Xfinity Mobile customers to be limited to 480p streaming, 600Kbps hotspot

Subscribers will have to pay for 720p streaming later in the year.

Xfinity Mobile, Comcast’s MVNO that’s powered by Verizon’s network, is about to get some new restrictions. Subscribers of the service are now getting emails from Comcast informing them about the changes, and they have to do with video streaming and mobile hotspot speeds.

As it currently stands, videos you stream using your Xfinity Mobile data are presented in 720p HD. Starting soon, however, the resolution will be lowered to 480p SD.

Customers can reach out to Comcast and request to be upgraded to 720p for free (Comcast is marketing this as a way to help people use less data and save on their monthly bills) but it will eventually transition to a paid upgrade later in the year.

This is something we see with just about every carrier in the U.S., but the changes to mobile hotspot use is a bit more damning. Instead of your regular 4G hotspot speeds, Comcast is throttling these to a measly 600Kbps.

While the video streaming change applies to all Xfinity Mobile subscribers, the slower hotspot speeds are only going into effect for those on the unlimited plan. If you pay by the gig, Comcast is more than happy to let you go through your $12/GB data as fast as possible.

If you’re an Xfinity Mobile customer, what do you think about these changes?

Why I love the BlackBerry KEY2: A second opinion review

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Galaxy S9+ vs. Galaxy Note 8: Which should you buy?

Samsung fans will be torn between these two.

Samsung’s dual-flagship approach is great for smartphone super-fans, because we get to see a new top-of-the-line phone from the company twice a year. The Galaxy S series refreshes early on in the year, followed by a Note phone about six months later.

But for someone who holds off on a purchase and doesn’t necessarily upgrade every six months (or even each year), it creates a quandary when you go to buy a Samsung phone: do you buy the Galaxy S, or the Note? Right now you can get the Galaxy Note 8, which is still just a handful of months old and very much a modern phone, but if you want the absolute latest tech from Samsung it has actually been supplanted by the Galaxy S9+.

The Galaxy S and Galaxy Note series have converged over the past few years, but it hasn’t ever been this close — here’s what you need to consider when choosing between the two.

What’s the same

The Galaxy S9+ has a few improvements over the Note 8, but as you’d expect considering their proximity much has been carried over. The two phones share a common platform in their hardware when it comes to the quality of the materials and the overall design, with the only real change being the GS9+’s different metal finish. The Galaxy S9+’s display has improved from the GS8+, but is indistinguishable in quality from the Note 8 — so yeah, both look amazing. And of course there’s just a 0.1-inch diagonal difference in size.

This is the same core hardware platform supporting both phones.

The rest of the hardware features like waterproofing, an SD card slot, a headphone jack, wireless charging, Quick Charge 2.0 and the supporting specs are all the same. Yes the processor has been upgraded to a Snapdragon 845 in the Galaxy S9+, but that shouldn’t make you forget about the Note 8’s considerable speed in its own right. Both have the same RAM and storage, too.

Even though the Galaxy S9+ is running Oreo out of the box, I won’t even claim it’s a big difference. The Galaxy Note 8 should have its Oreo update in short order, and it will have as many of the same software features as possible. But even that aside, Samsung’s take on Oreo isn’t all that removed from the Nougat launched on the Note 8 — all else being equal in the phones, don’t choose one over the other just to get it.

What’s different

Physically, it’s simply a bit easier to handle the slightly smaller Galaxy S9+. We’re talking about 4 mm in height, 1 mm in width and 6 grams in weight, but add it all up with the slightly more rounded corners and the GS9+ feels like less of a behemoth than the Note 8. If the Note 8 is outright unmanageable for you the GS9+ won’t feel like an entirely different phone, and you should consider the regular Galaxy S9 instead — but I’ll never complain about a phone being smaller and easier to hold, even if it’s subtle.

A slight drop in size and a better fingerprint sensor placement definitely make a difference.

