TCL is most widely known for its lineup of affordable smart televisions, but it also makes a range of smartphones that are easy on your budget. Last year, we reviewed the TCL 10 Pro and found it to be a pretty solid phone for the price.
Now, TCL is back with a trio of TCL series 20 smartphones for the U.S. with the same great specs that won’t break the bank.
TCL 20 Pro 5G
Starting with the TCL 20 Pro 5G that features a 6.67-inch FHD+ curved AMOLED display with TCL’s NXTVISION 2.0 Intelligent Display technology. Using this tech, TCL promises industry-leading color accuracy by adjusting the color, contrast, and sharpness depending on what’s on the screen.
Behind this display, the TCL 20 Pro 5G is powered by the Snapdragon 750G processor, 6GB of RAM, and includes 256GB of storage with a microSD card slot for expansion.
On the back of the device, there is a quad-camera array with a 48MP main shooter along with an ultra-wide lens, macro lens, and depth-sensing camera. Then, hidden in the hole punch cut out on the front is a 32MP camera for all of your selfie needs.
The TCL 20 Pro 5G is equipped with a 4,500mAh battery with support for 15W Qi wireless charging, and it even has a headphone jack. It will ship with Android 11 and TCL promises at least two OS platform updates.
Availability begins today with the TCL 20 Pro 5G selling for $499 on Amazon. It supports AT&T and T-Mobile’s 4G and 5G networks at launch with support for Verizon’s 4G and low-band 5G networks coming soon.
TCL 20S
Up next is the TCL 20S which features a 6.67-inch 1080p display with TUV Rheinland-certified Circular Polarization Display technology to reduce eye strain by up to 85 percent. It is powered by the Snapdragon 665, 4GB of RAM, and includes 128GB of storage.
While it lacks the power of the TCL 20 Pro 5G, the 20S makes up for it with its photography prowess. On the back of the device is a quad-camera array featuring a 64MP main shooter along with a wide-angle lens, macro lens, and depth-sensing camera.
While there is no wireless charging on the TCL 20S, it does include a hefty 5,000mAh battery to help you make it through the day without having to top off.
The TCL 20S is available starting today from Amazon for $249 in Milky Way Black and Frosted Blue. It will work with AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon.
TCL 20 SE
Last but not least is the extremely budget-friendly TCL 20 SE featuring a 6.82-inch 720p display with NXTVISION technology. It is powered by a Snapdragon 460 CPU, 4GB of RAM, and includes 128GB of storage.
Along with its 720p display and low-power CPU, the TCL 20 SE includes a 5,000mAh battery which should give it enough to get you through the day and then some.
The TCL 20 SE keeps with the trend and has a quad-camera setup on the back with a 48MP main camera. It is available now for $189 on Amazon in Nuit Black and Aurora Green. The TCL 20 SE will work on GSM networks including AT&T and T-Mobile.
TCL MOVEAUDIO S600
Along with three new smartphones, TCL is also introducing a new pair of true wireless earbuds with active noise cancellation. The TCL MOVEAUDIO S600 feature a 10mm driver, IP54 water resistance rating, and battery life for up to five hours with ANC enabled, or seven hours without.
Additionally, there are up to four extra charges with the included case to extend your listening time. The TCL MOVEAUDIO S600 is currently available from Amazon for $100.
However, through July 5, 2021, TCL will include a pair of MOVEAUDIO S600 with purchase of the TCL 20 Pro 5G, while customers who purchase the TCL 20S will be able to get the MOVEAUDIO S150 free with purchase.
Gaming phones have become a growing segment of the mobile market over the past few years, fueled by great games such as Call of Duty Mobile, PUBG, Fortnite, and most recently Genshin Impact. It has lead to a new, expanding market of gaming accessories and phones such as the RedMagic 6.
Our team was provided a review sample of the RedMagic 6 and we spent a few weeks literally playing with it. Here’s our review of the gaming-centric phone.
Design
Like with other gaming phones, the design of the RedMagic 6 is anything but subtle. It features a unique look with that gaming flare, as well as some enhancements to take your mobile gaming to the next level.
Starting with the 6.8-inch 2400 x 1080 AMOLED display featuring a 165Hz refresh rate for a silky smooth image while gaming. Not only does the size of the display make it perfect for playing games and watching media, it also has inky blacks and bright vibrant colors.
