World’s smallest 4G smartphone hits funding target in 60 seconds

The Unihertz Atom — the world’s smallest 4G rugged smartphone — has managed to hit a Kickstarter funding target in less than 60 seconds following the campaign’s launch on June 5.

You might not have heard of the Unihertz Atom, but based on the reception the Kickstarter campaign received, it’s fair to say it has a dedicated following, with the Atom currently sitting at $586,975 — over eleven times more than the initial goal of $50,000.

So what are all these people getting excited about? Unihertz Atom is a rugged 4G smartphone, and the follow-up to last year’s Unihertz Jelly phone. With a tiny 96 x 45 x 18 mm body and a 2.4-inch display, the Atom aims to become the second phone of choice when heading out into the wilderness, or a capable alternative to a smartphone industry that’s getting larger and larger. It’s built ruggedly with chunky bezels and plenty of textured surfaces for grip, and it looks like it could survive falling down a mountain.

But it’s not just the small footprint that’s caused excitement — Unihertz has packed a whole lot of specifications into that tiny body. The Atom comes with an octa-core ARM Cortex-A53 processor, as well as a staggering 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage as standard. That’s an awful lot of numbers for such a small phone.

The fun doesn’t stop there either — the Atom comes with a full suite of utility tools, including NFC, USB on-the-go (so you can connect accessories with an adapter), and an IP68 waterproof rating. It’s not short on biometrics either, thanks to a front-facing fingerprint scanner, and face unlock. There’s a 2,000mAh battery — which should last a good time, considering the tiny screen it’s powering. Best of all, boot it up and you’re greeted with the latest version of Android — Android 8.1 Oreo. It’s not even underpowered on the camera front, with a 16-megapixel lens on the back of the phone, as well as an 8MP selfie snapper around the front.

The Unihertz Atom is taking on the modern smartphone industry’s trend for larger and larger smartphones — and it makes a strong case. The Atom’s Kickstarter campaign will run until July 10, during which a range of discounts will be taken off the phone’s $300 price tag. At the moment, the $160, $180, and $200 reward tiers are completely sold out — but you can still get an $80 discount by pledging on the $220 tier. As always, be aware of the benefits and drawbacks of Kickstarter campaigns.

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Yamaha’s Adventure Pro is a rugged tablet built for off-road navigation

Yamaha not only took the wraps off an entirely new off-road utility vehicle in the form of the Wolverine X2, it also revealed a powerful new navigation system that promises to give riders the ability to explore the backcountry like never before. This new device is called the Adventure Pro and while it is built on the Android operating system, it features a number of unique capabilities that could make it a must-have for anyone who owns an all-terrain vehicle.

Developed in conjunction with GPS-manufacturer Magellan, at its core the Adventure Pro is a 7-inch Android tablet that has been modified to survive in the outdoors. For instance, the device’s case has been ruggedized to the point that it can resist mud, dust, dirt, and rain, while the screen has been upgraded to allow riders to interact with it even while wearing gloves. As you would expect, the tablet also comes equipped with both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.

Yamaha and Magellan have given the Adventure Pro a set of nice features that allow it to integrate nicely with any UTV, but particularly the Wolverine X2. The tablet comes with a mount that attaches to the dash of the vehicle and it can quickly and easily be wired into its electrical system to keep the onboard battery fully charged. The device also serves as a fully customizable dashboard, giving riders diagnostic information about the performance of their vehicle, including monitoring engine temperature, battery voltage, four-wheel drive status, and much more.

But the Adventure Pro’s primary functionality is to serve as a GPS navigation system. To that end, it comes preloaded with more than 100,000 off-road trails spread out across the U.S. and Canada, with Mexico expected to be added in a future update. Users also have the ability to plot their own routes, add waypoints, make notes, input points of interest, and even include photos of the things they find along the trail. Those routes can then be uploaded and shared with friends and other Adventure Pro users online at the Yamaha Adventure Pro website.

As part of the collaboration, Yamaha and Magellan have created a unique feature for the Adventure Pro that is only available on this GPS device. Dubbed “Timing Mode,” this option allows users to create their own routes with the tablet saving their exact times for completing the course. That information, along with any vehicle internal data, is stored in a route file, which in turn can be shared with other users, challenging them to complete the same route in a faster time. The Adventure Pro is smart enough to automatically detect the start and finish line for these courses and will start and stop the clock as needed.

