All Posts by Andrew Martonik | Android Central

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All Posts by Andrew Martonik

Your LG G6 will scratch, just like every other glass phone

52 Comments
Posted by Andrew Martonik on 20 Mar 2017 8:00 am
LG G6
Despite 'reliability' claims, the LG G6's glass will indeed scratch like any other. In a very common move in today's phones, LG chose to go with glass on the back of its new G6 for the first time since the introduction of the G series back in 2012. Using glass on the back of a phone has a whole host of benefits, including allowing radios to pass through it and enable wireless charging — all...

Best Accessories For Galaxy S7 And Galaxy S7 edge

31 Comments
Posted by Andrew Martonik on 17 Mar 2017 2:00 pm
Best accessories for your Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge
There's a ridiculous amount of choice out there when it comes to Galaxy S7 and S7 edge accessories — let us offer a few top picks. Samsung's best-selling phones of the year, the Galaxy S line, always command attention from accessory makers. Samsung itself has stepped up its game in first-party accessories as well, with lots of great Galaxy S7 and S7 edge options. From batteries to cases to car...

HTC U Ultra review: A beautiful group of questionable decisions

81 Comments
Posted by Andrew Martonik on 17 Mar 2017 1:01 pm
HTC U Ultra
In a market filled with great high-end phones and tons of up-and-coming prospects at lower prices, the HTC U Ultra is unable to live up to its bloated price tag. The quick take HTC continues to get the basics right with flagships. The U Ultra has a great screen, amazing build quality and stunning design. You get just about every spec inside you'd expect, and the day-to-day performance as a...

Best Phones to use with Mint SIM

Posted by Andrew Martonik on 17 Mar 2017 9:00 am
Best overall Best value Best for less Best overall Google Pixel See at Google When buying an unlocked phone to use with a prepaid carrier, our recommendation is unchanged from our overall best Android phone pick: it's the Google Pixel. Google's first own-branded phone is absolutely hit, from its understated hardware design to its lightning fast performance, full-day battery life and of...

What do the LG G6's 16:9, 16.7:9 and 18:9 app scaling settings do?

22 Comments
Posted by Andrew Martonik on 16 Mar 2017 3:00 pm
LG G6 app scaling settings
In an ideal world, every Android app would work flawlessly on every phone — unfortunately, we're not there yet. The 18:9 aspect ratio display on the LG G6 gives you extra screen without making the phone wider, but that also means the display is a different shape than some apps expect it to be. While Android's design guidelines let apps automatically resize to a wide range of aspect ratios,...

Qualcomm Snapdragon brand changing to reflect its 'platform' capabilities

5 Comments
Posted by Andrew Martonik on 16 Mar 2017 1:46 pm
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 announcement
There's more in that chip than just a CPU. Most of the phones we know and love run on Qualcomm Snapdragon processors of some sort, and have for many years. But in the time since Snapdragon processors became popular, a lot has changed, and these "processors" aren't just CPUs — as much as we're all guilty of simply calling them that. For that reason, Qualcomm is going to begin changing its...

Galaxy S8 expected to improve camera capabilities with 1000 fps video

22 Comments
Posted by Andrew Martonik on 16 Mar 2017 1:59 pm
Galaxy S7
More camera details surface prior to the launch. The soon-to-launch Galaxy S8 will offer ridiculously high frame rate 1000 fps slow motion video capture, according to new reports. That's over four times the frame rate of the Galaxy S7's 240 fps video, and even a hair more than Sony's upcoming Xperia XZ Premium with 960 fps.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 launching March 24, pre-orders start March 17 at $599

47 Comments
Posted by Andrew Martonik on 16 Mar 2017 12:33 pm
Galaxy Tab S3
It won't be cheap, but you also don't have many other options. Initial leaks about price proved to be correct, as now we know for sure the Galaxy Tab S3 will go up for pre-order starting March 17, with in-store availability coming March 24. The price, as expected, is a smooth $599 that puts it up in the same territory as Apple's iPad lineup of the same size. For that money you're getting...

OnePlus 3T colette edition arrives in all black, only 250 made for €479

12 Comments
Posted by Andrew Martonik on 15 Mar 2017 1:00 pm
OnePlus 3T Colette Edition
It's the same phone you know, now in dramatically limited quantity. We're all familiar with stock shortages when it comes to OnePlus phones, but this new collaboration is seriously exclusive. OnePlus has partnered with world-renowed boutique colette to create a special OnePlus 3T colette edition, which is matte black and with 128GB storage and a subtle "colette" engraving on the back. The...

Google Family Link finally brings broad parental controls to Android phones

12 Comments
Posted by Andrew Martonik on 15 Mar 2017 1:43 pm
Google Family Link app
Parents will soon have new tools to manage their child's phone access. Google is making a huge step toward letting families manage Google accounts and phones of children in the house, moving well beyond Google Play Family Library. Family Link is Google's new system for parents to create Google accounts for minors (under 13 years old, officially) who technically can't have their own accounts, and...

