How to whiten teeth in Photoshop (and a Lightroom shortcut for quick fixes)

Nothing ruins a great expression faster than yellow teeth. Under the wrong light, even someone with a gorgeous, white smile can appear to have a bit of a yellow tint in a photograph. Thankfully, the fix isn’t too hard — and learning a few tricks on how to whiten teeth in Photoshop can get those toothpaste-ad worthy smiles in a matter of minutes.

Adobe Photoshop is traditionally the go-to software for corrections like teeth whitening, but the program’s younger sibling, Lightroom, actually has a pretty good built-in fix that’s even faster to use — and with the Creative Cloud, if you have Photoshop you also have Lightroom. We’ll go over how to whiten teeth in Photoshop with a method that can fix any set of teeth, then we’ll jump into the faster Lightroom fix that works on most smiles, so you can choose which method works best for the shot or your photo-editing workflow.

How to Whiten Teeth in Photoshop

Step 1: Create a Layer Group, then select the teeth

With your image open in Photoshop, start by creating a layer group that includes just the teeth. Click the folder icon in the Layers panel to create a new group.

Jozef Polc / 123RF / Edited in Photoshop

Then, go ahead and select all the visible teeth with one of the selection tools. We used Photoshop’s Select and Mask tool — added in a recent update — by going into Select > Select and Mask. Using the tools on the left and the brush size options on the top, select the teeth. Then, refine the selection using the “-“ tool at the top, and for a more natural looking selection, drag the feather option to the right a bit in the righthand toolbar. Click Okay and the mask will appear in the layers panel — if it doesn’t show up in the group you created, simply drag and drop it to that group folder.

Now, you’ve created a mask that includes just the teeth. Everything white in the mask will be included in whatever effects you apply to the layer mask, while anything black will be left out — so with the teeth white inside the layer mask, you can apply effects to only the teeth while leaving the rest of the image untouched.

If your teeth selection wasn’t quite perfect, you can refine by painting inside the masks with black and white paintbrushes — just make sure the mask is selected inside the layers panel by clicking the black and white box next to that group folder. For example, we selected a bit too much of the photo at first, applying some of the effects to the edge of the lip. To remove that area from my selection, we just painted over it with a black paintbrush inside the mask. You can always go back and refine the mask later — it’s often easier to see your selection errors once you’ve started applying the whitening affects.

Step 2: Create and adjust a Hue and Saturation Layer

With the teeth selected, it’s easy to make adjustments and remove the yellow hue without affecting the colors in the rest of the photograph by using adjustment layers. Start by creating a hue and saturation adjustment layer by heading up into Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation.

Inside the properties panel for that new Hue/Saturation adjustment layer, take and drag the saturation slider to the left. The key here is to stop before you see gray. If the teeth look gray, drag the slider back to the right a bit. To lighten up the teeth, drag the lightness slider to the right a bit as well.

Step 3: Refine with Levels

If your subject has teeth that are uniformly yellow, you can probably stop after step two and still get good results. The problem is that most teeth aren’t the same exact shade. Some spots may be yellower than others, or the teeth in the front might be whiter than the side teeth. So after step two, you’re left with mostly white teeth but a few spots that appear to be more gray than white. This next step fixes those issues and creates a more natural result.

Go to Layers > New Adjustment Layer > Curves. Since you created a group when you added the mask, the same mask will already be applied to that levels layer and you don’t have to re-select the teeth.

Inside the properties panel of the Curves layer, drag the mid-tones up about one graph point — this will look unnaturally white, but don’t worry, you will fix that shortly.

Now, click on the FX icon in the layers panel and select Blending Options. At the bottom of the pop-up window, you’ll see “Select if Gray.” On the slider labeled Underlying Layer, hold alt/option and click on the right arrow on the white side of that slider, then drag to the left until you get a more natural result — on our image, we had to drag pretty far over to the left to get the most natural look. This step only applies the lightening affect to the gray spots on the teeth, making the teeth more uniformly white.

That’s it! Before you call it good though, zoom in on the teeth at least to 100 percent. You may need to go pack and refine your mask a bit more. You can also go back into the adjustment layers and lessen or increase the effect if the look isn’t quite natural enough or isn’t quite white enough. That’s one of Photoshop layer mask’s strong suits — you can always go back and correct adjustment levels later if you don’t get it right the first time.