Plus, it gets super bright making it easy to view even when you’re outdoors. Also, while the top and bottom bezels seem a bit thick by 2021 standards, I much prefer this to notches and hole-punch displays. You don’t want that getting in the way of your gaming.
Next, there is a built-in cooling fan on the RedMagic 6 with vents on either side to keep the temps down while also boosting your performance. Additionally, there are two touch-sensitive shoulder triggers along the right side which can be mapped to on-screen buttons.
Along with the shoulder triggers, there is also an additional red-accented toggle switch on the left side of the phone used to enable Game Space.
Finally, rounding out the gaming aesthetics of the phone are three LED lights on the back, one of which is the RedMagic logo. In the settings menu, there are options to control when these LEDs come on, such as for notifications or when Game Space is enabled. The logo can also be controlled separately to stay lit up while the display is on.
I can’t express how thrilled I was to have a phone with top-of-the-line specs and a headphone jack again.
For the other two LED light bars on the back, there is a range of lighting effects and colors to choose from in the settings, however, the RedMagic logo is restricted to red only. While none of this is really essential, it is fun to play with and a more modern take on the old-school LED notification lights that used to be on phones.
While not technically a gaming design element, the RedMagic 6 also includes a headphone jack, something rare to find on a phone with flagship specs these days. I can’t express how thrilled I was to have a phone with top-of-the-line specs and a headphone jack again. It came just in time for a new pair of wired-only headphones I received and not having to fool around with a dongle to use them was a delight.
Outside of all of this, the RedMagic 6’s design is similar to most other flagships these days. There’s a power button on the right side, volume rocker on the left, and it uses a stereo speaker setup with one in the earpiece while the other fires out of the bottom of the phone.
My one word of caution is that the RedMagic 6 is extremely slick. It feels like they went a bit heavy-handed with the oleophobic coating, and that makes it easy for the phone to slide off of surfaces or out of your hand. Good thing there’s a case included in the box which makes it much easier to handle, and Nubia also includes a screen protector pre-applied to the display.
User Experience
It’s best if you think of the RedMagic 6 as a gaming phone first and foremost because that’s where its strengths lie. The Game Space app is a fantastic addition allowing you to launch games, use the shoulder triggers, control the fan or LED lighting, change refresh rate on the fly, and more. It truly enhances the phone and gives mobile gamers valuable features they need.
Especially the shoulder triggers, which is a much better alternative to on-screen buttons in many situations. I know that I personally found the capacitive buttons way easier to use versus the touchscreen controls, in fact, I used them every chance I got while gaming.
It’s now difficult for me to imagine playing a mobile game without the triggers after getting used to them. This alone could make buying the RedMagic 6 phone worth it for mobile gamers.
Unfortunately, outside of gaming is where things get a little murky for the RedMagic 6.
Software
The RedMagic 6 runs Android 11 with the Red Magic OS software running over the top, and while some of the features–namely the gaming ones–are invaluable. It does have some issues. The most glaring one is that you cannot set a different default launcher. Many Android power users have a favorite launcher and setup they prefer to use, myself included, and this can be a huge annoyance.
I can only assume that a different launcher would interfere with some of the Game Space features of the shoulder triggers. Otherwise, I can’t see a reason for RedMagic to not include this ability which is available on every other Android smartphone.
Furthermore, there were bugs and grammar errors throughout the UI on the phone. For example, I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how to prevent it from minimizing games into a small window when exiting Game Space. Regardless of how many times I checked the options and tried to disable this “feature” it continued to persist.
I also had an issue getting notification icons to appear on the always-on-display, despite it showing them in the previews. No matter which AOD preset I chose or options I tried, it simply wouldn’t show the notification icons.
In short, the gaming enhancements are stellar on this phone but the overall software experience is a mixed bag.
Performance
The RedMagic 6 is powered by a Snapdragon 888 chipset with 12GB of RAM, paired with the 165Hz display which makes this phone feel lightning fast. It breezes through normal everyday tasks and games load quickly and run well even with graphic settings turned to high. Performance is not a weakness on the RedMagic 6.
