When looking for a phone upgrade, most people gravitate toward replacing their old device with a new one from the same smartphone brand that they’ve been using for the past few years. It’s a simple approach: just trust what you know. Those of us who obsess over tech will gravitate toward a device with the fastest chipset and more cameras on the back than we possibly need, but the average user typically checks their bank account and starts calculating how much money they should spend on a phone before they start weighing their options. 

Great value

I’m not sure if it’s pure coincidence or incredible execution, but the Nothing Phone 2 seems to be purpose-built to capitalize on the segment of users who care about style, performance, and photography with a device that’s noticeably cheaper than most of its competition. 

So let’s get the price out of the way. You’ll only need to pay $599 for the base mode which comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The unit I’ve been testing and probably the one I’d recommend to most people is $100 more, but gets a bump up to 12GB of RAM and double the storage, which is an insane deal. 

The only other Android phone that comes close to offering this much value in the US is the Pixel 7. Other than that, you have the Galaxy S23+ which does feature an added zoom camera on the back, but you’ll need to shell out an extra $300 more for that privilege and it’s not even that great of a zoom. The $800 Samsung Galaxy S23 could technically be considered an alternative to the Phone 2, but it has a significantly smaller display.

Of course, the Nothing Phone 2 isn’t perfect since it does have its fair share of compromise. There isn’t anything that truly detracts from the overall experience, but the one thing most smartphone enthusiasts will point to is its use of last year’s Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset. Yes, it’s slower than the Snapdragong 8 Gen 2, but that’s not something you’re going to notice in day-to-day use. If you’re keeping a close eye on frame rates when playing Genshin Impact or PUBG Mobile, you would probably tell the difference, but it still performs incredibly well while also sipping a lot less power than the regular Snapdragong 8 Gen 1 that was used on most of last year’s flagship devices. 

I do recommend that most people steer clear of devices that use less than 8GB of RAM, so the base model will have you covered. That being said, if you’re a heavy multi-tasker, I do recommend upgrading to the 12GB model as I’ve found its performance to be stellar. 

Software

The one thing I’ve found most surprising with the Nothing Phone 2 and what’s kept me using it for so long is the software experience. As many of you know, my personal device for the past 4 years has always been a Pixel smartphone — mainly for the cameras, but also because I truly appreciate Google’s simple take on Android. 

Nothing OS takes that simple approach and adds on a fresh coat of paint, giving you customization options that allow you to tweak the look and feel of the phone, without getting too crazy. You get customizable widgets on the lock screen, dozens of minimal widgets for the homescreen, that tie in perfectly with Nothing’s design aesthetic, custom folder shapes, and sizes and you can even give them custom cover icons so that you can keep all your apps organized and tidy. 

I love how simple it is while still giving you the tools to make the layout and overall look fit your personal needs. The only two apps that Nothing has truly customized are the voice recorder and the weather app, both of which fit in perfectly with the minimalist design. Personally, I love the layout of the weather app which has easy-to-read graphics for additional details like humidity, air quality wind speed, and direction. 

The Glyph

Of course, the Glyph, the defining feature of last year’s Nothing Phone 1 is back. Nothing has added more addressable LEDs this time so in addition to showing the battery level when the phone is charging, they can be used to show the phone’s volume level and as a visual indicator for the Glyph timer.

Nothing is also hoping third-party developers will also tap into the Glyph system as well. So far, the only app that does is Uber which uses the glyph light to show you how close your driver is to picking you up. I don’t see this catching on with many other apps unless Nothing somehow manages to grab a big chunk of the market share. 

Cameras

The main camera got a pretty decent upgrade this year. It uses the 50MP Sony IMX 890, which is the same sensor as the main camera on the OnePlus 11, but the ultrawide is the same 50MP sensor from last year’s Phone 1. 

The results you see here, truly speak for themselves. It’s not quite on the same level as the Pixel 7, but it’s much better than most other phones in its category. Throughout all the software updates that Nothign has pushed to the phone, the camera has gotten at least 3-4 updates since the phone launched, making it slightly better every few weeks. Low light performance is great as well when you’re using the main camera. I would have liked to see more improvements to the ultrawide, but it’s hard to complain when most other competitors are so far behind. 

What’s surprising to me is that the phone’s selfie camera got the biggest upgrade of all. 

Battery

The 4,700mAh battery inside the Phone 2 is a bit smaller than what we typically see on most flagship devices. That said, I didn’t have any issues getting through a full day on a single charge, typically averaging 6 and a half hours of screen-on time.

You only get a charging cable in the box, but the phone does support 45W PD fast charging, which managed to deliver a 60% charge in 15 minutes or you can go from 0-100% in just under an hour.

Final Thoughts

There are plenty of other options available from Chinese brands that hit on a lot of these features while also coming in at cheaper price points. That argument is fair in many markets, but it definitely doesn’t factor into the conversation in the US. In European markets, things will play out a little differently, but if you want a flagship-tier device in the US that’s not ridiculously overpriced, the only real options you have are the Pixel 7 and the Nothing Phone 2.

Over the past few years, Google’s carved out a nice chunk of the US market with this approach. If Nothing can manage to save up some cash for a marketing push, the Phone 2 could easily become a go-to alternative that we so desperately need. 

The post Nothing Phone 2 60-day review: much more than good looks appeared first on Phandroid.

Huawei Freebuds 3 review

The Huawei Freebuds 3i take a different approach by delivering active noise cancellation, good audio quality, and decent battery life for significantly less than the competition.

Specifications

• 10mm dynamic driver
• 32 dB ANC noise reduction
• Codecs: AAC and SBC
• Battery: 37mAh (per bud), 410mAh (charging case)
• Battery life:
  • 3.5 hours per charge
  • Additional 14.5 hours with the case
  • 1 hour charge time
• 3-mic system with bone conduction mic
• Customizable touch controls
• IPX4 water-resistant
• Bluetooth 5.0

Price

Since price is the main barrier to entry when looking at earbuds with active noise cancellation (ANC), let’s get that one out of the way first. The Huawei FreeBuds 3i cost $110 (£89 in the UK,  €99 across the rest of Europe). There are plenty of alternatives at around the same price as the Freebuds 3i, but you’ll need to spend a good $50 more if you want anything with ANC. Even Samsung’s new Galaxy Buds+, which are priced at $150, don’t come with active noise cancellation. 

Design

The basic design is similar to Apple’s AirPods Pro with a slightly longer stem, but in reality, the Freebuds 3i earbuds and case are practically indistinguishable from the Freebuds Huawei put out in 2018. While Huawei gets a bad rap for borrowing design ideas from Apple from time to time, this time around it was Apple doing the copying.

The design isn’t eye-catching, but it’s functional and the traditional canalphones design with rubber tips that help secure the earbuds in your ear canal for a secure fit and seal is quite comfortable. Huawei has also gone out of its way to deliver exceptional build quality with both the case and the earbuds. The glossy white plastic doesn’t allow anything to stick to the earbuds and after using them for over a week, everything still looks brand new.

The pill-shaped case is quite solid, delivering a satisfying click when flipping it closed. Unlike similar-looking cases from competing headphones, this one doesn’t creek or bend when applying pressure from different sides. It’s not quite as nice as the puck-shaped case of the Freebuds 3, but the quality’s just as good.

With earbuds like these, I typically prefer cases which cylindrical holes to drop the stems of the earbuds into, but the case for the Freebuds 3i sport some impressive magnets which allow the earbuds to snap into place perfectly every time without having to futz around to make sure they’re perfectly aligned before putting them in. Samsung and Mobvoi should definitely be taking notes.

