The Asus ROG Phone 5 is the best £799 phone you can buy for pure entertainment, but it's not for everyone. Here's our verdict.
Everyone isn’t looking for a gaming phone; that’s a given, so when we took a look at the ROG Phone 5, we were anticipating reviewing a niche smartphone created for a handful of mobile gamers. What we ended up with was an all-around multimedia powerhouse. Its screen is huge, bright and punchy, its speakers are categorically best-in-class, making for loud, penetrating sound perfect for movies and music, and naturally, its suped-up internals makes it a killer handheld gamer on the go. Whether you’re blasting through baddies or binging through an entire Netflix series in bed, no phone sucks you in quite like the ROG Phone 5. Jump to: Asus ROG Phone 5 summary What is the Asus ROG Phone 5? How much is the Asus ROG Phone 5? Asus ROG Phone 5 features Asus ROG Phone 5 battery Asus ROG Phone 5 camera Asus ROG Phone 5 design/set-up Our verdict Where to buy Asus ROG Phone 5 review: summary The Asus ROG Phone 5 is a phone for gaming, and so much more. Price: From £799 Key features: Fast performance with mighty Snapdragon 888 internals. Smooth 144Hz AMOLED display made by Samsung. Loud, immersive stereo front speakers. A range of touch inputs around the phone for gaming. Fast charging, large 6000mAh battery. Triple camera system with 64MP main camera. Pros Fantastic speakers. Smooth, immersive widescreen. Premium design. Cons Not best-in-class camera. Big, bulky body too big for many. No wireless charging. Where to buy: The ROG Phone 5 is available through Amazon and Asus’s official online store. While it isn’t available on contract through any networks, Asus does offer finance through PayPal credit, so the cost can be spread. What is the Asus ROG Phone 5? The ROG Phone 5 is most definitely a gaming phone. We’re not trying to suggest for a second that it isn't. After all, it's got those RGB pulsing lights around the back, angry, over the top styling, and it’s a beefy bit of kit. You can also buy a tonne of gaming accessories for it, and they go a long way to make it stand out even amongst other gaming phones. What really surprised us about the phone after a few weeks with it was just how good it is at movies and music, with its high-quality screen and speakers. It also has a huge battery, nippy performance – a given for gaming phones, and a decent main camera. That being said, its secondary cameras (the ultra-wide and macro) definitely could be a bit better. All its highlights come together to make the ROG Phone 5 a specialist phone for gamers and a more generalist phone for boxset binge-watchers and music lovers. It also sports a headphone jack which will please audiophiles. Missing features like wireless charging and a sleek body, the ROG Phone 5 isn’t for everyone, but discounting it as a gaming phone and little else would be a mistake, especially if you use your smartphone as your main streaming device. What does the Asus ROG Phone 5 do? Shows off games and video brilliantly with its HDR 10+ AMOLED screen. Looks smooth with a class-leading 144Hz refresh rate making visuals glide. Plays back games super responsively with optimised flagship power. Sounds incredible with symmetrical dual front-firing speakers. Features a 3.5mm headphone jack for wired audio. Supports a host of gaming accessories from a fan to a joypad. Includes a heavily customised gaming interface for hardcore gamers. Alternatively supports a traditional Android interface for non-gamers. Benefits from a massive battery that lasts a day with maxed-out settings. Can last as long as two/three days with pared-back power settings. How much is the Asus ROG Phone 5? The Asus ROG Phone 5 is priced from £799 and is available via Amazon and Rog.asus.com. Is the Asus ROG Phone 5 good value for money? If you’re talking about brute power, then the Asus ROG Phone 5 represents great value for money. It features the same processor found in pricier phones like the OnePlus 9 Pro and OPPO Find X3, in addition to a smoother screen (thanks to that higher refresh rate). Undercutting both those phones by a substantial margin, you’ll be hard-pressed to argue with the price-to-power ratio. Where the ROG Phone 5 drops the ball is in its camera. Unlike those other phones, it doesn’t feature optical image stabilisation, which helps handle photo blur when your hand isn’t super steady. The phone also misses out on a telephoto camera, or in other words, a true zoom. While the high-pixel-count 64MP camera takes some fantastic photos, it just isn’t as versatile as some cheaper phones, including the OnePlus 9. So if you need a stellar camera phone, £799 can work harder for you on another smartphone, with phones like the iPhone 12 Mini through to the much cheaper Google Pixel 5 outperforming Asus’s ROG Phone 5 when it comes to photography. That said, if you are happy with a good, not great camera and prioritise Disney+ and Netflix in bed, not to mention gaming, then the ROG Phone 5 is as good as it gets. Asus ROG Phone 5 features It’s easier to talk about what Asus doesn’t cram inside the ROG Phone 5 than what it does. This is a do-it-all entertainment phone that has its sights set on blowing you away with top-tier power, loud, expansive sound and an ultra-smooth, punchy screen. Looking around the phone and it’s a big bit of kit. That’s partly down to its large 6.78-inch display, which features a wide FullHD resolution and Samsung’s AMOLED technology, producing a bright, saturated on-screen image. Its size is also down to the fact the phone packs not one but two USB-C ports, so you can comfortably charge and game in landscape or portrait orientation. Then there’s that large 6000mAh battery. That number towers above batteries in other phones, with the top of the line iPhone 12 Pro Max battery clocking in at around 3700mAh. Running Android 11, apps and games available for the Asus ROG Phone 5 are plentiful, and Asus has customised the interface with optional animations and flourishes for gamers. The interface glides, with the screen’s smooth 144Hz refresh rate matched with the phone’s ample power. It’s also got plenty of storage too, with 256GB, enough for hundreds of movies and tens of thousands of songs. The ROG Phone 5 also features 5G, making for lag-free streaming even when you don’t have a WiFi connection. If you’re a gamer who’s keen to kit out your smartphone, you can pick up an optional gamepad for it, as well as a clip-on fan. Now, buying a clip-on fan for your smartphone might sound like total overkill, but smartphones are becoming handheld gaming consoles, with incredible 3D graphics and highly complex games available to download for free. We played the new Trials of Mana from Square Enix with the ROG Phone 5 connected to a TV, joypad in hand, and it felt like we were using a console. With great power comes great heat, though, and today’s phones can get really hot when gaming, with the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra both criticised for their heat management in our reviews. The ROG Phone 5 is a heat management pro, especially with the fan, so whether in-hand or hooked up to a big screen, this smartphone stays as cool as a cucumber. Asus ROG Phone 5 battery The ROG Phone 5 has one of the largest batteries of any smartphone we’ve tested. Its battery is 6000mAh in size, making it over double that of the 2815mAh iPhone 12. Given it’s so big on paper, we expected a couple of days out of it but were surprised when it lasted one full day, but little more. That’s still good by today’s standards, delivering similar results to the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. Dial down the screen from 144Hz smoothness to 60Hz (easily done in the display settings), and switch off the phone’s ‘X-mode’(X-mode ramps up the processing power for gaming and can be turned in the notifications tray), and instantly, the battery life gets a boost. If you want even more battery saving from the ROG Phone 5, a setting called Ultra Durable Mode has your back. It automatically regulates the 5G optimisations the phone packs, slowing down power directed to boost internet speeds, turning off Dual-band WiFi, a feature that simultaneously connects you to WiFi networks to boost your connection, and drops the screen sleep time refresh rate, and all-round performance. If you’re a light smartphone user, with Ultra Durable mode fired you, you could even eke out three days from the ROG Phone 5. The phone also charges quickly with 65W charging, powering up by roughly 70% in 30 minutes and 100% in an hour. That might not be as fast as phones like the OnePlus 9 Pro, but given the size of the ROG Phone 5’s battery (6000mAh versus 4500 on the OnePlus 9 Pro), it’s still a great speed and significantly outperforms the iPhone 12 Pro Max when it comes to charging time. Asus ROG Phone 5 camera Just like the Google Pixel 5, the ROG Phone 5 has two cameras, the main camera and an ultra-wide-angle alternative, which gets more in frame albeit with lower quality. There’s also a macro camera. However, it’s a poor performer, and frankly speaking, the less that’s said about that, the better. The main camera enjoys a sky-high resolution of 64MP, though it uses a photography technique called pixel binning to take 16MP photos by default. Matched with Asus’s smart camera software, the results from the main camera look great both during the day and in middling lighting. Details are defined, colours pop nicely, and dark and light areas of a photo feature tonal nuance. At night, while the ROG Phone 5 can’t beat phones like the iPhone 12 Pro or Pixel 5 with night mode fired up, it’s still a solid performer. The phone’s ultra-wide-angle camera is also decent, but nothing special. Lacking autofocus (a feature OnePlus adds to its 9 Pro), your options when using it are photos of subjects over a meter away. That means it's great for group shots and landscape photos but not for ultra-wide selfies. The ultra-wide camera is also a middling performer in low-light, so it isn’t quite as versatile as secondary cameras on other pricier phones like the OPPO Find X3. If you’re a fan of selfies, the ROG Phone 5’s front camera is specced out with 24MP resolution, but its photos aren’t always super flattering. It’s fine for group shots in bright environments, but when the lights dim, rather than warm things up and give you a wishful glow, it tends to lean towards the cool side of warm skin tones, resulting in a pallid portrait which is seldom a good look. Asus ROG Phone 5 design/set-up Asus puts the ROG Phone 5’s best features forward – that screen and those speakers. They take pride of place on the front of the phone, shining and booming brilliantly. On the bottom side are a headphone jack and a USB-C port; on the left side is the other USB-C port, so you can charge it one of two ways, while all the ROG Phone’s buttons are on the right side. Around the back of the phone are curved glass and an asymmetrical camera bump. Fire up the phone, and you’ll also see the Asus ROG insignia on the back light up – unsurprising given RGB lighting is the mark of a true gaming gadget. Available in black or white, the black version we’ve got may have some aggressive styling, but it also shows some restraint with a simple, dark palette. Put a case on it, and you wouldn’t know it’s a gaming phone, and even if you don’t, the red accents and futuristic hieroglyphs dotted around the back actually look relatively tasteful compared to other gaming devices. What’s also great is that Asus customises the user interface to feature either a gaming look and feel or a traditional Android vibe, so its UI can cater to both gamers and non-gamers alike. Running Android 11, app and game support for the phone is excellent, and if you’re upgrading to it from an Android phone, the process should be relatively straightforward, thanks to Google’s standardised set-up process. The only downside of the phone’s design is the fact it doesn’t have IP68 dust and water resistance, which some other non-gaming phone alternatives at this price do. So if you know you’re a serial smartphone dunker, the ROG Phone 5 might not be the best choice. Our verdict: should you buy the Asus ROG Phone 5? The Asus ROG Phone 5 is the best £799 phone you can buy for pure entertainment. Whether it’s gaming, watching or listening, between its incredibly smooth 144Hz screen, those booming front-firing speakers and all its gaming optimisations, you can lose hours to it. Is it a smartphone for everyone? Absolutely not. It’s big, doesn’t pack wireless charging or an excellent camera system, and misses out on dust and water resistance. All its pros and cons accounted for, though, the ROG Phone 5 is still easy to recommend to gamers and anyone who wants quality entertainment from their smartphone. It’s also a good shout for audiophiles, given the quality of its speakers and the fact there’s a handy headphone jack at the base. Our rating: Features: 4.5/5 Battery: 5/5 Camera: 3.5/5 Design/set-up: 4/5 Overall: 4.25/5 Where to buy the Asus ROG Phone 5 The Asus ROG Phone 5 is available via Amazon and Rog.asus.com, priced from £799. For the latest news, reviews and deals, check out the RadioTimes.com Technology section. If you are shopping for a new handset, don't miss our in-depth guides to the best smartphone of the year so far and the best budget smartphone.
