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[UPDATE] U.S. Cellular announces new Shared Connect pricing plans

Andrew Orr
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0

U.S. Cellular updated its Shared Connect pricing plans. The new update gives more value to customers by adding more gigabyte allotments: 2GB, 4GB, 8GB, 16GB and 24GB.

Data For Everyone!

Customers who choose a 16GB plan or higher get unlimited calling and texting to Canada and Mexico. Every Shared Connect plan comes with unlimited talk and text, although below 16GB you have to pay an extra $10 for this. Similarly, plans over 16GB have data usage controls to limit the amount of data each line uses, while plans under 16GB have to pay $5 for this feature.**

The new prices:

  • 2GB for $30/month (previous: 1GB for $25)
  • 4GB for $45/month (previous: 3GB for $40)
  • 8GB for $60/month (previous: 6GB for $55)
  • 16GB for $80/month (previous: 12GB for $80)
  • 24GB for $100/month (previous: 15GB for $90)

All phones on a Shared Connect plan has a $20 monthly connection charge per line, while tablets are $10. Landlines, routers and hotspots are also $20. Customers can buy a smartphone under a U.S. Cellular monthly payment plan over 20, 24 or 30 months.

Finally, if you want to switch to U.S. Cellular from another network, you can port your number and trade in your device, even if it has a cracked screen. Once you submit your final bill to your carrier, you’ll get an unlimited buy-out from your contract.

**UPDATE: We’ve received new information from U.S. Cellular to clarify a mistake: Please note customers who choose 16GB plans or higher receive unlimited calling and texting to/in Canada and Mexico, and data usage controls which allow customers to limit the amount of data each line on an account can use. However this unlimited offering is NOT available for $10 per month offering on plans 8GB and under. For the data usage option, please note this option is NOT available for $4.99 on plans 8GB and under.

Your Android icon pack sucks; you should try Magme instead

AndroidGuys
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0

Look, we get it. You recently installed a custom launcher for your phone and you hate the default icons. There’s just something about the stock stuff that’s on your handset that you just don’t like. Or, maybe you’re the type of person who has been using the same old icons for some months on end. It’s time to freshen that phone up!

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If you’re in the market for a new icon pack, you might want to give Magme a spin. With more than 1,000 icons and growing, there’s something for just about every app or game you’ve got.

We like the aesthetics of Magme in that it uses the Material Design principles from Google, but with a slight twist. The color palette is muted somewhat but that doesn’t mean the attention to detail is, too. Rather, you’ll find plenty of fine lines and definition; many of these look better than the official icon approach.

magme_system

In addition to your icons, Magme also provides folders and wallpapers as well. There’s more than enough here to put together a custom look and feel on your Android.

Features:

  • 1000+ high quality icons, alot more are coming!
  • Many alternative icons to choose from!
  • Good amount of drawers and folder icons!
  • Regular weekly updates!
  • 30+ Wallpapers in 3k resolution, more to come!
  • Beautiful material dashboard
  • Smart and easy to use icon request feature!
  • Search icon feature to find desired icon!

When you’re done checking out Magme, be sure to look at some of other works from its developer, DaviidH.

Parallel Space allows you to run 2 Android app accounts at once (review)

AndroidGuys
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1

For a lot of us, our smartphones live a double-sided life. For some, it’s one life as a business tool (and often provided to us by our employer), and the other life as a personal digital sidekick.

  • Screenshot_2016-08-22-21-56-01The business tool side of our device is all business and allows us to perform our work: responding to emails, reviewing documents, reaching out to important customers and colleagues. It’s our professional assistant, and to reveal any silly, suggestive, or just plain private information would be embarrassing if not outright scandalous.
  • The personal side of our device is our social and fun machine allowing us to connect with other like-minded people and show our individuality, quirkiness, and anything else that we choose to use to reveal about our identity.
  • Multiple logins on a traditional device install can be cumbersome and time-consuming, and often one or more accounts are relegated to desktop-only duty. This negates the utility that your mobile device is meant to bring into your day-to-day in the first place!

