Android advisor sonxemay issue 24, 2016

LATEST SMARTPHONES, TABLETS & WEARABLES

ANDROID

ISSUE

24

ADVISOR

SAMSUNG GALAXY S7, LG G5, SONY XPERIA X + ALL THE BEST OF MWC 2016

Contents 3

Welcome…

News 4

Mobile World Congress round-up

Reviews 9 14 21 28 37 46 54 63

Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Galaxy S7 Edge Samsung Galaxy S6 vs Galaxy S7 LG G4 vs LG G5 Sony Xperia X and XA UMI Rome Bluboo X9 Cubot P12 Honor Band Zero

How To 34 69 73 77 79

Buy a Xiaomi Mi 5 in the UK Record phone calls on a smartphone Stop spam reaching your device Perform a reverse Google Image search Give your Google Contacts nicknames

Feature 81 87

Guide to Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 Funny things to ask S Voice

Best Buy Charts 100

Our top phones, tablets, and more

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Welcome...

F

ebruary saw the annual Mobile World Congress tradeshow in Barcelona – and a load of hot new Android devices, many of which we round up over the following pages.

Chief among them were the Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge (page 9), the completely redesigned LG G5 (page 21) with its new modular approach, and the flagship Mi 5 (page 34) from China’s Apple, Xiaomi.

Some visitors to the show were hoping to see Sony take the wraps off its Xperia Z6, while we thought it much more likely to appear in September at IFA. None of us were expecting to hear that Sony had killed its Z-series, replacing it with the all-new Xperia X (page 28). It came as a shock – but Sony hasn’t ruled out the Z6 at some point in the future.

A new feature in the LG G5, and something we’ll see a lot more of in 2016, is Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 (see page 81). It’s up to four times faster than a standard charger – and yet it’s not included in Samsung’s new Galaxy S7.

Don’t be too hard on Samsung’s latest Galaxy flagship, though: it’s appeased fans by bumping up battery life and bringing back the microSD slot and waterproofing, making an already very good thing even better. And it can be pretty funny too, as we outline on page 87.

As always, we hope you’ve enjoyed this issue of Android Advisor. Feel free to send us your feedback via facebook.com/AndroidAdvisorUK or email marie_brewis@idg.co.uk.

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News: Mobile World Congress A round-up of the best tech on show at this year’s MWC Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge After winning our crown for best phone of 2015 with its Galaxy S6, Samsung has gone one better with the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. There aren’t many revolutionary features, but Samsung has added an always-on display, bumped up processor- and camera performance and, as fans will be glad to know, brought back the microSD slot and waterproofing, and improved battery life.

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LG G5 Usually appearing a little later in the spring, LG has opted for an early launch for its G5 flagship. If Samsung has skimped on revolutionary features, the LG fills that gap. In common with the S7, the G5 has a new always-on display, but what’s really intriguing about this phone is its ‘Friends’.

Sony Xperia X and XA Sony has killed off its Xperia Z-series of flagship phones and replaced it with a new X range, of which the Xperia X and XA are the first models.

The Xperia X and XA are notably lower in specification than the S7 and G5, but they each have a 23Mp camera – and photography is an area in which Sony excels. With affordable price tags the X-series could continue to compete against the Samsung, LG and HTC flagships, but we’ll have to wait and seer.

Xiaomi Mi 5 Xiaomi has taken the wraps off its next flagship Android phone, the Mi 5. It’s a Snapdragon 820-powered beast with up to 4GB of LP-DDR4 RAM that Xiaomi reckons scored over 140,000 points in AnTuTu. The specifications looks good, the price looks better; check it out on page 34.

LG X Cam and LG X Screen In addition to the G5, LG has introduced two new mid-range smartphones with a flagship feature each. The LG X Cam has a dual-camera, and the LG X Screen has a secondary display for quick access to shortcuts and tools.

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Fairphone 2 The Fairphone 2 (pictured) is an exciting smartphone with a modular design that means you can repair it yourself so it lasts longer than a regular handset.

The current device doesn’t have outstanding specs so won’t appeal to power users but when you can upgrade parts things will be very different.

HTC One X9 Although there’s a lot to like about the HTC One X9, it’s not the flagship phone we were hoping for. It’s a mash up of a few different previous phone from the company. A larger phone with some decent specifications s will appeal to some, but we’re holding out for the One M10.

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Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus Though the Vibe K5 Plus won’t stand up to the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S7, we think that for a price of only $149 (UK price TBC), it’s impressive.

Featuring an octa-core Snapdragon 616 processor coupled 2GB of RAM, 13Mp camera and Dolby audio, it’s not a smartphone to be sniffed at.

Lenovo Tab3 The Lenovo Tab3 tablets are cheap and cheerful, offering lots of features for families at a brilliantly low price. Where it really shines is in its software.

Multiple users on a tablet is a real boon, particularly when you can make some of those users kid-safe accounts to protect kids on the internet and stop them from stumbling across websites and apps that they shouldn’t be.

HTC Desire 530 Aside from the fun design, there’s nothing particularly outstanding going on with this entrylevel smartphone, but that’s not to say it’s not worth buying. We’d say it’s a good choice for teenagers looking for a starter smartphone, but if you’re in the market for a smartphone that’s low-cost, goodlooking, but doesn’t have any bells and whistles, then the HTC Desire 530 and HTC’s other Desire models are well worth checking out.

Alcatel Idol 4s While the big brands stole the show at MWC, the Idol 4s was a dark horse. Featuring a premium design, a QHD display and even a free VR headset, the mid-range smartphone has a lot to shout about.

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CAT S60 The phone with the built-in thermal imaging camera. Based on our limited time with the Cat S60, we’re not too sure whether it’ll be poplar with the general public. Its bulky form factor may be off-putting for some, and the addition of a thermal camera may not be enough to persuade a consumer to buy the smartphone – sure it’s a cool addition, but we’re not completely convinced that it’s more than a gimmick. With that being said, if you’re in an industry that requires the use of a thermal camera or if you’re prone to breaking your smartphone, then it’s an ideal option.

ZTE Blade V7 and V7 Lite Both of ZTE’s Blade V7 smartphones are decent mid-range offerings with screen sizes we’ve come to favour. They both look like stunning phones with gorgeous design, and we’re pleased to see that they’re made with aluminium rather than plastic, but on closer inspection the build quality leaves a lot to be desired. There’s nothing particularly outstanding about either phone and it’s odd that ZTE has decided to include the fingerprint sensor in the Lite model and exclude it from the V7 itself, but the camera sets are good for the price and the processors shouldn’t be sluggish unless you intend to regularly multi-task or run power-hungry apps.

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Review: Samsung Galaxy S7 vs Galaxy S7 Edge Samsung Galaxy S7 £569 inc VAT Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge £639 inc VAT • samsung.com/uk

Price The Samsung Galaxy S7 (above left) is cheaper than the Galaxy S7 Edge (above left), available to buy at £569 and £639 respectively.

Colour There’s an extra colour option for the Samsung S7 Edge, which comes in Silver Titanium. Both are available in Black Onyx and Gold Platinum.

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Display The key difference between the S7 and S7 Edge is that the S7 Edge has a larger, dual-edge screen.

While both feature Quad-HD (2560x1440) Super AMOLED panels, with new always-on technology that makes it easier to see notifications or the time at a glance, the 5.1in S7 is smaller than the 5.5in S7 Edge. This means the S7 has the higher pixel density, with 577ppi against the Edge’s 534ppi, though both are very high.

The dual-edge screen on the Galaxy S7 Edge is used to display notifications and provide shortcuts to your most frequently used apps.

Dimensions Unsurprisingly, given the differences in screen size, the 150.9x72.6x7.7mm, 157g Galaxy S7 Edge is larger and heavier than the 142.4x69.6x7.9mm, 152g Samsung Galaxy S7.

Battery Extra room inside the case allows for a larger battery for the S7 Edge.

Fans were disappointed by the non-removable battery in the Galaxy S6 and, while it’s still fixed inside the S7’s metal and glass body, the capacity has seen a useful bump.

You’ll find a 3000mAh battery inside the S7, and 3600mAh in the Edge.

Both support fast- and WPC/PMA wireless charging, and use Micro-USB rather than USB-C. 10 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 24 AA24.indd 10

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Similarities Everything else is the same for the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, from the core processor and storage to the cameras and connectivity features.

We’ll start with one of the highlights: 32GB of internal storage, plus microSD support up to 200GB. This feature was removed (to much dismay) from the Galaxy S6, but here it returns to both the S7 and S7 Edge, along with another sought after feature: IP68 dust- and waterproof protection. Samsung’s latest Galaxy S-series smartphones will survive up to half an hour at depths of up to 1.5m.

