Latest Articles
It sure looks like Google's head of hardware just tweeted from a Pixel 4a
Like you needed more confirmation
Google's hardware czar, Rick Osterloh, has walked an entire Earth diameter while wearing a Fitbit. We know this because he was good enough to share a screenshot of the "Earth" badge on Twitter today. We don't care very much about Osterloh's fitness goals (good for him, though). What we do care about is that the screenshot in question was almost certainly taken on the Pixel 4a.
The Galaxy S20 Ultra is Samsung's top-of-the-line smartphone in 2020, and Samsung claims that it offers the best camera experience the company's ever cooked up for a Galaxy smartphone. The most interesting element of its five-camera array is no doubt the periscope tech powering the new "Space Zoom" feature. You've probably seen a few 100x zoom shots of pretty questionable quality (like the ones in our initial camera samples), but what about at lower zoom levels? We've pitted the Galaxy S20 Ultra against the Pixel 4 to see how their zoom capabilities compare.
Moto G Power and G Stylus review: Getting back to the basics, sort of
A reminder you don't need to spend $1,000 on a smartphone
When the very first Moto G landed way back in 2013, it was a phone that undeniably turned head. Not because it was big, fast, or chocked full of incredible and innovative features, but because it was cheap. The G series has come a long way in the intervening seven years (yep, it's really been a while), but over that period, we kind of felt the G lost its way more than once, getting too expensive or missing out on key budget phone trends. Thankfully, these new G series phones correct some of Moto's missteps—they're legitimately good values. Last year's Moto G series was pretty plainly overpriced, so it's good to see Moto has readjusted its philosophy in 2020 with the G Power and S Stylus.
OnePlus 8 review, two weeks later: Second best is still pretty good
Still the cheapest route to living your best 5G life, for whatever that's worth
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OnePlus exploded on the scene in 2014 with marketing swagger not befitting its status as a startup that had never launched a phone, but the company has matured and proved itself over the years. You don't need an invite to buy its phones anymore, and it doesn't have to cut so many corners to remain competitive. OnePlus has even forged carrier partnerships in the US and been among the first to launch 5G phones. That brings us to the OnePlus 8, the followup to the OnePlus 7T, which is now official after numerous leaks.Like the OnePlus 8 Pro, the OnePlus 8 has 5G support and a new design, but it doesn't adopt all of the same high-end features as the 8 Pro. For $700, you get a Snapdragon 865 with sub-6 5G, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and a 90Hz edge-to-edge OLED display. This device still cuts some corners like the OnePlus phones of old, and the price has also gone up more than usual. That leaves the phone in an interesting spot—much of its perceived value is 5G, but you probably won't see much benefit from that. Some things you would benefit from, like a telephoto camera and wireless charging, are missing. The OnePlus 8 is still a good phone, but it's just shy of greatness.
YouTube Music's new and improved library is rolling out more widely
It works more like Play Music now
Adapting to YouTube Music can be a pain if you've been a Play Music user for years. Google has been promising to make various changes to ease the transition, and it's rolling one of them out today. YouTube Music has new library organization that makes it much easier to find specific artists or tracks.
5 great USB charging stations that will keep all your gadgets ready for action
Avoid the rat's nest of cables
We live in interesting times—most of us are staying home to slow the spread of coronavirus. Many people are also trying to jury-rig a home office to get work done. That might mean you've got devices like laptops, phones, and tablets floating around that need charging, and you probably want to avoid the inevitable tangle of cables. A charging station can come in handy during these trying times, and here are the best ones you can get.
Returning to Pokémon Go in 2020: What's new, different, and improved
If you gave up in 2016, maybe now is the time to come back
The summer of 2016 was a strange time to be outdoors. Every public space was jam-packed with people playing Pokémon Go. After the initial hype died down, Niantic continued adding new features, and the experience is very different today. With many of us at home and looking for ways to pass the time, there's an understandable desire to return to the familiar. However, it can be daunting to get back into Pokémon Go after four years of changes. There are tons more Pokémon, a completely revamped gym system, and even remote raids. Here's what returning Pokémon Go players can expect in 2020.
Google is an integral part of the modern world with products like search, Gmail, Drive, Android, and Stadia. Okay, maybe not so much that last one. The point is, Google makes a lot of things, and most of them are available free of charge. That's because Google's real business is selling ads. It has long offered tools to manage the ads you see, and it's adding a new one called identity verification. Soon, you'll be able to see information about the advertiser that's showing you an ad in just a few clicks.
Camera showdown: Does the OnePlus 8 Pro beat Pixel 4 and Galaxy S20 Ultra?
Hardware isn't everything—software has to do a lot of the heavy lifting these days
Increasingly, our phones are the only cameras we own, and their imaging capabilities have skyrocketed in the last few years. More cameras, more angles, more megapixels, more zoom: every manufacturer is racing to be the king of smartphone photography. But hardware isn't everything, and if there's one thing we've learned from years of OnePlus phones, it's that the company hasn't always been at the head of the pack when it comes to snaps. But OnePlus has made slow but steady progress, adding new hardware and software enhancements with each release. Its latest top-of-the-line is the OnePlus 8 Pro, which sports four camera sensors on the back. As the price creeps up into traditional flagship territory, you might be wondering how OP's imaging performance matches up. We've got plenty of samples comparing the OnePlus 8 Pro to the Pixel 4 and Galaxy S20 Ultra to help answer that question.
