The LG G5 Impresses with Brilliant Modular Design and VR Headset: Hands On

Posted on by Brighthand Staff

LG’s latest Android flagship is a show stopper. With a clean effortless aesthetic, strong specs and a brilliant modular design the LG G5 is the complete package. What’s even better is that LG can continue to add new functionality and features via the modular design. Having revealed a cornucopia of new accessories alongside the handset, it’s clear that LG is serious about supporting the G5 with new peripherals, and the team at NotebookReview can’t wait to see LG comes up with next.

Premium Feel

The LG G5 is a modular Android smartphone.

The LG G5 is a modular Android smartphone.

We can’t resist the urge to start talking about the way the LG G5 looks and feels given all of the insane changes coming to LG’s newest flagship. But sometimes it’s the simplest things that can have the biggest impact. LG has moved away from some its more unique elements to opt for a more traditional metallic unibody design. While some may miss the leather back of the LG G4 (I personally don’t), the G5 unquestionably feels like a high-end device.

Measuring 149.4 x 73.9 x 7.7mm with a 5.3-inch display, the LG G5 fits comfortably in hand, making it easy to hold and navigate. The beveled glass on the face of the phone flows cleanly into the body. There are no disruptive lines or noticeable breaks, save for where LG has implemented its new modular design component. Similar to the Nexus 6P, the LG G5 has a fingerprint scanner on the back of the phone just below its dual-mounted cameras. As with the 6P, the LG G5’s scanner also doubles as a power button when compressed. Users will also have a full selection of colors to choose from as the LG G5 will be made available in Silver, Titan, Gold and Pink. All of this results in a full metal body design looks smooth, simplistic and elegant.

The Power of Modular Design

Thanks to the modular design, the LG G5 has a removable battery.

Thanks to the modular design, the LG G5 has a removable battery.

Despite looking like a traditional high-end flagship, the LG G5 is anything but. One aspect that truly sets the LG G5 apart from other flagships on the market is its new modular design. The bottom portion of the phone’s body can be removed to access things such as the phone’s battery (which is removable) and card slots.

While that in itself is great, it’s the additional modular add-ons or “friends” as LG is calling them, that really excite us about this phone. Adding in additional components may sound overly complicated, but everything snapped in quickly and it only took a few seconds to attach or remove, during our time with the “friends” on display at Mobile World Congress.

The first plug-in module that LG showed off was the LG Camera Plus, which acts as an external camera grip, making it easier to take photographs with your phone. Additionally the plugin also comes equipped extra battery power, expanding the battery from 2,800mAh to 4,000mAh.

The LG Hi-Fi Plus is an audio-focused "friend."

The LG Hi-Fi Plus is an audio-focused “friend.”

The camera accessory comes complete with a physical shutter button, a dedicated video recording button, an LED indicator and zoom device. This add-on isn’t necessarily game-changing, as you’re still using the same cameras embedded in the device, but it certainly improves the overall use, making it easier to hold and use the phone as a camera and helping to expand its battery life by 6 to 8 hours, according LG.

LG also showed off the LG Hi-Fi Plus, an external 32-bit DAC and amplifier combo unit, which was developed in collaboration with Bang & Olufsen. While this modular unit doesn’t change the physical dimensions of the device, it does upscale the audio (from any app producing sound)  and ships with a pair of H3 Bang and Olufsen earphones.

The partnership with Bang & Olufsen is potentially the first of many, as LG has opened its modular component to third party developers, meaning that it’s likely that consumers can expect similarly branded modules over the next few months.

Always-On Display

The LG G5 has an always-on display.

The LG G5 has an always-on display.

The LG G5’s display is actually a bit smaller than its predecessor at 5.3-inches, but manages to offer the same QHD (2,560 x 1,440) for a pixel density of 554ppi. The screen looks great and held up really well under the heavy lights on the Mobile World Congress showroom floor. However, the most impressive feature of the display is its always-on functionality. Similar to Samsung’s newly announced Galaxy S7, the LG G5 will be able to constantly illuminate a small part of the screen, making it possible to check the time or receive updates without powering on the full display.

The Power to Back it Up

In addition to its clean aesthetic and flexible modular design, the LG G5 packs quite a punch. We only had a few minutes with the handset, but it performed incredibly well. Applications loaded instantly and navigation was smooth without a hitch. That doesn’t really come as a surprise though, consider the LG G5 is powered by Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 820 SoC, with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of on-board storage with up to 2TB of microSD storage. The device runs on Android 6.0 and the default battery is 2,800 mAh. The device also sports of pair of new cameras. One has a 75 degree Field of View (FoV) and a 16MP sensor, while the other has a 135 degree FoV and a 8MP sensor. The cameras can be used independently, toggled between on the fly or used simultaneously.

Complete with VR

The LG 360 VR is a slim mobile VR headset.

The LG 360 VR is a slim mobile VR headset.

The LG 360 VR headset also caught our attention. Unlike other mobile VR solutions such as Samsung Gear VR, the LG 360 VR headset is a fully separate head-mounted display. The headset is tethered via a USB-Type C cable, where it feeds the data directly to two 1.88-inch 960 x 720 displays. The display offer easy turn-style calibration so that users can adjust them perfectly to their sight. Despite having a difference design from the Gear VR, the experience is actually somewhat similar. Users can navigate by turning their head or using the directional buttons located along the top right of the visor. The headset has been developed in partnership with Google, meaning that YouTube 360 and other Google Cardboard apps work right out of the gate.

The LG 360 VR is also comfortable to wear.

The LG 360 VR is also comfortable to wear.

The biggest selling point for the independent design is size and weight. Because the LG 360 VR doesn’t have to hold a smartphone, it’s a lot slimmer and more stylized than the Gear VR. At only 100 grams it’s actually quite comfortable to wear.

We’re blown away by the LG G5. With a clean aesthetic, brilliant modular design and powerful specs, it delivers a complete package. The one thing that may be a bit worrying is the slightly smaller battery. The always-on display feature should help to augment battery-life provided users turn to it instead of powering on the device, but we’re still skeptical. The good news is that the battery is removable, so a beefier battery “friend” is all it takes to fix the issue.

Unfortunately LG has yet to set an official G5 release date, or provide specific pricing details.

The post The LG G5 Impresses with Brilliant Modular Design and VR Headset: Hands On appeared first on Brighthand.com.

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

Posted on by Jamison Cush

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.

The post Samsung Galaxy S7 edge Adds Pixels and Utility to Its Curve: Hands On appeared first on Brighthand.com.

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

Posted on by Jamison Cush

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.

The post Samsung Galaxy S7 Brings Back Expandable Storage, Waterproofing: Hands On appeared first on Brighthand.com.

Honor 5X Review: Huawei’s House Brand Delivers

Posted on by Vince Font

Honor smartphones are the Huawei “house brand” – a line of affordable, value-oriented mobile devices that may not outperform the Samsungs and the iPhones of the world, but that still perform respectably and appeal to casual users who want a functional smartphone but aren’t willing to pay upwards of $700.

The Honor 5X is a $200 phablet from Huawei.

The Honor 5X is a $200 phablet from Huawei.

The Honor 5X is Huawei’s latest mid-range smartphone, a gorgeous devil with a form factor that was supposedly modeled after the Guggenheim Museum in Spain, according to Huawei. That might be a bit of a stretch, but the Honor 5X certainly isn’t hard on the eyes (at least not until you’ve added a protective case). Looks aside, one of the biggest thing the 5X has going for it is price. At just $200, it’s incredibly affordable. But does it stack up against the likes of Apple and Samsung? Keep reading to find out.