Because the Adventure Pro is a full-featured Android tablet, it can also run all Android apps. That allows users to install Netflix, Facebook, Waze, or any other software they like. And since its included vehicle mounting system makes it a breeze to take the device in and out of a UTV, the tablet can be used in other vehicles or taken inside to connect to Wi-Fi for downloading updates, sharing routes, checking weather, or just surfing the web.

The Adventure Pro costs $750 and is available now. Visit the Yamaha Motorsports website for more information.

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AMD’s 32-core Threadripper 2 challenges Intel as Vega 2 GPUs wait in the wings

AMD

If you thought Intel’s new 28-core CPU was impressive, wait until you get a look at AMD’s new monster chip. The Threadripper 2 CPU increases the core count to 32 and with multithreading has 64-thread support. Better yet, it can be cooled with a simple air chiller and can make use of the existing TR4 socket.

Not giving Intel any time to enjoy the buzz surrounding its newly announced 28-core CPU at Computex, AMD followed it up just a day later with its own debut of a second generation of Threadripper CPUs. Ranging in core counts from 24 to 32, the new-generation of high-end CPUs will be available in the third quarter of this year and should offer serious competition to even the most powerful of Intel’s chips.

Although we don’t know what their clock speeds will be, we do know that the new AMD chips will require quite a lot of power. The top-of-the-line Threadripper 2 CPU will need 250Watts all to itself. However, we’re told that air cooling is perfectly possible on such designs, something that in its on-stage head-to-head with Intel hardware, AMD was keen to point out. The Intel competition used a water cooling setup.

There are still plenty of additional details about the new Threadripper chips we want to learn, but if pricing is anything like the last generation, they should be much more affordable than their Intel counterparts.

AMD

Elsewhere in its Computex reveal, AMD showed off some upcoming developments in its Radeon graphics division. A new RX Vega 56 Nano Edition, developed by Powercolor, is said to offer the same power as AMD’s Vega 56 graphics cards, but in a much smaller form factor. No benchmarks have been released to showcase how comparable its performance is with that of a standard Vega 56 or how capable its cooling is. Considering its small form factor, Powercolor will need to have done something clever to keep it from getting too toasty.

AMD also discussed where its graphics line is going in the future. It showed off an example of the first 7nm graphics chip and said that graphics cards sporting it with as much as 32GB of second-generation high bandwidth memory (HBM2) will launch at some point in the second half of this year. However, AMD CEO Lisa Su did add the caveat that the first cards would be part of AMD’s enterprise-focused Radeon Instinct line and that Navi-based graphics cards for gamers would come later.

Editors’ Recommendations

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• AMD preps 7nm chips in wake of Intel Cannon Lake delays
• Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 vs. Dell XPS 15

Dell Inspiron Gaming Desktop 5676 packs AMD CPUs and graphics cards

Dell doesn’t just offer Intel-based gaming desktops as part of its Inspiron range. The new 5676 might have blue-case lighting but it’s firmly in the red team’s camp, with an AMD Ryzen 2 CPU and RX 500-series graphics card. Set to go on sale mid-June, the new AMD-powered desktops will start at just under $850.

In years gone by, the only real choice gamers had when it came to the heart of a new desktop was which Intel chip they should use. Since the launch of the original Ryzen lineup though, and more recently the Ryzen 2000 series chips, AMD CPUs are now easier to recommend than they have been in more than a decade. Now that graphics card pricing has calmed down a little, too, so are its mid-range GPUs.

The new Inspiron Gaming Desktop 5676 made its debut at Computex 2018 and builds upon its predecessor, the 5675 (which we liked a lot). Featuring the same chassis design and much the same internal hardware options, the big change is in incorporating second-generation Ryzen CPUs in its configuration. Although we don’t have details on the full range of available hardware, the 5675 had options for everything up to a 1800x. AMD has yet to release a 2800X, so the Inspiron 5676’s top CPU will likely be the 2700x.

As for graphics capabilities, Dell promises everything up to an RX 580. The 5675 also had options for RX 560 and RX 570 graphics cards, so we expect those as possibilities within Dell’s online configurator, too.

Memory-wise, the new desktop will come with up to 32GB of DDR4, though that will be overkill (here is how much RAM you really need). Storage options will combine solid- state drives with hard drives to offer up to 256GB of high-speed SSD space for fast boot times and up to 2TB of HDD space for longer-term storage.