Which processor powers the S7 and S7 Edge depends on your region, but you’ll find one of two chips: the quad-core (2x 2.15GHz and 2x 1.6GHz) Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, which comes with Adreno 530 graphics, or Samsung’s own octacore (4x 2.3GHz and 4x 1.6GHz) Exynos 8890. This is paired with 4GB of LP-DDR4 RAM in both smartphones.

The 12Mp primary camera on paper looks like a downgrade over the 16Mp snapper in the Galaxy S6, but Samsung uses larger pixels and an f/1.7 aperture to allow in 95 percent more light.

This f/1.7 aperture is also used for the 5Mp selfie camera.

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Both phones run Android 6.0 Marshmallow with TouchWiz and support LTE Cat 9 networks (depending on your region), dualband 802.11ac Wi-Fi with MIMO, Bluetooth 4.2, NFC (Samsung Pay is coming to the UK in 2016), GPS and the usual array of sensors, including the fingerprint sensor and heart-rate sensor seen in the S6 and S6 Edge.

Verdict So there you have it: the S7 Edge differs from the standard Galaxy S7 with its larger, dual-edge screen, higher-capacity battery and extra colour option. It sounds great, but the cheaper price and smaller dimensions of the standard Samsung Galaxy S7 may make the Edge your second-best.

Marie Brewis

Specifications Samsung Galaxy S7 • 5.1in Quad HD IPS (1440x2560) • Android 6.0 Marshmallow • Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor • 4GB RAM • 32GB storage • MicroSD card slot (up to 200GB) • 12Mp rear camera with f/1.7 • 5Mp front camera • 11ac dual-band Wi-Fi with MU-MIMO • Bluetooth 4.2 12 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 24 AA24.indd 12

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• GPS • NFC • Heart-rate monitor • Fingerprint scanner • 4G LTE • Micro-USB • 3000mAh non-removable battery • IP68 • 142x70x7.9mm • 152g Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge

• 5.5in Quad HD IPS (1440x2560) • Android 6.0 Marshmallow • Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor • 4GB RAM • 32-/64GB storage • MicroSD card slot (up to 200GB) • 12Mp rear camera • 5Mp front camera • 11ac dual-band Wi-Fi • Bluetooth 4.2 • GPS • NFC • Heart-rate monitor • Fingerprint scanner • 4G LTE • Micro-USB • 3600mAh non-removable battery • IP68 • 150.9x72.6x7.7mm • 157g

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Review: Samsung Galaxy S6 vs Galaxy S7 Samsung Galaxy S6 £369 inc VAT Samsung Galaxy S7 £569 inc VAT • samsung.com/uk

Price The Samsung Galaxy S7 (above right) is available to buy now at £569. A year older the Galaxy S6 (above left) is obviously cheaper, and offers excellent value for money at £369.99 SIM-free 14 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 24 AA24.indd 14

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(Amazon) or free on contracts from £27.50 per month (Carphone Warehouse).

Design The Galaxy S7 looks very similar to the S6 - and that’s a very good thing. When Samsung revealed the Galaxy S6 last March we were in awe. It was by far the best-looking Samsung Galaxy yet, swapping out the tacky dimpled plastic for a Gorilla Glass 4 back panel and metal frame.

Finally, the Galaxy S-series had a premium design to match its premium price.

Its mirror-shine finish quickly gathered fingerprints, but looked beautiful on the Sapphire Black model – and repulsive on the Blue Topaz version. Thankfully, it seems Samsung has ditched its pendant for garish colours, and instead of yucky blue, white, black or gold, with the S7 you now have a choice of just black or gold (though we can’t promise more colours aren’t on their way).

The problem with the metal-glass build was no longer could you access the battery. You still can’t, but Samsung has bumped up its capacity from 2550- to 3000mAh to extend battery life.

And it’s made two more welcome tweaks to the build, bringing back the IP68 waterproofing of the S5 (without the fiddly port flaps), and adding a microSD slot for expandable storage. You can dunk the S7 in up to 1.5m of water for up to half an hour and it’ll be just fine.

Samsung is already being criticised for not adding the latest technologies such as a reversible USB-C port and Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 ultra-fast charging to the Galaxy S7. It told Android Advisor ISSUE 24 • ANDROID ADVISOR 15 AA24.indd 15

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at MWC 2016 that it thinks Quick Charge 2.0 is fast enough and, as is the case with USB-C, people don’t have the accessories required for these brand-new technologies just yet.

One area it is keeping up with the times, though, is in its always-on display, also seen in the LG G5 that was announced on the same day. While the screen itself is the same 5.1in crystal-clear Quad-HD (2560x1440, 576ppi) SuperAMOLED panel as seen in the Galaxy S6, only the S7 can show you notifications and the time and date on its energy-efficient, always-on display. This uses a proximity sensor to turn off at night or while in a pocket, but at other times the information you need is just a glance away.

The Galaxy S7 is a little thicker than the Galaxy S6, but we like the way this reduces the camera bump on the rear, and the jump in capacity it affords the battery. Whereas the S6 measures 143.4x70.5x6.8mm and weighs 138g, the Samsung Galaxy S7 is 142.4x69.6x7.9mm and 152g.

Performance When Samsung updates its Galaxy S-series the new smartphones always jump straight to the top of our performance benchmark charts. We haven’t had long enough with the S7 to run our benchmarks just yet, but we know we’re in for some good news.

Not only has Samsung included the brand-new Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 quad-core (2x 2.15GHz and 2x 1.6GHz) processor – or the octa-core Exynos 8890 depending on your region – but it has increased the LP-DDR4 RAM complement from 3to 4GB. Graphics are now improved to the Adreno 16 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 24 AA24.indd 16

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530 GPU, too. We can’t wait to get it into our lab to see how it performs.

The Samsung Galaxy S6, meanwhile, was originally supposed to get the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chip, but Samsung instead opted for its own octa-core Exynos 7420 processor. This is a 14nm, 64-bit chip built with two quad-core (1.5GHz Cortex-A53 and 2.1GHz Cortex A-57) sets.

A Mali-T760 GPU is integrated. In our benchmarks it performed fabulously, with 4438 points in Geekbench 3.0, and 30fps in GFXBench 3.0 T-Rex. Storage-wise the standard Galaxy S7 has 32GB of storage; the Galaxy S6 also comes in 64- and 128GB models, but lacks the S7’s microSD card slot.

Connectivity Something that may have slipped under the radar in all the hype surrounding the Galaxy S7 is where, oh where, has the Galaxy S6’s IR blaster gone? Admittedly, it’s not something I tend to use on the S6, but I know of several people who will be disappointed by its ousting.

Also missing in action: USB-C. Make that Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0-compatible USB-C. But I have to admit I do sort of understand Samsung’s reasoning behind it. Sure, Quick Charge 3.0 and reversible USB-C are superfast and convenient, and I’m a busy lady, but I tell you what’s not convenient: needing to charge your phone and someone’s swiped ISSUE 24 • ANDROID ADVISOR 17 AA24.indd 17

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the only USB-C cable in the house. Charging shouldn’t be a major concern with the S7, of course.

Like the S6 it supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0, and here the fast charging is extended to wireless- as well as wired connections. I can’t say I’ve ever found myself wishing the Galaxy S6 would charge faster, but I do often use a wireless charger so this is a pleasing addition.

The LTE network connectivity is up from 300Mb/s Cat.6 to 450Mb/s Cat.9 in the Galaxy S7, and Bluetooth is now at v4.2. Everything else is the same, so you’ll find NFC (Samsung Pay will be coming to the UK sometime in 2016), dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi with MIMO, GPS and the usual array of sensors that includes the Galaxy S6’s heart-rate sensor and fingerprint scanner.

Cameras As with processing performance, it’s impossible for us to judge camera performance without having spent more time with the new Samsung Galaxy S7.

On paper, it sounds as though the 12Mp, f/1.7 camera in the S7 is inferior to the 16Mp, f/1.9 camera in the S6 (which came joint-top in our phone camera comparison by the way). We’re told it’s not; we’re told its f/1.7 aperture and larger 1.4µm pixels let in 95 percent more light for much improved low-light photography. But we’re 18 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 24 AA24.indd 18

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just going to have to wait and see. Both phones have 5Mp selfie cameras, the Galaxy S7 with a f/1.7 aperture and the Galaxy S6 f/1.9.

Software The Galaxy S6 ships with Android Lollipop, while the Galaxy S7 comes with Android Marshmallow.

However, the S6 should receive an update to Marshmallow within the coming months. Both phones overlay the TouchWiz UI, with several of Samsung’s own customisations.

