Best Buy to close down all 250 of its U.S. mobile phone stores

Best Buy is closing all 250 of its U.S. mobile-phone stores by the end of May, 2018.

Despite predictions of growth in the smartphone market for this year after a lackluster 2017, the company has decided that the phone-focused stores provide little value to its broader business.

The 250 outlets are mostly located in shopping malls and are much smaller than its 1,000 big-box retail stores, which the company said will continue to sell handsets. The closures shouldn’t prove too inconvenient for most Best Buy shoppers as 85 percent of the phone stores are reportedly within three miles of one of its big-box sites.

For affected employees, however, the situation is far more troubling, though the company is promising to help with job searches before the stores close down.

In a letter to employees this week that’s been seen by Reuters, Best Buy chief executive Hubert Joly said that in the 10-plus years since the company opened the first of its smaller stores, “the mobile phone business has matured, margins have compressed, and the cost of operations in our mobile stand-alone stores is higher than in our big-box stores.”

With additional pressure coming from online marketplaces, Best Buy has worked to enhance its own online store in recent years in a bid to compete. Free shipping, price matching offers, and try-before-you-buy schemes have also been part of efforts to attract more customers.

When sales of phones and computers at Best Buy fell at the end of 2015, Joly pinned the blame on manufacturers for failing to bring exciting new devices to the market, which meant customers were reluctant to upgrade.

This year, however, analysts at IDC are forecasting market growth, though admittedly it’s developing markets that could see much of that extra business. IDC said changes and development in software and components will likely drive sales in the mobile marketplace in 2018.

“Improvements in speed, power, battery life, and general performance will be critical in driving growth at a worldwide level as the smartphone evolves into a true all-in-one tool,” IDC research manager Anthony Scarsella said.

Other data from Statista suggests the number of smartphone users in the U.S. will continue to grow in the coming years, with Best Buy believing its big-box stores are best placed to pick up some of that extra business in place of its struggling mobile-only stores.

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Planet Computers Gemini hands-on review

Research Center:
Planet Computers Gemini

There is something happening in the mobile industry. Companies are noticing there is an audience for nostalgic, retro-themed devices. HMD Global has leveraged the Nokia brand to great effect with its Nokia 3310 and 8110 4G phones, and BlackBerry is exploiting the desire to standout from the crowd by combining strong hardware with the same desirable core values that originally built the brand. The latest to follow the trend is Planet Computers’ Gemini, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) which drags a style popularized by Psion and Ericsson in the ‘90s into 2018.

The trouble is, 2018 isn’t utterly convinced the PDA wants to come back at all.

Here’s the good stuff. It’s a well-engineered piece of tech made by a team with a lengthy history in the mobile industry, a clear love of the PDA design, an understanding of what makes a good one, and the kind of geeky appeal many will adore. It’s also wonderfully tactile. Magnets keep the clamshell closed, and it pulls open with a satisfying mechanical click, then locks in to place reliably and at a perfect viewing angle. Visually at this point, we love the look of the keyboard, and it’s possible — with practice — to type with two thumbs, or using two fingers when the Gemini sits on a desk.

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

But while the keys have a satisfying motion, we found them difficult to press when trying to touch type quickly, as they tended to get “caught” on the downward travel. This slowed us down, and forced a more precise two-finger typing motion. Perhaps, with practice, this would change; but learning new muscle memory for alternative keyboards takes time, and we’re not sure everyone will want to persevere. Why? Because of modern smartphones.

Old tech, new problems

PDAs are tech-from-yesteryear. The Gemini itself is inspired by an unreleased Psion PDA, ditched after the company left the hardware world behind. When you take your smartphone out of your pocket, you see notifications on the screen, can react and interact with them, and quickly access many key features. To do the same on the Gemini, you have to open the device up. A notification light is built into the case, but isn’t active in the software yet. It’s an extra step a great many people have never dealt with; no, it doesn’t take much time, but we live in a world where every second counts.

The trouble is, 2018 isn’t utterly convinced the PDA wants to come back at all.

Then there’s the software. It’s based on Android 7.1 with a few alterations added by Planet Computers, including a Windows-style menu bar with shortcuts to apps. What was wrong with using the app icons on Android as usual, we’re not sure. Planet is also building a version of the classic Psion calendar app, and the database app. These were the pinnacle of mobile computing at the time, but not any more. Psion-inspired or not, there are plenty of calendar and database apps out there already.

On the positive side, the 18:9 aspect ratio, 5.99-inch screen is large and high-res enough — it’s 2,160 x 1,080 pixel — to run apps side-by-side. The Gemini is also capable of dual-booting to another operating system, including versions of Linux, Jolla’s Sailfish, and Ubuntu. We saw them running and while they did look good, this feature has limited appeal. Planet Computers also sells a plug-in hub with an Ethernet port, USB ports, and more. The Gemini itself has two USB Type-C ports, so it can be charged and plugged into an external monitor, for example, at the same time.

Add-on camera

Finally, the Gemini doesn’t have an external camera. It has a 5-megapixel selfie cam, but nothing on the outside of the device. Unless you buy a $50 add-on kit, pry the metal case apart and slide in the camera module yourself. Cameras are a smartphone essential, and making it an optional accessory is a bizarre decision. Plus, even with it fitted we return to the same problem that plagues the notifications — you have to open the phone to frame a picture on the screen.

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

All this said, there’s clearly considerable demand for the Gemini, as it reached nearly $2 million in its recent Indiegogo campaign. The first examples are shipping out now, and backers will be pleased with the overall hardware. The specifications are decent, with a deca-core MediaTek processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage space, a MicroSD card slot, and a big 4,220mAh battery.

