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AT&T 5G plans may have tiered prices based on speed

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Although AT&T’s next-gen 5G network is already available in some 19 markets across the country, the carrier still hasn’t decided how it plans to offer the service. At least in terms of phones, that is. Currently, the only choice for access is an expensive mobile hotspot from Netgear.

Forgetting, for a moment, about the 5GE stuff that’s showing up on existing phones, the true 5G network is the focus here. As such, it doesn’t seem quite like AT&T is ready to say one way or another how it plans to offer access.

As The Verge noted earlier this week, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson was on an earnings call where he discussed the future of high-speed mobile internet. And, from the sounds of it, the carrier is leaning in the direction of charging customers different prices based on speed.

The move would be similar to what you see in the fixed line space in homes around the country.

“I will be very surprised if… the pricing regime… doesn’t look something like the pricing regime you see in fixed line. If you can offer a gig speed, there are some customers that are willing to pay a premium for 500 meg to a gig speed, and so forth.”

Given that we’re at least a few years away from seeing total blanket coverage from the big service providers, there’s plenty of time for things to shake out and change. What we see in pricing and speeds at the start may be completely different when it comes to mass adoption. This goes for not only AT&T 5G, but other providers, too.

Verizon currently charges its customer $10 per month for access to the 5G network, provided the subscriber is on a qualified rate plan. Available in only two cities today, the carrier pledges some 30 by the end of 2019.

Ubiquiti Amplifi Instant review

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One of the biggest pain points of living in the Internet of Things era is that there are just so many things that connect to our networks. Phones, tablets, smart watches, smart lights, computers, televisions, laptops, speakers, and game consoles are routinely found in most modern homes.

Have you ever tried to connect all of your gadgets to a single wireless router? It sucks. Things are exponentially worse when you use the router that comes from your internet service provider.

Slow and inconsistent Wi-Fi is worse than no Wi-Fi

Too often we find some devices hogging the data connection, kicking other things off. Or, worse, the smart TV that’s upstairs doesn’t want to stay connected to the router that’s in the office down in the basement.

To solve these problems we turn to mesh networks. They’re not new but they’re game-changers. Not only do they help expand the overall footprint of your wireless connection, but they typically give users control over who gets access, when they get access, and more.

We’ve spent time with various mesh networks over the last year or so and really feel it’s the only way to go. Google WiFi and Eero are two peas in the same pod and we’re more than happy to recommend either one.

The Amplifi Instant, from Ubiquiti, is the most recent one we’ve had a chance to test. Here’s our review.

Specifications

  • Dimensions: 99.5 x 97.8 x 33.05 mm (3.92 x 3.85 x 1.30″)
  • Weight: 215 g (7.58 oz)
  • MIMO: 2.4 GHz: 2×2, 5 GHz: 2×2
  • Speeds: 2.4 GHz: 300 Mbps, 5 GHz: 867 Mbps
  • Networking Interface: Wi-Fi/Gigabit Ethernet (1) WAN, (1) LAN
  • Antennas: (1) Dual-Band Antenna
  • Wi-Fi Standards: 802.11ac
  • Wireless Security: WPA2-PSK AES/TKIP

What is the Amplifi Instant?

Comprised of two small puck-like units, the Amplifi Instant promises a 2-minute setup. That’s an awfully bold claim to make, especially when you’re dealing with the concept of wireless networks.

One piece is the main ‘Router’ which plugs directly into your internet connection and the other one, the ‘MeshPoint’, plugs in somewhere else in the house. The two speak to each other and help extend the wireless coverage throughout your home.

While you start with two components you can purchase additional MeshPoint units for a thicker blanket or to extend the reach.

via Amplifi

Save for the display on the main unit, the two look fairly similar to one another. Both have a USB Type port for power, with lengthy cords, and each has a LAN port for plugging in a device.

Impressions and Performance

That two minutes for setup? It’s the real deal. It’s really refreshing to put together a new network for your house and not feel like it’s a hassle. Gone are the days of messing around with PCs, settings, cables, and other tedious crap. There’s nothing scary whatsoever about setting up the Amplifi Instant.

