Índex per October 2025 a Tech Advisor

The Pixel 6 Pro’s camera is still broken following Google’s latest Android 16 update, according to reports. Ever since the initial launch of the Android 16 beta some six months ago, Google Pixel 6 Pro users have reported crashes when attempting to record videos on the phone. This continued with the first stable release in June. It was hoped that Google’s August Android 16 update would include a fix for this issue, but to no avail. As Android Headlines reports (tinyurl.com/b4pufn48), switching between lenses whilst recording 4K video at 30fps on the Pixel 6 Pro seems to be prompting the following warning: “A problem occurred, part of the video may not have been saved,” followed by a crash. Part of the problem here seems to be Google itself, which hasn’t…

Reports suggest that OnePlus is working on a mini tablet, and it could be a bit of an iPad mini-rivalling powerhouse. Established leakers Digital Chat Station and nakajimegame have shared details of the so-called OnePlus Pad Mini, which is reportedly in testing. The compact tablet will apparently be powered by Qualcomm’s forthcoming flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 chip, which suggests it’ll be faster than any Android device on the market right now. According to the sources, OnePlus will announce its new mini tablet alongside the OnePlus 15T in the first half of 2026. HOW ‘MINI’ ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? No further details are shared here, but presumably the display (and thus the device itself) is going to be meaningfully smaller than anything in OnePlus’s current tablet range. That includes…

Flip phones have been around for more than half a decade, but one brand continues to dominate, at least in the UK and US: Samsung. The South Korean giant’s Galaxy Z Flip line has led the way for a while, but in 2024, Motorola’s Razr 50 Ultra ended up being Tech Advisor’s best flip phone of the year, with that big cover display playing a major role. Samsung has responded with a cover screen upgrade of its own on the Galaxy Z Flip7, delivering arguably the biggest generational change we’ve seen since its 2020 debut. Is it enough for Samsung to regain its crown as the flip phone maker to beat? After testing the Razr 60 Ultra earlier this year, I spent a week using the Galaxy Z Flip7 to…

OnePlus’s Pad Lite is the baby sibling of the company’s recent flagship tablet, the Pad 3. The Chinese giant is pushing an affordable, entry-level Android tablet into the market, claiming long battery life, better connectivity features (for those with other OnePlus devices) and multitasking features. This is a tablet built for everyday tasks: streaming, light gaming, video calls, and note-taking. On those fronts, on its own, there is little to really fault it, and OnePlus’ minimalist design makes it a smooth experience. But there are many rivals in the Android tablet market, including the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ and the Xiaomi Redmi Pad 2. While the Pad Lite performs decently, it lacks the technical chops that would put it top of the leaderboard. Here’s my full review. DESIGN The Pad…

Remember when the notion of typing with your voice seemed downright revolutionary? The sheen of voice typing may have worn off a little over the years, and being able to talk to type is something most of us now take for granted. But Google’s speech-to-text system on Android is actually far more capable than many of us mere mortals realize. And it’s gained quite a few useful new tricks over the years. Here are our favourites. UNIVERSAL OPTIONS Before we dive in, two quick but important caveats: • First, your phone’s voice input system is connected closely to your Android keyboard app. Most of the options we’re about to go over are associated with Google’s own Gboard keyboard, which can be installed and used on any Android device but notably…

Samsung has expanded its One UI 8 beta programme to older Galaxy devices, and revealed the full release date of One UI 9 into the bargain. The South Korean company initially released its One UI 8 beta programme on the Galaxy S25 range back in May. Around a month ago we reported on Samsung rolling out further One UI 8 beta updates to the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy Watch 7 lines. Since then it has brought these One UI 8 beta updates to some of its older devices, starting with the Galaxy S24 series, Galaxy Z Fold6, and Galaxy Z Flip6. ONE UI 8 RELEASE DATE CONFIRMED That’s not all. Starting in September, the One UI 8 beta programme will extend to the Galaxy S23 series, the Galaxy Z Fold5,…

