The OLED panel still offers a gorgeous overall experience, keeping games like Magic The Gathering: Arena feeling as crisp as ever, and displaying streaming apps like Netflix with aplomb.Įven with all systems go we were impressed by the battery life. The A15 Bionic processor barely wobbled when put under the stress of even every day apps that used to make our iPhone 12 cry (Duolingo, for some reason) and temperatures were well maintained even during the longest of gaming sessions.
The 120Hz variable refresh rate - sorry, 'ProMotion' - display really helps some Apple Arcade greats shine, as well as larger standalone games like Elder Scrolls Blade, Minecraft, and Call of Duty Mobile.
The iPhone 13 Pro is the first real movement towards integrating that gaming focus into Apple's smartphone hardware, though. The iPhone has struggled to truly be recognised as one of the best gaming phones in its lifetime, but there's no reason it can't truly step into the space with Apple Arcade and its own gaming network in Game Center. Read more: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 review It's certainly costly, but the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 takes foldable phones' first real steps into the future, and it's easily the best phone released this year. While 'Flex' mode (fold the screen horizontally like a laptop for playback controls on the lower half of the panel) is yet to be implemented across some apps, Netflix ran beautifully while propped up in this way. Speaking of streaming, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 finally brings some innovations to its entertainment apps.
Aside from their obvious employment in streaming and music apps, they performed brilliantly in our gaming tests as well, carrying a full sound stage with plenty of detail. We also got some great action out of those Dolby speakers. There was only one game that we tested that produced this, however. We did, however, stumble across a slight issue with some more retro side-scrolling titles - losing a moment of control as we slid over the crease in the middle of the two screens. We never ran into any heating problems while running heavier titles like Call of Duty Mobile, and the 120Hz refresh rates on every screen meant we were really pushing those demanding apps for their fullest potential. When it comes to gaming, the impressive tech on display certainly doesn't disappoint either. From browsing the web while checking emails to adding an extra window for on the fly Spotify controls, Samsung has moved beyond providing a larger phone screen here and more into the world of a tablet productivity machine. The horizontal folding action means you're getting a full 7.6-inch display when fully open, which we found excellent for multi-tasking (especially paired with split view) and gaming alike.