Planet Computers Gemini Compared To

Motorola Photon Q 4G LTE

Motorola Atrix 2

HTC Rezound

Motorola Droid Razr

HTC Amaze 4G

T-Mobile Sidekick 4G

T-Mobile MyTouch 4G Slide

Samsung Infuse 4G

HTC Inspire 4G

Motorola Atrix 4G

Samsung Epic 4G

Motorola Devour

Samsung Moment

Motorola Cliq

T-Mobile G1

There are two versions available — a $500 Wi-Fi only Gemini, and a $600 4G LTE version that operates on GSM and CDMA networks. Outside of the dedicated few who miss the PDA, and can’t deal with a compact notebook, a tablet, or even a netbook, the appeal of the 4G LTE Gemini will be limited. The Wi-Fi only model is more intriguing, and pairing it with a new feature phone like the Nokia 8110 4G may be just what you need to complete your retro hipster look.

Vivo Apex hands-on review

Research Center:
Vivo Apex

Vivo made a splash at CES 2018 with its in-display fingerprint sensor, the first operational version on a production-ready phone we’d seen, and it’s back at Mobile World Congress with the Vivo Apex — a concept phone featuring technology we could see on future devices from the company. We should stress that the Apex isn’t about to hit shelves, so if you like what you see and want to go and buy one, it’s not possible.

Immersive display, protruding camera

When you first see the Apex, it’s the size of the screen and apparent complete lack of bezels that hits you. If Xiaomi revisited the original Mi Mix in 2018, this is what it would look like. It has an astonishing 98 percent screen-to-body ratio, way beyond any other phone we’ve seen so far. The bezels around the 5.99-inch screen are just 1.8mm thick, while the chin extends just 4.3mm. They’re almost impossible to spot around the sides. This gives the Apex a wonderful in-hand experience — you’re completely immersed in whatever is on screen, and video looks especially impressive. It also has the modern 18:9 aspect ratio, and a decent 2,160 x 1,080 pixel resolution.

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

The Apex phone is the perfect size. It fitted in our palm precisely, and didn’t require too much stretching to use one-handed. However, the software was a highly customized version of Android with some successful tweaks — like flicking up open apps to close them from the pull-up menu bar — and some less so, such as the iOS-esque notification shade. But the software wasn’t the focus, and when you hold the great-looking, Apex everything else gets forgiven.

The monstrous screen means many essential components usually around it have been misplaced, which has opened the door for Vivo to express its creativity, and show off some more clever tech. A new speaker system that Vivo calls Screen SoundCasting turns the entire 6-inch display into a sound-conducting panel, replacing the usual speaker in the top bezel. Hold it against your ear and sound comes through the front panel clearly.

When you hold the great-looking Apex, everything else gets forgiven.

We listened to some test calls and the audio quality was great, considerably more realistic and natural than the system used on the original Mi Mix, for example. The voices had more depth, less harsh treble, and sounded excellent. Vivo says Screen SoundCasting is energy efficient and minimizes sound leakage, increasing privacy, too. Positioning doesn’t matter here, and listening through the top part or the bottom part of the screen only produced slight volume changes.

The ambient light sensor has been relocated to the top of the device, and the proximity sensor is under the screen; but where is the selfie camera? Open the camera app and tap the selfie cam button, and out of the top of the phone rises an 8-megapixel camera, ready to capture your photo. You’ll definitely be smiling, as it’s just so much fun to watch. Press the selfie button again, and it retracts back inside the Apex. Although it only takes 0.8-seconds to appear, it does feel a little long, and we’d rather it popped up instantly, though this could ruin the visual impact. Additionally, we’re always worried about snapping protruding parts off in an accident, and would hate that to happen here.

Under-glass fingerprint sensor

Finally, we come to the under-glass fingerprint sensor. On the Apex, Vivo has introduced a half-screen sensor, which means you aren’t limited to a single spot to touch when unlocking the phone. Because more screen real estate is available, you can use two fingerprints at the same time to unlock the device, and they don’t even have to be from the same person. This could be helpful when securing individual apps — a banking app, perhaps — but rather inconvenient for the device itself.

Vivo Apex Compared To

Asus Zenfone 5

LG V30S ThinQ

Alcatel 5 Series

Google Pixel 2

LG V30

HTC U11

Nokia 8

Moto Z2 Play

Huawei Ascend Mate 2

Samsung Galaxy S5 Active

Motorola Droid Razr HD

Sony Xperia P

Motorola Droid Bionic

Motorola Photon 4G

T-Mobile myTouch 3G

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

While we love the additional space, the system was very much a work in progress. Registering our print was quick and easy, but getting the phone to recognize it was considerably more difficult. We needed multiple tries, and it was nowhere near ready for general use. Vivo isn’t positioning the Apex as a production-ready phone, so it’s not much of a problem, but it is evidence of how difficult it is to implement an in-display fingerprint sensor. Vivo isn’t working with Synaptics on the Apex, unlike the sensor fitted to the Vivo X20 Plus UD.

It has an astonishing 98 percent screen-to-body ratio.

The lack of polish on the fingerprint sensor didn’t dull our excitement about the phone. The screen alone makes it worthy of attention, and the cute, slickly-implemented selfie cam makes it fun and gives it even more flair. Vivo continues to be a company unafraid of not just pushing smartphone tech forward, but showing it off too. Rarely do we get a chance to see these concept devices, which are often displayed internally before being adapted, diluted, and released in a different state. The Vivo Apex gives us an enjoyable look at how Vivo’s innovating.