The new Dell Inspiron Gaming Desktop 5676 will officially go on sale on June 12, starting at $850.

Elsewhere at Computex this year, Dell announced a number of new Alienware peripherals, including a new Wireless Elite headset and Elite gaming mouse. It also has a new Command Center audio application for tweaking your in-game sound, and the Alienware Arena app which makes it easier to access promotions and complete Alienware-related quests. Those apps will launch on June 6 and 12, respectively.

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How’s the battery life on your LG G7?

3,000 mAh of mixed reviews.

The LG G7 has all of the makings of a 2018 flagship. There’s a large 18:9 screen with a notch, Snapdragon 845 processor, minimum 64GB of storage, and Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box.

Giving all this tech the juice it needs is a 3,000 mAh battery, and shortly after these specs were announced, that capacity gave some potential customers pause. 3,000 mAh is on the small side of things for a phone as big as the G7, and now that folks have been able to actually use the phone, we’re getting real-world reports of how the battery’s holding up in day-to-day use.

Our forum users have been sharing their own experiences with the G7’s battery, and this is what they’ve said so far.

spydersilk
06-02-2018 02:57 AM

“

I hate battery life threads, but I got my G7 Thurs afternoon and battery has been pretty disappointing.
Unfortunately under battery, the LG home launcher is the biggest culprit, at times showing as 30%. Even if I’m using a different launcher it still shows up number 1 on the list.

I’m guessing there is a way to use ADB to debloat or disable some of the apps.

Aside from that, really happy…

Reply

neil74
06-03-2018 03:36 AM

“

Have only been using mine for 24 hours so still settling in but I’d say that battery is a mixed bag so far. Standby is decent and better than the S9+ but it does seem to drop a little more under actual use. Better though than the smaller S9 on both counts

Overall I think battery looks fine albeit certainly not as great as some bigger phones.

Reply

bhatech
06-03-2018 08:58 AM

“

Couldn’t test all the way till zero yesterday but at around 4.30 PM yesterday still 37% still left with close to 5hrs SOT.

Reply

bwhick7492
06-05-2018 02:56 PM

“

I’m only three days in but I am getting great battery life so far. Much better than my note 8.

Reply

Now, we want to hear from you. If you’ve got the LG G7, how’s your battery life been?

Join the conversation in the forums!

LG G7

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LG Q Stylus series announced with IP68 water resistance, Oreo, and more

The series includes the Q Stylus, Q Stylus+, and Q Stylus A.

Shortly after LG introduced its Q7 mid-range series in late May, the company’s back in the news again to unveil its LG Q Stylus lineup. This seems to be a successor to last year’s LG Stylo 3 offerings and it’ll be available as the Q Stylus, Q Stylus+, and Q Stylus A around the globe.

Right up front, the Q Stylus boasts a 6.2-inch Full HD+ display with a tall 18:9 aspect ratio. The display supports the phone’s included stylus and even has palm rejection so you can rest your hand on the screen without making any accidental markups.

The stylus you get isn’t as advanced as the S Pen found with Samsung’s Galaxy Note series, but it can still be used for jotting down notes, edit pictures you take, turn videos into GIFs, and more.

The Q Stylus will launch in North America later this month.

In regards to the camera situation, you can get up to a 16MP rear sensor with Phase Detection Autofocus and an 8MP selfie camera with a Super Wide Angle lens that should come in handy for group shots.

Specs under the hood include 1.5GHz or 1.8GHz octa-core processors, 3-4GB RAM, 32 or 64GB of expandable storage, a 3,300 mAh battery, and Android 8.0 Oreo. Other goodies include IP68 dust/water resistance, NFC for Google Pay, a fingerprint sensor, and DTS:X audio that supports 7.1 channel 3D surround sound when listening to your music with a pair of headphones.

Pricing details have yet to be announced, but LG says the Q Stylus series will initially be launched in North America and Asia this month followed by “other key regions” during Q3.

Where to buy the LG G7 ThinQ

OnePlus 6: Everything you need to know

Unlock the secrets.

The OnePlus 6 is now available, and it’s a compelling option for someone looking for an unlocked phone at a reasonable price — starting at $529 to be specific. But price aside, it’s a great choice for anyone, even those considering more expensive options, thanks to a combination of hardware and software, and a community that continues to support the company and one another.

