Android

A Mid-range smartphone. The Chinese company TCT has released a new smartphone under the Alcatel branding which carries the features that we typically see in a mid-range smartphone. We evaluate the One Touch 997D which comes with dual-SIM support.

Tablet made in China. The manufacturer Ainol is based in China and is now represented with extremely cheap tablets in the Western hemisphere as well. What does Ainol's Novo 7 Crystal Quad Core have to offer for a price of around 90 Euros (~$116)? And how will it fare in comparison with other low-budget devices?

Product diversity. The Xperia ZL extends Sony's smartphone portfolio at the top of the range, whereby familiar hardware and a 5-inch display with a resolution of 1080x1920 pixels meet a slightly reworked case, all of which is currently available at a price of around 550 Euros (~$715).

Adjusting the price. The Y300 is the cheapest Ascend device from the Chinese company Huawei. You can buy the smartphone for just 149 Euros (~$194) but is it a good deal or should you invest more money?

BlackBerry or Sony. After the mobile World Congress, we are looking forward to seeing the new flagships from HTC and Samsung. In the meantime, the top models from Sony and BlackBerry are fighting for the Smartphone crown. In the tablet world, the entry and middle-class devices are king.

Sharp as a razor. Sony had manufacturing issues with their Tablet S. The brand new Tablet Z is supposed to help get the electronics company back on track - and ahead. We scrutinized this pre-series device. Even its appearance is certainly sharp...

Like a brick on your ear. Samsung's Note kicked off the ongoing wave of large smartphones, aka phablets. Now, Asus joins in with its big 7-inch Fonepad, nominally a tablet to make phone calls. It will definitely attract attention when held to an ear - at least at present.

For the young. The Samsung Galaxy Young is a handy smartphone for novices and the young. As its street price of 125 Euros (~$164) is rather low, you will have to live with several limitations, won't you? We will discover them in our review.

Little star? Affordable, stylish and handy: Samsung's Galaxy Fame is aimed especially at young customers. But perhaps it can also attract other target groups with features like a 5 megapixel camera and NFC.

Familiar devices. More than four months after the launch of the Google Nexus 4 the counterpart from LG is finally available. The specifications are almost identical but the price is much higher. This review will tell you how the South Korean flagship device performs compared to other high-end devices.

Speedy, white, comes with LTE. The Samsung Galaxy Express seems to be made to stir up other mid-range smartphones with its ultrafast 4G internet connection, great battery life and the Samsung Galaxy S3’s fancy chassis. We venture to have a closer look.

A rugged companion. Samsung writes another chapter in the outdoor smartphone success story with their new Galaxy Xcover 2. Even though its inner life received a major overhaul, the end product is still just a mid-class device -- but it is certainly fit for the outdoors.

Lucky number four.Long awaited, incessantly discussed and sold out even faster - Google's latest Nexus device raises the battle cry against other high-performance smartphones with an unrivaled price of 349 Euros (~$450) for the 16 GB version and 299 Euros (~$390) for the 8 GB version.

A new Galaxy. Samsung introduced its smartphone flagship from the latest portfolio at a big event in London. A quad-core SoC based on ARM, a 720p screen, NFC and Android 4.0 ICS belong to the must-haves of this category today. Is Samsung's Galaxy S3 the new category leader in an attractive packaging?

Inexpensive remake. Between the release of the Toshiba AT300 and AT300SE there were just a few months. This can also be seen in the comparison of the technical specifications of the two devices; the main specifications are almost identical. We checked if the 50 Euros (~$65) lower price point of the AT300SE is the deciding factor for a purchase.

Aluminum rocket. The HTC One is the latest high-end smartphone from the Taiwanese manufacturer. A swift Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 Quad-Core-SoC, stereo speakers, a 4.7-inch display with 1080x1920 pixels and the latest software packed in a high-quality aluminum unibody. The new king of smartphones for 680 Euros (~$878)?

Clever and smart? Asus equips its new 10.1-inch tablet with a quad-core processor and special speakers. The tablet is available in three different colors and retails for an affordable 299 Euros (~$380). Is the "Smart" in the name really appropriate?

Low-Budget Mini? The Archos 80 Titanium - another device from the Titanium series - recently became more widely available. With an 8-inch display and an aluminum chassis the Frenchman shows similarities to the iPad Mini. We have a closer look at the performance of the stylish device.

Smartphone confusion. Visually, Huawei's Ascend G615 appears to be a twin of the G600 - but its hardware is similar to the D1 Quad XL. The question to be answered is whether the new smartphone a successful amalgamation of the two phones or just another model in Huawei's increasingly confusing portfolio.

Large display, low price. The Ascend G600 is a lower-end version of the D1 Quad XL. Both smartphones from Huawei feature a 4.5-inch IPS display - but while the D1 Quad XL caters to the high-end market, the Ascent G600 is a mid-level phone. Does the difference in hardware translate into a vastly different user experience?

Razor-sharp. The new Sony Xperia Z features a 5-inch display with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels and a corresponding pixel density of 443 ppi. In addition to the high-resolution display, the phone offers plenty of performance. The fairly substantial price of 650 Euros (~$850) raises expectations.

Overshadowed by the MWC. The Mobile World Congress is looming on the horizon and will take place in Barcelona at the end of February. However, we have already reviewed a few interesting devices. Samsung and HTC have refreshed their successful handsets and two Chinese manufacturers have delivered their journeyman’s piece. February carried the slogan “bargain” for tablets.

Affordable brand name - continued. Acer successfully got the ball for low-budget brand name tablets rolling. Now Asus takes up the chase with its 150 Euros (~$195) Memo Pad tablet. Can it catch up?

Mini-size, maxi-performance? Samsung introduces a new compact version of its successful flagship model Galaxy S3. The Samsung Galaxy S3 mini GT-I8190 includes Android 4.1.1 and a super AMOLED touchscreen with a 4-inch diagonal screen measurement and is meant to round off the Galaxy Series in the lower end. Can you be convinced by the performance and the 8 GB internal memory at a low price of around 285 Euros (~$373)?

Old made new. Samsung launches a refresh of its successful Galaxy S2 called Galaxy S2 Plus on the market. The 4.3-inch smartphone powered by a swift 1.2 GHz dual-core, updated Android version and NFC support competes against midrange contenders.

Bargain tablet? At an RRP of 280 Euros (~$365), the Prestigio MultiPad 10.1 Ultimate 3G causes panic amongst the 10.1-inch competition, because no other tablet of this screen size is that affordable. In addition, the Prestigio MultiPad includes a 3G/HSDPA modem as a professional feature. Our review will reveal whether the performance is adequate despite the budget price.

Outdoor multimedia sport device. The Acro S bridges the gap between multimedia smartphones with a large screen and outdoor suitable sport devices. We scrutinized how well these two very different application fields can be merged and whether there really is a gap.

Dual-SIM beginner. One does not need two separate smartphones for private and business use. Sony is offering a cheap dual-SIM smartphone with the Xperia E dual that comes with the Android operation system, a single core chip, a 3.5-inch display and a micro card reader. Are 170 Euros (~$225) worth spending on this?