First Impressions

Note 20 Ultra & Galaxy Buds Live – Some Unexpected Findings!

The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is finally here. It is Samsung’s highest-end Smartphone for 2020. They do have the Fold 2 as well, but the Camera system is said to be inferior to the one on the Note 20 Ultra and it won’t have an S-Pen, so as a whole package, the Note 20 Ultra is the most equipped Samsung phone of 2020.

Samsung has sent both the Note 20 Ultra and the Buds Live in some really nice packaging, so massive thanks to Samsung for that. I’ll talk about the Note 20 Ultra first and then I’ll move onto the Galaxy Buds Live as well.  I’ve been using the Note 20 Ultra for over a week now, and the Galaxy Buds Live for about three days, so here’s some of interesting things that I’ve discovered!

Design

If you liked the Design of the Note 10+, you’ll love the Note 20 Ultra.

If you liked the Design of the Note 10+, you’ll love the Note 20 Ultra.

The unit that I have right here is the European model, which comes with the Exynos 990 Processor, but something to point out is that there are no extra S-Pen tips in the box anymore. We do get the Fast Charger, Headphones and the Charging Cable, but nothing else.

Design-wise, I was a massive fan of the Note 10+. That was, in my opinion, the best designed Phone ever…until now. The Note 20 Ultra’s Design is actually even better. First of all, it is just a bit bigger than the Note 10+, the Bezels are about the same size and we still have the curved screen, which I’m honestly a big fan of. I love how it looks and I personally haven’t had any accidental touch issues since the S9, please do keep that curved Display in, Samsung. I also love the new back. 

I’ve been wanting Samsung to add a Frosted Glass back for years now, just like what Google, Apple, OnePlus and many others already have. They’ve finally done it, but only for the Mystic Bronze colour. If you buy the Black or the White colours, those would still be regular Glass. Usually, I’m not a fan of Gold colours on Smartphones, I think they’re just too tacky, but this one’s actually quite nice. It’s a very pale Gold that doesn’t stand out as much. Still, I would’ve loved to see a Black Frosted Glass back on this.

The Camera Module itself is very similar to the S20 Ultra’s Module, I’ll talk more about the Camera in just a bit, but Samsung has actually changed the way it looks. It sticks out even more now, but it’s also sharper, which means that I can almost use it as a pop-socket and hold the Phone from there. Also, I’m big fan of the metallic circles that Samsung has added to the Lenses themselves. 

Display

We do get 120Hz, but not at Native Resolution.

We do get 120Hz, but not at Native Resolution.

With the Display, we do get 120Hz, but this is still stuck at 1080p Resolution. If you want to use this Display at its native 3088x1440 Resolution, you can only use it at 60Hz. This is a bit disappointing as the OnePlus 8 Pro, which costs significantly less, can indeed do 120Hz at Native Resolution. I’m quite disappointed that this still hasn’t been fixed, even though we do have a Dynamically Adjustable Refresh Rate, which can go from 120Hz, all the way down to 1Hz, in order to save Battery Life.

Now, Samsung has made this Display brighter by 25%. I can’t say that I’ve noticed any improvements, but we’ll actually measure the Brightness using our professional display measuring tool and tell you all about that in the Full Review, so definitely subscribe so that you don’t miss out. The Note 20 Ultra also comes with Gorilla Glass Victus. Again, I’ll be testing that more over the next few weeks and let you guys know how it holds up.

Camera

Right, the Camera. We still have the same 108MP Sensor from the S20 Ultra, but Samsung has now added a Laser Focusing Module to help fix some of the focusing issues. I can definitely say that focusing feels faster, but if you zoom in, the Laser won’t be able to reach and it’s still going to be just about as slow as it was on the S20 Ultra. Dual Pixel Autofocus would’ve been great, but unfortunately, this 108MP Sensor does not have it. As long as you don’t zoom in, the Focus is pretty good. 

The Camera is definitely an improvement on the S20 Ultra.

The Camera is definitely an improvement on the S20 Ultra.

Speaking of zooming in, Samsung has now improved the Optical Zoom to 5x, from the 4x we had on the S20 Ultra. However, they have decreased the Digital Zoom Level from 100x, to 50x. I honestly don’t mind that, I think it’s a great change as that 10x Zoom Factor was really the best place to be, on the S20 Ultra anyway, and that’s now even better. Low-Light Performance is actually better now, Samsung has improved their Night Mode considerably since the S20 Ultra came out and I’m impressed. Is it as good as on the Pixel or the iPhone? The full comparison will be in the Full Review.