The OnePlus 9 Pro is a strong flagship with a Hasselblad tuned camera, but does it live up to the hype?
If you’re into photography, you may have heard of Hasselblad – an icon in the field. Hasselblad cameras can cost in excess of £40,000, and up until now, a Hasselblad photograph was reserved for an elite kind of photographer. Thanks to smartphone maker OnePlus, though, that signature Hasselblad look can now be had for as little as £829 on the flagship OnePlus 9 Pro. The OnePlus 9 Pro is much more than just a fancy camera. While it undercuts phones like the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra when it comes to price, it still has a comparably specced screen that’s incredibly smooth, sharp, and vibrant. It’s also poised to perform across the board, with ample power for gaming, stereo speakers for immersive audio, not to mention incredibly fast wired, and wireless charging. When OnePlus hit the smartphone scene with super-affordable powerhouses almost a decade ago, it boldly branded itself the flagship killer. Now on its ninth generation of smartphone, it’s more of a seasoned flagship maker than a fresh-faced underdog. Nevertheless, if the OnePlus 9 Pro is anything to go by, it looks set to justify a higher price tag than its predecessors, provided that the Hasselblad camera lives up to the hype. Jump to: OnePlus 9 Pro summary What is the OnePlus 9 Pro? How much is the OnePlus 9 Pro? OnePlus 9 Pro features OnePlus 9 Pro battery OnePlus 9 Pro camera OnePlus 9 Pro design and set-up Our verdict Where to buy OnePlus 9 Pro review: summary The ‘good at everything’ phone Price: from £829 Key features: Hasselblad tuned camera Premium glass and metal design Top-tier Snapdragon 888 power IP68 dust and water resistance Fast wired and wireless charging Up to 256Gb storage 120Hz super-smooth display Runs Android 11 with Google Play Store Average sized 4500mAh battery Pros: Photos have a rich finish to them Gorgeous, smooth, punchy screen Very fast charging speeds Cons: Good, not great battery Can get warm when gaming Zoom camera isn’t class-leading What is the OnePlus 9 Pro? The OnePlus 9 Pro is an across-the-board flagship smartphone. Hold it in your hand, and its curved glass and polished metal finish feel special. Fire it up, and the bright, sharp, AMOLED screen beams boldly. Open up Netflix, and its HDR10 visuals combine with stereo speakers to entertain completely. Matched with power for gaming, fast 5G download speeds, and some of the zippiest charging we’ve seen on any smartphone to date (wired and wireless), the OnePlus 9 Pro takes on pricier phones like the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra and wins. What does the OnePlus 9 Pro do? The OnePlus 9 Pro Takes fantastically tuned pictures with an Instagram-ready look Feels top-quality in hand, combining curved glass and polished metal Plays back the latest 3D games at maximum graphics settings Handles a splash or dunk thanks to dust and water resistance Charges up in a little over half an hour (faster than most phones out now) Combined with a OnePlus WarpCharge 50 wireless charger, it powers up wirelessly in under 45 minutes Includes either 128GB or 256GB storage, plenty for loads of apps, games and offline content Doesn’t have an SD card slot, so the storage can’t be bumped up Features an ultra-smooth screen, menus, and social feeds glide How much is the OnePlus 9 Pro? The OnePlus 9 Pro costs from £829 and is available to buy from OnePlus and Amazon. Is the OnePlus 9 Pro good value for money? You will be hard-pressed to get a better phone than the OnePlus 9 Pro for less. While it isn’t cheap by any means, it’s still one of the better value flagships out now with reliably good performance in all the ways you’ll likely care about. Perhaps the highlight for us is the 9 Pro’s main camera. Does it do anything mind-blowing? No. It’s a gimmick-free set-up unless you consider the Hasselblad branding a gimmick. That said, it turns out reliably high-impact photo after photo, does a great job across lighting conditions, and delivers five-star photos across both the wide and ultra-wide lenses. That it also features a respectable zoom camera only adds to the phone’s appeal. Its speakers sing, its screen beams, and it packs fast 5G mobile download speeds. We got through two episodes of RuPaul’s Drag Race while testing it and didn’t have to switch to headphones or a bigger screen once, something most phones force us to do after about 15 minutes. Then there’s the fast charging. Wired and wireless, the phone powers up quickly. Admittedly, you have to spend £69.95 on a OnePlus Warp Charge 50 Wireless Charger to get the full speeds, but the wired charger ships in the box, and the phone charges at a standard speed on other wireless charging pads. If we had to pick at a couple of aspects, you could get more for less, the OnePlus 9 Pro might be overkill for you if you don’t need the fanciest, shiniest OnePlus. The lower-specced OnePlus 9 is a great shout and even the OnePlus Nord 2 which launched in July 2021. If you know you want a flagship phone, though, then none represent value quite like the 9 Pro. OnePlus 9 Pro features The OnePlus 9 Pro features high-end everything. Starting with the screen, and it's a 120Hz panel that matches other top-tier flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra on paper. It's also sharp with its QHD resolution, ensuring even if you peer right up close to it, you won't be seeing any pixels. In the hand, the phone's premium design doesn't necessarily stand out when set against other flagship smartphones, but neither does it disappoint. Combining high-polish metal and curved glass, the phone looks and feels like an £829 slab, and it's protected from dunks and dust, too, thanks to water-resistant sealing. In the box, you'll also get a case, and there's a pre-fitted screen protector, adding extra layers of protection from scuffs and scratches. Around the back, the OnePlus 9 Pro's triple camera system is a clear highlight. With through-the-roof resolution, optical image stabilisation, and Hasselblad tuning, it captures nuanced photos that are teeming with detail and impact. The camera also records 8K video, as well as 4K video at a staggering 120fps, which means it can be slowed down to make for some fantastically sharp slow-motion footage. Powering the phone is the latest mobile processor from Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 888. Out of all the phone's running with this processor, the OnePlus 9 Pro is amongst the best for battery and heat management, staying cool for the most part and lasting a full day comfortably. On the subject of battery, with its blisteringly fast wired and wireless charging, the phone also powers up in as little as 32 minutes. That makes it one of the fastest charging phone's we've ever used. OnePlus 9 Pro battery OnePlus has done a few great things to make sure its battery story stands out. For starters, it’s big at 4500mAh. Not the biggest (the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra’s battery is larger), but it’s on par with some of the best out there, like the OPPO Find X3 Pro. OnePlus has also been clever with its power management. Some phones with the exact same battery spec as the OnePlus 9 Pro don’t last as long. The phone’s mighty Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset is a beast when it comes to performance, but it’s also battery hungry (and gets pretty hot too). OnePlus has tuned everything to keep the heat down better than some of the competition and make sure battery performance is on-point. The phone also charges very quickly, with the OnePlus 9 Pro’s in-the-box charger powering it up at up to 65W. To put it into context, 65W charging is very fast. An iPhone 12 Pro charges at up to roughly 22W (and the charger is sold separately), so while you can fill up the OnePlus 9 Pro from empty to full in roughly half an hour, the iPhone will take around two and a half hours. What’s extra special about how the OnePlus 9 Pro powers up is that its wireless charging is also super-fast at 50W, powering the phone up in under 45 minutes. That’s versus over three hours to wirelessly charge the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Why should you care about fast charging? If you’re rushing out of the house and remember you’re low on juice, plonking the 9 Pro on a fast wireless charging stand for just half an hour will power you up 70 per cent. That’s enough power to last you a full day, making the feature incredibly handy. OnePlus 9 Pro camera With a 48MP main camera leading the charge on the OnePlus 9 Pro’s quad-camera system, the OnePlus 9 Pro packs big pixel counts and ultra-wide and zoom photo capabilities. The primary camera sports a nice and wide-angle (more so than most), so it gets a fair bit of detail in each photo. It’s also all stabilised with optical image stabilisation, meaning if your hand is a bit shaky, the photos aren’t going to be a blur soup. This is all matched with that Hasselblad photo tuning we spoke about earlier, which gives photos taken on the OnePlus 9 Pro an Instagram-ready glow. Alongside the main camera is a 50MP ultra-wide camera, which features a brand new sensor made by Sony. Ultra-wides get loads in-frame (kind of like estate agent cameras), but the OnePlus 9 Pro’s ultra-wide camera also captures over a billion colours, something very few main cameras do, let alone secondary cameras. The only camera on the OnePlus 9 Pro that doesn’t quite feel like the main event is the zoom camera, which features roughly three times magnification compared to the primary camera. It also sports optical image stabilisation, so it does a decent job dealing with hand-shake, but when the lights go down, its photos get noticeably worse, failing to stack up to the adjacent wide and ultra-wide cameras. Just like the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, the OnePlue 9 Pro records video at up to 8K resolution. This totally over the top-spec will likely only appeal to video editors but also showcases the phone's future-proofed power. So too does the ultra-high-speed 4K video capture. Shot at 120 frames per second, 4K video taken at this setting can be slowed down by four times without looking like a stop motion video. OnePlus 9 Pro design and set-up Unbox the OnePlus 9 Pro, and you get to enjoy one of the most neutral looking but premium phone designs we've seen for a while. Neutral might sound negative, like vanilla or even beige, but by neutral, we mean the phone is super accessible; easy to get on board with whether you want it for work, play, or anything in between. Nothing folds, nothing shimmers too much, there’s no hot pink colour pops or vegan leather trimming here, it's just a glass and metal, good looking handset, and we like it. On the front is an all-encompassing curved display, with a punch-hole selfie camera in the top left. The phone's sides are high-polish metal, and around the back is more curved glass. One highlight of that premium OnePlus phones feature is a notification slider, so you can fumble in a bag or pocket and mute your phone easily. In the hand, the OnePlus 9 Pro is a large phone, not not as overbearing as phones like the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. It feels and looks rich, even if it does love fingerprint smudges. Fortunately, there's a case in the box, so that will definitely help keep grubby marks at bay. Once you get past its fine design, firing up the phone brings the beautiful screen to life – it beams brightly and crisply, and OnePlus's set-up process consists of a handheld walkthrough that helps you load up your accounts and migrate your data from your old phone without any headaches. Our verdict: should you buy the OnePlus 9 Pro? The OnePlus 9 Pro is one of the best smartphones out now. It really is an all-rounder that looks good, has a fantastic screen, ample power, a punchy camera system and decent battery life. That it also charges very quickly and has value adds like a case in the box only boost to its already bursting appeal. While you can get phones with more camera zoom and slimmer bodies, and the OnePlus 9 Pro definitely isn’t cheap, all the competition that beats it tips the £1,000 mark. That means you really do get what you pay for when you pick up the 9 Pro: best-in-class quality across the board with very few caveats. Rating: Features: 4.5/5 Battery: 4/5 Camera: 5/5 Design and set-up: 5/5 Overall rating: 4.6/5 Where to buy the OnePlus 9 Pro: The OnePlus 9 Pro is available to buy off-contract from: Amazon OnePlus undefined Still comparing phones? Check out our best smartphone, best Android phone and best iPhone guides to help you choose.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 is packed with the wow-factor but very expensive. Is it the right foldable device for you?
