Deal: Get up to $70 off the Honor View 10, 7X, and 6X through July 31

You’ll need to register on Honor’s website for the discounts.

When it comes to high-quality, budget Android phones, one of the brands we often recommend is Honor. The company’s last few U.S. handsets have been top-notch, and while their retail prices are already competitive, you can now save even more as part of the Summer Sun promotion.

Now through July 31, the official Honor Store is offering discounts on the Honor View 10, 7X, and 6X.

• Honor View 10 — $429 w/ $70 off coupon code (normally $499)
• Honor 7X — $169.99 w/ $20 off coupon code (normally $199.99)
• Honor 6X — $129.99 w/ $50 off coupon code (normally $179.99)

In order to get those coupon codes, you’ll need to head to Honor’s website and register for an account if you don’t already have one. Once you do, click/tap the button below and buy whichever phone you’d like!

See at Honor

Apple Design Chief Jony Ive to Speak at WIRED’s 25th Anniversary Event in October

Apple design chief Jony Ive will be one of the speakers at WIRED’s upcoming 25th anniversary event that’s set to take place in San Francisco, California from October 12 to October 15, the magazine announced today.

Ive does not often participate in public discussions, so WIRED’s event represents a rare opportunity where he will speak on stage. Ive is set to participate in the event on Monday, October 15.

WIRED’s summit features many high-profile speakers in addition to Ive, including Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, 23andMe CEO Anne Wojcicki, Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, and more.

There are no details on what Ive will discuss specifically, but the event is focused on “a day of smart, relevant business conversations.” WIRED editor in chief Nicholas Thompson called the event “a great way to look back at everything that has changed, and to look ahead at what will change next too.” From the event website:

In 1993, WIRED made a bold prediction–that technology would radically change our world. This year, the silver anniversary edition of our annual Business Conference will gather the titans of tech from the past 25 years on one stage. They’ll reflect on the innovations that made the whole world WIRED and introduce you to the ideas and leaders who will shape the 25 years to come.

An all access pass to WIRED’s event, which includes the discussion with tech leaders, a festival, and an event at WIRED’s office is priced at $1,125. A ticket to the summit where Ive will speak is priced at $993. Pricing is valid until August 20, at which point the ticket cost will increase.

Tags: wired.com, Jony Ive
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Review: Koogeek’s Light Strip and Door & Window Sensor Offer Solid Low-Cost HomeKit Options

Koogeek is one of the more interesting HomeKit accessory manufacturers, with an array of relatively low-cost and in some cases unusual products that can help users expand their Apple-focused smart home ecosystems.

The company offers HomeKit-compatible smart outlets, switches, bulbs, and sockets similar to other manufacturers, but also has some less common products like light strips, door/window sensors, environmental monitors, and even power strips.

LS1 Light Strip

One of Koogeek’s more popular HomeKit accessories is the LS1 Light Strip, a 2-meter string of LED lights that lets you choose from 16 million dimmable colors, whether you’re looking for bias lighting behind your television or monitor, accent lighting in a kitchen, or any of a number of other applications. While Koogeek offers its own app for setting up and managing the LS1 Light Strip, HomeKit support means you can access it from the centralized Home app on iOS (and soon macOS Mojave) or Siri, and you can integrate it with other HomeKit devices to activate as part of a scene or other automations.

Consisting of 60 LEDs, the LS1 is a 2-meter strip with some additional cord and a single-button controller that allows you to turn the lights on and off manually. The light strip is USB-powered, which can be a benefit as it gives you some interesting flexibility in terms of mounting locations when you can use a USB port on your TV, a computer, a dock, or a power bank to run them.

On the downside, Koogeek doesn’t provide a power adapter in the box, so you’ll need to provide your own if you want to power it from a wall outlet. The light strip is rated for 10-watt power draw, and Koogeek recommends a 2A power adapter for maximum brightness. The power cord isn’t terribly long (about 0.5 meters), so that may also be an issue depending on where you want to install the light strip.

The LS1 Light Strip offers a total of 500 lumens of light output for the entire string, which is a decent amount of light but less than some competitors like Hue and LIFX Z that offer 1400–1600 lumens. Particularly for ambient lighting in darkened or semi-darkened rooms as many people are likely to use light strips, I found Koogeek’s light strip plenty bright.

