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Samsung Galaxy X foldable smartphone to launch in November, says Samsung’s mobile chief

Alexandra Arici
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Remember Samsung’s foldable smartphone that has been rumored forever? Well according to the company’s mobile division CEO DJ Koh, who recently talked to CNBC, the device will finally make a debut during Samsung’s Developer Conference. The event is scheduled to take place between November 7 and 8 in San Francisco.

Koh also went on to confirm rumors that the phone will be usable while in a folded state. What’s more, he revealed that users will have to unfold the device into a sort of tablet mode when in need of browsing or watching content. Samsung is also trying to differentiate this “unfolded” experience from the one you might get from using a plain tablet.

Samsung’s head of mobile also told CNBC that the development of the device is “nearly concluded”. From this statement, we could infer that the launch date could still be subject to change in the near future. But hopefully this will not be the case and Samsung will become the first smartphone maker to launch a truly foldable smartphone.

The Galaxy X might arrive sooner than expected

Previously, we heard rumors that seemed to suggest Samsung’s experimental phone (dubbed the Galaxy X) will arrive in early 2019. But if Koh is to be believed, it appears that the Korean tech giant is a bit ahead of schedule.

According to what we know so far, the Galaxy X could arrive with a large 7.3-inch OLED display in its unfolded state, which turns into a 4.5-inch one when folded. Some sources have claimed that the front panel could take advantage of a technology similar to Apple’s 3D Touch. This will allow users to get contextual info depending on how hard they press on the display.

We also heard the phone will apparently rely on a curved battery with a capacity between 3,000 mAh and 6,000 mAh. But none of this info has been confirmed so far, so you should treat it accordingly.

Huawei MediaPad M5 Pro Review

Matt Adams
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We’re now well into the second half of 2018 and a question has nagged at me all year: do we really need tablets anymore?

Phone displays are getting bigger and bigger and we now routinely see phone displays that span more than 6-inches. That’s pretty crazy considering just a few short years ago we reveled at a 4.5-inch display, even wondering if it was too big.

So, as the devices in our pockets get bigger, faster, and stronger, why do we need tablets? Aren’t phones good enough now to take care of all of our needs?

To answer this question, I reached out to Huawei, asking to take a look at the MediaPad M5 Pro. The 10.8-inch tablet is widely viewed as one of the best on the market today. If there’s anything that can make the case for tablets as a whole, this is the one to do it.

Just a note before we go on. There are three versions of the MediaPad M5 available today. An 8.4-inch MediaPad M5, a 10.8-inch MediaPad M5, and a 10.8-inch MediaPad M5 Pro. The 8.4-inch and 10.8-inch devices are available today for $320 and $360 respectively. The 10.8 Pro is $450.

The biggest difference between the 10.8-inch models is that the Pro comes with support for the M-Pen (Huawei’s stylus), where the non-Pro model does not. Both models can connect to a keyboard dock via Pogo pins on the rear of the device, but one was not available for this review.

For purposes of this review, we are reviewing the 10.8 Pro version with M-Pen included.

Hardware and design

The MediaPad M5 Pro is a good looking device, but further inspection leaves us feeling… unimpressed. Sure, it looks just fine. It’s classy and non-offensive but there’s nothing to write home about here. You won’t find yourself feeling awkward about pulling it out during the bus ride to work or on the plane after take off. You will feel just fine about taking notes on it during a business meeting or relaxing with it on the couch.

But, there’s just no wow there. It feels very plain to look at. The metal back offers almost no design flair at all besides Huawei and Harmon Kardon logos. The top houses a rather large camera bump and the Pogo pins at the bottom are flanked by two large speaker grills– two more line the top too. Yep, that’s four speakers (we’ll touch on them later).

Read More: Honor View10 Review: The budget flagship king?

The right side of the device finds the volume rocker and power button. These are wonderfully clicky buttons and Huawei did a good job of placement here. Most people hold larger tablets in landscape and they’re placed perfectly for that. If you hold your tablet vertically, they’re a little awkward but we found no real issue. No matter where you place the buttons, there’s always going to be someone with an issue. We’re just happy with how high quality they are.

Just below the buttons are a microSD card tray and a USB type-C port. Some of our friends who we let play with the tablet remarked that this was an odd place for the charging port, but once we pointed out that the tablet supports keyboards that attach to the Pogo pins, they understood the placement.