The original Galaxy Fold took the folding screen smartphones category from science fiction to proof of concept, loaded up with a few too many niggles to get a recommendation, but supremely cool nevertheless. Just over a year on, and its successor, the Galaxy Z Fold 2, takes the line from proof of concept to seriously tempting tech, delivering in almost all areas. There have been a few phones available that could bend without any snap since the original Fold launched. These include the Motorola RAZR reprise, which smacked of Paris Hilton nostalgia factor, and Huawei’s Mate Xs. Folding phones were generally very expensive, though. They also tended to under-deliver in three key areas – camera, performance, and battery. What the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 appears to do is special. For starters, when closed, it’s a tall but usable smartphone. Yes, it’s very thick, but there’s something reassuring to its heft. And thanks to Samsung’s design mastery, it feels rich and luxurious in hand. Unfold the folding phone, and it transforms from a tall phone to a small tablet. Perfect when showing friends a YouTube video while social distancing, or looking at a website in desktop view, the marriage of wow-factor and function is this phone’s star quality. The Z Fold 2 also feels relatively life-proof compared to some competition, such as the Huawei Mate Xs. Folding screens are more fragile than fixed screens. In order to bend, they are protected by a flexible plastic layer instead of hard glass. Durability has been an issue in the past for folding screen technology, but thanks to its inward-folding design, the Z Fold 2 feels a bit more protected, and the hinge mechanism has a satisfying rigidity. This combination of form and function, matched with flagship power and a respectable camera system, makes Samsung’s fanciest phone to date exciting. It really could mark an industry turning point: The Dawn of the Foldable Age. At £1,599 off-contract, or £95 a month with a £299 upfront cost on contract (Vodafone), it’s still anything but a phone for the masses – but does it live up to the hype (and justify its price) in the real world? Read our first-look Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 review to see how the new smartphone compares ahead of its release. Jump to: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 summary What is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2? How much is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2? Features Battery Camera Design and set-up Our verdict Where to buy Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 review: summary Straight out of a sci-fi movie and setting the bar for foldables. Price: £1,599 SIM-free Key features 6.2-inch smartphone screen when closed 7.6-inch tablet screen when opened DeX desktop mode when connected to monitor Two 10MP selfie cameras Three 12MP rear cameras Up to 4K resolution video recording Three-app split-screen multitasking 5G mobile data speeds Dual-SIM card support 256GB storage (no memory card support) Respectable 4500 mAh battery Fast wired and wireless charging Pros Refined, premium folding design Flagship power and performance Packed with wow-factor Cons Good, not class-leading cameras Very expensive for a smartphone Front-display can be impractically tall The Galaxy Z Fold 2 is available to buy off-contract at Samsung, Amazon and John Lewis. It is available on contract via EE, O2, Sky, Three UK and Vodafone. What is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2? There are two types of folding phone. The first is a clamshell-style, Motorola RAZR-esque throwback to the 90s, a foldable take on the quintessential flip phone. Closed, it fits in the palm, and when open, it’s about the same size as a traditional smartphone. Next, there’s the foldable for power users – a two-in-one smartphone and tablet. When closed, it’s a smartphone, and when open, it transforms to become a mini-tablet. This is the category the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 falls in, alongside the Huawei Mate Xs and Xiaomi Mi Mix Fold. Folding screen technology has inherent issues – it’s more fragile than rigid screen tech, with its moving parts making the folding and unfolding possible. The folding screen itself is also more prone to damage, with its flexible plastic top-layer being less able to fend off scratches than glass (which is used on traditional phones). What the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 delivers, with all that in mind, is a hybrid experience that combines cutting edge smartphone and tablet computing in one stylish device that should be treated with love and respect – there’s no waterproofing on this phone. However, it still packs plenty of party tricks. What does the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 do? Converts between tall smartphone and squat tablet Runs smoothly thanks to flagship power within Feels fantastically premium with a robust hinge Looks stunning with its frosted matte glass finish Available in Mystic Black and Mystic Bronze Features three rear 12MP cameras (wide, ultra-wide, zoom) Outputs a desktop experience when connected to a display Runs Android 11 with Samsung One UI 3.1 Features a 4500mAh battery – not too big, nor too small Plays back audio through stereo speakers How much is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2? The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 costs £1,599, making it one of the most expensive smartphones you can buy. When you compare it to other folding phones, however, its price seems less outlandish. The Motorola RAZR 5G, with its inferior specs, costs £1,199, while the last-generation Huawei Mate Xs cost £1,599. If you want to buy the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 on a contract, it will set you back around £95 a month with a £299 upfront cost on contract (Vodafone) and is available from all major UK networks. Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 good value for money? For anyone looking for a smartphone to be a smartphone – nothing too fancy – the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 is not good value for money. It costs more than a smartphone like the OnePlus 9 and Samsung’s flagship tablet, the Tab S7 Plus, bought separately. For anyone who’s happy with a separate phone and tab, The Z Fold 2 won’t give you the same bang for buck two standalone gadgets. After all, it has an awkwardly tall smartphone screen and a relatively small tablet screen. In turn, traditionalists would be best giving Samsung’s finest foldable a miss. For anyone who wants their smartphone and tablet in one pocketable, premium device, the Z Fold 2 could be excellent value. By not requiring two separate bits of kit, all your messages, photos, files and Netflix downloads are in one place. There’s even an argument that the Z Fold 2 can replace a laptop for basic needs, given the phone’s DeX interface. Connect it to a computer monitor or a TV (via the USB-C charging port), and it projects a Windows-style desktop experience to the big screen. Hook up a keyboard and mouse, and you can comfortably type and edit long documents on it. There are limitations – it won’t run advanced apps like Photoshop, for example. However, it's more than up to the task for basic web surfing or document and presentation edits. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 features The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 is something of a hybrid – two devices in one. When closed, it’s a 6.2-inch screened smartphone – very tall, occasionally awkward in its height, but nevertheless, high-quality. Turn the phone sideways, and it goes from very tall to very wide. This makes the front-screen well-suited to widescreen films, including some of the best movies on Netflix, like Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse. Turning the phone sideways is one thing, but you have to unfold the Z Fold 2 for the real transformation. As the front display fades out of sight, the square-ish inner 7.6-inch tablet takes centre stage. The Z Fold 2’s tablet guise is significantly more squat than the front screen, so while it’s isn’t so great for super-widescreen modern movies, it does a decent job of displaying Full HD TV shows without too much in the way of a black border. Samsung does something no other foldable maker does with the Z Fold 2 – Flex mode. A funky name that simply means the phone can fold part-way and still function when resting on a surface; it's very useful. Half-fold the phone and fire up the camera, for example, and it can act as its own tripod of sorts, steadying it for crisper photos and stable video. Alternatively, when using the front screen, place the phone on a surface (face up), and you can angle the front display to face you, turning the Z Fold 2 into its own kickstand – perfect for watching movies on. The phone also has a suite of top-tier specs that help it justify its high price. These include 5G mobile data speeds for fast browsing, downloading and streaming on the go, Dual-SIM card support, so you can use two phone numbers with one Z Fold 2, and an ample 256GB storage inside. While that may be plenty of space for your files, photos and movie downloads, it’s worth noting, the Z Fold 2 is one of the first Samsung phones to not support additional storage with a memory card, so when you’re out of space, you can’t bolster its capacity with extra. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 battery We had no issues getting through a full day of photo taking, music listening, web surfing and WhatsApp messaging with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2. Its battery isn’t huge, but it’s big enough if you, like us, use the front screen 70 per cent of the time and save the inner screen for special occasions. If the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 was just a smartphone, its battery size would be fantastic. 4500mAh is around the same capacity as some of the best performing smartphone batteries out now. That said, the Z Fold 2 is both a smartphone and a mini-tablet. In turn, if you’re using the larger of its two screens all the time, that’s when you may run into some battery trouble, so for long-haul flights (remember those?) or weekends away, you’ll definitely want a power bank or a charger. To save power with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2, there’s a customisable power-saving mode in the settings. Here, you can turn off features like 5G or limit the phone’s processing power resulting in battery-saving benefits. If you do run low on power, the phone features relatively fast wired and wireless charging speeds, so can charge up in a couple of hours when plugged in. