When it comes to consumer technology, I love Apple. I use a MacBook Air M1 daily, and have rounded out my tech arsenal with an iPhone 13 and an Apple Watch SE. And, as other users of Apple's ecosystem will know, the whole thing just works.
It's seamless and simple, while offering everything I need from my tech setup. With that being said, things have changed a lot since I bought it. I've been very vocal about the Apple Watch getting schooled by cheaper smartwatches – the Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro comes to mind – while competition in the phone space is hotter than ever.
Two releases in particular have caught my eye – the Google Pixel 7 Pro and the Motorola Razr 2022. The Pixel is one of the hottest Android phones on the planet right now, thanks in no small part to Google's ridiculously good software and AI package.
That's most noticeable when it comes to the camera. A host of internal wizardry has made the camera more effective in real-world use. Magic Eraser and Photo Unblur are fantastic tools that will help to enhance images, while the re-mosaicing process used when zooming on images makes for one of the best shooting experiences you can get.
The Razr is a different kind of love – one that leads from the heart, not the head. I love the idea of a foldable phone, particularly one with such history. I owned a Razr about 15 years ago, and there's a beautiful poetry in returning to that, particularly as the formula has been refined this time out. Maybe the homemade folding iPhone would work.
For me, the world of Android phones has leapt forward in the last year. By contrast, the iPhone... hasn't. The vanilla iPhone 14 doesn't give me anything massively different to my 13, and even the best iPhone – the iPhone 14 Pro Max – doesn't make my heart race.
It's good, don't get me wrong, and features like the Dynamic Island are intriguing. But when we're talking about parting with over £1,000, it just doesn't feel justified.
