OnePlus 3 review

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Phone

WHAT IS THE ONEPLUS 3?

After two near misses, the third iteration of OnePlus’ grand experiment to show that great phones shouldn’t cost over £500 hits the mark. The OnePlus 3 is a marvel – a stunning phone in almost every way that takes the game to the Samsung Galaxy S7, HTC 10 and even the iPhone 6S.

Previous OnePlus devices compromised, but the OnePlus 3 doesn’t. It has a lovely design, fast-charging, NFC for mobile payments and you don’t need a silly invite to actually buy one.

If you want an Android phone off-contract, this might just be the perfect choice.

Each OnePlus phone to date has offered a marked improvement on what has gone before. The original OnePlus One was an all-plastic affair, with a somewhat strange "sandstone" finish. The OnePlus 2 enhanced the body with metal sides, but retained the plastic rear.

The OnePlus 3 offers an upgrade once again, this time by way of a metal and glass design. It's available in "Graphite" – a muted grey – and its 7.4mm-thick aluminium frame makes this handset a delight to both look at and hold.

A 5.5-inch phone may still not be for everyone, but the OnePlus 3 is among the more manageable phones with such a screen size. The finish is excellent too: the aluminium rear is anodised sports the same type of non-shiny look you’ll find on an iPhone.

I’ve always been a fan of the quirky, instantly recognisable design of the previous OnePlus phones, but have met plenty of folk who weren't. Those people will be happy to discover that the OnePlus 3 has a far more conventional appearance.

The OnePlus 3 is plainer and prettier than its predecessors, but its quirks remain; they've just been relocated. It's possible to buy super-skinny rear covers with the classic OnePlus sandstone finish, a few different wood finishes or one with a carbon-fibre look. These aren’t ultra-rugged cases, but will protect the aluminium frame from scratches, without adding bulk to the phone.

As is the case with an iPhone, it almost seems a shame to cover up the OnePlus 3’s bare metal. The OnePlus 3 is similar to HTC’s One-series phones but slimmer and no less attractive.

Buy Now: OnePlus 3 at Amazon.co.uk from £349.99 | Amazon.com from $550

Like the OnePlus 2, this phone has no memory card slot. This time round, however, it isn’t a ploy to make the expensive versions of the phone more attractive. The OnePlus 2 model was available in 16GB and 64GB versions; there's only one OnePlus 3 and it has 64GB of storage.

For some context, the 32GB Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge costs £639 SIM-free, and the iPhone 6S Plus will set you back £699. The OnePlus 3 is half the price of these phones and, as we’ll see, the hardware is directly comparable in several areas.

The OnePlus range is also more accessible than ever before. The OnePlus 3 can simply be ordered online at the OnePlus website – stock allowing – where in the past you had to wait for an invite to buy. In addition, unlike the OnePlus 2, the OnePlus 3 features NFC technology.

This was omitted from the spec in the past, seen as not important enough to warrant the additional cost. However, with the launch of Android Pay, OnePlus has relented. And the move doesn't appear to have significantly impacted the price.

The OnePlus 3 also has a great fingerprint scanner, which is located in the same position as it is on the OnePlus 2. It’s a non-clicky pad that sits below the screen.

It works whether or not the display is on, and is super-fast. It's possible to use it as a "Home" soft key, either on-screen or via the physical ones below the screen. The hardware back and "apps" soft keys are marked with tiny white LED dots, rather than full-on icons. This is because you can flip them around too.

A bargain price has always been the main draw of OnePlus handsets, but there's plenty of customisation on offer as well.

ONEPLUS 3 – SCREEN

The first two OnePlus phones featured LCD screens. OnePlus had a crack at an OLED phone with the OnePlus X, and the OnePlus 3 continues that here with a Super AMOLED Samsung screen.

I had a few minor issues with the OnePlus X display, which mostly concerned brightness management, but these issues have been fixed with the OnePlus 3. It’s 5.5 inches across and has a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels, resulting in pixel density of 401ppi.

