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Latest Articles
Vivo X Fold 3 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5: Foldable showdown
Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 5 is the most prominent large screen foldable right now, but the best foldable hardware is from a brand named Vivo right now.
For four years, Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold series reigned supreme in the big foldable category, partly because the phones were very good, but also because they had almost no competition. This changed last year when Google and OnePlus each launched foldables in the US. The latter in particular stole a lot of Samsung's thunder, being named the "foldable phone of the year" by several tech publications, including XDA.
Insta360 X4 review: the best consumer 360 camera gets better
The new Insta360 camera can shoot 360 degree video in 8K/30 resolution or single lens "standard" video at 4K/120fps, giving it great versatility
In the consumer 360-degree camera space, Insta360's X series has been king for a while. The cameras top just about every single "best 360 cameras" list across all tech outlets, and I see them at tech events and tourist hotspots more than any other brand's 360 cameras. The Insta360 X3, which came out in 2022, is one of the half dozen or so gadgets I consider a must-carry when I travel, and the just announced X4 is either a big or small upgrade depending on your needs.
Fujifilm X100 VI vs iPhone 15 Pro Max camera shootout: the most hyped against the most mainstream
The Fujifilm X100 VI is the hottest consumer tech item right now, but how does it actually fare against the most mainstream phone camera?
Despite all the buzz around AI and AR so far in 2024, a strong case can be made that the most hyped and popular consumer tech product of 2024 so far is a vintage-style classic camera. I'm talking specifically about the Fujifilm X100 VI, a compact fixed-lens camera that is, according to reputable media outlets that cover cameras, "the most pre-ordered camera ever." Initial stock sold out within minutes, and even now, two months after launch, it's still virtually impossible to find one at retail price (so you can get one if you're willing to pay scalpers above market value).
iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Xiaomi 14 Ultra camera shootout: Hardware matters
The iPhone 15 Pro Max has a very capable camera system. How does it fare against a phone made in collaboration with Leica with newer sensors?
We all know the iPhone is the most popular phone in the world, and for most people, it is the best overall phone. But in the niche corners of the mobile enthusiast scene, there is a growing fandom for Xiaomi's Ultra series, which has earned a reputation for pushing the possibilities of smartphone camera hardware year after year. But does flashy camera hardware with big numers actually matter in the smartphone scene when it's increasingly about computational photography? Let's find out in this camera shootout.
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Best phones in 2024
Want a new smartphone and are overwhelmed with options? Here's our expert guide on the best smartphone for you.
2024 has been a treat so far for smartphone enthusiasts as we already have a handful of new smartphones out there that are competing for the top spots in our list of favorite phones. Phone makers like Samsung, OnePlus, and Asus have launched their new flagships for 2024 in the U.S., bringing some meaningful upgrades over their predecessors from 2023. We're just getting started, though, and we have plenty of phones to look forward to throughout the year from the likes of Motorola, Apple, and others. We've already updated this roundup to include some newer options, but we'll continue updating it as more phones appear on our testbench. We here at XDA test almost every flagship smartphone released to the public, so you can count on this roundup to find the right phone that suits your budget and needs. Let's dive in!
The best phones to take photos of the solar eclipse — and how to do it
A solar eclipse is coming to North America, and the next one is over 20 years away, so experience and document it while you can
A total solar eclipse is happening in North America this Monday (April 8) when the moon travels between the sun and the earth, and for a brief moment, entirely blocks the sun from our perspective. This is a rare celestial phenomenon, with the next one in North America predicted to occur in 2044, so many people on the continent will try to catch a glimpse. And this being the social media era, most will, of course, whip out their phones to snap photos and film videos.
Ugreen 100W MagSafe Charging Stand review: Excellent nightstand charging option for iPhone users
UGreen's charging station can obviously charge multiple devices, but its star feature is a magnetic MagSafe dock with an articulate hinge
Ugreen makes some of our favorite wall chargers and charging stations, and this 100W MagSafe Charging Station is another well-constructed and easy-to-use solution for simplifying your charging needs. This particular station stands out a bit from the pack because its top side has a magnetic wireless charging dock with an articulate hinge, so you can snap an iPhone on it and use iOS' Standby Mode, which turns this charging station into a nice bedside nightstand station.
Nothing Phone 2a review: A stylish mid-ranger with surprising substance
Nothing's newest phone continues the brand's unique aesthetic, in an even more affordable package
After releasing two excellent phones that sat at the upper end of the mid-range price bracket, upstart tech brand Nothing is back with a new $320-$350-ish handset that, depending on your region (or spending power), can be considered either a budget or lower mid-range phone. However you want to categorize it, the Nothing Phone 2a is yet another polished Android phone that offers great value, plus some style and attitude.
The Apple Vision Pro is too ambitious for its own good
I've been using the Vision Pro for a month and I really like it — except the unbearable weight. But the headset didn't need to be this heavy.
The Vision Pro is one of the more divisive consumer tech products I can remember in recent years. On the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, the Apple headset is either a brilliant futuristic new form of computing, or a stupidly overpriced and heavy headset. The truth, as usual, is somewhere in the middle. Which end of the spectrum it leans towards depends on your lifestyle needs and spending power.
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Samsung Galaxy A55 review: the most premium A phone yet
Samsung's mid-range A phones used to look and feel clearly a tier below the company's flagships. The A55 has stepped up its hardware all around
In the US and its native South Korea, Samsung is known for making the most premium Android smartphone year after year, but the Korean tech giant's best-selling phone globally is actually its mid-range A series, which is mostly popular in India, Southeast Asia, and European markets.
