BlackBerry Priv review

Get it on Amazon!

It’s no secret that BlackBerry has faced a dramatic shift in fortunes over the past few years, but the Canadian company is now looking to make a comeback by doing what many wanted them to do for years now – to make an Android phone! The name of this high-end offering finds its roots in the word PRIVacy, and perhaps more appropriately, PRIVilege, given that this is a phone that stands out in more ways than one.

How will this device fare against the intense competition it faces in the saturated Android flagship market it is entering? We find out, in this comprehensive BlackBerry Priv review!

Design

BlackBerry literally slides into the Android space by bringing back a feature that we haven’t seen from a flagship-level device in a long time, a hardware keyboard. Taking a look at the rest of the device however, Blackberry has done a good job of making it fit into the general Android lexicon. The large 5.4-inch has no capacitive keys accompanying it, and the very bottom portion of the phone does not slide, but houses a front-facing speaker.

The power button is on the left side, which takes some getting used to, and the volume rocker is to the right, with a single button between the volume up and down keys, which, in my testing, doesn’t seem to do anything more than open the notification dialog to switch modes. Also noteworthy is that all of these buttons do not move when the screen is slid up, leaving them well within reach. The back of the phone features a soft plastic weave that helps a lot with grip, and while the camera optics up top do protrude, the ring around the glass is quite substantial. Despite everything the device is packing however, BlackBerry has managed to keep the Priv really thin.

When sliding the screen, it slides up assuredly, but doesn’t snap into place with a satisfying click like other sliders you might remember, but instead moves up and softly locks into place. Focusing on the feel of the keyboard, though it takes on the classic BlackBerry construction and layout, it ultimately feels a bit squishy. It admittedly takes a while to get used to typing on a physical keyboard again, as the keys obviously require a tiny, but noticeable, bit of force, and something that you need to get acclimated to again. The keyboard feels about as standard and as good as you may remember it, but when it comes to the handling, the already large phone becomes harder to maneuver with the screen further away when slid up.

The inclusion of the keyboard likely jacks up the price of the phone, and it is clear that BlackBerry, despite maintaining the executive look and feel of their pedigree, thus had to hold back just a little bit in overall build quality. The Priv is substantial in weight and overall size, and features a weight distribution that doesn’t become uneven when the screen is slid up. The soft backing is nice as well, but doesn’t feel incredibly solid when pressing down on the lower half of it.

Ultimately, BlackBerry has succeeded in creating an Android smartphone that is simultaneously a throwback to the days of old, while also a sleek device worthy of today’s expected aesthetics and features. Executive is still a word that can easily be used to describe the way the Priv looks and feels, and with the screen slid up, the device is sure to turn heads and result in questions, and the answer of “BlackBerry” is bound to create a sense of nostalgia. On the other hand, in a world that has quickly become dominated by flagships with all-metal or metal/glass construction, the all-plastic design of the Blackberry Priv might be a bit of a turn off for some users.

Display

BlackBerry, despite not being a part of the full flagship game in a while, has worked hard to ensure that all of the right features are available from their first high-end Android offering, and the display is a great example of that. The Priv comes with a 5.4-inch AMOLED display with a Quad HD resolution, resulting in a pixel density of 540 ppi.

The screen is really good, with the right color saturation and sharp text, making it a great for choice all the work you might be looking to get done on this device. A subtle curve on the right and left help keep the whole device looking sleek, and provide an obvious starting point for sliding over particular features. The AMOLED construction is taken advantage of with features like Ambient Display, that only triggers when new notifications arrive, and the screen can be set to awake whenever you pick it up, even though this doesn’t work all the time.

Overall, we’re happy with the high-quality display BlackBerry has on offer, and not only is it enjoyable to use, but it also shows that the company is definitely trying here.

Performance

Under the hood, the Priv comes with an hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor, clocked at 1.8 GHz, and backed by the Adreno 418 GPU and 3 GB of RAM. The Snapdragon 808 may not be the latest and greatest, but this has been the go-to processing package for a few other flagships out there as well, and the performance remains as good as expected here. There haven’t been any problems doing just about anything on this device, and any stutters and bugs we did run into felt more like the fault of BlackBerry’s Android iteration.

General web browsing and media consumption go along without incident, and the device handles gaming very well too. Most of the work BlackBerry faithful will do on the Priv will involve the built-in Hub and other productivity tools, which all proved to be snappy. When BlackBerry gets an even better handle on their version of Android, the performance aspect will improve more, but even now, the Priv is still more than able to get the job done.

Hardware

In hardware, we start with the front-facing speaker, which is in and of itself a great choice and provides decent sound. It skews towards the higher end, though it could do with a little more volume. Still, Blackberry’s speakers are better than any rear mounted speakers out there. Voice calls were of no issue either, and with the phone connected to the T-Mobile network, there were no problems with call quality on either end. The phone also comes with all of the necessary connectivity options, including NFC, and up top are the SIM slot and the microSD card slot, to bolster the 32 GB of in-built in storage by up to 200 GB.