The official word from Vivo is some, or none of the technology here may arrive in a future phone. It hasn’t been decided. We’d be surprised if we didn’t see the stunning screen used on a production device, with a refined version of the selfie camera sometime in the future — they’re too good not to release. The fingerprint sensor is a work-in-progress, and hopefully the next iteration we try will be better. The Vivo Apex is a cracking, tantalizing, playful smartphone that may be the shape of things to come.

5G is coming — here’s what to expect, and when to expect it on your carrier

Mobile 5G, which is short for “fifth generation,” is about as nascent and nebulous a term as they come. The organization that governs cellular standards, 3GPP, released its first formal standard, Release 15, in December 2017. Chipmakers are starting to create 5G hardware. So we’ll see 5G capability in mobile devices any day now, right? Mmmm …  not so fast.

Carriers including Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and others are testing 5G in cities around the country, and equipment vendors like Nokia, Qualcomm, and Intel are producing 5G prototypes that’ll eventually make their into smartphones, tablets, laptops, and more. Still, each carrier has its own plan on exactly how, and when, they will roll out 5G.

To figure out what it’ll mean for the devices we use every day, we asked experts in the industry their take on 5G.

What is 5G?

5G is best understood in terms of its predecessors — 2G, 3G, and 4G. With the debut of 2G in the early ’90s, wireless phone technology expanded from a voice-based technology to one that supported text messaging. 3G carried data in addition to text messages and phone calls, and 4G LTE (Long-term Evolution) enhanced those capabilities with greater speeds and greater reliability.

5G brings about more improvements, but it’s also comprised of a suite of new technologies. Not every vendor agrees on what should be included in the final specifications, but the most popular contenders are small cells; millimeter waves; massive Multiple-input Multiple-output (MIMO); beamforming; and full duplex.

Small cells are miniature cell phone towers that can be placed in inconspicuous places like light poles and the roofs of buildings. They don’t require as much power as full-sized towers, and perform better when clustered together.

Small cells transmit data using millimeter waves, which get their name from their narrower-than average wavelength. They occupy frequencies in the 30-300GHz range — high enough to avoid interference from surrounding signals, but too high to pass through physical barriers. In some cases, the leaves of trees are enough to interrupt a download.

Millimeter waves have limitations, but they’re a good fit for MIMO — a wireless system that uses multiple radios to send and receive data simultaneously. The 4G LTE networks of today support a maximum of eight transmitters and four receivers, but 5G cell towers can theoretically support dozens.

More radios mean more interference, though, and that’s where beamforming comes in. At its most basic, beamforming uses algorithms to choreograph wireless signals’ movements and increase their strength by focusing them in a beam.

A 5G technology called full duplex helps boost the signal even further. Most current-gen cell towers and phones can’t transmit and receive data at the same time, but full duplex phones can route incoming and outgoing signals simultaneously, potentially doubling bandwidth.

5G in the real world

If preliminary tests are any indication, 5G will be fast. Really fast. The ITU’s latest draft specification calls for a minimum of 20Gbps downlink and 10Gbps uplink per mobile base station.

In wireless scenarios, that capacity will be split between all users on a cell tower. But carriers like AT&T still expect 5G to deliver impressive speed improvements. At the Brooklyn 5G Summit in New York, Dove Wolter, assistant vice president of radio technology and architecture at AT&T, said engineers had achieved speeds of up to 6 Gbps at the company’s test site in Austin, Texas. That’s fast enough to download a 100GB 4K movie in two and a half minutes.

In many ways, it’ll seem more like Wi-Fi than a cellular technology.

The 5G draft spec also calls for extremely low latency (the amount of time it takes for data to be stored or retrieved). The ITU defines 5G as transfer with a minimum of 5ms (down from 4G LTE’s 20ms), a potential boon for video chat apps and multiplayer video games.

But 5G won’t provide nearly as much coverage as 4G LTE, or even 3G. In many ways, it’ll seem more like Wi-Fi than a cellular technology. Instead of beaming connectivity from tall cell towers, 5G transmitters will be positioned a closer to the ground. This requires a lot of ground coverage hardware to insure you’ll actually have a reliable signal.

Because 5G’s high frequencies have correspondingly low wavelengths, they have difficulty penetrating solid objects like walls, windows, and even trees. The near-term result may be “pockets” of 5G deployed in heavily trafficked areas — think public parks, coffee shops, and airports. You’ll also see fixed 5G start making its way into businesses with 5G pucks that should start making their way to select markets in late 2018.

Since each carrier has a different 5G ethos, it’s likely we’ll see some different use scenarios. For example, smaller test cities may have 5G only in densely populated areas like convention centers and city centers, while there may be significantly more coverage in larger cities like New York and Los Angeles.

Jason Elliot, director of marketing and corporate affairs at Nokia, framed it in terms of city planning.

“[Operators] will have to be careful about how they plan,” he said. “If you look at a top-down map of Manhattan, you’ll see that the avenues generally have no trees, unlike the streets. If a carrier were to deploy 5G there, you’d probably get worse reception in the streets.”

5G hot spots will vary drastically in size, from a “sports stadium” to “entire neighborhoods.” Unsurprisingly, some areas perform better than others. “You’ll have faster and lower-latency ‘hotter spots’ within the hot spots.” Elliot said.

Those shortcomings will be enough to discourage carriers from doing away with 4G LTE anytime soon. The carriers we spoke with at 2018 Mobile World Congress all said they all see 4G LTE service as an important part overall network coverage because true 5G is not necessary in many use cases.

For that reason, El-Kadi expects 4G LTE to advance alongside 5G. Sprint is collaborating with Ericsson on gigabit 4G LTE connectivity, and T-Mobile said portions of its existing network reach gigabit speeds.