Perhaps more important than the size is the fingerprint sensor placement on the Galaxy S9+. You can easily reach up and touch the lower, center-mounted fingerprint sensor without shifting the phone around in your hand. It’s something you do dozens (perhaps hundreds) of times per day, and it’s something you don’t really think about until you’ve lived with the far inferior placement on the Note 8.

The Galaxy S9+ also introduces stereo speakers. A phone the size of the Note 8 really should have them as well, but at least you have access to it with the GS9+. The speakers aren’t dramatically louder, but getting stereo separation and not having the audio easily blocked by your finger when holding the phone in portrait mode is another subtle usability improvement. And yes, the battery on the Galaxy S9+ is slightly larger, 3500 versus 3300mAh. That 6% bump in conjunction with the slight efficiency improvement from the Snapdragon 845 helps battery life, but it’s not a massive shift.

Note 8’s camera is no slouch, but the Galaxy S9+ easily bests it with no clear downsides.

One could say the biggest improvement in the 2018 phone is its main camera. This is an all-new setup for Samsung, with a brand new sensor and a variable aperture. The new sensor is capable of taking fantastic photos with less noise and sharper lines in all sorts of scenes, but really shines when it comes to low light photography. It also has 960 fps super slow-motion video capture, which is a neat trick. The Note 8’s camera is no slouch, but the Galaxy S9+ easily bests it with no clear downsides.

The only benefit the Note 8 has going for it in this comparison is the feature that gives it its name: the S Pen stylus. If you like to draw or write notes by hand, there isn’t anything like the S Pen on any other phone. Sure the Galaxy S9+ has some of the same features, but when it comes to getting that super-precise input there’s no replacement for having the S Pen at the ready.

Bottom line: Which should you buy?

This really feels like a toss-up. Not only do these two phones have nearly identical experiences, but they also cost about the same. Though the MSRP of the Note 8 was a bit higher, around $940, a few months on the market and the release of the GS9+ has brought that down in many places to the same price as the newer phone. Given their similarities we know basically no one will be upgrading from a Note 8 to a GS9+, but these two will be cross-shopped for someone coming from an older phone.

Unless you need the S Pen, you should buy the Galaxy S9+.

With so much shared between the phones in hardware, design and capabilities, this really comes down to evaluating the few differences and how they’ll actually matter in daily use. The Galaxy S9+ offers a slightly more compact size, a little better battery life, an improved main camera and stereo speakers — but importantly, it doesn’t make any compromises compared to the Note. The Note 8 offers a tiny bit more room to work on the screen, and obviously the excellent S Pen — but that’s it.

So either you need a stylus and you buy the Note 8, or you’ll be better served overall by the Galaxy S9+.

Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+

• Galaxy S9 and S9+: Everything you need to know!
• Galaxy S9 review: A great phone for the masses
• Complete Galaxy S9 and S9+ specs
• Galaxy S9 vs. Galaxy S8: Should you upgrade?
• Join our Galaxy S9 forums

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Update July 2018: Updated to reflect the Note 8’s position in the market with the latest pricing information.

July 2018 security patch now rolling out for Pixel and Nexus devices

The Pixel 2 and 2 XL get improved Wi-Fi performance with this patch.

Another month, another security patch. On July 2, Google officially started pushing out the July 2018 Android security patch for its Pixel and Nexus devices.

Both the factory images and OTA files are live right now, meaning you can already flash the patch to your phone if you don’t feel like waiting for the over-the-air update to hit your phone.

This patch level officially comes in as the July 5, 2018, one, and looking specifically at the Pixel 2 and 2 XL, Google notes that there’s “improved consistency of Wi-Fi connections with certain routers.”

Along with the new security patch for folks running Oreo, those that decided to jump the gun to the Android P beta also got an update to Beta 3 / Developer Preview 4 today.

Android P Beta 3 (Dev Preview 4) released for Pixels with stability fixes, July security patch

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Deal: Get up to a 256GB microSD card w/ Galaxy S9, S9+, or Note 8 purchase

The offer is only valid at Samsung’s website through July 31.

