HTC is trying to flip its fortunes with the flagship One A9
HTC has been keeping its brave face on, but 2015 hasn’t been very kind. After releasing its high-end One M9 to mixed reviews, the Taiwanese phone maker crept along to the point where its market value was worth less the amount of money it had in its coffers. Long story short, it’s been a tough year for HTC fans (and employees, for that matter). That’s why HTC’s been working on something new — the One A9 — behind some not-so-closed doors. Pre-orders for the unlocked version of this new hero device start today for $399/£429 ahead of a launch in the first week of November, but what is the company actually bringing to the fight?Slideshow-332172
The company insists that the A9 is a flagship phone, but — for better or worse — HTC skipped on the 800-series Snapdragon chipsets it used earlier this year. Instead, the A9 runs an octa-core Snapdragon 617, a 64-bit affair with four cores clocked at 1.5GHz and the others thrumming away at 1.2GHz. There will be a few versions of the A9 available as it works its way around the globe, but we’re only getting the top-tier model with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage here in the States. That won’t be enough room for many of you, but HTC is still committed to the whole expandable memory thing so you’ll be able to toss up to a 2TB microSD card into the phone’s left edge. Even better, since this thing runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow, you can format the card to act as an extension of the A9’s proper, internal storage. Slideshow-332174
Speaking of Marshmallow, Google’s new software update plays nicer with fingerprints for authentication and payments — thankfully the fingerprint sensor just below the screen seems excellent. All those battery considerations in Android 6.0 should help the A9 and its 2,150mAh cell too, and it’s already been surprisingly good (more on that in our full review). You’ll also notice a slightly cleaner version of HTC’s custom Sense interface on certain models; theming and suggested apps are still there, and the app launcher and core design elements still look familiar. It’s more an issue of pre-loaded apps — HTC has done away with its own Mail and Music apps, and wants users to be able to delete carrier-installed apps too.
If you’ll indulge the flashback, there’s an almost Droid Incredible vibe about the A9, and not just because of its lean, hand-friendly physique. The A9’s 5.0-inch, 1080p screen is HTC’s first AMOLED screen in ages, with prior choices skewing toward Super LCD screens. Just like the old days, the screen can be used in one of two ways — the default setup has bright, punchy colors for mass consumer appeal, but there’s a more accurate sRGB mode if you’re into that sort of thing. There’s no way we were going to get a Quad HD screen in a device this small and that costs so little, but I haven’t had reason to complain.
Still, there’s no denying this thing lacks some of the niceties we got with this M9. The most tragic loss? The front-facing speakers that were a hallmark of HTC’s BoomSound experience; there’s one grille etched into the A9’s bottom edge. While it’s not bad as far as single speaker setups go, it doesn’t hold a candle to the immersive sound we squeezed out of earlier flagships. The BoomSound flair hasn’t disappeared completely, though — it just evolved. Plugging in a pair of headphones triggers the included Dolby amplifier, adding a little extra oomph and brightness most tracks I threw at it. You can toss 24-bit tunes onto the A9 too if you’ve got any laying around; I’m stocking up on them while we gear up for a full review. Throw in a 13-megapixel camera with really snappy optical image stabilization and a Pro Mode that supports RAW image capture and we’ve got a solid competitor for the price. Like it or not, though, HTC considers the A9 the flagship successor to the M9 and will replace it completely in some competitive retail markets.
And yes, the A9 is reminiscent of another phone, too — perhaps disturbingly so. HTC is well aware that people are calling the A9 an iPhone copy, and really, who could blame them? The similarities — a rounded all-metal chassis, a single speaker, the round camera setup (compared to the M9’s charming squircle) — are hard to miss. In particular, the company knows the parallel placement of the A9’s polycarbonate antenna bands looks a lot like the iPhone 6’s, but HTC made those a thing first. In fairness, there’s a lot going on here that’s doesn’t feel Apple-y in origin. The textured power button adds some much needed tactile difference from the smooth volume rocker above it, and HTC’s mastery of metal shines with an aircraft-grade aluminum that has two distinct tactile feels on the A9’s back and sides. If there’s one thing HTC knows how to do, it’s how to build a device with impeccable fit and finish.
