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OnePlus 3T tipped to arrive with Snapdragon 821, 6GB of RAM for $480

Alexandra Arici
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Not so long ago we told you that unable to deal with demand, OnePlus was entertaining the idea of releasing a variant of its new OnePlus 3 smartphone.

OnePlus is plagued by a shortage of AMOLED panels, so the upcoming phone is expected to arrive with an LCD display instead. The company’s SEO Carl Pei said the company will still be pivoting around Optic AMOLED for future products, just not the OnePlus 3T.

Anyway, a new leak coming to us from TechUpdate reveals a partial list of the specifications we can expect to see aboard the upcoming phone.

According to the information, we can expect the new handset to make a debut with a Snapdragon 821 under the hood in combination with 6GB of RAM and 64GB or 128GB of internal storage.

So, it appears the OnePlus 3T is getting a bump up in specs, given that the soon to be previous-gen OnePlus 3 launched with a Snapdragon 820.

The rumor also claims the phone will be equipped with a new Sony IMX389 sensor. The technology will power the 16MP main camera.

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In case you didn’t know, the new Sony sensor already made a debut with the Oppo R9s and R9s Plus which were recently unveiled. It’s expected the sensor will deliver quicker and more accurate phase-detection autofocus and dual-core AF.

Other specs include an 8MP selfie camera, fingerprint sensor, 4G, USB Type-C and 3,000 maAh battery.

According to @evleaks OnePlus 3T will most likely be marketed for a bit more than the OnePlus 3. The current flagship sells for $400, but the OnePlus 3T will add $80 more.

Last but not least, we’re told that the phone might come bundled with Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box, as the company is currently working on the update.

T-Mobile will probably offer the Google Pixel soon (UPDATED)

Alexandra Arici
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EDIT: We’ve received some updated information. You can find the full details for T-Mobile’s Pixel Plans here

T-Mobile Says Bring Your Google Pixel In, Get $325 Refund

When Google announced the Pixel and Pixel XL a few months ago, the search giant said Verizon will be exclusively offering the two phones under its banner. Well, it appears that people who prefer buying phones via a carrier contract will have one more option to choose from while the Pixels are concerned.

T-Mobile CEO John Legere just tweeted something interesting. It appears an important Pixel announcement is bound to come out of T-Mobile soon. He also teased a picture of a boxed Pixel and added: “It works great on our network”.

You’re probably thinking what we’re thinking. The Pixel is most likely headed for T-Mobile. Mister Legere is not even being mysterious here, but of course, there might be a chance we’re wrong. Albeit a small one.

T-Mobile is known for offering contracts that usually come with fewer restrictions compared to the competition, so this is very good news. It might even mean the Pixel is bound to receive faster updates, although we’ve seen Verizon vow to provide timely updates for the two Pixel phones, a while ago.

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It will be interesting to see whether AT&T and Sprint will soon be joining the Pixel family or if the phones will remain exclusive to the Red-Magenta carrier duo.

In case you don’t remember, let us remind you the Pixel comes with a 5.0-inch AMOLED display with 1080 x 1920-pixel resolution and employs the power of a Snapdragon 821. The phone is available in 4GB of RAM with 32GB/128GB configurations and boasts a 12.3MP/8MP camera combo.

As for the Pixel XL, the phone rocks a larger 5.5-inch AMOLED screen with 1440 x 2560-pixel resolution. The rest of specifications remain the same. Both phones come with Android 7.1 Nougat pre-installed.

The Pixel is Google’s first attempt at building a phone from the ground up without the help of third-party manufacturers like it was the case with the Nexus lineup.

Check out these 10 accessories for the brand new Pixel and Pixel XL

70% of Galaxy Note7 owners will continue to buy Samsung phones, research firm says

Alexandra Arici
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This year will probably go down in history as the most challenging for Samsung. The Korean tech giant had to resort to drastic measures in order to ensure its customers were being kept safe. In an unprecedented move, the company stopped production of the Galaxy Note7 and proceeded to ask Note7 owners to return the potentially overheating phablet.

