Look around your home, school, or office, and you’ll probably find a number of devices that require regular charging. Maybe it’s a few phones, a tablet, wearable, or even a Nintendo Switch. Chances are that you’ve got something that needs an occasional, or daily charging.
Toss in a roommate, spouse, or co-worker, and we imagine things get pretty hairy around the wall chargers. No matter how big phones are or how great the battery life, you’re always going to want (or need) more.
What happens if you’re out and about and don’t have access to a wall or auto adapter? Consider adding something from myCharge.
We’ve long been a fan of myCharge portable charging solutions, having had the privilege of reviewing them over the years. The 2018 selection is no different; it’s bigger capacities, faster charging, and smaller footprints. Not only that, but myCharge has a few recent tricks, too. What’s more, we’re happy to see the brand moving into other areas, such as the Nintendo Switch.
For your consideration
Our team has spent a few weeks using a number of myCharge portable charger options, each of which speaks to a different type of user. Here’s a couple that we’re more than happy to recommend.
Having 10,000mAh of juice in your bag or pocket is pretty cool, but you’re probably still lugging around a cable. Even if it’s short, or attached to the charger, it’s one more piece to worry about breaking down.
The UnPlugged 10K is not your standard power bank. Sure, it can juice up your phone some 3-4 times, but that’s not all. There’s a Qi-ready charging platform on the top of the unit which lets you top off the battery simply by placing your phone on it.
Like other portable units, though, you still have a couple of USB-A ports to work with, too. This way, you can plug in your older phones for a direct charge. Or, mix and match at dinner time and you’ll all be ready to go for the rest of the night — or weekend.
With so many phones offering wireless charging today, it just makes sense to take advantage of the technology. Sometimes it’s pretty expensive to go with the OEM’s preferred charger; myCharge offers a more affordable alternative.
The PowerDisk+ delivers incredibly fast charging speeds with Qualcomm 3.0 Quick Charge support. With up to 10W of output, it’s strong enough for any device you place on the platter.
Not only do you have the wireless surface to work with, but you’ve also got a USB port on the side. Indeed, you can plug in a secondary phone or device and charge (2.4A) at the same time.
Offered in white, the high-end charging pad won’t break your budget. At just $50 it’s the Qi-enabled charger your new phone deserves.
A departure from the stuff you’d use for a phone or tablet, this one is more niche. That’s not to suggest there’s not a market for it, though. No, this one is designed strictly for the Nintendo Switch.
Featuring a 7,000mAh battery, the PowerGame plugs directly into your Switch and hugs the back of your console. Good enough for 10 hours of gaming, it’s everything you need for a week’s worth of commutes.
In addition to charging your Switch, it also pulls double duty with its kickstand. Feel free to put the unit down on a table and remove the controllers. It’s equal parts practical and convenient. Grab one for only $49.99 from myCharge today.
It’s August which means that we were greeted with a new version of Android. This has been Google’s MO for the last few years, and Pie is now available on your Pixel devices, along with the Essential Phone.
Android Pie made its debut after being unveiled at Google I/O 2018 and then came to handsets through Google’s beta program. Then, in a move that surprised most, Android 9 Pie was officially made available.
For the purpose of our review, we have been using Android Pie for the last month through the beta program and final release. This is also the reason why our review is a bit later than others, because we wanted to spend some time with Google’s final product.
What’s new?
At first glance, you probably won’t think that there is much packed into this latest release. But the real fun comes when you start diving deeper. Here is a list of some of the features coming with a “higher profile”:
Adaptive Battery
Adaptive Brightness
Digital Wellbeing
Gesture Navigation
Notch Support (up to 3)
App Actions
New App Switcher
These are just some of the new features, and while that’s all fine and dandy, you probably want to know about the important ones. So let’s get started with the most surprising one – Battery Life.
Battery Life
Android Pie has provided a pleasant surprise in the battery department. In my usage, I was seeing all-day battery life with around 15% left with at least 4 hours of screen on time (SOT).
In fact, there were a few nights where I forgot to plug in my Pixel 2 XL, only to find that the battery drained just a little bit. Most recently, I went to bed at 1 AM with around 50% remaining, and woke up with 42% battery remaining.