Huawei has also thrown in an IPX4 water-resistant rating to ensure that the Freebuds 3i won’t short out if they get wet. The IPX4 rating isn’t good enough to allow you to use the earbuds while swimming, but it’s enough to keep them working if you get caught in the rain or if you use them at the gym or while running or cycling.

Active Noise Cancellation

At its core, active noise cancellation is a pretty basic technology. Use a microphone to listen for ambient noise and then rebroadcast an inverted sound wave through the headphones or earbuds.

While that’s simple enough, the design of the microphones used and the design of the earbuds play a huge role in what the end result sounds like. Last year’s Freebuds 3 offered up to 15dB in noise reduction with ANC turned on, but it mainly focused on high frequencies, proving less effective at blocking sound from air conditioners, cars, or other sources of lower frequency sounds. 

The design also played a factor in overall noise-canceling performance since the design of the original Freebuds 3 didn’t block ambient noise from entering the user’s ear canal. The canalphones design of the Frrebuds 3i and their silicon tips give them an edge over their premium sibling and allow them to deliver up to 32 dB of noise reduction when active noise cancellation is turned on. 

The difference is remarkable. While the regular Freebuds 3 do a decent job of reducing ambient noise, the fit and seal offered by the Freebuds 3i is dramatically better, practically reducing ambient noise to zero. With the ANC turned on, it’ll nearly completely drown out the sound of a bus, subway, and if you’re just staying home this summer, you’ll forget that you’re sitting a few feet away from an air conditioner.

I’d say the noise cancellation is on the same level as what the Sony WF-1000XM3 true wireless earbuds deliver, which command nearly double the price.

Audio Quality

Huawei uses a 10mm dynamic driver system for each earbud, delivering a fairly neutral audio profile. The earbuds are capable of producing rich bass and crisp highs without letting them run reach too high up. 

The base doesn’t go quite as low as I’d like, but it’s perfectly acceptable for earbuds at this price point. The overall volume is more than acceptable. Turning the volume up all the way can be a bit uncomfortable, but Huawei’s engineers have managed to eliminate any distortion even when the volume is cranked all the way up.

Thanks to ANC, I never felt like I needed to raise the volume over 80%, even when using the earbuds while running. Honestly, I found myself turning ANC off while running outside just so that I could let some ambient noise pass through to be more aware of my environment.

The earbuds also deliver stellar audio quality and noise cancellation when making phone calls as well. Thanks to the bone-conducting microphone in each earbud, the Freebuds 3i are able to easily isolate your voice and cancel out ambient noise when you’re on a call. On multiple occasions, people on the other line mentioned how clear the audio was even though I was making calls while walking down the street or while driving.

Battery

If you’re looking for the longest-lasting true wireless earbuds, you’ll want to look elsewhere. Huawei rates the Freebuds 3i at 3.5 hours on a single charge, with an added 14.5 hours of battery life while using the case.

In a week of using the earbuds for listening to music, podcasts and watching YouTube videos and Netflix, I managed to completely drain the buds and the case 4 times. I manager to average 3.1 hours on a single charge with the earbuds with ANC turned on and 3.4 hours with ANC switched off. The 14.5 hours of additional listening time was just shy of 14 hours in my testing.

Unlike the more expensive FreeBuds 3 which allow both earbuds to pair with the phone independently thanks to their use of Bluetooth 5.1, the Freebuds 3i use a relay system that connects one earbud to your phone and then rebroadcasts that connection to the second earbud. This older connection system is likely the reason the Freebuds 3i have slightly inferior battery life to the Freebuds 3.

App & connectivity

If you want to get the most out of these earbuds, you’ll want to download Huawei’s AI Life app to your device. The app isn’t a requirement, but it will allow you to see the battery life of each earbud on your phone and give you the ability to customize the Freebud 3i’s touch controls.

Within the app, the tap-and-hold touch can be turned on or off. I’m not sure why anyone would choose to turn this feature off since it’s the only way to control the ANC function on the earbuds. The double-tap function for each earbud can be customized to control Play/Pause, Next/Previous, or wake the Voice Assistant on your phone. There are no volume controls options, which is a bit of a disappointment.

As for connectivity, the Freebuds 3i use Bluetooth 5.0 to connect to your smartphone, tablet or computer. Simply open the case and hold the button on the back for a few seconds and the earbuds will show up for pairing within seconds.

The only time I noticed any issues with the Freebuds 3i was when I forget my phone in my home office which is in the attic of my house. I regularly walked from room to room on the same floor without a single hiccup, often moving more than 50 feet away from my phone. Surprisingly, I didn’t have any connectivity issues when listening to music or a podcast with my phone in my back pocket. I don’t know how many Bluetooth headphones I’ve used over the years that struggle maintaining a solid connection in this specific situation.

Final thoughts

Now, I’ve been a big fan of the original Freebuds 3 since I reviewed them earlier this year. While those earbuds still offer better battery life and wireless charging for the case, the new Freebuds 3i are an amazing alternative, especially if price is a priority. There are quite a few true wireless earbud options in the $100 range that deliver similar audio fidelity. However, the Freebuds 3i from Huawei have a unique advantage thanks to the inclusion of active noise cancellation.

If you’re looking to spend less than $150 on earbuds, the Huawei Freebuds 3i are our top pick for 2020.

The post Huawei Freebuds 3i review: amazing ANC earbuds on a budget appeared first on Phandroid.

A phone like this, the Red Magic 5G, wouldn’t be remotely interesting to anyone I know in the real world, but it’s actually one of my favorite devices of 2020.

One of the reasons why I’ve been a fan of the Android platform since its inception is because there have never been any restrictions from Google as to what the operating system can be used for. There are Android-powered refrigerators, portable projectors, laptops, and everything in between. The Nubia Red Magic 5G isn’t technically too far fetched when compared to some of the crazy devices that use Android these days, but it’s an amazingly absurd smartphone when you hold it up to traditional offerings from Samsung, Motorola, or LG.

Nubia has taken what the gaming community loves most about their custom-built PCs and crammed them into a beast of a smartphone that costs significantly less than what the competition is charging. The phone is packed to the gills with impressive tech including the new SD865 from Qualcomm, an AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate, 8GB to 12GB of incredibly-fast LPDDR5 RAM, capacitive trigger buttons and an active cooling system that allows the phone’s processor to stay cool during long gaming sessions. Oh, and let’s not forget the RGB lighting on the back. All that for just $579 which is a steal when you compare it to other flagship-tier smartphones in 2020.

Design

The first thing you’ll notice about the Nubia Red Magic 5G is that it doesn’t look like your usual smartphone. Yes, the phone is built from glass and metal like nearly every other device these days, but Nubia has given the glass on the back of the phone a lot more character than what we’re used to seeing. Using a variety of different textures and red accented lines, the Red Magic 5G’s back cover prominently depicts a bold X with the Nubia and Red Magic logos accented with LED backlights which can be customized with a variety of different lighting scenes.

Along the phone’s right edge you’ll find the power button and volume rocker, its capacitive trigger buttons, and an exhaust vent for the internal fan that keeps the CPU running cool. Along the top edge, you’ll find the 3.5mm headphone jack while the bottom edge houses the UBC port, SIM slot, and speaker grill. The left edge sports the intake vent, Game Space switch, and Nubia’s accessory port which allows the Red Magic 5G to interface with its gaming accessories.

Despite only having a 6.65-inch display, the Red Magic 5G is a hefty device, weighing in at 218 grams (the same weights as the LG V60. The phone’s 4500 mAh battery definitely contributes to the excessive weight, but so does the phone’s unique cooling system. 

