The huge roar the Titanosaurus Rex makes when it boots up was probably not a deliberate play on the name of this latest DinoPC, but it will make you think some beast has inhabited your new machine and will probably scare off any mammal in earshot. Yes, we've got another big, pricey rig here with Nvidia's ultra-desirable GTX Titan taking care of the pixel-pushing duties.

Last month we saw the excellent Scan 3XS Z77 Vengeance Titan become the benchmark PC for every other Titan-based machine that was to follow it. The Computer Planet machine it was up against simply couldn't compete with the smart choice of components, the aggressive pricing or the top warranty Scan offers.

So, how can this DinoPC compete against something like that? Well, the simple fact is, it can't. The Titanosaurus Rex does tick all the necessary component boxes, and has a fantastically ridiculous name, too: it's got a hefty overclock on its i7 3770K, a decent mobo, quick memory, a mid-sized SSD, lots of data storage space, water-cooling and a very sexy chassis.

The component choice isn't flawless though: DinoPC has opted to go for RAM rated at 2,400MHz, but has halved the amount that either the other Titan machines from last month offered or, indeed, the Wired2Fire Titanosaurus Rex.

It's also opted to add in some relatively pointless extras, including a Blu-ray drive and a pricey motherboard, too.

A hefty price tag

All those definitely add in to the luxury, high-end rig aesthetic, but are practically irrelevant for a machine whose main reason for being is to throw polygons around at high-resolutions and high speeds.

Where the Scan machine did so well was to choose a price-point and stick to it. The Titanosaurus Rex is another £300 (about AU$460, US$455) more expensive than the 3XS rig, and none of that cash has gone in to making this machine perform better where it counts. And since Scan took the choice to make a slight overclock to the Titan card, this DinoPC actually performs worse in-game.

Benchmarks

CPU rendering performance
Cinebench R11.5: Index score: Higher is better
TITANOSAURUS REX: 9.37
3XS Z77 VENGEANCE TITAN: 9.43
DIABLO PHANTOM: 9.22

DirectX 11 gaming performance
DIRT Showdown: FPS: Higher is better
TITANOSAURUS REX: 64
3XS Z77 VENGEANCE TITAN: 74
DIABLO PHANTOM: 46

DirectX 11 gaming performance
Max Payne 3: FPS: Higher is better
TITANOSAURUS REX: 43
3XS Z77 VENGEANCE TITAN: 47
DIABLO PHANTOM: 30

That beefy price tag also means its £700 (about AU$1,080, US$1,065) dearer than the Wired2Fire Diablo Phantom. And while it is faster, there's nothing about it beyond the build quality that makes it worth that price premium. The GTX 680 in the Diablo Phantom is a great GPU, and at £1,600 (about AU$2,460, $US2,430), it's a quality PC at a decent price.

Verdict

There are a few concerns over the setup of the DinoPC Titanosaurus Rex. Remember that roar we mentioned? When you buy a rig of this price - especially one that promises a premium experience - you don't want it to sound like a Harrier jumpjet.

DinoPC has plumbed in the Corsair CPU cooler but minus the controlling software, so the twin fans sit at 100 per cent all the time. It's simply not an experience that suits the high price tag.

Up to the £1,000 (AU$1,530, US$1,500) mark, there's are a huge variety of different specs you can throw into a PC and still come out with a decent gaming rig. Just look at the Daw Computers machine and the Vibox Power FX.

Above that price point though, things stagnate very quickly. From here until the crazy-priced machines with their hex-core Sandy Bridge Extreme and octo-core Xeons, it's all about the Core i7 3770K and whatever overclock the SI can squeeze out of it - and, of course, the Z77 motherboard.

This Wired2Fire machine comes slap-bang in between the lower-end machines, like the Daw and Vibox rigs, and the top-tier Titan machines that are starting to pop up everywhere. But when you compare it with those £2,000+ (about AU$3,000+, US$3,000+) rigs, the only real difference you'll see is in the choice of graphics card that's been used.

At the £1,600 (about AU$2,460, US$2,430) Wired2Fire is targeting with the Diablo Phantom, you're moving away from the cheaper machines that will usually sacrifice some general niceties for top CPU and GPU combos and are getting a full gaming PC with all the benefits you'd expect from a premium rig.

That means that as well as the ubiquitously overclocked 3770K, you've got a quality Asus P8Z77-V motherboard, a huge amount of quick Corsair Vengeance system memory and lots of data storage, as well as two Kingston HyperX 3K 120GB SSDs.

The Diablo Phantom has taken the odd step of using a RAID array to give the SandForce-powered Kingston HyperX 3K drives a bit of a speed boost. But the extra boost from RAID is negligible when you start to include the problems of incompressible data handling you get with SandForce.

Rough edges

The NZXT Phantom chassis that Wired2Fire has used in this build is visually striking but somewhat disappointing. It looks pretty funky from a distance, but when you get up close you can see the plastic of the orange detailing hasn't been finished that well. However, it does run much quieter than the DinoPC Titanosaurus Rex.

Benchmarks

CPU encoding performance
X264 v4.0: Frames per second: Higher is better
DIABLO PHANTOM: 51.44
TITANSAURUS REX: 51.61

DirectX 11 tessellation performance
Heaven 4.0: Frames per second: Higher is better
DIABLO PHANTOM: 23.7
TITANSAURUS REX: 35.2

DirectX 11 1080p gaming performance
Crysis 3: Frames per second: Higher is better
DIABLO PHANTOM: 50
TITANSAURUS REX: 66

Unfortunately, the active cooling doesn't seem to be sufficient for the chip to run stably at the 4.7GHz it came clocked at out of the box. We managed an initial successful run of Cinebench, but further runs fell over and even once we'd taken it down a notch to 4.6GHz (which is what all our benchmarks were run at afterwards), the X264 test struggled to complete.

Verdict

Once it's running, this is a decent rig, and although it's not quite in the same league as the Titans, it's not far off - especially when you consider it's substantially cheaper than the DinoPC and can still happily knock around 2,560 x 1,600 gaming.

Only at Google IO in techy-savvy San Francisco could a Google Glass wearer walk the streets relatively unnoticed. A limited number of these new wearable computing devices have been among the public for months now, and they generally elicit double takes and curious stares.

There were plenty of those lucky Glass owners among the IO crowd, as well as Google reps standing by to demonstrate the technology. At the conference, we had the opportunity to try on Glass, and unbox one of the kits passed out to select developers.

The fitting

Just like a normal pair of glasses, Google Glass needs just a bit of adjustment to be worn properly. It mainly comes down to the nose pads, which make sure that Glass' titanium band runs slightly above the eye line, like a sunshade or visor.

That way, the rectangular screen, which looks something like a prism, sits just above the eye. Using the screen requires you to look up slightly, which helps to keep your field of vision unobstructed.

The striking thing about this new tech is that even though you're wearing it, it does a good job of getting out of the way when not in use. Glass' display quickly goes dim, like an idle smartphone. Still, even when it is in use, it's easy to see the world around you.

Wearing Glass for the first time, we were struck by how light and unobtrusive it was. Lighter than a pair of normal spectacles, we imagine it would be easy to forget you were wearing them, if not for all the stares.

Turning on Glass

Glass is initially activated with a power button found on the inside portion. When you wear it, this switch is not easily accessible, so turning it fully on or off is done only when they are removed.

Glass goes to sleep when not in use, and you can wake it by simply nodding up. This isn't just to save power, but to keep your field of vision clear when you don't need any info. Google reps said that Glass' battery would last all day with "average use." Just like a smartphone, it has micro-USB for charging, and lots of video recording will wear it down before the day is out.

'Ok, Glass'

The Google Glass interface is a lot like Google Now, which is found on any Android Jelly Bean smartphone. From the main screen, saying "Ok, Glass," gets the device's attention, so to speak, and prompts Glass to show you available commands.

There are also Google Now cards - screens of information related to recent searches. They're pretty minimalist, white text on a black background, sometimes with a single image. We swiped through nearby restaurants, email chains and recently captured pictures and videos. This is done using a touchpad built into the right side of the headset. You can also tap to make selections.

An extension of your smartphone

While Glass has its own hard drive (ours had 12GB available), Wi-Fi connection, GPS, and processor (no specifics on the core), all working from Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, it works best as an extension of your smartphone.

It can pair with an Android phone using Bluetooth, which allows it to make calls as well as send and receive text messages. In that way it felt more like the ultimate hands-free device than a wearable computer.

It also suffers a similar stigma to the Bluetooth earpiece, in that it's distracting, and a bit goofy looking. Basically, you're like something out of Star Trek. Whether that's Geordi La Forge or a Borg drone is in the eye of the beholder. The irony is that it's technology designed for subtly that ends up speaking volumes.

It talks back

Speaking of speaking, Google Glass can actually talk to you. There's a little speaker that sits over your right ear. Google reps described it as a bone-vibrating speaker, like something Snake would use behind enemy lines in Metal Gear Solid. Really though, it struck us just your average speaker, and was completely audible to someone standing within earshot, providing the room wasn't too loud.

We asked Glass who the president of the United States was, and it responded with a snippet of Barack Obama's biography. We had trouble hearing it over the din of the show floor, but moving to a back room, it was perfectly audible, and spoke in the sort of lady robot voice of Google Now.

Not Mission: Impossible material

The Google rep guiding our demo joked that Glass would make terrible surveillance technology, and that's by design. Google is actively trying to reduce the voyeur factor by making it rather obvious when Glass is engaged. The screen emits a glow when in use, and spoken commands like "take a picture" make sure those around you are clued in to what you're doing.

You also have to look up to read the screen, so broken eye contact will be a dead giveaway. Your friends will know when you're checking football scores instead of listening to them.

It was also far less like augmented reality than we'd imagined. Putting it on, we thought we see an HUD of some sort, like in a first-person shooter video game. Really though, we felt more like a multitasking administrator than Robocop on patrol for creeps. Even the GPS function just gives you a top down view, with a blue arrow representing your location, just like Google Maps on your phone.

Relatively app-less

The version of Google Glass on demo at IO was a prototype, an early developer or "explorer" version, as Google likes to call them. Given that, there wasn't a whole lot of functionality available to it.

Facebook, Twitter, The New York Times and a few more have apps on the way, but until then, Glass feels more like raw potential than an actual tool.

• Read more: 7 Google Glass apps we can't wait to use.

The interface is also pretty unintuitive, especially the touchpad part. Since only one "card" is visible at a time, you're stuck swiping through them all until you find what you want. We found it easier to just ask Glass to find something again, rather than swipe around for previously accessed information.

Early verdict

Is Glass cool and entirely novel? Yes, it certainly is. Is it a device that will change the life of, or even just prove useful to, the average consumer? That's doubtful.

Glass as we tried it felt like something that would be useful to folks in specialized roles. A surgeon, an engineer, a warehouse foremen or a certain type of viral video filmmaker will likely find a lot of compelling things to do with Glass.

As for the average person, it's a bit of a paradox. We can think of a dozen times where we've been cooking, cleaning or driving and would've loved to have had hands-free, subtle access to Google's wealth of information. But to do so, we've got to wear a piece of headgear that's distracting to those around us.

We also wondered how Google plans to curate the apps that become avaialable for Glass. We've heard about plans for apps that will allow wearers to snap pictures with a wink, which seems to go against Google's plan to keep Glass behavior obvious to those around you.

Google Glass is expected to arrive for public consumption in 2014. When it does arrive, it may change lives, but most likely not your life, or the lives of those around you.

Introduction

Updated: Our iOS 6 review has been overhauled to include the iOS 6.1 software updates.

On the surface, it might not look like much has changed with iOS 6 and the subsequent minor iOS 6.1 updates. However, Apple has added a number of new features over iOS 5, along with continuing in its mission to eradicate Google from the system by default. Apple's YouTube app has gone (Google has since released its own on to the App Store) and Maps now runs with Apple power rather than Google juice.

Elsewhere, the OS is more social (Facebook now joining Twitter in being baked in), Siri's been improved, and countless tweaks (some fairly major from a usability standpoint) are in evidence in the likes of Mail, Safari, Phone and the iOS stores.

Oh, and Apple finally added a clock app to the iPad, which resulted in a legal spat with the Swiss railway network service. It seems not only Samsung is in the photocopying business.

iOS 6 ditches support entirely for the original iPad, but is nonetheless compatible with a surprisingly wide range of devices; iPhones back to the 3GS are supported, as are both the fourth- and fifth-generation iPod touch.

However, the older the kit, the less of iOS 6 you actually get. Some of the big features - Siri, turn-by-turn navigation, panoramic photos and FaceTime over 3G - aren't available for the iPhone 3GS or iPhone 4.

The iPhone 3GS doesn't even get Safari's offline Reading List feature, and Siri's not available for the iPad 2.

So is it worth the upgrade? We've installed iOS 6 (and iOS 6.1) across multiple iOS devices to find out. Our test kit is an iPhone 4, an iPhone 4S, an iPod touch (fourth-generation), an iPhone 5, an iPad 2, and a new iPad (courtesy of Vodafone).

There are more new features than you'd think, even when you don't get all the new features.

The iOS 6 interface

A common criticism of iOS is that Apple never radically updates it. Tech pundits in particular often use words like 'tired' and 'dated' to describe the operating system, suggesting it would be better if you could weld Android-like widgets to it, or if every home screen icon was more akin to a hyperactive child begging for attention, as per Live Tiles on Windows 8.

iOS 6 is typically Apple in being purely iterative. You get the familiar grid of icons on each home screen, and the screens can be swiped between.

Double-clicking the Home button reveals the multitasking tray, which also houses media controls, the rotation lock and an AirPlay button. Swipe left from the first home screen and you access Spotlight, Apple's system-wide search.

So far, so iOS 5, and that level of familiarity will either be warming or maddening, depending on your persuasion. Regardless, it's definitely very usable, even if configuration options on offer are few in number and rapid-sorting settings are non-existent.

However, there have been some small adjustments. The status bar now changes colour on a per-app basis, in an attempt to blend in. This is more visually appealing but muddies the water when it comes to alerts that were once made in part through a change in colour of said status bar.

Better amendments are the new audio controls on the Lock screen and Spotlight search results now displaying the name of an app's containing folder. Apple's penchant for cropping text labels remains frustrating, though, and is increasingly common throughout the OS.

iOS 6 Maps

We feared the worst: with Apple giving Google Maps data the boot in favour of its own, we half expected an app that was just great in America and utterly useless in the UK. We were wrong, but that's not to say Maps is without its issues - and people have since its launch taken to the web to express their displeasure at the new app.

The app uses data from TomTom, including free live traffic information - something you have to pay extra for in TomTom's own iPhone app. The UK maps are generally very good, offering turn-by-turn navigation that Siri can read aloud if you wish.

Most of the app's problems appear to stem from a lack of maturity compared to Google's offering, combined with some missing features. Results based on imprecise locations are frequently poor.

'Stansted' in Google Maps gave us London Stansted Airport during testing; in Maps, a village in Kent. 'Luton' in Maps gave us a village in Devon whereas Google Maps more sensibly defaulted to the large town near London. These problems are endemic, although locations are generally found correctly when you enter more information, such as a post code.

Local search is also extremely variable. Restaurant reviews from Yelp are integrated but are typically sparse or unavailable entirely if you live in a rural area.

Business locations are peppered with errors, such as occasional American spellings (for example, "Exhibition Center") and mapping glitches, such as the one that identified our local Italian restaurant as a Sainsbury's supermarket 15 miles away.

The experience smacks of a lack of testing, and it's not good enough for a feature Apple boasted was best-in-class rather than a beta that required a ton of crowdsourcing for errors.

There were other aspects of Google Maps we missed. Apple's offering fails to distinguish between road types. In Google Maps, you enjoy blue motorways, green major routes, orange A roads, and yellow B roads; in Apple's world, major routes are orange and everything else is white. For visual route planning and at-a-glance sanity checks regarding your current location, this can be a blow.

The Maps app also doesn't have Street View, but the iPhone 4S/iPhone 5 and recent iPads get Flyover View's 3D models of cities. When they're available they're often superb, but they're not widely available yet: for example, London's there, but most other major UK cities aren't.

Also, although Apple makes a good effort to display cities in 3D, some buildings and monuments occasionally look like they've been left in the sun too long and have melted. From a purely navigational standpoint, they're also less generally useful than Street View.

Another missing aspect is public transport, for which you now need an app - Apple offers no replacement whatsoever.

Where Maps does work nicely is as an affordable alternative to expensive turn-by-turn car navigation apps or hardware. With an iPhone securely mounted on the dashboard, you get a very nice experience, with clear directions and fast rerouting if you miss a turn.

It's not perfect - tiny interface elements mean you'll need to take the phone out of any cradle to adjust anything - but we found the accuracy fine on a number of car journeys. These included ones where we specifically tried to get lost, in areas with many recent road changes, some including obscure Scottish roundabout systems. We also reckon the in-car experience pips that of Google Maps, although Google's app is superior as a navigation aid when on foot.

It's worth noting that Maps isn't a standalone app but an underlying system for iOS, and so it also affects apps such as Find My Friends. However, despite our grumbles about the visual display of the maps, we're not so fussed when we're checking whether someone's on time for a meeting as opposed to travelling to such a meeting ourselves.

Siri, Phone, FaceTime and Do Not Disturb

iOS Siri

It's still in beta, but Siri has been massively improved in iOS 6, especially for UK customers: at last Siri can do local searches, so you're not just limited to a subset of the US version's features.

