INSIDE: ANDROID TIPS & TRICKS

ADVISOR
ISSUE

123

INTRODUCING
ANDROID 15
CONTENTS

GOOGLE I/O 2024 REVIEWS

4 Google reveals Android 15’s 13 Samsung Galaxy A55 5G
best new features 25 Xiaomi 14 Ultra
8 The 3 Android 15 features I 39 Honor Magic6 Pro
V>˜½ÌÜ>ˆÌ̜ÌÀÞwÀÃÌ 54 Motorola Edge 50 Pro
10 Wear OS 5: 4 critical reveals
BUYING GUIDE
10 67 Best Android phones

ANDROID TIPS & TRICKS

%TGFKV)GVV[+OCIGURKZGNƂV

78 An awesome Android audio

upgrade for your phone
83 £ÎÌÀˆVŽÃvœÀ“œÀiivwVˆi˜Ì
Android messaging
91 A crafty new Android
˜œÌˆwV>̈œ˜«œÜiÀÕ«

2 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

 Credit: Getty Images/Eva-Katalin

83
24

91
78
67

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 3

Credit: Getty Images/Poike Credit: Getty Images/Marco VDM
GOOGLE I/O 2024

Google reveals Android

15’s best new features
Plenty more was revealed at I/O. ANYRON COPEMAN reports

G
oogle releases a new major software arrive on your device? Here’s
version of Android every year, everything you need to know about
and that’ll be no different Android 15 at this stage.
ˆ˜ÓäÓ{°Ƃ˜`Àœˆ`£x}œÌˆÌÃœvwVˆ>
launch at Google I/O 2024, and two RELEASE DATE
public betas are now live. œœ}i >ؽÌVœ˜wÀ“i`Ü i˜Ƃ˜`Àœˆ`
So, what should you expect in terms 15 will be released, but based on
of features and compatibility with the timeline below, it’ll be sometime
existing phones? And when will the new towards the end of the year.

4 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

 As you can see from the past few COMPATIBLE DEVICES
generations, it usually begins rolling out If you’re reading this section, you’re
in the second half of each year. probably wondering whether your
current Android smartphone will
Android 14: October 2023 get Android 15. And it’s not just the
Android 13: August 2022 companies listed above that will get it.
Android 12: October 2021 Plenty of other devices will be
Android 11: September 2020 eligible, though this will all depend on
Android 10: September 2019 how long the manufacturer has said
it will deliver OS (operating system)
Going by this pattern, we’d expect updates for. Many Samsung, OnePlus
the full release version of Android 15 and Xiaomi phones offer four years or
to arrive around September or October more, while Honor tends to get three
2024. It may debut on the upcoming and Asus only two.
Pixel 9 range, which could include If you’re unsure, there’s a useful
three devices this year. Android 15 Update Tracker (fave.
Two public betas of Android 15 co/4bloufJ) that monitors many of the
are already live, allowing you to try most popular handsets.
it ahead of time. And it’s not just
Google Pixel phones that you can try NEW FEATURES
it on – recent devices from Honor, Across developer and public-focused
Iqoo, Lenovo, Nothing, OnePlus, betas, plus Google’s I/O developer
Oppo, Realme, Sharp, Tecno, Vivo and conference, plenty has already been
Xiaomi are all compatible. revealed about Android 15.
Of course, even when Android 15 Here are the main new features in
œvwVˆ>Þ>՘V iÃ]ˆÌ½Ì>Ži>Ü ˆi Android 15 to look forward to.
before it arrives on all compatible
phones. The latest Pixel devices will be Private Space
wÀÃ̈˜ˆ˜i]LÕÌ>vՏÀœœÕÌ܈ˆŽiÞ A separate space within Android 15 for
take several months. Ãi˜ÃˆÌˆÛi>««Ã° >Ì>>˜`˜œÌˆwV>̈œ˜Ã
On the device you want to use, can be isolated from the rest of
simply go to the beta page (fave. the phone. Requires extra layer of
co/38JsOpF), click ‘Become a tester’ authentication to access, and can be
and follow the on-screen instructions. hidden completely.

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 5

GOOGLE I/O 2024

Add to Google
9CNNGV|XKCRJQVQU
Allows you to add any passes
with a barcode or QR code by
scanning them.

Credit: Getty Images/urbazon

6JGHV&GVGEVKQP.QEM
Uses AI to detect if your phone
has been taken and someone
has run, cycled or driven off with
it. Will be automatically locked
down to prevent any personal Android 15 offers faster NFC payments.
information from being accessed.
immediately, but not respond until you
4GCNVKOGCRRHTCWFRTQVGEVKQP Ì>«Ì iÃVÀii˜̜Vœ˜wÀ“Ì i«>ޓi˜Ì°
Uses AI to identify apps that might
carry out fraud or phishing, by 'CUKGT)QQING2C[CNVGTPCVKXGU
looking at how they’re using sensitive If your phone has its own contactless
information in real time. If threat is payment app (other than Google
detected after being sent to Google Pay), simply head to the Default Apps
for review, users will be warned or settings and choose it. Previously, the
app disabled completely, without option was buried in the NFC settings.
collecting personal data.
#RRURGEKƂEUETGGPUJCTKPI
5CVGNNKVGOGUUCIKPIUWRRQTV New ability to share only the app you’re
Allows you to send SMS and MMS using, rather than the whole display.
messages even without any phone Already available on recent Pixel
signal, using satellite technology. Unlike devices.
the iPhone, it can’t be used to make
emergency calls yet. $GVVGT2&(XKGYKPICPFGFKVKPI
Improvements to the default Google
(CUVGT0(%RC[OGPVU PDF reader to ensure documents are
New code means you phone will displayed quicker and annotations
communicate with the payment terminal such as form editing can be added.

6 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

 Also native support for password- 5ETGGPTGEQTFKPIFGVGEVKQP
protected PDFs. Apps will be allowed to detected if the
screen is being recorded while they’re
+ORTQXGFECOGTCRGTHQTOCPEG in use, helping to prevent sensitive data
Includes a new ‘Low Light Boost’ for from being seen.
better previews for night photography,
«ÕÓœÀiˆ˜‡`i«Ì y>à Vœ˜ÌÀœÃ° 0GY*GCNVJ%QPPGEVCRR
Allows users to display health, nutrition
#WFKQGSWCNKUCVKQP >˜`w̘iÃÃ`>Ì>vÀœ“Û>ÀˆœÕÃ>««Ã>ˆ˜
New ‘Loudness Control’ feature which one place.
monitors and adjusts media volume to
ensure they’re all roughly of the same $GVVGTNCPIWCIGTGEQIPKVKQP
volume. Improved ability to recognize multiple
languages at the same time.
0QVKƂECVKQP%QQNFQYP
Stops the same app from sending you
œÌÃœv˜œÌˆwV>̈œ˜Ãˆ˜>à œÀÌë>Vi
of time. If you get loads within a few
minutes of each other, the app will be
silenced by default.
Credit: Getty Images/DragonImages

/ ii>Ì  œ˜˜iVÌ>««܈iÌÕÃiÀÃۈiÜÌ iˆÀw̘iÃÃ`>Ì>°

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 7

GOOGLE I/O 2024

Credit: Getty Images/South_agency

The 3 Android 15 features I
V>˜½ÌÜ>ˆÌ̜ÌÀÞwÀÃÌ
They should be worth the wait. ANYRON COPEMAN reports

T
o the surprise of absolutely That includes all its top new features,
no-one, a new major version of and there are three in particular that I’m
Android is coming later this year. really excited to try. Let’s dive in.
We’ve known that Android 15 was
on the way for a while now, but Google PRIVATE SPACE
used its I/O developer conference I use my smartphone more than any
keynote to reveal lots more about the other piece of technology, meaning
new software. it has a lot of sensitive information

8 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

stored on it. But right now, when I give looking forward to pretending it’s
it to a friend or family member, they’re happened to see if Google’s new
just one tap away from accessing this Theft Detection Lock feature works.
information. Enter Private Space. It’s a It supposedly uses AI to sense if your
space that’s totally separate from the phone has been snatched from you
rest of Android 15, allowing you to hide and someone is running, cycling or
any sensitive apps (such as or banking) driving away. In that scenario, your
behind an extra layer of authentication. phone is instantly locked down to
9œÕV>˜>Ãœi˜ÃÕÀiÌ >̘œÌˆwV>̈œ˜Ã prevent the thief from accessing
from these apps are only displayed any personal information.
when you’re in Private Space and make Currently, you must manually do
it hidden completely when you’re using this from a device signed into the
the rest of the phone. Very handy. same Google account, which could
take a while if you’re not at home.
GOOGLE WALLET Having your phone stolen is
2*161|5722146 traumatic enough without worrying
I love all the different kinds of cards, about criminals having access to
tickets and passes that Google Wallet your personal information. If Theft
supports, but adding them can be a Detection works as advertised, it’ll be
pain. Adding each one is such a hassle one less thing to worry about.
that I usually don’t bother with it.
However, that looks set to get much
easier in Android 15. Google will let
you add any passes with barcodes or
QR codes by simply scanning them,
meaning it’ll take a fraction of the time
it usually does. My only disappointment
is it’ll initially be limited to the US.
Hopefully it’s expanded to include the
UK and other countries soon.

THEFT DETECTION LOCK

"Ž>Þ]Ü`iw˜ˆÌiÞ`œ˜½ÌÜ>˜Ì“Þ
phone to actually be stolen. But I’m

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 9

GOOGLE I/O 2024

%TGFKV)GVV[+OCIGURKZGNƂV
Wear OS 5: 4 critical reveals
Android smartwatches are about to get better. CHRIS MARTIN reports

A
s expected, Google has used including Google’s own Pixel Watch
its annual I/O developer 2. Google says its user base grew 40
conference to speak about percent in 2023, so you’ll want to know
Wear OS 5, its upcoming smartwatch what’s coming to the wearable platform
operating system update and here are in the next full version upgrade.
the four most important pieces of news.
There’s a buzz around Wear OS RELEASE DATE
this year, and that’s come out of many Although Google was only talking
interesting smartwatches hitting the about the developer preview during its
market over the last year or two – É"ŽiޘœÌi]ˆÌ`ˆ`Vœ˜wÀ“Ì >Ì7i>À

10 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

OS 5, which is based on Android 14, during lighter usage periods as well
is “arriving later this year”. remains to be seen.
And there might not be long to
wait as Wear OS 4 arrived in August BETTER WATCH FACES
2023 with the Samsung Galaxy Watch This year, Google is making
6 series. If the same thing happens improvements to Watch Face Format –
this year, then we’ll see Wear OS the tool used to make watch faces for
5 launch in July at Samsung’s next Wear OS – and these will be primarily
Unpacked event where it will unveil focused around ‘Flavors’, complications
the Galaxy Watch 7 range. and weather.
Flavors will essentially allow you to
LONGER BATTERY LIFE see and choose different versions of a
It’s no secret that one of the downsides watch face with differences including
of many Wear OS smartwatches – with the colour theme and included
the odd exception such as the OnePlus complications.
Watch 2 – is limited battery life. Complications – the small parts of
Google is making this a priority in a watch face that give you useful data
the next version and says that: “Wear – will support ‘goal progress’ (for data
OS 5 brings performance improvements like step count) as well as ‘weighted
over Wear OS 4.” The
search giant isn’t being
̜œëiVˆwVLÕÌÃ>ÞÃÌ >̈v
you’re tracking a workout,
the device will be more
ivwVˆi˜Ì>˜`À՘˜ˆ˜}>
marathon – which takes most
people around four hours
– will consume 20 percent
less power in Wear OS 5
compared to its predecessor.
That sounds impressive
LṎÃëiVˆwV̜> i>ÛÞ
load scenario, so whether Google says Wear OS will ensure your device is more
Wear OS 5 can go longer ivwVˆi˜ÌˆvˆÌ½ÃÌÀ>VŽˆ˜}>ܜÀŽœÕÌ°

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 11

GOOGLE I/O 2024

elements’ which “can represent discrete

subsets of data, showing their relative
sizes, where you might otherwise use
something like a pie chart.”
/ iw˜>ŽiÞÕ«}À>`iˆÃÌ i>LˆˆÌÞ
to show weather data as part of a watch
face so it could provide you with the
current temperature and weather or
even a forecast for the next few hours.

LARGER WATCH SCREENS

Although a common complaint with
smartwatches is how big and heavy they
are – especially for those with smaller
wrists – Google suggests we may see
even bigger displays in the future.
In a section of the press materials
for I/O entitled ‘Larger screens’
Google said, “With the momentum
surrounding Wear OS, we’re seeing
a wider variety of round screen sizes
and resolutions, which provides more
choices for the user.”
7ˆÌ Ì ˆÃ]Ì iwÀ“ˆÃÀii>Ș}˜iÜ
guidelines on how developers can
create responsive users interfaces for a
range of watch screen sizes.
These guidelines were unavailable
to peruse at the time of writing, but
it certainly seems that Google is
expecting even bigger smartwatch
screens than the ones we have already.

12 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

Samsung Galaxy A55 5G
Price: £439 from [Link]/3V2np6S

A
fter getting back into its mid- You can perhaps understand why
range smartphone groove with Samsung would feel compelled to
the Galaxy A54 5G, Samsung offer more for less, given the upward
returns with another classy sub-£500 pressure exerted by excellent-value
offering in the Galaxy A55 5G. phones like the Nothing Phone (2a)
With prices starting from just £439, as well as direct competition from the
the Galaxy A55 5G represents the Redmi Note 13 Pro+. So has Samsung
kind of price cut we don’t see much of done enough to compete?
these days. Despite being cheaper, it
manages to add a larger display and a DESIGN
faster processor, all housed in a more The Galaxy A55 doesn’t look all that
premium design than before. different to the Galaxy A54. Other than

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 13

REVIEWS

the latter’s subtly rounded edge being still get the same IP67 water and dust
Vœ“«iÌiÞy>ÌÌi˜i`œÕÌ]ˆÌ½ÃëœÌÌ i resistance as before, but that remains a
difference stuff. solid mid-range spec.
/ œÃiy>Ìi`}iÃՏ̈“>ÌiÞëi>Ž The Galaxy A55 5G’s step-up in
to the direction of travel Samsung has materials does come at the cost of
Ì>Ži˜ÜˆÌ ˆÌÃy>}à ˆ«>>ÝÞ-Ó{° increased weight. We already found
However, the Galaxy A55 5G (together the Galaxy A54 5G to be somewhat
with its brother the Galaxy A35 5G) unwieldy at 209g, and the A55 5G
distinguishes itself with a unique adds another 4g on top of that. The
raised housing for the power and newer phone is also slightly taller and
volume buttons. wider, thanks to its larger display so
Any lingering sense of familiarity bare this in mind.
vanishes the second you lay your hands With more severe edges and a
œ˜Ì iƂxxx°/ ˆÃˆÃ>È}˜ˆwV>˜ÌÞ larger footprint, as well as the switch to
more premium piece of work, eschewing a metal frame, the Galaxy A55 5G is a
the plastic of its predecessor in favour of less comfortable phone to hold than its
an aluminium frame and a glass back. predecessor. However, it undoubtedly
The front of the Galaxy A55 5G also feels like it’s taken a large step towards
gets an upgrade to the newer, tougher y>}à ˆ«ÌiÀÀˆÌœÀÞ]Ü ˆV ˆÃˆ“«ÀiÃÈÛi
Gorilla Glass Victus+ (up from GG5). You given the cheaper price tag.
I’m reviewing
the Awesome
Iceblue option, which
most people would
simply call white. You
can also get the Galaxy
A55 in Awesome Navy,
Awesome Lilac, and
Awesome Yellow. Which
is… awesome.