Home broadband

In many cases, you will see fixed 5G service in your home before it makes its way to your cell phone. Executives with Verizon and AT&T told us these fixed 5G networks would complement, not replace, wired home broadband networks.

Carriers including AT&T and Verizon have been testing fixed 5G wireless in small markets for more than a year.

The focus on home — or “fixed” —  5G service partially has to do with equipment footprint, El-Kadi said. Chip makers like Intel and Qualcomm, both unveiled “5G-ready” modems in early 2017, and we may start seeing these 5G pucks in selected markets later in 2018.

“Fixed wireless is going to be easier to get done in a short timeframe,” El-Kadi said. “Battery life, processing, and other problems present a challenge.”

It won’t be cheap, and the carriers we spoke to would not provide any type of details on pricing however, more than one major carrier told Digital Trends they don’t expect to see a significant price hike for 5G services. However one of the executives did suggest we will see the return of tiered data plans for 5G services.

5G applications

5G’s speed and reduced latency has the potential to transform entire industries.

Cars

Connected cars are a key growth driver. Futurists predict that the self-driving vehicles of the future will exchange cloud management info, sensor data, and multimedia content with one another over low-latency networks. According to ABI Research, 67 million automotive 5G vehicle subscriptions will be active, three million of which will be low latency connections mainly deployed in autonomous cars.

IoT

According to Asha Keddy, general manager of mobile standards for advance tech at Intel, 5G will be the first network designed with the Internet of Things (IoT) in mind.

“These next-generation networks and standards will need to solve a more complex challenge of combining communications and computing together,” Keddy told Quartz in an interview ahead of the 2017 Mobile World Congress. “With 5G, we’ll see computing capabilities getting fused with communications everywhere, so trillions of things like wearable devices don’t have to worry about computing power because network can do any processing needed.”

Keddy envisions smartwatches and tablets that use location- and context-aware sensors to share data with someone on your calendar, and save energy while delivering location-based services. Eventually, everything from wearables to internet-connected things such as washing machines, smart meters, traffic cameras, and even trees with tiny sensors could be connected.

“There will be an underlay network with computing and communications, so not everything needs to go through backhaul because lots of capabilities will be available close to where [they’re] needed,” he said. “Even wireless charging will be integrated to help keep devices running.”

Virtual reality and augmented reality

5G could bring about advances in virtual reality and streaming video. Sprint recently demonstrated streaming wireless VR at the Copa America soccer tournament, and Huawei showed a demo of 360-degree video streamed live from a 5G network.

Cloud-powered apps

Remote storage and web apps stand to benefit from 5G. “The cloud becomes an infinite extension of your phone’s storage,” El-Kadi said. “You never have to worry about running out of photo space.”

In addition to additional phone storage, you may see a significant difference in mobile hardware design overall. With 5G many of the computing tasks completed on your device can be moved to the network. Since the devices will not require the same computing capabilities, we may see so called “dummy phones”with minimal hardware using the network to complete tasks. The transfer of power from device to network also means that your cellphone may have greater longevity as it will not necessarily require incremental hardware improvements to keep pace.

How long will we have to wait?

While most carriers were initially promising a wide-spread roll out of 5G in 2020, they’ve become a little more reserved over the last year. Here’s what we learned from each carrier at Mobile World Congress 2018

Verizon

It’s no secret that Verizon wants to be the first to implement fixed and mobile 5G. The company has been working for years to update its architecture to support 5G service, and we should start seeing the results of that work in the near future.

Nicki Palmer, Verizon’s chief network engineering officer and head of wireless networks for Verizon, told Digital Trends that we will likely see fixed 5G rolling out to select markets in late 2018. As for mobile 5G, Palmer would not provide a timeline for implementation, but she did say the carrier is hard at work improving its architecture and wants to be the first to provide reliable true 5G mobile service.

AT&T

AT&T promised to build out a true, standards-based, mobile 5G internet in 2018. The carrier has committed to rolling out the network in a dozen cities over the year with Atlanta, Dallas, and Waco, Texas, being the first cities to see the service. While it’s a pretty impressive claim, there’s one catch: The carrier will use mmWave for the service, rolling out to additional spectrum bands in the future.

The 5G system will also not be stand-alone: LTE will serve as the backbone for the system, with 5G picking up when you’re close to one of the carrier’s transmitters. Since AT&T 5G is rolling out on mmWave, it’s likely you’ll see small pockets of 5G service close to ground transmitters instead of widely available as is 4G LTE.

T-Mobile

At Mobile World Congress, T-Mobile’s chief technology officer Neville Ray announced that 5G service would roll out to 30 major cities including New York, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas in 2018. Like AT&T, the T-Mobile 5G network will piggyback off it’s robust LTE spectrum, kicking in when you’re within range of a transmitter. Realistically, you should see limited 5G service in these markets starting in 2019 when 5G-capable smartphones are introduced.

Sprint

In February 2018, Sprint, the only carrier not to travel to Mobile World Congress, announced it would roll out 5G in Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., in 2019. Since the company is using Massive MIMO antennas to deliver 5G, it’s promising that customers in these markets should begin seeing massive speed increases in April 2018, even while using 4G devices.

Like the other carriers, Sprint will use LTE as the network backbone with 5G picking up in areas with coverage. While Sprint expects to roll out its service to these six markets in 2019 as 5G capable devices come to market, the company promises a national rollout in 2019.

Updated on March 1: Added carrier updates based on our interviews at MWC 2018.

