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These are the four main UK networks but there are also many other small companies that use the four big networks to provide mobile services, often at a discounted rate.
The quality and speed of your mobile network is essential to your ability to work and play on the move, so which is best? As with the best phones, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer here but there are a range of worthwhile options, offering a myriad of different benefits, catering to different needs.
Connectivity can vary from place to place and day to day. Visit the websites of all the major players and they will tell you that they have great coverage, everywhere. The truth is more nuanced.
If you’ve already got a contract and are considering buying a new phone or switching to a different network, here’s how to find out how long is left on your contract, and then how to upgrade your contract early.
You might also be pleased to hear that text-to-switch makes it easier than ever to swap to a new network in the UK.
It’s important to make sure you know when your contract ends in order to ensure that you are not being overcharged. According to Citizens Advice, in 2023 more than six million people were still being charged for mobile phones they’ve already paid for.
How to get 5GThe hottest topic in the mobile space right now is 5G, which is rolling out across the UK. You may want to keep this in mind when choosing which network to switch to.
As well as a carrier that supports 5G (we cover which ones do, don’t and will down below) you also need to ensure that you’ve got a 5G-capable phone in order to access those faster data speeds.
Find out everything you need to know about 5G in the UK here.
What’s the best phone network in the UK?First, let’s have a look at the options. There are actually only four major mobile networks in the UK, but there are several additional options that use branded services that piggyback off of the infrastructure laid out by the big four. The latter are actually classed as Mobile Virtual Network Operators or MVNOs and don’t have their own network space.
The big four are:
EE has the largest number of piggybackers, including ASDA Mobile, BT Mobile, Plusnet, Virgin Mobile (for now) and HMD Mobile.
O2’s piggybackers include Giffgaff, Tesco Mobile and Sky Mobile.
Three’s include iD Mobile and SMARTY, while Vodafone’s include Talk Mobile and VOXI.
It’s worth keeping this in mind when considering which provider you’d like to use, as coverage for the network you use may differ depending on where you are in the UK. You can use Ofcom’s coverage checker to find out.
The problem with having just four networks is that, if one of those four suffers any sort of service outage, the chances are all of its piggybackers will too. For example, in December 2023, O2 customers and customers of all of the O2 piggybackers went without 4G for an entire day, causing chaos across the UK.
Below, we take a quick look at each operator and what they offer right now.
According to RootMetrics, EE is the provider of the best mobile coverage across the UK. Vodafone is the second-best option, while Three is third in Wales and England followed by O2, and vice versa for Northern Ireland and Scotland.
There’s also the caveat of Virgin Media and O2’s merger, which went public on 1 June 2023. As the two brands have started to rework their businesses in order to operate as a single entity (simply called Virgin Media O2), existing customers who already subscribe to both Virgin Media’s home broadband and an O2 mobile plan have already started to see a shift in what benefits are being made available to them.
The first true jointly-created Virgin Media O2 product – Volt – brings both double data on O2 mobile plans and free upgraded Virgin Media home broadband speeds. Those who already subscribe to services from just one of the two brands will also benefit from discounts and offers found with the other.
BT Mobile
EE piggybacker
Good for BT Broadband customers
Offers 5G
BT is one of the newer players in the market, using its branded services on EE’s UK network. It’s a good option if you already have BT Broadband as you can apply to benefit from a £5 monthly discount on your mobile plan.
BT also offers SIM-only plans for pretty decent prices. As it’s on EE’s network (which itself is a combination of the old T-Mobile and Orange UK networks) you’re likely to get excellent coverage and good download speeds.
Find out more on BT’s website.
EE
One of the ‘big four’
Great coverage across most of the UK
Data caps
Benefits for EE Home Broadband customers
UK’s best 5G network – according to RootMetrics
Find out more at EE.co.uk
EE is something of a behemoth in the UK mobile market. It was bought by BT in 2023 but that won’t really affect your choice of network.
EE’s network is comprised of the old T-Mobile and Orange frequencies, so there’s a lot of coverage nationally, with few black spots.
Its phone contract prices can be a tad pricey, but for sheer confidence in coverage (and a big brand name to boot) it’s a solid choice.
In August 2023 it announced some truly unlimited 4G (and more recently 5G) data plans that also let you share up to 120GB a month with any other EE mobile line linked to your account.
You’ll get EU roaming (using your standard plan allowances) for £2 a day, there are data caps available, and if you get EE Home Broadband you can get a mobile data boost of up to 20GB per month.
EE has also won uSwitch’s Fastest Mobile Network for three years in a row, since 2023. It also offers the best and fastest overall 5G coverage according to RootMetrics’s H1 2023 study.
Find out more over on EE’s website.
Giffgaff
O2 piggybacker
Simple SIM-only Goodybags that you can change or cancel any time
Offers 5G
Owned by O2, Giffgaff is a little operator but one with attractive SIM-only deals. Using its owner’s network, it offers great value Goodybags, such as the £10 per month, 15GB option.
It has also upped its £20 Goodybag data allowance from 20GB to 100GB, while £35 gets you unlimited data (that is speed-capped after you’ve used 80GB worth).
It’s a fine choice if you already own a handset – just get a SIM and you’re good to go. However, it does offer phones on a contract if you need both.
Provided you set up auto-renewing payments, you can choose from one of Giffgaff’s Golden Goodybags, which offer better value for money, with larger amounts of data.
Visit Giffgaff’s website to find out more.
HMD Mobile
EE piggybacker
Exclusive to Nokia phone owners
5G and 4G
EU roaming at no extra cost
Launching alongside the Nokia X20 and G10, in early May 2023, HMD Global also pulled the wraps off its new MVNO – HMD Mobile – which turns the purchasing process on its head somewhat.
Rather than buying a phone and a plan from a carrier, those picking up a phone direct from Nokia’s website also have the opportunity to pair it with an HMD Mobile SIM.
HMD Mobile aims to offer short-term plans with the benefits of a long-term contract; with four tariffs currently available, offering unlimited calls and texts, along with 2GB, 10GB, 25GB or 50GB of data from £8 on a rolling 30-day contract.
It launched with 4G only, but HMD has since brought 5G compatibility.
Piggybacking off EE’s network also guarantees great nationwide coverage too, and while EE has reintroduced a form of roaming charges, HMD Mobile hasn’t – within the EU, at least.
Find out more on HMD Global’s website.
O2
One of the ‘big four’
Won uSwitch’s Best Network Coverage award ’19, ’20, ’21
Exclusive benefits for Virgin Media & O2 customers
Offers 5G
Find out more at O2.co.uk
O2 is a brand that has been around since 2002 in the UK and operates as one of the most well-known operators around. The network boasts excellent coverage and the company offers users great flexibility; such as letting you pair phone and tariffs plans of varying length (up to 36 months), independently.
