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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+.

ZTE Blade Max View review

AndroidGuys
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After some time on the sidelines, Chinese manufacturer ZTE is back in the US. Staging a comeback of sorts, the phone maker has seen its fair share of troubles after running afoul of the government for doing business with Iran. With that in the rear view mirror, and a promise to keep things on the up-and-up, ZTE is ready to tackle the unlocked market again in the United States.

One of its first efforts as it dips its toes in the water, is the Blade Max View, an inexpensive phone that work on AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon networks. Had things gone differently in the past, we’d probably have seen this one paired with one more of those carriers or their respective prepaid brands.

As often is the case with ZTE, the Blade Max View is a low-cost alternative to brands like Motorola and Samsung. For US consumer it’s in the same wheelhouse as Blu and Alcatel.

What is the Blade Max View?

The Blade Max View is a big phone, offering up a 6-inch display with a 2:1 aspect ratio. It’s tall and narrow and fits the hand quite well. Its overall footprint it not unlike the Samsung Galaxy Note 9; however, its build materials are far below that of the tier-one counterpart.

The phone isn’t exactly glamorous, but doesn’t quite tread into the space where we’d call it “boring”. It’s slim, black, and is comprised of metal and plastic. The rear employs a matte finish with chrome accents that sparkle in just the right lighting. The display is protected by Gorilla Glass so it will take on pocket and purse scuffs without breaking a sweat.

We noticed early on that the matte finish is prone to pick up fingerprints, smears, and smudges. Not only that, but they don’t wipe away as easily as they might were it made of glass. There’s no wiping this against your pant leg or sleeve to clean things up. It’s really unsightly stuff.

Tall, at nearly 6.5-inches, the Blade Max View sits in your hand better than we expected. Moreover, it’s a little bit lighter than anticipated, so we were pleasantly surprised at how well it works in one hand — even with smaller fingers.

First Impressions

Fresh out of the box we like to give our phones a once-over to check for any imperfections or things that don’t look right. It’s also here where we’ll squeeze, press, tap, and blindly listen and get a true feel for the device.

We found the glass and metal to be solid and strong, but the plastic around back was a slightly different story. Pressing on it and applying some slight pressure in the bottom middle we were reminded of phones from a few years back — just before the industry adopted what’s commonly referred to as “premium” materials. Sadly, this is how we added all the fingerprints and smears.

If anything, the phone feels a smidge cheaper than most others of the day. For lack of a better description, it feels like an entry-level prepaid phone. But, given the $200 price tag, it sits just fine with us.

Design and Build

Although the 6-inch display counts for most of the front side of the Blade Max View, there’s a slight bit of space above and below. The selfie camera and sensors are tucked away neatly and are hardly visible. The bezels to the sides are acceptable and do not distract.

As for buttons, the power and volume are found on the right edge. Each has a decent amount of travel and feedback and signal to the user that they’ve been pressed. Instead of a toggle or rocker, ZTE opted for separate buttons for volume up and down.

The SIM card and memory card slot are on the upper left hand side. At the top edge you’ll locate the 3.5mm headphone jack while down below is the USB-C port.

Around back the fingerprint reader is found fairly high up the panel. The dual-camera setup is just above the reader and is ever so slightly raised.

The 6-inch screen has a 2,160 x 1,080 resolution with a 2:1 aspect ratio. The LCD panel delivers sharp and vibrant colors with accurate tones and a modest amount of brightness; things look great indoor and outdoors. Considering the cost of the phone, we were impressed with the display size and overall picture.

The ZTE Blade Max View has an incredible battery tucked inside, giving us some 4,000mAh worth of power. That’s a lot more than most phones at this price and is on par with some flagship models from more prominent US players.

This is the sort of phone that doesn’t make lofty promises. It’s not geared toward gamers and heavy users. Instead, it’s an excellent option for less-demanding consumers who don’t care so much about how a phone looks or performs just as long as it works when needed. To that end, the Blade Max View does that for days at a time. The 4,000mAh battery routinely had power left over at the end of two days.

While other phones now employ Quick Charge 3.0 and wireless charging, this one offers Quick Charge 2.0. Spend 15 minutes plugged into the wall and you’ll get around 15 percent of life but it somewhat slows after that. It’s certainly slow by comparison but on it’s own works just fine. Besides, most people are plugging in at night. And, again, we’re dealing with a generous capacity.

