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Blu VIVO XI+ review: A new direction for the unlocked phone maker

AndroidGuys
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Originally Published: August 29, 2018

Update: As of January 4, 2019, the Blu Vivo XI+ and Vivo XI are compatible with Verizon bands.

When it comes to smartphones, the term “flagship” is thrown around an awful lot. It seems every 3-6 months you an announcement touting a device as a flagship or flagship killer. And when it comes to Blu, that seems to be the case even more frequently.

In the past Blu would take it rapid fire approach to releasing devices. It would not be uncommon for it to release anywhere from six to eight phones a year. Many of them, sadly, tend to look and sound similar to one another.

As a company who specializes in unlocked devices for GSM phones, Blu tends to focus on the entry-level and mid-range experience. Prices are often a fraction of what you would find in another brand, such as Samsung or LG.

Generally speaking its competitors are usually brands that you’re not too familiar with here in the United States. Sure, its phones can take on the bigger global brands on paper, but in practice it is more akin to “no name” or less recognizable models from overseas.

As a whole, we like the devices that we review from Blu and often find ourselves recommending them for first time users or for customers who need affordable replacements; they make excellent Band-Aid phones, or something to get in a pinch. If you have a young user in your house or are just starting to dabble in smartphones, Blu makes excellent options.

The problem that we run into is that it’s often a what-you-see-is-what-you-get experience from the manufacturer. Software updates are never promised and rarely show up.

As longtime smartphone users, we like to focus on security updates and timely patches, and it’s even here where Blu has a so-so track record. What’s more, it has run into its fair share of vulnerabilities and bad press.

All of this leads to a less-than-stellar experience from the phone maker. Despite its best intentions, Blu struggles to break out of its current mold. Looking ahead, things look to be changing for the company.

Something New?

Today marks the release of Blu’s latest smartphone, the Vivo XI+. What can customers expect in the device? You guessed it, another flagship. It arrives on the heels of its predecessor which launched just six months ago, signalling it might not be all that different…

Wait, you’ll want to hear this one out.

What makes the Vivo XI+ so different? For starters there are a number of firsts in this phone. But, before we get into the hardware let’s talk about the new path ahead for Blu.

Slow Things Down

Rather than launching with many devices and flooding the market with confusing and overlapping options, Blu is opting to slow its pace. What’s more, it is taking a strategic approach to software updates and is even making promises. Indeed, this phone comes with the company’s first promised Android update.

One only need look at the recent statement from its CEO to see that Blu understands where it can do better. Assuming things go the way they hope, the horizon looks good for the brand.

VIVO XI+ Impressions

When you look at the hardware on this phone, one finds that it matches up nicely with devices that tend to run a good $700 or more. As we’ve seen from Blu time and again, this unlocked phone works with GSM carriers and features an incredible amount of bang for the buck. Things are no different for the 11th generation of the flagship line.

Key Features

  • MediaTek Helio P60 with AI Technology 2.0GHZ Octa Core Processor
  • 64GB/128GB internal storage (with microSD slot up to 128GB)
  • 6GB RAM
  • Android 8.1 Oreo
  • 6.2-inch display with 19:9 and 18:9 aspect ratio (1080 x 2246 pixels)
  • Dual rear cameras (16-megapixel, 5-megapixel)
  • 16-megapixel front-facing camera
  • Fingerprint sensor
  • 3,050mAh battery
  • USB Type C
  • Wireless Charging
  • 4G LTE: 1/2/3/4/7/12/13/17/28/66

That’s quite a bit of heavy hitting hardware to be sure. And, that’s not really painting the whole picture. There’s a few things going on here that aren’t super obvious when reading bullet points.

As indicated above, this phone launches with Android 8.1 Oreo, the most recent version widely available. Very few others offer Android 9 Pie so it’s nice to see Blu keeping pace with the big brands. According to the phone maker, the Vivo XI+ will see its Android 9 update at some point in the first quarter of 2019.

With a window of around six months to work with it’s not too bad. It could definitely be better but we suspect it will still beat other phones with an update.

What’s Included?

The review unit provided to us by Blu looks to be the same as what consumers will purchase. To that end, this does mark the first time one of its phones came shrink-wrapped in the box. We didn’t see anything inside all that different from previous phones, but we did take notice.

Inside we find the standard fare of Blu pieces and parts. In addition to the phone you’ll get a protective carry case (that matches the box), an already applied screen protector, sticker, SIM key, charger and cable, 3.5mm earbuds, and an adapter.

Although there is no headphone jack on the Vivo XI+, Blu throws in the adapter so you can plug into your car stereo or, of course, the included headphones. Otherwise, feel free to pair your Bluetooth earbuds and rock out.

Design

Constructed from a solid metal body with a curved back design, the Vivo XI+ looks and feels like a solid experience. There’s a good amount of heft to the phone, but we would expect that when we’re approaching small tablet-sized displays and these materials. One glance signals to us that the phone is to be taken seriously.

Powered on we see that Blu has opted to go the same route as nearly every other phone maker. Yes, there’s a “notch” on the display. Not to worry, though, you can toggle it on and off with a simple swiping down gesture from the top left. In essence you can go from 19:9 aspect ratio to 18:9.

You have to look closely to see that there is screen up near the top edge. When not in use you get an image that resembles more traditional smartphone designs. It’s really a matter of opinion and personal preference as to whether the notch works or is necessary.

Internally, we here at AndroidGuys are pretty mixed when it comes to the idea and day-to-day usage. To us, at least, it’s fairly easy to get used to both experiences in the Blu Vivo XI+.

The power button and volume rocker are located to the right side of the display, which is typical for most phones. Across to the left side is where one finds the microSD card and dual SIM card trays.

On the bottom edge of the handset we see the USB Type C port flanked by speaker grilles. We’ve seen Blu dabble with this charging port in other models but it has yet to fully commit to it. Here’s hoping the new direction means a standard approach to devices.

The fingerprint reader is found on the back in the upper center of the phone. It’s right about where your finger wants to fall naturally, but we may have liked for to be just a smidge bigger or maybe even a little more of a pronounced edge. We can find it without looking — but it sometimes blends in a bit too well.

There are two cameras, which are stacked on top of each other, on the rear left of the phone. Below them is the LED flash. We like having these away from this fingerprint reader if only because we’d hate to run our finger across it when blindly unlocking.

Software

If you’ve read our reviews on Blu before, you know we like the experience. It’s a nearly unadulterated version of Android and doesn’t have very much in the way of pre-installed apps. There are usually a couple added but they’re not the invasive carrier-branded stuff you get from wireless providers.

The Vivo XI+ is exactly what we expected: lean and mean Android with a touch of custom Blu flourishes and a sprinkling of apps. The model we received came with Opera, NextRadio, Amazon Prime Video, Wish, and Amazon Shopping.

The first two had icons on the home screen and could not be directly uninstalled; the other three could be uninstalled completely. For what it’s worth disabling NextRadio and Opera ultimately results in them being removed from the phone.

