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T-Mobile is launching the TCL 30 XE 5G on February 25 for less than $200

AndroidGuys
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The TCL 30 XE 5G is coming to T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile this Friday, February 25. This device is going to cost $198 at T-Mobile or $199 at Metro.

For less than $200 you are getting a decently specced device. It has a 6.52-inch HD+ (1600 x 720) display with a 90Hz refresh rate. The TCL 30 XE 5G is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 700 processor and 4GB of RAM. It has 64GB of onboard storage but that is expandable up to 512GB via a MicroSD card.

You are getting a triple camera setup with a 13MP main camera, a 2MP depth lens, and a 2MP macro lens. It also has an 8MP front-facing camera. It has a 4500mAh battery but unfortunately runs Android 11. TCL even included an 18W charger in the box for fast charging. For security, you get face-unlock as well as a fingerprint sensor.

This is a well-rounded device for under $200. It is by no means going to be a speed burner, but it will be adequate as a daily driver if you keep your expectations tempered.

REDMAGIC announced the global launch of the gaming-centric REDMAGIC 7

AndroidGuys
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REDMAGIC announced the global availability of their gaming-centric smartphone, the REDMAGIC 7.

The REDMAGIC 7 runs on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 CPU and a 4500mAh battery. They include a 65W GaN Fast Charger in the box.

There are three color options, but each color comes with a slightly different spec sheet and price tag. The Obsidian Black comes with 12GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. It will cost you $626. The Pulsar Colorway features 16GB of RAM, 256GB of storage and will cost $729. The final option is Supernova with its transparent back cover. This model comes with 18GB of RAM and 256GB of storage and will cost $799.

The REDMAGIC 7 runs REDMAGIC OS 5.0 (based on Android 12). You get a 6.8-inch 165Hz AMOLED display with a 1080 * 2400 resolution and 100% DCI-P3 color gamut coverage.

This device comes with a triple camera setup with a 64MP main shooter, an 8MP ultra-wide lens, and a 2MP macro lens. Additionally, you also get an 8MP front-facing camera.

As a gaming device, you get dual shoulder buttons and REDMAGIC’s ICE 8.0 cooling system. The ICE system features a high-speed turbo fan to keep the device cool.

The global version is coming on March 10 to the US, Europe, UK, Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Latin America. This seems like a gamer’s dream device and at $800 can potentially be an amazing value. We will keep you posted as we get closer to launch.

NexiGo Air T2 earbuds review

Andrew Allen
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Earbuds are some of the most popular mobile tech on the market. Most brands offer something in this category, and it can be hard to stand out. However, NexiGo has found a way to pop with sheer lack of size in the new Air T2 earbuds.

Let’s take a few minutes to expand on my thoughts in a full review of the NexiGo Air T2 earbuds.

Design

The first thing that immediately jumps out when opening the NexiGo Air T2 is how small the whole package is. From the earbuds themselves to the battery pack case, the complete unit is just over the thickness of the average ink pen.

The earbuds are a small teardrop shape earpiece with a slim, small stem sticking out below. The fit is extremely light and sits well in the ear. You get some basic touch controls and gyro sensors to auto start and stop playback when removed from the ear.

Internally, you get Bluetooth 5.2 paired with Qualcomm aptX codec support. Clear voice capture noise cancellation is also available with a four mic array to help with phone calls. The Air T2 earbuds are IPX5 waterproof resistant to help shed the elements as well.

The battery case is extremely light but still feels premium with the chassis made from aircraft-grade aluminum. The charging pack refuels the Air T2 earbuds via internal pogo pins and the case charges by a USB-C port found on the bottom of the device.

Touch Controls

As mentioned, you get a few touch controls to interact with your playback. A double tap of either earbud pauses/plays the current track. The same will accept or hang up a phone call.

A triple tap is set to move between tracks on your phone. The left earbud will take you back a selection on the NexiGo Air T2. To move forward a song, you can triple tap the right side.

Now, you rarely see a quad tap, but NexiGo is taking a shot at it with activating voice assistants on the Air T2 earbuds. You don’t see this combination often due to the finicky nature of actually getting it to work. These are no difference, but after a few days I was able to capture the correct cadence to get this most of the time.

Sound

I was surprised on how well these tiny earbuds perform. NexiGo has found a good balance of sound even for the smaller stature of the Air T2 headphones. Both music and podcasts come through well when compared to others in the segment.

