Tom Bedford

Tom Bedford

Contributor

Tom Bedford joined TechRadar in early 2019 as a staff writer, and left the team as deputy phones editor in late 2022 to work for entertainment site What To Watch. He continues to contribute on a freelance basis for several sections including phones, audio and fitness.

He graduated in American Literature and Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Prior to working on TechRadar, he freelanced in tech, gaming and entertainment, and also spent many years working as a mixologist.

He grew up in Bristol, UK, and has also lived in Norwich, UK, Salt Lake City, UT, and currently resides in London, UK.

Articles by: Tom Bedford

The Nokia 3210 on an orange background

I used a ‘dumb phone’ for a week – here are 5 things I loved and 5 things I missed

By Tom Bedford published

I ditched my smart phone for a feature phone, or a ‘dumb phone’, for one week and here’s how I found the experience.

The Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2

Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 review: one cool new earbuds feature won’t save Jabra’s swan song

By Tom Bedford published

The Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 are Jabra’s last-ever true wireless earbuds, but their high price, tinny audio and unimpressive feature set means it’s a raspy swan song.

Asus ROG Phone 8

Asus ROG Phone 8 review: drops the ball on key gaming features

By Tom Bedford published

The Asus ROG Phone 8 costs a lot and has some solid features, but a lack of refinement makes it hard to recommend for gaming.

The Edifier QR65 on a white background.

Edifier QR65 review: great-looking powered stereo speakers – but perhaps not for your desktop

By Tom Bedford published

The Edifier QR65 are ostensibly desktop speakers, but with limited PC support, they work better as general media speakers.

The Creative Aurvana Ace 2

Creative Aurvana Ace 2 review: ace-sounding earbuds let down by noise cancelling snafus

By Tom Bedford published

The first earbuds to use the much-hyped xMEMS drivers sound great, but have a fair few issues beyond the audio, including screaming noise cancellation and tough-to-use controls.

The Nothing Ear buds between two fingers.

This excellent Nothing Ear feature changed the way I listen to music – and made me judge earbuds in a whole new way

By Tom Bedford published

The Nothing Ear has the best sound personalization mode I’ve ever used, and it’s changed how I enjoy my music… and how I value different earbuds for their listening power.

The Nothing Ear and Nothing Ear (a) against a purple backdrop.

Nothing Ear vs Nothing Ear (a): how do Nothing’s 2024 earbuds compare and which should you buy?

By Tom Bedford published

I've tested the Nothing Ear and Nothing Ear (a), and here's how they compare to each other.

best battle royale games graphic showing characters from Apex Legends, PUBG and Fortnite

Best battle royale games 2024 - be the last one standing in these titles

By Tom Bedford last updated

Buying Guide Whether it's Fortnite, Warzone or even Tetris, discover the best battle royale games available now.

The Nothing Ear buds in their case.

Nothing Ear review: the third-generation wireless earbuds bring major upgrades

By Tom Bedford published

Nothing Ear earbuds are the Ear (3) in all but name, and they bring some welcome upgrades over the Nothing Ear (2) but a low maximum volume is a problem.

The FiiO FW3 on a grassy backdrop.

FiiO FW3 review: good low-cost earbuds... that you shouldn't use outdoors

By Tom Bedford published

The FiiO FW3 miss a few features that are commonplace in earbuds, and even among similarly cheap rivals.

Qualcomm Snapdragon Sound embedded in an earbud, worn in a woman's ear

What is Snapdragon Sound?

By Tom Bedford published

Here’s what you need to know about Snapdragon Sound, a technology which aims to bring out the best in your headphones.

the apple music app on a smartphone next to some airpods

Audio file formats explained: the difference between MP3, ALAC, DSD, FLAC and more

By Tom Bedford published

Here's everything you need to know about 10 major audio file formats, many of which you've probably already used.

The Huawei FreeBuds Pro 3 being held in a hand above a grassy field.

Huawei FreeBuds Pro 3 review: excellent noise cancellation, shame about the lacklustre sound

By Tom Bedford published

The Huawei FreeBuds Pro 3 offer some of the best noise cancellation I’ve ever heard… but struggle elsewhere.

The Audio-Technica ATH-TWX7 on a bronze table.

Audio-Technica ATH-TWX7 review: pleasantly warm sound but a weak battery

By Tom Bedford published

The Audio-Technica ATH-TWX7 provide a musical, enveloping, warm sound and great features, but you have to recharge them a tiring amount.

The Samsung Galaxy A35 in a man's hand.

Samsung Galaxy A35 review: a Samsung Galaxy S24 for the rest of us

By Tom Bedford published

The Samsung Galaxy A35 gives penny-pinchers an opportunity to enjoy some of the features of the premium Galaxy S24 mobiles.

The Mechen M3 being held in a hand.

Mechen M3 review: A jack of all trades digital audio player but a master at none

By Tom Bedford published

The Mechen M3 MP3 Player is an all-in-one entertainment machine that only supports a very limited number of file formats.

The HiFi Walker H2 on a wooden bench.

HiFi Walker H2 review: An MP3 player with wide-ranging file support but rough edges

By Tom Bedford published

The HiFi Walker H2 is an MP3 player that reaches above its price in its support for audio formats, but falls flat when it comes to basically everything else

The Motorola Edge 40 Neo

Motorola Edge 40 Neo review

By Tom Bedford published

The Motorola Edge 40 Neo undercuts its non-Neo sibling and has more advanced features, but it has its share of issues too.

The Majority MP3 Player on a wooden bench.

Majority MP3 Player review: one of the best cheap music players to consider

By Tom Bedford published

Recommended

The Majority MP3 is a cheap and cheery music player that’s easily portable, easy to use and, most importantly, eminently affordable.

Oppo Reno 10

Oppo Reno 10 review: cheap with a catch

By Tom Bedford published

The Oppo Reno 10 is one of the best cheap phones on the market right now, but it falls short in two major ways.

The Moto G34 laying flat on a wooden surface

Moto G34 review

By Tom Bedford published

The Moto G34 is one of the cheapest 5G phones around, and it manages to exceed expectations in some key areas.

The JLab JBuds Lux ANC laying on a textured surface

JLab JBuds Lux ANC review: budget headphones that are all about that bass

By Tom Bedford published

The JLab JBuds Lux ANC are the brand's first 'luxury' over-ear headphones, which offer lots of bass but a few aches too.

The Earfun Wave Pro on a wooden backdrop.

Earfun Wave Pro review: it would be silly to ask more from budget wireless headphones

By Tom Bedford published

Recommended

The Earfun Wave Pro are fantastic headphones for their low price, with some fantastic extra features that exceed the price.

The Vivo X100 Pro on a colored background.

Vivo X100 Pro review

By Tom Bedford published

The Vivo X100 Pro is an impressive flagship phone from the Chinese company, with a price that may put off buyers.

The JLab Epic Lab Edition bud next to the case.

JLab Epic Lab Edition review: some solid features, but not enough to impress

By Tom Bedford published

The JLab Epic Lab Edition has one neat feature, but that’s not enough to make up for the high price, struggling ANC and low-quality sound.

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