OnePlus 8 Pro – More like one more broke bro

April 14, 2020Posted in mobile, smart devices, smartphone, technologyTagged Apple, iPhone, mobile, New Technology, OnePlus, samsung, smart devices, smartphone, technologyLeave a comment

OnePlus just announced their new OnePlus 8 flagship series. I think many would agree that it felt a lot like an iPhone launch. For the most part, the OnePlus 8 Pro is your typical flagship phone that checks all the boxes. There are 3 key features that stand out but it comes with at a disappointing price point.

Display

It’s clear that there was a focus on the material design of the phone. They claim that they’ve tested hundreds of colors, materials and finishings to develop a new matte-frosted glass in Onyx Black, Glacial Green and Ultramarine Blue. One of the best features of the OnePlus 8 is the 120Hz refresh rate that provides an extremely smooth scrolling experience. Other phones have this 120Hz display, but OnePlus offers it with their QHD (1440p) display turned on. In my previous post about Samsung’s new S20 series, I shared how they only offer 120Hz with the FHD (1080p) display. The OnePlus 8 has a JNCD (just noticeable colour difference) of 0.4 which allows for colour reproduction on the display to be apparently indiscernible from real life. It sounds a bit like a gimmick but DisplayMate, the industry standard of excellence for image and picture quality rated it very high in a wide array of tests in their recent article.

Camera

The 8 Pro’s 48-megapixel main camera and ultra wide-angle camera can shoot sharp, vibrant daytime shots and above average shots in dark environments. The hybrid zoom camera has 3x hybrid optical and 30x digital zoom (the max I would probably go is 10x for a decent quality picture). The color filter camera is fairly new – it allows you to swap out colours in your pictures on-the-go to supposedly bring out your inner creativity. This seems like an unnecessary gimmick so that they can say it’s the first OnePlus phone with four camera modules. Here are some of the unique camera features:

Optical image and video stabilization on both the ultra wide and main camera
Dynamic video that captures three different exposures and blends them together for the best quality
Windscreen technology that aims to filter out wind noise from your videos
Audio zoom technology that lets you zoom in to different audio sources (for your eavesdropping pleasure)

Warp Charge

Finally, an amazing feature you didn’t know you needed… warp charge. You can get up to 60% charge in 30 minutes when plugged into their warp charger and a never-before seen 50% charge in 30 minutes using their warp wireless charger! OnePlus’ whole reasoning for not supporting wireless charging until now was that previous technology wasn’t fast enough for them to support. It’s great to see they’ve really pushed the boundaries of current technology. Check out how fast the 8 Pro charges compared to the new Samsung S20 Ultra and Apple iPhone 11 Pro below.

Wondering how Warp Charge 30 Wireless stacks up against the rest? Take a look 👇 pic.twitter.com/SvxnBlWpID
— OnePlus USA (@OnePlus_USA) April 14, 2020

Pricing

Pricing is not a highlight here, it’s actually quite disappointing considering the first OnePlus One phone was known for its “Never Settle” campaign, offering flagship specifications for a fraction of the cost. There’s no doubt that you’re still getting value – it’s just a shame it couldn’t come for less this time around. The OnePlus 8 doesn’t have all the features of the Pro model but comes it in at $200 USD less.

OnePlus 8 pricing; $699 for 128GB and $799 for 256GB.

What do you think of OnePlus’ new colour filter camera? Would you use it? The OnePlus 8 is a strong contender in the current market but to be honest, it’s hard to be excited when the world is at a halt. Good thing technology never sleeps, just like Technomuscle.

Samsung Galaxy S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra 120Hz Display – Does it stand up to the hype?

March 18, 2020April 7, 2020Posted in mobile, smart devices, smartphoneTagged featured, samsung, smartphone, technology1 Comment

The Galaxy S20 lineup has been touted for it’s new cameras but tech enthusiasts will probably not care to use their phone for photography. Luckily, they all come with one upgrade that many would consider as a huge leap – 120Hz displays.