O2’s recent merger with Virgin Media (to make Virgin Media O2), hasn’t directly impacted O2 customers in any meaningful way, other than gaining access to new benefits, on top of existing perks, like O2 Priority, which offers customers access to unique perks, like gig tickets.
As Virgin Media O2, the company also won Rootmetrics’ UK Network Accessibility Award in the first half of 2023 too, not to mention it’s the only member of the ‘big four’ that hasn’t reinstated roaming charges within the EU, making it ideal for travellers.
Get more information on O2’s website.
Plusnet
EE piggybacker
Data caps
No tethering charges
No phone contracts available, just SIM-only options
5G not yet available
Find out more at plus.net
Plusnet, which was once LIFE Mobile, uses EE in the same way that BT Mobile does, meaning you can expect really reliable coverage. It hasn’t yet made the jump to 5G though, so it’s only using (part of) the carrier’s 4G infrastructure for the time being (which is still famously robust, fear not).
Perks include no extra charges for tethering and the ability to set a monthly price cap to stop any nasty surprises appearing on your bill. It’s a good SIM-only option with very reasonable pricing.
It won uSwitch’s ‘Best Network for Customer Service’ and ‘Best Value Pay Monthly Network’ awards in 2023.
Find out more and see deals on Plusnet’s website.
Sky Mobile
O2 piggybacker
Unlimited streaming on Sky apps
Piggybank Rewards
Flexible plans
uSwitch Network of the Year 2023
Offers 5G
One of the newest additions to the UK mobile market, Sky has become a ‘quad-play’ provider by adding mobile to its TV, broadband and landline offerings.
You just pay for how much data you want, on a plan that uses Virgin Media O2’s network. The company also appears to have removed the roadblock of exclusive benefits for existing Sky customers, meaning perks like free unlimited calls and texts are now standard on every plan, for everyone.
There’s also a fun feature called Piggybank Rewards, which means customers can cash in their unused data allowance for savings on phones, tablets and accessories. This is part of its ‘Roll’ plans, which also allow customers to tap into their unused data from previous months at any time for up to three years.
There are also good Swap contracts that allow customers to upgrade their phone every year and Mix, which lets customers change their data allowance each month.
Sky won Best Pay Monthly Network and Best Value Pay Monthly Network in uSwitch’s 2023 awards, as well as ‘Network of the Year’, ‘Best Network for Data’ and ‘Best Pay Monthly Network’ last year, as well.
You’ll find more info on Sky Mobile’s website.
SMARTY
Three piggybacker
SIM-only network
Simple and affordable
Offers 5G
Find out more at SMARTY.co.uk
SMARTY is a relatively unknown SIM-only network, powered by Three.
It’s designed with simplicity and transparency in mind, offering three data discount plans – which include money back for unused data, five competitive data plans – offering 4GB to 50GB allowances, and one unlimited plan. You can change or cancel your plan at any time.
This relative newbie won uSwitch’s: ‘Best Value SIM-only Network’ awards in 2023 and 2023, and ‘Best PAYG Network’ in 2023 and gained 5G at no extra cost in early 2023.
You’ll find more info on the SMARTY website.
Tesco Mobile
O2 piggybacker
Cheap SIM deals
Offers 5G plans, including SIM-only
Tesco Mobile provides contracts, PAYG and SIM-only deals at decent prices. Because it uses Virgin Media O2’s network, coverage will be decent and often the subsidies for new handsets are good to boot.
SIM-only prices start at under £9 per month, so if you’ve got a handset you already love, you could save a lot of money.
Alternatively, there’s the offer of six months free Clubcard Plus, which doubles the data on your mobile contract, includes a 10% discount on two Tesco shops a month (up to £40 a month), gets you 10% off selected Tesco brands in-store – like F&F Clothing and double Clubcard points, nabbing you 2 points for every £1 on your Tesco Mobile bill – eligible on select pay monthly contracts on Anytime Upgrade and SIM-only plans.
Find out more over on Tesco Mobile’s website.
Three
One of the ‘big four’
All-you-can-eat data available
Go Binge data features
Offers 5G
Find out more at Three.co.uk
Three offers reasonably priced ‘all-you-can-eat’ data bundles. That’s right, unlimited data. If you can afford it, you can get the best handsets in the land with unlimited internet access.
Plus, even if you don’t choose an all you can eat package, you’ll be able to stream shows from Netflix, TVPlayer, Dave and History Channel, as well as songs from Deezer, Apple Music and SoundCloud infinitely, without it counting towards your data allowance with the network’s ‘Go Binge’ feature.
Pay as you go rates are also pretty decent if you don’t need as much data, minutes or texts.
Once the king of roaming plans (before the effects of Brexit took hold), the carrier still offers decent rates within the EU.
uSwitch also awarded Three the ‘Best Network for Roaming’ and the ‘Most Popular Mobile Network’ in 2023, 2023 and 2023.
Virgin Media
Vodafone piggybacker
Data rollover
Flexible plans
Data-free messaging
Offers 5G
Virgin Media was late to the party with 4G and 5G but has caught up and is an attractive option if you already get your broadband connection and TV from Virgin Media O2, cutting down the number of tech providers you have to deal with.
It offers data rollover features and lets you message on WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Twitter without eating into your allowance. There’s the ability to change your plan every month, too.
As an MVNO, Virgin Media customers are actually relying on Vodafone’s networks at present but with the Virgin Media O2 merger, there’s every chance it’ll all switch to the O2 network, soon enough.
Virgin Media’s website offers more info.
Vodafone
One of the ‘big four’
Big data plans available
Offers 5G
Find out more at Vodafone.co.uk
Vodafone is a staple brand in the UK mobile market and its coverage is excellent but it has suffered from reports of bad customer service over the past few years.
However, the actual network itself provides reliable fast 4G and 5G connectivity, and its SIM-only deals are well priced.
You’ll find more information on Vodafone’s website here.
Related articles for further readingYou're reading Best Phone Network 2023: Uk Mobile Networks Compared
Using A Mobile Phone Overseas
Using a mobile phone while traveling internationally can be like grocery shopping at 7-11. Sure, you can do it–but you’ll end up paying a lot for a less-than-optimal experience.
Buy a Local SIM CardThe least expensive option for using a mobile phone abroad? Buy a local SIM card in the country you’re visiting and pop it into an unlocked GSM phone. If I sound like I’ve just spoken Swahili, keep reading.
