NASA’s planet hunter satellite sends back its first image — and it’s amazing

NASA’s new planet-hunting mission, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), was launched on April 18. After getting accustomed to its new surroundings and doing a quick buzz past the moon, it’s already produced a stunning image that was just released by NASA. As part of the calibration sequence for one of its four on-board cameras, TESS captured a swatch of the sky that includes more than 200,000 stars.

NASA

The two-second exposure is centered on the southern constellation Centaurus. The Coalsack Nebula is featured in the upper right quadrant, and the star Beta Centauri can be seen at the lower left edge.

The stunning display has captivated scientists and space enthusiasts around the globe. “We are truly excited about how well the TESS cameras are working,” MIT planetary scientist George Ricker told Forbes. “This beautiful image just popped up on the MIT payload operations display screens right after initial turn-on of the TESS instrument.”

Keep in mind, this image was produced using only one of TESS’s four cameras. Once the mission becomes fully operational, NASA expects future images to cover more than 400 times as much sky. A “first light” image suitable for detailed scientific analysis will be released in June.

The four cameras will scan 26 entire sectors of the sky, covering both hemispheres during its two-year mission. The observations will focus on possible “transits” of exoplanets. where a far-away planet passes in front of its star causing a measurable drop in brightness.

“We learned from Kepler that there are more planets than stars in our sky, and now TESS will open our eyes to the variety of planets around some of the closest stars,” said Paul Hertz of NASA. “TESS will cast a wider net than ever before for enigmatic worlds whose properties can be probed by NASA’s upcoming James Webb Space Telescope and other missions.”

TESS is on its way to an unusual but highly stable elliptical orbit that takes it around the Earth every 13.7 days. After getting a gravity assist by passing within 5,000 miles of the moon, a final thruster burn on May 30 will finalize its orbit. The satellite will begin its detailed observation mission utilizing all four cameras in mid-June.

The search for exoplanets and, ultimately, extraterrestrial life will kick into high gear in the coming years. The aging Kepler satellite may be on its last legs, but the launch of the James Webb telescope will help scientists build on the discoveries made by TESS and expand our knowledge of the universe even more.

Editors’ Recommendations

• How to watch the launch of NASA’s planet-hunting satellite live
• NASA’s planet-hunting deep space telescope is about to run out of fuel
• Get your Sagan on with 60 awe-inspiring photos of the final frontier
• Lightroom’s overhauled camera profiles make your RAW photos pop
• NASA delays James Webb Space Telescope, pushes launch to 2020

Razer Blade Stealth vs. Apple MacBook Pro

Long gone are the days when Apple was the only company producing good looking, powerful mid-range laptops. Today it has many competitors, including the likes of Razer. But what if we pit the Razer Blade Stealth vs. Apple’s MacBook Pro? Which is the better laptop for the money?

Design

One of the biggest differences between mid-range and entry-level laptops is that over $1,000, they tend to look a lot nicer and have much better features. That’s certainly the case with both the Razer Blade Stealth and MacBook Pro. Razer’s new laptop sports a sleek, aluminum exterior in an attractive, compact package, that actually comes in slightly slimmer and trimmer than the Apple alternative.

That’s not the case with the display bezels though, which are much sleeker on the MacBook Pro. That gives it a distinctly more modern look than the Blade Stealth, despite similarities in overall styling. The somewhat lacking-in-purpose, MacBook Pro Touch Bar is also something that differentiates the two, though that does come at a $300 premium on the Apple laptop.

In terms of connectivity, there’s quite a stark difference between the two notebooks. Where the Razer Blade Stealth has a single Thunderbolt 3 port, alongside a pair of USB-A 3.0 ports, and an HDMI output, the MacBook Pro goes all-in on the future with four USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports. All of them can be used for charging, but that does mean that you’ll need to get an adapter if you want to use older, USB-A devices.

While we can debate the need for different USB ports, one area where the MacBook Pro clearly under-performs compared to the Blade Stealth is its keyboard. We found the low-travel distance uncomfortable for typing over long periods, while the Blade Stealth’s RGB backlit keyboard was fantastic in comparison. Both laptops feature excellent touchpads, however.

Performance

Despite the more mainstream marketing of the Razer Blade Stealth, it’s internal hardware is impressive. It sports an eighth-generation Intel Core i7-8550U CPU, 16GB of RAM, and up to a terabyte of M.2 solid state storage (SSD), all for $1,400. While it lacks a dedicated graphics chip, Razer does promote the Blade Stealth as having an optional external graphics card through the use of its officially-supported Razer Core v2 graphics enclosure.

The MacBook Pro’s hardware is a little older, though more varied. At the entry-level $1,300 price point, you get yourself a seventh-generation Core i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of SSD space. If you’re willing to spend up to $2,600, you can configure the system to have a dual-core Core i7 CPU instead, with 16GB of RAM and a terabyte of SSD space.

Those configurations put the MacBook Pro far behind the Blade Stealth in terms of raw power. Where the MacBook Pro’s older CPU sports just two cores, the Blade Stealth’s has four, and with hyperthreading, support for eight threads. With double the amount of RAM in most configurations and a more modern onboard graphics chip, the Blade Stealth easily outstrips the Apple competition, and does so with a lower price tag.

That said, the 2,560 x 1,600 IPS display the MacBook Pro ships with is beautiful. Its color accuracy is fantastic, and it has a broad support for the various color gamuts. In comparison, we found the Blade Stealth lacking in the AdobeRGB space, though at a higher resolution of 3,200 x 1,800, it does have a crisper picture.

