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Dragon Hills (Father-Daughter Review)

AndroidGuys
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This review was done in conjunction with my nine-year-old daughter. She provided her own perspective apart from mine in order to show how both children and adults perceived the Google Play game Dragon Hills.

Proper Introduction

Dragon Hills is an endless-runner style game from Rebel Twins that allows you take control of a raging dragon in a revenge mission against the mischievous knights of the land. Simple controls paired with overall basic gameplay mechanics are at heart here. My daughter recommended this game and I was so surprised by the initial presentation and gameplay from the start so naturally, I had to play (and learn) more.

What’s so Fun?

Dragon Hills smartly integrates the endless style running that’s become so popular on smartphones with a hefty amount of upgrading and collecting. My daughter really enjoyed the upgrading aspect–she was always looking for the next power-up. Dragon Hills allows you the ability to upgrade by spending coins within the game, which are accumulated throughout each level during gameplay by collecting or by using real-world money to purchase coin packs.

dragon hills gameplay upgrade
Dragon Hills allows you to do some major destruction later on, which my daughter found to be very rewarding

The gameplay within Dragon Hills is so simple that it’s instantly fun. Controlling the dragon is similar to other games of this genre, but instead of having the dragon jump or fly from screen presses, he instead dives down onto, and even under, the ground. As your dragon continues on his wrecking rampage, he’ll destroy things in his path, collect coins, eat animals and knights, as well as bust through barricades, trees, and rocks. The goal is to navigate carefully through each level by avoiding deadly obstacles and collecting as much loot in your destructive path as possible.

As you gain coins by playing through the levels, you’ll learn new tricks and how to efficiently navigate through the game world. The coins you gain can be used to spend in the shop for upgrading your dragon’s abilities and armor. More than once my daughter asked if she could just spend real-world money to upgrade, which I guess is what the developer essentially wants in a game like Dragon Hills.

My daughter and I both had a lot of fun playing Dragon Hills (even without investing any money). We would often watch each other play to discover new techniques and my daughter would always check to make sure she stayed ahead of me in the overall progress. The challenges in Dragon Hills aren’t necessarily designed for multiple players, but playing on two separate accounts naturally brought forth some fun challenges.

Royal Presentation

Dragon Hills has art that is incredibly inviting. The characters are drawn and animated in a way that’s clean and distinct. My daughter really likes the way the dragon causes havoc and the way characters within the environment reacted. She was always amused by the crazy sound effects and goofy animations that play throughout each zany level. I found that the overall presentation was spot-on and only interrupted by the occasional, annoying advertisement.

Upgrading your dragon is one of the best parts of Dragon Hills–it really is quite addicting

Music and sound effects are much better than your average Google Play game here. I really felt engrossed in the experience while listening to the tiny humans scream for their lives as the crashing sound of their homes echoed from my little mobile speaker. The catchy tunes accentuate the action as they play in the background–it’s mostly memorable fare without being annoying in a way where it’ll get stuck in your head for days.

The environments in Dragon Hills are great eye candy. As you drive your dragon through each level and cause havoc and destruction, you may notice objects Domino and bounce dynamically with everything in the playable game space. It really is neat to watch the interactions play out. There’s a lot going on here with the dynamic weather effects, particle effects, animated characters and multiple interactions.

dragon hills levels
The gameplay from level to level is super fun, fast and furious, and there’s 200 to complete!

Rebel Twins did a fine and dandy job of packaging Dragon Hills as a worthwhile presentation in so many respects. The entire game is filled with character: in music, art style, sound effects, and animation–something I’d expect from the likes of EA or Ubisoft but not necessarily a smaller indie studio. Simply marvelous.

Final Approach

In closing, Dragon Hills is a wonderful game that creates an enjoyable experience by allowing the player to fully control a maniacal dragon in his quest for vengeance. The whimsical nature of the game perfectly blends this quest into a light-hearted venture that anyone of any age can truly enjoy. Although the premise remains simple, the level design and pick-up-and-play controls had me and my daughter returning for more at nearly every opportunity. My daughter played even more than I did as she was always looking to upgrade as much as possible and complete the next mission.