In the wake of the Galaxy Note7 fiasco, everyone kept wondering whether customers will be able to trust Samsung products ever again. Recently we told you that a report coming from South Korea revealed that most Note7 owners aren’t really looking to separate themselves from their precious phablet just yet.

The main reason has to do with the lack of high-end tablets matching the Galaxy Note7’s capabilities. However, the report quotes a few users who claim they are willing to upgrade to the Galaxy S8 next year, but until then they will probably hang on to the controversial phablet.

Now, a new investigation into the matter unearthed by Fierce Wireless, attests the majority of Samsung Note7 customers is likely to remain loyal to the brand. Research firm BayStreet claims that up to 70% of ex-Note7 users will continue to remain in the Samsung camp. For the time being, their best alternative seems to be the Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 Edge.

We remind you that Samsung has been offering $100 credit towards the purchase of a new Galaxy phone to those Galaxy Note7 users willing to trade in their phablet. What’s more, in South Korea, Galaxy S7, and Galaxy S7 Edge adopters will be given the chance to get the upcoming Galaxy S8 at half the price.

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But a percentage of Note7 customers is indeed expected to leave the Android ecosystem in favor of iOS. Since Note7 owners are people who value high-end smartphones, the iPhone is certainly going to seem like a worthy alternative for them.

However, BayStreet notes that fans of the Note brand are among the most loyal Samsung users, so the percent won’t be a pivotal one. The research firm suspects roughly 15% of ex-Note7 owners will choose to switch camp and pick up an iPhone, which in turn will add 200-300k extra iPhone sales to the Q4 2016.

Following the assisted death of the Galaxy Note7, Samsung adjusted its earnings expectation of Q3 shaving off $2.3 billion from the original $7 billion forecast.

Even so, the research firm believes that Samsung will be able to bounce back from this fiasco. BayStreet says that the massive negative media coverage paints a bleaker picture than it is necessary. If history teaches us something is that companies which tends to address technology problems quickly and efficiently are able to recover pretty fast.

For example, Nokia and Dell issued a recall of their devices due to battery probles, in 2007 and 2006 respectively,  but the companies managed to survive the scandal. Although we all know what happened to Nokia in the end.

Anyway, in the case of Samsung, the prognosis seems to be good since the company is financially stable and has a $70 billion cash reserves to rely on. Now all Samsung needs to do is launch a reliable high-end smartphone that doesn’t overheat.

Jaybird X3 Wireless Sport Headphones: Improved sound, comfort and price make the X3s a winner

Derrick Miyao
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Jaybird has been a pioneer in wireless audio for almost a decade, and in a field that seems crowded and stagnant, it continues to push the limits. Almost a year after Jaybird announced the next iteration the ultra popular X2 wireless sport headphones, it has finally released the X3 Wireless Sport Headphones.

Arguably wireless headphones are more important now than ever with Apple doing away with the 3.5 audio jack. Yet Jaybird saw the need for wireless headphones way before Apple ever dreamt of killing off the audio jack, and is now several generations into its products.

Unlike other manufacturers that have vast product lines, Jaybird focuses solely on wireless headphones and the results speak for themselves. The X3 headphones are the latest shining star from Jaybird and are well worth your attention if you love listening to music.

Design

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If you know the Jaybird X2 Wireless Sport Headphones, then you’ll be familiar with the X3s. They aren’t true wireless headphones with one wire that connects each earpiece, however there is no cable that connects to your audio device. The X3 headphones are made with metal and ultra durable polymers that are about 40% smaller than their predecessor.

An inline remote house the power button (play/pause, answer/end call), microphone, and +/- buttons for controlling volume and tracks. The inline remote is also where you charge the headphones with the included adapter. The design is very familiar to other wireless headphones, but remember that Jaybird was one of the first to come up with this design.

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The wire that connects the two earbuds is worn behind the neck with the remote hanging just below your ear.

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What creates the sound are 6mm drivers in each ear piece that are tunable through Jaybird’s iOS and Android MySound app. Almost all other wireless headphones are tuned to suit a large audience, but with the MySound app, you can adjust the sound settings and firmware within the X3 headphones for complete control and customization.