One issue I did have is that some callers said I seemed muffled or siloed on the other end of phone calls. I’m no engineer, but I’d contribute this to stubbiness of the stems. This is where the mics live for calls and just makes it physically further away from your voice. A longer stem would most likely contribute to better mic performance.

Battery life

You’d expect battery life to take a hit in such a small package, but the NexiGo Air T2 earbuds still perform admirably here as well. I’ve hit around seven hours of playback consistently with around 50% volume. You can recharge the earbuds three full cycles on top of this for a maximum rating of 28 hours of total enjoyment.

When you do need to recharge, USB-C charging is available. Quick charge doesn’t seem to be included, but the case recharges in around 3 hours from dead and the earbuds can charge in roughly an hour’s time.

Conclusion

I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the NexiGo Air T2 earbuds. The slim design makes them almost invincible to carry in your pocket, but somehow still lasts seven hours worth of endurance. Pair all that with touch controls and only a sub-$70 price tag, and I’d say we have a winner.

You can purchase the NexiGo Air T2 headphones in three colorways via either the company’s website or Amazon. The color options are black, rose gold, and silver. At the time of this article, Amazon even has them discounted to $59.

Purchase the NexiGo Air T2 earbuds via NexiGo

Purchase the NexiGo Air T2 earbuds via Amazon

Zigma Smart Air Purifier review

Greg Baker
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Have you every worried about your air quality? With the Covid-19 pandemic I have been much more concerned about my safety. In my own home, I want to know that the air I am breathing into my body is safe and clean.

The Zigma Smart Air Purifier does this, by not only ensuring that clean air is dispensed through the machine, but also by telling you what the quality of the air is in your household. This gives me peace of mind and makes me feel confident that the air I am breathings is safe.

Assembly

This device has one of the simplest assemblies I have ever come across. The air purifier comes completely built and all the user needs to do is simply take off the front of and remove the packaging from the filter.

The air purifier itself is a little bit bigger than my microwave and has a very sleek design. When I think of an air purifier, I do not think of stylish but with this device think again. It has a very modern and sleek look to it.

Once you have assembled the air purifier you are ready to go, just plug your device in and begin with the connection process.

Connectivity

When setting up the Zigma Smart Air Purifier one of the first things that you do is connect it to a mobile app that need to be downloaded on your phone. Luckily Zigma made this process simple by placing a QR code on the air purifier. You scan this in the app and then simply connect the air purifier to the same Wi-Fi that your phone is on.

Once this is done you are able to adjust the settings of the air purifier from anywhere within the house. The app also allows you to connect multiple air purifiers to it so you can adjust the settings to be different for different rooms or parts of the house.

If you have smart devices in your home such as Alexa or Google Home, the app allows you to connect the smart air purifier with those devices as well. Then you can simply tell your smart devices to change the settings on your smart air purifier.

I had no trouble connecting my smart air purifiers to my Alexa by clicking add third part control in the app, however, make sure your smart devices and connected to the same Wi-Fi as your air purifier.

Mobile App

Once your smart air purifier is connected to the app it will appear under devices. You can click on the device to see the air quality in the room you are filtering.

At first, I found this aspect to be very confusing because the app just gives you a number labeled PM2.5 as your air quality. However, around this number is a circle and the color of the circle relates to the quality of the air as well.

Since I struggled to understand the number, I found it was easier to see a blue circle meant healthy air and a red circle meant unhealthy air. Right next to the air quality the app also displays the filter percent, so the user can know when the filter needs to be replaced. In the app under devices, you can also control the device anywhere in the house.

You can set it to automatic, night, or manual mode. In manual mode you can control the air flow from light, to heavy. On the other tabs of the mobile app, you can set up rooms or sections of the house for each air purifier and automate them to that they can automatically change with time or weather.

Purification Quality

With this device you want to be able to see differences in the quality of your air. Yet, through this device I found out that the air in my house was already clean.

I can say this device was able to give me peace of mind about my air quality but since the air in my house was already clean there was not much to improve on. However, I can ensure that the purification works for households with unhealthy air, because, when something was burnt near the air purifier the air purifier immediately picked up on it and told me that air was unhealthy to breath, also since I had it on automatic it switched from light air flow to heavy so it could purify faster.

The app also displayed a red circle that said 273 PM2.5, unhealthy vs what the normal in my house is which is a blue circle that says 10 PM2.5, healthy.

The other thing that I was hoping this air purifier would filter out of the air is the mass amount t of dog hair that I have in my house. Although after running this device for a month I did not see much dog hair in the filter only a little so I would not rely on this device to filter out pet hair.

