Sony's latest AV-focused flagship smartphone is here: meet the Sony Xperia 1 VIII.

It’s good news for audio fans as, like the brand's previous offering, the Sony Xperia 1 VIII includes a 3.5mm headphone jack, which is quite a rarity in smartphones and claims to "support high-quality audio using wired headphones."

It has enlisted the help of the firm's Walkman division once again to boost audio quality on this new handset.

Sony has also improved the full-stage stereo speakers, which the brand says will produce deeper bass and extended high frequencies.

The new smartphone's 6.5-inch, Full HD+ (1080 x 2340) OLED display has been tuned by Bravia, and it features a 120Hz dynamic refresh rate too.

It can also automatically adjust the brightness and colour of the display according to the environment, with Sony claiming it delivers a “bright display even under sunlight”.

If you are looking at the VIII and VII editions side by side, then the immediate difference is in the camera design. Instead of having the camera lenses in a vertical line as with its predecessor, the new Xperia model features a raised camera square containing three lenses.

There are plenty of AI features packed into Sony’s latest release, including an AI camera assistant which “suggests creative expressions based on the scene recognised”. If you don’t want artificial intelligence poking around with your photography, however, there is the option to switch it off.

The brand is also implementing a new ORE-inspired design, which has a textured feel like rough stone. This comes in Graphite Black, Iolite Silver, Garnet Red and Native Gold colour finishes.

In terms of chipset, owners of the Xperia VIII will be looking at the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor (backed up by 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage). If you choose the Gold edition, which is available in select countries in-store, then you have the option of upgrading to 16GB RAM and up to 1TB of storage.

Sony also claims you can get two days of battery life from the phone, thanks to the 5000mAh battery.

The new model is launching at the same price as its predecessor in the UK, setting you back £1399 for the 256GB version and £1849 for the 1TB Gold version. When we had the Sony Xperia 1 VII in our test room, we were impressed by its detailed audio and balanced picture. Its limited HDR format and frustrating operating system quirks held it back from true greatness, but it still received a four-star rating overall.

The previous Sony phone was outshone by the five-star Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, so it will be intriguing to see how the new model compares.

MORE:

Here is our review of the Sony Xperia 1 VII

Check out the best smartphones we have tested

I will keep playing music through my phone's speakers for this very simple reason

As part of Apple’s latest string of announcements, the tech giant has announced that a new iPad Air is joining its ranks, and it has been supercharged with a bunch of upgrades.

Most notably, the new model is being powered by the M4 chip, a jump up from the previous model’s M3. This is the same chip that powers the current MacBook Air.

Apple claims the iPad Air is up to 30 per cent faster than iPad Air with M3, and up to 2.3 times faster than iPad Air with M1.

It doesn’t appear to be getting an upgrade in terms of thickness or weight compared with its previous iteration, however. That should mean the new addition is still impressively thin, though, with the older model measuring just 6.1mm.

It also comes in four finishes: blue, purple, starlight, and space grey.

The tech giant says all of these upgrades give “users a big jump in performance at the same starting price.”

Speaking of price, the new iPad Air comes in at £599 / $599 for the 11-inch model and £799 / $799 for the 13-inch. If you are looking to increase your capacity, Apple’s storage sizes start at 128GB, with 256GB, 512GB and a whopping 1TB variant is also available.

You can pre-order the iPad Air from 4 March, with availability beginning 11 March.

Apple's previous 13-inch iPad Air scored very highly in terms of its AV performance when we had it in our test room, receiving a top five-star rating. We found that its screen delivers cinematic, subtle and balanced picture, and it offers good sound from headphones and speakers. That all meant it snagged a What Hi-Fi? Award as the best premium tablet on the market.

With its faster processing power and the price tag remaining the same, this bodes well for the iPad Air M4's abilities. We will have to wait until we get it in our test room to see how it performs, of course, so stay tuned.

MORE:

Here is our review of the Apple iPad Air

Apple unveils the iPhone 17e with an upgraded processor, tougher screen and MagSafe support

Check out our review of Apple TV 4K

Apple has surprised iPhone fans by revealing the iPhone 17e, a more affordable variant of the Product of the Year-winning iPhone 17.

It follows the five-star iPhone 16e, with an upgraded processor, feature set and build.

It's powered by the A19 processor, which also features in the aforementioned iPhone 17. The CPU is paired with the C1X wireless chipset, which reportedly doubles the wireless connectivity speeds of the iPhone 16e.

The new modem will also reportedly allow for better battery life, with Apple claiming 30 per cent less energy drain than the model found in the iPhone 16 Pro, resulting in "exceptional all-day battery life".

Furthermore, it touts a similar 6.1-inch OLED display, which uses Apple's Super Retina XDR technology for rich, vivid colours, as well as the same 1200 nits of claimed peak brightness.

However, this year's model comes with the super scratch-resistant Ceramic Shield 2 coating from the iPhone 17, although the notch remains instead of being replaced by the Dynamic Island, as some rumours predicted.

Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support also carry over from the 16e, as does support for Apple's Spatial Audio format and Dolby Atmos sound.

While we would've liked to see a few more AV-centric upgrades, we're not surprised by the lack of any meaningful changes to the display or speakers, as Apple has made it clear what its priorities are with this budget iPhone.

Instead, it's focusing on packing more day-to-day features into the 17e, including MagSafe. This gives users the option to charge wirelessly with MagSafe attachments, or even attach MagSafe wallets and cases with a simple and satisfying magnetic snap.

Apple has, however, stuck to its guns regarding the cameras, or should we say camera. It's the same 48MP Fusion sensor, which reportedly enables "optical quality 2x Telephoto". Users can pick between snapping full-resolution 48MP snaps for sharper details or 24MP pictures for more efficient file sizes.

The Apple iPhone 17e is available to pre-order now for £599 / $599 / AU$999, and it comes in Black, White and a new Soft Pink finish.

The base storage has also been upgraded to 256GB as standard; however, a higher-capacity 512GB version is also available for £799 / $799 / $1399. It replaces the iPhone 16e entirely, which is no longer available for purchase on the Apple website.

MORE:

Read our full iPhone 17 review

And our iPhone 16 review

And check out our picks for the best smartphones for movies and music

Samsung has announced its latest trio of Android smartphones, with the Galaxy S26, S26 Plus and S26 Ultra forming the three-strong lineup for 2026.

These high-end handsets will serve as the flagship models, replacing the Award-winning Galaxy S25 Ultra and the four-star Galaxy S25 Plus from last year.

Samsung is touting updated designs, more powerful chipsets, better cameras and, if you can believe it, even more AI smarts than ever before. All of these do, unfortunately, come at a cost, and we mean that in the literal sense.

Samsung's new flagship, the Galaxy S26 Ultra

Starting with the Galaxy S26 Ultra, this flagship handset boasts a 6.9-inch Super AMOLED 2X display with a variable refresh rate of 1Hz-120Hz, and a resolution of 3120x1440.

It sports the superb ProScaler feature of its predecessor, which upscales lower-resolution content to look its best on the high-resolution display, and Samsung claims it has worked with its TV division once again to improve the tech on the new S26 Ultra.

Furthermore, Samsung is touting an improved mDNIe system for more natural and subtle colours, as well as HDR10+ and HDR10 support for compatible streaming apps.

Dolby Atmos audio is also on board, and can be accessed via wireless or wired headphones, as well as the built-in stereo speaker system, which utilises the handset's bottom-firing speaker and earpiece.

Powering this beast of a smartphone is the latest Snapdragon Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset from Qualcomm, and it's backed by 12GB of RAM if you opt for the 256GB or 512GB model, or 16GB of RAM if you choose the spacious 1TB configuration.

This powerful processor enables a wide range of Galaxy AI smarts, including automatic translation, Circle to Search with Google, writing assists, generative photo editing, and the Now Bar system, which can show you relevant news, calendar entries, and weather information at the relevant time.

Now Nudge is another new feature, which uses AI to dig into your apps to search for relevant information to automatically reply to messages or enter details on websites. There's also a generative photo assistant tool which can totally change a photo you've taken into a new style or scenario with a simple text prompt.

Speaking of photos, the S26 Ultra sports a quad rear camera arrangement with a new 200MP main sensor that's reportedly 47 per cent brighter than its predecessor, and a pair of upgraded telephoto sensors that provide better noise reduction and HDR performance.

Samsung is touting higher charging speeds, with wired charging now reaching 60W, and wireless charging topping out at 25W. If you have a compatible 60W wired fast charger, Samsung says that you can expect the Galaxy S26 Ultra to reach 75 per cent in just 30 minutes.

Disappointingly, Samsung hasn't upgraded the battery itself, meaning we have the same 5000mAh cell that's been featured on the last few Galaxy S Ultra iterations.

All of these features come wrapped up in a redesigned chassis with smoother, more rounded corners, and an Aluminium Armour frame (so long titanium) that features enhanced durability to withstand knocks and dings.

This is also the slimmest Ultra smartphone to date, according to Samsung, as it's shaved the S26 Ultra down to just 7.9mm, down from the S25 Ultra's 8.3mm thickness.

Samsung is launching the S26 Ultra in four widely available finishes (Black, White, Cobalt Violet and Sky Blue) and two exclusive (Pink Gold and Shadow Silver) colours for its online store.

As we mentioned earlier, prices have gone up this year, with the S26 Ultra now starting at £1279 for the 256GB model, £1449 for the 512GB version, and a whopping £1699 for the 1TB edition. Those prices are £50, £100 and £150 more than last year's models, respectively, which is a tough pill to swallow.

International pricing is TBA as of now; however, we do know that the S26 Ultra will launch on 11th March 2026, with Samsung offering customers double the storage capacity at no extra cost if they choose to pre-order the handset before then.

Upgraded step down models launching too

Moving down to the Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus, these handsets shave off a few features in a bid to keep costs down.

The S26 sports a 6.3-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a resolution of 2340x1080, a variable 1Hz to 120Hz refresh rate, and HDR10+ and HDR10 support. Unfortunately, it doesn't support ProScaler, though this year's model features a 0.1-inch screen size upgrade compared to last year's model.

The S26 Plus moves up to a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a 3120x1440 resolution, support for the same variable refresh rate and HDR formats as the other models, and the ProScaler feature is supported here.

Both handsets utilise Samsung's latest Exynos 2600 chipset in the UK. However, that's switched for the same Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chip in North America, China and Japan. That's backed up by 12GB of RAM across the board for both models, and the base storage configuration is now 256GB on the standard S26, with a 512GB version also available for both.

The S26 sports a 4300mAh battery with Samsung's Super Fast Charging and Fast Wireless Charging 2.0 standards supported, which translates to 25W wired charging or 15W wireless charging. The S26 Plus, on the other hand, steps up to Super Fast Charging 2.0 and Super Fast Wireless Charging, allowing for 40W wired or 20W wireless charging.

Both devices feature a triple rear camera setup, with a 12MP ultrawide, 10MP telephoto and a 50MP main sensor. Furthermore, the raft of Galaxy AI features listed on the S26 Ultra are also supported here.

The Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus will launch in the same range of colours as the Ultra – that's Black, White, Cobalt Violet and Sky Blue (widely available), and Pink Gold and Shadow Silver (Samsung exclusives) – on the 11th of March.

Prices have also gone up for the entry-level models, thanks to the removal of the 128GB base storage, meaning the Galaxy S26 now starts at £879 instead of £799 (or £1049 for the 512GB version).

The Galaxy S26 Plus starts at £1099 rather than the £999 starting price of the Galaxy S25 Plus, with the 512GB model costing an Ultra-like £1269. Samsung will also double your storage on S26 and S26 Plus if you choose to pre-order before the official launch date.

MORE:

Read our full Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 review

As well as our Apple iPhone 17 review

And check out our picks for the best smartphones for music and movies

Samsung caught us rather off guard last year when it launched the Galaxy S25 Ultra. After many years of picture and sound performance taking a back seat while AI features and camera specs hogged the limelight, Samsung’s 2025 flagship Android smartphone wowed us with its impressive display features, derived from the company’s TV division.

One year on, and Samsung has officially unveiled that phone's successor in the form of the Galaxy S26 Ultra, which hopes to set the standard for flagship smartphones. With a specification list longer than Avatar 3's run time, and a refined design that might make it the best-looking, best-feeling Galaxy Ultra device yet, has Samsung struck gold once again?

Well, you'll have to wait for our full review for the answer to that question, but we do have a few early thoughts to share on this successor to an Award-winning smartphone.

Price

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, which we shall be referring to as the S26 Ultra from here on out for the sake of brevity, sports a higher price tag compared with its predecessor here in the UK.

It’s launching at £1279 for the 256GB version; there are also 512GB and 1TB versions of the handset, available for £1449 and £1699 respectively. The first two of those sport 12GB of RAM, whereas the last enjoys 16GB.

The base model is £50 more expensive than its predecessor, the 512GB model is £100 more than the S25 Ultra, and the 1TB version is £150 more than last year’s model.

That’s quite the asking price, especially when we look at the current competition. The Award-winning iPhone 17 is available for £899, while its Pro Max variant – more comparable with the S26 Ultra – can be found for £1199.

The Award-winning Galaxy S25 Ultra will also probably stick around for a reduced price while stocks last, while the Sony Xperia 1 VII (£1399) could be a tempting choice for audiophiles.

Build

Samsung’s flagship has gone through a gradual transformation during the past few generations. The S23 Ultra featured a curved screen and sharp corners, the S24 Ultra flattened that screen, and the S25 Ultra smoothed out the corners for a nicer in-hand feel.

The S26 Ultra, however, feels like a culmination of the past three years of design development – and it looks all the better for it. The corners are now fully rounded for an even more comfortable in-hand feel, and the slightly awkward smattering of camera lenses on the rear is now mostly housed on a raised “island”.

This looks neater, but it also means that the phone now dramatically rocks if you interact with the display while it’s lying flat on a table.

Another design quirk that’s more of an irk is Samsung’s choice to drop the premium, durable titanium frame of the S25 Ultra and move back to an aluminium shell.

Samsung has, at least, ensured that the S26 Ultra is sporting the latest and toughest version of its Armour Aluminium material, which can also be found on the Galaxy Z Fold 7. This is paired with Corning’s Gorilla Armour 2 display coating for better scratch and crack resistance, and Samsung’s excellent anti-reflectivity screen coating.

We pressed Samsung on why it chose to make the switch, but no official word was given as to why it opted to move back to an aluminium frame after two years of titanium-clad smartphones.

Apple made the same move for the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max, though it cited improved thermal efficiency as its biggest influence in making this change.

Back to the positives, Samsung has achieved its “thinnest Galaxy Ultra smartphone yet” with the S26 Ultra, as it has shaved the handset down to just 7.9mm from the S25 Ultra’s 8.3mm thickness.

Despite the thinner build and change in materials, the S26 Ultra is broadly the same weight as its predecessor, at 214g. That’s still pretty impressive for a device with a 6.9-inch display, and it doesn’t feel particularly unwieldy in the hand despite its size.

Regardless, the S26 Ultra looks and feels premium in all of its available colours – those being Cobalt Violet (a dark blue-ish purple), Sky Blue, Black or White. Samsung is also offering two exclusive colours for its online store: Silver Shadow and Pink Gold.

Features

Strap in, this is going to be a long one.

Samsung is once again billing this smartphone as the ultimate feature-packed handset for power users, and that’s evident from the feature-set. That being said, not a whole lot has changed since last year.

We’ll start with the glorious 6.9-inch Super AMOLED 2X Display, which is practically identical to that of the S25 Ultra. It features the same 3000 nits peak brightness, 3120x1440 resolution, pixel density of 500ppi, HDR10+ support and variable refresh rate of 1Hz-120Hz.

It does come with a few new tricks, including a privacy mode that can block the display from off-axis viewing. This has been impressively achieved at a pixel level, and can be easily switched on or off for the whole screen, or even certain parts of the display, meaning you can look at sensitive information or input passwords without worrying about prying eyes.

More exciting for us is the upgraded ProScaler feature, which Samsung says uses a new algorithm for even sharper and richer upscaling of lower-resolution content. Once again, Samsung claims that its mobile division has worked closely with its TV arm to achieve this, and it remains one of our favourite AV-focused smartphone features on the market.

Furthermore, Samsung is touting an enhanced mDNIe system with 10 Bit data processing for colours. Samsung claims that this will allow for four times the precision and subtlety when it comes to displaying colours; this is music to our ears as Samsung’s smartphone displays have traditionally leaned towards the more “enthusiastic” end of the scale when it comes to colour reproduction.

The audio capabilities of the S26 Ultra seem to be mostly identical to those of its predecessor. Unsurprisingly, there is no headphone jack (wired audio peripherals can be connected to the USB-C socket), and Bluetooth audio is supported via the Samsung Seamless Codec (SSC) and LE codec.

Dolby Atmos is, once again, supported via headphones and the stereo speaker arrangement made up of the bottom-firing speaker and earpiece.

On to the less-AV crucial feature of the S26 Ultra. This handset uses the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite Gen 5 for Samsung processor; the suffix differentiates this from the standard Snapdragon Elite Gen 5 chipset found on other smartphones, as Samsung has customised this chip for optimal performance on its smartphones.

As mentioned earlier, this is backed up by either 12GB or 16GB of RAM, depending on the storage configuration you choose.

Disappointingly, Samsung hasn’t upped the battery capacity of the Ultra, choosing to stick with the 5000mAh cell of the S25 Ultra. It does, however, benefit from some charging upgrades, including faster wired and wireless charging.

Samsung claims that the S26 Ultra can go from zero to 75% in 30 mins via 60W wired charging, whereas wireless charging is now boosted to 25W. You will, of course, need to supply a supported fast charger to access these charging speeds.

While Samsung is selling a range of magnet-equipped accessories, including cases and power banks, oddly the company has opted not to include the magnet ring in the handset itself for native Qi2 charging support.

Apple’s MagSafe and Google’s Pixel Snap features have been hugely popular for seamless accessory compatibility, so it feels as though Samsung is lagging behind here somewhat.

Nevertheless, Samsung is still putting in an impressive shift when it comes to the camera specifications of the S26 Ultra. It features a very similar quad camera rear setup to its predecessor, which is no shame to us.

The S26 Ultra sports four lenses in total. The 200MP main sensor is reportedly 47 per cent brighter for better night photography, while Samsung claims the 50MP telephoto zoom lens features a 37 per cent improvement over last year.

The 10MP 3x optical zoom lens now features less noise and better HDR support, while the 50MP ultra-wide lens (which was updated on last year’s handset) seems to be the same.

Last, but by no means least, is Samsung’s extensive AI feature set. Samsung is billing this phone as “the easiest, effortless AI phone”, so you can bet that artificial intelligence is baked into most of the software.

The usual suite of Galaxy AI features is here, including Circle to Search, writing suggestions, auto translate and the Now Brief feature, which provides contextual information such as calendar entries, weather forecasts and news depending on your interests and time of day.

These are being joined by a generative AI photo-assistant tool, which can transform photos into different styles simply by typing in a prompt, and Now Nudge, which will provide intelligent auto replies based on information from other apps (such as your calendar or messages).

Finally, Samsung’s Audio Eraser feature, which is supported for video recording in order to isolate and remove background noise, is now available on video streaming apps, including Netflix.

Samsung ran a demo on this feature by removing the crowd noise from a football match and isolating the commentators’ voices, all of which sounded quite impressive.

Picture

While we spent a considerable amount of time handling Samsung’s latest flagship smartphone, we couldn’t download our usual suite of streaming apps to test the S26 Ultra’s full capabilities. That being said, we did manage to try out a few film trailers on YouTube – The Odyssey, Supergirl and The Mandalorian and Grogu to be exact – to get a flavour of what this display is capable of.

The good news is that the S26 Ultra seems to carry most of what made the S25 Ultra such a triumph. Contrast, sharpness and detail all seemed excellent, with the Samsung outputting a particularly contrast-rich and three-dimensional image.

The striking armoured soldier featured in the trailer for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey stood solidly in the foreground of the shot. Motion seemed mostly good, although it seemed to stutter slightly during a brief fight sequence in the trailer for the upcoming Star Wars spin-off movie.

Most interestingly, colours didn’t seem to be overbaked or too saturated in the phone’s default vivid screen setting mode. We find that Samsung’s natural mode can lean a bit too cool for whites, so improvements to the vivid mode are always welcome.

There is no doubting that this is one of the most capable displays on a mainstream smartphone, and we’re eager to put it through its paces; watch out for a full review coming soon.

Sound

We’ll keep this section short and sweet: the conditions in which we went hands-on with the Galaxy S26 Ultra weren’t ideal for serious sound testing; nor did we have a chance to download Tidal onto the device for a serious spot of listening.

If there was anything we would change about the S25 Ultra, however, it would be the sound performance. It can sound somewhat dynamically stunted, and could have stronger timing. We hope Samsung has fixed these issues in the S26 Ultra, but only further testing will tell.

What we do know is that the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, which we have just reviewed, are a solid set of companion earbuds to this handset, thanks to their support for the SSC UHQ hi-res codec, which can transmit music files up to 24-bit/96kHz.

Early verdict

It's too early to decide what star rating we should bestow the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra with, as much more testing is required to see if its picture performance lives up to the heights set by its predecessor.

Early signs show promise, however, as the S26 Ultra seems to be another feature-packed handset with a gorgeous screen. We can't wait to put it through our rigorous testing process.

MORE:

Read our full Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review

As well as our Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus review

And our Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 review

Apple has announced its first full-scale event for 2026 after a smattering of low-key product launches throughout January and February.

This event appears to differentiate itself from those previous Apple launches because the company is billing it as a “special Apple Experience” rather than its usual live events.

Taking place on the 4th of March in London, New York and Shanghai, the experience will probably feature numerous expected product launches.

The most widely anticipated product is the iPhone 17e. Its predecessor, the five-star iPhone 16e, officially turns a year old on the 19th of February, so a successor is due. There have also been rumblings of updates to the MacBook and iPad lines, with updated processors and potentially new displays in store.

That being said, we are hoping to see some upgrades in two overlooked areas in Apple's product portfolio.

We are sorely overdue for a new Apple TV 4K, with the last model launching back in 2022. That streamer remains at the top of our best streaming devices list, fending off rivals from Amazon and Google for nearly four years.

Mutterings of a new Apple TV 4K have been circulating for quite some time, and it looked as though a new model was about to launch towards the end of last year, only to be delayed.

The expected upgrades include a more up-to-date processor, which will support Apple Intelligence and slicker tvOS operation.

We are also anticipating an upgrade to the HomePod range, which has remained fairly stagnant since the HomePod 2 launched in 2023.

The HomePod Mini is our main contender for an upgrade. It has been left basically untouched since 2020 (not counting a minor colour refresh in 2024). There are also rumours surrounding Apple working on a HomePod with a screen, though these are yet to be substantiated by a full product launch.

A HomePod Mini 2 is high on our wishlist, but only time will tell if Apple will launch a successor to its pint-sized, Award-winning wi-fi speaker.

All will be revealed in just under two weeks, and you can check back here for live coverage of the latest announcements.

MORE:

Check out our picks for the best streaming devices

As well as the best wireless speakers

And read our full Apple HomePod Mini review

I have a confession to make: I actually use my phone's speakers to listen to music sometimes. I know, I know. I'm sure there's a spot reserved for me in audiophile hell, but hear me out: I think there's a time and a place.

I'm not completely mad, I don't play music through my phone in public. And nor should anyone (that's why we have a list of the best wireless headphones.) But at home, when the situation arises, I have been known to load Apple Music and blast songs straight from the phone.

And I think that’s okay. Here’s why.

A phoney speaker

Now in case you’re worried that this is the end of What Hi-Fi? as you know it, fear not. We – I included – still passionately believe you should enjoy the best sound quality you possibly can, whatever your budget. That’s why we cover the best cheap headphones and best budget speakers alongside the best audiophile headphones and best speakers for all budgets.

And in my defence, now that phones are much bigger than they were a few years ago, their speakers are becoming more capable. In our Sony Xperia 1 VI review, we comment that the phone’s speakers are “detailed and feature good stereo separation that makes a solid attempt to position sounds in relation to what is happening on screen.”

And in our iPhone 17 review, we say the device’s speakers deliver “a spacious sound, with focused vocals and enough detail given to sound effects (such as a bustling city street) to create a surprisingly immersive experience.”

Now neither of these is going to replace a dedicated speaker (of the iPhone 17's speakers, we even said “we’d refrain from using these to listen to music out loud”). And that's even more true of my ageing iPhone 12 mini. But they’ll do at a pinch. And that's exactly the kind of situation I’m talking about.

Coming clean with a dirty secret

So why, given that I work for the world’s foremost authority on sound quality and everything audiophile, am I advocating a set of speakers that would comfortably fit on your fingertip? One word: convenience.

I don’t often get the urge to clean the house, so when I do I have to act on it. If I wanted to listen to the admittedly much more rewarding sonic performance of my Ultimate Ears Wonderboom (the original model, eights years old and still going strong), I have to dig it out, power it up and pair it with my phone. At this point I usually find the battery has died and have to find the charging cable. In which time my kids have set fire to the curtains, or my desire to clean has evaporated.

But with my phone, there’s none of that. You just press play, and get on with it.

Another benefit: stick your phone in your back pocket and the music follows you wherever you go. There’s no carting the speaker around as you search for the bathroom spray, or move to vacuuming another room. I know, I should invest in one of the best multi-room systems… but cost of living. And I’ll bet even the most ardent of multi-room devotees stops short of the bathroom.

Of course, a pair of wireless headphones would do the job admirably, while also delivering a far superior sonic experience. But I need to be able to hear my kids. If my first inkling that something might be wrong is the smell of burning curtains… well, I might miss out on that dad of the year award for yet another 12 months.

There’s a saying: the best camera is the one you have on you. And sometimes – just sometimes, mind – the same can be said of speakers.

MORE:

Check out the best wireless speakers

The best Bluetooth speakers

What are open earbuds? For greater awareness

Samsung has begun teasing the next iteration of its Galaxy smartphone series, which we presume will be called the Galaxy S26. This will follow on from last year's Award-winning Galaxy S25 Ultra, which featured a screen that simply knocked our socks off.

Therefore, expectations are high for the Galaxy S26 Ultra, which is expected to launch later this month – though no date for the company's annual Unpacked event has been set quite yet.

Samsung is, however, already touting the upgraded AI abilities of the upcoming series of flagship handsets. While AI doesn't spark much joy for us, there is an interesting new display feature which could hint towards an upgrade coming to that glorious Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen.

Samsung is touting this feature as giving the forthcoming Galaxy S series a “new layer of privacy”, referring to some clever pixel-level technology that will stop snoopers from peeking over your shoulder at your phone screen.

The idea here is to give people peace of mind when they enter passwords or sharing personal details over messages, without worrying. It appears as though this feature will combat off-axis viewing, meaning that the display will be viewable only to the owner of the phone.

Better yet, users can allocate the privacy system to specific parts of the display, meaning passwords and pin codes stay hidden, and even certain apps and notifications can be assigned to this new private-screen mode.

This is a unique feature, and not one that we have seen before on any smartphone. Samsung itself states that it has been working on the feature for more than five years.

The inclusion of this feature could hint towards an overall display upgrade coming to the Galaxy S26 Ultra – cause for excitement indeed.

The excellent OLED display paired with the ProScaler upscaling feature made the Galaxy S25 Ultra one of the best smartphones of 2025, so expectations are high for this mysterious new model.

MORE:

Read our full Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review

As well as our Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus review

And our Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 review

We're less than a month away from the Samsung Galaxy S26 and Galaxy Buds 4 launch, if the latest leak is to be believed. And considering it comes from reliable source Evan Blass, we would say it is.

His post shows a promotional image for Galaxy Unpacked, which is Samsung's annual showcase for the next Galaxy S variant. The date given is 25th February – that's three weeks on Wednesday.

Last year's event was held on 22nd January, so this year's would be slightly later than usual.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 will be Samsung's flagship phone for 2026, until its Z Flip and Z Fold foldables launch in the summer, that is. It's expected to have a screen privacy feature that means people around can't see what's on your screen, leaving you free to enter passwords in public without anyone snooping on you.

