Which size Samsung Galaxy Watch should you buy?

We’re a virtual company made up of tech experts from across the globe. We live and breathe smartphones, and that means we also have wearables paired with them.

Galaxy Watch 42mm

Fits most wrists

$329 at Amazon

Pros

• Fits a wide range of wrist sizes comfortably.
• Comes in both black and rose gold colors.

Cons

• Battery life isn’t great, especially with an always-on watch face.

Samsung managed to get every possible smartwatch feature into a relatively compact package with the 42mm Galaxy Watch. It does everything the larger version does, including optional LTE, but comes up short on battery life if you push it hard.

Galaxy Watch 46mm

Battery champ

$349 at Amazon

Pros

• True multi-day battery life no matter what.
• A little more display to look at.

Cons

• Only comes in one color.
• Too large for many wrists.

The 46mm Galaxy Watch is very much a successor to the Gear S3 Frontier in that it can do everything you want, for multiple days, without charging. The massive battery and same basic specs as the smaller watch give it impressive longevity no matter how you use it.

Samsung has a Galaxy Watch marketing message of “same watch, two sizes” and that’s actually true. There are just a couple of subtle differences to explore here.

What’s the difference?

We’re going to focus on the few differences below, but the important thing to do know is there are only a few differences — most of the experience is the same for either one. Both watches have the same processor, memory, storage, software, and capabilities. They can both track daily activity and fitness with GPS, have heart rate monitoring and have optional LTE connections.

Even the areas where they’re slightly different are merely marginal changes. The displays are the same quality and resolution (360×360), with just a 0.1-inch size difference, and have the same rotating bezel for interaction. Both watches have removable straps that are compatible with any standard watch band, the only difference is the size: 20 vs. 22mm.

The price difference is negligible. The larger version is just $20 more, so unless every dollar matters, you should decide based on the other factors instead.

How big of a watch can you handle?

Choosing which size of Galaxy Watch is right for you has to start with knowing how big of a watch you — or more importantly, your wrist — can handle. The 46mm Galaxy Watch is big, particularly if you aren’t used to wearing large mechanical watches. This is a pretty big case size, but it’s also combined with a 13mm thickness that makes it tough to fit on smaller wrists. If at all possible, go try on the different sizes in a store before buying — you may be surprised by just how large the 46mm is.

If you’re worried at all about size, you’ll need to just go with the 42mm. It doesn’t seem like that 4mm would make a big difference, but it really does. It’s still a bit large for people with small wrists, but it’s doable — whereas the 46mm can be downright too large for some people to wear. The 42mm also comes in two different color choices, black and rose gold, which kind of acknowledges that women with smaller wrists would prefer the 42mm model anyway.

Battery life matters

If size isn’t a concern for you, then the battery life is probably important. This one isn’t really a contest: the Galaxy Watch 46mm has a much larger battery and notably longer battery life as a result. You can get multiple days of battery life out of the 42mm model, but you have to be careful and change some settings to accomplish it — the 46mm can give you multi-day battery life no matter what.

If you aren’t interested in tracking your sleep and will be charging your watch every night as a result, then this really isn’t an issue — even the 42mm can last a full day with every feature turned on. But tracking sleep adds extra stress on the battery and cuts down on charging time, so you’ll have to turn off the always-on watch face in order to make it multiple days. The 46mm can do multiple days, including sleep tracking and an always-on watch face.

Galaxy Watch 42mm

Fits all wrists

Best choice based on compatibility.

$329 at Amazon

The 42mm Galaxy Watch does everything the 46mm does, except it does it for a shorter time between charges. It’ll fit men’s and women’s wrists, and comes in both black and rose gold for more style options. It’s the best all-around choice.

Galaxy Watch 46mm

Battery champ

Multi-day battery life.

$349 at Amazon

The 46mm Galaxy Watch is all about one thing: battery life. You won’t have to think about recharging every day, no matter what you do. Unfortunately, it’s too big for many people to wear comfortably and with every style of clothing, and only comes in one color.

Standing desk converters, gaming monitors, and more are discounted today

Whether you’re looking for new tech gear or household items, we’ve got you covered.

There’s never a shortage of deals available, but sorting through all of them can be difficult at times. We’ve handpicked all the best tech, and everyday essentials discounts that you can take advantage of right now and brought them to one central location. From Viotek’s budget gaming monitors to Sharpie permanent markers, these are today’s best deals.