DISPLAY
After decreasing the
/ ˆÃˆÃ>“ÕV “œÀi«Ài“ˆÕ“«ˆiViœvܜÀŽÌ >˜ˆÌëÀi`iViÃÜÀ° size of the Galaxy A54

14 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

54G’s display ever so
slightly to 6.4-inch,
Samsung has cranked
things right up to 6.6-
inch with the Galaxy A55
5G.
Other than an
increased canvas, this
is otherwise a nigh-
on identical screen
ëiVˆwV>̈œ˜]ÜˆÌ 
a 1,080x2,340 (Full
HD+) resolution and a
120Hz refresh rate. It Colour accuracy is solid, in Samsung’s signature punchy fashion.
even gets to the same
1,000 nit brightness, when exposed You don’t get a 3.5mm headphone
to bright ambient lighting and with jack here, despite the size of the phone,
autobrightness left on. but you do get decent clarity from its
You’ll want to make sure you do that, stereo speakers. There’s the usual lack
too, as I only measured the brightness of bass, but you expect that from a mid-
as barely scraping to 400 nits with range phone.
>Õ̜LÀˆ} ̘iÃÃœvv°/ >̽Ãw˜ivœÀˆ˜`œœÀ
usage, but won’t stand up to even a PERFORMANCE
British summer’s day. After last year’s Galaxy A54 5G with its
Colour accuracy is solid, in Exynos 1380 brought the mid-range
Samsung’s signature punchy fashion. If series into smooth working order, the
you like your picture to be a little more Galaxy A55 5G’s Exynos 1480 chip
restrained, I’d recommend switching allows it to stretch its legs.
away from the default Vivid setting and This is a higher-clocked chip made
opting for Natural instead. Using this ÕȘ}>“œÀii˜iÀ}އivwVˆi˜Ì{˜“
more muted display mode, I recorded process, and it’s backed by 8GB of RAM
a 99.2 percent sRGB gamut coverage as standard. Benchmark results point to
and an average Delta E of 1.72. That’s a healthy, if not huge improvement over
decent, without ripping up any trees. the Galaxy A54 5G.

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 15

REVIEWS

Compared to
its contemporaries,
the Galaxy A55 5G
comfortably trumps
the Nothing Phone
(2a) and the Google
Pixel 7a in our CPU
benchmark tests, but
falls a little short of
both in GPU terms.
This results in
buttery smooth day The Galaxy A55 5G’s Exynos 1480 chip allows it to stretch its legs.
to day performance,
but also points to a phone that Motorola Edge 40 Neo: 44fps
shouldn’t be a primary pick if gaming Samsung Galaxy A54: 46fps
is your priority. It’ll run the likes of
Wreckfest on High settings, but the $CVVGT[NKHG
vÀ>“iÀ>Ìi܈Liv>ÀvÀœ“y>܏iÃð Samsung Galaxy A55 5G: 12 hours, 26
You’re probably better off playing such minutes
complex 3D fare at medium settings. Google Pixel 7a: 10 hours, 49 minutes
Nothing Phone (2a): 16 hours, 16
)GGMDGPEJ OWNVKEQTG minutes
Samsung Galaxy A55 5G: 3,447 Redmi Note 13 Pro: 11 hours, 55 minutes
Google Pixel 7a: 2,588 Motorola Edge 40 Neo: 7 hours, 39
Nothing Phone (2a): 2,602 minutes
Redmi Note 13 Pro: 2,872 Samsung Galaxy A54: 10 hours, 57
Motorola Edge 40 Neo: 2,526 minutes
Samsung Galaxy A54: 2,888
%JCTIGKPOKPWVGU
)(:/CPJCVVCP Samsung Galaxy A55 5G: 52%
Samsung Galaxy A55 5G: 57fps Google Pixel 7a: 38%
Google Pixel 7a: 62fps Redmi Note 13 Pro: 87%
Nothing Phone (2a): 57fps Motorola Edge 40 Neo: 82%
Redmi Note 13 Pro: 39fps Samsung Galaxy A54: 31%

16 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

 You can select between 128- and That main camera does a lot of the
256GB of internal storage, and there’s heavy lifting here, turning out detailed
a microSD slot if you feel the need to images packed full of Samsung’s
expand the provision, though it’ll take customary colour – perhaps even too
up one of the two SIM card slots. much for some tastes – when shooting
As the name suggests, you can count in good lighting.
on 5G connectivity where available, Night shots are less assured, with
while the Galaxy A55 5G also supplies a hint of grain and softness, and I
Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi 6 and NFC for spotted a strange green visual artefact
mobile payments. It’s all up to date on in one particular instance. They still
the connectivity front for a mid-ranger. look decent, but if you want truly
strong night shots for less than £500,
PHOTOGRAPHY look to the Pixel 7a.
We’ve seen nothing but thoughtful The A55’s 12Mp ultra-wide is nice
evolution so far, but the Galaxy A55 to have for those landscape shot
x½Ã«Àœ}ÀiÃÃܓiÜ >Ìy>̏ˆ˜iÃÜˆÌ ˆÌà situations, but the fall-off in quality and
camera system. Samsung seems to have inconsistency in tone compared to the
wÌÌi`Ì i« œ˜iÜˆÌ iÝ>V̏ÞÌ iÃ>“i main sensor is quite pronounced.
set-up as the Galaxy A54 5G. Samsung goes a little further than
That means a fairly typical showing most with its 5Mp macro camera,
of a 50Mp main camera with
an f/1.8 aperture and OIS, a
12Mp ultra-wide, and a 5Mp
macro camera. There’s the
Ã>“iÎÓ«ÃiwiV>“iÀ>
around the front, too.
It should surprise no one
that my impressions of the
Galaxy A55 5G’s photographic
skills broadly fall in line with
last year’s model, even with
the usual improvements to
image processing that come / i“>ˆ˜V>“iÀ>«Àœ`ÕViÃ`iÌ>ˆi`ˆ“>}ië>VŽi`vՏ
with a new model. of Samsung’s customary colour.

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 17

REVIEWS

We’ll start
off our
series of
test shots
with the
same scene
Ì>Ži˜ÜˆÌ 
the main
lens…

…2x
zoom…

18 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

 …4x
zoom…

…and
ultrawide
lens.

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 19

REVIEWS

Next up,
we have a
couple of
examples
of low-light
shots.

20 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

 7i½w˜ˆÃ 
off with a
Ãiwio

…and an
ultrawide
Ãiwi°

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 21

REVIEWS

producing passable close-up

à œÌð Ṏ̽ÃÃ̈>ÃÕ«iÀy՜ÕÃ
addition, and I prefer the no-
nonsense dual-lens approach
taken by the Nothing Phone
(2a) and Pixel 7a.
As that suggests, there’s
no dedicated telephoto here,
but 2x shots look pretty solid The Galaxy A55 5G will be good for a full two days of
thanks to that solid main ‘normal’ usage in between charges.
sensor and Samsung’s reliable
cropping system. You’ll be dicing with the new Exynos chip, it makes for an
increasing amounts of blur as you stray ˆ“«ÀiÃÈÛiÞivwVˆi˜ÌÀ՘˜iÀ°
into 4x and 10x territory, though. In practical use, I found the Galaxy
Once again, Samsung’s 32Mp front A55 5G’s stamina to be strong. On a
V>“iÀ>`œiÃ>L>˜}Õ«œLÜˆÌ Ãiwið 15 hour day with 4 hours 30 minutes
-Žˆ˜̜˜iÃ>Ài˜>ÌÕÀ>]ÃÕLiVÌ`iw˜ˆÌˆœ˜ of screen on time – what you might
is good, and there’s a nice degree term moderate usage – it fell to just
of background blur even without the 63percent. On an especially intense
portrait mode activated. day of 7 hours and 50 minutes
Ì >Ã>ψ} ̏Þ܈`iÀwi`œvۈiÜ screen on time, the Galaxy A55 5G
than many, which is a better pick for still got through to bedtime with 22
group shots, with the default view percent remaining.
cropping in for a more regular close-up That’s an impressive level of stamina
without a noticeable drop off in detail. and indicates that the Galaxy A55
Video recording is decent, 5G will be good for a full two days of
stretching to 4K at 30fps or 1080p ‘normal’ usage in between charges.
at 60fps. The provision of OIS keeps Meanwhile, a PC Mark Work 3.0
things suitably steady. battery score of 12 hours and 26
minutes falls several hours behind the
BATTERY LIFE Nothing Phone (2a), but comfortably
Samsung stuck with a familiar 5,000mAh beats the likes of the Pixel 7a and the
battery for the Galaxy A55 5G, which Motorola Edge 40 Neo.
proves to be ample. Together with If there’s one weakness here, it’s

22 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

that Samsung persists in supporting a which means that it’s often viewed
mediocre charging speed. At just 25 as the default Android OS by a lot of
watts, you’ll only get to just over half «iœ«i°̽Ã>Ãœ>ӜœÌ ]yi݈Li]
a tankful from empty in 30 minutes colourful and fully featured UI that
of charging. The Nothing Phone (2a) proves to be a tinkerer’s delight.
supports 45 watts, while the Redmi If you’ve ventured away from
Note 13 Pro+ 5G supports a whopping Samsung at any point over the years,
120 watts, and the latter also gives you however, you may have experienced the
that speedy charger in the box. cleaner, more streamlined delights of
There’s no wireless charging stock Android and those UIs that stick
provision here, which isn’t too closer to Google’s way of doing things.
surprising. You can pick up a Pixel 7a To someone who’s acquired a taste for
with this feature for similar money, but such things, One UI can feel very busy
it’s something of a mid-range outlier. indeed, and even a little clumsy, with
lots of preinstalled apps – several of
SOFTWARE which duplicate core Google services.
Samsung supplies the latest version Samsung is promising four years
of Android with the Galaxy A55 5G, of major OS upgrades for the Galaxy
which is Android 14, together with Ƃxxx]>˜`Õ«̜wÛiÞi>ÀÃœv
its own latest custom UI, One UI 6.1. security updates. That’s pretty strong
In that way, it’s right up there with for a mid-range phone.
Ì i Vœ“«>˜Þ½Ãy>}à ˆ«
Galaxy S24 series, minus
the AI tricks.
One UI is an interface
you’ll either be instantly
comfortable with, or else
have to grow accustomed
to over time.
Samsung’s software has
been installed on millions
upon millions of devices
across more than a decade,
albeit under different names, Samsung promises four years of OS updates.

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 23

REVIEWS

VERDICT • Xclipse 530 GPU

Samsung has taken the good work • 6GB/8GB/12GB RAM
done with the Galaxy A54 5G, and • 128GB/256GB storage
thoughtfully built upon it. This is another • Three rear-facing cameras: 50Mp,
all-round capable mid-ranger with a f/1.8, (wide), 1/1.56-inch, 1.0μm,
much improved build, a larger display, PDAF, OIS; 12Mp, f/2.2, 123-degree
and faster performance. (ultrawide), 1/3.06-inch, 1.12μm; 5Mp,
While it would have been nice to see f/2.4, (macro)
some more improvements in the camera • -iwiV>“iÀ>\£Ó«]vÉÓ°Ó]Óȓ“
and display departments, these were (wide), 1/2.74-inch, 0.8μm
solid components last time around, and • Stereo speakers
remain so in 2024. Given that the phone • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band,
costs a little less than its predecessor, Wi-Fi Direct
it would feel churlish to complain too • Bluetooth 5.3, A2DP, LE
much, though cheaper rivals such as the • NFC
Nothing Phone (2a) and the Motorola • GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO,
Edge 40 Neo mean that I still wouldn’t QZSS
call it a full-on bargain. • USB Type-C 2.0, OTG
Samsung could still do with • Fingerprint scanner (under display,
improving its charging speeds, optical)
especially compared to some of its mid- • Non-removable 5,000mAh lithium-ion
range rivals, and the Galaxy A55 5G is battery
bigger and bulkier than ever. However, • 161.1x77.4x8.2mm
it remains an easy recommendation for • 213g
anyone with less than £450 to burn on a
smartphone. Jon Mundy

SPECIFICATIONS
• 6.6-inch (2,340x1,080; 390ppi) Super
AMOLED, 120Hz, HDR10+ display
• Android 14, One UI 6.1
• Exynos 1480 (4nm) processor
• Octa-core (4x 2.75GHz Cortex-A78, 4x
2GHz Cortex-A55) CPU

24 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

Xiaomi 14 Ultra
Price: £1,299 from [Link]/4bhkJYJ

E
very now and then something you add in the optional Photography
special comes along. In the Kit which, no lie, means this phone can
crowded phone market, it’s a rare rival compact mirrorless DSLRs.
thing. Enter the Xiaomi 14 Ultra. Xiaomi Costing a whopping £1,299, it’s
>Ãw˜>Þ>՘V i`ˆÌÃ1ÌÀ>y>}à ˆ« not a phone you’ll be buying on a
smartphone outside of its home market. whim. But if you can afford it, this
If you’re in the market for the absolute phone has just about every bell and
best phone experience, you might whistle you can imagine, from insane
have found it here. photography skills to a gorgeous
You will need to be all in on the screen to super-fast charging.
photography though, and if you are, this It’s not perfect, no phone is, but
is an enthusiast’s dream. Especially when Xiaomi will have the likes of Apple,

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 25

REVIEWS

Samsung and Google quaking in their On the plus side, it does provide
respective boots after this. ܓiÜ iÀivœÀޜÕÀw˜}iÀ̜˜>ÌÕÀ>Þ
rest and support the phone.
DESIGN The overall footprint of the handset
If you think this phone looks like a is similar to big-screen rivals. However,
camera, it’s not a coincidence. Xiaomi it’s slightly smaller (161.4x75.3x9.2mm)
has crafted it to resemble traditional and lighter (from 219.8g) than the
cameras in various ways, from the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.
circular camera module to the textured Xiaomi offers the 14 Ultra in two
cover. I think it looks great. colours, simply black or white, and both
There’s no getting around it, the feature a ‘nano-tech’ vegan leather rear
Xiaomi 14 Ultra is a big phone. It’s to be cover which looks and feels really nice.
expected with that Ultra moniker, but How it holds up a year or two down the
don’t say I didn’t warn you. line is another matter, but it’s likely you’ll
Much of the bulk is found on the use a case at some point anyway.
back, as the camera module is a huge, 1˜ÕÃÕ>Þ]Ì iwÀ“«ÀœÛˆ`iÃ> >À`
almost ice hockey puck-like, addition. plastic case in the box rather than a
It adds weight and makes the phone a yˆ“ÃÞȏˆVœ˜iœ˜i°/ ˆÃˆÃw˜iLÕ̽`
little top-heavy but as mentioned, it’s all rather use the phone without, or make
for a good reason. use of the case that comes as part of
the Photography Kit –
more on that later.
Case or not,
the phone is well-
made and durable,
featuring an IP68 rating
meaning it’s pretty
much fully dust and
water resistant. As
>y>}à ˆ«Ã˜œÀÌ œv
£1,000 should be.
The one-piece
ÕV œvÌ iLՏŽˆÃvœÕ˜`œ˜Ì iL>VŽ]>ÃÌ iV>“iÀ>“œ`ՏiˆÃ> frame is a new
Õ}i]>“œÃ̈Vi œVŽiÞ«ÕVŽ‡ˆŽi]>``ˆÌˆœ˜° ‘6M42’ integrated

26 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

 curved on all sides but
the stunning display
՘`iÀ˜i>Ì Liˆ˜}y>Ì
ÕV œvÌ iëiVˆwVÃ
about the 14 Ultra’s
display is about what
ޜս` iÝ«iVÌvœÀ>y>}à ˆ«
of this price. However,
there’s a combination of
design elements which
make it unusual.
Xiaomi provides a hard plastic case in the box rather than a Xiaomi touts an ‘all
yˆ“ÃÞȏˆVœ˜iœ˜i° around liquid display’, but
it’s not as simple as the
high-strength aluminium, and the display physically being curved at the
front is Xiaomi’s own Shield Glass edges. That approach is a bit divisive
which ‘incorporates all-new materials, as although it looks and feels nice, you
forming a interlocking structure get a bit of image distortion and the
through high-temperature sintering’. downside of accidental input.
Combined with the vegan leather The 14 Ultra offers the best of both
back, they form the Xiaomi Guardian worlds, with the glass beautifully curved
Structure. A fun marketing name but the on all sides but the stunning display
phone does feel very strong to be fair. ՘`iÀ˜i>Ì Liˆ˜}y>Ì°
As for the glass, it’s hard to say It’s a mammoth 6.73-inch (slightly
without long-term testing and that’s smaller than the S24 Ultra’s 6.8-inch)
partly as Xiaomi applies a screen panel with a long list of top specs,
protector at the factory. This has including AMOLED tech with a high
become quite scratched during my pixel density of 522ppi, plus support for
few weeks with the phone so might Dolby Vision and HDR10+.
not be on for much longer. LPTO technology means the refresh
rate can dynamically adjust from 120Hz
DISPLAY down to just 1Hz so you can get smooth
The 14 Ultra offers the best of both performance when the high refresh rate
worlds, with the glass beautifully is needed, but save power when it isn’t.

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 27

REVIEWS

Its stereo speakers

are good quality
and have plenty of
velocity, along with a
spacious and detailed
soundscape. You will
be suitably immersed
in audio when
listening to music,
gaming, watching
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra’s display is stunning. videos and more.