It's also said to be slimmer than the Galaxy S25, to offer the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor (in certain markets), with a 200MP telephoto sensor rumoured for the S26 Ultra. Price rises have also been rumoured for certain models and capacities, but by no means all.

The Galaxy Buds 4 models, however, are expected to keep the same price as their predecessors. According to Dealabs, the Buds 4 and Buds 4 Pro will cost the same €179 and €249 respectively as their predecessors. Those are European prices – in the UK, the Buds 3 launched at £159 and the Buds 3 Pro £219 (though both have come down from these prices since their 2024 launch).

Leaked pictures have shown a flatter, more compact design for both pairs of buds, while the charging case has also been redesigned. The buds are also said to have Ultra-Wide Band (UWB) connectivity, which could bring hi-res audio functionality.

Head gestures à la the AirPods Pro 3 are also on the cards.

Samsung's phones have reviewed well in recent years, but its wireless earbuds less so. Here's hoping the latest models can give the best AirPods a run for their money.

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Check out the best smartphones for music and movies

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Read our Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review

Every September, Apple launches its new iPhone family. Except that may be about to change this year...

Because, while we're still expecting to see new iPhones this September, rumours abound that the new baseline iPhone 18 model won't be among them.

So, when will we see the iPhone 18?

As we have with previous iPhones running back further than we care to remember, we've scoured the web to bring you all the rumours, leaks and news regarding the phone's release, specs, price, features, design and more. Add to these rumours our industry knowledge garnered from decades in the biz, and you've got the comprehensive guide on what to expect from the iPhone 18.

We'll be updating this article all the way up to the iPhone 18's launch, whenever that may be. So stay tuned for the latest news worth knowing.

iPhone 18: release date rumours

Possibly the biggest news concerning the iPhone 18 isn't to do with its design, specs or features, but its release date. Because while Apple is rumoured to launch some iPhones this September, the standard iPhone 18 isn't said to be among them.

Instead, it's rumoured to launch in the spring of 2027.

Why? Apple is said to be eyeing a split release strategy. September should act as the launch of the premium line of iPhones, while Apple will hold back the more affordable models until the following spring. Last spring saw the launch of the iPhone 16e, and the iPhone 18 is thought to debut alongside the iPhone 18e in the spring of 2027.

With the new foldable iPhone said to launch this September, alongside the newest iterations of the iPhone Air, the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, it's understandable that the bog-standard iPhone 18 would be somewhat overshadowed in such company.

A spring launch would also make the iPhone 18e announcement more of an event, creating two iPhone launch events a year and doubling the amount of buzz. With updates becoming ever more incremental and people holding onto their devices for longer between upgrades, Apple hasn't been able to create the same kind of hype around an iPhone launch that it used to (remember the huge queues that used to form outside Apple Stores?). But two events a year would mean you were never more than six months away from a new iPhone launch.

This dual release strategy was first rumoured in May 2025, and has since been corroborated by numerous reputable sources.

iPhone 18: price predictions

Despite the rates of inflation in recent years, iPhones haven't really got more expensive. But that could be about to change.

Inflation might have subsided, but that doesn't mean everything has stopped increasing in price, just that it's getting more expensive more slowly. Coupled with US tariffs, it could point to the first significant price rise for an iPhone since the iPhone 12 in 2020.

There's also a RAM shortage currently ongoing, fuelled by the rise of RAM-hungry AI processes. As more devices need more RAM to run the latest features, RAM itself is becoming more scarce, which is pushing up prices due to the law of supply and demand.

Having said that, it's too early to predict prices with any accuracy. So far, we haven't see any leaks concerning prices from any reputable sources.

As a reminder, here's the pricing of the iPhone 17 line-up.

iPhone 18: screen speculation

If one rumour is correct, you might need sunglasses in order to operate the iPhone 18.

That's because the device will have a much brighter screen, leaker Instant Digital posted on Chinese social media site Weibo (via MacRumors). Apple's brightness requirements for the panel are said to be so high, that Chinese supplier BOE is struggling to manufacture screens for the device, according to Korean publication The Elec (though this is also partly to do with ongoing production issues that persist from the end of last year).

That means Samsung could end up manufacturing the bulk of the iPhone 18's screens.

The iPhone 17 hit a peak outdoor brightness of 3000 nits (though in more typical use it's around 1000-1600 nits). If Apple can increase this significantly, you might have to reach for the Ray-Bans.

The screen is expected to stay the same 6.27-inch size as the iPhone 17, according to Chinese leaker Digital Chat Station. They say it will have the same 120Hz refresh rate and LTPO (Low-Temperature Polycrystalline Oxide) tech as the current model, too.

iPhone 18: design rumours

While rumours concerning the design of the iPhone 18 might be thin on the ground at present, we have heard about changes to the iPhone 18 Pro.

According to leaker Ice Universe, the Dynamic Island will shrink in the iPhone 18 Pro. In a post on X, they predict it will go from a width of 20.76mm to 13.49mm, a reduction of around 35 per cent.

The Dynamic Island is the pill-shaped cutout at the top of the screen. It debuted on the iPhone 14 – replacing the notch that had featured in the same place – and shows information from other apps, allowing you to multitask.

Ice Universe has a decent track record of accurate leaks, but this one is still far from set in stone. But where the Pro model innovates, the standard iPhone often follows, so we could see the base variant shrink its Dynamic Island in a similar way. And with a lag of a few months between the Pro and standard model launching, this change could even come to the iPhone 18.

However, the leakers are split on this one. Some reckon Apple will replace the Dynamic Island with a circular cutout in the top corner of the screen, while others predict Apple will have found a way to keep the same functionality while doing away with any cutout altogether.

The iPhone 18 Pro is also said to lose the two-tone colour finish (according to leaker Instant Digital). And it could get some new finishes, with possible new colours including burgundy, coffee and purple.

iPhone 18: specs and feature leaks

Apple is expected to unveil its C2 modem chip this year, so the odds of it featuring in the iPhone 18 are high. The C2 should be more powerful than the current C1 and C1X, with mmWave 5G connectivity.

The iPhone 18 could have a new processor, too. The A20 will follow the A19 and A19 Pro of the iPhone 17 generation, though it could be exclusive to the pricier models, with the iPhone 18 being upgraded to the A19 Pro. At this stage, it's simply too early to tell.

The A20 will be more powerful and efficient thanks to TSMC's 2nm process – it's estimated to be up to 15 per cent faster than the A19 chips and 30 per cent more efficient.

The A20 should offer TSMC's Wafer-Level Multi-Chip Module (WMCM) technology, which integrates the RAM directly onto the same wafer as the CPU, GPU and Neural Engine rather than having it adjacent. This could mean faster performance and better thermal management, with a longer battery life. But again, it could just be for the iPhone 18 Pro models for now, especially as these chips are expected to cost Apple more.

But we could see Apple launch both A20 and A20 Pro chips, with the iPhone 18 getting the former and the latter reserved for the Pro models. That's the approach Apple currently takes, kitting out the iPhone 17 with the A19 and the 17 Pro with the A19 Pro.

The only other rumour we've heard so far says that the iPhone 18 might be upgraded to 12GB of RAM, up from 8GB on the iPhone 17. Given the ubiquity of AI features, and their increasing RAM needs, we would say this one is a dead certainty.

iPhone 18: camera conjecture

The only rumour specifically relating to the iPhone 18's cameras is that the front-facer will be upgraded to 24 megapixels, from the iPhone 17's 18 megapixels. But there's more chat about the iPhone 18 Pro camera.

It's said to have a variable aperture, allowing the user to manually adjust how much light reaches the sensor, affecting the photo's lighting and depth of field. A new Samsung three-layer stacked image sensor is also rumoured, to make the camera more responsive, reduce picture noise and increase the dynamic range.

We could also be in for larger apertures on the iPhone 18 Pro's main and telephoto lenses to allow in more light during gloomy conditions.

iPhone 18: early verdict

The iPhone 18 is still probably 14 months away, so the fact we've seen any rumours so far just shows how eagerly awaited the handset is. If the screen can go as bright as is rumoured, movie fans on the go will be in for a treat. And if the iPhone 18 can make some gains in performance, battery life, sound quality and camera abilities, it will please fans all over the world.

The split launch would be a new strategy for Apple, and would be the first time a standard model iPhone hasn't launched in the autumn since the iPhone 4 in 2010. Would Apple mark such an occasion by making some major changes to the baseline model iPhone? We'll have to wait and see.

MORE:

Read our iPhone 17 review

These are the best smartphones for music and movies

The best iPhone headphones you can buy

The world of foldable phones has come a long way since those early, fragile prototypes that felt as if they needed kid-glove treatment.

Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7 represents the culmination of years of refinement, delivering a device that finally feels confident, robust, and genuinely desirable – rather than an expensive tech experiment you'd be nervous about carrying in your pocket.

The proposition is compelling – a standard 6.5-inch smartphone that unfolds to reveal an expansive 8-inch tablet display, effectively replacing two devices with one. For entertainment enthusiasts, this means carrying a phone for calls and messages that transforms into a tablet-sized canvas for movies, TV shows, and music control – all in a single pocketable device.

The core question for us AV enthusiasts, though, is whether this ingenious engineering translates into superior picture and sound performance – or whether the compromises make it nothing more than an expensive – albeit rather cool – novelty.

Can a phone that folds in half truly compete with traditional flagships for watching films and listening to music? Let’s find out.

Price

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 starts at £1799 / $1700 / AU$2899 for the 256GB model, with 512GB (£1899 / $1820 / AU$3099) and 1TB (£2149 / $2120 / AU$3549) variants also available. There’s no two ways about it – this is a seriously high asking price, and one that even seasoned tech fans will baulk at.

To put this in context, you could purchase a Galaxy S25 Ultra and still have a decent chunk of change left over.

The question for potential buyers, then, is whether the unique form factor and engineering achievement justify this substantial premium.

For those seeking a device purely for media consumption and audio performance, more affordable flagships may offer better value. However, if you're drawn to the hybrid phone-tablet form factor for productivity and multitasking, the Fold 7 makes more sense – though it remains an expensive proposition.

Build

The difference between the Fold 7 and the first few foldables we tried when they first emerged is, quite frankly, remarkable.

Gone are the bulky, creaky, fragile bits of kit that you felt like you had to baby. Instead, the Fold 7 feels like an alien artefact in the hands – impossibly thin even when folded, it's completely rigid, and brimming with confidence as a result.

If you're spending this much money on a bit of tech, you don't want to feel like you're carrying around a Fabergé egg in your pocket, and the Fold 7 feels like any other phone when folded. At 8.9mm thick when closed, it's only marginally thicker than the Galaxy S25 Ultra, and even weighs less at 215g. This is a remarkable achievement, given there's an entire 8-inch screen hidden inside.

Things get even more impressive when it's opened up. The hinge is the best folding phone hinge we've ever used – confident, sturdy, and smooth, with absolutely no wiggling or looseness to be found. The phone feels razor-thin when unfolded, too, measuring just 4.2mm, with barely enough space for the slimness of a USB-C port on the bottom.

It looks great in the navy blue colour of our review unit as well, and the overall impression is one of a masterpiece of engineering. In short, it’s a very covetable bit of kit indeed. And so it should be, for the price Samsung is asking.

Features

The outer screen finally has sensible dimensions that put it on par with a regular smartphone, making it much easier to use and hold. At 6.5 inches, it's sharp, crisp, and bright, with a pinhole selfie camera at the top. This addresses one of the main frustrations with previous Fold models, where the narrow cover screen made typing and general use awkward.

The inner screen is a generous 8 inches when unfolded, and as with the outer screen, inky blacks and vibrant colours are all present and accounted for. The colour temperature leans slightly too warm for our taste out of the box, but it’s easy to adjust this to a cooler, more natural preset in the settings.

Those who do plan on watching movies on the main display will be treated to a sharp 1968 x 2184 resolution, with HDR10+ also supported. Samsung is claiming a peak brightness of 2600 nits here, and its Vision Booster technology is also on board to adapt the display’s settings for better visibility in different lighting conditions.

The company’s ProScaler feature is also supported. This proved to be a hit on the Award-winning Galaxy S25 Ultra thanks to its ability to upscale lower resolution content to suit the Quad HD display.

While movies and TV shows are our top priority, another big draw is the fact that you can multitask, having lots of apps open at once. You can watch a YouTube video while typing or browsing the web, for instance.

In practice, though, this multitasking seems best limited to fancy tech demos, and once the novelty wore off, we didn't find ourselves using this much. That's not to say there won't be power users who'll want to check their share prices while keeping an eye on breaking news, but it feels like a fairly niche use case scenario.

There are some more useful use cases, though. If the phone is folded at a 90-degree angle, you can use the lower half as a flat base while the video plays on the top half – essentially like a small laptop. This proves handy for hands-free video calls as well.

The large inner screen won't provide any benefit if you're watching 21:9 movie content, as it'll be the same size as the outer screen. But anything in 16:9, 4:3 or other aspect ratios will be larger on the bigger display. Watching something such as old Simpsons episodes in 4:3 is more impactful than a modern 16:9 show, which isn't that much bigger than the outer display.

Ultimately, buying a folding phone purely for enjoying occasionally slightly larger video content on the inner screen shouldn't be one of your main reasons for getting it. That remains multitasking, or having a larger screen for more comfortable e-book reading or browsing.

The other downside to using the inner folding screen for videos is the fact that the rather large pinhole selfie camera is very distracting. The previous iteration of the Fold had an under-display selfie camera, so this seems like a step backwards. Granted, the quality of selfies themselves is better, but the prominent hole in the screen is an unwelcome visual intrusion when watching content.

As for the rear camera system, it has a 200MP main sensor (f/1.7), 12MP ultra-wide (f/2.2), and 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom (f/2.4). This represents a significant upgrade over previous Fold models, particularly the main sensor, which now matches the Galaxy S25 Ultra's camera.

Both the cover screen and inner screen feature 10MP selfie cameras, and the overall performance of all three lenses is solid, with the main camera producing the best shots. Photos taken in even more challenging low-light conditions provide plenty of detail, and the zoom levels are more than usable too, as long as you don’t push beyond 10x zoom.

Is it the absolute best smartphone camera system currently available? No. But it’s still very decent, and far from the early days of foldables, where the cameras were an afterthought.

Under the hood, the whole affair is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy processor, a customised version of Qualcomm's flagship chipset.

The 4400mAh battery delivers solid all-day performance with 25W wired charging and 15W wireless charging – though we'd prefer to see faster charging speeds to match competitors. Samsung promises seven years of OS and security updates, which is excellent for long-term value.

Audio capabilities include stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support. There's no headphone jack – users will need to rely on USB-C adapters or wireless connectivity. Bluetooth 5.4 with high-quality codecs, including LDAC, is supported for wireless audio.

Picture

Both inner and outer screens are sharp, with decent brightness that's usable in sunlight. We tested with the default settings that most people would use – adaptive refresh rate with a maximum of 120Hz, and Vivid picture mode; though, as previously mentioned, we tweaked the colour temperature to a more natural setting as the default looked too warm for our tastes.

Testing with Planet Earth II on both screens revealed vivid colours and solid contrast. In fact, side-by-side comparisons with our Galaxy S25 Plus review unit prove that the Fold 7's inner and outer screens are noticeably better than the single screen of its more traditional sibling.

There’s serious depth and contrast to images from the Fold 7’s screens, while the S25 Plus seems much flatter in comparison. Scenes with lots of trees, for instance, have a real sense of three-dimensionality from the Fold 7, creating a more engaging viewing experience that draws you into the scene.

Content pops impressively. This is one area where Samsung has clearly made improvements, and the enhanced contrast and depth make for an impressive cinematic viewing experience on the larger inner display.

However, this is where we encounter the Fold 7's most significant picture quality issue. There is some slight judder noticeable during scenes such as the fast-panning drone shots of Planet Earth II. In fact, across all of the content we watch, regardless of resolution and native frame rate, we encounter quite a bit of stuttering, and it’s often obvious and distracting.

On occasion, when we pause and rewind, the footage seems smoother on second viewing, but this isn’t consistent. It’s a disappointing flaw to find at this premium flagship price point, especially as it’s not an issue with the Galaxy S25 Plus.

Oh, and if you’re worried about the inner screen’s crease ruining your Netflix binge, don’t be. While it’s very apparent when purposefully viewing the inner display from the side (especially with a bright light above), it’s genuinely invisible during normal, face-on viewing. Another major improvement from first-gen foldables.

Sound

We test the Fold 7 against our Galaxy S25 Plus using a USB to 3.5mm adaptor with Dali IO-12 over-ear headphones, and the results reveal some notable differences in audio performance between our two Samsung phones.

Overall, the Fold 7 sounds pleasant in isolation, but it has an overly warm tonal balance that colours the sound somewhat. The low-end is also slightly exaggerated, resulting in some muddiness to the midrange, and there’s not enough separation between instruments.

This isn't a problem in less busy tracks with simpler compositions – classical guitar pieces such as Borislav Slavov's I Want To Live sound airy and spacious, with mostly string instruments and guitar creating a relatively clean presentation. The lack of heavy low-end content means it's not as muddled an experience as some of the other more complex tracks in our test list.

However, the issues become more apparent in complex pieces. Tool's The Pot reveals notable distortion and murkiness from the Fold 7 compared with the Galaxy S25 Plus. There's a hint of crackly, gravelly distortion in the lead guitar – a challenging, guttural riff – that the S25 Plus does a better job at keeping cleaner.

The S25 Plus is cleaner in general, with more separation between different components. In isolation, The Pot sounds good on the Fold 7 and has plenty of punch and attack, with effective spatial panning in the intro as the drum pads circle and envelop you. But the direct comparison reveals its limitations.

Super8 & Tab's Black Is The New Yellow is very noticeably subdued from the Fold 7, with less separation than you get from the Galaxy S25 Plus. The hi-hat and thumping beat roll into one, while there's a far clearer distinction and precision when listening to the same track on the S25 Plus.

Wolf People's Kingfisher demonstrates great separation in the intro – you can hear the fingers sliding over the guitar strings clearly. Again, in isolation, it sounds good, though the higher guitar twangs are a little harsh. Compared with the Galaxy S25 Plus, though, the mids are a bit jammed together, with less separation. The overall sound is a tad too warm as well.

The sound is typical Samsung fare – it's fine, gets most things right, but doesn't excel at anything. Rhythmically and dynamically, the Fold 7 doesn’t seem to try very hard, and music feels a bit two-dimensional compared with what we'd expect from a device at this price.

Turning on Dolby Atmos does open the listening experience up, giving songs more room to breathe. Unfortunately, it also sacrifices some of the focus of the delivery and adds a slightly synthetic edge. Overall, we prefer the listening experience with Atmos enabled, but it doesn’t raise the sound quality to the level of the best in class.

Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 represents the most accomplished foldable phone the company has produced, refining the formula to deliver a device that finally feels beautifully robust and desirable, rather than an expensive tech concept.

The engineering achievement is undeniable – this impossibly thin device somehow houses two high-quality displays and flagship internals while feeling like a normal smartphone in your pocket.

For those seeking a device that can replace both a phone and a tablet, the Fold 7 makes a compelling case. The outer screen now has sensible smartphone dimensions, making it far more practical for everyday use, while the expansive 8-inch inner display provides ample room for multitasking, reading, and media consumption – all while providing an enjoyable, immersive, 3D-like depth to proceedings. The build quality is excellent, too, and the improved hinge mechanism feels confident and premium.

However, when viewed purely through the lens of picture and sound performance, the Fold 7 reveals some disappointing compromises. The prevalent judder during demanding video content is particularly concerning at this premium price point, while the sound lacks the dynamism, separation and textural richness we'd expect from a flagship device.

Even so, the Fold 7 is a remarkable piece of engineering and one of the best foldable phones you can buy. And if that’s important to you, you won’t be disappointed.

SCORES

• Picture 4
• Sound 4
• Features 5

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Read our Sony Xperia 1 VI review

These are the best smartphones for music and movies

Samsung has announced the newest addition to its smartphone range - the Galaxy Z TriFold. You might already have guessed from the name, though, that this is not your ordinary phone.

That’s right, the Galaxy Z is a tri-foldable phone-cum-tablet, which Samsung claims is employing “its most advanced foldable technologies optimised for the unique demands of a multi-folding design.”

This design features a 10-inch screen that folds twice into a pocketable phone measuring 6.5 inches.

It’s made up of three sections held together by two titanium hinges, and is set into a frame made of an Advanced Armor Aluminum alloy. And, while it might seem like a lot of screen to carry around, the use of ceramic-glass and a fibre-reinforced polymer on the back panel of the phone appears to have kept the weight relatively low at 309g.

Samsung says there is an “auto-alarm” to alert the user of incorrect folding “through a series of on-screen alerts and vibrations.”

In its unfolded state, the Z Trifold is super thin, measuring just 3.9mm, making it the slimmest Samsung phone to date.

It boasts a brightness of up to 2600 nits on the cover display and 1600 nits on the main screen. Both of the displays use Samsung’s AMOLED panels, each with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. Samsung claims that this results in "a perfect canvas for high-quality viewing of photo and video content."

On the left side of the phone, there's a tri-camera bump featuring a 200MP wide-angle, 12MP ultra-wide, and a 10MP 3X optical zoom. There's also a 10MP selfie camera on the cover screen and on the 10-inch display.

There's plenty of Galaxy AI smarts built into Samsung's latest release, too. That includes the use of Gemini, Google's AI assistant, so you can get information without switching between apps.

The company is also promising “the biggest battery Samsung has ever had in a foldable phone” at 5,600mAh. That's quite a jump from the Galaxy Z Fold 7's 4,272 mAh and the Galaxy Z Flip 7's 4300 mAh battery capability.

The Galaxy Z TriFold will first be available in Korea on 12 December, with prices starting from 3,594,000 Won (around £1855 / $2450 / AU$3730).

Samsung says it will be available in the US in early 2026, but has not yet announced whether it will be sold in the UK or Australia.

While this is certainly looks like an impressive piece of kit, Samsung is not the first brand to produce a tri-fold model; Huawei took the first plunge with its Mate XT Ultimate.

And, while we have not had the chance to get this model in for testing, we did manage to get up close and personal with the brand's latest foldable phone – the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7.

In our hands-on session, we were impressed by its contrast and detail levels. We noted that it "appears to deliver a crisp, rich image with impressively balanced yet eye-catching colours." That was all from one brief session with the phone; however, we can't give a comprehensive review just yet.

If the Galaxy Z TriFold offers picture quality similar to the Fold 7, then this bodes well for the performance of Samsung's latest offering. And with its nifty foldable design with plenty of AI smarts, this could be one to watch.

We'll be keeping our eyes peeled to see if it will be available to a global audience, so stay tuned.

MORE:

Check out our Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 review

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And here are the best tablets

I've spent a considerable amount of this year flying around the world to see the latest TVs, projectors and soundbars, so I'm confident in saying that my roster of on-the-go AV gadgets is pretty refined at this point.

While a good pair of noise-cancelling headphones does the trick for music, as an AV enthusiast, I simply need a screen that does my favourite movies and TV shows justice; that's right, the screen on the back of the seat in front of me simply no longer cuts it.

That's why you'll seldom catch me on a flight without my iPad Air, often loaded up with the latest blockbusters from the likes of Apple TV and Netflix and deployed on my tray table for a spot of serious movie watching at 30,000 feet.

It's not the cheapest tablet on the market, but it balances picture and sound performance with portability in a way that makes it a vital part of my portable AV setup. However, thanks to Black Friday, it's also not as expensive as it usually is.

Now, I mostly carry an 11-inch iPad Air, but we've just bestowed the 13-inch iPad Air M3 with a coveted Product of the Year Award, so it seems only right to highlight this deal at Amazon that knocks £200 off the asking price.

Curiously, the 256GB model is the same price as the 128GB, so you'd be best off securing the extra storage for no additional cost. The higher-capacity configuration usually retails for £899, so scoring it at this price is a no brainer – especially if you plan on filling it up with movies, TV shows and music.

This iPad features the powerful M3 processor which is equally suited for AV and substantial productivity tasks alike, and at just 616g, you won't feel it weigh down your hand luggage. Despite its lightweight appeal, it boasts an expansive 13-inch display which is perfectly suited for binge watching a series on a long-haul flight.

In our full review, we determined that "this latest-generation iPad can deliver the goods when it comes to fulfilling its role as a portable movie machine", citing its "large screen with excellent all-round picture performance" as its biggest asset.

This display is bright yet balanced, and with support for Dolby Vision and HDR10+ on board, it makes light work of any streaming tasks you throw at it.

Furthermore, we found plenty to appreciate regarding its audio performance. The built-in speakers deliver crisp and clear dialogue (ideal for a spot of out-loud movie watching), and the sound performance via a pair of wired headphones is equally excellent, with a rich, detailed and textured audio.

Traditionally I'd be pointing you towards the best OLED TV deals, or savings on Dolby Atmos soundbars, but this portable AV machine deserves a shout out, as it's served me well in instances where a 65-inch OLED TV would be simply impractical.

Amazon's deal that knocks the price down to just £699 (from £899) is impressive indeed, making this a top-notch deal if you're going to be stuck on planes, trains or buses for extended periods of time soon and want to watch some movies or TV shows to pass the time.

Black Friday quick links

• Amazon: browse all of today's best deals
• B&W speakers: save £200
• Bluetooth speaker: 48% off five-star JBL
• Bose QC Ultra Earbuds: save £100
• Bravia 8 TV: save 34% on 55in Sony TV
• Denon AV receiver: save £500
• Dolby Atmos soundbar: down to £299
• ELAC Debut 2: five-star speakers now £199
• Headphones: Sennheiser Momentum 4 now £169
• LG C5 55-inch: lowest-ever price at Richer Sounds
• JBL soundbar: now better than half price
• John Lewis: £500 off LG and Sony OLED TVs
• Richer Sounds: browse Black Friday deals
• Sevenoaks: £150 off Award-winning speakers
• Sony headphones: now just £29
• TVs, movies, home cinema: browse the best deals
• Vinyl: 3 for £66 at Amazon
• Wireless earbuds: Award winners now £75

Sony’s smartphone division has soldiered on for yet another year, and considering we’ve been huge advocates for its Xperia 1 series for many years running, we’re pleased to see it endure amongst its much more popular peers from the likes of Samsung, Apple and Google.

Popularity isn’t everything, and there’s something to be said for Sony’s niche focus on delivering a top-notch portable AV experience. As you can imagine, that’s a stance that resonates with us massively.

Picture and sound performance remain at the forefront of Sony’s mission, and while the company’s resolve has softened somewhat in the pursuit of public approval, the Xperia 1 VII – which we have in for review today – seems to continue that spirit.

With that in mind, does Sony achieve its brief in delivering another smartphone that doubles up as a pocket-sized home cinema and a hi-fi quality portable music player?

Price

The Xperia 1 VII is officially available for £1399 here in the UK. Sony fans in the US and Australia will know that it doesn’t offer its smartphone range in either region, and the 1 VII is no exception.

Sony’s main competitor at this level is the Award-winning Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, which is tough competition indeed. It’s unquestionably the more mainstream option, and while it launched at £1249 / $1300 / AU$2199, it can frequently be found for less now that it’s been on the market for almost a year.

There is also the iPhone 17 Pro Max (£1199 / $1199 / AU$2199) to be aware of. We haven’t tested it yet, but the standard iPhone 17 has just scooped up an Award, and its predecessor, the iPhone 16 Pro, scored top marks in our full review, so we’re willing to bet it offers a competitive AV experience.

Build

Sony’s latest flagship mobile doesn’t look miles apart from its predecessor, but that doesn’t really concern us, as it still looks rather smart.

It features the same textured glass back and etched aluminium frame as its predecessor, albeit a bit more refined with smoother bevelled edges, and the rear glass sits flush with the frame.

This results in a much smoother and more comfortable phone to hold. In comparison, the Xperia 1 VI feels a bit sharp in the hand.

