Get Product Reviews Free

I’ve always been fascinated with The Blair Witch Project. As a young girl I watched it with my siblings, the low-budget found footage phenomenon scarring me so badly I didn’t sleep for several nights.

A relatively understated horror film was propelled into super stardom by one of the world’s first viral marketing campaigns, convincing the audience the film was real, depicting three individuals as true to reality as they are. With this card in its hand, The Blair Witch Project went on to define a generation of horror fans.

It spawned a franchise, which resulted in two sequels, several books and videogames helping expand the mythos of Burkettsville, Maryland. But many of these failed to capture the original film’s subtlety, leaning into lazy jump-scares and overblown theories instead of spooking the viewer with what they couldn’t see. 

Related: Best Xbox One Games

So in comes Blair Witch, a survival horror experience from the minds behind Layers of Fear and Observer. Developer Bloober Team has a consistent record when it comes to immersive, first-person experiences, so lending its craft to this franchise could be a match made in heaven. 

For the most part, it delivers, expanding upon the universe in some cleverly unexpected ways, even if it abandons the delicate touch its progenitor held in such high regard. It features a narrative that begins with a melodic sense of momentum, drawing me into a mystery surrounding the witch, before descending into psychological horror that doesn’t always work, but manages to terrify regardless. 

Taking place in 1996, Blair Witch inhabits a world where Heather, Mike and Josh have long since been lost to The Black Hills Forest, nothing being recovered with the exception of tapes chronicling their demise. The local populace is scared of the woods, either out of genuine fear or overblown paranoia. It’s a place you don’t step foot into, although our protagonist, Ellis, doesn’t have a choice when a young boy goes missing.

A former police officer, Ellis and his controversial past approach the forefront of Blair Witch’s narrative circumstances after a few hours – a blessing or a curse depending on your attachment to the universe. I would’ve loved to explore the forest, coming across nuggets of history that expand upon why this untimely legend came to be. The franchise has proven it has a staying power of epic proportions, drawing in hardcore fans desperate to pore over all the little details. I was ready to do such a thing, but this didn’t deliver. 

Related: Man of Medan Review

However, the story of Ellis remains a compelling one. His past as a soldier in The Gulf War has left some serious mental scars, a condition which gels effectively with how the Blair Witch toys with her victims, trapping them in a world that’s inescapable and never-changing. This leads to some brilliantly inventive visual showpieces that twist a dank, dark wood into a shower of artillery strikes and machine-gun fire. While it works, it’s also a far cry from the subdued elements I come to this series for. 

This element of horror is still present though. Exploring the woods with little more than a flashlight, archaic communication tools and your trusty canine companion, Bullet, makes for some harrowingly tense moments.

Seldom do survival horror titles leave you in pitch darkness, but Blair Witch does this frequently, not afraid to abandon the player in a world of absolute helplessness. I’m a scaredy cat, so I sprinted onward, praying nothing was lingering between the trees that flanked my every direction.

Blair Witch’s use of atmospheric sound cues and foreboding environmental music is some of the best I’ve seen in the genre this generation, creating a level of palpable dread that had me cowering behind the controller. Oftentimes, there was nothing to be afraid of, the sound design working its magic as I jumped at shadows and objects peering suspiciously in periphery. When the monsters, ghosts or whatever-you-call-them do appear, it’s when the mechanical inconsistencies also surface. 

Bloober Team is definitely ambitious, and has created a halfway compelling method of combat for Blair Witch. You’ll encounter all manner of beasties throughout the campaign, but ethereal monsters are easily the most frequent. These linger in the darkness, and you’ll need both a flashlight and Bullet to hold them back. Bullet will bark in their general direction, and you can damage them by shining your torch right at them. Do this a few times and you’re safe, once again left alone in the woods.

Related: Upcoming PS4 Games 

Bullet is a good boy, and can be commanded to stay, follow you or lead the way in search of objectives or hidden items. You can also rub his belly at any time, which is obviously very important. It’s a fascinating mechanic, although selecting options from the cumbersome radial menu is frustrating – especially in the midst of a panic attack-inducing series of scares. Bullet can also glitch into the environment at times, ruining the illusion of this being a living, breathing world of horrors.

Ellis is also in possession of a video camera that allows him to manipulate reality, leaning into the reality-bending elements the new age of Blair Witch leans on so heavily. Tapes are found across the Black Hills Forest, providing context to the game’s events while also presenting themselves as intricate puzzles in their own right. For example, one early tape presented two characters walking towards a tunnel, one of them dropping a baseball in their wake. By holding up the view-finder to the scene in reality, the ball would magically appear.

These situations are enjoyable and, at times, genuinely head-scratching. One occasion had me stumped for ages as I tried to move a fallen tree that was blocking my path. Turns out I was using the wrong tape and the solution was obvious, but I still had fun toying with the environment in ways that make it feel alive. The camera also comes into its own during later encounters which echo the 2016 film brilliantly. As divisive as that movie has become, it did some things right.

Verdict

Despite being rough around the edges, Blair Witch is a survival horror delight that will no doubt enrapture fans of the long-running franchise. It stays faithful to what makes the mythos so enticing, while pushing it into some unpredictable new directions.

Certain mechanics do feel clumsy and don’t always hit the mark, with controls on console feeling rather unwieldy when combined with inconsistent performance. But with Bullet by my side, I wasn’t alone in the Black Hills Forest, and it’s a journey I’ll happily take again.

The post Blair Witch appeared first on Trusted Reviews.

Read More

Until Dawn is one of this generation’s most influential sleeper hits. Beginning its life as an ambitious PlayStation Move title, it evolved into a visually captivating survival horror experience that subverted expectations in the most wonderful of ways. 

The Dark Pictures is the next evolutionary step for developers Supermassive Games, building upon its suspenseful chops with a collection of horror adventures that will presumably jump between ghosts, aliens and axe murderers alike to spook players into submission. 

Man of Medan is the first chapter in this new venture, taking players on a brief yet enjoyable journey aboard a haunted ship where nothing is as it seems. While it doesn’t boast the budget or creativity of Until Dawn, it remains a solid outing in its own right that’s an absolute blast with a friend by your side. 

Not that I’d want to play something like this on my lonesome anyway… 

Related: Marvel’s Avengers Preview

Man of Medan has all of the tropes and archetypes you’d expect from a conventional horror film. A bunch of precocious young adults have hired a boat to drink, hang out and hunt for some buried treasure they’ve heard ample rumours about. There’s romance, awkward sibling rivalries and a douchy idiot (played by Quantum Break’s Shawn Ashmore) hoping to get into the captain’s pants. 