Software

In a rather interesting, and somewhat befuddling move, the Blade Max View runs Android 7.1.1 Nougat. It’s a straightforward, nearly untouched version of the software, but it’s certainly behind the times.

Included in the suite of apps is your standard fare of Google titles as well as a handful of other helpful apps. Our review unit came with a web browser, file manager, email client, music player, sound recorder, and video player. There is some overlap, of course with Chrome, Google Play Music, and Gmail. There’s also an FM radio app but it only works when headphones (not included) are plugged in.

Reportedly, the Blade Max View will receive an update to Android 8 Oreo before the year ends, so that’s a positive sign. Would 9 Pie be appreciated? Sure, but that’s not at all what we expected in a $200 phone. As long as security updates and important bug fixes are pushed out, we think the target demographic will not care about the OS.

ZTE does offer a decent amount of personalizing and customization. Users can swap the button configuration, adjust font and icon sizes, and tweak a few other small settings. These aren’t presented at the time of setup and aren’t hard to find, if you feel so inclined.

Camera

The camera experience is okay and borders the line of acceptable and nearly acceptable. To be transparent, we use much pricier and more robust phones as our daily driver and the camera is one area where things are noticeable. Going from a Pixel 2 to this is quite a step down.

Getting to the camera isn’t a streamlined process — it’s at least a two-step process no matter where you are in the phone. You can get to it from the lock screen but you need to press the power button and then swipe from the bottom corner.

We’d really like to see a double-tap of the power button to open, or a flick- the-wrist action like Motorola. About half of what we shoot on our phones tends to be spur of the moment stuff and we prefer not “thinking” before snapping.

There are a variety of shooting modes including photo, video, portrait, and bokeh. The latter two are fairly similar while the former is more for people while the latter is for objects. Nothing spectacular happens in any of these modes however we’ve seen more expensive phones shoot worse.

In the camera mode you’ll find secondary settings for time lapse, panoramic, manual, and mono. As expected, the manual mode gives you control over white balance, exposure, and ISO. Unfortunately, shutter speed and focus controls are not present.

Mono mode is interesting and doesn’t strictly deliver monochrome results. It’s possible to adjust a dial to retain a specific color and to varying degrees.

The main camera has a 16-megapixel sensor with an aperture of f/2.0 while the 2-megapixel camera captures depth and contrast. In theory this produces an admirable result. Sadly, it doesn’t.

Generally speaking, when the pictures aren’t what we’d term as acceptable, we found color, exposure, and focus to be lacking. Unless you are in an ideal setting, chances are good you’ll get grain or a soft image.

Performance

The Blade Max View is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 processor with 3GB RAM. It’s adequate for most tasks and represents the price point well. Do not ask it to do much more than your standard daily tasks, though, as it’s not optimized for gaming.

What are the differences in Snapdragon processors?

In terms of the target user base, the phone has what it takes to handle duties. It’s not a fancy, powerful, or overly ambitious phone but that doesn’t matter much. There is a huge market full of people who will be fine with such an experience.

Conclusion

We’ve entered into a period where there’s a sizable gap in adoption between the entry-level phone and high-end flagship experience. There’s always been a divide in hardware, of course, but it seems now that users tend to gravitate to one of the extremes more so than in years past.

The ZTE Blade Max View finds itself on the lower end of things, in both specifications and price tag. It’s a great option for parents looking to save money on purchasing multiple devices. There’s plenty here to satisfy casual users.

The ZTE Blade Max View makes sense as a phone that’s paired to a particular carrier, such as Verizon. The brand is often found at prepaid providers and this would be right at home for a Boost or Metro customer.

Sold on its own, it requires a touch savvier shopper and we suspect that such a person would compare this to other models in its range.

As much as we appreciate what is put forth here, this area of the smartphone space belongs to Motorola and its G and E series of phones. It is still the leader when it comes to affordably priced unlocked phones with great performance.

The phone ticks a couple of boxes that are often important to buyers: big screen and long-lasting battery. These are primary reasons to consider a handset for a lot of people and, to that end, the Blade Max View will not disappoint.

 

On the other hand, a lot is made today about picture quality on phones. The bar keeps raising and we expect more from our mobile devices. If you’re primarily shopping because you want a nice camera in your pocket, you’ll need to look elsewhere.