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6mm drivers allowed Jaybird to shrink the size of each earbud. Size has been a typical limitation with most users as wireless earbuds are usually large and generally only suitable for men.

Similar to its other headphones, Jaybird designed the X3 headphones to last eight hours on a single charge.

The X3 headphones are also waterproof which is important since they are designed for sport use.

Included in the box are Jaybird’s patented ear fins, comply foam and silicone tips, shirt clip, charging cable, carrying case, cable shorteners, and a carrying case.

Sound and Usage

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If you know Jaybird, then you know that it focuses on the entire package. Build, functionality, fit and sound quality are all equally important. It must master each category before it releases a product, and the X3 Sport Wireless Headphones definitely checked each box.

For me, nothing matters more than sound quality. But sound quality won’t really matter if the headphones don’t fit right, and fit won’t matter if the headphones aren’t durable. That’s why Jaybird gives users the ability to customize the sound anyway they want with the MySound app, while offering a plethora of tips and ear fins to get the right fit.

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I chose to go ear fin free, and wore my X3s over my ears with cable shorteners to keep the headphones behind my head. This offered the most comfortable fit for me, especially in the gym. I am a gym rat and have been for the past 20 years. I can’t do wireless headphones that rest on my neck. When I am squatting, the bar sits across my traps and neck and can be extremely uncomfortable when a few hundred pounds is pressing a wire into my neck.

While comply memory foam tips are very comfortable and form fitting, I also chose to go with the soft silicone tips since they don’t dampen sound. With a proper fit, the headphones block out almost all of the outside noise and that allows me to truly enjoy my music. I did play with some of the sound presets that Jaybird offers in the app, but was more than satisfied with the balanced sound signature out of the box.

I’ve listened to dozens of different earbuds, wired and wireless, and Jaybird makes the best sounding wireless earbuds you can buy under $200. I’m not sure how the engineers managed to deliver so much sound over Bluetooth and compact 6mm drivers, but they sound detailed, rich and have a large sound stage. Lows are punchy and deep, highs are crisp and clear, and the mids are energetic and balanced that round out the entire sound package. However if you want more bass, less treble, or any combination, you can adjust the firmware settings through the app.

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The mid-range sound is probably the most important aspect of sound reproduction. Many sport headphones, and generally many wireless headphones, focus on over emphasizing bass since people love to feel their music. That’s what you get with Beats Audio, but that kind of sound isn’t typically favored by most audiophiles.

Headphones that are too focused on highs can be detailed and analytic, but are tiring to listen to after a short period of time. I can imagine Jaybird sound engineers spending hundreds of hours in a sound lab perfecting the sound signature and they hit a home run with what they produced. If I were one of those engineers, I’d be pretty damn proud of myself for the X3 headphones, because they’re extremely good.

Battery

Jaybird claims eight hours of playback on the X3 headphones, and that amount is on the high end for wireless headphones. I averaged 6-9 hours of playback over two weeks of solid usage. I work out everyday, for a minimum of one hour and went about a week between charges.

Charging the headphones from almost dead to full took less than an hour. Jaybird managed to squeeze the batteries into each earbud while shrinking the size and maintaining the same playback time as its larger predecessor.

Wireless connection and microphone

The Jaybird X3 Sport Wireless Headphones have a newly designed antenna that offers an incredibly strong wireless connection. If you’re using a smartphone, you don’t have to worry about carrying it in front of your face to maintain a strong connection. Or if you’re using a smartwatch that allows music streaming without a smartphone like current Android Wear devices, there will be no signal issues no matter which wrist you wear it on.

I paired my X3 headphones to multiple smartphones, carried them in both pockets, and even left my phone underneath the dumbbell rack while I wandered the gym. I easily walked over 30 feet away and forgot my phone was across the room until the signal cut out  at about 50 feet away. Other than that one signal drop from 50 feet, I never once experienced a connection issue with my Nixon Mission Android Wear, iPhone 7 Plus or Pixel XL.

