AndroidGuys

Is the Moto G 2015 the King of mid-range devices?

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August 26, 2015

As the last week has proven, the majority of everyone cares more about those high-priced, powerful phones that dominate headlines for weeks. Not only do those devices dominate headlines, but they also dominate our wallets. However, even with these high-profile devices taking our wallets hostage, there are more economical devices becoming more and more relevant.

The OnePlus One shocked everyone with flagship-like specs while only costing about $300 for the base 16GB version. Naturally, the OPO was dubbed the flagship killer of 2014, and OnePlus just released their sequel, the OnePlus 2. However, in 2013, Motorola started hitting our pockets in a different manner.

A few months after the release of the original Moto X in 2013, Motorola debuted the Moto G. The premise behind this device was to provide a very solid alternative to flagship devices which would be an easier hit on our wallets and make everyone think twice about getting those high-priced flagships. The past two years have been no different, and Motorola has really followed through on improving the Moto G since its inception.

Motorola is trying to combine these mid-range internals while still providing one of the best experiences for a mobile device, while hitting a sub-$200 price mark. Speaking of those internals, let’s take a quick peek.

[graphiq id=”7c6fo8iSeB7″ title=”Motorola Moto G 3rd Gen (2015)” width=”600″ height=”400″ url=”//www.findthebest.com/w/7c6fo8iSeB7″ link=”http://smartphones.specout.com/l/3911/Motorola-Moto-G-3rd-Gen-2015″ link_text=”Motorola Moto G 3rd Gen (2015) | SpecOut”]

The Moto G doesn’t have the most impressive spec sheet, but that’s the point. Since their remodeling, Motorola has been trying to drive the point home about software integration by showing everyone how well these devices can perform without having the top of the line specs. The Moto G is the epitome of this new initiative..

Design

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I loved the feel of the original Moto X. I thought the smaller form factor, with the smooth back was a dream to hold and use. However, I have since switched to larger phones, and even though the Moto G 2015 is taller, this phone is feels really good in the hand as well. The back-plate has a textured feel to it, making it easier to grip, which in turn makes me worry less about dropping it. In fact, I never once felt that the Moto G was going to slip out of my hands and on to the ground, desk, or anything else.

[df-gallery url=”https://www.androidguys.com/gallery/moto-g-2015-in-the-flesh/”%5D

The rest of the Moto G 2015 has the appearance of the Moto X 2014, with the slightly curved back and the metal sides. However, the sides of the Moto G are not made of metal, instead, they are plastic but maintain the appearance of the silver sides found on the Moto X. The back of the device has a silver strip going down the middle with the camera nestled at the top and the flash right below. The signature Moto dimple can be found at the bottom of this silver strip

The back-plate does come off, and while you can’t replace the battery, you can get access to the microSD card slot, and SIM card tray. Motorola also is allowing users to be able to swap the backs around to suit your personal style. Be careful through all the switching and such, because this device is IPX7 water-resistant, you don’t want to forget to snap the back all the way on and get water damage in your device.

Speaking of which, whenever the back plate is removed from your device you will get a notification stating that you need to ensure that the case is fully snapped on. This is to make sure that you won’t ever encounter any water damage on account of everything not being put back into place.

Software Integration

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The 3rd Generation Moto G is rocking stock Android 5.1 Lollipop with a few of Motorola’s added features. The biggest addition to the Moto G was the introduction of Moto Display. Moto Display was already introduced back with the original Moto X and basically has turned into an extension of your device.

For those who are new to the Motorola game, Moto Display is a baked in replacement for your lock screen. Instead of having to turn your display on every time you get a notification, Moto Display takes care of that for you. Once you receive a new notification, you are presented with interactive icons. When pressed, you will see a preview of the message and either swipe up to open the application, or down to just unlock the device. Of course, you can just let the notifications pile up and view them one by one, without ever unlocking your device and wasting that precious battery life.

Out of the box, the Moto G is using Google’s stock launcher that was introduced with Android Lollipop. You don’t have to worry about any overlays or anything that is unnecessary while navigating through your home screens. What you do get is the goodies of stock software with SOME of the Moto Display features. You also get the gestures for quickly turning on the flash light (chop-chop) and activating the camera (flicka-da-wrist).

In my time with the Moto G, I never experienced any lag while navigating the home screens, scrolling through my apps, or switching quickly from one app to the next. I did experience a bit of stutter when I played Mountain Goat Mountain, but since that game has the ability to change the frame rate, I just bumped it down and kept going stutter free. However I did play hours worth of Riptide GP 2, which is graphically challenging, and never had a single issue. Even when I was playing for hours, the back of the phone only felt warm, and was never uncomfortable.

Battery

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Speaking of the battery, it’s amazing. While testing the Moto G, I never once ran out of battery, and there would be times I would take it off the charger at 530AM and would still have about 20-30% of battery left at midnight. The battery really impressed me, and I’m not sure if it’s a combination of the lower-res display with the Snapdragon 410, but I couldn’t get over how much I could use the G without it running out of juice.

