The Galaxy S7: imperfect, but still the best phone in 2016 [review]
I’ve now spent about three weeks with Samsung’s newest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S7. Like any experience with a new smartphone, it has its benefits and drawbacks, its features and its quirks. You may have read a few weeks ago that I’m planning on sticking with my Nexus 6P over the Galaxy S7 (Edge) and that’s still true but a lot of my original gripes have faded away over time. Pending what we see from HTC in the “10” smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S7 is shaping up to be the best smartphone in 2016.
The specs are pretty standard for what we’ll be seeing this year:
- Display: 5.1″ QHD (1440×2560, 577 PPI) Super AMOLED panel
- SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 (MSM8996)
- Memory: 4GB RAM
- Storage: 32 GB, with microSD expansion up to 200GB
- Cameras: 12 MP, f/1.7, 26mm, phase detection autofocus, OIS & 5 MP, f/1.7, 22mm
- Battery: 3000 mAh, non-removable
- OS: Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow
Given that it’s pretty much exactly the same on the inside as both the HTC 10 and LG G5, Samsung had to differentiate themselves by what’s on the outside.
Design
The Galaxy S7 is without a doubt the most elegant Android phone ever built. The industrial design of the HTC One series over the last couple of years and then the Nexus 6P last last year are certainly great, but the Galaxy S7’s fusion of metal and glass is absolutely gorgeous and it feels so great in the hand that you don’t want to put it down.
One often overlooked part of the design is where to put the 3.5mm headphone jack. It seems that nearly every OEM has moved this to the top of the phone in recent years, which leaves wires going everywhere if you’re using the phone and listening to headphones at the same time. Samsung put it back on the bottom, which may sound like a small point, but it’s an appreciated design choice.
Speaking of design choices and ports on the bottom of the phone, it is very surprising given Samsung’s propensity for wanting to be on the cutting edge that they would forego the USB type-C port on its new flagship. Every other major Android OEM that has released a phone in the last 6 months has gone with USB type-C and there has even been speculation that Apple may be putting it into the new iPhone in the fall.
The only reason that I have been able to think of that Samsung would have done this was to keep the new model phones compatible with the Gear VR headset. The Gear VR is an awesome accessory, but Samsung could definitely afford to come up with a new Gear VR tomatch the new port.
The Display
Samsung is known for having the most striking displays on the market. Another year, another Galaxy, nothing has changed. The screen on the Galaxy S7 is the same size and resolution as last year’s model. I wouldn’t be the first reviewer to say so but the Galaxy S7 is a refinement upon the S6 and in the case of the screen, there wasn’t a whole lot to improve upon because the screen in the S6 was the best on the market last year and this year it is no different.
Even though this isn’t the Edge variant of the phone, the glass does not stop flat at the edge of the phone, but instead curves around the edge by about 1mm in order to make the overall look and feel of the phone more smooth. The result of such form over function is that you end up constantly touching the screen when you’re just holding the phone normally.
The Software (aka Touchwiz)
This is without a doubt the best spin on Android that Samsung has ever made. I said the same thing last fall when I reviewed the Note 5 and I meant it. Samsung has been steadily making its flavor of Android better and better. I’m not sure how much the modern processors contribute to cleaning the clunk in Touchwiz, but the point is that the Samsung Galaxy S7 is smoother than the Nexus 6P.
Samsung has finally stopped making putting new gimmicks into the OS a selling point for its phones, which is great, but it also means there’s less to talk about on the software side of things. Still, I have some favorite features of Touchwiz that I would like to share.
Much like on the Note 5, one of my favorite features is still the theming engine/store. I’ve been a part of the root/ROM scene since my first smartp
hone in 2010 and theming has always been one of my favorite parts of that. Seeing that feature on mainstream Android devices was a dream come true and still is a lot of fun. It’s a little annoying that it is attached to the Samsung Hub rather than Google Play, but who would actually be surprised by that?
Another one of my favorites was the addition of ultra power save mode. I don’t remember seeing this on the Note 5, which was running Lollipop at the time, but this seems to be 
something that Samsung added with its Marshmallow release. It essentially takes regular power save mode on stock Android and turns it up to 11.
It limits your data and CPU usage, as well as completely shutting off a majority of the apps on your phone except for those that the user deems essential. It also utilizes the AMOLED display and makes everything black and white. It even disables the screenshot function!
The battery life on the Galaxy S7 is pretty good, but I’ve found that in a pinch, ultra power save mode can be invaluable. Ironically, using ultra power save mode disables the themes.
I’ve been using the Verizon variant of the phone, which normally requires the obligatory complaint of bloat. This isn’t to say that there isn’t bloat on this phone, there most certainly is, and you’ll probably want to be disabling some of them if you’re on Big Red lest you get annoying notifications about visiting the Verizon store. I feel sorry for the average Verizon customer who will never think to a install third-party SMS client, but I found that after I settled in with the phone and got it all set up the way that I like, I didn’t care about the apps that came pre-installed.