Portability

In our review of the MacBook Pro, we found one of its biggest disappointments to be the reduction in battery size over its predecessor. Cutting it back by almost 35 percent resulted in a drop in overall life, though it still managed more than 10 hours in our video loop test. In comparison, the Razer Blade Stealth only managed eight hours. While it does have higher-powered hardware that no doubt contributes to the shorter battery life, the noticeable drop does make the Blade Stealth less useful when away from a charge point.

Physical portability of both laptops is comparable. Where the MacBook Pro measures in at 11.97 x 8.36 x 0.59-inches, the Blade Stealth is 12.6 x 8.1 x 0.54-inches. There are a few hundredths of a pound in weight difference in the Blade Stealth’s favor, but neither that nor the dimensions are disparate enough to make much of a difference.

What’s more important, power or software?

The question of whether to buy one of these laptops over the other is both easy and hard to answer. If you want the better laptop by the numbers, the Razer Blade Stealth is the better piece of kit. It’s much cheaper, has a higher-resolution display, and more powerful. It will still feel snappy in a few years time, and if you want to add an external graphics card to make it into a decent gaming laptop, you can do that too.

But none of that really matters if you want an Apple laptop running MacOS. That’s still the biggest selling point of the MacBook Pro in this head to head, even if its battery life does outstrip the Blade Stealth’s by a noticeable margin. You will certainly pay a premium for it, though, as the top MacBook Pro costs double that of the Blade Stealth.

While we’d certainly recommend the Blade Stealth over the MacBook Pro, if you do find yourself intrigued more by the Apple notebook, make sure to buy it without the Touch Bar, as that gimmicky gadget has no particular use and only increases the price tag unnecessarily.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Razer Blade Stealth vs. Dell XPS 13
• Huawei MateBook X Pro vs. Dell XPS 13
• The best laptops for programming
• The best MacBook
• Dell XPS 13 vs. MacBook Pro 13

Charge your phone wirelessly for only $10 with RAVPower’s Fast Charging Pad

This wireless charger is ideal for nightstands and desks.

RAVPower’s Fast Qi Wireless Charging Pad drops to just $9.99 at Amazon when you enter promo code RAVPCC14 during checkout. This deal saves you $5 off its current price.

You can also grab an updated, sleeker version of this charger for $10.99 with code RAVPC083.

With a wireless charging pad, you can eliminate those nights you go to bed forgetting to plug in your phone. Every night will be like that after all, as you’ll be able to just drop your phone on this charger to ensure it has a full battery in the morning. It features protection against overcurrents, overheating, and over-voltage.

There’s also an LED light which changes from blue to green to indicate whether your device is on standby or charging. No wall adapter is included with the charger however, so you may want to pick up an extra if you don’t have one lying around already.

This device can fast charge Quick Charge devices up to 10W while non-Quick Charge devices power up at a standard 5W. RavPower also includes an 18-month warranty with this product. Over 1,150 customers at Amazon reviewed it resulting in an overall rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars.

See at Amazon

Razer Blade Stealth vs. Dell XPS 13

When it comes to light, affordable, but powerful mid-range laptops, the Dell XPS 13 and the Razer Blade Stealth are two of the best out there. What happens when we pit them head to head though? In the battle of the Razer Blade Stealth vs. Dell XPS 13, which comes out on top?

Design

As one of the best looking laptops we’ve ever come across, it’s hard to beat the XPS 13 on style. However, the Razer Blade Stealth makes a good try. It has a sleek look to it, with an aluminum surface that gives it the look of premium Apple hardware like the MacBook Pro. That does mean it’s not the most striking, but it will look right at home in the mid-range that Razer’s targeting with its new release.

Until you open it. While the Blade Stealth’s screen looks great, its bezels are far chunkier than most contemporary hardware, and make the XPS 13 look like a generation ahead of its Razer counterpart on that point alone. However, that does mean that the Blade Stealth has enough room to fit its 720P webcam in the top of the display’s frame, rather than the base as in the XPS 13, making video calls far more flattering for the user.

In terms of connectivity, Razer opted to include a pair of USB-A ports alongside a Thunderbolt 3 port and an HDMI output. That gives it greater functionality out of the box than the XPS 13, which dropped all support for the older USB standard in favor of a pair of Thunderbolt three ports and a USB-C 3.1 port.

The Thunderbolt 3 port that the Blade Stealth does have though, has a dual purpose. While it can provide charging and high-speed data like any USB-C port, Razer is also marketing it as a potential avenue for external graphics. Razer’s own Core v2 external graphics enclosure was debuted alongside the new Blade Stealth last year and is marketed by Razer as a way of expanding the capabilities of this laptop when in a home setting.

Performance

Although neither of these laptops are designed as gaming machines by themselves, they are both very capable laptops when it comes to just about everything else. The Blade Stealth sports a Core i7-8550U throughout the range, so is technically more powerful than the XPS 13 at the lower end, but in our testing the XPS 13 performed better when equipped with comparable hardware.

The Blade Stealth does offer 16GB of RAM without much of a premium, which is a nice touch, however like the XPS 13 it only offers on board graphics out of the box. Both systems come with as much as a terabyte of on-board solid state storage, making them both snappy to use, and able to store plenty of media.

The default displays on the two laptops are different. While the XPS 13 has a 1080p panel as standard, with a 4K option at the top-end of the price bracket, all of the Blade Stealth models have a 16:9, 3,200 x 1,800 display. It looks great, but at 13.3-inches the resolution isn’t necessary and has a big impact on the system’s battery life.