For other people, there are simply multiple accounts of certain apps to maintain, and the traditional Android installation only allows for a single login at a time requiring you to re-login with a different username/password every time you want to switch. This can be time-consuming and frustrating.

Now in some cases, these two sides can generally co-exist on the same device. But there are many instances where it would probably be best to let one side dominate and
save the other side for only very private viewing. Or it would just be a heck of a lot easier if you didn’t have to re-login to switch accounts.

Parallel Space 1There is an app that allows you “partition” your device, allowing you to put up a virtual fence between your business and personal sides, or between multiple accounts. This app is called Parallel Space from developer LBE Tech.

Setup

The app is available free from the Google Play Store. To keep things straight from here forward, I’m going to take some artistic license and refer to Parallel Space as a “utility”, to separate it from all the apps you can load into and use within it. As far as the utility itself, that’s all there really is to it, unless you want to password-protect your second login (more on that in a moment).

Experience

Once into the utility (it has an app-like icon on your homescreen), you are shown a blank tiled screen. Each tile represents an app that you have multiple logins to load into Parallel Space. Once you select the app, it appears in that tile. The first time you select that app, you are greeted with that app’s signup/login screen the same as if you were opening the app for the first time on its own.

Screenshot_2016-08-22-21-59-48Here you log in with your second account login info and from there, you are launched into that app with the same look, feel, and screen space as the original app that you previously loaded directly onto your device! When done, you just close the app like normal, and you then can go back to Parallel Space to open another app using a secondary account or go back your device’s native homescreen to use the app with your primary account.

Overall, it’s a pretty slick experience especially if you run corporate social media accounts but also have personal accounts in the same app. Short of having a second phone or laptop at the ready, Parallel Space is a pretty neat solution.

It’s a pretty light one memory-wise, too. All you really load onto your device is the Parallel Space utility itself (total claimed space of 84 MB on my device); the secondary app ‘installations’ happen on the utility’s virtualization engine. All this means you don’t get bogged down with double Facebook apps and background activities clogging up your memory.

Screenshot_2016-08-22-22-00-29This talk of providing login info and 3rd-party virtualization engines does bring up the question of security. On the utility’s server-side, all I can offer is that the utility boasts almost a million downloads in the Play Store, and I can’t find an incident of a security breech anywhere on the web.

As far as security on your device, you are provided an option if you choose to use it. You can secure your overall utility access with it’s own password, which is a handy way of “locking the gate” to all your secondary app accounts. You can also manage notifications for each of your secondary accounts to ensure nothing “pops up” that you’d rather not be seen.

Caveats

There are a few caveats here that I see, though I personally don’t find them major.

First is some reported problems with battery drain. It is enough of a problem that the utility’s developer addresses it on their website’s FAQ page where it’s related to a first-time login to your Google account with the utility essentially confusing the Google Play service framework.

Second is an occasional speed issue when opening your secondary app account through the utility. The little opening animation can seem to get stuck for a few seconds. Nothing terrible, but long enough that you may start giving your screen the evil eye….though this may likely be a testament to our fickleness than the utility’s performance (how DARE you make me wait 3 seconds to see who’s DM’d me!).

Third is that you can’t add a second app account into Parallel Space if you have or need quick access to three or more accounts. The utility simply can’t run multiple accounts within itself (which sounds kind of ironic).

Conclusion

Simply put, I really enjoyed using Parallel Space as a true Android “utility” that makes my device so much more usable when it comes to using and managing multiple app accounts, especially social media. If you have succumbed to the idea of doing the logout/login dance with any given app on your device, I heartily recommend Parallel Space to alleviate your pain and make your day just a little smoother.

Download Parallel Space from the Google Play Store here.

Satechi’s Fast Wireless charger and multi-port station have all of your charging needs covered (including USB Type-C)

Derrick Miyao
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0

There’s a good chance that you own a new smartphone made in 2016. One of the biggest changes across Android smartphones is the change to USB Type C, the new charging standard. USB Type C brings a fully reversible plug that can be used on both ends of the cable, whereas the older microUSB standard had a full size USB A plug on one end that fit into the wall or car charger with a non-reversible microUSB plug on the other end.

