Windows on a phone

Windows Phone is a real alternative to Android and iOS

Welcome to PC Advisor. It’s smartphone season, and we’ve reviewed no fewer than 11 of the latest phones ranging from the ultraaffordable £49 Lumia 435 (page 36) up to the wallet-busting HTC One M9 (page 34) flagship, as well as everything in between.

Despite its relatively slow uptake, we’re still fans of Windows Phone, which the Lumia 435 runs. Thanks to updates, it’s now a real alternative to Android and iOS. Microsoft is also promising that a good proportion of Lumias will be upgradeable to Windows 10, which should be available later this year.

We’ve been running an early build of Windows 10 on a Lumia 830 and you can find out all about the new features on page 86. If you have a compatible phone, you can try the Technical Preview as well by following our online guide at tinyurl.com/oby648w.

And if you haven’t given the desktop version of Windows 10 a try yet, it’s well worth doing so. It’s remarkably stable, and there are quite a few new features to play with. Some are hidden, and our guide on page 82 explains how to enable them.

Increasingly we’re seeing interest in buying phones and gadgets from China thanks to temptingly cheap prices compared to the equivalent in the UK. There are certainly bargains to be had – just take a look at the phones on page 42 to 44 – but also pitfalls to watch out for. We’ve put together a comprehensive guide on the grey market on page 96.

Another reason to buy a phone from outside of the UK is to get one with two SIM slots. Dual-SIM phones aren’t that common here, but most Chinese phones have two slots. However, you’ll need to be clued up to avoid buying a phone that won’t do what you want it to, so make sure you read our expert’s guide on page 100.

Plenty of people rushed out to buy an Xbox One or PS4 when they launched last year, but while both are great games consoles, they still can’t compete with a top-spec PC for graphics quality. In our PC group test on page 56 you’ll find supremely powerful desktops that will easily cope with any game, as well as being easy to upgrade in the future.

And if you think there’s no room left for innovation when it comes to PCs, HP would like you to think again. Its oddly named Sprout (page 93) is capable of some fantastic things and while it’s not for everyone, it’s proof – if any were needed – that the PC isn’t going away just yet.

If you’ve ever wanted to use the internet in true privacy, or without restrictions being placed on sites you can access because of your location, you need a VPN service. Starting on page 72, we explain everything you need to know about them and why it’s worth paying for one over the multitude of free services out there.