You may spend more time walking around your house to plug in the two devices than in any other part of setup. Once plugged in, you open the mobile app and let it do its thing. All you’ll do here is pick the network name and choose the password. If you’re not convinced, or run into problems, you can access a 24/7 live support for help.

With both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands available and speeds up to 300Mbps, the Amplifi Instant should sufficiently blanket a few thousand square feet.

Give or take a few walls and obstructions, there’s no reason the Router and MeshPoint can’t extend your connection from basement to second floor. You might see that signal is 70-80 percent but that’s far better than what you’ll get out of a standalone router or modem.

Everything you do is controlled via the mobile app which is really intuitive and user-friendly. Split into five key areas, here’s what you have at your fingertips.

  • Overview: Quick at-a-glance status report with an array of user-defined options
  • Performance: Graph of throughput and option to test for speeds
  • Guest: Set up a secondary network with its own name and password
  • Family: Control, pause devices, and adjust priority of connections
  • Diagnose: Check for errors and run fixes when necessary

This isn’t the sort of drill-down, be-all-end-all control you’ll get with pricey or more robust routers. Consider it somewhere in the middle of the pack in terms of price, functions, and capabilities. In short, there’s more here than most people will use but it’s not the most feature-rich, exhaustive stuff available.

Some households may necessitate a strong, flexible, network that allows for attached storage, additional hubs, external storage, and more. That’s not all that often, and that’s where the Amplifi Instant works well. Most homes just need a strong wireless network in a range of rooms.

We appreciate that there is an Ethernet port in both the Router and the MeshPoint. Our particular setup calls for a few external devices to be physically plugged in. With the Eero, for example, we were unable to plug in more than one thing. So, we had to decide between network attached storage, a SONOS bridge, or Philips Hub. With the Amplifi Instant we were able to go with two of them. This was a bigger deal to us than it sounds.

Conclusion

The Amplifi Instant is simple to set up and just as simple to oversee and operate. We’ve lived through the time when setting up a home network was more costly and laborious. This is a breath of fresh air.

Those with more involved or specific needs will know what they’re looking for and already considering a particular alternative. To that end Amplifi offers a more extensive setup with the HD ($350) as it offers faster speeds.

The Instant’s two components are aesthetically pleasing and work well with any environment. Moreover, they’re small enough that they won’t disrupt the decor or draw unwanted attention.

We really like the Amplifi Instant as it’s affordable, user friendly, and scalable. It’s not the most feature-rich experience on the market but there’s likely a bunch of specs and details that common users will overlook or not completely understand.

Purchase

Learn more about the Amplifi Instant at amplifi.com and purchase it for $180 through its store. You can also find the Amplifi Instant at Amazon ($180) and B&H Photo Video ($180).

Verizon now taking orders for Samsung Galaxy S10 5G

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Verizon on Thursday began accepting pre-orders for the 5G-enabled version of the Samsung Galaxy S10.

The Samsung Galaxy S10 5G will be available in store starting from May 16 and will offered in an exclusive Majestic Black color as well as Crown Silver.

The Galaxy S10 5G will retail for $1,300 with the device having 256GB internal storage. A 512GB variant will also be sold with a $1,400 price tag. As a refresher, this version does not include a microSD expansion card slot.

Promotions

Verizon has a number of promotions available to those who plan to pre-order the Galaxy S10 5G, including free access to 5G service. Typically, this costs an extra $10 per month. Additionally, there are opportunities to receive fre Samsung Galaxy Buds and Samsung Wireless Charging Battery Pack.

Customers can also trade in an existing phone to receive up to $450 in savings with new customers getting an additional $200 prepaid MasterCard.

New 5G Markets

Verizon plans to offer 5G service in the downtown areas of more than 30 major US cities by the end of 2019. The first two markets, Chicago and Minneapolis, launched a few weeks back.

Looking ahead, Verizon expects to offer the next-gen LTE in the following cities:  Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Des Moines, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Little Rock, Memphis, Phoenix, Providence, San Diego, Salt Lake City and Washington DC.

