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Sony’s Xperia Pro-I walks a wholly different path to the previous Pro; with an impressive 1in sensor on its main camera that makes it ideal for vlogging

Should I buy the Sony Xperia PRO-I?
Expert’s Rating:

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Pros
Precision utilitarian design
Powerful camera controls
Clean software
Cons
Strange camera compromises
Dated chipset
Expensive
Our Verdict
While it’s unquestionably a technical achievement, almost everything that stands the Pro-I apart from the Xperia 1 III makes it unsuitable as a conventional smartphone recommendation. Only enthusiasts need apply.

Sony debuted the first Xperia Pro in early 2020; a device that we dubbed one of the only phones truly worthy of the ‘Pro’ suffix; with its skillset tailored towards industry-grade broadcasting over consumer use. Now the company has brought another Pro to market – the Xperia Pro-I – which takes a wholly different approach, aimed at a wholly different demographic.

Similarly to the previous Pro, the Pro-I builds on the company’s current flagship – the Xperia 1 III – with near-identical underlying hardware and a similar software experience, but it’s augmented by a bold new camera system that pushes past practically everything else currently out there; with the hopes of being perceived as a serious tool for creators and enthusiasts.

If you want a flagship phone without the associated high cost, the Find X5 offers sensible compromises for significant savings

Price when reviewed
Not available in the US

Oppo Find X5 full review
As the middle child, sitting between the Lite and Pro models, the regular Oppo Find X5 is easy to overlook. Even Oppo itself dedicated just four pages to the phone in its reviewer’s guide, compared to over 40 for the Pro.

To be fair, the Find X5 is so similar and shares so many of the Pro’s features that it didn’t warrant going over the same ground again. Then again, while Oppo would like you to think it’s virtually identical but cheaper, there are many subtle differences that mean it is quite a different phone overall.

The question is, is it a better buy than the Xiaomi 12 or Galaxy S22? Arguably it is, but to explain why, let’s get into the detail.

Design & build
Matt glass rear
No IP rating
Gorilla Glass Victus on display
If you’re familiar with the Find X5 Pro, then the X5 looks mostly identical. It has the same quirky 75° ‘organic curve’ beneath the camera module but aside from the distinctive design, this offers no practical benefit.

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The new Realme C31 offers good long-lasting battery, a stylish design, and it comes with a super-low price tag, but the cameras aren’t great, the display is basic and Wi-Fi is slow

Chinese phone maker Realme has recently announced two new budget Android phones, the Realme C35 and Realme C31, and it’s the Realme C31 that’s the cheaper of the two.

Going for a mere £129, the Realme C31 sounds like a steal – that’s roughly one third of the price of an entry-level iPhone SE. This price tag will likely be music to the ears of those who ‘just want a phone to do the basics’, or anyone who wants a burner phone for festivals and holidays.

It’s certainly a very attractive price, but what do you get exactly? A big 4890mAh battery which Realme says will give you 45 days’ worth of standby power and a multi-lens camera unit which promises detailed wides and close-ups.

Design-wise, the Realme C31 is slim and compact, so despite it coming with a long-lasting battery, it should slip comfortably into pockets and bags.

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The Oppo Find N is one of the best foldable smartphones available in 2022, but you’ll likely never get your hands on one

Foldable smartphones are the next big thing, with companies including Motorola, Xiaomi, Huawei, Samsung, and now Oppo all dabbling with the foldable form factor.

Despite being comparatively late out of the gate with the Oppo Find N, the company seems to have struck gold, with features, design, and functionality that often surpass the competition, and at a cheaper price point too.

The only catch? It’s a China-only smartphone for now, with no plans for Oppo to release the Find N internationally – and that’s a massive disappointment considering the stellar foldable experience on offer.

Design & build
Solid, robust design
Impressive hinge system with no visible gap
No water-resistance
The Oppo Find N is, in some ways, a very familiar device. It sports the same internal fold that opens like a book as key rivals including the Huawei Mate X2 and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, but it introduces a few key differences that could make it the best foldable design to date.

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The Honor Magic 4 Lite 5G offers a huge display, 5G capabilities and solid performance, but disappointing cameras and speakers put it in the middle of the pack

It’s not often I start a review with a comment on a phone’s overall size, but the Honor Magic 4 Lite 5G is a hefty slab of tech. While I’m glad the term ‘phablet’ has gone the way of the dodo, it’s no exaggeration to say that the Honor Magic 4 Lite 5G is big.

That’s largely down to its whopping 6.81in screen, but it’s also pretty tall, too – even taller than the iPhone 13 Pro Max I normally use. While it’s not the brightest screen around thanks to its LCD tech, it’s still going to draw a crowd thanks to its monolithic nature and high refresh rate.

The best part of the Honor Magic 4 Lite 5G, though, might be in its performance, with games like Call of Duty: Mobile really taking advantage of the Snapdragon 695 5G chipset and pushing the panel to its 120Hz limits.

Sadly, though, it’s not all good news. The phone’s cameras, despite decent specs and megapixel counts, are inconsistent at best, with daytime shots looking washed out and dark mode actually being clearer in most instances, while a single speaker at the bottom of the device makes it feel less of a multimedia powerhouse than the screen would have you believe.

