Huawei Mate 9 Review: Dual Cameras in a Solid Smartphone

The Huawei Mate 9 has three features that could well define 2017’s smartphone crop: barely-there display bezels, AI, and a dual camera.

There’s nothing revolutionary about the implementation here. Bezels have been shrinking for years, as smartphone makers balance larger displays with small builds. Dual cameras are quickly becoming the norm, with Huawei itself having multiple devices with them. And between Google Assistant, Siri, Cortana, and Alexa, voice-powered AI is NBD.

But combined in a decent piece of hardware with high-end specs, they make for a quality smartphone. That’s what Huawei is going for with large the Mate 9, a follow-up to last year’s Mate 8.

Did Huawei succeed in creating something decent for its latest and greatest? Find out in this full Huawei Mate 9 review.

Huawei Mate 9 Build & Design

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Huawei makes great hardware, so it’s no surprise the Huawei Mate 9 is a sharp and well-built smartphone. It measures 6.2 x 3.1 x .3 inches, and weighs .42 pounds. The phone has an all-glass front, with aluminum back and slightly rounded sides.

It looks like a slightly smaller version of the Mate 8, which we praised as “excellent,” and feels just as solid. (Huawei thankfully sticking to the “if it ain’t broke…” hardware philosophy.) Aluminum and glass are the best smartphone combo going, making any device cool to the touch and resistant to smudges and fingerprints. The Mate 9 also has Gorilla Glass 3, and should survive the occasional drop. If that’s not good enough, it ships with a clear plastic rear bumper for a small bit of additional protection.

Unfortunately, it’s not waterproof or dustproof. All flagships should be, not because we want to take them swimming, but because spills happen and sometimes we get caught in the rain.

Looking at the Huawei Mate 9 head on, the front sports two thin bezels above and under the display, with the top housing an ear speaker, sensor, and an 8-megapixel front-facing camera. The bottom sports Huawei branding. The back sports a slight round bulge, with a pinhole mic, dual cameras (20 megapixel monochrome and 12 megapixel RGB, f/2.2 lens), flash, sensor, and round fingerprint reader.

Huawei Mate 9 audio input

Huawei Mate 9 speaker

The 3.5mm audio input and an IR blaster sit on the top, while the speakers sit on the bottom, surrounding the USB Type-C input. A single-piece volume rocker sits on the right side, just above the power button, while a dual-SIM/microSD tray sits on the right. Huawei claims the Mate 9 has four microphones, so there must be some hidden in the speakers and maybe the headphone jack.

Huawei Mate 9 side

Huawei Mate 9 button side

It’s a good layout, with the fingerprint sensor especially easy to reach in one-handed use. The only complaint is a common nitpick: having the power button and volume rocker on the same side too often results in accidental power button presses. Most devices add texture to the power button, making it easier to distinguish blindly, but Huawei didn’t do that for the Mate 9.

Huawei Mate 9 Display & Speakers

Huawei Mate 9 display

Huawei Mate 9 display

The Mate 9’s 5.9-inch LCD IPS display has a 1920 x 1080 resolution, resulting in about 373 pixels per inch. While other flagships have more pixels, and ppi counts exceeding 500, the Mate 9 has more than enough pixels for day-to-day use. VR-ready headsets benefit from the added pixels, and the Mate 9 has two smaller variants in the the Mate 9 Pro and Porsche Design Mate 9 with curved 5.5-inch AMOLED displays that each have 534 pixels per inch. These two support Google Daydream, while the standard Mate 9 does not, at least as of this writing.

Even compared to these two, the Mate 9 is no slouch. These days it’s near impossible to tell the difference between AMOLED and LCD on smartphones, and the Mate 9 has all the hallmarks of both: deep blacks and bright whites, with heavy contrasts and colors that pop. It’s bright enough to cut through glare as well as any other smartphone. Huawei sets itself apart with deep display settings, allowing users to tweak the color temperature, and it includes and “eye comfort” shortcut that cuts out the blue tones for yellow.

We’ve never bought into this feature, particularly in regards to smartphone use at night before bed, but others swear by it. Either way, we won’t knock Huawei for including added controls.

The Mate 9 has no buttons, and all controls are on the screen. In addition to the insanely-thin left and right bezels, the display glass protrudes slightly above the body. Huawei and others refer to this “floating” effect as “2.5D,” and it adds a bit of style to a strong display.

The speakers are also very good, at least grading on the smartphone curve. They are loud and produce relatively robust sound — certainly more robust than most other smartphones — with limited tin on the high end and some mud on the bottom.

Huawei Mate 9 Performance

Huawei’s Kirin 960 processor keeps the Mate 9 running. It’s the latest from the Chinese mobile maker, based on the premium ARM Cortex-A73. It’s quad-core, with four A73s running at 2.4GHz, and four A53s running at 1.8GHz for simpler tasks. It pairs with an i6 co-processor, octa-core Mali-G71 GPU, and 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM.

This is a potent combo, and our Huawei Mate 9 review unit rivals the Google Pixel XL as the best performing smartphone we’ve tested to date. It ships with Android 7.0, and runs it extremely well, with no hiccups, stuttering, bugs, or crashes. The Mali-G71 handles 3D gaming especially well, including the demanding Riptide, Modern Combat, and Asphalt titles.

In addition, Huawei claims the Mate 9 has a “cutting-edge Machine Learning algorithm,” which “delivers consistent performance by automatically prioritising CPU, RAM and ROM resources based on user habits.” Basically, it learns user habits and prioritizes accordingly, all within the device, and not through remote servers on the cloud.

The benefit should be zippy performance through the Mate 9’s lifespan, and it’s unfortunately impossible to test based on the few weeks we used our Huawei Mate 9 review unit.

This feature extends to storage, with the addition of UFS 2.1 flash memory, which Huawei claims has “data transfer speeds that are 100% faster than eMMC 5.1.” The Mate 9 ships with 64GB storage, of which about 48GB is available out of the box. The Mate 9 comes with plenty of bloatware (News Republic, Booking.com, TripAdvisor), along with some useful tools (Smart Controller, Sound Recorder, Phone Manager). Just as it is with previous Huawei smartphones, all of it can be uninstalled.

All this is backed up in the benchmarks. Our Huawei Mate 9 review unit either outperforms every other smartphone on the market, or closely matches. We ran into an issue with Geekbench 4’s GPU test, with the Mate 9 crashing during every attempt to run it. This is likely due to conflicts with Mate 9’s very new chipset.

Geekbench 4 is a cross-platform benchmark that measures overall performance. Higher score is better.

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

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

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

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

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

As with general performance, storage performance is lightning fast. Apps open and close very quickly. The fingerprint sensor is also very quick and reliable. Huawei continues to have best overall on any device.

Huawei Mate 9 Battery

The Mate 9 has a 4000mAh battery, and our Huawei Mate 9 review unit lasted 8 hours and 38 minutes streaming Netflix over Wi-Fi with the display brightness set to max. This is about the bare minimum one can expect from a Mate 9, and it’s an average result. Eight hours is the cutoff, anything less than that is bad. The best devices hit 20.

Huawei packs many battery management features in the Mate 9’s settings. So take advantage, and it should easily hit 10 to 12 hours on a single charge with normal use.

Our Huawei Mate 9 review unit charged quickly, hitting 28% with 15 minutes of charging, and 78% with 45 minutes.

Huawei Mate 9 Features

Huawei once took a heavy hand with its Android implementation. Dubbed EMUI, its Android skin “borrowed” elements from iOS in the past, combining them with traditional Android and Huawei’s own branding, creating a garish aesthetic. It never bothered us as much as other reviewers, mainly because it didn’t bog down Huawei’s hardware. But, we’re still happy to see Huawei scale things back with its latest version, EMUI 5.

Huawei finally added an app drawer, and took a more standard approach to notifications, ditching the two-screen alerts/settings setup. Stock apps are less severe, with a brighter color scheme, while EMUI “feels” more like an official Android device rather than an Android-based device, like the Amazon Fire tablets and smartphone.

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Huawei kept its deep settings options, allowing users to tweak the theme, background apps, power settings, button layout, and notifications, to name a few. A new “app twin” feature is a standout, as it enables users to run two instances of the same app with different accounts. As of this writing, it only works with WhatsApp and Facebook, though we’d love to see it expand to other apps like Chrome, Twitter, Hangouts, and any number of cloud services (and ultimately Android to “borrow” it for future updates). Finally, Huawei’s odd knuckle gestures are still present.

Ultimately, even the most ardent stock Android fan shouldn’t be turned off by EMUI, given it’s easy enough to download the Google Now launcher and set it as the default.

In addition to the clear plastic bumper, the Huawei Mate 9 ships with a USB Type-C charger and cable, headphones, and a USB Type-C-to-microUSB adapter. That’s a good haul. We’re suckers for extras, and the bumper and USB adapter are extremely useful, especially since USB Type-C is not entirely ubiquitous yet.

At its CES 2017 event, Huawei made a big deal of the Mate 9 being “the first smartphone with Alexa, Amazon’s cloud-based voice service.” That functionality is slated to arrive in February, and wasn’t ready at the time of this review. We’re interested to see how this is implemented, as an Alexa app is widely available in the Google Play Store. Will it just be a preloaded app? Will Alexa be baked in? What about Android Assistant?

We’ll update this review once it goes live.

Huawei Mate 9 Connectivity

In addition to the standard dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi support, NFC, Bluetooth 4.2 BLE, and GPS/Glonass/Galileo/BDS, the Huawei Mate 9 is a GSM unlocked smartphone. It’s dual-SIM with plenty of support for worldwide 2G/3G/4G networks, including Cat12 LTE.

In the US, it’s typical of a Huawei unlocked smartphone. AT&T and T-Mobile customers will have no trouble connecting, while Verizon and Sprint customers are out of luck. The Mate 9 actually supports CDMA similar to Sprint and Verizon, though it’s limited to China Telecom.

Huawei Mate 9 Camera

Apple popularized dual lenses with the iPhone 7 Plus, but HTC, LG, and Huawei itself all shipped devices with them beforehand, going back all the way to the gimmicky 3D smartphones from 2011.

These days, the dual lens mainly serves to create a shallow-focus effect in pics — the blurry background kind. It used to be shallow focus, or bokeh, was limited to expensive interchangeable-lens cameras. Through a combination of two lenses and some software trickery, smartphones like the Huawei Mate 9 can do the same.

Huawei differentiates itself in that it has two image sensors: a 12-megapixel RGB sensor for capturing colors, and a 20-megapixel sensor for capturing black and white. Both are backed by optical image stabilization and f2.2 lenses.

Huawei Mate 9 camera

Huawei Mate 9 camera

It’s “co-engineered with Leica,” and includes Leica Summarit lenses. The Huawei Mate 9 has the second-generation of this particular setup, as versions of it have already appeared on the Huawei P9, Honor 8, and Honor 6X.

We’ve lauded it on those devices, and we’ll laud it here too. The Huawei Mate 9 has one of the best smartphone cameras on the market. A dual-camera setup and the Huawei camera app offer granular image controls that rival consumer-level DSLRs, along with fun and pleasing image filters.

The shallow-focus effect has real potential, and the software/chipset combo does a great job creating an authentic-looking image. It’s still not perfect, however, and some shooting situations will create wonky results with blur bleeding into the subject. Smartphones aren’t replacing DSLRs just yet.

One other issue, which isn’t unique to the Mate 9: a touchscreen is poor for deep camera controls. Adjusting the exposure value and shutter speed with a display slider is awkward. It’s much easier and quicker with a physical dial.

To be fair, it’s a double-edged sword. We like having the control; it’s always frustrating on a touchscreen.

This shouldn’t bother most users, besides. The Mate 9 camera is great in dummy mode, producing clear pictures with accurate, vibrant colors; and it’s fast to focus, too. It’s the best at black-and-white photography thanks to the monochrome sensor. A double tap of the volume rocker launches it from sleep, enabling very quick snapshots.

Low-light performance is also impressive, though not the best. We were disappointed to learn the Mate 9 had f/2.2 lenses, when flagships are going as wide as f/1.7 (smaller number equals wider aperture equals more light hitting the image sensor, as we explained in our Google Pixel XL review). Our Huawei Mate 9 review unit surprised us by matching the current best low-light shooters on the market, the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge and S7 (both have the same camera hardware) in a moderately challenging low-light situation (see example below compared against the S7 edge and a poor low-light performer, the otherwise solid Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows 10). Much of the credit has to go to the software and chipset for cleaning up these photos.

Huawei Mate 9 low-light photo

Huawei Mate 9 low-light photo

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge low-light photo

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge low-light photo

Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows 10 low-light photo

Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows 10 low-light photo

Dim the lights, and that changes. Noise creeps in and colors fade on the Mate 9’s pics, while the S7 and S7 edge pump out relatively excellent output. Just as with the bokeh effect, software can only match physical optics to a certain point.

The Mate 9 also has an 8-megapixel front-facing camera with an f./1.9 lens. Huawei’s “beauty” mode returns, as does an automated “perfect selfie” mode. Both are still weird.

Huawei Mate 9 Sample Pics

Huawei Mate 9 review unit sample pic

Huawei Mate 9 review unit sample pic

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Huawei Mate 9 Value

As reviewed, the Huawei Mate 9 costs $600, available at Best Buy, Amazon, B&H, and New Egg.

$600 is a good price for the Mate 9. It’s a flagship-level smartphone, coming out just ahead of new high-end handsets from Samsung, HTC, and LG. Those may have a spec bump over the Mate 9, or have more features, but they won’t perform much better where it counts. And they likely will cost more.

Huawei Mate 9 Review Conclusion

Huawei Mate 9

The common knock on Huawei smartphones: great hardware, poor software. Huawei took big steps to correcting that with the Huawei Mate 9. It’s EMUI is still heavy enough to retain distinction from stock Android, though much closer to the real thing than previous versions. Those familiar with Android will get used to it quickly.

On top of that, Huawei checks all the right marks. The Mate 9 is well-built and designed, features excellent display and speakers, and performs extremely well. The camera is also worthy of the current crop of flagships. It’s one of the best.

The biggest knock against it is the lack of water and dust proofing. Those should be standard on all high-end smartphones. The battery life is only a little better than average without turning to Huawei’s battery management software, and that’s another biggest issue. Both are far from a deal-breakers, but it stand out as a flaws given how well the Mate 9 compares in other areas. We’re also disappointed it doesn’t support Verizon or Sprint.

All that makes the Huawei Mate 9 one of the best smartphones of early 2017, with features we expect to see in competing smartphones set for release in the near future.

 

The post Huawei Mate 9 Review: Dual Cameras in a Solid Smartphone appeared first on Brighthand.com.

Lenovo Phab2 Pro Review: Tango Cool, Phone OK

The Lenovo Phab 2 Pro is big, but that’s not the only reason it’s different. It’s the first Android smartphone with Tango, a computer vision technology that uses the Pro’s camera and specialized processing to detect space and positioning.

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro

Think of it as a hyper local and more detail-driven GPS, which recognizes you’re standing three feet from a wall rather than 2.3 miles from the nearest Starbucks. Google hopes Tango will enable better augmented reality (AR) apps, 3D mapping, indoor navigation, all with a better sense of environmental awareness.

We took a Lenovo Phab 2 Pro review unit for a spin to find out if this 6.4-inch Android phablet is good enough to justify its $500 asking price, and to see Tango on a consumer device.

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro Build & Design

The Lenovo Phab 2 Pro is a supersized smartphone. It measures 7.1 x 3.5 x 0.4 inches, and weighs .57 pounds. It has a 6.4-inch display, and is closer to a small tablet in size than a smartphone.

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro back panel

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro back panel

There’s a reason there are so few smartphones with displays beyond 5.7 inches. Even with thin bezels, anything larger it’s just too big a screen to fit on a compact device. One-handed operation is impossible, even gripping it with one hand is tough. Using it as a real phone is also extremely awkward. And forget about carrying it in your pocket. This is a backpack or purse kind of device.

The flipside is that the big screen is better for multimedia, productivity, and all the AR goodies Tango offers. This is arguably more important than being able to use a phone with one hand.

Either way, the point is the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro is BIG, and you’ll want to test it out in person before committing.

Otherwise, it looks like a standard smartphone. The display has slightly raised glass with standard Android capacitive soft keys on the bottom and an ear speaker and front-facing camera on the top. The back panel is a single piece of gunmetal gray aluminum that extends and flattens around the sides.

The cool aluminum provides a quality impression, and shrugs off fingerprints and smudges very well. Such a big smartphone probably won’t survive many drops, so a case is highly recommended.

