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Pixel XL vs Huawei Mate9 (Smartphone Showdown)

Alexandra Arici
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Google’s Pixel XL has been doing a great job of grabbing the attention of customers who prefer a larger phone form factor. But Huawei’s new phablet, the Mate9 which only recently made it to the US also promised a big-screen experience with plenty of power on board and exquisite camera experience thanks to the partnership with Leica.

But given the choice between the two, which phone would work best for you? Check out how the two stack against each other, before making a decision.

Display

5.5-inch AMOLED display vs 5.9-inch IPS LCD display

1440 x 2560 resolution vs 1080 x 1920 resolution

534ppi vs 373ppi

Those who prefer ginormous phones will probably be attracted by the Mate9’s large 5.9-inch display. However, Huawei is known for being against QHD resolution on a phone. The company believes the human eye is unable to distinguish between a 1080p panel and a 2K panel, so the device maker has stuck with 1080p resolution for most of its products. The Mate9 is no exception.

Due to Huawei’s choice, we notice a big difference in ppi between the two phones. The Pixel XL has the QHD resolution for greater detail and imperceptibly small pixels. Plus, the AMOLED panel certainly helps to provide bolder, more intense contrasts.

Design

Design is not the Pixel’s best quality, although HTC made use of premium materials while building. The company opted for a metal unibody, but its rounded proportions and larger bezels give it a chunkier overall look.

As for the Mate9, the phone sports a very stylish metal build and a curved back, which feels great in combination with the rounded edges. Unlike the Pixel, the Mate9 features anorexic bezels which makes the phablet easier on the eyes.

Computing power

Snapdragon 821 vs Kirin 960

Adreno 530 vs Mali-G71 MP8

4GB of RAM vs 4GB of RAM

The Google Pixel XL takes advantage of last year’s top of the line Qualcomm chipset. The Snapdragon 821 is quad-core SoC made up of 2 x 2.15 GHz Kyro cores plus 2 x 1.6 GHz Kyro cores. In contrast the Kirin 960 is an octa-core affair operating 4 x 2.4 GHz Cortex-A73 cores plus 4 x 1.8GHz Cortex-A53 cores.

The Kirin 960 is one of the most advanced chipsets Huawei has ever produced, so the Mate9 should run as fast and smooth as the Google Pixel XL with its Snapdragon 821 under the belt. Take into consideration that both phones take advantage of 4GB of RAM to support daily activities such as browsing the web, streaming media and playing games.

Cameras

12.3MP/8MP vs 20MP+12MP/8MP

The Google Pixel XL is known for its great main camera. On paper the primary sensor comes equipped with phase detection & laser autofocus, dual-LED (dual tone) flash.

Here’s an extract from our own Pixel XL review:

“The Pixel phones employ a 1/2.3″ Sony IMX378 Exmor RS sensor which takes pictures at 12.3-megapixels in a 4:3 aspect ratio. And, because it offers a larger 1.55µm pixel, it leads to better dynamic range with more light in each pixel. Further, the IMX378 sensor is special in that it includes support for phase detect autofocus (PDAF). Toss in the laser and contrast autofocus and you’re looking at improved accuracy and speed in scenes with good lighting. The HDR+ processing is terrific in that it combines multiple fast exposures to create a single image.”

But the Mate9’s main camera is also quite spectacular – it’s a Leica-curated dual 20MP + 12MP affair with f/2.2, optical image stabilization, 2x zoom, Leica optics, phase detection & laser autofocus and dual-LED (dual tone). The Mate9’s camera app is quite easy to use offering a great balance of simplicity and advanced features which are easily accessible.

In the selfie department, both phones feature a decent 8MP snapper which produces decent results.

Software

Android 7.1 Nougat vs Android 7.0 Nougat

Obviously, Google’s Pixel phones are guaranteed to receive the latest updates as soon as they become available. Case in point, the Android 7.1.2 update beta is currently available for Pixel XL owners. The Huawei Mate9 also launched with Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box, but given Huawei’s track history with updates, we shouldn’t expect the phone to be updates as often as the Pixel XL.