Qualcomm is expected to announce its new flagship processor in September, but we already know which phones will be the first to arrive with it under the hood. During an earnings call, CEO Cristiano Amon talked about how it had extended its partnership with Xiaomi for various devices, confirming that it will be “the first OEM to launch with our next Snapdragon 8 Elite chip”. This almost certainly means that the Xiaomi 16 series will be the first devices to officially launch with the Elite 2 – its assumed name, or the ‘SM8850’ for its model number. The line-up, expected to consist of the 16, 16 Pro and 16 Ultra, typically get a Chinese launch in October, but there’s a chance we could get a sneak peek or confirmation at…

There are a few smartphone companies out there that tout their eco-friendly credentials but the Fairphone (Gen. 6) is the only handset that really goes the distance. As much as it pains me to admit, it does feel as though environmentally friendly practices from smartphone manufacturers just aren’t taking centre stage in the way that they were even a handful of years ago. Sure, Apple has made a push with its carbon-neutral branding, but key factors of sustainability such as the ease of repairing a phone have definitely fallen by the wayside, unless you work for Fairphone. The Dutch company has made a name for itself by making sustainable tech the focus of its brand identity, and with two years having passed since the release of the Fairphone 5,…

There are plenty of amazing phones out there on the market, but not everyone has the money to splash out on a flagship handset. If you need something a lot cheaper, then here are the best budget phones you can buy right now. Plenty of smartphone makers have extensive budget phone ranges and they offer more than you might expect, including the kinds of premium materials and impressive specs you could previously only dream of at low prices. Motorola has been making excellent budget phones for many years and you can also rely on the likes of Samsung and Xiaomi, as well as newer challenger brands like CMF by Nothing. All of the devices featured on this list are Android phones since the cheapest Apple model is the £599 iPhone…

WhatsApp has issued a new beta version with the intriguing ability to chat to people who are not using the popular messaging service. As discovered by Wabetainfo (tinyurl.com/4323838t), version 2.25.22.13 of the WhatsApp beta adds the ability to control how the app interacts with alternative messaging services, whilst retaining some measure of security.It’s speculated that this measure aligns with EU regulations over giving users control over which messaging app they use. The broader news here is that WhatsApp is working to make it possible to message smartphone users who don’t have a WhatsApp account within a familiar WhatsApp chat environment. The website supplies a screen shot that refers to so-called ‘guest chats’ – an apparent nod to communication with external messaging services. To be clear, it’s already possible for other…

Samsung was one of the first brands to launch a foldable phone, but despite being a pioneer of the form factor, its recent releases have become a little stale. Yes, they’re still some of our favourites, but the differences between generations were so slight that you really had to look for them. With the launch of the Galaxy Z Fold7, that changes. Rather than an incremental step, Samsung has taken a dramatic leap, bringing us one of the slimmest and lightest foldables on the market, while simultaneously increasing the screen sizes. It’s exactly what foldable fans have been hoping for. Of course, it’s not without competition. The Honor Magic V5 is in hot contention for the title of slimmest folding phone, and Oppo and Huawei aren’t far off, either. So,…

The AI era is here, and while plenty of tablets will start making promises to check a box on the packaging, the Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus might be one of the best tablets around for Android users. It’s a very capable slate in its own right, offering a fantastic Android software experience and being fantastic for media consumption. And with plenty of performance headroom for AI tasks, too, it’ll run for years in the current climate. The only real gripe I have is the lack of an OLED panel, but given how bright the LCD gets, it’s easier to forgive, As an added bonus, it includes the Tab Pen Pro stylus and keyboard in the box, which make it an easy choice to replace your laptop if your workload will…

As Tech Advisor’s Mobile Editor, I write about smartphones almost every single day. And while I’m not shy in voicing my opinions, I try to keep my articles as objective as possible, focusing on the features that will affect almost everyone who uses the device(s) in question. That’s pretty much impossible when it comes to third-party apps, though. The apps you choose to download to your device represent a very personal decision that’s influenced by all sorts of different factors. I’m not about to tell you that you need a particular app, or that it will change your life. However, there are a few apps that I use on a regular basis that I don’t see discussed often online. Given the positive impact they’ve had on my life, I wanted…