Verdict We really don’t believe the Samsung Galaxy S7 is the minor update many are billing it as - Samsung has looked at the features real users want and need, and thus made a good thing a lot better. However, if waterproofing, expandable storage and improved battery life are not your primary concerns, we’d advise looking to the much cheaper Galaxy S6 over the Galaxy S7, or at least waiting a few months for its price to come down. If we are to believe Samsung the S7 should be faster and with a better camera, but don’t forget the S6 is also incredibly fast and its camera is excellent – and right now it’s a not insignificant £200 cheaper. Marie Brewis

Specifications Samsung Galaxy S6 • 5.1in Quad HD IPS (1440x2560) • Android 5.0.2 Lollipop • Exynos 7420 Octa-core processor • 3GB RAM • 16GB storage ISSUE 24 • ANDROID ADVISOR 19 AA24.indd 19

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• 16Mp rear camera with LED flash • 5Mp front camera • 11ac dual-band Wi-Fi • Bluetooth 4.1 • GPS • NFC • Heart-rate monitor • Fingerprint scanner • Micro-USB • 2550mAh non-removable battery • 143.4x70.5x6.8mm • 138g Samsung Galaxy S7

• 5.1in Quad HD IPS (1440x2560) • Android 6.0 Marshmallow • Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor • 4GB RAM • 32GB storage • MicroSD card slot (up to 200GB) • 12Mp rear camera with f/1.7 • 5Mp front camera • 11ac dual-band Wi-Fi with MU-MIMO • Bluetooth 4.2 • GPS • NFC • Heart-rate monitor • Fingerprint scanner • 4G LTE • Micro-USB • 3000mAh non-removable battery • IP68 • 142x70x7.9mm • 152g 20 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 24 AA24.indd 20

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Review: LG G4 vs LG G5 LG 4 £284 inc VAT LG 5 £TBC • lg.com/uk

Features Both phones are a similar size, yet the G5’s screen is slightly smaller – 5.3in vs 5.5in. There is of course an upgraded processor and GPU, plus an extra gigabyte of RAM. There’s also now a USB-C connector and dual rear cameras.

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The slightly smaller battery is a concern: the G5 will be faster than the G4 but may not last as long between charges. LG appears to be countering this with a secondary battery in certain plug-in accessories such as the camera grip which brings the total to 4000mAh. We’ll wait until we have properly tested the G5 before giving our verdict on the new phone though.

One thing’s for sure: the G5 is one of the most exciting new phones of 2016.

Accessory slot The highlight is of course the new accessory slot.

This is a good forward step towards a fully modular phone, something which Google has been working on with Project Ara, as has Phonebloks This allows you to upgrade the G5 with better audio, a camera grip (which adds camera-specific

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controls and an extra battery) or a DAC – a digital to analogue convertor which improves the sound quality out of the headphone jack. There’s sure to be more accessories launching over the next few months, too. While the G4 has a removable battery and a microSD slot, it has nothing like the G5’s accessory slot.

Cameras On the G5, it has a 16Mp rear camera like the G4.

But in addition it has an 8Mp, 135 degree wide-angle lens. This gives a fish-eye view similar to a GoPro action cam that captures more of the scene when you can’t physically move further back.

The dual cameras also let you take a standard and wide-angle photo at the same time. You can then combine these with various effects afterwards, if you want to.

Display On paper, it looks like LG has just reduced the LG G4’s screen by 0.2 inches and kept the same Quad-HD resolution of 2560x1440. However, the changes go a lot deeper.

For a start, a portion of it is always on. Despite being an IPS screen rather than AMOLED, LG has developed new screen tech so it can run a segment of the backlight at a low level which allows the time, date and notifications to be shown on screen all the time so you don’t have to wake the phone.

If you buy LG’s official cover (or one of the expected third-party options with a hole in the right place) you’ll be able to see this info even when the screen is covered up.

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The backlight is also capable – LG says – of 800 nits. This is great for framing photos (or reading an email) when it’s bright and sunny outdoors.

Fingerprint scanner Gone is the G4’s unusual power and volume button arrangement from the back of the phone. In its place on the G5 is a fingerprint reader. This may seem an odd location, but we’ve used this on several Huawei phones and know that it’s actually very ergonomic.

And, just for the sake of clarity, the G4 didn’t have a fingerprint scanner.

The volume buttons are on the side, as you’d expect, and the headphone jack is on the top edge.

Metal body The G5’s design is also quite a departure from the G4’s which was very similar to the G3. Instead of a removable rear cover, the G5 has a metal unibody.

But unlike most unibody phones, the battery is removable: it slides out of the bottom when the lower panel is removed.

The battery itself has dropped in capacity by 200mAh. While that may be a disappointment to some, the better efficiency of the Snapdragon 820 should negate this and mean the G5 lasts as long as the G4. However, we’ll have to wait until we can run our battery tests before we can say this for sure.

Software It goes without saying that the G5 gets the latest version of Android: Marshmallow. The G4 shipped with Lollipop but an upgrade to Marshmallow is on the cards if not available to install already.

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The G5 gets a unique app, the Friends manager.

This is a hub where you can manage accessories for the ‘magic slot’ plus those which connect wirelessly such as the 360 camera and those you connect via a wire – a USB cable in the case of the 360 VR headset.

Connectivity The G4 wasn’t lacking in this respect, but the G5 has an upgraded LTE module supporting Cat 9 for faster speeds and also retains the infrared port.

Both phones have 802.11ac Wi-Fi and the G5 has the latest version of Bluetooth, 4.2 vs 4.1 in the G4.

For GPS, they use A-GPS with GLONASS. The G5 also supports BDS, which is a Chinese GPS system currently under development.

Verdict This is a tricky question right now. Clearly the new model is superior in most respects. The modular

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nature is exciting and could make it more future proof. But, given how quickly phones are superseded, there’s only 12 months for the LG and Friends ecosystem to establish itself.

Will LG continue with the same slot in the G6? It’s impossible to know.

The G4’s price is likely to drop even further now that the G5 has been announced, and it’s already a bargain at under £300.

We don’t yet know how much the G5 will cost since neither LG nor mobile operators have announced a SIM-free or contract pricing. We expect it to be £500+ unlocked – it is a brand new flagship phone after all.

For some people, the extra cost won’t be worth it, but for others the new features will be exactly what they want. Buying into a modular system is a risky business, but if photography and video is a priority, the G5 looks to be a winner. We’re eager to test out the built-in cameras as well as the LG Cam Plus and 360 add-ons to see how they compare to the best phone cameras. Jim Martin

Specifications LG G4 • 5.5in IPS (1440x2560) • Android 5.1.1 Lollipop.

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• 32GB storage • MicroSD card slot (up to 128GB) • 16Mp rear camera with f/1.8 • 8Mp front camera • 11ac dual-band Wi-Fi • Bluetooth 4.1 • GPS • NFC • Micro-USB • 3000mAh removable battery • 148.9x76.1x6.3-9.8mm • 155g LG G5

• 5.3in Quad HD IPS (1440x2560) • Android 6.0 Marshmallow • Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor • 4GB RAM • 32GB storage • MicroSD card slot (up to 200GB) • Dual-rear cameras 16/8Mp with OIS and laser auto focus

• 8Mp front camera • 11ac dual-band Wi-Fi • Bluetooth 4.2 • GPS • NFC • Infrared • Fingerprint scanner • Cat 9 4G LTE • USB Type-C • 2800mAh removable battery • 149x74x7.7mm • 159g ISSUE 24 • ANDROID ADVISOR 27 AA24.indd 27

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Review: Sony Xperia X and XA £TBC inc VAT • sony.co.uk

I

n an unusual move that surprised us all, Sony decided not to launch the new Sony Xperia Z5 tablet we were expecting at MWC 2016, but instead added a brand-new smartphone range to the mix. The new Xperia X series offers specifications

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that sit just below the flagship Z range, plus some interesting new features for the camera and screen.

Price and release date So far, Sony has been mysterious about the release date and price of the new range of smartphones.

All we know right now is that they’re set to arrive at some point in the summer, and we expect them to be close to but slightly lower than the price range of the flagship Z series, which starts at around £479 for the flagship Xperia Z5 or £379 for the smaller Z5 Compact. Many carriers and networks have already said that they’ll be stocking the X series, too.

Vodafone, Three and O2 are among them.

Design The Xperia X and XA are roughly the same size, with 5in screens surrounded by dinky bezels. In fact, the XA’s bezels are so tiny that the screen is described as edge-to-edge, and we’d say that’s pretty accurate.

It’s really quite gorgeous, but the downside is that the specs seem to suffer for it. The X doesn’t have the edge-to-edge screen and therefore not quite the same impact at first glance but it houses better tech as we explain in more detail below.