We would have really liked to see Android 8 installed out of the gate, but a timely update essentially nullifies this complaint. Let’s hope that ZTE handles patches and security updates in a respectable and consistent manner.

Lastly, we’d like to remind of the first thing we noticed about this phone. You are going to smudge the back and it’s going to be nearly impossible to clean. It’s ugly. There’s no way around it and you’d be wise to get it into a protective case as quickly as possible.

The Blade Max View can be purchased for $170 through ZTE’s website as part of what appears to be a limited time promotion. That’s a great price point and we’d like to see it stick around. At this cost it goes from being just another device to consider to something more appealing and even borders on a “steal”.

Vivo Go debuts as Blu’s first phone with Android 9 Pie (Go edition)

AndroidGuys
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Squeezing out one final model before the end of 2018, smartphone maker Blu is back with another new handset. This time we’re looking at the Vivo Go, the company’s first to launch with Android 9 Pie (Go edition).

Priced just $80, the Vivo Go is an unlocked phone that works with T-Mobile, AT&T, and their respective prepaid brands. For instance, if you’re a subscriber on Cricket, Metro, or Straight Talk, you’ll be able to use the new device.

What does one get for that sort of money? A fairly impressive set of hardware, actually. It won’t set any benchmark records by any stretch, but it’s enough for first-time smartphone buyers. That’s the exact demographic for an Android 9 Pie Go edition phone.

The Vivo Go has a 6-inch display at 720 x 1440 pixels with a 2:1 aspect ratio and curved glass. Internally, there’s a 1.5GHz quad-core MediaTek processor, 1GB RAM, and 16GB of storage space. Should more room be needed, a microSD card slot allows for up to 64GB of media.

In terms of cameras, the phone has an dual configuration of 8-megapixel and VGA shooter on the back; a 5-megapixel sensor is found around front. A fingerprint reader is located on the rear of the handset. The Vivo Go has metallic plating finish on the battery cover and a mirror finish on the middle housing.

The Vivo Go carries a retail price of $79.99 at Amazon.

MediaTek’s new mid-range Helio P90 chip puts a focus on AI

Alexandra Arici
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Low-cost chipmaker, MediaTek today unveiled the Helio P90 platform, which according to the company can rival most premium chips out there.

Mind you, this is not a 5G-capable chip, but still, one that brings plenty to the table, as we will see in what follows.

MediaTek new processor is an octa-core affair that comes equipped with two Cortex-A75 cores running at 2.2GHz for tasks requiring power and six Cortex-A55 efficient cores running at 2GHz. MediaTek relies on its new CorePilot technology to ensure processing its done in the most efficient way possible across the eight cores.

The chip is made using a 12nm process and arrives with a PowerVR GM 9446 GPU on board which is said to offer a 50% boost in performance compared to the Helio P70.

AI is all the rage right now and MediaTek knows it

But where the new Helio P90 provides a substantial upgrade is in the AI capabilities department. The processor features a multi-core AI processing unit (APU) to offer four times the AI performance than its predecessors, the P60 and P70. The main purpose of the APU is be to enable high-quality photography on more affordable phones.

According to MediaTek, The P90 comes with support for a 48MP camera, or a dual setup of 24MP+16MP. What’s more, the chipset offers 480fps slow-motion video shooting at 16MP and is compatible with Google Lens.

What’s more, the Helio P90 comes with support for SIM dual VoLTE 5G LTE WorldMode with fast Cat-12 (DL) / Cat-13 (UL) 4G LTE modem.

MediaTek notes that we should see the first devices powered by the Helio P90 make a debut starting Q1 2019. And some of these smartphones might even make it on the US market, or at least the company hopes they will. But we’ll have to wait and see whether MediaTek’s new platform can do anything to dislodge Qualcomm, who is the dominant player in the country.

These $30 truly wireless Bluetooth earbuds crush Apple’s Airpods

Matt Adams
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Let’s not beat around the bush: Apple makes the most popular truly wireless Bluetooth earbuds on the market today. Yes, it seems like half the people I know are walking around with Airpods in their ears. It’s part of the reason we made our guide on pairing the Airpods with Android devices. Just because Apple makes them doesn’t mean you can only use them with Apple products.