In a straight comparison with the XPS 13, we noticed a dip in color support in the AdobeRGB space, though its color accuracy was top-notch. It does support touch inputs, which is only something that the XPS 13’s 4K panel supports.

Portability

The XPS 13 might not sport the same kind of ridiculous battery life as a Surface Book 2, but its portability is undeniable. With as much as 13-hours of video playback on the 1080p version of the laptop, it will last a full work day and then some during mixed usage. In comparison, the Blade Stealth falls way behind, managing just eight hours in our testing. While that may give you a full day’s work, it’s not enough that we’d feel comfortable straying too far from a charge point for extended periods of time.

The difference in physical portability is much less pronounced. The Blade Stealth measures up at 12.6 x 8.1 x 0.54-inches, while the XPS 13 is a slightly-more-svelte 11.9 x 7.8 x 0.46-inches. It’s also slightly lighter at 2.67 pounds, while the Blade Stealth tips the scales at 2.98 pounds.

XPS 13 is still king

Razer’s revamped Blade Stealth laptop is an admirable attempt to offer something that isn’t a gaming laptop, but has the potential to be, with its support of the Core V2 enclosure. As solid an effort as it is though, it’s just not as versatile, nor as good looking as the Dell XPS 13. With substantially weaker battery life and not much in the way of hardware options beyond storage, the Blade Stealth limits its potential audience to a very particular owner.

The XPS 13 is better looking, has more competitive pricing at the low-end, and will last longer on a day to day basis. It doesn’t have the same officially sanctioned GPU enclosure, but if you want a Dell laptop that’s better at gaming, you’d opt for the XPS 15 or Inspiron 15 7577 instead.

You can buy the Dell XPS 13 now from $1,000 to $1,950, while the Razer Blade Stealth has a flat rate of $1,400. The last-generation, dual-core version is available with a discounted price of $1,050.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Huawei MateBook X Pro vs. Dell XPS 13
• Dell XPS 13 vs. HP Spectre 13
• Dell XPS 13 9370 review
• The best laptops
• The best laptops under $1,000

Epic Games makes announcement for ‘Fortnite’ on Android

Epic Games

Epic is getting ready to add another platform to the biggest game in the world. Fortnite: Battle Royale has been available for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 for some time, and it was released on mobile for iOS back in March. Android gamers won’t be left out in the storm for much longer, however, as the studio announced that they can soon join their iPhone-wielding friends and jump into the multiplayer carnage.

“We are targeting this summer for the release,” the developers wrote in a recent blog post. “We know many of you are excited for this release, and we promise that when we have more information to share, you’ll hear it from us first.” No more details about the Android version were provided.

Along with availability for Android devices, the team also announced a host of updates and improvements that are in the works. Voice chat will let you communicate with your friends or with everyone on the map. You’ll also be able to toggle various mute options with a simple touchscreen tap.

Epic has also added a custom HUD feature, so you can use a template “blueprint” to place all the various icons on your screen to suit your liking.

The upcoming “battery saver” mode lowers the graphic quality but also uses less power for those times when your phone might not last until the end of the match. The studio also mentioned a host of improved gameplay controls, especially for the Autorun feature, but there were no details given.

Fortnite quickly became number one with a bullet when it was released for iOS back in March with $15 million in sales in just 20 days, easily surpassing such venerable stalwarts as Candy Crush and Pokémon Go. Since then, a comet impact has devastated the landscape in the game, leaving low-gravity shards in its wake to begin Season Four.

Only the free multiplayer Battle Royale mode is available for mobile and that’s unlikely to change with the Android update. While you’re waiting, we’ve got some tips and strategies for playing the game on mobile that will give you a big edge on your friends when the game arrives later this year.

Editors’ Recommendations

• You can sign up for the ‘Fortnite: Battle Royale’ mobile beta right now
• Epic Games hauls in $15 million from ‘Fortnite’ on iOS in just three weeks
• ‘Fortnite’ is now available for free to all iOS users, coming to Android soon
• The History of Battle Royale: From Mod to Worldwide Phenomenon
• ‘Fortnite’ will give you the chance to be killed by Thanos, too

Best Galaxy S9 Cases

Find a sleek and stylish case to keep your S9 protected.

Whether you bought your Samsung Galaxy S9 at launch or have decided to upgrade to the S9 after reading the reviews, you’re going to want to buy a case to keep it safe. here, which means it’s time to ruminate over which accessories to buy!

Here are the best cases we’ve found for the Galaxy S9. We’ll be updating this article as more awesome options become available.

• Samsung S-View Cover
• Samsung Hyperknit Cover
• Samsung Alcantara Cover
• Otterbox Commuter Series
• RhinoShield CrashGuard bumper
• Lifeproof SLAM case
• Speck Presidio case
• BodyGuardz Ace Fly clear case
• Spigen Rugged Armor case
• VRS Design Clear Slim case
• Ringke Fusion Clear Case
• SUPCASE Unicorn Beetle Series case
• dbrand skins

Samsung S-View Cover

We’ll start out with some of Samsung’s own cases, although they’re not yet available for purchase.

The first one is the perennially awesome S-View case. This folio-style flip case features a clear cover for the screen that keeps it protected from scratches while also letting you see notifications and accept calls with a swipe. It can also be folded up as a hands-free stand.

Samsung hasn’t listed a price, but the Note 8 S-View cover launched at $60 so we can probably expect similar pricing here.

See at Samsung

Samsung Hyperknit Cover

Google seemed to start the fabric case trend, but we’re happy to see Samsung also embracing it.