However, nothing is as it seems, and that much becomes clear with an opening chapter taking place in the shadow of World War 2. American soldiers are transporting some goods across the French Peninsula, performing what should be a routine mission of managing cargo. However, a supernatural force has infested the vessel, causing soldiers to have hallucinations and inevitably slaughter one another in the panic. It’s an unsettling opener, setting the stage perfectly for what’s to come. 

After escaping from the tortuous introduction, things take a turn for the lighthearted as our collection of main characters board the yacht that could be their doom. With beers, or ‘brewskies’ as they like to call them, in hand, it’s time for a good time. On first impression they’re a bunch of irredeemable reprobates with only a couple of exceptions. 

Brad, the younger sibling of another character, is worried about bringing the group down with his inexperience in both diving and drinking. This creates an immediate bedrock of sympathy, and I came to care for most of the other faces in a similar manner as the story progressed, despite the mountain of stupid decisions being made despite my input.

Related: Nintendo Switch Lite

I won’t spoil anymore of the narrative here, beyond the fact that it feels like it’s over a little too quickly, although mileage will vary depending on which characters live and die throughout the story. For example, I accidentally caused the murder of a headlining personality in the early hours, missing out on everything he would’ve offered in the events to come. 

If you mess up and get someone killed, decisions stick. You either restart the entire game or play until the end, and I respect Man of Medan for that. Actions have consequences in a way that felt genuinely devastating. Each quick-time event was a potential death sentence if you succumbed to sweaty palms or lapsed reflexes. You’ll find paintings throughout the world known as ‘Premonitions’ which provide a glimpse into the future, offering a chance to avoid a grisly fate. 

Those who played Until Dawn will feel immediately accustomed to Man of Medan. It plays exactly like the PS4 exclusive, right down to its clunky movement and spur of the moment decision making, which can completely transform the narrative. Given much of the tale takes place on an abandoned ship, you’ll have to maneuver through cramped, rusty corridors – a scenario that isn’t fit for the robotic controls. 

It simply doesn’t feel good, and inconsistent performance on Xbox One X meant I feared messing up quick-time events with mistakes that were no fault of my own. Textures popping in all over the place and inconsistent visual fidelity were noticeable, with the friend I was playing with pointing them out in embarrassment. Compared to Until Dawn this feels like a step back, perhaps evidence of it no longer being a platform exclusive. 

Related: Resident Evil 8

Outside of performance niggles, Man of Medan is a terrifyingly good time, especially with a friend in the newly introduced ‘Movie Night’ mode. This local multiplayer option allows you and up to five friends to select characters to play as, passing the controller when the time comes to play. It’s delightful, and only serves to emphasis your investment in each of the poor souls. Supermassive Games has created a slick package that I can’t wait to see evolve in The Dark Anthology, providing me and my flatmates an excuse to gather round the television.

Decisions made throughout the campaign either come from the brain or the heart, difference indicated by symbols beside each dialogue choice. I was essentially picking between the logical option or the personal one. For example, fearing for my own safety and escaping amidst the certain death of someone else is the safest option, but emotional attachment might get the better of some, causing them to look before leaping into their eventual doom. I wanted everyone to live regardless of the circumstances, and almost succeeded by going with my weak, frail heart.

This means Man of Medan has plentiful replay value for completionists, or narrative hungry players who love to delve into every nook and cranny of a story. Having to play through lengthy scenes, simply waiting to make a decision, can be tiresome though, and a fast-forward option of sorts built into the experience could work wonders if done correctly. For now, I hope you like a glacial build-up followed by the occasional button prompt. Man of Medan would benefit from being more kinetic in its movement, especially with similar titles like Detroit: Become Human proving what the genre is capable of despite its mediocre writing.

Related: Call of Duty – Modern Warfare

Verdict

The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan is a solid beginning to what I hope becomes a memorable selection of virtual horror outings. The setting here didn’t do much for me if I’m perfectly honest, but the memorable characters, razor sharp pacing and well-placed scares make it excellent fun with a few friends by your side.

Sadly, the technical issues are harder to ignore when performance issues and visual blemishes emerge even on Xbox One X. This could improve with a patch, but proved an undeniable distraction during my review playthrough. That said, I’m ready to dive in to determine the fate of these characters once again.

 

The post The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan appeared first on Trusted Reviews.

Read More

Until Dawn is one of this generation’s most influential sleeper hits. Beginning its life as an ambitious PlayStation Move title, it evolved into a visually captivating survival horror experience that subverted expectations in the most wonderful of ways. 

The Dark Pictures is the next evolutionary step for developers Supermassive Games, building upon its suspenseful chops with a collection of horror adventures that will presumably jump between ghosts, aliens and axe murderers alike to spook players into submission. 

Man of Medan is the first chapter in this new venture, taking players on a brief yet enjoyable journey aboard a haunted ship where nothing is as it seems. While it doesn’t boast the budget or creativity of Until Dawn, it remains a solid outing in its own right that’s an absolute blast with a friend by your side. 

Not that I’d want to play something like this on my lonesome anyway… 

Related: Marvel’s Avengers Preview

Man of Medan has all of the tropes and archetypes you’d expect from a conventional horror film. A bunch of precocious young adults have hired a boat to drink, hang out and hunt for some buried treasure they’ve heard ample rumours about. There’s romance, awkward sibling rivalries and a douchy idiot (played by Quantum Break’s Shawn Ashmore) hoping to get into the captain’s pants. 

However, nothing is as it seems, and that much becomes clear with an opening chapter taking place in the shadow of World War 2. American soldiers are transporting some goods across the French Peninsula, performing what should be a routine mission of managing cargo. However, a supernatural force has infested the vessel, causing soldiers to have hallucinations and inevitably slaughter one another in the panic. It’s an unsettling opener, setting the stage perfectly for what’s to come. 

After escaping from the tortuous introduction, things take a turn for the lighthearted as our collection of main characters board the yacht that could be their doom. With beers, or ‘brewskies’ as they like to call them, in hand, it’s time for a good time. On first impression they’re a bunch of irredeemable reprobates with only a couple of exceptions. 

Brad, the younger sibling of another character, is worried about bringing the group down with his inexperience in both diving and drinking. This creates an immediate bedrock of sympathy, and I came to care for most of the other faces in a similar manner as the story progressed, despite the mountain of stupid decisions being made despite my input.

