OnePlus 3T review – CNET
The Good The OnePlus 3T’s battery lasts way longer, takes sharper selfies and has a 128GB storage option.
The Bad Pricier than the OnePlus 3, the 3T now directly competes with better phones.
The Bottom Line This is our new favorite budget Android, but if you have the OnePlus 3, you don’t need to upgrade.
If it ain’t broke… make it slightly better.
At least, that’s what OnePlus is saying with the OnePlus 3T — a phone that comes just five months after the company launched its OnePlus 3 flagship in June.
The OnePlus 3 was our favorite mid-price phone until this 3T came along. I have no idea why the company is in such a rush to replace its already excellent phone so soon after its launch, but there you have it. And here you have a phone that’s the new standout in its category. Oh and don’t worry — the 3 is far from obsolete.
Compared to the 3, the 3T has a darker grey color and a new 128GB storage option. It’s got a faster processor, a bigger battery and a better front-facing camera. It’s also a smidge more expensive at $439 or £399 for the 64GB variant and $479 or £439 for the 128GB model. (OnePlus isn’t available in Australia, but that converts to about AU$580 and AU$632.)
For OnePlus 3 owners, don’t panic. You’re only missing out on a couple hours of extra battery life and better selfies. Plus, all the 3T’s new software goodies will soon roll out to 3 owners too. Read on for more details about how the 3T is different (including our spec and price comparison chart at the end), and check out our full OnePlus 3 review for an even deeper dive.
The OnePlus 3T’s darker shade of grey
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Still as fast, and now lasts longer
The earlier OnePlus 3 was fast — it outpaced the Samsung Galaxy S7, LG G5 and HTC 10 in diagnostic benchmark testing scores. This time around, the 3T beats the 3 in the same benchmarks and is just as fast as the Google Pixel and LeEco LePro 3 — two newer phones that have the same Snapdragon 821 processor as the 3T.
When it comes to real-world use, the camera opens and snaps a shot in seconds. You’ll scroll through a webpage and navigate the phone without lag. The keyboard is as quick and responsive as you’d expect. If you plan to download a lot of apps and fill up storage with photos and video, you may want to get the 128GB version to give yourself some breathing room. A nearly full 64GB phone could slow down operations later on.
OnePlus 3T Benchmark Scores
OnePlus 3T
1923
4372
32143
LeEco LePro 3
1878
4372
32304
Motorola Moto Z Play
810
2640
14168
Alcatel Idol 4S
1459
3415
17627
Google Pixel XL
1556
5201
28256
Legend:
Geekbench 4 Single-Core
Geekbench 4 Multi-Core
3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited
Note:
Longer bars indicate better performance
OnePlus gave the 3T a bigger battery than the 3: 3,400mAh instead of 3,000mAh. As expected, it lasts longer. In our lab tests for continuous video playback on Airplane mode, the 3T lasted an average of 16 hours and 56 — a notable 2.5 hours longer than the 3.
The battery still uses OnePlus’ proprietary Dash Charging technology, which charges the battery quickly without overheating. In 30 minutes, the phone charged up to 57 percent, and after an hour, reserves were at 93 percent. A full charge took about 1 hour and 35 minutes. This is about 20 minutes longer than the 3, but that makes sense given the increase in size.
OnePlus 3T review
After only six months, OnePlus took the wraps off of their latest flagship offering, dubbed the OnePlus 3T. As the name suggests, this device is essentially a souped up, or “Turbo” version of the OnePlus 3, but not necessarily a successor though.
- OnePlus 3T announced
- OnePlus 3T pricing and availability
OnePlus decided to launch this device to offer a better experience for their consumers, but how much of an upgrade is it when compared to its flagship sibling? We find out, in this comprehensive OnePlus 3T review!
Design
As far as the design is concerened, the OnePlus 3T looks exactly like its older sibling, and features the same full metal unibody construction, with a slightly curved back and rounded sides and corners. Despite being made entirely of metal, the phone is surprisingly light, and because the back tapers along the edges, it feels thinner as well, making for a device that is very comfortable to hold.
It’s also not a very tall or wide phone and is only slightly larger than the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, allowing for a comfortable one-handed experience despite coming with a 5.5-inch display. There isn’t any 3T logo anywhere on the device that explicitly indicates that this is the upgraded flagship, and the only way to to really distinguish it from the older OnePlus 3 is by the color.
The OnePlus 3T is available in the same gold variant as the OnePlus 3, but the second color option is gunmetal instead of silver. The gunmetal version is going to be the more expensive model though, with it featuring 128 GB of internal storage, while the gold iteration comes with 64 GB of on-board storage.
As was the case with the OnePlus 3, build quality is not an issue here, and everything is very well put together. Taking a look around the device, the power button and volume rocker are on the right and left sides respectively, and the buttons feel very tactile and are easy to press. Above the volume rocker is the very useful Notification Slider, that lets you quickly toggle between silent, do not disturb, and full volume options.
At the bottom is the headphone jack, the USB Type-C port, and the single speaker unit, and up front is the home button with the integrated fingerprint scanner, flanked by capacitive back and Recent Apps keys. The back key is on the left and the Recent Apps key is on the right by default, but you can flip the orientation if you prefer in the Settings.
Display
Things remain unchanged on the display side, with the OnePlus 3T also coming with a 5.5-inch AMOLED display with a 1080p resolution. As is expected from an AMOLED screen, you get rich and vibrant colors with a lot of contrast, and the optional dark mode that is built-in to Oxygen OS takes fanastic advantage of the deep inky blacks. If you aren’t a fan of the vibrancy though, it is also easy to switch to a sRGB color mode in the Display Settings that provides a more natural and less saturated look.
Brightness isn’t a concern and allows for comfortable outdoor visibility. Sharpness isn’t a problem either, and to the naked eye, the difference between this 1080p panel and other Quad HD screen won’t be noticeable, unless you are using the phone for VR. OnePlus feels that VR isn’t mainstream enough to justify the jump to Quad HD, and decided to stick to 1080p to aid with the battery life.
Performance
There aren’t a whole lot of differences between the OnePlus 3 and the 3T, but performance is one area that has seen an improvement. Under the hood, the OnePlus 3T comes with the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor, clocked at 2.35 GHz, which is faster than the one found in the Google Pixel smartphones. The 3T retains the 6 GB of RAM that is also available with the OnePlus 3.
Not surprisingly, the performance is absolutely fantastic with the OnePlus 3T, with the comparatively lower resolution display a contributing factor as well. Opening, closing, and switching between apps is smooth and snappy, the touch responsiveness is excellent, and the device also handles graphic-intensive gaming comfortably, with no dropped frames to be seen.
With 6 GB of RAM, multitasking isn’t an issue either, and you can have a lot of apps in running the background and keep them for a very long time. The OnePlus 3T features one of the quickest and smoothest Android experiences out there. Granted, it may not be as smooth as the experience available with the Pixel devices, but it is certainly up there among the best.
Hardware
As mentioned, 64 GB and 128 GB are the internal storage options available, but if storage is a concern, users will have to opt for the higher variant, with expandable storage via microSD card not being available. Getting the 128 GB model means that you will also get the new gunmetal color.