The switch to USB Type C brought about faulty chargers, cables and other accessories due to the lack of quality control from third party manufacturers. It also made Google’s Benson Leung ultra popular amongst tech enthusiasts as he became the trusted voice as to what USB Type C accessories were trustworthy. He fried a couple of his own devices on faulty USB Type C cables and chargers in the process. By doing that he also brought the attention of bad and rushed Type-C products to general consumer. He saved us all thousands of dollars in damages, and reemphasized the need to stick with reputable companies.

A company I trust with accessories is Satechi. Satechi was founded in 2005 with a goal to produce high quality accessories to improve our lives. It’s based in my hometown of San Diego, and Satechi recently released a new wireless charging pad as well as a multi-port charging station with USB Type C included.

Satechi Fast Wireless Charging Pad

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Satechi’s Wireless Charger is made from aluminum giving it an ultra premium feel and look. The top is made of an ultra glossy plastic that is so shiny that is looks like glass. While I dig the look, glossy surfaces always attract fingerprints. However, given this is a wireless charger there should be no need to touch the surface. The metal edges are chamfered giving this thin charging pad a sophisticated and luxurious look. It is only 7.8mm thick and being made of metal, it has a decent amount of weight to it with rubber feet on the bottom, to prevent it from sliding off your desk or nightstand.

DSC03368

Satechi’s Wireless Charging pad comes in four colors, Gold, Silver, Space Gray, and Rose Gold. To be honest all of the colors look like Apple devices, but there is nothing wrong with that as Apple has some of the best color schemes around.

This is a fast wireless charger with backwards compatibility for all Qi enabled smartphones. In order to take advantage of the fast wireless charging, you will need a Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 or later charging plug and a device with fast wireless charging capability like the latest Samsung Galaxy Note 7 and S7.

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Fast wireless charging works as advertised with no side effects like extreme heat build up. It happens with some of the lesser quality wireless chargers. There is a small LED indicator on the front of the charging pad, blue indicates the device is charging while green lets you know your device is fully charged. I like that Satechi kept the LED indicator small so that it doesn’t light up my entire bedroom when I sleep. What I can also appreciate is Satechi’s attention to detail. Even though the surface of the charging pad is glossy, a + symbol made of soft rubber provides enough surface tension on my Note 7 to prevent it from sliding around or off the charger altogether.

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At $24.99 the Satechi Wireless Charging pad is a bargain when compared to the official Samsung Fast Wireless Charging Pad which retails for over twice the price at $59.99. It works as advertised and the attention to detail is something that I rarely see with third party wireless charging pads.

If you own a device with Qi enabled wireless charging I highly recommend this charging pad from Satechi. You will not be disappointed, especially at the $24.99 price point.

Get the Satechi Fast Wireless Charging Pad from Amazon here.

Satechi 60W multi-port charging station

DSC03377

If you’re still using single port chargers, like the ones provided with your smartphones, you’re doing it all wrong. With a plethora of accessories and wireless devices, just about all of us need a charging station like this multi-port one from Satechi.

The 6-port charging station has four full sized Type-A 2.4A USB out ports, with two Type-C out ports for charging your compatible devices. If you own an Apple iPad, wireless headphones, wireless speaker, portable power bank and a Note 7 this charging station is perfect for you. It’s compact at just 4.5 x 2.75 x 1.13 inches, making this perfect for setting on your desk, nightstand or bringing it as your sole travel charger. It’s made of high quality plastic with no awkward seams, and it looks pretty cool for a charger too. Generally most charging stations are flat bricks, but the Satechi version has lines and groves that make it look unique and stylish.

DSC03376

The standard 2.4A USB Type-A ports don’t have enough juice to charge the LG G5 or Note 7 at full speed, but nonetheless they can still charge them. Instead of taking an hour to fully charge my Note 7 at the fastest speed from 0-100, it takes just over 1.5 hours. Like the wireless charging pad, this charger does not get hot, even with five devices charging at the same time.

