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phone

7 Best MagSafe Phone Grips (2025), Tested and Reviewed
Product Reviews

7 Best MagSafe Phone Grips (2025), Tested and Reviewed

by admin October 4, 2025


MagSafe grips are hardly the only type of phone grips available. In fact, there are four main other types of grips you can buy.

Cases with attached grips. These are cases with a grip attached to the back. You get a strong and durable grip that will never fall off, but the trade-off is a thicker phone, and these cases typically are incompatible with wireless charging and may not work with other MagSafe accessories.

Clamp-style grips. Also called universal phone grips, these clamp to a phone so you can easily take them on and off, and they’re not limited to a particular kind of phone. The downside is they’re not the fastest to take on and off, and they can sometimes slide up and down the phone.

Adhesive grips. You can stick a phone grip to the back of your phone or case, and while this will typically give you a well-attached grip that likely won’t fall off your phone, the downsides are similar to cases with attached grips. It may block features like wireless charging and restrict you from using other accessories.

MagSafe grips. These grips are all about convenience. You can easily take them on and off, but they only work with devices or cases with built-in magnets. While you can dangle a phone from a MagSafe grip without issue, any additional force could cause the magnets to separate and fling your phone to the ground.



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October 4, 2025 0 comments
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Best Cellphone Plans 2025 | Compare Top Mobile Phone Plans and Carriers
Gaming Gear

Best Cellphone Plans 2025 | Compare Top Mobile Phone Plans and Carriers

by admin October 4, 2025


“5G” is an umbrella term that encompasses the current fifth-generation cellular wireless network technologies. All the major carriers and phones support 5G connections, which can offer faster data speeds than older technologies such as 4G LTE or 3G.

Essentially there are three types of 5G: Millimeter-wave (mmWave), which can be fast but has limited range; low-band 5G, which has slower speeds but works on a broader range; and midband, which is a balance between the two that’s faster than low-band but also covers a larger range than millimeter-wave. Midband also incorporates C-band, a batch of spectrum auctioned off by the Federal Communications Commission in 2021.

Your phone’s 5G connection depends on which type blankets the area you’re in, as well as other factors, such as population density and infrastructure. For instance, mmWave is super fast, but its signals can be thwarted by buildings, glass, leaves, or by being inside of a structure.

When your device is connected to a 5G network, it can show up as several variations such as 5G, 5G Plus, 5G UW or others, depending on the carrier. Here’s a list of icons you see at the top of your phone for the major services:

AT&T: 5GE (which isn’t actually 5G, but rather a sly marketing name for 4G LTE), 5G (low band), 5G Plus (mmWave, midband)

Verizon: 5G (low band, also called “Nationwide 5G”), 5G UW/5G UWB (midband and mmWave, also called “5G Ultra Wideband”)

T-Mobile: 5G (low band), 5G UC (midband and mmWave, also called “Ultra Capacity 5G”)

There’s also 5G Reduced Capacity (5G RedCap), which is a lower-power, smaller-capacity branch of 5G used by devices such as smartwatches and portable health devices; the Apple Watch Ultra 3, for example, connects via 5G RedCap.

Just around the corner is 5G Advanced, promising much faster speeds due to carrier aggregation, or combining multiple spectrums.



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October 4, 2025 0 comments
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Toilet in bathroom
Gaming Gear

Toilet Time With Your Phone Could Give You a Real Pain in the Butt

by admin October 3, 2025


We use our smartphones just about everywhere, even in the bathroom, though we may not want to talk about that part. A recent study of colonoscopy patients revealed that most used their phones on the toilet at least once a week — and that those phone-on-the-toilet users showed a 46% increased risk for hemorrhoids.

The cause and effect are clear. Caught up in news or games or social media, bathroom users stay seated on the throne longer, with research showing phone users tend to spend more than 5 minutes doing their business. The study says that hemorrhoids are associated with prolonged sitting on the toilet, as well as constipation and increased straining.

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The 125 colonoscopy patients at Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Study who participated in the study answered questions about their bathroom phone habits, and endoscopists evaluated their hemorrhoids (just in case you think you have a bad job). Of all the respondents, 66% used smartphones while sitting on the toilet, and those participants tended to be younger than those who didn’t. More than one-third (37.3%) of smartphone users spent more than 5 minutes sitting on the toilet per visit, while only 7.1% of those without smartphones spent that long seated.

When the numbers were adjusted for age, sex, BMI, exercise activity and “straining and fiber intake,” results showed a 46% increased risk for hemorrhoids. Men were more likely than women to spend 6 minutes or more on the toilet, in case you wondered.

Those who used smartphones while on the toilet also admitted to getting less exercise than those who didn’t, which the researchers said “could signify a higher level of engagement with technology and a more sedentary lifestyle outside of the toileting environment.” (Yes, “toileting environment.” Otherwise known as just “the toilet.”)

The most common toilet phone activity was reading news, with 54.3% admitting to doing so, and 44.4% saying they were participating in social media while on the toilet.

The study didn’t directly connect constipation with time spent on the toilet, but Dr. Eamonn Quigley, chairman of gastroenterology at Houston Methodist, told The New York Times that it’s likely those who sit hunched over their phones while on the toilet might be more likely to experience constipation.

If you’re grossed out by the idea of your phone being in close connection with toilet time, you’re not alone. Doctors told the NYT the obvious: Fecal material can get on your hands while you’re wiping and be transferred to your phone, and flushing with the toilet lid open can also spray fecal matter onto your phone. Sure, you wash your hands, but now the stuff is on your phone, so it jumps right back on your hands after you dry them and start scrolling again.

In short, you’re probably going to scroll your phone while occupied in the bathroom. But this study notes that you should be aware that the phone’s fun distractions might make you sit there longer than you planned, and that could have painful consequences.



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October 3, 2025 0 comments
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The Trump phone is late
Gaming Gear

The Trump phone is late

by admin September 30, 2025


I’ve got bad news if you’ve been impatiently awaiting the release of the Trump Mobile T1: it looks like the gold-tinted, bargain basement smartphone with “American values” is running late. It was initially meant to launch in September, but with only a few hours of the month left, that’s looking increasingly unlikely.

The T1 was announced in June, along with the launch of Trump Mobile’s $47.45 monthly service plan. The release date was always a little unclear — the Trump Organization’s press release promised the phone would arrive in August, while the Trump Mobile website claimed September — but either way, it hasn’t happened. That means any buyers who actually stumped up the $100 deposit for the hardware still have nothing to show for it.

We’ve known this was coming for a while. Within weeks of the phone’s announcement, the Trump Mobile website was quietly updated to remove mentions of that September release — the phone’s store page now promises it will arrive “later this year.” The Trump Organization didn’t respond to our request for comment on the reason for the delay or when the phone is expected to arrive.

The launch date isn’t the only detail about the phone that’s changed. The T1 is now supposed to have a 6.25-inch screen rather than 6.78-inch, and the spec sheet no longer features the confusing, but strangely endearing, promise of a “5000mAh long life camera.” Despite the smaller size, the low quality render above remains our only glimpse yet of the T1’s design outside a few ads featuring badly edited images of iPhones and Samsung Galaxy phones.

Crucially, Trump Mobile also no longer claims the T1 is made in the USA. Instead, it carefully suggests there are “American hands behind every device,” and that it was “designed with American values in mind.”

The T1 Phone will cost $499 when — or if — it arrives later this year.



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September 30, 2025 0 comments
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Microsoft block Israel's access to Azure and genAI tech used to surveil millions of Palestinian phone calls, according to report
Game Updates

Microsoft block Israel’s access to Azure and genAI tech used to surveil millions of Palestinian phone calls, according to report

by admin September 28, 2025


Amid a consumer boycott of their Xbox business, Microsoft are apparently ending the Israeli military’s access to certain Azure cloud and generative AI technologies used to surveil Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. As reported by the Guardian, one of the publications who originally exposed the surveillance project, the company told Israeli officials last week that spy agency Unit 8200 had violated Microsoft’s terms of service by storing records of civilian phone calls and other data on Azure servers.