Final Thoughts

If you live in a household with smoke or have reason to believe that the air you are breathing is unhealthy, I would recommend this device. Furthermore, if you often feel paranoid about the quality of your air, this device can give peace of mind and ensure that the air you are breathing is safe. The Zigma Smart Air Purifier is easy to set up and can easily be controlled. It was able to make me feel confident about the air that I breath in and it can do the same for you.

Protect your data and privacy with a lifetime subscription to BelkaVPN

AG Deals Team
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Your data and privacy are important. So important that businesses and individuals will go to great lengths to obtain that information. When you go to a coffee shop or use public Wi-Fi, the information you are sending over the internet is not safe or secure. When you are at home, your Internet Service Provider (ISP) has access to all of the data from all of your devices. This can be used to track and provide tailored ads to not only your device but others in the house as well.

Protecting your information and your privacy doesn’t need to be a difficult task. It is as easy as getting yourself a Virtual Private Network (VPN) and turning it on. A VPN routes all of your internet traffic through their own servers, effectively blocking and encrypting your data wherever you are.

Today AG has an opportunity to get a lifetime subscription to BelkaVPN for only $39.99.

What you get with BelkaVPN

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  • CleanWeb feature blocks ads, trackers, and malware
  • Easily configure VPN connection on your router
  • Military-grade AES 256-bit encryption
  • Total anonymity online, your data is only yours
  • Connect up to 10 devices at the same time
  • 24/7 customer support.
  • Supports Windows, MacOS, Chrome OS, Linux, iOS, and Android

Get Started

Don’t miss this amazing opportunity to protect all of the information you send over the internet. Normally priced at $719, you can get BelkaVPN for just $39.99. At 94% off, there is no reason to wait, protect your data online today.

Nubia revealed the REDMAGIC 7 Series gaming phone in China, with a global version coming soon

AndroidGuys
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Nubia announced the REDMAGIC 7 Series today in China. Both the REDMAGIC 7 and the REDMAGIC 7 Pro come with a top-of-the-line processor, nubia’s signature cooling system, up to a 165Hz refresh rate, and under-display camera technology.

The specs

Both phones in the series come with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor. The regular device comes with 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 128GB of storage. The Pro version ups the RAM to 12GB and gives the same 128GB of storage. The REDMAGIC Pro features 135W quick charging, which is capable of charging the Pro’s 5000 mAh battery in just 15 minutes. The standard REDMAGIC 7 supports 120W charging, which can charge its 4500 mAh battery in 17 minutes.

These devices run a custom version of Android 12 called REDMAGIC OS 5.0. The display is a 6.8-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a resolution of 2400 x 1800. The display also features a 10bit color depth and full DCI-P3 color. According to the press release, the REDMAGIC 7 comes with a 700 nit screen and the REDMAGIC 7 Pro comes with a 600 nit screen. Both are capable of 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. The standard device will have a 165Hz refresh rate and 720Hz touch sampling rate while the Pro version will have a 120Hz refresh rate and a 960Hz touch sampling rate.

Both devices will have 500Hz touch sampling shoulder triggers. These shoulder triggers have been tested to withstand more than two million finger presses. Nubia created a special area called Game Space. This is where you can set the shoulder triggers for specific games, as well as quickly and easily reply to messages.

The rest of the details

The REDMAGIC 7 series of devices come in Cyber Neon, Night Knight, and Deuterium Transparent Edition. The Cyber Neon and Night Knight versions include lighting effects using the logo on the back and RGB breathing lights. The Deuterium Transparent Edition includes a REDMAGIC logo light and RGB lights within the built-in turbofan that can be seen through the transparent back.

These devices also come with an in-screen fingerprint sensor, a triple camera setup, and a headphone jack. It’s available to buy in China on February 21 and will roll out globally on March 10. Expect more details about the global launch on February, 22.

AnkerWork B600 Video Bar review

Andrew Allen
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Work from home is becoming more and more the norm for the post-pandemic workforce. Even those that still report to a physical office are enjoying a more hybrid approach. AnkerWork hopes to create a new lineup of devices to help home offices seem more like the real deal.

I’ve been testing the company’s new AnkerWork B600 Video Bar. This combination of a light ring and hi-res webcam make for a potent addition to any workspace.

Design

The AnkerWork B600 shares a ton of DNA with our last AnkerWork device, the C300 webcam. The key difference is the flip up shudder that does dual duty of covering the webcam when not in use and reveals the light bar when activated.