Here’s everything you need to know about the OnePlus 6!

The latest OnePlus 6 news

June 6, 2018 —Bullets Wireless earphones and Silk White OnePlus 6 sell out in 24 hours

Just 24 hours after they were made available for purchase, both the $69 Bullets Wireless earphones and $579 Silk White OnePlus 6 both sold out.

If you didn’t get a chance to grab either of these yesterday, OnePlus says the Silk White OP6 will be back in stock on June 12 with the Bullets Wireless following shortly after.

June 4, 2018 — Silk White OnePlus 6 and Bullets Wireless earphones launching June 5 @ 10:00 AM ET

About two weeks following the OnePlus 6’s launch, the limited edition Silk White version of the phone and OnePlus’s Bullets Wireless earphones are officially going on sale.

The Silk White OnePlus 6 is “the company’s boldest design to date” featuring six layers of white glass that have been mixed with pearl powder and gold accents for the frame, fingerprint sensor, and more. It’s a downright stunning look and will cost $579 USD with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage “while supplies last.”

Along with the Silk White OnePlus 6, the excellent Bullets Wireless earphones are launching, too. Andrew recently gave these a glowing review, praising them for their surprisingly great sound quality, USB-C charging, comfortable design, and competitive $69 price tag.

Both the Silk White OnePlus 6 and Bullets Wireless will be available on June 5 at 10:00 AM ET.

Read our review and watch the video

First thing’s first, watch the video and read the review. There’s plenty about the phone to learn, even though much of it is familiar. But the essential question a review tries to answer is, Should you buy this thing? And the response is an unrestrained, Yes.

The OnePlus 6 is the company’s finest phone ever, with excellent design, build quality, battery life and, for the first time, cameras.

Read the review

Review the specs

Once you’re done reading the review, you should, ahem, review the specifications. The phone is powerful — like one of the most powerful on the market today — with plenty of headroom and legroom (it’s proverbially spacious is what I’m trying to say) for whatever you want to throw at it. Apps-wise, not like object-wise.

OnePlus 6 specifications

How does it compare to other phones?

Of course, the OnePlus 6 doesn’t exist in a bubble — you have to compare it to other devices if you’re going to decide whether you should buy it. Thankfully, we’ve done most of the work for you, comparing it to the best flagships on the market right now.

• OnePlus 6 vs. Google Pixel 2 XL: Which should you buy?
• OnePlus 6 vs. Samsung Galaxy S9+: Which should you buy?

What about to other OnePlus phones?

Yeah, OnePlus owners like to keep it in the family, so to speak, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see many upgrading, or thinking of upgrading, from an existing OnePlus device, like a 3, 3T, 5, or 5T. Of course, with the company releasing two phones a year these days, it won’t be long until the next upgrade cycle hits, but that also means that the existing phones age quite well, thanks to frequent software updates (the joys of not going through carriers).

If you have a OnePlus 5 or 5T, you can probably hold onto those phones for a bit longer — unless you need the camera improvements. OnePlus’s 2016 phones, on the other hand, may be getting a bit long in the tooth and could use a replacement.

• OnePlus 6 vs. OnePlus 5T: Should you upgrade?
• OnePlus 6 vs. OnePlus 5: Should you upgrade?

Is the OnePlus 6 camera that much better than before?

This photo was taken in nearly pitch-dark conditions. OnePlus ramps up the light sensitivity to ISO6400, which would normally produce a lot of grain, but this photo is totally usable thanks to better software processing.

Yes! The OnePlus 6 has a larger 16MP sensor than previous OnePlus devices, with pixels that are 19% bigger, so low-light photography is immensely improved. It’s not going to overtake the Huawei P20 Pro or Pixel 2 for Low Light Champion Of The World, but it’s reliable in all conditions, and that’s more important than anything else.

The camera is probably the biggest improvement over previous OnePlus models.

The phone’s main sensor is aided by a fast ƒ/1.7 aperture, so true depth of field is a thing, along with drastically improved image signal processing from Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845. Together, the phone is able to detect the correct settings more quickly, take multiple shots if necessary, enable HDR mode automatically, and reduce or eliminate grain in dark conditions.

There’s also Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), which was in the OnePlus 3 line but removed in last year’s series for unknown reasons. It’s back now, and paired with a larger sensor and faster main lens, the results speak for themselves.