Camera
However, one area the RedMagic 6 does come up short, is the camera. Images tended to look washed out and appeared to have a yellowish color cast to them. It was also weak in low light situations with tons of visible noise in the photos, and the zoom modes are garbage plain and simple. And while the RedMagic 6 features an ultra-wide lens, I could only ever seem to access it in the Pro mode which doesn’t make use of HDR.
Besides the 64MP main and 8MP ultra-wide cameras, the RedMagic 6 also features a 2MP dedicated macro camera. That’s an awfully low megapixel count, but results from the camera are quite sharp and it allows you to focus much closer than the other lenses on this RedMagic 6 or other smartphones.
Basically, the RedMagic 6 will take decent photos using the main lens in good light, but outside of that, I wouldn’t get your hopes up.
Battery life
The RedMagic 6 uses a 5,050mAh battery that provides enough juice to get through a day and then some with normal usage. When gaming, you’re looking at closer to around 4-5 hours of playtime. Overall, I was very impressed at how long I was able to play graphic-intensive games and when I wasn’t gaming the phone just kept going.
Plus, when it comes time to charge up, the RedMagic 6 includes a 30W charger that can take you from 0 to 100% in a little over an hour. It also supports up to 66W fast charging in case you want to speed that up even further.
Final Thoughts
The RedMagic 6 is a gaming phone at heart and if that’s what you mainly use your phone for then you’ll love all of the enhancements it provides, such as a large display with a 165Hz refresh rate, cooling fan, customizable shoulder triggers, and more.
While it excels at gaming, it comes up short in some other key areas like the overall user experience and camera. At least it still provides great battery life though.
If you’re a gamer at heart then it’s hard to get more bang for your buck with the RedMagic 6 retailing for $600 with top-of-the-line specs. Just don’t expect it to be the do it all for you phone at that price.
Yesterday, Microsoft held its big event where it unveiled Windows 11, the next generation of its current operating system. Among the new features, it revealed was a refined UI, a new way to organize windows, and most importantly for us, the ability to run Android apps.
Over the years, enthusiasts have found ways to emulate and run Android apps on Windows, but once Windows 11 launches it will be available for everyone. The big catch is that it will require Amazon’s Appstore and Google services won’t be included.
That means you can’t expect every Android app to work, and it’s not clear whether every app from Amazon’s Appstore will be available or only a portion of them. During the presentation, Microsoft showed off the TikTok Android app running on Windows 11. We could also see apps from Ring, PBS, Uber, and more shown off in a screenshot during the presentation.
To install Android apps on Windows 11, you’ll have to wait till it launches later this year and sign in to the Amazon Appstore. Once you do this, you’ll be able to search for Android apps within the Windows Store and install them on your computer.
To make this possible, Windows 11 will make use of Intel’s Bridge technology to help Android apps run on x86 hardware. The reason this is needed, is because Android apps are developed for CPUs built with Arm architecture, and most Windows computers are built using CPUs with the x86 architecture.
So in essence, Intel’s Bridge technology acts as a translator to convert Arm Android apps into x86 versions on the fly. This is similar to how Apple uses its Rosetta software to make x86 apps made for Intel Macs run on its new M1 Arm Macs, only in reverse this time.
The good news is, Intel isn’t keeping this Bridge technology to itself. If you have an AMD CPU in your computer you’ll still be able to take advantage of it and run Android apps on your Windows 11 PC. Intel confirmed this The Verge late yesterday afternoon. Microsoft has also confirmed that Android Apps will run on Arm-powered Windows 11 PCs as well.
In February, technology guru Dave Savage welcomed Zilch’s CEO and founder Philip Belamant to the Tech Talks podcast, where they discussed the latest buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) movements that Zilch has headed. Having successfully disrupted the buy-now-pay-later industry by offering a newfound, safer BNPL solution in 2018, the fintech has rapidly developed its offerings. And Zilch has been particularly prominent in recent media as new Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulations mean Zilch is one of the only FCA-regulated BNPL providers in the UK..
These new FCA policies follow serious debt cases that shoppers have fallen into when shopping with BNPL providers that haven’t offered sufficient protection. Zilch stands by the FCA’s new regulations and is keen to set the example for how a customer-centric BNPL provider should model its offerings.
