Thursday, May 24, 2018
Friday, April 27, 2018
Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact the most powerful small phone. Review.
SONY XPERIA XZ2 COMPACT REVIEW
Sony broke its usual smartphone release cycle to bring its latest flagship, the Xperia XZ2, to Mobile World Congress 2018, a few months earlier than expected. Alongside it came a smaller sibling: the Xperia XZ2 Compact. The Compact is available to pre-order now, and does properly on sale in April.
The Compact packs a smaller screen (no surprise there), but the rest of its specs are impressively close to the bigger version. We’ve tested the phone out ourselves, and here’s what you’ll get when the XZ2 Compact arrives later this year.
PRICE
DESIGN AND BUILD
Alongside the XZ2, the XZ2 Compact represents the debut of Sony’s new ‘Ambient Flow’ design philosophy, which is basically just a fancy way of saying that they’re rounded off some of the straight edges for a more curved design compared to most other recent Sony phones.
Sony boasts that this is the world’s most compact phone with a 5in screen, retaining similar proportions to last year’s model despite a big jump up from that phone’s 4.6in display. Despite a compact frame you still get some bezels at the top of the bottom, and there's even slight bezelling at the sides of the screen - even though Sony eliminated that on its much cheaper Xperia XA2 earlier this year.
Still, at 135x65mm across the front, the phone does feel as comfortable to hold as you'd hope, and it's welcome to see Sony sticking with its Compact line in an industry where phones seem to be getting larger and larger every year.
Still, it comes at a cost, as Sony seems to have saved space across the display by cramming it all into the back of the device. At 12.1mm thick this is one of the chunkiest phones we've tested in a while - it's actually 1mm thicker than the regular XZ2. The curved back helps keep the phone comfortable to hold, but it's hard to escape how hefty this thing is for a compact device, which really detracts from the 2018 flagship feeling. At 168g, it also feels dense and heavy.
It’s all housed in an aluminium frame with a hard-coated polycarbonate finish on the rear - a change from the 3D glass back found on the XZ2. There’s a slight sheen to the hardware, but it’s a far cry from the glossy finish on the larger model.
Still, the rest is pretty similar. The display itself is 18:9 - the thinner aspect ratio that’s recently become popular - and you get IP65/68 waterproofing and USB-C charging, though the 3.5mm headphone jack is gone, which is a shame, as Sony was one of the last champions of wired audio in phones.
On the back you'll find a fingerprint sensor and camera. Their placement is a little odd though. The fingerprint sensor is a good inch or so below the camera lens, almost halfway down the phone's body, much lower than where your finger (well, mine at least) would naturally rest, forcing you to claw your hand slightly to use the scanner - usually after missing it the first time you try. It's a small gripe, but one that should have been easy to avoid, making it all the more conspicuous.
The XZ2 Compact will be available in four colours: Black (pictured), White Silver (exclusive to O2), Moss Green (Petrol Blue in the UK), and Coral Pink (pictured) with the pre-installed UI theme colour-coded to match.
SPECS AND FEATURES
Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact review video https://vidosy.com/video/uIpbggEHLPk/Sony-Xperia-XZ2-Compact-review.html
The Compact features (mostly) the same specs as the main XZ2, which means you’re getting flagship power in a relatively small size.
Screen
The 5in 18:9 screen offers full HD+ resolution, at 1080x2160, which actually matches the main XZ2, despite the smaller size, meaning you get a much higher pixel density of 483ppi. It's bright and crisp, and Sony lets you play around with the white balance and colour settings to optimise it to your taste.
The display also supports HDR, which means it’s capable of showing off the full potential of HDR photos and video. Even better, it’s also able to upscale standard content into HDR, whether it’s local or streamed online, so you can get deeper blacks, brighter colours, and more detail from just about any visual content. It's an impressive effect, that works better than you might expect, so could be a real selling point if you watch a lot of TV or movies on your phone.
Processor, memory and storage
The processor is the new Snapdragon 845, Qualcomm’s fastest yet. It’s backed up by 4GB of RAM and 64GB built-in storage, expandable via MicroSD up to another 400GB. Performance is silky smooth across the board, as you'd expect from those specs, which the benchmarks bear out: performance is almost identical to the larger XZ2, and very similar to the Galaxy S9. As you can see it's also a big jump up from the similarly priced OnePlus 5T, which runs last year's Snapdragon 835 chip.
Connectivity
The XZ2 Compact boasts mostly the same connectivity features as its larger sibling, with only a couple of differences. The first is that the Compact version only supports Cat 15 LTE, which means 4G downloads up to 800Mbps, rather than the bigger phone's support for Cat 18 (1.2Gbps), but unless you're in an area with particularly fast 4G connections, you're unlikely to notice the difference anyway.
The bigger difference is that the Compact doesn't support wireless charging, instead using USB-C fast-charging - we managed to top it up to 33% from empty in just half an hour.
Beyond power, there's NFC, GPS, and Bluetooth 5.0. As mentioned above, there's no 3.5mm headphone jack (Sony does supply a USB-C adapter with the phone, along with a pair of wired 3.5mm headphones), but the phone supports high resolution audio, and the stereo speakers are capable of cranking out some serious volume.
Cameras
The Compact also packs the same 19MP single-lens camera as in the bigger phone. It's capable of decent photos, but between the single lens design and Sony's lagging software, photos just can't match the best phone cameras out there. If you're confident enough to dive into manual mode and play around with settings you can take some fantastic shots, but if you're looking for something with a great point-and-click auto mode, there are better phones around than this.
There is one big thing the camera can't do: portrait mode. The blurred background bokeh effect is one of the big selling points of dual-lens cameras for most, and the XZ2 Compact can't offer a proper alternative. There is a software-driven bokeh mode tucked away with the AR effects and panorama, but the results aren't very impressive, with aggressive blurring in some spots and hardly any in others - despite Google proving it can be done to great effect in the Pixel 2.
As for video, both XZ2 models boast the first smartphone cameras capable of recording video in 4K and HDR, and produce admittedly impressive results - though for the average consumer, this is almost certainly camera overkill.
Last year’s super slow motion has also been upgraded, offering the ability to record the same 960fps at a higher 1080p resolution - at least for a few seconds. The default setting is still to shoot in 720p, which nets you six seconds of slow motion at a time (as you can see in our sample video below, courtesy of a Rae Morris gig), but if you up it to 1080p you can only record half that at a time.
That only exacerbates one of the chief problems with the Sony super slow motion, which is that it relies on you hitting the button at the exact right moment to catch what you wanted to - no easy thing. Compare that to the Galaxy S9, which is capped at 720p, but has motion detection software to trigger the slow motion mode at the right moment - we'd take catching the moment at 720p over missing it entirely in 1080p any day.
As for the front camera, that’s 5MP, with an f/2.2 aperture wide-angle lens for group selfies, but now comes with Sony’s 3D face scanning built-in so that you can take 3D models of your own head, in case you ever feel the need. It's a fun novelty, but tricky to pull off correctly, and the sort of silly effect you'd probably only ever play around with when you're with friends anyway.
Battery life
Battery life is another small difference between the two XZ2 models, and unsurprising really, given the size. The battery here is 2870mAh, while the larger phone has 3180mAh. Regardless, the Compact reliably lasted somewhere between one and two days during our testing, which is fairly typical these days, though nothing outstanding.
As we said above, there's no wireless charging, only USB-C, but you can get a third of the battery back in just 30 minutes, and go from 0 to full in just a few hours.
Before we move onto software, it’s worth noting that there's one hardware feature you won’t find here that is in the XZ2 proper: the new Dynamic Vibration System. That gives haptic feedback in time with video and audio content - vibrating as an explosion goes off in a film, say - and is a fun novelty, but mere novelty nonetheless. You won't miss it.
SOFTWARE
The XZ2 Compact ships with Android 8.0 Oreo as standard, using Sony’s typically minimal additions and tweaks, like optional themes, wallpapers, and widgets.
The biggest change is the new Xperia Assist software, designed to help users make the most of their phones. It’s intended to pop up the first time you use any app that could benefit from advanced features - like HDR upscaling - and uses a chatbot UI to explain how it all works.
In practice, it's not too impressive though. The main chat UI only offers tips on very basic topics - changing your wallpaper or adding apps to your home screen - and we found that most of the time when we tried the phone's more advanced features, we either missed the Assist alerts, or they didn't pop up at all.
Beyond that, this is very close to stock Android - though you do have to put up with a few too many pre-installed apps, from Kobo and AVG to four separate Amazon apps, and they can only be disabled, not uninstalled
SPECS
You always can see here https://list-phones.com/catalogue/Motorola-Moto-E5
SHOULD I BUY SONY XPERIA XZ2 COMPACT?
The Xperia XZ2 Compact fits almost every major feature from the XZ2 into a smaller frame, offering the best specs you'll find in a 5in phone right now - at the cost of a slightly chunky rear end. If you don't mind the bezel-ly design and the lack of wireless charging, you won't find better performance anywhere near this price point.
Sony broke its usual smartphone release cycle to bring its latest flagship, the Xperia XZ2, to Mobile World Congress 2018, a few months earlier than expected. Alongside it came a smaller sibling: the Xperia XZ2 Compact. The Compact is available to pre-order now, and does properly on sale in April.
The Compact packs a smaller screen (no surprise there), but the rest of its specs are impressively close to the bigger version. We’ve tested the phone out ourselves, and here’s what you’ll get when the XZ2 Compact arrives later this year.
PRICE
- The Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact is available now for $635.00
DESIGN AND BUILD
Alongside the XZ2, the XZ2 Compact represents the debut of Sony’s new ‘Ambient Flow’ design philosophy, which is basically just a fancy way of saying that they’re rounded off some of the straight edges for a more curved design compared to most other recent Sony phones.
Sony boasts that this is the world’s most compact phone with a 5in screen, retaining similar proportions to last year’s model despite a big jump up from that phone’s 4.6in display. Despite a compact frame you still get some bezels at the top of the bottom, and there's even slight bezelling at the sides of the screen - even though Sony eliminated that on its much cheaper Xperia XA2 earlier this year.
Still, at 135x65mm across the front, the phone does feel as comfortable to hold as you'd hope, and it's welcome to see Sony sticking with its Compact line in an industry where phones seem to be getting larger and larger every year.
Still, it comes at a cost, as Sony seems to have saved space across the display by cramming it all into the back of the device. At 12.1mm thick this is one of the chunkiest phones we've tested in a while - it's actually 1mm thicker than the regular XZ2. The curved back helps keep the phone comfortable to hold, but it's hard to escape how hefty this thing is for a compact device, which really detracts from the 2018 flagship feeling. At 168g, it also feels dense and heavy.
It’s all housed in an aluminium frame with a hard-coated polycarbonate finish on the rear - a change from the 3D glass back found on the XZ2. There’s a slight sheen to the hardware, but it’s a far cry from the glossy finish on the larger model.
Still, the rest is pretty similar. The display itself is 18:9 - the thinner aspect ratio that’s recently become popular - and you get IP65/68 waterproofing and USB-C charging, though the 3.5mm headphone jack is gone, which is a shame, as Sony was one of the last champions of wired audio in phones.
On the back you'll find a fingerprint sensor and camera. Their placement is a little odd though. The fingerprint sensor is a good inch or so below the camera lens, almost halfway down the phone's body, much lower than where your finger (well, mine at least) would naturally rest, forcing you to claw your hand slightly to use the scanner - usually after missing it the first time you try. It's a small gripe, but one that should have been easy to avoid, making it all the more conspicuous.
The XZ2 Compact will be available in four colours: Black (pictured), White Silver (exclusive to O2), Moss Green (Petrol Blue in the UK), and Coral Pink (pictured) with the pre-installed UI theme colour-coded to match.
SPECS AND FEATURES
Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact review video https://vidosy.com/video/uIpbggEHLPk/Sony-Xperia-XZ2-Compact-review.html
The Compact features (mostly) the same specs as the main XZ2, which means you’re getting flagship power in a relatively small size.
Screen
The 5in 18:9 screen offers full HD+ resolution, at 1080x2160, which actually matches the main XZ2, despite the smaller size, meaning you get a much higher pixel density of 483ppi. It's bright and crisp, and Sony lets you play around with the white balance and colour settings to optimise it to your taste.
The display also supports HDR, which means it’s capable of showing off the full potential of HDR photos and video. Even better, it’s also able to upscale standard content into HDR, whether it’s local or streamed online, so you can get deeper blacks, brighter colours, and more detail from just about any visual content. It's an impressive effect, that works better than you might expect, so could be a real selling point if you watch a lot of TV or movies on your phone.
Processor, memory and storage
The processor is the new Snapdragon 845, Qualcomm’s fastest yet. It’s backed up by 4GB of RAM and 64GB built-in storage, expandable via MicroSD up to another 400GB. Performance is silky smooth across the board, as you'd expect from those specs, which the benchmarks bear out: performance is almost identical to the larger XZ2, and very similar to the Galaxy S9. As you can see it's also a big jump up from the similarly priced OnePlus 5T, which runs last year's Snapdragon 835 chip.
Connectivity
The XZ2 Compact boasts mostly the same connectivity features as its larger sibling, with only a couple of differences. The first is that the Compact version only supports Cat 15 LTE, which means 4G downloads up to 800Mbps, rather than the bigger phone's support for Cat 18 (1.2Gbps), but unless you're in an area with particularly fast 4G connections, you're unlikely to notice the difference anyway.
The bigger difference is that the Compact doesn't support wireless charging, instead using USB-C fast-charging - we managed to top it up to 33% from empty in just half an hour.
Beyond power, there's NFC, GPS, and Bluetooth 5.0. As mentioned above, there's no 3.5mm headphone jack (Sony does supply a USB-C adapter with the phone, along with a pair of wired 3.5mm headphones), but the phone supports high resolution audio, and the stereo speakers are capable of cranking out some serious volume.
Cameras
The Compact also packs the same 19MP single-lens camera as in the bigger phone. It's capable of decent photos, but between the single lens design and Sony's lagging software, photos just can't match the best phone cameras out there. If you're confident enough to dive into manual mode and play around with settings you can take some fantastic shots, but if you're looking for something with a great point-and-click auto mode, there are better phones around than this.
There is one big thing the camera can't do: portrait mode. The blurred background bokeh effect is one of the big selling points of dual-lens cameras for most, and the XZ2 Compact can't offer a proper alternative. There is a software-driven bokeh mode tucked away with the AR effects and panorama, but the results aren't very impressive, with aggressive blurring in some spots and hardly any in others - despite Google proving it can be done to great effect in the Pixel 2.
As for video, both XZ2 models boast the first smartphone cameras capable of recording video in 4K and HDR, and produce admittedly impressive results - though for the average consumer, this is almost certainly camera overkill.
Last year’s super slow motion has also been upgraded, offering the ability to record the same 960fps at a higher 1080p resolution - at least for a few seconds. The default setting is still to shoot in 720p, which nets you six seconds of slow motion at a time (as you can see in our sample video below, courtesy of a Rae Morris gig), but if you up it to 1080p you can only record half that at a time.
That only exacerbates one of the chief problems with the Sony super slow motion, which is that it relies on you hitting the button at the exact right moment to catch what you wanted to - no easy thing. Compare that to the Galaxy S9, which is capped at 720p, but has motion detection software to trigger the slow motion mode at the right moment - we'd take catching the moment at 720p over missing it entirely in 1080p any day.
As for the front camera, that’s 5MP, with an f/2.2 aperture wide-angle lens for group selfies, but now comes with Sony’s 3D face scanning built-in so that you can take 3D models of your own head, in case you ever feel the need. It's a fun novelty, but tricky to pull off correctly, and the sort of silly effect you'd probably only ever play around with when you're with friends anyway.
Battery life
Battery life is another small difference between the two XZ2 models, and unsurprising really, given the size. The battery here is 2870mAh, while the larger phone has 3180mAh. Regardless, the Compact reliably lasted somewhere between one and two days during our testing, which is fairly typical these days, though nothing outstanding.
As we said above, there's no wireless charging, only USB-C, but you can get a third of the battery back in just 30 minutes, and go from 0 to full in just a few hours.
Before we move onto software, it’s worth noting that there's one hardware feature you won’t find here that is in the XZ2 proper: the new Dynamic Vibration System. That gives haptic feedback in time with video and audio content - vibrating as an explosion goes off in a film, say - and is a fun novelty, but mere novelty nonetheless. You won't miss it.
SOFTWARE
The XZ2 Compact ships with Android 8.0 Oreo as standard, using Sony’s typically minimal additions and tweaks, like optional themes, wallpapers, and widgets.
The biggest change is the new Xperia Assist software, designed to help users make the most of their phones. It’s intended to pop up the first time you use any app that could benefit from advanced features - like HDR upscaling - and uses a chatbot UI to explain how it all works.
In practice, it's not too impressive though. The main chat UI only offers tips on very basic topics - changing your wallpaper or adding apps to your home screen - and we found that most of the time when we tried the phone's more advanced features, we either missed the Assist alerts, or they didn't pop up at all.
Beyond that, this is very close to stock Android - though you do have to put up with a few too many pre-installed apps, from Kobo and AVG to four separate Amazon apps, and they can only be disabled, not uninstalled
SPECS
You always can see here https://list-phones.com/catalogue/Motorola-Moto-E5
SHOULD I BUY SONY XPERIA XZ2 COMPACT?
The Xperia XZ2 Compact fits almost every major feature from the XZ2 into a smaller frame, offering the best specs you'll find in a 5in phone right now - at the cost of a slightly chunky rear end. If you don't mind the bezel-ly design and the lack of wireless charging, you won't find better performance anywhere near this price point.
Saturday, April 21, 2018
Oppo F7 Review, specification, features, and price
Oppo is gaining rapid popularity in the Asian market in 2017-2018. Oppo F7 is another remarkable addition to this Chinese brand to support its growth. Oppo F7 has gained massive attention right after its release in Bangladesh. Let us review this mid/high-mid range smartphone based on its specs.
Design & Display
The color choices and design of Oppo F7 will grab instant attention as it purely defines a modern premium smartphone. 6.23-inch FHD+ Full-View display with 88% screen to body ratio highly complements the design factor. It attempts to go beyond and tries to offer a lifestyle through its elegance. But we will stick to the sole purpose of a mobile phone which is, usefulness. The 88% screen ratio makes this 6.23” large display phone much compacted and therefore, more convenient to carry. Because of the massive size and prime quality Full HD+ display, it will be amazing to watch videos, play games, read PDFs, apps or website texts. The LTPS IPS display will provide excellent view under the sunlight and the 5th generation Gorilla Glass will protect this precious display if you drop it from your hand (from a reasonable height). The body is made of solid aluminum. So, on the outside, it gives a strongly positive impression.