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 camera The Galaxy Z Fold 2 isn’t a total flagship package in all respects, falling behind the very best Samsung phones like the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and Galaxy S21 Ultra in the camera department. While the aforementioned Ultras sport super-high-resolution main cameras – each a staggering 108MP, the main camera on the Z Fold 2 is a humble 12MP in resolution. Samsung’s Ultras also feature what’s known as a periscope zoom. These give the zoom cameras on smartphones fantastic reach – as much as 10 times the range when compared to the main camera. Meanwhile, the foldable Z Fold 2’s zoom camera has a humble two times equivalent zoom. When it comes to quality, you get a competent camera system on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 that covers the basics and even features a respectable night mode. Photos taken in bright environments are detailed enough to be cropped into a bit. Their colours are generally vibrant and zingy, and close-up objects look crisp, while background elements are pleasingly blurry. The Fold 2’s photos aren’t quite as high-impact or high-resolution as those taken on phones like the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra, but will nevertheless be good enough for most. It even includes more advanced manual-shooting modes, too, so it offers flexibility for anyone looking to tinker with their photo-taking settings. The Z Fold 2 captures video at up to 4K resolution, so your home movies will look nice and sharp, though, in low light, the phone isn't quite as good a video camera as it is a photography camera. Selfie-taking can be done whether you’re using the Z Fold 2 open or closed, thanks to the two selfie cameras. Both the inner and outer cameras are 10MP and shoot up to 4K video, with adequate, though unexceptional performance, especially in dimly lit scenes. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 design and set-up As a phone (when closed), the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 is very tall and very thick. It’s little wonder that it’s a chonk – folding phones are effectively two screens sandwiched atop one another until they’re opened up. When closed, the right side of the Z Fold 2 sports a power button and fingerprint scanner combo, which quickly and securely gets you into the phone. Along the left side is a high-polish hinge, and around the rear is a matte glass back with a mirrored camera bump. As a package, it feels very fancy and does fit in a standard pocket, but if you’re a lover of compact phones and skinny jean-friendly, this isn’t your next smartphone. The main issue with the Z Fold 2’s design is that the front screen is narrow, so it isn’t ideal for big hands and clumsy thumbs. Typing on the squished keyboard takes some getting used to as a result. Open up the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 to reveal the 7.6-inch tablet screen, and things get much more spacious. The keyboard is split across either side and works much better for big hands. There’s a slight crease vertically running down the centre of the display, but it isn’t too noticeable when looking at the phone head-on. If you’ve already got a Samsung smartphone, then you can look forward to a headache-free setup process when you move your mobile life over to the Galaxy Z Fold 2, thanks to Smart Switch. This Samsung service migrates everything, from photos and videos and even your old phone’s apps and home screen layout. Samsung’s alternative to an iCloud backup, the feature makes sure anxiety around upgrading your phone fast becomes a thing of the past. Running Google’s Android 11, the foldable also supports Google’s own auto-login feature, so apps like Netflix and Spotify will likely log you in automatically. There will be a few third-party apps that might require a username or password. However, these were in the minority in our experience with setting up the phone. Our verdict: should you buy the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2? It’s hard to not be bowled over by the tech inside the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2. It’s the most sci-fi smartphone you can buy, with its folding screen technology turning it from a fancy phone to a super-slim tablet. When you get past the novelty factor, the Z Fold 2 is also a great phone day-in-day-out. There’s plenty of power inside, so it’s snappy, whether gaming, typing, or swiping through web pages, and the versatility of having two display sizes on one phone is a treat. If the Z Fold 2 had the camera quality of the Galaxy S21 Ultra and a wider front display, it could have been a five-star phone. As it stands, though, it’s still the best foldable phone money can buy. Rating: Features 5/5 Battery: 4/5 Camera: 4/5 Design and set-up: 5/5 Overall rating: 4.5/5 Where to buy the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 Amazon Samsung John Lewis Available on Three UK | From £85 per month and £99 upfront Available on Vodafone | From £57 per month and £99 upfront Latest Deals Still not sure which handset to pick up? Read our Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra review, Samsung Galaxy S21 vs Plus vs Ultra comparison, or see how flagships score head to head in our iPhone 12 vs Samsung Galaxy S21 guide.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is a market leader which justifies its high price tag.
Any time a £1,000+ smartphone hits the scene, it has to work hard to justify that kind of price – and boy does the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra do just that. A triple threat, it looks the part with top-quality design and a killer screen, it packs performance in spades – power, party tricks and a long-lasting battery, and then there’s that camera. Sporting one of the best zooms of any smartphone around, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra gets you right up close to the action. In fact, it does pretty much everything right on paper, but you know what? So do a few phones out now. Battling stiff competition from the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max, the OPPO Find X3 Pro and Xiaomi’s Mi 11 Ultra, not to mention the much more affordable OnePlus 9 Pro, Samsung’s Galaxy S21 Ultra has its work cut out for it. Also, while the phone introduces note-taking and doodling to the Galaxy S line thanks to clever S Pen support, unlike the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, it doesn’t come with an S Pen. Therefore, to get the full experience, you’re talking about a cost of £1,199 and an extra £34 for the pen from Samsung’s official store. Its price sounds (and is) high, but on paper, its specs still put the S21 Ultra in a strong position for the smartphone top spot. After all, it’s the only phone that can do everything – pen input, a 10 times zoom camera system, a world-class screen and more. So if big phones are your thing, and you want quality across the board, keep reading to see what it’s like living with what could be the best Android phone of 2021. Jump to: Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra summary What is the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra? How much is the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra? Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra features Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra battery Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra camera Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra design and set-up Our verdict Where to buy Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra review: summary Ultra by name… Samsung’s back on top Price: £1,199 Key features: Big phone, premium design IP68 dust and water-resistant Fantastic, smooth, sharp display S Pen support for note-taking 108MP high-resolution main camera 40MP selfie camera Impressive 10 times zoom range Sharp 8K resolution video recording Excellent night photography Fast performance with Exynos processor 5G mobile data speeds Large 5000mAh battery Fast 25W charging and wireless charging Desktop interface when connected to screen Pros: Across-the-board excellence Best-in-class screen Excellent camera system S Pen support is welcome Cons: S Pen not included Can get warm when gaming Chunky size will put some off What is the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra? Every year, a smartphone maker launches its technology showcase – that one device that’s loaded with cutting-edge everything; and in 2021, for Samsung, that showcase is the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. The S21 Ultra is the phone for Samsung fans who consider themselves power users. Its screen is big, bright, bold, sharp and smooth. It’s also smart, with as many as 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity when paired with an S Pen. That means the pen input matches that of pro-grade graphic designer tablets – impressive stuff. What about the S21 Ultra’s camera? Most flagship phones sport three these days – a primary camera, an ultra-wide camera, and a zoom camera. Some phones like the Google Pixel 5 even get away with just two cameras around the back. As for the S21 Ultra, it packs no less than four rear cameras, featuring not one but two zoom cameras. Add to the Galaxy S21 Ultra mix a host of other flagship elements – Samsung’s feature-packed OneUI interface, top-tier flagship power and impressive battery life, and it isn’t a stretch calling the S21 Ultra a total package smartphone. What does the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra do? Takes crisp, high-resolution photos at up to 108MP Features a ten-times zoom lens and an ultra-wide-angle camera Captures video at up to a class-leading 8K resolution Shows off photos and videos on a glorious, large 6.8-inch screen Lasts all day with its large 5000mAh battery Supports both fast wired, and fast wireless charging Supports Samsung’s S Pen (sold separately) How much is the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra? The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra retails at £1,199 and is available off-contract at a number of retailers such as Argos, Amazon and Currys, as well as from Samsung. Skip to view the pay monthly prices Is the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra good value for money? It’s very hard to call any £1,199 smartphone good value for money per se – there’s no which way about it; the S21 Ultra is one of the priciest smartphones you can buy. Set it alongside the £1,000+ competition though – Apple’s iPhone 12 Pro Max, OPPO’s Find X3 Pro and Xiaomi’s Mi 11 Ultra, and value fast becomes relative – the S21 Ultra stacks up very well. If all you want is a great camera and flagship power, of course, there are other phones that check those boxes for less. What the S21 Ultra does, however, is cram best-in-class features across the board without gimmicks. In turn, despite its price, the S21 Ultra is indeed decent value, even though much of what makes it great – that 10 times zoom and S Pen support – are nice to have features rather than essentials. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra features Turn on the Galaxy S21 Ultra, and it’ll beam brightly and vibrantly, glamouring you with its first charm – that killer screen. On paper, the S21 Ultra’s screen checks all the right boxes. It’s AMOLED technology, for starters, which is Samsung’s special brand of OLED screen. When you see ‘AMOLED’ anywhere, you can be confident the screen’s blacks will look endless and inky, while colours jump out with punch and zing. Matched with that quality, the S21 Ultra screen is also smooth, with a 120Hz refresh rate, meaning it glides when scrolling and swiping through menus and web pages. By comparison, the iPhone 12 Pro Max’s screen caps out at 60Hz, so it's around half as smooth. The S21 Ultra’s screen is also sharp too, making it a complete package and arguably the mightiest mobile display on the market. That slick screen matches mighty performance, thanks to the Exynos 2100 power inside the S21 Ultra, so the S21 Ultra is perfectly suited to mobile gaming, especially when factoring in the expansive stereo sound that booms from the speakers. One potential blip – there’s no headphone port in sight, so you’ll need to use Bluetooth headphones or an adapter that plugs into the USB-C charging port if you want to connect your cans. With fast 5G mobile data speeds, if you’re in an area that supports 5G and it’s included in your mobile contract, you can get broadband-grade download speeds on the go on the Galaxy S21 Ultra. Practically speaking, you can download a roughly 1GB movie in under a minute, though be mindful, heavy 5G use will drain a phone’s battery faster. The smarts keep coming with the Galaxy S21 Ultra, and just like the Note 20 Ultra and Samsung’s entire flagship line, DeX is back. What’s DeX? Connect the phone to a computer monitor or a TV (via the USB-C charging port), and a Windows-style desktop experience Samsung created for the big screen is displayed – that is DeX. If you connect a keyboard and mouse via Bluetooth, you can comfortably type and edit long documents, watch movies, and even play games using a full-sized display, all powered by the Galaxy S21 Ultra. There are limitations to DeX – it won’t run advanced apps like Photoshop, for example. However, for basic web surfing or document and presentation edits, it’s more than up to the task. The S21 Ultra’s screen makes for a fantastic canvas for Samsung’s S Pen (sold separately), turning the phone into a palm-sized, high-tech notepad and sketchpad. With 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity, the harder you press on the S21 Ultra’s screen when writing or drawing with the pen, the thicker the stroke. This is the same kind of technology found in professional graphic designer tablets and as good as it gets on mobiles. The Samsung Notes app is also loaded up to get you started. It can convert your handwritten words into searchable, selectable text and syncs them with Microsoft OneNote for easy access on other devices. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra battery Battery life is another area of the Galaxy S21 Ultra that lasts all day and then some. The phone packs a huge 5000mAh battery – a much higher capacity than almost all its competitors. In turn, while Samsung’s other big-screened beauty, the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra just about makes it through a full day (with its 4500mAh battery), the S21 Ultra goes the distance with a bit of juice left in the tank, even if you stream a couple of episodes or game here and there. You can stretch out the S21 Ultra’s battery life even further thanks to its ‘Power saving’ mode. Within the phone’s settings, select ‘Battery and device care’. Here, you can get a sense of how long you have left before your phone runs out of juice, and it’s also where you activate ‘Power saving’. Turn on the feature, and the phone disables power-drains like 5G, maximum screen brightness and full-power processing, and stops apps from sapping power in the background. Fast 25W charging means the S21 Ultra can charge fully in around an hour and 10 minutes. That speed pales in comparison to phones like the OnePlus 9 Pro or the OPPO Find X3 Pro, which take just over 30 minutes to charge. However, it's better than the iPhone 12 Pro Max, which powers up to 100 per cent in nearer 90 minutes. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra camera Without a doubt, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is one of, if not the most, versatile camera phones money can buy right now. With no less than four cameras around the back and not one but two zoom cameras, it gets you a front-seat view wherever you’re sitting. The Galaxy S21 Ultra’s camera story starts with a 108MP high-resolution main camera sensor. Instantly, you’re talking about loads of pixels, which means high-detail, crisp photos. The Galaxy S21 Ultra’s main camera has some unique characteristics – punchy colours, impressively shallow depth of field (background blur), and pleasing dynamic range. That last one means even when you’re taking photos with bright spots in your scene – a backlit subject or neon lights, for example – the S21 Ultra manages to pull out an impressive amount of tonal detail. Onto the S21 Ultra’s two zoom cameras – three and ten times zoom – and the first question to answer is – why are there two zoom cameras? If the phone featured just a three times zoom, it wouldn’t be able to get you close to the action as key competitors like the Huawei Mate 40 Pro with its five times zoom. By including a huge reach, it holds onto the top zoom and makes for a handy phone in a concert or when you’re creeping on friends from a distance. That said, if the S21 Ultra only had a 10 times zoom, then the more practical zoom range of three to nine times wouldn’t look great because it would just be photos taken on the main camera cropped heavily into. By featuring both 10 times and three times zooms, Samsung covers all the key bases, and the S21 Ultra retains its camera champion status. The fourth and final snapper on the S21 Ultra’s camera bump is a 12 MP ultra-wide. Ultra-wides are the opposites of zoom cameras. Like the cameras estate agents use to get make a box room look like a suite, they often border on having a skewed fisheye look, with a similar field of view to a GoPro action camera. Also of note, the S21 Ultra is able to shoot super-close-up shots with its ultra-wide camera, giving it macro photography capabilities in line with the best out there. Day or night, photos from the S21 Ultra pop, and with a 40MP front camera, even selfies look impressive. Thanks to the phone’s massive megapixel counts, the selfie camera shoots up to 4K resolution video, and the rear camera captures future-proofed 8K content which is steady, crisp and impressive. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra design and set-up The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is a big phone, so if you can get to a phone shop before picking one up, that’d be our recommendation. Get it in your (sanitised) hands, and make sure you can work its 6.8 inches of screen comfortably. Provided it fits in your palm and pocket, you’ll have fancy, frosted glass and polished metal mobile to look forward to. Available in Phantom Black, for a more conservative finish, or an elegant Phantom Silver, both options are IP68 dust and water-resistant, so can take a splash or even a dunk in freshwater without short-circuiting. As far as apps go, the Galaxy S21 Ultra supports all the good ones, given it runs Android. Unlike Huawei phones, it also has full access to Google services, including Maps, Google Play Games, and YouTube. Thanks to Samsung’s smart software experience: OneUI 3.1, you also get that excellent S Pen integration, as well as helpful setup software. If you’ve already got a Samsung smartphone, then you can look forward to a headache-free setup process when you move your mobile life over to the Galaxy S21 Ultra, thanks to Smart Switch. This Samsung service migrates everything, from photos and videos and even your old phone’s apps and home screen layout. Samsung’s alternative to an iCloud backup, the feature makes sure anxiety around upgrading your phone fast becomes a thing of the past. Running Google’s Android 11, the phone also supports Google’s own auto-login feature, so apps like Netflix and Spotify will likely log you in automatically. There will be a few third-party apps that might require a username or password. However, these were in the minority in our experience with setting up the phone. Also handy, you can choose between Google Pay or Samsung Pay, two ways of getting using your phone as a contactless payment system, with most major cards supported between the two solutions. Our verdict: should you buy the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra? If you’re someone who wants the best Android powerhouse around – and you’re not quite ready for a foldable – then the Galaxy S21 Ultra is the obvious choice. It really is an across-the-board champion, even going toe-to-toe with the Galaxy Note with support for Samsung’s S Pen. This edges it ahead of iPhones for creatives, while the camera range makes it more versatile than the best Android phones out there. Meanwhile, wireless charging, a smart interface, and great performance leave no box unchecked. So while some phones may charge faster, cost less, or pack a rear display, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is the best gimmick-free flagship Android on the block that packs all the right punches in all the right places. Rating: Features: 5/5 Battery: 4.5/5 Camera: 5/5 Design and set-up: 4.5/5 Overall rating: 5/5 Where to buy the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is available off contract at: Argos Amazon Carphone Warehouse Currys Samsung Or on pay monthly contracts from: Available at O2 | from £42.99 a month and £30 upfront <a href="http://www.awin1.com/cread.php?id=489797&clickref=radiotimes-1184138&awinmid=10210&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.awin1.com%2Fcread.php%3Fid%3D489797%26clickref%3Dradiotimes-1184138%26awinmid%3D31423%26p%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.three.co.uk%252Fsamsung%252Fgalaxy-s21-ultra-5g%253Fcolour%253Dphantom%252520black%2526memory%253D128%2526paym%253Dtrue" target="_blank" rel="sponsored" data-id="iframe-0-anchor-33">Available at Three | from £61 a month and £49 upfront Available at Vodafone | from £48 a month and £29 upfront Available at EE | from £65 a month and £100 upfront Still choosing? Read our Samsung Galaxy S21 vs Plus vs Ultra comparison, or see how flagships score head to head in our iPhone 12 vs Samsung Galaxy S21 and OnePlus 9 vs Samsung Galaxy S21 guides.
The Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra has a huge screen, world-first camera technology, and incredibly fast charging. But is it the phone for you?