Such a large phone allows for an equally large battery as well, and the Priv packs a 3,410 mAh unit, but while that seems impressive, battery life has unfortunately been a pretty average affair, even if that isn’t particularly surprising, especially with there being a lot going on at all times if you leverage all of BlackBerry’s features and the Hub. Two other Android Authority team members have been using the Priv as well, and their battery life experiences have also been mixed. While Nirave has been able to get close to the 5 hour screen-on time mark, that has been an incredibly rare occurrence, and Lanh has at most managed about 3 hours of screen-on time.

In my experience, the phone has been able to get through a full day of use and more, but that’s because most of my phone usage revolves around listening to podcasts and music, which means the screen is mostly off. With even slightly heavier usage however, and anything that was screen-centric, I often only touched 3 hours of screen-on time, and nothing more. Coupled with the fact that there is no fast charging or wireless charging to be had here, what you have is a phone that power users will have to keep on a tether more often than not.

Finally, we get to the biggest difference this phone has over the rest, the physical keyboard. Slide the screen up, and revealing the physical keyboard hides the on-screen one, freeing up a lot of work space. As mentioned, the keys do take a little getting used to, and so, your mileage will vary when trying to type fast. In my personal experience, I am a very fast typer when using on-screen keyboards like Fleksy, and, even the very good BlackBerry on-screen keyboard, which makes the physical keyboard pale in comparison.

There are other uses for the keyboard however, such as, if typing occurs pretty much anywhere else in the interface, either an automatic Google search triggers, or any short or long presses can be used to trigger shortcuts. The entire keyboard is also outfitted with touch and swipe sensitivity, so that tasks like scrolling a webpage can be done by lightly passing the finger over the hardware keys. Though typing speed will probably be different for everyone, there are these extra features that make the keyboard useful. I found myself using the touchpad-like scroll very often, as well as a few shortcuts for easy access to particular tasks.

Camera

The BlackBerry Priv looks to make good moves in the camera department by employing a 18 MP shooter with optical image stabilization and optics made by a reputable European company, Schneider-Kreuznach. A misstep is obvious right away however, with the front-facing shooter being just 2 MP.

BlackBerry’s camera application is another big tell that they’ve been out of the loop recently, as it is not only rather rudimentary in its design, but it is actually quite slow in processing as well. Only a few modes are available, from Video to Panorama, but HDR is Auto capable. Not much manual control is available either, aside from the ability to change the exposure compensation.

Shooting pictures take a solid second to do, and even more if you have HDR on. We found that the only way of shaving time off each shutter press is to change the picture quality from Fine to Standard, but it only helped a little. By far though, the one thing we really don’t like about this camera app is that it goes back to default settings each time it is opened, and as a person who almost always shoots without flash, having to turn it off every single time got annoying really fast.

When it comes to picture quality, BlackBerry continues to show just how new they are in what has become a great camera space in Android. The optics are capable of some good detail capture, but processing looks to be the worst of it. Pictures in bright light look quite good with adequate color saturation and a bit of a boost in HDR, but lower light situations really show the flaws. Processing is a little too aggressive, so low light photos tend to look really smudgy. Add in the sensitive auto white balancing, and there are times when pictures are too warm. This is also a reason why I don’t prefer spot metering, with the Priv tending to overcompensate for the very spot picked, either making the surrounding areas way too blown out or too dark. This is the case in video as well, where the low light performance is the biggest issue we saw.

Overall,  the BlackBerry Priv camera is the biggest example of the company’s good intentions and poor execution. Whereas other companies have evolved their cameras in feature set and processing, BlackBerry simply has a lot of ground to make up in a short amount of time if their follow ups to the Priv are to be true competition against the likes of Samsung and LG.

Software

On the software side of things, the big story here is BlackBerry’s adoption of Google’s operating system in the hopes of becoming relevant again and they’ve done a pretty good job with it, despite trying just a little too hard. The general interface is very familiar, with homescreens and widgets easily within reach, and an app drawer that includes the old pages for widgets, and even the small shortcuts that used to permeate the OS. These little shortcuts can also be tied to any of the keyboard shortcuts, so with some due diligence, the keyboard can be a very powerful tool.

There are, however, some extra features somewhat hidden within, such as the three dots under the icons on the homescreen, that mean that if you swipe up from it, a pop up widget will appear, which is a great way of saving space on the actual homescreens. Further, swiping up from the on-screen home key can be catered to any applications that you might need easy access to.