Unfortunately, the microSD card tray is just a single card slot. We’d have loved to see 4G LTE support on these tablets, but those have been reserved for markets across the ocean. Huawei seemingly targeted this specific tablet at those who want to get a little work done and we think cellular connectivity could’ve gone a long way for that set of folks.

The front sees a similarly barren layout. The right side of the device houses a fantastic fingerprint reader and the bottom presents a Huawei logo shining back at us. That’s about it. Our Champagne Gold and White version looks just fine, but we found the darker colors of other models to be a bit more appealing.

Back to that fingerprint scanner– we’re in love. Not only is this thing fast, accurate, and in a great spot, but it supports fingerprint gestures too. We routinely used it as our home button, but you can also head into the settings to set up back and multitasking gestures too. We did run into some accidental home button presses here, but nothing we were overly annoyed at.

The display is big, bright, and beautiful. It’s an IPS LCD display that has a 2560 x 1600 resolution. For those of you keeping score at home, that’s a 16:10 aspect ratio. We love aspect ratio as most widescreen media clocks in at a 16:9 aspect ratio.

Media looks absolutely fantastic here. While colors and blacks don’t look quite as good as on AMOLED displays, we were pleased nonetheless. Max brightness was more than enough to provide a clear picture on sunny days and we found colors to be pleasingly warm. This isn’t the most accurate display in the world, but it does look damn good.

Flanking the display are decently sized bezels. As we watch bezels grow smaller and smaller on our phones, we’re glad Huawei stuck with this chunky monkey. The bezels are small enough to look nice while providing enough grip. This is always going to be a two-handed device (and the slippery back provides no help in that area), but we always were able to comfortably reach our thumbs to the middle of the tablet to type and press buttons while playing games.

Huawei pulled off a solid, if not uninspiring, feat here. The device, on first inspect, feels a bit bland and forgettable, but after spending time with it, it becomes clear that the MediaPad M5 Pro is more than the sum of its parts.

Performance

If you’re going to charge as much as some cheaper laptops for your tablet, performance has to be top notch. We’re happy to report that we have no issues here and were quite surprised in some instances.

The MediaPad M5 Pro has a HiSilicon Kirin 960 CPU, 4 GB of RAM, and 64 GB of space. Huawei made the decision to release its flagship tablet without its flagship processor inside. It’s a puzzling decision on paper. But, once you use the MediaPad M5 for a while, you see why. We’re under the assumption that it costs less for Huawei to pump out the Kirin 960 chips today and there’s almost no loss in performance.

Read more: Honor 7S review: good looking, but so very slow

During our time with the tablet, we saw no hiccups. This thing is blazingly fast in most tasks and we found even in larger games, we were more than happy with the performance. Sure, loading times could have been better in some places, but this isn’t a $1,000 flagship phone. It costs less than half that, although you might not know it.

It feels like 4 GB of RAM is now the lowest Android OEMs can get away in flagship devices– both phones and tablets. We didn’t have any problems necessarily with the MediaPad M5 knocking recent apps out of memory, but we know things could’ve been better here with more RAM. We hope Huawei will consider upping the ante in the next refresh of these devices if it wants to continue to convince people to drop their laptop for this little powerhouse.

One area where we had zero issues is battery life. The MediaPad M5 Pro has a 7,500 mAh battery that supports quick charging. We got between eight and nine hours of screen on time with the tablet and took us about four hours to fill it back up in our completely unscientific tests.

In phone reviews, we normally consider four to five hours the standard. Anything less and we’ll point out poor battery life. Anything more and you get some praise. Tablets are a little bit different. We’re not using our tablets as much in a given day or for the same tasks. For this reason, we found ourselves going four to five days between charges on the MediaPad M5 Pro. This is fantastic.

Again, Huawei has obviously targetted a segment of the population that wants to get some work done without investing in an ultrabook or lugging around a cheaper laptop. Even if you were to work a full day while on battery power, we think you’d have no problems getting that last email to your boss in at the end of the day. We’re very impressed.

Software

The MediaPad M5 Pro comes with Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box. It has Huawei’s own EMUI 8.0 on top.

If you don’t have any experience with Huawei’s skin, just know that it’s pretty heavy. Huawei obviously has its own vision of how Android should look and they go to great lengths to achieve that goal. There is literally no part of the operating system that is untouched. Whether that is a positive or a negative is up to you.

