Mpowerd’s $26 Luci Pro Lux is a solar inflatable light that charges phones

One day only.

Today only, Amazon has the Mpowerd Luci Pro Lux on sale for $26.21 right now. Today marks its first and steepest price drop ever on Amazon. Normally it costs $35, but we’d like to argue that this thing is worth its weight in gold.

This versatile, durable gadget can charge via the sun’s rays or through the two-way USB port. It lasts up to 50 hours on a single charge, too. It features 10 warm white LEDs and four light modes, including low, medium, high, and flashing. The USB port will also work to charge your phone, making this thing even more handy. Additionally, it has an IP67 waterproof rating, meaning the Luci Pro Lux can be used for emergency situations as well as for camping, hiking, fishing, and whatever else you like to do outside.

The real benefit here, in my opinion, is the option to use solar power. If you aren’t near a power source or you forget to plug it in, just leave the thing outside all day and you’ll have it ready to go at night. No hand cranking is required, and the massive battery life means even if you forget to charge it up over the course of a day, you should still have some light to guide you when it gets dark out.

Note that the Pro model with USB only has a few reviews since it’s a newer product. However, the original Mpowerd Luci, which doesn’t have a USB port, has stellar customer reviews. It’s also discounted by five bucks or so right now.

See at Amazon

Get a costume for your phone with one of our custom themes

This is Halloween! This is Halloween!
Smartphones scream in the dead of night!
This is Halloween, everybody pick a theme!
Trick or treat till the app is gonna crash in fright!

You’ve probably got a costume for Halloween, right? Well, do you have one for your phone? You don’t want to leave your most important device out of the fun, do you? Especially when you can make your Android phone look like anything from an old iPhone to Deadpool and everything in between. Android themes are amazing, and there’s no better time to try one of our many Android themes than Halloween! So dress up your phone! Who knows? Maybe you’ll like it so much you keep these decorations up ’til Christmas.

Trick or Treat

Want to make your phone festive without dedicating to a specific costume or character? We’ve got a Halloween theme for you, complete with an adorable black and white cat, candy, and ghoulishly dark theme icons and widgets!

Get cute this Halloween with an adorable jack-o-lantern theme

Dark themes

Going as a devil? A ghost? A dark and brooding character from your favorite franchise? Just want a practical costume for your phone that could help you eke out a little more battery while you’re off tricking, treating, and partying the night away? Our dark themes are here for you!

Get dark as Devil’s Night with these AMOLED themes

Invisible home screen

Want a Halloween costume that doubles as a prank? Set your icons to clear and make your home screen invisible! This theme is great for Halloween: just add a wallpaper that matches your costume and voila!

Trick would-be phone pranksters with an invisible home screen

Canada and America

Whether you’re going as Justin Trudeau or your friendly northern lumberjack, get some Canadian majesty on your home screen, eh? And for those going as someone who bleeds red, white, and blue like Captain America, we’ve got you covered too.

• Heart Canada Theme
• American Pride Theme

Rainbow themes

No matter the color of your costume, we’ve got a colored theme to match it and compliment it! Just grab a wallpaper with the color or costume of your favorite character and dive into these instructions. There’s also a La Muerte theme in here perfect for Dia de los Muertos.

Show your pride with our rainbow theme pack

Disney Princesses After Dark

Everyone thinks princesses — and everything around them — should be light, bright, and saccharine. Well, we’ve got a princess theme that brings our favorite royals into the lovely embrace of the dark.

Dark Disney Princess theme pack

Beauty and the Beast

From Belle to Beast, Lumiere to Cogsworth and beyond, we’ve got six spectacular Beauty and the Beast themes for you to rock as you get enchanted this Halloween. These magical themes will keep you smiling and humming along to Be Our Guests all night.

These Beauty and the Beast themes will bring some magic to your Halloween

Little Mermaid and Frozen Fever

We’ve got a double-scoop of Disney Princess awesomeness with an Under the Sea theme fit for a mermaid and an adorably festive Frozen Fever theme to hold us over until Olaf’s Frozen Adventure comes out.

Under the Sea and Frozen Fever themes

Star Wars

We’ve got BB-8! We’ve got Jedi! We’ve got Sith! We got robot awesomeness! Episode VIII can’t get here fast enough, but until it does, we’ve got a double dose of Star Wars theming mojo to get your Force senses a-tingling. May the Force be with you!

Star Wars Themes

Get even MORE Star Wars Themes here, including Dark Vader!

Pokémon Go

Valor, Instinct, Mystic, we love all trainers and their Pokémon, though some are clearly better than others. (coughcoughMysticcoughcough) In this spirit, we have home screen themes to show off your team spirit as you enjoy the spirited event going on right now in the game. And for those seeking peace between the teams, we have a little something for you, too!