The Recent Apps screen features a grid layout, which might be easier to use for some than the card-based iteration that Android currently employs. Notifications have been grouped together, and a line of icons at the top of the dropdown can easily sort them, which is great for seeing only what you need to see, rather than being inundated with information. The BlackBerry on-screen keyboard is also a stellar performer, which features swipes up from the next letter in a word to put the suggested word in, while swipes to the left delete whole words, which is a useful addition.

Overall, BlackBerry’s little additions baked into the general shell of the Android interface have been pretty sublime, but it is when the company tried to start adding in layers and applications on top of it that we found some issues. Mainly, it is how BlackBerry has stuck to their guns for a number of functions, such as BBM, which is a nostalgic return to a once ubiquitous messaging network that no one uses anymore.

For security, DTEK is the way to see if the phone is as safe as it can be. These features can be anything from setting a screen lock, to encrypting the entire device, and this can be a good way of getting into some better security habits for the general user. The app will also show all that the applications are doing and what they are accessing, and even event logging is available for you to take a look back at what was going on. Any little bit of extra protection is beneficial, and BlackBerry’s commitment to security is commendable.

For all tasks and messaging services, the BlackBerry Hub is the built-in way of consolidating all of them. Opening it up and setting up GMail and social media accounts,  gives you access everything in one place. The Hub works well enough, but picking specific accounts to dial down the information helps. If you already have an app for consolidating all your of e-mails though, this might not cut it. For one thing, there is no unified login for the Hub, so you have to set up every account individually, and there are a lot more settings to fix up after that. To that end, the Hub needs to be updated to support some main features of GMail, such as the ability to search more than what has been synced to it, and the ability to archive messages rather than just completely deleting them.

Push notifications are also available for all accounts, but by default, it checks every 15 minutes for new messages, which is a relic of a long-passed generation of smartphones. The Hub does connect to one nice feature, which is triggered by swiping from a specific area on the side of the screen. Quick access to most recent messages in the Hub, as well as Calendar and task entries, make this an easy way to maintain productivity without having to file through apps and further screens.

BlackBerry clearly knows how to make Android work for its own purposes, with extra little features baked into the core of the interface. The fundamental uses of their long-standing applications are not quite updated for today’s Android landscape however, such as how the ways of the Enterprise Server don’t quite fit in with the way a lot of Android users simply go about their daily business. Of course, it is possible to forego all of the BlackBerry-specific applications, and just use any that you may already be used to, but that isn’t entirely the point of what BlackBerry is trying to do here.

Specifications

Display	5.4-inch AMOLED display Quad HD resolution, 540 ppi
Processor	1.8 GHz hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 Adreno 418 GPU
RAM	3 GB
Storage	32 GB expandable via microSD up to 200 GB
Camera	18 MP rear camera with OIS, dual LED flash Schneider-Kreuznach optics 2 MP front-facing camera
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac A-GPS Bluetooth 4.1 NFC microUSB 2.0
Battery	3,410 mAh
Software	Android 5.1.1 Lollipop
Dimensions	147 x 77.2 x 9.4 mm 192 grams

Gallery

Pricing and final thoughts

The BlackBerry Priv is available now for the very premium price of $699, which is certainly steep, though there’s always the option of signing up for a monthly payment or getting the phone cheaper by signing a contract through a carrier like AT&T. For those looking to buy the phone off-contract and fully unlocked, the Priv is still a little hard to come by, and pricing on Amazon is as high as $1000 for the privilege.

So, there you have it for this in-depth look at the BlackBerry Priv! The BlackBerry brand used to be iconic, and in the wake of a declining public image, the Priv is supposed to be the phone that brought them back to the limelight. However, you may be paying a lot of money just to be a part of the nostalgia that the BlackBerry name evokes. By prioritizing features like the keyboard and security measures though, BlackBerry is also selling exclusivity. By getting this phone, you just might be a part of the privileged group that not only still believes in the brand, but can manage to deal with the high price for what is BlackBerry’s first effort at Android.

Credit has to be given where it is due, and the Priv does get a lot right. Plenty of features and extra ways of getting tasks done keep the Priv viable as a productivity tool, but the company has to improve the features that users often require from current Android flagships, like the camera, and better ease of use in the operating system. If BlackBerry manages to stick around long enough in this market and learn from its competitors, we just might see a real comeback for a company that, especially now, is fundamentally different from what we’ve had over the last couple of years.

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1byone Plasma Ball Music Speaker (Review)

It’s not too often that I come across a device that reminds me of my childhood, but the 1byone Plasma Ball Music Speaker does exactly that. Plasma globes were a novelty item in the 1980s, and I was born in 1980, making them super cool to me. They were also very expensive in the 80s, so I could only be mesmerized by Plasma globes when I went to a friend’s house.