Samsung doesn’t just stuff things into Android, though, they take things out, too. In Marshmallow they removed two features that I thought were pretty crucial and left me disappointed with the implementation. One was something that I detailed a few weeks ago – they removed the ability for timed or ’til next alarm’ do not disturb. These are pretty small features, but why remove them? It’s really nice to be able to put my phone into do not disturb while I’m at the movies and set it to two hours so I don’t have to remember to turn it back on when I leave!
The other is something that a lot of people probably didn’t know about, maybe don’t care about, and technically can be brought back; and that’s adoptable storage. There was a feature introduced in Android 6.0 Marshmallow where the system could adopt the SD card as though it were internal memory and treat it the same way that it already treats the internal memory. That means that you can install as many apps as you want on a phone that is only sold with 32GB of storage but has been expanded to accommodate up to 160GB of storage. Samsung took this feature out. It can technically be brought back with some work at the command line, but why take it out in the first place?
Battery Life
Like I mentioned before, the battery life on the Galaxy S7 is pretty 
good. It’s not as good as the OnePlus One, but it worked some sort of magic. Impressively, Samsung packed the same 3000 mAh battery that it had in the Galaxy Note 5, which had a lot more physical space to work with and more pixels to push, into the smaller footprint of the Galaxy S7, giving it better battery life than the Note 5. The battery on the S7 regularly lasted me throughout the day and only when I was planning on going past midnight did I bother with recharging before the end of the day.
Like with overall performance, I’m sure that some of the battery performance can be attributed to the Snapdragon 820 under the bonnet, but I’ve heard that the Galaxy S7 with an Exynos 8890 Octa, which is sold everywhere that isn’t America.
The Camera
It’s no secret that Samsung is the unquestioned leader in Android cameras, if not smartphone cameras in general and that hasn’t changed with the Galaxy S7. Photos outdoors come out very crisp and enjoyable and thanks to a lower resolution sensor and some new licenced tech, it’s better than ever in low light and has an impeccably fast shutter speed/auto focus. There’s a little bit of noise in the low light photos but they’re still better than what you’ll typically see from the competition.
I’m not what you would call a photographer and if I were I wouldn’t probably recommend using a smartphone to take pictures. But for the casual snapper, it’s hard to go wrong with the S7.
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Other stuff/Final thoughts
The biggest selling point for the Galaxy S7 after having used it for several weeks is not the phone itself, but the Gear VR headset that came with a lot of early sales. Even for $99, it’s a great accessory to your smartphone.
WIN A GEAR VR!
I’ll be doing a full review of the Gear VR soon, right after we give one away, but it was the highlight of my review and for my roommate’s girlfriend, the only thing she cared about when I told her that I had the Galaxy S7 to review.
In the meanwhile, we’re going to give away a brand new Samsung Gear VR. All you have to do is head to our Instagram page and leave a comment on this post. We’ll pick a winner on April 27!
Overall, I’m still going to keep my Nexus but that doesn’t mean that the Galaxy S7 isn’t a great phone. In fact, I think it’s the best phone you can buy right now, especially if you have already owned Samsung phones and are used to some of their quirks. It’s a gorgeous phone, one that I would be ashamed to put a case on but almost definitely would have to. Make no mistake, you’ll be paying nearly $700 for this phone and almost $800 for it’s edged brethren, and that’s no small amount of money but if you have to live with a phone for two or more years, I don’t think you can go wrong with this one.
Acer Predator G6 review – CNET
The Good The Acer Predator G6 fits our VR sweet-spot components into a big, distinctive case for under $2,000. Performance is great, basic software overclocking is built in, and there’s a swappable drive bay in the front.
The Bad You really have to like the sci-fi tank look to appreciate the design. Not enough front- or top-panel ports for all your VR accessories. The case interior is not as user-accessible as some.
The Bottom Line The big, bold Acer Predator G6 scores for VR performance, but it’s not exactly the most sophisticated-looking desktop we’ve ever seen.
The Acer Predator desktop line has some of my favorite promotional copy of all time, at least when it comes to PCs. “Fight on the forefront of intergalactic gaming with a commanding advantage,” the Predator’s splash page says, promising that the system will “crush 4K gaming and prepare for virtual reality,” while allowing you to “power-up for galactic domination.”
It all fits in with the extreme design of this gaming desktop, which looks like the tank tread of some kind of future war machine. Or, as Acer describes it, an “intimidating armor-inspired design.” Even the airflow vent directing air from the front to the back of the chassis is called an IceTunnel (as in, “Gaming is hot, so stay cool with IceTunnel cooling system”).