A SIM card is a tiny chip that stores essential data, such as the phone number, network authorization information, and contact lists, for use in GSM phones. (SIM is an acronym for the particularly Orwellian/robotic-sounding term Subscriber Identity Module.) A SIM card is your GSM phone’s brain. You can remove the card from one phone and pop it into another–an instant brain transplant.
Buying a prepaid SIM card for a country you’re visiting prevents you from having to pay international roaming fees to your U.S. wireless carrier, which can be substantial (more on that in a minute). Also, you’ll get a phone number associated with your SIM card that’s local to the country in which you purchase the card. This way, people in that country can call your mobile phone without international tolls.
With Telestial’s Passport US SIM Card, I get both a U.S. and UK phone number. If someone dials the U.S. number and I answer in the UK, the caller pays only U.S. long distance charges (or none, depending upon their phone plan). I’m charged $0.19 per minute to receive those calls–a lot less than the $0.99 or $1.29 per minute I’d pay AT&T, my wireless carrier, for international roaming with my Apple iPhone.
I chose this SIM card because I expect to receive more calls than I’ll make on my UK mobile number. I also plan to rely on Skype and Vonage to make calls when I’m in my hotel room. More on that in a minute.
Beg, Borrow, or Buy an Unlocked GSM PhoneMost mobile phones in the U.S. operate on one of two cellular network standards: GSM or CDMA. In the U.S., AT&T and T-Mobile use GSM (Global System for Mobile communications). GSM is the global standard for cellular networks.
But not all GSM phones are equal: Your best choice is an unlocked quad-band GSM phone. Most GSM phones outside the U.S. (except in Japan and a few other countries) operate on the 900 MHz or 1800 MHz GSM bands. American and Canadian GSM networks work at the 850 MHz or 1900 MHz bands. With an unlocked, quad-band GSM phone, you’ve got all four bands covered.
An unlocked phone is not tied to a specific carrier, such as AT&T. But many mobile phones sold by GSM carriers in the U.S. are locked. Exhibit A: Apple’s iPhone, which is attached to AT&T’s network in the U.S. like a barnacle on a boat’s underside.
Got an iPhone? You’ve Got (Two) OptionsTo use your iPhone outside the U.S., one option is to pay AT&T’s international roaming rates. If you sign up for the AT&T World Traveler plan ($6 per month, but you can stop and start it as needed), you pay $0.99 per minute for calls sent and received while traveling internationally. Without the World Traveler plan, the charge is $1.29 per minute. The Spanish phrase that comes to my mind here is no me gusta.
The Wrap UpUltimately, the easiest–but most expensive–solution is to add international roaming to your existing GSM-compatible phone. The downside, aside from the cost: People in countries you’re visiting must call a U.S. number to reach you, which can be costly for them (and thus a deterrent).
A slightly more cumbersome but less expensive solution is to buy a local SIM card and use it in an unlocked GSM phone.
If you take your laptop, use Skype for free video chats as much as possible, while in your hotel room (or if you’re brave, an Internet cafe). The New York Times’ Frugal Traveler Matt Gross wrote about his money-saving plan that involves Skype, call forwarding, and SIM cards and a GSM phone. It’s a bit complicated, but it could save you money.
Mobile Computing News, Reviews, & TipsPalm and Apple: Checkmate. Palm has brought iTunes syncing back to the Pre smartphone, reversing a move Apple made recently to block the Pre’s iTunes syncing via an iTunes software upgrade. No word yet on whether the two companies will engage in a jello wrestling match.
Samsung’s Eco-Friendly Cell Phone. Available in “ocean blue” and “earth green,” Samsung’s compact smartphone is ecoconscious and sophisticated. Our reviewer liked the Samsung Reclaim smartphone for its energy efficiency and clean, simple interface.
Your Laptop and International Travel. When you travel abroad, keeping your laptop juiced up isn’t your only concern. Fellow contributing editor Lincoln Spector details the risks of taking your notebook across international borders in a recent Answer Line.
Suggestion BoxContributing Editor James A. Martin offers tools, tips, and product recommendations to help you make the most of computing on the go. You can follow him on Twitter. Jim is also the co-author of Getting Organized in the Google Era, to be published in March 2010. Sign up to have Mobile Computing e-mailed to you each week.
Windows Server 2023 Editions Compared And Discussed
The connectivity is also more secured than before with faster and more secured encrypted HTTPS connections, industry-standard SMB AES 256 encryption among several others.
Compared to the earlier Server editions, Windows Server 2023 also improves hybrid server management with significantly improved VM management, an enhanced event viewer with more features available in Windows Admin Center. There are improvements to Windows containers, such as smaller image sizes for faster download, simplified network policy implementation, and containerization tools for .NET applications.
Windows Server 2023 Editions comparedThere are three editions of Windows Server 2023:
Standard
Datacenter
Datacenter: Azure Edition
Microsoft has detailed the features in each of these editions.
1] Windows Server 2023 Standard EditionThe Windows Server 2023 Standard Edition is the primary version among the three. Although stuffed with all general features it misses Hotpatching and Software-defined Networking.
The Storage Replica option is available (1 partnership and 1 resource group with a single 2TB volume), however, it misses out on Storage Spaces Direct feature. It offers an option for two virtual machines, plus one Hyper-V host per license along with 2 Virtual OSE/Hyper-V isolated Containers.
Host Guardian Hyper-V Support is not available for the Standard version.
2] Windows Server 2023 Datacenter EditionThe Datacenter Edition of Windows Server 2023 is a step above the Standard Edition. Although Hotpatching is not available here as well, however, it includes Software-defined Networking. The Datacenter edition offers unlimited Storage Replica and includes the Storage Spaces Direct feature as well. Inherited activation can be done as a host or a guest.
A step above the Standard Edition, Datacenter Edition offers unlimited Virtual machines, plus one Hyper-V host per license along with unlimited Virtual OSE/Hyper-V isolated Containers.
Missing in Standard, Host Guardian Hyper-V Support is available for Datacenter Edition. Also, there is support for Shielded Virtual Machines which is not available in Standard Edition.
3] Windows Server 2023 Datacenter: Azure EditionThe Windows Server 2023 Datacenter: Azure Edition is the most premium among the 3 and as the name says is supported on Azure (Azure IaaS or Azure Stack HCI – 21H2) and offers specific features not available outside of these environments (Hotpatching, SMB over QUIC, and Azure Extended Networking). Hotpatching particularly is a great feature here, which lets admins apply patches without rebooting, and SMB over QUIC, for secure access to shared files over the internet without the hassles of setting up a VPN.