With the A9, HTC is doing a lot of insisting — it is a flagship, it isn’t an iPhone clone, and so on. Ultimately, though, that’s not their decision to make. It’s ours. After a bit of playtime, it’s clear that HTC has had time to reflect on what they’re good at and what smartphone shoppers want. The end result is a phone seems like a solid — if kind of safe — next step for a company on the brink. What’s not clear is whether the A9 actually has the power to win the hearts, minds and wallets needed to restore HTC’s former glory.
Engadget Live heads to New York City on October 29th!
We couldn’t miss an opportunity to make one more stop on our Engadget Live tour: New York City! We’ve had fun in Boston, Los Angeles and Austin, and now on October 29th at 7PM, we’ll head to the Liberty Warehouse in Brooklyn to bring together gadget lovers and tech companies for a night you don’t want to miss. And though tickets are free, we have a limited number of VIP tickets that, for just $15, can get you in to the event an hour early (6pm) and get a free drink ticket, too.
Our grand sponsor of Engadget Live, Ford, will let you experience the voice-activated SYNC 3 system and the 2016 Ford Escape. Drizly (the app that lets you get alcohol delivered with the tap of a button) will mix up a free beverage to the first 250 guests (who are age 21 and older, of course).
And there’s much, much more to enjoy at Engadget Live yet to be announced. For now though, get your free ticket and get amped up to join us on October 29th. And if you’re interested in sponsoring, email sponsors[at]engadget.com.
Developers Press BBC to Bring iPlayer to Apple TV by Building Their Own Proof of Concept App
Following the unveiling of the new Apple TV back in September, United Kingdom-based public service broadcaster BBC told fans on Twitter that there were “no plans currently” to develop an iPlayer app for the new platform. While the broadcaster has backtracked slightly since that time, more recently stating it doesn’t “have any info to give” on the topic, with the launch of the Apple TV right around the corner, a couple of Dorset-based developers have taken the task into their own hands to prove that the app can be made with relative ease.
Screenshot from the proof of concept iPlayer app
The BBC iPlayer app allows viewers of the popular British channel to catch up with current series and watch live TV on a smartphone or tablet. The company expanded support for the service to streaming devices like Chromecast and smart TVs last year, but never made the leap to Apple TV due to its limited SDK support and nonexistent functionality with other platforms like Android. Now, a pair of developers from Bournemouth, Dorset in the United Kingdom — Matt Cheetham and Phillip Caudell — have used a recent hack event to prove Apple TV support for BBC iPlayer could be implemented fairly easily by the broadcaster.
The pair took to GitHub to share the app they created, dubbed the “Auntie Player,” which splits the iPlayer experience up into Home, Categories, Live, and Search tabs, with full episode lists, descriptions, and run times for each show. Cheetham and Caudell cite BBC’s “disappointing response” from September as the main source of inspiration for the proof of concept app, pointing out BBC’s failure to support Apple TV as a direct contradiction to its public purpose to “make engaging digital content and services available on a wide range of digital platforms and devices.”
Most impressively, the duo planned, coded, and completed the app in under nine hours at the “Hack to the Future” event in Bournemouth over the weekend. As they note in the GitHub post, the two won’t be submitting the app to the App Store, but they wanted to showcase “what can be achieved with the tvOS platform and the BBC’s amazing content.”
The app we’re publishing here was built in just under 9 hours at a hack event to prove it could be done. It’s by no means complete or perfect, and it’s very much a proof of concept. It’s our hope the BBC will release an official app for Apple TV, as they’ve made iPlayer available on a wide range of other set-top boxes and Smart TVs.
Check out the developers’ full suite of source code for Auntie Player on GitHub, along with an array of screenshots and more of the reasoning behind sharing their creation with the public.
With Apple’s new tvOS developer tools for the fourth-generation Apple TV, the platform is now open to all developers, significantly broadening the potential for Apple’s set-top box beyond the locked-down content provider model that has existed until now. Just yesterday, Apple CEO Tim Cook reiterated his thoughts that the television experience needs to be reinvented and that apps are the way to do it.
