The Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra was undoubtedly one of the best Android phones from last year. It offered top-of-the-line hardware at a relatively affordable price point, making it a great alternative to flagships from Samsung and OnePlus. Due to this, we have been eagerly waiting for its successor ever since Xiaomi debuted the Xiaomi 12 series late last year. That phone is now finally here, but it’s part of the new Xiaomi 12S series.
Unlike the Xiaomi 12 series, Xiaomi has launched three phones as part of the new Xiaomi 12S series — the Xiaomi 12S, the Xiaomi 12S Pro, and the Xiaomi 12S Ultra. While the Xiaomi 12S and Xiaomi 12S Pro are minor upgrades over the Xiaomi 12 and Xiaomi 12 Pro from last year, the Xiaomi 12S Ultra is a major step up from the Mi 11 Ultra. It features a better display, a faster SoC, impressive camera hardware developed in collaboration with Leica, and much more. Check out the table below for a brief rundown of its hardware specifications.
Although the Xiaomi 12S Ultra packs a slightly smaller display than the Mi 11 Ultra, it is significantly better in almost all regards. The 6.73-inch Samsung E5 AMOLED display on the newer model is an LTPO panel that offers 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate support, a 3200 x 1440p resolution, 1,500nits peak brightness, and a native 10-bit color depth. It has a peak brightness of 1,500nits, 100% DCI-P3 coverage, and HDR10+ support. These upgrades should result in a smoother experience in day-to-day use, enhanced picture quality, and better battery life.
Powering the upgraded display on the Xiaomi 12S Ultra is Qualcomm’s latest flagship chipset — the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1. The new chipset is a massive upgrade over the Snapdragon 888 on the Mi 11 Ultra, so you can expect to see significant performance gains in all scenarios. The Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 also offers 10 percent better CPU performance than the non-Plus variant, while also cutting down power usage by nearly 20 percent.
Xiaomi has paired the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 with a new 3D cooling system, which should help improve thermals in demanding applications and games. In theory, the Xiaomi 12S Ultra should perform better than Snapdragon 8 Gen 1-powered flagships from Samsung and OnePlus. But we’ll reserve all judgments for our in-depth review.
Along with display and performance improvements, the Xiaomi 12S Ultra also comes with some impressive upgrades on the camera front. Xiaomi has developed the camera system for its latest flagship in partnership with Leica, and it consists of a 50.3MP Sony IMX989 primary sensor, a 48MP ultra-wide camera, and a 48MP periscope zoom telephoto camera. Over on the front, the device sports a 32MP selfie shooter.
The main 50.3MP camera features an eight-piece aspherical lens, octa-PD auto-focus, a lens edge ink coating, and multi-layer ALD ultra-low reflectance coating. The 48MP ultra-wide camera features a Leica Summicron 1:1.9-4.1 / 13-120 aspherical lens, dual-PD auto-focus, and macro mode support, while the 48MP periscope telephoto camera features dual-PD auto-focus and HyperOIS.
In addition to the hardware improvements, Xiaomi has also packed a couple of new software goodies to enhance camera performance. The Xiaomi 12S Ultra will give users access to two new photographic styles — Leica Authentic Look and Leica Vibrant Look. According to Xiaomi, the former “adds a sense of three-dimensional depth to photos, with the characteristic excellence of Leica’s time-proven light and shadow aesthetics” by retaining light and shadow contrast.
The Leica Vibrant Look style, on the other hand, combines “Xiaomi’s experience in smartphone photography with Leica’s leading aesthetic” to help users capture “the emotion of the moment.” We’ll share more details about these new styles as soon as we get our hands on the Xiaomi 12S Ultra. As spotted previously, the device also comes with a few Leica filters. These include Leica Vivid, Natural, BW Natural, and BW High Contrast.
In terms of connectivity, the Xiaomi 12S Ultra offers dual-5G support, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, and multi-functional NFC. Other noteworthy features include an in-display fingerprint scanner, an X-axis linear vibration motor, symmetrical stereo speakers tuned by Harman Kardon, a USB Type-C port, and IP68 dust and water resistance.
Lastly, the Xiaomi 12S Ultra packs a 4,860mAh battery which features support for 67W wired fast charging, 50W wireless fast charging, and 10W reverse wireless charging. Although it’s slightly smaller than the one found on the Mi 11 Ultra, the minor capacity difference shouldn’t impact the battery life, given that the phone packs a more power-efficient chip and display.
On the software front, the Xiaomi 12S Ultra runs MIUI 13 based on Android 12. Currently, Xiaomi has not shared its software support commitment for the device. We’ll update this post with additional details as soon as we learn more.
Xiaomi 12S Ultra: Pricing & Availability
The Xiaomi 12S Ultra will come in three RAM/storage variants, which are priced as follows:
8GB+256GB: CNY 5,999 (~$896)
12GB+256GB: CNY 6,499 (~$970)
12GB+512GB: CNY 6,999 (~$1045)
The Xiaomi 12S Ultra will go on sale in China starting July 8 with pre-orders starting later today. The device should make its way to other markets over the next few months. We’ll make sure to let you know as soon as we have more details.