Tech Deals

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Everyday Essentials

If you want to know about the deals as soon as they are happening, you’ll want to follow Thrifter on Twitter, and sign up for the newsletter, because missing out on a great deal stinks!

Every PlayStation 4 game we’d like to see support cross-platform gameplay

Come on in and get hype with us!

Now that PlayStation has finally caved and started to allow cross-platform gameplay with Fortnite, we’re all wondering what’s next. With all the multi-player online games, there’s plenty that we wish we could play with our Xbox friends. Here are some of our top choices for what we would like to see support cross-platform gameplay!

• Call of Duty: Black OPs 4
• Fallout 76
• Elder Scrolls Online
• Minecraft
• Final Fantasy XIV
• Monster Hunter World
• FIFA 19

Call of Duty: Black OPs 4

With a new Call of Duty making its debut, we all want to play with as many people as we possibly can. Nothing quite like shooting your friends in their virtual heads to pass the time, right? We all want to experience the new weapons, skins, and maps with all of our friends, so why not Xbox too?

See at Amazon

Fallout 76

They say the world stopped when Fallout 76 was announced. Okay, maybe not as if there was an atom bomb dropped on us, but still. There is hardly a person I’ve met who isn’t excited for the new MMO that will be Fallout 76… except maybe all of my Xbox friends who found out they wouldn’t be able to play with me since they pre-ordered it for the PlayStation. While I own a PlayStation, I chose to not pre-order there so that I would have as many cross-platform friends as I possibly could.

See at Amazon

Elder Scrolls Online

Scratch the itch for fantasy that we’re all craving and play some Elder Scrolls Online. Here you can grind your levels, defeat dungeons and take on massive bosses with your friends. The PlayStation version of this game is compatible with those on the PC, even allowing you to play your account on a PC, but your Xbox friends have been left in the dust. Maybe not for good, though. Since Sony let up on their rules with Fortnite there’s a small chance they’ll do so across the other games. Maybe even as a blanket rule!

See at Amazon

Minecraft

Playing Minecraft online takes me back to the days of watching RoosterTeeth create wild puzzles and games for themselves to play in their servers. There is hardly anything cooler for your Minecraft experience than downloading a seed that’s filled with a whole lot of adventure and taking your friends for a wild ride. This is definitely one of the titles I hope PlayStation will also allow cross-platform gameplay for.

See at Amazon

Final Fantasy XIV

The Final Fantasy series originally started as a single player game that took you 13523 hours and 12 discs to complete. Now, with Final Fantasy XIV, it’s one download and a whole lot of patches. But, it’s an MMO of one of our favorite titles that now we can enjoy with friends. Like, the real kind of enjoyment. Not the “sit next to me and watch me play” kind of enjoyment.

See at Amazon

Monster Hunter World

Tame your monsters so you can train them to defeat other monsters. In the multiplayer option, you and 3 other friends join forces to fight against a giant monstrosity of a monster. Of course, you can play with fewer people, but that won’t make the quests any easier. This challenging, and gorgeous game has stolen our hearts and we want to play with our Xbox friends too, dangit!

See at Amazon

FIFA 19

This game has one of the largest player bases out of them all. With so many sports fans, (who are also video game fans) Fifa is hard to keep on the shelves at every new release. Keeping that in mind, I’m surprised it wasn’t one of the first games that gained cross-platform compatibility. With the numbers looking like that I would have announced cross-platform at the same time of Fortnite if I were Sony.

See at Amazon

What are you looking for in cross-platform?

Was your favorite multiplayer game not mentioned below? Tell me all about it in the comment section!

PlayStation 4

• PS4 vs. PS4 Slim vs. PS4 Pro: Which should you buy?
• PlayStation VR Review
• Playing PS4 games through your phone is awesome

Amazon

MrMobile’s Nokia 7.1 hands-on: An affordable eyeful for the US midrange

If you live anywhere but the United States, the Nokia 7.1 isn’t likely to turn your head – we’ve seen the broad strokes of this design before in the Europe and India markets. But for American phone buyers, who probably haven’t even thought of the name “Nokia” in years, the 7.1 might raise a few eyebrows. For $349, you get a stunning glass-on-aluminum build; Zeiss optics in the “Bothie”-capable camera; and the pure freshness of Android One with guaranteed updates for two years. Of course, you also get a Snapdragon 636 and the decidedly ugly combination of a big notch and a big chin – so the 7.1 ain’t gonna be for everyone.