Pokémon Go Themes

Finding Dory

Want a theme for your phone that’s both adorable and functional? This Finding Dory theme takes advantage of Google Keep’s colors and widgets to make a theme that’ll help you be a little less forgetful than Dory as you struggle to remember which houses you still need to hit and which to avoid.

Finding Dory Theme

Marvel Themes

We got Cap. We got Iron Man. We got Spidey. We got Panther. We got Widow. Whichever side of Marvel’s Civil War you fall on, there’s a theme for you, and these themes are amazing every single day of the year, but they add an extra touch of AWESOME to your costumes for tonight.

Marvel Themes

Deadpool

Deadpool treats every day like it’s Halloween: he dresses up in a sexy costume, tricks a bunch of bad guys, and tries stealing treats from everyone he can. This theme might look like it takes Maximum Effort, but it’s really one of the easier themes to apply.

Deadpool Theme

Batman and Superman

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s ANDROID! Okay, these themes don’t come with utility belts or capes, but they are amazing themes for the Dark Knight and Man of Steel that you can rock on Halloween or any other night of the year. Because you’re Batman!

Batman vs. Superman Themes

Suicide Squad

Harley’s theme is playful, colorful, and ever so slightly crazy, so it’s perfect for Halloween! Deadshot’s muted theme is both deadly efficient and drop-dead beautiful. So be a bad guy this holiday and get your Suicide Squad on with these lovely themes.

Suicide Squad Themes

iPhone

Halloween’s a wonderful night for getting in costume and tricking people, so grab your Android, slap this iPhone theme on it, and go see how long it takes your friends to realize they’ve been had. Bonus points if you can show them how awesome Android’s home screens can look by switching back to a more creative theme once their minds have been blown.

iPhone Theme

Windows Phone

Say what you will about Windows Phone, dressing your Android up as one for Halloween can also lead to some fun pranks. Also, considering the robust Android offering Microsoft offers, this could also be a gateway into some of their apps you’d never considered (or known). No Ninja Cat costume is complete without one!

Windows Phone Theme

MrMobile

Our favorite tech reviewing YouTuber MrMobile was honored with his own home screen theme shortly after his launch. If you wanna go to a party as MrMobile, get some gel in your hair, a Star Trek communicator and this theme on your phone. Stay mobile, my friends.

MrMobile Theme

Updated October 2018: We’ve added another year’s worth of themes for Halloween 2018!

Out for a run? Check out these headphones

If you’re a runner, you know that any old pair of headphones won’t always work, whether you’re completing miles on the track or around town. If you want to listen to your music or a podcast while on the move, you need headphones that are sweatproof, lightweight, and offer great sound. No matter if you’re a pro or just get started with the running lifestyle, these are our favorite headphones for runners.

Flagship earbuds

Jaybird X4

Want running headphones that do it all? Jaybird X4 are for you. Sound quality is fantastic, battery life is rated for eight hours of use per charge, they’re extremely comfy to wear, and have a waterproof design. Learn even more in our full review!

$129 at Amazon

Super compact

Jaybird Tarah

If you want about 90 percent of what the Jaybird X4 bring to the table but for $30 less, the Jaybird Tarah earbuds are a perfect fit. Battery life is shorter at six hours and the sound isn’t quite as powerful, but the even more compact design is fantastic. Check out the review here.

$99 at Amazon

Stretch your dollars

Senso Bluetooth Headphones

For buyers that really want to stretch their dollars, it’s hard to do much better than Senso’s headphones. You’ll find deep bass, clear treble, and a seriously impressive battery that lasts up to eight hours on one charge. There’s even an IPX7 water resistance rating and a 1-year warranty.

$29 at Amazon

Ultimate running earbuds

Samsung Gear IconX (2018)

Truly wireless earbuds are getting better all the time, and Samsung’s Gear IconX are among the best. There’s up to five hours of battery life, customizable eartips, good audio, and even built-in fitness tracking!

$132 at Amazon

Dirt cheap

Mpow Flame

The Mpow Flame are among the cheapest headphones on our list, but don’t let the small price tag fool you. For less than $20, Mpow offers headphones with IPX7 water resistance, 7-9 hours of battery, multiple colors, and a snug fit in the ear.

$16 at Amazon

Super reliable

Phaiser BHS-530

Phaiser struck a winning balance of offering a ton of great features while keeping things affordable. The 10mm speakers offer great sound for the price, the sweat-proof design is great for all sorts of runs, and you get a lifetime warranty for your purchase.

$29 at Amazon

Bone conducting magic

AfterShokz Trekz Titanium

If you often find yourself running on a busy street, it might be worth getting AfterShokz bone-conducting headphones. By vibrating your cheekbones, you can listen to all of your music in high-quality glory while leaving your ears open to hear traffic and other potential hazards.

