Huawei P50 Pro review

Between the company’s US-imposed restrictions, the global pandemic and the ongoing chip shortages, there was a moment where it felt as though the Huawei P50 series would never see the light of day.

Devices did eventually arrive in the company’s native China (in August 2021) but almost a year on from their expected release, only now do international markets finally have hands-on at least one of the entries in the series: the Huawei P50 Pro.

Likely as a result of the P50 line’s difficult road to market, the Pro+ model that punctuated the top of 2020’s Huawei P40 family is nowhere to be seen amidst this generation (although we have instead received the folding P50 Pocket), rendering the P50 Pro the most capable conventional bar-style phone that the company currently offers.

Design and build
Great build quality
Thin and light for its size
Underwhelming finish options
As with the other entries in the P50 series, the Pro showcases the company’s latest ‘Dual-Matrix Camera Design’; punctuated by the two large circular camera modules positioned one above the other in the top left corner of the phone’s reflective glass back.

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Vivo T1 5G review

Vivo has been on a tear in the last few years. Its phones have improved by leaps and bounds, and now its premium flagships play in the same ballpark as the iPhone and Samsung Galaxys of this world.

But the one thing it hasn’t managed to crack is the mid-range market, which has been largely dominated by Xiaomi in India. Vivo’s new T1 line of 5G-enabled smartphones has been conceived to take the fight to Xiaomi as they promise great battery life, design, and performance in a package that is rather affordable.

On paper, Vivo has included all the right ingredients to create a winner of a mid-range phone which will pique the curiosity of the Indian audience. But can it take on the brand that commands almost 30 percent market share?

Design & build
Attractive, angular design
Plastic construction
No water-resistance rating
Vivo has adopted a geometric design language that is similar to the iPhone. Flat lines and a gradient back punctuate its core design. In other words, this is an attractive looking phone.

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Oppo Find X5 Pro review

The Oppo Find X5 Pro is a subtle refinement on last year’s Find X3 Pro, but one that strips back the fluff to focus on what really matters.

When Oppo unveiled the Find X3 Pro, its design was… a bit of a shock, to say the least. The single pane of mirrored glass on the rear that curved up, around, and over the camera module looked unlike anything else out there.

There’s no such shock this time around, as the Find X5 Pro (no, there was no X4 – we’ll get to that) is a case of refinement rather than reinvention. And not just in the design – most of the phone’s specs are half-steps forward from Oppo’s 2021 flagship, but tweaked and improved just enough to justify the update.

And yes, there was never a Find X4 series. Oppo says that this is down to the fact that last year’s Find N foldable was the series’ fourth generation, making this the fifth – but perhaps the company just doesn’t want to admit that it’s a tad superstitious, with four considered an unlucky number across much of Asia.

Design and build
Unique curved ceramic build
Gorilla Glass Victus on the display
IP68
So yeah, Oppo hasn’t changed too much about the broad strokes design of the Find X5 Pro – which is still a bit love it or hate it – but there have been some smart tweaks throughout.

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Infinix Zero 5G review

The Infinix Zero 5G is the company’s first 5G phone and while it’s a strong performer, it lacks class

Hong Kong-based Infinix has been making steady strides towards becoming an established smartphone brand in recent years. Last year’s Infinix Zero X Pro was the most advanced effort yet from the manufacturer, combining a 108Mp camera with a 120Hz AMOLED display to decent effect.

While the pricing appears to be in the same ballpark, the Infinix Zero 5G isn’t quite up to that phone’s level. Rather, it’s an affordable phone with a level of performance, display quality, and camera specs that pitch it closer to the Poco M4 Pros and Redmi Note 11s of this world.

The one notable first here is that this is the company’s 5G debut. Unfortunately, cutting edge connectivity isn’t quite enough to make for a well-rounded budget phone package.

Design & build
The Infinix Zero 5G doesn’t feel like a particularly premium phone, despite having a fairly large 168.73 x 76.53 x 8.77mm body with a not-inconsiderable weight of 199g.

It’s predominantly made up of shiny plastic, which admittedly proves quite robust, but also turns out to be a magnet for greasy fingerprints. There is, at least, a grippy case included in-box which can help with this.

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Nokia G21 reviewv

The Nokia G21 is a dependable phone that sadly won’t excite. Its big display is restricted to 720p, and its camera’s large sensor feels lacking

At first blush the Nokia G21 looks like a compelling option, with the promise of excellent battery life and a predominantly stock Android experience. Its chipset, the Unisoc T606, looks to be a fair workhorse, and it does offer a 50Mp lead camera too, but it’s also pushing a resolution of 720p.

That puts it in an awkward spot, especially alongside the likes of the Redmi 10, which bumps up the resolution to a much better 1080p in the same kind of price bracket, so what else can this long-lasting affordable blower bring to the table?

Design & build
Available in both Nordic Blue and Dusk (our review unit is the former), the Nokia G21 looks as you’d expect a modern affordable smartphone to look, but there are some nice touches.

For one, the back panel has a matte finish to increase grip, and while the construction is plastic, the whole phone feels sturdier than other devices at this price point. On the left, you’ll find a Google Assistant button to match a power button/fingerprint sensor on the right, with the SIM tray and volume rocker opposite each other just above.

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Vivo V23 review

The Vivo V23 is an affordable mid-range phone with a dual selfie camera and colour-changing design, but it’s not enough to help it stand out from the pack

The Vivo V23 is the cheaper of a pair of phones in the V23 series, the latest in the company’s line of smartphones focussed on selfies and style.

