Android News and Tips
Bigger doesn’t necessarily equal better. You may find it hard to score a half-decent small Android handheld these days, but despite the undeniable mainstream rise of phablets, there’s still demand for devices you can easily slide in and out of your standard-issue trouser pocket. A compact form factor, proper one-hand maneuverability, and practical design will
Not everyone can afford the newest, hottest, speediest gadgets on offer today. Especially when manufacturers put so much pressure on the everyday consumer to upgrade yearly, sometimes even more than once within 12 months. We say it’s okay to own yesteryear’s Android flagships, and going refurbished is often a wise choice if you can’t or
Very rarely mentioned in the same breath as zippy 64-bit processors, Quad HD screens, OIS cameras, or massive batteries with fast charging capabilities when it comes to top selling points of today’s best and brightest Android smartphones. Dual-SIM support remains an extremely convenient feature to have for several classes of mobile users. Business people often
Gadget display borders have made for a delicate, controversial, sometimes even uncomfortable topic basically since the inception of the so-called mobile tech industry. Okay, so maybe this wasn’t really a focal point back when the Nokia 1100 was selling in hundreds of millions of copies, but the prospect of a truly “bezel-less” smartphone captured the
The world’s thinnest smartphone title has become a thorny affair in recent years, as new contenders pop up out of nowhere once every few weeks. Most of the time, no-name Chinese manufacturers are behind these designs that defy gravity common sense, and the goal is to score free publicity for future products with the better
And just like that, LG managed to overshadow arch-rival Samsung for a change. Unfortunately, product confusion and brand dilution aren’t departments one would want to “prevail” in, especially when an exceedingly dense mid to high-end roster could generate serious market cannibalization issues. Even at first glance, there’s plenty to underline the “standard” G4’s superiority over
The beauty of Android-based hardware variety and manufacturer competition lies mainly in the numerous price points currently covered by phones, tablets and even wearables that can be described as respectable at the very least. Sure, the absolute best handhelds of today will still set you back north of $600, $700, sometimes $800 free of carrier
Summer break isn’t over just yet, and until the fat lady sings (or the bell rings), you’re advised to make the most of whatever precious time off you have left. The leaves haven’t begun to fall, the weather is still terrific, so go out there and sip your Mai Tais on the beach all day
After (hopefully) helping you better understand the “deal” with LG’s far too similar mid-range G4 derivations, our mission of clarifying convoluted Android smartphone families enters a new phase. Today, we’re all about praising the Samsung Galaxy A roster’s full-metal diversity. Yes, for once, you’ll see us endorse so-called “brand dilution” instead of bitching and complaining.
Quad HD handheld display resolution is overkill, and everybody knows that. Including the device manufacturers trying so hard to sell the “feature” as something that’s not – useful and groundbreaking. Well, yeah, sure, it’s innovative and all on paper, but the end consumer needs a magnifying glass to tell the difference between 1,920 x 1,080
With only a second-gen $120 Moto E launch and limited second-gen G 4G dispatch to its name in 2015 so far, it’s crystal clear the year is barely starting for Lenovo’s new daughter company. And boy, will things get crazy on the Motorola-branded product introduction front over the next couple of months, if rampant rumors
Rest? We know not the meaning of the word, as every spare second is spent searching high and low for the best mobile deals to bring you week after week and save you hundreds, hopefully thousands of bucks in the long run. We’re tireless, always with at least a browser tab open on Amazon, and
Typically, we’d wait a little more than nine months to bring an old listicle up to date. But Android device release cycles in general have shortened lately, and when it comes to trendy smartphones endowed with skillful front-facing cameras, a year changes everything. Even six months flip over selfie hierarchies, which is proven by the
According to official Android distribution numbers harvested by Google during the week leading to May 4, a measly 9.7 percent of all devices with the world’s most popular mobile OS inside run 5.0 or 5.1 Lollipop. That’s certainly disappointing, given 5.0 source code was freely disseminated back in early November 2014 and Android M’s “final”
Contracts are so 2010. Nowadays, it’s all about the unlocked and prepaid gear. It’s just far more convenient that way, not to mention oftentimes cheaper, at least over the long haul. T-Mobile is climbing the US carrier (or rather “Uncarrier”) ranks thanks to its lauded no-contract Value Plans, Motorola has reclaimed a lot of its
It’s odd, but while a Benjamin can buy a pretty well-balanced tablet from a few manufacturers everyone’s heard of, finding a solid ultra-low-cost Android smartphone is still tricky business. Sure, there’s always the prepaid route, not to mention the possibility of signing two-year contracts to slash prices north of $500 to sub-$100. But it goes
Seeing as how the race to the bottom is heating up by the day as far as Android smartphone retail costs are concerned, a refresh of our best sub-$100 prepaid device list from April 2014 was probably long overdue. To make that abundantly clear, just one member of last year’s magnificent low-cost seven made the
Must resist the urge to buy Android gear prior to the ceremonial holiday shopping season kickoff. You must do it. No matter how badly you may need a new phone or tablet, or how lucrative early deals on various retailers may look. They’re nothing compared to what’s coming, and savings currently offered are peanuts. Black
Always at the forefront of innovation when it comes to mobile autonomy, Motorola has done it again, just as Lenovo was closing the device manufacturer’s purchase. They’ve taken the wraps off and commercially released the Droid Turbo, which grabs the battery powerhouse baton right from the hands of the dying Droid Maxx. Not all about
With back to school season behind us and Black Friday and Cyber Monday a little ways down the road, this may feel like hardly the best time to make a new Android purchase. Yet low-cost gear tends to be fairly attractive all year round in this day and age, and there’s something about “off-season” buying