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Sarah Tew/CNET
Behind that somewhat goofy exterior and hyperbolic marketing-speak, is a set of components that we consider the sweet spot of first-gen VR desktops, with an Intel Core i7 6700K CPU and the Nvidia GeForce GTX 980 graphics card (but the just-announced GeForce 1080 card will probably eclipse that soon). This configuration also includes 16GB of RAM and a 2TB HDD/256GB SSD storage combo for a very reasonable $1,999. Different configurations are available internationally, starting at £1,299 in the UK. Only the smaller, newer Predator G1 tower is currently available in Australia, starting at AU$3,299.
Acer Predator G6
| $1,999 |
| 4GHz Intel Core i7-6700K |
| 16GB DDR4 SDRAM 2133MHz |
| 4GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 980 |
| 256GB SSD + 2TB 7200rpm HDD |
| 802.11ac wireless, Bluetooth 4.0 |
| Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-bit) |
While most of the VR-ready desktops we’ve tested and reviewed have plenty of ports on the front or top panels, the Predator G6 has only two USB 3.0 ports, a media card reader and headphone and mic jacks. Keep in mind your VR setup may require a couple of USB ports, plus one more for an Xbox gamepad (at least for the Oculus Rift), and you’ll need ports for the included keyboard and mouse. Fortunately, there are four more USB 3.0 and two more USB 2.0 ports around the back. That in-the-box keyboard and mouse combo might be wired, but it’s a nice, hefty SteelSeries set, one of the better pack-in accessory sets I’ve seen.
GE JGB700SEJSS review – CNET
The Good From baking to broiling, the GE JGB700SEJSS gas range is consistent when it comes to cooking food well. It also costs $1,000, which makes it one of the more affordable options we’ve reviewed.
The Bad The range lacks bells and whistles you might find on other units, such as a convection roast mode or an oven light you can turn on while your food bakes.
The Bottom Line The GE JGB700SEJSS is a solid oven for a good price.
Visit manufacturer site for details.
Manufacturers are quick to roll out new ovens loaded with impressive bonus features that drive the price of an appliance well into four (or even five) digits — LED lights surrounding the burner knobs, specialized baking modes to cook foods like pizza or chicken, even Wi-Fi and connected apps. It’s up to you to determine if you must have these sparkly extras in your next appliance purchase. But the GE JGB700SEJSS gas range makes a strong case for minimalism.
This $1,000 stainless-steel range is consistent in its ability to cook food well. It’s also easy to use and includes some simple add-ons that make cooking a little easier, such as a convection fan in the oven and an integrated griddle on the cooktop. And its price makes this appliance more affordable than units with more features.
The GE JGB700SEJSS is slim on cooking modes and lacks the sturdy physical presence of more expensive stainless-steel units, but that’s no surprise for a $1,000 large appliance. It also won’t break any records when it comes to cooking times. Minor faults aside, the JGB700SEJSS is no slouch in the kitchen, and a worthwhile purchase for a home cook that cares more about functionality than flash.
This GE range costs $1,000, and its performance…
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Basic doesn’t mean boring
This GE range is a 30-inch wide freestanding model with a stainless-steel finish.
Chris Monroe/CNET
Unlike more expensive ranges, the GE JGB700SEJSS doesn’t aspire to look like a professional-grade appliance. This unobtrusive range resembles other freestanding models with back panel controls and a row of burner knobs along the front of the unit. None of the features seem particularly strong; the knobs feel light, and the touch controls for oven temperature take a little extra “oomph” when you press them.
The griddle limits what you can do with the center burner, but it’s a good tool to have if you like this type of cookware.
Chris Monroe/CNET
The most notable feature of the oven is its five-burner cooktop. Cast-iron continuous grates cover the four burner on the left and right of the cooktop, and an integrated griddle covers the center oval burner. There aren’t any included grates you can replace the griddle with, so you’d have to switch out one of the grates on the side if you want to cook something over the center burner but don’t want to use the griddle. This is limiting if you don’t often use a griddle or need a fifth burner for a particularly active day of cooking. However, the griddle is a good size (it can hold six sandwiches at a time), so folks who often cook items like pancakes, bacon or eggs will be delighted to have it.
Just a few features, but lots of quality cooking
The GE JGB700SEJSS performed well in all of the cooking tests through which I put it. None of the results were earth-shattering, but this appliance was no slouch. The range stands up to more expensive competitors when it comes to its ability to cook food consistently well in an average amount of time, even without special features.
GE PFE28KMKES review – CNET
The Good GE’s new Profile Series French door model has a stylish slate finish and understated touch panel controls, complete with a nifty Autofill water dispenser that’ll automatically fill your glass up without spilling.
The Bad The interior feels a little more cramped than you might like in this price range — largely because some of the in-door shelves are too narrow to be of much use.
The Bottom Line This is a decent fridge and a solid, no-frills upgrade pick for modern kitchens.
GE puts out a steady stream of refrigerators under the Profile Series name. Last year’s fleet included models with a sensor-powered water dispenser capable of automatically filling up your glass, pitcher or pot. It scored as one of our favorite fridge features of the year.
