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Are you having a nightmare with your mobile connection? Sometimes phones can develop strange random faults – like only being able to get online when connected to Wi-Fi. Frustrating, we know. Don’t worry though, we’ve put together a list of tips to help you get those connection problems sorted. Make sure it isn’t just a slow connection At times a connection can be so slow that it seems like you have no connection at all. Take a look at the signal bars at the top of your screen, and check there are no symbols that show a mobile internet connection. Prime examples would be: E, 3G, 4G, H, H+ or 46/LTE. Any of these symbols show that your phone is in fact connected to the internet – which means your issue is internet speed. Get in touch with iD to check if there are any connectivity issues in your area. Turn it off and on again Yes, that’s right, the old cliché. But believe it or not, the low-tech fixes are often the most effective. And even if it doesn’t resolve the problem, it’s worth a try. Once it’s off, we recommend giving it a good 30 seconds before turning it back on again. This way, if an app’s malfunctioned or your phone isn’t reading the SIM card properly, it’ll have a chance to reset. Remove your SIM If a restart hasn’t rectified the problem, it’s time to give the SIM card a once over. Switch the phone off again and remove the SIM card. Check the SIM card slot and the card itself to make sure there is no unwanted dust or debris – and then pop it back in and turn the phone on. Doing this also makes sure the SIM hasn’t been knocked out of place at any point. Check your APN settings If you’ve done all of this and your phone still won’t connect to mobile internet, you might need to try something a little more technical. The APN settings are what the SIM card uses to sign in to your network’s mobile data signal. It’s time to take a look and make sure everything’s okay. Here are some full instructions on how to do this with your iD SIM. Still can’t connect? Looks like you might need to leave it to the professionals. Contact iD and a customer rep will be happy to look into this further for you. Got any questions? Ask away in the comments below and we’ll be happy to help.

Looking for a new smartphone? Sony’s Xperia range could be right up your street. They’re amongst the best Android handsets around, and they’re all packed with features. We’re talking amazing screens, fantastic photography and great design. But which model should you go for? Here’s a quick guide to help you out. Sony Xperia XA2 A feature-filled phone that won’t break the bank, the Sony Xperia XA2 is a mid-range successor to the Xperia XA1. This newer model is a slimmer device with more power. Key features It’s got a 5.2-inch Full HD display, and a superb 23MP camera that also shoots 4K footage for video that’s so clear, you’ll want to share it on your living room TV. Who is it for? The Xperia XA2 is a great phone for anyone who’s looking for something slim, powerful and affordable. Get the Sony Xperia XA2 now at ID mobile Sony Xperia XZ1 Want something that’s more of a step up? Then go for the Sony Xperia XZ1. Key features Its metal body gives the feel of a premium phone, so naturally the build quality is superb. The battery life isn’t to be sniffed at either thanks to a Smart Stamina feature that senses when the power is getting low to extend battery life. Who is it for? The HDR screen is incredibly sharp and full of colour, and the slow-mo video footage is butter-smooth. Plus, the 19MP camera shoots amazing video at a stutter-free 960 frames per second. All this makes the Xperia XZ1 perfect for anyone who loves posting pics and vids on their social media pages. Get the Sony Xperia XZ1 now at ID mobile Sony Xperia XZ Premium The world’s first smartphone to feature a 4K HDR display, the Xperia XZ Premium lives up to its name. Key features As impressive as that is, this phone isn’t just about the screen - it also has Sony’s awesome Motion Eye camera, and has dust and water protection (IP67-rated), so you can film in the rain. And then you’ve got those jaw-dropping slow-mo video skills. Who is it for? A phone full of features, and a stylish mirror-like design to make onlookers jealous. It’s ideal for anyone who wants a phone that does more, and looks the part. Get the Sony XZ Premium now at ID mobile Sony Xperia XZ2 Now we’re talking. Sony’s Xperia XZ2 ups the game in terms of design and features with a real head-turner of a handset. Key features The 5.7-inch HDR display is a beauty to behold, as HDR screens can display more colours on screen than non-HDR displays. The result is a brilliant picture whatever you’re watching, and you’ll feel everything thanks to a dynamic vibration system. You can also record in brilliant, crystal clear 4K HDR, and take photos worth sharing with a 19MP camera. The Xperia XZ2 is also the loudest Xperia phone ever thanks to Sony’s S-Force Front Surround sound – which makes it 20% louder than other Xperia phones. Who is it for? It’s for anyone who wants something that oozes quality, will impress their mates, and offers the latest features. Get the Sony Xperia XZ2 at ID mobile Which Sony Xperia phone have you got your eyes on? Let us know in the comments below.

Have you heard about the new Honor Play phone? It’s a new smartphone built for gaming, and has something called GPU Turbo, which boosts gaming performance. It makes your favourite games look better, and feel better to play. But what is GPU Turbo, and how does it work? Here’s everything we know so far. As great as the latest mobile games are, they still have some way to go to match console games. However, they’re getting close. And that’s where GPU Turbo, which is backed by Huawei and its sub-brand Honor – comes in. What is this GPU Turbo? It’s a new feature found on the new Honor Play phone. Huawei and Honor claim it will dramatically improve your gaming experience on mobile. What does GPU Turbo do? It speeds up graphics and processing performance to boost games that use up a lot of power, such as PUBG Mobile, or CSR Racing 2. According to Honor, you’ll get a graphics boost of up to 60%. That’s a massive difference when it comes to making your favourite games look better and feel smoother to play. Lag – something mobile games can suffer from – will also be a thing of the past. GPU Turbo can also reduce your phones energy use by up to 30%. In theory this means your favourite games will be less likely to drain your battery. You’ll be able to play for longer without having to ration your game time. Which games will work best with it? Nearly all games will benefit from GPU Turbo, but it’s the biggest and most graphically demanding games that will reap the rewards most. These are usually the games that take up the most space on your phone, or they might be a mobile version of a big console game you’ve previously played on your Xbox or PS4. Here’s a few of the type of games most likely to benefit most from GPU Turbo in future: • CSR Racing 2 • PUBG Mobile • Tekken • NBA 2K18 • Asphalt 9: Legends What other phones is GPU Turbo heading to? GPU Turbo is heading to (or has already arrived on) the following phones this year thanks to a free update: • Huawei P20 (August 2018) • Huawei P20 Pro (August 2018) • Honor 10 (August 2018) • Huawei Mate 10 Pro (August 2018 • Huawei P Smart (September 2018) • Honor 9 Lite (September 2018) • Huawei P10 Plus (November 2018) To get the update you’ll need a compatible handset. If you’ve got one, just keep an eye out for future updates. Has your phone already got GPU Turbo? If so, then do let us know if you’ve noticed any difference in the comments below.