The Admin Center includes a menu for Azure Hybrid Center, Azure Kubernetes Services, Azure Backup, Azure File Sync, Azure Monitor, and Azure Security Center.
Talking about the other features, and being the most premium among the three, it includes all the other features that the Standard and Datacenter version comes with.
Standard vs Datacenter vs Datacenter: Azure – All Features comparison table Features available generallyFEATURES AVAILABLE GENERALLY
Features available generally Windows Server 2023 Standard Windows Server 2023 Datacenter Windows Server 2023 Datacenter: Azure Edition
Azure Extended Network No No Yes
Best Practices Analyzer Yes Yes Yes
Containers Yes Yes Yes
Direct Access Yes Yes Yes
Dynamic Memory (in virtualization) Yes Yes Yes
Hot Add/Replace RAM Yes Yes Yes
Hotpatching No No Yes
Microsoft Management Console Yes Yes Yes
Minimal Server Interface Yes Yes Yes
Network Load Balancing Yes Yes Yes
Windows PowerShell Yes Yes Yes
Server Core installation option Yes Yes Yes
Server Manager Yes Yes Yes
SMB Direct and SMB over RDMA Yes Yes Yes (not supported in Azure)
SMB over QUIC No No Yes
Software-defined Networking No Yes Yes
Storage Migration Service Yes Yes Yes
Storage Replica Yes, (1 partnership and 1 resource group with a single 2TB volume) Yes, unlimited Yes, unlimited
Storage Spaces Yes Yes Yes
Storage Spaces Direct No Yes Yes
Volume Activation Services Yes Yes Yes
VSS (Volume Shadow Copy Service) integration Yes Yes Yes
Windows Server Update Services Yes Yes Yes
Windows System Resource Manager Yes Yes Yes
Server license logging Yes Yes Yes
Inherited activation As guest if hosted on Datacenter Can be a host or a guest Can be a host or a guest
Work Folders Yes Yes Yes
Locks and LimitsLOCKS AND LIMITS
Locks and Limits Windows Server 2023 Standard Windows Server 2023 Datacenter
Maximum number of users Based on CALs Based on CALs
Maximum SMB connections 16,777,216 16,777,216
Maximum RRAS connections Unlimited Unlimited
Maximum IAS connections 2,147,483,647 2,147,483,647
Maximum RDS connections 65,535 65,535
Maximum number of 64-bit sockets 64 64
Maximum number of cores Unlimited Unlimited
Maximum RAM 48 TB 48 TB
Can be used as virtualization guest Yes; 2 virtual machines, plus one Hyper-V host per license Yes; unlimited virtual machines, plus one Hyper-V host per license
Windows Server Containers Unlimited Unlimited
Virtual OSE/Hyper-V isolated Containers 2 Unlimited
Server can join a domain Yes Yes
Edge network protection/firewall No No
DirectAccess Yes Yes
DLNA codecs and web media streaming Yes, if installed as Server with Desktop Experience Yes, if installed as Server with Desktop Experience
Server rolesSERVER ROLES
Windows Server roles available Role services Windows Server 2023 Standard Windows Server 2023 Datacenter
Active Directory Certificate Services
Yes Yes
Active Directory Domain Services
Yes Yes
Active Directory Federation Services
Yes Yes
AD Lightweight Directory Services
Yes Yes
AD Rights Management Services
Yes Yes
Device Health Attestation
Yes Yes
DHCP Server
Yes Yes
DNS Server
Yes Yes
Fax Server
Yes Yes
File and Storage Services File Server Yes Yes
File and Storage Services BranchCache for Network Files Yes Yes
File and Storage Services Data Deduplication Yes Yes
File and Storage Services DFS Namespaces Yes Yes
File and Storage Services DFS Replication Yes Yes
File and Storage Services File Server Resource Manager Yes Yes
File and Storage Services File Server VSS Agent Service Yes Yes
File and Storage Services iSCSI Target Server Yes Yes
File and Storage Services iSCSI Target Storage Provider Yes Yes
File and Storage Services Server for NFS Yes Yes
File and Storage Services Work Folders Yes Yes
File and Storage Services Storage Services Yes Yes
Host Guardian Service
Yes Yes
Hyper-V
Yes Yes; including Shielded Virtual Machines
Network Controller
No Yes
Network Policy and Access Services
Yes, when installed as Server with Desktop Experience Yes, when installed as Server with Desktop Experience
Print and Document Services
Yes Yes
Remote Access
Yes Yes
Remote Desktop Services
Yes Yes
Volume Activation Services
Yes Yes
Web Services (IIS)
Yes Yes
Windows Deployment Services
Yes Yes
Windows Server Essentials Experience
No No
Windows Server Update Services
Yes Yes
Related: Windows Server 2023 vs 2023 vs 2023 Feature differences
FeaturesFEATURES
Windows Server Features available Windows Server 2023 Standard Windows Server 2023 Datacenter
.NET Framework 3.5 Yes Yes
.NET Framework 4.8 Yes Yes
Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) Yes Yes
BitLocker Drive Encryption Yes Yes
BitLocker Network Unlock Yes, when installed as Server with Desktop Experience Yes, when installed as Server with Desktop Experience
BranchCache Yes Yes
Client for NFS Yes Yes
Containers Yes Yes
Data Center Bridging Yes Yes
Direct Play Yes, when installed as Server with Desktop Experience Yes, when installed as Server with Desktop Experience
Enhanced Storage Yes Yes
Failover Clustering Yes Yes
Group Policy Management Yes Yes
Host Guardian Hyper-V Support No Yes
I/O Quality of Service Yes Yes
IIS Hostable Web Core Yes Yes
Internet Printing Client Yes, when installed as Server with Desktop Experience Yes, when installed as Server with Desktop Experience
IP Address Management (IPAM) Server Yes Yes
LPR Port Monitor Yes, when installed as Server with Desktop Experience Yes, when installed as Server with Desktop Experience
Management OData IIS Extension Yes Yes
Media Foundation Yes Yes
Message Queueing Yes Yes
Microsoft Defender Antivirus Installed Installed
Multipath I/O Yes Yes
MultiPoint Connector Yes Yes
Network Load Balancing Yes Yes
Network Virtualization Yes Yes
Peer Name Resolution Protocol Yes Yes
Quality Windows Audio Video Experience Yes Yes
RAS Connection Manager Administration Kit (CMAK) Yes, when installed as Server with Desktop Experience Yes, when installed as Server with Desktop Experience
Remote Assistance Yes, when installed as Server with Desktop Experience Yes, when installed as Server with Desktop Experience
Remote Differential Compression Yes Yes
Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) Yes Yes
RPC over HTTP Proxy Yes Yes
Setup and Boot Event Collection Yes Yes
Simple TCP/IP Services Yes, when installed as Server with Desktop Experience Yes, when installed as Server with Desktop Experience
SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support Installed Installed
SMB Bandwidth Limit Yes Yes
SMTP Server Yes Yes
SNMP Service Yes Yes
Software Load Balancer Yes Yes
Software Migration Service Yes Yes
Software Migration Service Proxy Yes Yes
Storage Replica Yes Yes
System Data Archiver Yes Yes
System Insights Yes Yes
Telnet Client Yes Yes
TFTP Client Yes, when installed as Server with Desktop Experience Yes, when installed as Server with Desktop Experience