Consider another point in favor of the Pixel XL. The phone offers a clean, stock Android experience, while the Mate9 comes with the company’s Emotion UI 5.0 on top which might not be for everyone’s taste. Although with the latest iteration, Huawei has managed to make Emotion a lot better. The skin is now cleaner, faster and a lot more accessible than previous version.

Battery

3,450 mAh vs 4,000 mAh

In our review of the Pixel XL we found battery life to be great. Moreover, the phone charges super-fast. As for the Mate9, the phablet is powered by a large 4,000 mAh juice box and given the lesser demands of the lower resolution display, it might last you a bit more than the Pixel. Like in the case of the large Pixel, Huawei has also outfitted the Mate9 with a new fast charging tech which works hand in hand with a new Super Charger power adapter to deliver 58% charge in 30 minutes or full charge in 90.

Other features

32GB/128GB vs 64GB

The Pixel is offered in two variants, one with 32GB and the other one with 128GB of storage onboard (which is quite rare), but the Mate9 comes with a microSD card slot feature which can allow users to expand memory up to 256GB.

We should also note, that the Google Pixel XL is special among phones because it comes one of the best virtual assistants out there, the Google Assistant.

Pricing

$749 vs $599

The Google Pixel XL doesn’t come cheap, as the base version starts at a massive $749. The Mate9 is sold with a considerably smaller price tag, so if you can’t afford a Pixel, Huawei’s stylish phablet does seem like your best bet.

Final thoughts

The Pixel XL is definitely one of the best phones this year. As we’ve seen in this comparison, the phone does deliver a better display, superior camera features and stock Android software. As for the Mate9, it has a chance at impressing customers thanks to its stunning design, a microSD card slot and a cheaper price tag attached to it.

New Balance RunIQ smartwatch with Android Wear 1.5 now available for $299

Alexandra Arici
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0

In a few days Google is expected to take the wraps off Android Wear 2.0 and LG will unleash two new smartwatch products just to celebrate the occasion.

It’s a strange time to start selling a smartwatch with the older Android Wear versions onboard, but be that as it may, New Balance’s new RunIQ intelligent timepiece has just been unleashed upon the world.

The fitness-centric wearable is available for purchase from the New Balance website, as well as from Amazon for $299 a pop (it’s listed as Temporarily out of stock).

For this money, sport lovers will get a device with a 1.3-inch AMOLED display with 400 x 400 resolution and an Intel Atom processor under the hood. There’s also 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage to keep things going running.

Like its name indicates, RunIQ is a watch especially designed for people with an active lifestyle. That’s why the wearable offers the option to connect to your Strava online account, which keeps record of all your runs.

Apart from that, the intelligent timepiece comes packing an optical heart rate sensor and a built-in GPS. Don’t worry about occasionally splashing it with water, as the RunIQ is water resistant at up to 5ATM.

Like most smartwatches, the New Balance one can relay notifications for calls, message and social media to your wrist. It can also allow you to connect to Google Play Music and download playlists via the MyNB app.

Because most of us prefer to listen to music while going for a run, New Balance invites us to pair the RunIQ with the PaceIQ wireless Bluetooth earbuds which have been optimized to work with the watch and have been developed in a partnership with Jabra. They are available for an additional $109.99.

No word whether the New Balance RunIQ smartwatch will receive the Android Wear 2.0 update at some point in the future. So unless you are a sports fan, you might want to hold off before buying this product.

After all, the LG Watch Style will soon launch. The wearable will cost $249 and will come with a few features you might want to have around like the Google Assistant.

The wearable should make it out with a 1.2-inch display with 360 x 360 resolution, 512MB or RAM, 4GB of internal storage and IP67 certification.

The other Android Wear 2.0 watch, the LG Watch Sport will have additional Android Pay support and IP58 certification – but will be a bit more expensive.

 

Grab a Moto G5 Plus wallpaper and two ringtones right here

Alexandra Arici
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1

The Moto G5 Plus is not out yet, we expect it to go official at MWC 2017, but if you can’t wait for that to happen we have some good news for you.

You can now download a Moto G5 Plus wallpaper and two ringtones, Hello and Moto thanks to the folks at TechDroider who managed to get ahold of them somehow.