Xiaomi is a relatively new entry to UK phone shops, especially when compared to established players like Apple and Samsung. If you’re after a budget phone, you’ll be hard-pressed to find more for less than a Xiaomi-special like the Redmi Note 10 Pro, with its pin-sharp 108MP camera and bargain price. The brand does make high-end phones too, and its latest, the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra, takes things to an extreme, with not one but two screens, over 150 combined megapixels across its four cameras, as well as top-tier power and performance. Perhaps the most exciting thing about the Mi 11 Ultra is its 50MP main camera. The camera introduces a system that’s never been seen on a smartphone before and delivers a higher specification than many dedicated compact cameras. This means the Mi 11 Ultra can take photos that are loaded with depth, even in darker environments. In fact, it’s safe to call the phone a landmark device from a technology point of view – edging smartphone photography closer to DSLR photography than ever before. Where Xiaomi’s Mi 11 Ultra is less likely to succeed than its camera is its software. Past Xiaomi phones have always looked good and delivered from a performance point of view. That said, they haven’t been as polished as Galaxys and iPhones in day-to-day use. Can the Mi 11 Ultra break the Xiaomi flagship curse and deliver fantastic user experiences as well as top-tier specs? Jump to: Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra summary What is the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra? How much is the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra? Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra features Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra battery Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra camera Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra design and set-up Our verdict Where to buy Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra review: summary The ultimate phone for tech-geeks and camera enthusiasts Price: £1,199 Key features: Android 11 smartphone Ceramic design in Black or White IP68 dust and water-resistant Triple rear-camera, single selfie-camera 8K resolution video recording Five times camera zoom Top-end flagship power Large 5,000mAh battery Fast wired and wireless charging High-resolution, 120Hz smooth display Harman/Kardon tuned stereo speakers Pros: Powerful camera with excellent zoom Sharp, bright, smooth screen Class-leading fast wired and wireless charging Cons: Second-screen is a gimmick Mediocre battery life Unwieldy camera bump What is the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra? The Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra is the most suped-up smartphone around. It combines a huge screen, world-first camera technology, and incredibly fast charging. Xiaomi’s pulling no punches in taking on the best from Apple, Samsung and OPPO, but can the Mi 11 Ultra really compete with the polished iPhone 12 or the pen-toting do-it-all Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra? The Mi 11 Ultra’s specs suggest it more than competes with the competition. From its ceramic design and water-resistant body through to the power within, Xiaomi’s checking all the right boxes. It also introduces a brand new camera sensor, the likes of which have never been seen on a smartphone. With its additional size, the Ultra’s camera sensor makes certain photos shot on the phone look like they were captured on a DSLR. Far from a one-trick pony, Xiaomi adds stereo speakers to the mix, a top-tier, silky smooth display for immersive listening and watching, as well as plenty of storage space and the best Android processor on the market. What does the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra do? Plays back the best from Disney Plus and Netflix in all its HDR glory Sounds fantastic thanks to stereo speakers and Harman/Kardon tuning Weighs you down – at 234g, it’s one of the heaviest phones available Captures fantastic photos thanks to its world-first camera tech Records up to 8K resolution video for future-proofed home movies Plays back games fast and furiously with flagship power inside Feels premium thanks to its ceramic finish, despite being unwieldy Controls your TV with an infrared remote control at the top How much is the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra? The Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra retails for £1,199 in the UK. Skip to view the deals Is the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra good value for money? Based on the fact it packs every spec under the sun, the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra is indeed good value if specs are your thing. It outclasses phones like the iPhone 12 Pro with its razer sharp, silky smooth screen and betters the OnePlus 9 Pro with that fantastic zoom camera. If you think you’ll binge-watch on its massive screen for hours, capture photos day and night with its flagship camera and revel in taking selfies using its rear selfie screen, the Mi 11 Ultra will tick your boxes. After all, we can’t argue with the hardware Xiaomi crams in. Despite all the things it gets right, the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra is overkill for most. Its day-to-day experiences aren’t quite as compelling, compact or polished as simpler options like the Google Pixel 5, for example. Practically speaking, therefore, the Mi 11 Ultra is a niche phone that is made for tech enthusiasts happy to haul a beefy device around if it means they get to wield a true spec SuperPhone. Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra features There are two sides to the Mi 11 Ultra: on the one hand, it’s loaded up with flagship features everyone will enjoy – that screen, those speakers, and its camera. Then there are the specialist elements that make it ‘Ultra’, and in turn, more niche – the huge camera bump with a second display, stacks of power few will push to its limits and the mighty fast wireless charging that requires a specialist charging pad (sold separately). Starting with the basics, the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra runs Android 11, the same smartphone operating system phones made by better-known brands like Samsung and Sony. The Mi 11 Ultra has no app restrictions, making it easy enough to load up with the latest games and services, from Amazon Prime Video, through to Candy Crush and Spotify. With top-end flagship power, the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra can also play the very latest 3D games, including Genshin Impact, at maximum graphics settings. While there’s plenty of power to turbo-charge stunning 3D graphics, the phone also gets warm when gaming for long periods. Accordingly, if you’re a gamer above all else, you might want to consider the Asus ROG Phone 5, which runs significantly cooler. The degree to which the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra is a dream multimedia device can’t be overstated. Its high-resolution screen is pin-sharp, bettering the best iPhones and matching the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra’s crispness. The result is vivid, crisp episodes and movies in your palm. With AMOLED technology, it’s also fantastically vibrant, bright, and matches great looks with responsive interaction for snappy swipes and taps. If you’ve heard of Harman/Kardon, you’ll know the company makes high-quality sound solutions (and is also the brand behind JBL). What does that have to do with Xiaomi? The Mi 11 Ultra’s speakers are Harman/Kardon tuned, making for an expansive listening experience to complement that A-grade screen. Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra battery On paper, the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra shouldn’t have any issues lasting a whole day on a single battery charge, and if you’re using it moderately – WhatsApp fired up, occasional picture taking one or two bouts of gaming, or movie watching, it should go the distance. The large 5,000mAh inside the Mi 11 Ultra doesn’t quite last as long as we anticipated it would in the real world, though. This is especially true once you start ramping up demanding tasks that require the screen to stay on for long periods. There are also a few features the phone supports – super-smooth scrolling and a clock that displays on the front and rear screen even when the phone’s asleep – that we found ourselves having to turn these off in order to make it from morning to night. There are other ways to save power on the Mi 11 Ultra if you don’t fancy manually dialling back features. There are two battery saving modes in the settings within the Battery and Performance menu: Battery Saver and Ultra Battery Saver. The second option limits background processes and mobile data to deliver almost a month of battery life, albeit while turning your futuristic flagship into a glorified Nokia 3310. Snake anyone? What the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra does do is charge incredibly quickly. In fact, it’s the only phone around to power up wirelessly as fast as it does. Fast wired and wireless charging means even if it doesn’t always last a full day, topping up its tank needn’t take too long. Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra camera Given the size of the camera bump on the back of the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra, you might think it has five or six cameras – but no. Just like the much more demure iPhone 12 Pro, it sports just three rear cameras – one wide-angle (standard field of view), one ultra-wide angle (that fits more in frame), and one telephoto camera (also known as the zoom camera). At the helm of the phone’s camera squadron is a high-resolution 50MP camera. Yes, it’s has a lot of pixels, but it’s the physical sensor size that really makes the Mi 11 Ultra unique. The bigger a camera sensor, the better it’s able to capture clear photos even in dimly lit scenes. In turn, the Mi 11 Ultra’s class-leadingly big camera sensor is a boon for night time photographers. The phone also includes two 48MP cameras, one with a 5x zoom and the other with an ultra-wide field of view – not too dissimilar to a GoPro. With such high-resolution cameras, all three can shoot video at up to 8K, which is significantly sharper than the resolution most mobiles record video (Full HD or 4K). With the phone’s big sensor, it’s also a great video camera in a range of scenes, from dimly lit environments, through to bright, sunny days. And with optical image stabilisation (OIS), across two of its three cameras, very little handshake makes it through to your footage, so the Mi 11 Ultra captures beautifully steady video. Photography fans can expect to be equally impressed by the Mi 11 Ultra’s camera system as video enthusiasts. Another benefit of a camera featuring the biggest sensor on the block is DSLR-like background blur. Therefore, shots taken on Xiaomi’s new flagship deliver a richer depth than virtually any other smartphone, without the need to switch to a special mode (like Portrait Mode on an iPhone). Very impressive, and potentially reason enough to pick one up. Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra design/set-up If you’re thinking about buying the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra, you need to be okay with the idea of a huge smartphone in your hand and pocket. Not only is the phone large, heavy, and built like a shiny, fancy tank, its camera bump pretty much has its own centre of gravity, jutting out by around half a centimetre from the back of the phone and occupying the whole upper quarter of the back panel. There’s a good reason the Mi 11 has so much junk in that trunk, and it’s that second screen. Next to the triple camera is a selfie display, so you can use the main cameras to take selfies and super-wide group shots with a visual preview of what’s in the frame. It is handy, though it is also a very small display, making it little more than a guide rather than a truly useful, detail-packed viewfinder. The second screen does also display, which is a bit useful, but generally speaking, the second screen is something we could take or leave. The Mi 11 Ultra’s design is IP68 water and dust resistant, so it can handle a splash or dunk, and it does look very fancy. We love it in its Ceramic White finish, and it’s also available in Ceramic Black for a more demure aesthetic. Setting up the Mi 11 Ultra is a simple process if you’re coming from an Android phone. You can use Google’s data transfer tool, quickly importing apps, contacts, Wi-Fi passwords and more. If you want something a bit more comprehensive that handles photos and videos, you can use Xiaomi’s Mi Mover app; however, this requires an install from the Google Play Store once the initial setup is complete. Despite excellent app support and a generally sleek user interface (UI), the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra’s software experience is one of the few areas the phone feels less polished than the competition. For starters, if dark mode is activated, some button icons appear greyed out within third-party apps like Spotify. This makes it hard to see what you’re pressing and ultimately makes the interface feels half-baked. Additionally, the phone’s dark mode also inverted many of our Twitter contacts’ profile pictures, making them look like Nirvana album covers inspired avatars – not a good look. Our verdict: should you buy the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra? As incredible as the Mi 11 Ultra is at being a technological showcase piece, it doesn’t quite deliver across the board. Yes, its design feels super-premium. Yes, its camera is one of the best on any smartphone you can buy. And yes – its screen and speakers are truly sensational. That said, where the Mi 11 Ultra doesn’t quite make the cut is battery life and UI polish. Despite charging very quickly, there’s a very real danger Xiaomi’s flagship phone might not make it through a full day on a single charge. Add to that its interface niggles and that giant, oversized bod and camera bump, and while it’s a true marvel for tech fans, the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra is just a bit too niche for the masses after reliable, solid performance in the areas that matter the most. Rating: Features: 5/5 Battery: 3/5 Camera: 5/5 Design and set-up: 3/5 Overall rating: 4/5 Where to buy the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra Available from Vodafone | From £67 a month and £49 upfront Deciding between some of the best models on the market? Read our iPhone 12 Pro review to compare.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is packed full of features, but can you justify the cost?