This year’s refreshed lineup includes new models with that same Autofill water dispenser, including the $3,000 GE PFE28KMKES. It’s a good-looking fridge with easy-to-use touch controls and an understated slate finish (a stainless steel model is also available at the same price, if you like your fridge a bit shinier). It doesn’t have quite as many bells and whistles as last year’s models, but as a well-refined high-end appliance, there’s still a lot to like about it.
Filling up with GE’s Profile Series fridge…
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Design done right
First things first: This fridge looks great. It’s one of a growing number of slate-finish appliances from GE, and it might be the best-looking one yet, taking full advantage of the style’s modern aesthetic and inherent subtlety.
To that last point, I think GE was wise to switch from the full-color LCD touchscreen of last year’s models to a simpler, cleaner-looking touch panel. It isn’t technically as fancy as before, but it blends right in with the slate finish and seems like a much more appropriate choice than the flashy touchscreen would have been.
That touch panel is straightforward and easy-to-use, too, with all of the obvious buttons for controlling the temperature, the icemaker and the water dispenser. Key among these is the “Autofill” button in the middle. Set a glass, pitcher or pot down below and give that button a press. The fridge will fill it up all on its own with sensors that tell it when to stop.
It’s an undeniably cool feature and a surprisingly nice little luxury for your kitchen. I first tested it out a little more than a year ago, and I still “ooh” and “aah” a little bit on the inside whenever I watch it at work. It’s the exact sort of “little thing” that I wish more appliances got right.
That said, I wish that this model also offered Precise Fill, an option available in certain other GE fridges that lets you tell the water dispenser to dispense a specific quantity of liquid — say, four cups for a pot of pasta. In its place, you get a counter in the display that keeps track of how many ounces of water you’re dispensing as you’re dispensing it. It’s a nice touch, but not as helpful as Precise Fill.
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I was able to fit all of our test groceries inside along with our six stress test items, but it was a tight squeeze.
Tyler Lizenby/CNET
A look inside
The PFE28KMKES is a 27.8 cubic foot refrigerator, 18.6 cubic feet of which are allocated to the fridge compartment. That’s pretty much average for a French door model in this price range, so if you’re feeding a large family and space is at a premium, know that you can probably find something at least a little bit bigger if you shop around.
2016 Land Rover Range Rover Sport Td6 review – Roadshow
The Good With its air suspension, the 2016 Range Rover Sport delivers a very comfortable ride over long distances, while its available diesel engine is reasonably economical. Advanced offroad systems let this SUV go far off the beaten path.
The Bad The navigation system’s destination entry requires digging through too many menus. The dynamic driving program is not available with the diesel engine.
The Bottom Line The 2016 Range Rover Sport Td6 makes for an extraordinarily comfortable and capable SUV, while its diesel engine achieves much better fuel economy than its gasoline-equivalent, but don’t expect the most modern electronics or performance driving.
Scooting the 2016 Range Rover Sport Td6 over into a pocket on the side of a fire road to let other traffic squeeze by, the guy in the first truck says there’s a downed tree ahead that he couldn’t get under, so I’d probably have to turn around. The guy in the second truck asks after his dogs, the playful pack of black labs wearing radio tracking collars I passed coming up the road. I talk to him about the dogs for a bit, and he says they are tracking a bear.
Low enough to fit under this fallen tree, the Range Rover Sport makes its way up Cougar Mountain.
Wayne Cunningham/Roadshow
Welcome to the wilds of Idaho, one of our lesser-populated states that, however, has some of the best highways and Interstates in the country, not to mention big river canyons, lakes and heavily forested mountains. I’m in the middle of a 2,500-plus mile roadtrip, driving the new diesel-powered Range Rover Sport from San Francisco.
This well-packed fire road, running up Cougar Mountain near Coeur d’Alene, sees plenty of use, but trees fall frequently across its path. The locals probably scoffed at the upscale Range Rover Sport as they passed me, but I had no problem cruising under the fallen tree across the road. Further up, things got a little hairy as the rain increased and the road’s ruts deepened.
That’s when I engaged the Mud and Ruts setting on the Terrain Response System, letting the Range Rover Sport compensate for slip through a combination of locking differentials and automated braking system work. The air suspension lifted, keeping the chassis off the mud and the tires in contact with the track.
It was a moderate test of the Range Rover Sport’s abilities, and a chance to see some of the more impressive Idaho terrain, despite the reported presence of bears.
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Mileage groove
Getting to that mountain in Idaho required many miles driving through California and the sweeping, high desert of Nevada. When I hit Reno and fueled up, the Range Rover Sport’s mileage didn’t impress me as much as I had hoped. 25.6 mpg seemed low for this truck’s turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 diesel engine after 300 miles of Interstate-driving, a bit under the EPA’s estimated 28 mpg for highway driving.
Brothers under the hood, diesel proves economical for the long highway.
