Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra, Apple Mac Pro, HP Elite Dragonfly, and more: ZDNet's reviews round-up

The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G sets the bar for specifications in the smartphone world for 2020. There is no other phone available with these high-level specifications and Samsung is asking a lot for that privilege. Enterprise customers will appreciate having the most capable phone available today, especially considering it is future-proof for the next two to three years.

SEE: Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G review: 2020's most capable smartphone is good for business

With its new high-performance tower system, Apple is targeting professional users once again. In the absence of a review unit, ZDNet attended the company's demo session in London. There's no denying that the new Mac Pro provides impressive performance for professional users. All that remains now is for Apple to convince those users that it's serious about the pro market once again -- after years of focusing all its efforts on the all-conquering iPhone.

SEE: Apple Mac Pro (2019): Premium hardware for serious professionals

The industrial design is elegant and robust, the screen (albeit 16:9) and keyboard are excellent, there's a good selection of ports, plenty of configuration options, and both performance (for mainstream workloads) and battery life are very good. Of course, there are plenty of other slimline convertible laptops to choose from, but if you're happy with HP's price tag you won't be disappointed by the Elite Dragonfly.

For more see: HP Elite Dragonfly review: A top-quality lightweight 13-inch business convertible

This laptop has some compelling plus points, including a solid metal chassis and a minimal-bezel IPS screen with an effective blue-light filter. Users of compatible Huawei and Honor smartphones may appreciate the screen-sharing and file-transfer capabilities. Fast charging is also welcome. However, battery life could be better, more flexibility on storage capacity would be good, there's rather too much speaker distortion at high volume, and the view from the pop-up camera in the keyboard isn't optimal.

SEE: Huawei MateBook D 15 (2020) review: Stylish and solid, but battery life disappoints

The Cosmo Communicator is another intriguing device from Planet Computers. When the Linux capability becomes available, it will have even greater appeal. Having relatively fast keyboard input on such a small device is very attractive, and the bespoke apps are nicely designed and well realised. However, £799 (inc. VAT) buys you a decent laptop, and large-screen smartphones can be coupled with folding Bluetooth keyboards. This means that the Cosmo Communicator may struggle to get traction.

SEE: Cosmo Communicator review: The PDA/smartphone rides again

The budget end of the handset market is a tough place, where compromises must be made to create a serviceable phone. In this case, the RAM, camera setup, screen and internal storage are all trimmed back. But on the plus side, there's excellent battery life, a smart industrial design, some nice added features in ColorOS and dual SIM plus MicroSD support.

For more see: Oppo A5 2020 review: Another budget big-screen phone with great battery life

The £109 (inc. VAT) Nokia 800 Tough is a rugged feature phone, with an IP68 certification for dust and water resistance. Field-based workers might relish the solidity, but it's a pain to use the keypad for tasks where voice isn't viable, and it's hard to see much more than just text on the screen. It's certainly not the kind of handset on which field service workers can check their work schedule. Battery life is probably the Nokia 800 Tough's saving grace, but a well-protected Android smartphone and a vehicle charger might be a better option for most field workers.

For more see: Nokia 800 Tough, hands on: A rugged and long-lasting feature phone

The Sennheiser HD 450BT is not perfect: some glasses wearers might find the band a little tight and the cups a little too close fitting, for example, and there are headsets with superior audio quality. On the other hand, good battery life, a polished companion app and a reasonable price make this over-the-ear headset well worth considering.

SEE: Sennheiser HD 450BT, hands on: Good-value over-the-ear Bluetooth headset

For more professional video productions that may combine video and audio content from multiple sources, Logitech has launched its new StreamCam, priced at £116.67 (ex. VAT; £140 inc. VAT or $170). This affordable 1080p/60fps webcam is aimed at anyone who's into online video and content streaming. The StreamCam is compatible with broadcasting software such as OBS and XSplit. Logitech has also updated its own Capture webcam software.

For more see: Logitech StreamCam, First Take: Versatile HD webcam for deskbound content creators

The Deebot OZMO 920 is a superb multi-function robot vacuum, which is easy to connect to the app and configure. It works well in both vacuum and mopping modes and will top up its charge if it has not completed cleaning its mapped area. The Ecovacs Deebot OZMO 920 is certainly worth considering if you want a vacuum and mopping robot that you can manage by voice and by its app. 

SEE: Ecovacs Deebot OZMO 920 hands-on: A multi-use robot vacuum with smart app features