Microsoft’s vice-chair and president Brad Smith allegedly informed staff of the termination of the Unit 8200 partnership in an email sent on Thursday 18th September, shared with the Guardian. In that email, he said that Microsoft had “ceased and disabled a set of services to a unit within the Israel ministry of defense”, including cloud storage and AI services. “We do not provide technology to facilitate mass surveillance of civilians,” the email continues. “We have applied this principle in every country around the world, and we have insisted on it repeatedly for more than two decades.”

The Guardian also cite another email from a senior Microsoft executive to Israel’s ministry of defence, sent late last week, in which the executive noted that “[w]hile our review is ongoing, we have at this juncture identified evidence that supports elements of the Guardian’s reporting.”

Microsoft confirmed that they had supplied technology and services to the Israeli military during the latter’s current Gaza offensive this May, following an investigation of the alleged use of Microsoft genAI models to facilitate airstrikes, among other operations.

A protest by Microsoft staff at the company’s headquarters in August 2025. | Image credit: No Azure For Apartheid / Rock Paper Shotgun

In August this year, a joint investigation by the Guardian, +972 Magazine, and Local Call found that Microsoft had worked with Unit 8200 specifically to create an “indiscriminate new system” for gathering data on Palestinians, including a sizeable pool of non-combatants. For context, according to alleged leaked Israeli military intelligence, around 83% of the tens of thousands of Palestinians reported killed in the current conflict’s first 19 months were civilians.

The reporting inspired the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions organisation to launch a campaign against Microsoft’s gaming business. Microsoft workers have been openly protesting against their employer’s involvement with the assault on Gaza since early 2024.

Back in May, Microsoft insisted that they had found “no evidence” that their technology was being used to target or harm Palestinians, following a review carried out by an unnamed third party. In August, a spokesperson announced that they would carry out another review, while insisting that “[a]t no time during this engagement has Microsoft been aware of the surveillance of civilians or collection of their cellphone conversations using Microsoft’s services, including through the external review it commissioned.”

Image credit: No Azure For Apartheid / Rock Paper Shotgun

The Guardian claim that as much as 8000 terabytes of intercepted calls were being held in Azure datacentres in the Netherlands as part of the Microsoft/Unit 8200 partnership. The paper adds that Unit 8200 appear to have swiftly moved the data elsewhere in the wake of their reporting. Israel now allegedly plan to transfer it all to Amazon’s Web Services cloud platform – neither Amazon nor the Israel Defense Forces have responded to the Guardian’s request for comment.

The reported partial divestment from Israel doesn’t reveal which “elements” of the Guardian’s reporting Microsoft have corroborated as part of their review. Microsoft continue to have a wider commercial relationship with the Israeli armed forces. They are also far from the only big overseas technology company to have significant dealings with Israel’s military, before and during the current invasion and destruction of Gaza – an Associated Press investigation in February also mentions Google, Amazon, Palantir, Cisco, and Oracle. A UN special rapporteur has accused western tech firms at large of being complicit in an “economy of genocide”.

We recently interviewed a number of developers, including former Microsoft worker Abdo Mohamed, about their participation in the internal No Azure for Apartheid movement and the wider BDS action against Microsoft.



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September 28, 2025 0 comments
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Gaming Gear

The best eco-friendly phone cases for 2025

by admin September 26, 2025


We all want to protect our phones from the inevitable drops, scratches and tumbles of daily life, but what if your cell phone case could protect more than just your device? The best eco-friendly phone cases offer a great blend of durability and sustainability, helping to reduce plastic waste and better the planet.

Made from natural materials like biodegradable plastics, recycled ocean waste or even sustainable bamboo, eco-friendly and compostable phone covers prove that you don’t have to sacrifice style or protection to go green. They’re designed to safeguard your device while actively combating plastic pollution, making them a win-win for both you and Mother Earth.

Whether you’re looking for something sleek and minimal or bold and artistic, there’s an eco-friendly option out there that will fit your style. Instead of a standard plastic case, you can choose one that’s both practical and planet-friendly, like biodegradable phone cases that are often recyclable and plastic-free in design.

Engadget

iPhone compatible: Yes | Material: Flax shive, biopolymer

Without a doubt, our favorite eco-friendly, sustainable phone cases are those made by Pela. We absolutely love their colors and designs, plus the fact that the entire line is 100 percent plant-based and compostable. The case material is called “Flaxstic,” which the company says is made from flax straw and compostable bioplastic elastomer. Importantly, it’s also free of BPA, phthalates, cadmium and lead. If you ever decide to get rid of it, you can indeed just chuck in a compost bin and it’ll be completely biodegradable; another win for the planet.

What’s more, Pela cases are available for a wide array of handsets. They can accommodate iPhones (from iPhone 5 onwards), Samsung Galaxies (Galaxy S10 and newer), Google Pixels (from the Pixel 4a on) and even some OnePlus and Huawei models.

For iPhone users, we should note that Pela cases are not MagSafe-compatible by default, but you can purchase a $13 MagSafe module separately. Applying it to my phone was pretty straightforward, so that’s not a big concern, but it’s something to keep in mind.

$65 at Pela

Engadget

iPhone compatible: Yes | Material: Bamboo

Casetify is mostly known for making durable yet stylish phone cases, but it has several eco-friendly options, too. The latest is its Compostable phone cases line, which is made with a 100 percent compostable and plant-based material called “Ecotify.” Basically, it’s a blend of bamboo, biopolymers and starch.

The regular Compostable line has a drop-protection of around four feet, while the Ultra Compostable line, with its extra corner bumpers, has a drop-protection of about 6.6 feet. My recommendation would be to go with the more durable Ultra Compostable option, even if it does cost a bit more.

Unfortunately, Casetify’s Compostable line is only available for iPhones, but it does make other kinds of sustainable cell phone cases for both the iPhone and Samsung Galaxy handsets — they’re just not compostable. Instead, they’re made from 65 percent recyclable materials. Plus, Casetify offers the option to return your old case, which they’ll then reuse or up-cycle to create a new one, thus reducing plastic waste.

The biggest perk of Casetify’s cases is that they’re very customizable. Not only can you pick out your favorite bumper colors and designs (Casetify regularly partners with brands and illustrators to come up with unique styles), but you can actually add engravings to them too. You can also choose to add even more protection with thicker bumpers (Casetify says the “Bounce Case” offers a 13-foot drop protection).

$31 at Amazon

Incipio

iPhone compatible: Yes | Material: Recycled materials

Incipio’s Organicore line of cases is one of the most attractive we’ve seen, plus they are 100 percent compostable. You’ll find them in clear and opaque designs, the latter of which has a buttery texture that makes the case feel more luxurious than you’d think. Most Organicore cases will protect your handset from drops from up to eight feet, and we like the way their raised edges defend against accidental bumps and dings. There are also MagSafe options available, so you can still use your iPhone with magnetic accessories without taking your case off.

$39.99+ at Incipio

OtterBox

iPhone compatible: Yes | Material: Plastic

No, Otterbox’s Defender series of phone cases isn’t compostable or made from recycled materials. But we wanted to mention them here because any phone case that can protect your device enough so that you don’t have to replace it with a new piece of gear will help you be more eco-friendly overall. Most of the environmental impact from smartphones comes during the production phase, so if you can avoid upgrading devices every two years (or even longer), you should.

Enter Otterbox cases, particularly the Defender series, which are some of the best cases that combine serious protection and attractive designs. They’re built to withstand military-grade drop tests with a trio of defenses: a bump-resistant silicone cover, a rigid inner shell to keep your phone in place and a memory-foam backing for added stability. The slightly textured exterior of the case provides better grip and they do come in MagSafe-compatible configurations for iPhone users.

