Value king

$19 earbuds that feel cheap but sound surprisingly rich, bassy and detailed.

A very fast, surprisingly affordable gaming phone held back by dated software and poor camera processing.

A big step forward for Zenfone with cleaner software, huge battery and a flip camera, but the LCD panel isn't the best.

A well-judged phone with few sacrifices in the areas that matter, at roughly half the price of many flagships.

His personal value pick: as fast as pricier phones, so you don't feel you've compromised.

His pick for best-value gaming phone, keeping what matters at around half the price of the ROG Phone 2.

Performance better than many flagships, with a 64MP camera, very fast charging and a 90Hz AMOLED screen for $50 more.

A more shocking and impressive phone for its time, with great customisation and value, but dated cameras and performance now.

Average durability, good in the hammer test but hurt by the reverse hammer hit.

A year-old flagship that is now a sweet-spot buy at around $330 refurbished, with better software and premium build.

Offers a flagship Kirin chip, triple camera and premium design at a lower price.

Distinguished, powerful with a 48 megapixel camera and priced below most flagships, though the time of flight camera is a questionable choi…

Still good at performance, camera and battery a year on, and now cheaper.

A bold, well-priced gaming phone with active cooling, a great display and experimental 8K video, held back by a few rough edges.

Amazing value with a flagship chip in a compact one-hand-friendly body, and he prefers it to the Pro.

A well-rounded and well-built phone for the price.

A bold, vibrant red version of the OnePlus 6 that keeps the same price and is still good value, though colour choice is down to taste.

Night mode is much better than expected for a £329 phone, with some softness and heavy lens flare.

One of his favourite wireless mice, comfortable and a steal at under $20.

Tech-friendly backpack with lots of pockets at about half the price of the OnePlus one, and he wholeheartedly recommends it.

Specs and price look like a bargain, but he thinks Lenovo's misleading hype around a 100MP camera makes the whole launch feel off.

A slick, clean, bloat-free experience for half the price of a top-end phone.

Still a beast in 2019, a budget phone with shockingly little compromise.

A flagship-level experience for about half the price, with sensible compromises on camera, speaker and extras.