The fingerprint sensor that is integrated into the home button up front does unlock the device really quickly, but it is unfortunately not the most accurate scanner out there. It is fairly reliable, but there have been quite a few instances where it misreads my fingerprint. You can also add a variety of long press and double tap functions to the home button and the capacitive keys.
Another area where the OnePlus 3T has received an upgrade is in the battery department, with the device coming with a 3,400 mAh battery, which is a slight bump when compared to the 3,000 mAh unit available with the OnePlus 3. The 13% bump in battery capacity is more impressive when you consider the fact that OnePlus was able to achieve it without making the phone any heavier or thicker than its namesake.
OnePlus’ Dash Charge technology is available here to quickly get the phone back up to a full charge. The biggest advantage with this technology however is that the majority of the heat that is generated during charging is contained in the wall adapter and doesn’t make its way to the device. This also means that you can use the phone while it is charging, without worrying about the charging speeds being throttled in order to control the device temperature.
OnePlus claims that you can get a full day of battery life after charging the device for just half an hour. In my experience, that translates to a charge to 60% in half an hour, which is certainly impressive, and very useful if you don’t have a lot of time to fully charge your phone.
As far as the battery life is concerned, the overall experience has been extremely good. The phone easily lasts all day even with my fairly heavy usage, which typically consists of several hours of gaming, watching videos on Youtube, and streaming music, throughout the day. So, while this bump in battery capacity may seem small, it seems to make a significant difference to the battery life.
Camera
The final area that has seen an upgrade from the OnePlus 3 is with the camera, but this change is more focused on the front-facing shooter, which is now a 16 MP unit, which is double the 8 MP sensor that was found with the OnePlus 3. The rear camera is the same 16 MP unit that was availabe with the OnePlus 3, and comes with a f/2.0 aperture, optical image stabilization, and phase detection autofocus.
The front-facing camera also comes with a f/2.0 aperture, which helps a lot when taking selfies in low-light conditions. With the bump in megapixel count, you will also have a lot more room to zoom and crop without any deterioration in the quality of the picture, and also enjoy sharper looking video. Overall, you get a far better experience with the front-facing shooter now than you did with the OnePlus 3.
The default camera app is pretty similar to the Google Camera, with many of the same modes to be found here, including Timelapse, Slow motion, and Panorama. The only exception is that manual controls are available if you are looking to dial in the setting yourself, but it is otherwise a very nicely laid out and easy to use camera application.
This is definitely a good camera with it comes to picture quality. Photos are crisp and well detailed, and I really like the color reproduction. You get nice, natural looking colors, and the images are sharp enough, but without looking oversharpened and artificial. If you do want some extra sharpening, the HQ mode is available, which adds a fairly noticeable amount of sharpening to the photos. However, the images looked fine in most situations, and I rarely had to use this feature.
In terms of dynamic range, the camera does have a tendency to overexpose the shot and blow out a lot of the highlights, but HDR mode alleviates this problem easily. It does a great job of pulling extra detail from the highlights and shadows, while still maintaining the natural look of the original image. Low-light shots can be good, but onl when using the HQ mode. Without it, images are noisy and soft, and the mode allows for sharper, more detailed images that are a lot cleaner.
Software
On the software side of things, the OnePlus 3T is running the latest Oxygen OS 3.5.1 based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow, and you get a very stock Android look and feel here, but with a lot of customizations available that add to the experience without getting in the way.
Shelf is still accessible by swiping to the left of the home screen, and holds a lot of information, including the weather info and your recent contacts or used apps. You can also compose memos and manage your data, storage, and battery life, and there any widget can be added here, instead of having them take up space on the other home screens.
A few new customization options have been added to the latest version of the Oxygen OS, such as a built-in night mode, that makes the viewing the screen easier on your eyes at night. There are custom accent colors, support for third party icon packs, and the screen off gestures like double tap to wake, or the ability to launch the camera or flashlight by drawing on O or a V on the screen.
You can truly tailor the experience to exactly the way you like it, and that is one of the best parts about Oxygen OS. This updated version introduces some new features to further refine the experience. You can now swipe down on the screen with three fingers to take a screenshot, and add a password or use your fingerprint to lock down any application.
Despite still being based on Android Marshmallow, OnePlus has also updated the notification shade to the Android 7.0 Nougat style that comes with easy access to the Quick Settings with one downward swipe. OnePlus hasn’t announced a specific date as to when an official update to Android 7.0 Nougat will be available, but it is slated for the end of the year, and will be made available for both the OnePlus 3 and 3T.
Specifications
| Display | 5.5-inch Optic AMOLED display 1920 x 1080 resolution, 401ppi Corning Gorilla Glass 4 |
| Processor | 2.35GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 |
| GPU | Adreno 530 |
| RAM | 6GB LPDDR4 |
| Storage | 64 or 128GB (Gunmetal only) UFS 2.0 |
| MicroSD | No |
| Ports | USB 2.0, Type-C Dual nano-SIM slot 3.5 mm audio jack |
| Buttons | Capacitive hardware keys and on-screen navigation support |
| Audio | Speakers: Bottom-facing speaker Microphones: Dual-microphone with noise cancellation |
| Cameras | Rear: 16MP Sony IMX 298 sensor, 1.12μm, f/2.0 aperture, OIS, EIS, phase detection autofocus
Front: 16MP Samsung 3P8SP sensor, 1.0μm, f/2.0 aperture, fixed focus |
| Sensors | Fingerprint, Hall, Accelerometor, Gyroscope, Proximity, Ambient Light, Electronic Compass |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Bluetooth 4.2 NFC |
| Battery | Non-removable 3,400mAh Dash Charge (5V 4A) |
| Software | OxygenOS based on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow |
| Colors | Gunmetal Soft Gold (Available shortly after launch) |
| Dimensions and weight | 152.7 x 74.7 x 7.35mm 158g |
Gallery
Pricing and final thoughts
The faster processor, an improved front-facing camera, and larger battery capacity also results in a bump in the price point, with the 64 GB model priced at $439, and the 128 GB iteration setting you back an additional $40. The OnePlus 3T will be available on November 22 in the US and November 28 in Europe.
So, there you have it for this in-depth look at the OnePlus 3T review! If you already have the OnePlus 3, the 3T isn’t compelling enough to justify an upgrade. The improvements are nice, but the overall experience isn’t significantly different between the two, and if software updates are a concern, the good news is that both devices will receive them at the same time.
On the other hand, those who have been waiting to see what Google had to offer with their smartphones and were holding off on buying the OnePlus 3 will certainly be elated. Given the upgrades, the $40 and $80 difference in price from the OnePlus 3 is completely understandable, and still undercuts a lot of other flagships. What you get for the money does make the OnePlus 3T one of the best deals you can get for an Android flagship, and is a smart move by the company.
OnePlus 3T review: A satisfying update to a fairly new phone
Remember the OnePlus 3? It came out barely six months ago and was the best phone you could get for $400. Well, it’s about to be replaced by a faster, slightly more expensive version of itself that the company is calling the OnePlus 3T. (The T doesn’t stand for anything; it’s a cheeky take on the typical “S” suffix denoting many flagship sequels.) The new $439 device uses the latest Snapdragon 821 processor to achieve even faster speeds, and packs a beefier battery and sharper front camera — improvements in areas where the original sort of fell short. I say “sort of” because other than battery life, the OnePlus 3 didn’t need much improving. But OnePlus made it better anyway, and now it’s one of the best phones on the market, especially at this price.