Related: Nintendo Switch Lite

I won’t spoil anymore of the narrative here, beyond the fact that it feels like it’s over a little too quickly, although mileage will vary depending on which characters live and die throughout the story. For example, I accidentally caused the murder of a headlining personality in the early hours, missing out on everything he would’ve offered in the events to come. 

If you mess up and get someone killed, decisions stick. You either restart the entire game or play until the end, and I respect Man of Medan for that. Actions have consequences in a way that felt genuinely devastating. Each quick-time event was a potential death sentence if you succumbed to sweaty palms or lapsed reflexes. You’ll find paintings throughout the world known as ‘Premonitions’ which provide a glimpse into the future, offering a chance to avoid a grisly fate. 

Those who played Until Dawn will feel immediately accustomed to Man of Medan. It plays exactly like the PS4 exclusive, right down to its clunky movement and spur of the moment decision making, which can completely transform the narrative. Given much of the tale takes place on an abandoned ship, you’ll have to maneuver through cramped, rusty corridors – a scenario that isn’t fit for the robotic controls. 

It simply doesn’t feel good, and inconsistent performance on Xbox One X meant I feared messing up quick-time events with mistakes that were no fault of my own. Textures popping in all over the place and inconsistent visual fidelity were noticeable, with the friend I was playing with pointing them out in embarrassment. Compared to Until Dawn this feels like a step back, perhaps evidence of it no longer being a platform exclusive. 

Related: Resident Evil 8

Outside of performance niggles, Man of Medan is a terrifyingly good time, especially with a friend in the newly introduced ‘Movie Night’ mode. This local multiplayer option allows you and up to five friends to select characters to play as, passing the controller when the time comes to play. It’s delightful, and only serves to emphasis your investment in each of the poor souls. Supermassive Games has created a slick package that I can’t wait to see evolve in The Dark Anthology, providing me and my flatmates an excuse to gather round the television.

Decisions made throughout the campaign either come from the brain or the heart, difference indicated by symbols beside each dialogue choice. I was essentially picking between the logical option or the personal one. For example, fearing for my own safety and escaping amidst the certain death of someone else is the safest option, but emotional attachment might get the better of some, causing them to look before leaping into their eventual doom. I wanted everyone to live regardless of the circumstances, and almost succeeded by going with my weak, frail heart.

This means Man of Medan has plentiful replay value for completionists, or narrative hungry players who love to delve into every nook and cranny of a story. Having to play through lengthy scenes, simply waiting to make a decision, can be tiresome though, and a fast-forward option of sorts built into the experience could work wonders if done correctly. For now, I hope you like a glacial build-up followed by the occasional button prompt. Man of Medan would benefit from being more kinetic in its movement, especially with similar titles like Detroit: Become Human proving what the genre is capable of despite its mediocre writing.

Related: Call of Duty – Modern Warfare

Verdict

The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan is a solid beginning to what I hope becomes a memorable selection of virtual horror outings. The setting here didn’t do much for me if I’m perfectly honest, but the memorable characters, razor sharp pacing and well-placed scares make it excellent fun with a few friends by your side.

Sadly, the technical issues are harder to ignore when performance issues and visual blemishes emerge even on Xbox One X. This could improve with a patch, but proved an undeniable distraction during my review playthrough. That said, I’m ready to dive in to determine the fate of these characters once again.

 

The post The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan appeared first on Trusted Reviews.

Read More

With the Apple Watch 5 expected to be unveiled in the coming weeks, Fitbit has stolen a march and unveiled the Versa 2 – its next smartwatch.

The Versa has always meant to be a mixture of stylish wearable watch and fitness tracker, and the Versa 2 continues that trend. This isn’t going to sway anyone from investing in a dedicated Garmin running watch, but it’s the perfect smartwatch for something who wants a little more than what’s offered by a basic fitness tracker.

For the Versa 2, Fitbit has improved battery life, focussed a lot on sleep tracking and added in Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant. Is it enough of an upgrade?

Related: Best smartwatch 2019

Fitbit Versa 2 price and release date

The Fitbit Versa 2 will be available from September 15 for £199/$199. There’ll be a pricier option too, for £219/$229 that’ll come with a 90-day Fitbit Premium trial and a duo of bands.

Alexa and software – Alexa, where’s the nearest Gym?

While we have seen it on a smattering of phones and wearables before, Alexa has mainly been restricted to in-house devices like Amazon’s own Echo speakers. With the Versa 2 you can access the digital assistant from anywhere – as long as you’ve got a data connection and a phone handy – and ask it questions like, ‘Where’s the local gym?’ and ‘How many calories are in a chocolate mousse?’. All the regular Alexa stuff is supported too, so you can turn off your smart lights or set a timer.

I didn’t get much time to actually test out how well Alexa works here, and I have never been convinced by Alexa previously when it’s taken out of the home. However, having some form of hands-free voice control on a watch is always welcome, as it saves you prodding around too much on the tiny screen.

Alexa is summoned with a long press of the single button on the side, and there’s a microphone sitting above for listening to your commands. You can also reply to messages with your voice if you’re using an Android phone.

Related: Best fitness tracker 2019

Spotify now has a dedicated ‘app’ too, letting you control the music playing on your phone or through connected speakers from your watch. You can’t, however, download playlists for offline listening, which is a shame. If you want to store music offline you’ll need to use Deezer.

Of course, the big focus of the software is health and fitness. Fitbit is launching a new Premium monthly subscription that gives you more in-depth insights and training regimes, and all this is built into the watch and mobile app. There’s also a bigger focus on sleep tracking here, with a ‘Sleep Score’ awarded each morning. This score is made up from a number of metrics including amount of deep sleep, REM sleep and time asleep. Fitbit said this feature was added as a direct response to requests from its users.

Design – Fitbit Versa 2 has charm and feels great to wear

Like the original Versa, Versa 2 is an absolute pleasure to wear. It hugs the wrist, doesn’t feel heavy and looks very much like a digital watch. This time around the body has been smoothed out, with the sensor array around the back more rounded. There’s also now just one button on the side (like the Versa Lite) for navigation.

The OLED display has been stretched out too, slimming down the bezel in the process. It’s still bright and sharp, and can now stay on all the time thanks to a new always-on mode.

Specs – Fitbit Versa 2 is mostly unchanged, but with improved battery life

Internally the Versa 2 seems very much like its predecessor, albeit with a slightly faster processor. There’s still an HRM that’ll track your heart rate 24/7, swimproof body and, sadly, no GPS. There is connected GPS however, so you’ll need a phone connected should you wish to properly track your runs.