Even though the Galaxy S9 is a few months old at this point, it’s still absolutely worth picking up. If you’ve been thinking about finally getting one for yourself, Samsung’s now giving away a free microSD card to double the included storage of the model you choose.

The size of the microSD card you get changes based on which storage configuration you choose for the S9. Samsung’s website has three variants to choose from (64GB, 128GB, and 256GB), and whatever one you pick, that’ll be the size of your free card.

Along with the regular S9, this deal is also valid for the Galaxy S9+ and Galaxy Note 8 (max 64GB card for the Note 8).

Samsung’s running this promotion now through July 31, and after completing your purchase, you’ll have until August 7 to redeem your offer. Once you do that, the microSD card should arrive in 6-8 weeks after you bought your phone.

This isn’t quite as exciting as the MoviePass deal that was being offered right before this, but even so, you won’t ever find me complaining about free things.

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Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+

• Galaxy S9 and S9+: Everything you need to know!
• Galaxy S9 review: A great phone for the masses
• Complete Galaxy S9 and S9+ specs
• Galaxy S9 vs. Galaxy S8: Should you upgrade?
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Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 shown off in render with much slimmer bezels

Samsung’s new tablet is ditching the physical home button.

It’s been well over a year since the Galaxy Tab S3 was released, and at some point this year, we’re expecting Samsung to follow it up with the Tab S4. Thanks to a new render from Android Headlines, we have a pretty good idea as to what the thing will look like.

Right off the bat, one of the most notable changes from the Tab S3 is the display. The bezels have been slimmed down considerably, and along with more display area, this will also likely result in a tweaked aspect ratio now that the screen’s being stretched to cover more space.

We can see a front-facing camera at the very top with a couple other sensors (iris scanning?), and unlike all previous Galaxy Tab devices, the Tab S4 will not have a physical home button.

On the back is a single rear camera with an LED flash below it and the right side of the tablet is home to the power/lock button and volume rocker. There’s also an icon for what appears to be representing a wireless connection near the top right of the screen, hinting that the Tab S4 will get an LTE-equipped model.

The date on the lock screen shows Friday, August 24, and seeing as how IFA 2018 officially begins on August 31 with press conferences starting a few days before that, that’s likely where Samsung will officially take the wraps off this thing.

All that’s fine and dandy, but is anyone still interested in Android tablets in mid-2018? Let me know in the comments below.

I, for one, am totally OK with Chromebooks replacing Android tablets

Instagram Launches ‘You’re All Caught Up’ Feature Letting You Know When You’ve Seen All New Posts

Instagram today launched a new “You’re All Caught Up” feature, which is designed to let users know when they’ve viewed all new posts from the last 48 hours.

Instagram has not used a chronological feed for several years now and it can be difficult to tell when all content has been viewed, something the new feature, which has been in testing since mid-May, should fix.

Today, you’ll start noticing a “You’re All Caught Up” message when you’ve seen every post from the last two days. We’ve heard that it can be difficult to keep track of your seen posts. With this message, you’ll have a better understanding of your Feed and know you haven’t missed recent photos or videos.

Below the “All Caught Up” message, Instagram will display posts that have already been viewed as well as posts that are older than two days old. The feature is rolling out on both iOS and Android starting today.

In related news, TechCrunch says Instagram and Facebook are testing new Do Not Disturb features that will let people turn off notifications from the social networks for 30 minutes, one hour, two hours, eight hours, one day, or until they’re turned back on manually.

Instagram and Facebook declined to comment on the possible new feature, and it’s not clear when it might roll out.

Instagram can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

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How to Create and Use Memoji in iOS 12

In iOS 11, Apple introduced animated emoji characters called Animoji, which are designed to mimic your facial expressions. In iOS 12, Animoji have grown to encompass Memoji, which are customizable humanoid Animoji characters that you can design to look just like you.