Hardware
There isn’t much of a difference, at least externally, between the OnePlus 3T and its predecessor. Indeed, a lot of what I’m going to describe here was covered in greater detail in our review of the original. The most obvious physical change is the new “gunmetal” color, which is a slightly darker shade of gray-silver than the OnePlus 3. A “soft gold” option is also available, just like with the original.
Color aside, the 3T looks exactly the same as its predecessor, which itself is impressive, given that it has a larger battery. It sports the same 5.5-inch full HD Optic AMOLED display, which was sharp and bright enough to watch videos on indoors and outdoors. It also has the same single speaker at the bottom that was loud enough to fill my living room with sound, although it got tinny at top volume.
You’ll find the same fingerprint sensor, USB-C charging port and physical mute switch here as on the OnePlus 3. Just like the previous version, the OnePlus 3T has a dual nano SIM card slot, but no room for a microSD reader. Those who want more storage will have to opt for a new 128GB option, which costs $479. Neither phone meets widely accepted water-resistance standards, though the company says the handsets will survive wet weather. It didn’t rain during my review period, so I unfortunately wasn’t able to test that claim.
Software
You probably won’t notice many differences between the OnePlus 3’s version of OxygenOS and its successor’s; the changes here are very subtle. The company resized its app icons so they’re consistent across the home, all apps and Shelf pages, and added some new gestures, such as three-finger screenshots and flip-to-mute, to make the phone more convenient to use.
The OnePlus 3T also gets new apps for weather and voice recording, and allows you to lock specific apps with your fingerprint. It also features a quick-settings panel that’s more similar to what you’ll find on Android Nougat. The changes here aren’t major, but they do make getting around the system slightly easier.
Cameras
I don’t generally need an excuse to go on a selfie-taking binge, but I did appreciate having “testing the OnePlus 3T’s 16-megapixel front camera” as a reason to do so. The new setup is much sharper than the one on the OnePlus 3, which the company says makes for better low-light performance.
This was indeed true when I casually snapped dozens of portraits while traipsing around Manhattan one night, and the camera delivered several crisp images, despite all the motion. Not only were they sharp, but the pictures were also bright and relatively noise-free. I had to take a picture in a dark, poorly lit warehouse before I started to see any graininess. The one thing I wish the OnePlus 3T’s front camera had was some form of flash, for taking clear shots in near-darkness.
Just because they have the same megapixel count, though, doesn’t mean that the front and rear cameras are the same. They differ quite vastly on color quality, thanks to their different sensors and pixel size. The same scenes shot with the front camera looked washed-out and pale compared with those taken with the rear camera, which generally captured vibrant, richly colored images. OnePlus 3T also added a layer of sapphire glass to the back camera to protect it from scratches that could forever mar your shots.
As we mentioned in our review of the OnePlus 3, the rear camera is capable in most lighting conditions, but won’t impress the way the iPhone 7 Plus or many other smartphone cameras would. It delivered sharp, accurately colored exterior shots on sunny days, and rendered a respectable amount of detail in low light, but images looked flat indoors. Still, it’s perfectly adequate, and that front camera will please selfie fans like myself.
Performance and battery life
Most flagship phones released this year use the Snapdragon 820 processor, rather than the newer 821 chip that Qualcomm started offering later in the year. So, only the Google Pixel and LeEco Le Pro3 have it, which makes the OnePlus 3 slightly less competitive on specs (the LePro 3 costs the same as the OnePlus 3). I imagine this is one of the biggest reasons OnePlus decided to drop a new flagship so soon after unveiling its previous one, but still, it’s a smart move.
LeEco Le Pro3
Google Pixel
AndEBench Pro
14,399
13,841
13,354
14,941
Vellamo 3.0
6,144
5,202
6,559
5,343
3DMark IS Unlimited
31,691
30,058
31,753
28,645
GFXBench 3.0 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (fps)
50
48
30
46
CF-Bench
51,262
41,653
42,572
30,997
The Snapdragon 821 processor makes the OnePlus 3T faster than the original, which was already pretty speedy. It’s hard to tell the difference in day-to-day performance, because I’m not a robot and can’t detect minute differences in app-launch times, but overall the 3T was very responsive. Its Vellamo score of 6,144 beat the OnePlus 3, the Samsung Galaxy S7, the HTC 10 and the Google Pixel and Pixel XL, while its AndEBench result trumped the OnePlus 3 and the Galaxy S7 but fell short of the Pixel phones and HTC 10. The OnePlus 3T also bested the field in graphics-performance tests.
This means you’re mostly going to see similar speeds across these phones. Considering the Pixels use the same chip (albeit with less RAM) but cost hundreds of dollars more, the OnePlus 3T really delivers on value here.
The OnePlus 3T has the same 6GB of RAM as the original, which makes for swift multitasking. OnePlus says it also improved the launch speed for large apps and games, so you won’t have to wait quite as long to open these programs. I also found call quality to be perfectly adequate. I called a friend who was in Queens (on T-Mobile’s network), and he was able to accurately repeat a string of numbers that I recited, despite his dog barking in the background, which I heard as well. Unfortunately, as with previous OnePlus handsets, the 3T works only on GSM carriers such as AT&T and T-Mobile.
One area where the company says it received the most negative feedback about the OnePlus 3 was battery life. In addition to simply bumping up the battery capacity to 3,400mAh from 3,000mAh, OnePlus tuned the power efficiency of the CPU so that despite its faster speed, it sips power at the same rate as the previous handset.
I was expecting a slight increment on endurance and wasn’t quite prepared for the 3T’s epic stamina. It lasted 16 hours and seven minutes on Engadget’s battery test, which involves looping an HD video with the screen set to 50 percent brightness until the device conks out. That’s almost six hours more than the OnePlus 3’s runtime, and two hours longer than the Google Pixel XL, which has a 3,450mAh bank.
When the phone does eventually run out of juice, it charges back up to offer what the company says is a day’s worth of power in 30 minutes. After the OnePlus 3T finally died on Engadget’s battery test, I plugged it in and was able to take it on a quick video shoot just 15 minutes after, because it already got back up to 20 percent in that time. Not only is this fast, but that’s enough juice to last at least two hours.
The competition
The OnePlus 3T faces direct competition from the LeEco Le Pro3, which uses the same processor with less RAM for $400. But the Le Pro3 suffers from unintuitive software, has a less vibrant display and doesn’t last as long as the 3T.
Google’s Pixel phones also use the same processors, offering similar (if not better) performance in a premium frame. These handsets have better cameras and run the latest version of Android (7.0 Nougat), offering a cleaner interface and helpful new features like Google Assistant. But the Pixel lineup starts at $800, which is nearly twice the OnePlus 3T’s asking price. Indeed, the latest OnePlus handset is probably the best handset you’re going to find for around $440.
Wrap-up
The OnePlus 3T improves things about the original that were slightly lacking, such as battery life, and amps up on performance and software, making it a strong option for power users. I particularly love the sharper front camera for its solid performance in low light. I’d also argue that the boost in endurance alone is worth the $39 price hike, but the previous iteration offered enough stamina for the average user who may not want to shell out for a few extra hours of juice. As a replacement for an existing flagship, the OnePlus 3T is a refinement that not only feels timely, but also well-planned and executed. You’d have a hard time finding a better phone for the price.