Something that hasn’t changed though, is the HDR Processing. While the Shadows are not as crushed as they originally were on the S20 Ultra, they’re still darker than what we’re used to, compared to the HDR modes on the iPhone or the Pixel, which makes me think that this is actually a look that Samsung has intentionally decided to go for. The Front-Facing Camera has dropped in Resolution, from the S20 Ultra. It is now the same 10MP Camera that the Note 10+ used, as opposed to a gigantic 40MP Sensor. I don’t mind that. The smaller the Resolution, the bigger the Pixels on the Sensor are and the better the Camera is in Low-Light. 

Performance

Maybe it would have been better to make the UK version better, than to make the US one worse? (Source: Samsung)

Maybe it would have been better to make the UK version better, than to make the US one worse? (Source: Samsung)

Now, when it comes to the Performance, this Phone is fast. That 120Hz Display, Exynos 990 Processor and 12GB of RAM make it feel like one of the fastest Phones I’ve ever used. The OnePlus 8 Pro did feel faster as the animations were simpler and more fluid, but after using it, the Note 20 Ultra definitely feels amazing. Unfortunately, if you live in Europe, you would get the Exynos 990 Processor inside, rather than the Snapdragon 865+ Processor. Whilst this might not matter that much, because you do get a very fast and fluid Phone anyway, it still matters as in the US, you pay as much as in the UK, even less actually, and you get a more powerful Processor. It also gets better Battery Life, which is very unfair for the European customers.

However, Samsung has now limited the US variants of the Note 20 Ultra to 128GB of Storage, while you do get 256GB in the UK, so they have crippled the US version in that regard. Fun fact, the Note 10+ from last year came with 256GB of Storage in all regions. 

Something that I do want to point out is that my Note 20 Ultra overheats pretty heavily after about 5-10 minutes of use, I did a full restore and I’m still having this issue. I’m not sure if it’s still indexing the files, so I’ll keep an eye on this and tell you guys my findings in the Full Review.

Special Features

The Haptic Feedback is as good, if not better, than you’d expect.

The Haptic Feedback is as good, if not better, than you’d expect.

When it comes to Special Features, the S-Pen now features a 9ms Response Time, which definitely shows when compared to the 42ms we previously had. Writing and drawing feels so much more realistic now, I’m a big fan of this. There are also a few new gestures that you can now do with the S-Pen. I’m not really into those myself, as I can control my Phone much quicker by just…touching the actual Display. Unfortunately, Samsung did move the S-Pen to the left, meaning that it’s just a bit tricky to take it out now, since I’m right-handed myself. 

The Haptic Engine feels a bit stronger now, the Note 10+ already had an incredible Haptic Engine, so I do like that. I’m not sure if it’s a new Engine or if it’s literally the same one with a software tweak that makes it feel stronger. Regardless, the Haptics on the Note 20 Ultra have been improved. 

Battery Life

Not a world-beating Battery Life, but you can get the most out of it at 60Hz.

Not a world-beating Battery Life, but you can get the most out of it at 60Hz.

What about the Battery Life? Well, I do have the Exynos model here and it’s been…fine. I was getting about 4-5 hours of screen-on time, which is what Tomi/GadgetsBoy was getting as well. It’s good, but it could’ve been so much better. I’m pretty sure that the Battery is better on the Snapdragon model, just like it was with the S20’s. On the Exynos model, if you do want to improve the Battery Life, your best bet is to drop the Refresh Rate to 60Hz.

Price

Finally, this is a very expensive Phone at $1,300, or £1,180 in the UK, it is one of the most expensive non-folding Phones that you can buy. But, I think that, if you’re looking for the ultimate Smartphone experience, the Note 20 Ultra packs everything that you could wish for and more! 

Galaxy Buds Live

Onto the Galaxy Buds Live. To start off, they are comfortable, but they do take some time getting used to. They’re very different to any other Headphones that I’ve used as they don’t have a stem and they just slide in. Once you get the fitting right, they’re the most comfortable Headphones that I’ve ever used.

Design-wise, these things look like jewellery. In my opinion, they’re the most elegant Earbuds on the market right now. I’m not a fan of the Mystic Bronze ones though, I think they look too tacky and are a bit too much for my taste, but you can indeed grab these in Black and White too, if you wish. 

The Buds Live are some of the best all-round Earbuds you can get.

The Buds Live are some of the best all-round Earbuds you can get.

The Sound Quality is good, not as good as the AirPods Pro, but these are also significantly less expensive than the AirPods Pro. If you need an outstanding sounding pair of Earbuds, with a very good ANC, then get the AirPods Pro or the Sony WF’s, as these are just not as good. But, considering that they cost $170/£180, they’re actually a very good competitor to the original AirPods. Compared to those, the Buds Live simply blow them out of the water. 

