Carrier or unlocked: Which Galaxy S8 should you buy?

There are advantages and disadvantages to buying an unlocked phone. Which do you prefer?

The battle rages on for one of the most important debates in recent memory (jk): Should you buy the carrier version or unlocked?

When the Galaxy S8 debuted earlier this year, it was available on every major U.S. carrier, including Verizon, Sprint, AT&T and T-Mobile. Specials, deals, and discounts were frequent: BOGO, trade-in, you name it. The carriers wanted in on one of the most important phones of the year, Android or otherwise.

But a couple months later, the exclusivity period was over: Samsung began selling an unlocked model of the GS8 on its website, remarking that unlike last year’s unlocked Galaxy S7, updates would be timely and in step with the carrier versions.

Now that the dust has settled, we want to know: should you buy a carrier or unlocked version?

On the one hand, carrier models have bloatware — we all know this — but they also contain code that optimizes the phones for their network. Things like Voice Over LTE or Voice Over Wi-Fi (VoLTE and VoWiFI, k?) aren’t always available on unlocked variants, whose software is optimized for all carriers and no carriers alike. There are also some impressive deals to be had when purchasing a carrier variant, since competition is so fierce. Many of the carrier models can be, or arrive, unlocked so they can be used on rival networks or overseas, but the unlocked models provide a more seamless experience as they’re designed to be SIM-and-play.

In the forums, JoshDunc wanted to know the same thing:

JoshDunc
07-23-2017 02:09 PM

“

I am curious who opted for the unlocked version or a carrier version and why? My S8+ was bought through AT&T mainly because I have had NIGHTMARES dealing with the phone manufacturers themselves.

Reply

He brings up a good point: when you buy a carrier phone, you’re also signing up to deal with the carrier itself, which can be a terrible experience depending on which one you go with. At the same time, being able to bring your phone to a physical store for warranty-based repairs almost anywhere in the country is a nice bonus that buying unlocked doesn’t provide.

bhatech brings up a good reason to go with the unlocked model: its lack of carrier branding. Carriers should act as “dumb pipes” without imposing their products and logos on buyers.

bhatech
07-23-2017 03:07 PM

“

I got the unlocked model, because I believe carriers are dumb pipes and I like my relation with them to pay for bandwidth and not for messing up with phone firmware, stick logos etc. I do know Samsung and LG US unlocked models get updates way slower than carrier models but still I bought the unlocked version because I don’t like carriers and their customized phones. That’s why I always buy non…

Reply

Another member, gernerttl, brings up some good points about buying directly from the carrier: convenience, earlier access to the phones, along with better update regularity.

gernerttl
07-24-2017 05:47 PM

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I went with carrier. First, I got my phone quicker. Second, the Verizon bloatware isn’t that bad and I can uninstall or deactivate most of it, and with 64GB internal memory, I still have plenty of space for apps. Third, I get all of the bells and whistles, like WiFi calling, video calling Advanced Calling (VoLTE), and relatively quick and RELIABLE updates. If my phone breaks, It’s easier to…

Reply

What’s your take? Do you go with the carrier model or stick to unlocked?

Join the conversation in the forums!

Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+

• Galaxy S8 and S8+ review!
• Galaxy S8 and S8+ specs
• Everything you need to know about the Galaxy S8’s cameras
• Get to know Samsung Bixby
• Join our Galaxy S8 forums

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Learn how to become a Master Photographer for only $34

Level up your photography skills with these courses!

There’s so much more to photography in 2017 than grabbing a point-and-shoot camera and snapping away. These days there are so many different techniques for composing and retouching your photography, and so many different camera styles to choose from. You could spend thousands of dollars attending a photography class, but who has the time or money for that?

That’s where this great deal from Android Central Digital Offers comes in! For a limited time, you can get the Learn to Become a Master Photographer 2017 Bundle for just $34. Regularly priced at over $1000, you’ll enjoy the deep discount offered here of 96% off.

The bundle includes eight courses that cover the following topics.

• Professional Retouching Course in Photoshop
• Mastering Advanced Color Grading in Photoshop
• Creative Photography Composition Masterclass 2017
• iPhone Selfie Portrait Photography
• Home Based Photography Studio Business
• Learn To Use Your DSLR Camera Like A Professional Photographer
• Landscape Photography
• Night Photography

Do you own a DSLR that’s collecting dust, looking to brush up on your skills, or even considering starting your own at-home photography studio? This bundle will help you achieve your photography goals and it’s all yours for life for only $34. Don’t miss out on this great deal!