If you like humor, flare, and pure, entertaining gameplay in your mobile games, you really can’t go wrong with Dragon Hills. Precision control is what allows gameplay to come to the forefront in every step of the way as you guide your dragon through the wonderfully created and magical hills of the kingdom. We had so much fun with Dragon Hills that we recommended it to family members and friends alike.

dragon hills game

HTC U11 vs LG G6 (Smartphone Showdown)

Alexandra Arici
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Situated below Samsung in terms of their foothold in the flagship space, both the LG G6 and the new HTC U11 are two premium smartphones with similar price tags. However, the handsets come with several differentiating aspects, both in terms of specs and feats. Below, we’ll highlight them for you.

Design and Display

The HTC U11 features an all-glass outer casing and a super-shiny glossy back color. Starting with the HTC U Ultra, the company moved away from its classical metal phone design and started making glass-backed devices. And the U11 clearly shows us HTC will continue to expand upon these design principles.

As for the LG G6, the phone comes with a metal body, slim bezels, and unique dimensions. It features a 5.7-inch Dolby Vision HDR display with 2880 x 1440 resolution and 18:9 aspect ratio. So, you’ll get a phone that’s a tad wider and longer than most smartphones currently available on the market, including the HTC U11. Both models include a robust metal frame.

The HTC U11 includes a 5.5-inch panel with 2560 x 1440 (QHD resolution) – which is in league with what the majority of flagships offer today.

Performance

While the HTC U Ultra which was launched a bit earlier than the LG G6 included an older Snapdragon 821, the HTC U11 takes advantage of Qualcomm’s newest premium chipsets, the Snapdragon 835.

The LG G6 also relies on an older, more stable (LG says) Snapdragon 821, but we expect the company’s second premium handset for the year, the LG V30 to be based on the newer chipset. The phone also offers 4GB of RAM and either 32GB or 64GB of internal storage.

As for the HTC U11, the device is available in a 4GB/64GB configuration in markets like the US and UK, but in Asia, a model with 6GB/128GB storage will be offered for purchase.

Both flagships include a microSD card slot which allows users to expand memory capacity to 256GB.

Cameras

The HTC U11 includes a 12-megapixel camera on the back with phase-detection autofocus, optical image stabilization, dual-LED flash, as well as f/1.7. Up in front, customers will find a 16-megapixel selfie shooter with auto HDR and fullHD recording capabilities.

The LG G6 rides the dual-camera trend wave, by offering a dual 13-megapixel main camera with wide-angle, optical image stabilization and phase-detection autofocus. It also includes a 5 megapixel self-portrait shooter with wide angle lens.

Other features

Since it launched only a few weeks ago, it’s only natural the HTC U11 will ship with a newer Android version – 7.1.1 Nougat to be more precise. As for the G6, the phone runs Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box, which is kept pretty clean by LG (not so much bloatwear onboard).

While the LG G6 rocks a distinct look with relatively minimal bezels 18:9 display, the HTC U11 has its own little quirk. It’s called Edge Sense which is basically the phone’s special frame which allows users to interact with the phone by virtue of squeezing.

The HTC U11 is also riddled with virtual assistants including HTC’s own Sense Companion, the Google Assistant, and Amazon Alexa. In contrast, the LG G6 only offers access to the Google Assistant. It should be mentioned that in some markets the product is sold with a quad DAC audio feature, while in others it brings forth wireless charging (US included). The phone is waterproof (IP68 rating) in all markets.

Coming back to the HTC U11, it includes Boom Sound Hi-Fi technology and despite not having a 3.5mm headphone jack (which the LG G6 retains), it ships with a 3.5mm adapter with built-in DAC. It also comes with an IP67 rating, which means it can be submerged in up to 1m of fresh water for 30 minutes and come out unharmed.

Battery

Like the Samsung Galaxy S8, the HTC U11 also relies on a 3,000 mAh juice box. As for the LG G6, it includes a slightly larger 3,300 mAh battery. But in our review of the product, we found the battery life a bit lacking.

“I would routinely go rushing towards a charger around 6:00 PM every night to get through the rest of my waking hours.”

