Author: Ian Furlong

OnePlus 7 and 7 Pro pricing revealed

Chinese phone manufacturer OnePlus will announce their latest flagship device on the 14th May, and following other manufacturers it is believed there will be more than one version. Soon enough we’ll be seeing the OnePlus 7, OnePlus 7 Pro and a 5G model too. The new phones will launch at …

I hope your password is better than 123456

If you stop and think about your online presence, just think how many different sites and apps you log into on a daily basis – each needing a unique username and password. Let’s be honest, most of us use a username that’s also our email address, so for …

Possible May release date for the OnePlus 7 and 7 Pro

If you’re a long-time reader, you’ll probably already known that I am an avid OnePlus fan. I’ve had every device from the Chinese manufacturer and, if the the company are keeping to their previous device roll-out schedules, the next “Flagship Killer” shouldn’t be that far away. As always …

Is the death knell sounding for Google Play Music ?

On 30th April this year, Google is planning to close down the “Artist Hub” of the Google Play Music service. “What’s the Artist Hub?” I hear those of you who use Google Play Music ask. The Artist Hub is a tool that allows smaller/independent artists to stream and …

Pixel 2 & 2 XL official sales cease

If you are hankering after last year’s Google flagship from official channels i.e. Google’s own page, well it appears this can longer be done. If you pop over to the Google Store and search for either the Pixel 2 or the Pixel 2 XL, the devices are no …

Reno by Oppo a new take on the front camera

According to internet Slashleaks, the Chinese device manufacturer Oppo’s latest device named “Reno” has a new take on the front-facing camera. Like some others, the Reno has a pop up front camera, but the Reno’s unique front camera design means that the camera will apparently fit into a …

HP recall yet more laptop batteries

Laptop manufacture HP has issued a further recall of laptop batteries. This comes after the company recalled 50,000 batteries, and that came in the wake of a 101,000 battery recall during the previous year. This time it’s because of concerns over “fire and burn hazards.” The company had …

OnePlus 6T – Review

  Review device specs Price: £529 Mirror Black 8GB RAM 128 GB Storage Snapdragon 845 chipset 16 and 20-megapixel dual cameras Android 9 pie running oxygen OS 9.0.11 December 2018 security patch Good Points: Lightening fast Great battery life Oxygen OS close to stock Android Gorgeous screen Specs …

Manchester becomes the UK’s first 5G-connected airport

If you’re heading to Manchester Airport soon, check out the new Vodafone 5G trial area. You can test the new lightning speeds by grabbing a film or TV box set using the 5G technology. Further locations are coming soon, but if you’re at the airport you can now …

1TB Storage chips produced by Samsung

Samsung have announced that they’ll be offering the world’s first 1TB eUFS (embedded Universal Flash Storage) solution for phone manufacturers, with mass production already underway. This means that phones will soon be able to have one terabyte of storage with a single flash memory chip. That means no …

Unlimited Everything for £20 a month – on Three

During the Black Friday sales last November, I managed to bag a cracking SIM only deal from mobile provider Three. The deal is you get unlimited calls, texts, data and tethering for just £20 a month, and now the deal is back for an unspecified amount of time. This …

Galaxy Note 9 – Review

Specs: Review Price: £899 6.4-inch Super AMOLED HDR display Snapdragon 845/Exynos 9810 12-megapixel variable aperture main camera, 12-megapixel secondary 2x zoom camera 6GB/8GB RAM 128GB/512GB storage 4000 mAh battery Android 8.1 S Pen w/ Bluetooth Good Points: Absolutely gorgeous screen Fantastic battery life Build quality Loads of features …

Essential Phone Discontinued.