It’s also very bright, with a typical PERFORMANCE

high brightness of 1,000 nits and a >ÌV ˆ˜}“>˜ÞœÌ iÀÓäÓ{y>}à ˆ«Ã]
theoretical peak brightness of 3,000 the Xiaomi 14 Ultra features with a
nits. In a real-world measurement Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset
with auto brightness switched off and in the engine room.
sunlight mode on, I measured it at an You get a whopping 16GB of RAM
impressive 736 nits and found it easy (more than the S24 Ultra or Pixel 8 Pro).
to use in all situations. Just note that, in the UK at least, there’s
/ ii“Li``i`w˜}iÀ«Àˆ˜Ì only one storage capacity at 512GB.
scanner is very good indeed, and Performance, unsurprisingly, is
I like that it sits higher up than the extremely quick and the 14 Ultra can
Xiaomi 14 making it more natural and handle whatever you throw at it with
comfortable for me to use. relative ease. Whether it’s opening
There’s no headphone jack, which apps, photo editing, streaming video
>Ü>ÞÃw˜`>à >“iœ˜>« œ˜iœv or gaming. Top games such as Genshin
this size, but it’s not a big deal when Impact are buttery smooth and you can
wireless headphones are so prevalent. play with high settings, no problem. A
The 14 Ultra is impressively packed with LiiwiÀVœœˆ˜}ÃÞÃÌi“Ì >˜Ì iÀi}Տ>À
high-end audio codecs including AAC, Xiaomi 14 – a ‘Dual-Channel IceLoop
AptX Adaptive, LDAC and LHDC 5.0, so System’ – helps keep the internal
Hi-Res Audio isn’t far away with the right temperature down and it seems to
streaming service and headphones. work well.

28 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

)GGMDGPEJ OWNVKEQTG Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro: 11 hours, 34
Xiaomi 14 Ultra: 6,775 minutes
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: 7,141 Google Pixel 8 Pro: 9 hours, 33 minutes
Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro: 7,440 Xiaomi 13 Ultra: 9 hours, 53 minutes
Google Pixel 8 Pro: 3,962
OnePlus 12: 4,819 %JCTIGKPOKPWVGU
Xiaomi 13 Ultra: 5,161 Xiaomi 14 Ultra: 52%
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: 30%
)(:/CPJCVVCP Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro: 45%
Xiaomi 14 Ultra: 120fps Google Pixel 8 Pro: 12%
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: 120fps OnePlus 12: 67%
Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro: 165fps Xiaomi 13 Ultra: 48%
Google Pixel 8 Pro: 85fps
OnePlus 12: 60fps In terms of other specs, the 14
Xiaomi 13 Ultra: 107fps Ultra is packed with plenty of bells and
whistles including 5G support, Wi-Fi
$CVVGT[NKHG 7 (in select markets including the UK),
Xiaomi 14 Ultra: 12 hours, 25 minutes dual nano-SIM support (no eSIM),
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: 14 hours, 14 Bluetooth 5.4 with dual connections,
minutes NFC and even an IR blaster.
The latter is super
handy even just for
adjusting the volume
of or switching the TV
on and off when your
toddler has misplaced
the dedicated remote.

PHOTOGRAPHY
As you may have gathered
by this point in the review,
photography is the main
*iÀvœÀ“>˜Vi]՘ÃÕÀ«ÀˆÃˆ˜}Þ]ˆÃiÝÌÀi“iÞµÕˆVŽ>˜`Ì i£{ event on the 14 Ultra. You
Ultra can handle whatever you throw at it with relative ease. don’t (or shouldn’t) have

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 29

REVIEWS

a camera bump this big without having zoom. They are all based on the Sony
something to show for it. IMX858 sensor and only the ultrawide
And there’s lots to show here, with doesn’t have OIS.
no fewer than four rear cameras co- If you like to deal in focal lengths,
developed with Leica. When it comes this gives you the equivalent of 12-, 23-,
to the cameras, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is 75- and 120mm which is a formidable
`iw˜ˆÌiÞ>V>Ãiœv>ŽˆiÀ˜œwiÀ° array to play with, and those lengths are
All four lenses are 50Mp, so it’s a mentioned throughout the camera app
similar affair to the regular 14 here but so you know which you are using.
delve into the specs and the Ultra has Talking of the app, Xiaomi has
more to offer than just an extra lens. done a great job with this considering
The main camera is a photography how many modes and settings there
nerd’s dream come true with optical are available. It’s neat, intuitive, and
image stabilisation (OIS), a huge 1-inch you can just point and shoot or spend
sensor and even variable step-less œÕÀÃw˜i‡Ì՘ˆ˜}­ˆ˜VÕ`ˆ˜}V œœÃˆ˜}
aperture between f/1.63/2.0/2.8/4.0 – to the aperture on the main camera and
give you the headline details. saving custom presets) depending on
Elsewhere, there’s an ultrawide, your preference.
>yœ>̈˜}ÌiiÃVœ«i>ÌΰÓÝ>˜` As I found with the regular 14,
a periscope camera for 5x optical the quality on offer here is absolutely
stunning. The way the
phone captures light is
often astonishing, and
viewers of the results
wouldn’t believe they
came from a phone
rather than a fully-
yi`}i` -,V>“iÀ>°
If you’re not sure
which camera to use,
the phone may switch
automatically (macro
7 i˜ˆÌVœ“iÃ̜Ì iV>“iÀ>Ã]Ì i8ˆ>œ“ˆ£{1ÌÀ>ˆÃ`iw˜ˆÌiÞ shots for example), but
>V>Ãiœv>ŽˆiÀ˜œwiÀ I often preferred the

30 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

results by making my own
choice. Quality is so high
across the board that you
may not even be able to
tell which camera has been
used for a shot, beyond
the obvious difference
between an ultrawide and
5x optical zoom.
You can almost
completely do away with As I found with the regular 14, the quality on offer here is
portrait and night modes absolutely stunning.
as there’s plenty of natural
bokeh and the main sensor can absorb œÛˆ˜}̜Ì iÃiwiV>“iÀ>>˜`
light like some kind of magical sponge. this is the same 32Mp (f/2.0) camera as
As usual, the main camera is the the regular 14. It’s excellent in terms
best, but the two telephoto lenses of quality and can automatically switch
keep up impressively well with between 0.8- and 1x depending on
excellent detail, colour, exposure and Ü >ÌޜսÀiÌÀވ˜}̜ẅ˜ÌœÌ ivÀ>“i°
white balance. You can zoom digitally It’s got plenty of features, including
beyond the 5x optical available up to portrait mode with depth control, and
a ridiculous 120x, but that’s extremely can shoot video in up to 4K. At the rear,
hard to use handheld and quality takes you can go all the way to 8K/30fps if
a big dip after around 30x. you like, though 4K with 60fps (up to
Meanwhile, the ultrawide does a 120fps) is preferable for most situations.
}œœ`œL œvwÌ̈˜}>œÌ“œÀiˆ˜>Ì ˆ}  If you want to use Xiaomi’s steady video
quality without much distortion in the or steady video pro modes, you’ll have
corners at all. to drop to 1080p but with OIS on the
I’ve preferred to shoot in the Leica “>ˆ˜V>“iÀ>]`ˆ`˜½Ìw˜`Ì ˆÃ˜iViÃÃ>ÀÞ°
ƂÕÌ i˜ÌˆVVœœÕÀ«ÀœwiÜ ˆV ˆÃVœÃi Overall, this is the best smartphone
to real life, but you can switch to Leica money can buy right now for
Vibrant in the top corner if you want photography and I haven’t even
more punchy saturated colours akin to mentioned the Photography Kit which
Samsung’s phones. takes it to another level.

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 31

REVIEWS

As you
can see
from these
examples,
the Xiaomi
14 Ultra
Ì>ŽiÃ
fantastic
photos.

32 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 33
REVIEWS

From
top left,
we have
the same
subject shot
with the
main lens,
5x, 30x and
120x zoom.

34 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

We’ll lever, record button and
w˜ˆÃ œvv customizable wheel but also
with an contains a 1,500mAh battery
example to keep the phone topped
of a
up with charge. Furthermore,
Ãiwi°
there’s an attractive orange
camera ring, or you can put
>ÈǓ“wÌiÀœ˜ˆ˜ÃÌi>`°
With all this, as well as the
wrist strap, you’ve really got
a camera that happens to
also be a phone.

BATTERY LIFE
A 5,000mAh battery is
the average size for a
smartphone in 2024.
Although you might expect
This optional accessory is £179 it to be higher for a phone this big, it
iÝÌÀ>ˆ˜Ì i1]LÕÌޜսœvÌi˜w˜` matches the S24 Ultra, so it’s clear the
Xiaomi bundling it with the handset. It’s space and weight is primarily for the
primarily a camera grip
attachment, and you
will have to put a case
on before this slides
into place. But it all
looks and feels great,
with the black option
covered in a woven
v>LÀˆVw˜ˆÃ Ü ˆV ˆÃ
durable and grippy.
The grip itself
adds not only a two- The optional Photography Kit adds a two-stage shutter, zoom
stage shutter, zoom lever, record button and customizable wheel.

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 35

REVIEWS

camera system. In our usual PCMark don’t include any charger in the box.
battery test with the screen set to the However, it’s worth noting that this
suggested 200 nits, the phone lasted approach is more eco-friendly, and you
a decent, if not outstanding, 12 hours may already have a compatible charger
and 25 minutes. at home.
It’s about the only area where the 14 The 14 Ultra also supports whopping
Ultra doesn’t truly excel, but it’s certainly 80-watt wireless ‘HyperCharge’ and 10-
not bad. I haven’t found myself worrying watt reverse wireless charging, with the
about battery life, which says a lot. It will latter allowing you to easily charge any
comfortably last a day unless you are gadgets that support Qi charging, such
hammering things like gaming and 4K as wireless earbuds.
video recording. I have seen the phone Just note that the camera bump
last a couple of days when my usage can cause problems with wireless
has been on the lighter side. charging as, for example, it won’t
When it comes to charging, you get charge on my Pixel Stand 2 unless
a speedy 90-watt HyperCharge adapter essentially hang the phone on the top
in the box, which can get you from dead edge via the camera bump.
to 52 percent in just 15 minutes or 88
percent in half an hour, both of which SOFTWARE
are very quick. The 14 Ultra, like its stablemate the
It’s especially favourable when you regular Xiaomi 14, uses the HyperOS
compare to Samsung and Google rivals, software. This is Xiaomi’s ‘new’
which offer much slower charging and operating system which runs on Android
14, but HyperOS isn’t much
more than a rebranded version
of the MIUI skin which came
before it.
Overall, it’s a mixed bag.
There are things I like and
things I don’t like.
/ i돈̘œÌˆwV>̈œ˜>˜`
quick settings panels (to the
We were able to charge the Xiaomi from dead to 88 left and right of the punch
percent in half an hour. hole camera) will be divisive,

36 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

>Ã܈LiœÌ iÀˆ"-ˆ˜yÕi˜ViÃÃÕV 
as the default option to have no
app drawer. You’ll also have to get
used to the grid of recent apps and
closing them by swiping sideways.
Bloatware remains an issue,
LÕ̽Ûi`iw˜ˆÌiÞÃii˜>œÌܜÀÃi
in the past. No one needs three,
yes three, web browsers and there
are other apps that you’ll want to
uninstall immediately (which you
can). However, the likes of Spotify,
TikTok and Facebook aren’t so bad
in my book.
Another negative is what used Xiaomi promises a decent four years of OS
to be gorgeous rotating images on Õ«`>ÌiÃ>˜`wÛiÞi>ÀÃœvÃiVÕÀˆÌÞ«>ÌV ið
the lock screen have now become
almost exclusively adverts. There’s also as live subtitles for video calls and
a ‘Recommended feed’ if you swipe up ‘AI Portrait’ which, once you’ve taken
from the home screen which appears i˜œÕ} ÃiwiÃ]V>˜VÀi>Ìiˆ“>}iÃœv
to be Xiaomi’s version of Google ޜÕÜˆÌ ëiVˆwV«Àœ“«Ìð½ÛiÃii˜ˆÌ
Discover, just a million times worse, with in action and it’s very impressive if you
overwhelming links to tabloid articles want to have fun or pretend you went
I’m not interested in. on holiday somewhere exotic when you
On the plus side, there are some actually went to Skegness.
nifty features such as the GameTurbo Xiaomi promises a decent four years
mode (for boosting gaming œv"-Õ«`>ÌiÃ>˜`wÛiÞi>ÀÃœvÃiVÕÀˆÌÞ
performance and reducing distractions) patches which, until recently, would
>˜`yœ>̈˜}>««ÃÜ ˆV  i«ÜˆÌ “Տ̈‡ be perfectly acceptable. Samsung and
tasking, even if Xiaomi could do a better Google now offer seven of each, which
job of showing how these features work, ˆÃÈ}˜ˆwV>˜ÌÞLiÌÌiÀ]>ÃÃՓˆ˜}LœÌ 
or even that they exist. stick to their promises.
There are also AI features coming -̈]vœÕÀ̜wÛiÞi>ÀÃœvœ˜}iۈÌÞ
which I haven’t been able to test, such should be enough for most users.

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 37

REVIEWS

VERDICT • Adreno 750 GPU

In just about every way, the Xiaomi 14 • 12GB/16GB RAM
Ultra is an incredible smartphone. It’s • 256GB/512GB/1TB storage
got stunning design and high build • Four rear-facing cameras: 50Mp,
quality, an awesome screen that’s got f/1.6-f/4.0, 23mm (wide), 1.0-inch-
Ì iLiÃÌœvLœÌ y>Ì>˜`VÕÀÛi`ܜÀ`Ã] type, 1.6μm, multi-directional PDAF,
>˜`y>}à ˆ«‡iÛi«iÀvœÀ“>˜Vi° Laser AF, OIS; 50Mp, f/1.8, 75mm
For my money, it’s the best (telephoto), 1/2.51-inch, 0.7μm, dual
smartphone for photography on the «ˆÝi* Ƃ­£äV“‡ý®]"-]ΰÓÝ
market right now, even without factoring optical zoom; 50Mp, f/2.5, 120mm
in the excellent Photography Kit. (periscope telephoto), 1/2.51-inch,
However, I’d say you do have to really ä°Ç–“]`Õ>«ˆÝi* Ƃ­ÎäV“‡ý®]
make the most of this part of the phone OIS, 5x optical zoom; 50Mp, f/1.8,
to fully justify buying one. 12mm, 122-degree (ultrawide), 1/2.51-
At £1,299, it’s cheaper than the inch, 0.7μm, dual pixel PDAF
equivalent Galaxy S24 Ultra and if you’re • -iwiV>“iÀ>\ÎÓ«]vÉÓ°ä]Óӓ“
all about ISO and f-stops then the 14 (wide), 1/3.14-inch, 0.7μm
Ultra is for you. • Stereo speakers
However, you can still get incredible • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7, tri-
quality for less in the Google Pixel 8 Pro band, Wi-Fi Direct
and the regular Xiaomi 14/Pixel 8 if you • Bluetooth 5.4, A2DP, LE, aptX HD,
want a smaller phone. Chris Martin aptX Adaptive, LHDC
• NFC
SPECIFICATIONS • GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (L1), BDS
• 6.73-inch (3,200x1,440; 522ppi) LTPO (B1I+B1c+B2a), GALILEO (E1+E5a),
AMOLED, 68B colours, 120Hz, Dolby QZSS (L1+L5), NavIC (L5)
Vision, HDR10+ display • USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2, DisplayPort,
• Android 14, HyperOS OTG
• Qualcomm SM8650-AB Snapdragon 8 • Fingerprint scanner (under display,
Gen 3 (4nm) processor ultrasonic)
• Octa-core (1x 3.3GHz Cortex-X4, • Non-removable 5,000mAh battery
3x 3.2GHz Cortex-A720, 2x 3GHz • 161.4x75.3x9.2mm
Cortex-A720, 2x 2.3GHz Cortex-A520) • 219.8g
CPU

38 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

Honor Magic6 Pro
Price: £1,099 from [Link]/4dEn1ma

F
or a company that used to be Unfortunately for Honor, the likes of
known for cheap smartphones, Apple, Samsung and Google all make
Honor puts a lot of emphasis on compelling devices around this price.
high-end devices these days. And as good as the cameras are on the
The foldable Magic V2 might be its Magic6 Pro, most people will be better
most groundbreaking device, but the off with a different device.
Magic6 Pro isn’t far behind in terms
of ambition. At £1,099, it’s Honor’s DESIGN
most expensive smartphone in Europe, The design of the Magic6 Pro makes
though that might change if the Magic6 it very clear what Honor wants you to
Ultimate ever makes it out of China. focus on. Its huge rear camera module