Torn between the Samsung Galaxy S9 and the Samsung Galaxy S9+? We’re not surprised, both are great Android phones, with amazing photography skills. We love taking photos with either phone, here’s a few reasons why you will, too. Take photos like a pro at any time of day Taking photos at night isn’t easy. Only the best cameras can take a great shot in low light. What you need is a good aperture, and the Galaxy S9 has that. It can automatically switch between two aperture sizes (f/2.4 and f/1.5), for spectacular photos during the day, or late evening in dim light. For dark scenes, the camera lens switches to an f/1.5 aperture to let in more light. You’ll find this perfect for shooting on a night out, or in dimly lit venues like restaurants. During the day, the lens goes back to f./2.4 for clear daytime photos that are sharp and full of colour. Slicker slow-motion shooting Slow-motion video recording isn’t an entirely new feature, but it’s something the Galaxy S9 phones do incredibly well. Recording is at 960 frames per second, which means video quality is smooth, and you won’t miss a single detail while recording a dramatic movie montage. You can also add slow motion bursts to a video clip to highlight a special moment, such as the blowing of candles on a birthday cake, or a special sports day moment. Slow motion makes anything look more exciting. Record in 4K For something a little more conventional, you can give video recording a go on the Galaxy S9. But this isn’t just any kind of video recording, nope. This is 4K Ultra HD video recording, with four times more detail than standard Full HD pictures. Say goodbye to grainy footage, and a warm hello to crystal clear video, captured at 30 frames per second, or a smoother 60 frames per second. That’s as good as anything you’ll watch on your TV at home. Sprinkle some magic on your photos You can make your photos and videos more fun by transforming them into GIFs. Galaxy S9 can transform your snaps into looping GIFs straight from your phone to share with friends. Because everybody loves a GIF. Goodbye, blur For a blur-free picture, the Galaxy S9 has True Motion Detection, and Optical Image Stabilization to detect movement, and compensate for it. The camera records at 960 frames per second to capture every moment. The result is a sharper photo that looks as if it were shot on a tripod, even if you’re hopeless at keeping your hands still. Superb selfies, and studio-quality portraits If there’s an art to capturing the perfect selfies, it looks like the Galaxy S9 has mastered it. Its Live Focus mode even lets you blur the background to your liking, for a professional look. If you like a selfie, you’ll love the Galaxy S9. Simple as. Unlimited storage gives you all the space you need One of the best things about the Galaxy S9 is unlimited photo storage from Google Photos. That way you’ve got space for all the photos and videos you’ll be taking. And that you won’t have to delete anything to make room. Just snap and record away. Every shot and video clip is sorted into chronological order, too. Now that’s handy. And that ends our roundup of things we love about the Samsung Galaxy S9 camera. We’ve enjoyed taking photos on it, and we think you will, too. Perhaps you already have, if so, let us know what you think in the comments below.

You may not realise it, but your phone can help you in more ways than you know. It can get you out of a tight spot, and be a real lifesaver when you least expect. So, with that in mind, here’s a look at five ways your phone can get you out of trouble. Find an emergency route to work You’ve forgotten to set your alarm - nightmare, and now you’re late for that all-important job interview. Stressing will get you nowhere. Instead, whip out your phone, and use one of the many map apps available for Android or iOS phones. Apps such as Citymapper and Google Maps are great at finding you an alternative route, and will tell you how long it takes to get to where you want to go. They will also notify you of any possible delays. Now that’s a real lifesaver. Find a place that does last-minute flower deliveries There’s nothing that gets you in a cold sweat quite like forgetting an important anniversary. It’s a good thing there are plenty of last-minute flower delivery apps you can download to your phone to save the day, such as Bloom & Wild for iOS and Android. You’ll find flowers for all occasions. Or why not use the Ocado app, and purchase some urgent chocolate treats to be delivered if you’re really pressed for time, or use OpenTable to book last-minute seats at a fancy restaurant. Use your torch to locate lost items Besides the camera, the torch on your phone is one of your handset’s most unexpectedly useful tools. It’s essential for locating small items you’ve dropped in a crowded or dimly lit bar. We’d be lost [along with our possessions] without it. Order a cab when you miss the last train home Missing the last train home is a pain. You could get the night bus, but who enjoys that? Nobody. Assuming you’ve had a late night, and your phone still has enough battery, you can download one of the many cab apps available to help you get home. Just don’t forget to check reviews of any service you go with, and make sure the cab company is fully licensed. Download your flight details and boarding pass for safe-keeping Going on holiday can be stressful. It’s not just the last-minute packing, it’s the countless passport checks, too, that are enough to put anyone on edge. Thankfully most airlines have their own app, where you can download your flight details, along with your boarding pass when it’s time to do so. That way you won’t have to worry about losing a bit of paper. How else has your phone got you out of trouble? Do let us know in the comments below.

The Samsung Galaxy A8 has arrived, and there are plenty of reasons to get excited. Why? Because it’s an affordable smartphone, yet one that’s packed with features you’d expect to find on a premium phone. We’ve recently got our hands on an A8, and we’re mightily impressed by what it can do. Here’s what we think of it so far. A screen worthy of your viewing time The A8 has taken its share of inspiration from the more premium flagship Galaxy S8. In fact, the A8 isn’t too far off the same look and feel. The glass front, and rear metal frame is as much of a joy to look at as the S8. The upper and lower bezels around the phone have also been slimmed down, so most of the front is just screen, and distracting black borders around the edge are a thing of the past. As specs go, you’re looking at a 5.6-inch Super AMOLED display with Full HD+ resolution. Naturally the viewing experience is great. The colours are bright and punchy, and images are full of close-up detail. The A8 is also Samsung’s first mid-tier phone to have an 18:9 aspect screen ratio, so you get an amazing widescreen display to watch movies on. And you get to see more of the picture, just as the movie director intended. A camera built for selfie fans Taking a perfect selfie can be tricky. The A8 makes it easier, thanks to a dual camera setup on the front of the phone. The front cameras (8MP + 16MP) work their magic to capture superb studio-quality selfies, complete with background blur. Samsung’s Live Focus feature even lets you adjust the blurred effect long after the photo has been taken. It’s another feature that’s been borrowed from the S8. The rear 16MP camera is no slouch either. It has an f/1.7 aperture, which can take high quality photos in dark conditions, or if you’re indoors, where there’s less natural light. Plenty of power, and a big battery to boot There’s nothing worse than phone lag, when you’ve got too many apps open at the same time, and you must close each one to fix it. You’ll be doing less of that on the A8. It has Samsung’s own Exynos 7885 octa-core processor, and 4GB RAM to boost performance and multitask without crashing. In practice, we could run multiple apps smoothly, including Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds - a large, graphic-intensive game - without fuss. Even better, the A8 has the same 3,000mAh battery you’ll find on the S8. That’s around a day and a half of battery life with average use. Thumbs up As you can tell, we’re more than impressed with the Samsung Galaxy A8. It’s a mid-tier phone, packed with high-end features. The A8 delivers a flagship phone experience, on a device that costs less. Tempted? Then do let us know in the comments below.