Boost Mobile selling Moto G7 Play for as low as $50

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Boost Mobile this week began selling the Motorola Moto G7 Play to customers both online and in stores around the country.

New customers who purchase the latest phone from Motorola, and who sign up for an unlimited plan of $50 or higher, receive the device for $50. Outright, the phone cost $150.

Powered by Android 9 Pie, the Moto G7 Play features a 5.7-inch display and 13-megapixel rear camera. Internally, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 632 processor is paired with 2GB RAM and 32GB storage. A micro SD expansion card slot allows for up to 512GB of media such as photos, music, and video.

READ: Motorola Moto G7 and Moto G7 Power review

Boost Mobile is currently running a promotional price for its rate plan where it sees four lines at just $100 per month. Each line receives unlimited calls, text, and data, including mobile hostpot. Data and music are streamed at 480 pixel resolution and 500kbps, respectively; gaming is restricted to 2mbps.

The discounted pricing for the Motorola Moto G7 Play runs until May 30, or while supplies last. The same goes for the rate plan which ends on the last day of May.

New leak gives us the best look at Google’s budget Pixel 3a

Andrew Allen
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It’s been long rumored that Google is working on a new budget line of Pixels. We’ve seen many leaks previously pointing to the Pixel 3a and 3a XL. The company even had most of the specs revealed in Play Store and dev documentation.

Now, we have the best look at the smaller Pixel 3a that we’ve had yet. Master leaker, @evleaks shared a full resolution render of the new mid-range device. Overall the phone is a 5.6″ notch less display with design language that resembles the OG Pixels. It has larger bezels top and bottom with wide speaker grill at the top.

The back looks much like the white and “Not Pink” Pixel 3 models and even has the orange power button. Many will knock the less than original design, but I like that Google considers that Pixels should all be readily recognizable.

For those that may have missed earlier leaks, the internals of the newest Pixels are rather pedestrian, but that is what Google’s going for. The company needs a mid-range offering to compete with the A-series from Samsung and the G-series from Moto.

The 3a XL will come with a 6-inch 2160×1080 display with 400 DPI. Inside you’ll most likely find 4GB of RAM and Snapdragon 670 and 710 CPUs paired with the latest Android Pie release. The smaller 3a will share the same specs but with lesser display resolution of 2220×1080.

We don’t know for certain when we’ll see the lite editions of the Pixels released. However, all signs point to the upcoming event Google has scheduled for May 7th. Google’s been busy lately with Stadia and other announcements, but it’s core is built around phones. With the new 3a lineup it will add depth to the Pixels for those that can’t drop a thousand dollars on a new handheld. At estimated costs will be $400-500, it will also offer opportunities for them to expand in emerging markets as well.

How to recover deleted text messages on Android without root

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While most people have shifted to messaging apps like Whatsapp and Facebook Messenger, there are still millions who use conventional text messaging for communication. Unfortunately, it is easy to accidentally delete these text messages or lose them when  performing a factory reset of your device.

Thankfully, there are a few ways which you could recover accidentally deleted text messages. This would prove incredibly valuable in cases of critical information or personal details stored in one of your conversations.

Here are a couple of methods with detailed steps on how to recover deleted text messages on Android.

Method 1: Using dr.fone Android recovery

When you delete text messages from your Android phone, only the space occupied by the messages would be deleted while the messages would still be stored in your phone’s memory –unless it is overwritten by some new data.

So, for maximum success rate on recovering the deleted messages from your Android phone, make sure not to install or delete or copy anything new to your phone until the recovery process has been completed.

Follow the below steps to recover deleted messages on Android using dr.fone Android recovery tool. The trial version of the software could be used for free for the first 30 days after which you may need to pay for the full version.

This software does not require your Android device to be rooted for recovering your deleted text messages.

Step 1:

First, download and install the dr.fone Android recovery tool on your PC.

recover deleted text

Step 2:

If USB debugging is already enabled on your Android phone, the tool will automatically detect your device.

If you have not enabled USB Debugging on your device, then head over to the settings app on your phone and then enter into the About phone page. Here, tap on the build number information multiple times until the developer options enabled message appears.