Battery life has been given an improvement, with Fitbit saying the watch should last for 5+ days (or 2+ days with the always-on display enabled), which is up from the 3+ days for the original Versa.

Fitbit Versa 2 – Early Verdict

For under £200/$200, the Versa 2 looks like it’ll be an excellent choice for someone who wants a fitness tracking watch that doesn’t look too much like a fitness tracking watch. It’ll be familiar to those comfortable with the Fitbit ecosystem and, as it works across iOS and Android, it’s a good alternative to the Apple Watch.

The post Fitbit Versa 2 appeared first on Trusted Reviews.

Read More

The Xiaomi Mi A3 aspires to be more than a mere budget phone, incorporating premium touches such as an in-screen fingerprint scanner and an IR blaster, not to mention its main selling point – the triple-lens camera. While it gets a lot right, from the battery longevity to camera performance, its achievements have been made at the cost of higher screen quality.

Design  – The Xiaomi Mi A3 looks premium, if a little inconspicuous

The Xiaomi Mi A3 is a fairly large phone, with a screen that measures 6 inches. The rear panel, though plastic, looks good thanks to a glossy finish. Three cameras are present on the back of the handset in a vertically aligned module, while a selfie camera is housed in the teardrop notch at the top of the screen. The notch isn’t all that subtle, but isn’t particularly invasive when watching full-screen videos.

Inspect the sides of the phone and you’ll find several welcome hardware inclusions: a 3.5mm headphone jack, an IR blaster, a microSD card slot, and a USB-C port. Conspicuous by its absence, however, is a fingerprint scanner — that’s because it’s integrated under the screen, much like more premium devices. It’s handy if you want to unlock your device while it’s lying flat on a surface, but it does take noticeably longer to unlock than a traditional scanner.

Overall, it’s a device that looks just fine, though not distinctive, and offers the user a welcome versatility that’s missing even from some flagships.

Camera – The Xiaomi Mi A3’s triple snapper setup is impressive for the price

The Xiaomi Mi A3’s key feature is undoubtedly the triple lens camera. The main 48-megapixel snapper is accompanied by an 8-megapixel wide angle lens and a 2-megapixel depth sensor, again offering considerable versatility.

The camera produces pleasingly well-detailed images. Pinching and zooming on your images will still show sharp edges. Night mode significantly reduces the blown-out lights that you otherwise get, but detail is compromised significantly.

HDR can tend towards overexposure, but can give a more pleasing appearance for those who prefer brighter images to the dull, shadowy realism that prevails otherwise. The selfie camera is impressively sharp, and Portrait Mode accurately cuts out the subject and blurs the background for that crowd-pleasing ‘popping’ effect.

Software – Android One gives the Xiaomi Mi A3 a clean-cut, pure Android experience

The Xiaomi Mi A3, like all previous entries in the series, runs Android One. This interface strips out all but a few manufacturer apps and offers a very pure Android experience, without the bloatware that can hinder (but occasionally help) your daily experience with the phone.

While some users might be accustomed to the skins developed by various other manufacturers, an undisputed advantage of running pure Android One is that it guarantees software and security updates for years after – a strong selling-point for cheaper phones that often get overlooked for updates.

The clean-cut approach works well for the most part on this device, with only two non-Google apps installed after setup, but the minimalist dogma is taken to an almost masochistic extent when there’s no pre-installed app to use the phone’s IR blaster as a remote control.

In our review of the Xiaomi Mi 9, we recognised that MiUI is certainly not to everyone’s taste, so the adoption of Android One is likely to be a benefit overall, thanks especially to that longer-term software support.

Battery – Its big battery gives the Xiaomi Mi A3 considerable staying power

While it might not catch the headlines in the same way as the triple camera, the battery on this device is just as worthy of praise. With a considerable 4030mAh battery, this phone can last you a long time. After an hour watching YouTube videos, the battery was dented by 8% and an hour of demanding gaming took only 12% off the battery.

In our experience, with moderate usage you could get as much as two days out of out this phone.

Wireless charging is not enabled, as you’d expect on a phone of this price. Fast-charging of up to 18W is possible, but curiously the phone is only boxed up with a 10W charger.

Screen – The Xiaomi Mi A3’s underwhelming display leaves a lot to be desired

The screen measures 6 inches, which is a good size for watching videos; but unfortunately it’s let down by the 720p resolution. It’s not the sharpest display around, and while you’d have to look very closely to spot any actual blurring it is noticeable that images are less sharp and the subjects don’t pop out of the screen in the same way they do on a higher resolution display.

Brightness is just as underwhelming as the resolution, never hitting the heights that you’d expect of most phones.

The upside of these compromises is that they help the Mi A3’s battery go even further. The obvious downside is that videos and games look underwhelming. You’ll likely notice these differences if you’re used to a high-end display.

Performance – Good day-to-day power, but the Xiaomi Mi A3 isn’t a phone for gamers

With a Snapdragon 665 processor, this device is firmly in the mid-range of the market. System navigation runs smoothly, perhaps aided by the clean interface and undemanding screen, but there can be some lag on powerful games like Asphalt 9 at particularly demanding moments.

Apps such as YouTube and Google Maps run well, however, and we noticed no problems when multi-tasking between several different apps.

If you’re a keen gamer, or if you want to rest assured that your phone will handle everything you throw at it in a few years’ time, then it might be worth considering a more powerful device. But most users will be served well by this processor.

Device	Geekbench 4 Single Core	Geekbench 4 Multi Core
Xiaomi Mi A3	1526	5547
Motorola One Vision	1612	5468
Google Pixel 3a	1633	5209

 

Should I buy the Xiaomi Mi A3?

This phone gets almost everything right for the price, including a good camera, a user-friendly interface, decent performance and a strong battery. But the drawback is the disappointing screen.

If you love using your phone to watch videos, this could be a deal breaker. But if you prefer taking snaps or reading text on your device, the Xiaomi Mi A3 will be a reliable handset for you.

Xiaomi Mi A3 — Verdict

The Xiaomi Mi A3 is a good choice for an affordable phone, especially if the camera is your priority and you want regular software updates. But if you like watching videos, you could look elsewhere, because the screen isn’t up to the highest standards.

The post Xiaomi Mi A3 appeared first on Trusted Reviews.