The high powered USB Type C ports do charge my Nexus 6P at Fast Charging speeds but you will need a fully reversible USB Type-C cable on both ends like this one from Amazon.

What I love about this charger is that it can charge my most current devices while also having backward compatibility with my older devices. At $29.99 the Satechi Multi-port charging station is competitively priced with its rivals, but its quality is unmatched by third party accessory makers.

You can get the Satechi Multi-port charging station from Amazon for $29.99.

Props to Satechi for making two very high-quality chargers that are reasonably priced. Learn more about Satechi and its other products at Satechi.net.

7 key reasons you’ll want Android 7.0 Nougat

AndroidGuys
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0

The official rollout of Android 7.0 Nougat has commenced, starting this week with a select number of devices in the Nexus and Pixel line. Although it might not appear so on the surface, the latest version of Android brings about plenty of features and details that you’ll surely want on your smartphone. Some are add convenience, some bring about better productivity, and others do something else noteworthy.

Fortunately, this time around Google was giving handset makers and developers much earlier access to the Android N software. Hopefully this means we’ll get quicker updates from OEMs and wireless service providers.

While it might still be a few months before your brand or carrier releases this version of Android, it’s sure to come for many of the flagships and models offered over the last year or so. And, even though some of these details might be tucked away or re-skinned to match the UI of your device, you should still look forward to them.

Below you’ll find seven reasons that you’ll want to install Android 7.0 on your smartphone. Although there are plenty of finer details to be found in the build, these are what should be most important to most of you.

Improved Battery

First introduced in Android 6.0, the Doze feature gets even smarter in this year’s build. With Nougat, Doze puts your phone into low power consumption modes even when you’re out and about. Yes, even when it’s tossing about in your pocket, Doze is doing its part to preserve battery life.

Smarter Notifications

Is your notification shade a hot mess of available updates, incoming messages, alerts, and missed calls? Look for Android 7.0 to clean that up with the bundled notifications; apps can group your notifications into much more digestable bundles with an option to expand them for more detail.

Direct Reply

direct_replySimilar to what you’ll find in Android Wear and the recent versions of Google Hangouts for Android, you’ll be able to reply to messages directly inside of the notification shade. This keeps you from having to open an app just to reply to your contacts. We love this little time saver in Hangouts and look forward to seeing other apps integrate the option.

Multiple Screens

With phones you’ll be able to run two applications side by side in a split-screen mode. It’s not new if you’ve been using Samsung devices over the last few generations, but it’s definitely convenient. We’re glad to see this at a platform level so that other OEMs benefit. This was a major paint point for Pixel C users who were looking to boost productivity.

For those who have an Android TV device, a similar picture-in-picture mode makes it so you can watch your current video while browsing or changing settings.

Emoji

Who doesn’t love to insert a goofy graphic as part of a message these days? With 72 new emoji in Android 7.0, there are now 1,500+ to choose from, including those that look like real people. As much as we like those silly yellow blob guys in Android, we’re happy to see the change in Nougat.

android_7_emoji

Security and Privacy

A key reason to stay current with any software platform, security is exactly that: peace of mind. Android 7.0 Nougat delivers a number of improvements in this area, including using a smarter “trusted face” for unlocking your device, file-based encryption, and direct booting that delivers notifications before you even log in with a password.

One feature we’re certainly looking forward to comes in the area of seamless software updates. Like it does with Chrome, Google will let you download and sync Android software updates in the background. It’s only available for select devices so we’re hoping to see this one on our next phone.

Usability

nougat_customizationAndroid 7.0 Nougat gives users more control over their device than ever before. The latest release offers up goodies such as customized quick settings and tiles, suggestions for settings, and a “clear all” option in Overview for closing down background apps.

Other gems include Emergency Info for adding blood type, allergies, and an emergency contact, all accessible from the lock screen. Speaking of which, you can also have separate wallpapers from the home screen and lock screen. Oh, and who hasn’t always wanted to adjust the size of text, icons, and other items?

