Samsung Gear S3 Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
Samsung’s got a new Gear smartwatch, and it’s pretty…pretty big.
Does it look like a big, bold luxury sports watch you’d see in a jewelry store on vacation? That’s the idea. Samsung Gear S3 is the follow-up to the really good Gear S2 released last year, but it’s a more maximized, more stylized type of watch. It’s also something that not everyone is going to want to wear, which even Samsung seems to admit.
Samsung Gear S3 Frontier and Classic: Super-size…
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Building on the Gear S2’s clever rotating bezel-based design, which uses the bezel spin to change watch faces and choose apps, the Gear S3 has a solid steel case and standard 22mm watch straps. Now, it looks practically like an everyday watch. A beautiful everyday watch, I should add. The design and feel of the entire watch feels top-notch, and outdoes any Android Wear watch I’ve ever seen. Its traditional design, created by Swiss watch designer Yvan Arpa, looks ultra-sharp. The watch faces I got to see look great, and a larger color-gamut always-on screen mean they look good all the time.
The Gear S3 still runs its own Tizen-based OS, but will work with Android phones. There’s still no word on iOS compatibility.
Bigger than my eyes.
Sarah Tew/CNET
But the size, it is a little big. Even for my wrist. It’s now a 46mm watch, not a 42mm one. That may not sound like a big difference, but it is. It’s mostly due to the case and bezel. The original Gear S2 was one of the more compact round smartwatches around, and now it’s one of the biggest. It’s considerably larger than the 42mm Apple Watch, and lot larger than the 38mm one.
Why so big? Battery. A 380mAh battery now lasts up to 4 days, according to Samsung, or a 30% uptick. All models have GPS now, too, for tracking runs away from a phone.
In fact, the Gear S3 is packed with new features. Here’s what’s new:
- 380 mAh battery (extra day of battery)
- Onboard GPS
- Speaker/microphone for making calls
- Samsung Pay (NFC and MST)
- Slightly bigger 1.3-inch Super AMOLED 360×360 display, w/ more colors in always-on watch mode
- Gorila Glass 3 SR+ glass, added scratch resistance
- 22mm standard watch strap compatibility
- 1.0 GHz dual-core Exynos 7270 processor
- 4GB storage (same as S2)
- Stainless steel casing
- Barometer and altimeter, plus optical heart rate
- IP68 water resistance, “military-grade” water, dust, heat/cold resistance
- Optional LTE version for higher-speed data and improved call quality
- Spotify app allows streaming via Wi-Fi/LTE
- Two models: Classic, and Frontier (Frontier has optional LTE version)
- Weighs about 62g
Rugged. (This is the Frontier.)
Sarah Tew/CNET
There are two models: the Classic is meant to suggest wedding/executive style, while Frontier is aimed at more rugged/sport lifestyle. From a distance, they look pretty similar. More similar, at least, than the Classic and regular S2 looked last year. The build quality looks fantastic. But the price, and release date, are still unknown.
Samsung Pay is onboard this watch, and so is MST payment technology, which works via a magnetic ping at credit card terminals that even lack tap-to-pay functions. All the S3 models now have speakerphones, too — last year’s S2 ditched the feature except on the 3G-connected version.
The Gear S3 Classic.
Josh Miller/CNET
If you want a standalone watch, there’s an LTE-equipped version of the S3 Frontier. The faster data network could mean better quality and data-loading, and it also means Spotify can stream over LTE from the watch (it can stream via Wi-Fi on the non-LTE models, too). Spotify can’t save playlists to the S3 yet, but after talking with Samsung it seems like the company’s looking into it. It seems like the LTE version of the S3 is not that much larger, unlike the significantly thicker Samsung Gear S2 3G.
If you’re curious at all about how Samsung considers its wearables, know that the S3, S2 and even the Gear Fit 2, which is sort of like a smartwatch, are all on sale together. Pick your style, pick your size. The S3 isn’t so much a successor to the S2 as an addition to the lineup, a feature boost. The Gear S3 will have the same automatic activity tracking features of the Fit 2, adding to an already solid feature set.
Samsung Pay: should work at nearly any credit card terminal.
Josh Miller/CNET
The S2 will get updates to its software, too, and it runs the same apps as the S3: according to Samsung, there will be 10,000 by the time the S3 launches later this year. New notable apps include one for Nest thermostats, an ADT personal security app with SOS, an updated Uber app with Uberpool, and a BMW app (it’s unclear what the BMW one does).
Well, maybe the Gear S3 is a sequel, but it’s a modest one. And to me, it’s all about the battery, the size, the speakerphone, and the style.