The case is incredibly small as well, while still offering a 29 hour Battery Life. So, if you’re looking for Earbuds that don’t seal you in and you can still hear what’s happening around you, these are by far the best choice on the market. Anyway, I feel like I want to talk about these more, so I’ll use them for a few weeks as I’ve only been using them for about three days at this point, and either do the review of the Buds Live in the Review of the Note 20 Ultra, or I’ll do a separate, even more detailed Review in a different video. Which one you would prefer?

Definitely Subscribe & Enable Notifications for both of these In-Depth Reviews  as they’re both going to be insanely detailed and thorough, just as you came to expect from our videos.

Google Pixel 4a - My First Impressions!

Google sent over their brand new Pixel 4a in what is a pretty soft launch for a Smartphone. If you want to see the live Unboxing, you can check out the video above. For now, we’re going to focus on my First Impressions after spending a day with it. So, let’s get into it.

Design

Design-wise, I absolutely love it. It’s very tiny at 5.8” and is almost identical to an iPhone X, XS or an iPhone 11 Pro and around the same size as the iPhone SE 2020. This is a very small Smartphone, which is easily usable with just one hand. The back is made out of Plastic, so there is no Glass here as this is only a £350 device. We also have a Fingerprint Reader on the back with no In-Display Fingerprint Reader at all. Additionally, I also really love how the Camera Module looks, it’s so tiny and cute. The Pixel 4a just looks like a baby Pixel 4.

A nice inclusion for their target market.

A nice inclusion for their target market.

On the right-hand side we have a coloured Power Button, as well as the Volume Slider. On the top, we have a Microphone and a Headphone Jack, I haven’t seen this in ages! I guess that, because of the lower price, Google assumes that the market that they are targeting this at would not have Wireless Headphones. This is a good option for just giving people more options as you can, of course, still use Wireless Headphones on this if you want. We don’t have anything on the left-hand side and finally on the bottom we have the Speaker, a USB C Charging Port as well as the other Microphone. Speaking of Speakers, we do have Stereo Speakers on this, which is fairly rare to see on low-to-mid range Smartphones. 

Moving on to the Display and like I said before, this is a 5.8” Panel but what I haven’t said is that this is actually an outstanding Panel, especially at this price. It is an OLED Display with a Resolution of 2340x1080 and a PPI of 443. It supports HDR as well as Google’s ‘Now Playing’ feature, which shows you the exact song that’s playing in the background, even when you’re not connected to the internet, which I think is just insane. It is a 60Hz Panel but it does support Always-On functionality. The fact that we have no Notch or thick Bezels, but rather a single small cut-out for the Front Camera, makes this the best looking Pixel Phone that Google has ever released, in my opinion.

Camera

The Pixel 4a can still do 4K60 Video Recording.

The Pixel 4a can still do 4K60 Video Recording.

So what about the Camera? Most of the people that would buy a Pixel Smartphone, would buy it for that amazing Camera. Well, I’m pleased to say that the Camera on the Pixel 4a is identical to the main Camera on the Pixel 4. That means that this is a 12.2MP Sensor with 1.4μm Pixels and an f/1.7 Aperture. The Front Camera is also identical to the one on the Pixel 4, an 8MP Sensor with 1.22μm Pixels and an f/2.0 Aperture. We have 4K Video Recording with the Back-Facing Camera but only at 30 FPS. Again, this is the same as on the Pixel 4.

We even get Optical Image Stabilisation and Dual Pixel Phase Detection Autofocus, which is something that you usually only see on high-end Smartphones. You even get the insane Astrophotography Mode, which is still the best way to take photos of the night sky on any Smartphone. We got this with the Pixel 4 first and now we also have it on the 4a.The Pixel 4 had one of the best Cameras ever, on a Smartphone, and we’re getting that on a Phone that costs £350, which is pretty incredible.

Specs

The Processor is not the fastest, but Google do a great job of optimising what they do have.

The Processor is not the fastest, but Google do a great job of optimising what they do have.

 Then, we come to the Specs? Well, CPU wise, we get the Snapdragon 730G Processor, which from these ‘Geekbench’ results, is significantly less powerful than a Pixel 4’s Snapdragon 855 or not even to mention the iPhone SE”s Apple A13 Chip. But, using the Pixel 4a seems to be just fine. It’s very fast, very responsive, so it looks like Google has done an outstanding job when it comes to optimising the software for this lower-end hardware. The only place where I’ve definitely noticed a Performance downgrade, over the Pixel 4, was when processing photos, but that’s was it. We also get 6GB of LPDDR4X RAM, the same as on the Pixel 4, as well as 128GB of storage, which is again the same as on the Pixel 4. 