Related: Best Android Phones 2016

image: http://static.trustedreviews.com/94/0000398af/9a82_orh616w616/oneplus-14.jpg

Sharpness is excellent and the black level is perfect. Like other recent Super AMOLED screens, viewing angles are superb, with far less a reduction in brightness if viewing off-angle than the OnePlus 2’s LCD panel.

However, my love for the OnePlus 3's display wasn't instant. I came to using the OnePlus 3 from the Samsung Galaxy S7, which has one of the best phone screens in the world. By comparison, the OnePlus 3's colours are overcooked.

As a result, colours on the screen appear less natural than a display that's been carefully calibrated to the sRGB standard. This also makes the amazing native contrast of the Super AMOLED panel a little less evident for much of the time.

The OnePlus 3’s approach follows current trends, however. All other flagships have deliberately oversatured colour fresh out of the box, because it’s what people respond to. Even Apple has started to aim for standards other than the classic sRGB, with the iPad Pro 9.7's display aiming for the DCI-P3 cinema standard instead.

Despite all the additional customisation that the OnePlus 3 offers elsewhere, it isn't possible to mute the colours as you can on the top Samsung handsets. There is, however, a colour temperature slider that alters the white balance a little, making it warmer or cooler.

This is a decent screen, with caveats that some people might not care about. The colour is deliberate, after all, part of what OnePlus calls “Optic” AMOLED, which describes OnePlus' tweaking of Super AMOLED.

Outdoors visibility could also benefit from some improvement. It’s fine, but Samsung’s phones do better since they over-drive their OLED panels more aggressively, and dynamically alter colour and contrast to suit tougher conditions.

ONEPLUS 3 – SOFTWARE

The OnePlus 3 runs Android 6.0.1 with its OxygenOS interface layered on top.

While plenty has changed in hardware since the OnePlus 2, the software remains largely the same. Its look is that of pure Android, but OxygenOS digs its tendrils deep into it, adding elements of customisation that standard Android no longer has. Or never had.

These include the "Dark" mode, which turns the apps page and Settings menu black rather than white. Then there’s the choice of hardware or software soft keys I mentioned earlier. You can also make the soft keys work harder, by adding extra gestures such as making a long-press on the Back button fire up the camera.

What’s important about all these minor performance-enhancing tweaks is that they’re not in your face. On the surface, the software appears much like Android Marshmallow, offering a more accessible feel than the CyanogenMod interface of the first OnePlus phone. You have to dig around in the Settings menu to discover all the extra goodies.

The one part of the OnePlus 3’s interface that's quite obviously different is Shelf. This is an extra homescreen: simply flick to the right from the default homescreen and you’re there.

When you start using the phone, Shelf is simply home to your five most-used apps and a quick memo function. However, you can add the weather, a bunch of your most-used contacts and any Android widget of your choice.

Personally, I didn't use Shelf. Although it doesn't offer anything I need, it does at least seem less useless than it did last year. There will be plenty of folk who may call upon it to check the weather and compile a quick to-do list each morning. Either way, it’s optional: you'll be asked whether you want it at initial setup (granted, that’s before you really know what it is).

So with regards to the OnePlus 3's software, there’s nothing terribly exciting or new – but that’s a good thing if the likely alternative is something new that doesn’t quite work.

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Best Camera for Beginners

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Camera

Nikon D3300 DSLR

Retail Price: $396.95 | Image Sensor Size: APS-C | Resolution: 24.2 MP

WHY IT’S A TOP PICK: Quick performing DSLR camera when making use of viewfinder.

One of Nikon’s best starter DSLR cameras is the Nikon D3300. It provides strong image quality, even in low light shooting conditions, and, like most DSLR cameras, it works very fast when you’re using the viewfinder to frame the scene. It offers 24.2 megapixels of resolution with a APS-C sized image sensor. However, if you want wireless connectivity, you’ll have to purchase an adapter separately.

Pentax K-S2 DSLR

The articulated LCD on the Pentax K-S2 DSLR allows beginning photographers to easily shoot selfies.