New super smooth 120hz display

First, let’s get into how great this display really is – it’s amazing. The refresh rate of the screen has doubled from the original 60Hz to 120Hz which makes menu transitions, scrolling through websites, and enjoying supported media* and games impressively smooth. I say supported media and games because YouTube doesn’t truly support 120Hz yet and most games don’t have that option either but you can bet that they will catch up with this display evolution soon. The S20 lineup isn’t the first or only phone to have this either, the older OnePlus 7 Pro has a 90Hz display and the new Oppo Find X2 Pro has a 120Hz QHD (1440p) display.

The downfalls

120Hz means that the screen refreshes double the amount of times every second which takes a significant toll on its battery life. Testing from Tom’s Guide shows the difference as the phone took a three-hour (or 25%) hit on their browsing test. That’s not to say that the S20 phones don’t last, because the S20 Ultra, with a 5000Mhz battery can last up to 14 hours a day with about 5 hours of screen on time on a single charge. It also has new fast charging, capable of a full charge in only 38 minutes!

Another main downfall that Samsung wasn’t very clear on announcing at launch is that the 120Hz display is only supported when using the FHD (1080p) display option. Ever since the S6, Samsung phones have supported QHD resolution. Some will argue that the 120Hz is worth the downgrade to FHD, while others prefer the higher resolution at 60Hz for an increased battery life.

THERE’S HOPE!

According to Max Weinbach, a well-known Samsung leaker, there should be a software update that will bring 120Hz to WQHD+ resolution in one to three months. Apparently, Samsung needs to test out the performance and battery life to ensure that it meets its standards before making the feature accessible. The 120Hz + WQHD+ resolution will probably reduce the battery life even further, but at least you will have the option.

Let us know in the comments if you are interested in the S20 lineup of phones. If you already have one, will you be using the new 120Hz refresh rate, or are you sticking with WQHD+ at 60Hz?

Think twice! Don’t pre-order the new iPhone X just yet…

September 14, 2017March 15, 2019Posted in mobile, smart devices, smartphoneTagged Apple, smartphoneLeave a comment

If you are one of those Apple fans that line up in the middle of the night for the next greatest Apple product or MUST HAVE the new phone even though it starts at $1319+ CAD then this may not be for you. Don’t get me wrong, the new iPhones are beautiful phones with some amazing internals and new features but if you care about your wallet and can compromise some of the new features then check the phones below out because there are actually a lot of comparable devices out there, often at a much lower price point.

Xiaomi Mi Mix

The first comparable device that deserves a look at is the Xiaomi Mi Mix. This phone is not as expensive but is not cheap either at almost $900 CAD. However, it is a beautiful phone with a 6.4″ bezel-less display and no compromises. The particular model linked below has a Snapdragon 820 processor, 256GB of internal memory, 6GB of RAM, fingerprint reader (on the back), all of which are standard on most Android flagship phones this year but for a few hundred dollars cheaper.

The bezels are even more impressive than the iPhone X because you don’t get the top cutout from the front-facing camera and microphone etc. Some argue that the selfie video experience on the Mi Mix isn’t as good but I think it’s a small compromise for a beautiful bezel-less experience. You also get a unibody ceramic finish which is a premium material that is extremely durable compared to glass on the iPhone.

You can purchase the Xiaomi Mi Mix on Amazon.

Doogee Mix

The Doogee Mix is the other end of the spectrum and it has not had a lot of media coverage which is probably the reason for its low price. They didn’t spend too much on international advertising.

However, this phone deserves more attention because it is such a beautiful phone for literally a fraction of the cost of our flagship devices today. For only $280 CAD off Amazon, you get a bezel-less 5.5 inch Super AMOLED display, 6GB RAM, 64 GB, dual rear-facing cameras, internal storage, and can be expanded by 128GB with external microSD. Sound familiar? These are basically the specs on the new Samsung Galaxy S8 except the S8 only has 4GB of RAM!

Don’t get me wrong, the picture quality is definitely not as good as the S8 or other flagships and the materials used to build the phone are not quite as refined but it is still a great phone for almost a quarter of the price! Definitely a device to consider before dropping insane amounts of money on a phone outright or financing through your carrier.

You can purchase the Doogee Mix on Amazon.

These are only two comparable phones I wanted to feature. One that has typical flagship pricing but is still much cheaper than the iPhone X and another that is literally less than a 1/4 of the price of the iPhone. I hope this post helped to shed some light that there are other options out there for phones that have flagship specs and still look great but don’t break the bank.