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 39

REVIEWS

dominates the back of the phone, in person. You can switch things up
taking up almost half of the entire by going for ‘Epi Green’ instead, with
space on the back. a matt coating on both avoiding any
Despite needing space for three ۈÈLiw˜}iÀ«Àˆ˜ÌÓÕ`}ið
i˜ÃiÃ>˜`>y>à ]œ˜œÀVœÕ`½Ûi I still wouldn’t recommend going
achieved this without making it look case-free, though, given the Magic6
so outlandish. In case you needed Pro’s tendency to slide out of your
̜Ž˜œÜ]Ì ˆÃˆÃ>V>“iÀ>wÀÃÌ] pocket or off a table. More grip
smartphone second device. is very much needed. A case also
The way the Magic6 Pro looks will provides protection, though durability
divide opinion, but I actually quite like is already good. The phone feels very
it. It’s very clear that this is a serious well-made, with a combination of
bit of photography kit, yet the glass tough aluminium and glass that shows
surrounding the camera module still no signs of wear and tear after more
blends seamlessly into the back of the than two weeks of usage.
« œ˜i°>ÃœvœÕ˜`Ì >Ì“Þw˜}iÀÀiÃÌà Honor uses its own ‘NanoCrystal
just below it very naturally. Shield’ glass on the display, which
The rest of the back feels boring by is supposedly able to deliver even
comparison, especially in the muted better shock and drop resistance
¼ >VŽ½w˜ˆÃ ]Ü ˆV œœŽÃ“œÀiˆŽi}ÀiÞ than Gorilla Glass. However, it’s worth
noting that there’s
a pre-applied
screen protector
that’s prone to
accumulating
scratches.
Like most
y>}à ˆ«Ã]Ì iÈ*Àœ
also has an IP68
rating, meaning
it can survive
submersion in up to
/ ˆÃˆÃ>ÃiÀˆœÕÃLˆÌœv« œÌœ}À>« ÞŽˆÌ]ÞiÌÌ i}>ÃÃÃÕÀÀœÕ˜`ˆ˜}Ì i 1.5mm of water (for
V>“iÀ>“œ`ՏiÃ̈Li˜`ÃÃi>“iÃÏÞˆ˜ÌœÌ iL>VŽœvÌ i« œ˜i° up to 30 minutes)

40 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

 À>Ì iÀÌ >˜y>Ìi`}iÃ
make it easier to hold
than Samsung’s phone.
As an OLED, you get the
combination of vibrant
colours and deep blacks
that make it perfect for
gaming or watching videos.
A 120Hz refresh rate
isn’t the absolute highest
around, but very few apps
Honor uses its own ‘NanoCrystal Shield’ glass on the display. can go above that anyway.
Everything still feels silky-
and is fully protected against dust. smooth and responsive, even when on
A weight of 224g makes the phone the default ‘Dynamic’ mode. As an LTPO
feel premium, though I wish it was just a screen, this allows it to move between
bit lighter. At 9.7mm, it’s not particularly 1-120Hz depending on what you’re
slim either, though this is often the case doing, helping to conserve battery life.
on huge phones like this. Again, the Full HD+ (2,800x12,80)
Elsewhere, the vibration motor on is a small step down from the 1440p or
the Magic6 Pro is solid, and delivers even 4K displays on some phones, but
realistic haptic feedback while gaming, I doubt you’ll notice. Detail and clarity
typing or simply
navigating apps.

DISPLAY
The Magic6 Pro has one
of the biggest phone
displays around, but
also one of the best.
Its 6.8-inch panel is
on par with the Galaxy
S24 Ultra in terms of
size, though curved The Magic6 Pro has one of the biggest phone displays around.

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 41

REVIEWS

to be used to authenticate
purchases and log in to
banking apps.
The front-facing camera
combines with a dedicated
3D sensor to make it possible,
and it’s totally seamless. It
even works well in the dark,
making this the closest thing
we’ve seen to Face ID on an
Android phone.
The front-facing camera combines with a dedicated 3D However, you’ll have
Ãi˜ÃœÀ̜“>Živ>Vi՘œVŽ̜Ì>ÞÃi>“iÃð to put up with an annoyingly
large cut-out at the top of
are still very good, even in the optional the display. While watching videos, it
grayscale ‘eBook mode’. really interrupts the viewing experience.
I used the Magic6 Pro outside Is this a worthwhile trade-off for a
extensively, including on bright sunny seamless unlocking experience?
days. Visibility was excellent throughout, That comes down to personal
with a maximum recorded brightness preference, but it is for me.
(with auto adjustment turned off) of 780 The Magic6 Pro has stereo speakers,
nits coming into its own. though it doesn’t rely on the earpiece
Within the screen is
>˜œ«ÌˆV>w˜}iÀ«Àˆ˜Ì
scanner. While I’d like
the target area to be
bigger, it’s one of the
better ones I’ve tried,
consistently and quickly
unlocking the phone.
You might prefer
to use face unlock,
though, given it’s
now secure enough / i>}ˆVÈ*Àœ >Ã>ÃiVœ˜`ëi>ŽiÀœ˜Ì i̜«œvÌ i`iۈVi°

42 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

for regular audio. Sound
is clear and crisp in all
scenarios, with more bass
than you might expect for
a device of this size.

PERFORMANCE
Honor hasn’t made any
compromises when it
comes to performance
on the Magic6 Pro.
Not only do you get The Magic6 Pro delivers some of the best performance you’ll
Qualcomm’s top-of-the- get on any smartphone.
line Snapdragon 8 Gen
3 chipset, the only model available in Legends – gameplay remained smooth
the UK offers a bumper 16GB of RAM. and responsive, with no noticeable
Combined, they ensure the Magic6 Pro dropped frames.
delivers some of the best performance Even during gaming sessions, the
you’ll get on any smartphone. During back of the phone only gets slightly
most everyday tasks, it feels like the warm to the touch, and never becomes
phone has an embarrassing amount of uncomfortable. Unless you’re really
power in reserve. serious about mobile gaming (in which
During extensive testing, I primarily case I’d recommend a dedicated
used it for web browsing, messaging, gaming phone), this will satisfy all your
watching videos, taking lots of photos performance needs.
and the occasional call. Throughout
all of that, there wasn’t even a hint of )GGMDGPEJ OWNVKEQTG
hesitation or slowdown, which can’t be Honor Magic6 Pro: 5,300
Ã>ˆ`vœÀ>y>}à ˆ«« œ˜ið Honor Magic5 Pro: 4,770
As expected, this great performance Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: 7,141
makes the Magic6 Pro a potent gaming Google Pixel 8 Pro: 3,962
machine. Across three titles known to be Asus Zenfone 11 Ultra: 6,908
very demanding – Call of Duty: Mobile, OnePlus 12: 4,819
EA Sports FC Mobile and Asphalt 9: Xiaomi 14: 6,611

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 43

REVIEWS

)(:/CPJCVVCP instead to make use of that 5G support,

Honor Magic6 Pro: 119fps while there’s also Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.4
Honor Magic5 Pro: 96fps and NFC here.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: 120fps
Google Pixel 8 Pro: 85fps PHOTOGRAPHY
Asus Zenfone 11 Ultra: 121fps Honor isn’t pulling any punches when
OnePlus 12: 60fps it comes to camera hardware on the
Xiaomi 14: 121fps Magic6 Pro. There are a total of four
lenses across the front and back, plus a
$CVVGT[NKHG separate 3D depth sensor.
Honor Magic6 Pro: 14 hours, 52 minutes Let’s start with the 50Mp main lens,
Honor Magic5 Pro: 11 hours, 44 minutes which is the one you’ll probably use
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: 14 hours, 14 most often. It has a variable aperture,
minutes meaning it’ll automatically move
Google Pixel 8 Pro: 9 hours, 33 minutes between f/1.4 and f/2.0 focal lengths
Asus Zenfone 11 Ultra: 15 hours, 47 depending on the scene.
minutes / iÀi>ÀiÌܜŽiÞLi˜iwÌÃVœ“«>Ài`
Xiaomi 14: 12 hours, 46 minutes ̜>Ài}Տ>Ài˜Ã°/ iwÀÃ̈Ș
challenging lighting conditions, where
%JCTIGKPOKPWVGU the sensor can adjust how much light it
Honor Magic6 Pro: 22% lets in order to maximize detail.
Honor Magic5 Pro: 75% And I have to say, the Magic6
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra:
63%
Google Pixel 8 Pro: 24%
Asus Zenfone 11 Ultra: 36%
OnePlus 12: 100%
Xiaomi 14: 82%

While there’s no support

for expandable storage, the
512GB on offer here is more
than enough for most people. Honor isn’t pulling any punches when it comes to
You can put two SIM cards in camera hardware on the Magic 6 Pro.

44 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

Pro is the best low-light
smartphone camera I’ve
ever tried. Even in very
dimly lit scenes, shots are
still brimming with detail
and noise is kept to a
minimum. It also manages
to brighten the image
ÜˆÌ œÕ̏œœŽˆ˜}>À̈wVˆ>]
something many phone
cameras struggle with.
The other is for portrait-
style shots, where you have
extra control over the level This is the best low-light smartphone camera I’ve ever tried.
of background blur. Again,
the Magic6 Pro excels in this area, and difference compared to a regular shot.
its edge detection is second to none. And the AI Motion Sensing is meant
Of course, this main lens is very to keep subjects in focus while moving
capable for regular photos, too. Even around a lot, but it didn’t stop pictures
in the default 12.5Mp mode (where of a dog from being blurry more often
a process known as pixel binning has than not.
combined four pixels into one), detail However, for zoom shots the
and dynamic range are superb. 180Mp, f/2.6 periscope telephoto
Exposure is handled well, and is very impressive. It only offers 2.5x
colours tend to pop. My only complaint optical zoom, but can crop in on
is it’s not particularly true to life, though 180Mp shots to give you 5x without any
this saturated look is well-suited for noticeable drop-off in image quality –
sharing on social media. this is very impressive.
There are two AI features within Even 10x shots are very usable,
the camera app, though neither though I wouldn’t recommend going
are particularly effective. The AI far beyond it. The 100x digital zoom is
Photography mode recognizes what you just there for the sake of it.
want to take a photo of and adjusts the Sadly, the 50Mp, f/2.0 ultrawide lens
scene accordingly, but I can’t tell the isn’t quite as good. The 122-degree

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 45

REVIEWS

We’ll start
off our
series of
test shots
with the
same scene
Ì>Ži˜ÜˆÌ 
the main
lens…

…2.5x
zoom…

46 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

 …5x
zoom…

…10x
zoom…

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 47

REVIEWS

…and 100x
zoom.

The 50Mp
Ãiwi
camera
delivers
clear, crisp
photos.

48 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

 AI Motion
Sensing
is meant
̜Žii«
subjects in
focus while
moving
around a
lot, but it
didn’t stop
pictures of
this dog
from being
blurry
more often
than not.

wi`œvۈi܈ÃÛiÀÞÕÃivՏˆ˜ܓi If you’re serious about photography,

scenarios, though it lacks the optical there are loads of pro-level photography
image stabilization (OIS) of the other features here – including the ability
cameras. As a result, shots are prone to to manually adjust that aperture. But
looking blurry and some dynamic range in most cases, this is also an excellent
is lost. The contrasty colours are also point and shoot camera, which is the
even more pronounced here. most important thing for most people.
/ ixä«ÃiwiV>“iÀ>`iˆÛiÀà All four lenses can capture detailed
Vi>À]VÀˆÃ«ÃiwiÃ]Ü iÌ iÀޜÕÜ>˜Ì video in 4K, though OIS on the main
the realistic background blur or not. and telephoto sensors makes them
Even when it’s basically pitch black, better suited to anything with a lot of
the screen illuminates your face and movement.
captures a very decent image. So, is the Honor Magic6 Pro the
I think the 3D depth sensor next absolute best camera phone you can
to it helps quite a lot, even if its main buy? Perhaps not – the Google Pixel 8
purpose is for the secure face unlock. Pro, Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, iPhone

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 49

REVIEWS

15 Pro Max, Xiaomi 14 Ultra, Oppo watts, with claims of a full charge in 42
Find X7 Ultra and Vivo X100 Pro all minutes, the necessary charger isn’t
have something to say about that – but included in the box.
it’s not far off. The only one I had available was at
65 watts, which only reached 10 percent
BATTERY LIFE in 15 minutes and 22 percent after
The Magic6 Pro doesn’t have your half an hour. This is slower than I was
average battery. Firstly, rather than the expecting, but some other chargers are
usual lithium-ion cell, it’s made from a likely to perform better.
combination of carbon and silicon. It’s a similar story for wireless
/ i“>ˆ˜Li˜iwÌœvÌ ˆÃˆÃÌ i>LˆˆÌÞ charging, where most Qi chargers can’t
̜wÌ>>À}iÀL>ÌÌiÀÞˆ˜ÌœÌ iÃ>“i output at the Magic6 Pro’s maximum of
space. And the phone’s 5,600mAh 66 watts. Reverse wireless charging is
capacity is among the biggest around. available too, but much slower.
That doesn’t guarantee great battery
ˆvi]LÕ̽“«i>Ãi`̜Vœ˜wÀ“Ì >ÌÌ i SOFTWARE
Magic6 Pro is one of the longest-lasting At launch, the Magic6 Pro runs Honor’s
smartphones you can buy. MagicOS 8.0 skin. It’s based on Android
For most people, this is a two-day 14, but differs from the stock version on
phone more often than not. Even on Pixel phones in several ways.
those demanding days, with lots of / iœ˜iޜս˜œÌˆViwÀÃ̈ÃÌ i
mobile data, usage, high brightness ‘Magic Capsule’, which most people
and GPS, you’ll usually end the day with will recognize as a copy of the iPhone’s
charge to spare. ‘Dynamic Island’. Its functionality is
I can’t tell you how much of a relief it currently similar to Apple’s version,
was to leave for a full day of sightseeing allowing you to quickly control music
in Barcelona and not have to worry >˜`̈“iÀÃ>˜`Ài뜘`̜˜œÌˆwV>̈œ˜Ã
about the battery running out. A score or incoming calls.
of 14 hours and 52 minutes in the A future software update will allow
* >ÀŽL>ÌÌiÀÞÌiÃÌÀiyiVÌÃÌ ˆÃqˆÌ½Ã you to interact with it using your eyes,
well above average. LÕÌ`œ˜½ÌÃiiˆÌ«ÀœÛˆ`ˆ˜}>˜ÞLi˜iwÌ
The charging situation is a little to the user experience.
more complicated. While the Magic6 However, I do genuinely believe
Pro supports wired speeds of up to 100 that this is the best solution if you want

50 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

 Google using an image from the
Gallery with just one step.
Not many third-party apps are
supported right now, but this should
continue to get better over time.
AI Privacy Call is designed to
reduce sound leakage while on
the phone, helping your private
conversations to stay that. While
not perfect, it does a better job
in that regard than most phones
I’ve tried, while still ensuring
excellent call quality.
/ i>}ˆVÈ*ÀœÀ՘Ãœ˜œÀ½Ã>}ˆV"-n°äΈ˜° There’s also Magic Ring,
which allows you to easily share
two sensors on the front of your phone. information between Honor devices
Rather than being wasted space, the or use the Magic6 Pro’s camera as a
Magic Capsule is genuinely useful in tablet or laptop webcam.
some situations. Alongside useful app suggestions,
Magic Capsule uses AI to an extent, easy text extraction from images, air
but there are also other dedicated gestures and the ability to sense when
>À̈wVˆ>ˆ˜Ìiˆ}i˜Vi
features.
Magic Portal
is by far the most
impressive, allowing
you to seamlessly
drag and drop text
and images from one
app to another. I was
able to start Google
Maps navigation to
an address shared
in Gmail or search / i¼ œ˜ÌÀœ i˜ÌiÀ½ˆÃœ˜iœvœ˜œÀ½ÃLiÌÌiÀÌÜi>ŽÃ̜č˜`Àœˆ`°