Read more: Huawei Mate 10 Pro review

Huawei has worked to add small but noticeable upgrades to the Android OS. It gives you much more control over how your display looks and acts, strict background and permission controls, strong controls for how apps are able to bug you, and many more.

Where Huawei can fall down a little bit is not playing to the strengths of having a large screen. Besides some menus that have dual pane menus and allowing two apps to be run side-by-side, Huawei hasn’t done a lot here to maximize its potential. There’s a beautiful 10.8-inch display here, but sometimes it feels like I’m just using a big phone.

One of the ways that Huawei has tried to reach that potential is with the included M-Pen. The active stylus is a very nice addition and the software allows you to write as you normally would with a pen or pencil. I found that Huawei was almost always able to make out what my sloppy handwriting was trying to convey. While this isn’t a more efficient way of dictation than a computer keyboard, it is far better than trying to type on a screen or on a cramped tablet keyboard (just a reminder: we don’t have the Pro’s keyboard so we can’t comment on that specific keyboard’s typing comfort).

As of the writing of this review, our review unit hasn’t received an update in quite a while. We’re still resting on the May security patch. And hey, we didn’t assume that we’d get monthly updates, only Google and Essential do so, but we wouldn’t mind seeing more than three or four a year.

The MediaPad M5 Pro is one of the only large display tablets that comes with Oreo out of the box. That’s a huge positive, but we wonder how long it’ll stay that way. More tablets are being released all the time and it only makes sense they’d come with Oreo as well. With Android 9.0 Pie’s release, we also wonder how long it’ll take the Pro to get an update.

Conclusion

So, what did we learn? Do you need a tablet in 2018? Do they really make sense anymore?

For me, I think they do continue to make sense. Outside of all of the productivity advantages of the MediaPad M5, this thing is just fun to use. It has four speakers, that even though they shoot the wrong way, are fantastic. I’d take these Harmon Kardon-tuned speakers on most laptops any day of the week. It also had a display that matches or exceeds the quality of what you can find on laptops at a similar price. If you want a bigger screen to watch YouTube, Netflix, or Hulu on, I’d highly suggest the MediaPad M5 Pro.

I also see quite a few benefits of using the MediaPad M5 Pro instead of a laptop for productivity. Yes, you are going to deal with a smaller screen and therefore a smaller keyboard. But, the MediaPad is also only 1.1 lbs and small enough to fit in almost any bag or purse. It’s highly portable, very powerful due to all of the productivity apps in the Play Store, and supports both a first party keyboard and stylus. That’s pretty powerful.

My only big fault with here is that I feel like Huawei didn’t do enough to make use of the big display. Apple had been plagued by this for years with its iPad Pro lineup. It recently introduced more features to make that big display even more powerful.

Read more: HUAWEI Watch 2 Classic Review

Huawei could do more too. We do know that when connecting it to its first-party keyboard, the tablet gives users an option to enter a desktop mode that allows free-floating windows and reminds us a lot of a Windows 10 desktop. Since we weren’t able to use this feature, we can’t comment on it too much besides giving Huawei praise for including it. Some users reported that not all apps are available in this desktop mode (the Play Store being among them) so we’d like to see this ironed out before calling the MediaPad M5 Pro a full ultrabook or Chromebook replacement.

But overall, we feel as though the MediaPad M5 Pro is more than the sum of its parts. It doesn’t have the most powerful processor, the most ram, storage, or the biggest battery. The software isn’t the cleanest or most feature-packed, but we loved every moment with the Huawei MediaPad M5 Pro. From getting some work done to watching way too many Casey Neistat videos on YouTube, it was a pleasure to use.

Google’s Chrome browser gets a new look and features as it turns 10

Alexandra Arici
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Google’s Chrome browser turned 10 over the weekend and to mark the event, the developer team has announced a big update that brings a new look and a few other improvements.

Chrome usually gets updated every six weeks, but on the browser’s 10th birthday, Google is going the extra mile in the enhancement department.

The new update will be coming your way today and will be visible on all platforms including desktop, Android and iOS. Here’s what you can expect.

Revamped look

Chrome has now a fresh face with more rounded shapes, new icons and a new color palette. The aim is to provide a simpler look that will hopefully boost overall productivity.

For example, the shape of tabs has been tweaked to make website icons easier to see. This, in turn, will allow you to navigate across lots of tabs more seamlessly. Google has also simplified prompts, menus and URLs in the address bar.

