Facebook Messenger makes sharing Dropbox files easier
If you’re on Facebook Messenger, you likely already know that you can easily share images and videos with your friends by accessing your camera roll within the chat window. But what if you store your media in the cloud rather than on your phone? Well, if you do so on Dropbox, you now have a solution. The cloud storage firm announced today that you can now share Dropbox files over Messenger. If the files are photos or videos — including animated GIFs — those will appear directly in the chat window. Anything else will prompt you to open the Dropbox mobile app to preview the files in question.
The Dropbox integration is just the latest in a long line of third-party apps to enrich the messaging platform. You can already order an Uber or a Lyft through Messenger and share songs via Spotify. Soon you could even communicate with businesses via chatbots. We’ll likely hear more about Messenger’s plans for the future during this week’s F8, Facebook’s annual developer conference.
“We want people to communicate just the way they want to on Messenger, with everyone they care about,” said Stan Chudnovsky, head of product for Messenger, in a statement. “Giving our users the ability to share their Dropbox videos and images in Messenger threads with just a few taps will help them bring more style and personality to those conversations.” For those who want to try the new feature out, you’ll need both the Dropbox and the Messenger app on your phone. Android and iOS versions should be available starting today.
Source: Dropbox
OPPO F1 Plus review
The OPPO F1 Plus, which is known as the OPPO R9 in China, has got a lot going for it including a 16MP front camera (yes, front camera), a sleek 6.6-mm body, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of internal storage. On top of that you get a 5.5-inch Full HD IPS LCD display covered in Gorilla Glass 4, a fingerprint reader, and VOOC fast charging technology.
A nice feature set, but the question is did OPPO manage to turn all those nice individual features into a good smartphone? Let’s find out in this full Oppo F1 Plus review!
Design
While there is lots to talk about when it comes to the F1 Plus, we need to get something out of the way before we start: the design language. When you look at the OPPO F1 Plus you will probably think it looks much like another well-known smartphone, one which has a fruity logo. For some people the similarity is actually a good thing, for some it doesn’t matter, and for others it is a little disturbing. Depending on which category you are in you will either love the design of the F1 Plus or hate it.
Putting aside the seeming lack of original design language, the OPPO F1 Plus is a pleasure to behold. It is sleek, thin and feels comfortable in the hand. On the front you get a 5.5-inch display protected by Gorilla Glass 4 along with a physical home button that incorporates a fingerprint reader. Going around the rest of the phone, the volume rocker is on the left, while the dual-SIM tray and power button is on the right.
On the bottom is the micro-USB port, the single speaker and the 3.5mm headphone jack. On the back is the rear facing camera along with its flash LED, plus the OPPO logo. There are two bands that run across the back, near the top and bottom, that give the OPPO F1 Plus a certain iPhone-esque look.
The device is available in two colors: Gold and Rose Gold. My review unit is the Rose Gold (some might say Pink) version.
Display
The OPPO F1 Plus comes with a high quality 5.5-inch Full HD IPS LCD display along with Gorilla Glass 4. The display is bright, and works well indoors and outdoors. 1920 x 1080 in 5.5 inches gives a pixel density of 400ppi, which for a phone in the premium mid-range segment is more than sufficient. The viewing angles are good and the bezels are amazing. At just 1.66mm thick, the lack of any significant bezels give the display and edge to edge feel without incurring the costs of a curved display.
One interesting feature of Color OS 3.0 on the F1 Plus is the eye protection settings. According to OPPO there is research which shows that short-wave blue light can be harmful to eyes. The eye protection display feature filters out the blue light to give a less jarring experience that is “gentle on the eyes.” Marketing or science? I don’t know, but I like OPPO’s thinking.
See also: AMOLED vs LCD – What is the difference?129
Hardware and performance
The OPPO F1 Plus boasts 4GB of RAM, a finger print reader and quick charging. The only slight let down is the choice of processor. The F1 Plus uses a MediaTek Helio P10, which is an octa-core processor with 8 Cortex-A53 cores. Four cores are clocked at 1.2GHz and the other four cores clocked at 2.0GHz. Accompanying the CPU is the ARM Mali T860 MP2.
In terms of every day use these specs are adequate and most users won’t find themselves wishing for a different CPU, and because of that nice 4GB of RAM even some die hard power users will find the F1 Plus more than sufficient. However if you play a lot of 3D games, visit a lot of complex websites or use CPU intensive apps then the Helio P10 could prove to be a little lacking in performance.