The ridged sides of the handset feature numerous interruptions in the form of a volume rocker, a combination power/lock button with an integrated fingerprint sensor, a dedicated camera shortcut and shutter button, a combination SIM and Micro SD card tray (which can be removed without the need for a SIM ejector pin tool), and – you guessed it – a 3.5mm headphone jack.

On the front of the 1 VII, you’ll find a 6.5-inch OLED display with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. We still miss the 21:9 aspect ratio of the Xperias of old, but we can’t deny that the more mainstream aspect ratio (which can also be found on the Galaxy S25 Ultra) has its practical benefits when it comes to usability and app compatibility.

The display features fairly slender bezels on the sides, and slightly chunkier ones at the top and bottom, though there is a valid audio-related reason for that, which we’ll come to later.

We think the handset looks very sleek in the Slate Black finish we have, though it's also available in Moss Green and Orchid Purple for anyone who wants to add a (fairly subdued) pop of colour.

Features

If we’re being brutally honest, Sony’s smartphones have always excelled at things we’re most interested in when it comes to features, but they lag behind the cutting-edge mainstream handsets on the market when it comes to a lot of creature comforts.

We’ll start with the glorious 6.5-inch OLED display, which has reportedly been tuned by Sony’s Bravia television department. Sony is supposedly harnessing the power of AI picture processing to boost some of the key picture components, such as colour, contrast, texture and three dimensionality.

The one disappointment, however, is that the display’s resolution is 1080 x 2340 – otherwise known as Full HD+.

In a display this size, we find that this resolution is technically enough, as the pixel density is suitably high at 396ppi. However, considering the price (and the competition), we think that Sony should really be offering a Quad HD display – especially considering it wasn’t that long ago that it was shipping smartphones with full-blown 4K displays.

Nevertheless, this screen features a dynamic refresh rate up to 120Hz, and it’s 20 per cent brighter than its predecessor. In fact, Sony says that this is the brightest display in any Xperia smartphone to date, though it hasn’t shared any specific figures regarding nits.

This has been paired with a new sensor on the rear of the handset, which detects the ambient lighting conditions and adapts the phone’s display to suit.

There is also a considerable amount of customisation that you can apply to the phone’s display. There is the option to leave the phone in its ‘recommended’ setting, which will optimise the display for “smartphone use and displayed content”.

This sounds a tad vague to us, but it seems as though Sony is implying that the phone will use the best picture settings for what it’s displaying.

In its custom settings, we can switch between the Bravia-tuned standard mode, which emphasises “high-quality textures” and “vibrant colours” – or Sony’s creator mode, which is akin to the Filmmaker Mode on a TV.

This goes for a more accurate picture presentation, which will appeal more to purists who wish to see content in the way that the creator intended.

Interestingly, there is an option to only apply creator mode in specific apps, meaning you can enjoy the crisper standard mode for day-to-day use, and automatically switch to the creator mode for a more cinematically authentic movie experience.

To us, that seems to fulfil the same role as the previous recommended preset, albeit with a bit more granularity in which apps default to your preferred screen mode.

Sony has also included two video enhancement features in the form of real-time HDR, which adapts HDR video to your viewing environment, and video image enhancement, which appears to be an upscaling mode that adds additional sharpness.

While we’d usually steer clear, Sony’s implementation of the latter is fairly effective at adding a bit more pop and sharpness to the picture.

Disappointingly, while the display supports HDR, it doesn’t support either of the Dolby Vision or HDR10+ formats we see on the iPhone 17 or Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, respectively.

On the audio side, Sony has called in more backup from one of its subsidiaries, as its Walkman brand – which is responsible for countless portable music players – has reportedly played a key role in upgrading the 3.5mm headphone jack.

It has been constructed with high-quality solder containing gold to "enhance the reproduction of subtle sounds" and "improve the soundstage and directional accuracy".

This has been paired with a new high-performance audio integrated circuit to greatly enhance the wired listening experience. We must, of course, give Sony kudos for continuing to offer a headphone jack on its smartphones while others have moved on.

Those who have invested in a pair of the best wireless headphones, meanwhile, will be pleased to hear that the Xperia 1 VII features Bluetooth 6.0, with support for the AAC, SBC, and LE codecs. AuraCast is featured too.

Hi-res wireless audio is also supported via LDAC, and as this phone is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite processor (backed up by 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage), it also features the aptX Adaptive codec.

Dolby Atmos and Sony’s 360 Reality Audio are also on board for supported streaming services. And for those who like to play media out loud, the Xperia 1 VII sports a set of stereo front-firing full-stage speakers, which Sony says sound “even more realistic” this year.

With that exhaustive list of AV features out of the way, we can now review the remaining specifications of the smartphone.

It runs Android 16, which is the latest version of Google’s operating system, albeit with a fairly barebones Sony skin running over the top. Sony’s take on Android can feel frustratingly limited at times, as there are missing native features, such as a dedicated photos app (it uses Google Photos instead) or a weather widget.

That being said, it does feature support for the latest Google AI features, including the Gemini Assistant, generative photo editing, and circle to search. We also can’t fault the performance, as the handset flies throughout the operating system for day-to-day tasks.

Another of Sony’s divisions, Alpha, has been consulted for the camera.

It consists of a 52MP main lens (which uses Sony’s Exmor T sensor), a telephoto lens with a true optical zoom from 85 to 170mm, and a new 16mm focal length ultra wide camera, which utilises a 50MP sensor and pixel binning to capture detailed 12MP images. The sensor is 2.1 times larger than the previous model, which means it will perform better in low-light conditions, according to Sony.

Paired with Sony’s comprehensive camera app and dedicated shutter button (which can be half-pressed to establish focus), the Xperia 1 VII provides an excellent, if slightly overwhelming, photography experience. That being said, we find it relatively easy to grab some eye-catching snaps when we use the basic shooting mode.

Rounding things out with the 5000mAh battery, the Xperia makes light work of heavy usage over a day, and it can even soldier on through a couple of days, provided you’re not pushing the phone to its limits for extended periods.

Picture

Sony’s smartphones have enjoyed a remarkably consistent streak when it comes to picture quality in our reviews. In previous years, they’ve sported 4K displays with cinematically-appropriate aspect ratios, but that all changed last year.

We deemed the Xperia 1 VI to be a solid choice for on-the-move cinephiles, albeit not to quite the same extent as its predecessors. That statement rings true for this year’s model, too, but there is now the added pressure of some extremely talented competition.

We test the Xperia 1 VII in both of its picture modes, and we end up leaning towards the Bravia-tuned standard setting, as it adds a touch of punch while remaining very balanced. The creator mode will be the preferred choice for purists, but it feels a touch washed out in comparison.

We start with Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning (Part One) on Netflix, and the results are immediately impressive. As we mentioned, colours feature a solid balance of punch and richness without looking overbearing or unnaturally vibrant. In comparison, the Samsung Galaxy S25 appears to lack some finesse here, with slightly too much red in skin tones.

Sony’s usual proficiency for delivering a solid, contrast-rich picture is clearly evident with the 1 VII. There’s an impressively convincing three-dimensional effect to the display.

Switching to Blade Runner 2049 (also on Netflix), we find that the tower featured in the opening overhead shot stands out against the background nicely with a good sense of depth, and there is a general sense of solidity and three-dimensionality to the image that helps to enhance immersion, which is easier said than done on a smartphone display.

Moving over to Civil War on Amazon Prime Video, the Sony remains staunchly natural, and motion is solid as fighter jets and helicopters soar overhead during the build-up to the climactic final battle.

As the sequence progresses towards a besieged Washington, DC at night, we find that the Sony retains an impressive level of detail in shadowy scenes, too.

While we affirm that the Sony’s picture is generally impressive, though, it is outshone by the Samsung Galaxy 25 Ultra in a few ways.

We appreciate the Samsung’s higher resolution screen when we place the two handsets side-by-side, as everything looks noticeably crisper and more detailed.

Sticking with Civil War, we find that the outline of a helicopter swooping over a lake, and the dense foliage featured throughout the sequence, both appear cleaner and sharper on the Samsung, and the enhanced brightness adds intensity to the flames as the photojournalists drive through a forest fire at night.

The Samsung even delivers most of what the Sony can muster when it comes to the solidity and three-dimensional depth of the image, which, combined with the rest of the improvements to detail and brightness, makes it the better handset of the two when it comes to picture performance.

Sound

While the Xperia 1 VII can be beaten when it comes to its picture, we find that sound is a whole different story. Put simply, the Sony delivers a headphone experience that will delight anyone who wants a smartphone that doubles as a talented portable music player.

Plugging a pair of wired cans directly into the phone via the 3.5mm headphone jack and loading up Tidal, we’re rewarded with a detailed, dynamic and engaging performance that highlights the Samsung’s relative shortcomings in the process.

The opening piano chords to Taylor Swift’s The One are presented with a solid, weighty presence, and they’re soon joined by a rich and rhythmic acoustic guitar. The Sony allows each instrument to shine by revealing plenty of detail and giving each aspect of the track plenty of space, all the while ensuring it remains cohesive and well organised.

And while the phone provides a clean and revealing sound, it manages to balance everything with a sense of warmth and dynamism, which means it doesn’t come across as too analytical. Swift’s vocals are conveyed with a richness and clarity that picks up oodles of emotion, and timing is kept pin-sharp throughout.

Switching to Kiss The Ring from Hans Zimmer’s Dune: Part Two soundtrack, we find that the Sony is capable of delivering huge scale and weighty bass, all while retaining balance and composure.

We’re similarly impressed with the full-stage front-firing speakers, and while we generally don't recommend playing music out loud from your phone, they’re more than good enough in a pinch for watching a TV show or even some light movie viewing.

Returning to Mission: Impossible, we find that the speakers deliver a solid sense of spatial separation, decent vocal clarity and detail, and a good sense of rhythmic drive to the soundtrack.

And while we won’t claim that this speaker can rival any sort of Dolby Atmos soundbar or speaker package when it comes to immersion, it does a good job of placing effects to create a somewhat spatial feeling to the sound.

Verdict

Sony’s latest flagship smartphone remains a solid enthusiast option for those who value taking their music and movies on the go over all else.

Cinephiles will enjoy the balanced display – even if it can be beaten by its Samsung competitor – and audiophiles will find immense satisfaction in the inclusion of an upgraded headphone jack and superb audio quality.

It won’t suit everyone's taste, and there are some software quirks to contend with, but the Xperia 1 VII remains a good choice for those looking for a smartphone that puts AV on the same pedestal as AI.

SCORES

• Picture 4
• Sound 5
• Features 4

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Apple’s 'standard' iPhone has often played second fiddle to its Pro series when it comes to AV proficiency.

Brighter screens, slimmer bezels and smoother refresh rates have always been reserved for the most expensive models in the tech titan’s annual ranges – but that all changes this year.

The Apple iPhone 17 may not look like a radical departure from the five-star iPhone 16 as we take it out of its box, but the more we use it, the more it becomes apparent that this could very well be one of the most compelling iPhones that Apple has ever made.

That’s thanks to those Pro-level features that we mentioned trickling their way down the lineup and into the iPhone 17.

It may not have the daring design or beefed-up camera system of its Pro sibling, but when it comes to AV efficiency, the iPhone 17 gets the upgrades that we’ve been waiting for.

Price

The iPhone 17 starts at £799 / $799 / AU$1399, which is the same price that the iPhone 16 launched at last year.

Apple has actually doubled the starting storage capacity, though, to 256GB, and a 512GB model is also available – though it’s a surprisingly steep increase to £999 / $999 / AU$1799.

That’s the same price as the super-slender iPhone Air (starting at £999 / $999 / AU$1799), and only slightly cheaper than the iPhone 17 Pro (£1099 / $1099 / AU$1999) and iPhone 17 Pro Max (£1199 / $1199 / AU$2199).

Competition-wise, Apple is mostly contending with itself; the iPhone 16e offers an excellent AV experience wrapped in Apple’s usual top-notch design and feature set at a considerably cheaper price of £599 / $599 / AU$999. The iPhone 16 is also sticking around, though it's been reduced to £699 / $699 / $1249.

For those looking at an Android-powered alternative, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus is likely your best bet at £999 / $1000 / AU$1449.

Build

The iPhone 17 looks almost identical to the iPhone 16 it replaces, which is to be expected as last year’s model employed a newer design compared to its predecessor. That’s no great shame, as the iPhone 17 is a sturdy, stylish and well-built handset.

It features an aluminium frame sandwiched between a 6.3-inch OLED display (more on that in a moment) and a satin glass rear panel. The chassis remains mostly uninterrupted save for a set of volume buttons and a programmable Action Button on the left-hand side, and a lock/power button joined by the Camera Control on the right.

A USB-C port adorns the bottom edge. This can be used for charging, of course, but also data transfer and the output of audio to a pair of headphones – though you will need USB-C-equipped peripherals or an adapter for those.

Back to that display, which has grown by 0.2 inches since last year, thanks to the new slimmer bezel surrounding the screen.

It still includes the Dynamic Island, which houses the front camera and Face ID array (which is used for biometric authentication for unlocking the phone and validating payments via Apple Pay), and can display information from currently used apps, such as the music you’re playing or show the next direction from a navigation app.

Furthermore, Apple has introduced a new Ceramic Shield 2 coating for the display, which is reportedly three times more effective at resisting scratches and is bonded to the display at an atomic level, ensuring it will withstand the test of time.

We’ve taken the iPhone 17 through multiple airports and on various day trips, and the display remains free of any nicks or blemishes. Apple has also implemented a new seven-layer anti-reflectivity coating for improved outdoor visibility, too.

Durability gets another boost with the inclusion of IP68 water and dust resistance, allowing the iPhone to be submerged in water up to one metre for 30 minutes.

There are five colours to choose from: Black, White, Lavender, Sage and Mist Blue. Our handset is Lavender, which is a soothing shade of pastel purple. The Mist Blue and Sage hues are the other two that have caught our eye.

Features

We’ve already touched on that new 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display, but it’s harbouring plenty more upgrades that make it even better for AV duties.

It features a 2622 x 1206 resolution and a pixel density of 460ppi, which is slightly higher than the iPhone 16.

A more noticeable difference for those coming from older non-Pro iPhones will be the inclusion of ProMotion. Apple’s variable refresh rate panel technology, which allows the display to adapt from 1Hz to 120Hz depending on the content you’re viewing, finally makes its way to the standard iPhone, and it makes all the difference when it comes to swiping, scrolling and gaming.

The display can also reach a new peak brightness of 3000 nits and a minimum brightness of just 1 nit. The combination of 1 nit and 1Hz allows the iPhone 17 to access the Always On Display feature that has also previously been reserved for the Pro-level handsets.

We’re very pleased to see that the iPhone 17 includes these features, but we do have to recognise that much cheaper Android handsets have had these for many years. Better late than never, we suppose.

Regardless, the iPhone 17’s display also features HDR support in the Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10 and HLG formats, which means that all streaming services should look their best regardless of their preferred format.

Audio is boosted by the inclusion of Dolby Atmos, which is supported over the built-in stereo speakers (comprising the earpiece and bottom-firing loudspeaker) and via headphones (wired and wireless). Apple’s Spatial Audio format is also included, though you’ll need a supported pair of AirPods or Beats headphones to access it.

The iPhone 17 is powered by Apple’s latest A19 chip, which flies through the iOS 26 operating system at ludicrous speeds without missing a beat.

Day-to-day performance is silky smooth, and thanks to the improved power efficiency of this new processor, we find that battery life is excellent. We’ve hammered the iPhone 17’s battery with long travel days with plenty of video watching and music streaming, and it comfortably makes it through a day of use under these conditions.

Apple’s newest iteration of the iPhone operating system features the Liquid Glass design language with semi-transparent elements and new icons throughout, as well as a handful of new AI-powered attributes.

Apple made some pretty big promises last year with the iPhone 16 series and its Apple Intelligence system, and yet we’re still left with a fairly weak set of AI features.

Image generation, auto translation, writing tools and a supposedly upgraded Siri voice assistant are joined by Visual Intelligence, which can be used to search for information based on items or surroundings captured via the iPhone’s cameras.

It’s a welcome new addition, but Samsung’s Galaxy AI suite has had all of these features for longer, and they feel better integrated into the One UI software.

The iPhone 16's actual camera system is also new. Apple has implemented a new 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide camera, which features four times the resolution of the iPhone 16’s ultrawide lens, and it's backed up by the same 48MP main lens as its predecessor, with a “2x optical-quality telephoto” mode for improved zoomed photography.

The front camera also gets an upgrade, with a new square sensor that allows for wider shots without having to awkwardly spin the handset to a landscape orientation. The iPhone will recognise when four or more people enter the viewfinder, and will adjust the aspect ratio of the shot to ensure that everyone is visible in the photograph – clever.

In our experience, the iPhone 17 delivers wonderfully sharp, natural and richly coloured pictures. We’ve used it to capture snaps during a morning of sightseeing in Copenhagen and an evening out at Wembley to watch England v Wales, and it continued to produce sharp and colourful shots in a range of lighting conditions.

Picture

Picture performance is paramount for us, and Apple has a perfect track record to uphold. Thankfully, Apple maintains that with the iPhone 17, which is an unquestionable slam dunk when it comes to watching movies and TV shows.

Starting with Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning: Part One on Netflix in Dolby Vision, the iPhone 17 delivers a picture that’s characteristically similar to its predecessor, though it has a handful of obvious improvements.

The enhanced brightness is felt here, with a touch more punch to the iPhone 17’s image, and contrast seems to get a boost in accordance with the brighter display.

This results in an image that’s even more solid and three-dimensional than with the iPhone 16, making the iPhone 17’s picture the more striking of the two.

As expected with the slight increase in resolution, the iPhone 17 also seems to be a little bit sharper. We’ll stress it’s not game-changing, but the newer of the two handsets packs in a touch more detail and outlines of subjects look a smidge cleaner too.

That boost in detail levels is felt with everything from the texture of the suits worn by Ethan Hunt and his associates to the skin textures of each character in the various close-up shots within this sequence.

Despite the boost in brightness and added sharpness, the iPhone 17 manages to look slightly more natural than its predecessor, thanks to how its display handles colours.

Switching to an episode from the fourth season of The Morning Show on Apple TV+, we find that the colours are rich and punchy when needed – the beaming yellow of a New York taxi cab on a dimly-lit street, for example – but they’re slightly more nuanced when it comes to capturing subtle variations in skin tones and hair colours.

This results in a deeply engaging and nicely balanced image. It’s natural where required, yet it’s not afraid to introduce some punch and pop, all without straying into looking overcooked.

We round out our picture testing with Civil War on Amazon Prime Video to assess how the phone handles dark details. The sequence in which the intrepid photographers drive through a forest fire at night looks spectacular on the iPhone 17, which provides deep blacks that contrast with the vibrant, intense flames effectively.

As the film progresses to the climactic battle in Washington, DC, we find that the new iPhone adds a bit more depth to shadows. However, it seems to dig up roughly the same amount of detail from the darkest parts of the scene as the iPhone 16.

This sequence as a whole provides a smorgasbord of shots that lean into the strengths of the iPhone 17’s screen. Tracer rounds arc through the night sky in an eye-catching display of contrast, while the soldiers sprinting through the battleground to duck behind cover prove that the iPhone can handle motion with ease.

We should stress that it’s not worlds apart from the outgoing iPhone 16, but the culmination of all of these subtle picture improvements makes for a sharper, richer and overall better image.

Sound

Apple tends to gloss over the audio performance of its iPhones, presumably because it hopes you’ll pick up a new pair of AirPods and be done with it. Even so, it makes some of the best-sounding smartphones on the market. The iPhone 17 continues this trend, so we’ll sing its praises even if Apple won’t.

Hooking up a pair of wired headphones via a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter and loading up Tidal, we’re met with a rich, spacious and well-organised arrangement. Sabrina Carpenter’s crooning vocals on Don’t Worry I’ll Make You Worry sound crisp and natural, with enough detail to pick up subtle inflections in her voice.

As the chorus builds into a harmony, we’re treated to a warm, rich and smooth sound. This is underpinned by an acoustic guitar riff that sounds wonderfully textured, and timing is pin-sharp, too.

Compared to the iPhone 16, the 17 sounds slightly punchier with a more definite start to each note, though it’s quite a subtle difference.

Moving on to Kiss The Ring from Hans Zimmer’s Dune: Part Two soundtrack, the iPhone delivers a bold, punchy performance with thunderous bass and an impressive show of dynamics. The crescendo of the track bursts to life with immense scale, allowing each component of the track to shine without getting lost in the drama.

Switching to the built-in speakers, we’d refrain from using these to listen to music out loud, but they’re a solid option to catch up on a show or a light spot of movie watching.

Heading back to Apple TV+ to watch more of The Morning Show, we find that the iPhone creates a spacious sound, with focused vocals and enough detail given to sound effects (such as a bustling city street) to create a surprisingly immersive experience.

Cranking the volume up to its maximum can make the iPhone 17 sound slightly strained and a bit cluttered, but knocking it back a couple of notches results in a solid balance between volume and detail.

Verdict

The iPhone 17 is a prime example of not judging a book by its cover. It may look very similar to its predecessor, but firing up that glorious new display proves that it's more than just an iterative update over the excellent iPhone 16.

Long-awaited features such as 120Hz variable refresh rates and an always-on display mode are no longer the sole preserve of Pro-series devices, and they’re backed up with a picture and sound performance that seriously impresses.

We’ll echo what we said at the start of this review in saying that this is undeniably one of the most compelling iPhones that Apple has ever made, as it packs in a lot of the most valuable AV features and specs at a price that undercuts its Pro siblings.

SCORES

• Picture 5
• Sound 5
• Features 5

MORE:

Read our review of the Apple iPhone 16

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It’s been less than a year since we reviewed the last-generation iPad Air, and yet Apple has launched a new, more powerful model to succeed the short-lived 2024 version. That model may have had a limited shelf life, but it did bring a revolutionary change to the iPad Air line that we were thrilled to see.

It introduced a 13-inch screen size option, meaning prospective tablet buyers didn’t have to pony up for the pricey iPad Pro if they wanted a big-screen iPad experience. That sentiment continues with the iPad Air 7th Generation, which we have before us today.

This expansive, yet portable, slab of glass and metal is begging to be taken on the go as your AV travel companion, but can it deliver the performance to appease those who value a cinematic experience that can best be enjoyed on a long-haul flight or cross-country train journey?

We certainly think so, even if it comes with an overwhelming sense of deja vu.

Price

The iPad Air 13-inch (2025) starts at £799 / $799 / AU$1349; the same price as the previous model in the US and UK, and an increase of AU$50 Down Under. The catch here is that this price only nets you the 128GB version.

You can, however, configure the iPad Air with up to 1TB of storage and 5G cellular connectivity, which raises the price to £1299 / $1299 / AU$2249.

If you don't need the 13-inch display (though we feel that's the greatest appeal here), the smaller, 11-inch version of the iPad Air starts at £599 / $599 / AU$999.

While this 7th Generation iPad Air is unquestionably premium, it is of course priced far lower than the flagship iPad Pro (£1299 / $1299 / AU$1699), which wowed us with its Tandem OLED display.

Build

Apple’s “Air” moniker denotes a streamlined, slender and lightweight design, and while the chassis of this latest-gen model isn’t anything new per se, it still manages to impress.

There’s no escaping that this is a sizeable handheld device, and yet the slender frame, which is just 6.1mm thick, ensures it doesn’t become unwieldy. And, at just 616g, it’s not a burden to carry around either.

Now, that’s unquestionably impressive, but the “Air” title has previously been reserved for the thinnest and lightest offerings from Apple’s respective lineups; most notably the MacBook Air and new iPhone Air.

However, the iPad Pro is actually the thinnest and lightest iPad in Apple’s current lineup, with a thickness of just 5.1mm and a weight of 582g.

Regardless, the new iPad Air carries the usual markings of a modern iPad. The body is entirely aluminium, save for the 13-inch display, which features an anti-reflective coating.

The Air has flat, squared-off sides, which are now synonymous with Apple’s design language and can also be seen on the current crop of iPhones. The edges are mostly unobstructed, save for two volume buttons on the right edge, a combination power/lock button and a fingerprint scanner on the top, and a USB-C socket on the bottom.

There is also a flush magnetic connection on the right edge of the iPad, which is used to store and charge the optional Apple Pencil accessory.

On the rear of the iPad Air, you’ll also find a trio of magnetic connectors. These are used to connect the Magic Keyboard accessory, which can allow you to use the iPad more like a conventional laptop.

Finally, Apple offers this tablet in a toned-down colour selection, including a pair of monochromatic finishes, Starlight and Space Grey, and a duo of Purple and Blue pastel shades.

Features

The 13-inch Liquid Retina display is a real highlight. The LED IPS display features a resolution of 2732 x 2048, a pixel density of 264ppi, and support for Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10 and HLG – though we find that it defaults to Dolby Vision for the majority of streaming applications, including Disney+, Netflix, and Apple TV+.

Dolby Atmos is supported via the built-in stereo speakers, as well as over wired and wireless headphones. Apple’s Spatial Audio system is also accessible to those with AirPods and Beats headphones, and Bluetooth audio is delivered via the AAC codec.

The iPad Air sports a 12MP rear camera, for scanning documents and taking pictures, and a 12MP front camera for video calling. This is conveniently placed on the top edge of the iPad when positioned in a landscape orientation, which makes video calls feel a bit more natural, and Apple’s Centre Stage system can track users’ movements to ensure they remain in the frame at all times.

That front-facing camera, unfortunately, doesn’t include the same Face ID sensor array that’s found on the iPad Pro, though Apple has included Touch ID on the combination lock/power button for biometric authentication.

The iPad Air unfortunately doesn’t include the ProMotion adaptive refresh rate technology of its bigger iPad Pro sibling. That means the display is locked to 60Hz – which feels a bit restrictive at this price point.

Still, this iPad is plenty powerful enough for a range of entertainment and productivity tasks, and it packs in enough AV-centric features to keep us happy.

Not much, if anything at all, has changed on the outside of this iPad, and if we’re being honest, little has changed on the inside, either. Apple’s justification for this new generation Air is swapping the M2 processor out for the more powerful M3 chip, which is reportedly better for Apple Intelligence.

It also drives the new iOS 26 operating system, which sports Apple’s new Liquid Glass motif, improved multitasking capabilities and general productivity upgrades. The visual overhaul will depend on your personal taste, but we think it looks pretty sleek.

While we tend not to dig into computing power and instead stick to the AV credentials of tablets, it must be said that this internal upgrade doesn’t seem all that substantial. The M3 chip sports an 8-core CPU and a 9-core GPU, alongside a 16-core Neural Engine for AI-based tasks; those are identical numbers to the M2 iPad Air.

In fact, Apple has awkwardly skirted around comparing this new model to its predecessor, and is instead insisting that the M3 chip is twice as fast as the M1 iPad Air from 2022 (which we, conveniently, have on hand during our review for comparison purposes).

Strangely, that does sort of make sense, in that it feels as though this iPad isn’t designed to tempt those who bought last year’s version, but those with an M1 model or earlier.

Picture

Apple’s long-running tablet range is yet to put a foot wrong when it comes to picture performance, and the latest edition of the Air continues that trend. The main benefit of the 13-inch iPad Air is the option of a larger screen without having to cough up for a pricey Pro; and while that was a benefit of the last-generation model, it still rings true with the new one.

The bigger display is an ideal canvas for movie watching, which becomes evident as soon as we load up Netflix to watch Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One in Dolby Vision.

The iPad presents a sharp and natural image with rich colours that strike a balance between being engaging but not overdone.

Motion also appears flawless as a Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey glides above Abu Dhabi airport in an establishing shot, and the iPad refuses to falter when Ethan Hunt ducks and weaves through the airport, dodging his adversaries.

It might not rival the OLED-equipped Pro when it comes to contrast, but it’s decidedly no slouch here, allowing for a solid image that boasts plenty of three-dimensional depth.

Firing up the tried and true Blade Runner 2049 (also on Netflix), we find the opening sequence – in which Officer K investigates Sapper Morton’s farmhouse – to deliver plenty of detail within the brightest and darkest portions of the image.