Retail Price: $571 | Read Full Review: Pentax K-S2 | Image Sensor Size: APS-C | Resolution:20.1 MP

WHY IT’S A TOP PICK: Weather proofed coating makes this DSLR a rugged performer.

The Pentax K-S2 doesn’t offer quite as much resolution as some other beginner-level DSLR cameras at 20.1 megapixels, but its image quality remains strong. The camera’s 5.4 frames per second burst mode is one of the best performances you’ll find in a starter DSLR. The K-S2 doesn’t have a touchscreen capability, but it is an articulated display screen, making this model easy to use with a tripod. The K-S2 is also a rugged camera, offering weather-proofing coating.

Nikon D5200 DSLR

The NIkon D5200 is a slightly older DSLR camera, but a price drop makes it a nice option for beginners.

Retail Price: $475 | Image Sensor Size: APS-C | Resolution: 24.1 MP

WHY IT’S A TOP PICK: Accurate autofocus system great for capturing fast action

Nikon’s D5200 DSLR camera is a little older than some of the models on this list, so its price has dropped to the point where it’s a good candidate for an inexperienced photographer looking for a solid starter camera. One of the biggest advantages of the Nikon D5200 is its 39-point autofocus system, which is very impressive for a camera in its price range. However, there’s no touchscreen LCD or Wi-Fi connectivity with the D5200.

Canon EOS Rebel SL1 DSLR

The Canon EOS Rebel SL1 is the smallest DSLR camera available, which may appeal to beginners who are used to smaller form factors in their beginner-level cameras.

Retail Price: $499 | Read Full Review: Canon SL1 | Image Sensor Size: APS-C | Resolution: 18.0 MP

WHY IT’S A TOP PICK: Small DSLR body size doesn’t mean sacrificing top-notch image quality.

If you hesitate purchasing a DSLR as a starter camera because of its large size, you may want to consider the Canon EOS Rebel SL1, which is the smallest and lightest DSLR on the market. Despite its small size, it maintains good image quality at 18.0 megapixels of resolution. It’d be nice if the SL1 was a little bit of a faster performer, but it’s a good camera with strong features for beginners, including a touchscreen display and built in Wi-Fi connectivity.

Most Important Entry-Level DSLR Camera Features

Image Sensor

• The large image sensors included with DSLR cameras explain their strong image quality. Such image sensors also give the DSLR the ability to perform well in low light conditions.
• Even an entry-level DSLR will have a large image sensor, usually an APS-C sized image sensor.

Resolution

• While a beginner-level DSLR camera might not be able to match the resolution number found in an advanced DSLR, any modern beginner DSLR camera is going to have more than enough resolution to meet the needs of beginning photographers.

RAW Shooting

• Any good entry-level DSLR camera should be able to record in the RAW image format, which saves images without applying compression, or in the JPEG format, which uses image compression to save storage space. Beginner-level fixed lens cameras usually only record in JPEG.

Maximum Burst Mode

• Great DSLR cameras for beginners should be able to record at least five frames per second in burst mode at full resolution when shooting in JPEG.
• The DSLR will slow down considerably if you’re using burst mode in the RAW format though.

Autofocus System

• A beginner-level DSLR will include an autofocus system as well as the option of using manual focus, but autofocus is easier to use. A higher number of autofocus points used in the system typically will correlate with a more accurate system.

ISO Range

• A higher number for the ISO setting means the image sensor becomes more sensitive to light, allowing for greater success in low light photos.

Display Screen Options

• For an entry-level DSLR, having an articulated LCD (one that twists and swivels away from the camera) and a touch screen display will make the camera easier to use.

Type of Viewfinder

• A DSLR aimed at beginners might make use of an optical viewfinder, where the image shown in the viewfinder matches the view through the lens (TTL), or a digital viewfinder, where the viewfinder is a small display screen, and the image shown matches the large display screen.

Wireless Capabilities

• Beginners will appreciate having built-in Wi-Fi or NFC capabilities in the starter DSLR camera, because it’s easier to share the photos with social networks.