Also on iOS (but not Android), the toolbar has been moved to the bottom for easier reach.

Do more, faster

The developer team has worked to improve the way Chrome fills in passwords, addresses and credit card numbers. All this info is saved to your personal Google account and can be easily accessed via the Chrome toolbar.

Online safety is another big part of today’s update. The browser will now generate new and secure passwords for you so that you can finally stop using the name of your favorite band as a password for all your accounts. Chrome will then save and sync this new complicated passwords on all your devices.

Search bar gets even smarter answers

Chrome’s Omnibox, the one that sits at the top and combines the search bar and address bar just got a lot better with this update. It will now start showing your answers directly in the address bar. Without the need to open an extra tab.

So you’ll be able to get lavish results on celebrities, cultural events, weather info and more straight from the Omnibox.

On top of that, Chrome now also lets you search for a website in your Omnibox. If it’s already opened, the browser will take you to it via the Switch to tab option. Google also promises you’ll soon be able to search Google Drive via Omnibox.

New personalization options

Google lets you personalize your Chrome to your taste by letting you create and manage shortcuts to your favorite pages right from the new tab page. What’s more, you can customize the background of your newly open tab with personal photos!

All these new features should start being visible today, so if you’re a Chrome fan keep an eye out. Happy 10th birthday, Chrome!

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S review: the best under-the-radar flagship around

Donovan Jeska
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We got our hands on a Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S a while back, and for the past month or so I’ve been using it as my daily driver. It released back in April for about $530, which puts it in a similar category to OnePlus’ signature price point.

What follows is my full review of the Chinese-made flagship killer, largely unfiltered and completely candid.

Build

As I mentioned in my First Impressions, the first thing I noticed when pulling the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S from its box was its striking design. In a world of glass-bodied smartphones that all kind of have the same aesthetic (with Samsung and Apple leading the way), the Mi Mix 2S stands apart with a ceramic back and a wildly garish face that features a front-facing camera in the lower-right hand corner. Above all else, perhaps, this departure from conventional design is what stops me from using this phone all day, every day. More on that a bit later.

As you might expect from a ceramic-backed, 6″ smartphone, it’s hefty as hell. At 191 grams, it’s nearly a full ounce heavier than the Samsung Galaxy S9. But the feather-light phones to which we’ve grown accustomed usually come with a flimsy, fragile feel not present in the Mi Mix 2S. I have no delusions that if I drop it, the thing will shatter like any other, but that heft at least gives an illusion of durability.

Regardless, that ceramic back is both aesthetically unique and gorgeous, and the people I’ve shown the phone to have all been immediately intrigued by the design. If nothing else, it – along with that weird camera placement – is an eye-catcher.

Design Snafus

The decision to place the selfie camera in the lower-right corner of the device is a dubious one, but I can see why Xiaomi did it. In order to maximize viewing area at the top of the device, Xiaomi decided to move all the components that normally take up space there – camera, light sensor, proximity sensor – to the bottom of the device. The result is a little bit of a “chin” at the bottom with minimal bezels along the top and sides.

That chin provides a buffer between your supporting fingers and the display, so your thumb doesn’t have to reach so far down to reach the space bar or make the rather-delightful navigation gestures. The reverse side of this, of course, is without the now-infamous notch or a larger bezel on top, you have to stretch your thumb up higher to slide the notification bar down. It’s a tradeoff, but one I personally enjoy.

I still very much thing that chin is just begging for a row of toggleable capacitive buttons to maximize the screen usage. I know Xiaomi – and the rest of the mobile world – is pushing gesture navigation these days, but a row of capacitive keys that can be turned on or off would have gone a long way in easing us into gestures. If there’s one glaring sin of the Mi Mix 2S, though it’s the utter lack of any kind of waterproofing, with no Ingress Protection Rating to speak of. Splash at your own risk.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S Specs at a Glance

  • Display: 6″, 1080×2060 IPS LCD (403ppi)
  • Processor: Snapdragon 845
  • RAM/ROM: 8/256GB or 6/64(or 128)GB
  • Rear Camera: 12+12MP dual-sensor
  • Selfie Camera: 5MP
  • 3.5mm jack: Nope
  • Connectivity: 802.11ac WiFi, Bluetooth 5, USB-C 2.0
  • Battery: 3,400mAh, Qi Charging
  • Firmware: MIUI 9.5 (Based on Android 8.0)

Hardware

The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S is kind of a beast. Many Chinese OEMs favor the native-made MediaTek processors, but Xiaomi recognizes that Snapdragon is the biggest name in town when it comes to sheer power. As such, it included the (currently) state-of-the-art Snapdragon 845 to power its Mi Mix 2S.