$98 at Amazon

Premium sound

Bose SoundSport Wireless

The Bose SoundSport Wireless are easily the best-sounding headphones on this list. The sound that comes out of these really is amazing, and along with that, you’ll also get up to six hours of battery and a sweat- and water-resistant design.

$149 at Amazon

Look ma no wires

Jabra Elite Active 65T

Another good truly-wireless pair of headphones is the Jabra Elite Active 65T. These come with a 2-year warranty against sweat and dust, enhanced wireless tech that allows for fewer music dropouts, up to five hours of battery, and Amazon Alexa is built right in.

$189 at Amazon

As someone who tries to squeeze in a run whenever I can, I’ve found myself gravitating towards the Jaybird X4. The combination of high-quality sound, excellent battery, and a comfy and durable design all comes together to create one heck of a product that’s definitely deserving of its steeper price.

Nest Secure vs. Ring Alarm: Which should you buy?

We’re a virtual company made up of tech experts from across the globe. We live and breathe consumer technology, and use nearly every one to find the best smart home picks for you.

Ring Alarm

Security on a budget

$199 at Amazon

Pros

• Inexpensive compared to the Nest system.
• Includes all the pieces you need to get going.
• No long-term commitments or cancellation fees.

Cons

• Fewer sensors included than the Nest system.
• More complicated to set up.

If you have a smaller home — or just don’t want to spend too much on your first security system — the Ring Alarm system is for you. It includes all the pieces you need to get started and works wonderfully with Amazon’s Echo speakers.

Nest Secure

Better integration

$399 at Nest

Pros

• Integrates with other Nest products.
• Includes more sensors out of the box.

Cons

• Twice as expensive.

If you already have a Nest thermostat, adding this security system will make everything easier to use than using a security system from another company. You can use the same Nest app that you use for your thermostat to activate your alarm and get alerts. And if you already have a Nest camera, that’ll make your security system that much better.

Both the Ring Alarm and the Nest Secure are great choices for your home security system. But dig a little deeper, and there are a few differences that should help you decide which is better for you. A lot of it comes down to a couple factors: do you already have Nest or Ring products, and how much money you’re willing to spend.

Ring Alarm vs. Nest Secure

Keypad	Yes	Yes
Motion Detector	Yes, one included	Yes, two included
Contact Sensor	Yes, one included	Yes, two included
Range Extender	Yes, one included	Separate purchase
Smart home integration	Yes	Yes

The Ring Alarm starts off being cheaper than the Nest Secure, and will likely still end up being cheaper when all is said and done. The Ring Alarm only includes one motion detector and contact sensor (the thing you wear to tell the alarm to trust you), but buying more of these is well within the $200 you’ll save compared to the Nest system. Since Ring has fewer sensors in the box, it’s a better fit for those that have smaller homes and less area to cover. That way, you don’t need to buy extras and you’ll keep the cost down.

The range is a big consideration since a sensor that can’t talk to other sensors is kinda useless. Nest says its Detect sensors will work up to 50 feet away from the main Secure sensor, but this can be shorter depending on interference from other gadgets in your home. If you need the Detect sensor to reach further, you’ll need to spend extra money on a Nest Connect range extender. Ring includes a range extender in the box, so interference and dropouts should be less of an issue. It’s also another thing to consider if you don’t want to spend a lot of money.

The real difference, however, comes down to what’s already in your home. Nest has been around for a few years, and there’s a good chance you already have a Nest thermostat or camera in your home. If you do, getting another Nest product may be worth the extra cost since the Nest Secure’s motion detector can work in conjunction with a Nest camera, and you’d be able to control everything from one application instead of two. Both Nest and Ring work with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, so no matter who makes your smart speaker you’re in business.

If you’re just getting started building your smart home — or you don’t mind living in two ecosystems — Ring is the better option. It works just as well as Nest’s product, and even with the cost of extra sensors, you’ll save some serious money.

Ring Alarm

Low price

$199 at Amazon

For your first smart home

The Ring Alarm is significantly less expensive than the competition, and it works just as well. Everything you need is in the box, and you can add more sensors without blowing your budget.

Nest Secure

Better integration

For when you already have some Nest gear

$399 at Nest

If you already have some Nest gear at home, it’s worth spending the extra money for Nest’s security system. You get easy integration with your Nest Cams, and the benefit of having all your smart home products inside one application.

Apple Encourages Developers to Get Their Mac Apps Notarized

In macOS Mojave, Apple introduced a new notarization feature for apps distributed outside of the Mac App Store that’s designed to further protect users from malicious Mac apps.

Apple is encouraging Mac app developers to submit their apps to Apple to be notarized. An Apple-notarized Mac app comes with a “more streamlined Gatekeeper dialog” to assure users that an app is not known malware.