A volume rocker and textured power button sit on the right, and the microSD/SIM tray sits on the left. A 3.5mm audio port sits on the top (where it should be), while two speakers sit on the bottom, with a microUSB input in between. Once again, we’re disappointed by another new smartphone shipping without USB Type-C

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro volume rocker and power button

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro volume rocker and power button

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro SIM tray

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro SIM tray

The back panel has a slight curve, and houses two antenna stripes, along with the back-facing cameras, sensors, flash, and fingerprint sensor. There are three cameras in total, but only one functions as a traditional shooter. The other two enable Tango’s tricks. The bottom camera is circular, just like the fingerprint sensor directly underneath it. These feel similar and are easy to confuse by touch alone. Too many times we blindly pressed the camera trying to unlock our  Lenovo Phab 2 Pro review unit.

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro top

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro top

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro bottom

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro bottom

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro Display & Speakers

The Lenovo Phab 2 Pro’s 6.4-inch display has a 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution, resulting a dense 459 pixels per inch. That’s very sharp for a display this size. It’s an LCD IPS, and with it come all the strengths and weaknesses of the technology. Whites are particularly bright, blacks could be deeper. Overall, it lacks the pop and saturation of today’s high-end AMOLED displays, but the difference is slight enough that it’s only apparent in a direct comparison.

The display is also plenty bright at max setting, and while glare is persistent, it’s easy enough to see outdoors as to not be rendered useless.

Here’s the standard smartphone boilerplate: smartphone displays range from good to great. The Lenovo Phab 2 Pro is a small step below the market’s best (iPhones and Galaxies).

We had high hopes for the speakers, given the device’s size. They prove adequate, which is perhaps the best thing we can say about smartphone speakers (they are generally awful across devices). The sound is pleasant and balanced, though flat overall. Sound volume is appropriate for personal use.

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro Performance

The Lenovo Phab 2 Pro has an eight-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 processor (1.8 GHz), along with 4GB RAM and 64GB capacity. This is a midrange chipset that sits below the Snapdragon 820 found on the late 2015 and early 2016 flagships, and closer to the 810. It also has Adreno 510 graphics, which is even slower compared against the 820’s Adreno 530.

In real-world usage, it performs well. It’s stable, at least when running non-Tango apps (more on that below). Our  Lenovo Phab 2 Pro review unit handled everything we threw at it, including demanding games like Modern Combat 5. It’s 4GB RAM goes a long way when dealing with open browser tabs and switching between apps. The fingerprint sensor was reliable in testing as well.

Comparing it against more powerful smartphones reveals the chipset’s limitations. The Google Pixel XL, with its Snapdragon 821, is a far smoother smartphone, which is most evident moving from the lock screen to the home screen. In fact, our Lenovo Phab 2 Pro review unit would reboot to the startup screen after unlocking, following a power cycle. It happened too consistently to be a bug, and proved annoying.

Other than that, there’s little functional difference between the 652 and more powerful chips outside of the fluid aesthetic. It’s an acceptable trade off given the price difference between the two devices.

Geekbench 4 is a cross-platform benchmark that measures overall performance. Higher score is better.

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro Geekbench 4

Geekbench 4 Compute is a cross-platform benchmark that measures graphical performance. Higher score is better.

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro Geekbench 4 Compute

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

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro AnTuTu

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

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro AnTuTu 3D

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

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro AnTuTu CPU

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

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro AnTuTu RAM

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

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro AnTuTu UX

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro Software, Storage & Communications

The Lenovo Phab 2 Pro ships with 64GB storage, with about 7GB taken up out of the box. Most other Android smartphone have 8GB or 9GB taken up, so we’re pleased with Lenovo. In fact, we’ll even let the useless bloatware slide (McAfee Security, SYNCit, Accuweather), also because it can be uninstalled. If 64GB isn’t enough, it also supports microSD expansion.

The Lenovo Phab 2 Pro OS is very close to stock Android. We were hard-pressed to find any major tweaks or changes. It ships with Android 6.0.1 (Marshmallow), and as of this writing (December 2016), it has the August 1 Android security patch level. Marshmallow is a fine Android version, but we’re getting antsy waiting for Nougat to become the default for new smartphones. It also should have a more recent security patch.

This is a GSM unlocked smartphone, meaning it will work on T-Mobile and AT&T in the US, and should have no trouble connecting overseas. Sprint and Verizon customers are out of luck.

It supports 802.11 b/g/n/ac dual-band Wi-Fi, along with Bluetooth 4.0. There’s no NFC, which should be standard on all Android smartphones, so no tap-to-pay.

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro Battery

With a large 4050 mAh battery, you would think the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro has all-day battery life. Unfortunately, it’s below average. Streaming Netflix over Wi-Fi with the screen brightness set to max, our Lenovo Phab 2 Pro lasted 6 hours 40 minutes. The cutoff for this test is eight hours. Anything better is good (with some topping 20 hours), anything worse is bad.

It supports Qualcomm Quick Charge, fortunately. We were able to get 45% from a dead battery after charging for 30 minutes.

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro Tango

Tango is impressive, and AR technology is extremely versatile. Pokemon Go showed AR’s potential as a basis for gaming, Tango can take that steps further.

Imagine popping the hood of your car and holding your phone over it to reveal a digital overlay with directions on how to change spark plugs. Or maybe looking at a city block from the street, with restaurant and shop info hovering over respective locations. Theme parks could use it for the same, or hospitals and shopping centers for indoor mapping. In the home, it could be used for home improvement projects, or rearrange furniture.

Some of the new Tango apps do just that. Lowe’s Vision is a surprisingly robust standout, and Google Measure and MagicPlan offer similar utility. There are numerous home apps, with the selection almost doubling in the two weeks we tested our Lenovo Phab 2 Pro review unit.

Tango, Lowe's Vision

Tango, Lowe’s Vision

Gaming is more limited on Tango, with simple AR overlay games dominating, along with a few more immersive offerings. Hot Wheels Track Builder appeals to the five-year kid in all of us, while Domino World is arguably the best. It’s a sandbox game with multiple options for setting up and knocking over dominoes. It’s easy to use, but deep enough for extremely creative domino setups. Plus, listening to the dominoes fall is very satisfying.

Tango, Domino World

Tango, Domino World

Other apps center around AR sandboxes, AR pets, and silly AR demos. The 3D scanning app Scenes shows Tango’s use outside AR, as does Signal Mapper (for visualizing Wi-Fi signal strength in a given area). We also liked Wally Virtual Notes’ potential. It enables users to leave AR notes for users in specific locations. We can see a workplace using it to help new employees get acclimated to the office.

Silly Tango app with AR Gorilla and Santa Claus

Silly Tango Holo app with AR Gorilla and Santa Claus

As with any new platform, Tango on the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro has plenty of bugs and limitations. We experienced frequent freezes and slowdowns with some apps, and infrequent crashes with others. The AR can also get wonky. Though it works great in open room with four walls, clutter throws it off, resulting in some odd clipping effects.

Tango, Dinosaurs Among Us

Tango, Dinosaurs Among Us

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro Camera

Given Tango’s potential, it’s too bad the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro has such a mediocre camera. It’s a 16-megapixel rear shooter, with and f/2.2 aperture. While that’s decent resolution, the aperture is not wide enough for acceptable low-light performance. Anything less than f/2 on non-budget cameras is disappointing (smaller aperture is represented by a larger number). See our Google Pixel XL review for an explainer on this particular spec.

The sample pics from our Lenovo Phab 2 Pro review unit aren’t so bad in adequate lighting. Details are present, and colors pop. Contrast could be deeper, but we’ve seen much worse from other recent smartphones. We also liked the simple AR options in the camera app, like the kitty in the bottom picture.

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro review unit sample pic

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro review unit sample pic

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro review unit sample pic

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro review unit sample pic with AR kitty

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro sample pic with AR kitty

Low-light without a flash kills any quality, however. Compare the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro to the current low-light king, the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge. Both pictures were taken at the same time in the same low-light situation. You can’t even see the dog In the Phab 2 Pro’s pic, while the S7 edge barely makes her out.

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro low-light pic

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro low-light pic

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge low-light pic

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge low-light pic

Again, the S7 edge is the best in low light by a mile. Still, it’s eight months old, and it’s not unreasonable to expect new smartphones to approach its performance level.

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro Review Conclusion

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro

Lenovo Phab 2 Pro

The Lenovo Phab 2 Pro is $500, which is appropriate given flagships hover north of $700. It’s also different from the pack, with its large size and Tango camera.

That makes is a niche device, something “geeky” for early adopters. Get past its size, and it functions fine as a daily driver, with acceptable performance. Battery life isn’t good, but it’s not crippling. And the camera is passable in most lighting situations. Low-light shooters will have to get by with the harsh flash.

At the very least, Tango is a neat party trick. “Look at what my phone can do!” While it’s still too new to offer must-have utility, it’s brimming with potential. In fact, that could take it beyond mobile VR, which could seem frivolous in comparison.

Pros:

  • Tango is fun and full of potential
  • Decent build and display
  • 64GB storage

Cons:

  • Could be way too big for some
  • Mediocre battery
  • Camera awful in low light
  • Fingerprint sensor too easily confused with Tango camera
  • No NFC

The post Lenovo Phab2 Pro Review: Tango Cool, Phone OK appeared first on Brighthand.com.

Google Daydream View Review: Ruined by the Light

Virtual reality on mobile is cake. Headsets run relatively cheap, and the smartphones that power it are good enough to justify their flagship-level prices sans VR capabilities.

Google Daydream View review unit

Google Daydream View

At launch, the Google Daydream platform continues the trend. Think of it as Google Cardboard 2.0 for high-end Android smartphones running Nougat and beyond, with better viewers and more sophisticated VR.

The Google Pixel XL and Pixel smartphones are the first to ship with Daydream (Lenovo is updating the Moto Z devices to Android Nougat with Daydream support as of this writing), and those pair with Google’s Daydream View, a $79 VR headset and controller combo — the first for Daydream.

Is this cake rich and tasty, or is it just stale and bland? We took a Google Daydream View review unit for a spin with a Google Pixel XL to find out.

Google Daydream View Build & Design

The Daydream View is a “dumb viewer” in that it’s all cloth, padding, plastic, and glass. There are no wires or sensors. The exterior is covered with a fine cloth, which Google warns should avoid contact with Velcro lest it pull and ball up. There’s plenty of padding around the eyes, with a single adjustable strap along the back, lenses in the middle, and a hinged flap in the front, used for holding the phone.

The Google Daydream View secures smartphones with a simple compartment

The Google Daydream View secures smartphones with a simple compartment.

The flap secures via a small loop and tab on the Daydream View, and it hides capacitive rubber bumpers for protecting the phone and initiating the Daydream apps, and a notch for holding the Daydream remote when not in use.

The Daydream View is pleasant to hold and touch, thanks to the cloth exterior. It’s also hand washable with removable internal padding (don’t throw it in the washing machine!), light, and Google claims it breathes well. We believe it. Other viewers we’ve tested have problems with lens fog, while we never had that problem it with our Google Daydream View review unit.

The large gap around the nose indent could be the reason the lens remain fog free, and it comes at a cost. This the Google Daydream View’s biggest design flaw. Look down while wearing it, and you can clearly see out from Daydream View. Not only is this distracting, it allows light to pour in, which reflects off the lenses. Light streams in off gaps on the sides, too. Even when tightly strapped on, there’s no way to block the Daydream View’s light leak short of pulling up a hoodie and tightening its strings.

We can’t stress enough how bad this is. Every VR headset we’ve tested has some light leak. It’s multiple degrees worse on the Daydream View.

But at least it’s comfortable to wear, right? Sure it is; no more than any other headset, however. The Samsung Gear VR, for example, is bulkier with its plastic build, and it secures with two straps. Wearing it for a half hour is no more uncomfortable than wearing the Daydream View. In fact, we prefer the Gear VR’s straps, as having one on top keeps the viewer in place. The Daydream View, with its single strap, requires frequent adjustments as it loosens and slips down.

Google Daydream View Performance & Operation

Light pours in around the Google Daydream View's sides and nose notch

Light pours in around the Google Daydream View’s sides and nose notch.

The Google Daydream View couldn’t be easier to use. Simply turn on the phone and plop it in the viewer. Securing the phone in launches Google Daydream. It won’t launch from a sleeping display or the lock screen, and at least the Pixel XL, which we used to test our Google Daydream View review unit, must be placed with the power button and volume rocker face up.

The Google Daydream platform is very stable, and runs well on the Pixel XL. Google has minimum specs for future smartphones that hope to run it, so there’s a good chance this will be case for all Google Daydream handsets. It responds appropriately enough to head movements to blunt motion sickness, even though it’s not one-to-one on the X and Y axes. Given that the smartphone is doing all the processing, this should get better with future generations of Android smartphone. At the very least, future smartphones won’t heat up as much running Daydream and VR apps as our Pixel did during testing, or consume battery — expect major battery drain while playing in VR.

At least the Google Daydream View is easy to use.

At least the Google Daydream View is easy to use.

On the plus side, Daydream is intuitive, with all navigation controlled by the wireless Daydream View remote (more on that below). Google wants to bring VR to the masses, and it succeeded in creating a pick-up-and-play viewer, controller, and platform.

With that simplicity also come limitations, however. The “dumb” Daydream View has no moving parts. To focus, you simply adjust the Daydream View up or down on your face. We had trouble finding the perfect spot with our Google Daydream View review unit, with blurry imaging particularly pronounced on the edges.

Finally, it has a limited field of view. Even with the 5.5-inch Pixel XL, it’s narrower than the 110 degree FOV of the latest Samsung Gear VR. Expect FOV to be even more limited with smaller phones, like the 5-inch Pixel.

Google Daydream View Remote

The Google Daydream View remote is excellent.

The Google Daydream View remote is excellent.

This thing is the reason to pick up a Daydream View. It’s basically a mini Wiimote, with a clickable touchpad, two buttons, and a volume rocker. It connect via Bluetooth, and charges via USB Type-C. Google included a small wrist strap for those worried about tossing it across the room during VR sessions.

It’s small, and comfortable to hold, measuring 4 x .8 x .25 inches, and weighing 1.5 ounces. In a nice design touch, it snugly slots into the Daydream View phone compartment for storage. Oddly, it doesn’t ship with a charging cable, so you’ll have to use the charger that came with the Pixel XL, or other appropriate Type-C charger. That’s lame, especially given that Google charges $35 for its USB C power adapters.

Outside of that, we love everything else about the remote. Other VR viewers rely on a viewer-mounted touchpad, external gamepads, or users simply staring at a particular area; all of these detract from the VR experience. The Daydream View remote adds to it, allowing for an additional level of interaction. Like a Wiimote, it’s versatile. You can point and click, which proves very useful for recentering Daydream and apps; swipe the touchpad to move; or turn it sideways to function as a steering wheel. One full charge was enough to keep it powered through two weeks of moderate use during testing It connected quickly to the Pixel XL, and stayed connected — no buggy Bluetooth here.

Good news lefties, buried in the settings, you can change the “handedness” from the default right handed.

Google Daydream Apps

Google Daydream launches with a few dozen apps, mostly centered around experiences and simple games. There are plenty of free offerings to show off Google Daydream, and paid apps are relatively expensive, ranging from $3 to $10.

Google Daydream

Google Daydream

Again, Daydream is powered completely by the smartphone, so apps are limited by the hardware. Most of the “experience” apps, including the WSJ VR and USA Today apps, feature grainy 360-degree video of exotic locations and events. It’s the same with YouTube VR. Most of the video packages are interesting and professionally made, but the video quality takes you out of the effect.

Google Play Movies look a lot better, with VR limited to watching flicks on a flat screen in virtual settings. Perhaps there’s appeal here for travelers stuck on an airplane as an alternative to squinting at a small display, though we can imagine two hours of Daydream VR causing major eye strain.

Most games take the form of stationary shooters, platformers, tower defense, and endless runner variants, with a few sports titles thrown in. The innovative and multiplayer Keep Talking & Nobody Explodes is the highlight, but most games lack its imagination. The selection is very limited as of this writing, too. Minecraft is sorely missing, as is Dreadhalls, Proton Pulse, Eve Gunjack, and Hitman Go: VR Edition. All of these are available for Samsung Gear VR, and some are Google Cardboard titles, so it’s only a matter of time before they come to Daydream (we hope).

Google’s own Arts & Culture app is really good. It tours famous artworks, with audio commentary and analysis. It’s a great example of VR’s educational potential. We also like the Fantastic Beasts movie tie-in. Even though it’s just a demo with about 10 minutes of content, it’s slick, immersive, and a treat for Harry Potter fans.

Google Daydream View Review Conclusion

Google Daydream View

First, the good: the Google Daydream View remote is great and adds so much to the VR experience. The Daydream apps show potential, and Daydream’s open nature portends great things in the future..