While we wait for the Moto G5 family to go official, we’ll take the opportunity to tell you the phone should come with a 5.5-inch display with 1080p resolution and a Snapdragon 625 processor clocked at 1.5GHz under the hood. Rumors claim the phone will come with 3GB/4GB of RAM options plus 32GB/64GB of internal storage.

The Moto G5 Plus is also probably going to make it out with a 13MP/5MP camera duo and Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box. There’s also talk of a 3,100 mAh battery and the TurboCharge feature which will also be offered.

On top of the Moto G5 Plus, Motorola will probably also roll out a successor for the lower range Moto G4 Play. The phone has leaked before, revealing a 5-inch display with 1080p resolution and a Snapdragon 430 CPU under the hood.

The Moto G5 Play could make it out with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage and a 13MP/5MP camera combo just like in the case of the Moto G5 Plus. The phone is said to be taking advantage of a 2,800 mAh battery and come with Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box.

Are you excited about Motorola’s upcoming budget Moto G5 lineup? Considering we mixed feelings about the Moto G4 family, we are pretty curious to see how these upgrades will turn out to be.

This wearable doubles as a cable and charger for your phone

Alexandra Arici
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0

Most of us tend to carry a charger in our bag or backpack in order to prevent our smartphone from dying out on us during the day. Since not a lot of smartphones offer wireless charging and those who do are probably premium affairs (the Galaxy S8 might get it). Since the majority of the population uses middle or low range handsets, we’re left relying on charging cables to ensure our devices don’t run out of power.

But what if we told you there’s a way to pass your charging cable as a fancy accessory? A fun Indiegogo project brought to us the NIFTTYX team attempts to make cable carrying cooler. They are offering the LifeSaving Bracelet and the Awesome Bracelet which essentially are cables that you can wear around your wrist.

The two bracelets are made out of leather and customers can have their pick from a selection of colors. Both wearables can charge your devices up to 2.4A in order to provide the fastest charging solution. They also allow you to sync your devices.

The Awesome Bracelet features a steel buckle, while the LfieSaving Bracelet also offers the helping hand on an external battery (210 mAh capacity) so you can charge your phone when there’s no power outlet in sight.

For the time being only a microUSB version is available, as Type-C compatibility will probably be added sometime in the future.

 

If you are interested in getting your hands on these sleek wearable cables, all you need to do is make a $14 pledge for an Awesome Bracelet and $18 for a LifeSaving Bracelet. The estimated delivery date for these products is May, so you won’t be able to get your hands on them immediately.

Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P might get Google Assistant with next, big update

Alexandra Arici
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0

The Google Assistant is currently an exclusive of the Pixel and Pixel XL, but that is bound to change very, very soon.

According to information coming to us via 9to5Google’s senior editor, Stephen Hall – it appears that Google is planning to bring the Assistant to the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P with the next “major” update.

https://twitter.com/hallstephenj/status/827198401557180416

What’s more, Google’s Android TV director, Sascha Prüter confirmed on Google+ that the Nexus Player will be getting the next treatment as well.

In recent days Google started rolling the Android 7.1.2 Nougat beta update for users of select Pixels and Nexus devices including the Nexus 5X (the build for the Nexus 6P will be coming later). As some users on Reddit have started reporting, the update adds Moves to the Nexus 5X.

Moves is a fingerprint gesture that has been available only for the Pixel and Pixel XL so far, but the new update brings it to the Nexus 5X and probably to the Nexus 6P eventually, as well.

Take into consideration that this is the beta update for testing purposing, but when Google rolls Android 7.1.2 to the masses will the build come bundled with Google Assistant as well? Who knows. We’re not told what exactly the “next major update” means, so for what we know it might be Android 8. But hopefully that won’t be the case.

For those who can’t wait for the Google Assistant update to land on their device, the xda-developers forum offers an alternative to get the virtual assistant unboard.

In the following weeks, months we’re going to see the Google Assistant become more ubiquitous. In a few days LG will announced two new Android Wear 2.0 smartwatches which are rumored to arrive with the AI-driven personal assistant. But that’s not all.

LG’s upcoming flagship, the G6 is expected to be the first non-Pixel phone to arrive with Google Assistant out of the box. The Korean tech giant will take the stage at MWC 2017 to launch its next-gen flagships. You can read all about it in our in-depth article on the matter.