Made of woven nylon, this case looks brilliant in red with a nice, soft finish. Everyone’s going to want to see your brand new phone, so why not add a bit of extra flash while keeping it safe? With extra protection in the corner and clean cutouts around the camera and fingerprint sensor on the back you’ll love the functional and stylish design on display here. You can get yours for just $35.

The Galaxy S9 and its Hyperknit case are a match made in heaven

See at Samsung

Samsung Alcantara Cover

First-party accessories are always on the more expensive side, so they really need to offer customers something unique. Samsung’s Alcantara covers have been recent standouts, offering a combination of sound protection and a cozy finish for your Galaxy devices.

The Alcantara case won us over with the Note 8, so we’re pretty happy to see it offered by Samsung for the S9. Made of Alcantara, a lightweight material that’s rugged and durable while keeping a slim form factor, you’ll get a stylish and grippy case that won’t add much bulk to the phone. It’s not yet available to buy but would be worth keeping an eye out for.

You can get this stylish case for $50 direct from Samsung or for $42 on Amazon.

Samsung’s Alcantara case is the most luxurious way to protect your Galaxy S9 or S9+

See at Amazon

RhinoShield CrashGuard bumper

If you would really prefer not to put a bulky case on your phone but still want some added peace of mind for those rare times where your phone slips out of your hand, consider the CrashGuard bumper from RhinoShield.

This is a really well-designed bumper that’s rugged and shock absorbing in the corners and along phone’s edges — exactly where you need it most. It’s quick and easy to install and lets you still fully show off the design of your phone.

You can get this minimalist case solution for just $25.

See at Amazon

OtterBox Commuter Series

Few names are as symonymous with phone cases as OtterBox. They’re built a reputation as a trusted brand by designing really rugged cases and backing their products with superior customer service.

We’d recommend the Commuter series case which is a pocket-friendly case that still delivers the rugged protection you’ve come to expect from an OtterBox case. It’s got one big cutout on the back for the camera and fingerprint sensor and includes port covers to keep dirt out. You can get yours for just $30 from Amazon.

We’ve highlighted the Commuter Series here, but OtterBox has over 10 different case styles available for the Galaxy S9 which you can check out on their site.

See at Amazon

Lifeproof SLAM case

When you’re dropping over $700 on a brand new phone, you want to protect it from everything life might throw at it, especially if you plan on spending a ton of time outside this summer.

Lifeproof cases typically offer protection from dirt and snow, but the SLAM case focuses exclusively on drop protection. Lifeproof says this case can survive drops from up to two meters (6.5 ft) thanks to the reinforced bumpers. It’s also got a rugged backplate that’s clear to show off the phone’s design and also compatible with wireless charging. While it’s not quite as Lifeproof as you’d expect, it’s also not as expensive as other Lifeproof cases at only $50. Plus, it looks pretty cool with the black and neon green, don’t you think?

Looking for the classic FRE Lifeproof case? You can get the supreme Lifeproof case for a whopping $89. It’s real pricy, and probably more than we could justifiably recommend to the average user, but if you want one you can buy it straight from the source.

See at Lifeproof

Speck Presidio

Speck has a full line of cases available for the Galaxy S9, but we’ll focus on the Presidio case here because it’s a great place to start. It’s got a simple design with smart features where it counts like double protection in the corners and a slim profile that’s compatible with wireless charging. It’s been drop tested up to 10 feet and the matte finish is scratch resistant so it shouldn’t show wear. Get this classic looking case for just $40.

This is just one of the many case styles Speck offers, so check them all out if you want something with a bit more flair.

See at Amazon

BodyGuardz Ace Fly clear case

Looking to show off your Galaxy S9 without leaving it prone to drop damage? BodyGuardz offers a clear case they say is built using the same impact gel used in padding and helmet technology for athletes.

Whether or not that marketing talk sways you, the Ace Fly clear case looks like a reliable clear case. BodyGuardz backs their products with a lifetime warranty and you have a 30-day money back guarantee so if you don’t love it you can simply return it.

Available for $35, these cases are also compatible with the Pure Arc Tempered Glass screen protector, so if you’ve used BodyGuardz screen protectors before and trust the brand this would be a good combo to keep your Galaxy S9 fully protected right out of the box.

See at Amazon

Spigen Rugged Armor case

The Spigen Rugged Armor case is my go-to phone case. It’s a sleek, one-piece case that adds good protection to your phone without much bulk. Thin enough to not impede wireless charging, this is a great minimalist case that still offers rugged protection.

More importantly, it always comes in at a great price. At just $12, it’s one of the cheapest options currently available from a brand we trust.

See at Amazon

Spigen Liquid Crystal clear case

Looking for a clear case option under $20? Spigen’s got you covered there, too. Just like the Rugged Armor case, the Liquid Crystal is slim and pocket-friendly. Made of flexible TPU, it’s easy to slip on and will provide quality protection while still letting you show off your phone’s design.

You can get the Liquid Crystal for $11.99 or add a funky print or some sparkles for just $12.99.

See at Amazon

VRS Design Clear Slim case

These clear cases from VRS Design basically offer it all. It’s a clear case that shows off the body of the Galaxy S9 with a shockproof bumper available in the exact color to match your device.

Better still, these cases are thin enough to be fully compatible with wireless charging. Make sure you get the right color for your phone to complete the look.

You can get this case for just $14 on Amazon.

See at Amazon

Ringke Fusion Clear Case

The best way to protect your phone from drop damage is to not drop your phone. The latest Fusion clear case from Ringke includes a handy wrist strap built into the case.