And whether you could pull it off on your wrist, or would even want to. The women at CNET who got to see the S3 models — found it ridiculously huge. I could see myself wearing one. But this time around, Samsung’s impressive watch may be targeting a more specific audience.
Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Plus Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
Lenovo’s Yoga 3 Plus for 2016 comes in at a much lower price than last year’s model. There’s a good reason why.
Josh Miller/CNET
Lenovo’s 10.1-inch Yoga Tab 3 Plus is all about entertainment. Just like its predecessor, this year’s model is designed to enhance the TV and video-viewing experience. But unlike the Yoga Tab 3 Pro, announced at last year’s IFA, the Tab 3 Plus doesn’t have the projector that Lenovo promised would be great for watching movies and TV at home.
That’s not necessarily good. The unique projector feature made the Tab 3 Pro one of the best tablets for watching video, especially with friends. But at a starting price of $500 and AU$699 (UK pricing converted to £335), that took it out of the budget running. This projector-less model starts at $300, which converts to £230 and AU$400.
Lenovo’s Yoga Tab 3 Plus stands, tilts and…
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But at least Lenovo keeps the built-in kickstand, which was incredibly useful for standing up the tablet. You can even let it hang from a hook in your kitchen or bedroom.
Here’s what else you’ll find:
- 10.1-inch 2K display (2,560×1,600 pixels)
- 4 front-facing JBL speakers
- 13-megapixel camera, 5-megapixel front-facing
- 1.8GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 processor
- 9,300mAh battery with a rated 18 hours of life
- 32GB storage, 3GB RAM
- Splash-proof body (IP52)
- 4 configurations: Hang, tilt, stand, no stand
- Colors: Black, grey
The tablet goes on sale October 2016.
Hasselblad True Zoom Moto Mod review – CNET
The Good The Moto Mods add-on architecture is an intelligent way to add a camera and the Hasselblad True Zoom is attractive, well designed and adds a convenient 10x zoom.
The Bad The camera software can be annoying and it’s hard to control framing when zoomed all the way in, especially for moving subjects. The video quality isn’t great, either.
The Bottom Line If you take a lot of photos and have a Motorola Moto Z phone, the Hasselblad is a great add-on to have, as long as you’re looking for a big zoom instead of better-than-phone photo quality.
Visit manufacturer site for details.
The attempts to design a practical solution to upgrade a phone camera’s options — whether it’s better photo quality or a zoom lens or both — have been unsuccessfully ongoing since 2013 when Samsung tried to integrate a zoom lens on its Galaxy S4 (“the camera-shaped Zoom is incredibly awkward and uncomfortable to use as a phone.”) and Sony first rolled out its QX series of cumbersome lens-shaped zoom cameras that connect via Wi-Fi.
The more recent DxO One camera, which plugs into the Lightning connector of an iPhone or iPad, is probably the most successful option to date; it adds better photo quality with its 1-inch sensor, but no zoom, and is limited to iDevices. Now there’s the Hasselblad True Zoom, an attachable camera with a big 10x zoom lens but a small 12-megapixel 1/2.3-inch sensor, which can work only with the Motorola Moto Z phones. That’s because it takes advantage of the Moto Z’s elegant Moto Mods add-on architecture.
For the most part, the True Zoom succeeds at delivering optical zoom into the hands of phone photographers and is a great first effort. And I can’t stress enough how convenient a zoom lens is. But I can’t help thinking that a larger sensor with half the zoom might have been a more attractive option.
Hasselblad True Zoom photo samples
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Though some might consider $250 (that’s the Verizon price) a lot for what’s essentially a basic compact camera that snaps to the back of your phone, I think the price is pretty reasonable — especially compared to the $500 (£400) DxO model. I don’t have other pricing yet for the True Zoom, but that $250 converts to about £191 and AU$335. Through motorola.com it will cost $300 (that’s about £228 and AU$400). It will be available starting September 15.
How it works
It’s dead easy to add and remove: Moto Mods attach to the phone via magnets, and in this case the phone’s stock camera app switches to a version designed for use with the camera mod. Snap it on and you’re ready to go.
There’s a physical power button to turn the camera on and off and a zoom switch to navigate the 25-250mm-equivalent range. It’s a little too sensitive and stepped for my taste, making it hard to frame shots exactly. And pressing the shutter without shaking the camera is harder than using the on-screen shutter button. Still, the True Zoom delivers a very nice camera-like experience.
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The True Zoom only adds about 5 ounces/144g and 0.6 inch/15 mm (when closed) to the silhouette of the phone.