Confused? Aaron Nace of Phlearn has a video tutorial using a similar whitening technique.

How to Whiten Teeth in Lightroom

Photoshop gives you the most control over the teeth whitening process, but Lightroom has a control that still produces fairly good results, and is a bit faster — we prefer the Lightroom tool, but we will use Photoshop when Lightroom results aren’t quite there.

Inside the Develop module of Lightroom, click on the brush tool. Under Effect at the very top of the brush options, select Teeth Whitening from the drop down menu. Below that, you can select the appropriate brush size — we always check automask so the program will detect the edges automatically, although if the teeth are very uneven you may need to uncheck the automask and paint carefully. Now, just paint over the teeth with the brush.

If the teeth appear too white, you can drag the amount slider down to reduce the intensity of the effect. You can also customize the brush by tapping the arrow that appears right next to the effect drop-down menu and adjust the exposure and saturation levels.

Lightroom makes quick work of whitening teeth, while Photoshop offers a bit more finesse. There’s no wrong answer, but we’ve largely left the task up to Lightroom after discovering how easy it is to whiten teeth using the built-in tool.

With any beauty edits, always be cautious about over-doing it. Whiten teeth too much, and they’ll look fake. When in doubt, get a third opinion from a friend, especially before potentially offending whoever is in your photograph.

Using layer masks makes it easy to learn how to whiten teeth in Photoshop while being able to go back and fine-tune the effect. Lightroom’s built-in teeth-whitening brush, on the other hand, is a faster for quick fixes. Now, go edit a photo that would make any dentist proud — or learn how to edit hair, eyes or even oily skin.

Best Amazon Prime Day deals

Prime Day, Amazon’s huge yearly sales event, is finally upon us. The company’s ongoing battle to compete with other annual sales has largely been successful, with last year’s Prime Day becoming Amazon’s biggest retail day yet and netting more worldwide product sales than Black Friday. Prime Day deals include just about everything from home appliances to electronics, including Amazon’s own ever-growing lineup of gadgets and smart home devices, offering massive savings for Prime members to enjoy.

As there are thousands of products going on sale, we’ve hand-picked some of the best Prime Day deals available for this year’s event so you don’t have to spend hours scouring Amazon for the hottest discounts. Note that these deals will only last until the end of Tuesday, July 11, and are only available to Prime members. If you don’t have a Prime membership yet, now’s the perfect time to sign up and enjoy the benefits — including these exclusive limited-time sale prices.

Phones and Accessories

Whether your current phone is running ragged and you’re looking for a replacement or you just want to score a cheap and sturdy protective cover, we have you covered with these exclusive deals on mobile devices and accessories.

• 60 percent off Samsung Galaxy S8 VR bundle: This incredible deal nets you an unlocked Galaxy S8 smartphone, a wireless charging cradle, and a Gear VR headset for just $433 after a whopping 60-percent discount.
• 29 percent off Huawei Honor 8: Huawei’s budget-friendly smartphone is now even more affordable for Prime members, with a 29 percent discount bringing the Honor 8 down to just $320.
• 25 percent off select smartphone cases: Choose from an exclusive selection of cases for your iPhone or Samsung Galaxy device, all available for 25 percent off.

Home

It’s looking more and more like smart tech is going to be the future of household appliances, so if you’re aiming to start up a smart home ecosystem (or want to add to yours) then here are some great Prime Day deals. If you’re not yet convinced to jump on the smart home bandwagon, however, we’ve also thrown in something for you old-school homebodies out there.

• 30 percent off Amazon Echo Dot smart hub: The Echo Dot is the perfect hub for tying your smart home ecosystem together and can be yours for $35 after a 30 percent savings, 0r pick up the Echo for 89.99.
• 50 percent off TP-Link Smart Plug: A smart plug like this one lets you control your power usage right from your smartphone, even when you’re out of the house. The TP-Link Smart Plug is $20 after a 50-percent Prime Day discount.
• 20 percent off Philips Hue white and color smart bulb: The Hue A19 LED smart bulb creates custom mood lighting with millions of colors and shades to choose from. A 20 percent discount brings this smart light down to just $40.
• 24 percent off Black+Decker cordless hand vac: Clean those hard-to-reach places with the compact Black+Decker CHV1410L cordless lithium hand vac, just $46 after a 24-percent discount.