OnePlus has a mysterious surprise for tomorrow

Andrew Orr
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OnePlus is planning some special announcement for tomorrow, August 25. The company tweeted a link to a YouTube video, and the video itself features a spinning record with a jaunty tune in the background.

I have no idea what the announcement could be. A music service? A new phone? Whatever it is, we’ll keep a look out for the announcement and update this article with more information. In the meantime, check out the video below:

T-Mobile One is violating net neutrality with its new plan

Andrew Orr
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Announced several days ago, the latest plan by T-Mobile brings an end to tiered plans and offers only one, unlimited plan. But after reading the fine print, the EFF says the plan violates net neutrality.

Net Neutrality

Net neutrality is a topic that deserves its own article. However, the basic principle is that internet service providers and governments should treat all data on the internet the same. They shouldn’t discriminate based on user, content, website, platform, application, hardware or mode of communication. Unfortunately, this goes against the type of rabid capitalism that Silicon Valley holds dear.

T-Mobile One

The new plan removes tiered data plans and offers unlimited data. It sounds good on the surface, but this does away with cheaper plans, including Pay-As-You-Go. The plan doesn’t cap 4G LTE data based on a monthly allotment. Instead, customers who use more than 26GB of data per month – about 3% – will have their speeds throttled.

Net neutrality activists are more concerned about how T-Mobile will treat streaming video. Customers will have their videos limited to streaming in 480p quality. In order to watch videos in a higher quality, you’ll have to fork over an extra $25/month per line.

Senior staff technologist of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) told the Daily Dot:

“From what we’ve read thus far it seems like T-Mobile’s new plan to charge its customers extra to not throttle video runs directly afoul of the principle of net neutrality.”

In a bold move, T-Mobile CEO John Legere challenged the EFF, saying:

“Who the fuck are you, anyway, EFF? Why are you stirring up so much trouble, and who pays you?”

A spokesperson for the FCC said that “the Commission’s informal policy review is ongoing. Chairman Wheeler said the Commission would keep an eye on new developments in this area and we are continuing to do so.”

Three easy steps to make your Note 7 look and feel like a Nexus

Matt Adams
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5

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is undoubtedly one of the most impressive cellular devices ever manufactured. Some would argue it’s the best ever. The Note 7 is now waterproof and has expandable storage! It seems that Samsung really has been listening to its fans after all. We’re even beginning to see some changes in the software on Samsung’s devices.

Some, me included, would argue that Samsung is drastically toning down its software from what it used to be. If you’ve never owned an older Samsung phone (or missed the outrage on the internet) you may not know how bloated, ugly, and slow the software has been in the past. The software skin named TouchWiz has generally been a joke amongst Android fanboys due its past sins.

But, Google and Samsung are making it easier than ever ignore Samsung’s software in the Galaxy Note 7. Here are three tips to make your Samsung Galaxy Note 7 feel like a Nexus device.

Step 1: Material Theme

One of the best features of Samsung’s current flagship phones is that it ships with a theme store. If you’re like me and love the look of Stock Android, this will be your first stop in Nexusifying (Nexusing? Nexification?) your Galaxy Note 7.

To download the Material Design theme I’m using, open up Settings > Wallpapers and themes and then click the three dots in the top right corner and select search. From there type in Material Design and select the free theme from Cameron Bunch. There is also a great Material Dark theme in there if you want to download that too.

touchwiz home
Stock Touchwiz
material design home
Material Design theme

Feels better, doesn’t it? Samsung has come a long way with its new Grace UI, but Stock Android just looks better, in my opinion. Now, this won’t deal with things like the Settings App (although I do like Samsung’s redesign there) and Samsung’s apps, but it does do a pretty good job of giving you the illusion you’re using a Nexus device with all of the Material Design goodness that comes along with it.