‘Guitar Hero Live’ for iOS Launches With $100 Guitar Controller Bundle
Activision today released Guitar Hero Live for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch in the U.S., following a five-year hiatus in the iconic video game franchise. The app is accompanied by an optional $99.99 bundle including a Bluetooth LE six-button guitar controller, guitar strap, redeem code and 2 AA batteries, available through major U.S. retailers. A two-guitar bundle is also offered for $149.99.
Guitar Hero Live puts you on stage rocking reactive live-action crowds. Guitar Hero Live is all about the dream of becoming a rock star. You will play with REAL band members, playing to REAL crowds, with REAL reactions to your performance. Play well and the crowd will love you! Play poorly and your fans will turn on you!
Guitar Hero Live for iOS has single-player and multiplayer modes and includes two free trial songs, while the guitar controller bundle unlocks over 40 additional tracks, access to GHTV channels featuring over 200 songs at launch and touch-based gameplay. A digital bundle is also available for $49.99 that unlocks the same features without a Bluetooth guitar for touch-based gameplay.
T-Mobile is also selling the Guitar Hero Live for iOS bundle and, for qualified customers, offering financing that breaks down the $99.99 price into 23 monthly payments of $4.16, with a final monthly payment of $4.31.
Supported iOS Devices:
- iPad 4, iPad Air, iPad Air 2
- iPad mini, iPad mini 2, iPad mini 3, iPad mini 4
- iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus
- iPod touch (6th generation)
The game also requires iOS 8 or later and at least 3GB of device storage.
Guitar Hero Live [Direct Link] is free on the App Store, and also available for $99.99 on PS4, Xbox One, Wii U, PS3 and Xbox 360. A version for the new Apple TV will also be released to play on the big screen. The game launches in Europe on October 23.
Learn more about Guitar Hero Live and other iOS games at our sister website TouchArcade.
Check out these 9 Qi wireless chargers to keep you powered up
We live in a digital age and we’re all constantly on our phones. One of the biggest struggles with phones in 2015 is finding a phone that can get power users, or sometimes even casual users, going throughout the day. OEMs keep pushing thin phones when poll after poll find that people would prefer a bigger battery, even if it made the phone a bit bigger.
One of the technologies on the rise to make that struggle a little easier is Qi wireless charging. No wires, no fuss. Just sit your phone down and it charges (as long as it’s compatible). Today we’re going to take a look at some of the coolest Qi wireless charging accessories to keep you charged up at home, in the office, and on the road.
If your phone doesn’t have native wireless charging, make sure you take a peek at the end of the list. We have some options for you too.
On The Go
Choetech Pocket Wireless Car Charger
Choetech is a name you’re going to see a few times on this list because they make some really great products. This Pocket Wireless Car Charger cradles your phone in a leather case that comes up just high enough to keep your phone secure, but also let you see your alerts. This charger clips onto your air vent, and plugs into your car’s cigarette lighter to charge up your phone while you’re running errands or taking the kids to school!
You can pick up the Choetech Pocket Wireless Car Charger for $42.99 with free Prime Shipping.
Product link: Choetech Pocket Wireless Car Charger
Forrader Qi Car Cup Holder Wireless Charger
This Qi Cup Holder is a really creative idea. We all have cup holders in our car, why not have them do something useful if phones are just going to sit in them anyway? No only does this car cup holder charge your phone while placed in the slot, but you can charge a second device with the 2.1A/5V output port. This type of charger is great for long road trips. Not only is your phone being charged in a secure location but your navigator can stay charged up too with the minimum amount of cables.
You can pick up the Forrader Qi Car Cup Holder Wireless Charger for $69.99 on sale down from $99.99 with free Prime Shipping.
Product Link: Forrader Qi Car Cup Holder Wireless Charger
ZeroEdge Qi Wireless Car Charger with Triple-Coil Stand
Do you use your phone for navigation? This stand may be perfect for you! It has a grippy base that sticks to your dash, and your windshield. The grippy arms can also grab onto your air vent to keep you charging while you’re navigating. I’ve used one of these before and they’re pretty brilliant. They’re sturdy, so they’ll last forever (as long as they stay sticky), and the arms extend and close up so they’re universal and can hold any phone.
