Android

I have a OnePlus 7T Pro and after seeing my wife's photography performance on her Pixel 6 I have been so tempted to go back to Pixel myself, when the 8 Pro comes out, with my last one being the Pixel XL. I also had a Nexus 6P and Nexus 5 before it (and Samsungs before those). Similar to you after 12 months previous phones have started causing frustration and by 18 months I've always been eager to swap out. I really hated TouchWiz and, whilst newer Samsung UI is much better, it still doesn't gel well with my workflows. I, too, was tempted by the S23 Ultra in a view to get quality hardware, especially now it's got Snapdragon in the UK (previously it was only Exynos), but the 1TB 16GB model is super pricey at £1,599 in the UK.

I then noticed how much freer I was with OnePlus (still on OxygenOS 11), than my wife's Pixel and the locked down approach is not for me. So my eyes have turned to a recent announcement for the Zenfone 10, launching June 29th. Last year I was VERY tempted by the Zenfone 9 - yearning for a more compact phone and this gave me Nexus 5 vibes with less compromise - after the 7T Pro's battery went from sub-par to abysmal, and I cracked my screen alongside. I also won't get more security updates as I refuse to go to the ColorOS version of OxygenOS, so it's life is coming to an end, even though it runs swiftly in 85% of my usage.

The Zenfone 10 improves upon last year's model with more battery (rumoured 700mAh increase), keeping the compact 5.9" screen, newer 6 Axis Gimbal stabilisation etc, with rumours of better camera sensors etc. It also uses the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 so has UFS 4.0 storage like other flagships should have and should be more efficient. Oh and it adds wireless charging, with last year's omission being and issue for some reviewers (I am indifferent. Nice to have not necessary to have).

Fingers crossed it hits the spot, because the OnePlus 7T Pro is leaving massive shoes to fill.