Camera & Video
It has a fine 16MP PDAF primary camera which is well-capable of capturing great shots. The main feature of Oppo F7 is its 25 megapixel AI (Artificial Intelligence) front camera. It is simply because video calling, video chatting, selfies, groupfies, self-recording are still on high trend. Its sensor HDR and AI beauty features works together behind the scene to represent a cleaner, vivid and more cared face of yours. You can argue that this kind of features may make human beings lazy to truly care about their being. Many will be satisfied by posting their AI captured photos in social media and get likes. So intellectually, is it actually a useful feature? In our intellectual opinion, it is not. But objectively judging, the technology itself works very fine.
Video playback and recording is of Full HD quality. Oppo could go one step ahead and provide 4K Ultra HD quality to reach a milestone. But perhaps the pricing didn’t allow them to do so.
Network, Battery & Overall Performance
Oppo F7 gives the fastest 4G network support in Bangladesh. But its battery is sort of a disappointment. 3400 mAh battery for a 6.23” FHD display doesn’t sound that much at all. But MediaTek Helio P60 chipset, Mali-G72 MP3 GPU, 4/6 GB RAM and 2.0 GHz octa-core CPU already gives a powerful impression about the overall performance of this device. Moreover, the phone is well-optimized at its core. Through the so-called AI optimization feature, the phone can perform faster than any regular phone with the same amount of performance specs such as RAM, GPU, CPU or chipset. It should even run smoothly while HD gaming online (of course with a fast WiFi or LTE internet connection).
If you talk about Oppo F7's battery then it will have a non-removable battery of 3400 mAh. Along with the Oppo F7 battery will also support fast charging.
Other Features
This gadget runs on Android’s latest version Oreo 8.0 (as of April 2018) and has features like fingerprint sensor, speedy face unlock and OTG.
Disadvantages
There is no doubt Oppo F7 is highly optimized for mid-budget to high-mid budget consumers. But we must say that the device is lacking valuable, innovative features. Camera, display, design, and performance are all Oppo F7 has to offer. If you are looking for different features beyond that like the Galaxy S9+, Pixel 2 XL or iPhone X, F7 is probably not something for you. If you are looking for modern, mainstream, pretty, fast, camera and beautiful viewing experience, this is what you would like to go for. Also, you can’t expect to get phones with a lot of innovative features in this price range.
video review you can see here https://vidosy.com/video/M3tnlwawQxs/OPPO-F7-Review:-Surprisingly-powerful.html
Design & Display
The color choices and design of Oppo F7 will grab instant attention as it purely defines a modern premium smartphone. 6.23-inch FHD+ Full-View display with 88% screen to body ratio highly complements the design factor. It attempts to go beyond and tries to offer a lifestyle through its elegance. But we will stick to the sole purpose of a mobile phone which is, usefulness. The 88% screen ratio makes this 6.23” large display phone much compacted and therefore, more convenient to carry. Because of the massive size and prime quality Full HD+ display, it will be amazing to watch videos, play games, read PDFs, apps or website texts. The LTPS IPS display will provide excellent view under the sunlight and the 5th generation Gorilla Glass will protect this precious display if you drop it from your hand (from a reasonable height). The body is made of solid aluminum. So, on the outside, it gives a strongly positive impression.
Camera & Video
It has a fine 16MP PDAF primary camera which is well-capable of capturing great shots. The main feature of Oppo F7 is its 25 megapixel AI (Artificial Intelligence) front camera. It is simply because video calling, video chatting, selfies, groupfies, self-recording are still on high trend. Its sensor HDR and AI beauty features works together behind the scene to represent a cleaner, vivid and more cared face of yours. You can argue that this kind of features may make human beings lazy to truly care about their being. Many will be satisfied by posting their AI captured photos in social media and get likes. So intellectually, is it actually a useful feature? In our intellectual opinion, it is not. But objectively judging, the technology itself works very fine.
Video playback and recording is of Full HD quality. Oppo could go one step ahead and provide 4K Ultra HD quality to reach a milestone. But perhaps the pricing didn’t allow them to do so.
Network, Battery & Overall Performance
Oppo F7 gives the fastest 4G network support in Bangladesh. But its battery is sort of a disappointment. 3400 mAh battery for a 6.23” FHD display doesn’t sound that much at all. But MediaTek Helio P60 chipset, Mali-G72 MP3 GPU, 4/6 GB RAM and 2.0 GHz octa-core CPU already gives a powerful impression about the overall performance of this device. Moreover, the phone is well-optimized at its core. Through the so-called AI optimization feature, the phone can perform faster than any regular phone with the same amount of performance specs such as RAM, GPU, CPU or chipset. It should even run smoothly while HD gaming online (of course with a fast WiFi or LTE internet connection).
If you talk about Oppo F7's battery then it will have a non-removable battery of 3400 mAh. Along with the Oppo F7 battery will also support fast charging.
Other Features
This gadget runs on Android’s latest version Oreo 8.0 (as of April 2018) and has features like fingerprint sensor, speedy face unlock and OTG.
Disadvantages
There is no doubt Oppo F7 is highly optimized for mid-budget to high-mid budget consumers. But we must say that the device is lacking valuable, innovative features. Camera, display, design, and performance are all Oppo F7 has to offer. If you are looking for different features beyond that like the Galaxy S9+, Pixel 2 XL or iPhone X, F7 is probably not something for you. If you are looking for modern, mainstream, pretty, fast, camera and beautiful viewing experience, this is what you would like to go for. Also, you can’t expect to get phones with a lot of innovative features in this price range.
video review you can see here https://vidosy.com/video/M3tnlwawQxs/OPPO-F7-Review:-Surprisingly-powerful.html
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
Huawei P20 Pro new smartphone
I’ve spent every waking moment of the past 10 days in the company of the Huawei P20 Pro. This phone has surprised and delighted me like few others, and what you are about to read is a collection of happy words about it. I don’t think the P20 Pro is perfect, nor the best phone ever released, but I do believe it’s one of the most important devices we’ve seen in the mobile world for years.
In spite of its massive networking and telecommunications business, and the millions of phones it sells in its native China, Huawei has remained an underdog in other smartphone markets. The P20 Pro changes that. This phone is as powerful, refined, fast, stylish, and desirable as anything we’ve seen from Samsung, LG, and HTC at their best. At a time when US spy agencies are warning Americans off Huawei phones due to (so far unsubstantiated) espionage fears, Huawei is responding in the best possible way: by making amazing phones.
Huawei is releasing the P20 Pro today for a price of €899 in Europe with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. That places it in direct confrontation with Samsung’s Galaxy S9 and Apple’s iPhone X. And the remarkable thing is how well Huawei’s phone competes in that rarified class of super flagships.
The P20 Pro is a typical Chinese phone in that it has an overwhelmingly rich spec sheet and an eye-catching design. But it’s different in how effectively it capitalizes on its high specs and in how subtly beautiful it is. Instead of one color, Huawei has given this phone an iridescent gradient paint job that exudes sophistication. The combination of beauty and brawn here is topped off with IP67 certification for water and dust resistance. Every phone company wants to imbue its devices with a premium feel, but few succeed as well as Huawei has done with the P20 Pro.
It starts as soon as you take the phone out of the box, with its perfectly contoured sides resting softly in the palm of your hand. For a phone with glass on both the front and back, the P20 Pro feels surprisingly rigid and durable. With a huge 4,000mAh battery inside, it also conveys a satisfying sense of density that only Apple’s iPhone X can match. There’s a litany of subtle design details and pleasing symmetries in this Huawei design that add up to create a positive first impression. I love the inconsequential but cool accent color on the power button, for instance. It’s fair to say that I liked the P20 Pro before I even turned it on.
THE DIMENSIONS AND ERGONOMICS OF THIS PHONE APPROACH PERFECTION
Coming from a Google Pixel 2 XL, I find the P20 Pro to be an ergonomic upgrade. Huawei’s phone has a slightly larger screen, at 6.1 inches, but is physically smaller. That’s something that notch detractors will have to consider before they criticize the notch on the P20 Pro: it does provide more screen real estate than an un-notched design. But more to the point, the P20 Pro is easy to pick up and to grip securely. The glass surfaces can feel slippery, however I haven’t come close to dropping the phone even once during all my testing (which is unusual).
huawei p20 pro
My two complaints about the P20 Pro’s industrial design are minor. One is that the rear glass picks up fingerprints with the same ease as the Galaxy S9 and iPhone X that Huawei is competing against. And the other downside is the size of the camera bump, which is roughly the same as Apple’s on the iPhone X and leads to similar issues of the phone being imbalanced when laid on a flat surface.
Huawei’s decision to retain the fingerprint sensor at the front of the phone was peculiar to me, given how everyone else has either removed it (Apple), shifted it to the back (Samsung), or integrated it directly into the display (Vivo). But it took me only moments of using the P20 Pro’s fingerprint reader to realize that keeping it was the right move. It is astonishingly fast and accurate, and the way it feels under my thumb is great. It takes no more than a glancing tap to unlock the phone, and I appreciate still having a home button for exiting full-screen apps with a single tap. In-display fingerprint sensors can’t yet compete with the quickness of a discrete solution like Huawei’s, while rear-mounted ones just aren’t as easy and intuitive to use as those at the front.
HUAWEI’S FACE UNLOCK IS FAST, AND IT EVEN WORKS IN THE DARK
As if the fingerprint ID system wasn’t swift enough, Huawei has also added a Face Unlock option to the P20 Pro, which uses the front-facing 24-megapixel camera. I was again skeptical that this would be anything other than an Apple-chasing spec gimmick, but my skepticism was quelled by the experience. Face Unlock on this phone is instant in almost all circumstances. Even when I locked myself in an unlit bathroom, the phone took less than a second to identify me. Is this system as secure as Apple’s more sophisticated Face ID? No. But its speed and accuracy are at least as good, if not better.
Huawei’s EMUI software offers the option to disguise the notch at the top of the display.
Like the majority of its Android rivals this year, Huawei will be criticized for having a notch at the top of its display and a “chin” at the bottom. The P20 Pro can shrug off those complaints on the strength of its awesome fingerprint reader and genuinely useful face-unlocking technology. I even love the circular earpiece and the loud, crisp sound that it produces during calls. Nothing about this design is superfluous or perfunctory. And if you truly hate the notch, Huawei gives you the option to hide it away.
THE NOTCH IS A NON-ISSUE
The 6.1-inch, Full HD+ display on the Huawei P20 Pro is excellent. There are a couple of color modes to choose from, and once I switched to the Natural one, I got colors that had just the right amount of saturation and vividness. Not perfectly accurate, perhaps, but perfectly suited to consumer mobile use. The Pixel 2 XL feels drab by comparison, while the recent HTC U11+ appears lurid and oversaturated. Only the two phones that Huawei is trying to overcome, the iPhone X and Galaxy S9, can claim to have displays as good as the P20 Pro. All three are OLED, all three can be used comfortably in bright outdoor conditions, and all three provide plenty of sharpness, contrast, and accuracy. Huawei has its own version of Apple’s True Tone tech, which adjusts color temperature in accordance with ambient light around the phone: it’s subtle and works brilliantly well.
The cameras are intended to be the Huawei P20 Pro’s biggest differentiating feature. The 24-megapixel selfie cam is joined by a 40-megapixel f/1.8 main camera, a 20-megapixel f/1.6 monochrome camera, and an 8-megapixel f/2.4 telephoto camera on the back. If you’re in the mood for math, that’s 92 megapixels of image-processing might.
NOKIA’S PUREVIEW LEGACY ENDURES
Huawei makes smart use of all those pixels by combining four of them into one, similarly to what Nokia previously did with its PureView cameras on the 808 and Lumia 1020 (incidentally, Huawei’s head of imaging, Eero Salmelin, is a veteran of Nokia’s PureView team). This approach produces sharper, cleaner images at a lower resolution. You can still shoot 40-megapixel stills if you insist on it, but the default (and the highest quality) setting is a 10-megapixel shot with the combined light information from the whole sensor.
GRID VIEW
1 of 55
The P20 Pro’s main camera sensor is extra large to match its extreme resolution, coming in at 1/1.7 of an inch. That’s more than double what you’d get with a Galaxy S9 or an iPhone X, and it leads to some shockingly impressive low-light performance. One of the Huawei P20 Pro’s quad-pixel pixels would measure 2μm, easily outshining even the 1.4μm pixels of the superb Google Pixel 2 camera. What all of these numbers ultimately add up to is a formidably capable camera that I’m not sure I’ve come close to making the most of yet.
Huawei P20 Pro’s four-second-exposure Night mode on left/top, Google Pixel 2 XL on right/bottom.
Image quality from the P20 Pro is, by a great margin, the best that Huawei has ever produced. Huawei’s new camera system is, in my judgment, superior to those on the Galaxy S9 and iPhone X, though personal preference or a fondness for particular features may sway that decision. For my liking, I still see too much processing, too many small details lost in the battle to eliminate image noise and imperfections, to crown the P20 Pro my favorite camera. The Pixel 2 XL spits out much more noise than the Pro — and if you look at the Gare du Nord comparison image, Huawei’s shot retains sharpness all the way to the edges of the frame, whereas the Pixel’s periphery is soft — but with that noise I get a more realistic and faithful sense of the scene captured. The flaws in the Pixel’s image help it produce more credible results, or at least results that feel more photographic.
Huawei P20 Pro on left/top, Google Pixel 2 XL on right/bottom.
It’s difficult to know where to begin to encapsulate Huawei’s camera software, which is certainly comprehensive. You can shoot panoramas, portraits, monochrome, burst, a simulated f/0.95 aperture, at 40 megapixels, or handheld long exposures. And the Pro mode lets you go wild with manually tweaking every possible parameter. This is an overwhelming diversity of options, but you can just lean on Huawei’s new Master AI system to make all the adjustments on your behalf.
Huawei camera software on p20 pro
Master AI is a trained-up image recognition system that quickly (usually instantly) recognizes the circumstances of what you’re trying to capture and adjusts the camera’s processing accordingly. When I was photographing the Eiffel Tower, for example, the P20 Pro camera sensed a blue sky and amped up its saturation. Green leaves reliably triggered the camera’s “greenery” adjustments, and any receipts I presented to it were handled by a built-in document scanner. Huawei claims this year’s iteration is smart enough to not only detect food, but to know the particular style of cooking, whether it’s Chinese, Italian, Indian, or whatever else.
HUAWEI TRIES TO MAKE ALL THE PHOTOGRAPHIC DECISIONS FOR YOU, AND IT’S RIGHT MORE OFTEN THAN NOT
The philosophy underpinning Master AI is about producing the most pleasing, not necessarily the most realistic, photos. You can think of it as the AI intelligently applying subtle filters to all your shots. Apple already does something similar behind the scenes in the processing of iPhone photos. Huawei’s Master AI is optional, because it applies more aggressive alterations and doesn’t always get things right, though its judgment is good enough for me to be okay with keeping it on all the time. I suspect the vast majority of people will feel the same way — and photography purists can dismiss the suggested scene-detection tweaks or switch to Pro mode.
Huawei P20 Pro’s Master AI in “greenery” mode on left/top, Google Pixel 2 XL on right/bottom.
Matching features with the Galaxy S9, the Huawei P20 Pro also has a 960fps super slow-mo at 720p. It’s a fun novelty. Also keeping up with the iPhone, the Pro has a “studio lighting” setting on its front-facing camera that tries to isolate your face from the background and generate a dramatic look. As with the iPhone, it’s terribly imprecise and should be avoided at all costs.
Huawei P20 Pro at default setting (27mm equivalent, left/top) and using the 3x zoom (83mm equivalent, right/bottom).
The third camera on the P20 Pro is used to provide a 3x optical zoom or a 5x so-called hybrid zoom. Photographing Parisian landmarks in the daytime, I found both zoom options useful, giving me greater compositional flexibility and delivering crisp detail. The telephoto lens is the only one that’s optically stabilized on the P20 Pro, though I can’t say I’ve seen any hand shake in the hundreds of photos I’ve shot with any of the cameras on this phone. Huawei has a thing it calls AI stabilization, which evidently does a wonderful job of neutralizing clumsiness or unsteadiness on the part of the user.
Huawei P20 Pro at default setting (27mm equivalent, left/top) and using the 3x zoom (83mm equivalent, right/bottom).
Huawei’s night mode in the P20 Pro is a unique and remarkable new feature. Exposing the shot for a full four seconds, it somehow manages to produce handheld photos that remain sharp, accurate, and practically noise-free. No other phone can match the P20 Pro’s night photography, which makes even the Pixel’s low-light photos appear flat, washed-out, and noisy. This advance might get lost in the deluge of camera options, but I think it’s the single biggest advantage that Huawei now enjoys over its competition. For more on how it works and a side-by-side comparison with the Pixel, see my earlier in-depth article on the P20 Pro’s night mode.
There are no image processing delays on the P20 Pro, and that smooth and assured speed of operation extends to the entire user experience. As with the premium feel on the outside, the responsiveness inside the P20 Pro is top notch. Shipping with the latest Android 8.1 Oreo software on board, the Pro is also super reliable — I’ve had more app crashes on the Pixel 2 XL than I’ve had stutters with Huawei’s phone.
There is room for improvement, though. For some strange reason, Huawei doesn’t offer the widely used shortcut of double-tapping the power button to launch the camera. Instead, I have to map that to the volume-down key, which is mostly fine — unless I’m listening to music or a podcast, and then I end up turning the volume down.
THE P20 PRO’S EMUI IS THE LEAST OFFENSIVE THAT HUAWEI’S SOFTWARE HAS EVER BEEN
EMUI, Huawei’s skin atop Android, has evolved from being a clumsy iOS rip-off a couple of years ago to a quite acceptable user experience today. I can’t say I’m in love with it, and I’d have preferred to see an always-on display option (update: it’s in there, just buried in the privacy & security options), but the mere fact that EMUI doesn’t upset me with its weirdness or unreliability is a major step forward for Huawei. The company’s deviations from Google’s original Android design can mostly be sidestepped or disabled, and I appreciate having a dark mode, an increasingly valuable feature for phones with OLED displays.
Like Samsung, Huawei now offers a feature called App Twin, which lets you run multiple instances of the same app and thus be logged in to multiple accounts of the same social or messaging service. Huawei has split-screen too, of course, and a sophisticated screenshot tool. The EMUI lock screen also has a handy set of quick shortcuts, accessible by swiping up from the bottom: there’s a voice recorder, flashlight, calculator, timer, and a QR code reader. Like Apple, Huawei also offers a raise-to-wake function, which together with its fast Face Unlock does a great job of emulating the iPhone X’s seamless unlocking.
Huawei has adjusted its notifications bar to accommodate the display’s notch, but not in a way that I like. The clock feels cramped up against the right curve of the screen, while the cellular and Wi-Fi status icons have jumped across the notch to the left. Putting those permanent icons in the space usually occupied by transient notifications creates a dissonance: every time I glance at that corner, I keep thinking I have unread messages.
