True wireless headphones get a test alongside Skullcandy’s latest offering, Swiss engineering wins the day and liquid meals go down the hatch.

Skullcandy Venue Wireless BT Headphones

Not yet available to purchase, these new Venue Bluetooth headphones from Skullcandy launched the other day with a Skate Creative event on Windmill Street in Soho, London. Tech Trends handpainted our own skateboard and got a sneak peek at these new headphones. Our previous review of the Skullcandy Crusher BT headphones was very positive and after hooking up these new Venue cans we can report they are very good indeed. The active noise cancellation was effective on the train and in the street plus the really welcome ‘Monitor Mode’ means that you can click a button to engage in conversation or order a coffee without removing your cans, then click again to be reabsorbed into the music. They also come with fast charging and a mic so you can use your voice assistant on the move. A 10 min fast charge gets you five hours listening time, so not bad.

Our previous review of the @Skullcandy #Crusher BT headphones was very positive and after hooking up these new Venue cans we can report they are very good indeed
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The@Skullcandy Crushers were aimed at bass lovers so were naturally more solid sounding but these new Venues give a clear and detailed presentation that is very pleasing
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The Crushers were aimed at bass lovers so were naturally more solid sounding but these new Venues give a clear and detailed presentation that is very pleasing. If you prefer a crisp sound to your tunes these Venue headphones are for you. Connectivity was faultless and the physical buttons are much nicer in look and feel than the Crushers. As a bonus, the Venues also come with built in Tile support so you can keep track of them if left behind the sofa or under the dog. The Tile app will connect and locate them just like any other Tile. They are also super comfortable, I listened for an hour and a half with no discomfort at all so am happy to recommend these. A good quality set of wireless cans for the price!

Available to pre-order now for £149.99 online here.

Honor 10 + GPU Turbo

The term Flagship Killer takes on new meaning with the Honor 10 + GPU Turbo. After using the brand new Honor 10 for a couple of months I can say with total confidence it really is a Flagship Killer. Producing phones that exceed expectations and challenge the stupidly high prices of new class-leading handsets from Apple and Samsung has raised Huawei, the parent company of Honor to be the second largest global smartphone maker. With Samsung still in top spot but Apple languishing in third. Most impressively Huawei has achieved this without access to the huge US market where the government and regulators have restricted their access due to security concerns. Being a Chinese company and China phobia in the US as it is, Huawei has suffered in North America but still excelled globally. Read the full review here.

The term Flagship Killer takes on new meaning with the @Honor 10 + GPU Turbo. After using the brand new @UKHonor 10 for a couple of months I can say with total confidence it really is a Flagship Killer
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SKROSS Travel Adapters

I first found out about the Swiss company SKROSS at IFA this year and boy am I glad I did! Everyone at Tech Trends knows the misery of international travel when you have phones, laptops, headphones and god knows how many other devices to charge. I seem to have been buying a new adapter almost every trip but not anymore. SKROSS make super flexible international power adapters meaning one is all most travellers will need, no matter where you go. They don’t quite have a single universal adapter but sent me two of their flagship units, between which I can go anywhere and power anything. This makes me very happy!

SKROSS don't quite have a single universal adapter but sent me two of their flagship units, between which I can go anywhere and power anything. This makes me very happy!
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The Pro Light USB combined with the World to EU connector gives me amazing connection options, often in both directions, covering the Euro, Australia / China, Italy, Switzerland, UK, USA, Brasil, China and Japan, oh and USB of course, see below for more details.

Pro Light USB – Technical Specifications

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The Pro Light USB combined with the World to EU connector gives me amazing connection options, often in both directions, covering the Euro, Australia / China, Italy, Switzerland, UK, USA, Brasil, China and Japan, oh and USB!
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SKROSS also sent me the World Adapter MUV USB which I passed to our US-based Editor and provides Euro, USA / Japan, Australia / China and UK connections as well as USB. More info below.

World Adapter MUV USB – Technical Specifications

• Suitable for all 2-pole (unearthed) devices
• Dual USB port for charging USB devices
• Receptacles for: Euro, USA/Japan, Australia/China, UK (UK not in the Swiss version)
• Retractable plugs: Euro, USA/Japan, Australia/China, UK
• Input voltage: 100 V – 250 V
• Max. load: 2.5 A
• Power rating: e.g. 100 V – 250 W / 250 V – 625 W
• Replaceable fuse: T2.5 A
• USB output: 5 V / 2400 mA
• Does not convert voltage

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Above the sheer convenience, these #SKROSS adapters offer it is their tough construction that recommends them
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Tech Trends has also tested out their sturdy UK 4 Port USB Adapter and their thin and delicious Wireless Charger 10 which is easily the best looking and least bulky wireless charger I have seen yet. Above the sheer convenience, these adapters offer it is their tough construction that recommends them. They are simple to use but made of seriously strong plastic and the metal elements have none of that flimsy, second-rate feel your average airport bought adapter presents. If you aren’t impressed so far you should go and get really geeky on the SKROSS website where you can use their configuration tool to work out which product works best for you and your regular trips! Swiss engineering at its best, these incredible adapters from SKROSS are highly recommended!

Soylent – Meal Replacement

If you’ve ever skipped a meal, made a compromised nutritional choice, or forgotten your lunch at home, you’ve been in a food void. “Food Void” is Soylent’s way of describing the place where you’re stuck eating something you’ll likely regret or when you don’t eat at all. Soylent is the easy, delicious solution to help you avoid food voids. Soylent also claims to be better for the planet. Unlike other meal replacement drinks, Soylent offers a comprehensive nutritional makeup and their protein is plant-based! Meaning it takes fewer resources to produce than drinks with animal-based proteins like whey or casein.