What do you think of the new Xiaomi 12S Ultra? Let us know in the comments section below.
Apple Music is not the greatest streaming service out there. Despite the Cupertino firm improving the service with every passing year, it still lacks plenty of features when compared to competing apps. That’s not to mention that its music recommendation algorithm isn’t very accurate. Recently, Apple Music started charging students more in several regions. The service now costs $5.99 in the U.S., instead of $4.99. Though, it bundles Apple TV Plus for free, so it’s still a competitive deal. To further tempt students to try the service, the company is now back with a new limited-time offer. Students in the U.S. and U.K. who have never subscribed to any Apple Music tier in the past can grab a free pair of Beats Flex after joining.
New offer from Apple and Unidays, shortly after the Apple Music Student price hike – new Apple Music Student subscribers can claim a free pair of Beats Flex! Quite a generous offer.https://t.co/9NBvjor2Bi
According to the terms and conditions published by Apple, this limited-time offer started back in late June. It’s unclear when it’ll expire, as the document only mentions that it’s for a limited time. To claim a free pair of Beats Flex, you have to subscribe to the service and pay for at least one month. So, obviously, just using the free trial doesn’t make you eligible.
Apple mentions that after you pay for the first month, you will receive instructions on how to grab your free pair. The company will allow users to choose the Beats Flex’s color. However, depending on the available units, the Cupertino overlord might send you a color of its choice. Fortunately, Apple will handle the shipping as well. The address has to match your Apple ID’s region, though. If you don’t follow the instructions within 90 days, you will no longer be eligible.
For reference, the Beats Flex normally costs $69.99. So by paying $5.99 once, you’re getting a decent pair of earphones from the company. Obviously, this offer aims to hook students to Apple Music, and it particularly targets those who have never tried it before. Ultimately, those who like it will probably become long term subscribers — a revenue source for Apple.
Will you be subscribing to Apple Music to claim the free Beats Flex? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments section below.
During Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference 2022, the company gave us a glimpse of its future, sharing announcements for iOS 16, iPadOS 16, watchOS 9, and macOS 13. Along with software, Apple also showed off new hardware, announcing its new MacBook Air (2022) and more surprisingly, an “updated” MacBook Pro 13. While the former was a breath of fresh air with its all-new design, the latter looked familiar and dated.
Apple took the easy lazy way out with the MacBook Pro 13
To be clear, Apple hardware has been pretty good for the past decade, but there have been some missteps. Under the direction of legendary designer Jony Ive, Apple replaced its keyboard technology for the worse, removed ports from its “Pro” laptops, and even got rid of its beloved MagSafe charging system. It would also introduce new technology with its Touch Bar system, which wouldn’t really catch on as anticipated. It chose to overcomplicate certain parts, but strip down other areas, choosing simplicity over a great user experience. This was a dark era for MacBook users and while Apple stuck to its guns for years, it would eventually right its wrongs by going back to the old formula. Because of this, many would rejoice with the release of the the MacBook Pro 14 and MacBook Pro 16. and Apple would continue moving forward with the release of the MacBook Air (2022).
The 2020 Intel-powered 13-inch MacBook Pro (left) and the 2022 M2-powered 13-inch MacBook Pro (right).
Because of all of this forward momentum, one has to question, after accomplishing so much over the past 18 months, why would Apple go backward? Why would it proudly showcase an older design, complete with Touch Bar, a blatant reminder of a flawed product – an era of Apple that wasn’t as solid. There are a number of reasons why this could have occurred, and we will never really have a solid answer, but Apple could have just kept moving forward. For a company the size of Apple with the immense resources at its disposal, figuring out a different design for the MacBook Pro 13 would have been possible, and even possibly an easy task considering the blueprints available from the redesigned MacBook Air 13 and the MacBook Pro 14.
Alternatively, the company could have chosen to skip the MacBook Pro 13 instead of renewing its life in an outdated format for yet another year. Of course, by not having a MacBook Pro 13, there would be a hole in Apple’s current lineup, but if this is a transitional period, so be it. Apple could have just kept the lineup as is for another year. Although there are previous examples of Apple using an older chassis design for its first M1 SoC laptop, that was a different moment. Apple was debuting a new SoC for the first time and entering uncharted waters. I think in this instance, it was limiting risk by using an old design and maximizing the use of its existing supply chain. But that was then when Apple had an unproven SoC. Now, it’s a clear winner, and mixing and matching parts is just in bad taste. It reeks of profiteering off an established supply chain without really putting in any thought and effort to give consumers more than the bare minimum.