Most Android apps play nicely with the notch already, although there are a few niche incompatibilities, such as the “waiting for network...” message on Telegram appearing immediately below (and thus mostly obscured by) the notch. Huawei offers the option to mask the notch by keeping the display around it blacked out, except for notification and status icons. I like that option, but I don’t find it necessary because the notch never offends or distracts me while using the phone.
Huawei’s biggest sin with the notch is in the imperfect way it masks the top corners of the screen when playing back YouTube videos, as illustrated by the image above. There’s a tiny sliver of the video that’s left uncovered, which I find to be an annoying oversight.
Also you can see video review Huawei P20 Pro
The P20 Pro is outstanding in three fundamental aspects of modern smartphones: audio, battery life, and wireless performance. Firstly, the speaker on this phone gets loud without ever becoming shrill or distorted. I love it. Listening to podcasts on this phone is a joy, and its ringtones and notifications come through with authority. The absence of a headphone jack is still an issue, but at least Huawei supports LDAC for higher-bitrate Bluetooth streaming. Even without many headphones compatible with that standard, I was super impressed with the strength and reliability of Bluetooth connections with the P20 Pro. Only Apple’s own iPhone can sustain as good a connection to the AirPods as the P20 Pro achieves.
THE BATTERY DEFIES BELIEF
Pairing wireless headphones and speakers was faster with this Huawei phone than any other Android device I’ve used, and the P20 Pro maintained a strong signal no matter how I gripped, cupped, or hugged it. The same is true for cellular signal: I found the P20 Pro delivered the best possible mobile data speeds wherever I was, and I had no dropped calls even in areas of spotty coverage.
The battery of the P20 Pro makes me laugh. It lasts for a preposterously long time. Right now, the phone’s been away from a charger for 32 hours and I’ve still got 52 percent of the battery to play with. On a busier day that might include an hour of YouTube videos, hours of streaming audio, and immoderate amounts of time browsing Twitter and triaging emails, I’d still only bring the battery down to 40-something percent after 24 hours. Huawei claims two days of battery life with the P20 Pro, and the phone duly delivers. The absence of wireless charging from this phone, which would be a competitive disadvantage for others in 2018, is a non-issue for me because of how rarely I need to charge it.
The synergy between the excellent ergonomics, display, camera, and responsiveness of the Huawei P20 Pro shouldn’t be underestimated. I probably like each individual aspect of this phone more because of the quality of its surrounding components. Huawei has matured to the point of emulating the iPhone’s integrated and fluid user experience instead of merely imitating the iPhone’s basic features. Having spent a month with Samsung’s Galaxy S9 Plus, I absolutely prefer the P20 Pro over Samsung’s 2018 flagship. Huawei offers the more potent camera, better ergonomics, longer battery life, and hell, it even has a less irritating Android skin. The gap is even wider when comparing the P20 Pro to Huawei’s most recent Mate 10 Pro flagship, which never attracted me the way the P20 Pro does. The new phone’s design is truly unique and delightful to hold, and its camera has shed most of the artificiality of its predecessor.
Comparisons against Apple’s iPhone X and Google’s Pixel 2 XL are harder to make. The iPhone has an entirely different ecosystem, and odds are that you’ll make the Android-iOS choice before you decide on the actual device you buy. As to the Pixel, I still favor it on the strength of its unique camera and clean Android experience, but the P20 Pro beats it on every other criterion. More to the point, the P20 Pro will be available to buy in far more places around the world (US unfortunately excepted) than Google’s boutique product.
Full specs Huawei P20 Pro here https://list-phones.com/catalogue/Huawei-P20-Pro
Instead of gimmicks and gaudiness, the Huawei P20 Pro delivers refinement and efficiency. That’s a major change for Huawei, which could previously be relied upon to be the fastest iPhone copycat in the East. With Huawei’s rapid improvement, Apple and Samsung now have a credible third competitor in the contest for super flagship phone supremacy. It’s time for the entire world to sit up and take notice, because Huawei is now the maker of 2018’s best phone and one of the best phones overall.
In spite of its massive networking and telecommunications business, and the millions of phones it sells in its native China, Huawei has remained an underdog in other smartphone markets. The P20 Pro changes that. This phone is as powerful, refined, fast, stylish, and desirable as anything we’ve seen from Samsung, LG, and HTC at their best. At a time when US spy agencies are warning Americans off Huawei phones due to (so far unsubstantiated) espionage fears, Huawei is responding in the best possible way: by making amazing phones.
Huawei is releasing the P20 Pro today for a price of €899 in Europe with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. That places it in direct confrontation with Samsung’s Galaxy S9 and Apple’s iPhone X. And the remarkable thing is how well Huawei’s phone competes in that rarified class of super flagships.
The P20 Pro is a typical Chinese phone in that it has an overwhelmingly rich spec sheet and an eye-catching design. But it’s different in how effectively it capitalizes on its high specs and in how subtly beautiful it is. Instead of one color, Huawei has given this phone an iridescent gradient paint job that exudes sophistication. The combination of beauty and brawn here is topped off with IP67 certification for water and dust resistance. Every phone company wants to imbue its devices with a premium feel, but few succeed as well as Huawei has done with the P20 Pro.
It starts as soon as you take the phone out of the box, with its perfectly contoured sides resting softly in the palm of your hand. For a phone with glass on both the front and back, the P20 Pro feels surprisingly rigid and durable. With a huge 4,000mAh battery inside, it also conveys a satisfying sense of density that only Apple’s iPhone X can match. There’s a litany of subtle design details and pleasing symmetries in this Huawei design that add up to create a positive first impression. I love the inconsequential but cool accent color on the power button, for instance. It’s fair to say that I liked the P20 Pro before I even turned it on.
THE DIMENSIONS AND ERGONOMICS OF THIS PHONE APPROACH PERFECTION
Coming from a Google Pixel 2 XL, I find the P20 Pro to be an ergonomic upgrade. Huawei’s phone has a slightly larger screen, at 6.1 inches, but is physically smaller. That’s something that notch detractors will have to consider before they criticize the notch on the P20 Pro: it does provide more screen real estate than an un-notched design. But more to the point, the P20 Pro is easy to pick up and to grip securely. The glass surfaces can feel slippery, however I haven’t come close to dropping the phone even once during all my testing (which is unusual).
huawei p20 pro
My two complaints about the P20 Pro’s industrial design are minor. One is that the rear glass picks up fingerprints with the same ease as the Galaxy S9 and iPhone X that Huawei is competing against. And the other downside is the size of the camera bump, which is roughly the same as Apple’s on the iPhone X and leads to similar issues of the phone being imbalanced when laid on a flat surface.
Huawei’s decision to retain the fingerprint sensor at the front of the phone was peculiar to me, given how everyone else has either removed it (Apple), shifted it to the back (Samsung), or integrated it directly into the display (Vivo). But it took me only moments of using the P20 Pro’s fingerprint reader to realize that keeping it was the right move. It is astonishingly fast and accurate, and the way it feels under my thumb is great. It takes no more than a glancing tap to unlock the phone, and I appreciate still having a home button for exiting full-screen apps with a single tap. In-display fingerprint sensors can’t yet compete with the quickness of a discrete solution like Huawei’s, while rear-mounted ones just aren’t as easy and intuitive to use as those at the front.
HUAWEI’S FACE UNLOCK IS FAST, AND IT EVEN WORKS IN THE DARK
As if the fingerprint ID system wasn’t swift enough, Huawei has also added a Face Unlock option to the P20 Pro, which uses the front-facing 24-megapixel camera. I was again skeptical that this would be anything other than an Apple-chasing spec gimmick, but my skepticism was quelled by the experience. Face Unlock on this phone is instant in almost all circumstances. Even when I locked myself in an unlit bathroom, the phone took less than a second to identify me. Is this system as secure as Apple’s more sophisticated Face ID? No. But its speed and accuracy are at least as good, if not better.
Huawei’s EMUI software offers the option to disguise the notch at the top of the display.
Like the majority of its Android rivals this year, Huawei will be criticized for having a notch at the top of its display and a “chin” at the bottom. The P20 Pro can shrug off those complaints on the strength of its awesome fingerprint reader and genuinely useful face-unlocking technology. I even love the circular earpiece and the loud, crisp sound that it produces during calls. Nothing about this design is superfluous or perfunctory. And if you truly hate the notch, Huawei gives you the option to hide it away.
THE NOTCH IS A NON-ISSUE
The 6.1-inch, Full HD+ display on the Huawei P20 Pro is excellent. There are a couple of color modes to choose from, and once I switched to the Natural one, I got colors that had just the right amount of saturation and vividness. Not perfectly accurate, perhaps, but perfectly suited to consumer mobile use. The Pixel 2 XL feels drab by comparison, while the recent HTC U11+ appears lurid and oversaturated. Only the two phones that Huawei is trying to overcome, the iPhone X and Galaxy S9, can claim to have displays as good as the P20 Pro. All three are OLED, all three can be used comfortably in bright outdoor conditions, and all three provide plenty of sharpness, contrast, and accuracy. Huawei has its own version of Apple’s True Tone tech, which adjusts color temperature in accordance with ambient light around the phone: it’s subtle and works brilliantly well.
The cameras are intended to be the Huawei P20 Pro’s biggest differentiating feature. The 24-megapixel selfie cam is joined by a 40-megapixel f/1.8 main camera, a 20-megapixel f/1.6 monochrome camera, and an 8-megapixel f/2.4 telephoto camera on the back. If you’re in the mood for math, that’s 92 megapixels of image-processing might.
NOKIA’S PUREVIEW LEGACY ENDURES
Huawei makes smart use of all those pixels by combining four of them into one, similarly to what Nokia previously did with its PureView cameras on the 808 and Lumia 1020 (incidentally, Huawei’s head of imaging, Eero Salmelin, is a veteran of Nokia’s PureView team). This approach produces sharper, cleaner images at a lower resolution. You can still shoot 40-megapixel stills if you insist on it, but the default (and the highest quality) setting is a 10-megapixel shot with the combined light information from the whole sensor.
GRID VIEW
1 of 55
The P20 Pro’s main camera sensor is extra large to match its extreme resolution, coming in at 1/1.7 of an inch. That’s more than double what you’d get with a Galaxy S9 or an iPhone X, and it leads to some shockingly impressive low-light performance. One of the Huawei P20 Pro’s quad-pixel pixels would measure 2μm, easily outshining even the 1.4μm pixels of the superb Google Pixel 2 camera. What all of these numbers ultimately add up to is a formidably capable camera that I’m not sure I’ve come close to making the most of yet.
Huawei P20 Pro’s four-second-exposure Night mode on left/top, Google Pixel 2 XL on right/bottom.
Image quality from the P20 Pro is, by a great margin, the best that Huawei has ever produced. Huawei’s new camera system is, in my judgment, superior to those on the Galaxy S9 and iPhone X, though personal preference or a fondness for particular features may sway that decision. For my liking, I still see too much processing, too many small details lost in the battle to eliminate image noise and imperfections, to crown the P20 Pro my favorite camera. The Pixel 2 XL spits out much more noise than the Pro — and if you look at the Gare du Nord comparison image, Huawei’s shot retains sharpness all the way to the edges of the frame, whereas the Pixel’s periphery is soft — but with that noise I get a more realistic and faithful sense of the scene captured. The flaws in the Pixel’s image help it produce more credible results, or at least results that feel more photographic.
Huawei P20 Pro on left/top, Google Pixel 2 XL on right/bottom.
It’s difficult to know where to begin to encapsulate Huawei’s camera software, which is certainly comprehensive. You can shoot panoramas, portraits, monochrome, burst, a simulated f/0.95 aperture, at 40 megapixels, or handheld long exposures. And the Pro mode lets you go wild with manually tweaking every possible parameter. This is an overwhelming diversity of options, but you can just lean on Huawei’s new Master AI system to make all the adjustments on your behalf.
Huawei camera software on p20 pro
Master AI is a trained-up image recognition system that quickly (usually instantly) recognizes the circumstances of what you’re trying to capture and adjusts the camera’s processing accordingly. When I was photographing the Eiffel Tower, for example, the P20 Pro camera sensed a blue sky and amped up its saturation. Green leaves reliably triggered the camera’s “greenery” adjustments, and any receipts I presented to it were handled by a built-in document scanner. Huawei claims this year’s iteration is smart enough to not only detect food, but to know the particular style of cooking, whether it’s Chinese, Italian, Indian, or whatever else.
HUAWEI TRIES TO MAKE ALL THE PHOTOGRAPHIC DECISIONS FOR YOU, AND IT’S RIGHT MORE OFTEN THAN NOT
The philosophy underpinning Master AI is about producing the most pleasing, not necessarily the most realistic, photos. You can think of it as the AI intelligently applying subtle filters to all your shots. Apple already does something similar behind the scenes in the processing of iPhone photos. Huawei’s Master AI is optional, because it applies more aggressive alterations and doesn’t always get things right, though its judgment is good enough for me to be okay with keeping it on all the time. I suspect the vast majority of people will feel the same way — and photography purists can dismiss the suggested scene-detection tweaks or switch to Pro mode.
Huawei P20 Pro’s Master AI in “greenery” mode on left/top, Google Pixel 2 XL on right/bottom.
Matching features with the Galaxy S9, the Huawei P20 Pro also has a 960fps super slow-mo at 720p. It’s a fun novelty. Also keeping up with the iPhone, the Pro has a “studio lighting” setting on its front-facing camera that tries to isolate your face from the background and generate a dramatic look. As with the iPhone, it’s terribly imprecise and should be avoided at all costs.
Huawei P20 Pro at default setting (27mm equivalent, left/top) and using the 3x zoom (83mm equivalent, right/bottom).
The third camera on the P20 Pro is used to provide a 3x optical zoom or a 5x so-called hybrid zoom. Photographing Parisian landmarks in the daytime, I found both zoom options useful, giving me greater compositional flexibility and delivering crisp detail. The telephoto lens is the only one that’s optically stabilized on the P20 Pro, though I can’t say I’ve seen any hand shake in the hundreds of photos I’ve shot with any of the cameras on this phone. Huawei has a thing it calls AI stabilization, which evidently does a wonderful job of neutralizing clumsiness or unsteadiness on the part of the user.
Huawei P20 Pro at default setting (27mm equivalent, left/top) and using the 3x zoom (83mm equivalent, right/bottom).
Huawei’s night mode in the P20 Pro is a unique and remarkable new feature. Exposing the shot for a full four seconds, it somehow manages to produce handheld photos that remain sharp, accurate, and practically noise-free. No other phone can match the P20 Pro’s night photography, which makes even the Pixel’s low-light photos appear flat, washed-out, and noisy. This advance might get lost in the deluge of camera options, but I think it’s the single biggest advantage that Huawei now enjoys over its competition. For more on how it works and a side-by-side comparison with the Pixel, see my earlier in-depth article on the P20 Pro’s night mode.
There are no image processing delays on the P20 Pro, and that smooth and assured speed of operation extends to the entire user experience. As with the premium feel on the outside, the responsiveness inside the P20 Pro is top notch. Shipping with the latest Android 8.1 Oreo software on board, the Pro is also super reliable — I’ve had more app crashes on the Pixel 2 XL than I’ve had stutters with Huawei’s phone.
There is room for improvement, though. For some strange reason, Huawei doesn’t offer the widely used shortcut of double-tapping the power button to launch the camera. Instead, I have to map that to the volume-down key, which is mostly fine — unless I’m listening to music or a podcast, and then I end up turning the volume down.
THE P20 PRO’S EMUI IS THE LEAST OFFENSIVE THAT HUAWEI’S SOFTWARE HAS EVER BEEN
EMUI, Huawei’s skin atop Android, has evolved from being a clumsy iOS rip-off a couple of years ago to a quite acceptable user experience today. I can’t say I’m in love with it, and I’d have preferred to see an always-on display option (update: it’s in there, just buried in the privacy & security options), but the mere fact that EMUI doesn’t upset me with its weirdness or unreliability is a major step forward for Huawei. The company’s deviations from Google’s original Android design can mostly be sidestepped or disabled, and I appreciate having a dark mode, an increasingly valuable feature for phones with OLED displays.
Like Samsung, Huawei now offers a feature called App Twin, which lets you run multiple instances of the same app and thus be logged in to multiple accounts of the same social or messaging service. Huawei has split-screen too, of course, and a sophisticated screenshot tool. The EMUI lock screen also has a handy set of quick shortcuts, accessible by swiping up from the bottom: there’s a voice recorder, flashlight, calculator, timer, and a QR code reader. Like Apple, Huawei also offers a raise-to-wake function, which together with its fast Face Unlock does a great job of emulating the iPhone X’s seamless unlocking.
Huawei has adjusted its notifications bar to accommodate the display’s notch, but not in a way that I like. The clock feels cramped up against the right curve of the screen, while the cellular and Wi-Fi status icons have jumped across the notch to the left. Putting those permanent icons in the space usually occupied by transient notifications creates a dissonance: every time I glance at that corner, I keep thinking I have unread messages.
Most Android apps play nicely with the notch already, although there are a few niche incompatibilities, such as the “waiting for network...” message on Telegram appearing immediately below (and thus mostly obscured by) the notch. Huawei offers the option to mask the notch by keeping the display around it blacked out, except for notification and status icons. I like that option, but I don’t find it necessary because the notch never offends or distracts me while using the phone.
Huawei’s biggest sin with the notch is in the imperfect way it masks the top corners of the screen when playing back YouTube videos, as illustrated by the image above. There’s a tiny sliver of the video that’s left uncovered, which I find to be an annoying oversight.
Also you can see video review Huawei P20 Pro
The P20 Pro is outstanding in three fundamental aspects of modern smartphones: audio, battery life, and wireless performance. Firstly, the speaker on this phone gets loud without ever becoming shrill or distorted. I love it. Listening to podcasts on this phone is a joy, and its ringtones and notifications come through with authority. The absence of a headphone jack is still an issue, but at least Huawei supports LDAC for higher-bitrate Bluetooth streaming. Even without many headphones compatible with that standard, I was super impressed with the strength and reliability of Bluetooth connections with the P20 Pro. Only Apple’s own iPhone can sustain as good a connection to the AirPods as the P20 Pro achieves.
THE BATTERY DEFIES BELIEF
Pairing wireless headphones and speakers was faster with this Huawei phone than any other Android device I’ve used, and the P20 Pro maintained a strong signal no matter how I gripped, cupped, or hugged it. The same is true for cellular signal: I found the P20 Pro delivered the best possible mobile data speeds wherever I was, and I had no dropped calls even in areas of spotty coverage.