Now the bad: the Daydream View is lousy. Light leak and the limited FOV kill the VR effect. It’s a design flaw that’s severe enough to recommend avoiding the Daydream View.

Bottom line: Want good mobile VR? Go with the Samsung Gear VR. It’s way ahead as a viewer, even without a remote. Its platform is also more developed, with better apps and games. Otherwise, wait for the next-generation Daydream View. If Google fixes this viewer’s major flaws, it will be a much better piece of cake.

Pros:

  • Daydream View remote is excellent
  • Simple, easy to use

Cons:

  • Light leak a MAJOR problem
  • Limited field of view
  • Headset slips too easily when worn

The post Google Daydream View Review: Ruined by the Light appeared first on Brighthand.com.

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.

Google Pixel XL Review: Two-Thirds Great

The Google Pixel XL is a first. It’s the first phone with Google’s Android Assistant AI feature. It’s the first with the Pixel Launcher home screen. It’s the first phone with Daydream, Google’s VR platform. And it’s the first phone “made by Google,” according to the search giant.

Google Pixel XL

Google Pixel XL

Well, technically, it’s physically made by HTC. But this smartphone is all Google where it counts. The Google Pixel XL has Google branding, and runs pure Android 7.1 (Nougat).

We took a Google Pixel XL review unit for a spin. Is this the best Android smartphone, Google’s long-awaited answer to the Apple iPhone? Read on to find out.

Google Pixel XL Build & Design

The Google Pixel XL looks a lot like the HTC A9, which looks a lot like the iPhone. Rumor has it Google quickly pulled the Pixel XL together in just 9 months with HTC. Google wanted to move away from the familiar Nexus-style co-branding for the new “made by Google” Pixel. Its original hardware partner for this endeavor, Huawei, balked at the idea of taking a backseat. So Google turned to a willing HTC with little time to spare.

It’s still not a bad-looking phone. It has an all-glass flat front, with rounded corners. The bottom edges are also rounded, with a split back panel that’s two-thirds aluminum from the bottom up, and one-third glass from the top down. It’s available in Quite Black, Very Silver, and Really Blue.

Google Pixel XL back panel

Google Pixel XL back panel

It’s buttonless, with thin bezels on the sides, and slightly thicker bezels on the top and bottom; with the top housing the 8-megapixel front facing camera, phone speaker, and a couple sensors. There’s an approximate 71% display-to-body ratio.

It measures 6.0 x 2.9 x 0.3 inches, and weighs .37 pounds, putting in range of most other smartphones with the same display size.

The fingerprint sensor, 12.3-megapixel rear camera, flash, pinhole mic, and other sensors sit flush on the back, in the glass portion, the bottom sports muted Google branding and an antenna stripe. USB Type-C input sits on the bottom, in between two speakers, while the 3.5mm audio jack and another antenna strip sit on the top.

The single-piece volume rocker and textured power button rest on the right side, while the SIM tray (pin release) sits on the left.

Google Pixel XL SIM tray

Google Pixel XL SIM tray

Google Pixel XL power button and volume rocker

Google Pixel XL power button and volume rocker

Everything is where it should be. The buttons are thumb height and easy to reach. The fingerprint sensor is also easy to access unseen and while holding the Pixel XL in one hand. The headphone jack is on the top.

The Google Pixel XL back panel is too easy to scratch.

The Google Pixel XL back panel is too easy to scratch.

So even if the design aesthetic resembles a mid-range HTC smartphone from last April, who cares? It’s practical, and you’ll probably stuff it into a case anyway.

Besides, we’re saving our complaints for what it lacks. The Google Pixel XL is not waterproof, and it does not have expandable storage. And while the Google Pixel XL has a Gorilla Glass 4 display, the back glass panel is not scratch resistant. In fact, our Google Pixel XL review unit easily scuffed and scratched after just a few trips in the backpack, as you can see in the pic.

Google Pixel XL Display & Speakers

The Pixel XL has a 5.5-inch AMOLED display with a 1440 x 2560 resolution, resulting in 534 pixels per inch. This is about the limit of most flagships, and would be overkill if not for the VR considerations. Side by side, and viewed from a normal distance, it’s near impossible to spot the difference between a phone with a 400 ppi count and one with a 500 ppi count. However, those differences are noticeable when the handset is a few inches from your face in a VR viewer.

It’s a bright display, and cuts through glare as well as any other flagship AMOLED. Contrast is superb, and the blacks are especially deep. The whites are bright as well, purer than most competing displays. And the colors are realistic, with just a touch of saturation.

AMOLED displays often display whites with a warm, almost magenta tint; and they have a tendency to oversaturate colors. The effect is still present here, but it’s muted, making this one of the most pleasant displays on the market.

Display settings are basic, with no color calibration option, or “night mode” that filters out blue tones. We typically think of these things as superfluous or gimmicky, so no complaints here.

The speakers are also decent, grading on the smartphone curve. They are loud enough for personal use, and emit relatively robust sound.

Google Pixel XL speakers and USB Type-C

Google Pixel XL speakers and USB Type-C

Google Pixel XL Performance

The Google Pixel XL has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor (quad-core, 2.15Ghz + 1.6Ghz), and 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM. That’s a powerful combo, and while some other smartphones have the more RAM, you’d be hard-pressed to notice a difference in performance.

Compared against the Snapdragon 820 found in most flagships from 2016, the 821 provides a slight performance boost, particularly on the GPU side, with a focus on quickly processing HDR pictures and potentially faster LTE connectivity.

For Pixel XL users, it results in a very polished experience. Virtually every other smartphone we’ve tested to date, including the flagships like the Galaxy S7 edge and iPhone 7 Plus, experienced some lag or stutter, particularly going from the lock screen to the start screen. The Pixel XL is very steady and smooth here.

The GPU is particularly impressive, especially with demanding 3D games. That’s a good thing, considering the VR focus. The fingerprint sensor is also noteworthy. It’s both fast and accurate, rivalling Huawei and Apple, and surpassing Samsung and the others.

Looking at the benchmarks, our Google Pixel XL review unit scored 1782 on the single-core Geekbench 4 test, and 4252 on the multi-core test.

Google Pixel XL Geekbench 4 results

Google Pixel XL Geekbench 4 results (higher score is better)

Its Adreno 530 GPU (624MHz) scored 7014 on the compute benchmark.

Google Pixel XL Geekbench 4 Compute results (higher score is better)

Google Pixel XL Geekbench 4 Compute results (higher score is better)

The GPU score blows away other recent smartphones, but its Geekbench 4 score is well below the iPhone 7 Plus and Galaxy S7. Here’s a case where the benchmark scores don’t translate to real-world performance. The Google Pixel XL runs about as well as the latest iPhone, and noticeably better than the S7.

Buy the Pixel XL direct from Google, and you’ll get no bloatware or duplicate apps. Buy it from Verizon, expect My Verizon, Message+ , and go90. Message+ is a duplicate texting app, and all three can be uninstalled.

Our 32GB Google Pixel XL review unit shipped with about 21GB capacity available with a fresh start. That’s less than some other Android smartphones, which ship with upwards of 23GB available.

Google Pixel XL Connectivity

The Google Pixel XL works on all major carriers in the US, including Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, and T-Mobile. Verizon is the only carrier selling it directly, and it’s also available through the Google Store. It supports Cat 12 LTE (up to 600Mbps downloads and 15Mbps uploads).

It also features GPS, Glonass, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2×2 MIMO, Bluetooth 4.2, and NFC. There’s no FM radio support. That’s a shame because it likely has an FM receiver, but it’s not engineered with antenna support (phones with active FM receives use the headphone input as an antenna). Or it is and the receiver has simply been deactivated.

Even though it’s low-tech, an FM receiver is an invaluable feature, especially during emergencies and power outages, as it requires very little power.

Google Pixel XL Software & Features

The Google Pixel XL ships with Android 7.1 (Nougat), with Google’s promise of OS updates for two years from launch (October 2016), and security updates for three.

Google Assistant is its key and exclusive launch feature. Think of it as Google Now 2.0, or Google’s answer to Siri and Cortana.

Google Assistant, "show me pictures of my dog."

Google Assistant, “show me pictures of my dog.”

It has a lot of neat tricks, including:

  • Calendar and reminder creation and management (“OK Google, when is my next meeting with Kimberly?”)
  • Access to Google’s Knowledge Graph, translation services, and quick math queries (“OK Google, how tall is the Eiffel Tower? How do you say ‘hello’ in French? What’s 20% of $17.98?”)
  • Photo finder (“OK Google, show me pictures of my dog.”)
  • Access to Google Maps info (“OK Google, show me the closest post office.”)
  • Personal flight flight management and finder (“OK Google, when is my next flight?”)
  • It also has personality, singing songs, telling jokes, and reciting poems on command.
  • In addition, it can open apps, send texts, make calls, and set alarms.
  • It also understands conversational queries. You can ask it, “how tall is the Eiffel tower?” And then follow up with, “Where is it?” Google Assistant will know the “it” refers to the Eiffel tower.

And that’s not everything. Because Google Assistant weaves through company’s vast offerings (messaging, Android, email, Music, Chromecast, search, etc.), and the same features also appear on the Google Home speaker, and the Allo messenger, it’s tough to layout a comprehensive list of all its capabilities.

Google Assistant, conversational queries

Google Assistant, conversational queries

Google Assistant, Google Maps data

Google Assistant, Google Maps data

So what value does it bring? Time savings, by pulling relevant info and bringing it front and center with a voice command. The problem is that every bit of that info is readily available in an app with a quick tap and a few swipes, though. The gains are minimum, and it’s not enough to encourage users to learn new workflows. That’s why Google Assistant is more impressive on a traditionally “dumb” device, like the Google Home speaker, than on a smartphone.

Google Pixel Launcher

Google Pixel Launcher

That’s not to suggest it has no utility. We used it occasionally to find takeout spots and calculate basic math problems. At the very least, it’s an impressive parlor trick, in a “look what my phone can do” sort of way.

Other Google Pixel XL features include a Quick Switch Adapter that makes moving contacts, calendar events, photos, videos, music, SMS messages, iMessages, and other personal info from an old smartphone to a Pixel simple and easy; and free unlimited photo storage.

Yes, Google Photos offers free unlimited photo storage, but that’s limited to compressed photos. Pixel owners have unlimited storage for full-resolution photos.

The Google Pixel XL is also the first smartphone with Google’s VR platform, Daydream. It only works with the Daydream View VR headset as of this writing. It also sports the aesthetically-pleasing Pixel Launcher homescreen, which offers no real benefit over the dozens of other Android homescreens.

Google Pixel XL Battery

The Google Pixel XL has a 3450mAh battery, which Google claims provides up to 14 hours of Wi-Fi web surfing. Streaming Netflix over Wi-Fi with the screen brightness set to max, our Google Pixel XL review unit lasted 8 hours and 45 minutes.

Eight hours is the standard all flagships should hit on this test, which is about the bare minimum you can reasonably expect from when using the Pixel. Some push 12, while the best hit 20. Still, that’s not a bad result and it’s more than enough to get you through a day with regular use, or powered through a long flight.

It charges fast, too. Our Google Pixel XL review unit battery went from dead to 40% after just 15 minutes charging with the included adapter.

Google Pixel XL Camera

Google boasts its Pixel camera is “the highest rated smartphone camera. Ever.”

If that’s true, it’s a testament to the software powering image production, rather than the hardware. Because on paper, it’s lacking in two key areas.

The Pixel XL has a 12.3-megapixel camera, with 1.55μm pixels, and an f/2.0 aperture. It’s missing optical image stabilization, and its f/2.0 aperture is smaller than other flagships. The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge has a  f/1.7 aperture, for example.

This is important because a wider aperture (represented by a smaller number) means a larger lens hole, which allows more light into the image sensor. With smartphone cameras in particular, this helps produce better results in low-light shooting situations.

For its part, the Pixel XL camera has large, 1.55μm pixels. Larger pixels on the image sensor mean more surface space to absorb light, which also helps produce better results in low-light shooting situations.

The Pixel XL camera also lacks optical image stabilization (OIS), which also aids low-light photography by physically compensating for any minor physical movements. Low-light shooting situations require the shutter remain open longer so more light hits the image sensor; and any hand movement, no matter how minor and imperceptible, causes blurry images because the image “moves” on the sensor. Essentially, OIS countermoves the lens to compensate for handshake, keeping the image static on the image sensor.

The OIS mechanisms also take up space. OIS on a Pixel XL likely means a protruding camera lens, which throws off its clean design.

OIS also helps with video, but not as much as you’d think. Instead, software does the trick of smoothing out jittery video, typically through digital or electronic image stabilization (EIS).

The Pixel XL’s EIS does a great job stabilizing video, and it mostly avoids the common EIS pitfall of a wobbly footage, or a jelly effect.

Looking at picture quality, the software also does a phenomenal job at producing high-dynamic range (HDR) photos. Pics taken in the proper situation have very deep blacks, with realistic colors and excellent contrast. Some shots are simply stunning, and blow away output from rival devices.

Google Pixel XL review unit sample photoGoogle Pixel XL sample shot Google Pixel XL sample shot Google Pixel XL sample shot Google Pixel XL sample shot

The Pixel XL suffers in low-light shooting situations, especially when compared against the best. Details disappear in lieu of image noise, and blue tones dominate, edging out all color. This readily apparent when compared side-by-side with the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge. Both pictures of the sleeping dog were taken at the same time, in the same low-light conditions. Samsung’s output is much clearer, with much more detail, and at least some color.Again, this is the software doing the heavy lifting, and it goes a long way to validating Google’s “highest-rated” claim. The software also excels producing panoramas and lens blur. The camera app is quick to launch (two quick taps of the power buttons serves as a quick launch), and focuses quickly and efficiently.

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge low-light photo

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge low-light photo

Google Pixel XL low-light photo

Google Pixel XL low-light photo

It’s the same story with the selfie camera, which has a decent 8-megapixel sensor, with 1.4μm pixels, and an f2.4 aperture.

In the Box

The Google Pixel XL ships with a USB Type-C 18W adaptor for charging, USB A-C cable, USB C-C cable, SIM ejector pin, and a full-sized USB A-to-C Quick Switch adapter.

That’s a great haul. We’re suckers for added adapters and cables. The Quick Switch adapter can be used for accessories support as well, including USB keyboards, mice, external storage, and gamepads.

Google Pixel

The Google Pixel is the smaller of the two. It measures 5.6 x 2.7 x 0.2 inches, and weighs .31 pounds. It has a 5-inch display with lower resolution, resulting in 441 pixels per inch. It also has a smaller, 2770mAh battery, and a slightly lower advertised battery life.

Otherwise, it’s the same smartphone with a similar build, same camera, and the same features.

Google Pixel XL Review Conclusion

Google Pixel XL

The Google Pixel XL is an acceptable piece of hardware buoyed by superb software and excellent performance. It’s hard to call it the best overall Android smartphone when it lacks waterproofing, removable storage, and OIS, even though it definitely runs like the best Android smartphone, with a clean and accessible Android build.

Google Assistant is its standout feature, but it’s not that much better than Google Now or Siri to make the Pixel XL a must-have. Same is true for Daydream (review upcoming), with Samsung’s Gear VR currently leading the market.

These sentiments also apply to the camera. At its best, it produces unparalleled pictures. In low-light, others exceed it.

The Google Pixel XL starts at $769 for 32GB. The 128GB Pixel XL costs $869, while the smaller Pixel costs $649 for 32GB and $749 128GB.

That’s a lot of money, and it’s in line with other flagships. The Pixel XL needs better hardware or a lower price to be a must-have. As it stands, it’s just another good option.

Pros:

  • Great software
  • Excellent performance
  • Camera produces stunning pics in many shooting situations
  • Ships with useful adapters

Cons:

  • Not waterproof
  • No expandable storage
  • Camera’s low-light performance disappointing

The post Google Pixel XL Review: Two-Thirds Great appeared first on Brighthand.com.

The Best Cheap Smartphones for $100, $200, $300, & $400

The Apple iPhone 7 Plus and Samsung Galaxy S7 edge are the best smartphones. The Google Pixel and Pixel XL have potential to join them. They all cost north of $700.

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge

You shouldn’t pay that much for a smartphone. There are great smartphones that offer close to the same performance level and features as the flagships, for close to half the price or less.

These are the best cheap smartphones you can buy for around $100, $200, $300, and $400, as of this writing. We’ve tried to focus on relatively new phones as much as possible. But keep in mind that older, used, and refurbished flagships are available at deep discounts.

We’ve also avoided any imports. China-based companies like Xiaomi, LeEco, and Oppo produce inexpensive Android handsets and with high-end specs for overseas markets. These device have an amazing price-to-performance ratio, and most will work on the US GSM networks, AT&T and T-Mobile. But tracking down, buying, and setting up a Chinese import is difficult even for seasoned techies, and horrible customer service is a major potential liability.

