Category: Reviews

The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is a budget-friendly smartphone that offers an impressive feature set for the price. It has a 6.3-inch curved display, an octa-core processor, and a single rear camera. The phone also has a large battery and fast charging capabilities. We were impressed with the Galaxy S21 FE’s performance and design, and think it’s a great option for people on a budget even if you can afford the higher-end model.

Build Quality and Design:

It seems to me that it resembles the Galaxy S21 Base design. I didn’t get a chance to use that phone myself, unfortunately. I can tell that the camera bump is different compared to the Galaxy S21 base model. Like an entire plastic cover. With the Galaxy S21 and S21, the camera bump is a made-up of separate plastic material that goes across the whole mechanism.

This isn’t to say I don’t like the design. I do. It feels really good on the hand. The metallic frame all around the phone is so nicely done. The buttons have good feedback. I like it.

For a relatively small phone – 6.4 inches – it fits really nicely on my hand. I guess this is the right size for a phone. I mean, I’ve come to realise most phones this size always end up being really nice to carry around and use.

The phone is weirdly light though. Like you pick it up expecting more weight. Or maybe it’s because I’ve been using the Xiaomi 11T Pro (I love it) and it’s a little bit heavier than the S21 FE.

There’s a single speaker grill at the bottom next to the Type-C charging port. If you’re wondering if audio will be easy to block, worry not, the top earpiece also acts as a secondary loud speaker.

There’s no headphone jack. And I learnt that when I wanted to connect my lapel mic to shoot a video. I don’t get why a phone called Fan Edition (FE) wouldn’t have a headphone jack.

Display:

As usual, Samsung kills it with the display. I don’t even have much to write home here. It is a great panel. I like the 20:9 ratio as the phone feels a little wider.

The Gorilla Glass Victus addition is great. And I guess it’s things like these that have made the phone expensive. We’ll talk about price at the bottom.

Cameras:

Like I’d said, I used the phone to shoot a short video. I like the cameras. I’ve not gone out to take photos with it yet. But I like that I’ve been able to shoot videos and use them without having any extra light, using an external microphone, or correcting the colours.

I will share more on the cameras on social media and in the review later on.

Android 12:

This is the second phone I am using with Android 12. The first one was the Galaxy Z Flip3 which received Android 12 just yesterday.

There’s not a lot to say about One UI 4. If there were bad elements, I’d share them here. But everything is smooth, easy, ad-free, and nice.

When your camera is accessed by an app , there’s now a green notification on the panel to tell you. The problem is the same green notification appears when the microphone is accessed, so you can’t tell them apart. Apple implemented this with an orange dot for the microphone and a green one for the camera.

The Material You Android 12 feature has been implemented under Colour Palette in Settings > Wallpaper and Style. It gives you an array of palettes to choose from and apply across your UI based on the colours on your wallpaper.

The very first time I used a fast-charging phone, I was amazed. It packed a 4000mAh battery (which was huge in 2015), and could charge to 75% in one hour. It felt revolutionary especially since this was a KES 10,000 device.

At that time, most devices had 2,500mAh to 3,500mAh batteries. And most would take hours to charge. So having something with a bigger battery, but charging pretty fast was a game-changer, and I was all in for it.

Over the years, fast charging has really improved. This is especially so for Chinese smartphone makers. The pack is currently led by OPPO and Xiaomi who are shipping smartphones with crazy-fast fast-charging. Everyone else is years behind when you compare the numbers.

Up to a few days ago, the fastest smartphone charger in my house had been OPPO’s 65W charger for the Reno6. I have written a whole article on how fast charging changes everything. Turns out that wasn’t even fast enough.

The new Xiaomi 11T Pro, which is my current daily driver, is way faster. Like crazy fast.

Official numbers vs real life:

The official charge time numbers are as follows:

• 10 minutes charge – 0% to 72%
• 17 minutes charge – 0% to 100%

Are these numbers correct? I can say yes! And I can add this: you get even crazier charging times when you are charging before the phone hits zero percent. Like I’ve moved from 27% to 100% in the time this article has been typed. It’s that fast. And for me, that’s a huge leap everyone should have the privilege of testing out.

People have asked me if after fast charging the phone lasts a day of use. Yes. I am getting quite good screen-on time – between 5 and 7hrs depending on use. You can be sure of a day to two of use with this phone.

Xiaomi’s promise:

For everyone who knows something about batteries, you know that this level of fast-charging can negatively impact your battery. Your battery stands to degrade faster with faster charging.

Xiaomi is promising your battery will retain up to 80% capacity after 800 complete charge cycles. Which is roughly two years of use. This means you will be getting around 80% of the battery you’re getting when the phone is new after two years of use.