Setup of the light strip is extremely simple, requiring you to download the Koogeek app, create an account, and grant permissions for Home and location access. From there, just plug in the light strip, scan the HomeKit code on the controller or instruction manual, allow it to connect to your Wi-Fi (requires a 2.4 GHz network), and give it a name and room location. Colors can be adjusted either in the Koogeek app or the Home app, but the Koogeek app is a bit more powerful in that regard.

Adding an accessory in the Koogeek app takes you straight to the HomeKit interface
Overall documentation is a little bit weak, and there are a few language issues here and there in written materials, the app, and Koogeek’s website. They could certainly benefit from some polish by native English speakers, but it’s clear enough to let you figure out what you’re doing.

Mounting the light strip is fairly straightforward, with 3M adhesive running along the entire back of the light strip portion. It’s very strong, so you shouldn’t have to worry about your lights falling down, although it does give me pause about whether certain surfaces might be damaged in the removal process.

As with pretty much every light strip, it’s a little tricky making the LS1 conform to the exact shape you want, as it’s thick enough that bends and corners become tricky. The adhesive is strong enough to help secure the light strip, but you’ll want to be careful not to bend the strip too much as Koogeek says you shouldn’t bend to less than a 30-degree angle. The LED portion of the light strip is rated IP65 for water and dust resistance, but Koogeek says it shouldn’t be used outdoors or in a bathroom or other humid environment.

The LS1 Light Strip can be cut to shorten it to a desired length, but obviously only the portion with the controller will be functional, so the removed pieces will need to be thrown away. Unlike some other light strip brands, the LS1 is also not extendable. Hue and LIFX Z, for example, come as 2-meter strips like the LS1, but you can purchase extensions in various lengths up to a total length of 10 meters with one controller and plug. With the LS1, you’ll need to use separate strips if you want to go longer than 2 meters.

While the light strip will remember your selected color when you turn it on and off, if the strip is ever unplugged or completely loses power for any other reason, it will default back to white and you’ll have to set your desired color again.

The Koogeek Home app can serve as a nearly full substitute for the Home app, as it shows all of your HomeKit devices and offers you quick access for controlling them, but I wouldn’t recommend the app for regular use. While it’s good enough to get your Light Strip set up, the design is certainly lacking and there are some bugs such as my thermostat’s temperature being displayed in Celsius units despite Fahrenheit being selected in its options within the app. During the World Cup, the Automations tab also included an odd ad offering prizes and discounts for participating in Koogeek’s contest related to the event.

General Koogeek Home app interface
For the light strip in particular, Koogeek’s app offers quick access to a brightness slider, as well as a selection of favorite colors. But you can also dig in further to customize your colors using a color wheel or temperature wheel. You can even upload photos and let the app automatically select a single color that represents the photo, and you can configure Alexa and Google Assistant integration.

Color controls in Koogeek Home app
Controls in Apple’s Home app are somewhat similar, with a quick tap on the light strip’s tile toggling it on and off and a deeper press bringing up a brightness slider. From there, you can dive in further to choose from favorite colors or customize by color and temperature.

Color controls in Apple’s Home app
While Koogeek’s LS1 Light Strip comes up short in the feature department compared to other strips that are brighter, can be extended, and perhaps support multiple color zones (LIFX Z) or syncing with music and movies (Hue), where it wins out is in the price department, and that’s a big one. The LS1 is currently available for $35 at Amazon, compared to $90 for Hue and LIFX and more like $55–60 for Sylvania’s offering. Unlike Hue, Koogeek also doesn’t require a hub, making for simpler installation and less clutter attached to your router.

So if price is a significant consideration for you, the Koogeek LS1 Light Strip is definitely worth checking out as a HomeKit light strip solution. It’s not as full featured as some of the other available light strips on the market, and it lacks some polish in the app and documentation areas, but if those aren’t deal-breakers for you it’s hard to beat the value of Koogeek’s LS1.