Unlike other meal replacement drinks, @Soylent offers a comprehensive nutritional makeup and their protein is plant-based!
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I have tried a few protein meal replacement drinks over the years, but often with that kind of thing they either aren’t as healthy as they seem or quite frankly taste like crap, not @Soylent #PoweredbySoylent
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I have tried a few protein/meal replacement drinks over the years, but often with that kind of thing they either aren’t as healthy as they seem or quite frankly taste like crap. I also have no patience for the messy business of mixing powders myself, as it seems to defeat the whole point of a convenient meal alternative. Soylent has just released 3 flavours of its ready-to-drink meal replacements in the UK (Original, Cocao and Café Mocha) and I tried them all over the course of a few days. I don’t mind the taste of soy, so I really liked the flavours, especially the coffee, which made me feel like I was getting an extra energy kick and really came in handy during a long road trip.

Fancy trying Soylent? Follow us and tweet using the hashtag #PoweredbySoylent and we will pick one lucky – UK Based – winner to receive a goodie bag including a week’s supply of all 3 flavours pic.twitter.com/qqVr5JXdSm

— TechTrends (@techtrends_tech) September 24, 2018

Each bottle has 400 calories, so definitely a meal replacement rather than an extra if you’re watching your intake, but it actually does take care of those hunger pains, and contains about 20% of your daily nutrition requirements. As an added bonus for the environmentally conscious, the fact that the bottles don’t need to be kept refrigerated until opened and have a year-long shelf life is kinder on the planet.

Now in the UK, Soylent will be sold in ready-to-drink form via Amazon, retailing at £39.00 ($52) for 12 bottles.

xFyro xS2 Waterproof True Wireless Bluetooth Headphones

These nifty xFyro xS2 earbuds deliver a completely wireless experience for listening to music and making calls in a stylish and waterproof package. The xS2s offer cutting edge v4.2 CSR Bluetooth technology for seamless connection and after testing them out in the street, on planes and trains I can say they work flawlessly. Not something that can be said for more expensive true wireless BT headphones such as the Crazybaby Air.

The xS2s offer cutting edge v4.2 CSR Bluetooth technology for seamless connection and after testing them out in the street, on planes and trains I can say they work flawlessly
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These earbuds are housed in a sleek and compact carrying tube that acts as a power bank that protects and charges your buds when stored and can even charge your phone or tablet while on the go. Now that’s a nice touch! The case is not really to my taste with the gold rims but is very solid and does what it says on the tin, it charges well and is comfortable in a pocket. I didn’t test the waterproofing but in this category of headphones that is a rare feat, so if you need music underwater these might be the answer.

I didn't test the waterproofing in the shower but in this category of headphones that feature is a rare feat, so if you need music underwater these might be the answer
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The earbuds themselves have an aluminium alloy shell that xFyro claim helps block out external sounds and come with three sizes of silicon bud allowing for a better seal no matter the size of your lugs. For me, the right earbud never fitted well. I tried all the silicone bud options but must conclude that my right ear is unnaturally shaped! This inconvenience was made up for by the excellent sound. Clear crisp but also weighty the xS2s gave a great performance with all types of music so come recommended.

@xFyroDesigns xS2's produce excellent sound. Clear crisp but also weighty the xS2s gave a great performance with all types of music so come recommended
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Specs:

– Materials: Aluminum Alloy, Silicone
– Measurements: 6.25″L x 1″W x .75″H
– Warranty: Manufacturer’s 1 Year Limited
– 2-in-1 Wireless Earbuds And Charging Tube
– IP67 Certified Dust-proof And Waterproof Technology
– V4.2 + EDR Bluetooth Technology With 10 Meter Wireless Range
– CVC 6.0 Noise Cancellation
– Aluminum Alloy Shell
– Lightweight and Portable
– Answer, Reject, and Redial Calls
– Pause And Play Music
– Built-In Microphone
– Dual-Port Charging Tube With USB And Micro USB Ports
– Rechargeable 850 MAh Capacity Power Bank
– Patented Aluminum Polishing
– Music / Talk Time: 5 Hours
– Charging Time: 2 Hours
– Standby Time: 300 Hours

The xFyros are available now for £95 here.

Tom Atkinson is a Digital Producer & Photographer at R3Digital and Reviews & Dept. Editor at Tech Trends. Connect on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter @R3Digital

The post September 2018 Tech Trends Product Reviews appeared first on Tech Trends.

The term “Flagship Killer” takes on new meaning with the Honor 10 + GPU Turbo.

After using the brand new Honor 10 for a couple of months I can say with total confidence it really is a “Flagship Killer”. Producing phones that exceed expectations and challenge the stupidly high prices of new class-leading handsets from Apple and Samsung has raised Huawei, the parent company of Honor to be the second largest global smartphone maker. With Samsung still in top spot but Apple languishing in third. Most impressively Huawei has achieved this without access to the huge US market where the government and regulators have restricted their access due to security concerns. Being a Chinese company and China phobia in the US as it is, Huawei has suffered in North America but still excelled globally.

After using the brand new Honor 10 for a couple of months I can say with total confidence it really is a “Flagship Killer”
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“We believe the recipe of success is simple – give consumers a really good product! That’s what we work hard for every day at Honor,” said George Zhao, President of Honor. “But we don’t just stop at making a good product. We want to co-create a new lifestyle with young people worldwide. We listen to them, we bounce ideas around with them, and we cheer for them. They are our inspiration, and the reason we created the Honor 10, with its AI photography features and exquisite design.”