Switching to Babylon from our Apple TV library, we confirm that this latest-generation iPad can deliver the goods when it comes to fulfilling its role as a portable movie machine. Details, such as clothing and environmental textures, are sharp, despite the 13-inch display touting an identical pixel density to the 11-inch iPad Air we have on hand as a reference.

Notably, shading seems to be the biggest upgrade with the iPad Air M3, as it handles this with a touch more finesse. Going back to Blade Runner, K and Morton’s tense confrontation is mostly bathed in shadow, which looks more natural and effective on the new iPad’s display. Shadows seem a touch deeper with no loss of detail.

Now, the iPad we have is the 11-inch M1 version, which serves as a more realistic point of reference, as those looking at this newer, larger model could well be looking to upgrade from an 11-inch screen to a 13-inch one.

Being brutally honest, the picture performance is very close between these options (that’s to say that both are excellent), though the new Air has the slight edge when it comes to contrast and shading.

We round out our picture testing with some HD SDR content; an episode from the first series of Peep Show on Netflix. The iPad handles this lower-resolution content with ease, offering a fairly clean and bright presentation.

Sound

Apple has created a sonic signature that’s fairly consistent across its range of handheld devices, and it’s one we find to be very impressive. The iPad Air is no exception – although, much like its picture performance, it’s not a huge departure from its predecessor, which also happened to score full marks.

Plugging in a pair of wired headphones via a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter and loading up Tidal, we’re met with a familiar, yet wholly excellent sound. Playing a range of test tracks from Bon Iver, Tool, Sabrina Carpenter and Hans Zimmer, it's evident that the iPad Air delivers a rich, warm, layered and detailed sound that seems to hang together ever so slightly better than the previous generation model that we have on hand.

The difference is subtle, but instruments, such as the guitar strums in Bon Iver’s From, sound a touch more textured, while the vocal presentation of Tool’s Invincible sounds both forthright and well integrated with the rest of the track.

The rich and layered characteristics are underpinned by impactful bass and expertly controlled dynamics, allowing for maximum impact when we play Dream Of Arrakis from Hans Zimmer’s Dune soundtrack. At the other end of the scale, Sabrina Carpenter’s House Tour is presented with a zippy, energetic character that is bolstered by superb timing.

Unplugging the headphones and trying out the iPad’s built-in stereo speakers, the new tablet impresses yet again. The sheer size of the tablet ensures that spatial separation is handled well, and the speakers are even good enough for a spot of out-loud music listening (a Bluetooth speaker will, of course, be preferable).

The speakers are, however, better suited for watching movies and TV shows, as we find that dialogue is crisp and clear in a clip from Mission: Impossible, and it’s balanced surprisingly well with the action-packed score.

Verdict

The latest iPad Air might not be the most interesting tablet that Apple has ever released, but it’s still an excellent portable AV machine. It serves up a superb picture filled with detail and rich yet balanced colours, and its textured and inviting sound seals the deal.

Paired with a powerful new processor that makes it a viable laptop alternative, the iPad Air is a solid choice for anyone looking for a double-purpose tablet that excels for both entertainment and productivity.

SCORES

• Picture 5
• Sound 5
• Features 5

MORE:

Read our review of the Apple iPad Pro (M4)

Also consider the Amazon Fire HD 10

Read our Apple iPad Mini (6th Generation) review

These are the best tablets for movies and music

Sony has announced the latest entry in its Xperia smartphone lineup in the form of the budget-friendly 10 VII. The cheapest handsets in Sony's range have impressed us for quite some time now, with the Xperia 10 IV, Xperia 10 V, and Xperia 10 VI all scoring five-star reviews and coveted What Hi-Fi? Awards.

Naturally, I should be highly invested in this smartphone launch, as its predecessors have been amongst the best smartphones for watching movies and listening to music on the go. However, Sony has made a big change this year, and it's one that's sure to divide on-the-go cinephiles.

Much like its bigger and much more expensive counterpart from last year, the Xperia 1 VI, the 10 VII drops the 21:9 aspect ratio display that we've been raving about for the past three generations.

It now sports a 19.5:9 aspect ratio, which means that cinematic content will no longer naturally fill the display, and instead we'll be met with black letterboxing bars when watching supported movies.

That's a shame, because there is no budget phone that dedicates itself to AV in the same way that Sony's Xperia 10 series has in previous years.

Sony's approach, which is to cut back on cutting-edge specs and offer a relatively basic plastic chassis while focussing on providing a five-star picture and sound experience, has always resonated with our AV-first preference.

This year's model focuses more on a new camera system (complete with the physical shutter button shortcut) and AI software features, though there are some AV-focused upgrades to keep in mind.

Sony has upgraded the display to 120Hz, which should make scrolling and gaming on the OLED display feel a lot smoother. It also highlights that the new aspect ratio – which it shares this with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and Apple iPhone 16 Pro – should suit 16:9 content better.

And we can't forget the 3.5mm headphone jack, which Sony is still supporting for high resolution wired audio, alongside a long list of wireless audio codecs including Qualcomm's aptX Adaptive and Sony's LDAC options.

Paired with redesigned front-firing stereo speakers that appear to directly address the issue we had regarding the predecessor's cabinet vibration, the latest Xperia 10 should still be a top-choice handset for audiophiles.

We'll need to test the Xperia 10 VII for ourselves to see if it lives up to the lofty expectations set by its predecessors, and we must remember that the Xperia 1 VI was still a five-star device even without the 21:9 display of its predecessor.

Regardless, its the end of an era for Sony, as an AV-first feature that it pioneered on its smartphones for quite some time has now been officially dropped from its lineup.

The Xperia 5 V remains on sale, which is now the only model in Sony's lineup to feature a 21:9 screen, though that handset is swiftly approaching its second year on sale with no sign of an update from Sony, which doesn't exactly inspire confidence.

If you do want a 2025 smartphone with a 21:9 display, then the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 is likely your best bet; though we didn't think it was necessarily the best smartphone for music and movies.

MORE:

Read our full Sony Xperia 10 VI review

As well as our iPhone 16e review

And check out the best smartphones for movies and music

Apple debuted its latest take on the iPhone at last night's "Awe Dropping" event, and I have mixed feelings about it.

The iPhone Air is unquestionably a marvel of engineering, measuring in at just 5.6mm and weighing a mere 165g, making it the antithesis of the bulky Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra that currently occupies my pocket.

Its slender profile, sleek lines, and integrated camera bar make it the most un-iPhone looking iPhone in recent memory, but I'm warming up to the design. In reality, design is what it's all about with this phone, as its futuristic build is its unique selling point.

Despite that, Apple is touting Pro-level iPhone specs here, with the latest A19 Pro chipset, which can also be found in the new iPhone 17 Pro Max. The paper-thin chassis reportedly won't impact battery life either, with Apple claiming an impressive 27 hours of video playback on a single charge.

So, maybe this isn't the form-over-function device I have been bracing myself for since the rumours of a super-slim iPhone began circulating. Well, there is one catch, and it's one that I'm not willing to live with.

The iPhone Air only sports a mono speaker, which is located in the earpiece at the top of the handset and doesn't get any backup from a bottom-mounted loudspeaker like the one you'll find on the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro.

Apple, understandably, didn't shout about this downgrade during its livestreamed event. This is likely because this drawback makes the iPhone Air the first iPhone to not feature a stereo speaker system since the iPhone 6S, which was released a decade ago.

Now, this might not be a dealbreaker to everyone, but as someone who uses their phone's speakers more than they perhaps should, it's not a compromise I'm willing to make.

While I never commit the cardinal sin of blasting music from my phone's speakers, I use them to watch the occasional TV episode, and more frequently to watch TikToks, Instagram Reels and YouTube videos.

While these aren't the cinephile-quality tasks that we usually judge phones on, they're the real-life day-to-day functions that I use my phone for, and I'm willing to bet that's the case with plenty of other people out there.

I'd rather avoid thin-sounding mono audio if possible, so my hopes aren't all that high for the iPhone Air's loudspeaker performance.

I'm also confused as to how Apple will achieve Dolby Atmos audio from a mono speaker, as the recent batch of iPhones have all supported the immersive audio format from their earpiece and loudspeaker combination system, and they've been fairly effective at doing so.

Now, I have to give Apple some credit here, as in the grand scheme of things, this is a fairly modest downgrade. The rest of this slender phone's specifications are pretty impressive, but I'll need to get the phone in hand to figure out how it deals with movies and music.

For now, I'm hesitant to get too excited about it, as this audio-related drawback is pushing me towards the cheaper iPhone 17.

MORE:

Read the full Apple iPhone Air reveal news here

Here's our full iPhone 16 review

As well as our picks for the best iPhones

I've covered every iPhone launch since the original back in 2007, so when it comes to Apple announcements, I'm well versed in sifting the genuinely exciting from the pr guff. And while the iPhone 17 had plenty of the latter, it also had a fair amount of the former, especially when it comes to the screen.

In fact, it's the first phone in recent years that's tempting me to upgrade from my ageing iPhone 12 mini from 2020.

Here's why.

Biggie smalls

The iPhone mini variant is long since retired, of course. It only lasted two iterations before it was replaced by the iPhone 14 Plus in 2022. Apple had decided that people didn't want small phones, and replaced it with a 6.7-inch monster.

But I didn't want such a gargantuan phone. That's why I've stuck with the mini ever since. It does everything I need it to, at a size that fits easily in a pocket. It'll even get the latest iOS 26 operating system. So why upgrade to the iPhone 17?

I can see a few reasons. Firstly, the 120Hz refresh rate. Many would say it's about time Apple gave its base level iPhone a higher refresh rate, and they have a point. Even mid-range Samsung phones now have 120Hz – double the rate of the iPhone 16 – so Apple couldn't really not make the upgrade.

This should mean less blurring during fast-moving content like games, sports and movies. Which is ideal for anyone who enjoys watching or gaming on the go (that's me).

It's an always-on display, too, so you don't need to wake it in order to see certain information like the time. Given that my iPhone sits on a MagSafe charger acting like a bedside clock, this is a feature I would get a lot of use from.

And then there's the size. The 6.3-inch screen is marginally bigger than the iPhone 16's, and a big jump up from the 12 mini's 5.4 inches. But if you're going to go big, you may as well go that bit bigger, right?

The trickle down effect

None of this is new tech, by the way. It was all available in last year's iPhone 16 Pro. (Though interestingly, the iPhone 17 actually has a higher peak brightness outdoors – 3000 nits to 2000 nits – than the 16 Pro.) But it now comes in a more affordable package, one that's more within my means.

Bigger, brighter, with a higher refresh rate and a massive leap on from what I'm currently using, the iPhone 17's screen could finally convince me to put my hand in my pocket. And that's certainly not pr guff.

MORE:

AirPods Pro 3: everything you need to know

The iPhone 17 Pro looks great, but the standard iPhone 17's screen upgrades mean it’s probably all a cinephile needs

The Apple iPhone Air promises the firm's advanced screen and audio tech in a thinner body

I'm a big fan of Apple's Pro iPhones.

I've owned every Pro model from the last few years, and I think the iPhone 17 Pro looks awesome. If I'm honest, I think Apple had me the moment I saw that new Cosmic Orange finish.

But for me, the really important aspects of a phone are the picture and sound quality. I primarily use my phone for watching movies and listening to music on the go, after all, and I suspect that if you're a regular What Hi-Fi? reader, it's the same for you, too.

That's why, this year, I think the standard iPhone 17 could be the best iPhone to buy, rather than the Pro model.

You see, the iPhone 17's screen is a massive upgrade on the iPhone 16's. It's bigger, for starters, up to 6.3 inches from the previous model's 6.1 inches.

It's finally got a 120Hz refresh rate, too, which might not have much of a bearing on movies, but does make a huge difference to the general fluidity and responsiveness of the display, and I don't think I could live with a phone without 120Hz after living with the Pros that have it.

That refresh rate is variable, too, thanks to Apple's ProMotion tech, which is essentially VRR for phones. Again, not something that matters to movies, but it makes a big difference to games that support it and extends battery life by reducing the refresh rate when all those extra frames aren't needed.

More importantly for movies on the move, though, is that peak brightness has been increased from 2000 nits on the iPhone 16 to 3000 nits.

That's specifically for when you're using the phone outdoors, and it's exactly what you need if you find yourself occasionally watching a TV show or, more regularly in my case, the football or F1 while on the bus or in a pub garden.

What's most interesting is that, on paper at least, the iPhone 17's display is identical to that of the iPhone 17 Pro. I can't remember the last time the standard iPhone and Pro model had the same display specs.

I'm starting to think, then, that the iPhone 17 could be the sweet spot in the new range if, like me, you're a content consumer rather than a content creator.

There's a big difference in price, after all – £300 between the iPhone 17 and 17 Pro in the UK.

On the other hand, there is an even bigger version of the Pro – the 6.9-inch iPhone 17 Pro Max – and you can't beat size when it comes to cinema, even if it is portable cinema.

And have I mentioned that I really like the Cosmic Orange finish?

MORE:

Here's the news on the iPhone 17 and 17 Pro, and their massive new batteries

One more thing: where are the new HomePods?

AirPods Pro 3 launch with "breakthrough audio performance", improved ANC and longer battery life

Apple has announced the launch of its thinnest smartphone yet – the iPhone Air.

Measuring in at 5.6mm wide with a 6.5-inch OLED display, the Air is being marketed as Apple's thinnest to date. Despite this it has some very cutting edge specifications, including the same 3000 nits of brightness as the new iPhone 17 it was unveiled alongside.

That's a 1000 nit increase on the older iPhone 16's peak brightness that should make it much better for outdoor movie viewing and potentially boost HDR performance.

Apple claims the Air's "exceptionally light" design is achievable thanks to the addition of titanium frame, which has previously only been used in the Pro range. Apple also note that it is using 80 per cent recycled titanium which is the highest percentage for the brand so far.

New Ceramic Shield 2 is also in play which provides improved antireflection, scratch resistance, and significantly better crack resistance for the rear glass than the previous Ceramic Shield according to Apple.

Under the hood of the iPhone Air is the A19 Pro chip which Apple says is the "fastest CPU in any smartphone." The company says this provides three times the computing power of the previous A18 Pro chip, featuring a 6-core CPU for improved bandwidth.

AI is, of course, getting a bigger push with this thin model. Apple has built neural accelerators into each GPU core which the company says provides "MacBook Pro levels of compute in an iPhone."

On top of that, the N1 Apple-designed chip brings Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6 connectivity to the phone. There's also a new modem design in the form of the C1X, which Apple says is up to two times faster than the previous iteration. So streaming hi-res music shouldn't be beyond it, even if Apple's not given any detail on specific audio improvements to the phone.

It comes in four colour options: Space Black, Cloud White, Light Gold and Sky Blue.

But what about the camera? Well, the iPhone Air features a 48MP fusion camera system including a 2x Telephoto system. Apple says this is to adds to the sensor's ability to capture ultra-sharp images and improve low-light performance.

It is capable of capturing 4K Dolby Vision video, complete with a 18MP front Centre Stage camera so you don't need to rotate your camera to snap a landscape selfie.

There's also a Dual Capture feature which uses the front and back cameras at once, creating an overall image that looks reminiscent of the social media app BeReal.

It's worth noting that this new iPhone model does not feature a SIM port, and is moving over completely to eSIM.

The battery life has an "all-day" battery life according to Apple, with up to 40 hours of video playback.

That all sounds exciting, but there is the all-important question of how much this new iPhone will set you back. Apple announced it will be available for $999, but has yet to confirm how much this would be in the UK or Australia. If we were to convert that directly, however, it would come to about £740 / AU$1518.

You can pre-order it from this Friday with availability from 19 September.

We're yet to get the iPhone Air in our test room to see how it performs, especially when it comes to video playback and listening to music, but stay tuned for our full review coming soon.

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Check out our review of the iPhone 16

Samsung Galaxy S25 vs iPhone 16: which should you buy?

Apple has officially unveiled the much rumoured iPhone 17 series at its September "Awe Dropping" event.

It has launched a quartet of new smartphones, with the standard model, Pro and Pro Max models being joined by a super-slender new device.

We're focusing on the standard iPhone 17, as well as the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max; however, you can find everything iPhone Air-related here.

These new devices take the baton from the five-star iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro, with upgrades to the internal components, design and, most importantly, displays.

In true Apple fashion, the company hasn't shouted from the rooftops about the new AV capabilities of these phones, instead opting to focus on cameras, AI and the new A19 processors.

That being said, we're experts at reading between the lines to decipher what new upgrades are coming to these iPhones to make them even better portable devices for movies and music.

iPhone 17

Apple gave the base model iPhone a fairly substantial upgrade last year with the iPhone 16, so we're not surprised to find that the iPhone 17 is a fairly modest update in comparison. It looks almost identical to the model it's replacing on the outside, but Apple has thankfully made some under-the-hood improvements.

While the 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display remains the same size as the iPhone 16, it features thinner bezels. It finally gets Apple's ProMotion display tech too, which allows for an adaptive 1Hz to 120Hz refresh rate; something that has been previously reserved for the Pro-series iPhones.

Furthermore, this display is considerably brighter at 3000 nits. The iPhone 16's peak of 2000 nits is considerably lower.

Audio-wise, Apple is keeping things simple with Dolby Atmos support over the phone's stereo speakers, as well as via Bluetooth headphones, including the newly announced AirPods Pro 3.

Inside the iPhone is the new A19 processor, which is developed in-house at Apple and is set to enhance day-to-day performance, improve battery life and support Apple's growing AI suite.

Apple Intelligence has been a bit of a bust until now, but the company promises that the iPhone 17 will usher in a new era of AI features.

Charging and battery life are also hugely upgraded on the iPhone 17, with a claimed eight hours more battery life compared to the 16 when it comes to video playback. Furthermore, just 20 minutes of wired charging will supposedly top the battery up by a staggering 50 per cent.

Software-wise, the iPhone 17 is running Apple's latest iOS 26 operating system, which redesigns the software with a new Liquid Glass look, complete with transparent elements and a new look for all icons and user interface elements.

The camera also gets a boost with a new 48MP main lens that promises crisp and detailed pictures, and it's paired with a 48MP ultra-wide lens, which widens the shots without scaling back picture quality, according to Apple.

Selfies also get a boost with a front-facing centre stage camera that utilises a new sensor that lets you hold onto the device in a portrait orientation to take landscape-style selfies.

Elsewhere, you'll find a tougher Ceramic Shield 2 coating for three times better scratch resistance, and Apple now bonds this coating to the display glass at an atomic level. There's also a new seven-layer anti-reflectivity coating on the display glass, which should reduce pesky glare.

Interestingly, Apple won't be offering a Plus variant of its standard iPhone this year, leaving the iPhone Air with its 6.5-inch display to fill in this role. However, it is bumping the base storage up to 256GB.

The iPhone 17 is available in five finishes – White, Black, Sage, Misty Blue and Lavender – and it launches on the 19th of September, starting at £799 / $799 / AU$1399.

iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max

Apple has also uncovered its expected duo of Pro-series iPhones.

We'll start with the smaller of the two devices, which appears to be quite different from its processor. The Award-winning iPhone 16 Pro served up a stellar picture experience with its 6.3-inch OLED display, and the iPhone 17 Pro appears to carry that forward with a similarly specced display.

This year, the size remains the same, and it continues to support Dolby Vision HDR. Apple's ProMotion adaptive refresh rate technology also returns, which allows the display to adapt from 1Hz to 120Hz.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max scales up to a 6.9-inch display; however, the rest of the display specifications remain the same as the standard-sized iPhone 17 Pro.

Both devices feature an all-new aluminium unibody design, which is a interesting walk back on the titanium frames that Apple has championed for the last two generations of Pro-level iPhones.

According to Apple, this is all due to heat dissipation, which should result in better battery life and performance. The rear glass has also been swapped out for the new Ceramic Shield 2 material, which makes it more durable. Apple claims that this strategy has worked, as it allows for 39 hours of video playback on a single charge.

However, in a confusing twist made by Apple, that figure only relates to the eSIM-only models, with the traditional SIM-tray style devices dropping two hours of battery life.

The new design also incorporates a new "extended plateau" design, which is a raised bar that houses the camera system, which is comprised of three 48MP lenses, including an improved telephoto lens for even better zoom performance. This camera array allows users to record video in Dolby Vision HDR up to 120fps.

Inside the Pro and Pro Max is the new A19 Pro processor, which is set to allow for slicker day-to-day operation, AI interactions, and gaming performance. Base storage has also been increased to 256GB, with a new 2TB model available for those wanting to store unwieldy amounts of photos, music and movies.

The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max launch on the 19th of September, and come in three new shades: Silver, Deep Blue and Cosmic Orange. Pricing starts at £1099 / $1099 / AU$1999 for the 17 Pro, and £1199 / $1199 / AU$2199.

MORE:

Read our full iPhone 16 review

As well as our iPhone 16e review

And check out our picks for the best iPhones

If you thought Samsung was done announcing new smartphones and tablets for 2025, then you ought to think again.

After launching no less than eight new smartphones this year – four of which are different versions of the flagship Galaxy S25 series – and three new iterations of the Galaxy Tab S10, Samsung is back with yet another phone and its latest generation of iPad adversaries.

Samsung Galaxy S25 FE

We'll start with the Galaxy S25 FE, as it's likely the least exciting of the trio of new handheld devices. It sports a Full HD+ Super AMOLED 2X display, with a variable 120Hz refresh rate and a claimed 1900 nits peak brightness.

The display also supports HDR in Samsung's usual HDR10 and HDR10+ combination, although the ProScaler feature that we highly endorsed in our Galaxy S25 Ultra review is sadly not included. That means that lower resolution content will not get the added sharpness and clarity, which is certainly a shame.

However, what you do get is Samsung's Adaptive Vision Booster engine, which adapts the brightness of the display in accordance with ambient lighting conditions and the content on the screen.

Furthermore, you get a plethora of Samsung's premium handset features, such as an Armour Aluminium and Gorilla Glass Victus chassis, a triple rear camera array with 12MP ultra-wide, 50MP wide-angle, and 8MP telephoto lenses, and Samsung's One UI software.

Interestingly, Samsung has chosen this mid-range device to launch its new One UI 8 update, meaning the software experience could be even slicker than the flagship S25 Ultra. Samsung has, however, confirmed that One UI 8 will launch on the rest of the S25 range later this month.

The Galaxy S25 FE starts at a very reasonable £649, and is available in four finishes: Icyblue, White, Navy and Jetblack. Could this be the Android-based answer to Apple's iPhone 16e?

Galaxy Tab S11 and Tab S11 Ultra

The more intriguing duo of devices from Samsung's latest lineup are the Tab S11 and Tab S11 Ultra. These are two high-end tablets that tout OLED displays and plenty of AV potential, which could spell trouble for Apple's iPad Pro.

The Galaxy Tab S11 features an 11-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, with a variable 1Hz to 120Hz refresh rate, a peak brightness of 1600 nits, and support for HDR10 and HDR10+.

The Tab S11 Ultra scales that screen up to a whopping 14.6 inches, outdoing Apple's 13-inch iPad Pro M4, though the rest of the specs remain the same as the standard Tab S11.

ProScaler and Adaptive Vision Boost are both supported, meaning lower resolution streamed content should look pin-sharp on these displays thanks to Samsung's clever image upscaling capabilities.

While Samsung is touting the largest display on a Galaxy Tab device to date, it's not compromising when it comes to the design, as these are two super-slender slabs of glass and metal. The Ultra weighs just 692g and measures in at a mere 5.1mm in width.

The S-Pen also gets an upgrade, with a new design that snaps onto the side of the tablet magnetically for charging and convenient storage.

While Samsung is yet to confirm, all of its recent smartphones and tablets have supported Dolby Atmos audio over headphones (wired and wireless) and over speakers, so we expect the Tab S11 series to follow suit.

The Tab S11 starts at £799 for the 128GB Wi-Fi-equipped model, but the price quickly increases to £1149 if you opt to upgrade to 512GB storage and add 5G compatibility.

The Tab S11 Ultra, on the other hand, starts at a cool £1199 for the 256GB Wi-Fi model, with a 1TB version with 5G enabled costing £1699.

Samsung's new handheld devices are available to order now.

MORE:

Read our full Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review

And check out our iPad Pro 13-inch M4 review

Here are the best smartphones for movies and music

Nestled between the more affordable Galaxy S25 and the feature-packed Galaxy S25 Ultra, the Galaxy S25 Plus offers a compelling proposition for those seeking flagship performance without the premium of Samsung's top-tier device or the commitment to the S Pen stylus.

From £999 / $1000 / AU$1449 for the 256GB model, the Galaxy S25 Plus sits directly alongside Apple's iPhone 16 Pro in terms of pricing, making the comparison between these two flagships almost inevitable.

For many people, the choice between Android and iOS ecosystems will have already been made, but for those sitting on the fence or considering a switch, the Galaxy S25 Plus presents a strong case for Samsung's vision of premium smartphone design.

The question, as always with incremental smartphone updates, is whether Samsung has done enough to justify the upgrade from previous generations – and more importantly, whether it can hold its own against increasingly competitive rivals in the premium smartphone space.

Price

The Galaxy S25 Plus starts at £999 / $1000 / AU$1449 for the 256GB model, with a 512GB variant available for £1099 / $1120 / AU$1649. In the UK, the prices have currently dropped to £899 and £999, respectively.

This pricing puts it in direct competition with Apple's iPhone 16 Plus and around the same ballpark as Google's Pixel 9 Pro – all while offering a significant saving over Samsung's own Galaxy S25 Ultra.

For context, this positions the Galaxy S25 Plus as a premium mid-flagship – more expensive than Samsung's base Galaxy S25, but considerably more affordable than the top-tier Ultra variant.

The pricing strategy makes sense, offering buyers most of the premium features without paying for the Ultra's additional camera capabilities and S Pen functionality that many users will never fully utilise.

Crucially, Samsung's base model also offers double the storage of its iPhone 16 Pro rival. Apple’s offering starts with a frustratingly stingy 128GB for the same price as the base 256GB Galaxy S25 Plus. This makes the Galaxy S25 Plus particularly compelling for users who prefer owning their media files and rely on local storage for high-quality playback.

Build

Samsung has crafted something rather covetable with the Galaxy S25 Plus's design and build quality – at least, in a world where smartphone design innovation has all but stagnated.

While there’s nothing unexpected or groundbreaking, the device feels beautifully well-made and premium in the hands, with a quality that rivals Apple's own iPhone construction. The rounded aluminium frame, combined with a gorgeous frosted glass back, creates a smartphone that's a joy to hold and use daily.

Purists will also particularly appreciate Samsung's attention to symmetry – the rear camera lenses are perfectly aligned, unlike some Android smartphones that seem to throw symmetry out the window when it comes to camera placement. This might seem like a minor detail, but it contributes to the phone's overall sense of refinement and considered design.

The frosted glass back deserves special mention as a particularly pleasant finish. Beyond its attractive appearance, it proves resistant to fingerprints and smudges, maintaining that fresh-from-the-box appearance long after the new gadget feeling wears off.

Our only real criticism of the design centres on the absence of a dedicated shortcut button – an increasingly popular feature on new smartphones. A programmable button could open frequently used apps such as Spotify or Netflix, or even serve as a camera shutter button for photography enthusiasts.

While this omission doesn't detract from the overall build quality, it does feel like a missed opportunity in an otherwise polished design.

Features

The Galaxy S25 Plus arrives with a comprehensive suite of AV-focused features that should appeal to entertainment enthusiasts.

At its heart sits a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED display with a variable refresh rate spanning 1Hz to 120Hz, supporting HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision formats. The screen delivers a crisp 1440 x 3120 resolution with 498 pixels per inch.

Audio capabilities include stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support, though as expected, there's no headphone jack – users will need to rely on USB-C adapters or wireless connectivity. Bluetooth 5.4 with high-quality codecs is also on the cards.

Powering the device is Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy processor – a slightly overclocked version of Qualcomm's flagship chipset.

This is a significant upgrade for UK and European buyers, who previously received Exynos variants that often lagged behind their Snapdragon counterparts in performance and efficiency. Thank you, Samsung.