Build & Design

The Honor 5X is encased in a curved aluminum alloy body that you can get in one of three colors: sunset gold, dark gray, or daybreak silver. It’s almost a full six inches long, measuring 5.95 x 3 x 0.3 inches, which could make it somewhat unwieldy for those used to smaller phones. Its weight of 0.3 pounds, in addition to its rounded edge design, improve the feeling of comfort in your palm.

The display face is buttonless, relying instead on onscreen capacitive buttons for performing basic Home, Back and Overview navigation. The bottom bezel is thicker than the top bezel, presumably to aid with better handling while cutting down on the occasional fingertip misfires so common with touchscreen mobiles. The top bezel is where you’ll find the 5MP front-facing camera, ear speaker, indicator light and sensors. The side bezels are so thin they’re practically nonexistent.

The Honor 5X has an all-metal back panel.

The Honor 5X has an all-metal back panel.

Rotating the Honor 5X onto its belly reveals the 13MP primary camera lens, an LED flash, and what we consider to be one of this smartphone’s coolest features: its fingerprint ID Sensor, which is ideally positioned for easy one-handed use. We’ll delve into further detail on the fingerprint sensor later.

The bottom edge of the Honor 5X is home to two speakers, one on either side of the standard microUSB (USB 2.0) port for charging and data transfer. Along its top edge, you’ll find a pinhole microphone and 3.5mm headphone jack.

The right edge is home to a one-piece volume rocker and power button. The orientation of buttons is a departure from what we prefer – having one on either side of the device to eliminate accidental power button pushes, rather than being stacked on top of one another – and the positioning of the buttons so close to one another (with the volume rocker above the power button) could pose something of a learning curve.

The left edge of the 5X is where you find another of its big selling points, two side-by-side SIM trays. Both are compatible with nano-SIM, micro-SIM and microSD, and are easily accessed with the included eject tool. Where most dual-SIM phones double up the SIM with the microSD card slot, the Honor 5X doesn’t. This is a most welcome addition.

The Honor 5X has a unique dual-SIM setup.

The Honor 5X has a unique dual-SIM setup.

Display & Speakers

Honor 5X speakers and microUSB 2.0

Honor 5X speakers and microUSB 2.0

The 5.5-inch 1920 x 1080 full HD IPS display is laminated and offers a wide range of viewing angles with minimal glare. Color temperature can be adjusted manually from Settings, but the default view offers a vivid range of colors – 16.7 million, according to Huawei. It’s has 401 pixels per inch, which is lower than the 2015 flagship smartphones that top 500, but the difference is only slightly noticeable when held side by side with something like the Galaxy Note5. The 5X display matches some of 2014’s best smartphones, which makes it good enough, especially considering the Honor 5X price tag.

The speakers, which are located on the bottom edge of the device, deliver crisp audio that doesn’t suffer much from the typical tinniness associated with maxing out the volume level. When turned up all the way, the speakers emit loud enough audio to be heard even in a busy environment. Naturally, the Honor 5X’s audio performance is even better when connected to a set of mini-speakers or earbuds, and volume levels sufficient to damage hearing can be easily produced. (We don’t recommend this.)

The post Honor 5X Review: Huawei’s House Brand Delivers appeared first on Brighthand.com.

Huawei Mate 8 Review: Big Battery, Bigger Build

Posted on by Jamison Cush

Huawei is the number three smartphone vendor in the world, but it’s not well known in the US, where Samsung and Apple dominate. There were good reasons for that in past years. Huawei handsets typically topped out at the mid-range, and carriers were reluctant to offer them on contract. Add to that 2012 privacy and spying concerns raised by a U.S. House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence investigation into Huawei and ZTE, which centered around enterprise communication devices.

The Huawei Mate 8 is a large, all-metal Android smartphone.

The Huawei Mate 8 is a large, all-metal Android smartphone.

But three years later, those concerns have subsided in regards to smartphones (and were probably overhyped to begin with). Look no further than Huawei’s involvement with the Nexus 6P for evidence. In addition, all the major carriers in the US have dropped contracts and largely opened up to unlocked devices, the very kind that Huawei produces.

That leads us to the Huawei Mate 8, an Android phablet Huawei is pushing as its new flagship, complete with fingerprint sensor, Android Marshmallow, and a mammoth battery. Circumstances in the US market now may favor Huawei, but does this phablet deliver the goods? Read on to find out.

Build & Design

The Huawei Mate 8 is a good looking smartphone. It’s large, and all-metal, with a good heft and solid build that implies a quality device.

It measures 6.19 x 3.17 x 0.31 inches and weighs about .4 pounds, making it larger than most phablets. It’s wide, with flat edges, rounded corners, and a slightly rounded back. We found it easier to grip than skinnier phablets, like the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+, but those with small hands will still want to stay away owing to its large size.

The Huawei Mate 8 sports a microUSB 2.0 input.

The Huawei Mate 8 sports a microUSB 2.0 input.

The Mate 8 display size is buttonless, with very thin side bezels. The top bezel is a bit thicker and houses an indicator light, ear speaker, 8-megapixel front camera and various sensors. The bottom bezel is thicker still, and it only features Huawei branding.

Looking at the sides, the top contains the 3.5mm audio jack and pinhole microphone. The bottom sports the microUSB charging and data input, sandwiched between two speakers. The left and right sides house the dual-SIM card slot and the power button as well as the single-piece volume rocker, respectively. Both sides also contain two antenna stripes.

We are not fans of having both the volume rocker and power button on the same side. Even though the power button is slightly textured, it’s still too easy to confuse the two without looking. More than once we almost powered down the device when only looking to lower the volume.

It's too easy to confuse the Mate 8's power button and volume rocker.

It’s too easy to confuse the Mate 8’s power button and volume rocker.

The back panel has the 16-megapixel rear shooter, centered on the upper portion, just above the circular fingerprint sensor and to the right of the dual-LED flash.

Huawei thankfully includes a clear plastic case with the smartphone, and we applaud them for it. Sure, it only offers minimal protection, but it’s perfect for providing peace of mind while users choose a real case. But again, this is a well built smartphone, and the all-metal build suggests it will survive an accidental drop or two.

Display

The Huawei Mate 8 has a metal back.

The Huawei Mate 8 has a metal back.

The Huawei Mate 8 has a 6-inch LCD IPS display with a 1080 x 1920 resolution, which results in 368 pixels per inch. That’s a good number, but it’s not great considering flagships like the Samsung Galaxy Note5 and S6 edge+ top 500 pixels per inch. It’s also outfitted with Corning Gorilla Glass 4 to protect from scratches and cracks. It’s not Moto Shattershield, but it’s the next best thing.

As we’ve stated in past reviews, smartphone displays are no longer a matter of good and bad, but rather good and better. The Mate 8 has a good display, with excellent contrast reminiscent of OLED and bright colors. The whites tend toward the warmer side of things by default, with an almost orange tint (this can be adjusted in the settings), and max brightness is enough to cut through moderate glare. But it’s not the best.

The best are the aforementioned Galaxy displays (as of this writing). Compared against the best, the Mate 8’s limitations are more apparent. The Mate 8 suffers from minor but noticeable pixelation, and the display lacks the fullness of the higher-resolution screens.