Pricing

At this moment you can grab the unlocked LG G6 from Amazon for a discounted $552 (down from $659). The phone is also available with major carriers including Verizon, T-Mobile or Sprint, but it will be a bit more expensive. For example, Verizon sells the 32GB model for $672 outright.

As for the HTC U11, the handset is available for pre-order on HTC’s official website and Amazon for $649.99.

Google Pixel 2 leak reveals bezel-less display

Alexandra Arici
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In a few months, Google will unveil its next-gen Pixel device(s) and naturally, we can’t wait to see how the search giant’s new phones will look like.

Well, today we get to glimpse into the future. A leaked picture allegedly showing the Pixel 2 made an appearance today via the Chinese website Sina.

We’ve been treated to a (small) image which suggests the Pixel 2 will come to an edge-to-edge display quite similar to the Samsung Galaxy S8. What’s more, it seems that Google will be implementing a dual-camera setup on the back of the phone, said to consist of two 16-megapixel sensors. An 8-megapixel secondary snapper will be sitting up in front.

The current Pixel

The leak also states the phone will launch with a Snapdragon 836 processor, which will allegedly be the second top-tier chipset Qualcomm will launch in 2017. The existence of the chip has yet to be confirmed, although it’s quite possible recent leaks are true and the American semiconductor manufacturer will soon launch a revision of the Snapdragon 835 SoC. Just like it introduced the Snapdragon 821 after the Snapdragon 820 last year.

Another picture is attached in the Sina leak and as far as we could understand with the help of Google translate, it also depicts the Pixel 2. Although the two images are pretty different. The second one does not have thin bezels on top or bottom.

Anyway, Pixel fans have been asking for an improved design this year, so it wouldn’t be a big surprise if the Pixel 2 launched with an edge-to-edge display à la Galaxy S8. The Pixel 2 could also bring front-facing speakers and a waterproof/water-resistant body.

OnePlus 5 could sell for $100 more than the OnePlus 3T

Alexandra Arici
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The OnePlus 5 has been the subject of many leaks in the past few weeks. And while most of the flagship’s specs have already been revealed, one thing still remains a mystery. How much will the device cost?

OnePlus built a reputation based on delivering affordable handsets with top-of-the-line specifications. But the question arises now, will the OnePlus 5 follow the same trend? With a Snapdragon 835 SoC, 8GB of RAM (at least in some markets like India) and a dual-camera setup, the phone’s price tag might not be so attractive this year.

Well this week, we get the first hint about how much the OnePlus 5 will cost. A popular festival taking place in Finland called Provinssi started a contest which will be awarding two three-day VIP passes for the event + a OnePlus 5 phone to the big winner.

The official contest rules reveal that the value of the prize is €948 ($1,605). A quick look at the festival’s web page reveals a VIP ticket costs €199 / $223. Knowing this we can easily work out the price of the OnePlus 5 – it’s €550 / $618.

The OnePlus 3T costs €439 on OnePlus’ Finnish website, while the same phone is priced $439 on the US website. This means, the OnePlus 5 could cost $550 in the US, $111 more than its predecessor. But we’re just speculating, nothing more!

Now for the final question, would you still buy the OnePlus 5 if it sold for $550?

Momentum launches new Wi-Fi two-way voice monitoring camera for $50

Alexandra Arici
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Wi-Fi security cameras are great for giving you piece of mind or checking on your kids or pets while you’re away from home. And you don’t even have to pay a fortune to get one into your home.

Smart monitoring company Momentum recently announced a new Wi-Fi two-way voice HD camera product coming with a super affordable $50 price-tag. It also introduced a new Momentum mobile app experience that makes monitoring easy for all.

The camera which comes with dual Wi-Fi support (2.4GHz and 5.0GHz) remotely delivers live video with two-way talk to the Momentum app which is compatible with both Android and iOS devices (phones and tablets).

The camera records 720p HD video and offers 110-degree viewing angle. It also includes built-in night vision, so you can see what’s going on back home even when it’s dark.

Owners will be sent notifications once motion or audio is detected back home, prompting them to turn on the video recording to see what’s going on. Users will be able to control multiple Momentum Wi-Fi cameras from the same app, as well as other home-based connected products such as Nest.

