Category Archives: Android

Scenic views of Newquay and Dartmoor – Shot on the Sony Xperia XZ Premium

Android, Tech News

Below are a number of shots taken with the Sony Xperia XZ Premium. All shots were snapped in auto.

The above shot is one of my favourite with good colour and dynamic range. All shots have been uploaded in full resolution.

No need to rush for a space on the beach!

A home on your own rock with a private bridge too. I would imagine the maintenance costs are pretty high.

The above shot was taken before sunset. It is a little too dark versus the real lighting conditions.

Dartmoor ponies. Again the photo is a bit dark. This could be brightened up afterwards. The f/2.0 rear lens is the primary reason in lower lighting conditions, the photos tend to be a little dark.

And there you have it, some photos from the Sony Xperia XZ Premium. At the weekend, I will have a separate camera and audio reviews, and the main review too.

My thanks to Vodafone UK for the loan.

HTC U11 Review plus Camera Review & Showcase

Android, Reviews, Tech News, , ,


Welcome to my review of the HTC U11 including a camera showcase. This is the top model of the HTC U11 in solar red, dual sim and with 6gb ram and 128gb storage.

In addition I have two additional posts covering the HTC U11 –

HTC U11 solar red vs iPhone 7 Plus Product Red
HTU U11 Full Audio Review incl best headphones to use & comparison with LG V20 & DACs

If you’re buying anything on Amazon UK please head over by this LINK . It won’t cost you anything extra either but will helps towards the running costs of Gavin’s Gadgets.

HTC U11 – Audio Review + Best Headphones To Use + vs LG V20, DFR & more

Android, Audio, Reviews, Tech News, , , ,

HTC U11 in Solar Red with 6gb ram and 128gb storage. The best version of the HTC U11. It is also dual sim.

But for this review, I am going to look at the following –

– HTC U11 Audio Review including the HTC uSonic Noise Cancellation Headset

– The Best Headphones to use with the HTC U11

– Bluetooth Quality

– HTC U11 vs LG V20

– HTC U11 vs Dragonfly Red and other DACS

– And my overall conclusion.

The Audio Review


I also have two additional posts on the HTC U11 –

HTC U11 solar red vs iPhone 7 Plus Product Red

HTC U11 Review incl Camera Review
If you’re buying anything on Amazon UK please head over by this LINK . It won’t cost you anything extra either but will helps towards the running costs of Gavin’s Gadgets.

HTC U11 Solar Red vs iPhone 7 Plus Product Red

Android, Apple, Reviews, Tech News


Today I am comparing the solar red HTC U11 vs iPhone 7 Plus Product Red. How does the solar red compare against the Product Red. Which is your favourite. 

Enjoy.

Also check out my additional posts on the HTC U11 –

HTC U11 Full Audio Review incl best headphones to use & comparison with LG V20 & other DACs

HTC U11 Review incl Camera Review
If you’re buying anything on Amazon UK please head over by this LINK . It won’t cost you anything extra either but will helps towards the running costs of Gavin’s Gadgets.

The solar red HTC U11 – First Impressions and First Shots from the camera

Android, Reviews, Tech News,


The solar red HTC U11 is without a doubt the most stunning phone I have seen. I even prefer it over the Samsung Galaxy S8. Red on one side and the edges with a black front is a cracking combination. HTC seem to have a habit of making gorgeous red coloured phones. 

In my main review I’ll briefly compare it to my red iPhone 7 Plus. I left the phone on my desk at work yesterday and the reactions and attention it good were so positive and lots of them. Of course all you will want to do is stare at it and maybe give your little gem a squeeze. Actually you’re meant to squeeze this phone as it does stuff when you squeeze the lower half. At the moment one squeeze opens the camera and another fires the shutter to take the photo. 

