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All Posts by Derek Kessler

Huawei Mate 10 coming on October 16, powered by AI-centric Kirin 970

22 Comments
Posted by Derek Kessler on 2 Sep 2017 9:00 am
Huawei's next-gen Mate flagship phone is coming on October 16th: get ready for the Huawei Mate 10. Details are still few on the phone, but here's what we know. You can expect both Huawei Mate 10 and a higher-specced Mate 10 Pro to be unveiled. Both will be powered by the Huawei Kirin 970 chipset, which Huawei unveiled at an IFA 2017 keynote. The Kirin 970 places a huge emphasis on artificial...

LG's focus on the V30 cameras is great for pros and amateurs

64 Comments
Posted by Derek Kessler on 1 Sep 2017 3:00 am
Manual mode? LOG video? Focus Peaking? A smartphone after my camera nerd heart. Almost every phone these days comes with at least an adequate camera. Some, like the Samsung Galaxy S8 have exceptional cameras, but it takes a phone like the LG V30 to say that it was designed with camera buffs in mind. The Galaxy S8's camera truly is exceptional, but it's designed to be great for the average...

The Star Wars Jedi Challenge is AR-awesome and all I want is more

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Posted by Derek Kessler on 31 Aug 2017 5:26 pm
I got to be Rey and it was so great. They say that greed and desire are the path to the dark side. I don't care. I want to get my hands on the Star Wars Jedi Challenge that Lenovo and Disney have cooked up. Now. I got a brief demo with the Jedi Challenge after its unveiling at IFA 2017 and I think that it and AR games like it are definitely part of the future of gaming. The Jedi Challenge...

The LG V30 is the phone the G6 should've been from the start

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Posted by Derek Kessler on 31 Aug 2017 3:05 am
The LG V30 rivals the Samsung Galaxy S8 on all fronts. There are a couple of ways to approach the new LG V30. It's obviously the technical successor to the LG V20, incorporating the same wide-angle camera tech, enhanced audio, and more of last year's top-end LG smartphone offering. Another way is to look at it as the true LG G6+ (I am aware there is an actual G6+), with a more refined design,...

The State of Android Central Survey: Help us help you (and win big!)

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Posted by Derek Kessler on 29 Aug 2017 4:30 pm
Fair warning: this is a long one! Our sites at Mobile Nations are living things. Not in the sense that they're breathing, eating, procreating beasts (though sometimes it feels that way), but in that they're always changing and evolving to meet the needs of our users — you. We've gone through a number of changes over the past year, and we wanted to check in with you and get your opinion on all...

Wireless Carrier Buyer's Guide

Posted by Derek Kessler on 2 Aug 2017 2:30 pm
Let us help you find the best wireless plan. Save time navigating confusing carrier websites and allow our experts to provide you with the information you need to know to find a plan that's best for you! Looking for a great smartphone? Check out our Smartphone Buyer's Guide! Shop Carriers Verizon AT&T T-Mobile Sprint US Cellular Best Wireless Plan Best Family...

The Best Smartphone Camera, as judged by YOU!

112 Comments
Posted by Derek Kessler on 19 May 2017 9:00 am
So who makes the best smartphone camera? Here's what you picked. We've long run camera comparisons on our own, but it's hard to remove our own biases — and frankly, it's just our opinion. With some new high-profile phones on the market, we thought it was again time to pit these cameras against each other and see who came out on top. So we showed you 20 sets of photos taken by four...

Which smartphone camera do YOU think is the best?

92 Comments
Posted by Derek Kessler on 8 May 2017 12:00 pm
We're putting the latest and greatest smartphone cameras to the test — and we want you to tell us which one you like best! You might have noticed that there have been a few new and exciting smartphones released recently. As we like to do, we ran out and took a bunch of photos with the biggest players out there to see how they compare — but first we want to get your feedback. Instead of us...

Vertu Constellation Review: The Billionaire's Phone

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Posted by Derek Kessler on 8 Apr 2017 10:00 am
What do you get when you pay $6,000 for a phone? Most of us live in a world where smartphones cost somewhere between $200 and $800. There's a wide variety of phones in that range, from bargain ZTE and Motorola devices to top-end iPhones and Samsung Galaxy handsets. But there's a whole world beyond that, the exclusive and expensive realm of the luxury smartphone. The latest phone to join those...

Oppo's 5x optical zoom camera is like a periscope inside your phone

3 Comments
Posted by Derek Kessler on 28 Feb 2017 9:53 am
ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! We live in a glorious age of dual-camera smartphones. Huawei uses a color sensor plus a monochrome sensor to enhance detail and contrast. LG has a standard angle camera plus an ultra-wide-angle one. Apple uses a pair of cameras to offer a 2x optical zoom. Oppo is jumping into the dual camera age with their own take at MWC 2017: a two-sensor system that combines a...