I would deliberately try and run the battery out, and only succeeded after using the Moto G for tethering capabilities with my laptop while I was out and about. There also were never any issues encountered with random battery loss from standby time. The Moto G is a beast in just about every manner when it comes to the battery.

One thing to take note of with the 2015 Moto G: there is no quick charge capability built-in, so you can’t get that extra fast charging when you’re low on power. However, with the stunning battery life on this device, the chances of you needing quick charge, is slim-to-none.

Camera

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I wanted the camera to be better than the one found in the Moto X 2014, but it seems that it’s more on par with that camera. The camera is definitely nothing spectacular, and you can tell as soon as you try and take your first picture. The built-in camera software is still a little off when it comes to focusing, and unless you try a different app, you’ll have to just hope you can get the picture to focus at the right time.

[df-gallery url=”https://www.androidguys.com/gallery/moto-g-2015-camera-examples/”%5D

It definitely felt like I was playing a game of cat and mouse when it came to trying to focus, but we knew that going in. Hopefully, Motorola can get their stuff together and make the app better while removing the focusing issues.

As stated above, the camera is nothing to write home about, but for what you get in an 13MP camera, you can’t really expect too much. This will do just fine with your run-of-the-mill pictures, but they won’t be “featured” in anything important. I would say that the camera is perfect for the price range that the Moto G is set in.

Moto Maker

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When Motorola was generous enough to shock the world with Moto Maker for the Moto X everyone was super stoked about it. You mean to tell me I can customize my device to the T, and don’t have to settle for just black or just white? Well Motorola did something pretty awesome with the Moto G 2015. After bringing Moto Maker to the Moto 360, and the Moto X, you can now customize your Moto G on Moto Maker.

With a slew of different combinations, Motorola really has taken customizing your device to a whole new level. There are two color options for the front, 10 different options for the back-plate, and 10 different options for your accent color, the possibilities are endless.

Conclusion

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The Moto G 2015 follows in the steps of its predecessor and big brother, by offering a great combination of specs, decent camera, and customization options to bring one of the best mid-range devices to the forefront. Now, just as a note, there are two different variants of the 2015 Moto G. The first is one that features 8GB of storage with 1GB of RAM for $179, or the version that was reviewed today with 16GB of storage and 2GB of RAM for $219.

If you can afford the extra 50 dollars, I would definitely opt for the extra storage and extra RAM so you can have that extra boost when you need it. No lag is always a good thing, and you won’t have that issue when it comes to the 2GB variant of the Moto G 2015.

With the introduction of these mid-range specs, addition of Moto display features, and the inclusion of the Moto G to Moto Maker, the Moto G really deserves a chance. Let us know what you think about this awesome device from the folks at Motorola in the comments below.

My LG G4 impressions so far

News
Reviews

Jason Botha

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August 22, 2015

8

I’ve had my G4 for just over 2 weeks now. That excitement of opening the box is unparalleled by most things in the world. I have to admit that this is the first flagship phone I’ve had. Usually I have some budget phone, my last Android being the outdated LG G2 Mini. I’ll break it up into sections to make it easier to read.

Unboxing

The box is nothing complicated. Sleek with a cool design, I quite like it.

Open the box, and you’ll see an entire range of goodies. I got the Brown leather version and it came with an additional Gold plastic backing, which actually looks more like a shade of Silver. There’s also a pair of Quadbeats 3 headphones and a charger with a nice, thick USB cable. This no-nonsense, practical approach appeals greatly to me and means it’s easy to use and will last for a long time.

They were also nice enough to throw in a 32GB MicroSD card. Here’s a close up on that USB cable I was talking about:

20150822_103229 — Watch and learn, Apple

Hardware

Please stop moaning if phones aren’t made of metal. Plastic ones feel just as premium if done right, which is evident in the G4. The leather backing, although susceptible to damage, really tops it off and feels good in the hand. The plastic back is also surprisingly grippy in the hand.

The screen has a subtle curve which is obvious enough that my friends asked me if it was curved. It’s really evident when looking directly at it with the screen off: Your face becomes distorted. It compliments the phone well, taking design cues from the G Flex 2. This is where it differs from the S6. It offers and organic and nature-like fell, while the S6 is industrial with the metal and glass. It’s entirely up to you what you would enjoy.

When the G3 was announced , we all marveled at the resolution, namely 1440 X 2560, or 2K. The colors and brightness weren’t too great, and LG picked up on that and fixed it. Blacks are nice and deep to the point where it’s almost indistinguishable from the bezels. I can easily view what’s happening on it in direct sunlight, granted I’m looking at it directly and not from an angle. Colors and vibrant and pleasing, although it appears that the S6 still has the edge in this department (Get it? Edge?).

Coming from my G2 Mini, it felt natural with the back buttons being on the back. At first I was a bit bummed with the speaker being at the back of the phone, but it’s actually really ideal as the curved back means the speaker isn’t blocked and muffled if you place it on something, but rather the sound will bounce off the surface and improve the audio quality. I was also really surprised how loud it goes. The quality could be a bit better, especially if you use LG’s propriety headset.