A plasma globe is a clear glass sphere filled with a mixture of various noble gases with a high-voltage electrode in the center of the sphere. The plasma lamp was invented by Nikola Tesla^[2] after his experimentation with high-frequency currents in an evacuated glass tube for the purpose of studying high voltage phenomena, but the modern versions were known to be first designed by Bill Parker. Tesla called this invention an inert gas discharge tube^(Wikipedia).

It’s basically a globe where you can draw electricity to your fingers and not be shocked. Plasma globes look really cool, but serve no other function than to entertain. 1byone made a sweet Plasma Ball Music Speaker which integrates the plasma globe with a wireless Bluetooth speaker. So now, you have a great piece for your desk or nightstand.

Design

The 1byone Plasma Ball Music Speaker looks like a globe light bulb, and sits on a stand with a speaker on the front. It’s only about the size of of a quart of milk, and has a sleek and stylish design with red siding.

On the lower front of the device are four controls – mode, play/pause, previous track/volume down and next track/volume up. On the back is the three way power switch – off, Bluetooth speaker on without plasma, and Bluetooth speaker on with plasma in addition to an auxiliary in port. A micro-SD card slot included so you can play music without a Bluetooth connection.

The 1byone Plasma Ball Music Speaker is not portable with a built-in battery, but it doesn’t require a ton of power. I plugged a micro-USB cable into the back of the speaker, and the plasma globe worked as described. I also set it up on my desk in my office, which is where it will permanently live, and powered it using my five-port Ankway desk charger. It can also be powered with a portable USB battery.

In the box you will get the speaker and magic light, a 3.5mm audio cable, USB cable and a user manual.

Usage

The main feature of the 1byone Plasma Ball Music Speaker is clearly the plasma globe. I know there isn’t much to it other than entertainment value, but it gave me fond memories of my childhood. I work a full day in a chemistry lab, and sometimes all I need is a little break from thinking. I’d come home and put some music on while touching the plasma globe.

The speaker itself isn’t more than just a portable speaker. It gets loud enough for a home office, sounds decent but nothing to write home about. The plasma globe light up with purple and pink electricity which is really cool to see. When you touch the globe the electricity focuses its energy onto your fingertip and makes a super bright beam which looks like a mini lightning bolt.

All of the buttons on the front function as advertised and the micro-SD card slot reads mp3 files with ease.

Technical Details

Summary

The 1byone Plasma Ball Music Speaker is a functional speaker made for your desk or nightstand with a super cool plasma globe attached to the top. Currently the device is listed on Amazon.com for $23.99 which is cheaper than many Bluetooth speakers without the plasma globe. The speaker does match competition in terms of sound quality in this price range, so you really get the plasma globe as a free add-on. The design of the speaker is nice and looks great on my desk. I find myself playing with the plasma globe a couple of times a night while I write to help break up some of the stresses I have experienced throughout the day while unwinding to music.

If you’d like to learn more, head on over to Amazon.com.
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Coulax Magneto Bluetooth headphones [Review]

The practicality of playing music while exercising or doing basically anything else without worrying about cords is almost immeasurable. I find myself playing music through Bluetooth headphones nearly every day, so I was intrigued by Coulax’s Magneto Bluetooth in-ear headphones. I had the chance to use them for a few weeks, and I must say I am impressed on several fronts.

Design

The look and feel of the Magneto headphones scored major points in my book. The headphone casings are made from a shiny plastic that actually resembles a metallic material. At first glance, they look like metal headphones. I thought of Samsung’s older Galaxy S devices that used shiny plastic in lieu of actual metal, and I was impressed that Coulax managed to do the same thing and still make the device look premium.

Coulax sells the Mangeto headphones in either white or black (I used the black version), but the design and materials remain the same regardless of color. I will say that the black headphones look very sleek and simple, and I love how few lines there are in the casing. With so many plastic Bluetooth headphones featuring complex designs on the market, it is nice to see a more minimal variation on this kind of device.

The headphone housing itself is fairly standard, and the earpiece sticks out just enough to comfortably fit into your ear without the housing causing any discomfort. The true stand-out feature of the Magneto headphones can be found at the end of each housing. Coulax found a way to insert a small magnet in each end, so that the left and right headphones could magnetize together, hence the Magneto namesake. The magnets also serve as more than just a neat way to keep your headphones from falling off your neck when they aren’t in use, but I’ll get into that in more detail later.

The cord connecting the two earpieces is roughly 18 inches long, which I found to be a near-perfect length. There is just enough excess cord for me to look in different directions, but not so much excess that I feel the need to hide it away to avoid getting it caught on something.
After using them for a few days, I kept wondering what I specifically liked about the design, and it finally hit me that they reminded me of those “noisy” oval-shaped magnets I played with as a child. I am not sure if this was an intentional design choice, given the built-in magnets and the name, but Coulax definitely won me over with a little nostalgia here.