You can pick up the ZeroEdge Qi Wireless Car Charger for $42.99 on sale, all the way down from $99. And, of course, there is free Prime Shipping to go along with that great price.
Product Link: ZeroEdge Qi Wireless Car Charger with Triple-Coil Stand
ActionPie 12,000 mAh Qi Wireless Charging Battery Bank
This may be the ultimate battery bank. Not only does this offering by ActionPie have Qi Wireless Charging but it also has dual USB ports so you can charge up to three devices at the same time. There’s also an LCD to tell you exactly how much juice you have left! It has a huge 12,000mAh capacity, and an flashlight! How do you compete with that? Oh yeah, it also looks awesome. The ActionPie Battery Bank comes with a 2-in-1 Lightning + Micro-USB charging cable so you can charge up your friend’s iPhone since it’s probably going to die halfway through the day.
You can pick up the ActionPie 12,000mAh Qi Wireless Charging Battery Bank for only $39.99 in either Silver or Golden. Both come with free Prime Shipping to your front door.
Product Link: ActionPie 12,000mAh Qi Wireless Charging Battery Bank
Home and Office Charging
Choetech Qi Wireless Iron Stand
Choetech is back again with one of my all time favorite cell phone accessories. I love this product so much I bought it as soon as it came out and use it every night to charge my Galaxy Note 5. The Iron Stand feels incredibly well made. It has a thickness and weight to it to indicate that it’s not going to break on a fall, and grippy feet so it won’t be moving if you bump your bedside table in the middle of the night. It has a blue LED indicator on the side to let you know when your phone has started charging and it’s just bright enough not to annoy you when you’re trying to sleep. This would also be perfect on your desk at work to keep you charging while also keeping an eye on your screen for alerts. I definitely recommend picking one of these up. Can’t say enough about it.
You can pick up the Choetech Qi Wireless Iron Stand for $35.99 with free Prime Shipping. Seriously. Buy one now!
Product Link: Choetech Qi Wireless Iron Stand
Wasserstein Wood Wireless Charging Pad
This charging pad looks great. This wood charging pad focuses not just on function, but also fashion with its slick looks. You can get it in a circle or square design and I think it will fit in really in any environment, whether that’s office or your home. This charger does exactly what it says it’s going to do and nothing more. It’s going to look great and charge your phone. If you’re looking for that, check this one out.
You can pick up the Wasserstein Wood Wireless Charging Pad in either Circle or Square for only $19.99 with free Prime Shipping.
Product Link: Wasserstein Wood Wireless Charging Pad
GMYLE Transparent Qi Wireless Charging Pad
Continuing the trend of great looks and wireless charging is this Qi Wireless Charging pad from GMYLE. The pad is transparent with a small, white circle in the middle to house the charging coils. While charging, the pad lights up a cool blue that breathes (pulses). There is short-circuit, voltage and heat protection built into this charger, so it won’t damage your phone even if you leave it on the charger long term.
You can pick up the GMYLE Transparent Qi Wireless Charging Pad for only $17.98 on sale down from $30. As always, there is free Prime Shipping.
Product Link: GMYLE Transparent Qi Wireless Charging Pad
Choetech Fast Charging Qi Wireless Charging Pad
We’ve saved the best Qi Wireless charging pad for last. Or, if it isn’t the best, it’s at least the fastest. Samsung recently announced that the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ would be the first to support a new, faster wireless charging standard. This new technology can charge your Note 5 and S6 Edge+ at twice the rate (10W vs 5W)! If you don’t have a phone that supports the new standard, this pad will still charge it as fast as possible. I have one of these pads and it’s a real game changer. Now I don’t have to choose between quick charging and charging ,y phone conveniently.
Choetech offers two different packages with it’s fast charging pad. You can buy just the pad and it’ll run you $34.99, or you can buy the charging pad and the quick charge 2.0 wall adapter for $44.99. You’ll need one of these adapters to get the most out of this pad, so if you don’t have one we recommend getting the more expensive package. If you want to spend another couple of dollars, you can grab this Omaker wall adapter that supports quick charge and has an additional USB port so you can charge a second device as well. All of these come with free Prime Shipping.