A quick note on pricing: it fluctuates. We can only guarantee accurate pricing as of October 2016.

Best Cheap Smartphone for $100 or Less

ZTE Zmax Pro

ZTE Zmax Pro

Good news, there’s a decent smartphone that only costs $100: the ZTE Z Max Pro. This 6-inch phablet has a 1920 x 1080 IPS display with 367 pixels per inch, 2GB RAM, and an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 running at 1.5GHz. It ships with Android 6.0, has a large 3500mAh battery, 32GB storage with microSD expansion, and a 13-megapixel camera. It also has a fingerprint scanner.

Putting that in perspective, this would be a flagship in 2014, and even early 2015. These are phenomenal specs for a $100 device.

Bad news, it’s exclusive to MetroPCS. To be fair, MetroPCS is a solid network, and you’ll experience about the same coverage as any T-Mobile customer (T-Mobile merged with MetroPCS in 2012). It’s cheaper, too. Though, T-Mobile customers get network priority over MetroPCS in congested areas, which means potentially slower performance.

So T-Mobile customers looking to save a few bucks on both service and a smartphone should make the switch. AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon customers need to look no further than Amazon and Motorola for a good $100 handset.

Amazon offers the Moto G4 Play with ads to Prime members for $100. Yes, the ads are annoying, and it’s not as powerful as the ZTE Z Max Pro, but this is a great budget smartphone that costs $150 otherwise. Non-Prime members could sign up for free trial account to snag the discount, if necessary.

Best Cheap Smartphone for $200 or Less

The Moto G4 Play is plain, but that's OK.

The Moto G4 Play

Motorola was one of the first producing quality budget handsets, and it has a strong hold on the market. Its Moto G4 is the best cheap smartphone available for less than $200. It’s $200 unlocked, meaning it works on all the major carriers, and Amazon Prime can snag one with ads for $150.

This 5.5-inch Android smartphone (1920 x 1080, 401 ppi) ships with Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, and features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 octa-core processor with 550MHz Adreno 405 GPU and 2GB RAM. It also has either 16 or 32GB (32GB Moto G4 costs $230) capacity, with a microSD cardslot. It’s water repellent, with a 13-megapixel camera, 3000mAh battery and fast charge. Motorola also offers a bunch of design options, some of which can add to the cost.

On paper, it’s very similar to the ZTE Z Max Pro, but that just serves as further proof the ZTE handset is a great deal.

AT&T and T-Mobile customers should also consider the Honor 5x from Huawei. This $200 smartphone has comparable specs, and a better, all-metal build. It also has a fingerprint sensor.

Best Cheap Smartphone for $300 or Less

The Moto G4 Plus is the best cheap smartphone for $300

Moto G4 Plus

Once again, it’s a Moto G4; specifically, the Moto G4 Plus; and even more specifically, the 64GB capacity Moto G4 Plus.

The 16GB Moto G4 Plus is very similar to the G4, with many of the same design options. It has a fingerprint sensor and higher resolution, 16-megapixel camera with a faster, laser autofocus. It costs $250, meaning users are paying $50 more for a slightly better camera and a fingerprint sensor, or $100 more for the same, but without the Amazon ads.

That’s not worth it. The $300 64GB Moto G4 Plus has a higher internal capacity, and double the RAM. Its 4GB RAM matches many current flagships, and the performance is top notch. It’s also compatible on all major carriers.

We considered the OnePlus X, given its impressive spec sheet, but its LTE support is limited. Like others on this list, it’s limited to T-Mobile and AT&T, and it doesn’t support all of those carriers’ LTE bands. Meaning US users might see the OnePlus X throttle down to 3G networks more than other smartphones.

It’s also sold out on the OnePlus website as of this writing. In fact, OnePlus knocked its price down to $200 beforehand, though it’s available on Amazon for $260 and up.

Best Cheap Smartphone for $400 or Less

OnePlus 3

OnePlus 3

This is the sweet spot… if you’re an AT&T or T-Mobile customer. You can snag a $400 smartphone offering about 90% of the performance of a $700 or $800 flagship.

The OnePlus 3 is the best cheap smartphone here. This $399 Android handset has a high-end Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset with 6GB RAM, and a 16-megapixel camera. It has a 5.5-inch AMOLED display with Gorilla Glass 4 an a 1920 x 1080 resolution (401 ppi). It comes with 64GB capacity, a fingerprint sensor, and USB Type-C with quick charging. This is a powerful and feature-rich device

We also liked the Honor 8, with its dual-camera setup and quality build; the Alcatel Idol 4s, with its stunning display and VR goggles; as well as the ZTE Axon 7, with its all-around excellence. These are just a notch below the OnePlus 3 and are also incredible values for T-Mobile and AT&T customers.

Verizon customers willing to spend eight extra dollars aren’t entirely out of luck. The $408 Moto Z Play Droid is a unique device, supporting modular expansion through Moto Mods. It’s a step below the OnePlus 3 in terms of processing power, but it has the best battery we’ve ever tested, lasting nearly twice as long as its closest competition. It will literally last for days between charges.

Sprint customers should avoid this price point, there’s really nothing here for them, at least in terms of Android. The $408 HTC One A9 isn’t a bad handset, but we’d go with the slightly more powerful Moto G4 Plus and save a few bucks.

Of course, $400 is also the entry point for a relatively new Apple iPhone SE. It’s smaller than an iPhone 6S, lacks 3D Touch, and has an inferior front-facing camera. But it offers the same performance level.

The post The Best Cheap Smartphones for $100, $200, $300, & $400 appeared first on Brighthand.com.

Moto Z Play Droid Review: Innovative and Everlasting

The modular smartphone is a great idea. It just makes sense, considering the smartphone is such a diverse and ubiquitous gadget. Smartphones already double as PDAs, GPS units, cameras, and even wallets; so why not a stereo, TV/projector, and more?

Moto Z Play Droid

Moto Z Play Droid

Early attempts at modular smartphones have fallen flat. The semi-modular LG G5 proved a poor implementation with limited expansion accessories, while Google’s Project Ara, with its aim at reducing e-waste, was scrapped before launch.

The new Motorola Moto Z line of modular phones, including the mid-range Moto Z Play Droid, offer something similar to the LG G5, just with a better execution. The Moto Z smartphones expand through Moto Mods that attach magnetically to the back panel. The process of swapping Mods is literally a snap, and unlike the G5, doesn’t require the Android handset power down.

It’s unique and it’s different. But the market doesn’t reward innovation for innovation’s sake. Is it any good? That’s all that matters. Read on to find out.

Build & Design

The Motorola Moto Z Play Droid is one of four Moto Z smartphones, including the unlocked (GSM) Moto Z, and the Verizon exclusives, Moto Z Force Droid and Moto Z Droid. The Moto Z Play Droid is also Verizon exclusive (the Droid branding gives it away), and it has the most modest specs and lowest price of the bunch.

Moto Z Play Droid Silver Oak Style Shell

Moto Z Play Droid Silver Oak Style Shell

The Moto Z Play Droid looks like your average mid-range smartphone, measuring 6.2 x 3 x 0.3 inches, and weighing 5.6 ounces, sans a Style Shell back panel.

And that’s where the Moto Z line distinguishes itself. The attached back panels serve as a base plate for modular expansion. Exposed, it features a round camera bulge, Motorola branding, and a dedicated accessory port/connector. It’s magnetic, enabling Moto Mods to adhere securely and stick.

The Moto Z Play Droid ships with a removable Style Shell, giving the smartphone a more traditional back panel. Our review unit came with the silver oak wooden shell, and the lineup includes nylon and leather options. Other Moto Mods include a JBL SoundBoost Speaker, Moto Insta-Share Projector, Incipio offGRID Power Pack, and Hasselblad True Zoom camera.

Together with a Style Shell, the Moto Z Play Droid measures .37 inches thick, and weighs 6.8 ounces. That’s larger than most other 2016 smartphones in any price class, but not bulky by any reasonable standard. The Moto Z Play Droid is no less pocketable than a slick iPhone 7 Plus or Galaxy Note 7.

Moto Z Play Droid camera bump

Moto Z Play Droid camera bump

The Style Shell and other Moto Mods come off and on easily, and again, stay on securely. Our Style Shell never slipped or accidentally came off during testing. The wood backing also felt very pleasant to the touch, and we’re confident the leather and nylon alternatives would as well, given Motorola’s design history.

We worry that the contacts on the back panel could suffer corrosion over time, especially moisture or grit gets stuck under the case. They showed no signs of that during our brief time with it, however.

Otherwise, the Moto Z Play Droid looks like a standard smartphone, with a flat display panel and rounded corners. There’s a large display bezel on the top and bottom, housing the earpiece, speaker, flash, 5-megapixel front camera, and sensors (top), as well as a pinhole mic and square fingerprint sensor (bottom).

Moto Z Play Droid fingerprint sensor

Moto Z Play Droid fingerprint sensor

Moto Z Play Droid contacts

Moto Z Play Droid contacts

The fingerprint sensor presents an annoying issue.  By default, it unlocks the phone, and also puts it to sleep. Because it resembles a home button, sits right below the on-screen nav icons, and is very sensitive, accidental presses are way too common.

An aluminum alloy bumper wraps the edges, holding the textured power button and two-button volume control on the right side, which are easy to distinguish via touch. The SIM/microSD tray sits on the top half, next to another mic, while the bottom houses the headphone jack and USB Type-C input.

Moto Z Play Droid SIM tray

Moto Z Play Droid SIM tray

Moto Z Play Droid USB Type-C and headphone jack

Moto Z Play Droid USB Type-C and headphone jack

While much was made of Apple ditching the headphone jack for the iPhone 7, Moto was the first, with the Moto Z, Moto Z Droid, and Moto Z Force Droid shipping without it. That resulted in some slick handsets, but we’ll take a slightly bulkier smartphone with a full complement of ports any day.

Moto Z Play Droid buttons

Moto Z Play Droid buttons

Moto Z Play Droid side

Moto Z Play Droid side

Again, it’s a bit larger than most handset with similar screen sizes, though not overly cumbersome. In hand, the Moto Z Play feels great. It’s solid, and its weight lends itself to a quality build. Of course, we recommend a case, even it makes switching Moto Mods more difficult.

Motorola claims the Moto Z Play Droid has a “water repellent nano-coating,” which should protect the Android smartphone against spills, splashes, and light rain. Don’t submerge it though, because it’s not waterproof.

Display & Speaker

The Moto Z Play Droid has a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED display with a 1920 x 1080 resolution. That results in a cinematic 16:9 aspect ratio and 403 pixels per inch. Android flagships, including the other Moto Zs, top out at 500+ PPI, which is borderline overkill. While you can spot a difference in sharpness in a side-by-side comparison, it’s a difference between “great” and “even better.”

That is to say the Moto Z Play Droid has a stunning display. The Super AMOLED technology gives it a deep contrast and vibrant colors, with a slight magenta tone. Set to max, it’s bright enough to cut through outdoor glare.

It lacks color calibration features beyond two settings, standard and vibrant. We wish Motorola packed in more, and maybe even some sort of comfort or night mode that filters out blue tones for yellow.

The Moto Z Play Droid outputs decent sound, for a smartphone. It’s loud enough and clear for personal use, and extremely clean compared against other smartphones with no distortion at either end. But as we always state in this section, smartphone speakers are the last thing you should consider before buying a device.

Moto Mods

Unquestionably, the Moto Mods have potential; and Motorola executed on a great idea with its first-generation semi-modular smartphone. Moto Z buyers will still need to place some faith in Motorola that it’s committed to producing and promoting the accessories.

Moto Z Play Droid with Style Shell

Moto Z Play Droid with Style Shell

For its part, Motorola offers a Moto Mods development kit, and promises “Moto Mods developed today are designed to work with future-generation Moto Z phones.” Does that also mean Moto Mods released in the future will be backward compatible with first-generation Moto Zs? Because that would be a great reason to buy a Moto Z Play.

Beyond the speaker, camera, projector, and battery, we hope to see future Moto Mods embrace more niche interests, including business (a portable point-of-sale terminal) and gaming (a cabinet with controller). We’d also love to see wacky cases with e-ink displays, thermal camera rigs, and home health monitors.

Performance

This is a midrange smartphone, with an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor (2 GHz) and 3GB RAM. Today’s flagships, including other Moto Zs, have Snapdragon 820 processors along with 4GB RAM. Expect 6GB RAM and the Snapdragon 821 to become the high-end norm with the next crop of smartphones (Xiaomi just announced the Mi 5s Plus with those internals).

Still, it’s enough to keep the Moto Z Play Droid humming along. It runs near stock Android very well. It’s stable and swift, and fine for day-to-day use. It even handles demanding 3D games, like Modern Combat 5, with ease.

Turning to the benchmarks, the Motorola Moto Z Play Droid scored 799 on the Geekbench 4 single-core test, 2599 on the multi-core test, and 2473 on the Compute (graphics) test.

For some perspective, the flagship-level Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (with a Snapdragon 820 and 4GB RAM) scored 1687, 3945, and 6185 on the same tests, respectively.

It’s also worth noting the Moto Z Play’s fingerprint sensor is very good. It’s quick and accurate, and did not require a second press once during testing.

Battery

Wow! We have a new battery champion! The Moto Z Play Droid has by far the best battery we’ve ever tested on a smartphone. It’s a 3510mAh whopper that lasted 22 hours and 52 minutes streaming video over Wi-Fi with the screen brightness set to max.

Anything over 8 hours is good. Twelve hours in the gold standard. The Moto Z Play Droid is otherworldly. Keep in mind, 22 hours and 52 minutes is about the minimum you can expect from this smartphone. With regular use, you could easily go three or four days between charges.

It also charges fast thanks to USB Type-C. It went from dead to 42% in just 30 minutes with the bundled charger.

Next to Moto Mods, the battery is the primary reason to buy the Moto Z Play Droid.

Software

The Moto Z Play Droid runs near stock Android

The Moto Z Play Droid runs near stock Android

The Moto Z Play Droid ships with Android 6.0.1, and is pretty much guaranteed to receive the Android Nougat update sometime in Q4, according to Motorola. After Nougat, it’s much less of a sure thing.

Lenovo, which now owns Motorola, has a poor initial record with updates. It abandoned the 2014 Moto X flagship by not supplying an Android Marshmallow update, and updates have been very slow coming to Verizon-exclusive Droids, like the Droid Turbo 2 and Droid MAXX 2.

This includes security updates. Lenovo and Motorola have never committed to monthly security updates, and Motorola claims it will “bundle security updates in a scheduled Maintenance Release (MR) or OS upgrade.” Our review unit shipped with the July security update, and updated to the September patch by September 28. Our Huawei Honor 8 received similarly-scheduled updates, while our Samsung Galaxy S7 edge received the July, August, and September updates, all early in each month.

It’s not all bad news, though. The Moto Z Play Droid has near stock Android, with Moto’s excellent voice and action commands, and it’s very clean. Verizon wisely ditched the harsh black-and-red Droid branding in favor of Android’s pleasing Material Design. We loved the fact that the homescreens respond to landscape orientation (Samsung TouchWiz phones do not), but wish it included a “restart” option instead just “power off.”

The Moto Z Play Droid is only available with 32GB capacity (microSD expandable). Of that, about 24GB is available out of the box, with Android taking up 8.15GB, and apps taking up about 4GB.

Verizon bloatware

Verizon bloatware

Being a Verizon smartphone, there’s plenty of bloatware. Some games, like Cake Jam, Farm Heroes, and Panda Pop can be deleted, while other Verizon mainstays like NFL Mobile, IMDB, and Slacker Radio cannot.

The stock internet browser and gallery apps have been replaced by Chrome and Google Photos, respectively, still redundant apps remain an issue, with Verizon causing the most problems. So the Moto Z Play Droid has both Verizon Cloud and Google Drive, as well Hangouts, Google Messenger, and the useless Verizon Message + app, in addition to Google Maps and Verizon Navigator.

Camera

The Moto Z Play Droid has a 16-megapixel rear camera with an f/2 aperture and 1.3um pixel size, and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera with an f/2.2 aperture and wide-angle lens (85 degrees).

Flagships smartphones have wider apertures and larger pixels, mostly for better low-light results, but the Play Droid’s specs are in line with other mid-range smartphones.

Thanks to quick launch actions, you can start snapping pictures from a sleeping Moto Z Play Droid within seconds, and its laser and phase detection focus is reasonably fast (though we ran into problems touch focusing in some macro shooting situations).

The default app is clean and intuitive, with a swipe based navigation, and a pro mode for tweaking the ISO, white balance, shutter speed, and more. Other features are typical for smartphone cameras, including touch focus, panorama, and a best shot mode. The front-facing selfie camera has a dedicated flash and beauty mode, which results scary selfies when manually set to max.