The only moving part on the housing is a rubberized protective cover for the charging port. Thankfully these headphones charge via MicroUSB, so you won’t need an extra proprietary cord. Coulax also includes a MicroUSB cable in the packaging, along with an extra set of earbud covers, a manual, and a small carrying bag.

Usage

In-ear headphones, especially of the Bluetooth variety, all face two important questions: how do they fit, and do they stay in your ear? I can say that the Magneto headphones provide one of the best fits out of any pair of headphones I have used. After swapping out the default rubber tips for the smaller set, I had no trouble getting the headphones to fit perfectly. I was able to get a great seal every time I used them, and there was almost no effort involved.

Not only did the Magneto headphones fit well, I had no trouble with them falling out of my ears in the entire two weeks I used them. I wore them while riding my bicycle through the city, and they survived my hitting bumps and constantly turning my head to watch for traffic. Coulax markets these as “sport” headphones, and they certainly live up to that name. I would be remiss not to mention that the rubberized tips of the earpieces tend to pick up tiny pieces of lint and dust, but this seems to be a common issue with most rubber earpieces.

Beyond the fit and stability, I found these headphones remarkably easy to use. The inline controls are fairly standard: volume up and down buttons on one side, and a multi-function power button on the other. A long-press of the power button turns the headphones on, and if you hold it for just another second or two, the indicator light will flash red, which signifies that the device is in pairing mode. A simple trip to your smartphone or tablet’s Bluetooth menu and a tap on “Coulax” in the device list is all it takes to pair the Magneto headphones.

I paired these headphones alternately with a Samsung Galaxy S6 and an Amazon Fire 2015 tablet. I had no issues with pairing or dropped connections at any time, although I did notice some stuttering in playback when connected to the Fire tablet. I attribute this more to the Fire having an average quality Bluetooth radio and less to the connectivity power of the headphones.

Of course, the power button serves as a Play/Pause/Answer Call/Hang Up button, and a double-click activates Google Now voice search on the connected device. Holding down the Volume Up or Down buttons will skip to the next or previous song, respectively. There is nothing fancy here that isn’t expected from nearly any pair of Bluetooth headphones.

My favorite feature of the Magneto headphone is by far the magnet-driven controls. I mentioned that the housings have magnets at each end, and that they fit together to hang safely around your neck. Coulax found a way to take this even further by integrating some simple controls that are activated by the magnets.

If you are playing music or talking on the phone, and you put the magnetized ends together, the headphones will automatically pause the song or hang up the call. The same effect is (theoretically) achieved in reverse as well: pull them apart, and the music plays or the call is answered. I can’t begin to describe how useful this feature is, especially if you are exercising or riding a bike. The ability to just take the headphones out of your ear and stick them together without worrying about the music continuing to play is so convenient that I am amazed it isn’t used in other headphones more often.

However, I found that the pull-apart-to-play feature just didn’t work in practice. For some reason, the headphones pause when the magnets are connected, but they don’t play the music again when pulled apart. At first I thought this was by design, but after reading through the manual and reviewing the Amazon page, it’s clear that Coulax meant for the feature to go both ways. I was disappointed that this feature didn’t work, but it certainly wouldn’t be a deal-breaker for purchasing these headphones.

Coulax claims roughly eight hours of playback time and 160 hours of stand-by with the Magneto headphones, and I found that to be mostly accurate. I used them for a few hours every day over the course of two weeks, and I only had to recharge them three or four times. They were on standby for a considerable amount of time, but this didn’t seem to have a major effect on battery usage.

It is worth noting that I ran the headphones through a battery torture test of sorts, playing music nonstop on a full charge. The battery lasted 7 hours and 16 minutes, which isn’t too far from Coulax’s proclaimed eight hours. Overall, the Magneto headphones did very well with battery life.

Sound

I was surprised by the sound that these little headphones brought to the table. Coulax clearly worked on the drivers and audio hardware to provide the best sound experience possible. The noise cancellation works perfectly, and even riding my bike through a crowded busy city wasn’t enough to interfere with my music or phone calls. The sound is clear and crisp, and while it won’t blow any socks off with bass, it still does above average for lower notes.

I tried to play music and audio of all types: YouTube videos, Netflix movies, music of every genre, etc. No matter what I threw at the Magneto headphones, I got consistent, clear sound every time. Coulax built them with “Hi-Fi sound,” and my impression is that they definitely did something right. Highs are rich and not too distorted, even at higher volumes. Bass is tight and the mid-range sounds are very smooth.

For in-ear headphones, I was pleased with how loud they can actually get. Even playing the softest, quietest song in my playlist was no problem for the Magneto headphones.