See at Android Central Digital Offers!

Cool off your home screen with a dip in these ocean wallpapers

It’s summer; it’s hot, and can someone PLEASE take me to the beach?

It’s that time of year when the moment you leave the comfort and chill of your air conditioning you immediately start to sweat, if not flat-out melt. As a Texan, summer is the time of year that we all wonder what in blazes possessed our ancestors to settle in a state that sees such heat. It’s the beginning of August, meaning the delicious peaches of June are all gone and there’s no real escaping the heat. We’ll take any and every chance we can to cool down, and while these cool, oceanic wallpapers may not physically cool us off, they’ll help us think cool thoughts.

Let’s dive in.

The ocean is beautiful, beckoning, and deceptive. Beneath the steady, stoic waves lies a ruthless power and immense depth. Which makes it all the more fitting for the ‘Ocean Gem’ Lapis Lazuli from Steven Universe. Lapis is a stoic character, but when her emotions break the surface they are powerful, and they’re matched by a remarkably immense power. Lapis once stole the whole ocean to try and build a tower to space, and that was with her gem cracked. Lapis can also be an incredibly gentle gem, and I can just imagine her hanging out with all the ocean’s creatures and savoring their silent, steadfast company.

Whalessss by wispywaffle

You’ve all seen Trey Ratcliff’s works on your Chromecast before, and this summer he’s taken some beautiful shots during some jet-setting vacations around the world. This beach at Okinawa is something I may never reach myself, but as a wallpaper, I can just imagine running into the spray and soaking up the sun and the surf.

Repeat after me: I need a vacation… I need a vacation…

Okinawa Beach by Trey Ratcliff

The ocean’s currents are cool, bubbly, and the perfect reprieve from the summer heat. Image diving into these fantastical currents and just drifting along their cool, cooling waves. Let your troubles float away and let the ocean calm and comfort you. Find peace and relaxation each time you turn on your phone with this calming ocean wallpaper.

Fantasy Ocean Water Stock by CatStock

There’s something magical about a sunset anywhere you are, but that magic intensifies when that sunset happens by the ocean. Maybe it’s the way the light plays upon the waves, maybe it’s the rainbow of radiant colors splayed across the sea and sky, or maybe it’s the majestic beauty of day giving way to night. No matter where you are or what time it is, you can have the magic of the sunset on your home screen with this radiant wallpaper.

Sunset nature 35 by bouzid27

“We’ve got no troubles, life is the bubbles under the sea!”

Summer heat and exhaustion can make all of our problems seem bigger and more unmanageable, but by learning to let go and celebrate the good in your life, you can learn to stop dreaming of greener grass. Life is the bubbles, after all, and by learning to look on the brighter and bubblier side of life you can keep up your energy and keep the fun in your life. A wallpaper can serve as a friendly reminder to embrace the beauty in your life.

Or it can help get the song stuck in your head again. And again. And again.

Life is the Bubbles by Disney Family

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 specs: Bump to 6GB RAM, dual 12MP cameras, 3300mAh battery

Now we’re getting deep into the rumors.

Coming just a couple days after our first look at purported official renders of the Note 8, we now have a leak of what are expected to be the final specs of the upcoming phone. The leaks, as usual, come courtesy of @evleaks and generally confirm lots of earlier rumors and lots of expected bumps from the Galaxy S8+.

Let’s start off with the dimensions, which show that the 6.3-inch display on the Note 8 pushes it to 162.5 x 74.6 x 8.5 mm, which is only slightly larger than the Galaxy S8+ at 159.5 x 73.4 x 8.1 mm. The display comes in at the expected 2960×1440 resolution, or 18.5:9 aspect ratio, just like its predecessors earlier in the year.

Like a Galaxy S8+, with a little extra here and there.

Inside, we’re looking at the same processor strategy of an Exynos 8895 internationally or a Snapdragon 835 in the U.S. There’s a bump up to 6GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage with an SD card slot stays as-is. 3300mAh is the battery capacity, with the standard USB-C and wireless charging.

The dual cameras, which are likely to be a main selling point of the Note 8, are going to shape up like this: two 12MP sensors, with the “main” lens being a standard field of view with an f/1.7 aperture and the “telephoto” lens being f/2.4 with roughly 2x the zoom level of the main lens. The front camera seems like standard stuff with an 8MP sensor and f/1.7 lens.