The mid-priced but high spec market has grown recently, driven by competitors including OnePlus, Huawei & Honor delivering handsets that demonstrate just how overpriced the flagship phones from Apple and Samsung are. I would also suggest that a lack of innovation at the top of the market has devalued their flagships somewhat. People are right to expect serious advances and groundbreaking new features if they are are shelling out around a grand for a phone. Samsung and more specifically Apple designed and built this market in top-end phones to work this way and only have themselves to blame when they can’t keep up with the demands of their customers.

#Honor are targetting the budget flagship space with the #Honor10 and just like the OnePlus 6 you get top tier components in an attractive yet affordable package
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Anyhoo, on to the £399.99 Honor 10. The way android is designed to mould itself to your usage means that the first few days of using a new phone are crucial while you set it up how you want it to work and Android learns how you use your phone and how to give you the best experience and battery life. This bedding-in process means you will experience pretty terrible battery life and a hot handset for the first 4-5 days and that judging the device in any way is foolish until about a week has passed and everything has settled down. By day 7 of my test I think I got the phone I was expecting. It was super fast and a pleasure to use. By week 8 I now know that you will never need to spend more than £500 to get an incredible smartphone that 99.9% of users will love.

By day 7 of my test and after tweaking it to my taste I think I got the phone I was expecting. The #Honor10 was super fast and a pleasure to use
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I was also fortunate as Honor Global wanted to ensure I got the latest Android 8.1 and EMUI 8.1 updates, including GPU Turbo, for this review so I’m testing the Honor 10 at its absolute best. The screen is 5.84” with an aspect of 19:9. It’s FHD+ 2280x1080px (432ppi) and for me proves that great screens don’t need to be 4K. FHD saves a chunk of battery over 4K and the visible difference is almost beyond human perception. On this screen the colours are bold, whites are bright and contrast is crisp, no complaints at all.

The screen is 5.84” with an aspect of 19:9. It’s FHD+ 2280x1080px (432ppi) and for me proves that great screens don’t need to be 4K
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The Honor 10 is loaded with the same flagship processor found in the top end Huawei P20 Pro, the Kirin 970 CPU. This octa-core processor (4×2.36GHz + 4×1.8GHz) is really powerful and makes the Honor 10 blazingly fast in daily use. 4GB of RAM is not a lot but the Honor 10 runs very fast and smooth no matter what you are doing. Interestingly the screen features a notch and the fact I don’t hate it still surprises me. To be fair it is hidden in a lot of my apps as the background remains black unless the app’s header colour is replicated to fill the notch sides and this seems to be limited to only a few apps but if you want to hide it permanently just pop into the settings and bingos, job done.

Honor is pushing the concept of “Beauty in AI” and this phone features advanced AI 2.0 technology, applied chiefly to the smartphone’s camera. The dual 24Mp + 16Mp rear facing AI Camera has an F1.8 wide aperture to improve low light photos and uses its AI to analyse and tweak your photographs. Offering Real-time Scene Recognition of 500+ Scenarios in 22 Categories, smart portrait and event gallery categorisation, dynamic bokeh and multi-subject framing. The AI camera produces pleasing results quickly, analysing, categorising the subject of your photo and treating it to your taste through Scene-specific Parameter Applications. The Dynamic Bokeh effect is all the rage right now and as you can see below can make a small panty dog look very pretty indeed!

The #Honor10 Dynamic Bokeh effect is all the rage right now and as you can see making a small dog look very pretty indeed!
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The #Honor10 camera interface is quick and intuitive with plenty of fun options in AI mode and a powerful regular camera for capturing less filtery images
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And I’m sure social media will be flooded with artistically blurry selfie photos from the Honor 10’s front-facing 8MP, F/1.9 unit which also offers four 3D Studio Lighting Portrait options, for professional like headshots. You can opt out of AI mode easily which boosts the resolution of the rear camera to the full 24Mp and gives really very good results. The camera interface is quick and intuitive with plenty of fun options in AI mode and a powerful regular camera for capturing less filtery images. UHD 4k Video quality is likewise excellent and since the GPU Turbo update can take super slow-mo HD footage at 480fps a feature very similar to the latest Samsung Galaxy S9+.

Confident in the new camera’s abilities Honor and Central St Martins recently celebrated the ground-breaking new AI & Photographic capabilities of the Honor 10 with the talented up and coming young designers graduating this year.

@Honorglobal wanted to ensure I got the latest Android 8.1 and EMUI 8.1 updates for this review so I am testing #Honor10 at its absolute best
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Using the impressive new 24 Megapixel camera they celebrated how mobile technology will increasingly be integrated into education and design in the future, whether it be graphic communication, product, architecture, fashion or jewellery, exploring the future of aesthetics and how mobile technology will play a critical role in that development.

The #Honor10 handset itself is beautiful with a very cool layered, refractive glass back that shines and changes colours as it moves
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The 3400mAh battery will give you a full day, which is average but totally usable and not a negative in the current marketplace. It also features fast charging which will give you a 50% battery boost in only 25mins. I have tested this and it worked well. After a 9am start, I often get to bed in the early hours of the morning with only 5% left (without recharges) but that is still better than a lot of phones, Hem Hem, Apple! The handset itself is beautiful and the CMF or “ Aurora Glass” design is a 3D glass back with a very pleasing nano-scale optical coating composed of 15 bright glimmering layers that shine and shift colours as it moves. Another nice note is that a basic clear case is included in the box! Plus the handset came with a preinstalled screen protector, so no frustration and bubbles adding one yourself.