Computers and Gaming

Sales events like this are the perfect chance to score big-ticket items like computers. If you missed last year’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales (or don’t want to wait for the big holiday discounts happening later this year), then now is your chance to score with these Prime Day deals on some of our own favorite laptops and PC accessories.

• 18 percent off Asus Zenbook: The Asus Zenbook is one of our favorite laptops available on the market today, and can be yours for just $630 after a Prime Day savings of 18 percent.
• 25 percent off HyperX Cloud Revolver gaming headset: Another one of our favorites, the HyperX Cloud Revolver is the only headset a gamer needs. A 25 percent discount brings the price down to $90.
• 11 percent off MSI GTX 1050 gaming laptop: MSI makes some killer gaming laptops, many of which are surprisingly affordable. The GL62M 7RD-265 is now even more budget-friendly after a 11 percent savings brings it down to $799.
• 22 percent off Corsair Glaive gaming mouse: Bring your PC gaming to the next level with the Corsair Glaive. This top-rated gaming mouse is available to Prime members for $55 after a 22-percent discount.
• 12 percent off Acer Aspire E 15 laptop: The Acer Aspire E 15 is the reigning champ of budget laptops, and a 12-percent Prime Day savings knocks the price even further down to a low $310.
• 38 percent off DualShock Wireless PS4 Controller: With a built-in speaker and stereo headset jack, this wireless controller puts audio in the user’s hands. A 38 percent discount drops the price as low as  $40.

Portable Tech

Amazon is offering plenty of discounts on travel-friendly gadgets, from Bluetooth accessories to ebook readers, to keep you occupied on the go. If you’re a Prime member, enjoy deep discounts on some portable electronics that no techie should leave home without.

• 51 percent off Sony Extra Bass wireless headphones: The latest model of Sony’s highly rated Extra Bass Bluetooth headphones can be yours at a huge 51 percent discount which knocks the price down to a low $98.
• 38 percent off Amazon Tap Bluetooth speaker: The Amazon Tap is a unique Bluetooth speaker with its 360-degree output that fills the room with sound. A 38 percent Prime Day discount brings the Amazon Tap speaker down to $80.
• 36 percent off Garmin Fenix 3 HR smartwatch: The Garmin Fenix is one of our all-time favorites, and a 36-percent savings means you can score this excellent smartwatch for just $353.
• 33 percent off Kindle ebook reader: When it comes to ereaders, you can’t beat a classic: The excellent Kindle ebook reader is now just $60 after a 33-percent discount for Prime members.

Kitchen

Home chefs out there know that you can always use some extra help in the kitchen, and although it may not give you another set of hands, modern tech can certainly make things easier and greatly reduce prep time. Here are a few Prime Day deals on kitchen gear to help you level up your cooking skills.

• 35 percent off Anova Sous Vide precision cooker: This Wi-Fi-enabled smart precision cooker gives you professional-grade sous vide right in your home kitchen. A 35-percent discount brings the Anova sous vide precision cooker down to $99.
• 42 percent off Ninja Professional Blender: Shark Ninja is a household name in the world of blenders, and the Ninja BL660 Professional can be yours for just $70 after a 42-percent Prime Day savings.
• 31 percent off Instant Pot programmable pressure cooker: This versatile 7-in-1 programmable slow cooker from Instant Pot is a must-have for any home chef. You can add it to your arsenal for just $90 after a 31-percent discount.
• 30 percent off Ninja Coffee Bar: The Ninja CF080Z Coffee Bar does it all, from creamy lattes to summer-friendly iced drinks. Coffee-heads can snag the Coffee Bar for just $126 following a 30-percent discount.

More Prime Day Deals

• Amazon Echo Streaming Hub Flash Sale: $90 Off for Prime Day
• The Best Amazon Prime Day Smart Home and Kitchen Deals
• 3 Screaming Prime Day TV Deals That Can Save You up to $502
• The Best Amazon Prime Day Kindle and Fire Tablet Deals

Looking for more great tech deals? Check out our deals page for our ongoing Prime Day coverage and to score some more savings on our favorite gadgets.