Motorola's $1,000 Edge+ is coming exclusively to Verizon next month
The cheaper Motorola Edge will appear this summer
Motorola has slowly dropped out of the flagship phone race in recent years, but it's coming roaring back in 2020 with the Edge+. It's got all the latest hardware including a Snapdragon 865, millimeter wave 5G, and a gaggle of camera sensors. It also has the curviest curved OLED panel you've ever seen. You'll only be able to see it on Verizon, though. Motorola has a cheaper version of this device called simply the Motorola Edge, but we know much less about its release plans here.
OnePlus 8 vs OnePlus 8 Pro cameras compared: What's different?
The differences are bigger than you might think
Smartphone design is increasingly about cramming in as many cameras as possible—look at Samsung's S20 Ultra strategy. OnePlus got on the multi-camera bandwagon early, and it continues pushing the sensor count to this day. The OnePlus 8 Pro, for example, has four sensors on the back. What do they all do, and how do they compare to the OnePlus 8's measly three modules? We've got all the details.
Google Meet is getting Gmail integration and Zoom-style grid layout
Coronavirus prompts Google to improve Meet
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Video conferencing is in extraordinarily high demand as the coronavirus pandemic keeps us all at home, and Google is taking the opportunity to improve Google Meet (until recently known as Hangouts Meet). The service will get new Gmail integrations and a Zoom-style layout, and the changes start rolling out today.
New Firefox Beta based on redesigned Preview version is rolling out widely (APK download)
The new Firefox for Android is almost ready for prime time
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However many versions of Firefox you think there are on the Play Store, I can almost guarantee there are more. One of the numerous Firefox builds is getting a major update, and that signals big changes for the other versions. The Firefox Preview app that first launched last year is now moving into the Nightly channel. In the coming months, the old Firefox could be a thing of the past.
The original Razr was an iconic phone, and part of the appeal was that you could get it in almost any color. Motorola is banking on nostalgia to drive sales of the new foldable Razr, but it's only now releasing a second color: the previously leaked Blush Gold.
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Google has an annoying habit of pulling the rug out from under Android app developers. It's a story as old as Android—someone at Google decides an app violates some policy or another, and the developer has to scramble to figure out how to comply with the esoteric app guidelines. The latest victim is Podcast Addict, an app that has been in the Play Store for nearly a decade. Google recently decided to block most Admob ads in the app because people can download (*gasp*) adult-themed podcasts. Won't someone please think of the children?
We've got Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and myriad other streaming video options. Is there room for another competitor? Hollywood seems to think so, and that's why Quibi is launching today. Quibi focuses on quick episodes optimized for phones, and you can give it a shot for free.
Arlo announces the Pro 3 Floodlight camera, coming this spring for $250 (Update: Pre-orders open)
We see what you did there; well, now we can
Netgear spinoff Arlo has produced security cameras, smart floodlights, and even some cameras with tiny lights of their own. Now, there's a floodlight with a built-in camera. The new Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight has all the features of the recently released Pro 3 but adds a giant LED array to illuminate the camera's field-of-view.
Samsung promises 50% cash back if you return your Galaxy S20 within 2 years
Gotta boost those sales somehow
Samsung is reportedly disappointed with S20 sales, and that has manifested as a new "buy-back" program available to buyers of the Galaxy S20 series. If you pick up a Galaxy S20, Samsung promises to buy it back for 50% of the full retail price if you send it back within two years. That could mean hundreds of dollars for a phone that's on its last legs in 23 months and 29 days.
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Samsung's 2020 Galaxy S family includes three devices again, but they've all moved a bit up-market from 2019. There's no "e" variant this year, and the base model S20 starts at $1,000. Samsung understandably favors the top-of-the-line model, the $1,400 Galaxy S20 Ultra. This phone has all the bells and whistles including a Snapdragon 865, 5G (sub-6 and mmWave), and a revamped camera setup featuring a periscope zoom module. With all that hardware, the S20 Ultra has ballooned to 6.9-inches, and it weighs almost half a pound. By attempting to make no compromises, I worry Samsung has compromised the S20 Ultra itself.Samsung is the uncontested king of the Android ecosystem—even releasing and then canceling the explosive Galaxy Note 7 barely slowed the company down. People care about the Samsung brand, so it can get away with charging a bit more for a phone. A whopping $1,400, though? While the S20 Ultra is a capable device, it won't knock your socks off the way a $1,400 phone should. Even the new camera array feels like more of the same from Samsung.
April Fools has always been intertwined with the internet, and no company has embraced it like Google. It has long created fun, wacky gags each April, but it won't do that this year, according to a new report. An internal email from Google marketing boss Lorraine Twohill allegedly says Google is playing it straight on April 1st, 2020 out of respect for those fighting the coronavirus.