VM Shielding Tools for Fabric Management Yes Yes
WebDAV Redirector Yes Yes
Windows Biometric Framework Yes, when installed as Server with Desktop Experience Yes, when installed as Server with Desktop Experience
Windows Identity Foundation 3.5 Yes, when installed as Server with Desktop Experience Yes, when installed as Server with Desktop Experience
Windows Internal Database Yes Yes
Windows PowerShell 5.1 Installed Installed
Windows PowerShell 2.0 Engine Yes Yes
Windows PowerShell Desired State Configuration Service Yes Yes
Windows PowerShell Web Access Yes Yes
Windows Process Activation Service Yes Yes
Windows Search Service Yes, when installed as Server with Desktop Experience Yes, when installed as Server with Desktop Experience
Windows Server Backup Yes Yes
Windows Server Migration Tools Yes Yes
Windows Standards-Based Storage Management Yes Yes
Windows Subsystem for Linux Yes Yes
Windows TIFF IFilter Yes, when installed as Server with Desktop Experience Yes, when installed as Server with Desktop Experience
WinRM IIS Extension Yes Yes
WINS Server Yes Yes
Wireless LAN Service Yes Yes
WoW64 support Installed Installed
XPS Viewer Installed with Server with Desktop Experience Installed with Server with Desktop Experience
Related: Hardware Requirements for Windows Server 2023.
What is the support lifecycle for Windows Server 2023Its mainstream end date is October 13, 2026, and its extended end date is October 14, 2031.
What are the installation options for Windows 2023?Windows Server 2023 products come with both Core and Desktop installation options for all editions. The core is the headless low-footprint installation option suggested optimal for remote management and automation purposes. In the Desktop installation option, it installs the server with a graphical user interface, which is a traditionally used method however it is not recommended for organizations that carry out large-scale automation.
Best Broadband Service In The Uk
We’ll explain what to look for, as well as comparing eight of the best providers and cherry-picking the best plan on offer from each one.
Quick picks: best broadband plans BT Broadband – Best for choiceAs the country’s largest supplier of broadband, BT has a huge range of options available. These go from standard wire-based ADSL connections that can provide speeds of around 15Mbps up to the incredibly fast Full Fibre Halo packages that max out at a blistering 900Mbps. It depend upon where you live as to the speeds available but you can enter your postcode on BT’s site and it will let you know what packages are available in your area.
Of course, these are priced accordingly, with the slower speeds coming in at around the £20 a month mark, while the highest speed Fibre contracts are around £50. The best value though is found with the combination packages that bundle fast broadband in with streaming TV services including Sky (via Now TV), BT Sport and AMC. For example, at the time of writing you could get the Big Entertainment + Fibre 2 package for £52.99 per month, which includes speeds between 59Mbps-73Mbps, plus access to Sky Atlantic, Sky Originals, twelve Sky Cinema channels, AMC and others.
If you want the best TV package, then there’s BT TV VIP, which incorporates Sky Sports, Sky Cinema, Sky Entertainment, Eurosport, Freeview, AMC and BT Entertainment. You can read our full BT TV VIP review for more details.
Many plans offer what BT calls Your Stay Fast Guarantee, which sets a limit on the speed your connection can drop to, after which you can claim £20 back from the company. This is a good way to know that you should get a baseline level of performance, no matter which package you choose.
The BT Halo plans have a few cool features well worth considering as well, including Hybrid Connect, which utilises the EE network (owned by BT) to switch to 4G if the broadband connection goes down. If you’re on a BT Mobile contract, then you may see your data doubled as part of the package. There’s also Complete Wi-Fi – a mesh Wi-Fi system which increases the coverage in your home and is ideal for those with larger houses or places with thick walls.
Check out our BT Halo+ 3 review for more details.
While all of this is very impressive, one blot on the BT landscape is customer service. The Trustpilot ratings and reviews make for grim reading, and some of us at Tech Advisor have experienced getting lost in the labyrinthian hell that can be calling the helplines. When it works, the broadband is great, but if you need to get something fixed, you might want to put the kettle on.
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Sky – Best for entertainment bundlesSky is another behemoth in the UK, with its TV, movie and sports channels remaining hugely popular even in the face of competition from Netflix, Amazon and others. One of the other main services it offers of course is broadband, with a particular focus on bundles that incorporate all of the above products.
Sky has three main broadband tiers – Superfast, Ultrafast and Ultrafast Plus – each of which offers a higher top download speed than the last. Superfast promises average speeds of 59Mbps, Ultrafast 145Mbps, with Ultrafast Plus offering a pretty nifty 500Mbps.
As with BT, Sky gives a minimum speed guarantee for each tier with the promise that if you contact them about a slow connection, which persists for at least three days in a row and they can’t fix it within 30 days, you are free to cancel your contract with no fees or early termination costs. Unlike BT, you’ll still need to pay for a landline as part of your package.
While broadband is available on its own, the best deals are found when you combine it with the various entertainment packages, although BT does give these options a run for their money. If you’re happy with the standard Superfast Broadband, then for £42p/m you can get unlimited internet access, plus channels including Sky Atlantic, Sky One, SyFy, Gold, Discovery, National Geographic, Eurosport, MTV and a number of on-demand box sets. If you want more, then you can add Sky Sports for £20p/m, Sky Cinema for £11p/m plus various other options.
Sky does offer its WiFi Guarantee add-on for £5 per month, which promises Wi-Fi coverage in all areas of your house or the price of the add-on is refunded. If you can’t get at least 3Mb in each room of the house, then Sky will send you a Booster to extend the network. This does seem a little cheeky, as we’d expect a service to work properly without the need for customers to pay extra, but if your home has dead-spots then it could be worth investigating.
USwitch awarded Sky the Best Triple Play Provider for its TV, Broadband and Talk bundle in 2023, so it’s proven itself a decent service, but a number of reviews on Trustpilot disagree.