Apple already provides trusted non Mac App Store developers with Developer IDs that are necessary to let the Gatekeeper function on macOS install non Mac App Store apps without a hassle, but notarization takes it one step further and adds an extra layer of security.

Notarization automatically scans Developer ID-signed software and performs security checks for malicious code and code signing problems.

According to Apple, in a future version of macOS, notarization will be required for Developer ID-signed software.

macOS Mojave is here. Give Mac users even more confidence in your software distributed outside the Mac App Store by submitting it to Apple to be notarized. When users on macOS Mojave first open a notarized app, installer package, or disk image, they’ll see a more streamlined Gatekeeper dialog and have confidence that it is not known malware.

Download Xcode 10 and submit your software today. In an upcoming release of macOS, Gatekeeper will require Developer ID-signed software to be notarized by Apple.

The notarization process is designed for non Mac App Store apps and is not required for those that are submitted to the Mac App Store. More information on notarization can be found on Apple’s developer site.

Tag: Mac App Store
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When tech goes wrong: Banksy’s shredder was meant to totally destroy his artwork

Banksy said this week that the plan was to shred the entirety of his artwork, not half of it. But the shredder built into the frame suddenly stopped halfway through.

For those who missed the hullabaloo, the art world went into meltdown earlier this month when Banksy’s famous Girl With Balloon stencil self-shredded just seconds after it auctioned for around $1.4 million.

Hardly surprisingly, it was none other than the international man of mystery himself who was behind the stunt, rather than some rogue employee at the London Sotheby’s where the sale took place.

As the artwork began to be ripped to shreds, those inside the auction room couldn’t quite believe their eyes. But as the shredder reached about halfway, it suddenly ground to a halt, leaving a portion of the torn picture dangling down beneath the frame, and the half intact, still inside.

Banksy, whose true identity to this day has not been officially confirmed, released a video shortly after the auction that showed him, or his team, building the shredder into the frame. The clip also showed the moment inside the auction room when the shredder cranked into action.

But this week, Banksy posted a slightly longer video of the incident, this one called “the director’s half cut.” Running for nearly three minutes, the footage suggests that the artist actually wanted to shred all of Girl With Balloon, not just some of it.

“In rehearsals it worked every time,” an on-screen message reads before showing a demonstration of the shredder working its way through an entire print of Girl With Balloon, one of the artist’s most iconic images.

It’s not clear why the shredder was unable to complete its mission, but its failure to do so is thought to have added even more value to the piece.

Indeed, at first it wasn’t clear if the woman that made the million-dollar bid would go through with the purchase following the artwork’s destruction, but having realized she could own something truly unique by an acclaimed artist, she decided to stick by her winning bid.

As the piece isn’t quite what it was, it’s now been given a new title — Love Is in the Bin — and been granted a certificate by Banksy’s representatives, Pest Control.

Commenting on the bizarre stunt, the anonymous European buyer said, “At first I was shocked, but I realized I would end up with my own piece of art history.” All thanks to a faulty shredder.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Banksy artwork self-destructs after it auctions for $1.4 million
• Apple’s original computer expected to fetch more than $300K at auction
• What’s new on Amazon Prime Video (November 2018)
• Crazy vending machine swaps computer art for your permanent selfie
• The best movies on Netflix right now (October 2018)

Intel Core i9-9900K review and benchmark

Luke Larsen/Digital Trends

The Core i9-9900K isn’t the first Core i9, but it’s the first one that matters to gamers.

Intel’s Core i9 platform launched well over a year ago, bringing higher core-counts and clock speeds to home desktops. Yet those chips were targeted more towards productivity because they prioritized core count over clock speed. That’s not a winning combination for game performance and, as a result, the Core i9 chips often weren’t the best pick for games.

That’s no longer true. Intel claims the i9-9900K is the “world’s best gaming processor” — in other words, a processor that the average person was meant to own and use. So, does Intel’s latest and greatest live up to the hype, or fizzle under the pressure?

The stakes

Though still built on the familiar Coffee Lake 14-nanometer microarchitecture, the Core i9-9900K is indeed the launch of an entire new generation of processors. With that comes the familiar controversies around performance claims and benchmarks typical of generational launches.

Intel came out of the gate swinging, claiming its new Core i9 bested AMD’s Ryzen processors by as much as 50 percent in some benchmarks. That’s a huge leap, especially since Intel has played catch-up in core count since AMD launched the Threadripper platform just over a year ago. Beyond that, Intel’s well-documented delay of 10-nanometer has been painful to watch, especially as AMD has been building out its 12-nanometer platform throughout all of 2018.

Real-life performance was where the Core i9 blew us away.

But Intel has done it again.