It’s the same with the speakers. Isolated, they sound fine and are loud enough for personal use. Compared against other flagships, the Mate 8 sounds limited and muddied, lacking in crispness. Turning to headphones evens things out a bit, and the Mate 8 excels. Of course, smartphone speakers are the opposite of displays in that they are either bad or worse. This is the last thing that should sway a buying decision.

The post Huawei Mate 8 Review: Big Battery, Bigger Build appeared first on Brighthand.com.

Huawei Mate 8, MediaPad M2 Stand Alone as Android Flagships at CES 2016

Posted on by Jamison Cush

Huawei wants to be a major player in the US mobile market, almost as bad as it wants to earn a reputation as a maker of quality devices. This is obvious from its work with Google on the excellent Nexus 6P (which received a gold-colored variant at CES), and from the high-end Huawei Watch from earlier this year.

It’s fortunate for Huawei then that it announced the only flagship-level Android smartphone at CES 2016, along with the only high-end Android tablet. It’s even more fortunate that both seem quite appealing, at least based on our quick hands-on time with them on the show floor.

Huawei Mate 8

Huawei Mate 8

Huawei Mate 8

The Huawei Mate 8 phablet is a classy device. Its all-metal build looks and feels premium, almost like the Nexus 6P without the camera bump. The 6-inch IPS display is the real draw however. It extends nearly edge to edge, and it pops with excellent color and brightness. Despite having a 1920 x 1080 resolution and 367 pixel-per-inch count (the Samsung Galaxy Note5 tops 500 ppi), it certainly passes the eye test. Besides that, flagship smartphone displays are usually either great or really great, with minimal difference between the two.

The Mate 8 weighs about .4 pounds, making it a bit heavier than other phablets. But again, the difference here is slight. Besides, that weight goes to good use in the form of a 4000mAh battery, which is one of the largest we’ve seen on smartphone in some time.

That battery might be the Mate 8’s biggest selling point. Huawei claims it can last two days with normal use. Of course, we’ll have to test it out to be sure, but given its size, we’d be surprised if it didn’t considering its lower display resolution. On top of that, the Mate 8 supports quick charging, which we’ve found can pump in hours of juice with just minutes of charging.

Inside, it has an octa-core Kirin 950 SoC with four 2.3GHz Cortex-A72 cores and four 1.8GHz Cortex-A53 cores along with a Mali T880 GPU. It comes in two flavors: a 32GB model with 3GB of RAM, and a 64GB unit with 4GB of RAM.

The discrepancy here can be explained by its Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) OS. Since it has a microSD card slot (along with dual SIM), users can mount a microSD card as internal storage. So the increased RAM is a means of getting buyers to go with the more expensive unit.

Huawei Mate 8In our brief time with the Mate 8, it ran smoothly and stayed cool. While that’s not surprising, the Mate 8 does have a tweaked version of Android Huawei dubs the Emotion UI, which is one of the heaviest we’ve seen since the earlier days of Samsung TouchWiz. It’s far from stock Android like the Nexus 6P, and those custom UIs have been known to muck things up on other devices. But there is some interesting stuff here, including knuckle-based tricks that turns finger knuckle swipes and taps into a variety of screenshots.

Other specs include a standard microUSB charging input (no USB Type-C here, unfortunately), back-mounted fingerprint reader that doubles as a front-camera selfie snapper, 16-megapixel rear shooter with OIS, and 8-megapixel front camera, both with Sony sensors. And being a dual-SIM device, it supports many global LTE bands.

Huawei claims the Mate 8 will ship in Q1 and it’s definitely coming to the US. Only European pricing was revealed, €600 for the 32GB/3GB RAM unit, and €700 for the 64GB/4GB unit. We actually have a Huawei Mate 8 in house, and will bring you a full review as soon as we can take it through the paces.

MediaPad M2

The Huawei MediaPad M2 is a 10.1-inch tablet, also with a 1920 x 1080 resolution, and two features that set it apart from the Android tablet pack. It has a stylus, and it has four Harman Kardon speakers running along its landscape edges.

Huawei MediaPad M2

Huawei MediaPad M2

Looking at the stylus, Huawei claims it has 2000 points of pressure, though reps couldn’t confirm the pen tech. It’s powered by a AAAA battery, leading us to believe it might be N-trig, given the fact that N-trig pens played nice with Android Honeycomb about five years ago on HTC and Lenovo tablets.

The Harmon Kardon speakers interest us the most, however. Tablet speakers are universally awful, so if the M2 can pump out reasonable sound, Huawei will have a winner. It’s impossible to judge them on a show floor as loud and busy as CES 2016 however, so we’ll reserve judgement.

Other specs include Android 5.1 with Huawei’s custom skin, which includes some pen features reminiscent of Samsung’s Note-specific software, a quad-core Kirin 930 processor running at 2.0GHz, fingerprint sensor on the lower landscape edge that looks just like a home button, and microUSB.

This is another device that is also coming to the US, but we don’t know exactly when. We do know the price. The MediaPad M2 will cost $349 for the 16GB unit with 2GB of RAM (stylus not included), and $469 for the 32GB unit with 3GB of RAM and the stylus.

Elegant and Jewel

Huawei Watch Jewel

Huawei Watch Jewel

Huawei also took the wraps off two new Huawei Watches, the Elegant and the Jewel. These are smaller than the Huawei Watch, with slimmer bands and a rose gold color. Obviously, Huawei is targeting the females with these two.

The Jewel is adorned with Swarovski zirconium and both have new watch faces, but otherwise these Android Wear smartwatches are identical to the Huawei Watch. A recent Android Wear update brings a new feature to all three, however. They can now receive voice calls, broadcasting through a tiny speaker located just under where the watch band connects. The original Huawei Watch already had the speaker (who knew?), and that means they can also pump out music.

Both are set to launch in Q1 at $499 for the Elegant, and $599 for the Jewel.

The post Huawei Mate 8, MediaPad M2 Stand Alone as Android Flagships at CES 2016 appeared first on Brighthand.com.

Who Needs a Flagship? ZTE and LG Leading the Way for Practical Smartphones at CES 2016

Posted on by Jamison Cush

There sure are a lot of mid-range smartphones at CES 2016. Maybe that’s because companies like LG and ZTE want to emulate the success Motorola is experiencing with its Moto G line; or maybe it’s because Mobile World Congress is right around the corner and the new flagships are still under wraps. But either way, a tech showcase that’s typically dominated by cutting-edge consumer electronics is playing host to some very practical mobile hardware.

ZTE Grand X3

ZTE doesn’t have the brand recognition of Samsung or HTC, but the Chinese device maker has been pumping out quality Android handsets for just as long. Its latest, which debuted at CES 2016, is the ZTE Grand X3.

The 5.5-inch Grand X3 has a respectable spec sheet considering its full price of $130. This Cricket-exclusive only has a 1280 x 720 LCD TFT display – far from the Full HD and up we see on today’s flagships, but it still looks decent, approaching AMOLED-levels of brightness.

ZTE Grand X3

ZTE Grand X3

ZTE Grand X3 back panel

ZTE Grand X3 back panel

It sports a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.3GHz processor that handles its Android 5.1.1 (Lollipop) OS very well, resulting in a snappier experience than the 2GB of RAM would suggest. Maybe this is because the Grand X3 is very close to being stock Android. In fact, outside of “back” and “apps” capacitive keys that can be swapped to either side (a possibly useful feature we’ve never seen on Android hardware) we are hard pressed to find any UI tweaks or skins, which makes it all the more appealing.