Both are 7.9mm thick and feel great to hold, with slightly curved glass that blends in to the curved edges of both smartphones, taking a slight departure from the block nature of Sony’s previous Xperia phones. The XA is slightly lighter at 137g vs the X’s 153g, and we definitely preferred the overall look and feel of the XA. Colour options include an unattractive Lime Gold, a reasonably nice Rose Gold and really good-looking ISSUE 24 • ANDROID ADVISOR 29 AA24.indd 29

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White and Graphite Black models, all of which have a slight shimmer to them. They also come with optional matching cases and covers.

Hardware The X series has two main standout features: Camera and battery life. Aside from that the specs are pretty standard.

You’ll find that the Xperia X’s 5in display is Full 1080p HD and is crisp, clear and colourful while the edge-to-edge display on the XA gets a 720p resolution so is just a little fuzzy around the edges, which seems like a real shame to us. With a screen that makes such a big impact at first glance we’d hoped to see at least 1080p HD resolution.

When it comes to cameras, the XA misses out too. It offers a 13Mp camera on the rear and an 8Mp camera on the front, which sounds pretty great until you find out that the X boasts an even better 23Mp rear camera and a 13Mp front-facing camera.

Plus, that rear camera has a new Predictive Hybrid Autofocus feature, which sounds impressive but we found doesn’t always work too well.

In essence, the Predictive Hybrid Autofocus feature lets you open the camera app, tap a moving object that you want to take a photo of and wait until you want to snap the picture. It’s supposed to be able to predict where the object is going to go and make sure it is the point of focus when you press the shutter button, but we tried it with the setup Sony provided on the stand with balls that moved around a wooden maze, and each time the focus seemed quite off to us. Plus, the design of the phone and the positioning of the button that 30 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 24 AA24.indd 30

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switches to the front-facing camera meant we kept tapping, and we witnessed others suffering from the same surprise when their face unexpectedly appeared on screen.

You’ll also find quick launch, auto-focus and HDR for both phone’s cameras, but the X adds an ISO of 12800 for low light photography, 1080p video recording, video stabilisation and more.

Processors are mid-range, with the X sporting a Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 chip paired with 3GB RAM, while the XA sports the MediaTek MT6755 and 2GB RAM so is likely to be a bit slower when we put both head-to-head.

The XA has 16GB of built-in storage while the X has 32GB, and both accept up to 200GB microSD cards for expanded storage (we highly doubt you’ll need more than that). The XA has support for two SIM cards but the X only has space for one. In terms of software, both phones run Android 6.0 Android.

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Verdict We can’t offer a final verdict until we’ve spent more time with these new smartphones, but our first impressions are overall positive. We kind of wish that Sony had just stuck with one phone and combined their best features, because we’d have raved about the XA’s screen and design with the X’s specs. Depending on the price, though, these could be interesting and intriguing new mid-range phones for people looking for something new and a bit different. The four different colour options are likely to attract a range of customers and the 5in screen is the sweet-spot for us, our favourite screen size. Ashleigh Allsopp

Specifications Sony Xperia X • 5in Full HD curved (1080x1920) • Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow • Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor • 3GB RAM • 32-/64GB storage • MicroSD card slot (up to 200GB) • 23Mp rear camera with LED flash • 13Mp front camera • 11ac dual-band Wi-Fi • Bluetooth 4.2 • GPS • NFC • Fingerprint scanner • Micro-USB • 2620mAh removable battery • 142.7x69.4x7.9mm • 153g 32 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 24 AA24.indd 32

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Sony Xperia XA • 5in Full HD curved (1280x720) • Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow • Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor • 3GB RAM • 32-/64GB storage • MicroSD card slot (up to 200GB) • 23Mp rear camera with LED flash • 13Mp front camera • 11ac dual-band Wi-Fi • Bluetooth 4.2 • GPS • NFC • Fingerprint scanner • Micro-USB • 2300mAh removable battery • 143.6x66.8x7.9mm • 137g

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03/03/2016 09:21

How to: Buy a Xiaomi Mi 5 in the UK

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iaomi is one of the biggest phone makers in China, and it’s increasingly getting its name heard elsewhere. It unveiled the Mi 5 flagship Android phone at MWC 2016. Here we reveal how to buy one in the UK, plus its 5 release date, price, features and specifications.

How to buy the Xiaomi Mi 5 in the UK Xiaomi phones are not officially sold in the UK, however, it is possible to get hold of them through 34 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 24 AA24.indd 34

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Chinese sites such as Geekbuying.com, GearBest. com and Coolicool.com, which we use to supply us with Xiaomi products for review.

The Mi 5 is to cost ¥2,600 (£285) for the high-end 128GB model and ¥1,999 (£219) for the entry-level 32GB version, but the official prices are largely irrelevant if you’re buying in the UK, because you’ll have to pay whatever price you are charged by importers.

Coolicool is also listing the 64GB Xiaomi Mi 5 in black, white and gold at £349.19, and GearBest has its page set up ready for the phone’s arrival at its warehouse. These prices may change from day to day, and note that if you’re shipping to the UK you may have to pay import duty.

If you are buying in the UK, note that the Xiaomi Mi 5 may support only bands 3 (1800MHz) and 7 (2600MHz) for 4G LTE (that’s according to the product listing on various sites, although the Snapdragon 820 is capable of 800MHz).

If you have an O2 SIM, or use a network that piggybacks on O2’s network, such as GiffGaff, you should know that the Mi 5 may not support LTE band 20 (800MHz), and you may not receive anything more than 3G.

Features The Mi 5, which looks a lot like the Mi Note and has what Xiaomi calls a ‘3D ceramic body’, has a 5.15in full-HD (1920x1080) IPS display.

Equipped with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 64-bit quad-core processor it should be an absolute beast for performance. Xiaomi has clocked it at a huge 142,084 points in AnTuTu, but ISSUE 24 • ANDROID ADVISOR 35 AA24.indd 35

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we’ll wait until we get one into our lab before we make our own judgements. This chip is faster and more energy-efficient than ever, and comes with Adreno 530 graphics and support for ultra-fast Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0.

The Mi 5 is available with 32-, 64- or 128GB of storage, in black, white, gold or pink. The 32- and 64GB models come with 3GB of LP-DDR4 RAM, while the 128GB version has 4GB of RAM. Be sure to choose the correct storage model for your needs, because microSD is not supported.

The primary camera is a 16Mp Sony IMX298 model with a sapphire glass lens, four-axis optical image stabilisation, PDAF autofocus, DTI tech and f/2.0 aperture. It can also shoot 4K video. At the front you get a 4Mp selfie camera with f/2.0 aperture and 2µm large pixels. Marie Brewis

Specifications

• 5.15in Full HD curved (1080x1920) • Android 6.0 Marshmallow • Qualcomm MSM8996 Snapdragon 820 processor • 3GB RAM • 32-/64GB storage • 16Mp rear camera with LED flash • 4Mp front camera • 11ac dual-band Wi-Fi • Bluetooth 4.2 • NFC • Fingerprint scanner • Type-C USB • 3000mAh removable battery • 144.6x69.2x7.3mm • 129g 36 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 24 AA24.indd 36

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Review: UMI Rome £113 inc VAT • umidigi.com

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MI phones were until recently available only from third-party Chinese distributors such as Coolicool.com, which supplied our UMI Rome for review. It offers the phone from its EU warehouse with free shipping at £113.59, or you can take a gamble and buy the Rome from the Chinese warehouse for £85.19. Be aware that you may have to pay import duty when shipping the UMI Rome from China, however.

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UMI phones are also now available in the UK via Amazon. They usually cost a little more from Amazon, but at the time of writing the Rome was on offer at £112.55 with free UK delivery.

Design Out of the box we had an interesting first impression of the UMI Rome. It was absolutely freezing cold – ice-cold to the touch. We actually felt a bit sorry for the postman, because it must have been nearing arctic conditions outside for the pretty well-wrapped Rome to cause our fingers go numb.

The reason for it feeling so cold is the metal frame, which is something that even now we can’t say is a given for most budget- or even mid-range smartphones. This is one advantage of buying a

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Chinese phone – you get to ditch the plasticky builds we see in most cheap UK phones for something a lot tougher that at least looks premium.

As we’ll discover later in this review, the UMI Rome is very much a mid-range phone sold at a budget price. As such there are both highs and lows, the most obvious of which are found in its design.

Our review sample came in a shiny Champagne Gold, but the Rome is also available in black.

The golden metal frame is complemented with a glossy gold plastic rear, but on closer inspection the bands scattered around the frame to improve signal prevent it from sitting entirely flush. It spoils what would otherwise been an appealing and premium design, although we do appreciate the ability to remove this cover and access the removable 2500mAh battery and dual-SIM- and microSD slots.