Prime Day deals will only last until 11:59 p.m. PT on July 11, or until the product is sold out. Prices reflect the discount at time of posting but are subject to change. We will be be continually updating this page as we receive new information.

Best Amazon Prime Day deals

Prime Day, Amazon’s huge yearly sales event, is finally upon us. The company’s ongoing battle to compete with other annual sales has largely been successful, with last year’s Prime Day becoming Amazon’s biggest retail day yet and netting more worldwide product sales than Black Friday. Prime Day deals include just about everything from home appliances to electronics, including Amazon’s own ever-growing lineup of gadgets and smart home devices, offering massive savings for Prime members to enjoy.

As there are thousands of products going on sale, we’ve hand-picked some of the best Prime Day deals available for this year’s event so you don’t have to spend hours scouring Amazon for the hottest discounts. Note that these deals will only last until the end of Tuesday, July 11, and are only available to Prime members. If you don’t have a Prime membership yet, now’s the perfect time to sign up and enjoy the benefits — including these exclusive limited-time sale prices.

Phones and Accessories

Whether your current phone is running ragged and you’re looking for a replacement or you just want to score a cheap and sturdy protective cover, we have you covered with these exclusive deals on mobile devices and accessories.

• 60 percent off Samsung Galaxy S8 VR bundle: This incredible deal nets you an unlocked Galaxy S8 smartphone, a wireless charging cradle, and a Gear VR headset for just $433 after a whopping 60-percent discount.
• 29 percent off Huawei Honor 8: Huawei’s budget-friendly smartphone is now even more affordable for Prime members, with a 29 percent discount bringing the Honor 8 down to just $320.
• 25 percent off select smartphone cases: Choose from an exclusive selection of cases for your iPhone or Samsung Galaxy device, all available for 25 percent off.

Home

It’s looking more and more like smart tech is going to be the future of household appliances, so if you’re aiming to start up a smart home ecosystem (or want to add to yours) then here are some great Prime Day deals. If you’re not yet convinced to jump on the smart home bandwagon, however, we’ve also thrown in something for you old-school homebodies out there.

• 30 percent off Amazon Echo Dot smart hub: The Echo Dot is the perfect hub for tying your smart home ecosystem together and can be yours for $35 after a 30 percent savings, 0r pick up the Echo for 89.99.
• 50 percent off TP-Link Smart Plug: A smart plug like this one lets you control your power usage right from your smartphone, even when you’re out of the house. The TP-Link Smart Plug is $20 after a 50-percent Prime Day discount.
• 20 percent off Philips Hue white and color smart bulb: The Hue A19 LED smart bulb creates custom mood lighting with millions of colors and shades to choose from. A 20 percent discount brings this smart light down to just $40.
• 24 percent off Black+Decker cordless hand vac: Clean those hard-to-reach places with the compact Black+Decker CHV1410L cordless lithium hand vac, just $46 after a 24-percent discount.

Computers and Gaming

Sales events like this are the perfect chance to score big-ticket items like computers. If you missed last year’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales (or don’t want to wait for the big holiday discounts happening later this year), then now is your chance to score with these Prime Day deals on some of our own favorite laptops and PC accessories.

• 18 percent off Asus Zenbook: The Asus Zenbook is one of our favorite laptops available on the market today, and can be yours for just $630 after a Prime Day savings of 18 percent.
• 25 percent off HyperX Cloud Revolver gaming headset: Another one of our favorites, the HyperX Cloud Revolver is the only headset a gamer needs. A 25 percent discount brings the price down to $90.
• 11 percent off MSI GTX 1050 gaming laptop: MSI makes some killer gaming laptops, many of which are surprisingly affordable. The GL62M 7RD-265 is now even more budget-friendly after a 11 percent savings brings it down to $799.
• 22 percent off Corsair Glaive gaming mouse: Bring your PC gaming to the next level with the Corsair Glaive. This top-rated gaming mouse is available to Prime members for $55 after a 22-percent discount.
• 12 percent off Acer Aspire E 15 laptop: The Acer Aspire E 15 is the reigning champ of budget laptops, and a 12-percent Prime Day savings knocks the price even further down to a low $310.
• 38 percent off DualShock Wireless PS4 Controller: With a built-in speaker and stereo headset jack, this wireless controller puts audio in the user’s hands. A 38 percent discount drops the price as low as  $40.