DW1 Door & Window Sensor

Among Koogeek’s other products is the DW1 Door & Window Sensor, a simple magnet-based contact sensor for letting you know whether a door or window is open or closed. We looked at similar sensors as part of the Ring Alarm kit, but other companies like Koogeek also sell standalone sensors that with HomeKit support can send you notifications when there is a change in status of the monitored door or window. You can also check on the status at any time via Siri, the Home app, or Koogeek’s app.

Aside from simple status checks and updates, HomeKit support allows you to integrate Koogeek’s Door & Window Sensor with other HomeKit products in the form of scenes and automations. For example, you can trigger a light to come on when a door is opened, either for security purposes or to simply provide light in a dark closet or room without needing to fumble for a light switch.

Setup of the DW1 is again very simple, with the Koogeek app pulling up a Home app interface to handle the addition. Pulling the battery protection tab on the sensor turns it on, allowing it to be automatically discovered by the app via Bluetooth. Once you’ve scanned the HomeKit code, it’ll take a minute to get fully activated, and then you’ll be able to give it a name and a room location for grouping and automation purposes.

Sensor installed on inside of door frame and magnet on door
Stick the sensor and the magnet on your door or window, and you’re good to go. The two pieces must be within 2 cm of each other to register the closed state, and Koogeek recommends that the lighter magnet portion be mounted on the movable door or window while the larger sensor sits on the frame. Attachment is via adhesive included on the rear of the parts, and an extra set of adhesives is included in case the initial set wears out or you decide to change locations.

Once you’re up and running, you can use Siri, the Home app, or the Koogeek app at any time to check on the status of the door or window, and you can configure notifications and see battery level in the Home app.

As with the LS1 Light Strip, the Koogeek app leaves a bit to be desired when it comes to managing the Door & Window Sensor. It similarly displays battery level and pertinent information like open/closed state and room location. It also has a section for “Logs Records” which shows a history of the last 100 open and close events, but date and time formatting are rudimentary and events are shown as non-intuitive “On” and “Off” states rather than “Open” and “Closed.”

The DW1 Door & Window Sensor uses a replaceable CR2450 button battery, and should last up to a year on a single battery. The DW1 is currently available for $31.99 from Amazon and includes the sensor and magnet parts, an extra set of adhesives, and a SIM removal tool to access a pinhole reset button on the sensor if needed. That’s a bit cheaper than the Eve Door & Window and significantly cheaper than Fibaro’s Door/Window Sensor, so the Koogeek DW1 might be a good option for those looking to integrate this type of sensor into their HomeKit setups.

Note: Koogeek provided the LS1 light strip and DW1 door and window sensor to MacRumors free of charge for the purposes of this review. No other compensation was received. MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon and may earn commissions on purchases made through links in this article.

Tags: HomeKit, Koogeek
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Tommy Hilfiger’s Xplore line of smart clothing is … not so smart after all

It’s 2018, and we have lost sight of the definition of “smart.” Or at least, Tommy Hilfiger has. The fashion brand is the latest to offer so-called smart connected clothing, but rather than designing apparel that will track your heart rate, control your music, or offer navigational assistance like say, Levi’s smart jacket, Tommy Hilfiger’s clothes will reward you for … buying Tommy Hilfiger clothes. Someone send help.

The new Tommy Jeans Xplore garment line leverages embedded Bluetooth smart tags (which really could be used for cool, useful things!) to provide “one-of-a-kind rewards and experiences” to customers. The idea is that the more often you wear the clothes, the more points you’ll be able to earn. Think of it as Tommy’s thank you for being a brand ambassador — or rather, Tommy’s bribe to get you to exclusively wear their clothing.

Tommy’s new Xplore line spans both women’s and men’s collections, and also boasts a few unisex offerings. Currently, it’s available only in the United States both via Tommy Hilfiger’s website and the company’s flagship store located on 5th Avenue in New York City.

If you’re curious about just what Tommy wants to pay you to wear, the clothing options do seem pretty extensive, so at least you won’t be recycling the same outfits over and over again in hopes of earning those points. The line includes T-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, jeans, jackets, caps, and bags, all of which pair with the Tommy Jeans Xplore iOS app via Bluetooth. Once you’ve paired these clothes, you’ll be prompted to take part in challenges in order to garner points. Well, “challenges” is a strong word. You’ll be rewarded for wearing the clothes as often as possible, or for finding heart-shaped Tommy icons within the app’s map. I guess that’s fitness oriented?