The battery of the P20 Pro makes me laugh. It lasts for a preposterously long time. Right now, the phone’s been away from a charger for 32 hours and I’ve still got 52 percent of the battery to play with. On a busier day that might include an hour of YouTube videos, hours of streaming audio, and immoderate amounts of time browsing Twitter and triaging emails, I’d still only bring the battery down to 40-something percent after 24 hours. Huawei claims two days of battery life with the P20 Pro, and the phone duly delivers. The absence of wireless charging from this phone, which would be a competitive disadvantage for others in 2018, is a non-issue for me because of how rarely I need to charge it.
The synergy between the excellent ergonomics, display, camera, and responsiveness of the Huawei P20 Pro shouldn’t be underestimated. I probably like each individual aspect of this phone more because of the quality of its surrounding components. Huawei has matured to the point of emulating the iPhone’s integrated and fluid user experience instead of merely imitating the iPhone’s basic features. Having spent a month with Samsung’s Galaxy S9 Plus, I absolutely prefer the P20 Pro over Samsung’s 2018 flagship. Huawei offers the more potent camera, better ergonomics, longer battery life, and hell, it even has a less irritating Android skin. The gap is even wider when comparing the P20 Pro to Huawei’s most recent Mate 10 Pro flagship, which never attracted me the way the P20 Pro does. The new phone’s design is truly unique and delightful to hold, and its camera has shed most of the artificiality of its predecessor.
Comparisons against Apple’s iPhone X and Google’s Pixel 2 XL are harder to make. The iPhone has an entirely different ecosystem, and odds are that you’ll make the Android-iOS choice before you decide on the actual device you buy. As to the Pixel, I still favor it on the strength of its unique camera and clean Android experience, but the P20 Pro beats it on every other criterion. More to the point, the P20 Pro will be available to buy in far more places around the world (US unfortunately excepted) than Google’s boutique product.
Full specs Huawei P20 Pro here https://list-phones.com/catalogue/Huawei-P20-Pro
Instead of gimmicks and gaudiness, the Huawei P20 Pro delivers refinement and efficiency. That’s a major change for Huawei, which could previously be relied upon to be the fastest iPhone copycat in the East. With Huawei’s rapid improvement, Apple and Samsung now have a credible third competitor in the contest for super flagship phone supremacy. It’s time for the entire world to sit up and take notice, because Huawei is now the maker of 2018’s best phone and one of the best phones overall.
Sunday, March 11, 2018
Nokia 8110 4G review
Another nostalgic blast from the past is served up with the 8110 4G, and if you loved the slider phones of old you'll likely have a soft spot for this. If you're after an inexpensive second/emergency phone though, there are better options out there.
FOR
Nostalgic blast, now with 4G
Huge battery life
Low price
AGAINST
Basic functionality
Smartphones aren't much more
Difficult shape for pocket
The new Nokia 3310 wasn't a one off. We now have the second installment in what HMD (the firm that produces Nokia branded smartphones) is calling the 'Nokia Originals' series.
Say hello to the very yellow (but also available in black) Nokia 8110 4G, which launched alongside a number of Android smartphones from the brand at MWC 2018.
It takes its name and inspiration from the classic slider which shot to stardom in the 1999 blockbuster The Matrix, although in the film the slider was modified to be spring loaded.
Sadly there's no Hollywood makeover here, and you'll have to manually pull the keypad cover down just like we had to when the original 8110 launched in 1996.
That's not for the want of trying though. TechRadar spoke to HMD's Chief Product Officer, Juho Sarvikas who exclusively revealed that the new 8110 very nearly had a spring-loaded slider.
Nokia 8110 4G was so nearly a true spring-loaded Matrix phone
HMD says the new 3310 was its best selling feature phone in Europe in 2017, proving the Nokia Originals endeavor is more than a simple marketing gimmick that plays on nostalgia.
So can lightning strike twice with this second nostalgic blast? We're not so sure.
Check out our brief video hands on with the Nokia 8110 4G below
Nokia 8110 4G release date and price
This is a feature phone, which means the Nokia 8110 price is a respectable €79 (around ?70, $100, AU$120).
That is, however, more expensive than the 3310 reboot. There are a couple of reasons for this.
Firstly the design is more costly, with a distinctive banana-like curve to the handset and the sliding section.
Secondly, it packs 4G connectivity, giving the 8110 more scope for features and apps.
You will have a little bit of a wait to get your hands on one though, as the Nokia 8110 4G release date is set for May.
The banana yellow variant is very... yellow
Design and display
NOKIA 8110 4G SPECS
OS: Smart Feature OS
Screen size: 2.4 inches
Resolution: 160?120
CPU: Qualcomm 205
RAM: 512MB
Storage: 4GB
Battery: 1,500mAh
Rear camera: 2MP
The original 8110 wasn't nicknamed the banana phone for nothing. Like its predecessor, the new Nokia 8110 4G has an obvious curvature to its body, allowing the microphone and earpiece to sit snugly against your face when taking a call.
It sits less well in the pocket though, with the chunky design and bend causing problems when trying to slide it into skinny jeans. Even more forgiving pockets don't completely solve the comfort issue. Maybe there's a reason this design didn't catch on more...
The plastic body is solid, so it should be able to stand up to a few knocks, but it's the sliding keypad cover which has stolen our heart a little.
Sure, it's a bit of a gimmick, but there is something deeply satisfying when sliding the cover up and down. The click it makes as it docks and undocks from below the screen and the smooth sweeping motion as you run it up and down its tracks is almost hypnotic.
A nice touch is that the cover wakes the screen when slid down, and turns it off when you return it to its closed position.
You can still illuminate the screen with the cover up, by pressing the power key on the right side of the handset, but you won't be able to actually use the phone.
That's because the 2.4-inch QVGA (160 x 120) display isn't touch sensitive and all your navigation keys are hidden beneath the cover.
The screen is fine for reading text and viewing basic images and games, but you won't be enjoying works of art or movies on this phone.
As we've already alluded to, the Nokia 8110 4G comes on black and an extremely vibrant 'banana yellow’.
It also features a headphone jack and FM radio app, along with 4GB of storage, allowing you to listen to music with a set of headphones.
Nokia 8110 4G hands on galllery
Camera and battery
The Nokia 8110 4G does feature a camera, but it's a basic as they get these days.
A 2MP snapper adorns the rear of the phone along with a single LED flash, a feature the original didn't have, and there's no front facing option.
It's really only good for the very occasional snap, and you're limited in what you can do with your pictures after taking them in terms of social sharing and sending, thanks to the basic feature set.
Where the Nokia 8110 4G will shine is battery life, and HMD claims the 1,500mAh power pack inside the handset is good for up to 25 days on standby.
It also says you can make an 8.5 hour LTE voice call on a single charge, although that seems like an awful long time for one call. Wouldn't you run out of things to say?
Anyway, thanks to its long battery life the 8110 4G can bill itself as a festival or emergency phone, as you don't have to worry about constantly charging it (which is done via a microUSB port).
There's a 2MP camera, with flash, on the rear
Performance and interface
It'll come as no surprise that the Nokia 8110 4G isn't packed to the rafters with power. Instead you get a Qualcomm 205 chipset and just 512MB of RAM.
That's all that's required to run the basic feature phone OS though, and the updated version of Snake that debuted on the rebooted 3310 plays just fine here as well.
The interesting part is what the addition of 4G connectivity can do for a simple handset like this.
HMD says that it expects to have a rich app ecosystem for the 8110 4G in the coming months, although for now the only confirmed apps are Facebook, Twitter, Google Maps and Google Assistant.
The improved quality and speed of the data network means that apps can do more, providing features the new 3310 could only dream of. It's not clear what these will be, but it's something to keep and eye on if you're considering a low-cost second phone.
You can also harness the improved data connection for your other devices, making the 8110 4G into a WiFi hotspot so you can connect your phone, tablet or laptop to it.
The simple operating system has Facebook, Twitter and Google Maps apps
Nokia 8110 4G vs Nokia 8110
So how does the new 8110 4G compare to the 1996 original? We put the two side by side, so you can see with your very eyes how they differ.
The banana bend and sliding keypad cover have made the jump to the new version, although the design has been refined - the new 8110 4G is slimmer, lighter and slicker.
You'll also notice the external antenna has been dropped in favor of a microUSB port and headphone jack, while round the back a 2MP camera, LED flash and speaker have been added.
8110 vs 8110 4G hands on gallery
Nokia 8110 vs Nokia 8110 4G: retro meets the reboot
Early verdict
The Nokia 8110 4G is a bit of fun. It takes a playful classic and brings it up to date, but it does feel a little overpriced.
Its rebooted 3310 sibling is cheaper, and if HMD offered the 4G version globally it could have the same potential as the 8110 in a more user friendly design.
That said, for those looking for a second handset, or an emergency device the 8110 4G offers something different without breaking the bank.
MWC (Mobile World Congress) is the world's largest exhibition for the mobile industry, stuffed full of the newest phones, tablets, wearables and more. TechRadar is reporting live from Barcelona all week to bring you the very latest from the show floor. Head to our dedicated MWC 2018 hub to see all the new releases, along with TechRadar's world-class analysis and buying advice about your next phone.
FOR
Nostalgic blast, now with 4G
Huge battery life
Low price
AGAINST
Basic functionality
Smartphones aren't much more
Difficult shape for pocket
The new Nokia 3310 wasn't a one off. We now have the second installment in what HMD (the firm that produces Nokia branded smartphones) is calling the 'Nokia Originals' series.
Say hello to the very yellow (but also available in black) Nokia 8110 4G, which launched alongside a number of Android smartphones from the brand at MWC 2018.
It takes its name and inspiration from the classic slider which shot to stardom in the 1999 blockbuster The Matrix, although in the film the slider was modified to be spring loaded.
Sadly there's no Hollywood makeover here, and you'll have to manually pull the keypad cover down just like we had to when the original 8110 launched in 1996.
That's not for the want of trying though. TechRadar spoke to HMD's Chief Product Officer, Juho Sarvikas who exclusively revealed that the new 8110 very nearly had a spring-loaded slider.
Nokia 8110 4G was so nearly a true spring-loaded Matrix phone
HMD says the new 3310 was its best selling feature phone in Europe in 2017, proving the Nokia Originals endeavor is more than a simple marketing gimmick that plays on nostalgia.
So can lightning strike twice with this second nostalgic blast? We're not so sure.
Check out our brief video hands on with the Nokia 8110 4G below
Nokia 8110 4G release date and price
This is a feature phone, which means the Nokia 8110 price is a respectable €79 (around ?70, $100, AU$120).
That is, however, more expensive than the 3310 reboot. There are a couple of reasons for this.
Firstly the design is more costly, with a distinctive banana-like curve to the handset and the sliding section.
Secondly, it packs 4G connectivity, giving the 8110 more scope for features and apps.
You will have a little bit of a wait to get your hands on one though, as the Nokia 8110 4G release date is set for May.
The banana yellow variant is very... yellow
Design and displayNOKIA 8110 4G SPECS
OS: Smart Feature OS
Screen size: 2.4 inches
Resolution: 160?120
CPU: Qualcomm 205
RAM: 512MB
Storage: 4GB
Battery: 1,500mAh
Rear camera: 2MP
The original 8110 wasn't nicknamed the banana phone for nothing. Like its predecessor, the new Nokia 8110 4G has an obvious curvature to its body, allowing the microphone and earpiece to sit snugly against your face when taking a call.
It sits less well in the pocket though, with the chunky design and bend causing problems when trying to slide it into skinny jeans. Even more forgiving pockets don't completely solve the comfort issue. Maybe there's a reason this design didn't catch on more...
The plastic body is solid, so it should be able to stand up to a few knocks, but it's the sliding keypad cover which has stolen our heart a little.
Sure, it's a bit of a gimmick, but there is something deeply satisfying when sliding the cover up and down. The click it makes as it docks and undocks from below the screen and the smooth sweeping motion as you run it up and down its tracks is almost hypnotic.
A nice touch is that the cover wakes the screen when slid down, and turns it off when you return it to its closed position.
You can still illuminate the screen with the cover up, by pressing the power key on the right side of the handset, but you won't be able to actually use the phone.
That's because the 2.4-inch QVGA (160 x 120) display isn't touch sensitive and all your navigation keys are hidden beneath the cover.
The screen is fine for reading text and viewing basic images and games, but you won't be enjoying works of art or movies on this phone.
As we've already alluded to, the Nokia 8110 4G comes on black and an extremely vibrant 'banana yellow’.
It also features a headphone jack and FM radio app, along with 4GB of storage, allowing you to listen to music with a set of headphones.
Nokia 8110 4G hands on galllery
Camera and battery
The Nokia 8110 4G does feature a camera, but it's a basic as they get these days.
A 2MP snapper adorns the rear of the phone along with a single LED flash, a feature the original didn't have, and there's no front facing option.
It's really only good for the very occasional snap, and you're limited in what you can do with your pictures after taking them in terms of social sharing and sending, thanks to the basic feature set.
Where the Nokia 8110 4G will shine is battery life, and HMD claims the 1,500mAh power pack inside the handset is good for up to 25 days on standby.
It also says you can make an 8.5 hour LTE voice call on a single charge, although that seems like an awful long time for one call. Wouldn't you run out of things to say?
Anyway, thanks to its long battery life the 8110 4G can bill itself as a festival or emergency phone, as you don't have to worry about constantly charging it (which is done via a microUSB port).There's a 2MP camera, with flash, on the rear
Performance and interface
It'll come as no surprise that the Nokia 8110 4G isn't packed to the rafters with power. Instead you get a Qualcomm 205 chipset and just 512MB of RAM.
That's all that's required to run the basic feature phone OS though, and the updated version of Snake that debuted on the rebooted 3310 plays just fine here as well.
The interesting part is what the addition of 4G connectivity can do for a simple handset like this.
HMD says that it expects to have a rich app ecosystem for the 8110 4G in the coming months, although for now the only confirmed apps are Facebook, Twitter, Google Maps and Google Assistant.
The improved quality and speed of the data network means that apps can do more, providing features the new 3310 could only dream of. It's not clear what these will be, but it's something to keep and eye on if you're considering a low-cost second phone.
You can also harness the improved data connection for your other devices, making the 8110 4G into a WiFi hotspot so you can connect your phone, tablet or laptop to it.
The simple operating system has Facebook, Twitter and Google Maps apps
Nokia 8110 4G vs Nokia 8110
So how does the new 8110 4G compare to the 1996 original? We put the two side by side, so you can see with your very eyes how they differ.
The banana bend and sliding keypad cover have made the jump to the new version, although the design has been refined - the new 8110 4G is slimmer, lighter and slicker.
You'll also notice the external antenna has been dropped in favor of a microUSB port and headphone jack, while round the back a 2MP camera, LED flash and speaker have been added.
8110 vs 8110 4G hands on gallery
Nokia 8110 vs Nokia 8110 4G: retro meets the reboot
Early verdict
The Nokia 8110 4G is a bit of fun. It takes a playful classic and brings it up to date, but it does feel a little overpriced.
Its rebooted 3310 sibling is cheaper, and if HMD offered the 4G version globally it could have the same potential as the 8110 in a more user friendly design.
That said, for those looking for a second handset, or an emergency device the 8110 4G offers something different without breaking the bank.
MWC (Mobile World Congress) is the world's largest exhibition for the mobile industry, stuffed full of the newest phones, tablets, wearables and more. TechRadar is reporting live from Barcelona all week to bring you the very latest from the show floor. Head to our dedicated MWC 2018 hub to see all the new releases, along with TechRadar's world-class analysis and buying advice about your next phone.
Sunday, February 25, 2018
BLU VIVO X Review - A Very Good Budget Flagship
The Vivo X is BLU’s most appealing smartphone yet and the first device of theirs to truly give Motorola and Huawei some competition. What I find especially attractive about this device is its price point. It starts at $250 and can be purchased via Amazon. There’s also a special launch deal that will bring this phone down to $200 off-contract.
The build consists of aluminum. It has a premium cool to the touch feel to it with rounded sides and metallic buttons. The power button is textured to help you differentiate it from the volume rocker. There’s a headphone jack and microSD card slot for expandable storage. Strangely, we have a micro USB port for charging and not a USB-C port. And there is a mediocre bottom-facing speaker. The fingerprint scanner is on the back of the phone and it’s exactly where my index finger rests when holding the phone. It’s consistently fast and accurate.
The display is one of the most attractive features of this smartphone but it’s not perfect and it has left me scratching my head a little bit. It features a massive 6-inch 18x9 display with relatively thin top and bottom bezels. Just the fact that it features an 18x9 display helps it compete against some of the more premium offerings from Samsung, LG, and even Apple. But the side bezels aren’t terribly thin and the display itself only features a 720p resolution with some extra vertical pixels. Content is not going to be super sharp and detailed but one perk of this lower resolution display is the improved battery life. The brightness does peak out at 520 nits, which is actually pretty solid and colors do appear nice and vibrant for an LCD panel.
The viewing angles are actually pretty great for a BLU smartphones. Overall, if you are a design junkie like I am, I think you’re really going to admire the 80% screen to body ratio we have here with the Vivo X. Unfortunately, what you have to look at is an unpleasant skin on top of Android 7.0 Nougat. Yeah, you heard that right. What year is it?
The quick settings swipe up from the bottom of the screen while nothing but your notifications will be up top. The settings drawer also has been tweaked. A swipe to the left will reveal some of the phone’s “key features”. What is neat to see is the added software features not typically found in stock Android. There’s a glove mode, several smart gestures like double tap to wake, a smart auto-brightness feature, and a screen recording feature among others. One rather unusual feature is the dual WhatsApp support. If you’re a WhatsApp user, you can set up two WhatsApp accounts on your Vivo X so you don’t have to carry around two smartphones.
We also have face unlock, which does not use the same technology as the iPhone X and is nowhere near as secure. But hey, it’s an option to unlock your phone and it unlocks it very quickly. Just keep in mind that someone who kinda looks like you is probably enough to fool the software.
The Vivo X does ship with a MediaTek Helio P25 processor with 8-cores and 4GB of RAM. The phone has its moments of clarity and fluidity but it does tend to slow down when downloading and installing applications, opening apps for the first time, or running graphic intensive games.
Also, I did notice some chappy animations; especially when swiping through some settings drawer, specifically the bottom quick settings tray. In my experience, I found smartphones with MediaTek processors to perform better after being warmed up, kind of like a car. They don’t tend to perform quite as well as Qualcomm chips, which is what this phone is competing against.
The Vivo X will appeal to those who want the most camera hardware for the price. We have a 13-megapixel rear- and 5-megapixel rear-facing camera sensor with an f/2.0 aperture. And we also have a 20-megapixel front-facing camera sensor along with an 8-megapixel wide-angle front-facing camera sensor with an f/2.0 aperture. This might be the best budget smartphone for selfies as in addition to the dual front-facing sensors, there’s a flash and tons of software features. The 8-megapixel sensor has a 120-degree wide-angle so you can take photos with a group of friends or make video calls without having to hold your phone in arm’s length away from your face. The flash itself can be dimmed, which is a really neat effect that I haven’t seen before on a smartphone. Also in the settings is a dedicated group photo mode, a GIF creator mode, and professional mode, among many other settings.