We’ve delved deep into the Tech Talks interview and drawn up an overview of Zilch’s vision for responsible consumerism. There’s plenty to learn here, especially if you’re interested in savvy budgeting and spreading your costs effectively.
Introducing Zilch
Belamant kicked off the interview by introducing Zilch to Tech Talks’ listeners. He explained that although there are many players in the BNPL market, Zilch stands out because it’s a direct-to-consumer provider. This means that while Zilch’s competitors do their business with retailers who, in turn, offer payment plans for shoppers, Zilch prioritises shoppers’ needs and connects with them directly, monitoring their affordability to bypass the need for late fees and other payments. This model has led some customers to compare Zilch to American Express – Zilch has blended all the convenience of the Amex card with the ease of use that BNPL models offer.
When a shopper uses Zilch to make a purchase, they only need to pay 25 percent upfront. They can then pay an additional 25 percent every fortnight, spreading the cost of their purchase over six weeks.
Why Many Shoppers Rate BNPL Models Over Credit Cards
Historically, many people used credit cards and loans to spread costs, but healthy BNPL models take the risk factor out of credit and make shopping safer.
‘BNPL is built on a fixed-sum lending model,’ Belamant said. ‘It’s not a running balance. It’s not a running credit model. If you look at credit cards, the entire business model is based on lending you enough money that you can’t afford to repay on time because they only make their interest in fees on the portion of money you do not repay after the free period.’
‘As a good example, if you have a card from one of the leading UK providers, they give you 45 days interest free. Their objective is to lend you enough money during that time that you do not clear the total balance by the 40-day mark, because that’s where they start to bill you 22.7 percent APR, not only on the money from that day moving forward but, in some cases, retrospectively. That’s their business model. It’s almost built on over-lending. In fact, it’s the complete opposite of BNPL.’
‘In BNPL, the companies are making a fixed fee per transaction from the retailer. So, it’s in their interest for you to pay them back on time every time. Because the longer the money is out the door, the smaller the margin gets on that transaction for the provider because they aren’t charging the customer anything. So, the entire model is based on you repaying on time. That’s why you have this inherent protection built into BNPL products.’
‘What I mean by that is, if you’re late for an instalment, typically BNPL providers freeze you from making further purchases. They’ll send you SMS alerts or you’ll get in-app notifications: you owe us money – we’re going to bill you tomorrow. Why don’t you get those from your credit card provider? Because they want you to be late. In BNPL, the whole model is based on you being early or on time. I think that’s something the market needs to understand. This is the most responsible way for a customer to spread the cost of something. I truly believe that. And the most affordable way.’
How Zilch Attracts Customers
As a relatively new player in the market, Zilch has had to innovate effective ways to attract customers.and there’s no denying the BNPL provider’s shopper incentives have achieved this. Belamant highlighted the fact that most of Zilch’s customers find them on social media, where they can click through to complete an easy signup process, agree to the T&Cs, and gain a full understanding of how the model works. Some BNPL providers don’t offer this clarity and ease of use, but Zilch shoppers are fully aware of how the cash flow management tool works.
As a result, Zilch launched a £10m fund last year to scale its popular BNPL solution and accommodate rapidly growing demand. On that note, Zilch has now reached over 500,000 users – a huge milestone for the company.
How Shopping With Zilch Works
Belamant also explained how Zilch has made its model particularly accessible. Zilch is the only BNPL provider to have partnered with MasterCard, meaning shoppers can split their bills with any retailer that accepts MasterCard payments – which is most of them. Shoppers receive a virtual Zilch MasterCard when they sign up, and they can save this to their browser, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and/or Google Pay to make checking out easier than ever.
Now the government has started to roll back COVID-19 measures, Zilch looks forward to launching its brand-new tap-to-pay overtime product, which will also allow shoppers to use their Zilch MasterCards in store, too.
The Only BNPL Provider Regulated by the FCA
As mentioned earlier, Zilch’s efforts to help shoppers avoid debt-related issues hit headlines when the FCA revamped its regulations earlier this year – leaving Zilch one of the the only BNPL provider that complies with new rules. During the interview, Belamant explained that Zilch worked closely with the FCA for over a year, completing their Regulatory Sandbox Process, to become certified. The FCA praised Zilch’s rejection of compound interest and low initial lending limits.