This is pretty good, especially given the speeds with which the phone is charging.

Xiaomi however has made it clear that using a slower charger will help retain more capacity especially when charging your phone overnight.

How does this compare to other makers:

On their website, Apple says your iPhone battery will degrade to 80% capacity after 500 complete charge cycles. That’s about a year of use. Which given their 18W chargers (now not even included in the box) is quite the thing to consider.

OPPO on their part say their 65W charger will degrade their phone’s battery to 80% capacity after 1500 complete charge cycles. That’s roughly 4 years of use. Which is good, given the 65W charge fills up a phone in 30mins

OPPO’s 125W charger on the other hand has the same sort of numbers as Xiaomi with 80% capacity remaining after 800 charge cycles.

Samsung in 2017 said their devices will retain up to 95% battery after two years of use. But this was when they used 15W chargers. They now have 25W and 45W chargers.

Is 120W worth it?

Yes!

To be honest, while some may argue there’s a trade-off, I don’t see it. For me, especially compared to other brands with slower chargers, it makes more sense to have the 120W charger. It saves time, it is cool. It is crazy tech!

How long do we use our phones for? Around 3 years? At most 4?

If I can charge my phone to 100% in the time it takes to get ready, but still have 80% battery capacity after 2 years of use, isn’t that a good thing? The phone packs a 5000mAh battery mark you.

What Xiaomi could do better:

• Add an option to limit charging speeds – so I can choose the speed I want the phone to charge at.
• Have a smart system to know when not to charge even when plugged in – I’ve seen this on OPPO where the phone won’t charge when you plug it in because it knows you’re going to bed. But by the time you’re awake it will have charged.

Conclusion:

Fast charging is great. You should get a phone with a fast charger. Companies claiming to be saving the environment by removing the charger make no sense. Instead, they could ask people to return chargers they don’t use for an incentive e.g. discounts, free earbuds etc. That’s a better way to approach the environment talk. Otherwise people will keep buying extra chargers when they get a phone with no charger.

So, go get a fast charging phone. And if you can, consider a flagship like the Xiaomi 11T Pro which has super flagship specs at mid-range prices. I mean can you compare the specs of this phone to the TECNO Phantom X or to the Galaxy A72? Yet they all cost KES 49,999!

Over the last few days, I’ve received requests to compare these two phones. I think the choice here is direct and easy. So I won’t even include camera comparisons here (you’ll find those on social media in the coming days).

The two devices share the same almost everything that’s important to performance:

• Same Snapdragon 888 5G chipset
• Same amount of RAM at 8GB
• Same UFS 3.1 128GB storage for the base model
• Same Gorilla Glass Victus
• Both support 120Hz Refresh Rates

They are however quite different. The Xiaomi has crazy fast charging, meanwhile the Samsung supports wireless charging, and has an IP68 rating. Here are the main differences between the two devices:

• Display sizes: Xiaomi has a larger display at 6.67 inches
• Cameras: Xiaomi has a 108MP main sensor compared to Samsung’s 12MP main camera. Samsung has a 32MP selfie camera while the Xiaomi has a 16MP selfie shooter.
• Operating system: Xiaomi runs MIUI 12.5 on top of Android 11 while Samsung ships with Android 12 with ONE UI 4.
• Battery and Fast charging: Xiaomi can charge in 17mins from 0-100% while Samsung will take 30mins from 0-50%.
• Wireless charging: Samsung supports wireless charging, including reverse wireless charging to charge earbuds etc. Xiaomi doesn’t.
• IP Rating: Xiaomi comes with IP53 dust and splash protection. Meanwhile the Samsung can be dipped underwater for up to 30mins

Which one to get:

I can’t say the cameras are so different to make you choose one over the other. I can’t say the performance is different at all. I also can’t pick one display over the other. I can only look at the difference in pricing.

And with that in mind, this is an easy win for the Xiaomi 11T Pro.

But it also depends on what you like, and how you can justify your choice.

I’ve tried to find the compromises Xiaomi has taken to achieve this price point and I honestly can’t point a single thing out.

The S21 FE for me is just a rebadged S21 Base device. It’s really good, but it’s really pricey. The main reasons to get it is that you’re not only assured of very clean UI but also frequent updates.

What are your thoughts?

Full specs comparison between Galaxy S21 FE and Xiaomi 11T Pro:

Xiaomi has just showcased to the world its newest devices under the 12 Series. They have completely dropped the Mi branding – it would have been called the Mi 12. The new naming scheme is easy, following up on the Xiaomi 11 Series from last year.