I took several calls on the X3 headphones while I was on vacation in Maui. With a strong wireless signal, and clear microphone, I never once experienced issues with background noise or poor call quality. Keep in mind, Maui gets rather windy in the afternoons, and I dealt with that and background noise while laying out at the beach.

Many manufacturers make call quality a throw in feature, but Jaybird made sure this was an area that met its high standards.

Overall

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Jaybird managed to build a great set of wireless headphones in the X3s. They’re not cheap at $129.99, but considering the quality of the build, sound output, battery life, MySound app, and call quality, it’s one of the better priced headphones when you factor in the entire package.

The Jaybird X3 Sport Wireless Headphones are designed to fit all ears, from small to large and are good enough to use beyond sport activities. If you’ve never used Jaybird headphones, or if you own the X2s, I highly recommend you try out the X3 Sport Wireless Headphones. You will not be disappointed.

Jaybird X3 Wireless Sport Headphones are expected to be available at jaybirdsport.com on Oct. 27, 2016 and in Best Buy stores and bestbuy.com in the U.S. and Canada in November 2016, for a suggested retail price of $129.99. The wireless headphones areavailable in four colors with metal accents: Blackout (Black and Silver), Sparta (White and Gold), Alpha (Military Green and Dark Chrome) and Road Rash (Red and Dark Chrome).

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T-Mobile adding $129 ZTE ZMAX PRO to its budget lineup

AndroidGuys
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T-Mobile is expanding its budget phone selection by adding ZTE‘s ZMAX PRO to its lineup. The ZMAX PRO is available now for the off-contract price of $129. The ZMAX PRO continues ZTE’s attempts to blur the lines between budget devices and premium flagships by offering a compelling package at an unbelievable price.

ZTE ZMAX PRO

The ZTE ZMAX PRO has a 6″ 1080p IPS LCD display shielded by Gorilla Glass 3, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 octa-core processor, 2 GB of RAM, 32 GB of Expandable Storage, a 3400 mAh battery, and a 13 MP main camera. The ZMAX also features a fingerprint reader for added security and Android 6.0 Marshmellow.

ZTE released the ZMAX PRO earlier this summer at Metro PCs for the low price of $99 (after mail-in rebate). The ZMAX PRO carried by T-Mobile will be an identical device, but without the associated savings. The choice ultimately comes down to a $30 price difference and what carrier you want to buy your device through. At $99 or $129, ZTE has created an extremely convincing package for the budget conscious consumer.

Buyer’s Guide: T-Mobile

Samsung Pay now offers new payment options, expands to new countries

Alexandra Arici
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Samsung’s mobile payment service launched last year to offer users an intuitive and secure way to virtually pay anywhere physical credit cards were accepted. This week, the Korean tech giant has announced Samsung Pay has been updated to include a suite of new features. Samsung is also expanding its availability to a few new territories.

Samsung wants to make it worthwhile for shoppers to switch from competitors like Android Pay and Apple Pay, so the company will be implementing the “payment+” strategy to see it come to pass.

Starting this November, Samsung Pay will allow customers in the US to use the mobile wallet payment option when doing business with a number of merchant apps including Velocity, Raise, Fancy and Hello Vine. More options will be added soon.

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Also, starting from November onwards, Samsung Pay will rock a feature reminiscent of Apple’s Passbook, meaning users will also be able to store membership and loyalty cards like the ones offered by Starbucks or Macy’s.

Additionally, Samsung Pay users worldwide will be able to take advantage of Mastercard’s Masterpass, an option which allows shoppers to store shipping and payment information for easy access.

Just this week we reported Google partnered up with Visa and Mastercard in order to make Android Pay more practical.

Furthermore, Samsung is now working with Capital One and USAA, so Samsung Pay currently supports more than 500 banks and credit unions in the US. That amounts to over 85% of the country’s total debit and credit card market. It’s pretty impressive.

Samsung Pay hasn’t been around for very long, but the service already seems to be quite a popular option. That’s why Samsung announced it will make Samsung Pay available in Malaysia, Russia, and Thailand as well, bumping up the number of markets it’s available into a hefty 10.