Product Link: Choetech Fast Charging Qi Wireless Charging Pad
Product Link: Choetech Fast Charging Qi Wireless Charging Pad with Adapter
DIY
Itian DIY Wireless Charger
If you’re looking for a project, this may be the product for you. With this DIY kit, you can install it anywhere you want and have wireless charging hidden and convenient. Many people are installing these in things like bedside tables or custom cut wood blocks. Installation is easy since there is a 3M sticky pad included. All you have to do is stick this to the bottom of your table, sit your phone down and you’re charging. This design has three coils so the charging area is pretty big and comes with an LED light to let you know when the power is flowing.
You can pick up the Itian DIY Wireless Charger for $19.49 with free Prime Shipping.
Product Link: Itian DIY Wireless Charger
Qi Wireless Antennas
Not every phone comes with a Qi Wireless Charging built in. For those of us unlucky enough to be in this situation, all is not lost. Below is a list of third party antennas that you can install on your device to gain wireless charging. There are normally a few different options for each phone, but these are the simplest options we found.
Samsung:
LG:
Universal
Apple
Did we list your favorite Qi Charger? Plan to pick up any of those that we did list? Let us know what you have to say down in the comments.
The post Check out these 9 Qi wireless chargers to keep you powered up appeared first on AndroidGuys.
AT&T scoops up Kyocera Hydro Air for GoPhone plans
AT&T is now selling the waterproof Kyocera Hydro Air as part of its GoPhone prepaid service. Priced $99, the phone runs Android 5.1 Lollipop and features a 5-inch qHD (960×540 pixel) display.
The Hydro Air is IP57 rated, meaning it can withstand sitting in up to 3 feet of water for up to 30 minutes. Powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, other specs include a 5-megapixel rear camera, 1GB RAM, and 8GB internal storage. Users who need more space for media such as pictures and music can take advantage of the microSD expansion card slot for up to 32GB.
The Hydro Air offers gloved and wet-finger tracking so it will work even in the rain or when you’re just hopping out of the pool. Rounding things out, the phone includes a 2300mAh non-removable battery.
AT&T GoPhone rate plans are $45 per month for 1.5GB of data or $60 per month for 4GB of data. Customers can save $5 each month with Auto Pay.
Purchase the Kyocera Hydro Air for AT&T though Walmart for $99.
The post AT&T scoops up Kyocera Hydro Air for GoPhone plans appeared first on AndroidGuys.
LG and Samsung unveil new battery tech for future wearables
LG and Samsung have been showing off a selection of new flexible battery cells designed for wearable products at an exhibition in Seoul today. Given the limited space inside wearable products and the long life time demanded from smartwatch consumers, new battery technologies are seen as a key to help drive the market forward.
Samsung SDI unveiled two new types of flexible batteries, a stripe and a band. The stripe battery is just 0.3mm thin and is built from a flexible fibre that enables the cell to bend. This cell is designed for use in very small, thin wearables, such as a necklace, hair band or bracelet. Samsung also has a band-type battery designed for smartwatches, presumably in the wrist band, that can add up to 50 additional battery capacity compared with current designs and can resist over 50,000 bends.
LG Chem showcased its own wire battery technology again at the event, which was originally shown off back in 2013. The wire battery can be bent in half without breaking. The company’s hexagonal battery for smartwatches, which was unveiled earlier in the year, was also on display. This design can potentially double the battery capacity of smartwatches by making better use of the space available inside products.
See also: LG hexagonal batteries improve smartwatch battery life
Samsung’s and LG’s battery divisions are looking to design power cells for the next generation of wearables, as shipments are expected to surpass the 100 million mark in 2020, according to Gartner. Lower performance wearables, such has fitness trackers, have actually proven more popular than expensive smartwatches, which are expected to account for 40 percent of smart wrist devices by 2016, and these thin battery technologies could enable new form factors and products in these categories.
Deal: build robots and more with the Raspberry Pi Hacker Bundle (last chance) and the Raspberry Pi 2 Starter Kit
Getting into hardware, programming and building technology sounds intimidating. Surely, only engineers can do that kind of stuff, right? Well, not really. Coding is definitely a skill that needs to be worked on, but there are tools that can make your learning process smooth and enjoyable. Today we have a couple deals from the AA Deals Store for those of you who like to fiddle with technology.