Points you earn can then be turned into rewards like gift cards, signed merchandise, and items from the Tommy Hilfiger archives, to name a few, the company notes.

It’s unclear exactly how successful this program will be, especially since it seems to cater almost exclusively to Tommy super fans who really want to wear a lot of the brand’s clothes all the time. But hey, if it works, it could open up a whole new world for brands looking to add the word “smart” into their marketing materials.

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The 10 Best Selfie Sticks

There is no denying that humans love to take selfies (there is even a day officially dedicated to the art, June 21). But taking the best selfie requires patience, practice, and the right tools. While knowing which selfie apps are the best is important, getting your hands on a proper selfie stick is necessary to take your selfie game to the next level. While they are banned at all Disney Parks, The Colosseum, Buckingham Palace, and the MOMA, there are a million other places where they will come in handy (even if using one still turns you into a minor public nuisance). With new options and configurations, extra functionality, and sturdy build quality, we rounded up some of our favorite selfie sticks for catching group or solo shots, anywhere and anytime. With one of these you’ll be taking perfect selfies in no time.

Vimble 2 ($99)

Part smartphone gimbal part selfie stick, the FeiyuTech’s Vimble 2 is the perfect combination of the two — and the professional’s choice when it comes to phone selfies. Not only do the gimbal motors stabilize the phone for video shooting, they also allow users to adjust the angle of the phone using the integrated controls, making it easier to get the right composition. You can also quickly change shooting direction form horizontal to vertical. Plus, the new trigger button has a quick setting function, leaving your hands free while shooting. The built-in micro USB port allows for easy charging.

Available at:

FeiyuTech

Amazon

Smatree Telescopic ($16)

This selfie stick is not only perfect for your phone, but also your GoPro. Features an adjustable head that allows for multiple shooting angles. A small self-portrait mirror at the top lets you know the correct position for taking photos.

Available at:

Amazon

SelfieTIK ($36)

A fully retractable selfie stick, the SelfieTIK is portable and stylish. Features Bluetooth capabilities and can be used with your iPhone, iPad, or Android device. The selfie stick also works as a remote, allowing you to take a photo from as far as 33 feet away from your phone. Charging time takes only 2 hours, but one full charge can take up to 40,00 photos and last up to 78 hours. The SelfieTIK weighs less than 4 ounces and includes an anti-lost alarm to prevent you from leaving your bag behind.

Available at:

SelfieTIK

Amazon

Mighty Selfie Stick ($80)

The Mighty Selfie Stick is probably the longest selfie stick you will find. At 10 feet the Mighty Selfie Stick is perfect for professional grade video and of course taking selfies. Features a steel tripod and Bluetooth remote device, with interchangeable mounts for GoPro, mobile, and digital cameras. Set up takes seconds and the strong phone mount can hold a phone up to 4.25-inches. Capture images and videos that you thought were only possible with a drone.

Available at:

Dynomighty

Amazon

CliqueFie Mini ($25)

The CliqueFie Mini comes in an array of colors, and reduces to a smaller size, so it easily fits in your purse or bag without scratching any of your personal belonging. The polarized steel pole construction is very lightweight, but still strong enough to support your phone. You can extend the selfie stick up to 28-inches, and it retracts to just 9-inches. Features a matching remote that is controlled by wireless Bluetooth. The simple one-button design is easy to operate and convenient for shooting a phone or video without downloading any apps.

Available at:

CliqueFie

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Reality shines into your ‘Minecraft’ escape via Windows Mixed Reality Flashlight

What’s great about virtual reality is that you can get the full-body building experience in Minecraft given the blocky world consumes your entire field of view. The drawback is that you don’t have visual access to the real world without lifting the headset up enough to peek into reality or completely removing the device altogether. Microsoft has a fix for this problem, at least for Windows Mixed Reality headsets, with the latest Insider Preview builds of Windows 10.