Wayne Cunningham/Roadshow
Throughout the trip I would find that this diesel was happiest with the 55 and 60 mph speed limits of Washington and Oregon, where its average economy reached a high of 27.6 mpg.
Searching for diesel in Reno proved easy enough, after I dug into the Automotive points-of-interest category in the Range Rover Sport’s navigation system. However, subsequent searches for specific place names proved so complicated that I resorted to my phone. Land Rover is on the verge of rolling out a new infotainment system for its vehicles, which will hopefully offer a better destination search interface. Even better would be support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, neither features being available in Land Rover’s current system.
With its 23.5-gallon tank, I was looking at just over 500 miles between fill-ups, which proved especially useful during the desolate drive through Nevada to Winnemucca, then up the lonely Highway 95 through Washington and into Idaho, where fueling stations were very few and far between. This stretch proved the comfort of the Range Rover Sport, as its air suspension mitigated the toll on my body and limited the need for rest stops.
vivo V3Max Review
With their latest smartphones, vivo is looking to expand their growing presence within China to other parts of the world. The vivo V3Max claims to offer much of what many want from a flagship device, in a less expensive, mid-range package.
More vivo coverage:
- vivo X6Plus Review
- vivo X6 First Look
- vivo XPlay 5 Announced
But the question remains: how does vivo’s V3Max compare to similarly priced “super mid-range” smartphones? Let’s find out with our full review of the vivo V3Max!
Design
It goes without saying that the vivo V3Max bears quite a bit of resemblance to the iPhone, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Despite its mid-range status, the V3Max encompasses an unmistakably premium design with notably solid build quality. The V3Max’s carefully crafted curves and physically soft metallic shell are particularly remarkable, and although the phone can be a bit slippery, it feels excellent in the hand.
The V3Max’s carefully crafted curves and physically soft metallic shell are particularly remarkable
While some may find its gold and rose gold color options to be a bit gaudy in press renders, it is worth noting that the color is much lighter in person to the point where one could easily mistake the gold for silver in some environments. I was slightly disappointed with the phone’s vibration motor, as it did seem a tad rattly and weak during my testing, which was noticeable primarily when typing. I do not consider this to be a major issue, but it is something to keep in mind, especially if you are coming from a higher-end smartphone.
Unfortunately, the three capacitive keys on the front of the V3Max are not illuminated, and the choice to use the first button for the general menu instead of the multitasking menu did seem odd, initially. It was not until I learned that vivo’s FunTouch OS integrates multitasking into its control center, which can be accessed with a simple swipe up from the bottom of the screen.
I do think that this implementation could be improved, however, with a single physical home button that would double as a back button, in which the user would tap to go back and press to go home. Meizu has followed this design for a while now, and it does seem more appropriate in this case as the general menu is oftentimes no longer accessed via a capacitive key.
Display
The V3Max is sporting a 5.5″ 1080P display, which looks pretty good with a good amount of saturation and great viewing angles. It does seem a tad lacking in contrast, however, and sunlight readability leaves something to be desired. I found it to be very challenging to view the V3Max’s display in direct sunlight, which could be incredibly problematic, depending on how you intend to use the device.
Overall, the display on the V3Max is simply not as good as displays found on similar smartphones like the Xiaomi Mi 5 or much cheaper Meizu M2 Note. I was also fairly surprised to find that the display’s material feels more like plastic than glass, which made it much more susceptible to fingerprints and scratches in my testing. Since the material is not as smooth as the glass used on many other competing smartphones, the display can be fairly resistant to simple gestures like swiping.
Performance
It’s evident that vivo has focused on delivering a speedy experience with the V3Max
Despite its seemingly mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 processor, the V3Max is a great performer. With 4 GB of RAM and the “faster than faster” advertising slogan, it’s evident that vivo has focused on delivering a speedy experience with the V3Max. Fortunately, it delivers in that regard.
I also had no trouble playing higher-end games like Asphalt 8, thanks to the phone’s modern Adreno 510 GPU.
Hardware
As is the case for many other smartphones intended for sale outside of the United States, the vivo V3Max does not support U.S. 4G LTE networks, and you’ll be limited to HSPA+ on AT&T in all areas and HSPA+ on T-Mobile in some areas.
FDD-LTE B2, B3, B5, B8 TD-LTE B40 WCDMA B2, B3, B5, B8 GSM B2, B3, B5, B8
With that said, the phone does support AT&T’s legacy band 5 for LTE, which I was able to utilize only in a rural area. Do keep in mind, however, that this frequency has been mostly phased out, hence its legacy status.
Call quality was pretty good, and many consumers will be happy to know that the device is both unlocked and supports dual-SIM cards. If you’re willing to give up one of V3 Max’s SIM card slots, you can take advantage of expandable storage with a microSD card, up to 128GB.
