Computeractive

Reviews
PHONE ❘ £400 from Carphone Warehouse www.snipca.com/18756
Google Nexus 6P
Google shows how Android
phones should be done
Google, whose Android software is used
by the majority of phones and tablets not
made by Apple, only makes two phones
itself. Actually, it doesn’t even make
them, just sticks its Nexus logo on them.
Th e Nexus 5X, which we tested in Issue
463, is manufactured by LG in South
Korea. Its big brother, the 6P, comes
courtesy of Huawei in China. We still
can’t adequately explain how to
pronounce ‘Huawei’, but if you have
children who leave toys lying around on
the stairs, you’ll say it eventually.
Not only is it bigger, with a huge 5.7in
screen, but the 6P feels completely
different from the cheaper 5X. Just
7.3mm thick and clad in aluminium, it’s
reminiscent of an iPhone at the front and
sides, but the back is something else:
smoothly curved, and with a protruding
black camera bar that forms a sort of
snorkel. It’s a bold move to include a ‘love
it or hate it’ feature like this on a fl agship
phone. Below that is a fi ngerprint
scanner that unlocks the device.
Bold design, great
camera and decent
performance
Th e camera itself takes an Apple-like
approach, with a modest 12.3-megapixel
resolution but plenty of features,
including 240-frames-per-second slow
motion, and excellent automatic
exposure. Video is limited to Full HD
rather than 4K. Our pictures were well
balanced and detailed, even indoors, and
there’s a two-tone LED fl ash. Th e
8-megapixel front camera is also good.
Colour balance has also been improved
on the high-resolution screen, which
looks more natural than the old Nexus 6
SPECIFICATIONS
5.7in 2560x1440-pixel screen • 12.3-megapixel rear
camera • 8-megapixel front camera • 32GB flash
storage • 802.11ac Wi-Fi • Bluetooth 4.2 • 3G/4G •
Android 6.0 • 160x78x7.3mm (HxWxD) • 178g •
One-year warranty www.snipca.com/18757
and covers the whole sRGB spectrum.
Th e Nexus 6P’s eight-core Snapdragon
processor runs the latest version of
Android (6.0, also known as Marshmallow),
very smoothly, and 3D games are no
problem. Unlike some devices, it doesn’t
get hot in normal use. However, despite
its large battery, we barely managed
12 hours of video playback, which is
mediocre for a big phone. At least the
USB Type-C port means charging is
simple and quick – taking about 90
minutes to charge fully. You’ll need an
adapter cable to attach standard USB
chargers or other accessories, and data
transfer is only at USB 2.0 speeds.
More disappointingly, there’s no
microSD slot for memory cards, so the
basic 32GB of storage – of which Android
takes up 7GB – might not be enough if
you like to keep a lot of photos, videos
and apps. But the 64GB version is still
good value at £50 extra.
VERDICT: Th e slightly retro design
won’t be for everyone, but this is a topclass
Android phone at a
very competitive price
★★★★★
BUY IT!
★★★★★
ALTERNATIVE: Samsung
Galaxy S6 Edge+ £600 Th e
curved screen makes this a
more cutting-edge phone,
but it costs a lot more for a
similar specification
The best…
PC speakers
Trust Raina
2.1 Subwoofer
Speakers
£15 from Argos
www.snipca.com/18823
Th e usual configuration for PC speakers
is ‘2.1’ – a subwoofer box containing the
amplifier and a bass speaker, plus two
full-range stereo speakers. Trust’s set
is about the cheapest you’ll find. Does
it sound amazing? No. But it’s fine for
games and online radio.
Creative GigaWorks
T20 Series II
£56 from Amazon
www.snipca.com/18824
Th ese stereo speakers
don’t come with a
subwoofer, instead relying on
‘BasXPort technology’ (a hole in the
top), to boost low frequencies. It works,
and they sound great for all kinds of
audio, as long as you don’t expect wallshaking
explosions or beats.
Edifier M1550 5.1
£55 from Amazon
www.snipca.
com/18825
If your PC supports
5.1 surround sound,
it’ll have extra jacks for
‘centre’ and ‘rear’ output. Th e centre
speaker goes on the desk in front of you
and a pair of rear speakers sit behind
you. Th is budget 5.1 set sounds pretty
good, with a decent rumble from its
wooden-cased subwoofer, and it comes
with a chunky volume control.
Samson
MediaOne 4a
£109 from Scan
www.snipca.
com/18822
Th is pair of powered stereo speakers
gives you a hi-fi sound without breaking
the bank. Th ey could even be used for
audio production, although serious
mixers will need something pricier. Bass
isn’t big, but it’s punchy. Leave the grilles
on for a discreet black tower look, or
take them off for two-tone styling.
26
9 – 22 December 2015