Google now quick settings
Quick toggles
touchwiz settings
TouchWiz Settings app

Step 2: Google Now Launcher

One of the smartest things Google has ever done in the fight against OEM Android skins is releasing the Google Now Launcher. We all love it here at AndroidGuys (review here)  for its simplicity and the built-in Google Now screen to the left of home. Nothing you can download will give you a closer to stock feel than this launcher. You can grab the Google Now Launcher in the Play Store.

Google now final

Step 3: Disable Bloatware

This step comes with a BIG DISCLAIMER.

AndroidGuys and the author are NOT responsible for ANYTHING you do to your phone. Please do your own research before following ANY of these suggestions. 

Alright, now that we have that out of the way, I feel comfortable telling you about one of my favorite applications in the Play Store. It’s called Package Disabler Pro and it’s a steal at just $.99 right now. Package Disabler Pro does let’s you disable packages or applications that you would not normally be able to disable from within Android and the best part is that it does NOT require root.

The app does offer an option to quickly disable all the bloat in your phone with one click, but I’ve found it takes out some of the apps that are truly a selling point for Samsung phones like S Health, Samsung Pay, and a few others. Do yourself a favor and look at everything that you choose to disable and Google what exactly it does. If you’re not happy with the results you can display only your disabled packages and reenable them one by one or reenable them all.

package disabler pro

I don’t have hard evidence, just anecdotal, but my device feels much faster and more fluid after disabling about 80 packages. I initially had all of these disabled and turned them back on for the purpose of this article and was shocked at the difference.

You can grab Package Disabler Pro in the Play Store.

Opera’s free VPN service comes to Android

AndroidGuys
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2

Operas “unlimited” VPN service is now out for Android! Opera Free VPN, which was released for iOS earlier this year, will allow you to remain anonymous while browsing the web and using apps. You can also use this app to access region-locked content by spoofing your location. While spoofing your location, you can choose to use servers from US, Canada, Singapore, Germany and the Netherlands.

Opera VPN for Android

In addition to IP spoofing, Opera’s VPN also comes included with a Wi-Fi testing tool. This tool attempts to make your browsing experience more secure by scanning the network you are currently using. If it detects weaknesses such as your IP or location is exposed, or if the network allows others to grab information of connected devices, the tool will alert the user and list all of these weaknesses in a report.


Opera has included a ton of functionality for a free application. You might expect to see these kinds of features in expensive VPN apps, but Opera has included them at no charge. All of this free content quickly causes some users to question Opera’s business model. To its credit, Opera has been transparent about the issue and states that it will display some ads and collecting anonymous data on users. Some of the data they will be collecting will be things like web addresses visited, device type, browser type, and OS type.

Opera brings an impressive package to the table and it’s nice to see it finally available on Android. If you’d like to download Opera, check out the Play Store listing.

Galaxy S7 Active Review: #1 in almost every category

Jack McNenny
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2

Exclusive phones suck. Period. More people need access to a phone like the Galaxy S7 Active, which is currently locked down to just AT&T users like myself. After using the Galaxy S7 Active for a couple weeks, one thing has become clear to me. This phone is the best Android phone… wait, the best phone in general in four out of the five categories I am judging it on.

Build

This phone isn’t aiming to be in the hands of today’s designers or fashion experts, so don’t expect this device to blow you away with how good it looks. Grab a Galaxy S7 Edge if you’re going for a stunner. What Samsung sought out to do with this phone is build a tank of a device that will withstand anything. And they succeeded.

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I’ve left this phone in the sink with the water running over it while I fixed myself a drink, I’ve dropped it out my car window going about 25 mph, and I even got bored and buried the thing under half a foot of dirt and left it there for a little while. All of these actions left the phone unscathed and ready for more.

The downside is this is a pretty ugly phone to say the least. The phone is made of rugged plastic that makes no attempt to match the sleek style of the regular Galaxy S7. The navigation buttons stick out too much, and remind me of a messaging phone before smartphones got popular. This phone was built for the outdoors, not for getting compliments.

I can’t tell you the extent of how the glass will hold up after so many drops (however there are videos out there showing some amazing results), but after dropping it out of a moving car window onto pavement with not even a scratch on the glass… I think you’ll come to trust this phone’s durability. Major props to Samsung for creating a phone like this, it easily competes with Motorola’s Droid Turbo 2 and the Moto Z Force.

