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Hextech Mayhem hands-on: An unrefined rhythm runner set in the League of Legends universe
A stylish yet frustrating release from Riot Games
Riot Games (of League of Legends fame) has a new release on Android. It's called Hextech Mayhem, and it was recently ported to Netflix's gaming platform. It's a stylized rhythm runner that's well-reviewed on Steam, but some of you may be wondering how the transition from consoles/PC to mobile has turned out. Is it one of the best games on Android, or is it filler for Netflix's gaming catalog? Well, it's a bit of a mixed bag, which is why I've gone hands-on with the title to report my findings, and I've even recorded a 20+ minute gameplay video so everyone can see with their own eyes how the game performs. So if you were on the fence about whether or not Netflix's latest game is worth playing, this hands-on is for you.
Several Google Pixel 6 customers have received their pre-orders early, sharing first impressions
Looks like most of them are happy with their purchase
The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro went up for pre-order right after the Made by Google event on October 19th. The devices are scheduled to launch on October 28th, which is also when those who managed to place their pre-orders early should get their units. However, several customers have already had their Pixel 6 or 6 Pro delivered to them days ahead of the launch day.
Hands on with the Galaxy Z Fold3 and Flip3: It's time to consider a folding phone
They've hit mainstream
I recently had the chance to play with Samsung's two new phones, the Z Fold3 and Flip3, spending an hour poking, prodding, and bending the two new flagships. It's too early to form a final judgment ahead of our full review, but as a witness to the fast pace of change in the space and a reluctant convert to the concept, foldables have come a long way. Today, I think they've arrived. When it comes to hardware and build quality, foldables have reached mainstream — or, at least, Samsung's have.
Hands on with Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II, a worthy mobile port of a classic RPG
For once there's an RPG on mobile worth playing
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II was recently released on Android after a six-year wait. Since this mobile port was many years in the making, I figured a hands-on would be in order. This was a AAA game back in the old days, so how good can it be on Android? How does it perform, what options does it provide, and how does it translate to a touchscreen? We're going to answer all that, so strap in and get ready to hit lightspeed. There's a new RPG on the Play Store that's actually worth playing.
Galaxy Note20 and Note20 Ultra hands-on: High end, high fashion, high price
Big phones that raise big questions
Samsung's first "Ultra" phone, the Galaxy S20 Ultra, received at best a lukewarm critical reception. Consumers didn't seem to respond, either, as sales figures have not been strong. And while some of that boils down to trying to sell an extremely expensive phone during a global economic and health catastrophe, a lot of it was just down to what you got for the money. Samsung banked big on cameras a key selling point for the S20 Ultra, and they simply weren’t up to scratch. There’s a lot riding on the Galaxy Note20 series to redeem that phone, and the Note20 Ultra in particular. We went hands-on with both of the new Notes, and here are our thoughts.The Note20 Ultra starts at $1,300, which is $100 less than the S20 Ultra but still an awful lot for a smartphone. In a world where you can get a OnePlus Nord for less than $500 and the excellent Pixel 4a for just $350, the Note20 Ultra faces an uphill battle in proving its worth. Meanwhile, the standard Note20 starts at a seemingly more reasonable $1,000, but it represents a substantial downgrade in multiple areas.I was invited to spend a little time with the new Note20 lineup at a socially distanced briefing event here in London, UK.
After ripping up its playbook and launching a premium flagship phone with the 7 Pro this summer, OnePlus is back with an updated version, although this may be the company’s least meaningful upgrade yet. So minor are the differences between the 7T Pro and its predecessor, I find myself questioning its very existence. OnePlus “T” releases seldom offer more than iterative improvements, but even the small bump from the 6T to the 7 felt more relevant than this one.
To many observers, OnePlus somewhat betrayed the value proposition its become known for when it announced the 7 Pro since it costs $120 more than the 6T did at launch. The company also unveiled a regular OnePlus 7 model that is essentially an updated 6T but with some meaningful upgrades to justify the phone's existence. Unless you live in the US, that is, where this phone apparently does not exist.
Bethesda recently opened up early access for its latest mobile game The Elder Scrolls: Blades, and since we learned yesterday that this access has expanded to anyone with a Bethesda account, I figured why not go hands-on with the title so that our readers can see exactly what it has to offer. So strap in folks, because I'm predicting a bumpy ride.
Huawei’s cheaper sub-brand Honor held an event in London early December to announce the launch of not one but two new smartphones. Jordan has already reviewed the first of those, the Honor 7X, which impressed him as a contender to the Moto G5S Plus in the budget category. But Honor actually spent more time at the show talking about the View 10, its latest flagship device.
LG is no stranger to making Android Wear smartwatches. In fact, the South Korean company is arguably Google's greatest smartwatch partner, having created the first consumer Wear device: the very rectangular G Watch.
It's Galaxy Note7 review day here in the US! ...Our review isn't ready. I received my evaluation device less than a week ago, and we've been swamped here with various leak posts and bringing on some new faces (say "hi!" to the newest members of our team when you spot their bylines), and there just hasn't been time for me to fully formulate thoughts and compile them into a 5000-word-plus post for you. But would you take an abridged review/extended hands-on until I can make good on that promise? If so, read on.
There is perhaps no better-selling “enthusiast” or “power-user” smartphone than Samsung's Galaxy Note series. When it debuted in 2011, it was dismissed as ridiculous by many (myself included). It was too big, we said - too big to hold, “and for what? Who needs this?” many of us barked at the time (how wrong we were). But the Note series became a runaway success, and each year, millions of Samsung fans await the latest iteration.
Motorola under the stewardship of Lenovo is doing something very different this year. The Moto X brand may not be gone, but it's certainly not the company's focus right now. Instead, we have the Moto Z and Moto Z Force. They're thin and they have Moto Mods—snap-on modules like projectors and speakers that make the phones much less thin. The Z is coming to Verizon first as a Droid phone (that's what I have to review), but the device I'm looking at now is very similar to what Motorola will release unlocked later this year.
I can't recall ever using a smartphone larger than the Xiaomi Mi Max. The Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 is the closest I've ever come, and the Mi Max is over a tenth of an inch larger on the display diagonal than even that phone. While it's not the largest smartphone ever, the Xiaomi Mi Max is certainly in the upper echelons of size in the taxonomic order smartphonus, dwarfing 5" devices we once called "large" just four or five years ago.
Earlier this evening in Barcelona, we had our first chance to look at the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge in the flesh. Unfortunately, it wasn't under ideal conditions, and I don't feel comfortable putting down a large number of thoughts about the devices just yet. We need some more time with them. But, we did manage to record a video demonstrating the phones, as well as snap a gallery of photos for your perusal, should you be so interested. We'll have a full hands-on of the S7 and S7 edge later this week, but for now, here's our first look at Samsung's new flagship duo.
We've had a chance to spend some significant time with the Huawei Mate 8 in the last 24 hours, and so I felt an intial impressions post was warranted. The "space gray" (yes, really) 32GB unit I've been using is technically preproduction per Huawei's own disclaimer, though the software feels largely finished and the phone physically feels ready for sale.