Read More

Borderlands 3 Preview: Our thoughts after a few hours with the game

The RPG shooter (or “shlooter”, as I’ve come to call it) formula has evolved massively since Borderlands 2 launched back in 2012. It has practically grown into its own genre with the likes of Destiny 2, The Division 2 and other mixed attempts such as Anthem trying to dominate the minds of players with oodles of content. Oh, and loot. Lots and lots of irresistible loot. 

Gearbox Software might have helped pioneer the genre and its inner workings all those years ago, but it has plenty of ground to cover if it hopes to once again reign supreme among some genuinely stellar competition. Following a few hours of play, it appears Borderlands 3 is taking the right steps to engage players in a way the series simply hasn’t done before, and that’s definitely a good thing.

A shooter experience once considered archaic in the eyes of modern spectators is now fresh and filled with life, dripping with activities in which to partake that extend beyond the excellent main narrative. Combine that with plentiful character classes, a huge world and you’ve got an eclectic recipe for success.

However, it’s a shame the writing remains as a goofball and scattershot as it has always been, although that’s a matter of personal taste. 

Related: Upcoming Xbox One games

I recently visiting the 2K offices in London and had a chance to play a few hours of Borderlands 3, delving into two distinct builds that allowed me to experiment with a variety of character classes. Having already played as Moze, an utterly badass gunner capable of calling down a mech from the heavens, I opted for a different slate of troublemakers this time around.

My heroine of choice was Amara, Borderlands 3’s spin on the ethereal Siren. Immediately, she usurps stereotypes by presenting herself as a strong buff women, adorned with countless muscles and the physical prowess to back them up. She’s both brains and brawn, capable of hurling bandits across the screen with exhilarating psychic abilities. 

From the second I picked up the controller, she proved a treat to play as. This largely comes down to how Borderlands 3 has enhanced its movement system. Its predecessors came before the time of Titanfall, where mantling, wall-running and absurd feats of physicality became the norm in first-person shooters. Now, Gearbox is taking these lessons and applying them generously to everything in sight. 

Upon jumping towards protruding ledges and higher vantage points, my character would hoist themselves up without issue, making the exploration of large, sprawling levels a chore instead of an exercise in frustration. It simply made the world feel like a living, breathing environment with enemies hiding in makeshift dens across a hostile stronghold, instead of copy-and-paste outposts like previous games. 

Related: Best PS4 games

This improved method of movement also helps gunplay come alive, making it a breeze to dart behind cover and across destructible environments. Firefights are dynamic and unpredictable, each one breaking out and descending into madness in a flurry of gorgeous explosions. Some foes are still obnoxious bullet sponges, though; my progress to certain areas gated until I’d reached the right level. My skills didn’t matter, since the difficulty was turned up in a way that would ensure I’d be mincemeat in seconds.

Now, let’s dive into the nitty-gritty of Amara. She’s undeniably badass, and comes with three unique powers from the outset: Phasegrasp, Phasecast and Phaseslam. Each is separated into its own distinct skill trees and upgrades in which you can specialise. I loved them, using Phasegrasp to hold enemies in place, while I filled them with bullets before finishing them off with a deadly slam. There’s a melodic dynamism to proceeding that works great playing solo, and perhaps even better with fellow Vault Hunters by your side.

Given you can play as any of the four unique personalities in Borderlands 3, I can see myself specialising in different builds for each of them, defining a playstyle that emphasises either offence, defence or a mixture of both, depending on the situation at hand. Gearbox Software has ensured that no matter your decision, every second of combat remains immensely engaging. Granted, firefights with the same mixture of foes can grow stale as you’re exploring the open world.

Beyond Amara, I also played an hour or so with Zane – who is probably the most generic fellow of the lot. This applies to both his Pierce Brosnan-esque appearance and selection of abilities. The gunslinger can summon a shield to protect himself from foes or even summon a doppelgänger to blow them away alongside him. He’s excellent fun in his own right, but during cut-scenes and while scouring the world, I simply didn’t connect with him as much. What I’m really saying is I’m a tad too smitten with Amara.

Related: Call of Duty – Modern Warfare

Aside from the brief demo I played previously, but with different classes, I also experienced a wider, more ambitious section of Borderlands 3. For a couple of precious hours, I ventured through the brightly lit streets of Meridian. This sprawling metropolis is the battleground for warring factions, battling each other for the rights of its citizens and the spoils hidden amidst a planet ravaged by war. It also looks gorgeous, presenting a densely packed scale the series hasn’t really had before.

For the first time in a decade, Borderlands 3 will abandon the tried-and-true desert plains of Pandora for multiple different planets. Each will have its own unique aesthetic, quests and characters to encounter, which will contribute to the overall narrative in some fascinating ways. You’ll navigate to these new landmasses from the safety of Santuary III, a spaceship that lingers on the outskirts of planets just waiting to dive in.

As far as I’m aware, this ship is essentially the game’s base of operations. Here you’ll find Moxxi’s Bar alongside other familiar characters and shopkeepers ready and waiting to converse with you. It feels like the Greatest Hits of Borderlands, bringing everything players have come to love from Tales of the Borderlands and beyond. The dedication to the lore and its legacy is impressive, even if I myself don’t care too much about it.

The wacky plot is a snazzy background for the team-based shooting, although immensely fun in its own right. My disconnection is partly due to the game’s sense of humour, which manages to draw a few laughs, but feels far too juvenile and drenched in meme culture to feel genuinely original. But if you were a sucker for the writing in Borderlands 1 & 2, what’s on offer here will definitely appeal.

Related: Cyberpunk 2077 Preview

Meridian is a beautiful city, its ruined beauty made obvious by a flurry of neon lights that dominate the streets and sides of daunting skyscrapers. It gels wonderfully with the cel-shaded visuals, making my journey across it an unparalleled pleasure. You traverse it mostly by vehicle, spawning one of many from Catch-A-Ride stations located on most corners. They control well enough, reminiscent of Halo as you control with both sticks while firing turrets at oncoming foes.

I darted across the city performing quests from a number of NPCS; one such adventure involved restoring power to a robotic coffee shop to quench a revolutionary leader’s thirst for caffeine. It’s a great idea, and one that feels far more fledged out than the series’ past side activities. I don’t expect every optional activity in Borderlands 3 to be like this, but they really don’t need to be. So long as there’s enough charm and personality to stay consistent, I’ll be more than happy.

Latest impressions

Borderlands 3 continues to impress, and has all the ingredients to be one of the 2019’s best shooters for many reasons. It plays well, offers ample variety and promises yet more surprises that are to be uncovered. Of the three Vault Hunters I’ve tried, they’re all incredibly fun and present a unique way to play.