News has arrived here at Coolsmartphone Towers, that according to Essential’s website and other stores that typically sell the Essential Phone, the device was showing up as “sold out.” ‘Strange,’ we thought, ‘maybe the Essential phone has had an upsurge in popularity’, but no. Essential has confirmed the …

Ezviz – C6T Pan & Tilt Smart Home Security Camera – Review

As our homes become more and more ‘connected’ and ‘smart’, so the number of devices we can connect to for smart homes increase. I recently got sent through the Ezviz Pan & Tilt security camera through for review. ‘Who are Ezviz?’, I hear you ask. They are a …

Pixel 3 – Review

I thought that I would always need a large screen phone, but this has changed my mind. Good Points: Great haptic feedback (really does feel like buttons are being pressed) Amazing camera Feels great in the hand Excellent front-facing dual stereo speakers Gorgeous screen Just runs so well …

HP X2, 2 in 1 Chromebook – Review

A number of writers here at Coolsmartphone Towers predominantly use a Chromebook as our main devices. I have been using an Asus Chromebook flip since its release a number of years ago, and it still runs as fast today as it did the day I bought it. This …

Samsung unveils the 8nm Exynos 9820 Chipset.

Following on from Huawei’s release of its latest 7nm Kirin 980 processor, Samsung has announced its own flagship chipset for 2019, the 8um Exynos 9820, with the Galaxy s10 being the first device to have this new chipset. The Exynos 9820 has a dedicated neural processing unit or …

Samsung releases a new high end flip phone.

Nearly a year ago, Samsung revealed a high-end, premium flip phone called the W2018. Well, it appears the company is about to release the next generation: the imaginatively-named W2019. The W2019 has an aluminium body and a Gorilla Glass back, but we unsure if the front and internal screens …

Samsung reveal a foldable smartphone

If you’re a sci-fi fan like me, you might have seen HBO’s remake of WestWorld, in which the staff at the park have mobile phones that fold out into a tablet to control the features of the park. Well, today phone giant Samsung has showcased a foldable smartphone …

WhatsApp Messaging Service – Ads Are Coming.

Now Facebook-owned WhatsApp is one largest messaging platforms in use, touting an eye watering 1.5 billion monthly users. Its usage is near-ubiquitous in markets like India and Brazil where it is used for everything from delivery tracking to payments. Here in the UK it’s becoming an incredibly popular …

Xiaomi lands in the UK with something special. Meet the Mi MIX 3.

Xiaomi today unveiled the Mi Mix 3 — the third iteration of a bezel-less designed phone, kicking the notch display into touch. Wait.. Xiaomi? Don’t know them? Well, you might not be overly familiar with them yet, but they’re the world’s fourth largest smartphone brand and they are …

Google+ to close

I will have to admit, dear reader, that I am not a massive user of Instabook or Facetube. However, my social network of choice is Google+ ………. or should I say ….was. Google have announced that it is shutting down the social network. This follows reports of a …

OnePlus 6T to be revealed October 30th

  Today Chinese phone manufacturer OnePlus has announced that the latest device in there line up the OnePlus 6T, the new device is rumoured to have a under display fingerprint reader and a much smaller teardrop notch than the latest iPhone and the upcoming Pixel 3XL. The 3.5mm …

Zombies descend on the UK.. Well, the virtual kind..

The world’s first free-roam, multiplayer virtual reality entertainment experience has just been announced. Revolutionary social VR gaming company Zero Latency, is to launch the UK’s first site on Friday 19th October in Nottingham. You can dive into a 15 or 30-minute “social VR experience” to work together with your …

Groov-e Air Buds – Review

Specs  Up to 3 hours music playback and up to an additional 7 hours using the changing case Music controls and answer/reject calls Bluetooth profiles: A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSPSPP Wireless range up to 10m Standby time 20 hours Charging Case: Box recharge capacity: 350mA Charging time for case …

OnePlus 6T to abandon the headphone jack

I have had every OnePlus device, since the very beginning was the OnePlus One, and like with many others I was eagerly awaiting the latest “Flagship Killer”. We’re talking about the OnePlus 6T which rumoured to be heading our way in October. Well, it is with a heavy …