Choosing a phone case is tougher than you think. You could get one that offers protection from anything you can throw at it, or one that’s super-stylish, but perhaps not as strong. Still stuck for ideas? Then let us inspire you with these helpful tips. Choose your colour The colour of your new phone case might be the first thing you consider. Go for something bright if you want to transform your phone into a fashion accessory, or something transparent if you want to show off your phone - and keep it protected - without covering it up. Go for something that’s tough Along with looks, protection should be at the top of your thinking. Phone cases come with varying degrees of toughness. How tough you decide to go depends on your lifestyle, and how clumsy you are, because let’s face it, we’ve all dropped our phone at least once. The most rugged cases completely wrap up your phone, to protect it from sudden drops and scratches, and are even certified for guaranteed protection. They’re usually built from impact-absorbing materials to safeguard your phone, whatever happens. Go for one of these if you’re accident prone. Flip out If you want something stylish, that protects your phone, then go for a flip case. They completely cover your handset to protect its screen from scratches. Some even have a small window, so you can still see the display, and any notifications that come through. Flip cases come in all sorts of materials, including leather, if you’re feeling fancy. Think about accessibility One of the worst things you can do is buy a phone case that renders your handset useless. Avoid such a scenario by making sure your new phone case is specifically made for your device. Always read the small print, and make sure it’s compatible with your phone, and doesn’t hide away all its buttons. Extra storage Phone cases aren’t just for phones, some have extra compartments for credit cards, or for keeping your train ticket in a safe place. If you’ve got a contactless travelcard, you won’t even need to take it out of your phone case, just tap your phone at the ticket barrier, and go. And that’s a wrap on our phone case buying tips. Did that help? Then do let us know what you’re going for in the comments below, or any phone case recommendations you want to share.

When searching for a great camera phone, one of the things we tend to look at first is how many megapixels it has. A phone with a bigger megapixel count may sound tempting, but there’s more to a great camera phone than that magic number. Here are a few more things worth considering. All about the lens A good lens is an important – if not the most important – factor when it comes to phone photography. It controls how much light comes into the camera. Many manufacturers have their own trusty external lens supplier. Nokia for example loves using Carl Zeiss lenses in its higher-end cameras, as the company is renowned for high quality lenses capable of capturing crisp, sharp image. The Huawei P20 Pro relies on a Leica lens, in its excellent triple-lens camera phone. Look out for aperture Aperture is another thing to consider. Aperture is measured in f stops, followed by a number. Ideally you should look for anything below f/1.9 - these will be the best at capturing brilliant photography, even when the lighting conditions aren’t so great. A good camera phone should also let you adjust the aperture to suit whatever it is you’re taking a photo of. Dual lenses The best camera phones these days have a dual lens (some have three). And there’s a good reason for it, as both lenses work together to reproduce great-looking photos, complete with that professional-looking background blur you see in magazines. In some cases, one of the lenses is a monochrome camera that takes care of the darker tones in a photo, while the other camera captures the colour, resulting in a picture with sharp, evenly balanced tones. What about the pixels? Pixels refers to the tiny dots on the camera sensor that register light. The more pixels there are, the sharper your photos will be. But, on a phone there isn’t as much space, so the pixels might be smaller, and therefore let in less light. On the opposite side of the scale, larger pixels let in more light. Bigger pixels mean better and brighter colours, and more detail, but you still need enough pixels for it to make a difference. And that’s why the number of megapixels on your phone isn’t the most important factor when choosing a camera phone. The size of them is important, too. Image processors Image processors are like miniature computers inside your phone – they take all the information from the camera sensor, and turn it into a digital image, which is the final picture you end up with. A good image processor makes a massive difference in low light. This is because there’s less information for the camera to collect, so you need a powerful image processor to do its magic. AI: the future of mobile photography AI-fuelled technology is the next thing in camera phones. It understands what you’re pointing your camera at, and automatically adjusts the settings for the perfect photo. It’s a bit like having a professional photographer by your side. In theory it means you’ll never take a bad photo again. And that’s a wrap. We hope you’ll agree that there’s much more to a good camera phone than megapixels. Got your eyes on a new phone for taking photos? Then do let us know in the comments below.

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Google's newest version of Android has an official name at last. The P is for ‘Pie’. It’s rolling out right now, and it’s packed with some extremely handy new features. Let’s check them out. A clever operating system Google Pie will get to know your habits, and use this info in a really smart way. For example, if there are one or two apps you use the most, the battery will make sure there’s some battery left for them – directing power to those apps at the time you need them. On top of the adaptive battery, there’s also a thing called adaptive brightness, which works out for itself how you use your brightness settings. Get more from your apps App Actions is a feature that predicts the next thing you’ll do, and serves you your content faster to save you time. For example, you may start the day at 6.30am with a news update and a check on the trains – your phone will suggest the right app at the right time, and they’ll be right there waiting for you in your app drawer. There’s also a thing called Slices, which displays information from your apps directly within Google Search.The example given by Google is Lyft, the lift-hailing app. Just by Googling ‘Lyft’, you’ll see a ‘slice’ containing the price of your trip and your journey time – and the option to go straight ahead and book your ride. Easier to use Getting around your Android device is about to change – we think, for the better. Gone are the three buttons for home, back and overview (your recently used apps), and in comes a single home button. A simple swipe up will show your most recently used apps, swipe twice (or pull further up) for your app drawer or hold down for Google Assistant. Swipe right for instant access to your most recent app, or swipe and hold for the last few. The back button will reappear when it’s needed. How are you feeling today? There’s a big push for digital wellbeing right now – keeping people in the loop about how much time they’re spending online, that sort of thing. Android Pie is certainly embracing that, with a new dashboard telling you exactly how long you’re spending on your Android device. There’s also a Do Not Disturb setting that silences your notifications, and with Wind Down, the Do Not Disturb features are enabled ahead of bedtime, and the screen faded out. Finally on your digital wellbeing, there’s an App Timer, which does what you’d expect – limits the time you can spend on a particular app, then greys them out on your home screen when your time is up. Rotation selection There’s nothing more annoying when you’re reading something, and a slight movement makes your screen rotate. It’s not the biggest problem in the world, but Google have come up with a simple fix for this simple problem. When you rotate your phone, a button will appear in the status bar. You can press to confirm you want to rotate the screen – otherwise rotation lock will remain on. Fiddly text selection is a thing of the past You may be aware of Apple’s magnifying glass for text selection. Well, Android has caught up, making it easier to zoom in on text and select what you want. Tap the text, then drag one of the text selection handles to see text in glorious large print. Looking after number one Privacy is a big concern – and rightly so. And here’s a great development. Where you’ve given permission for an app to use your location, microphone and camera, it won’t be able to access this while the app is running in the background. When can I get Android Pie? If you’ve got a Google Pixel phone, you’ll get Android Pie as an automatic update. If this hasn’t happened yet, head to Settings, System, Advanced, System update, and tap ‘Check for update’. Other Android phone owners will have to play the waiting game until their manufacturer sends out the update, we’re afraid. All in all, we reckon the new Google Pie will bring great improvements to Android devices. Which features are you most looking forward to? Let us know below.