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Extensions to the camera app add the ability to shoot raw+JPEG, as well as offering scene modes and and black-and-white shooting in Auto. It automatically downgrades the options for video and photos; for example, you can’t shoot 4K video with the mod attached on the Moto Z Play Droid I tested it with, and that phone’s internal camera is 16 megapixels. Though you can use third-party camera apps with the True Zoom, you can’t shoot raw with them.
There’s not a lot here that’s Hasselblad. It’s got the company’s 75th anniversary commemorative orange shutter button with half-press focusing, a grip with the same nice physical feel as the one used by current Hasselblad cameras, and the big H. It will also ship with access to Hasselblad’s raw software, Phocus, to edit the True Zoom images on a computer. Unfortunately, Phocus mobile is only available on the desktop and iOS, not Android. You can edit the standard DNG files with any editor, though. The phone does come with two years of free full-resolution storage in Google Photos.
One of the frustrating aspects of using the True Zoom is the camera app. It always reverts to the stock app default settings, even if you switch away from it for just a second — something you do constantly on a phone. That means, for instance, it forgets you’re in Professional (manual) mode or that you shoot raw. According to the company, that’s a feature, not a bug; a feature that’s bound to make you miss some shots unless you shoot only on the defaults. It’s also too easy to accidentally hit the home, menu and back buttons while using the physical shutter button. Crazy-making.
What about the pictures?
The True Zoom has similar sensor specs to models like the Nexus 6P. But unlike most fixed-focal-length lens phone cameras, the True Zoom’s photo quality will vary a lot over the zoom range. As with most zoom lenses, its maximum aperture narrows — from f3.5 to f6.5, in the True Zoom’s case — as you zoom toward 250mm. That means you really can’t zoom in when the light drops below twilight levels without photos getting really mushy.
Lenovo Yoga 910 Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
We’ve already seen what might be the ultimate version of Lenovo’s Yoga hybrid, in the recent ThinkPad X1 Yoga model, with its stunning OLED display. But Lenovo now has a new Yoga model, a consumer version this time — one that one-ups that ThinkPad OLED version in a few very important ways.
The new Yoga 910 keeps the slim and unique-looking watchband hinge from the past couple of generations of consumer Yoga hybrids. This has the ability to fold its 360-degree hinge into a kiosk or stand mode, and all the way back into a big-screen Windows 10 tablet.
Sarah Tew/CNET
But the 910 also manages to fit more screen into less space, upsizing the display to a 13.9-inch panel (essentially making this a 14-inch laptop), even though it’s just 14.3mm thick and looks and feels no bigger than last year’s 13-inch Yoga. That’s because, like only a handful of other very high-end laptops, the screen here goes nearly to the very edge of the lid, almost completely eliminating the bezel — that thick plastic or metal frame around most laptop and tablet screens.
High-end TVs have done an admirable job of eliminating screen bezels over the past few years, but only a couple of laptops have followed suit — such as the Dell XPS 13. That’s a shame, as it’s a fantastic design upgrade. You can also optionally take that display up to full 4K resolution, but we’ve often found that 4K laptops screens cost you more in battery life than you get back in visual fidelity.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Worldwide pricing and availability has yet to be announced, but the Yoga 910 is going start at $1,299 in the US when it’s available later in September. That converts to around £990 or AU$1,730.
Lenovo has another Windows hybrid coming soon as well. We have not had a chance to go hands-on with the new Miix 510 yet, but it’s part of the company’s detachable hybrid line, with a standalone Windows 10 tablet that attaches to a backlit keyboard dock. It’s closer in style to the Microsoft Surface than Lenovo’s 360-degree hinge Yoga hybrids.
The Lenovo Miix 510
Lenovo
This latest Miix uses a watchband-style hinge inspired by the one found on the Yoga 900 series, uses Intel’s sixth-generation Core i-series processors (up to a Core i7), offers optional LTE, and has a 12.2-inch 1,920×1,200 display. We don’t have international price and date information yet, but in the US, it’s coming in October starting at $599.
- See all of CNET’s coverage of the IFA tech show here
Motorola Moto Z Play Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
Motorola’s Moto Z is a premium phone that made its mark with magnetic snap-on accessories that make a lot of sense. The new Moto Z Play uses those same Moto Mods, but costs less. It wants to be your modular midrange friend. It’s arriving September 8 in the US as a Verizon phone for $408 (or, $17/month), or GSM unlocked in October for $450 (versus the Moto Z, which will cost $700). Internationally, it arrives in September for “about 499 Euros.”)
As a midrange phone, its specs vary from those of the Z and Z Force. For one, it brings back the headphone jack! The Z made waves for ditching the 3.5mm headphone jack in favor of just having USB-C, plus an included adapter dongle. Well, miracles happen: USB-C and a headphone jack exist on the Moto Z Play, side by side, together and happy. Maybe there’s hope for your old pair of headphones in this cruel post-headphone-jack world, after all.
