Android Advisor

REVIEWS Google is back with another edition of its mid-range A-series smartphones and the Pixel 8a has been under the microscope for many reasons. For starters, Google pushed the price up by £50 to £499 in the UK meaning it's positioned closer to the flagship Pixel 8. It's one of the four reasons I said I might find it hard to recommend the Pixel 8a when it was announced, also citing the new colours, a storage issue and a lack of innovation in the charging department. Are these still problems now I've been testing the Pixel 8a as my daily driver for a few weeks? Let's find out. DESIGN The design language of the Pixel phones has stayed largely unchanged for a few years now and the 8a is no…

REVIEWS If you've never heard of Poco, you're certainly not alone. The Chinese company began life as a subbrand of Xiaomi back in 2018, before becoming an independent firm two years later. However, it retains deep ties to its former parent company, including using the same HyperOS software on its phones. Poco has never released what most people would define as a flagship smartphone, choosing instead to offer the best possible experience on a more affordable device. The F6 Pro continues that tradition, offering several high-end features yet retaining a mid-range price. Does that make it a no-brainer if you're shopping around this price point? Yes, but only if you have a specific set of requirements. DESIGN The Poco F6 Pro is one of the bestlooking phones I've ever tested.…

REVIEWS Modern flip phones have never appealed to me for one simple reason: the price. I never saw the point of spending flagship money on a foldable that often has camera downgrades compared to similarly priced classic slab handsets. At long last, there's a flip phone on sale for a mid-range price. Sure, it doesn't have all the bells and whistles like the latest Galaxy Z Flip phone. But if you're simply after that folding technology but have been held back by those eye-watering costs, the Nubia Flip 5G may just be enough to convert you to the flip side. DESIGN If you're a big fan of 2000s tech, the Nubia Flip 5G will be right up your street. It folds in half, meaning it's smaller to hold and put…

REVIEWS Less than a year on from the OnePlus Pad, which introduced the brand to the cut-throat world of Android tablets, the ‘Never Settle’ firm is back with the OnePlus Pad Go. Interestingly, this isn't a direct followon from the original Pad, and it doesn't seem to be trying to do anything massively different to the OnePlus Pad. Rather, the OnePlus Pad Go tries to do a similar at a cheaper price. It's another full-sized media-focused tablet, but one that makes judicious cuts to the core specs in order to hit a sub-£300 price tag. DESIGN OnePlus has broadly stuck to a similar design language as the OnePlus Pad for the Pad Go. This is another sagegreen (‘Twin Mint’, in fact) tablet with rounded corners and a centrally placed camera…

REVIEWS How much should you spend on a smartwatch? There are tons of cheap options out there, but if you want Android compatibility and access to third-party apps, the answer is usually a lot. Samsung's Galaxy Watch 6 is one of the cheapest Wear OS watches out there with a £289 starting price, while the Pixel Watch 2 (£349), Galaxy Watch 6 Classic (£369), OnePlus Watch 2 (£299) and Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5 (£329) are all more expensive. Currently, the best affordable option is Xiaomi's Watch 2 Pro, which starts at just £239.99. But the non-Pro version takes things to the next level. For just £169.99, the only things you really need to give up are a stainless-steel frame and cellular connectivity. Does that make the Xiaomi Watch 2 a…

BUYING GUIDE When buying a tablet, which operating system it runs will probably be your first choice. And while there are a few Windows 11 tablets, it's probably a straight fight between iPadOS and Android. Traditionally, Android tablets have been seen as inferior to the iPad and its wide range of dedicated apps. And while truly optimized software is still an issue on Android, the situation is much better than it once was. If you own an Android phone, there's really no reason not to pair it with an Android tablet in 2024. This article proves it, with 10 great tablets that we've tested and can actually recommend. Samsung devices are the obvious choice, but you'll also find slates here from the likes of Google, Xiaomi, OnePlus and Lenovo. Oppo,…