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 51

REVIEWS

you’re looking at it, the

Magic6 Pro already has
a comprehensive suite
of AI features.
However, the user
experience as a whole
isn’t the most enjoyable.
With so many colourful
icons, constant pop-
ups and annoying
bloatware, MagicOS
feels very cluttered.
7 i˜wÀÃÌÃiÌÕ«
the phone, it all felt a bit
overwhelming. Over time, At least you still get the full range of Google apps.
you can get it looking and
working the way you want it to, but I VERDICT
found this requires turning off some Possibly, but only if you’re a very
optional features. ëiVˆwVÌÞ«iœvÓ>ÀÌ« œ˜iÕÃiÀ°"˜i
All these options also make it who takes lots of photos, and cares
`ˆvwVՏÌ̜w˜`ŽiÞvi>ÌÕÀiÃœÀœ«Ìˆœ˜Ã° about the quality being on par with the
Finding things in settings or simply best camera phones around.
searching for apps took way longer Someone who needs top-tier
than it needed to. performance and displays, and likes the
Is this a dealbreaker for you? It isn’t idea of the iPhone’s Dynamic Island and
for me, but this is far from ideal. Face ID but on Android.
There is good news when it comes If that’s you, and you don’t mind the
to software support, which is the best high asking price, the Magic6 Pro might
it’s ever been on an Honor phone. be the phone for you.
From its late 2023 launch in China, But if it feels a little expensive, you
the Magic6 Pro will get four years of don’t particularly like the design or a
œ«iÀ>̈˜}ÃÞÃÌi“Õ«`>ÌiÃ>˜`wÛi slick software experience is important to
years of security updates, which is very you, there are better options elsewhere.
respectable if not market-leading. Anyron Copeman

52 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

SPECIFICATIONS • 162.5x75.8x8.9mm
• 6.8-inch (2,800x1,280; 453ppi) LTPO • 225g
OLED, 1B colours, 120Hz, Dolby
Vision, HDR display
• Android 14, MagicOS 8
• Qualcomm SM8650-AB Snapdragon 8
Gen 3 (4nm) processor
• Octa-core (1x 3.3 GHz Cortex-X4,
3x 3.2GHz Cortex-A720, 2x 3GHz
Cortex-A720, 2x 2.3GHz Cortex-A520)
CPU
• Adreno 750 GPU
• 12GB/16GB RAM
• 256GB/512GB/1TB storage
• Three rear-facing cameras: 50Mp,
f/1.4-2.0, 23mm (wide), 1/1.3-inch,
1.2μm, Laser AF, PDAF, OIS; 180Mp,
f/2.6, (periscope telephoto), 1/1.49-
inch, 0.56μm, PDAF, OIS, 2.5x optical
zoom; 50Mp, f/2.0, 13mm, 122-degree
(ultrawide), 1/2.88-inch, 0.61μm, AF
• -iwiV>“iÀ>\xä«]vÉÓ°ä]Óӓ“
(wide), 1/2.93-inch, 0.6μm, AF
• Stereo speakers
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6/7, dual-
band, Wi-Fi Direct
• Bluetooth 5.3, A2DP, LE, aptX HD
• NFC
• GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS, BDS
(B1I+B1c+B2a), GALILEO (E1+E5a)
• USB Type-C 3.2, DisplayPort 1.2, OTG
• Fingerprint scanner (under display,
optical)
• Non-removable 5,600mAh battery

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 53

REVIEWS

Motorola Edge 50 Pro

Price: £599 from [Link]/44EOgJn

F
or the longest time, Motorola smartphone offerings in 2024. The
was best known for its cheap and Motorola Edge 50 Pro isn’t actually
cheerful Moto G phones, but the >`ˆÀiVÌvœœÜ‡œ˜vÀœ“Ì iy>}à ˆ«
Lenovo-owned brand has been quietly Motorola Edge 40 Pro from 2023, but
making a name for itself a little further rather is far closer in price and spec to
up the pricing scale of late. the mid-range Motorola Edge 40.
The Edge 50 Pro is another example For £599 you’re getting a good-
of a classy mid-ranger with a couple of looking phone with a great display,
y>}à ˆ«‡iÛivi>ÌÕÀið Ûi˜Ü]ˆÌ“ˆ} Ì rapid charging, crisp software, and a
not be quite what you’re expecting. proper triple camera set-up. Of course,
Motorola has had a bit of a rethink this isn’t the only ‘premium mid-range’
about the positioning of its three smartphone on the market… but is it

54 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

Ì iLiÃ̶œÌœÀœ>ˆÃ˜œÜwÀ“Þˆ˜
the business of making classy phones
available at mid-market prices

DESIGN
As has become a signature feature of
the Edge series, the Motorola Edge
50 Pro looks and feels delightful.
It has that just-so feel in the
hand, partly down to a thickness of
8.19mm and a weight of 186g. It’s in
that Goldilocks zone where it feels
substantial but not unwieldy.
Another factor in the phone’s
pleasant feel is its vegan leather The camera module steadily melts into the body
back. Its pronounced texture lends À>Ì iÀÌ >˜ÃÌ>˜`ˆ˜}œÕ̏ˆŽi/>LiœÕ˜Ì>ˆ˜°
grip, resists greasy marks (at least
on my Luxe Lavender model), and ÀiÈÃÌ>˜Ì>Ó>˜Þ>Ë£]ää䇫ÕÃy>}à ˆ«°
feels warm and inviting. You can also Another prominent design feature is the
pick the phone up in Black Beauty and phone’s dual-curved display. I’ll discuss
Moonlight Pearl, the latter of which the practical repercussions of this in the
switches the rear material to a more next section, but it undoubtedly looks
traditional form of plastic. the part at least.
7 >ÌiÛiÀw˜ˆÃ ޜÕœ«ÌvœÀ]Ì i
camera module steadily melts into the DISPLAY
body rather than standing out like Table Motorola has been going the extra
Mountain – similar to the Samsung mile with its Edge displays for a while
Galaxy A53 – which is an approach now, and the Motorola Edge 50 Pro
I can get behind. You also get a continues the good work. It’s a large,
sandblasted aluminium frame, which is vibrant 6.7-inch LTPS pOLED panel with
suitably premium. a variable refresh rate.
The sense of quality continues You can leave it to automatically
with an IP68 rating, which makes the adjust the refresh rate by default, or
Motorola Edge 50 Pro as water and dust else manually choose between 60-,

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 55

REVIEWS

120- and 144Hz. I cranked it right up colour’, which sounds like a gimmick,
to the max for the test period, as is the and it might well be. All I can attest to
Android Advisor way, but as always >ÀiÌ iv>VÌÃ>˜`w}ÕÀiÃ]Ü ˆV ˆ˜VÕ`i
Motorola has probably gone a little an sRGB gamut coverage of 99.5
"//ÜˆÌ Ì >Ì£{{âw}ÕÀiq£Óäâ percent and an average Delta E of 0.64.
ˆÃ«i˜ÌÞ°>“iÀÃ܈Li˜iwÌvÀœ“> That’s exceptional.
360Hz maximum touch rate, which True, you’ll need to switch away
should ensure responsive performance from the default Vivid colour scheme
in fast-paced games. and select the Natural alternative in
Motorola has improved the Edge 50 œÀ`iÀ̜ ˆÌÌ iÃi“œÀi>VVÕÀ>Ìiw}ÕÀiÃ]
Pro screen in two main areas. For one but that’s the case with virtually every
thing, it packs a sharper 2,712x1,220 Android phone I’ve ever tested.
resolution, which many would call Brightness is solid too, with a
‘1.5K’. This offers a nice balance claimed peak brightness of 2,000 nits
between FHD+ and QHD+ (aka 2K), in HDR scenarios (there’s support for
resulting in nice crisp text and well- HDR10+). With autobrightness turned
`iw˜i`ˆ“>}i«ÀiۈiÜð off, I recorded a maximum brightness of
The other improvement relates to around 472 nits, which is decent.
colour accuracy. Motorola is making a My one criticism of the Motorola
big deal out of its ‘Pantone Validated Edge 50 Pro screen is a familiar one.
The choice to use a
dual-curved display
may have produced
a handsome phone,
but I encountered
plenty of false input
issues during my
couple of weeks
with it. There were
plenty of occasions
where a screen
press simply wasn’t
registering, only for
œÌœÀœ>ˆÃ“>Žˆ˜}>Lˆ}`i>œÕÌœvˆÌü*>˜Ìœ˜i6>ˆ`>Ìi`VœœÕÀ½° me to realise it was

56 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

because a portion of my
holding hand was already
making contact with the edge
of the display.
Motorola has also
included a pair of Dolby
Atmos-tuned stereo speakers,
which yield impressively loud
and spacious audio. I was
particularly impressed by
the clarity of vocals in movie
content. There’s no 3.5mm
headphone jack, for whatever Motorola has turned to Qualcomm’s latest mid-range chip,
that’s worth to you. the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3, to power the Edge 50 Pro.

PERFORMANCE moniker, you might have expected more

Motorola has turned to Qualcomm’s impressive performance.
latest mid-range chip, the Snapdragon 7 What really matters is how the Edge
Gen 3, to power the Edge 50 Pro. 50 Pro handles those extra pixels,
It’s a capable processor, though especially at elevated refresh rates of
benchmark tests suggest that up to 144Hz, and the answer is well
performance has actually taken enough. At no point during my time
something of a backwards step even ÜˆÌ Ì i« œ˜i`ˆ`w˜`ˆÌ>}}ˆ˜}œÀ
from last year’s vanilla Motorola Edge dropping frames of animation when
40 and its punchy MediaTek Dimensity skimming through the UI.
8200, never mind the Motorola Edge The provision of 12GB of LPDDR4X
40 Pro. It also falls well behind the RAM (at least here in the UK) no doubt
similarly priced Nothing Phone (2) helps with that, as does Motorola’s
with its Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 delightfully lightweight UI.
processor. Of course, in each of these Even in advanced games the Edge
cases, the Motorola Edge 50 Pro is 50 Pro proved up to the task. Running
running a sharper display, which is both Wreckfest and Genshin Impact on
going to take a chunk out of GPU ‘High’ settings, the phone didn’t break a
performance. Even so, with that Pro sweat, and largely hit its 60fps target.

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 57

REVIEWS

There’s ample storage for such

hefty apps too, with the sole UK
model coming with 512GB of
internal storage. That’s a better stock
«ÀœÛˆÃˆœ˜Ì >˜“œÃÌy>}à ˆ«« œ˜ið

)GGMDGPEJ OWNVKEQTG
Motorola Edge 50 Pro: 3,087
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE: 3,987
Google Pixel 8: 2,842
OnePlus 11: 5,209
Nothing Phone (2): 4,605 The 10Mp telephoto is the newcomer here and is
Motorola Edge 40: 3,600 >À>Àiw˜`vœÀ>« œ˜iˆ˜Ì ˆÃ«ÀˆViLÀ>VŽiÌ°

)(:/CPJCVVCP Google Pixel 8: 23%

Motorola Edge 50 Pro: 61fps OnePlus 11: 71%
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE: 113fps Nothing Phone (2): 32%
Google Pixel 8: 99fps Motorola Edge 40: 47%
OnePlus 11: 60fps
Nothing Phone (2): 60fps PHOTOGRAPHY
Motorola Edge 40: 79fps For the Edge 50 Pro’s camera set-up,
Motorola appears to have essentially
$CVVGT[NKHG replicated the Motorola Edge 40’s main
Motorola Edge 50 Pro: 9 hours, 34 and ultra-wide, added a dedicated
minutes Ìii« œÌœ]>˜`Õ«}À>`i`Ì iÃiwi
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE: 10 hours, 2 camera. Maybe that’s a bit of an
minutes œÛiÀȓ«ˆwV>̈œ˜qÌ iÀi½Ã>Ãœ>˜iÜ
Google Pixel 8: 10 hours, 49 minutes /œ­Ìˆ“i‡œv‡yˆ} Ì®Ãi˜ÃœÀvœÀÃÕ«iÀˆœÀ
Nothing Phone (2): 14 hours, 17 minutes autofocus – but the main sensor
Motorola Edge 40: 8 hours, 51 minutes certainly performs similarly.
Once again, that unusually fast f/1.4
%JCTIGKPOKPWVGU aperture is good for scooping up light,
Motorola Edge 50 Pro: 88% in conjunction with a reasonably large
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE: 27% 1/1.55-inch sensor. I was impressed

58 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

by the separation and natural bokeh The 10Mp telephoto is the
captured when shooting human ˜iÜVœ“iÀ iÀi>˜`ˆÃ>À>Àiw˜`vœÀ
subjects, even without employing the a phone in this price bracket, but you
Portrait mode. However, it can also won’t encounter it until you zoom in to
mean that elements of close-up shots 3x. At 2x, the Edge 50 pro simply crops
stray out of focus. in on the larger main sensor. This results
In strong daylight, the Edge 50 in 2x shots that are far better exposed
Pro’s main sensor takes good shots, and just plain easier on the eye than
while that combination of components their 3x brothers, which tend to be
also results in some pretty nice results `ˆ““iÀ>˜`y>ÌÌiÀ°-̈]ˆÌ½Ã>ÜiVœ“i
in indoor lighting. The dedicated inclusion in a phone of this price.
Night mode isn’t the strongest I’ve The 13Mp ultrawide is similarly
encountered at the price, though I murky, lacking the vibrant pop of
appreciate that Motorola resists pulling that main sensor. It can do a job
the cheap over-brightening trick that on landscapes, but the 50Mp main
can make everything look unnatural in sensor really is the star attraction here.
cheaper phones. Indeed, you might prefer to employ the

We’ll start
off with a
series of
images of
the same
ÃVi˜iÌ>Ži˜
with the 1x
zoom…

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 59

REVIEWS

…2x
zoom…

…3x
zoom…

60 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

 …and
ultrawide
lens.

Next up,
we have an
example of
a night shot.

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 61

REVIEWS

Here are a
couple of
low-light
images.

62 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

 7i½w˜ˆÃ 
off with a
Ãiwio

…and an
ultrawide
Ãiwi°

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 63

REVIEWS

ultrawide’s autofocus capabilities in the and I was able to get through a day of
service of relatively sharp macro shots. moderate use (4 hours, 30 minutes of
œÌœÀœ>½Ãxä«ÃiwiV>“iÀ>V>˜ screen on time) with around 50- to 60
produce good shots with natural screen percent left to play with.
tones and decent subject sharpness, On the other hand, the PCMark
complete with autofocus – something Work 3.0 battery test – which simulates
of a rare inclusion on a more affordable a sustained mixed workload –
phone – and it can also switch between produced a fairly poor result of 9 hours,
a closer view and a wider one. 34 minutes. That’s better than the Edge
I did pick up on the occasional 40, but more than an hour short of
Lœ`}i`ÃiwiÜ iÀiÌ iiÝ«œÃÕÀi the Pixel 8 (now available for a similar
was way too dark, but thankfully this price), and almost 5 hours short of the
was a rare fumble. Nothing Phone (2).
Video capture tops out at the usual Of course, none of those other
4K at 30fps, though most people will phones run a 144Hz display. Peg that
likely still with 1080p at either 30- or setting back to Auto, or even 120Hz,
60fps. Motorola also supports HDR10 and you’ll get a much better score,
recording, though only at 30fps. though still not among the very best.
The takeaway seems clear here: the
BATTERY LIFE Motorola Edge 50 Pro’s smaller-than-
Battery life is something of a mixed bag average 4,500mAh battery is more than
in the Edge 50 Pro. up to the task of lasting through a day
On the positive side, the phone of lighter everyday tasks, but struggles a
ˆÃ˜ˆVi>˜`ivwVˆi˜Ìˆ˜}i˜iÀ>ÕÃ>}i] little when the going gets tough.
Thankfully, it
also features one of
the best charging
provisions of any
phone of this price
– or any price,
for that matter.
Motorola bundles
in a ridiculously
Motorola bundles in a speedy 125-watt TurboPower charger. speedy 125-watt