Intrigued? I spent an afternoon snapping Bothies with the Nokia 7.1 in NYC alongside my Android Central cohort Hayato Huseman, so click on through to the hands-on video above for an early look at the phone! Then check out Android Central’s own hands-on right here, and be sure you’re subscribed to theMrMobile on YouTube so you don’t miss the full review when it lands later in the season!

Stay social, my friends

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MrMobile on the LG V40: Five reasons to buy it – and 900 to hold off

On paper, the LG V40 is the phone I’ve always wanted LG to make. Standard, ultrawide and telephoto cameras on the back plus narrow- and wide-angle options up front makes for a penta-camera powerhouse that seemed predestined for my pocket. But then two things happened: I used the phone in the real world for a week … and LG released its official pricing. When I factor in my own inconsistent experience with the spectre of spending $900 on the LG V40, I come away with the conclusion that most folks should wait until the inevitable price drop before pulling the trigger on this one.

I say “most folks” because there is one exception: if you’re a devoted mobile videographer with a real need for the versatility only five cameras can provide, you should take advantage of LG’s pre-order deal, which will net you a DJI Osmo Mobile 2 gimbal and a 256GB MicroSD – a combined value of over $250. That’s a fantastic deal and it makes all the sense in the world for the vloggers that LG is targeting with the V40.

Hit up my 7-day review in the video above, and if you’re looking for a different take, check out Andrew Martonik’s slightly more forgiving V40 review right here on Android Central!

Stay social, my friends

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Kotlin moving to Google Cloud Platform

Kotlin is the darling language for Android devs, and now it’s moving into the Cloud.

Android developers love Kotlin. Google can tell us that 27% of the top 1,000 Android apps are built using Kotlin or that developers who are using it have a 97% satisfaction rate and that’s great.

But we’ve also had developers tell us in person that they not only love it, but it’s also changed how much time they need to spend doing the “boring” part of building an app. That gives them more time to do things like polish the user experience or add small details that make a great app stand out.

Kotlin helps make the tedious parts of building Android apps fewer and farther between.

When a one-man dev team can see the same benefit as a big player, that means a thing is pretty darn good. Part of what makes Kotlin work so well for writing Android apps is Google’s support. Google treats Kotlin as a primary (“First class” in its own words) language in Android Studio and all the official Android developers’ documentation. This includes examples and tutorials as well as code camps and even a complete — and free — Udacity course. If you know how to code in Java, you’ll be up and running with Kotlin in no time.

After seeing the success of Kotlin for Android development, Google is moving it to the cloud with the Kotlin on Google Cloud Platform portal.

Going beyond Android, we are happy to announce that the Google Cloud Platform team is launching a dedicated Kotlin portal today. This will help developers more easily find resources related to Kotlin on Google Cloud. We want to make it as easy as possible for you to use Kotlin, whether it’s on mobile or in the Cloud.

Like Kotlin on the Android platform, Google is offering a complete SDK for Google Cloud and tutorials to guide you through doing things like building a backend for your app or using Kotlin to deploy Google App Engine. It also promises a full set of APIs and code libraries for Kotlin on Google Cloud Platform to help make moving a project from another language to Kotlin or building a new Kotlin project from scratch easier and worth doing.

Programming languages and developer tools to use them don’t really mean much to end-users like ourselves. But they do make life easier for the developers when they’re done right. Google looks to be learning from mistakes it sees in its own past as well as the things Apple and Microsoft are doing that could be improved and it’s partnership with JetBrains to establish the Kotlin Foundation is one way it wants to fix them.

For us, it all just means better apps. Who doesn’t love better apps?

Record your travels with Anker’s 1080p Roav DashCam S1 for $72

Capture every twist and turn in the road.

The Roav DashCam S1 by Anker is currently on sale at Amazon for $71.99 when you enter promo code ROAVS1BB during checkout. Today’s discount brings the dashcam down to its lowest price yet; until the end of last month, it had been selling consistently at $110.