Video is limited to 1080p at 30fps, with a slow motion option. There’s no 4K, which isn’t so bad. 4K smartphone video is way overkill.

Sample Photos

Everything looks pleasant, especially the colors, which pop with appropriate saturation. Details are crisp, with proper exposure levels, as evident by the visible details in the Riverside sign’s black and white paint areas. The white balance also does it job, adjusting appropriately in tough lighting, as seen in the stairwell pic.

Moto Z Play Droid sample photo

Moto Z Play Droid sample photo

Moto Z Play Droid sample photo

Moto Z Play Droid sample photo

The Moto Z Play Droid struggles in low light, however. This is true of all mid-range smartphones, and even some flagships. Look at the Moto Z Play Droid’s sleeping dog picture against the same photo taken by the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge. The current-generation Samsung smartphones are the absolute best at low-light photo output, and no smartphone outside of the iPhone 7 even comes close.

Moto Z Play Droid low-light photo

Moto Z Play Droid low-light photo

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge low-light photo

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge low-light photo

Value

The Moto Z Play Droid costs $408, which is the current sweet spot for price to performance. The excellent Honor 8, OnePlus 3, and ZTE Axon cost about the same. The Moto Z Play is less powerful than those three devices, but its battery is far superior. And it has Moto Mods.

The Moto Z costs $700, while the Z Droid costs $624 and the Moto Z Force Droid costs $720. A GSM unlocked Moto Z Play is launching soon for $450.

All Moto Zs have a 5.5-inch display. The upmarket devices have more pixels, with a 535 PPI. They also have a Snapdragon 820 processor and 4GB RAM, with a 64GB capacity option. The Moto Z and Z Droid are thinner and lighter, and have a smaller battery, 13-megapixel camera, and no headphone jack. The Moto Z Force Droid is only slightly lighter, with no headphone jack, a similarly-sized battery, 21-megapixel camera, and an amazing ShatterShield display.

Of the three, we gravitate toward the Moto Z Force Droid. It’s powerful and Moto ShatterShield is one of our favorite smartphone features. It has a killer battery, too.

Conclusion

Moto Z Play DroidMotorola gives us hope the modular smartphone can work. It smartly implemented the feature with the Moto Z lineup, and then combined it with a world-class battery to make the Moto Z Play Droid a compelling smartphone. There’s plenty of competition in the $400 range, with the Moto Z Play Droid occupying a special niche with its innovative design. It’s definitely not “another boring smartphone.”

It’s not a perfect smartphone either. Motorola’s software update issues, particularly with the Droid lineup worries us, and we’re a bit concerned about those Moto Mod contacts. How well will they hold up over time? Also, Motorola needs to move the fingerprint sensor where it’s impossible to confuse for a home button.

But none of these issues disqualify the Moto Z Play Droid from consideration. This is a good device with an exciting design, decent camera, and the best battery we’ve ever tested. Give it a close look if you’re in the market.

Pros

  • Innovative design with Moto Mods
  • The best battery we’ve ever tested
  • Decent performance and camera output
  • Near stock Android

Cons

  • Too much carrier bloatware
  • Fingerprint sensor easily confused for home button

The post Moto Z Play Droid Review: Innovative and Everlasting appeared first on Brighthand.com.

Huawei Honor 8 Review: 90 Percent Flagship at 50 Percent Price

Good smartphones are getting cheaper; in fact, they are fast becoming a commodity. Little separates a mid-range handset from the flagships in terms of utility. In addition, mid-range handsets are beginning to sport features that were once only found on the priciest and best.

The Huawei Honor 8 exemplifies this trend. It starts at $400, and it has a flagship-level 4GB of RAM, USB Type-C input, and a unique dual-camera setup.

We had good things to say about the $200 Honor 5X earlier this year, claiming “It isn’t an iPhone or Galaxy as its performance and spec sheet reveal some limitations, but it’s not as far off as its price suggests.” The Honor 8 costs more, and has fewer “limitations” on paper.

Can it match up with the name brands? Read this Huawei Honor 8 review to find out.

Build & Design

Honor 8 smartphone

The Honor 8 smartphone has a glass build with aluminum alloy bumper.

The Honor 8 smartphone is good-looking. It comes in pearl white, midnight black, and sapphire blue, and it sports an all-glass front and back panel, with a rounded aluminum alloy bumper around the edges. The 5.2-inch display is slightly raised, giving what many device makers call a “2.5D” effect. The left and right bezels are extremely thin, while the top and bottom match the sizes found on other devices.

It feels solid in hand, and the aluminum and glass combination give a quality impression. But the Honor 8 is too still slick for our liking, even if the aluminium adds much-needed grip. This is an issue inherent in all glass smartphones, and a case is highly recommended. The other issues are fingerprints and smudges. There’s no avoiding either with this Android smartphone.

The buttons and ports are laid out logically, with both a single-piece volume rocker and power button on the right side, and the SIM tray/microSD card slot on the left. The bottom houses the USB Type-C input and 3.5mm headphone jack.The top has an IR blaster and pinhole mic. The dual-camera setup, flash, and laser sensor sit on the upper-back panel, just above a round fingerprint sensor.

Huawei Honor 8 USB-Type C input

The Honor 8 has a USB-Type C input.

There’s nothing to complain about here. The power button and volume rocker are different sizes and easy to identify by touch alone, and the camera lenses (yes, there are two) sit flush with the rest of body. The fingerprint sensor is easy to access during one-handed use (certainly easier than Samsung and Apple’s home-button placement), and it’s also clickable and swipeable, doubling as a quick launcher for access to specific apps, notifications, and navigating through gallery photos. This neat bit of innovation proves very useful in day-to-day operation.

Display & Speakers

Honor 8 smartphone fingerprint sensor

The Huawei Honor 8 has a glass back with a fingerprint sensor.

The Huawei Honor 8 has a 5.2-inch LTPC LCD, with a full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. That results in about 423 pixels per inch and a cinematic 16:9 aspect ratio. Most Android flagships have denser displays with PPI counts topping 500, and that’s one of the big differences distinguishing the high-end from the mid-tier. It makes sense for a company like Samsung, which has the Gear VR headset that can take advantage of all those pixels. For anything else a 500+ PPI count is overkill, and it’s hard to see any difference between those smartphones and the Honor 8, even side by side.

Besides all that, the Honor 8 display looks great. Colors are rich, with pleasant saturation, and sufficient brightness. It cuts through sun glare as well as any other smartphone we’ve tested. Huawei also provides deeper display controls than any other smartphone maker, letting users adjust the color temperature, and including an “eye comfort” mode that filters blue light in favor or a yellowish tint.

We’ve yet to test a smartphone that has “good” speaker output, as the small sizes always results in compromised sound. The Honor 8 is decent when graded on a smartphone curve. It’s fine for personal use, but headphones are preferable.

Performance

Huawei Honor 8 Android with EMUI 4.1

The Honor 8 smartphone runs Android with EMUI 4.1.

Crack open the Honor 8 smartphone and you’ll find an octa-core Hisilicon Kirin 950 processor (four Cortex A72 running at 2.3GHz, and four Cortex A53 running at 1.8GHz, plus a Mali-T880 MP4 GPU running at 900MHz) along with 4GB LPDDR4 RAM.

This is a potent combo, and it generally bests the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 found inside the flagships and some other $400 smartphones in terms of CPU performance, but lags behind in GPU output… at least in benchmark comparisons. To that end, our Huawei Honor 8 review unit scored 5118 on the Geekbench 4 multi-core test, 1744 on the single-core test, and 2978 on the compute GPU test.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge scored 3945, 1687, and 6185 on the same tests, respectively.

In the real world, the Honor 8 runs like a flagship. It handles its Android 6.0 and Huawei EMUI 4.1 steadily. It’s both stable and swift, and can blast through intensive games as well as any other handset on the market.

The Huawei fingerprint sensor bears additional praise. In addition to its quick launch capability and ergonomic placement, it’s also one of the best fingerprint sensors on the market. It’s quick and reliable, much more so than Samsung’s or any other Android fingerprint sensor we’ve tested. In fact, Huawei is neck and neck with Apple in terms of fingerprint sensor performance.

Battery

Our Huawei Honor 8 review unit lasted 7 hours and 30 minutes streaming Netflix over Wi-Fi with the screen brightness set to max. This torture test give you an idea of the bare minimum life of the Honor 8’s 3000mAh battery.

Our dividing line is 8 hours. Anything more than that is good, with the best smartphones lasting 11 and 12 hours. So the Honor 8 is borderline OK here.

That said, Huawei packed the Honor 8 full of power management options, so we don’t doubt the Honor 8 could last a full day and then some. It charges fast with the included USB Type-C charger, going from dead to 46% in just 30 minutes plugged in.

Software

Huawei’s Android is easy to confuse with iOS, at least at a glance. The EMUI 4.1 skin borrows heavily from Apple’s mobile OS, foregoing the familiar Android app drawer, and distinguishing notifications and shortcuts as separate items in the display drop down.

So it’s as far from stock Android as any OEM’s version aesthetically, but it works. It’s unique and nothing feels forced for the sake of being different. The knuckle gestures feel like a gimmick (one knuckle double tap to snap a screenshot; two knuckle double tap to record the display; and quick launch apps by knuckle drawing C, E, W, and M), and require too much effort. Thankfully, they are not part of the core experience. Besides, those pining for more traditional Android can always download and install the Google Now launcher from the Google Play Store.

Our Huawei Honor 8 review unit came with 32GB, of which about 21GB were available out of the box (around 23GB is typical). Android 6.0 with the EMUI 4.1 skin takes up most of the space, with apps taking up about 2.5GB. There’s some bloatware, like the Shazam, Booking.com, Lyft, and NewsRebublic apps, which can be uninstalled.

Huawei bundles a handful of useful apps, including a Smart Controller for the IR blaster. Here you can program the Honor 8 to control TVs, various set-top boxes, and even air conditioners. And yes, it actually works on air conditioners, TVs as well. However, we couldn’t get it to work with our Xfinity set-top cable boxes. We also liked the battery manager, voice controls, glove mode, and Optimizer, which closes out unused apps and ends unnecessary background processes.

The Honor 8 notifications resemble iOS

The Honor 8 notifications resemble iOS.

The Hono 8 can double as an AC remote.

The Honor 8 can double as an AC remote.

Software support is always a big concern when dealing with an unfamiliar brand (unfamiliar in the US anyway). Will Huawei provide regular software and security updates for the Honor 8? Huawei has stated it will support the Honor 8 for at least two years, pushing out new features every three months for the first, and keeping up on security and bugs for the second. Other recent Huawei smartphones ship with an FM tuner and companion app. Unfortunately, they are absent on the Honor 8.

So the Honor 8 is very likely due for an Android Nougat update. There’s little guarantee beyond that outside of bug fixes and security patches.

Connectivity

The Honor 8 smartphone supports dual-band Wi-Fi with automatic switching, and LTE/WCDMA/GSM networks. That includes the 1,2,3,4,5,7,8,12,17,20 LTE bands. This means the Honor 8 connects to AT&T and T-Mobile, and many overseas networks, but not Sprint or Verizon. Those customers will want to stay away.

It also supports NFC, Bluetooth 4.2 LE, and GPS/Glonass/AGPS.

Honor 8 smartphone dual-camera lens

Huawei Honor 8 dual-camera lens

Camera

Dual cameras are the Huawei Honor 8 differentiator. This kind of high-end feature is typically reserved for flagships, and it expands smartphone camera options with unique and creative shooting modes.

The Honor 8 has 12-megapixel dual-camera system with a f/2.2 aperture and laser-assisted autofocus. It consists of one RGB sensor (color) and a separate monochrome sensor (black and white) with 1.2μm pixels. This all combines to produce “more vivid colors and crisper details, even in dim or low light,” according to Huawei.

Those numbers line up with other mid-range smartphones. A high-end smartphone like the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge has a an f/1.7 lens (meaning it’s open wider and lets in more light) and its image pixels measure 1.4μm (meaning they are larger and able to absorb more light).

Honor 8 extreme "beauty mode" selfie

Honor 8 extreme “beauty mode” selfie

The Honor 8 camera performs like a flagship where it counts. It focuses fast and is quick on the snap. Using the fingerprint sensor fast launch, you can snap a pic from a sleeping Honor 8 in less than a few seconds.

The Huawei camera app is robust, with plenty of features and filters, including a decent “Pro photo” mode that enables manual control of the ISO, exposure value, shutter speed, and white balance. We also like the “wide aperture” mode, which creates a shallow depth of field, blurring photo backgrounds, similar to a DSLR or interchangeable lens camera.

The Honor 8 has an 8-megapixel front-facing camera, complete with Huawei’s creepy “Beauty Mode.” Mess with the setting enough, and it produces some disturbing results. The Android smartphone also shoots video that tops out at full HD (1080 x 1920), but has some decent features, including video pro mode and slow motion. Some higher-end handsets shoot 4k, and that’s overkill. The Honor 8 is good enough.

Sample Photos

The sample photos show off the Honor 8’s shooting prowess. Pictures have deep contrast and the colors pop. Details are well captured. Looking at the “Riverside” sign, the Honor 8 captured the chipping white paint around the black “T.” This was taken on a very sunny day, and a lesser camera would have blown it out.

Honor 8 sample photo

Honor 8 sample photo

Honor 8 sample photo

The monochrome sensor produces solid results, too. The contrast on the Madball pic shows its strengths. A simple black-and-white filter wouldn’t be able to duplicate that.

Honor 8 sample photo

We also enjoyed playing with the aperture, producing pics with a blurry background. The potential for an excellent photo is there. However, the results can’t match a DSLR, and the Honor 8 sometimes produces odd or inconsistent blurring.

Honor 8 sample photo

It’s not all great though. The low-light photos reveal the limits of a $400 smartphone’s camera. The sleeping dog pic is very noisy, with little color. Compare that to the same picture taken by the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge (the Galaxy S7 and Note 7 have similar camers), which has the best low-light camera, and best overall (even better than the iPhone 7). The difference is stark.

Honor 8 low-light pic

Honor 8

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge low-light pic

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge

Value

The 32GB Honor 8 costs $399.99, while the 64GB costs $449.99, and Huawei offers three months of screen protection. This is a great price.

In fact, $400 is the sweet spot for price-to-performance ratio, with both the ZTE Axon 7 and OnePlus 3 costing about the same. On paper, these two devices are slightly more powerful. The OnePlus 3 has 6GB of RAM and 64GB capacity, but lacks expandable storage, while the ZTE Axon 7 has the same storage capacity, with microSD expansion, and great audio output. In real use, it’s hard to distinguish between the three, and the Honor 8 has a slight edge in camera performance and build quality.

Whichever device, you can’t go wrong. And they are all extremely compelling compared against $700 and $800 Samsung Galaxies and Apple iPhones. The traditional flagships may be better devices overall, but they are not $300 or $400 better.

Bottom line: If we’re paying, it’s the Honor 8 or one of the other mid-range smartphones listed. If someone else is paying, give us an iPhone 7, Samsung Galaxy S7 edge, or Samsung Galaxy Note 7.

Conclusion

Honor 8It’s not necessary to spend $700+ for a good smartphone. The Huawei Honor 8 is a prime example of a mid-range smartphone with near flagship performance and build. It even has high-end features like an excellent fingerprint scanner and dual-lens camera.

The Honor 8 should please most Android smartphone users. The EMUI skin does little to detract from operation and navigation, and actually adds some novel features. We otherwise love the fingerprint sensor and quick launch options. It runs very well, and its camera shoots above its class in most instances.

Many of its issues are acceptable for the price range, and only apparent when comparing it against more expensive smartphones. It’s not water resistant, and it can be very slick in hand because of its glass panels. The camera is poor in low light, the battery is just ok, and we wish it supported Verizon and Sprint.

But by any standard it’s a good smartphone, and a great $400 smartphone. Give it a long look and you might end up saving good money.

Pros:

  • Excellent design, well built
  • Stable and swift performance
  • Decent camera with fun features
  • An excellent value

Cons:

  • Battery just OK
  • Camera struggles in low light
  • Needs more carrier support

The post Huawei Honor 8 Review: 90 Percent Flagship at 50 Percent Price 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.

 

The post Samsung Gear Fit 2 Review: Fitness Tracker with a Bit of Smartwatch appeared first on Brighthand.com.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Review: The Only Android Flagship

The Galaxy Note is Samsung’s true flagship. It’s big and powerful, with unique features that set it apart from the smartphone pack. The S Pen brings added utility and productivity potential, which goes a long way in justifying its high price.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7

Samsung Galaxy Note 7

That’s great for Samsung. Because high-quality smartphones from Motorola, Huawei, ZTE, and others cost less than half as much. Why pay $800 plus for a Note when the Honor 5X offers quality Android on the cheap?