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NOW BroadbandYes, NOW is a part of Sky, so it does look like we’ve listed the same service twice, but as with the NOW TV packages that give you access to the premium TV content but without the need for long contracts, NOW Broadband is an interesting option if you’re staying in a location for less than a normal contract length or just like the freedom to cancel without a huge fee.
It’s not free, though, as you need to pay £60 up-front for the ‘no-contract’ option, but if you end the service several months before the terms mature, then you’ll save some money in the process, plus it’s good to know that you’re able to walk away at any time.
Brilliant Broadband (ADSL with an average 11Mb speed) £18p/m
Fab Fibre (average 36Mb) £22p/m
Super Fibre (average 63Mb) £22p/m
All come with line rental and Anytime calls included (and there’s no activation fee), but there is a £5 delivery cost for the router. If you use your home phone then the inclusion of Anytime Calls might prove useful, as these offer free calls of UK mobile and landlines. Stray outside those parameters though and the fees can get expensive, at around 20p per minute.
As you’d expect there are deals that allow you to get the NOW TV Entertainment packages as part of your subscription, with the best of the bunch at the time of writing being the Super Fibre + Entertainment Membership 12-month package for £29.99p/m.
With this you get the fastest connection NOW Broadband offers, plus access to the likes of Sky Atlantic, Sky One, Sky Comedy, Gold, SyFy, and a wide range of on-demand box sets of shows. You can also buy monthly Passes to watch the Sports or Cinema channels too, making it easy to keep your ongoing costs down but still be able to watch the match or latest movie.
You won’t find Wi-Fi 6 or mesh networking available on this platform, but that’s not the intention. Instead, you can get very a usable internet connection for streaming TV, video calls and general browsing all for an affordable price. Hard-core gamers and 4K fans might want to look elsewhere, but otherwise it’s a solid option.
Looking at the Trustpilot score for NOW is a bit confusing, as the Broadband service is mixed in with the streaming packages so it’s not fair to draw any conclusions. Still, with the option to cancel at any time (if you’re willing to pay the £60) then it could well be what you’re looking for.
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TalkTalkAs with most of the services on this list, TalkTalk offers a variety of broadband tiers, increasing in speed and price as you move up the price ladder. What’s interesting is that the higher-cost plans (Fibre 150 and Fibre 500) come with Amazon eero routers, which offer Wi-Fi 6. This is something not currently available from the likes of the BT Smart Hub 2 or Sky Broadband Hub, so if you want the fastest and widest coverage of Wi-Fi in your home then TalkTalk should be on your shortlist.
Of course, you can buy the Amazon eero routers yourself and add them to any network, but at £139 each it’s not exactly a cheap option.
check that on TalkTalk’s website.
Another slightly different approach is that the TalkTalk plans recommend the maximum number of devices that you should use on each plan. Obviously, you can use more, but speeds will begin to deteriorate. This is true of most broadband connections, but it’s unusual to see it listed.
For instance, the baseline Fibre 35 package, which states average speeds of 38Mbps, is recommend for 1-5 devices. In this day and age with Amazon Alexa devices, smartwatches, multiple phones, Smart TVs, tablets and laptops often found in every home, this seem quite restricted, but you’ll just see the average speed drop rather than be refused access to the internet if you have more devices connected.
Our pick of the bunch though is the Fibre 150 – Full Fibre tier that offers average speeds of 147Mbps, no need for a landline, and comes with the Amazon eero 6 router. This costs £32p/m on an 18-month contract, with a one-off £4.95 delivery fee.
One downside we found in the small print is that the Amazon eero devices are locked to TalkTalk networks, with the company stating, ‘The eero device is restricted use and can only be used on the TalkTalk broadband network and with TalkTalk eero enabled packages (currently Fibre 150 and 500 data-only), otherwise they may be deactivated’. So, while it’s a great feature, you won’t necessarily be able to benefit from the router if you switch services later on.
While the TrustPilot rating is 2.5 stars (which, surprisingly, is higher than both BT and Sky) it does once again have many people complaining about customer service. So, be aware of that while making your choice.
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EE – Best for existing EE customersEE may be better known as a mobile phone provider, but the company also has a comprehensive range of broadband options available, thanks to the fact it’s owned by BT. All of its plans are unlimited and the company states that it will not slow down the service at any time, so you should see a constant level of performance.
As with several of the other services on this list, including BT, you now have the option of a fibre plan without the requirement for a landline. So, if you’re keen to save a little money and rely on your smartphone for all calls, then this is an excellent option.
If you’re an existing EE customer, then you’ll also see your mobile data allowance bumped up by as much as 20GB p/m, plus there’s a 10% discount when signing up.
EE caters for a wide range of needs, with packages starting out with the Standard tier that gives average speeds of 10Mbps for £23.50p/m (with a 5GB mobile data bonus for EE customers), up to the Full Fibre Max 900 that should keep you at 900Mbps for £60 a month (and tops up your EE mobile data allowance by 20GB p/m).
If you want to add entertainment into the mix, then existing pay-monthly EE customers can opt for the Apple TV 4K and BT Sport package, which provides the Apple hardware and access to the BT channel for around £11-15 p/m depending on the tier.
Should you need to boost the Wi-Fi coverage in your home, then EE offers Smart Wi-Fi for an additional £10 p/m on any package.
For this you get the Smart Wi-Fi disc (the same as BT’s Complete WiFi, but the discs are white instead of black, and have an EE logo on them), an upgrade to the Smart Wi-Fi router (Wi-Fi 5) if you don’t already have it, and a portable 4GEE mini hotspot with 2G of free data to keep you connected each month when you’re out and about.
Those who would like to go entirely mobile could also opt for a 4G or 5G router plan which means you can take it with you when you travel. The important thing to know about these is that they don’t come with unlimited data. Also, prices on the 5G sides are quite high. The best deal is 100GB of 5G data for £67.50p/m on a 24-month contract, but for most people this will be an expensive luxury rather than sensible option, especially when companies such as Smarty offer unlimited 4G data for £20 a month.
Again, like most providers here, EE doesn’t rate too highly on Trustpilot.
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Vodafone – Best for featuresAs with EE, Vodafone is another mobile network provider that now offers home broadband. It has the same sort of range as most of the others on this list, with average speeds going from 35Mbps right up to 900Mbps.
Naturally the Pro and Pro Ultra tiers come with additional features as well as speed bumps. These include Super Wi-Fi guarantee, which means you should get good service all over the house or Vodafone will supply you with booster units to fix the problem.
There’s also 4G Broadband backup that will switch your connection to the Vodafone 4G network automatically (for free) if your broadband connection experiences difficulties. Obviously, you’ll need to check that you’re in an area with good network coverage for this to work.