64 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

TurboPower charger, which can get
the phone from empty to full in less
than 20 minutes.
You also get 50-watt wireless
charging support, which is another
provision you don’t expect to see
at this end of the market. All in all,
it makes Samsung’s and Google’s
modest charging provisions look a
bit silly. One of its only rivals in this
area is the 120-watt Xiaomi Redmi
Note 13 Pro+ which doesn’t have
wireless charging.
œÌœÀœ>œvviÀÃ>v>ˆÌ vՏÌ>Žiœ˜č˜`Àœˆ`£{
SOFTWARE with broadly the same menu layout.
Motorola’s approach to Android is
one of my favourites. It largely sticks to phone is face down. Curiously, though,
the Google script, offering a faithful take there’s no always-on screen provision.
on Android 14 with broadly the same Perhaps Motorola was mindful of that
menu layout. Where it embellishes, it small battery and power-hogging
generally does so with good taste and display, but it’s a bit of an omission
sound thinking. The Moto app is at the nonetheless.
heart of this, offering a slick one-stop Motorola’s UI isn’t totally bloatware
portal to Motorola’s enhancements. free, either. It preinstalls the Opera web
It’s through this app that you can browser, which always seems pointless
activate custom gestures, such as the when Chrome comes as standard, while
useful double-chop to activate the TikTok and LinkedIn are also included
torch, or the double twist to activate the whether you like it or not.
camera. They’ve been around a long Back to the positives, and Motorola
time but still prove so useful. has increased software support by a
You can also use this Moto app to year compared to Edge 40 range. That
run custom screen functions, like the means three major operating system
`}iˆ} ÌÃÃÞÃÌi“Ì iy>à iÃœÕÌۈÃÕ> upgrades are guaranteed, and four
˜œÌˆwV>̈œ˜ÃvÀœ“Ì iÈ`iÃÜ ˆiÌ i years of security patches. That’s not up

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 65

REVIEWS

there with Samsung or Google, but it’s • Android 14

still not bad. • Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 (4nm)
processor
VERDICT • Octa-core (1x 2.63GHz Cortex-A715,
The Motorola Edge 50 Pro seals it – 4x 2.4GHz Cortex-A715, 3x 1.8GHz
œÌœÀœ>ˆÃ˜œÜwÀ“Þˆ˜Ì iLÕȘiÃà Cortex-A510) CPU
of making classy phones available at • Adreno 720 GPU
reasonable mid-market prices. Its name • 8GB/12GB RAM
might be downright misleading – this is • 128GB/256GB/512GB storage
no ‘Pro’ phone – but there’s no denying • Three rear-facing cameras: 50Mp,
this is a lovely piece of kit to use. f/1.4, 25mm (wide), 1/1.55-inch,
It looks and feels great, sports one 1.0μm, multi-directional PDAF,
of the best displays in its class, and Laser AF, OIS; 10Mp, f/2.0, 67mm
Li˜iwÌÃvÀœ“>ÃiÀˆœÕÏÞˆ“«ÀiÃÈÛi (telephoto), 1.0μm, PDAF, OIS,
charging provision. We continue to 3x optical zoom; 13Mp, f/2.2,
admire Motorola’s restrained software, 120-degree, 16mm (ultrawide),
and the performance and camera are 1.12μm, AF
Vœ“«ï̈ÛiÜˆÌ ˆ˜Ì iˆÀwi`]ˆvv>ÀvÀœ“ • -iwiV>“iÀ>\xä«]vÉ£°™]Ó£““
outstanding. You’re not looking at a (wide), 0.64μm, AF
perfect offering. The choice to stick with • Stereo speakers
a curved display continues to cause • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, tri-band,
practical problems even as it looks Wi-Fi Direct
great, while the phone’s secondary • Bluetooth 5.4, A2DP, LE
cameras aren’t especially great. Battery • NFC
life, too, isn’t up there with the very • GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS,
best, especially during intensive use. QZSS, NavIC
However, for a mid-range phone that • USB Type-C 3.1, OTG, DisplayPort 1.4
gives you a taste of the high life, you’ll • Fingerprint scanner (under display,
struggle to do much better than the optical)
Motorola Edge 50 Pro. Jon Mundy • Non-removable 4,500mAh battery
• 161.2x72.4x8.2mm
SPECIFICATIONS • 186g
• 6.7-inch (2,712x1,220; 446ppi)
P-OLED,144Hz, HDR10+ display

66 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

Best Android phones
Including Samsung, Google, OnePlus, Xiaomi, and more. ANYRON
COPEMAN reports

P
lenty of people have strong It’s also important to consider the
opinions on which is superior, but length of software support, which
it’s worth noting that Android is an ranges from two to seven years.
operating system rather than a device. However, you shouldn’t base your
Dozens of smartphones running decision on which to buy solely on the
Google’s software are released software. There’s plenty of variation
every single year, though each when it comes to hardware, especially
manufacturer makes its own tweaks when you’re comparing budget and
to the user experience. The software “ˆ`‡À>˜}i« œ˜iÃ̜y>}à ˆ«`iۈVið
on a Samsung Galaxy phone will look Apple only tends to release four or
very different to that of a OnePlus or wÛiˆ* œ˜i“œ`iÃi>V Þi>À]Ü“œÃÌ
Xiaomi handset, for example. of the best smartphones you can buy

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 67

BUYING GUIDE

are also Android phones. But if you these offers a unique aesthetic and a
don’t want to consider Apple, this is the À>˜}iœvëiVˆwVvi>ÌÕÀiÃ]ÜޜÕà œÕ`
article for you. always try and learn a little about a
brand’s software before you commit to
FAQ a phone.
9JKEJXGTUKQPQH It’s also important to remember that
#PFTQKFKUVJGNCVGUV! not every Android phone gets equal
The latest version of Android right now updates. Every manufacturer promises
is Android 14, which launched in 2023. a different number of updates for their
However, it often takes some time devices – usually separated into Android
for Android brands to update their feature updates and security patches –
phones, so many phones launched in and generally speaking more expensive
2022, and even some cheaper 2023 phones are supported for longer than
models, will still be running Android 13. cheaper devices.
The next version, Android 15, will At the time of writing, the best brand
launch later in the year, but will take in this regard is Google, which offers up
some time to roll out to handsets. to seven years of both, but many rivals
aren’t far behind.
&QCNN#PFTQKFRJQPGU
TWPVJGUCOGUQHVYCTG! 9JKEJURGEUOCVVGTVJGOQUV!
Yes and no. They all run Android of With more Android phones out there,
course, but there are variations within there are also more specs to pick
that. Every manufacturer tweaks Android between. There’s no hard-and-fast rule
to produce its own version – often about what matters most, so instead
called an ‘Android skin’. think about your priorities.
For example, Samsung phones Do you care most about fast and
run One UI, OnePlus phones are on smooth performance? Perhaps you
OxygenOS, and Xiaomi phones run prioritise longer battery life, or faster
HyperOS (which replaced MIUI). charging speeds? Maybe a capable
Phones that run software close to camera is the main thing you look for?
Google’s own are often described as Most Android phones will offer
running ‘stock’, but in truth even the some combination of the above – and
Google Pixel phones run their own more – but there will always be certain
unique spin on the software. Each of ëiVˆwV>̈œ˜ÃÜ iÀiÌ iÞVœ“«Àœ“ˆÃi°

68 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

Deciding on your priorities is the
wÀÃÌÃÌi«ˆ˜«ˆVŽˆ˜}>« œ˜i°

#TG#PFTQKFRJQPGU
DGVVGTVJCPK2JQPGU!
This argument has waged for
over a decade, and it won’t end
any time soon. For now, let’s just
say that each has its advantages.
There’s more variety in Android
phones, giving consumers a lot
more choice – including unusual
options like foldable phones or
1.
devices designed for gaming.
Certain hardware features
also tend to be better on Android. The 1. BEST OVERALL
majority of modern Android phones 5COUWPI)CNCZ[57NVTC
charger faster – often a lot faster – Price: £1,099 from [Link]/4anzgAH
than even the latest iPhones, and fast Pros: Seven years of updates; excellent,
refresh rate displays have also become versatile cameras; very good battery life;
common. Look to the really top end clever AI features; built-in S Pen stylus
>˜`ޜս>Ãœw˜`Ì >ÌLÞ>˜`>À}i Cons: Expensive; big and bulky;
the best camera phones run Android, charging still only 45 watts
though Apple still has the edge when it
comes to recording video. The Galaxy S24 Ultra is the best
On the other hand, Apple’s smartphone you can buy, so it should
carefully controlled ecosystem means come as no surprise to see it top
iPhones often have fewer bugs and this list. It’s arguably the ultimate
inconsistencies than Android devices, smartphone, packing almost every
and there’s a level of polish to both the premium feature you can expect
software and hardware that few Android into one huge device. However, the
rivals match. Apple’s long-term software gorgeous 6.8-inch display and built-in S
support also outstrips the vast majority Pen stylus are certainly worth it.
of Android. Other highlights include sublime

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 69

BUYING GUIDE

performance from an overclocked 2. BEST FOR MOST PEOPLE

ÛiÀȜ˜œvÌ iy>}à ˆ«-˜>«`À>}œ˜ )QQING2KZGN2TQ
8 Gen 3 chipset and strong battery Price: £959 from [Link]/3Kc8d0p
life from the 5,000mAh cell. The Pros: Premium build; top-tier cameras;
cameras might not be the best on excellent software features; seven years
any smartphone, but they’re not far of updates
off, offering impressive versatility Cons: Average battery life; slow
across four lenses. charging; big and heavy
Samsung’s One UI software is
intuitive and relatively easy to use, The Pixel 8 Pro is the best smartphone
and the company’s new AI features you can buy right now. A combination
are genuinely useful. Throw in a class- of premium hardware and advanced
leading seven years of updates and software make it easy to recommend.
you’ve got yourself a superb phone. Google’s Tensor G3 chip is key,
Aside from the imposing design and enabling both great performance and
relatively slow charging, the price tag is a range of advanced photography
the main thing that counts against the features. Alongside excellent camera
S24 Ultra. But if you can afford it, you hardware, it’s the best point-and-shoot
won’t be disappointed. phone camera for still images.
While a 213g phone with a
large 6.7-inch display won’t be
for everyone, the high-resolution
120Hz OLED screen here is a joy to
use. With slick Android 14 software
and an incredible seven years of
updates, the Pixel 8 Pro is the
smartphone to beat in 2023.
However, that doesn’t mean
it’s the best for everyone. The
combination of average battery life
and slow charging is frustrating,
while the regular Pixel 8 is a
better choice if you’re looking for
2.
something more compact.

70 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

 though it still impresses.
You’ll also get slower
charging and only a
90Hz refresh rate on
the display rather than
£Óäâœ˜Ì iy>}à ˆ«Ã°
If you can live
with those downsides
though, this is an
excellent option for
the price. Shots from
the main camera are
Ì iLiÃÌޜսw˜`œ˜
3.
any mid-range phone.
However, it’s worth
3. BEST VALUE FOR MONEY noting that a successor in the Pixel 8a
)QQING2KZGNC might not be far away.
Price: £449 from [Link]/4dLEmK8
Pros: Phenomenal camera for the price; 4. BEST DESIGN
excellent Google software; strong 1PG2NWU
performance; water-resistant Price: £849 from [Link]/42k0INn
Cons: Slow charging; wireless charging Pros: Elegant, distinctive design; stellar
is unreliable; only 90Hz display screen; fast wired and wireless charging;
great main and telephoto cameras
If you can’t afford the Pixel 8 or 8 Pro, Cons: Fewer OS updates than rivals;
then Google has another option for you: >ÛiÀ>}iՏÌÀ>܈`i>˜`ÃiwiV>“iÀ>ÃÆ
the decidedly affordable Pixel 7a. limited water resistance
/ ˆÃ“ˆ`‡À>˜}iÃ̈«>VŽÃ>y>}à ˆ«‡
quality Tensor G2 chipset for solid / i"˜i*ÕãӈÃÈ}˜ˆwV>˜ÌÞ“œÀi
performance, along with a familiar expensive than the OnePlus 11, which
design. But it’s a slightly smaller phone, was a great handset for the money.
and made from plastic rather than glass. ÕÌÌ ˆÃiÝÌÀ>iÝ«i˜ÃiˆÃÕÃ̈wi`
There are downside, of course. The q>ÃÌ՘˜ˆ˜}`iÈ}˜]È}˜ˆwV>˜Ì
camera specs aren’t quite the same, performance upgrade and the

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 71

BUYING GUIDE

the whole. But the ultrawide and

Ãiwii˜ÃiÃ>Ài˜½ÌÌ iLiÃÌ]>˜`Ì i
IP65 rating means it’s not protected
against submersion in water.
Nonetheless, none of these
should be dealbreakers for most
people. The OnePlus 12 still
՘`iÀVÕÌÓ>˜Þy>}à ˆ«Ãœ˜«ÀˆVi]
making it a great option.

5. BEST CAMERAS
:KCQOK
4.
Price: £899 from [Link]/3QOB7rb
Pros:˜VÀi`ˆLiV>“iÀ>ÃÆy>܏iÃÃ
introduction of wireless charging make a performance; super-fast charging;
real difference. stunning screen
Its Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset Cons: Some software frustrations; prone
speeds through tasks with ease ̜w˜}iÀ«Àˆ˜ÌÓÕ`}iÃ
(including gaming), then combines with
a 5,400mAh battery for superb battery In the past, Xiaomi’s version of
life. When you do run low, you can Android has often prevented us from
choose between 100-watt wired and recommending its phones. Despite a
50-watt wireless charging, though the rebrand, the new HyperOS skin isn’t
80-watt charger in the box will be plenty a big step forward, but it shouldn’t
fast enough for most people. detract from just how good this phone
The 120Hz AMOLED screen is is.
among the largest on any phone at 6.82 Despite a relatively compact
inches, but also one of the best. The design and excellent 6.36-inch display,
slick software experience is also a joy Xiaomi has packed in some of the best
to use, even if the four OS updates and cameras in the business. Across all
wÛiÞi>ÀÃœvÃiVÕÀˆÌÞÕ«`>ÌiÈÃ>Ó> three 50Mp lenses – main, ultrawide
step down from the best around. and 3.2x telephoto – you can get
Rear cameras, a weakness of earlier incredible results. Even the 32Mp
OnePlus phones, are very good on Ãiwi V>“iÀ>ˆÃÃÌÀœ˜}°

72 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

 6. BEST FOLDABLE
/QVQTQNC4C\T7NVTC4C\T 
Price: £749 from [Link]/3QOvJV2
Pros: Large outer display; dust and
water-resistant; good battery life (for
>yˆ«« œ˜i®
Cons: Older chipset; cameras are
good, but not great; outer screen
ÜvÌÜ>Ài˜ii`Ãܓiw˜i‡Ì՘ˆ˜}

The Motorola Razr 40 Ultra is the

best foldable right now. The latest
5.
Razr packs a larger and more useful
exterior screen that’s the biggest on
Just like any phone powered by the >˜Þyˆ«« œ˜iÞiÌ]iÝÌi˜`ˆ˜}>“œÃÌ
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, the Xiaomi 14 entirely across the phone’s outer side.
offers superb performance. A 4,610mAh It even lets you run full Android apps
battery isn’t particularly big by modern without opening the phone, though
standards, but you can still expect solid some work better than others.
battery life, and it’s great to get the fast Beyond that, you can expect good
90-watt charger included in the box. battery life, great dust and water-
As stunning as the design
is, that glass back is prone
̜w˜}iÀ«Àˆ˜ÌÓÕ`}iÃ>˜`
other visible dirt. But that’s
about where the downsides
end – Xiaomi’s commitment
to four years of OS updates
>˜`wÛiÞi>ÀÃœvÃiVÕÀˆÌÞ
updates is now in line with
most rivals.
Overall, the Xiaomi 14
is a great phone which
6.
shouldn’t be overlooked.

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 73

BUYING GUIDE

resistance, and a capable main

camera – though the other lenses are
a little lacking. The improved hinge
design also allows the Razr 40 Ultra
̜VœÃiVœ“«iÌiÞy>Ì>˜`vii
more solid as a result. However, it’s
also worth considering the Samsung
Galaxy Z Flip 5, which is a great
alternative.

7. BEST BUDGET
5COUWPI)CNCZ[#)
Price: £199 from [Link]/3wCLqrG
Pros: Premium design; excellent
battery life; intuitive One UI software;
decent main camera
Cons: Not the best performance; no
7.
œvwVˆ>Ü>ÌiÀÀiÈÃÌ>˜ViÀ>̈˜}ÆϜÜ
charging
lower resolution helps the excellent
If you just need a smartphone for battery life. You also get Samsung’s
regular everyday use, look no further slick One UI software experience and
than the Galaxy A15 5G. It offers a decent three years of Android OS
everything most people need in a updates, plus a main rear camera that’s
smartphone, yet costs under £200. very serviceable.
Of course, there are compromises Performance is slow at times, but
compared to high-end phones, but waiting a few more seconds for things to
Samsung has been smart about where load is hardly a dealbreaker. And unless
it’s made them. An attractive design you’re planning on getting your phone
is clearly inspired by the company’s wet or need fast charging, it’s easy to
y>}à ˆ«Ã]iÛi˜ˆviÃëÀi“ˆÕ““>ÌiÀˆ>Ã recommend. If you don’t want 5G, it’s
have been used. also worth considering the Samsung
The display is still OLED and offers Galaxy A15 (4G), but it’s not just 5G that
a smooth 90Hz refresh rate, while its you lose there.