If you liked Siri but found its limitations infuriating in iOS 5, you'll nonetheless perhaps find yourself increasingly using the feature in iOS 6.

Siri can now give you driving directions, tell you what time films are on and whether they're any good, find your friends, provide football scores and launch apps, and it integrates with services including Wolfram Alpha, Facebook and Twitter.

There's also Eyes Free for integration with in-car audio and voice control systems, something Apple is liaising with car manufacturers about.

Apple is rather keen on Siri, not just for answering questions but also for dictating text. We've found computer dictation patchy over the years, but it's genuinely impressive in iOS 6 - especially on the new iPad, where thankfully you don't need to hold the tablet next to your face for it to hear you.

iOS 6 Phone app and FaceTime

iOS 6's Phone app has some welcome improvements. Previously, you were restricted to answering or declining the call, sending the device to voicemail. Now, you can swipe upwards when a call comes in, enabling you to set a reminder to call the person back, or to send a text response.

Reminders can be time-based or location-based, so for example you can set a reminder that kicks in when you get home. The pre-defined text messages are pretty basic but they do the job, and it's also possible to send a custom message instead. Depending on your setup and connectivity, the response will be sent via SMS or iMessage.

FaceTime's also been given a boost: you can finally use it over 3G, provided you have the right hardware (iPhone 5 or iPhone 4S) and the right calling plan. For the most part, UK carriers do not differentiate between FaceTime and Facebook, but check your plan carefully before using or relying on the feature.

iOS 6 Do Not Disturb

The Do Not Disturb feature is one of the best additions to iOS 6. The basic idea is providing a block of time during which the device when locked silences all calls and alerts.

Additional options enable you to allow calls from your 'Favorites' in the Contacts app, or some other user-defined group; additionally, you can allow a call through should someone phone more than once.

Bar yet another date-oriented Apple screw-up at the dawn of 2013, where Do Not Disturb refused to disengage automatically for a week, the feature has worked flawlessly during the time we've been running iOS 6.

Our one complaint is that the schedule needs more granular options. Right now, you can merely set a time period during which you don't want to be disturbed, but it would be useful to have the option to set alternative hours for, at the very least, weekends and public holidays.

Safari and Mail

iOS 6 Safari

Aside from the speed boosts you'd expect from a refreshed browser, Safari for iOS 6 brings with it a number of updates, two of which centre around iCloud.

The rather poor and half-hearted Reading List feature, which saves web pages for you to read later, now works offline. This is a major improvement, although because Safari pulls down the entire document, saving it takes longer than sending a web page to the likes of Instapaper or Pocket. However, Reading List content syncing across iCloud now makes it a potential alternative to a bespoke read-it-later app or service.

Another great new feature is iCloud tabs. Once activated, this enables you to see open tabs on other devices using the same iCloud ID, including Macs running the latest version of Safari.

There are also a couple of interface changes: tap-holding the back button now brings up the history list, and the iPhone and iPod touch now have a full-screen mode, although it's only available in landscape orientation.

iOS 6 Mail

Mail's updates in iOS 6 are relatively small but are nonetheless very welcome. First and foremost, Apple brings its VIP feature to iOS. This enables you to define certain people you communicate with as VIPs and have their emails arrive in the VIP inbox. Ultimately, it's a pre-defined smart mailbox, but it's handy if you're drowning in email and don't want to miss crucial messages from specific people.

Elsewhere, Apple now enables you to insert photos into emails and has included pull-to-refresh with a cute gloopy refresh icon. Additionally, you can now set signatures on a per-account basis, rather than being forced to use the same one for all of them.

Camera and PhotoStream

iOS 6 Camera

We suspect the strength of the iOS app ecosystem is what propelled the iPhone to become the most popular camera on many photography social networks (including Flickr), but the default Camera app has always been a decent option, especially when it gained an optional grid.

In iOS 6, Apple's added a Panorama mode. You hold your device in portrait orientation and slowly sweep horizontally across the scene you wish to capture (if you're going too quickly for the device, you'll be told to slow down). This being an Apple feature, it doesn't provide you with any further options whatsoever.

Fortunately, the automated panorama stitching the Camera app does is generally excellent, to the point we happily ditched third-party apps of this type from our devices.

iOS 6 Photo Stream

Photo Stream was one of those typically Apple technologies: great when it worked, maddeningly frustrating when it didn't, and with almost no options to fine-tune it.

Previously, Photo Stream provided access to your most recent 1,000 photos and/or screen grabs, and that was it. These would be synchronised across devices and computers using the same Apple ID.

With iOS 6, it's now possible to remove images from Photo Stream, and you can now also share custom Photo Streams with other people, or with the public at large via a website on iCloud.com. Any custom Photo Stream can be left as it was when first set up or later updated whenever you like, and those you invite to it can leave comments.

Disappointingly, this is only a shared service in the sense of you sharing your images with others, not you all sharing together. If Apple adds some kind of group Photo Stream, this could be a killer feature; right now, it's certainly a nice-to-have for an ad-hoc share of a few holiday snaps, but hardly something that will worry Flickr or Facebook.

New and updated apps: Passbook, Clock and more

In iOS 6, there are also new apps and a few overhauled ones:

iOS 6 Passbook

We like the idea behind Passbook. Apple describes it as a place that can house boarding passes, store coupons and loyalty cards, tickets, and more.

It's also location-aware, meaning that if the iPhone knows you're in a store, Passbook should root out the relevant card (assuming Apple Maps doesn't think you're oddly lurking in a fire station, say, rather than your local coffee house).

The big problem, though, is the current poor support for the system. Only a handful of UK apps exist, such as Starbucks, a few airlines and iHotel.

Passbook could be a killer feature, but we wonder whether it'll ultimately become another Ping and be quietly killed.

iOS 6 iPad clock

There's always been a strange disparity between Apple devices when it comes to default apps, with the iPad having fewer of them. Bizarrely, even a calculator and clock weren't included with Apple's tablet, presumably because someone somewhere decided nobody would need to calculate things or set alarms and timers on the larger device.

With iOS 6, Apple includes a clock that makes reasonable use of the extra space available over an iPhone display. You get the usual Timer and Stopwatch tabs, an Alarm tab with a nicely designed grid, and a World Clock tab with a map. The map shows the locations of your defined cities along with current weather conditions. Bar Apple's swiping of the Swiss railway network service's clock design, there's nothing to grumble about here.

iOS 6 App Store, iTunes and iBooks

All of Apple's stores on iOS have had a major overhaul, which has sped them up and also showcased Apple's obsession with horizontal bands of content that you can swipe.

There are also some usability boosts, such as iTunes enabling you to access recent previews, and you being able to install multiple apps rather than being punted to the home screen after each one. New apps are pleasingly also given a 'New' badge, so you can easily spot them.

But Apple's often the kind of company to punch itself in the head shortly after delivering a knock-out blow, and these store redesigns are no exception. Too often, item names are truncated to the point where you have to tap into each item to differentiate it from another.

Worse, search results now come in the form of cards that make browsing large lists a horrible chore. With these stores, discoverability on iOS has taken a step backwards, particularly for apps and games.

Updated privacy and settings

iOS 6 privacy and Guided Access

Privacy settings get an overhaul in iOS 6. The Privacy section of Settings gives you a list of items that apps request permission to use: location services, contacts, calendars, and so on. For each, you can revoke access using a slider.

This is also the case with the now fairly deeply integrated social networks, Twitter and Facebook. It's perhaps arguable that the typical user still won't find these options, but Privacy appearing at the top level in Settings and being so straightforwardly designed is a decision that should be applauded.

Also in the realm of permissions and privacy (but also with education ramifications) is Guided Access. Buried in the Accessibility section of General within Settings, the feature when toggled enables you to disable touch, motion and portions of the screen.

A triple-click on the Home button brings up the straightforward interface for defining these features, and Guided Access can also be secured by a four-digit passcode.

iOS 6 Lost Mode

Another somewhat privacy-oriented change in iOS 6 is Lost Mode. This is an extension of Find My iPhone, and once triggered via iCloud.com or the Find My iPhone app it locks down a device in a more useful manner than before.

Rather than just playing an alert and sending a message, it enables you to send a phone number that whoever's got your device can use to call you back on. It's only a subtle change, but one that will perhaps increase the likelihood of you getting a lost iPhone back, assuming your message is a touch more polite than "I'm coming for you, thief!"

iOS 6 useful tweaks

Elsewhere, Apple's made a number of smaller tweaks that make the system more customisable or usable. In the Music app (which has also had an interface overhaul), you can now delete individual tracks and download single items from iTunes Match.

The Share sheet is now a clear and usable grid of icons, and in Notification Center you can add Share widgets for Twitter and/or Facebook. In Settings, the Bluetooth toggle is now on the top level - we'd like it on a home screen somehow, but this is a start.

And in the General > Cellular section within Settings, you can toggle whether cellular data is used for iCloud documents, iTunes, FaceTime, Passbook updates and Reading List. These might all be small things, but each makes a difference and they combine to improve the OS and justify Apple's belief in iteration rather than regular and unnecessary overhauls.

Verdict

The big question about any OS upgrade is, will installing it make you glad you did?

The answer for iOS 6 is yes, but some users answer yes more emphatically than others.

For example, if you've got an iPhone 3GS the upgrade is really just a collection of minor improvements, whereas if you've got an iPhone 4S you're invited to the whole iOS party.

We liked

The two biggest changes to iOS 6 are Maps and Siri. It's easy to jeer at the former, and Maps certainly has its problems, but it is an excellent choice for in-car turn-by-turn. Siri continues to improve and is now heading towards becoming an essential component of iOS rather than a gimmick.

Do Not Disturb, despite its lack of scheduling granularity, is a triumph. Apple certainly didn't get there first with this feature, but we're sure glad the company got there eventually.

Elsewhere, we liked that Apple's continuing to work with strong foundations and, generally, improving things. Relatively minor updates to Mail, Safari, Camera, Photo Stream, Phone, Share sheets, Find My iPhone and privacy all add up to a big improvement overall.

We disliked

There's no getting away from iOS 6's differences across devices. In some cases, hardware limitations must be to blame, but some feature cuts appear arbitrary and driven by Apple wanting users to upgrade. For example, the iPhone 4's inability to make FaceTime calls over 3G is baffling, considering it works with Wi-Fi.

Elsewhere, Maps isn't good enough in all use cases, and it really should have been, while Passbook is a nice app that has poor support, and some of Apple's design decisions have been questionable. We can put up with the status bar changing colour, but the awkward search and cropped names in all iOS stores are bad to the point of putting you off searching for and buying things.

Final verdict

We could say the same about iOS 6 as we did about iOS 5: it "has been trailed for so long that the element of surprise went ages ago, but there's enough here to make your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch feel shiny and new all over again."

iOS 6 is rather like the iPhone 5 or OS X Mountain Lion - the refinement of something that already works extremely well. Apple isn't overhauling things for the sake of it but, in the main, making the iOS experience gradually better. That in itself is something other companies would do well to emulate.

Introduction and design

With a cutting-edge camera, a super-slim design and the ability to withstand life's knocks and bumps (and Android Jelly Bean to boot) the Xperia Z is a phone that's got us fired up about Sony Mobile again.

Earlier handsets such as the Sony Xperia S and Sony Xperia T were extremely promising from a brand striking out on its own - but it's with the Xperia Z that Sony is really banking on making a cataclysmic dent in the makeup of the smartphone market.

The Android Jelly Bean-toting (albeit only 4.1) Sony Xperia Z comes with some of the best specs on the market - and it's one of the most eagerly awaited handsets of recent months. Launched before the HTC One or Samsung Galaxy S4, Sony clearly hoped to steal an early march on its competitors.

And it's got the power to match up: a quad-core 1.5GHz Snaprdragon Krait processor, 13MP camera, 16GB storage (expandable, woohoo!), 2GB RAM, water and dust-resistant, 1080p HD screen with Bravia Engine, LTE, to name a few. You couldn't make this stuff up - this is the company that had a part in the Satio, after all.

As soon as we took our review unit out of the box, we were mesmerised. This feels and looks like a premium, high quality product. Sony is one of the few manufacturers that can take what is, effectively, a plain black square and make it into something beautiful. Manufactured from piano black, high gloss glass both front and black, it could have come from the same stable as the Google Nexus 4.

Though maybe we are overestimating it, viewing the Sony Xperia Z through geek-tinted goggles - because while we were blown away, others came out with the line that Sony will be hoping doesn't cross too many punters' lips: "looks like every other smartphone out there though, doesn't it?"

One thing the Sony Xperia Z certainly does have in common with every other smartphone out there is the fact that it is a pure magnet for fingerprints. You'll struggle to keep it clean all day long without either surgical gloves or a can of Mr Sheen in your bag.

As is fast becoming the norm, you can expect to pick the Sony Xperia Z up in white too. On top of that, O2 in the UK is exclusively offering a purple variant.

If you're coming from something like a Samsung Galaxy S3, it'll feel similar, if a little larger, in terms of size: the Sony Xperia Z rocks in at 139 x 71 x 7.9mm/5.47 x 2.79 x 0.31 inches, so there's little room for anything else in your hands.

Coming from something smaller like, say, an iPhone 5, you'll certainly notice the difference. But it's amazing how quickly you'll adapt.

At 146g/5.15oz, it's by no means the lightest handset out there - but the Sony Xperia Z exudes a heftiness that belies a quality device. It's on a par with Apple's offering when it comes to the thickness.

The ports are spread out with the headphone jack up top, the SIM slot and volume rocker on the right - either side of a silver standby button - while both the microSD and charging ports are on the left, alongside contacts for accessories. A watertight port covers each.

The front of the Sony Xperia Z is minimalist - showing off only a Sony logo and front-facing camera. The rear is a little busier, with various tech info printed on it, plus the Sony Xperia logo, an NFC badge, camera light and the all-important lens. That back is stuck fast - as is becoming the custom, you'll have no luck if you want to remove the battery.

Turn it on, and you're not disappointed. Coming from the blackness, the 5-inch screen springs into life. Whether or not you'll like it is down to personal choice.

Some who've used the Sony Xperia Z describe the screen as a disappointment because Sony has gone for TFT - albeit with 1080 x 1920 pixels, giving a pixel density of 441ppi, which would explain why it looks a bit washed out. If you've come from a Super AMOLED screen you'll definitely feel the difference.

We're still fans - this is a razor sharp display from one of the world's premier screen manufacturers, although it doesn't have the wow factor of the HTC One's Super LCD 3 screen.

The only thing that lets it down is viewing angles - if you look at the Sony Xperia Z's screen, dead on, it's sharp enough. If you look at it from the side, it has a strange ability to look incredibly washed out. It's no huge problem - but it does mean the impressiveness of the screen is diminished compared to the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S4 or the HTC One.

One of the selling points of the Sony Xperia Z is that it is also water resistant. There's something slightly unnerving about taking a £529 phone and dropping it in the sink - but that's exactly what we did. And it worked absolutely fine.

Clearly, you'll need to make sure the ports are covered using those watertight protectors, that much goes without saying.

And here's some more good news: the price of the Sony Xperia Z is dropping quite quickly, already making it cheaper than the likes of the HTC One and in some worlds available for under the £30 contract mark for a half-decent whack of minutes.

While it's actually the same price as the comparable SIM-free 16GB iPhone 5, the cost is now closing in on the iPhone 4S on PAYG, so we can't help but feel the Xperia Z is finding its natural pricing level.

Interface

Sony may have broken free of Ericsson but it's clearly decided that the Sony Xperia brand is one worth keeping. And in line with that, some similarities remain other than the name.

It means that when you turn on the Sony Xperia Z, if you've used one before, you'll feel at home. Quite a clever move from Sony, which clearly doesn't want to alienate potential upgraders.

Thankfully, elements such as the shocking Timescape widget have been retired. Smaller, more obvious things like the clock widget stay.

The Sony Xperia Z ships with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Yes, it's not the most up-to-date handset as enthusiasts devour Android 4.2 on Nexus devices, but it's the next best thing, and Sony has promised an update shortly after launch.

For all the money and resources that Sony is pouring into getting this phone into the mainstream, the Sony Xperia Z won't be left sitting on the fringes here, allowing the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S4 superior bragging rights.

Sony's take on Android is customised - but not too much compared to some phones we've seen before.

You get five home screens with no ability to add any more, though such is the Android way, you can always install your own launcher if you want and change that.

By default, you get shortcuts to apps Sony feels you'll treasure most - but again, you can move/delete/add to these as you see fit. One of Android's great strengths is its infinite customisability.

On top of that, Sony gives you its own widgets, such as Music Unlimited or links to its online stores. Most manufacturers do this - clearly, they want to draw you into their own ecosystems. But these can be moved or deleted too if they get in the way.

If you're wondering how you navigate, the answer is on-screen. Everything is done via the screen. Sony has bowed down to Google in this respect.

Where some OEMs will still include their own soft keys, the Sony Xperia Z eschews them for the standard Mountain View options of back, home and multitasking - on-screen buttons that appear and disappear as they are needed.

One thing you'll notice is that this is one speedy son-of-a-Sony. Naturally, with a quad-core 1.5GHz processor - and Android's Project Butter enhancement - we'd have expected it to be quick on all but the most extreme of tasks, so we found little here to induce complaint.