The new Xiaomi 12 and the Xiaomi 12 Pro are the company’s flagships for the year 2022. Taking into account what Xiaomi has just shared during the launch, in this article we’ll be comparing the new Xiaomi 12 and 12 Pro to Apple’s flagships – the iPhone 13 and 13 Pro.

Xiaomi 12 vs iPhone 13

Design: 

The iPhone 13’s iconic design is even better thanks to the modern flat borders. Xiaomi however argues people will prefer the Xiaomi 12 design due to the higher screen-to-body ratio, and due to the punch-hole display – which is unlike the huge notch of the iPhone 13. Xiaomi says the phone is also great on the had, and perfect for one-hand use.

Camera:

Xiaomi says the camera hardware of the new Xiaomi 12 is superior to that of the iPhone 13. This is because of the 50MP main camera with OIS, a 13MP ultra-wide sensor and a 5MP telephoto+macro camera.

Apple uses a dual 12MP setup where one lens is wide, while the other lens offers an ultra-wide view.

Battery:

Xiaomi posits that even though iOS is better optimised, the Xiaomi 12 will offer more use on a single charge compared to the iPhone 13 simply because the battery is bigger.

The phone features a 4500mAh battery which supports 67W fast charging, and 50W fast wireless charging. The iPhone 13 comes with a 3240mAh battery which charges at 20W wired, and 15W with MagSafe.

Configuration:

Xiaomi 12 comes with 12GB RAM, and 256GB storage.

Xiaomi 12 Pro vs iPhone 13 Pro:

Display:

Xiaomi lauds its phone as having the the bigger display for gaming and watching media. It comes with 6.7-inch LTPO 2k Super AMOLED touchscreen with 120 Hz refresh rate support. It can shift its refresh rate to as low as 10Hz to as high as 120Hz depending on what’s on screen.

The iPhone 13 Pro on the other hand has a smaller 6.1 inch Super Retina XDR OLED display which can also vary its refresh rate depending on task at hand.

Both support HDR 10+ and Dolby Vision. The iPhone 13 Pro however peaks at 1200nits brightness while the Xiaomi 12 Pro peaks at 1500 nits.

Camera:

Xiaomi has a triple 50MP setup at the back. The first 50MP lens is the main wide camera with OIS. The second 50MP lens is an ultrawide camera, while the third 50MP lens is a telephoto camera offering 2x optical zoom. You can record 8K videos at 24fps. You can also 4K videos at 30 or 60fps and with HDR10+ support.

Apple’s iPhone 13 Pro has a triple 12MP setup at the back. The first 12MP lens is the main wide camera, the second 12MP is the telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom, and the third 12MP lens is the ultrawide camera. You can record up to 4K videos at 60fps with support for HDR and Dolby Vision.

At the front, the Xiaomi 12 Pro has a 32MP selfie camera. The iPhone has a 12MP selfie camera.

Performance:

Xiaomi uses the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, which is built on a 4nm process. The iPhone 13 Pro uses the A15 Bionic built on a 5nm process.

Xiaomi says the new processor offers 25% better performance than the older Snapdragon 888 processor, and that thanks to the 12GB RAM and 256GB storage, user can expect fast and smooth performance.

The iPhone 13 Pro has 6GB RAM and 128GB storage with option to upgrade storage size.

Xiaomi has the following advantages:

• Faster charging
• 8K Video recording
• Bigger battery
• Fast Reverse charging
• Great Price

iPhone advantages includes:

• Amazing performance
• Face ID
• Waterproof
• MagSafe

It’s increasingly difficult to focus just on the price of a phone versus its specifications when reviewing it. This is because, over time, different companies have found different things to entice people with. In the process, we’re now seeing devices that are focusing more on being statements than just offering functionality for whoever uses them.

Please note, I am not saying the statement part out-plays or outshines the functionality bit. No. We are at a point in time where almost every device you can pick up will do a couple of things well: make phone calls, send texts, download and install social media apps and run them quite well, and take basic photos. So, the competition for customers is forcing companies to do more. On top of making the performance great, companies want to build something that really stands out. Something that makes users look at it twice, and even consider getting it. Something that’s different inasmuch as its still a rectangular block.

A nice example is the Vivo V23 5G which I’ve been using for the last few weeks. It’s a statement device. It looks so good, feels so nice on the hand, is compact, well-built, really stands out, and definitely impresses everyone I’ve shown. However, it is priced at KES 60,000 – which for many makes it a high-end device they can desire but not acquire.

