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Motorola is making good smartphones again, and you should pay attention
Feeling bored by Samsung and Google? An alternative might've been under your nose this whole time
It's no secret that meaningful competition in the Android space has become more restricted than ever, specifically in North America. Walk into a carrier store, your local Best Buy, or peruse Amazon's virtual shelves, and you'll find the best Android smartphones are limited to Samsung, Google, and a handful of smaller competitors. Even Nothing, the rare upstart challenger, took several years and two generations to really break ground in the US market. The days of LG and HTC providing real competition is long gone — frankly, it can feel downright depressing.
We've seen a lot of excellent smartphones hit store shelves in 2023, but one particular bright spot this year has been battery life. A quick look at recent flagship and budget flagships reveals that many of our favorite products — especially those powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 or 8+ Gen 1 — are reaching multi-day battery life without breaking a sweat. Throw in fast-charging on phones from OnePlus or Motorola, and how — and when — you power up your device can really change.
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This Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 deal is so good I’m not waiting for the Fold 5
Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 5 is coming, but you should buy last year's model instead
If you haven't heard, foldables are all the rage this summer. New devices from Google and Motorola — not to mention the upcoming arrival of whatever OnePlus has — are finally giving Samsung some much-needed competition in North America. There's no doubt the company hopes to hold onto its early lead in this product category once the next-gen Galaxy Z-series launches on July 26th. If early leaks are any indication, though, you should skip waiting for the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and save yourself a few hundred bucks in the process, because the Fold 4's price this week is the deal to beat.
Upgrade your car to wireless Android Auto with these 2 big Prime Day deals
AAWireless or Motorola's MA1 dongle — the choice (and the savings) is yours
It's summertime, and you know what that means. Whether you're headed up to the lake house this weekend or taking a cross-country trip, it's time to hit the road for some much-earned vacation time. You'll need all sorts of things for a successful road trip — snacks first and foremost — but your phone is by far the most vital travel tool you can keep in your back pocket. Of course, you shouldn't (and legally can't) use your phone while driving, and that's where Android Auto comes in.
Amazon’s gigantic new tablet already has a giant discount for Prime Day
Get the Fire Max 11 for just $200 without lock screen ads
To date, Amazon has yet to leave the budget space behind when developing new tablets. It makes sense — the entire Fire lineup has managed to carve out a niche thanks to its ultra-low starting prices, with the latest Fire 7 starting at just $60. The Fire Max 11 is the company's first attempt to move out of that space; while it's undoubtedly still a budget tablet, it's far more capable than anything Amazon has released in the past. Although it only launched in June, you can grab the Fire Max 11 for just $200 right now on Prime Day, complete with 128GB of storage and no lock screen ads.
How to make your Amazon Fire tablet feel more like stock Android
Change the browser, home screen launcher, digital assistant, and more
Amazon's lineup of Fire tablets might seem like cheap alternatives to the best tablets from Samsung or Lenovo, but they carry a hidden price tag: a lack of Google services. Looking to stream your favorite YouTube videos? Trying to check your Gmail account? Want to scroll through your Photos collection? You'll need to turn to web apps for those apps. And if your favorite Google content doesn't exist there, you're out of luck.
We're coming off a holiday week in the US, which means it's been a pretty quiet time for news. We're sandwiched between the launch of one foldable and the planned arrival of a couple of others, all while Android 14's beta program continues to near a final launch — look for a new release expected this week. But really, the big story in tech this week was Threads, Instagram's long-rumored Twitter rival that seems to be off to a massive success, if early sign-up numbers are any indication.
Backbone One review: The controller Android gamers deserve
Backbone's controller is one of the best for Android, but the PlayStation Edition could use a few more buttons
Game controllers for Android are all the rage these days, but for my money, the most comfortable experience you can have is one that mirrors a Nintendo Switch. Placing the pad alongside a smartphone — rather than mounting it above — makes for a lighter, sleeker accessory, one you might actually want to pick up to play your favorite controller-compatible games for long periods of time.
Google Pixel 6a vs. Pixel 5a: Which phone is the better value?
Google's mid-range smartphones keep getting better
The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro may be Google's latest powerful new flagships, but you don't need to splurge on the latest and greatest to get the best mobile experience. Even with the recent release of the Pixel 7a, last year's Pixel 6a is still a surprisingly strong contender that remains at the top of our list of the best budget smartphones, thanks to the incredible value it offers for its lower price tag.
Samsung announces its next foldables on July 26, but you can save $50 by reserving yours right now
Save $50 on the accessories of your choice, no commitment required
If it's summertime, you know Samsung has new hardware coming. While the season used to be dominated by the Galaxy Note series, the last few years have seen the company launch their latest foldables ahead of the incoming holiday shopping season. If Google failed to sway you on the Pixel Fold, Samsung's ready to unveil its next-gen hardware. Galaxy Unpacked is officially set for Wednesday, July 26th at a brand-new location.
