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Sony Xperia XZ Premium goes on sale in the US on June 12

Dan Bartram
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Sony has announced that its Xperia XZ Premium will go on sale in the U.S unlocked on June 12 and will cost a whopping $799.

You’ll be able to pre-order the device from Amazon and Best Buy from June 12 before it launches fully on June 19.

The Xperia XZ Premium offers some impressive specs, and so it should given its price tag. Competing directly with the Galaxy S8 and HTC U11, the Xperia XZ Premium is Sony’s flagship attempt in 2017.

The Xperia XZ Premium includes:

  • Snapdragon 835
  • 4GB of RAM
  • 64GB of storage
  • 3230mAh battery
  • IP68 waterproofing
  • 5.5-inch 4K display
  • 19MP rear-facing camera with 960 fps slow-motion video

While the specs are certainly impressive and warrant the premium name Sony have given the device, it still lacks certain features to warrant such a high price tag. In the U.S version of the device, for example, there is no fingerprint sensor. While this looks more like a legal issue with certain agreements Sony has in the U.S, it still plays a factor into justifying the price the company is demanding for such a smartphone. When compared with the likes of the LG G6 and Galaxy S8 on design alone, the Xperia XZ looks in a different league entirely.

Which raises the question – is anything other than bezel-less smartphones still OK?

Drop us a comment and let us know what you think.

App Highlight: Custom Navigation Bar

Dan Bartram
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The App

Developed by paphonb, Custom Navigation Bar is a new app with only around 10,000 installs. Having been updated on May 30, 2017, the developer is constantly fixing various bugs with the latest update improving the startup time and adding more button icons. Custom Navigation Bar brings Android O’s customization features to any Android N device.

What it does

Android O adds the ability to customize the nav bar but with Custom Navigation Bar you can get that right now on your device. The app allows you to add custom buttons to your existing nav bar. The best bit is, no root access is required.

Features:
– Add custom buttons to your navigation bar
– Customizable navbar layout
– Tasker integration for contextual navbar
– Easy to setup
– No root or xposed required

Be aware you will need a PC to grant a custom permission via ADB to allow the app to work.

Why we like it

I used the app on my Galaxy S8 to put an extra camera icon to quick launch the camera app in the nav bar. It worked flawlessly and put to use some of that wasted black space. The only hurdle, and it is a small one, is granting the permission via ADB. Once that is set up, you’re good to go and you only have to do it once. It’s a small price to pay to not have to root your device.

How to get it

Custom Navigation Bar is available for free from the Google Play Store. You can download it right here.

Review: Invisible Defender Full Coverage Screen Protector for the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus

Matt Adams
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As I sit here staring at my beautiful new Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus, I’m a bit worried. You see, this thing is all glass. Well, maybe not entirely glass, but enough to worry me. We’ve already been treated to the news that the S8 and S8 Plus are the most fragile phones on the market. There’s also some buzz going around about how easy Gorilla Glass 5, the glass that sits on both the front and the back of the Galaxy S8, is to scratch.

So, I basically have an $850 piece of glass that if I breathe on it wrong it’ll scratch, shatter, or in some other way be destroyed. But, at least this one won’t blow up from the inside, I suppose.

Invisible Defender

Recently, Ringke reached out with an offer to take a look at some of its accessories for the Galaxy S8 Plus and I took them up on it immediately. I’ll touch on the cases it sent over in a later post, but the first thing I (or rather, my wife who has much steadier hands than me) put on my phone was the Invisible Defender screen protector.

Just to get this out of the way early, I’m a screen protector snob. I generally hate them and the ONLY ones that that ever reach my phone’s screen are tempered glass. I generally hate how plastic screen protectors feel, the grease that collects on them and how they can get deep grooves in them easily. While some of my frustrations bare out with the plastic Invisible Shield, there are more positives than negatives.

First off, this is one of the only screen protectors on the market that covers the entire curved screen of the Galaxy S8 Plus. Not only does it cover the entire curve of the display, it wraps around to the back of the device and covers a few centimeters of the back too. It’s not enough to prove the back of the device any kind of real protection, but we have cases for that, right? The only part of the display the screen protector not covered are the cutouts for the sensors and cameras and a very small sliver at the bottom.