Editors’ Recommendations

• These 19 companies will offer 5G devices by 2019. Where’s Apple?
• Sprint announces it will commit to 5G coverage by 2019
• Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X24 will likely be its last LTE modem
• 5G to reach a billion people by 2023, with VR and AR firing up development
• AT&T names first three cities chosen to receive 5G networks by the end of 2018

Love the notch? Check out these five weird and wonderful iPhone X clones

Remember all the hubbub around the “ugly” notch on the iPhone X just a few months ago? Well, it looks like some Android smartphone makers got a case of notch envy. At this year’s Mobile World Congress we saw a range of iPhone X clones ranging from awesome to absolutely awful. Here’s a few of our favorites.

Asus Zenfone 5

There’s no question that the new Asus Zenfone 5 is an absolutely stunning device. It features a gorgeous 6.2-inch IPS display and a pretty capable dual-camera setup. But let’s be honest, it looks a whole lot like the iPhone X on steroids.

And no, it’s not just the top notch (that Asus wants you to know is 26 percent smaller than the iPhone X); you’ll also find the placement of the rear-camera lenses to look quite familiar.

While the Zenfone 5 has a lot in common with the iPhone X when it comes to design, it comes in at several hundred dollars cheaper than the Apple flagship.

Leagoo S9/S9 Plus

Can’t decide between the Samsung Galaxy S9 or the iPhone X? Well, Leagoo may have the answer. The S9 sports Apple’s now-iconic top notch, as well as well as the name of Samsung’s newest flagship. Coming in at $150, it’s way cheaper than either of the phones from which it draws inspiration.

While the Leagoo S9 and S9 Plus does pack in 4GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, and a dual-pixel camera, you’re never going to mistake this phone for a flagship. We did a brief hands-on with the phone and it was incredibly buggy and slow. To be fair, it is running what we hope is preproduction software, but there was still incredible lag between app changes.

Noa N10

First introduced at Mobile World Congress, the Noa N10 looks an awful lot like the iPhone X. For its price, $350, it packs some pretty nice specs. The N10 has a dual-camera, 64GB of onboard storage (with MicroSD slot), and 4GB of RAM. It will ship with Android 8.0 Oreo.

While it sounds like a pretty attractive phone for the price, we didn’t have a chance to test it out; Noa representatives were fiercely protective of the phone and kept it under a plexi-glass display throughout the show. The N10 will be available in April or June, according to two different Noa representatives.

Vinci 6205

We’re not entirely sure you’ll ever see the Vinci 6205 in stores. It appears to be more of a concept phone marketed by a Chinese OEM device manufacturer. The phone should ship with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, though a representative told us we could easily upgrade RAM for $10 a gig. It also features a facial authentication system called FaceID, of course.

We were unable to get exact pricing on the 6205, but one representative told us $120 while another said $340. The device may ship in June.

Ulephone T2 Pro

At first glance, the Ulephone T2 Plus is quite beautiful. Definitely derivative of the iPhone X, it comes in more color options and has a slightly chunkier bottom bezel.

The T2 Plus features a Helio P70 processor with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. It also features a dual-camera setup with 21- and 13-megapixel cameras, and a front-facing camera that can unlock the phone.

While it looks pretty good at first glance, we definitely found some issues. We were told the model we looked at was basically ready to ship with the exception of a camera bug that caused a continuous bootloop, but once we tried to actually use the phone, Android apps like Gmail and Chrome immediately crashed. There was also issues with the power button, so it was nearly impossible to turn it on once the screen turned off.

The Ulephone T2 Plus should ship in July. A Ulephone representative assured us the device would be available in the United States if you’re inclined to give it a try. It comes in at $380, which is about $600 less than the iPhone X.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Asus Zenfone 5 hands-on review
• The Moto X5 will feature an iPhone X-like notch, according to new leak
• Samsung Galaxy S9 vs. Apple iPhone X: Heavyweight smartphone clash
• Here’s how you can get your hands on the iPhone X
• 10 best protective iPhone cases to defend against dirt, dings, and drops

Xperia XZ1 vs. Xperia XZ2: Sony’s new phone looks great, but can it compete?

Sony has turned a new page in its smartphone history. The company has finally taken the wraps off its latest and greatest smartphone, the Xperia XZ2. The phone features an all-new Sony design, top-of-the-line hardware under the hood, and some awesome camera features that we’ve come to expect from a flagship Sony smartphone.

But just because there’s a new Sony flagship, that doesn’t mean we should forget entirely about the previous Xperia XZ1. How do the two phones compare? We put them head to head to find out.

Specs

Sony Xperia XZ1

Sony Xperia XZ2

Size
148 x 73.4 x 7.4 mm (5.83 x 2.89 x 0.29 inches)
153 x 72 x 11.1 mm (6.02 x 2.83 x 0.44 inches)

Weight
5.47 ounces (155 grams)
6.98 ounces (198 grams)

Screen
5.2-inch IPS LCD
5.7-inch Triluminous LCD

Resolution
1920 x 1080 pixels (424ppi)
2,160 x 1,080 pixels

OS
Android 8.0 Oreo
Android 8.0 Oreo

Storage
64GB
64GB

SD Card Slot
Yes
Yes

NFC support
Yes
Yes

Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845

RAM
4GB
4GB

Connectivity
GSM/HSPA/LTE
GSM/HSPA/LTE

Camera
Front 13MP, rear 19MP
Front 5MP, rear 19MP

Video
4K @ 30 fps, 1,080p @ 60 fps, 720p @ 960 fps
4K @ 30 fps, 1,080p @ up to 960 fps

Bluetooth
Yes, version 5.0
Yes, version 5.0

Fingerprint sensor
Yes (Not in U.S.)
Yes

Other sensors
Accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity, barometer, compass
Accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity, barometer, compass