Display

One of the unique characteristics that sets the Red Magic 5G apart from the competition is the display’s 144Hz refresh rate. The 6.65-inch AMOLED panel is set to 90Hz right out of the box. While this feature is mainly intended for gaming, the high refresh rate is also noticeable when going through the phone’s main interface and using everyday apps. Browsing the web in Chrome is significantly smoother at 144Hz as is scrolling through your feeds on Instagram and Facebook. 

While the display does have an extremely fast refresh rate, it’s resolution is limited to 2340 x 1080. If you’re among those who complain about seeing individual pixels on anything that’s lower resolution than QHD, you’ll likely have issues here, but I honestly don’t have anything to complain about. The AMOLED panel is still pretty crisp with fairly accurate color reproduction using the sRGB mode, but you can adjust the color temperature to your liking or use the “Normal mode” or “Colorful Mode” to bump up the saturation a bit. 

Unlike most flagship devices that sport curved screens, the Red Magic 5G uses a flat panel. I have to admit that curved screens do give a phone a sleeker look, but they also add unnecessary glare and introduce false taps on the screen — two issues that the Red Magic 5G avoids.

I was also really pleased with the viewing angles and overall brightness which dipped down low enough to be used comfortably at night when the bedroom lights were out while also being bright enough to be used in direct sunlight cranked all the way up. The one thing I wish Nubia would have included is support for HDR10 during video playback. After using so many new devices with HDR10 support, I had forgotten how amazing the feature is when watching content on Netflix or Disney+.

Software

I don’t think I need to remind you that there are very few Chinese companies that offer an acceptable software experience for the average consumer in the West. Nubia’s main devices still adhere to the usual iOS copy-cat UI enhancements, but the Red Magic phones have featured software that’s a lot closer to stock Android than what you might expect. The user interface is still customized, but Nubia has stripped out most of the bloat and delivered an experience that’s more in tune with what most gamers are looking for. It’s clean, simple and in a lot of ways better than what we’ve seen from players like LG and Sony as of late.

Nubia also deserves a lot of credit for stripping as much bloatware as possible. When turning the phone on for the first time, I was shocked to see that there were less than 25 apps pre-installed on the phone. And that number includes all the Google apps that you find on every Android device. Nubia even stripped out its own SMS app in favor of Google’s Messages app. The default launcher gives you the option to throw all your apps onto the home screen or use the traditional app drawer and you also get the Google Feed to the left of the main home screen.

There’s aren’t a whole lot of customization options for the launcher. If you want a custom icon pack you’ll need to install a third-party launcher, but Nubia does give you a lot of control over the always-on display, something that I truly appreciate. Nubia also has a few bugs to sort out like only being able to create a single app shortcut on the home screen, needing to manually remove each app from a folder rather than being able to delete the entire folder and all of its content at once and numbers on the PIN lock screen that are not visible if you use a dark wallpaper.

When you slide the Game Space switch to the on position, the phone launches its dedicated gaming interface. Here you’ll be able to add your favorite games to the game launcher, tweak the phone’s custom game settings, and view which games you’ve played the most. In order to use the capacitive triggers on the side of the phone you’ll need to launch the games from Game Space. You’ll also be able to toggle between different screen refresh rates on the fly or turn the cooling fan on or off.

Performance

As you might expect, the Nubia Red Magic Mars is a performance champ. That being said, the device doesn’t offer any real performance advantage over any other device running on a Snapdragon 865 SoC. The unique cooling system does keep the chip cooler over long gaming sessions, but that’s the only advantage that the phone really offers. As of right now, there are less than a dozen games that support 144Hz refresh rates, but there are nearly 300 games that offer 120Hz support.

That being said, the gaming experience that the Red Magic 5G delivers is second to none thanks to the unique hardware features of the phone. The capacitive triggers make games like Call of Duty Mobile, Fortnite, and PUBG even more enjoyable and may give you a bit of an edge over the competition. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve died in CODM simply because I missed the on-screen trigger button by a half a millimeter with my thump. The capacitive trigger is a lot harder to miss and a lot more comfortable for those who play first-person shooters with a controller.

The 8GB model I was sent does a great job of keeping apps running in the background, allowing you to multi-task to your heart’s content. I can imagine that the upgraded model with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage would be able to hang with the Galaxy S20 and OnePlus 8 phones that offer the same amount of RAM.

Cameras

The camera hardware used by the Red Magic 5G is quite impressive. The main camera on the back of the phone uses the 64MP Sony IMX686 sensor, supported by a 2MP macro camera and 8MP wide-angle camera. The results are mediocre which is a bit of a disappointment since we know that the IMX686 sensor is capable of capturing some stunning shots. The images typically turn out OK when capturing images outdoors or with decent lighting, but they do lack the extra pop that you typically get on cameras on Galaxy and Pixel devices. Nubia could do a lot more to optimize the image processing it does on the photos, but if you want to take things into your own hands you can always use the Pro setting and capture RAW images to edit yourself in Lightroom. 

The 8MP wide-angle camera is decent for such a low-resolution sensor, but I’m still confused as to why Nubia and every other smartphone manufacturer these days seem to be obsessed with macro cameras. The results from the 2MP macro camera are laughable as it doesn’t include an auto-focus lens. This forces you to move the phone in order to get the focus just right.

The 8MP front-facing camera can take decent pictures once you turn off the beauty mode settings, but don’t bother pulling the phone out to take pictures at night or in low-light situations. The images the phone captures during those times are a smudgy mess, comparable to low-light selfies you typically get from a $300 smartphone.

Battery life

Getting a feel for battery life on the Nubia Red Magic 5G was a bit harder than usual. Due to the phone’s unique gaming features, I played a lot more games on the phone than I typically do on other devices. The 4,500 mAh will deliver roughly 5 and a half hours of continual gaming or 13 hours of video playback. That’s not the best we’ve ever seen, but it’s still fairly impressive.

Switching the display to 60Hz offers slightly better battery life, but the phone does automatically adjust the display’s refresh rate when you have it set to 90Hz or 144Hz based on the maximum refresh rate allowed by the game or application.

The device doesn’t support wireless charging, but it does offer up to 55W fast charging. Unfortunately, the charger that comes with the phone only delivers 18W which can deliver a 50% charge to the phone in 40 minutes. If you happen to have a 55W charger already, you’ll be able to go from 0% to 100% in about 50 minutes.

Final thoughts

The Nubia Red Magic 5G is far from being the perfect everyday smartphone. There are devices with much better cameras, software, and battery life, but there are few smartphones out there that live up to their promises. The Red Magic 5G is a gaming-first smartphone that promises best-in-class performance and that’s exactly what it delivers. If all you want is a powerful smartphone that can deliver an impeccable gaming experience, this is the phone you’ve been waiting for.

While most other phones offering similar performance cost $800 or more, the Nubia Red Magic 5G is selling for just $579 for the base model and $650 for the 12GB variant, delivering unprecedented value in an age when premium hardware has become synonymous with a $1,000 price tag.

The post Red Magic 5G review: an untamed beast appeared first on Phandroid.

The new Diesel On Axial smartwatch does exactly that, delivering a bold and aggressive design for those who don’t want to blend in.

The first time I laid eyes on the Diesel On Axial, I was mesmerized. Unlike most other smartwatches, the Axial makes a statement with its unique stainless steel bezel. The design is unforgettable, delivering the aesthetics of a porthole or a camera lens mount. It screams “look at me!” at the top of its lungs while running in circles in a crowded room.

While The Fossil Group has been building smartwatches for other luxury brands for a few years now, the Diesel watches it has churned out seem to have a much closer tie back to the Diesel brands than the others. The watch’s functionality may not be that much different from other Wear OS devices, but Fossil made it clear that Diesel was heavily involved in the design of the watch’s hardware and its unique watch faces.