Display

There’s not much to be said here that hasn’t already been said by Nick Schiwy in his Galaxy S7 review. Samsung continues to make the best smartphone displays in the world, and the S7 Active is no exception. We’re seeing the same panel put on the regular Galaxy S7, which is a 1440×2560 Super-AMOLED display, with an added layer of glass for durability. This added layer does make the regular S7 slightly more attractive, as the Active has slightly worse viewing angles when you tilt the phone to its side. The screen still amazes me with how bright it gets outside and how impressive games and movies look on it, as the AMOLED panel on this trumps all other AMOLED screens on the market because of Samsung providing its latest screen technology exclusively to its own premium phones.

active display

Camera

The S7 Active shares the same incredible camera that the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge have, which have been continuously praised as the best smartphone cameras in the world. I used this phone around the same time I was testing the OnePlus 3 and Moto Z Force, and neither of these two truly compare with the S7 Active’s camera.

camera screen

I don’t really like taking videos on smartphones because the stabilization generally looks bad, but the S7 phones are on a whole new level. While taking 1080p 60 FPS video, I truly realized why so many people love Samsung cameras. The fluidity of 60 frames per second on top of Samsung’s stabilizing mode (which can be toggled, but I don’t see why you would turn it off) creates a video-recording experience I’ve never used before. This phone creates the perfect opportunity to hike, mountain climb or even swim while taking some of the best photos possible on a phone.

Performance

This is the section where I’ll calm down a bit and not give Samsung every award. With the help of AT&T, the S7 Active comes with apps I’ll never use that I’m unable to uninstall. The phone gave me suggestions on what AT&T services I should use like connecting to DirectTV. I was not a fan…

However, I recommend you check out our guides to installing a new launcher to avoid all of AT&T’s services and bloatware if you prefer. These launchers allow you customize your homescreen and hide apps you never want to see again.

Anyway, only after using the OnePlus 3 did I notice a couple jitters when using the S7 Active, and it just wasn’t the same smoothness I was use to, nor the memory management. This phone comes with 4GB of RAM, but when multitasking it feels identical if not slower to switch between apps than my Idol 4S, which only has 3GB of RAM. This is frustrating because memory management has been a problem for Samsung for a long time. I will say, coming from using the OnePlus 3 to the S7 Active is vastly different from someone upgrading to this phone from a device a year or two old. All-in-all, you’re going to be satisfied with the performance on the S7 Active.

Battery

If you’re on AT&T, and you’re sick of your phone not lasting you half-way through the day, you are going to be dumbstruck with how good battery life is on this phone. To give you an idea, the Galaxy S7 Edge has a 5.5 inch screen with a 3,600 mAh battery. More screen size means more power consumption. The Edge has incredible battery life, giving most users around 5 hours of on screen time. The Galaxy S7 Active has a 5.1 inch screen – with a 4,000 mAh battery. This is a huge battery even for phones with much bigger screens. I’ve been consistently getting around seven hours of screen on time, which is ludicrous for me.

Easily, I’ve been making it into the evening of the second day of usage on a single charge with around 8-12% battery left, with heavy usage (not even you can kill my phone this time, Snapchat). There’s not much else to say here folks. Take this thing camping for a night or two, and you might find yourself not needing an extra battery pack at all.

Conclusion

Like I said in the introduction, whether you’re looking for a phone with the best display, best camera, best durability, or best battery life, The S7 Active covers all those areas in one rugged package. Performance isn’t the best out of all the offerings, but with the Snapdragon 820 chip it’s still extremely close to every other high-end Android phone.

Of course, this phone isn’t for everybody (not that a lot of people have a choice, AT&T…) because it’s not the prettiest phone out there and some people may prefer a bigger screen or less ugly navigation buttons at the bottom of the phone, but if looks aren’t an issues for you, you literally cannot go wrong choosing this phone over any other at the AT&T store.

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