$70 at Amazon

Eco-friendly phone case FAQs

What makes a phone case eco-friendly?

A phone case can be considered eco-friendly when it’s designed to protect not just your phone but also the planet. What sets these cases apart is the use of sustainable materials like biodegradable plastics, recycled plastic waste or even natural materials like bamboo or flax straw. Instead of contributing to plastic pollution, these materials break down naturally over time, or are made from recycled content that reduces waste.

Eco-friendly cases can also go a step further by being compostable, meaning you can toss them in a compost bin at the end of their life and they’ll decompose into the earth without leaving harmful residues. Plus, many brands behind these cases focus on sustainable practices, like reducing carbon emissions during production or offering recycling programs for old cases.

Are compostable phone cases actually biodegradable?

Yes, most compostable phone cases are designed to break down naturally, but how fast they do depends on the material and the conditions. In a home compost bin, some cases may take months to decompose, while in industrial composting facilities the process is quicker. These cases are usually made from plant-based bioplastics, flax or starch blends which return to the soil without leaving behind harmful residue.

Can you recycle old phone cases?

It depends on the material. Standard plastic cases are tough to recycle because they’re often made with mixed plastics and additives so they usually end up in landfills. Some brands run take-back programs where you can send your old case in and they’ll reuse or up-cycle it into new products. If your case is made from single-type plastic or a recycled blend, check with your local recycling facility but in many cases specialized programs are the best option.

Georgie Peru contributed to this report.

Check out more from our spring cleaning guide.



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September 26, 2025 0 comments
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The Fairphone 6 standing before various boxes.
Product Reviews

Fairphone 6 review: a new high watermark for the eco-friendly phone

by admin September 24, 2025



Why you can trust TechRadar


We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Fairphone 6: Two-minute review

Fairphone has always delivered on its key promise of making the most eco-friendly smartphone it can, and over subsequent generations it’s also come on leaps and bounds at making a handset that’s has green credentials yet is also a solid Android phone. We’ve always given respectable reviews to handsets from the Dutch phone maker but that’s mostly for the eco-credos, and the quality of the devices has often left something to be desired.

That gets less true with each generation though and the Fairphone 6 shows another step towards the company understanding its true potential. Case in point, while this is still a chunky Android that has one foot in the rugged phone camp, it has a few features which make it stand out in the crowded smartphone market.

The successor to 2023’s Fairphone 5, the continuing key selling point for the new handset is it’s a green phone (literally, depending on which model you buy, but I’m talking about its environmental credentials). The phone incredibly easy to repair yourself, so you don’t need to toss it away should something break. It’s made with loads of recycled materials, from production processes that support fair working conditions. There’s no e-waste in the box and even the making of the phone was done with renewable energy.

While many phone brands might mutter out a line or two about how one component of its phone was made from recycled wool during an announcement, Fairphone makes its environmental mission part of the sales pitch. And with more people each year letting their carbon footprint (or desired lack thereof) inform their purchasing decisions, it remains the best part of buying a Fairphone.

But there’s more; Fairphones have often been pretty hardy but the sixth-gen model literally has military-grade certification to ensure it’s protected. I like a phone that can look after itself and you don’t need to worry with the Fairphone 6; I didn’t even put it in a case.

Like past models it’s very easy to replace damaged parts yourself using a little Fairphone-branded screwdriver, but a new change for this generation is the same process can be used to add accessories to the device (albeit ones bought separately). I found it really easy and even fun unscrewing the back panel to add a finger loop, or card holder, or lanyard, and this also encouraged me to poke around inside the device and demystify the scary-sounding self-repair process.

My biggest surprise with the Fairphone 6 was its presence of a 3D time-of-flight sensor on the back, in lieu of a third sensor. These were popular on phones a few years ago but largely as a way of bulking up a specs list, and rarely did they actually contribute much. But on the Fairphone 6, the impact is noticeable as portrait photos have incredibly accurate background blur, getting blurrier with greater distance from the subject. That’s not something you see often on smartphones and it made the Fairphone one of my favorite phones for pictures of myself (if taken on the rear camera, of course).

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That’s not to say that the Fairphone is one of the best camera phones, as pictures tended to be a little dull, lacking in vibrancy and color, and the macro mode worked poorly.

Beyond the areas I’ve discussed, it’s overall a pretty average mid-range phone: its chipset, screen quality, battery capacity and charging speed are all at or slightly below what you’d expect for the price. But the software is stock Android, which provides a nice clean interface and the addition of a handy slider adds some quick functionality when you need it.

Fairphone 6 review: price and availability

(Image credit: Future)

  • Announced in June 2025, released shortly after
  • Costs £499 (roughly $680, AU$990) but only on sale in Europe
  • Pricier version available without Android OS

After being announced in June 2025, the Fairphone 6 was put on sale across July and August, only in Europe. That’s right, Fairphone doesn’t range the phone in the US or Australia… mostly.

The handset costs £499 (roughly $680, AU$990) so it’s a mid-ranged mobile in price. The accessories Fairphone sells and you can see in review images, like the lanyard or finger grip, all cost about £25 (about $34, AU$49). For context the Fairphone 5 was quite a bit pricier at £649 (roughly $800 / AU$1,250), and the price cut is welcome.

There’s another version of the smartphones that’s ‘deGoogled’ and comes with the open-source /e/OS instead of Android as the default operating system. This costs $899 / £549 (at least AU$1,000 but there’s quite a gulf between those two prices). As you can see it is on sale in the US, although at a rather high price compared to the UK and also the European pricing.

I didn’t test this version of the phone so it hasn’t been factored into this review, but specs-wise it’s the same as the Android version of the phone.

Fairphone 6 review: specs

Here’s the spec sheet in full for the Fairphone 6:

Swipe to scroll horizontallyFairphone 6 specsHeader Cell – Column 0 Header Cell – Column 1

Dimensions:

156.5 x 73.3 x 9.6mm

Weight:

193g

Screen:

6.31-inch 20:9 FHD (1116 x 2484) 120Hz OLED

Chipset:

Snapdragon 7s Gen 3

RAM:

8GB

Storage:

256GB

OS:

Android 15

Primary camera:

50MP, f/1.6

Ultra-wide camera:

13MP f/2.2 116-degree

Front camera:

32MP, f/2.0

Audio:

Stereo speakers

Battery:

4,415mAh

Charging:

30W wired

Colors:

Green, white, black

Fairphone 6 review: design

(Image credit: Future)

  • New slider for quick functions
  • IP55 and MIL-STD-810H adds protection
  • Easily repairable or modifable

As with past models, the Fairphone 6 is a pretty blocky handset, but it makes sense for reasons we’ll get to in a bit. It comes in white, green or black; my review unit was white but the accessories were green, hence the color clash, and I found the white model picked up marks and stains pretty easily.

The phone measures 156.5 x 73.3 x 9.6mm and weighs 193g, so it’s a little smaller than many other contemporary Androids but is pretty thick.

The bottom edge of the phone has the USB-C port but there’s no audio jack. On the left side there’s the volume rocker, which I struggled to readily reach, and replacing it on the right edge of the phone, just above the power button, is a slider.

The function of this slider can be picked from the Settings menu; you can use it to turn on Do Not Disturb, Flight Mode, Torch, Dark Mode, Battery Saver or to turn on Fairphone Moments, a stripped-back menu with quick links to the phone’s most useful functions (maps, messages etc). I personally switched it to torch, because I love it when a phone has a quick way to turn on the flashlight.

Housed in the power button is the phone’s fingerprint sensor, as the Fairphone 6 doesn’t have an under-display scanner. In testing, I found this reliable and quick to use.

