tested

How is your phone camera tested? I flew to China to find out

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Table of Contents Table of Contents Meet the Oppo Imaging Lab in Binhai Bay Industry standard testing and carrier-standard testing Testing HDR performance at different lights and lengths Testing for great portraits and skin tones There’s much more to it, but it’s certainly working For almost a decade, we’ve lived in an incredible era of … Read more

I tested the M4 MacBook Air. Battery life is reason enough to buy it

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Table of Contents Table of Contents Low uptake, high yield  Realistic workflows fare even better Peerless, in a lot of ways Over the course of the past few months, I’ve tried a handful of Windows on Arm machines. The biggest takeaway is that if you buy a slim and light Windows laptop in 2025, you … Read more

I tested the world-understanding avatar of Gemini Live. It was shocking

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Table of Contents Table of Contents Making sense of the world around you  Unlocking a knowledge bank Excels in surprising spots  A few familiar pitfalls  It’s somewhat unnerving to hear an AI talking in an eerily friendly tone and telling me to clean up the clutter on my workstation. I am somewhat proud of it, … Read more

I tested the Xiaomi 15 Ultra and Galaxy S25 Ultra cameras, it’s not even close

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Table of Contents Table of Contents The camera specs Main camera Wide-angle camera Zoom cameras Night mode Xiaomi 15 Ultra takes a comprehensive win We’ve put two of the heaviest smartphone camera hitters against each other to find out which one takes the better photos. It’s the Xiaomi 15 Ultra versus the Samsung Galaxy S25 … Read more

I tested the 7-core Snapdragon 8 Elite and 1 less core is a big deal

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Table of Contents Table of Contents The phones used for testing Testing the difference that 1 core makes Snapdragon 8 Elite 8-core vs 7-core: Battery How much of a difference does 1 core make? The Snapdragon 8 Elite powers most of the best Android phones, and brings a vast increase in power for CPU, GPU, … Read more

How good is the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s new ultra-wide camera? I tested it

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Table of Contents Table of Contents The key camera specs Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Galaxy S25 Plus, S25 and S24 Ultra Galaxy S25 Ultra ultra-wide vs iPhone 16 Pro Galaxy S25 Ultra ultra-wide vs Pixel 9 Pro Galaxy S25 Ultra ultra-wide vs OnePlus 13 How good is the new S25 Ultra ultra-wide camera? Samsung’s approach … Read more

I tested roaming on Google Fi and T-Mobile, this carrier wins

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Table of Contents Table of Contents How I tested each network Key differences between T-Mobile and Google Fi Data Roaming Costs Data Roaming Speeds Calls and text charges It’s a tight contest but Google Fi is better If you travel abroad frequently, you’ve probably wondered how to cut back on bill shock. We’ve all been … Read more

Is the Galaxy S25 Ultra zoom the best? I tested it and it’s close

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Table of Contents Table of Contents How Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra camera has evolved How the competition has evolved Testing the Galaxy S25 Ultra Zoom vs the US competition Does the same apply to video recording? This phone has taken Samsung’s Zoom crown in the US The year was 2020, the month was February and … Read more

The best turntables of 2025: Tested and reviewed by our tech experts

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Table of Contents Table of Contents U-Turn Orbit Special (Gen 2) Audio-Technica AT-LP70X Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Evo Fluance RT85N U-Turn Orbit Theory Rega Planar 3 Audio-Technica AT-LP140XP Victrola Stream Carbon Frequently Asked Questions I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but being the vinyl and turntable nerd that I am, I can’t stop seeing and (to … Read more

One of the craziest phones I’ve tested also turns into a gaming console

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Table of Contents Table of Contents Why the Redmagic is unique A special button for a special mode Gaming on a big screen Where wired connection rules The Redmagic 9S Pro is oddly satisfying Comparison is the thief of joy, it is widely claimed. As a ’90s kid — and now a glum adult — … Read more