For capacity, it has a 16GB, along with microSD expansion. If it ever gets Android 6.0 (Marshmallow), users will be able to mount an external card as internal storage. This would be a huge boon for users looking to load this device up with apps and pics.

On that note, it has a 2-megapixel front-facing camera, and 8-megapixel rear. Again, this is not a point-and-shoot replacement, but the camera app has plenty of manual controls for things like ISO and exposure.

Other specs include a removable 3,080mAh battery (another great feature) and USB Type-C input for charging. Here at least, the X3 has recent flagships like the Samsung Galaxy Note5 beat, which still has an aging microUSB 2.0 input.

The Grand X3 is plastic, with a textured back that easy to grip. It’s very light for such a big smartphone.

But again, this is only $130 off contract, with Cricket’s LTE month-to-month service attached. Since Cricket’s parent company was acquired by AT&T in 2014, users should have no trouble finding a high-speed signal.

LG K Series

LG K Series

LG K Series

The LG K Series is similar, with LG launching two handsets at CES 2016: the K7 and the K10. Expect these devices to come to the pre-paid carrier Boost Mobile, which is hosted on Sprint’s network) later in the year.

Device specifics are a bit murkier here, as both handsets will have different specs varying by region.

The K7 is the smaller of the two, with a 5-inch display and 854 x 480 resolution. As with the X3, this is low, but it still looks good enough with a decent brightness and full colors. This will likely be called the Tribute 5 when it does launch on Boost. At least one unit will support LTE and have a 1.1GHz quad-core processor, along with a 5-megapixel front-facing shooter, and 8-megapixel rear. But again, that could change depending on where it is made available.

The K10 is slightly larger, with a 5.3-inch display and 1280×720 resolution. There is an LTE version, with either a quad-core 1.2GHz processor, quad-core 1.3GHz processor, or octa-core 1.14GHz processor.  It will have a flagship-level 8-megapixel front camera, and 13-megapixel rear.

LG K Series back panel

LG K Series back panel

Both phones are plastic and lightweight, but they look good, with what LG describes as a “curved, modern finish” and “2.5D Arc Glass” display. You certainly won’t be ashamed to be seen in public with either. They both ship with Android 5.1.1.

No word on pricing, but they should match or beat the ZTE Grand X3. Again, this is not the most exciting hardware, but it is exciting that these inexpensive smartphones are not far from the $700 flagships currently on the market. In terms of what you can actually do with these devices (text, email, apps, browsing the web, mobile productivity), there is virtually nothing that separates them.

The Moto G owned this category for the past few years, and now Motorola has serious competition in the form of these practical handsets. Stay tuned for some full reviews of the new ZTE and LG Android hardware.

The post Who Needs a Flagship? ZTE and LG Leading the Way for Practical Smartphones at CES 2016 appeared first on Brighthand.com.

Microsoft Lumia 950 XL Review

Posted on by Dragan Petric

To mark the arrival of Windows 10 Mobile, Microsoft has two new premium devices: the Lumia 950 and the Lumia 950 XL. While the name suggests that only size separates the two, the XL has a more powerful chipset, cooling system, and a slightly larger battery, making it the true flagship of the bunch.

The Microsoft Lumia 950 XL has an excellent AMOLED display, but lousy build quality.

The Microsoft Lumia 950 XL has an excellent AMOLED display, but lousy build quality.

With Windows 10 Mobile and support for Windows Continuum through the Microsoft Display Dock, Lumia 950 XL features a 5.7-inch AMOLED QHD display covered in Gorilla Glass 4, 20-mega pixel BSI PureView rear camera, 5-megapixel selfie-camera, Cat. 6 LTE radio, and a 3340 mAh battery. Inside, it sports an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chipset with Adreno 430 graphics and 3 GB of RAM, and includes 32 GB of internal storage along with a microSD card slot. The Lumia 950 XL is also available as a dual-SIM device.

As of this writing, it’s available starting at $650.

Build & Design

Unfortunately, this Lumia 950 XL betrays Nokia’s near sacrosanct reputation for well-built devices. Both phones feature a plastic rear cover that looks cheap, and both have thick display rims. All navigation keys are on the display, meaning there is a centimeter of unused space under the screen. Both the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL look out of place next to the current flagships, like the iPhone 6s and Galaxy Note5. This is not a design fit for a device with this price and these specs.

The display glass has exceptionally sharp edges, for no apparent reason, as does the back cover towards the corners. This, despite the fact it’s slightly rounded in order to provide better ergonomics. This is why Lumia 950 XL doesn’t feel comfortable to hold. This design is more in line with the first phablets that hit the market several years ago.

The front bares the Microsoft logo above the screen, along with the telephone speaker and the selfie-camera, while the rim below the display is wasted space. The back includes the rear camera bulge and the triple LED flash, complete with the Windows logo underneath. Also on the front, the speakers and pinhole mics for ambient noise reduction.

The microSD and nanoSIM card slots (or two nanoSIM slots of the dual-SIM model) sit under the removable rear panel, along with the removable battery. That means that the Microsoft Lumia 950 XL does not have a unibody, which makes for a thicker device.  It’s 8.1 mm (0.32 in) thick, and measures 152 x 78 mm (5.98 x 3.09 in). Its mass is average for a 5.7-inch phone: 165 g (5.82 oz). There’s always a tradeoff between the utility of a replaceable battery with the thinness of a unibody design. We won’t complain about this element of Microsoft’s decision here.

The Microsoft Lumia 950 XL

The power button is located on the right side, in an embrace between a two-piece volume rocker. The camera shutter button is somewhat lower. The phone’s upper side houses the 3.5-mm audio jack in the center, while the bottom side includes the USB Type-C connector. Lumia 950 XL is one of the first phones to ship with USB Type-C, but we expect many more in 2016.

The Microsoft Lumia 950 XL has USB Type-C. The Microsoft Lumia 950 XL

Display

The 5.7-inch Lumia 950 XL has a QHD resolution that offers an exceptional density of 515 pixels per inch, which, as expected, results in fantastically sharp imaging. This is an AMOLED screen, the kind we gush over in Samsung smartphone reviews. Those excellent impressions apply here thanks to the vibrant colors and sustainable contrast.

The black tones are very dark, the whites are very bright. This is a bright display with large viewing angles. It’s one of the best we’ve tested at cutting through bright sunlight and glare.

If there is a complaint, it’s with color accuracy, which is a common issue with AMOLED. Given AMOLED’s popularity, most seem to dismiss it, but eagle-eyed users will notice that the colors shift a bit to the greener part of the spectrum. This creates an almost pastel effect that when matched with AMOLED-style saturation; resulting in a very cheerful, and almost silly, cartoon-like aesthetic.

But that’s nitpicking. There are better displays on handsets, but Lumia 950 XL’s display is exceptionally good.

The post Microsoft Lumia 950 XL Review appeared first on Brighthand.com.

LG Lucky LG16C Review: 90% of a Smartphone at 10% of the Price

Posted on by Adama D. Brown

There are cheap smartphones, and then there are dirt cheap smartphones. With a street price of less than $10, the LG Lucky LG16C is a dirt cheap smartphone, and it has specs that outpace the original iPhone.