There’s also a couple of smaller apps like Blu Help, Compass, and Data Clone (new phone setup), Torch (flashlight), SIM Toolkit, Sound Recorder, Video Player, Music Player, Notes, and File Explorer. Unfortunately, you can’t remove these or disable them. Thankfully, they are lightweight and take up next to zero space. All in all, it sounds worse than it really is and it definitely beats a bunch of games and apps selected by the carrier.

In terms of Google apps, the gang’s all here. Look for Google, Gmail, Maps, Drive, Play Music, Play Movies & TV, Photos, Messages, YouTube, and Duo.

Performance

We’ve had our unit for approximately ten days as we readied our review. In that time we’ve installed nearly all of the software that we use on a daily basis. Given the hardware we felt no reason it couldn’t meet our demands. To that end we loaded up multiple accounts, and a handful of apps, and games.

We tried as much as possible to use the phone as a “daily driver” over the time we had the review unit. There were times where it did stay back for a few hours while we took a different model with us, but we didn’t mind coming back to it at all.

After living with so many different phones over the years we come to appreciate certain things over time. Take wireless charging, for instance. Once you get used to doing it, you tend to not want to go back. In previous Blu models we couldn’t do this; going from a more feature-rich flagship to other Blu devices left us missing the option.

The same goes for USB Type C. Yes, we still have plenty of reasons for microUSB ports and chargers in 2018, but we don’t rely on it for our phones. Those cables have been replaced either outright or with a wireless dock. It’s nice to see Type C if for no other reason than us not having to swap out car chargers and other cables.

The Vivo XI+ also comes with a few other goodies baked in, too. The Real 3D Face ID lets you unlock your phone using your face. Blu indicates that you can’t trick it with photos, masks, or “even wax sculptures”, adding that its IR sensor aids in detection in all light conditions, including total darkness.

Setting this feature up only takes a couple of moments and it really makes for a hassle-free unlocking experience. We found it to be not only fast and accurate, but true to its promise. There were no instances where we couldn’t get it to register, regardless of environmental light.

It didn’t really matter what apps or games we played as the phone handled the duties in stride. Hopping from one app to another didn’t yield any delays and there were no noticeable lags or stutters.

You can say that an octa-core 2.0Ghz processor doesn’t stack up on paper and be right. But, in practice, you have to run benchmark tests and really look for the differences. Coupled with 6GB RAM, there’s enough horsepower in the Blu Vivo XI+ to qualify the phone as more than capable for demanding users.

There are a handful of gestures and settings that help you really tailor the experience around your personal preferences. It’s not unlike what Motorola offers in that it’s helpful stuff if you want to use it. There’s nothing that is vital to set up; however, playing with stuff like navigation settings, display notch, camera options, and Face ID can make the phone feel like “yours”.

Camera

The  phone boasts a dual camera setup on the back, which is “powered by AI technology” for smarter and better pictures. With a 16-megapixel main camera, it has an F/2.0 aperture, 1/3 inch sensor and 5P lens. The 5-megapixel secondary shooter is what captures your depth of field and is what’s responsible for the blurred backgrounds in portrait shots.

The Vivo XI+ focuses on its subject quickly thanks to the Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF) with Laser Focus. Pictures, even those in taken with filters or additional settings, are captured quickly and accurately.

To be perfectly honest, one of the main reasons we would leave the phone at home in favor of the daily driver (Pixel 2) is because we know what we’re getting in the camera. After having spent most of a year with that one we didn’t want to take a chance on missing out on key moments with a goofy camera app or experience.

Over the last two weeks, though, our anxiety over this has eased. Each time we pick it up and play with the camera we like it more and more. We’re more confident now that we can take it out and capture candid moments and look forward to really using it over the next few weeks.

Click here to see some sample pics taken from the Blu Vivo XI+ in a growing library

With that said, the pictures we’ve taken so far have been solid. The color is accurate and they’re crisp and vibrant. Playing with the different shooting modes is pretty intuitive, giving us pretty much what we could hope for in the end results.

We expected the phone to struggle more in lower lighting if only because of price and previous experience. Blu did well here, providing sensors that capture more light than in its predecessors. It will be fun to figure out where the line is on the Vivo XI+ and learning where its capabilities end.

Conclusion

If you’re on T-Mobile, AT&T, or one of their respective prepaid networks and don’t care about whether your phone has a major brand name, this is an excellent place to start.

As an unlocked phone, the Vivo XI+ is compatible with GSM networks [4G LTE (1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/17/28/66), 3G (850/900/1800/1900), and HSPA (850/900/1700/1900/2100) ]. Like other Blu models, this one comes with support for two SIM cards so feel free to mix and match, especially if you travel.

As of January 2019, the Blu Vivo XI+ and Vivo XI are now supported by Verizon. Compatible with the biggest provider in the US, customers can get a $150 prepaid MasterCard and free SIM card with activation.

Customers who have already purchased a BLU VIVO XI+ and/or VIVO XI and want to switch to Verizon under the Bring Your Own Device Promotion, can contact Blu at service@bluproducts.com and receive a software update pushed to their device.

There may be more exotic or sexier models out there, but you could pay double for that experience. Moreover, we tend to protect our phones with cases, often hiding a glamorous finish or fancy flourishes. When that happens, it’s pretty much a level playing field on the front.

Unfortunately it’s all to easy to look at devices for what they don’t have as opposed to what they do have. After nearly two weeks with the Vivo XI+ we’ve come to like it quite a bit, finding it more in line what we want from a phone.

The things we didn’t love in its predecessor are pretty much addressed and it falls within about $50 of its price. If it’s a case of fixing the little stuff that bothered us, Blu did very well.

We often recommend that anyone considering a first Android phone start with something in the middle of the pack. This way you can figure out whether they want, or need, more later on. Luckily for today’s buyers, the mid-range is more than strong enough to handle daily needs.

You’re going to have a tough time beating this phone’s specs at this price, at least from a brand you’ve heard of before. If you’re looking for a phone for T-Mobile or AT&T in the US, start here and work your way out. Likewise for those overseas considering something new for Orange Vodafone, O2, or other GSM carriers.

It’s a fantastic phone at $350 and an even better buy if you’re an early adopter.

We’re optimistic about the future of Blu, especially if it delivers on its new promises. If it can meet the self-imposed deadline for Android 9, and slow down on the sibling releases, then it will be doing well for itself.

Throwing stuff at the wall so many times a year likely has a negative effect. If it wants us to think its phones are special, it needs to take a more measured approach. There’s nothing wrong with a couple of annual releases but they ought to be spread out across various lines. Here’s hoping that’s what is in store for us.

Availability

The Blu Vivo XI+ is available from Amazon at launch with an introductory, limited time price of $250. This is a $100 off the standard retail cost and is subject to available stock. After the short window Blu will set the price to its everyday sticker of $350. Sold in Midnight Black and Chrome Silver, it comes with free shipping, too.

Brand Profile and Interview: House of Marley

Andrew Allen
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Smartphone accessories are a dime a dozen these days. You can’t pull up Amazon or walk into a carrier store without seeing them. However, we rarely see a company entering that market with an original angle. House of Marley looks to change that with a model built and fueled by sustainable materials. I set down with a few representatives of the company this month and I’d like to share the House of Marley story.