Lens Mount

• Any DSLR camera can only make use of interchangeable lenses that match the type of lens mount on the camera body. You’ll have to purchase these lenses separately or as part of a kit with the original camera purchase.

Which Best DSLR Camera for Beginners is Right For You?

If you’re relatively new to digital photography, you have quite a few different options for purchasing a first digital camera. And while you might be leery of considering an entry-level DSLR as a first camera because of its price point and its complexity, camera makers have done a nice job in recent years of creating DSLR models that are great for inexperienced photographers. The best DSLR cameras for beginners listed here all offer plenty of easy-to-use features and great image quality at a reasonable price, which make them very strong candidates as a starter camera.

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Ricoh Theta S review

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Camera

WHAT IS THE RICOH THETA S?

The Ricoh Theta S is the third generation of Ricoh’s 360-degree shooting camera, which we first got our hands on at IFA 2015 – and it's the first to offer decent video abilities. The VR craze is very much in full swing right now, but the focus is still mostly on consumption. Choices for producing your own VR content are rather limited, with some products that were announced years ago – such as the Geonaute 360 – failing to materialise.

According to the Ricoh engineer I spoke to at the company’s stand at the SXSW trade show in Austin, where I obtained the Theta S for this review, demand is so high for this product that they just can’t make them quickly enough.

That’s because this is one of the first affordable 360-degree cameras you can actually buy, and the sub-£300 price is particularly tempting. The magic sauce of the Theta S is that it has two lenses and two sensors pointing in opposite directions, to capture the full 360 degrees.

The Theta S has a similar initial look and feel to the Flip cameras that were all the rage a couple of years ago. It uses an upright “candy bar” form factor, so you hold it like you would a mobile phone. However, there's no built-in screen, so if you do use it like a mobile phone then your face will take up a large proportion of the frame.

Instead, it will be best on the end of a monopod held above your head, or sticking up rather ridiculously from your helmet during extreme sports. In fact, the first thing you realise after your first session with the Theta S is that shooting 360 video isn't like recording regular video.

You actually want the camera to be as static as possible, because the viewer can choose their own point of interest. Just make sure that one of the lenses is pointed generally towards your main area of action.

RICOH THETA S – MAIN SPECIFICATION

What takes the Theta S beyond being a gimmick is that the two sensors included are of reasonably high specification. They're 1/2.3-inch with 12 megapixels, and their output stitches together to make a 14-megapixel image. The sensor size and resolution isn't far off those used by high-end consumer camcorders, which is impressive given the price of the Theta S.

Pocket camcorders capable of shooting 360-degree video have been around for more than five years now. The Sony Bloggie Touch MHS-TS20K included such ability, but recorded onto one sensor using a lens and mirror attachment. As a result, resolution was low. But the Theta S promises a very different experience. The lens is here is rated at f/2.0, which bodes well for low-light performance alongside the decently sized sensors.

You don’t get a huge amount in the box, however. Alongside the camera itself – which incorporates 8GB of Flash memory (enough for 25 minutes of footage), but has no removable option – you get a neoprene sleeve to protect the device in transit and a USB cable. There’s micro-HDMI on the bottom of the unit alongside micro-USB, with a tripod screw mount in between, but there are no accessories are included.

RICOH THETA S – CONTROLS

The Theta S itself has just four buttons – three down one edge, and one large one on one side. The three smaller buttons turn the camera off and on, toggle Wi-Fi, and switch between camera and camcorder modes. The large button then takes a picture or begins video recording, depending on the mode.

With no screen, you can’t change any settings on the camera itself, and you can’t see what you’re shooting. However, you don’t necessarily need to see what is being shot with a 360-degree camera, since it captures almost everything. You just need to ensure the device is basically upright, and that there are no large, unwanted objects close by that will obscure what you actually want to capture (like your own body...)

RICOH THETA S – WI-FI AND SMARTPHONE APP

Like so many camcorders these days, the Theta S has built-in Wi-Fi and a smartphone app, and in this case it’s almost essential. The majority of the features can only be accessed via the app. In video mode, there isn't much more you can do than choose between recording 1,920 x 1,080 or 1,280 x 720 resolutions.