The Fairphone 6 is one of the few phones that I don’t feel you need to buy a case for, as by default it feels like it’s clad in an armor of hard plastic. But there’s more; not only does it have IP55 certification against dust ingress and water, it has the military-grade MIL-STD-810H protection too. This means it’s passed tests designed by the US Department of Defense to check that it’s reliable in military situations, so it can withstand altitude, extreme temperatures, humidity, intense shocks and so on. You (hopefully) won’t need any of these protections, but it’s a useful little piece of mind so that you know the Fairphone is hardy.

The unique selling point of the Fairphone 6 is that it’s fully repairable; not by an expert or specialist but by you. If a part of your ecp-friendly phone is damaged you can easily buy a new one on Fairphone’s website and replace it with a screwdriver (the company’s video tutorials might help), saving you buying a whole new device if one component is damaged. This is that eco ethos in action.

It’s also the case with accessories, as you can remove the phone’s back panel and replace it with a card holder, a finger loop or similar. The ability to be easily modded like this is perhaps the Fairphone 6’s most distinct upgrade over its predecessor and, frankly, is pretty fun to do too (Fairphone sent me each of the accessories along with the phone, though they’re not included in-box).

Fairphone 6 review: display

(Image credit: Future)

  • 6.31-inchd display feels small compared to contemporaries
  • New refresh rate at 120Hz beats predecessor
  • Sometimes struggles in sunlight

Compared to the behemoth screens of some flagship Android phones, the Fairphone 6 might feel a bit small (or ‘compact’, which is the diplomatic word choice). The display measures 6.31 inches across, so it matches the iPhone 17 in this regard.

The resolution is 1116 x 2484, just a hair above FHD+, and it has a 120Hz refresh rate in a notable upgrade over the last-gen Fairphone. The max brightness is 1,400 nits which is fine, but not as bright as many rivals, and I wouldn’t have minded a bit of extra shine for use on sunny days.

Most of the time, though, the Fairphone 6 display works well, especially since it totes the same number of pixels as a much bigger display but crammed down into a smaller screen to increase the pixels-per-inch count.

Fairphone 6 review: software

(Image credit: Future)

  • Comes with stock Android 15
  • 7 years of updates
  • Fairphone app gives extra insight into phone

Fairphone is one of the few remaining companies to use ‘true’ stock Android – not an Android fork, and not stock Android buried under so many customizations that it feels like a fork anyway.

In the case of the Fairphone 6 that means you’re looking at Android 15, and all the features that come with it: live location sharing, dodgy text warnings, screen time tracking and so on. The handset is due to get upgrades for the next seven years, which would take you up to Android 22 in the year 2033 (if that’s what Google decides to call it).

If you like a clean interface with no added bells and whistles, you’ll like the Fairphone 6’s software. You start free from bloatware and can build up your app library just how you like it.

Fairphone does have one addition: its own app is included on the device at start, and while you can remove it, there are some useful features. Firstly, it lets you find information about the device at a tap, instead of buried away in the Settings menu (although mine told me I had 0GB RAM and 0GB storage, perhaps an issue with a review unit. It lets you buy spare parts and accessories quickly too, providing video tutorials on how to add or replace parts.

But the most important is a phone health option, so you can see how much memory and storage you’ve used up, and also what the phone’s temperature is, giving you a little insight into its operations. The benefit of this is for the device’s longevity, so you can keep it ticking longer.

Fairphone 6 review: cameras

(Image credit: Future)

  • 50MP main and 13MP ultra-wide cameras, 32MP up front
  • Pictures lack contrast and color, but are detailed
  • Rear portraits look really good

Judging by a look at the specs list, Fairphone 6 isn’t being dragged into the camera- sensor pixel wars, dropping many from the past model. Its main camera is a 50MP f/1.6 snapper and it’s joined by a 13MP f/2.2 ultra-wide as well as a 3D time-of-flight sensor. Those specs are absolutely fine for a low-cost phone (except the TOF sensor, a relic of yesteryear, which nine times out of ten doesn’t contribute anything) but nothing to write home about.

Photos taken on the phone are… fine. Forgive the boring descriptor but it’s the most apt one. Snaps have lots of image quality but not much in the way of dynamic range, with a single cloud in the sky dooming the photo with a noticeable lack of color or vibrancy.

In well-lit scenarios things fared a little better, but only a little; the greens of a natural landscape blur into one and a little extra contrast would go a long way. Still, they’re fine-looking for sharing around, especially if you don’t mind going into the edit menu and sprucing them up a little.

Fairphone’s mobiles have rarely had much in the way of photo post-processing optimization, at least compared to competitors, and that’s the case again. It won’t impress anybody but this is a phone for saving the planet, not for capturing sparkly pictures flaunting all the air miles you’ve burned by going to a remote beach for your holiday.

(Image credit: Future)

On the front there’s a 32MP f/2.0 camera for snapping selfies and I generally found it pretty fit for purpose, if still indicative of the rear cameras’ issues; snaps could be a little washed-out and colorless.

For a brief whip around the other specs: you can record video at 4K at 30fps or 1080p at 60fps, and down to 120fps at 1080p in slow-motion mode. Most of the other modes are ones you expect: Pro, panorama, time-lapse and night mode.

There are two modes I’ll flag. First is portrait, with the Fairphone 6 surprisingly touting one of the best iterations of this mode I’ve seen. While snaps weren’t exactly vibrant, the bokeh background blur was accurate and varied in intensity depending on the distance to the phone, which is something I rarely see; that could be the TOF sensor in effect.

The other mode is macro, which really didn’t work too well. Like on most phones without a dedicated macro lens it uses the ultra-wide one, resulting in a pixel-heavy pic, missing the depth of field that such pictures should have. In testing I always turned off macro mode and relied on the main camera for such shots instead.

Fairphone 6 camera samples

Image 1 of 11

A standard picture taken on the Fairphone, in fairly well-lit conditions.(Image credit: Future)An ultra-wide photo taken in overcast conditions, to contrast the following two snaps.(Image credit: Future)A standard photo taken in overcast conditions, to contrast the preceding and following snaps.(Image credit: Future)A 2x zoom snap taken in overcast conditions, to contrast the two previous snaps (the phone uses digital zoom).(Image credit: Future)A canape board taken at 1x zoom in artificial lighting at close range.(Image credit: Future)A portrait snap of a man to show the bokeh effects (white bars added manually before adding this picture to the web).(Image credit: Future)A macro picture of some flowers… or an attempt to photograph them.(Image credit: Future)The flowers from the previous photo, but using the main camera, to show how improved it is.(Image credit: Future)Another standard picture of a closer object.(Image credit: Future)Another standard photo of a further subject.(Image credit: Future)A final standard photo showing a woodland scene with mixed lighting.(Image credit: Future)

Fairphone 6: performance and audio

  • Mid-range Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chipset
  • Single 8GB/256GB model
  • Bluetooth 5.4 or USB-C port for audio, no jack

As is the way with Fairphone’s mobiles, the Gen 6 doesn’t have a top-end chip, but it has enough power that you won’t find it too slow for everyday use. The chipset here is the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3, which we’ve also seen in the likes of the Nothing Phone 3(a) Pro and Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus.

This is a mid-range piece of kit, capable of handling gaming in a mostly fine fashion, though maybe not at the top graphics options if you don’t want stutters, and all everyday tasks.

When I put the phone through a Geekbench 6 benchmark test, it returned a multi-core average score of 3,430, which reflects the chipset; Snapdragon 600s often sit at around 2,000 points while 800s I’ve tested recently have gone to the mid 4,000s.

Paired with the chipset is 8GB RAM and 256GB storage, and there’s only one configuration available. While 8GB RAM is nothing to write home about, a spec that flags this as a mobile not designed for power-users, the storage is a solid amount that compensates for the lack of a microSD card slot.