See Also: High capacity microSD cards and Android – Gary explains37
I found the V3Max’s rear-facing fingerprint reader to be incredibly fast and very accurate, easily beating out the Huawei Nexus 6P and Xiaomi Mi 5 in virtually every test. Combined with its great overall performance, the V3Max is one of the few mid-range smartphones to keep up when wanting to quickly check content-heavy apps like Twitter or YouTube.
The V3Max offers a superior audio experience relative to competing mid-range smartphones
With its AKM AK4375 Hi-Fi audio chip, the V3Max offers a superior audio experience relative to competing mid-range smartphones. However, it’s difficult to notice anything beyond a minor difference day-to-day unless audio is streamed at a higher bitrate or listened to through higher-quality headphones.
The phone’s external side-firing speaker, however, exceeded my expectations with its loud volume and low distortion. Although it is not a front-facing speaker, it is one of the highest quality speakers on a mid-range device that we’ve seen.
Battery life on the V3Max was also impressive, and I had no trouble reaching six hours of screen on time with variable usage, in addition to long standby times, sometimes even more than twenty-four hours. Although the battery capacity is a somewhat small 3000mAh, vivo appears to have made significant efficiency gains with software optimization. And if you do need the V3Max to last just a bit longer, there are several power consumption profiles available for use within the iManager app.
Camera
The V3Max’s 13 MP rear camera with phase detection autofocus produced very nice looking images in good lighting conditions. Most images appear to be sharp and detailed with good color reproduction and a great amount of dynamic range. While I did notice that the built-in camera app tended to underexpose, especially when shooting outdoors, the compensation slider proved to be a godsend.
The camera struggles to provide satisfactory results in low-light environments
Unfortunately, this performance is not met when shooting photos in low-light. Put simply, the camera struggles to provide satisfactory results in low-light environments, as photos appear noisy and distorted. While it is certainly possible to capture a good image in near-dark conditions, the camera here would definitely not be my first choice, even if I was limited to mid-range devices.
It is also important to note that the V3Max does not support 4K video recording, which was disappointing considering similarly priced smartphones like the Xiaomi Mi 5 do. Its 8 MP front-facing camera did perform well in my quick testing, however, and should be more than suitable in most environments. Although vivo has included a camera app which can be easily likened to Apple’s camera app, it is fairly easy to use while still remaining functional.
There are many different modes as well, all of which are easily accessible and include first time use explanations. There’s even a “PPT mode,” which automatically crops and scales an image shown on a projector or screen, which could be very handy for those wishing to capture important details from a slideshow.
Software
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the V3Max is its custom software. It’s running vivo’s FunTouch OS 2.5 on top of Android 5.1 Lollipop. The latter is disappointing enough, considering the latest version of Android, Android 6.0 Marshmallow, has been out for eight-months now. Sadly, this means that certain features like Google Now On Tap and fingerprint reader access for third party apps are not available with the vivo V3Max.
It’s fairly easy to see how the V3Max’s software could be a deal breaker
Even if you come to accept the older version of Android, vivo’s custom skin is sure to seem jarring at first, especially for those coming from stock or lightly skinned versions of Android. iOS-inspired changes like a control center and app names like iManager, iMusic, and iTheme are oftentimes simply not appealing to Westerns, and it’s fairly easy to see how the V3Max’s software could be a deal breaker.
Despite the strong departure from what we have come to expect from Android, there are many great features that FunTouch brings to the table. Features like S Capture, which give you a multitude of different options when wanting to share your screen, and wakeup gestures are commendable additions.
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Price
Vivo has released the V3Max globally in gold and rose gold variants, each with 32 GB of internal storage. If you’re in India, you can pick up the V3Max for Rs. 23,980, or about $355.
Conclusion
The vivo V3Max gets a lot of things right. It has a nice design, offers fast performance, Hi-Fi audio, and excellent battery life. However, its flaws cannot be ignored. The lack of U.S. availability and U.S. 4G LTE support, poor image quality in low-light, and likely jarring iOS-like software experience are enough to be deal breakers for some.
Quite frankly, it is difficult to recommend the V3Max over phones like the Xiaomi Mi 5, which is simply a more well-rounded option for about the same price. Unless you need the even better battery life, better speaker, or prefer the V3Max’s design, you may find the Mi 5 to be a much better option. With that said, vivo’s efforts are not to be diluted, and we must note that this is still a great mid-range smartphone, but with today’s highly competitive market, great only goes so far.
More vivo coverage:
- vivo X6Plus Review
- vivo X6 First Look
- vivo XPlay 5 Announced
So, what do you think of the vivo V3Max? Would you buy it over other mid-range smartphones? We would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below!
D-Link DIR-879 AC1900 Wi-Fi Router review – CNET
The Good The D-Link DIR-879 AC1900 EXO Wi-Fi router is fast, looks cool and at $140 (£97, AU$194 converted), is pretty affordable.
The Bad The Web-based user interface lacks some customization features. You must manually update the router’s firmware before it works as intended.
The Bottom Line Though not perfect, the DIR-879 is a well-performing router that fits most homes’ needs and budget.