Whether or not you want to use the wrist strap is up to you, but it’s a thoughtful addition to a consistently stellar case style. Available as a clear case or with a Orchid Purple or Smoky Black bumper accent, you can get this case for just $11 on Amazon.

See at Amazon

SUPCASE Unicorn Beetle Series case

The Unicorn Beetle case is one of those phone cases that people buy with every new device. It’s got that classic rugged design with ridges to help with grip and it includes a built-in screen protector to keep your S9 in pristine condition.

Port plugs keep dust and pocket lint out of your charging port and headphone jack, and it also comes with an optional belt-clip holster. Rugged enough to keep your phone protected and yet thin enough to work with wireless charging, get your Unicorn Beetle Series case starting at just $15.

See at Amazon

dbrand Skins

Dbrand Skins are a consistently popular option for phone enthusiasts who want to customize the look of their phone without adding any bulk. They of course offer an awesome level of customization for creating a skin for your Galaxy S9.

You can pick between nine different texture styles for the back, the minimal bezels on the top and bottom of the display, and even around the camera sensor! You can mix and match and create your dream skin. Didn’t get the phone color you wanted? Make it your own with dbrand!

See at dbrand

Update May 19, 2018: Updated pricing for these great Galaxy S9 cases. Now’s a great time to buy a new case.

Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+

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

Verizon
AT&T
T-Mobile
Sprint

Your weekend comments are open for business

Weekends are best spent with friends and family. Or in a comfy chair if you’re Rex the Dachshund.

That’s Rex. He’ll be 15 in September and he is my new life coach and is going to help me learn to relax and let things go. He spends most of the day sitting here in my office on his ridiculous chair knowing that he’s in charge of the important things like when is lunch and is it too hot to go outside.

I’ll be spending most of the weekend here with him because the rain is getting biblical out there. It’s cool, though, we need it. And it gives me time to reflect on what’s important in life, which happens to be Borderlands 2 this weekend.

Was cruising through the Steam store and saw it there reminding me that I bought it a long time ago and was no longer installed — a problem that needed to be rectified. That’s what happens when I need to print something and need to turn my desktop on and I have no control over it and it’s not my fault.

And now I need to find my Shield portable.

While I’m goofing off playing video games with Rex, I imagine plenty of y’all will be doing something useful and productive. Hopefully, it’s just as fun! Take a minute and let us know what you’ve got going on this weekend or just talk about anything else good.

Save $100 on Garmin’s Fenix 5X fitness watch with integrated GPS

Strap up with this advanced fitness tracker at a nice discount.

Garmin makes a variety of different fitness trackers, and its Fenix watches offer some of the most advanced features that are available. The Fenix 5X Sapphire is one of the higher-end models that the company offers, and right now you can pick it up for $549.99, a $100 savings.

It has a built-in GPS which can track your runs, bicycle rides, hikes, and various other outdoor activities. It also has a 3-axis compass, gyroscope and barometric altimeter. There are preloaded running profiles for when you are using it on a treadmill or on a trail, and it puts key performance indicators right on your wrist.

When connected to a smartphone, you can use it to receive smart notifications and also use the free Connect IQ store to load new watch faces and more to it. The watch automatically uploads the data to Garmin’s Connect online fitness community.

See at Amazon

Asus Zenfone Max Pro (M1) review: A well-rounded budget smartphone

Asus smartphones have had a rollercoaster ride in the Indian market. While the company saw some success with quite capable mid-range Zenfone devices in the past, Chinese players like Xiaomi and Lenovo almost drove the company out of the budget segment and the minds of consumers.

The Zenfone brand has featured innovative, eclectic experiments like the Zenfone Zoom and the Zenfone AR. Within that portfolio, the Zenfone Max series brings bigger battery capacity and longer battery life.

The new Zenfone Max Pro (M1) packs in a big 5,000mAh battery and aims to be a well-rounded budget offering. It’s looking to reclaim the under-15,000-rupee (~$225) category, fighting it out with Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 5 and Note 5 Pro, which for many are an automatic choice in this segment.

This latest smartphone has been developed for the Indian market, but can it take a slice of the pie? Let’s take a look.

For this review, I took a pre-release variant of the Asus Zenfone Max Pro (M1) for a spin. Through the review period of this lower spec’d variant — the one with 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage — there was more than one firmware update, with focus on improving camera performance and adding features like support for VoLTE and face recognition. These updates will be baked into the devices that will go on retail, so you’ll get all that out of the box.Show More

Design

The Asus Zenfone Max Pro looks like most other smartphones in this segment, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The smartphone is solidly built and the aluminum frame gives it a nice structural rigidity. At 180 grams, it’s heavy and marginally thicker due to its large battery, but the additional heft gives a certain sturdy feel to the device.

The display has a tall 18:9 aspect ratio with rounded corners and narrow borders on either side. Asus claims it uses a durable, protective 2.5D curved glass but there’s no word on what kind specifically. Despite the slightly large dimensions, the phone is quite ergonomic and fits well in your palm.

The Zenfone Max Pro has a minimalist and functional design, even though there’s nothing special.

The rear metal plate has a soft matte finish which feels good but gets smudged with fingerprints a lot. I had to wipe smudges away between each shot when I took photos of the phone for this review, as they look quite pronounced on the dark exterior. One of the best design traits of the Zenfone Max Pro is the dual-camera module at the back is flush with the body with almost no camera bump. It looks quite neat.

Overall, the Zenfone Max Pro won’t win any design award, but the minimalist and functional design with good build quality would appeal to most users.

