Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows 10 Review

The Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows 10 arrives just in time for Windows phone fans. Before it, there were only three decent hardware options: the year-old Lumia 950 XL, and the expensive HP Elite X3.

The Idol 4S has a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor with 4GB RAM. That power and memory combo rivals the high-end Android handsets from earlier in the year, like the excellent Samsung Galaxy S7 edge.

If that weren’t enough, at $469, the Idol 4S doesn’t break the bank. It also supports VR, and ships with a basic viewer.

We took an Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows 10 review unit for a spin. Find out what else there’s to know about this T-Mobile-exclusive Windows 10 phone.

Alcatel Idol 4s with Windows 10 Build & Design

Alcatel Idol 4s with Windows 10 all-glass back

Alcatel Idol 4s with Windows 10 all-glass back

This Windows 10 mobile device looks and feels great. The Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows 10 has a 5.5-inch display with a black glass back panel and faint-gold metal strip running along the sides. Both glass panels are slightly tempered, and Idol 4S is almost entirely symmetrical outside of the camera bump, and buttons along the edges.

It measures 6 x 2.9 x .27 inches, and weighs .33 pounds.

The front panel is buttonless, sporting the 5.5-inch display and appropriately-sized bezels, 8-megapixel front-facing camera and sensors, and two front-facing speakers.

The rear panel also sports two speakers, along with the 21-megapixel back camera, flash, fingerprint sensor, and Alcatel branding.

The 3.5mm audio port and pin-hole mic sit on the top, between two antenna stripes, while the USB Type-C connector and another pin-hole mic sit on the bottom, also between two antenna stripes.

The left side houses the power button, and the SIM/microSD card tray (pin release), and the right houses the single-piece volume rocker as well as a quick-launch camera button.

Alcatel Idol 4s with Windows 10 camera quick-launch button

Alcatel Idol 4s with Windows 10 camera quick-launch button

Alcatel Idol 4s with Windows 10 power button

Alcatel Idol 4s with Windows 10 power button

Alcatel Idol 4s with Windows 10 3.5mm audio port

Alcatel Idol 4s with Windows 10 3.5mm audio port

Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows 10 USB Type-C

Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows 10 USB Type-C

The Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows 10 has a Dragontrail glass display, which is similar to Gorilla Glass. However, you’ll still want to invest in a case. A few drops can crack and shatter the rear glass panel, and it’s a fingerprint magnet besides.

It’s comfortable to hold and use. Everything is where it should be. We appreciate the quick-launch camera button, which can open and snap pics from a locked screen — it saves time, and fumbling through a lock screen and touchscreen can often result in missing the perfect pic. The camera bump is a bit much, but that’s a minor quibble.

Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows 10 camera bump

Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows 10 camera bump

Alcatel Idol 4s with Windows 10 Display

The Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows 10 has a 5.5-inch AMOLED display with a 1920 x 1080 resolution, which results in about 400 pixels per inch.

Alcatel Idol 4s with Windows 10 review unit

Alcatel Idol 4s with Windows 10 5.5-inch AMOLED display

Viewed head on, it’s a fine display with the typical AMOLED attributes: deep blacks and saturated colors. Those go well with the colorful Windows 10 tile-based interface. But it also suffers from some of the same issues that affect the AMOLED panels found on cheaper and older devices. Whites are off, with warmer tones dominating straight ahead, and colder tones appearing at angles.

The display is not very bright, though it’s not a problem. AMOLED’s contrast helps visibility in direct sunlight. You can see the Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows 10 display outdoors as fine as any other smartphone.

All told, it’s a good display competing in a market with excellent and amazing displays

The speakers are also very good. In fact, they are some of the best we’ve tested in recent years. They emit robust sound, and are loud enough to fill a room, with only limited distortion at the extremes.

Alcatel Idol 4s with Windows 10 Performance

With a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset (2.15 GHz) and 4GB RAM, the Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows 10 rivals the early 2016 flagships on paper. The Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge have the same specs, for example.

It’s tough to draw any conclusions based on direct comparisons with those Android-based smartphones, given this Alcatel Idol 4S runs Windows 10. The cross platform AnTuTu benchmark puts it slightly behind both the S7 edge and more powerful Google Pixel XL with its Snapdragon 821. A closer look at the benchmark reveals our Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows 10 review unit struggled during the 3D portion of the test (primarily used for gaming), but performed comparably in the UX (for data processing and overall user experience), CPU (for complex apps and multitasking), and RAM (system speed). That’s not bad, considering those phones cost hundreds more.

AnTuTu is a cross platform benchmark that measures overall system performance. Higher score is better.

Alcatel Idol4S with Windows 10 AnTuTu

AnTuTu 3D is a cross platform benchmark that measures graphical performance. Higher score is better.

Alcatel Idol4S with Windows 10 AnTuTu 3D

AnTuTu CPU is a cross platform benchmark that measures complex app and multitasking performance. Higher score is better.

Alcatel Idol4S with Windows 10 AnTuTu CPU

AnTuTu RAM is a cross platform benchmark that measures system speed. Higher score is better.

Alcatel Idol4S with Windows 10 AnTuTu RAM

AnTuTu UX is a cross platform benchmark that measures user experience. Higher score is better.

Alcatel Idol4S with Windows 10 AnTuTu UX

And that measures up to what we experienced using it. The Windows 10 smartphone ran smooth, and easily handled all the apps we threw at it, even in Continuum mode on a larger display. It also ran demanding 3D games like Modern Combat 5 well enough that they were playable, but they were slightly janky compared against the same games running on the Android smartphones.

The phone ships 64GB internal storage, with microSD expansions support. Our Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows 10 review unit came with about 53GB free out of the box. It does not support NFC.

The fingerprint sensor proved fast and reliable in testing. It’s not as good as Huawei’s though, which remains the mobile industry standard.

Alcatel Idol 4s with Windows 10 Software Features

True to its name, the Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows 10 runs the mobile version of Windows 10. Unfortunately, it’s pretty close to dead as an OS can be, given its poor market penetration. This manifests itself with apps, or more specifically, the app gap.

Windows 10 Mobile app gap

Windows 10 Mobile app gap

You won’t find any of Google’s apps in the Windows Store. So that means no Gmail, Chrome, YouTube, or Google Photos. HBO Go, Pinterest, and Snapchat are all missing as well, just to name a few. You can also bet that any new or innovative apps and games probably won’t be coming to Windows before Android or iOS, if at all.

Granted, there are workarounds and third-party apps to partially fill the gap, but the situation is bad. Microsoft is pushing its universal Windows platform for apps running across Windows 10, Windows 10 Mobile, Xbox, and more, so there’s some hope it’ll get better. Just don’t hold your breath.

Beyond apps, Windows 10 Mobile is a really good operating system, and we can see why users stick with it. It’s intuitive and looks great on small displays. Cortana is legit, and Continuum is one of our favorite mobile features.

We tested Continuum using a Huawei MateDock and cheap HDTV, as well as the Connect app on various Windows 10 Anniversary Update PCs. Continuum worked as advertised, essentially resurrecting Windows RT, running ARM-based Windows 10 on the big screen. Even though Microsoft has a few kinks to work out (display scaling issues, too many unsupported apps), it’s easy to see the potential. Office apps run great, as does the Edge browser. That’s about 90% of what we’d use it for anyway.

The Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows 10 is also the only Windows 10 smartphone to ship with a VR viewer. In reality, the viewer is just plastic, padding, and lenses, similar to the new Google Daydream View. It’s comfortable enough, and that’s all we can specifically say about it.

That’s because like the Pixel smartphone, or the Samsung phones and the Gear VR, the Idol 4S does the heavy lifting for the VR effect. It ships with a few VR apps, with a few more available for download. They are all very underwhelming and buggy. Oculus this isn’t. In fact, it’s a step below early Google Cardboard efforts.

Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows 10 VR viewer

Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows 10 VR viewer

Still, it’s hard to fault Alcatel for including it with the Idol 4S. If you’re going to buy a Windows 10 mobile device, might as well get the one with VR support, even if it’s kinda lousy, right? It’s not like it takes anything away from the overall smartphone experience.

Alcatel Idol 4s with Windows 10 Battery

This Windows 10 smartphone as a 3000mAh battery, which should easily provide all day battery life. Our Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows 10 review unit lasted exactly 9 hours streaming video over Wi-Fi with the display brightness set to max. This is near the minimum you’ll get out of the device on a single charge. Anything more than 8 hours is good, with the best phones achieving upwards of 20 hours.

The device features Quick Charge, and we were able to snag 26% battery from a dead device after charging for 15 minutes. Most smartphones with this feature can hit 40%.

Alcatel Idol 4s with Windows 10 Camera

Twenty-one megapixels is a lot, but it’s not the only spec that matters. Aperture and pixel size also count toward picture quality, and here the Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows 10 suffers.

Alcatel didn’t publish the pixel sizes, though the general tradeoff suggests more pixels means smaller pixels. Smaller pixels have less surface area, and absorb less light than larger pixels. This negatively affects low-light performance.

In the tradeoff between more pixels and larger pixels, we generally prefer larger pixels.

The smartphone takes photos at f/2.2, which is a smaller aperture than even most mid-range smartphones. Read our Pixel XL review on how this and pixel size matter specifically, but the end result is the Alcatel Idol 4S takes lousy low-light photographs.

See the comparison against the Galaxy S7 edge, which is the reigning low-light champ.

Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows 10 low-light photo

Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows 10 low-light photo

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge low-light photo

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge low-light photo

Both photos were taken at the same time. In fact, it was very hard to take the picture with our Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows 10 review unit because the display appeared near pitch black.  We even took a screenshot of this effect. There’s a dog lying in there somewhere:

Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows 10, taking pic in low light

Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows 10, taking pic in low light

In order to see anything in low-light through the display, you have to use the focus light. It’s very limiting.

In standard lighting, the Alcatel Idol 4S fares better. Photos are acceptable to halfway decent. We expected sharper photos, and colors are on the drab side compared against similar smartphones in its class however.

Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows 10 sample photo

Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows 10 sample photo

Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows 10 sample photo

Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows 10 sample photo

Alcatel Idol 4s with Windows 10 Value

At $469, the Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows 10 is a good value compared against other Windows 10 Mobile devices. The older Lumia 950 XL with a weaker Snapdragon 810 chipset and only 32GB storage hovers around that price as of this writing, while the similar HP Elite X3 starts at around $600, and ships with a desk dock for Continuum.

The Huawei MateDock we used for Continuum costs about $90, and cheaper abound.

Of course, the Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows 10 is T-Mobile exclusive, while the others are GSM unlocked. We can’t confirm it, but the Idol 4S has the specs to potentially connect to AT&T for a slower connection (the Idol 4S doesn’t support AT&T’s main LTE band).

Alcatel Idol 4s with Windows 10 Review Conclusion

Alcatel Idol 4s with Windows 10 review unit

It has a great design, quality build, smooth performance, and decent battery life. Its speakers impress, while the display is good enough. Those are six good reasons to recommend the Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows 10 over the rest of Windows phone competition. Its low price is the seventh.

It’s all relative, of course. We can’t recommend it beyond Windows 10 devotees. There’s no reason to switch from Android or iOS for this phone. Its camera is mediocre, and the VR is underwhelming. Perhaps more important, there’s no reason to jump into Windows 10 Mobile right now anyway, even with Continuum’s potential. The Windows app gap is all too limiting.

Keep in mind, Alcatel offers an Android variant of the Idol 4S for $400. It has a higher display resolution, but only 3GB RAM and 32GB capacity. Still for that price, it’s a great value.

Pros:

  • Decent build and design
  • Good battery
  • Excellent performance
  • Powerful speakers

Cons:

  • Mediocre camera
  • Windows 10 app gap

 

The post Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows 10 Review appeared first on Brighthand.com.

Huawei nova plus Review: Looks Great & Performs Well, But Pricey

Here’s the Huawei nova plus formula: upper mid-range hardware packed in a metal unibody with a flagship finish. That’s not different from other handsets from China-based makers, which typically balance price, performance, and the right cut corners well. The only difference is that as an established brand, Huawei wants more money for its device.

Huawei nova plus

Huawei nova plus

Huawei nova plus is a larger of the two novas, and it sports a 5.5-inch Full HD display, Qualcomm octa-core Snapdragon 625 chipset with 3GB RAM, a 16-megapixel rear camera, an 8-megapixel front camera, and a 3350mAh battery. It ships with Android OS 6.0.1 and Emotion UI 4.1.

It’s a mid-range handset according to the spec sheet, with a set of positive features that just about make up for its shortcomings. Accept that, and it won’t disappoint.

Build & Design

The Huawei nova plus has a sanded metal unibody, which comes in three colors (Prestige Gold, Mystic Silver and Titanium Grey). Combined with 2.5D glass in the front, the Huawei nova plus is convincingly one of the most attractive smartphones Huawei has ever produced, and one of the most elegant 5.5-inch phones on the market.

Unfortunately, the premium impression is tainted by the fact that the display doesn’t feature a protective layer. This makes it less scratch-proof than most rival phones, at least on paper. Still, it feels fantastic when held in hand, with a slightly rounded back surface. It weighs 160 grams (.35 pounds), and measures 152 x 76 x 7.3 mm (5.98 x 2.98 x 0.29 inches).