Moto Z Play works with all the MotoMods.
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The Z Play is also a bit thicker and heavier than the big-battery Z Force, packing a slightly larger battery. Motorola says this is the “longest-lasting phone battery” on a Moto phone. Fast-charging powers the phone up to about 9 hours of use in 15 minutes of charging. We haven’t run full battery tests on the Z Play we have here at the office.
The headphone jack…has returned. See, it was gone on the Z and Z Force.
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You probably won’t notice the other differences right off the bat, but there are a handful of spec alterations. It looks a bit like the Z Force — which is a US-exclusive phone for Verizon — with a less durable screen and some stepped-down specs. Or, well, it’s a different phone. The 5.5-inch AMOLED display is 1080p, instead of the 2,560×1,440-pixel resolution of the other Zs. The Qualcomm processor’s a little different. There’s a bit less RAM. The camera, at least, seems nice: 16 megapixels, but it lacks optical image stabilization.
Moto Z, Z Force and Z Play compared
| Moto Z | Moto Z Force | Moto Z Play |
| 153mm x 75mm x 5.19mm | 155.9mm x 75.8mm x 6.99 mm | 156.4 mm x 76.4 mm x 6.99 mm |
| 136g | 163g | 165g |
| Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 |
| 5.5-inch 2,560 x 1,440 AMOLED | 5.5-inch 2,560 x 1,440 AMOLED | 5.5-inch 1080p AMOLED |
| 4GB | 4GB | 3GB |
| 13MP, f/1.8, OIS, | 21MP, f/1.8, OIS | 16MP, f/2.0 |
| 2,600 mAh | 3,500 mAh | 3,510 mAh |
| no | no | yes |
| 32/64GB, microSD | 32/64GB, microSD | 32/64GB, microSD |
Most importantly, this is a more midrange phone that still has that funky 16-pin MotoMod connector. It works with all the magnetically swappable Z Moto Mod accessories unveiled this summer with the Z, like a personal projector or the a Hasselblad TrueZoom camera lens.
The Moto Z Play will cost about $400 in the US as a Verizon-only phone, but will be available globally like the Moto Z. (Converted, that’s about £305 or AU$530.) Motorola says the phone will be available unlocked by the end of the year. Stay tuned for a full review soon.
Bosch Eyes Outdoor Camera Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
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Bosch breaks into smart home security with three new gadgets
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If you’re looking for a better way to monitor the front porch of your home than peering through the peephole, then the €350 Bosch Eyes Outdoor, unveiled at IFA 2016 in Berlin, just might be the ticket. Designed to function as a light, motion sensor alarm, and intercom all in one handy contraption, the Eyes Outdoor will also have its camera peeled for any activity that happens outside your door.
If the Eyes Outside sounds familiar, it should since it mirrors practically all of the capabilities of the $199 Kuna Light Fixture. The same is true of the Netatmo Presence, announced this January.
As for when and where you’ll be able to purchase an Eyes Outside camera, Bosch expects the product to arrive by the end of 2016, initially in Germany, Austria and the UK. Company reps did say a US launch of the product is in the works but declined to disclose specific timing or a price. (For reference, the announced cost in Euros converts to about $390, £300 or AU$520.)
Lenovo Yoga Book Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
One of the things that makes it hard to produce a truly portable hybrid computer is the need for a traditional keyboard. You either have to fold the keyboard away somewhere, which adds awkward bulk; or instead detach it completely, which inevitably means when you need the keyboard the most, it’s probably been left behind at home or at the office.
Lenovo is shrinking the hybrid idea down into something closer in size to a paperback book than a laptop. The new Yoga Book has a clamshell hinge and a 10.1-inch full-HD-resolution display, but where you’d expect to find the keyboard is instead a blank slate.
Sarah Tew/CNET
In one mode, that acts as a Wacom-style drawing tablet, and works with the included Real Pen stylus. A few built-in Lenovo apps helps you take notes and annotate documents, and it should work with Photoshop and other visual art programs.
But, at the touch of an on-screen button, the drawing tablet is replaced with a backlit keyboard, which Lenovo calls the Halo Keyboard. It’s akin to on-screen typing on an iPad, but the matte surface is much better for finger control than a shiny laptop or tablet screen. In a brief hands-on test, I found finger-typing on the Halo Keyboard to be very doable once you get used to the key size and placement, but in the pre-release version I tried, there was a little more lag than than I’d like when typing quickly.