When shooting photos, however, there are numerous image adjustments that can be made. In auto mode exposure can be adjusted between -2 and +2 EV. In Shutter Priority mode, the shutter can be varied between 1/8th to 1/6,400th. In ISO mode the range is from 100 to 1600, or there’s a manual mode where you can set both independently. With the two priority modes, the general exposure control is still available, so all these settings are flexible. There are 11 white balance presets available alongside the auto mode, but no manual option.

The app also doubles as a 360 viewer for use with Google Cardboard or other add-on viewer (although I had only a Cardboard available for testing).

Unfortunately, this works only with still images, not video. You can upload video directly to Facebook and it will be detected as 360-degree footage. So on a desktop, you'll be able to pan around with the mouse; on a smartphone, the accelerometer will allow you to tilt and pan by moving the phone’s orientation.

However, if you want to upload to Ricoh’s theta360.com site or YouTube, the desktop software for Windows or Mac will be required. This takes the two discs you see if you open the raw video files and creates the bizarre stretched version used for playback – a bit like a flat map of the globe.

Annoyingly, you can only upload 10 seconds at a time to theta360.com, although YouTube gives you the full length. You need to upload the version of the video encoded by the desktop software to YouTube; it can’t handle the raw video file.

Ricoh is currently working on a driver to stream 360-degree video, which I was shown by the engineer at SXSW, but this is still at a rather early stage. There’s live-streaming software already available, but it refused to load on my computer. There’s a developer API, too, so expect further software to be created by third parties. For the time being, at least it’s relatively easy to upload and share video from the Theta S, particularly to Facebook.

RICOH THETA S – IMAGE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE

Although the large dual sensors of Theta S promise better image quality than the gimmicky options of a few years back, this is only truly realised in still image mode. The video is captured into discs that are stored side by side within a 1,920 x 1,080 frame, so the resolution of the video once stretched out is much lower. This is a little disappointing when the sensors themselves could be capable of much more.

The panoramic photos have a resolution of 5,376 x 2,688, but they look pretty weird if you open them up in software that doesn’t understand the 360-degree aspect. These need to be uploaded to theta360.com or Facebook to interpret the panning facility and stretch them out. But the image offers plenty more detail than the video version.

Overall, the quality of the images is decent, and video is acceptable for this early stage of the VR hype cycle, but there will be much better to come in the next few years. It's worth remembering that whereas HD or even 4K video is a framed view of the world, capturing 360 with the same level of detail would require many more pixels, and professional-grade rigs for GoPros (for example) use six separate cameras and then stitch their footage together.

SHOULD I BUY THE RICOH THETA S?

At the moment, if you want to try out shooting decent-quality 360 images and video, you don’t have many options. With its sub-£300 price, the Theta S is cheap enough to purchase just to get to grips with the idea. There’s no doubt that it will be superseded by better devices fairly soon, and the Theta S is still at the novelty level. The 4K-shooting Kodak SP360 is a tempting alternative already, and costs only £80 more.

However, the Theta S is easy to use and the results are acceptable for the price. Ricoh has jumped in early and provided something that's far from perfect, but good enough to have some fun with the rising VR trend. It’s no surprise that this device has been selling like hot cakes. So it’s worth buying right now, but will probably end up languishing in a drawer within a year as more sophisticated alternatives arrive on the market.

VERDICT

The Ricoh Theta S provides decent 360 photos and acceptable 360 video for early adopters, but it’s likely to be superseded soon.

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Nexus 5X review

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Phone

NEXUS 5X LONG TERM REVIEW


When I first reviewed the Nexus 5X it was one of the best mid-range phone’s available. For less than £400 you got a stellar handset that offer all the perks of Google’s then new Android Marshmallow operating system, without the bundled bloatware often found on third party skins.



However, having used it as my primary personal smartphone for over six months I encountered a number of significant issues. 

For starters, the performance has dramatically dropped. Like the OnePlus 2, the Nexus 5X performance has gradually gotten worse the more I’ve used it. After my first three months the device would on occasion inexplicably stutter. Another month on it began completely stalling about once a week.