LG Lucky LG16C, the $10 Android smartphone.

LG Lucky LG16C, the $10 Android smartphone.

The LG Lucky LG16C is a prepaid smartphone sold under the Tracfone brand. Available from Walmart at a price of $9.82, or direct from Tracfone for $40, it includes a surprisingly robust set of features and internal specs, including a preinstalled 4 GB memory card, dual core processor, Android 4.4, and almost everything else you expect of a smartphone. With that kind of price tag, the LG16C is going to attract two kinds of people in droves. Those who don’t need a more serious smartphone, and those who want an extra gadget to mess with, whether it’s just for tinkering or some purpose like a dedicated car unit. It’s with those things in mind that we give the Lucky a spin.

Build & Design

The LG Lucky LG16C isn't much to look at.

The LG Lucky LG16C isn’t much to look at.

The Lucky itself is a fairly basic grey plastic rectangle, not looking like much of anything. It’s got a small footprint appropriate to its relatively small screen size, measuring just 2.5 inches wide and 4.4 inches long, but is fairly thick for a smartphone at roughly half an inch. The 3.8 inch screen’s resolution is a slightly odd one; 320 x 480 pixels, putting it on the far low end for Android devices. Oddly, this is actually the same resolution used by the original iPhone, albeit at a slightly larger screen size. The pixel density is 151 pixels per inch, which isn’t bad for the price, and is comparable in sharpness to a low-to-midrange tablet. The back is textured, and the microSD card slot is under the battery cover. Overall, it looks simple.

Things are more interesting under the hood. For starters, the Lucky packs a dual-core 1.2 GHz processor, which was cutting edge five years ago, but still provides as a respectable amount of speed and is suitable for almost any kind of day to day tasks. Of course this isn’t a powerhouse device, especially not with just 512 MB of RAM. But it’s more than enough for normal apps and even a few mid-range games, capable of matching a mid-range Android smartphone.

It can also run most apps, thanks to running Android 4.4. And it feels fast too, possibly aided by the fact that they didn’t shovel on too much in terms of excessive “carrier bloatware” apps. In fact, you even have to download the Tracfone pre-paid account status app, as it doesn’t come pre-loaded on the phone. This does however give you a nifty home screen widget that shows at a glance your available minutes, text messages, and data, so you’re kept up to speed on your exact usage. You’ll never be caught off guard that you suddenly don’t have any data remaining.

The post LG Lucky LG16C Review: 90% of a Smartphone at 10% of the Price appeared first on Brighthand.com.

Samsung Gear VR Review: You Gotta Try This VR

Posted on by Jamison Cush

Virtual reality has been the near future of personal computing for more than 25 years, always just on the cusp of breaking out. While the initial excitement of the 1990s gave way to the mobile computing revolution 2000s, VR seems once again poised to grab its place in the mainstream, this time riding its strength with gaming.

Samsung Galaxy Gear VR looks like ski goggles.

Samsung Gear VR looks like ski goggles.

Oculus literally “Kickstarted” its resurgence with a hugely successful crowd-funding effort in 2013, followed by a $2 billion Facebook acquisition and subsequent VR efforts from Sony, Microsoft, and HTC, to name a few.

Still, almost three years since the Oculus Kickstarter campaign, VR remains just out of reach for all but early adopters and enthusiasts with deep pockets thanks to long development cycles and high prices. In late 2015, Oculus looks to change that by partnering with Samsung for the Gear VR, a $99 Samsung smartphone accessory that could potentially mark a milestone in consumer VR.

With a Gear VR in hand, the team at NotebookReview takes a fresh look at the technology to judge whether the hype is warranted, and if the headset is worth your hard-earned money.

Build & Design

Samsung Galaxy Gear VR touchpad and back button.

Samsung Gear VR touchpad and back button.

There is no doubt the Samsung Gear VR is a virtual-reality headset at first glance. It looks the part, like an oversized set of ski goggles, complete with two elastic and adjustable head straps that wrap both around the back of the head and over the top. The main portion is white, with a large touchpad on the wearer’s right side that features a center divot in a vertical and horizontal groove. A small back button sits just above it, and a volume rocker rests in front, located on the black smartphone housing. A large focus dial sits centered on the top, while the bottom houses a microUSB input.

The smartphone housing also has a male microUSB dongle for connecting the phone, right on a hinge, along with an adjustable clamp for securing a smartphone. A removable black covering snaps into the Gear VR front.

Within the Gear VR are the glass eye pieces, while foam cushioning lines the back.

The Gear VR weighs about .7 pounds without a smartphone docked. With a phone, the weight tops 1 pound. Samsung claims this Gear VR is 19% lighter than the previous incarnations.

Samsung smartphones dock easily in the Galaxy Gear VR.

Samsung smartphones dock easily in the Gear VR.

Physically, the Gear VR is about as comfortable as a device with this design can be, and the adjustable straps do the job of securing the VR viewer well, never digging into the skin or behind the ears. The foam cushioning is also plentiful and serves users well. However, it might seal the Gear VR up too well. The lenses often fog up a few seconds after putting the Gear VR on, though things do clear a few minutes later.

The black front covering is unnecessary in use, and in fact blocks the “camera passthrough” mode. It’s good to have close by, however, as it protects the glass eye pieces when the Gear VR is not in use.

Samsung smartphones dock securely and easily, and removing them is not a hassle. Samsung wisely left an opening for a phone’s 3.5mm headphone jack, and a decent set of wired headphones go a long way to creating the immersive VR effect. We did find that the opening wasn’t big enough for some headphone jacks, particularly those with a 90-degree pin design. In testing the Gear VR, the phone always remained stable, even with frequent and jittery head whipping. The large trackpad, buttons, and focus wheel are easy to identify by touch. This is the kind of device you can just pick up and use.

Galaxy Gear VR2 Galaxy Gear VR3

The post Samsung Gear VR Review: You Gotta Try This VR appeared first on Brighthand.com.

Sony Xperia Z5 Compact Review: A Rare Small Flagship

Posted on by Dragan Petric

While other manufacturers have mostly given up on creating compact versions of their flagships, Sony has positioned itself as a leader in this niche by reducing only the size of the handset, but not the hardware specs. Case in point, the Xperia Z5 Compact, which is as powerful as the ‘big’ Sony Xperia Z5, just more “compact.” This makes the Z5 Compact the only sub 5-inch flagship smartphone on the market today.

Sony Xperia Z5 Compact

Sony Xperia Z5 Compact

To be precise, the Sony Xperia Z5 Compact features a 4.6-inch HD screen, and this detail represents the biggest difference between the Compact and Xperia Z5, which has a 5.2-inch Full HD display. In addition, the smaller phone has 2GB of RAM instead of 3GB, its entire edge is plastic, not plastic and metal, and it comes with a physically smaller battery, 2700 mAh compared to 2900 mAh.

Everything else is the same. The device has a Qualcomm octacore Snapdragon 810 chipset, a very powerful 23-megapixel rear camera, 5.1-megapixel selfie-camera and Android 5.1.1 (Lollipop) with the slight Xperia UI. The Z5 Compact is very similar to the full-sized Z5 and therefore shares a lot of the pros and cons, but does all of this in a smaller and cheaper body.