Read more: Yes, you can use AirPods with an Android phone; here’s how

But, just because Apple makes them doesn’t mean they’re the best around. Sure, they’re fantastic (I own a pair myself) but there are other options. One of those options is the Xiaomi Air Dots. The recently released truly wireless Bluetooth earbuds are only about $30 USD (though prices are high to import them) and absolutely crush the Airpods in terms of value.

The Air Dots are really well made. Both the case and the earbuds themselves have a soft-touch plastic that feels pretty interesting. I like it but it’s a stark contrast to the hard white plastic of the Airpods.

This soft-touch cover is also a little translucent. When you’re charging the Air Dots in their case, you can actually see the charging LED through the case. It’s a really cool feature and makes them stand out from other wireless earbuds on the market. I’ve had a few people ask me about this feature so you know it’s catching people’s attention.

The case features magnets much like the Airpods case. It snaps shut and the Air Dots drop into place with a satisfying plop due to the magnets in the case. I will say that I don’t have as much confidence in the Air Dots case staying closed as I do with the Airpods, but it hasn’t been an issue yet. I’ve thrown them in my bag a few times and they’ve stayed tucked tightly in their case each time.

In terms of battery life, we’re looking at a rating of four hours of playback with another three charges in the case. In reality, I have found that I get anywhere between three and four hours of playback depending on volume level. You’re not going to reach that five-hour mark, but they won’t die on you in the middle of your workout either.

I do wish these recharged a little faster. It takes between 45 minutes and an hour to recharge both the buds. This isn’t terrible, but with several options on the market that feature quick charging, it feels slow in practice. Also, we’re still dealing with a micro USB connector here. I know that these are extremely cheap but I’m left wondering just how much more it would’ve cost to include USB type-C. Almost everything uses USB type-C now and it’s an annoyance to find a micro USB cable for these.

Luckily, Xioami has included a micro USB cable in the box. It’s a short cable but it gets the job done. Also in the box are some more ear tips in differing sizes and what I’m assuming is an instruction booklet.

I’m assuming that because it’s in Chinese. And that’s one of the biggest drawbacks here. The instructions are in Chinese. The voice prompts are in Chinese. Everything about this is a Chinese product since it’s not officially being sold here in the states. I had no idea how to pair these aside from just heading into my Bluetooth settings and pairing the right earbud. Luckily that worked.

Once I got them paired, I noticed how good they sound. You don’t get the same bass and low-end you get with Airpods, but the Air Dots are also $100 cheaper depending on where you buy them from.

In addition to my own testing, I also had my partner check them out. They don’t care about sound quality as much as I do and just care about having something decent to listen to while at the gym. We both came away with the same feelings, “they’re fine.”

You’re not going to be blown away by how these sound, but you shouldn’t expect to be for the price. I think they’re within striking distance of the Airpods personally and my partner still prefers the Airpods, but not by much.

Voice calls are another story. While everything sounded okay on our end, those on the other end of the line said we sounded muffled and hard to understand. In my testing, you can have basic conversations, but you definitely don’t want to use these for any kind of important call or teleconferencing.

There are no wings or special fittings here, but they do stay in place pretty well. Some other reviewers have mentioned that they fall out of their ears despite trying different tip sizes, but I haven’t had any issues.

I do like that both of the earbuds have touch-sensitive controls. You can do things like launch Google Assistant and play/pause your music with a quick tap or two. These also have no buttons so turning them on or off is as simple as laying your finger on the buds for a few seconds. Once they’re on, they pair incredibly fast. It’s a great experience.

Like most tech under $50, there are trade-offs here. But, the minor negatives are outweighed heavily by the positives. They sound almost as good as Airpods at less than half the cost. They have decent battery life and really nice build quality.

I’d like to see some updates in the next gen like USB type-C or, if we’re feeling really bold, wireless charging. But, I’m willing to live with those shortcomings to keep almost an extra $100 in my pocket.

If you’d like to pick up a pair of Xiaomi Air Dots, head over to GearVita where you can get some right now. As a special gift to our readers, GearVita wanted to pass along a special coupon code. Enter AGMAirdots at checkout to save $15!

