Computer Shopper – September 2019

66 SEPTEMBER 2019 |COMPUTERSHOPPER|ISSUE 379

SMARTPHONES

MOTOROLAMotoG7Power

★★★★★

£160 SIM-free;£15-per-monthcontract•

http://www.carphonewarehouse.com

There’s no shortageof MotoG7variants

to choosefrom, but the MotoG7Power

is easily the best value.Itfocuses on

battery lifeand is thus one of the longest-lasting

smartphonesever -and its performance,displayand rear

cameraare all rather good forthe price,too.

PROCESSOROcta-core1.8GHzQualcommSnapdragon632•SCREENSIZE6.2in•SCREEN

RESOLUTION1,520x720•REARCAMERA12megapixels•STORAGE32GB•WIRELESSDATA4G•

SIZE159x76x9.3mm•WEIGHT193g•OPERATINGSYSTEMAndroid9.0•WARRANTYOneyear

RTB•DETAILSwww.motorola.co.uk•PARTCODEPAE90019GB•FULLREVIEWJun2019

SAMSUNGGalaxyS10+

★★★★★

£899 SIM-free;£10 up front plus £59-per-month

contract•www.amzn.to/2E8ImVE(SIM-free);

http://www.carphonewarehouse.com (contract)

The dazzling3K displaydominates a

sleek, luxurious-feeling design,while the

Exynos9820 processordeliverssome of

the fastest raw performanceon any Androidhandset,ever.

PROCESSOROcta-core2.7GHzSamsungExynos9820•SCREENSIZE6.4in•SCREEN

RESOLUTION3,040x1,440•REARCAMERAS12mgeapixels,12megapixels,16megapixels•

STORAGE128GB•WIRELESSDATA4G•DIMENSIONS158x74x7.8mm•WEIGHT175g•

OPERATINGSYSTEMAndroid9.0•WARRANTYOneyearRTB•DETAILSwwww.samsung.com•

PARTCODESM-G975FZKDBTU•FULLREVIEWJul2019

APPLEiPhoneXR

★★★★★

£749 SIM-free;£45-per-monthcontract•

http://www.debenhamsplus.com (SIM-free);

http://www.tescomobile.com (contract)

It’s still expensive,but the XR matches

the performanceof the iPhone XS and

XS Max, despitecosting hundredsof

poundsless, and it has afantasticcameraand display.

PROCESSORHexa-coreAppleA12Bionic•SCREENSIZE6.1in•SCREENRESOLUTION1,792x828

• REARCAMERA12megapixels•STORAGE64GB•WIRELESSDATA4G•DIMENSIONS
  151x76x8.3mm•WEIGHT194g•OPERATINGSYSTEMiOS12•WARRANTYOneyearRTB•
  DETAILSwww.apple.com•PARTCODEiPhoneXR•FULLREVIEWMar2019

GOOGLEPixel3a

★★★★★

£399 SIM-free;£20-per-monthcontract•

http://www.carphonewarehouse.com

The Pixel 3a is awelcomereturn to

mid-rangesmartphoneson Google’s

part. It’s essentiallyacheaper versionof

the flagshipPixel 3, which means abit less horsepower

but the same clean, stock Androidand superb camera.

PROCESSORQuad-core2GHzQualcommSnapdragon670•SCREENSIZE5.6in•SCREEN

RESOLUTION2,220x1,080•REARCAMERA12.2megapixels•STORAGE64GB•WIRELESS

DATA4G•DIMENSIONS151x70x8.2mm•WEIGHT147g•OPERATINGSYSTEMAndroid9.0•

WARRANTYOneyearRTB•DETAILSstore.google.com•FULLREVIEWAug2019

HONOR7X

★★★★★

£180 SIM-free;£27-per-monthcontract•

http://www.amzn.to/2UUsvVg(SIM-free);

http://www.three.co.uk(contract)

Don’t fancy paying tons of cash foran

edge-to-edge,18:9 display? The Honor

7X is affordablebut has avast, vibrant

screen,and comes with agreat dual-cameraarray.

PROCESSOROcta-core2.36GHzHiSiliconKirin659•SCREENSIZE6in•SCREENRESOLUTION

2,160x1,080•REARCAMERADual16megapixels•STORAGE64GB•WIRELESSDATA4G•

DIMENSIONS157x75x7.6mm•WEIGHT165g•OPERATINGSYSTEMAndroid7.0•WARRANTY

OneyearRTB•DETAILSwww.hihonor.com•PARTCODE51092ADQ•FULLREVIEWApr2018

01

Asmartphone’soperating system

(OS) dictates itsbasic features and

which third-partysoftware you can install.

There are three main contenders:Apple’s

iOS, which is found on the iPhone,Google’s

Android,which is used by various handset

manufacturers,and WindowsPhone,which

has fewoptions, especiallysince Microsoft

has discontinuedsupportforits OS.

Apple iOS and GoogleAndroidboth have

thousandsof apps available.

02

All smartphoneshave colour screens,

buttheirresolutionsvary.Basicmodels

have 1,280x720pixels, but text can be

indistinct.Look foradisplaythat has at least

1,920x1,080pixels so it’s easier to read text

Choosing a... Smartphone

and watch Full HD videos.Don’t worry too

much about built-in media players or Office

documenteditors;youcanalwaysinstallapps

to replacethese with better versionslater.

The image quality of smartphone

camerashas improved tremendouslyin

recent years, and resolutionshave

increasedto as high as 20 megapixels.

03

Very fewmodern smartphoneshave

aphysical keyboardforentering text;

theyalmost exclusivelyuse touchscreens

now.Physical keyboardscan aid heavy

emailing,but today’s touchscreen

keyboardswork just as well.

Androidsmartphonesand iPhones

runningiOS 9orabove allow you to install

avariety of custom onscreenkeyboardsso

you can find one that suits you.

04

Be careful when choosingacontract.

Look forone that includesalarge data

allowanceif you want to use the internet

regularlyor you’ve set your phone to

synchroniseyour contacts,calendarand

email throughonline services.

Built-in Wi-Fi can help you avoid high data

chargesby connectingto the internet

throughwirelesshotspotswhen you’re out,

or your router when you’re at home.Android

and iPhonehandsetscan operateaswireless

hotspots,letting you connectyour laptop to

the web over your mobile data connection.

There maybeanextra charge forthis.

XIAOMIPocophoneF1

★★★★★

£275 SIM-free;£30-per-monthcontract•www.amzn.

to/31LL5yz(SIM-free);www.buymobiles.net(contract)

PROCESSOROcta-core2.GHzQualcommSnapdragon845•SCREENSIZE6.2in•SCREEN

RESOLUTION2,246x1,080•REARCAMERA12megapixels,5megapixels•STORAGE64GB•

WIRELESSDATA4G•DIMENSIONS156x75x9mm•WEIGHT180g•OPERATINGSYSTEMAndroid

8.1•DETAILSwww.mi.com/uk•PARTCODEMZB6715EN•FULLREVIEWMar2019

The PocophoneF1 is aphenomenal

bargain:it has the same Snapdragon

845 chip as alot of premium

handsets,plus dual rear cameras,64GB of storage

and a6.2in screen,all foramid-rangeprice.

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