When putting the watch on for the first time, its heft is quite noticeable when compared to the Fossil Sport or the new Puma Smartwatch. But that simply adds to the character of the watch. While running through the setup process, which is still ridiculously long, I also noticed the intricate design of the edges of the case and really started to appreciate the tactile input buttons. It’s not often that we see a company go so far out of its way to deliver such a bombastic style with a piece of technology.

It’s absolutely brilliant.

Like the other new smartwatches from Fossil, the Diesel On Axial is built on the company’s 5th generation platform which is highlighted by a Qualcomm 3100 chipset and 1GB of RAM. When compared to older devices built by Fossil, the difference is quite significant. Navigating the interface is dramatically smoother with much better touch response and animations. While there really aren’t many applications that need the extra power, the Diesel watch faces definitely take advantage of the extra headroom with their over-the-top animations.

In addition to the dozen or so watch faces that Diesel designed for the Axial, they also included a new interactive effects feature. The weather effect will overlay live weather conditions with clouds, rain or snow over your watch face and the activity effect gives the watch face a coat of dust if you’re falling behind on your steps for the day. It’s a neat concept, but I found them to be quite annoying since the effects made it harder to see the screen when checking the time or notifications.

The watch is water-resistant and sports a heart-rate sensor on the back which means it can be used to track your workouts. Obviously, you’d want to swap out the leather strap or metal band that comes with the Axial if you decide to use it for that, but the results you get should be just as good as what you’d get from the Fossil Sport or other fitness-centric Wear OS smartwatches.

As for Wear OS, the Axial doesn’t deliver any surprises. Google’s mobile operating system still has room for improvement, but it gets the job done. Simply install your favorite music and fitness apps and you’ll be all set. The built-in microphone and speaker work great for making calls (which are routed through your phone) if you don’t mind annoying the people around you and the included NFC chip works perfectly for mobile payments with Google Pay.

If you’ve ever owned a smartwatch running Wear OS, you probably know that you shouldn’t expect miracles when it comes to battery life. The Diesel On Axial promised multi-day battery life on a single charge. In my testing, I was able to get through two full days on several occasions before needing to place it on the charger. That being said, the battery would typically give in after a day and a half. The watch does store enough extra power once it shuts down to display the time when you press the main button on the side, so you won’t be left completely stranded if it dies on you before you make it back home to charge it.

If you haven’t noticed, there are quite a few smartwatches to choose from in 2019. Those who are locked into the iOS ecosystem will likely opt for the Apple Watch, but if you’re an Android user or simply want to show a bit of personality, the Diesel On Axial is a fabulous alternative. The $350 price is a bit steep for a device running Wear OS, but the Axial is worth every last penny thanks to its iconic look which truly sets it apart from the competition.

The post Diesel On Axial review: finally, a smartwatch with true style appeared first on Phandroid.

But with competition getting stiffer, M&D didn’t rest on their laurels, and the MW07 PLUS are proof of that. The company took the old model and made it better in every single way… and then some.

Overview

• Drivers: 10mm Beryllium
• Bluetooth version: 5.0 with aptX
• Distance: 100 feet
• Water resistance: IPX5
• Battery life: 10 hours, 40 hours total
• Size: Earphones: 22.5 x 19 x 25mm, case: 64 x 26 x 45mm
• Weight: 9g each, 84g case
• Price: $299 (Amazon)

The MW07 PLUS share a nearly identical design to the originals (you can check out our review here). The polished stainless steel case looks identical from the outside, though a few changes have been made. The lid now has a solid detent for the open position so it won’t accidentally flip closed. The earbuds are now retained with a magnet, which makes removing them a bit tougher but is much safer. The black plastic insides have inexplicably been replaced with light gray plastic, but there’s a nicer Master & Dynamic logo on it.

The last change is that the charging indicators come on much faster. Previously they’d flash orange then show the charge, but now they’re nearly instant. And they’re fantastic, with three LEDs showing the charge status of the case and the two earphones individually.

With the earphones, you get metal bodies with gorgeous acetate shells over them. One side has a metal multifunction button you’ll use for pausing and skipping tracks, while the other has two volume buttons. The multifunction button is responsive and even triple clicks are easy.

On the inside you’ll find the swappable fit wings, charging contacts, and optical sensors. These sensors pause the music when you remove one earphone. The function can be a little funky, playing the music again if you hold the earphone a certain way, but it’s an appreciated feature nonetheless.

Build quality

As always, Master & Dynamic knocked it out of the park with build quality. The mirror-polished stainless steel charging case feels amazing. The handcrafted acetate used on the outer shells of the earphones is unique to each earphone. With the Steel Blue color, they made it gloss this time around and it really brings it to a whole new level of depth and flow. Plus they come in three other colors, including the classy White Marble and the stunning Black Quartz.

The chassis is stainless steel, as are the clicky buttons. Even the plastics inside the case are solid as can be with no movement or creaks. Above the earphones is some rubber to keep them from scuffing. And the pouch that comes with the earphones (to carry the case in if you’re worried about scratches) is nice.

The included USB-C cable is worth mentioning because it is a C-to-C cable with really nice metal ends. This allows you to use it with most new devices since many laptops no longer have USB-A ports. And for compatibility with every charger, there’s an awesome C to A adapter made out of metal with the company logo on it.

Sound quality

The original MW07 had larger-than-average 10mm beryllium drivers that sounded phenomenal. And when compared to the MW07 PLUS, not much has really changed. And that’s not a bad thing.

The sound quality is fantastic. It has that classic M&D sound signature, which is bright and lively. The highs are ridiculously detailed and rich, and despite being bright, they’re not harsh until they’re maxed out. They are definitely the focal point of the sound.

The mids and lows are accurate and powerful. The bass is strong and warm, though it isn’t super sharp or punchy. It’s not going to blow away a bass head, and I do wish it was a bit tighter, but it still sounds great. Some well-mastered music gets the bass punching just right too. Distortion is basically nonexistent at any volume levels with most music. They get loud and stay crystal clear.

Fire up some Dire Straits and the mids and highs come alive. “Ocean Eyes” by Billie Eilish brings out the details in her vocals like most cheaper earphones simply can’t. Something more complex like “State of the Art” by Gotye puts the drivers to the ultimate test, but they come out on top with masterful reproduction.

Despite the focus on highs, the MW07 PLUS are a joy with pretty much any genre. I’m surprised by how versatile they are, and I enjoy every moment that they’re in my ears.

Comfort

The earphones look a bit large and bulky, so you’d be surprised to learn that comfort is excellent. They fit into my ears well and create a solid but not overbearing seal while the fit wings help keep them in place. The company includes three sizes of fit wings and a whopping five sizes of ear tip to get the fit perfect.

The result is a strong fit that holds even when on the move. I have not had them fall out once and they remained relatively comfortable for hours at a time. Despite their size, they feel great.

Another comfort aspect many don’t talk about or realize is a big deal is the orientation of the earbuds in the case. When you grab an earbud, you can place it directly in your ear without rotating it or fiddling with positioning. Not all earphones get this right.

One more thing I love about them is the ease of use of the buttons. The stainless steel controls are located on top of each earphone and it’s just so easy to grasp the earphone between your thumb and index finger and comfortably press a button without disturbing the fit.

Features

New to the MW07 PLUS is the two beam-forming mics per side, which opens them up to some awesome new features. Master & Dynamic has introduced both active noise canceling and an ambient mode, something that takes earphone’s usability to the next level.

The active noise canceling is activated by holding the volume down and the ambient sound mode is activated by holding the volume up. The prompt telling you that they’ve been activated or deactivated isn’t too loud or intrusive, as the music keeps playing but gets quieter. This is unlike some of Sony’s headphones that annoyingly mute the music for a second.