Camera

Usually the camera would be under hardware, but this needs a thing all for itself. Here’s one shot I took:

LG went all out with this and managed to overthrow Sammy’s camera on the S6 with the manual mode. I’ve seen several comparisons and they are neck-to-neck, each with strengths and weaknesses. You can do much more with the G4 though, thanks to the manual mode. This allows you to change the shutter speed to intervals between 1/6000 of a second to a full 30 seconds, ISO to 50 to 2700 and manually zoom and set the warmth/coolness. Here is another one with an ISO of 100 and exposure of 30 seconds:

20150815_201950~2 — Click me to see the full resolution!

I’m not going to boast too much about it, but I can safely say it’s currently the best camera package on a a smartphone today.

What I really enjoyed was the small things that LG threw in. You can hold up your hand and make a fist to start a selfie countdown. I’d take more selfies simply to use this. Saying “LG” or “Smile also triggers the camera and takes a photo, if you don’t want to look like a self-obnoxious selfie lover.

Software

LG’s built on top of the G3 software with some material design an improvements. When I first used the phone, I was blown away at how much bloatware was included: None. In fact, you can actually delete some of the stock apps like Calculator and QuickMemo+. In all there are a whooping 8 of them you’re able to delete.

I personally love the UI – Colorful and materialistic. I only experienced lag a few seconds after booting up. We’ll look further into it with our review.

Specs

LG couldn’t of made a better choice using the Snapdragon 808. Age is a number, and this case 810 does not mean better than 808. Complimented with 3GB RAM, everything was dead smooth, although I wonder what 4GB would’ve felt like. The 3000mAh battery is sufficient to keep the lights on for an entire day, with mediocre use of course. Leaving home at 07:00, leaving the WiFi on for a few hours and coming back at 17:00 easily left 60% of battery left. If you think that’s bad, please use switch your WiFi teethering on and see how long it lasts.

The screen uses the majority of battery. This is really obvious when you charge the phone. Screen off, it will go to 0% – 100% in less then 80 minutes. With the screen on, however, it takes almost double the time. I drool at the battery life had it been a 1080p screen – like the G2.

There’s only one tier for storage: 32GB. Substantial for most people, the removable back cover allows you to extend this with a SD card. Still, I want to see at least a 64GB in the G5.

Laser autofocus, NFC, IR Blaster. All the bells and whistles for a flagship. What do you think?

Cricket Wireless adds LG G Stylo, HTC Desire 626s

News

Scott Webster

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August 18, 2015

1

Cricket Wireless this week began offering another two Android smartphones, the LG G Stylo and HTC Desire 626s. Priced $150 and $200, respectively, the pair of no-contract handsets offer up mostly mid-range specifications.

The HTC Desire 626s runs Android 5.1 with HTC UI and features a 5-inch HD display, 8-megapixel rear camera, and 2-megapixel front-facing shooter.

desire626_front

Powered by a 1.1GHz quad-core processor, users have 8GB of internal storage with expansion (up to 200GB) coming courtesy of the microSD slot. Other specifications include a 2000mAh battery, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and 4G LTE support. The Desire 626s comes in a dual-color design and is compatible with Dot View cases.

gstylo_front

The LG G Stylo is a larger phone, however the specs are not all that different. Here you’ll find a 5.7-inch HD display as well as an integrated digital stylus. Slightly faster, this one has a 1.2GHz quad-core processor with 8GB internal storage. On the downside, the external microSD card slot only supports up to 32GB. Cameras for the G Stylo are 8-megapixel (rear) and 5-megapixel with both capable of HD video.

Cricket Wireless sells the HTC Desire 626s for $150 while the LG G Stylo can be purchased for $200; both are available immediately.

[graphiq id=”aP4WoAyx5Hf” title=”LG G Stylo” width=”600″ height=”400″ url=”//www.findthebest.com/w/aP4WoAyx5Hf” link=”http://smartphones.specout.com/l/3218/LG-G-Stylo” link_text=”LG G Stylo | SpecOut”]

[graphiq id=”gjKvN5PzF5j” title=”HTC Desire 626S” width=”600″ height=”400″ url=”//www.findthebest.com/w/gjKvN5PzF5j” link=”http://smartphones.specout.com/l/3903/HTC-Desire-626S” link_text=”HTC Desire 626S | SpecOut”]

Samsung announces Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6 Edge+ for August 21

Scott Webster

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August 13, 2015

1

[df-subtitle]As per the norm, all major wireless providers will offer the plus-sized handsets[/df-subtitle]

galaxy_note5-s6_edge_plus

As if we might have expected anything else, Samsung today formally revealed its annual Galaxy Note smartphone. Set to arrive in just over a week’s time, the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is the 2015 take on the larger flagship experience. Additionally, Samsung also revealed the successor/sibling to its curved-edge Galaxy Note Edge and Galaxy S6 Edge with the Galaxy S6 Edge+.

Samsung Galaxy Note 5

If you’re looking for a revolution, you won’t find it here. The specs change little from last year’s iteration, making the Note 5 a simple evolution. Indeed, the hardware is much like that found in the Galaxy S6 launched earlier this year.