A 4900mAh battery delivers excellent all-day battery life that will easily see you through a full day of heavy usage, with some users able to stretch into a second day with more conservative habits.

The 45W wired charging and 15W wireless charging get the job done, though we wish the likes of Samsung, Google, and Apple would catch up with other smartphone manufacturers, such as Oppo, Nubia, and Xiaomi. Those less mainstream brands all offer much faster charging, from 65W to 120W.

Galaxy S25 Plus storage options include 256GB and 512GB variants, both paired with 12GB of RAM, though there's no microSD expansion available.

Camera duties are handled by a familiar triple-lens set-up – a 50MP main sensor, 12MP ultrawide, and 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom.

While Samsung hasn't upgraded the camera hardware from previous generations, improved processing delivers reliably excellent results across various shooting conditions. Daylight photography produces sharp, vibrant images with good dynamic range, while the main sensor handles low-light scenarios admirably – you'll be more than happy with selfies even in a dimly lit pub.

The 3x telephoto provides useful flexibility for portraits and distant subjects, though digital zoom beyond this point shows the limitations of the smaller sensor. The ultrawide lens, while perfectly serviceable for group shots and landscapes, represents the weakest link in the camera array, with slightly softer detail and reduced dynamic range compared with the main sensor.

Video capabilities extend to 8K recording with solid stabilisation, making it a capable choice for content creators. Samsung's AI-enhanced photo editing tools, including object removal and generative fill features, work impressively well for quick touch-ups without the need for dedicated editing software.

Samsung's One UI 7 software brings enhanced AI features, including improved photo editing tools, real-time translation capabilities, and Samsung's ProScaler technology borrowed from the company's TV division. This feature claims to upscale video content by up to 40 per cent, though real-world improvements can be subtle depending on source material quality.

Picture

We test the Galaxy S25 Plus extensively, using both the Vivid and Natural picture modes, with the adaptive refresh rate enabled for optimal performance. The display immediately impresses, with Samsung's signature vibrant, punchy colours and the deep, rich blacks that OLED technology delivers so effectively.

The default colour temperature sits slightly on the cool side but remains pleasingly close to pure white. While most users will find the defaults perfectly acceptable, it's a simple matter to adjust the warmth manually in the display settings to suit personal preference. The comprehensive colour customisation options ensure you can tailor the visual experience to your taste.

However, direct comparison with the iPhone 16 Plus reveals some subtle but noticeable differences. The Galaxy S25 Plus lacks some of the cinematic warmth that Apple's rival provides, and we detect a slight green tint when viewing the devices side by side. This green wash isn't problematic in isolation, but it becomes apparent when scrutinising both devices simultaneously.

Contrast performance, while strong, doesn't quite match the iPhone 16 Plus's capabilities either. The Apple device delivers a more solid, three-dimensional presentation that makes content appear to pop from the screen more convincingly. The Galaxy S25 Plus offers sharp, well-defined edges, but they lack the contrast reinforcement that gives the iPhone its more substantial visual presence.

Motion handling proves mostly excellent, though we notice some judder during demanding sequences – particularly evident in the tank scene from Oppenheimer. While not desperately unpleasant and unlikely to bother most viewers in isolation, it represents another area where the iPhone 16 Plus demonstrates superior performance.

Taken on its own merits, the Galaxy S25 Plus delivers an excellent picture quality experience. It's an engaging screen for movies, gaming and general app usage, with enough display customisation options to satisfy most preferences. The minor issues we've highlighted become apparent primarily when making direct comparisons to best-in-class rivals, rather than representing fundamental flaws in Samsung's implementation.

Sound

The Galaxy S25 Plus delivers a solid audio performance that's improved considerably compared with previous Samsung generations, though it still trails its Apple rival in terms of refinement and subtlety. Testing with various headphones via a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter reveals a generally pleasant listening experience with good spatial separation between instruments.

Complex tracks such as Tool's Pneuma showcase the device's ability to handle intricate arrangements, with Danny Carey's sophisticated drum sequences receiving enough separation and precision to appreciate the complex fills and hypnotising hi-hat work. The Galaxy S25 Plus demonstrates commendable control over these demanding passages.

Agnes Obel's Riverside highlights the phone's capacity for delivering spacious, airy vocals with genuine warmth, fullness and depth. The intimate acoustic arrangement benefits from Samsung's improved processing, creating an engaging listening environment that draws you into the performance.

However, bass-heavy material such as Wolfclub's Summer Lights exposes some limitations. While the low-end remains controlled and without distortion, and there's good separation between bass elements and crisp percussion, the chorus sections reveal a slight harshness in the treble frequencies. The vocals and bass can become somewhat muddied together during particularly dense arrangements.

This tendency becomes more apparent with Pendulum's Witchcraft, where the controlled bass reproduction is undermined by overly sharp highs. Cymbal crashes feel slightly harsh and somewhat unbalanced compared with other mix elements, creating a less cohesive overall presentation.

While these observations might sound overly critical, they reflect the high standards we apply to premium smartphones. Overall, the Galaxy S25 Plus serves up a very pleasant listening experience that will satisfy most users. However, compared with the iPhone 16 Plus, Samsung's device lacks the subtle detail retrieval and textural richness that make Apple's audio performance so compelling.

Verdict

The Galaxy S25 Plus represents Samsung at its most accomplished, delivering a refined flagship experience that successfully balances premium features with more sensible pricing. While it may not represent a revolutionary leap forward from previous generations, it offers the kind of iterative excellence that makes for an outstanding daily driver.

For Android users seeking a premium smartphone experience, the Galaxy S25 Plus makes a compelling case. The build quality rivals anything else in the market, the display delivers vibrant, engaging visuals for entertainment, and the performance capabilities ensure smooth operation across all tasks. Battery life comfortably handles full-day usage, too, while the comprehensive feature set covers all the essential smartphone bases.

The comparisons with Apple's iPhone 16 Plus are inevitable given their similar pricing, and while Samsung's device doesn't quite match its rival's picture contrast or audio subtlety, these differences become apparent primarily through direct side-by-side analysis. Most buyers will find the Galaxy S25 Plus's AV performance more than satisfactory for their entertainment needs.

Perhaps most importantly, the Galaxy S25 Plus offers most of the Ultra's premium features without the price premium, making it the logical choice for buyers who don't require the S Pen or the absolute best camera system Samsung offers.

The generous 256GB base storage – double that of the iPhone 16 Pro at the same price point – makes it particularly attractive for users who prefer owning their media files and rely on local storage for high-quality playback. In the Android ecosystem, it stands as a superb, premium choice that delivers excellent value.

For existing Galaxy S24 or S23 Plus owners, the improvements may not justify an immediate upgrade. However, for those with older devices or considering a switch to Samsung's ecosystem, the Galaxy S25 Plus provides a compelling entry point to flagship Android performance.

SCORES

• Picture 4
• Sound 4
• Features 4

MORE:

Also consider the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

Read our review of the Apple iPhone 16 Pro

Read our Sony Xperia 1 VI review

Best smartphones: the best phones for music and movies

Google's 2025 hardware announcements have, by phone launch standards, been quite eventful for us.

The new Pixel 10 series actually boasts some new AV-focused upgrades that should make them better devices for consuming movies and music, thanks to brighter OLED displays across the range and improved speakers with better bass.

However, there is one thing missing from this new Pixel lineup, and it isn't a phone.

Cast your mind back to 2023, and you'll remember Google launched the Pixel Tablet, a truly unique hybrid device that was half tablet, half smart home speaker.

It included a magnetic speaker dock in the box, which users could snap the tablet onto for charging and, more importantly, improved audio.

It's been over two years since this nifty portable device launched, and Google has been rather quiet on the tablet front ever since. We liked the Pixel Tablet, awarding it four stars on account of its sharp and natural image and impressive audio capabilities.

So, when Google announced its annual Made by Google reveal event, I began wondering if we'd see a sequel to this quirky tablet. Sadly, that did not come to fruition as I watched the event start to finish last night.

It's a shame, as I think it's a bit of an overlooked gem in the tablet space, which in itself is practically dominated by Apple's iPad range.

We rarely see a tablet that's this focused on providing such a comprehensive audio experience, hence why I'm disappointed by the lack of a sequel.

And I'm not just talking about the speaker dock; the Pixel Tablet's built-in speakers were surprisingly potent, with a clear and full-bodied performance that made them more than acceptable for a spot of out-loud movie watching.

It's worth noting that Google still sells the original model, meaning it hasn't necessarily left its only tablet in the dust. However, there are no signs that it's developing a new version.

My wishlist for a new model includes a beefier speaker dock with better dynamics and a bit more oomph.

Notably, we mentioned that the Pixel Tablet dock wasn't directly comparable to any of the best Bluetooth speakers when it came to sound performance, so a revised version with an even better audio experience would be a significant win.

MORE:

Read our full Pixel Tablet review

As well as our iPad Air 13-inch review

And check out our picks for the best tablets

We're only about three weeks away from the iPhone 17 launch. Traditionally, price is one of the last nuggets of information to leak, and while Apple is pretty good at keeping its marketing materials under wraps until the big reveal, there's enough information to make a reasonable prediction.

Spoiler: it's not good news.

We're most probably looking at a price rise, which would be the first significant one for an iPhone – not including the SE range – since the iPhone 12. Here's why.

Raising the barrier to entry

Rumours are, of course, far from gospel. We've seen some wildly inaccurate ones over the years. But when a lot of them say the same thing, including some reputable sources with a good track record of being on the money, it's worth taking note.

That's what's happening now. While the list of those predicting a price rise does include some randoms on Weibo, it also encompasses market analysts like Counterpoint Research, accurate leakers like Instant Digital and established media like the The Wall Street Journal.

The most common one regarding price is that Apple will drop the 128GB model of iPhone Pro, starting the 17 Pro at 256GB. This would raise the starting price to £1099 / $1099 / AU$1999.

While not technically a price rise – you would pay the same for a 256GB iPhone 16 Pro today – it would still raise the barrier to entry.

Apple has previous with this. It did the same with the iPhone 15 Pro Max in 2023. So such a move seems likely for the iPhone 17 Pro. After all, who's buying a 128GB phone nowadays, especially one as well-specced as a Pro Max? Even with cloud storage, 128GB really is a paltry amount.

But there's potentially bad news for even those considering a non-Pro model of iPhone. Another rumour posits a $50 price rise across the range. Which would be the first 'proper' price rise since the iPhone 12 in 2020.

Brace yourselves, as we can see this coming to pass.

All rise?

It's worth noting that while the core iPhone range hasn't really increased in price since the iPhone 12, Apple is by no means a stranger to price rises.

Last year's iPad Pro M4 launched at £50 / $200 / AU$200 more than the model it replaced, though it did add an OLED screen. Prices for Apple's AirPods have stayed in line in recent years, but the price of Apple's more affordable iPhones have crept up.

The first iPhone SE launched in 2016 at £399 / $399, which stayed the same for the second-gen model in 2020. This increased to £429 / $429 for the third-gen SE in 2022. But this year's iPhone 16e raised it to £599 / $599 / AU$999.

That's hardly budget by most standards. But then with the levels of inflation we've seen in recent years, the definition of 'budget' has changed. Everything has become more expensive. Really, it's amazing we've not seen a similar increase to the core iPhone range.

2020 was a long time ago, after all. Boris Johnson was Prime Minister, Netflix's Tiger King was the talk of the town, and everyone was struggling to adjust to the 'new normal'. It was like a different world.

Apple is also rumoured to introduce a new iPhone 17 Air model in September. Any change to the existing lineup will come with significant research and development costs, which again, suggests a price rise is on the cards.

Certain of uncertainty

Then there's the shadow of US tariffs that loom large over any discussion of price.

To say the situation is a little confusing would be understating it. Apple has recently invested over $500 billion into the US in a bid to avoid tariffs. CEO Tim Cook even presented President Trump with a little statue.

Even if the plan works and Apple doesn't have to pay the tariffs, it's unlikely to just suck up that hit of a half billion dollars. Sonos recently announced it would rise prices on some products later this year, due to tariffs hitting its production hubs of Vietnam and Malaysia. So all tech companies are feeling the effects.

But with tariffs being repeatedly paused and changed, the only certainty businesses have is uncertainty. Which is something they really don't like.

Prepare to pay more

It's been a good run. The fact that the base level iPhone has remained at £799 / $799 since the days of Bad Boys For Life lighting up the box office is really quite staggering.

But all the signs are there. Global economic turmoil, price rises elsewhere, plus Apple's own recent product history all point to the iPhone 17 costing more than its predecessor.

We'll find out for sure next month.

MORE:

Check out all the iPhone 17 rumours

What we know so far about Apple's rumoured folding iPhone

And the best smartphones around

Flip phones are in fashion, the latest Fantastic Four blockbuster is taking the box office by storm, and Oasis are on tour; hard to believe it's somehow 2025 and not the noughties.

Flip phones, however, look quite different nowadays, as evidenced by the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7, which we have before us today.

The company’s foldable line has come a long way since its inception with 2019’s Galaxy Z Fold. Six years on from that experimental stage, the Korean tech giant treats these bendy smartphones with the same reverence as its long-running Galaxy S lineup.

It seems to have learned a lot since its first generation, which makes the Z Flip 7 one of its most compelling foldable smartphones to date. That’s good news indeed, considering it’s following two particularly excellent handsets from the brand.

Last year’s Z Fold 6 proved to be one of the biggest surprises of the year, thanks to its impressive display and audio performance, while the video upscaling feature introduced on the Galaxy S25 Ultra ensured a five-star score for that premium handset.

So, can the Z Flip 7 hold a candle to these impressive smartphones when it comes to AV duties?

Price

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 officially starts at £1049 / $1100 / AU$1799 for the 256GB model, though a 512GB model is also available for £1149 / $1220 / AU$1999. Both models feature 12GB of RAM and Samsung’s Exynos 2500 processor.

The Z Flip 7 is priced squarely in the premium sector, then. It’s slightly cheaper than the Galaxy S25 Ultra (£1249 / $1300 / AU$2199), though it's pricier than the Award-winning Apple iPhone 16 Pro (£999 / $999 / AU$1799).

Perhaps the best comparison is with the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which costs from £1199 / $1199 / AU$2149.

Build

If it wasn’t immediately clear, this is a foldable phone, which means that the design itself is a key feature.

This is a clamshell-style flip phone, reminiscent of the flip phones from the early 2000s. That means you can snap the phone shut after a phone call if you’re feeling particularly sassy.

Unlike the flip phones of old, the outer surface of the Z Flip 7 features a 4.1-inch edge-to-edge Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, which can be used to interact with a range of applications or access key information at a glance, such as the weather or calendar entries.

Our favourite use for this display, however, is interacting with the media controls while streaming music. There’s something pleasing about having a palm-sized portable music player, which makes us yearn for the days of iPods.

Unfolding the phone reveals a 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, which sports a crucial video-focused feature that we’re thrilled to see – a 21:9 aspect ratio.

That’s the classic ratio for movie content. Sony used to be the champion of this, but it has unceremoniously ditched 21:9 for its recent flagship Xperia devices.

Implementing this into a foldable form factor, as Samsung has done, makes a lot of sense, as the long, slender chassis of previous 21:9 phones made them a bit awkward to carry around.

A compact shell that can be folded in half for enhanced pocketability is a smart move that also satisfies our AV priorities.

This is also a particularly slim phone. It's not quite as slender as the razor-thin Z Fold 7, but at just 13.7mm when folded and 6.5mm unfolded, the Z Flip 7 is an unquestionably slender smartphone.

Despite the slim design, Samsung has made sure to keep its latest smartphone rugged thanks to its Aluminium Armour frame, as well as Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 covering the fragile glass elements to help reduce the likelihood of scratches or cracks.

The hinge has been upgraded, too, with Samsung touting its latest generation Armour FlexHinge as being more durable than ever before. It also provides a tighter seal when the device is closed, as well as a smoother folding action.

On the subject of the folding mechanism, we should also point out that Samsung has taken huge strides in reducing the screen crease, to the extent that it’s barely noticeable to the eye or the touch.

Finally, with four finishes to choose from – Jetblack, Coral Red, Shadow Blue and Mint – it's a stylish phone too. We have the Shadow Blue model, which looks rather smart thanks to the metallic shine that shifts the colour when light hits it.

The one blemish on the design front is that the Z Flip 7 is an absolute fingerprint magnet, with the internal screen picking up smudges with frustrating ease.

Features

Samsung’s smartphones have boasted famously extensive feature sets in recent years. And they have only grown in the last 18 months, thanks to the unwavering onslaught of AI integration.

The Galaxy AI suite is, as expected, featured on the Flip 7, with the likes of Circle to Search with Google, Live Translation, Writing Assist, and a wide range of photo and video editing tools.

The list seems to grow continually, and Samsung has previously updated existing models with new AI features, so in all likelihood the Flip 7 will become even more AI-ified over time.

Samsung has, in fact, promised to deliver seven years of software upgrades to the Flip 7.

While AI tricks are fine and useful, we’re much more interested in AV performance. The main display features a resolution of 2520 x 1080, with a pixel density of 397ppi.

It’s an OLED display, which is ideal for deep, convincing blacks, and while the 1080p resolution may seem off-putting in a world of 1440p devices, we can assure you that the display is plenty sharp enough.

As we’ve already mentioned, the Z Flip 7 features a 21:9 aspect ratio, which is practically perfect for watching a large variety of films, thanks to the fact that the black letterbox bars are totally eliminated. 16:9 content is where things get a bit trickier, however, as sizable black pillar bars are added to the left and right of the image.

Both the internal and external displays feature Samsung’s Dynamic AMOLED 2X technology, so they support variable refresh rates up to 120Hz. This makes gaming and interacting with the UI feel great, and the screen can intelligently drop the frame rate when it comes to static content; for example, if you’re reading a webpage on your phone.

The cover and main displays are both officially rated at 2600 nits peak brightness, though the main screen gets a major AV boost in the form of HDR10+ support. Practically all of the major streaming services now support HDR10+ content in some form or other, including Netflix and Disney+, which both adopted the format recently.

Dolby Atmos audio is also supported via the phone’s stereo speakers (formed of a downward-firing speaker and the earpiece), as well as through wired and wireless headphones.

There is no headphone jack, unsurprisingly, but you can hook wired cans up to the phone via a 3.5mm to USB-C adapter. Wireless audio is also available over Bluetooth 5.4 with the A2DP and LE codecs supported.

As for the remaining features, the Z Flip 7 sports three cameras in total: a 50MP main lens, a 12MP ultrawide lens and a front-facing 10MP camera. The joy of the Flip series is that you can use the main high-quality camera as a selfie shooter thanks to the cover screen, which can be used as a viewfinder.

Camera performance is solid on the Flip 7, with colourful, punchy and crisp images that should suffice for anyone who carefully cultivates their Instagram profile.

Rounding things out with the battery, Samsung has upped the capacity to 4300mAh, which is apparently the biggest battery in a Z Flip device so far. It claims 31 hours of video playback. In real-life terms, we find that it can easily make it through a day with moderate to heavy use, including music and movie streaming.

Picture

We’ve already established that the Z Flip 7’s main display is particularly well-suited to watching movies in terms of specs and dimensions, but how does its picture performance hold up? We stream a range of content from the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ to the device, and find that it's impressive, but not without flaws.

We find the best results when pairing the device with some cinematic content that fills the 21:9 aspect ratio, such as Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning on Netflix. Here we find that the Z Flip 7 produces a crisp and detailed image, with a nice sense of three-dimensional depth.

There is tangible detail to the fabric of the suits worn by the gang of operatives, as well as to skin texture. Skin tones are perhaps a touch on the vivid side, but generally speaking, the display handles colours well, albeit not entirely authentically.

Users can choose between a vivid and natural colour preset – we lean towards the latter for our testing, though we do appreciate the ability to tweak the colour temperature in the default Vivid mode. The Natural preset, however, is the more accurate overall.

On motion, we find that a couple of panning shots in Blade Runner 2049 stutter briefly, but broadly speaking, motion is fine. Moving objects, such as Officer K’s scout drone in the opening sequence of the film, glide with relative smoothness.

One area where the Z Flip disappoints is, strangely, brightness. As we’ve established, the display is rated to a peak brightness of 2600 nits, the same as the Galaxy S25 Ultra. However, placing the two handsets side by side reveals that the S25 Ultra is clearly brighter.

In isolation, it’s still evident that the Z Flip 7’s display is quite dim, even with auto brightness switched off and the extra brightness setting enabled. That dimness robs the picture of some of its impact.

Getting back on track, we’re happy with how the Z Flip handles dark details. Areas of Sapper Morton’s farmhouse in Blade Runner 20249 that are bathed in shadow don’t entirely hide the piano, armchair or sofa, allowing us to dig out a good bit of detail here.

While we generally approve of the Z Flip’s picture performance, it doesn’t quite compare to another five-star handset on the market. The iPhone 16 admittedly doesn’t feature a nifty folding form factor, but it does deliver a richer and more cinematic experience.

We prefer the slightly warmer tone that the iPhone delivers, and contrast is also better on the Apple smartphone. It also happens to cost considerably less. Admittedly, those dedicated to the Google operating system likely won’t give the iPhone a second look, but it's worth considering if you’re open to iOS.

Sound

Samsung’s recent batch of smartphones has sounded good, rather than great, and the Z Flip 7 is no exception. Loading Tidal on the phone and plugging in a pair of wired headphones, we find the Z Flip checks plenty of boxes, but it doesn’t necessarily go above and beyond.

Using a range of test tracks from the likes of Hans Zimmer, Aurora, Kansas, Taylor Swift and Hozier, we find that the Z Flip reliably delivers a crisp and detailed sound, with a solid sense of timing.

Voices sound clean and natural, and there is a decent sense of spatial separation between the voices and individual instruments of the test tracks we opt for. Switching on the Dolby Atmos audio feature heightens (pun intended) this effect, with an even more open feel to the sound, though it does lose a touch of focus in the process.

When it comes to dynamics and subtlety, we actually consider it to be better than the pricier S25 Ultra, which can sound strained at higher volumes and a bit flat when the volume isn’t pumped up.

However, it's the iPhone 16 that once again steals the spotlight, as it offers a richer, more natural, and harmonious sound. Instruments feel more textured, and voices are more detailed with greater importance placed on low-level dynamics, resulting in a more emotive performance.

Verdict

Foldable phones have quickly matured during their relatively short time on the smartphone scene, and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 cements this notion. It’s interesting enough to stir conversation when you whip it out of your pocket, but it’s conventional enough that you don’t have to adjust too greatly if you’re coming from a “normal” phone.

For those looking to make it their new portable movie and music consumption device, we think it’s a solid offering with some thoughtful additions, namely the 21:9 display and the ability to use it as a compact music player when folded.

That being said, the Z Flip 7 just misses the mark on pure picture and sound performance, so stick to the traditional non-flexible smartphones if a five-star AV experience is what you’re after.

SCORES

• Picture 4
• Sound 4
• Features 5

MORE:

Read our review of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

Also consider the Apple iPhone 16

Read our Apple iPhone 16 Pro review

Best smartphones: the best phones for music and movies

Google has teased its latest generation of smartphones, including a full reveal of the Pixel 10's design. The latest iterations of the Android-powered handset are set to launch next month, with a launch event scheduled for 20th August.

The Pixel 10, which is designed in-house at Google and will be powered by the company's Tensor processor, appears to be practically identical to the outgoing Pixel 9 series in the early teaser images.

That being said, we're expecting to see numerous under-the-hood upgrades. Namely, a new version of the Tensor processor and likely a handful of new AI features; Google has been pushing its Gemini AI service on several of its products, including the Google TV Streamer.

Little else is known about what the Pixel 10 series will bring to the table, and we are yet to hear any rumblings about its AV potential.

However, if it's anything like the Pixel 9 series, which featured OLED panels with HDR10+ support and Qualcomm's aptX HD Bluetooth codec for high-quality wireless audio, then we could be in for a treat.

We'll have to wait until 20th August to find out more, with a full livestreamed unveiling expected. No timings have been confirmed as of yet, but we will provide full coverage of the event, so stay tuned.

MORE:

Check out our picks for the best smartphones

As well as our Google Pixel 8 review

And our Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review

Samsung has announced its latest series of foldable smartphones – and there's a lot to cover, so strap in.

The new devices are the Galaxy Z Fold 7, Galaxy Flip 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE, the first of which is a successor to a five-star handset from last year.

Both the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 feature the ProScaler upscaling feature that launched on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which Samsung says it created in tandem with its 8K TV division.

We approved of this feature greatly on the Ultra, so are looking forward to seeing how it performs on the new foldable phones.

Pair that with Dolby Atmos support with the speakers and headphones (both over a wired and wireless connection), and the new Samsung Galaxy smartphones could be a pair of AV powerhouses.

The Fold 7 sports a slender new design that is just 4.2mm thick when unfolded, complete with a new Armour Flex hinge and multi-rail structure for a smoother folding action.

Despite its paper-thin frame, it has been outfitted with Samsung's latest Advanced Aluminium Armour casing, as well as Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and Ceramic 2 coatings for enhanced durability.

It also has new displays, with a larger new 8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X Quad HD interior display, which features a dynamic refresh rate up to 120Hz and a claimed peak brightness of 2600 nits.

The cover display is arguably even better for watching movies, as it's a 6.5-inch screen with a 21:9 aspect ratio (and the same specification as the interior display), perfect for cinematic content.

Samsung's new flagship foldable sports the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite for Galaxy processor, and either 12GB of RAM with the 256GB and 512GB models or 16GB of RAM with the 1TB version.

You'll also find an upgraded camera system, with the 200MP main lens from the S25 Ultra making its way to the Z Fold series, backed by a 10MP telephoto and a new 12MP ultra-wide lens with autofocus.

Moving on to the new Galaxy Z Flip 7, this smartphone also sports a new design with an edge-to-edge cover display and a 6.9-inch 21:9 aspect ratio main display.

The main display sounds ideal for consuming movies on the go, with HDR10+ support, a claimed 2600-nits peak brightness, and a dynamic refresh rate of up to 120Hz.

Samsung has opted to switch to an Exynos chipset with the Flip instead of a Qualcomm processor, though it still supports the same Android 15 operating system with One UI 8 running over the top, and all of the Galaxy AI features on board.

Finally, the dual-camera system sports a 50MP main and 12MP ultra-wide lens, with enhanced night-photography performance.

Samsung also launched a surprise new foldable in the form of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 FE, which is an affordable entry point into the Galaxy Z series.

It looks to be an updated version of the existing Z Flip 6, with a 6.7-inch AMOLED main display and plenty of Samsung's latest software features, including Galaxy AI and the Now Brief system.

These new flexible phones are set to launch on the 25th of July, and you can find pricing for all new models below:

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, available in Silver Shadow, Blue Shadow, Jetblack and Mint:

• 12GB/256GB: £1799 / $TBC / AU$TBC
• 12GB/512GB: £1899 / $TBC / AU$TBC
• 16GB/1TB: £2149 / $TBC / AU$TBC

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7, available in Coral Red, Blue Shadow, Jetblack and Mint:

• 12GB/256GB: £1049 / $TBC / AU$TBC
• 12GB/512GB: £1149 / $TBC / AU$TBC

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 FE, available in Black or White:

• 12GB/128GB: £849 / $TBC / AU$TBC
• 12GB/256GB: £909 / $TBC / AU$TBC

MORE:

Read our full Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 review

As well as our Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review

And check out our picks for the best smartphones

Nothing has unveiled its latest flagship smartphone, the Nothing Phone (3).

We've always been a little ambivalent about the young brand's attempts at making budget wireless earbuds, but we have some affection for how it handles smartphones.

The Nothing Phone (1) is an admirable performer, and I've personally got two Nothing phones stashed in my backpack for taking pictures of various test products.

That flagship range of smartphones could do with some improvement, though, and that's just what Nothing teased with its big unveiling at the start of July.

Wholesale upgrades have been promised, but there are some major tweaks that I think could take the Nothing Phone (3) to the next level.