Check out these other great truly wireless earbuds:

Get a taste of royal power with Reigns (Review)

Gerson Noboa
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Have you ever wondered what would you do if you controlled a kingdom? Would you govern for your people or for the money? Would you prefer to do ethical deeds that take a toll on your kingdom’s finances, or accept some money even if that means the citizens will look you in a bad way? What about the army? The church? In Reigns, you get full control of your lands, and need to make decisions in order to keep several factions in order.

Developer: DevolverDigital
Price: $2.99

Overview

Reigns is like Tinder but with royal decisions: swipe either left or right and question your choices after. As a king, you will get multiple situations, brought to you by your advisors. It is your job as a king to select the choice that is more appealing to you and your resources. You have the church, the people, the army, and the treasury, all depending on your choices. Give too little power to the army, and your kingdom will be invaded. Give too much power to the people, and they will overthrow you.

Gameplay

When starting the game, you will get your name as a king. Unfortunately for ladies, there’s no option to govern as a queen. We all know queens are the actual governors, though. After that, you will start getting questions from all kinds of people. Cards range from “We need a hospital” to “There are some witches that are meowing and it is spreading throughout the kingdom” to “You found a mushroom, the blue one seems edible.” A big part of the success of this game is just how great the sense of humor is.

You will always get two options for every situation. For example, the mushroom case above would have something like “Eat it” or “No way.” Depending on that, your character will either have its resources affected in some way, or you will gain some ability, building, or other power. Let’s start with the resources.

Managing your resources

As previously said, your decisions affect four different factions: the church, the people, the army, and the treasury. For each decision, you can swipe slightly left or right, and see how choosing it will affect the faction. If an advisor comes and says “The town smells like trash,” you might have options like “Clean it” or “Let them rot.” The first option could cost loads of money but it would increase the people’s satisfaction. The second option could reduce people’s happiness but still cost money because now you need to treat your citizens from a plague.

The beautiful thing about it is that you never know what will happen. You get either a big or a small circle on top of the affected resource. However, you only know if the resource will increase or decrease after you have swiped a card. Thus, you are left to your own instincts when thinking about every decision.

There are some cards that are very obvious in their effect, but some have effects that you would never imagine. That’s what makes every single question in the game a challenging one, and keeps the game fresh, even though the questions are reused.

Buildings and other items

Throughout the game you will also get the chance to build stuff for the people, such as higher walls or a barn. These will aid you throughout your reign, and, since they are permanent, they stay around even after you have died.

There are also other items that only work for the current king. There’s one item that lets you see if your decision will affect a faction positively or negatively. There’s a mushroom that makes everyone sound funny. There’s an item that will make you crazy and prevent you from understanding what people are talking. Most of the items are useful, but some are also included just as a fun thing.

Death is part of the game

Unlike basically every game I have played, overperforming in Reigns is as deadly as underperforming. I have died a couple of times by giving too much power to the people and to the army. They have both overthrown me. Just like in real life, I have never had too much money, so I don’t know how that can go wrong. You have to keep your resources neither too happy nor too unhappy, which adds a whole new dimension to the game.

However, there are some instances where it seems like the game decides that you should die, and thus kills you in cheap ways. For example, there’s been a couple of times I have been sent to a dungeon and both times I have died almost out of nowhere. Another time, a plague entered my castle after a wrong decision and finished my reign. It’s good to have some lack of predictability in the game, but dying randomly is a little infuriating.

Progress

One of the biggest flaws of this game is its absolute lack of story. You are a king, and apart from some very small references to a story, such as you having a child, there’s no narrative to speak of.

The game tries to work around that by creating objectives. These could range from meeting a special kind of character in-game to perform some action, like govern for some time or even meeting the devil.

Also, there’s a high score functionality. Your longest runs as a king are automatically saved for you. Other things that you encounter during your years in the throne are also recorded, such as the characters you unlock and the kinds of deaths you have had.

While these are nice to have, they are no substitute for a well-constructed story. This means that, after you have seen all the cards that can be drawn, there’s no much point in going on. Fortunately, the game makes sure to push that as far as possible. I have discovered almost 300 cards and it seems like I have only seen 1/3 of them, so there’s a lot of content to explore before you inevitably have seen it all.

Graphics and Sound

Reigns does a good job in trying to keep audiovisual elements consistent throughout the game. The same font is used throughout the game, colors follow a predefined palette, and all graphics follow a pixelated graphic style. The character’s portraits have enough details to be distinguishable but still do not deviate from the style of the rest of the elements. Everything is just laid out in a superb way.