Memoji can do all of the same things that Animoji can, mimicking your facial expressions to allow for cute videos, photos, and interactions with friends and family. In iOS 12, you can also use Memoji and Animoji in photos through the Messages camera and in live FaceTime chats.

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Making a Memoji

Animoji live in the Messages app, so creating a Memoji is also done in Messages.

Open up the Messages app.
Choose a conversation.
Tap on Animoji Messages app from the Messages app bar, which looks like a little monkey.
Scroll all the way to the right until you see the “+” button and tap it.

Customizing Your Memoji

Memoji start out as a blank face, and it’s up to you to customize it to look like you. The Memoji interface will open up to a display that lets you choose skin tone to begin with. Tapping buttons and sliders will let you customize features and choose options like freckles or no freckles.

To move on from skin tone to other features, tap the labels at the top, cycling through Hairstyle, Head Shape, Eyes, Brows, Nose & Lips, Ears, Facial Hair, Eyewear, and Headwear.

During this entire process, your Memoji is active so you can see what all of the features look like when animated. Sometimes it will pause when changing a feature, but you can resume the animation by tapping on the Memoji.

There are dozens of facial feature options and accessories to choose from when creating a Memoji, allowing for many different looks.

When your Memoji is all finished, just tap “Done” in the upper right hand corner.

You can save as many Memoji as you want, so you can make Memoji for yourself, your friends, family, celebrities, characters, and more.

Editing and Deleting Memoji

You can edit an already-created Memoji or delete a Memoji at any time.

Open up the Messages app.
Choose a conversation.
Tap on the little monkey icon in the Messages app drawer to open up the Animoji Messages app.
With a Memoji in frame, tap on the three little dots in the left hand corner.
Choose “Edit” to make changes to your Memoji, choose “Delete” to remove it, or choose “Duplicate” to use it as a base for a new Memoji.

New Animoji Features in iOS 12

In iOS 12, new facial recognition capabilities have been added that let your Animoji and Memoji mimic both your tongue sticking out and winks. All Animoji and Memoji have tongues, with some special touches like a glitter tongue for the unicorn, a green tongue for the alien, and an articulated tongue for the robot.

Recording a Memoji or Animoji Video in the Messages App

Recording a message, song, or facial expression in a video that can be sent to family and friends is done in the same way that it was done in iOS 11.

With the Animoji app open in Messages and an Animoji or Memoji selected, tap on the red record button to start recording a message. When finished, tap the red stop button, and then tap the blue up arrow to send.

Tapping on the arrow sends the Animoji or Memoji recording automatically to the person you’re conversing with.

Using a Memoji or Animoji as a Sticker

Your Memoji and Animoji can also be used as stickers if you just want to send a quick photo reaction but not a full video. To do this, make the desired face and then tap on the Animoji itself rather than the record button to create a quick little screenshot that can be sent using the blue up arrow.

If you want to use the Animoji or Memoji as a sticker to react to another message or to decorate a photo, press a finger on the Animoji and then drag it upwards into the iMessage conversation.

While the sticker is attached to your finger, you can use gestures to rotate it and resize it to get the perfect position.

Animoji in the Messages Camera and in FaceTime

iOS 12 includes a new Effects camera in both Messages and FaceTime, which includes support for Animoji and Memoji. You can use Animoji and Memoji to create photos in Messages and to entertain friends and family while in FaceTime conversations.

Animoji in the Messages Camera

Open the Messages app.
Choose a conversation.
Tap on the Camera icon that’s next to the iMessage chat bar.
Tap on the star-shaped icon in the bottom left corner.
Select the Animoji icon, which looks like a little monkey.
Choose an Animoji or Memoji and it will pop up over your face.
After applying an Animoji, tap the small “X” in above the Animoji menu to exit out of the Animoji interface. Your Animoji will still be displayed, but you will also be able to add other camera effects.
When all of your desired effects are applied, tap the photo button to snap a photo that can then be edited, marked up further, or shared.
With the Messages camera, you can add Animoji, filters, text, shapes, and stickers to your images.