Zipping between home screens is a breeze, and we encountered absolutely no lag.

We're fans of Sony's 'Small Apps' integration. It's a simple idea - tap the multi-app button at the bottom-right of the screen and the Sony Xperia Z brings up not only your open apps but a selection of mini apps that you can launch on the screen in conjunction with what you're doing.

They're basically widgets that stay on-screen, rather than being tied to the home screen.

Sony gives you access to things such as a small note app or a countdown timer with a few options and the ability to download more from Google Play.

If developers buy into the idea, it could work out well, but we sadly don't think they will.

Due to the sheer number of Android variations, there's no financial incentive for developers to build things like this that will only work for one section of the market.

Android's excellent notification bar is here, enabling you to pull it down and view your latest messages and notifications.

Thanks to Jelly Bean, you can now pinch to expand notifications or swipe to clear individual ones. It's all very intuitive and nice to work with.

Sony's also furnished the Xperia Z with shortcuts to toggle settings such as those for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth - the kind of thing you take for granted when you have but rue when you lose.

You can also change themes from within the settings, which is a nice touch. It adjusts more than just the wallpaper and alters menu colours too.

That's one of those things you wouldn't notice if you weren't looking for it, but it's nice to play with. HTC does something similar with Sense, and we think it's great.

Apps are accessed via the app drawer, which you get into from the dock at the bottom of the home screen.

There's not much we can tell you about this if you've used an Android phone before - the apps sit there and can be reordered by alphabetical means or otherwise. Unfortunately, if you have OCD like us, this is the bit you may find yourself wincing at.

See, with the iPhone, you'll find your app icons presented uniformly. They're the same size and shape and it all looks very neat and tidy.

Yet with Android there are no restrictions, so you end up with app icons in all shapes, sizes and colours, and it can look like the inside of a child's toy chest. It's a shame because the Sony icons look beautiful, but as soon as you start adding your own shortcuts, your home screen may start to resemble a scrapbook instead.

If you're an Android fan, you'll pick it up easily. And if you're not, it's pretty intuitive, enabling you to delve in as much or as little as you like to change things or leave them as is.

We also have to give a quick heads up here to Google Now - first introduced in Jelly Bean 4.1 and all present.

It's supposed to help manage your life by telling you how long the journey home from work will take or what the weather's like. You can track parcels or view photos of local beauty spots.

It's a great idea in principle but it still all feels a little bit Beta.

Google Now is not a Siri-rip-off. Rather, it's Google's interpretation of a mobile assistant. We just can't help wondering how that interpretation was reached, at least until it starts to really offer you information that is tailored for your life, rather than sometimes accidentally waking you up to tell you that it's time to leave for a meeting on the other side of the world (a problem if you have a shared international calendar).

Contacts and calling

We have to hand it to Sony here for not making changes for change's sake - Android has a great contacts system and thankfully, Sony has recognised this by keeping it and giving it a mere cosmetic lick of paint.

Contacts download automatically when you first log in to the Sony Xperia Z. They come from your mandatory Gmail account, which is free to set up.

And for those who wince at the thought of being forced to have a Gmail account, you don't have to use it. But it is it an ideal way of backing up those numbers and addresses, should disaster strike.

Accessing said contacts is simple: you just tap the phone icon on the screen - which is also how you get into the dialler - or you can start to type the name of your contacts into the Google search widget on the home screen.

That's if you don't have a contact widget or shortcut installed on your home screen.

This is where you see one of Android's benefits over iOS, which still doesn't allow these sort of shenanigans without going around the houses.

Contacts are displayed beautifully with photos brought in from Facebook, Google or other sources, which is a real cosmetic plus.

Alas, Android doesn't bring them across in high res, so when you get a call, your contact can look rather pixelated, which ruins an otherwise beautiful appearance.

Putting new contact names into the Sony Xperia Z couldn't be easier. Just bring the keypad up, type in the number and hit 'Save.'

You can also add details ranging from their birthday to whom their spouse is.

Social networking isn't supported by default. This highlights the differences with an HTC handset, which tends to want you to sign into a million accounts on setup.

We can't complain too much about this, since we are glad to not to have to endure Timescape anymore.

And anyway, if you use Twitter, Facebook and others it's much nicer to be able to just sign into and use the networks that you - the user - wants to use.

It takes mere seconds to download official or third-party apps, and then you'll find you can hook everything up.

Calling a contact is as easy as tapping the person's name.

We found the performance on calls to be excellent. We sometimes lose track of the fact that a smartphone is a phone, and call quality can range from the brilliant to the unacceptable.

We had absolutely no issues with the Sony Xperia Z's call quality and found that not only did calls connect easily, but they stayed connected even in places where we'd expect them to drop.

One other thing we should mention here is something often not touched upon, but present here, and that's HD Voice. Many handsets support it these days, but it is network-dependent.

We can confirm, however, that it is a brilliant addition to the Sony Xperia Z.

It just makes it a far more pleasant experience when chatting to people - both for them and you.

Audio volume was loud enough for us when talking to buddies, and they reported no issues hearing us.

Again, this will be assisted by the HD Voice element, which helps with noise cancelling.

There is one, admittedly pathetic, point we'd like to raise: the edges of this phone are actually a little sharp and holding the phone close to your ear isn't a comfortable experience. Good that the sound boosting is actually pretty good, then, eh?

Messaging

Messaging is - and always has been - one of Android's strong points. So open is the system that you can download third-party apps such as WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Twitter and so on and they will integrate deeply into the OS - from Calendars to Contacts and Messages.

The beauty is that you can control, in many cases, what access is granted and where.

Apps don't tend to be closed off from each other as they do with Apple devices, and it makes for a much more different (some may say 'fluid') experience.

Android's standard messaging app - which handles SMS and MMS - is very competent, if not a little dull. Most Android manufacturers tend to take it and plonk it into their handsets - sometimes tweaking the odd colour here, or the odd setting there.

Sony has pretty much done that with the Sony Xperia Z, though it has added a few nice functions too.

When composing a new SMS, you can now doodle a little note or picture and then it'll send it as an MMS. Or you can send your location with a Google Maps attachment.

You can do this anyway by going into the Maps app and sending your location from most Android handsets, but it's just a little extra option on the Sony Xperia Z to be able to do it direct from the message app.

Other than that, it's pretty bog standard but does the job well.

Email is handled in two ways - Gmail and Email.

The beauty of using the dedicated Gmail app means that users who are really deeply integrated into the system can use some of its key features on the go as well as on their desktop.

We're talking features such as labels, archiving and advanced search facilities.

The search function really is fantastic compared to others we've seen, but we have to berate Google here for the fact that it still hasn't sorted out the displaying of HTML emails.

They just don't format for the phone's screen, which is pretty ridiculous considering this is Google's own app. Apple's iPhone Mail app has been able to do this since 2007, to put it into context.

You also are not given the ability to automatically download images in emails, which slows down the whole HTML email experience a little. Again, you can do this on iPhones. But Google just won't give here.

To be fair, this is of Google's doing, not Sony's. But this is a Sony Xperia Z running Android, and as such, it will be judged by people as a complete package. The two come hand in hand. Sorry, Sony. That's just how it is. Have a word with Mountain View if you don't like it.

Of course, lots of people don't use Gmail - and if that's you, you do get your own email app here.

It's the standard Android email programme - same as you get in stock Android handsets - but the Sony Xperia Z gives it a little lick of Sony's paint.

You'll find it supports the majority of IMAP/POP3/Exchange accounts and is actually very similar to the Gmail app in many ways.

Helpfully, you can set the account to push emails or poll periodically. This is great if you get a lot of work emails and don't want the Sony Xperia Z beeping constantly.

The Sony Xperia Z's keyboard is a contentious issue. We've heard some say it's a nightmare.

But we would go completely in the opposite direction and say that to some users it will be one of the best keyboards they've used. It is the same keyboard that Google gave us on the Nexus 4, again with a lick of Sony Xperia Z paint.

The first time we used it, it started up and asked us to configure some options. After that, we were off and away.

You can have the keyboard as a standard QWERTY, or add a few extra shortcut buttons too. Or go the other way and have it like a good old phone keyboard with T9 input.

The big thing here is swiping. You can slide between letters without taking your finger off the keyboard, which leads to words appearing in lightning speed.

It's highly intuitive and learns incredibly quickly. Predicted words appear with a choice for you to pick between those you want before committing.

Indeed, the only issue here is that the cursor can end up covering the word you try to select if it's not the one the Sony Xperia Z thinks you want, which can be annoying. It can also randomly flick the cursor around and cut words you're typing in half, or just get annoyed when you try to correct a predicted word.

• Best Android keyboards - 8 tried and tested to give you options

Of course, for those people it's not a problem, as Android has loads of options to let you customise your own keyboard - just head out to the Play Store and look at the likes of Swiftkey and more.

The only other gripe we had is the size of the screen. When it comes to typing messages, it just feels too big.

For people with big hands, it can feel a bit obstructive. For those of the daintier variety, it may seem enormous.

One-handed use is possible, but you just don't get a solid grip and we nearly dropped the Sony Xperia Z several times.

Yes, we have shatterproof glass (apparently), but we don't necessarily want to test that theory.

Google's voice dictation has also received a boost and now recognises more dialects than before. We love the way that words appear as you speak, rather than you having to wait until the end of your sentence and stop and wait.

Unfortunately, Siri still has the edge on actually matching words accurately, which is odd because Google has been offering voice recognition on its handsets since the Nexus One (even if you did have to feign an American accent to get anything done, and even then, it was on a wing and a prayer.)

Internet

Google Chrome is the default browser on the Sony Xperia Z - this follows a choice made by Google to ditch its stock Android browser and bring everything in line, which makes sense.

Prior to Jelly Bean, you had to download it as a separate app from Google Play.

The internet is where the Sony Xperia Z really shines. Not too big, not too small, pages look absolutely mind blowing on that ultra-sharp, bright and vivid display.

Chrome is a fast browser, the Sony Xperia Z is a fast phone and when you throw LTE into the mix, you realise just how powerful this baby is.

If you thought HSDPA+ on the Nexus 4 was fast, you'll be equally (and a bit more) blown away by what you see on the Sony Xperia Z. We loaded the Daily Mail site because it's a data-heavy, busy page rather than the fact that we love reading about Kim Kardashian (it's all lies).

Wi-Fi took four seconds to load it fully (though we could start seeing things after two seconds.) This was on a par with the Nexus 4.

But when we took it down to LTE, it got even faster. Almost instantly, it was all there and ready to go. It's an amazing feat and we couldn't see how it could be better.

Those who aren't keen on Chrome can always replace it as their default browser with something else - Firefox, Dolphin, Maxthon and Opera, to name a few, all provide credible alternatives - but we can't see a strong reason to switch unless you are massively anti-Google.

Or unless text reflow is a big deal, because by default, it didn't seem to work straight out of the box on the Sony Xperia Z.

Thankfully, tap to zoom does - but why only half a job, Google?

When it comes to bookmarks, we're massive fans of the Chrome way.

All of your desktop bookmarks are synchronised with your Google account (so long as you use Chrome on your desktop, of course) and appear on your handset.

Here is where we would also normally lament the lack of Flash. We've been doing this for years. Adobe has ceased Android support and Chrome never played with it on mobile devices.

We won't make a big deal of it, since Flash has clearly gone the way of Betamax and lost out to HTML5.

We'll just say we're sad to not have the option to view many of the sites that still use Flash and haven't/won't be updated for any reason. But que sera sera. It's becoming a less relevant gripe with each new Android handset.

Camera

Sony is one of the beasts when it comes to cameras, and some of its previous phones in conjunction with Ericsson were real belters. But it claims to have moved up a notch with the Sony Xperia Z and catapulted itself right to a premier spot. We're not convinced.

We must have a retro throwback here to the days of the Sharp GX30. A Megapixel camera! What sorcery was this, we wondered? Now, we get 2.2MP on the front snapper alone - which tends to be used for vanity purposes on Instagram, or for Skype action. Previously, this wouldn't have mattered, but with LTE support, sending higher quality video is much easier and much more of a reality. 2.2MP is therefore pretty appropriate.

And that's pretty much the poor relation here when you consider what's on the back - a whopping 13.1MP camera, shooting at 4128 x 3096 pixels and capable of some amazing images. Or you'd think so. Sadly, we would describe our results as average at best.

We'll get the primary niggle out of the way first - there's no camera shutter button. It's such a waste. We have that great standby button on the side, which you could easily mistake for a camera shoot button. But if you want one of those, you're out of luck.

You'll need to get the Sony Xperia ZL for that - and while Android phones don't generally have a shutter button, the fact it's on the Xperia Z's sibling (and Sony has got previous form here) means we're sad it's missing.

The quickest way of getting to the camera is to fire up the phone and swipe from the lock screen. That's one press and one swipe - it's not that much. But it's just a bit annoying not having the immediacy we'd hope for on such an otherwise brilliant device, and it's not the fastest camera to load either.

And to add to that, we found a few times that it didn't work due to some unexplained software glitch. It was solved with a reboot - but doing that means your window for taking the picture may have then passed.

Sony does negate this slightly by offering some quick launch options so that when the camera loads, you can choose to have it automatically launch and capture a photo or video, or just launch. Again, this had an annoying habit of not working until we'd rebooted the Sony Xperia Z.

When the camera does fire up, the screen is phenomenal. You really notice the richness of those colours and the refresh rate as you move the phone around is nothing short of astonishing. What's more, you don't have to manually change scene mode (unless you want to), with a pretty intelligent Superior Auto mode able to tell what you're trying to do. It worked spot on for us every time.

We like some of the other enhancements too, such as the smile options. Smile detection is so last year - so the Sony Xperia Z goes even further and enables you to choose between big smiles, average smiles or small smiles. Who knows how it'll cope with a big smile from a tiny mouth.

You're also able to change the capture mode to touching the screen (at the expense of tap to focus - though in fairness, the tap to focus is pretty hot) and have the camera upload photos to Sony's service automatically. Who needs Photo Stream? Android's just as capable.

And there are lots of scene modes to pick from. Nothing particularly new - from Panorama to Burst Mode - but all things we like to play with from time to time.

As for the actual camera, results unfortunately just didn't wow us. Photos tended to look better on the screen before they were actually shot, but then when transferred to a computer screen, they just looked cheap. Colours are presented well, but there seemed to be a lack of sharpness, and even mildly zoomed in, they came out more like something from a budget or mid-range handset.

Shutter speed is good, but not mind-blowing. Sony touts it as fast-capture and goes on about its Exmor RS sensor, which boasts high dynamic range (HDR) capabilities and is designed to reduce noise in low-light images. For your average Joe Bloggs, we'll just say this - photos are OK for a phone camera but you won't end up using them for anything more than casual use.

Click here to see the full resolution image

Click here to see the full resolution image

Click here to see the full resolution image

Indoor shots are passable - ambient light helps but they still look a little blurry when enlarged - although the low light capabilities of the new Exmor sensor really are impressive compared to the competition.

Click here to see the full resolution image

Click here to see the full resolution image

Click here to see the full resolution image

There are loads of different effects to play with. Most of them, you'll use once and forget about.

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The LED flash struggles to light up a small room in pitch black. It's best for directly shooting an object.

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A little side light helps, but even then, it's not ideal.

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Click here to see the full resolution image

We'd love to make excuses for the lens, but even in daylight, pictures are hardly sharp.

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Panorama mode comes as standard

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The shutter performs adequately, but this is no DSLR

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Bright sunlight can also prove a problem.

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And even the most perfect conditions leave a lot to be desired when you snap.

Video

The Sony Xperia Z's video capabilities are impressive (on paper), with that 13.1MP camera able to give Full HD 1080p recording at 30 frames per second.

For one thing, you're able to select scene modes from landscape, to beach, to party to sports and much more. There's even one for shooting videos of your food, called Gourmet. This is something we're used to seeing in still camera modes, but on videos, it's pretty rare and a great addition.

On top of that, Sony's HDR mode kicks in here to make your movies look better, and given the sheer level of processing going on we're really impressed with the results.

We tried the video stabilisation function and it coped admirably. You're also able to change things such as the focus mode and white balance, which just gives that extra level of usability.

There's not as much of a sharpness issue on video as there is with the still images, and you can see clearly that if something is out of focus, the camera is constantly trying to fix it as you move about.

You do have to be aware, too, that videos shot at Full HD will be absolutely massive. You'll struggle to send them via many email providers, and we ended up having to upload them to Dropbox and then forward people links to view stuff we'd shot. It all felt a little crude.

This is especially annoying when you consider that some phones will automatically resize videos for you or enable you to trim them once shot as par for the course.

Also, remember that if you're on a 4G plan, you'll eat through data like Pacman through those little dots just sending that photo of your Gran pulling a Christmas cracker then falling off her seat.

However, overall the Sony Xperia Z is definitely one of the top phones on the market for those that like to savour life's memories in more than just the odd snap. Once you get the footage off the phone, it's immense.

Media

"When it comes to media, the Sony Xperia Z really excels."

That's what we wanted to say when starting this section, and after fixing some foibles with Mac compatibility, we can really say that it does (see our 'Connectivity' section for info on Mac connection).

Getting music onto the phone with a PC, however, is a real cinch thanks to just being able to drag and drop your files onto the phone's internal memory (or memory card, if you're feeling all expandable).