Display

The Asus Zenfone Max Pro sports a 5.99-inch Full HD+ display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. There’s no notch here, thankfully. Asus claims the display’s LCD panel offers a contrast ratio of 1500:1 with a maximum brightness of 450 nits. There’s also an oleophobic coating to ward off those greasy fingerprint smudges.

The display is first-rate. It’s quite bright and the colors are vibrant. Even in bright summer afternoons, the outdoor screen viewing is pretty good. The viewing angles are great and better than most phones in this segment. Its contrast ratio is great, though still no match for an AMOLED display.

Performance

The Asus Zenfone Max Pro is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 636, the same processor as the Redmi Note 5 Pro. The 14nm chipset apparently offers a 50-percent jump in performance over Snapdragon 625 because it uses Qualcomm’s custom Kryo cores to efficiently push more power.

The device comes in two memory variants — one with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage and one with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, expandable up to 2TB with a microSD card. Asus announced another variant with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage (and better camera prowess) but that will launch later.

For this review, I used the 3GB variant, and the phone performed quite well. Hardcore gaming, multitasking, and everyday shenanigans — the Zenfone Max Pro sailed through everything I threw at it breezily with its snappy stock Android experience. During extended sessions of gaming, it heated up slightly but not to a degree that would cause any discomfort.

Abetted by the snappy stock Android experience, the Asus Zenfone Max Pro (M1) is a top-notch performer.

The Zenfone Max Pro boasts a 5,000mAh battery, but it doesn’t offer exceptional battery life. A few other smartphones in the market manage to offer similar battery life with a smaller capacity battery in a smaller frame. For most users, the phone will easily last a full day of active use with enough juice left to carry over to the next day. It’s plenty, but I’d expect a software update to optimize the power consumption even better.

The phone comes with a bundled 2A/10W charger for fast charging that charges the battery from zero to 100 percent in less than three hours, which is quite good.

The Zenfone Max Pro supports Bluetooth 4.2 with Qualcomm’s AptX technology for clearer audio over wireless connections. Thanks to the built-in NXP amplifier and a 5-magnet speaker, the mono speaker on the Zenfone Max Pro is quite loud. For a budget smartphone, the Zenfone Max Pro has a pretty solid audio experience. To boost the audio even further, it comes with a Max Box accessory, which passively amplifies the audio without any electronics. It’s a plain vanilla cardboard and magnet setup, based on precision acoustics. While it’s gimmicky, it’s bundled free and music enthusiasts won’t complain.

Overall, Asus did quite well picking the latest innards and bundling it with stock Android for the Zenfone Max Pro. Even the 3GB variant should be enough for most people. Of course, power users and those who don’t mind spending the extra dough will appreciate the slight performance bump that 4GB of RAM would offer.

Hardware

Although most of its competition is in the same boat, it is slightly disappointing to see a MicroUSB port instead of the USB Type-C on the Zenfone Max Pro. Of course, many people won’t mind, but it leaves a little sour taste. It’s a 2018 smartphone, after all.

The device supports dual SIM, with an extended tray that can take two nano-SIMs and a microSD card all at the same time. For a niche but vocal user base, this is an important consideration since they use two SIMs (mostly the second one for data) and hoard a lot of content, therefore requiring memory expansion. While you can use two 4G SIMs at a time, only one will run on 4G at any time while the other will be limited to 3G.

Camera

The Asus Zenfone Max Pro sports a dual camera setup at the back with a 13MP primary camera with f/2.2 aperture and a 5MP secondary camera for depth sensing.

In broad daylight, the smartphone manages to take some great shots. It manages to capture a large amount of detail and most shots are quite vibrant. The sharpness is hit-or-miss and often the white balance is way off. In low light conditions, it takes a while to lock focus, and once it does there’s considerable noise in the photos and the details get a little fuzzy. It is quite hard to manage a decent shot with HDR mode at night because there’s a lot of blur and loss of detail.

The depth mode works quite well for a budget smartphone. The edge detection is pretty good, and the blur is subtle, although often inconsistent.

The rear camera on the Zenfone Max Pro can record 4K video but there’s no stabilization option available. Whether shot at night or day, videos are good enough for sharing, but not much else.

Editor’s Pick

A new challenger approaches: Asus is now teasing a gaming phone

Hot on the heels of the launch of Xiaomi’s Black Shark gaming smartphone, Asus has appeared to confirm that it is working on a gaming phone of its own.

In an interview at the opening of Asus …

The front-facing 8MP shooter with an f/2.0 aperture manages to capture some really good selfies. There’s a good amount of detail and the colors and exposure are just right. The beautification also isn’t too overwhelming and doesn’t come off as artificial. The LED flash on the front is quite harsh — for most selfies, I preferred to keep it off.

The camera app on the Zenfone Max Pro is confusing and unintuitive. The controls aren’t well laid out, and simple toggles like flash are hidden under a menu instead of being accessible with a single tap. Asus should really overhaul the camera app to make it more appealing — in form and function.

The camera on most mid-rangers falls short especially in testing light conditions, and the Zenfone Max Pro just manages to scrape through. It’s a decent camera and better than most in the segment, but it doesn’t match the camera prowess of the Redmi Note 5 Pro. You can check out the camera samples in full-resolution here.

Software

The Zenfone Max Pro is the first smartphone from Asus to ship with stock Android Oreo instead of the company’s proprietary ZenUI skin. While this isn’t part of Android One, Asus says it plans to deliver two major Android updates up to Android Q.