Summary

The Magneto headphones are simple, convenient, and they work exceedingly well for a product in this category. For only $29.99 (Amazon), Coulax has made a great product with multiple use cases and a few unique features thrown in just for fun. Sound is excellent and everyday usage could not be easier. There is virtually no setup required, and the battery should get the job done for most people. They won’t blow your mind, but for the average user who wants to listen to music on the treadmill, they are definitely worth a look.

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OnePlus X review

Boasting a design overhaul and a compelling price point, OnePlus is hoping to marry the features of their most recent flagship, the OnePlus 2, with the value of its predecessor. Will the first mid-range offering from the company prove to be the smartphone for you? We find out, in this comprehensive OnePlus X review!

Design

Design is definitely the most striking aspect of the OnePlus X, with the large bodies and subtle curves that define its flagship siblings no longer to be found. Instead, what we get now is a black slate device, utilizing dual glass panels and a metal frame for that premium touch. There is a ceramic version of the phone available as well, where the back is made with a substantially heavier fire-baked ceramic material. That is a special edition of sorts, however, and the glass-encased “Onyx” edition seen in this review is the one that is more readily available.

Starting with the metal frame, there are a number of micro-cuts in it that contribute a lot to the handling experience. In case you were worried, these micro-cuts don’t scrape the skin and aren’t uncomfortable to the touch, but rather provide a reassuring feel when holding the device. All the buttons are on the right side, with the power button below the dual SIM/microSD tray and the volume rocker, and on the other side is a feature returning from the OnePlus 2, the Alert Slider. The bottom marks OnePlus’ return to the microUSB charging port, and despite appearances, only the left grill houses a speaker.

The 5-inch screen is just the right size for comfortable one-handed usage, and above it is the proximity sensor that helps trigger the Ambient Display feature. A closer look is required to see the markings for the capacitive navigation keys below the display, and as mentioned during the unboxing, these buttons are placed really close to the bottom, and that does take a little getting used to in terms of reaching them. On the back, the OnePlus logo is front and center, with the camera optics nestled in the corner.

We had several “smaller” devices this year, but the OnePlus X comes with a pretty sleek design to keep this form factor feeling pretty fresh. One-handed usage is a highlight here, with the flat sides and those micro-cuts really helping the phone sit snug in the hand while reaching from side to side. There are some drawbacks here however, with the dual glass design making for an incredibly fingerprint-prone device, and you will find yourself wiping it down often to keep things pristine.

Of course, there are some obvious sources of inspiration as well, but OnePlus does do a good job of having enough differentiating factors. Ultimately, the OnePlus X is a pretty premium looking and feeling device, that somewhat surprises when you consider how much, or how little, you will be paying for it.

Display

The OnePlus X features a 5-inch AMOLED display with a 1920 x 1080 resolution, resulting in a pixel density of 441 ppi. 1080p allows for the right kind of display experience for a phone like this, with some punched up colors due to the black levels an AMOLED screen allows for. It is good that, despite being an affordable device with a small form factor, OnePlus didn’t decide to bump the resolution down to 720p. Text is sharp enough for a 5-inch display when reading, and media looks really good as well. Brightness is also pretty high, and at the highest level, the white areas of the screen might actually be a little blinding even in normal lighting conditions.

AMOLED is taken advantage of by the OnePlus software, with its Ambient Display feature, that can be triggered by waving your hand over the proximity sensor, with the screen then showing the minimal version of the lockscreen for a quick glance at your notifications. The Oxygen OS theme is also set to Dark Mode by default, which is a really nice touch and allows for a battery life boost, by keeping the AMOLED screen from showing too many bright colors.

Performance

Under the hood, the OnePlus X comes with a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor, clocked at 2.3 GHz, and backed by the Adreno 330 GPU and 3 GB of RAM. This processor was the 2014 flagship standard and was also found with the OnePlus One, save for the additional gig of RAM, and helps make a case that last year’s phones are certainly viable options in the current smartphone space. With daily tasks, like writing emails, listening to music, watching the occasional video, and general web browsing, the OnePlus X doesn’t skip a bit, and only when firing up the more recent graphically-intensive games is where you experience a slowdown.

Of course, when actually compared to current generation flagship smartphones, the Snapdragon 801 does show its age, and while some of the blame may lie on the extra polish that the Oxygen OS may still need, instances of stutter were fairly common. From little stutters when YouTube started playing a video, to the small but noticeable occurrences of Fleksy fumbling a letter, it became clear that while this is still a very viable processing package, it is still over a year old. Though the vast majority of users will be hard-pressed to notice these little issues, and future Oxygen OS updates will certainly also help smooth out the rough edges, it is still important to know what you will be dealing with.

Hardware

In hardware, the OnePlus X retains some of the features from the OnePlus 2, while adding some new hardware elements as well, with the main omission this time around being the fingerprint scanner. Just like on the OnePlus 2, NFC is not available. The Alert Slider is back however, and proves itself to be a really easy way of silencing the phone, with the middle position being useful only as long as you have your priority notifications set up properly.