Nothing here is unexpected, but as we’ve seen from the past couple years of flagship phones the line-item specs are hardly the most interesting part of the device. It’s all about what the phones do with those specs that get us excited. We’ll find out on August 23 when Samsung does its thing in NYC.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8

• Galaxy Note 8: Everything we know so far
• All Galaxy Note 8 news
• Should you buy the Galaxy S8+ or wait for the Note 8?
• The buttonless future of Samsung phones
• Join our Galaxy Note 8 forums

Best HTC Phones

HTC may be an underdog in the smartphone world, but it’s still making some of the best handsets on the market.

There are a lot of smartphones out there, and Taiwanese manufacturer HTC makes some of the best — even if it doesn’t sell anywhere near as many as the market leaders. Such is life.

New phones are always coming and going, and we get that it can be a little difficult to keep up with things. So this is our continuously updated list of the HTC phones that you need to be aware of. These are the phone’s we’re most likely to be writing about, and the ones you’re mostly likely to want to consider

HTC U11

The HTC U11 reinvents HTC’s design language with a bold new glass-backed chassis in a range of shimmering colors. And it’s the first smartphone to include Edge Sense, a new shortcut function that lets you squeeze the sides of the phone to jump quickly into the camera, take a photo, or launch your favorite personal assistant.

Aside from gimmicky new features, the U11 is a solid flagship phone with top-tier specs — Snapdragon 835, 4 or 6GB of RAM, 64 or 128GB of storage — and one of the best cameras we’ve seen on any phone. HTC’s new Ultrapixel shooter features always-on “HDR Boost” post-processing, similar to the Google Pixel’s HDR+ trickery.

Add to that HTC’s clean, near-stock Sense UI, and you’ve got one one of 2017’s sleeper hits — and at a price that’s not quite as painful as many other flagships.

More: Read our HTC U11 reviewSee at Amazon

HTC 10

In the spring of 2016 it brought forth the HTC 10, ditching the “M” designator (which really came from the codenames) and giving us a mastery of metal and glass. We’ve got a 5.5-inch QuadHD display, 3,000 mAh battery, and software that’s now more stock than not. For a lot of folks, this is the HTC phone of their dreams.

Add onto that a camera that’s mostly really good, with just a few rough spots. But certainly nothing as problematic as we’ve seen from HTC the past few years. And on top of that we’ve got some high-def audio.

The HTC 10 is now more than a year old, but it’s been updated to Android 7.0 Nougat, and is still worth a punt if you can find it at a lower price point.

More: Read our HTC 10 reviewSee at Amazon

Updated August 2017: We’ve updated this post to include the shiny new U11 and bump off some older models.

HTC U11

• HTC U11 review
• HTC U11 specs
• Manufacturing the U11: Behind the scenes
• Join our U11 forums
• HTC U11 vs Galaxy S8
• HTC U11 vs LG G6

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Yes, RED is actually making the Hydrogen One phone

Yes, it’s really going to happen.

Remember when camera maker RED seemingly randomly announced it was making a $1200 phone, the Hydrogen One, back in July? Yeah, it’s actually doing that for real. And to bring people up to speed, it handed a few prototypes to Marques Brownlee (A.K.A. MKBHD), one of the biggest RED fans out there, to show it’s the real deal.

So surprisingly, RED went from only showing a super dim, stealthy promotion render back in July to giving Marques a prototype that has a near-final hardware design. As expected, it’s big, bulky, and filled with a variety of robust materials across the back and sides. It’s bigger than a OnePlus 5 and iPhone 7 Plus, despite having just a 5.5-inch display — but all it takes is one glance at this thing to tell it isn’t even trying to be svelte.

Hey, at least we know it’s not complete vaporware.

Unfortunately, we don’t get to see the phone actually working, which is the big thing everyone is skeptical about. Marques was able to see it but not show it — including the crazy holographic display that RED is touting as the feature that will separate it from the industry. We also just get a little tease of one of the camera-focused modular attachments, which is the other core selling point of the phone.

We’re going to have to wait at least another month before RED can pull together the separate prototypes into something that’s both near-final in hardware and also fully operational. Maybe Marques will be able to give us another look at the Hydrogen One then.

Skype now lets you send money to friends via PayPal on Android

Skype has teamed with PayPal in hopes to be your go-to app for paying back friends.