The use of a Cortex-A53 octa-core SoC is also reflected in the benchmarks. The OPPO F1 Plus scored 876 on Geekbench’s single-core test and 3311 for the multi-core test. For some context, those scores are lower than the octa-core Cortex-A53 Kirin 935 found in the Huawei Mate S, and lower than the octa-core Cortex-A53 MediaTek Helio X10 found in the Redmi Note 2. Also the single core Geekbench score is lower than that of the 32-bit Snapdragon 801, however the multi-core score of the F1 Plus is higher. If you want to see more benchmark scores for some of 2015’s leading processors then check out my SoC showdown: Snapdragon 810 vs Exynos 7420 vs MediaTek Helio X10 vs Kirin 935.
For AnTuTu the F1 Plus scored 51158 and for Epic Citadel the device manages 42.4 frames per second in Ultra High Quality mode, and 59.4 fps in High Quality mode. So, while the octa-core Cortex-A53 CPU scores are towards the low end, it seems that MediaTek have made the right choice when it comes to the GPU.
The fingerprint reader on the F1 Plus is very good. It is fast, accurate and is certainly comparable with the lightning fast and reliable fingerprint scanner on the Huawei Mate 8. However, unlike the Mate 8, which has its fingerprint reader on the back, you can’t wake and unlock your phone just by putting your finger on the reader. Instead you need to press the home button with your finger, which will wake the phone and then unlock it in one operation. It is a minor difference, but my personal preference is for non-home button fingerprint readers. If it is any consolation, the Samsung Galaxy S and Galaxy Note ranges suffer from the same “problem”, in my honest opinion.
The F1 Plus features a single speaker on the bottom edge, next to the micro USB port. The speaker is quite loud and the sound is reasonable considering it isn’t a front facing speaker. As with many devices, music can sound a bit thin with a lack of bass.
The F1 Plus has a 2850 mAh battery, which is amazing when you consider how thin OPPO has made this device. Although it has a 5.5 inch 1080p display, the processor is quite conservative in its power usage, the result is that you will get all-day battery life, easily.
I did some battery tests. First I ran Epic Citadel to test the battery life while playing 3D games. According to my calculations you will be able to play 3D games for over 4.5 hours on the OPPO F1 Plus. That is quite an impressive number as some phones fail to provide 4 hours of screen-on time, even without any GPU related activity. As for simpler tasks like browsing the web, you will get at least 8 hours from a full charge, or you can watch YouTube videos (streamed over Wi-Fi) for at least 8 hours. I did a call test where I called another phone for 30 minutes and monitored the battery life. My estimation is that the F1 Plus will give you at least 20 hours of 3G talk time.
When it comes to battery charging, the F1 Plus supports OPPO’s trademark VOOC fast charging technology. According to my tests you can charge the F1 Plus from 0 to 75% in just 35 minutes, which is very impressive. More impressive is the overall charge time which takes just 1 hour and 9 minutes (from 0% to 100%). When you factor in a temperature rise of less than 3 degree Celsius during the whole charging cycle, I have to admit that VOOC is a premium fast charging system.
If you want to know why smartphones charge quickly to 50% or 80%, but can take over half of the charge cycle to add the last 20% then I recommend that you read my test: Qualcomm Quick Charge vs Oppo VOOC vs MediaTek PumpExpress+ vs Motorola TurboPower vs the others.
Software
For as for the software, the F1 Plus uses OPPO’s Color OS which means you don’t get stock Android but rather a very heavily skinned system based on Android 5.1. As with many of the Android variants from Chinese manufacturers, there is no app drawer which means you are left to organize everything into folders on the home screens.
On the plus side you get fully access to Google’s apps including the Play Store, Chrome, YouTube and so on. This means that the Android experience beyond the launcher and settings page is fairly standard, it also means that you can install alternative launchers like the Google Now launcher without any problems.
Although almost all parts of the UI have been redesigned, from the Recent Apps screen to even the volume controls, I must say that every re-designed element has a purpose and/or looks cool. All the animations and eye candy have a unified look and feel, which means overall you get a smooth and enjoyable software experience.
Color OS also adds a lot of extra features including a one-handed mode, that is easy to launch by simply swiping up from either bottom corner to the middle of the display, plus gestures like drawing symbols to launch specific apps, and double tap to wake.
There is also software for the fingerprint reader; a “quiet time” mode, which will mute your device automatically according to the times you set; support for O-Cloud, OPPO’s cloud service for backing up your contacts and SMS messages; and a security center app, which includes virus scanning, privacy settings and an app clean up service.