EMUI 8.1 on the #Honor10 is fast, slick and fun to use and importantly the AI camera is very good
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128GB of internal storage makes up for the lack of a Micro SD card slot and the only niggle I have with this device is the crap Ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, awkwardly located at the bottom front of the screen. I regularly use Google Pay + NFC so need to have the device properly secured and unlocking it with this sensor is a pain in the butt. Both Huawei and Honor phones use a much cheaper fingerprint sensor which works much quicker and being located on the back of the handset meaning no finger contortion to access it. However, this is a minor drawback to an excellent smartphone.

UPDATE: Honor has just released an EMUI update (.146 C432) to address the slow fingerprint reader and indeed it does seem to be a bit quicker now! 

The only niggle I have with this device is the crap Ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, awkwardly located at the bottom front of the screen
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Launched in London within a week of each other the Honor 10 is competing against the new OnePlus 6. Following the release of the OnePlus it has suffered from several serious software issues which have had to be patched and then repatched. The OnePlus 6 boasts a slightly bigger screen and a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner but only has a 16Mp camera and the OxygenOS seems to have issues causing excessive battery drain and other bugs such as dropped calls seem to be common.

GPU Turbo

The Honor 10, on the other hand, has been rock solid for me with the recent GPU Turbo update making things feel even tighter and more fluid in use. Honor claims this update could boost your gaming performance by up to 60% but maybe because this phone is already an excellent and quick device I tested only about a 10% bump in speed and frame rates. After running multiple GPU tests I could only see a small increase in performance on the Honor 10 but have no doubt that older or lower spec devices will see more of a benefit with GPU Turbo. However, there is no doubt that this update made the handset feel smoother in use and generally quicker, no complaints about that!

I also noticed that AR & VR was super smooth and really impressive on the Honor 10. With this update, it definitely has the grunt to manage the GPU heavy processing these new technologies demand and despite being only FHD the screen is detailed with great contrast. Only a 4K screen would do any better when 1.5 Inches from your eyes in a VR headset and frankly I have never tested a 4K screen on a smartphone that could keep up with any decent VR experience, too many pixels to push so an FHD screen definitely delivers a more pleasing and less juddery experience even if it is a little bit more pixelated than 4K.

When compared to the Samsung Galaxy S9+ in my recent review this mid-priced Honor handset blew the £869 S9+ out of the water in UI speed and fluid user experience and matched it for battery life. What more do I need to say? The Honor 10 is the definition of a bargain and is now available for £399.99 for purchase in select markets including UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, with other markets follow.

Tom Atkinson is a Digital Producer & Photographer at R3Digital and Reviews & Dept. Editor at Tech Trends. Connect on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter @R3Digital

The post Product Review: Honor 10 + GPU Turbo appeared first on Tech Trends.

At first Tech Trends was excited to get hold of the S9+ but less thrilled once we turned it on.

I used to be a Samsung Galaxy smartphone fan, in fact, my first smartphone was an S2 and I stuck with them for years before stepping out and trying LG and Sony, then back to Samsung with the S7 in 2016, which was an OK phone. So I feel I am qualified to review the enormous S9+. Sadly I’m not impressed, not at all impressed.

It is a subtly curved glass monolith that feels so nice in the hand that only the threat of dropping it forced me to put an excellent Catalyst case on it
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It looks spectacular and I am a huge fan of the design changes through the Galaxy S8 I reviewed last year, to the S9+. It is a subtly curved glass monolith that feels so nice in the hand that only the threat of dropping it forced me to put an excellent Catalyst case on it. The new position of the fingerprint reader is significantly better than the S8 but still leads to smudges on the camera lens which is just lazy design.

Sound quality is amazing and probably the best thing about the phone but as a package, it is not worth £869. Not even close! I’m not going to go into exhaustive depth on the faults with the S9+ because I don’t need to as they are blatant and obvious. I’ll look at the most annoying starting with the worst.

Sound quality is amazing and probably the best thing about the phone but as a package, it is not worth £869. Not even close!
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There are a lot of detailed tests and benchmark results out there that seem to show the S9+ is a speed monster but they don’t mean anything. My only metric is real-world use
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Now there are a lot of detailed test and benchmark results out there that seem to show the S9+ is a speed monster but they don’t mean anything. My only metric is real-world use. If it smokes the GPU & CPU tests it should feel slicker than hot vaseline, right? Well, No. It is slow, mindbogglingly slow, hair-tearing slow, screaming at it slow. This is just not acceptable. To give you some context I tested its startup against an Honor 7X, which I reviewed last Christmas, and the results are stunning. The Honor 7X costs £229.99, less than a third of the price of the S9+ yes… I know, surely not a fair competition.

The S9+ is slow, mindbogglingly slow, hair-tearing slow, screaming at it slow. This is just not acceptable in 2018
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I cloned the phones so they were identical in every possible way, installed all the latest updates, the same launcher and apps, left notifications on for the all the apps, signed it into the same Play account, hooked up to the same superfast broadband and turned them both off for two days. Later that week when I turned them on, I did it with a stopwatch running and the results back up my criticism.

The Honor 7X synched everything, filled my screen with notifications and updated the eleven apps showing updates in the Play store in under seven minutes. The S9+ was still checking notifications after thirteen minutes. Now that is a real world speed test and left the Samsung humbled. To be fair I ran the test again, twice and the results were worse so being a nice guy I am highlighting the best results out of three. The S9+ is pathetic at startup. Unbelievable!