Owners of the Momentum camera can save the recorded video either o a microSD card slot (up to 128GB) or its secure online cloud. If you choose the second option, you’ll have to spend some extra money. The cloud subscription service starts at $5/month for 7 days of event recording and playback. Momentum promises its Amazon Web Services-based cloud service is safe and private.

The new camera will be available for purchase soon from Momentum’s official website.

Budget Coolpad Defiant arrives at T-Mobile on June 16

Alexandra Arici
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T-Mobile subscribers looking to purchase an affordable smartphone will soon have a new option. The carrier confirmed it will start offering the budget-friendly Coolpad Defiant starting on June 16. The handset will also be available for purchase from MetroPCS, although no exact release date was shared yet.

The Coolpad Defiant brings low-end specs to the table, but it does run Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box. Apart from that, the Defiant features a 5-inch display with 854 x 480 resolution and relies on a Snapdragon 425 processor clocked at 1.4GHz to keep the lights on onboard.

Coolpad also throws in 1GB of RAM, as well as 8GB of expandable storage and a 5-megapixel/2-megapixel camera combo.

The affordable phone relies on a 2,450 mAh battery which is said to be able to offer 16.5 hours of talk time and up to 12 days of standby time and supports LTE bands 2,4,5 and 12.

While T-Mobile is busy launching new affordable handsets, rumor has it the carrier is also working towards releasing its own branded premium but cheap lineup of phones called REVVL.

One of these products called the REVVL T1 surfaced online last month, revealing the phone might come equipped with a 5.5-inch IPS display with fullHD resolution and a 13-megapixel/5-megapixel camera couple.

App Highlight: Trident for Zooper

Dan Bartram
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The App

Developed by Milan Dragovic, Trident for Zooper is a little bit different when it comes to an app highlight since it is more of a widget. It’s relatively new at only 10,000 installs – you’ll need Zooper Pro for use this widget pack, but Trident will give you some gorgeous widgets.

What it does

Trident gives a number of Google Pixel style widgets as well as Samsung Galaxy S8 widgets. There are also a number of minimal and vintage widgets to provide some excellent styles to compliment your Android smartphone. All widgets scale perfectly so work on any resolution screen and look great.

– Download and install Zooper Widget Pro 2.38 or above
– Download and install Trident
– Add a Zooper widget to your homescreen
– When Zooper widget skins list pops up, choose Trident
– Select the widget you want to add

Why we like it

Here at AndroidGuys we love customizing our devices and Zooper is one of our favorite apps. On its own, it’s pretty basic, but when combined with something like Trident, the possibilities are endless. My personal favorite is the ability to have a Galaxy S8 style weather widget that you can use with something like Nova Launcher. If you like minimalist design then be sure to check out Trident.

How to get it

Trident is available from the Google Play Store. You can download it right here.

Tronsmart Presto Portable Charger: A battery bank with Quick Charge 3.0 built-in

Matt Adams
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Portable chargers and battery banks are in kind of a weird place right now. Battery life on phones is getting much better, but there’s still a market for these guys because it’s not good enough yet. A dead phone is no fun so, why not protect yourself with a battery? At least, that’s what Tronsmart thinks. That’s why it recently released the Presto Portable Charger. What makes the Presto stand out is the inclusion of Quick Charge 3.0, the fastest charging standard on the market today.

Tronsmart thinks the combination of that Quick Charge 3.0 charging speed and the 10,000mAh capacity will help it stand out in the crowded marketplace of portable chargers. We’ve been testing out the charger for a few weeks now and have come away impressed with the quality of it. While it isn’t a product that you need to run out and purchase this second, we definitely think that if you’re in the market, you should give it a look.

Charging

As we said, the standout feature is that Quick Charge 3.0 charging speed. We used the Presto charger, a Choetech USB A to USB C cable, a Kurrent Voltage Meter, and an LG G6 to conduct our charging test. Over three separate tests, our speed bottomed out at 1.12A, topped out at 1.8A and normally remained in a zone 1.42A – 1.57A. We tested this while the phone was between 20 and 70 percent battery so there were no limiting factors.

Overall, we’re pleased with the charging speed. It does trigger the “fast charging” notification on both the LG G6 and Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus and charges the phones up quickly. We replaced our wall charger at night with the Presto charger for eight nights and always woke up with a full battery and no problems.