Rather than compete directly with either the Threadripper 1900X or the Ryzen 7 1800X, the Core i9-9900K promises the best of both worlds. It has a base clock speed of 3.6GHz, matching the Ryzen 7, but boosts up to an audacious 5GHz Turbo frequency. Not even the 2nd-gen Threadripper has cracked that milestone. Its core count might be far behind, but the Core i9-9900K can hit higher per-core clock speeds at default settings.

It’s priced like a Threadripper, has the core count of the Ryzen 7, and boosts faster than either. This Core i9 isn’t the same as other processors we’ve seen before.

Record-breaking processing power

We tested the Core i9 in Asus’ new ROG Strix GL12CX desktop, which also featured an Nvidia RTX 2080 and 32GB of RAM. The results weren’t just impressive. They were record-breaking.

We compared the Core i9-9900K against the Ryzen 7 1800X. We also set it side by side with AMD’s Threadripper 1920X and 1950X, both of which have higher core counts than Intel’s product. Still, the Core i9 is the clear winner in every benchmark and test we could put it through.

In synthetic benchmarks like Geekbench, the Core i9 beats the Threadripper 1920X in multi-core scores by around 21 percent. That increases to 28 percent in single-core. It looks even worse for the Ryzen 7, which nearly 40 percent behind Intel.

Against the previous generation Core i7-8700K, the Core i9 matched its single-core performance, but flexed its eight-core muscles by upping its multi-core score by around 25 percent. That’s the kind of improvement two extra cores provides.

Real-life performance tests are where the Core i9 blew us away. The system encoded a 4K video in Handbrake in just one minute and sixteen seconds. That’s the new record for systems we’ve tested, and well over half the time it took AMD’s Threadripper 1920X.

The best gaming processor, indeed

The Core i9-9900K is an attractive processor for any demanding use, but gaming is the headline feature. Its impressive performance makes a difference, though only in games constrained by the CPU.

Civilization VI, which performs many AI calculations simultaneously, benefited greatly from the high clock speeds and eight cores of the 9900K. The Core i9-9990K outperformed the Threadripper 1920X by 40 percent. We saw similar results in Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, where draw distance and high numbers of NPCs tap the CPU more heavily. In games like these, the Core i9 scores like no other processor.

On the other hand, we saw little improvement over the competition in Deus Ex: Mankind Divided and Battlefield 1. Regardless of whether you’re playing in 4K on Ultra or in 1080p on Medium, much of the processing power was wasted. The GeForce RTX 2080 is doing the heavy lifting here. Game performance is capped by the GPU, not the CPU.

Much of the controversy surrounding the benchmarks of the Core i9 revolve around the Threadripper’s Game Mode, which is said to improve game performance at the expense of peak processor performance. However, it should be noted they don’t ship with the setting on by default, which means gamers probably won’t experience a performance benefit. If you’re curious, though, flipping Game Mode on reduced the 40 percent lead in Civilization VI to 32 percent.

The unsurprising champion

You likely won’t be surprised to hear the world’s best gaming processor comes at a high price. The Core i9-9900K will set you back $530 if you buy it at retail. That’s a huge bump over the $360 i7-8700K or the $374 i7-9700K, and much more expensive than a Ryzen 7 processor. The pricing actually makes AMD’s Threadripper the prime competition.

Luke Larsen/Digital Trends

Luckily for Intel, the Core i9-9900K boasts game performance that beats Threadripper and, on balance, everything else. The processor’s combination of respectable core count and per-core speed is the secret sauce games love.

This doesn’t mean you have to buy the Core i9-9900K. You can enjoy an awesome gaming experience on a far less powerful processor, like Intel’s Core i5-8400 or AMD’s Ryzen 7 2700X. But if you want the best of the best, the Core i9-9900K is it.

Editors’ Recommendations

• The best processors for gaming
• Leak shows Intel’s Core i9-9900K comes in a cool 12-sided box, but costs $580
• The best Intel processors
• Why Intel and Nvidia controversies prove you should always wait for benchmarks
• AMD vs. Intel

The Google Pixel 3 XL is the best unlocked Android phone you can buy

The Google Pixel 3 XL is easily the best phone Google has ever made, and that also makes it the best unlocked Android phone available. Simplicity is the name of the game here: the hardware is efficiently designed, the software gets out of your way, and all of the features have a distinct purpose. It also offers the best overall camera experience of any Android.

Our pick

Google Pixel 3 XL

$899 from Google Store
$899 from Best Buy

The best unlocked Android phone.

The Pixel 3 XL focuses on having the fastest, simplest and most helpful software experience, running on simple and powerful hardware. It accents everything with an amazing camera and a handful of features that make it stand out from the competition.

Who should buy this phone

The Pixel 3 XL is not for those who measure a phone’s quality by the level of its specs or the raw number of features it offers. But if you just look at the spec sheet and the features, you’re missing out on the bigger picture: the Pixel 3 XL is an amazing phone to use and experience.