Special Features

So what about the Special Features? Is there anything we’re missing out on, from the Pixel 4? Well, we don’t get Wireless Charging or Water Resistance. That 3D Depth Sensing Array on the front is gone and so is the FaceUnlock.The Speakers are a bit worse but other than that, we get most of the features. Even Fast Charging is just as fast as on the Pixel 4, up to 18W, and we do get a Fast Charger bundled in the box, which is great. 

The Haptic Engine on this feels amazing and I’m not talking about a Vibration Motor, I’m literally talking about the Haptic Engine. This is actually a first for a Phone of this price to include. It feels pretty much as good as the one on the Pixel 4, meaning that the typing experience is absolutely incredible.

So, what’s the catch then? Well, it only comes in one size and only in this one single black colour but other than that, this is just an outstanding Smartphone. Now, is it better than the iPhone SE, or the OnePlus Nord or the Samsung A71?

OnePlus 8 Pro - My In-Depth Experience!

The OnePlus 8 and the OnePlus 8 Pro are finally here. In case you’ve missed it, we also uploaded my live unboxing with both the OnePlus 8 and the 8 Pro’s Review Kits. This was a bit of a special unboxing because it was quite different to what you would get when you buy the phone. We got sent quite a few more things, so if you haven’t seen that video, I highly recommend watching it!

But now that I’ve spent a bit more time with these Smartphones, I’m more comfortable giving you guys my first impressions. This is not my Full Review, I need a few more weeks with them for that. But nonetheless, I do have a lot to say about both of these so, enjoy my honest first impressions.

Since I’m not fully sure if we’ll get the chance to do a Full Review, as we do have to send these back very soon, I have split this video into the same usual categories as the Full Review, but do keep in mind that some sections do require more testing. With that being said, I’ll be covering the Design, Display, Camera, Performance, Special Features, Battery & Value.

Design

Starting off with the design, same as with the OnePlus 7 and the 7T series, we get two models, the OnePlus 8 and the OnePlus 8 Pro. From the back, they both look almost identical to the 7 Pro and the 7T Pro from last year. The regular 7 and 7T did have a different Camera Module arrangement but now they both have it in the middle to make them look more similar, they look great.

This generation of OnePlus Smartphones have lost that signature Full-Screen Display.

This generation of OnePlus Smartphones have lost that signature Full-Screen Display.

We do get some new colours. In the UK, the get a new Glacial Green colour, which I personally really love. I was a big fan of the Nebula Blue colour on the 7 Pro, but I wasn’t that big of a fan of the Blue on the 7T Pro. This new Glacial Green colour is almost in between Green and Blue. It’s got that turquoise colour to it, but don’t ask me because I’m colourblind. We still have a Frosted Glass back which means that, compared to Smartphones such as the Galaxy S20’s, they will leave almost no smudges or fingerprints on the back. 

We have a Matte Aluminium Frame surrounding the Phone as well as a SIM Slot, USB C Port and a Speaker on the bottom, so no Headphone Jack at all. We get the Volume Button on the left, the Power Button on the right, as well as OnePlus’s iconic Mute Switch, and finally on the top we get a Microphone Port. For some reason, the top of the 8 Pro has a strange indentation, I’m not sure why they’ve done that, I’m definitely not a big fan of it but at least that’s one difference between the two.

The colour that you get is now specific to the specs that you get. So, if you get the higher-end models with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of Storage, those will both come in the new Glacial Green colour, whereas if you buy the standard 8GB of RAM with 128GB of Storage model, those would both come in Black.

Taking a look at the front, this is where the big changes are. We no longer get a Full-Screen Display so unfortunately, no more pop-up Camera Module this time. We now have an In-Display Camera Module, just like on many other Smartphones now. For me, this is a step backwards. I mean sure, we do get slightly thinner Bezels, especially on the sides, but having no Notch or Camera Cutout was one of the most unique things about the OnePlus 7 Pro & 7T Pro. That now seems to be gone entirely with the 8 Pro.

I do like the fact that both the 8 and the 8 Pro have pretty much the same design though, they’re also both thinner and lighter than the 7T models from last year. The regular 8 is now 8mm thin and weighs 180g, compared to the 8.1mm and 190g of the 7T. The 8 Pro is now 8.5mm thin and 199g, compared with the 8.8mm and 206g of the 7T Pro. But since they both have this tapered edge design, they will actually feel much thinner than they are. 

Display

Moving on to the Display, the regular 8 comes with a 6.55” Display, exactly the same size as the 7T’s Display from last year. The 8 Pro now comes with a larger 6.78” Display, compared to the 6.78” Display that we got with the 7 Pro and 7T Pro, last year.