Furthermore, if Apple wanted to keep something “old”, it could have used the MacBook Pro 13 chassis without a Touch Bar. This would have looked a bit more like the current lineup and would have probably cost Apple and consumers less. Because as it stands right now, the MacBook Pro 13 sits in awkwardly between the MacBook Air 13 and the MacBook Pro 14, losing the benefits of being cheaper and powerful respectively from the option at either end.
Regardless, Apple’s MacBook Pro 13 (2022) will arrive very soon to customers and there is no telling how popular it will be. But hopefully, the reactions are tepid and consumers will voice their opinion with their dollars.
Do you think Apple took the easy way out with the MacBook Pro 13 (2022)? What would have been a better execution for this? Did the M1 MacBook Pro 13 really need an M2 upgrade? Let us know in the comments below!
Given the lives our phones live, it’s not surprising that their ports need a little TLC every once in a while. No matter how rugged your smartphone is, nor how rugged your phone case is, there’s bound to be some level of dirt and dust accumulation in the USB port after prolonged rough use, especially when regularly exposed to the elements. If your USB-C port has stopped working or looks a little dusty, here’s how to clean it safely.
The Essentials
Dust and debris can stop your phone’s USB-C port from working correctly.
A can of compressed air is the safest way to clean your phone’s USB port.
Don’t use liquid inside your phone’s USB-C port.
The best way to clean your phone’s USB port
The USB port on your phone is sensitive, so you need a gentle hand when cleaning it. By far, the safest way to clean the USB port on your phone is with compressed air. Compressed air will loosen dust and blow out dirt without you needing to insert anything into the port.
Using compressed air is pretty self-explanatory, but we’ll give you a quick run down anyway.
Position the nozzle of the compressed air a short distance from your USB port.
Keep the can in an upright position at all times.
Use short blasts of compressed air to loosen dust and debris.
While you can just as easily blow on your USB port, a can of compressed air is more powerful, and there’s less chance of accidentally getting liquid into the port.
If your USB port is still blocked up with stuck-on grime, then it’s time to delve a little deeper. At this stage, we need to mention that putting any cleaning tools in your USB port can be risky, and you need to be very delicate. Apply pressure at the wrong angle and you could break the connectors or bend them. If you are at all concerned about damaging the internal connectors, then take your phone to a professional.
If you’re willing to give it a go, you will need a toothpick or similar narrow object. You can buy phone cleaning tools online, but if you don’t have these to hand, a toothpick or plastic end of an interdental pick will also work. We don’t recommend using safety pins or anything metal, and you should never jam anything into your USB port.
With your chosen poking implement, very carefully begin to work around the central electrical contact. Remember, the aim is to remove debris, not push it further inside, so try to use a small scooping motion. This should allow you to remove any deeper dirt. Again, be delicate, and if you encounter resistance, change your movement instead of applying more pressure. Finally, give your USB port a blast with some compressed air to eliminate any loosened particles.
How to stop dirt from getting into your USB-C port
Prevention is by far the best course of action. If you work in a dusty environment or regularly transport your phone in your pocket or handbag, it’s worth investing in a set of anti-dust plugs or a phone case with built-in port covers. These will prevent dirt from getting into your USB port in the first place and you won’t need to clean it out so often. Anti-dust plugs may be easy to lose, especially if you need to keep using the USB port for charging, but they are cheap and come in packs with multiples. If your phone supports wireless charging, you may want to consider some great wireless chargers to complement your use of anti-dust plugs.
Dust Plugs Compatible with Samsung Galaxy s22, s21, s20, Plus, Ultra, Note 10, Pixel, MacBook, USB c Dust Cover for Android, Includes Cleaning Brush (Black)
If you’re in the market for a 17-inch laptop with some power behind it, look no further than the Dell XPS 17, mainly because looking any further would be a waste of your time. This laptop is the best that there is. Of course, if you’re not looking for power – which is totally fine – there are other laptops that are more suited for you, but if you plan on doing creative work on a big screen, this is the best.
Let’s start with the screen, because it’s best in class, hands down. Whether it’s sRGB, Adobe RGB, NTSC, or P3, our testing either came out to 100% or really close to it. These are the best results I’ve seen from any display, and that’s just how good Dell XPS always is. It’s nice and bright at over 500 nits too.
Performance is fantastic too, packing Intel’s new 12th-gen processors, DDR5 memory, and RTX 3060 graphics. It’s an absolutely delightful laptop.
The Dell XPS 17 (2022) is available now and starts at $1,749
The new Dell XPS 15 and XPS 17 were among the first XPS laptops to be announced this year, so now, they’re available for purchase. The Dell XPS 17 starts at $1,749, but that only comes with a Core i5-12500H, 8GB RAM, a 512GB SSD, an FHD+ display, and integrated graphics.