On the other hand, the OnePlus 6’s secondary camera has less to do — it’s a 20MP sensor with an ƒ/1.7 lens, but its main purpose is to facilitate portrait mode which, while good, isn’t enough reason to have a second sensor in the first place.

Is the notch distracting?

The notch is what it is. You may hate it out of an aversion to all things Apple, or you may learn to live with it and forget it’s there. Most people will fall somewhere in the middle — it’s a character trait, like a freckle or a certain hairstyle.

What it does, though, is open up spme additional real estate on the 6.28-inch screen, which is great. But it also limits the number of icons that can be seen in the notification area, which is a bummer. Plus, the clock on the left side of the notification bar will never make sense. If you watch the video below, though, you can see ways to tweak the notification area to your liking. And you can also disable the notch altogether if you want to.

How’s the software?

It’s good! Running Android 8.1 Oreo, OxygenOS has turned into one of the most enjoyable, reliable versions of Android to date. OnePlus has also added a number of additions to make the whole thing run more smoothly, especially if you’re looking to maximize your screen real estate.

One of the more interesting changes to the software is a set of gestures that eliminates the bottom navigation keys, relying on swipes up from different areas of the bottom edge to go back, home, and enter multitasking. It’s different, but not bad. You’ll have to try it yourself.

As for tips and tricks, we’ve already got that list going, so if you’re looking to make the most of your OxygenOS experience, we have you covered.

• How to enable navigation gestures on the OnePlus 6
• How to disable the notch on the OnePlus 6

What’s it cost?

The OnePlus 6 starts at $529 USD for the base model and goes up to $629 for additional RAM and storage. There are three configurations and three colors, though one of the colors, Silk White, is only going to be available in early June and will be manufactured in limited capacities.

Here’s how the pricing breaks down in various regions.

6/64	$529	€519	£469	$699
8/128	$579	€569	£519	$769
8/256	$629	€619	£569	$839

See at OnePlus

Tell me more about the colors

There are three colors: Mirror Black, Midnight Black, and Silk White.

• Mirror Black is going to be the most common, since it’s the only color offered in the cheapest tier. It’s shiny, reflective glass, so it gets fingerprint-y, but that’s OK because you’ll likely put the phone in a case (see below). It’s also a little slippery, which is to be expected. Mirror Black is offered in 6GB / 64GB configurations for $529.

• Midnight Black is the color we’ve come to expect from OnePlus over the years, though the matte-looking finish belies a glass back, too, like the Mirror Black. Midnight Black is only available in 8GB / 128GB and 8GB / 256GB configurations for $579 and $629, respectively.

• Silk White is the most limited of the three colors, and will be available June 5. It’s also covered in glass, but like the Midnight Black model it has a matte finish and is easier to grip. Its white back has rose gold accents, and it’s definitely the nicest and most unique of the three colors. It will only be available in the 8GB / 128GB configuration, for $579, and once the run is sold out, OnePlus is not making any more.

I heard there’s an Avengers version — TELL ME EVERYTHING

Yes, you heard right: OnePlus has once again worked with Disney on licensing a special version of the OnePlus 6 for the Chinese and Indian markets. Last year, OnePlus offered an understated Start Wars variant of the OnePlus 5T, and now the Avengers version takes advantage of the hype behind the recent film release.

The Avengers version comes in a unique box and includes an Iron Man case and a OnePlus/Avengers co-branded medallion, which is neat. And while there’s a familiar glass back on the Avengers Edition, it has a Kevlar-style design underneath. Because Kevlar=superheroes, or something.

While the special edition isn’t coming to the U.S. officially, I’m sure that some entrepreneurial Indian and Chinese resellers will do the dirty business of importing some of them at a huge premium to this side of the world.

This is the OnePlus 6 Marvel Avengers Edition

The OnePlus 6 doesn’t work on Sprint or Verizon

The OnePlus 6 technically supports the CDMA bands for Verizon and Sprint in the U.S., but the phone lacks certification for their networks, so those users — just under half the smartphone-wielding U.S. population, is out of luck.

We’ve got your full technical explainer below.

The OnePlus 6 doesn’t work on Sprint or Verizon

Do you like cases?

As it does with all of its phones, OnePlus has unveiled a series of first-party cases for the OnePlus 6, and they’re all pretty great.