The display dominates the front, and takes up a solid 72-percent of the overall surface. Oddly, it feels ‘rubbery’ under the fingers, with greater friction than expected. This is likely due to the rounded edges and the fact Huawei did not use any special coating for the glass. The upper and bottom rims are thin, housing only a Huawei logo, while the control keys are capacitive and take up a part of the user interface. There is a speakerphone for making calls above the display, as well as the front-facing camera and ambient light sensor.

The back includes the bulging camera lens. Interestingly, the nova plus remains stable when placed down, and the bulge doesn’t cause it to rock left and right. This makes the bulge less of an issue. There’s a fingerprint sensor under the camera, which is concave and works very well – it’s very fast and easy to feel straight away. This is definitely one of the best fingerprint sensors in general.

Huawei nova plus top edge

Huawei nova plus top edge

Huawei nova plus bottom edge

Huawei nova plus bottom edge

The phone’s lower side includes stereo speaker perforations with the USB Type-C input in between; while the upper side holds just the 3.5-mm audio jack and a tiny, secondary microphone for cancelling environmental noise. There’s a rather slim power key at thumb’s height on the right side, with the equally slim volume rocker above it. The left side houses a two nanoSIM card drawer, with one slot serving double duty for microSD cards.

Huawei nova plus power button and volume rocker

Huawei nova plus power button and volume rocker

Huawei nova plus SIM tray side

Huawei nova plus SIM tray side

Display

The Huawei nova plus has a 5.5-inch Full HD IPS display (1080 x 1920 pixels), which is common with mid-range devices. This results in more than comfortable density of 401 pixels per inch, and no one should complain about its imaging sharpness. The screen’s above average contrast is also praiseworthy, mostly because of its very dark black tones. In fact, its contrast is a primary reason the nova plus display is better even than the manufacturer’s current flagship, Huawei P9, in average light.

The colors have average saturation, which differs from other smartphones with large IPS displays. Those usually push saturation, and have more vivacious imaging. With the nova plus though, this is primarily because its display is not very bright.

And that’s why sun glare causes major issues. Contrast loses a lot of its sustainability, and averagely saturated colors blend together. Here, the P9 is better, and glare resistance one of the primary differentiators between the flagship and the mid-range.

Performance

Huawei nova plus Android OS 6.0.1 and Emotion UI 4.1.

Huawei nova plus Android OS 6.0.1 and Emotion UI 4.1.

The Qualcomm octa-core Snapdragon 625 chipset was a good pick for the nova plus on paper, with its eight Cortex-A53 cores running a 2.0GHz clock, aided with Adreno 506 GPU and 3GB of RAM. The Huawei nova plus comes with 32GB of memory storage. Unfortunately, the 64GB memory storage and 4GB RAM model is only available in China, where it is sold under the name Huawei G9 Plus.

In practice, this chipset functions solidly, with satisfactory speed and no hints of slowing down over time (and a nova plus loaded with apps). Unfortunately, benchmarks don’t measure this, and betray how well it runs. Running GeekBench 3, the device scored 941 in the single-core test, and 4922 in multi-core test. The flagship Huawei P9 scored 1812 and 6550 on the same tests, respectively.

It ships with Android OS 6.0.1 and Emotion UI 4.1.

Connectivity

Looking at connectivity, the two SIM card setup is less than ideal. Only one offers a 4G connection, while the other is limited to 2G data transfer speed, and doubles as the microSD card slot. The 4G connection card transfers data according to the Cat.7 standard, meaning it provides a maximum speed of 300 Mbps for downloads and 150 Mbps for uploads. The device supports FM radio through an app, which is praise-worthy (most smartphones support FM, but few activate it), as it’s becoming rare these days.

Battery Life

The Huawei nova plus has a 3340mAh battery, and because its display and chipset aren’t particularly demanding, it has decent battery life, too. It is possible to watch Full HD videos with the display brightness set to the max for nearly 8 hours, while the phone should be recharged every other night with average usage.

It is praiseworthy that the user can choose between three power management modes. The usual one is simply called Standard, meaning it uses the optimal ratio of hardware performance for any task. Performance mode removes processor limitations, with no regard to battery savings. And Ultra Power Saving prolongs battery autonomy for several hours, but with a clear drop in the phone’s performance.

Camera

Huawei nova plus rear camera and fingerprint sensor

Huawei nova plus rear camera and fingerprint sensor

Huawei thinks the nova plus has an ace that’ll differentiate it from the competition: a couple of above-average cameras. Specifically, the Huawei nova plus has a 16-megapixel rear camera with a dual-color LED flash and optical image stabilization, with f/2.0, hybrid autofocus and PDAF+ contrast detection. It sounds powerful; however, in practice, it’s average, producing the kind of photos you’d expect from a mid-range device.

Specifically, the Huawei nova plus shoots exceptionally beautiful images in daylight, complete with correct exposure, realistically saturated colors, and plenty of detail (which we expect in a 16-megapixel camera). However, at night, and even with Huawei’s Super Night Mode, pics lose most of their detail. Focusing is also very difficult in low light. It either takes too long, or loses focus all together.

To be fair, the Huawei nova plus produces outstanding night pics shot up close, thanks to its solid flashes, which also make it great for selfies. The front-facing camera sports 8 megapixels, as well as OIS. Of course, also has Huawei’s robust beauty filter, which is either a plus or easily ignored, depending on your selfie preference level.

In terms of video, the rear camera records 4K clips at 30 fps, which is a high-end spec for a mid-range device. As with the images, the video quality is good during the day and at night with a static subject shot up close. Full HD recording is also limited to 30 fps. It’s a shame it can’t record Full HD at 60 fps (this is a limitation of the chipset).

Huawei nova plus sample HDR photo

Huawei nova plus sample HDR photo

Huawei nova plus sample photo

Huawei nova plus sample photo

Huawei nova plus Review Conclusion

Huawei nova plus

The Huawei nova plus has an excellent design and fantastic finish. This convincing craftsmanship is its chief selling point. The display, chipset, and camera performance are just good enough not to drag it down.

Unfortunately its price, €430 (about $472) is relatively steep, considering China-based mobile makers like ZTE, Xiaomi, and LeEco full flagships for the same money. However, Huawei is a more established brand outside China, and offers established reliability. For some users, that’s enough to justify the price.

Pros

  • Design, finish and craftsmanship
  • Excellent display contrast
  • Above average battery autonomy
  • One of the best fingerprint sensors in the world

Cons

  • High price-to-performance ratio
  • Poor display visibility when exposed to direct sunlight
  • Display has no protective layer
  • Poor low-light camera performance

The post Huawei nova plus Review: Looks Great & Performs Well, But Pricey appeared first on Brighthand.com.

Google Takes on Apple with Powerful Pixel and Pixel XL Phones

Google just took the wraps off a pair of cutting-edge Android phones: the Pixel with a 5-inch AMOLED display, and the Pixel XL with a 5.5-inch display. The two seem squarely aimed at the new iPhone 7 models from Apple.

pixel

Pixel Highlights

The Pixel has a 1080 x 1920 screen resolution, giving a pixel density of 440 ppi. The XL model’s display has a 1440 x 2560 resolution, so it’s at 534 ppi.

Internally, these are nearly identical. Each is built around a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor that includes a pair of 2.15GHz cores and a second pair of 1.6GHz cores, an arrangement intended to combine performance and battery life. They have 4GB of RAM, and will be available with 32GB or 128GB of storage.

The Pixel phones are debuting with Android 7.1 Nougat, and Google has committed to making operating system updates available for them as soon as possible. This is in contrast to typical Android models that generally don’t get OS upgrades for months, if at all, as the new versions have to flow through their device manufacturers.

pixel2

Other Hardware

Both include a 12.3 megapixel rear camera, with an f/2.0 aperture. A gyroscope-based video stabilization is being strongly touted, as well as quick image captures. All images and video taken with this camera can be backed up on Google’s servers at no charge. It also shoots 4k video.

The Pixel sports a 3,450mAh battery, while the XL has a 2,770mAh battery. Google is promising extremely fast recharges: up to seven hours of use after being plugged in for 15 minutes.

Other features include USB-C, a fingerprint scanner, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Casings are aluminum and glass, available in black, silver, and blue. HTC is producing the hardware.

pixel3

Pixel vs. iPhone 7

Comparisons between the just announced Pixel phones and the recently-released iPhone 7 series are inevitable, as these are flagship products with prices that start about $650. In addition, both Google and Apple offer their respective models in two sizes, and directly distribute operating system updates. Each device maker emphasizes the camera capabilities of their phones.

Google is especially pushing the Pixel’s HDR capabilities, which result in richer photos, and smart burst shooting, which automatically selects the best shot in a quickly-shot series. According to DxO Mark, an industry group focused on photography, the Pixel phones are the highest scoring smartphone cameras of all time, with a score of 89, ahead of the iPhone 7 (86), and new Samsung Galaxy S7 handsets (88).

Prices and Availability

A Google Pixel with 32GB of storage is $649, and can be pre-ordered now. The 128GB version is $100 more. The 32GB Pixel XL is $769, and the 128GB XL is $869.

U.S. residents already reaching for their wallets should be aware that the Pixel series is mostly going to be a Verizon exclusive, but it will work with Project Fi.

pixel4

The post Google Takes on Apple with Powerful Pixel and Pixel XL Phones appeared first on Brighthand.com.

Samsung Gear Fit 2 Review: Fitness Tracker with a Bit of Smartwatch

Fitness trackers range from glorified pedometers to full-on smartwatches. The good ones figure out a proper balance. Simple devices need a killer app, while more complex must balance features with usability and battery life.

The Samsung Gear Fit 2 is the latter. Samsung snagged the fitness features from the recent Samsung Gear S2 smartwatch, along with smartphone alerts and a few music apps, and tossed them into a Tizen-powered wearable with all the sensors you’d expect from an activity tracker.

It does a lot. In fact, it does a lot well. But does it have that balance, and is it a compelling buy in a market awash in alternatives?

Build & Design

Samsung Gear Fit 2

Samsung Gear Fit 2

The Samsung Gear Fit 2 looks the part. It’s a relatively slender wearable, dominated by a 1.5-inch curved touchscreen display, and two removable rubber bands. Everything is flush, while the display bulks out slightly less than half an inch at its peak. There are only two small buttons, home and back, while bottom houses sensors and charging receptacles.

It’s aesthetically pleasing, and comfortable. The body contours wrap the wrist well, and the removable straps are strong and flexible, securing the Gear Fit 2 agreeably with a simple pin system. In testing, the Gear Fit 2 never came loose or fell off.

But there are issues inherent in most fitness trackers, and they’re present here. The Gear Fit 2 is too big for smaller wrists. Samsung offers shorter straps, which don’t do much to mitigate the bulk.

Also, the Gear Fit 2 will get sweaty gross with regular use. It’s easy to clean though, and it’s thankfully IP68 rated for water resistance. That means it can technically survive up to 30 minutes in 5 feet of water, so sweat and rain won’t be an issue. Still, we wouldn’t take it swimming.

It’s available in black, blue, and pink.

Display

The Samsung Gear Fit 2 has a Super AMOLED display.

The Samsung Gear Fit 2 has a Super AMOLED display.

The Gear Fit 2 has a 1.5-inch curved Super AMOLED touchscreen display with a 216 x 432 resolution. It’s Gorilla Glass 3, making it both shatter and scratch resistant. It’s relatively bright at max settings, though still more reflective than most smartphones.

Every smartwatch and touch-enabled activity tracker we’ve tested has been tough to see outdoors. The Super AMOLED display and brightness settings make the Gear Fit 2 one of the best devices in this area, better than the AMOLED-toting Apple Watch but it’s still far from ideal. Words, numbers, and details are all visible against direct glare only with concentration. That’s especially hard while running, checking pace to time remaining for example.

The same display does a good job resisting smudges and fingerprints, but sweat beads will accumulate during heavy exercise, compounding the visibility issues.

Again, all similar devices are bad in this area. The Gear Fit 2 is the best of that bunch.

Performance

The Samsung Gear Fit 2 with removable straps.

The Samsung Gear Fit 2 with removable straps.

The Gear Fit 2 packs an accelerometer, gyroscope, heart rate monitor, GPS, and a barometer. So it tracks more than just steps. It’s also measures heart rate, calories burned, floors climbed, and sleep patterns. It sports a 1GHz dual-core processor and 512MB RAM, along with 4GB capacity for apps and music. It connects via Bluetooth 4.2 and supports Wi-Fi. It’s compatible with Android smartphones running at least Android 4.4 with 1.5GB RAM.

Those are decent specs for a fitness tracker, and it’s swift and responsive. The Bluetooth range is impressive, and the connection remained stable in our testing with a Samsung Galaxy S7 edge, automatically reconnecting whenever we went out of range of the smartphone. Connecting to Samsung Bluetooth headphones was also easy in testing.

Quick word on Bluetooth. It can be buggy, especially with older devices. Your experience connecting the Gear Fit 2 will vary depending on the smartphone, its software, and its age.