The reason that Ringke decided to cut out the screen protector around the sensors and camera instead of covering them up is, in my opinion, because the screen protector really holds onto a lot of dirt and grease that can interfere with these sensors. I’m really not a fan of how much grease ends up on my screen now with the screen protector on it. The S8 was pretty bad about holding onto grease before, but this is even worse. If you don’t mind wiping off your screen several times a day then you’re golden. I suppose it’s just the price you pay for keeping your screen scratch free.

I don’t expect the Invisible Defender to hold up for the life of my phone. After a few days it’s pretty deeply scratched and dented. Luckily, these scratches and dents aren’t on my actual display so, there’s that. Plus, these things are cheap enough ($12 at the time of publishing) to replace it once a month for almost two years still not equal the cost of replacing your screen.

The single biggest thing I was surprised by was the complete lack of added friction after applying the Invisible Defender. Normally, these types of screen protectors add a ton of friction and make the screen much less enjoyable to use. Except for the big potholes in the screen protector, it was hard to tell the difference to the touch between the regular display and the screen protector. I definitely count that as a win.

Conclusion

Look, nothing is perfect. There are going to be tradeoffs when you add an accessory to your phone. If you’re looking for more protection, you’ll add bulk. If you’re looking to keep your screen scratch free, you’ll need to invest in one of these screen protectors. It changes the experience you have with your phone, but if you’re all about protecting your investment long term, I would definitely recommend the Invisible Defender.

You can grab the Ringke Invisible Defender for the Samsung Galaxy S8 or Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus over on Amazon.

OnePlus’ CEO comments on the future of Android updates for the OnePlus 3 and 3T

Matt Adams
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Sit down, strap in, sip on your covfefe and prepare yourself for some major OnePlus news! Alright, maybe it’s not the biggest news ever. We’d love to be confirming the specs for the OnePlus 5 in this article, but alas, that is not to be.

But, fans of the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T rejoice! We’re getting Android O! Pete Lau, the Founder, and CEO of OnePlus, took to Twitter to confirm that indeed, we will be seeing Android O on the OnePlus 3 and 3T. While he did not share any timeline for the update (heck, Android O isn’t even out yet), but at least we know it’s coming.

This is a bit of a departure from OnePlus. We know the OnePlus 5 will be out before Android O hits scene so the focus will likely be on the OP5 rather than supporting older devices. As we’ve seen with the complete lack of software upgrades to the OnePlus 2 and the OnePlus X, OnePlus doesn’t exact support older hardware.

OnePlus 2 review: 2015 flagship runner-up

But, it’s progress, I suppose. While OnePlus shouldn’t be let off the hook for screwing owners of older phones, it is a young company and there are growing pains.

How does Andy Rubin’s Essential phone stack up against the Samsung Galaxy S8?

Alexandra Arici
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Yesterday the creator of Android, Andy Rubin unveiled the Essential phone, a premium handset which aims to compete with the likes of Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy S8.

But can it really hope to take on Samsung’s latest and greatest? After all, the Galaxy S8 is one of the best smartphones you can buy right now. Well in what follows, we’re going to highlight some of the similarities and differences between the two devices, so you can compare.

Similarities

Both the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Essential phone come with an edge-to-edge design, although the latter’s is a bit more impressive. Unlike the Galaxy S8, which keeps a bit of bezel on top, the Essential’s display spreads all the way upwards until it finally embraces the selfie camera. The cutout display is certainly a peculiarity, but those who want the closest thing to a true edge-to-edge screen will consider it a mere compromise.

Moving on to numbers, the Galaxy S8 features a 5.8-inch “Infinity Display” with 2960 x 1440 resolution and 18:5:9 aspect ratio. The Essential Phone’s long 5.7-inch display with 19:10 ratio is quite similar to the Galaxy S8’s. Although it offers 2560 x 1312 resolution (almost QHD).

In the computing department, both phones take advantage of Qualcomm’s latest top-tier silicone piece, the Snapdragon 835 and 4GB of RAM.

The two flagships include 8-megapixel secondary snappers, but the one on the Galaxy S8 features f/1.7 while the Essential’s has f/2.2.

Differences

We’ll jump straight to differences, by noting the Essential features 128GB of built-in storage, while the Galaxy S8 has only 64GB. However, Samsung’s flagship does feature a microSD card slot which allows for memory expansion up to 256GB, while the Essential does not offer such a feature.

In terms of photography, the two handsets are quite different. The Essential comes equipped with a dual-camera setup with f/1.85 which pairs a 13-megapixel dual RGB + Mono camera with image fusion technology sensor with a second 13-megapixel monochrome one.
In the case of the Galaxy S8, we won’t find a dual-camera assembly onboard. Still, the product does bundle a capable 12-megapixel main camera with f/1.7.