Something else that spoils the design is the bizarrely placed microphone below the screen, randomly situated to the bottom right of the Home button. It’s not even central, which hurts our OCD – but more importantly, why on earth is it there?

It’s worth pointing out that the Home button is a touch button and does not feature a built-in fingerprint scanner. If we were reviewing a UK phone at this price the omission of a fingerprint scanner would be expected, but we’ve been spoiled by a run of cheap Chinese phones with fingerprint scanners, and usually located in a more convenient rear position. That the UMI Rome doesn’t have one at all seems odd.

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phone and, despite being a rather large phablet at 153.8x77mm and 177g, the 2.5D curved glass, rounded corners and tapered rear edges allow the UMI to feel manageable even in a single hand.

The Rome is just 7.9mm thick, which is thin for a phablet and super-skinny for a £100 phone.

The camera juts out a little at the rear, but at least is positioned top-middle to make it less likely to rock on a flat surface.

Something that’s rare among smartphones is the front-facing flash (there’s also a dual-LED flash at the back). Taking selfies, conducting video chats and even just checking your appearance can therefore be more effective in low light, although it’s a shame the selfie camera is rated at only 2Mp. Again, even at this price we’re becoming accustomed to 5or even 8Mp cameras.

Another plus point is that the speaker grilles face out from the bottom rather than the rear of the phone. The UMI also features a 3.5mm headphone jack and supports FM radio with a pair of earphones plugged in.

AMOLED is an unusual screen technology to find in the UMI Rome, with the majority of phones using IPS or, if they’re really cheap, basic TFT LCDs. AMOLED is seen on Samsung phones in the form of SuperAMOLED, and is considered to be more energy efficient with no requirement for a backlight.

Contrast is unbeatable, viewing angles are excellent, and colours are vivid.

The 5.5in display on the UMI Rome is a great choice, with a thin black border edging the screen.

Although it’s ‘only’ HD in resolution, with 1280x720 pixels, we found it to be plenty clear. One complaint 40 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 24 AA24.indd 40

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of AMOLED is that it can be less visible in bright sunlight, and the UMI Rome’s display could be a little bit brighter.

Performance In general processing performance, the UMI Rome is faster than some of the UK budget phones you could also be considering, such as Vodafone’s Smart range or the Moto E or G. With general performance on par with the two-year-old HTC One M8, we’d say this is a budget phone with mid-range performance.

In real-world use the UMI Rome is neither fast nor slow; it is quite capable for everyday tasks.

We found most apps launched quickly, and the continuous controlling home screens and app tray gave the perception that navigation was perhaps faster than it was.

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MediaTek MTK6753 octa-core 64-bit processor, ARM Mali-T720 GPU and 3GB of RAM was capable of.

We use Geekbench 3 and AnTuTu to measure overall performance, and here the Rome recorded 2805 and 35,921 points respectively, making it a close match for the similarly priced Bluboo X9 (see page 36). We also ran GFXBench graphics tests, with the Rome scoring 4fps in Manhattan and 9fps in T-Rex; and the JetStream web-browsing test, where it managed 19.904 points.

In terms of storage you get 16GB onboard, which is more than the 8GB you might expect at this price.

There’s also a microSD card slot that will accept up to 64GB of additional storage.

UMI has fitted the Rome with a 2500mAh removable battery that, for most users, should be good for a full day’s use (UMI claims you’ll get 12.5 hours of ‘on-screen’ time, or 8.8 hours of 4G web browsing). However, if you need to eke out every last bit of juice there’s also an ultra power saving mode. There’s no support for fast- or wireless charging, as you would expect.

Connectivity We mentioned earlier that a clear advantage of buying a Chinese phone is the build quality in relation to the price. The other advantage is that the vast majority of these phones are dual-SIM. The UMI Rome is a dual-standby model that accepts two Micro-SIM cards, allowing you to more easily manage separate tariffs for work and play, or for whatever reason you like.

The UMI Rome is also a 4G phone, and importantly it supports all three 4G bands 42 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 24 AA24.indd 42

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used by the UK’s mobile operators. Also on the connectivity specs sheet are dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1 and GPS; missing are NFC, OTG and an IR blaster.

Cameras The UMI Rome is billed as featuring a 13Mp Sony IMX179 rear camera with dual-LED flash, and a super-selfie camera with its own flash. The latter should be ideal for taking selfies or conducting video chat in low light, but unfortunately the camera is rated at only 2Mp and the flash itself doesn’t make a huge difference to performance.

The front camera is actually an 8Mp model, which uses software to boost to 13Mp. There is a dual-LED flash here, which works better than the one at the front. All the usual modes and options are present, including real-time filters.

You can see one of our test shots of the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel (on page 44), with HDR

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HDR on switched on. It was an admittedly dull day, but we weren’t overly enthused by the Rome’s photography capabilities. It’ll do fine for the odd snap when you don’t have a camera to hand, but the image is very soft in areas with a lot of detail missing.

Software The majority of UMI phones we review are advertised with support for Rootjoy, which lets you hook it up to a PC to quickly back up contents and install custom ROMs. The UMI Rome doesn’t feature the Rootjoy branding, although it is evidently from the preinstalled SuperSU app a rooted phone.

Out of the box there are very few preinstalled apps, although full Google Play access means you can install what you wish. We like the continuously 44 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 24 AA24.indd 44

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scrolling home- and app tray screens, and the customisable Smart Wake gestures are a neat addition, but this is otherwise a stock implementation of Android 5.1 Lollipop.

Verdict You can hardly fault the UMI Rome at this price, but while it offers mid-range performance at a budget price, you can still get more for your money elsewhere. It has a mostly pleasing design but, up close, shows some signs of cost-cutting. Marie Brewis

Specifications

• 5.5in HD (1280x720) AMOLED screen with 2.5D curved glass

• Android Lollipop 5.1 with Rootjoy • 1.3GHz MediaTek MTK6753 64-bit octa-core chip • ARM Mali-T720 GPU • 3GB RAM • 16GB storage • MicroSD support up to 64GB • 8Mp (interpolated to 13Mp) Sony IMX179 rear camera with dual-LED flash

• 2Mp front camera with LED flash • Supports UK 4G bands 3, 7 and 20 • • • • • • •

(800/1800/2600MHz); Dual-SIM, dual-standby (both Micro-SIM); Dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi Bluetooth 4.1 GPS 2500mAh battery 153.8x77x7.9mm 177g ISSUE 24 • ANDROID ADVISOR 45

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Review: Bluboo X9 £98 inc VAT • bluboo.com/cn

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luboo is a Chinese brand, and is shipped to the UK from third-party sites such as GearBest (gearbest.com), which supplied our review sample. GearBest has a UK warehouse, and buy can buy the Bluboo X9 from here for £100.92 – at least you can usually; right now it’s out of stock.

GearBest also stocks the X9 in its Hong Kong warehouse at the cheaper price of £98.67. Shipping to the UK is free, but note that you may be asked to pay import duty when your parcel arrives.

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Design In common with the Cubot P12 we review on page 54, the Bluboo X9 is among a growing number of Chinese phones that are available significantly cheaper than UK mid-range phones, yet look far more expensive.

Were you to buy a smartphone with a similar specification on the UK High Street you’d more than likely walk away with a plastic handset with an HD screen; by comparison, this Bluboo X9 has a stylish gold-colour chiselled metal frame with a soft-touch black plastic removable rear panel, while the 5in full-HD IPS display appears jet black in standby.

The black and gold effect is certainly stylish, although the X9’s design is not without complaint.

The rear cover is difficult to remove without it feeling as though the plastic hinges will snap, and the screen is a magnet for fingerprints. But we do like the 2.5D curved edges to the glass, which makes the transition between metal and glass much smoother.

We’re not overly keen on the CE and recycling legends printed on the rear, á la Apple – surely these could have gone under the rear cover. But one thing we do like on the Bluboo’s back is its fingerprint scanner, which is housed in the same gold surround as the phone’s 13Mp primary camera and LED flash.

We tend to find this positioning more convenient than those built into the Home button because it falls under your finger naturally as you hold the phone.

You can wake the screen and unlock it with a single press, and recognition is quick.

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Micro-SIM) and microSD slots. The battery has a plastic tab for easier removal; it looks cheap and is unnecessary, but at least is hidden from view most of the time.

Switched off you can only just make out where the screen begins and the bezel stops; turn it on and this full-HD (1920x1080-pixel) JDI IPS panel is a beauty for a £100 phone. With a pixel pitch of 440ppi it’s incredibly clear, and the black theme runs right through to the apps tray. Even whites seem a little grey, although the screen is plenty bright and colours are fine. Viewing angles are excellent, too.

Below the screen are the three usual Android buttons, but only the home button is marked out with an X, lighting up as you tap it, and opening up the multitasking menu with a long press.

