We applaud Huawei for going all-out and producing the most highly-specced foldable camera phone of 2021, in spite of being hung out to dry by Google. By contrast, the Mate X2 features a superb 50MP Ultra Vision primary camera, a 16MP 17mm-equivalent ultra-wide module, and even dual telephoto cameras, with 70mm and 240mm-equivalant focal lengths, for 3x and 10x zoom respectively. Whereas the rival Galaxy Z Fold3 may be newer, its camera hardware is somewhat pedestrian. Fold the Mate X2, and the exterior screen is a 21:9 aspect ratio, 6.45-inch OLED panel, also sporting a 90 Hz refresh rate. When unfolded, the huge interior OLED screen measures 8 inches and benefits from a 90Hz refresh rate and features a resolution of 2480 x 2200 - 413 pixels per inch (PPI). In the case of the Mate X2, its lack of Google Services meant few would actually make the leap and buy one, but this is still one mightily impressive camera phone.
What do the Huawei Mate X2 and Sony Xperia Pro have in common, aside from being released in 2021 and costing an arm, leg, and half your soul? Well, they're both a technical tour de force, yet both were destined to be sales flops. In full: Sony Xperia Pro review (opens in new tab) It's a handset we are very glad exists, even if we wouldn't really recommend you actually splash the cash and buy one. Sony has long targeted the imaging enthusiast/creative pro audience with its flagship camera phones, but the Xperia Pro was its most hardcore offering. And for that market, it excelled where no other phone could offer such versatility.
The Xperia Pro was simply too focussed at professional videographers needing a multi-purpose work tool. Its eye-watering $2,499 / £2,299 launch price made that prospect incredibly difficult to justify.
It’s also an Android smartphone that’ll run your camera companion apps like a champ, be they made by Canon, Sony or another camera maker.īut the Xperia Pro was never going to find many buyers who would use it their personal smartphone 'daily driver'. If you fall into this rather small market subset, the Pro proved to be really handy as a field monitor and a 5G hotspot. Definitely worth the extra pocket real estate required.The standout feature of the Xperia Pro is that it was designed to be a two-in-one smartphone and field monitor for videographers. Sure, it doesn't have a fancy curved edge, but the Note is 5.7-inches of super high-res screen in a surprisingly slim and stylish package. With the Note 5, Samsung has delivered something smoother and sleeker than ever before, and given that all-important stylus even more to do.
It's a shame then, you won't see this phone being sold outside of China (Xiaomi can be a tad shy with its higher-end devices.) But if you're willing to fork out a bit more through online resellers, this gorgeous glass-clad smartphone could be yours.įor fans of big-screen phones - and please, let's leave the term "phablet" back in 2013 where it belongs - then Samsung's Note range has always been a popular choice. The Mi Note Pro is no different - it features a Snapdragon 810 processor, a 2K 5.7-inch display and 4GB of RAM - specs that definitely rival other flagships. While Xiaomi is generally known for its high-quality low-cost phones, its flagship devices also tend to outshine competitor offerings with similar high-end specs but incredibly low retail prices.
A few software additions, and better-than-normal audio speakers help the 5.5- and (slightly different) 4.7-inch versions exceed expectations. It continues to be one of the best value phones of the year, with a camera, design and operating speeds that swing well above its price point. You certainly don't need the Edge's curved screen or mostly-gimmicky software extras, but among the year's hypnotically same-same phones, this one felt truly different - in a way that actually worked.įrom the first moment we saw it, the Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 intrigued us. The fact that nobody else has made anything like it proves that Samsung has something to offer besides routinely checking features off a list.
It manages to be far more elegant-looking and more immersive than any other phone out there, a realization that comes when you hold the Edge in your hands. Ok, so it's the more expensive, curvy-sided version of Samsung's first all-metal-and-glass flagship phone, but what Samsung did with the Galaxy S6 Edge goes beyond taking an S6 and bending its sides.