You can set personal goals for steps and floors climbed, and the Gear Fit awards badges for achieving them and setting personal records. While it automatically recognize a handful of simple exercises (walks and runs longer than 10 minutes, for example), you must set it to track specific activities to get full use. That includes running, walking, hiking, cycling, step machine, exercise bike, elliptical, treadmill, lunges, crunches, squats, Pilates, yoga, rowing machine, and “other workout.”

Samsung Gear Fit 2 cycling with GPS

Samsung Gear Fit 2 cycling with GPS

Through this, the Gear Fit 2 tracks speed, distance, duration, calories burned, and workout intensity, generating a report that can be exported to the Samsung S Health app.

For runners, this is great. The measurements jibe with other activity trackers and professional gym equipment, and the detailed reports offer useful insight. Utility varies for the other activities. While it only takes a few swipes and presses, it’s still too cumbersome a process to set for relatively quick drills like crunches, squats, or lunges.

Alerts come in the form of a vibration, which can be tough to discern, especially while biking or running. An audible beep would be better in some circumstances, especially while interval training (sprints, followed by rest). But that’s not happening because the Gear Fit 2 doesn’t have a speaker.

We’d also like to see sport-specific options, which are otherwise consigned to the “other workouts” option. Who knows how well it measures playing soccer or basketball? How about skiing, or obstacle courses like the popular Tough Mudder and Spartan Race? And while few have this ability, we pine for fitness tracker that can accurately measure weight lifting and resistance training.

It’s unclear what the Gear Fit 2’s GPS actually does. When tethered to a smartphone, it produces a map after runs and cycle sessions, showing the route with mile markers. Unconnected, it presumably offers a more accurate distance measurement. Testing it, running the same route multiple times with GPS on and off proved inconclusive.

Features

The Gear Fit 2 does more than track steps and measure heart rate. It has a built in music player with local storage for offline play, various timers and alarms, and it delivers basic smartphone alerts when connected. Thankfully, you can pick and choose which app alerts the Gear Fit 2 receivers, with texts from Samsung’s messages app supporting quick replies and emojis. Other alerts appear with a shortcut for opening the app on the connected smartphone.

The Gear Fit 2 does more than track steps.

The Gear Fit 2 does more than track steps.

Samsung made much of the Fit 2’s Spotify support, but it’s ultimately a glorified controller for the Spotify smartphone app. The local MP3 is much more useful, as it works even with an unconnected Fit 2 over Bluetooth earbuds. Songs are easily loaded via the Samsung Gear app. The only snag is finding them on an Android smartphone. Android’s file structure is confusing at best, and tracking down music can easily become frustrating, especially with Google Music tracks.

Other apps include a “find my phone” alert, which only rings the smartphone when the two are connected and in range, a “workout trainer” that pairs with a separate account and acts as a sort of digital personal trainer, coffee and water consumption trackers, and a “together” app for competing with friends over fitness and step challenges. The Gear Fit 2 comes preloaded with a handful of watch faces. More apps and additional watch faces are available through the Samsung Gear app.

The S Health app is surprisingly robust.

The S Health app is surprisingly robust.

Software & App

The Gear Fit 2 runs a Tizen-based OS similar to the Gear Fit 2 smartwatch. It’s all swipe and tap based, with two physical buttons acting as home and back keys. Wearable UIs are always tricky, given the limited screen real estate, but the Gear Fit 2’s is as intuitive as we’ve seen. As we mentioned above, it’s annoying to manually set it to log a quick exercise like crunches or lunges, though not so bad for longer runs or sessions.

The Gear Fit 2 pairs with the Samsung S Health app. It’s surprisingly robust and expansive, and functions beyond just as a companion app for the activity tracker, with exercise options ranging from orienteering to windsurfing. In addition, it supports a few dozen other apps that expand functionality, as well as other fitness and smart devices, like scales and other health trackers.

Here Gear Fit 2 users can log and track progress, and get additional workout details. In terms of information, it’s deep with helpful insight. Too bad it’s a mess in terms of navigation. It has an awkward layout, with an opaque hierarchy. The deeper navigation options are never clear. Expect to do a lot of blind tapping and swiping just to see what the app actually offers.

The app is only available for Android, and the Gear Fit 2 only pairs with devices running Android 4.4 or later with at least 1.5GB RAM, and only over Bluetooth. It doesn’t pair with iPhones, Windows Phones, PCs, or Macs, as of this writing. However, recent reports indicate Samsung is working on iOS compatibility.

Setup with a Samsung smartphone is easy, as the required apps come pre-installed. All other Android smartphones require S Health, the Samsung Gear app, Samsung Accessory Service, and the Gear Fit 2 Plugin before connecting. Even if it’s a one-time setup, it’s irksome.

Samsung S Health app

Samsung S Health app

S Health run tracking with Samsung Gear Fit 2

S Health run tracking with Samsung Gear Fit 2

Battery

The Gear Fit 2’s life on a single charge varies widely depending on usage. It packs a 200 mAh battery, which can go for up to 3 days under the right conditions, or less than 10 hours.

During workouts with the screen brightness boosted and both Bluetooth and GPS connected, expect to lose about 10% battery an hour. Lounging at home, disconnected from Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and GPS, it sips power. You can stretch things further with the power-saving feature that turns the display monochrome and severs all connections.

With mixed usage, including daily workouts and the occasional smartphone connection to upload data to S Health, we managed between 36 and 48 hours of juice. The Gear Fit 2 charges very quickly, taking little over an hour to go from dead to fully charged. Topping it off whenever you sit down to work should be more than enough to keep it running.

Value

The Samsung Gear Fit 2 costs a penny short of $180 as of this writing. That’s a good price for an exercise tracker in this class.

The Fitbit Blaze and Fitbit Surge have similar capabilities, with pricing ranging from $180 to $200. The Garmin Vivosmart HR+ also runs about $200, while the Microsoft Band 2 price varies from $140 to $250, depending on the size and where you buy it.

Conclusion

gearfit2There’s no perfect fitness tracker. The good ones achieve a balance, working around the inherent flaws that plague the product class: namely battery compromises, awkward UIs, and managing Bluetooth connections.

The Samsung Gear Fit 2 achieves this balance. It does a lot for an exercise tracker with its smartwatch-like alerts and apps, but not too much that those get in the way of the core functions. Its tracking and presentation on the device is as good as it can get on a small display, as is the general device navigation.

Serious exercise buffs should appreciate S Health’s deep offerings. Everyone else will be turned off by its abstruse UI. It’s too bad Samsung doesn’t offer a simpler tracking app, or something compatible with non-Android devices.

Its other issues aren’t unique to the Gear Fit 2. All touch-enabled fitness trackers are tough to see in direct sunlight, and all trade off capability for battery life. It’s important to remember that activity trackers and smartwatches are still a nascent product class.

So where does that leave the Gear Fit 2? It’s a great choice for those serious about fitness. Those looking for the glorified pedometer can save money with a basic Fitbit or Jawbone UP.

The Fitbit, Garmin, and Microsoft trackers listed above are close to equal, so we suggest putting a premium on price and smartphone compatibility when making a buying decision.

 

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Sony Xperia XZ and Xperia X Compact Hands On

Sony Xperia XZ

Sony Xperia XZ

Sony launched its last flagship, the Xperia X, just six months ago. And here we are at IFA in Berlin where Sony just launched its next “best” device, the Xperia XZ. Furthermore, Sony launched a compact smartphone with flagship features, the Xperia X Compact.

Both phones offer an attractive and  modern design, which may be the biggest selling point, but we are used to this from Sony. What truly matters, however, is that they have been significantly improved compared to predecessors when it comes to camera quality, battery and performance.

The Sony Xperia XZ comes with a 5.2-inch Full HD display. After it left an impression last year at IFA with a 4K-toting Xperia, Sony really lessened the specs, below even QHD.

This was a good call, as our hands-on time revealed it impossible to find a flaw in imaging sharpness, color interpretation or contrast sustainability. The only objection can be made due to the slightly thick display bezel, but this can easily be forgiven when the highly aesthetic Sony Xperia XZ is held in hand.

Interestingly, Sony has also revealed a new finish for this smartphone, which is made of an aluminum alloy called ALKALEIDO. It feels pleasent, is very shiny, and shrugs off fingerprints and smudges. The physical buttons now include a dedicated camera key, and the Xperia XZ is waterproof, unlike the Xperia X. Also, this Xperia sports USB Type-C.

XZ 2 XZ 5

Inside, the phone sports a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820. Indeed, it ‘only’ has 3GB of RAM, which is a quarter less than what we expect from flagships. But with this hardware, display quality, and exceptionally pure Android OS, we can more easily see past this.

XZ 4The rear camera tops out at 23 megapixels with f/2.0. Sony developed a new IMX300 sensor for Xperia XZ and its latest compact model, which it claims offers a more efficient autofocus system and uses color detection, phase detection and laser assistance for measuring the distance of the object. It also features intelligent object movement tracker.  Sony named all of this Triple Image Sensing, emphasizing the autofocus speed. There is no optical image stabilization, but it features a gyroscope that stabilizes the image according to 5 axis. The front-facing camera is also an impressive 13 megapixels

Xperia XZ’s battery has 2900 mAh, which is slightly more compared to Xperia X, but it does have a quick-charge option based on the Quick Charge 3.0 standard. It also features adaptive charging for use mostly at night when it’s plugged in for a longer period of time, which Sony claims prolongs the battery’s overall life cycle. Up to 90 percent of the battery is recharged faster while the remaining 10 percent is recharged slowly, until the morning hours, which should double its shelf life, at least according. The phone will be available in October.

Wait. There’s more … or less

The smaller Sony Xperia X Compact has a 4.6-inch display with a 720p resolution. It’s equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 650, which is a hexacore chipset, and it also has 3GB of RAM, just like the larger model. The rear-facing camera is identical, with 23 megapixels, while it has a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. Xperia X Compact’s battery has 2700 mAh capacitym, and also supports the Quick Charge standard. It too supports USB Type-C.

X Compact 2 X Compact 3

Unfortunately, the Sony Xperia X Compact isn’t waterproof, unlike Sony’s previous compacts. Still, it’s a small smartphone with near-flagship specs, and that alone makes it unique.

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Huawei Brings Premium to the Mid-range with Nova and Nova Plus: Hands On

Nova plus 4

Huawei Nova Plus

Huawei came to IFA in Berlin to launch its brand new mid-range smartphone series, Nova. To be precise, it revealed a 5-inch device simply called Huawei Nova, as well as the larger, but otherwise identical, 5.5-inch Huawei Nova Plus. Above all, Huawei touted the Novas selfie abilities and reasonable price.

Thus, Huawei Nova and Nova Plus sport Full HD displays, surrounded by an aluminum unibody, and up-to-date design, with slightly rounded display edges.

They both feel premium in hand, with an above-average finish. Though underneath the aluminum, they are certainly in the midrange.

They feature a Qualcomm octa-core Snapdragon 625 running a 2.0 GHz clock. The smaller Nova has 3GB RAM, while the larger one comes with 4GB. The starting models both have 32GB of memory storage, while Huawei will offer 64GB versions. Both also support microSD expansion, with the microSD card slot also serving as a second SIM card slot. Both also have Huawei’s fingerprint sensor, which we’ve found to be one of the fastest and most reliable on any device.

Huawei Nova

Huawei Nova

Both smartphones have an 8-megapixel front-facing camera, and feature the odd “PerfectMakeup” mode. The name says it all. The feature essentially uses software tweaks to eliminate blemishes and craft the perfect selfie, which is why Huawei representatives pointed out several times during the presentation, the Nova smartphones will especially appeal to female buyers.

Yep, it’s groan worthy. But don’t let that deter you. Huawei has pushed smartphone camera tech with its Honor 8 and recent P9. To that end, the rear-facing camera is either 16 megapixels (Nova Plus), or 12 (Nova). Both record 4K videos.

During our brief hands-on time from IFA, we came away most impressed with the display. Both Huawei Nova and Huawei Nova Plus have very bright displays with highly saturated colors. They are almost surreal. Touch seemed responsive, though contrast sustainability might present issues. View the devices from a wider angle and not directly, the contrast is significantly poorer.

Huawei representatives boasted about a very sustainable battery on both models. Nova has a 3020mAh battery, while Nova Plus includes a 3340mAh battery. They reassured attendees that the batteries on both smartphones offer twice the autonomy a the iPhone 6S. Specifically, the battery offers two days of intense work without the need to recharge.

Interestingly, the back of the phones do not resemble each other, as the specifications would suggest. The back of the smaller Huawei Nova follows in the design footsteps of the Nexus 6P line, with darkened plastic stripe on the back with a camera hidden away.  The Huawei Nova Plus has a bulging camera located in the middle of the rear surface, right next to the fingerprint reader – just like on the Mate series.

Rear of Nova

Rear of Nova

Rear of Nova Plus

Rear of Nova Plus

It’s tough to test the camera in a setting like IFA. But they were both quick to respond and offered the kind of imaging quality that matches better mid-range phones, or average flagship ones. This means that they are a slightly poorer than the latest Samsung smartphones or iPhone 6S in terms of realistic color interpretation, visibility of details and dynamics. However, the selfie camera is above average for this range on both smartphones (makeup effect or not). Both the Nova and Nova Plus actually seems a step up from the flagship P9, if quick impressions are anything to go on.