It’s 2025 so of course there’s no 3.5mm audio jack for audio, Fairphone ditched that years ago when everyone else did. Instead you can listen to music using the Bluetooth 5.4 support or using a USB-C adaptor. The stereo speakers aren’t exactly impressive but that’s normal for a smartphone.

  • Performance score: 3.5 / 5

Fairphone 6 review: battery life

  • Relatively slender 4,415mAh battery
  • Slow 30W charging

(Image credit: Future)

The Fairphone 6 has a 4,415mAh battery, one which the company estimates will keep you going for “almost two days” from 100% power. I wouldn’t go that far, and I’d put the lasting power at about a day, or a little bit longer if you’re not an intensive user.

That’s a fine battery life for a smartphone, even if 4,415mAh may seem anemic given that most contemporaries have pushed it to 6,000mAh. Fairphone’s own optimizations and software and spec choices often counter smaller-capacity batteries.

Of course, if your battery starts to diminish or go wrong, it’s one of the many parts of the phone you can swap out very easily.

Charging is done at 30W, which is again a little lower than rivals, and you’ll have to wait for well over an hour to get from empty to full. There’s no kind of reverse or wireless powering.

Fairphone 6 review: value

(Image credit: Future)

What price would you put on a phone that looks after the planet?

Rhetoric aside, the Fairphone 6 isn’t priced particularly competitively when you look at the specs, but what sets its apart is its lasting power.

Not only does its IP and military certification ensure it’ll survive damage much better than other handsets on the market, but the fact you can replace ailing parts ensures that the mobile’s lifespan will far outstrip anything else you might be considering.

After all, the average phone lasts for under three years, especially cheaper models. The Fairphone 6 will last you longer than multiple other models if you let it.

Should you buy the Fairphone 6?

(Image credit: Future)Swipe to scroll horizontallyFairphone 6 score card

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Value

The potential lasting power of this phone means its price seems like a bargain, when looking at the bigger picture.

4.5 / 5

Design

It’s no looker, but it’s well protected, easily modifiable and has a handy new slider.

4 / 5

Display

If you want a phone with a smaller screen, the Fairphone will fit you perfectly.

3.5 / 5

Software

The software is nice and clean, as Google intended, but without the extra features Android forks bring.

3.5 / 5

Camera

Other than the impressive portrait capabilities, the Fairphone 6 cameras are bang average.

3.5 / 5

Performance

The Snapdragon chip here is fine for everyday use for most people, but gamers will pine for more.

3.5 / 5

Battery

The battery is small and the charging slow, but optimizations ensure the actual battery life is okay.

3.5 / 5

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Fairphone 6 review: Also consider

If you don’t think this mobile is right for you, let’s look at some similar-priced handsets. Just note, other than the first, these won’t retain the Fairphone’s green principles.

Swipe to scroll horizontallyHeader Cell – Column 0

Fairphone 6

Fairphone 5

Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus

Nothing Phone 3a Pro

Starting price (at launch):

£499 (roughly $680, AU$990)

£649 (roughly $800 / AU$1,250)

$399 / £399 (roughly AU$800)

$459 / £449 / AU$849

Dimensions:

156.5 x 73.3 x 9.6mm

161.6 x 75.8 x 9.6mm

162.53 x 74.67 x 9.95mm

163.52 x 77.5 x 8.39mm

Weight:

193g

212g

210g

211g

OS (at launch):

Android 15

Android 13

Android 14, HyperOS

Android 15, NohtingOS 3.1

Screen Size:

6.31-inch

6.46-inch

6.67-inch

6.77-inch

Resolution:

1116 x 2484

2700 x 1224

2712 x 1220

1080 x 2392

CPU:

Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3

Qualcomm QCM6490

Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3

Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3

RAM:

8GB

8GB

8GB / 12GB

12GB

Storage (from):

256GB

256GB

256GB / 512GB

256GB

Battery:

4,115mAh

4,200mAh

5,110mAh

5,000mAh

Rear Cameras:

50MP main, 12MP ultra-wide

50MP main, 50MP ultra-wide

200MP main, 8MP ultra-wide

50MP main,. 50MP zoom, 8MP ultra-wide

Front camera:

32MP

50MP

20MP

50MP

How I tested the Fairphone 6

(Image credit: Future)

  • Review test period = 2 weeks
  • Testing included = Everyday usage, including web browsing, social media, photography, video calling, gaming, streaming video, music playback
  • Tools used = Geekbench 6, Geekbench ML, GFXBench, native Android stats

I tested the Fairphone 6 for just over two weeks to write this review, using it as my normal mobile in this time. As stated, I was sent the white version of the mobile along with all the extra accessories.

The testing process included a mix of experience and ‘lab’-style, so I’d use the handset as my normal phone for some of the time but also conducted a battery of benchmarking tests as well. I also took the phone with me on holiday, hence the camera samples.

I didn’t test the military-standard protection of the phone, due to not having a nearby warzone or extreme climate in which to do so. I’ll have to take Fairphone’s word for that.

As well as this mobile, I’ve tested the last few Fairphone mobiles, alongside plenty of other devices since I started reviewing for TechRadar in early 2019.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed September 2025



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September 24, 2025 0 comments
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Would you play a Pokemon Go-like geospatial Death Stranding game with Smart Glasses and your phone? Hideo Kojima seems to think you will
Game Updates

Would you play a Pokemon Go-like geospatial Death Stranding game with Smart Glasses and your phone? Hideo Kojima seems to think you will

by admin September 23, 2025


Tonight, as part of the Kojima Productions 10th Anniversary livestream, called Beyond the Strand, we got a new update on the Death Stranding franchise. The stream promised to be “a celebratory event” that will include “special guest appearances as well as offer a glimpse into future projects,” and it certainly lived up to that promise.

The stream began with a quick recap of Kojima Industries’ history so far, from inception through to the announcement and launch of Death Stranding, Death Stranding 2, and the reveals of both OD (2023) and Physint (2024). Towards the end of the project, Guillermo del Toro, Geoff Keighley, George Miller and Mamoru Oshii took to the stage to talk about the future of entertainment, gaming, and art. Notably, all of the speakers talk about going ‘off-screen’ with storytelling.

Then John Hanke, founder of Pokemon Go developer Niantic and now boss of Niantic Spatial (an ‘AI-led geospatial business platform’), joined Kojima on-stage to present a section devoted to how Kojima plans to ‘move beyond the screen,’ where the Japanese developer envisions “going to the top of a mountain, and even finding entertainment there”.

There’s no real hint as to what this project will be beyond a fluffy teaser trailer that seems to be Pokemon Go-meets-Death Stranding. “Kojima Productions and Niantic Spatial Team Up to Redefine Immersive Entertainment” reads a blurb on the trailer, as people wonder around interacting with virtual bonsai trees, golden aura, and other weird environmental aspects. It all looks like stuff from the chiral network in the Death Stranding games, so I imagine our job – as porters via our phones or smart glasses, per the trailer – will be to connect things up.

You can see the latest trailer for Death Stranding x Niantic as part of the livestream below.

The peculair trailer for Niantic and Kojima Production’s ‘A New Dawn’.
Watch on YouTube

This seems like very early concept-level blue sky thinking. It’s worth noting that Niantic Spatial isn’t quite Pokemon Go developer Niantic: the company was split into a games and geospatial division earlier this year, with the gaming development arm going over to Monopoly Go maker Scopely in a deal worth $3.5bn.

Niantic Spatial focuses on a refreshed version of Niantic’s original core interest – creating a digital map of the planet, now using geospatial AI. The newly-rebranded company has secured $250m of capital investment ($50m from Scopely and $200m from Niantic’s own balance sheet), and this is the first game-related project we’ve seen from the company.

“We’re in the midst of seismic changes in technology, with AI evolving rapidly,” Niantic founder John Hanke wrote when talking about the goal of the Spatial platform. “Existing maps were built for people to read and navigate but now there is a need for a new kind of map that makes the world intelligible for machines, for everything from smart glasses to humanoid robots, so they can understand and navigate the physical world.

