Google’s expertise in the Wear OS field whilst also getting the tech nerds like me all buzzing about their newest wearable.

I suppose the real question is would I buy one for myself and should you be considering one for yourself as well?

So on the first question, Would I buy one for myself? I am very very tempted as all the little niggles bar one I could certainly live with given the massive benefit that the Dual-Engine Architecture offers me in terms of Battery life. I don’t use that much in the way of third-party apps on my smartwatch so it is one watch that I am strongly considering.

The second question I posed is for you the reader should you buy one? Well if you use a lot of third-party apps on your smartwatch then I would say that this is not the watch for you, get a Pixel Watch 2 or Galaxy Watch 6, both of these options will give you a competitive battery life with the Galaxy giving slightly more than the Pixel. If however like me battery life is one of the key factors and you can live with some of the RTOS niggles (which to be honest are minor) then grab one of the OnePlus Watch 2 and relax into knowing that you have a few days between charges instead of a few hours!

The Oneplus Watch 2 is available from  https://www.oneplus.com/uk/oneplus-watch-2 now for £299, however, keep an eye on their website and Socials as they do like to launch offers all year around.

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