The Snapdragon 845 is an octa-core processor with a burning 2.8GHz clock speed, and an integrated Adreno 630 GPU. It’s far and above the most powerful processor on the market, at least until Qualcomm releases its successor. To put that into perspective, the Snapdragon 845 is also on $800+ flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S9, LG V30, and Samsung Galaxy Note 9.

Depending on which model you pick, the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S will either come pre-loaded with 6/128GB or 8/256GB RAM/ROM. Both of these marks are very respectable (especially when you consider that the $1000 Note 9 starts at the same capacities), though it doesn’t feature a MicroSD slot. The Mi Mix 2S stays on the cutting edge of connectivity standards, with Bluetooth 5 and 802.11ac WiFi onboard.

In short? The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S is, at least in terms of sheer power, every bit the flagship the Samsung Galaxy S9, LG V35, or OnePlus 6 are.

One more little tidbit of information to demonstrate just how powerful it is: in the current AnTuTu benchmark rankings as of this writing, the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S ranked 7th overall among Android smartphones, just behind the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus.

Cameras

Rear Camera

The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S’s camera situation is…complicated. Its rear camera performs well in many shooting situations. So much so it received a 97 Overall DXOMark Mobile score, placing it in a three-way tie for 7th with the iPhone X and Huawei Mate 10 Pro and just ahead of the One Plus 6.

The rear camera features a 12MP wide-angle primary lens with a 12MP secondary telephoto lens, with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) baked in. DXMark found that it shoots exceedingly good quality static photos in all situations, but especially well in low-light situations – a rarity for smartphones. The Mi Mix 2S didn’t perform quite as well in DXOMark’s tests for video, but still got a respectable score of 88.

Personally, photo and video are two areas I don’t use my phone all that often – I don’t take pictures of my food, nor many of my pets, nor many selfies. I do, however, take pictures of my painted tabletop gaming miniatures – and in this area, where zoom and close-focus are important, the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S performs as well as any phone I’ve held in my hands. The test shots I took were generally very crisp, even in low light and on the move.

So while I am certainly no expert photographer, I probably am a pretty decent representation of the average consumer when it comes to taking pictures. Whether in the hands of an average Joe/Jane or in a lab-tested environment, though, the fact remains – the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S has a fantastic rear camera.

Front Camera

The front camera, however, is problematic to say the least. With it’s lower-right hand corner placement, it presents all sorts of problems for any camera app that isn’t the Xiaomi one. The Xiaomi Camera app rotates with your phone as you turn it to get a better camera angle (selfies taken from the bottom, up are not flattering), which is great. However, Snapchat, Whatsapp, Hangouts and others that use their own dedicated camera software do not. So you’re either stuck with a selfie you have to rotate 180 degrees, or you’re stuck with a really unflattering shot. And that’s really a shame, because the pictures it takes are quite good. They’re crisp, vibrant, and quick – what more could you want from a selfie?

Other than it being right-side up, of course.

Battery

At 3,400mAh, the Xiaomis Mi Mix 2S’ battery is pretty solid for a 6″ phone. It isn’t quite the 4,000mAh one on the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, but compared to the last generation of smartphones, it’s perfectly adequate. It performs well enough, but still generally requires a recharge after an average day’s use. So while it has about 400mAh more juice than your average flagship device, it won’t really net you any more usage time from a practical standpoint. You’ll still be throwing it on to charge every night, as you always have. Until we start seeing OEMs willing to go 4,000mAh or higher – and it’s worth noting that Samsung recently climbed aboard that train – we won’t see any meaningful developments in smartphone battery life.

MIUI’s Evolution

MIUI has come a long way; I remember back in the early days of Android, MIUI was just an iOS clone with questionable compatibility and a great theme engine. But, it’s really come into its own over the years, developing into more of a stock Android experience with a few tweaks and a custom launcher.

The firmware is quick and crisp, and is much more Android than Apple at this stage. The MIUI Launcher is really limited in its options, and I suspect most people – like me – will switch it to Nova or something similar in short order.