Now, go back to the main settings page and enter into the developer options page. Here, find the USB debugging option and enable it.

Step 3:

In the next page, select the messaging option and then click on the next button to proceed.

Step 4:

Select the scan for deleted files option on the next page and then click on next to proceed.

recover deleted text

If you want the dr.fone recovery tool to perform an advanced scan, then select the scan for all files option. But this option would take longer to complete than the first one.

Step 5:

Now the scanning process will begin and after a few minutes, the software will display the deleted messages it has recovered from your Android phone.

recover deleted text

You can now preview the deleted messages and then select the ones you want to recover before clicking the recover button to proceed.

Step 6:

Once the recovery process has been completed, all the deleted messages from your Android phone would be retrieved and saved to your PC.

recover deleted text

You can now access them whenever you want and take a backup of these recovered messages just to be safe.

Method 2: Using FonePaw Android Data Recovery tool

Follow the below steps to recover deleted text messages on Android using FonePaw Android Data Recovery tool. Remember, your device may need to be rooted for this method to work accurately.

Step 1:

First, download and install the FonePaw Android Data Recovery tool on your Windows PC.

You can download the Mac version of the tool from here.

Step 2:

Now connect your phone to your PC using a USB cable and open the tool.

connect phone

Step 3:

Follow the instructions above in Method 1 to enable USB debugging on your Android phone, if you haven’t already.

The FonePaw tool would also display the instructions to enable the USB debugging option on your Android phone.

Once you have enabled USB debugging on your device, it will be detected by the FonePaw recovery tool.

Step 4:

In the next screen, select the messages option and then click on next. If you want to recover attachments like images or videos along with your messages, then select the messages attachments option as well.

recover deleted text

Step 5:

Now your phone will ask you to allow root access to proceed. Just click on allow/grant the root access.

If you do not get any request just click on the retry option in the recovery tool or disconnect and reconnect your USB cable and try again.

Step 6:

The FonePaw tool would now start scanning your Android phone for the deleted messages and once the scan is complete, you can choose the messages you want to recover and then click on the recover button.

recover deleted text

The selected messages would now be successfully restored to your PC in both CSV and HTML formats and you can access or transfer them to your Android phone if you want.

Note: While this method might recover your deleted messages even if your Android phone is not rooted, having root access is recommended as it helps the recovery tool to perform a deep scan of your device and recover as many deleted messages as possible.

While there are ways to recover deleted text messages on Android, it is recommended that you take regular backups of all your text messages and other important data on your Android device regularly.

As these methods might not work perfectly for everyone and it is always better to keep a backup of all your data safely stored somewhere as you can quickly restore them whenever you want. Here are some of the Best Android backup apps to safely backup your data.

Motorola Moto G7, Moto G7 Power review

Andrew Allen
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Motorola has long been a champion of mobile communications. From the first portable phone call, to 5G, Moto has led the way for nearly a century.  In recent years the company shifted to targeting the mid-range smartphone market. Others had overtaken Moto at the high-end and so Motorola began targeting solid budget phones such as the G-series. The newest editions, the Moto G7, has just hit stores.

There’s a kicker this year, though. Moto has a standard G7 like previous years, but instead of a Plus edition with minimal spec bumps, it has produced a Power variant with a giant battery. But we’ll get back to that.

What’s The Same?

I’d like to start this joint review with all the shared DNA that can be found in these two phones. As you’d guess the G7 and the G7 Power are very similarly designed. The core internals is exactly the same with the exception of RAM. The G7 proper has 4GB while Moto subtracted a gigabyte in the Power edition with only 3GB.

Otherwise, you get a combination of Snapdragon 632 octa-core CPU and Adreno 506 GPU. You’ll also find a headphone jack, USB-C charging port, and a microSD card for storage expansion. Both do not have wireless charging, or NFC, but do have Moto’s great TurboPower bricks that can give you 9 hours of recharge in around 15 minutes.