Existing Vodafone customers on pay monthly contracts can also get discounts on the plans (currently up to £3p/m) and qualify for a free Amazon Tech Pack which includes an Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Ultra HD and Amazon Echo Dot (4th gen).
Vodafone saves some features solely for the Pro Xtra level, with the star of the show being an Apple TV 4K with a 3-month subscription to Apple TV+, but there’s also Anytime landline and mobile calls to UK numbers.
The most recent addition to the range is the plan that we think offers the best mix of features and value. This is the Vodafone Pro Broadband with Alexa built-in which comes with 4G Broadband backup (that kicks in if the main connection goes down) as well as an Alexa-equipped Super Wi-Fi Plus booster that Vodafone says has Wi-Fi 6 capabilities.
Now, the main router itself is Wi-Fi 5, so it’s not clear if it’s possible to get faster speeds from the booster or that the Wi-Fi 6 is there to improve coverage as well as being a form of futureproofing that will really come into its own when the main router is replaced with a Wi-Fi model.
The new package starts at £38 p/m and is a real contender against the BT Halo 3+ package, so long as you’re in an area covered by the Vodafone network.
Checking the Trustpilot ratings is equally as disconcerting as with every other company here.
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Plusnet – Best for affordable broadband packagesPlusnet has positioned itself as the ‘everyman’ broadband provider for years now and it seems to be working well for the company as it recently picked up the four main awards from Uswitch.
These were comprised of Best Broadband Provider, Best Provider for Customer Service, Best Value Broadband Provider, and Most Popular Broadband Provider. These have to be considered alongside the Trustpilot ratings, which tell a slightly less enthusiastic story.
The packages available are slightly more modest than those from the likes of Sky, BT, TalkTalk and others, but for most people there are options that will appeal.
You have three tiers to choose between: Unlimited Broadband, Unlimited Fibre and Unlimited Fibre Extra. You won’t find the crazy top speeds that are available on some other fibre connections, but the three tiers respectively offer average speeds of 10Mbps, 36Mbps and 66Mbps. While the simple Broadband tier would struggle to handle multiple devices streaming HD content, the £18.99p/m fee, which includes line rental, means it’s a good way to access the internet for a low cost.
Moving up to Fibre increases the cost to £22.99p/m, with the top Fibre Extra package available for £25.99p/m, all on 12-month contracts and with line-rental included. If you want call plans, then they are all available for around £10.50p/m extra.
There’s also the option to include BT Sport for £15.69p/m if you want to bolster your TV, but we think the best deal is the Unlimited Fibre Extra as it gives you speeds fast enough for everyday online activities, plus it’s cheap enough for most people to afford. As we said at the start, it’s the ‘everyman’ option.
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Virgin Media – Fastest fibre connectionVirgin is a stalwart in the home broadband space and has been for many years. It’s not surprising then that the number of services and bundles it offers are some of the most comprehensive around.
You can opt for broadband with or without a phone line, a wide variety of download speeds, not to mention a wealth of entertainment options that include Sky Sports and Sky Cinema. There’s also the option to have your mobile SIM as part of a package, if you want all your digital chickens in one basket.
If you’re looking for a tier to suit your particular requirements, then there’s a good chance that Virgin Media has one on offer. But the plan in particular that sets the company apart from its rivals is the Gig1 Fibre Broadband package, though this is available in only a few cities.
Virgin states that it can deliver average speeds of 1130Mbps alongside upload speeds of 52Mb, which makes it the fastest service in this roundup. It’s great for gamers, and those that want to stream 4K content to multiple screens at the same time, as well as those that have a large home full of bandwidth-hungry devices.
The Gig1 Fibre Broadband plan is also worth considering if you’re, like many of us, working from home and need to be on Zoom calls frequently, share large files in a flash, or simply have a rapid connection to the internet even when your kids or flatmates are binging Netflix in the next room.
Signing up to Gig1 Fibre will cost you £62p/m on an 18-month contract and involves a one-off set up fee of £35. At the moment the service is limited to only a few cities in the UK, so be sure to use the service checker on the Virgin Media site to see if you’re one of the chosen few. Otherwise, there are plenty of other fast plans available which come with features like Intelligent Wi-Fi (where the router will boost signals to devices the furthest away), although for a hardware booster you’ll need the Intelligent Wi-Fi Plus option that costs and additional £5p/m.
The Trustpilot rating for the broadband service averages 2 stars, which is better than several on this list. As we said at the start, it simply shows that there are a lot of unhappy broadband customers in the UK, and no service scores highly here.
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Things to consider when choosing a Broadband serviceWhen deciding, there are some key features to check. While speed is always a massive factor, most packages will have extras that could improve your day-to-day experience. Here’s a quick guide on the things to consider before signing a contract.
SpeedObviously, speed is top of the list. In this age of video calls, 4K streaming, online gaming and everyone having multiple devices in a household, a slow internet connection can be incredibly frustrating. If you need maximum speed, there are specialists such as Hyperoptic that prioritise this over any other whistles (or bells) and there are fibre (short for fibre optic) services from BT and Virgin (among others) that offer greater speeds than the more standard contracts. You’ll see them listed below, measured in Mb – megabits – per second. The higher the number the faster the connection.
For more details on this, read what’s the fastest broadband in the UK?
You should check which services are available in your area, as many of the fastest fibre plans are usually restricted to cities and larger towns. For those in remote areas, there’s also the option of satellite broadband from companies such as OneWeb and
Is there a data cap?Most broadband plans come with unlimited data, but there are still some that cap the amount you can download each month. So, be sure to check the details of any plan you’re thinking of signing up to and look for unlimited download limits as opposed to a monthly allowance.
TV and phone bundlesMost providers offer basic broadband, but also have packages including TV streaming, music services, mobile data or other enticements. Therefore, it’s well worth totting up how much you already pay separately for these add-ons and whether getting them as part of your broadband package would save you money.
Which router is included?A central part of how your broadband connection will function, especially on the Wi-Fi side of things, will come down to the quality of your router. Most packages will contain a bog-standard model, which in some cases could be using technology several years old. Typically, you won’t have access to the latest Wi-Fi 6 speeds or the extra coverage around the house that comes with mesh Wi-Fi networks.
If those latter things are important to you, then be sure to check which routers are in the package and whether moving to a more premium tier will be a better fit for your particular needs. You can, of course, connect and use Wi-Fi kit of your own choosing if you prefer, so take a look at our guide to the best Mesh Wi-Fi kits to see which ones we recommend.