Origin Story

The company was announced January of 2012 by founder Rohan Marley at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. Marley is the son of famous reggae artist Bob Marley and former professional football player. Rohan has started many other environmentally friendly businesses similar to House of Marley, such as Marley Coffee.

What Makes House of Marley Different?

Rohan’s House of Marley prides itself on using sustainable materials to make all of its accessories. What does that mean exactly? In short, the company uses as many natural or recycled sources as possible.

What kind of materials? A multitude of items are used to make the accessories you can find on House of Marley. Let’s look at some of the items listed on the website just to give you an overview of how thorough House of Marley (HoM) is at sourcing items with limited long-term effects on the environment.

Bamboo and FSC Wood

Bamboo is used in many of the House of Marley stable of devices. Marley doesn’t just pick it for the aesthetics. While it looks great, the material is renewable and can be cultivated with an extremely low carbon footprint.

Bamboo is also one of the most durable materials in the world, with a structural integrity that is almost as strong as steel. The result is a stunning wood look with added durability that can take a beating.

Wood is a recurring theme among HoM accessories as the company uses it in most of its headphones and portable speakers. Marley also uses only FSC-certified (Forest Stewardship Council) woods.

The Council is a non-profit organization dedicated to forestry efforts and conservation. It has certified vendors, like the ones used at House of Marley, who adhere to processes that help in keeping deforestation at a minimum and give back to maintaining the natural forest.

“We want to use wood in our products as a beautiful material, but we want to make sure they are coming from responsibly forested suppliers.”

Cork

After talking to House of Marley, and seeing some of the items they sent our way, cork might be my favorite. It offers such a unique end result while conforming to the company’s sustainable mindset.

First, cork allows the design to take a great look and texture. It really pops when you take the No Bounds portable speaker out of the box; and, I swear it adds a deepness to the sound that wouldn’t be there with another material choice.

“Cork is great because it’s an amazing insulator. It’s a dampener and is vibration resistant. We use what’s called conglomerated cork. Which uses less virgin cork and some from Asia with more defects. We then use a process to grind that with scraps from cork for wines bottles and compression mold it with a binder into a very solid, stable product we can use. We use it as a base of our speakers in place of silicon to protect from drops and offer buoyancy.”

Cork is another core substance that strikes the environmental balance Marley looks for during design. Director of product development, Josh Poulsen, attributed the choice of cork to it’s 100% natural as well as being completely biodegradable as some of the reasons it’s chosen for accessories. Again, House of Marley goes the extra effort to find ways to make high-grade products with low environmental impact.

Aluminum

Even when the substances aren’t biodegradable, or renewable, the company strives to make sure it makes the same efforts to avoid adding to the waste stream. Aluminum is one of the most easily recycled materials in the world. HoM uses it accordingly to provide design elements with aluminum while keeping the risk of it making its way to a landfill.

You’ll find recyclable aluminum in many of their speakers and accessories. The Stir It Up Turntable uses aluminum in the table platter and many of the headphones use the material in the speaker housings as well.

Poulsen was adamant that just because they do have to use less environmentally friendly items at times, the company still has a focus on making the lowest environmental damage as possible.

“Obviously, we sometimes can’t avoid some materials like plastics and aluminum.

The company really wants to make a lasting impact on the environment while appealing to audio consumers and it goes beyond just being mindful of the materials used in its products.

Poulsen and his team at House of Marley will have helped plant 146,000 trees by January 2019 via the One Tree Planted initiative. This global program has allowed House of Marley to contribute to reforestry efforts worldwide:

  • California – 20,000
  • Ethiopia – 20,000
  • Rwanda – 10,000
  • Kenya – 5,000
  • Ghana – 5,000
  • Haiti – 5,000
  • Colorado – 5,000
  • India – 5,000
  • Vietnam – 1,000
  • Guatemala – 1,000
  • Brazil – 1,000
  • Oregon – 1,000

The team doesn’t plan to stop there. This is an ongoing staple of the company that is always in the forefront.

House of Marley also has plans to help with the wildfire restorations in California. These are the huge moves that Marley’s culture sees as a responsibility of major industry to have a positive return on the materials and resources they use on a daily basis. Poulsen believes that consumers will speak with their wallets that this type of philanthropy matters:

“Consumers (especially today’s youth) when they have a choice, I think they are more in tune with what’s going on with our Earth and oceans and global warming. I think consumers absolutely prefer a sustainable brand.”

The company is also open to always researching new opportunities and materials in its next line of products. Poulsen didn’t want to reveal company secrets but says House of Marley is looking at new options of stone that could one day land as accents of new accessories.

How cool would it be to buy a new set of headphones that have a granite ear housing? I really hope this is one material that Josh, and the House of Marley, realistically pursue.

Really, it’s more about the use of all the possible materials with the most limited waste. Through its Regrind, Recycled, and Rewind processes the company uses its own particles from virgin scraps materials to reuse in plastics, metals, and fabrics. It really is the core of House of Marley and its team.

I was fortunate enough to speak with Josh Poulsen and it was readily apparent that he believes this is how this company, and others, should operate.

“I absolutely believe that’s how a company should operate. To me, it’s good leadership and we want to be equally sustainable despite being a small brand in the scheme of things. I believe that any little bit we can do it is making an impression with setting a standard.”

High-quality products can be successfully designed, sourced, and produced without destroying vital natural resources or contributing to global warming. House of Marley has shown me that the road map not only exists, but it is pioneering the movement.

While others in the tech industry are also doing their part, many don’t seem to have the same grassroots approach to the effort. House of Marley seems ingrained with this philosophy from the ground up since the beginning.

I’ve truly grown respect for the House of Marley itself and the people I’ve been introduced during this project. Not to mention that the products are really solid! I hope you take the time to check out the full interview below and then use the links to consider House of Marley the next time you’re in the market for audio accessories.

New year, new career? Here some of the best Android apps for finding a new job

Alexandra Arici
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Job hunting has changed a lot in recent years. Now thanks to mobile technology, you can take your job search on the go, and apply for the positions that seem appealing to you anytime, anywhere.

The era of looking for job offers in the local newspaper is long gone, and today you’re most likely going to have to rely on that Android phone of yours if you want to get a new job.

So for the purpose of this article we’ve rounded up seven great job apps every one looking for a new position should know about.

LinkedIn

What it is:

The most popular social network for professionals. LinkedIn is for anybody and everybody who wants to take their professional life more seriously by looking for new opportunities to grow their careers.

Why we like it:

  • Allows you to quickly create a profile/resume page.
  • The app allows you to quickly discover and connect with people that matter in your industry.
  • It’s a great way to search and apply for new jobs opportunities.
  • Recruiters can easily find you and your profile and invite you to interviews.
  • With LinkedIn, you can stay up to date with the latest business and industry news.

Install LinkedIn

Upwork

What it is:

Upwork gives you access to one of the largest databases of freelance/remote jobs.