This is no doubt in part to the new Adaptive Battery features. Google explained that this new functionality was intended to learn which apps you use, when you use them, and when to shut them down.
It seems that Android Pie really takes things into overdrive, as my battery life has just been incredible. From time to time, I noticed that an app (like Twitter) was closed when it had been a few hours, but notifications continued to come through.
Adaptive Brightness is another feature that is undoubtedly helping with the battery life race. The only issue that I found came when I was looking at my phone at night. The dark light of my room seemed to cause confusion with my device, as the brightness would fluctuate randomly and annoyingly.
What is making these new battery tweaks exciting is Google’s initiative to integrate Artificial Intelligence into its software. This is nothing new, but it will be interesting to see how everything holds up over time and with newer devices launched with Pie.
How are the gestures?
The next biggest change that users will be able to see is the removal of the good ole’ navigation bar. Instead of having three buttons to tap at the bottom, you are now greeted with a “pill”, which acts as the navigation for your device.
Android Pie ‘pill’ button
As someone who switched from an iPhone X to the Pixel 2 XL with Android Pie, the learning curb was not all that bad. Here are how the gestures work:
Tapping the pill button will take you home
Swiping to the right once will take you to the previous app
Swiping and holding will allow you to scroll through your open apps
Swipe up once to reveal the multi-tasking drawer
Swipe up twice to reveal the App Drawer
In practice, this makes quite a bit of sense, other than the whole App Drawer debacle. You can do a slow drag to reveal the drawer, but having to swipe up twice to reach all of your apps is rather annoying.
Android Pie Multi-tasking
To help combat the issue, I resorted to placing more apps on my home screens. My home screen has turned into folder-central and it is rather annoying for someone who doesn’t want a whole lot going on.
One extra feature that has been added is for those who make use of rotation lock. If you are using rotation lock but want to view one specific app in landscape mode, a new icon shows up in the navigation bar. This will allow users to view content how they want to, with just the tap of a button.
Visual enhancements in Android Pie
Something else that you may notice when you start poking around Android Pie is some slightly redesigned panels. Most notably, there has been a slight redesign to the notification tray, as the toggles are a bit brighter and more vibrant.
Additionally, since more devices are launching with notches, the clock has been moved from the right side to the left. This is to help make sure that you can see all the necessary notifications, while still seeing the time.
For some reason, Google has placed a limitation of three notches for Android OEM’s to be able to use with Android Pie. Hopefully, this doesn’t mean that Google knows something that we don’t and a phone is incoming with too many notches.
Notifications for messages have also been slightly revamped, as there are new quick reply features. You may remember an app called “Reply” which surfaced earlier this year that added smart replies to your favorite messaging apps.
This has been integrated into the system of Android 9 Pie, making it possible to quickly respond to your friends or family. The API has been also opened for developers, which hopefully means more apps will take advantage of this in the future.
The fight to improve your “Digital Wellbeing”
At Google I/O 2018, during the Android P introduction, a new feature/app was announced called Digital Wellbeing. Google stated that the purpose of this app was to help provide users with a way to see exactly how much you are using your phone.
Not only can you now see that you are spending way too much time on Twitter, but you can also limit yourself. This is done with the help of App Timer, which is a setting that you set up for your “problematic” or “time-wasting” applications.
As someone who has no penchant for restraint, app timers seems like something that could be really useful. However, I ended up being more annoyed that I couldn’t access the app I was trying to view on my smoke break.
It was also a bit alarming to see just how many times I unlocked my screen or how many notifications that I received. Suffice to say, Digital Wellbeing really has given me a different look at how I should be staying off my phone when I don’t need to be on it.
The odd thing here is that it’s not automatically built into Android Pie. Instead, you have to sign up for a beta program and then wait for it to auto-magically appear in your settings menu.
As a side note, Chris Lacy (of Action Launcher fame) developed an app that allows you to view Digital Wellbeing as an application. It creates a direct shortcut, so you won’t have to dive into your settings to see what is going on.