The process is quick and the USB connection secure, although it's only version 2.0 - but you can connect that up to a big TV using an MHL lead if you so wish.

Google Music is the other option - especially if 16GB isn't enough for you and you don't want to bother with memory cards. But frankly, Sony, it's not great.

Long before the iPhone, the iPod, the iPad, in fact, before the letter 'i' was even invented, many of us were walking around with the market-leading Walkman. If you had auto-reverse, or an FM Radio on yours, you were posh.

It's been one of Sony's strongest - and latterly, neglected - brands, which became a bit of a victim of its own arrogance as it sat at the top of its game. In swooped Apple and ruined it all - although we're not suggesting that's the reason Mac support isn't forthcoming.

Now, Walkman is back in force on the Sony Xperia Z, which, once you do get music onto it, imparts upon you a beautiful experience. We will give that to Sony.

Tunes are presented fantastically with amazing album art, which looks so vibrant on that screen. What's more, you can also engage a visualiser, should you wish.

Music can be viewed by Artist or Album. You can even sign into Facebook and see what your friends are listening to and share musical choices here.

When you look at how Sony has made great use of that screen, it does make your realise just how much Apple really needs to pull its finger out to give a long-overdue makeover to the offering on its iOS devices, which looks very plain by comparison.

If you plan on listening to music through the loudspeaker (we use the word "loud" loosely), then you'll be in for a huge letdown. Not in a long time have we heard such pathetic audio quality from a phone speaker.

We honestly could say that listening to music through the speaker on our old Sony Ericsson K800i six years ago sounded better.

On the Sony Xperia Z, its single speaker, located at the bottom right, just sounded so unbearably tinny, we couldn't wait to turn Girls Aloud off. Maybe it's Sony's way of encouraging you to use the headphones instead. Or to stop you listening to Girls Aloud.

And when you do use headphones, you're in for a treat. The headphones provided are nothing special (though nearly all UK dealers and networks are offering a pair worth £299 free for early customers) but that's by the by.

The quality the Walkman app pushes through even the most pedestrian of headphone is great. In fact, we'd go so far as to pit it as one of the best sound experiences we've had on a mobile device.

The ClearAudio+ option makes for a fantastic audio experience, and you can even dig into the settings and change the ambience from, say, a studio to that of a nightclub, and guess what - it actually does it well.

Of course, there is a third way of listening to your music, and that is to stream it. Not to stream to your phone (though that is possible through Google's Play Music service, which is included) but to stream from your phone using a service called Throw, which is built into the Sony Xperia Z.

This is a form of DLNA, but we tested it from the Sony Xperia Z to a Samsung smart TV fully expecting it to not work on a non-Sony branded device. We were shocked at how quickly and painlessly it connected, and subsequently worked. Take some house points here, Sony.

Incidentally, Sony gives you a shortcut on the lock screen to control the music player. They're just basic controls such as play and pause, next and previous. But similar to the camera issue, it didn't work much of the time and required a reboot.

Playing video is a breeze, and with that screen, you really have little room to complain. Watching movies was painless and we had no issues with the major formats, with the exception of a .MOV file that kept on throwing up errors, despite working elsewhere.

For those who do a lot of commuting, this is an ideal handset, because the Sony Xperia Z is both the perfect size and weight to comfortably hold in the hand.

Again, if you're not using a PC, you may struggle to get movies on unless you can be bothered with a card reader. Or you can buy them direct from Google or Sony. Perhaps that's part of the whole grand plan.

Option three is YouTube - the fantastic native Google app is included and shows here, once again, why it's head and shoulders above the competition, and the sheer clarity of HD video on this screen (when it's something worth watching, like a movie trailer) had our friends agog at the power of the handset.

The addition of the Bravia Engine 2 here is is amazing though - the upscaling it can do to standard definition videos is jaw-dropping - providing you're watching sweeping panoramas or underwater scenes. Boring episodes of How I Met Your Mother will still look pretty much the same.

Anyway, videos are very carefully organised by Sony with the Movies app it has included, and the same goes for your photos. You can view them by source (Facebook, for example) or even where in the world they were shot, using geotag info.

What's more, Sony includes an inbuilt photo editing facility to give budding Instagrammers an extra little something to play with.

It's nice to see an Android manufacturer not be lazy and use the stock Google app, but go all out with its own. Again, hats off to Sony here.

As it has done for years, Sony treats us to an FM radio - and it's brilliant. We were expecting it to be a bit rubbish really, since over the years, with the advent of internet radio, FM options have seemed a little old fashioned and neglected.

Sony has given us something here that managed to cling on well to an FM signal, give us really loud audio (we often struggled to hear radio stations on our Samsung Galaxy S3) and even comes with cool visualisers. It's just cosmetic, but it's really nice to have here. Thanks Sony.

Battery life and connectivity

It's difficult to get an accurate battery life reading, because the Sony Xperia Z is not just a phone.

Gone are the days when we'd simply quote talk times, since you're more than likely to spend more time on the web or using apps than actually speaking to friends.

Sony itself claims you'll get up to 11 hours of talk time and 550 hours of standby time. Of course, that is in optimum conditions (and on 2G - which is two levels down from the norm these days, but there's nothing quite like massaging figures).

And while the battery is large at 2330mAh, we'd say those estimates are pretty optimistic.

Firstly, there is normal use - and then there is advanced normal use.

What we mean by the latter is that the Sony Xperia Z comes with advanced power saving capabilities, including Stamina mode.

This enables you to turn off data when the screen is disabled (with the exception of stuff such as WhatsApp or email, which can be exempted individually through an additional setting).

Anybody who has ever used the incredibly popular Juice Defender app on Android to wring as much potential life out of their device will be familiar with this.

We enabled Stamina Mode and got to work on the Sony Xperia Z. The results weren't bad at all. Sony's Stamina Mode is definitely a real step forward in battery life management.

After taking the Sony Xperia Z off charge at 8am on Sunday morning, we checked our emails and tweets (we'd exempted a few key apps in Stamina mode).

We listened to the FM radio for about 15 mins before switching to music for the next 40 mins played via the headphones. Then, we browsed the web intermittently for about 20 mins over Wi-Fi.

Over the course of the next few hours, a handful of Gmails were sent and received, six text messages, one 20 minute phone call, a four minute Skype call over 3G and some photo shooting were thrown into the mix.

By 4pm, we were down to 26%. We then left the Sony Xperia Z untouched and the power went down slowly, but we had only gone down to 14% by 7pm, although this would have been extended if we'd not exempted any apps.

Listening to music for an hour while on the way home killed it eventually.

We noticed that playing music uses up power like any other memory process - certainly a lot more than an iPhone does.

We thought that was good, bearing in mind many smartphones would struggle to make it through the day on that kind of usage.

You'll still need a USB cable or portable battery handy if you're really going to be hammering the Sony Xperia Z, but it's not a bad result. We've certainly seen far, far worse.

Should you take it out of Stamina mode, it goes without saying that you'll struggle to get results like those, but overall we were really impressed with the upgrade in battery life Stamina Mode offers. If you're thinking of taking a few days away without a charger and just need a phone with calling and text ability, you'll definitely get days' of use out of the Sony Xperia Z.

Connectivity

The Sony Xperia Z comes with pretty much every form of connectivity you could possibly want or need these days - and then some.

Wi-Fi is obviously all there - though we found it doesn't support 5GHz, only 2.4GHz. Nonetheless, speeds were fast and we were able to surf at lightning levels, if not as stable as on other phones with dual-channel bonding.

Bluetooth is naturally supported (Sony's former partner, Ericsson, was synonymous with the technology in the early days) as is HSDPA+/LTE (4G) and NFC. It's low-power Bluetooth as well, (version 4.0) which means that you'll be able to use this phone with all manner of sensors that come on the market. Basically it means the phone is future-proofed - consider this a good thing.

NFC is still at that stage where manufacturers are introducing it, but are unsure how to harness its potential or figure out how it can help them. Still, with the use of smart tags, it comes into its own.

The idea is that as soon as your phone goes near a particular smart tag, it'll complete a function you've determined. You have to have some contact - it's not like a Wi-Fi range where you have to be within x feet - but it's a quick swipe against the rear of the phone to the tag that takes all of a second.

It may be that doing this turns Wi-Fi on or off, it may send a goodnight text to your partner, pair with a Bluetooth speaker or set an alarm. It's super-lazy - but also super-clever.

Sony also includes an app called Xperia Link - the idea being that you install an app on your computer (Windows only, remember. Have we mentioned the lack of Mac support?!) and then you can use your phone's connection to surf the web on your computer. Yep, welcome back to 2001.

This would be great if it wasn't for the fact that you can simply turn the phone into a Wi-Fi hotspot far more easily, by going into the settings.

We've already mentioned DLNA and the Throw technology included in the Sony Xperia Z. There's also the ability to mirror your screen to the television, but despite having success with Throw, we couldn't get the mirroring to work on our Samsung TV.

It could be that this is only compatible with Sony televisions. After all, the Media Remote control app included is only for use with Sony devices. Hardly a massive surprise, but a shame that there isn't a universal solution included.

PC and Mac support

For connecting to your PC, you just use the micro USB cable and it instantly installs the necessary software. However, with Mac support, you'll need to use Sony Bridge, which can be a bit tricky to install.

When you plug the Xperia Z into a computer via USB, a message pops up on the screen of the phone, telling you it will install the relevant sync software on your machine. On a PC, it does it seamlessly, but on a Mac, it just then follows with an error message telling you it can't go any further.

We looked at the Xperia Z section of the Sony website and the support area and, at the time of writing, there was absolutely no mention of Sony Bridge for Mac. Indeed, had we not just searched using Google just now, we'd still be none the wiser.

Anyway, once Sony Bridge was installed, we could tell Sony had put some work into it. It looks different to how it fared under Sony Ericsson and has been given a nice lick of paint. But it's not without fault.

Things got off to a good start when it immediately recognised the Xperia Z was plugged in and was able to tell us how much memory was left. But it went downhill quickly. After looking like it was all about to sync iTunes playlists, it then told us we had 0KB of data being used and 0KB available. Only three reboots managed to fix this.

We then synchronised a short iTunes playlist and two albums from iPhoto. Even the following day, those songs were nowhere to be seen on the Walkman app (though they do appear on Google Music) and the photos did sync, but rather than syncing albums, they were all just thrown into one big visual pit and jumbled up.

We can see Sony has tried here – but it clearly needs more effort, from not just showing that Sony Bridge is available to actually making it do what it's supposed to properly. Considering Sony really hopes to entice iPhone users away, this should be top priority.

Maps and apps

To Sony's credit, it hasn't been lazy here. So often in the past, we've reviewed other Android handsets and the manufacturers have actually been quite tight in what they've included. Not the case on the Sony Xperia Z.

Of course, you get Google's standard suite of apps that come with all Android devices. That includes (though isn't limited to) the excellent Gmail app and the jewel in Android's crown: Google Maps.

The app so good, that it showed how bad Apple Maps was in comparison and then shot to the top of the download chart in the App Store on its release.

Thankfully, it's never been removed from Google (obviously), and has, for the last few years, given one of the best turn-by-turn navigation experiences on the market. Let's not forget this app is free - and it gives you so much more functionality and live information than you would ever get from many other paid for apps.

If you really don't like Google Maps though, you can take advantage of the free Wisepilot for Sony Xperia app. But we can't see why you EVER would.

Aside from this, Sony gives us some other bits and bobs such as a basic note-taking/doodle app and a trial for McAfee mobile security. Obviously, it's keen to get you spending your money there rather than with Google, so although you can buy through Google Play, there are various hints to get you towards its Music Unlimited and Video Unlimited services.

We tried them both and, unfortunately, neither worked. The former took us to a web page where Sony admitted it knew there was a problem but was working on it; the latter just hung up immediately and didn't do a thing. A bit shoddy in our eyes, considering this is hardly a new service.

Perhaps Sony could spend more time on sorting things like this out and less time working on its Play Now service, which it's still flogging like a dead horse on handsets. That too is included on the Sony Xperia Z and is so old, we could swear we had it on the K700i many moons ago.

Office Suite is provided on the Sony Xperia Z free of charge - it's the free viewer version but it does the job admirably, and you can always download more expensive variants if you intend to use the Sony Xperia Z as your main document editing device.

We were also pleased to see a Sony Car app, which paid more than lip service to drivers. We tried it out and found it to be a great addition - offering large buttons and help for everything from navigation to music selections. You do feel, in some ways at least, that Sony has gone the extra mile here (see what we did there?).

And let's not forget that - this being an Android handset - there are hundreds of thousands of apps waiting for you to dive in and start downloading from Google Play.

This is one of our favourite things about getting a new smartphone to play with - it's like delving into a treasure trove. And with a screen like this, many of those treasures will positively glisten in front of your eyes.

Benchmarks

The Sony Xperia Z is a quad core phone powered by a Snapdragon Krait CPU, clocked at 1.5GHz. However, it seems that in raw speed terms it can't hold a candle to the likes of the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4, as the benchmarks below show:

Antutu

Peacekeeper

SunSpider

Hands on gallery

Official gallery

Verdict

Sony's come out here with a very strong message: it's back and it means business. There's no hint of this being a niche Android phone, or by any means a cheap one. Sony wants the Xperia Z to be viewed as the handset of choice, the one that will knock Apple off its pedestal and be classed as the Android device.

It's done this through a design which is, frankly, beautiful. And specs which are, in some ways, unmatched.

It's cheaper than the rivals now, which is good as the higher expense was a real issue for us when the phone first came out.

We liked

The Sony Xperia Z has incredible specs - from that beautiful screen, to its breathtaking design and powerful innards, there is so much that Sony has got right here.

It has built on the strong heritage of the Walkman and given power users one of the things they often desperately crave - a good battery performance and top speeds.

The design is robust and fits very well in the hand - and despite the fact the 5-inch screen is whopping, the way its integrated into the chassis mitigates that issue well. And when you turn on the Full HD screen, well, the clarity is almost mind-melting.

We disliked

But there's always got to be a minus, and there are a few with the Sony Xperia Z. For example, the dust resistance is pretty much nothing more than words in our experience, and it does feel like a large, sharp slab in the hand.

And while the camera is OK, it's hardly mind-blowing. The price is finally more palatable, but still not the cheapest in the world - and we're annoyed about the trickiness of Mac support. Will it affect a large group of users? No - but that doesn't mean it should be neglected at all, given the increasing number of people using MacBooks for media purposes.

Final verdict

There is so much to love about the Sony Xperia Z - and while there are some annoyances, they pale in comparison. Yes, we think it's a bit shoddy that we encountered software bugs, but they are being slowly fixed, and they weren't bad enough that we had crashes or lost data.

The Sony Xperia Z has a strong design and finally represents an Android smartphone that can be used to show iPhone owners that they're not necessarily at the top of the heap anymore.

The price is somewhere approaching acceptable now - and rush out a software update to improve the camera and you have a really strong candidate for taking up your pocket space.

The only problem is, by the time that's happened, the competition from fellow Android manufacturers has grown even fiercer. For now, for those who want liquid protection, we recommend it heartily.

Introduction

After a number of delays and setbacks BlackBerry 10 finally arrived in January and BlackBerry's new mobile platform has already witnessed its major first update in its life cycle with BlackBerry 10.1 now available on all three BB10 devices.

We've explored the new version of the operating system and have updated our BlackBerry 10 review accordingly - you lucky, lucky people.

The BlackBerry Z10 kicked off the Canadian firm's renewed onslaught on the mobile market, but it has since been joined by the QWERTY keyboard toting BlackBerry Q10 and more recently the budget focused BlackBerry Q5.

While in the short term focus will be put on the devices it's the software the handsets are running that is really the key to BlackBerry's long term success, or ultimate demise.

The BlackBerry smartphone range has been in desperate need of a reboot for a while as the likes of iOS 6, Android Jelly Bean and Windows Phone 8 have outstripped the extremely outdated BB OS7 platform.

Whereas the other systems have witnessed incremental upgrades, BB 10 is a totally new offering – the BB OS7 base has been completely scrapped and the new platform rebuilt from the ground up.

BB10 sees the implementation of a whole new user interface, doing away with the familiar BlackBerry system we're all used to in favour of something that resembles the likes of Android and iOS, although with its own unique features thrown in for good measure.

BlackBerry 10 has merged homescreens, widgets, app lists and a unified inbox into one slick interface, offering up an easy-to-navigate user experience.

Lock screen

The first thing you're greeted with on BlackBerry 10 is the lock screen, which not only shows the time and date, but also notifications, unread messages and upcoming calendar events.

There's a button to launch the camera straight from the lock screen to grab a quick snap, just hold down on the icon for three of seconds.

It's slightly longer than we'd like and the simple slide action on some Android handsets is quicker.

To unlock a touchscreen BB 10 handset you need to slide your finger up the screen. As you do, the homescreen below will begin to appear, giving you a sneak peek of what's underneath.

What you can't do from the lockscreen is jump straight into a new message, email or other notification. Instead you' have to unlock the handset in the normal way and then slide into the BlackBerry Hub.

It's not a huge issue but it's something we'd like to see crop up in a future update as it will further enhance the fluidity of BB 10.

When viewing the lock screen you can drag down from the top of the display to show the night time clock mode - which has a lovely analogue clock face and a toggle for your alarm.

The black background and red highlights mean when you check the time in the middle of the night you won't be blinded by a bright display, which is always a bonus.