BLU R1 Plus with huge battery spotted at FCC, headed for Amazon soon

Alexandra Arici
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BLU is a little-known smartphone maker from the US  who is also trying to leave its footprint on the crowded mobile market. So far, the company has been involved in some interesting endeavors. For example, earlier this year it was rumored that BLU will be partnering up with Cyanogen to release one of the first smartphones to come without Google apps.

At this point it doesn’t seem like the project will be finalized, given Cyanogen’s recent chance in strategy, but that doesn’t mean BLU doesn’t have other smartphone models in the works.

Not so long ago BLU partnered up with Amazon to make Amazon Prime members a really appealing offer. Customers signed with the program were allowed to buy a specially curated version of the BLU R1 HD for only $49.99 a pop. Outside the Amazon partnership, the phone was priced between $99 and $109.99.

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Now it looks like BLU and Amazon might be gearing up to launch the next-gen BLU R1. The handset dubbed the BLU R1 Pro has been spotted making an appearance at the FCC indicating it might not be long until Amazon will start offering it, reports Android Community.

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Like the previous device, the BLU R1 Pro is also expected to come with a ton of pre-installed Amazon apps including Amazon shipping, Kindle, Music, Video, Photo, and Alexa. But despite the deep Amazon integration, it seems like the phone will also offer access to Google apps such as the Play Store, Google Maps or YouTube.

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According to the filing, the BLU R1 Plus should make a debut with a 5-inch display with 720p, exactly like its predecessor. The most notable improvement is the updated MediaTek MT6737V chipset under the hood. Also, expected to make it onboard of the phone are a USB port, dual SIM support and 3.5mm headphone jack.

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It should be noted the phone will take advantage of a massive 4,100 mAh battery, which is a bit odd given that the BLU R1 Plus is at best a mid-range device. A lot remains undisclosed, like the amount of RAM or camera capacities, but we’re pretty sure we won’t see anything out of the ordinary in these departments.

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We don’t know what kind of version of Android will come pre-installed on the phone, but we can certainly say it won’t be Android 7.0 Nougat.

No information on when the BLU R1 Plus is supposed to land, but it shouldn’t be too long until Amazon announces it.

 

Google rolling out soft update to fix Pixel camera flaring problems soon

Alexandra Arici
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Google’s Pixel and Pixel XL are the new kids on the block and customers are very excited to finally get their hands on the phones. But even if the devices haven’t been around for long, some users are already signaling an issue with the phones.

A number of Pixel owners have taken to Reddit and Google’s Product Forums to complain about a “halo effect” the phone’s camera is apparently susceptible to.

Now, we should mention that all cameras are susceptible to the “halo effect”, but the sheer frequency of flares spottings in Pixel-taken photos is what’s actually causing the uproar. Basically the light is bouncing off the camera at a certain angle and produces the effect. Sometimes it can be even used to produce creative impact, so it’s not all bad.

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Google has already acknowledged the issue, but it explained that lens flaring is something that affects every Pixel regardless of whether a user might have noticed it or not. So returning the Pixel and asking for an exchange won’t solve anything.

“The Pixel camera’s lens structure is very highly controlled – this means that all Pixel take high-quality images, but it also means all Pixels have the same flare characteristics”, said a Google representative.

But the good news is that Google is already working on a fix, which will come in the form of a software update in the upcoming few weeks.

Google is currently focused on developing a set of new algorithms designed to recognize the halo/arc flare. Subsequently, they will be worked into HDR+ in order to mathematically subtract the effect from the resulting photographs.

The two Pixel phones haven’t been on the market for long and hopefully other issues won’t pop along the way. Google has done a good job at addressing customers’ concerns in a timely manner and with the update coming in the upcoming weeks, Pixel owners should be quite pleased.

Oukitel launches the iPhone-esque U15S for $159 a pop

Alexandra Arici
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Young upstarts like the Chinese smartphone maker Oukitel are extremely eager to deliver products featuring attractive features at a minimal price point.

In the past few months Oukitel has been busy unleashing a myriad of devices on the market in the hopes of getting customers’ attention. The latest arrival, the U15S is now available for pre-sale for $159.99. However, if you want to wait, you’ll be pleased to know that GearBest is already hosting a flash sale for the device, offering it for $139.99 for a limited time.