This year, there’s a fancy new protective bumper made of woven nylon, and while it adds a bit more bulk than the typical snap-on, I think it looks and feels awesome.

These are the official OnePlus 6 cases you can buy at launch

What are your thoughts on the OnePlus 6?

Let us know in the comments!

OnePlus 6

• OnePlus 6 review
• OnePlus 6 vs. OnePlus 5T: How much changes in six months?
• OnePlus 6 vs. OnePlus 5: Should you upgrade?
• These are the official OnePlus 6 cases
• The OnePlus 6 doesn’t work on Verizon or Sprint
• Join the discussion in the forums

OnePlus 6 review, a second opinion: The best Android phone under $550

This is a fantastic phone with top-notch software, performance and capabilities — and it happens to be a few hundred bucks cheaper than the competition.

OnePlus has been so incredibly consistent in its phone releases, particularly since the OnePlus 2, that you kind of get tired of the storyline. It’s a flagship-level phone, without the flagship-level price. (The “flagship killer” moniker has all but died, thankfully.) We get it now, that base premise in itself no longer makes OnePlus phones interesting. So it has to actually make a phone that stands alone as something good and exciting, not just one that does most of what the competition does at a lower price.

I’ve been using the OnePlus 6 for a few weeks now, well after our complete OnePlus 6 review — because on the face of it this looked like yet another OnePlus phone, and I wanted to see whether there was more to it. In many ways, it’s more of the same — the tried-and-true OnePlus system is at play here. But with some strategic upgrades and a little more attention to detail, OnePlus has a winner on its hands.

See at OnePlus

Lots to love

OnePlus 6 What I like

The OnePlus 6 is the first phone from the company since the OnePlus X that isn’t woefully boring looking. The improved design and materials alone are worth the added cost of the OnePlus 6 compared to the 5T, and that’s important — because now that we’ve crested the $500 barrier, people put real weight behind these non-essential aspects of the phone experience.

Hold the OnePlus 6 next to any $700+ phone and you won’t find a difference in quality.

Nobody would hold the OnePlus 6 next to any $700+ phone and point out hardware shortcomings. I sure can’t find any issues — and better yet, I think it’s really nice. The glass feels modern and expensive, the glossy sides match perfectly, and the whole thing just has a classy ambiance to it. There’s still a whole lot of room for OnePlus to go further and really put its own touch on this, but the “Designed by OnePlus” inscription on the back certainly shows that the company is taking this part more seriously.

Even with the fresh look, the OnePlus 6 retained one of my favorite parts of its predecessors: simplicity. OnePlus has stayed away from the hardware gimmicks. It has regular buttons in regular places, and they have great tactile response. There’s a headphone jack. The always-great Alert Slider is right where you want it. No curved screen or unnecessary hardware buttons or squeeze functionality or “features” to get acquainted with.

The OnePlus 6’s software, too, is extremely simple. It also happens to offer a fantastic level of performance I can always count on. OxygenOS flies on the OnePlus 6 — but then again, it did on the OnePlus 5. This has just become a tent pole of OnePlus phones, but it doesn’t get old because this isn’t a given even on modern phones with comparable specs to the OnePlus 6. Everything is simple, fast and consistent — it’s all I ask for from a phone. I don’t want extra features and apps and settings, I just want the phone to be a tool for accessing everything I want in my apps and services. The OnePlus 6 delivers, even weeks into my review period, I haven’t had a single hiccup, slowdown or crash.

Exceptional software and consistent performance are tent poles of OnePlus phones.

I wish OnePlus would’ve made another step up in battery size just on principle, but the OnePlus 6 just doesn’t need more capacity. I never struggled to make it through a day on a charge, and the only thing that ever got me close was a day that included over two hours of GPS- and data-intensive mapping and listening to podcasts in Android Auto. Through weeks of use, I never felt like I needed to curtail my usage of the OnePlus 6 for fear of battery repercussions later on in the day. And that’s all I can really ask for: confidence in the battery.

Ahead of the OnePlus 6 announcement, I made it clear that I wasn’t going to give the company a pass on camera performance this time around. With a price bump and even more importance being placed on smartphone cameras, there’s no more room for OnePlus to have a good camera “for the money” — it needed to just have a good camera. And it delivered. I’m still disappointed that OnePlus still isn’t doing anything particularly interesting with its secondary camera, but it got the main camera right this time around. Moving to a larger sensor, adding OIS and running it all through a better ISP in the Snapdragon 845 elevated the OnePlus 6’s camera considerably.

