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.
We all know that Google tracks us. But what you don’t know is that the search giant will do so even after you’ve told it not to.
Google does give you the option to turn Location History off. Yet according to a recent paper, this act might not have the intended effect of wiping your tracks completely.
An investigation led by researchers at Princeton Universe and reported by the Associated Press revealed that Google services on Android continue to store location data. Regardless of whether you opted out in privacy settings.
Google has its eyes on you, always
The findings were based on work done by postdoctoral researcher Gunes Acar. He carried an Android phone with Location services turned off while traveling through New York, only to discover that Google was still tracking him the entire time.
The Associated Press included an interactive map which pinpoints exactly where he traveled. What’s more, this information was stored in Acar’s Google account.
The conclusion of the research is that Google continues to track you through services like Google Maps, weather apps and even browsing searches, even if you told it not to. While searching online isn’t directly linked to tracking, it can be used to determine your location and save it to your Google account.
In response to the Associated Press article, Google provided the following statement:
“There are a number of different ways that Google may use location to improve people’s experience, including Location History, Web and App Activity, and through device-level Location Services.We provide clear descriptions of these tools, and robust controls so people can turn them on or off, and delete their histories at any time.”
Want to prevent Google from really tracking you? There’s a feature for that, although you might not really know it’s there. And surprise-surprise it’s not Location History.
How to keep Google from tracking you
You’ll need to toggle off the “Web and App Activity” option which is enabled by default. On your Android phone to go to Settings>Google>Google account>Data & personalization. Here’s where you will find the Web and App Activity option. This will actually turn off location tracking for good.
What’s confusing is that Web and App Activity sits right above Location History. This suggests the two are different options. What’s more, Google doesn’t mention anything about a location on the Web and App Activity description saying that it:
“Saves your activity on Google sites and apps to give you faster searches, better recommendations, and more personalized experiences in Maps, Search and other Google services”.
As you can see, it quite hard to determine that something called Web and App Activity is actually in charge of controlling Google’s collection of location data.
Google’s back to school sale isn’t the only way to get a deal on a Pixel 2 XL. Starting August 12 until the 31 Project Fi has some discounts for you as well. Starting with the Pixel 2 XL, LG G7 ThinQ, LG V35 ThinQ, and Moto G6 for some pretty steep discounts.
Pixel 2 XL
The Pixel 2 XL is still one of the best Android phones around and one of the few running the official release of Android Pie. The $200 discount through Project Fi is for all current and new customers. With the discount, this effectively drops the price of the 64GB model to $649 and $749 for the 128GB model. However, it will require you to activate a line within 30 days or your account will be charged the additional $200 and is limited to 1 per customer.
LG G7 ThinQ and LG V35 ThinQ
For this pair of LG phones, Project Fi is offering a bill credit of up to $899 when you purchase two of them. You can purchase two G7 ThinQ, two V35 ThinQ, or mix and match. However, the bill credit will be for the amount of the cheapest phone. In order to receive the credit, both phones must be activated on the shared group plan within 60 days of purchase. They must also remain active for 30 consecutive days, only then will you begin to receive the bill credits.
Moto G6
The Moto G6 is one of the best budget phones around and with this Project Fi deal you can snag it for $50 off. In this case, just as with the LG phone deal, the discount comes in the form of a bill credit. The Moto G6 must also be activated within 30 days of purchase and remain active for 30 consecutive days before you’ll receive your credit.
If you’re interested, you might want to jump on these deals quickly. Even though they run through August 31 the terms also state they are only good while supply lasts.
Do you live in Boston, MA or Austin, TX or Atlanta, GA? If you do, we have an interesting piece of news to share with you.
T-Mobile is giving you the opportunity to experience its network for free for up to 30 days or up to 30GB of data (whichever comes first).
To take advantage of the offer you will have to sign up online to receive a small trial device that needs to be connected to your phone. There are no additional costs attached to the trial. Simply use the trial device to experience the T-Mobile network for up to 30GB of LTE data or 30 days. You’ll be able to continue to use your own phone and number. So there’s also no switching involved.
See how it feels to be on T-Mobile by signing-up for a free trial
Once you’ve completed the registration process, you’ll get the trial device mailed to you within 2-days. The trial package includes a SIM card that you need to insert in the trial device.
Keep in mind that once you’ve participated in the network trial, you won’t be eligible to participate again for the next 6 months.
If after the trial is over you find that you’ve enjoyed the experience, simply head out to the local T-Mobile store and join the ranks of Magenta subscribers.
The trial experience is currently available only for residents of Boston, Austin and Atlanta.