Body & Design

The new Xperia Z5 Compact is not visually that different from its predecessor Xperia Z3 Compact. Sony has not forsaken its square design, but has emphasized the minimalism of its keys. The device almost looks identical from all angles. What Sony has done, just like with the standard Z5, is worked on the handset’s finish, thus it comes with a matte glass cover which offers exceptional protection. In addition to modern design, this results in a premium look, despite its compact dimensions.

Sony Xperia Z5 Compact back panel

Sony Xperia Z5 Compact back panel

Interestingly, the entire rim of the Xperia Z5 Compact is made out of plastic. Only the edges are plastic on the larger model, Xperia Z5, while all four sides are metal. It was clearly not necessary to reinforce the body’s construction with metal on the smaller smartphone, which might give users the feeling that this device won’t survive a fall. But this is not the case. A single material build gives the Z5 Compact a cleaner look.

Of course, such a compact device feels comfortable when held in hand and everything is within a thumb’s reach on the display. It weighs 138 grams (4.97 ounces), which is slightly heavier than the previous model and its dimensions are 127 x 65 x 8.9 mm (5.0 x 2.56 x 0.35 inches). Although it is narrower and shorter than the Xperia Z5, it is evidently thicker, but again, this does not change the feeling of outstanding elegance and modern design.

The display-to-front surface ratio of 68.9 percent is somewhat smaller than on the previous model, but this is not evident unless you focus on the display rims. The front is ‘cleaner’ than on the Xperia Z3 Compact, given that the stereo speaker perforations blend into the upper and bottom parts of the phone. There are no physical keys under the display, while Sony’s logo, the LED signal and the front 5.1-megapixel camera are located above the screen.

There is a neck lanyard loop on the left side, along with a cover which hides the nanoSIM and microSD card slots. The right side holds the power key with the fingerprint scanner, located in the middle, while the exceptionally slim volume rocker and the camera key sit above it. The camera key is particularly useful for taking shots under water (yes, the Z5 Compact is waterproof), when it is not possible to shoot by touching the display. The audio jack is located on the upper side with the secondary microphone for ambient noise reduction, while the lower side holds the primary microphone and a microUSB slot with a waterproof coating. This means that users do not have to open a cover when they wish to recharge their phones, as was the cases with all previous Xperia models.

Xperia Z5 Compact

Sony Xperia Z5 Compact power button

Sony Xperia Z5 Compact power button

Display

Sony Xperia Z5 Compact edge design

Sony Xperia Z5 Compact edge design

Naturally, the display size and resolution are different between the Xperia Z5 Compact and the Xperia Z5, but the craftsmanship technology and the imaging quality these two handsets offer are the same. The Xperia Z5 Compact brings HD resolution (720 x 1280 pixels) on a 4.6-inch diagonal, resulting in a 323 pixel per inch, compared to 428 ppi featured on the larger model. The difference is moot, given the human eye finds it difficult to spot the difference in imaging sharpness greater than 300 ppi. Everything looks very sharp on the Xperia Z5 Compact’s display, without any visible pixelization. HD resolution is perfectly suitable for a 4.6-inch screen and it is a good thing that Sony has not chosen a greater resolution just to have impressive figures, because it would only additionally burden the chipset and battery.

However the Compact shares many of the same imaging problems with the Z5, The contrast is very sustainable, but shifts a bit to the dark side. The Xperia Z5 Compact displays exceptionally dark black tones, but not exceptionally bright white tones. The vivacious part of the spectrum looks bright and intense, while colder tones are a bit washed out. In the end, this results in very cheerful imaging of colorful contents, like games, but dimmer imaging of more serious content. Keeping this in mind, Sony has added the option of manual calibration of the red, green, and blue color components through its settings, which no other rival offers.

The IPS display comes with all Sony-patented technologies, like the Mobile BRAVIA 2 Engine, Triluminos and X-Reality Engine, which makes imaging maneuvers rather flexible. These specs give the Z5 Compact wider viewing angles and the display holds up even when exposed to direct sunlight.

The post Sony Xperia Z5 Compact Review: A Rare Small Flagship appeared first on Brighthand.com.

Sony Xperia Z5 Smartphone Review

Posted on by Dragan Petric

Sony hopes that the Xperia Z5 marks a new start for their flagship smartphone series, and one that will challenge the top phones. After all, not only has Sony failed to make more than a dent in the market, its naming conventions have been muddled with Sony skipping the Z4, which was predecessed by the Z3+.

Sony Xperia Z5

Sony Xperia Z5

There are three Z5s in total:  the Z5, the Z5 Compact, and the Z5 Premium. The Z5 Compact has similar specs as the regular Z5 but in a smaller body, while the Premium has what Sony claims is the world’s first a 4K smartphone display. This review focuses on the standard Xperia Z5, which, at least on paper, offers everything a top-range handset should deliver. Well, everything with some limits.

The Sony Xperia Z5 features a 5.2-inch full HD display in a body with recognizable design. It’s waterproof, with an IP68 certificate, and sports an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 along with 3GB of RAM. The Z5 ships with Android 5.1.1 (Lollipop) and an unobtrusive Xperia launcher.

Its 23-megapixel camera is definitely a highlight, what with the recent market focus on camera quality. Given Sony’s imaging prowess, this high resolution camera certainly looks good on paper. On top of that, the Sony Xperia Z5 has a few other aces up its sleeve.

Build & Design

The Sony Xperia Z5 has a decent display.

The Sony Xperia Z5 has a decent display.

Sony uses a minimalist design with the Z5, and one that is similar to the other phones in the Xperia line.  The curvature from previous models is gone as the Z5 is very square, which gives it a serious and modern appearance.  The phone has a matte glass rear cover that looks like metal, but is far more resilient to scratches. The edges are metal, except for the corners, which are made of polycarbonate –a solid plastic, which helps to cushion the phone if it’s dropped.

To help with screen protection, the rim is slightly elevated compared to the surface of the display and the rear cover. Some users may find this frustrating as it’s not common with smartphones that are typically flat on the display surface. But this solution makes the device feel better in hand.

The Z5 measures 146 x 72 x 7.3 mm (5.75 x 2.83 x 0.29 inches) with a mass of 154 grams (5.43 oz), which is quite a lot for a 5.2-inch phone.  Wide bezels lead to a low display-to-surface ratio of 69.6 percent.  Clearly, Sony believes the display has become more important than elegant dimensions or weight for most users. However, there is still room for improvement here.

Looking at the front of the Z5 there is a barely visible speaker perforation under the display, along the lower side of the phone, but this space is almost a centimeter wide. The same perforation is also featured above the display; where the sensors, logo and the 5.1-megapixel selfie-camera are located. The upper side of the device reveals an audio-jack with a water-resistant coating and a tiny secondary microphone, while the lower side holds the neck lanyard loop (an odd detail for such a large device) and a microUSB slot with a water-resistant coating. This means that Xperia Z5 is Sony’s first certified waterproof device without rubbery port covers.

There is a rubber cover on the left side with a slot for nanoSIM and microSD card under it (there’s no way to waterproof a card slot without a cover). The right side includes the Power key with a built-in fingerprint scanner. A very slim volume rocker is situated under it, which is elevated a millimeter compared to the phone’s side. The 2-step camera key is located slightly lower and has the same look.