One of them is a Raspberry Pi course bundle, while the second deal offers the necessary hardware to get yourself started. Let’s jump right in!
The Complete Raspberry Pi 2 Starter Kit
Have you ever heard of the Raspberry Pi 2 (here’s our review)? This thing is pretty much a tiny computer that allows developers, robot builders and gadget makers to tap into a whole world of digital possibilities. You can use it to build robots, create wearables, put together IoT devices and much more.
Want to join the fun? the Complete Raspberry Pi 2 Starter Kit offers everything you need to get started with your tech tinkering. For only $115, you can put your name to a Raspberry Pi 2 Model B, a Quick Starter Kit and a set of courses for learning the basics of working with this platform.
Buy the Complete Raspberry Pi 2 Starter Kit
Raspberry Pi Hacker Bundle
Is there not enough knowledge in the previous deal? You can super-size your package by getting the super affordable Raspberry Pi Hacker Bundle. This one is a set of courses that will help you further polish your Raspberry Pi skills. Here’s what it includes:
- Introduction to Raspberry Pi – Enter the World of Coding & Hardware with This Miniature Computer ($199 value)
- Hardware Projects Using Raspberry Pi – Utilize Raspberry Pi as a Tool for Learning Physical Computing ($199 value)
- Python Programming for Beginners – Conquer This Beginner-Friendly Programming Language ($99 value)
- Real World Guide to Hardware Design – Get Expert Tips & Tricks for Designing Hardware with Ease ($99 value)
- PiBot: Build Your Own Raspberry Pi-Powered Robot – Experiment with Raspberry Pi & Bring a Small, Mobile Robot to Life ($29 value)
By the way, all of those courses can be had for only $39! But hurry, because this one happens to be a last chance offer. The deal ends this Wednesday.
HTC wants another shot: watch their One A9 event here
Folks at HTC probably would probably like to forget the M9 ever existed. A disastrous mix of bad reputation and some very real flaws have crippled the M9, and with it, HTC as a whole. The company is a ghost of its former self, but it’s not ready to walk into the light just yet.
Today, HTC is trying again. More importantly, it’s trying something new. The One A9 is a real departure from the M9 (and its various lookalikes), though you will probably still experience a case of déjà vu. Yes, the One A9 looks like Apple’s iPhone, and HTC isn’t ashamed of it. In fact, CEO Cher Wang was open about HTC’s intention to create a “worthy alternative” to the iPhone.
Regardless how you feel of the design of the A9, the specs will likely elicit a weaker response. Rumors talk about a mid-range affair, and hopefully, the One A9’s price tag will reflect that.
HTC will be livestreaming the One A9 launch event in about 2.5 hours, and we will be bringing you our in-depth coverage as soon as we can. You can watch the live stream right here, starting from:
- 9AM San Francisco
- 12PM New York
- 5PM London
- 6PM Berlin
- 9:30 New Delhi
- 1AM Tokyo
- 3AM Sydney
Excited for the One A9? Let us know your thoughts!
Blind Camera Shootout – the winner is…
If you’ve been following the homepage over the past week, you’ll have seen we published a big blind smartphone camera shootout to find out how the new Sony Xperia Z5 camera compares to the iPhone 6S, Galaxy Note 5 and the LG G4. Like our past blind camera shootout, we didn’t tell you which device took each image and today, we’re revealing the results – which smartphones takes the crown?