Andy Rubin’s Essential bets on a modular approach and the first accessory that can be attached to the smartphone externally is a 360-degree camera. More add-ons are expected to follow.

The Essential also packs a slightly larger 3,040 mAh battery than the 3,000 mAh cell inside the Galaxy S8. However, it does not have a 3.5mm headphone jack which the Galaxy S8 preserves. It’s also not waterproof, but should be more durable – due to its titanium/ceramic construction – than its Galaxy S8 rival, which is mostly made of glass.

And while the Galaxy S8 comes with Bixby – the virtual assistant onboard, Andy Rubin says the Essential will be able to run Siri, Assistant, as well as Alexa AND a new digital assistant (developed by Rubin’s company).

We should also note the Galaxy S8 comes with support for Samsung Pay and runs Android 7.0 Nougat, while the Essential also runs Android (although we don’t know what version exactly, could be Android 7.0 or Android 7.1).

So how much do they cost?

Sadly, the Essential comes with a pretty hefty price-tag. It will sell for $699, which frankly is a bit too expensive for a newcomer. As for the Galaxy S8, it’s available on Samsung’s official website for $724.99 and up.

As you can see the difference between the two price-wise is quite minor, but for a bit of extra money, you can get a phone (Galaxy S8) with microSD card slot, waterproof body, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. But if you want a more durable device that is also modular, the Essential is the way to do go.

Vote: OnePlus wants you to choose the design of the OnePlus 5’s retail box

Alexandra Arici
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In anticipation of the grand OnePlus 5 launch, the Chinese company is inviting fans to offer their opinion on how the flagship’s retail box should look like.

OnePlus is conducting a poll which provides users with eight options to choose from. To take part in it, you need to log into Weibo and vote for the variant you like best. The poll seems to be aimed at Chinese customers, so at this point, it’s unclear whether the winning retail package will be made available on the international market, or will be limited to China.

Even so, there’s no harm in checking out the options in order to get an idea of how OnePlus plans to ship the product. Which will apparently happen soon enough.

According to a leaked internal email, OnePlus’s next-gen flagship should launch on June 15 with a 5.5-inch display with FullHD (1920 x 1080) or QHD resolution (2560 x 1440). The handset should take advantage of Qualcomm’s newest high-end chipset, the Snapdragon 835 in combination either 8GB or 6GB of RAM and 64GB/128GB of internal storage.

While older OnePlus phones didn’t really shine in the camera department, this year the Chinese company has teamed up with DxOMark to ensure the OnePlus 5 takes advantage of an improved camera.

If the rumors are true, we’re only two weeks away from the OnePlus 5’s official launch, so if you have a Weibo account hurry up and vote before the poll ends.

BlackBerry KEYone now available at Amazon, Best Buy for $549

Alexandra Arici
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It’s a good day to be a BlackBerry fan today. After being first revealed at CES 2017 back in January, the BlackBerry KEYone is finally available for purchase from select retailers in the US.

The device can be acquired in its unlocked from, either from Amazon (both in its GSM unlocked and CDMA variants) or from Best Buy’s online store (and select brick and mortar locations) for $549 a pop. However, you can get only the GSM model from the latter.

In the official press release, BlackBerry also notes the new phone will land at Sprint this summer. And some other carriers might pick up the KEYone at some point, as well.

We’re pretty excited about the BlackBerry KEYone, as it will ship out with a pretty innovative keyboard which also doubles as a fingerprint scanner. The keyboard itself can also be used as a touchpad and you swipe and edit words while texting too.

As for specs, the BlackBerry KEYone is more of a middle-range handset that packs a 4.5-inch display with 1080 x 1620 resolution and a good enough Snapdragon 625 processor nestled under the bonnet. The handset also features 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage, as well as a microSD card slot for memory expansion up to 2TB.

It’s worthy to note the phone features a 12-megapixel camera which relies on a Sony IMX378, the same sensor that powers the Google Pixel. The handset relies on a non-removable 3,505 mAh battery and runs Android 7.1 Nougat out of the box.

Are you getting the BlackBerry KEYone?

App Highlight: The Little Ball That Could

Dan Bartram
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The App

Developed by NaissusWorks, The Little Ball That Could is a new app with only around 500 installs. Having been updated on May 23, 2017, the developer is constantly fixing various bugs with the latest update fixing a number of issues users were experiencing in a few levels. The Little Ball That Could is a roll the ball type platform game that has taken inspiration from titles such as Marble Madness, Super Monkey Ball, Manic Marble, Marble Blast and Hamster Ball.