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Atari Gamestation Pro review: Niche nostalgic play for those who grew up with Atari consoles
The Atari Gamestation Pro is a plug-and-play console with over 200 pre-loaded Atari games. Unfortunately, most of these games aren't very good
Revisiting classic video games via emulation on computers or plug-and-play devices with pre-loaded games has been an enthusiast hobby for the past two decades, but the majority of these emulators or third-party plug-and-play devices are committing piracy, because there is little to no chance the developers/manufacturers have paid proper licensing fees to the original gamemakers.
Boox Palma review: Palm-sized e-reader with Android is a joy to use
The Boox Palma is a phone-shaped e-reader that fits in the palm easily and runs full Android with app support
Last year I tested an Android tablet from Boox with an e-ink screen (plus an excellent keyboard folio case and stylus) that proved to be a fun little machine for reading, sketching and typing, but I thought its $599 price made it a tough sell. That same Shenzhen-based company is back with a less ambitious e-ink device that is much smaller and more affordable. While it no longer has that great keyboard or stylus support, the Boox Palma is a more practical reading device, but the price is still perhaps too high.
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Ugreen Nexode 300W 5-Port Charger review: A single charger for all your devices
The Nexode 300W charger is a bulky charging base with four USB-C ports and a USB-A that can output a combined 300W of power.
Ugreen is one of the most reputable makers of chargers and docks, and my colleague Brady Snyder recently tested its "Nexode" series of compact yet powerful wall chargers. Ugreen basically has a charging brick for every power level — 160W, 100W, 65W — and each of those chargers is much smaller in size than other chargers with the same power output. In fact, for short work trips when I try to pack as light as possible, I usually bring just a single Ugreen 100W charger for all my charging needs.
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MacBook Air (M3, 15-inch, 2024) review: The Goldilocks laptop size
The 15-inch MacBook Air offers an immersive large screen experience while keeping a slim and light(er) body than the MacBook Pro
I am what one would call a "digital nomad," and I've been using a 16-inch MacBook Pro as my main work machine for the past five years. These machines were/are absolute beasts that enabled me to make a living writing words, editing photos, and producing videos on-the-go, from tradeshow floors to coffee shops, airport lounges to capsule hotels.
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Ikko ActiveBuds review: The case is a tiny Android phone, but why?
The charging case of the ActiveBuds do far more than charging. It's practically a mini Android phone
I've been testing wireless earbuds since the earliest days, back when a German start-up named Bragi was making waves with its pioneering Dash earbuds, back when people on Twitter were openly skeptical about whether AirPods would actually be practical. During that 2015-2016 era, wireless earbuds came in all shapes and sizes — and also with a lot of compromises, like unstable connectivity, sub-par audio quality, etc.
XDA's Best of MWC 2024 Awards: The best gadgets from the show
From crazy concepts to impressive technology, this year's MWC had it all.
Mobile World Congress (MWC) is a massive technology event that takes place every year in the city of Barcelona. Thousands of people go there to take a glimpse at the latest and greatest tech being launched, and we attended to get some hands-on time with some of the best out there. Some of these are concepts that you can't buy, some of these are products that you can buy today, but all of them deserve a place on our list of the best products available at the show this year.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. OnePlus 12 camera shootout: Which 2024 Android flagship has the best optics?
The two newest Android flagships bring capable camera systems. We put them to the test.
OnePlus stole a lot of thunder from Samsung last fall, when its foldable phone, the Open, was generally considered to be better than the Galaxy Z Fold 5 by most tech publications, including XDA. Can the OnePlus 12 do the same to the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, particular in the all-important camera area? Samsung is leaning heavily into AI features this year, offering just a new 5X zoom lens along with older sensors, while OnePlus did what it always does and chased new hardware with gaudy numbers.
OnePlus Watch 2 review: The rare WearOS watch with good battery life
The OnePlus Watch 2 fixes the biggest issue of the first watch — by running WearOS, it finally has access to Google services that most rely on
When OnePlus launched its first smartwatch three years ago, the company chose not to run Google's WearOS platform due to battery life concerns, instead opting for a custom-built lightweight OS called RTOS (Real-time OS). And indeed, the original OnePlus Watch offered nearly double-digit battery life on a single charge, but without Google's platform, the OnePlus Watch had almost no meaningful app support.
TCL RayNeo X2 review: A first step towards true AR glasses, but still work to do
The RayNeo X2 are truly wireless glasses that can project visual overlay onto the real world and give you surprisingly smart AI help
TCL's subsidiary brand RayNeo has released several capable smartglasses in the past couple of years, including the excellent Air 2. But the company's latest X2, which was teased over a year ago at 2023's CES, is finally ready for mass release. Well, almost ready, because RayNeo is launching it via the Indiegogo crowdfunding platform first, though company reps say it will be sold in stores later.
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Ray-Ban Meta review: Actually useful smart glasses that look good too
The Ray-Ban Meta are smart glasses with a camera and some AI voice assistant capabilities. It's not as ambitious as others but is more practical
If there's one consistent rule in consumer tech, it's that the second generation of a new product category is always much better than the first, with some improvements so obvious that they make you wonder how you put up with the gen-one version in the first place. The second iPhone offered much faster network connectivity and GPS when the first one had neither; and the second Galaxy Fold made the original look like a fragile toy upon release.