Why we like it:

  • Clean and intuitive interface, Upwork lets you search, view and apply to jobs quickly.
  • Employees can also send you job invitations.
  • Upwork offers its own in-app chat feature which allows you to send and receive screenshots and files.
  • Easily get paid via PayPal.

Install Upwork

Indeed

What it is:

One of the most comprehensive jobs searching tools for mobile available. Let’s you find jobs in over 60 countries and in 28 languages.

Why we like it:

  • The app features a huge database of jobs of over 16 million jobs.
  • You can create an Indeed Resume (to apply for select jobs) or simply upload or import a resume from your computer.
  • Gets you the newest jobs delivered to your inbox.
  • Allows job seekers to see how companies rate, as reviewed by employees.

Install Indeed

Snag

What it is:

A job finding app that puts an emphasis on applying fast and finding you flexible positions.

Why we like it:

  • Snag wants to make the job application process easier. You can apply with one click for some of the positions available in the database.
  • The app offers localized job search.
  • Perfect app for students and teens who are looking to work flexible hours or part-time jobs.
  • Let’s you take Employee Personality Quizzes to show off your strengths to prospective employers.
  • You can spice up your resume with a video showcasing your wonderful personality.

Install Snag

Glassdoor

What it is:

A job searching app backed-up by a comprehensive career community.

Why we like it:

  • It’s super easy to start searching for a job. Just use a keyword and your location.
  • Glassdoor offers access to in-depth info about companies, as well as salary reports by job title.
  • App has a unique “Know Your Worth Tool” which shows you how your market value has trended over time and how it compares to typical workers in the same field.
  • The app allows you to read opinions from current and former employees about specific companies.

Install Glassdoor

Trovit

What is it:

A job searching app that wants to help you find exactly what you’re looking for.

Why we like it:

  • Trovit lets you look for jobs in 46 different countries and 19 languages.
  • Use a relevant keyword to search for jobs, but also add filters to narrow down your search.
  • Create personalized alerts, so when a new add that fits your criteria gets posted you’ll know.

Install Trovit

Good&Co

What it is:

Good&Co is not a traditional job searching app. Instead, its main goal is to help you discover yourself and to find the career best suited for your style.

Why we like it:

  • Good&Co is a self-discovery tool based on science that will help you understand your personal strengths so you can fulfill your true potential.
  • Provides a fun way to get to know yourself via various personality assignments.
  • Discover the company culture that’s a match for your personality and see how you fit with companies that are after you.

Install Goo&Co

Extra

Free resume builder CV maker

What it is:

This app lets you easily create a custom CV that will make your application stand out.

Why we like it:

  • Allows you to create a custom resume or cover letter.
  • You can choose from various templates.
  • Easily fill out information by categories including Personal Info, Education, Work Experience and more.
  • Print the resume directly from the app or download it to your device as .PDF.

Install Free resume builder CV maker

OnePlus 6T review

Alexandra Arici
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Over the years, OnePlus has released phone after phone with flagship-level specs and power at a fraction of the price you’d expect. The OnePlus 6T is the latest in the line, and naturally it comes packed with stellar performance, as well as a great camera and a new style of notch.

And even though prices for the latest model have crept up to $550, which is quite different from the super affordable price of the first OnePlus phone, the OnePlus 6T is still comfortably cheaper that flagship phones currently offered by Samsung, Huawei or LG.

Also read: Samsung Galaxy S9/S9+ review

The OnePlus 6T improves upon its predecessor, the OnePlus 6 with a number of things, but obviously the most important upgrade is the in-display fingerprint scanner.

Although, the OnePlus 6T is by no means the first smartphone to take advantage of this novel technology (think OPPO R17, Xiaomi Mi 8 Explorer Edition or Huawei Mate 20 Pro), it’s indeed the first to offer the feature on the US market.

What else does the OnePlus 6T bring to the table and how well does this new tech perform? Keep reading below to find out more.

Design and display

The OnePlus 6T and OnePlus 6 are quite similar in design, although with a few key differences that make it easy to tell them apart from one another.

For starters – the notch. The OnePlus 6T replaces the tab-shaped cutout at the top of the display, with a less-intrusive waterdrop-shaped notch that’s barely large enough to include the single selfie camera. This means OnePlus had to move the earpiece, which now lives on the right on the top edge. In case you don’t like the tiny notch, OnePlus gives you the option to hide it from Settings, just like before on the OnePlus 6.

Also read: Ten first things you should do with your new OnePlus 6T

Furthermore, the bottom chin on the OnePlus 6T is a bit slimmer than its predecessor, although this detail is less noticeable, unless you put the OnePlus 6 and OnePlus 6T side-by-side.

Compared to the previous iteration, the OnePlus 6T does have a LED notification light anymore. Given the popularity of the feature, we expect a lot of OnePlus fans to be disappointed by this design choice. Although they will probably not mind it as much as the removal of the 3.5mm headphone jack.

Yeah, unfortunately the OnePlus 6T is the first phone from the company to come without it. Apparently it was a hard decision to take, but it had to be done in order to make space for the in-display fingerprint display underneath the hood, as well as for the larger battery.

The company does include a USB Type-C to 3.5mm headphone port dongle in the box with the phone, so at least you won’t have to worry about going out and buying an extra adapter just so you can use your favorite pair of wired headphones.

Speaking of the most important innovation that comes with the OnePlus 6T – the in-display fingerprint scanner aka Screen Unlock. It uses an optical sensor beneath the display panel to shine green light that ensures all the important details are captured when your fingerprint sensor is registered.

But as it often is with very new technology, the fingerprint scanner is far from being perfect. You get a cool, futuristic animation (which can be customized) when you press your finger against the display, but in our experience it often takes a few tries before the scanner unlocks the phone.

Also read: Ten tips and tricks for the OnePlus 6T

When it works as intended, the setup is quite quick to do its job, even though it’s not as fast as the fingerprint sensor we’ve seen on the previous OnePlus 6.

Interestingly enough, OnePlus claims (via a blog post) that the Screen Unlock feature gets faster over time. We’re told that as the phone learns how you unlock it, its sophisticated algorithms allow the system to improve and work faster and more accurately. We can’t say we’ve experience a significant improvement over time, but then again we’ve been using the phone for less than a month.

Well in case the in-display fingerprint scanner gets on your nerves, you can always switch to face unlock or use the PIN/pattern way of unlocking the device.

Those who used the OnePlus 6 before, will probably notice that the OnePlus 6T is a bit heavier than its predecessor. The new model weighs 185 g and has an 8.2mm profile. By comparison, the OnePlus 6 tips the scales at 177g and has a sleeker 7.8mm frame. You can feel these differences just by holding the two phones in hand. This happened because the OnePlus 6T has a larger battery and the new authentication tech under the hood.

As for the display, the OnePlus 6T continuous to feature an OLED display, although this time around it’s a bit larger at 6.41-inch. It boasts the same FHD+ resolution (1080 x 2340 pixels) as before, which is lower than what flagships like the Galaxy S9 or LG V40 offer, but that’s quite alright. The display is still crisp enough, and it does not look pixelated or anything like that. Indeed, it might not be the sharpest around, but most of the times you won’t even notice that, unless you get uncomfortably close to it.

