Author: Leigh Geary

A VPN can do a lot more than you think

We’ve all spent quite a lot of time indoors of late and, despite the wide range of entertainment available through the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime and Rakuten, you may find that you’ve watched nearly everything that’s out there. However, you may feel like you’ve gone through every …

Honor launch the new Router 3

Need a new router? Fed up of the one your ISP gave you and want to perhaps get a far better coverage by whacking something better in? For £79.99, this is the new HONOR Router 3. It’s got WiFi 6 Plus (3000Mbps speeds), OFDMA technology (super-quick simultaneous connections …

Vodafone add Prime and YouTube Premium to Entertainment offerings

Vodafone have long offered a set of “bolt ons” to their plans. You’ve been able to add on Spotify, Now TV and Sky Sports Mobile TV for a while now, with the charges going onto your single bill. Now the network is adding a couple of additional services …

OnePlus Nord. Now EVEN cheaper!

The OnePlus Nord is already crazy cheap at £379 (for the 128GB / 8GB version) but, if you’re an Amazon Prime member, you can get an additional £30 off the price! This reduces the price down to £349, making the phone … err… bonkers cheap. Head to the …

Galaxy Unpacked – August 5th. It’s all going to be very different

A lot has changed over the last few months. The high street, as we’ve known it for many years, had already suffered at the hands of out-of-town shopping malls and internet shopping. However, when the coronavirus hit, those who’d never shopped online started doing so, and now it’s …

Responsive design. Your smartphone would be in trouble without it

Not many are aware of the simply massive change that has happened on the web in recent years. It’s not too long ago that most sites has a completely separate mobile website. It was a cut-down version of the desktop version, with less functionality. Not only that, but …

I love gold! More data for the same price with giffgaff

No, it’s not quite Willy Wonker, but there’s now a “Golden goodybag” being trialled by giffgaff. It still costs £10, but you get 3GB more data – a full 9GB in total plus unlimited texts and minutes. The existing £10 goodybag will still be available, but you can …

The Snapdragon 765 / 765G. Driving down smartphone prices.

I mean, we knew some bits about the OnePlus Nord before this event. But the price they just announced? Bejesus. That’s an insanely cheap price. The 8GB / 128GB OnePlus Nord is £379. The 12GB / 256GB OnePlus Nord is £469. Yesterday we looked an another Snapdragon 765 …

OnePlus Buds. Hands on!

These have a passing resemblance to the new Google Pixel Buds (which cost £179) but they’re £100 less at just £79 from the OnePlus website. I’ve given these a try and they give a very similar sound quality to the Honor Magic Earbuds, but there’s no active noise …

The OnePlus Nord. Hands on and unboxing!

This is the one we’ve all been waiting for, and the handset that could potentially start turning the smartphone world on it’s head. This is a phone which is affordable but carries a lot of the tech and specs you’ll normally see in those crazy-expensive £1,000+ phones. This, …

OnePlus Nord – The launch, LIVE.

At 3PM UK time today (4PM CET), OnePlus will unveil the OnePlus Nord. It’ll form part of the world’s first AR smartphone launch, which we covered a couple of weeks back. To be part of the launch, you can either grab the OnePlus Nord Android AR App or …

Exclusive gaming gift packages for the Honor 9A owners

If you’re looking for a well-priced phone, the Honor 9A is probably on your list to look at. It’s priced at just £129.99 right now and that includes a 5000mAh battery, 6.3″ 1600×720 pixel screen, 3GB RAM, 64GB storage and triple rear cameras. That’s already good value for …

Create your own Coolsmartphone face masks

Now that we’re wearing face masks more, you don’t necessarily need to just grab the nearest one you find. Head to sites online and you can design your own. We’ve spotted some at Contrado which are made from non-irritable, latex free, sweat preventative material and, best of all, …

Motorola G 5G Plus comes to giffgaff

With giffgaff working on 5G (they operate on O2 masts), they’ve today announced that the Motorola G 5G Plus will be available shortly on their network. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 765-powered smartphone runs Android 10 and has a 6.7″ 1080 x 2520 pixel screen (21:9 ratio at 409 ppi) …

It’s all about the summer sales. Virgin Media drop prices

Looking at getting the iPhone 11 and Samsung S20? Want the EE coverage? Have a nose at Virgin Media. They’ve kicked off some of their deals, which include savings of up to £108 on all iPhone & AirPod bundles, including: o iPhone 7 & Airpods, from £19, Save …

New connected laptops coming to EE

It’s certainly been a while since a network got in touch to tell us about a new laptop they’re ranging. EE are taking the Windows-powered Lenovo Yoga C640 4G laptop. It’s the first in a range of connected laptops available on EE and, if you choose one of …

Samsung Galaxy S20+ 5G. Now in red exclusively with Voda

Want the Samsung Galaxy S20+ 5G but you want it in red? Easy fix, my friend, just get some red paint and… Nah, maybe not. Perhaps the best way is to go to Vodafone. They’ve got the phone exclusively available in Aura Red and, if you get it …

Mi Smart Band 5 sells out quick. More stock now added.