Viewing traffic and alerts on Google Maps [How-to]

AndroidGuys
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We have reviewed how to add your home and work addresses to Google Maps, as well as how to download an area for offline use. Now let’s see how Google Maps can help our commute by viewing and customizing traffic alerts.

Traffic options

Google Maps has improved dramatically, not only showing estimated time in traffic for drivers, but also for pedestrians, public transit travelers and for bicyclists. Google Maps provides many route options. You can select the shortest route, the fastest route, or a totally different option, depending on what is available and if you need to add intermediary stops along the way.

Once a start and a destination are entered, Google Maps will provide an estimated time of arrival and display alerts as they are reported. For our purposes, we will utilize Google’s traffic and alerts and plan a route from downtown L.A. to Venice Beach. Begin by performing the following:

  1. Open Google Maps. See Figure 1.

    google maps (1)
    Fig. 1 – Google Maps
  2. To begin navigation, click on the blue navigation icon. See Figure 2.

    gmaps-traffic-01
    Fig. 2 – Navigation option
  3. Proceed to enter a start and a destination address. You can select your current location, manually enter an address, or pick an address from previous entries. See Figure 3

    gmaps-traffic-02
    Fig. 3 – Navigation options
  4. After you enter your navigation addresses, you can choose which type of guidance to receive. The icons below the address fields provide the travel options as well as estimated travel times. Refer to Figure 3 above.
  5. Proceed to enter your route options. Click on the right corner menu to view your options. See Figure 4.

    gmaps-traffic-05
    Fig. 4
  6. Once you have selected your options, you can preview your route by clicking on the Preview icon on the map. See Figure 5.

    gmaps-traffic-03
    Fig. 5 – Route preview
  7. Lastly, begin your navigation. Google Maps provides voice guidance and will update the route options depending on traffic conditions.

Using alerts

When utilizing navigation, Google Maps provides alerts and route options. To fully understand the map, let’s see the icons employed and their meaning. See Figure 6.

gmaps-traffic-04
Fig. 6 – Google Maps icons

Clicking on the icons as they appear on the map will provide you with an update. Also, notice that as you navigate the map, you will see green and red lines representing traffic flow. The red lines will also provide the estimated traffic slowdown times and additional navigation options. See Figure 7.

Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Saving your route

Once your navigation options are entered, you can save your route to your phone’s home screen. To do so, perform the following:

  1. Click on options.
  2. Once the options are displayed, press on “Add route to Home screen.” See Fig. 8

    gmaps-traffic-07
    Fig. 8
  3. The route has now been saved on your home screen. See Figure 9.

    gmaps-traffic-06
    Fig. 9
  4. To utilize the navigation with the options chosen, just click on the icon named after the destination address entered. See Figure 9.

    gmaps-traffic-08
    Fig. 9

This completes this procedure.

ibis Paint X is like Photoshop for your phone (Review)

AndroidGuys
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Overview:

ibis Paint X is a Photoshop-style art and photo editing app with some neat features for anime and manga artists.

Developer: ibis mobile, Inc.

Cost: Free (with ads, $4.99 premium)

Impressions:

ibis Paint X markets itself as a power drawing and sharing app for manga and anime fans. It offers some handy tools and settings geared directly towards artists who like to draw in that style and share it via social media or live stream.

The app, minus the specific features of anime and manga art, is like a “Photoshop lite” on your phone. It offers the essentials for photo editing and drawing such as layers, multiple brushes and drawing tools, and full RGB and HSB color palettes. There are a lot of different things you can do with Ibis Paint; unfortunately, I’m not much of an artist so I couldn’t use them to the best of their abilities. I do find that a lot of these features would benefit from a stylus or a tablet to have more precise and accurate strokes on the screen. Using your fingers on a small phone screen is just not that great for drawing especially if you want fine details.