Water resistant
Yes, IP68
Yes, IP68

Battery
2,700mAh
3,180mAh

Charger
USB Type-C
USB Type-C

Quick charging
Yes
Yes

Wireless charging
No
Yes

Marketplace
Google Play Store
Google Play Store

Color offerings
Black, Warm Silver, Venus Pink, Moonlit Blue
Liquid Black, Liquid Silver, Deep Green, Ash Pink

Availability
Amazon
Late spring 2018

Pricing
$500
Coming soon

DT review
3 out of 5
Hands-on

Both of these phones feature some pretty top-tier specs, though the Xperia XZ1’s specs are slightly dated compared to the new new Xperia XZ2. For example, while the XZ1 features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, the XZ2 boasts the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845. Both phones offer 4GB of RAM, along with 64GB of storage — and they both offer a MicroSD card slot to expand upon that storage.

It’s pretty clear who the winner is, but that may not matter to everyone. The Snapdragon 835 is still an excellent chipset — it’s just not quite as good as the Snapdragon 845.

Winner: Sony Xperia XZ2

Design and display

Sony has long been criticized for its angular phones with sharper corners, but it looks like the company is finally changing that with the Xperia XZ2. The phone does look somewhat similar to previous Sony phones, but it features more rounded corners and an overall much more modern look. The device is covered largely in Gorilla Glass 5, which is partly why it offers wireless charging. On the back, you’ll find a fingerprint sensor and large camera sensor.

The Xperia XZ1 features Sony’s older design style, with sharper corners. We’re not huge fans of the look of the phone — though obviously how it looks doesn’t necessarily impact how it performs. On the back of the phone you’ll find a camera sensor, which is found in the top left-hand corner, and that’s about it.

Both phones offer some durability features too. They both boast IP68 water-resistance, but the XZ1 is largely built from metal, while the XZ2 features glass. In other words, the XZ1 may be a little more durable than the newer device.

When it comes to the display, the Xperia XZ1 features a 5.2-inch LCD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. The Xperia XZ2 changes things a bit with an aspect ratio of 18:9, but the resolution hasn’t changed all that much. Because of the changed aspect ratio, the resolution sits in at 2160 x 1080 pixels, and, since the display is larger, the pixel density is a little lower on the XZ2.

Still, the Xperia XZ2 simply looks better, and we like the 18:9 aspect ratio. It’s the clear winner here.

Winner: Sony Xperia XZ2

Camera

Christian de Looper/Digital Trends

Sony always tries to put top-tier cameras in its phones, though often it ends up developing cameras with lots of bells and whistles — but that lack a little in image quality.

Let’s start with raw specs. On the Xperia XZ1, you can expect a 19-megapixel rear-facing camera with an aperture of f/2.0, electronic image stabilization, predictive phase detection, and laser autofocus. The Xperia XZ2 also features a very similar sounding 19-megapixel sensor. One difference, however, is that the newer device can capture 1,080p video at 960 frames per second — while the older device can only capture 720p footage at 960 frames. The trade-off is that the newer phone can only record at such a high framerate for three seconds, compared to the XZ1’s six seconds in 720p.

On the front, the new camera has a 5-megapixel sensor, while the XZ1 has a 13-megapixel sensor on the front.

Until we get some time to test the XZ2 out in the wild and compare, we’ll call this a tie.

Winner: Tie

Battery life and charging

Christian de Looper/Digital Trends

The battery in the XZ1 comes in at 2,700mAh, while the newer XZ2 offers a 3,180mAh battery. Because of the larger display, it’s possible that the larger battery won’t necessarily equate to a longer battery life. Still, it is nice to see — and means that it should at least last a similar amount of time.

Both phones feature a USB-C port, and they both offer Quick Charge, so you’ll be able to juice your phones up nice and quickly. There’s one feature that the Xperia XZ2 offers that the Xperia XZ1 does not: Wireless charging.

Between the wireless charging and the extra battery capacity, we’re awarding this one to the Xperia XZ2.

Winner: Sony Xperia XZ2

Software

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Both the Xperia XZ2 and the Xperia XZ1 feature Android, and the XZ1 has been updated to Android 8.0 — so for now, they should offer a very similar experience. Still, that doesn’t mean that they always will — the XZ2 will likely be supported by Sony for longer, so it’ll be updated to a later version of Android than the XZ1 will. We don’t know that for sure — Sony hasn’t announced how long it intends to support either phone, but we think it’s a pretty safe assumption to make.

Sony has been working to improve the software it offers on its phones, while distinguishing it from other Android devices. The software is generally smooth, though there are some tweaks that die-hard Android fans may not appreciate.

Winner: Tie

Price and availability

The Sony Xperia XZ1 has been available for some time now, and as such it’s not too hard to get for yourself. The device is available, for example, straight from Amazon for a little under $500, which isn’t bad at all.

The Xperia XZ2, on the other hand, isn’t available just yet. Sony says it’ll be releasing the phone to the public in “late spring,” but it hasn’t disclosed the price of the phone.

Still, we can assume that it’ll be more expensive than the Xperia XZ1. Because of that, and the fact that the Xperia XZ1 is currently far more available, it’s the winner.

Winner: Sony Xperia XZ1

Overall winner: Sony Xperia XZ2

Did you think old would beat new? The Sony Xperia XZ2 not only offers improved specs and new features like wireless charging, but it also boasts a seriously improved design style, which we hope Sony continues to refine and tweak. The Sony Xperia XZ2 is clearly the way to go if you’re torn between these two phones.

