OnePlus 6

I’m a big fan of Android phones. I am currently the proud owner of a Samsung S9 and a Google Pixel XL2. Those have their pro’s and con’s;

 

S9

 

• High-end specifications
• Good camera
• Dual SIM (the version I ordered)
• Fiddly Touchwiz overlay
• Awkward form-factor (long but not wide)
• Great screen

 

Pixel XL2

 

• Always first with updates
• Super fast
• No bloat ware
• Pure Google Experience
• Large form factor (big, nice form factor)
• Iffy screen
• No dual-SIM

 

I’ve heard a lot of buzz about OnePlus, as the flagship-killer quality and build. Having played with the OnePlus 6 now for two weeks, I can honestly say I’ve now found a non-OEM Android phone that I really like.

 

• Great build quality
• Super-fast!
• Awesome screen
• I love the mechanical mute / change ringer state slider button
• Dual-SIM!
• Pure Android experience
• Almost anaemic in the lack of apps and software pre-installed on it

So far, loving it! Great device.

Bowers & Wilkins PX headphones

I have a headphone fetish. I know. Its a problem.

 

• AKG K550 - simply the best pair of wired headphones for sitting down, listening. Painful because they’re so damn big, but pure sonic bliss. Absolutely the best pair of “permanently connected to your amp” headphones for all kinds of music. Probably the nicest to my hearing.
• beyerdynamic T51i - simply the best pair of wired headphones for portable use. Awesome to use, awesome to travel with, but so damn expensive I’m scared to. Probably equal to the AKG’s in terms of sound reproduction, but the cable just gets in the way so it doesn’t get used as much as it should.
• Bose QC35 - simply the best pair of wireless headphones I’ve used. And the noise cancellation ? Sublime! My go-to for sustained listening while being portable to use, and nothing else will be used while actually wanting to listen to something while on a plane.
• Apple AirPods - my go-to portable headphones. No wires, sound isn’t totally rubbish, and the pairing is really easy and works well. Exceeded my expectations by a country mile.
• Klipsch X12i - I had a pair of X10i’s, and they just were overused. Amazing wired in-ear headphones, small and discrete.These used to be my go-to for portable use, but today are only used to provide background when on a plane to let me sleep.
• Bose Soundlink on-ear - not bad headphones, but nothing superlative either.
• Sennheinser RS180 - old faithful, used for those heavy TV / movie watching nights when I don’t want to disturb anyone else.

 

 

The newest addition is a pair of Bowers & Wilkins PX headphones. They’re well priced, and incredibly well presented and made. They just ooze quality, and look like they’ll outlast me.

 

I’ve only used them for two days, but some initial impressions;

• I like that I can adjust the level of noise cancellation (default options are Office, City and Plane) and the amount of vocal to let in (it can apparently tell if someone is speaking)
• I love the build quality and fancy schmancy case it comes with (although I would prefer a hard case)
• Bose has better noise reduction
• They’re very heavy
• USB-C charging is a plus!
• Battery life seems good
• Bass seems heavy and unrealistic (grr, catering to the Beats crowd)
• They do go louder than the Bose, but your ears feel more fatigued

 

I’m doing some travelling, so will put them through their paces to have a point of comparison; right now, the Bose QC35 look like they’re a better pair of headphones in terms of comfort and audio quality.

Samsung S9

So I was told to get a Samsung S9, because it is the latest and greatest from Samsung. I bought the dual-SIM version, to have some flexibility in the number and type of mobile connectivity (the idea being to use one for calling, and the other for mobile data).

 

Like my previous experiences with Samsung, its incredibly well built, and would work well if I didn’t have the privilege of having run stock Android. But, I have run stock Android, and the clumsy Google / Samsung app confusion, Samsung’s insistence on messing with the stock Android experience makes for a clumsy and frankly unnecessary irritation when trying to get things done.

 

And most of the gee whiz features, like the AREmoji, awesome camera, super-slow motion and the edge display are features I don’t use.

If you have access to a Pixel XL2, get that rather. I am also very intrigued by the Oneplus 6. Now that looks pretty interesting, and much better value for money.

 

If its your own money, better value to be had elsewhere.