Tech companies aren’t transparent about what they do with our photos – we asked experts about best baby-pic practices Welcome to Opt Out, a semi-regular column in which we help you navigate your online privacy and show you how to say no to surveillance. If you’d like to skip to a section about a particular risk you’re trying to protect your child against, click the “Jump to” menu at the top of this article. Last week’s column covered how to opt yourself out of tech companies using your posts to train artificial intelligence. You’ve got the cutest baby ever, and you want the world to know it. But you’re also worried about what might happen to your baby’s picture once you release it into the nebulous world of the internet. Should you post it? Continue reading...

Android cuts telephoto camera and high-end AI features for lower price, but ends up a little lost in the mix Google’s cheapest Pixel 9 offers almost everything that makes its top-flight sibling one of the best smaller phones available, cutting a few key ingredients to price match Apple and Samsung. The Pixel 9 costs £799 (€899/$799/A$1,349) shaving £200 off the asking price of the stellar Pixel 9 Pro while sitting above the excellent value sub-£500 Pixel 8a from May. That pits the new Pixel directly against Apple’s new iPhone 16 and Samsung’s Galaxy S24. Screen: 6.3in 120Hz FHD+ OLED (422ppi) Processor: Google Tensor G4 RAM: 12GB Storage: 128 or 256GB Operating system: Android 14 Camera: 50MP + 48MP ultrawide, 10.5MP selfie Connectivity: 5G, eSIM, wifi 7, UWB, NFC, Bluetooth 5.3 and GNSS Water resistance: IP68 (1.5m for 30 minutes) Dimensions: 152.8 x 72.0 x 8.5mm Weight: 198g Continue reading...

All the camera, AI and performance of Google’s top Android squeezed into a tighter body The Pixel 9 Pro is a rare beast: a smaller phone that keeps the same bold design, specs and camera as Google’s biggest and most expensive model. It makes it an instant contender for the best small phone going. At £999 (€1,099/$999/A$1,699), it is cheaper than its larger Pixel 9 Pro XL sibling but still firmly in the high-end bracket. What sets it apart is the 6.3in screen is significantly tighter than the monster 6.7in-plus sizes you usually need to get the very best hardware. Screen: 6.3in 120Hz QHD+ OLED (495ppi) Processor: Google Tensor G4 RAM: 16GB of RAM Storage: 128, 256, 512GB or 1TB Operating system: Android 14 Camera: 50MP + 48MP ultrawide + 48MP 5x telephoto, 42MP selfie Connectivity: 5G, eSIM, wifi 7, UWB, NFC, Bluetooth 5.3 and GNSS Water resistance: IP68 (1.5m for 30 minutes) Dimensions: 152.8 x 72.0 x 8.5mm Weight: 199g Continue reading...

Taking the plunge and giving your child a handset? Here’s all you need to know – from the best models to the tariffs and networks (and how to use parental controls) As the schools go back, pressure mounts on parents to give their children their first phone. If you’ve decided the time has come, there are many options to choose from, whether it’s a smartphone, a basic handset, or an upgrade to something newer. From the handset to the mobile service that goes with it, and from key parental controls to how well the phone fits with the devices you already use, here are some of the things you should know before taking the plunge – including which models are the best. Continue reading...

Players in EU can access game blocked by Apple and Google by installing it from app store of publisher Epic Games The video game Fortnite is back on mobile phones, four years after Apple and Google pulled it from their app stores. Android users worldwide can install the game, along with two new titles from the publisher, Epic Games, by downloading the company’s new app store. However, only iPhone users in the EU can follow suit as Epic becomes the highest profile company yet to adopt the looser restrictions forced on Apple by the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Continue reading...

Lighter weight, better screens, faster chip and fancy AI features are all welcome, but feel iterative for the price Samsung’s most advanced, hi-tech folding phone for 2024 is the Galaxy Z Fold 6, which looks to see off rivals from Google, OnePlus and others with a lighter frame, bigger and better screens, and the fastest chip available for Android. The latest phone-tablet hybrid from the category pioneer is designed to be the ultra-premium device of choice for buyers, but faces stiff competition from several worthy challengers, most of which undercut the South Korean firm on price. Continue reading...

Top camera, chip, seven years of updates and advanced Google AI tools beats the competition Google’s latest mid-range A-series Pixel handset steps it up a notch, bringing almost every feature from its high-end phones down to a more affordable price, including the latest AI and camera tricks. The Pixel 8a starts at £499 (€549/$499/A$849). That may be £50 more than last year’s 7a, but the new model improves just about everything, and undercuts the Pixel 8 by £200. Screen: 6.1in 120Hz FHD+ OLED (430ppi) Processor: Google Tensor G3 RAM: 8GB Storage: 128 or 256GB Operating system: Android 14 Camera: 64MP + 13MP ultrawide, 13MP selfie Connectivity: 5G, Sim and eSim, wifi 6E, NFC, Bluetooth 5.3 and GNSS Water resistance: IP67 (1m for 30 minutes) Dimensions: 152.1 x 72.7 x 8.9mm Weight: 188g Continue reading...

Funky design, fun software, decent performance and long battery life provide a lot of phone for the money London-based tech firm Nothing’s latest Android attempts to shake up the budget phone market with something a little more interesting. Costing from £319 (€329/A$529) the Phone 2a aims to take the cool design and intrigue that made its higher-end models stand out and package it up into something cheaper but still novel, sits alongside the full-fat Phone 2 costing £579. Screen: 6.7in 120Hz FHD+ OLED (394ppi) Processor: MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Pro RAM: 8 or 12GB Storage: 128 or 256GB Operating system: Nothing OS 2.5 (Android 14) Camera: 50MP main and ultrawide, 32MP selfie Connectivity: 5G, eSIM, wifi 6, NFC, Bluetooth 5.3 and GNSS Water resistance: IP54 (splash resistant) Dimensions: 162 x 76.3 x 8.9mm Weight: 190g Continue reading...

A slick screen, top chip and long battery life are let down by lack of advanced AI and short support life OnePlus’s latest top phone can’t shake the feeling of being left behind by rivals. Even with a sleek appearance, speedy software and longer battery life the OnePlus 12 is devoid of the much-hyped AI tools packed into handsets from Samsung, Google and others. It feels more like a phone from 2020 than from the new era of artificial intelligence. Continue reading...

Super-premium phone-tablet is the thinnest and lightest ‘folder’ yet – but compromises on camera Honor’s Magic V2 is the best designed folding phone-tablet yet. It feels just like a regular phone when closed but then opens up like a book to reveal a large, plush screen. Launched in China last year, the Magic V2 has now made it to Europe but not at a price that could be considered affordable. At £1,700 (€2,000), it is placed between the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 and OnePlus’s slightly cheaper Open. Main screen: 7.92in (402ppi) 120Hz OLED flexible display Cover screen: 6.43in (404ppi) 120Hz OLED Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 RAM: 16GB Storage: 512GB Operating system: MagicOS 7.2 (Android 13) Camera: 50MP + 50MP ultrawide + 20MP 2.5x tele; 2x 16MP selfie Connectivity: 5G, dual sim + esim, USB-C, wifi 7, NFC, Bluetooth 5.3, GNSS Water resistance: none Dimensions folded: 156.7 x 74 x 10.1mm Dimensions unfolded: 156.7 x 145.4 x 4.8mm Weight: 237g Continue reading...