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The iPhone SE may be Apple’s cheapest iPhone, and one of its most powerful, but with a dated design and dreadful display it’s not good value

Our Verdict
The iPhone SE only makes sense for buyers who simply have to have an iPhone, but can’t afford the step up to the 12 Mini – or won’t give up on Touch ID just yet. If that’s you, then the iPhone SE will serve you well so long as you can stomach the dinky display and retro aesthetic – but equivalent Androids are far, far better.

Price when reviewed
From $429

Apple iPhone SE (2022) full review

The iPhone SE is a funny old phone. With a design and display that you could generously call “aged”, but the latest Apple processor and 5G connectivity, this is a very old-fashioned phone in some respects but a supremely modern device in others.

The same inconsistencies were there to be found in the (almost identical) 2020 iPhone SE, but while Apple’s budget offering has remained static, the rest of the market has moved on.

So while the previous SE was a phone I could recommend – with some serious caveats – this 2022 edition is a tougher sell.

To be blunt, it serves one audience and one audience only: those who absolutely will not under any circumstances buy an Android device, but can’t afford the iPhone 12 Mini or any of the other more expensive Apple phones.

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The Poco X4 Pro 5G is a big improvement compared to its predecessor, not only in terms of design but features too.

Our Verdict
The Poco X4 Pro is a comfortably mid-range smartphone with a premium design and high-end features, including a 6.67in 120Hz AMOLED display and 67W fast charging, to boot. MIUI 13 can take a bit of adjustment, and the lack of OS commitments is a bit of a disappointment compared to key rivals, but it remains a strong contender based on hardware.

Xiaomi-owned Poco revealed the Poco X4 Pro 5G at MWC 2022, describing the phone as the ‘industry standard’ for the mid-range price point, sporting flagship features like a 6.67in 120Hz AMOLED display, 67W fast charging and more, all for a budget-friendly starting price of €299 (around £250/US$340).

The problem is that the mid-range market is much more competitive than it once was, so has Poco got what it takes to tempt brands from beloved mid-rangers like the OnePlus Nord 2 CE 5G? Well…

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As one of Samsung’s cheapest phones, the Galaxy A13 will tempt those on a tight budget, but poor performance mean it may not be the best choice

Should I buy the Samsung Galaxy A13?
Expert’s Rating:
****/2
Pros
Decent main camera
Cheap
Headphone jack
Cons
Dismal performance
No charger included
No 5G
Our Verdict
If you want a Samsung phone on a budget, the A13 is certainly affordable, but you’ll need to live with sluggish performance.

Price when reviewed
Unavailable in the US

For 2022, Samsung has updated its ‘A’ range with several new models. Alongside the A33 and A53 is the entry-level A13.

While it’s just an opinion, I think it’s a good-looking phone with its neat triple-camera stack on the rear (which doesn’t stick out) and a glossy plastic finish that’s available in black, white and blue. It might be too plain for some tastes, but the minimalist design will appeal to others.

It has a large, good quality screen, a big-capacity battery and expandable storage – all for a tempting price. But is it worth buying? Let’s dig in and find out.

One quick note: in the US and some other markets Samsung also sells the A13 5G. Note that this phone varies by more than its networking though, with a different display, chipset, camera, and more. This review is specifically for the 4G version, officially simply called the Galaxy A13.

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That performance is reflected in the benchmarks, which show that the 12 Pro is clearly on a par with its rivals – though as we’ve seen with other phones this year, on the CPU-focussed Geekbench 5 test it’s actually slipped behind last year’s Mi 11, while showing clear year-on-year improvement in the graphics-based GFXBench tests.

Performance is almost identical to the similar Oppo Find X5 Pro, and while the likes of the Realme GT 2 Pro and Exynos-powered Galaxy S22+ outpace the Xiaomi on graphical benchmarks, this is only because their chips are driving lower resolution displays.

Naturally, the 12 Pro also offers 5G connectivity, with dual-SIM support, and this is joined by Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, and Wi-Fi 6 or 6E – though Xiaomi warns that the exact Wi-Fi version varies by region.

Battery life & charging
Just about one-day battery life
Extreme 120W wired charging
50W wireless charging
When it comes to power management, the 12 Pro is the definition of a mixed bag.

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The Xiaomi 12 Pro is perfectly positioned as a Galaxy S22+ rival thanks to top hardware and a gorgeous display, but it’s not without its flaws

Xiaomi 12 Pro full review
Forget the name: the Xiaomi 12 Pro is really the direct successor to last year’s Xiaomi Mi 11.

A re-shuffle in Xiaomi’s flagship line-up has introduced the smaller Xiaomi 12, now giving the Chinese company a pair of high-end phones in different sizes to directly rival Samsung’s Galaxy S22 and S22+ – with a 12 Ultra rumoured to arrive later this year to take on Samsung’s own Ultra handset.

Being pitted directly against the S22+ (not to mention the likes of the Oppo Find X5 Pro and OnePlus 10 Pro) gives the Xiaomi 12 Pro a lot to live up to. For the most part the hardware here is clearly up to the task, matching its rivals in most of the places it counts, though the battery life lets the side down.

Software issues hinder the experience further, with both bugs and awkward interfaces, and the result is a phone that impresses a lot but still feels like it’s lagging behind the pack.

Design & build
Sleek, simple design
Large screen
No IP rating
If there’s a design philosophy to the Xiaomi 12 Pro, it seems to be ‘attractive but conservative’.

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