It seems Kojima wants to leverage this tech, and paste a Death Stranding experience on the top of this evolving tech that is as-yet-untested in a gaming environment.

Death Stranding 2 received a warm reception when it launched earlier this year, with Eurogamer calling it a “busier, louder, and more emotionally resplendent take on this singular hiking sim” in our four star review.

We’re also expecting a Death Stranding animated movie, and an entirely different Death Stranding anime with an original story, too.

“I love the world of Death Stranding, it’s so creatively freeing, so beautifully dark and yet hopeful; I’m so excited and honoured that Hideo Kojima, whose work I’ve long admired, has invited me to dwell within his creation, to birth new stories into this fertile, mind-bending universe,” says Raised by Wolves creator Aaron Guzikowski, who is penning the script for the animated feature.

It’s clear the series has some life in it yet, and even with games like OD and Physint on the way from Kojima Studios, the storied developer is a long way from giving up on this particular baby, just yet.



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September 23, 2025 0 comments
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The Questyle QCC Dongle Pro with a smartphone to denote size, on a light wooden table
Product Reviews

Questyle QCC Dongle Pro review: the Bluetooth upgrade your phone has been waiting for

by admin September 23, 2025



Why you can trust TechRadar


We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Questyle QCC Dongle Pro: Two-minute review

You may not realise it, but your phone and your wireless headphones don’t always agree on how good your music should sound. It’s a question of compatibility, and it can be a thorny issue.

Bluetooth audio codecs are the invisible lines of code that translate your music (whether streamed from a subscription service or stored locally on your phone) into something that can be transmitted wirelessly to your headphones, earbuds, or portable speakers.

All Bluetooth products support SBC, a codec that provides basic ‘vanilla’ audio quality, but when it comes to high-quality advanced codecs, like LDAC and aptX Adaptive (which preserve far more of your music’s detail), it’s the wild west out there. Some Android handsets support both. Some just support one. iPhones (in fact, all Apple devices) support neither. Support on the headphones/earbuds side of the equation can be equally messy – and it doesn’t always follow that the more you pay, the more codecs your buds (or cans) will support.

So wouldn’t it be nice if there were a tiny, simple (yet powerful) gadget you could plug into any phone, tablet, computer, or game console that would assure you’ve always got support for these codecs? Behold – the Questyle QCC Dongle Pro.

Plug it in, open the app, and pair your headphones. Done. You’re now listening wirelessly at the highest possible quality (perhaps even losslessly) and you didn’t even have to mess around in Android’s Developer Options.

All of this makes the Questyle QCC Dongle Pro a very attractive little accessory for anyone who wants to maximize their listening experience.

One of the best portable DACs around – and more specifically, one of the best wireless Bluetooth DACs we’ve tested? Let’s get to it.

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Oh, it’s red and no mistake (Image credit: Future)

Questyle QCC Dongle Pro review: Price and release date

  • Release date: August 29, 2025
  • Price: $99 (around £70; AU$150)

$99 may seem like a lot for what you get. After all, it is tiny – and this device doesn’t make music or even play music; it just makes the music you already have access to sound better, with no guesswork.

I’ve also tried the $50 FiiO BT11, a nearly identical-looking product that, on paper at least, does all the same things. But it’s so maddeningly difficult to use, I’d happily pay the difference for the QCC Dongle Pro.

Still, there is another option. If you don’t need LDAC (perhaps because your Android phone already supports it), you can get the aptX-family-only QCC Dongle for $69 and save yourself some cash.

Elsewhere (and if you’ve got hard-to-drive headphones and a little more to spend), we love the FiiO BTR17 for its amplification powers on top of its codec mastery, and TR’s audio editor still uses the FiiO BTR7 – both around $200 / £175 / AU$279.

Questyle QCC Dongle Pro review: Specs

Swipe to scroll horizontallyQuestyle QCC Dongle Pro: specs

Dimensions

25mm x 10mm x 15mm

Weight

2.5 grams

Supported codecs

SBC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive (including aptX Lossless), LDAC

Supported interfaces

USB-C, USB-A (UAC 1, UAC 2)

System compatibility

WinXP/Vista/Win7/Win8/Win10/Win11/Linux/Android/HarmonyOS/macOS/iOS/iPadOS

Bluetooth version

5.4

Power draw

37mA

Questyle QCC Dongle Pro review: Features

  • Excellent codec support
  • Easy, intuitive app
  • Works with almost all USB-equipped devices

A helpful app lets you control the dongle’s two main functions: getting it paired with your headphones and picking which codec and optional settings you want to use. An LED on the QCC Dongle Pro gives visual feedback on its pairing status as well as which family of codec is currently in use – a reassuring feature.

Better yet, as long as your headphones or earbuds support Bluetooth Multipoint, it’s possible to connect them to the dongle and your phone simultaneously. Doing so maintains your ability to adjust the headphones’ settings via their mobile app (if any).

Oh, and one more thing: the dongle also supports USB Audio Class 1 (UAC 1), which is a spec-speak way of saying you can use it as a wireless audio transmitter with gaming consoles like Nintendo Switch and PlayStation families – devices that don’t play nicely with run-of-the-mill USB Bluetooth dongles. Full disclosure: I didn’t test this feature.

You can use it as a transmitter for a PC or Mac, too, though with one caveat: there’s no Windows or macOS app, so you’ll need to initially pair your preferred headphones using the mobile app on a phone, then move the dongle over to your PC. It will automatically re-pair with your headphones and then you simply need to choose the Dongle Pro from your computer’s sound output menu.

Worried about the Dongle Pro sapping your phone’s battery life? Don’t be. With a 37mA draw, Questyle estimates that even if you used it intensively (e.g., with LDAC) for 10 hours straight, you’d only dent an iPhone 16’s full battery capacity by about 10%. Using aptX Adaptive would consume less juice. I didn’t notice any impact on my day-to-day use of my iPhone.

The bulk of my testing was done with the Sennheiser IE900 or the Austrian Audio ‘The Composer’ (Image credit: Questyle)

The QCC Dongle Pro is so easy and effective that it’s hard to find flaws. But if I were to nitpick, I’d point to the fact that the Questyle app doesn’t give audio nerds as much control over codec behavior as, say, Android’s Developer Options, or the uber-handy Bluetooth Codec Changer app.

For instance, purists often want to avoid additional resampling between their source of digital music and the output that gets to their headphones. With the apps/settings I mentioned above, you can set LDAC’s bit-depth and sampling rate to match that of your source. The QCC Dongle Pro doesn’t provide this level of control. The same goes for LDAC’s bitrate; however, you can nonetheless choose to favour sound quality over connection stability, which should accomplish the same thing.

I might also note that the dongle can’t support simultaneous Bluetooth connections. So if you were hoping to connect a set of wireless earbuds using LDAC and a set of headphones using aptX HD so you can hear the difference, I’m afraid you’ll have to find another way of satisfying your inner scientist.

Features score: 4.5 / 5

Note the ‘wings’ (Image credit: Future)

Questyle QCC Dongle Pro review: Design

  • Tiny and featherweight
  • Fits most phone cases
  • Might block adjacent ports

The QCC Dongle Pro can plug directly into any device that can output audio over USB. At 2.5 grams, it weighs less than half as much as a single AirPods Pro earpiece. On its own, it will snap into USB-C ports, and a small ledge lets it protrude about two millimeters, making it compatible with many 3rd-party protective phone cases. It also comes with an adapter for gadgets that are still rocking USB-A ports. The only devices it can’t support are older iPhones/iPads with Lightning ports.