Review: Zhiyun’s Smooth II 3-Axis Gimbal Gives iPhone Video Footage Better Stability
Digital image and video stabilization features have been included in modern smartphones for a while now, with each new generation offering improved correction for jumps and jitters that typically occur during handheld shooting.
Still, even the latest handsets can’t quite match the benefits that can be gained from using a motorized mount specifically designed to reduce vibration and unwanted shake.
Smartphone gimbals are made for just this purpose. Phone gimbals look similar to selfie sticks, but incorporate special motorized axes that keep shooting balanced and steady by adjusting for tilt, roll and tracking movements.
One brand that’s been steadily gaining plaudits for its gimbals is Zhiyun. The Chinese firm’s gimbals in its Smooth range have been noted amongst video aficionados for their robust design, multiple operational modes, and relative affordability compared to the competition. Here, we looked at the company’s latest Z1-Smooth II ($329) to see what advantages a gimbal offers for iPhone owners.
Design and Features
The Smooth II 3-axis stabilizer is designed for phones with screen sizes up to seven inches, and comes supplied with a counterweight to balance phones with a lens attachment or those with weightier screens (5.5-inches and above).
Also in the box is a USB to micro-USB charging cable, a 3400mAh rechargeable removable battery, a quick-start user manual (English), a foam camera protection sticker, and a set of ‘contact us’ QR codes.
The mount is made from a tough aluminum alloy that feels sturdy yet surprisingly lightweight. The axes flop about a bit when the device is powered off, so it pays to be careful when you’re carrying it around (especially with a phone attached), but it still feels like it could take a few knocks.
Phones are mounted using the manually adjustable clamp that runs off the tilt axis, which extends from the central roll axis. A thumb screw on the back of the mount lets you tweak the level, based on your phone’s center of gravity. The clamp has quite a bit of force, so I wouldn’t recommend putting an iPhone into it without a bumper or case, but there’s plenty of give to accommodate for this.
The gimbal has three operating modes that work in different ways to counteract your movements and create smoother, more stable video (more on these below).
The operating modes are controlled from the handgrip by pressing down on the joystick, which also functions as a standby button. There’s a separate power switch (which can also start/stop video recording when connected to the iOS app over Bluetooth), an LED power indicator, a micro-USB port, and a shifter lever for camera zoom and front/rear camera switching when using the app.
A cap at the end of the handle screws off to provide access to the replaceable 18650 battery, which charges inside the gimbal when the device is plugged into a power source via USB. At the bottom of the handle is also a 1/4-inch screw thread for attaching the gimbal to a tripod, extension rod, or other camera equipment.
Performance
Getting going with the gimbal was easier than I expected, and the quick-start guide was clear and helpful. Sliding an iPhone 6s into the mount was simple, and didn’t require me to use the supplied counterweight, which is needed if you want to use any of Apple’s 5.5-inch iPhone Plus models. I extended the clamp with my hands, slipped in the handset in the correct orientation, and was good to go.
Pressing and holding the power button for three seconds turned on the device, which raised the phone into a level horizontal or “landscape” position. Repeating this turns off the gimbal, which makes the mount fall down limply. This is why it’s important to apply the foam camera protection sticker to the pan motor axis, because the phone screen can knock against it unless you power off with the gimbal pointed down towards the floor.
The default Pan Following mode offered instant, no-fuss video stabilization, enabling 360-degree freedom of movement at the lower (pan) axis while keeping the horizon level. This allowed me to control the panning direction of the shot from my wrist while the tilt and roll axes corrected for any unintentional wonkiness.
From there, a single press of the joystick enabled Locking mode, which locked the left and right panning motion and kept the camera forward facing regardless of which direction I moved my arm. Panning in this mode is controlled via the joystick, so as long as I didn’t press left or right on it I was able to move around freely without affecting the shooting angle, and even come into shot for a selfie, before completing a full 360-degree rotation around the static upper mount.
Pressing up and down on the joystick in both the above modes allowed me to control the vertical tilt of the camera and move the shot up towards the sky and down to the ground. The only drawback is that there isn’t any way of controlling the speed of the tilt in these two modes, however the Smooth II compensates for this lack with a third mode, activated with a double press of the joystick.
This activates Pan and Pitch Following mode. Now if you bring your wrist in up towards your face or lower it towards the ground, the tilt axis smoothly adjusts to follow the angle of the gimbal at the same speed. The roll axis compensates similarly if you rotate your wrist left and right.
This mode also changes the function of the joystick’s up/down direction, which now allows you to manually adjust the angle of the phone. This gives you some degree of rotational control either side of the standard landscape position (about 25 degrees, give or take). It doesn’t quite roll the camera into a portrait position, but you can use the gimbal to shoot portrait if you hold it parallel to the ground in any of the three modes.
Pressing the joystick once again takes you back to the default mode, while pressing and holding puts the device into standby mode, which can be used to calibrate the gimbal if the tilt/roll/pan angle of the camera deviates slightly from a level position. The calibration process is simple: place the gimbal on a level surface and keep it stationary for 30 seconds. This was performed once and I didn’t have to do it again.
Pressing the joystick again from standby immediately returns the device to normal operation. This proved useful for conserving battery between shots without having to constantly power on and off, which involves a few seconds’ delay as the gimbal configures balance. On that note, I found the battery more than capable of standing up to a couple of days’ use, and Zhiyun’s stated five- to seven-hour battery life actually felt quite conservative.
While it’s not a complicated device to operate, there is a moderate learning curve involved in making the most of the Smooth II’s functions – I dedicated an afternoon to playing with it (see videos), and came away feeling like I had a fair enough grasp of its modes to use them in test shooting. All of the motors and modes functioned silently throughout, so there was no risk of picking up mechanical sounds on my footage. Bear in mind the device has no specified waterproofing, so I would advise against using it in wetter climes.
Bluetooth and Apps
The Bluetooth functionality of the Smooth II is supported by the company’s iOS apps, Zhiyun Camera and Zhiyun Assistant (both English), although there’s relatively little instruction included on how to get the best out of them. That said, they’re not cryptic by any means, and with a bit of fiddling I soon figured out the controls.
The camera app is for shooting video/photos, includes ISO, balance, and exposure settings, and has an option to turn on/off the iPhone’s built-in stabilization mode. With the gimbal connected to the app via Bluetooth, the buttons on the handle control your iPhone’s camera, which turned out to be a lot more convenient than tapping the phone’s touchscreen. Just be sure to give the app access to your photos, otherwise it won’t save your footage. Meanwhile, the Assistant app features an axis monitor and lets you upgrade the firmware, as well as offering finer calibration controls, but these weren’t something I had to bother with.
Bottom Line
Smartphone gimbals are still a niche device, but the Smooth II is a solid, attractive option for anyone wanting to enhance their home/family movies or add a more refined look to video projects. It definitely steadied my test movies over the course of a single afternoon and gave the footage a more watchable, professional feel without the need for any post-processing, and the learning curve wasn’t too difficult either. With additional testing and a better grasp of gimbal technique, I’m sure production values could be raised a lot further.
