Category: Reviews
This morning I woke up. It was a bright, sunny day and the birds were gently tweeting their morning chorus. It made me feel lucky to be alive. I couldn’t wake to spring out of bed and greet the day with big, open arms. Ah well, no. Not …
I went a bit crazy about the Mi 8 Pro during the launch. Was it the free wine they were giving out? Was it the fact that it was 3 o’clock in the afternoon and I was drinking on an empty stomach? Well, perhaps some of that, but …
Wires – hate them!! I use headphones a lot, generally to isolate my environment and help me focus – but when I’ve finished they get thrown in my bag, semi-attached to a phone buddy (I still think they are ace but I don’t have a headphone socket anymore) and …
The answer that despite our best efforts is going to be not very. In fact research has suggested that the average persons phone is dirty that a toilet seat! Add this to the fact that a lot of us will now use our phones when we are doing …
I got this for review a while back and, well, I’ve got to admit that my son has been using this quite a bit and I totally forgot to review the thing. It’s a really cool gadget for Christmas and actually doesn’t involve a screen or any messing …
Small Bluetooth speaker. Situation normal then. As I always start these reviews, the Bluetooth speakers tend to slot into to different categories. First, there’s the diddy small speakers, like this one, that don’t have a great deal of bass and tend to be OK for the odd bit …
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 …
Most of us like listening and sharing our music, however there was a time when small pocket-sized speakers provided half-hearted, tiny, and rather poor audio. But that was a long time ago and technology moves on, so perhaps things have improved. Enter then the KitSound BoomCube, a device …
Yesterday I was invited down to a boxing gym in central London to see a new laptop from Alienware that is punching well above its featherweight level. The Alienware M15 Laptop is a brand new thin and light gaming laptop that will serve well as both a powerful …
So we had an overview of the Mi 8, the Mi 8 Pro, the Redmi 6A and the Band 3 yesterday, but today I wanted to give you a closer look at the fitness band. This will be given out for free when you buy a Xiaomi handset …
What is it with all the mobile phone manufacturers thinking that we need a gaming smartphone these days? I am not the biggest gamer in the world I occasionally like a game of Angry Birds as much as the next person but I can’t see myself settling in …
OK, so first impressions then, and this thing is big. I’m not overly sure why. I mean, in the past I’ve seen some budget-priced smart watches from China and they’re usually chunky, but here we have a sports watch which doesn’t need charging ever day, it doesn’t have …
Getting a new smartphone to enjoy is a big thing for many people. This is, after all, the device you plan to use every day for the next 2 years. It will be a big part of your life, from calls to taking those beautiful photos. Just as …
I’ve had this phone for a while now, and I’ve released day-by-day video updates which will form the main part of this review. So, in the place of what you’d normally expect to find here, I’d first like to discuss the state of the smartphone landscape right now …
Introduction The Mate 20 Pro has to be the highest-spec phone I have used to date, with its new Kirin 980 7nm processor, 6GB RAM, a huge Quad HD display, massive battery…and the triple camera on the back. The Mate 20 Pro really does scream top end specs. …
A few of you have already asked, “Where’s Day 5 with the Honor 8X?!” Well, I had a weekend and I had a rest. It was a strange experience and something I might try again. However, I did get chance to catch up with email, and a couple …
I had a think about this bit. I figured I could put a huge stack of images in and maybe write a load of text about how it all works… or, I could just do a video. It’s what the kids are doing now isn’t it eh? Perhaps …
I’m not really a fan of naming these things with words like “spy” in the title. To be honest it takes away from the cool and less creepy things that you can do with the device. This is a very clever GPS tracker. Small, simple to use and …
I’ve performed a couple of tests today with the Honor 8X. The first is to check Strava. It’s an app I use a lot to track my exercise and, as you might know, I’ve had some issues with it working properly on Honor / Huawei kit. From what …
The Roav Viva from Anker is a Bluetooth enabled smart speaker charger that would charge for car accessories such as mobile phone or tablet whilst you are out and about but it will also allow you to utilise the power of Amazon Alexa for search. The actual unit …