What it does

You have to roll the ball as fast as you can to the end of the level while avoiding various traps such as spikes, portals, and lasers. With 120 levels spread across 5 worlds, there is a ton of challenges to test your speed and precision. The more you play the more you unlock with new skins and new ball types that will change the way you play the game.

The Little Ball That Could has the following features:
• Roll the ball through 5 worlds and 120 large levels, each containing a maze of twisty paths and giving you three tasks to perform.
• Test your speed, precision and curiosity without frustration – the checkpoint system will help you out with that nasty platform, and you can skip the level if you feel puzzled and just can’t escape the room with spike fields.
• Unlock beautiful marble skins using puzzle pieces, and if you are up for a challenge, win fun ball types that will let you play the game in radically different ways.
• Experience the best platforming action with our tight and responsive controls – you’ll have a blast whether you prefer to play using touch controls, tilt or physical controllers.
• Push the limits of your phone with our high-definition, console-grade 3D graphics, or reduce the level of detail to get better performance and battery life.
• Listen to our awesome soundtrack that includes nine piano-driven melodies and an original music piece specifically created for TLBTC.

Why we like it

I love games that you can just pick up and play, and this is a perfect example of one of those puzzle games. It takes a concept that is familiar with bigger titles and builds on it by adding further challenges to make it even more challenging. The controls could do with some work as they can be frustrating sometimes, but otherwise with the improvements the developer has made in the latest update, this one is definitely a game to try out.

How to get it

The Little Ball That Could is available for free from the Google Play Store. You can download it right here.

Google offers incentives to developers for new Google Assistant actions

Dan Bartram
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Google Assistant is one of the best features of Android and one of the best personal assistants across the whole market, but it still lacks certain actions that would unlock its full potential.

To encourage developers to create new actions for it Google is offering more than 20 prizes, including $10,000 and a trip to Google I/O 2018.

Actions is the platform on which developers build Google Assistant interactions and this was opened up to developers last year. It can be used to extend the functionality of regular apps with features that utilize Google Assistant features.

Don’t Miss: What we learned about the Google Assistant at Google I/O 2017

Developers have until August 31 to submit their apps to Google for the contest. The apps will be judged by a panel of Google experts in a number of different categories. Devs can submit up to three apps for the competition. Only those residents outside of Italy, Brazil, Quebec, Crimea, Cuba, Iran, Syria, North Korea, or Sudan are eligible.

If you have a great idea to hook into Google Assistant then head on over to the challenge page and sign up. You could be the next winner of the best easter egg app, or the most adaptive. It’s a great way to encourage developers to leverage a platform Google seems to be investing in.

MicFlip fully reversible microUSB cable takes the hassle out of charging phones, just $13.99

AndroidGuys
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Whether it’s Quick Charge or standard charging of a phone, there’s one nuisance that has always plagued microUSB cables: orientation. Indeed, there’s only one proper way to plug in a charger for your phone. Really, that’s at both ends, too.

Our Deal of the Day today is the fully reversible microUSB charging cable from MicFlip. Not only does it let you plug it into your phone in either direction, but the other end can be flipped upside-down without problem as well. In other words, there’s no wrong way to go about it on either end of the cable.

I have never nerded out so hard over a USB cable the way I am over Winnergear’s MicFlip reversible Micro USB-to-USB Type-A cable.” Mashable

Features

  • Reversible technology lets you plug both USB & Micro USB in either direction
  • Gold coated plugs resist corrosion
  • Super strong Nylon braided cable resists tangling

Where to Buy

Priced at a mere $13.99, the MicFlip cable takes all of the hassle out of charging your phone or tablet. Pick one up while it’s on sale and save 44% before the price goes back up!

Save even more!

In addition to the savings above, when you buy through AndroidGuys Deals, for every $25 spent, you get $1 credit added to your account. What’s more, should you refer the deal via social media or an email that results in a purchase, you’ll earn $10 credit in your account.

Shop AndroidGuys!

If this is your first time buying, then you are also eligible for a further 10% discount when you subscribe for email updates.

How about a freebie?

Not looking to spend any money today? That’s alright, we understand. Why not visit the AndroidGuys section for freebies and take something anyhow? Go ahead, grab two!

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