With that in mind, the V23 shares the exact same dual selfie camera as the more powerful V23 Pro, along with its unusual colour-changing design, though this time it’s wrapped in an iPhone-esque square frame.

Design and build
Colour-changing finish
iPhone-style square edges
Glass rear
The Vivo V23’s design stands out in a couple of obvious ways.

The first is the colour. Yes, you can buy it in black, but more interesting is the ‘Sunshine Gold’ finish, which looks gold most of the time but shifts to a striking deep turquoise when the glass catches the light thanks to a UV-reactive finish. It’s a novelty, but a very clever one, and likely to appear in more phones this year – Realme has already appropriated the tech for the Realme 9 Pro phones.

Even the fact that the phone’s rear is encased in glass in a highlight, because at this price you’re much more likely to find plastic-bodied phones elsewhere. Yes, glass is more fragile – so you may see it as a downside – but it helps make the V23 look and feel far more expensive than it is.

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Realme GT 2 review

It’s not quite the same situation in 2022, partly because there’s a GT 2 Pro model as well. While that is arguably more of a flagship (it costs £699), the GT 2 get much of the same hardware and features for £150 less.

It doesn’t have the LTPO 2.0 display with its variable refresh rate down to 1Hz, and uses the older Snapdragon 888 rather than the Pro’s newer Gen 1 chip, but for many people, neither of these things matter.

In fact, the GT 2 is a more well-rounded, better value for money option in many ways. However, if you already own a Realme GT, this new model isn’t going to tempt you to upgrade.

Design & Build
‘Paper-like’ biopolymer rear
Bigger and heavier than before
Still not waterproof
In terms of design, it’s nearly impossible to tell the two new phones apart. The GT 2 and GT 2 Pro share almost identical dimensions and styling, so this isn’t a typical case of the Pro model being larger.

Perhaps more importantly, the vegan leather option from last year’s Realme GT 5G with its striking yellow colour is gone in favour of a ‘paper’ design. Realme has once again partnered with Japanese designer Naoto Fukusawa, who worked on the GT Master Edition, to create a biopolymer – yep, that’s another one to add to phone vocabulary – that resembles paper.

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Xiaomi 12 review

Small handed phone users rejoice, the Xiaomi 12 is one of the most compact flagships around with some impressive specs, but it’s by no means perfect

Now without the ‘Mi’ branding, the Xiaomi 12 series has been given a global launch and the regular model is now smaller and more aligned with Samsung’s Galaxy S range than before. Can Xiaomi win the flagship Android race, though?

Like the Galaxy S22, the Xiaomi 12 offers a much more compact option, leaving the 12 Pro for those that want something bigger – and with more impressive specs.

Starting at US$749, the Xiaomi 12 has a lot going for it including its display, performance, speedy charging and, to an extent, its photography skills. However, some big downsides such as battery life, lack of waterproofing and software peeves mean a rival might be a better choice.

Design & build
8.16mm thick
180g
No IP rating
The Xiaomi 12 is tiny. Well, by modern standards anyway, and especially when I’ve become accustomed to the hefty size of the Pixel 6. Even so, it’s like jumping into a time machine to 2017 and the release of the Galaxy S8.

These two phones have a lot in common and I’m not just talking about the footprint of the handset, although they are very similar. The Xiaomi 12 has a similar metal frame that tapers down to a thin strip on the sides to accommodate the curved display.

It’s 2022 so the screen-to-body ratio is obviously much better and things like a triple rear camera array make it heavier.

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Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G review

The Samsung Galaxy A52s is a mid-range phone that makes compromises in the right areas, but it still faces fierce competition from other brands

The Samsung A52s is the follow-up phone to the mid-range A52, which was released back in spring 2021. Whilst it is nearly identical to its sister handset in its exterior appearance, it has an upgraded chipset which Samsung claims improves the performance and battery life.

But how does this translate to daily use? I have spent some time with the mid-range Samsung Galaxy A52s, seeing how it fairs and compares to rivals of a similar price, including this phone’s successor, the A53 5G. Our device sample was supplied by Box.

Design and build
Design doesn’t match the high standards of rivals
IP57 rating
Four colours on offer
To keep costs down, mid-rangers always have sacrifices when compared to flagship models. For the A52s, this is in the build quality. It is quite bland and feels cheap in your hand, like the standard A52. The bezel around the screen is also quite thick, so it doesn’t feel as slim or sleek as other phones. The upside is that at a weight of 189g, this phone is lightweight and easy to port around.

I tested the black model, but you can also get it in purple, white and mint. The rear s plastic rather than glass and picks up fingerprints quite easily.

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Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G review

The Redmi Note 11 range receives one more addition, and it’s the best of the series, with Xiaomi adding eye-watering charging capabilities to the Pro+

Not content with offering no less than four other Redmi Note 11 models this year, Xiaomi has also treated us to the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G.

With the new 11S 5G, the Redmi Note 11 range has no less than six models to choose from. The Pro+ 5G on test here is now the top-spec option and adds headline features such as 120W HyperCharge meaning you can fully charge the phone in just 15 minutes, according to Xiaomi.

All still without breaking the bank thanks to a starting price of £369 and you’ll be able to get it in May. So, how does it compare to its stablemates, as well as other affordable phones?

Design & Build
Square-edged design
Face unlock feature
Side-mounted fingerprint sensor
IP53 rating
In terms of its appearance, it’s hard to distinguish the Pro+ 5G from the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G, which is actually a good thing. It means the Note 11 Pro+ 5G treats the user to squared-off edges, a tidy rear camera module and a shimmering plastic back.

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