Selfies themselves feature quite a bit of detail especially in well-lit environments. It does suffer in low-light, as do most smartphone cameras in general. But with the wide-angle lens and flash, I can recommend this phone if you’re a big Instagram or Snapchat user who likes to take a lot of selfies.
The rear-facing cameras are able to capture some acceptable images in a variety of lighting conditions but you’re going to see the highest quality shots captured outdoors in direct sunlight. The phone tends to oversaturate images and it is more difficult than on some other devices to focus on a subject and retain a lot of detail. What is neat to see is a depth mode that will artificially add blur to the background of your subject. It is not perfect but it’s not bad for a non-Apple or Google device. Overall, the cameras are a big win for this price point.
Last but not least, there is a large 4010mAh battery with support for fast charging. You can expect this phone to last you a full day of moderate to heavy usage. I just wished there was a USB-C charging port here especially since you’ll probably want to use this phone for the next year or two. This micro USB port is already outdated. It’s going to be super ancient in the next couple of years.
With that said, BLU doesn’t tend to issue software updates. And the fact that this phone is running an old version of Android out of the box doesn’t give me much hope that we’ll see any sort of big software updates in the near or distant future. From that standpoint, it’s tough to recommend. However, if you want to live in the moment and you don’t care too much about the software experience, the Vivo X does excel in the hardware department.
The 18x9 display helps set this phone apart from the other big, more established smartphones in its price category of around $300. Even with its limitations, I think for the price of $200 or $250 off-contract, the Vivo X is absolutely worth it. Just keep in mind that it only does work with a GSM carriers here in the US. See full specs here http://list-phones.com/catalogue/BLU-Vivo-X
Selfies themselves feature quite a bit of detail especially in well-lit environments. It does suffer in low-light, as do most smartphone cameras in general. But with the wide-angle lens and flash, I can recommend this phone if you’re a big Instagram or Snapchat user who likes to take a lot of selfies.
The rear-facing cameras are able to capture some acceptable images in a variety of lighting conditions but you’re going to see the highest quality shots captured outdoors in direct sunlight. The phone tends to oversaturate images and it is more difficult than on some other devices to focus on a subject and retain a lot of detail. What is neat to see is a depth mode that will artificially add blur to the background of your subject. It is not perfect but it’s not bad for a non-Apple or Google device. Overall, the cameras are a big win for this price point.
Last but not least, there is a large 4010mAh battery with support for fast charging. You can expect this phone to last you a full day of moderate to heavy usage. I just wished there was a USB-C charging port here especially since you’ll probably want to use this phone for the next year or two. This micro USB port is already outdated. It’s going to be super ancient in the next couple of years.
With that said, BLU doesn’t tend to issue software updates. And the fact that this phone is running an old version of Android out of the box doesn’t give me much hope that we’ll see any sort of big software updates in the near or distant future. From that standpoint, it’s tough to recommend. However, if you want to live in the moment and you don’t care too much about the software experience, the Vivo X does excel in the hardware department.
The 18x9 display helps set this phone apart from the other big, more established smartphones in its price category of around $300. Even with its limitations, I think for the price of $200 or $250 off-contract, the Vivo X is absolutely worth it. Just keep in mind that it only does work with a GSM carriers here in the US. See full specs here http://list-phones.com/catalogue/BLU-Vivo-X
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
Nokia 7 Plus review, features.
Nokia didn’t release new gadgets for a long time, but you should not worry about it, because the company will bring new car and small cart of gadgets to MWC 2018. It is known that in the near future the Finnish company will present at least three smartphones: Nokia 1, 4 and 7 Plus. All three new phones will be available all around the world.
Nokia 1 will be ultra-budget phone with price under $100. It has weak hardware and new Android 8.0 Oreo. At the same time, Nokia 4 will be mid-range phone, while Nokia 7 Plus will be a sub-flagship with Snapdragon 660 processor. We want to talk about the last smartphone. The price Nokia 7 Plus is already known. It allows to compare new Nokia phone with other devices on the market.
Let’s be honest – for a whole year, Nokia released some really beautiful smartphones. Most of them do not stand out at all against the background of competitors and have a boring design. However, Nokia 7 Plus can be beautiful and powerful smartphone. The device will receive all modern features and will compete with the devices of other brands, at least in terms of design and hardware.
Nokia 7 Plus: Design
Today we received the fist real photo of Nokia 7 Plus. It looks very good. The smartphone will be made of metal and glass. Nokia 7 Plus will come with full screen and 18:9 aspect ratio with thin bezels. In general, the design of Nokia 7 Plus is good from all sides. Despite the fact that it is sub-flagship device, it can be among the best phones.
We are pleased with design of the main camera, which looks neat and fits perfectly into the overall idea. The fingerprint reader had to be placed at the back, because there are very thin bezels on front side. We hope that the front of device will get really thin bezels from above and from below. The bezel-less design must be true bezel-less, and not be only in words.
Nokia 7 Plus - review of the new sub-flagship - specifications, release date, price
At the same time, Nokia 7 Plus doesn’t have cardinal changes in comparison with Nokia 7. The screen became longer and bigger diagonal. In fact, it’s the main differences compared to its predecessor.
Nokia 7 Plus: Display
So far, we have no information about diagonal of Nokia 7 Plus screen. If we look at the predecessor Nokia 7, then Plus version should receive IPS panel with diagonal sizes ranging from 5.7 to 5.9 inches. The aspect ratio is 18:9, and the resolution will not exceed 2160?1080 pixels.
Nokia 7 Plus - review of the new sub-flagship - specifications, release date, price
Nokia 7 Plus: Hardware
The combination of big display and Snapdragon 660 processor will allow the smartphone to work quickly, smoothly and stably, run any games and applications. Moreover, Nokia 7 Plus will have 4GB of RAM or 6GB of RAM. As for the internal memory, it will offer from 64 GB with support for memory cards.
Nokia 7 Plus - review of the new sub-flagship - specifications, release date, price
Nokia 7 Plus: Camera
The smartphone will be equipped with a dual main camera, which will consists of 12 megapixel sensor, and secondary 13 megapixel sensor. Also, the camera will offer optical stabilization system and a double optical zoom without losing quality. The front camera can also boast of high quality photos, because its resolution will reach 16MP. Moreover, Nokia will borrow optics from Carl Zeiss.
Nokia 7 Plus - review of the new sub-flagship - specifications, release date, price
Nokia 7 Plus: Battery
Also we should talk about battery life of Nokia 7 Plus. We are promised a battery capacity of up to 3450 mAh. Taking into account the modern process technology of Snapdragon 660 and Android 8.0 Oreo operating system, new smartphone should work up to 1.5-2 days with a fairly active mode of use.
Nokia 7 Plus - review of the new sub-flagship - specifications, release date, price
Nokia 7 Plus: Specifications
Nokia 7 Plus looks very good smartphone from all sides. It could make a powerful competition to other modern devices, however its price of $500 brings all advantages to nothing. What’s the point to buy Nokia 7 Plus, when there is more powerful flagship OnePlus 5T for $450? Also very soon Xiaomi Mi7 will appear, which will receive a price tag around $500 and Snapdragon 845. In general, Nokia 7 Plus will be good smartphone if its price drops to $350, otherwise it will be bypassed by all reasonably thinking buyers.
Nokia 7 Plus - review of the new sub-flagship - specifications, release date, price
Nokia 7 Plus – Release date and price
New Nokia phone will arrive at MWC 2018 together with its other brothers, and after that it will go on sale. Nokia 7 Plus officially should be sold at a price of $500.
Nokia 1 will be ultra-budget phone with price under $100. It has weak hardware and new Android 8.0 Oreo. At the same time, Nokia 4 will be mid-range phone, while Nokia 7 Plus will be a sub-flagship with Snapdragon 660 processor. We want to talk about the last smartphone. The price Nokia 7 Plus is already known. It allows to compare new Nokia phone with other devices on the market.
Let’s be honest – for a whole year, Nokia released some really beautiful smartphones. Most of them do not stand out at all against the background of competitors and have a boring design. However, Nokia 7 Plus can be beautiful and powerful smartphone. The device will receive all modern features and will compete with the devices of other brands, at least in terms of design and hardware.
Nokia 7 Plus: Design
Today we received the fist real photo of Nokia 7 Plus. It looks very good. The smartphone will be made of metal and glass. Nokia 7 Plus will come with full screen and 18:9 aspect ratio with thin bezels. In general, the design of Nokia 7 Plus is good from all sides. Despite the fact that it is sub-flagship device, it can be among the best phones.
We are pleased with design of the main camera, which looks neat and fits perfectly into the overall idea. The fingerprint reader had to be placed at the back, because there are very thin bezels on front side. We hope that the front of device will get really thin bezels from above and from below. The bezel-less design must be true bezel-less, and not be only in words.
Nokia 7 Plus - review of the new sub-flagship - specifications, release date, price
At the same time, Nokia 7 Plus doesn’t have cardinal changes in comparison with Nokia 7. The screen became longer and bigger diagonal. In fact, it’s the main differences compared to its predecessor.
Nokia 7 Plus: Display
So far, we have no information about diagonal of Nokia 7 Plus screen. If we look at the predecessor Nokia 7, then Plus version should receive IPS panel with diagonal sizes ranging from 5.7 to 5.9 inches. The aspect ratio is 18:9, and the resolution will not exceed 2160?1080 pixels.
Nokia 7 Plus - review of the new sub-flagship - specifications, release date, price
Nokia 7 Plus: Hardware
The combination of big display and Snapdragon 660 processor will allow the smartphone to work quickly, smoothly and stably, run any games and applications. Moreover, Nokia 7 Plus will have 4GB of RAM or 6GB of RAM. As for the internal memory, it will offer from 64 GB with support for memory cards.
Nokia 7 Plus - review of the new sub-flagship - specifications, release date, price
Nokia 7 Plus: Camera
The smartphone will be equipped with a dual main camera, which will consists of 12 megapixel sensor, and secondary 13 megapixel sensor. Also, the camera will offer optical stabilization system and a double optical zoom without losing quality. The front camera can also boast of high quality photos, because its resolution will reach 16MP. Moreover, Nokia will borrow optics from Carl Zeiss.
Nokia 7 Plus - review of the new sub-flagship - specifications, release date, price
Nokia 7 Plus: Battery
Also we should talk about battery life of Nokia 7 Plus. We are promised a battery capacity of up to 3450 mAh. Taking into account the modern process technology of Snapdragon 660 and Android 8.0 Oreo operating system, new smartphone should work up to 1.5-2 days with a fairly active mode of use.
Nokia 7 Plus - review of the new sub-flagship - specifications, release date, price
Nokia 7 Plus: Specifications
- Colors: silver, black, white;
- Case: Gorilla Glass 4 glass and metal frame;
- Display: 5.7 or 5.9-inch IPS-panel with a resolution of FullHD + 2160?1080 pixels, 18: 9 format, 1: 1000 contrast ratio, coverage of 95% NTSC colors;
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 660, 8-core, custom Kryo 260 cores with frequency up to 2.2 GHz, 64-bit, technical process 14 nanometers;
- Graphics: Adreno 512 with a frequency of 650 MHz;
- RAM: 4 GB or 6 GB LPDDR4X, 2?1866 MHz;
- Storage: 64 GB UFS 2.0 + memory card;
- Main camera: Bundle of 12 Mp and 13 Mp modules, phase autofocus, optical stabilization, double optical zoom, two-tone illumination, video recording in 4K @ 30 fps;
- Self-camera: 16 MP, wide-angle;
- Fingerprint scanner (rear);
- Wi-Fi 802.11a / b / g / n / ac and Bluetooth 5.0, USB Type-C 2.0, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou;
- SIM: Dual SIM dual stand by;
- Modem with LTE Cat 12 support, transmission speed up to 600 Mbps;
- Battery: 3450 mAh + quick charge Quick Charge 3.0;
- OS version: Android 8.0;
- Antutu: 130000+ points;
- Prices: from $500
- Advantages and disadvantages
- + Powerful hardware;
- + Beautiful Design;
- + Excellent display;
- + High-quality camera;
- + Good battery;
- + The latest version of Android.
- – High price.
- Nokia 7 Plus - review of the new sub-flagship - specifications, release date, price
Nokia 7 Plus looks very good smartphone from all sides. It could make a powerful competition to other modern devices, however its price of $500 brings all advantages to nothing. What’s the point to buy Nokia 7 Plus, when there is more powerful flagship OnePlus 5T for $450? Also very soon Xiaomi Mi7 will appear, which will receive a price tag around $500 and Snapdragon 845. In general, Nokia 7 Plus will be good smartphone if its price drops to $350, otherwise it will be bypassed by all reasonably thinking buyers.
Nokia 7 Plus - review of the new sub-flagship - specifications, release date, price
Nokia 7 Plus – Release date and price
New Nokia phone will arrive at MWC 2018 together with its other brothers, and after that it will go on sale. Nokia 7 Plus officially should be sold at a price of $500.
Saturday, February 10, 2018
Nokia 105 (2017) Specifications and Review
The Nokia 105 (2017) is the toned-up or upgraded version of the Nokia 105. The Nokia 105 had promising features like the compact design, rubber keypad, long-lasting battery and FM radio that made it the people’s most preferred feature phone choice. Now what does the 2017 version of the Nokia 105 have to offer that the older version didn’t? Improved battery, bigger internal memory, dual SIM, better design? There’s only one way to find out – read on.
DESIGN
Nokia 105 (2017)
Design-wise, the Nokia 105 (2017) is better than the older 2013 version. It has a very attractive aesthetic that makes it a catchy to the eyes at first sight. The available colour also further adds to the beauty of the design. The Nokia 105 (2017) feature phone comes in White, Red, Blue and Black colours.
Nokia 105 (2017)
Unlike the 2013 version of the Nokia 105 which had slightly curved edges, the Nokia 105 (2017) has distinct and totally rounded edges. Moving to the front, the keypads are also made of rubber but have their individual housing separated by the plastic body case.
The flashlight, charging port and earphone jack are all located at the top of the device. The flashlight design is quite different as well as the charging port; a micro USBv2.0 charging port. This is a completely different drift from Nokia’s conventional “pin mouth” charging port.
DISPLAY
The Nokia 105 (2017) maintains the same 1.4-inch screen size found in earlier versions. However, this version of this feature phone has a better display resolution and pixel density (120 x 160 pixels and 143 ppi respectively). The screen to body ratio is also thinner (10.9%) than the popular 2013 Nokia 105 (14.1%).
BATTERY
The battery capacity on the Nokia 105 (2017) has not changed. A removable and replaceable 800mAh powers this device; just like previously released versions. The Nokia 105 (2017) however boasts of longer standby and usage time than older versions.
Nokia 105 Screen Repairs
Although the Nokia 105 is very simple in terms of its design and function, it still provides many of the most popular mobile phone features. This phone offers 8 MB of internal storage as well as USB charging, a flashlight function, and a lithium-ion battery. Like all smartphones, however, the Nokia 105 is still prone to various types of damage, including screen damage – especially if you do not keep it in a protective case. If you do happen to damage your Nokia 105 screen, you do not need to rush out and buy a new one. Simply bring it to Cell Phone Repair, and one of our expert technicians will diagnose your problem for free.
Nokia 105 Water Damage
The Nokia 105 is the perfect phone for someone who doesn’t require any complicated apps or technology and simply wants to use a mobile phone as a mobile phone. While the Nokia 105 provides for these needs, it is lacking in one area – it is not waterproof. If you aren’t careful about using your Nokia 105 near water and other liquids, you run the risk of doing water damage. Remember, even a little bit of water damage can mean big problems for your phone. If your Nokia 105 does happen to sustain water damage it isn’t any reason to panic – Cell Phone Repair has your back. Stop in for a free consultation, and we’ll tell you just what it will take to fix your Nokia 105.
Nokia 105 (2017)
Design-wise, the Nokia 105 (2017) is better than the older 2013 version. It has a very attractive aesthetic that makes it a catchy to the eyes at first sight. The available colour also further adds to the beauty of the design. The Nokia 105 (2017) feature phone comes in White, Red, Blue and Black colours.
Nokia 105 (2017)
Unlike the 2013 version of the Nokia 105 which had slightly curved edges, the Nokia 105 (2017) has distinct and totally rounded edges. Moving to the front, the keypads are also made of rubber but have their individual housing separated by the plastic body case.
The flashlight, charging port and earphone jack are all located at the top of the device. The flashlight design is quite different as well as the charging port; a micro USBv2.0 charging port. This is a completely different drift from Nokia’s conventional “pin mouth” charging port.
DISPLAY
The Nokia 105 (2017) maintains the same 1.4-inch screen size found in earlier versions. However, this version of this feature phone has a better display resolution and pixel density (120 x 160 pixels and 143 ppi respectively). The screen to body ratio is also thinner (10.9%) than the popular 2013 Nokia 105 (14.1%).
BATTERY
The battery capacity on the Nokia 105 (2017) has not changed. A removable and replaceable 800mAh powers this device; just like previously released versions. The Nokia 105 (2017) however boasts of longer standby and usage time than older versions.
Nokia 105 Screen Repairs
Although the Nokia 105 is very simple in terms of its design and function, it still provides many of the most popular mobile phone features. This phone offers 8 MB of internal storage as well as USB charging, a flashlight function, and a lithium-ion battery. Like all smartphones, however, the Nokia 105 is still prone to various types of damage, including screen damage – especially if you do not keep it in a protective case. If you do happen to damage your Nokia 105 screen, you do not need to rush out and buy a new one. Simply bring it to Cell Phone Repair, and one of our expert technicians will diagnose your problem for free.
Nokia 105 Water Damage
The Nokia 105 is the perfect phone for someone who doesn’t require any complicated apps or technology and simply wants to use a mobile phone as a mobile phone. While the Nokia 105 provides for these needs, it is lacking in one area – it is not waterproof. If you aren’t careful about using your Nokia 105 near water and other liquids, you run the risk of doing water damage. Remember, even a little bit of water damage can mean big problems for your phone. If your Nokia 105 does happen to sustain water damage it isn’t any reason to panic – Cell Phone Repair has your back. Stop in for a free consultation, and we’ll tell you just what it will take to fix your Nokia 105.
see full specs Nokia 105 here http://list-phones.com/catalogue/Nokia-105
Monday, February 5, 2018
BLU Pure View full smartphone review
The BLU Pure View was recently spotted on Amazon.
The phone features dual front-facing cameras, an 18:9 display, and a $200 price tag.
Oddly enough, BLU has not officially announced the Pure View.
As 18:9 displays become more popular, companies like BLU eventually adopt the stretchy standard. That eventuality came as a surprise yesterday, when the company quietly launched the Pure View.
