The Nitty Gritty: Grab one year of PlayStation Plus and a lifetime subscription to VPN Unlimited for just $50 right now. If not for yourself, do it for the gamer in your life
Whether you’re concerned about security domestically or you’re a frequent traveler, transmitting your data over public Wi-Fi and mobile carrier networks isn’t always the safest option. Enter the VPN Unlimited service, providing you with a dedicated server to protect your online activities.
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Gaming Benefits
It’s not just computers and phones that benefit from having a VPN, either. Millions of people own game consoles like the PlayStation 4 or PS5. Those, too, have apps that connect to services like Hulu, Netflix, and others. Moreover, connection speeds are vital when you’re dealing with battle royale games; lag is enemy number one.
If you’re a PlayStation owner, you’re probably signed up for its PlayStation Plus service. If not, you really should be. It’s a great way to get free games, access classic titles, store things in the cloud, plus more.
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PlayStation Plus Features
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Valued much higher in the hundreds of dollars, AndroidGuys readers can get a lifetime of VPN Unlimited and one year of PlayStation Plus for just $49.99. Hell, if anything, use it as a chance to save on the cost of renewing your PlayStation Plus account.
LG this week confirmed that it will continue to support its phones even after it sunsets the mobile division.
According to a statement from LG, it is offering a “Three Year Pledge” for its premium phones, meaning they will receive up to three iterations of Android updates from the year of purchase.
As LG sees it, the “premium” devices include those that fall under the G series, V series, and the Velvet and Wing. Further, it applies only to those released in 2019 or later.
Other phones, such as the K series and Stylo will still see updates, however they’ll only receive two OS releases. Moreover, this is limited to those devices released in 2020.
LG is currently fulfilling contractual obligations to carriers and partners, however that will slowly end over the coming months. With that in mind, customers who buy today’s models should rest easy knowing that they’ll be backed by normal warranty and supported with software updates.
The Nitty Gritty: This eBook packs nearly 800 pages of key Java topics and teaches you how to build games like Minesweeper, Retro Pong, Bullet Hell, Classic Snake, and others. Purchase your copy for just $19.99 while it’s on sale.
Looking to build your own game? Mobile is where it’s at with the market now worth more than $21 billion in North America alone. Creating and publishing a game doesn’t have to be a headache, especially if you have the right tools.
One such thing to put in your toolbox is the eBook “Learning Java by Building Android Games.” It’s priced just $19.99 and is packed with nearly 800 pages of help on Java and other development resources. Normally priced $35, it’s yours to keep for life and comes with a discount of almost 50% off.
This eBook doesn’t make any assumptions, like that you are already an expert. It will help you learn step-by-step from the ground up, teaching you how to develop a game.
Features
Lifetime access to eBook with 774 pages
Get straight into Java, Android & game development
Set up the Android Studio development environment
Learn more about object-oriented programming, Java design patterns, loading game levels & more
Put what you’ve learned into practice by developing a game
You will build games such as Minesweeper, Retro Pong, Bullet Hell, and Classic Snake and Scrolling Shooter games. In the later chapters, you will create a time-trial, open-world platform game. By the end of the book, you will not only have grasped Java and Android but will also have developed six cool games for the Android platform.
Lenovo’s newest gaming phone the Legion Phone Duel 2, has been formally announced and it’s an outright monster. And if we’re being honest, its name is fairly fitting, too. Why? Because there’s a handful of things that come in twos.
The Duel 2 comes with two USB Type-C ports, two 2,750mAh batteries (total 5,500mAh), and two fans for cooling the phone down. Technically, there are also a pair of front-facing speakers with a dual amplifier, and a pair of cameras on the back.
The Duel 2 features a 6.92-inch 2,460 x 1080 pixel OLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate which is massive and should be quite attractive to mobile gamers.
Running an Android 11-based ZUI 12.5 software, the phone has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor and comes with up to 18GB LPDDR5 RAM. In terms of storage, it has 256GB and 512GB UFS3.1 capacities.