MIUI’s Gesture controls are really crisp – much more so than Google’s. A Left or Right edge-swipe takes you Back (with an animated Arrow icon), while swiping up from the bottom goes Home.

Swiping up and holding it briefly brings up your recents – and that’s the gesture that really stands out from Google’s, which requires a much longer “hold.” I find myself struggling with Google’s gesture controls, but thoroughly enjoying MIUI’s. It’s a fine balance, and while I’ve no doubt that Google’s will evolve in time, currently Xiaomi’s have the edge.

Value

With a starting price of $500, the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S hits a similar, flagship-killing pricepoint to the OnePlus 6 and its ilk. The Mi Mix 2S offers wireless charging, which none of the OnePlus phones can boast, and features a gorgeous ceramic aesthetic that compares favorably to the OnePlus 6’s glass frame. The OnePlus 6, on the other hand, features an AMOLED display and a normally placed camera, which are clear plusses over the Mi Mix 2S’s respective LCD and oddly-placed camera.

The short of it, though is that with the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S, you get a phones that competes with the Samsung and LG-made flagships of the world, for a fraction of the price.

Verdict

I spent about a month with the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S, and I really enjoyed my time with it. It’s got a unique design, great aesthetic, phenomenal, flagship-caliber specifications and a much-improved UI that’s just different enough to set it apart.

A couple design quirks like an oddly-placed front-facing camera and a lack of Ingress Protection Rating make you tilt your head in confusion, but I’m thoroughly impressed with the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S. At its price point it’s every bit a competitor to the Flagship-Killing Throne that OnePlus currently sits atop.

The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S is available from Amazon or GearBest for between $500 and $700, depending on your storage and RAM size.

Sprint tries to lure new customers with Unlimited Premium plan

Andrew Allen
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America’s underdog carrier, Sprint, has revealed a new Unlimited Premium smartphone plan. And it looks like a pretty sweet deal…except for the whole Sprint thing. Let’s take a look at just want the Pindrop network has with this new plan.

Obviously, you get unlimited web, talk, and text with Sprint Unlimited Premium, but here’s the breakdown of the rest of the new option:

  • 50GB LTE mobile hotspot to keep all your devices connected
  • The best of shopping and entertainment with Amazon Prime
  • Lookout Premium Plus
  • Access to the largest streaming library with a Hulu Limited Commercials subscription
  • Music streaming with TIDAL
  • Streaming in full HD
  • Global Roaming in more than 185 worldwide destinations
  • In Mexico and Canada, enjoy Unlimited talk, text and 4G LTE data

Sprint says that Unlimited Premium gives customers a roughly $40 value, every month. To sign up for all of these services and Sprint’s unlimited plan, you’d be looking at something like $130 per month. Or, you can just pay Sprint $90 a month. The carrier also gives customers an additional $10 per month discount if you bring your own phone to the service, dropping this deal down to $80 per month.

Many of us would argue that just the Amazon Prime is worth it alone. The Amazon membership is currently $119 per year. Once you add in the entry costs of TIDAL ($10) and the Hulu Limited ($8), it’s hard to not like the new Sprint offering. $90 per month is starting to look pretty good for existing customers or newcomers alike.

Read more: The best phones you can buy at Sprint right now 

Sprint is the bottom member of the US carriers as far as sheer numbers of customers and has struggled to change that over the years. The resurgence of T-Mobile recently has even compounded Sprint’s stature and led to an agreement for the companies to merge. Despite these issues and changes, the company continues to find new ways to add to its user base and moves like the new Unlimited Premium are a good way to appeal to converts.

Is this a good deal? Does it make sense to sign up for this plan if you’re already using these services? Let us know down in the comments.

Huawei announces the AI Cube, Kirin 980, and new colors for the P20

Donovan Jeska
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Huawei unveiled a couple surprises at IFA in Berlin this year: the AI Cube and the Kirin 980 System on a Chip (SoC).

Huawei AI Cube

The AI Cube is an Alexa-enabled smart speaker that also acts as a 4G LTE router. In essence, this provides an 802.11ac WiFi hotspot using a traditional SIM, as well as an Alexa gateway offering the same functionality as an Amazon Echo. In addition, it features a 15W mono speaker and four microphones. I find it interesting that a device called the Cube is closer to a cylinder in design, but hey – what do I know, I’m just a blogger.