Software

Moto has nailed software for years and the new G7 models are no different. It’s an extremely stock build of Android 9 Pie with the same Moto tweaks we love. Twist for the camera and chop for flashlight are both still around. Moto has even joined the gesture-based navigation with Pie, and I think they did it better than Google. You have a familiar “pill” at the bottom of the UI that replaces the previous geometric shapes of old.

However, Moto took it a step further than Google and made the Home, Back, and Overview buttons all have a pill gesture. Honestly, it’s the direction that I think the Pixels should have gone and works very well.

Pull the pill left takes you back a screen; Tap it once and you go Home; Holding the pill launches Google Assistant ; Drag the pill to the right gives you the previous screen; Swiping up takes you to the Overview of recent apps.

This is a much better solution than the half-baked pill with a Back button when needed method Google has adopted. Another token of the Pixel launcher that Moto has here is the Slice bar in Overview. This is the first non-Pixel I’ve seen that has the auto-populated apps in the dock while in Overview.

Performance

Both the G7 and G7 Power are geared toward casual use and not hardcore gaming. In general use, I didn’t notice any issue or problems I wouldn’t see on other phones. I was able to use all my apps and multitask much like any other Android device with modern internals.

If you push your phone and play a lot of games, then maybe the G7 lineup isn’t for you. You will find graphics-intensive apps will suffer at times in comparison to higher-end alternatives. But let’s be honest, they cost you hundreds of dollars more.

What’s Different?

Now, let’s move on to some small tweaks with each model. We can start with the overall design. They definitely share design language, but the bigger battery makes the G7 Power larger and has a slightly curved back that feels great in the hand. It also has a plastic body compared to the glass back of the standard G7. It’s also worth a mention that the G7 is only available with 64GB of internal storage while the Power is limited to 32GB.

This makes for a level of premium feel to be more evident in the G7 standard. With the glass back and metal band around the edges, it presents itself as a more high-end product with hints of a Galaxy phone. Moto obviously set these at two tiers intentionally. One for the casual user who wants an overall good phone, and another for the power user who needs the gigantic battery. This resulted in compromises in materials in the body.

A variation that most will immediately see is the screen notches. The G7 has a teardrop notch much like the OnePlus 6T, while the Power has a very Pixel 3 XL wide notch. Honestly, the G7 Power looks and overall size is almost identical to the Pixel 3 XL from the front.

Also found on the screens are some small variations. Bother are 6.2-inch LCD panels with Gorilla Glass 3, but the G7 has a higher pixels per inch (PPI) of 403. The Power edition only gets a maximum of 207 PPI. This is a reflection of the overall resolutions.

The G7 has a better HD+ resolution of 2270 x 1080 while the Power is limited to 1570 x 720. This is a noticeable difference. Colors and images do look much better on the standard G7. Is it a deal breaker? Well, that’s up to the user.

Cameras

You will see another drop from the G7 to the G7 Power in the photo capture department. They shared a similar setup with 12-megapixel on the rear and 8-megapixel shooters on the front, but the G7 pulls ahead in specs and results.

The G7 has an additional 5MP sensor on the rear camera layout for depth perception and it really shows. It’s faster to focus and takes better shots than that of the Power edition. The G7 also shoots in a higher pixel range of 2160P in 4K while the Power is limited to only 1080P processing.

Neither phone is going to blow you away with the cameras. If you are in great, outdoor lighting then you can have social media ready photos for most tasks. However, as soon as the lighting deteriorates, the results are lessened by a wide margin in comparison to higher-end smartphones.

The Power struggles even more than the G7 at this. I was able to take much better shots with the G7. There’s also a difference in the camera app between the two variants. I can only assume it’s due to the depth sensor found in the G7, but the Power will not take a portrait style photo unless the software detects a face in the image.

Battery Life

This is where this review takes a dramatic turn. Battery life on the standard G7 is completely normal. The 3000mAh cells will get you through a typical day with no problem. However, you might have to top off during a long night and you’ll always have to charge overnight.

The G7 Power is a completely different beast. And I do mean beast. It’s the best battery life I’ve ever gotten on a modern smartphone. Period.

