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 Huawei FreeArc on a white shelf.

The Huawei FreeArc are the best-sounding open-ear headphones I've ever tested – and they're surprisingly cheap

By Tom Bedford published

Recommended

The Huawei FreeArcs are the first great example of open-ear headphones: they sound great, fit well and don’t break the bank.

The Honor Earbuds Open on a brown table.

I’m an open-ear headphones naysayer, but the Honor Earbuds Open won me over for sound

By Tom Bedford published

Recommended

The Honor Earbuds Open aren’t just good open-ears, but they’re good earbuds period.

The Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro on a bronze table

I tested the Xiaomi Pad 7 Pro and it's the closest Android fans can get to an iPad Pro alternative

By Tom Bedford published

A spec-heavy Android tablet

The Realme 13 Pro Plus toting a Andoer 1.55x anamorphic smartphone lens

What is an anamorphic lens? And why I bought one for smartphone videography

By Tom Bedford published

Getting cinematic on a smartphone

The Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro on a bronze table.

I tested the Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro and they're better, but never twice as good as the non-Pro 5 – and sadly, they're double the money

By Tom Bedford published

Some improvements; big price jump

The Honor Pad V9 on a bronze table.

The Honor Pad V9 is the mid-range, Android-powered iPad rival you've been looking for

By Tom Bedford published

The Honor Pad V9 takes the basic iPad principle, strips away the unnecessary extras, and adds in some useful tools.

A still showing how to know if someone blocked your number

How to know if someone blocked your number

By Tom Bedford published

We detail how to figure out whether someone has blocked your number.

Portrait of African-American teenage boy studying at home or in college dorm and using laptop, copy space

Best online courses and online class sites of 2025

By Tom Bedford last updated

Updated We list the best online courses and online class sites, to make it simple and easy to learn new skills and advance your career development using the internet.

The AirPods Pro 2 on a table with case

5 features the AirPods Pro 3 should steal from Sony, Bose and more of today's best earbuds

By Tom Bedford published

Good artists borrow, great artists should steal these features…

The Panasonic RB-M600 on a green sheet

I tested Panasonic's cheap noise-cancelling headphones, and the excellent battery life won me over

By Tom Bedford published

The Panasonic RB-M600 are cheap over-ear headphones with a really useful feature and some welcome extras.

Sony WF-1000XM5

6 upgrades I want to see in the Sony WF-1000XM6 wireless earbuds

By Tom Bedford published

Some changes we want are colorful, some are powerful.

The Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra on a bookshelf.

The Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra is a high-spec phone that doesn't do enough to earn its 'Ultra' name

By Tom Bedford published

The Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra is overly familiar, with few changes versus its predecessor and a lack of unique features to earn that ‘Ultra’ name.

The Sony LinkBuds Speaker on a shelf beside a bed.

I reviewed Sony's LinkBuds Speaker, and it's the Bluetooth speaker that best fits into my real home life, thanks to unique features

By Tom Bedford published

Recommended

A speaker is for life, not just for parties

The Xiaomi Poco X7 Pro on a window sill.

Xiaomi Poco X7 Pro review: one of the best-value cheap phones you can buy right now

By Tom Bedford published

The Xiaomi Poco X7 Pro goes above and beyond what you'd expect a budget phone to deliver.

Homepod mini review

HomePod mini 2: all the latest rumors, what we know and 5 things we want to see

By Tom Bedford published

Could the HomePod mini 2 arrive in 2025? There are certainly a few rumors gathering traction…

The Bowers & Wilkins Pi6 on a sofa arm

Bowers & Wilkins Pi6 review: great sounding earbuds with a classy build, but too few features to trounce rivals at the level

By Tom Bedford published

There's no question that B&W's 'entry level' earbuds have great audio, but occasional connectivity dropouts and a few missing features mean they aren't yet rivalling class-leaders at this level.

The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Active being worn in a park.

Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Active review: Too many corners cut

By Tom Bedford published

Take too much away from an excellent budget product, and it leaves you with a skeleton.

The Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Pro before a red candle

Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Pro review: One big upgrade that comes at a price

By Tom Bedford published

A bigger screen but a bigger price to pay

The OneOdio Focus A5 against a wooden background.

OneOdio Focus A5 review: bassy wireless headphones with big battery life

By Tom Bedford published

The stamina saves the day

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

I've spent over 330 days on COD: Mobile this year – here's how to pick the perfect gaming phone

By Tom Bedford published

Grind those golds

Hand holding a phone with the Spotify app logo

Here's why I ditched Tidal for Spotify after just five days

By Tom Bedford published

I took the Tidal plunge after years with Spotify, then scurried back with my arms outstretched: here's why.

A screenshot of the Android Emoji Kitchen feature.

Jealous of Genmoji on Apple Intelligence? Don’t be – this Android alternative has been around for years, and it’s my favorite thing about Android phones

By Tom Bedford published

Android users can enjoy this fun Apple Genmoji alternative that's already available to use on your phone.

The OnePlus Nord 4 before a leafy backdrop.

Buying a phone on a budget? Here are 5 hidden gems from 2024 that you shouldn't overlook

By Tom Bedford published

An Oppo-tunity to buy or a reason Nord to

iPad Pro 12.9 (2022) on table

6 iPad accessories that are actually worth buying – and a few that aren't

By Tom Bedford published

Got an iPad? Then you need one (or more) of these iPad accessories, too. From keyboard covers to external hard drives, there's something here for everyone.

Slade's Merry Xmas Everybody playing on Tidal.

So, you got a Tidal subscription for Christmas... here's how to transfer your Spotify playlists

By Tom Bedford published

Got a Tidal subscription for Christmas, but missing your carefully curated Spotify playlists? Time to transfer them over to the high-quality audio world

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