This is finally a camera that’s downright good, not just ‘good for the money.’

The OnePlus 6’s camera is good, really good. In daylight, the shots could pass for those from any top-end phone released in the last year. If you want to nitpick, you can point out it isn’t quite as sharp as some, or that the dynamic range when using HDR isn’t totally amazing. But it’s great, you don’t have anything to worry about in daylight. At night, OnePlus made considerable advancement from the generally weak OnePlus 5 camera. This is up to “above average” level in low-light shots, which places it a rung below the cream of the crop — but that’s an acceptable shortcoming at this point. Things aren’t amazingly sharp in low light, and the white balance can sometimes be off, but these are small problems — most of the time, I liked what I got from the OnePlus 6 in tough shooting conditions.

OnePlus 6 vs. Galaxy S9+ camera comparison: Closer than you’d think

Is the OnePlus 6’s camera is good as the Pixel 2 XL, Galaxy S9+ or Huawei P20? No. But it’s getting close, and that’s more than good enough for this phone. It feels like the only thing separating OnePlus from the aforementioned group is the thousands of hours and dozens of engineers required to get the computational photography part of the recipe just right. That takes time and money (and often patents) that aren’t always easy to come by. But as it stands, the camera is no longer the weak point of the OnePlus phone, and that’s an important step. If the next full generation (OnePlus 7, not 6T) makes the same sort of leap in camera performance, OnePlus will be excruciatingly close to the top competition in cameras.

A few complaints

OnePlus 6 What’s not as good

Now this isn’t all just a love-fest. There are still corners that have to be cut (or at least rounded off) at a $529 price, and other areas where OnePlus just hasn’t executed properly.

For all of the great components, a few corners had to be cut.

Internally, OnePlus spent money on the components it knows will sell phones to its core customers: processor, memory, storage, and battery. I covered the battery part above, but having the big numbers in the other three categories is important — OnePlus can say it has the same, or better, core specs than the more-expensive competition. But that means that it didn’t get to include the “extras” like a fantastic display, advanced speaker system or a full waterproofing rating.

The OnePlus 6’s display is good. It’s even above average. But it’s not up to speed with super-bright daylight conditions, nor does it get quite dark enough at night for my eyes. Colors and viewing angles are good, and there isn’t much to complain about here in daily use, but it’s these fringe cases that separate “good” from “great” displays. The speaker is as basic as it gets — no attempt at dual speakers, special audio chambers or specific tuning … and that, too, is disappointing. Every other phone I’ve used in the last year has a better audio system than the OnePlus 6. And finally yes, I know the OnePlus 6 is pretty much waterproof. But unless OnePlus is willing to do the proper testing and certification to give it an IPX7 rating on the box, I’m not going to trust it — and that’s something I have to think about on a regular basis.

The vibration and haptics are just downright bad — there’s no way around it.

I’ve railed on this before, and (thankfully) I know I’m not alone: the vibration and haptics on the OnePlus 6 are just downright bad. Haptic response is one of those things where you aren’t supposed to notice it — when done well, it just feels right. When it’s done like the OnePlus 6, it’s noticeable and completely detracts from the otherwise fantastic experience of using this phone. Every time the phone vibrates, it’s rattling, loud and shallow-feeling. There are $250 Motorola phones that have a better grasp of vibration motors. An adjustable vibration setting would at least mitigate the issue — but that wouldn’t be able to fix this entirely, it’s a hardware problem. I know it seems pedantic, but I really wish OnePlus would’ve put more thought and development time into the haptics — like the design mentioned above, these are the things people start to care about when the price of the phone goes north of $500.

The matter has been settled

OnePlus 6 Second opinion review

If you’re willing to spend up to $550 on a phone, but not a penny more, the OnePlus 6 is where your search starts and ends. For this kind of money, you just can’t find a better combination of specs, hardware, features, camera, software and performance. It’s a great phone that absolutely nails the basics, but also goes beyond your expectations in many other ways.

If your budget caps out at $550, the OnePlus 6 is where your search starts and ends.