Camera
The rear camera on the F1 Plus has a 13MP sensor along with a f/2.2 lens and auto-focus. Overall I have been very impressed by the camera. I have used it for closeups, selfies, and casual snaps, both indoors and outdoors and the camera really hasn’t put a foot wrong. Of course, the caveat to that statement is that this is a smartphone and not a DSLR. Also a camera sensor, no matter how good it is, can’t capture light that isn’t there. I was particularly impressed by the indoor shots. Of course if you push the lightning scenario to extremes you will get lots of noise in the photos. I have included such a shot in the gallery below.
In terms of the camera app, you get a simple camera interface by default, however you can swipe your way into different shooting modes, including time lapse, video, beauty and panorama. You can also tap on an icon to reveal functions like ultra HD, filters, GIF animation, double exposure, and expert mode. The latter allows you to control the ISO, shutter speed and white balance. However it also lets you configure the camera to save a RAW version of every shot taken, in .DNG (Digital Negative) format, plus you can manually focus your shots.
My biggest complaint with the camera app is that it doesn’t really rotate the UI when you move from portrait to landscape. Although some elements do move, many of them remain in portrait mode, which is quite annoying.
The OPPO F1 Plus is very unusual in that the front facing camera actually has a greater megapixel count than the rear facing camera! The front facing camera has a 16MP sensor along with a f/2.0 lens. However, like most front facing cameras it is a fixed focus arrangement. Because of the increased megapixel count on the front facing camera, OPPO is marketing the F1 Plus as the “Selfie Expert.” But there is more to the front facing camera than just more mega pixels. It also features OPPO’s Hi-Light technology which according to OPPO is “four times more sensitive, with twice the dynamic range and is able to captures shots with four times less noise.”
The software for the front facing camera has also been upgraded and tweaked. There is the new Beautify 4.0 mode, for smoothing out those wrinkles and covering up those blemishes, plus support for the new selfie panorama mode, which is designed for group shots.
Here are some sample photos to help you judge the camera for yourself:
See also: 15 best camera apps for Android90
Specifications
| Display | 5.5 inch LTPS (IPS), 1920×1080, FHD, 400PPI. |
| Processor | MediaTek Helio P10: Quad-core 64-bit Cortex-A53 2.0 GHz + Quad-core Cortex-A53 1.2 GHz. |
| GPU | ARM Mali T860 MP2 |
| RAM | 4 GB |
| Camera | Main camera: 13.0MP AF f/2.2 Front facing: 16.0M FF f/2.0. |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi: 2.4/5GHz 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, USB 2.0 |
| Storage | 64GB, expandable up to 128GB |
| Software | Color OS 3.0, based on Android 5.1 |
| Battery | 2850 mAh |
| Colors | Gold, Rose Gold |
| Dimensions | 151.8 mm x 74.3mm x 6.6mm. 145g. |
| SIM Card Type | Dual Nano-SIM, but one slot doubles as the microSD card slot. |
| Freqencies | International Version 1: GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHz WCDMA: 850/900/1900/2100MHz FDD-LTE: Band 1/3/5/7/8/20 TD-LTE: Bands 38/39/40/41 International Version 2: International Version 3: |
Gallery
Wrapping up
The OPPO F1 Plus is certainly an interesting device. It is thin, light and easy to hold. However the resemblance to Apple devices could leave you desiring something more original. Having said that, if you are able to look past the design language then features like the 4GB of RAM, the 64GB of storage, Corning Gorilla Glass 4, VOOC fast charging, and the fingerprint reader are solid positives for this device.
Add a great rear camera plus a front camera made for selfie fans and the F1 Plus becomes a serious contender. Color OS might not be for everyone, however I found it a pleasure to use. The only thing I would want to change on the hardware side is the processor, Cortex-A53 octa-core based devices are very 2014. But for the price point, maybe I am just nitpicking, plus it does help the battery life.
The OPPO F1 Plus is available in Europe for 389 Euros, or 299 pounds in the UK.
Open-world survival game ‘Rust’ adds female character models
Rust, the popular open-world survival game from the creator of Garry’s Mod, now features female character models after more than two years on Steam Early Access and attracting millions of players. Facepunch Studios rolled out the new models in an update late last week. Players don’t get to choose what their characters look like or which gender they are — models are randomly assigned and locked to individual Steam IDs.