Kirin 980

The Kirin 980 represents a much more interesting device in terms of innovation, as it brings 7nm technology to smartphone SoCs. Without comparing it to its chief competitor (Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors), Huawei boasted its new SoCs will feature a 75% improvement in power and a 58% improvement in efficiency over its previous generation. It’s worth noting that while these comparisons are strictly to Kirin’s own current generations of processors, Qualcomm’s current latest and greatest, the Snapdragon 845, is based on a 10nm architecture – inferior to the 7nm architecture.

The 980 utilizes a three-tier energy efficiency architecture. This means that it features three different “sizes” of cores that will each handle specializes tasks. The first two cores – “super-big” Cortex A76 ones – will handle the majority of the front-end, high octane tasks that are actively running the foreground of a phone’s usage. The second tier of cores – two “big” Cortex A76 ones – are intended to handle sustained performance for tasks that are in the background but are still important, or may be returned to soon. The third tier of cores are smaller, Cortex A55 ones, and these are intended to handle low-priority background tasks.

In traditional multi-core processors – and indeed, in the Snapdragon series – all the cores are the same speed and handle tasks equally. In theory, Huawei’s approach to task manage should dramatically increase power efficiency while still maintaining a high-power chip. While no hard marks in terms of GHz have been advertised so far, I think it’s safe to say that the Kirin 980 could give Snapdragon a run for its money – the first true rival to the 800 series from Qualcomm, perhaps. We’ll definitely keep an eye on it as more details are revealed over time.

The Pixel Stand could turn your Pixel 3 into a smart display

Jason England
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At this point, you might think we know everything we could know about the upcoming Pixel 3 launch. We’ve seen the Pixel 3 XL from every angle, we know the specs, we even know when and where it will be launched.

It turns out there is still more to learn. A clever developer over at XDA that goes by the username Quinny899 has found a hidden gem hidden in the Google App. By tricking the Google App into thinking a Pixel 3 has been placed onto the Pixel Stand it brings up a hidden UI.

The Pixel Stand is a previously leaked accessory that is believed to be a wireless charger. We’ve already gotten confirmation of wireless charging working with the Pixel 3 XL. Now it seems the Pixel Stand accessory could be much more than just dummy QI charger.

From the leaked screenshots of the UI, it appears when a Pixel 3 is docked on the Pixel Stand it turns your phone into a smart display of sorts. The two screenshots shown don’t resemble what you would see on the smart displays currently on sale though.

Instead, you are given a look at your current weather and given several shortcuts for common actions that Assistant can help you with. For example, set an alarm, read my messages, set a timer, make a call, and more. It appears it would be able to complete these actions even when the phone is locked making the dock a trusted device. If you’re wondering about the watermarks, that is to prevent Google testers from leaking images.

From my personal experience with a smart display, it doesn’t appear to be as full-featured, but it does more than a typical wireless charger. This could be just what Google needs for the Pixel Stand to separate itself from the crowd making it a must buy for Pixel owners. However, depending on the price it might do enough to sway potential buyers over a dummy wireless charger.

Bad news watch fans, no Pixel Watch this year

Jason England
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With all the work Google has been putting into Wear OS previously Android Wear year after year, they have yet to put out an official branded watch. Over the years, Google has put out phones, tablets, Chromebooks, and smart speakers. Still, here we are in 2018 and there has been no official smartwatch from Google.

As a big fan of smartwatches myself, I have anxiously been awaiting the release of a Pixel Watch. Unfortunately, it looks like I and everyone else will be waiting at least another year for the Pixel Watch.

No Pixel Watch this year

Despite rumors that we would see a Pixel Watch this year, Google has confirmed in an exclusive interview with Tom’s Guide and a separate phone call, there will be no Pixel Watch this year. According to Miles Barr, Google’s director of engineering for Wear OS, “To think of a one-size-fits-all watch, I don’t think we’re there yet”.

Instead, Google is looking to focus on working with their Wear OS partners. With Barr stating, “Our focus is on our partners for now.” It’s not the news we were hoping for, and if you were holding out for a Pixel Watch then you stop waiting. As Google appears to be waiting for the day when they can create a Pixel Watch that everyone will love.

Not all bad news

The good news is Wear OS is still alive and getting even better. Recently we learned of an update coming to Wear OS with big improvements for the platform. Remember, just because there is no Pixel Watch doesn’t mean there aren’t any good watches out there.