Both smartphones will be available next month throughout the globe. Huawei Nova will start at 399 euros in Europe, and Huawei Nova Plus will start at 429 euros. Given Huawei’s recent record they may cost the same in dollars if they ever come to the US.

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Samsung Galaxy Note 7 and Gear VR Preview: A Closer Look at the Specs

The Galaxy Note 7 might be Samsung’s newest and hottest smartphone thanks to a premium materials and an advanced feature set that includes the enhanced S Pen and the new Gear VR powered by Oculus. That said, shoppers might be surprised to find out the Galaxy Note 7 isn’t packed with the latest high-performance hardware. We took a closer look at what Samsung did and didn’t include with the new Note 7.

Build and Design

From the outside the Galaxy Note 7 features quality craftsmanship with a symmetric edge design that encases the curved QHD Super AMOLED screen and makes the front and back of the phone feel almost identical in your hand. The QHD screen is the showpiece of this device, enabling you to stream HDR video with brighter colors and deeper blacks.

The curved screen offers improved durability with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 while the Edge Panel provides one-tap access to applications, news, contacts, calendar or the selfie camera.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7

Samsung Galaxy Note 7

The next most impressive design feature of the Galaxy Note 7 isn’t immediately visible … unless you drop the phone in a toilet. The Note 7 is highly water resistant and IP68-compliant, meaning the device will continue to operate even after submersion in up to 5 feet of water for up to 30 minutes.

When it comes to the ports, the biggest change with the Galaxy Note 7 is that Samsung has finally switched from microUSB to the newer USB Type-C standard. This not only allows for potentially faster data transfer rates and faster charging over USB, but the Type-C port means you won’t have to worry about plugging in the cable upside down. The cable, like the phone, is symmetrical.

Thankfully, you won’t have to worry about buying a microUSB-to-USB Type-C adapter if you own other microUSB devices. Samsung includes an adapter at no extra charge. On that note (pardon the pun), the Note 7 includes the new S Pen at no additional cost and includes a storage and charging port for the S Pen at the bottom of the device next to the USB Type-C port.

Impressive Specs … Mostly

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 microSD card slot

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 microSD card slot

Despite the list of improvements we are surprised to see the new flagship uses the same dual-pixel sensor technology introduced on the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge. Not only is the camera unchanged, but Samsung decided to use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor for the Note 7 here in the US rather than the newer Snapdragon 821 or 823. Sure, the processor and camera tech still deliver great results, but we expected to see a spec bump here rather than being forced to wait for the next generation Galaxy S and Galaxy S Edge in the spring of 2017.

On the bright side the built-in storage capacity is now 64GB and the Galaxy Note 7 also features expandable storage via microSD with support for up to an additional 256 GB card. The Galaxy Note 7 is equipped with a 3,500 mAh battery and charges quickly using the new USB-C port or wherever wireless charging is available.

New and Improved S Pen

Samsung S PenThe enhanced S Pen that comes with the Galaxy Note 7 is more than just a writing tool thanks to improved features and sensitivity that is a result of Samsung’s partnership with Wacom.  You don’t even have to unlock the screen to record a short memo and pin it to the Always On Display. The S Pen also allows users to quickly create and share GIF animations from a video file or still images using the Smart Select feature. In addition, the new Translate function has been added to Air Commands so users can immediately translate any written words simply by hovering over the word with the S Pen. Samsung also streamlined the process for recording and finding a variety of notes with the new Samsung Notes app collecting handwritten notes, sketches and memos in one location.

While those new features are nice, the two hardware changes to the S Pen that impressed us the most were the smaller 0.7mm tip and IP68 water resistance to match the waterproof nature of the Note 7. The smaller tip makes using the new S Pen feel much more like using a standard ballpoint pen and the water resistance means you won’t have to worry about writing on the screen when it’s wet.

Samsung S Pen

Samsung S Pen

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Specifications

  • Display: 5.7” Quad HD Dual edge Super AMOLED 2560 x 1440 (518ppi)
  • OS: Android 6.0.1 (Marshmallow)
  • Network: LTE Cat.12 / LTE Cat.10 / LTE Cat.9
  • Dimensions: 5 x 73.9 x 7.9mm
  • Weight: 169g
  • Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 Quad Core (2.15GHz Dual + 1.6GHz Dual), 64 bit, 14 nm process
  • Memory: 4GB RAM (LPDDR4) , 64GB (UFS 2.0)
  • Cameras: Rear Dual Pixel 12MP OIS (F1.7), Front 5MP (F1.7)
  • Battery: 3,500mAh, Fast Charging on wired and wireless Wireless Charging compatible with WPC and PMA
  • Payment compatibility: NFC, MST
  • Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz), MU-MIMO(2×2) 620Mbps, Bluetooth v 4.2 LE, ANT+, USB Type-C, NFC, Location (GPS, Glonass, Beidou)
  • Sensors: Barometer, Fingerprint Sensor, Gyro Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Hall Sensor, HR Sensor, Iris Sensor, Proximity Sensor, RGB Light Sensor
  • Audio support: MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA, WAV, WMA, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MID, MIDI, XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA
  • Video support: MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3G2, WMV, ASF, AVI, FLV, MKV, WEBM

DSC04174New Gear VR

Of course, a new Note 7 means an opportunity to upgrade the Gear VR as well. Samsung’s updated Gear VR headset powered by Oculus allows users to experience virtual reality content anywhere. The Galaxy Note 7’s Super AMOLED screen makes the viewing experience on the new Gear VR noticeably better than the current Gear VR. The new headset also features extra padding (less pressure around your eyes), and a wider field of view increased from 96 degrees out to 110 degrees. The new Gear VR comes in black rather than just the classic white and includes adapters to work with both microUSB and USB Type-C.

Gear VR for Galaxy Note 7 Specifications

  • Samsung Galaxy Note 7Dimensions: 207.8(W) x 122.5(L) x 98.6(H)mm
  • Weight: 345g (312g without Front Cover)
  • Field of View (FOV): 101°
  • Sensors: Accelerometor, Gyrometer, Proximity
  • Colors: Blue and Black
  • Compatibility: Galaxy Note 7, S7, S7 edge, Note 5, S6, S6 edge, S6 edge+ (USB Type-C and Micro USB connectors). USB-C pass through power and data support.

The Galaxy Note 7 goes on sale in the United States on August 19; preorders begin August 3 with exclusive offer for a free Gear Fit2 or 256GB microSD card. In the U.S., the Galaxy Note 7 will be available in Blue Coral, Silver Titanium and Black Onyx. AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular and Verizon Wireless will carry the Galaxy Note 7 in stores beginning August 19, with pre-orders starting on August 3, 2016.

The new Gear VR will be available beginning August 19, with pre-orders starting on August 3, 2016 through select channels.

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ZTE Zmax Pro Hands-On Preview: A lot for a little

ZTE Zmax Pro backThere’s no question ZTE has been setting their sights on the high-end smartphone market. With the company’s latest flagship the ZTE Axon 7 — set to officially release later this month in the US — the world’s fourth largest smartphone manufacturer looks poised to take on the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S7 and iPhone 6S. However, it wasn’t an impressive spec list or flawless design that helped ZTE to make such impressive inroads in the US market. Instead, it’s been the company’s relentless pursuit of value. The ZTE brand has become well known for its quality affordable entry-level smartphones. Earlier this week marked a return to form for the Chinese manufacturers as they introduced the ZTE Zmax Pro.

The 6-inch Android phablet looks to blend affordability and performance running on the latest version of Android Marshmallow (6.0) ) OS, with an impressive 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 chipset, 2GB of RAM, and 32GB of built-in storage for only $99 (after instant rebate). Add in the 13MP rear-facing camera, fingerprint scanner, and  Type C USB 2.0 fast charging port and you have one heck of a deal.

Looking at the complete package it’s hard to believe that the ZTE Zmax Pro only costs $100. Given the impressive spec list, NBR was a bit worried that ZTE may have skimped on build quality to help bring the cost of the handset down. Luckily those fears were unfounded.

First Look: Build & Design

ZTE Zmax Pro frontThe ZTE Zmax Pro sports an attractive glossy black plastic with relatively thin bezels along the front of the device. A cobalt colored textured plastic sits at the back of the device. The contrasting look helps to tie the aesthetic together, and the textured surface makes the phone easier to grip. Still at 6-inches  with a 0.35-inch thickness the phone may prove a bit unwieldy for some users, especially when trying use the device with a single hand.

The ZTE Zmax Pro features a 6-inch FHD 1920 x 1080 resolution (367 PPI pixel density) LCD display. The protective Gorilla Glass 3 coating helps to protect the screen from impact and scratches. The screen itself appears serviceable (especially given the $100 price tag), with clear crisp images and text. However, we couldn’t help but notice that the max brightness on the display was a bit dim. It’s likely that the limited brightness could cause issues with outdoor performance in direct sunlight, and also cause colors to appear washed out when viewing the device from wide angles.

As we mentioned NBR was more than satisfied by the spec sheet offered in the ZTE Zmax Pro. Armed with an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 processor, 2GB of RAM, and 32GB of built-in storage, the ZTE Zmax Pro is more than capable of handling the basics of web browsing and running your standards suite of apps. The smartphone may struggle with more demanding tasks, such as graphically intensive games or comprehensive productivity apps, but it will be difficult for NBR to make a definitive judgment till we spend more time with the device. Still, for its sub-$100 price point, that’s impressive, matching competitors such as the Honor 5X, which is currently listed at double the price.

The ZTE ZMax Pro also has a number of premium features including a 13MP rear-facing camera, along with a 5MP front-facing camera. The Zmax Pro houses a fingerprint scanner directly below the rear-facing camera. The location makes the scanner easy to access and use. The phone utilizes a Type C USB 2.0 port for fast charging and has a removable storage microSD slot next to its sim card capable of expanding the memory an additional 128GB. That’s a lot of extra bells and whistles for an entry-level device.

ZMAX PRO Side 2Even though our time with the ZTE Zmax Pro was limited, it’s hard not to love this device. It may not be the most impressive handset on the market, but ZTE is offering a remarkable value with this device. Sure there are some flaws. The display can be a bit glossy indirect light, and the specs aren’t intended for more demanding tasks, but you will not find a better bang for your buck.

Instead, the bigger issue is the carrier restrictions. Currently, the ZTE Zmax Pro is only offered through MetroPCS. In fact, part of the reason the cost is so low is Metro is offering a $100 instant rebate, which allows the device to hit that elusive sub-$100 price point.

The ZTE ZMax Pro is a great device and an unbelievable value, but it’s unlikely that consumers will want to change carriers, just to get their hands on an excellent entry-level handset.

The ZTE ZMax Pro is currently available for preorder and will be made available for purchase starting on August 1st at MetroPCS for $99 (with a $100 instant rebate).

 

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HTC 10 Smartphone Review: Much-Needed Improvement

There are such slim differences between flagship smartphones that device makers can’t get away with compromise. Just ask HTC, which has a history of compromising its flagships, and a sinking market share to show for it.

This means HTC’s 2016 flagship, simply called 10, needs to be more interesting, attractive and desirable. HTC played the all or nothing card, making what it believes to be  the ultimate phone. Where HTC once lagged behind the competition, the HTC 10 smartphone now matches or surpasses in most cases.

It sports the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, along with 4GB of RAM, a 5.2-inch QHD display,  redesigned body (finally!), 3000mAh battery, QuickCharge 3.0, excellent built-in DAC, 12-megapixel UltraPixel camera (again, finally!), selfie-camera with OIS, and HTC’s Sense UI largely purified of unnecessary bloatware. Of course, HTC 10 has its flaws as well, but those simply make the HTC 10 an excellent smartphone, rather than a perfect handset. Get the full run-down in this HTC 10 review.

Build & Design

The HTC 10 represents a big step up from the HTC One M9.

The HTC 10 smartphone represents a big step up from the HTC One M9.

HTC handsets have long had credible, modern, and robust designs, mostly with a metal unibody. The HTC 10 smartphone is not an exception. HTC nailed the balance keeping things just familiar enough to maintain the brand, with changing enough to suggest the HTC 10 is a new product. In hand, it’s clear that this is a premium-class smartphone, even more so than with other flagships from 2016.

In designing the 10, HTC mustn’t have been too occupied with crafting an ultra-thin device. The HTC 10 is rather chubby and heavy for a 5.2-inch phone, measuring 5.74 x 2.83 x 0.35 inches, and weighing 5.68 ounces. Its weight is noticeable in hand, mostly due to the metal build that HTC carved from a single piece. This, despite the fact it’s dual-textured, with smooth edges and a sanded back cover. It’s not dust or water resistant, unfortunately.

The front houses the camera, speaker for making phone calls, notification LED, and several sensors above the display, while the Home key sits under the screen with its built-in fingerprint reader. The entire surface is covered with Gorilla Glass 4 and has slightly rounded rims. The fingerprint reader also awakens the phone from stand-by mode and is exceptionally fast and sensitive. This also makes it easy for the user to activate it by accident. But fortunately, the feature can be turned off. The capacitive Back and Tasks keys are located along the bottom display edge as well, and are not on-display icons as found on other Android smartphones.

The HTC 10 is relatively thick and heavy.

The HTC 10 is relatively thick and heavy.