When holding the phone in landscape mode the Duel 2’s 44-megapixel selfie camera can pop up and be used for video chat or live streaming. Around back is a 64-megapixel main camera and 16-megapixel ultrawide camera.
The handset features a rather distinct design with a prominent camera bump on the back. It’s also here where Lenovo places an intake fan and hidden exhaust fan.
The Dual’s two USB-C ports (side and bottom) can be used for 90W fast charging, should you purchase an optional adapter. Lenovo advises they can simultaneously charge the phone’s two separate batteries in 30 minutes. A full charge should provide you with “up to 8 hours of intermittent gameplay.”
The Legion Duel 2 comes with 5G support for both sub-6GHz and mmWave spectrum, which is key when you’re worried about lag, right? The phone also features four shoulder buttons enabled through haptic feedback, ultrasonic sensors on the sides, two capacitive touch points on the rear, and two force touch points in the display.
The Duel 2 comes in either “Titanium White” or “Ultimate Black” and will available in China later this month, followed by Europe in May. The European model will be priced €999 (~$1,186 USD) and include 16GB RAM, 512GB of storage, come with a charging dock; A €799 (~$948 USD) will be offered with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. As of today there are no plans to bring it to the United States.
The lock screen for your phone is exactly what the name suggests – it’s the screen that stands between you and your phone when it’s locked.
Seasoned users may know this, but relatively newer phone owners may not – you can customize the way your phone is unlocked. Further, you can decide what sort of content or notifications can be displayed on that lock screen.
The lock screen is a universal measure on most smart devices. Primarily, it’s designed to protect a user’s phone from any person not allowed to view its content. Here, we’ll talk about how to customize that lock screen to your personal preferences and to make the most from it.
Adjusting the lock screen on Android 10
Keep in mind, different OEM’s will have different lock screen features. Some features like “tap to wake”, or “lift to wake” may appear for you on your lock screen options. For some OEM’s these sort of options are found elsewhere, such as under Ambient Display in OnePlus phones.
Locating lock screen options on the phone can be a little tricky, especially for users who switch brands. One way to find the lock screen settings is to search for it in your phone, if it allows for such a thing.
Depending on your OEM, the name can appear as Lock Screen, or Screen Lock, or something similar. When you pick the right option, you will see something not unlike the following choices.
When you see something similar to the screen above, it means you are indeed in the lock screen for your Android 10 phone.
Let’s walk through each of the customizable features here.
First and foremost, what content to be shown on your home screen when the phone is locked. There are three main options to this:
Show all notifications. (Your notifications will be shown without any protection. Any one with your phone can see the app, name, and the text they have sent)
Show private content only when unlocked. (Your notifications will only show app badges, hiding all sensitive information on the lock screen, you can see the content by unlocking your phone)
Don’t show notifications at all. (No notifications will show. You will still hear the notification tone, but nothing will appear on your lock screen)
Next, we can customize the lock screen message. This helps with telling others who the device belongs to, or you can put your contact information here should you misplace your phone.
Lastly, the lock interval. This is the time your phone will take to lock itself when it faces inactivity. I prefer having a brief interval so I have set it to five seconds.
There are other lock screen features you can tinker with on other phones like Samsung, Oppo, Realme, etc. but those are in the settings. Features such as Always On Display are often hidden in other settings.
In addition, the ability to further customize your phone can be put in other settings too that go by names of Customization, Personalization, etc. This is where you may be able to adjust the clock on your lock screen, the font, date and time on lock screen, etc.
When you first set up your phone, its worth configuring all the features as early as possible.
Whether you’re waiting for the next version of Android, or checking for a security patch, keeping your software updated is important for your phone.
Things are nowhere near as worrisome as in the past, but the occasional software vulnerability is still a possibility. It’s never 100 percent guaranteed that your software experience is fool-proof.
Find out how you can check for software updates on Android 10 swiftly.
Checking software updates on Android 10, made quick and easy.
If you are on an Android 10 device, you are either waiting for the next security patch, or Android 11.