It’s not long now until Apple unveils its next flagship phone, and the excitement has ramped up another notch with invites being sent out for a 12 September event at Apple's Cupertino campus. The invite doesn't even mention iPhone, or much of anything else, but that hasn't stopped the rumours from flying around. Here's our roundup of what the tech press is expecting from the next iPhone. Or iPhones, rather... A trio of iPhones are expected “Apple Inc. is preparing to release a trio of new smartphones later this year: the largest iPhone ever, an upgraded handset the same size as the current iPhone X and a less expensive model with some of the flagship phone’s key features.” Bloomberg “Here's what's likely to launch this September: 5.8in OLED: This could be called the iPhone 11 or XI 6.5in OLED: The larger iPhone, this could be called the 11 Plus or X Plus 6.1in LCD: A cheaper version, but still with the notch design.” Techadvisor Design and display “With a screen close to 6.5 inches, Apple’s big new handset will be one of the largest mainstream smartphones on the market. While the body of the phone will be about the same size as the iPhone 8 Plus, the screen will be about an inch larger thanks to the edge-to-edge design used in the iPhone X.” Bloomberg “We also expect the new models to feature a notch at the top of the display, incorporating the FaceTime camera and facial recognition sensors.” Macworld Pre-order date “Judging by Apple’s previous launches, the new iPhone is likely going to be available for pre-order on 14 September, before the device officially goes on sale on 21 September.” Expert Reviews Colour “Apple is considering a gold colour option for the update to the iPhone X and the larger model. The company tried to develop gold for the current X handset, but abandoned it because of production problems. All new iPhones since the 5s came in gold, including the iPhone 8.” Bloomberg Camera “According to [reports]…the larger version of the new iPhone will include a triple rear camera. This has been implemented on rival phones, such as on the Huawei P20 Pro.” “The triple-lens camera could improve the iPhone's augmented reality features and give it 3x optical zoom.” Telegraph Other features “Enhanced Face ID is expected, which may include support for multi-position recognition. That would be a godsend since you currently have to hold the iPhone X pretty much directly in front of your face to get an immediate, accurate Face ID authentication.” Forbes Under the hood “Apple's 2018 iPhones are expected to include a new 6-core A12 processor, and the A12, like all of Apple's processor iterations, is expected to bring speed and efficiency improvements.” MacRumours “A new year brings a new chip, always. That means we are likely to see either an A11X processor in the 2018 iPhone models, or an A12 chip, depending on what Apple chooses to call it. Either way, it will no doubt offer performance improvements and possibly battery improvements if you're lucky.” Pocket-lint Are you looking forward to the next iPhone? Post a comment and share your thoughts. Check out our best iPhone deals here.

Smartphone cameras are improving all the time, and these day, we’re all snap happy. But as well as having a great camera, if you really want great photographs, the right app can make all the difference. It’s not just filters – there’s so much that photography apps can do. Here’s our top five. Enlight Feeling creative? Enlight is packed with features. Aside from the standard crop and effect options, you can also alter your shots’ exposure, remove defects, superimpose images and turn your photos into beautiful works of art. It’s the number one photo and video app in 128 countries, and we’re not surprised. Download it here from the App Store Snapseed We reckon Snapseed is a great alternative to Instagram – and as everyone knows all about Instagram, we’re keeping this blog an Insta-free zone. Snapseed has loads of filters, and goes all out to make your photos altogether more arty. It has nearly 30 filters, and tools aplenty to help you edit your photos – things like white balance for colour adjustment, and a healing tool to get rid of those unwanted blemishes. A lens blur tool is great for giving your photos that lovely bokeh effect – very professional. Download it here from Google Play Download it here from the App Store Adobe Photoshop Lightroom It’s like your own portable lighting studio. This is the mobile version of the professional photo-editing app, which makes it dead easy to edit photos in no time. If you’ve got some time on your hands, though, you can make some more advanced edits; for example, you can do things like adjusting lighting curves and exposure. If you subscribe to Adobe Creative Cloud, your photos can be automatically backed up onto other devices. One for the pros, we think. Download it here from Google Play Download it here from the App Store AirBrush AirBrush does as the name suggests. Touch up your selfies or passport photos in moments. Remove blemishes and pimples, whiten your teeth, even apply make-up. But then again, why would you do any of that? You’re perfect as you are. Download it here from Google Play Download it here from the App Store Pixlr Pixlr has the exposure and effects settings you’d come to expect from an app of this kind, and you can up your photos’ personality with overlays and stickers. One of our favourite features is the collage tool – arrange as many as 25 photos in a single layout. It’s perfect as a reminder of a special holiday or memorable night out. And you can add words to your pics, too. Download it here from Google Play Download it here from the App Store Any photo-editing apps we’ve missed? Tell us about your favourite in the comments section.

On average we spend up to two hours per day on social media. That’s a lot of time spent idly scrawling through Facebook and Instagram feeds. Come on guys, your smartphone was built for so much more! So, take a break from social media shenanigans, and take a look at some alternative activities you can do with your smartphone instead. Learn a language with Duolingo (Free on Android and iOS) One way to be more productive away from social media is to learn another language, so why not give Duolingo a go? It’s one of the most popular language apps around, and for good reason. It teaches you by getting you to connect words with pictures, and this visual style of learning is a proven winner. According to Duolingo, 34 hours spent on the app is the equivalent to a full term of university-level education. Get fit with Nike Training Club (Free on Android and iOS) The gym can be an intimidating place for fitness newbies. Feelings of self-consciousness are never far away in the face of muscle-bound, gym-toned bicep-flexers. But guess what? You don’t need to go to the gym to get fitter. You can use Nike’s Training Club app instead. It’s chock-full of routines that you can use to improve your health and fitness, and includes loads of step-by-step video tutorials to show you how exactly things should be done. It’s like having a personal trainer in your pocket. Clear your mind with Headspace (Free on Android and iOS) We all need a break when life gets stressful. Meditation can help, but don’t worry if you don’t have a yoga mat and incense sticks handy. All you need is the Headspace app, and a little bit of personal space. This popular and well-liked app teaches you classic mediation techniques to help you relax, and manage your stress and anxiety levels, and it’s even been proven to improve focus. Right, now where were we? Enjoy a good read with Amazon Kindle (Free on Android and iOS) One alternative to spending hours reading tweets is to read a book. Don’t have space for paper books at home? Can’t afford an actual Amazon Kindle? Then get the Amazon Kindle app instead. It gives you a choice of millions of digital books to download. And if you’re an Amazon Prime member, you can read over 1,000 books for free. This app isn’t just for books either - you can also get magazines and newspapers on it. Win some serious cash with HQ Trivia (Free on Android and iOS) We all love playing games on our smartphones, but HQ Trivia is a little different. It’s a live, interactive game show where you can win actual cash prizes. Yes, it really is live, with an actual host and everything – Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson was even a guest host on it a little while ago, so this is an app with some serious street cred. When you’ve downloaded the app, you’ll get notifications to let you know when a live quiz is about to start. Then all you need to do is answer a few general knowledge questions correctly to win up to $2500 (it’s an American app) that you can cashout through your PayPal account. Good luck! Got any more social media alternative apps? If so, feel free to share them in the comments below.