Oh and it’s important to note that both phones were fully charged before I turned them on and during this startup test the S9+ used 6% of battery while the Honor used less than 1%, it didn’t even register. I am speechless.

The Honor 7X was quicker and more fleet of foot at everything while the Samsung was laggy, slow to load apps and generally frustrating to use
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Of course, I paid close attention to speed during use including opening apps, playing games, downloading & playing video, and came to the conclusion that the Honor 7X was quicker and more fleet of foot at everything while the Samsung was laggy, slow to load apps and generally frustrating to use. After years of using and testing Samsung smartphones, I recognise this as a long-term problem with Galaxy phones. They have always been laggy and the interface looks sluggish after using an iPhone for example.

That might have been acceptable five years ago but in the current market Samsung just can’t compete yet are still building and selling phones like the S9+ that are inexcusably expensive and that underperform. Some will say, yes but the S9+ has some advanced features the Honor doesn’t, but really? If it can’t perform the basics who cares if it can make you an AR Emoji or charge wirelessly. This is a chronic problem for Samsung but I just don’t think they see the problem exists!

Samsung just can’t compete at the moment but are still building and selling phones like the S9+ that are inexcusably expensive and that underperform
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A few more negatives spring to mind. The AR Emoji feature is a cringing embarrassment and should never have left the lab. It is heavy, very heavy. At 3500 mAh the battery is not enormous enough to cause this so not sure why it feels like a brick in my back pocket.

The screen is also a delight with rich colours and crisp edges and that AMOLED black that I love
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On to the positives, the cameras on the last couple of top end Samsung smartphones have been excellent and this one is no different but with the extra added camera I am not seeing any real improvement in image quality since the S8’s single camera and the new low light F1.5 aperture mode really doesn’t add anything, images are over processed, blocky and lack detail. However, you can rely on the S9+ to produce excellent images indoors and out in most conditions.

The cameras on the last couple of top end Samsung smartphones have been excellent and this one is no different
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Sound is very good, both wired and via Bluetooth
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Sound is very good, both wired and via Bluetooth. As an audio buff, this has been one of the reasons I stuck with Samsung for several years. The screen is also a delight with rich colours and crisp edges and that deep AMOLED black that I love. However I do question the need for a Quad HD+ screen, even on a phone this size. No human can really tell the difference from HD and the hit the higher resolution takes on the battery is not insignificant so I recommend you scale the screen resolution down in the settings and keep your phone alive for a bit longer every day.

So in summary, there is no sane reason why this handset costs £869, not at all. Would I recommend it? No, I wouldn’t.

However, if you want one they are available here.

Tom Atkinson is a Digital Producer & Photographer at R3Digital and Reviews & Dept. Editor at Tech Trends. Connect on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter @R3Digital

The post Product Review: Samsung Galaxy S9+ appeared first on Tech Trends.

Whether you’ve been naughty or nice, Tech Trends has your back with this special holiday bumper edition of desirable gadget reviews.

Lelo Sona Cruise

Technology is changing the world and traditional ways of doing things are being challenged every day. Getting your rocks off is one of them so Tech Trends, always up for a little onanism, was excited to receive the cute looking Sona Cruise from Lelo. More like standing next to the Marshall stacks at a rock concert than leaning on the washing machine on spin, that’s the best way to explain the cunning technology behind the new Sona Cruise.

Conventional vibrators transmit energy (and pleasure) through physical contact with the buzzing tool but the Sona Cruise emits sonic pulses, sound waves that penetrate and radiate deeper below the surface skin providing by all accounts a thrilling experience like no other. Another plus is that the Sona Cruise doesn’t leave you sore as the pulses generated by the sound pad mean you don’t need to hold it against the sensitive areas, just near. This thing is also beautifully made, the ABS Silicone is gorgeous to touch and the design is funky and comfortable to use.

The Sona Cruise doesn’t leave you sore as the pulses generated by the sound pad mean you don’t need to hold it against the sensitive areas, just near
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It’s 100% waterproof. So if you like pina coladas and getting caught in the rain, your chariot has arrived. It also makes it super easy to clean. Sona Cruise is made from a single piece of silicone, and this one-piece design keeps it watertight – even at the charging socket. Perfect for the bath, shower or hot tub or a cheeky one in the swimming pool! Because the Sona Cruise is not like a conventional pleasure product, it doesn’t sound like one. It’s quiet and restrained – perfect for users who need discretion. What’s more, it’s USB-rechargeable, so you can take it anywhere you go. An hour of charging will give you an hour of pleasure.

RRP: Currently reduced from £159 to £89

The Sona Cruise is made from a single piece of silicone, it’s 100% waterproof and super easy to clean
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Aukey 1080p Webcam

The nice people at Aukey have sent Tech Trends several of their very well made tech toys recently. The 1080p PC-LM1 Stereo Webcam is another fine piece of kit at a bargain price. The 1/3” CMOS sensor provides a very good image at 1080p in well-lit conditions but as with all small HD sensors it gets a bit grainy and smudged if used in dark rooms. The camera can also take 2-megapixel photos.

The Stereo mic worked very well in my tests and it proved to be truly plug and play on both Macs and PCs
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The Stereo mic worked very well in my tests and it proved to be truly plug and play on both Macs and PCs. Overall this is a match for Webcams twice this price and looks good to boot! Like all Aukey products, it comes with a 24 month guarantee which is unheard of in this price range but all their products we have tested so far have been solid and reliable in use which breeds confidence.