Also read: LG V40 review

The phone also comes with a few different screen calibration modes which you can find in Settings. Out of the box, the 6T’s display is set to system default, but you can easily switch it up to sRGB, DCI-P3, Adaptive mode or a user-defined calibration profile.

What’s more, OnePlus has also included Reading Mode, as well as Night Mode, to help you use the screen more comfortably when you’re reading or before bed.

Power and speed

The OnePlus 6T is one of the most powerful phones around. Based on a Snapdragon 845, the phone can be coupled with up to 8GB of RAM.  Recently, OnePlus unveiled the OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition which includes a whopping 10GB of RAM on board.

Such a sturdy configuration guarantees that the OnePlus 6T will handle every task you throw at it like a champ. Whether you’re loading a bunch of demanding games, or you’re switching fast between apps, the overall experience is quick and effortless. The occasional stutters do arise from time to time (frozen apps, phone becomes unresponsive to taps), but they are quickly forgotten in the face of overall swift performance. Interestingly, with the OnePlus 6 we did not noticed any such glitches.

While the internal specs are pretty much the same as its predecessor’s, the OnePlus 6T does get an upgrade in battery department. The phone now packs a 3,700 mAh power house, up from the 3,300 mAh one of the OnePlus 6.

So what does the difference amount to in the real world? Well, with the OnePlus 6T we would constantly end the day with close to 50% left. On busier, more intensive days, the battery levels would drop down to around 30%, which is still pretty good.

The difference between the OnePlus 6 and OnePlus 6T battery life is not HUGE, but it’s still noticeable, as the latter does then to last a bit longer.

While the OnePlus 6 performed great out of the box, in terms of battery life, over time we noticed it was fading a lot faster than before. To the point that it’s draining quite quickly presently. For example, it will habitually go down to around 30% by 6 pm.

So it remains to be seen whether the OnePlus 6T will retain its great battery life as time passes.

Anyway, the new comer still doesn’t have wireless charging, but it does come with fast charging technology which the company has rebranded into Wrap Charge. This allows you to fully juice up your phone in around an hour and a half. And if you get palpitations seeing your phone at the 25% mark, you can always plug it for 25 minutes or so and get the levels back up to 70%.

Photography

The OnePlus 6T has pretty much the same camera specs as it predecessor. You get a 16MP main sensor on the back that’s supported by a secondary 20MP for bokeh shooting. It’s a solid camera with which you can take great photographs. You can check out the gallery below for some samples.

With this new model, OnePlus has included a new Night Mode which uses a Huawei-like emulated long exposure trick. This results in pretty great night shots, although in some instances you’ll still get a lot of blur in your images and a loss of details. But compared to the OnePlus 6, the OnePlus 6’s night shots definitely retained more detail and had less noise.

OnePlus also included a feature called Studio Lighting, which is designed to recognized faces when portrait shooting and adjust the lighting accordingly to simulate professional lighting. The feature is quite subtle, so in most shots you can’t really tell the difference between the standard photos of pictures and portrait shots. Except for the blurred background, of course.

The selfie snapper is still a 16MP sensor, but here we could see a difference in performance. The selfies taken with the OnePlus 6T appear to have a better contrast than the ones taken with the OnePlus 6, although it also depends on the lighting conditions.

Software

As weird as it might sound, the OnePlus 6T is among the few recent smartphones to launch with Android 9 Pie out of the box. With the company’s Oxygen OS on top, of course, which is a joy to use like always.

It’s clean and clutter free, as it resembles Google’s stock Android version, but it also packs a lot of customization options and tweaks that aren’t available in the standard version.

For example, unlike the competition, OnePlus lets you swipe down from anywhere on the screen to pull down the notification shade. Or it allows you to use quick gestures to control music, answer calls by raising the phone to your ear and so much more.

With the OnePlus 6T, the company has introduced the OnePlus Laboratory where you can find experimental features. For the time being, you can give Smart Boost a try, a feature designed to leverage the performance of loading app and games by taking full advantage of the larger RAM on your phone, based on daily usage.

Software is also a big contributing factor to the phone’s overall lighting speed. Apps take a second to load, and everything is just smooth sailing.

So even as other flagship offer similar and at times superior specs and features compared to the OnePlus 6T, the software experience remains unmatched.

Price

The OnePlus 6T is available in the follow configurations:

  • 6GB of RAM + 128GB of storage (Mirror Black) – $549.99
  • 8GB of RAM + 128GB of storage (Mirror Black) – $579.99
  • 8GB of RAM +128GB of storage (Midnight Black) – $579.99
  • 8GB of RAM +256GB of storage (Midnight Black) – $629.99
  • 10GB of RAM +256GB of storage (McLaren Edition) – $699.99

All these versions are available via the company’s official website. But for the first time ever, OnePlus has teamed up with one of the top four US carriers to sell the phone. So customers in the US can get the device via T-Mobile too. The Magenta carrier is offering the 8GB of RAM + 128GB of storage version which costs $579.99 outright.

Alternatively, T-Mobile also has a deal going on which lets you save $580 via bill credits when you buy an OnePlus 6T (on a monthly payment plan) with an eligible trade-in and you add a line

Conclusion

OnePlus has produced yet another great phone, and as always the starting price is comfortably lower than for any other flagship on the market.

Yes, the 3.5mm headphone jack is gone, there’s still no wireless charging, and the phone is a bit bulkier than its predecessor, but the OnePlus 6T gives you the chance to try out a novel technology. It’s also a powerhouse and comes with a slightly altered design (new waterdrop-type notch).

But if you’re coming from an OnePlus 6, upgrading to an OnePlus 6T doesn’t really make sense given that they mostly have the same hardware. Especially since OnePlus 6 was also updated to Android Pie and also got the new camera modes that made a debut on the 6T.

However, if you’re currently on an OnePlus 5T or lower, the OnePlus 6T does bring a lot in terms of improvements. Even if you’re trying to decide if you should get a Galaxy S9 or a Pixel 3, the OnePlus 6T is still a great option to consider, for many reasons. Price being chief among them.

Indeed, the OnePlus 6T might not have the advanced camera of the Pixel 3, or a microSD card slot/headphone jack like the Galaxy S9, but it nails it perfectly in other departments. Like software or power. The main takeaway here being, if you’re looking for the best value flagship right now, look no further than the OnePlus 6T.

In Adventure of Priestess, your biggest enemy is the game’s translation (Review)

Gerson Noboa
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Browsing through some deals, I found a small little game called Adventure of Priestess. It seemed cool: a RPG with pixelated graphics and sprites that resembled cats. It was being offered for free, so I went for it. It has 4.4 stars in the Play Store, so I figured it should be good, right? Play Store ratings are always a reliable source of information, right?

