Top 10 trending phones of week 40

The Samsung Galaxy Note8 is exactly where we left it last week - topping the list of the most popular phones in our database. The phablet flagship took over from the newly announced iPhones seven days ago and now managed to keep the freshly unveiled Pixels at bay. The Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro gained two spots this week and took second, ahead of the Pixel 2. The other second gen pure Google phone - the Pixel 2 XL managed a sixth place in our chart - losing out to both the yet-to-announced Oppo F5 and Android One-powered Xiaomi Mi A1. We find the highest-placed iOS device in seventh -...

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Weekly poll: Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, are the worth it?

Did you pre-order a Pixel 2? It seems that the shipping estimates shot up almost instantly, especially for the Black & White color option for the Pixel 2 XL (affectionately known as the panda color). Does that mean Google's new phones are excellent and already top sellers? No, in typical Google fashion it did not stock up enough units so it could be December before you get to own your panda XL. You can check our hands-on and watch our encounter on video. We don't make much of a secret that we think the larger model is the better phone. The chunky bezels of the smaller Pixel 2 makes it...

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Counterclockwise: two is better than one

In recent years, the LG V10 and V20 touted a second screen as a signature feature (though the new V30 put an end to that). The Meizu Pro 7 switched it up a bit with a second AMOLED screen on its back, but we've covered second screens before. But a modern smartphone doubles up on more than just the screen. Two cameras are a staple of new flagships, for example. That was a thing way back in 2011 with the HTC EVO 3D and the LG Optimus 3D. The two cams were used for stereoscopic photos and videos back then. Today the second cam has either a wide or a tele lens, perhaps the sensor it uses skips...

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Week 40 in review: Pixels everywhere

We're now knee deep into the busy season of smartphone announcements ahead of the holiday season. After Samsung, LG, Apple and Xiaomi revealed their fall flagships it finally came time for Google to unwrap its new Pixel hardware. But the Pixels didn't top our list of most read articles - that honor goes to the first substantial leak of the Samsung Galaxy A5 (2018) and its all-screen front. The unveiling of the Google Pixel 2 and 2 XL ranked quite high in interest in the past week. The reborn Nokia is very popular too - often making appearances in our Week in review lists. This week...

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Weekly poll results: Xperia XZ1 won over the fans

Two out of three people like the Sony Xperia XZ1, according to our poll. That's good news for Sony, it seems that the company has not lost its mojo. Better still, quite a few of you brought up its more petite sibling, the XZ1 Compact (but that's the subject of another poll). So, how did the big XZ1 get so much love? Sony has been reliable when it comes to software updates. Many adore the squarish design, a rarity when most other makers have very rounded phones. The battery life is solid, along with the usual strengths of a flagship Xperia - the stereo speakers and the...

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