Fossil's Android Wear 2.0 updates now arriving for 3 models

33 Comments
Posted by Andrew Martonik on 15 Mar 2017 12:23 pm
Fossil Q Wander
Getting the latest software can help you love your smartwatch again. Fossil hasn't made too many splashes since it first had attention around its original Q Founder smartwatch release, but now it's rolling out Android Wear 2.0 to its 3 compatible models. The second-gen Q Founder is getting the update, as are the Q Marshal and Q Wander.

There's reason to be skeptical of Samsung's new 'commitment' to monthly security updates

42 Comments
Posted by Andrew Martonik on 15 Mar 2017 9:45 am
Samsung Galaxy S7
A generic form response from Samsung's 'security team' does not mean what you think it means. Building on the frustration of the U.S. unlocked Galaxy S7 still not having Nougat while other models are updated, a story is swirling this week about Samsung Mobile Security saying in an email that it will "commit" to updates every month for unlocked phones. As great as it would be, there's plenty of...

Chrome 57 will help your laptop battery last a bit longer

5 Comments
Posted by Andrew Martonik on 14 Mar 2017 6:50 pm
Chromebook
It's no secret that Chrome can be a very power-hungry browser on a laptop. Google is constantly evolving Chrome to be less power hungry while also offering increased performance, and the latest development arriving in Chrome 57 focuses on power savings from further background tab management. With the latest version, tabs open but not currently in use will be more aggressively throttled to save...

The LG Stylo 3 is just $179, now available from Boost and Virgin

6 Comments
Posted by Andrew Martonik on 14 Mar 2017 1:26 pm
LG Stylo 3
The surprisingly popular low-end Stylo line gets a third revision. Sprint's prepaid subsidiaries Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile are both offering the latest iteration of the LG Stylo lineup with the Stylo 3, and it's only going to set you back $179 outright. For that money, you can't expect much — but LG makes some good decisions here, putting in a big 5.7-inch display, a fingerprint sensor and...

Gmail app adds Google Wallet money attachments so you can get paid faster

9 Comments
Posted by Andrew Martonik on 14 Mar 2017 12:40 pm
A sneakily great Gmail feature is coming from the web to Android. You've been able to send and request money via Gmail for some time now — but curiously, the function was limited to the web. With the latest update to the Gmail app for Android, you now have the ability to make the same money transfers within the app, making it even easier to transfer money between friends and family.

Waze now integrates with Spotify to help de-stress your commute

7 Comments
Posted by Andrew Martonik on 14 Mar 2017 9:01 am
Waze in spotify
Waze is adding a big new integration — and sorry, it isn't Android Auto. Waze and Spotify have inked a deal to deeply integrate into each other's apps, both giving you access to the best tunes during your commute and keeping your route easily in hand while browsing your music. With the latest version of the Waze app and your Spotify account connected, you'll be able to access your Spotify...

Sony Xperia XZ Premium tipped for June release at £649

35 Comments
Posted by Andrew Martonik on 13 Mar 2017 12:23 pm
Sony Xperia XZ Premium
We'll have to wait a while and pay a lot for Sony's latest. According to a listing at Amazon UK that has since been removed, Sony's new top-end phone, the Xperia XZ Premium, will release on June 1 at a price of £649. Though the Xperia XZ Premium was launched back at MWC 2017 at the end of February, Sony wasn't willing to give any sort of tips about pricing or availability — save for one mention...

Huawei Watch 2 review: No time for this half-baked sequel

34 Comments
Posted by Andrew Martonik on 13 Mar 2017 12:02 pm
Huawei Watch 2
Huawei built up a lot of good will over the past two years, only to let it slide in 2017. The original Huawei Watch was a go-to choice for those who wanted an Android Wear watch that was a bit sleeker and better built than most other choices throughout 2016. It was a bit on the expensive side, and yes it was thick, but it had a slick exterior and lugs that could adapt to just about any sort of...

From the Editor's Desk: Welcome to the 'tall phone' era

109 Comments
Posted by Andrew Martonik on 12 Mar 2017 11:59 am
The new form factor for phones is narrow and tall — and probably for the best. Smartphones were in a bit of a holding pattern for the past couple of years with 16:9 aspect ratio displays, at either standard FHD or QHD resolution, as we all waited for the next "thing" in form factors. It looks like tiny bezels and extra-tall displays are it. With the LG G6 fully announced, and the Samsung...

Google's new 'My Android' site suggests wallpapers, icon packs and more

44 Comments
Posted by Andrew Martonik on 11 Mar 2017 1:30 pm
#myAndroid site
Be together. Not the same. Android is all about customization, and there are so many ways to tweak the look of your phone that it's impossible for it to look exactly the same as someone else's. Google is hoping to foster this customizing spirit with its new "My Android" site, specifically launching a "Taste Test" system that asks you a bunch of questions and suggests wallpapers, icon packs,...

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