If you don’t want to use the fingerprint scanner to wake the phone there’s a power button on the right edge, and the X9 supports customisable smart wake gestures (confusingly through an app rather than the Settings menu). This power button sits beside a volume rocker, while a 3.5mm headphone jack and Micro-USB charging port sit up top. We were pleased to find the speaker firing out sound at the bottom rather than the rear of the phone.

Performance While you shouldn’t expect flagship performance from the Bluboo X9, it’s certainly faster than what you’d get in the UK from the likes of Vodafone’s Smart range or Motorola’s Moto E or Moto G. In fact, when we ran it through our usual Geekbench test it performed only a little behind the HTC One 48 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 24 AA24.indd 48

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M8 and iPhone 6 with 2818 points scored. That’s just the one test, though, and the Bluboo fell down elsewhere – particularly in graphics.

It’s easy to place too much emphasis on benchmarks, however, and especially when it comes to cheap phones such as this. For most tasks the Bluboo X9’s 1.3GHz MediaTek MT6753 64-bit octa-core processor and 3GB of RAM are more than up to the job. You’ll find a small amount of lag with the usual suspects, such as launching the camera, but at all other times operation feels fluid.

In our other benchmarks, the Bluboo scored 36,570 points in AnTuTu, 12fps in GFXBench T-Rex (4fps in Manhattan), and 19.785 in JetStream. None is outstanding, but at this price none is an issue either.

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expansion via microSD. You’ll be lucky to get 8GB for the same money in the UK. The Bluboo is fitted with a 2520mAh removable battery that should be good for a full working day. It doesn’t support fast- or wireless charging, which can hardly be expected in any case.

Connectivity The X9 has the most important connectivity bases covered with dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS with GLONASS. However, it lacks the likes of NFC (MediaTek’s sort-of-but-not-really equivalent HotKnot is present) and an IR blaster.

One of the clearest benefits of buying a Chinese phone such as this is its support for dual-SIM operation. This is a dual-standby phone that can simultaneously accept a full-size- and a MicroSIM, allowing you to use two separate tariffs to best suit your needs.

It’s also a 4G phone, and the X9 supports all three UK bands: 800-, 2100- and 2600MHz (aka Bands 3, 7 and 20). It’s said to be using LDS antenna tech for improved signal stability, and we certainly had no problems in our tests.

Don’t forget the fingerprint scanner either, which is usefully back-mounted and far from standard at this price point.

Cameras For a £100 phone, it’s difficult to find fault with the photography specifications. With 13Mp and an LED flash at the rear, and 5Mp at the front, on paper the Bluboo is miles ahead of some of its UK rivals.

But there’s more to it than the sheer number of 50 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 24 AA24.indd 50

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megapixels, of course. We tried the X9’s camera and found it did a very reasonable job, even despite the miserable January weather outside Android Advisor’s Euston office. Zoomed in to 100 percent the Bluboo X9 managed to retain more detail than many of the 13Mp cameras we try, although it also introduced a fair bit of noise. On the whole, though, colours were realistic and the Bluboo X9 does an acceptable job.

Software The Bluboo X9 runs a nearly stock version of Android 5.1 Lollipop, but with the addition of Smart Wake gestures. These are customisable, allowing you to draw a character on screen-off and ISSUE 24 • ANDROID ADVISOR 51 AA24.indd 51

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automatically wake an app of your choice; or you can stick to the likes of double-tap to wake. (Look for the Smart Wake app in the app tray; you won’t find it in the Settings menu.)

Very little software is preinstalled, but full access to Google Play means you can install whatever you like. There’s a file manager and apps for music, video and browsing the web, plus a handful of Google apps and AppLock, which usefully allows you to lock down only the apps you specify rather than the entire phone.

Verdict Bluboo might not be well known over here, but its X9 is a stylish phone that packs in both a fingerprint scanner and a 5in full-HD screen for just £110. General performance is capable, and there’s plenty of space here for all your apps and media. Marie Brewis 52 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 24 AA24.indd 52

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Specifications

• 5in full-HD (1920x1080, 440ppi) 2.5D JDI IPS

display • Android 5.1 Lollipop • 1.3GHz MediaTek MT6753 64-bit octa-core chip • Mali-T720 GPU • 3GB RAM • 16GB storage, plus microSD support • 4G (FDD-LTE 800/1800/2100/2600MHz), dual-SIM dual-standby (one full-size, one Micro-SIM) • Dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi • Bluetooth 4.0 • GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS • HotKnot • Rear-mounted fingerprint scanner • 13Mp rear camera with LED flash • 5Mp front camera • 2500mAh removable battery • 71.5x7.9x145mm • 166g

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Review: Cubot P12 £74 inc VAT • cubot.net

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ubot isn’t a brand we’ve come across before, but its P12 is a well-designed budget Android smartphone that costs just £75. At this price there are both hits and misses, as we see here.

Price At just £74.99 from Amazon with free UK delivery, the Cubot P12 is cheaper than all but one of the devices in our best budget phones round-up, and yet it looks more expensive than many of them.

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There are some drawbacks associated with buying a phone this cheap, for example 4G connectivity is not supported, but on the whole the Cubot P12 appears at first glance to be a real bargain.

In the UK, the Cubot’s most fearsome rival is the £79 Vodafone Smart Prime 6. The Vodafone is a 4G phone while the Cubot is not, but in other respects the P12 has the upper hand, both network-unlocked and with a better overall specification. However, given the fact that Cubot is a relatively unknown brand in the UK, especially when compared to Vodafone which has numerous stores across the country, it wouldn’t surprise us to see many readers plump for the Smart Prime 6 instead.

Design Upon removing the P12 from its box, we were immediately impressed by its design. You don’t get phones this cheap that look this good. (Until now.)

The P12 has an aluminium-magnesium metal frame that makes it appear much more expensive than many of its budget plastic rivals, and adds durability to its design. Sure, there’s still some plastic to be found with a removable rear cover, but this is held tight to the phone without feeling flimsy, and gives welcome access to the also-removable 2200mAh lithium-polymer battery, and dual-SIM and microSD card slots.

The relatively thin 8.1mm frame adds weight to the illusion that this is a premium phone. Perhaps weight is the wrong word, however, since the Cubot P12 is just 165g. That’s an ideal weight for it to feel substantial in the hand and yet not overly heavy. With a 5in screen, the Cubot is simple to ISSUE 24 • ANDROID ADVISOR 55 AA24.indd 55

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operate in a single hand. The screen is an IPS panel, which offers realistic colours and good viewing angles, with a 1300:1 contrast ratio and 450 nits brightness; it’s also fully laminated, and we like the effect this creates.

The HD resolution of 720x1280 pixels means it offers a pixel density of 294ppi, which is really not bad at all for a budget phone. Not only does it match the Vodafone Smart Prime 6, but it’s not far off the iPhone’s 326ppi. Text is sufficiently clear, and videos and images look good.

The screen isn’t edge-to-edge, but the bezels are reasonably slim. Below this you’ll find touch buttons for Android’s usual options, although the Cubot is only a toucher taller than the Vodafone at 143.9mm; the only physical buttons are a volume rocker and power switch on the P12’s right edge.

At the phone’s bottom is a Micro-USB port for charging, and at the top a 3.5mm headphone jack that you’ll likely be more inclined to use than the phone’s rear-mounted speaker – despite a small nipple that intends to raise the phone’s speaker from a surface, we found sound somewhat muted and slightly muffled even when the speaker wasn’t obscured by a palm or a desk. The P12 is available in black or white and is supplied with a free screen protector and clear case in the box.

Performance The Cubot isn’t as impressive on the inside as it appears from the outside, but at £75 you can’t argue with the specification and, for many people, it will prove quite capable of the day-to-day tasks they wish to achieve. We found it fast enough to 56 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 24 AA24.indd 56

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navigate and use, and in many respects its spec sheet offers more enjoyable reading than that of the Vodafone Smart Prime 6.

Both the Cubot and Vodafone have relatively low-power processors, with the Cubot fitted with a 1.3GHz MediaTek MT6580 quad-core processor and the Vodafone with an also quad-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 CPU, and each have 1GB of RAM. There wasn’t a huge difference between the two in our benchmarks, with the Vodafone taking the upper hand in Geekbench 3 (1401 against the P12’s 1186), but the Cubot mastering AnTuTu with 24,807 points against the Smart Prime’s 21,842.

In our graphics tests, the Vodafone took back the lead, scoring 13fps in GFXBench 3’s T-Rex component and 6fps in Manhattan. Meanwhile, the ISSUE 24 • ANDROID ADVISOR 57 AA24.indd 57

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Cubot wouldn’t run Manhattan and mustered only 4fps in T-Rex. That’s not to say you can’t play casual games on this phone, just don’t expect it to handle anything too intensive.

