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21

LG Wing review: The fever-dream of a phone that 2020 deserves
An attempt was made

Ryan Whitwam Ryan Whitwam
LG Wing review: The fever-dream of a phone that 2020 deserves

Phones have gotten boring in the last few years, but things are getting weird again, and thank goodness. I have been doing this long enough to remember the last time phones got weird—I've reviewed phones with spring-loaded keyboards, tablet docks, curved bodies, and all manner of multi-screen configurations. After settling on the flat glass slab form factor, OEMs are finally starting to take more risks. No phone better exemplifies this trend than the LG Wing. While LG has been pushing dual-screen accessories for a while, the Wing is the first modern LG phone that integrates a second screen in the handset.

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93

Microsoft Surface Duo review, one month later: Enthusiastically an enthusiast's phone
A hybrid of Google and Microsoft's visions for smartphones

Corbin Davenport Corbin Davenport
Microsoft Surface Duo review, one month later: Enthusiastically an enthusiast's phone

This story was originally published and last updated . 

Over the past few years, smartphones have stopped evolving at a rapid pace and settled into iterative, yawn-inducing update cycles. Just like how a desktop PC from eight years ago can still handle basic productivity tasks in 2020, a flagship smartphone from two or three years ago isn't radically different from what you can buy today, and there’s only so much room for innovation in the flat glass slab form factor. This has sent some manufacturers to go back to the drawing board in search of something more radical and exciting. Samsung has released several foldable phones, LG is developing a dual-screen device, and now Microsoft has the Surface Duo.

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304

The Pixel 5 is not enough — and way too much
Unrealistic pricing and regressions over the prior generation are too hard to overcome

David Ruddock David Ruddock
The Pixel 5 is not enough — and way too much

I've been using the Pixel 5 for the better part of a week now, and it's the first Google phone in years I'm getting a very particular feeling about. It takes great photos, I think the physical design is muted in a very charmingly Google way, and the software is exactly the unfettered Android experience I've come to know and love. But I'm just not sure how long I'm going to keep using it now that this review has gone up.

The Pixel 5 is by its nature an exercise in compromise. A slower chipset, the lack of face unlock, a missing telephoto camera lens, and cost cuts on components like haptics make it a bizarre case of this year's phone being worse in very material ways than last year's.

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19

Poco X3 NFC review: A masterclass in value
It’s exactly what you need

Myriam Joire Myriam Joire
Poco X3 NFC review: A masterclass in value

Xiaomi’s been busy this year. In addition to launching a plethora of Xiaomi and Redmi-branded phones, the company’s turned Poco into its own sub-brand, starting with the Poco X2 in February, followed by the Poco F2 Pro in May, Poco M2 Pro in July, plus the Poco X3 NFC and Poco M2 in September. What started off as a single, $300 handset with flagship specs in 2018 — the Poco F1 (or Pocophone F1) — is now an entire product line.

Granted, Xiaomi’s mostly re-branding Redmi devices here, with Poco handsets getting a few hardware and software tweaks like unique memory and storage configurations, and a bespoke launcher.

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Asus ROG Phone 3 review, three weeks later: Clearly a bad buy
It's not easy to make a case for this $1,000 phone

Taylor Kerns Taylor Kerns
Asus ROG Phone 3 review, three weeks later: Clearly a bad buy

This story was originally published and last updated . 

The processing power common to flagship phones means you can expect mobile games to run smoothly on them, but for most devices, that gaming prowess is an afterthought or an added bonus. The ROG Phone 3, launching soon in the US, pairs top-shelf internals with custom hardware and software tailored to creating an excellent gaming experience — and that laser focus on performance means it's great at other things we all use our phones for, too. But nagging flaws more expected from budget phones make it hard to recommend to any but the most ardent mobile gamer.

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53

Asus Zenfone 7 Pro review, one month later: An excellent value, but no longer the best
Asus stays true to its reinvented self

Manuel Vonau Manuel Vonau
Asus Zenfone 7 Pro review, one month later: An excellent value, but no longer the best

This story was originally published and last updated . 

If it wasn't for the Pixel 3a, the Asus Zenfone 6 probably could've been a surprise hit in 2019. It packed an almost stock-like Android experience, the best processor on the market (back then), and a unique flip camera. We worried that Asus' creation could turn out to be a flash in the pan, but after spending two weeks with the Zenfone 7 Pro, I can confirm that it is an improvement over that already great phone. It comes with a higher price, though.

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50

Galaxy Z Fold2 review, one month later: Say hello to your future
If you can afford it, the Z Fold2 is worth it

Ryne Hager Ryne Hager
Galaxy Z Fold2 review, one month later: Say hello to your future

This story was originally published and last updated . 

I started out as a folding phone critic. In fact, I bought the Z Flip we reviewed this spring with the full intention of pointing out how dumb the idea was, except I was dead wrong. I fell in love with my little flip phone, and the last week spent with the Galaxy Z Fold2 has further cemented my change of heart. Folding phones are undeniably the future, and for the right folks, the Z Fold2 is a must-buy game-changer — though probably not for you.

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23

Samsung Galaxy Note20 review: The plastic isn't the problem
The $1,000 price is

Ryne Hager Ryne Hager
Samsung Galaxy Note20 review: The plastic isn't the problem

In the last year or so, Samsung has started splitting up its flagship experience with new "Ultra" devices. At first, it seemed like these new, higher-end phones simply had more and better stuff to elevate them further, but with the new Note20 series, I think it's clear Samsung is intentionally making its base phones worse. However, the world of smartphones is lacking in absolutes, and I still think Samsung did a whole lot right with the Note20. Somehow the company managed to fit a huge and flat 6.7" screen in a phone without making it unwieldy or awkward to use. Battery life is also ridiculously good, and I even honestly like the matte plastic back now that I've used it.

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173

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE review: This could be the best phone of 2020
$600 buys a whole lot of phone here

Taylor Kerns Taylor Kerns
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE review: This could be the best phone of 2020

Samsung's top-end phones are getting more and more expensive at an alarming rate, as evidenced by the fact that very few people bought an S20 during the series's launch window. Seeing the gap to fill between bargain-bin budget phones and outright luxury devices, this week, Samsung launched the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition. It costs $700 (currently $600 on sale), and it packs a ton of features we're used to seeing in flagships with very few compromises. This might just be the best phone of the year.

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27

Poco F2 Pro review: Gourmet performance, buffet price
Have your cake and eat it, too

Myriam Joire Myriam Joire
Poco F2 Pro review: Gourmet performance, buffet price

Almost exactly two years ago, Xiaomi pulled a page from OnePlus’ playbook and stunned everyone with the Poco F1 (or Pocophone F1), a phone with proper flagship specs that cost just $300. While the F1 cut some corners to achieve this feat (plastic build, no NFC), it still delivered amazing performance and battery life. Then in 2019, it was followed up by… crickets?

While Redmi’s excellent K20 Pro was technically the Poco F1’s successor, Xiaomi didn’t release a Poco-branded device last year. That changed back in February 2020, when the company announced it was spinning Poco off as a sub-brand.

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