There are several sound effects, primarily to introduce a character. They are mostly gibberish, but with time, you learn to identify recurring characters just by listening to the sound effects they make. It’s almost like the cry of a Pokémon. Also, kudos to the music. It is atmospheric and immersive, which makes it superb for setting the mood for the game itself.

Conclusion

Reigns takes a fun approach to controlling a kingdom by making you take black-or-white decisions that directly affect the factions inside it. There’s a lot of cards to play with, each one with unintended consequences and subplots. Unfortunately, the progression is a bit lacking, with small elements thrown into the mix to make up for it. There’s no story either. Thus, if you want a game that provides instant fun without any effort, you can’t go wrong with Reigns.

Download and install Reigns from the Google Play Store.

OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition is the priciest OnePlus phone yet

Alexandra Arici
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It’s not unusual for OnePlus to release special editions of its phones, so this week the company has done it again.

The Chinese phone maker just unveiled a version of its latest flagship which was developed in partnership with an iconic name from the car industry. Say hello to the OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition.

The phone will go on sale in North America, as well as Europe on December 13 for the price of $699.

Get the OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition

What’s new and different?

So what sets the McLaren Edition apart from the standard OnePlus 6T? Well, for starters the phone will ship out with 10GB of RAM. That’s 2GB extra than the current top-of-the-line model sold in Midnight Black which “only” features 8GB of RAM.

But the bulk of specifications remain the same. Buying this higher-end model will still get you a 6.4-inch AMOLED display with a waterdrop notch, Snapdragon 845 processor and a dual 16+20MP rear-facing camera with a new Night Mode on board.

The special edition comes with Wrap Charge 30, the same as the standard version. But interestingly enough, OnePlus claims that on the McLaren model users will be able to get a day’s power in just 20 minutes, instead of 30. This means that you’ll be able to juice up 50% of the battery in less than half an hour.

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

Design wise, the McLaren Edition boasts sleek bright papaya orange accents on the frame and features a carbon-like pattern on the back.  Obviously, the McLaren logo has been plastered on the rear, at the bottom. Overall these are discrete changes, but the result is a quite a luxurious looking device.

The OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition is the most expensive device OnePlus ever released, so do you think it’s worth it? Let us know how you feel in the comment section below.

Sony Xperia XZ3 Review: Great with a few compromises

Andrew Myrick
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So we have spent a little more than a month with the Sony Xperia XZ3 and feel that we’ve experienced everything possible to formulate a review. So without further adieu, here’s the AndroidGuys review of the Xperia XZ3.

Read More: Sony Xperia XZ3 First Impressions

As we stated in our First Impressions, the Xperia XZ3 packs just about everything you would expect in 2018. However, there are a few surprising omissions which left us scratching our heads.

Spec Breakdown

  • Display: 6-inch OLED 1440 x 2880
  • Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
  • RAM: 4GB
  • Storage: 64GB expandable via microSD card
  • Front camera: 13MP
  • Rear camera: single 19MP
  • Battery: 3,300mAh
  • Software: Android 9.0 Pie

Hardware and Design

If you have become accustomed to smaller or lighter devices over the last year or so, you will struggle a bit. The Xperia XZ3 feels like a brick when you take it out of the box for the first time.

Curves for days

Sony finally got the memo that hard edges and corners are a thing of the past. The Xperia XZ3 is curved basically everywhere, with smooth edges that melt the display into the frame.

The rear of the handset is also curved, which helps keep it in your hands during usage. It’s a much more comfortable feeling than a device with just a simple, flat, rear-casing.

Camera or fingerprint scanner?

Also mounted on the rear is the single rear camera sensor, with the flash and the fingerprint scanner below. We’ll touch on the camera a bit later, but the fingerprint scanner became a point of frustration during my usage.

Sony Xperia XZ3 2Even with a case with separate cutouts for the camera and scanner, I still found myself reaching for the camera. For whatever reason, the scanner on the Xperia XZ3 is a bit too low and it feels like Sony could have positioned it higher.

This isn’t a deal-breaking issue in the same way that the Note 8’s scanner was stupidly placed. However, it was still frustrating enough to make me want to point it out.

One-sided buttons

When you look at just about every other smartphone nowadays, the volume buttons and power button are placed on opposite frames. However, Sony decided to slap both on the same side, along with an extra button closer to the bottom.