I don’t think that’s the one you’ll actually want though. With a machine like this, you probably want dedicated graphics, which can come in the form of an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 or 3060, and you’ll probably want the UHD+ display option. After all, FHD+ doesn’t look great on a screen this big, and there’s no QHD+ option. The unit that Dell sent for review includes a Core i7-12700H, an RTX 3060, a UHD+ display, 32GB DDR5 memory, and a 1TB SSD, so most of the options are checked off, and it comes in at $2,988.
It comes in any color you want, as long as it’s Platinum Silver with a black carbon fiber palm rest. It’s the classic Dell XPS design, and since the XPS 17 is the most niche of all of the company’s flagship laptops, we haven’t seen additional colors added like we have with the XPS 13 2-in-1, XPS 13, and XPS 15.
Dell XPS 17 (2022) specs
Processor
12th Generation Intel Core i7-12700H (24MB Cache, up to 4.7 GHz, 14 cores)
Studio quality tuning with Waves MaxxAudio Pro and Waves Nx 3D audio
Quad-speaker design with 2.5W x2 woofers and 1.5W x2 tweeters = 8W total peak output
3.5mm headphone/microphone combo jack featuring Waves Nx 3D audio with head tracking
Dual microphone array optimized with Waves MaxxVoice supporting VoIP –
Microsoft Cortana capable
Battery
97Whr battery (built-in)*
*Battery is built-in to the laptop and is not replaceable by the customer
130W AC adapter, (USB Type-C)
Ports
4x Thunderbolt 4 (USB Type-C) with DisplayPort and Power Delivery
1 Full size SD card reader v6.0
1 3.5mm headphone/microphone combo jack
Wedge-shaped lock slot
1 USB-C to USB-A v3.0 & HDMI v2.0 adapter ships standard
Input
Touch Display (optional)
2 Digital Array Microphones
Full size, backlit chiclet keyboard; 1.3mm travel
Glass surface Precision Touchpad
Windows Hello fingerprint reader in power button & HD (720p) Windows Hello camera in upper bezel
Ambient Light Sensor for display backlight control
CNC machined aluminum in platinum silver with carbon fiber composite palm rest in black
Edge-to-edge Corning Gorilla Glass 6 on touch panel
OS
Windows 10 Home
Price
$2,988
Design: It’s the classic Dell XPS look
The Dell XPS 17 is made of CNC machined aluminum, and it comes in Platinum Silver
It has four Thunderbolt 4 ports, and no USB Type-A
When the Dell XPS 17 9700 was introduced, it was the first 17-inch XPS laptop in a decade. The XPS 17 9720 is the third iteration of that product, and the design hasn’t changed. It comes in the classic XPS design, with a Platinum Silver exterior and a black carbon fiber palm rest. Unlike other models, that’s the only color it comes in.
The lid comes stamped with a shiny Dell logo, and the sides are silver. While most 17-inch laptops have loads of ports, Dell has went the same way that Apple has, going all-in on USB Type-C. It has four Thunderbolt 4 ports, two on each side. You can use those for 40Gbps data transfer, connecting 8K monitors, and more. As far as USB ports go, that’s the best you can get.
On the right side, there’s also a 3.5mm audio jack and a full-size SD card reader. Indeed, photographers, videographers, and other creative types will rejoice in having a full-size SD card slot, as so many laptops these days omit it.
This model weighs in at 5.34 pounds, which obviously isn’t the lightest thing around, but it’s light for what it is. It’s a powerful laptop with a 17-inch screen and a 97WHr battery. Moreover, the chassis is small enough to fit in a regular-sized bag, thanks to the tiny bezels around the screen. Dell always likes to use phrases like 17-inch laptop in a 15-inch chassis, which isn’t strictly accurate considering that laptops in general have gotten so small. But if we were talking about 15-inch laptops from five or 10 years ago, it would be more apt. In other words, if you’re replacing your seven-year-old 15-inch laptop with an XPS 17, the chassis might be the same size.
There are things to consider when buying a large laptop, because they’re for different use cases. This one is aimed at creators that could use dedicated graphics, so the use case should include photo and/or video editing, or something along those lines. If your use case is the same as it would be for an ultrabook but you just want a bigger screen, there are thinner and lighter options for you, which also get better battery life. In fact, the 16-inch laptop market has really lit up in the last year or so with lower-powered options.
Display: The bezels are so small that it fits in a regular bag
The 17-inch screen has 3,840×2,400 resolution, and it’s one of the best screens around
The webcam is still 720p
The screen is big and beautiful, packing a 3,840×2,400 resolution and a 16:10 aspect ratio. It measures 17 inches diagonally, so if a big screen is what you’re after, that’s what you’ll get here. It’s also a really good screen.
According to my testing, it supports 100% sRGB, 99% NTSC, 100% Adobe RGB, and 98% P3. Frankly, you can’t beat that.
The Dell XPS 17 display is the best there is on a laptop.
Unlike the XPS 15, the Dell XPS 17 isn’t offered with an OLED option. The reason is because 17-inch OLED panels just don’t exist right now. But still, it doesn’t make much of a difference. With most laptops, an OLED option is a big upgrade. But with Dell XPS, the screen is already so good, as you can see from the tests.