Facepunch is aware that some players don’t enjoy the idea of playing Rust as a woman, creator Garry Newman says. He shared one recent player complaint on Twitter that reads, in part, “I got a dirty woman … and everytime [sic] I see her I wanna threw [sic] up.”
“We understand this causes you distress and makes you not want to play the game anymore,” Pearson says. “Technically nothing has changed, since half the population was already living with those feelings. The only difference is that whether you feel like this is now decided by your SteamID instead of your real life gender.”
Facepunch is continually updating Rust and this isn’t the end of the character model changes. “I’ll continue to add variations over the comings weeks which means you’re probably not stuck with your new face forever,” Newman writes. (It sounds like players will be stuck with their genders, though.)
In June, Newman told Polygon that he used Rust as a kind of social experiment, and he didn’t see any race-based discrimination in the game. However, he was excited to document the future impact of female character models in Rust.
“I’m more interested in seeing what happens when we add the female model,” Newman told Polygon. “Whether women will get attacked more because they’re perceived as weak, or whether they’ll get attacked less because they’re perceived as vulnerable. That stuff is interesting to me.”
Via: Polygon
Source: Rust Devblog
How to remove the battery of the LG G5 – CNET
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Jason Cipriani/CNET
Within just a few seconds, you can remove and replace the battery in LG’s G5 thanks to its new modular design. What’s a modular design? I’m glad you asked. In short: Through this design, the bottom of the phone slides out, bringing the battery with it. Once it’s moved, you can then replace it with a fully charged battery or another of the LG’s accessories designed to interface with the phone. There’s a camera module for better control over the camera app, or a speaker with improved audio features.
To remove the battery, locate the physical button on the bottom left corner of the device. Press and hold the button in, then pull the bottom of the device down.
The button on a unit I’ve used for testing was fairly hard to press — which is a good thing — so if the battery isn’t easily coming out, press harder on the button.
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Jason Cipriani/CNET
With the battery removed, you now need to disconnect the battery itself from the bottom portion of the phone. You will likely have to use more force than you think you should to detach the battery, or at least that’s been my experience.
I found it easiest to hold the bottom of the phone in one hand, while pushing the top of the battery to the left with my other hand.
Once the battery comes out, simply reverse the process to put your second battery into the phone, making sure to line up the arrows on the battery and the bottom piece of the phone.
Things to consider before choosing Apple TV storage size – CNET
Sarah Tew/CNET
Like any streaming device, the latest generation of Apple TV is a great addition to an entertainment system. It brings Siri into your living room, provides a source of casual gaming and places all sorts of digital streaming options at your fingertips.
It also forces you to choose. Unlike previous models, the latest Apple TV comes in two storage capacities: 32GB and 64GB. But which size is right for your needs?
Here are some things you should consider before picking an Apple TV storage capacity.
Cloud-based media
For a device of this nature, 32 or 64GB definitely seems light on storage space. My music library for years before I started subscribing to Spotify exceeds even 100GB. But even the most avid user of Apple’s digital content will struggle to fill the 64GB Apple TV with media.
For starters, Apple TV is most prominently a streaming device. It supports tons of different streaming services, such as Netflix, Hulu, HBO Go and a host of individual networks (MTV, Discovery, A&E, etc.) which allow access with a cable subscription.
Each of these applications that you download will take up some space. HBO Go, for example is 30.8MB, Netflix is 15.9MB and Discovery Go is 7.7MB. Even if you download dozens of streaming apps to the Apple TV, you will be left with plenty of storage, regardless of which model you choose.
And if you stick with Apple’s first-party media for video or music, you still aren’t going to be using a ton of storage space, even for the content you own. Music and movies or television episodes must be streamed.
However, movie rentals will be downloaded, as will individual episodes of any podcasts you are subscribed to. But even then, once the rental period has expired or a podcast has been listened to, the files are deleted.
Hands-off storage management
Another reason you will struggle to completely “fill” the storage on the new Apple TV is because tvOS manages storage and resources automatically using a on-demand system called App Thinning. In fact, Apple TV doesn’t even show you storage usage information, so you never really know how much is free or available at any given time.
App Thinning ensures that when you download an app on the Apple TV, you only download the resources necessary for the Apple TV (meaning resources specific to iPhone and iPad are not downloaded). It also downloads the data in chunks. The initial application download is limited to just 200MB. After the initial download, an application can download up to 2GB of additional resources. For a game, this might be the first five levels. As you progress through the game, the resources for played levels will be removed from the device’s storage and new levels will take their place, seamlessly.