For owners of the Pixel, Pixel 2, and Essential Phone, you likely have already been enjoying the fruits of Android Pie. However, the real question remaining is when are other OEM’s going to jump on board.
As much as I would like to sit here and give you a rundown of what each manufacturer will be doing, I can’t. We have seen failed promises time and time again, and it just wouldn’t be fair for us to convey those failed promises to you, the readers.
So instead, I will say that it’s time to just sit back and play the waiting game.
Final Thoughts
Android 9 Pie is one of, if not the best, iterations ever released. My personal excitement drove me to pick up a Pixel 2 XL of my own, and put my iPhone X in a drawer.
In the time spent with Pie, I really fell back in love with Android and enjoyed all of the new features. I can safely say that once Pie arrives on more devices, it will be a joy to just about everyone to use.
Sure, gesture navigations may be annoying, but I feel that this is the way to full experience bezel-less devices. Google is making all of the right moves, and the Pixel 3 will be interesting to see how the latest version of Android works with the latest hardware
We want to hear from you. Sound off in the comments below and let us know what you think about Android Pie. Have you been using and enjoying it? Have you run into any issues? Let us know if you have any questions!
Update: Google has been made aware of the issue and is currently working on a fix. In a statement sent to The Verge, the search giant said the following:
“We’re aware of an issue where non-Power Delivery (PD) USB-C chargers no longer rapidly charge the 2016 Pixel and Pixel XL after the upgrade to Android 9 Pie. The 18W rapid charger included in-box is a PD charger and does not exhibit this behavior. We are verifying a fix for non-PD USB-C chargers and will roll it out in the coming weeks.”
Original post:
Some owners of the original 2016 Pixel XL have been experiencing issues with quick charging since upgrading to Android Pie. The issue existed back on the Android P beta as well, but by the time you get an official release, all bugs should be resolved.
When quick charging the original 2016 Pixel XL can charge at a maximum rate of 5V/3A significantly decreasing charging times. With the Android Pie update, many users are reporting a much slower charging rate.
Regardless of the phone reporting it is charging rapidly, it is never reaching the full 5V/3A speed. That makes it even more annoying because you believe your phone is charging rapidly when in fact it is not reaching the maximum charging rate.
This can be particularly frustrating for users with ageing phone batteries that might not hold a charge as long as they used to. Especially if you are using the official Google chargers and cables. Having the ability to quick charge and top off your battery in the middle of the day could be essential and change the way you use your phone.
Frustrated Pixel XL users have taken to the Google Issue Tracker to report this bug only to have the bug rejected. The original bug was marked as “Won’t Fix (Infeasible)”. Most likely this is due to the fact that the Google Issue Tracker is set up for bugs found in Android AOSP. Which is a bug that will affect all Android users, while this particular bug is only affecting Pixel XL users.
That would make the quick charging bug something for the Pixel team to address and not the Android team. However, a new bug has been opened on the tracker for the same quick charging issue. This time garnering even more attention with 26 stars currently instead of 8 on the previous bug. At the current time, this bug is still open with the status of “Assigned”.
Pixel XL users can only hope that someone from the Google team is finally communicating this issue to the Pixel team. Only time will tell as irritated Pixel XL users wait for a patch to cure their rapid charging woes. Do we have any original Pixel XL users in out there? Are any of you experiencing slower charging rates with your original cable and charger?
The Pocophone F1 is the first phone from Xiaomi’s new sub-brand meant to take on OnePlus. It seems rather commonplace in China for big mobile brands to have a sub-brand. Even OnePlus is a sub-brand of OPPO, while Huawei and ZTE have sub-brands as well.
While the Pocophone F1 hasn’t launched officially yet but that hasn’t stopped people from getting their hands on it early before the event on August 22. There are even videos on YouTube of it being unboxed.
Thanks to the unboxing and other leaks, we not only have a great view of the phone but have most of the specs confirmed as well.