In terms of Resolution, we get a 2400x1080p Display on the regular 8 and a 3168x1440p Display on the 8 Pro. This translates to 402 PPI on the regular 8 and 513 on the 8 Pro. At that PPI you cannot see any Pixels on either of them, but the higher Resolution on the Pro means that you can play 1440p YouTube content, whereas the regular 8 is restricted to just 1080p.

Another difference between the two is the Refresh Rate. Where the regular 8 has a 90Hz Refresh Rate, just like last year, the 8 Pro bumps this up to 120Hz. This is twice as fluid as some other Smartphones, like the iPhone 11 Pro Max for example. Samsung did add 120Hz to their S20’s, but you can only use this when the Display is set to 1080p Resolution, which, on the S20 Ultra especially, does look pretty blurry. The OnePlus 8 Pro can run at 120Hz at the full 3168x1440 Resolution. 

This is also a 1300 Nit Display with HDR 10+ support, OnePlus even added a MEMC Chip to the 8 Pro, this adds extra Frames to videos on YouTube, Netflix and more. This way, you can turn a 30FPS video, into a 120FPS video and make it significantly smoother. That Camera Cutout is quite small, almost as small as on the S20, you’ll forget that it’s even there in no time. 

Also, as with the OPPO Find X2, the OnePlus 8 Pro has a 10-bit Display Panel. Long story short, it can display over 1 billion colours whereas all other Smartphones, including the iPhone 11 Pro Max and the Galaxy S20’s, can only display 16 million colours. I gotta say, thanks to all of this, the 8 Pro has the best Display I have ever experienced on a Smartphone. It’s better than on the S20 Ultra and way better than on the iPhone 11 Pro Max. 

Camera

Moving on to the Camera, OnePlus Smartphones have never been known to have a great Camera. That’s always been their weak point, alongside no Water Resistance and no Wireless Charging. Well, I’m glad to say that the Cameras are much better than they ever were.

On the 7T Pro, OnePlus released a ton of software updates to improve the Image Processing and, if you’ve watched our previous blind camera comparison, you probably know that I actually blindly picked the 7T Pro as the best Smartphone Camera for Low Light shots, better than the Pixel 4 and the iPhone 11 Pro Max.

The Camera has long been a weak point for OnePlus Smartphones, but this one seems much better.

The Camera has long been a weak point for OnePlus Smartphones, but this one seems much better.

The Main Camera on both is a 48MP Sensor. But, the 8 Pro has a brand new Sensor, with 1.12 µm in 48MP Mode and 2.24 µm in 12MP (Pixel Binning) Mode.  The regular OnePlus 8 has the same Main Module as last year’s 7T Pro and 7T, with 0.8 µm The OnePlus 8 Pro also has a Telephoto Module with 3x Hybrid Zoom, not Optical. This is a Hybrid with an 8MP Resolution. The regular 8 is lacking that Module.

They both have an Ultra-Wide Angle Module. We have a 16MP Ultra-Wide Module on the regular 8, the same as last year, and a 48MP Ultra-Wide on the 8 Pro. This is actually the exact same Module as the 7T Pro’s Main Module, just with an Ultra-Wide Angle Lens.

The regular 8 has a 2MP Macro Module, whereas the 8 Pro has a Macro Mode on that 48MP Module. The motor is being adjusted so that the Lens can focus up close. If you care about Macro shots, there’s a pretty big difference between the two.

Finally, the 8 Pro also has this brand new Colour Filter Camera, which is a 5MP Resolution Camera. OnePlus hasn’t really talked about it and the only use that I’ve found is in one specific filter which turns your photos into something that looks pretty horrible. This could have easily been done through software as well so, this is pretty much as gimmicky as it can get and the only reason why this Module really exists is so that OnePlus can brag that they have a Quad-Camera Module rather than a Triple Module.

The Front Facing Camera is still a 16MP Sensor but now it has has a smaller f/2.5 Aperture compared to an f/2.0 Aperture, like we got with the 7T Pro’s pop-up Camera Module. Selfies are actually worse and the video quality is still limited to just 1080p on the front.

I did get to test out the Camera a bit. Keep in mind that this is not a Full Review, definitely hit the like button if you want to see a crazy detailed Blind Camera Comparison. Once this whole outbreak is over, we can go out and do that properly. But until then, the Camera is pretty decent. It still doesn’t compare to the iPhone 11 Pro Max but it is quite a bit better than the S20 Ultra. Mostly because the Ultra has such a disappointing Camera Module. Night Mode is actually pretty impressive on this Smartphone, with almost as good of a performance as the iPhone 11 Pro Max and again, better than the S20 Ultra.

Overall, photos are good, they’re not the best but definitely in the top five range for Smartphone Cameras. Selfies have been ok, but I feel like they can be improved with a future software update, they just looked a bit washed out and blown out. But, probably my favourite part about the 8 Pro’s Camera was that Macro Mode. This simply blows the iPhone, the S20 and even the Huawei P40 Pro out of  the water when it comes to Macro Photography.