RED Releases Its First Phone and It Has a Holographic Screen!

July 6, 2017July 6, 2017Posted in mobile, smartphoneTagged holographic, smart phones, smartphone, technologyLeave a comment

The company RED is known for it’s very expensive products such as its high resolution modular video cameras (up to 8K) that only professionals get to see the likes of. However, they are taking a stab at the mobile phone market and put up the RED Hydrogen phone for pre-order at $1,595 USD for titanium and $1,195 USD for aluminum. That is relatively much more reasonable considering their 8K video camera (named Weapon 8K) costs $49,000…

The Hydrogen will feature a 5.7-inch “Professional Hydrogen Holographic Display” that will switch between three modes: traditional 2D content, holographic RED Hydrogen 4-view content and stereo 3D content. The device claims that users do not need glasses to experience the 3D and holographic content. This reminds me of the Nintendo 3DS screens as those also don’t require 3D glasses. They did cause an eye strain after long use though…

From the picture, it is clear there will be a headphone jack and USB-C for charging. From the notes, it will include an SD-card slot which will be useful for storing the content that it can display and potentially record. The phone will also be modular, meaning you will be able to purchase accessories (at a nice premium I bet) that can connect directly to the phone, offering you more functions as you need. There are no indications of what these modules are yet.

All we have to work with in terms of aesthetics is this picture and from the looks of it, it follows the same design as their modular cameras, with an industrial, rugged feel and the iconic RED logo on the back.

What do you think about the phone? Would you buy one over the new iPhone that will very likely cost over $1000 USD as well?

Newly Announced OnePlus X, Another Flagship Killer!

October 29, 2015November 6, 2016Posted in smartphoneTagged cheap phones, coming soon, OnePlus, OnePlus X, OnePlus X Specifications, OnePlusX, smartphoneLeave a comment

Available November 5, OnePlus will start rolling out invites for consumers to purchase their new phone, the OnePlus X. OnePlus is famous for making flagship killers and this phone lives up to their reputation… arguably anyway. The specs of the OnePlus X definitely don’t compete with some higher end flagship phones out there but what makes it still a flagship killer in my opinion is what you get for its insanely low cost of $250 USD or ~$329 CAN.

First of all, the specs are actually not bad at all:

5-inch 1080p display
Snapdragon 801 processor
3GB of RAM
13-megapixel rear camera
16GB/32GB of storage.

Rumors point towards the inclusion of NFC, a 2450mAh fast charging battery and a water-resistant design.

Second of all, the design is beautiful and arguably better looking than some flagships out there. The OnePlusX has a beautiful all Gorilla Glass front and back panel. The border of the entire phone is a nicely finished “grated” metal (shown to the left) that provides a premium feel with the added benefit of extra grip!

I want to emphasize one last reason for why it is a flagship killer which is the sim/microsd slot visualized below. A lot of flagships today stopped including or never included expandable storage. The OnePlus X however includes a slot for a microsd card for up to 128GB of expandable storage while also doubles as a dual sim slot if needed (**Note that you can only have dual sim or microsd slotted in, not both).

Sources: OnePlus, TechnoBuffalo

Samsung’s Upcoming Foldable Phone

October 28, 2015April 6, 2020Posted in smartphoneTagged featured, patent, rumor, samsung, smartphoneLeave a comment

EDIT 28SEP2017:

Samsung has a new hinge design patent meant for small devices
It has a single flexible hinge which would suggest a single fold in the middle of the phone
This patent combines Samsung’s flexible OLED technology with a simplistic minimal hinge in the center
Will Samsung use this technology for larger phablet sized devices to allow extreme portability without the cost of not fitting in your pocket?

The smartphone code-named Project Valley (aka Project V, model number: SM-G929F) is rumored to launch in 2016 according to sources speaking to SamMobile. Samsung is known to make bold moves when it comes to their popular smartphone products. How soon will Samsung bring back the classic flip-phone style with a new twist and hopefully new features? Let us know if you would be interested in a new foldable phone in the comments below! Also, Behance has a concept idea that I found quite interesting in explaining how the fold itself may function when opened/closed.

Sources: TechnoBuffalo, SamMobile, Hexus,