I took the phone off charge on a Wednesday morning at 4 AM and didn’t have to reach for a power outlet until Friday night at 7:45 PM. That’s a legit 3 full days of battery life.

Now, that’s exactly what Moto claims of “casual usage” and how I’d describe my 3 days. They weren’t my heaviest, power-hungry days by any means, but it got me through the allotted tasks I had to accomplish that day including Slack, Outlook, Gmail, and SMS messages. That’s all a user can ask for in a smartphone. Will your time very? For sure, but it’s still impressive battery life.

Conclusion

Both the G7 and the G7 Power offer great devices for Moto to add to its lineup for 2019. However, they target a need for two different people depending on their preference. Do you want a sleeker design with slightly better internals, screen, and camera? Then you should buy the G7 standard.

If you prefer a beast of a battery that can get you through the weekend with no charger, then the G7 Power is for you. That’s if you are willing to compromise on some of the other hardware. The Power has an industry leading battery bank from a name you trust  you just won’t see almost anywhere else.

The G7 and G7 Power are available now via Motorola’s website as well as Amazon. The G7 is available in Ceramic Black and White for $299 on the company’s site and the Power edition is $50 less at $249 but only offers a single Marina Blue color. Both G7 and Power can be had as an Amazon exclusive with Alexa baked in for the same price points.

Lifeproof LIFEACTÍV Power Pack 10 review

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Writing about portable chargers isn’t always as easy as it seems. After a certain point they all tend to sound about the same. Capacities might differ and some may be a little more outwardly attractive, but they’re largely similar. In short, they’re little bricks or platters that we carry around for extra juice.

Imagine our pleasure when we had the chance to test out the LIFEACTÍV Power Pack 10 from Lifeproof. Yes, the same brand that provides waterproof, dirt proof, and drop proof phone cases is doing the same in the portable power supply space.

Indeed, the LIFEACTÍV Power Pack is the sort of power bank that’s designed to go everywhere you go. Whether that means heading to the beach, on a hike in the woods, or sitting out back at the barbecue pit, it’s built for most environments.

With 10,000mAh worth of battery, there’s enough to charge up most flagship phones three times over. And not just by plugging in through a USB port, either. This one also features support for Qi-equipped phones. Of course there is a USB port for those who would rather plug in directly, too.

Other details found in this charger include automatically stopping charge when devices reach 100 percent, an LED flashlight, and four LED indicator lights. You’ll always know just how much gas is left in the tank. Oh, and the handy wrist strap means you won’t accidentally drop this one because it’s covered in water or snow.

A LIFEACTÍV Power Pack 20 is also available with double the capacity. It’s the same price but trades out the wireless charging capability. If that’s not something you need or desire, we say go with the extra life. $100 at LifeProof

OnePlus to debut 7 series on May 14

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OnePlus will introduce at least two models of phones on May 14 in what the manufacturer indicates will be its most ambitious launch event. The company plans to debut the 7 series of phones in a coordinated event that takes place in multiple cities around the globe.

With but a few weeks to go before they formally arrive, there has been no shortage of rumors for the so-called OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro.

Reportedly, the OnePlus 7 will feature a massive 6.4-inch display with a water drop cutout display and pack a 48-megapixel rear camera. It’s alleged that a secondary camera will be included but the specifications are not clear.

As for the OnePlus 7 Pro, it’s suggested that it will have a screen size of 6.64-inches or 6.67-inches with curved edges. Rather than two cameras, this one could have three sensors with a 48-megapixel main sensor, a telephoto lens, and an ultra-wide camera.

Interestingly, the 7 Pro is expected to have a a pop-up selfie camera which eliminates the notch in the display. Also of note, it should feature a “breakthrough” display which has been rumored to have a 90Hh refresh rate.

It’s not all rainbows and puppies, though, as the OnePlus 7 Pro doesn’t look to include wireless charging. A 5G variant of the 7 Pro could also make its debut as part of the announcement.

Biggest Launch Ever

Because it isn’t content to do things the traditional way, OnePlus will offer tickets to eager fans who would like to see the introduction of the phones in person. The largest of the simultaneous global events will take place at Pier 94 in New York City. According to OnePlus this will be the largest event it has held to date. A separate event will take place in China two days later.