Specs
5.99-inch 2246 x 1080 LCD display
Snapdragon 845
Adreno 630
6GB of RAM
64GB/128GB of storage with microSD card slot
12MP f/1.75 dual lens rear-camera
20MP f/2.0 front-facing camera
4000mAh battery
Android 8.1 Oreo
On paper, the Pocophone F1 is a powerhouse ready to take on the OnePlus 6 and any other flagship out this year. It even includes the trendy notch display with a large chin like most other 2018 flagships. Other features include an IR face unlock, fingerprint scanner, Bluetooth 5, headphone jack, and quick charge 3.0.
Availability and Price
Besides India, it is not yet clear where else the Pocophone F1 might launch. It is very possible Xiaomi would also offer it in Europe considering some European bloggers and journalists have already gotten them. Whether or not Xiaomi expands the Poco brand even further remains to be seen.
Pricing so far isn’t official but Roland Quandt of WinFuture tweets that the 6GB/64GB model will be priced at 420 Euros and 460 Euros for the 6GB/128GB model. With those prices converted that comes to $478 or Rs 33,500 for the 6GB/64GB model and $523 or Rs 36,700 for the 6GB/128GB version. A subsequent tweet from Roland put the pricing even lower at 390 Euros.
We’ll have to wait till August 22 to find out the official pricing and availability. However, if the price is in the market of what has been leaked it would be a steal for this phone.
If you’ve never heard of a YouTube signature device until the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 launch, then you’re not alone. For many of us, that was the first time we ever heard of this certification. Join us as we dive deeper into what exactly a YouTube signature device is and what devices are currently certified.
What is a YouTube Signature Device?
In short, it is a device which has been certified by YouTube to provide you with the best video quality and fastest load times on YouTube. Breaking it down further, YouTube tests the devices to make sure that they meet these specific qualifications.
HDR Video
HDR video playback certification ensures that your phone can display a greater dynamic range for videos that support it. Meaning simply that you will be able to view more detail in the highlights and the shadows of the video. It also provides you with more vivid true-to-life colors.
360° Video
Support for 360° videos that allow you to look up, down, and all around you. Whether you’re controlling it with your finger or a VR headset, YouTube Signature Devices are certified to immerse you in the scene.
4K Video
As 4K TVs and video cameras are becoming more prevalent so are the videos. Any phone that has undergone YouTube Signature Device certification has been tested to guarantee it can decode and play 4K videos. You’ll have no worries about watching all your favorite content with crystal clear clarity.
High Frame Rate
Videos shot in high frame rates appear smoother to the naked eye and are very useful for high action situations such as sports. In the case of YouTube Signature Devices, this covers any videos that are greater than 60 frames per second.
Next Generation Codecs
Video codecs are used to compress video files making them smaller and easier to transport faster over the internet. The higher the compression the smaller the file and the more advanced the codec the smaller the file can be while retaining higher quality.
The qualifications for a 2019 YouTube Signature Device requires hardware with the ability to decode the VP9 profile 2 codec. Use of the VP9 profile 2 codec allows for you to stream high-quality video with up to 30% less bandwidth.
Digital Rights Management
Digital Rights Management or DRM is a form of copy protection used to protect media from being shared or stolen. While YouTube is mainly a free or ad-supported platform, they also provide services for renting and purchasing videos as well as the YouTube TV service. All signature devices must be compliant with DRM protection.
What Devices are Supported?
Google
Pixel 2
Pixel 2 XL
HTC
U12+
Huawei
Mate 10 Pro
LG
G7 ThinQ
V30
Nokia
Nokia 8 Sirocco
OnePlus
OnePlus 6
Samsung
Galaxy S8
Galaxy S8 Plus
Galaxy Note 8
Galaxy S9
Galaxy S9 Plus
Galaxy Note 9
Sony
Xperia XZ2
Xperia XZ2 Compact
Xperia XZ2 Premium
Xiaomi
Mi 8
Mi Mix 2S
More Coming in the Future
At this time the total includes 19 YouTube Signature Devices in total. One glaring omission you might have noticed is the iPhone. Apple devices don’t support the VP9 profile 2 codec and as such cannot be YouTube Signature Device certified. However, this list can grow over time as YouTube provides a link to a form for manufacturers to request their devices be certified.
The current qualifications are specified for the year 2019. As time goes on, there will certainly be advancements in technology and the requirements are sure to evolve with those advancements.