In total, a game could be up to 20GB, but in practice, it should only take up a few gigabytes at a time, meaning you can load the Apple TV up with games and you may never encounter a low storage warning.
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Application and game selection
Currently, the selection of applications and games available to Apple TV is well-rounded — there are thousands of applications to choose from.
Still, when compared to the iOS App Store, the offering is paltry. The number of available applications is somewhere in the low thousands — 3,600 as of January — compared to over 1.5 million applications in the iOS App Store.
Paired with App Thinning, such a limited selection of applications, especially games, makes it much more difficult — albeit not impossible — to fill up the storage on any Apple TV. However, as more is added to the store, the accumulation of games and apps may force you to pick and choose down the road.
Future proofing
As with iPhones and iPads, there is no option to expand storage on your Apple TV later on. So if you’re unsure what your personal usage will be like or if you plan on enjoying tons of apps and games, it’s wise to go ahead and spring for the larger storage capacity upfront than to deal with storage constraints later.
That said, if you primarily want to use the Apple TV as a streaming device for Netflix or your iTunes library, the lower storage capacity should serve you just as well. And if you don’t plan on playing games, using apps or queueing up Siri on your television, you might want to consider saving yourself even more cash and opting for the third-generation Apple TV, which currently retails for $69.
ASUS makes the ZenFone 2 even more stable in the latest update
An update is now available for the ASUS ZenFone 2, and it makes the phone even more stable. The update is about 103MB in size, and can be downloaded over-the-air now. An official changelog for this version has yet to be posted, but @ArunKmRathi notes that this addresses system stability.
A new firmware update is available for #zenfone2 ZE551ML addressing system stablity @androidcentral @TalkAndroid pic.twitter.com/OEmDCTJYsb
— Arun Rathi (@ArunKmRathi) April 11, 2016
If you are rocking the ZenFone 2, be sure to check your phone now for an update. To check manually, head into the Settings, then About phone and finally check for the update.
Android 6.0 Marshmallow is rolling out for T-Mobile’s LG V10
As promised last week, the Android 6.0 Marshmallow update for T-Mobile’s LG V10 is now rolling out via an over-the-air download. Users can also get the update immediately via the LG Bridge application for the PC and Mac.
The new version number for the phone once it downloads the update is H90120E. You can download the LG Bridge app on your PC and connect the V10 to the computer to get this update or you can wait for the phone to get the OTA update. It may take a few days for all of T-Mobile’s LG V10 units to receive the Marshmallow update in that fashion.
Discuss this update in our Android Central forums
LG V10
- Read our full review
- LG V10, a second opinion
- LG V10 specs
- All the latest LG V10 news
- Join the discussion in our forums
- LG V10 vs. the LG G4
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Should you upgrade to the Samsung Galaxy S7?
It’s one of the biggest phone releases of the year — now you can decide if it’s time to upgrade.
When a new Samsung flagship phone comes out, it triggers the biggest flood of phone enthusiasts asking whether or not now is the time to upgrade from their current phone to the latest. In the case of the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge, these phones are so great that it’s really pushing people’s will power to stay with their phone and not jump.
But of course there isn’t just one question about “should I upgrade?” to answer here. Whether or not you should upgrade to the Galaxy S7 or S7 edge comes down to several different factors, not the least of which being how old your current phone is and how much you’re willing to spend to make up the difference between selling your old phone and acquiring the new one.
No matter your situation, if you’re asking yourself about an upgrade to the Galaxy S7 or S7 edge, we’re going to help you make that decision.
First, choosing between Galaxy S7 and S7 edge
Before we get into the direct comparisons, you should really try to settle in on which Galaxy S7 you want — the standard model, or the larger and more expensive Galaxy S7 edge. Both phones have all of the same tentpole features — metal and glass build, larger battery, SD card slot, waterproofing, great screen — but the GS7 edge definitely brings something extra to the table with its larger, dual-curved display. Phil Nickinson boils it down to a simple decision:
Look, you can’t really go wrong with either one here. Both the Samsung Galaxy S7 and GS7 edge are really good Android smartphones in a sea of good high-end models. And in many ways, the two phones are pretty much identical.
Want a smaller phone? Get the GS7. Want to save a little money? Get the GS7. Want a damn good phone in any event? Get either one.
Chances are most people will be extremely happy with the standard Galaxy S7, but if you just want to stand out a bit and can afford the extra cost the Galaxy S7 edge may be appealing. The best part about this decision is you can’t go wrong with either phone.
Read: Galaxy S7 or S7 edge — which should you buy?
