Recent Features

Camera head to head: Lumia 1020 vs OPPO Find X2 Pro vs iPhone 11 Pro

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After my head to head imaging comparison between the Lumia 950 XL and Find X2 Pro, in which we learned that OPPO's image processing from its main 48MP pixel-binned camera leaves a lot to be desired, it seemed appropriate to show how well oversampling from a 40+MP sensor should be done, by pitching the Find X2 Pro against the classic Lumia 1020. But another current benchmark device needs to be in the mix too, to push both of these somewhat unbalanced contenders, so I'm putting in my iPhone 11 Pro. In other words a tough three-way fight and as I write this intro I have absolutely no idea which of the three might emerge the winner.

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Camera head to head: Lumia 950 XL vs OPPO Find X2 Pro

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A few days ago I pitched the new OPPO Find X2 Pro against the Lumia 950 XL, spec for spec, with a view to it perhaps being a viable across-the-board upgrade. The huge question mark was over its imaging, which is why I present my usual multi-scene pixel analysis below - can the OPPO get close to the Lumia in terms of image quality? Also, does its 5x periscope zoom deliver, should you need this?

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Camera head to head: Lumia 950 vs iPhone SE (2020)

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Following my detailed comparison between the classic Lumia 950 and the revamped new budget Apple iPhone (the SE 2020), here's the promised camera head to head. Both are single camera systems with OIS and PDAF - the Lumia has oversampling for purity and a limited lossless zoom, but the SE has a newer sensor and far, far more powerful chipset handling the image processing. So it should be a close run thing...!

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Head to head: Lumia 950 vs the new (cheap!) iPhone SE

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The Lumia 950 is famously compact and yet powerful (at least, in terms of imaging). But what if I said that you could switch to a brand new Apple iPhone of similar size, keep a great camera and Qi charging, add stereo speakers, and all for not much more than £400, all in? That's the beauty of the new iPhone SE, see below for a blow by blow comparison. Could an iPhone SE be the one that finally tempts you from your 950 and into a more modern ecosystem? Hey, you even (cough) get to keep the top and bottom bezels(!)

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Video testing: Lumia 1020 vs Huawei P40 Pro

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By popular request, this latest imaging flagship that's great with Microsoft and not so hot on Google, is pitched head to head for video capture with the classic 1020, the very first high megapixel zoom cameraphone with stabilised sensor. I look at stabilisation and smoothness, at audio and low light handling, with plenty of zoom examples. As I start this feature, I suspect the newer OIS, newer and even larger sensor, plus newer and far faster chipsets will win out, but can this classic 2013 Lumia come close?

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The Huawei P40 Pro with Microsoft favourites

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Last week I pitched the new Huawei P40 Pro against the classic Lumia 950 XL, spec for spec, and concluded that it's not a terrible shout as a Lumia replacement as long as you're not heavily into Google services. In this feature I wanted to show in screenshot form how this might work, with all your Microsoft and Windows favourites front and centre. What are the highlights and what caveats remain? And you might even feel at home with way you have to drop back to doing things in a browser - just like old times for Windows phone fans, eh?

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Rain in the City: and other wallpaper packs - on Windows 10 Mobile

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If you've ever seen Microsoft's rather wonderful themed Windows 10 wallpaper packs announced in news and wished they were available for Windows 10 Mobile then don't worry, they're easy to transplant onto a Lumia too. True, the Store description says 'These images are to be used as desktop wallpaper only', but this is to prevent commercial re-use. For 'desktop wallpaper' here, read 'Windows 10 device wallpaper', and that includes 'Mobile'. At least if you're happy navigating through disk folders to find the relevant JPG files!

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How to: Drag and drop files between Windows 10 Mobile and an Apple Mac

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Back in the day (2016), with a little effort it was possible to get Apple Macs talking with Windows Phone 8.x devices. But Mac OS has moved on, Windows Phone evolved (in a way) to Windows 10 Mobile and I'd given up on getting a reliable wired conduit between the two systems ever again. However, it's 2020 and there's a simple and free way to have it all working again. Which I (ahem) stumbled on by sheer chance.

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Camera shootout: Low light/zoom. Samsung S20 Ultra, Lumia 1020/950, iPhone 11 Pro

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So... the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra is in for review. With 108MP giant main sensor and 9-to-1 oversampling. Sound familiar? And then there's the use of PureView-like smart cropping to provide zoom on both the main and telephoto systems. Loads of Lumia similarities, even if the tech is much faster now, and I couldn't decide which Lumia to do the comparison against. So I picked both of them, the 1020 and 950. And threw in the champion iPhone 11 Pro for good measure!

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