Weekend poll: Did you buy a Google Pixel Fold?
Google's first foldable hit store shelves this week — did you order one?
What a month it's been for foldables. Just a couple of weeks after Motorola launched the Razr+ — its best phone in years, in my eyes — Google entered the folding phone race itself. The Pixel Fold has been a long time coming, but even with the sense of mystery that surrounded it over years of rumors, it mostly ended up being what you'd expect: a first-gen piece of Google hardware. That might be exactly what Pixel fanatics and early adopters end up loving about the phone, though, so I'm curious how many of our readers took that $1,800 plunge.
Weekend poll: How do you listen to podcasts on your phone?
A dedicated app or mixed in with your music?
It's become a cliché, but these days, everyone has a podcast. Thanks to a relatively low cost to produce, podcasting has become one of the internet's favorite art forms. From interviews to scripted dramas, true crime to comedy, there's a little something for everyone in the world of podcasts. Arguably even more important than what you listen to, though, is how you listen to it, because these days, there are so many good podcast apps to choose from.
Top 7 Motorola Razr+ cover screen games, ranked
A very serious investigation into wasting time on Moto's new foldable
In case you missed it, I'm a huge fan of the new Motorola Razr+, the company's first foldable to launch in North America in nearly three years. Its interior 6.9" display delivers the standard Android experience you'd expect, but it's on the outside where it shines. With a 3.6" outer screen capable of running nearly any application on your phone, having to flip open your foldable to get things done is a thing of the past.
Motorola Razr+ review: My new favorite foldable
The GOAT of flip phones can finally reclaim its throne
The Moto Razr has been many things to many people. It was an early 2000s status symbol (only '90s kids understand), an early iPod alternative with full support for iTunes, several entries in Verizon's long-running Droid series, and finally, an also-ran launched ahead of Samsung dominating the clamshell foldable space. And, for the past three years, it's been missing in action from the United States, as the Razr skipped a 2021 release and kept the 2022 model limited to international regions.
Google's latest Pixel campaign stars the iPhone as its clueless best friend
Along with all the jabs you'd expect
There's no Android manufacturer working right now that isn't trying to win over Apple fans, but no one is as focused on the iPhone these days as Google. It makes sense — from its quick update schedule to the custom Tensor SoC, Google's latest smartphone lineup is aiming to be the "iPhone for Android." But, as a series of new videos is quick to point out, the Pixel is much more advanced than Apple's signature device — at least, if you ask Google.
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New budget phone vs. old flagship: Which is best for you?
Everyone wants the best bang for their buck, but your priorities may vary
If you're like us, you're always drooling over whatever gadget is on the horizon. Sure, you could look at older hardware or consider holding onto your current device for another few months. Still, when every review praises whatever phone Samsung or Google just launched, keeping your wallet in your pocket can be tough. But smartphones are more expensive than ever before, and with inflation on every consumer's mind, it's only natural to wonder whether a new flagship is worth the cash, leaving you with a couple of options to consider
Weekend poll: Do you currently use a third-party Reddit app?
How affected are you by Reddit's incoming API changes?
Unless you've been living under a rock for the past couple of weeks, you've probably heard about the ongoing drama happening at Reddit. Some unpopular changes to the company's API are set to go into effect at the end of the month, and under the new pricing structure, the vast majority of popular Reddit apps are unable to continue functioning (with some potentially lucky survivors). This led to a massive subreddit blackout at the start of this week, and although many of the nearly 8,000 subreddits that went dark have since come back online, some major players remain locked.
The OnePlus Nord N30 5G is here to prove that newer isn't always better
The follow-up to our much-beloved N20 is as confusing as the overall Nord lineup
Last year's OnePlus Nord N20 5G was a complete and utter shock. OnePlus managed to craft a $300 budget phone that wowed us in nearly every way that matters. Aside from the mediocre camera — no shock there — the Nord N20 featured an excellent design, a bright OLED panel, fast charging, and adequate performance. For this summer's Nord N30 5G, the company is going in a bold new direction, but whether it'll pay off in the long run depends on where your priorities lie.
Google's AI-powered search is ready to be your travel agent
SGE is getting new vacation-ready results starting today
It's only been a month since Google debuted its AI-powered search engine at I/O — and even less time since an early preview went live for beta testers — but the company is already hard at work at improving its results. Just in time for the summer, Google's Search Generative Experience (or SGE) is getting much better at delivering travel-based advice, whether you're looking for a hotel in a foreign city or trying to find the best tourist attractions on your next vacation.
How to use Google Messages on your laptop or desktop
All those conversations right at your fingertips
Although we're used to reaching for our phones when it comes to texting people, it's becoming more common to be able to text from any device. WhatsApp Desktop is probably one of the most popular ways to send and receive messages from your computer, which makes it easy to keep in touch with people.