It’s recommended that you check your device for security updates once every 15 days or so, and if you are expecting a software update, follow your OEM’s official social media channels to see if your phone is going to get an update.
While this setting can vary from one OEM to the other, the most common place you will find the option to access software updates is located in your Settings and in System Settings.
The name can vary from one company to the next, and if you are not able to find the setting on your phone, use the search feature to look for Update or System Update.
While Android 11 is currently on a lot of flagship and mid-range phones, the new Android OS is still missing from a lot of phones such as the OnePlus 7 series, and countless other OEMs.
As such, if you are eager on finding out what are the latest updates for your phone, make sure you follow your phone manufacturer’s official social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter) to learn about potentially new security updates or Android builds.
Even if you are not expecting an Android OS update, you should also be keeping an eye out for security updates as they help keep your phone protected against potential security threats on the Android OS.
They are similar to updating your anti-virus on Android 10, so it is highly recommended to keep your Android phone regularly updated. Most importantly, if your phone automatically pushes an update to you and recommends installing it, do exactly that.
Chances are pretty good that if you live in the US, you’re probably buying your phone on a payment plan. That is, of course, if its retail price is more than a few hundred bucks. Similarly, odds are that if you are purchasing a handset this way, it’s likely a Samsung.
Samsung has spent decades cultivating its relationship with wireless carriers. Other device makers, like Motorola, Google, and (at one time) LG, have comes to have tight business associations.
OnePlus, who has been in the game for a few years now, hasn’t made quite the same inroads. While it’s done a great job of creating compelling devices that rival flagships, OnePlus hasn’t done much outside of its partnering with T-Mobile here in the United States.
Why does any of this matter? Because OnePlus has steadily waded deeper into the flagship territory over its lifetime, increasing its prices along the way. At the same time, it doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to foster any new relationships.
No matter how good its phones are, the flagship OnePlus models are no longer the wallet-friendly “killer” stuff, it’s just flagship. In the words of Obi-Wan Kenobi, it has become the very thing it swore to destroy.
That is to say they are just as expensive as other top-tier handsets. And along that line, you’ll have to pay full price for them or all up front if you’re not a T-Mobile customer. Is the OnePlus 9 Pro a great phone for its ~$1,000 price? Is it even a great phone? Should it be considered as one of the best options available because it’s priced like one?
Pros
Top-notch hardware and performance
Unparalleled charging
Remarkable screen
Excellent software
Cons
Curved display leads to occasional problems with gestures and taps
Camera takes some time to master and struggles with digital zoom
No support for AT&T 5G
Design
Sleek and Seamless
From a hardware design and overall aesthetic, the OnePlus 9 Pro the company’s most elegant and sophisticated one thus far. Like its predecessor, it’s big and a bit hefty, but generally sleek with all the right curves.
In terms of materials and quality, the 9 Pro is as beautiful and balanced as anything we’ve seen in the thirteen years of this site. The aluminum and glass are as fun to look at as they are to handle.
OnePlus does a great job of selecting its colors, too, even if we’re talking about black. And as boring or uninspiring as “pine green” sounds, the collective chatter suggests it’s actually quite compelling in person.
One of the hallmarks of a OnePlus phone is its dedicated ringer switch, located near the power button. It lets users jump directly to silent, vibration, and ringer with a simple slide. Is it necessary? Hardly. Do you miss once you’ve spent a fair amount of time with one? Definitely.
Other than that, there’s not much different here, until you flip the phone over and get a look at the camera system. From the front and side, it’s a standard approach. On the back, it’s quite unique. More on that later.
Internal Hardware
Hard to Beat at Any Price
The OnePlus 9 Pro houses a top-of-the-line Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor, bolstered by no less than 8GB RAM. Storage comes in at 128GB and there’s no microSD expansion card slot, but $100 more nets you 12GB RAM and 256GB worth of space.
The OnePlus 9 Pro supports both the Sub-6 and millimeter-wave (mmWave) versions of 5G but it’s only certified to work with T-Mobile and Verizon networks. Sorry, AT&T subscribers, you’ll be left with just 4G LTE. Then again, that definitely sounds like a first-world problem in 2021.
