Mobile reviews

The Campfire IO (pronounced ‘eye-oh’) are the Oregon audio brand’s most affordable in-ear monitor yet. Exactly how bespoke and singular do you want your in-ear headphones? If the thought of dangly white earbuds (wired or wireless) makes you shudder, perhaps you should cast your glance Campfire Audio’s way. The Portland, Oregon manufacturer has been turning out headphones (almost all in-ear monitors) since the middle of the last decade, and it’s safe to say you’re unlikely to confuse them with any other brand’s designs. The lengths the company goes to in terms of component selection, design, assembly and packaging are considerable, as are the prices it tends to set. If it’s slightly self-conscious ‘authenticity’ you want, Campfire Audio has plenty of it. The IO is its most affordable in-ear monitor so far. Of course, ‘affordable’ is all relative, and at £299 the IO faces off against a lot of well-regarded alternatives from far more venerable brands. If this money buys you the perform...

A few years ago we reviewed Remarkable, a sort of Kindle and iPad hybrid that tried to offer the feel of writing on paper with the smarts of a tablet. Now the sequel – the Remarkable 2 – is here and these are our early thoughts. Try not to think of Remarkable 2 as a tablet in the same vein as the iPad Pro 2020 or Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus . Even though the brand behind the Remarkable 2 refers to it as the ‘world’s thinnest tablet’, you won’t be picking this up to binge on Netflix, scroll social media or as a laptop replacement. Like Amazon’s Kindle, this is a very focussed piece of tech aimed at a niche market. It’s essentially digital paper, with a monochrome e-ink display designed to feel like a sheet of A4. There’s no backlight, no apps and, well, no distractions. While the first iteration was good, there were obvious areas that could be improved. This second version is far slimmer, up to twice as responsive and with three times as much battery life. Other benefits include a m...

The Beosound A1 Bluetooth speaker from Bang & Olufsen is the first Bluetooth-only speaker to feature Alexa voice assistance. B&O don’t do cheap. In fact, they don’t do ordinary either. Have a gander at the marketing materials for their products and they always seem to be full of youthful waifs wearing baggy designer jackets and chic glasses, cavorting in a field with picturesque blue and golden skies. B&O products aren’t really pitched at the majority of the population. But the Beosound A1 2nd Gen makes a strong case to disregard all that. It’s a sequel to the Beoplay A1 ; it’s less expensive and features a number of design and performance improvements. And it’s a belter of a portable speaker. Related: Best Bluetooth speakers B&O Beosound A1 2 nd Gen design — Gorgeously refined The Beosound A1’s design mirrors the Beoplay A1 – an oversized hockey puck with a waterproof leather base and drilled holes in an aluminium top surface. Cecile Mainz – designer of the orig...

The American EQ 40 are fitness in-ears from Boston-based brand Back Bay that can be used in wired and wireless configurations. The city of Boston is home to the Red Sox baseball team, Wahlburgers and it’s also the place where a little revolt about tea escalated into a pretty big disagreement with the British. However, we’re not ones to hold any grudges over spilt tea, at least not when there’s audio products to be reviewed, and the American EQ 40 speaks to the fitness focus that’s consumed the area with the popularity of the Boston Marathon. Does US sound translate well over to the UK? Let’s find out. Related: Best running headphones Back Bay American EQ 40 design — Solid design and an excellent fit The American EQ 40 use a neckband design, which I prefer for running than true wireless. The wire settles on the back of the neck – unless you’re someone who wears them like a pair of glasses with cords – with a three-button control positioned near the right earbud. The position of t...

The Urbanista London are a pair of true wireless earbuds that boast noise cancellation for less than £150. Active noise cancelling had been the preserve of premium wireless earbuds, with top tier brands such as Apple, Sennheiser and Sony putting the technology into their headphones. Well, until now that is. With the London true wireless, Urbanista has nipped in ahead of the budget competition, bringing noise-cancellation to a stealthy £129.99. Just don’t call them the baby AirPod Pros. They’re more deserving than that. Urbanista London design — Compact and comfortable There’s a reason why many (including me) called the Urbanista London affordable AirPod Pros. They do look fairly similar. Similarities aside, the Londons pursue a different path from Urbanista’s prior true wireless designs. The stem is shorter and the driver housing more bulbous – two changes intended to make the London more comfortable over extended periods. The fit is tight even with the default tips, and they com...

If I was to make one wish for a prospective Poco F3 Pro, it would be to step things up to 90Hz. While the Poco F2 Pro impresses in a number of areas, it does have some missing features when compared to the rest of the crowd at this price. You do get an in-display fingerprint sensor though, and it’s reasonably fast and responsive as far as these things go. Which isn’t as far as traditional dedicated biometric sensors, but that’s hardly an issue that’s unique to Xiaomi. Audio is another aspect of the Poco F2 Pro that’s only partially Pro. On the one hand, you get a 3.5mm jack and support for Hi-Res Audio. On the other, there’s only a single downwards-firing speaker, which proves easy to cover when playing landscape-oriented games. Related: Best Android phones Performance – The Poco F2 Pro offers elite performance at a bargain price While the Poco F2 Pro’s lack of a 90Hz display might not make it seem as fast as one or two of its mid-range rivals, it proves its mettle under pressure...

If I was to make one wish for a prospective Poco F3 Pro, it would be to step things up to 90Hz. While the Poco F2 Pro impresses in a number of areas, it does have some missing features when compared to the rest of the crowd at this price. You do get an in-display fingerprint sensor though, and it’s reasonably fast and responsive as far as these things go. Which isn’t as far as traditional dedicated biometric sensors, but that’s hardly an issue that’s unique to Xiaomi. Audio is another aspect of the Poco F2 Pro that’s only partially Pro. On the one hand, you get a 3.5mm jack and support for Hi-Res Audio. On the other, there’s only a single downwards-firing speaker, which proves easy to cover when playing landscape-oriented games. Related: Best Android phones Performance – The Poco F2 Pro offers elite performance at a bargain price While the Poco F2 Pro’s lack of a 90Hz display might not make it seem as fast as one or two of its mid-range rivals, it proves its mettle under pressure...