Report finds millennials want to use cryptocurrency in their favorite games

A recent report published by Worldwide Asset Exchange states that millennials want to see cryptocurrencies become a normal part of gaming. The report stems from 1,000 gamers located in North America that have already purchased, sold, and traded virtual items online at least once.  

According to the report, 75 percent of the 1,000 gamers surveyed want to exchange virtual goods into currency they can use to buy and sell items on other platforms. Two-thirds of those surveyed want more opportunities to use cryptocurrency within popular gaming networks, such as Xbox Live and Sony’s PlayStation Network. 

The survey found that 80 percent of the millennial participants are interested in using cryptocurrency to make transactions within their favorite games. A larger 87 percent have never even attempted to use digital coins in games and online gaming networks. For those that have bought, sold, and traded virtual goods, 64 percent of those gamers feel the process needs major improvement. 

“The virtual gaming items market is plagued by high fees and exchange rates, rampant fraud, inefficient intermediaries and slow transaction times — issues that could be solved by the widespread adoption of cryptocurrency,” the company says.  

Based on the survey, 55 percent already own some form of cryptocurrency. Meanwhile, a recent London Block Exchange Report claims that a mere five percent of the entire millennial population owns cryptocurrency. That seems to indicate millennial gamers will likely purchase, sell, and trade digital currency more so than the non-gamer millennials. One in three millennials is expected to own cryptocurrency by the end of 2018. 

Finally, millennials interested in using cryptocurrency within games rate ease of use as the biggest lure followed by the platform’s heightened security and low exchange rates.  

Right now, many games offer their own currency to buy digital goods in exchange for real-world cash. For instance, by investing in Silver for Destiny 2, you can purchase cosmetic items such as weapon ornaments, emotes, armor shaders, and so on. In The Elder Scrolls Online, gamers purchase Crowns to buy virtual goods like pets, houses, mounts, and even additional content. 

On a network level, Microsoft had a virtual currency system for Xbox Live for years, called Microsoft Points or Xbox Live Points, but retired its virtual coins for real-world cash/credit in August 2013. But there is a good chance both Microsoft and Sony could jump on the cryptocurrency bandwagon given the rising popularity of digital coin investments. 

What is missing from the equation is a digital currency for use within any game. “The global nature of the online gaming community coupled with the tech-savviness of the millennial generation means the adoption rate of cryptocurrencies within gaming should only increase with time,” Worldwide Asset eXchange states. 

Worldwide Asset Exchange (WAX) provides a global, decentralized marketplace for virtual goods. Customers can sell any virtual asset on their marketplace in return for WAX Tokens that can be exchanged for cryptocurrency. The platform relies on a blockchain providing a real-time catalog of items.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Go ahead, pass laws. They can’t kill bitcoin, even if they try
• Cryptocurrency not an ideal long-term investment, warns Ethereum co-founder
• Ripple’s XRP saw the strongest growth of any cryptocurrency in 2017
• The best bitcoin alternatives
• How to trade bitcoin for other cryptocurrencies

Cringe along as we turn ourselves into Samsung AR Emojis

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Samsung’s latest Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus let you turn yourself into emojis with augmented reality, or as Samsung calls them, AR Emojis. Since it debuted on February 25 at Mobile World Congress 2018, AR Emojis haven’t received the most positive coverage — largely because they just don’t look great, and the results seem hardly accurate.

The Digital Trends Mobile team at MWC decided to test Samsung’s “Create My Emoji” feature, to see what it thinks we look like. For this exercise, we did not customize the AR Emojis, only adding glasses for people wearing them. Take a look:

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

Andy Boxall, senior writer

I’m not bald. I’m not over-furnished in the hair department, but at the very least I want my emojis to make me feel good about myself, and this is the problem. Emojis are supposed to be fun, cute, and playful. Samsung’s AR Emoji’s run those aspects through the corporate grinder to come up with a safe, board-approved end result, in an app that doesn’t have the software prowess to properly realize. Yes, I can edit chromedome in the picture above, but because I hate it from the very first second, I’m not motivated to do so.

Brenda Stolyar/Digital Trends

Brenda Stolyar/Digital Trends

Brenda Stolyar, staff writer

While my AR Emoji doesn’t capture exactly what I look like, I wouldn’t want it to anyway. The fact that it instead exaggerates my features — from the size of my eyes right down to my chin — is what I think makes AR Emoji fun and hilarious to use. She’s quirky and cute, which is what I hope the cartoon version of myself would look like given the chance to step into an animated world.

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Julian Chokkattu, mobile editor

The biggest disappointment using Samsung’s AR Emojis is the lack of any automatic skin tone-detection feature. My AR Emoji makes me look white, and that’s not good. I’ve yet to see it choose a different skin tone for anyone; maybe it’s just not capable at the moment. There is a slider you can move around after it creates your emoji to change the skin tone, but it doesn’t have many dark-skinned tones at all — yet it does get incredibly white. That fact is a little odd. I also don’t think the emoji looks like me, but making me white bothers me more.

Simon Hill/Digital Trends

Simon Hill/Digital Trends

Simon Hill, associate mobile editor

Other people’s AR Emojis seem to capture something of the subject; mine is just ridiculous. Interestingly, when I tried out the feature at the launch event, it produced an emoji that looked exactly like Pete Holmes, this time around it seems to be channeling an Italian footballer complete with man bun. Needless to say, it doesn’t look much like me.

Steven Winkelman/Digital Trends

Steven Winkelman/Digital Trends

Steven Winkelman, staff writer

Maybe I’m just a curmudgeon, but I just don’t get the point. Since I was already graced with a large head, I’ve never been a big fan of caricatures, and Samsung’s AR emojis are just that. And to top it off, it’s not even a very good caricature; other than the ever-present scowl on my face (I swear I’m nice!), the facial hair is way too sparse and too light! In short, I don’t want my AR emoji doppelganger to be Walter White from Breaking Bad.