Animoji in FaceTime

Initiate a FaceTime call.
After the call has started, tap on the star-shaped Effects icon.
Choose an Animoji or Memoji, tap it, and it will be displayed over your face.

As in the Messages Effects camera, tap on the “X” above the Animoji menu and you can also apply other effects while in the FaceTime call.
The person on the other end of the FaceTime call will see the Animoji and any other effects that you have applied, such as filters. You can complement your Animoji FaceTime calls with the aforementioned filters, stickers, text, and all of the other Effects camera options.

Animoji and Memoji only work with the front-facing camera in both Messages and FaceTime, because the TrueDepth camera system is required.

Memoji and Animoji Compatibility

You need a device with a TrueDepth camera system to create Memoji and Animoji. Right now, that’s only the iPhone X, but Apple is expected to launch new 2018 iPhones and iPads that include TrueDepth cameras later this year.

While it’s just the iPhone X that can be used to create and display Animoji, others can still see them in FaceTime calls (including Group FaceTime calls) and in photos created with the Messages camera.

Related Roundup: iOS 12Tags: Animoji, Memoji
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Some Third-Party Email Apps Like Edison Let Employees Read User Emails

Some third-party email providers that work with services like Gmail are letting their employees read customer emails to create new and optimized software tools, according to an article warning about third-party email apps and services published today by The Wall Street Journal.

Return Path, a service for email marketers that has 163 app partners, two years ago allowed its employees to read approximately 8,000 full customer emails to train the company’s software.

Similarly, Edison Software, a company that makes the Edison Mail app for iOS, had employees read the emails of hundreds of users to craft a new “smart replies” feature.

According to The Wall Street Journal, neither company asked users for specific permission to read their emails, but have said the practice is covered in their user agreements. Employees who read the emails were governed by “strict protocols,” and in Edison’s case, user information was redacted.

Edison, Return Path, and other third-party email services also use computer scanning to analyze emails, a common practice. For its article, The Wall Street Journal interviewed over two dozen current and former employees from email and data companies.

Google no longer scans the inboxes of Gmail users itself as of last year for privacy reasons, but it continues to allow third-party software developers to do so. Other email services, like Yahoo and Microsoft, are similarly impacted, providing access with user consent.

Return Path, Edison, and other developers of apps that work with Gmail and similar email services don’t appear to have misused customer information, but many customers are likely to be concerned about the fact that employees at some email companies are reading their emails. Many customers are also likely unaware they’re consenting to such practices when signing up for a third-party email app.

In a written statement, Google said that it provides data to outside developers who have been vetted and who have been granted permission by users to access their email. Google says its own employees read emails only in “very specific cases where you ask us to and give consent, or where we need to for security purposes, such as investigating a bug or abuse.”

As The Wall Street Journal points out, customers should be wary of email apps because Google does not have strong consumer protections in place when it comes to email. It’s a simple process to build an app that connects to Gmail accounts, and with permission to access the Gmail inbox granted, a developer can see the entire contents of the inbox. It’s not just large corporations that are able to get to this data – Google also gives permission to one-person startups, and data privacy protections can vary.

Customers concerned with how their emails are handled by third-party apps should stick with first-party apps such as Gmail or Inbox by Gmail for Gmail users and/or take a close look at the app’s privacy policies and ask further questions about data usage.
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OnePlus 6 review: The best value smartphone of 2018

OnePlus’ creed has always been to deliver smartphones packing the latest technology at an affordable price. When the OnePlus One came out in 2014, it quickly became a wild success.

It was a hard-edged phone with a backside covered in sandpaper. It offered high-end components and the freedom for nerds to tinker around with the phone’s software.