So, while the 8 & 8 Pro definitely don’t have the best Smartphone Cameras, they do have some very good Cameras, still in my top 5 Smartphone Cameras on the market right now, especially when it comes to the Pro. 

Performance

Performance wise, this has never been an issue on OnePlus Smartphones. We get the Snapdragon 865 on both with 8GB and 12GB of RAM versions on both models as well as 128GB and 256GB of Storage. 

This is combined with UFS 3.0 and now LPDDR5 Memory on the 8 Pro, the 8 still comes with LPDDR4 Memory, but the 8 Pro feels just truly next level in terms of speed. That 120Hz Display, with 240Hz Touch Input, and the specs that I mentioned before, make it significantly smoother and faster than even the S20 Ultra. This is the fastest Smartphone that I have ever used. It’s faster than the iPhone, the Pixel, the Huawei P40 Pro, the S20 Ultra, the Fold or anything else.

I’m also a massive fan of OnePlus’s OxygenOS skin. It’s pretty much stock Android with just a few tweaks that allow you to customise it more than you can with a Pixel. OnePlus even removed their OnePlus shelf and now we just get the Google one. So, performance wise, it literally cannot get any better than this. 

Special Features

When it comes to special features, we essentially get four new big ones, out of which two are exclusive to the 8 Pro. The first one being 5G. 

This is because that Snapdragon 865 already has a 5G Modem built into it, so there’s no 4G version of it at all, we get 5G on both. This is also mmWave 5G, which is currently the fastest 5G that you can get and you get that on both. The second big new feature is WiFi 6, which we also get on both.

We then get the two new features which are exclusive to the Pro, these are IP68 Water Resistance and Wireless Charging. Water Resistance has always been missing from OnePlus Smartphones. OnePlus claimed that they still water sealed the phones but they didn’t want to pay for the IP rating, to avoid bringing the cost up, but we do have it now. It’s the standard 1.5m up to 30 minutes that we’ve seen on most other Smartphones. It is a bit lower than the iPhone 11 Pro’s 4m Water Resistance but at least we finally have it.

The OnePlus can Wirelessly Charge at the same rate of the iPhone 11 Pro Max with a Wired Charger.

The OnePlus can Wirelessly Charge at the same rate of the iPhone 11 Pro Max with a Wired Charger.

Then, we also get Wireless Charging. Finally, we have Wireless Charging on a OnePlus Smartphone! OnePlus always said that they wanted to wait until they could deliver a Wireless Charging solution that was just as fast as their insanely fast Cable Charging, and they’ve done it. The 8 Pro supports up to 30W Wireless Charging, which just to give you guys an idea of how fast that is, that is six times faster than the iPhone 11’s, not the Pro, but the regular 11’s as well as all the previous iPhone’s Cable Charging. It can charge up to 50% in just 30 minutes, which is just as fast as the iPhone 11 Pro Max’s Wired Charging.

But, there is a catch, you do have to use OnePlus’s Proprietary Charger, which costs $70/£70, in order to get that full 30W Fast Charge. You can still charge it by using regular Wireless Chargers, but the 8 Pro does not support standard Fast Wireless Charging. This means that no matter what other Wireless Charger you use, you will only get 5-7W Wireless Charging, unless you use their own Wireless Charger.  Reverse Wireless Charging is also here, which is great. 

There is no Always On Display which is not great, but OnePlus did tell me that they’re working on one for a future software update so, fingers crossed.

I have to say, the Haptics on the Pro are just insanely good. They’re right on par with the S20 Ultra and the Pixel 4. They even feel better than on the Pixel 4 or iPhone 11 Pro Max, so definitely the best Haptics on a Smartphone alongside the S20 Ultra. The Haptics on the regular 8 are pretty good as well, just not as good as on the 8 Pro. The fingerprint reader is also crazy fast. It’s still Optical but it’s literally the fastest one out there, so I can’t complain. 

Battery

In terms of the Battery size, we have a 4510mAh Battery on the 8 Pro, compared to the 4300mAh on the regular 8, so they’re actually quite similar. They both support OnePlus’s super fast WarpCharge 30T which can charge these phones, via cable charging, up to 50% in just around 20 minutes. I cannot really talk about the actual Battery Life because I haven’t used these enough for me to cover that.

Realistically, the 7T and 7 Pro from last year were good, better than the Pixel 4 for sure, but noticeably worse than the iPhone 11 Pro Max or the Note 10. They were very similar to my Exynos S20 Ultra, a Full Review on that coming soon. 