Sony Xperia Z5

Sony Xperia Z5 SIM/microSD cover

Sony Xperia Z5

Sony Xperia Z5 camera button, volume rocker, and power button

Sony Xperia Z5

Sony Xperia Z5 microUSB

Sony Xperia Z5

Sony Xperia Z5 audio jack

Display

The Z5 features a 5.2-inch IPS screen with ‘just’ full HD resolution. This is a well-thought decision, given that such a resolution and size result in a pixel density of 428 ppi, which provides crystal clear imaging. Those who insist on even greater pixel density can find it with the 4K Xperia Z5 Premium, but the Xperia Z5’s screen offers a solid display with a reasonable resolution for average users. Leave the 4K for devs and VR enthusiasts.

With the Z5 Sony has built in many of its engineering achievements: Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2, Triluminos technology and X-Reality engines.  All this results in the best possible contrast, with black tones that are darker than any tones offered by the current competition. On the other hand, white tones are still a bit dirty. This doesn’t impact real-world contrast and visibility of the screen, as the display offers wide viewing angles and can be comfortably used when exposed to direct sunlight.

Still, the contrast shift to ‘the dark side’ can at times cause a feeling of insufficient screen brightness, or it can wash out colder tones. However the warmer part of the spectrum looks very saturated and emphasized; games look particularly appealing.

Keeping all of this in mind, Sony has enabled the X-Reality engine, which expands the dynamic color range and can be toggled on or off. So you can manually balance the red, green and blue tones through the display settings in order attain your preferred color scheme. There is no other device that offers such detailed control over display colors, which is a plus for Sony. The only down side is that you will probably want to adjust these settings manually since the cooler tones aren’t perfect.

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Motorola Droid Turbo 2 Review: Unbreakable and Unbeatable

Posted on by Jamison Cush

It happens and it’s awful. You drop your smartphone and crack the display. What’s worse, because a smartphone can still function with a shattered screen, it’s not an excuse to get a new phone. Too many smartphone owners stick with their shattered devices, complete with spider-webbed cracking to remind them of their fumbles.

The Motorola Droid Turbo 2 with ShatterShield display.

The Motorola Droid Turbo 2 with ShatterShield display.

The best scratch-proof Gorilla Glass can’t prevent cracked screens 100% of the time, nor can a protective case. But Motorola claims it can with ShatterShield, “the world’s first shatterproof display,” as featured on the Motorola Droid Turbo 2.

We’ve had good things to say about recent Motorola Android smartphones, including the budget Moto G and flagship Moto X Pure Edition. The Verizon-exclusive Droid 2 Turbo shares many of the same specs as the latter, so it has to be good. Right? Read on to find out.

Build & Design

You’d think a shatterproof smartphone would resemble the rugged Android devices designed for jobsites, but the Motorola Droid Turbo 2 isn’t a bulky brick by any stretch. It measures 5.9 x 3.07 x .36 inches (HWD) and weighs .037 pounds, putting it in line with other flagships.

It’s laid out like past Moto X devices with a microUSB 2.0 on bottom and 3.5mm audio jack on the top, next to a microSIM and microSD card slot. The textured powered button rests on the right side, just above the volume rocker.

The Motorola Droid Turbo 2 has the familiar Motorola inset.

The Motorola Droid Turbo 2 has the familiar Motorola inset.

An aluminum frame wraps around the phone, while the back panel features an oblong inset centered on the top end. Within the inset, the rear camera sits on top, just above the LED light and Motorola-logoed thumb rest. Two pin-hole speakers sit on the top and bottom of the back panel. The Droid Turbo 2 is sealed and the back panel cannot be removed.

The excellent Moto Maker returns, giving users a limited ability to customize the device, including front, frame, back, and accent colors. Droid Turbo 2 buyers can also choose from a soft grip, ballistic nylon, or pebbled  leather (for an extra $24) back panel material.

Overall, the Motorola Droid Turbo 2 is a well-built Android smartphone. It feels very solid and features a “water repellent nano-coating” that Motorola claims protects it against “moderate exposure to water such as accidental spills, splashes, or light rain.” It’s not waterproof, however, and should not be submerged.

It’s a bit shorter and slightly stouter than other phablets, but the slightly curved back aids in ergonomics. This Android smartphone is well balanced, and easier to hold than other models, owing a great deal to whichever build material users choose. All offer better grip than glass or sheer plastic.

The Motorola Droid Turbo 2 is not a bulky smartphone, but it's solid. The Droid Turbo 2
The Droid Turbo 2 The Motorola Droid Turbo 2 has a microUSB input.

Display

The Motorola Droid Turbo 2 has a 5.4-inch AMOLED display with a 2560 x 1440 resolution, resulting in an impressive 540 pixels per inch.  It has a relatively thick bezel, no doubt due to ShatterShield, especially at the bottom edge. Fortunately for Verizon, this gives them plenty of room to slip in a logo.

It’s here that we typically rave about display quality, especially AMOLED display quality. But we won’t be doing that. The Droid Turbo 2 has a drab screen that’s still dim at max brightness. Indoors, it’s not uncomfortable to view, and is perfectly usable, but whites look especially dirty, and colors lack the pop associated with AMOLED. Outdoors, it has trouble cutting through glare from the sun. Compare it side-by-side with a similarly-specced display, and the difference is stark.

But we aren’t complaining too loudly. And that’s because this is undoubtedly the result of the ShatterShield technology that consists of five layers of protection, with three above the actual display. According to Motorola, that includes:

  • An exterior protective lens to guard against scratches and dings
  • An interior lens to prevent cracking and shattering
  • A dual touch layer to mitigate against touch performance issues resulting from damage
  • The actual AMOLED display
  • And an aluminum chassis

There’s a trade off here, added protection for display aesthetics. That ShatterShield actually does what Motorola claims; it’s definitely worth it, no doubt.

Technically, Motorola offers a warranty, claiming, “Your ShatterShield display is guaranteed not to crack or shatter for four years.” However, the fine print excludes “impact damage (e.g. dropping the Product),” meaning you can’t drop the Droid Turbo 2 constantly for four straight years and expect it to survive.

But according to our tests, it will survive drops. In fact, our review unit survived dozens of drops, all onto hard surfaces, and all from four to five feet up. It’s really quite amazing. The abuse we heaped upon the Motorola Droid Turbo 2 would have cracked any other smartphone not specifically ruggedized.

Like the Samsung Galaxy S6 active, this is a smartphone we would carry without a case. But the Samsung device looks like a ruggedized smartphone (in fact, we called it “kind of ugly”). The Droid Turbo 2 has elements of Droid’s industrial branding, but it looks like any other device at a glance. ShatterShield is legit, and it’s remarkable.

The front-mounted speakers are also worth noting. They are not the loudest we’ve tested (in fact, the Moto X Pure Edition speakers are much louder), but they do emit very clean sound. Speakers should be the last thing you consider when buying a smartphone. Still the Droid Turbo 2 speakers are quite good.

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Asus ZenFone 2 Laser Review

Posted on by Vince Font

The Asus ZenFone 2 Laser, is now available in the U.S. from $199 off contract. That’s cheap, rivaling the impressive Moto G in terms of price and specs. Not to be mistaken with the ZenFone 2, which was released internationally earlier this year, the Laser boasts improved camera functionality with laser autofocus and dual-SIM capability. Has Asus put forth a handset worth pocketing? Read on to find out.

Build & Design

Asus ZenFone 2 Laser looks like a standard Android smartphone.

Asus ZenFone 2 Laser looks like a standard Android smartphone.