The Pure View features a 5.7-inch, 18:9 display with HD+ (1440 x 720) resolution. Around back is a 13 MP camera and fingerprint sensor, while the front sports dual 8 MP cameras with flash. According to the Amazon listing, the front-facing cameras are also used for face unlocking. We are not sure if the Pure View includes any specialized hardware à la the iPhone X and Galaxy S8.
Elsewhere, MediaTek’s octa-core 1.3 GHz MT6753 chipset and 3 GB of RAM power the Pure View. You can boost the 32 GB of internal storage by an additional 64 GB through the microSD card slot.
We do not know what version of Android the phone features. Knowing BLU and its propensity to use older versions of Android, it would not come as a shock if the Pure View runs Android Nougat.
Editor's Pick
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Either way, the phone looks to be a decent option that introduces you to the world of 18:9 displays without breaking the bank. Then again, the Honor 7X and Moto G5 Plus have proven to be solid alternatives for around the same price.
Even though the Pure View is listed on Amazon, it is currently out of stock. Also, BLU has not officially announced the phone, though the listing appears more than legitimate. Just remember that the Pure View will only work on GSM networks like AT&T and T-Mobile.
If you are interested, you can keep tabs on the phone at the link below. http://list-phones.com/catalogue/BLU-Pure-View
The phone features dual front-facing cameras, an 18:9 display, and a $200 price tag.
Oddly enough, BLU has not officially announced the Pure View.
As 18:9 displays become more popular, companies like BLU eventually adopt the stretchy standard. That eventuality came as a surprise yesterday, when the company quietly launched the Pure View.
The Pure View features a 5.7-inch, 18:9 display with HD+ (1440 x 720) resolution. Around back is a 13 MP camera and fingerprint sensor, while the front sports dual 8 MP cameras with flash. According to the Amazon listing, the front-facing cameras are also used for face unlocking. We are not sure if the Pure View includes any specialized hardware à la the iPhone X and Galaxy S8.
Elsewhere, MediaTek’s octa-core 1.3 GHz MT6753 chipset and 3 GB of RAM power the Pure View. You can boost the 32 GB of internal storage by an additional 64 GB through the microSD card slot.
We do not know what version of Android the phone features. Knowing BLU and its propensity to use older versions of Android, it would not come as a shock if the Pure View runs Android Nougat.
Editor's Pick
related article
Deal: Buy refurbished Google Pixel for $320 and Pixel XL for $360
The original Google Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones may have launched way back in October 2016, but both are still excellent phones that will continue to receive great software updates in the future. Now you …
Either way, the phone looks to be a decent option that introduces you to the world of 18:9 displays without breaking the bank. Then again, the Honor 7X and Moto G5 Plus have proven to be solid alternatives for around the same price.
Even though the Pure View is listed on Amazon, it is currently out of stock. Also, BLU has not officially announced the phone, though the listing appears more than legitimate. Just remember that the Pure View will only work on GSM networks like AT&T and T-Mobile.
If you are interested, you can keep tabs on the phone at the link below. http://list-phones.com/catalogue/BLU-Pure-View
Sunday, January 28, 2018
HTC U11 Eyes smartphone features a dual selfie camera.
HTC has launched a new variant of its U11 smartphone called the HTC U11 Eyes, and it's built specifically for selfie takers (cue eye roll). The name "Eyes" refers to the handset's chief feature: dual front-facing cameras, which resemble a pair of eyes and bring features like live bokeh and post-focusing to selfies.
HTC packs some other premium features into the model, including an 18:9 ratio Full HD+ 6" Super LCD 3 screen and a "flagship camera" on the rear, but other than the front-facing camera, the handset is more-or-less the same as the regular HTC U11.
The front-facing camera is comprised of dual 5MP BSI sensors behind F2.2 aperture lenses, which support Full HD 1080p video capture in addition to stills. The selfie cameras produce "studio-quality portraits," claims HTC, with Bokeh Mode being the most notable feature. In that mode, selfie backgrounds are blurred in real time, though users also have the option of adjusting it manually after the fact.
The model's front camera also supports Screen Flash, HDR Boost, Voice Selfie, Auto "Beautification," Auto Selfie, and Selfie Panorama. The rear camera, meanwhile, features a 12MP HTC UltraPixel 3 with 1.4μm pixel, BSI sensor, OIS, F1.7 aperture, an LED flash, and UltraSpeed Autofocus. HTC has included a "Pro Mode" with manual control for its rear camera, including 32-second long exposures, Raw support, and manual control.
Cameras aside, the HTC U11 Eyes has a high-capacity 3930mAh battery that supports up to 28.8 hours of talk time (depending on the network) as well as Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 processor, IP67 water- and dust-resistance, Edge Sense squeezing support, HTC USonic audio tech, active noise cancellation, and Face Unlock.
Availability outside of China and pricing isn't clear. Engadget reports that its "local sources" put the price potentially at HK$3,200, which is equivalent to about $410 USD and 334 EUR.
We know it's shiny, but don't let its looks distract you. After a seriously underwhelming showing with the U Ultra, HTC refined its smartphone formula and pushed out the U11, a gimmick-laden flagship that's actually worth using. The pressure-sensitive Edge Sense turns the sides of the phone into a one big convenience key, which is handy but unimaginative. There are three virtual assistants to choose from, though most people will only ever use one. And that beautiful glass finish? Well, just be very careful with it. Despite all that, the U11 delivers true flagship-level performance, and a camera experience that's excellent, period, not just excellent for HTC. The build quality is generally fantastic too, and HTC has finally made a handsome body that's also water-resistant. While this might sound like a mixed bag, the U11's strengths definitely outweigh its flaws. See full specs here http://list-phones.com/catalogue/HTC-U11-EYEs
HTC packs some other premium features into the model, including an 18:9 ratio Full HD+ 6" Super LCD 3 screen and a "flagship camera" on the rear, but other than the front-facing camera, the handset is more-or-less the same as the regular HTC U11.
The front-facing camera is comprised of dual 5MP BSI sensors behind F2.2 aperture lenses, which support Full HD 1080p video capture in addition to stills. The selfie cameras produce "studio-quality portraits," claims HTC, with Bokeh Mode being the most notable feature. In that mode, selfie backgrounds are blurred in real time, though users also have the option of adjusting it manually after the fact.
The model's front camera also supports Screen Flash, HDR Boost, Voice Selfie, Auto "Beautification," Auto Selfie, and Selfie Panorama. The rear camera, meanwhile, features a 12MP HTC UltraPixel 3 with 1.4μm pixel, BSI sensor, OIS, F1.7 aperture, an LED flash, and UltraSpeed Autofocus. HTC has included a "Pro Mode" with manual control for its rear camera, including 32-second long exposures, Raw support, and manual control.
Cameras aside, the HTC U11 Eyes has a high-capacity 3930mAh battery that supports up to 28.8 hours of talk time (depending on the network) as well as Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 processor, IP67 water- and dust-resistance, Edge Sense squeezing support, HTC USonic audio tech, active noise cancellation, and Face Unlock.
Availability outside of China and pricing isn't clear. Engadget reports that its "local sources" put the price potentially at HK$3,200, which is equivalent to about $410 USD and 334 EUR.
We know it's shiny, but don't let its looks distract you. After a seriously underwhelming showing with the U Ultra, HTC refined its smartphone formula and pushed out the U11, a gimmick-laden flagship that's actually worth using. The pressure-sensitive Edge Sense turns the sides of the phone into a one big convenience key, which is handy but unimaginative. There are three virtual assistants to choose from, though most people will only ever use one. And that beautiful glass finish? Well, just be very careful with it. Despite all that, the U11 delivers true flagship-level performance, and a camera experience that's excellent, period, not just excellent for HTC. The build quality is generally fantastic too, and HTC has finally made a handsome body that's also water-resistant. While this might sound like a mixed bag, the U11's strengths definitely outweigh its flaws. See full specs here http://list-phones.com/catalogue/HTC-U11-EYEs
Monday, January 22, 2018
Alcatel 3c - Smartphone With Full Screen Display. Review.
Alcatel 3C, one among the series of smartphones to be launched by TCL at the CES 2018 has been leaked. Information regarding its full technical features and its price also made the light of the day. Other smartphones like Alcatel 1x, Alcatel 3, Alcatel 3V, Alcatel 3X and Alcatel 5 will also be launched at the tech event. While most flagship phones as well as some mid-range smartphones are seriously getting affected by the full screen display trend, TCL (Alcatel’s manufacturer) not only integrates this full screen display in Alcatel 3C but also aims to make it the cheapest smartphone with such a display. At this point, I’ll like us to go straight to the business of the day – the Alcatel 3C’s review.
DESIGN AND DISPLAY
Crafted and furnished in metal, Alcatel 3C presents a super large 6.0 inches HD+ display with thin bezels surrounding it. At the fore, the top bezel occupies the ambient light sensor, earpiece, LED flash and the secondary camera. The rear camera finely furnished has a primary camera, LED flash and fingerprint sensor arranged in a vertical format leaving the ‘alcatel’ logo to appear below it. The dimensions of the smartphone are 161mm length x 76mm width x 7.9mm thickness. It weighs 168g including its battery and has three colour availability. The colour options are Blue, Gold and Black.
Its 6.0 inches display has a screen resolution of 1440 x 720 pixels with a pixel density of 268 PPI. The 2.5D Curved glass gives the smartphone’s display extra slickness. Making it out with 18:9 aspect ratio, 16 million display colours, full lamination technology and multi-touch technology, the smartphone has an IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen.
CPU, OS, AND STORAGE
The CPU powering this smartphone is a Quad-core ARM-Cortex A7 of 32-bit architecture. It clocks at a low speed of 1.3GHz and utilizes the 28nm process technology. The chipset at the centre of the park is the MediaTek MT8321. The GPU on it is the ARM Mali-400 MP2 that has two cores and a speed of 500MHz. The role of multitasking is carried out by 1GB of LPDDR3 RAM. Its internal storage has a capacity of 16GB that can be expanded to 128GB with the use of a microSD card. The Android 7.0 Nougat is the operating system on the smartphone.
CAMERA AND CONNECTIVITY
8MP is the quality of the primary camera on this Alcatel 3C. It can interpolate to 13MP resolution. Giving brightness in low light conditions is the LED flash. At the front, the camera present has a resolution of 5MP. A LED flash is also present. No 4G LTE is available on the smartphone; only 2G and 3G network types.
See full specs Alcatel 3c here http://list-phones.com/catalogue/manufacturer/Alcatel
DESIGN AND DISPLAY
Crafted and furnished in metal, Alcatel 3C presents a super large 6.0 inches HD+ display with thin bezels surrounding it. At the fore, the top bezel occupies the ambient light sensor, earpiece, LED flash and the secondary camera. The rear camera finely furnished has a primary camera, LED flash and fingerprint sensor arranged in a vertical format leaving the ‘alcatel’ logo to appear below it. The dimensions of the smartphone are 161mm length x 76mm width x 7.9mm thickness. It weighs 168g including its battery and has three colour availability. The colour options are Blue, Gold and Black.
Its 6.0 inches display has a screen resolution of 1440 x 720 pixels with a pixel density of 268 PPI. The 2.5D Curved glass gives the smartphone’s display extra slickness. Making it out with 18:9 aspect ratio, 16 million display colours, full lamination technology and multi-touch technology, the smartphone has an IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen.
CPU, OS, AND STORAGE
The CPU powering this smartphone is a Quad-core ARM-Cortex A7 of 32-bit architecture. It clocks at a low speed of 1.3GHz and utilizes the 28nm process technology. The chipset at the centre of the park is the MediaTek MT8321. The GPU on it is the ARM Mali-400 MP2 that has two cores and a speed of 500MHz. The role of multitasking is carried out by 1GB of LPDDR3 RAM. Its internal storage has a capacity of 16GB that can be expanded to 128GB with the use of a microSD card. The Android 7.0 Nougat is the operating system on the smartphone.
CAMERA AND CONNECTIVITY
8MP is the quality of the primary camera on this Alcatel 3C. It can interpolate to 13MP resolution. Giving brightness in low light conditions is the LED flash. At the front, the camera present has a resolution of 5MP. A LED flash is also present. No 4G LTE is available on the smartphone; only 2G and 3G network types.
See full specs Alcatel 3c here http://list-phones.com/catalogue/manufacturer/Alcatel
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
Meizu Pro 7 the Dual-Screened Wonder
Meizu Pro 7 plusTwo screens and two cameras add up to great fun
While many Meizu flagship phones have featured staggered launches throughout the year, normally upping the specs or increasing the size of the device, Meizu is changing it up for their first big flaship of 2017. The Meizu PRO 7 plus comes in two flavors; a smaller version, and the larger, more powerful PRO 7 Plus. It’s common for Meizu to release a larger version of its devices later on, but this time around they’re not just offering two different sizes, they’re prioritizing the larger one by giving it better specs too. Both phones offer a visually identical build, including that unique second screen on the back, and at the end of they day likely offer near identical experiences too, but this review will be focused on the bigger PRO 7 Plus. Let’s see what Meizu is offering this time around.
Specs
Meizu is shipping two different versions of the Pro 7; a smaller version with a 5.2-inch 1080p Super AMOLED display, MediaTek Helio P25 SoC, Mali-T880MP2 GPU, LPDDR4X 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage (eMMC 5.1) for ¥2,880. A larger version of the phone ships with a 5.7-inch Quad-HD Super AMOLED display (2560 x 1440), MediaTek Helio X30 SoC, PowerVR 7XTP GPU, LPDDR4X 6GB of RAM and either 64GB or 128GB of internal storage (Samsung KLUCG4J1ED-BOC1 UFS 2.1) starting at ¥3,580. Both models feature a unique 2-inch Super AMOLED display (240 x 536) on the back. The smaller PRO 7 ships in black, gold and red colors, while the larger PRO 7 Plus is split into two groups: 64GB ships in matte black, space black, amber gold and crystal silver, while the 128GB ships in matte black and space black. The phones will be officially available in Brunei, Cambodia, Mainland China, Egypt, France, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Myanmar, New Zealand, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Ukraine and Vietnam.
A generous 16-megapixel camera sits up front, above the screen, while two 12-megapixel sensors are situated around the back. Both rear cameras feature f/2.0 lenses and a Sony Exmor IMX386 sensor underneath. This sensor measures in at 1/2.9” and features 1.25-micron sized pixels. The smaller Pro 7 measures in at 147.6mm high, 70.7mm wide and 7.3mm thin, weighing 163 grams and packing in a 3,000mAh battery. The larger Pro 7 Plus measures in at 157.3mm high, 77.2mm wide and the same 7.3mm thin, weighs slightly more at 170g, and packs in a larger 3,500mAh battery inside. A USB Type-C port in on the bottom and features ultra fast mCharge 4.0 charging technology. Meizu’s latest skin, Flyme 6.0, runs atop Android 7.0 Nougat. 32-bit/192KHz audio can be output from the 3.5mm audio jack on the phone thanks to the Cirrus Logic CS43130 chip inside.
In The Box
Sporting quite possibly the most elegant and gorgeous package of all time, the Meizu Pro 7 and Pro 7 Plus will impress you from the get-go. This space-age looking box stands vertically and features the phone and assorted boxes packed in a similar vertical fashion. Inside the presentation is just as slick, with the SIM tray eject tool right out front, and the phone in its own pocket between two boxes. One of these boxes holds the manuals, warranty pamphlets and USB Type-A to Type-C cable, while the other box holds the special mCharge 4.0 wall charger, which can output 5V, 9V or 12V and 2A of charging power.
Case included in the box
Display
Meizu made the switch to Super AMOLED with the PRO 6 Plus at the end of 2016, and it was every bit for the better. The 5.7-inch Quad-HD Super AMOLED panel on the PRO 7 Plus looks phenomenal, with those deep blacks and ultra high contrast ratios that only OLED can provide, and a set of ultra saturated colors out of the box. These saturated colors can be easily toned down in display settings, as the default dynamic display mode is by far the most saturated of the four options. Standard will give you the most color accurate option, and all four display modes feature identical white balance. This white balance looks good in general, and trends slightly warm, although it’s not noticeable unless directly comparing side by side with other displays.
Meizu’s panels have traditionally been very bright panels, and the switch from IPS LCD to AMOLED hasn’t changed that a bit. The display is super bright and is very easy to see outdoors, all while having the ability to get nice and dark when needed. The response time/persistence rate is pretty good, and although there is some noticeable ghosting when scrolling through some high contrast thing (read: black text on white background), it’s not visible in most situations. Viewing angles are excellent, and exhibit some color shifting only at extreme angles. Many times modern displays that exhibit visible color shifting of any kind are due to the oleophobic coating on the glass, not the panel itself, and this panel exhibits far less than most modern phones do.
Secondary Screen
It’s not often you see a phone with more than one screen, and even then most dual-screen phones feature a smaller secondary screen above the main one. Meizu went for something different this time around, and it’s even different than the dual-screen Yotafone, which also features a screen on the back. Instead of a large e-ink screen the way the Yotafone has, Meizu uses a small 2-inch screen instead, situating it near the right side of the phone (left if you’re looking at the back). This screen is placed under the dual-camera array for a reason; it can be used as a viewfinder so that you can use the excellent cameras on the back of the phone. This is particularly important for the portrait mode that’s available with the dual cameras on the back, as it can produce ultra high quality portrait shots without the need for someone else to take the shot.
The camera can be launched directly from the screen, by double tapping to wake and then sliding down to launch, or clicking the icon in the camera app. The three major main modes (original, beauty, blur) can be switched between with a swipe left or right, and clicking anywhere on the screen starts a 3-second timer to take the shot. Waking the screen will show the day of the week, time and current weather conditions and temperature. Swiping over will give a larger display of the temperature and some slightly more detailed information, and another swipe will page over to the dedicated pedometer found in the phone. Some notifications will also be displayed on this screen, including incoming calls, messages, current music playing and just about anything else that would normally be displayed in the notification shade. It’s pretty clear that, aside from the selfie portrait mode, the display is meant to help you discretely manage notifications while the phone is lying face down on a table, and could be extremely convenient for folks that often find themselves in this position.
Hardware and Build
Meizu’s hardware design hasn’t changed much over the years, but the Pro 7 marks the first time that we’re seeing some kind of significant change or addition to that design in quite some time. The big highlight comes in the form of the OLED screen on the back of the phone, positioned right below the dual camera lens. This single pane of glass is situated on the rightmost edge (left when looking at the back), and even features a slight curve to that edge, although it doesn’t reach all the way over as the front edge of Samsung’s line does. The aspect ratio is much taller than the main screen on the front, and as a result things are displayed a little differently too. Above the display are both cameras, with the dual-tone LED flash to the left of the camera lenses.