The manga and anime specific features are pretty cool. They allow you to do things like add frames, import reference photos or sketches, and add commonly seen filters from manga and anime scenes to your pictures to complete the look that you want for your creation. Using this app doesn’t make you a great manga artist overnight, but it does help if you already have some experience. Other cool features include the ability to share your creations to the community and social media and download other users work as well. Some of the artwork featured on the app is impressive and definitely worth looking at for reference or just because it’s awesome. ibis Paint X also allows sharing of a video of your drawings, which allowing for some awesome time-lapse videos. This feature especially is a standout for me as I can imagine it would make artists’ lives easier when they want to share their process and creations online easily.

ibis Paint X is a fairly solid art and drawing app with some killer features, and one crazy name. It is not, however, free from issues. The user interface is a bit cluttered when used on a phone, which I can understand given the small amount of space available and the amount of tools at your disposal. Thankfully, it looks much better on a tablet. Also, the app could stand to have a tutorial on the specific tool icons since not all of them are clear on what they do to a novice artist like me. The biggest issue I have is the developer’s use of ads. The ads along the top are harmless enough, but there are also ads that lock certain brush types and other tools behind a video wall that require you to watch them in order to use the tool. There is a five dollar premium version that removes this, but it’s a fairly odd and frustrating way to force users to sit through ads.

Conclusion:

Besdies the dubious ad policies, I’d say that ibis Paint X is a great tool for artists on the go. I certainly wouldn’t say use it as a primary art creation medium, however, as there are much better free options both on Android as well as on the computer. If you are an artist out and about or are interested in manga and anime styled art and want a cool app with some awesome community creations, I’d absolutely recommend this to you.

Download ibis Paint X from the Google Play Store

Grab a Samsung Galaxy S7 from T-Mobile and get 1 year of Netflix for free

Alexandra Arici
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0

While we’re waiting for Samsung to launch the highly anticipated Galaxy S8 flagship, T-Mobile is trying to tempt users to purchase the soon to be previous gen Galaxy S7 with a promotion.

Until February 7, grab a Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge from T-Mobile and you’ll be awarded a whole year of free Netflix. This gets you the standard Netflix 2-stream package that would otherwise cost you $120. So you’ll be able to stream your favorite Stranger Things episodes on two separate devices.

Netflix LibraryTo get the Galaxy S7 you will need to pay either $673 outright or $49.99 upfront plus $26/month for the next two years. If you like the Galaxy S7 edge better instead, you need to take out $779 out of your pocket or $59.99 upfront and $30/month for the next 24 months.

Netflix AndroidAfter you have registered your payment you need to go register with Samsung by 2/21/17 and enter the device info and upload your receipt. Soon you will receive a single-use code you need to enter on Netflix.com/SpecialOffers. Customers need to redeem the offer by 03/31/17.

Samsung and T-Mobile are trying to sell as many Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge units before the arrival of the next-best thing, and this promotion is a clever way to attract willing customers.

It’s 2017 but do we really need a 4K smartphone?

Alexandra Arici
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Remember Sony’s Xperia Z5 Premium smartphone, the first one to arrive with a 4K panel? Well the handset wasn’t too popular with Android users despite its high-end specs, but for some reason Sony thinks it’s a good idea to release yet another 4K handset this year.

Sony has been quite absent from the mobile ecosystem in the last few months, still according to recent rumors, the company is looking to make a comeback en-force at MWC 2017…but behind closed doors. It appears Sony will showcase the Sony Xperia Z5 Premium 2017 in a secret room at Barcelona.

Sony Xperia Z5 PremiumSince Samsung is hoarding the initial supply of Snapdragon 835 chipsets for its Galaxy S8 monster, other device makers have to wait in line to get their hands on the new dragon. It’s probably the case of Sony, which is planning to adopt the Snapdragon 835 for its Xperia Z5 Premium 2017 edition. That’s probably the main reason why the company will not officially launch the phone at MWC 2017, but only quietly showcase it to its partners.

Apart from the 4K display, Snapdragon 835, the upcoming phone is expected to feature 4G or 6GB of RAM and a new Sony IMX400 sensor. Speaking of the 4K display, we can’t help but wonder, do we actually need a 4K phone in 2017?

Yes and no. Since VR seems to be gaining ground this year, a smartphone with a 4K display will definitely be the choice for people who want to enjoy Virtual Reality apps in high quality.