These days anyone with a smartphone can be a filmmaker. But filming a shaky eight-second clip of the family butchering ‘Happy Birthday’ isn’t going to win you any Academy Awards anytime soon. Here are a few smart tricks that could take you from ‘quality’s hazy’ to ‘the next Scorsese’. Tweak your settings Setting the right tone for your video is essential, and the best way to do that is by finding the right setting for what you’re filming. Your smartphone isn’t limited to shooting just one type of video. In fact, most of them offer a few different frame rates and resolutions to choose from. Android users can adjust their settings in the main camera app by clicking on the settings gear wheel. Or, if you’re an Apple user, just go to Settings, scroll down to Photos & Camera, and then go down to the camera section. There are three most commonly used video settings, and here are the benefits of each one… 1080p at 24 frames per second is one of the two most standard settings for capturing video, creating an effective cinematic look. The speed, however, is just above the low end of what a viewer will see as ‘fluid video’ - with the odd chance of a few pixelated or laggy moments. 1080p at 30 frames per second is the other standard resolution. Because there are more frames per second, you get more accurate look of how you would have seen the scene in real life. 1080p at 60 frames per second takes filming a step further in terms of quality. The clip can even be turned into slow motion footage. Ideal if you want to add a bit of suspense, drama or comedy to your video. The joy of 4K If you own a smartphone with 4K recording then you can capture more detail. What’s more, if you didn’t frame a shot in the way you’d like, or want to hone in on something specifically, you can crop in on a 4K video without impacting on its quality. Also, it’s likely that in the next few years almost every screen will be 4K compatible, so shooting in 4K could help make sure your videos look their best in the future. It’s worth bearing in mind that 4K video takes up a lot of space on your device, so make sure you’ve got plenty of storage space available beforehand. Be prepared It almost goes without saying, but before you step behind the camera make sure the lens is nice and clean. The last thing you want is any obstruction - so give it a quick wipe with a soft cloth or cleansing wipe. The way that you hold your phone also plays a big part in the outcome. There are a few ways you can do this. You can tuck your elbows in as you hold the phone in front of you, use two hands or prop the phone up against something for support. And if you’re after the steadiest of shots, you can always invest in a tripod! Third-party apps Apart from the camera app already installed on your phone, third-party apps provide a huge range of shooting and editing tools – and in some cases even special effects. Perfect if you fancy adding a UFO sighting to your next summer BBQ. If you do use a third-party app, make sure you shoot more footage than you need so you can trim and cut later. Are you interested in shooting better videos on your phone? Got any questions or tips to share? Reply below to let us know!

While you’re basking in glorious sunshine, don’t forget about your phone. It doesn’t enjoy hot weather quite as much as we do, so keeping it cool is important. Any prolonged exposure to heat can cause your phone to slow down, and have a huge impact on its battery life. So the big question is, what can you do to protect it? Here are our top tips. Don’t let your phone get sunburnt It’s simple. You should never let your phone stay out in the sun for too long. On a sunbed? Put a towel over it. Chilling in a beer garden? Then find a shady spot, or better still, put your phone in your pocket when you’re not using it. Find any way you can to throw your phone some shade. Don’t leave it in the car either There’s a reason you shouldn’t leave pets in a car. With the windows closed, your car heats up in no time, and the results can be fatal. The same can be said for your smartphone. The extreme heat can damage your phone’s battery, and even the processor inside. Free your phone from its case When we get hot, we sweat, which cools us off. Sweating is something your phone can’t do, so it just gets hotter - especially if it’s inside a case. Removing your phone from its case will let it breathe, and cool down faster. Turn off any apps you’re not using The more apps you have open, the harder your processor has to work. And when you’re working hard, it’s difficult to keep cool. So just make sure you close any apps you’re not using. Turn on airplane mode Another good way to keep your phone cool is to put it in airplane mode. It switches off your data, Bluetooth, and connection settings when you’re not using them. You’ll save on battery life, and your phone will stay cooler. Try not to charge your phone You’ve probably noticed that your phone gets a little heated while being put to charge. We’d recommend delaying charging it, unless it’s absolutely essential. Turn down the backlight Even turning down the brightness of your phone can prevent overheating by reducing battery usage. The battery life of your phone may even last a little longer. Result! Be less gamey We expect you’ve felt your phone warming up while you’re playing big multiplayer games like Fortnite or PUBG (PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds). That’s because these games use up a lot of processing power, which makes your phone go into overdrive. Try to limit the length of time you play for if it’s warm outside. There’s no need to stop playing altogether - just get a feel for how warm your phone is getting, and stop if you feel your handset is getting too hot. Got any more tips for keeping your phone cool in hot weather? Then share them in the comments below. Or post a question if you’re after some advice.

It seems that almost everyone’s playing Fortnite these days. Not only has it been downloaded onto millions of consoles around the world, but you can also play it on your mobile. You can get it free on iPhone here, and it's going to be released on Android devices soon - if you really can’t wait, you can sign-up to play the pre-release beta version here. Fortnite is a lot of fun to play, but actually winning a game is incredibly tough. It’s not impossible though, especially if you follow our 9 top tips below. But first of all, let us quickly explain how to play the game… How to play Fortnite Fortnite begins with you parachuting down onto an island to battle 99 other players. The last person (or team) standing wins the game. Weapons and healing equipment are scattered around the island, and you can collect building materials by hacking various parts of the landscape with your pickaxe. You’ll also need to steer clear of the storm creeping in from the edges of the island. Stay in the storm too long and you’re a goner. The only safe place to be is in the storm’s eye, and this shrinks every couple of minutes – so if you make it right to the end of a game, you’ll usually find yourself battling the last few players on a tiny piece of land. Got all that? Good. Let’s crack on with our 9 top tips… 1. Choose a dream team There are a few different modes available. In ‘Solo’ you’re on your own, in ‘Duo’ you partner up with another player, and ‘Squad’ puts you in a team of four. You can play alongside your friends in Fortnite, so the best way of winning is to team up with your pro mates, and ditch the noobs. 2. Avoid Tilted Towers As you’re floating downwards at the start of each game, you should be thinking about where to land. If you’re in ‘Squad’ mode, you’ll quite often hear a cry of ‘Lets go Tilted!’ from your trigger-happy teammates. Ignore them. Here’s the thing about Tilted Towers. Yes, it’s the most exciting destination on Fortnite. Loads of people head straight for it, so it’s a great place for a fight. Unfortunately, this also makes it a great place to get killed really quickly. So if you want to last longer, don’t do Tilted. In fact, avoid all the locations in the busy middle part of the map, and head to the less populated corners instead. It’s less exciting to begin with, but exploring further out gives you extra time to prepare for battle. We recommend a trip to Haunted Hills. It’s our favourite place, and it’s usually pretty quiet. 3. Stock up on weapons fast As soon as you land, you need to look for a weapon. If you drop down in Tilted Towers and you don’t pick one up in a matter of seconds, it’s usually game over. Weapons and ammo are usually found inside buildings or on roofs, and there are different colour classifications. If you find a grey Common weapon, fine. But keep an eye out for Uncommon, Rare, Epic and Legendary weapons. They’re much more powerful. If you get a legendary SCAR, you’re packing some serious heat. 4. Sniff out treasure chests Look out for treasure chests. Listen out for them, too (they make a sound when you’re close to one, even if they’re behind a wall or in a different room). Opening a treasure chest always gives you lots of goodies. Not just weapons – they might also contain health potions, bandages, medical kits, ammo and building materials. 5. Look out for enemy footsteps One disadvantage with playing Fortnite on mobile is that you won’t always be playing with the sound turned on, especially if you’re in public. This makes it more difficult to hear enemy footsteps. To get around this, use the handy visual indicator that shows you the direction of enemy steps. It warns you if another player is approaching. Be ready to ambush them, or keep your distance if you’re playing it safe. 6. Be jumpy If you’re playing on mobile against PS4 or Xbox opponents, you’re at a slight disadvantage, as they’ll usually be watching the action unfold on a large TV. This means they might find it easier to spot you from a distance. So always be on your guard. Never leave your back turned for too long. And when you’re moving across open space, jump every few steps. This’ll make it harder for an enemy to snipe you from afar. 7. Get to know your weapons It’s important to know your weapon range. Shotguns work at close quarters, so get nice and close to your foe before you fire one. Other weapons work better from a distance, especially sniper rifles and scoped assault rifles. Always make sure you have the correct weapon armed and ready. When you really get to know your Fortnite weapons, you probably won’t even bother picking some up. After all, you’ve got a limited amount of space in your backpack. Our least favourite weapons are boogie bombs and stink bombs. And one person in the iD Community office swears that burst assault rifles are a waste of space. 8. Build for victory Fortnite lets you build barricades and makeshift structures with the raw materials you’ve collected with your trusty pickaxe. This gives you lots of options, and winners tend to be master builders. If you can quickly build a basic structure, then you’ve got a huge advantage over most other players. Build when you’re under attack. As soon as you hear the sound of a weapon being fired, you should be constructing walls all around yourself. You can then add ramps to climb up and give yourself some height advantage. If you’re above your opponent, it’s usually easier to eliminate them. 9. Don’t be a bush camper There are a lot of bushes dotted around the Fortnite landscape, and they can be a tempting hiding place for novices. Please don’t do this. If you’re going to improve your Fortnite gaming skills, you need to be building and battling, rather than hiding. Good Fortnite players are constantly on the move. Have you got any Fortnite tips of your own? How many games have you won? Got a gameplay question? Then add a comment below.