The ANC is decent and does a good job of filtering out constant, lower-pitched noises. Things like planes are a great use case or dehumidifiers for example. High pitched sounds like sinks aren’t really affected by ANC, nor are random sounds like people talking. I haven’t tried Sony’s in-ear ANC offerings, but comparing it to their over-ear ANC tech, M&D is substantially behind. Still, it’s really nice to have and will be a lifesaver on a flight or subway ride. And with the passive noise isolation already so good, you don’t need much more to stay comfortable.

Ambient mode is awesome for staying aware of your surroundings, hearing the cars around you or going for a jog through the city. The ambient mode is very good, transferring audio from all around you directly into your earphones. It makes you feel like you’re not wearing sealed earphones at all. Well, almost. The volume of the noises around you isn’t quite as high as I would have liked it to be. Fortunately, the reproduction is quite good and accurate, not tinny and harsh like the Galaxy Buds. Conversations with others are comfortable and natural sounding.

An odd issue I had is that, whether you have ANC or ambient mode on, there’s a bug where extremely loud clangs will cause a popping sound. Like if you drop a fork or slam a file cabinet in a very quiet environment. Maybe it’s overloading the mics when they’re at a high sensitivity. This happens exceedingly rarely but it’s worth mentioning.

One feature unfortunately missing is wireless charging. It’s not a dealbreaker, especially since wireless charging is slower and far more inefficient than a cable. But it would still be a nice addition at this price point.

Connection

Connection quality has always been a strong spot for Master & Dynamic. Their antenna design is phenomenal and allows for strong connections through walls. Well the MW07 PLUS have Bluetooth 5.0, an upgrade over the previous model’s Bluetooth 4.2, and the claimed distance goes up from 20 meters to 100 feet/30 meters.

The actual connection quality is quite frankly unbelievable. I have left my phone in the bathroom and traveled across half the house without a single hiccup. Over shorter distances, they can penetrate two walls with no issue. When the phone is in my pocket or on a shelf, there is never any interruption in audio. Frankly, these are the first earphones where I’d call the connection perfect. And that’s big praise for Bluetooth and all its jankiness.

Battery life

The old version’s battery life of 3.5 hours on one charge was okay for its time, though far from spectacular. The AirPods have long achieved five hours, but that was a bit of a rarity in the mainstream. M&D has come out kicking because the new model nearly triples that. One charge will get you a whopping 10 hours of listening time. And the case now provides an extra three charges, totaling 40 hours of music listening.

The company also added fast charging so if that’s not enough, charging is quick and painless. The earphones can get five hours of listening time in just 15 minutes resting in their case, and a full charge in 40 minutes. The case itself can get a 40% charge in 15 minutes and a full charge in 40 minutes via that USB-C port. 

So far I’ve had a lot of trouble killing the earphones in one go. Even with ambient sound mode on, which I use all the time, they last half a workday with ease and report more than half the battery life remaining. And the total 40-hour figure lasts me weeks at a time.

Conclusion

The post Master & Dynamic MW07 PLUS true wireless earphone review: The best of the best appeared first on Phandroid.

These days, the budget flagship segment has expanded from OnePlus’ devices to include dozens of options from Honor, ASUS, Acer, Xiaomi and much more. And then there’s this, the ZTE Axon 10 Pro which may actually be the best option of them all.

Design & Hardware

When it comes to its spec sheet, the phone checks all the right boxes. Since this is a flagship-tier device, it’s running a Snapdragon 855 SoC with 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage, a microSD card slot which is becoming increasingly rare these days. It offers a triple-camera setup on the back which includes a 48MP Sony sensor, 20MP camera with an ultra-wide lens and a 3x telephoto lens that’s paired with an 8MP sensor. There’s a 20MP front-facing camera in a tear-drop notch that’s cut out of the 6.5-inch AMOLED display which also features an embedded fingerprint sensor.

On the power side, the 4,000 mAh battery should be enough to get most people through a long day and it charges pretty quickly thanks to Quick Charge 4.0. The one standout feature here is the inclusion of wireless charging. Most $1,000 flagship smartphones do have this feature (and some come with reverse wireless charging as well), but it’s a feature that’s nearly-always overlooked in this segment. So, just how cheap is the 10 Pro? This phone’s base price is just $550. Throw in an extra $50 and you can trade in the 8GB of RAM for 12GB.

When it comes to design, the ZTE Axon 10 Pro isn’t anything special, featuring an aluminum frame sandwiched between Gorilla Glass on the front and back. The blue color option has been done before, but we’re always glad to see options besides the usual black and whites that we see with more devices. As with most ZTE smartphones, the build is refined with smooth edges, great tactile feedback on the buttons and understated elegance.  The power button on the side falls perfectly where your thumb rests, but if you use the in-display fingerprint sensor to unlock the phone, which happens to work extremely well, you’ll never really need it.

You get good audio out of the bottom speaker and of course, you’ll have the use the included 3.5mm to USB-C dongle if you’re planning to use headphones to listen to music or videos.

Software

While the hardware is top-notch, ZTE has never really been known for its software. Over the years, the company has received a lot of criticism for its skinned versions of Android and software updates which come months too late, but the company has actually been working really hard to improve its track record. On the 10 Pro, I was pleasantly surprised to see a nearly-stock build of Android with a dramatically improved user experience than what ZTE has delivered in the past. ZTE may have actually toned things down a bit too much since all the customization options that were there in the past have been stripped out. The launcher is pretty much stock with the Google feed to the far left and a few options to customize transitions and the icon grid. The interface is fluid and fast and ZTE has even replicated the new Android 10 navigation gestures even though the phone is still running Android 9.

Like ZTE’s Nubia branded phones, there’s a dedicated gaming mode built-in which kills off processes in the background to ensure that the game you are playing it taking full advantage of the phone’s hardware. In all honesty, I think it’s overkill since the hardware on this phone is superb. The 8GB of RAM is more than enough to keep 6-8 apps running in the background even while playing your favorite games. In comparing this phone to the 12GB version of the OnePlus 7 Pro, I found that its overall performance was just as good.

Power & Battery Life

Constant use and playing games for hours on end can take a massive toll on a phone’s battery life, but since this phone has a 4,000 mAh cell on the inside, users shouldn’t be too worried. If you’re a heavy gamer or consumer hours of content each day, the Axon 10 Pro will get you through a full day just fine, but you may want to plug it in for a few minutes if you’re planning to be out late. Under regular use, I got 5-6 hours of screen on time over the course of 14 hours with a good 20% charge left at the end of a day. And with quick charge 4.0, the phone’s battery can go from 0 to 100 in about 90 minutes.As mentioned before, the phone also includes wireless charging, a feature that OnePlus has deemed as too expensive for even its $750 smartphone. Personally, I’m a fan since I have a handful of wireless chargers dispersed around the house which allows me to plop the phone down pretty much anywhere to charge it without the hassle of plugging it in.

Display

As for the phone’s 6.5-inch AMOLED display, I don’t really have any major complaints. It features the same curved panel and glass at the 7 Pro which does add a bit of extra glare and accidental taps from the side of your hand now and again. The 1080 x 2340 pixel resolution is expected at this price point, but the panel is extremely bright, offering better visibility in direct sunlight and since it supports HDR10, it offers a great viewing experience when you’re sitting back and enjoying a movie or TV show. And ZTE’s also thrown in an always-on display mode for notifications, but it would have been nice if there were a few customization options.

While there are a few phones in this category that feature 90Hz refresh rates, the Axon 10 Pro’s AMOLED display tops out at 60Hz. This could be a deal-breaker for some who want the ultimate gaming experience or the smoothest screen possible, but most games are still not optimized for 90Hz display the average user would likely not notice the difference anyways.

