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Doogee S95 Pro review

Luke Gaul
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Doogee is back again with another phone with modular capabilities. The S95 Pro, available now for as low as $360 USD is a rugged Android 9 handset that lets users add external components to enhance the experience.

When it comes to hardware, the Doogee S95 Pro follows its predecessor, the S90, and plays in the upper mid-range or lower end of the high-tier. On paper it ticks many of the boxes that we look for in a “flagship” model, but it’s price is a fraction of what others might charge.

Doogee S95 Pro

  • 6.3-inch display (2,160 x 1,080 pixels)
  • MediaTek Melio P90 octa-core processor
  • 8GB RAM
  • 128GB storage
  • 48-megapixel Sony camera/triple AI cameras
  • 5150mAh battery with wireless charging
  • IP68 rated
  • Face unlock/fingerprint ID
  • Android 9

Given the aforementioned specifications, it would be easy for a bigger brand name to charge $500-$600, or more, for the phone. How does it fare in the real world? What is it like to use the Doogee S95 Pro? What follows are thoughts and impressions of the phone after having spent a few weeks using the phone as a secondary device.

The Doogee S95 Pro is the postman of phones. You know that whole “through rain and snow and dark of night” thing? That’s what comes to mind here. The S95 Pro will do what you need it to do, when and where you need it to do it – regardless of conditions.

The Doogee S95 Pro is a great entrant to the growing line of rugged modern smartphones. It’s plenty powerful for all users and runs Android 9. It’s crisp and responsive without any bloatware that is found on some devices, something we’ve really come to admire in unlocked phones.

At 10 ounces, and packing 6.5 inch screen it definitely has size yet it doesn’t feel like a brick. In terms of aesthetics, it looks like something that came straight from Lucius Fox’s brain for the caped crusader. With NFC, face unlock, and 128GB built-in memory, it’s pretty sexy and compelling “rugged” phone.

The S95 Pro has click-in ports to cover the SIM, SD card, and charging ports. Additionally, it comes with a screen protector pre-installed on the Gorilla Glass 5 and an one is included in case of an accident. All of that is to say there are measures taken to keep the phone safe and secure.

As an IP68 rated phone, it stands up against water for quite a while. Not just a dip in the pool or an accidental splash from a spilled drink, either. We’re talking extended periods of time.

I didn’t have the four hours or 10 ft of water to worry about in my testing, but I did watch an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm in the shower and it worked great. If you’re the type to get caught up on news, emails, and other things in the shower or bath, you’ll love that the S95 Pro does, too.

The S95 boasts three camera lenses on the back with a flash and a 16-megapixel selfie camera on the front. The 48 megapixel main lens takes truly gorgeous photos. The wide lens is a nice wide angle but I had a little bit of blurring on the edges of my photos.The zoom lens is decent too.

As part of my review unit, I also received two attachments for the S95 Pro: a 3,500mAh battery and boombox speakers. Given the phone has an already-generous 5,300mAh power supply in it, the extra battery pack ensures plenty of Candy Crush on the camping trip this weekend.

By itself, the S95 Pro gets at least two days of typical usage. Throw that extra unit on and it’s another day or more. All told, you’d probably have a tough time depleting things over four days or average usage.

The speaker attachment is also good with nice highs and deep lows that you don’t get from the normal smartphone speakers. Interestingly and helpful, the speaker attachment also has a kickstand so you can set a proper viewing angle if you’re watching a movie or monitoring a playlist.

Generally speaking, the attachments connect with a reassuring magnetic click when they’re attached. I did find the they have a slight wiggle from side to side. While the attachments provide nice support to the phone features I don’t see myself traveling with the attachments connected.

The phone is a good size and not bulky by itself, but with the battery or speaker attachment there is no way it would be comfortable in a pocket. And with other modules available, they’re the sort of thing that you might keep in a car or at work for specific needs.

At this price, I think it’s a a great smartphone for people that need reassurance and peace of mind whether on a job site location or at Burning Man. It will go anywhere you do and last just as long, maybe twice.

Availability

You can learn more about the Doogee S95 Pro at the DoogeeMall website where it’s also available to purchase. You can also find it at Amazon. Always be sure to check that the phone you’re considering will work with your carrier.

According to Amazon, the Doogee S95 Pro has support for the following bands. This global model works with all major wireless providers.

  • GSM: B2/3/5/8
  • WCDMA: B1/2/4/5/8/6
  • TDSCDMA: B34/39
  • FDD: B1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/17/18/20/25/26/28A/28B/66

Do note that there are other versions of the phone available with more (12GB RAM) memory. Moreover, you’ll also find bundles with some of the modular accessories.