Powered by Android 5.1, the Galaxy Note 5 packs a 5.7-inch display at 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution (518ppi). Although it’s the same size screen as that found in last year’s model, the overall size of the devices has been trimmed down a shade.

In terms of processing power, this year’s model employs Samsung’s own octa-core Exynos chip; four cores at 2.1GHz and four cores running at 1.5GHz. To bolster performance, the Note 5 uses 4GB RAM, up from 3GB in last year’s model.

Storage capacities are a somewhat of a bummer; only 32GB and 64GB options are available and there’s no microSD expansion slot.

Battery has been dropped down to 3000mAh for this generation so we’re interested in seeing what sort of impact that has in usage. Betting on a cord-free future, the phone comes equipped with fast, wireless charging; Samsung promises a 0-100% charge in two hours.

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As for cameras, the Galaxy Note 5 offers up a 16-megapixel f/1.9 sensor on the rear with a host of software enhancement modes. Around front we find a 5-megapixel shooter which should be more than enough for selfies.

Like it did for the Galaxy S6, Samsung has opted for the metal and glass approach in this year’s plus-sized phone. While it looks great and has a premium feel, it trades off removable batteries and external storage. As to whether that matters to the average user base, that varies per person.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 also includes the digital fingerprint scanner that’s found in the Galaxy S6. What’s more, there’s also a heart rate sensor on the rear of the device.

Because this is a “Note” model we’re dealing with, you’ll, of course, find an S-Pen digital stylus. And, keeping with its own tradition, Samsung has improved this year’s version yet again.

This time around the stylus has a unique click-in release mechanism. Software has been given a punch up here with enhanced Air Command, PDF markup, and other little touches. Another cool feature we’re keen to try is the Instant Memo which lets users jot notes on the screen even when the display is otherwise turned off.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 will be sold in black and white options through Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, and US Cellular. Pricing has not been disclosed so expect your service providers to disclose their own respective costs. Pre-orders begin today.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+

Save for the omission of an S Pen digital stylus, specifications for the S6 Edge+ is largely identical to the Note 5. That is, more specifically, in terms of the hardware details that comprise the internals.

The key feature of the S6 Edge+ is its curved 5.7-inch display. In short, if you like the idea of the Galaxy S6 Edge but simply want something larger, then this is the device for you.

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Like the Galaxy Note 5, the Galaxy S6 Edge+ will be launched across the major wireless providers on August 21. Pricing is not defined yet so expect separate announcements in short order. Pre-orders start today at 3PM.

Niantic Labs, makers of Ingress, being spun off into an independent company

News

Matt Adams

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August 13, 2015

0

Niantic Labs, the division behind the super popular augmented reality game Ingress will be spun off into a new company. They’re currently a division within Google but will soon become independent of the search giant. There’s no word on if this is a move brought on by the creation of Alphabet but Niantic will NOT be an Alphabet property.

Google will remain a big part of the company while it looks to bring in “new partners” to reach more audiences. Ingress has 12 million installs and 250,00 active players and will begin to transfer data over from Google to the new Niantic company on September 11th. In an email to customers, Niantic has stated that players will be opt out of this. While this doesn’t seem to be a big deal, just remember that even though Niantic is going to become its own company, they will still operate under the umbrella of Google. So your data will still be safe.

[blockquote author=”Niantic Labs”]Important Account Information: Niantic Labs is becoming an independent company. We’ll be taking our unique blend of exploration and fun to even bigger audiences with some amazing new partners joining Google as collaborators and backers. Niantic will be building on the success of +Ingress, which has been downloaded more than 12M times, has attracted more than 250,000 people to live events around the world, and has inspired users to collectively walk the distance from the earth to the sun while playing, exploring and discovering. Stay tuned at http://www.NianticLabs.com and our social channels for more information.[/blockquote]

Ingress has been a bit of a phenomenon in Android gaming. While augmented reality games aren’t a huge segment yet, Ingress boasts an impressive player base. It’s even big enough to spawn accessories made just keeping you up and running since the game is so hard on batteries. It’ll be interesting to see where the company heads next.

Source: Android Central via Ingress Google+

Lenovo announces they will bet on Motorola for their mobile future

News

Matt Adams

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August 13, 2015

0

During an earnings call on Wednesday, Lenovo announced they will depend on Motorola to design and produce smartphones for the company. Lenovo acquired Motorola from Google in 2014, in an effort to beef up their their smartphone offerings in the United States. Since then, Motorola has gone on to release the most popular smartphone in its history, the Moto G, and what is widely regarded as the best Android Wear smartwatch on the market, the Moto 360.

Lenovo has stated that they will reshuffle their mobile division to offer a more “streamlined product portfolio, with fewer, more clearly-differentiated models.” That’s probably a smart move on Lenovo’s part. While they’re not a complete unknown in the smart phone world, they do only account for 5.6% of the market and that takes into account sales from Motorola. Following the vision of Motorola’s mobile division to put out higher quality smartphones cheaper than their competitors would seem to be strategically advantageous. Lenovo can still release high end phones under their own name like the P90, Vibe X2 pro, and Vibe Shot which were announced at CES.