The device’s performance was impressive overall, as was its battery life, and the price, while not exactly cheap for a phone accessory, is very competitive compared to other gimbals, especially considering the technology this one packs. My only real gripe is that no stowing/carry case is included in the box.
Pros
- Strong, lightweight design
- Very good stabilization modes
- Bluetooth connectivity via app
- Great battery life
Cons
- Sparse app instructions
- No case included
- Expensive for a phone accessory
How to Buy
The Zhiyun Smooth-II 3 Axis Handheld Gimbal Camera Mount comes with a one-year warranty and can be ordered on Amazon for $325 or directly from Zhiyun for $289 plus shipping via the company’s Facebook store.
Note: Zhiyun supplied the gimbal to MacRumors for the purposes of this review. No other compensation was received.
Tags: review, Zhiyun
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Sleep Number It review – CNET
The Good Sleep Number’s $1,099 sensor-equipped It Bed queen mattress logs you and your partner’s breathing and heart rates, as well as how restfully you both sleep every night. You each can adjust the firmness of your side of the bed and the mattress itself is super comfortable.
The Bad For the amount of data the It Bed collects, I would expect it to provide much more insight into your sleep. Glitches Sleep Number is working to address occasionally led to inaccurate SleepIQ scores and missing information.
The Bottom Line The It Bed by Sleep Number is likely a lot smarter than the mattress you have today, but I want to see more capabilities and fewer glitches before I’m willing to recommend it to everyone.
Visit manufacturer site for details.
Sleep Number’s $1,099 It Bed connected queen mattress tracks how well you sleep via built-in sensors and integrations with select products from Nest, Fitbit and other companies. It is much smarter than your average bed. The comfortable foam mattress even has two inner air chambers so you and a partner can pick your own firmness settings.
While all of that tech has the potential to offer useful sleep tips, the amount of data the mattress collected from me and my husband, Kevin, didn’t match up with the amount of information we were getting back from it. Unexpected glitches in the related SleepIQ app also led to inaccurate sleep scores and missing data — Sleep Number says it’s working on these issues.
Yes, this is a cozy mattress, but the smarts need to be more reliable before I’d suggest most people spend the money on Sleep Number’s It Bed. If Sleep Number can smooth out the data gathering quirks, the It Bed could be worth it to those interested in dissecting charts and graphs in pursuit of a good night’s sleep.
Snuggling up to Sleep Number’s It Bed
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Getting to know It
The It Bed by Sleep Number arrived in a single large box. You can install the mattress over a platform-style slatted bed frame. That means you don’t have to buy Sleep Number’s frame and base if you already have something that will work — or if you simply want to buy a frame from another manufacturer.
For reference, the frame and base accessories are sold as a unit for an additional $499, taking the grand total up to $1,598. You can buy headboards and related hardware through Sleep Number, too.
Aesthetics didn’t factor in heavily with the It Bed, since it’s going to be covered by sheets 99 percent of the time. It’s a pretty attractive mattress all the same. The knit fabric covering it looks like a mattress cover, even though it’s technically an integrated part of the mattress design.
Note: I reviewed the $1,099 queen mattress, but Sleep Number also offers other sizes. A twin version goes for $799 or you can pay up to $1,499 for either a king or a California king mattress. Find out more on Sleep Number’s site.
My dog, Halley, helped me with installation.
Chris Monroe/CNET
Configuration
Setting up the mattress was as simple as taking it out of the box, setting it on the bed frame and giving the mattress some time to regain its natural shape. There’s a small green tag on one corner of the mattress — that side needed to be positioned at the foot of the bed for the tech to work properly.
Now grab the ActiveComfort Technology Module — this is a smallish black gizmo with two tube connectors sticking from either end. Lift up the end of the mattress slightly, unzip the small pocket in the middle and connect the power cord and the air hoses (they’re color-coded for easy install). This is the device that pumps air into either side of the bed. Slide everything back into the zippered pocked and close it. Then, connect the cord at the head of the bed to the included power adapter and plug it into a nearby outlet.
Other sleep tech
- Sleep better with iOS 10’s Bedtime alarm
- Samsung introduces SleepSense, a tracker for better, smarter sleep
- I took Napflix sleep-inducing videos to bed
- Fitbit wants to help you get a better night’s sleep
You’ll need the Android or iPhone SleepIQ app to access every feature offered by this bed. Unlike other Sleep Number mattresses, the It Bed doesn’t come with a separate remote or any other hardware you can use to see your settings and make adjustments. Follow the in-app steps to pair the bed to your Wi-Fi network and create a profile. You can also extend access to your partner so they can create their own login and profile.
The only issue I ran into here was that the air tubes had shifted during shipping, so I had to reach into the zippered pocket to find them. Fortunately, everything else was very simple.
SleepIQ gives you a readout of exactly how long it took you to fall asleep. It also calculates restful and restless sleep, as well as any time you were out of bed.
Screenshot by CNET
Catching some zzz’s
With the bed installed, you can get to the fun part — sleeping.
Here’s what I liked:
- The mattress is comfortable — the ability to customize your level of firmness helps with this
- The daily SleepIQ charts detail exactly when and for how long you were restless or out of bed (see screenshot)
Here’s what I didn’t like:
- You can’t be in bed while it’s inflating/deflating and SleepIQ doesn’t help you pick your ideal firmness
- A few different glitches led to inaccurate SleepIQ readings, as well as missing data
- The custom messages and third-party integrations aren’t actually very useful
I was disappointed that Sleep Number doesn’t tell you what the right level of firmness is for you or auto-adjust it for you over time. As someone who’s never bought a mattress, I have absolutely no idea which setting is “best for me.”
I personally found every setting I tried comfortable — and SleepIQ never offered any sort of guidance on that front. So I randomly chose 95 and it seemed to work fine. (100 is the firmest setting.)
Aeon Labs Aeotec Water Sensor review – CNET
The Good The Aeon Labs Aeotec Water Sensor has a simple, but effective design — especially given its $35 price tag.
The Bad The Aeotec has too few extra features to really stand out among the competition.
The Bottom Line For users with a smart-home hub and a particular desire to monitor their sump pump well, the Aeotec Sensor is a great option. For most others, it won’t be a good fit.
Flood sensors don’t need bells and whistles to work well; they just need to tell you when your basement is flooding. You can make your own flood sensor and alarm for a couple bucks, but if you want one that sends you push notifications on your phone, one of the most affordable options is the $35 Aeon Labs Aeotec Water Sensor.
The big catch with some leak detectors, including Aeotec, is that you need a smart-home hub like SmartThings or Wink to use them. Why? Because the detectors function using a communication protocol called Z-Wave, which essentially allows them to work with low energy consumption, and send messages that the hub translates into alerts that it sends to your phone. If you want something that communicates directly with your phone without a hub, you’ll have to dish out more money for devices like the D-Link Wi-Fi Water Sensor or the Honeywell Lyric Leak and Freeze Detector.
If you do have one of these smart-home hubs, Aeotec is a great option for a flood sensor. It’s simple, but it performs its function reliably. The only major issue it has is that it relies on a wired probe. Essentially, the dual-probe that most flood sensors use to detect water, is connected to a long wire, making it useful for attaching to the edge of a sump pump well or open floor drain. But if you want to just set it under a sink or in a particular problem area of your basement, its wired probe won’t be ideal.