But the Honor 5X can’t do what the new Samsung Galaxy Note 7 does. For that matter, nor can the iPhone 6S, LG G5, or HTC 10.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 costs at least $850 at launch, depending on the carrier. In a market awash in smartphones low in cost and high in quality, is it worth it?

Build & Design

No surprise here as Samsung smartphone hardware is arguably the best, the Galaxy Note 7 is an impeccably-crafted device. Samsung ditched the standard flat-screen and bezel smartphone, going instead with the sloped curves of the Galaxy edge series.

The curve effect is slighter on the Note 7 than the Galaxy S7 edge, resulting in more flat display space, which plays its part in keeping the device as narrow as possible. Despite having the same 5.7-inch display, the Galaxy Note 7 is .1 inches narrower than the Galaxy Note 5.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 has a slick glass back.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 has a slick glass back.

The back panel mirrors the front with an identical curve. It’s completely symmetrical, with a rounded strip running across around the edges.

All this makes the Note 7 easier to hold in one hand than the Galaxy Note 5. It’s a very big smartphone, or phablet, just less unwieldy. Too bad it’s literally slick, then. While the glass back panel looks great, it doesn’t provide any grip. It’s also smudge and fingerprint magnet. Both sides are Gorilla Glass 5 coated, so they should survive the occasional drop. We still strongly recommend Note 7 owners invest in a case.

Slick grip aside, the Note 7 feels great in hand. It’s very solid and well balanced. Samsung obviously wasted no space inside. It measures 6 x 2.9 x .3 inches, and weighs .37 pounds. It’s IP68 rated for dust and water resistance. This means that while it will easily survive a rainstorm or spill, don’t take it swimming. It’s available in blue coral, silver titanium, and black onyx.

It bears all the familiar Samsung elements and placements, with a power button on the right side, and a two-piece volume rocker on the left. The bottom edge features the 3.5mm audio jack, USB Type-C input for charging and data, pinhole mic, speaker, and S Pen slot. The top houses another pinhole mic next to a microSD and SIM card slot (pin release).

The familiar and oblong Samsung home button, which doubles as a fingerprint reader, rests centered under the display, flanked by the capacitive all-apps and back keys. The 5-megapixel selfie camera, iris scanner, and light sensor line the top, surrounding the ear piece. The flash, pulse reader, and 12-megapixel rear shooter sit on the rear panel, middle upper half.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 side

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 has a symmetrical curve.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 has a symmetrical curve.

MicroSD card support is worth mentioning simply because it was absent on the Note 5, though present on the S7 and S7 edge. It’s a welcomed addition to any smartphone. Also, the Note 7 is the first Samsung smartphone with USB Type-C instead of microUSB. This change was a long time coming. USB Type-C is superior, with potentially quicker data transfers and charging times. It’s also reversible, and easier to manage. In addition, Samsung wisely bundles two USB Type-C adapters with the Note 7, one for full-sized USB and another for microUSB, meaning you can hold onto your old chargers and accessories.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 has a microSD card slot.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 has a microSD card slot.

The Note 7 also has USB Type-C.

The Note 7 also has USB Type-C.

Display & Speakers

Samsung screens are routinely excellent, largely due to the Samsung’s Super AMOLED display technology. AMOLED displays pump out the deepest blacks and most severe contrast, along with very vibrant colors. Traditional LED and LCD displays are very close behind, especially with notebooks and tablets, but AMOLED is still the tech to beat in the smartphone space.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 has a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 has a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display.

That’s why we’re not too disappointed Samsung stuck with the same 2560 x 1440 resolution as the Note 5. On the 5.7-inch display (also the same), that results in an impressive 518 pixels per inch, which is overkill for everyday use.

Virtual reality and the new Samsung Gear VR is the only case to be made for more pixels. That’s only because the Gear VR headset secures the display mere inches from the face, where individual pixels are discernable.

Samsung wisely put effort elsewhere, pushing contrast, refining sharpness, reducing glare, and pumping brightness. The Note 7 display excels in all these areas, and it the best we’ve we tested outdoors. It cuts right through overhead sun glare, and is perfectly usable on the brightest days. Samsung also improved color interpretation and temperature, and it’s noticeably more pleasant in these areas than the Note 5 and S7 edge.

Compared directly against those devices, cooler tones are more apparent, especially in whites. In addition, Samsung added a blue light filter in the settings. This brings the warm yellow and red tones front and center, which Samsung claims “helps you sleep better.” The effect opacity is adjustable, and can be scheduled for sunset to sunrise, or any other time.

We’re no experts, but those with sleep troubles should probably avoid looking at any smartphone display before bedtime, blue light or not. Still, it’s nice to have the added control, along with carry-over options, Adaptive display, AMOLED cinema, AMOLED photo, and Basic.

At NotebookReview, we’ve longed maintained smartphone displays range from good to great. The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 display raises that bar to extraordinary. Once again, Samsung has the best display on the market.

Grading on the severe curve for smartphone speakers, the Note 7’s have decent output. They are fine for personal use, with clear-enough sound and just enough oomph. We found the S7 edge speakers to have a slightly more crisp output compared head to head. That’s hardly a deal breaker if deciding between the two Galaxy smartphones.

Either way, audio over headphones or an external speaker is much better.

S Pen

The new S Pen is waterproof.

The new S Pen is waterproof.

New Note means new S Pen. It still the same Wacom-based technology, with Samsung redesigning the physical stick. It now measures 4.25 x .22 inches and weighs 3 grams (just .0066 pounds), with a tiny .7mm magnetic tip (down from 1.6mm). Samsung moved the solitary button further up the shaft, helping to prevent accidental presses (a problem too common with previous S Pens), and made it impossible to dock into the Note 7 backwards (a problem with early Note 5 units).

Performance-wise, it has a few new tricks and refinements. It supports up to 4,096 points of pressure (double the previous Note), and is also IP68 rated. This is a big deal because it means the S Pen works underwater.

Practically speaking, no one should be jotting notes in the shower, but think about field workers out in a rainstorm, or caterer in a chaotic kitchen where spills are common. Wet touchscreens don’t work, and taps from wet fingers don’t register (ever try using a smartphone after running?). A wet Note 7 will always work with the S Pen, and there is much practical utility there.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 S Pen works underwater.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 S Pen works underwater.

Perhaps the most salient improvement for everyday use is in how the pen feels on the display. Samsung added friction to make it feel more natural, like a real ink pen on paper. It even feels better than the recent pen-toting Windows 10 tablets we’ve tested, the Surface Pro 4 and Huawei MateBook. Those upgrading from a previous Note will definitely notice the difference.

In the Box

The Samsung Note 7 ships with a device, USB Type-C-to-full-USB Samsung fast charger, SIM tray ejector pin, earbuds with media controls, S Pen clip (for removing S Pen tips), additional S Pen tips, and the USB Type-C adapters previously mentioned.

That’s a good haul. Kudos to Samsung for including the adapters. Other device makers nickel and dime when it comes to this sort of thing (cough cough, Apple). Buyers should still expect extras like that when buying a premium product.

Performance

A glance at the spec sheet reveals there is not much difference between the Note 7 and the S7 and S7 edge that launched in the spring. Our review unit sported a 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 (2.15GHz dual + 1.6GHz dual) and 4GB RAM (LPDDR4), while international versions could see a Samsung Exynos 8890 with similar performance.

Specheads may be disappointed the Note 7 doesn’t have 6GB RAM or the new Snapdragon 821 or 823, but no one can doubt the Note 7’s combination is worthy of a flagship. In the Geekbench 3 benchmark, the Note 7 scored 5426, which matches the S7 and S7 edge, and bests the nearly year-old iPhone 6S by 1000 points.

In real-world usage, it handles Android 6.0.1 with stability and speed, as well as Samsung’s TouchWiz refinements. This is no small task, given the Note 7 is loaded with the S Pen tools and also the Samsung Edge UX.

The Note 7 ships with 64GB onboard capacity, of which about 50GB is available out of the box. There’s some bloatware that can be disabled by not uninstalled, including 10 Samsung-specific apps. Fortunately, there’s nothing too egregious. Facebook, Amazon, WhatsApp, and Instagram come preinstalled, as do Google’s main apps like Gmail, Chrome, and Maps. Snag a Note 7 through a carrier and expect additional bloat.

Specs

Our Samsung Galaxy Note 7 review unit has the following specs:

  • 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
  • Price: Starting at $849.99
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 TouchWiz

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 TouchWiz

Software Features

Samsung gave its TouchWiz Android overlay a fresh coat of paint in the settings menu, going with a primarily white and open aesthetic. It’s intuitive, and you can still find what they need with minimal effort, but it’s distinct from pure Android. Those pining for a more Google-like software experience can always download and install the Google Now Launcher from the Play Store.

All the goodies from previous Galaxy smartphones are present, including the neat Always-On display, excellent Samsung Pay, Game Tools, and the Samsung Edge UX. While we’ve never been huge fans of the Edge panels, they flashed potential when Samsung refined them for the S7 edge. That’s the case here, too.

Pen Features

The S Pen software has two new tricks: magnify and translate. Magnify digitally enlarges a portion of the display up to 300%, while the other works with the Google Translate API to translate from 38 languages and to 71 (the discrepancy is based on word spacing in certain languages, which can throw off Google Translate).

Both seem handy at a glance, but fail to offer much in practice. Magnify works across the device, and can be used on images or even through the camera app. We noted its potential for PDFs in our Note 7 preview, then realized that pinch-to-zoom does the same thing.

Translate worked well in testing too; it’s quick. The drawback is that it’s limited to translating one word at a time. It would be much more useful if you could highlight blocks of text with the S Pen, then translate. Besides all that, Google Translate has its own fine app, which does more.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 magnify

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 magnify

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 translate

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 translate

S Pen fans shouldn’t fret though. All the other superb S Pen tools from the Note 5 are present, with Samsung streamlining the interface by combining redundancies.

Of the holdovers, Smart Select has a new trick. It can record the display for animated GIFs, up to 15 seconds long, which you can then draw on. It’s a bit kludgy, in that if you want an animated GIF of your dog chasing its tail, you’d have to open up the camera app and record from the display through the viewfinder. And you can now pin screen-off memos to the always-on display.

Security Features

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 iris scanner

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 iris scanner

The new iris scanner is one of those “look at what my phone can do” features, and it has an excellent sci-fi vibe. It worked on the first try about 95% of the time in our testing, often unlocking the smartphone in less than a second. It’s based on infrared LED, and works in the dark, and through regular glasses and contacts after initial setup. Samsung included two safety precautions: it only scans for 9 seconds at a time, and it won’t scan if it senses the face is too close to the camera.

So what does it accomplish? It ultimately serves as just another way to unlock the Note 7, along with the PIN, password, pattern, and fingerprint (the fingerprint sensor is much improved here). We like it, but it’s redundant.

The Secure Folder is more consequential. It’s password (or iris, or fingerprint) protected, and here you can keep sensitive info. Think of it as a completely isolated portion of the phone, complete with apps, files, pictures, and accounts.

For example, the Secure Folder portion has its own gallery and camera apps. Pictures taken with that camera app are only visible in the Secure Folder gallery app. They functionally don’t exist outside the folder. It works great for balancing separate accounts too. The Secure Folder can have its own Gmail app, tied to a private account, different from any other on the Note 7.

Samsung Secure Folder

Samsung Secure Folder

This is the kind of thing we’d like to see Google adopt (steal) for a future Android version. It’s where we’d keep banking apps and financial documents. It ultimately provides an extra level of security in the case of phone theft or loss, and who couldn’t use that?

Not to mention, it’s really cool using iris unlock to open up the Secure Folder. It feels like Mission Impossible.

Battery

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 has a 3,500mAh battery, supporting fast charge on wired and wireless, compatible with WPC and PMA wireless standards. It lasted 9 hours and 12 minutes in our torture test, streaming Netflix over Wi-Fi with the display brightness set to max.

This is about the bare minimum you can expect from the Note 7 in a real-world situation, and it’s an excellent result. Anything over 8 hours is good.

Samsung’s Adaptive Fast Charging, based on the Qualcomm Quick Charge, is one of our favorite smartphone features. Plugged in and charging, it pumps the Note 7 battery to about 43% capacity after just 30 minutes.

Camera

We claimed the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge had the best smartphone camera, so we’re happy to see the same shooters on the Note 7. Those are a 12-megapixel rear Dual Pixel camera, and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.

The Dual Pixel technology first launched with the previous S7s, where each photo pixel doubles as a focus pixel. This results in whip fast focus. On top of that, each of the individual image pixels are larger than those on the Note 5 photo sensor, making the Note 7 much better in low light (bigger pixels, more surface space to capture light). Bigger photo pixels also means there are less of them, which is why the Note 5 has a 16-megapixel rear camera, and the Note 7’s is 12 megapixels.

Trading megapixels for quick focus and low-light performance? We’ll take that deal.

High dynamic range (HDR) video capture is the only new addition to the Note 7. HDR video support is the next great leap in home entertainment, along with 4K high-def. Simply put, HDR video combines footage from various exposure levels into a clip, resulting in a wider and more realistic color range, brighter whites, and deeper blacks. Most smartphones can already take HDR photos.

As with anything smartphone video related, the effect is limited and tough to discern. Both HDR and standard video look great on the Note 7’s AMOLED display, but a large-screen TV exposes limitations. In other words, it’s great for capturing life’s little and big moments, just don’t expect to shoot the next great nature documentary on the Note 7.

Sample Photos

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Value

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 costs between $850 to $880, based on the carrier. Each is also running promotions at launch, with Samsung offering up a 256GB microSD card or a Gear Fit 2 with perorders. That’s a lot of money for a smartphone, even if it’s in line with other 64GB phablets and flagships, like the iPhone 6s Plus.

Mid-range and budget smartphones are getting closer to flagship levels with each generation. If you can tolerate a little compromise, the Huawei Honor 5X, OnePlus X, ZTE Zmax Pro, and Motorola Moto G4 are great devices that cost less than $300 and work just as well as the Note 7 for apps, email, messaging, and general smartphone activities.

You won’t get the premium display or advanced S Pen tools, however. For that, you might consider a Note 5. It’s still an excellent smartphone, and it can be had refurbished for as little as $350.

Conclusion

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is a near-perfect smartphone. It’s the best smartphone available as of this writing. It has a world-class design, knock-out display, and the best mobile productivity features. The only other smartphone that comes close on all three counts in the Samsung Galaxy Note 5.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 has a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display.

Those upgrading to the Note 7 will be immediately drawn to its symmetrical build. This thing looks great and feels great. Its IP68 water resistance is the most practical benefit, and we think all Note 7 owners will come to appreciate using the S Pen on a wet screen sooner or later. Samsung gets bonus points for bundling USB C adapters to ease the transition from microUSB to the new standard.

The new iris scanner delivers quickly and consistently. We set it as the default unlock option and never thought twice about switching to the fingerprint scanner or PIN option. And Secure Folder is a legit addition. We wish all smartphones had something similar.

The camera will also impress anyone not upgrading from an S7 or S7 edge. It still the best on mobile, with fast focus and great low-light performance.

The S Pen has never felt more natural on the display, thanks to the added friction. And while magnify and translate are lackluster additions to the S Pen toolbox, the holdovers are present and still the best for mobile inkers and note takers.

The only thing keeping the Note 7 from being a must-have device is its high price. Eight hundred and fifty dollars will snag a high-end 2-in-1, or Core-powered laptop. It’s a lot to plunk down for a smartphone.

But if you want the best of the best in late 2016, this is it.

The post Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Review: The Only Android Flagship appeared first on Brighthand.com.

Honor 8 has Flagship Features, Mid-range Price: Hands On

Good smartphones are getting cheap. You can snag near flagship-level Android device for less than half what the best of the best cost, especially if you’re willing to buy an unfamiliar brand from outside the carriers.

The Honor 8 has an all-glass back.

The Honor 8 has an all-glass back.

Case in point, the Honor 8, a 5.2-inch Android handset from Huawei’s house brand with specs that slot somewhere between Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S7, and a price tag that falls below both.

The Honor 8 has more going for it than a reasonable price, it also has premium features, including a dual-camera setup that enables nifty photo tricks, like true monochrome photography and shifting focus fields.

All Glass

The Honor 8 has an all-glass build that is heavily reminiscent of Samsung’s recent releases. It feels and looks like a well-built device, though it’s slick to the touch and a fingerprint magnet. Its 5.2-inch display means it’s about as small as Android smartphone get these days, aided it by its buttonless design and thin bezels.

It sports a Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080), resulting in about 420 pixels per inch. That’s a notch below the best of the best, which top out at 500+ PPI, but it’s more than enough for everyday use. You’ll be hard pressed to tell the difference between FHD and QHD at this size for any use other than VR. Besides, lower resolution is better for battery life.