Portable Tech

Amazon is offering plenty of discounts on travel-friendly gadgets, from Bluetooth accessories to ebook readers, to keep you occupied on the go. If you’re a Prime member, enjoy deep discounts on some portable electronics that no techie should leave home without.

• 51 percent off Sony Extra Bass wireless headphones: The latest model of Sony’s highly rated Extra Bass Bluetooth headphones can be yours at a huge 51 percent discount which knocks the price down to a low $98.
• 38 percent off Amazon Tap Bluetooth speaker: The Amazon Tap is a unique Bluetooth speaker with its 360-degree output that fills the room with sound. A 38 percent Prime Day discount brings the Amazon Tap speaker down to $80.
• 36 percent off Garmin Fenix 3 HR smartwatch: The Garmin Fenix is one of our all-time favorites, and a 36-percent savings means you can score this excellent smartwatch for just $353.
• 33 percent off Kindle ebook reader: When it comes to ereaders, you can’t beat a classic: The excellent Kindle ebook reader is now just $60 after a 33-percent discount for Prime members.

Kitchen

Home chefs out there know that you can always use some extra help in the kitchen, and although it may not give you another set of hands, modern tech can certainly make things easier and greatly reduce prep time. Here are a few Prime Day deals on kitchen gear to help you level up your cooking skills.

• 35 percent off Anova Sous Vide precision cooker: This Wi-Fi-enabled smart precision cooker gives you professional-grade sous vide right in your home kitchen. A 35-percent discount brings the Anova sous vide precision cooker down to $99.
• 42 percent off Ninja Professional Blender: Shark Ninja is a household name in the world of blenders, and the Ninja BL660 Professional can be yours for just $70 after a 42-percent Prime Day savings.
• 31 percent off Instant Pot programmable pressure cooker: This versatile 7-in-1 programmable slow cooker from Instant Pot is a must-have for any home chef. You can add it to your arsenal for just $90 after a 31-percent discount.
• 30 percent off Ninja Coffee Bar: The Ninja CF080Z Coffee Bar does it all, from creamy lattes to summer-friendly iced drinks. Coffee-heads can snag the Coffee Bar for just $126 following a 30-percent discount.

More Prime Day Deals

• Amazon Echo Streaming Hub Flash Sale: $90 Off for Prime Day
• The Best Amazon Prime Day Smart Home and Kitchen Deals
• 3 Screaming Prime Day TV Deals That Can Save You up to $502
• The Best Amazon Prime Day Kindle and Fire Tablet Deals

Looking for more great tech deals? Check out our deals page for our ongoing Prime Day coverage and to score some more savings on our favorite gadgets.

Prime Day deals will only last until 11:59 p.m. PT on July 11, or until the product is sold out. Prices reflect the discount at time of posting but are subject to change. We will be be continually updating this page as we receive new information.

Google Home now on sale for $99, second-gen Chromecast just $25

Solid savings on what is still a super hot smart home addition.

Google is making another big promo push with the Google Home, knocking its price down to just $99 (from $129) at a few different retailers. The immediate $30 discount is available at Best Buy, Verizon and the Google Store, and likely elsewhere as well.

For those who are looking to grab a Google Pixel, the Google Store is also currently running a deal to give you a Google Home completely free with purchase of the phone. Just add both the phone and a Home to your cart, and the discount for the Home will be automatically applied. That’s pretty sweet.

To add to the fun and give your Home a nice companion on the TV, Google has also discounted the second-gen Chromecast and Chromecast Audio by $10 across retailers as well, dropping the price to $25 each. That’s absolutely an impulse buy kind of price, and a great way to link up TVs and speakers that don’t yet have one.

So, who’s buying a nicely discounted Google Home now? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

See at Best BuySee at Verizon

Google Hardware

• Google Wifi review
• Google Home review
• Everything you need to know about the Chromecast Ultra
• Chromecast vs Chromecast Ultra: Which should you buy?