While some may see this as good news, the earnings call wasn’t all positive. Lenovo is facing increasing competition and negative headlines in both the mobile and computer markets and it shows in their numbers. While quarterly revenue was $10.7 billion (a 3% increase year-over-year), first quarter pre-tax income decreased 80% to $52 million and net income declined 51% to 105 million.

[blockquote author=”Lenovo”]Lenovo saw severe challenges in its main markets. It faced significant declines in the global PC and tablet markets, as well as slowing growth and increasing competition – especially in China – in smartphones. There were macroeconomic challenges in Brazil and Latin America and large currency fluctuations, intensifying competition, which hurt Motorola’s profitability in particular. Finally, Lenovo saw a rapidly shifting technology demand landscape in the enterprise business.[/blockquote]

In addition to restructuring the mobile group, Lenovo also announced that they will preposition their enterprise group to “attack” the most relevant and attractive market segments, accelerate the drive for 30% share in PCs and strive for greater efficiency across all functions. Lenovo says this will save them $650 million in expenses in the second half of this year and $1.35 billion on an annual basis. To accomplish the cuts, Lenovo will cut about 10% of it’s non-manufacturing staff and 60,000 people total.

Source: Lenovo via PhoneArena

Sundar Pichai named new Google CEO operating under Alphabet

News

Andrew Allen

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August 10, 2015

0

Alphabet

In what is some pretty darn surprising news, Google Co-Founder Larry Page has announced a few new changes to the company’s organization. The first of which, is made obvious by the title: Sundar Pichai, the man behind Android and Chrome, has been named the new CEO of Google. There are, however, some other new, and major, changes that have been made within Google.

This new structure will allow us to keep tremendous focus on the extraordinary opportunities we have inside of Google. A key part of this is Sundar Pichai. Sundar has been saying the things I would have said (and sometimes better!) for quite some time now, and I’ve been tremendously enjoying our work together… it is clear to us and our board that it is time for Sundar to be CEO of Google.

Google, and all of its other ventures, will now operate under a newly founded company, Alphabet. This newly founded company, will take all the various bits and pieces from Google and they will seemingly run more separate from the group. This hopes to allow these various sub-projects to run smoother and allows the company to have “more management scale”.

Alphabet is mostly a collection of companies. The largest of which, of course, is Google. This newer Google is a bit slimmed down, with the companies that are pretty far afield of our main internet products contained in Alphabet instead. What do we mean by far afield? Good examples are our health efforts: Life Sciences, and Calico . Fundamentally, we believe this allows us more management scale, as we can run things independently that aren’t very related.

From the post made by Larry Page via abc.xyz, Alphabet is allowing for more time to be devoted to projects that the company has been trying to grow. All of this, while, at the same time, allowing the bigger projects like Android or YouTube, to continue working on whatever is up their sleeves.

As for some type of game plan, Mr. Page was kind enough to give us an idea of what Alphabet aims to do as a whole, now that things are changed up:

Getting more ambitious things done.
Taking the long-term view.
Empowering great entrepreneurs and companies to flourish.
Investing at the scale of the opportunities and resources we see.
Improving the transparency and oversight of what we’re doing.
Making Google even better through greater focus.
And hopefully… as a result of all this, improving the lives of as many people as we can.

All of the news surrounding this is still developing, so we will be sure to have more information as it becomes available. In the meantime, check out this crazy URL, abc.xyz/ and let us know what you think about these new changes to the regime.

Source: abc.xyz

ZTE Overture 2 review

Josh Noriega

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July 31, 2015

10

[dropcaps]When those of us who aspire for the latest and greatest see a budget phone, it’s only natural to shrug our shoulders and move on to something more interesting. With that said, I don’t think the latest and greatest in smartphones has been that inspiring lately. I’ll actually argue that there’s more action going on in the budget space right now. As the gain of top-level components are slowing, entry-level components have way more advancement to be had. And as that gap narrows, you get much more value with the inferior smartphone.[/dropcaps]

And this is exactly the perspective that I took with the entry-level ZTE Overture 2. ZTE is no stranger to value in the smartphone space, and the Overture 2 is no exception with a price tag of $50, on Cricket Wireless. What made this review particularly interesting to me is that fact that it runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop and sports a Snapdragon quad-core processor. Time to see how narrow that gap really is!

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Design/Build

When you consider an entry-level smartphone, it’s not reasonable to expect a design that impresses, but rather, one that works. It will be basic, but sturdy. And if it excels, the user won’t be thinking about the cheap price tag. I’m happy to report that this precisely describes the Overture 2.

Yes, the design is reminiscent of older plastic Android handsets, back when removable back covers were commonplace. However, not once did I loathe holding the Overture 2. It feels solid, doesn’t flex or creak, and the material doesn’t indicate that it won’t last.