‘We spent 12 months in that process with the FCA, figuring out how we can build this model so we don’t just take creditworthiness into account, but affordability,’ Belamant said. ‘That’s what the whole conversation today is centred on. We’re looking at how we can assist firms in changing how they assess the affordability of the customer. We may even publish a white paper explaining how we do things with the combination of our open banking and self-credit-check technology.’
‘Zilch is one of the first BNPL providers in the UK that is regulated by the FCA,’ he added. ‘Most of the other providers are operating under an exemption. And we could have chosen to go the same route with our business. But we said: if we’re trying to bring the most value to the customer, how can we ensure they have a good understanding of what the product is? This is a debt instrument; it will create a liability that you need to repay. The customer should understand that. And as long as the customer understands well, I think this will be one of the most accepted – and should be one of the most popular – ways of paying over time, mainly because it is, without doubt, the most affordable way for a customer to do so.’
Helping Shoppers Avoid Financial Difficulty
Belamant explained that Zilch is the ideal platform for savvy shoppers – the kind who want to avoid overpaying for travel, accommodation, meals, and even their everyday shopping. While some credit cards charge predatory rates and fees, Zilch offers transparency that appeals to shoppers who simply want to spread costs, especially Millennials and Generation Z customers.
‘When we talk about this with people in the industry, I’ll often sit in a meeting and say to people around the table: “Assume I have £1,000 outstanding at the end of a 45-day period on my branded charge card. Can you please tell me after 10 days what the fees equate to?” Even the people who issue the cards can’t tell me the answer,’ Belamant said.
‘And our customers certainly aren’t up for it. They don’t want this lack of transparency in how they transact. And that’s why the BNPL industry has done a phenomenal job in bringing very low costs or completely free credit to people who otherwise would have been excluded, mostly because of the old-school way of assessing creditworthiness through the old credit checks and bureaus, which still today serve a great purpose. Unfortunately, they don’t tell us much about the affordability of a young customer who doesn’t have a credit history.’
More Insights From Philip Belamant
This is just a glimpse of Zilch’s success to date and its plans to modernise responsible consumerism in the BNPL market. To learn more about how Belamant and the innovative fintech is making its mark on the BNPL industry, listen to the complete Tech Talks interview.
About Zilch
As the first BNPL provider to integrate open banking data into customer affordability assessments, Zilch is redefining what it means to offer a real solution in the buy-now-pay-later industry. The BNPL leader dedicates itself to protecting shoppers and, unlike many competitors, refuses to catch shoppers out with hidden fees and late payments. Instead, Zilch runs automatic assessments every time a shopper goes to make a purchase. This safer way of shopping attracts over 70,000 customers to Zilch every month.
To sign up for a Zilch account, you just need your debit card, phone number, email address, and postal address.
True wireless earbuds are among some of the more popular devices in tech these days. From the big names to others you may not know as well these earbuds are increasingly what consumers desire. Tronsmart is one such brand who recently released a new model to the market with its Apollo Air+ earbuds.
Having spent some time with the earbuds I find they are worth considering for your next purchase. Read on for more details.
Design
It won’t take keen eyes to see where Tronsmart drew inspiration while designing the Apollo Air+ earbuds. The similarities to a curtain fruit-centric brand are hard to miss. However, sometimes good engineering just needs to be imitated.
The Apollo Air+ buds have a steemed design with a large silicone tip. This allows for a comfortable fit in the ear while also blocking out environmental noise.
On the outside of each earpiece is the Tronsmart logo. This doubles as a touch-sensitive area to allow users to have some basic interactions without reaching for their phones.
Touch controls
You really can’t have wireless earbuds these days without offering some basic interactions with a capacitive touch area. The Tronsmart Apollo Air+ features this under the company log on each earbud. This allows for each or both earpieces to alter playback or phone calls in certain manners.
Let’s start with controls that can be accomplished on both earbuds. Triple tapping either Apollo Air+ will turn active noise cancellation on or off. This gives users quick control over how much environmental feedback is allowed into the ear.
A double-tap of each earbud will pause or restart the music playback. The same gesture while getting an incoming call, answers or disconnects the conversation. Holding either for two seconds while the caller is ringing you will reject the call.