Cameras

The biggest point of contention which typically differentiates a budget flagship smartphone from a true flagship is the camera experience. Now, we’re not just talking hardware since it seems like most phones, even a $300 device has multi-sensor setups for their main cameras. We’re talking about actual image and video quality here.

ZTE delivers a standard, wide and telephoto lens on the back. The versatility offered by the three different focal lengths is incredible and the overall image quality is decent as well. Images are sharp with great colors and the phone manages to capture those images the instant you press the button. That being said, ZTE really can’t compete with the computational photography that you get from more expensive phones like the Pixel 3 or Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10 that delivers much better dynamic range which pulls in more detail from the shadows and low light scenarios. Nighttime images from the 10 Pro aren’t bad, but they could be a lot better since it’s the processing which really seems to be the issue.

Those who enjoy taking selfies will get pretty good images out of the phone when lighting conditions are good. However, don’t expect miracles if you want to take a low-light selfie at a restaurant or when out at night with your friends. For that, the Pixel 3a is still the best option if you’re on a budget.

The camera app isn’t loaded down with dozens of different features, but it does rip off a few of the iPhone’s fancy lighting tricks for portrait shots and then there’s a dedicated night mode which does deliver a brighter and more vibrant image than if you leave it on auto.

Final thoughts

So, where does that leave the ZTE Axon 10 Pro? The hardware is incredible, the software is good, performance is exactly what you’d expect from a $1,000 smartphone and then you have a camera that is ok, but could use a bit of polish.

As you can see, this $550 smartphone can definitely go head to head with phones that cost nearly double. It probably won’t win every battle, but that’s perfectly fine. What’s most surprising about this phone is that it beats OnePlus at its own game, offering flagship-tier hardware and a clean software experience at a very appealing price, making the ZTE Axon 10 Pro the new king of the budget flagship smartphone segment, That’s definitely something I wasn’t expecting when this phone showed up.

The post ZTE Axon 10 Pro review: the new budget flagship king appeared first on Phandroid.

Now, OnePlus is back with another refresh that is complicating matters even more. The OnePlus 7T is a refresh of the same design with even better specs and an even better price- just $599 for a flagship device. There are rumors of a OnePlus 7T Pro coming for international markets, but we’ve spent the last week with the 7T and have come away impressed with what you can get for under $600.

Build, Body, and Display

Saying that the OnePlus 7T is just another OnePlus 6T or 7 is actually a bit simplistic because there are some changes. The chassis is slightly narrower and a hair taller than those devices and the change is immediately noticeable. The 7T feels a lot easier to handle because of its narrow design, though it isn’t as drastic as something like the Sony Xperia 10 or 10 Plus.

Another change I really appreciate is the flat display. While the OnePlus 7 Pro looks great, it’s a lot harder to handle because of that curved screen. Sure, it melts into the sides of the phone, but it’s a lot harder to hold onto than the 7T. Speaking of the sides of the phone, we get a well-constructed frame that holds some of the most clicky buttons on a device I’ve ever used. Basically, they’re perfect. The mute switch (one of my favorite features on a OnePlus phone) is much smaller than on the 7 Pro and a bit harder to use since there isn’t as much surface area to grab.

The bottom of the device houses the bottom-firing speaker and charging port, while the left has the volume rocker opposite the power button and mute switch on the right. If you were waiting for the part where I said the top houses the 3.5mm headphone jack, well, I’m sorry because OnePlus has definitely abandoned it for good.

The biggest change in the 7T comes on the back of the device. A massive, round camera module houses three cameras and a dual-tone flash. It’s large and a pretty big departure from other OnePlus designs of the past. I can’t say I’m a fan of this design and most people I’ve asked have been turned off by it. In addition to it being huge, it sticks out quite a bit too. OnePlus sent along three cases with the device for us to check out, and only the large silicone case comes even with the camera hump. And yes, it wobbles on your desk if you try to type on it while it’s sitting down.

The trend of 90hz displays is alive and well here on the OnePlus 7T. While the OnePlus 7 only featured a 60hz display, OnePlus bumped the 7T’s display up to 90hz, just like the 7 Pro. This is one of those features you really need to see in person to feel the full effect. The display now refreshed 90 times a second in supported apps and it’s a game-changer for me. Others poopoo the display for diminishing battery life, but it’s well worth it in my book. After using a few devices with high refresh rates, I do not ever want to go back.

Unlike the 7 Pro, the 7T has a 1080p display instead of 1440p. I noticed no real difference in day-to-day usage at 1080p and even turned down the resolution on the 7 Pro to see if I could see a change. I couldn’t. I do think that larger displays benefit from higher resolution, but the OLED panel on the 7 Pro and 7T are just fine at 1080p in my book. Additionally, colors are vivid and blacks are deep giving it that excellent contrast ratio you only get on OLED panels. The 7T’s display might not rise to the level of the current Samsung flagships, but it’s damn close and a joy to look at.

Software & Performance

Oxygen OS, the custom skin on OnePlus devices, is one of my favorites. I feel like it provides the right amount of customization while not straying too far from the core Android experience. Since it’s a pretty light skin, this also lets OnePlus update its software rather quickly, too. It was one of the first companies to come out with Android 10 betas and Android 10 full releases.

But, sometimes that speed comes at a cost. The OnePlus 7T is running Android 10 out of the box and the experience has been less than stellar. I’ve encountered quite a few bugs that should’ve been caught before the software ever shipped and it’s pretty disappointing. Often times, my theme just reverts. OnePlus makes it really easy to take control of your theme through the customization menu so I can easily change it back, but in the week that I’ve been using the device, it has reverted to a light theme three times.

Beyond that, there have been many app crashes and system freezes of 20-30 seconds each that you just have to sit through and wait for the system to figure it out. Knowing OnePlus, they’ll figure it out eventually but it’s highly disappointing that the software shipped in the state that it did. It feels like the company pushed out an incomplete and buggy build because it had a deadline of the 7T shipping.

On to the good stuff– this thing is seriously fast. While other companies let their software get in the way with bloated needless features and terrible animations, OnePlus does not. I’ve never once felt like this phone is slow during normal operation and app loading times are among some of the best. Part of this is due to the top of the line process, while the crazy fast UFS 3.0 storage and 8 GB of RAM also play a part. 8 GB of RAM is still more than enough and should be fine for the next couple of years, but if you really want bleeding-edge specs (the 7T ships with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage), there is a 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage version of the 7 Pro available.

Battery Life

Battery life is another stand-out- in fact, it’s better than the 7 Pro. I routinely have seen 6-8 hours of screen-on-time with normal to light usage. I have seven email accounts synced and spend a lot of time streaming music and video, as well as scrolling through Reddit for dank memes. Heavy users and gamers will see diminished battery life, but it’s still going to be excellent, and one of the best on the market today. When your battery gets low, you can charge up with the included Warp Charge 30T wall charger and get back over half your battery (from dead) in half an hour. Battery life this good means you never have to worry about your phone dying and that can really be a game-changer.

Cameras

The camera experience is largely unchanged from the OnePlus 7 Pro and that’s a good thing. While you’re not getting a class-leading experience, the OnePlus 7T falls into the “good enough” category that most phones in this price bracket. If you’re looking for a true flagship camera experience, you will want to look elsewhere at something like a Samsung Galaxy S10e or a Pixe 3a XL, both of which can be had at a cheaper price but with a better camera.

As for the hardware, the 7T rocks a triple camera setup with a main 48 MP shooter at f/1.6 that features optical image stabilization. It’s flanked by a 12 MP telephoto lens at f/2.2 and a zoom of 2x and a 16 MP ultrawide lens at f/2.2.