If you’re anything like us, you’re probably draining your phone’s battery in double quick time. So the fast-charging technology you’ll find on many modern phones is very welcome indeed. Many phones have Qualcomm Quick Charge built-in, which can charge your battery up to 50% with just a 30-minute charge. Some phones can charge faster still, with their own boosted charging onboard. In this article, we’ll share a few of our favourite quick-charging phones. Huawei P20 Pro The Huawei P20 is a great phone, with its awesome triple-lens camera. But if you are somewhat snap happy, the chances are you’ll be draining your phone’s battery pretty quickly. Well, The P20 Pro uses Huawei’s Supercharge technology, which gives you a 58% charge in half an hour. The experts at Tech Radar go even further, saying that it “takes 45 minutes to get from 0% to 80%.” Nokia 8 There’s a lot going for the Nokia 8. Not least its front and rear cameras which take dual selfies of you and your subject – forget the selfie, Nokia is all about the ‘bothie’. It’s power, takes great 4K video and is a fast charger to boot. With Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 on board, you’ll get half a charge in half an hour. Sony Xperia XZ Premium Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 is also present and correct right here on the Xperia XZ. And that’s just as well, as you’re likely to drain your battery as you record great super slo-mo clips clips, then upload them to social media – not to mention the videos you’ll be in amazing 4K. With a quick charge, you’re back in business. Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus Another great addition from Samsung, with a stunning Quad HD display and a camera that takes terrific photos even in low light. And with quick charging, well, that makes the S9 and S9 Plus even better. Apple iPhone X Great 5.8-inch Super Retina display, check. An immersive viewing experience when watching movies and playing games, check. Face ID for fast unlocking, check, check, check. And as iPhone X has Quick Charge, and supports wireless charging too, you can get back to doing more of the things you love. LG V30 Our final pick is an entertainment winner – the LG V30, which is available exclusively from Carphone Warehouse. The large 6-inch display with HDR 10 picture technology guarantees great pictures and sharp colours. But it’s not all about the picture – there’s audio tuned by the sound experts at B&O. Oh, and fast charging? Oh yes! Check out our great deals at iD Mobile. Which handset tickles your fancy? Drop us a line in the comments below.

It sometimes feels like flights will last forever. Just how do you go about passing the time? Well, for an answer to that question, you’ve come to the right place. Here are our tips for a fun-packed flight with your phone. Create an offline playlist If you subscribe to music services like Spotify or Apple Music, you can download your favourite albums to play offline. Or create your very own playlist which lasts the length of the flight – you could even fill it with songs to get you in the mood (party songs if you’re off to Ibiza, love songs if you’re on a romantic break away – that sort of thing). Pocket some articles You won’t be able to find articles to read while skimming through Twitter while you in the sky, but you can pocket some articles before you leave to read on the plane. Pocket lets you flip through articles to read offline later. Before switching onto Flight Mode, launch the Pocket app – available through App Store and Google Play – let it update itself with the latest articles, save them and read on the plane – it’s like your personal magazine. Download a boxset You’ve read a bit, listened to some music, and now it’s time to kill more time with a box set. An addictive series will make the time fly by. If you’re on things like Netflix and Amazon Prime, you download a selection of their movies and TV shows. Have a clear out Take the time to have a good spring clean of your phone. Usually, we’re all too busy to take the time to do things like that. What better time than now to get rid of old photos, videos, apps, emails and playlists. It’s a real space-saver, which’ll make even more space for the new memories you’re about to make on this holiday. messages, Listen to a pod With a podcast, you don’t have to concentrate too much. Just close your eyes and enjoy. It may even help you drift off if you’re on a night flight. You could even get some info about where you’re staying – there’s a podcast for everything! How do you pass the time when you’re flying? Tell us below…

The Samsung Galaxy Note9 is only a few days away now, so get ready to be impressed. From the looks of it, it’s set to be to be one of the best Android smartphones ever. Its iconic S-Pen will have more features crammed into its pencil-thin body, including Bluetooth technology, allowing it to be used as a camera shutter button (ideal for selfies), and as a remote control for media presentations. Why do you need a smartphone stylus? If you’ve never thought about opting for a phone with a stylus, now might be the time to reconsider. Here are five reasons why… 1. More accuracy for fewer errors Sure, your fingers do the job – but let’s be honest, they’re not the perfect shape and size for delicate tasks. A smartphone stylus, on the other hand, is. That’s what it’s been designed for. The smaller tips on a stylus gives you greater precision, from choosing documents and files to typing on your onscreen keyboard. It might take some getting used to, but once you do, you’ll find that you’re making fewer mistakes during your day-to-day usage. 2. A cleaner screen There’s nothing worse than a grubby screen, especially if you like watching movies on your phone. Unfortunately, fingers smudge phone screens. Using a stylus doesn’t. Also, using a stylus lets you see what you’re doing on-screen more clearly, while your fingers will typically obscure more of it. 3. Be speedier on your smartphone You can do things quicker with a stylus. Sometimes selecting a block of text to cut and paste can be a bit of a faff. That’s why you’ll appreciate how much more accurate and speedy it becomes with a stylus. Plus, you can whizz through menus and jot down quick handwritten notes when time is of the essence. 4. Master the big screen, better Got a larger screen than you’re usually used to? You can easily navigate around, even if you’ve got smaller hands. If you’re fed up of trying to stretch your fingers to the edge of your display, it could be time to put your stylus to work instead. 5. Set your inner artist free Drawing, sketching and creating artwork on your smartphone is near impossible with your fingers. A stylus makes a huge difference, and gives you more control of brush strokes. You’ll be able to add the kind of fine detail that just isn’t possible with your fingers. Editing photos and videos is another thing you’ll be able to do more accurately with a stylus. It’s the perfect tool for precise tasks like selecting individual pixels. Have we swayed you towards using a stylus? Fancy upgrading to the Samsung Galaxy Note9 and giving the new improved S Pen a go? Be sure to tell us below the line.