For the asking price, you’re getting really solid specs:

• Dimensity 920 5G which is a 6nm chip
• An AMOLED Panel supporting 90Hz refresh rate and HDR10+
• Two selfie cameras: 50MP main, and 8MP ultrawide
• 44W fast charging
• 8GB RAM and 128GB storage

If you’ve not interacted with the device yet, you may be curious as to why I term this as a device that stands out as a statement. Here’s why:

Design:

The design though slightly similar to designs we’ve seen with the OPPO Reno6 5G and the latest iPhones, is very well executed with this phone.

This phone is sleek. It is thin, it is very light. It is also very firm. And feels very premium. Which is weird. Because the idea of something being premium often comes with a hefty feel. Here, you know and feel that the device is very premium the moment you have it on your hand despite the fact that it is also very light.

If you’re wondering if it will fail the bend test, I am not JackRigEverything, so I will not have a video on that. But like most phones I use – out of curiosity – I’ve tried bending it and it feels so firm. I believe it will pass that test.

One of my main fascinations with the boxy design is the fact that these devices can stand on a table on their own. Whichever sides you place them on. It’s a stupid obsession to be honest, but every time I am showing off the phone to someone, it’s one thing I must mention and showcase.

I made it a thing that every time I am on a desk working, or in a café, I ensure I remember to prop the phone upright standing on its own as a way to flaunt the box design.

Colour changing:

One of my viral TikToks showcases the phone’s colour changing features – – in a very nice way. Check it out below:

To be honest, it’s not a feature you’ll get to use ever, because of course you’ll have a case on always. But like my obsession with propping the phone up straight on tables because of its boxy design, it’ll be something you can once in a while flaunt and be like, “Yeah my phone can also do this!”

I think the design of this phone to me is that standout feature I was talking about in the introduction bit of this review. That to me is what makes this device, I daresay, why it’s priced this expensively. Because when I look at everything else, I would think the phone would fall comfortably between 45k and 52k.

However, that would be up to debate depending on how you look at things like chip availability and the selling of the brand name.

If the asking price is too high, you have the option to get the Vivo V23e which costs KES 34,000 while keeping most of the specs. The main differences are with 5G support and of course, the design.

Okay, we’ve talked about the thing that I believe is the most unique feature of the phone. Now, let’s discuss the other things. The things that people really care about:

• Performance and User Experience
• Cameras
• Battery Life

Performance and User Experience

You already know what I am going to say here. I mean 8GB of RAM (expandable) with 128GB of storage paired with a Dimensity 920 5G chip means you’re able to run every thing you may want to pretty well. It means for all your normal use day-to-day activities things will be smooth and nice.

Expandable RAM:

This comes enabled by default. It’s an old trick that’s recently being adopted by different manufactures. Albeit it is an effort to promise you better performance instead of shipping actual more RAM.

I’ve never once noticed it being in use, so you may never have the feature on. You can disable it by going to Settings > RAM & Storage Space > RAM and clicking the toggle off. It requires a restart.

If you are a demanding user, it’s good to leave it on. It’ll enable you have many apps stay in memory, load heavy apps like games load faster and run smoother.

90Hz Display:

I am talking about this under performance because it’s my main problem with this phone. I expected an update to come and fix it, because it’s potentially more of an annoying bug than a serious thing to keep you from the device.

So, you expect things to run and feel very smooth given it’s a 90Hz panel. However, in certain scenarios for example, when you’re unlocking the phone. Or when you’re swiping through certain apps, you’ll find the phone stutters and it can become quite annoying given you expect the smoothest of experiences with the amount of RAM and the processor.

The display is good. It gets plenty bright and plenty dim when you need it to. It has accurate colours and it makes the phone a good media consumption device.

I however dislike the notch cut-out which houses the dual selfie camera system. Funny enough, many of the people I’ve shown the phone don’t care about the notch at all. So yeah, your mileage may vary. Personally, I would have preferred a pill-shaped cutout instead of a notch.

Funtouch OS:

Funtouch 12 is very different from the first time I interacted with it. For one, it’s way better now as Vivo has embraced a simple outlook, a simpler skin that’s close to stock Android and done away with the unnecessary duplication of apps.

Your default apps are all by Google, bloatware is almost non-existent, and there are no ads completely. Nice!

Multiple Users:

This is my best feature of Funtouch. You can set up multiple users on this device. You can even have a guest account. Best part is this: you can enable access from Lock Screen so that whichever user it is can sign in to their own profile with their Fingerprint or PIN and use their own stuff, apps and accounts independent of the Admin or the Guest user accounts. Really handy for work and private accounts!

Missing stuff:

However, there are things that Vivo really needs to work on. For example, there are Android 12 features like Camera and Microphone access that are yet to be made available. There’s also a font problem with certain apps showing larger fonts than what’s default.

Cool!