Before I received the HTC U11, I was fairly critical of HTC. Surely the squeeze is a gimmick. The HTC launcher is old as hat. It doesn’t have the new 18:9 screen ratio. No headphone jack. Just a single rear lens and no dual lenses. And so on. At this point, until you have held and used the phone, you have no idea what you are talking about! The sum of all the parts make this a killer phone. The hardware is incredible. The software too. The camera is a monster. The camera app is well designed. Now as a disclaimer these are my first impressions in a honeymoon period, so I will be more objective by the time I publish my full review. However, first impressions are important. If you didn’t like a phone when you first set eyes on it, you would find it hard to use it going forward. 

Below are literally the very first shots I have taken. 

The pointy tower in the rear of the photo has a clock. The below shot is a crop from a photo I took of the clock section. 


It was an overcast day, so lighting was not the best, but still the HTC U11 performed really well with great dynamic range. 


This was a tricky shot as the glare was particularly strong. Not that you would realise. 


No clip on lenses used here. Just switched to the pro mode, manual focus. And then cropped in to see how much detail was available. Pretty impressive. 


After sunset, dim light and a Dartmoor pony. This is unedited but with a few minor tweaks it is easy to bring the pony’s face up a few notches in brightness. However, the photo is very true to life. 

HTC have tweeted that future software updates will include Bluetooth 5 and adding 60fps to the camera app. 

My review will be as in-depth as possible, and I will create a separate camera showcase too. If you have any questions you would like answered in my review please let me know.  

LG V20 vs ZTE Axon 7 – Audio Comparison – With guest Steve Litchfield 

Android, Audio, Headphone, Reviews, Tech News


Earlier today, Steve Litchfield from The Phones Show compared the audio quality from the ZTE Axon 7 and LG V20. 

So without further ado, see what we both had to say about the audio centric phones. 

Video Review

You can find links to all of Steve’s websites and , podcasts and YouTube channel, by clicking HERE.

Vodafone Smart N8 Review – Camera & Audio Review – The £85 PAYG marvel from Vodafone

Android, Reviews, Tech News,

Welcome to my review of the Vodafone Smart N8 which is a budget phone from Vodafone available for £85 on Pay as You Go or on pay monthly plans from £17 per month.

Key Features and Specifications

– Weight 151g, 8.6mm thickness
– NFC and Fingerprint Sensor, Android Pay
– FM Radio
– Android v7.0
– Chipset Mediatek MT6737, CPU Quad-core, GPU Mali-T720 MP2
– Internal storage 16GB, RAM 1.5GB
– microSD, up to 32GB
– Battery 2,400mAh
– Primary 13MP with flash, Secondary 5MP, Video 720p @ 30fps
– 5 inch IPS 720p screen

Camera Samples

The below shots are from the Vodafone Smart N8. Can you believe the amazing quality!

I must admit I was rather surprised at just how good the rear camera photos were from the Vodafone Smart N8. My main review below, has more samples and video clips from the front and rear cameras, along with more information on the whole phone its strengths and weaknesses.

Video Review including Audio and Camera Analysis

Conclusion

The Vodafone Smart N8 is a superb budget phone. It has weaknesses but it pulls off a decent overall experience for £85.

For more Vodafone handsets from as little as £19.99, view the range available on Amazon UK.

The new Honor 6A – A new benchmark for beginner smartphones 

Android, Tech News

Honor, the smartphone brand for the young at heart, launches the Honor 6A, presenting another smartphone at an unbeatable price. The new device is a true smart companion – especially for those who are looking for a high-performing phone.

 “The new Honor 6A, is a perfect device for all, especially those new to the smartphone world,” said Wilkin Lee, sales and marketing manager at Honor UK. “Available in a stunning grey with a slick design, Honor has created the 6A handset to incorporate the newest camera features and high specs for a competitive price.”

The Honor 6A features a 13MP main camera for clear and impressive images. Each snap shot can be caught with precision with the 0.3-second PDAF (Phase Detection Auto Focus) technology, making it easier for users to capture their life moments. The 5MP front camera conjures bright selfies, while the beauty mode makes sure that each image shows oneself at their best – ready to share with friends and family on Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook.