Four years later, the Chinese indie brand has unveiled the OnePlus 6, and it’s the company’s most mature phone to date. Yes, it costs nearly double than what the OnePlus One use to, but the company has evolved a great deal and with this model, I believe it has completed its transition to the big league.

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It’s a stellar piece of technology that looks and feels like a million bucks. And the best part is, it won’t burn through your savings like the iPhone X. Instead, OnePlus has managed to once again keep prices relatively low (compared to the competition), so the OnePlus 6 starts at $529 for the 6GB RAM and 64GB storage model.

So if you’re on the market for a phone right now that doesn’t compromise on specs and features, the OnePlus 6 is one of the best options you have available at this point.

Not 100% sure you want to jump on board yet? Keep reading below for more details on OnePlus’ latest flagship.

Design

Much of the OnePlus 6’s appeal comes from the fact that it now sports a completely new build and design. This year, OnePlus abandoned the aluminum back of its previous phones in favor of glass, Corning Gorilla Glass 5 to be more precise. Which now covers the back and front of the device. Despite the change, the phone does retain the slight palm-curved shape of earlier models.

As far as I’m concerned, the OnePlus 6 looks stunning and feels really premium, but the all-glass design might feel a bit overused to some. After all phones like the LG G7 ThinQ, Galaxy S9 and others also adhere to the same current.

OnePlus has also incorporated other trendy design details into the new flagship. Yes, there’s a notch on the 6.28-inch Optic AMOLED display, but if you’re not a fan of that don’t fret. The company gives you the option to easily hide the notch from settings.

Now, if you were to hold the OnePlus 6 next to the 5T you’ll immediately notice that screen real estate on the former is bigger. It’s grown from 6-inches to 6.3-inches, leading to a slight increase in thickness (0.4mm) and weight (14g). Though the newcomer has shrunk a bit in width.

Display

The display itself is still excellent, although there are no major upgrades to speak of. The resolution is the same FHD+ or 2,280 x 1,080, and the AMOLED display continues to offer bright, sharp and vivid colors, with great viewing angles.

Like on its predecessor, users can choose between a number of different screen calibrations including default, sRGB, DCI-P3 and Adaptive.

The only area where I found myself wishing the OnePlus 6 would be better sunlight readability. It’s summer here and days are super-sunny. On most occasions I was forced to shield the screen with my palm in order to be able to read something.

The back of the OnePlus 6 looks quite reminiscent of the Galaxy S9+. Both devices have a vertically stacked, centrally arranged dual-rear cameras and a candy bar-shaped fingerprint scanner below. Which is super fast, although I’m not such a big fan about the shape. I prefer circular.

This is quite a departure from the OnePlus 5T that had a horizontally-aligned dual camera located in the top-left corner and a circular fingerprint reader position centrally.

As you would expect, though, from a phone with such a glossy finish, it’s a dust and fingerprint magnet. On the bright side, I found it to be less slippery than the OnePlus 5T.

In any case, you can easily slap a case on the back of the phone. I particularly liked the rugged Bumper case OnePlus provided in the box with the phone. It’s very stylish in nylon and gives your device the soft feel of fabric.

Other details

There’s been a switch-up in other classic OnePlus design elements too. For example, the iconic alert slider has been moved to sit on the top right side. Regrettably, it’s a bit stiff and requires a firm grip on the phone to slide. But that’s just a minor detail.

Beneath it sits the power button. On the left side, you get a volume rocker and the phone’s dual SIM card slot. At the bottom edge resides the USB Type-C connector, 3.5mm audio jack port and a sole speaker.

Like on the 5T, the speaker is pretty basic, albeit it being enhanced by Dirac. You won’t find here a dual speaker setup or anything fancy like special audio chambers. If you’re an audiophile, you will have to look somewhere else. Perhaps in the direction of the LG V30 family.

We should also note at this point that the phone is water resistant for “everyday use”, but does not carry an “official” IP67/IP68 rating.

