Author: Leigh Geary

OnePlus 8T – Review

Sit this next to the OnePlus 8 Pro and you’ll notice some obvious differences. First, the screen is a nudge smaller – the 6.78″ AMOLED rounded-edge unit on the Pro (3168 x 1440 pixels @ 513 ppi and 19.8:9) has been switched for a 6.55″ AMOLED flat screen …

SanDisk 256GB microSD card. Proper cheap.

As part of the Amazon sales, this SanDisk microSD card has been dropped down in price to an incredibly low £49.99. It’ll give any smartphone (with a microSD card slot) a colossal boost in capacity, and should mean that you don’t need to worry about filling up your …

The 5G-packing iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro Range announced.

Two years after UK 5G sites started to go live, Apple have finally announced their 5G iPhones. They’re all called the iPhone 12, but there’s a few different models to look at. You can watch the lengthy launch, but we’ve got all the important bits here. It’s safe …

blurams Outdoor Pro Security Camera – Review and HUGE discount!

Alright people, this is the blurams Outdoor Pro. It’s more than just a security camera. This is a web-accessible, app-accessible camera with deterrent alarm, two-way audio, excellent night vision (believe me!) and facial recognition. Wait, facial recognition? Yes indeed. When you take this one out of the box …

NHS COVID-19 App updated. Ghost message workaround issued.

A few weeks ago I received a pop-up message on the NHS COVID-19 app saying that I’d been “exposed” to COVID-19. However, if you click on the message it simply vanishes… It seemed to relate to me switching Bluetooth on and off, but for many people they were …

Another real-world 5G test

My son and I headed to Wembley a year ago and, while I was in the area, I decided to check out the new 5G connection that had popped up on my phone. Getting 5G back then was a hit-and-miss affair, and it was really only to be …

Samsung Galaxy A42 5G Unveiled

Available here in the UK on November 6th for a mere £349, this is the new Galaxy A42 5G. It’s got 4GB of RAM, 128GB of on-board storage (plus more via the microSD slot), a fast-charging (15W) 5,000 mAh battery and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 750 5G 2.2GHz CPU. …

Watch the OnePlus 8T Launch Live.

The OnePlus 8T then. We know it’s got a shiny rear-end, we know it has a 120Hz flat screen which has earned an A+ overall rating from DisplayMate and we know it looks like this… On Wednesday you’ll be able to watch the phone getting unveiled.. https://twitter.com/oneplus/status/1314487193977544704?s=20 To …

TaoTronics SoundLiberty 92 Wireless Stereo Earbuds – Review

Wireless headphones can cost quite a bit of cash. Indeed, if you go with the top-end Apple Airpods then you’ll easily be forking out three-figure sums for your music. These, though, are £29.99 and, in all fairness, I wasn’t expecting a great deal from them. TaoTronics, however, seem …

Noiiiice cheap deal on the Moto G 5G Plus

Head to the Motorola website right now and you’ll find yourself paying nearly £280 for this, the Moto G 5G Plus. However, we can get it cheaper for you. Featuring Android 10 you get 4GB RAM, 64GB storage plus a microSD slot. It’s powered by a Snapdragon 765 …

Honor 20e Review – This is a whole lot different

We’ve looked at a number of Honor devices lately. The Honor 9X and the Honor 9A– both very good phones considering how cheap they are. However, those phones lack the Google Services. So no Google Play. No Google Maps, YouTube, Gmail and so on. This is because the …

The hidden Vodafone SIM-only deals you need to know about

I’ve spent a couple of hours looking for a new SIM-only deal. I had one requirement – it had to be with Vodafone or one of the virtual networks (like Voxi) running on the Vodafone masts. This is because, in the areas I’ll be needing it, Vodafone is …

VPNs Come of age – Why you need to consider getting one

Gone are the days when a “VPN” used to be something that only tech-savvy people would know about and want. Now you’ll find that VPNs are advertised on TV. A “VPN” stands for “Virtual Private Network”. Sat in a cafe, connected to the free WiFi, you can never …

MP Magic Socks – Review

Every winter we have the same problem. It gets cold, we crank the heating up and put crazy thick slippers or socks on. Thick socks seem like a good idea, and do tend to keep your feet warm, but due to their thickness there’s always a problem getting …

A cheap miniature smartphone

Remember how I used the Unihertz Atom as a bike computer? It worked because it was, like the Jelly Pro before it, tiny. The idea of a small smartphone does sound kinda cool, but when you use it in anger the reality quickly hits you over the head. …

Call internationally from just £5 per month with Three

Last year I was in Malta. Whilst in the sunshine I called home, safe in the knowledge that I was in an EU country and I was calling another EU country. The cost was included in my plan and there were no big bill shocks. However, when you …

Cowboy adds crash detection to e-bikes

I’ve fallen off my bike quite a few times over the years. If there’s one thing I’d recommend, it’s a helmet. Never mind what you look like, put a bloody helmet on.. you helmet. If you’re on a Cowboy e-bike, then you can try the industry’s first software …

VOXI Deal – 12GB for just £10 per month

OK, I pinched this one from HotUKDeals but it doesn’t make it any less of a deal. Right now, on the Vodafone-owned VOXI network, you can get a massive 12GB of monthly data for a mere £10 per month. Boom! It’s a one month rolling contract, so you …

Nokia 8.3 5G now on giffgaff

The Nokia 8.3 5G, which we covered here, is now available to buy on giffgaff. Now, as giffgaff split the cost of the handset and the plan (or “Goodybag”), you can get the phone for £499 if you want to buy it outright, or you can pay for ut …

Oppo price drops for Prime Day

If you’ve got Amazon Prime, there’s no doubt that you’ll be getting ready for Amazon Prime Day, which .. ermm… is actually on two days (October 13th and 14th). This year, Oppo have reduced prices on a range of their phones, and the deals are as follows… First, …