Huawei Features

Honor 8 eMUI

Honor 8 eMUI

Huawei’s quick-as-a-whistle fingerprint sensor sits centered on the back panel, and it’s one of the best on devices. In our brief time with the Honor 8, it proved reliable and consistent; certainly better than any other Android device on the market (but not the iPhone, that still has the best).

Huawei also added the ability to quick launch up to three apps or shortcuts by doubling the fingerprint sensor with a button. Tap, double tap, and tap and press to open the camera, turn on the flashlight, open Gmail, or anything else. We like it here at NotebookReview; we’re a sucker for quick access to useful apps (especially the flashlight).

The novel and bizarre knuckle gestures also return from the Huawei Mate 8. Taps snag screenshots or record the display, while drawing a C can launch the camera app, and more.

Also on board is Android 6.0 with Huawei’s eMUI skin. Huawei applied some heavy tweaks here, giving Android and the app icons an iOS aesthetic. We liked it on the Huawei Mate 8 enough to keep it on there, but those pining for a purer Android experience can always install Google Now launcher.

Dual Camera

The Huawei dual cameras first popped up on the P9 flagship, and returns on the Honor 8, but without the high-end Lecia lens branding. The 12-megapixel rear shooter has two image sensors, one capturing colors and the other monochrome. Huawei claims the images combine to form richer pics, with greater focus control for depth of field.

The Honor 8 can also take true black-and-white photos with superior contrast, not just color photos with a filter applied. Our initial sample shots are very pleasing, and we look forward to testing the Honor 8 camera more in our full review.

Honor 8 black-and-white photo

Honor 8 black-and-white photo

Other Specs

The Honor 8 starts at $400.

The Honor 8 starts at $400.

Other Honor 8 specs include an octo-core Kirin 950 processor (Huawei’s own), 4GB RAM, 32GB or 64GB capacity with microSD expansion, USB Type-C, 3000mAh battery with fast charge, 8-megapixel front shooter, NFC, and an IR blaster.

That’s a great haul. The 4GB RAM is impressive, considering the P9 has 3GB. We also like seeing USB Type-C on a phone in this class. The IR blaster is also a nice touch, considering Samsung ditched it on its most recent devices.

Price & Availability

The Honor 8 will be available for preorder on August 17 for $400 (32GB) or $450 (32GB). Preorders run until September 3, with Huawei offering up a $50 gift card for those that make the effort. It will be available from Honor, Amazon, Best Buy, Newegg, and B&H, in sapphire blue, pearl white, and midnight black. Blue is a Best Buy exclusive through October.

On paper this is a great smartphone at a good price. The Honor 5X impressed us with the same combination of price, build, and performance earlier this year, and Honor stepped things up for the 8, adding premium features. We look forward to testing its limits with a full review in the coming weeks.

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Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Gets an Edge, Secure Folder, & New S Pen Features: Hands On

Samsung’s latest Note has an edge. In fact, it has two of them, along with new S Pen capabilities, security features, and perhaps the sleekest design ever molded into a smartphone. It’s called the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, and it combines a modest spec bump with a host of new software tricks and elements, including some ported from the Galaxy edge line.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 magnify feature

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 magnify feature

It feels like an augmented smartphone compared against its predecessor, the Galaxy Note5. Maybe that’s why Samsung skipped the Note 6 for the Note 7. Officially, it’s a branding move to bring the Note series in line with the other Samsung 7s; including the S7, S7 edge, and Notebook 7 devices. This is more than an evolutionary update.

S Pen

At the highest level, the Note 7 merges the S Pen with the Edge UX. It has both capabilities, woven into Android 6.0.1. Samsung put its attention to improving the S Pen this time, with two new Air Command actions: magnify and translate.

Magnify works as it’s named, enlarging a portion of the display at the pen tip. Samsung obviously had business users and unwieldy PDFs in mind here, but it works anywhere, including images, exposing otherwise hidden details, and the camera viewfinder.

Translation is based on Google’s Translate API, and it translates from 38 languages, and to 71 (the discrepancy is based on word spacing in certain languages, which can throw off Google Translate).

Also new to the S Pen is a GIF creation and editing tool through Smart Select, which works by recording a portion of the display into 15 second clips (no word on the number of frames per second). And Samsung added the ability to pin those screen-off memos we loved on the Note5 to the always-on display we loved on the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. Finally, Samsung refined its literal note-taking capabilities by combining Action Memo with S Note to make for a cleaner note interface.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 S Pen works underwater.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 S Pen works underwater.

Samsung altered the physical S Pen by moving the button up the shaft (to prevent accidental presses), and refining the .7mm magnetic tip with more screen grip, making it feel more like pen on paper than previous Notes. It now supports 4,096 points of pressure, and measures 4.25 x .22 inches, weighing 3 grams (just .0066 pounds).

In testing, the new S Pen felt great. The button placement eliminates one of our biggest complaints about previous S Pens, and the added friction provides a little more control for note taking and scribbling.

Maybe Note artists will disagree, but the added pressure seems like overkill to us (we couldn’t discern any difference in use), but compared side-by-side with the Note5 S Pen, the Note 7 S Pen provides a better overall experience. And it’s impossible to insert backwards, fixing a flaw that affected early Note5 models.

The Note 7 and S Pen are both IP68 rated for water resistance, meaning the S Pen works underwater. This is ideal for certain use cases outside of pools and underwater Pokemon Go. Think of field workers outside in the rain, delivery persons, and caterers on a job site. Touchscreens don’t work with a wet finger or wet display, but Note 7 users will still be able to navigate the device using the S Pen.

Note Curves

Samsung simplified its overall Android TouchWiz navigation scheme, making it flick and swipe based. This is part of an effort to improve one-handed operation — no easy task considering the Note 7’s large 5.7-inch display.

The Galaxy Note 7 has a sleek and symmetrical design.

The Galaxy Note 7 has a sleek and symmetrical design.

Helping in that task are the curved edges, which result in a thinner smartphone (about .1 inches thinner than the Note5), and the symmetrical design. The smartphone feels entirely rounded, while the front and back pieces are identically sized and shaped. It’s very sleek, measuring 6 x 2.9 x .3 inches, and weighing .37 pounds.  And those willing to shirk a protective case (brave souls!) will find it easier to grip than any previous Galaxy Note handset.

The Note 7 is the first Galaxy to feature USB Type-C for data and charging, and sports an iris scanner. Otherwise the hardware isn’t much different from the 2015 Galaxies. The Note 7 has either a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 or Samsung Exynos 8890 processor, 4GB RAM, and 5.7-inch 1440 x 2560 Super AMOLED display. It has the same excellent camera as the S7 and S7 edge (now with HDR video), and ships with 64GB capacity (up from 32GB), supports microSD cards, and has a 3500 battery with Quick Charge and wireless charging.

Iris Security

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 iris scanner

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 iris scanner

The iris scanner acts as another form of biometric security (the fingerprint reader is still there). It has a dedicated camera and is based on infrared LED, meaning it can work in low-light conditions. After initial setup, it can also work through eye glasses. Samsung included two safety precautions: it only scans for 9 seconds at a time, and it won’t scan if it senses the face is too close to the camera.

We didn’t get a chance to test it out during our brief hands-on time, but it worked quickly and flawlessly in demos. Samsung even included a fun on-screen iris camera overlay, giving the entire feature a sci-fi vibe.  

The iris scanner pairs with Samsung’s new Secure Folder. This is an uber-locked section hiding behind an additional security layer where users can store sensitive and private materials, including emails, notes, pictures, and even apps. Its security is entirely user-focused; not even a corporate IT department can access or disable it. Here users can keep banking apps or even an email app tied to a private account. It’s an interesting approach to security, given the IT focus of similar features. We look forward to testing its limits when we have a demo unit in the NotebookReview test lab.

New Gear VR

The Note 7 launches alongside a new Gear VR, which is much like the old Gear VR. Samsung slightly altered its VR headset, giving it more padding and a longer headstrap for added comfort, along with a bottom connector for future peripherals. It also slightly expanded the field of view from 96 to 101 degrees. It supports now both USB Type-C and microUSB through swappable dongles, making it backward compatible, and it’s available in “blue black.”

Samsung Galaxy Note 7

Samsung Galaxy Note 7

Price & Availability

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 launches August 19, with preorders beginning August 3. It will be available in blue coral, silver titanium, and black onyx for AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, and Verizon Wireless. Pricing has not yet been revealed, but previous Samsung Galaxy flagships ranged in price from about $670 to $800 at launch.

Samsung has a Note 7 promotion, offering up a new Gear Fit 2 fitness band or 256GB microSD card with preorders.

The new Gear VR is also launching August 19, for $99 (same as the previous Gear VR). The previously-announced Gear 360 VR camera is launching August 19 alongside it for $349.

Bottom Line

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 looks like the next great smartphone, and it’s certainly more than the slightly upgraded specs suggest. We called the S7 edge “near perfect,” and raved that the Note5 “excels at just about everything it does.” Think of the Galaxy Note 7 as a slicker S7 edge with a larger display and S Pen productivity.

Of its new features, Secure Folder impresses the most. We can imagine Apple cursing Samsung, wishing instead the brains at Cupertino thought of it first. So in addition to its literal edges, our early time with it suggests the Note 7 has the figurative edge in a very competitive smartphone market.

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Samsung Galaxy S7 edge Review: Near Perfect

The Samsung Galaxy edge smartphones are unquestionably the most attractive on the market. The sloped display edges literally turn heads, and Android icons almost appear to float on the AMOLED screen.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge is a stunning smartphone.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge is a stunning smartphone.

The problem is that the edges have limited utility. Sure, Samsung offers Edge panels, Edge feeds, and Edge lighting, all of which are novel and unique to the design, but those features – despite improving the general aesthetics – have done little to justify the premium price of the Galaxy edge.

With a move to make its smartphones more useful, evident by the returning microSD card slot and waterproofing, Samsung attempts to give its edge screen some more practicality through third-party edges and increased pixel space.

Does it work, or is the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge just another pretty and expensive smartphone?

Please note, the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge is very similar to the Galaxy S7 that launches alongside it. The S7 is slightly smaller, with a 5.1-inch screen, and does not have the edge display, but it’s otherwise the same smartphone. Much of what’s written here applies to it as well.

Build and Design

Those in the smartphone market owe it to themselves to look at the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge. It has all the hallmarks of a Samsung smartphone, but with a slicker design. It has a metal-and-glass build with the curved display and contoured back edges that make it easier to grip than similarly-sized devices. It’s cool to the touch, and even though the glass is slipperier than the textured or rubberized plastic found on “grippier” smartphones, it shrugs off smudges and fingerprints better than expected.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge has a glass back that can be tough to grip.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge has a glass back that can be tough to grip.

The Android smartphone measures 5.94 x 2.85 x .30 inches and weighs 5.5 ounces, making it slightly thicker and heavier than the S6 edge and S6 edge+. This is actually good news, because with the added bulk come a larger battery than previous Galaxy S edges, and a microSD card slot. As we’ve stated in the past, utility trumps design, especially when the sacrifices are measured in fractions of an inch and ounce.

The familiar oblong home button returns, doubling as a fingerprint sensor and is bordered by the recent-apps and back softkeys, just under the display. The 5-megapxiel front camera sits above the display, to the right of the earpiece, with proximity sensors and status light to the left. The back houses the flash and heart-rate sensor, just right of the 12-megapixel rear camera and above carrier and Samsung branding.

A metal ring surrounds the device edges, with the two-button volume controls on the left side, and power button on the right. This is preferable to other devices with have the power volume rocker on the same edge, which too often leads to accidental power button pressings.

Left to right on the bottom are the 3.5mm audio jack, microUSB charger/data port, microphone and speaker. The microphone and SIM/microSD card tray sit on the top.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge is IP68 rated for dust and water resistance. Samsung claims it can technically survive in up to five feet of water for up to 30 minutes. Users will likely find it beneficial for shrugging off spills and rain. We dunked our review unit in about a foot of water a few times, used it in the rain, and spilled liquids all over it, and it powered through like nothing happened. Some users have reported that the S7 edge won’t charge if it detects moisture in the USB port, at least not until it dries. We didn’t experience this, but it makes sense as a protective measure against water damage.

Unfortunately, the S7 edge is not drop resistant. It feels solid and is definitely well-crafted, but it’s glass-covered. It could survive a drop or two (or three), but even a Gorilla Glass 4 display will shatter with enough force. As much as we hate covering up such an attractive device, a protective case should be the first accessory any S7 edge owner buys.

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge microUSB

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge microUSB

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge power button

Display

The S7 edge has a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED Gorilla Glass 4 display that stretches across the front and bends slightly at the landscape edges, revealing a very slim bezel. For all intents and purposes, it’s a curved display with a 2560 x 1440 resolution and 534 pixels per inch.

The always-on display shows basic info.

The always-on display shows basic info.

Samsung hasn’t upped the pixel count from its 2015 smartphones, but the S7 edge is no worse for it. Anyway, the next step up would be in the range of 4K. A 4K display may benefit the Samsung Gear VR, which suffers from some pixilation, but it’s overkill for most users, and it would drive the price up and battery life down.

Even without 4K, Samsung displays are still the best on the market, and the S7 edge looks stunning with deep blacks and vibrant colors. Brightness is ample, and the S7 edge cuts through glare as well as any other device we’ve tested. One drawback of AMOLED is that whites appear a bit dirty, and there’s a bit of that here. Samsung offers a display setting that applies a sepia tone for those that like things a bit warmer.

Samsung added a new “always-on” mode to the S7 and the S7 edge. Users can toggle it on and off in the settings, and when activated it displays a calendar with meeting dates highlighted, clock with basic alerts, or screen saver-like image. No private information, like message content or meeting attendees, is ever displayed, and it’s based around the S7 edge’s light sensor. This way it can shut off when it senses the smartphone is in a pocket, or dim when it’s bedside.

It’s far from a necessary feature, but it’s well implemented and has a very minimal effect on the battery (Samsung tells us that it has an approximate 1% effect). We kept it on for the screen saver images alone, as they look very cool. Thanks to AMOLED’s deep blacks, the image patterns appear stamped into the glass.

Edge Features

CNN's Edge panel

CNN’s Edge panel

Of course, the S7 edge gets its name from the series of features that take advantage of the sloped display. Collectively managed through the “Edge screen” portion of the settings menu, they include Edge panels, Edge feeds, Edge lighting, and Night Clock.

These all function similarly as they have with previous edge devices. The Edge feed is a thin data scroll with news headlines, missed alerts, sports scores, and other basic information, which is activated via a quick finger slide along the display edge while the phone is powered down. Like the always-on display, it looks neat but offers little utility. A quick tap of the power button also reveals any missed alerts, and news ticker truncates too many headlines to be very informative. Night Clock is similar in that it displays a dimly-lit clock on the same edge during specified hours.

Those that actually use a smartphone as a phone will appreciated Edge lighting. When activated and the smartphone flipped on its display, the edge emits a light wave to indicate incoming calls. A 2-second press of the heart rate monitor rejects the call and sends a user-defined and automated text message. It works flawlessly.

Finally, Samsung tweaked the Edge panels for the S7 edge, doubling the pixel-width to 550, providing more screen real estate for shortcuts and info. People edge and App edge return with shortcuts for contacts and apps. Samsung added new edges for weather, stocks, and place-specific shortcuts like home and work. The standouts here are the new Quick Tools, which includes a compass, ruler, and flashlight shortcut, and the new Tasks edge, which includes quick shortcuts for taking selfies, adding calendar items, setting alarms, and the like. Samsung also opened it up to third parties like Yahoo and CNN for news bits and sports scores. This works much better than the Edge feed news ticker, as there is enough space for the whole headline along with a small image.

There’s enough here that users will find something of use, and it’s certainly better than previous edge implementations. Most on the NotebookReview team rely on their phone as an alarm clock, so we particularly liked the Night Clock. Quick Tools is another thoughtful addition. We’ve never needed a smartphone compass, but if we ever get lost in the woods we’ll be happy it’s there. But the entire edge experience needs refinement. It’s a classic case of feature creep, with some redundancies with the always-on display.

Samsung has a history of fine tuning features. TouchWiz was a bloated mess with the Galaxy S5 before Samsung scaled it back with the S6. Same goes with the S Pen and Note series. Samsung did a great job incorporating Pen functions into workflows with the Note5, making it feel like a natural extension of Android.

As with any and all smartphones, the S7 edge speakers are suitable for personal use, but not much more. The sound has a decent fullness to it on the low end, but it’s tinny on the high. As we often state, smartphone speakers are the last thing that should sway a buying decision because they are all various levels of “good enough.”