Mi Mix 3 ‘leaked’ by Xiaomi CEO

Xiaomi CEO Lin Bin posted an image on the social network Weibo, which is believed to be the Mi Mix 3. This was a much clearer image than those blurry cam pics that had been leaked previously. If this is the Mi Mix 3, we can see that there …

Groov–e Connect Wireless Headphones – Review

Good Points: Lightweight Ability Pair to 2 devices Magnetic clasp Up to 9 hours playback Price Excellent sound quality Bad Points: Range suffered as the battery got low Design: The Connect Wireless headphones are Bluetooth headphones that are of the neckband type, with magnetism holding the earbuds in …

Motorola P30 is a dead-ringer for the iPhone X

They say that imitation is the best form of flatery, well if that’s true Lenovo-owned Motorola must really love Apple. The latest device from the Chinese owned phone manufacturer hasn’t just pulled “inspiration” from the latest Apple flagship device – the iPhone X – it looks like they …

Newton Mail – Shutting Down End Of September

Several of us here at Coolsmartphone (including myself) are paid subscribers to the cross platform mail client Newton Mail by Cloud Magic. I for one loved the the way the client would integrate all my mail accounts in one easy interface and sync across all my devices from …

Galaxy Note 9 with improved battery life.

In just two week’s time, Samsung will release the new Galaxy Note 9, and the latest rumours point to a huge 4,000 mAh battery in the Galaxy Note 9. That will be a 20 per cent boost over the Galaxy Note 8’s 3,300 mAh model, indicating that the …

Noreve Saint-Tropez Tab S2 Case – Review

There are a couple of sayings which are used in everyday life that come true when you use a case from Noreve: 1. You get what you pay for 2 You buy cheap, you buy twice   Good points Made from premium real leather Top build quality Feels …

Iceworks 7000mAh USB Type-C power bank – Review

Good Points: Slimline design Cable included USB Type-C input/output Fast charging for some devices Charge Level LEDs USB Type-C Out Price Bad Points: Fingerprint Magnetic Need to purchase further cables for other device’s. As we use our smartphones more and more each day, we demand more and more …

Chris – The Digital Assistant for Drivers Announced

It is a proven fact that using for mobile phone whilst driving is a distraction, and is one of the four major causes of fatal accidents on the UK roads today. Not only that if you’re caught using your device, you can be fined £200 and have your …

Groov-e Wave II Bluetooth Speaker – Review

Summer has finally arrived here in the UK. It’s nearly 32 degrees as I type this and now everyone is moaning that it’s too hot! This all means lots of time outdoors, and as such I’ve been reviewing the Groov-e Wave II Outdoor Bluetooth speaker. Good Points: Price. …

Anchor Premium Charge & Sync Cable – Revew

“The Last Cable You’ll Ever Need “ Good Points: Lifetime Warranty. Build quality. Interchangeability. Allows both fast charging and data syncing. Super strong. Tangle Free. Oh did I mention the build quality. Bad Points: The strong magnets have a mind of there own. The tips have to stay …

Filofax eniTAB360 Tablet Stand – Review

Getting your tablet to stand on its own normally requires some sort of folio type case. You know the sort – those ones that fold back onto themselves. However, they only hold your device at one angle, which typically isn’t “just right” to view content. Plus, if you …

Mixcder E7 active noise cancelling headphones – Review.

Back in December I carried out a review of the Mixcder MS301 Premium Bluetooth headphones. I was extremely pleased with them. Both the sound and build quality was excellent, and I gave them an overall score of 92%. You can read that review here. Well now I’ve been sent …

Mixcder Introduces its E7 active noise cancelling headphones

Back in December last year I carried out a review of the Mixcder MS301 Premium Bluetooth headphones, which I was extremely pleased with. Both the sound and build quality of the units were excellent, and I gave them an overall score of 92% (you can read that review …