Sarah Tew/CNET
If this idea sounds familiar, and not in an iPad on-screen keyboard kind of way, then you’re a real connoisseur of obscure computers. I reviewed an early version of this concept back 2011, when Acer released its 14-inch Iconia dual-screen laptop. In that case, the bottom of two touchscreens could display several on-screen keyboard layouts, other touch tools, or just extend the desktop onto both screens. The idea clearly didn’t catch on with the public as there was never a version 2.0 of that Iconia, and this is the first no-physical-keyboard Windows clamshell I’ve seen since then.
And when you’re not typing or drawing, the system can fold into a kiosk or tablet mode, just like any other laptop with the Yoga name — it’s just that this one is a lot smaller.
Powered by an Intel Atom x5 processor, the Yoga Book is available in both Windows 10 and Android versions, and weighs around 1.5 pounds (680 grams). Worldwide pricing and availability has yet to be announced, but in the US, it’ll start at $499 (roughly £380 or AU$665) and should be available immediately.
Moto Z Play Droid review
Check it out at Verizon
LG was the first out of the gate this year to introduce us to the concept of a modular smartphone. The company’s implementation with the G5 was what many agreed to be underwhelming, subsequently evident by the poor sales of the phone. Many believed that the modular idea was a dead end, barely able to mold and blossom into something tangible, but that was until Lenovo introduced a better implementation with its Moto Z and Moto Z Force – and boy did it change all of our perception!
One of the delightful surprises about the new phones were the various Moto Mod accessories that brought versatility to the phones, dishing up this new concept of “expanded functionality.” Given that many companies are on board with their own unique Moto Mods, which range from battery packs, to projectors, and much more, it means that future devices in this new line will probably harness them as well. Why make another variant of the same accessory to accommodate a new phone, right?
- Moto Z and Moto Z Force (Droid Edition) review
- Moto Mods review
- Moto Z Force vs LG G5
The benefits from this strategy become more prevalent with Lenovo’s latest smartphone, the Moto Z Play Droid. We know that the two aforementioned phones are high-end, cutting-edge devices meant to compete with other flagships, but the Moto Z Play Droid favors the mid-range segment of the market based on what it’s packing. From its 1080p screen, to the Snapdragon 625 chip that’s inside, it’s very indicative of a mid-ranger. Nonetheless, it’ll leverage the benefits provided by the existing line of Moto Mod accessories that are out now.
We’ve seen plenty of great mid-range smartphones released so far this year. But while the Moto Mods add a certain level of intrigue, will they be enough to propel the Moto Z Play Droid over competing devices fighting for notoriety in this sector of the market? Let’s find out in our full Moto Z Play Droid review!
See also: The best Android phones464
Design
The Moto Z Play Droid looks very similar to its bigger brothers
A cursory glance at the Moto Z Play Droid will make most people mistake it for its previously released siblings; the Moto Z and Moto Z Force. There’s the uncanny resemblance with its design language, one that recycles the same metal and glass construction we’ve seen already, but it’s all packaged in a slightly taller, wider, and thicker chassis. Everything about the design is similar, like the hump produced by its camera lens, the USB Type-C port at the bottom, the responsive fingerprint sensor, and those pin connectors on the back for the Moto Mod accessories.
Don’t miss: Moto Z and Moto Z Force (DROID) review51
The latter is especially integral, mainly because it means that the Moto Z Play Droid can leverage all the existing Moto Mods that have been released thus far – further solidifying Lenovo’s strategy and implementation for a modular phone. Our review unit, in fact, came along with a dark wooden cover that covered and protected the glass finish of the phone’s rear. All of this reaffirms the validity of Lenovo’s vision of a modular phone, which we have to mention is undeniably one of the most satisfying things about the Moto Z Play Droid. For a mid-ranger, it has a host of accessories at its disposal.
Also read: 3.5mm audio vs USB Type-C: the good, bad and the future81
Even though it fails to match the thinness of its siblings, we’re not disappointed by its failure to follow suit because there’s a standard 3.5mm headphone jack here. Yes people, there’s a headphone jack incorporated here, which should appease those who are staunchly opposed to the idea of eliminating it entirely. And to top it off, the Moto Z Play Droid features the same nano-coating technology that gives it the water repellent quality to stave off damage from minor incursions with water (think light rain and splashes).
You heard right – the Moto Z Play Droid has a headphone jack!
Appearing very similar to Lenovo’s previous phones, the Moto Z Play Droid’s design indicates that future phones that want to leverage the Moto Mods, whether they’re high, mid, or low-end things, will have to keep within the same design language and dimensions. We wouldn’t say it’s the most beautiful thing we’ve seen, but we’ll sacrifice that for compatibility with Moto Mods.