Skype has added the ability to send money to your friends on Android and iOS as part of a new partnership with PayPal, the company announced today. Available in 22 countries at launch, the Send Money feature allows you to pay a friend from at any point from the conversation window.

Using the feature requires a bit of setup, but it seems pretty straightforward after that. The first time you try Send Money, you’ll be prompted to confirm your location, Skype explains. Once the app confirms the feature is available in your location, it will ask you to link you PayPal account to your Skype profile, at which point PayPal will take over and handle transferring the money.

While you’ll have to be on the latest version of the Skype mobile app to use Send Money, whoever is receiving the funds can be using any version of Skype.

The addition of PayPal integration arrives shortly after Microsoft debuted a completely overhauled design, complete with Snapchat-like features that seem designed to appeal to Millenial users.

If you want to check out Send Money, you can grab the latest version of the Skype mobile app from Google Play now. There’s no word on whether the feature will come to the universal Windows Skype app just yet.

Glittery iPhone cases recalled after reports of chemical burns

Smartphone cases are normally as harmless as can be, but that sadly isn’t always true. MixBin has recalled 263,000 iPhone cases after 24 reports of skin irritation and chemical burns when the cases broke, leaking glitter and liquid everywhere. And these aren’t obscure cases, either. They’ve been sold at retailers like Amazon, Nordstrom Rack, Tory Burch and Victoria’s Secret as recently as June, so there’s a real chance you picked one up.

If you have one of the cases, you can contact MixBin to get a refund.

This isn’t exactly a common occurrence when most cases are really just creatively-styled silicone or rubber, but it does suggest that elaborate cases aren’t always better. Ultimately, a case is meant to protect your phone against scratches and drops — it’s not doing its job if it poses a threat to you after your phone tumbles to the floor.

Via: Consumerist

Source: CPSC, MixBin

Vizio adds the streaming apps its new TVs were missing

One of the more unique features of Vizio’s smart TV lineup is that some models use an Android tablet to cast streaming services to the displays. That’s rather than having apps baked directly into the TVs themselves. It sounds fine on paper, but if the WiFi connection between each isn’t strong enough you’re going to see a lot of buffering. To remedy this, the TV manufacturer is rolling out an update for its 2017 models that adds apps directly to the displays themselves — no casting necessary.

In addition to the software update, you’re going to need some new hardware as well. Specifically, a new remote to take advantage of the streaming services. “Some owners who previously purchased eligible displays may need the new Vizio SmartCast remote, which features the V-button to provide one-button access to the SmartCast TV user interface, along with shortcut keys to top apps,” the company said in a statement.

Vizio said that you can get one of the wands free, or “for a nominal fee.” To check which camp you fall into, your best bet is inputting your TV’s serial number into this website and rolling the dice.

Once your 2017 M-series or P-series display has the patch, you’ll find a home screen with options for Amazon Video, Hulu, Netflix and others. It sounds a little like Roku’s interface. Later this summer, Vizio said that the budget-line E series will get the update as well.

Source: PR Newswire

What you need to know about Apple, VPNs and China

On July 29th, Apple began notifying VPN companies that their apps would shortly be pulled from the App Store in China. In a statement, ExpressVPN said that the move was “surprising and unfortunate” and that it was “disappointed in this development.” But is this a case of Apple essentially capitulating in a privacy and censorship fight with the Chinese government?

Earlier this year China’s MIIT announced that all developers offering VPNs must obtain a license from the government. We have been required to remove some VPN apps in China that do not meet the new regulations. These apps remain available in all other markets where they do business. — Apple statement

Apple’s customarily terse statement explains that the company is merely complying with rules laid down by China’s MIIT. It was little surprise either, since the country’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology laid down the restrictions in January. China has ruled, essentially, that offering the use of an unlicensed VPN is a crime and will remain so until March 31st, 2018.

In public remarks this week, CEO Tim Cook revealed that Apple wasn’t thrilled to have to comply with the order. He did add, however, that it would do its best to spread the gospel of the open and uncensored internet.

Why doesn’t China like VPNs?

The ruling Communist Party uses its extraordinary power to tightly control the information that citizens can access. The so-called Great Firewall of China restricts resources, communication tools and news material that offer narratives beyond the official one. Locals are unable to search for material relating to democracy and the grislier parts of Chinese history, like the Tiananmen Square Massacre.