Upgrading from a Galaxy Note 5 or Galaxy S6 edge+
Considering that the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 edge+ only came out six months before the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge you may be thinking it’s a bit crazy to ask if this is actually an upgrade scenario — but believe us, people are really considering this. Daniel Bader wraps up his thoughts on the Note 5 comparison:
I think the S Pen offers more long-term usability, especially for avid note-takers, than the Edge Screen, which in software has yet to meet the potential of the beautiful hardware. But you can’t go wrong with either phone — find the one that meets your needs in terms of features and price, and you’ll be happy here.
Read: Galaxy S7 edge vs. Galaxy Note 5
There’s even less of a difference when we talk about the Galaxy S6 edge+. For Alex Dobie, things come down to just two areas — camera and battery:
You’re going to have to care a lot about the new camera and boosted battery life for this to be a worthwhile upgrade. Instead, most GS6 edge+ owners are going to get more out of the upgrade to Marshmallow than they would forking out the extra cash for a GS7 edge.
Considering that you could have only owned your Galaxy Note 5 or S6 edge+ for a handful of months when the new phone hit the scene, it’s really tough to drop either phone and pay the difference to get a new Galaxy S7 edge … this is really only for the committed, especially once you get the Marshmallow update to your current phone.
Read: Galaxy S7 edge vs. Galaxy S6 edge+
Upgrading from a Galaxy S6 or S6 edge
The most-asked question when it comes to upgrading will probably be looking at the Galaxy S7’s direct predecessor, the Galaxy S6. The GS6 was hardly a perfect phone when it launched, and after a year of using it its flaws haven’t gotten any easier to deal with. The upgrade path is clear, but expensive, as I explained:
You may want to think long and hard about this potential upgrade. A bigger battery, a couple new features and the latest in specs are definitely worth something, but it may not be worth the $300-400 gap in cost to make you jump from your perfectly capable Galaxy S6 — which now has the same Marshmallow software — to the Galaxy S7.
Read: Galaxy S7 vs. Galaxy S6
In many ways, exploring an upgrade from the Galaxy S6 edge to the GS7 edge is the more interesting comparison. The Galaxy S7 edge moves up to a larger screen size this year, giving you a little more room for everything you do while also boosting the battery dramatically. I point out the details again:
The larger screen, dramatically bigger battery, SD card slot and waterproofing are all welcomed upgrades, but they alone might not be enough when you’re facing a $300 to $400 differential in price after you sell your phone. If you stay with your current phone, you can know you’re getting a lot of the same experience you’d find in the newer Galaxy S7.
So really, these upgrade decisions purely come down to how much money you’re willing to spend. The Galaxy S7 and S7 edge are clear upgrades over their predecessors, especially in the case of the larger GS7 edge. They fix a lot of the pain points felt by GS6 and S6 edge owners, while also future proofing you for an additional year — just be ready to pay the price for upgrading just a year on after buying your current phone.
Read: Galaxy S7 edge vs. Galaxy S6 edge
Upgrading from a Galaxy S5
Having a phone for two full years seems like an eternity to some people, but many are determined to completely pay off their current phone before going for an upgrade. In the case of the Galaxy S5, it actually aged pretty well in many aspects — the screen is solid, performance is still good, battery life has held up and it already has the SD card and waterproofing that make the Galaxy S7 great. But of course there’s a lot more you get with this upgrade. As I said in an in-depth comparison:
The Galaxy S5 is still a fine phone today, actually, but we wouldn’t blame you for looking for something new — and if you choose the Galaxy S7, you’re getting a dramatically improved hardware experience, a better screen, better performance (now and into the future) and a mind-blowing step up in camera quality.
At the same time, in the upgrade process you haven’t lost waterproofing, the SD card slot, the compact size or the familiarity with Samsung’s software and services.
You get so many improvements when you choose to make this upgrade to the Galaxy S7, and at the same time you don’t really lose anything in the process. It almost feels like the Galaxy S7 was tailor-made for GS5 owners who are on a two-year upgrade cycle — it really checks all of the boxes.
Read: Galaxy S7 vs. Galaxy S5
Upgrading from an earlier Galaxy phone
If you’re holding on to something like a Galaxy S4 — or one of Samsung’s mid-range Galaxies from the past two years — just waiting to be blown away by a phone enough to make the jump to a brand-new high-end device, now is a great time.