Verizon intros Care Smart watch for seniors

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Verizon recently began offering a new smart watch designed for senior citizens. Arriving at time when keeping track of loved ones is more important than ever, it’s helps stay connected to grandparent and elderly loved ones.

Priced $150 at Verizon, the Care Smart watch comes with it own phone number and a companion app. It stores up to 10 contacts with one of them being designated as a primary emergency contact. Simply hold down the emergency button for four seconds and it will dial the emergency contact.

At a time when staying away from senior family members is the responsible choice, technology can keep us connected and offer insights into loved ones health and activities for peace of mind – Brian Higgins, SVP, device and consumer product marketing

The Care Smart is waterproof up to one meter for 30 minutes and houses a battery that should be good for up to 2.5 days. It’s available in black and lavender color options and features an adjustable clasp wristband.

Learn more about the watch at Verizon where you can also purchase it for $150 outright or spread it out for $6.24 per month (24 months).

Five essentials for working from home

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EDITOR NOTE: This is a promoted post and should not be viewed as an editorial endorsement.

So we are all stuck at home. The majority of the planet is. You are not alone, although it sure feels lonely. The ozone layer is recovering and there’s less trash in the streets, and we are staying at home, mostly eating…

But what if you have to work on top of all that munching? Watch the eating too, by the way, it’s harder to lose it than to pile on!

But back to business. If you have to organize your work from home, there are obvious obstacles and we want to offer you a few tips on how to avoid them.

Battle bad mobile signal reception

This is enemy number one in a quarantine. If you have any trouble with getting a steady signal, you are guaranteed to have problems. So it might be time to invest in a mobile signal booster and forget you ever had a problem like that. You can visit here for more details and choose the one you find appropriate for your living arrangements. In the time of quarantine, we have to keep a basic level of comfort. What if you want to take your laptop to the balcony, or your terrace and work from there, to get a little fresh air, but all you get out there is lousy 2 bars? Not productive, is it? So long story short, make sure you have the proper gear for top-notch connection.

Organize a time-table for yourself

Even if you are a child of chaos, bringing some order into your life will make it more productive. Quarantine is probably not a typical situation for you, so you are facing a challenge of battling your lazy side and getting any work done during those 24 hours. As much as you may hate the word “organize”, you still need to do it. Start with your alarm clock. And make it realistic. You don’t need to run and catch the train, you don’t need to be stuck in traffic, so just pick a realistic hour to wake up every working day without fail. This will help you set your whole day in motion.

Organize your working space

Let’s face it, not all of us have separate studies in our house, where you can close the door and get some peace and quiet. If you have a family, the chances are your spouse and/or your kids are going to need their space too. So try to have a small area, preferably with a table, where you can work with no one disturbing you for at least 30-minute spurs. It’s a realistic time for children to give you privacy and for you to get something done. When you have a designated area for working, your mind will switch into work-mode much faster and give you better chances to be productive.

Make sure you have enough food

In the beginning, we warned you about over-eating, which is pretty much eating out of boredom and nothing else. But, making sure you have a sensible breakfast, lunch and dinner is important as well. Your brain will thank you, and you will get much more done, without wasting time on constant snacking.

Be sure to take breaks in between work assignments

We don’t mean slacking off, just some 10-minute intervals between 30-45 minutes of productive work. It will give your brain a chance to reboot and your muscles to stretch. This will increase your energy and give your back a chance to relax a little. No downside!

So there you have it, hopefully, our advice will help you get your quarantine life back on the working track and save you some precious time. But above all, stay healthy and safe, protect those around you and remember, you are not alone!

EDITOR NOTE: This is a promoted post and should not be viewed as an editorial endorsement.

Master & Dynamic kicks off Friends and Family sale

AndroidGuys
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If you’re looking to pick up some new headphones or earphones, now’s a great time. Master & Dynamic has kicked off its Friends and Family sale which sees the premium audio brand taking 25% off orders of $100 or more.

While that’s as good as any reason to consider grabbing a set of cans, there’s an added benefit in the mix, too. Master & Dynamic will donate 10% of your order to City Harvest to help its fellow NYC people in need. Your money will go a long way, too as each $10 contribution can feed 40 people for a day.

Master & Dynamic has a growing line of great headphones and wireless earphones. We’ve been privileged to test a number of them over the years and really admire the build quality and craftsmanship as well as the excellent audio.

The Friends & Family offer will last for one week, running April 23 to April 30 at 11:59PM EST. To take advantage of the promo, simply use the code MDFF25 at checkout.