Google Wifi:

Google
Amazon

Google Home:

Google
Best Buy

Chromecast Ultra:

Google
Best Buy

Verizon offering Google Pixel for just $360, Pixel XL for $480 with unlimited plan

If you’re OK with the fine print, this is a solid deal.

Google Pixel deals aren’t a regular occurrence thanks to its limited retail availability, but Verizon is running a pretty great deal for both the Pixel and Pixel XL right now so long as you’re willing to play by its fine print. The deal, as advertised, will get you a standard Pixel for just $360 or a Pixel XL for $480 — that’s $290 off in either case.

But here’s the fine print: the deal is only available for those who have, or are willing to switch to, a Verizon “Unlimited” plan. You also have to pay for the phone on its financing plan over the course of 24 months in order to get the full discount — as is often the case, you pay for the full MSRP of the phone monthly, and are refunded equal installments over the two years to get $290 back.

If you’re happy on your limited plan (or it’s price) but still want to get a Pixel or Pixel XL, Verizon is actually still offering a discount, though it’s much smaller. With any non-unlimited plan, but still financing over 24 months, you’ll get a Pixel for $460 or Pixel XL for $580 — honestly, still a really good deal for what is still a desirable phone today.

See Pixel at VerizonSee Pixel XL at Verizon

Getting the $190-290 savings may not be worth being locked into Verizon for two years, but for those who know they’re going to be with the carrier for a while anyway should seriously consider this deal.

Google Pixel + Pixel XL

• Google Pixel and Pixel XL review
• Google Pixel XL review: A U.S. perspective
• Google Pixel FAQ: Should you upgrade?
• Pixel + Pixel XL specs
• Understanding Android 7.1 Nougat
• Join the discussion in the forums!

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The NVIDIA Shield Android TV is $20 off at Amazon right now

Get a nice discount on the best Android TV experience around.

Amazon UK gave us a bit of foreshadowing with its £20 discount on the Shield Android TV earlier today, but now we have an equivalent $20 discount on the Android TV box over in the U.S. The $20 discount is exclusive to those with Amazon Prime memberships for Prime Day, and is applied for both the standard (regularly) $199 Shield Android TV and the “Pro” model with its 500GB hard drive.

Though $199 feels like a steep price for a set top box when others are available for closer to $100, we can definitely say that the Shield Android TV is worth the price. Not only does it offer the best performance on any Android TV box, but it also has plenty of extra features like 4K output and considerable gaming chops.

If you’re unsure which model to buy, you’re probably going to be best served by the cheaper — but still fully capable — standard model. If you think there’s a chance you could be convinced to drop the extra $100 on the Pro model, be sure to read our comparison of the two before buying. We’re not sure how long the $20 discount will last, but we wouldn’t wait too long.

See at Amazon

NVIDIA Shield Android TV

• Read our Shield Android TV review
• The latest Shield Android TV news
• Shield vs. Shield Pro: Which should I buy?
• Join the forum discussion
• Complete Shield Android TV specs

Amazon

The best Prime Day discounts on Amazon’s Fire tablets

Amazon’s Fire tablets continue to improve each year, and the prices allow for them to be an excellent purchase option for many people. Amazon has dropped the prices on these already-affordable tablets, so don’t miss out. Whether you prefer the 7 or 8-inch display or even want the Kids Edition for your children, they are almost all discounted right now. With access to tons of apps, media, and more, you can’t go wrong with having one of these around.

• Save $20 on the all-new Fire HD 7 – $29.99
• Save $30 on the all-new Fire HD 8 – $49.99
• Save $40 on the Fire HD Kids Edition – $69.99

The internal storage on these is a bit low and fills up pretty quickly, but luckily you can easily add a microSD card and gain additional storage in just a few seconds.

The best Prime Day discounts on Alexa-powered devices

Amazon’s Alexa-powered products, like the Echo, Tap, and Echo Dot continue to get smarter each week, and if you haven’t already picked one up, right now the time to do it. If you already have an Echo in one room, these prices may convince you to put it in another, or pick one up for the office, your friends, or just because. The ease of being able to issue voice commands to remind yourself of things in the future, turn off the lights, or have music played for you is seriously awesome.