Huawei is a phone maker that’s really going from strength to strength. A couple of years ago you might not even have heard of them, but they’re now shipping more phones than Apple. The great thing about Huawei phones is that they offer the latest specs and technology at affordable prices. So if you decide to buy one, you can be confident that you’re going to get a quality smartphone experience without paying over the odds. Let’s take a look at a couple of Huawei handsets that we’ve got some cracking deals on at the moment – the P20 Lite and P20 Smart. We think you’ll be impressed. Huawei P Smart Display The Huawei P Smart is fronted by a striking 5.65-inch FullView display with 2.5D glass. This means you’ll view everything in amazing crisp clarity. Just because the phone has a wider screen, doesn’t mean it’s bigger in size. The thin and lightweight Huawei P Smart fits perfectly in the palm of your hand and is crafted from a single block of aluminium. Camera The Huawei P Smart also takes truly awesome photos. The 13MP and 2MP dual cameras work in unison to capture amazing quality snaps, including perfect bokeh shots if you’re in the mood for an out-of-focus artsy shot. If that wasn’t enough, the large aperture lenses let in more light, so your photos will always be bright and full of detail, even if you’re in your favourite dark and moody nightclub. Round the front, the 8MP selfie camera uses Huawei’s signature Face Beauty tech to enhance your facial features. So your selfies will always look seamless and ready for Instagramming. Performance The Huawei P Smart isn’t just a pretty face. There’s loads going on under the hood as well. It runs Android Oreo out of the box – Google’s latest operating system crammed with features to improve everything from your phone’s battery life to its overall performance. Sharing files is a breeze too, with the Huawei’s Share function. You can transfer files between Huawei phones in a flash, with no internet or manual pairing required. And with 32GB onboard memory (expandable up to 256GB with a microSD card), you’ll always have more than enough room for everything you love. Incredibly, you can pick up the Huawei P Smart for less than a tenner a month at iD Mobile. Check out our deals here. Huawei P20 Lite Display The 5.8-inch FullView HD+ display looks fantastic, with vibrant colours and plenty of detail. The screen stretches from edge-to-edge, so you can completely immerse yourself in your favourite games and Netflix shows. Camera Huawei has packed a seriously impressive dual lens camera into the Huawei P20 Lite, especially when you consider its low price point. The 16MP and 2MP lenses work together to give you crystal clear photos, and it performs brilliantly in low light too. The front-facing camera is a whopping 16MP, and thanks to Huawei's light fusion technology, your selfies will always look clear and bright. Performance Under the hood, the P20 Lite runs on the Kirin 659 chipset, guaranteeing you a speedy and super-smooth performance. The battery weighs in at a cool 3,000mAh, so you can expect a whole day of use before you even need to think about heading to the charger. Interested in buying this phone for as little as £14.99 a month? Check out our deals here. These two fantastic Huawei handsets are just the tip of the iceberg. We’ve got some great deals across Huawei’s entire family of smartphones, with savings up to £150. To check them out, simply head to our pay monthly phone page and select Huawei as the manufacturer on the left hand side of the page.

We all love our smartphones. We rely on them for so much. But there may be some things your phone can do that you didn’t know about. Here are five of our favourites. 1. Snap while you shoot If you can’t decide whether to film some footage or take a photo, why not do both? On iPhone, head to the Camera app and switch to video mode - then start recording as usual. You can then take a photo as you go by tapping the white button to the left of the start/stop button. When looking through your camera roll, you’ll see both your videos and photos. On Android, tap the video icon to record as normal, then press the “camera” or “shutter” icon while you’re filming. Then find your photo in your gallery. 2. Get tethering Need the internet to use your laptop or tablet, but there’s no hotspot around, or no Wi-Fi in the bar or pub you’re in? No worries. You could use your phone’s 3G or 4G to power up instead. On iPhone, head to Settings > Personal Hotspot and toggle the dial across, then find your phone in your list of Wi-Fi options on your tablet or laptop. For Android, go to Settings > Tethering & portable hotspot, and then switch ‘Portable Wi-Fi hotspot’ on. Beware though, it’ll use up your data faster than you’re used to. 3. Good vibrations If you can’t be checking your phone (if you’re in a meeting, etc), you can customise your vibrations, so you’ll know if the call coming in is an important one. For iPhone, head to Settings > Sounds. Click on Ringtone or Text Tone, then select Vibration. Then scroll down to Custom, and select ‘Create New Vibration’. Then assign individual vibrations to specific contacts. For Android phones, you’ll need the ‘Contact Vibrate’ app – it’s free to download. In the app, select ‘Set vibration to contact’, and look for the contact you want to apply the custom vibration to. 4. Brush up on brushing Did you know you can download an app that gives you info on how you’re brushing your teeth, and dissects your technique. We know, what will they think of next?! There’s the Oral-B app, which uses Bluetooth technology to track your position and gives you advice on how you could be brushing all parts of your mouth evenly. 5. Let’s get one thing straight Here’s a way to turn your phone into a spirit level. Download the Bubble Level app from the App Store or Google Play and you’ll never again need to suffer wonky pictures on the wall. Good tips eh? Well, we thought so. If you’ve got any of your own, do let us know below the line.

This is the Nokia flagship smartphone we’ve all been waiting for. The legendary Finnish phone-maker returned in style last year, with an impressive range of mid-tier smartphones. There was just one thing that Nokia fans were crying out for though – a truly premium, high-end device. And now, Nokia has answered their call… The Nokia 8 Sirocco is a luxury flagship handset that the chief product officer at HMD Global (Nokia’s parent company) has described as “the ultimate fan phone.” That’s great news, and not just for Nokia fans - because the Nokia 8 Sirocco is a real stunner. Here’s why we think it’s so special. Slim and elegant design The Nokia 8 Sirocco has a tough stainless steel core wrapped in Gorilla Glass 5. The edges curve into the metal frame, giving the phone a compact look and feel. It’s comfortable to hold, and feels like something that’s built to last. Despite it being so slim (just 7.5mm at its thickest part), HMD Global says it’s the most robust Nokia phone made so far. A display that curves The Nokia 8 Sirocco’s 5.5-inch display curves at the edges, giving you a lot of screen to immerse yourself in. The quality is amazing. It’s a Quad HD OLED display, so everything you look at is incredibly sharp, bright and colourful. And the blacks are deeper than deep – that’s something that OLED is renowned for. Dual lens camera, courtesy of Zeiss The Nokia 8 Sirocco sports a dual lens 12MP and 13MP main camera, tuned by the German optics brand Zeiss. The setup consists of a normal and zoom lens that work together to give you as much of the bokeh effect (that professional looking background blur) that you want in your photographs. The camera has a large aperture of f/1.7 capable of taking clear shots in low light conditions, and there’s also a lossless optical 2x zoom feature. This lets you get in twice as close to the action, without losing any quality at all. If you can’t resist a selfie, don’t panic – there’s a 5MP wide-angle camera at the front of the Nokia 8 Sirocco. It also supports Nokia’s ‘bothie’ mode, so you’ll be able to take those trendy split-screen photos and videos that show the front and back simultaneously, if that’s your thing. Pure Android power The Nokia 8 Sirocco is powered by one of Qualcomm’s latest processors, the Snapdragon 835. It’s backed up by 6GB RAM, so this is a phone capable of handling anything you can throw at it with ease. Oh, and there's also a huge amount of internal storage space for your favourite apps, games and videos - how does 128GB sound? And then there’s Android One. All of Nokia’s new smartphones have it on board, and it really improves the user experience. Android One gives you ‘pure Android’, so there are no added apps or services to wade through - bye bye bloatware. You’re also guaranteed a full two years of system updates, along with monthly security updates. So if you’re thinking of investing in a Nokia 8 Sirocco, it really is a phone for the long term. Interested? If you want the very best of Nokia, you can order the Nokia 8 Sirocco from iD Mobile right now. Or if you’ve got a question, post it below.