The back itself is a single piece of aluminum, aside from the glass cutout and the antenna lines at the top and bottom, which are barely visible, especially on the black review unit we have. Meizu’s logo is now vertically oriented and aligned to the bottom right edge, being etched into the metal so that it doesn’t rub off over time. You’ll find a single speaker, 3.5mm audio jack and centered USB Type-C port along the bottom, while the dual nano-SIM card tray sits on the left side. The right side holds the power button, which is set just above the mid-point of the phone, and above it the volume rocker. These are situated in a great place, especially the volume rockers, as they’re comfortably placed to adjust volume while on the phone. They don’t protrude very much though, and both are smoothed, powdered metal, so they aren’t necessarily easy to distinguish either.
The powdered metal covering the phone is slippery as anything, in humid weather or not, and begs to use the case that’s included in the box. While it’s a shame considering how nice and sturdy the build on this phone feels, it’s better than dropping and breaking the phone, especially since it has two screens that could easily break if dropped the right way. All sides of the phone are rounded off, and the phone is uniformly thin all around, being just a hair thicker than the USB Type-C port at the bottom. The front looks very Meizu in every way, from the single mBack button below the screen, to the shape and size of the bezels around the display. The mBack button is slightly recessed into the frame and requires a click to operate, although a touch will trigger the capacitive sensor found within the button, acting as a back button. The button also doubles as a fingerprint scanner. A number of sensors and the front-facing camera surround the earpiece module, and there’s even some sensors found within the earpiece housing.
Performance and Memory
MediaTek became famous for their low-powered, low-cost processors, and since their inception have grown into the mid to high-end market. Offering processors covering the gamut of performance and price classes, MediaTek’s Helio line powers plenty of phones out there. Meizu has often jumped between MediaTek and Samsung Exonos chipsets for their phones, and this generation utilizes MediaTek’s latest X-series for the PRO 7 Plus, as well as a PowerVR 7XTP GPU for the graphics side of the house. Everything on the phone runs lightning fast, from launching and running apps, to playing the latest graphic-intensive games, the PRO 7 Plus handles it all with finesse.
Meizu has long used its “mBack” button system, differing itself from the many other manufacturers out there that make Android phones. This single button is a tap for going back, and a physical press for going home. Swiping up anywhere on the bezel to the left or right of the button brings up the multi-tasking menu, and it’s here we see the biggest change. Last generation we saw a significantly improved multi-tasking solution from Meizu that utilized the vertically scrolling card system from stock Android, albeit being a reversed flow. This time around Meizu has gone to an iOS style scrolling row of cards, where the cards are all stacked horizontally from left to right. While user preference likely decides whether or not this is a positive move, it’s less conducive to quickly switching between apps, and not being able to double-tap a dedicated Overview button (as other Android phones has) means no instant way of switching between two apps.
It’s certainly not all negative though, as Meizu has some rather interesting functionality found when these thumbnails are dragged down. Apps can be locked into memory, keeping an app running at all times for instant access instead of letting the system remove their footprint for other apps to use. Apps can also be blurred out so that someone else can’t read the screen via the “secret” button; something handy for when you’re scrolling through apps and don’t want others to read what’s on the screen. There’s also of course the native multi-window function that shipped with Android 7.0 Nougat last year, and allows two apps to be run on screen at once. Functionality works identically to stock Android, except for calling up multiple windows of course, which is done by dragging down the thumbnail of an app in the multi-tasking Overview screen, followed by clicking on the multi button. Resizing each window is done with the line in-between the apps on screen, and dragging all the way up or down will return to the main app filling up the full screen.
A floating white orb can be enabled, called SmartTouch, which can be moved around the screen to fit your comfort level. This can be used in place of the home button, and a range of options exist for customization: tap, double tap, hold, slide up, slide down, and slide left or right. This last part in particular is one of the most genius implementations you’ll find on any Android phone, as it essentially “alt-tab’s” through open apps. This ultra quick moving between screens helps make up for the fact that there’s no quick button to press to move between apps, and even adds in an extra layer of efficiency by allowing users to move between more than just two apps at a time.
Benchmarks
When it comes to benchmarks, the PRO 7 Plus sits right about at the performance level of a top-tier 2016 flagship phone. That may not sound encouraging considering we’re already halfway through 2017, but benchmarks don’t always reflect real world performance, simply because real world apps and games may never push the level of performance that a benchmark can measure. Still it’s worth noting that the processing power of the PRO 7 Plus won’t match 2017 flagship phones in many respects. GeekBench 4, one of our normal benchmark tests, wouldn’t run due to an error. Check out the rest of the suite of benchmarks we run below.
Wireless Connectivity
As Meizu generally only sells their phones in Asia and Europe, you should expect the range of supported signal to only encompass the countries where it’s officially supported. 3G seems to generally be supported worldwide, and I had no issues getting both 2G EDGE and 3G HSPA+ on T-Mobile’s US network. 4G LTE coverage will likely only be supported outside of the US though, and potential buyers need to be aware of those possible limitations.
As stated before the phone is available officially in Brunei, Cambodia, Mainland China, Egypt, France, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Myanmar, New Zealand, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Ukraine and Vietnam. There is no NFC support. Bluetooth 4.2 is supported, although there’s no aptX support, so only regular quality Bluetooth audio streaming is supported. Dual-band 2.4GHz/5GHz WiFi is available up to 802.11ac speeds.
Battery Life
You can expect better than average battery life on the Meizu PRO 7 Plus when compared to most flagship phones on the market. Most days I would find the phone had around 75% left after half a day’s use, and by the end of the day I often saw 40% or more left of the battery. Heavier use days would bring it down to around 15-20%, and more in line with normal flagship-type battery life, but standby is generally excellent on the phone. Some of this is optimization on Meizu’s part, but some of it is also a false positive when it comes to identifying actual good battery life. This sounds a bit weird, but it’s all in how Meizu manages background data and app usage, and at times it can be problematic.
Take my usual suite of communications apps for instance: Hangouts, Allo, Inbox, Discord and a handful of others. I had to add all of these apps to the background data and usage exception list to get them to deliver notifications in a timely manner. By default Meizu uses a strict wakeup timing method of checking for updates in-app and allowing notifications to come through. Setting the phone to performance mode doesn’t fix this automatically, you’ll need to go into the security app and set the background data and app usage to “always allow,” otherwise you’ll experience delayed notifications.
At times this would mean multiple emails missed for quite some time, and messages that go unread until I opened the app. This is an annoying thing to have to specify, as many users will likely miss messages and emails and not understand why it’s happening. While I understand it’s done to arbitrarily save battery and mobile data costs, the default shouldn’t be to put apps to sleep so aggressively, or at least have an easy one-button way of turning this off. As it stands you’ll need to change these settings for each individual app within the security app.
Sound
Cirrus Logic’s new CS43130 chipset inside produces some great audio quality, ramping up the output to an incredible 32-bit 192KHz quality. You’ll of course need a music source of high quality to fully enjoy this potential, but when provided, the hi-res audio output here is good in most respects. In my car audio system I found the bass was a tad too heavy, but turning down my sub woofer helped equalize the sound to normal levels. This trick makes many headphones sound better than usual, but there’s no simple way of fixing this with a single button click on the phone.
It’s still good to see high-res audio support make its way to more and more phones, although you won’t be enjoying super high quality Bluetooth playback since there’s no aptX support. The single bottom-firing speaker sounds great overall, outputting lots of volume and remaining clear despite the volume level. In a regular room the speaker can verge on deafening when turned all the way up, yet it still retains a clean output with no audible distortion. Don’t expect the quality to replace a good dedicated speaker, but the volume will certainly do the job better than most phones will.
Software
Flyme 6 launches with the Meizu PRO 7 Plus, a significant update that was debuted at the time of the PRO 6 Plus’s announcement at the end of last year. Flyme 6 brings about some important refinements to Meizu’s tried and true Android skin, and further solidifies the look and feel of the OS, all while making good strides to turn Flyme into something truly excellent. Many of Meizu’s essential design philosophies have remained since the beginning; things like mute and vibrate buttons in the notification shade for quick toggling of sound modes, media volume receiving the priority adjustment when using the volume rocker, and single-button navigation throughout the phone.
The software navigation bar went the way of the Dodo some time ago, but it’s one of the evolutions that Meizu has gone through to find its unique identity in the world of so many Android manufacturers. Mostly unchanged is the home launcher, which at this point is one of the things that makes the phone feel older than it might otherwise. It’s a fairly standard launcher that’s very basic in most aspects. Apps are laid out on the screen in a random iOS-like pattern, and there’s no obvious way to sort them by name or type. There’s no long-press functionality, and no real options whatsoever in general when it comes to customizing the launcher.
Meizu does have a good theme engine, however the software build on our review unit did not allow theme or wallpaper changing; something consumer units won’t have to worry about. These themes change basically everything on the system, from fonts to icons, wallpapers, sounds, the notification shade and even animations. Flyme is a smooth, well presented OS that’s every bit as fast as it is stylish. There are important settings for locking the phone down in specific circumstances too, like a “Kid Space” mode that helps keep kids from using apps they shouldn’t be, or a “Game Mode” that turns off those pesky back buttons and other gestures that can get easily pressed while gaming.
Privacy has clearly been a concern for Meizu, as they not only offer the blurring out option for the Overview/multi-tasking screen, but also offer several system-wide privacy modes. This privacy mode can be automatically enabled by entering a special PIN or specific fingerprint, setup in the Privacy Mode options itself, and keeps just about everything you’re doing in this mode under a veil of secrecy. A completely separate set of contacts, photos, apps, videos and even files can be stored under this mode, and any photos or videos you take will only be accessible while in this mode. The browser defaults to incognito mode, and locking the phone will automatically exit this mode.
There’s also a Guest Mode that has the same type of features, allowing you to hand the phone over to someone else without worry of them being able to access your data. Things are compartmentalized in a way that other data isn’t easily accessible in this mode, and you can rest assure that personal messages and other data won’t be seen when unlocking with a certain password or fingerprint, which activates the mode automatically just as it does with privacy mode.
You’ll even find gesture and button customization up the wazoo. By default you can enable a handful of built-in gestures: double-tap the screen to wake, slide up to unlock, slide down for notification shade, and slide left or right to change the song playing. These can all be done without turning the screen on at all, and you can also draw the letter c, e, m, o, s, v, w or z on the screen and launch any app of your choice. The home button can also be customized to an extent; double tapping the home button by default launches the camera, but can also be changed to playing music or doing nothing instead. Long pressing the home button works as a power button too, which is unique and interesting.
Camera Software
Meizu’s camera software finally saw a significant upgrade and overhaul in Flyme 6, and all of those upgrades are here for the better. The interface is pretty industry standard looking, with a large white shutter button on the bottom, a toggle switch to the left to move from front to rear cameras and back, and a gallery button on the bottom right. Swiping left or right modes from Beauty, Photo and Video modes (in that order from left to right), and additional modes can be found in the button on the top left. All modes are Makeup, Pro, Slo-mo, Time-lapse, panorama, Scan (QR codes), GIF and Black & White.
HDR is no longer a separate mode, but rather toggled via the button on the dedicated top bar. There’s no auto HDR though, so users will need to remember to toggle this if needed. Flash can also be toggled from here, as well as the dual-lens blur effect that’s good for portrait mode type shots. Filters can be found via the magic wand icon, and simple options like Grid line toggle, Tilt indicator, Date stamp and location can be found in options. Multi-frame low light mode is automatic and enabled by default, and is denoted by a yellow crescent moon icon on the main display. Second screen options were covered in the appropriately named section above, but can be called up either by the button on the right side of the camera software display, or double tapping the back screen and swiping down.
Pro mode is exceptionally good, and gives users tons of options to tweak via a pop-up bar above the shutter button. Shutter speed can be adjusted between 1/5000th of a second up to 20 seconds, and ISO can be adjusted from 100 to 1600. Other options include manual focus, exposure value, saturation, contrast, and white balance. Another super interesting mode is the Black & White mode, which uses one of the two rear sensors to take a monochrome shot. Both Sony Exmor IMX 386 sensors on the back are identical, except for one important feature; one is a monochrome version of the other sensor. This helps Meizu identify subjects better for the portrait mode/blur effect, but also doubles as a way to capture true monochrome subjects when desired.
Camera Performance and Results
Meizu’s camera experience is incredibly fast to say the least, and often launches in under 2 seconds flat, even from screen off. Double tapping the home button calls up this mode from anywhere, and it’s nice to have something so reliable to nearly instantly launch the camera. Focusing isn’t nearly as fast, and is about on par with the LG G6’s 1-1.5 second focus times. This isn’t a long time per say, but when compared to phones like the Galaxy S8 or HTC U11’s essentially instant focus times, these can feel very long. HDR speed too is a little slow, a problem Meizu has had for some time, but this time around it’s at least fast enough to be useful in situations where there’s little to no movement. Just be sure to leave the HDR off when taking shots of moving objects, or else the subject will turn out blurry.
The highlight of the show is the new portrait mode, made possible thanks to the dual lenses on the back of the phone. These sensors detect a subject and attempt to blur the background, giving the photo a much more professional, SLR-style photo. These types of shots are only good for either portraits or detailed, up-close shots of objects, and can’t be used for most types of shots, or even video. Results of the portrait mode are stunning; tons of detail, great dynamic range and excellent focal points are all strong suits of the mode. All the processing is done real-time too, so there’s no waiting for the phone to do something after taking the shot.
In general though, the results of the camera are not super impressive. Many images turned out darker than they should be; even daytime shots are oddly dark, and it feels like something is just off in the software. Looking at the details of each image doesn’t immediately show any problems. Daytime shots are often around 100-200 ISO, and shutter speeds all look OK too. It feels like most of the shots I took are either too dark or too blurry, even when there’s a fast shutter speed used (1/100th of a second or faster). Zoom detail ranges from good to acceptable from scene to scene, but there’s a lot of issues that seem to point to lower quality lenses being used here. It’s unfortunate too given the sensors, which are generally great sensors and should produce excellent imagery.
Other important qualities of the picture, like dynamic range, are not great either. HDR mode helps this a bit, but in general HDR looks more fake and seems to do more harm than good in most situations; possibly one of the reasons why HDR is not automatic in the first place. Low light conditions are pretty terrible no matter how you slice it too, which is particularly surprising since Meizu touts a new 4-stage algorithm to help enhance low light shots. When I got a good low-light shot out of the phone that wasn’t blurry, things looked great. I saw ISO max out around 13,000, which is encouraging to see Meizu pushing the sensor hard enough to let lots of light in, but in general ISO is prioritized far too often over shutter speed.
This results in shutter speeds that are too long, creating a shot that’s plagued with blur due to natural hand jitter. Even the 4-stage algorithm that’s automatically activated has the same problem, and it seems like the photos that are taken and combined end up being just a few pixels off from each other, creating a photo that would be bright and detailed if it weren’t for for blur in the way. The front-facing camera is average at best, and often blows out the scene in an effort to make the foreground (person) brighter. This would be more acceptable if the dynamic range of the sensor was better, but unfortunately it just isn’t. It’s not bad, but it’s not great either, but thankfully the screen on the back of the phone allows the use of the considerably better rear cameras to be used in these types of situations.
As is the case in photo mode, dynamic range in video mode is much better on the rear camera than it is on the front. The front camera tends to overexpose the entire scene, brightening up the foreground subject but making the background far too bright and losing detail in the process. Video from the back of the phone looks good, with crisp 4K video when enabled, but again dynamic range seems to suffer a lot when compared to other flagship phones. There’s also no image stabilization (either that or it’s not very good), resulting in video that’s relatively shaky when moving around. See all the samples and videos in the gallery below.
Full specs Meizu Pro 7 plus http://list-phones.com/catalogue/Meizu-Pro-7-Plus
While many Meizu flagship phones have featured staggered launches throughout the year, normally upping the specs or increasing the size of the device, Meizu is changing it up for their first big flaship of 2017. The Meizu PRO 7 plus comes in two flavors; a smaller version, and the larger, more powerful PRO 7 Plus. It’s common for Meizu to release a larger version of its devices later on, but this time around they’re not just offering two different sizes, they’re prioritizing the larger one by giving it better specs too. Both phones offer a visually identical build, including that unique second screen on the back, and at the end of they day likely offer near identical experiences too, but this review will be focused on the bigger PRO 7 Plus. Let’s see what Meizu is offering this time around.
Specs
Meizu is shipping two different versions of the Pro 7; a smaller version with a 5.2-inch 1080p Super AMOLED display, MediaTek Helio P25 SoC, Mali-T880MP2 GPU, LPDDR4X 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage (eMMC 5.1) for ¥2,880. A larger version of the phone ships with a 5.7-inch Quad-HD Super AMOLED display (2560 x 1440), MediaTek Helio X30 SoC, PowerVR 7XTP GPU, LPDDR4X 6GB of RAM and either 64GB or 128GB of internal storage (Samsung KLUCG4J1ED-BOC1 UFS 2.1) starting at ¥3,580. Both models feature a unique 2-inch Super AMOLED display (240 x 536) on the back. The smaller PRO 7 ships in black, gold and red colors, while the larger PRO 7 Plus is split into two groups: 64GB ships in matte black, space black, amber gold and crystal silver, while the 128GB ships in matte black and space black. The phones will be officially available in Brunei, Cambodia, Mainland China, Egypt, France, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Myanmar, New Zealand, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Ukraine and Vietnam.
A generous 16-megapixel camera sits up front, above the screen, while two 12-megapixel sensors are situated around the back. Both rear cameras feature f/2.0 lenses and a Sony Exmor IMX386 sensor underneath. This sensor measures in at 1/2.9” and features 1.25-micron sized pixels. The smaller Pro 7 measures in at 147.6mm high, 70.7mm wide and 7.3mm thin, weighing 163 grams and packing in a 3,000mAh battery. The larger Pro 7 Plus measures in at 157.3mm high, 77.2mm wide and the same 7.3mm thin, weighs slightly more at 170g, and packs in a larger 3,500mAh battery inside. A USB Type-C port in on the bottom and features ultra fast mCharge 4.0 charging technology. Meizu’s latest skin, Flyme 6.0, runs atop Android 7.0 Nougat. 32-bit/192KHz audio can be output from the 3.5mm audio jack on the phone thanks to the Cirrus Logic CS43130 chip inside.
In The Box
Sporting quite possibly the most elegant and gorgeous package of all time, the Meizu Pro 7 and Pro 7 Plus will impress you from the get-go. This space-age looking box stands vertically and features the phone and assorted boxes packed in a similar vertical fashion. Inside the presentation is just as slick, with the SIM tray eject tool right out front, and the phone in its own pocket between two boxes. One of these boxes holds the manuals, warranty pamphlets and USB Type-A to Type-C cable, while the other box holds the special mCharge 4.0 wall charger, which can output 5V, 9V or 12V and 2A of charging power.
