Smartphones & Accessories

What has been the most attractive Android smartphone for the last two years is back, and the HTC One M9 sticks to the same design principles of its predecessors. The familiarity extends throughout the hardware and software, making this phone an iterative update from last year, rather than a major upgrade. There’s more speed, along with some refinements to HTC’s software overlay and the camera, but there’s no sign of an overhaul here.

It’s that time of year again. With Mobile World Congress now a month in the rear view mirror, the smartphones that made their debut at the event are finally beginning to find their way into buyers’ hands. If one of those cool new smartphones is in your future, there are a few things you should definitely be thinking about before making a purchase. I’ve put together a checklist of features to consider when purchasing a smartphone to ensure you make the right choice.  

For the first time, Samsung has split its flagship Galaxy S line into two distinct models. There is the regular flat version following in the footsteps of its predecessors, and the Edge, which curves on both sides for unique functionality. Under the hood, there is little that sets these two apart, so your choice is going to be mostly about which look you prefer.

If you’re excited about the pending arrival of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge with its curved display, you aren’t alone. But it was only a few months ago that Samsung released the Galaxy Note Edge, the flagship phablet that paved the way for the Galaxy S6 Edge. I spent several weeks putting Samsung’s curved display phablet through its paces. It does take some getting used to, but the curved glass looks great, feels great and bodes well for the Galaxy S6 Edge—which puts that curve on both sides instead of Note Edge’s one.

Samsung’s Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge stole much of the spotlight at Mobile World Congress 2015, but there was another big Android smartphone reveal that has people talking. HTC unveiled the successor to its popular One M8 flagship smartphone, the HTC One M9. The beautiful aluminum design, BoomSound speakers and everything else that made the One M8 such a great smartphone remain, while the few complaints from users have been addressed in the new model. Now the wait is over, the HTC One M9 is available for pre-order in Best Buy stores as of today.

Not a fan of the iPhone 6 or iOS 8? Find Windows on a mobile device is a little “meh” and have no use for BlackBerry’s physical QWERTY keyboard on your smartphone? You’re not alone. Google’s Android operating system powers somewhere in the neighbourhood of 85% of all smartphones and it’s closing in on 70% of all tablets. Android fans have a lot to look forward to in 2015. Lollipop is rolling out to more devices, Android 5.1 just made an appearance, Android Wear smartwatches are gaining steam and some pretty amazing looking new Android smartphones made their debut a few weeks ago at Mobile World Congress.

March 5th marked the final day of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. While most of the splashy announcements (like that Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge) took place early in the week, through the rest of the show some definite trends became clear. And given that MWC 2015 is the world’s biggest exhibition of mobile technology, trends there are likely to set the pattern for what we see here in terms of smartphones, tablets, smartwatches and other mobile gear throughout this year.

Mobile World Congress in Barcelona is the world’s biggest event for mobile technology. Want to know what smartphones will be the “must have” devices this year? Look to the MWC 2015 reveals to find out. Monday was officially the first day of the conference (it runs until March 5), but there were some major media events on Sunday, too. Here’s what you need to know after the first full day of Mobile World Congress.

Mobile World Congress officially starts on Monday, but the biggest, most highly anticipated reveal of the show took place at a special Samsung event on Sunday. The Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge are now official. Here’s what you need to know about Samsung’s two new flagship smartphones.  

2014 was an exciting year for smartphones. Among other things, it was the year of the phablet, with even long-time big screen holdout Apple getting into the game with the new iPhone 6 Plus. I’ve had the opportunity to use the big iPhone (I opted for the more modestly sized iPhone 6 myself), but what I want to talk about today is the latest version of the smartphone that started the whole phablet thing: the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. The newest Galaxy Note was a late arrival, hitting Canadian shelves at the end of October, but after spending a few weeks with the device early this year I can definitively say two things: worth the wait and still the phablet to beat in 2015.