One problem every flood sensor needs to address is how it will be powered. Aeotec relies on batteries, so it will still send alerts even if the power goes out. The batteries should last well over a year, but you’ll need to replace them to keep the device doing its job.
Looking for a flood sensor? Check out your options.
- Honeywell Lyric Leak Detector
- SmartThings Leak Sensor
- D-Link Water Sensor
- Everspring Flood Detector
- FortrezZ Flood Sensor
While Z-Wave and the wired probe end up limiting the Aeotec Sensor, they also mean it will work well for people with particular needs. So if you have a Z-Wave bridging smart hub, and want to monitor water levels in your sump pump, then the Aeotec Sensor is a great option.
Samsung SmartThings Water Leak Sensor review – CNET
The Good The SmartThings Leak Sensor works reliably and features a streamlined design.
The Bad It’s so simple, some people might be reluctant to drop $40 on it.
The Bottom Line SmartThings’ device is reliable and simple to install. For those who already have a SmartThings hub, getting one or two of these sensors to put around the house should be a no-brainer.
Sometimes, simplicity is better. SmartThings as a smart home control system works because each individual component, from motion sensors to locks to lights, performs its function well. That cooperation creates a broadly successful system that accomplishes complex tasks.
In that context, the SmartThings Water Leak Sensor is a fine device. It does what it’s supposed to: alerts you via push notification and in the SmartThings app when it detects water. But for $40, I wish it did just a little bit more.
Here are the features of the SmartThings Water Leak Sensor:
- Water detection
- Temperature sensing
- Works with SmartThings
- Battery-powered
What it doesn’t have:
- Audible alarm
- Wi-Fi connection
- Humidity sensing
- Tilt sensing
I love how simple it is in some ways — I really could see myself buying a few of these and just tossing them under sinks and beside pipes around the house. And the SmartThings sensor has a clever design that funnels water toward the probes on its underside.
Looking for a flood sensor? Check out your options
- Aeotec Water Sensor
- Honeywell Lyric Leak Detector
- D-Link Water Sensor
- Everspring Flood Detector
- FortrezZ Flood Sensor
The problem is, if you’re looking for a gadget to set off alarms, monitor large areas or alert you to other potential problems like humidity, then SmartThings is just too simple to help you. Plus, it requires an investment in the SmartThings hub if you don’t already have one — making it much more expensive in total.
If you already use the SmartThings platform, and want a simple gadget to monitor your home for floods, this Leak Sensor is a solid pick. Otherwise you’ll want to find a different device.
Everspring Z-Wave Wireless Flood Detector review – CNET
The Good The Everspring Flood Detector works reliably for monitoring sump pump water levels.
The Bad Everspring has almost no extra features that make its price tag seem worth it.
The Bottom Line With a price tag of $40 and almost no distinguishing features, the Everspring Flood Detector fails to leave a mark in the larger market.
Flood sensors might seem simple — and on one level they are: they simply use probes to set off an alarm when they make contact with water, which increases the conductivity between them. But despite that relative simplicity, there’s also a lot of room for creative design by the companies that make flood sensors. Some have water-sensing probes attached to their bodies; some have cables with twisted probes embedded in them for long sensing range. And then there’s Everspring.
The Everspring Z-Wave Wireless Flood Detector has a single wire that stretches about eight feet, and at the end of it: a two-prong probe. While Everspring’s $40 device certainly isn’t as feature-rich as others on the market, it meets a very specific need, and does so reliably. The problem is, that need is too niche for most users.
Here are the Everspring Flood Detector’s features:
- Requires smart home hub
- Audible alarm (which you can barely hear if you’re more than a few feet from it)
- Battery powered
- 8-foot wired probe
Everspring doesn’t have temperature or humidity sensing. It doesn’t have tilt-sensing. Really, it has very few features to speak of, besides that long wired probe. Granted, that wire allows for easy monitoring of sump pump well water levels without letting water anywhere near the device itself. But is that feature alone worth $40?
Looking for a flood sensor? Check out your options.
- Aeon Labs Aeotec Water Sensor
- Honeywell Lyric Leak Detector
- SmartThings Leak Sensor
- D-Link Water Sensor
- FortrezZ Flood Sensor
Everspring’s device has a bigger problem: it essentially does exactly what the Aeotec Flood Sensor does, but for more money. Although in rare instances having an eight-foot wired probe might be useful, for the majority of users, it’s unnecessary.
While Everspring performs reliably, it simply doesn’t boast enough distinguishing features to recommend it over more useful and affordable alternatives.
LG V20 review: Great for audiophiles, but who else?
After the unabashed wackiness of its G5, LG had a real conundrum on its hands: Does it keep up the modular streak for its 2016 V-series flagship phone and risk lousy sales, or try something a little more traditional? As it turns out, LG chose the latter and built a more conventional kind of powerhouse: the V20. None of that means the phone is boring, though. Between its stellar audio, a neat dual-camera setup and a second screen, there’s theoretically enough charming weirdness here to help the V20 stick out from the competition. The bigger question is whether all those disparate bits come together to form a compelling whole. As is often the case, the answer depends where your priorities lie.
Hardware
It’s funny how little the V20 ($672+) looks like its predecessor. Last year’s V10 all but shoved its rugged design in your face, with its rubbery DuraSkin rear and a pair of stainless steel bars flanking its display. The design looked better in person than I thought it would, but it definitely wasn’t for everyone. The V20, meanwhile, is more subdued in its style, even though it’s rated to handle 4-foot drops, just like the V10.
Now, don’t go confusing “subdued” with “attractive” — the V20’s aesthetic is best described as utilitarian, and I’d be surprised if anyone felt the blow-to-the-gut pang of attraction that sometimes comes with seeing finely crafted gear. In fact, when I first laid eyes on the V20, I couldn’t help but point out visual similarities between it and the BlackBerry Z10 — not exactly a comparison LG should be proud of. Regardless, the V20 is plenty sturdy: It’s made of 6013-series aluminum capped on the top and bottom with a tough polycarbonate to help it deal with drops.
It’s also huge. The 5.7-inch Quantum LCD display is a handful as it is, but the V20 also has a tiny secondary display above the main screen. For the sake of comparison, the V20 is just a hair longer and thicker than the iPhone 7 Plus, which is itself a whopper of a smartphone. Both of these phones also coincidentally share a dual-camera setup (which I’ll dive into later), but the V20 is noticeably lighter. It’s too bad that the V20 isn’t water-resistant like some of its rivals, but the trade-off might be worth it to some people. You see, LG is one of the few flagship smartphone makers who still let users remove their batteries. To that end, there’s a button low on the phone’s left side that pops off the V20’s metal battery cover, revealing a 3,200mAh battery and a combination SIM/microSD slot. The phone takes memory cards as large as 2TB, by the way, though the 64GB of included storage will probably be enough for most.
Sitting directly above is the standard rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, which is among the fastest I’ve used on a smartphone. Many people seem to appreciate its placement on the back of the phone, and I’m slowly becoming one of them. Sure, it would be nice to be able to unlock the V20 with a touch while it’s sitting face-up on a table, but I like that the sensor is in the perfect spot for my finger to rest on it when I pull the V20 out of my pocket.
