Category: Reviews

Huawei Ascend G7 4G review

Following on from their announcement of the New Huawei Ascend G7 4G (which I covered here), I was lucky enough to get sent a device for review. Device Specs. 5.5 inch HD IPS display, 720p resolution. Measuring in at 7.6 mm thick. 1.2 GHz quad core processor capable of …

Karbonn Titanium S6 – Review

Karbonn are another of those companies you might not have heard of, they are an Indian firm that have been making phones for about five years now. They have recently been named as hardware partners for Google and the Android One project and also Microsoft with Windows Phone. …

KnowRoaming on test – Cut your roaming costs dramatically

Picture the scene. You’re about to go abroad. You’ve got your passport, you’ve booked the hotel and the flight. What about your phone? Unless you’re lucky enough to be using a network like Three and going to one of the countries in their Feel At Home plan, you’ll …

Artelac eye-care review

We must be doing something right. I don’t know quite what it is, but we must be doing it right. No longer are we just reviewing smartphones, we’re now reviewing eye drops. Yes, eye drops. Stay with me, because you’re looking at the problem right now. Screens. We …

Edifier R1700BT Bluetooth speakers review

Holy hell. I think something just happened in the trouser department. These are Bluetooth speakers like I’ve never seen or heard before. I mean sure, you know deep down that the wood enclosing these speakers is 100% MDF, but it looks lovely and these speakers would sit beautifully …

Pebble Time launches on Kickstarter

Today was a big day for Pebble. Just in case you have been living under a rock and dont know who Pebble are, they made the first truly usable Smartwatch that could work on both iOS and Android. That one was also funded through a Kickstarter project and …

Acer Switch 11 Review

Acer Aspire Switch 11 Intel Atom Quad-core 1.33GHz CPU, 2GB RAM, microSD reader, 32GB flash memory and 500GB drive in the keyboard “base” section. Windows 8.1 (32 bit), 11.6″ Active Matrix LCD IPS LED back-lit multi-touch / touchscreen at 1366×768. WiFi IEEE 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, 8550mAh battery. I’ve …

Xiaomi Mi4 FDD-LTE – Review

Some of you may have heard of Xiaomi, they are the third largest phone company on the planet. The problem is that they are huge in China and India, Europe not so big. You may also have come across Xiaomi with the Miui software, which started life as …

Ceba Slim Power Bank – Review

For those who have been living under a rock for the last decade or so, I just need to bring you some breaking news. Smartphone and tablet batteries really aren’t as good as we’d like them to be. Right, now on with the show. This is yet another …

Alto’s Adventure – An Endlessly Fun Runner for iOS

I’ve had the pleasure of playing a pre-release of Alto’s Adventure for a while now. It’s a truly immersive, gorgeous, addicting app. Sure, there are countless endless runners to hit the App Store; Tiny Wings and Badlands to name a few personal favourites. But you cannot find either on my phone. …

Sony Xperia M2 Aqua Review

Usually here at Coolsmartphone we’ll do a full in-depth review of a phone. It’ll include specs, video, pictures and all the geeky information you need to form your decision. We’ll start this review with a bit of that. This Sony Xperia M2 Aqua has a 1.2 GHz quad-core …

Kitvision Escape Action Camera Review.

Right let start with talking about the elephant in the room, the Kitvision Escape HD5W action camera, that I have been sent through to review, is the spitting image of the current class leader, but I’m not going to go pro there. Now that’s done…… The action camera market …

Gembonics 6000mAh External Battery Charger Review

When we get an external battery in for test it’s usually, well, a battery. Not much thought goes into the design of the thing usually and you basically just get a chunky phone battery cell wrapped in a case that matches the dimensions. Consider this though. This is the …

Avantek 4-Port USB Charger Review

It’s a problem I’ve battled for many years now and still haven’t really resolved. Cables, everywhere. Not only that, but I seem to have chargers everywhere too, and they’re all plugged in – all the time. There’s one in the bedroom, one in the lounge and a couple …

Microsoft Universal Mobile Keyboard – Review

The Bluetooth keyboard market has taken off recently, with an influx of affordable Android and Windows tablets, along with the annual iterative updated iPads. Most people I know have a tablet of some sorts. Heck I even now one guy who asked me to fix his “Nexus” tablet …

ANNKE Sparkle SP1 IP Camera review

We’ve got ourselves another security camera here folks. Quick note before I start, this was once £319.99 but they’ve got it available on Amazon for just £49.99. That’s pretty cheap, and it’ll let you keep an eye on your house or office remotely using your phone. It’s got …

Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 Pro – Review

A few months ago Lenovo announced a range of new tablets, some running Android and some running Windows, yet they all shared something unique. They all have a kickstand on the back allowing you to prop up the tablet in a variety of positions. But the Yoga Tablet …

Mail Pilot 2 for iOS Review

Mail Pilot started out in 2012 as a web app. Then it became available natively on iOS in 2013, and on Mac early last year. Its founders call it “the email client reimagined from the ground up.” What sets Mail Pilot apart is the focus on tasks. Emails …

KAZAM Tornado 348 Review

Those models you see prancing up and down the catwalk are sometimes pretty thin. Here, KAZAM have decided to do the same with their latest mobile offering – the Tornado 348. It’s a handset which is just 5.15mm thick, which makes it the thinnest smartphone around. Wait though, …