Display
Due to how it adopts the same design language we’re familiar with, while also accommodating those Moto Mods, it should be no surprise that the Moto Z Play Droid comes with a 5.5-inch AMOLED display. However, the resolution of the panel drops down to 1080p, which of course places it squarely in that mid-range category. Naturally, it’s an expected outcome for a phone of its caliber, but it’s still more than detailed for the eye to see – and for others, they’d be hard pressed to realize it’s lower in resolution from a normal viewing distance.
The AMOLED display isn’t the best on the market, but it’s still above average
As we look at some of the AMOLED screen’s benchmark performance, it becomes evident that it’s not performing to the same tune as Samsung’s panels in its flagships, but it’s still nevertheless an above average one. It’s bright with a maximum luminance of 517 nits, ensuring it’s plenty visible even on those sunny days outside. While the 7333K color temperature is a tad bit on the colder side, it’s not colder than some other AMOELD panels we’ve come across, which is a common attribute of the technology as a whole. And lastly, we do notice a hint of saturation with its color reproduction in the sRGB gamut chart – where it tends to be slightly overblown with colors such as green, yellow, and magenta.
Like we mentioned already, the screen isn’t the best from the AMOLED camp, but despite that, the Moto Z Play Droid sees one with some above average qualities. Throw in a familiar feature, Moto Display, it means notifications, the time, and date are all accessible by taking the phone out of your pocket or nudging it.
Performance
Stepping down to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor, coupled with 3GB of LPDDR3 RAM and the Adreno 506 GPU, means that the Moto Z Play Droid is most affected when it comes to graphics processing. Superficially, it moves with the same finesse and zippiness as its siblings, as basic tasks are accompanied with tight responses. Unfortunately, it’s not the kind of phone for gamers, since it does exhibit some choppiness with its performance – albeit, its performance is in line with other phones in its category with the same hardware.
See also: The best Android games181
Placing phone calls under Verizon’s coverage, we’re happy to inform you that its call quality is pretty good. Voices coming out of the earpiece are distinct and audible, so we’re lucky that it barely exhibits any sort of distortion with its quality. Under noisy conditions, though, the volume output could’ve been better, just because it can easily be drowned out by the ambient sounds that are around.
Hardware
As it currently stands, there’s only a single storage option for the Moto Z Play Droid – 32GB of internal capacity. That should suffice for most users, but for those that require more, there’s a microSD slot that’s ready to provide adequate expansion.
The fingerprint sensor below the display, much like the ones found on the Moto Z and Moto Z Force, is square shaped and has a slightly raised outline. Unlocking the phone is a breeze thanks to its responsiveness when the phone is in its locked position, but when it’s pressed while it’s on, it acts to turn off the phone. So yeah, it doubles as another power button of sorts if you happen to feel lazy pressing the actual power key on its side.
Watching videos on the Moto Z Play Droid is a pleasant experience, mainly thanks to how its 5.5-inch AMOLED screen is just perfect for the occasion with its wide viewing angles, punchy colors, and sheer size. The accompanying audio coming from its single speaker, whereby the earpiece doubles as audio for media playback, lacks any sort of substance with its output. Don’t get us wrong, audio produced by the speaker is clean and crisp, but there’s no thump or punchiness with its quality to make us feel like it’s something that won’t get drowned out in noisy conditions.
And lastly, we’ll quickly graze over Moto Mods with this one, seeing that there’s nothing different here from what we’ve seen already. Of course, Moto Mods snap onto the back of the phone by lining up the corresponding pin connectors – where the prominent magnetic connection establishes a tight bond between the two. When it comes to expanding the functionality beyond what a traditional smartphone is capable of doing, no other system or implementation does it better than Moto Mods.
Continue reading: Moto Mods review: Blast, Power and Project in a snap9
Battery
Justifying the need to be thinner and lighter is a prospect we all appreciate with smartphones, but in the case of the Moto Z Play Droid, it’s thicker than its two siblings. That’s not a bad thing per se, due to the fact that it features a larger 3510mAh battery cell. And when you have a 1080p screen instead of one with Quad HD resolution, the phone has the recipe for some serious battery life.
Boy does it impress! It’s one of the better performing phones we’ve come by, better than the Honor 8 too! When it comes to longevity, the Moto Z Play Droid doesn’t disappoint – you’ll be astounded by its resistance to deplete. In our Wi-Fi browsing test, it managed to put up an outstanding mark of 16 hours and 13 minutes, while its recharge time of 109 minutes using the included Turbo Charger is also respectable. Best of all, you can always expand its battery life by even more with one of those battery pack Moto Mods. Do you want a wireless solution too? There’s a Moto Mod for that.