Available in Build 17723 in the Fast Ring and Build 18204 for Skip Ahead participants, Flashlight simply opens a visual portal into the real world, so you can see what’s going on outside the virtual environment without fully breaking the experience. With the press of a button, a voice command or Start menu shortcut, you can see who’s running through your play area or to quickly scan the environment.

Each Windows Mixed Reality headset includes two built-in visible-light low-resolution cameras to determine your location in the physical environment, removing the need for external cameras/sensors as seen with the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. Now when you click an assigned button on a controller, one camera provides a video feed of reality through an oval portal rendered within the virtual world. This view follows the controller as if you were shining a flashlight into reality.

Right now there are six Windows Mixed Reality headsets costing either $200 or $400, depending on the model (motion controllers included). They’re the “third” entry into the VR market with the Microsoft Store serving as the base distribution platform. The HTC Vive is based on Steam whereas the Oculus Rift has its proprietary Oculus Home. SteamVR for Windows Mixed Reality is currently in beta.

Outside the new Flashlight feature, the two new Windows Insider builds retire the XSS filter in Microsoft Edge and introduce new Group Policies and MDM settings for IT management. You will also find 157 new emoji stemming from Unicode 11. Microsoft even made a few tweaks to existing emoji and ninja cats.

Microsoft improved the update experience as well that uses a trained predictive model to determine the right time to restart your Windows 10 PC. According to the company, “we will not only check if you are currently using your device before we restart, but we will also try to predict if you had just left the device to grab a cup of coffee and return shortly after.”

Finally, the latest builds throw the Game bar into the Start menu while keeping the Win + G keyboard shortcut intact. If you’re running a kiosk, Microsoft improved the setup experience via a simplified assigned access configuration page. Additional improvements to time accuracy and traceability include Leap Second support, software timestamping, and a new precision time protocol.

Google’s first Smart Display from Lenovo goes on sale July 27

Available at Amazon, Costco, Walmart, Best Buy, and Lenovo.

Back at CES 2018, we got our very first look at Google’s alternative to the Amazon Echo Show — Smart Displays. There are a number of these coming out from LG, JBL, and Sony, but the first to go on sale is from Lenovo and is launching in stores tomorrow, July 27.

There are two Lenovo Smart Displays to choose from, including an 8-inch and 10.1-inch model. Aside from the difference in screen size, however, these are essentially the same products.

The best way to think about Smart Displays are like Google Homes with screens. You can talk to the Google Assistant and ask it whatever you’d like, but since there’s a screen along with the speaker, you can get visual elements to go along with your questions/commands, too.

Out of the box, you’ll be able to use the Lenovo Smart Display to watch YouTube, listen to Spotify, tune into podcasts via Google Podcasts, follow step-by-step recipes with Food Network, catch up with your favorite HBO Now shows, and much more.

The Lenovo Smart Displays go on sale tomorrow, July 27 at Amazon, Costco, Walmart, Best Buy, and Lenovo’s own website.

Pricing is $199.99 for the 8-inch model and $249.99 for the 10.1-inch variant.

Lenovo Smart Display review: Google Assistant’s best face

These New Smart Displays include Google Assistant

Smart Displays are coming first from JBL, Lenovo, LG, and Sony.

One of the big trends from CES 2018 was Google’s response to the Amazon Echo Show. In 2017, Google matched the Amazon’s Echo Dot with the Google Home Mini, and this year it took aim at the Show with its new smart displays with Google Assistant built in.

Smart Displays are Google Assistant-powered speakers that also feature screens, and while we likely won’t see a Google Home-branded one until later in the fall, there are already four companies that have announced Smart Displays of their own. Let’s take a look at what we know so far.

• Lenovo Smart Display
• JBL Link View
• LG ThinQ View WK9
• Sony’s yet-to-be-announced Smart Display

Lenovo Smart Display

The first of these gadgets announced was the Lenovo Smart Display. You’ll be able to get Lenovo’s Smart Display with either an 8-inch or 10-inch display, and while the 8-inch model opts for a traditional plastic back, the 10-inch unit has a gorgeous bamboo one.

Both models have an odd wedge on the back, and this allows you to position the Lenovo Smart Display either vertically or horizontally. There are buttons for adjusting speaker volume, and there’s even a switch that places a physical lens cover over the front-facing camera that’s used for video calls.