Just to the right of the main lens lives a capacity slider for controlling the LED bar’s brightness. This is a nice touch to have a physical way to adjust this without the need of digging through software or struggling to find that perfect positioning while on a video chat.

On each end of the AnkerWork B600 Video Bar is another set of capacitive buttons. The right side houses an On/Off switch to completely dim the light bar. The opposite side allows you to complete kill the mic from picking up input.

The full length of the back of the AnkerWork B600 Video Bar is a dual-speaker soundbar. This covered in a soft canvas casing to protect the internal audio works and adds an impressive look.

The Video Bar requires some inputs and has a full USB-A, and two USB-C ports. One USB-C port is dedicated for power for the included adapter, while the other two options are for data, depending on the cables you have available.

Software

Again, much of this is a slight iteration of what we found with the C300. The camera is a full 2K resolution, at 30 frames-per-second, with a 95-degree viewing angle. The software is capable of autofocusing and following the users while on video.

This is a neat trick that allows the end-user to move around or reposition while the AnkerWork B600 does the work of moving the viewing angle without you repositioning the lens manually. It seems like a gimmick at first, but really does add a value to the Video Bar you just don’t get with other webcams.

The autofocus is not the only AI-powered tweak Anker has here. Using the company’s VoiceRadar noise cancellation, the B600 Video Bar also isolates users as they move and removes much of the outside interference to give you crystal clear audio with your calls.

The AnkerWork B600 Video Bar is also Zoom certified. You should see no issues with this using to for Zoom calls as the two companies have work together to make sure it’s plug-and-play with the conferencing suite. I can say this is indeed true. I had zero issues using the Video Bar with Zoom or any other video chat program.

AnkerWork also has a dedicated update and settings manager for Windows and Mac users. This allows you to keep the software and internal firmware up to date. The settings options gives you more granular controls with the LED color temps and brightness than the manual buttons on the B600.

Conclusion

Anker has nailed this device with the AnkerWork B600 Video Bar. From the light bar to the software autofocusing, the Video Bar offers a great array of features that sets it apart from its competition.

The combination of light ring and traditional webcam makes for a compelling addition to any office scenario. The price isn’t going to run off most consumers, either. While the $219 price tag is a little steep, I feel it’s well worth it. You can order the AnkerWork B600 Video Bar now via the AnkerWork website or Amazon.

Purchase B600 Video Bar from AnkerWork

Purchase B600 Video Bar from Amazon

Lifetime access to MyDraw Advanced Diagramming Software

AG Deals Team
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Creating charts, maps, diagrams, and floor plans can be a real hassle. That doesn’t have to be the case and with a lifetime license to MyDraw Advanced Diagramming Software, it will never be again. At only $36.99 you are getting 46% off this powerful and easy-to-use software.

What you get

This diagram software includes features to help you create:

  • Flowcharts
  • Organization Charts
  • Mind Maps
  • Network Diagrams
  • Floor Plans
  • Family Tree Diagrams
  • General Business Diagrams
  • Drawings
  • Invoices
  • Scorecards
  • and more

MyDraw allows you to create vector drawings using a large set of tools for drawing lines, curves, rectangles, ellipses, polygons, and other shapes.

This software provides a friendly user interface that is the same on both Windows and Mac OS. You get automatic layouts, high-quality printed and PDF materials, and ready-to-use templates.

This software will take the worry out of diagramming. At only $36.99 you are getting lifetime access to MyDraw Advanced Diagramming Software.

Cricket Wireless is bringing free Wi-Fi options to its customers

AndroidGuys
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Cricket Wireless is bringing more Wi-Fi connectivity to its customers. Cricket teamed up with Boingo Wireless to allow its customers to connect to Boingo-powered Wi-Fi hotspots. Enjoy seamless connections at many major airports, military installations, sports stadiums, transportation hubs, and other high-traffic areas. As Boingo continues to grow, so will your ability to connect to even more hotspot locations.

If you live, work, or visit a covered area, you will now connect to Boingo’s network. You will be able to get fast internet and make Wi-Fi calls with two-way authentication. There is no extra charge for this service. Cricket is providing their customers as an extra perk for being a part of their network.

Moto G Stylus 5G review

Andrew Allen
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Motorola is a name as old as our parents and even grandparents at this point. The pioneer of the mobile radio and cellphone markets has long been synonymous with gadgets pushing boundaries. One of the latest additions to the company’s portfolio is the Moto G Stylus 5G.