A faster, smoother experience

Powered by Snapdragon's 8s Gen 4 mobile platform, Nothing's latest flagbearer comes burdened with the promise of a faster, smoother user performance from its implementation of Nothing OS 3.5, with the British brand boasting a 36 per cent faster CPU and an 88 per cent faster GPU compared with the old model.

That's encouraging stuff, as one of the things I've occasionally struggled with has been the occasional lag or imprecision of my second-gen handset. Only sometimes, the Nothing (2) can feel a tad sluggish or unresponsive, especially if you're used to the lightning-fast reaction times of Apple's latest iPhone roster.

I'm also hoping that improvements to the mobile platform will result in fewer bugs. At key moments, the second-gen model can completely crash when operating certain apps or using the camera – rectifying those issues would make my photography sessions even more of a breeze.

Even better cameras

Whether it's the Nothing Phone (1) or the Phone (2), I much prefer snapping product pics with the former pair than with my iPhone 15 – they're clearer, richer and are more adept at giving pictures a sense of depth and scale. Seriously, I love those cameras.

The fact that those cameras are being upgraded this time around, then, is exciting news. The new flagship boasts a 50-megapixel lens alongside a 50MP ultra-wide lens and a 50MP telephoto lens, improvements that tease more dynamic and authentic reproductions, even in low light.

For someone who spends much of his time snapping on-hand pictures of oft-tricky products, that's an exciting prospect.

I also like the fact that there's a small square red dot on the back of the device that lights up when you start recording with one of the main rear cameras.

Speaking of lights...

Glyphs are back, baby!

I mean this completely unironically: I love the Nothing glyphs. Ok, I don't use them particularly often, but there's a fun novelty of having the back of your phone light up in a variety of configurations depending on the function being performed or the alert being received. I like products to be fun, and glyphs are certainly fun, if nothing else.

Nothing has had a rethink of how it's implementing glyphs into the Nothing Phone (3), debuting a new glyph matrix design housed in a screen mounted on the phone's backside to the right of the camera array.

That new matrix lets users customise their glyph with a range of functionalities, a little like modding your favourite video game, later down the line. For now, there's a healthy array including a 'spin the bottle' feature, a stopwatch, a timer and a spirit-level bubble type thing.

I really like the idea of these new 'Glyph Toys'. Having a handy little window wherein you can quickly access a notification or function reminds me of the days of Blackberry, wherein you could see who had messaged you depending on the colour of the light the phone displayed next to its camera. I think my girlfriend was light purple...

Spin the bottle is a bit of a gimmick, but a back-mounted stopwatch or battery indicator? I can definitely see the appeal when you just want a handy tool accessible at a glance.

MORE:

Hands on: Nothing Headphone (1) review

7 tracks we've been using in our test rooms over the past month

These are the best smartphones you can buy

It's time to unholster our best 'Nothing' based puns, because the UK-based brand has revealed its latest smartphone.

The Nothing Phone (3) is the company's latest iteration of its flagship line, teasing improved performance and usability, plus a few AI surprises, at a competitive price.

Powered by Snapdragon's 8s Gen 4 mobile platform, the new flagbearer promises a sharper, smoother performance, with the company teasing a 36 per cent faster CPU and an 88 per cent faster GPU compared with the outgoing Nothing Phone (2).

The new smartphone boasts a 6.67-inch flexible AMOLED screen capable of hitting 4500 nits of peak brightness with a 460PPI pixel density.

It's less bulky, too, with an 18 per cent slimmer bezel compared with the second-gen flagship and updated glass for a more resistant, durable screen.

If snapping pics is your thing, the Nothing Phone (3) employs a multi-camera system, with each 50 megapixel camera capable of shooting at 4K and 60fps.

The Phone (3) boasts a 50-megapixel lens alongside a 50MP ultra-wide lens and a 50MP telephoto lens, while the selfie camera has been improved, offering 50MP for front-facing snaps over the 32MP boasted by the outgoing model.

What about those distinctive glyphs? Yes, Nothing's unique light show is back, albeit in a different way.

Instead of prioritising glyphs that light up in a given array across the phone's spine, new glyph matrix designs are housed in a screen mounted on the phone's backside to the right of the camera array, with users able to customise said glyph with a range of functionalities.

You can spin the bottle, set a timer or view how much battery you've got left, while a community of users can add their own later down the line.

The new phone will operate on Nothing OS 3.5 for the time being, but an update will see it upgraded to Nothing OS 4.0 later down the line.

The Nothing Phone (3) is available from 15th July for £799 / $799 / €799 with 256GB of storage, rising to £899 / $899 / €899 if you want the full 512GB version.

MORE:

Nothing's first over-ear headphones are tuned by KEF and tease stunning battery life

Hands on: Nothing Headphone (1) review

Best smartphones 2025: the best phones for music and movies

Apple has announced the latest iteration of its iOS software, and it's looking like quite the upgrade. The tech goliath touts this upgrade as its biggest change since 2013's iOS 7, with a new look and name signifying the shift.

Its new design ethos, titled Liquid Glass, is a sleek and fluid new take on iOS, with a greater focus on transparency and simplicity.

It's also got a new name; Apple is unifying its software offerings across its portfolio, meaning this new version is called iOS 26. The latest version of the software is expected to roll out this autumn alongside the rumoured iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro iPhone 17 Air.

The whole look is designed to be softer and more adaptive, meaning the transparent elements will dynamically react to what's on screen. Icons appear more rounded, too, and the clock and notifications found on your lock screen will adapt to your wallpaper.

So, what are the new features? Apple has announced changes across the whole software experience, with a new camera app, Safari web browser experience and a range of upgrades coming to practically every app on your iPhone.

However, we're drawn more to the new Apple Music upgrades coming with this update.

Dynamic album art will now take over your lock screen with an immersive animated look, and lyrics translations will also be added, so you can understand lyrics even if they're not in your native language.

There's also Automix, a new feature that Apple says will blend tracks intelligently for smoother transitions between songs. Finally, you'll be able to pin your favourite albums, playlists and artists to the top of the Apple Music app for quicker access to your most frequently accessed music.

Admittedly, this isn't a complete overhaul to Apple Music by any means, but a handful of new features and a new look are nice additions regardless.

iOS 26 is expected to launch with the (yet to be announced) iPhone 17 series later this year, and will be supported on the following iPhone models:

• iPhone 16e, 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max
• iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max
• iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max
• iPhone 13, 13 Mini, 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max
• iPhone 12, 12 Mini, 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max
• iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max

MORE:

Read our full iPhone 16 Pro review

As well as our iPhone 16 review

And find our list of the best iPhones here

Sony's Xperia series has been an oddity in the smartphone world for quite some time, and its dwindling popularity against heavy hitters such as Apple and Samsung is hard to ignore.

Despite the difficulties, Sony has remained steadfast in continuing production of its Xperia phones; that, though, might be about to change. Rumours are circulating that Sony's new Android smartphone will usher in a new era, in which it won't have a hand in its production.

A report from Smartphone Digest (via Android Authority) claims that the Xperia 1 VII, which was announced just a couple of weeks ago, won't be manufactured by Sony internally.

Instead, Sony could be outsourcing assembly of its latest premium smartphone to third-party manufacturers, as evidenced by the removal of any mention of smartphones on its manufacturing-focused website.

Sony already uses other manufacturers to assemble the step-down smartphones in its range, namely the mid-range Xperia 5 and entry-level Xperia 10, so the Xperia 1 appears to be following in the footsteps of its siblings.

Now, this doesn't necessarily mean that the Xperia range is winding down. However, it does seem that Sony has taken an unusually reserved approach to announcing its smartphones for the last couple of years.

The Xperia 5 V is still awaiting a successor, despite launching back in 2023. Though there might not be much use in waiting, as Sony reportedly cancelled the Xperia 5 VI last year.

The Japanese-language publication Impress Watch (also via Android Authority) reported that Sony opted to continue selling the five-star Xperia 5 V instead of launching a sequel, and the company is yet to confirm if the Xperia 5 series will return this year.

The Xperia 10, on the other hand, is often refreshed alongside the flagship model yet there was no mention of an Xperia 10 VII at Sony's last launch event.

Considering the last three generations of Sony's budget smartphones have picked up Awards, we're eagerly anticipating the next version's announcement.

Overall, it seems as though Sony's Xperia phones are in somewhat of a limbo state, though the 1 VII's upgrades to picture and sound performance are certainly appealing to us, so we hope to see the rest of the lineup get the same attention later this year.

As for the shift in manufacturing strategy, it's unclear what impact this will have on the new Xperia 1, though we didn't notice anything too out of the ordinary when we reviewed the latest generation Xperia 10 and Xperia 5 devices.

Generally speaking, it could either be the lifeline that the Xperia series requires, or Sony's way of sidelining its smartphone division without abandoning it entirely; only time will tell.

MORE:

Read our full Sony Xperia 1 VI review

As well as our Sony Xperia 10 VI review

And check out our picks for the best smartphones

September has become synonymous with new iPhone launches – and this year’s announcement could see the arrival of an entirely new model.

Rumours are rife that Apple is preparing to launch a new ultra-thin iPhone, much as Samsung has done with its new Galaxy S25 Edge.

So just how thin could it be? And what compromises might Apple have to make to achieve it? We’ve combed through all the latest speculation and summed it up for you below.

• iPhone 16e vs iPhone 16: which should you buy?
• The iPhone 16e's downgrades are in all the right places if movies on the move are your priority
• iPad Air M3 vs iPad Pro M4: what's the difference?

iPhone 17 Air: Release date speculation

Until the iPhone 17 Air (a pretty solid prediction for what it will be called given the use of the ‘Air’ name in Apple’s other products) is officially announced, any suggested release date is purely speculation. Having said that, you can practically set your watch by Apple’s iPhone launch schedule, so we can at least attempt to narrow it down somewhat.

Five of the past six iPhone launch events have happened in the first half of September (between the 7th and 14th), with only 2020’s iPhone 12 coming later due to disruption caused by the Covid pandemic that swept the world in that year.

With reports suggesting that Apple will start to split its launches across two periods, and with this being a new entry into the iPhone range, it could be that the Air model is held back for 2026 – but the expectation is that this new spring window will be for cheaper models such as the iPhone 16e.

iPhone 17 Air: Price predictions

It’s fair to assume that the Air would slot into the iPhone range in the same way that the iPad Air and MacBook Air fit into their respective product line-ups: right in the middle.

That will leave the iPhone Pro (and its larger Max variant) at the top of the range, with the Air coming in slightly cheaper, and the standard iPhone remaining as the most affordable option of the most recent generation. A cheaper 17e model would be unlikely to appear until further down the line (possibly as part of the aforementioned spring release).

In terms of actual prices, specific numbers would be pure speculation right now, particularly given the uncertainty caused by recent tariff changes in the US. Donald Trump has recently threatened to charge Apple a 25 per cent tariff on any iPhones sold in the US that are made outside the country (Apple has recently shifted production of the majority of its US-bound phones from China to India).

When the iPhone 16 launched last year, prices were generally the same as they were for the iPhone 15 (in Australia they actually went down), but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them rise this time round.

As a rough guide, here are the prices for the current iPhone range:

iPhone 17 Air: Design and build

The Air name implies lack of weight rather than thinness, but ever since Steve Jobs unveiled the original MacBook Air by removing it from a manila envelope the main selling point of Apple’s Air products has been just how impossibly skinny they are.

Various rumours have the iPhone 17 Air pegged to measure between 5mm and 6.25mm thick, but, with a camera bump expected to be part of the design, chances are it won’t be a uniform thinness from top to bottom.

Wherever in that spectrum it might land, it would still be the thinnest iPhone ever made, a title that’s currently held by the 6.9mm iPhone 6, and around 2mm thinner than the current iPhone 16 Pro (above).

The iPhone 6 was released more than a decade ago, though, and handsets have increased in size since then as manufacturers have had to find space for bigger screens, more capable cameras, and higher-capacity batteries to power them.

It seems inevitable that some compromises will have to be made to achieve such a slimline chassis. The suggestion is that a titanium-aluminium alloy will be used to keep the weight down to around 145g.

iPhone 17 Air: Display

There are some minor disagreements when it comes to the rumoured size of the iPhone 17 Air’s screen, with some saying it will be a 6.6-inch OLED and others suggesting it will come in at a slightly larger 6.7-inches.

The former would put it in between the current iPhone Pro Max and the standard iPhone (above). This works in terms of its position in the range – but, with such a small margin between the two, either would seem equally plausible.

What most reports do agree on is that it will have 120Hz ProMotion display technology and offer an always-on mode, with a Dynamic Island to house the Face ID sensors. Some analysts, however, disagree on whether that will remain unchanged from the iPhone 16 range.

Jeff Pu has suggested that the Dynamic Island could be made smaller on the Pro Max, but Ming-Chi Kuo believes that it will remain “largely unchanged” across the entire iPhone 17 line-up.

There have also been some speculative suggestions that the iPhone 17 Air could use an entirely new screen technology in order to achieve the necessary thinness. Back in October 2024, DigiTimes reported that Apple would be one of the first companies to buy screens that use TDDI technology, which combines the touch and display layers. Sounds ideal for a new super-thin iPhone, right?

iPhone 17 Air: Specs and features

Each new iPhone generation comes with a new chip to power it – and the iPhone 17 Air is expected to be no different.

Apple will introduce its new, more powerful A19 processors with the iPhone 17 range and as usual it will comprise two different chips: the A19 and A19 Pro. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to pair 8GB of RAM with the standard A19, which makes sense for a couple of reasons.

First, the Pro version of the chip tends to be reserved for the Pro version of the phone (the clue’s in the name), and with the slim chassis meaning there is less room for the battery – one leak suggests it will have a capacity of just 2800mAh – a less power-hungry chip would be required to make it last as long as possible between charges.

That might sound paltry – for context the battery inside the new 6.7-inch Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, which measures 5.8mm thick, is 3900mAh and lasts about a day – but there are multiple reports that Apple will use a new type of higher-density silicon-anode battery technology to make it last longer than the raw numbers would suggest.

There is a suggestion that a case with a built-in battery will also be available, but surely even the most ardent Apple fan wouldn’t buy a phone that’s USP is thinness and then make it fatter with a case.

The iPhone 17 Air could also see a couple of changes in terms of connectivity. For starters it’s expected to ditch the physical SIM tray in favour of an eSIM. That might seem like a minor change but it will help to free up more crucial space within the chassis, while it could also be the only model in the iPhone 17 range to use Apple’s own C1 modem, which is currently found only in the 16e (above).

iPhone 17 Air: Cameras

The biggest compromise looks to be made when it comes to the iPhone 17 Air’s camera.

Smartphone buyers have grown accustomed to handsets with multiple lenses crammed onto the back, but a recent video posted on X by known leaker Majin Bu shows just a single camera on the back of the iPhone 17 Air.

Most Apple tipsters expect this single camera to be a 48MP job, the same as you currently get on the iPhone 16 Pro, with a 24MP one on the front.

iPhone 17 Air: Early verdict

We’re still a little way away from the expected reveal of the iPhone 17 Air, but with every new leak a clearer picture of what it could look like is starting to appear.

While the exact dimensions won’t be known for certain until it is made official at Apple HQ, it seems certain that we’ll be shown the thinnest iPhone ever made. But will it come at the expense of its camera capabilities and battery life?

We should know for sure in early September.

MORE:

iPhone 17 preview: price predictions, specification rumours and all the features we expect to see

iPhone Fold preview: design rumours, price leaks and everything we know so far

Browse today's best Apple deals: iPhone, iPad, HomePod

These are the best smartphones for music and movies

Sony has officially announced the latest flagship in its long-running Xperia smartphone line, with the Xperia 1 VII touting a wide range of AV upgrades over its predecessor.

It's set to provide a picture and sound-first approach – something we've approved of for many generations – with a new partnership that should "take sound quality to the next level".

Sony's smartphone team has enlisted the help of the Walkman division to boost audio quality on this new handset. The Sony Xperia 1 VII remains one of the very few flagship phones to include a 3.5mm headphone jack, but Sony has taken it a step further in its dedication to audio performance on its smartphones.

Sony claims that it tested a range of high-quality internal components from its Walkman portable music players, leading to a new headphone jack that is manufactured with high-quality solder containing gold to "enhance the reproduction of subtle sounds" and "improve the soundstage and directional accuracy".

For those who prefer to listen to their music over a pair of the best wireless headphones, you'll be pleased to hear that the LDAC and aptX Adaptive Bluetooth codecs are supported for high-quality wireless audio. It also supports Dolby Atmos over the speakers and via headphones.

As if those audio upgrades weren't enough, Sony has also improved the full-stage stereo speakers on this handset; it's touting an "even more realistic" sound, which isn't a quantifiable upgrade per se, but we'll take an upgrade regardless.

Sony is also continuing its partnership with its Bravia TV division, something that was established in greater detail last year after the launch of the updated Bravia TV range (which includes the Award-winning Bravia 8 OLED TV).

The new smartphone's 6.5-inch Full HD+ OLED display has been tuned by Bravia, and it features a 120Hz dynamic refresh rate too. While we do miss the overkill 4K 21:9 display from the Xperia 1 V and IV, we understand the benefits to usability and battery life. Plus, if the performance is anything like that of the five-star Xperia 1 VI, then we should have nothing to worry about.

In fact, Sony says it has implemented an AI system to help reproduce some of the best aspects of its Bravia TVs, including colour, contrast, texture and three dimensionality.

The display is also getting a 20 per cent brightness upgrade, as Sony claims it's the brightest screen in an Xperia device to date. It's paired with a new rear light sensor that should adapt the display settings to suit a range of ambient light conditions.

Elsewhere, the Xperia VII features the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite processor with 12GB of RAM, and it runs Android 15; the latest version of the operating system. Sony has jumped on the AI bandwagon with its new Xperia Intelligence suite, which plays a hand in the picture, sound and photography aspects of this device.

On the subject of photography, the Xperia 1 VII sports three rear sensors in total: a 48MP main shooter, 12MP telephoto lens, and a 48MP ultrawide camera. These should pair well with Sony's professional camera app and dedicated camera shutter button for an in-depth smartphone photography experience.

The Sony Xperia 1 VII is available to order now for £1399 (a £100 increase from the Xperia 1 VI's price), and you can pick between three finishes: Slate Black, Moss Green and Orchid Purple. Sony is also running a promotion in which you can get a free pair of the excellent, Award-winning WH-1000XM5 wireless headphones if you pre-order the Xperia 1 VII.

Much like the previous generation devices in this series, it appears as though Sony will not launch the Xperia 1 VII in the US.

MORE:

Read our full Sony Xperia 1 VI review

And our Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review

Check out our picks for the best smartphones

The iPhone 16e marks quite the departure from Apple’s previous budget phones.

The last iPhone SE, which came out during the reign of the iPhone 13 series, had a smaller, lower-resolution screen than all of the ‘proper’ iPhones and was the only one without HDR. It had a shorter battery life, too.

It was still good for the money, but the iPhone SE rather gave off my-first-iPhone vibes, and it was a serious downgrade if watching movies was a priority.

The iPhone 16e is very different. It has an HDR OLED display that’s the same size as that of the iPhone 16, and with an identical pixel density. And battery life is, in fact, better than the iPhone 16’s.

Sacrifices have been made, of course, but they’re in all the right places if your priorities align with ours – and the performance bears that out.

Price

iPhone 16e prices start at £599 / $599 / AU$999. That gets you 128GB of internal storage, but 256GB (£699 / $699 / AU$1199) and 512GB (£899 / $899 / AU$1549) versions are also available.

Each version of the iPhone 16e is £200 / $200 / AU$400) cheaper than the equivalent iPhone 16.

That pricing is rather unusual, in that it sits below the cheapest premium phones from other brands (there’s no Samsung Galaxy S25 at this level, for example) but doesn’t drift into the genuine cheap smartphone category in which you will find the Award-winning Sony Xperia 10 VI (£349 in the UK but not available in the US or Australia).

Design

The 16e is immediately recognisable as a modern iPhone, but there are some obvious design differences between it and the standard iPhone 16.

The most obvious of these is the camera. We’re so used now to seeing bug-eye arrays of lenses on the back of our phones that the iPhone 16e’s single lens makes the rear of the phone look a bit naked.

That rear is glass, like the iPhone 16’s, but it isn’t ‘colour-infused’. In fact, the iPhone 16e isn’t available in any colours: you can only choose between black and white.

The phone’s surround is aluminium, again like the iPhone 16’s, but the finish is light silver regardless of whether the main body is black or white.

All told, our white sample looks really crisp and smart, and certainly far from cheap.

The front of the phone features Ceramic Shield technology, though seemingly of an older design than is used on the iPhone 16. The IP68 rating remains, however, and means the iPhone 16e is waterproof down to 1m for up to 30 minutes.

Given that the iPhone 16e’s screen is almost identical in size to that of the iPhone 16, it’s little surprise that the two phones are almost identical in terms of overall dimensions. The 16e is around a millimetre less tall than the 16 and a gnat’s whisker less wide, and there’s just 3g of difference in weight. Depth is an identical, and very svelte, 7.8mm.

Features

The iPhone 16e’s screen is a 6.1-inch OLED affair with a resolution of 2532 x 1170. That’s actually a few pixels shy of the iPhone 16’s 2556 x 1179 thanks to the slightly different profile of the phones’ corners, but side-by-side, the screens appear identical in size.

Pixel density is the same 460ppi (pixels per inch) and, like its more premium siblings, the iPhone 16e supports all four major HDR formats: HLG, HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision.

However, while the 16e has the same claimed contrast ratio of 2,000,000:1 as the other iPhone 16 models, its peak brightness is lower: 1200 nits in HDR compared with 1600 nits for the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro.

Also, unlike the other iPhone 16 models, the 16e isn’t able to further boost brightness in very bright, outdoor lighting. This is definitely something to bear in mind, and we’ll come back to it in the picture section.

The iPhone 16e’s screen also differs from those of the other iPhone 16 models in that it has an old-school notch rather than the Dynamic Island. Truthfully, while the Dynamic Island occasionally presents some neat contextual touches, such as teeny tiny album artwork when playing music, it doesn’t feel essential, and it’s no less intrusive than a notch when watching movies.

Powering the iPhone 16e is the same A18 chip that you’ll find in the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro, but while it has the same number of CPU cores (six) and Neural Engine cores (12), the iPhone 16e has four GPU cores compared with the iPhone 16’s five and 16 Pro’s six.

That ‘missing’ GPU core makes the iPhone 16e slightly less powerful when it comes to intense graphical challenges, but it has no trouble with any of the games we throw at it during testing. You’ll likely only feel the difference in games and apps that appear in the coming years, so how much this deficiency matters to you will really depend on how long you tend to keep your phones.

In day-to-day use, it’s the CPU that matters most, so it’s little surprise that we find the iPhone 16e performs just as snappily as the iPhone 16 when navigating the OS and switching apps.

As mentioned, the biggest, most obvious downgrade for the iPhone 16e is to the camera system, but it’s surprising how little difference this makes for much of the time.

While the 16e does without the 16’s 12MP ultrawide camera, it has the same 48MP ‘Fusion’ main camera, and most of the daylight shots we take using both phones during testing are exceptionally alike.

The iPhone 16 pulls out a little more shadow detail, but for general contrast, sharpness, detail and colours, all of the photos could have been taken by either phone.

The subjects of portrait shots are a little more softly defined by the iPhone 16e than the iPhone 16, which uses its ultrawide camera for increased depth recognition, but they still look lovely.

But it’s nighttime shots that are most different, with the 16e digging up way less information than the iPhone 16. It’s still more than good enough to document all of the sordid details of a night out, but if you’re serious about dark photography, the iPhone 16e might not be for you.

Ditto if you’re into snapping insects or flowers: without that Ultra Wide lens, the iPhone 16e doesn’t have a proper macro photography mode.

Picture

We start our picture testing with Alex Garland’s excellent Civil War in Dolby Vision from the Apple TV app, and the results are very much in line with what we’ve come to expect from Apple’s smartphones.

The picture is beautifully sharp, detailed and vibrant, just as this film is supposed to be. In the hugely tense scene in which the team of journalists crosses the path of an unhinged, racist militia member (played to chilling perfection by Jesse Plemons), the iPhone 16e does a great job of crisply defining the terrified characters against the lush, bright landscape behind them, and of revealing their fear and shock in the close-ups of their faces.

The red of the militiaman’s bizarre glasses is brilliantly vivid, and while it’s true that there’s a little red oversaturation in general when compared against the iPhone 16, the small amount of extra rosiness the iPhone 16e occasionally adds to skin tones isn’t unpleasant and never looks unnatural.

Switching to Alien: Romulus, again in Dolby Vision via the Apple TV app, we find to our surprise that the iPhone 16e is actually a little more strident in the depth of its blacks than the iPhone 16 is.

That makes for an even more solid and contrasty appearance, but it does come at a cost to shadow detail. When watching in a dimly lit room, the iPhone 16e still digs up plenty of picture information from the dark corridors of the Renaissance space station, but in a bright room, it can be a little hard to keep up with all of the action.

The iPhone 16’s ability to tap into greater brightness reserves allows it to punch through more ambient light, too, so if you regularly watch movies in very bright conditions, it’s marginally worth spending the extra money on the ‘proper’ iPhone.

In most conditions, though, the iPhone 16e is pretty much a match for its more expensive sibling, which means it delivers a really satisfying cinematic experience in a very portable package.

Sound

Apple barely talks about audio quality with any of its phones or tablets, yet it produces some of the best-sounding examples of those devices – and the iPhone 16e is no exception.

Using a pair of quality headphones (whether wireless or wired via a USB-C adapter), the sound is more or less identical to that of the iPhone 16. Which is to say rich and warm but not coloured, brilliantly punchy and rhythmic, and terrifically detailed and dynamic.

A couple of times during testing, for example with Trials of the Past by SBTRKT and Speaking Gently by Badbadnotgood, we get the faintest sense that the iPhone 16e is hitting the leading edge of notes a little more crisply than the iPhone 16 but that the latter has a little more volume to those notes, but we are talking exceptionally slim margins.

It’s a different story with the integrated speakers, which have definitely been downgraded for the iPhone 16e. The budget phone doesn’t go as loud as its more expensive siblings, and it’s significantly less weighty.

But while the iPhone 16e sounds a little lightweight compared to the best phones, it’s also detailed, energetic and fairly spacious, so it will more than do in a pinch.

Verdict

The iPhone 16e is a very different proposition to Apple’s SE phones of old. This is a phone that delivers most of the iPhone 16 ownership experience, particularly where picture and sound quality are concerned, for a healthy chunk of change less.

If you’re more than just a point-and-shoot photographer or you regularly watch movies in very bright sunlight, the iPhone 16 or 16 Pro are worth the extra outlay, but for most people, the iPhone 16e feels like all the phone they will need.

SCORES

• Picture 5
• Sound 5
• Features 5

MORE:

Read our review of the Apple iPhone 16

Also consider the Sony Xperia 10 VI

Best smartphones: the best phones for music and movies

A foldable iPhone called, it figures, the 'iPhone Fold' is the rumour that will not die, but maybe with good cause. Because while the device has been rumoured for the best part of a decade, now there are signs it could finally launch soon. This September, in fact, alongside members of the iPhone 18 family (though not, curiously, the iPhone 18 itself).

So what rumours are currently circulating? And how could Apple's first foldable stand out from the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold and Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold?

One report goes into detail on the latter, spelling out how Apple could take the lead in the foldables war.

Here's everything we know so far.

iPhone Fold: design rumours

Foldable phones come in two varieties: 'standard' foldables that open like a paperback book, and flip phones (like those from the early 2000s) that open like a make-up mirror. Samsung makes both: the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is the former, and the Z Flip 7 the latter.

Apple's iPhone Fold has been linked to both designs in the past, which doesn't help clarify which form factor the device will actually take. Early rumours said it would be a flip phone, while more recent rumblings concern a more standard foldable design.

We would expect the latter, as it would allow for a larger screen. Flip phones typically have smaller screens, whereas more standard foldables often open up to offer a display of around 7-8 inches across the diagonal. That's the equivalent of a small tablet like the iPad Mini.