Brightness maxed out at 542.8 nits, which exceeds the 500 nits promised by Dell. And indeed, 500 nits is bright to begin with. Dell XPS displays are always best in class, and I think it’s on-brand for this laptop to under-promise and over-deliver.
As you’d expect, the webcam is still in the top bezel. Unfortunately, it’s still 720p. Dell prioritizes narrow bezels above all else with its XPS lineup, and it’s not shy about it. It comes with an IR camera as well, so it supports facial recognition if the fingerprint sensor isn’t for you.
Keyboard: It has a massive touchpad
Both the keyboard and touchpad are spacious, and it’s flanked by the speaker
Since this is such a big laptop, you can bet that the keyboard deck is nice and spacious. It has the same Chiclet-style keyboard that you’d find on the XPS 15, and it does take a bit of getting used to, partially because there really is that much space. For some reason, I keep hitting the Caps Lock key when I type, maybe because my muscle memory just wants to go further to the edge of the keyboard.
Overall, the backlit keyboard is good. It’s accurate, which is something that’s always worth noting on a Windows laptop, but I feel like the resistance is a bit off. The force curve feels like it’s pushing back a bit when I type. Still, like I said, it’s good, and I’m not going further than that.
Dell refuses to scan your fingerprint before the laptop boots up.
There’s a fingerprint sensor in the power button, which is the top-right button on the keyboard. Personally, I think that Dell’s fingerprint sensors are a bit useless, as it’s one of the only OEMs that won’t scan your fingerprint when you press it to power on the PC. With a Dell PC, you have to wait for the PC to boot up and then touch the button again. The reason that it doesn’t scan your fingerprint when you first press it is because Dell considers it to be a security issue, as you might walk away from your PC in the time it takes to boot up, being too dumb to know that it will automatically log you in as it has the dozens of times you’ve powered on your PC before that.
It also adds another task that you have to do. When a fingerprint sensor scans your fingerprint when you first press it, you’re seamlessly logged in. The same goes for an IR sensor and facial recognition. Neither one of those things require that you do anything once your PC boots. With this fingerprint sensor, it does.
It’s also got a giant touchpad. This is something that we’ve seen from Apple – along with the all USB Type-C design – and it’s a welcome change. Windows laptops just aren’t making use of the available real estate for big touchpads, and it’s really nice to see Dell offering one that’s large and spacious.
You’ll find that the keyboard is flanked by speakers, and the XPS 17 includes two 2.5W woofers and two 1.5W tweeters. And indeed, like all XPS laptops, there’s some powerful audio here. Dell used to talk a lot about Dell Cinema and the combination of its HDR displays and Waves MaxxAudio Pro speakers for an incredible media streaming experience. It focuses more on creators now than consumption, but that all-around immersive experience hasn’t gone anywhere.
Performance: It now comes with Intel 12th-gen processors
The Intel 12th-gen processors and DDR5 memory are the key upgrades over its predecessor
The Dell XPS 17 9720 is a spec bump, so this section is the main thing that’s different from its predecessor, the XPS 17 9710. It now comes with Intel’s 12th-gen processors, and thanks to that, it supports DDR5 memory, which is 4,800MHz in this model. Even the GPU options remain the same, and this unit came with an RTX 3060. Indeed, Dell sent a comparable model this year so that it’s easy to compare.
Performance on this machine is fantastic, and I love it. When it comes from things like editing RAW photos in Adobe Lightroom Classic to editing videos in Premiere Pro, there’s nothing else that I can ask for here. Using the Dell XPS 17 9720 is an absolute delight from every angle, whether you’re watching a movie or making one.
The Dell XPS 17 is an absolute delight, whether you're watching a movie or making one.
The CPU in the unit that Dell sent me is a Core i7-12700H, which has Intel’s new hybrid architecture. It actually has a total of 14 cores, with six performance cores, or P-cores, and eight efficiency cores, or E-cores. Only the P-cores are hyperthreaded, so there are a total of 20 threads.
The point of the new architecture is better power efficiency. It’s something that we originally saw on Arm processors, and Intel is emulating the idea by using a scheduler to direct tasks that require a lot of power to the P-cores, and other tasks to the E-cores.
Unfortunately, the 97WHr battery isn’t translating to great battery life, thanks to the powerful internals. In regular usage, I found that I got about two hours and 40 minutes of battery life, and that was with the power slider set to balanced and the screen at about 40% brightness. To be clear, companies tend to overstate battery life, because stated battery life is usually based on a benchmark like MobileMark or streaming local video. I just work on the minimum power settings and mark down how long it takes to drain the battery, because that’s more realistic.
Should you buy the Dell XPS 17 (2022)?
Dell’s XPS lineup does tend to offer something for everyone, but the Dell XPS 17 9720 is definitely not for everyone.