Even though there are two grills at the bottom flanking the microUSB port, only the left grill houses the single speaker unit that provides audio skewed towards the higher ends, which is a little unpleasant, despite the speaker itself being able to get pretty loud. Using a good pair of headphones will allow for a much better audio experience. The wires also serve an extra purpose, with the OnePlus X coming with a radio tuner, which works as well as can be expected, and is a nice addition to have if you want to listen to local stations.

Another feature that is retained from the OnePlus 2 is the dual SIM tray, but the secondary SIM slot now doubles as a microSD card slot, which will certainly be appreciated, since the 16 GB of on-board storage will not be enough for most people. Of course, users will have to make a choice between dual SIM capabilities or expandable storage, but any implementation that allows for the latter is a big plus.

On the battery front, the OnePlus X packs a 2,525 mAh unit, which is pretty standard for a phone of this size, but actually allowed for pretty surprising results. With moderate usage, the device allows for around 3 hours of screen-on time, which seems pretty average, but means more when factoring in the low price of this smartphone. The standby time is also quite impressive, with due credit being given to the AMOLED display and features like Ambient Display and Dark Mode. There is no fast charging or wireless charging however.

One aspect of hardware that definitely needs to be addressed is with regards to mobile connectivity in the US. You may have already heard that the OnePlus X lacks a couple of key bands to access high-speed internet, one required for AT&T, and the other for T-Mobile. The AT&T issue keeps the phone from maintaining a steady LTE connection consistently, and for T-Mobile, the carrier’s gradual change to that particular band will cripple any LTE access. This is certainly a very big deal for any of you in the US, and brings up the point that if you are hoping to use the OnePlus X on these networks, this phone may come with an expiration date. The device is a very viable choice in other markets around the world, but it will help to be aware of these facts if you are planning to pick up this device in the US.

Camera

The OnePlus X comes with a 13 MP rear camera that uses phase detection autofocus and leverages HDR, along with a 8 MP front-facing shooter, that allows for some detailed selfies. The camera application is the same as the one found with the OnePlus 2, which uses swipes on the viewfinder in order to switch between various modes, including slow motion video, time lapse, and panorama. Going to the last mode means a change to the portrait orientation, which can be quite annoying. There isn’t much manual control available, aside from basically just being able to trigger HDR.

Taking a look at the camera samples, we find the OnePlus X guilty of some classic pitfalls. It’s great in good lighting conditions, but quality deteriorates drastically as conditions worsen, and taking a shot will always require a very steady hand. The app is fast enough, getting shots done in a decent amount of time, but even in medium light situations, the camera opts for slower shutter speeds in order to compensate for exposure. Slower shutter speeds are of course not a bad thing as such, but it does make getting good results in low light conditions difficult.

This actually becomes more of an issue with video capture, which gets a bit choppy more often than not, and is one of the main flaws that was observed in the camera experience. Going back to the images, darker areas are still quite fuzzy, which is expected, but aren’t particularly bad to look at. Colors are not particularly dull either, but could use a little bit more punch. Using HDR in these scenarios just results in a brighter picture, instead of a more vivid photo, which isn’t ideal. For a daily shooter, the OnePlus X requires a little more diligence to get good shots, but for its price point, we don’t fault the camera too much for that, unless your focus is video recording.

Software

On the software side of things, we have the return of the OnePlus built Oxygen OS, which brings a mostly stock-looking Android edition to the OnePlus X. Much of it is really familiar, with a Lollipop inspired interface that includes the paginated app drawer and the Quick Settings menu.

Shelf, where frequent apps and favorite contacts, along with user-defined widgets, can be stored, is off by default, but it is certainly a good place to put your widgets and helps avoid using a lot of homescreens. More input options are available, with users given the choice between capacitive keys or on screen navigation keys, and gestures like double tap to wake are to be found as well.

Even if it’s not based on Marshmallow, Oxygen boasts App Permissions, a feature that gives a nice insight into the kind of things applications are attempting to access. We have already mentioned Dark Mode a few times, and it is simply a bit nicer on the eyes, and the battery, and it has even got an option to cater the accent colors for a bit of a different look. By highlighting the Dark Mode, OnePlus has taken that little step to make its version of Android a touch different from stock versions, and given that the company prides itself on being different, we can certainly expect more additions to the Oxygen OS to further set it apart.