Homescreen

The main BlackBerry 10 homescreen is comprised of 'Active Frames', technically mini-applications, which give you an overview of information from a particular app and launch the full version when tapped.

BB10 will display up to eight of these active frames, showing your most recently used apps with the latest app appearing in the top-left position.

Only four of these panes can fit on the screen at one time, so you'll need to scroll down to see the rest – which all seems a little pointless, since you can just as quickly swipe sideways to access the app list and launch the app you want from there.

For those of you who may be concerned that these 'Active Frames' could be both data and battery-intensive, BlackBerry assures us that this is not the case, with the QNX core of BlackBerry 10 providing efficient power management, and the frames only downloading the minimum amount of data required for them to update.

To be fair we've seen pretty good battery life from both the BlackBerry Z10 and Q10 during our in-depth review process, so we're inclined to believe BlackBerry's claims.

If you get fed up of seeing a particular frame then you can easily close it by hitting the small cross in the bottom right corner and if you close all the panes you'll be taken by default to the first page in the app list until you open another.

When you're in an app there's no back button on screen to help you exit. This brings us to another key feature of BB10, as it encourages you to use a gesture to quit applications by running your finger up from the bottom of the screen, returning you to the active frame view.

While this is easy to do on the Z10 and Q5 it's a little trickier with the Q10 which doesn't provide any additional space between the bottom of the display and its QWERTY keyboard.

Those who are already familiar with other smartphones will find the action pretty unnatural and it takes a while to get used to the new way of doing things on BlackBerry 10.

Interface

Swiping from right to left on the homescreen will take you to the app list, with 16 apps on the screen at any one time if you're using the fully touchscreen Z10, while the 3.1-inch display found on the Q10 and Q5 only manages to squeeze 12 on at a time.

If you have more than 16 (or 12) apps, additional pages are added and can be accessed by swiping the same way again, which is familiar territory for iOS and Android users.

You can manage your applications by creating folders, which will reduce the number of pages you need to sift through - which is especially useful on the smaller screened devices.

Hold down on an app any they'll begin to pulsate. Simple drag one on top of another to create a folder (sound familiar?), which you can then rename to some relevant.

There's also the option to uninstall apps in this throbbing view, with a small trash can icon appearing in the top right of each app icon - although stock apps such as contacts, browser and calendar cannot be removed. No huge surprise there.

There's a pleasant fading animation as you flick between pages, and you'll see the previous page of apps fade away to the side of the screen, to be replaced by the new page.

When you select an application from the list BlackBerry 10 doesn't automatically open it up. What you get instead is a short animation which sees BB10 zoom to the active frame page where the app appears and then enlargers to fill the screen.

It may be a nice visual effect but it has absolutely no practical advantage and all it does is slow you down, adding another second or so to the app's load time.

At the bottom of both the homescreen and app list you'll notice a shortcut bar, with quick links to the phone and camera applications, enabling you to quickly jump to these regularly used features.

These shortcuts cannot be changed which is a little annoying as we'd like the flexibility to be able to put our most used apps in this handy space.

If you're rocking the Z10 you also get a search link here which isn't available on the other handsets as search is conducted by simply tapping out what you want on the physical keyboard.

For those of you who are a fan of quick settings you'll be pleased to learn that BB 10 delievers in this department.

Slide down from the top of the screen when you're viewing the homescreen or app list and a bar will pop down - in a similar vein to the notification bar in Android - giving you toggles for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, alarm and silent mode.

Tap the icon to turn a particular service on or off, or if you want to fine tune one tap it's name instead you'll be propelled to the relevant area of the settings menu.

A slight annoyance with BlackBerry 10 is the fact that you can only set one alarm, so unless you're good at getting up promptly or adept with the snooze button you may find yourself oversleeping if you're relying on a BB10 device.

This is something which should be able to be tweaked in a software update, but it hasn't arrived with BlackBerry 10.1, so the wait continues.

Something which did arrive with the BlackBerry 10.1 update is the ability to customise your notifications for various accounts.

The famous red notification LED is present on all three of BlackBerry's new handsets and you can now control this along with ringtones and vibration on an account by account basis, and even contact by contact.

We'd have liked it if the LED in question was multi-coloured so you can have it flash, for example blue for a Facebook update, red for a message and green for an email.

Peek and Flow

Peek and Flow are two core aspects that come heavily baked into BlackBerry 10 and they dictate the way you use the system.

Flow refers to the way the whole of BB 10 operates, as you glide between applications and screens with no hard navigation tools such as the back or home buttons that are found on rival handsets.

It's very different to any system we've experienced before, so it took us a few days to get our heads around the various gestures required to effectively use BB10.

At times we wished there was a simple back button below the screen, since it wasn't always clear how to return to the previous screen. But the more we used BlackBerry 10 the more we became used to the way it should be used.

Our concern here is that BB 10 requires a relatively steep learning curve for everyone, even those who have owned BlackBerry handsets in the past.

It becomes easier once you've played with BlackBerry 10 for a few days, but we fear customers may be turned off in-store when they preview a handset.

Onto Peek and this is a smart little gesture enabling you to check your latest notifications and messages without having to exit the current app you're using.

As you swipe up over the screen, BB10 will minimise the pane you're viewing and display notification icons down the left side.

This includes icons for new texts, emails, BBMs, social updates and missed calls, and if any of these pique your interest then continue your finger's motion to the right and the screen will slide over to reveal the BlackBerry Hub so you can see who the message is from.

If it's just a boring newsletter you can return to the app, video or game (which are automatically paused) you were viewing without having to go back to the app list and navigate to it. Unless it's the TechRadar newsletter, which you'll obviously want to read straight away.

This action can be sped up it you want to get straight to the Hub view, just start your finger to the left of the base of the screen and drag diagonally up, which will see the peek movement streamlined.

The whole BlackBerry 10 interface does appear to be very smooth with no sign of lag on any of the three handsets, which makes for a pleasing user experience – once you've worked out the various gestures required to get around, that is.

BlackBerry Hub, BBM and keyboard

BlackBerry Hub

The BlackBerry Hub is the universal inbox found on BlackBerry 10, and it pulls in all forms of communications from calls and texts to emails, BBMs and social updates.

A new addition to the Hub in the BlackBerry 10.1 update is pin to pin messaging, allowing you to communicate directly with other BlackBerry smartphones in a secure fashion.

Of course with so many accounts feeding into the handset, the more popular among us will be quickly inundated with notifications from various different channels, and this is where the Peek idea makes it easy to see when you've got anything new to look at.

To make the reams of messages easier to manage, tap the title in the bottom-left corner of the message centre to reveal a list of all the accounts you have linked up, and then select the one you're interested in – this will then populate the Hub with notifications from just that source.

There are also various options which can be selected for a particular message, hold down on the communication in question and a slim column of tools will pop up to the right for you to choose from, including reply, forward and delete.

If you're using the QWERTY keyboard toting BlackBerry Q5 or Q10 there are predefined shortcut keys to speed up the messaging process.

For example you can hit "R" to reply, "L" to reply all or "F" to forward the email you're currently viewing on screen.

You can start tapping out a text, email, tweet or Facebook post from the homescreen on the Q10 and Q5, as the BB10 integration has the smarts to detect what action you want.

While the BlackBerry Z10 cannot benefit from these shortcuts it has the advantage of packing a larger screen, allowing more content to be displayed at once resulting in much less scrolling for you.

The amount of scrolling on the Q5 and Q10 really bugged us at time as it's frustrating that you can only see four messages at a time.

Drag down from the top of the message centre and the BB10 Hub will automatically pull in your calendar events for that day in the top half of the screen, enabling you to quickly see what you've got on without having to launch the full calendar app.

It's an impressive setup and we reckon other platforms may be looking at the BlackBerry Hub with a little bit of envy.

It's not without its faults though and one of our biggest bug bears is its integration with the peek gesture.

If you read a message and then immediately exit the Hub without returning to the main overview next time you want to peek at your inbox you'll see the message you last read, instead of your new entries.

The way round this is to remember to hit back once you've read/replied to someone, but it feels like a bit of a waste of time and a little unintuitive.

BBM

BBM, or BlackBerry Messenger, has been a cornerstone of the BlackBerry experience for years, and it gets a revamp with BlackBerry 10.

The dedicated application has been given a lick of paint, with easier navigation and a new feature called BBM Video.

BBM Video joins up with BBM Voice, which launched recently on BB OS7, to bring both voice and video calls to the BBM application on BlackBerry 10.

The days of the BlackBerry bolt-ons on phone tariffs have been and gone, with all your BBM activity coming out of your data allowance if you're not connected to Wi-Fi. So you'll need to keep an eye on your data usage.

Adding contacts is easy and within the BBM app you have the choice of tapping in your friend's pin, or scanning their QR code.

You can send, receive and reply to BBMs from the BlackBerry Hub but if you want the full range of options you'll need to fire up the dedicated application.

BBM is set to roll out on iOS and Android this summer which makes it an even more attractive proposition as all your friends will be able to use no matter what phone they're rocking - apart from those suckers with a Windows Phone who aren't getting treated to the social messaging app.

Keyboard

Now all this messaging capability is nothing without an input method, and keyboards are arguably the thing BlackBerry handsets are most known for.

BlackBerry has spoken in length about how it has engineered its on-screen keyboard to bring users the experience they get on the physical version with the all-new touch offering.

Straight up, we can say the BB 10 keyboard on the Z10 is miles better than the pitiful attempt that adorned the Torch range of BlackBerry handsets, but it's not perfect.

The keyboard sports the silver frets that can be found on the Bold 9900, providing additional spacing between lines and allowing for better travel between keys.

These frets also act as the space for the next word prediction, and the more you type the more BB 10 learns and offers smarter suggestions.

We were able to type at a reasonable pace, but we found the next word prediction if anything slowed us down, since the font is too small to easily see, and we found our fingers were covering most of the suggestions anyway.

It's a different story over on the Q10 and Q5 where BlackBerry's prowess in physical keyboards are once again brought to the fore.

While there's no dynamic suggestions popping up above each key you do still get spell check and predictions on screen to aid your typing experience.

In the BlackBerry 10.1 update text manipulation has been greatly improved, making it a lot easier to highlight text on screen, leading to an easier way of editing your missives as well as copying and pasting.

BlackBerry is calling it Fine Cursor Control, and a blue circle will pop up on screen when you hold down on text, allowing you to place the cursor where you want, and also highlight various words and characters.

Camera, browser and more

Camera

BlackBerry is making a big song and dance about its BB 10 camera application as well, especially the 'Time Shift' feature, which enables you to select the perfect smile of your subject after taking the photo.

Fire up the camera app (from the lock screen if you so wish), select 'Time Shift' mode and snap your subject, and the app will then search for faces in the image.

Once a face is located in a photo, you can tap it and literally roll back time to find the point at which your friend had their eyes open and the perfect grin.

If there are multiple people in your snap, you can individually adjust each person, however during our demo we found 'Time Shift' struggled in lower lighting conditions – subjects' faces need to be illuminated well for the camera to detect their mugs.

'Time Shift' did take a couple of seconds after the photo was taken to detect faces and offer us the chance to tweak the image, but this could be down to the fact it's running on a development build of the BB10 software, and speed could be improved in the final product.

Of course the camera can take standard photos and record video alongside the 'Time Shift' function, which itself is an impressive function, but we wonder how much we'd actually use it day to day.

In terms of other features the BB10 camera app is pretty sparsely populated, offering you flash and aspect ratio toggles, the ability to switch between front and rear cameras and a handful of scenes and shooting modes.

A new shooting mode which arrived with BlackBerry 10.1 is HDR, although the lower-end BlackBerry Q5 hasn't been gifted this fancy camera tech with the feature appearing to be reserved for the higher end Z10 and Q10.

We found the auto-focus could be a little tardy at times which resulted us in missing a shot or blurring the image, but the ability to use the volume keys on each of the handsets as a shutter button is a welcome bonus.

Browser

The BlackBerry browser has also had a refresh for BB10, bringing it in line with the minimalist style of current offerings on other devices. The location of the URL bar at the bottom of the page is reminiscent of Internet Explorer on Windows Phone.

Even though Adobe has already ditched future support and upgrades of its Flash platform, BlackBerry has made sure it's built in support for the dying format in BB 10, enabling you to access all your favourite Flash-built sites and videos of Korean men dancing on invisible horses.

Sweep from left to right while in the browser and the Peek functionality comes into play again, this time showing various internet-centric options such as History, Bookmarks, New Tab and your currently opened tabs.

There's also a Reader mode built into the new browser, which lifts article text and images from a web page and displays it in a more manageable and easy to read format, stripping out fancy ads, menu bars and any other clutter that gets in the way of actually reading something.

Reader mode is especially useful on the Q10 and Q5, as their peculiar screen sizes don't work particularly well with regular sites, so having the ability to pull the text out by itself makes it a far more pleasing experience.

The key browser boon however is speed. We found that on all three BlackBerry 10 devices websites loaded in a blink of an eye and it's one of the quickest browsers - if not the quickest - currently on the market.

All three handsets come with 4G connectivity (although the Q5 will be available as 3G only in select markets) which boasts load times when you're out and about and of course Wi-Fi is fully supported as well.

Cascades

Then there's Cascades, a new navigation system cooked up by BlackBerry especially for BB10, enabling quick multitasking from within applications.

The example we've seen is in the messaging app - open an email and it will display full screen, but drag your finger from left to right and the message will slide with you, revealing the inbox below.

This means if you get a new message in the middle of reading an email, you can check who it's from without having to close the application – similar to the notification bar on Android and also now on iOS.

If you were to open an attachment from the email – a PDF document in the case of our demo – pulling to the side to view the Cascade will show the app's layers stacked up. It's a more visual paper trail, if you will.

It's certainly an intuitive feature that we found worked smoothly on the development handset – but it will be interesting to see how this feature is embedded into other applications and if it will have the same pleasing results.

BlackBerry World

Apps were a big talking point in the run up to the launch of BlackBerry 10, with BlackBerry assuring everyone that it had loads of developers creating applications especially for the platform.

BlackBerry World launched with over 70,000 applications in the store and within just a few months that has grown to 120,000 which is pretty impressive and big names like WhatsApp and Skype have finally made it on after being promised at launch.

While 120,000 doesn't sound like a lot when you compare it to the likes of Android and iOS which boast over 700,000 apps each, BlackBerry reckons it's the quality not quantity in BlackBerry World that makes all the difference.

It's good to see strong growth in the BB 10 app store, although it still has a long way to go and there are numerous high-profile absentees which will put a lot of consumers off.

BlackBerry Word itself isn't our favourite app store in terms of design and navigation, with a confusing list of various apps, music and videos on the main page making it difficult to digest all the information.

You can refine your search by categories, which goes some way to working out what's on offer, but there's no option to view just free apps, for example.

The way you go about updating applications has been improved in the BlackBerry 10.1 update, with a notification popping up in the BlackBerry Hub to alert you when a new upgrade is available.

Verdict

BlackBerry 10 is a solid smartphone operating system offering up all the functionality you'd expect, wrapped up in a package that does set it apart from the likes of Android and iOS.

It's not yet at the stage to challenge these two big players, but BB 10's firm foundations means it's more than capable of taking on Windows Phone 8 for the coveted third spot.

We liked

The BlackBerry Hub is an excellent messaging manager tool, giving you total control over all your accounts and it makes it quick and easy to respond to urgent things, while allowing you to ignore others without disrupting what you're currently doing.

We're also seriously impressed by the BlackBerry 10 which offers super some super fast surfing speeds which puts in on par with the best.

The gesture based interface provides an attractive and novel way of controlling the smartphone, but BB10 risks confuses customers as it requires users to operate their handset in a very different way.

We disliked

Applications will be a big sticking point for many, since most people will take the vast offering on Google Play or the Apple App Store over the undernourished BlackBerry World.

Of course it's still early doors for BlackBerry 10 and the app store has seen significant growth since its launch, but its late arrival to the market has seen rivals amass libraries which could be almost impossible to match.

It's great to see Skype and Whatsapp finally land on the BB 10 platform, but there's still many big name apps missing from the line up, and that could be its undoing.

While BB10 provides the Canadian firm with a good start it's still a work in progress and minor niggles which crop up around the operating system can jar at times, reminding you that this is still a fledgling offering.

Some areas of BlackBerry 10 appear to be lacking in terms of features, with budding photographers likely to be disappointed about the lack of options in the camera app, while the ability to set just one alarm is baffling and rather frustrating.

Final verdict

The way you navigate round BB10 is very different to its rivals, and it requires the user to spend a decent amount of time with it to fully understand its complexities.

Once you get to grips with BlackBerry 10 you'll find it's a quick and fluid user experience that enables you to get to the main features quickly without getting lost in various menus and settings.

The thing is, it just doesn't feel as complete an offering as iOS, Android or even Windows Phone, and we reckon BlackBerry 10 has a bit of an uphill struggle if it's to steal users away from those three.

Introduction

Panasonic's Michiharu Uematsu tells us that the company consulted around 100 Panasonic GH2 users, including professional filmmakers, post-production workers and broadcasters, to hear what they would like to see in its replacement - the Panasonic GH3.

Between them they managed to produce a fairly long list, and while Uematsu says the company hasn't been able to give them everything they asked for, he says that they will find 75-80% of their requirements have been met by the new compact system camera (CSC).