In the Box

The S7 edge ships with a fast charger, earbud headphones, and a microUSB-to-full adapter. The headphones are high quality, as far as these things go, with basic media controls and an extra set of rubber tips. The USB adapter is specifically useful for Android smartphone owners. In fact, it’s a must-own accessory. Thanks to Android’s USB hosting ability, the S7 edge can support a USB mouse, keyboard, external hard drive, and wired gamepad, even an Xbox 360 controller. We love it when manufacturers include unexpected extras (often in the form of a plastic case) and Samsung is the first we’ve seen to include this handy adapter.

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Samsung Galaxy S7 edge Adds Pixels and Utility to Its Curve: Hands On

Previous Samsung Galaxy edge smartphones have been the best-looking on the market. The problem is that their defining trait, the Edge screen, doesn’t provide much outside of aesthetic appeal. Sure, it can function as an information ticker or shortcut for apps and contacts, but it ultimately proves redundant to Android’s homescreens, widgets, and notifications.

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge Yahoo Edge display

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge Yahoo Edge display

Samsung hopes to change that with the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge. For starters, Samsung is extending the Edge display to 550 pixels, doubling the previous pixel count. This will add an extra row of app and contact shortcuts, and allow for vertically oriented notifications and information, rather than horizontal. The effect here is very reminiscent of Windows 10’s live tiles.

Samsung is also opening up the Edge to third parties, like CNN and Yahoo, for news alerts and sports scores. Perhaps more useful, it’s adding a contextual Edge to deliver alerts based on location, like work and home.

The Three Edges

The Samsung S7 edge features a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED display with a 2560 x 1440 resolution and 534 pixels per inch. Size-wise, it slots between the 5.1-inch S6 edge and 5.7-inch S6 edge+, with all three having the same resolution. The S7 edge has Samsung’s new “always on” display, which function exactly the same here as it does on the S7, providing basic alerts and information with consideration for privacy. For example, it won’t reveal text or email details, just the arrival of a new message. It’s based around the S7 edge’s light sensor, and will dim bedside at night, or turn off when stuffed in a pocket.

The S7 edge has the familiar and oblong Samsung home button, which doubles as a fingerprint sensor, and the Android smartphone is IP68 rated for water and dust resistance. Technically it can survive up to 30 minutes in up to 5 feet of water. Though one expects Samsung had protection against rain and splashes in mind, not underwater use.

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge "always-on" display

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge “always-on” display

The S7 edge measures 5.94 x 2.85 x .30 inches and weighs 5.5 ounces, making it the thickest and heaviest of the three recent Edge smartphones, but not by much. It has a metal and glass build that feels premium, and a contoured back to aid grip and one-handed operation.

With the added fractions of an inch comes utility. The S7 edge has a microSD card slot that supports up to 200GB, which adds expandable storage that can mounted as internal for both apps and media thanks to its Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system. It also has the largest battery of the three by a big margin, at 3600mAh. It supports both wired and wireless fast charging, and Samsung claims it can hit 50% power in 30 minutes.

The S7 edge shares many specs and features with the Galaxy S7, which Samsung is launching alongside it at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Samsung is offering only one capacity option, 32GB and 4GB of RAM. It has a Quad-core 2.15GHz + 1.6GHz processor, either a Qualcomm or Exynos depending on the region, but Samsung has yet to specify which specific processor, only claiming the CPU is 37% faster and the GPU is 64% faster compared to the S6.

VR Support

It’s likely Samsung pushed the GPU with virtual reality and the Samsung Gear VR in mind. Like the S7, the S7 edge supports the latest Gear VR, and that also means it retains a microUSB 2.0 input for data and charging instead of USB Type-C, which might disappoint those looking for the latest and greatest in a flagship.

Samsung is also launching a small and round VR camera dubbed the Samsung Gear 360, with aims to bring VR content creation to every-day users. No word on cost, or when the portable rig will ship (Q2 2016 is the official date), but Samsung stressed that users would be able to easily create 360-degree VR video and stills for sharing on Facebook and YouTube.

That doesn’t mean Samsung is ignoring mobile gaming in favor of the new thing. The S7 edge has a series gamer-focused features, including a battery saving mode that throttles game framerates as a means of saving juice, a “do not disturb” mode for gaming sessions, live recording for services like Twitch and YouTube Gaming, and Vulkan API support (along with the S7, the first in a smartphone).

Better in Low Light

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge

Samsung Galaxy S7 edge

The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge sports a 12-megapixel rear “dual pixel” camera, and a 5-megapixel front-facing shooter. Both have an f1.7 aperture, which is 25% more than the f1.9 found on the S6 and S6 edge. This should improve low-light performance, as should the larger individual pixels found on the sensor.

The 2015 Galaxy smartphones have a 16-megapixel sensor, but for the 2016 flagship Samsung decided to use larger pixels which are more sensitive to light. Larger pixels take up more space, so there are fewer of them, resulting in the resolution reduction.

If the demos we witnessed during some hands-on time with the S7 edge are any indication, it’s worth it. The S7 edge was able to produce clear pictures with minimal noise in conditions that would strain any other smartphone currently on the market.

It focuses fast too. That’s thanks to the “dual pixels,” with each doubling as a picture and focus pixel, giving the S7 edge 100% focus coverage. Less than 1% of the S6 edge’s pixels were focus pixels, and Samsung claims the S7 edge can focus two to three times faster.

Other Specs

The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge has just about everything else you expect on a Samsung smartphone, including Samsung Pay with both NFC and MST support, Samsung Knox, and the TouchWiz Android skin. It supports 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac dual-band Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth v4.2 LE. Samsung has yet to confirm which LTE bands it supports, or GSM and CDMA connectivity options.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge will ship in Black Onyx, Gold Platinum, or Silver Titanium beginning March 11. It will be available from Sprint, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and U.S. Cellular, as well as BestBuy, Car Toys, Sam’s Club, Staples, Target, and Walmart. Preorders begin February 23.

Samsung is offering a great deal for those that preorder the Galaxy S7 edge: a free Gear VR headset. It costs $100 otherwise, and this is in addition to whatever incentives the carriers are offering. Samsung is also including six free games with the Gear VR, which isn’t cheap considering they typically run up to and exceeding $10 each.

The AT&T Samsung Galaxy S7 edge costs $795, which works out to $26.50 for 30 months.

Sprint’s pricing is a bit more complicated. It’s charging $31.25 per month for 24 months, which works out to $750. However, Sprint is also offering a Galaxy Forever deal, which costs $30.50 per month for 24 months with the option to upgrade after 12 months to what will likely be the Galaxy S8 edge. Also, Sprint is offering a buy-one-get-one-one-half-off deal, and extending its Cut Your Bill in Half promotion to March 31. In addition Sprint will pay up to $650 in termination fees for those breaking contracts with AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon.

T-Mobile is charging $780, and including a free year of Netflix for those that preorder. T-Mobile will also pick up any fees for those looking to switch from another carrier. For customers going the installment route, it’s $32.50 per month for 24 months.

Verizon still has not announced pricing, but it’s offering two bundles for the S7 edge: a case (up to $39.99), screen protector (up to $34.99), and 32GB microSD card, all for $79.99; or a wireless charging stand, fast-charging car charger, and fast charging portable battery back for $100. Like sprint, Verizon will cover up to $650 in fees for those switching carriers to Verizon, and is offering an additional 2GB of data to customers on plans up to and exceeding Verizon Plan XL.

US Cellular is also charging $780 for the S7 edge, which works out to $32.50 per month for 24 months. US Cellular is also offering a contract plan, with the S7 edge costing $299 with a two-year agreement.

Best Buy is also offering contract plans for Sprint and Verizon, also for $299 for two years, and offering preorders a 64GB microSD card.

Comparing the two, the S7 edge is approximately $100 more expensive than the S7 overall.

Overall we are pleased with the move towards a more handy Edge display, and the return of both microSD and waterproofing. The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge has the potential to be one of the most useful and most attractive smartphones on the market. That’s a killer combo. And S6 edge and S6 edge+ owners shouldn’t feel too jealous. Samsung all but confirmed the extended Edge display will arrive on the older smartphones as part of an update. We will have a review soon on Brighthand.

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Samsung Galaxy S7 Brings Back Expandable Storage, Waterproofing: Hands On

A more useful smartphone is a better smartphone. Samsung realizes this, and that smartphone utility goes as far to defining “premium” as does a polished design, knock-out display, and fun features.

Look at the new Samsung Galaxy S7 as evidence. Samsung’s latest, launched alongside the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, embraces elements Samsung ditched in previous generations, notably microSD expansion (up to 200GB) and waterproofing.

Expandable Storage

Samsung Galaxy S7 features a microSD card slot and waterproof design

Samsung Galaxy S7 features a microSD card slot and waterproof design

Smartphone reviewer and user complaints aside, Samsung has a very good reason to bring back the microSD slot. The Galaxy S7 ships with Android 6.0 Marshmallow, which allows users to mount a microSD card as internal storage for both media and apps. This is likely what Samsung had in mind when deciding to ship the S7 and S7 edge with only one capacity option: 32GB on board and 4GB of RAM.

Samsung is thankfully bucking the recent trend of offering multiple storage options, but including more RAM with the larger capacities. Huawei recently did this with the Mate 8, shipping a 32GB version with 3GB RAM, and a more expensive 64GB with 4GB. A 32GB external microSD card costs less than $10, but OEMs charge upwards of $100 for the same internal upgrade. Added RAM is a sly means of getting customers to buy the more expensive device.

Kudos to Samsung for not doing this.

Looks like a Galaxy

The Samsung Galaxy S7 doesn’t diverge stylistically from recent Samsung handsets. It sports a glass and metal build, with a contoured back similar to the Note5. That’s a good thing, as it slightly aids grip and one-handed usage. Samsung’s oblong home button returns, doubling as a fingerprint sensor, and it sits between the capacitive back and all apps keys under the display.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 offers IP68 certified for dust and water resistance, meaning that it can technically survive being five feet underwater for up to 30 minutes. Users will find it more useful for preventing spill damage, or when caught in the rain. Hopefully, this won’t mean the end for the excellent “active” Galaxy variants we’ve seen in the past, as those offer a removable battery and physical buttons in a more rugged build.

Also returning is the microUSB 2.0 charging and data port. By now we’d like to see all flagship smartphones ship with USB Type-C, but there’s a good reason the S7 doesn’t have one. Just like the S6, S6 edge, S6 edge+, Note5, and new S7 edge, the Galaxy S7 supports the latest Samsung Gear VR headset, which connects via microUSB. Considering we claimed the Gear VR is the second accessory Samsung smartphone owners should buy after a protective case, we won’t complain too loudly about the old port.

Samsung is also launching a small and round VR camera dubbed the Samsung Gear 360, with aims to bring VR content creation to every-day users. No word on cost, or when the portable rig will ship (Q2 2016 is the official date), but Samsung stressed that users would be able to easily create 360-degree VR video and stills for sharing on Facebook and YouTube.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 looks a lot like the Galaxy S6

The Samsung Galaxy S7 looks a lot like the Galaxy S6

The Samsung Galaxy S7 measures 5.6 x 2.74 x .31 inches, and weighs 5.36 ounces, making it slightly thicker and heavier than the Galaxy S6. Users will be hard pressed to tell the differences, though, and it’s the tradeoff for a microSD card slot and bigger battery. The S7 sports a 3,000mAh non-replaceable battery, about 450mAh larger than the S6’s. The S7 supports quick charging that provides 50% battery in 30 minutes, both wired and wirelessly.

Same Display, But Different

The Samsung Galaxy S7 has a 2560 x 1440 Super AMOLED display with "alway-on" feature

The Samsung Galaxy S7 has a 2560 x 1440 Super AMOLED display with “alway-on” feature

The 5.1-inch Super AMOLED display packs 2560 x 1440 pixels (577 pixels per inch), which is identical to the S6.  New to the S7 is an “always on” feature that delivers basic information, alerts, and notifications. It’s important to note that these will not be the same as standard Android alerts given the security concern present. For instance, instead of displaying a sender’s name or subject line in an email alert, the always-on display will simply notify an email has arrived.

The always-on display can be toggled off in the settings, and Samsung reps claimed it only affects the battery by approximately 1%. Unlike some smartwatch always-on displays that have a motion component and turn on with a flick of the wrist upward as the user looks at the watch, the S7’s is based around the light sensor. It will dim bedside in a dark room, and it will turn off when it senses it’s in a pocket. Of course, users can also just flip the smartphone over display-side down if they want to avoid a distraction.

Camera Improvements

Samsung smartphones have some of the best camera output on the market, and Samsung is pushing things further with the S7, with improvements to low-light performance and focus speed. The lens goes from F1.9 aperture on the S6 to F1.7 on both the front and rear shooters. The front cameras remains at 5 megapixels, but the rear goes from 16 megapixels on the S6, to 12 megapixels. Here’s why. Samsung has increased the individual pixel size 56%, making them more sensitive to light and better able to perform in low-light situations. So while the images will have a lower resolution, low-light shots will look much better with less noise and more detail and color.

The camera will focus faster as well, based on what we witnessed in demos. Samsung claims it will be two to three times faster than the S6 thanks to the S7’s “Dual Pixel sensor” in which each and every pixel doubles as a focus pixel. By comparison, less than 1% of the S6 pixels were focus pixels.

Other Specs

The Samsung Galaxy S7 has a metal and glass build with contoured back design

The Samsung Galaxy S7 has a metal and glass build with contoured back design

Other specs will be familiar to Samsung smartphone owners. Both Knox and Samsung Pay are on board, and the S7 supports NFC and MST for payments, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v4.2 LE, and LTE. Samsung has yet to announce which specific bands it supports, if it’s Cat. 6 or Cat. 9 LTE, in addition to any details regarding unlocked versions with CDMA and GSM support. The camera also has optical image stabilization.

We don’t know the specific processor. Samsung claims that depending on the region it sports a Qualcomm or Samsung Exynos quad-core 2.15GHz + 1.6GHz processor, giving it a 37% speed boost over the S6.

The GPU is a mystery too, but Samsung states it will provide a 64% boost over the S6. While mobile gaming will certainly benefit, it’s more likely Samsung was thinking of the Gear VR, as those VR titles are much more demanding than most Google Play Store titles.

Gaming is also the focus of new S7 features, including a game launcher with power savings mode that toggles game framerate down from 60 frames per second to 30 in order to conserve battery. The S7 will record gameplay in real time for services like YouTube Gaming and Twitch, introduces a gaming “do not disturb” mode, and it will support Vulkan API for game developers, a first in smartphones.

Price and Availability

The Samsung Galaxy S7 will be available in Black Onyx and Gold Platinum on March 11 from AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, and U.S. Cellular, as well as Best Buy, Car Toys, Sam’s Club, Staples, Target and Walmart.  Preorders begin February 23.

Samsung is offering a great deal for those that preorder the Galaxy S7: a free Gear VR headset. It costs $100 otherwise, and this is in addition to whatever incentives the carriers are offering. Samsung is also including six free games with the Gear VR, which isn’t cheap considering they typically run up to and exceeding $10 each.

The AT&T Samsung Galaxy S7 costs $695, which works out to $23.17 for 30 months.

Sprint’s pricing is a bit more complicated. It’s charging $27.09 per month for 24 months, which works out to $650.16. However, Sprint is also offering a Galaxy Forever deal, which costs $25.99 per month for 24 months with the option to upgrade after 12 months to what will likely be the Galaxy S8. Also, Sprint is offering a buy-one-get-one-one-half-off deal, and extending its Cut Your Bill in Half promotion to March 31. In addition Sprint will pay up to $650 in termination fees for those breaking contracts with AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon.

T-Mobile is charging $670, and including a free year of Netflix for those that preorder. T-Mobile will also pick up any fees for those looking to switch from another carrier. For customers going the installment route, it’s $27.92 per month for 24 months.

Verizon still has not announced pricing, but it’s offering two bundles for the S7: a case (up to $39.99), screen protector (up to $34.99), and 32GB microSD card, all for $79.99; or a wireless charging stand, fast-charging car charger, and fast charging portable battery back for $100. Like Sprint, Verizon will cover up to $650 in fees for those switching carriers to Verizon, and is offering an additional 2GB of data to customers on plans up to and exceeding Verizon Plan XL.

US Cellular is charging $672 for the S7, which works out to $28 per month for 24 months. US Cellular is also offering a contract plan, with the S7 costing $199 with a two-year agreement.

Best Buy is also offering contract plans for Sprint and Verizon, also for $199 for two years, and offering preorders a 64GB microSD card.

Comparing the two, the S7 edge is approximately $100 more expensive than the S7 overall.

Overall, it looks like an impressive return to form for what is arguably the premier Android flagship. We are encouraged Samsung is improving overall utility, and not focused on unnecessary TouchWiz tweaks and flashy features. Brief hands-on time suggests that this is a smartphone built as much for work as it is for play. Brighthand will have a full review of the new Android-powered Samsung Galaxy S7 soon.

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