(Indeed, one render via AppleInsider shows a more square form factor when unfolded, similar to the iPad Mini.)

With Apple's mobile OLED screens among the best in the business, we would expect it to use a standard foldable design in order to maximise screen real estate.

As for where that leaves the iPad Mini, it's anyone's guess...

iPhone Fold: launch rumours

A foldable iPhone has been rumoured for years, with many potential launch windows mooted. But recently more credible sources have been weighing in, with a consensus – of sorts – emerging.

If they're right, the iPhone Fold could launch as soon as this September.

Analyst Jeff Pu predicts (via 9to5Mac) that the foldable iPhone will launch in 2026 alongside a foldable iPad. This backed up a previous report by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

Pu and Gurman are two of the most reliable Apple analysts around. While some others predict we won't see Apple's foldable(s) until 2027, the fact that these two agree suggests we might see Apple enter the foldables arena sooner rather than later.

Respected tipster Momentary Digital says that Samsung is expected to begin mass production of its foldable screen – for use in the iPhone Fold – in May, which would suggest a September launch is on the cards.

It could play havoc with the usual iPhone launch schedule. A recent report says that Apple might split its future iPhone launches across two separate release windows – so the Fold, Pros and Air in the autumn, and lower-end models (non-Pros and iPhone 'e' variant like the recent iPhone 17e) the following spring.

That's in order to give the foldable more prominence at the launch event without the more affordable phones being lost in the sea of announcements.

The foldable iPhone could be updated annually, making it a permanent member of the iPhone family. Korean news site ET News reports that the foldable will sit above the Pro and Pro Max in the annual iPhone lineup – meaning it could be higher-specced that most rumours have said. And even more expensive.

iPhone Fold: screen speculation

But we don't have to rely on intuition as to what size screen Apple will use. There's a very high likelihood the screen pictured above will feature in the iPhone Fold.

The display in question is made by Samsung Display, a major supplier of iPhone screens. It's the firm's first crease-free foldable display, and was shown off at trade show CES 2026 (as spotted by SamMobile).

At the show, Samsung showed the screen side by side with that of the Z Fold 7, the firm's latest foldable. The Z Fold 7 earned four stars from us, and while we commented that you can see its screen crease at certain angles and especially with a bright light above, we added that it's "it’s genuinely invisible during normal, face-on viewing."

With this latest foldable screen, the crease promises to be genuinely invisible all of the time. Which would improve the viewing experience no end.

This was supported by previous reports from Business Koreaand Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman notes that the iPhone Fold will have a "much higher-quality hinge", echoing earlier reports that mentioned an amorphous alloy (metallic glass) hinge that's not only stronger, but able to go flatter when open too.

Leaker Setsuna Digital posted speculation on the hinge on Chinese social network Weibo. They support previous claims that Apple will use 'Liquid Metal' for the component, which is described as an "amorphous alloy" or "metallic glass." It's claimed to be 2.5 times tougher than an aluminium alloy, and be extremely resistant to bending, deformation and depression.

Leaker Fixed Focus Digital also commented that it's commonly thought within the industry that the iPhone Fold "may have a flatness exceeding that of many currently available domestically produced foldable screen models." Which suggests Apple has nailed the hinge.

So it seems Apple has addressed the two problems with early foldables: a visible screen crease, and flaky hinge that even snapped in some cases. Apple is unlikely to risk the reputational damage either of these issues would cause, hence the multiple delays to the iPhone Fold. Sometimes it pays not to be first to market.

There's more to go on. One of the most well-respected Apple analysts around, Ming-Chi Kuo, shared his predictions in a March 2025 blog post on what an iPhone Fold will look like.

He reckons the device will have a "book-like" design, with a 5.5-inch exterior screen and a 7.8-inch display once opened up.

That external screen would be smaller than that of the iPhone 17 (which is 6.3 inches), and than those of rivals the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 (6.5 inches) and Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold (6.4 inches). Its folded out screen would also be marginally smaller than the Z Fold 7's (8 inches) and the Pixel 10 Pro Fold's (also 8 inches).

We would expect a foldable iPhone to have the same 120Hz ProMotion display technology as the iPhone 17 family. This gives those phones double the maximum refresh rate of the 60Hz iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, meaning less blur during fast-moving games and movies.

iPhone Fold: potential specs

Lately, more details on the potential specs of the iPhone Fold have started to emerge.

In his extensive blog post, seasoned Apple watcher Ming-Chi Kuo predicts the foldable will be a "true AI-driven phone". Given the direction of travel in recent years across the smartphone sector as a whole, that's hardly surprising – even the entry-level iPhone 16e has artificial intelligence smarts.

"Multimodal functionality and cross-app integration are the trends in AI device use cases," he notes. "Larger screens enhance the AI experience, enabling scenarios like chatting with a chatbot about travel plans while viewing a full map app simultaneously."

Apple is keen to avoid a bulky device, and will reuse some of the technologies and techniques it used in 2025's year's ultra-thin iPhone Air, according to Mark Gurman. Which would mean Apple's own compact C1 modem (also used in the iPhone 16e), no SIM card tray and high-density battery tech.

Kuo agrees that it will be a slim device. He reckons it will measure between 9mm and 9.5mm thick when folded, and between 4.5mm and 4.8mm when unfolded. That would make it a little thicker than the 8mm iPhone 17 when folded, but noticeably slimmer when unfolded. It would also make it much slimmer than the iPhone Air (5.6mm) when unfolded, and comparable to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, which is 8.9mm thick when folded and 4.2mm when unfolded.

In terms of power, we can expect Apple's top processor at the time (presumably the A20, or A20 Pro if Apple launches two variants of the A20). And the battery is rumoured to be a whopping 5500mAh (according to Fixed Focus Digital). That would be the biggest battery of any iPhone ever – the iPhone 17 Pro Max only has a 5088mAh, making it the first Apple handset with a 5000mAh+ battery capacity. Though with two screens to power (one of which will be nearly 8 inches in size), the Fold will need all the battery capacity it can get.

It sounds like a very futuristic device, but in one regard it could take a bit of a step backwards. Kuo speculates that it will feature Touch ID on the side button instead of Face ID. He says Apple could leave out facial recognition tech because of space constraints within the device – if it can't slim down the front-facing TrueDepth camera module, it will leave it out altogether.

iPhone Fold: price rumours

The bad news is, it's going to cost you. Predictions vary, but they all agree on that.

Kuo pegs the price at around $2000 to $2500, while an analyst from Barclays Bank reckons it will cost $2300 (via MacRumors) and leaker Momentary Digital says between $2100 and $2300. Gurman's guess? "Around $2000" which he then refined in September 2025 to "at least $2000."

For reference, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 costs £1799 / $1700 / AU$2899, and the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold £1749 / $1799 / AU$2699. So if these rumours bear fruit, Apple's foldable would be pricier than its rivals.

Then that's hardly surprising. Apple's devices are premium through and through. Even its "budget" iPhone 16e starts at £599 / $599 / AU$999.

But would people really be willing to pay twice the price of an iPhone 17 Pro Max for a foldable iPhone? Some would, certainly, but in order to appeal beyond just the Apple diehards, the firm has to execute the phone brilliantly. It's certainly had long enough to work on it.

iPhone Fold: early verdict

There are a lot of moving parts to this story, so a lot can change. Indeed, a lot already has – this device was first mooted years ago, when foldables were in their infancy.

But the rumours are gathering pace, and with the most renowned industry watchers predicting a September 2026 launch, an iPhone Fold could become real pretty soon.

Apple's rivals have a big head start, with Samsung, Google and OnePlus already producing solid foldable phones that have reviewed well. So Apple has a big challenge on its hands.

To succeed, it will have to make a compelling case for foldables, convincing more than just early adopters that the device is a must-have, not just a nice-to-have. But for us fans of movies on the move, a fold-out big screen – sprinkled with a bit of Apple magic – could make it the phone we've been waiting for.

We'll update this article as more rumours emerge.

MORE:

Check out the best iPhones around

And the best Android phones

Want to go bigger? These are the best tablets

Samsung has revealed the latest additions to its Galaxy Tab family of tablets: affordable alternatives to the flagship S10 series. The Galaxy Tab S10 FE and Tab S10 FE+ feature premium designs and plenty of Galaxy AI smarts – although Samsung has dropped a staple feature of its mobile lineup to reach this lower price point.

The Tab S10 FE and S10 FE+ feature 10.9-inch and 13.1-inch displays, respectively; Samsung boasts that this is the largest display on an FE-series Tab yet. They feature trimmed-down bezels surrounding the screen for a sleeker look, and a claimed peak brightness of up to 800 nits.

Furthermore, Samsung has included its Vision Booster feature, which will reportedly deliver optimal viewing regardless of your environment – so an abundance of ambient light shouldn't impact your on-the-go movie watching.

Unfortunately, to meet the cheaper price point (more on that in a moment), Samsung has opted for LCD panels in these tablets instead of its punchy Dynamic AMOLED displays, which have proven to deliver rich colours and deep blacks on its previous tablets and smartphones.

These panels can reach up to 90Hz, which should deliver smoother scrolling and gameplay, but they probably won't be as responsive as the Tab S10+ and Ultra, which both feature 120Hz panels.

There doesn't appear to be any mention of HDR10+ support either, nor a reference to Dolby Atmos support for the dual speaker setup. Both of these features can be found on the more expensive Tab S10+ and Tab S10 Ultra.

Elsewhere, the Tab S10 FE and its plus variant feature the Exynos 1580​ chipset, with either 8GB or 12GB of RAM, depending on whether you opt for the 128GB or 256GB storage option. They both run Android 15 with Samsung's One UI skin. That includes the Galaxy AI feature suite, with Circle to Search with Google and the Gemini assistant supported.

The Tab S10 FE+ also boasts a large 10,090 mAh battery (8000 mAh on the standard version), and both models are available in grey, silver or blue finishes. Both versions include an S-Pen stylus in the box, and a keyboard cover case is available as an optional extra.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE and Galaxy Tab S10 FE plus start at £499 and £649 respectively, notably cheaper than the Tab S10+, which starts at £999. And those prices undercut Apple's iPad Air, which is currently £599 for the 11-inch version, or £799 for the 13-inch model.

Pricing and availability for the US and Australia are yet to be confirmed.

MORE:

Read our full Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra review

Check out our picks for the best tablets

As well as our iPad Pro 13-inch M4 review

Google has announced its latest mid-range phone, and it looks like a real rival to the iPhone 16e. Not only does the Pixel 9a cost £100 less than Apple's latest, it also has a brighter screen.

It's the latest model in the Pixel A series, which like the 'FE' variants of Samsung's Galaxy S handsets, is a stripped-back version of the brand's flagship phone.

As a mid-range model, it won't challenge the best smartphones around. But it does have a lot going for it.

For starters, its 6.3-inch OLED screen is 0.2 inches bigger than the iPhone 16e's. It also has a 120Hz refresh rate compared the 16e's 60Hz.

That should mean less blur during fast-moving films and games.

It's brighter, too. Google quotes a brightness of 1800 nits in HDR, and 2700 at peak brightness. That's more than double the 16e's equivalent figures of 800 nits and 1200 nits, respectively.

Though it's worth noting that the iPhone 16e has a slightly higher pixel density than the Pixel 9a.

Inside is the same Google-made Tensor G4 chip as the standard Pixel 9, which enables all sorts of artificial intelligence (AI) smarts including Gemini, Google's AI assistant.

And the phone has a new look, with a flat design and rounded edges.

The cameras have been upgraded, with 13-megapixel ultrawide and 48-megapixel snappers at your disposal. It gets the same Add Me feature as the Pixel 9, which lets you combine two group shots into one quickly and easily using AI.

With 30 hours per charge, and over 100 hours using the Extreme Battery Saver feature, the Pixel 9a promises the best battery life of any Pixel smartphone.

Though how long it will last will depend on what you're using it for.

It should be built to last – its IP68 rating means it's fully dust-proof and waterproof in up to 1m of water for up to 30 minutes.

It comes with over seven years of security and software updates too. So it could serve as your main phone well into the next decade.

The Pixel 9a comes in four colours (Iris, Peony, Porcelain and Obsidian) and starts at £499 for the 128GB model. That's £100 less than the iPhone 16e with the same storage. It goes on sale in April.

MORE:

What is an IP rating? And what do they mean?

What does 120Hz mean? Mobile screen refresh rates explained

iPhone 16e vs iPhone 16: what's the difference?

Samsung’s latest flagship smartphone has an AV ace up its sleeve. That’s right, the Galaxy S25 Ultra might look like an iterative update over its predecessor, but Samsung’s decision to put a spotlight on picture performance means that it immediately resonates with us, especially considering how its competitors have approached AV features in the past year.

Apple’s last batch of iPhones impressed, but picture and sound features were glossed over entirely in favour of AI features, while Sony opted to walk back on its movie-first approach by swapping out the 4K 21:9 display on the Xperia 1 VI for a more conventional screen. Samsung isn’t quite going for the completely dedicated AV angle that we’d like to see, but considering the wider smartphone market, we’ll take what we can get.

Now that we have the S25 Ultra in hand, does it live up to its promises? And more importantly, does it live up to our expectations?

Price

At £1249 / $1300 / AU$2199, there’s no getting away from the fact that the S25 Ultra is a pricey handset. It’s flanked by the iPhone 16 Pro (£1199 / $1199 / AU$2149) and Sony Xperia 1 VI (£1299 / $1700 approx / AU$2500), sitting squarely in the middle of these rivals.

That price will get you the 256GB model; however, there are larger storage options, including 512GB (£1349 / $1420 / AU$2349) and 1TB (£1549 / $1660 / AU$2749) for those who require more space for photos, music and apps.

There are also seven finishes to pick from, all of which look rather dashing and have slightly pretentious names; Titanium Black, Titanium Whitesilver, Titanium Grey and Titanium Silverblue are widely available, whereas Titanium Jadegreen, Titanium Jetblack and Titanium Pinkgold are exclusive to Samsung’s official store.

Build

While the genetic similarities to its predecessor are strong from a distance, the S25 Ultra features a design upgrade that makes it look slightly smarter and fit more comfortably in the hand. The titanium frame sandwiched between two layers of glass returns, though the edges have been rounded out this year, meaning the device doesn’t dig into our hands in the same way the S24 Ultra’s boxy corners did.

Much like the S24 Ultra, the new handset sticks with a flat screen, marking an end to Samsung’s curved displays that melted over the frames of its smartphones of old – well, the mid to late 2010s. Speaking of which, the display on the S25 Ultra has grown by 0.1 inches, leaving us with a 6.9-inch screen – this is due to Samsung shrinking the bezels of this phone by 15 per cent.

On the rear of the handset, you’ll find a smooth, matte glass rear panel; our review unit is the Titanium Silverblue finish, and we think it looks rather suave. The scattered cluster of cameras and sensors also adorn the rear panel, this year with a contrasting ring around each sensor. It’s still not our favourite smartphone design, especially compared to the sleek iPhone 16 Pro, though it's a bit more interesting than the mundane Xperia 1 VI.

Turning to the edges of the phone, you’ll find the left edge unobstructed, while the right-hand side features the power and volume controls. There’s a USB-C charging socket, SIM tray, downward-firing speaker and the S-Pen on the bottom of the phone, which is an identical set-up to the S24 Ultra.

Ultimately, the S25 Ultra certainly looks a lot like its predecessor. However, there is enough here to make it feel like a new generation, unlike the Apple iPhone 16 Pro, which looks practically identical to its previous iteration.

Features

As this is Samsung’s premier handset, there is an expectedly exhaustive list of features, as was the case with the Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Inside the phone, you’ll find the Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite for Galaxy processor backed by 12GB of RAM. As expected, this powerful combination ensures the phone is super responsive. That "for Galaxy" suffix hints towards the processor being an exclusive variant made by Qualcomm for Samsung, with a slightly higher clock speed.

The phone flies through the One UI 7 operating system, which runs on top of Android 15. It's worth noting that Samsung is promising seven years of software and security upgrades, so this phone should (theoretically) continue to receive updates through to 2032.

A major part of this device's software is the Galaxy AI system, which encompasses a wide array of AI tools and features. All the favourites from the S24 Ultra return, including the incredibly useful Circle to Search with Google, Generative Edit photo editing suite, Live Translation tools and Chat Assist feature, which can tweak the tone of your messages and emails for different scenarios. Samsung has upgraded this feature, however, by including a new on-device large language model (LLM), which will reportedly make the generative fill tools in the photo editor more reliable and accurate.

As for the AV features, the S25 Ultra sports a 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED display with a variable refresh rate of 1Hz to 120Hz and a Quad HD+ resolution. This expansive and vivid screen is a joy to interact with thanks to the high refresh rate, while the claimed 2600 nits brightness – the same as last year's model – is plenty for indoor and outdoor visibility. Samsung has also included its impressive glare-reducing screen coating on this device, and it is reportedly even more effective than last year's model. In practice, we have no issues viewing the screen in a range of lighting conditions.

The biggest new AV upgrade is Samsung's new ProScaler feature, which is inspired by the company's flagship 4K and 8K TVs. It can reportedly improve image scaling quality by 40 per cent, meaning lower-resolution content streamed from the device will appear sharper and more detailed. In our minds, implementing a system to bring content up to the specification of the screen is a genius move by Samsung, as the mobile versions of our favourite services tend to be capped at 1080p. As we’ll come to find out in the picture section of this review, the ProScaler feature works wonders on a wide variety of streaming services.

As for the other AV features on this device, it supports HDR10 and HDR10+; the latter has had a recent boost as Disney Plus has agreed to support the format on a selection of its content, while the likes of Amazon Prime Video, YouTube and Paramount Plus already support it. Dolby Atmos audio is also on board via the speakers and headphones, though Samsung's new Eclipsa Audio immersive format is, unfortunately, not supported. As expected, there is no headphone jack, so you will need to rely on a USB-C DAC or wireless audio peripherals; the 25 Ultra features Bluetooth 5.3 with the LE and A2DP codecs supported for the latter.

This latest Ultra device carries forth many of the staple features of past Galaxy phones. The S Pen returns for scribbling down notes, and the quadruple-stack camera system is back, too. Unfortunately, the S Pen gets a downgrade this year, as Samsung has stripped it of its Bluetooth capabilities, meaning you can no longer conduct air actions to remotely conduct functions on your device, nor can you use it as a remote camera shutter.

Camera-wise, Samsung has carried three of the lenses over from the S24 Ultra – the 200MP main sensor, 50MP telephoto lens, and 10MP secondary telephoto camera – but has upgraded the ultrawide lens to 50MP from 12MP. In practice, the S25 Ultra produces exceptional pictures, with crisp, vibrant colours, and the range of lens options to capture different scenarios is greatly appreciated.

Finally, the S25 Ultra has the same 5000mAh battery as its predecessor. Much like the S24 Ultra, we’ve struggled to completely drain this handset in a single day, even with heavy usage.

Picture

With a new picture-enhancing feature being a headlining aspect of this smartphone, our expectations regarding how it handles on-the-go movie watching are understandably high. We also need to remember that the last Samsung Galaxy smartphone that we reviewed, the Z Fold 6, delivered a five-star AV experience, so the heat is on for the S25 Ultra.

So, does it deliver the goods in the picture department? Simply put, yes, it does. We have no qualms with stating that this is one of the most impressive smartphone displays we’ve seen in a long while, especially considering how tough the competition has been. This is clearly in part due to the excellent ProScaler feature, which proves that when given the right attention, an AV feature on a phone can truly be the standout aspect.

We watch a range of content, including John Wick: Chapter 4, The Batman, and 1917 on Amazon Prime Video and Netflix, with the Sony Xperia 1 VI on hand as a benchmark device.

The S25 Ultra wastes no time in showing us how capable its display is, with the John Wick scene in which Caine is recruited by the villainous Marquis Vincent Bisset de Gramont having an abundance of sharp details. This sequence takes place in a lavish palace interior, with each intricate fixture, chandelier and intricately etched pillar realised in impressively clear and crisp detail. Close-up shots of the characters reveal plenty of texture to skin and clothing, too.

What’s most striking about this picture is how solid and three-dimensional it appears. Actors in the foreground of the shot are clearly separated from the background, and the sense of space is truly impressive. This is an area where Sony has previously excelled, but we’re inclined to say that Samsung isn’t far behind. Moreover, the picture doesn’t seem overly etched or too bold. A scene taking place on the rooftop of the Osaka hotel looks fantastic, as the cherry blossom tree on the left-hand side of the shot is oozing with detail and three-dimensional depth.

Sticking with John Wick, we approve of how the S25 Ultra handles colours. For reference, we’ve opted for the natural screen mode, which can be found in the display settings, as the vivid mode that’s enabled as standard is a bit too poppy for our liking. Once that adjustment is made, the S25 Ultra delivers rich, bold colours that don’t stray into the realm of over-enthusiastic, and a range of skin tones all look healthy and natural too.

Switching to The Batman, we can study how this handset approaches dark details, as this grimy and murky movie is mostly played out under the cover of night. The consensus is that the S25 Ultra makes a strong effort, with a decent separation between the titular hero’s suit and the pitch black alleyway that he steps out of before dismantling a group of thugs at a train station. Furthermore, the henchmen’s all-black outfits have plenty of tangible detail (for instance, the clear separation between a black jacket over a black shirt).

We switch to Peep Show to see how the S25 Ultra handles older, lower-resolution content, and we’re pleased to say that the handset makes a solid attempt at cleaning up the image, boosting brightness and adding a touch of depth. It’s not perfect as there is still a touch of fuzz around the edges of subjects on screen, but it’s certainly an admirable effort nonetheless.

Rounding things out with 1917, here is where we come across an issue with the display that’s hard to ignore but thankfully doesn’t present itself too often. A panning shot through an outdoor barn structure that tracks an overhead dogfight is presented with a lot more judder than we tend to prefer, to the extent that we even tweak the motion settings to see if the adaptive refresh rate is causing this.

Unfortunately, regardless of whether it's turned on or off, the wooden slats of the barn seem to flicker quite noticeably – we check if this happens on the Xperia 1 VI and iPhone 16 and can confirm it’s also an issue on these devices, though it's more pronounced on the S25 Ultra. Furthermore, while motion itself is mostly well handled, it can look slightly oversmoothed at times.

Motion snags aside, the S25 Ultra’s fantastic detail levels, rich colours, and superb contrast are comparable to the five-star Samsung S95D OLED TV.

Sound

The audio performance of the S25 Ultra might not be quite as impressive as its picture credentials, but we still deem it to be a solid effort from Samsung overall. As we’ve established, the device supports Dolby Atmos via its stereo speakers (comprising the earpiece and downward-firing loudspeaker) and headphones (wired and wireless).

Starting with headphone audio, we plug a pair of wired cans into the device with the help of a USB-C to 3.5mm headphone jack adapter, and listen to a range of tracks on Tidal, including Taylor Swift’s The 1, Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s Luther, Charli XCX’s Sympathy Is A Knife and Fleetwood Mac’s Landslide.

There is plenty to praise here; the Samsung delivers a crisp and detailed audio performance with a focus on delivering clear vocals. Larger dynamic shifts, such as the electronic beat drop of Charli XCX and Ariana Grande’s Sympathy Is A Knife, are presented well, with an appreciated punch. The handset also delivers a spacious and open performance, with a clear sense of space established, especially with Dolby Atmos tracks.

However, we are left wanting more by way of low-level dynamics. The S25 Ultra just misses the emotive qualities of The 1 and Landslide, presenting the tracks more matter-of-factly rather than highlighting the subtle aspects, which is something we praised the iPhone 16 Pro for achieving. Furthermore, we’re not convinced that the S25 Ultra nails timing completely, as both the competing Apple and Sony smartphones have stronger and more precise rhythmic drives.

Ultimately, the S25 Ultra is still a good device for streaming music on the go, however, its Apple and Sony competitors are more talented at capturing the subtleties in the tracks we test.

Switching to the loudspeakers, this is where the Samsung hits its sonic stride. We’re certainly not endorsing blasting music directly from your phone’s speakers – Bluetooth speakers were invented for a reason – but they’re ideal for a spot of movie or TV watching.

The sheer size of the device means we get an impressive sense of stereo separation and, while Dolby Atmos understandably isn’t delivered in the same way we see in the world of home cinema, the S25 Ultra tracks the sound of cars rushing past the Batmobile in The Batman’s epic chase sequence to impressive effect by smartphone standards.

Verdict

Samsung’s new flagship handset is simply begging to be taken on a long-haul flight or lengthy train journey. Its big, bold screen, rich colours and crisp details liken it to a pocketable OLED TV, making it a great companion for portable movie watching. And, while we wish its musical performance had a touch more in the way of low-level dynamics, its clear and spacious sound should appease those looking to take their music library on the go.

SCORES

• Picture 5
• Sound 4
• Features 5

MORE:

Read our review of the iPhone 16 Pro

Also consider the Sony Xperia 1 VI

Read our Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 review

The best smartphones for music and movies

Apple has a new iPad. The iPad Air M3 has Apple's slightly older M3 processor, artificial intelligence and a new keyboard (sold separately). Given that the Air always reviews well, it's bound to be a great device.

But is it right for you? The iPad Pro M4 has a more powerful processor, OLED screen and a What Hi-Fi? Award to its name. It is, however, also more expensive.

Join us as we pit the two tablets head to head to see which comes out on top.

iPad Air M3 vs iPad Pro M4: price

The iPad Air M3 has the same £599 starting price as its predecessor. That's for the 11-inch model with 128GB of storage; 256GB will cost you £699, 512GB £899 and 1TB £1099.

The 13-incher is pricier, as you would expect. 128GB costs £799, 256GB is £899, 512GB is £1099 and 1TB is £1299.

These are the wi-fi-only options. If you want a data connection to go with it, for connecting online when away from a wi-fi hotspot, it will cost extra.

Those prices are quite a bit cheaper than the iPad Pro M4. Its 11-inch model starts at £999 for 256GB, going up to £1199 for 512GB, £1599 for 1TB and £1999 for 2TB.

The 13-inch Pro is £1299 for 256GB, £1499 for 512GB, £1899 for 1TB and £2299 for 2TB. Ouch. The 1TB and 2TB options also come in a nano textured glass option, for even lower reflectivity in ambient light, for an extra £100. Again, you will have to pay more for a data connection.

iPad Air M3 vs iPad Pro M4: design

The iPad Air is, unsurprisingly, very slim and light – but perhaps not as much as you might expect.

The 11-inch model is a couple of millimetres shorter than the iPad Pro M4, but is actually 1mm wider and nearly 1mm thicker. The 13-inch Air is shorter and narrower than the equivalent Pro, but again is slightly thicker. The Pro models are also lighter than the Airs. Bizarre.

The Air is more colourful though, coming in four finishes: Blue, Purple, Starlight or Space Grey. The Pro only comes in the rather more buttoned-up Silver or Space Black. Think of it as the one person who still wears a suit to the office.

iPad Air M3 vs iPad Pro M4: features

The M3 processor is the big selling point of the new iPad Air. Apple says this will make the device nearly twice as fast as the M1 iPad Air (which came out in 2022), and up to three times faster than the iPad Air with A14 Bionic (which came out in 2020).

M3 packs an 8-core CPU, which is up to 35 per cent faster for multithreaded CPU workflows than the iPad Air with M1. Its 9-core GPU boasts up to 40 per cent faster graphics performance over the M1 model.

And it's the first iPad Air with Apple's advanced graphics architecture, with support for dynamic caching, hardware-accelerated mesh shading and ray tracing.

Creative types, beavering away on graphics-intensive rendering workflows, will enjoy up to 4x faster performance than with the iPad Air with M1, meaning more accurate lighting, reflections, shadows, and more realistic gaming experiences.

The M3 chip also means Apple's neural engine (which enables AI features) is faster too – up to 60 per cent faster than the M1, Apple claims.

The new Magic Keyboard for iPad Air has a larger trackpad, and a new 14-key function row for adjust elements such as volume and screen brightness.