The Pixel 3 XL offers an exceptional smartphone experience, whether you’re a novice or a pro.

Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned pro, Google’s software experience is appealing. Android 9 Pie is simple, smooth, easy to use and doesn’t have a bunch of features or extras that get in your way. You won’t experience bloatware or unwanted apps, and the deep integration with Google services makes setup and sync effortless. Everything you do on the Pixel 3 XL is fast and easy to manage, and you can do as much, or as little, as you see fit with it.

One of the biggest selling points is its cameras. The rear camera takes the best photos in the business, whether you want to just point and shoot or get deeper into the extra features. On the front, a pair of cameras offers fantastic selfies for just you or a group.

This phone is the complete package. Sure it’s missing a couple of the highest-end specs, and it isn’t as customizable as the competition, but the pros heavily outweigh those cons.

Is it a good time to buy this phone?

Yes. The Pixel 3 XL was just released, and Google holds to a strict yearly cycle for releasing phones. This will be the latest and greatest from the company for months to come.

Reasons to buy

• Amazing photo quality
• Great selfies
• Super-loud stereo speakers
• Simple, intuitive software
• Wireless charging
• Guaranteed software updates

Reasons not to buy

• No headphone jack
• Display notch

There are so many great Android phones available, but the Pixel 3 XL stands out

It should come as little surprise that Google’s own Pixel phones offer the best possible Android experience. It starts with the hardware, which is clean, efficient and robust. The three color options give you choices on the look, but regardless you get great speakers, wireless charging and solid (if unspectacular) battery life. The screen is also great, with the extra-large 6.3-inch OLED panel giving you plenty of room to view everything.

It should come as little surprise that the best Android experience comes directly from Google.

Android 9 Pie is an excellent operating system filled with nice-to-have features, but at the same time isn’t weighed down by extra cruft or bloatware that you don’t want. It’s capable of being a simple and easy to use system, or a super-powerful tool for more advanced users — the choice is yours. In either case you benefit from fantastic performance and smooth animations, plus deep integration with Google’s services. You also get three years of guaranteed software updates, plus unlimited Google Photos backups at full resolution — nice perks.

On both phones, you get the same industry-leading camera performance. The rear camera has just a single sensor and lens, but Google’s software takes it to new heights. You can take amazing photos with little thought in any scene, and new enhancements to processing give you better digital zoom and multi-frame capture without any configuration or changing of modes. The dual selfie cameras give you flexibility to shoot super-sharp single shots, group wide-angle shots, or uniquely processed portrait mode photos.

Every Pixel 3 XL is unlocked (yes, even the ones Best Buy and Verizon sell), with the same hardware, so you don’t have to worry about network band compatibility or dealing with different versions of the phone.

Alternatives to the Google Pixel 3 XL

The Pixel 3 XL is a great choice for so many people, but of course there are some potential buyers who don’t want to go all-in with the Google way of doing things. That’s why there are other phones out there that offer a different experience and are worthy of considering.

Compact pick

Google Pixel 3

$799 from Google Store

The complete Pixel experience, in a smaller size you can easily manage in one hand.

This is a pretty simple equation: take the Pixel 3 XL, and scale it down to a size that’s much more manageable in one hand. You get all of the same specs, features and camera quality as the larger phone — you just get less screen to work with, and a smaller battery that leads to shorter battery life.

Not everyone wants a huge phone, and the Pixel 3 delivers the same great Pixel experience while keeping the size comfortable for a wide range of hand (and pocket) sizes. The Pixel 3 is small enough to fit in your bag or pocket even with a case on, and you won’t find yourself fumbling around to awkwardly wrap your hand around it.

Despite being smaller, the Pixel 3 has all of the same great hardware, specs, features and camera quality as the larger 3 XL. That includes the glass build, wireless charging, screen quality and stereo speakers. The only things you miss out on here is just the sheer size of the 3 XL’s screen, and its larger battery. Things may feel a little more cramped in some apps, requiring a little more zooming or scrolling, and at the end of the day you’re going to have less wiggle room in the battery. If you’re a heavy phone user, the Pixel 3 may not be able to manage everything you throw at it without a midday top-up.

A do-everything flagship

Samsung Galaxy S9+

$739 from Amazon

A great all-around phone with mass appeal, and amazing hardware and features.

The Galaxy S9+ is the phone anyone can pick up and make their own. You don’t miss out on a single spec or hardware feature, and it has both one of the best displays and best camera experiences available. And it’s cheaper than Google’s latest phones.

Samsung makes phones that appeal to the widest possible market, and that’s why the Galaxy S9+ is so easy to recommend. It has every hardware feature and spec you could want out of a phone in 2018, and the software is there to make it all work. You can also customize the software to do whatever you want, but that also means it takes a lot more setup and massaging to work just right — and in the end, it still won’t match Google’s simplicity.