While it borrows a lot of common traits from Samsung’s established Note series, the Moto G Stylus brings its own bag of elements. We’ve been testing this device thanks to AT&T for around three weeks, and let’s go over our findings in this full review.

Design

The Moto G Stylus 5G also borrows heavily from its siblings. If you’ve held a Moto G device from the last few years, then this model will look and feel familiar. It reminds me heavily of the Moto G7 Power from a few years ago.

Moto has always nailed that “hand feel” while holding its phones. This started with the X series years ago and is still evident in the Moto G Stylus 5G. I can attribute this to a slight curve in the back of the phones. It’s a staple Moto design element that just feels natural in the hand.

One thing immediately jumped out to me, and that’s how massive this thing is. This is to accommodate the 6.8-inch screen that covers the entire front of the Moto G Stylus. The screen sports 20:9 aspect ratio at 1080×2400 resolution.

Internally, the Moto G Stylus 5G is powered by a Qualcomm 480 with integrated 5G modem. This is paired with the combo of 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Storage can be expanded up to 2TB with the microSD slot.

Around the back, flanked by the plastic casing, is the camera modules and a fingerprint scanner. I love the back mounted scanner and especially fond of them integrating it with the classic Moto “bat” logo.

To the bottom of the phone, you’ll find a single speaker grill and a USB-C charging port. Smack in the middle of these two ports you have the business of this specific model: the stylus! We’ll expand on this addition more in the next few sections of this review.

Software

Moto has always been a favorite of mine by utilizing one of the most unadulterated versions of Android. You get a very similar experience to a Pixel with a few classic Moto additions like the twist to launch the camera and the karate chop to launch the flashlight on the Stylus 5G.

Otherwise, you have a few custom widgets, but still very stock UI. To the right of the home screen you get the Google Feed and even have predictive icons in the launcher much like Pixels as well.

One place that software falls flat in typical Moto fashion is OS and security updates. The Moto Stylus 5G is running Android 11 and still on the June 2021 security update. This is just beyond unacceptable in today’s market.

Back to a positive, much like the Samsung Galaxy Note, the Stylus gets some software love from the engineers. When taking the input device out of the phone, you get a pop-up widget that allows you to easily handle things like quick note, photo annotation, and typing dictation from handwriting.

Usage

Let’s dig a little deeper into these integrations for the Stylus by continuing the comparison with the main alternative Note. I have found it to be both very useful and somewhat frustrating. This is a much less advance stylus pen than the S-Pen from Sammy.

Does it interact with the screen as a touch alternative? Yes. Can you write on the screen and do basic drawing? Yes. However, I’ve found the latency to be much poorer than the S-Pen. I often get either laggy or missed inputs. Especially when using the pen to simple scroll on an app.

It also only supports one level of pressure, unlike the multiple simulations of the more modern S-Pen. The Moto G Stylus 5G pen is a pretty basic rubber tipped stylus, much like the cheap aftermarkets you can get on Amazon.

Even though it’s flawed, having it as an option stowed away in the phone has still been nice. I like being able to quickly take down work notes, or annotate screenshots for reviews like this one. It’s also great for signing documents in the upcoming tax season.

Cameras

The cameras on the Moto G Stylus 5G are solid, but not great. These lens take average to above shots in good lighting conditions with a still subject. When outside interference or poor light are introduced, the pictures take a hit.

Neither is a terrible knock on the device, though. Moto has included acceptable sensors and post results to appease those Instagram and Snap moments with no issue. It’s just, as you compare it to more premium options, you need to be aware of the shortcomings.

Battery life

Moto has always been proud of the longevity of it’s Android devices, and the Moto G Stylus 5G is no exception. I’ve been getting more than a full day of normal use with this device consistently. On super light days, I can even tweak out two days per charge.

This is not surprising with a 5000mAh battery pack and Moto optimizations. When you do need to reach for the outlet, you get Moto’s Turbo Charge, with up to 10W of quick charge capabilities.  While I’d love to see Qi wireless charging, or higher Turbo wattage, for the sub-$400 market both are acceptable.

Conclusion

I really like the Moto G Stylus 5G. It’s got great battery life and a unique interaction with the pen, but it’s hard to recommend those dreadful software updates. Moto still lags way too behind other competitors in this regard to the point that it’s now just embarrassing for the brand.

Despite the software setbacks, this could still be a great option for those willing to take on outdated updates. At just $2 a month in AT&T installments, or $249 full retail, the Moto G Stylus 5G is a steal for those on a budget.

Purchase the Moto G Stylus 5G from AT&T

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