Lenovo will sell the 8-inch Smart Display for $199, and upgrading to the larger 10-inch one will cost you $249. It’s on sale starting July 27.

See at Lenovo

JBL Link View

JBL’s Smart Display goes by the name of the Link View, and while it serves the same general purpose as the Lenovo Smart Display, its design is quite a bit different. JBL has only announced one version of the Link View so far, and it comes with an 8-inch screen. There’s a 5MP camera above it and a JBL logo at the bottom and both the left and right side are flanked by two 10W stereo speakers that are paired with a passive radiator on the back to enable “rich, deep bass.”

The body as a whole favors an oval shape versus the rectangular nature of the Lenovo Smart Display, and while you won’t find any bamboo back here, it’s arguably the sleeker of the two thanks to the all-black paint job. Along with this, there’s also support for Bluetooth, Google Cast, and IPX4 splash resistance.

Pricing details have yet to be announced, but JBL says the Link View will be available at some point this summer.

LG ThingQ View WK9

LG’s first foray into the world of Smart Displays comes in the form of the LG ThinQ View WK9, and while we’ll have to get hands-on time with the device before we can make any final judgments, it currently looks like the most underwhelming of the Smart Displays we’ve seen so far.

The large, boxy design looks boring and not all that aesthetically pleasing, and while the 8-inch touchscreen display itself should be fine, the fact that there’s no tilt to it like there is on Lenovo and JBL’s options could make for some difficult viewing angles.

Speaker tuning from Meridian Audio still has us interested, however, and this paired with the two front-facing stereo speakers will likely create a solid audio experience. Similar to the other Smart Displays on this list, you’ll also find Chromecast support.

LG simply says that the WK9 is “coming soon” with a hefty price of $299.99.

Sony’s yet-to-be-announced Smart Display

Google confirmed that Sony will be releasing a Smart Display, but a month on from CES and we still know literally nothing about it. Neither specs or renders for the speaker have been released, and as such, there’s not a whole lot we can say about it right now.

As soon as details are released, we’ll be sure to share them with you!

Might Google Assistant and the Lenovo Smart Display be the whole-home hub the Echo Show isn’t?

Updated July 2018: Added the latest information available.

Should You Buy The Samsung Galaxy Tab E Lite for Kids?

The Kids Tab E Lite doesn’t have to be a powerhouse for $100

It’s easy to say that Android tablets are dead in the water, and in the high-end market that might be true (though we’re pretty fond of the Galaxy Tab S3). But not everybody shopping for a tablet wants to spend $300 or more on an iPad — especially if they’re just looking for something to distract their kids during a long drive or doctor’s appointment.

Samsung seems to have a good solution with its confusingly named 7-inch tablet; depending on who you ask, it’s either called the Galaxy Tab E Lite Kids or the Kids Tab E Lite. Regardless of its name, it’s been extremely popular on both Amazon and Best Buy, getting overwhelmingly positive reviews from satisfied parents. So what’s all the fuss about? And should you buy one for your own kids?

It should be obvious, but it’s important to keep in mind that the Kids Tab E Lite isn’t meant to be a powerhouse iPad competitor like some of Samsung’s other tablets. Its specs are minimal, with a 1.3GHz quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage (expandable by up to 32GB via microSD), and Android 4.4 KitKat. Yep, you read that right. That’s all you need to run Samsung’s kid-friendly software, though, along with the media and games the tablet is meant to handle.

If you’ve ever enabled Kids Mode on your Galaxy phone, the interface on the Kids Tab E Lite will already be familiar — it’s a pared down version of Android that displays large shortcuts to the bundled apps on the tablet … and not much else. This is by design, to keep your kids from meddling where they shouldn’t, and make it easy to jump straight into the various STEM- and Common Core-focused games and books.

The Kids Tab E Lite comes with over 20 kid-friendly apps to get you started, but you also get a free three-month subscription to Samsung Kids to download more. There’s plenty of content from distributors like DreamWorks, Sesame Street, PBS Kids, and National Geographic to keep your kids educated and entertained at the same time. After the first three months, it’s either $7.99 each month or $59.99 for a year.