The rear houses the camera lens, LED flash, and the “laser” focus (despite HTC’s label, it’s actually infrared), as well as the HTC logo. The upper portion holds an audio jack, and a black plastic cover which enables antenna signals. It looks like HTC ditched the IR blaster, which was typically located here on previous HTC flagships. The lower portion includes the USB Type-C connector, speaker, and secondary microphone. The Power key, volume rocker, and the nanoSim card slot are located on the right side, while the left side only reveals the microSD card slot.

The HTC 10 has a USB Type-C input.

The HTC 10 has a USB Type-C input.

Display

The HTC 10 has a slick metal unibody.

The HTC 10 has a slick metal unibody.

The HTC 10 smartphone features a 5.2-inch QHD Super LCD5 display (1440 x 2560 pixels), resulting in density of 564 pixels per inch. LCD5 offers richer colors than classic LCD, and this is evident in the more vibrant areas of the spectrum, which appear fuller and feature a more intense saturation. As the case was with the previous HTC models, pastel colors remain emphasized by default, but HTC included software calibration tools for tweaking.

The HTC 10 imaging is very pleasant, generally speaking. It offers immaculate sharpness, as expected, high brightness, and above average contrast. Black tones are very dark, but whites could be whiter. Glare presents the biggest issues, and other flagships do a better job of cutting through direct sunlight.

Response time is noteworthy, coming in at just 120ms. That makes the HTC 10 the fastest in the world. This extremely fast response is more apparent in direct comparisons with rival devices than when experienced on its own, which is to say it’s easy to dismiss the benefits. But it does combine with the other HTC 10 features to achieve the smartphone’s high level of usability and user satisfaction.

Performance

The specs are top of the line, as far as 2016 smartphones are concerned. The phone features Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 820, with two cores running a 2.15GHz clock and two running a 1.6GHz clock, all equipped with Adreno 530 graphics, 4GB of RAM and 32GB or 64GB of memory storage. Its memory storage can be expanded with microSD cards up to 2 TB.

Its power is unmistakable in real usage, as well as benchmark results. The HTC 10 smartphone scored 2362 (single-core) and 5259 (multi-core) in the Geekbench 3 test, rivaling output from the Samsung Galaxy S7, iPhone 6s, and LG G5.

Battery Life

The 3000mAh battery provides only average autonomy. On our HTC 10 review unit, the battery enabled 6 hours and 59 minutes of video streaming over Wi-Fi with the display brightness maxed out. Most rival devices best this by about 10%.  With regular use, the device will have no trouble lasting from early morning until late in the evening on a single charge.

When it does need a charge, it can go from dead to 80% battery in 30 minutes thanks to Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0. It also stays cool during charging, unlike previous versions of the technology.

Camera & Sound

HTC 10 UltraPixel camera

HTC 10 UltraPixel camera

Previous HTC flagships had rear camera performance that paled in comparison to rival device output. So HTC did the right thing with the HTC 10 to address this deficiency. The device now comes with the so-called UltraPixel 2 rear camera, with the maximum resolution of 12 megapixels. UltraPixel is a term HTC introduced three years ago that signifies the camera sensor has larger photosensitive cells, technically 1.55 micrometers in the case of the HTC 10. These larger cells have more surface area to capture light, and perform better than smaller cells in low-light situations. Samsung did something similar with the S7 and S7 edge. Furthermore, the camera is equipped with f/1.8, OIS, and “laser autofocus” (which again, is based on an infrared).

Needless to say, the HTC 10 smartphone camera is measurably better than the HTC One M9 camera. This is mostly evident with night photography, and other low-light situations. Here, you see above-average detail and below-average noise. That, combined with the sharpness and color interpretation boosts the HTC 10.

It isn’t perfect, though. Photographs suffer poor dynamic range by default (especially those taken at night). Granted, the Google Play Store is full of apps that can fix this, but it’s enough to keep the HTC 10 camera a step below the LG G5 and the new Samsung Galaxies

We typically don’t put much stock in smartphone sound output. But good sound output can make a decent handset better, and the HTC 10 is great in this category. We’ve long praised the BoomSound speakers as being the best or the mobile device bunch, and now the HTC 10 features an integrated 24-bit DAC (digital-to-analog converter) and headphones amp. It will take a decent set of headphones to hear the benefit, but it’s there.

Sample Picture

HTC 10 smartphone - sample photo

A photo taken with our HTC 10 review unit

Software

Our HTC 10 review unit shipped with Android OS 6.0.1 (Marshmallow), along with HTC’s Sense UI. HTC developed the latest Sense UI in collaboration with Google, with the benefit being no redundant apps. For instance, the Gmail app is the only email client and Chrome is the only web browser. This is great, as it reduces app clutter (a common Android complaint), and we hope other device makers follow HTC’s lead.

The HTC 10 also has Apple AirPlay support for wireless streaming to AirPlay speakers and Apple TV. While other Android OS phones supported AirPlay before HTC 10, it relied on external apps, and it was always poorly executed. The HTC 10 has AirPlay support integrated at a system level, which makes streaming multimedia content from the phone utterly simple and intuitive.

Conclusion

Of all the 2016 flagships, the HTC 10 takes the biggest step forward from its 2015 predecessor. To be fair, it had a lot of room there, given how stunted the line had become in recent years.

The HTC 10 represents a big step up from the HTC One M9.

Given that the competition stepped up its game this year, the HTC 10 smartphone cannot fairly be called the best flagship on the market. Taking into account all its features and flourishes reveals that it’s close though, and much closer than it was at this point in 2015.

Pros:

  • Credible and modern metal unibody
  • Exceptional performance
  • Sense UI eliminates redundant apps
  • Great audio

Cons:

  • Battery only average
  • Thick and heavy considering the display size
  • Lacks water and dust resistance

The post HTC 10 Smartphone Review: Much-Needed Improvement appeared first on Brighthand.com.

LG G5 Review: Excellent Camera, Modular Design

LG changed its game plan with the G5, emphasizing design practicality and innovation over aesthetics and finishing touches. This is best represented in the LG G5’s Magic Slot that makes this a partially modular Android smartphone by expanding it functionality with external accessories. Compared with the HTC 10, and new Samsung S7 handsets, the LG G5 is not the most attractive device. But that Magic Slot makes it one of the most interesting handsets on the market.

The LG G5 has a dated look, but modular design.

The LG G5 has a dated look, but modular design.

Thankfully, LG didn’t ditch everything from its previous G smartphones, including the G4’s excellent rear camera. The G5 actually has two of them: the same 16-megapixel camera we loved on the V10 model, along with a wide-angle 8-megapixel camera that’s just a notch below in terms of photo quality.

As if that weren’t enough, this device also sports the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset, 4GB of RAM, Android OS 6.0.1 (Marshmallow) and a replaceable 2800 mAh battery.

LG is betting that features and specs matter more than looks when it comes to the G5. But is it any good?

Build & Design

We have never written this about a G-series smartphone, but the G5, at least a first glance, is bland. It has average dimensions and weight for a 5.3-inch phone (5.88 x 2.91 x 0.30 inches, 5.61 ounces), a metal unibody, and regular button placement (an unwelcome departure from the LG trademark of back-mounted buttons).

The LG G5 has a Gorilla Glass 4 front.

The LG G5 has a Gorilla Glass 4 front.

The G5’s front surface is covered with Gorilla Glass 4, from the top all the way down to the Magic Slot. The glass is slightly rounded near the upper side edges, which is unique only to the G5 (rounded glass on the edges is common and sometimes called “2.5D”). The curvature serves no purpose apart from aesthetic concerns. Although the relatively sharp front and side edges suggest multiple pieces, the entire body is crafted out of a single piece of metal (apart from the removable module, of course). This makes the LG G5 feel like a credible device. This is the only unibody smartphone with an interchangeable battery.

In addition to the LG logo on the removable module, the front side also includes the front camera, speaker, notification LEDs, and several sensors. The back side includes the dual rear camera, which protrudes from the back surface into a bump that also holds the LED flash and “laser” autofocus sensor (infrared to be precise). The fingerprint reader is situated under the camera, which doubles as the power button.

The phone’s lower side includes the USB-C slot, primary microphone and speaker perforations, while the upper houses the secondary microphone for ambient noise reduction, the 3.5mm audio jack, and infrared transmitter. The right side holds the nanoSIM and microSD card slot, while the volume control keys are situated on the left side. The Magic Slot release key also sits here, and it works immaculately. When pressed, the module pops out slightly, enabling the user to easily pull it off. Reattaching it only requires a simple press until it audibly clicks. The Magic Slot is just as well-built as the phone around it.

The LG G5 has a large camera bump.

The LG G5 has a large camera bump.

A single USB Type-C input handles charging.

A single USB Type-C input handles charging.

Display

With its 5.3-inch IPS QHD display (1440 x 2560 pixels), the LG G5 has a high density of 554 pixels per inch. Image sharpness is exquisite and the contrast is praise worthy. Looking just at the pure black and white tones, the screen matches AMOLEDs found on other devices.

Too bad it has poor maximum brightness. Perhaps this is why LG included an “Assertive Display” algorithm intended for viewing the device in direct sunlight. It’s an adaptive display technology found on other devices with similar chipsets. It works well enough, and it keeps glare from overwhelming the G5 display.

We’ll praise the G5 for color interpretation. Colors are exceptionally well saturated and accurately interpreted, albeit with a slight emphasis on pastel tones. Most people will find this pleasant for everyday use, but those who prefer more intense color and surreal image quality will be disappointed that LG did not enable the option to manually adjust the color settings. That aside, the G5’s colors are some of the best on the market, if not the best.

Like the V10, the LG G5 has the Always On option. Unlike the V10, which uses its additional display panel, the G5 actively displays the time and date smack in the middle of the display when the phone is on stand-by. Just like the case was with previous iterations of the G series, a double tap awakens the phone.

The display isn’t entirely praiseworthy, though. The display bezel is very large and the G5 does not have physical Android keys to occupy the space (they are on-screen capacitive keys). This is the tradeoff for a modular design.

Performance

The LG G5 has Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 820 chipset with a quad-core Kyro processor (2 x 2.15 GHz and 2 x 1.6 GHz), Adreno 530 graphics and 4 GB of RAM. This combination offers exceptional fluidity during use and make it the fastest phone or at least one of the three fastest phones on the market, as of this writing. In testing, the device did not overheat with long use, even when playing graphically demanding games and video content, over both 4G and Wi-Fi.

On the Geekbench 3 benchmark, the LG G5 scored 2322 on the single-core test and 5354 on the multi-core test. This is in line with the other early 2016 Android flagships.

Overall, the LG G5 is runs well and should prove reliable, which allay fears of G Flex and G4 owners struck with the infamous bootloop that bricked the smartphones.

Battery Life

The LG G5 ships with a 2800mAh battery. The Camera Plus module (which includes a photo grip) includes a 4000mAh battery. Nevertheless, the basic battery is good enough, besting the V10 and G4 output by 10%. We were able to stream full HD video for 8 hours and 5 minutes on a single charge, which matches most of the flagships from 2015. By comparison, the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge lasted 10 hours and 48 minutes, which is outstanding.

The LG G5 supports Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 protocol, which replenished the battery up to 80 percent in 30 minutes in our tests. Of course, you can always squeeze out more juice by turning off the Always On display feature. LG officially claims Always On uses less than 1 percent of battery capacity per hour, but we showed about a 15% difference during our informal battery tests.

Camera

LG G5 dual cameras

LG G5 dual cameras

If the modular design doesn’t pull you into the G5, the camera will. Two cameras, in fact. One is the same 16-megapixel we loved in the LG V10, which comes with F/1-8 and a field of view at 75 degrees. The second camera has 8 megapixels, F/2.4, but an exceptionally wide angle with a field of view at 135 degrees. LG has managed to secure very clever and creative collaboration between the two cameras with its decent camera software. The smartphone switches between the two cameras depending on the zoom level, and also allows users to manually choose certain shots.

This combo enables various effects. Pop-out Picture enables simultaneous shooting of both rear cameras with one image representing the background and the other the foreground. An effect is then applied to the background (blur, fisheye, vignette), and effects can be combined. Multi-View makes it possible for both, or even all three cameras, to simultaneously record videos or shoot photographs. It is also possible to choose a layout on which the images are then arranged.

Both back-facing cameras are equipped with a laser autofocus (infrared, to be precise) and 3-axis optical stabilization, while the 16-megapixel camera offers fantastic results. Image detail is abundant, even in poor lighting. The cameras offer highly precise exposure, color saturation, and excellent sharpness. It’s certainly one of the best smartphone cameras on the market, perhaps only second to the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge.

The 8-megapixel camera does not offer the same level of detail, or poor lighting performance. But it’s very practical for daily wide-angle recordings. The captured angle width is very impressive, perfect for panoramas. And users will need to make sure that the shot does not include their fingers as well.

Video recordings taken with the rear cameras are some of the best ones taken with a phone. Full HD and 4K are available at 30fps, with a high level of visible details. The same goes for the 8-megapixel selfie camera with f/2.0, which is among the top front-facing cameras on the market and can record Full HD video clips at 30fps.

Sample Photos

sample-wideangle

8-megapixel wide-angle lens

sample-regular

16-megapixel, regular lens

Pop Out sample

Pop Out sample

Conclusion

The LG G5 is one of the most powerful smartphones on the market. Its camera and innovative modular design are appealing, as is its powerful and stable chipset.