In the past month, we’ve seen watches released by Fossil and Michael Kors. Along with new smartwatches announced by both Casio and Diesel from IFA this week. Even without Google, the smartwatch lives on. Perhaps 2019 will finally be the year that Google decides the technology and software have evolved enough to offer us a Pixel branded watch.

The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL made a stop by the FCC

Jason England
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Considering the number of leaks we’ve had about the upcoming Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, it’s about time they showed up at the FCC. There isn’t much else we can learn about the phones at this point, especially not from what little information the FCC publishes. Yet, it does mean they are one step closer to being an actual product you can buy.

What little we are able to glean from the FCC certification is that Google themselves submitted the applications this time. In previous years Google was still contracting out the manufacturing of their devices. However, this year it is one hundred percent all Google.

The model numbers are also clearly on display as G013A and G013C. Last year the Pixel 2 was G011A and the Pixel 2 XL was G011C. Naturally, we can assume the same applies this year and the Pixel 3 will be G013A and the Pixel 3 XL is the G013C model.

We also learned that the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL will once again have all the necessary radios for all major carriers. Bluetooth LE shows up in the documents as well. There is even a reference to WPC Charging Mode, which could refer to wireless charging. That would be no surprise at this point after previous leaks confirmed it.

That’s about all we can learn from this set of documents, not that we haven’t already learned plenty previously. There wasn’t much new information to learn besides the fact that Google submitted the forms and the model numbers of the two new phones.

With FCC certification we can assume the launch date is nearing. According to sources, the launch will happen on a different day this year in a different location. We won’t know if Google has any surprises up their sleeves until the big day.

Find your perfect match-ress. Take the Helix Sleep quiz and save up to $150 off this Labor Day

AndroidGuys
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In a perpetually stimulating world full of smartphones, computer screens, and now VR, people are turning to caffeinated beverages, nootropics, and meditation sessions to recharge their energy reserves.  But there is simply no replacement for a good old fashioned night’s sleep – and a high quality mattress is the foundation to achieve that healthy lifestyle.

That’s the core concept behind Helix Sleep, a rising star and unique player in the mattress startup community. Helix matches each type of sleeper to his or her ideal mattress to provide the most comfortable bed possible. Prefer your mattress soft or firm? Sleep on you side, back or stomach? Helix has a mattress designed for every individual.

This Labor Day weekend, Helix is offering a rare and hefty $100-$150 off their mattresses. To take advantage, you can visit their online site before Tuesday.

But how does Helix even make the connection between sleeper type and ideal mattress? Using their proprietary Sleep Quiz that takes only two minutes to complete, Helix has created an easy-to-follow mattress shopping process.

Enjoy 100 nights to test out your mattress and a no-questions-asked return policy!

After taking the Sleep Quiz, you are matched with a mattress that was designed specifically for your sleeping preferences, e.g. ideal firmness, sleep position, support needs, and more.

Here are some of Helix’s mattresses built for specific types of sleepers:

The Dawn: For the back sleeper who prefers a harder surface

Perhaps you grew up camping and have nostalgia for laying outside under the stars. Designed with proprietary Helix Dynamic Foam and High-Grade Polyfoam, this mattress provides ergonomic support to accommodate a body that enjoys the supine position. Check out the Dawn here.

The Sunset: For the cuddly side sleeper who needs plush

For the more cuddly sleeper, this mattress features a Memory Plus Foam layer which supports the pressure points that side sleepers normally toss and turn to relieve with a plush, cloudlike feel. Eliminate those morning aches in your shoulders and hips, and check out the Sunset.

The Nightfall: For the person with a bigger figure

Designed for plus size customers who need maximum support and durability, the Nightfall has an additional layer of high density foam and is 12 inches tall to ensure the right amount of cradle and support. A blissful night of sleep awaits with The Nightfall.

In honor of Labor Day weekend, Helix is offering $100-$150 in savings. Head over to their site to get matched with a mattress sure to revolutionize your lifestyle.

Be warned, you may experience unprecedented energy levels and Helix takes full responsibility.

Helix Sleep also stands out for its emphasis on value — and you can rest easy knowing that you have 100 nights to test out your new mattress with a no-questions-asked return policy. Each mattress is delivered to your doorstep for free, built 100% in the USA, and sold at one third the price of traditional retail.

You can explore the simple possibility of upgrading to a Helix mattress by taking their short quiz, but don’t forget to take advantage of their Labor Day Weekend sale while it lasts – you’ll thank us later.

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