It’s no secret that HTC’s smartphone business has been struggling for years. The company’s latest flagship, the U12+ hasn’t done much to turn things around and in July, the phone maker was forced to lay off 1,500 workers in its manufacturing unit in Taiwan.
You’ve probably heard that HTC is preparing to launch a new budget phone called the U12 Life (Imagine Life). Well, as a result of these job cuts, it seems that HTC won’t be actually making this phone. It will just carry its name.
The HTC U12 Life might not be made by HTC
A reliable leaker this week released the information according to which the U12 Life will be made by a separate ODM. An original design manufacturer is a company that designs and manufactures a product, as specified, that is then rebranded by another firm for sale. If you need a real-life example, think of what HMD has done with Nokia.
Imagine Life (Allegedly U12 Life) will be shipped with Android 8.1 on board. Interesting fact about it, this device will be ODM manufactured…
This is not a first for HTC, who used to outsource the production of several Desire models in the past. But the big difference here is that the HTC U12 Life is part of the flagship U12 series and not just a standard mid-range.
Although if we look at the rumored specs, the HTC U12 Life does seem to fit right into mid-range parameters. Unless it ends up borrowing some premium features from its more advanced U12+ brother like Edge Sense.
Last year’s HTC U11 Life
According to the leaks we’ve seen so far, the U12 Life will come equipped with a 6-inch FHD+ resolution display with 18:9 aspect ratio. The handset will rely on a Snapdragon 636 processor, backed up by 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage (microSD card slot included).
On the back, the device will have a dual camera setup with 16MP+5MP sensors, phase detection autofocus and 4K video. As for selfies, customers will get a 13-megapixel front-facing camera.
A 3,600 mAh battery will round-up the package. Unfortunately, the device is rumored to launch with Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box and not Android Pie.
The era of 5G smartphones is coming. And Sprint seems to be determined to be a leader in this approaching age.
America’s fourth-biggest carrier just announced it has parented up with LG to bring US customers their first 5G phone. The device is scheduled to land on the market in the first half of 2019. Following the launch of Sprint’s 5G network at the beginning of the year.
Sprint’s initial 5G markets include Los Angeles, Atlanta, New York City and Houston. Which were chosen due to their high traffic and their spectrum holdings.
The press release doesn’t shed much light on additional details regarding the smartphone. Sprint only says the LG device will be a beautifully-designed advanced 5G smartphone capable of offering blazing fast speed and ultra-reliable wireless.
Sprint wants to give the US its first 5G smartphone
The handset will be able to complete full-length HD movie downloads within seconds rather than minutes. On top of that, we can expect it to play graphics-heavy videos and high-speed games without the usual hiccups.
Sprint’s director of product development John Tudhope also revealed the LG phone will be compatible with T-Mobile, but only on the carrier’s existing 4G network (via Reuters).
The price of the phone and the exact launch date will be announced at a later date, the press release said.
Sprint and T-Mobile are currently working to persuade antitrust regulators to approve their merger, which would combine the nation’s fourth-largest and third-largest wireless carriers, respectively.
The deal would give the resulting company control over 100 million customers, edging out AT&T’s 93 million and putting it within striking distance of Verizon’s 116 million subscriber base.
It’s unclear at this point, whether the merger will happen in time for the upcoming 5G revolution. One thing’s for sure though, 5G smartphones are just around the corner!
A bit ago, we looked at a new initiative by the high-end headphone maker, Beyerdynamic. Its lack of wireless options began to be addressed with the Aventho Wireless, which we deemed a thoroughly premium and well-performing on-ear. But a hole was left for folks who prefer the over-ear flavor. That’s now filled with the new Amiron Wireless.
We’re a little thrown off by the naming convention, having expected the “Aventho” name to become the company’s new wireless series. Maybe the fact that they both start with the letter “A” shows implies some relation. Similarly, the headphones don’t share much in the way of design, but can still be considered brothers. Anyway, with the Amiron’s considerable price tag pitting it for the wireless headphone top spot, we’re most interested in if it can deliver. Let’s find out.