If there’s one thing that OnePlus does exceedingly well, it’s charging. That’s certainly the case here as the 9 Pro comes with a downright insane 65W charger in the box. That, plus the fact that the phone actually has two batteries making up the 4,500mAh power source, is what leads to the crazy fast charging speed.
OnePlus offers a $69 Warp Charge 50 wireless charger which technically charges the split-battery setup at 25W speeds. In essence it’s like having a 50W wireless charger. If you understand batteries and charging, you know that this is just bonkers.
How long does that 4,500mAh battery last? Over the course of ten days we found it lasted considerably longer than we needed it to last. Most nights we went to bed with it at 30% or more left.
If, for some reason, we needed to charge up along the way, it only takes a few minutes to get a day’s worth of life. As we’ve seen before, you’ll want to use OnePlus’s proprietary red cables to get the fastest and most efficient charging.
One of the biggest selling points for OnePlus this time around is its display. And after playing with this one for just one day alone we can see why. It’s pretty remarkable stuff, but not without a quibble.
Similar to what Samsung has done, OnePlus now employs an LTPO OLED screen that’s more battery-friendly and efficient. Further, it gives the company more control in the area of refresh rate. Here, the phone can go anywhere from a silky smooth 120Hz down to 1Hz depending on what the situation needs.
Like refresh rate in 2020, touch response rate is fast becoming one of those benchmark figures enthusiasts and early adopters pay attention to. The Hyper Touch tech in the 9 Pro clocks it at 360Hz which means its among the highest you’ll find in a phone.
As to how that really translates to mobile gamers, it’s a bit too early to determine. At a certain point you just don’t recognize how quickly a screen registers your tapping. And if tell us that you can discern the difference between 240Hz and 360Hz, we suspect you’re not being entirely truthful.
Software
Stock Android with the Right Extras
The OnePlus software experience, called OxygenOS, is based on Android 11 and is more or less a stock build. It provides plenty of extras in the way of customization and user experience, but it doesn’t have any sort of bloat.
OnePlus commits to two major software updates and three years of security updates. This is fairly similar to the Android One program and what Nokia promises for its devices. Given the hardware is as solid as it is, we like that OnePlus plans to support it for a few years.
OnePlus does a pretty good job of offering software updates in a timely manner and that’s important to us. We also dig it when we’re able to tinker and modify, customizing our phones to be truly unique and feel like it’s “ours.” The 9 Pro does just that and manages to do so in a way that doesn’t require users to have a degree in engineering.
Camera
Hand it to off to Hasselblad
Until recently, one of the main areas of concern for OnePlus is its cameras. It doesn’t matter how many cameras you have on the back or how many shooting modes you have if the results don’t look very good. Sadly, OnePlus has struggled to keep pace with others in the flagship camera space.
As far as we’re concerned, it’s nearly impossible to beat what Google does with its cameras. That is to say for the “open the app and snap a pic” demographic. We often don’t fuss with ultra-wide or telephoto shots; it’s usually a standard pic or something with the portrait mode on.
For 2021 OnePlus turned to Hasselblad for its camera experience in both the 9 and the 9 Pro. In fact, this is the start of a three-year relationship between the two companies. The biggest task for Hasselblad and these new devices is the color-tuning and accuracy.
In our time with the OnePlus 9 Pro we’ve found the overall image quality to be good, sometimes bordering on great. But that’s not with out a bit of qualification.
Lighting seems generally even across the board, even with using the different shooting modes. Some may skew a tad blue or have a bit too much sharpening, but you’ll have to look closely or compare the shots in head-to-head showdowns.
OnePlus does an admirable job with its app, giving users a clear and concise way to get around. It doesn’t take much time to figure things out and if you’ve used a OnePlus in the past, you’re already more than halfway home.