 

  • Pier 94, New York – US – 11AM EDT, May 14
  • Printworks, London – UK – 4PM BST, May 14
  • BIEC, Bangalore – India – 8:15PM IST, May 14
  • Yanqi Lake, Beijing – China – 2PM PST, May 16

Tickets to the New York event go on sale April 25 where they will be sold for $20 to early bird buyers. Tickets to the London gathering will run £16 / €18 but both are expected to sell through quickly. Once sold, the general admission tickets will be offered at a higher price.

LG G8 first impressions: Finally taking Samsung head on?

Matt Adams
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LG is back again with another iteration of its “G” series, with this year seeing the launch of the G8 ThinQ, the company’s early year flagship. Going head to head against the Samsung Galaxy S10, the G8 feels familiar for anyone who has picked up an LG device in the past couple of years. An iterative design, same-y software and small improvements leave us wondering if this one is worth the upgrade if you’re currently using the LG G6 or G7.

Hardware and design

LG has long been known to make great hardware who sits a step behind the market leaders of Samsung and Apple. That hasn’t changed here.

The LG G8 is a joy to use and feels very comfortable in the hand. It’s one of the few phones with a very large display that doesn’t hurt my hand in usage and I appreciate that. That’s not to say that there aren’t bezels here because there are, but LG just knows ergonomics. The rounded corners and sides of the device never feel out of place.

That being said, I’ve seen some hate directed toward Samsung for not innovating on its current hardware design over several years. Well, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.

LG largely uses the same body as the LG G6 (2017) which means we have no hope of a noteworthy hardware refresh until at least 2020. I’m not saying LG needs to change it up but in the world of mobile, going multiple years with the same body style can hurt sales as consumers might assume there’s no overt reason to upgrade.

Personally, I really enjoy LG’s design and the G8 fits perfectly into my palm. I hope LG continues down this path because the G series has always been one of my favorites, largely due to the industrial design. The curved 2.5D glass of the display melts into the frame of the body and the flat sides make the phone easy to handle despite being one of the most slippery devices out there.

Display

The G series makes the switch from IPS LCD to OLED display this year, something once reserved for the more expensive V family. Customers are really in for a treat here as LG has come a far way in figuring out mobile displays. Things have changed quite a bit since the disaster where early Google Pixel 2 XL units had LG taking it on the chin over lack of quality and terrible black levels.

The experience is totally different here. LG’s displays might be slightly behind Samsung’s still but that’s with the benefit of holding the two displays side-by-side. I don’t think you’re going to walk out of a carrier store with your new phone and be disappointed at all. In fact, I think you’ll love it.

Blacks are inky as you’d expect for an OLED display and colors seem to pop. I don’t run any kind of color tests because I feel that’s not true to a consumer experience but I can tell that LG did a fair bit of tuning to make this display as true to life as they can. Pictures look absolutely fantastic and the colors from plants and flowers really spring to life. I haven’t watched much video yet but the little bit I did looks great as well.

Overall, it seems LG really stepped up its game with the G8’s display and if you were looking for just one reason to upgrade, this might be it.

Battery

Battery life in our first 48 hours has been a bit below our expectations for a 2019 flagship. The G8 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC which is a far more efficient chip than the LG G7’s SD845 from last year but we’re not still seeing great battery life.

Again, take this with a grain of salt because we’ve only had the device for a few days, but we topped out at 4 hours of Screen on Time with plenty of background music streaming going on. With devices like the Galaxy S10, a phone consumers will directly compare it to, gets more than five hours of screen on time, it’s definitely disappointing.

Luckily LG did include faster charging standards than Samsung (Quick Charge 3.0 vs. Quick Charge 2.0) and includes 9W wireless charging. I was able to throw the phone on the charger for about a half hour and power through the rest of my (very late) night.