The same two-second hold is the default gesture setting with the Apollo Air+ and voice assistant activation. All the major voice assistants can be conjured by this move. Alexa, Bixby, and Google Assistant were all easily activated in my time with the earbuds.
Don’t like any of these? Simply download the Tronsmart mobile app and change them. The app has an easy settings menu to assign or rearrange gestures as you see fit with the Apollo Air+ earbuds.
Audio and calls
Music playback is very solid with the Tronsmart Apollo Air+ earbuds. Bass is robust without being overpowering. Highs and mids are set at a moderate level that outputs great default equalizer settings.
Again, if you want to play around with what sounds the best to your ears, you can change them in the equalizer. There are multiple preset options for you to alter the playback sound. I’d like to see a manual option, but I’d say there is at least one that most will find appealing.
I can’t leave the audio section of this review without mentioning ANC, or active noise cancellation. When turned on the Apollo Air+ can block out up to 35 decibels of outside noise. While the novelty of ANC has worn off a bit as it lands on more devices, it’s a noticeable difference when you need it.
Battery life and charging
Wireless earbuds can easily have one main Achilles heel… battery life. Thankfully, Tronsmart was determined to not fail this with the Apollo Air+. The company rates these to last five hours per charge and I’d say that is accurate.
You can also get another three charges off the battery case. This brings you up to 20 total hours away from an outlet. Whether you are on the road or just don’t want to constantly charge up, 20 hours is great.
When you do need to top off the lithium tanks, Tronsmart has a couple of ways to get this done. USB-C via standard cable is onboard of course. As we hit the middle of 2021 you more or less need to have this tried and true hardwired option.
Like a little more modern techie way to charge? The Apollo Air+ have you covered there too. Qi wireless charging is built into the case. This allows you to casually set the Apollo Air+ and its case on any compatible charger to recharge.
Conclusion
Tronsmart has a history of making solid wireless audio devices. The Apollo Air+ earbuds add to this stable and immediately stand out. These are a combination of sound, design, and pricing to offer a viable alternative to the top-tier brands.
Speaking of price, the Apollo Air+ wireless earbuds will set you back $95. While not the cheapest on the market, these still compare well to other models with a much higher price tag. You can purchase these earbuds direct from Tronsmart’s website in white or black options.
While things are slowly getting back to “normal” for parts of the world, traveling overseas may not be something we get to do in the near future. But, that seems to matter little as searches for resorts and hotels are at a near 10-year high. We are innately built with a bit of wanderlust.
The World Traveler Bundle, a three-piece kit available in the AG Deals Store, can help you scratch that itch. Indeed, it can help you prepare for that next trip abroad. And right now, you can save 20% off the already-great price by using the code TRAVEL20 at checkout.
The bundle provides a lifetime subscription to Rosetta Stone, giving you access to all 24 languages available on the platform. As the premier language training app for decades, it’s used by schools, corporations and organizations around the world. If there’s one tool to ready you for international travel, it’s Rosetta Stone.
Rosetta Stone combines advanced voice recognition with courses designed by top linguists. You’ll be off and running in no time, learning words used in everyday skills like shopping, and navigating public transit. Broken down into short lessons, it’s accessible anywhere you go, provided you have data access.
Additionally, the Complete 2021 Travel Hacker Bundle offers up thirteen hours of tips and tricks to get around the world safely and without going broke in the process. Learn how to work from anywhere, get the most from your budget, or how to take killer snapshots that capture the beauty and essence of your trip. Ideal for working vacations, it’s also excellent for learning how veteran travelers stretch their money.
Last, but not least, you’ll get a three-year subscription to Matt’s Flights. Simply input your preferred airport and you’ll get emails with the cheapest flights as they come up. Moreover, it provides access to other flight deals, and one-on-one travel planning.
Get Started!
Normally, this bundle would cost nearly $1,800 on its own. Right now, though, AndroidGuys readers can save an extra 20% off the already awesome 88% discount with the code TRAVEL20 at checkout. Get the entire bundle for $159 while the offer lasts.
The fourth largest carrier in the United States, UScellular, has a fairly robust selection of devices. With phones at the top of the line and products at the entry level, there’s plenty in between, too.
If you’re on the hunt for a new smartphone from UScellular, and are considering an Android, we’re here to help. What you’ll find below is a collection of the best phones at UScellular, as we see it.