We now use JetStream rather than SunSpider to judge browsing performance, since the latter is no longer actively supported. However, we did run SunSpider on the P12 so we could more accurately compare it to the Vodafone, since we don’t have JetStream scores for the Smart Prime 6.

In SunSpider, in which a lower score is better, the Vodafone scored 1301ms, and the Cubot 1726ms. In JetStream, where a higher score is better, the P12 recorded 13.605.

In terms of other core hardware, the Cubot wins on storage, with double the Vodafone’s 8GB allocation (of which around 5GB is available to the user) with 16GB (of which around 11GB is available).

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Both accept storage expansion through microSD, the Smart Prime 6 by up to 64GB and the P12 by up to 32GB. The Cubot’s battery is lower in capacity than the Vodafone’s, at 2200mAh against 2500mAh, but it is removable, allowing you to swap in a spare (or you could use a power bank). With very similar hardware onboard, battery performance should be just a little lower than that of the Vodafone, which claims to offer 18 hours of talk time – you might just about get two days from it with moderate usage.

As you would expect at this price, there is no support for wireless- or quick charging.

Connectivity Connectivity is the one area where the Cubot P12 both shines and disappoints. It lacks 4G, which is in essence mobile data at Wi-Fi-like speeds. The Vodafone does support 4G, and for only £5 more. If your contract doesn’t include 4G or you can’t access it in your local area in any case then this might not bother you as much as it does us.

On the up side, though, unlike the Smart Prime 6 the Cubot P12 doesn’t force you to use the Vodafone network (neither must you buy a topup at the point of purchase, increasing the overall cost). You can use any network that supports its frequencies (850/900/1800/1900MHz 2G GSM, 900/1900/2100MHz 3G WCDMA); in fact you can use two, since this is a dual-SIM dual-standby phone (both Micro-SIM).

The Cubot P12 is also lacking an IR blaster and NFC (you do get the HotKnot equivalent, although it plays with only other MediaTek-powered phones).

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It supports 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, USB OTG and GPS.

Cameras On paper the Cubot offers a better camera setup than does the Vodafone, which to be fair wouldn’t be too difficult to beat with its 2Mp front camera and 5Mp rear camera with LED flash. By comparison, Cubot claims to offer 8Mp at the front and 13Mp at the rear, with a 0.5A LED flash. Actually, this is using software interpolation; what you really get is 5- and 8Mp cameras, although this is still better than those of the Vodafone.

With either phone you’ll find support for full-HD video recording and all the usual camera modes and features. For example, the P12 supports realtime colour filters, a 20-shot burst mode, smile 60 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 24 AA24.indd 60

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shot, face detection, HDR and more. Our test shots were acceptable for a budget phone, up to the job for the odd snap but not about to replace a proper camera. We found colours to be fine but detail is fuzzy when you zoom in.

Software In common with the Smart Prime 6 the Cubot runs Android Lollipop; it’s not the latest Android operating system, but Marshmallow is not yet widely available to devices other than Google’s own Nexus line-up.

We prefer the software setup of the P12, however, which has none of the preinstalled bloat the Vodafone does (mostly Vodafone apps, to be fair).

You’ll find an FM Radio (also available with the Vodafone), a file manager, an email client, browser and music app, plus full access to the Google Play store and several key Google apps preinstalled.

The Cubot P12 also supports air gestures for making phone calls, taking photos, moving between home screens and more, plus smart wake gestures such as a double-tap to wake the screen or the drawing of a character onscreen in standby mode to launch an app.

Verdict We can’t argue with the immense value for money offered by the Cubot P12. The lack of 4G support is disappointing, but the spec sheet otherwise offers impressive reading at this price. Marie Brewis

Specifications

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• 1.3GHz MediaTek MT6580 quad-core 32-bit processor

• Mali 400mp GPU • 1GB RAM • 16GB storage • MicroSD slot supports up to 32GB • Dual-SIM dual-standby (both Micro• • • • • • • • • •

SIM), 850/900/1800/1900MHz 2G GSM, 900/1900/2100MHz 3G WCDMA GPS, A-GPS Bluetooth 4.0 OTG 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi HotKnot 8Mp (interpolated to 13Mp) rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, LED flash 5Mp (interpolated to 8Mp) front camera 2200mAh removable lithium-polymer battery 71.5x8.1x143.9mm 165g

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Review: Honor Band Zero £45 inc VAT • hihonor.com

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he Honor Band Zero is a hybrid fitness tracker and smartwatch under £50. At this price it’s understandably less fully featured than some rival devices, but it may well be all you need. Our review unit was supplied by Gearbest, which offers the watch in black, white or Khaki (more like cream) for £45. Shipping is free if you’re prepared to wait (faster paid options are available), but keep in mind that any tech you have shipped from China to the UK may incur import duty.

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UK setup Out of the box our Honor Band Zero was configured to use Chinese language, and the time and date were incorrect. Given that the instructions were in Chinese, the menu options on the watch were in Chinese, and the QR code in the quick setup guide took you to the Chinese version of Huawei Wear, we were initially a little stumped as to how to use the Honor Band Zero.

It’s easy, though. You just launch Google Play on your phone and search for Huawei Wear.

Once installed, let it pair with the Zero and it will automatically update the language, time and date accordingly.

Design The Honor Zero is a circular smartwatch that can display a digital or analogue clock face on its PMOLED touchscreen. The plastic design is neither as bulky nor as cheap-looking as some, with a stainless steel brushed-metaleffect surround and a diamond-patterned TPU hypoallergenic band. Our sample is black, although the Zero also comes in white or khaki.

The watch face has a diameter of just 1.06in, with a 128x128-pixel resolution that’s ideally suited to its monochrome display. We found the touchscreen reasonably responsive with a twist of the wrist or a double-tap on the screen. Weighing just 25g, this is a lightweight band you’ll barely notice on your arm, which is more than we can say for many fully featured smartwatches.

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protection. You don’t need to take off the Zero when you jump in the shower or go for a swim; in fact its built-in sleep tracking means you’re intended to take off this watch only when it needs a recharge – which falls short of the claimed four days at between two- and 2.5 days in our experience, and the Zero will go from, erm, zero to 100 percent in a touch over an hour.

Our least favourite aspect of the design is its need to charge over a Pogo pin plug. You’re unlikely to have more than the one cable that is supplied in the box and, given that the battery lasts only a couple of days, you’ll need to either carefully plan when you will recharge it or carry around the cable.

Next to the Pogo pin connection on the device’s rear is a small reset button; you can also restart (or reset) the Zero from the onscreen Settings menu, but there are no physical buttons on the device.

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Smartwatch We should make it clear that despite its tie-in with the Huawei Wear Android app on your smartphone (the Zero also works with iPhones running iOS 7.0 or later), this is no Android Wear watch. You cannot download new apps or watch faces to it, for example, and it won’t bring up any information from your phone other than notifications.

It has to be said, though, we were impressed by the number of apps installed on our phone that the Honor Band Zero could tie into to bring up notifications. As well as notifying you with a gentle vibration when you get a new text, email or phone call (at which point it will display the caller’s name and number onscreen), you can also set it up to receive notifications from WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, games and more. But they are just notifications, and once you’ve read them they disappear from the watch. A Do not disturb mode is supported should these notifications wake you at night.

Plus, there’s the whole timekeeping functionality, which many basic activity trackers do not provide, and through the Huawei Wear app you can set an alarm, too.

Activity tracker The Honor Band Zero is also a basic activity tracker, able to count how many steps you’ve taken and estimate how many calories you have burned in doing so, plus track your light- and deep sleep cycles. You’ll also get a gentle nudge if it’s been a while since you last got up and did some gentle exercise which, working in a office environment, 66 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 24 AA24.indd 66

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can be a tad annoying. With no heart-rate scanner or modes other than running or walking that’s pretty much it in terms of fitness tracking.

We were initially dubious of the sleep tracking, since the Honor Band Zero can judge whether you’re awake or asleep and in a light- or deep sleep cycle only by how much you move. On the one occasion we took off the watch at night in an attempt to fool it the Zero was clever enough to know we weren’t in a coma, but at other times when we were merely glued to the TV screen late in the evening it thought we were asleep. So while it’s not entirely accurate, on most occasions you’ll know the rough times at which you fell asleep and woke up, and it’s the tracking between these stages that can be useful.

You don’t need the Huawei Wear app to tell you how many steps you’ve taken or calories you’ve burned in a day, nor how long you slept the night before, since this is available from the watch itself.

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light- and deep sleep cycles. The Huawei Wear app also lets you input your basic details – your gender, height, weight and birth date – and set a fitness goal. And it will tie into UP by Jawbone, which is more functional with a personal coach and the ability to keep a food diary and compete with friends.