The regular 8 should be very similar to the 7T Pro from last year, or even better as it now has a larger Battery. The 8 Pro should be worse but only if you use it at 120HZ. If you drop the Resolution to 1080p and 60Hz, you should easily be able to make it throughout a day. 

Value 

Finally, we have the value. Are these two Smartphones worth it?

Well, the OnePlus 8 now costs $700/£600, up from $600/£550 that the 7T used to cost. A slight price increase in the UK and a more significant one in the US. The 8 Pro now costs $900 /£800, up from £700, the 7T Pro was not available in the US before. So, the 8 Pro has had a pretty significant price bump, by £100, meaning that it is now just $100 short of an iPhone 11 Pro. It is actually the exact same price as a Galaxy S20, even in the UK, for the 4G model.

I have to say, overall, the S20 is a much better choice. You get a much better Camera, combined with a ton of features from Samsung, such as DeX, an Always On Display, Fast Wireless Charging with any Wireless Charger and a lot more. The iPhone 11 Pro is also a better option than the 8 Pro, if you care about that Camera. If this is one of your main concerns, there are way better options out there. 

But, if you only take the occasional photo, then you’ll absolutely love the insane amount of speed and fluidity that this phone gives you. It’s honestly the king of speed. As for the regular 8, I actually do think that the 7T from last year is a better deal. So try to pick one up cheap, if you can. 

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The Best Laptop for Students?

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HONOR reached out and wanted us to show you their brand new MagicBook Laptop. They claimed that this is the very best Laptop for students and it does have some very unique features which no other Laptop has. We are going to run you through all the specifications, all the features and everything that this Laptop can do, then you can decide if the new HONOR MagicBook is a good option for you!

What We Will Cover

As most of you were, or probably still are students, the most important factors when buying a Laptop for University are: 

1. The Portability – You need this to be a lightweight Laptop that you can easily take it to classes. 

2. The Battery Life – You cannot have this last for two hours, you need this to last for pretty much an entire day. 

3. The Display - This has to be pretty good, both in terms of its size and also in terms of its sharpness. The last thing you want is a horrible Display that you need to look at all day. 

4. The Keyboard - You’ll (hopefully) be doing a lot of typing, so the Keyboard is extremely important. 

5. The Performance - This depends on what you are studying. If you’re into Computer Science, Animation or Graphic Design, you need your Laptop to be able to handle all of that.

6. The Price - No student wants to spend a ton on a Laptop, unless your parents buy it for you, then it doesn’t really matter. However, as a student who bought my own gear, from my own hard earned money, I know how important it is to get all of the above for a good price.

1) The Portability

Starting off with the Portability, the new HONOR MagicBook 14 is… well…a 14” Laptop, but it’s footprint is just about the same, or even smaller than some 13” Laptops. It weighs in at just 1.38kg and is just 15.9mm thick. It is not the lightest Laptop on the market but it is still one of the thinnest. You’ll see why that is, when we get to the Performance section, we think you’ll be quite impressed. 

One of the more compact Laptops on the market right now.

One of the more compact Laptops on the market right now.

Just to give you guys an idea on how light this really is, we can lift and hold it with just two fingers and, when this is in a bag, you almost don’t feel it at all. Sometimes we thought that the bag was empty and had to stop and check that is was still there. So, if you’re a student, the HONOR MagicBook 14 is great for Portability.

Also, it’s not just the Portability that’s great about the MagicBook 14, it also looks stunning. It comes in a full Aluminum build, which also has a matt finish, so no need to worry about fingerprints and smudges. On top of this, the MagicBook 14 also has this beautiful diamond-cut Chamfered Edge Frame that shines in blue whenever you shine some light on it. We absolutely love this effect, it almost gives you the impression that it has an LED strip all around the body. 

2) Battery Life

When it comes to the Battery Life, you get 10 hours for things such as web-browsing and office work. This is what most students will be doing, so you can pretty much get an all-day battery life in this scenario. But, the MagicBook does indeed come with two very special battery related features that students would absolutely love. 

When it comes to charging, one size fits all

When it comes to charging, one size fits all

The first one being the fact that it comes with a USB Type C Port for charging. This means that if you have any modern Smartphone, you can actually use your Smartphone Charger to charge your Laptop as well (and vice-versa). On top of this, you can even buy a USB Type C Battery Bank and charge the MagicBook from there, if you’re out in the wilds and you have no power socket anywhere near you.

But what is probably our favourite feature of this laptop is the fact that you get this very powerful 65W Charger with it, which also supports Fast Charging. Normally, Laptops take around three to four hours to fully charge, depending on the model of course, but the MagicBook 14 can charge to close to 50% in just 30 minutes. This means that if you’re running late for class and you just have a few minutes to top off, you can easily get a few more hours of usage out of it. With most other Laptops, this would not be possible at all.