Our charging capacity test was less than impressive. While the Presto charger is rated at 10,000mAh capacity, we only got about two full charges on our Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus (3500mAh battery capacity) and just over that on our LG G6 (3300mAh). While you do have to factor in some loss due to heat loss and some loss due to the cable, that was more than we thought was acceptable. Tronsmart claims on its Amazon listing for this charger that it achieved a 90% conversion rate, but we saw nowhere close to that.

Construction

On the other hand, the Presto is very well built. The soft plastic outside feels sturdy with no flex at all when pressure was applied to it. I have zero doubt that the charger will hold up well if it’s thrown into a bag or tossed around and suffers some bumps. It might get a little marked or stained up as ours did in the couple of weeks we had it, but it should still function flawlessly.

The right side of the device houses a power button that lights up the battery indicator on the face of the device. There are four little LEDs that light up to tell you how much juice is left in the bank, a very simple yet effective design. The bottom of the battery bank houses three ports, a green USB port that can charge devices up to Quick Charge 3.0 speeds, a regular USB port that charges at sub-Quick Charge speeds (save this one for your friends with Apple devices) and a micro USB port that sits in between them to charge the battery bank back up.

Ugh

Here is my biggest complaint with the Tronsmart Presto charger. Micro USB. It’s 2017 guys. I get that micro USB is legacy and there are a ton of cables out there, but UBS type-C is the name of the game right now. If you replaced the micro-USB port and the USB 3.0 port with one USB type-C port, you could have kept all the functionality and lost an unneeded port. USB type-C is the future and the reason I know that is that almost every phone sold today has a USB type-C port on it. Please, get with the times.

Conclusion

LG G6 vs. Tronsmart Presto. Very thin charger!

Overall, the Tronsmart Presto Portable Charger is a really nice option. If the lack of USB type-C doesn’t bother you then you should definitely consider it as an option. Now that we have phones with batteries that routinely surpass 3,000mAh, having an efficient battery bank is important and the Presto isn’t that. You can still get two full charges out of it, but you better throw it back on the charger when you’re done.

It does have that durability going for it though. And to be honest, it looks pretty nice too. I’m not too obsessed with how my battery banks look, but if I can get one that looks better, then I will. No need for obnoxious colors or designs.

The Tronsmart Presto Portable Charger is a solid option and well worth the $20 or so it’ll run you on Amazon.

The best Android phones at Sprint (June 2017)

AndroidGuys
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We’re asked on a regular basis to help determine which phone is the best one available. We get it as a team here at AndroidGuys, but we also field it on an individual level, too. To help address that, we’ve put together a list of top models to choose from at various carriers.

If you’re in the market for a new smartphone from Sprint, this is where you’ll want to start. Note that while this is called the “best Android phones” you can purchase this month, it’s worth noting there are plenty of other models to choose from.

Best is not a universal term to apply to all consumers. Some of you might have a limited budget; some of you may only have very modest needs. To that end, we suggest digging around a little bit and checking with the service provider.

With that out of the way, let’s take a look at the best phones you can purchase this month from Sprint.

Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus

Now in its eighth iteration, the Samsung Galaxy S series is better than ever. It’s not only more powerful and sleek, but it’s bigger, too. Indeed, the Galaxy S8 comes with a 5.8-inch screen while the S8 Plus packs a massive 6.2-inch display. Not that you’d notice, though, as they 18.5:9 aspect ratio makes it much more comfortable in hand than predecessors.

Samsung has opted for the curved screen on both versions of the phone which signals the company may have done away with the “Edge” variants of devices. Time will tell, however, but we suspect this could be the norm for its flagship phones going forward.

Powered by Android 7.0 Nougat, the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus feature Samsung’s custom UI. Making its debut in the new generation is Bixby, Samsung’s new virtual assistant. As you might expect, it allows for voice commands and marries itself nicely with other Samsung apps and features. It’s not fully available for the US market just yet (Spring 2017), but, once it rolls out, it will give Samsung users one more reason to stay inside of its ecosystem. Apple has Siri, Google has Assistant, and Samsung has Bixby.