With a little more work, Funtouch could really be fun. There are already so many customisation options from how the Always ON display looks, how notifications light up the display, the fingerprint animations when unlocking, the charging animations when plugged in, and so much more.

I hope Vivo is also working on ensuring support for its devices over a longer period of time. I want to see monthly updates and system upgrades done well, religiously, and on time.

Cameras:

There are a total of 5 cameras on this phone. Three rear cameras and two front cameras. My best summary on them is this: they’re good.

Dual Front Cameras:

To be honest, I’ve never tested out the 8MP front camera. The 50MP does its job well, and I don’t think I’ve ever been in a scenario where I could need the extra lens. I believe you’ll never need it. Also, there’s a huge difference in quality between the 50MP lens and the 8MP lens making the ultra-wide lens almost unnecessary unless it’s a must you use it to fit in more people to a shot.

If you’re a content creator – be it on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok etc. – you will love the 50MP selfie for both videos and photos. They’ll be sharp and clear even when in artificial lighting eg. indoors. The main issue remains this: beauty mode comes enabled and even when you switch to “Original” look, you feel like there’s some processing going on to make you look a little different.

For videos, you can shoot 4K 30fps videos with the 50MP front camera. It can also do 1080p 60fps videos. These can come in handy for Vertical videos for TikTok or Instagram. The quality is good. And the phone knows how to balance light and shadows.

There are numerous looks/filters to enable you capture shots in the way you want. However, enabling them forces you to shoot in 1080p instead of full 4K.

Triple rear cameras:

As usual, only the main 64MP camera here is the highlight. The 8MP ultrawide and the 2MP macro lenses though really handy for some people, and necessary to sell a phone in 2022, are practically not needed. I’ve never bothered with them.

The photo quality from the 64MP lens is good. And you can shoot up to 4K 30fps videos. For 60fps, you’re forced back to 1080p quality.

What’s great is there are many features when shooting your videos to enable you get quality videos:

• Stabilisation – There’s standard and Ultra stabilisation modes to ensure your footage isn’t shaky.
• Framing – There’s framing lines, a level meter, a film aspect ratio, and a motion auto-focus mode to help you shift or lock focus between the eye, a person, or an object.
• Dual view – enables you shoot videos using both the front and rear cameras at the same time.

Battery Life:

With how thin the phone is, of course you trade battery size. Which is a crazy thing to even say because the phone packs a 4200mAh battery. That’s a huge battery. However, should the phone have been a little thicker, it would feature a 5000mAh cell I believe.

Battery life is great. Like, even unexpectedly so for me. I expected frequent needs to top up. I haven’t had those. And you also get a 44W charger in the box.

Vivo promises 68% of charge (from 1%) in 30 mins. I tested this from dead, and in 30mins I was at 67%. Which is really fast, and a joy for anyone who doesn’t want to charge their device over night.

Value for Money:

On our latest 24Bit Episode, we were trying to explore the blurry lines where midrange devices lie. Are they close to budget phones, or are they close to high-end flagships.

A device like the V23 5G is one of those midrangers that are very confusing. It’s pricing makes it fall under the upper mid-range sector. However, its specs – though in themselves quite good – make you want to price it in the middle mid-range section if that makes sense.

In a bubble of just Vivo phones, this would be a really good value for money phone I want to say. However, in a world with devices like the Xiaomi 11T and 11T Pro and many other offerings from other companies like Samsung who offer IP67 water and dust resistance and who promise 5 years of support, Vivo really needs to have something more up its sleeve so as to be this confident when asking for 60,000 shillings.

If you find the phone appealing, please go ahead and get it anyways if you’ve got the money. You will love having it as your main device, having it disappear in your pocket given how tiny it feels, and showcasing the colour changing feature should you get the sunshine gold model.

Vivo V23 5G Specifications:

In this article, I will be sharing issues I’ve experienced with Android Auto from different smartphone manufacturers. Under each segment I’ll explain which phones have the issues the most, and which don’t. I get to use a lot of smartphones from different phone companies every year, and I believe I have a pretty decent understanding of the experience you can expect from different phone makers – especially with Android Auto matters.

Samsung, as you’ll see offers the best experience. Things work well, and there are no stutters or lags, or crazy failures when you need your navigation to be working. OPPO and Xiaomi follow closely.

You should also read the article on Must Have Car Tech Gadgets in 2022.

Problems you can expect on Android Auto and the Smartphones which have these issues:

Failure to Launch or Register Android Auto:

Whenever I am reviewing a device, I carry it with me everywhere. It becomes my main phone. This is the reason a review can take months to write. Because I need to experience the device for at least a couple of weeks.