Related: Honor 8 Review
Camera
Stumped is one way of describing our reaction to realizing what camera has been fashioned into the Moto Z Play Droid. In terms of megapixel count, it’s in between the 13MP and 21MP cameras of the Moto Z and Moto Z Force respectively – so it’s a 16MP in the Moto Z Play Droid. The other notable differences here are the f/2.0 aperture lens and the lack of OIS, but besides that, everything else is the same. Meaning, it comes with laser & phase detection auto-focus, dual-LED flash, and up to 4K video recording.
The camera app, too, is the same as its siblings. For the masses, it suffices in quickly focusing and snapping the shot, but for enthusiasts, they’ll be yearning for more to play around with. Indeed, there’s a manual mode to compose a shot to your liking, so you can capture a scene with the utmost precision and control. However, it lacks additional modes beyond the staple ones we get in every phone. For example, you won’t find those cool light painting modes we expect on most Huawei smartphones. Despite our desire for more modes, we still find the Quick Capture super useful in launching the camera app by twisting the phone in our hand a few times.
Under ideal lighting conditions, the Moto Z Play Droid can take a great picture
Given its mid-ranger attachment, we’re actually impressed by the results produced by the 16MP camera here. When the conditions are ideal, such as those outdoor shots taken under sunny conditions, the Moto Z Play Droid snaps some crisp and detailed images. It seems to favor a warmer tone, but colors in general have some degree of saturation. The 5MP front-facing camera does nicely with selfies, by producing a pleasant level of sharpness to accompany its solid details capture.
Under low light conditions, it can take awhile to snap a photo
Our only qualm with the camera is its longer snapshot time under low light settings. In this case, we’re told to keep the phone steady to gain enough exposure, but the downside is that blurring becomes more likely to happen in the process. At the same, its quality becomes a bit more grainy looking – while the general tone of the shots are softer, more speckled in the details. We will thankfully say, however, that the camera does an excellent job of minimizing noise in the scene.
Moving on to video recording, the same qualities found with its still-shot performance persist here as well. Therefore, that all means that the Moto Z Play Droid handles nicely when there’s an abundance of lighting during the recording, but tends to be a bit noisy under low light. Due to the lack of OIS here, videos are far more shaky in appearance, causing for more jitter in the process – so a steady hand will be necessary in combating that.
Moto Z Play Droid camera samples
At the end of the day, even though the camera doesn’t excel in all areas, our general consensus of it is a favorable one. Knowing that this is a mid-ranger we’re dealing with, we’ll take it! There’s still the matter of the new Hasselblad True Zoom Moto Mod, which delivers an impressive 10x optical zoom. We haven’t spent a lot of time using this new accessory, but we’ll be putting it through the paces to see if it has any benefits besides the zoom.
Software
Honestly, the software is the same here with the Moto Z Play Droid. Running a mostly stock Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow experience, with a few of the usual enhancements we’ve seen from previous Motorola smartphones (Moto Display, Moto Actions, and Moto Voice), the experience as a whole will appease hardcore purists. Yes, there’s the matter of bloatware from Verizon that we all will have to contend with, but at this point, it’s a moot point in complaining about. At the very least, the experience here feels almost like it’s vanilla Android, so those purists will like that.
Considering that Nougat has been revealed, and became available to some Nexus-branded devices very recently, the only question surrounding the Moto Z Play Droid’s experience is the obvious: how long will we wait before it too receives the new software? We’re confident that it’s only a matter of time at this point.
Specifications
| Display | 5.5-inch AMOLED display with 1920 x 1080 resolution 401ppi |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 |
| GPU | Adreno 506 |
| RAM | 3GB LPDDR3 |
| Storage | 32GB |
| MicroSD | Yes |
| Cameras | 16MP rear camera with an f/2.0 aperture, dual-LED flash, laser and phase detection auto-focus 5MP front camera with a wide-angle lens and flash |
| Battery | Non-removable 3,510mAh |
| Software | Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow |
Gallery
Pricing and final thoughts
The Moto Z Play Droid will be available for pre-order in the U.S. through Motorola and Verizon from Thursday, September 8 for $17 per month for 24 months, or for $408 full retail. You’ll be able to pre-order the unlocked, non-Droid Edition Moto Z Play in the U.S. starting September 15 with availability beginning in October. The unlocked Moto Z Play will be available for $449.99 or for €499. The new Hasselblad True Zoom will be available for pre-order starting September 8 and available for purchase from Verizon on September 15 for $249.99, or for $299.99 through Motorola.
