The Galaxy S8 launches tomorrow, and if you preordered one you might already have it by now. It’s Samsung’s latest flagship, and as such it packs a myriad of new and improved features. But Samsung has a tendency to overload its users with excessive features and settings. Here are a few tips to make setting up your Galaxy S8 a bit easier…
Yes, we just published our full review of the Google Pixel, but we thought you might want to see what’s in the box. Besides the phone, you’ll find the USB-C power brick, a USB-C to USB-C cable for charging the phone, a USB-C to USB-A cable, the SIM tool, the OTG dongle, and more…
Here’s the official list from Google:
Check out our quick unboxing video below, and if you haven’t already, be sure to check out our full review as well.
We didn’t expect it to come as soon as it did, but Google’s first solely self-branded smartphone, the Google Pixel, is finally here. In light of how mature the smartphone market has become in the last few years, it’s hard for a new phone to stand out as something that takes anything more than a few baby steps forward. This phone isn’t that much different. But what is different is that it isn’t just any Android phone made by one of Google’s partners. This one is Google’s, and that’s special.
It’s special because Google really has made an effort at building a good top-to-bottom user experience. It’s special because Google has made some clear — in some cases major — improvements to its software and how it works with the hardware. It’s special because it has a great camera. It’s special because it’s the first Android phone to ship with the Google Assistant. It’s special because it’s the first Daydream-ready smartphone. It’s special because it’s the best portal to Google’s services, full stop.
But most of all, I think the Pixel is special because it seems to me that Google’s newly-rebirthed smartphone line has a lot of potential. Yes, there are some things that this phone doesn’t have. But what phone doesn’t? Let’s talk about what the Pixel has going for it.
While debuting the Daydream VR platform at I/O earlier this year, Google said that it was working on its own VR headset to accompany what would be the first Daydream-ready phones. On October 4th, Google showed off both the Pixel and Pixel XL, as well as Daydream View, its promised VR hardware…
I tried the HTC Vive for the first time last year, and one of the most memorable parts of that first dive into VR was Google’s Tilt Brush. Basically, it’s a VR version of “paint” that lets you doodle in 3D space and create insanely cool virtual worlds of pretty much anything you can imagine. It’s magical.
Now it appears that Google is set to make the experience even better, allowing multiple Tilt Brush players to create together in real time…
LG just announced its new flagship V20, and luckily we were at IFA 2016 last week to get some early hands-on time with the device at LG’s booth. I was a fan of the — in my opinion, underrated — LG V10, but I don’t necessarily think it was the best phone of last year. This one, though, I think is going to be hard to beat — especially since the Galaxy Note 7 has been having some trouble lately…
Lenovo had a lot to show us at IFA this year — perhaps more than expected. We heard quite a while ago that the company was planning more Moto Mods and a “Play” version of the Moto Z, but the company’s Android-powered convertible and tablet caught many by surprise. Unfortunately, despite the external attractiveness of pretty much everything the company announced, there’s nothing that screams sure-fire hit with consumers. Watch our hands-on video for more…
Late last evening Honor announced the Honor 8 for the United States market, and we finally got a chance to go hands-on with the phone. As you may already know, the phone is basically the Huawei P9 on the inside, albeit aimed at millennial consumers and given a completely new external aesthetic. This phone has a glass back, a fingerprint sensor that you can press for app shortcuts, a dual-camera setup, and more…
Boston Dynamics is still owned by Google/Alphabet as of today (as far as we know), and that means that the company’s latest developments are still relevant here at 9to5Google. That’s probably going to change soon, but for now, the latest creepy and unnerving robots that the company shows off in its videos are still attributable to the Mountain View company. The latest is a miniature version of its Spot robot with the addition of a giraffe-like neck. Yep, it’s not getting any less creepy…
Even with its 6GB of RAM, a YouTube comparison revealed last week that the OnePlus 3 still had a bit of trouble with multitasking. When compared with the Galaxy S7 Edge, the OnePlus 3 took marginally longer to store and reload apps from memory despite its supposed advantage on paper. Later the same week, the talents over at XDA developed a potential fix for this issue and now the same YouTuber who started this is back with the fix applied to show us how it improves things.