Panasonic's main aim for the GH3 was to give it greater appeal to serious photographers and videographers. It has attempted to do this with improved handling, better build quality, more direct controls, an upgraded touchscreen, bolstered video recording technology and Wi-Fi connectivity.

Let's take a closer look.

Inside the Panasonic GH3 is a 16.05MP Micro Four Thirds sensor, which at 17.3 x 13mm is a little smaller than an APS-C format device.

This is coupled with a new Venus Engine FHD processor that enables better noise performance at high sensitivity values, especially in the shadows, thanks to its multi-stage noise reduction system.

Being a Micro Four Thirds (MFT) camera means that the Panasonic GH3 is compatible with a wide range of optics from the two main players in the MFT market, Panasonic and Olympus, as well as a handful from Sigma, Tokina and Voigtlander.

Because the sensor is smaller than full-frame, the lenses are subject to a 2x focal length multiplication factor. This means that the Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm f/2.8 Asph lens, which is available with the Panasonic GH3, gives a focal length range equivalent to a 24-70mm optic on a 35mm camera with a fixed maximum aperture of f/2.8.

Although it is aimed at experienced photographers and has the expected program, aperture priority, shutter priority and manual exposure modes, the Panasonic GH3 also has a collection of automatic scene modes as well as Panasonic's Intelligent Auto (iA) mode that does most of the thinking for you.

So it can be used by less experienced photographers who want plenty of head-room.

Panasonic has extended the GH3's video capability in comparison with the Panasonic GH2, so Full HD footage can be recorded in AVCHD, MP4 or MOV formats, at a range of frame rates including 50p, 50i, 25p and 24p. In addition, MOV and VCHD movies can be recorded with timecode to help with locating scenes or frames and synchronising with other devices.

Movies can be recorded in any of the available exposure modes, and a still image can be captured simultaneously, if required. Full exposure control is also available during recording when shooting movies in Creative Video mode. Slow and fast motion recording is also possible.

In response to feedback, Panasonic has also changed the microphone input port on the GH3 to the popular 3.5mm socket. A headphone port is provided to help with audio monitoring.

The Panasonic GH3 is currently priced at £1549/US$1298 (around AU$1230) online, for the body only.

Build quality and handling

Panasonic has tried to give the GH3 more appeal to serious photographers by improving the cameras build quality over the GH2's. While the GH2 has a plastic shell for example, the Panasonic GH3 has magnesium alloy body to make it more rugged.

In addition, the Panasonic GH3 is dust-proof and splash-proof, which means it can be used in harsher environments than the Panasonic GH2 can be - perhaps even a British summer.

The new model is also appreciably bigger than the camera it replaces. That's not to say that the Panasonic GH3 is an especially large camera, but it is taller and deeper than the GH2, and this gives it a much more robust appearance and feeling.

It's a similar size to an entry-level DSLR, and photographers with small to medium sized hands will find that the grip provides just enough room for all the fingers on their right hand. Large-handed togs, however, will have to tuck their little fingers under the camera body.

Because it's larger than the Panasonic GH2, the Panasonic GH3 has room for a few extra buttons. While this may make it more intimidating to novice photographers, the more experienced target market will appreciate being able to make faster settings adjustments.

The most noticeable arrival is the large scroll-dial on the back of the camera around the navigation controls. This falls very conveniently within reach of the right thumb, and is useful for navigating the menu and setting options.

A row of three buttons has also been added just behind the shutter release to enable you to access the white balance, sensitivity and exposure compensation options quickly. These are used instead of the navigation/short-cut buttons, which have a dual purpose on the GH2.

There are five physical buttons on the Panasonic GH3, labelled Fn1 to Fn5, plus two virtual buttons on the LCD (Fn6 and Fn7) that can be customised. All but one of these buttons can be set to access one of 39 features, giving an impressive level of customisation to the photographer's preferences. For some reason Fn4 'only' has 10 customisation options.

As before, the Panasonic GH3's 3-inch screen is touch-sensitive, but instead of being resistive it is now capacitive (like an iPhone screen) so it responds to a touch of the finger rather than a press. We found it very responsive.

This touch-sensitivity makes some setting changes must faster than on other cameras. When customising the purpose of the seven Fn buttons, for example, the screen displays an image of the camera with the button locations and their functions. Touching any of the button icons brings up all the functions that can be assigned to it, arranged in a scrollable list. When you find the one you want, just touch it and it's set.

Panasonic has also given the GH3 the Touch Pad AF system first seen with the Panasonic G5. This enables you to set the position of the active AF point using your finger on the screen while the camera is held to the eye. It's very easy to use, and less fiddly than reaching for buttons or a joystick.

Left eye users, however, will find that your nose changes the AF point, so the screen must be flipped out to the side of the camera for use. Right-eyed photographers have a similar issue when shooting upright format images.

At 610,000 dots, the Panasonic GH3's screen doesn't have the highest resolution available, but it is an OLED unit and it provides a decent view outside. In bright light it helps to turn the LCD brightness up, but we found we were able to compose images on the screen in most conditions.

Although the Panasonic GH3's screen is on an articulated hinge and provides a clear view of the scene, there are times when it just seems more natural to use the viewfinder. Being a compact system camera, the Panasonic GH3 has an electronic viewfinder (EVF) rather than an optical one.

With 1.74 million dots, it lags a little way behind the 2.36-million dot unit in the Sony NEX-7, but it is still capable of reproducing fine details. It also has an impressive 1000-1 contrast range, which is significantly up on the 150-1 range of the Panasonic GH2's EVF.

On the whole, the view in the EVF is pretty good. You wouldn't mistake it for an optical viewfinder, but it has the benefit of showing the impact of exposure, colour and white balance changes. Warm scenes with quite high contrast can seem a little flat in the EVF, but the final images usually look better.

Panasonic also tells us that the EVF's response time has been dramatically cut to 16.7ms on the Panasonic GH3, which makes it easier to follow moving subjects than with the GH2.

Panasonic has built Wi-Fi technology into the Panasonic GH3 so that key features such as the exposure, powerzoom, focus point and shutter can be controlled remotely via a free app for iOS and Android.

This makes it much more useful than similar apps from Sony and Samsung that offer very limited settings adjustments. That will be a popular feature with enthusiasts, especially wildlife photographers.

We found that the camera responds quickly to the commands given via the smart device, and images transfer reasonably quickly.

Once you have registered with Panasonic's Lumix Club and linked your accounts, you can upload images direct to Twitter and Facebook, but upright images aren't rotated and there's no option to add a comment - which is disappointing.

Performance

There are no major surprises with the images from the Panasonic GH3. In most situations the camera correctly exposes the scene and records natural-looking colours.

That said, we found that the automatic white balance setting produced rather cool looking images in warm sunlight. Turning to the Cloudy and Shade options warmed the scene up a little bit too far, and we preferred the results captured using the Sunny white balance setting.

As usual there are three metering modes available on the Panasonic GH3 - Intelligent Multiple (making maximum use of the 144-zone system), Centreweighted and Spot. We found that the Multiple metering can be relied on in most situations, with the occasional need to dial in a little exposure compensation, for example to brighten the image when the scene contains large bright areas.

In addition to Panasonic's iDynamic (intelligent dynamic range optimisation) system, which automatically brightens shadows, the Panasonic GH3 has an HDR mode. Unfortunately this only works when shooting JPEG files, and the composite image is the only one saved.

Although there is an option to align images automatically, some of our handheld HDR shots are a little misaligned. Consequently, we think experienced photographers are better off bracketing their shots and creating HDR images themselves.

However, where the images do align well the results are good, with a subtle increase in shadow and highlight detail.

Although it uses contrast detection autofocusing, the Panasonic GH3 gets subjects sharp very quickly in most situations, even in quite low light. It only really struggles with fast moving subjects, and the AF-Tracking option can only keep up with objects moving at around a walking pace.

Noise is generally well controlled in images from the Panasonic GH3, and they have plenty of sharp detail up to around ISO 3200. When the in-camera noise reduction is in its standard setting, JPEG files have very little sign of chroma noise, even in the shadows.

Luminance noise is, however, visible in high-sensitivity images viewed at 100%. Where possible we recommend keeping the sensitivity setting below ISO 6400, because at this value the impact of the noise reduction system becomes more evident, with some smoothing and loss of detail.

Naturally, better results are possible if you are prepared to process the raw files - and owners of a camera of this level are most likely to go down this route.

Image quality and resolution

As part of our image quality testing for the Panasonic GH3, we've shot our resolution chart.

If you view our crops of the resolution chart's central section at 100% (or Actual Pixels) you will see that, for example, at ISO 125 the Panasonic GH3 is capable of resolving up to around 24 (line widths per picture height x100) in its highest quality JPEG files.

For a full explanation of what our resolution charts mean, and how to read them, check out our full explanation of our camera testing resolution charts.

Examining images of the chart taken at each sensitivity setting reveals the following resolution scores in line widths per picture height x100:

JPEG

ISO 125, score: 24 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 200, score: 24 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 400, score: 24 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 800, score: 24 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 1600, score: 22 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 3200, score: 20 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 6400, score: 16 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 12800, score: 14 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 25600, score: 10 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

Raw

ISO 125, score: 24 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 200, score: 24 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 400, score: 24 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 800, score: 24 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 1600, score: 22 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 3200, score: 20 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 6400, score: 16 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 12800, score: 16 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 25600, score: 12 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

Noise and dynamic range

We shoot a specially designed chart in carefully controlled conditions and the resulting images are analysed using DXO Analyzer software to generate the data to produce the graphs below.

A high signal to noise ratio (SNR) indicates a cleaner and better quality image.

For more more details on how to interpret our test data, check out our full explanation of our noise and dynamic range tests.

Here we compare the Panasonic GH3 with the Olympus OM-D, Sony NEX-7 and Fuji X-Pro1.

JPEG signal to noise ratio

These results show that the Panasonic GH3's JPEG files produce a stronger signal to noise ratio than those from the Sony NEX-7 at every sensitivity, though at ISO 800 the scores are very similar. The Panasonic's JPEGs also beat the Olympus OM-D's at most sensitivities, with the Olympus's images only displaying better signal to noise ratios at ISO 1600, 6400 and 25600. The Fuji X-Pro1, on the other hand, produces images with stronger SNR than the Panasonic's at every ISO except ISO 200 - though at ISO 400 and 12800 the scores are similar.

A strong signal to noise ratio indicates that images have less noise.

Raw signal to noise ratio

The signal to noise ratios of the TIFF images (after conversion from raw) from the Panasonic GH3 fluctuate much less than those of the JPEG images, with the GH3 sitting above the Fuji X-Pro1 up until ISO 800, and above the Sony NEX-7 until ISO 1600. After this point, the other cameras' TIFFs have better signal to noise ratios, indicating that they are less noisy. The Olympus OM-D's TIFFs outperform the Panasonic's at every sensitivity setting.

JPEG dynamic range

As we can see from this chart, the Panasonic GH3's JPEG images show weaker dynamic range than all the other cameras' at lower sensitivities, but at ISO 3200 they overtake the Sony NEX-7, and stay ahead for the rest of the range. Also at ISO 3200, the Panasonic's JPEGs show almost identical levels of dynamic range as the Olympus OM-D, and Fuji X-Pro1's images. The Panasonic's JPEGs go on to beat the Fuji's for the rest of the range, and beat the Olympus's at ISO 6400, before falling behind again at ISO 12800 and 25600.

Raw dynamic range

Here we can see that TIFF images (after conversion from raw) from the Panasonic GH3 produce weaker dynamic range than those from the Olympus OM-D and Sony NEX-7 at every sensitivity. The Panasonic's TIFFs also show weaker dynamic range than the Fuji X-Pro1, at every sensitivity but ISO 400. However, the low sensitivity results are good indicating that the GH3 can record a wide range of tones in one shot.

Sample images

These images were taken with a pre-production sample of the camera, and as-such, Panasonic has requested that the images be resized to 5 megapixels. You can still click the link to see a larger version of the image that currently appears on this page.

Click here to see a larger version.

Focusing is quick and accurate with the Panasonic GH3. Panasonic claims that it has the fastest autofocus system in the world, something which is really useful when shooting wildlife.

Click here to see a larger version.

A large variety of lenses is available for the Panasonic G system, including very long lenses. Although "only" a 45-200mm optic, because of the crop factor of Micro Four Thirds cameras, this translates to 400mm at the telephoto end, making it arguably more versatile for wildlife shooting than those cameras with larger sensors.

Click here to see a larger version.

You can use either the LCD screen or the electronic viewfinder to compose images on the GH3. When using a long telephoto lens, it can be beneficial to use the larger screen to track quickly moving subjects.

Click here to see a larger version.

Colours are represented well by the GH3, having lots of punch and clarity straight from the camera.

Click here to see a larger version.

The GH3 copes well in dark conditions, still maintaining a quick autofocus speed, and producing images which show a good level of noise control while still maintaining detail.

Click here to see a larger version.

Even though the sensor is smaller than those found in APS-C format cameras, the GH3 is still capable of producing pleasing shallow depth of field effects.

Click here to see a larger version.

Several digital filters are available to use on the GH3. Handily, the images can be shot simultaneously in raw and jpeg, so, should you decide you don't want the filter at a later stage you can roll back to the raw image. This is the Impressive Art filter.

Click here to see a larger version.

Another one of the filters in action, this time Dynamic Monochrome.

Click here to see a larger version.

Cross Process is another filter which can be deployed. There are several options for using this filter, this image shows an emphasis of green tones, but you can also choose to emphasise blue, yellow, or red.

Sensitivity and noise images

JPEG

Full ISO 125 JPEG image, see the cropped (100%) versions below.

Click here to see the full resolution image

ISO 125

Click here to see the full resolution image

ISO 200

Click here to see the full resolution image

ISO 400

Click here to see the full resolution image

ISO 800

Click here to see the full resolution image

ISO 1600

Click here to see the full resolution image

ISO 3200

Click here to see the full resolution image

ISO 6400

Click here to see the full resolution image

ISO 12800

Click here to see the full resolution image

ISO 25600

Raw

Click here to see the full resolution image

ISO 125

Click here to see the full resolution image

ISO 200

Click here to see the full resolution image

ISO 400

Click here to see the full resolution image

ISO 800

Click here to see the full resolution image

ISO 1600

Click here to see the full resolution image

ISO 3200

Click here to see the full resolution image

ISO 6400

Click here to see the full resolution image

ISO 12800

Click here to see the full resolution image

ISO 25600

Verdict

Panasonic is clearly going for the serious filmmaker market with the Panasonic GH3. The compact system camera doesn't have a few key features, such as zebras to highlight over- and underexposure or focusing peaking to indicate the sharpest areas of the image. But it has much to attract videographers who want to capture HD footage with a relatively compact camera.

The company has also said that it may add such features at a later date with a firmware upgrade.

The Panasonic GH3 also feels and looks like a much more serious and robust camera than the Panasonic GH2, which will give it extra appeal to enthusiast stills photographers who are used to holding DSLR cameras.

There are direct controls to all the key features, and the touchscreen is very responsive.

We liked

The capacitive touchscreen is wonderfully responsive, and settings changes can be made quickly and easily via it or the healthy crop of direct controls. Although it's not perfect, the Wi-Fi system is a useful bonus, particularly the ability to control the camera remotely.

We disliked

Like Panasonic's other recent G-series cameras, the Panasonic GH3 has a customisable quick menu that gives quick access to key features. It would be helpful, however, if there was also a customisable screen for the main menu to enable speedy access to features such as memory card formatting and the Multiple Exposure controls.

The Wi-Fi system could also do with a little more polishing. The ability to upload images to Twitter and Facebook is nice, but it's annoying that they aren't correctly orientated and there's no option to provide a caption or comment.

Panasonic has said that focus peaking (highlights that show the sharpest areas of the scene) could be added with a firmware upgrade if there is enough demand for it. We think this would be a good move that would bring the Panasonic GH3 into line with offerings from Sony.

We'd also like to see a virtual button added to enable you to rate images as they are reviewed. This rating could then be stored in the image EXIF data to speed up image processing.

Final verdict

The Panasonic GH3 offers all modern conveniences we want in a digital compact system camera these days; a decent EVF, an articulating capacitive touchscreen, Wi-Fi connectivity and a fast autofocus system.

It may be a little larger than most compact system cameras, but it has a superb featureset in a very well-made body that is compatible with a wide variety of lenses. This makes it more versatile than most CSCs on the market and it turns out high quality images in most situations.

While it cannot compete with a top-end DSLR when it comes to shooting sport and action, it is more than a match for most other CSCs.

Introduction

Two years ago Pentax revamped its top-end APS-C DSLR, the Pentax K-7, with the Pentax K-5, and in doing so produced one of the best cameras in its class.

So given the original Pentax K-5 was such a well-rounded performer, it's perhaps of little surprise that Pentax didn't want to alter the K-5 recipe too much for its replacement.

Externally the Pentax K-5 II is virtually identical to its predecessor, and you'll still struggle to differentiate the two after a tech spec comparison.

Aside from a slightly improved LCD screen and an allegedly revamped sensor, the most notable development is the K-5 II's new SAFOX X autofocus system, which claims to offer a noticeable speed and accuracy boost over the original Pentax K-5.

One other difference that is obvious with the second generation Pentax K-5 is that it comes in two flavours; Pentax K-5 II and Pentax K-5 IIs. The latter is an identical camera, but forgoes an anti-aliasing filter in an attempt to improve image sharpness.