While it’s stock Android, Asus snuck in some pre-installed apps, which can’t be removed. There’s Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger, as well as the barebones mobile wallet Go2Pay. Some old ZenUI apps like the Voice Recorder, Calculator, and FM Radio too are carried over, though these are handy additions.

Specifications

Display	5.99-inch IPS Full HD+ (2,160 x 1,080) 18:9 aspect ratio 450 nits brightness 2.5D curved glass
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 64-bit octa-core CPU (8 x Kryo 260 cores) Adreno 509 GPU 14nm FinFET technology
RAM	3/4GB
Storage	32/64GB Supports microSD card up to 2TB
Rear Camera	13MP + 5MP depth sensing sensor f/2.2 aperture 80-degree view angle Phase Detection AF 5-element lens LED flash 4K UHD video recording
Front Camera	8MP f/2.0 aperture 85.5-degree view angle 5-element lens Soft-light LED flash
Battery	5,000mAh Bundled 2A/10W charger
Software	Android 8.1 Oreo
Dimensions and weight	159 x 76 x 8.61mm 180g

Gallery

Pricing and final thoughts

The Asus Zenfone Max Pro (M1) is a well-rounded smartphone greater than the sum of its parts and the pros outweigh the cons. The performance is first-rate, there’s the stock Android experience, and the aggressive pricing undercuts Xiaomi’s offerings.

The Asus Zenfone Max Pro (M1) is a well-rounded device that ticks all the boxes for an affordable smartphone.

Available in two color variants — meteor silver and deepsea black — the lower spec’d variant of the Zenfone Max Pro is priced at 10,999 rupees (~$166) in India, while the higher end one is priced at 12,999 rupees (~$196).

The Zenfone Max Pro could definitely improve in the camera and battery departments, which is actually a great position to be in since a lot can be done there with future software updates. That said, the Asus Zenfone Max Pro (M1) is a top-notch value-for-money device that can take on the best in the market with ease.

Google’s Digital Wellbeing initiative: Everything you need to know

Here’s how Google is helping you take back control of your digital life.

At Google I/O 2018, Google announced Digital Wellbeing. It’s a brand new approach to OS and app development that’ll equip users with tools to help them find a better balance between their digital and real worlds.

Is it a new app? Is it Android P’s killer feature? Will it make you feel better and solve world peace all at the same time? We answer all those questions and more for you right here.

What’s Digital Wellbeing?

Digital Wellbeing is Google’s initiative to help you understand your tech usage and help take back control of your life if that’s something you feel you need. It’s a combination of many things, including data and insight, tools, apps, content, and more, all of which are designed to help you put the living part of life back into perspective.

It’s not just one app or one feature. It’s an entire idea. It’s a lifestyle change. It’s identifying and accepting the problem that mobile technology can and does command a ton of our attention in ways that can be unhealthy. Digital Wellbeing, then, is just one part of a bigger home remedy to help treat that root issue.

Why is Google doing this?

The harsh effects of too much internet and smartphone usage have long been talked about, with smartphones commanding more and more of our attention as the years roll on. Recent studies show an uptick in smartphone usage correlating with increased mental health issues in teens, such as depression.

This phenomenon is believed to be driven primarily by the prominence of social media, with folks spending less time living their own lives to try and check in with everyone else’s. It’s what’s generally referred to as “FOMO,” or the “fear of missing out.”

It’s about helping you get back to what’s important: your life.

It’s that feeling you get when you see everyone’s at a party having a good time while you’re at home studying, or when your relatives send a “Wish You Were Here!” postcard from their dreamy vacation destination. FOMO typically manifests as anxiety those affected, a common ailment that can open the way to clinical depression and other mental health issues.

The effects of FOMO are a real concern in today’s society, and smartphones and social media seemingly amplify those effects thanks to our ability to stay connected all day and digest the happenings of our favorite people, things, and media with the tap of a button.

And that’s what the Digital Wellbeing initiative aims to address. Google believes that technology should only be used to help improve your life, and not be the absolute center of it. Whether you agree is up to you to decide.

To their credit, Google’s homework suggests over 70% of smartphone users are looking for help in this area. Even if they’re off by half that mark, it’s enough to warrant an entire shift in the way they approach smartphone and app development.

Of course, Android being the world’s dominant mobile OS means much of their work in this area will become tangible through updates to the system software and their various apps. Here’s how Android will change in that regard.

How will Android help me?

While you’re obviously in control of your feelings, emotions, and life, Google wants to spread awareness about the issue at least, and for those who decide they want or need a little help disconnecting, they will build apps, services, and features to make it easier. Here’s how Android is changing to help you.

Dashboard keeps you informed

It begins with the app dashboard, a new feature coming as part of Android P.

The dashboard gives you an overview of your daily digital activity. It includes the overall time you spend using your phone, the time you spent within reach individual app, and how many notifications you get from those apps.

You can view all of this data by various time periods, so you’ll get a good breakdown whether you’re just interested in one particular hour or an entire week.

At its highest level, the dashboard is merely here to inform you of your habits, but if you want to take action, then it makes it easy to find the features that’ll help you curb your usage.

Your digital nanny keeps you in check

So, you’ve taken the data from the dashboard and found that you spend way too much time on Facebook during work. What now?

This is where what we like to call your “app nanny” steps in. This feature allows you to set time limits or restrict usage of apps to specific times of the day on a per-app basis to keep yourself in check. When you hit your limit, the app icon is greyed out and inaccessible.

Do Not Disturb mode evolved

Another useful feature coming in Android P is even more aggressive notification control. You can now completely hide all notifications when you enter Do Not Disturb mode.