Specifications

Display	5-inch display 1920 x 1080 resolution Gorilla Glass 3
Processor	Qualcomm 2.3GHz Snapdragon 801 processor
GPU	Adreno 330
RAM	3GB
Storage	16GB
MicroSD	Up to 128GB
Connectivity	2.4GHz b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, GLONASS, BDS, LTE
SIM card	Nano SIM, dual compatible (but uses microSD slot)
Camera	13MP ISOCELL 3M2 CMOS with f/2.2 rear cam, 8MP front cam
Battery	Non-removable 2,525 mAh LiPo battery
Software	Oxygen OS (based on Lollipop)
Dimensions	140 x 69 x 6.9 mm, 138g for Onyx, 160g for Ceramic

Gallery

Pricing and final thoughts

Priced at just $250, a premium body and good internals make the OnePlus X quite a steal. Of course, OnePlus’ infamous invite system does return, but small windows for open sales will be available, before gradually becoming free from requiring any invitations.

So, there you have it for this in-depth look at the OnePlus X! With that low price, the X might be OnePlus’ most compelling offering yet. The OnePlus X makes no pretenses about being a flagship smartphone, and understandably doesn’t meet that standard. We do think that the device is a great phone, but that phrase almost always ends with the phrase, “for the price.” Granted, it isn’t future proof, and for users who need LTE in the US, the expiration date may be sooner rather than later, but for now, the OnePlus X is one of the best smartphone deals we’ve seen all year.

AudioFly AF78 in-ear headphones (Review)

I recently got the opportunity to review AudioFly’s complete performance in-ear headphone collection. There are four headphones in this collection that each fit into a consumer’s budget. There is the under $50 pair, the under $75 pair, the around $100 pair, and the around $200 pair. I recently reviewed the AF33, AF45, and AF56 earphones, but now it is time to check out the AF78 earphones that are the most expensive pair in AudioFly’s performance line at $200. Is the extra price worth it?

Unboxing and Accessories

The AF78’s come in a box similar to the AF56’s, but this time the box is covered in a brown canvas instead of cream. The box is also larger which is needed to accommodate the extra accessories that come with the AF78. You get a circular, metal case to store your earphones in, but I still find it to be too small for the earphones to fit. They have to be carefully wound up so they are small enough to fit in the case. Although it is small, the case is protective and does give you a safe place to store your earphones when not in use.

Along with the case, you get a ton of different earphone tips. Aside from the standard silicone ones, there are also two pairs of the Comply foam tips that are fantastic. There is one pair already on the AF78’s and a spare set with all the other tips. It was great to see these included with the earphones as they are extremely comfortable and help with noise isolation.

You will also find a couple of accessories that are not included with the other AudioFly earphones. There is a headphone splitter in the box as well as an airplane adapter that allows you to use the AF78’s (or any earphones) on a plane. There is also a brush for you to use to keep your earphones clean and pristine. The accessories included with the AF78’s are a huge step up from the other AudioFly earphones.

Design and Build Quality

I can easily say that these are the best looking and most comfortable set of earphones in AudioFly’s performance collection. Of course, that opinion will vary depending on who you ask, but to me these are the highest quality pair. We still have the braided cable that looks slick in the black version, but it continues to suffer from too much cable noise. It is not bad enough for me to not recommend the AF78’s, but it is definitely noticeable.

AudioFly included a hybrid driver setup in the AF78 that is made up of a separate dynamic driver and armature driver to increase sound quality. We will get into whether or not this configuration actually makes a difference in the sound quality part of this review, but the two separate drivers makes the shape of the AF78’s a little different.

They have a much longer rear portion to make room for the extra driver which may make these earphones uncomfortable to wear for people with smaller ears. For me, this really helped hold the earphones in place, and combined with the Comply foam tips, you are given awesome noise isolation. The AF78’s remain light enough to be comfortable to wear for long periods of time but sturdy enough to show their great build quality.

Sound Quality

As I said earlier, the AF78 comes with two separate drives that AudioFly claims increases separation and makes for an amazing listening experience. Does that claim hold up? YES! Listening to music on the AF78 is incredible and the sound quality is superb for the price.

The lows are powerful and tight, but unlike the AF56’s, they are matched beautifully with clear mids and bright highs. AudioFly worked hard to make sure the balance across the audio spectrum was perfect, and it definitely shows listening to the AF78’s.

With the hybrid driver setup, AudioFly touted that separation and clarity would be greatly increased. I can say without a doubt that they were right in saying that. I have heard instruments in songs that I never knew were there listening on these earphones, and the songs I know and love became even better.

For their $200 price tag, I am not sure if I can find a fault with their sound quality. Even after using them for a while, I am continually impressed every time I listen to music with them. They have immediately become my go to pair of earphones for just about anything.

AudioFly’s top of the line AF78 in-ear headphones have done everything they can to impress me, and I have to say that they have succeeded. When it comes to sound quality, these are by far the best AuidoFly has to offer in the performance line, and they can even compete with earphones above their price point. The cable noise is not great and the included case is small, but when it comes to sounds and build quality, the AF78’s deliver where it counts. You can pick up a pair for yourself at AudioFly’s website or on Amazon.

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