Developer: SoftCone
Price: $0.99

Overview

In Adventure of Priestess, you “control” five different characters. I put it between quotes because they actually attack automatically. It is your job to make things easier for them. This is done by you activating a special set of skills: healing, shield, sleep, and cheer. There’s a main character, called Stella, who is responsible of healing other characters. However, if she dies, then the game is over, regardless of the condition of other characters.

Tutorial

From the start of the game, you immediately realize flaws in the execution. Here is the first screen that you see after pressing Start:

The English is just awful. As a non-native English speaker, I understand that English is a hard language in which read and read are pronounced in different ways, even though they are written exactly the same. However, the flaws in the text are just unacceptable for a game sold in an app store. There are plenty of offerings out there to make sure that the text you ship in your apps is good enough.

This is not a complaint just for the sake of complaining. If you don’t understand what the text is trying to explain, then all immersion is lost. Worst of all, a tutorial is shown after, and the English is just as bad there. It’s very hard to understand what the game is trying to tell you, which makes it unnecessarily difficult to get the hang of everything at the initial stages.

Gameplay

After the initial shock of the baffling tutorial this game offers, you will slowly discover how things work. In each stage, there are several enemies coming right at you. In theory, you can let the characters just play automatically without any input, but this makes things complicated for no reason.

At the bottom of your screen, you will find four different blocks, which correspond to the four skills you can use at the beginning of the game: heal, shield, sleep, and cheer. Heal and shield should be pretty self-explanatory. Sleep casts a spell on your opponents that makes most of them sleep (it doesn’t work on bosses). Finally, cheer is probably something like “boost” badly translated, since it increases the attack power of your characters.

These are activated through MPs, which are refilled automatically at a rate of 10 per second (at least initially). There’s also a cooldown period to avoid using the same skill over and over until your MP bar is depleted, which means you have to think through your activations. If you are low on HP, it is better to use a low MP skill (like shield, which also reduces the damage you receive) until you wait for the cooldown timer to end. If HP is not a problem, then you can save your MP to activate the cheer skill and go all-offensive on your enemies.

Boss fights

There are several stages to a dungeon, and they all end with a boss fight. For these, the enemies have a character that works like Stella in some ways. It is behind waiting for all the smaller monsters to deal with you, but it can also come at full force to attack you. The game incorporates a mechanic in which your phone vibrates when it thinks that you should either activate a shield or sleep your enemies.

If you die here, or in any other stage leading to the boss fight, it’s game over. You not only have to repeat the stage you are into, but the whole dungeon instead. Those are ten minutes you are never getting back.

Levelling and progression

The powers you can activate during your fights are all temporary, but you can increase their strength and duration with gems. These are normally earned through gameplay, and I haven’t found a way of earning them in other ways. These gems, which the game actually calls soul stones, are also used for increasing your character’s levels.

You will find, however, that the process is very, very slow. Each level asks for more gems than the previous one, but since gems are awarded at a very slow rate, this means that you need to grind a lot to be able to tackle the upper dungeons.

Another complaint with the levelling system is that you don’t actually see how much does your purchase will increase your character/skill.

Sure, you get stats for the skills right now, but there’s no way of knowing how will your hard-earned stones affect the skill until you press that level up button. This, coupled with the low yields of stones, makes the progression unnecessarily hard.

Graphics and sound

As previously said, the graphics of this game are all pixelated. The game actually does a good job in maintaining that general style throughout all the elements and sprites that appear during gameplay. There are some weird choices, like displaying the word “BOSS” on the screen when a boss comes, and the cheer icon is kind of creepy. Other than that, the graphics are adequate, if not extraordinary, but the consistency is appreciated.

A small complaint with the graphical part is that, since the stage never moves, you can have the situation where characters overlap. This happens when the enemy has you cornered on the left side, or you have them cornered on the right side. This has made me lose some characters because I haven’t been able to see their health bar, so they have been slowly dying without me noticing.

The music on this game consists of a small snippet on repeat. While this piece is good enough, the part where it loops is very noticeable. Other sound effects range in quality. For example, the healing skill sound is cool and appropriate for the action, but the sound effect when a character dies is pretty low quality.

Conclusion

Adventure of Priestess combine a pixelated art design with an auto-playing gameplay, while giving the user some control through the skill mechanic. However, there are several things that are too big of a setback in order to consider it enjoyable.

The translations to English are awful, the progression is slow and tedious, and the upgrade system needs some additions in order to be fun. There is also almost no story to speak of. As it is, you are just tapping at the screen in intervals, killing enemies, and going to the next stage. Even though it is cheap, there are better games out there for you to spend your money on.

Download and install Adventure of Priestess from the Google Play Store.

Google imagines Home Alone in 2018 with Google Home commercial

AndroidGuys
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Kevin McCallister is home alone… again. A new ad campaign from Google imagines what life would be like if Macaulay Culkin had to defend his home in 2018, but now with help from Google Home.

The ad features the actor revisiting some of the more memorable scenes from the 1990 film; the attention to detail for the set is really awesome, by the way.

Now, instead of freaking out over how he’d defend the house, McCallister relies on Google for assistance. The commercial does a great job of using nostalgia to show off the capabilities of what Google can do for users.

Whether it’s reminders, grocery lists, home automation, or dealing with deliveries, the ad highlights the various ways in which Google Assistant can enhance your life.

Google Home Hub review

Easter Eggs and Fun Stuff

It wouldn’t be Google if it didn’t sneak in a few fun things for us to try. If you have a phone with Google Assistant, or own one of the smart speakers and/or displays, you’ll want to give the following commands a try.

These are available for a limited time.

  • Hey Google, how much do I owe you?
  • Hey Google, did I forget something?
  • Hey Google, the Wet Bandits are here.
  • Hey Google, it’s me Snakes. I got the stuff.
  • Hey Google, I’m the man of the house.

Here’s a quick video with a behind-the-scenes look into creating the commercial.

AdLock Review: a convenient way to get rid of ads, no root required

Alexandra Arici
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Ads! No matter what you do and where you turn, you can’t seem to escape them. Whether you’re using your desktop or your mobile device, advertisers don’t ever miss a chance to harass you with their latest offers.

Well, the good news is that you have options when it comes to getting rid of ads. There are apps out there which promise to remove ads, so you can get a clean browsing experience.

In this post, we will look at one such app, called AdLock. There’s no shortage of app blockers on the Google Play Store, but be warned that not all of them are as good as they claim to be.

But AdLock it’s quite a different story. It actually works, even if you’re using it on a device that’s not rooted.

The app is free to download and try out (comes with a 14-day trial), but to keep using you’ll have either to register and get 30 more free days or to shed 9 € (or $10.19) / per year. The app is available for Android and Windows.

Setup

As we mentioned above, AdLock does not need rooting to work on your phone. However, the installation process is a bit different when compared to the average apps you used before. For starters, you won’t find the app in the Play Store. Rather, you’ll be required to download it from the official AdLock website.

But before you can actually install it, you will need to enable installation from unknown sources on your device. What’s more, the app will require you to give a series of permissions.

Once you open the app, it will prompt you to enable HTTPS filtering in order to block ads. What this means is that AdLock will then replace websites’ certificates with its own.