Four weeks later I found myself having to restart the phone every other day to get it to run smoothly.

The Nexus 5X’s battery life has also suffered. Smartphone’s battery lives always gradually deteriorate, but since an early software update at the end of 2015 the Nexus 5X’s has outright bombed.



Overnight the phone went from lasting between one and a half to two days use off one charge to struggling to make it through the day. With heavy use I’ve also managed to wipe the battery within four hours. 

Intensive use entailed listening to music while browsing the web on a 30 minute train journey, periodically playing games, like Banner Saga, regularly checking my email, messages and social media feeds and watching a episode of Vikings on Amazon Instant Video.



The issues are a shame, as outside of them, the Nexus 5X remains a great phone. The fingerprint scanner is one of the fastest and most accurate around and it’s display is still one of the best seen on a phone in its price point.

It remains one of the most future proof Android phones around when it comes to software. Nexus devices always get updates to future versions of Android as long as their hardware is technically able.

As a result, the Nexus 5X is one of a select few handsets likely to get upgraded to the final version of Android N when it launches at an unspecified point later this year.



NEXUS 5X – LONG TERM VERDICT


The Nexus 5X is a phone that hasn’t stood the test of time all too well. Deteriorating battery and performance are a noticeable and ongoing frustration at the moment Hopefully a future Android update will fix the issues, but for now you’d be better of paying a little more and getting the larger Nexus 6P if you want the best unskinned Android experience.

You can read my original Nexus 5X review below.

WHAT IS THE NEXUS 5X?

The Nexus 5X is the smaller and more affordable choice in Google’s current smartphone line-up. It sits behind the Huawei-made Nexus 6P, which carries a larger 6-inch screen, slightly faster hardware and a higher, £449 asking price.

In contrast, the £339 Nexus 5X is significantly cheaper than the 6P and slightly more affordable than Apple's new iPhone SE. But, it is more expensive than some competing handsets, such as the £250 OnePlus 2, which on paper match many of its specs. It isn't quite the straightforward bargain the classic Nexus 5 was.

But the 5X goes a long way to justify its increased price tag thanks to its completely unskinned, future-proof version of Google’s latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system. In fact, the software makes the Nexus 5X one of the best smaller smartphones on the market.

NEXUS 5X – DESIGN & FEATURES

The Nexus 5X has a similar design to its spiritual predecessor the Nexus 5, which isn’t surprising given both were built by LG.

Some will feel the Nexus 5X looks a little dull, or unimaginative, but I’m a big fan of its design. The original Nexus 5’s soft touch back made it one of the most comfortable handsets I've ever used. This remains true on the Nexus 5X thanks to a similar, soft-touch rear. LG has clearly taken what people liked about the Nexus 5 and refined it, which is great news.

Its 5.2-inch screen means this isn't a giant phone, either. It's about the same size and weight as the Samsung Galaxy S6 – it's just a few centimetres taller and wider, and weighs just 136g. Very little space is taken up by the bezel surrounding the screen, a fact helped by the new fingerprint scanner being on the back.

LG has made a few important design upgrades that separate it from its 2013 predecessor, though. The phone features a USB Type-C port, as opposed to the Nexus 5’s older microUSB input. Google claims the input will offer improved data transfer and charge speeds.

As noted just now, LG has also taken advantage of Android Marshmallow’s built-in “Nexus Imprint” support and added a fingerprint scanner to the back of the Nexus 5X.

The scanner offers similar functionality to Apple’s Touch ID sensor, so you can set the Nexus 5X to unlock or approve certain actions – Android Pay purchases, for example – only after its user has proven their identity.

The setup process is easy as pie and simply required me to tap a finger on the scanner a few times.

Once set up, I found the scanner is one of the best available on an Android smartphone. It read my fingerprint in nano-seconds and during my whole week with the Nexus 5X never once failed to recognise me – even when being used in the pouring rain.