Case included in the box
Display
Meizu made the switch to Super AMOLED with the PRO 6 Plus at the end of 2016, and it was every bit for the better. The 5.7-inch Quad-HD Super AMOLED panel on the PRO 7 Plus looks phenomenal, with those deep blacks and ultra high contrast ratios that only OLED can provide, and a set of ultra saturated colors out of the box. These saturated colors can be easily toned down in display settings, as the default dynamic display mode is by far the most saturated of the four options. Standard will give you the most color accurate option, and all four display modes feature identical white balance. This white balance looks good in general, and trends slightly warm, although it’s not noticeable unless directly comparing side by side with other displays.
Meizu’s panels have traditionally been very bright panels, and the switch from IPS LCD to AMOLED hasn’t changed that a bit. The display is super bright and is very easy to see outdoors, all while having the ability to get nice and dark when needed. The response time/persistence rate is pretty good, and although there is some noticeable ghosting when scrolling through some high contrast thing (read: black text on white background), it’s not visible in most situations. Viewing angles are excellent, and exhibit some color shifting only at extreme angles. Many times modern displays that exhibit visible color shifting of any kind are due to the oleophobic coating on the glass, not the panel itself, and this panel exhibits far less than most modern phones do.
Secondary Screen
It’s not often you see a phone with more than one screen, and even then most dual-screen phones feature a smaller secondary screen above the main one. Meizu went for something different this time around, and it’s even different than the dual-screen Yotafone, which also features a screen on the back. Instead of a large e-ink screen the way the Yotafone has, Meizu uses a small 2-inch screen instead, situating it near the right side of the phone (left if you’re looking at the back). This screen is placed under the dual-camera array for a reason; it can be used as a viewfinder so that you can use the excellent cameras on the back of the phone. This is particularly important for the portrait mode that’s available with the dual cameras on the back, as it can produce ultra high quality portrait shots without the need for someone else to take the shot.
The camera can be launched directly from the screen, by double tapping to wake and then sliding down to launch, or clicking the icon in the camera app. The three major main modes (original, beauty, blur) can be switched between with a swipe left or right, and clicking anywhere on the screen starts a 3-second timer to take the shot. Waking the screen will show the day of the week, time and current weather conditions and temperature. Swiping over will give a larger display of the temperature and some slightly more detailed information, and another swipe will page over to the dedicated pedometer found in the phone. Some notifications will also be displayed on this screen, including incoming calls, messages, current music playing and just about anything else that would normally be displayed in the notification shade. It’s pretty clear that, aside from the selfie portrait mode, the display is meant to help you discretely manage notifications while the phone is lying face down on a table, and could be extremely convenient for folks that often find themselves in this position.
Hardware and Build
Meizu’s hardware design hasn’t changed much over the years, but the Pro 7 marks the first time that we’re seeing some kind of significant change or addition to that design in quite some time. The big highlight comes in the form of the OLED screen on the back of the phone, positioned right below the dual camera lens. This single pane of glass is situated on the rightmost edge (left when looking at the back), and even features a slight curve to that edge, although it doesn’t reach all the way over as the front edge of Samsung’s line does. The aspect ratio is much taller than the main screen on the front, and as a result things are displayed a little differently too. Above the display are both cameras, with the dual-tone LED flash to the left of the camera lenses.
The back itself is a single piece of aluminum, aside from the glass cutout and the antenna lines at the top and bottom, which are barely visible, especially on the black review unit we have. Meizu’s logo is now vertically oriented and aligned to the bottom right edge, being etched into the metal so that it doesn’t rub off over time. You’ll find a single speaker, 3.5mm audio jack and centered USB Type-C port along the bottom, while the dual nano-SIM card tray sits on the left side. The right side holds the power button, which is set just above the mid-point of the phone, and above it the volume rocker. These are situated in a great place, especially the volume rockers, as they’re comfortably placed to adjust volume while on the phone. They don’t protrude very much though, and both are smoothed, powdered metal, so they aren’t necessarily easy to distinguish either.
The powdered metal covering the phone is slippery as anything, in humid weather or not, and begs to use the case that’s included in the box. While it’s a shame considering how nice and sturdy the build on this phone feels, it’s better than dropping and breaking the phone, especially since it has two screens that could easily break if dropped the right way. All sides of the phone are rounded off, and the phone is uniformly thin all around, being just a hair thicker than the USB Type-C port at the bottom. The front looks very Meizu in every way, from the single mBack button below the screen, to the shape and size of the bezels around the display. The mBack button is slightly recessed into the frame and requires a click to operate, although a touch will trigger the capacitive sensor found within the button, acting as a back button. The button also doubles as a fingerprint scanner. A number of sensors and the front-facing camera surround the earpiece module, and there’s even some sensors found within the earpiece housing.
Performance and Memory
MediaTek became famous for their low-powered, low-cost processors, and since their inception have grown into the mid to high-end market. Offering processors covering the gamut of performance and price classes, MediaTek’s Helio line powers plenty of phones out there. Meizu has often jumped between MediaTek and Samsung Exonos chipsets for their phones, and this generation utilizes MediaTek’s latest X-series for the PRO 7 Plus, as well as a PowerVR 7XTP GPU for the graphics side of the house. Everything on the phone runs lightning fast, from launching and running apps, to playing the latest graphic-intensive games, the PRO 7 Plus handles it all with finesse.
Meizu has long used its “mBack” button system, differing itself from the many other manufacturers out there that make Android phones. This single button is a tap for going back, and a physical press for going home. Swiping up anywhere on the bezel to the left or right of the button brings up the multi-tasking menu, and it’s here we see the biggest change. Last generation we saw a significantly improved multi-tasking solution from Meizu that utilized the vertically scrolling card system from stock Android, albeit being a reversed flow. This time around Meizu has gone to an iOS style scrolling row of cards, where the cards are all stacked horizontally from left to right. While user preference likely decides whether or not this is a positive move, it’s less conducive to quickly switching between apps, and not being able to double-tap a dedicated Overview button (as other Android phones has) means no instant way of switching between two apps.
It’s certainly not all negative though, as Meizu has some rather interesting functionality found when these thumbnails are dragged down. Apps can be locked into memory, keeping an app running at all times for instant access instead of letting the system remove their footprint for other apps to use. Apps can also be blurred out so that someone else can’t read the screen via the “secret” button; something handy for when you’re scrolling through apps and don’t want others to read what’s on the screen. There’s also of course the native multi-window function that shipped with Android 7.0 Nougat last year, and allows two apps to be run on screen at once. Functionality works identically to stock Android, except for calling up multiple windows of course, which is done by dragging down the thumbnail of an app in the multi-tasking Overview screen, followed by clicking on the multi button. Resizing each window is done with the line in-between the apps on screen, and dragging all the way up or down will return to the main app filling up the full screen.
A floating white orb can be enabled, called SmartTouch, which can be moved around the screen to fit your comfort level. This can be used in place of the home button, and a range of options exist for customization: tap, double tap, hold, slide up, slide down, and slide left or right. This last part in particular is one of the most genius implementations you’ll find on any Android phone, as it essentially “alt-tab’s” through open apps. This ultra quick moving between screens helps make up for the fact that there’s no quick button to press to move between apps, and even adds in an extra layer of efficiency by allowing users to move between more than just two apps at a time.
Benchmarks
When it comes to benchmarks, the PRO 7 Plus sits right about at the performance level of a top-tier 2016 flagship phone. That may not sound encouraging considering we’re already halfway through 2017, but benchmarks don’t always reflect real world performance, simply because real world apps and games may never push the level of performance that a benchmark can measure. Still it’s worth noting that the processing power of the PRO 7 Plus won’t match 2017 flagship phones in many respects. GeekBench 4, one of our normal benchmark tests, wouldn’t run due to an error. Check out the rest of the suite of benchmarks we run below.
Wireless Connectivity
As Meizu generally only sells their phones in Asia and Europe, you should expect the range of supported signal to only encompass the countries where it’s officially supported. 3G seems to generally be supported worldwide, and I had no issues getting both 2G EDGE and 3G HSPA+ on T-Mobile’s US network. 4G LTE coverage will likely only be supported outside of the US though, and potential buyers need to be aware of those possible limitations.
As stated before the phone is available officially in Brunei, Cambodia, Mainland China, Egypt, France, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Myanmar, New Zealand, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Ukraine and Vietnam. There is no NFC support. Bluetooth 4.2 is supported, although there’s no aptX support, so only regular quality Bluetooth audio streaming is supported. Dual-band 2.4GHz/5GHz WiFi is available up to 802.11ac speeds.
Battery Life
You can expect better than average battery life on the Meizu PRO 7 Plus when compared to most flagship phones on the market. Most days I would find the phone had around 75% left after half a day’s use, and by the end of the day I often saw 40% or more left of the battery. Heavier use days would bring it down to around 15-20%, and more in line with normal flagship-type battery life, but standby is generally excellent on the phone. Some of this is optimization on Meizu’s part, but some of it is also a false positive when it comes to identifying actual good battery life. This sounds a bit weird, but it’s all in how Meizu manages background data and app usage, and at times it can be problematic.
Take my usual suite of communications apps for instance: Hangouts, Allo, Inbox, Discord and a handful of others. I had to add all of these apps to the background data and usage exception list to get them to deliver notifications in a timely manner. By default Meizu uses a strict wakeup timing method of checking for updates in-app and allowing notifications to come through. Setting the phone to performance mode doesn’t fix this automatically, you’ll need to go into the security app and set the background data and app usage to “always allow,” otherwise you’ll experience delayed notifications.
At times this would mean multiple emails missed for quite some time, and messages that go unread until I opened the app. This is an annoying thing to have to specify, as many users will likely miss messages and emails and not understand why it’s happening. While I understand it’s done to arbitrarily save battery and mobile data costs, the default shouldn’t be to put apps to sleep so aggressively, or at least have an easy one-button way of turning this off. As it stands you’ll need to change these settings for each individual app within the security app.
Sound
Cirrus Logic’s new CS43130 chipset inside produces some great audio quality, ramping up the output to an incredible 32-bit 192KHz quality. You’ll of course need a music source of high quality to fully enjoy this potential, but when provided, the hi-res audio output here is good in most respects. In my car audio system I found the bass was a tad too heavy, but turning down my sub woofer helped equalize the sound to normal levels. This trick makes many headphones sound better than usual, but there’s no simple way of fixing this with a single button click on the phone.
It’s still good to see high-res audio support make its way to more and more phones, although you won’t be enjoying super high quality Bluetooth playback since there’s no aptX support. The single bottom-firing speaker sounds great overall, outputting lots of volume and remaining clear despite the volume level. In a regular room the speaker can verge on deafening when turned all the way up, yet it still retains a clean output with no audible distortion. Don’t expect the quality to replace a good dedicated speaker, but the volume will certainly do the job better than most phones will.
Software
Flyme 6 launches with the Meizu PRO 7 Plus, a significant update that was debuted at the time of the PRO 6 Plus’s announcement at the end of last year. Flyme 6 brings about some important refinements to Meizu’s tried and true Android skin, and further solidifies the look and feel of the OS, all while making good strides to turn Flyme into something truly excellent. Many of Meizu’s essential design philosophies have remained since the beginning; things like mute and vibrate buttons in the notification shade for quick toggling of sound modes, media volume receiving the priority adjustment when using the volume rocker, and single-button navigation throughout the phone.
The software navigation bar went the way of the Dodo some time ago, but it’s one of the evolutions that Meizu has gone through to find its unique identity in the world of so many Android manufacturers. Mostly unchanged is the home launcher, which at this point is one of the things that makes the phone feel older than it might otherwise. It’s a fairly standard launcher that’s very basic in most aspects. Apps are laid out on the screen in a random iOS-like pattern, and there’s no obvious way to sort them by name or type. There’s no long-press functionality, and no real options whatsoever in general when it comes to customizing the launcher.
Meizu does have a good theme engine, however the software build on our review unit did not allow theme or wallpaper changing; something consumer units won’t have to worry about. These themes change basically everything on the system, from fonts to icons, wallpapers, sounds, the notification shade and even animations. Flyme is a smooth, well presented OS that’s every bit as fast as it is stylish. There are important settings for locking the phone down in specific circumstances too, like a “Kid Space” mode that helps keep kids from using apps they shouldn’t be, or a “Game Mode” that turns off those pesky back buttons and other gestures that can get easily pressed while gaming.
Privacy has clearly been a concern for Meizu, as they not only offer the blurring out option for the Overview/multi-tasking screen, but also offer several system-wide privacy modes. This privacy mode can be automatically enabled by entering a special PIN or specific fingerprint, setup in the Privacy Mode options itself, and keeps just about everything you’re doing in this mode under a veil of secrecy. A completely separate set of contacts, photos, apps, videos and even files can be stored under this mode, and any photos or videos you take will only be accessible while in this mode. The browser defaults to incognito mode, and locking the phone will automatically exit this mode.
There’s also a Guest Mode that has the same type of features, allowing you to hand the phone over to someone else without worry of them being able to access your data. Things are compartmentalized in a way that other data isn’t easily accessible in this mode, and you can rest assure that personal messages and other data won’t be seen when unlocking with a certain password or fingerprint, which activates the mode automatically just as it does with privacy mode.
You’ll even find gesture and button customization up the wazoo. By default you can enable a handful of built-in gestures: double-tap the screen to wake, slide up to unlock, slide down for notification shade, and slide left or right to change the song playing. These can all be done without turning the screen on at all, and you can also draw the letter c, e, m, o, s, v, w or z on the screen and launch any app of your choice. The home button can also be customized to an extent; double tapping the home button by default launches the camera, but can also be changed to playing music or doing nothing instead. Long pressing the home button works as a power button too, which is unique and interesting.
Camera Software
Meizu’s camera software finally saw a significant upgrade and overhaul in Flyme 6, and all of those upgrades are here for the better. The interface is pretty industry standard looking, with a large white shutter button on the bottom, a toggle switch to the left to move from front to rear cameras and back, and a gallery button on the bottom right. Swiping left or right modes from Beauty, Photo and Video modes (in that order from left to right), and additional modes can be found in the button on the top left. All modes are Makeup, Pro, Slo-mo, Time-lapse, panorama, Scan (QR codes), GIF and Black & White.
HDR is no longer a separate mode, but rather toggled via the button on the dedicated top bar. There’s no auto HDR though, so users will need to remember to toggle this if needed. Flash can also be toggled from here, as well as the dual-lens blur effect that’s good for portrait mode type shots. Filters can be found via the magic wand icon, and simple options like Grid line toggle, Tilt indicator, Date stamp and location can be found in options. Multi-frame low light mode is automatic and enabled by default, and is denoted by a yellow crescent moon icon on the main display. Second screen options were covered in the appropriately named section above, but can be called up either by the button on the right side of the camera software display, or double tapping the back screen and swiping down.
Pro mode is exceptionally good, and gives users tons of options to tweak via a pop-up bar above the shutter button. Shutter speed can be adjusted between 1/5000th of a second up to 20 seconds, and ISO can be adjusted from 100 to 1600. Other options include manual focus, exposure value, saturation, contrast, and white balance. Another super interesting mode is the Black & White mode, which uses one of the two rear sensors to take a monochrome shot. Both Sony Exmor IMX 386 sensors on the back are identical, except for one important feature; one is a monochrome version of the other sensor. This helps Meizu identify subjects better for the portrait mode/blur effect, but also doubles as a way to capture true monochrome subjects when desired.
Camera Performance and Results
Meizu’s camera experience is incredibly fast to say the least, and often launches in under 2 seconds flat, even from screen off. Double tapping the home button calls up this mode from anywhere, and it’s nice to have something so reliable to nearly instantly launch the camera. Focusing isn’t nearly as fast, and is about on par with the LG G6’s 1-1.5 second focus times. This isn’t a long time per say, but when compared to phones like the Galaxy S8 or HTC U11’s essentially instant focus times, these can feel very long. HDR speed too is a little slow, a problem Meizu has had for some time, but this time around it’s at least fast enough to be useful in situations where there’s little to no movement. Just be sure to leave the HDR off when taking shots of moving objects, or else the subject will turn out blurry.
The highlight of the show is the new portrait mode, made possible thanks to the dual lenses on the back of the phone. These sensors detect a subject and attempt to blur the background, giving the photo a much more professional, SLR-style photo. These types of shots are only good for either portraits or detailed, up-close shots of objects, and can’t be used for most types of shots, or even video. Results of the portrait mode are stunning; tons of detail, great dynamic range and excellent focal points are all strong suits of the mode. All the processing is done real-time too, so there’s no waiting for the phone to do something after taking the shot.
In general though, the results of the camera are not super impressive. Many images turned out darker than they should be; even daytime shots are oddly dark, and it feels like something is just off in the software. Looking at the details of each image doesn’t immediately show any problems. Daytime shots are often around 100-200 ISO, and shutter speeds all look OK too. It feels like most of the shots I took are either too dark or too blurry, even when there’s a fast shutter speed used (1/100th of a second or faster). Zoom detail ranges from good to acceptable from scene to scene, but there’s a lot of issues that seem to point to lower quality lenses being used here. It’s unfortunate too given the sensors, which are generally great sensors and should produce excellent imagery.
Other important qualities of the picture, like dynamic range, are not great either. HDR mode helps this a bit, but in general HDR looks more fake and seems to do more harm than good in most situations; possibly one of the reasons why HDR is not automatic in the first place. Low light conditions are pretty terrible no matter how you slice it too, which is particularly surprising since Meizu touts a new 4-stage algorithm to help enhance low light shots. When I got a good low-light shot out of the phone that wasn’t blurry, things looked great. I saw ISO max out around 13,000, which is encouraging to see Meizu pushing the sensor hard enough to let lots of light in, but in general ISO is prioritized far too often over shutter speed.
This results in shutter speeds that are too long, creating a shot that’s plagued with blur due to natural hand jitter. Even the 4-stage algorithm that’s automatically activated has the same problem, and it seems like the photos that are taken and combined end up being just a few pixels off from each other, creating a photo that would be bright and detailed if it weren’t for for blur in the way. The front-facing camera is average at best, and often blows out the scene in an effort to make the foreground (person) brighter. This would be more acceptable if the dynamic range of the sensor was better, but unfortunately it just isn’t. It’s not bad, but it’s not great either, but thankfully the screen on the back of the phone allows the use of the considerably better rear cameras to be used in these types of situations.
As is the case in photo mode, dynamic range in video mode is much better on the rear camera than it is on the front. The front camera tends to overexpose the entire scene, brightening up the foreground subject but making the background far too bright and losing detail in the process. Video from the back of the phone looks good, with crisp 4K video when enabled, but again dynamic range seems to suffer a lot when compared to other flagship phones. There’s also no image stabilization (either that or it’s not very good), resulting in video that’s relatively shaky when moving around. See all the samples and videos in the gallery below.
Full specs Meizu Pro 7 plus http://list-phones.com/catalogue/Meizu-Pro-7-Plus
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