Anyways, I’ve noticed that whenever I plug in a new phone, depending on the manufacturer, Android Auto never picks up. This mostly happens with the following brands:

• Xiaomi
• OPPO

It takes removing and reinserting the cable to the phone before Android Auto picks up with these two brands. Also, sometimes you’ll be driving and the Android Auto connection will just fail. No explanation, no reason.

I thought the issue was my cable, and I even bought new ones, but that experience hasn’t changed.

Samsung devices however immediately pick up. Even before inserting the cable, you get a notification on your device telling you ““. Once connected, I’ve never had issues where the connection fails or weirdly reboots.

Other manufacturers that always pick up or register Android Auto without issues are TECNO and Infinix.

Apps not working on Android Auto Screen:

After plugging in, the Android Auto UI shows you the different apps you can access from your car screen. These include Google Maps plus Music and Podcast Apps. You can launch either of these apps and interact with it from your car’s display.

Something I’ve noticed is almost every manufacturer apart from Samsung – with the exception of a few high-end OPPO and Xiaomi devices – gives you the error ““.

The biggest culprits for this problem are all TECNO and Infinix Phones. Plus almost all mid-range and budget offerings from OPPO and TECNO.

The solution to the error is to unplug from Android Auto, open the app you wanted to open, have it running, reconnect the Android Auto cable, and then things will be working fine with the app.

Only Samsung devices allow you to launch any app without having this issue.

Requiring phone display to stay on to access Android Auto:

This is an issue I’ve experienced with one manufacturer. TECNO on their Camon 18 device. The issue here is this: Android Auto won’t run unless the phone’s display stays on always. It’s crazy, annoying and makes the whole reason you have Android Auto pointless.

If you’ve experienced this on any other manufacturer, please share down below.

Heating up when plugged in:

This is exclusive to Samsung devices. I’ve not experienced it with any other phone makers. However, I’ve experienced it with all the following Samsung devices:

• Galaxy Z Flip 3
• Galaxy S21 Ultra
• Galaxy S21 FE
• Galaxy NOTE 10+

The Flip3 would be so terrible, I’d have to unplug it from Android Auto and let it cool.

The heating bit is Samsung’s only issue from all the listed issues, so that’s a plus on their side since you don’t necessarily interact with the device while driving.

Unresponsiveness:

Here the issue happens where you cannot interact with the Android Auto display. You can see whatever is on the screen, but the touch screen functionality once in a while fails until you replug the cable.

This happens to almost all phones including:

• TECNO
• Infinix
• Xiaomi
• OPPO and
• Occasionally Samsung devices.

It’s important to note that this could be Google’s problem and not the smartphone maker. However, the prevalence of the issue with TECNO and Infinix smartphones points to there being an issue with those makers.

Poor Sound Quality when listening to music:

The issue here is very annoying. You know the quality of your car speakers. You know they sound really good. But when you plug in Android Auto, your music from either Apple Music, Spotify or just stuff you’ve saved to your phone fails to sound as good as it should. There’s no bass, there’s no separation of ranges, and everything is flat and bland.

However, when you try playing music from the same device directly to your car using just a Bluetooth connection – without Android Auto – the quality improves.

This is an exclusive issue to the following makers:

• TECNO and
• Infinix

Every other manufacturer offers good sound quality over Android Auto. The best quality being Samsung devices followed by OPPO and then Xiaomi devices – especially Xiaomi devices that support Dolby Audio.

Android Auto Smartphone experience ranked:

From that extensive breakdown, here are the best phones for Android Auto ranked:

1. Samsung
2. OPPO and Xiaomi – a tie
3. Infinix
4. TECNO

Which phone are you using for Android Auto, and what has your experience been like? Please share.

I already wrote an article on the Redmi NOTE 11 base-model calling it the best device under 20,000. That has not changed – even with the numerous follow-up launches. But if you’re looking to spend a little more than than amount, Xiaomi has a series of Redmi NOTE 11 devices for you to consider. This review covers the Redmi NOTE 11S with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. It costs KES 30,000 and is a proper device as you’ll see.

I will talk about the things I like first and later the things I don’t like. Then I will finish the review with my thoughts on value for money.

Things I like:

Of course, these will be the key selling points, or rather, the main features that should sort of push you to considering the device. They are as follows:

• Asking price
• Display
• Cameras
• Performance
• Fast charging
• Extra Xiaomi goodness

Asking Price:

There are three options for the Redmi NOTE 11S and these are the prices:

• 6/64GB: KES 22,999
• 6/128GB: KES 27,999
• 8/128GB: KES 29,999

I would obviously ask you to only go for 6GB RAM or more and 128GB storage or more. We’re in 2022, and if you want your phone to serve you long, and not fill up unnecessarily, those are the bare minimum specs. If you cannot pay more, then I’d advice you get the base model Redmi NOTE 11 which is 20k, and features a Snapdragon 680 processor.