It’s not the most attractive phone in the world, though. In fact, it looks like a flagship from years past, when style was not a primary concern. But some may see this as a geekish touch worthy of its innovative feature set.

The only remaining question is whether LG continues to push the modular design with new and exciting accessories. As it stands, the LG G5 is an excellent smartphone. With new accessories expanding functionality, it will be that much better.

Pros:

  • Modular design innovative
  • Fantastic camera set and software
  • Exceptionally fast performance

Cons:

  • Dated look
  • Poor display brightness
  • Large display rim

The post LG G5 Review: Excellent Camera, Modular Design appeared first on Brighthand.com.

How to Buy a Smartphone: Picking the Right Smartphone Plan

Now that you’ve picked a wireless carrier, it’s time to pick a plan. Fair warning: this can be almost as difficult as picking a carrier, and the on-again/off-again nature of special deals can serve to make it even more frustrating. Not to mention, wireless carriers have a way of nickel-and-diming you into a significantly higher bill. Here are some tips to help you decide what options are right for you.

Eliminate the Fluff

Don't bother spending money on Verizon Cloud Storage

Don’t bother spending money on Verizon cloud storage.

When you buy a smartphone and sign up for a data plan, expect to get offered a large number of features and add-on accessories. Many of these you won’t need. Verizon offers free cloud storage for your media ranging from a free 5GB to 250GB for $18 per month. This is extremely pricey, considering you can get 1TB of cloud space on Dropbox Pro or Google Drive for $9.99 per month, or 1TB of cloud space on OneDrive for $6.99 per month. On top of that, it may be overkill. Google offers both Android and iOS users free photo backups for Google Photo users, and Amazon does the same for Prime members.

T-Mobile offers a slew of additional add-ons that include things like Stateside International Talk and Web Guard if you have kids, but depending on your circumstances and how often you’ll use the services, these are also superfluous.

Protective cases are always a good idea, but keep in mind that shopping around can help you discover a greater diversity of choice and sometimes even cheaper products that’ll meet your needs. This also goes for accessories like Bluetooth headsets and car chargers, which can almost always be found cheaper elsewhere. By way of example, AT&T and Verizon charge you $60 for an OtterBox Defender iPhone 6s Plus case. You can find the same at Amazon for $39.

Visual voicemail is another feature that sometimes comes at added cost, but isn’t always necessary – although voicemail service absolutely is. You also have free third-party options with respect to setting up visual voicemail, such as Google Voice, which is free and comes with visual voicemail. Other add-on services like roadside assistance may be just a waste of money if you’ve already got that option included with your auto insurance or have a AAA membership.

To Insure or Not to Insure?

As you go through the online (or in-person) checkout process to buy a new smartphone, you’ll invariably come across the hard sell of device insurance. Sure, smartphones aren’t indestructible and sinking money into a $600 smartphone without insuring it against damage sounds like a bad idea at the outset. But there are others who’ll tell you it’s just a waste of money you could be spending elsewhere.

Mobile Rhino is just one of many third-party insurance companiesSmartphone insurance isn’t expensive measured month to month, typically costing around $5 to $10 per month – an amount well spent if you accidentally drop it two weeks after your purchase. But this obviously adds up at the end of the year, and there’re other costs to consider.

For one, the insurance payment doesn’t mean you’ll get a replacement at absolutely no cost if you break a device. There’s still the issue of having to pay a deductible, which can range anywhere from $50 to $300. If you’re on the back end of paying a device off, this is not a good deal.

There are also conditions on insurance, depending on the carrier and the device that you buy, which don’t include all possible scenarios. For example, most will cover a cracked screen, and some cover theft, but not all loss. Additionally, since insurance plan providers get to call the shots on what that “replacement” really is, you are often likely to receive a refurbished phone than a brand new one or a check. And if your insured smartphone is no longer available, you may have to settle for a replacement of equal value that’s different to what you’ve grown accustomed.

One other thing to consider: many homeowners and renter’s insurance policies cover smartphones. The only drawback here is that if your deductible is over $1,000 it may not be worth it to file a claim. And more often than not, filing a claim that does work out in your favor could increase your homeowners or renter’s insurance premium.

AppleCareIf you are considering buying additional insurance from your carrier, be sure to review all of your options before signing up. Verizon offers several different types of protection plans, some of which cover theft and damage, but others that do not. For example, Verizon’s Total Equipment Coverage insures you even if you drop your phone in water – however Verizon’s Wireless Extended Warranty only covers you against device defects.

T-Mobile is a bit less convoluted, but only the premium plan covers you against theft, loss and accidental damage – this includes if you happen to accidentally drop your phone in water. Sprint also protects you against accidental drops and unintentional water exposure, but takes things a step further by offering next-day replacement (in most cases) for a covered loss. AT&T offers declining deductibles that reward you with a lower premium if you don’t file a claim for more than 12 months.

The majority of smartphone insurance plans cover accidental damage from drops, and theft. Most of the time, insurance covers only the phone itself and may exclude coverage for the battery. Exclusions apply if your phone is damaged due to being improperly used.

Looking beyond carrier-based insurance, there are also alternative options worth looking into. For example, HTC’s “Uh Oh” protection plan guarantees replacement of HTC One (M8 or M9) smartphones if they come to harm from accidental drops or water exposure within the first year of ownership. This is offered free of charge.

If you buy an iPhone, you get a freebie called AppleCare, which covers you against defects for a full year. For a single payment of $129, you can upgrade to AppleCare+, which extends that warranty out to two years and covers you against accidental damage and water exposure (but not loss or theft). With AppleCare+ you can claim up to two replacements, each of which will run you a deductible ranging from $79 to $99.

htcuhohOther options include SquareTrade, which runs from $4 to $6 per month and covers you against drops and water exposure, and Mobile Rhino, which adds theft and loss to damage coverage on iPhones and iPads starting at $129. You can also cover your smartphone with Best Buy’s Geek Squad Protection Plan, which starts at $7.99 per month and offers coverage against drops, spills, cracks, wear and tear, and mechanical failure. Geek Squad’s “complete” protection costs $10.99 per month and includes loss and theft coverage.

Whatever you route you opt for, make your decision quickly. Most smartphone insurers (whether direct from the carrier or via third-party) require that you insure your mobile device within the first 60 days.

The team at NotebookReview is split when it comes to smartphone insurance. As with any policy, it’s that thing you don’t need until you need it. Android smartphone owners have it slightly easier in forgoing insurance thanks to the rise of low-cost Android smartphones with premium features, like the Honor 5X. Apple iPhone owners face a more difficult decision given that the iPhone is still a premium-price product.

Taking a Look at Your Data Habits

A 2GB per month data plan may not sound like much if you’re unaware of how much data you actually consume. But a well-informed wireless consumer approaches his or her choice of plan based on knowledge of their data usage habits.

Android and iOS make it easy to monitor data consumption.

Android and iOS make it easy to monitor data consumption.

If you like to stream music or movies from your smartphone and do so frequently, it makes sense that a high-GB or even unlimited data plan is ideal – especially if you’re not into the idea of paying overage fees or having your data connection slow to a crawl when you max out. But if you have near-constant access to Wi-Fi and next to never stream over a cellular connection, paying an exorbitant amount of money monthly for an unlimited plan could be a waste of money.

As written earlier, exploring cellular networking technology, streaming a 90-minute movie in SD on Netflix will eat up approximately 1.5 GB of data. In HD, that same movie can devour 4.5GB of data. Data usage when streaming music varies, and depends on the quality of the stream. If you stream music at 320kbps, you can burn through some 115MB in an hour, and nine hours will consume about 1GB.

Here’s another thing to consider: all of the carriers offer tools that will help you monitor your data usage. Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T and Sprint offer a handful of such tools, including text message alerts that’ll inform you if you’re coming close to your limit. Additionally, you can manually check your data usage yourself by sending a predetermined text to a specific number to find out where you stand. If you use automatic text notifications, keep in mind that performing a huge download may take you over the limit before the system has had a chance to notify you.

In addition to these manual methods, carriers offer downloadable widgets and apps that you can launch to check your data manually.

Finally, both iOS and Android make it easy to find the same information. It’s found in the settings in “Cellular” or “Data Usage.”

T-Mobile Binge On allows users to stream various video services without a data cap hit

T-Mobile Binge On allows users to stream various video services without a data cap hit.

Currently, T-Mobile is the only carrier that actually gives its subscribers access to free streaming over cellular connection to some of the most popular streaming services. Their Music Freedom service, which comes as a free inclusion with certain data packages, gives you free streaming access to about 40 different services. These include Apple Music, Google Play Music, Pandora, Rhapsody, SiriusXM, Spotify, and even SomaFM. Similarly, Binge On is T-Mobile’s free video streaming platform, and is only available for data plans of 3GB or higher. With Binge On, you can stream for free from over 40 different platforms including Amazon Video, HBO Go, Netflix, Vevo, and Vudu.

Don’t forget that T-Mobile’s free streaming service only counts when you stream through the official apps. If you use your smartphone’s web browser to stream, it’ll count against your data.

Other Considerations

Carriers often strike deals with corporations to offer incentive to employees to choose them. Before you settle on a particular carrier, talk to someone in your workplace administrative office to find out if there are any special wireless discounts. You might be surprised to discover you can get a small (but not inconsiderable) discount on services.

Additionally, you don’t have to be blood-related to go in a family plan with another person or persons. Family plans aren’t just for “family” – you can sign up for a cellphone carrier family plan with a roommate or significant other, provided you both share the same address.

Want to learn more about buying a smartphone? Read all about network technology, including LTE, GSM, and CDMA. And then read all about no-contract smartphone data plans and pricing. Finally, learn all about smartphone specs, the differences between iOS and Android, recycling your smartphone, and buying an unlocked smartphone.

 

The post How to Buy a Smartphone: Picking the Right Smartphone Plan appeared first on Brighthand.com.

How to Buy a Smartphone: Buying an Unlocked Phone

Buying a smartphone from a third party site like Swappa or Amazon can save you quite a few dollars, especially if you buy it used or refurbished. Also, big box retailers like Best Buy sometimes offer deep discounts on new handsets you may not be able to score by going direct through the carrier. But keep in mind, not all smartphones you buy from third parties will work on just any carrier.

2000px-GSMLogo.svgThis brings up the issue of compatibility, and the discussion of the differences between GSM and CDMA. T-Mobile and AT&T utilize GSM technology for their handsets, while Verizon and Sprint use CDMA. The practical difference for users used to boil down to the fact that GSM smartphones came with removable SIM cards that could be swapped out to work with other services, whereas CDMA smartphones typically had no SIM cards, with user data stored with the carrier.

This severely limited smartphone and carrier compatibility. AT&T and T-Mobile users had the most success in switching to one another, but most users were stuck with their service unless they wanted to pony up for a new smartphone. Carriers also locked smartphones to their respective networks, especially if they were purchased under with a subsidy under contract, making the process of switching all the more difficult.

The good news is that things are loosening. Thanks to the FCC, all of the major carriers are required to enable smartphone unlocking so that it can be taken to another carrier. There are still some limitations that require you to meet the terms and conditions of any service contract you sign, but by law the carriers are now required to assist you with unlocking your smartphone.

Buying an Unlocked Smartphone

The Moto X Pure Edition is an unlocked smartphone that supports all major US carriers.

The Moto X Pure Edition is an unlocked smartphone that supports all major US carriers.

In your search for the perfect smartphone, you will come across numerous third party sites and manufacturers that sell their phones already unlocked. An unlocked smartphone is one that doesn’t have to be used with a specific carrier. In that sense, you’re not “locked in” to a particular service and you have the freedom to choose and switch to another if you’re not happy.

Things get a bit complex when it comes to unlocked smartphones, however, because of the aforementioned GSM vs. CDMA incompatibilities. It was once the case that an unlocked GSM device was limited to carriers that work with the device’s technology. The vast majority of unlocked smartphones were GSM. For this reason, buying an unlocked smartphone meant you could move between GSM-based carriers, but you still weren’t be able to use it with CDMA carriers like Verizon and Sprint.

There were and still are exceptions to the rule. The iPhone 6 and 6s, Motorola’s Moto X Pure Edition, and some Google Nexus smartphones are recent devices that support both GSM and CDMA. In fact, many devices were and are manufactured with both CDMA and GSM antennas and one not active depending on the carrier. It’s simply cheaper this way, rather than make unique devices for the various networks.

SIM Cards

Regardless of GSM and CDMA origins, most new phones manufactured today include SIM cards, and here’s where things get muddled.

lte-logoIn the case of Verizon and Sprint, the carriers still use the CDMA method of verifying their subscriber service against an internal whitelist of accepted devices. The reason for the SIM card is LTE. The current networking standard, often referred “4G” as it is widely considered the fourth generation of consumer cellular networking technology, requires a SIM card in order to operate.

This growing convergence to 4G LTE support means that some GSM phones could work on CDMA networks, in theory, provided the phones support the proper LTE band.

LTE Bands

LTE networks are grouped by frequency bands. Each carrier shares slices of the proverbial LTE network pie, three to four bands each, with some overlap occurring. Each has a main band that handles most traffic, with the others dealing with overflow, speed and signal boosts, and/or stability.