I still don’t gel with the sense of humour and its over-the-top world building, but treated as little more than a stylish background for the shooter action, it’s a worthwhile sacrifice to enjoy one of the most robust team-based experiences I’ve seen in quite some time. Claptrap still sucks, though.

Borderlands 3 trailer

The post Borderlands 3 appeared first on Trusted Reviews.

Read More

The Oppo Reno Z is a smartphone with lofty aspirations to dethrone the Pixel 3a as Trusted Reviews’ favourite mid-range phone.

And on paper it has the chops to do this, featuring stellar hardware you’d more usually only see on more expensive handsets. But with so many other phones looking to pull the exact same trick, including the Motorola One Vision, you may be justified in wondering what unique features Oppo can bring to the table to differentiate itself from the crowd.

As it turns out, not many. Unlike the Pixel 3a, which has the best camera you’ll find at this price, the Oppo Reno Z doesn’t have one killer feature to sell itself on. What it does, though, is get all the key basics right when it comes to screen, overall design and battery life. This may not make it the sexiest phone around, but it does earn it a place as one of the best value phones currently available.

Oppo Reno Z specs – Top-notch hardware at a rock-bottom price

A few years ago, if you paid £300 for a smartphone you’d be treated to a boxy slab of plastic that was about as alluring as a trip to Slough or Milton Keynes. To this day, lazy design remains an issue at this end of the market – even the Pixel 3a is a little on the dull side visually.

Oppo’s decided to try and buck this trend, and make the Reno Z look as jazzy as possible, loading it with a wealth of flashy colour options and a few design flourishes that are normally reserved for more expensive phones. For a start, it has a glass back. This, plus my review unit’s snazzy purple colouring, instantly make it more alluring than most £300 phones. Be warned, though. As Bon Jovi sang, it gets slippery when wet and will crack if dropped without a case.

It also has a few top-end features including a Huawei P30-style dewdrop notch, dinky bezels and an in-screen fingerprint scanner. The scanner’s not quite as nippy as the P30’s but the fact the tech’s even in a phone this price is seriously impressive.

At first glance, under the hood things are also solid. Powering up the phone I was instantly stunned by how good the 6.4-inch AMOLED screen is, when compared to other phones this price. The 2340 x 1080 is suitably sharp and colours, while a little warm to the naked eye, generally look great. This, plus the Dolby Atmos stereo speaker setup, make it a great phone for Netflix bingeing in bed.

Related: Best mid-range phone 2019

The Oppo Reno Z’s battery – Getting the basics right works

Battery life is also great thanks to Oppo’s decision to load the Reno Z with a giant 4035 mAh cell and its custom VOOC Flash Charge 3.0 tech. With regular use, this combo let me easily get at least two days’ use out of the Oppo Reno X as my main work and personal phone.

This entailed listening to music on my commute, taking and making a few calls, constantly checking my social media and message feeds, plus a game of PUBG and a quick hour on Netflix before bed.

It dealt with demanding tasks like video streaming and gaming pretty well. Streaming video on Netflix with the phone screen at 150 nits (the level most people will be comfortable with), the Reno Z lost an average of 6-8% of its charge per hour, which is excellent. Most phones lose at least 10% running the same process. Gaming was the same – it lost around 12-15% per hour, which again is not to be sniffed at.

The Oppo Reno Z’s camera – Good, but it’s not a Pixel 3a killer

On paper the camera’s a similar story. Oppo’s loaded the Reno Z with a dual-sensor rear camera setup that pairs the 48-megapixel Sony sensor seen on the OnePlus 7 with a secondary 5-megapixel “depth” snapper. Up front you’ll find a 38-megapixel selfie camera. The specs put the Reno X on a par with its arch-rival, the Motorola One Vision, which has a near-identical rear camera setup.

With real-world use I found camera performance between the two is fairly comparable. This means it’s good, but not Pixel 3a level, particularly in low light.

The camera app is fairly stripped down, but it has most of the features you’d expect, including auto, panorama, night, portrait, slo-mo and Google Lens options. The only minor issue is the fact there’s no RAW shooting option, which will annoy enthusiasts, but at this price that’s far from a deal-breaker.

Related: Best camera phone 2019

Shots taken in normal light look good and match, if not beat, the One Vision for quality, though be warned – like the Motorola, shutter speeds can be a little slow and the camera can sometimes push the bokeh effect too far, giving portrait shots a slightly soft feel.

A few years ago I’d have praised the Reno’s low-light performance at this price. The phone can actually take usable images in low light. But hold it next to the Pixel 3a and the difference is clear. Pictures taken on the Pixel 3a in low light have better contrast, are less prone to noise and generally look more realistic than those taken on the Reno Z.

Though again, this is forgivable as it matches, if not beats, nearly every other competing £300 phone’s low-light performance.

The front camera paints a similar picture. For the money, you get great image quality that’s more than good enough to chronicle most drunken students’ clubbing adventures or finding-themselves trip around Europe. The only slight annoyance is that the app seems to softly “beautify” you even when the beauty mode is turned off and, once again, it can be a little aggressive when applying bokeh.

You can see a selection of photos taken on the Oppo Reno Z below.

Related: Best phone 2019

Oppo Reno Z compromises – Few and far between outside of two issues

The two bigger issues for me stem from the Oppo Reno’s ColorOS Android skin and use of a Mediatek P90 CPU.

ColorOS 6 is a skin that sits over Android 9. It adds a few new features, like custom swipe gestures and access to Oppo’s cloud services, but for the most part I’m not a fan, as it makes a load of needless changes to the OS stellar native UI. None of the changes are terrible, but they make Android 9 look a little childish, replacing native app shortcuts with uglier, simplified versions.

The firm’s also committed the cardinal sin of loading duplicate applications for things like contacts, music and calendar. Again, this is not a deal breaker, as it’s easy enough to hide them. It just clogs up the UI and feels a little pointless when Google’s own do the job fine, and those who use third-party versions probably already have a preferred app that’s not Oppo’s.

ColorOS will also impact how quickly it can be upgraded to new versions of the OS, like the fast-approaching final version of Android Q.

The issue is particularly annoying considering both the Pixel 3a and Motorola One Vision both come with completely clean installs of Android 9.

The Mediatek CPU is another forgivable but slightly annoying downgrade. You’re never going to see a top end CPU like the Snapdragon 855 in a phone this price, but the P90 is a little on the slow side.