I think Xiaomi knows that this is the sweet pricing point – as this is what most Kenyans are comfortable paying for when buying what most will call really good phones. And they are hitting the nail on the head.

Display:

How many companies can boast of AMOLED panels at these prices? Plus these aren’t boring panels with colours or brightness levels that will have you wish you had an IPS LCD display. The panel gets plenty bright. The colours are vibrant. And you also get to choose between a balanced profile, a saturated look, or a vivid dynamic look – depending on what works best for your eyes.

Cameras:

While we already have come to a point where many consumers know megapixel numbers don’t really affect the quality of a camera, we still are aware of the fact that whenever a huge number is thrown on a spec sheet, it will get customers interested.

The 108MP main shooter here is great. And so is the 16MP selfie camera. These are the only cameras you’ll be using. I know there are three other lenses, but forget about them. They won’t serve you well. Only trust the main back camera, and the single front camera.

Some photos:

Performance:

Every time I have a discussion on the performance of this device – remember I’ve had it for a while now – I always point out how the Helio G96 is a processor we’ve seen on both quite expensive devices – and on slightly cheaper devices.

Personally, I’d prefer the Snapdragon 680 on the Redmi NOTE 11 and not the Helio G96 on this NOTE 11S. But from use, I don’t think you’ll be able to tell a difference. I have also used the Snapdragon 680 on a more expensive device, so I can vouch for both processors being good. They’re good both in performance and in battery life.

Remember Xiaomi is also using fast UFS 2.2 storage, which come in handy for RAM Expansion which the device supports. So on top of the 8GB of RAM (or whichever model you have), the device automatically allots 3GB of internal storage as “top-up RAM” should the device require it.

Fast charging:

I cannot use a phone without fast charging anymore. I’ve used OPPO’s 65W charger. I have used the 33W and 45W fast chargers on TECNO and Infinix devices. I have enjoyed Xiaomi’s 120W charger on the Xiaomi 11T Pro and I am never going back. Anything that charges slowly is not a device you should get. Yes, I’m talking to all of you Samsung fans.

The 33W fast charger of course feels slow for me after getting used to a device that charges in 15mins from 0-100%. However, it is way better than 22W or 18W charging that most devices support.

Extra Xiaomi goodness:

I know you’re wondering what this is about. Well, it is simple really. And I will just list them quickly:

• Customisability – with MIUI there’s a lot of things that you can change from the always on display, the speed indicator and much much more.
• Clean UI – Xiaomi has embraced Google Apps. So everything default is by Google. And there are no ads.
• IR Blaster – Of course, the Redmi NOTE lineup has kept this going. You’re able to control your tech at home with your phone as the remote.
• Software Updates – The monthly security patches are on time. And you’re also running MIUI 13.
• Incredible battery life – I’ve used the phone for a while now and I can promise the 5000mAh battery will give you more than a day of use.

Things I don’t like:

These are the things I felt weren’t so good with the device. They’re not deal breakers to be honest, because as you’ll see, you won’t mind them. I am just nit-picking here. They are:

• Android 11 out of the box – Which of course isn’t a huge issue, since you’re already running MIUI 13. But it would be nice to have
• 90Hz refresh rate – It would be good to have 120Hz. However, most people can’t tell the difference between 90 and 120Hz. So, that’s sort of okay.

Value for Money:

I will say this: Xiaomi continually kills it with devices in value for money. However, the Redmi NOTE 11 Series is bloated with very many devices that can confuse even reviewers like myself. Which means it is quite hard to point out a good device in the series that I can recommend – apart from the base Redmi NOTE 11 of course.

Personally for the asking price of KES 30,000 for the unit I have, I would advice someone to top up a little more money and go for the Redmi NOTE 11 Pro series. That’s not to say this isn’t a good device for anyone whose budget is capped here. Get it. It’s a great device.

Redmi NOTE 11S Specifications:

Two years ago, I got my first iPhone. I realised pretty soon after acquiring one that the closed approach by Apple, won’t do it for me. Since then, only once in a while do I use an iPhone as my main device. From the onset, I realised I prefer the openness and customisability of Android devices.

Anyways, from that once-in-a-while use, I’ve come to love a lot of things on the iPhone that make having it a daily driver really exciting. These can be divided into two things:

• Ecosystem – of course, the walled garden is hard to escape.
• Intelligence – yes, the iPhone is really intelligent in ways I don’t think I can exhaust in this article.

Let’s dive in. These are the reasons an iPhone is really good as a daily driver.