Sony Xperia Z5 Premium 4But apart from that, it really seems to us that at this point in time, 4K phones are still unnecessary. When Apple launched the iPhone 4 in 2010, Steve Jobs famously said there was no need for a smartphone resolution to be higher than 300ppi for individual pixels to become unnoticeable. Today’s high-end phones bring approximately 500ppi to the table, which is more than enough.

Visibility of pixels also depends on eyesight and how far the user holds the phone from their face. A few years back LG did some research into the topic. The company found that adults in their 20s and 30s who hold their phones 20 to 25 cm from their faces can distinguish pixel densities between 500 and 550ppi.

Sony Xperia Z5 Premium 2What we’re trying to say that you won’t probably be able to truly distinguish between 2K and 4K resolution, unless you actually knew you were looking at a device playing 4K content at native resolution.

On top of that, think of the battery life. We’re in 2017, but most of us are still unsatisfied with our device’s life cycle and we wished it would be longer.  A large 4K display would definitely put a bigger toll on battery life than a 1080p or QHD one.

With the Sony Xperia Z5 Premium, the company employed a sneaky tactic to deliver the promised 2-day battery life. The device maker explained the device only rendered media in 4K, while the majority of apps ran at just 1080p. We assume the Sony Xperia Z5 Premium (2017) is going to function in a similar way, despite current battery technology advancements.

Sony Xperia Z5 Premium Side ViewAnother reason why 4K phones aren’t really a good idea in 2017 is price. Phones like the Galaxy S8 or Nokia P1 are poised to be quite expensive, so we image a 4K phone won’t be cheap indeed.

The 2015, Sony Xperia Z5 Premium can currently be bought from Amazon for $549, but we’ll have to assume the 2017 version will cost a lot more, given the Snapdragon 835 chipset inside and other features.

When you consider the Sony Xperia Z5 Premium is practically 90% similar to the Sony Xperia X5 which costs around $383 (LTE version) on Amazon, you might want to take a step back. Sure companies like Samsung or Google can easily convince users to pay $600 and up for a phone, but can we say the same for Sony? Probably not.

Access to Forex indicators makes trading on your phone worthwhile (PROMOTED)

AndroidGuys
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Before I started trading foreign exchange (Forex), I would hear experts equating Forex and technology all the time. After all, it was technology which made the market so accessible, whether to expert or layman. You could trade from the comfort of your home, no matter the time, and so on and so on.

Which is why I found it so strange that using a smartphone to trade Forex was never a realistic option. I mean, we’re living in a world in which we use smartphones (or their note equivalents) for everything.

But before you could easily access Forex indicators on your phone, trading from anything that could fit in your pocket was a fool’s errand.

Why trading from a smartphone was pointless

Okay, so maybe your Forex broker made their platform available on your mobile. It was possible to open and close trades no matter where you were, as long as you had an internet connection.

But that was all you could do. Without instruments for analysis, you were trading blind. And what was available was difficult to access, usually through your smartphone’s browser.

What are Forex indicators?

Before I explain why Forex indicators made smartphone trading worthwhile, let me make sure we’re all on the same page.

Forex indicators are instruments that recognize patterns forming. While the Forex market behaves according to the whims of the human psyche, these whims are less random than you’d think. Trends show us exactly what people are doing and are likely to do.

Forex indicators do exactly what their name purports to. They indicate what the market is doing and how to react to it.

There is a wide range of Forex indicators. Some are more complex than the others. But no matter what the indicator, it makes you a whole lot more likely to succeed. You cannot analyse the markets alone, due to the limitations of your human mind. But indicators are coded to analyse masses of data and recognise patterns immediately.

Forex indicators on your smartphone

So, I think it’s pretty clear why indicators are necessary for trading. If you can’t access them on your smartphone, it’s probably better to wait until you’re home before you trade.

Fortunately, MetaTrader 4 – widely acknowledged as the best Forex trading platform out there – is available as an Android app, and it comes with all the tools you need.

It provides you with data analysis in multiple forms, and allows you to add indicators so that you always know the right trade to make.

The future of Forex technology

To be honest, technology in the Forex space has a long way to go. It’s behind the rest of the fast-changing financial sector in that regard. But what we do have is now more than enough to trade with, even when you’re out and about.

The addition of Forex indicators and other tools to smartphone technology has made mobile a worthwhile way of trading.

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