OnePlus was likely going to keep holding that “best phone for the money” moniker if it simply refreshed the OnePlus 5 again. But with this improved design, better camera and a bit more attention to detail it has also managed to wiggle its way up into being a credible direct competitor to the more expensive competition. Aside from a few minimal issues, the OnePlus 6 faithfully competes with top-end phones from other companies — and at the same time, its software experience and performance matches or outdoes every other phone out there.

There are better phones if money is no option. And there are better “values” to be had in less expensive phones that still do much of what the OnePlus 6 does. But in this pricing sweet spot, I see no other competition — this phone is the winner.

See at OnePlus

OnePlus 6

• OnePlus 6 review
• OnePlus 6 vs. OnePlus 5T: How much changes in six months?
• OnePlus 6 vs. OnePlus 5: Should you upgrade?
• These are the official OnePlus 6 cases
• The OnePlus 6 doesn’t work on Verizon or Sprint
• Join the discussion in the forums

Unlocked LG G6 finally gets Android 8.0 Oreo update

The May 2018 security patch is included, too.

The LG G6, one of 2017’s most underrated phones, has been stuck on Nougat since its release. LG promised (and failed) to push Android Oreo to the phone by the end of April, and after missing that deadline, it looks like the update’s finally being rolled out in early June.

One of our readers recently got an update on their unlocked LG G6 (model US99720a) that upgraded it to 8.0 Oreo and also included the May 2018 security patch.

All of Oreo’s regular features are included, such as picture-in-picture and notification dots, in addition to aesthetic changes to LG’s launcher and settings page.

Interestingly enough, our reader indicates that their G6 has been noticeably slower since upgrading to Oreo, saying that apps take “1-3 seconds to load” and that it’s “struggling to refresh all the app icons and widgets” when going back to their home screen from an app.

We should see U.S. carriers updating their G6 models soon if the unlocked variant’s now being updated, but at the time of publication, only the unlocked handset is seeing the Oreo love.

If you’ve got an unlocked LG G6, have you gotten the Oreo update yet? If so, how’s it running?

Thanks, Jeffrey!

These U.S. carriers have updated the LG V30 to Android Oreo

LG G6

• LG G6 review!
• LG G6 specs
• LG G6 vs. Google Pixel: The two best cameras right now
• Everything you need to know about the G6’s cameras
• LG forums

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Moto Z3 Play Specifications

Mod the future.

The Moto Z3 Play is Motorola’s latest vehicle for Moto Mods, which continue to be supported into its third year, a welcome change of pace from the planned obsolescence of the tech industry. But most Moto Mods have particular height and width requirements, which limited what Motorola could do with the Moto Z3 Play’s form factor.

There’s a faster Snapdragon 636 platform inside, along with 4GB of RAM standard, and a taller 2:1 1080p AMOLED display eliminates some of the bezels — and the fingerprint sensor — from the phone’s front. The 3,000mAh battery is the same, however, and the Z3 Play loses a headphone jack.

But it also gains a second camera sensor, allowing for portrait mode and other depth effects.

Operating system	Android 8.1Moto Display, Voice, Actions
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor Octa-core Kryo 260 @ 1.8GHz GHz 14nm process
GPU	Adreno 509 GPU @ ~850 MHz
Screen	6.01-inch Full HD (2160×1080) AMOLED
Materials	Gorilla Glass 3 6000 series aluminum
RAM	4GB
Storage	32GB / 64GB
Expandability	microSD up to 2TB
Rear camera	12MP, Dual Autofocus Pixel phase-detect, laser autofocus 1.4-micron pixels f/1.7 lens dual-LED flash
Rear camera 2	5MP
Video capture	720p (120fps), 1080p, 4K (30fps)
Front camera	8MP 1.12-micron pixels f/2.0 wide-angle lens
Connectivity	USB-C (USB-C to 3.5mm adapter included)
Speaker	Single front-facing
Moto Mods support	Yes
Water resistance	Water-repellent coating
Security	Side fingerprint sensor, face unlock
NFC	Yes
Battery	3000mAhTurboPower charger (8 hrs battery in 15 min)
Colors	Deep Indigo
Dimensions	76.5 x 156.5 x 6.75 mm
Weight	156g
Network	LTE: B1 (2100), B3 (1800), B5 (850), B7 (2600), B28 (700 APT) UMTS: B1 (2100), B2 (1900), B5 (850), B8 (900) GSM: B2 (1900), B3 (1800), B5 (850), B8 (900)