I appreciate that the plastic back cover has a textured weave-like pattern. It helps considerably with the grip. There’s a small notch on one of the corners for easy removal of the back cover. The cover easily snaps back into place.

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It’s a bummer that while the back cover is removable, the battery isn’t. I always dislike when manufacturers do this, it’s almost like a tease. All is not lost as there is a microSD card slot under the cover. The SIM card slot also resides here.

Although the Overture 2 runs on the latest Android OS, you won’t find the latest method for navigation buttons. On the front you have capacitive soft keys on the bottom (in Lollipop style, at least), a ZTE logo smushed between the display and earpiece, and a front-facing camera. My only gripe here would be the screen-to-body ratio of the phone. At 62.9%, I feel like a 4.5″ device should be smaller than this.

Around the perimeter of the phone, we have a microUSB charging port on the left, separated volume buttons on the right, power button on the top right, and headphone jack on the top left. There is only a microphone on the bottom of the phone.

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The usability of the power and volume buttons were done well. They’re clicky, instead of mushy. Neither too hard nor too soft to press.

Performance

I was excited to put the Overture 2’s hardware through its paces. Although this a budget phone, it’s running the latest version of Android (Lollipop 5.1). Powering it is the current entry-level quad-core processor from Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 410 (1.2 GHz). In other words, I was curious to test out how much performance I would lose in comparison to my top-end daily driver.

Confirming my suspicions, the difference wasn’t stark. The Overture 2 is sufficiently snappy with basic operations (sifting through panels and apps, opening/closing applications, web surfing). There are some executions that do have a second or two delay that shouldn’t, but certainly nothing to cry about. This could be attributed to the low 1GB of RAM.

And while we’re on the topic of low memory, something I dislike that’s common on budget smartphone is low internal storage capacity. Unfortunately, the Overture 2 suffers the same fate, with only 8GB of storage space. After installing a handful of standard apps (Facebook, FlipBoard, Pandora, etc.) and taking a few pictures, I was down to 1.38GB available.

Bear in mind that the OS takes up a chunk of the overall capacity. Fortunately, Overture 2 is helped along by a microSD slot (expandable up to 32GB).

I loaded up a game (Leo’s Fortune) on the Overture 2, to test out the on-board Adreno 306 graphics chip. I wanted to try either Modern Combat or Asphalt to stress test the system, but unfortunately with that little storage space, you won’t be able to install big games on this device. But for what it’s worth, Leo’s Fortune played smoothly and without a hitch.

Display

The largest red mark I would have to give the Overture 2 is on the display. Its Achilles heel is without a doubt the display quality. Let’s cover the specs first.

We have a 4.5″ LCD screen (protected by Dragontrail glass), with a FWVGA resolution (854 x 480 pixels). While the resolution is older than yesteryear, it is not unexpected for an entry-level smartphone. The same ideal extends to the display quality, but here I’m particularly left feeling that ZTE ~~could~~ should have done better.

The display has this strange phenomenon that occurs at viewing angles. I’ve seen this happen in cheaper screens before, so I don’t think it’s a screen defect. When you tilt to one side you see dimmed color degradation (almost like inverted colors) and when you tilt to the other side the image is washed out (a more typical effect of cheap displays).

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Both effects seem to merge at the middle (looking at the phone straight on), to give an OK image, but my eyes can tell something is not right. The big problem is the viewing angle sensitivity. It only takes a slight tilt for the image to quickly degrade in the manner determined by the direction you tilted it. I have to keep the device steady and straight, or my eyes get a shot of unpleasantness.

If you can look past this issue, colors are alright, resolution is sufficient but not ideal, and outdoor visibility is modest.

Camera

The Overture 2 is equipped with a 5 MP rear camera with single LED flash. You can record at 720p. I was impressed by all the features that ZTE through in, separated by three categories:

Fun mode – Special effects (filters), smile detection, HDR, automatic image capture at set time intervals, panorama, and multi-exposure to collate images.
Auto mode – Simple point-and-shoot operation.
Manual mode – Where you can control white balance, ISO, or exposure.

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The quality of the images are in line with what I would expect for a phone at this price range. In good lighting, we can get respectable capture. But in situations with dynamic range, the camera can blow out lighting a bit. Colors are decent, but lean a little on the dull side. Detail matches what I would expect from a 5 MP shooter. Image quality drops drastically in lower light, but this is not unexpected from a budget camera.

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The front facing camera is VGA (0.3 MP). It is similar to other VGA sensors I’ve seen, which produce grainy selfies.

Battery Life

The battery capacity is a respectable 2,100 mAh. Although the back cover is removable, the battery is sealed in. So you won’t be able to carry around extra battery packs.

On the bright side, it may be that you don’t have to. I was left very impressed by the battery life this little guy managed to pull. One day I charged it up in the morning and was out and about for half the day and only used 38% battery. This was with typical operations: Streaming music in the card, checking Google Maps, web browsing, and taking a few pictures.

I used it on and off connected to Wifi the rest of the day and went to bed with 35% battery. My overnight test (leaving it on, connected to wifi, while I sleep and checking it first thing when I wake up) produced an average result of 15% battery drain.

