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This article was published on February 18, 2019

4 unconventional phones we reviewed in the past 3 months, ranked

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4 unconventional phones we reviewed in the past 3 months, ranked

We test a lot of phones here at TNW, which is no surprise considering just how many handsets are released every month. Because we’re lovely, we’ve gone and rounded up four of the models we’ve reviewed in the last three months and ranked them. By how unconventional (read: weird or different) they are.

Why? Because why the hell not?

Here we go!

1) Doogee S90

Doogee — and I think they’ll forgive me for saying this — has a propensity for releasing strange phones. Remember the Doogee Mix 2 phone? Y’know, the one which had to be flipped 180 degrees in order to take a selfie?

Well, the Doogee S90 is weirder. Unequivocally.

A few seconds is all you need to bestow the S90 with the ability to use night-vision, thanks to a separate clip-on module. Why you’d want to is anyone’s guess, but it’s certainly nice to have.

Another add-on doubles the phone’s already impressive battery life by adding an extra 5,000mAh of juice, while another turns the S90 into a walkie-talkie, complete with massive breadstick antenna and everything. (Give the whole piece a read here)

Price: ~£369 on Amazon

2) Vivo Nex 2

Credit: Abhimanyu Ghoshal

Chinese phone brand Vivo didn’t wait even six months after launching its first bezel-less phone to unveil its sequel at the end of November last year.

While the first Nex came with a pop-up selfie camera to allow for a front fascia free of notches and other components, the Nex Dual Display Edition (which I like to call the Nex 2) got even crazier with a second screen on the rear panel.

That allows for a bezel-less display, as well as for better selfies and video calls because you’re not forced to use a weaker secondary camera. Vivo made a bunch of novel design decisions here, and with the Nex 2, it’s proven that an Android phone maker can indeed avoid mimicking Apple for once and create interesting devices on its own. (Read the rest of the review here)

Price: ~$710 on Gearbest

3) The Honor 10 Lite

Slap bang in the middle of 2018, Honor released the venerable Honor 10 smartphone, which we were pretty big fans of. Why? For the simple reason that his drop-dead gorgeous handset offered impressive camera performance and near-flagship specifications for the palatable price of £399 (or €449 in the Eurozone).

Now, Honor’s followed up with the Honor 10 Lite. As the name implies, this is a cheaper version, with suitably scaled-down specifications. But before you write it off as an uninspiring entry-level phone, keep reading. It’s actually really good — especially for its bargain-basement price. (Check the full review here)

Price:~£200 from Honor

4) Asus ZenFone Max M2 Pro

In India’s fast-growing mobile device market, phones priced between Rs 10,000-15,000 ($150-230) sell like hot cakes. In the past couple of years, Xiaomi has been a top choice for customers in the country buying a new device in that range. But it now faces stiff competition from rival brands attempting to match them in value. Case in point: Asus’ ZenFone Max Pro M2, which launched last December.

The company’s betting on a big battery and clean stock Android software to win over customers looking for a mid-range handset. And Asus almost got it right with the Pro M2. (Read all our thoughts here)

Price:~$190 on Gearbest


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