We’ve enjoyed playing with the 50-megapixel ultra-wide camera as it does a great job of tightening up and squaring off the edges. Often we find ultra-wide cameras tend to do that slightly curved fisheye distortion. OnePlus put in a custom lens to help with that and and it as good as expected. It’s better to do it in the hardware first and not have to rely on a software adjustment.
One rule of thumb we tend to employ with phones and their cameras is to stay at least one step away from its maximum zoom settings. Just because you can zoom in on a subject doesn’t mean that you should. And here when you do that, you’ll find some less than desirable final results.
We suggest taking a few pictures of your subject whenever possible and spend time learning its limitations. Get out in the real world and try to snap some pics too early and you’ll come away with grain, noise, and unflattering shots. It’s a really decent camera experience, but you need to figure that out. By contrast, the Pixel 5 may not be as well-rounded but it’s easier to understand and master.
Given its price, the OnePlus 9 Pro and its cameras should be held to a high standard. While we wish we could provide true head-to-head shots and testing, we just haven’t had that much time with the phone (and access to another flagship at the same time). But from what we can gather from other sources, the 9 Pro seems to do quite well in such tests.
Performance
As Good as You’d Expect
Let’s be honest, there’s no real way a typical phone user is going to tax this much hardware. We suspect the OnePlus 9 Pro would be strong enough for a casual type for at least two or three years.
Given its specifications we loaded our full daily driver’s worth of apps, games, accounts, and settings onto the phone. We’ve done our best to look for stutters and lags, but haven’t been able to discern anything along those lines. Now, to be fair, we don’t have benchmark tests running, and aren’t doing head-to-head comparisons.
If you’re really looking for a top-of-the-line device, you’ll want to add this to your list. We suspect, though, that you’ll be using this review as only part of your homework. To that end we recommend looking for sites who do full deep-dives into battery tests, gaming with a close eye on frames per second and drop rate, and other more technical information.
As much as we appreciate that this phone screams, we don’t exactly love dealing with the curved display. Yes, it looks great and we dig the resolution, refresh rate, and colors, the occasional phantom gesture or missed swipe can be aggravating.
Conclusion
So Damn Awesome, But…
The OnePlus 9 Pro is not a “flagship killer” but that’s simply because of its price. Were it a hundred dollars less, it would possibly get the chance to wear that moniker. As it is, though, it’s a flagship with a full suite of high-end bullet points and promises.
With about two weeks of usage under our belt we are confident in saying that the OnePlus 9 Pro delivers on its claims and lives up to its expectations. Each passing generation makes us feel more at ease with the brand and more comfortable with recommending it.
One of the issues we often face when reviewing phones is trying to look at them objectively and in a vacuum. That is to say we do our best to not compare it to other handsets. That’s hard to do, especially when a brand debuts two versions of a phone at the same time.
As we’ve been spending time with the 9 Pro we have also played with its sibling, the OnePlus 9. Priced about $240 less, it gives you more or less the same performance.
There are some extras you get for your money, but they’re nothing that’s necessity. Those features include faster wireless charging, a telephoto lens, optical image stabilization, mmWave 5G support, and a slightly smaller screen. Yes, the displays are technically different, too, but we bet you’d hardly notice. And if we’re being fully honest, we like the flat screen on the 9 better than the curved edge of the 9 Pro.
Do we recommend buying the OnePlus 9 Pro? Absolutely. Are you selling yourself short by opting for the OnePlus 9 instead? Not at all.
If you’re a person who loves to be different or buy something that others don’t, the OnePlus brand is one you should consider. Further, if you are the type who absolutely has to have the most phone you can buy, the 9 Pro is where you land.
The Nitty Gritty: Winston helps filter out ads and tracking information, and creates a private browsing experience. Pick yours up for just $179 and enjoy a 10% discount while it lasts.
Being online nowadays can be a pretty precarious thing, especially for household with students and parents working from home and sharing computers. Whether it’s identity theft, pop-up ads and redirects ruining your web browsing, or any of the myriad other things that come with the internet, it’s a virtual landmine out there.