Lenovo launches four models of Tab 4, none are weird

6 Comments
Posted by Derek Kessler on 27 Feb 2017 2:00 am
There's nothing wrong with a basic tablet so you can do basic things. That's the Lenovo Tab 4. Lenovo's Tab 4 is nearly indistinguishable from last year's Tab 3 on first glance. That's not a bad thing — the Tab 3 was a solid, if unremarkable design, and the Tab 4 series builds on that. With a refined exterior and updated interior, the new Tab 4s (Tabs 4?) present compelling options near the...

Alcatel could've made a decent mid-tier phone, instead we got an LED back

12 Comments
Posted by Derek Kessler on 27 Feb 2017 2:00 am
Moto has their Moto Mods. Alcatel has the A5 and LEDs. Have you ever wished you could see what notification just came into your phone, but it was face down on the table? First off, shame on you for putting your phone face down. But also, maybe, just maybe, the LED back option for the Alcatel A5 is for you. But probably not. Let's start with the phone itself. The A5 is Alcatel's new mid-range...

Hands on with Nokia's new Android phones: the 3, 5, and 6

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Posted by Derek Kessler on 26 Feb 2017 3:49 pm
The rebirth of another storied smartphone brand begins. This time it's Nokia. Nokia is still a company that is focusing on their core business: networking technology. They're quite good at it; there's a good chance you're using Nokia tech on a regular basis through your cellular network, even if it's not a Nokia. But the Nokia brand? That's all about smartphones. And while Nokia knew that,...

CES 2017 Day Three: How many pixels do you really need?

11 Comments
Posted by Derek Kessler on 5 Jan 2017 11:19 pm
CES 2017 Thursday, 5 January 2017 Three screens are better than one Razer's concept laptop is just… insane. There are the laptops that everybody else is showing off at CES 2017, and there's Razer's Project Valerie. The bottom half is a standard Razer Blade Pro — a powerhouse gaming laptop, no doubt — but the lid contains not one, not two, but three 17.3-inch 4K displays....

CES 2017 Day Two: New laptops, new phones, and old ideas made new

7 Comments
Posted by Derek Kessler on 5 Jan 2017 3:15 am
CES 2017 Wednesday, 4 January 2017 Update all the laptops Thinner, faster, lighter, stronger. With new 7th-generation Core chips from Intel landing in the months before CES, it was time for a seemingly every PC manufacturer to update their lineup. In the cards for everybody: thinner, lighter, marginally faster, longer-lasting batteries, Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C, and a notable...

Samsung's new Chromebook is a convertible with a stylus

48 Comments
Posted by Derek Kessler on 4 Jan 2017 5:00 pm
Ready for a Chromebook built for the Android apps era? */ /*-->*/ Samsung made one of the first Chromebooks back in 2011, and has made a few different models over the years, but the new Chromebook Pro and Plus are making a big statement about Samsung's commitment to Chrome OS. Designed in conjunction with Google, these are the first Chromebooks to truly be designed for full...

CES 2017 Day One: Processors, convertibles, and clamshells galore

6 Comments
Posted by Derek Kessler on 4 Jan 2017 2:37 am
CES 2017 Tuesday, 3 January 2017 Honor 6X goes for the broke A decent enough Android phone for a cheap enough price. Honor is back at it with the new Honor 6X, a phone that offers far more than you'd expect for its low price — just $249. For that you get a 5.5-inch 1080p display, an octa-core Huawei Kirin 655 processor, 32GB of storage, 3GB of RAM, and a 12MP camera. That main...

Lenovo's making a prettier Amazon Echo and a smarter home NAS

16 Comments
Posted by Derek Kessler on 3 Jan 2017 3:01 am
Alexa, show me Lenovo's new stuff. */ /*-->*/ In addition to a slew of new PCs, Lenovo's bringing a slew of new connected home accessories to CES 2017. Chief among them are a new smart home network drive, their take on an Amazon Echo-style device, and a handheld keyboard that includes the most sensitive of keys. Lenovo Smart Assistant What if you could make a fancier-...

Take the State of the Mobile Nations Phones Survey for your chance to win $600 towards a new phone!

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Posted by Derek Kessler on 22 Nov 2016 6:30 pm
Silly season for new phones and gadgets is on us — it feels like we can't go a week without a major release as the calendar races into the holidays. There are a bunch of new phones out there and we wanted to get an idea about what's important to you in a phone and in a cellular carrier. Thus, this survey. We get a little detailed, but that's because we want to suss out what it is that drives...

Smartphone Buyer's Guide

Posted by Derek Kessler on 4 Oct 2016 4:13 pm
Trending Phones Samsung Galaxy S8 LG G6 Google Pixel Samsung Galaxy S7 edge](/samsung-galaxy-s7-edge-review) - [ OnePlus 3T](/oneplus-3t)--> The experts at Android Central spend hundreds of hours testing the latest phones. Only the best receive the Choice Award. Samsung Galaxy S8 Google Pixel Moto G5 Plus LG G6 OnePlus 5 Honor 9 HTC U11 Huawei Mate 9 carriers Best By...

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