• High-definition 1080p webcam with 1/3″ CMOS image sensor and 2 built-in stereo microphones. Delivers sharp, smooth video for video chats and recording
• Excellent video quality with 1920 ×1080p Full HD streaming and recording. Good performance even in more dimly lit rooms (≤5 lux minimum illumination). Fixed focus keeps things in focus up to five meters away
• Stream and capture clearer and more detailed video, also with stereo sound
• Easy to use – Plug & Play no drivers or software to install; just plug this webcam into your device’s USB port. Compatible with Windows XP/ 2000 /2003 / Vista/ 7/ 8/ 10, Mac OS 10.6, and Android 5.0 or above, works with Smart TV, Android TV Box, Skype, MSN, FaceTime, Facebook Messenger, Youtube, Yahoo Messenger etc
• Conveniently clip this camera onto flat-screen computer monitors and laptop computer screens or stand it on desks and other flat surfaces
• Package Contents: AUKEY PC-LM1 1080p Webcam, User Manual, 24-Month Product Replacement Warranty and Friendly Customer Service

RRP: £30.99 on Amazon.co.uk

Overall this is a match for Webcams twice this price and looks good to boot!
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Honor 7X Smartphone

You might not have heard of Honor here in the UK but they are part of the Huawei Group and produce some compelling smartphones. Honor is the number one smartphone e-brand in China in 2017 in terms of sales performance. They have also announced a new global growth strategy that aims to make it a top-three smartphone brand worldwide in five years. They are already the number one and number three e-brand in Finland and Russia respectively and Honor’s sales grew significantly on Black Friday in the United States and Europe this year. Read the full review here.

Honor is the number one smartphone e-brand in China in 2017 in terms of sales performance
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Aukey Ground Loop Noise Isolator

These Aukey products are great, affordable stocking fillers for technophiles the world over. This Ground Loop Noise Isolator filters out the background hiss or buzz that can ruin your music and is particularly useful in car stereo systems or with cheaper home stereo systems whose electrical components and power supplies are not quite as capable as more expensive options. I hooked this up with the Bluetooth Audio Receiver lats month http://techtrends.tech/tech-trends/november-2017-tech-trends-product-reviews/ which I had linked to my Marantz amp but is powered via USB plugged into my TV.

These Aukey products are great, affordable stocking fillers for technophiles the world over
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This poor quality supply of power to the Bluetooth Receiver will inevitably affect the sound so I was keen to see how this gadget improved things. I powered it up connected my Galaxy S7 via Bluetooth and blasted out my current favourite track, Higgin & Kissin by Big Black Delta. There was a definite improvement in the sound feeling clearer and more solid but also a little peakier. Generally, it was an improvement and keen to try it out on my other computer stereo set up. At £8.99 get one and give it a go, it can only make your setup sound better!

• ELIMINATING BUZZING NOISE: Eliminate hiss, buzz, and other background interference caused by ground loop noise. Designed to improve sound quality on car stereo systems and home speaker systems when the audio source is physically connected by 3.5mm audio cable
• WORKING PRINCIPLE: Filters out noise instantly for clear, uninterrupted, uncompromised sound. Lose the noise; keep everything else
• PLUG AND PLAY: Nifty little gadget that just plugs in; no other setup needed
• COMPATIBLE MODELS: Works with any audio device that has 3.5mm audio jacks, for your Car Audio System/Home Stereo, when grounding issues persist
• PACKAGE CONTENTS: AUKEY GI-L1 Ground Loop Isolator, 3.5mm Audio Cable, User Manual, 24-Month Product Replacement Warranty and Friendly Customer Service

RRP: Reduced fro £11.99 to £8.99 on amazon.co.uk

The new Add-X feature displays exclusive offers and adverts, tailored to the user’s age and gender, on the phone’s lock screen
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Wileyfox Swift 2 Plus with Add-X

Wileyfox is a London based smartphone maker focused on offering consumers a mobile experience that is intuitive, highly spec’d and competitively priced. Wileyfox is proud to be a disruptive company and this December launched its revolutionary “Add-X” range – an extension of its well-regarded Android premium and high-spec’d Swift 2 and Spark ranges, but with added value for savvy consumers. What deal-seeking shopper wouldn’t love an upfront price discount on their new premium Wileyfox smartphone of up to 42%. Yes, that’s right if you choose the Add-X version of the top spec Swift 2+ or Spark phones you will get up to a 42% discount. What, Why, How the flip….?

The new “Add-X” feature displays exclusive offers and adverts, tailored to the user’s age and gender, on the phone’s lock screen. This doesn’t interfere with access to personal notifications, date and time and users can simply swipe right to unlock their phone as normal or swipe left to see more.

“At Wileyfox we’re committed to shaking up the competition again, to give our customers the best smartphone for their budget. And with Add-X we’re smashing expectations at an even higher level reducing the costs across our range upfront, while also giving the consumer even more ways to be “wiley” Michael Coombes, CEO of Wileyfox explained

Wileyfox is a London based smartphone maker focused on offering consumers a mobile experience that is intuitive, highly spec'd and competitively priced
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Examples of offers could include a discount or a preview of a sale, selected to provide Wileyfox customers with brands, products and services they would want to see. Not only that but over time through the proprietary AI and machine-learning technology, the Add-X platform adapts to the user’s behaviour and learns to serve the user with more of the brands and offers they are looking for. Advertisers now on the Add-X platform include Dominoes and Ministry of Sound, among others.