The Winston Privacy Filter, on sale for just $179, is a hardware device that encrypts your online activities. The portable unit filters out ads and trackers, cloaks your location, and helps speed up your browsing. It works just as well at home as it does at a coffee shop or library, too.
Winston Features
Fewer ads & faster browsing
Stops big tech spying
Block malware & adult content
Encrypts internet to fight hackers & identity theft
Smart cloaking of your IP address: High risk traffic is routed over a zero-logging, proprietary distributed Privacy Mesh network, making it much harder for your location and identity to be tracked
Protects every device in your home, from computers to smart TVs to your kids’ tablets
Protect mobile devices with our iOS & Android apps
One-time payment (no subscription fees ever)
Winston makes it much more difficult for hackers, creepers, and lurkers to find your location or other identifying bits of information. Moreover, it’s rather customizable, so you can select what you do and don’t want to see. Last, and definitely not least, Winston can also help block malware and inappropriate adult content.
Order Yours!
Purchase your Winston Privacy Filter from the AG Deals Store for just $179 and save 10% while it is on sale.
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For every $25 you spend in the AG Deals Store you get $1 credit added to your account. And, if you refer the deal via social media or an email that results in a purchase, you’ll earn $10 credit in your account.
First Time Buying?
If this is your first time buying, you are also eligible for 10% discount! Just be sure to subscribe for email updates.
Free Stuff
Not looking to spend any money today? No worries. You can still visit the AndroidGuys section for freebies and pick something anyhow.
Motorola on Wednesday announced that its One 5G smartphone is now available as an unlocked handset. Priced at $400, it gives customers a large screen, large battery, and quad camera system.
The Motorola One 5G runs Android 10 and comes with a 6.7-inch full HD+ display with a 90Hz refresh rate which puts it on the larger end. Sold in Oxford Blue, its 5,000mAh battery should last most users at least a day and a half without charging. Speaking of which, it comes with a 15W TurboPower charger in the box.
In terms of power, the phone packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G with 4GB RAM and 128GB of expandable storage. Additionally, it has a fingerprint mounted in the power button, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and NFC.
The One 5G boasts a 48-megapixel camera with Quad Pixel Technology, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle, 5-megapixel macro, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor.
Motorola’s more recent phones, including this one, has its custom software enhancements known as My UX. While it largely leaves Android alone, these extras give users more control and customization over their device.
Launch Promo Price
To help draw attention to its launch, the Motorola One 5G is available from Best Buy ($350), B&H Photo ($350), and Motorola.com ($350) with limited-time discounts. Additionally, you can find it at Amazon ($400), too.
Verizon on Wednesday announced it will offer three new Samsung Galaxy A handsets as part of its phone lineup. Set to arrive over the coming weeks are the Galaxy A42 5G, Galaxy A12 and Galaxy A02s.
The first phone up will be the Samsung Galaxy A42 5G which goes on sale starting April 8. Pricing is listed at $16.66 per month for 24 months, or $399.99 all-in. For a limited time subscribers can purchase the device for $5 per month when paired with one of Verizon’s unlimited plans.
Specifications for device are somewhat light, but we understand it to have a 6.6-inch HD+ Super AMOLED display with a 48-megapixel triple camera system. Shooting modes include 4K video, Super Steady, Single Take, and Fun Mode with Snapchat Lenses.
The Galaxy A42 5G features 128GB internal storage with a microSD expansion card slot for another 1TB of media. The phone will be offered in Prism Dot Black, Prism Dot Gray, and Prism Dot White and supports both 5G Ultra Wideband and 5G Nationwide network.
The Samsung Galaxy A12 and Galaxy A02s will be available starting April 2 for $180 and $150, respectively. Monthly pricing shakes out to for $7.49 per month and $6.24 per month.
Specifications for the Galaxy A12 include an all-day 5,000mAh battery with Fast Charging, a multi-lens camera, and 6.5-inch HD+ display. The Galaxy A12 comes with 3GB RAM and 32GB of storage while the Galaxy A02s houses 2GB RAM and 32GB storage.