Motorola Edge Plus comes to Verizon on May 14

AndroidGuys
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Verizon on Wednesday announced it will soon carry the Motorola Edge Plus smartphone. As the latest handset from Motorola, it’s a flagship experience with 5G support and its highest resolution camera yet.

The Motorola Edge Plus will retail for $41.66 a month over 24 months on Verizon Device Payment, with an all-in price of $1,000. But, because it’s a brand new phone, there will be plenty of ways for prospective buyers to save money.

New Verizon customers who switch to the carrier and trade in their old phone can get up to $700 toward the handset if they sign up for Verizon Unlimited. Current subscribers are not to be left out in the cold, though, as they can also take advantage of some savings.

Here’s a quick breakdown of what Verizon’s offering in the way of promotions on the Motorola Edge Plus.

  • Customers who get a new line of service on select Unlimited plans can save up to $550 on a new Motorola edge+ with an applicable trade-in.
  • Additionally, customers who switch from another carrier to a select Verizon Unlimited plan get a $150 Verizon e-gift card for a total savings of up to $700. Plus get a Verizon Stream TV, an Amazon Echo Dot and smart plug on us.
  • Current Verizon customers on select Unlimited plans can save up to $250 on a new Motorola edge+ with an applicable trade-in when you upgrade.
  • Verizon Unlimited customers also get 12 months of free Disney+ service, giving you access to Disney’s vast collection of films and television shows, including Pixar, Star Wars and Marvel blockbusters.

Motorola gets back in the thick of things with Edge and Edge Plus

AndroidGuys
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As expected, Motorola on Wednesday inserted itself back into the conversation of flagship phones. Having gone a few years without really swinging for the fences, its newest models, the Edge and Edge Plus, look to be home runs.

According to Motorola, these phones are the “fastest, loudest, and boldest” on the market. Indeed, the two handsets feature some of the most competitive hardware and help put them in the same space as Samsung, LG, and OnePlus.

Motorola is really emphasizing the displays for its Edge phones, and rightfully so. At 6.7-inches, with a 2,340 x 1,080 pixel resolution, it has a 90Hz refresh rate and 21:9 aspect ratio. Moreover, there’s an optical in-display fingerprint sensor inside, too.

The edges (get it?) of the screens have some extra features that can provide at-a-glance status of battery level, alarms, and notifications. Gamers can also add trigger buttons if they’d like an extra leg up on competition.

The Motorola Edge Plus is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor with an Adreno 650 GPU and a whopping 12GB LPDDR5 RAM. And with 256GB UFS 3.0 internal storage, it’s speedy and capacious.

A 5,000mAh battery is present with 18W TurboPower charging and support for up to 15W wireless charging. Additionally, it offers 5W reverse wireless charging.

As for cameras, the rear has a 108-megapixel main sensor, 8-megapixel telephoto lens, and 16-megapixel ultra-wide lens. Around front is a 25-megapixel camera.

The Motorola Edge has slightly lesser hardware, but still more than enough to handle the typical consumer’s needs. A Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 processor is paired with an Adreno 620 GPU, 128GB storage (with microSD expansion), and 4GB/6GB RAM.

The rear camera array is comprised of a 64-megapixel main lens, 16-megapixel ultra-wide, and 8-megapixel telephoto lens. The 4,500mAh battery supports 18W wired charging speeds, but there is no wireless option or reverse charging.

The Motorola Edge and Motorola Edge Plus run Android 10 and also feature 3.5mm headphone jacks, Bluetooth 5.1, and support for 5G.

In the way of software, Motorola has opted to stick closely to stock Android, but build on it with optional enhancements.

…we’re introducing My UX, allowing users to customize their experience to be even more intuitive and personal, so it works the way they want… lets users take music, videos and games to the next level with custom settings and advanced controls. Users can even create their own device themes by choosing from unique fonts, colors, icon shapes, and fingerprint sensor animations, so their phone is one in a million…

Availability

Verizon is the exclusive carrier for the Motorola Edge Plus in the United States and will offer it starting May 14. Canadians can look for the phone at Bell, Rogers, TELUS and Freedom Mobile.

The Motorola Edge launches in Italy (MSRP: €699) in May and will make its way to various European markets in the ensuing weeks. Later in the year it will roll out to select Latin American, Asian Pacific, and the US.

Google offers up ways to stay informed and entertained

AndroidGuys
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Being stuck at home and forced to binge watch TV shows and movies sounds great on the surface, but it can get old. For some of us, we’re already tired of doing the same things day in and day out.