Performance

The OnePlus 6 is as good as any flagship launched in 2018. It includes Qualcomm’s top-of-the-line Snapdragon 845 in combination with 6GB or 8GB of RAM. For the first time, the company is offering a 256GB storage option, alongside the 64GB and 128GB one.

This means that the phone is really fast and responsive, and games load quickly and reliably with minimal stutter or frame dropping. I’ve been using the device for a few weeks and I can’t say I’ve experienced any odd occurrences or random freezes. Our review variant has the 8GB RAM and 128GB storage configuration.

On top of the pure power radiating from under the hood, the OnePlus 6 also gets the new capability to support two LTE connections simultaneously.

Battery-wise, the OnePlus 6 is a winner. It still retains the same 3,300 mAh juice box of the OnePlus 5T, but it lasts just as long, in some occasions even longer!

For example, I fully charged my phone Sunday morning and on Monday morning I still had 55% left.

Yet, despite having a glass rear, the OnePlus 6 does not support wireless charging. Fortunately, it has Dash Charge which can take you from around 27% to 100% in an hour or so. However, I should note that Dash Charge is proprietary, so it won’t work with another USB-C cable. You must use the one that OnePlus provided.

Camera

The camera performance was one of my main complains when I reviewed the OnePlus 5T. I hoped OnePlus would address the issue with the OnePlus 6 and it did.

Yeah, the camera it’s still not as good as the Pixel 2’s or Huawei’s fancy P20 Pro, but it’s definitely a step up in the right direction.

You might not believe this looking at the bare specs. On paper, the dual-cameras on the back are pretty much identical to the previous model. There’s the same 20-megapixel + 16-megapixel with f/1.7 combination. BUT, and there’s a big but, the main camera now has a 19% larger sensor.

Which means the sensor is capable of capturing more light, which in turn translates into being able to take better low-light pictures. Oh, and we also get optical image stabilization.

When compared to the OnePlus 5T, the OnePlus 6 is able to pick up more of the finer details, even in poorly lit environments. Sure, things aren’t amazingly sharp in low-light, but you will certainly be able to notice the improvements. Even as it falls behind phones with larger sensors and wider aperture like the beastly Huawei P20 Pro, the OnePlus 6 can take a decent bar or concert picture.

Where the OnePlus 6 shines is in daylight photography, with Portraits looking particularly remarkable.

No zoom

With zoom

Sure, there’s still work to be done. For instance, the second camera is only there to add depth data for the phone’s blurred background portrait mode. Which granted, works pretty well. Yet, the sensor doesn’t bring anything extra like optical zoom or the ability to capture monochrome images.

OnePlus has also added a new slow-mo video mode which lets you shoot 720p video at 480fps or 1080p at 240fps. You can also shoot video in 4K resolution at 60fps with OIS enabled, which is pretty sweet.

The selfie-camera remains a 16-megapixel sensor, but it seems to be able to take sharper selfies, as least as far as I can tell. A new selfie Portrait mode was also recently added via a software update.

Software

The OnePlus 6 comes running the latest version of Google’s mobile operating system, Android 8.1 Oreo with OxygenOS on top. Like always, you’ll get a smooth and clean experience, with only a handful pre-installed apps. Obviously, OnePlus has included a few software tweaks of its own.

For example, a new gesture control system can replace the familiar Android on-screen nav button triad with an iPhone-X like swipe system. Which, unfortunately, need more perfecting because it’s often times unreliable and frustrating to use.

Other features you’ll find on board the OnePlus 6:

• OnePlus’ home screen Shelf – lets you write a quick memo or view recent contacts and apps.
• Gaming Mode 2.0 – kicks in a do-not-disturb mode while gaming, but also boosts app loading speeds specifically for games. It also has improved app prioritization, so it will know to kill off apps in the background if they are affecting performance
• Reading Mode – creates a monochrome effect that’s conducive to reading.
• Schedule Do Not Disturb Mode – allows you to set up custom rules for Do Not Disturb and configure a preset time so it kicks in automatically. This way you won’t have to toggle the Alert Slider every time you go to bed in the evening.