Today I’ve been taking photos. I left the AI mode on for a lot of the images you’re about to see and, as it’s a dark and windy Autumnal day, there wasn’t a great deal of light to help. That AI system will magically take a look down …
Introduction Even now, when touch-screen devices are considered the standard, there are solid arguments for having a traditional hardware keyboard. It’ll work with two thumbs and fans are sometimes known as ‘Crackberry’ addicts. With BlackBerry being such an iconic brand for their QWERTY smartphone designs, it is no …
Only 5 days ago Honor revealed the 8X. We’ve already given you all the details about it but what’s it like to actually use on a daily basis? Well, to get that sort of information, I’d need one in my pocket every day. I’d need to be using …
Introduction It only felt like 5 minutes ago I was pressing the publish button on my XZ2 review for CoolSmartPhone, and now we already have its replacement on sale here in the UK, complete with hefty price tag. So the question I asked myself is, why did Sony …
Can I just take two paragraphs, two entire paragraphs, to detail just how large this thing is?! In all honesty I messed up after being a little too jet-lagged and it’s resulted in this monstrous-but-beautiful 65 inch set being delivered. IT. IS. HUGE. From the moment that the …
I’ve literally just unpacked this one. It’s a slim, pebble-like wireless charger which will top up your smartphone quickly. It’s $14.99 from Amazon US and now just £11.79 from Amazon UK, if you’ve got a compatible handset, it’ll charge supported devices up to 1.5 times faster than a …
Here is something a little bit different for us to review, especially on a site originally dedicated to smartphones. It is a review of a laptop. Not just any laptop though, this is a laptop that hides behind a diminutive form factor (at least for its size). That …
At home I get about 70-odd digital radio stations. I’m quite lucky. Here in the UK there’s now a big range of DAB stations alongside the FM and MW / LW / SW stations. However, this particular radio is a bit different. It’s an internet radio, a Bluetooth …
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 …
OK, please don’t tell iClever, but I’ve had this (and I’ve used it) for a number of weeks now. Even though it’s been right in front of me, I totally forgot to do the review. At least it means that I know all about it though, which is …
Backpacks are an essential part of my daily kit. They allow me to transport my gear around with ease and minimal discomfort. I have used various cheap bags over the years, but recently was offered the chance to test on from Booq. This was slightly different from any …
I am not an audiophile by any means – I don’t have a finely tuned ear, and I couldn’t tell you what a chord was if it slapped me in the face! However, I do like to listen to music, and anything that makes that easier and better is appealing …
You may not have heard about Nuu Mobile at all. It’s probably because most people will never have seen anything from them in the UK. I have to say that I was also in this camp as well until I found them at MWC earlier this year. Leigh …
A normal portable phone charger, right? Wrong! This is the Novoo power bank and it’s got a whopping 20,100mAh capacity. That means it’ll fully recharge a smartphone (assuming 3000mAh battery), from flat, nearly 7 times. Great for a week away. It has a USB output and a USB-C …
Since joining CoolSmartphone, I’ve always enjoyed KitSound products and their perfect mix between quality and value. As technology has changed, their products have evolved to match. (does anyone the KitSound Glow? – great for its time but shows how far KitSound has come.) Most of us like our …
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 …
Updated 08/08/2018 It’s safe to say that we get a fair amount of Bluetooth speakers sent to us here at Coolsmartphone. Whether waterproof, rugged or portable they all have one fairly similar thing in common. The sound. Sure, you can turn them up and they’ll make a noise, …
This rather clever, unassuming and stylish slab comes to us from FuseChicken. This is the bamboo one, but you can get it in leather too, and the thing screams “premium”. It’s $44.95 in the USA and we found it for £48.95 here in the UK. Yes, that’s a …
As you can see by the photos here, this is a wall charger. It’s a pretty substantial size too, measuring in at 7.16 x 5.69 x 2.95 cm. It costs £29.99 and has a USB-C output. Into that you can plug the supplied 2 metre-long cable. So, just …
The introduction Huawei are no longer a company who are sitting on the sidelines letting everyone else steal the show. Since the P9 their devices have really been impressive and put them on the map. Now everyone is sitting up and watching as the company are producing some …