Once upon a time, in a land before iPhones, almost all smartphones came with pens and ran an operating system called Windows Mobile. Almost two decades on, and there’s just one pen-toting high-end mobile standing – the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra combines the brand’s signature S Pen, with a huge, sharp, smooth, and immersive screen, lux styling (especially in its Mystic Bronze finish), and no less than 108 megapixels (MP) of camera resolution around the back. Without a doubt, the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra could be the do-it-all smartphone. It’s a looker, is loaded up with power, and has an incredibly clever S Pen. Of course, the S Pen is designed for convenient note-taking and doodling, but it can also convert your handwritten scrawl into selectable text. With Bluetooth connectivity, the pen even lets you remotely control your camera when a few metres away with hand waves and gestures – expelliarmus! Absolutely standout stuff from Samsung. At an eye-watering £1,179, though, it’ll take a lot more than party tricks for the Note 20 Ultra to doodle its way into your heart. On top of its high price, the new Galaxy S21 Ultra is now available, which betters the Note 20 Ultra’s camera and power, and supports the S Pen (though it doesn’t come with a pen in the box). What’s more, there’s plenty of affordable competition from the likes of Google, OnePlus and Xiaomi, so justifying the Ultra’s high price is no easy decision. To read more on Samsung devices, try our Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra review and Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 review. Or head to our list of Samsung Galaxy phones with prices to see all your options. Jump to: Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra summary What is the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra? How much is the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra? Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra features Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra battery Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra camera Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra design and set-up Our verdict Where to buy Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra review: summary Price: £1,179 Key features: Clever S Pen with 4,096 levels of pressure recognition Huge 6.9-inch screen with high-resolution and smooth visuals Fantastic camera with an excellent zoom Up to 8K resolution video recording and 4K selfie video IP68 dust and water-resistant Mighty Octa-core power and 5G mobile data speeds Fast wired and wireless charging Available in Mystic Black, Mystic Bronze and Mystic White Pros: Gorgeous, expansive screen Fully-featured pen integration Exceptionally premium design Impressive camera system Cons Can get very warm with heavy use Very expensive Adequate, not exceptional battery life The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is available on all major networks and mobile retailers and can be bought off-contract at Samsung. What is the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra? The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is the ultimate oversized smartphone, combining a huge screen, stacks of power, plenty of party tricks and an impressive camera system. If you want it, there’s a good chance the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra has it, but like all good things, it comes at a price – or two prices. The first is the actual price; the phone costs an eye-watering £1,179, making it one of the most expensive Android phones you can buy. The second is its size. With a large 6.9-inch screen, the Note 20 Ultra certainly makes its presence felt, whether in a palm or a pocket. In turn, for anyone on a budget or in need of a compact option, we would recommend saving your pennies unless you absolutely need a smartphone with a pen. That said, if you live by the mantras like bigger is better, go big or go home, and every smartphone should stow a shiny pen in its base, then the Note 20 Ultra could just be your dream phone. What does the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra do? Takes crisp, high-resolution photos at up to 108MP Features a five-times zoom lens, and an ultra-wide angle camera Captures video at up to a class-leading 8K resolution Showcases one of the largest screens on any smartphone at 6.9 inches Supports both fast wired, and fast wireless charging Includes an S Pen, which is stored in a cavity at the base of the phone Integrates smart note-taking features for a best-in-class pen experience How much is Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra? The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra costs £1,179 and is available at Samsung and Amazon, in addition to all major phone networks, if you're looking for a pay monthly contract. Skip to the deals Is Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra good value for money? The fact no other phone does what the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra can help to justify its high price tag. After all, it combines an across-the-board top-end smartphone experience with the best pen input available on any mobile. That said, calling any £1,000+ phone good value for money is a stretch. The Note 20 Ultra may be the best, but it isn't the only smartphone around with pen support. Consider its predecessor – the Note 10 Plus, which can be had for significantly less, provided its inferior camera and design don't put you off. Then there's the Ultra's less premium sibling, the Galaxy Note 20, which swaps glass for plastic and shaves a few hundred pounds off the price. What constitutes good value for money is always relative, but one thing is for sure: the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is a quality product that’s the best of its kind. Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra features There’s a lot more to the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra than its S Pen. Switch the phone on, and its screen shines brightly – all 6.9 inches of it. That size makes it the biggest-screened mainstream smartphone you can buy. Luckily, Samsung is well known for its display quality, and the Note 20 Ultra doesn’t disappoint. It features a sharp, smooth Dynamic AMOLED screen. This Samsung technology ensures blacks look deep and inky, colours pop vibrantly, and with HDR10+ support, visuals look rich when watching compatible HDR shows on Disney Plus and Netflix. The Note 20 Ultra’s screen also makes for a fantastic canvas for that S Pen. Unpop the spring-loaded tool from the bottom left of the phone, pull it out of its cavity, and you have yourself a palm-sized, high-tech notepad and sketchpad. With 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity, the harder you press on the Note’s screen when writing or drawing with the pen, the thicker the stroke. This is the same kind of technology found in professional graphic designer tablets. With mightily capable illustration software available through the Google Play Store, it isn’t a stretch calling the Note 20 Ultra an artist’s tool. The Samsung Notes app is also loaded up to get you started. It can convert your handwritten words into searchable, selectable text and syncs with Microsoft OneNote, so you can access them on other devices. It may sound like overkill loading up the Note 20 Ultra’s pen with Bluetooth connectivity, and it is a little, but it’s also fun and handy in specific situations. When you’re listening to music, for example, you can play, pause and skip tracks with S Pen button presses and gestures in mid-air. The S Pen is also super helpful when taking group photos. You can position the phone on a surface (or on a mobile tripod if you’re fancy like that) and use the pen as a shutter release, even when you’re a few meters away. Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra battery The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra doesn’t have the biggest smartphone battery around, which is a bit of a concern when you factor in just how much power and screen it sports – the two biggest factors when it comes to battery drain. That said, if you’re smart about how you use it, the phone should comfortably make it through a full day. Within the phone’s settings, there’s an option called ‘Battery and device care’. In addition to showcasing handy information, like how much storage you’ve used up and whether or not you’ve activated ‘Device protection’, which guards against digital nasties, there are a number of battery options here. To get a sense of how much smartphone time you have left, the Note 20 Ultra’s battery menu can give you an estimate based on how you use your phone. Want to activate power-saving mode? The ‘Battery and device care menu is the place to do it. Turn on the feature, and the phone disables power-drains like 5G, maximum screen brightness and full-power processing. In the real world, we found that when we hammered the Note 20 Ultra with streaming videos, gaming, and video calls, we struggled to make it through a whole day. Most days, when using the phone more typically – an hour of music playback, tracking workouts, WhatsApps and occasional calls – we got by from morning to night on a single charge without any issues. While the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra isn’t the fastest charging phone around, it still outperforms an iPhone, powering up fully in around 70 minutes. It can also charge wirelessly in roughly two hours, and if you feel like sharing your precious power, reverse wireless charging turns the phone into a wireless charger, so you can power up your friend’s phone (or your own wireless charging accessories). Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra camera High-resolution cameras and lots of them; the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra pulls no punches in its efforts to out-snap the competition. Spearheaded by a 108MP main camera, the phone captures crisp photos loaded up with detail. Unlike most mobile cameras, the Note’s photos also deliver soft-focus, blurred depth when capturing close-up objects, adding an artistic flourish – and that’s before you switch ‘Portrait mode’ on. If you want to get a bit closer to the action, the Note 20 Ultra sports a mighty zoom range of roughly five times. While this doesn’t quite beat the Galaxy S21 Ultra, it’s amongst the best you can get, and the phone’s 12MP ultra-wide camera is also a welcome addition for GoPro-like fisheye style shots. As a package, the Note 20 Ultra is an incredibly versatile solution for photographers or casual snappers, with quality guaranteed. It also performs well in low-light scenarios, automatically activating the phone’s night mode and brightening up photos in the process. Samsung touts the Note 20 Ultra as more than just a stills camera, though, with its ability to shoot video at up to 8K resolution. It even shoots video in full-manual mode, so you can control everything from shutter speed to manual focus, connect an external microphone, and so much more. The Note 20 Ultra also includes one of the most fully-featured selfie cameras around. Firstly, it includes autofocus, so whether you’re right up close to it or at arm’s length, you will look sharp. Believe it or not, while it might sound like a given, it’s something most smartphone front cameras like the Google Pixel 5 and iPhone 12 Pro miss out on. The Ultra’s front camera also captures video at up to 4K resolution, while the competition tends to climb up to just Full HD – roughly half the sharpness. Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra design and set-up Before you come to set the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra up, you might take a moment to appreciate the majesty of its design. Between its size and magnificent finish – the matte, frosted glass back elegantly curves into the high-polish metal frame, which leads into the all-encompassing curved glass screen – it really is standout. Despite its size, the phone is elegant, and in Mystic Bronze, it feels head and shoulders above much of the competition from a style point of view. Luckily, it’s also loaded up with substance, thanks to Samsung’s smart software experience: OneUI 3.1, which is matched with Android for fantastic app support. If you’ve already got a Samsung smartphone, then you can look forward to a headache-free setup process when you move your mobile life over to the Note 20 Ultra, thanks to Smart Switch. This Samsung service migrates everything, from photos and videos and even your old phone’s apps and home screen layout. Samsung's alternative to an iCloud backup, the feature makes sure anxiety around upgrading your phone fast becomes a thing of the past. Running Google’s Android 11, the phone also supports Google’s own auto-login feature, so apps like Netflix and Spotify will likely log you in automatically. There will be a few third-party apps that might require a username or password. However, these were in the minority in our experience with setting up the phone. Our verdict: should you buy Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra? For visual thinkers, there’s nothing quite like putting pen to paper, and that’s the itch the Note 20 Ultra scratches. With its fantastic S Pen, matched with the wonderfully optimised suite of apps and experiences Samsung loads up, the phone really is a doodler and note-taker’s dream. Samsung doesn’t stop at pen wizardry on its Note 20 Ultra. Combining premium design with a mighty camera system, ample power for smooth performance, and a mesmerising screen, there’s very little we would hold against the fine-looking flagship. At £1,179, the Note 20 Ultra 5G needs to be perfect, and it falls slightly short of that mark, mainly owing to its adequate, not exceptional battery life. Also, the phone can get hot when gaming, which can make for an uncomfortable experience. Those two points aside, if you want the best pen on a smartphone and aren’t put off by the high price, very little else comes close to the Note 20 Ultra. Rating: Features: 5/5 Battery: 4/5 Camera: 4.5/5 Design and set-up: 5/5 Overall rating: 4.5/5 Where to buy the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is available at a number of providers, either sim-free or on a pay monthly contract. Available at Amazon Available at Samsung Available at Vodafone | from £63 a month and £29 upfront Available at EE | from £69 a month and £100 upfront Available at O2 | from £54.92 a month and £30 upfront (includes free Disney+ subscription for three months) Available at Carphone Warehouse | from £51.99 a month and £99.99 upfront Head to the Technology section for more reviews, product guides and the latest news.
We put Google's flagship phone to the test, but how does it compare to the competition?