Impressions

The app’s main purpose is to remove annoying ads when you’re browsing the web or using any other apps that might contain pop-ups or irritating adware. And AdLock will work its magic to make sure you never have to see them.

Using the app it’s quite simple. Tap on the circular white button to turn on AdLock’s functions and the app will run in the background providing real-time ad-blocking throughout the device.

But the application is not only about removing ads, as AdLock also offer safe browsing, anti-tracking, malware and spyware services. In a world where privacy woes are constantly on the rise, having an app like AdLock on your phone to keep things safe and private might be a very good idea.

What’s more, AdLock has been designed to aid increase speed on your device. Since ads usually take up a lot of bandwidth, a page riddled with ads will have the effect of slowing down your browsing and streaming speeds across the board. But with AdLock installed, browsing tends to get a lot faster.

However, during our time using the software, we did notice some web-pages are blocked outright without any notifications. To get around this, you need to add the sites in question to the exclusion, but that means they won’t be ad-free.

The app also has embedded firewall features that can block unwanted internet access to different applications. You’ll be able to view how much data you saved each time to glance at the app’s main screen.

An energy management option is available in Settings, so that users can conserve battery life with simple control of your internet usage,

Conclusion

All in all, AdLock is a great option for customers looking for an easy-to-use ad blocker. It doesn’t require a rooted device to work, so almost anyone can install and use AdLock. What’s more, it comes bundled with extra features like saving data and offering a safe browsing experience.

In our experience, the app did its job as intended, and we did not run into any specific issues while using it. Except for some web pages being blocked without warning, AdLock worked great and kept us ad-free. But if you’re not OK with adding those websites to the exceptions you can always contact support and they should solve the issue.

Ten tips and tricks for the OnePlus 6T

Alexandra Arici
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The OnePlus 6T launched not so long ago, and while it’s the priciest OnePlus phone we’ve seen so far, it’s still comfortably cheaper than devices like the Pixel 3, Galaxy S9+ and LG V40.

If you’ve bought one recently, or plant to, let us walk you through some of the best software features you’re going to want to learn and use.

The OnePlus 6T ships with Android 9 Pie-based Oxygen OS out of the box. Oxygen OS is simply one of the best Android interfaces around. It keeps things simple, retains the stock Android look, and even adds some super useful extras.

Also read: Android 9 Pie review: the reason I gave up my iPhone X

So here’s how to make the most of the software running on your new and shiny OnePlus 6T.

Quick launch

The OnePlus 6T is the first device from OnePlus to come with an in-display fingerprint sensor. Well along with it, comes the Quick launch feature which takes advantage of the new authentication system.

Quick launch basically lets you use the scanner to directly trigger certain activities or apps. Simply keep your finger on the in-display scanner. Continue doing so even as the screen has been unlocked. Soon you will see a mini app launcher with shortcuts for certain activities (new event, new note, my library) or apps.

In order to access the option, you need to head over to Settings> Utilities> Quick launch and enable the option from there. You can also customize the list of shortcuts from there.

Customize the fingerprint animation effect

Speaking of which, each time you authenticate you’ll notice a cool animation effect that appears as you press your finger against the display.

Well OnePlus lets you customize this effect. There are three options to choose from and you can find them by going to Settings> Fingerprint> Fingerprint animation effect.

Navigation bar customization

The navigation bar on the OnePlus 6T is customizable and you can choose between three types of Navigation bar style, each with its own unique layout. To access these options, go to Settings> Buttons & Gestures> Navigation bar & gestures.

  • The Standard Bar – comes the usual buttons: Back, Home and Recent. You can customize the bar by swapping the buttons via the Navigation bar customization setting.
  • Two Button Bar – this layout features a home and back buttons that can swap sides like on the standard style bar. The Recent button is missing, so to access your Recent apps, you will have to press and swipe up the home button to the top.
  • Navigation gestures – the OnePlus 6T comes with the navigation gestures that were introduced by the iPhone X. To access Home, you have to swipe up from the bottom center edge of the screen. For Recent apps, swipe up from the bottom center edge of the screen and pause, and for Back, swipe up from the left/right side of the bottom of the screen.

Use Dark Theme

OnePlus is known for including a dark theme on its devices. It’s very simple to switch to it. Head over to Settings> Display> Theme and choose your favorite. There’s also Colorful theme to be taken advantage of, but note that dark theme is good for conserving battery life.

Also read: First 10 things you should do with your new OnePlus 6T

Night Mode

Speaking of all things dark, the OnePlus 6T also has a Night Mode. This option is here to counter the negative effects of blue light which your phone’s display emits in abundance.

To enable Night Mode go to Settings > Display > Night Mode.  You can opt to have it automatically enabled from sunset to sunrise.

Double tap to wake

The OnePlus 6T has ditched the LED notification light, but if you still want to be able to quickly check to see if you got any new notifications, you can enable Double tap to wake.

The option can be found by following this path Settings> Buttons & gestures> Quick Gestures > Double tap to wake.

Once enabled you’ll be able to double tap to wake the display, without pressing the wake button or using the fingerprint reader.

Of course, the OnePlus 6T also has the Ambient display which also shows notifications. You can set it to show up when you pick up the phone or tap the screen (both options available under Settings > Display > Ambient display).

Set a motion wallpaper

As every OnePlus phone before it, the OnePlus 6T comes with a series of official wallpapers you can take advantage of. But this time around you also have three motion wallpapers to make use of, which are very satisfying to look at.

You can enable them by going to Display> Wallpapers. You’ll find the option in the Customization section. Alternatively, long press on a blank area the lower portion of the home scree and then tap on Wallpapers.

Swipe down

The OnePlus 6T has a big display and sometimes it can be a chore to reach all the way to the top to swipe down and open quick settings. Fortunately, the phone has a Swipe down option which when turned on lets you swipe down to open quick settings from anywhere on the display.

To activate it, you will need to long press on the blank area on the Home screen > Home > Swipe down.

Customize how you take calls

On the OnePlus 6T, you have to swipe down to answer an incoming phone call. Well, if you’re having a hard time adjusting to this gestures, you can always enable Swipe Up to Answer.

You’ll need to access OnePlus’ native Phone app and then tap on the three-dot menu located in the top right corner. Tap Settings> Swipe up to answer (under Calls).

There’s another option to answer calls. Go to Settings> Buttons & Gestures> Quick gestures> Answers calls by gesture. This will allow you to answer an incoming call by simply raising the phone to the ear.

Smart boost

OnePlus has included a new feature that is used to test out new features. It’s called OnePlus Laboratory and you can find it by going to Settings> Utilities > OnePlus Laboratory. From there activate the Smart Boost option which is meant to boost the overall performance of the device by about 20%.

While at the moment Smart Boost is the only feature available in the OnePlus Laboratory, the company will probably add more soon.

Bonus

Calculator Easter Egg

Unlock a cool Easter Egg, by opening the Calculator app typing 1+=. You’ll see a Never Settle logo appear on a red background!