You should buy the Dell XPS 17 (2022) if:
You want a big screen that’s insanely high quality
You want power in a 17-inch laptop, with 45W processors and dedicated graphics
You focus on creative work like photo and video editing
You should NOT buy the Dell XPS 17 (2022) if:
You use your PC for productivity and not creative work
You’re looking for primarily gaming
You need a high-quality webcam
I absolutely love the Dell XPS 17 (2022). When it comes to pretty much anything, it’s fantastic. However, if your work is mostly through the browser or Microsoft Office, you should look toward an XPS 13. It’s smaller, but it will get much better battery life and will have internals that are more optimized for your work flow. In fact, you can also look at 16- or 17-inch laptops like the Dell Inspiron 16 2-in-1 if you still want the big screen, but you don’t want the drawbacks that come with lots of power.
Is it old-fashioned to keep a clock on your nightstand? Perhaps, but even in the age of smartphones and smart speakers, I can’t live without one. I don’t like waking up all blurry-eyed, still mostly asleep, scrambling for a phone, and still not really seeing the time. And sometimes I want to wake up to an alarm that isn’t my kids clamoring for breakfast.
I’ve actually combined the idea of a bedside clock with a smart speaker. Right now the honor goes to the Amazon Echo Dot with Clock, and while I am very fond of it, it’s not the greatest clock display. But I keep it for literally the dumbest reason…in the world.
The Grand Tour alarm clock
Would you want these three in your bedroom at 6am? Image: Amazon
Over the many years of relying on my phone of choice as an alarm, I’ve grown somewhat immune. I can easily sleep through an iPhone alarm as if it never happened. I tried playing music on an Android phone, but music helps me sleep, not wake me up. I’m one of those people who needs a really obnoxious alarm noise to wake up to. Something that I have to silence.
And I found it.
I give you, The Grand Tour alarm on the Amazon Echo.
My face absolutely lit up when I was browsing the Alexa app trying to find something that would wake me up. Now I’ve found it and it’s here to stay. There are actually two different alarms featuring the infamous trio, but I settled on easily the most obnoxious.
If I don’t silence it within a few seconds it very quickly descends into Jeremy Clarkson shouting “WAKE UP WAKE UP” over and over. Frankly, I’m surprised my wife hasn’t turfed me out yet. But it’s effective. No matter how much I don’t want to get out of bed, I cannot sleep through the not-so-dulcet tones of Clarkson, Hammond, and May.
The genius generates gravity
For someone like me, this really is just a tremendous solution to the unfortunate business of having to wake up in the morning. It adds a little fun to something as dull as an alarm, and to the worst part of the day, too.
If you’re not such a fan, or the idea of Clarkson’s gravity-generating genius waking you up makes you feel a little strange, Amazon has a number of alternatives. You can play music or a selection of more traditional alarm tones, or you have a few alternatives under the “celebrity sounds” category.
But if you choose the “Man City Football” option, sorry, we can’t be friends.
On a more serious note, the Echo Dot with Clock does actually serve extremely well as a nightstand device. The sound quality is good enough and loud enough that it can serve duty as an alarm clock or a radio. The clock is basic but easy to see through morning eyes, though I wish it had the weather, too. For the price, it’s a great piece of tech to use in a place you might not want another display.
So let’s be clear here. This is not a Samsung Galaxy Note. This is not the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. The TCL Stylus 5G has a garaged stylus built into the body of the phone and that is exactly where the similarities end. But the most important way that these phones differentiate is the TCL Stylus 5G costs almost one-fifth of the others. That is what we need to focus on here.
The TCL Stylus 5G is not a great phone; it’s certainly not on par with the other phones you can buy with a garaged stylus. But it’s also not a bad phone. It’s exactly a $258 phone with a great screen, nice software, and a stylus and that is what I really like about it.
Even when you compare it to the Moto G Stylus 5G, you’ll note that Moto’s offering is almost double the price. So when you put together all that the TCL Stylus 5G is, and add in the things it’s not (because of course it’s not), you get a pretty compelling offering. But you have to know what you’re buying. So let’s find out what you’re buying. I’ve spent 10 days with the TCL Stylus 5G running on T-Mobile’s network and this is what I’ve found.
The TCL Stylus 5G is a budget smartphone with a garaged stylus. It also has a nice screen, great software, and a decent camera. It is exactly $258 of smartphone.
About this review: TCL sent us the TCL Stylus 5G for review. The company had no input into the contents of this review.
TCL Stylus 5G: The Stylus
Comes bundled with companion apps
Passive stylus doesn’t need to be charged
No Bluetooth functionality
The headlining feature of this phone is obviously the stylus. It’s simply a great way to interact with your phone. Plus, TCL did it “the right way” by building the stylus into the device, rather than making it an accessory. As great a stylus is, people simply won’t use it if it’s an extra item in their pocket. TCL also made a somewhat controversial decision to go with a passive stylus; there’s no battery, nor is there Bluetooth functionality.