China also chills free speech with a raft of stringent cybersecurity laws that forbid the use of anonymous accounts. Users must utilize their real name, and there are several related crimes you can be arrested for, including “damaging national unity” and “overthrowing the socialist system.” China has also arrested journalists for truthfully reporting on its slowing economy, claiming that they were lying to “disturb economic order.”

The screws are being tightened a little more of late because the Communist Party is having its five-year conference this fall. As a consequence, dissent is being quashed ahead of time in order to ensure a smooth event. Apple was asked to pull The New York Times from China’s App Store back in January, although the reason was never explicitly given.

But it’s not a ban?

Not quite, and the situation here is deliberately opaque and confusing as to avoid setting down any firm rules. China will allow businesses to use VPNs as long as the companies offering the services have a license to do so. As Forbes explained in January, state-controlled VPNs can be accessed, for a fee, by deep-pocketed companies like banks and law firms that need broader internet access. So VPNs are fine, as long as they’re registered and mostly used by companies for business.

China is looking to make it as difficult as possible for locals to do the same, and getting Apple to block apps is one lever at its disposal. Of course, desktop users — as well as those on platforms other than iOS — can still access VPNs should they have the use of one. In addition, if your iOS VPN app was purchased outside China, you can still use it, at least for now.

What has Apple done?

Essentially, it is merely doing what most sensible companies do: complying with the laws of the land where they do business. By cutting out unauthorized VPN apps in China, Apple is being a good citizen in a market that is crucial to its future success. As Tim Cook said during Apple’s most recent earnings call, “We would obviously rather not remove the apps, but like we do in other countries, we follow the law wherever we do business.”

Why is it a big deal?

Apple has drawn criticism from pro-democracy activists, like Joshua Wong Chi-fung, secretary general of Hong Kong political party Demosisto. On Twitter, he said that the company “values profit over human right,” while The New York Times’ Farhad Manjoo said the move set a “dangerous precedent.” Apple has also spent the past two years saying it respects its customers’ privacy more than other tech companies.

Apple values profit over human right since it removed VPN services from China app store because of the pressure from Beijing regulators. pic.twitter.com/LC68iLRLs4

— Joshua Wong Chi-fung (@joshuawongcf), July 31st, 2017

It was Apple, after all, that waged a very public war against both the US government and FBI in the wake of the San Bernardino attack. Apple refused to unlock an iPhone 5C used by one of the attackers, and Tim Cook publicly defended the decision in an open letter to customers. Eventually, the FBI withdrew its request and used an expensive third-party exploit to access the device.

But Apple’s self-styled role as the protector of its users’ privacy was now entrenched, and Cook went on to say that people have a “fundamental right to privacy.” The CEO also said that “the American people demand it, the constitution demands it and morality demands it.” Apple also boasted about the use of differential privacy to data-mine user information without infringing on Americans’ individual liberties.

Is Apple being hypocritical?

It would be easy to throw eggs at the company now that it is appearing to sell out against its well-advertised principles. But as powerful as it is, Apple must obey the law, and Daring Fireball also reported that Apple is not alone in complying with the VPN crackdown. Companies rarely wade too deeply into political waters, at least not directly, for fear of causing trouble. If we are to be disappointed in Apple, we should be disappointed with the circumstances as a whole.

Then there’s the fact that the situation here is vastly different from the one Apple found itself in post-San Bernardino. In that instance, the FBI had used arcane law to essentially force the company to rewrite iOS to make it less secure. If complied with, Apple would have been responsible for punching security holes in more than a billion of its customers’ devices. That would have opened up hundreds of millions of people to unwarranted governmental snooping, hacks and fraud.

Third-party VPN clients in an single country’s App Store is not the same battle, and it is not necessarily Apple’s battle to have at all. Other platforms exist, ones better-suited to using questionable methods to circumvent a censorship system few would say is good for people.

What does this all mean?

In the short term, not much, because it’s not as if China uses the Great Firewall just for the laughs. Those using VPNs to access the internet on their iPhones and iPads, however, will need to find alternative platforms. Perhaps people who were considering making the switch from a PC or Mac to a Pro-level iPad may think twice. There’s also the lingering question as to how much Apple can, or should, do to combat China’s policies.

During Apple’s most recent earnings call, Tim Cook said that Apple would obey the law of the land and would do so in the US if the law changed. But he added that his company believes in “engaging with governments, even when we disagree.” However, it’s hard to see how polite disagreement and soft power can sway a government that is determined to limit technology’s reach. With Russia now planning to go after VPNs, it’s a battle the company may have to fight on several fronts.