Key hardware in the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, 4GB RAM, and 64GB of internal storage. Camera, which are better than ever, are 12-megapixels around back with an 8-megapixel front-facing shooter. Battery capacity for the S8 is 3,000mAh while the S8 Plus gets a 3,500mAh power supply.

The S8 line is IP68 rated against water and dust and is available in a variety of colors. New for this generation of Galaxy S phones is the Samsung DeX dock which essentially lets use use your phone to power a desktop computer. As you might expect, the S8 is compatible with the new Gear VR headset, too.

LG G6

Whereas last year saw LG diverge from its flagship experience with its modular approach to the G5, this year sees them returning to form. Quite literally, really, as the G6 goes back to what made the LG line what it is. For 2017, LG has put together one of the best phones on the market, internally, and externally.

The LG G6 offers up a 5.7-inch Quad HD LCD display with a unique 18:9 aspect ratio; this lends itself to a thin, yet spacious screen that’s a pleasure to behold. Under the hood we find a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor bolstered by 4GB RAM and plenty of storage space. In fact, the microSD card slot allows for up to 2TB of media, apps, and files.

In terms of cameras, the G6 has a dual 13-megapixel setup around back and a 5-megapixel shooter around front. Other specifications include an IP68 rating against water and dust, a capacious 3,300mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0 and wireless charging capability.

Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge

Although they are a year old now, these are certainly worth considering in 2017. The price has dropped on them over time, but the specs are still more than enough to get the job done for most users. The hardware and software industry moves quicker than the needs of the average consumer. There’s nothing wrong with saving a few bucks on these flagships.

Now powered by Android 7.0 Nougat, the Galaxy S7 family draws strength from Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processors with 4GB of memory. The standard bearer has a 5.1-inch display at 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution while the Edge model is slightly larger at 5.5-inches.

The Galaxy S7 employs a 3,000mAh battery while the bigger model squeezes in a 3,600mAh power supply. Both feature support for fast wireless charging. Offered in multiple colors, the phones are also IP68 rated for protection against water and dust.

LG V20

The LG V20 might be nearing its anniversary, but it’s still everything you need to blast through a work day with plenty left over for down time. The hardware is right in line with the needs of most and the price is equally attractive.

Running the latest version of Android (7.0 Nougat), the V20 is a multimedia fan’s dream experience. The main display is 5.7-inches of high-resolution gorgeousness but the secondary display at the top is every bit as useful. Although it’s smaller and only occupies a small section, it’s right where you’ll look for notifications and shortcuts. Music sounds tremendous thanks to the 32-bit Hi-Fi Quad DAC.

Other key hardware includes 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage. Need more space? Throw in a microSD card up to 2TB and you’ll have all the room you can hope for, plus some.

As for cameras, the LG V20 comes with a 16-megapixel rear unit and a 5-megapixel front-facing shooter for selfies. Rounding things out, the V20 packs a 3,200mAh battery which is more than enough to get you through a busy day.

OnePlus’ CEO just posted a gorgeous OnePlus 5 night shot

Alexandra Arici
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By now it’s common knowledge that the OnePlus 5 will come featuring a main camera developed in partnership with DxO.

So far OnePlus phones haven’t exactly offered the best cameras, but things are bound to change with the OnePlus 5. The company’s CEO, Pete Lau recently shared a night shot that has been taken with the yet-to-be-released product – and the result is quite stunning.

As you can see the image is crystal clear and the details of the building and sky are easily visible. Lau added a few words alongside the shot saying “What a purely clear sky! See you at 10:00 am tomorrow. Good night.” We wonder what’s happening tomorrow at 10 am.

The OnePlus 5 has been the subject of numerous leaks in the past few months. We know the phone will arrive with a 5.5-inch display with fullHD resolution (1920 x 1080) and a Snapdragon 835 processor. We’ve recently learned that a variant with 8GB of RAM will go on sale in India on June 22, but we don’t know whether the international market will see it as well or not.

The new flagship should also be the first OnePlus phone to carry a dual-camera setup. We’re very excited to see what the snapper can do and by the looks of it, it’s going to produce some awesome results.

Don’t forget to tune in on June 20 and see the OnePlus 5 get unveiled live.

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