Displays and sound
As mentioned earlier, the main screen is a big ol’ 5.7-inch IPS LCD running at Quad HD, and it’s noticeably brighter than the panel on the G5. As a result, legibility and color reproduction are also better under direct sunlight than on the G5 or the V10, though I’d be shocked if they weren’t. Speaking of colors, they’re rendered well across the board and look surprisingly natural, thanks to LG’s Quantum display tech. When LG first embraced quantum displays in the G4, it claimed it offered a more accurate take on colors. That may be true, but the V20’s screen might not be for everyone right out of the box; it’s quite cool, so there’s a tendency for whites to look a little blue. You don’t get the visceral vividness and deep darks that come with AMOLED screens, but hey — it’s ultimately a matter of personal preference.
More important, the secondary display is back. To be clear: It’s not actually a separate screen — just an extra bit that juts out from the top of the main panel. In theory, the 1040×160 overflow area is a neat idea: It acts as a dedicated zone for the time and notifications when the main display is off, and offers shortcuts to apps and actions when the main display is on. I have a few issues with LG’s multiscreen implementation, but let’s just get the big one out of the way first: As with the V10 and even Samsung’s Edge line, very little about this second display is essential.
Most of the shortcuts — like toggling WiFi and Bluetooth and grabbing a screenshot to mark up — exist in the Quick Settings tray above the notifications shade anyway, so you’re rarely saving time. Ditto for app shortcuts: I’ve found it much easier to leave my most used apps on the bottom row of a home screen rather than scoot up my hand (or use my other one) to tap on an app icon in the overflow area. Still, it’s not like the second display is without merit entirely. The best part is having a set of music controls available while the phone is locked. Your mileage may vary, but I’d have given up on the second screen completely were it not for that.
So yeah, the second screen is of dubious value. The V20’s audio performance more than makes up for it, though: The phone is kitted out with a Quad DAC and support for 24-bit high-resolution audio. I’ve been a little dismissive of this stuff in the past, but the V20 has helped me turn a corner. With the DAC enabled and headphones plugged in, your audio will automatically sound at least a little richer and fuller. The differences can be harder to suss out with certain songs — particularly ones you stream — but the changes stemming from the DAC are almost universally welcome. LG’s choice of DAC also means the V20 supports 32-bit audio and lossless formats like FLAC, if that’s something you’re down with, though it goes without saying that the V20’s single speaker won’t come close to doing them justice.
Chances are you won’t see them, but the V20 also plays host to a trio of microphones for high-quality audio recording. They’re technically what are called acoustic overload point microphones, and I’ll spare you the drawn-out explanation — just know they’re designed to keep distortion to a minimum in very loud situations. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how crisp and clean the resulting records have been, and while these microphones would really shine at concerts and right next to musicians, they’ve also been great for recording interviews and conversations for work.
Software
LG pulled off a neat coup with the V20: It’s the first smartphone that shipped with Android 7.0 Nougat preloaded. Google made that victory a hollow one when it launched the Pixel and Pixel XL with Android 7.1, but whatever: Nougat is still surprisingly hard to come by, and I’ll take it where I can get it. (You can check out our full Android 7.0 review here, by the way.) All of the new little — and not so little — Nougat tricks are here and ready to play with. Even LG left some facets of Nougat almost completely untouched, like the notifications shade and the quick-settings panel above it. Nicely done.
That said, not every Nougat feature works as Google intended. Android 7.0 lets you play with the display size, for instance, allowing you to adjust the size of text and app icons. When left untouched, Nougat gives you five display options to help you find the perfect size, but LG’s implementation gives you only three. Fine, that’s probably not the biggest deal, but it’s a sign that Google’s word still isn’t gospel for OEMs. At least the horsepower on display here makes the V20 an efficient multitasker; not every app works with Google’s new multiwindow mode, but the ones that do run smoothly.
Of course, Nougat is only part of the equation — LG painted over it with an updated version of its custom interface, called LG UX 5.0+. For the most part, it’s a rehash of the interface on the G5, but there’s at least one big change to keep your eyes peeled for. By default, the V20 doesn’t have a traditional app drawer; all of your stuff gets splashed across your home screens by default. Seeing a flagship Android smartphone ship in the US without an app drawer is a little unusual because these setups are more popular in Asia, but it’s easy enough to revive the launcher if you miss it.
The rest of LG’s custom skin is as bright and inoffensive as always. I do wish LG would pare back its paint job to let stock Android shine through, especially since there’s a tendency for some of the company’s first-party apps to feel clunky. It doesn’t help that my review unit is a Verizon model, which means it’s loaded with bloatware I couldn’t wait to uninstall or disable. At least Verizon was kind enough to shove most of its apps in a folder for easy decimation.
The cameras
Remember the G5’s fascinating dual-camera setup? The one that was eventually overshadowed by the iPhone 7 Plus even though they aspired to the exact same thing? Well, LG tweaked the formula for the V20, swapping in different sensors. All told, the 16-megapixel main sensor and 8-megapixel wide-angle camera next to it are fun to use in tandem, even if the resulting photos aren’t as good as what competing devices are capable of.
Most of the time, you’ll be using that 16-megapixel camera with its f/1.8 aperture and optical image stabilization and more often than not you’ll get photos that look pretty good. Other phones do better with color representation and detail — here’s looking at you, Galaxy S7 and Google Pixel — but the V20 puts up a decent fight. The larger problem here is one of consistency. When shooting in Auto mode — which many people will be doing — the V20 often gets the exposure a little wrong or gets a little too ambitious when it tries to automatically reduce noise. Low-light performance is decent too, but not even a wide aperture, image-stabilization and multiple autofocus methods can prevent grain and ghosting.
The smaller, 8-megapixel sensor has to grapple with these issues too, plus the barrel distortion that becomes prominent when you’re shooting from a distance. It also would’ve been nice if LG tightened up the transition between the cameras when you’re zooming in and out on a subject. There’s still about a one-second pause while the phone makes the switch, which could make the difference between nabbing the shot you wanted and missing it completely.
As far as off-the-cuff shooting goes, the V20 could be much, much better. Ironically, the manual-shooting mode LG included might be my favorite on any smartphone. Familiar settings like ISO, shutter speed, white balance and more can be found at the bottom of the screen, but they’re joined by a tremendously helpful manual focus mode that highlights parts of the image when they’re nice and crisp.
The tragically vain will be glad to know that the 5-megapixel front-facing camera is perfectly adequate, and offers a wide enough field of view that squeezing a few friends into the shot should be no trouble. While we’re talking about the perfectly adequate, shooting video with the V20, even in 4K, yielded footage that was pleasant enough. If only LG were better at playing the expectations game. The company spent a decent chunk of its V20 launch event talking about how awesome Qualcomm’s built-in video-image stabilization is. And while it’s certainly helpful, it’s hardly the miracle-worker I was hoping for.
Performance and battery life
For all the V20’s quirks, the stuff under the hood is very familiar. Like the G5 before it, the V20 packs a quad-core Snapdragon 820 chipset paired with 4GB of RAM and an Adreno 530 GPU. It would’ve been nice to see LG give the V20 another edge in the form of the newer Snapdragon 821 chip, but alas, we probably got a little screwed by the intricacies of supply-chain management. Either way, we’re still working with a phone that keeps pace with the best of ’em; the slowdowns I experienced were thankfully rare, even when running graphically intense games.