Design
Portability is inherent in wireless tech, and therefore, such headphones make an extra effort to be compact and lightweight. The Amiron, on the other hand, didn’t get the memo. Its footprint is burly like that of Beyerdynamic’s classic over-ear headphones. We’re talking about imposingly-sized ear cups/pads, thick headband, and maybe what will be of most contention, no fold-ability.
You’ll see a consequence of that last point when you pull the product out of the box. The carrying case supplied with it is bulkier than we imagine most users would want to commute with. The more we tour the Amiron, the more we believe Beyerdynamic’s purpose for them was in-home or in-office listening, rather than on-the-go. This is evident from its stout 380 g weight as well.
Beyerdynamic’s hard, zipper case is constructed well but imposing.
Beyerdynamic owns the fact when it comes to design. It feels as brawny and sturdily constructed from every angle. Although, the materials aren’t quite what we’d expect from a $700 headphone. Except for the metal ear cup stems, we feel plastic throughout. Granted, it’s a very slick, smooth, and sophisticatedly finished plastic (ceramic-like in feel). But it’s still apparently hard plastic, and the structural elements, like the stem hinges and headband caps, have the slight plastic-y creak to them. We aren’t doubting that they’ll stand the test of time; this is more of an evaluation of the “premium” aesthetic of an expensive device.
The headphone’s exterior features bunched on the right ear cup.
As for features, the expected elements of a wireless over-ear are present. The physical interfaces are bunched towards the bottom of the right ear cup: power button (which is transparent to show the blue/red status LED underneath), charging port (kudos to Beyerdynamic for using the current USB-C standard), and 3.5 mm jack for optional wired listening. That’s not all, though. The flat surface of the ear pad is touch sensitive for various playback controls, a design feature that mimics that seen on the preceding Aventho Wireless.
Function
A hefty headphone begs for substantial cushioning, and Beyerdynamic fortunately did not skimp. Both the ear pads and headband are equivalently plump and feel great on the head. The wrappings are a soft fabric rather than leather, making the headphones feel like a pillow encompassing your head. The design successful in making you forget about the heft, and instead, relax in comfort.
The thick ear pads also make noise isolation above average. These headphones are wireless but not noise-canceling, so this important attention to detail is appreciated.
Getting started with the Amiron is as easy as should be. Long press the power button and the headphones will first boot in pairing mode (flashing the LED blue and red). Then find it in your device’s Bluetooth settings and get playing. You’ll get a vocal indication of battery percentage level at each startup.
Just like the Aventho Wireless, the playback control is via an inconspicuous touchpad.
The touchpad gesture controls aren’t nearly as simple to figure out. The touch response works great, but you’ll have to refer to the manual to learn all the maneuvers. You will catch some of the essentials by sliding your finger across: swiping left and right switches the track, while up and down adjusts the volume. And then double-tapping is how you play/pause the audio.
A cool feature that Beyerdynamic has developed for its flagship wireless headphones is sound-personalization software. With the Amiron (Aventho too), you can utilize the company’s MIY app, which runs you through a hearing test in order to tune the output for your specific ears. It’s a neat effort and improves your audio in a more calculated way than just the user making manual adjustments.
As for the performance of the Amiron as a wireless headphone, it is rock solid. That is, the battery life has about 30-hour endurance, and the Bluetooth connection was faultless in our usage.
Sound
Like the Aventho, Beyerdynamic makes the Amiron Wireless able to accept the higher fidelity aptX HD transmission. For a “HiFi” wireless headphone, we wouldn’t expect to see anything less. That said, at this price range, we would’ve liked to see support for LDAC as well. Sony has the footing on wireless audio bandwidth. Specifically, we’re talking about aptX HD’s 576 kbps vs LDAC’s 990 kbps channel, not a small difference.
The aptX HD-enabled Amiron Wireless and LG G7 the perfect match.
Still, upon first listen, we’re immediately hit with an exceptionally detailed sound (relative to other wireless headphones). A lot what we liked about the Aventho’s signature is present here, and then some. That is, a notably clean/clear and distinctive delivery throughout and punchy energy. However, it’s important to know that while the Amiron’s quality trumps many of the wireless headphones out there, it does noticeably heed to what would be its wired counterparts. You don’t get micro-details or extension, such that a careful ear would pick up from deep bass or crisp highs. But it gets most of the way there.