There’s a reason this tablet has so many great reviews — it’s kid-proof and has plenty of stuff for kids to do.

Aside from its kid-friendly software, the Kids Tab E Lite is essentially just Samsung’s Galaxy Tab E Lite with a durable, non-toxic case that protects it from the inevitable drops it’ll endure. It packs a 3600mAh battery that’ll keep it running all day, and a 2MP rear camera to kickstart your kid’s artistic side — no front camera though, so selfies are off the table.

The Kids Tab E Lite isn’t the most powerful tablet around by any means, but for $100, it doesn’t have to be. It just has to compete against Amazon’s Fire tablets and other inexpensive, kid-oriented tablets, and it seems to do so pretty well with Samsung’s well-versed ecosystem. If you’re on a Benjamin budget, give this tablet a shot — and if you’ve already got one, let us know about your experiences in the comments below!

See at Amazon

Samsung

Samsung is a massive South Korea-based multinational company that makes some of the best-selling phones, tablets and mobile accessories, but also spans industries such as televisions, appliances and semiconductors (like memory and processors). Samsung is the largest Android device manufacturer worldwide.

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Top 3 Reasons You Should Buy a Mid-Range Phone Over a Flagship in 2018

Phones keep getting better for cheaper. Why not take advantage of that?

One of the most exciting shifts in the smartphone world over the last few years has been the increasing availability of great mid-range options. Everybody loves a sleek flagship phone, but not everybody can or should spend the money on one — they’re just overkill for some people’s needs.

A lot of people just want a phone for casual gaming, social media, or photography, and while that all does tend to be a little better on flagships, that’s not a reason to drop upwards of $1000. You can easily get away with spending half as much or even less to accomplish the same things — and if savings aren’t a good enough reason on their own, here are a few more reasons you might want to go for a mid-range phone next time you’re shopping around.

You don’t have to sacrifice design anymore

Build quality used to be a big reason to go for a flagship instead of its cheaper, plasticky counterparts, but these days phones of all prices are really, really well-made. The OnePlus 6 and Moto Z3 Play are about $500 a piece, and both feature highly refined metal and glass designs, complete with the elongated aspect ratios and dual cameras you’d expect of a high-end phone in 2018.

Even going well below the $500 price range, a phone like the Honor 7X runs as cheap as $200 and still features a sturdy aluminum build with dual cameras and a fast fingerprint sensor. You really can’t ask for a better value than that.

See at OnePlus

The cameras are getting pretty great, too

I’m not going to pretend like flagships don’t still take the best pictures — the Galaxy S9 remains my pocket camera of choice, particularly for its excellent low-light performance. Mid-range phones are capable of taking some pretty great shots too. I spent a week in New York earlier this month and left my S9 behind to take the Moto Z3 Play out for a spin. The results were actually pretty great — take a look at some of the shots I got walking around Manhattan and Brooklyn.

I was definitely impressed with the photos I was able to take with a phone that goes for just $450 on Amazon. It might not have as much dynamic range as the S9 (and it certainly doesn’t have the low-light capabilities), but with a bit of work in an app like VSCO, you can get some pretty great results. Other phones like the OnePlus 6 or the original Google Pixel (depending on your viewpoint, that could be a mid-range phone, an old flagship, or both) do even better — the point is that there are plenty of affordable phones that take great photos.

See at Amazon

The money you’ll save can be better spent elsewhere

What would you rather have for the same money: a flagship phone without any kind of protection, or a mid-range phone with an assortment of cases, some nice headphones, and maybe a portable battery pack or a Bluetooth speaker? The money you would otherwise spend getting a top-of-the-line phone can go towards any number of accessories for your mid-range phone, with enough cash left over to buy yourself a nice dinner and even pay your phone bill — or whatever else you’d want to use it for, it’s your money.

What phone is right for you?

It’s hard to define exactly what constitutes as a mid-range phone these days — back when flagship phones only cost about $650, $400 felt the upper end of mid-range, but with today’s phones reaching the quadruple digits in price, even $600 or $700 feels somewhat reasonable.

Whatever the case, have you stopped buying flagships and started going for mid-range phones instead? If so, how has your experience been so far? Let us know in the comments below!