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
LG V20
AndEBench Pro
14,941
16,164
13,030
13,172
Vellamo 3.0
5,343
5,800
4,152
5,266
3DMark IS Unlimited
28,645
29,360
26,666
27,968
GFXBench 3.0 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (fps)
46
48
47
39
CF-Bench
30,997
39,918
46,290
32719
That’s great, but horsepower doesn’t count for much without a good battery to back it up. Alas, the 3,200mAh cell here fails to impress. Sure, it’s more capacious than the one that shipped with the G5 earlier this year, but that doesn’t mean the V20 lasts any longer on a charge. In my nearly two weeks of testing, the V20 typically powered through 12-hour workdays full of Slack messages, emails, podcasts and the occasional Hearthstone match, and came out on the other side with about 10 percent charge remaining. For those keeping count, that’s almost exactly the same usage I squeezed out of the G5 and its smaller battery.
Now, 12 hours of continued, mixed usage on a single charge isn’t bad, and Qualcomm’s QuickCharge 3.0 tech means topping up the V20’s battery takes very little time. And if that’s not fast enough, you could always carry around a spare battery and just swap it in as needed. Even so, there’s no denying that devices like the Pixel siblings and Samsung’s Galaxy series tend to last longer with their sealed batteries.
That was also true in our video rundown test, where we loop an HD video with screen brightness set to 50 percent while connected to WiFi. The V20 stuck around for 11 hours and 10 minutes — that’s a bit better than the 10.5 hours I got on the G5, but hours behind devices like the Galaxy S7 and Google’s Pixel phones.
The competition
I’ve been making not-so-veiled references to Samsung’s current line of Galaxy phones and Google’s Pixel family, and for good reason. If you’re looking for a new flagship and the V20 is on your shortlist, these devices need to be too — after all, they offer similar horsepower for around the same price. For those who like the idea of the V20’s second screen, there’s always the Galaxy S7 Edge. It packs just as much horsepower as the V20 and an always-on display you can rub to peek at your notifications and the news without having to unlock the phone. In general, its battery life is much better too, though you’ll have to deal with a custom interface and a lack of Android Nougat.
Then again, if it’s great photos you’re after, you won’t do much better than the Pixel or Pixel XL. Both pair impressive 12-megapixel cameras with really impressive (not to mention instantaneous) HDR image processing, which add up to the best point-and-shoot camera experience on an Android device. It doesn’t hurt that the Pixel phones run a clean version of Android 7.1 Nougat, offer access to Google’s clever new assistant, and offer speedy performance.
By now, though, it’s clear the V20 isn’t your average Android flagship. There’s an underlying emphasis on creativity here that extends way beyond what other device makers have attempted. In that regard, no clear competitors come to mind.
Wrap-up
LG has done a fine job choosing top-tier components and focusing on things like audio quality and manual photography. On paper, that sounds great! In practice, there’s an underlying lack of cohesiveness between these parts. Audio nerds will find a lot to like here, the swappable battery is nice, and there are some great shots to be captured if you’re comfortable tinkering with the shooting settings. If what you need out of smartphone matches LG’s vision, the V20 is a great choice. But for people who value power and polish over a highly specific set of tools, there are more well-rounded options out there.
Firstbuild Opal Nugget Ice review – CNET
For some only one style of beverage ice will do. Called nugget or compressed ice, this special form of frozen water is soft, light, and particularly easy to chew. Outside of a few restaurant chains and gas station snack bars, however, nugget ice is hard to come by. And though you can buy nugget ice machines qualified for home use, they’re exorbitantly priced at about 2 to 3 thousand dollars a pop. GE’s FirstBuild microfactory plans to disrupt the nugget ice market with its fresh appliance, the $499 Opal Nugget Ice.
Designed to produce sought-after nugget ice at home and with speed, the more affordable Opal Nugget Ice is also compact and made to fit easily on to cramped kitchen counters. The Opal will boast a bevy of high-tech sensors too for automatic operation plus feature multipurpose controls and a colorful LED status light.
Opal Nugget Ice supplies chewable ice at…
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Though the Opal Nugget Ice I saw up close was an engineering prototype, I was still impressed by its clean-lined appearance. The cube-shaped Opal Nugget Ice looks more like a robotic attendant than an ice maker. Occupying the center of the appliance is a large, transparent ice bucket. Deeply recessed into the machine, it almost sits flush with the Opal’s front face. This helps the clear container act as a window to ice production and provides a fast way to check how much ice you have on hand.
The Opal Nugget Ice is compact and futuristic-looking. Tyler Lizenby/CNET
Standing 16.5 inches tall by 10.5 inches wide and stretching 14 inches deep, the Opal is compact as well. It takes up about as much space as two large drip coffee machines standing back to back. That might sound clunky, but the machine is a fraction of the size of commercial nugget ice models you’ll find in restaurants and fast-food joints. Compared with those professional monsters which tip the scales on the order of hundreds of pounds, the Opal Nugget Ice is positively minuscule.
Related links
- FirstBuild Paragon Induction Cooktop Preview
- FirstBuild ChillHub Refrigerator Preview
- GE’s FirstBuild facility opens its doors
Just because it’s small doesn’t mean the Opal Nugget Ice isn’t built to perform. FirstBuild representatives I spoke to explained that the scrappy device can create 1 pound of nugget ice per hour. Given this speed you’ll be able to hit the Opal’s maximum ice capacity of 3 pounds in 3 hours. By comparison your average kitchen refrigerator’s ice maker needs a full day (24 hours) to make the same amount of ice. Hidden underneath the ice bucket is the Opal’s 6-cup reservoir, which should supply enough water for 3 pounds (3 quarts) worth of nugget ice.
The ice bucket is removable and holds a max of 3 pounds of nugget ice. Tyler Lizenby/CNET
Above the bucket is the Opal Nugget Ice’s only control, a circular thumb-size button. Ringed by an LED that changes color to match which mode the machine is in, the button will command the Opal to perform various duties and also indicate the device’s status. These include modes for standby, error, and of course ice making. At the time of my Opal Nugget Ice demo, though, FirstBuild engineers said they were still hammering out details for the control’s operation.
The Opal’s button toggles through various functions and changes color. Tyler Lizenby/CNET
Outlook
I confess that as a native New Yorker the allure of nugget ice is still a mystery to me, and shelling out $500 for a dedicated nugget ice machine for the home seems frivolous. That said, there’s no doubt a demand for this particular ice variety, compelling people to frequent specific fast-food chains just to get their hands on the stuff.
Couple nugget ice’s limited availability with a true lack of models designed for home use and it’s easy to see a bright future for the Opal Nugget Ice. The machine’s more reasonable $500 price is also very attractive compared with dropping 2 or 3 thousand dollars on a commercial nugget ice maker.
Does the idea of having an unlimited supply of nugget ice make you drool? Tyler Lizenby/CNET
Interested in a shiny new Opal Nugget Ice of your very own? You have a bit of a wait in store; FirstBuild expects the product to hit retail in summer 2016. Even so, you may have a chance to get a unit sooner and for a bit less money if you back the Opal’s Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign. You can find details about how to get on board at the Opal Nugget Ice’s official website.
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