That's great in theory, but it adds a fair bit to the asking price, as well as a much greater risk of moiré interference when shooting densely patterned subjects.

The full price of the Pentax K-5 II is £799.99/AU$1,149/US$1,199.95 for the body only, since you ask. Its rivals from other brands include the Nikon D7000, Canon EOS 60D and Sony Alpha a65.

Whereas the original K-5 contained a considerably improved sensor over the old K-7, the new Pentax K-5 II doesn't move things on to the same degree. Pentax has stuck with a 16.3MP CMOS sensor, and while it does offer marginally improved low-light performance, you'll be hard pressed to notice any real world improvements in image quality.

Sensitivity also remains unchanged, ranging from ISO 100-12,800 and expandable to 80-51,200. You also get the option to pre-select the amount of in-camera noise reduction the K-5 II applies at each sensitivity setting, enabling you to perfectly balance detail retention and noise reduction.

One element that's completely new for the Pentax K-5 II is the SAFOX X autofocus system. Pentax claims this provides much improved speed and accuracy, as well as making the K-5 II the first APS-C camera to focus on lighting conditions as low as -3 EV.

As with the old Pentax K-5, you still get 11 well-spread autofocus points, nine of which are the more accurate cross-type.

Other in-camera image tweaks included automatic chromatic aberration compensation to minimise (but not eliminate) purple fringing in high-contrast areas, and distortion correction to remove wide-angle barrel distortion or telephoto pincushion effects. Although both features produce decent results, they do add a frustrating couple of seconds of processing time per shot.

Pentax's Dynamic range expansion feature is more usable though, and it does a great job of significantly brightening shadow areas while maintaining highlight detail for more balanced exposures.

If this isn't enough, then the camera also has an extensive multi-shot HDR capability, with four preset strengths plus an automatic mode. Results look the part, but are only available when shooting JPEG, and again, processing time is lengthy, this time being a whopping 20 seconds per shot.

Continuous shooting to a maximum speed of 7 fps keeps the Pentax K-5 II on a par with the competition, but it's no faster than the original Pentax K-5. Likewise, the Pentax K-5 II's Full HD movie recording ability is also unchanged, apart from the addition of some extra post-processing effects.

These effects can also be applied to still images, via a dedicated rear button. Options range from subtle contrast and saturation tweaks to enhance portraits or landscapes, through to more blatant effects such as Bleach Bypass, which desaturates the final image.

Each effect is fully customisable, and while such effects are of arguable usefulness in an enthusiasts' camera, they're a quick and easy way to add some basic image customisation.

Build quality and handling

The Pentax K-5 II retains the same high quality magnesium alloy casing and rugged stainless steel chassis as the original Pentax K-5.

Also carried over is the advanced 77-seal weather proofing to prevent dust and moisture intrusion. Cold weather shouldn't pose a problem either, as the Pentax K-5 II is rated to operate in temperatures as low as -10C (14F).

Because the Pentax K-5 II uses the same chassis as the Pentax K-5, naturally both cameras have the exact same control layout. This is no cause for concern, however, because there's little to find fault with in the button placement and control design.

You get the usual front and rear control wheels, with a sizable thumb grip area thanks to the location of the rear control wheel. This wheel also doubles as the playback zoom controls, doing away with the need for additional zoom buttons.

Atop the body sit two well-sited buttons for adjusting ISO sensitivity and exposure compensation, and on the left hand side is the main mode dial.

Apart from the usual automatic, program and manual modes, Pentax also gives you a combined shutter and aperture priority mode, where the camera only adjusts the sensitivity to maintain correct exposure.

In addition to this there's a dedicated bulb exposure mode, and a user programmable setting in which you can store five custom preset modes selectable by the rear control wheel.

One control element that could really have benefited from a redesign is the metering adjustment collar beneath the mode dial. Its stiffness and tiny thumb grip mean it's unlikely to be accidentally moved, but it's also quite a pain to adjust when you need to.

Another annoyance from the original Pentax K-5 design that's present on the new camera is the minuscule screw-in cap for PC flash sync port. It's virtually impossible to remove, and once out is unlikely to be seen again.

The only external change Pentax has made to the Pentax K-5 II is its new LCD monitor.

The 3-inch, 921,000 dot panel is now equipped with an internal resin layer between the outer glass and the LCD screen itself, which Pentax claims improves brightness and reduces unwanted reflections.

Results are generally comparable to most current DSLR monitors, but the Pentax K-5 II screen is indeed vibrant, with excellent viewing angles making it easily viewable in all but the harshest direct sunlight.

Performance

Here the Pentax K-5 II pretty much picks up the baton where its predecessor left off, which is definitely no bad thing considering the original Pentax K-5 was a good performer.

Sure, these days a 16.3MP sensor is never going to steal the thunder from the likes of Nikon's latest megapixel monsters, but look beyond sheer resolution and the sensor in the Pentax K-5 II produces terrific quality images.

Colour depth and dynamic range are still superb, especially when the Dynamic Range Enlargement feature is enabled.

Image noise - or lack thereof - is another area where the Pentax K-5 II excels. There's rarely ever a need to ramp a camera's sensitivity up to ISO 12,800, but even here little if any chroma noise (colour speckling) is evident. And although there is a fair amount of luminance noise (grain) visible, it's by no means distracting.

Of course if you push on up to the Pentax K-5 II's maximum sensitivity of ISO 51,200 things don't look so pretty, but image quality is still good enough for prints up to around 9 x 6 inches.

Pentax is particularly proud of its new SAFOX X autofocus system in the Pentax K-5 II, and with good reason. The system manages to focus almost instantly, even in the darkest of environments, and in many instances it does so without the aid of the AF assist lamp.

Switch to Live View and, unlike many DSLRs, the Pentax K-5 II still delivers pleasantly speedy autofocusing and gives you the option to choose from three autofocus methods depending on your subject.

But whether the autofocus performance is that much of an improvement over the original Pentax K-5 is less obvious, since this camera was still no slouch in this department provided you use the right lens.

The camera's 77-segment exposure metering system is largely unchanged from its predecessor, and in the majority of situations this reliably hits upon correct exposure settings. But - and this is really the only significant issue with the Pentax K-5 II - the system is still prone to overexposure.

It's only really a problem in low light, high contrast situations, where the camera plumps for a more balanced exposure at the expense of highlight detail. Sometimes this does give true-to-life results, but often highlights can be blown by as much as two stops, with mid-tones and shadows looking unrealistically bright.

Switching to spot metering or dialling in some exposure compensation does solve the problem, providing you have time to do so.

Auto white balance is by and large consistently accurate on the Pentax K-5 II, with only a couple of instances in mixed artificial lighting where an unexpected colour cast tainted the final image.

Image quality and resolution

As part of our image quality testing for the Pentax K-5 II, we've shot our resolution chart.

If you view our crops of the resolution chart's central section at 100% (or Actual Pixels) you will see that, for example, at ISO 80 the Pentax K-5 II is capable of resolving up to around 20 (line widths per picture height x100) in its highest quality JPEG files.

For a full explanation of what our resolution charts mean, and how to read them, check out our full explanation of our camera testing resolution charts.

Examining images of the chart taken at each sensitivity setting reveals the following resolution scores in line widths per picture height x100:

JPEG

Full ISO 80 image, see the cropped (100%) versions below.

ISO 80, score: 20 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 100, score: 20 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 200, score: 20 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 400, score: 20 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 800, score: 20 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 1600, score: 20 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 3200, score: 20 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 6400, score: 18 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 12800, score: 16 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 25600, score: 14 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 51200, score: n/a (Click here to see the full resolution image)

Raw

ISO 80, score: 22 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 100, score: 20 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 200, score: 20 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 400, score: 20 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 800, score: 20 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 1600, score: 20 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 3200, score: 20 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 6400, score: 20 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 12800, score: 18 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 25600, score: 14 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 51200, score: 12 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

Noise and dynamic range

We shoot a specially designed chart in carefully controlled conditions and the resulting images are analysed using DXO Analyzer software to generate the data to produce the graphs below.

A high signal to noise ratio (SNR) indicates a cleaner and better quality image.

For more more details on how to interpret our test data, check out our full explanation of our noise and dynamic range tests.

Here we compare the Pentax K-5 II with the Nikon D7100, Canon EOS 7D and Sony Alpha a77. The Pentax K-5 II has the greatest ISO range of all the cameras here.

JPEG signal to noise ratio

These results show that JPEG images from the Pentax K-5 II have a relatively strong signal to noise ratio when compared with the other cameras here. This means that the Pentax's JPEGs are consistently cleaner than those from the Canon EOS 7D throughout the sensitivity range. They beat the Sony Alpha a77 at all but ISO 400, and the Nikon D7100 at all but ISO 100, where results are almost identical.

Raw signal to noise ratio

TIFF images (after conversion from raw) from the Pentax K-5 II have the greatest signal to noise ratios of all the cameras here, beating the Nikon D7100, Canon EOS 7D and Sony Alpha a77 at every sensitivity setting. This means that the images are likely to be cleaner than those from the other cameras. TIFF images from the Sony a77 come closest to matching the scores from the Pentax K-5 II at the lower sensitivities.

JPEG dynamic range

JPEG results for dynamic range are again impressive, with the Pentax K-5 II's images showing a stronger dynamic range than those from the Canon EOS 7D at every sensitivity. They're also stronger than JPEGs from the Sony Alpha a77 at most sensitivities, but the two cameras show almost identical amounts of dynamic range at ISO 800, and the Sony's images beat the Pentax's at ISO 1600, before falling behind again afterwards. JPEGs from the Nikon D7100 have greater dynamic range than those from the Pentax at lower ISOs, but at ISO 1600 and above the Pentax's images overtake.

Raw dynamic range

As we can see from this chart, the Pentax K-5 II's TIFF images (after conversion from raw) show the strongest dynamic range of the group, beating the Canon EOS 7D and Sony Alpha a77 at every sensitivity setting. The Nikon D7100's TIFFs contain very similar levels of dynamic range as the Pentax's at ISO 100, but after that the Pentax takes the lead. A high dynamic range means that the Pentax K-5II is able to capture a wide range of tones in a single frame.

Sample images

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The Pentax K-5 II's low light ability can produce excellent results with minimal image noise.

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The viewfinder's 100% field of view makes it easy to compose shots correctly.

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Taken under relatively harsh sunlight, dynamic range is pretty good...

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...But activate the multi-shot HDR function and dynamic range is boosted even more.

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Good detail here from the 16.3MP sensor.

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Despite the dull lighting, the Pentax K-5 II has kept some colour vibrancy to lift this image.

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This shot required -0.3 EV to keep the highlight details in check.

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Detail and colour reproduction are decent, even at ISO 640.

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Again that accurate viewfinder makes life much easier. Look closely and you'll also spot the photographer making a fool of himself!

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Accurately exposed by matrix metering with highly resolved detail.

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Although the conditions for this shot were fairly undemanding, matrix metering consistently overexposed, necessitating -0.7EV of manual exposure compensation.

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Fabulous detail and colour depth.

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Exposure metering has done a good job here.

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Captured at ISO 1000, there's impressively low image noise, even in the shadow areas.

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Here the exposure metering badly overexposed the highlights in this shot. -1.0EV was needed to bring them back, and they're still slightly blown.

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This time, -2.0EV had to be used to prevent highlight burnout from the automatic matrix metering.

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Shot at ISO 800, there's bags of detail and almost no visible image noise.

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This is one of very few occasions where automatic white balance was confused, since the image shouldn't have such a yellow colour cast.

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Another ISO 800 night shot, and again the sensor produces excellent results.

Sensitivity and noise images

JPEG

Full ISO 80 JPEG image, see the cropped (100%) versions below.

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ISO 80

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ISO 100

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ISO 200

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ISO 400

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ISO 800

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ISO 1600

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ISO 3200

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ISO 6400

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ISO 12800

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ISO 25600

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ISO 51200

Raw

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ISO 80

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ISO 100

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ISO 200

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ISO 400

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ISO 800

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ISO 1600

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ISO 3200

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ISO 6400

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ISO 12800

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ISO 25600

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ISO 51200

Verdict

Considering the significant technological advances made by the original Pentax K-5 over the old Pentax K-7, we can't help but feel a little disappointed that the new Pentax K-5 II is a much more subtle, evolutionary step forward.

But that said, it's refreshing to see that Pentax hasn't attempted to set the Pentax K-5 II apart by giving it a needlessly high megapixel count, or festooning it with gimmicky features.

We liked

Although it's no great improvement over its predecessor, the Pentax K-5 II's performance is still good, and a worthy match for the competition in most areas. The robust build quality should ensure it survives sustained abuse, and the in-camera Shake Reduction system works with any compatible lens.

We disliked

As capable as the Pentax K-5 II is, much of what makes it special has just been carried over from the original Pentax K-5. Then there's the elements we wish hadn't been transferred, including the tendency to overexpose and frustrating slowness at processing HDR shots, removing chromatic aberration and correcting lens distortion.

Final verdict

Like its predecessor, the Pentax K-5 II succeeds where it matters most. It produces high image quality (although its resolution scores are a little low), boasts strong autofocus performance, high build quality and is easy to use. It is a pity we can't add the camera's exposure metering to the list of superlatives, because capable though it is, the few occasions where overexposure does occur can frustrate.

However, the biggest problem the Pentax K-5 II faces is the old Pentax K-5. While the specification and performance of the newer model is marginally better, the price difference is far more pronounced.

Hence if you're in the market for a high performing APS-C format DSLR with a great all-round ability, the original Pentax K-5 could well be a more tempting proposition at the right price than the slightly more capable Pentax K-5-II. Likewise, if you already own a Pentax K-5, then the Pentax K-5 II is unlikely to provide much of an upgrade.

Make the leap from the older K-7, however, and you'll be far more likely to appreciate the much improved image quality and autofocus performance. And graduate from entry-level cameras such as the Pentax K-r or Pentax K-x, and you'll be in for a treat.

Easy to use, built to last and based around a decent sensor, the Pentax K-5 II is a great value DSLR. It's just a pity it's so close in spec to its predecessor.

Introduction

An update to the touchscreen-enabled Nikon Coolpix S4300, the Nikon Coolpix S5200 is a slimline compact camera, available in five colours with a 16 million pixel backlit CMOS sensor, 6x optical zoom lens with a 35mm equivalent of 26-156mm and 3-inch LCD screen.

Nikon has opted not to include a touchscreen on this model, which is priced at £165/US$179.95 (around AU$241), sitting comfortably in the mid range area of the market alongside the likes of the Canon IXUS 140 and the Panasonic SZ9.

With a pleasing weight once the battery is inserted, the Nikon S5200 fits easily into the hand and most of the buttons are easily accessible with a thumb, although some of the lower ones are a little tricky to reach when using the camera one-handed.

All of the controls apart from the shutter release are situated on the back of the S5200, with the majority of the space being taken up by the 3-inch LCD screen. This is not a camera that feels cheap or flimsy - the casing feels sturdy, well built and durable. It's also compact enough to fit easily in a pocket, enabling quick and easy shooting on the go.

Offering four shooting modes - Auto, Scene (with 20 modes available within), Special Effects and Smart Portrait - the Nikon S5200 is limited in its manual controls. Sensitivity, exposure compensation and white balance are adjustable in Auto mode, but there are no options to change shutter speed or aperture.

There are, however, a variety of in-camera editing options available, including Glamour Retouch as well as the Special Effects mode, which has a range of digital filters including two toy camera modes, high contrast and a number of selective colour options.

Video recording gives the choice of capturing footage from Full HD 1080p down to VGA, with single and full time autofocus modes as well as a wind noise reduction feature.

Build quality and handling

On the whole, the options adjusting the shooting parameters are limited - in Smart Portrait, for example, exposure compensation is the only adjustable element from the options on the four-way control pad.

The menu accessed via the button under this pad enables skin softening settings, smile timer and blink proof modes to be activated, but sensitivity and white balance are unadjustable.

Smart Portrait mode works reasonably well, taking several photos and then picking the best shot. It also uses the indicator light on the front of the camera, which flashes when you're smiling enough - a useful addition if you're using it to take self portraits.

One of the charms of the Nikon Coolpix S5200 is the option to charge the battery in-camera, which means not having to worry about losing the charger cradle, as well as being able to charge when the camera is plugged into any computer. This makes it an ideal camera to take travelling, since it requires very little paraphernalia and the lead is compatible with a range of plugs and devices.

Nikon has added five new Glamour Retouch modes to the S5200, bringing the total available up to eight. They range from the useful Whiten Eyes to the slightly disturbing Small Face and Big Eyes.

These effects can't be applied to photos that are taken in Smart Portrait mode, which seems unusual because they're obviously going to be most useful for portraits of people. It's a nice set of options to have but the edits can be a little clumsy and aren't likely to replace even the most basic of editing software available off the camera.

Marketed with easy to use inbuilt Wi-Fi technology, in reality it was a little tricky and time consuming to get the Nikon Coolpix S5200 to connect to our wireless internet, for ultimately little reward. The in-camera help is non existent for this feature, so make sure you have your manual to hand if you try it.

You can connect the camera to a smartphone or tablet (once a free app has been downloaded) and then take photos with the camera via the smartphone, enabling it to act as a remote. The photos are then stored in the app as well as in the camera, so you can upload them straight to social media sites if you wish. If you don't have a smartphone or tablet then you're out of luck, since this feature doesn't work with laptops or computers.