 The Honor 6A combines a clean cut design with outstanding performance. Only 8.05mm-thin the smartphone comes with 2.5D glass and a slim but robust metal unibody, slightly curved to lie comfortably in the user’s hand. Its compact 5.0-inch display provides HD indulgence on the go (1280×720 pixel).

It’s not only the outside of the Honor 6A that has been carefully designed. The smartphone also features upgraded functionalities, the latest software and technical details that provide all essential information at one’s fingertips. The Honor 6A features Android 7.0, combined with the newest EMUI 5.1, making all applications easy to use. Powered by a fast Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8937 octa-core processor with 4 x 1.2GHz and 4 x 1.0 GHz, the Honor 6A enables users to enjoy messaging, surfing the net or gaming without disruptions. The 2 GB RAM and 16 GB ROM, extendable to up to 128 GB with a microSD card, offers enough space for all songs and images.

 LTE Cat4, VoLTE and Wifi 802.11b/g/n ensure that owners of the Honor 6A are always connected, while the 3.020mAh battery provides power for up to 1.8 days of normal usage or 1.2 days of heavy usage.

 The standard version of the Honor 6A in Dark Grey will be available to pre-order on VMALL today starting from 31st July 2017 for a RRP of £149.99. Each purchase includes a complimentary black tripod selfie stick.

 The Honor 6A is also available on PAYG for a RRP of £149.99 and a variety of contracts with exclusive network provider Three UK, starting at just £11 a month on a 24 month contract with no upfront cost. It will be available at Three from August 4.

 Honor 6A – key technical data:

· 5.0 inch HD (1280×720) IPS, 2.5D glass front

· Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8937 Octa-Core (4x 1.2 GHz + 4x 1.0 GHz)

· 2GB RAM, 16 GB ROM + microSD card up to 128 GB

· Android 7 (Nougat) + EMUI 5.1

· 13 MP main camera and 5 MP front camera

· 3.020 mAh battery

· Bluetooth 4.1

· LTE FDD:Cat4

· VoLTE

· Dual Nano SIM or Nano SIM + microSD

My full review of the Honor 6A will be coming soon. 

#Honor #ForTheBrave
 

 

The Best Headphones to use with the LG V30, LG V20 & LG G6 Quad DAC Smartphones 

Android, Audio, Headphone, Reviews, Tech News

So what are the best headphones  to use with the LG V20 and LG G6 Quad DAC that don’t cost a fortune?

Well check out my video below for more insights. 

Video Review 




More information on all the headphones discussed along with the latest deals –

Sennheiser Momentum In Ear – http://amzn.to/2wcj56O

Sony MDR-100 AAP – http://amzn.to/2vcpHot

Sennheiser HD598 – http://amzn.to/2uOBDuc

Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro 250 ohm – http://amzn.to/2wchLk2

Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 250 ohm – http://amzn.to/2wc7JQb

LG V20 B&O Edition – The Ultimate Phone – My REVIEW 

Android, Reviews, Tech News,

LG V20 B&O Quad DAC Edition Review. The ultimate phone for audiophiles and photographers. 
So before we delve deeper into the phone review let’s check out the key features. 

Key Features 

– Dual nano sim + separate slot for a micro SD card.
– MIL STD 810G Certified Drop Resistant.
– 5.7 inch QHD IPS display. 513 ppi. Secondary display 160 x 1040 pixels. Gorilla Glass 4. 
– Android 7, Snapdragon 820. Adreno 530. 
– Rear Dual Cameras. 16mp f/1.8 1/2.6, 29mm / 8mp f/2.4 1/3.2, 12mm / laser autofocus, OIS, LED flash.
– Front 5mp f/1.9.
– Video 24 bit/192hz stereo recording.
– Manual video and photo controls.
– Sound – Headphone jack, 32 bit 192khz Quad DAC, B & O Certified, 24 bit/48khz audio recording, active noise cancellation with dedicated mic. APTX and APTX HD. 
– FM Radio with RDS. Infra Red Blaster. 
– WIFI a/b/g/n/ac Dual Band, usb type c, fast charging 3
– Removable battery

Video Review 

Available on Amazon UK.