There’s no way around it, we’re all affected by the COVID-19 coronavirus in one way or another. And with no real end in sight, we’d all be wise to stay informed. Google, fully aware of all of these issues, has offered up various ways for us to stay informed and entertained while at home.

Here are some of the different things that Google is doing to help us in these all too uncertain times.

Android TV

Android TV users will now see three new rows from YouTube, each with a little something different.

  • COVID-19 News gives you the latest from authoritative publishers and local health authorities to help you stay informed.
  • Stay Home #WithMe features videos that invite you to cook, listen to live music and work out, so you can stay connected, even if you’re home alone.
  • Free movies from YouTube highlights movies you can watch for free with ads, so that you can find something new.

Google Play is also adding collections to Android TV which organizes your streaming services into one row with “Stream the shows and movies you love”. Also available are “Learn new things”, “Play with your remote”, and “Play with your gamepad.”

Google Search

A new “Watchlist” tab is being added to the mobile version of Search which lets users keep track of movies and shows that would like to watch. It’s a convenient way to browse through the various content available through your streaming services and will also include recommendations.

Google Play

Google has a collection of special deals across various platforms, including TV, comics, movies, and ways to learn something new. That includes games that cane be played with others even if they’re in remote locations.

Google is also giving US consumers a 30 free trial of its Google Play Pass which lets families and friends access games and apps without ads and access to premium in-app content.

Stadia Pro

Gamers can treat themselves to two months of Google’s streaming game service, Stadia Pro, at no cost. Not only does it provide access to a growing library of games, it lets one play them pretty much anywhere a solid Wi-Fi connection is available. What’s more, Google dangles different deals each week to entice buying of premium content.

Early details surface for Samsung Galaxy Fold 2

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The first details have started to surface for the successor to the Samsung Galaxy Fold and, from the sounds of things, it should be a winner. At least in terms of displays and screen quality.

According to Ross Young, founder/CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) and founder of DisplaySearch, the presumed Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 will have a 7.59-inch main display with a 2,213 x 1,689 pixel resolution. Additionally, the main display will have a 120Hz refresh rate with what shakes out to be 372 pixels per inch.

That internal display also see a number of upgrades, starting with an an ultra-thin glass and 60Hz refresh rate. Moreover, it will be larger at 6.23-inches with a resolution of 2,267 x 819 pixels. That’s a pretty big size increase over the first model.

Samsung is reportedly employing a hole-punch cutout for the camera as opposed to the “notch” used on the first generation.

Rounding things out, the Galaxy Fold 2 is said to include Samsung’s S Pen and bridge the gap between the Galaxy Note and Tab series.

Video teases design of upcoming LG Velvet

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A new video hitting YouTube over the weekend gives us a fairly decent look at LG’s upcoming Velvet smartphone.

The short clip doesn’t give us any real hardware specifications, but does indicate it will feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 G processor. Given this, we know it will have support for 5G networks, something we imagine most new phones at the mid/upper level have in 2020.

LG has been slow-dripping the tease for its forthcoming phone, mostly emphasizing the design. It’s likely for good reason as even if the LG Velvet happens to be a mid-range by comparison, it will still have more than enough performance to go around.

What do we learn from the clip design-wise? LG is leaning heavily into the pearlescent and gradient finish for the back of its phone, that’s for sure. And while the black and white look pretty snazzy, that red/orange one really gets our attention.

With a few more weeks to go before the rumored introduction, we could be treated to a number of additional leaks, formal and informal.

Lifetime access to 1000+ online courses on coding, design, marketing, and more is just $59

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What are you doing with all of that free time you’ve been forced into having now that the pandemic is spreading the globe? You’ve watched all of your TV shows, finished all of the cleaning, and now you’re itching for something to do. Why not use that time to brush up on your skills, or learn a few helpful tricks?

For just $59 you can pick up a lifetime account to StackSkills, and be on your way to earning a promotion, make a career change, or just pick up a side hustle to make some extra cash.

StackSkills Features

  • Get instant access to a pre-selected library of 1000+ courses
  • New courses added monthly
  • 350+ of the web’s top instructors
  • Easy-to-use progress tracking
  • Premium customer support
  • Course certifications
  • Quarterly instructor Q&A webinars
  • Beginner to advanced courses in IT, development, graphic design, finance, business, marketing & much more

Availability

If you were to go to StackSkills and sign up for some of the classes offered, it could cost you hundreds of dollars or more. AndroidGuys readers can save big with a lifetime subscription that’s just $59 right now.

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