Google probably wants you to think of the Pixel 5 as the safe bet Android phone. After all, choosing a new Android phone can be a lot more complicated than upgrading an iPhone. There are thousands available for starters, and Android phones are made by hundreds of different manufacturers. Thankfully, Google keeps things simple with the Pixel 5. It isn’t too pricey, nor is it too big, and with fun styling matched with the Pixel line’s critically acclaimed camera system, it should tick most boxes. Reality is seldom so simple, though. The Pixel 5 costs £599. While that isn’t Apple iPhone 12 Pro or Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra expensive (both £1,000+), the Pixel 5 definitely isn’t a budget phone. Take a peek under the hood, though, and it's powered by a modest processor – a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G. You can pick up phones with matching power for less than half that price – so what’s going on? Google has squeezed a number of seriously premium flagship features in the Pixel 5, perfect if you don't need gaming phone power but want some everyday flourishes. It features wireless charging, for example, not to mention IP68 dust and water resistance, so it can handle a splash or quick dunk, as well as a gorgeous, silky smooth, high-refresh-rate AMOLED screen. The question is, does the Pixel 5 strike the right balance between performance and flagship perks to justify its price, or has Google missed the mark? With the Google Pixel 6 release date confirmed, read our initial thoughts of the new series in our Google Pixel 6 Pro hands-on. Jump to: Google Pixel 5 review: summary What is the Google Pixel 5 How much is the Google Pixel 5? Google Pixel 5 features Google Pixel 5 battery Google Pixel 5 camera Google Pixel 5 design and set-up Our verdict Where to buy Google Pixel 5 review: summary A fuss-free Android phone with 5G and a fantastic camera. Price: £599 Key features: Dust and water resistance Available in two colours: Just Black and Sorta Sage 5G mobile data speeds 12MP main camera matched with an ultra-wide camera 4K video capture Fast wired charging Supports wireless charging Pros: Slender, light, and compact Reliable camera Simple interface Cons: Low power-to-price ratio No zoom camera No memory card slot What is the Google Pixel 5? The Google Pixel 5 is Google’s most premium Android phone, released in 2020. It combines a mix of high-end features, including water resistance for splash and spill-proofing, wireless charging and a smooth, high-refresh-rate screen, with mid-range power. While it won’t be the obvious choice for gamers, therefore, its highlights shine in everyday use, whether you’re swiping through Google’s Android 11 interface, watching Netflix, or taking photos on its fantastic 12MP camera. With fast 5G mobile data speeds, it’s also future-proofed from a network point of view, and at £599, the Pixel 5 undercuts flagship competition from Apple and Samsung even if it can't match other high-end phones when it comes to power. What does the Google Pixel 5 do? Showcases a punchy 6-inch screen with 90Hz smoothness. Matches a great display with good, not great sound for its size. Delivers a reliable photography experience, day or night. Shoots high-resolution, steady 4K video. Falls behind similarly priced competition when it comes to power. Charges quickly and conveniently thanks to fast wired and wireless charging. How much is the Google Pixel 5? The Google Pixel 5 retails for £599. Skip to view more deals Is Google Pixel 5 good value for money? Depending on who you are, the Google Pixel 5 is either great value or terrible value. Casual smartphone users who love to take photos, stream a few episodes of Netflix’s series du jour, and WhatsApp and Facebook message friends will love the charming little Pixel 5. It’s compact and slender, has a soft, curvy finish compared with the rigid glass and metal slab-like competition, and in its Sorta Sage colour, looks very fun. Fans of more stoic design can also enjoy it in Just Black. The Pixel 5 is also a pleasure to tap and swipe through. Its screen is both punchy and deep thanks to its premium AMOLED technology, and it’s smooth, with a silky 90Hz refresh rate, so menus and Instagram and Twitter feeds glide. If all that sounds like a winning combo to you, there’s a good chance the Pixel 5 will give you all the smartphone you need. What the Pixel 5 isn’t, however, is a great gaming phone. Sure, it can handle casual 2D and 3D games – Candy Crush, anyone? But its processor, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G, falls behind the similarly priced competition from Apple, OnePlus and Samsung when it comes to power. We didn’t find the Pixel 5 slowed down in day-to-day use, and there’s a good chance you won’t notice any performance limitations in your time with the phone. That said, for button basher gamers in need of maximum frames per second and minimum latency, the Pixel 5 won’t cut the mustard. Google Pixel 5 features The Pixel 5 is one of the smallest, slimmest high-end Android phones you can buy, and while it’s disarmingly playful (who names a phone colour ‘Sorta Sage’? Google, that’s who), it’s also pointedly practical. While the Pixel 5 misses out on the gaming power many don’t need, it crams in IP68 dust and water resistance. More than just splash-proof, the Google phone can actually survive a dive; whether it accidentally makes its way into a pint or a bathtub, it should live to play another day. Also mightily practical is the phone’s wireless charging. Combining faster wireless charging than older Pixels with nippy plugged-in charging, Google’s £599 smartphone puts Apple’s £1,000+ iPhones to shame, powering up in a fraction of the time. The Pixel 5 also keeps you connected over WiFi and fast 5G. That means whether you’re at home or out and about, you should get broadband speed mobile internet if you’ve got a 5G mobile plan. The phone’s software is also very clever, with our favourite feature being the voice recorder. Really - the voice recorder? Yes, really. Going that extra mile, the Pixel 5 records audio, transcribes it (incredibly well), and indexes your transcribed audio, so you can search the transcription and audio recording in tandem – incredibly handy for journalists and students alike. Google Pixel 5 battery With one of the smallest batteries of any phone around, you’d be forgiven for thinking that, on paper, the Pixel 5 doesn’t stack up well when it comes to power management. That said, what the Pixel 5 misses out on is a gargantuan screen and a behemoth of a processor – two power-hungry elements most flagships pack. The result is a phone that lasts for a full day on a single charge without any issues. Smarter than your average smartphone, the Pixel 5 features some clever Google tech called Adaptive Battery. This feature helps the phone get to know how you use it and optimises power consumption accordingly, so you don’t need to worry about forcing close background apps manually. For those times when you’re away from a charger for an extended period, there’s also a Battery Saver feature, which turns off location services and prevents apps from draining power when not in use. Anyone intent on eking out the last ounce of power from the Pixel, Extreme Battery Saver is the ultimate evolution of the phone's power management. This can be activated manually or set to fire up when the Pixel’s battery has a specific amount left. Limiting apps and connectivity to within an inch of their functionality, while we wouldn’t suggest living with Extreme Battery Saver on, it can get you through a long weekend on a single charge if the need arises, which is impressive for a modern-day smartphone. Google Pixel 5 camera The Google Pixel line of smartphones has become best known for excellent photo-taking capabilities, day or night, and the Pixel 5 keeps the photography torch burning bright. Unlike some triple or quad-camera smartphones, Google loads up the Pixel 5 with only two cameras around the back: a primary camera and an ultra-wide-angle alternative (which gets more in-frame, kind of like a GoPro action cam). The main camera is where the magic mainly happens, with its superior performance even in challenging scenes, but having two viewpoints is handy. With a humble 12MP resolution, the Pixel 5’s main camera doesn’t sound like anything special on paper – phones like the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and Xiaomi’s Mi 11 feature 108MP cameras! It isn’t all about hardware, though. Google’s Pixel software works magic with that 12MP. Why is Google such an imaging pro? Because Google Images is part of the world's largest search engine and processes over a billion images every day. This understanding of what makes a searched-for and clicked-on image feeds into Google’s genius Pixel photo processing and turns almost every photo taken on the Pixel 5 into a well-balanced, Instagram-ready snap. While the Pixel 5 isn’t a 108MP behemoth, the hardware isn’t bad per se. Its 12MP sensor is matched with optical image stabilisation (OIS), so compensates for handshake. There’s also a wide-open f/1.7 aperture, so the lens lets plenty of light in. Google’s camera interface is a fine balance of simple and effective, with limited manual controls and reliable automatic modes. It even features an astrophotography feature, so if you’re shooting on a clear night and have somewhere to prop it up, the Pixel 5 can capture a four-minute exposure photo and reveal a world in the sky invisible to the human eye. With 4K video recording, Google’s phone also records high-resolution footage loaded up with detail, and no less than four different types of video stabilisation make sure your home movies look smooth. Rounding off with a mighty selfie camera that takes beautifully balanced photos, as a camera phone, the Pixel 5 nails it. Pixel 5 design and set-up When you pick up the Pixel 5, you might think – hmm… is this plastic? That’s exactly what we thought. Then we tapped it, scratched it with our fingernail, and were none the wiser. That's because the Pixel 5 is made of a marriage of materials. Its frame is metal, which is why it has a reassuringly solid build to it. The phone’s front is glass, which curves elegantly into the curvy sides and corners. As for the confusing back, it’s actually a matte resin laid atop the Pixel’s metal body, so it doesn’t have the starkness of glass or metal, nor the scratchability of plastic. While we didn’t love it at first, we grew to appreciate its playful, inviting softness – something missing from most high-end phones. In the centre of the phone’s back is a fingerprint scanner, so you can securely unlock the Pixel 5 with a fingertip, while at the base is a USB-C port, which is used for data transfer, wired charging and headphone-plugging (with a converter, sold separately). Power up the Pixel 5, and the phone runs Android 11, the very latest version of Google’s mobile operating system (OS). Given the phone and OS are made by Google, there’s a cohesiveness to the Pixel 5 experience missing from most Android mobiles. It runs Google apps flawlessly, always sports the latest security updates, so it should be amongst the safest of phones for anyone worried about smartphone viruses, and it also has excellent app support, unlike some Android phones like the otherwise stellar Huawei Mate 40 Pro. Our verdict: should you buy the Google Pixel 5? The Google Pixel 5 is a perfect phone for anybody in need of a compact Android with more brains than brawn. It definitely won’t satiate gamers after full-throttle 3D action, and you can get better value elsewhere, but if you can justify stumping up the £599 asking price or find a great deal on it, there's a good chance you'll be perfectly happy pulling a Pixel 5 out of your bag or pocket. Thanks to an exceptionally reliable camera, the Pixel 5 is a fuss-free point and shoot snapper, capable in all but the darkest conditions. And its video camera does a fine job of grabbing 4K footage too. With a playful design, we love the Pixel 5 in its Sorta Sage colour. The phone's soft, rounded edges and disarming finish may not scream premium, but it's very comfortable to use and sits well in the hand and pocket. More than just a charmer, the Pixel 5 combines smart software, a quick-to-unlock fingerprint scanner, and a high-quality, smooth display. Ultimately, Google strikes a wonderful balance in the Pixel 5, making it a handsome, clever smartphone with plenty of mass appeal. Rating: Features: 4/5 Battery: 4/5 Camera: 4.5/5 Design and set-up: 4/5 Overall rating: 4/5 Where to buy Google Pixel 5 The Google Pixel 5 is available from a number of retailers: Argos Amazon Available at Vodafone | from £22 per month and £29 upfront (36-month contract) Available at Carphone Warehouse | from £25.99 per month and £9.99 upfront Available at EE | from £41 per month, £0 upfront undefined Interested in comparing the Pixel 5 to its predecessor? Check out our Google Pixel 4a 5G review. Still not sure which Pixel to buy? Read our full Google Pixel 5 vs 4a 5G vs 4a comparison guide.