T-Mobile says it knows how hard switching can be, which is why it’s offering this network trial to allow people to experience the perks of being on T-Mobile without the hassle.
In related news, T-Mobile will be giving away 9 Galaxy Note 9 smartphones this Thursday. So if you want the chance to win Samsung’s latest flagship, don’t forget to join the sweepstakes.
The Galaxy Note 9 launched a few days ago with monster specs, but also with a beastly price. Which makes winning one even more appealing.
Well, that didn’t last long. After a rumored 30-day exclusivity period and a confirmed “few day exclusive” comment from Samsung, the Fortnite Android Beta has officially begun rolling out for Android devices. I just got my invite to download on my OnePlus a couple hours ago, confirmed by two Scott and Andrew on their respective devices.
The initial download is pretty small, with a larger, 1.8GB+ download after launching the game for the first time. It didn’t take long to install and login. I already have a Fortnite account on my XBox, and signing into the Android version – because it’s true crossplay – migrated all my earned goodies to mobile no problem.
Want to know if your device is compatible with the beta? Here’s the (surprisingly long!) list:
Rather notably missing from this list is any phone from HTC – we know HTC has been struggling for a while, but the U11 and its successors are by all accounts powerful enough to run the popular game. When the likes of Nokia, Xiaomi and ZTE (though the latter two are huge in China) get multiple devices on the list and you can’t even get one device on the compatibility list for the biggest Android launch since Angry Birds, you know you have a problem.
But I digress.
Now get out there: build some fortifications, blast some baddies, dance on their graves, and shove your money in Epic’s already-bulging wallet.
Still haven’t signed up for your beta invite? You might wanna get on that.
When Google Assistant first made the leap from your phone to another device in 2016 your choice was simple. Either buy a Google Home speaker or nothing. Since then times have changed, and the product line has grown from speakers to headphones to even smart displays. There have never been more options than there are today with more always coming.
In the beginning, having just one speaker seemed like plenty but as time has gone on their uses have expanded and so have the reasons to add more. Now, you have the capability to treat them as an intercom system with the broadcast command as well as the ability to use them for whole home audio. If you’re looking to expand your smart home or just beginning, take a look at our list below to get started.
Smart Speakers
Google
The Google Home speaker started it all and has now grown into a trio of speakers including the Google Home Mini and Google Home Max. The Google Home Mini is a perfect starter speaker whereas the Google Home has more power and bass. Then there’s Google Home Max which turns it up even further with better audio quality and a higher price of course.
Next, we have JBL’s Link series of speakers which rivals that of Google’s offerings with four different speakers at four different price points. Part of JBL’s line up are the Link 10 and Link 20 which are portable Google Assistant speakers. While the Link 300 and 500 are larger stationary speakers for filling your home with audio.
The Insignia brand provides a modern take on alarm clocks with two different flavors to choose from. Both are exclusive to Best Buy with the larger more expensive of the two being portable with a built-in battery. These are known to go on sale from time to time and can be picked up at a bargain price if you’re patient.
Part of LG’s ever-expanding ThinQ line of devices comes their own Google Assistant speaker. Said to feature Meridian filtering to remove imperfections giving you clearer vocals and enhanced bass.
The Onkyo Google Assistant speaker comes from a brand with 70 years experience in hi-fi music. The G3 smart speaker is packed into a resonance tuned wood cabinet with custom two-way drivers and dynamic noise reduction technology.
From the audio company Polk comes their Polk Assist smart speaker. Its compact design makes it perfect for placing anywhere around the house and has been designed for room-filling audio.
Looking surprisingly similar to the Homepod smart speaker from Apple with a clock is the Sony S50G. A unique feature for the S50G are the touch-free controls. With just the wave of your hand, you have the power to change songs or adjust the volume. It also provides you with 360 degrees of sound and has an IPX3 splashproof rating.
The TicHome Mini is another portable speaker with water protection on our list. It comes in a variety of attractive colors, features a handy loop, and IPX6 waterproofing. Between its compact size, waterproofing, and 6-hour battery life it is a great way to take Google Assistant with you around the house.
Zolo is the audio brand from well known mobile phone accessories maker Anker. Their first and only Google Assistant smart speaker at this time is the Zolo Mojo. This tiny speaker promises exceptional clarity and enhanced bass to help you work your mojo at home.
Often considered the best of the best when it comes to noise canceling headphones, the Bose QuietComfort 35 Series II is an updated version of the originals with Google Assistant support. If you’re looking for over the ear Assistant enabled headphones with noise cancellation this is your best bet.