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The DIR-879 comes with four antennas that can be folded on its top.
Dong Ngo/CNET
Considering the fact that even the fastest Wi-Fi clients (like laptops, tablets or smartphones) on the market have a capped Wi-Fi speed of 1,300Mbps (no device on the market currently is capable of anything more), purchasing a top-tier router, like one that supports AC5400 or AC2400 speed standards, will not likely bring you any speed benefits. The D-Link EXO DIR-879 is an AC1900 router, meaning that as far as real-world performance goes, it’s as fast as you can get, until devices with faster Wi-Fi standards become available. (Read more about Wi-Fi speeds here.)
The EXO is part of a new line of routers from D-Link with a new orange-and-black design and collapsible non-detachable antennas. The look is pleasing to my network world-weary eyes. With four Gigabit LAN ports and one Gigabit WAN port on the back, and four collapsible antennas on the sides, the DIR-879 also nails it on practicality. However, with no USB port or SD card slot, which would allow you to easily share a drive with everyone on your network, you’ll instead need to connect that drive to a computer on the network.
CNET Labs’ AC1900 routers’ 5GHz performance
D-Link EXO DIR-879
635.5
433.6
Linksys WRT1900ACS
536.1
349.21
Asus RT-AC68U
521.4
336
Linksys WRT1900AC
520.67
340.7
Netgear R7000
432.1
295.4
Legend:
Close range
Long range
Note:
Measured in megabits per second. Longer bars mean better performance.
In testing the router supplied a sustained Wi-Fi speed — on the 5GHz band — of more than 635Mbps at close range, beating all other AC1900 routers I’ve tested. Farther out at about 75 feet (with one wall in between) it still averaged out at some 435Mbps. Even on the slower the 2.4GHz band, the router put up some good numbers compared to its peers, registering 136Mbps and 74Mbps at close and long range, respectively. The router had a long maximum range, too, topping out at about 130 feet in a residential setting before I lost the signal. It also passed our 48-hour Wi-Fi stress test without once disconnecting.
CNET Labs AC1900 routers’ 2.4GHz Wi-Fi performance
Asus RT-AC68U
225
211.4
D-Link EXO DIR-879
136.1
74
Netgear R7000
117.4
63.2
Linksys WRT1900ACS
170.3
58.6
Linksys WRT1900AC
168.3
50.34
Legend:
Close range
Long range
Note:
Measured in megabits per second. Longer bars mean better performance.
It doesn’t always deliver maximum speeds and ranges, however. As with all routers, I tested the DIR-879’s two Wi-Fi bands (2.4GHz and 5GHz) as two separate Wi-Fi networks. However by default, the router combines these two bands into a single Wi-Fi network via a feature called “Smart Connect.” In this mode its Wi-Fi speed was overall noticeably slower than what I mentioned above, most likely because the router pick compatibility over performance. That said, if you want to get the best performance out of the router, I suggest logging into its Web interface and turn off the Smart Connect feature.
AVA Direct Avatar VR desktop review – CNET
The Good The bold-looking Avatar has VR-friendly features, including many front- and top-mounted ports. It’s easy to access the interior for upgrades.
The Bad The bulky chassis has a massive desktop footprint, and the front-facing VR connection panel doesn’t feel sturdy enough.
The Bottom Line The AVA Direct Avatar is a VR-ready desktop with a striking design that puts the ports front and center — just make sure you have enough room for it.
Visit manufacturer site for details.
Everyone seems to be marketing a gaming desktop with top-end parts as “built for VR.” AVA Direct, like a small handful of other PC makers, has actually put some thought into that idea, most notably including a front panel with VR-ready HDMI and USB ports. That should make plugging in easier, especially if the desktop’s rear panel is facing a wall, under a desk, or otherwise hard to access — but it’s a better idea in theory than in practice.
That front panel, with two USB ports and one HDMI output, is an optional piece from component maker EVGA that comes bundled with the Nvidia GeForce GTX 980Ti graphics card included with this configuration. Unfortunately, I found the front VR ports a little shaky and quickly switched back to the rear-facing ones. The VR front panel on the Velocity Micro Raptor was similarly flaky.
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Sarah Tew/CNET
Like most gaming desktops, AVA Direct offers a choice of different processors, graphics cards, power supplies and storage on its configurator page. This high-end configuration, with the 980Ti, an Intel Core i7 6700K CPU, liquid cooling, and a 1TB HDD/500GB SSD storage combo is currently $2,549 in the US (the company doesn’t ship internationally, but that works out to around £1,768 or AU$3,511), which is very reasonable for that set of components. Note that prices and selection for custom PC configurations can vary even week by week. Configurations of the Avatar start at $1,599.