The Overture 2 also has ZTE’s power saver option. Testing it produced similar results as the power saver that comes in stock Lollipop, unsure if it’s the same or not. What’s different is the very welcomed power management controls.

Software

ZTE is known to add their own little touches to Android, and it’s no different with the Overture 2. However, I do appreciate how minimal they keep it. I can still see remnants of stock Lollipop in places, such as the sound priority control when you press a volume button, the drop-down notification/quick settings panel, and the dialer.

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The most drastic changes are the following:

Instead of swiping up to unlock the screen, you press and hold.
ZTE’s custom app drawer, folder, and icon appearances
ZTE apps in place of Google apps (camera, browser, gallery)
Available options when you tap and hold a panel. ZTE included theming and and different panel transitions to choose from.

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I really like that ZTE’s alterations to Android don’t feel like they’re deep in the system. I don’t feel bogged down, or that stock Android is handicapped in some way. There are a few apps installed by default (bloatware): Evernote, AccuWeather, Deezer, AskMD, and several Cricket apps. As with other carriers, you can disable them but not uninstall them. This is especially annoying when you consider how little internal storage you’re given.

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Final Thoughts

I’ve very glad to have taken the Overture 2 through its paces. The performance that today’s entry-level Android can pull has left me quite impressed. If it weren’t for the main concerns I’ve raised (poor display, camera lighting issues, and miniscule internal storage space), I could go as far to say I wouldn’t be too unhappy using this instead of my flagship phone.

But from the perspective of a consumer on a budget, I still consider the Overture 2 a great value despite the some of the weak hardware. You can’t ignore the $50 price tag, and you’re getting a solid build, a terrific performer, respectable battery life, and the latest version of Android.

ZTE Overture 2 Product Page

LG G Flex 2 Review: Gimmick turned useful

Benton Trerise

-

July 31, 2015

6

For awhile now, innovation in the mobile phone space has been stagnant in terms of hardware. These days new flagships simply have bigger, higher resolution screens, with faster processors and more RAM than most users know what to do with. In an attempt to make a name for themselves, both Samsung and LG have been playing with the idea of flexible touch screens. For Samsung, this came to fruition in the Samsung Note Edge and S6 Edge. For LG, it has come in the form of the LG G Flex 2 (say that five times fast).

When I first found I would be reviewing this device, it was more out of curiosity than any thoughts of the curve being useful. Yet, the more I used the G Flex 2, the more I found the curve to be a natural extension of my hand than another device. Read on for more information!

Software and UI

While doing the review, the LG G Flex 2 had Android 5.0.1 Lollipop, with LG’s new UX 4.0 skin on top. I have mixed feelings about the software on this phone, because it is (in my opinion) the most useful UI skin of all the manufacturers (except Motorola, but they don’t have a UI skin technically). At the same time, it is the most ugly UI of all the manufacturers. With Lollipop being such a beautiful piece of software, LG takes away all of that by placing ugly color combinations and nonsensical placement of words and icons. Luckily, with the use of other launchers, you really only see the UI in the settings.

[blockquote author=””]Something that was originally seen as a gimmick has become very useful[/blockquote]

Once I get past the look of their UI, the software is great. In fact, I didn’t seem to have any memory leak issues or major bugs many others have faced when dealing with Android 5.0. Further, the ability to customize a lot of the little aspects of the phone to my liking is very useful. I would have maybe liked to see more software tailored to the screen’s curve. However, one of LG’s newest features – called “Glance” – seemed easier to accomplish with a curved screen than other LG’s phones.

Navigating the software was smooth, with me never experiencing lag. LG’s Knock Code feature was as useful as usual. All-in-all, I enjoyed the software on the phone. Just wish it wasn’t so stinking ugly.

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[df-subtitle]Display[/df-subtitle]

The LG G Flex 2 has a 5.5″ P-OLED 1080p screen, giving it a pixel density of 403 pixels per inch. While most top-end smartphones these days are opting for a Quad HD display (including LG’s own G4), the choice to go with 1080p on the G Flex 2 wasn’t a bad one, in my opinion. When the pixels per inch go above 400 (and arguably even over 300), you’re hard-pressed to see any pixels with the naked eye. Further, some people prefer the 1080p display as it doesn’t tend to drain battery life as quickly (which perhaps lends to the G Flex 2’s great battery life – more later).

[blockquote author=””]The G Flex 2 feels like an extension of my hand[/blockquote]

One choice I believe was in LG’s favor that changed from the original G Flex to the G Flex 2 was the screen size. The original was a whopping 6 inches, which was before the Nexus 6 made that size popular. While the G Flex 2 is no small phone, 5.5″ is much easier to handle than the original (I’ll talk about feel more in “Design”).

The P-OLED display allows for true blacks, and rich colors. The display is bright and crisp, and even viewable in direct sunlight. The curve of the display (in terms of viewing angles) was at times helpful, and at times not. Usually, the curve was helpful, because if one part of the screen had a glare on it, it was not present on the entire screen. However, whenever I placed the phone in a car dock, the phone would stand upright. This would cause the top to curve down ever so slightly, so that the auto brightness would not set for outside, but rather darker. This was solved by disabling auto brightness and manually setting it, but something that is a little annoying to do.