The Pixel Buds were the first pair of Google Assistant enabled headphones to be released. Made by Google themselves this pair of Bluetooth headphones had mixed reviews to say the least. Often compared to Apple’s Airpods the Pixel Buds are not truly wireless but do include a charging case much like the Airpods.
Much like JBL’s Link series of smart speakers they are all about giving you options. This time in a trio of headphones coming in different sizes and price points. The Everest 110GA is for all of you who prefer smaller lightweight earbuds. While the Everest 310GA offer a larger on-ear design and the Everest 710GA are even larger with an over-ear design.
The JBL Link View is the second smart speaker officially released and comes with an 8-inch display with two 10w speakers on either side. JBL’s offering looks a bit bulkier than the one from Lenovo but features two speakers for a more power and stereo sound.
Lenovo was the first official smart display to be released for Google Assistant. It comes in two variants an 8-inch and 10-inch model. The 8-inch includes an HD display while the 10-inch features a full HD display. Both only include one 10w speaker.
Modern smartphones can be used for just about anything. They’re important tools to stay in touch with friends and family, stay up-to-date on the world around us, and to entertain us. The world of mobile gaming is becoming increasingly popular as newer and higher-quality games are released into the Play Store. It makes sense that how good a phone is at gaming is now a key comparison point when choosing a phone.
Here’s our list of the best phones for gaming on the market right now.
Razer Phone
The Razer Phone is built for gaming. Coming from the company who made its name with excellent mine, keyboards, and gaming laptops, the phone was built from the ground up with gaming in mind.
It all starts with the display. The 5.7-inch, 2560 x 1440p Sharp IGZO IPS is a 120Hz display that looks incredible in person. Everything is fluid and it just looks perfect. Games and animations look so smooth it’s hard to believe you’re looking at a display on a mobile device and not a gaming monitor.
Flanking that screen are two front-facing speakers. If you pay attention to Android phones at all, their design is going to look pretty familiar. Razer stuck with the Nextbit Robin’s design (it bought Nextbit in 2017) to prioritize audio. The huge speakers are some of the best on the market and do a great job of keeping you immersed in whatever you’re playing or watching.
When you’re looking for a phone for gaming, what’s important? For me, it’s display, speakers, and battery life. The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 checks all of those boxes and has an added killer bonus: the S Pen stylus.
The 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display on the Note 9 is one of, if not the, best display on the market. Not only is it gigantic, but it comes in a frame not larger than it. That makes it pretty easy to handle and makes content feel immersive. When you pick up the Note 9, you feel like all screen and that’s an awesome feeling. There’s a ton of real estate so you’re not trying to tap in cramped quarters and the phone is an ergonomic masterpiece and easy to hold.
As for battery life, the Galaxy Note 9 is rocking a 4,000 mAh battery. It also has a few special power saving modes if you’re low on juice. It also has a mode that allows the processor to spin up to its highest clock speed so you can get the best performance possible while playing games.
Samsung also includes different performance modes that you can select based on how you use your phone. Game launcher allows you to use the system’s Game Tools, which are a suite of options which can do things like stretch the game to your entire screen, turn off alerts while you’re playing games, disable the digital home button, turns off screen lock and allows you to easily take screenshots and record your screen.
This one might catch some people off guard, but hear us out. While they aren’t the newest versions, the Moto Z Play and Moto Z2 Play feature processors and GPUs that can keep up with most modern games and RAM to keep them all in memory. They also both support microSD card slots so you can store as many games, movies, music, and pictures as you want.
But, the killer feature for us is Moto Mods. Moto Mods are modules that you can connect to the back of Moto Z family phones to increase their functionality. For gaming, there are three in particular that catch our attention: the Moto Gamepad, the Moto Insta-Share projector, and the Moto Turbopower Pack.
We’ll start with the least sexy first, the Moto Turbopower Pack. This one is simply just a huge battery that you can strap to the back of your phone during long gaming sessions to make sure you don’t drain your battery. It serves the same purpose of a battery bank, but is far more convenient.
The Moto Insta-Share project allows you to broadcast a 70-inch version of your screen onto a wall or projector screen. How cool would it be to load up your favorite game, connect a Bluetooth controller and this projector and game away for hours? That sounds like a fun night with friends to me!
Last but certainly not least is the Moto gamepad. This handheld gamepad adds buttons on both sides of your screen and totally reminds us of the Sega Game Gear from way back in the day. It’s perfect for racing games and shooters alike.
Motorola Moto Z Play purchase links: Motorola | Verizon | Amazon (Certified Refurbished)