There’s also a brand new Wind Down mode. It lets you automatically turn on a blue light or grayscale filter. The former is designed to reduce eyestrain to help you get to sleep at night, while Google’s thinking with the grayscale is that you won’t feel so compelled to use your phone if it doesn’t have those things called “colors” which stimulate our brains.

It will be possible to turn your phone onto its face and have it automatically enter Do Not Disturb mode. It’s not that it’s incredibly difficult to do it already — in fact, you could even have it activated automatically once the clock strikes your preferred hour — but having a simple and intuitive gesture like this will make it easy to enable Do Not Disturb on the fly.

Android Oreo’s notification features are still here

All of the above is in addition to notification channels, the granular notification controls that came as part of the Android 8.0 Oreo update. You can easily disable notifications for an entire app, but this feature allows you to specify which category of notifications you want to receive in any given app, so you can choose to be notified of nothing but direct messages on Twitter if you so wish.

What’s more is that you can also set the priority of those notifications which will let you specify how much of an alert you’ll get when there’s something new. It could be limited to something as simple as a card in your notifications shade for less pertinent things, while more critical notifications can come in with sound and vibration.

What’s changing with YouTube?

YouTube was Google’s first example of apps which can tap into the data and controls offered by the dashboard. As with overall app usage, YouTube can show you exactly how long you’ve been watching a video.

The app also allows you to set a reminder to take a break after you’ve watched a certain amount of video, and you can even get your subscription notifications delivered to you as a scheduled periodic digest, so you’re not constantly being badgered to watch the latest content from your favorite creators.

How to turn on YouTube’s reminders to stop watching videos

What other tools will Google offer for this purpose?

The truth is that Google has been ebbing toward this play for quite some time, with many of their apps already exhibiting traits of Digital Wellbeing. For instance, Gmail and Inbox already have things like bundled notifications, priority inboxes, and smart replies. Google Photos’ AI-driven library management already helps keep your photo albums organized. Android already lets you snooze your notifications to handle them at a later time.

That’s not to mention the benefits of using Android Auto while driving or using the Google Assistant to automate your life using your voice. All of that stuff is still here, and they’re likely to be refined over time as the bigger picture of this thing comes into focus.

It’s all about family, too

Google’s macro vision for Digital Wellbeing is to help you find balance in your life and your family, so family controls will be an even more significant part of what they do. Family Link is the central point of that realm. It gives parents the ability to monitor and manage their kids’ devices, whether that’s seeing which apps they’ve downloaded and how long they use those apps.

Parents will continue to get controls to manage screen time, set bedtime schedules, remotely lock devices, and approve or deny app downloads and purchases. In the future, they’ll also get recommendations on education contents to keep their kids learning.

And then there’s still the child-friendly YouTube Kids, Google WiFi’s higher level network management (just in case they’ve gone and found some way to circumvent that Family Link stuff), and digital edutainment content Google will continue to push.

Will Digital Wellbeing improve my life?

That’s up to you. Google is merely providing the data and tools. Ultimately, you make your own decisions about what is and isn’t important to you, and about how you use the products you own and services to which you’re subscribed.

There’s no pressure to change the way you go about your days. No one is forcing you to give up your morning meal of cereal and Facebook. If you love keeping up with friends and family on social media all day and it makes you happy, that’s OK. All of these features are there if you need them and completely out of the way if you don’t.

When is Digital Wellbeing available?

Would you believe us if we told you that Digital Wellbeing is available right now? Android Oreo has notification channels and snoozing. Gmail and Inbox have snooze and smart reply features, as well as priority inbox and notification bundling. There’s a Do Not Disturb feature on most phones today.

Digital Wellbeing begins with you. Today. Right now.

Even tighter notification control in YouTube can already be accomplished by managing individual alerts for each channel you subscribe to, and the changes announced at Google I/O will are already live in the YouTube app.

Long story short, Digital Wellbeing is already pretty much in full effect if you want it to be. The lone prerequisite here is that you have to want to disconnect. You could do that with actions as simple as clearing out your notifications tray. I can’t tell you how many times I avoided an anxiety-inducing trip down the digital rabbit hole by declaring that the 30 or so notifications living in my status bar at any given time are not that important.

To that end, Digital Wellbeing is less of a feature and more of an ideology, and it truly begins with you. Google will most certainly continue updating and building apps with these core principles in mind, with the company looking to employ unique approaches to the concept appropriate for each respective service.

And they’ll encourage third-party developers to do the same thing. There will be APIs for tapping into all this new data so developers can equip you with the information and means to block out all the extra noise these apps can create. There’s no telling how long it will be before your favorite apps follow suit, or whether they’ll do so at all. But history tells us developers will eventually take their cues from Google, so be sure to submit your feature requests and feedback to them if this is important to you.

That being said, there are some cool features coming specifically as part of Android P as it will serve as the spiritual launching pad for everything, with the forthcoming OS update tying it all together through the dashboard and further development of these wellness features. The ultimate goal here is to make these tools easier to find, use, and understand, and your decisions will be backed by real insight and metrics on how you use your device.

You can try a preview version of Android P on compatible devices right now, and you’ll find much of these Digital Wellbeing features on display there. Look out for Android P to arrive later this year, but don’t delay taking control of your digital life right now!

Android P

• Android P: Everything you need to know
• Android P Beta hands-on: The best and worst features
• All the big Android announcements from Google I/O 2018
• Will my phone get Android P?
• How to manually update your Pixel to Android P
• Join the Discussion