After a couple years of somewhat-compromised devices in the Galaxy S5 and Galaxy S6 (and S6 edge), Samsung has really figured things out in 2016 with the GS7 and S7 edge. The phones really are the pinnacle of what Samsung can do, and at this point that also means they’re leading the entire industry in many ways. The hardware design is great, and is packed with all of the latest specs. The screen and camera are absolutely top of the line, and Samsung’s take on Marshmallow is easily the best version of TouchWiz to date.
Now just because the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge are great phones doesn’t mean that they’re necessarily affordable, and they’re definitely going to be a shock in price if you’re coming from an older or cheaper phone. At the same time, your current device probably doesn’t hold much value to be able to sell or trade it in to pad the cost — you’re going to be paying the full freight for the latest Galaxy.
That being said, if you’ve made the decision that this is the year you make the big jump, and you want to stick with Samsung, you’ll be extremely happy.
Read: Samsung Galaxy S7 review: The best of all worlds
Read: Samsung Galaxy S7 edge review: Bigger and better in almost every way
Upgrading from a non-Samsung 2015 flagship
If you’re using a top-end phone that was released in 2015, chances are you’re pretty happy with it. But if you’re someone who just has to upgrade to have the latest and greatest phone, you’re no doubt looking at a Galaxy S7.
If you’re using an LG G4, LG V10, HTC One M9, Nexus 6P, Moto X Pure Edition, OnePlus 2 or BlackBerry Priv, it’s going to be pretty costly to upgrade at this point, and with anywhere from just six to 12 months between the phone in your hand now and the Galaxy S7, there isn’t that much new — your current phone likely matches the GS7 and S7 edge in many areas.
For example, my comparison between the GS7 edge and Nexus 6P is a great look at just how close these phones are:
The Galaxy S7 edge is ahead in terms of screen quality, ease of handling with its smaller dimensions, camera experience, waterproofing and sheer number of features. The Nexus 6P absolutely offers a cleaner software experience with a proven path of updates, plus great front-facing speakers, a forward-looking USB-C port, arguably better fingerprint sensor implementation and a bigger screen that’s still great. This is basically a neck-and-neck race in terms of battery life, performance and daily use factors.
Setting aside the merits of the phones, price is also a major consideration. The Nexus 6P is available starting at $499 for 32GB of storage, whereas the Galaxy S7 edge starts at roughly $750 for the same storage capacity. Even the top-end Nexus 6P with 128GB of internal storage at $649 is a full $100 cheaper than Samsung’s latest.
Sure the Galaxy S7 has a wonderful camera and one of the best displays out there today, but in terms of features, performance, specs and most importantly daily use, it’s not far ahead of the still-fresh 2015 competition. If you’re walking into a store today with an older phone and choosing between these phones it’s a bit of a different story, but when you already own a 2015 flagship it’s less clear that you should upgrade right away.
Read: Galaxy S7 edge vs. Nexus 6P
Read: Camera showdown: Galaxy S7 versus the latest competition
Upgrading from a non-Samsung 2014 flagship
Much like the discussion of the upgrade path from a Galaxy S5, there are plenty of people out there with a flagship device from 2014 who are most definitely looking to make an upgrade. Pushing on two years since getting a new phone, chances are your contract or financing period is just about up, and that is often the signal that it’s time for something new.
Holding onto an LG G3, HTC One M8, Nexus 6, OnePlus One or Moto X 2nd Gen at this point you’re likely feeling like the newest in the mobile world is passing you by — and while the differences aren’t as stark as you’d expect they are notable. The Galaxy S7 and S7 edge are going to offer you a way better display, a new fingerprint sensor, better performance all around and a software experience built on Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Chances are your two-year-old phone doesn’t step up to the hardware quality of the GS7 either.
Again, the biggest thing here to consider is the cost. Your phone may have some sale or trade-in value, but it won’t make a dent in the $700+ price tag of the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. If you’re in the U.S. you’re going to be looking at financing through a carrier, most likely, which will definitely help lessen the up-front cost.
Read: Samsung Galaxy S7 review: The best of all worlds
Read: Samsung Galaxy S7 edge review: Bigger and better in almost every way
Where to buy the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge
You have all of the information available to you on which upgrades make the most sense, so now it just comes down to picking where to buy your Galaxy S7 or S7 edge. No matter where you live, we have you covered here:
Where to buy the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge in the U.S.
Where to buy the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge in Canada
Where to buy the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge in the UK
Where to buy the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge in India
Choosing whether to buy from a carrier or unlocked is a big decision, and a very personal one — then comes which store you choose to buy from, which again depends a lot on your own situation. But once you have the upgrade decision made, these are simple details — go forth and get your new phone!
Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge
- Galaxy S7 review
- Galaxy S7 edge review
- Here are all four Galaxy S7 colors
- Details on the Galaxy S7’s camera
- Learn about the Galaxy S7’s SD card slot
- Join our Galaxy S7 forums
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RCA’s new 55-inch 4K Android TV hits stores in June
RCA has announced a brand new 55-inch 4K Android TV set. The set features a refresh rate of 120GHz, as well as an upscale engine to enhance 1080p video. The TV, model XLD55G65RQ, will be available starting in June, with RCA also introducing 50 and 65-inch Android TVs.
In addition to the standard array of Android TV features, the new RCA set will come with built-in Bluetooth support, which lets you connect peripherals such as game controllers. The 50-inch model will retail for $499, with the 55-inch version costing $699, and the 60-inch costing $999. All three will come in a slim metal version, which will add $100 to the cost of the base model.
Press release:
RCA Unveils 4K UHD Android TV –
Now, Beautiful Apps and Video For All
Smart TV Hits Shelves in June at Walmart, Target, Sears, hhgregg, Brandsmart and Rent-a-Center among other Key Retailers
NEW YORK – APRIL 7, 2016 – RCA, the iconic brand and long-time symbol of American ingenuity, is providing attendees at Pepcom DigitalFocus @ NYC a first look at its new 55″ 4K UHD Android TV today. The new smart TV, model XLD55G65RQ, is now in production and will be available nationwide in June 2016.
With initial retail distribution in Walmart, Sears, hhgregg, Target, Brandsmart and Rent-a-Center, RCA’s RCA 55″ 4K Ultra HD 120Hz Android TV features stunning 4K video, an advanced upscaling engine to enhance lower resolution 1080p to near 4K quality, and full Android TV Smart functionality – with over 1200 of the leading apps, customized home screen, voice search, Google Cast from smart phone or tablet (iOS and Android), Android Gaming with Bluetooth capability, and full access to the Google Play Store to download hottest apps, music, movies, games and more.
“The RCA brand was built on TV, and that category continues to be a primary focus for the business. Smart TV, featuring full Android capability, truly addresses the future of TV viewing experiences, and offers it at a price point a wide range of consumers can afford,” said Marie-Josee Cantin Johnson, VP Licensing, Technicolor (owner of the RCA Trademark). “This new 4K UHD Android TV adds another opportunity for RCA to address retail demand for affordable innovation with a brand that consumers have long known and trusted.”
RCA’s Android TV will also be available in 50″ and 65″ models, as well as in both a standard slim line modern high-gloss black cabinet, and premium metal slim line version. Full product details are available here:http://bhipr.co/1M41O6q. MSRP: 50″ $499/$599 (premium design), 55″ $699/$799 (premium design) and 65″ $999/$1099 (premium design).
“We’re committed to delivering the value RCA is trusted for at a consumer-friendly cost, and we’re not going to cut corners on quality to do it,” said Patrick Deighan from Activeon, Inc., RCA’s US licensee for televisions. “RCA is building on decades of experience to provide an alternative to overpriced high-end brands, out of reach for averagefamily budgets.”
Enter here for a shot at winning one of two LG G5 and Spigen case bundles!
We’ve partnered with Spigen this week for a fantastic giveaway! This time we are going to have two winners, and each is taking home an LG G5 phone plus a bundle of new cases from Spigen. Keep reading for all the details!
The LG G5 is a powerhouse offering from LG that features not one — but two — rear cameras, a removable battery, expandable storage and is running Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Spigen already has several cases out to protect this new phone, in a variety ranging from simple snap on cases to a handy wallet case for keeping all your vitals with you. They also have a brand new program which gives you the opportunity to test out a new case in exchange for an honest review. It’s called the Super5tar Review Program and if you’re interested in joining you can fill out a quick application for consideration. Now on to the contest!
The Prize: Two super lucky Android Central readers will take home a brand new LG G5 and a bundle of Spigen cases for their new phone!
How to Enter: Head down to the widget at the bottom of this page. There are multiple ways to enter, each with varying point values. Complete all of the tasks for maximum entries and your best shot at winning! Due to sponsor restrictions, this giveaway is only open to our readers in the US. The giveaway is open until April 18th and winners will be announced on the blog shortly after the close date.
Please note that service is not included with the phone.
Good luck everybody!
Win an LG G5 and an assortment of Spigen’s latest cases!
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