smartphones

Phones can help with navigation on road trips, but they can also be dangerous distractions. A new study shows just how big that distraction is among teen drivers, and the number one reason the phones are used has nothing to do with directions.

The Fairphone Gen 6 is here, and in addition to being repairable at home, it packs a neat little trick. A bright lime green physical slider instantly activates a dumbphone mode so you can focus on more important things than doomscrolling.

Portable projectors can bring moving pictures to the campsite or presentations to isolated work places. Smartphones add comms and cameras to the equation. And powerbanks can keep things going. The Tank 4 Pro from 8849 combines all three, and more.

They're chunky and heavy, and not the most attractive handsets around. But rugged phones are designed to shake off abuse, while boasting huge batteries and useful tools. The latest model from Ulefone has all that in spades, plus pocket cinema chops.

Though slim is in as far as smartphones are concerned, they're probably not going to be the first choice for adventurous types. That's likely to be a multi-function rugged phone, such as the latest night-vision beast from FossiBot.

Oukitel has launched what it's calling as the world's first industrial-grade modular rugged phone, the WP300. It's seriously tough, but also the most fun I've had with a smartphone in a long time.

Rugged smartphone specialist Doogee has added a new model to its V Max family, which is pitched as the first starter-level flagship phone. As well as being a tough cookie, the handset packs a huge battery, 120-Hz screen and dual camping lights.

The third-gen Light Phone from the eponymous New York-based outfit is here. This one gets a bunch of thoughtful new features to help you stay mostly unplugged, while potentially making it easier to live with.

The second of three rugged phones announced at CES 2025 in January has now been launched. Following a Kickstarter for the monstrous WP100 Titan, mobile tech brand Oukitel has revealed the direct-to-sale WP200 Pro – with a rather unusual feature.

Late last year, Chinese rugged device maker 8849 unleashed a beast of a tablet called the Tank Pad that boasted a powerful camplight and built-in pico projector. Now the Unihertz sub-brand has followed up with an adventure-ready power brick phone.

The whole mobile world is heading to Barcelona this week for Mobile World Congress 2025, and of the raft of Xiaomi gadgets on display is a magnetic attachment aimed at giving its smartphones a photographic boost.

After winning over iPhone users who wanted to attach a BlackBerry-style keyboard to their handsets, Clicks is now making its physical keyboard cases for a selection of Android devices. Up first: Google Pixel 9 and 9 Pro cases at $139.