The following models have been assigned “categories” which should help to identify the target user base. All of them, though, are worth your time and interest.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G
“The cream of the crop when it comes to Samsung’s 2021 phone lineup, very few handsets can rival its performance. Not only that, but it’s prettier than ever with the new color options, too.
Come for the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor and the 12GB RAM, stay for the 5,000mAh battery and quad-core camera. Of course there’s plenty in between as well and it’s all in service of high-end prowess.
Everything runs smoothly but it looks even smoother when you’ve got a 6.8-inch Quad HD+ display that delivers to the tune of 120Hz refresh rate. “
If you’re looking for the biggest and most powerful all-around device from Verizon, this is it. With a screen size (6.9-inches) that rivals early tablets, it packs an upgraded S Pen stylus and cutting-edge hardware. Oh, and then there’s a first-of-its-kind 108-megapixel camera, too.
Powered by Android 10 with Samsung’s custom UI, the handset has generous battery, tons of (expandable) storage, and support for Verizon’s Ultra Wideband 5G network. Choose from Cosmic Black and Cosmic Gray color options, both of which are stunning.
If you’re on the hunt for a phone that you plan to own for a few years, you don’t want to cut corners. You want a flagship phone. The problem is that too many of them cost way more than we’re willing to spend.
The Fan Edition of the flagship S20 is what happens when you keep the most important stuff and toss aside the frills (and extra cost).
Here, you get a large screen with high refresh rate, a large battery, three rear cameras, and a modern Android and user interface. Offered in two attractive colors, it’s the S20 you deserve.
Sure, there are plenty of other devices with considerably more robust hardware at Verizon. Do you want, or need to spend hundreds for that luxury? Nope. This phone is a mid-range phone that punches above its weight.
The stock Android experience stays as current as anything you’ll find and it only get better with each, timely update. Toss in a camera that wows anyone and everyone, a solid battery, and a surprising $350 price tag and you’ll just why we like it so much.
When you care more about messaging, social media, and tasks than gaming, you don’t need to worry about high-end hardware. But that doesn’t mean you have to skimp on the important stuff.
This phone runs a lean and mean Android 10 and features a sizable 6.2-inch FHD+ screen. The inner workings are sufficient enough to get the job done for many users and the 5,000mAh battery ensures it goes all day.
The Galaxy Z Flip 5G brings back the familiar clamshell design that your parents had at the turn of the decade but with a much smarter operating system… and a heftier price tag.
Fully opened, you’ve got a 6.7-inch screen that rivals other phones in size and quality. Under the hood are a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor, 5G support, and more than enough storage. Grab it in Mystic Gray or Mystic Bronze.
EarFun has been a recent upstart that continues to produce great wireless audio devices. The AndroidGuys team has had to pleasure of reviewing several items from its portfolio over recent months. I’ve spent three weeks with the latest EarFun Free 2 earbuds and have come away impressed.
Design
The EarFun Free 2 aren’t going to floor anyone with the design. This is an iteration of the tried-and-true wireless earbud look and feel. You get a solid teardrop-shaped pod with a silicon tip to help secure and seal the headphones into the ear.
The exterior of each earpiece is a capacitive area that can be used for simple capacitive touch controls. You will also see the undertone EarFun logo on both. Otherwise, these earbuds are fairly toned down with a black finish paint job.
Internally, the EarFun Free 2 has all the latest wireless tech you’d expect. Qualcomm’s aptX chip is on board along with Bluetooth 5.2 and cVc noise cancellation for calls. Rounding out the spec sheet is IPX7 water and dust resistance making these earbuds ready for most environments.
Touch controls
As mentioned in the specs above, the EarFun Free 2 offers a few interactive controls via the touch-sensitive area on the outside portion of each earbud. Tapping once is the easiest to accomplish and will lower the volume on the left side and raise the volume on the right ear.
A quick two taps will play or pause audio playback like music or podcasts. Alternatively, the same gestures will answer or end a phone call while synced to your phone.
Triples taps are next in the pecking order of EarFun Free 2 controls. This movement on the left side will move to the next track for media while the right sends you back to the previous song. The triplet gesture will also transfer you between calls if another contact buzzes in while already in conversation on a separate call.