If you’re a power user, you’re probably already looking at phones like the Huawei Mate 20 Pro, OnePlus 6T or Samsung Note9 or Galaxy S10 Plus. I don’t think the LG G8 is going to give you any reason to consider it over those otherwise unless you sit it on a wireless charger all day. Maybe that’s a bit harsh but it’s not my first choice for an endurance champ.

Camera

The LG G8 has a dual-lens setup on both the front and rear of the device, with the main camera setup employing a 12 MP f/1.5 optically stabilized sensor next to a 16MP f/1.9 ultrawide sensor. The front features an 8 MP f/1.7 sensor next to a time-of-flight sensor that allows the phone to perform all kinds of interesting tricks (more on that later).

Shooting pictures on LG phones has always been a joy and I have much the same experience I always have. Whether that’s a good thing or not, I’m not quite sure. Sure, I love the LG camera app and the wide-angle lens, but I don’t know how much progress LG has truly made in the last few years.

Other reviews have rightly pointed out that there can be quite a bit of grain and artifact in pictures taken on the G8. This is an issue that has plagued LG devices for some time.

LG also made some interesting choices in the camera app like not being able to swipe through modes, instead switching over to the selfie camera whenever you swipe. While I see some of the logic here, it doesn’t feel well thought out and hurts usability.

We’ll dive further into the camera in our full review.

Software

I’ve never been a fan of LG’s approach to software. I tend to find its software skin to be heavy-handed, offering little benefit over stock Android. The story is much the same on the LG G8, though this time we do see some new tricks that might interest you. Until you actually try to use them, that is.

For some reason, LG has continued to stick by its out-of-the-box launcher with no app tray. I don’t know who advises the company to continue with this here in the West but I hope they cut it out.

This might work for Asian audiences, but it’s an unpopular move here in the Americas with 100% of the people I’ve questioned about it. And that’s not just heavy smartphone users as they range from “how do I turn on a phone?” to outright Android experts.  All of them pan the interface.

The app tray is one of the largest single advantages Android has over iOS and LG hides it. Why? If I want all my apps on my home screen, I’ll leave them there when they install.

Not only does the software experience not make a ton of sense, it’s laggy too. Double pressing the multitasking button top open my last app ranges anywhere between frustrating to just plain broken.

There is, at minimum, a delay while the system tries to figure out what to do and sometimes it just ignores me altogether. I wish this was an outlier, but it just seems to be an example of the larger problems with the phone.

Don’t get me wrong, 95% of the time the phone performs fine, but then it just doesn’t. It’s great until it isn’t and that’s absurdly frustrating. I’d imagine this is from poor optimization and can be fixed in future software updates, but it’s not a great look for LG right out of the gate.

The Time-of-Flight sensor on the front of the phone lets users operate it hands-free to control functions like skipping songs and adjusting volume. This is a nice concept but I’ve yet to get it to work. I’m not saying I haven’t been able to get it to work reliably, I’m saying I can’t get it to work at all.

If I want to change the volume, there are buttons on the side of the phone. If I want to change the song, I’ll press the skip button on my lock screen. I applaud LG for trying to be creative but these are gimmicks, and they work poorly at that.

Conclusion

While this first impressions might come off overly harsh or negative, I think the LG G8 is a really solid phone.

As I said at the outset, it’s probably the most comfortable in-hand phone on the market right now, even if it is pretty slippery. This comfort level cannot be overstated. Every time I pick up my OnePlus 6T or Samsung Galaxy S10+, I wish it was the LG G8 and that’s pretty impressive.

I really enjoy the look and feel of the G8 right up until I actually start using the device. The software experience really holds the phone back from being a top-tier contender in my opinion.

I’d love to see a software overhaul much in the same way Samsung recently radically changed its One UI experience. Focus on putting UI elements in the bottom half of the device with large text on top for easy actions and easy navigation. Get rid of the light color scheme and pastels for a darker and bolder aesthetic. Optimize your system so I stop having issues that remind me of Android Lollipop.

There’s a ton of potential here because the LG G8 has outstanding specs, but LG holds the phone back with sub-par software. This is a familiar story for LG devices.

We’ll bring your more details like more detailed battery numbers and camera samples in our full review.

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