74 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

8. GREAT ALL-ROUNDER chipset, but even the Exynos 2400 in
5COUWPI)CNCZ[5  the UK delivers strong performance.
Price: £849 from [Link]/4bo3lRU If you can do without a stylus
Pros: Great, large display; Strong or loads of storage but still want a
performance; incredible battery life; ->“Ã՘}y>}à ˆ«]Ì i-Ó{³ˆÃÌ i
useful AI features; seven years of phone to get.
updates
Cons: No S Pen support; limited storage 9. BEST COMPACT FLAGSHIP
options; relatively expensive #UWU<GPHQPG
Price: £749 from [Link]/3O2nELr
The middle phone in Samsung’s Galaxy Pros: Distinctive, compact design;
S24 range isn’t quite the all-singing, fantastic battery life; headphone jack
all-dancing S24 Ultra, but it’s arguably a Cons: Camera is not top tier; only two
better phone for most people. Android updates promised; slow 30-
You still get most of the watt charging
fundamentals of Samsung’s ultra-
y>}à ˆ«]ˆ˜VÕ`ˆ˜}>}œÀ}iœÕÏ>À}i / i<i˜vœ˜i£äˆÃ>vՏ‡vœÀViy>}à ˆ«
display, superb battery life, useful AI in a small size, and with remarkably few
features and that class-leading seven- compromises for it.
year update commitment. The 5.9-inch display is one of the
US buyers will still get the smallest on the market, especially on
overclocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 the Android side, though note that
overall the phone is
about the same size as
the regular Galaxy S24
The Snapdragon 8
Gen 2 and up to 16GB
of RAM mark this as a
serious performance
phone, and it also
boasts excellent battery
life, which puts other
compact smartphones
8.
to shame.

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 75

BUYING GUIDE

10. BEST BOOK-

STYLE FOLDABLE
1PG2NWU1RGP
Price: £1,599 from fave.
co/3UHrhZz
Pros: Great displays;
very good rear cameras;
useful software features;
premium, durable design
Cons: Not the best
battery life; few apps
9.
optimized for big screen;
Expensive
The gimbal-stabilized main camera
impresses, especially at night, though The Open is technically OnePlus’s
Ì iÀi>Ài`iw˜ˆÌiÞLiÌÌiÀV>“iÀ>Ãœ˜ wÀÃÌiÛiÀvœ`>Li]Ì œÕ} «>Ài˜Ì
similarly priced rivals – especially when company Oppo has plenty of
it comes to options like a telephoto lens. experience. And it shows – this is an
Given the phone is so good, it’s also impressively accomplished device
frustrating that Asus is only promising with few compromises.
two major Android updates, though the The displays are the real highlight.
phone will at least get security support A 6.31-inch cover screen looks just like
through to 2027.
If that’s a
dealbreaker for you,
go for the regular
Galaxy S24 instead.
But with the more
recent Zenfone 11
Ultra much bigger and
less noteworthy as a
result, this is still the
Asus phone that most
10.
people should buy.

76 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

a regular smartphone, then opens to
reveal a 7.82-inch inner display with
a barely noticeable crease. Both are
120Hz OLED panels, and look fantastic.
OnePlus has done its best to make
the most of this larger screen, with
various features that make multitasking
easy. But Android’s lack of support for
third-party apps, combined with the
high price tag, remain the main reasons
most people shouldn’t buy one.
It’s a shame, as the rear cameras
and design are a real hit. Performance
is great too, and average battery life is
offset by 67-watt fast charging via the
adaptor in the box.

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 77

ANDROID TIPS & TRICKS

Credit: Getty Images/Marco VDM

An awesome Android audio
upgrade for your phone
You’ve never experienced sound on your Android smartphone like this
before. JR RAPHAEL reports

E
very now and then, I come across with sound on whatever Android device
an Android customization concept you’re using, no matter who made it or
so clever, so cool, so splendidly how old it may be. And it’ll take you less
useful that I just can’t wait to share it than a minute to get going.
with you. Today is one of those days.
The concept in question is a hefty MEET YOUR ANDROID
and exceptionally practical upgrade #7&+1|'0*#0%'/'06
for your Android audio experience. It The upgrade of which we speak may
brings a boost to the way you interact seem simple on the surface, but don’t

78 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

be fooled: this nifty little trick will connected, or even anytime a certain
affect all aspects of your Android-using day and time arrives.
experience and make your life easier
– even saving you time and increasing It expands the standard system
ޜÕÀivwVˆi˜VÞqVœÕ˜ÌiÃÃ̈“iÃ>`>Þ° volume sliders to make them much
It’s a new take on the Android more precise, with a visible zero to 100
volume panel – the little slider that scale that lets you get super-nuanced
shows up whenever you tap your about the exact volume level you want
phone’s physical volume keys. for any given moment or purpose. You
Our upgrade comes by way of a can even increase that scale, if you want
thoughtfully crafted app called Precise extra control beyond that, and make
Volume 2.0 ([Link]/4bnuCnt). The your volume sliders operate on a zero
app essentially replaces your standard to 1,000 step increment set-up (or any
volume panel interface with a totally other measure you like).
different, much more customizable, and
delightfully feature-rich alternative. It includes simple equalizer settings,
It has six especially noteworthy which can make any audio you’re
Li˜iwÌý`i˜VœÕÀ>}iޜÕ̜Vœ˜Ãˆ`iÀ\ hearing sound noticeably better and can
also be included in those presets and
It enables you to create all sorts automations we just went over. These
œvVÕÃ̜“«ÀiÃiÌÃqëiVˆwVÃiÌÃœv settings can even make your phone’s
volume levels for media, ring and “>݈“Õ“ۜÕ“i ˆ} iÀ]ˆvޜÕw˜`
˜œÌˆwV>̈œ˜˜œˆÃiÃ]V>>˜`>>À“ things are occasionally too quiet.
chimes, and even general system
sounds – and then activate those It adds in a not-yet-broadly-
with a single swift tap right from available Android-15-style volume
your regular volume panel pop-up. panel expansion that makes all
your audio controls even easier to
It includes easy options for manage from anywhere.
automation, too, so you can instantly
have your phone change its volume And it brings that simple, standard
ÃiÌ̈˜}Ș>˜ÞëiVˆwVÜ>Þ>˜Þ̈“i Android design into the volume
a particular app is opened, anytime a panel on any device – delivering an
ëiVˆwV Õi̜œÌ œÀ܈Ài``iۈViˆÃ improvement over the mess present

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 79

ANDROID TIPS & TRICKS

The • Download
precise Precise Volume 2.0
volume from the Play Store
panel in ([Link]/4bnuCnt).
its initial
• Open it up and
form (left)
and fully accept the couple of
expanded permissions it requests.
(right). (They’re completely
innocuous and
required for parts of
the app’s operation.)
• Explore the app’s tabs
and the options within
them to play around
with the presets and
other features.
on phones by Samsung and other
heavy-handed companies by default. œÀÌ ivՏ‡yi`}i`ۜÕ“i
Now, there’s one catch: for the full replacement panel at the heart of
set of features, including the volume this conversation, meanwhile:
panel replacement, you’ll have to
pay up £5.49 as an in-app purchase • Tap the Settings tab at the bottom of
for Precise Volume’s Pro version. But the Precise Volume interface.
you can play around with some of the • Tap ‘Volume Button Override’.
features even in the app’s free version. • Flip the toggle next to ‘Enabled’, then
Ƃ˜`ˆvޜՏˆŽiÜ >ÌޜÕw˜`]ޜս follow the prompts to upgrade to the
ˆŽiÞw˜`Ì >Ìœ˜i‡Ìˆ“i«ÕÀV >Ãi̜Li app’s Pro version.
very worth its weight. • Once that’s done, tap that toggle
So let’s get started. again, then follow the prompt to allow
Precise Volume the ability to display
60 SECONDS TO SMARTER itself over other apps.
ANDROID AUDIO • Once that’s done, tap that toggle one
ˆÀÃÌÌ ˆ˜}ÃwÀÃÌ]œ˜Ì iȓ«iÃÌ more time – and this time, follow the
possible level: prompt to enable the app as an Android

80 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

accessibility service. That may sound
scary, but it’s required for an app to be
able to process your physical button
presses in this way and effectively
replace a part of the system interface.
And Precise Volume is extremely up
front about the exact reasons for all of
its permission requirements and the fact
that it doesn’t collect, store, or share
any form of personal data.
< After you select the app’s name,
LiÃÕÀi̜yˆ«Ì i̜«“œÃÌ̜}}i̜
turn its accessibility service on – not
the lower toggle to activate it as an
accessibility shortcut.
< And note that on a Samsung
phone, this part of the process is *ÀiVˆÃi6œÕ“i¿Ã«ÀiÃiÌÓ>ŽiˆÌ«œÃÈLi
unnecessarily convoluted. After to create complete audio settings for any
selecting the option to enable the ëiVˆwVÃVi˜>Àˆœ°
accessibility service, you’ll have to tap
¼˜ÃÌ>i`>««Ã½>˜`Ì i˜w˜`*ÀiVˆÃi Beyond that, you’ll want to spend
Volume 2.0 in the list before you’ll a bit of time in the ‘Manage Volume
see the relevant option. Presets’ area of Precise Volume’s
Settings tab. That’s where you can
And that’s it. Head back to your create those one-tap presets we talked
home screen and then press your about a minute ago.
phone’s physical volume-up or volume- The ‘Automation’ area of that same
down key, and you should see the new Ì>LˆÃÜ iÀiޜÕV>˜Vœ˜w}ÕÀiȓ«i
Precise Volume panel appear in place of automations for what happens when
the standard volume pop-up. You can ëiVˆwV>««Ã>Àiœ«i˜i`]ëiVˆwV
then get to the expanded bottom-of- `iۈViÃ>ÀiVœ˜˜iVÌi`]œÀëiVˆwV`>ÞÃ
screen interface by tapping the three and times occur – if, say, you want
dot icon within the regular side-of- your media volume to bump up and
screen panel. ޜÕÀ˜œÌˆwV>̈œ˜ۜÕ“i̜}œ>Ì i

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 81

ANDROID TIPS & TRICKS

precise nuance level of your

volume slider, if you want
to make the control even
w˜iÀÌ >˜Ì i`iv>ՏÌ
zero to 100 scale.
And the Equalizer tab at
the bottom of the Precise
Volume app is the place
where all that equalizer
settings, including the
volume booster, resides.
And there you have it:
*ÀiVˆÃi6œÕ“i¿ÃčÕ̜“>̈œ˜ÃœvviÀ>܈`iÀ>˜}iœv an awesome Android audio
step-saving features. upgrade. The power is now at
ޜÕÀw˜}iÀ̈«Ã]>˜`>Ó>ÀÌiÀ]
way down whenever you open Google “œÀiivwVˆi˜Ì]>˜`“œÀi«œÜiÀvՏÜ>Þ
iiÌœÀ“>ÞLiޜÕÀ˜œÌˆwV>̈œ˜>˜` of interacting with audio on your phone
ring volume to bump up during the will always be present and waiting to be
workday but then drop back down in called into action.
the evenings.
The ‘Behavior’ section within that
same tab is where you can control the

>ŽiޜÕÀۜÕ“iVœ˜ÌÀœ>ØÕ>˜Vi`>ÃޜÕ *ÀiVˆÃi6œÕ“i¿Ã µÕˆˆâiÀ>Ài>ˆÃvՏœv

Ü>˜ÌÜˆÌ *ÀiVˆÃi6œÕ“i¿Ã¿-Ìi«Ã¿ÃiÌ̈˜}° simple and effective enhancements.

82 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

 Credit: Getty Images/Eva-Katalin
£ÎÌÀˆVŽÃvœÀ“œÀiivwVˆi˜Ì
Android messaging
Save time and communicate more effectively with these advanced
options for Google’s Android Messages app. JR RAPHAEL reports

N
o matter what type of Android missing out on some of Messages’
phone you carry or how you most powerful and underappreciated
usually use it, one thing is a ivwVˆi˜Vއi˜ >˜Vˆ˜}œ«Ìˆœ˜Ã°
near-universal constant: you’re going to Here, we’ll explore the Android
spend a ton of time with messages. Messages app’s most effective out-
Google’s Android Messages app of-sight superpowers. They may not
has become surprisingly good over be able to cut down on the number
the years. If you only rely on what you of messages you send and receive on
see on the surface, though, you’re your phone), but they will help you

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 83

ANDROID TIPS & TRICKS

č˜Þœ˜i½Ãv>ViV>˜LiVœ“iÌ iˆÀ˜œÌˆwV>̈œ˜ˆVœ˜°

spend less time fussing with them. And feature to be available. Also, Samsung
they might just help you have a more has messed around with this system
pleasant experience, too. for no apparent reason – a frustratingly
Let’s dive in, shall we? common theme with Samsung’s
(Note: The tips in this article are i>ۈÞ“œ`ˆwi`>««Àœ>V ̜Ƃ˜`Àœˆ`]
>ëiVˆwV̜Ì iœœ}iiÃÃ>}ià especially as of late – so you may or
app, which isn’t the same as the may not be able to take advantage of
Messages apps made by the likes this on a Galaxy device, depending
of Samsung or OnePlus, and baked on how recently its software has
into devices associated with those been up updated.
companies. If you’re using a phone On any reasonably recent Android
where the Android Messages app device that sticks close to Google’s core
wasn’t preinstalled or set as the default, Android interface, though, here’s how to
you can download it from the Play make the magic happen:
Store and give it a whirl. You might be
«i>Ã>˜ÌÞÃÕÀ«ÀˆÃi`LÞÜ >ÌޜÕw˜`°® • The next time you get a message
from someone, press and hold your
1. CUSTOM NOTIFICATIONS w˜}iÀ̜Ì i˜œÌˆwV>̈œ˜°
FOR IMPORTANT PEOPLE • That’ll pull up a screen that looks
We’ll start with my favourite trick within like this:
Google’s Android Messages app.
With a couple of adjustments, you can
turn any of your contacts’ faces into a
VÕÃ̜“˜œÌˆwV>̈œ˜ˆVœ˜°/ >̈Vœ˜܈
then show up at the top of your phone
whenever that person messages you for
extra visibility and access.
The only catch is that your phone
needs to be running 2020’s Android / i*ÀˆœÀˆÌÞVœ˜ÛiÀÃ>̈œ˜ÃiÌ̈˜}ˆÃÌ iŽiÞ̜
11 operating system or higher for the VÀi>̈˜}VÕÃ̜“˜œÌˆwV>̈œ˜ÃÌ >ÌÃÌ>˜`œÕÌ°

84 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

• Tap the ‘Priority’ line, then tap ‘Apply’
to save the changes.