You can also initiate a few options with a touch and hold of the EarFun Free 2. Holding either side for two seconds will reject an incoming caller you don’t have time for that day. While your phone isn’t ringing this two-second press and hold will activate your favorite voice assistant on the right earpiece.
The left side will turn low latency mode on and off. This mode increases the quality of Bluetooth connection while in close proximity to your phone. It’s not a huge difference but is noticeable.
I’ll also note that I’m not a fan of the triple touch options. The timing takes a real learning curve to get them down correctly. I almost never got it on the first two tries. Thankfully, this motion defaults to settings you will most likely use the least.
Audio
Playing media on the EarFun Free 2 has been great. Sound is rich and robust for music and punchy for playing back more subdued podcasts. These earbuds strike a good balance of bass, mids, and highs.
I never felt one or the other was drowning out the other audio. From heavy metal to classical, the EarFun Free 2 sounds good to my ears. I have no complaints about media playback.
Calls are also solid. I had no issues with hearing another while in a conversation. I did have one phone call that the other end said my voice sounded muffled but I honestly think that was an exception. My other ten or so instances of taking a phone call went well.
Battery life and charging
This is another net positive for me with the EarFun Free 2 earbuds. While others may be OK with under five hours of playback per charge, I find that below standard. In a work-from-home environment, I need at least seven hours and these headphones don’t disappoint.
I consistently have achieved the estimated seven hours of battery per charge on the EarFun Free 2. This gets me through a full workday with zero issues with taking a lunch break. Again, it’s my new standard for battery endurance, and EarFun nails it.
Better yet, when you do need a recharge you can get three more charges for up to 30 hours of playtime. Another plus for me? Wireless charging. It just needs to be the standard for these wireless devices.
Oh, and the case supports quick charge. You can get two quick hours of battery with just ten minutes in the power charger. It is worth noting that this is using USB-C pass-through with a wall outlet and not just the standalone case.
Conclusion
I have enjoyed my time with the EarFun Free 2 earbuds. For the money, you’d never have buyer’s remorse picking these wireless earbuds. You get a good mix of mid to premium features for much less than some of the top-tier brands.
Speaking of pricing… the EarFun Free 2 are available in black for just $50 on Amazon. And if you pull the trigger to purchase at the time of this publishing, you can knock off another 10% from the retail cost.
Cloud storage is a big deal these days. Many consumers want to have access while on the go to all their precious data. Unfortunately, this inherently adds a level of risk. Having files on non-local storage means that a hack of your cloud provider also means full access to your photos, documents, and files.
Hide in Cloud attempts to solve this issue on Android. The app offers a unique solution to keep your data safe while still utilizing the cloud.
How’s it work?
Well, Hide in Cloud is fairly similar to most cloud upload services. The catch is that it uses encryption combined with an existing cloud provider for the actual storage. This ultimately makes Hide in Cloud more of an encryption service rather than a cloud-based locker.
Setup
Getting going with Hide in Cloud is easy. First, you want to head over to the Google Play Store and install the application for your phone. Next, you’ll immediately be prompted to link your Google Drive account. While it kind of defeats the purpose of the app you can skip this and have secured files locally on the phone.
After choosing to allow access to Google, Hide in Cloud then walk you through a wizard of suggestions and permission requests for storage access. A few more screens later, then you have an app ready to hide your files behind encryption in the cloud.
Unique options
Hide in Cloud offers some interesting tweaks that make it a solid choice. You can set your security levels based on PIN code, pattern lock, or biometric fingerprint. These are great interaction levels that add another layer of security.
Another creative way to keep your files secret is Calculator Mode. This takes things one step further and replaces the default Hide in Cloud app icon in the launcher with a Calculator icon instead. With Calculator Mode you have no real indications to a casual guest user that the Hide in Cloud is even installed short of digging in the Settings menu.
Well done niche app
Look, Hide in Cloud isn’t for everyone. It’s servicing a small subset of users who are either uber paranoid or want to add encryption to a cloud provider they are already paying to use. Most users probably aren’t looking to hide files on their devices much less in the cloud.
Either way, Hide in Cloud does a good job of accomplishing this task. The app is well laid out in a Material design and has a superb startup wizard to walk you through setup. It’s currently limited to only Google Drive, but I believe the developer is working on additional providers.
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