Looking purely at specs, you’d be impressed with the camera setup and the versatility it presents. The main 48 MP camera does just fine in well-lit situations and can even pull off some decent low-light camera shots with OnePlus’s low-light mode enabled, maybe even better than the 7 Pro. Again, it falls behind camera offerings from Google who uses its excellent computational photography to seemingly pulls light out of nowhere in dark situations and illuminate details that would otherwise be lost if you were shooting on a OnePlus device. But as you can see in our camera samples, OnePlus does a pretty decent job in challenging situations.

The telephoto lens has been looked at as a step back from the one found on the 7 Pro since it “only” zooms at 2x instead of 2.5x, but we found little difference in day to day usage. The same can be said for the ultrawide lens that is still a ton of fun to shoot with and will provide some great social media photos. That’s basically all we really do with pictures we shoot on our phones these days anyway, isn’t it? If that’s what you’re looking for, the OnePlus 7T is just fine. But, as I said earlier, you can find better cameras at a cheaper price, you just have to be prepared to make sacrifices elsewhere in the phone.

Final Thoughts

OnePlus has really done it again. The 7T feels like a return to self where the company offers almost unparalleled value in a flagship phone. The problem for OnePlus is that a lot more companies have followed its lead since the OnePlus One came out five years ago. Huawei, Realme, Google, Samsung and a long list of others all offer flagship performance, flagship cameras, or flagship design at mid-tier pricing. OnePlus is still (one of) the best, but it has a lot of company.

And as much as we love the 7T, it’s certainly not perfect. The haptics feels like a step back from the OnePlus 7 Pro. I generally turn vibration off on Android devices because Apple has ruined them for me, but I actually left them on the 7 Pro– not so much with the 7T. I was consistently disappointed with the intensity since I picked the phone up. The fingerprint scanner also feels like a step back. It’s not quite as bad as the scanner on the OnePlus 6T, but I was getting consistently better results and faster reads on the OnePlus 7 Pro.

That being said, there’s a ton to love here. I forgot how much I enjoyed face unlock and how fast it is while using the 7 Pro because I got tired of the popup camera pretty quickly. Sure, there’s a notch to contend with (though it is smaller) but it’s worth it, in my opinion. I didn’t notice it after about the first five minutes of use.

So, who is this phone for? If you have a OnePlus 7 Pro or 7, you’re not going to find much here to entice you. Even OnePlus 6T users should probably stand pat if the cost of upgrading is more than a hundred dollars or so. But this is going to be an excellent introduction for most people to the OnePlus brand. Walking into a carrier store for a new phone and finding the OnePlus 7T on the shelf next to similar devices that cost hundreds more is going to be pretty compelling for a large swath of people. Value hunters will be especially interested and we can’t blame them. The OnePlus 7T might be the best value the company has ever put out and that’s saying something.

OnePlus has built its brand on quality and value. Starting with the OnePlus One, the company has continued to put out super compelling devices that beat the competition on price while matching them on specs and features. That’s why it was such a shock when it came out with its most expensive phone earlier this year, the OnePlus 7 Pro.

The post OnePlus 7T review: going pro on a budget appeared first on Phandroid.

This year, users finally get to choose what size Note they want. Samsung has delivered two devices this time: the Note 10 and the Note 10+. Their display sizes are the largest thing setting them apart with a 6.8-inch 3040×1440 panel on the Note 10+ and a 6.3-inch 2280×1080 panel on its smaller sibling. But of course, there are a few other differences as well. The Note 10+ is, of course, bigger and badder with a 4300mAh battery versus 3500mAh of the Note 10. 35W charging quick charging also comes standard versus 25W, and 12GB of RAM compared to the Note 10’s 8GB. The addition of a VGA depth sensor on the back of the Note 10+ allows for more accurate AR tracking too.

While the Note series has consistently delivered more than competing devices, Samsung actually cut back on hardware features this time. The heart rate sensor, iris scanner and 3.5mm headphone jack are all missing, along with the notification LED. Dropping the headphone jack was something we were expecting, but there’s no excuse for omitting the notification LED. The least Samsung could have done was add a flashing ring around the hole-punch cutout for the front-facing camera, but all you really have is the always-on display which doesn’t really show you when your device is done charging or when an important notification comes in.

Design

I’ll be the first to admit that Samsung’s Note devices have not been the best-looking smartphones these past few years. With the odd placement of the fingerprint sensors and asymmetrical bezels around their displays, the last two versions of the phone have just looked odd. The Note 10 and Note 10+ take a much different approach, delivering a sleek new look which makes the phones look like they’re deserving of their high sticker prices.The signature color this year is Aura Glow which can only be described as the rebirth of the CD. Samsung has reproduced the reflective prism effect from the underside of a CD ad slapped it on the back glass of the phone. Yes, it’s a fingerprint magnet, but it’s definitely the most mesmerizing phone design I’ve seen in years. The phone features curved side edges, but Samsung has flattened out the top and bottom edges of the phone.One other feature that’s been removed is the dedicated Bixby button on the side of the Note 10. You can still easily launch Bixby by log-pressing the power button, but that can be changed in the software if you want. While the Note 10+ is as big as you’d expect it to be, the smaller Note 10 is actually quite small, marking the first time that a Note device has actually reduced its overall footprint, making it the smallest (by volume) Note Samsung has ever built.

• Samsung Galaxy Note10+: 162.3 x 77.2 x 7.9 mm
• Samsung Galaxy Note10: 151 x 71.8 x 7.9 mm
• Samsung Galaxy Note9: 161.9 x 76.4 x 8.8 mm
• Samsung Galaxy Note8: 162.5 x 74.8 x 8.6 mm
• Samsung Galaxy Note7: 153.5 x 73.9 x 7.9 mm
• Samsung Galaxy Note5: 153.2 x 76.1 x 7.6 mm
• Samsung Galaxy Note4: 153.5 x 78.6 x 8.5 mm
• Samsung Galaxy Note3: 151.2 x 79.2 x 8.3 mm
• Samsung Galaxy NoteII: 151.1 x 80.5 x 9.4 mm
• Samsung Galaxy Note: 146.9 x 83 x 9.7 mm

I’m not really a fan of “big” phones and because of this, I’ve never used a Note for much longer than a few weeks after reviewing one. But the smaller Note 10 is a different story. The phone’s sleek design and the versatility of the S Pen make this device the most compelling smartphone of its size.

Specifications

Performance

By now, you probably have a good handle on what to expect from any device running on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855. Put simply, it’s incredibly fast, power-efficient and powerful enough for the most intense mobile gaming sessions you can throw at it.

The Note 10 may be classified as an inferior device since it features 8GB of RAM as opposed to the 12GB of RAM found in the Note 10+, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. The only time you’ll notice a difference is in benchmarks, but in the real world, it’s impossible to tell the two apart. Samsung should have given buyers the option to upgrade to 12GB of RAM on the smaller Note 10 for those who want to splurge a little, but I don’t think anyone will be complaining out this phone’s RAM management. 

You can easily use two apps at one, jump back into an app that’s been frozen in the background for hours or even switch mindlessly between Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Chome as you search for something new to spark your interest. 

Display

Besides the fancy paint job of the back, the first thing you’ll notice on this phone is its stunning AMOLED display. Yes, there is a centered hole punch at the top for the front-facing camera, but that allowed Samsung to stretch the display to the very edges of the phone, making it look and feel like something from a sci-fi movie. The panel itself is probably one of the best displays I’ve ever seen on the smartphone and keep in mind, this is the smaller 6.3-inch 2280×1080 display. The Note 10+’s larger 6.8-inch 3040×1440 panel looks even better. The displays don’t have the same 90Hz refresh rate that the Samsung panel on the OnePlus 7 Pro does, but that probably only matters to a select number of buyers.