BlackBerry Key2 LE review

Andrew Allen
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BlackBerry has found new life over the last 2 years under the close partnership with hardware maker TCL. During that time, we’ve seen two fan-favorite devices that return BlackBerry smartphones to its roots with full QWERTY keyboards: The KeyOne and the latest Key2. While they’ve both been well received, they were not exactly budget-friendly, but BlackBerry and TCL have set out to fix this with the BlackBerry Key2 LE.

Unfortunately, they may have missed the mark with the LE model. Let’s deep dive into the nitty-gritty in our official review.

Hardware

Hardware can be overrated at times, but it has a lasting impact on how a phone is perceived. This is the main knock I have against the Key2 LE. The internals are OK. You’ll find a Snapdragon 630, 4GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage with expansion microSD.

The screen is the same 1620×1080 IPS panel found in the KeyOne and Key2. Around the right side, you still have volume rockers and the power key. One thing the company did move is the dedicated “Convenience Key” that can be mapped to launch a specific app or function via the Settings.

On the top, you have a 3.5mm headphone jack and the bottom is flanked be speaker grills and the USB-C port. The basic design layout is almost identical to that of the Key2.

They are all par for the course with the Key series lineup from BlackBerry. However, the overall feel of the phone isn’t great. Holding the Key2 LE doesn’t have the same results as the Key2 or the KeyOne. Those phones were tanks that scream premium materials.

The Key2 LE feels like a cheap toy. It’s super light in the hand and almost feels like a demo unit with no internals. BlackBerry has traditionally made superior hardware over the years, even on budget models, and the Key2 LE doesn’t match up. Especially, with the keyboard.

Keyboard

I’d wager that if you’re reading this review, it’s most likely because the Key2 LE has a physical keyboard design. Well, sorry. This keyboard is terrible. Really, BlackBerry should be ashamed of it.

The overall travel and feedback are extremely mushy. The plastics echo the same cheap feel of the rest of the phone. I also struggled to consistently type on it with keypresses not registering on a regular basis. As mentioned before, the main draw to these devices is the keyboard and the LE simply fails to make this compelling.

Speaking of compelling. One of the most unique features of the keyboards found on the KeyOne and Key2 didn’t even make the cut to be included on the LE and that’s bonkers! The other models offer a touch-enabled keyboard that allows you to use gestures on the actual keys to maneuver around fields much like a traditional trackpad on a laptop. It’s a really cool feature and a great selling point that I don’t understand being nixed on the Key2 LE.

BlackBerry is already intentionally hitting a niche market. By doing so, they should lean on the keyboard to lure customers. Removing the touch portion of the keys on the Key2 LE was a corner that shouldn’t have been cut. It’s an iconic feature of the lineup that deserves to be there. Even on the budget version.

One positive addition is that of the “Speed Key.” You activate it by hitting the circle-grid in the bottom right plus the letter you assigned to a specific app. So, from anywhere in the operating system you can launch into your favorite apps with just two key presses. Having a dedicated key to add more keyboard shortcuts is a nice feature that I found myself using on the regular.

Performance

I was pleasantly surprised by the day to day performance of the Key2 LE. The Snapdragon 630 with 4GB of RAM is just enough juice to not show many hiccups while using the device. Transitions are good and apps launched as expected.

If you push the device with heavy apps like graphics intensive games, you may see it stutter, but most of the time, the Key2 LE performed admirably. The market that the price point is looking for will be more than happy with the daily usage.

Camera

Let’s just say that it has one. The Key2 LE takes very average photos for 2018. Images come out dull and washed out with little detail. You can take decent shots at times in really good lighting, but as soon as the illumination lowers the results struggle. It’s another corner that we often see cut on most budget phones and the Key2 LE fall in line with this trend.

Software

The software on the Key2 LE could use some work. While I commend BlackBerry for trying to implement its app suite and the Hub, its just overkill on Android Oreo. The original Hub for BlackBerry 10 was awesome. It was the central notification center of the system and really had some new ideas like having Twitter and Facebook built into the Hub where you could respond without leaving the notification area.

Unfortunately, most of that integration is no longer there on the Android version, and honestly, it’s done better already in the default Android notification shade. The Hub just seems like a redundancy that’s no longer needed with Android. It duplicates the entire notification system again inside BlackBerry’s Hub. I would recommend that TCL and BlackBerry simply drop this development for what’s already available in the operating system.

I’m also over manufacturers making duplicate general apps. If I’m buying an Android phone, chances are that I’m already using Google Calendar and Contacts. I really don’t need another option on the Key2 LE. While it may be nice for the limited number of BlackBerry holdouts, I don’t think the average Android user is looking for another duplicate app suite to Google’s offerings.

Battery Life

This is one strong point for the BlackBerry Key2 LE. I have not had any issues going through my normal day with above average battery life. I even had a weekend where I made it through a second day until having the charge up. The combination of Snapdragon 630 with the 3000mAh battery makes for a powerhouse of a phone for users.

Conclusion

I think BlackBerry is correct in that they need a phone hitting the price point below the $700 Key2 proper. However, I don’t know if the Key2 LE is that device. The keyboard and overall build materials make me feel the Key2 model needs to stay at the premium level. At $450 unlocked, I’d be more pressed to point a buyer towards a more polished product from Motorola or Nokia. They have much better hardware at even cheaper prices. If you can afford another $100, I’d also totally recommend the OnePlus 6T.

Deal for switchers: Sprint’s Unlimited Basic plan is $20/month for five lines

Alexandra Arici
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If you’ve been wanting to change your wireless carrier for a while now, the holiday season might be the best time to do so, with all the promotions coming in.

Case in point, Sprint is currently offering a holiday deal aimed at switchers. The carrier is giving new customers who agree to jump on board with an Unlimited Basic Plan under its umbrella, three free lines of services.

Basically, all you have to do is join Sprint and sign up for a total of five lines of services under an Unlimited Basic Plan. Interested parties will then have to pay $60 per month for the first line, $40 for the second line, while the remaining three lines come free of charge. This translates into paying $20 for each line.

But keep in mind that these rates will be available only until January 2020. After the date, customers who previously took advantage of the promotion will be required to pay $60 for the first line, $40 for the second line and $20 for lines three through five.

Sprint baits switchers with new holiday offer

In case you don’t know, Sprint’s Unlimited Basic plan includes a Hulu Limited Commercials subscription, as well as the ability to stream in SD (DVD-quality), 500MB Mobile Hotspot, unlimited talk and text and 5GB of 4G LTE data in Mexico and Canada, global roaming in more than 200 destinations and unlimited data, talk and text nationwide. Last but not least, keep in mind that customers can add HD streaming on the plan for an additional $10/month per line.

Sprint claims this promotion – which is available for a limited time only – will allow switchers to save more than $1,000 during the first year over at Verizon or AT&T.

So if you think Sprint’s offer might be for you, don’t hesitate to take advantage of the promotion while it’s still hot.

In related news, Sprint offers a series of other discounts in time for the holidays. For example, you can save up $250 instantly if you buy the Samsung Galaxy S9 or Galaxy S9+.

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