Dynamics are the Amiron’s shining quality, right in line with the general benefit of a full-on over-ear headphone. That is, you get an expanded space around your head, where instruments can display spatial distinction. The Amiron well defines these elements, capable of delivering encompassing symphony that you can get lost in. The crispness from cymbals crash with echoing range and boom of the bass skillfully expands in all directions without overtaking any range.
With all this said, it’s not the widest or airiest delivery. Granted, closed-back headphones can’t compete with their more spacious open-back counterparts. But even compared to its own class (especially price class), it’s fairly average, making this part of the Amiron’s sound our least favorite.
Final Thoughts
The Amiron Wireless is no doubt a solid wireless headphone. We love the sophisticated look, extra comfy padding, high-res wireless playback, and the notably dynamic and crisp sound. But we can’t ignore that steep $700 asking price, which shines the light on its imperfections. The headphones overwhelming footprint is kind of counter-intuitive for a wireless “mobile” device. While its build is nice on the surface, in-hand it doesn’t quite feel the price. Lastly, the sound is very much that of a closed-back headphone, not making a valiant effort to past the boundaries like some others.
The new Snapdragon 670 represents a strong push by Qualcomm to bring a little feature parity between its Premium (800 series) and High (600-series) tier phones. In the past, the 800-series has always gotten the latest and greatest features, while the 600 series was left in the dark with older ones.
The 670, however is quite the beast. Its Cryo 360 CPU features two performance cores (rated at 2.2GHz) and six efficiency cores (rated at 1.7GHz), for a total of eight cores at 2.0GHz. That’s not quite as powerful as an 800-series processor, but it is 15% faster than the next-best 600-series one. The 670 should see improved graphical processing as well, with an Adreno 615 GPU.
The 670 also features Bluetooth 5, Quick Charge 4+, and a Hexagon 685 AI chip, all cutting-edge specifications normally seen on a higher-tier processor. It also includes support for a 16MP dual-sensor camera or 25MP single-sensor camera, and a 30% reduction in power demands for those sensors. Finally, the Snapdragon 670 features an improved X12 LTE modem, supporting download speeds of up to 600Mbps.
According to Qualcomm:
The Snapdragon 670 Mobile Platform is the latest addition to the family, and is engineered to deliver cutting-edge technologies to mainstream smartphone buyers who want to make the most of what their Snapdragon-powered device has to offer.
…
Here at Qualcomm Technologies, we’re developing breakthrough technologies that transform how the world connects and communicates, and the Snapdragon 670 Mobile Platform is no exception. By using premium technologies typically found in higher-tier processors, the platform is optimized to bring flagship features to more people. It’s a win for everyone — from OEMs to users — and it opens the doors for further innovation that benefits the mobile industry.
Look for the phones featuring the Snapdragon 670 coming later this year, perhaps as soon as this fall in the States. We’ll keep you informed, as always!
Do smartphone processors confuse the hell out of you? Check out our Guide to Snapdragon processors to see the differences between them.
Original Equipment Manufacturers, or OEMs, use a number of different kinds of materials to make smartphone glass. Not to be confused with the tech inside of the displays, we’re referring to the actual glass that covers them.
Most modern smartphones feature some sort of toughened glass face, the most common of which is Corning’s Gorilla Glass. Less common is the Japanese-made Asahi Dragontrail glass; rarer still is a coating that’s not glass at all, but Sapphire.
Aside from materials, there are also varying structures of glass. While smartphones used to use a typical pane (2D) of glass, we are more commonly seeing curved screens (3D, like on the Samsung Galaxy Edge series) and flat screens with curved edges (2.5D, like on the V30).
Let’s take a look at the various types of materials used to protect screens on your phones and tablets. We’ll explore some of the differences between them, highlighting some of the most interesting and relevant details.
Corning Gorilla Glass
Gorilla Glass is an alkali-aluminosilicate glass manufactured by the New York-based Corning. Over the last few years it’s become the brand name of display glasses, becoming synonymous with durability of displays. Corning designed Gorilla Glass to be scratch-resistant, drop-resistant, and crystal clear to ensure the best possible picture.