It’s a phone-friendly design, as long as you don’t mind using wireless charging while it’s plugged in. For laptops, especially those like the Apple MacBook Air with just two, closely spaced USB-C ports, the Dongle Pro forces the same choice, but without the fallback of wireless charging: You can have better Bluetooth audio or you can charge your computer, but not both.

Design score: 4.5 / 5

Everything in its right place… (Image credit: Future)

Questyle QCC Dongle Pro review: Sound quality

  • Perfect match for LDAC/aptX devices
  • Lets you choose which codec to use when more than one will work

How does it perform? Brilliantly. Which is to say, when I use it on an iPhone 16 in either LDAC or aptX Lossless mode, with a compatible set of headphones, and then compare it to a phone with these codecs built in (e.g., Motorola ThinkPhone), they sound the same to me. I’m not sure I could ask for anything more.

Sony’s WH-1000XM6 (LDAC) revealed the subtle details in Dire Straits’ You And Your Friend that tend to go missing when listening via AAC. Similarly, Sennheiser’s aptX Lossless compatible Momentum True Wireless 4 Earbuds were able to tame the blurry bass notes and crunchy highs that I typically hear when playing Bob Dylan’s Man in the Long Black Coat.

Given how convenient it is to pop the Dongle Pro into the bottom of my iPhone, I can easily see it becoming a permanent fixture in my daily listening life.

Sound quality score: 5 / 5

This white light (for aptX Lossless) was oddly hard to come by when using sources able to handle it… (Image credit: Future)

Questyle QCC Dongle Pro review: Value

  • Pricey compared to other transmitters
  • Unmatched codec support
  • Perfect size/shape for mobile use

Though a pricey little device, you need to look at the QCC Dongle Pro in the context of your other options.

Most companies that make USB-C Bluetooth transmitters that sell for between $25-$55 on Amazon come with one or more compromises. They’re primarily intended for PC use, so they’re often equipped with a USB-A interface. Even the ones with USB-C tend to stick out too far and could easily snap off during portable use. The Dongle Pro’s one direct competitor, the $50 FiiO BT11, is a bargain by comparison – but I found it much harder to use.

Value score: 4/5

Note the new ‘rails’ on the casework to help with cooling (Image credit: Future)

Should you buy the Questyle QCC Dongle Pro?

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Attribute

Notes

Rating

Features

Gives any phone or PC the most popular hi-res Bluetooth audio codecs.

4 / 5

Sound quality

Works as well as any phone with these codecs built in.

5 / 5

Design

Tiny, lightweight, and elegant. If only it were a tad narrower, it would be perfect.

4.5 / 5

Value

Pricey, but worth it.

4 / 5

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Questyle QCC Dongle Pro review: Also consider

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Product

Questyle QCC Dongle Pro

FiiO BTR11

Dimensions

25mm x 10mm x 15mm

28mm x 9mm x 21mm

Weight

2.5 grams

3 grams

Supported codecs

SBC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive (including aptX Lossless), LDAC

SBC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive (including aptX Lossless), LDAC

Supported interfaces

USB-C, USB-A (UAC 1, UAC 2)

USB-C, USB-A (UAC 1, UAC 2)

System compatibility

WinXP/Vista/Win7/Win8/Win10/Win11/Linux/Android/HarmonyOS/macOS/iOS/iPadOS

WinXP/Vista/Win7/Win8/Win10/Win11/Linux/Android/HarmonyOS/macOS/iOS/iPadOS

Bluetooth version

5.4

5.4

Power draw

37mA (LDAC)

22mA (static)

iFi makes strong design choices and you love to see it (Image credit: Future)

How I tested the Questyle QCC Dongle Pro

  • Tested for 2 weeks
  • Used it at home and while at the gym
  • Predominantly tested using Apple Music on an Apple iPhone 16, but also: Google Pixel 7 Pro, Apple MacBook Air M1

Testing the Questyle QCC Dongle Pro was primarily a case of comparisons. In other words, how easy was it to use, and how did the sound quality compare to a smartphone with the same Bluetooth Codecs built in?

To do this, I paired the Dongle Pro first with the Sony WH-1000XM6 (to test LDAC performance) and then with the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 Earbuds (to test aptX Adaptive/Lossless), with the Dongle Pro plugged into an iPhone 16.

Since both devices support Bluetooth Multipoint, I was able to pair them simultaneously with a Motorola ThinkPhone, which supports both codec families.

While using the same Apple Music Playlist on both the iPhone and the ThinkPhone, I swapped back and forth between these two sources, listening for any perceptible differences. I couldn’t detect any.

For additional testing, I swapped the dongle over to my MacBook Air and a Google Pixel 7 Pro. Both performed without issue.

First reviewed September 2025

Questyle QCC Dongle Pro: Price Comparison



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September 23, 2025 0 comments
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The iPhone 17 Pro Max alongside the iPhone 16 Pro Max
Gaming Gear

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs iPhone 16 Pro Max: Apple’s got a new top phone

by admin September 22, 2025



The iPhone 17 Pro Max has a new design, major camera upgrades, loads of power, a vapor chamber, and some of the best battery life you’ll find in a phone, though the screen hasn’t been changed much.

Pros

  • Useful camera upgrades
  • A vapor chamber
  • Superb battery life

Cons

  • Little change to the screen
  • New design could be divisive
  • Bigger and heavier than iPhone 16 Pro Max

The iPhone 16 Pro Max remains a superb smartphone, with more power than most users will need and good all-round specs. But its cameras, performance, and battery life can’t match that of the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Pros

  • Iconic design
  • Very powerful
  • Great screen

Cons

  • Only a 12MP telephoto camera
  • No vapor chamber
  • No 2TB model

iPhones don’t always get huge upgrades over their predecessors, but Apple has really shaken things up this year, making some of the biggest changes to the lineup in a long time.

Sure, there aren’t any new buttons this time around, but the iPhone 17 Pro Max has had a visual overhaul from the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and there are even bigger changes behind the scenes.

So is the iPhone 17 Pro Max worth upgrading to? Or should you stick with the iPhone 16 Pro Max? Below, we’ll take a closer look at how these two phones compare, to help you make that decision.


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iPhone 17 Pro Max vs iPhone 16 Pro Max: specs comparison

You’ll find a detailed look at the specs and features of these phones below – along with their prices – but first, here’s just a brief overview of their specs sheets, so you can see how they compare at a glance.

Swipe to scroll horizontallyHeader Cell – Column 0

iPhone 17 Pro Max

iPhone 16 Pro Max

Dimensions and weight:

163.4 x 78 x 8.8mm, 233g

163 x 77.6 x 8.3mm, 227g

Display:

6.9-inch 120Hz

6.9-inch 120Hz

Peak brightness:

3,000 nits

2,000 nits

Chipset:

A19 Pro

A18 Pro

RAM:

12GB

8GB

Rear cameras:

48MP wide, 48MP ultra-wide, 48MP telephoto

48MP wide, 48MP ultra-wide, 12MP telephoto

Front camera:

18MP

12MP

Battery:

5,088mAh / 4,832mAh

4,685mAh

Storage:

256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB

256GB, 512GB, 1TB

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs iPhone 16 Pro Max: price and availability

Image 1 of 2

The iPhone 17 Pro Max(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)The iPhone 16 Pro Max(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

The iPhone 17 Pro Max was available from September 19, though at the time of writing you might be waiting longer than that, as it’s in high demand.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max, meanwhile, launched in September of 2024, but Apple has now discontinued it, so you can’t buy it from Apple direct. Buying it new from retailers is still possible right now, but it could become increasingly tricky over the next few months unless you’re happy to look at pre-owned or refurbished units.

As for the cost, the iPhone 17 Pro Max starts at $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,149, for which you get 256GB of storage. You can also pay $1,399 / £1,399 / AU$2,599 for 512GB of storage, $1,599 / £1,599 / AU$2,999 for 1TB of storage, or $1,999 / £1,999 / AU$3,799 for 2TB of storage.