While I understand this shatters your dreams of remote camera shutter capability, I can assure you that it’s ok. The stylus works well with minimal latency when writing and taking notes. The TCL Stylus 5G does the Samsung Galaxy trick, allowing you to start a quick note without first unlocking the phone.
Adding to that, TCL is bundling in the apps Nebo for TCL and MyScript Calculator 2. Nebo is a handwriting recognition tool that can transcribe your notes into copyable text. This is most handy for jotting down notes or phone numbers. MyScript Calculator 2 is an app that takes your handwritten calculations and computes them on the fly. Write 16 + 43 and MyScript will fill in 59. You can then drag that number to the next line and continue with another calculation.
TCL is bundling in the apps Nebo for TCL and MyScript Calculator 2.
Anecdotally speaking, these two functions probably encompass the bulk of actions that people will use a stylus for. I carry a Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra regularly, and that’s the bulk of the functionality that I use. Samsung has built-in a few neat features like converting handwriting to text on the fly in the Notes app, which is nice, but not necessary on a $258 phone.
What’s not here are the aforementioned Bluetooth functionality and any kind of useable palm rejection. The TCL Stylus 5G has a toggle you can turn on for palm rejection, but it doesn’t work very well. But again, this is a sub-$300 phone with a stylus in it. It’s very nice to have when you need it and not surprisingly, it’s not as good as Samsung’s. I don’t think that’s exactly breaking news.
TCL Stylus 5G: Display
Not very bright LCD panel
Looks great with Nxtvision enhancements
The other top-notch specification you’ll find on this phone is in the 6.81-inch “Dotch” display. As in previous generations, TCL has optimized the display with its Nxtvision technology with optimizes the colors and clarity of the display. It’s an LCD panel, so you don’t get the darkest blacks that you’ll see on AMOLED panels, nor do you get an always-on display. Finally, the screen maxes out at 500 nits which in certain situations makes it hard to read the display in full sunlight.
There's no shortage of enhancements you can turn on including video, image, and game enhancement.
But TCL is certainly no slouch when it comes to displays; its main business is TVs after all. You get that here. The Nxtvision optimization can be turned off (though I don’t recommend that) or tuned to your liking. There’s no shortage of enhancements you can turn on including video, image, and game enhancement. There’s also a reading mode, blue light filter, and darker display mode for something like reading a night.
Finally, you can adjust the temperature of the screen to make it vivid, natural, or you can use a color wheel to fine-tune the display so it’s exactly how you want it. I left it on vivid, but the versatility is nice to have.
Hardware, Performance, and Battery
Can’t run Call of Duty: Mobile
Puzzle games run fine.
The battery will get you through a day and that’s it
The TCL Stylus 5G is powered by a Mediatek Dimensity 700 SoC and 4GB of RAM. It has 128GB of internal storage and a 4,000mAh battery. In terms of performance, the phone is just ok. On Geekbench, its 548/1727 scores align with flagships from years past. I normally use Call of Duty: Mobile as a benchmark for performance, but this phone could not open it without the game crashing right away. This is a pretty serious issue and we reached out to TCL about it. According to TCL, it was “aware that the TCL STYLUS 5G smartphone…is affected by a software bug that limited the use of memory-heavy mobile applications. TCL engineers have identified the issue and will be pushing out a forthcoming software update. In the meantime, a factory reset of the device will fix the problem.” I factory reset my device, and sure enough, the game loaded properly. But please, TCL, hurry up on that update. I don’t want to have to create my folders…again.
In terms of everyday tasks like launching apps, and moving between them, there is some lag as well. Put simply, the Dimensity 700 from 2020 is not a powerful chip. That being said, other games like Sudoku, Knotwords, and Flow Free work pretty well. If you’re a puzzle gamer, this phone is just fine. If you’re more of an Asphalt 9 kind of person, you’ll have trouble for sure.
The battery life for this phone is in the ok-but-not great category. My work-from-home lifestyle means that phones will always last a day or more. However, that same lifestyle generally allows me to leave the phone off the charger for a night and get through a respectable portion of the following day. That was not the case here.
On the most stressful day, I drove to and from a theme park listening to a podcast (60 minutes in each direction), spent around five hours at the park, listening to a downloaded podcast or reading while in line, and made a few phone calls. That evening, my battery crossed the 10:00 p.m. finish line at about 10%. It did last the day, but only just barely.
If you work from home, this phone will definitely get you through a day and a little into the next one. But if you commute for work, or spend the day away from Wi-Fi, your mileage will certainly vary.
In all honesty, I’ve always liked TCL software. But let’s start with two downsides in the software department. The TCL Stylus ships with Android 12 with one year of OS upgrades and two years of security updates promised. That’s not awesome. The other issue is a relatively minor one, but creating folders on the TCL Stylus 5G is a chore.