Well, they went fast! The newly announced Mi Smart Band 5 sold out here in the UK in less than half an hour yesterday. The guys from Xiaomi are getting additional stock as we speak and should have them available on their website here as soon as I …

iD Mobile launches new chunky data deals

Running on the Three network, iD Mobile have data rollover, data boost, inclusive roaming, fast 4G, bill capping and 30 day plans. Plus, from today, they’ve got a “Summer of Loads” event, which will get you more data for less cash. Running until Tuesday 11th August, they’ve got …

OnePlus Nord. Missed the pre-orders? Don’t worry…

Remember the OnePlus Nord pre-orders? Well, they’ve all gone now. You had to be really quick to get one of these new aggressively-priced phones, but if you missed out – don’t worry. On Tuesday you’ll see the OnePlus Nord in the flesh and, if you want one ahead …

Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 5G. Another great deal!

This particular phone has been on offer before with O2 but now the Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 5G is just £120! Head over to the O2 website and you can save a massive £115 on this one by using the code “XIAOMI115OFF”. Just purchase the Xiaomi Mi Mix …

Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro – Now super-cheap!

We liked the Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro. We really did. You can read all the parts of the Mi Pro 8 review here and you may remember me telling everyone just to go ahead and buy the thing immediately. When it was launched this cost £499. For that, …

Announced – The Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 Basic

Wireless headphones are definitely appearing in the Coolsmartphone offices more and more of late. Now it’s the turn of Xiaomi, who have developed their £49.99 Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 Basic Bluetooth ones. One full charge will deliver 5 hours of tune, then you can recharge it from …

Announced – The Mi Smart Band 5

We’ve seen a lot of kit from Xiaomi of late. There’s no sign of that stopping, and today they launched even more kit. This is the new fitness tracker / smart band, the Mi Smart Band 5. It’ll be launched soon here in Europe and gets a 1.1″ …

Xiaomi Product Launch – Watch Live

We’re now becoming familiar with virtual launches. There’s a lot less travelling for us, but it means you guys get to see everything at the very same time as us. Today it’s the turn of Xiaomi, or “Mi” as you may also know them. We’re not expecting any …

The new Vodafone Smart GPS Tracker – Curve

This is a little tracker doo-hickey that you pop into or onto your valuables. It’s just £20 from Vodafone to buy, then you pay £2 per month to keep it working. Called “Curve” it’s part of a range of Vodafone smart tech products and will track your stuff …

Working from home still? Get the sounds of the office

Sitting at home can be a solitary affair. The enforced coronavirus lockdown has led to many working from home and many companies have no plans for that to change any time soon. Many previously saw home working as an ideal solution to the stresses and strains of commuting, …

The real Huawei. Behind the scenes of their massive Chinese HQ.

The UK have been bullied and pushed into removing Huawei kit from mobile and data networks. Some call it a deeply political decision, with an American trade deal up for grabs and a massively successful Chinese company holding the number two spot in smartphone sales. The big U-turn …

Comparing mobile phone insurance. Get it right!

It’s got to the point where I now have the cheapest mobile deal in the house. My wife, however, is spending nearly £58 per month on her two-year contract. It’s a crazy amount for a Galaxy S9, however there’s a few “additions” to the package she’s got. The …

Huawei adds warnings about the lack of Google Play

Thinking of getting yourself the brilliant Huawei P40 Pro, the Huawei P40, the Honor 9A or the Honor 9X Pro ? They’re all brilliant (have a nose at our Honor 9X Pro review here), but they all lack the Google Mobile Services. No YouTube app, no Google Maps …

OnePlus Buds. More info and a sneaky look.

Those new OnePlus Buds are on the way and today we get a bit more information courtesy of Pete Lau himself. Along with a sneak peek of the Buds, there’s also a few more details too. Performance at a “reasonable price” is promised, along with a super-comfortable design …

Brexit. The roaming nightmare could return.

Britain is now spending billions on Brexit. Those in charge and the British elite have now been given free reign – without EU oversight – to dodge tax regulations and to force businesses into spending £13 billion every year to continue trading with the EU. Those costs, of …

No new Huawei mobile kit after December 31st. All gone by 2027

In a move that is likely going to cost UK mobile networks (and therefore, their customers) billions, the UK government has today announced that mobile providers will be banned from buying any new Huawei 5G equipment after the end of this year. This will delay the rollout of …

Superdrug Mobile Unlimited data deal

One virtual network you may not have considered (or possibly heard of) is Superdrug mobile. They use the Three network and, right now, you can get a completed unlimited amount of data, texts and calls for £20 per month. The deal is contract free and there’s no data …

Zeus looks get into UK electric scooter trials

These guys created the world’s first three-wheeled, dockless e-scooter are now eyeing up the UK market following the start of trials for electric scooters in the UK. The company want to be part of the micro mobility shared public transport solution and have been invited to be part …

OnePlus Buds on the way

No wires and, we assume – something to compete against the Apple AirPods here. OnePlus tell us that we can.. See our first truly wireless earphones July 21 We’re going to see these launched at the same time as the OnePlus Nord – July 21st. The company are …