But the GS9+ does most things just as well as the Pixel 3 XL, and even bests it in a couple areas: namely its higher display brightness, expandable storage and headphone jack. Being several months old, it’s also much cheaper. You’ll pay about $715 for the Galaxy S9+, which is a considerable savings over the Pixel 3 XL and enough of a discount to make many people consider it.

Special stylus

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

$959 from Amazon

An incredible phone with a huge price to match.

The Galaxy S9+ is great, but the Samsung Note 9 is even greater. It does everything the GS9+ does, but adds in a larger screen, more storage, longer battery life and an S Pen stylus. And it’s about $200 more because of it.

The Galaxy Note 9 is easily the best Note phone Samsung has ever made, and for once it’s actually better than the latest Galaxy S phone in every way. The battery has jumped up to 4000mAh, which gives you effortless all-day battery life, and the rest of the experience is the same as what the Galaxy S9+ offers.

That means you get top-end specs, a great camera, an industry-leading display and so much more. And the Note has an S Pen, which remains unmatched in the smartphone world. The problem is its $1000+ price tag, which is a tough pill to swallow when you can get almost the same experience for about $200 less with the Galaxy S9+. That makes this an “upgrade” and not the standard recommendation.

Budget pick

Moto G6

• $219 from Amazon

This is the best budget Android phone for most people, giving you all of the basics at an incredible price.

The Moto G6 is a budget-priced winner in every respect. From the modern design to the dual camera setup and excellent performance, the Moto G6 represents the pinnacle of Motorola’s dominance in the budget phone space.

In a world filled with great low-cost Android phones, the Moto G6 stands above the rest — and that makes sense, because Motorola has been dominating this space for years. The Moto G6 is just over $200, yet offers a modern design and many of the same software features as the higher-end smartphones on this list.

It offers a big screen, good battery life, surprisingly good performance and a nicer camera than you’d expect for the money. It has modern conveniences like a USB-C port and fast charging, plus bonuses like a 3.5mm headphone jack. Motorola’s software is also fantastic, with a clean interface and useful features you’ll take advantage of every day.

Bottom line

The Google Pixel 3 XL is the best unlocked Android phone you can buy today. It has amazing performance, simple and powerful software, great cameras and no clear issues or downsides. Its hardware matches the competition in terms of quality and features, and finally isn’t let down by a subpar screen. You can also get the same features in a smaller size (for less money) with the Pixel 3. Samsung’s Galaxy S9+ and Note 9 offer compelling alternatives to those who want more features and can manage the software, and for the truly budget-minded buyer, the Moto G6 is a great phone for a fraction of the price.

Credits — The team that worked on this guide

Andrew Martonik is the Executive Editor, U.S. at Android Central. He has been a mobile enthusiast since the Windows Mobile days, and covering all things Android-related with a unique perspective at AC since 2012. For suggestions and updates, you can reach him at andrew.martonik@androidcentral.com or on Twitter at @andrewmartonik.

Daniel Bader is the Managing Editor of Android Central. As he’s writing this, a mountain of old Android phones is about to fall on his head, but his Great Dane will protect him. He drinks way too much coffee and sleeps too little. He wonders if there’s a correlation.

Jerry Hildenbrand is Mobile Nation’s Senior Editor and works from a Chromebook full time. Currently he is using Google’s Pixelbook but is always looking at new products and may have any Chromebook in his hands at any time. You’ll find him across the Mobile Nations network and you can hit him up on Twitter if you want to say hey.

What Pixel 3 cases do you recommend buying?

You’ve got a lot of great options to choose from this year.

Google opted for an all-glass back this year with its Pixel 3 series, and while this does allow for wireless charging, it also makes the phones much more prone to scratches and cracks.

There are a ton of excellent cases out there to choose from, but ones are truly worth your money?

According to the AC forum community, these are the cases you should be keeping on your radar.

bhatech
10-12-2018 10:18 AM

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I got the speck presidio and Google fabric case. Presidio case already delivered and fabric case will be delivered next week.

Reply

Mr Segundus
10-12-2018 01:29 PM

“

I ordered the Otterbox Defender a couple of days ago from Verizon and it was just delivered via FedEx.

I purchased the 128GB Pixel 3 XL and I don’t want my $1,000 phone to get damaged if I drop it.

Reply

boourn
10-12-2018 05:09 PM

“

I bought the Spigen Slim Liquid Crystal Soft Cover – not the best drop protection but I prefer clear cases and thought I’d buy this one to tide me over until more options come out in the market.

Reply

Sturm Rider
10-12-2018 05:47 PM

“

Went with the “Encased” Slim Holster and case. Always preferred a holster and the Verizon one’s clip keeps breaking on me. So try something different.

Reply

What about you? What Pixel 3 cases do you recommend buying?

Join the conversation in the forums!

Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL

• Google Pixel 3 and 3 XL review
• Google Pixel 3 and 3 XL: Everything you need to know!
• Google Pixel 3 vs. Pixel 3 XL: Which should you buy?
• Google Pixel 3 and 3 XL specifications
• Join our Pixel 3 forums

Best Buy
Verizon
Google Store
Project Fi

Google doesn’t need to make a ‘cheap’ Pixel phone

The days of a cheap ‘Nexus’ phone are dead; it’s time to move on.

Complaints about the Pixel 3’s price have been loud. Even louder than complaints about the Pixel 3 XL’s notch. It’s reasonable to argue whether the Pixel 3 and 3 XL are worth the full freight of $799-899 given their spec sheets. And I think even a $50 lower price on each would’ve done a lot of good to help change the conversation around just how expensive they are.

But some have asked why Google doesn’t just go back to making “cheap” phones again — as it did in the heyday of the Nexus 4 and Nexus 5. A lower price, they say, would appease the Android fans who just want an inexpensive phone from Google with “stock” Android, but also give Google’s Pixel brand a fighting chance of growing its market share from the current doldrums.

Building yet another cheap Android phone doesn’t make Google money, nor does it advance its branding.

To think Google would decide to make an inexpensive Pixel — either by cheaping out on the whole thing or losing money on every phone sold — simply to sell more phones is counter to all of its messaging since the first Pixel. “Expensive” Pixels are here to stay, and it’s the right move for Google to accomplish its stated goals for its phone business.

I put “expensive” in quotes above because we have to remember that the Pixel 3 and 3 XL are priced right in line with the market they’re attempting to compete in. High-end phones released this year cost between $800 and $1000, that’s just the reality, and Google has priced them to match. That should be the only indication you need to understand what market Google wants to try and get a foothold in, and what the competition is. But there’s more.

Google is attempting to show that it can make the best phone at any price, competing with Samsung and Apple in particular. Why, exactly? Well these are ultimately the most valuable consumers — the dedicated buyers who want a phone for its features, design, status and brand. Those are the people who turn into repeat customers, make the most money for the company on a per-phone basis, and ultimately come away with a positive feeling about Google as a company. Pixels are, ultimately, a physical advertisement for Google.

Then there’s the reality that Google knows the flagship-level space provides more creative freedom of design and features than the mid-range does. The slim margins of the budget phone space make it a poor choice from a business perspective for a company the size of Google, which has the chops to make a truly competitive high-end phone. If Google were making a Pixel for perhaps $450, it would be unrecognizable to the Pixel 3 and 3 XL we have available today. Hardware and specs would be scaled back substantially, the screens wouldn’t be this good, and all of the extras like unlimited Google Photos backup and nice in-box accessories wouldn’t make the cut.

Sure it’d be great if Google just took a loss of some $200 on every Pixel 3 and 3 XL it sold by undercutting the market, but that isn’t realistic. Google’s hardware division can’t just lose billions of dollars — it has an expectation of being profitable like every other division outside of Google X. At that point, what would differentiate a Pixel from the dozens of other great cheap phones out there? Very little, really. Google also already has Android One, which isn’t far removed from the Pixel software experience, that hasn’t shown to be a huge driver of device sales as it is.

Pixels are effectively a physical advertisement for Google — it doesn’t want to be associated with cheap phones.

It also doesn’t make much sense for Google to wade back into the mid-range market where Android already dominates, outselling all others by an order of magnitude in the sub-$500 price bracket. Google isn’t going to be able to justify entering that market, where we’ve established it won’t make money nor grow its brand presence anyway, just to insignificantly increase Android’s share of the segment. As established above, Pixels are a public-facing marketing tool for the Google brand, not Android as a whole.

And as much as it seems illogical to the former Nexus fans among us, Google just doesn’t care about making a cheap Pixel phone “for the fans” anymore. There market is small, won’t make Google enough money to justify it, and ultimately doesn’t expand its market of potential customers.

Google shows no sign of reducing the price of its Pixel phones, either in the short term with the Pixel 3 or in the long term with subsequent replacements. Given that realization, Google’s goal needs to be justifying the price tag. It’s done so with the tech press, garnering really positive reviews from us and many other publications and pundits alike. The products are clearly good in the eyes of the smartphone observers — now, it needs to expand that goodwill into the public sphere. Just lowering the price may garner more sales, but it isn’t going to magically make “Pixel” a household name or accomplish Google’s goals for its smartphone business.

Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL

• Google Pixel 3 and 3 XL review
• Google Pixel 3 and 3 XL: Everything you need to know!
• Google Pixel 3 vs. Pixel 3 XL: Which should you buy?
• Google Pixel 3 and 3 XL specifications
• Join our Pixel 3 forums

Best Buy
Verizon
Google Store
Project Fi