If you’re a regular mobile gamer, we’ve got some top tips to help you play like a pro and take things to the next level. So what are you waiting for? Ready up, and read on… Get some extra life Advanced graphics and stunning special effects can really enhance your gaming experience. But they can also drain your battery pretty quickly too. So what’s the solution? For starters, try turning down the brightness on your display. Dimming down the on-screen action to a less eye-melting level is a great way of saving power. You should also think about disabling Bluetooth and Wi-Fi if you’re playing an offline game, and even turning down the volume. These days, most good games come with their own power saving options. Typically, these will reduce the quality of the graphics to extend your battery life. So if your favourite game is hitting your battery hard, dive into its settings and look out for a battery or power saving mode. Last but not least, why not treat yourself to some back-up power? Hardly any smartphones have replaceable batteries any more (boo), so a power bank is the thing you need. As a rough size guide – a 2,000mAh power bank should be enough to fully charge your phone. A 4,000mAh power bank will charge it twice over, and so on. Keep an eye on your data If you’re playing an online game on the go, it’ll be using up some of your monthly data allowance. But actually, your mobile data might get you further than you think. One hour’s play uses as little as 60MB (it could be more though). We don’t know about you, but we thought that was surprisingly low. So, if you’ve got a decent amount of data in your monthly allowance, that’s a lot of playing time. Or why not go offline? From the insanely addictive Plants vs Zombies to the action-filled racer Asphalt 8: Airborne, there are some amazing games that you can play offline, without using an ounce of data. Get the right phone A good phone can really add to your mobile gaming experience, especially if it has features designed with gamers in mind. For example, there’s the stunning Sony Xperia XZ2. Its 5.7-inch HDR display gives you amazing visuals, and dual front-facing speakers blast out all those in-game sounds in stereo. Best of all, the unique ‘Dynamic Vibration System’ lets you experience all the action in your fingertips - it’s a little like the feeling you get with the DualShock PlayStation 4 controller, and really does add an extra dimension. Check out our Sony Xperia XZ2 deals here. Stay safe Finally, a few words on safety. We strongly recommend that you sit or stand somewhere safely when you’re playing a game on your phone. Yes, it’s called mobile gaming, but try not to do it when you’re actually walking about. Having said that, we realise that there are certain mobile games that use augmented reality to interact with your real-life surroundings. Pokémon GO is the obvious example here, but newer games like The Walking Dead: Our World also use the same technology. So if you really can’t stand still when you’re playing a game, always be aware of your surroundings and don’t get distracted. A recent study estimated that Pokémon GO caused more than 100,000 traffic accidents in the US. So if you’ve really gotta catch ‘em all or fight off hordes of marauding zombies, be safe. That’s all.

Summer is here, and when the sun’s shining, there’s no better time to share your smartphone photos on Instagram. With that in mind, here are our top five summer photography tips for your smartphone. Your camera knows best Lots of smartphones on the market now come with AI technology, which assists you in taking professional-quality photos. It cleverly understands what you’re looking at and figures out the best way to shoot it. Whether you’re taking photos of mates at the park, a plate of BBQ food or a landmark in the sunshine, artificial intelligence automatically adjusts the camera settings to get the best possible shot. That means you don’t need to fiddle around with your settings – just aim and capture. Nice and easy. A prime example of AI camera technology at its best is the incredible Huawei P20. Order yours from iD Mobile today. A doubly good photo As you probably know, most phones these days come with a dual-lens camera under the hood. And two lenses really are better than one. Why? Because in some dual lens cameras, you can snap between both lenses easily on the fly, to get different kinds of results depending on what you’re trying to shoot. Depending on the type of secondary camera, it can help you get a sharper image with more detail, give you an ultra-wide angle frame or help you take photos with a shallow depth of field – making your subject really pop. The Nokia 8 Sirocco boasts an amazing dual lens camera. Order yours from iD Mobile today. The power of portrait mode When it comes to putting your friends and family in the frame, nothing looks quite as professional as portrait mode. It uses your dual-lens cameras to keep your subject sharp while creating a beautifully blurred background – perfect if you want to keep the focus on someone special in a nice summery setting. Fancy putting yourself in the picture? You can even take selfies in portrait mode on certain phones. The iPhone 7 Plus camera features a stunning portrait mode. Order yours from iD Mobile today. Become a selfie master If your selfie game is strong but you’re keen to up the ante this summer, a dual-lens camera with a wide-angle lens on the front is the only answer. A selfie may just be a selfie but without the extra field of view, you won’t be able to get more of your friends or the background into the frame. No more having to ask bystanders to take pictures of you and your mates at the seaside or a rooftop bar. The LG V30 has an incredible 13MP wide-angle front shooter for unrivalled selfies. Order yours from iD Mobile today. Boost your range We’re talking HDR – which stands for High Dynamic Range. In short, it takes three shots in a single click, each with a different exposure level: an overexposed, underexposed and balanced shot. Then it combines all three to create a bold image, rich with shadowing and highlighting. So, popping your camera on HDR mode eliminates any overexposed or underexposed anxieties you may have – giving you nothing but the best photos. The Sony XZ Premium has a fantastic 19MP HDR camera. Order yours from iD Mobile today. Got any photography questions? Do you own a phone that takes perfect summer snaps which isn’t mentioned in our list? Let us know in the comments below.

Google launched Android Oreo (Go Edition) a while ago, and you can find it on the new Nokia 1, a great little super-budget smartphone that we reviewed here. But what exactly is Android Oreo (Go Edition), we hear you ask? Okay, let us explain. What is Android Oreo (Go Edition)? Android Oreo (Go Edition) is a new version of Android designed for budget smartphones. It’s been built using the same foundation as the standard version of Android Oreo, but with modifications, such as stripped down versions of Google apps. For example, there’s Google Go, which promises to be an easy way of finding what you’re looking for on the internet. It’s only 5MB, so it’s speedy to download and won’t take up much space. Then there’s Google Assistant Go, a stripped down virtual assistant that lets you do most of the stuff that Google Assistant is capable of. Although you can’t use it to control your smart home devices or set yourself reminders, you’ll still be able to ask questions, send texts, set alarms and loads of other useful things. Gboard Go is another app that gives you most of the standard edition’s best features, including auto-correct, voice typing, GIFs, emojis and multilingual typing. You can get more info on Google’s full range of Android Oreo (Go Edition) apps here. Other Android Oreo (Go Edition) features Android Oreo (Go Edition) will include a handy data management feature, letting you closely monitor and control your data usage. For added security, Google Play Protect is also available – it uses machine learning to search for malicious apps on your phone and keep it safe. What phones will Android Oreo (Go Edition) be on? The first UK smartphone with Android Oreo (Go Edition) is the new super-budget Nokia 1. It’s currently available from iD Mobile at the UK’s lowest price, so check it out here if you’re after a bargain. What do you think of Android Oreo (Go Edition)? Let us know in the comments below. Or post a question and we’ll do our best to answer it.