NEXUS 5X – SCREEN QUALITY

The original Nexus 5 and Nexus 6’s screens were both sub-par. The Nexus 5's screen was slightly washed out and a little dull to look at. The Nexus 6 took things to the other extreme by featuring a horribly oversaturated display that distorted colours.

The Nexus 5X’s 5.2-inch, 424-pixel per inch (ppi) display sits in a happy middle ground between the two. Colours are well balanced and don’t suffer from the same oversaturation seen on the Nexus 6. They're also reasonably vibrant and don't look overly dull, as they did on the Nexus 5.

Black levels are also fairly good, though they aren’t as deep as those seen on top end competing handsets’ AMOLED displays, like the Galaxy S6. Whites are clean and the viewing angle is wonderfully wide and in my mind beat those of the competing OnePlus 2.

While it isn't 'Quad HD' like the Nexus 6P, icons and text on the the 5X's Full HD (424ppi) screen look suitably sharp. I don’t have any serious quibbles with the Nexus 5X’s screen.

NEXUS 5X – SOFTWARE

Nexus devices’ use of a completely unskinned versions of Android has always been a key selling point.

This continues on the Nexus 5X, which runs a vanilla version of Google’s latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system.

Android Marshmallow is one of the best mobile operating systems around and is a massive improvement on Google’s 2015 Lollipop version.

The OS adds more new features than can easily be counted. The best of these are its enhanced privacy controls and an upgraded “Google Now on Tap” feature.

The enhanced privacy controls make it easier to manage which apps can access your data. Unlike past versions, apps will have to ask permission to access different data reserves on a case-by-case basis, rather than present you with one all encompassing request.

The feature is a massive improvement that forces apps to be more transparent about what data they’re collecting.

For example, installing a dictaphone app, an alert popped up saying the feature required access to my phone’s microphone, then a second popped up requesting access to its storage – all well and good, after all it makes sense the app would need these to work.

But then another set of alerts popped up saying it wanted permission to access my Facebook and Google accounts. Considering the fact the app didn’t have a cloud storage option, its thirst for access to the data made less sense.

Thanks to the improved privacy controls, I was easily able to spot the discrepancy, which on Lollipop I may well have missed, and delete the app.

Marshmallow also adds a central control section from which you can see and change what specific permissions you’ve granted apps.

The Now on Tap feature aims to make it easier for you to pick Google’s brain for information. On Marshmallow you can access Google’s Now service within applications by holding down the phone’s home button.

NEXUS 5X – PERFORMANCE

The Nexus 5X is powered by a 1.8 GHz, hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor, Adreno 418 GPU and 2GB RAM.

A few months ago I’d have said these specs are a steal for £340. But, thanks to the appearance of key handsets, such as the £250 OnePlus 2 and £360 Moto X Style, they’re not that amazing.

The OnePlus 2 runs on a Snapdragon 810 processor with 3-or-4GB RAM. The Moto X Style features a Snapdragon 808 processor and 3GB RAM.

Benchmarking the Nexus 5X’s scores are reasonably impressive, though. On Geekbench the phone ran in with a 3,543 multi-core score. On the GPU intensive 3DMark Icestorm Unlimited the Nexus 5X scored 18,916.

The score puts the Nexus 5X, on paper, slightly below the Moto X Style and OnePlus 2. The Moto X Style scored 3,597,on Geekbench while the OnePlus scored 4,460.

With real world use, the Nexus 5X’s performance is pretty good. The phone is smooth to use and navigates between menu screens and windows with no discernible chug of stutter . Applications open in milliseconds and the software is pristinely bug-free.

The Nexus 5X is also more than fast enough for 3D gaming and ran demanding titles, like Riptide GP2 and Grand Theft Auto hassle-free.

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HTC One M9 Dot View case review

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Phone Cases

WHAT IS THE HTC ONE M9 DOT VIEW CASE?

The Dot View case is HTC’s official folio-style case specifically designed for the One M9. Like last year’s One M8 Dot View case, it features the same perforated cover to display notifications in a retro, dot matrix UI.