Over the past couple years our smartphones have turned into powerhouses we never would have imagined even a few years ago, but things took a step even further earlier this week with the announcement of the OnePlus 3. With 6GB of RAM under the hood you’d expect this phone to be an exception in a world of laggy Android phones with subpar performance, but that doesn’t seem to be the case just yet…
Today we’re taking a look at the recently announced OnePlus 3. I’ve only had this phone for a couple of days, so don’t expect a full review just yet. But instead, our initial impressions with more to come…
Yesterday we got our hands on Lenovo’s just-announced Moto Z and Phab2 Pro, but one of the most important new features of the former — the company’s true flagship this year — is support for new modular backplates called Moto Mods. Lenovo announced a slew of them yesterday, including speakers from JBL, a camera module from Hasselblad, a pico projector called the Moto Insta-Share, an Incopio battery pack, and more.
Let’s take a look…
There are nearly 1.5 million applications currently on Google Play and with so many to choose from, finding interesting new experiences can be a hassle. That’s why today we’re kicking off a new series here at 9to5Google highlighting 5 different Android apps each month that are worth checking out.
So without further ado, let’s take a look at our picks for the month.
Offline video is one of the main benefits of a YouTube Red subscription. In developing countries, downloads are actually available for free as a means to work around connectivity issues. Now YouTube is rolling out a new Smart Offline feature in India that downloads videos during late night hours when carriers offer discounted data.
Lenovo announced the first line of Moto phones since its acquisition of Motorola today, and there was not a single mention of the company from which the new devices got their namesake. The Moto X is gone replaced by the Moto Z and the Moto Z Force — the former being the true flagship with a super-thin build and the latter being a more rugged version with a better camera, a little more thickness, and a shatterproof screen.
Let’s take a look at the regular Moto Z, which in my opinion is the nicest phone Lenovo announced today…
Over the last fews days, I’ve had the chance to use the Samsung Galaxy S7 active as my daily driver. Like the previous entry into the “active” line, it’s the rugged version of Samsung’s current flagship, the Galaxy S7, and is an AT&T exclusive.
With this in mind, sleek design and visual appeal take a back seat to durability, battery life and tactile response. If you’re a Samsung fan who’s constantly subjected to harsh, rugged environments and terrain, then the Galaxy S7 active is the version of company’s flagship efforts that you’d be wise to consider.
Sony’s camera sensors are some of the best available today, but several of their devices have suffered when recording video. In a recent video, YouTube user Damir Franc showed in real-time (via Xperia Blog) how quickly the Xperia X would shut down the camera due to heat even when shooting nothing more than 1080p.
Last week, Spigen sent over a few cases for the recently released HTC 10. That was great news for me, as I’ve been extremely hesitant to use the device as my daily driver without some sort of protection.
If the HTC 10 wasn’t so pretty and well designed it wouldn’t matter, but it’s a beautiful smartphone that I wish to keep in tip-top shape. As such, I was more than happy to take Spigen’s offerings for a test drive. Take a look at our hands-on video to see the cases in action.
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Android Instant Apps may be one of the coolest announcements that Google made during the I/O 2016 keynote yesterday, and now we had a chance to see the new feature up close…
Last night, in addition to launching the first public beta for Android N, Google pushed the third developer preview out and it includes some notable differences from the previous two…
When LG announced the new G5 at its launch event in Barcelona back in February, it also launched a handful of ‘Friends’ to work alongside the smartphone. One of them was the 360 CAM, which is essentially a 360-degree camera, and we’ve been sent a unit to check out.
Google’s annual I/O developers’ conference is set to be a big one this year, and that all starts with the keynote scheduled for 10 AM PT on Wednesday, May 18th. Of course we’re on the ground at the event, but Google is also providing live streams in both typical flat and 360 video.
After announcing the ability to pay for a subscription using Google Play billing, Netflix is now rolling out cellular data usage controls so users don’t go over their monthly carrier caps. The feature requires an updated app with a global rollout starting today.
