Phones

The nicest-looking and cheapest gaming phone, a good entry point, but the camera needs work.

Arguably better value than the Realme 7, with lots of good stuff for the money.

A steal that feels like a $1,000 phone at around $600, with a phenomenal 108MP camera.

A tall, narrow wildcard that grips like a compact phone but can't have the biggest battery or best camera.

Joint best value phone, with a flip camera that is genuinely useful and a beastly spec sheet for just over $800.

Looks suave as the Bond film phone, but it doesn't feel like a $700 phone once turned on.

Sony's most competitive phone in years with a lovely display, but weak battery and inconsistent camera.

A fun, enormous gaming phone with physical shoulder buttons that disappear when not gaming.

Closest rival to the ROG Phone 3 with faster charging, but the design is too weird.

A brilliant spec sheet, held back by a strange LCD choice.

His favourite phone of the year on hardware, camera and battery, held back only by the US ban on Google services.

His overall value champion: feels as premium as thousand-dollar phones with cleaner software, though the camera is average and regional pri…

Basically a Pixel 5 with a few features cut, and good value at $499.

Technically plausible and better than a transparent TV, but he thinks it will fail because AR glasses will make it redundant.

Arun treats the Mate 10 as sharing the same AI chip and EMUI 8.0 benefits as the Pro, with quick text translation.

A phone with a built-in projector whose other specs were sacrificed, so nobody bought it (5/10 fail).

A fun 3D phone that failed because of limitations and no 3D content, but he thinks LG's gamble was reasonable (3/10 fail).

An exciting early big-screen phone with a monstrous spec sheet, undone by a niche size, fiddly software and ancient Android 1.6 (5/10 fail).

A phone with an e-ink screen on the back that was a good idea in theory but hurt the battery, and its maker went bankrupt (6/10 fail).

An iconic, beautiful best-seller that made phones fashionable; the fail is Motorola's later fall rather than the phone (8/10 fail).

HTC's attempted comeback phone had OnePlus Nord specs at around $600 instead of $400, and he thinks the company can't catch up (6/10 fail).

A tiny companion phone for minimalists that contradicts its own purpose and is weak at everything, rated 2/10 fail.

A cut-down Mi Note 10 at $380 that keeps the flagship glass and AMOLED display, with early impressions of the camera being good.

Beastly hardware and excellent battery life for the money, but let down by ads in the software and some shady pricing and marketing, though…