The cameras in numbers…
Before we reveal the results, let’s recap the various camera specs of each smartphone:
| Sony Xperia Z5 | Galaxy Note 5 | LG G4 | Apple iPhone 6S | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resolution: | 23MP (5520×4140) | 16MP (5312×2988) | 16MP (5312×2988) | 12MP (4032×3024) |
| Focus: | Hybrid AF | Autofocus | Laser Autofocus | Phase Detection AF |
| Flash: | dual LED | dual LED | dual LED | dual LED |
| Manual controls? | Yes | Yes | Yes | partial |
| Aperture: | f/2.0 | f/1.9 | f/1.8 | f/2.2 |
| Focal Length: | 24mm | 28mm | 28mm | 29mm |
| Camera Sensor Size: | 1/2.3″ | 1/2.6″ | 1/2.6″ | 1/3″ |
| Pixel Size: | TBC | 1.12µm | 1.12µm | 1.22µm |
| Stabilisation: Features: |
Effective Stabilisation |
OIS | OIS Colour Spectrum Sensor |
Digital Image Stabilisation |
| Front Camera | 5MP | 5MP | 8MP | 5MP |
Numbers are only one part of the equation and while you could make a decision on which is best just based on the specs, we all know that cameras and images are about more than megapixels, and algorithms and processing play a large part. Clear your mind, settle down and let’s check out which smartphone camera really is the best.
The Galleries:
Let’s take a look at each gallery again and discuss which smartphone took the best shot. Before we do that however, it’s time to reveal which device is which:
- Phone A = Sony Xperia Z5
- Phone B = LG G4
- Phone C = Apple iPhone 6S
- Phone D = Samsung Galaxy Note 5
Now, let’s look through the galleries:
Gallery 1
This shootout proved to be interesting as it tested how each smartphone camera handled the change between a colour-rich subject and a sky with various shades of grey. No smartphone was able to capture the sky in all its details but the iPhone 6S seemed to handle the transition between light and dark the best.
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Gallery 2
This gallery combined an interesting collection of tests; from the varying sky colours to the detail of the individual tree leaves, the sign in the foreground and the building details and colours to the right.
The Note 5 wins this test as it handles the sky well, produces a good amount of detail in the sign and has clarity in the tree outline. The LG G4 and the Xperia Z5 come second and third respectively as they both produce good all round images while the iPhone 6S comes fourth as it overcompensates for the white balance in the image.
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Gallery 3
This gallery was designed to see how each smartphone handles the details and colours in and on the shop front as well as the details in the shop signs and the reflections in the windows.
The Xperia Z5 wins this shootout as it produces a saturated image with deep colours that is closest the image produced by the EOS 70D. Next up is the Galaxy Note 5, which slightly overcompensates for the light but still captures details, while the iPhone 6S comes third and the washed out LG G4 rounds off this gallery.
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Gallery 4
As pointed out in the comments on the original shootout, the wide angle of the Xperia Z5 lets it down here. When evaluating this gallery, we zoomed into the Apostrophe sign, the detail on the ladies’ hair and the grille at the end of this feature.
The winner is the LG G4, which handles the range of colours better than its rivals. The others are quite close with the Xperia Z5 adding a slight hue to an otherwise good image, the iPhone 6S handling the colours in the scene quite well and the Galaxy Note 5 offering impressive detail even if colours are a little saturated.
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Gallery 5
This gallery was an interesting test as it evaluated how each smartphone handled the colours in the two different LED signs, as well as the detail of the door stand, which can be seen just past the front door.
Each smartphone handled the scene differently and the winner is the Galaxy Note 5, which comes closest to the EOS 70D image with detail and accurate colours throughout. Next up is the iPhone 6S which offers great colour reproduction in the signs and this is followed by the LG G4. The Xperia Z5 brings up the rear as it over compensates for the light and hence, the signs are almost washed out.
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Gallery 6
While shots of scenery and subjects are always great, it doesn’t quite cover how each smartphone handles the contours and detail of a human face. This gallery aims to test just this as well as looking at the amount of bokeh in the details on the wall and mirror behind.
This proved to be a test of two halves with the Galaxy Note 5 narrowly beating the LG G4 to the top spot followed by the Xperia Z5 narrowly pushing the iPhone 6S into last place. In particular, the Xperia Z5 would have probably done a lot better had it been in oversampling mode and the iPhone 6S seems to get the white balance all wrong.
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Gallery 7
For this gallery, the blue sky and amount of detail in the buildings was an interesting test of how good each smartphone’s HDR mode was. From the detail in the rooftops to the Breitling sign at the bottom of the scene and the Itsu sign in the immediate foreground, there’s a lot of detail to capture.
The iPhone 6S wins this with the Galaxy Note 5 very close behind as the sky is a little less saturated than on Apple’s flagship. The Xperia Z5 comes third over the LG G4, mainly because the latter produced a darker image and Sony managed to more accurately reproduce the colour of the sky.