“As Wileyfox is committed to consumer experience, there is a highly selective process to which brands and products can advertise over the platform. There will be no adverts for porn or money-lending companies. Only users over the age of 18 will receive adverts for alcohol brands.” Coombes continued

Wileyfox claim Add-X has no impact on the phone performance plus all the existing phone features operate on the phone as usual. They have optimised the handsets’ power management systems to ensure they perform to the same standard as non Add-X Wileyfox phones and the impact of Add-X on data appears to be negligible – they claim less than 20MB per month. The advertising subsidises the cost of the mobile phone, without tieing the user to an Operator.

“Not only can consumers buy a better phone for less, but during the lifetime of the phone they will be presented with many great offers, which can over time save them even more than the cost of the phone. Protecting customer data is a priority. No customer data is shared with any advertisers or other parties. Customer profiling data is only used to tailor the customer experience.” Concluded Coombes

Ok, but what are the phones like? Well, Tech Trends received a lovely pink Swift 2 Plus with Add-X and first impressions were very good. Lovely packaging a nice long USB-C cable and the phone clear upgrade on the previous Swift model and has a nicely machined metal body and good looking 720p screen. I was pleased to see that the overall handset quality is only a step behind the big boys in machining and finish and is more than acceptable for the price bracket.

I was pleased to see that the overall handset quality is only a step behind the big boys in machining and finish and is more than acceptable for the price bracket
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The 16MP & 8MP back and front cameras are good and the fingerprint sensor is quick and easy to set up. Located on the back of the phone it means there is no need for a home button on the front so the Swift 2 feels like the much more expensive Samsung Galaxy S8, Sony Xperia and iPhone X plus it runs Android 7.1.2! The 1.4GHz Snapdragon 430 paired with 3GBs of RAM mean it is pretty quick to use and multitasking is no problem and the 32GBs of storage is enough for most users. It also has NFC, Duel SIM functionality and Quick Charge 3 a serious list of features that most mid-priced handsets can’t offer.

The Wileyfox 16MP & 8MP back and front cameras are good and the fingerprint sensor is quick and easy to set up
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It is not a speed demon but then it is not meant to be and for the price Tech Trends hasn’t seen many better options. Maybe most importantly we felt that Add-X was only minimally intrusive and did not ruin the fun to be had playing with the Swift 2. It’s a really nice phone and we can thoroughly recommend it. I am also pleased to see a British company innovating in this market and who knows where Wileyfox will go from here.

I was pleased to see a British company innovating in this market and who knows where Wileyfox will go from here
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Dough Universe

Since the days of Texas Instruments Little Professor and Speak and Spell there have always been toys that tried to blend education and play – albeit with mixed results – but few have sought to educate, entertain and prepare children’s blossoming creative minds for the flourishing worlds of technologies to come. Tech Will Save us aims to change all that. Their mission is to inspire kids everywhere to use technology to create new things, solve life-changing problems, and invent their own future in a world where 65% of kids in school today may well have a job that doesn’t exist yet. Read the full review here.

Tech Will Save Us is on a mission to inspire kids to use technology to create new things, solve life-changing problems, and invent their own future
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Aukey USB Quick Charge 3.0 Mains Charger

If you are anything like me you burn through your devices’ batteries and are constantly plugging them in, swapping them around and screaming for the right lead. Well, this six port USB mains adapter will solve some of my problems and I was very excited to try the two Quick Charge 3 ports on my Galaxy S8. The other 4 ports are no slouch and use adaptive AiPower Tech for Samsung S8, iPhone 7/7 Plus, iPad Air 2/iPad Pro, Nexus, LG G5 and more.

If you are anything like me you burn through your devices’ batteries and are constantly plugging them in, swapping them around and screaming for the right lead
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The charger is tuned to support healthier battery function and faster USB charging speeds, AiPower intelligently adjusts power output to match the unique charging needs of all your USB powered gear. With up to 2.4A of dedicated adaptive output per AiPower USB port, your devices will each receive the safest maximum recharge rate possible. The charger is compatible with a full range of USB connector types, from A to C so will work for most devices out there. The Quick Charge 3 worked a treat and charged my S8 up to 50% in 40mins and 100% in around an hour and a quarter, now that is impressive! When you take the 24-month guarantee into account this is another great product from Aukey at a very reasonable price.

The Aukey charger is tuned to support healthier battery function and faster USB charging speeds
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• Quick Charge 3.0 – Charge compatible devices up to 4 times faster than conventional charging
• Adaptively charges all 5V USB powered devices including Android and Apple devices at up to 2.4A
• Plug everything in at once and charge simultaneously at full speed
• Built-in safeguards protect your devices against excessive current, overheating, and overcharging
• Package Contents: Package Contents: AUKEY PA-T11 Charging Station, 2.6ft Detachable Power Adapter, User Manual, 24 Month Warranty Card

RRP: £24.99 on amazon.co.uk

Tom Atkinson is a Digital Producer & Photographer at R3Digital and Reviews & Dept. Editor at Tech Trends. Follow him on Twitter @R3Digital

The post December 2017 Tech Trends Product Reviews appeared first on Tech Trends.

This classy smartphone has some lofty ambitions and a very attractive price tag.

You might not have heard of Honor here in the UK but they are part of the Huawei Group and produce some compelling smartphones. Honor is the number one smartphone e-brand in China in 2017 in terms of sales performance. They have also announced a new global growth strategy that aims to make it a top-three smartphone brand worldwide in five years. They are already the number one and number three e-brand in Finland and Russia respectively and Honor’s sales grew significantly on Black Friday in the United States and Europe this year.