Realme 7 and Realme 7 Pro now up for pre-order. Incredibly cheap too

As part of BBK Electronics, Realme was actually founded a couple of years ago by a former vice president of Oppo. However, under the BBK Electronics umbrella, they’re certainly in good company – the company also has the Oppo, OnePlus and Vivo brands too. Now, a couple of …

NHS Workers continue to get unlimited data with EE

As someone who’s in hospital for a few months, I can certainly attest to the hard work and dedication of the NHS staff. It isn’t just a job. I’ve seen doctors, nurses, HCA’s and everybody in-between caring, sharing, helping and listening. They work harder and longer than anyone …

Grab video from across the web – SnapDownloader

Here at Coolsmartphone we’ve previously taken a look at ways to archive and grab YouTube videos to your phone. There’s various online options out there, but for the most part they’re covered in pop-up ads, malware and lots of scary-looking downloads that can easily confuse most users. If …

Camera Go comes to the Nokia 1.3

The lower-end Android devices tend to run Android Go. It’s a speedy version of the OS which is built for smartphones with less memory (2GB or below). A range of nimble apps like Gallery Go, Google Go, YouTube Go, Maps Go and so on – they’re built to …

Oppo Reno4 Pro now available with Virgin Media

Currently sitting on the EE network (but soon to switch across to Vodafone masts), Virgin Media are going great guns at the moment. They’re now offering the Oppo Reno4 Pro from just £28 a month. Not only that, but you get a free pair of B&O H4 Headphones …

Samsung slips out the Galaxy M11

Samsung isn’t afraid to get involved in the entry-level arena either, and for just £149 this is the new Galaxy M11 handset. In terms of specifications you’re looking at a 6.4″ 720X1560 HD+ TFT Infinity-O Display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 octa-core (1.8GHz) CPU and a 5000mAh battery with …

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE now available on Vodafone and VOXI

Get either the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G or Samsung Galaxy S20 FE from VOXI or Vodafone before October 28th and you can grab either a three-month Gamepass Ultimate pass and MOGA XP5-X+ Game Controller or a Samsung Galaxy Fit2. You can pick up the Samsung Galaxy S20 …

Announced – The new Oppo Reno4 5G range

You can enter quite a weird and confusing world when you talk about Oppo. They have a relationship with OnePlus, and indeed we mentioned how similar the OnePlus Nord was to the Oppo Find X2 Lite. Head to the OnePlus Wikipedia page and it states.. OnePlus Technology is …

Mi Watch – All you need to know.

Not content with dropping three new phones on us today, Xiaomi have delivered a watch too. It’s going to cost just €99 (which is about £90 if you convert it) and only needs charging twice a month via a magnetic connection. This is for fitness fans, and packs …

Mi 10T Lite – All you need to know.

OK, so this is the baby of the bunch. The CPU isn’t the super-quick Snapdragon 865, but you do get the 5G Snapdragon 750G. The screen isn’t quite the super-silky 144Hz one we’ve seen on the Mi 10T Pro or the Mi 10T but hey, we’ve still got …

Mi 10T – All you need to know.

Next up, and the “middle” of the three Mi 10T phones announced today, it’s the Mi 10T itself. This will sell for €449. That works out at around £410 but to be honest, considering the specs and performance of this thing, I don’t think it’d matter if it …

Mi 10T Pro – All you need to know.

OK Xiaomi. What you got for us? A flagship phone you say? OK. It certainly looks nice, but gimme the specs. A 108 megapixel AI camera? Well, that’s clearly mad. Hi-res and then some. A 13 megapixel wide-angle lens, a 5 megapixel macro lens and a 20 megapixel …

The big Mi 10T Series launch. Tune in LIVE!

OK, you know the deal by now. A global pandemic means we’re not running round the globe attending smartphone launch events. No cheesy things on sticks, no train rides, no pushing to get that ideal photo, no free drink and sadly, no free drink. Wait, did I say …

DOOGEE Announce the N30 and S40 Pro

These are firmly in the entry-level camp, but come with Android 10 and are bonkers cheap. There’s two of them – the DOOGEE N30 and S40Pro. Basically one if rugged (the S40 Pro) and one is not one (the N30). The N30 is available from AliExpress for £133.74/$166.65 ($99.99 October …

Google Sale now on

Google is the same age as me – just 22 today. To celebrate, they’ve knocked 22% off selected devices. To get the reduction, you’ll need to enter code GOOGLEBDAY22 at the checkout. Deals include the Google Nest Mini, which is now down to £38.22 (normally £49), the Google …

No international radio for you, UK TuneIn listeners

It’s something that we can’t find any mention of on the TuneIn website but, in a recent licensing battle between Sony Music and TuneIn, the result has been a complete removal of international stations for UK TuneIn users. A High Court battle against TuneIn from Sony and Warner …

Motorola Razr 5G – Pricing from Vodafone now available

So, we knew that the Motorola Razr 5G was coming to Vodafone but now we’ve got all the pricing. This is a rather cool flip-smartphone with a gapless closure system, even though it is a little pricey to buy outright. Unfolded the phone has a 6.2″ P-OLED screen …

Umidigi A9 Pro – Coming soon with crazy price in tow

OK, so you’ve probably not heard of the brand (they’ve been in business for 9 years) unless you’re in China, but you’ll be able to buy this from AliExpress on October 16th and get the global version shipped to you. Let me tell you the specs first. A …

Deal – 12GB monthly for £8 with Three

You know the deal by now. Another SIM-only plan, another cheap price. This one comes via Money Saving Expert and, when you head through to to the Three page here, you’ll get a healthy 12GB of data monthly with unlimited texts and minutes for a mere £8 per …