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[df-subtitle]Design[/df-subtitle]

I am sure this is what most users are curious about. Let me put it this way: something that was originally seen as a gimmick has become, in my opinion, very useful.

Let me start with the fact that the phone does not feel like it has a 5.5″ screen because of the curve. That, coupled with the dimensions of the phone (149.10 mm x 75.30 mm x 9.40 mm) and the weight (152 grams), and the phone feels more like a 5.0″-5.2″ phone. Certainly a much easier hold than the original G Flex. While I couldn’t reach my thumb all the way to the other corner of the screen, I come pretty close.

Past that, and the curve allows the phone to just feel better/easier to use than just about any other phone. When I use it for a call, if actually feels like I’m using a phone, rather than a brick. When the phone is in my pocket, it just seems to form better against my leg, rather than a brick. And scrolling through web pages, flicking through images, and any other situation that calls for me to run my finger across the screen seems so much more natural… rather than a brick.

I think you get the idea: the G Flex 2 feels more like an extension of my hand, rather than a brick that can post cat photos on the internet.

Other than the curve itself, the phone certainly has a plastic feel, but the metal edge around the screen helps take away the cheap feeling you might otherwise get. Also, the buttons are on the back (a trademark of LG these days), and seem easier to reach because of the curve.

Here’s what I know: after using this phone for an extended period of time, going back to a phone without that curve just felt, unnatural.

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[df-subtitle]Camera[/df-subtitle]

The camera on the G Flex 2 isn’t anything to write home about, but it isn’t bad either. Included below are a few sample shots I took. It comes with a 13 MP rear shooter, and a 2.1 front-facing shooter. The rear camera has laser-focus, which I found to be quicker than most other cameras. It can shoot 1080p video. The camera does have Optical Image Stabilization, something that most smartphones are missing these days.

Otherwise, not a whole lot that is special about the camera on this phone.

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[df-subtitle]Overall Performance[/df-subtitle]

The G Flex 2 overall was a great phone to use. Actions were quick, apps loaded up smoothly, and I never noticed any lag. Probably the only thing I noticed was that the phone was able to get pretty hot when playing a game, or doing a lot of multi-tasking. This is likely due to the fact that it uses a Snapdragon 810, though. Otherwise, its 3 GB of RAM could handle everything I threw at it.

Battery life was phenomenal. I often tell people that LG is one of the leaders in battery performance, and the G Flex 2 is no exception. I played with the phone a lot, but thanks to the 3,000 mAh battery, I often went to bed with about 30% left, and almost 5 hours of screen on time. Had I not used it so much each day, I could have likely gotten 2 and a half days out of it, no problem.

To be honest, there’s not a whole lot more to say about its performance, which is a good thing.

LG’s G Flex 2 seems to be a big improvement from the original G Flex, but those who had adopted the original won’t feel left in the dust, as the curve certainly is prominent in day-to-day use. Otherwise, those looking for a phone with a big screen that durable, and has something unique to it, shouldn’t look too far, as the G Flex 2 is a great entry into the smartphone race.

Boost Mobile announces Alcatel OneTouch Conquest, Elevate

News

Scott Webster

-

July 29, 2015

0

[df-subtitle]The first of the two Android 5.0 smartphones is available today; the second arrives in August[/df-subtitle]

Boost Mobile has two new Android handsets for its customers, one of which is available immediately. Starting today, the Alcatel OneTouch Conquest can be had for $130. Next month, however, the Alcatel OneTouch Elevate arrives with a $100 sticker.

Powered by Lollipop versions of Android, the two are considered budget-minded devices. The pair share a couple of features, including 5-megapixel rear cameras, LTE support, and quad-core processors.

Alcatel_Conquest

Key features in the Alcatel OneTouch Conquest:

IP67 waterproof and dustproof
Android 5.0, Lollipop:
5-inch 720p HD touchscreen display with Dragontrail Glass
5-megapixel auto focus camera with LED flash
2-megapixel front camera
Quad-core 1.2GHz processor
3G/4G LTE/Enhanced LTE3

BM_Alacatel_Elevate

Key features in the Alcatel OneTouch Elevate:

Android 5.1 Lollipop
4.5-inch FWVGA display
5-megapixel auto focus camera with LED flash
2-megapixel front camera
3G/4G LTE/Enhanced LTE
Quad-core 1.1GHz processor

Boost Mobile offers rate plans that start as low as $30 with Auto Re-Boost. The prepaid carried this week began offering data add-on bundles for 1GB or 2GB extra data. Boost Mobile operates using Sprint’s wireless network.

AndroidGuys

News & Opinion Since 2007

Design

Software Integration

Battery

Camera

Moto Maker

Conclusion

Samsung Galaxy Note 5

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+

Design/Build

Performance

Display

Camera

Battery Life

Software

Final Thoughts