My organizational structure on a phone boils down to folders – Communications, Entertainment, Control, Money, and a few others. Each of those folders contains at least a dozen (in some cases almost two dozen) apps. It’s great because I don’t have more than one home page and I always know where everything is. But every now and then I’ll run into a phone like this one that simply makes folder creation and population laborious.
On the TCL Stylus, I found the easiest way to do it was to create folders inside the app launcher, dragging apps in one-by-one until they were all where I needed them to be. Then, I could drag the folder onto my home screen. The downside is that by creating folders that way, all the apps in the app launcher are also in those same folders and no longer alphabetical or in a huge list. That seems redundant.
To add insult to injury after I set up the phone initially, I woke up the next morning and found all my folders gone and everything back to the way it was. That was not awesome. That has not happened again, I’m relieved to say.
One neat thing about TCL folders is the ability to scroll in between them. Apps are laid out in vertical columns in a folder, but you can also scroll side to side to move between folders. This comes in handy if you accidentally open the wrong folder and I’m here for it.
I also like the quick toggles in the notification shade...they exude a cool tech vibe
I also like the quick toggles in the notification shade. It’s hard to describe why I like them, except that they exude a cool tech vibe. The best way I’ve thought to describe it is it’s a little like a modern Tron interface. It’s definitely Android 12, but with a little more squared circle execution. At the same time, the brightness and media quick toggles are sliders that can be adjusted. I just like the aesthetic.
One last little perk that TCL offers is called Smart App Recommend. When you connect headphones to the phone, a little box pops up recommending your music or podcast player. That’s all it does, and I really dig it. That feature has worked more reliably in the past on devices like the TCL 20 Pro, but it’s here too and worked 75% of the time.
TCL Stylus 5G: Camera
Decent camera that’s good for Instagram
Surprisingly good low-light performance
The TCL Stylus 5G is a $258 phone and it comes with a $258 camera setup. There are four sensors in the back and one in the front. On the back, you get a 50MP PDAF sensor, 5MP wide-angle sensor (at 114.9 degrees), 2MP macro sensor, and 2MP depth sensor. To put it bluntly, the main sensor is really the only one worth writing about. While the macro lens can produce some decent stills, the ultra-wide sensor is generally bad and really shouldn’t be used.
The main camera sensor is capable of capturing some good stills in good lighting, which is about average these days. When you blow them up to full resolution, they’re not bad, though dark areas get pixelated very quickly. On the whole, the camera is good enough for social media, but that’s really the extent to which I would have confidence.
You can get surprisingly decent photos taken in burst mode. I grabbed a few shots of a roller coaster whizzing by. I would not under any circumstances blow any of these photos up to poster size and print them out, but for posting on Instagram, they’re pretty decent.
At night, the results are surprisingly the same. That’s a good thing because, at this price level, cameras are usually pretty terrible. In the case of the TCL Stylus, as long as your subject is stationary, you can achieve some decent results. Highlights are not blown out, darks are a bit grainy, and focus is soft across the board, but overall, considering the price, I can’t complain too much. The video performance at night is fairly terrible though.
During the day, video capture is pretty decent, and the selfie camera is capable of surprisingly smooth walking shots. When it comes to the rear camera, walk-and-talk videos are pretty good, and the transition from bright areas into dark is smooth and quick. What’s a bummer here is that the camera tops out at 1080p/30fps.
Overall, I have little to complain about in the camera setup, considering the price tag. We have gotten to a point where just about every phone has a camera that can perform well in broad daylight, but finding a camera that performs decently at night at this price point is rare, so kudos to TCL for that one.
Should you buy the TCL Stylus 5G?
This is one of my favorite budget phones on the market right now. It’s not powerful, so for someone like me who likes the occasional game of Call of Duty: Mobile, this phone simply will not work. This phone is mostly for a specific subset of people who:
want a stylus
are on a tight budget
are on T-Mobile or Metro by T-Mobile
That’s a pretty specific set of people, especially the T-Mobile part because this phone was launched exclusively on T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile. That being said, if you do fall into that category, this is a great value. It can’t be said enough that this is a $258 phone if you buy it at full retail. At the time of this writing, you can have the phone for free if you stay with T-Mobile for two years. If that’s too much of a commitment, drop a couple of Benjamins, and you’ve got yourself a new phone.
Plus, the phone comes with a stylus, which is making a comeback. It’s an awesome way to control and write on your smartphone. With smartphones taking up more and more of the computing power you need these days, a stylus is a great addition for taking notes and signing documents. When school is in session, I use my stylus daily to help my daughter with math problems. The closest competition you can get is the Moto G Stylus 5G which costs almost double the price. When you put all that together, this is a pretty great deal.
The TCL Stylus 5G is a budget smartphone with a garaged stylus. It also has a nice screen, great software, and a decent camera. It is exactly $258 of smartphone.