• Amazon Echo – $89.99 (Normally $179.99)
• Amazon Tap – $79.99 (Normally $129.99)
• Amazon Echo Dot – $34.99 (Normally $49.99)

These deals are only scheduled to last for a few hours, while supplies last. If you are looking to pick one up, you’ll want to be quick about it!

See at Amazon

Have you had trouble with the $200 Galaxy S8 trade-in deal?

Earlier this summer, Samsung offered a $200 trade-in deal with the Galaxy S8. But it turns out not everything was as clear-cut as it appeared.

Back in May, Samsung started selling an unlocked version of the Galaxy S8 and S8+ on its e-commerce portal, and with it offered $200 towards the phone with a valid trade-in. The beauty of the deal was that Samsung didn’t (at least not on the surface) put a limit on what phones could be considered for the trade-in; any device, as long as it was in good working order, would be valid.

See at Samsung

But soon after the program began, and people started shipping their older phones to Samsung, they received rejection emails telling them that phones they thought would be eligible for the program weren’t, and they would be charged $175 and wouldn’t get the traded phone back — even phones deemed ineligible for the program are worth $25.

msp1518
07-02-2017 02:34 PM

“

This deserves its own thread. I am really stunned that they could be so incredibly stupid. Yeah, some people would try to take advantage of the 200 trade in offer on the S8’s and some did. Loudly so. But rejecting phones that actually do qualify is a bad bad move.

People who sent in good condition, working iPhone 4’s, Galaxy S6’s, Note 5’s ,etc. were rejected and then charged $175. Some…

Reply

The issue mainly stems, according to people in our forum and on Reddit, from the inconsistent application of Samsung’s trade-in terms and conditions, which states that all units submitted to the program must be of good working order, and must have a functioning display, no cracks or breaks, not be on a carrier blacklist, not have any reactivation locks, and must have clean, factory-reset software.

These things all seem obvious, but some people have received emails that stated their seemingly “good working order” phones were ineligible for the deal, and because Samsung has the last word on the decision (and keeps the phones) many users have been frustrated by the opaqueness of the proposition (which is now over, for what it’s worth).

Some, however, have fared better:

clownin72
07-03-2017 06:39 AM

“

I did this promo about 3 weeks ago on the at&t variant and was really skeptical about it. After reading everywhere and a chat with Samsung support I sent in an old old HTC phone. Got an email last week saying it was accepted. I guess I was a lucky one.

Reply

Many people decided, perhaps justifiably, to sit the deal out, despite its tantalizing proposition:

trucksmoveamerica#AC
07-02-2017 06:30 PM

“

I stated in another post that this is a disaster in the making, I was told that any phone is OK so it won’t be an issue.

I stand by my initial post, this has disaster written all over it, anything that involves Samsung directly is a disaster coming. I won’t deal with Samsung directly ever again, the last $99 promo for the S8 sucked, I got my promo, but it was a rough ride and a lot got…

Reply

What about you? Have you experienced a problem with this deal?

Join the conversation in the forums!

LG Q6 launches as affordable mid-range sibling of the G6

LG’s ready to round out the lineup with some G6 style.

After a handful of rumors pointing to a “Lite” or “Mini” version of the LG G6 launching, LG has announced the new device as the LG Q6. The whole goal of the Q6 is to offer many of the design traits and features of the G6 at a lower price, hoping to capitalize on what has clearly been a successful flagship launch for LG.

The LG Q6 offers the same style of “FullVision” 18:9 display as the G6 with small bezels to carry on the flagship phone’s looks. It’s slightly smaller at 5.5-inches diagonally and has bumped down to 2160×1080 resolution — an expected drop for a phone landing beneath the LG G6. The metal frame is still made out of 7000 series aluminum to be particularly robust and LG says it’s still subjected to “demanding” battery tests.

Capitalizing on the G6’s style while cutting back on the specs.

Internally, things are run by a Snapdragon 435 processor, and there’s a 3000mAh battery to coincide with its smaller overall size. The overall capabilities expectedly take a step back as well, with the Wi-Fi maxing out at 802.11 n and the Bluetooth at 4.2 — obviously considerable drops from the LG G6’s specs. LG moved to a single 13MP camera on the back, but left a 100-degree wide 5MP camera on the front.