Finally, the OnePlus 6 is one of the phones on Google’s Android P beta list, so you can give the latest version of Android a try if you buy it.

Final thoughts

With the OnePlus 6, the Chinese company has delivered a suitable successor for the OnePlus 5T. Boasting a beautiful design, top-notch specs and much-improved camera, the new flagship should definitely be on your radar if you’re on the market for a new phone.

Obviously, no phone is perfect and the OnePlus 6 is no different. It does lack a microSD card slot, waterproofing and despite having a glass back, it does not offer wireless charging. Which would have been nice.

But none of these are actually deal breakers, especially at this price. Just think about it, you’d be getting a premium glass phone with a Snapdragon 845, great display and competitive dual-camera for only $529.

If you’re not looking to spend more than $600 on the phone, then the OnePlus 6 is absolutely the best device you can get on this budget. Aside from the minimal issues we’ve outlined in this review, the OnePlus 6 is more than capable to compete head-to-head with the top flagships available on the market today. And in some respects even outdo them.

However, there’s a caveat to be taken into account before buying the OnePlus 6. It does not work on Verizon or Sprint networks. Thankfully, it works just fine with GSM carriers like T-Mobile and AT&T. So if you’re already a subscriber, you should be good to go. If not, you might want to consider switching carriers. Or, you could take a look at the alternatives. The Honor 10 View and ASUS ZenFone 5Z (which is not yet available in the US) are the closest options right now.

The OnePlus 6 is currently available in the following coloring options and configurations:

• Mirror Black with 6GB of RAM + 64GB of storage – $529.00
• Silk White with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage – $579.00
• Mirror Black with 8GB of RAM + 128GB of storage – $579.00
• Midnight Black with 8GB of RAM + 128GB of storage – $579.00
• Midnight Black with 8GB of RAM + 256GB of storage – $629.00

Buy the OnePlus 6

Xfinity Mobile will throttle streaming resolution to 480p, hot spots at 3G

Big changes are coming for Xfinity Mobile customers. The wireless carrier announced new data prioritization rules that will affect all of its subscribers. In the coming weeks, Xfinity Mobile customers may see lower streaming resolution when using cellular data and significantly slower hot spot speeds.

First up, Xfinity Mobile will lower its default streaming resolution. The company announced it is “establishing 480p as the default resolution for streaming video over cellular data on Xfinity Mobile, which is consistent with standard unlimited plans across carriers.” The change will only apply when customers are streaming video over cellular data, an important distinction since one of the benefits of Xfinity Mobile is the ability to automatically connect to the company’s huge network of Wi-Fi hot spots.

The second change unlimited users will notice is slower speeds when hotspotting. Currently, customers can stream at 4G speeds until they reach their monthly 20GB threshold. However, Xfinity Mobile announced it is “setting personal hotspotting at 3G speeds for all Unlimited customers, which will allow customers to continue to do many of the things they enjoy doing online.” These 3G speeds should allow you to do basic tasks like check email and surf the web. However, it’s not fast enough of music or video streaming.

While the change in streaming resolution will affect all Xfinity Mobile customers, only unlimited customers will notice slower speeds when using their device as a hotspot: “By the Gig” customers will continue to have the option to use 4G speeds when creating a mobile hotspot.

Xfinity Mobile plans to offer a new tier of service with streaming at 720p later in the year, details about the plan are not yet available. In the meantime, a spokesperson for Xfinity Mobile told Digital Trends that customers who wish to continue streaming at 720p can contact the carrier directly to have service re-established until the new plan is announced later in the year.

Xfinity Mobile is a regional carrier that is currently available to customers who subscribe to Xfinity Wireless service. The service combines Verizon’s cellular network along with its own robust network of Wi-Fi hot spots around the country to provide low cost service to its customers. The company currently offers a plan with unlimited talk, text, and data for $45

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