Smartphone Product Reviews And News
Smartphones are like miniature super computers in your pocket these days, with the ability to get serious productivity work done or kick back with some media consumption and gaming on the go. Smartphones are also more and more serving as life moment-capturing devices with fantastic digital still image shooting and video recording capabilities. Want to know what's the best hardware or latest news for Android or iOS? Tune in here...
When's the last time you saw a full-featured smartphone launch for well under $500? There have been a few to hit the market in this price range recently, usually with significant caveats, but in general the trend is towards more expensive flagship devices that are commanding upwards of $1000 quite often. Google's new Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL, however, buck this trend with HD OLED displays, big batteries, and the same great camera configuration that made Google's higher-end Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL the Android phones to beat, when it comes to smartphone photography. The new Pixel 3a is a 5.6-inch device, for folks who prefer their phone be a bit more pocketable, but the Pixel 3a XL sports a 6-inch...
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Google unveiled an array of new hardware at a posh event in New York City last week, including the Pixel Slate, the Google Home Hub, and the products we’ll be showing you here, the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. The Pixel Slate is an Intel-powered convertible tablet running Chrome OS, the Home Hub is a touch-screen equipped Google Home device, and the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL likely need no introduction – they are Google’s latest flagship smartphones running the recently released Android Pie. You can get a glimpse and some additional information on Google’s newest devices right here in our coverage of the original announcement, but we’ve had a few days to poke and prod...
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If there's one bit of messaging we keyed on, with respect to Samsung's recently announced Galaxy Note 9 flagship and its high-level feature set, it was the promise of a robust thermal solution that would maintain performance over time and under pressure. Samsung claims the new Galaxy Note 9 employs a "water-carbon cooling" system, with a heat spreader for its Snapdragon 845 SoC and associated circuitry, that's three times larger than the previous generation Galaxy Note. So we figured we'd like to put that to the test. Meanwhile, we've also been spending quality time in the test lab with none other than the OnePlus 6 -- an Android superphone in its own right, with 8GB of RAM and a near bone-stock...
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Mobile device makers have made a concerted effort to improve camera performance on each new generation of smartphone. While there is still a gap between a handset and a Digital SLR (DSLR), today's phones are capable of taking excellent photos. It's become a point of focus, and with the advances in imaging, like Bokeh effects, armchair photographers can snap some truly remarkable looking shots. Two recent flagships, Samsung's Galaxy S9+ and Google's Pixel 2 XL, both have been praised for their photo taking capabilities. Is one appreciably better than the other? The only way to find out is through a good old fashioned shoot-out. Before we get to the picture comparisons, let's cover some specs....
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After months of leaks and weeks of teasers, Samsung has finally officially pulled the wraps off its next generation flagship smartphones: the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+. If you're familiar with the current generation Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, the designs of the refreshed models should be immediately familiar. However, there is plenty going on under the surface that make these new flagship Android phones worthy of attention. First of all, let's talk about the new, state-of-the-art camera that is featured on both the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+. The primary rear shooter features a Super Speed, Dual Pixel 12MP sensor with optical image stabilization (OIS). The camera features a dedicated image processing...
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Google has been designing and building premium Android smartphones for many years, co-branding with various hardware partners since back in the days of the company's Nexus devices. More recently with its first generation Pixel series, the Mountain View team has taken more prominent ownership of the brand, with devices specifically underscored as "Made By Google." And indeed the design signatures of the first generation Pixel and Pixel XL were distinctly different from any other handset on the market, as are the latest Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL that Google is launching today, along with a redesigned Daydream View VR headset. Designed by Google but manufactured by HTC (Pixel 2) and LG (Pixel...
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We had the chance to spend some time at Samsung’s Unpacked 2017 event in New York City today, where the brand new Galaxy Note 8 was officially unveiled. If you missed our initial coverage of the announcement, the Galaxy Note 8 features a 6.3-inch Super AMOLED Infinity Display with a WQHD+ resolution (2960×1440) and many design cues borrowed from the Galaxy S8. Here’s a quick hands on to give you a closer look at the device and how it handles... The Note 8’s design is slightly more square in comparison to the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. We should also mention that the near bezel-less display means that the Galaxy Note 8’s fingerprint sensor is now placed on the rear of the device, beside the dual...