CarLock Review

Tracking your car is possible with just a smartphone. Various apps will let you do it, but it’s a matter of having a spare smartphone with a data plan and GPS, plus you have to leave it plugged into the 12v charger and that alone will probably attract …

Reviveaphone Kit Review

That moment where you drop your prized possession into the toilet, bath or sink (really any receptacle that holds water) is cringe inducing. This phone, the one you have been coveting for nearly a year and have spent the best part of your wage check to buy has …

HTC RE – Review

Here it is then, the magical camera without a viewfinder. Well, not an on-board one at least. Strange thoughts went through my head when I unboxed this. Could I cope without having an onboard viewfinder or some sort of screen to show me instantly what my photo looks …

Reviveaphone Splash Review

Have you ever caught yourself trying to hide out of the rain so that you can check something on your mobile? Don’t worry, we have all been there and if you are not lucky enough to own a flagship from Sony, Samsung or indeed Motorola then you will …

EnerPlex Packr Unpacked

I needed a new pack for Mobile World Congress. One that was going to hold a lot of gear. I started looking around online and, after a while, I came across a company called EnerPlex. They are an American company who make charging solutions for mobile devices and …

YotaPhone 2 Review

This is a phone that dares to be different. It’s been years since I saw a phone cross my desktop which DIDN’T have that now-familiar shape and large front screen. Phone designs haven’t really altered for such a long time, and we’ve grown comfortable with buying a phone …

Shifts is the Must Have Calendar for Shift Workers

Shifts is a brand new app by the folks at Built by Snowman, the makers behind Checkmark, Super Squares, and Circles. Their latest app is Shifts, a iOS calendar app for those who work shifts. Rather than focusing on a calendar that incorporates todos, emails, GTD, or whatever …

Boombox iMusic Pillow review

Remember that Boombox iMusic Pillow? We mentioned it last week and we love things like this. For a start it’s not like we’re talking about £600-worth of smartphone that needs to be fully explained in a 2000-word review. Oh no, this is a pillow with speakers in. There …

Nexus 9 Keyboard Folio Review

The Question: How do you make a lightweight and portable tablet productive? Well apart from adding the appropriate software like MS Office or Google Docs, the other way is to add a keyboard case/dock. That is exactly what I have done with the Nexus 9; I have added …

My time with the HTC Desire 816

The large oversized phone market is a hugely popular one these days, some call them “Phablets”, some just call phones, I call them the future. I know it sounds a bit cliche, but I really do like a large phone these days. I have been a large phone …

Kinivo BTE40 Stereo Bluetooth headphones review

You’ve got your favourite headphones and you don’t want to get rid of them. I understand that. However, you don’t want to constantly be shackled to your smartphone or tablet. It’s a pain isn’t it? Especially if you have a tablet or a phablet. Those things are always …

Arctic P614BT Bluetooth Headphones – Review

Headphones or earphones, which are best? Surely that’s one of the big unresolved questions in modern day life, I for one can’t decide which to go with and because of that I have piles of headphones and earphones at home. I’ve been hankering after a pair of Bluetooth …

Rock Jaw Alfa Genius headphones – Reviewed

Headphones, we get a lot of them to review and we’ve had a couple sent in by Rock Jaw already. Here’s our look at the Arcana and the Hydra headphones. These Alfa Genius ones though, are quite different to any you’ve ever seen before because you can… take …

Karbonn A5S Review

It’s only been a month since we spotted the Karbonn A5S on Amazon. This smartphone, just to set your expectations right here, is around £70 SIM-free, and you can stick two SIM cards in (one standard size, one micro SIM). Wait though, who the heck are Karbonn Mobile? …

Nexus 9 Review

HTC have not really been in the tablet business, with the exception to their quite old HTC Flyer. At the time a great piece of hardware let down by a poor software experience. The main reason behind this was tablets running Android were still very new and had very …

Encase Flexishield for Nexus 6

It’s case review time again. Now that I have got myself a shiny new Nexus 6 it would be silly not to keep it in a case and protect the phone in some way shape or form. This is where the Encase Flexisheild comes in. The case is …

Xenta 360 Degree iPad Stand review

Got an iPad? You do? What happens when you get a Facetime call? Do you prop it up somewhere only to have it slide down? Yeah. Me too. You can get a clever cover with an in-built stand, but if you want your iPad held securely and firmly …

Nest Review

I thought I was being clever a few years ago when I installed a programmable thermostat into our house. We’d just moved in and there was a number of issues with the heating system at the time. The biggest problem was the fact that the hot water system …

Sony Xperia E3 Review

You’re probably pretty familiar with the Sony Xperia styling by now. This E3 model maintains a lot those same design cues but at a more budget price. This puppy is available for just £99 on Vodafone Pay As You Go and you get 4G for that too. Not …

Getting some grub, quick – Just Eat Mobile App Review

At this time of year we’re probably all thinking of a nice home-cooked meal. Brussel sprouts, turkey, roast potatoes and all the trimmings. Problem is though, this is all a lot of work. So give yourself, your mother or whoever a break and get yourself a takeaway instead. …

Inateck card reader and hub review.

I have been sent through the Inateck card reader and hub with USB on the go support, for review. Lets start with the good and bad points. Good Points Small lightweight form factor. Soft plastic feel. loads of ports giving versatility. Powered/None Powered option. Bad Points Attached USB …