AT&T
Bands 2, 4, 5, 17
Frequencies 1900, 1700 abcde, 700 bc

Sprint
Bands 25, 26, 41
Frequencies 1900 g, 850, 2500

T-Mobile
Bands 2, 4, 12
Frequencies 1900, 1700 def, 700 a

Verizon
Bands 2, 4, 13
Frequencies 1900, 1700 f, 700 c

If you want to buy an unlocked smartphone, one of the first things to do is determine which carrier will support the smartphone of your choice. This is accomplished by looking at the smartphone’s spec sheet, then comparing the supported LTE bands with those of the carriers. You’ll want to match as many bands as possible, especially the main bands. For AT&T, that’s band 17; Sprint, band 25; T-Mobile, band 4 and 12; Verizon, band 13.

Smartphone APN settings page

Smartphone APN settings page

And there’s more. Remember that whitelist we mentioned? This particularly true with Verizon, if it hasn’t whitelisted a phone, it can muck up things for users looking to activate that device, regardless of support. This happened with some Moto X Pure Edition and Nexus units just after launch. There’s a workaround that involves activating an LTE SIM card on another smartphone that has been whitelisted, and then inserting it into the non-whitelisted smartphone.

Wait, there may be even more. Though most smartphones already have this information in the system files, you must sometimes dive in manually set the Access Point Name (APN) settings. The APN is basically the gateway between the cellular network and any other network, like the internet or a VPN. The carriers use the APN to set things like IP addresses and security.

While this seems like a highly technical and involved process, it’s not. The carriers are happy to provide the proper settings, and users can enter them easily enough via keyboard by diving into the device settings, typically under “wireless” or “networks,” and then “mobile network.”

Voice Over LTE

Even if you manage to connect a CDMA smartphone on a GSM network, or vice versa, you might not get voice call or text support. This is because most carriers still use the old standard for these signals. In fact, many use the old second generation GSM and CDMA networks.

HD-Voice-LogoThankfully this is changing, as carriers look to move on from GSM and CDMA. In addition to Wi-Fi voice calling, FaceTime, and Skype, as well as messaging apps like Google Hangouts, iMessages, Facebook Messenger, and What’s App, carriers are transitioning voice data to the LTE network.

VoLTE, short for Voice Over LTE, also sometimes branded as HD Voice, provides users with clearer calls that connect faster. Voice latency is reduced, as is the common crackle and hiss. That means VoLTE calls  sound better, and callers step on each other less during conversations. It also better serves smartphone batteries, as smartphone won’t need to switch antennas from LTE to GSM or CDMA. It will also result in simpler, data-only smartphone plans.

Prior to VoLTE, some carriers marketed an “HD Voice” feature that wasn’t VoLTE-based. Rather, it was just simply a tech that improved voice call quality.

For futureproofing, make sure any new smartphone you buy supports VoLTE. Carriers are rolling it out region by region as of this writing.

SIM Card Sizes

Not all SIM cards are made equal. This can be the source of additional headaches if you want to swap your SIM card into another handset, or drop a prepaid SIM card into your phone for use overseas.

SIM cards come in three different sizes: standard SIM, micro SIM, and nano SIM. Most new phones are nano, but some mid-range and budget handsets still support micro.

SIM card sizes

SIM card sizes

More recently, a fourth size, eSIM, has been spotted in the wild, appearing in the Samsung Gear S2 smartwatch. eSIM cards are essentially embedded cards that are programmable for use with different carriers. The benefit of eSIM will be that you won’t have to physically swap out your SIM card if you want to use a different carrier service. This also saves on precious space as manufacturers looks to make lighter and thinner devices.

You can contact your carrier and ask for a SIM replacement if you buy a handset requiring a different size SIM, but this may incur additional expense. You can actually cut a micro SIM into nano SIM size and have it work in a smartphone, but that sort of DIY tinkering is best left to advanced users. You can also find SIM card adapters on the market, but keep in mind that some smartphones are incompatible for use with adapters. These are generally smartphones that utilize the push-in card slot mechanism to insert and remove SIM cards.

Want to learn more about buying a smartphone? Read all about network technology, including LTE, GSM, and CDMA. And then read all about no-contract smartphone data plans and pricing. Finally, learn all about smartphone specs, the differences between iOS and Android, and choosing the right data plan.

The post How to Buy a Smartphone: Buying an Unlocked Phone appeared first on Brighthand.com.

How to Buy a Smartphone: Understanding No-Contract Smartphone Plans

T-Mobile killed carrier contracts and paved the way for their complete eradication. With contracts, so too goes the subsidized smartphone pricing we were all used to paying. All of a sudden that $200 iPhone is now $700.

T-Mobile Press Event - Un-carrier 4.0

T-Mobile killed data contracts in 2013. The other carriers have followed.

So with freedom comes choice, which can be confusing. Carriers now offer month-to-month plans with varying data allotments. Also, if you can’t pay the full amount of the smartphone you want up front, carriers offer payment plans that divvy up the cost into monthly installments that are then added to your overall bill. The good news here is that once you are done paying for the smartphone, you can count on your bill going down (assuming you don’t want a new one). Or, if you have a compatible smartphone you already like, thank you very much, you can use that as well and just pay for the data.

For purposes of clarity, the information provided below lays out your monthly payment expectations for service only – not including any fees and taxes that invariably find their way to your monthly statement, or any device payments.

Current Individual and Family Data Plans

Individual data plans are ideal if you have one phone and don’t need to share your data with anyone else – although some of the carriers still allow you to share the wealth with your other devices, such as tablets and smartwatches. The only outlier here is T-Mobile, which doesn’t allow you to share your data and requires you to sign up for a separate (albeit slightly cheaper) plan to add a tablet or other device to your account with its very own dedicated data.

As stated earlier, bear in mind that your bill will vary due to additional fees and taxes. The examples we’ve outlined below are for no-contract plans that don’t factor in anything else you’ll pay for fees and taxes, or additional bucks you’ll spend to on phone installment plans. These are strictly month-to-month plans that you can exit at any time if you decide to take your business elsewhere. The costs include the actual data allotment charge and any “access fees” carriers tack on for devices, well, accessing the data.

AT&T

As with most of the others, AT&T’s plans are simple to understand if you think of it this way: you pay for your monthly data, and you pay an “access fee” for each device using that data directly. On plans of 5GB or less, the monthly access fee is $25 per phone. That drops to $15 per month when you sign up for a data plan of 15GB or higher. AT&T doesn’t offer any specific family packages. You can add up to 10 lines total on any given plan. All plans include unlimited talk and text time in the US, Canada, and Mexico. Here’s how AT&T’s monthly data plans break down for individuals.

  • 300MB: $45/mo. ($20 for data, $25 monthly line access fee.)
  • 2GB: $55/mo. ($30 for data, $25 monthly line access fee.)
  • 5GB: $75/mo. ($50 for data, $25 monthly line access fee.)
  • 15GB: $115/mo. ($100 for data, $15 monthly line access fee.)
  • 20GB: $155/mo. ($140 for data, $15 monthly line access fee.)
  • 25GB: $190/mo. ($175 for data, $15 monthly line access fee.)
  • 30GB: $240/mo. ($225 for data, $15 monthly line access fee.)
  • 40GB: $315/mo. ($300 for data, $15 monthly line access fee.)
  • 50GB: $390/mo. ($375 for data, $15 monthly line access fee.)

Once again, a family or group of individuals can share in any plan. For examples roommates sharing a 15GB plan would be charged $130 per month ($100 for the data, and $30 monthly line access fee).

AT&T Unlimited data

That’s not all. Data from your chosen plan can be shared with other devices, outside of smartphones. The limit remains at 10, and includes tablets, wearables (smartwatches), laptops, notebooks and hotspots. Smartwatches get access not only to the shared data, but also to unlimited talk and text.

AT&T charges a $10 monthly access fee for wearables as well as “tablets, gaming and connected devices,” and a $20 monthly access fee for laptops, netbooks, and hotspots.

Keep in mind, this only includes LTE- and data-enabled devices. You won’t be charged for laptops and tablets that connect over Wi-Fi, or smartwatches that tether to smartphones via Bluetooth.

Data overages are billed at a rate of $20 for every 300MB on the 300MB plan, and $15 per 1GB on all other plans. Unused data automatically rolls over to your next billing cycle with no cap, however it expires after one billing period.

AT&T Smartphone Payment Plans

While no longer offering 2-year contracts at subsidized prices, AT&T does give you the option to make monthly installments on smartphones if you don’t want to pay the full amount up front. Credit approval is required, but no interest is charged. All four installment plans require a $15 activation fee, and if you terminate your service before the phone is paid off you’ll owe any remaining balance. There are four plans to choose from, each with different payoff time frames:

  • Next 24: Zero down, 30 monthly installments, with the option to trade in and upgrade after 24 payments.
  • Next 18: Zero down, 24 installments, with the option to trade in and upgrade after 18 payments.
  • Next 12: Zero down, 20 installments, with the option to trade in and upgrade after 12 payments.
  • AT&T Next with Down Payment: 30 percent down. The number of monthly installments and the option to upgrade is dependent on the price of the phone you choose.

Sprint

Sprint’s individual data plans run the range from 1GB per month up to 40GB. A low-cost Unlimited plan is also being offered for a limited time. Sprint is also offering a deal that will half your T-Mobile, Verizon, or AT&T bill until 2018 if you switch your number over to Sprint.

Sprint unlimitedOutside of any deals, here’s how much each of the offered Sprint individual plans will run you, not counting any additional monthly taxes and fees.

  • 1GB: $40/mo. ($20 for data, $20 monthly line access fee.)
  • 3GB: $50/mo. ($30 for data, $20 monthly line access fee.)
  • 6GB: $65/mo. ($45 for data, $20 monthly line access fee.)
  • 12GB: $80/mo. ($70 for data, $20 monthly line access fee.)
  • 24GB: $100/mo. ($80 for data, $20 monthly line access fee.)
  • 40GB: $120/mo. ($100 for data, $20 monthly line access fee)
  • Unlimited: $95/mo. ($75 for data, $20 monthly line access fee.) This price is active as of this writing. Sprint is currently running a special for Unlimited data that may not be available for long, so jump on it while you can.

Sprint’s Family Share Pack lets you share your data with up to 10 other devices you own, but as is the norm with all of the major carriers, you’ll have to pay an extra service charge for each line or device you add. Tablets must be Sprint compatible to add to your shared data plan. Here is the breakdown for how much you’ll pay Sprint to share your data with additional devices, by plan and device:

  • 1GB: $20/mo. per phone, $10/mo. per tablet. Smartwatch connectivity is free.
  • 3GB: $20/mo. per phone, $10/mo. per tablet. Smartwatch connectivity is free.
  • 6GB: $20/mo. per phone, $10/mo. per tablet. Smartwatch connectivity is free.
  • 12GB: $20/mo. per phone, $10/mo. per tablet. Smartwatch connectivity is free.
  • 24GB: $20/mo. per phone, $10/mo. per tablet. Smartwatch connectivity is free.
  • 40GB: $20/mo. per phone, $10/mo. per tablet. Smartwatch connectivity is free.

Unlimited: $45/mo. for the second line, $30/mo. for the third, $0/mo. for the fourth line, and $30/mo. for the fifth through tenth line. Tablets are $10/mo. and smartwatch connectivity is free.

If you max out your allotted data, you aren’t charged any overage fees, but your speed drops down to 2G. Sprint doesn’t offer data rollover, with the exception of its prepaid plans. Sprint’s first-time activation fee is currently $30 per line.

Sprint Payment Plans

If you’re interested in a payment plan, Sprint gives you the opportunity to make 24 monthly installments on their smartphones. The amount you’ll pay depends on the cost of the phone you’re buying. Credit approval is required. If your credit is in good standing, you can sign up for an installment plan with no money down. If your credit rating needs help, Sprint will still offer you an installment plan but you may have to pay as much as $400 down, depending on the cost of the smartphone. The good news is that both options charge no finance fees. You’ll also be able to upgrade once you’ve paid your phone off. If you decide to switch to another carrier before you’ve paid the bill in full, you’ll owe the remaining balance. Eligibility to upgrade depends on the smartphone and plan you choose. The standard $36 activation fee applies. Sprint also lets you make a down payment to lower the amount of your monthly installments, but this is available only for in-store purchases.

Leasing is also an option offered by Sprint, but only select models can be leased. The average lease term is 24 months. Leased smartphones require a lower monthly payment, and once the lease term is up you can opt to buy the smartphone for the balance remaining, exchange it for a new leased phone, or continue to lease month-to-month.

According to Sprint, new and existing customers can still lock in a 2-year contract with a discount on certain flagship smartphones. However, this jacks up the line access fee by $25 per connected phone on all but the Unlimited plan, where it is a flat $25 fee per connected phone.

T-Mobile

Individual “Simple Choice” 4G LTE data plans for T-Mobile start at 2GB and go all the way up to Unlimited. There are no overage fees if you exceed your data limit, however on all plans with data caps, exceeding your allotted data will cause speeds to throttle down to 2G. T-Mobile also doesn’t charge additional monthly access fees – at least not on the surface, claiming that the fee is built into the plan. All plans include unlimited talk and text. Here are how the individual data plans are priced.