AVA Direct Avatar VR Desktop
| $2,549 |
| 4GHz Intel Core i7-6700K |
| 16GB DDR4 SDRAM 2,133MHz |
| 6GB Nivida GeForce GTX 980 |
| 500GB SSD + 1TB 7,200rpm HDD |
| Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-bit) |
The chassis is really striking — it’s a matte-black box with a curved front panel, raised feet in the front and back, and very little distracting decoration, aside from a lighted side panel with the company’s name etched into the plastic window. It’s a customized version of the Dead Silence Black Edition from case-maker Aerocool, and promises both sound-dampening and extra airflow via a mesh top panel for airflow.
Samsung Gear IconX Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
Getting fit usually means wristbands and watches, but a handful of companies are trying out ears. Samsung is now in the fitness earphone game with the Gear IconX, debuting later this year. They’re small buds that combine fitness tracking with Bluetooth earphones that also can store music locally.
Other companies have done this before, but Samsung’s buds are also completely, independently wireless. Two separate buds, no connecting wire or neckband necessary. They nestle in their own charging case, which tops off the battery life twice. The IconX battery life is estimated at 3-ish hours on its own as a fitness tracker and music player, or an hour and a half when paired and streaming from a phone.
Wireless charging case included.
Sarah Tew/CNET
I tried a prerelease prototype pair of IconX buds on for a few minutes, and they sounded pretty good. Samsung throws a handful of ear tips in the package, and they sounded better to me than other Bluetooth fitness buds I’ve recently worn. They also come with an ambient sound passthrough mode, which let me hear things around me.
We were worried about ours falling out, but you just have to pick the right tip.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Onboard heart rate monitoring tracks activity, and a touch button on the earphones can be used to start and end workouts. I wasn’t able to go outside for a run, but holding my finger down on the IconX’s earbud button gave me some audio feedback on how I was doing. I found it hard to navigate the menu with one-finger touch controls, though.
IconX earbuds will sync with Samsung S Health, but also pair with Endomondo, MapMyRun, Runkeeper and Strava as a Bluetooth heart rate monitor. They’ll work with anyone who has an Android 4.4 phone — sorry, no iOS support — but the music playback part of the Icon X is limited to storing MP3s, or streaming music from your phone.
Samsung Gear Fit 2, Gear Icon X. Too much gear?
Sarah Tew/CNET
At $199 in the US (equivalent to £138 in the UK, or AU$275), the Gear Icon X are not outrageously priced for what they offer. But the battery life definitely seems on the low end compared to other options. And if I’m already interested in fitness and Samsung products, I’d probably be more inclined to get the Gear Fit 2 and a standard (less expensive) pair of wireless headphones. But we’ll have a better opinion on them when they debut later this year. Samsung says “Q3,” which means sometime between July and September. We’ll get a better idea of how they work when we get a final review unit then. Working out without a screen isn’t easy, but the convenience of these little buds might be worth it.
Velocity Micro Raptor Z55 review – CNET
The Good The Raptor has a subtle, discreet black design that fades into the background. It offers excellent high-end performance and a separate front panel for connecting VR headsets.
The Bad It’s still a little plain-looking for such an expensive PC, and it takes up a ton of space. The front-mounted VR connection panel isn’t sturdy enough.
The Bottom Line The Velocity Micro Raptor Z55 is a VR-ready desktop with a very conservative look, but excellent performance and plenty of configuration options.
Visit manufacturer site for details.
For anyone looking to keep their virtual-reality obsession on the down low, a gamer-centric desktop such as the massive tank-like Acer Predator G6 or the small-but-bold Falcon Northwest Tiki isn’t going to fool anybody. That’s why I was pleased to see an excellent collection of high-end components packed into a very unassuming chassis in the Velocity Micro Raptor Z55.
The minimalist design of this VR-ready PC fades into the background, with a subtle black brushed-metal finish, no flashing lights or crazy angles, and fairly subtle branding. Its only concession to gaming chops are blue-lit fans on the side and back panels, each behind mesh grilles so they cast only a mellow blue glow, and a small Velocity Micro logo on at the bottom of the front panel.
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Sarah Tew/CNET
Otherwise, the front faceplate of the tower is feature-free, except for an EVGA VR-ready panel, with one HDMI and two USB ports, allowing you to plug something like an HTC Vive headset into the front of the system, instead of snaking around to the back ports, which may be hard to get to. It’s a good idea in theory. But the EVGA panel, which comes bundled with the Nvidia GeForce GTX 980Ti graphics card included with this configuration, isn’t attached very firmly, and pulled right out of the front drive bay when I tried to use it. In both this system and the AVA Direct Avatar, I switched back to the rear ports right away.
This configuration, with the Nvidia GeForce 980Ti, an Intel Core i7 6700K CPU, and a 1TB HDD/256GB SSD storage combo is priced at $2,799 in the US, which works out to around £1,942 or AU$3,855. Prices and selection for custom PC configurations can vary quickly, and the new Nvidia GeForce 1080 series of cards already costs about the same to add as this very top-end 980Ti card.
AIVAnet 