Gorilla Glass 6
Gorilla Glass 6 is an entirely new glass composition that can be chemically strengthened to give it significantly higher levels of compression than is possible with Gorilla Glass 5. This enables Gorilla Glass 6 to be more resistant to damage,” said Dr. Jaymin Amin, vice president of technology and product development, Corning Gorilla Glass and Corning Specialty Materials. “Moreover, with breaks during drops being a probabilistic event, the added compression helps increase, on average, the likelihood of survival through multiple drop events.
While Gorilla Glass 6 has been announced, we don’t have any laboratory-level testing for it yet. It’s only been confirmed on one phone (the Oppo r15) thus far, and none in the US, but we’ll keep our eyes out for more. If the press release from Corning is any indication, Gorilla Glass 6 should be the biggest improvement in smartphone glass yet. Corning boasts that Gorilla Glass 6 is twice as impervious as Gorilla Glass 5, and can withstand 15 drops of up to 1 meter without damage. We’ll see.
Corning® Gorilla® Glass SR+ is a glass composite designed specifically for wearables that combines the legendary toughness, optical clarity and touch sensitivity of Gorilla Glass with superior scratch resistance approaching that of luxury watch cover materials.
Corning® Gorilla® Glass 5 – Corning’s latest glass design was formulated to address breakage – the greatest concern of consumers, according to Corning’s research. The new glass is just as thin and light as previous versions, but has been formulated to deliver dramatically improved damage resistance allowing improved in-field performance. Corning® Gorilla® Glass 5 has been tested for performance when subjected to sharp contact damage.
According to Corning, phones with Gorilla Glass 5 can survive drops of up to 1.6 meters. Moreover, its tech can prevent cracks in up to 80% of falls onto extremely hard surfaces from heights of one meter.
It was the fourth generation of Corning’s tech where the company decided to tackle the idea of being resistant to drops. Remember the commercials for the Droid Turbo in late 2014? This was the era where the uncrackable glass took off, giving phones a much tougher protection over displays. Twice as strong as its predecessor, it definitely changed the game.
High resistance to scratch and sharp contact damage
Improved drop performance
Superior surface quality
Asahi DragonTrail Glass
Dragontrail glass, like Gorilla glass, is an alkali aluminosilicate Japan-made by the Asahi Glass Company. The high-end of Dragontrail’s product line, PRO, actually sports a higher hardness rating than Gorilla Glass 5, according to Vickers Hardness rating. It should be noted that Corning and Asahi use different standards to measure drop testing, so it’s hard to compare them side by side.
Dragontrail glass is more common among mid-tier Chinese-manufactured phones, with Western-marketed ones favoring Gorilla Glass.
While there isn’t a “name-brand” manufacturer for Sapphire smartphone glass, it’s relevant enough to mention here. Rather than making a phone’s screen out of glass, as is so common, it’s made of Sapphire – an exceedingly hard (and subsequently brittle) gem. Perhaps the most famous smartphone with a Sapphire display is last year’s special edition HTC U Ultra.
Though it’s extremely scratch-resistant, mitigating the need for a screen-protector, a Sapphire display is also very brittle, and thus prone to shattering on impact. So while a Sapphire coated smartphone display solves one problem – scratches – it makes another one – drops – worse.
2.5D
Sounds like a buzzword, right? Gotta be something some marketing exec made up and slapped on a smartphone’s box, no?
While 2.5D smartphone glass is purely aesthetic and ergonomic in nature, with no real practical application, it does represent a technological process in making great-looking displays.
Samsung’s Galaxy Edge and Note series use 3D glass in which the entire display curves, resulting in curved sensors beneath the glass. On the other hand, 2.5D glass is completely flat on its face.
This allows OEMs to continue to use technology like Corning Gorilla Glass without trouble. The extra 0.5D comes from the curved edges of the display that drape over the edges of the phone, creating the bezel-less appearance that’s so popular these days. You’ll find 2.5D glass on phones like the LG V30 and the Galaxy S series.