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The iPhone 16 Pro Max starts at $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,149, which again gets you 256GB of storage. So the starting price is identical – though in practice you may well be able to find the iPhone 16 Pro Max for less, if you can find it new at all.

If you move up the price brackets then the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s pricing remains identical to that of the iPhone 17 Pro Max, outside Australia at least, where the new phone is slightly more expensive. Though note that the iPhone 16 Pro Max tops out at 1TB of storage, so you can’t get a 2TB model.

Winner: tie – unless you can find the 16 Pro Max for less (or already own it!)


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iPhone 17 Pro Max vs iPhone 16 Pro Max: design

Image 1 of 2

The iPhone 17 Pro Max(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)The iPhone 16 Pro Max(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

The most obvious difference between these phones is their designs, as the iPhone 17 Pro Max has a redesigned back. Here, you get a large camera bump running across the width of the rear, while on the iPhone 16 Pro Max there’s a smaller camera housing in the top-left corner.

The top half of the rear and the sides of the iPhone 17 Pro Max are aluminum, with a glass panel on the bottom half of the back – whereas the whole rear of the iPhone 16 Pro Max is glass, and its sides are titanium.

From the front, though, the two phones look far more similar, as they both have a flat screen with a Dynamic Island at the top. Both phones also have an Action button and a Camera Control key.

Their weights and dimensions do differ, though, with the iPhone 17 Pro Max coming in at 163.4 x 78 x 8.8mm and 233g, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max is 163 x 77.6 x 8.3mm and 227g. So Apple’s newer phone is slightly taller, wider, thicker, and heavier.

The colors also differ, with the iPhone 17 Pro Max being sold in Silver, Cosmic Orange, and Deep Blue shades, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max is available in Black Titanium, White Titanium, Natural Titanium, and Desert Titanium.

Some less visible design elements include their water and dust resistance, with both phones having an IP68 rating, and the protection on their screens, with the iPhone 16 Pro Max using Ceramic Shield while the iPhone 17 Pro Max uses Ceramic Shield 2 – which is said to offer three times better scratch resistance.

These are both good looking phones and it will be subjective which you prefer, with our iPhone 17 Pro Max review describing it as having “a fresh, possibly divisive look” and our iPhone 16 Pro Max review praising its “iconic design with excellent materials.”

Still, while the looks themselves are down to personal preference, the improvement in scratch-resistance alone gives the new phone a slight advantage here.

Winner: iPhone 17 Pro Max

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs iPhone 16 Pro Max: display

Image 1 of 2

The iPhone 17 Pro Max(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)The iPhone 16 Pro Max(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

The iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPhone 16 Pro Max both have 6.9-inch 1320 x 2868 OLED screens with a 120Hz refresh rate and 460 pixels per inch resolution.

Both have a Dynamic Island, both support always-on display, and both have a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio. So there’s really very little to choose between them on this front.

However, they’re not quite identical. You see, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s peak outdoor brightness is 2,000 nits, the iPhone 17 Pro Max increases that to 3,000 nits. On top of that, the iPhone 17 Pro Max also has a new anti-reflective coating on its screen.

The result is that the newer phone’s display should look less washed out in bright sunlight, and should pick up fewer reflections.

There hasn’t been much in the way of screen upgrades otherwise, but that’s okay – because they weren’t really needed. As our iPhone 17 Pro Max review has it “images pop and blacks are as inky and dark as you would hope they’d be”.

Winner: iPhone 17 Pro Max

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs iPhone 16 Pro Max: cameras

Image 1 of 2

The iPhone 17 Pro Max(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)The iPhone 16 Pro Max(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

While the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s screen hasn’t had many upgrades, its cameras certainly have. This phone has a 48 MP f/1.6 main camera (also capable of optical-quality 2x zoom photos), a 48MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera with a 120-degree field of view, and a 48MP f/2.8 telephoto camera capable of 4x optical zoom or 8x optical-quality zoom. Where we mention ‘optical-quality’, that’s achieved by cropping into the sensor.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max also has an 18MP f/1.9 front-facing camera with a new Center Stage feature that will rotate between portrait or landscape shots as needed, without you having to change the angle you hold the phone at.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max has similar 48MP main and ultra-wide cameras, but its telephoto snapper is just 12MP, and can only take photos at 5x optical zoom. Its selfie camera is also just 12MP, and lacks the Center Stage feature. But both phones can record video in up to 4K quality at up to 120fps.

So the iPhone 17 Pro Max is a substantial upgrade in terms of its telephoto and front-facing cameras, and our review described this as “Apple’s best camera array ever”. The iPhone 16 Pro Max is no slouch here either, of course, with our review of that saying it has “a great array of lenses” – but the 17 Pro Max does beat it overall.

Winner: iPhone 17 Pro Max

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs iPhone 16 Pro Max: performance and software

Image 1 of 2

The iPhone 17 Pro Max(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)The iPhone 16 Pro Max(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

You’d expect a new iPhone to be more powerful than an older one, and such is the case here, but the upgrades are actually even greater than usual.

First, there’s the bit you’d expect: the iPhone 17 Pro Max has a new A19 Pro chipset, in place of the iPhone 16 Pro Max’s A18 Pro. This provides the generational upgrade in performance you’d expect, but the iPhone 17 Pro Max also has more RAM, with 12GB rather than 8GB, and it features a vapor chamber which helps keep it cool – thereby allowing it to sustain peak performance for longer.

So the iPhone 17 Pro Max is a seriously powerful handset, with our review describing it as “fast and effective in every scenario”. That said, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is still a very powerful phone even a year on from launch, so unless you have really high-end performance demands, you might not notice much difference.

You shouldn’t notice any difference in the software, either, as both of these phones run iOS 26 – though the iPhone 17 Pro Max will probably receive software updates for one year longer than the iPhone 16 Pro Max now will.

Winner: iPhone 17 Pro Max

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs iPhone 16 Pro Max: battery

Image 1 of 2

The iPhone 17 Pro Max(Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)The iPhone 16 Pro Max(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

While Apple doesn’t detail the capacity of its phones’ batteries, certifications have revealed that the iPhone 17 Pro Max has a 5,088mAh cell in the US and a 4,832mAh one elsewhere. The difference is because the phone is eSIM-only in the US, so there’s space for a larger battery.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max, meanwhile, has a 4,685mAh battery wherever you buy it, so it’s a lower capacity, and that translates to worse life.

Apple claims the iPhone 17 Pro Max will last for up to 37 hours of video playback between charges, while the figure for the iPhone 16 Pro Max is 33 hours.

Our own tests similarly found that the new model lasts longer, and it charges faster too, with a 40W or higher charger able to juice it to 50% in around 20 minutes, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max will take around 35 minutes to reach the same level of charge.

But while the iPhone 17 Pro Max is the clear winner for battery life, the iPhone 16 Pro Max still has many phones beat, so neither handset should disappoint on this front.

Winner: iPhone 17 Pro Max

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs iPhone 16 Pro Max: verdict

(Image credit: Apple / Future)

This may not be a huge surprise, but the iPhone 17 Pro Max is an upgrade over the iPhone 16 Pro Max in every category above other than price, with everything from its chipset to its RAM, its cameras, its screen brightness, and its battery life all improved over the previous model. Plus there’s the new vapor chamber, which should improve performance.

The display hasn’t been massively upgraded, admittedly, and the new design could prove divisive, but in most ways the new model is a better phone, and Apple hasn’t even had to raise the price to achieve this.

Whether it’s worth buying if you already have the iPhone 16 Pro Max is more debatable, and you might want to read our full iPhone 17 Pro Max review before deciding. But of the two it’s clearly the better phone, and if you’re rocking a handset that’s a few years old then upgrading to the iPhone 17 Pro Max should make a night and day difference.

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