Although remote shooting is an neat function in theory, but it's difficult to think of a situation in reality where you would need to use it regularly enough with a compact camera to deal with the faff to set it up. It'd be great to see an option for emailing/uploading directly from the camera - as you can from the Samsung Galaxy Camera - and the ability to connect to computers as well as smartphones.

Existing users of Nikon cameras will be at home with the menu structure - much of which is easy to navigate and is fairly intuitive. There are some features that are perhaps located in an odd place on the menu structure, such as the info display options, which are buried deep within the settings menu. Overall though the Nikon S5200 is fairly simple to use, and it shouldn't take long to become comfortable with it.

Performance

Basic image quality seems to have improved from the Nikon Coolpix S4300, and for the most part the Nikon Coolpix S5200 performs well in a variety of situations, producing bright, well represented colours and crisp, focused detail shots, particularly when the macro feature is enabled.

The majority of the digital filters are useful and add an interesting look to the photos, although the painting and soft filters don't really seem to do what they're suggesting, looking more washed out than anything else. Of course using filters is a personal preference, making them worthy of experimentation.

We were impressed by the Nikon Coolpix S5200's image stabilisation. It captured moving subjects well, making it a great camera for capturing off the cuff moments as well as posed and set up shots.

The LCD screen coped admirably in sunlight, only becoming difficult to use in the brightest light, and when not using the camera too heavily (perhaps a couple of hours a day) the battery power lasted for a few days of shooting and filming before needing to be recharged - making it a good choice for the casual holiday / family photographer.

Some of the photos taken in bright light suffered slightly from lens flare. In terms of fringing there was very little. When zoomed in at 100% there is a little smudging in some areas, but they're not visible at normal printing and web sizes.

During testing we found that metering sometimes struggled in high contrast scenes. To get the best results, a reading needed to be taken from one part of the scene (by half-pressing the shutter to focus) and recomposing to get the desired scene. Overall, though, it does a good job in providing well-balanced exposures.

The HD video output is impressive, providing sharp, crisp video, although noise from high winds is too much for the wind noise reduction to cope with. You can also shoot video while in the Special Effects modes, which is a nice touch.

The autofocus speed of the Nikon Coolpix S5200 is good and the action slick. The shot-to-shot time when shooting in continuous mode is also relatively brief, making it easy to capture moving objects.

Images taken at the far end of the 6x optical zoom are impressively sharp, and while the digital zoom does lose some definition, it still performs well, with vibration reduction helping to keep photos sharp.

One area in which the Nikon Coolpix S5200 is letdown is its performance in low light on auto mode. Its automatic sensitivity settings in low light shooting conditions tend to err towards higher levels, such as ISO 1600 and ISO 3200. However, using the fixed range auto mode should help to combat this, because it offers a choice between ISO 125-400 and ISO 125-800.

While reasonable when viewed at smaller sizes, shooting at the higher end of the sensitivity range creates very noisy images with flat colours, and is best avoided if possible.

Sensitivity and noise images

Full ISO 125 image, see the cropped (100%) versions below.

ISO 125, score: 22 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 200, score: 22 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 400, score: 20 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 800, score: 18 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 1600, score: 16 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 3200, score: 12 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

Sample images

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There are a variety of digital filters available on the Nikon Coolpix S5200. Here the Toy Camera effect adds a pleasing tone.

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An example using the High Contrast filter.

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The Nikon Coolpix S5200 is able to pick up a good amount of fine detail using the macro mode, while keeping colours vibrant.

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An example using Panorama mode.

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The backlight scene mode helps to eliminate glare.

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Colours are well represented by the Nikon Coolpix S5200.

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Shooting into the bright sun has unsurprisingly introduced a little flare and underexposure of the foreground.

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The Nikon Coolpix S5200 provides a good wide angle of view.

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This shot had a cross processed filter added post capture, creating a filmic quality while still retaining detail.

Image quality and resolution

As part of our image quality testing for the Nikon Coolpix S5200, we've shot our resolution chart.

If you view our crops of the resolution chart's central section at 100% (or Actual Pixels) you will see that, for example, at ISO 125 the Nikon Coolpix S5200 is capable of resolving up to around 22 (line widths per picture height x100) in its highest quality JPEG files.

For a full explanation of what our resolution charts mean, and how to read them, check out our full explanation of our camera testing resolution charts.

Examining images of the chart taken at each sensitivity setting reveals the following resolution scores in line widths per picture height x100:

JPEG

Full ISO 125 image, see the cropped (100%) versions below.

ISO 125, score: 22 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 200, score: 22 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 400, score: 20 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 800, score: 18 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 1600, score: 16 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 3200, score: 12 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

Verdict

The Nikon Coolpix S5200 is a decent update to the Coolpix range and will suit people looking for a camera without too many confusing options.

We liked

You're unlikely to miss many shots, since the shot-to-shot time on the Nikon Coolpix S5200 is good, enabling you to capture a range of images easily and effortlessly. The video footage is some of the best quality we've seen for a camera in this range.

We also liked the quick editing option from the playback menu, giving you the choice of applying the digital filters post-capture.

We disliked

The record button seems unfortunately placed, and it was hit by accident several times without realising, draining the battery considerably.

There are no individual settings to control shot information (such as shots remaining, exposure and so on), so you either have it on while shooting as well as during playback or not on at all. It would be nice to see a setting to tailor this, since seeing the information on the screen during playback becomes a little distracting.

Final verdict

Ideal for travel, because of its durability and easy charge options, the Nikon Coolpix S5200 performs well in a variety of everyday situations. It would be a good camera to consider if you're looking for an all-rounder that isn't going to break the bank, especially if you want to capture good quality video footage.

If you're specifically looking for a Wi-Fi-enabled camera, however, it might be worth spending more money for something offering more flexibility, such as the Samsung Galaxy Camera or Panasonic TZ40.

Introduction

The Nikon Coolpix S9500 replaces the Nikon Coolpix S9300 at the top of the brand's Style range of digital compact cameras, and is designed for beginners and casual users. As is to be expected from a camera in this range, Nikon is providing a device filled with all the frills and thrills (3D, GPS, Wi-Fi, subject-tracking autofocus) but lacks the kind of controls that advanced users may want.

The 22x optical zoom is a fair bit longer than the 18x zoom of its predecessor, and its range of 25mm to super-telephoto 550mm (35mm equivalent) is both wider and longer than you will find on most compact cameras at this price point and size.

The 18.1 million pixel 1/2.3 inch sensor uses some of the latest CMOS technology, including back-illumination, which promises to enable the camera to reach high ISO values at this resolution without getting too noisy.

With ISO settings going up to 3200, images should be detailed and the camera usable in low light. As a compact sold on style, there is a large range of quite specific scene modes, plus a few extras for the bargain. However, there's no possibility of shooting in a raw file format or having direct control over shutter speed and aperture.

There is a full 1080p video mode, and a high-speed shooting capability of 7.5fps for five consecutive shots. To accompany these capabilities, the Nikon Coolpix S9500 has a 640k-dot OLED screen and comes with a variety of focus modes, including face detection.

The compact camera also features an Expeed C2 processor and inbuilt Wi-Fi, offering instant image sharing options.

In terms of competition, the camera sits alongside the Canon PowerShot SX20 IS, Panasonic TZ40, Fujifilm FinePix F900 EXR and Olympus VR-370.

It wouldn't be a Style camera without a range of colours, and the Nikon S9500 is available in one of four colour options, including our test model of 1960s-chic brown metal. They are all priced at £299.99 / AU$374.95 / US$349.95.

If you're after a cheaper option, the Nikon S9500's little brother, the Nikon S9400, costs £249.99 / AU$349 / US$299.95 and comes without built-in GPS or Wi-Fi, with a reduced 18x zoom range.

Build quality and handling

In the hand, the Nikon S9500's all-metal body feels substantial without leaving you in any doubt that it is a camera you're meant to have fun with. Next to the shutter button and zoom lever on top of the camera there is a dial for switching between main camera modes. Increasingly rare on modern compact cameras, this is a welcome tactile feature in a world of menus and sub-menus.

Most of the controls are on the back of the camera, with a metallic rotating dial for scrolling through settings and images that doubles as a four-way pad. All of the buttons on the back are very well positioned in relation to each other, with the play, delete and menu buttons having a slight cutaway at one edge to enable you to run your thumb around the scrolling dial.

The camera is ready to shoot within two seconds of you switching it on. In addition to auto mode, there are four standard scene modes on the mode dial as well as a scene mode auto selector, an effects mode (for in-camera black and white, selective colouring and so on) and a Scene mode that provides access to a further 16 scene modes such as Fireworks Display, Museum and Pet Portrait.

There's a nice variety of scenes, but you might need to consult the manual to figure out what they do. Fireworks Display, for instance, will hold the shutter open for four seconds.

The panorama shooting function works by having you line up the first shot, and then on-screen instructions will tell you to pan the camera around in one sweeping motion to capture the rest of the shots. The Nikon S9500 will then stitch the shots together automatically in-camera - provided of course you are able to hold the camera steady enough for that one sweeping motion.

With no fully manual mode, it's fair to say that the Nikon S9500 is a primarily automatic experience. Though white balance and exposure compensation can be adjusted, there is no way to adjust shutter speed and aperture. ISO sensitivity is adjusted through menu navigation.

It would perhaps have been nice to see a dedicated button for making quick changes to everyday settings, as has been the trend recently in some more advanced compacts.

Although the main mode dial on top of the camera is a welcome escape from menu navigation, there is the slight sense that Nikon has tried to pack quite a lot onto it, confusing its purpose slightly. Once you've cracked the menu system it is a breeze, but perhaps a touchscreen would have made things more intuitive to users new to Coolpix cameras, especially those stepping up from a smartphone.

The traditional four-way pad doubles effectively as a scroll wheel, though unless you are familiar with the camera's way of doing things it can be tricky to know whether to scroll left or click left, requiring some time to get to know the quirks of the interface.

That said, the dedicated one-press-to-record video button is nicely placed, and the way of accessing scene modes and effects via the main dial on the top of the camera is very easy to use once you've sussed it out.

If the camera's built-in GPS and electronic compass is turned on, geolocation metadata will be added onto your images. This can be especially fun for holidays - roam freely, then view your photos on a map when you return. You can also view it along with normal image previews on the back of the camera.

As well as a range of Instagram-style filters to apply to your images in-camera, there is a 3D Photography function, which you use by taking one photograph, moving the camera to one side, then lining the semi-transparent images up on the screen until they match. It's intuitive to shoot, but of course you will need a 3D TV or computer monitor to view the results.

Movie recording is very straightforward. If you pause the recording and then resume, the camera will produce one seamless video file. The side of the camera has an HDMI port that can output 480p, 720p, and 1080i video.

As with its predecessor, the memory card/battery compartment on the bottom and the HDMI/AV port on the top-right side of the camera both feel strong and secure.

The Nikon wireless utility works on Android and iOS devices, enabling remote control of the camera and giving you the ability to browse and import photos over the camera's built-in Wi-Fi. However, you will need a smartphone or tablet to do this, since there appears to be no in-camera direct publishing capabilities.

Once you have installed the Nikon wireless utility app on your smartphone or tablet, simply turn on Wi-Fi through the camera's settings and then connect to the camera. You will then be able to browse photos that reside on the camera, or enable live shooting mode via your smart device's screen .

Though the Wi-Fi tool works well, the Nikon S9500 lacks NFC (near-field communications) technology present in competitors such as the Panasonic TZ40.

Because your phone can't be connected to two Wi-Fi networks at once, if you want to upload photos via Wi-Fi internet (rather than 3G/4G) you will need to first transfer the images from the camera to the smartphone or tablet, then switch back to your regular Wi-Fi network for internet access to put the images on Facebook or Twitter.

There is a ridge on the front and a rubber grip on the back, enough to enable you to shoot comfortably one-handed.

Autofocus points can be set across the field, to the image centre, or manually with the four-way pad. In keeping with the Nikon S9500's promise to be able to track even fast moving subjects at sporting events, there is a motion tracking AF mode and face detection.

Combined with the sports scene mode, which takes up to five pictures at a rate of 7.5fps, the camera is quite capable of getting action shots if you can get the setup just right. Although five shots at 7.5fps is quite a short space of time, you will still have to be quite good at timing your shots.

The retouch menu enables you to to add any of the filters after the image has been shot, though you can apply them before shooting using the Effects mode.

Exposure compensation can be changed by pressing right on the main scroll pad in any scene mode, although it is called 'Brightness' in Auto mode.

The flash charge indicator doubles as a charge LED, because the default way of charging the Nikon S9500's battery is via the camera. If you want a battery charger (in order to charge one battery while using another in the camera) you will need to buy this separately.

Performance

The results of our labs tests for image quality and resolution, and sample images from the Nikon S9500, are all on the following pages.

The Nikon S9500 has a large 3-inch screen of approximately 614k dots, which is significantly lower than its 912k-dot predecessor. However it is an OLED screen instead of an LCD, which helps towards a longer battery life and produces an image viewable even in bright daylight. Reflections are present, but the vibrant OLED does a good job of punching through.

For a pocketable compact camera, the Nikon S9500 crams in an impressive zoom range equivalent to 25-550 mm on a 35mm camera. The image stabilisation is very good, enabling clean shots (combined with high ISO) at the telephoto end of the zoom range. The images were kept blur-free and retained detail too, even in low light.

In single-shot mode, it's possible to take an image (including focusing time) with just a two second interval. Matrix metering was usually spot-on, but during our tests there were a couple of situations where the camera seemed to struggle for no clear reason.

Automatic white balance was generally very good, with the camera judging correctly in a number of difficult scenarios such as street lighting, indoor fluorescent lighting and patches of springtime orange sunlight.

There were no visible signs of fringing, distortion or vignetting, so it seems Nikon has done a good job of keeping the optics under control, given the size of the zoom range and the troubles that often come along with that.

Filters applied in-camera are all quite sensible and contemporary, if you're into that sort of thing. Black and white images look lovely on the high-contrast OLED screen, and the Nikon S9500 has the option to store two copies of each image you shoot: for example one in black and white and one in standard colour.

Macro focusing mode works well, though the camera did have some trouble staying focused on flowers blowing in the wind, as if there is a slight delay between the camera deciding on a point of focus and it actually taking the shot.

Generally speaking, the images are vibrant and sharp and display a decent range of shadows and highlights up to the quality you would expect of a decent CMOS sensor in 2013.

Verdict

A good update to the existing Style range of Coolpix cameras, the Nikon S9500 brings the shooting features we are starting to expect of a digital compact, including HD video, outstanding image stabilisation and Wi-Fi capabilities. The range of feature-rich scene modes makes the system quite versatile.

Priced at £299.99 / AU$374.95 / US$349.95, this compact is cheaper than most cameras that rival it in terms of zoom range and feature set. But if the Nikon S9500 is still too pricey or large for your pocket, this camera has a little brother, the Nikon S9400.

This camera is a good option for someone looking for a pocketable camera with all the bells and whistles that Nikon can muster for this size and price.

We liked

The Nikon S9500 offers great image stabilisation on a long zoom range for a camera of this size. It looks good, feels nice, and is versatile and compact with a bright screen. There are lots of scene modes to get creative with, and most of the features you could hope for in a camera at this price point.

We disliked

Considering this camera's zoom range and sensor capabilities, it's disappointing not to have the option of more manual control - even if the options were buried a little.

Final verdict

In summary, this is a great camera for those already familiar with the Coolpix range of compacts and looking for something that brings those 2013 spices to the table with a solid CMOS sensor.

The Nikon S9500 is not the camera for professional photographers looking for a pocketable carry-around camera, though, and the lack of manual controls and raw file format capture are enough to drive you to other products. But it does come in red.

Image quality and resolution

As part of our image quality testing for the Nikon Coolpix S9500, we've shot our resolution chart.

If you view our crops of the resolution chart's central section at 100% (or Actual Pixels) you will see that, for example, at ISO 125 the Nikon Coolpix S9500 is capable of resolving up to around 22 (line widths per picture height x100) in its highest quality JPEG files.

For a full explanation of what our resolution charts mean, and how to read them, check out our full explanation of our camera testing resolution charts.

Examining images of the chart taken at each sensitivity setting reveals the following resolution scores in line widths per picture height x100:

JPEG

Full ISO 125 image, see the cropped (100%) versions below.

ISO 125, score: 22 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 200, score: 20 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 400, score: 20 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 800, score: 18 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 1600, score: 14 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

ISO 3200, score: 10 (Click here to see the full resolution image)

Sample images

Click here to see the full resolution image

Click here to see the full resolution image

Seen here is a comparison of the wide end and the telephoto end of the zoom. The zoom shot is at 1/30, you can really see how the vibration reduction is holding up on that 22x zoom.

Click here to see the full resolution image

The above photo was shot in overcast/snowy daylight, so it's not clear why the metering decided to underexpose this image. In the main, however, the metering was as spot on as can be expected for a camera of this class.

Click here to see the full resolution image

Reds are vibrant without popping too much, and blown highlights did not seem to cause unsightly purple fringing or excessive flare.

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The metering coped quite intelligently with most scenes, seen here combined with a good shadow detail and highlight detail in the same frame.

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This image was taken in bright daylight at an awkward angle, but the OLED screen remained clear enough to compose this shot.