HTC has now added a raft of new case colours and more functionality such as the ability to play games, use live themes and control music playback. It’s still pricey at £35 and while it provides good protection, it’s still not an essential accessory for One M9 owners.

HTC ONE M9 DOT VIEW CASE – DESIGN

The Dot View look is largely the same as last year. The harder plastic cover clips onto the One M9’s metal back leaving space for the charging port and headphone jack. It also leaves the camera sensor exposed so you can take photos without taking the case off. HTC also offers some Dot View cases with a transparent plastic back, although having used both kinds, it’s certainly the cheaper-looking of the two options.

The second part is the soft-touch plastic flap, which sits over the screen and uses a similar magnetic technology to Apple’s smart iPad cover to automatically wake up the phone’s screen when lifted. The dot matrix-style holed design is still there with the small HTC logo halfway up the case plus a cut out for the microphone so you can still take calls.

Covering that gorgeous aluminium body with a layer of plastic still feels very odd to us, but it’s not particularly chunky and offers decent everyday protection. While it seems like a reasonably rugged and well built case, a fellow Dot View case user has found that the spine wears away quite badly after less than month’s use simply sitting inside their jeans pocket.

While we’ve not encountered the same problems, we do have some of the same niggles as we had with last year’s model. It’s still tricky to take photos with the rear camera, especially for landscape images just because of how flimsy the lid is. That lid also leaves smudges on the screen, so you’ll need to give it a good wipe down every now and then.

You can grab it in a multitude of colours with a choice of both loud and low key options. The grey and blue versions we tried certainly sit in the second of those categories, but if you want something a little louder, then there’s Candy Floss and Turquoise to choose from as well.

HTC ONE M9 DOT VIEW CASE – FEATURES

One of our biggest issues with the Dot View case is that it wasn’t all that useful. It’s still largely based around notifications and the gesture support but now those notifications are a little more customisable.

To set up Dot View preferences you’ll need to head to the Personalize section in the phone settings menu. Here you can decide how long the Dot View display remains turned on, which notifications can be viewed and the ability to bypass the security screen. Notification support now extends to Facebook, Gmail, Google+, Hangouts, Skype and Twitter.

There’s also a new Themes section following HTC’s decision to introduce a similar feature to the latest version of Sense. You can pick from around 30 themes, which include five holiday themed ones and a series of live animated themes options. You can also create your own from photos in your gallery. Not all images work well, so it’s good to keep things simple.

A very purposeful double tap on the front of the case or pressing the standby button will display the time and current temperature on the dot matrix display. If someone has sent you a message on Facebook and you haven’t already spotted it, a big app icon will appear on the front of the case. You can now swipe left or right on those icons to see multiple notifications or swipe up to open it. You will however still need to open the case to view those messages.

One of the best new features is the music playback support. Whether you’re using Spotify or HTC’s own music application, media controls appear on the case including track names letting you swipe to skip tracks and turn the volume up with a swipe.

This time around, HTC is also adding two new apps you can download for free from Google Play that support the Dot View and expand its uses. Once you’ve installed them both, they’ll appear inside the Dot View menu within the settings. The Dot Design app lets you sketch your own themes, whether it’s a free sketch using existing templates or doodling over your own smartphone pictures. Similarly, there’s a Dot View message option where you choose words instead of images to appear across the front of the Dot View case.

Dot Breaker is where you get to have some fun. Here you can play a version of the classic Breakout tilting the phone to move the paddle. You can pause and resume although playing this game uses the highest brightness display setting so it will put a dent in battery life.

VERDICT

The Dot View still feels a little gimmicky but in its latest guise it’s a lot more fun. There are more ways to personalise and if you like your themes you’re well catered for. The notification support has improved and we really like the addition of the music control support.

The design still throws up some issues. It’s still very difficult to view notifications in bright sunlight and it still gets in the way of taking photos. Better third party support would help justify what is still a lot of money to spend on a phone case. Shop around and you can get it for close to £25.

If you liked the idea of the Dot View case last year, and you’ve bought the One M9, then you’ll appreciate the new features.

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