This tertiary button acts as a quick-access and shutter button for the camera. Pressing and holding the button will quickly bring up your camera, and then you can press the button again to snap a picture.

Personally, I don’t think we need a dedicated camera hardware button anymore. I would have liked to see better Google Assistant integration with this button or something similar.

Software

The mention of Google Assistant brings into the software-side of the Xperia XZ3. Sony was one of the first OEM’s other than Google to launch a device with Android Pie on board.

Read More: Android 9 Pie Review

Needless to say, if Sony launched a phone in the 2nd half of 2018 without the latest version of Android, I would have quite a few qualms with that. However, I’m happy to report that’s not the case here, and Android Pie shines on the Xperia XZ3.

It’s almost stock

Instead of throwing some gaudy and ugly overlay on the XZ3, Sony kept it simple. The handset almost feels like stock Android, including the Settings app, launcher, and notification shade.

You even get the Google Feed when swiping left on the home screen. This is a wonderful addition and something that more OEM’s should take note of.

Is there really any bloatware?

Since the Xperia XZ3 is not available through any carriers, you don’t really have to worry about dumb bloatware. However, Sony does package a few of its own apps, along with a few others.

The list includes the following:

  • Facebook
  • Google News
  • Netflix
  • 3D Creator
  • Xperia Lounge
  • PlayStation App

Other than the apps listed above, Sony also included some of its own apps for Email, Music, and the Gallery. Even after throwing an AT&T SIM card in the device, there were no extra apps installed, making me a very happy man.

The inclusion of Facebook is frustrating, but that’s a discussion for another day.

Is Edge Touch useful?

In years past, we have seen HTC and Google integrate extra features into the frame of their devices. Sony wanted to jump on this train, but did so in a different manner.

Sony Xperia XZ3 6Instead of providing “squeezable” gestures, Sony integrated special touch areas, which it calls active Edge Touch. When activated, you are provided with some of your most-used apps and quick toggles.

Read more: Sony Xperia XZ3 Tips and Tricks

This was a blessing and a curse in my experience. For some reason, it would activate when it wasn’t intended to be, and wouldn’t activate when I was trying to get things to work.

When everything worked as advertised, then it was a great experience. Edge Touch definitely came in handy a few times, but this feels more like a gimmick than something that people will use on a regular basis.

Overall, the software felt very fluid, and did not really stutter unless I was trying to do too much multi-tasking at once. Sony gets an A+ in the software department here.

Camera

In 2018, there’s been one major trend: moar cameras. Sony and Google have decided to say “screw that” and stick with a single primary shooter.

The single 19MP camera on the Xperia XZ3 performs admirably, even if it doesn’t stand up against the Pixel 3 or Galaxy Note 9. Instead, you’ll be looking more in the LG G7 range (for the primary camera), without the luxuries of a secondary telephoto lens.

As for the camera software, Sony has simplified the camera app. This almost feels barebones, other than the toolbar at the top and the MODE button which lets you get more creating.

Modes for days

Speaking of those different modes, Sony has included quite a few in its camera app.

  • Portrait Selfie
  • Google Lens
  • Bokeh
  • Slow Motion
  • AR Effect
  • Manual
  • Creative effect
  • Panorama
  • Sound Photo

First things first, we want to say how awesome it is that Google Lens is built directly into the camera app now. This inclusion makes it really easy to take advantage of Google’s latest push in the camera department.

Manual mode was also a welcome addition, as our smartphones are becoming better than other cameras anyways. Being able to adjust the necessary settings to get the perfect shot is something that simply cannot be overlooked.

There are some extra gimmicks included, such as AR Effect, Creative effect, and Sound Photo. But, Sony figured it should have some fun with the camera, other than just keeping things simple.

How good is the camera?

I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised with the camera on the XZ3. My daily driver is the iPhone X, and even though it is a year old, it still has been my de-facto camera choice, regardless of what I’m reviewing.

However, with the Xperia XZ3, my opinion was finally changed, kind of. I really wish that Sony would have included a secondary camera sensor here. Especially considering just how big the single camera module is.

Sony Xperia XZ3 Camera Samples

If I want a picture with a lot of Bokeh, I can use the included camera mode on the XZ3. But I HATE using digital zoom on any device, regardless of who makes it.