  • 2GB: $50/mo. (Monthly access fee built-in.)
  • 6GB: $65/mo. (Monthly access fee built-in.)
  • 10GB: $80/mo. (Monthly access fee built-in.)
  • Unlimited: $95/mo. (Monthly access fee built-in.) This includes the ability to use your smartphone as a mobile hotspot, with a limit of 14GB per month before throttling takes you down to 2G. Otherwise, there are no limits to the amount of high speed data you can consume on your smartphone with this plan.

t-mobileunlimited

Data can’t be shared with other devices, like tablets and smartwatches. In order to get service for your tablet or other mobile device, you’ll have to add service for your desired device by taking on a family plan. The maximum number of lines you can add to a T-Mobile plan through the online storefront is 6 – any more, and you’ll have to get on the phone with T-Mobile to make arrangements. Here’s how much you will pay per phone, by plan:

  • 2GB: $50/mo. for the first line, $30/mo. for the second, and $10/mo. for additional lines up to 6. (Monthly access fee built-in.)
  • 6GB: $65/mo. for the first line, $45/mo. for the second, and $25/mo. for additional lines up to 6. (Monthly access fee built-in.)
  • 10GB: $80/mo. for the first line, $60/mo. for the second, and $40/mo. for additional lines up to 6. (Monthly access fee built-in.)
  • Unlimited: T-Mobile is offering an unlimited family plan as of this writing for $50 per month per line for the first three lines, with the fourth line free. Outside of the promotion, Unlimited costs $95/mo. for the first line, $75/mo. for the second, and $55/mo. for additional lines up to 6. (Monthly access fee built-in).

The cost of adding a tablet varies. Customers purchasing a device through the T-Mobile Equipment Installment plan save $10:

  • 2GB: $20/mo. ($10/mo. for those that maintain a qualifying phone line.)
  • 6GB: $35/mo. ($25/mo. for those that maintain a qualifying phone line.)
  • 10GB: $50/mo. ($40/mo. for those that maintain a qualifying phone line.)
  • 14GB: $65/mo. ($55/mo. for those that maintain a qualifying phone line.)
  • 18GB: $80/mo. ($70/mo. for those that maintain a qualifying phone line.)

As a side note, T-Mobile is currently running a special offer for tablets that gives you 200MB of data free, per month, for as long as you keep the account active (and, presumably, paid on time).

T-Mobile’s free streaming benefits serve to increase its appeal. “Music Freedom” lets you stream music from services like Pandora and iTunes Radio without cutting into your data. For video lovers, T-Mobile also now offers “Binge On,” which allows you to stream video from third party services like Hulu, Netflix, and HBO NOW without eating away at your data. This is available for plans from 6GB on up. At present, T-Mobile is the only carrier that offers free streaming of music and video on certain platforms.

T-Mobile’s Data Stash feature lets you roll unused data over for up to 12 months. According to the fine print, rollover tops out at 20GB of unused data. Data Stash is available only for plans 6GB and higher.

T-Mobile Payment Plans

Customers are no longer offered the option to sign up for traditional 2-year contracts to get flagship smartphones at lower subsidized costs. But if you’d like to arrange to make monthly installments on your smartphone instead of paying the full amount up front, T-Mobile gives you options. T-Mobile’s EIP (Equipment Installment Plan) is available in 24 monthly installments, and includes a $15 activation fee per phone. No interest is charged on installment plans if you’ve got good credit, but you may be charged an annual percentage rate (APR) if your credit rating is poor. As always, credit approval is required. Customers with good credit can sign up to pay for their smartphones in monthly installments with zero down, but those with less-than-desirable credit may have to fork over a hefty chunk. If you opt to terminate your service with T-Mobile before the phone has been paid off, you will have to pay the balance remaining on your device.

Verizon

Offering a cleverly named range of plans that run from Small to XXL, Verizon data plans all come with unlimited talk and text. You can share your data across other devices (the family plan), but as usual you’ll have to pay extra per device – $20 per month per phone, $10 per month per tablet or hotspot, and $5 per month per connected devices like smartwatches. Data overages are billed at $15 per 1GB. Verizon charges a one-time $20 activation fee on new devices.

Verizon plans

Verizon individual and family data plans cost the same per phone, per data allotment. Here’s a breakdown for how much you can expect to pay per month on a Verizon plan, by phone and by data package:

  • 1GB: $50/mo. ($30 for data, $20 for monthly line access.)
  • 3GB: $65/mo. ($45 for data, $20 for monthly line access.)
  • 6GB: $80/mo. ($60 for data, $20 for monthly line access.)
  • 12GB: $100/mo. ($80 for data, $20 for monthly line access.)
  • 18GB: $120/mo. ($100 for data, $20 for monthly line access.)

Verizon is currently offering a bonus 2GB per month per phone on the 12GB and 18GB plans.

Adding phones and supplemental devices like tablets, hotspots and connected devices is simply priced. Here’s how Verizon breaks it all down:

  • Additional phones: $20/mo.
  • Adding a tablet or hotspot: $10/mo.
  • Adding a connected device: $5/mo.

Verizon Payment Plans

As with all other mobile carriers, Verizon gives you the opportunity to get a smartphone on a payment plan so you don’t have to fork over the entire balance at the time of purchase. Verizon’s monthly device payments require a 24-month agreement, during which the cost of your phone will be spread out over monthly payments. There is a one-time $20 fee when you activate a new line under this option. If your credit rating is good, you can sign up for Verizon’s installment plan with no money down and a zero percent APR. Customers with poor credit can still sign up for the installment plan at no interest, but will be required to put a sizable down payment on the smartphone. The amount of the down payment depends on the smartphone’s retail value.

Following T-Mobile’s lead, Verizon no longer offers new customers the option to sign up for 2-year contracts that deliver their flagship smartphones at discounts – however, for the time being, they are continuing to offer this service to their existing customers.

If you decide to switch carriers before you’ve paid off your smartphone, you will have to pay the rest of the balance in full. The same goes for upgrades – if you decide you want to trade up before the balance of the smartphone has been paid in full, you’ll have to make up the difference before you can make the switch.

How Much Do Smartphones Cost?

For those looking to pay off a smartphone in interest-free installments, expect to payments to exceed $20 per month, which will be tacked on to your monthly bill. For example, AT&T charges $695 for the new Samsung Galaxy S7, which breaks down 30 monthly payments of $23.17. Verizon charges $672 for the same smartphone, which breaks down to $28 per month over 24 months.

phone prices

Confused?

Join the club. The cynic would think carriers purposefully offer slightly different plans from one another in order to make comparison shopping difficult. But there is a way to cut through the confusion and find the best plan for your needs.

Start with carrier coverage. Find out how well each carrier performs at home and at work. Don’t rely on carrier coverage maps solely, because there are dead spots hidden within those large swaths of color. Check with neighbors and neighborhood social networks, like Nextdoor. You can also return smartphones within a few days should you find the coverage lacking, though you may get hit with a restocking fee.

After that, figure out your specific needs: number of lines and total expected data consumption. As we will outline in the next article, there are plenty of easy ways to check how much data you’re actually using through apps and smartphone settings.

Looking at the prices and balancing out access fees while disregarding any current promotions as of this writing, T-Mobile has the best individual rates for single users averaging less than 6GB of data consumption per month, and some of the cheapest family rates for those that consume low to moderate amounts of data. Otherwise, one of the other carriers has the best specific plan for your needs.

That aside, this is a highly competitive and saturated market. To gain customers, the big four can’t rely on attracting new users upgrading to smartphones for the first time. They have to steal customers from one another, attracting with special deals and great offers. That’s great news for consumers.

Want to learn more about buying a smartphone? Read all about network technology, including LTE, GSM, and CDMA. And then read all about picking the right smartphone plan.

 

The post How to Buy a Smartphone: Understanding No-Contract Smartphone Plans appeared first on Brighthand.com.

HTC One X9 Ditches iPhone Design for More Familiar Looks: Hands On

HTC revealed three stylish new Desire series smartphones at Mobile World Congress, but the real star was the One X9, an upper-range model with a spec sheet to suggest it’s the successor to the HTC One A9. You know, the one that looks like an iPhone.

The HTC One X9 ditches the One A9's iPhone-inspired design.

The HTC One X9 ditches the One A9’s iPhone-inspired design.

For the new X version, HTC walked back from its Apple-inspired design, turning to the recognizable HTC look and feel.

HTC One X9 features a 5.5-inch Full HD display (1080p), MediaTek octa-core Helio X10 SoC, 3 GB of RAM, 32 GB of storage (with a microSD card slot), 3000 mAh battery, stereo speakers, Dot View case, 13-megapixel rear camera with OIS and a dual-LED flash, as well as a 5-megapixel selfie camera.

The One X9 has a metal finish reminiscent of HTC’s more powerful models, complete with a unibody construction and rounded edges. It also feels solid, and actually quite heavy. It weighs .37 pounds and measures .31 inches thick, making it heavier and thicker than the 5.5-inch Samsung Galaxy S7 edge.

The display has a 401 pixel-per-inch density, which is sufficiently sharp but below the 500+ ppi counts found on other Android flagships. The contrast is above average, with very dark black shades and almost pure white tones. Contrast sustainability is also praiseworthy as the phone offers exactly the same imaging regardless of the viewing angle. The colors are a bit unsaturated, but this could be because the brightness seems a bit lacking at its brightest setting.

The HTC One X9 has an excellent metal build.

The HTC One X9 has an excellent metal build.

MediaTek’s octa-core chipset proves a surprisingly good pick for Full HD and Android 6.0 devices, even if it won’t break any benchmark records. We expect the One X9 to run well long after it’s first powered on, stuffed with apps. The memory capacity is also sufficient, as is the 3000 mAh battery.

On the other hand, the camera gives us pause. We tested the One X9 at the Barcelona show in difficult and dynamic lighting conditions, and the camera took a long time to focus, the images lacked that pleasant dynamic range more commonly associated with mobile photography. To be fair, the show floor at Mobile World Congress doesn’t lend itself well to decent photo output. More to the point, if One A9’s camera is anything to go by, the One X9’s camera should still provide above average results. However, it will be well behind the pack if measured against the direct competition.

The HTC One X9 should ship out by early March, but there is no word on pricing. Meanwhile, we await word on the next HTC flagship, the M10. It’s expected in April, with hopefully a bit more originality than previous iterations.

The post HTC One X9 Ditches iPhone Design for More Familiar Looks: Hands On appeared first on Brighthand.com.

Sony Xperia X, XA and X Performance: Hands On with the “Almost” Flagship Smartphones

Sony is good at keeping a secret, as it surprised attendees at Mobile World Congress with three new mid-range models: the Xperia XA, Xperia X, and Xperia X Performance.

The Sony Xperia X Performance has a sanded metal back panel.

The Sony Xperia X Performance has a sanded metal back panel.

All three Xperias share the same square design, similar to all Xperias going back to the Z series. They all have 5-inch displays and ship with Android OS 6.0. As for differences, the Xperia X and X Performance have a 23-megapixel camera each, just like Xperia Z5, while Xperia XA has ‘just’ a 13-megapixel camera.

Similarly, Xperia X and X Performance come with a metal body (with the Performance sporting sanded metal), while the simplest Xperia XA has a plastic body. Both the X and X Performance have a 1080 Full HD display, while the XA has a 720 HD display. All three Xperia models have slightly rounded display edges, which is something we are used to seeing on only premium phones or the most powerful mid-range devices.

Finally, the entry model, Xperia XA, features MediaTek’s octa-core MT6755 processor and 2 GB of RAM, the Xperia X has Qualcomm’s hexa-core Snapdragon 650 and 3 GB of RAM, while Xperia X Performance comes with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 and 3 GB of RAM, which matches Sony’s current flagship model the, Xperia Z5.

Similar Xperia-ence

We tested all three devices in Barcelona, and came away with positive impressions. The Xperia X Performance is just a notch below the other flagships at the show, the LG G5 and Samsung S7 and S7 edge. However, the X Performance lacks the innovative design of the G5 and Edge display that defines the more expensive of Samsung’s latest.

The Sony Xperia X has a plastic build.

The Sony Xperia X has a plastic build.

The Xperia X Performance’s sanded metal build and pastel colors give it a very modern look that combines well with its spec sheet. It seems to match the Z5 outside of the design, and that’s a good thing. We praised the Z5 for its fluidity, display quality, and camera output.

The Xperia X is also an attractive smartphone – maybe one of the best-looking in the mid-range market with its smooth metal and sleek dimensions. Its display and camera match the Xperia X Performance (and Z5), but it’s noticeably less powerful overall, something we detected during our time with it.

That’s not to suggest it runs poorly. It should handle day-to-day tasks with ease. As should the Xperia XA. Though, when strained with demanding apps and sites, the XA show its limits. But what it lacks in power, it makes up in style. The XA turned many heads at MWC with its cheerful colors, solid plastic, and slim display rim. The only thing that is slightly worrying is that the photo quality is not on the same level as the more powerful Xs.

It’s heartening to see Sony introduce mid-range smartphones that are closer to flagships than not. The new Xperias may not have the novelty of a modular phone or curved display with VR support, but as basic smartphones for getting things done, they impress.

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