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The best smartphones of 2016 are generally huge. The 5.5in screen size of phones such as the Apple iPhone 7 Plus or the OnePlus 3 are becoming the norm, where just a few years ago, we thought the 3.5in iPhone 4 was huge. Times change, but Sony has been keeping happy those of us who prefer a smartphone to be small and usable with one hand; compact. The Sony Xperia X Compact is the latest of the company’s sub-5in handsets, but its sits in a confusing line up of devices. Alongside it are the Xperia XZ, Xperia X and Xperia XA. Those phones are, respectively, high-end, upper mid-range and lower mid-range. So where does the Xperia X Compact fit in? We break down why the world needs an Xperia X…

While the Huawei Nova Plus is the bigger brother to the Huawei Nova (page 46) and the two share the same premium design philosophy, there are subtle differences between the two devices – unlike with previous Huawei phones like the Huawei P9 and P9 Plus, which are near-on identical. While the Nova Plus sports curved 2.5D glass, small bezels and metal curved unibody like its smaller sibling, it features an entirely different rear design. It has a P9-esque black segment housing the camera along the top of the rear, while the Nova Plus features an all-metal rear with a protruding camera in the centre and a fingerprint scanner underneath, reminiscent of Samsung’s Galaxy S6 and Huawei’s Mate 8. The phone has a 5.5in display, although you wouldn’t be able to…

With the fiasco surrounding the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 and its exploding battery still in the news, many will be wondering whether their phone is safe. While it’s not the only model to have exploded (iPhones, BlackBerrys and other devices have done the same), we’ve not seen something on this scale before. Why batteries explode or catch fire That’s a tricky question to answer in a neat way because there are a few reasons why a phone battery might go wrong. Sometimes it’s very much an isolated incident while others, like the Note 7, have a fundamental flaw. There are two main causes of Lithium-ion batteries going wrong and the first is when one gets wounded – and by that we mean a break, piercing or similar. This could be…

Google has pulled the covers off its newest smartphone creations: the Pixel and the Pixel XL. The new devices mark a departure from the Nexus line that has served the company well for so long, bringing high-end specifications and prices to match. Price With its new Pixel phones, Google has decided to move up to the premium end of the market, both in terms of specifications and pricing, where it will compete with other flagship models, including the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge and the iPhone 7. Two versions of the Pixel XL are available: a 32GB version, priced at £719; and a more capacious 128GB iteration that will set you back a whopping £819. That’s a big difference from last year’s Nexus 6P, which cost £449 for the 32GB version.…

There might be a wave of new phones with dual-cameras, but Kodak has created a phone tailored specially for photographers which harks back to a camera from 70 years ago. Price The Ektra will launch first in Europe and the UK in December, Kodak told us at the launch event in central London. Other markets may follow but we’ll have to wait and see during early 2017 we imagine. Camera equipment can be seriously expensive but the Kodak Ektra price is priced at £449. That’s a lot cheaper than smartphones such as the iPhone 7 Plus and Google Pixel XL. They are both sold with a large emphasis on the camera and cost £719. Design Some of you will have already noted that this new smartphone shares its name with…

Phones get faster every year, but the more powerful they become the less their batteries can keep everything going. And, of course, all batteries will degrade over time. If you need extra battery power for your smartphone, tablet or other USB-powered device, you need a power bank. You might assume all power banks are much the same thing, but you would be wrong. You can get compact power banks that will charge your phone once, slightly larger portable chargers that might offer two or three charges, or high-capacity banks that can charge your phone in excess of 10 times! Working out how many times a power bank will charge your phone depends on more than the mAh rating on the packaging. No power bank is 100 percent energy-efficient, with every…

Google Assistant is the new way to interact with Google and is in essence a souped-up version of Google Now. It’s the same search engine and knowledge graph underneath but with a new interface which is like a message thread. For the time being its exclusive to Google’s new Pixel phones but will be available for Android in the form of an app in the future. One of the main ideas behind having a conversational style of interaction is not so you can simply enjoy chatting to Google, but the importance of context. For example, if you’re talking to someone about a possible gig and want to go for some food beforehand it will know that the two relate to each other and give you helpful information like how far…

The Xperia XZ is Sony’s latest flagship smartphone and comes with impressive tech, especially in the camera department. Design The phone has a 5.2in display and a metal body that is noticeably curvier than previous Xperia smartphones, making it more comfortable to hold. Although you can definitely see lines where materials meet (the small strip at the bottom on the rear seems unnecessary), the phone feels nicer in the hand compared to last year’s Xperia Z5. It’s a shame to see that hasn’t cut down on the bezels, so the XZ is big for a phone with a 5.2in screen. It’s mainly at the top and bottom where there’s a lot of empty space, although we appreciate it offers front-facing stereo speakers. The rear of the Xperia XZ is made…

Huawei has gone from strength to strength in the UK, with recent releases, including the flagship Huawei P9, proving popular – but it isn’t done yet. Here we look at its latest offering: the Nova. Design Sporting 2.5D glass and a curvy body this doesn’t look or feel like a mid-range smartphone. The display meets the aluminium unibody perfectly, providing users with a seamless design that allows for smooth swipes from the edge. This isn’t a large phone, measuring 141.2x69.1x7.1mm and weighing 146g. It has incredibly thin bezels and since it doesn’t have any physical buttons, the display takes up a larger portion of the front. The Nova’s brushed metal finish on the side and sandblasted rear feels great in the hand. On the back users will find a circular…

Amazon’s Echo has only just gone on sale in the UK, but Google’s Home may not be far behind. On the surface they are pretty similar: both sit there listening for your command and can give you a news and weather briefing, manage your to-do list, turn your lights on and off, and play music, radio and podcasts. We compare the two. Price In the UK, you can buy the Echo for £149 from Amazon, though we don’t yet have a confirmed price for the Home. We’d be surprised, given the current trend for new products to cost the same in $ and £, if Google doesn’t sell the Home for £129 inc VAT (don’t forget US prices don’t include tax). Amazon also offers other options, such as the Echo…

Long gone are the days when you can fob off a child with your second-hand phone. These days they know more about tech than most adults, and they want the best of the best just as you do. But if they don’t drop it and smash it they’ll likely leave it at school and lose it, and you don’t want to end up out of pocket. Here we round up what we think are some of the best phones for kids, those that blend value with ease of use, strong build and, importantly, enough power to play the latest games and watch YouTube. Price How much you spend on a phone for your child is really up to you. While we wouldn’t advise paying flagship prices on the very best…

When you live and work in a big city, it’s easy to forget that not everyone in the UK enjoys great mobile coverage. Depending on your mobile provider, some rural areas have little to no coverage at all, so what can you do if you have poor mobile reception at home? Here we outline your options. Alternatives to a mobile network for calls and texts Before we get to signal boosters, which is probably what you were expecting to find, let’s talk about alternatives because these are your real options. Most UK households have fast enough broadband for Wi-Fi calling. There’s really no difference between Skype and what most mobile operators call Wi-Fi calling. It’s simply a phone call which uses the internet instead of the mobile phone network. You…