Customer serviceHopefully you won’t need any tech support, but when do need assistance or simply to get in contact with your provider, good customer service is obviously a benefit. We’ve referred to Trustpilot reviews and ratings here, but no broadband service has great ratings. It’s true that people tend to only leave a review when they’ve had a bad experience, and there’s little incentive to leave a review when you’ve had good service, but even so, it’s rather disappointing across the board.
Don’t be scared to switch providers each yearIt’s a sad fact that in the modern era companies don’t seem eager to reward loyalty from customers. It’s rare that your bills go down if you’re a long-time subscriber, in fact they often creep upwards. Thankfully, it’s easier than ever now to change your supplier, and it’s probably a good idea if you want to ensure that you are getting the best value for money from your broadband service. Once your contract has come to its full term, you can approach another supplier, arrange a deal and then they will often handle much of the technical stuff, leaving you to tell your existing provider that you’re moving on.
To see what kind of contracts are out there, read best broadband deals in the UK.
Windows Phone 7 Wins With Office Mobile Revamp
If you’re a veteran Windows Mobile user who’s mastered the mobile Office applications on a Windows-powered smartphone, get ready to go back to school. Windows Phone 7 puts a fresh, new face on Office; one that aims to make users more efficient, but does requires a little relearning.
Unlike Windows Mobile 6.5, which bears a faint resemblance to the old Windows CE operating system first used on phoneless handheld computers, Windows Phone 7 is totally finger-powered, and lets you navigate menus by swiping and touching.
The home screen of Windows Phone 7 handsets come with an Office hub icon that provides quick access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote files. When the home screen locks after a period of dormancy, your next appointment is shown on the bottom as are the number of unread e-mails and missed calls.
The new sliding interface is not foreign to Microsoft Zune digital music player users, nor to the select few who purchased Microsoft Kin phones during their brief shelf lives in stores. The same concept of swiping up, down or sideways to get from one menu to the other is used throughout Windows Phone 7 and changes the face of Mobile Office.
For example, when you open Outlook e-mail on a Windows Phone 7, you get a neat list of all of your e-mail in a comfortably large font with icons that make it easy to access attachments or perform other functions. Sliding the screen to the left reduces the list to unread e-mail-the filtering has already been done before the finger slide. One or two extra swipes of the finger will switch the view to flagged or urgent e-mail.
A large app bar appears at the bottom of Office screens offering navigation tools relevant to the open file. A predictive keyboard allows you to type relatively quickly. The phone will make an educated guess at the word you want based on the context but if it gets it wrong, a list of other suggested words appears in a small bar.
You can create notes in OneNote and have them automatically sync with the Web, thus allowing you to make updates on a desktop computer or any other device that with a Web browser. The service works with a free Windows Live SkyDrive account and, with more sophistication, on a SharePoint 2010 Web site.
The calendar client in Outlook supports multiple calendars, color coded for clarity. If you get a meeting request with an address, the software recognizes the address and allows you to access a Bing map online. If someone is using PowerPoint 2010 to broadcast a presentation online to up to 50 people, the PowerPoint client on the phone can log into the broadcast and view it as others do from their PCs.
A glaring omission on Windows Phone 7 is cut and paste, an oversight Microsoft representatives said would be corrected in early 2011 with an over-the-air update.
Overall the Office experience is cleaner and faster, and more compatible with the files generated by Office 2010 applications.
In Video: Microsoft Launches First Windows Phone 7 Handsets
Dji Osmo Mobile 2 Packs Phone Stabilization For $129
DJI Osmo Mobile 2 packs phone stabilization for $129
DJI may have made a name for itself with drones, but for many photographers its the company’s stabilizing gimbals that are essential, and now there’s an even cheaper option. The DJI Osmo Mobile 2 is, as the name suggests, the follow-up to the original Osmo, revamped with a far cheaper sticker price of just $129. Meanwhile, DJI also has a new stabilizer intended for DSLRs and mirrorless cameras.
The Osmo Mobile 2 has a three-axis gimbal, like its predecessor, to counteract hand-shake and smooth out pans and tilts. Made from high-strength modified nylon, there’s a two-way mobile clamp for landscape and portrait use, while the whole thing has a folding design for slotting it into a backpack more readily. A 1/4-inch universal screw mount has been added this time around, too.
On the handle there are simplified cameras controls, including options for ISO, shutter speed, and other settings, but this time they’re joined with a zoom slider. That, DJI says, supports film-esque techniques like dolly zoom. The battery has been upgraded, and the Osmo Mobile 2 should last for over 15 hours – a whopping three times the old model – and there’s a USB port so that you can now use that lengthier battery to keep your smartphone topped up, too.
In the companion DJI GO app there’s an ActiveTrack feature to lock onto and follow subjects, while Motion Timelapse supports up to five different camera positions. Hyperlapse blends timelapses with camera motion, and there are Panorama, Long Exposure, and LightTrail modes. The app also supports live-streaming to YouTube and Facebook.
It’s not DJI’s only new product for CES 2023, mind. The DJI Ronin-S is the company’s first ever single-handed stabilizer for DSLR and mirrorless cameras, rather than smartphones. As with the Osmo Mobile 2 there’s a three-axis gimbal which promises to smooth out shake and judder in both photos and videos.
Of course, since cameras are generally much bigger and heavier than smartphones, DJI had to make some changes. The Ronin-S will be available with two different frame sizes – one for DSLRs, the other for mirrorless cameras – each with high-torque motors. DJI says they’re up to the job of stabilizing even larger cameras like the Canon 5D, in addition to Panasonic’s GH series and Sony’s Alpha models, and even if they’ve got lengthy zooms.
Setup promises to be simple, too. A push mode can adjust pan and tilt by hand, with axis locks to make the whole process quicker. The curved design is intended to leave access to the preview screen even while shooting at angles, and the battery can be hot-swapped. There are dedicated camera and gimbal control buttons on the handle, with a joystick to adjust the framing manually, while a new Sport mode is intended to make faster movements more effective.
Throw in the app, meanwhile, and you get the same Panorama, Hyperlapse, Track, and CamAnchor features as with the Osmo Mobile 2. The Ronin-S is also compatible with DJI’s Pro accessory line-up, including a Focus Control Center to adjust the camera’s focus on the fly, a vehicle mount, DJI Master Force, DJI Master Wheels, an external focus motor, and a cheese plate adapter. DJI will also offer a dual-handle support.
The DJI Osmo Mobile 2 will start shipping in February, with preorders from January 23. It’ll be priced at $129. As for the DJI Ronin-S, pricing will be confirmed closer to its launch sometime in Q2 2023.
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