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Gallery 8
Almost the same scene as the above, this gallery used the red telephone box as the subject of the photo. When evaluating this, we looked for reproduction of details on and in the box, the clarity of the Itsu shop sign to the left and the amount of bokeh in the background details.
The Galaxy Note 5 wins this just for its reproduction of details inside the iconic telephone box while the LG G4 and the iPhone 6S tie for second, as the latter captures the details in the background better and the former is better at reproducing the white balance of the scene. Sony’s Xperia Z5 comes a very close fourth as a seeming lack of stabilisation results in some noise in the image.
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Gallery 9
This was an interesting test as the flags had varying amounts of detail, the buildings were detailed and intricate and the sky can be just seen to the left. The Xperia Z5 has a good reproduction of the overall scene but lacks detail when you zoom into the image.
The LG G4 captures the scene well and captures good detail of the brickwork on the building while the iPhone 6S is slightly darker but does better at capturing the sky. The Galaxy Note 5 is very similar to the LG G4 as it captures the scene well including details in the brickwork but lacks depth when you zoom into the image even slights. It’s too close to call a winner in this gallery.
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Gallery 10
This was an interesting gallery as it kicked off the low light testing with a combination of varying colours, intricate detail and bright lights. The Galaxy Note 5 probably wins this for the amount of detail captured even though the colour reproduction isn’t quite accurate.
Beyond this, the LG G4 comes second for the amount of detail captured and even though it is slightly noisy, the Xperia Z5 comes third with the iPhone 6S last thanks to inaccurate white balance. Interestingly, the Xperia Z5 would probably win this or come very close when used in oversampling mode.
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Gallery 11
A combination a dark shop sign and a low light cream building above made an interesting test of each smartphone’s ability to handle low light conditions. The Xperia Z5 overcompensated for a lack of light resulting in a bright image but a lack of detail in the overall image.
The Galaxy Note 5 and the LG G4 tie for first place here as the overall image is almost identical from each of these devices and the iPhone 6S completely misjudges the white balance resulted in a dark image that fails to capture all the details.
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Gallery 12
The last two galleries combine to form a test of the overall night shot capability of each handset. The first gallery is the scene captured with no flash and the second gallery takes the same scene but applies the inbuilt flash of each device.
As far as details in the image go, the Xperia Z5 is the best of all four devices as, although the iPhone 6S produces a lighter image, Sony’s best captures more details. The Galaxy Note 5 comes third and the LG G4 comes fourth, although it’s worth noting that the ISO is set quite low on both of these devices (although all handsets were set to auto mode) and they would produce much better images with a higher ISO.
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Gallery 13
Now to the final gallery – which smartphone has the strongest and most accurate flash? The EOS 70D has a significant advantage thanks to its Xenon flash and while companies such as Nokia have used Xenon in the past, a dual/triple LED flash is the common standard as it can be used for both photos and videos (Xenon cannot be used while video recording).
The LG G4 and the Galaxy Note 5 tie for first place here as the former reproduces details better (albeit with a slight hue) while the latter captures the light better but lacks somewhat in the details. Sony’s Xperia Z5 comes a close third and the iPhone 6S rounds off this shootout in a lowly fourth place.
The results:
Now to the results – which device wins the shootout? Here’s how the voting stands at the end of this shootout:
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It turned out to be quite a close-run race between the iPhone 6S and the Galaxy Note 5 for the title but Apple’s latest just beat Samsung’s latest with 38.2 and 34.1 percent of the 7810 votes respectively. Sony’s Xperia Z5 comes in third with 17.7 percent of votes while the LG G4 brings up the rear with 10 percent of all the votes.
The phones in detail…
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As mentioned in the original gallery post, all the settings were at their maximum resolution, which proved to be detrimental to the Xperia Z5 (which relies on the 8MP oversampling mode for its best shots). We’ll be retesting these smartphones along with a few others in the big camera shootout in the coming weeks so stay tuned! Let us know what you thought about these results in the comments below guys and head over to the original shootout post for all the galleries.
AIVAnet 