Playing games like PUBG with the graphics maxed, it can heat up and I definitely noticed some throttling during prolonged sessions. The 4-6GB RAM also places it firmly in mid-range territory. I’d personally have preferred to see a Qualcomm 6-series CPU used in its place.

Again, it’s not a deal breaker, as the combo of hardware lets the Oppo once again match the rival One Vision. You can see how the two phones faired in Trusted’s standard suite of synthetic benchmarks in the table below. Geekbench gauges the CPU’s performance. AnTuTu is a generalist benchmark that offers an overall gauge of a phone’s performance. 3DMark focuses on gaming performance.

Should I buy the Oppo Reno Z?

If you’re after a phone for your teenage progeny or looking for a decent mid-range smartphone for yourself then you should definitely check out the Oppo Reno Z.

The phone doesn’t change the world of mid-range smartphones the way the stellar Pixel 3a did with its industry-leading camera. But by getting nearly all the basics right it earns a place as one of 2019’s best £300 smartphones, offering solid battery life, an alluring design and top-notch screen.

The only downside is that its custom ColorOS Android skin puts it a step behind the Pixel 3a and Motorola One Vision when it comes to software.

The post Oppo Reno Z appeared first on Trusted Reviews.

Read More

Instead of releasing just one Moto One device that ticks all the boxes, Motorola seems to be building an entire range of One phones each specialising in one distinct area. We’ve previously had the One Vision and now we’ve got the One Action.

With a name like Action you’d be forgiven for thinking this phone was a rugged device in the same vein as Samsung’s Active range. It’s not. Instead, Action refers to Moto’s wish for this phone to replace a GoPro.

Camera – Could the Moto One Action replace your action cam?

The headline feature on this well-designed £219 smartphone is a 117-degree wide-angle camera specifically made for video. Essentially this lets you shoot widescreen FHD 60fps (frames per second) video while holding the phone vertically, rather than horizontally. Moto reps told me this camera can fit four times more video into the frame than the other Moto One device. There’s also some extra software-based stabilisation to avoid too much shaky video.

It’s a neat trick that worked well during my short time with the phone and makes it much easier to shoot when you’re holding the phone up with one hand – whether it’ll convince someone to choose this phone over something else remains to be seen.

As it’s a wide-angle lens you get a slight fisheye effect on the video and this will be familiar to anyone who has used previous generations of GoPros or other action cameras.

There are three cameras on the back: a 12-megapixel main sensor for stills, then a 5MP and 4MP one too. That main sensor has quad-pixel tech too, supposedly for allowing more light into the sensor and improving low-light performance in the process. 

Inside the camera app you’ll find the same AI-infused software as the One Vision, allowing for tricks such as removing colours from certain parts of a snap and automatically enabling the portrait mode when you’re pointing the phone at a face.

Design and specs – Plenty of storage, mid-range internals

Camera aside, this a good-looking phone. It’s fairly narrow, if quite tall, and feels nice to hold thanks to rounded edges. Even though it’s made out of plastic it doesn’t feel cheap. There’s a headphone jack sitting on top, a USB-C port on the bottom for 10w fast charging the 3500mAh battery, and a fingerprint sensor cleverly disguised inside the Motorola logo on the back. The 6.3-inch display on the front packs a FHD+ resolution and avoids a notch by popping the front camera inside a circular cutout on the left-hand side. 

Inside the phone, there’s an octa-core Exynos 9609 chipset, 4GB RAM and a decent 128GB storage. I’ll save proper performance tests for the full review, but nothing here sticks out as being underwhelming.

Performance should be helped by the Android One software, which eschews bulky skins for a slimmed-down version of Google’s OS. It uses Android Pie out of the box, with an update to Android Q arriving later. You’ll get monthly security updates, and there are unlimited uploads to Google Photos.

Moto One Action – Early verdict

While I am not necessarily convinced Motorola’s plan of releasing multiple phones that each have a headline aspect is the right way of doing things (why not put them all into one really good device?) I do like what I have seen so far of the One Action.

It’s an affordable Android One device with some nifty camera tricks that set it apart from the budget crowd. 

The post Moto One Action appeared first on Trusted Reviews.

Read More

LG’s first 5G phone is here in the LG V50 (or V50 ThinQ, to give it its full name) and it comes fully loaded with a Snapdragon 855 chipset, Qualcomm’s X50 modem to enable 5G, a 4000mAh battery and five cameras.

LG is also selling a secondary a clip-on secondary display that turns the V50 into a sort of make-your-own faux foldable.

Related: Folding phones you’ll either love or hate

The LG V50 is late to the 5G party but still wonderfully fast

The LG V50 is both early and late. The company typically releases its G-series devices to hoover up flagship phone sales in the first half of each year and then introduces a new V-series entrant around six months later to tie the year off. With the arrival of 5G, LG broke convention.

The Korean company announced both the LG G8 and the LG V50 side by side at Mobile World Congress in February, with the G8 serving as its 4G flagship and the V50 its 5G flagship.

This may account for the numerous similarities between the V50 and its predecessor – LG had less time to innovate between generations. The company instead focused on getting 5G working in a phone and making sure the rest of the hardware could keep up – resulting in tweaks like a larger 4000mAh battery (the LG V40 featured a 3300mAh cell).

Related: What is 5G?

Despite being one of the first 5G phones to be announced, it’s actually hitting the market much later than competition such as the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G, Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G, OnePlus 7 Pro 5G and Oppo Reno 5G – most of which were unveiled after the V50.

Late or not, the LG V50 leverages the same X50 modem as most of the competition and my testing highlighted the infancy of live 5G right now, even in principal hubs like London.

Testing out of the Trusted Reviews headquarters in Canary Wharf, the V50 averaged 23Mb/s down and 20Mb/s up on EE’s 5G network but near-identical speeds when running on the carrier’s 4G network. As such, LG may be getting in ahead of mainstream 5G adoption but, as a result, the V50 suffers under EE’s nascent 5G infrastructure, diminishing one of the main reasons to pick up this phone over flagships still limited to 4G speeds.

If 5G is your main reason for wanting a new phone, the value of handsets like the V50 is currently dictated more by the speed at which carriers like EE and Vodafone upgrade and flesh out their 5G networks than the hardware in the phones themselves.

Does the LG V50’s Dual Screen accessory make it a worthwhile foldable?