There is always a loss in image quality, and the same rings true with the XZ3. For standard shots, it will perform just fine, but if you need to zoom in for any reason, you may end up being a bit disappointed.

Check out our gallery above and let us know what you think about the XZ3’s camera capabilities.

Battery Usage

We’ve talked about the software and camera, but we haven’t really touched on the battery. Sony packed a 3,300mAh battery into the Xperia XZ3, which is “par for the course” in 2018.

It’s not too big, it’s not too small, and it’s more than adequate to get you through the day. What is nice is that we have fast-charging on board, along with Qi wireless charging. This means that you can keep it charged up throughout the day, regardless of your favorite charging methods.

In our usage, we were able to get through the entire day, even with using the hotspot for an hour every day. This is also in addition to being in a building with spotty network coverage on a daily basis.

All-in-all, you will be pleasantly surprised with the battery life, even if RAM management can be frustrating at times. The inclusion of 4GB of RAM is rather annoying, as we would have liked to see 6GB included since its 2018.

Conclusion

If you are a fan of Sony’s new design language or want to see what the hype is about the Xperia XZ3 is the best of the best. At least in Sony’s world.

The biggest issue for folks will be the price tag, which comes in at $899. Plus, you won’t be able to use it on Verizon or Sprint, and won’t find the XZ3 in your local carrier store.

Instead, you’ll have to settle for using Best Buy or Amazon to pick up the device. If you don’t care about the price tag, you may want to check out this bundle on Amazon. It includes the Xperia XZ3 and the new Xperia Ear Duo wireless earbuds.

How to set up autofill services

Gerson Noboa
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We have all been in this situation: you have bought a new phone, or decided to factory reset it in search of better performance. Everything is working smoothly, until you have to set up all of your apps again. If you have set up back ups of your data, then this could be potentially easier. However, if you haven’t, there’s the need to log in into your services again.

With so many information leaks, hacks, and other scary stuff in the complicated world of security, a password manager is becoming a necessity rather than an option. Using the same password for everything has never been an option, but it has grown to become laughably insecure in recent years. The biggest problems with password managers is the lack of a reliable, battery-friendly way of filling passwords into apps, just like extensions work on desktop web browsers. Enter the autofill API.

What is autofill?

Since Android Oreo (8.0), Android has added an option to autofill passwords for you. It’s really simple: you go to an app, and your phone will give you an option to autofill your credentials. This is how it looks:

From there, if you tap on the auto-fill button, you will be redirected to your password manager. Here, you will be able to unlock it, and select the appropriate credentials for the app. The password manager even tries to guess which application it is trying to autofill, but it is also possible to search for the login yourself. After selecting it, your application will have the login autofilled for you. No need to go back and forth copying and pasting passwords!

How to activate it?

The steps might vary slightly from device to device, since manufacturers sometimes group settings in different ways. However, try to adapt these steps to your own device and you will find the way around it.

  1. Install the password manager of your choice
  2. Log in to it and go back to the home screen
  3. Go to the Settings of your device
  4. Go to System > Languages and input
  5. Go to the Input Assistance section

There, you will find an option called Autofill service.

If you tap on it, you will have at least three different options: None, Google, and your password manager. By tapping on your password manager, the autofill service will become active for it. In case you still can’t decide between password managers, Android is kind enough to offer you an “Add service” option, which takes you to the Play Store and suggests you renowned password managers with the autofill functionality.

What about accessibility services?

Since this is a fairly new functionality, but password managers have been around for a long time, they worked around this limitation in Android by implementing some workarounds using an accessibility service. In short, they scanned through the fields of every screen looking for one that might accept a password. If they did, then you could autofill it with your credentials.

However, that was slow, battery-hungry, and unreliable. Thus, we recommend to move to the autofill option as soon as possible if your device supports it. All password managers should include this functionality it by now.

Conclusion

In this highly-connected world, in which everyone can access information from all over the world in a matter of seconds, security and privacy are more important than ever. While an increasing amount of services are very eager to make you create accounts for their sites, they often do a pathetic job in keeping this data safe. Thus, a password manager is essential to avoid bad experiences. With a native autofill functionality, there’s no excuses for using age-old methods such as similar (or even the same) passwords for every account. Give it a go and make your life easier and more secure!

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