But of course because we’re talking about LG, the Q6 is actually a “family” of devices subdivided into the LG Q6+, Q6 and Q6α (that’d be “alpha” to you and me). Each one offers a different level of specs in the same body, hoping to hit an even wider potential market with the “same” phone.

The Q6+ has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, actually matching the G6 (or beating it, in some regions), the main Q6 has 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage and the Q6α has 2GB of RAM and 16GB storage. The colors available on each model also slightly differ, with each one getting a different color option in addition to black and platinum.

LG will start selling the Q6 family in “key markets” throughout Asia in August, followed by an expansion to Europe, Latin America and North America thereafter. Specifics on which Q6 model will hit each area isn’t yet known, along with pricing — considering the specs, we can expect something pretty competitive.

LG G6

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Press release:

LG Q6 BRINGS FULLVISION DISPLAY TO NEW SMARTPHONE LINEUP

LG’s Newest Q Series Brings the Essential Features of LG’s Premium Devices and Elegant Design to a Mid-Range Portfolio

SEOUL, July 11, 2017 ― LG (Electronics) today announced that the LG Q6, part of its new Q series, will be the first smartphone to offer the FullVision display following the LG G6. The Q series offers many of LG’s most sought-out premium features at a competitive price.

LG’s Q series is the company’s latest line of powerful, mid-range smartphones boasting the essential features of LG premium phones at exceptional price points. As the first in the Q series to be announced, the LG Q6 features some of the most desired innovations from LG’s premium G6 smartphone and packages them in a sleek, stunning body highlighted by its FullVision display with minimized bezels. The Q6 family consists of the Q6+, Q6 and Q6α. The three variants cater to different user groups in terms of memory and storage: the Q6+ comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of ROM, the base Q6 delivers 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage and the most affordably-priced Q6α comes with 2GB RAM and 16GB of ROM.

At a time when minimized bezels are an emerging trend in premium smartphones, the Q6 is the first smartphone in the mid-price category to bring this feature to the masses. The unique 5.5-inch FHD+ FullVision display in the LG Q6 with its 18:9 aspect ratio makes video browsing, gaming and multi-tasking more immersive. The smartphone’s “bezel-less” form factor was designed to maximize the screen while still preventing accidental touching of the screen when being held.

And the LG Q6 looks good with its minimalist and sleek design. With no unsightly camera bump and sleek appearance, the Q6 features attractive curves with rounded corners of the body matching the corners of the display. Packaged in a stylish metallic frame, the Q6 manages to be both lightweight and sturdy for a more durable day-to-day usage experience.

And not only does the Q6 look good, it is extremely easy to use. Benefiting from ergonomic research during the development of the LG G6, the Q6 is also comfortable to hold and use with one hand. In another nod to user convenience, LG’s proprietary Face Recognition feature allows owners to unlock the Q6 faster and with less hassle than other facial recognition technologies currently available.

As expected, the LG Q6 carries on LG’s heritage of excellence in optics. The smartphone incorporates a 100-degree wide angle selfie camera that allows shutterbugs to include a large group of friends and family in the shot without effort. The camera’s improved LG UX 6.0 takes full advantage of the 18:9 aspect ratio of the FullVision display. Square Camera Mode makes it easy to “share your squares” or create photo collages using multiple square images.

The LG Q6 is also quite durable. The metal frame surrounding the Q6 is constructed of ultra-strong 7000 series aluminum, one of the highest strength aluminum alloys available and used extensively in industries such as aerospace. The device is subjected to LG’s demanding regimen of over 20 battery tests which include heat, penetration and shock, conditions more stringent than international testing protocols.

“The LG Q6 is a blend of premium features, great performance and attractive pricing, a combination that is extremely important to us as we look at the way consumers are using smartphones around the world,” said Juno Cho, president of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “The Q series is our way of getting the superb experiences with the essence of the LG’s premium line-ups to more consumers’ hands and pockets.”

The LG G6 will go on sale in key markets in Asia starting next month to be followed by availability in Europe, Latin America and North America onward.