One of the other big selling points that LG is pushing with the V50 is support for a new Dual Display accessory. It snaps around the V50’s body and adds a secondary 6.2-inch Full HD+ OLED panel to the left of the phone’s own 6.4-inch FullVision display.

The resultant experience this second-screen offers is… odd. Don’t go in expecting Samsung Galaxy Fold or Huawei Mate X levels of foldable coherence; compared to the elegant glass and metal build of the V50 itself, the Dual Display is a mix of chunky matte black plastic, a glossy outer face that looks like a display but isn’t and the screen itself – it’s a bit of a mess, not to mention the added thickness and weight it imposes on the V50’s overall form.

It connects, elegantly enough, using three POGO pins that align with contact points on the back of the V50’s body and once you tap the power button that appears at the edge of the V50’s display, the secondary screen blinks into life.

There’s an ever-present menu that lets you switch content between the two screens or move content from one to the other, which all works seamlessly and quickly. The second screen is treated almost like a secondary device, with an apps drawer all its own. You can also choose to synchronise the brightness levels of both screens or control them independently.

LG posits that it holds value as a mirror for your selfies, for hosting an additional user in video chat or by displaying a virtual gamepad when gaming, but I found any real-world benefits to be tenuous at best.

I usually wound up running a chat app like Slack alongside a portrait-friendly game like Pokémon Go or streamed a video on YouTube while browsing the web when in landscape. Some apps simply don’t play nice with the Dual Display – Netflix, for example, will instantly pause should you touch the opposing screen, making it unusable.

As for the gamepad feature, having to use touch-based controls while concentrating on another screen made experiences like Fortnite harder to control rather than easier – and most titles didn’t offer full support or were miscalibrated with no way to tweak sensitivity. The 105-degree upright position that the screen can lock to is also terrible for gaming or viewing in landscape.

I appreciated its ability to double as a stand, but paired with the incompatibility found on certain apps and games, the unusual difference in aspect ratios and viewing angles between both screens, and the added bulk and weight, if it doesn’t come bundled with your V50, I’d leave it well alone.

The LG V50 should offer enough power for most users

The phone’s 5G functionality comes thanks in part to its use of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 chipset, which works happily with that all-important X50 modem. It’s also a great piece of hardware in its own right, ensuring the user experience offered up by the V50 remains solid, speedy and stable. Pairing it with 6GB of RAM means you’re not going to get the fastest phone out there, but in benchmarking tests it’s among the highest-scoring phones through Trusted’s doors this year.

I did encounter the occasional lock-up and the phone did restart on one occasion, but I place the blame on LG’s heavy-handed software rather than on the hardware struggling under any real load. When using the dual display and running two apps side by side, the V50 also didn’t seem to be bothered by such demands, which was pleasing to see.

As for the battery, the jump to a 4000mAh cell ensures that even when using the dual display, you can expect a day’s use without worry, while using the phone as a standalone experience bumps longevity from four to almost five hours of screen-on time.

I ended most days with between 30% and 15% charge, depending on usage, and powering the phone back-up takes approximately one hour and 50 minutes using the included 18W fast charger. Integrated wireless charging also adds a layer of convenience to proceedings.

It’s also worth mentioning the V50’s audio capabilities, which excel over most of the current market (the LG G8 notwithstanding). There’s a customary quad-DAC onboard, with a traditional headphone jack, plus rich EQ controls and DTS:X 3D Surround for a strong overall audio experience.

Five cameras may sound impressive but the V50 isn’t much of an upgrade

The flat glass back of the V50 plays host to an impressive triple camera arrangement, while the front-facing dual-sensor set-up is a nice alternative to that of the Google Pixel 3. Both sides feature a main sensor and an ultra-wide sensor, alongside an additional telephoto sensor on the back.

In truth, this is a seemingly identical arrangement to the V40’s five cameras, right down to resolution, aperture and pixel size. The improved AI prospects of the new chipset are what LG is leaning on, with shooting modes like Studio and AI Cam meant to intelligently add effects or enhance colour and contrast based on what the phone detects is in-frame.

For the best results in most scenarios, it’s best to juggle between Auto and AI Cam, with the latter sometimes making better use of available light, expressing a wider dynamic range and better white balance in resultant imagery. It should serve as the sole shooting mode, however, as it does have a tendency to over-saturate images, which is where Auto steps in to capture more realistic shots.

As for low-light shooting, even with the phone’s Night View mode, you’ll struggle to achieve shots that even come close to the likes of the Pixel 3 or the current low-light king, the Huawei P30 Pro.

AI Cam (left), Night View (right) – use the slide bar to move between the two images

Where the V50 impresses is with its video capture; more specifically its stabilisation. The phone can shoot up to a 4K at 60fps, which isn’t something available to every current Android flagship, while stabilisation while shooting at lower resolutions and frame rates is some of the most stable I’ve seen from a phone.

Should I buy the LG V50?

For a phone that embraces the arrival of 5G in 2019, the rest of the experience offered by the LG V50 still feels decidedly 2018.

The fact that most of the key hardware beyond its processor, modem and battery remains unchanged compared to last year’s LG V40 is challenging enough, not least when the inclusion of 5G pushes the phone’s price up so high.

If you definitely need a 5G phone, the V50 is a capable all-rounder. However, most of the other entrants out there will more readily delight and impress with superior designs, hardware talents or slicker software.

Like the G8, beyond its connectivity, its audio capabilities are to be applauded. Nonetheless, it’s tricky to recommend against stiff competition that offers more for less.

LG V50 release date and price

In its native market of South Korea, the LG V50 is available for ₩1,199,000 (around £815/$980). In the US, the phone is available from both Sprint and Verizon, with both carriers offering the phone on contracts starting at $19 a month and $41.66 a month respectively. Both carriers also let you buy the phone outright upfront for $999.99 (approximately £830).

In the UK, the LG V50 is available for pre-order, with buymobilephones.net selling it on a variety of 5G EE contracts from £64 per month with a £264.99 upfront cost. The story is similar with Carphone Warehouse, which is also selling it on a variety of 5G EE contracts from £64 per month, but with a lower £149.99 upfront cost and the inclusion of the phone’s Dual Screen accessory.

Buying direct from EE also lands you the LG Dual Screen, with 4G plans starting at £59 a month (plus a £50 upfront cost), while the carrier’s 5G plans start out with the same price of £64 per month, again accompanied by a £50 upfront handset cost.

Related: Best 5G phones out now and coming soon

The post LG V50 ThinQ appeared first on Trusted Reviews.

Read More