Palming the ZenFone 2 Laser for the first time is an experience not unlike one you’re already familiar with. That is to say, the Laser isn’t exactly a revolution in smartphone design – but by now, we’ve all pretty much come to know what to expect of the standard handheld mobile. In that regard, Asus has done nothing remarkable aside from delivering a sleek-looking mobile device.

The ZenFone 2 Laser body is lightweight and slender, weighing an even 6 ounces with the battery installed. That’s a bit heavier than the 5.5-ounce Moto G, but a hair below phablets like the iPhone 6s Plus and Galaxy Note5 that top 6 ounces. It’s also not what anyone would ever call a brick.

Android-standard Back, Home and Menu capacitive navigation buttons adorn the bottom of the front face – however for some reason Asus has chosen not to make these backlit, which can make quick navigation in poorly lit environments a minor challenge. Along the upper end of the face is where you’ll find the phone’s front-facing camera, notification LED, and receiver.

The edges of the smartphone are ultra-thin, measuring just 3.9mm. Its profile deepens around its curved back, reaching 10.8mm in thickness. This curved design is explained as a purposeful choice for effective ergonomic handling, but adding to that a height of 6 inches and width of 3.04 inches makes it somewhat unwieldy for one-handers and requires the use of both hands to operate. This isn’t unusual for large screen phablets, though.

The Asus ZenFone 2 Laser has rear volume buttons.

The Asus ZenFone 2 Laser has rear volume buttons.

Owing to its super thin design, there are no buttons or ports on either edges of the device, save for a small fingernail groove for easier removal of the back cover. The volume rocker is situated on the device’s back side, just below the rear camera, which could present a bit of a learning curve if you’re migrating from a smartphone with side-located volume controls. Smartly, the volume buttons have been recessed into the body, which prevents you from accidentally altering volume settings anytime you set the phone down on its back. The speaker grille is also located on the bottom end of the back side, which can result in significant muting when it’s laid on certain types of surfaces. The top edge of the smartphone is home to a 3.5mm audio jack and power button. Along the phone’s bottom edge is where you’ll find the micro USB port and microphone.

The ZenFone 2 Laser ships in five different colors – Osmium Black, Sheer Gold, Glacier Gray, Glamour Red or Ceramic White – and comes with 16GB of internal memory, with the option to expand up to 128GB by way of a microSD port located inside the battery/SIM compartment. There is also a 32GB version of the same phone available for $249 as of this writing.

Display & Speakers

The ZenFone 2 Laser has a fully laminated 5.5-inch screen and a 72 percent screen-to-body ratio, which basically makes the screen look bigger than it is by virtue of the fact there’s less physical real estate surrounding it. The display is a 1280 x 720P IPS HD (with 267 pixel-per-inch density), which Asus claims offers viewing angle capability of 178 degrees.

The Asus ZenFone 2 Laser has a removable back panel.

The Asus ZenFone 2 Laser has a removable back panel.

Colors are vibrant when streaming video or viewing images, and glare is relatively minimal. Manufacturer specs indicate the Laser can achieve 72 percent of the NTSC color gamut. Its 267 pixels per inch are well below the flagship rivals, which top 500, but in line with phones in its class. The bottom line here is that even budget smartphones have excellent displays, so users won’t be disappointed. Scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 4 adds additional display protection.

According to Asus, their proprietary TruVivid technology imbues the phone with not only added brightness, but also increased touch responsiveness. This is accomplished by shifting from a traditional four-layer display design to a two-layer design that brings the display closer to your eyes and fingertips – but it’s also nothing revolutionary, as this is something that Apple has also accomplished, most recently with the iPad Mini 4.

As we mentioned before, the smartphone’s speaker grille is positioned on the bottom of the back panel, which revealed itself as a problematic design decision after we discovered a substantial muting effect occurs when you set the unit down on any surface that doesn’t reflect sound back – such as your lap or your palm. Speaker volume is also poor, even when cranked to 100 percent, and volume performance was not improved when listening via earbuds.

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Huawei Watch Review: Android Wear Goes Uptown

Posted on by Jamison Cush

Smartwatches basically suffer the same fundamental limitations across the board, especially Android Wear devices. There is not much more the most expensive Android Wear watch can do that the cheapest cannot thanks to Google’s wearable OS. This leaves smartwatch makers with only hardware options for differentiation, which Huawei took to the heart with its latest, the Huawei Watch.

“Inspired by the classic design of luxury watches,” the Huawei Watch is built for “smart, stylish people,” according to the company. Its price tag, ranging from $350 to $800, matches this pitch, as the Huawei Watch is one of the more expensive Android Wear watches available.

Huawei hopes this focus on quality watch hardware will be enough to pull potential buyers away from competing devices, including the LG Watch Urbane, which is going after the same upscale demographic.

Is it enough? Read on to find out.

Build & Design

The Huawei Watch has a quality build.

The Huawei Watch has a quality build.

This is a well-built watch. We’ve dinged Huawei in the past for its wearable design choices, but there is nothing to complain about here. The 42mm watch face consists of cold-forged 316L stainless steel, and juts out about 11.3mm from the wrist. It feels solid, and a bit heavier than expected, which suggests a quality build.

Our review unit felt great when worn, both well balanced and snug. To be fair, we tested the black stainless steel link band, and can’t speak to the comfort of the steel mesh or leather bands. Given those are typically the more comfortable than metal links with traditional watches, we’re confident that all Huawei Watch options wear well.

While it’s obvious Huawei is marketing the Huawei Watch to men, it’s still too bad it’s only available in this size. It’s large enough that we suggest anyone looking to buy try it on first.

The Huawei Watch sports a crown on the upper-left side of its round display, which only functions as a button, toggling the display and apps/settings access. It presses well and serves its purpose.

It’s IP67 rated, meaning it can deal with dust and water splashes, and even an accidental submersion. Just to be safe, don’t take it in the shower or pool, but if you wear it while washing your hands or get caught in the rain, it will be fine.

The Huawei Watch charges via a magnetic sphere that attaches to the bottom. But unlike the Apple Watch charger, this one has four pins that align to receptacles on the back. Overall, it’s not a bad charger design, but it’s not as good as the Apple Watch or Moto 360, given the pins require specific placement.

Display

The Huawei Watch AMOLED display is excellent.

The Huawei Watch AMOLED display is excellent.

The Huawei Watch display is fully round, unlike the Moto 360 smartwatches that have the “flat tire” look owing to a small section on the display bottom. It’s a 1.4-inch full-circle AMOLED display with a 400 x 400 resolution, resulting in 286 pixels per inch.

It looks great and further proves AMOLED is the only smartwatch display tech worth conisdering. Colors pop, contrast is deep, and it’s sufficiently bright at the highest setting.

The display glass is sapphire crystal, making it extremely tough. That, coupled with a display bezel that slight extends above the watch, add a sense of security in knowing this watch face won’t nick or scratch easily.

Unfortunately, it’s also a reflective display, and here’s where the display praise ends. The Huawei Watch can be really hard to see outdoors in bright light. Max brightness offers a passable experience, but the Android smartwatch does not have an ambient light sensor to automatically adjust. Users have to manually boost the brightness in order to cut through any glare. Android Wear offers shortcuts to the setting, but it’s extremely difficult to access when you can’t see anything. There should be a voice command for this, but we couldn’t find one.

To be fair, this has been a constant problem with many smartwatches we’ve tested, and it’s illustrative of the limits. In fact, only high-end tablets and smartphones have been able to reasonably address glare.

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