One of the best displays I’ve ever seen

It doesn’t matter if you’re watching movies, playing games or just killing time on social media, the content on the display feels like it’s going to jump out and come to life. Viewing angles are phenomenal and it’s probably the best screen I’ve tested this year for visibility in direct sunlight. And the good news is that the AMOLED panel it extremely power efficient, so it won’t chew through your battery even when brightness is cranked up to max.

For biometric security, Samsung has embedded an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor embedded below the display. It’s decently fast and accurate if you decide to remove the Note 10’s pre-installed screen protector, but it’ll still be noticeably slower than the optical sensor used on other devices. If you want faster biometric recognition, you can always turn on Face recognition, but it’s definitely not as secure.

Cameras

When it comes to its cameras, this phone delivers nearly an identical experience to that of the S10 models from earlier in the year. There are two 12MP sensors paired with a standard 28MM and 58mm telephoto lens and then a 16MP sensor that gives you an incredible 12mm ultra-wide view of the world. The larger Note 10+ does come with an extra Time of Flight (ToF) 3D camera on the back to help with the phone’s AR doodles feature. This feels like a waste of hardware since the Note 10 manages just fine without it, in our experience.

Image quality is phenomenal with impeccable detail in daylight and above-average performance once the sun goes down. Samsung’s updated Night mode even manages to deliver impressive images which are significantly brighter than what you’d get otherwise, though they still pale in comparison to the Pixel 3.

Having the versatility offered by the three different focal points is something that can’t be understated. While many people love the zoom lens, I find myself capturing ultra-wide shots as often as possible. With that lens, you can capture an entire room, amazing streetscapes or landscape shots which were previously only possible in panorama mode. Of course, the telephoto lens does come in handy from time to time, but for me, it’s not the highlight of the show.

The versatility offered by the three focal points is something that can’t be understated.

The one thing that I’ll say is that the cameras on this phone are consistent and predictable, allowing you to anticipate how the image will turn out before the shot is captured. There are a few times that I was disappointed with the images it captured, but it was honestly wishful thinking that the shots I wanted could be taken with a smartphone instead of a DSLR.

As for the selfie camera that’s peeking through the display up front, it does a pretty good job. Despite there being a single sensor, Samsung has included a “wide” feature which honestly should be the only option here. But it can also take live focus shots to blur the background and if you need to capture a late-night selfie or when lighting isn’t optimal, the Night mode works here as well.

If you record a lot of video with your phone, that’s where you’ll notice the real improvements. The new Super Steady setting essentially delivers the stabilization you’d get if the phone was mounted on a gimbal. To do that, it crops in on the video and stabilizes the clip using the phone’s internal gyroscope. By default, it switches over to the ultra-wide lens to give you a wider view due to the crop. It’s not perfect since the sensor paired with the ultra-wide lens doesn’t do as well in low light as the main sensor, but you can always zoom in to switch to the phone’s main sensor if you don’t mind the crop. Unfortunately, the feature doesn’t work with the front-facing camera, something I hope will make the cut in next year’s Note 11.

Thankfully the new Live Focus Video mode works with both the front-facing and main cameras, allowing you to capture video of yourself or your friends while adding digital blur or other effects to the background. Yes, it’s a bit gimmicky, but it’s perfect for when you’re wanting to record something a bit more stylized or simply don’t want to show the mess in your office.

The final new video feature is audio zoom which enhances the audio recorded from the phone’s rear mic as you zoom into a subject. It’s a cool feature if you’re recording a band or someone talking to the camera that’s a bit further away, but not necessarily new since HTC introduced it a few years back on the U11.

Samsung has also beefed up its video editing tools on the phone, giving users a more robust application with dozens of new features for creating videos on the go. Combined with the S Pen, the Note 10 is easily the best smartphone for creators who want to shoot and edit on the same device. That being said, there are plenty of third-party apps on the Play Store which deliver a much better editing experience.

S Pen

Naturally, the S Pen is the one distinguishing feature which, not only gives the phone its name but sets it apart from every other smartphone on the planet. Sure, there are a few other phones with pen support, but no one comes close to delivering what Samsung does.

This year, Samsung has a built-in a gyroscope and accelerometer into the S Pen, allowing it to change camera modes, zoom in and out or switch between the phone’s various sensors with different gestures. Honestly, the only reason you’d ever want to use these features is if you’re trying to take a selfie with the phone on a tripod. Of course, you can still take a picture by pressing the button on the S Pen and honestly that’s still the best feature when it comes to the camera.

The S Pen is by far the most advanced smartphone peripheral on the market

If you’re planning to use the S Pen for productivity and getting work done, Samsung has added in advanced Optical Character Recognition (OCR), which allows your written text to be transcribed and saved as a Word document and easily shared with colleagues, thanks to Samsung’s new partnership with Microsoft. This may sound like a minor feature upgrade, but it actually makes the S Pen a lot more valuable as a work tool for those who live the corporate life. Of course, you can always use the pen for creating amazing works of art or simply have some fun with the new AR doodles which allow you to sketch on the live camera view while maintaining their position in space while you move around.

The S Pen is by far the most advanced smartphone peripheral on the market. It’s what makes the Note unique and compelling when compared to every other smartphone that’s out there.

Battery & Charging

While I love the smaller footprint of the regular Note 10, I do wish that the phone has a slightly larger battery. For years, battery life was one of those things that made the Note special. Battery life on the Note 10 is average when compared to other 2019 flagships. The 3500 mAh cell will get you through a typical day and leave you with 25-30%, which may actually be the extra power you might need if you’re planning on making it a long one and heading out to dinner or a late-night concert. If battery longevity is a concern, the Note 10+ solves that issue with its 4,300 mAh cell, delivering 3-5 extra hours of life on a charge. But even then, there are plenty of other smartphones that last even longer

Half an hour on the included quick charger will take you from 0 to 60% or just over an hour if you want to go all the way to 100%. If that sounds faster than what Samsung has delivered in the past, that’s because they’ve upped the charge rate to 25w. The Note 10+, on the other hand, supports 35w charging, but you’ll have to shell out some extra cash for that since both phones come with the same 25w charger in the box.

Both phones come with wireless charging and the same reverse wireless charging feature that Samsung induced on its S10 series. It’s not super fast, but it’s a convenient feature if you need to charge your smartwatch, earbuds or your friend’s iPhone in a pinch.

Software

I’m not going to touch on the phone’s software other to say that Samsung’s One UI on Android 9 is identical to the experience offered by the Galaxy S10 series. If you want to know more about that, you can check out our Samsung Galaxy S10+ review.

The one minor difference is the inclusion of a new DEX feature which allows you to plug the phone into your computer rather than a standalone monitor. Users can drag and drop files between your phone and computer, play games, send messages and even answer phone calls. The experience is a bit laggier than if you were to plug the Note 10 directly into a monitor with a keyboard and mouse, but it’s definitely a lot more practical. And thanks to Samsung’s new partnership with Microsoft, users will be able to wirelessly sync notifications and photos between the phone and a Windows 10 device without having to install any additional software.

Final Thoughts

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ are the best Android smartphones Samsung has ever built and beat out what the competition has been throwing at it in 2019. But for as much praise as these phones deserve, I’m honestly a bit disappointed. The Note series used to be all about innovation and testing new ideas. That didn’t really happen this time around. You’re looking at an iterative upgrade, combining the best of last year’s Note 9 with the new features Samsung introduces on the S10 series. It’s an incredible piece of hardware, but it somehow lacks that bit of magic which gave the Note its signature status for so many years.

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