Articles by 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 Nothing Ear and Nothing Ear (a) against a purple backdrop.

3 great budget earbuds to get you through school or college

By Tom Bedford published 17 August 24

Back to School Here are three low-cost earbuds that soon-to-be students should consider buying as solid options for studying.

Earfun Air Pro 4 review: good-value cheap earbuds with just a few too many features

By Tom Bedford published 14 August 24

The Earfun Air Pro 4 offer a rare conundrum in cheap earbuds, as they have too many features leading to a confusing user experience.

The OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite against a green curtain.

OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite review: a by-the-numbers cheap Android phone

By Tom Bedford published 11 August 24

The OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite fixes its predecessors’ mistakes, but doesn’t do much else to put its head above its numerous competitors.

The OnePlus Nord 4 before a leafy backdrop.

OnePlus Nord 4 review: an iterative update with welcome additions but a few bugs

By Tom Bedford published 8 August 24

The Nord 4 is another iterative update for the line, with no big changes over the Nord 3, but it remains a competitive mid-range mobile with a few great features.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro and Buds 2 Pro, on red TR background

Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro vs Galaxy Buds 2 Pro: which are the best earbuds in the Galaxy?

By Tom Bedford published 4 August 24

Here’s how the new stem-enhanced Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro compare to the older bud-shaped Galaxy Buds 2 Pro.

Press material for Apple's Spatial Audio options.

What is spatial audio? 3D audio effects explained – and why you want them

By Tom Bedford published 3 August 24

Spatial audio, or virtual surround sound, lets you get an immersive and all-encompassing audio experience without an involved audio setup.

OnePlus Buds 3 review: more than just a gift to receive with a OnePlus phone

By Tom Bedford last updated 31 July 24

The OnePlus Buds 3 are easy to like with plenty of features, but their overtly bass-heavy sound makes them hard to love.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro against a leafy background.

Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro review: great earbuds that took the wrong leaf from the AirPods playbook

By Tom Bedford published 25 July 24

There’s ‘AirPods clones’, and then there’s the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro… but what they lack in originality, they make up for in top features and stellar ANC.

The Oppo Reno 12 Pro on a gray and white background.

Oppo Reno 12 Pro review: it takes on the Google Pixel 8a with gusto

By Tom Bedford published 22 July 24

The Reno 12 Pro replicates Google's smarts and ticks many other boxes too.

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

By Tom Bedford published 20 July 24

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

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

By Tom Bedford published 14 July 24

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 review: drops the ball on key gaming features

By Tom Bedford published 30 June 24

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.

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

By Tom Bedford published 29 June 24

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

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

By Tom Bedford published 22 June 24

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 20 June 24

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.

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

By Tom Bedford published 19 June 24

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 13 June 24

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

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

By Tom Bedford published 12 June 24

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.

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

By Tom Bedford published 27 May 24

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 26 May 24

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 25 May 24

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 22 May 24

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 20 May 24

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

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

By Tom Bedford published 19 May 24

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

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

By Tom Bedford published 19 May 24

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

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