Check it out at Verizon
Don’t be fooled by its looks, the Moto Z Play Droid looks and feels like its modular siblings. It’s about the same size and weight, features the same fingerprint sensor, and it also leverages the same set of Moto Mods. The tradeoffs for this mid-ranger are mostly related to its screen resolution and processor, and that’s about it. If you don’t consider yourself to be a power user, you’ll be pleasantly impressed by how the Moto Z Play Droid manages to deliver nearly the same experience and performance as its superiorly spec’d siblings.
Still, there are a few noteworthy things at stake here that makes a play at the handset’s strength. First and foremost, there’s a standard headphone jack here! We know, it might not be at the top of the list for everyone, but it’s satisfying that Lenovo opted to bring it back – so there’s no need to carry an adapter if you just want to use your standard pair of headphones. And secondly, it has a battery life that requires some serious usage to deplete! In all fairness, we found it incredibly tough to drain its battery.
Bringing back some much needed money to your pockets, the Moto Z Play Droid’s cost places it below its more expensive modular relatives. The savings there is appreciated given how it can leverage all of the existing Moto Mods, so at launch, the phone already has a healthy selection of accessories to choose from. Buy the phone because you want the Moto Mods, but don’t want to spend the usual fortune in buying the better spec’d modular phones that are currently available.
What are your thoughts? Like what you see here? Be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!
Bosch PerfectDry Dishwasher Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
Bosch
To me, zeolite sounds like the key ingredient of some sort of magic potion. To Bosch, it’s a very real mineral that’s the key to the company’s newest dishwasher innovation — PerfectDry technology.
PerfectDry means what you think it does: Bosch is claiming its newest dishwashers, on display at the IFA trade show in Berlin, will consistently produce bone-dry dishes ready to be put away as soon as the cycle ends. The tech supposedly works just as well on glass, porcelain and even plastic dishes.
Budget dishwashers
- Frigidaire FGID2466QF
- Kenmore 13699
- GE GDF610PMJES
Bosch has been using zeolite to help its dishwashers dry since 2008. A mineral that naturally absorbs moisture and emits heat, Bosch packs zeolite into a small container within the dishwasher cavity. During the cycle, the 3D Airflow technology blows heat from the zeolite in three directions across the surfaces of your dishes.
Plastic doesn’t retain heat as well as glass or porcelain, so if you have a load with lots of plastic dishes, the Bosch PerfectDry Dishwashers include an ExtraDry cycle option that increases the time and temperature to make sure every last drop is boiled away.
Since Bosch has been using zeolite since 2008 and 3D Airflow since 2015, it’s unclear what about these new models has led the company to now call them “perfect,” but it’s a lofty claim to aspire to. In our dishwasher tests, the Bosch SHS63VL5UC did well at drying, but didn’t stand out from similarly priced machines from other companies.
Along with PerfectDry, Bosch is lowering the sound rating of all of its series 4, 6 and 8 dishwashers to 42 decibels or less. Bosch hasn’t announced specific pricing or availability for PerfectDry models yet. Once it’s available, I’m looking forward to testing these new models using our strict procedures to see just how perfect this “PerfectDry” technology really is.
- See all our coverage from IFA in Berlin here
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Get a glimpse of our food-smeared dishwasher testing lab
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Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum Release Date, Price and Specs – CNET
Xiaomi
From water filters to drones to electric bicycles, Xiaomi isn’t shy about plunging its fingers in every pie. Its new Mi Robot Vacuum is the latest example of how the Chinese phone maker plans to take over homes and make them smarter — for less than its competitors.
Looking very much like a Roomba, the round robot vacuum boasts 12 sensors. Its laser distance sensor scans its surroundings 1,800 times per second, then maps out your home to clean it efficiently.
Key specs
- 12 sensors, including ultrasonic radar, cliff sensor, gyroscope and accelerometer
- Three processors for real-time mapping and positioning
- Main brush with adjustable height for uneven surfaces
- 5,200 mAh battery
Made by Xiaomi’s ecosystem partner Rockrobo, it features a Nidec brushless DC motor and claims to be ultra quiet. Its 5,200 mAh battery promises 2.5 hours of cleaning. It goes on sale on September 6 in China for 1,699 yuan, which is approximately $255, £195 and AU$340. By comparison, CNET’s pick for best affordable robot vacuum, the Neato XV Signature Pro, costs around $420 or £300.
Like its other ecosystem products, don’t expect Xiaomi to officially launch this around the world, though some products, such as its Mi Air Purifier, have been sold in countries like Singapore. Watch the video below of the Mi Robot Vacuum to see it in action, as it goes head to head with another similar robot vacuum in cleaning up cereal.
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