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Most Android users will be happy to know that Google is actually working to make Google Assistant as universal as possible across a myriad of devices. The AI assistant will be rolling out to all smartphones running Android 7.0 Nougat and Android 6.0 Marshmallow eventually but will also be available on some newly announced partner devices like the fabulous new LG G6 (our hands-on preview). What is Google Assistant and why would you want it in the first place? Google Assistant is an intelligent personal AI that was recently only available on Google proper devices like Pixel and Pixel XL phones, Google Home, Google Allo, and Android Wear. The system was similar to Google...
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When Google set out to develop and market its first Phone by Google branded device - not co-branded with a partner - and spiritual successors to its legacy Nexus brand, the company drew a line in the sand. Not only was the target to develop smartphones that demonstrated best of breed functionality and performance for the Android platform, but these devices would have features and capabilities not found in other Android devices on the market. To date, very few other smartphones, save for the LG V20 for example, are running Android 7 Nougat and there are only a handful of phones on the market currently that support Google’s Daydream VR headset technology. Google Daydream VR is a compelling...
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The original Google Nexus 5 shipped right around this time two full years ago. Much has evolved in the smartphone space in the 24 months since then, but little has changed in terms of branding with this latest LG-built Nexus device. The 5.2-inch Nexus 5X we will be showing you here is positioned as the mainstream Nexus phone in the Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) lineup, with an unlocked base price of only $379, though street prices are actually lower. Nexus 5X on the left; Nexus 6P on the right Put simply, the Nexus 5X is designed for mainstream smartphone users, looking for a strong value. Google thinks this phone hits a sweet spot in the lineup, and we'd probably agree with that assessment....
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Today we're going take a look at Google's latest Nexus-branded phablet, the Nexus 6P. Arriving just under a year after the Motorola-built, 5.96-inch Nexus 6, the Nexus 6P is actually a hair smaller, thinner and indeed, slightly more manageable. The 6P also marks Huawei's first foray into Google's Nexus family of products, which may allow the company to make a larger impact on the U.S. market -- a market which has been hesitant to embrace the brand on its own to this point. The Nexus 6P is the big brother to the Nexus 5X (review forthcoming), which launched alongside it, but there's a lot more to discuss here than sheer size. Sure, the 5.7-inch WQHD display dwarfs the 5.2-inch 1080p panel found...
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Large screen smartphones, a.k.a. phablets, are expected to account for nearly 25% of all smartphone shipments this year. Given the popularity and prevalence of these large-screen devices which includes LG’s G3, Apple’s iPhone 6 Plus, Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4, and HTC’s One Max, it’s not surprising that Google is also going big with its latest flagship phone, the Nexus 6. Even before the Nexus 6 was announced, its codename of Shamu (named after the whale at SeaWorld) pretty much gave away the fact that this flagship smartphone was going to be a large-screen device. The Nexus 6 has the largest screen we’ve seen from Google yet at 5.96-inches. This screen is also larger than Apple’s iPhone 6 Plus...
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It almost goes without saying that the Google Nexus 5 is one of the most anticipated Android phones to launch in 2013, save perhaps for Samsung's Galaxy S 4. Previous generation Nexus devices from Google, whether phone or tablet, have proven to offer a lot of bang for the buck, excellent design and build quality and a pure representation of the Android OS. Not to mention Google regularly rolls out the most recent version of Android as well with these devices, sometimes well before it's available on products from other brands. The previous generation Nexus 4, like the Nexus 5, was manufactured by LG, though the Nexus 4 didn't hit the mark like Google hoped it would. With their latest Nexus...
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Google Nexus smartphones are usually somewhat special in their own way. Not only do they ship with the latest and greatest Android has to offer, but they also usually offer a glimpse into the future of the Android platform. Take the Galaxy Nexus for example. Not only was it among the first phones to ship with a large, 720p display but it also did away with physical buttons in exchange for virtual keys and brought a new interface to the table as well. Fast-forward to today and we have the all new Google Nexus 4, with similar looks but some major updates under the hood. With a single unbroken piece of Gorilla Glass up front, the Nexus 4 looks very clean and it offers a nice change from the...
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