And that’s it. The next time that / >Ì՘`iÀˆ˜i`̈“iˆÃ>VœÛiÀ̏ˆ˜ŽvÀœ“>˜

person messages you, you’ll see their incoming message to your calendar agenda.
«Àœwi«ˆVÌÕÀiˆ˜«>ViœvÌ iÃÌ>˜`>À`
Messages icon in your status bar, and
Ì i˜œÌˆwV>̈œ˜܈à œÜÕ«ˆ˜>ëiVˆ>
section above any other alerts.
The button to the left of the text
2. IMPORTANT CONTACT suggestions is a great time-saver for on-the-
PRIORITIZING yÞiÛi˜ÌVÀi>̈œ˜°
Ever wish you could keep your most
important messaging threads at the top and time, the Messages app will
of the list for easy ongoing access? underline that text. You’d be forgiven
No matter what kind of Android for failing to realize, but you can tap
phone you’re holding or how needlessly the underlined text to reveal a shortcut
meddled with its software may be, just for opening that very same day and
œ`ޜÕÀw˜}iÀœ˜ÌœÌ iVœ˜ÛiÀÃ>̈œ˜ time in your Android calendar app of
in question on the main Messages app choice. It’s a great way to get a quick
screen, then tap the pushpin-shaped glimpse at your availability for the time
icon in the app’s upper bar. you’re discussing.
You can pin up to three And if you then want to create a
conversations that way, and they’ll calendar event, just look for the ‘Create
always appear above all other threads event’ command that should appear
in that main inbox view. right below that very same message.
/ >̽wÀiÕ«>˜iÜV>i˜`>ÀiÛi˜ÌvœÀ
3. SWIFT APPOINTMENT you on the spot, with the appropriate
SCHEDULING `>Þ>˜`̈“i>Ài>`Þwi`ˆ˜°
The next time you’re trying to plan a
meeting or event in Messages, make 4. SEAMLESS MESSAGE
yourself a mental note of this: SCHEDULING
Anytime someone sends you a If you’re ready to hammer out a
“iÃÃ>}iÌ >̈˜VÕ`iÃ>ëiVˆwV`>Ìi response to a message but don’t

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 85

ANDROID TIPS & TRICKS

want your reply to be sent for a while, And the person on the other end will
follow this advice. have no way of even knowing you wrote
The Android Messages app’s the thing in advance.
scheduling system is spectacularly
useful. You can rely on it for setting 5. IMPORTANT MESSAGE
reminders to be sent to clients, SAVING
business-related messages to be When you run into a message you know
pushed out the next morning. you’ll want to reference again, save
Just type out your message normally, yourself the trouble of trying to dig it
then, instead of tapping the triangle- back up later and instead star it on the
shaped send icon at the right of the ëœÌ̜“>ŽiˆÌv>ÃÌ>ÃV>˜Li̜w˜`ˆ˜
composing window, press and hold the future.
ޜÕÀw˜}iÀœ˜ÌœÌ >ÌÃ>“iLÕÌ̜˜Ü i˜ While viewing an individual message
you’re done. That’ll pull up a hidden Ì Ài>`]«ÀiÃÃ>˜` œ`ޜÕÀw˜}iÀ
menu for selecting precisely when your œ˜ÌœÌ iëiVˆwV“iÃÃ>}iޜÕÜ>˜Ì
message should be sent. to save, then tap the star-shaped icon
that appears in the bar at the top of
the screen. Then, when you want to
w˜`Ì i“iÃÃ>}i>}>ˆ˜]Ì>«Ì iÃi>ÀV 
icon at the top of the main Messages
screen and select ‘Starred’ from the
menu that comes up. That’ll show
you every message you’ve starred for
exceptionally effortless resurfacing.

6. ADVANCED MESSAGE
SEARCHING
The Android Messages app makes
searching for an old message even
easier than you might realize. Tap that
same search icon at the top of the
app’s main screen – and in addition to
Send any message, anytime, no matter when searching your entire history message
you write it. vœÀ>˜ÞëiVˆwVÃÌÀˆ˜}œvÌiÝÌ]Ì>Ži˜œÌi\

86 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

 gesture on the screen – placing your
w˜}iÀ>˜`Ì Õ“L̜}iÌ iÀ>˜`Ì i˜
spreading them slowly apart.
You’d never know it, but the
Messages app supports that standard
gesture for zooming into a conversation.
The inverse applies, too: when you’re
ready to zoom back out and make
everything smaller, just bring your two
w˜}iÀÃVœÃiÀ̜}iÌ iÀ°
The Android Messages app’s search system is And if those actions aren’t working
full of helpful information. vœÀޜÕ]Ì>«ޜÕÀ«Àœwi«ˆVÌÕÀiˆ˜
the upper-right corner of the main
You can start typing out the name Messages screen and select ‘Messages
of anyone in your contacts, then select settings’, then make sure the toggle
them from the suggestion that appears next to ‘Pinch to zoom conversation
– and then type in some text to look text’ is in the on position.
vœÀ ܓiÌ ˆ˜}ëiVˆwVœ˜ÞÜˆÌ ˆ˜
messages from that one person. 8. CUSTOM CONVERSATION
You can use the options within COLOURS
the main Messages search screen to While we’re thinking about easier
œœŽëiVˆwV>Þ>̈“>}iÃ]ۈ`iœÃ] reading, a new Android Messages trick
locations, or links people have sent you. that’s trickling out as we speak can let
And you can combine any of you create a custom colour palette for
those variables for even more any conversations you’ve got going.
}À>˜Õ>Àw˜`ˆ˜}qœœŽˆ˜}vœÀˆ˜ŽÃ That way, you can always remember
you sent to a particular client, for Ì >ÌÌiÝÌÃÜˆÌ ޜÕÀÈ}˜ˆwV>˜ÌœÌ iÀ>Ài
instance, or locations an out-of-town in, say, purple, whereas messages with
colleague sent to you. your most important client are in red.
This one works only with messages
7. EASIER-TO-READ TEXT sent using the modern RCS messaging
/ i˜iÝÌ̈“iޜÕw˜`ޜÕÀÃiv platform, which basically means
squinting at something in a messaging messages involving other people on
thread on your phone, try a zoom Android at this point (though that will

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 87

ANDROID TIPS & TRICKS

allegedly expand to include iPhone Repeat for any other compatible

users soon). conversations, and you’ll always know
With any currently supported exactly what you’re looking at even with
conversation, though, open up the a fast glance – and without having to
thread within Messages – then: give it an ounce of active thought.

• Tap the three-dot menu icon in the 9. ENRICHED INLINE MEDIA

screen’s upper-right corner. Google’s Android Messages app can
• Select ‘Change colours’ from the let you preview and even watch entire
menu that appears. (And if you aren’t YouTube videos without ever leaving
seeing it yet, even in an RCS-enabled your current conversation – and it can
conversation, give it a few days and give you helpful previews of web links
check back again. This one’s actively right within the app, too.
rolling out right now, so it should reach The key is to make sure you’ve got
you soon – if it hasn’t already.) the associated options enabled:
• Pick the colour scheme you
«ÀiviÀ] Ì i˜Ì>«Ì i œ˜wÀ“LÕÌ̜˜ •/>«ޜÕÀ«Àœwi«ˆVÌÕÀiˆ˜Ì i
at the bottom. upper-right corner of the main
Messages screen.
• Select ‘Messages settings’, then tap
‘Automatic previews’.
• Make sure the toggle next to ‘Show
all previews’ is on and active.

Now, the next time someone

sends you a video link, you’ll see the
video’s thumbnail and description right
then and there, within the Messages
conversation (see top left).
With web pages, Messages will
show you just enough of a preview to
Every Android Messages conversation can let you make an educated decision
>ÛiˆÌÜܘ`ˆÃ̈˜V̈ÛiVœœÕÀˆvޜÕÌ>ŽiÌ i about whether you want to tap the
time to set it up.. link or not.

88 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

 built-in shortcuts Google gives us for
faster message actions.
From the main Messages screen, you
can swipe left or right on any message
to perform an instant action – archiving
the conversation, permanently deleting
it, or toggling it between read and
unread status.
All you’ve got to go to the Messages
app’s settings areas and tap on the
‘Swipe actions’ item to set things up the
way you want.

11. AUTOMATED CLEAN-UP

Certain services love to send
Vœ˜wÀ“>̈œ˜Vœ`iÃۈ>ÌiÝÌÜ i˜ޜÕ
6ˆ`iœÃiÝ«>˜`i`ˆ˜‡ˆ˜iÜˆÌ ˆ˜“iÃÃ>}ið sign in or try to perform some action.
It may not be the most advisable or
10. SMARTER SHORTCUTS effective form of extra security, but it’s
If I had to pick the simplest Android better than nothing.
Messages trick for enhancing your Core security considerations aside,
ivwVˆi˜VÞ]ˆÌ½`Lii“LÀ>Vˆ˜}Ì i the most irksome part of these codes is
having them clutter up your messages
list. But the Google-made Android
Messages app can take care of that for
you, without any ongoing effort.

• Tap the character in the upper-right

corner of the main Messages screen.
• Tap ‘Messages settings’ in the menu
that comes up, then select ‘Messages
organization’.
Step-saving swipes within messages – now • Within that curiously created section,
available for your customization. you’ll see only one option: ‘Auto-delete

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ANDROID TIPS & TRICKS

OTPs after 24 hours’. OTP stands for got an easy way to bring it into any
one-time password, which is the same Vœ˜ÛiÀÃ>̈œ˜ÜˆÌ >v>ÃÌw˜}iÀÌ>«°
thing we’re thinking about here.
Flip that toggle into the on position, 13. LESS ANNOYING
Ì i˜yˆ«>w˜}iÀœvޜÕÀV œˆVi̜ i2*10'|+06'4#%6+105
>Ì iVœ˜wÀ“>̈œ˜Vœ`iȘޜÕÀ >ÃÌLÕ̘œÌi>Ã̈ÃܓiÌ ˆ˜}ëiVˆwV
messages list and rest easy knowing for your conversations with the iPhone
they’ll be auto-purged a day after their owners. And it relates to the same sorts
arrival from that point forward. of reactions we were just going over.
One obnoxious side effect of Apple’s
12. INSTANT REACTIONS ‘no one exists outside of iOS’ mentality
Slack-style reactions serve an important is the way the iPhone’s equivalent of
communication purpose in allowing those reactions show up on Android.
you to quickly acknowledge a Plain and simple, they show up as plain
message without having to carry the and simple text messages, instead of
conversation on further. coming through as reactions.
You probably know you can Well, get this: Google’s Android
summon a reaction within the Android Messages app is able to intercept those
Messages app by pressing and >LÃÕÀ`«>ÌvœÀ“‡Ã«iVˆwVÀi>V̈œ˜Ã
œ`ˆ˜} >ëiVˆwV“iÃÃ>}iÜˆÌ ˆ˜> and turn them into standard reactions
conversation and then selecting from instead of plain-text interruptions.
the list of available emoji options – And it’ll take you all of 12 seconds to
right? But beyond that, Messages enable the option:
packs an even faster way to issue a
reaction in the blink of an eye. • Head back into the Messages
-ˆ“«Þ`œÕLi‡Ì>«ޜÕÀw˜}iÀ app’s settings.
onto any individual message within a • Tap ‘Advanced’.
conversation. That’ll apply the heart • Look for the line labelled ‘Show
reaction to it without the need for any iPhone reactions as emoji’ and
long-press or symbol selection. make sure the toggle next to it is in
It’d be nice if there were a way to the on position.
customize which reaction is used for
that action by default, but if and when
a heart will do the job, now you’ve

90 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

 Credit: Getty Images/Poike
A crafty new Android
˜œÌˆwV>̈œ˜«œÜiÀÕ«
/ ˆÃȓ«ii˜ >˜Vi“i˜Ì܈“>ŽiޜÕÀƂ˜`Àœˆ`˜œÌˆwV>̈œ˜Ã“œÀi
useful and less annoying. JR RAPHAEL reports

H
as there ever been something everything around them to make sure
as simultaneously invaluable we never miss anything important.
and irritating as our modern-day But they also demand our attention,
`iۈVi˜œÌˆwV>̈œ˜Ã¶ interrupt what we’re doing, and annoy
All the beeps our various gadgets us endlessly, often with stuff that
send our way serve an important really doesn’t require any immediate
purpose, of course – at least in acknowledgment or reaction.
theory. They keep us attuned to our Ƃ˜`Ü ˆiƂ˜`Àœˆ`½Ã˜œÌˆwV>̈œ˜
professional and personal networks and systems offer plenty of nuanced control

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 91

ANDROID TIPS & TRICKS

over how different alerts do and

don’t reach you, it still seems virtually
impossible to avoid swimming in a
sprawling sea of stuff in your phone’s
˜œÌˆwV>̈œ˜«>˜i>ÌÌ ii˜`œvi>V `>Þ°
So what if there were a better way
– a smarter system that could monitor
ޜÕÀˆ˜Vœ“ˆ˜}Ƃ˜`Àœˆ`˜œÌˆwV>̈œ˜ÃvœÀ
you, condense all the less pressing noise
down into a single alert, and make sure
you see only the messages, meetings, č˜`Àœˆ`˜œÌˆwV>̈œ˜ÃÃՓ“>Àˆâi`°°
and reminders that really matter?
at the top of your screen. Whatever
BUZZKILL Ì iëiVˆwVÃ]ޜսœ˜Þ >Ûi̜Ì ˆ˜Ž
BuzzKill ([Link]/3yrHHOb) is an through and set up those parameters
Android app that lets you create once. And from that moment forward,
VÕÃ̜“wÌiÀÃvœÀޜÕÀƂ˜`Àœˆ`« œ˜i½Ã >˜Þ̈“i˜œÌˆwV>̈œ˜Ã“iï˜}ޜÕÀ
˜œÌˆwV>̈œ˜Ãq>“œÃ̏ˆŽi“>ˆwÌiÀÃ] conditions come in, you’ll see
only for Android alerts instead of emails. something like the above screenshot.
The app has a new feature called
Summarize. It takes clusters of
ˆ˜Vœ“ˆ˜}˜œÌˆwV>̈œ˜ÃÌ >Ì“iiÌViÀÌ>ˆ˜
conditions and then combines them
together into a single alert.
You might, for instance, ask BuzzKill
̜ˆ˜ÌiÀVi«Ì>ˆ˜Vœ“ˆ˜}˜œÌˆwV>̈œ˜Ã
from your Android Messages app during
the workday and combine them into
œ˜i˜œÌˆwV>̈œ˜ޜÕV>˜i>ȏÞÃii>Ì
a glance when you’re ready to catch
up. Or maybe you’d want it to collect
all your incoming Slack alerts in the
evenings and group those together Þč˜`Àœˆ`˜œÌˆwV>̈œ˜ÃiÝ«>˜`i`ˆ˜ÌœÌ iˆÀ
to avoid a motorway-style backup standard, split-apart state.

92 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

/ iLi ˆ˜`‡Ì i‡ÃVi˜iÓ>}ˆVÌ >Ì“>ŽiÃ“Þ BuzzKill understands that there’s an
č˜`Àœˆ`˜œÌˆwV>̈œ˜ÃՓ“>Àˆâˆ˜} >««i˜° exception to every rule.

If there’s nothing particularly

important, you can swipe it away in
one swift gesture. If you want to explore
any of the summarized contents further,
you can tap the ‘Expand’ command in
Ì i˜œÌˆwV>̈œ˜½ÃVœÀ˜iÀ°
Where BuzzKill’s powers come
into play are with all the extenuating All My Photos alerts arrive in one batch daily,
circumstances you can set up – and Ì >˜ŽÃ̜Ì ˆÃ˜ˆvÌÞ˜œÌˆwV>̈œ˜ÀՏi°
how easy the app makes it to manage
it all. All I did to get the above going And make no mistake about it: all
was create a super-simple ‘if this, then of this all is just scratching the surface
that’-style rule within BuzzKill, (see of what BuzzKill can accomplish.
above, left). One of my favourite ways to use it,
And then, to build in a for instance, is to keep low-priority
supplementary rule that makes sure ˜œÌˆwV>̈œ˜ÃvÀœ“ˆ˜ÌiÀÀի̈˜}“i>Ì>
ViÀÌ>ˆ˜ ˆ} ‡«ÀˆœÀˆÌÞ˜œÌˆwV>̈œ˜Ã during the workday and instead have
stand out from that summary and grab them batched together into a single
my immediate attention, I created a evening-time delivery.
second ‘if this, then that’ guideline (see >ÃœÀiÞœ˜ˆÌ̜«ÀiÛi˜ÌÀ>«ˆ`‡wÀi
above, top right). back-to-back messages from buzzing my

ISSUE 123 • ANDROID ADVISOR 93

ANDROID TIPS & TRICKS

phone 7,000 times in seven seconds – a

problem Android 15 appears poised
to address, too, albeit in a much less
nuanced and customizable way.
The app’s new experimental
˜œÌˆwV>̈œ˜ÃՓ“>Àˆâ>̈œ˜œ«Ìˆœ˜ˆÃÜ
interesting and packed with potential,
though, I just had to share it with you
once I started exploring it and thinking
through all the ways it could be helpful.
BuzzKill costs £3.99, as a one-time
up-front payment. The app doesn’t
require any unusual permissions, doesn’t
collect any form of data from your
phone, and doesn’t have any manner
of access to the internet – meaning it’d
have no way of sharing your information
even if it wanted to.
It’s yet another illuminating
illustration of the incredible
productivity power Android provides us
– a power anyone can embrace, with the
right set of know-how.

94 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 123

INSIDE: ANDROID TIPS & TRICKS

ADVISOR
ISSUE

122

SAMSUNG
GALAXY
S24+
HITS SWEET
SPOT OF SIZE,
PERFORMANCE
& FEATURES

PLUS:
HOW TO
CONTROL
AN ANDROID
PHONE WITH
YOUR FACE