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Oukitel’s new U15S looks very much akin to the iPhone, except it costs so much less. If you’re wondering about the specifications this super-affordable handset brings to the table, let us tell you the US15S makes a debut with a 5.5-inch SHARP display with 1920 x 1080-pixel resolution and 5-point multi-touch.

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The device features a MediaTek MTK6750T Cortex A53 octa-core 64-bit chipset under the hood combined with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage (microSD card slot available for expansion to 128GB).

The U15S takes advantage of a 13MP Panasonic back camera plus a 5MP selfie snapper. It’s not the most advanced camera combo, but given that this is a mid-range handset the options provided are pretty decent.

However, the variant sold on GearBest features a 16MP Panasonic main camera plus an 8MP OV secondary shooter.

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The handset takes advantage of a 2,450 mAh SCUD high density battery which should ensure the phone can support a pretty decent life cycle.

The phone includes a fingerprint sensor located on the back and ships out with Android 6.0 Marshmallow, although and Android 7.0 Nougat update is expected to be rolled out at some point.

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Oukitel calls the U15S a main trend flagship model and truth be told, the phone could make for an excellent starter phone. The device features a super thin aircraft aluminum metal alloy body which makes it quite pretty to look at. It’s sold in Champagne Gold or Space Gray (another strong iPhone reference).

BlackBerry launches the DTEK60 with metal/glass design, Android 6.0 Marshmallow

Alexandra Arici
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This week Canadian company, BlackBerry has unveiled its third Android smartphone, the DTEK60. It’s also the company’s last “official” handset, as BlackBerry has announced last month it plans to outsource hardware development to partners.

Anyway, the DTEK60 follows the entry-level DTEK50 from earlier this year. However, the DTEK60 comes bundling higher-end specs and is looking quite premium. Like the DTEK50, the newcomer is based on the reference design from TLC, more specifically the Alcatel Idol 4S.

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BlackBerry has tried to make its last smartphone quite note-worthy, so the DTEK60 arrives with a 5.5-inch QuadHD display with 2,560 x 1,440-pixel resolution. The powerhouse of the device is a Snapdragon 820 chipset working side-by-side with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage (a microSD card allows for memory expansion up to 2TB of storage).

Smartphone photography enthusiasts will be glad to know that the DTEK60 takes advantage of an impressive 21MP rear camera plus an 8MP selfie shooter.

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Other specifications include a sensible 3,000 mAh battery with QuickCharge 3.0, a USB Type-C, a fingerprint scanner located on the back and a customizable side button.

BlackBerry’s latest phone is pretty high-end, as the company opted for a metal frame and dual-glass panel design when making the DTEK60.

Software has always been BlackBerry’s strongest point and the company is marketing the device as a super secure Android device. The DTEK60 launches with a extra safe version of Android 6.0 Marshmallow, but BlackBerry says it has plans to upgrade to Nougat sometime in the near future.

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On top of that, BlackBerry says the phone comes with a secure bootloader, Hardware Root of Trust and will quick updates for security patches.

The phone ships out pre-installed with the DTEK app which enables users to monitor their OS and apps for signs of any risks associated with them. The softwear will also track apps and send allerts if it detects someone taking photos without your knowledge or sending texts and accessing your contacts.

The Hardware Root of Trust tool we mentioned above is a proprietary BlackBerry technique said to add instant security to the phone right from the very start.

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The DTEK60 also takes advantage of FIPS 140-2 Compliant Full Disk Encryption – a technology meant to encrypt private info and keep it safe in case the phone is lost.

Naturally, the new phone comes bundles with BlackBerry popular productivity apps including Hub, Calendar, and keyboard.

Like the case of the DTEK50, BlackBerry plans to primary sell the DTEK60 to businesses and governments that will then deploy them to their employees. But that doesn’t mean that the average consumer can’t purchase it.

The phone is now available for pickup from ShopBlackBerry.com for $499 a pop. The DTEK60 is being offered in eight countries including US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Netherlands.

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