Honor's global growth strategy that aims to make it a top-three smartphone brand worldwide in five years
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With our slogan, “For the Brave”, the Honor brand was created to meet the needs of digital natives through internet-optimized products that offer superior user experiences, inspire action, foster creativity and empower the young to achieve their dreams.

Well, lofty ambitions indeed, and the not so young among us were gratified to hear that Honor’s aspirations also stretch to “people who are young at heart” so a rejuvenated Tech Trends reporter threw away his walking stick and hobbled along to the Global Launch of Honor’s latest phones in London and was blown away by a bold media event. BMX’s hopped, wheelied and span around the stage and the light show and flashy brand videos where suitably loud and blinding, but as nice as all that was, I was keen to get my hands on some hardware, so headed over to the demo room.

Honor launched two new products: the Honor View 10, a new flagship and the Honor 7X, a mid-range player but impressive none-the-less
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Honor was launching two new products: the Honor View 10 – a new flagship which claims state-of-the-art artificial intelligence (AI) and superior performance – and the Honor 7X, a mid-range player that for the first time, is bringing ‘full-view’ #Maxyourview display to the market. Both smartphones are offered at extremely competitive price points with Honor View 10 available in January at 499.9 euro/449.99 GBP and the Honor 7X at 299 euro/269 GBP. Tech Trends should be reviewing the AI powered View 10 early in the new year, but was handed a 7X at the show and wow, budget smartphones have come a long way (all the way from China in fact) and we are impressed!

Mr. George Zhao, president of Honor, said: “’For the brave’ is in Honor’s DNA. It drives us to constantly deliver innovative technology, aesthetic design, best-in-class quality, delightful experiences and accessibility for young generations. Honor is also a young lifestyle co-creator, inspiring people to pursue their dreams and live life to the full.”

First impressions of the Honor 7X are very good and it is huge! The beautiful-feeling, silky-smooth back feels wonderful in the hand when contrasted with the giant glass front. This is the first smartphone to feature the new Honor ‘FullView’ 18:9 display, a 5.93-inch edge-to-edge, bezel-less screen that delivers remarkable display quality for its extraordinary high screen-to-body ratio. It’s a good screen all around, blacks are great, but whites could be a little crisper, the contrast, however, is good, so reading on the 7X is a real pleasure. Colours are a little muted unless the screen brightness is around 75% but remain pleasing.

The beautiful feeling silky smooth back feels wonderful in the hand when contrasted with the giant 5.93-inch glass front
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The dual-lens 16MP + 2MP rear camera with a large aperture (F/0.95 – F/16) and Phase Detection Auto Focus (PDAF) ensures quite good images but picture quality is only average and won’t rock your world. Detail is fine in good lighting but flat areas of colour are rather noisy and sharp edges look a bit ragged and over sharpened. With its large aperture, dark scenes come out alright but sometimes look a bit milky and washed out. The camera app is nice to use and options are well laid out with the settings accessed by swiping left or right. Not to say the camera is bad, it just isn’t excellent.

The 3,340 mAh battery didn’t keep us going for the claimed 24 hours but will comfortably get you through a busy day with power to spare. You can really feel the grunt of the powerful octa-core Kirin 659 processor and combined GPU running at 4x 2.36GHz and 4x 1.7 GHz. It’s also equipped with 4GB RAM and makes the Samsung Galaxy S7 look like a slouch. Flipping through the drawer, opening apps, using the camera, editing photos and loading web content feels speedy and fun. In fact, it was so fast it was just fun to pick up and use.

You can really feel the grunt of the powerful octa-core Kirin 659 processor and combined GPU running at 4x 2.36GHz and 4x 1.7 GHz. It’s also equipped with 4GB RAM
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“The Honor 7X is the leading choice for users who want to enjoy rich functionality with the benefits of a bezel-less phone, while considerate on their budget,” said Zhao. “We are immensely proud of the quality control it undertakes in producing every phone – Honor 7X was dropped over 4,800 times in the lab in testing – so users can be assured that better value for money doesn’t compromise our high-end quality.”

The fingerprint scanner is excellent and faster than anything I have used except the Galaxy S8 and the rear location works very well for me. Tech Trends thinks music quality is vital in a smartphone, after all, it is one of its primary functions these days, so we are happy to report that the 7x gives a great performance via the 3.5mm jack (yes people it has one!) and via Bluetooth. Overall the sound is very well balanced with good solid bass, nice clear mids and treble that is crisp but not sharp, impressive.

This is a highly recommended phone if your budget is more mid than max, coming with 64GB of internal storage, extendable via micro SD up to 256GB, the Honor 7X runs EMUI 5.1 based on Android 7.0
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This is a highly recommended phone if your budget is more mid than max, coming with 64GB of internal storage, extendable via micro SD up to 256GB, the Honor 7X runs EMUI 5.1 based on Android 7.0. It is available to purchase from December 5, 2017, in selected markets, including Europe (United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, Ukraine and Turkey), Russia, United States, Middle East (United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Iran), India and Malaysia.

The Honor 7X can be ordered at Honor online at the extremely competitive price point of £269.99.

Tom Atkinson is a Digital Producer & Photographer at R3Digital and Reviews & Dept. Editor at Tech Trends. Follow him on Twitter @R3Digital

The post Product Review: Honor 7X Smartphone appeared first on Tech Trends.