3) Display

The MagicBook 14, as the name implies, comes with a 14” Display. This is a 1920x1080 Resolution Display with a 16:9 Aspect Ratio. We do like the fact that it’s 14 inches in size and the Bezels are insanely thin. However, the bottom Bezel looks more like on a traditional Laptop. We would’ve loved to see those thin Bezels on all four sides, but this would’ve resulted in the Keyboard or the Trackpad being sacrificed. A 16:10 Display would have solved this to some extent, as it is taller. 

Regardless, it is a pretty nice Display with about 300-400 Nits of Brightness, which is also laminated with an anti-reflective coating. It’s not a Touch-Screen, in case you’re wondering, but the Display can go full flat so you get 180 degrees of tilt here, perfect for any viewing experience. 

4) Keyboard

The Keyboard is where it gets really interesting. We have a Scissor-Type Keyboard mechanism, pretty standard on most Laptops. The keys themselves are quite thin, but they do provide significantly more travel than the Butterfly Keyboard that we’ve had on MacBooks for so many years now. The Keyboard is also backlit so you can easily type at night, which is always a nice feature to have.

A fresh take on a Web-Cam, stashed away at the top of the Keyboard

A fresh take on a Web-Cam, stashed away at the top of the Keyboard

You might have noticed that there is no visible Camera on this. This is because HONOR actually hid it inside the Keyboard. All you have to do to bring it up, is to press on the Camera key. If you were ever concerned about someone spying on you through the Webcam, this is really the best approach there is. The Camera is always hidden unless you want it visible. 

Also, our next favourite thing about this Keyboard is that you also have a built-in Fingerprint Reader. It’s built into the power button, so you can always use that to unlock your Laptop, so no need to type in your password. 

5) Performance

The MagicBook actually comes with an AMD Processor, the Ryzen 5 3500U in the case of our unit and this is a pretty powerful Chip. It’s a 15W Processor with a base clock of 2.1GHz and Turbo up to 3.7GHz, this is also a Quad-Core Processor. 

We also get 16GB of 2400MHz DDR4 Memory as well as an AMD GPU. This is an integrated GPU, the RX Vega 8, but it’s actually quite powerful when it comes to the Performance, for an integrated GPU. You can indeed play some games in low to medium settings, at 1080p Resolution and get a decent FPS. If you’re into photo editing and even some 1080p or light-weight 4K video editing, the MagicBook can even handle that.

The MagicBook 14 also comes with a unique S-Shaped Blade design for the Fan, with 49% more Blades than in competitor Laptops. This gives you a 28% better Fan performance, while Heat Dissipation is also increased by up to 38%, according to HONOR. We also get a very good selection of Ports here. We get one USB Type C, one USB Type A, one HDMI, another USB type A on the other side and a 3.5mm Headphone Jack

‘Magic-Link’ is one of the stand-out features on this Laptop

‘Magic-Link’ is one of the stand-out features on this Laptop

But probably one of the coolest things that this Laptop can do is something called Magic-Link. If you have an HONOR or Huawei Smartphone, you can just hold it close to the HONOR Magic Link sticker on the MagicBook and it will instantly open up the EMUI Desktop on your Laptop. Long story short, this lets you control your Smartphone using your Laptop, but you can transfer photos and files directly to your MagicBook. It actually works like magic. You just open up your Photo Gallery app and drag them from your Smartphone onto your Laptop and they instantly transfer. This is honestly the best phone-to-laptop sync tool that we’ve ever seen. It’s fast, it’s powerful and it’s extremely easy and intuitive to use. 

6) Price

Having said all of this. What is the price of the MagicBook? Well, we’re guessing most of you would expect this to cost around £1200 or around £1000 at least, but that’s not really the case here.

We mentioned Price as one of the most important things for a student that buys a new Laptop and definitely the best news here is that the HONOR MagicBook 14 only costs £550. 

Conclusion

In the end, what are our final thoughts on the MagicBook 14 and who should get this? 

First off all, this is a very portable Laptop that not only offers a great all-day Battery Life but it also gives you some insanely fast Charging. If you’re the kind of person that’s always on the go, and you need that Portability and Battery Life, the MagicBook 14 is definitely for you.

Also, if you are a student, this is an amazing choice as it costs pretty much half of what you would expect a good student Laptop to cost. You get a great selection of Ports and a Quad-Core Processor, alongside a very powerful integrated GPU, which can handle everything from photo editing to lightweight video editing & gaming.

The Webcam, which is hidden inside the Keyboard, as well as the Fingerprint Reader, make this a very good option for anyone concerned about their privacy.