With Animoji there’s an element of fun and whimsy, but Samsung’s take on AR emojis seem a bit like Bitmoji gone terribly wrong — and that should give you anxiety. I mean, if I want to send a likeness of myself, isn’t that what the front-facing camera is for?

Editors’ Recommendations

• The Samsung Galaxy S9 is finally here: Here’s everything you need to know
• Samsung Galaxy S9 hands-on review
• 5 features you may not have heard about on the Samsung Galaxy S9
• Buying a Galaxy S9? Here’s how to sell your old Galaxy phone
• Flagship face-off: Samsung’s Galaxy S9 Plus vs. Google’s Pixel 2 XL

Apple takes top spot for wearables in 2017 as demand continues to grow

Sales of wearable tech continue to grow, while Apple has taken a comfortable lead in both the final quarter of 2017, and throughout the whole of last year, according to a report from the International Data Corporation (IDC).

Wearables have had something of a checkered history, with the fledgling tech sometimes struggling to find a place within the market, and a niche to call its own. That struggle seems to mostly be at an end, as sales for wearables such as smartwatches and fitness trackers continued to grow for the second year in a row. While the 10.3 percent growth in 2017 was smaller than the 27.3-percent growth seen in 2016, the IDC does not see this as a bad sign. Instead, the firm attributes this decline in the growth trajectory to large changes within the industry, as established names dropped out and were replaced by new startups that continued to push wearable development forward at a fast pace.

“The slowdown is not due to a lack of interest – far from it. Instead, we saw numerous vendors, relying on older models, exit the market altogether. At the same time, the remaining vendors – including multiple startups – have not only replaced them, but with devices, features, and services that have helped make wearables more integral in people’s lives,” said Ramon T. Llamas, IDC’s wearables research director.

Apple seems to be the major winner in 2017’s wearable market, increasing its sales in the final quarter of 2017 by 57.5 percent over the same period last year, and increasing sales over the entire year by 55.9 percent, the Apple Watch Series 3 helping it to overtake Xiaomi to become the global leader in smartphone sales.

Most other companies in the top five saw a drop in sales on the previous year, with Xiaomi and Garmin seeing a decline of just under a single percent, while Fitbit saw a large 31.6-percent drop in sales on 2016’s numbers. Fossil had a good year though, increasing sales over the year by a hefty 133.1 percent, while Huawei also saw a sizeable jump in the final quarter, increasing sales by 93.2 percent, compared to 2016.

Llamas also stated that “the next generation of wearables will make the ones we saw as recently as 2016 look quaint,” and despite a decline in sales for some of the biggest names in wearable tech, the wearable market as a whole seems to be in fine health.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Apple leads tablet market as detachable devices continue their rise
• Apple passes Samsung in smartphone sales, as newer models are shunned
• It’s not about looks — inner beauty will drive mobile sales in 2018
• How are those 280-character tweets working? Twitter grows, but not in U.S.
• Nostalgia drove sales of cassette tapes to new heights in 2017

Nvidia’s top-end GTX graphics cards could more than double in price

Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

In the midst continued pricing problems for graphics cards around the world, a new rumor has surfaced surrounding Nvidia’s upcoming next-generation 2000 series architecture. Purportedly, Nvidia could raise the traditional manufacturer suggested retail price (MSRP) of top-end cards from $700, to as much as $1,500 at launch.

2017 was a difficult year for anyone hoping to upgrade their gaming PC. Although Nvidia’s GTX 10 series and AMD’s Vega graphics cards offered the best gaming performance we’ve ever seen, they were almost impossible to find and even when they were, reasonable prices were nowhere to be seen. And blame the cryptocurrency miners all you like, the problems aren’t likely to end anytime soon.

Indeed they may even be exacerbated in the short term, as Nvidia could cement the insane price hikes by setting its MSRP for the next-generation 2000 series graphics cards much higher than past generations. TweakTown is reporting that in order to prevent it losing out with direct sales, Nvidia could raise the price of its flagship GTX 2080 from $700 to around $1,500.

Although anonymous sources kick-started this rumor, it’s also based on speculation linked with the existing common cost of around $1,200 for the GTX 1080Ti. It could be that Nvidia opts for a more conservative price hike and aims for just north of $1,000 — it would be hard to maintain its claim that it puts gamers first by encouraging huge price tags — but with no official announcement as of yet, it’s hard to be sure of anything.

What we do know though, is that Nvidia is looking to mitigate some of the impact of ethereum miners buying up graphics card stock, by launching miner-focused graphics cards. AMD is doing the same, with both manufacturers looking to debut cards without video ports with much shorter manufacturer warranties at some point in 2018. Whether that will be enough to give gamers access to reasonable graphics card prices again remains to be seen.

That’s an important step to take, as even though cryptocurrency mining helped propel both major graphics card manufacturers to strong revenue in 2017, it could lead to fewer PC gamers in the long run, which both firms consider their graphics-card bread and butter. Without a viable upgrade path, gamers may opt to switch to 4k-capable consoles like the Xbox One X or PS4 Pro instead.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Nvidia speaks out against rising price of GPUs due to cryptocurrency mining
• AMD gains ground on Nvidia thanks to cryptocurrency miners
• Digital coin miners purchased more than 3 million graphics cards in 2017
• AMD and Nvidia report strong revenue amid still sky-high GPU pricing
• Nvidia to reveal new GeForce cards for gamers, miners in March, sources say