The DashCam S1 is capable of recording at 60fps in 1080p resolution, clear enough to show any vehicles speeding past you. It’s equipped with a high-sensitivity Sony Starvis sensor for balanced, detailed nighttime recordings along with a gravity sensor which will automatically activate the camera and begin recording if your car is ever bumped. It also features built-in Wi-Fi, GPS logging and the ability to record four lanes of traffic at once. Using the Roav app, you can manage your recordings, replay parts of your journey, and share your videos to social media websites.

With your purchase, you’ll also receive a two-port car charger to power the camera (which can also keep your phone charged simultaneously), two 3M sticker mounts to help adhere the camera to your windshield, and a 32GB microSD card to store all your footage. A one-year warranty is included as well.

See at Amazon

How to use Oculus Go in airplane mode

If you’re trying to take your Oculus Go with you on a plane you’re probably looking for the safest way to use your device in flight. Well, look no further. Here at Android Central, we specialize in answering all the tech-related questions you have, so read on below to see how to get your Oculus Go into airplane mode!

Products used in this guide

• Amazon: Oculus Go Headset ($199)

How to turn off your W-iFi settings

Select Wi-Fi under the settings tab of the menu bar.

Press the On and Off switch under “Wi-Fi” to turn your Wi-Fi off.

Alternatively, you can go to See All unfer the settings tab of the menu bar.

Press the Wi-Fi On/Off button.

Since you can’t turn off your Bluetooth settings on the device itself it’s impossible to go “full” airplane mode with the Oculus Go headset. Instead, put your phone (that your Oculus Go is connected to) into Airplane mode and you’ll be just fine.

Our top equipment picks

When it comes to portable virtual reality, the Oculus Go is definitely the headset that has my vote. With the amazing resolution and all of the games it has available, it’s hard to not want one for yourself.

Standalone Virtual Reality

Oculus Go

$199 at Amazon

Revolutionizing virtual reality

With two different options of memory, you can go for the 32GB for $199, or the 64GB for $50 more. The Oculus Go is a completely portable headset to bring all your favorite VR games and experiences wherever you want.

Most of us have wanted to try out virtual reality for the longest time. While other headsets like the PlayStation VR are phenomenal, they all require a console (or a computer) to run them. So, what if you don’t have a PlayStation 4, or a decent computer? Well, that’s where the Oculus Go comes in. The only thing you need to set it up is your phone, and after that, it’s a completely standalone headset. This means you can play it on your couch, the back of a car, or even on an airplane!

Canada Daily Deals: ILIFE Robo Vacuums, Nintendo Switch games, and more

Whether you’re looking for new tech gear or household items, we’ve got you covered.

We found plenty of great deals today that include big discounts on ILIFE Robotic Vacuum Cleaners, Ring’s Alarm Home Security System, Nintendo Switch pre-release games, Apple AirPods, and much more!

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Each day, the Thrifter Canada team scouts out and shares amazing deals on products you know and love, helping you find the best prices on the ‘net.

For more Canadian deals coverage, be sure to keep an eye on Thrifter CA, sign up for the Canadian newsletter and follow the team on Twitter.

Win a Lenovo Smart Display from Android Central!

Lenovo’s Smart Display elegantly transitions the Google Assistant onto screens, but it’s the beautiful design and great sound that make it a clear recommendation. The smart display provides visual context to everything, allowing you to see the recipes you’re asking for or watch the news briefs you listen to every morning. It’s also a way to watch video in general, starting with YouTube and Google Play Movies but eventually acting as a Cast target — essentially a small TV or tablet with a built-in Chromecast.

We love this product, and we can’t wait to see how it continues to evolve as future updates roll out. We want you to experience it as well, so we’re partnering with Lenovo to give you all a chance to win one for yourself. Keep reading to enter!

Enter to win a Lenovo Smart Display

THE PRIZE: One Android Central reader will win the Grand Prize of a Lenovo Smart Display in their choice of the 8″ or 10″ model. Additionally, two runners-up will win an 8″ Lenovo Smart Display!

THE GIVEAWAY: Use the widget at the bottom of this page. There are multiple ways to enter, each with varying point values. Complete all of the tasks for maximum entries and your best shot at winning! Keep in mind that all winning entries are verified and if the task was not completed or cannot be verified, a new winner will be chosen. Please note that this giveaway is available in the U.S. only.

The giveaway is open through October 4th, 2018, and the winner will be announced right here shortly after the closing date. Good luck!

Win a Lenovo Smart Display from Android Central!

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