Focus modes:

If you have an iPhone, this is something you should totally setup. Works really well, if you have all the Apple devices as well.

You can set Focus Modes based on different things. Like Work, School, Home. And they will auto-enable when you’re in those locations.

You can make these Focus Modes to activate based on time. For example, do not disturb between certain times. You can make them based on apps. For example, when you open Kindle, you can have a “Reading” Focus Mode that mutes calls, disables notifications, etc.

When I enter the car and CarPlay starts, the phone automatically enables ‘Driving Mode’ which will only allow calls from contacts I’ve enabled. Sweet! You can even enable an Auto Reply function to text people that you’re driving and will get back to them later.

You can even have each Focus Mode have its own Home Screens and Lock Screens. Such that at those times you get a whole different UI to ensure you stay working with only the necessary apps/widgets.

The best part is that all these different modes will automatically sync across all your devices. Meaning if you enable say “Sleep” Focus Mode, your tablet and laptop will automatically enter that mode and adhere to the rules you set.

This feature makes you extra productive through your day. It works perfectly and doesn’t miss. I love the feature so much!

Notification Summary:

I hate iOS and iPadOS notifications. Android understands notifications better to be honest. However, there’s one feature I wish all Android devices copy. This is ‘Notification Summary’ which is a simple way of pushing things you don’t really need to see, so that they can come in at certain periods of time as a summary.

For example, the Carrefour app, Uber Eats, Google Photos, Netflix and TikTok Apps love sending unnecessary notifications. Instead of just muting notifications from such apps forever, you can add them to Notification Summary. And then set that summary to come at specific times of the day.

For example on my device, I’ve enabled the summary to be available every evening from 7pm. So throughout the day, I don’t have to deal with crazy things I don’t need. Love it.

Data:

While Apple doesn’t allow its iSheep to tinker with too much on their phones, I must give it to them on how they present important data. They do the following so well:

• Screen Time – you can see screen time data from all your devices including most used apps, which category they fall on, which apps you use most when you pick up your phone, how many notifications you receive in a day, and so much more. It’s presented beautifully and will help you see just how addicted or not you are to your devices. It also helps you gauge how productive you are with your time.
• Battery Health – you can see over time just how your battery has degraded. Apple will even send a message when it believes you need to replace your device’s battery.
• Spotlight Search – I love this feature. If I need something, be it a song, a verse, a picture – you get it – I can just pull down from the Home Screen and search for it. And this will be done across the device, and the apps including Google Photos, Google Keep, Apple’s own apps etc.

Sound:

This is weird. But before you think I am talking of quality of sound from the speakers of the iPhone, you’re wrong. I am talking about how Apple offers certain things I’ve not seen on any other devices. Features I’ve found quite interesting! These are:

• Background Sounds – If you have headphones, you don’t necessarily want to have music, or a podcast always. Well, you can enable this feature. And choose between different background sounds including rain, the ocean, to listen to. (This works even without headphones).
• Live Listen – this is a cool feature especially for people with hearing impairments. It’s also a cool feature if you want to listen to a conversation or to something that’s not very audible. It uses the iPhone’s microphones to send audio to your headphones.
• Sound Recognition – this is a feature you may not need to use, but will serve some people really well. When enabled, you can choose between different sounds so that if the iPhone hears such a sound, you will get a notification. This can be useful for parents. You can enable “Baby Crying” and get notifications every time the baby cries.

Ecosystem Magic:

These are things that Apple can do because they’ve managed to have control over both software and hardware of their devices. And these are true life-changers especially with daily use:

• Receive Text and Phone calls across all your devices – This is my favourite thing actually whenever I am using an iPhone. Say you have a laptop, or a tablet and your phone is far away, eg. another room. If someone calls you – a normal phone call – you’re able to receive it from your tablet or laptop as if they were calling that device directly. Love it. This works for messages too. And these are normal phone calls and texts. Not just FaceTime and iMessage.
• Airdrop – Send stuff across Apple devices with a simple click. Android devices now have Nearby Share.

These features make using the iPhone on a daily really smooth and “fulfilling”.

However, I still don’t like a couple of annoying things with the iPhone including the lack of USB Type-C, the whole thing around not including a charger, the lack of proper fast charging, the lack of dual SIM support (but you can use eSIMs), the notch, and the very closed software experience.

Please note this article hasn’t tackled things like performance, battery life, value for money, or camera quality. This is because such features are dependent on the iPhone someone has. Plus, many Android phones already offer better value for money, great battery life, and incredible cameras, therefore these can’t be unique features to fit in such an article.

What are your thoughts? Do you have an iPhone? What do you love most? What do you hate?