But the iPad Pro M4 has a faster processor in the form of the M4. That makes it better suited for creative professionals, as it puts much more graphics and processing power at their fingertips.

The 1TB and 2TB options have even more power: these variants have a processor with an extra performance core and double the RAM of the smaller-capacity versions

And there's another feather in the Pro's cap: an OLED screen. Not just any OLED screen at that; this is a tandem OLED, which won our Innovation Award last year. It delivers better brightness and radically better screen quality. All the benefits of OLED with the brightness of Mini LED, in other words.

According to Apple, it offers 1600 nits with HDR highlights and 1000 nits of full-screen brightness. It can now hit 1000 nits with SDR content, too, whereas the previous model was limited to 600 nits with such content.

The iPad Pro M4 also has the nano-texture display glass option for better visibility in certain lighting conditions (this is available only on 1TB and 2TB models).

It too has Apple Intelligence for AI smarts, and the same 12-megapixel camera as the new iPad Air – but if you're taking photos with your iPad, you want to have a word with yourself.

iPad Air M3 vs iPad Pro M4: picture

We haven't tested the iPad Air M3, so can't give our verdict on its picture quality. But we have tested its predecessor, which we found to have plenty of pop and punch.

"It's awesomely sharp and detailed, too, as all current iPads are, and its motion is superb, with no judder or soap-opera effect," we say in our review.

It's not a patch, however, on the iPad Pro M4, which combines "incredible peak brightness with perfect OLED blacks in scintillating fashion." The Pro is richer and warmer too, and effortlessly cinematic.

"All told, this is a spectacular picture performance that combines pop and dynamism with superb subtlety and cinematic richness, resulting in a portable movie experience that is a match for the best home cinema displays," we conclude.

iPad Air M3 vs iPad Pro M4: sound

Again, we haven't tested the iPad Air M3 so can't comment on its audio chops. Our verdict on the iPad Air M2's sound was "fairly well balanced, controlled and spacious". Which is pretty good for a tablet. "Dynamics are better than expected, too, and there’s good clarity to vocals in music and dialogue in movies."

Connect a pair of headphones, and you're in for a much more enjoyable experience. Dynamics, detail and timing were all excellent, and we expect the iPad Air M3 to perform very similarly.

The iPad Pro M4 is a touch warmer than the previous Air, and retains a good sense of spaciousness. It's a rich performance with plenty of weight, giving it a great sense of impact.

iPad Air M3 vs iPad Pro M4: early verdict

Without having put the new iPad Air through its paces, we can't give a definitive verdict on how it performs. But it is likely to be very similar to its predecessor, which earned five stars. Add a new processor, and the odd tweak here and there, and it should be another winning Apple tablet.

It's also much cheaper than the iPad Pro M4. There's no denying the Pro is the more capable tablet, thanks to its beefier processor and more advanced screen. But unless you watch a lot of films on the go, or use your tablet for graphics-heavy creative work, you're likely to be better off saving the money and going for the iPad Air M3.

That would be the sensible thing to do. But if you want an absolute monster of a portable cinema, we're certainly not going to stop you.

MORE:

Read our iPad Air M2 review

And our iPad Pro M4 review

These are the best tablets around

UPDATE 06/03/2025: Apple has also announced a refreshed version of the base model iPad, which will go on sale alongside this new iPad Air. The iPad (2022) will be replaced by the new 11th-generation model, which features a host of under-the-hood upgrades.

It looks practically identical on the outside, with the same four vibrant finishes – silver, blue, yellow, and, our personal favourite, pink – to choose from, and the display appears to carry over, too. It's an 11-inch liquid retina screen which has a claimed 500 nits brightness.

Apple has instead opted to focus on the processor and storage. It's upgraded the iPad with the A16 chip, which was previously featured on the iPhone 14 Pro, 14 Pro Max, 15 and 15 Plus; for reference, the previous generation model used the A14 Bionic processor from the iPhone 12 series. Interestingly, this means that the new iPad won't be compatible with Apple Intelligence. It also starts at 128GB of storage now, up from 64GB as standard.

The iPad (2025) is available to pre-order now, starting at £329 / $349 / AU$599.

ORIGINAL STORY 04/03/2025: Apple appears to be on a roll announcing its new products, as the tech giant has unveiled a new iPad Air less than a year after its predecessor – the iPad Air (2024)– started shipping. This also follows its iPhone 16e announcement earlier in the year.

The brand's latest tablet drop is another addition to its growing tablet range, and is cementing it as by far the biggest competitors in the market.

The new iPad Air has an upgraded M3 chip, a step up from the 2024 model which used the M2.

According to Apple, the faster M3 chip means you can “enjoy even more Apple Intelligence capabilities in iPadOS”. This isn’t the most modern chip Apple has to offer, but Apple says it’s twice as fast as the M1-powered Air and the A14 Bionic-powered Air.

We were also hoping Apple would implement the OLED screen display it uses for the iPad Pro but so far there has been no mention of any screen updates.

You can get the iPad Air in two sizes – 11-inch and 13-inches – as well as a choice of four finishes. The pricing starts at $599 for the smaller model and $799 for the larger, and we're waiting to hear the official price point for the UK and Australia.

Apple has also introduced an updates Magic Keyboard that boasts a larger trackpad, and a new 14-key function row to more easily adjust screen brightness and volume.

This was previously only available on the iPad Pro. It attaches magnetically, and the Smart Connector immediately connects power and data without the need for Bluetooth. The keyboard is going at $269 for the smaller model and $319 for the bigger one.

If you want to get your hands on it, the new iPad Air is available to pre-order now, with shipping starting on 12 March. We have not had a chance to get it in for review yet, but stay tuned to find out how we rate it.

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Here is our in-depth review of the 13-inch iPad Air (2024)

These are the best iPads we recommend

And check out our review for the iPad Pro M4

Hardly anyone upgrades their smartphone every year any more. Thanks to a combination of rising prices and mostly negligible improvements, an annual upgrade is now a luxury that few can afford. It's far more likely that anyone looking to upgrade is rocking a smartphone that is perhaps three, four or five years old.

If that's you, you're in the right place. Here, we run you through your current options, and help you decide which iPhone is right for you. Spoiler alert: it might not be the latest or most expensive model...

Screen

The screens on today's iPhones are stunning, but they haven't actually evolved all that much in recent years. The last really big change was the introduction of OLED technology on all models – but that came with the iPhone 12 range all the way back in 2020.

In terms of pure hardware then, the only differences between the screens on the iPhone 12 and iPhone 16 are a slight bump in brightness, and a higher resolution (but the same pixel density) thanks to the introduction of the Dynamic Island (though the iPhone 16e sticks with the old cutout design).

Of course in use it's a different story, as our reviews have shown. Apple rarely talks up improvements in picture quality, but they are there, albeit slight. To really notice the difference, you will want to jump at least a couple of generations of iPhone.

But if you look closely, you can see the improvements from one generation to the next. In our review, we note that iPhone 16 produces "a rich and three-dimensional image that is deeply engaging.

"The opening scene of 1917 shows us crisp details in clothing, skin and environmental textures, with a tangible grain to the rough fabric of the soldier’s uniforms and the gritty dirt lining the walls of the trenches through which they weave. Much like the iPhone 16 Pro that sits above it in the lineup, the iPhone 16 also manages to skilfully draw our eye to the focal point of the image while retaining an excellent amount of detail and solidity to objects in the background."

The Pro models have the Pro Motion display which ups the refresh rate to 120Hz and allows for the always-on capabilities, so you can use your phone as a bedside clock, for example. This is rumoured to become a feature on all models of iPhone 17, not just the Pros.

HDR used to be reserved for just the Pro models, but it has been standard on all variants since the iPhone 12.

The recent Pros also have slightly larger screens than the non-Pros – the iPhone 16 Pro's screen is 6.3 inches to the standard iPhone 16's 6.1 inches, while the Pro Max is 6.9 inches to the 16 Plus' 6.7 inches. Which will help make the picture more immersive.

Sound

As with picture quality, Apple doesn't talk up any sonic improvements from one generation of iPhone to the next. But they are there, if you know what to listen out for.

The iPhone 16 is "easily one of the best-sounding smartphones we've heard," we note in our review. Its sound is "rich, detailed and engaging" regardless of what it's playing.

It is particularly impressive with low-level dynamics. Even the speakers aren't half bad – though we would always listen through headphones if possible.

There have been small improvements in each model. For example, we found the iPhone 15 Pro Max's treble is a little smoother and cleaner than the 14 Pro Max's, while the overall audio is "a little weightier and more full-bodied, too".

Features

The biggest feature to come to the iPhone in recent years is Apple Intelligence, Apple's suite of artificial intelligence skills. This can help you compose text messages and emails, let you interact with Siri in a more natural and conversational way, edit photos, prioritise notifications and more.

It hasn't been a complete success story. Apple had to pause its news summaries after they started presenting false information as if it was from trusted sources such as the BBC and The New York Times. But the technology is still in its infancy, and will only get more sophisticated.

It arrived with the iPhone 16 range (though it wasn't available at launch). It is also available on the iPhone 16e, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Another neat feature is Camera Control, a button that lets you open the camera without having to wake the phone first. It's on the iPhone 16 range, but not iPhone 16e or earlier models.

USB-C has replaced the older Lightning port for charging, as mandated by a change in EU law. Every iPhone since the iPhone 15 range has USB-C, while the 14 and earlier feature Lightning ports.

Prefer to charge wirelessly? That feature is available on every model since the iPhone 8, though the speeds will vary. The earlier models support only 7.5W Qi wireless charging, but every handset since the iPhone 12 supports MagSafe magnetic charging at either 15W or 25W with a compatible charger (all except the iPhone 16e, which is stuck with no MagSafe and the same wireless charging speed as the iPhone 8, disappointingly).

Every iPhone since the iPhone 13 starts at 128GB storage (previously the base level was 64GB), but only the Pro models from the 13 Pro onwards go up to 1TB.

Lastly, power. Generally speaking, the newer the iPhone, the beefier the processor. Even though the iPhone 16e has some compromises, power isn't one of them – it has the same A18 chip as the iPhone 16.

Cameras

The camera has always been one of the main differentiators between the standard iPhone models and the Pros. The Pro Max used to have a better camera than the Pro, but for the iPhone 16 range, Apple brought camera parity to the Pro models.

The Pros offer an extra telephoto lens over the non-Pros. This lets you zoom in at up to 5x without losing any detail in the image, as you do with a digital lens.

The telephoto has been a staple of the pricier models since the iPhone 7 Plus. In recent years the optical zoom has increased, and more shooting modes have been added, including Night mode, Night mode portraits, Spatial photos and Apple ProRAW.

Price and availability

Apple no longer sells any iPhones earlier than 2023's iPhone 15 range, and of those, it sells only the 15 and 15 Plus. But you can find the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, and iPhone 14 range and earlier at other retailers.

The cheapest iPhone Apple sells is the iPhone 16e, which starts at £599. That's £100 cheaper than the iPhone 15, and £200 cheaper than the iPhone 15 Plus and iPhone 16.

The iPhone 16 Plus starts at £899, the 16 Pro £999 and the 16 Pro Max £1199.

Of course you can also spread the cost over years with a contract. Check the best prices below for recent iPhones both SIM free and on contract.

Verdict

While it's true that you get what you pay for, there's no point paying for features you're not going to use. If you just want an iPhone for the basics, and maybe the odd bit of movie watching and music listening on the go, you could save a small fortune by hunting out an earlier model from the iPhone 15 or even iPhone 14 families.

We wouldn't advise going any earlier than that, as Apple isn't likely to support those handsets with software and security updates for much longer.

Of the latest iPhones, the 16e is worth investigating if you want AI and don't mind the more basic camera and lack of MagSafe charging. But if you want the ultimate in movies and music from an iPhone, the 16 Pro and Pro Max are where it's at.

MORE:

iPhone 16 vs iPhone 15: should you upgrade?

iPhone 16e vs iPhone 16: what's the difference?

Check out the best smartphones for music and movies

Apple has finally released their newest model – the iPhone 16e. It’s picking up where the iPhone SE left off to provide all of Apple’s latest smartphone tech with a (semi) reasonable price tag.

While the new smartphone looks mighty promising, the Sony Xperia 10 VI has a lot going for it as well.

We have not had the opportunity to get our hands on the iPhone 16e yet, but in the meantime we can compare its specifications to the Sony Xperia 10 VI to get an idea of how the two compare.

iPhone 16e vs Sony Xperia 10 VI: price

The Sony Xperia 10 VI is one of the cheaper smartphones available that we have given five stars, retailing for £349 on paper for 128GB, which is already a steal in the realm of smartphones. We have seen reductions on this already reasonable price as well, with some retailers selling it for £299. The phone is not available to buy in the US or Australia, though.

Pricing for the iPhone 16e starts at £599 / $599 / AU$999 for 128GB, £699 / $699 / AU$1119 for 256GB and £899 / $899 / AU$ 1549 for 512GB. It will be available for pre-order in the US, Australia and the UK starting 21 February, and first orders will arrive on 28 February.

iPhone 16e vs Sony Xperia 10 VI: design

The iPhone 16e boasts a 6.1-inch OLED screen display, meaning it is about the same size as Apple’s standard iPhone 16. It weighs in at 167 grams, and is available in just a black or white finish. It has a notch at the top which is used for the Face ID support. We have not been able to see the phone up close yet, but from what we can tell the design looks much like a combination of the iPhone 14 and 16.

Sony’s entry is also an OLED 6.1-inch, and is slightly lighter than the iPhone at 164 grams. There are also a few more finish options available, with black, white and blue on the cards. It has a 1080 x 2520 and a pixel density of 449ppi.

iPhone 16e vs Sony Xperia 10 VI: features

One of the most notable features of the iPhone 16e is its C1 modem, which is the first cellular modem designed by Apple. Apple claims it is the most power-efficient modem ever on an iPhone, set to deliver speedy and reliable 5G cellular connectivity. There’s also support for HDR, portrait mode, and night mode.

AI, or Apple Intelligence as the brand calls it, also plays a big part in the iPhone’s functionality thanks to the A18 chipset. Apple says the six-core CPU is up to 80 percent faster than the A13 Bionic chip on iPhone 11. This AI skillset includes support for features such as Genmoji, Writing Tools, Clean Up in the Photos app, and ChatGPT integration. You can also access Visual Intelligence via the Action button. Turning to battery life, Apple says it has “the best battery life ever on a 6.1-inch iPhone, lasting up to six hours longer than iPhone 11 and up to 12 hours longer than all generations of iPhone SE.”

As with all the latest iPhone models, it has integrated Face ID support. You can also find a USB-C port at the bottom for charging and data transfer. The device also features the Action button instead of the classic mute switch. We have not had the chance to test the iPhone 16e’s camera, but will be keenly awaiting our chance to test it out. It has a single 48MP Fusion camera and will take high-resolution 24MP photos, but you can also choose to take 48MP images. In terms of video quality, we do know it offers 4K with Dolby Vision up to 60 frames per second.

But what about the Sony Xperia 10 VI? The phone’s lower price point does mean it lacks a few features, but that does not mean it should be underestimated. Its display is 60Hz, and supports HDR. Its chipset is not as powerful as that of the iPhone 16e, using the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 processor and 8GB of RAM.

It runs Android 14, whereas the iPhone 16e runs iOS 18, giving you access to Google’s latest AI features, including the Magic Eraser photo editing tool and the Gemini assistant. The latter proved useful during testing, as we were able to produce a coherent meal plan in a matter of seconds. The Sony Xperia 10 VI slightly underwhelmed when it came to the camera. We said in our review: “It gets the job done for quick snaps here and there, but if you’re serious about smartphone photography, this phone will not satisfy your needs.”

iPhone 16e vs Sony Xperia 10 VI: picture

Once again, we have not tested the iPhone 16e so cannot comment on its picture quality.

For the Sony Xperia 10 VI, we were surprised by its three-dimensional depth during testing. It balanced colour well too, with skin tones being portrayed as lively yet not overly bright. The darks don’t quite reach the blackest depths of more expensive models, but that is to be expected at such a reasonable price.

iPhone 16e vs Sony Xperia 10 VI: sound

All the usual caveats; we have yet to get close and personal to the iPhone 16e so cannot vouch for how it sounds. We do know it has Dolby Atmos support through headphones or built-in stereo loudspeakers.

The Xperia 10 VI’s speakers are more than acceptable, and while they won’t knock your socks off, they’re perfectly usable for watching the occasional TV show without connecting headphones. We said that the phone’s speakers were “more than useable” with a decent sense of weight and well organised.

iPhone 16e vs Sony Xperia 10 VI: early verdict

We have not given the iPhone 16e anything close to a full review, so will reserve judgement until we get to do so. But its comparatively low price compared to the rest of the iPhone family is welcome, especially considering its impressive specifications. We’ll have to see how they all play out in practice, though.

With an affordable price tag and solid overall performance, we think the Xperia 10 VI is a great buy. But will the iPhone knock Sony’s offering off its pedestal as the best affordable smartphone? We'll update this page once we've reviewed the iPhone 16e.

MORE:

Here is the review of the Sony Xperia 10 VI

This is what we know so far about the iPhone 16e

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The iPhone 16e (essentially the new iPhone SE) has just been announced, and while Apple's entry-level phones rarely get me that excited, this one has really grabbed my attention. That's because my priority when it comes to phones is how they perform with movies, and with the iPhone 16e it seems that other elements have been downgraded so that the screen can remain very similar to the five-star iPhone 16's.

Using Apple's own iPhone comparison tool, the downgrades from iPhone 16 to iPhone 16e stand out clearly: it's available in fewer colours, it has a far less fancy camera system, and it lacks the Dynamic Island and MagSafe compatibility. Those things are nice to have, sure, but I reckon I can live without them if I need to.

And the similarities are plain to see, too: it's got the same A18 chip with Apple Intelligence support, the same storage capacity options, it's almost exactly the same size and weight, and – most importantly – it's got what appears on paper to be a near-identical 'Super Retina XDR' display.

So, we're talking about a 6.1-inch affair (plenty big enough for movies on the train or bus) with a pixel density of 460ppi (the same as not only the iPhone 16 but also the iPhone 16 Pro), a claimed contrast ratio of 2,000,000:1, True Tone and Wide Colour certifications, and support for all four of the HDR formats used for movies and TV, including Dolby Vision and HDR10+.

In fact, the only way in which the iPhone 16e's screen is a downgrade on the iPhone 16's is brightness, with SDR and HDR being rated by Apple to 800 and 1200 nits respectively rather than 1000 and 1600 nits.

Now, that drop in brightness could prove significant, but it's slight enough that I think in most conditions it won't make a huge difference. Only viewing in very bright sunlight should be obviously hampered.

We swooned over the picture quality of the iPhone 16, describing it in our review as having "a rich and three-dimensional image that is deeply engaging".

We went on to say that "the iPhone also presents colours in a balanced yet engaging fashion", and is "adept with motion as fighter jets tear down the runway of an aircraft carrier and shoot off into the sky".

On paper, at least, there's no obvious reason that the new iPhone 16e can't deliver very similar picture quality (there are no audio downgrades in the spec sheet, either). Given the significant cost saving (£200 / $200 / AU$400 upfront or £8.34 / £8.34 per month) compared with the iPhone 16, I can see the iPhone 16e being a smash hit with those who, like me, consider movies on the move to be a much bigger priority than photography.

We will, of course, need to get the new Apple handset in for complete, comparative testing before we pass judgement, but I've got high hopes and intend to be among the first in the queue to get one.

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Here's everything you need to know about the new iPhone 16e

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Apple has unveiled its latest addition to the iPhone 16 family, with an overhauled entry-level offering which serves as the new starting point for the latest iPhone generation. It's called the iPhone 16e, which picks up where the iPhone SE leaves off – and it's all about serving up the latest iPhone features at a more affordable price tag.

The 16e features much of what we liked about the standard iPhone 16, including a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with support for HDR – presumably the Dolby Vision variety, as is the case with every iPhone since the X in 2018.

Apple quotes a resolution of 2532x1170, a pixel density of 460ppi, and a peak brightness of 1200 nits for HDR content (800 nits typical brightness for everything else). Furthermore, it features trimmed-down bezels for an edge-to-edge style display and Apple has even resurrected the notch; sorry, no Synamic Island here.

Apple has also stuffed its latest A18 chipset inside, which we found to be a performance champion on the five-star iPhone 16. It also has an exclusive debut chip from Apple, in the form of the C1; which is the company's first in-house designed cellular modem. We're not yet sure how this will affect the phone's 5G performance, however, Apple is promising enhanced power efficiency and "fast and reliable 5G cellular connectivity".

Elsewhere, the iPhone 16e sports a single 48MP camera, though it features a clever 2-in-1 functionality with an integrated 2x telephoto lens for improved zoomed photography. You'll also find a USB-C socket for charging and wired audio connectivity, the Action Button which can be remapped to fulfil a variety of shortcuts or functions, and Face ID for biometric authentication for unlocking the device or completing purchases.

The iPhone 16e runs the latest version of Apple's operating system – iOS 18 – with all of the key software features found on the standard iPhone 16. This means that Apple Intelligence is also on board, with a range of AI-powered photo editing, typing and search tools included.

There are, however, a couple of surprising Apple-centric omissions. MagSafe is absent, so it won't work with any of your magnetic accessories, and Camera Control (which made its debut on the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro) is also nowhere to be found.

The design appears to be a fusion of the iPhone 14 and the iPhone 16, with the flat metal rails and notch of the 14 complimenting the matte glass rear and slightly softer tapered edges of the 16. Apple is only offering this handset in two finishes: black and white. It's set to be on sale on 28th February, with pre-orders available now. Pricing for the new iPhone 16e is as follows:

• 128GB: £599 / $599 / AU$999
• 256GB: £699 / $699 / AU$1199
• 512GB: £899 / $899 / AU$1549

MORE:

Read our full Apple iPhone 16 review

As well as our Apple iPhone 16 Pro review

And check out our picks for the best iPhone

After months of speculation that peaked last week with a teaser post on X, Apple has finally unveiled its next iPhone.

However, while pre-release rumours suggested it would be called the iPhone SE 4, proving its spirit animal is a cat for yet another year, Apple chose to call it the iPhone 16e instead.

And on paper, it looks pretty interesting for tech heads. Highlights include a new design that looks like a halfway house between the iPhone 14 and the current generation iPhone 16, with an upgraded A18 chipset that adds a host of Apple Intelligence upgrades and a swish-looking 6.1-inch OLED screen.

So why aren’t I breaking out the confetti? Two reasons. First, because it only unveiled the new iPhone 16e.

Despite rumours to the contrary, the little disc graphic on the teaser invite and announcement had me hoping for at least one surprise alongside the new smartphone – ideally a new HomePod Mini 2 wireless speaker.

Second, because Apple has once again made no mention of any sonic upgrades, or discussed audio quality in general in its announcement. Instead, it focussed purely on the camera and AI features. Cool, yes. But not really what gets me and the team at What Hi-Fi? up in the morning.

As a result, I have some big questions about the 16e’s audio and if it can live up to Apple’s strong track record of delivering excellent-sounding smartphones for serious music fans – a list currently headlined by the iPhone 16 Pro, which not only secured a perfect five-star rating from our testers, but also earned a What Hi-Fi? Award for its stellar sound quality last year.

First is the question around its actual hardware. Pre-release rumours suggested the phone would be heavily based on the iPhone 14 rather than iPhone 16. So we don’t know what specific circuitry, DAC etc it’s actually using.

If it is the iPhone 14 it's based on, that’s not necessarily a deal breaker given its £599 / $599 starting price. The iPhone 14 still sounds a lot better than many Android phones. We know that as we put it head to head with many of the recent mid-range handsets we've reviewed.

But, it’s nowhere near the level of the iPhone 16 Pro – which is one of the best-sounding handsets we’ve reviewed. So there could be a big difference in audio performance between the 16e and base 16 family of phones at a technical level.

Second, as we’ve said before, tuning plays a huge part in audio performance. So even if we had a full specifications sheet for the iPhone 16e, it wouldn’t tell us the whole story.

We’ve heard huge differences in audio quality between phones in the same family before and that means there could, and almost certainly will be differences between the 16e and other 16-series iPhones, even if they have similar hardware at their core.

That’s why we always run handsets through comparative testing, seeing directly how their sound performs when we review them using uniform test headphones and test tracks and sources.

Hopefully we’ll get to do the same with the iPhone 16e in the near future and answer my questions about its audio performance.

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Mobile World Congress is the world's biggest phone show, and it's happening soon. Barcelona will host the event from 3rd - 6th March.

We're sure to see some great new phones launch. But which ones specifically? Most of the debutants are still under wraps, of course – but that hasn't stopped the rumours and leaks flying. We have scoured the internet to bring you everything (worthwhile) that has been said about what phones we expect to see. And being What Hi-Fi?, we're very much focused on their audio and visual skills.

Here's what we expect to see (and what we would like to, in an ideal world).

Mobile World Congress 2025: what to expect

Nothing Phone 3a

We know for sure that this one is coming, because Nothing has confirmed it. It put out a teaser video before saying that the phone in question was the Nothing Phone 3a. At the same event, it will launch the Nothing Phone 3a Pro. It has even named the time and date: 4th March, 10am.

Both phones will feature the same cool glyph lighting from the Nothing Phone 2a. According to X user Gadget Bits, the Nothing Phone 3a will have a 6.8-inch FHD+ AMOLED screen with a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz, a Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chipset, 5000mAh battery with 45W fast charging, and Nothing OS 3.1 (which is based on Android 15). Cameras are said to be a 50-megapixel main snapper, 50-megapixel telephoto with 2x optical zoom, and an 8-megapixel ultrawide lens.

The 3a Pro is said to increase the RAM to 12GB and the storage to 256GB, and might boast a 50-megapixel ultrawide-lens camera.

And as for the Nothing Phone 3? That's not expected until the summer, and is said to be the firm's first flagship phone.

Xiaomi 15 Ultra

The Xiaomi 14 Ultra (pictured) is widely considered one of the best cameraphones around, but its screen is also a sight to behold, with an insane peak brightness of 3000 nits. So nearly 12 months on, what's cooking for the sequel?

The latest rumours suggest another stellar performance in the camera department, with a 200-megapixel periscope telephoto snapper mooted. Other improvements include the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor as the Samsung Galaxy S25 (though not the customised version Samsung uses), and the same 6.7-inch screen as the Xiaomi 14 Ultra. You'll need to wear shades.

OnePlus Open 2

One of the best foldable phones around, the OnePlus Open (pictured), didn't get a sequel last year, but rumours say it's coming soon. The same winning software is said to make a return, but according to one leak, the device has slimmed down considerably, potentially taking the crown as the slimmest foldable around. Its predecessor was known as the Oppo N5 in some territories, so chances are the sequel will be similarly named in some parts of the world.

Mobile World Congress 2025: what we'd like to see

Sony Xperia 1 VII

Sony has been slimming down its phone range in recent years, from seven devices in 2021 to just two last year. But now rumours abound that the Xperia 10 VII has been cancelled, leaving just the Xperia 1 VII on its tod. Which would be a shame – the Xperia 10 VI won an Award last year for its great performance at a very reasonable price.

Rumours suggest the Xperia 1 VII will be another high-end effort, with a better telephoto camera lens. It is also thought to be retaining the FHD+ resolution of the Xperia 1 VI – sadly, it doesn't look as though we'll see a return to the 4K screen of the Xperia 1 V, nor the more cinematic 21:9 aspect ratio.

Sony used to launch its new Xperia models at Mobile World Congress, but since 2021 the date has slipped to April or May. Here's hoping it breaks with recent tradition and brings the announcement forward to MWC.

Apple iPhone SE 4

Apple doesn't do trade shows, so don't expect to see Tim Cook manning a stand at Mobile World Congress. But the iPhone SE 4 could be announced around the same time (though another rumour reckons it'll land as soon as this week). It's rumoured to look a lot like the iPhone 14 (pictured), with flat sides and a 6.1-inch OLED screen. Which would be quite an upgrade on the current SE's Touch ID button and 4.7-inch LCD.

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And the best Android phones