YotaPhone 2 is among those smartphones you just can’t miss in the news. It is unique and innovative and we just had to take it for a spin. So, here is the unique YotaPhone 2 arriving at our office. And it has a premium retail box to match.

The YotaPhone 2 isn’t just a flagship with a 5″ 1080p AMOLED screen and running on a Snapdragon 800 chip. It is more than just a phone, thanks to its rear 4.7″ electronic paper display, which can be used as an e-book reader, as well as a primary display to operate the basic phone functions. Read more »

Who said the midrange had to look classless? Not Samsung – the Galaxy A5 is a grand exclamation to the opposite – it’s an upper midrange smartphone with a quality build and quality specs all without pushing you to flagship-worthy expenses.

The Samsung Galaxy A5 flaunts a 6.7mm body with an exquisite flat metal frame with metal buttons, a white pearl finish that flashes different nuances under light, a 5″ 720p panel of Super AMOLED quality up front and a very acceptable weight of 123g. Read more »

HP launched today a plethora of new tablets running either Android or Windows OS. A diversity of user scenarios seems to be what HP had in mind prepping those gadgets and it sure looks like it succeeded.

There are six new slates introduced today – the Android-powered HP Pro Slate 12, Pro Slate 10 EE G1 and Pro Slate 8, joining the Windows-running HP Pro Tablet 408, Pro Tablet 10 EE G1 and Elite X2 1011. Read more »

HTC may have conceived the selfie phone to rule the midrange – if the price is right. HTC cut few corners with the Desire 820 - it has an ample 5.5″ screen of sufficient 720p resolution, HTC’s signature stereo speakers up front, a 13MP main camera and 8MP front-facing snapper capable of 1080p video, aimed at selfie enthusiasts and a body with colored accents.

The list goes on to include a 64-bit Snapdragon 615 chipset with an octa-core processor, 2GB of RAM and optional second SIM card slot alongside the microSD card. It really rounds off to a high-value midrange offering that spares neither style nor functionality. Read more »

The ambitious California-based startup accessory maker Antenna79 took the wraps off a rugged case for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus that improves the device’s network connectivity. Dubbed Reach79, the case boosts the signal of a device up to 2x (1.6x on average).

The PhD scientists from Antenna79 have done the trick by embedding the case with a micro-thin, gold-plated antenna. Read more »

,The year 2014 is almost done but Meizu isn’t done quite yet. After unleashing their yearly flagship device, the Meizu MX4, the maker has put forth a bigger and badder smartphone in the face of the Meizu MX4 Pro.

The Meizu MX4 Pro earns its Pro moniker with a slightly bigger display – 5.5″ over 5.36″, a much higher screen resolution and pixel density –
1536 x 2560px and 546ppi. That’s a solid 128ppi increase over its predecessor.

The front also has a fingerprint reader hidden under the home button. There is also more RAM, too. Read more »

The Spigen Aluminum Fit case for iPhone 6 is the successor of last year’s Saturn model for iPhone 5s. The ultra-thin cover is designed for users who like to protect their smartphone without adding much bulk to it.

At a quick glance, the Aluminum Fit case for iPhone 6 trades ruggedness for light weight and good looks. Read past the break to find out more about the Korean manufacturer’s metal-clad offering. Read more »

The Slim Armor family of cases have always been among the most popular offerings by Spigen for any smartphone. Unsurprisingly, the Korean manufacturer of mobile accessories offers a number of versions of the cover for the Apple iPhone 6.

Over the past several weeks, I spend quality time with the Spigen Slim Armor case for iPhone 6 and its kickstand-toting Slim Armor S sibling. Read on to find out if the duo of protective covers are worth your hard-earned cash! Read more »

Phiaton BT 220 NC is the Korean manufacturer’s latest wireless in-ear offering. The noise-canceling Bluetooth 4.0 headset replaces the already stellar Phiaton PS 210 BTNC on top of the company’s in-ear lineup.

In past encounters, I found Phiaton headphones to offer a good balance between design, build quality, sound, and value. Read on to find out if the BT 220 NC matches the standards set by its predecessor! Read more »

Oppo R5 was announced shortly after the Gionee Elife S5.1 and ended its glory as the thinnest smartphone around. The 4.9mm Oppo R5 is so thin that it can’t even pack a proper audio jack.

But there is more. The R5 isn’t just thin, it’s really sturdy – Oppo recently demonstrated in a catchy video that the R5 is equally capable as a fruit cutter and a nail hammer. Razor thin and tough as rock – meet the Oppo R5. Read more »

The LG Tone Infinim HBS-900 is the top-of-the-line model in LG’s Bluetooth headset lineup. Its highlight are the retractable earbuds, with the cables hiding inside the body of the neck band.

The harmon/kardon insignia is not present here by accident either. This stereo Bluteooth headset has some serious audio credentials to match its premium price tag.

Another selling point in favor of the headset are the LG G3-specific features. LG has made sure that the two devices are a great match. In fact, at the time of writing this review there is a great Christmas deal going on in certain markets (Germany for one) where you get the Tone Infinim for free with each purchase of the LG G3.

Coming from the lower LG Tone Ultra HBS-800 model and using a phone that’s different from the G3, I was curious to see not only how good the HBS-900 is but also whether it actually deserves the 50% price markup over the LG HBS-800. On its own, the Tone Infinim currently sells for about $150/€150 depending on the region.

Join me as I take a brief look at this stereo Bluetooth headset in our latest flash review. Read more »

We have the Samsung Galaxy Core Prime at HQ and decided to bring you a quick video and some photos of it.

The Galaxy Core Prime sits in the lower-bracket of the midrange and its highlights are the 4.5″ screen of WVGA (480 x 800px) resolution, the 5MP camera on the back, capable of 1080p video, and the 64-bit Snapdragon 410, coupled with 1GB of RAM. Read more »

Having a global best-seller is nice, but for a company that makes as many devices as Samsung, targeting different regions with different phones makes a lot of sense. The Samsung Galaxy Prime has modest display specs, while keeping the rest on proper mid-range levels. There’s a dual-SIM option in certain regions.

It’s questionable whether it will garner a lot of popularity in the developed western markets, but such phones are selling like hotcakes in the rest of the world. Read more »

The HTC One (M8) was one of the best phones to have come out this year. It excelled in many things, including the design, build quality, display, loudspeaker, software, hardware, and battery life. Yet it had a big drawback and that was the UltraPixel camera on the back.

HTC seems to have heard all the feedback about the camera and has now come up with a new variant, the HTC One (M8 Eye). The One (M8 Eye) gets a new 13 megapixel camera and a lower price. That sounds like a recipe for success but it’s not without its caveats. Let’s see what the phone is like. Read more »

Announced in early October, HTC Desire Eye packs a duo of 13MP cameras equipped with dual-LED flash. The AT&T exclusive (for the time being) smartphone is priced at $149.99 with a two-year contract or $549.99 outright.

When it comes to hardware, don’t let the newcomer’s mid-range family name deceive you. Read more »