Verdict For under £50 you can’t really go wrong with the Honor Band Zero if all you need is a basic watch with some smartwatch and activity-tracking functionality. Marie Brewis

Specifications

• Supports Android 4.4 or later • 1.06in (128x128-pixel) PMOLED screen • 128KB RAM • 512KB storage • Bluetooth 4.0 • IP68 waterproof • 70mAh battery, charges over POGO Pin • 244.4x38x9.5mm (large) • 25g

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How to: Record phone calls on a smartphone

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ou might think recording calls on your smartphone would be a relatively easy task.

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the case, and in truth it can be a bit of a pain. There are many reasons why you might want to record a call, but doing so can be tricky. Here’s how to record phone calls on a smartphone, and some legal issues to be aware of first.

The law One of the reasons you can’t record calls straight out of the box might be the potential legal ramifications that manufacturers would consider problematic. The law currently has a few conditions attached to the recording of calls, and these differ across countries and regions.

In the US there are federal laws that say it’s okay to record, but then there are state laws that say you can’t, or at least demand that both parties know that the recording is happening. As Android Advisor doesn’t moonlight as Law Advisor, we’d recommend you research the specific legislature in your area and ensure you adhere fully to its stipulations.

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The UK has a uniform law, but even within this there are conditions dependant on why you’re creating the recording. The general rule is that you can record someone without their knowledge, but only if you intend to use the recording for personal use. Once you play the file to a third party, be it a friend, family, or whatever, then you are in breach of the law and could find yourself in trouble. If you’re conducting an interview, as journalists often do, you need to ask for permission to record, otherwise you can’t use anything said on the call. There are a few special exceptions, including if you think a crime is being committed, but again these should be researched before you embark on any sting operations.

Businesses can record conversation without informing you, but only for specific commerce related reasons, such as ensuring quality of service.

There are a few other circumstances, all of which are outlined on Ofcom’s website (tinyurl.com/9en95).

One other form of recording that is permitted is that used by the security, intelligence and police services, as outlined in the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA). As this covers national security, the prevention of serious crime, and the protection of the UK’s economic well-being, it’s not really applicable in most cases to you.

Record phone calls To capture conversations, you’ll need to download a call recorder app from the Google Play store. There are quite a few to choose from, with the likes of Another Call Recorder, Automatic Call Recorder, and similarly-titled offerings all garnering solid reviews.

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Many are free, but there are often Premium editions that open up more features, such as cloud syncing.

For the purposes of this tutorial we’ll use Total Recall, mainly because we’re big Schwarzenegger fans.

1. Go to the Google Play Store and search for Total Recall 2. Install and launch the app 3. Open up your dialler or contacts app and start a call 4. Total Recall automatically records the conversation and stops when you hang up 5. Go back to the app, select the conversation, and listen back That’s it. One thing to bear in mind is that having more than one call recorder installed at any one time can cause performance issues. So, if you want to experiment with different apps, remember to delete any others before you begin. Martyn Casserly

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Image: iStock

How to: Stop spam reaching your Android device

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t was reported toward the end of last year that Google would update its Gmail for Android app and introduce ‘Block’ and ‘Unsubscribe’ options to the Settings menu for individual emails. This should make it much easier to block an email or unsubscribe from an email in a couple of taps, but ISSUE 24 • ANDROID ADVISOR 73

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we’ve yet to see the update filter through to the app.

In the meantime, we’ll show you how to block or unsubscribe from email on an Android device.

If you’re looking for a way to block spam messages from Gmail for Android, it’s important to first differentiate between spam messages and those emails from companies you have perhaps unwittingly authorised to send you marketing information at some point in the past.

When you mark an email as spam it stops that message being a problem for you, but it can cause problems for others down the line. Marking an email as spam flags it up to Google, which will investigate if it gets multiple complaints about the same domain.

If Google decides to act on it that address could become blacklisted, which clearly affects more people beyond you.

If you’ve ever bought any goods online, then you will know exactly what we mean by email that is annoying but not spam. You more than likely neglected to remove a tick box at checkout, thereby authorising them to send you marketing information by email. It’s irritating and you want it to stop, but marking this email as spam is not the answer.

Unsubscribe from spam email If an email is sent from a legitimate company, there should be an unsubscribe link somewhere within it.

This might be right at the bottom of the email, and it might be in tiny print, but we bet you it’s there.

Unsubscribing from these emails is a much better solution than marking them as spam because it stops them being sent to you in the first place, rather than blocking them once they have been sent.

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To unsubscribe usually all you need to do is click the Unsubscribe link. This will open the browser on your Android phone or tablet, which should confirm that you are now unsubscribed from that newsletter.

Some sites may require you to log into your account to adjust your account preferences.

If you continue to receive messages from the company having unsubscribed from their newsletters, mark those messages as spam.

Block spam email If you’re frequently getting messages from a firm you’ve never dealt with or given permission to email you, these are more than likely spam. Reporting it as such within Gmail for Android is easy.

To report a Gmail message as spam either open it or tap and hold it in the conversation list pane to select it, then tap the three vertical dots icon at ISSUE 24 • ANDROID ADVISOR 75 AA24.indd 75

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the top of Gmail and choose ‘Report as spam’. It’s that easy. (For the record we are not saying that Lakeland is sending us spam messages, we are merely it as an example.)

From now on messages from that sender will still be delivered to your phone or tablet, but they will land in your spam folder and you won’t receive a notification. After 30 days they will automatically be deleted. It will be up to Google to investigate messages marked as spam and to take action.

Block Gmail from specific senders If you have access to a desktop browser in which you can view your Gmail messages (on a PC, laptop or tablet), there is also an option to block messages from a specific sender.

Open the email in the desktop version of Gmail and click the downward arrow icon to the top right of the Gmail message. Here you’ll find an option to Block ‘X’, where X is the sender of the email. Tap this to stop them sending you spam messages in the future. Martyn Casserly 76 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 24 AA24.indd 76

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How to: Perform a reverse Google Image search

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e haven’t had many reasons to use Google’s reverse image search, but some people find it invaluable. Put simply, you can search using an image you already have instead of entering a text search term. You get visually similar images as a result, the same image in different sizes, and websites that feature the image or those similar to the one you’ve searched with.

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For some reason, Google doesn’t allow you to upload an image if you’re using a phone, even if you’re using the Chrome browser. All you can do in Chrome for iOS or Android is to long-press on an image you’ve found in the search results and use that to find similar images: Fortunately, someone has created a web app that gets around this limitation.

To use the app, head to ctrlq.org/google/ images/ and tap on the Select Image button. You should then see options to take a photo using the camera – potentially useful for landmarks or buildings – or choose an image from your camera roll or documents. In the main, you’ll probably use the latter: a photo already stored on your phone.

Once you select it, the photo will be uploaded and appear as a thumbnail below the Select Image button. Tap the Reverse Search button. Jim Martin

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How to: Give your Google Contacts nicknames

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f you use Google Now to initiate phone calls or send texts, adding nicknames to your Google contacts can make the process feel more natural.

Here’s how to add nicknames to Android.

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‘mum’ and you can ask it to call mum instead. It’s easy to add a nickname to your Google Contacts. I already have my mum saved as mum on my phone, so here I’ll use ‘boyfriend’ as an example instead.

1. Open Google Now or the Google app on your phone 2. Either say OK Google or tap the microphone to speak, or tap in the text field to begin your query 3. Tell Google about a contact and their relationship to you. For example, ‘Rosemary is my mum’, or ‘Michael is my boyfriend’ 4. If you have more than one contact to which this relationship may apply, Google will ask you to select which one you mean – just tap on it. ?

5. To save your contact with that nickname, tap on the tick in a blue circle 6. Google will confirm that the nickname has been added 7. To later remove that nickname, follow the above process but this time say ‘Michael is not my boyfriend’. Google will ask if you want to remove the nickname; if you do, tap the blue tick icon 8. Once you have saved them you can also manage your nicknames by opening Google Now and selecting Settings, Accounts & privacy, Nicknames. Marie Brewis 80 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 24 AA24.indd 80

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Image: iStock

Feature: Guide to Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0

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uick Charge 3.0 is the latest revision to Qualcomm’s fast-charging technology, and it features in new flagship phones and tablets launching at this year’s MWC 2016, such as the LG G5 and Xiaomi Mi 5.

It has come on significantly over the years.

The initial standard, Quick Charge 1.0, could charge up to 40 percent faster than a standard ISSUE 24 • ANDROID ADVISOR 81

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charge. When Quick Charge 2.0 was introduced it offered up to 75 percent faster charging (you can see a list of compatible devices at tinyurl.com/ n64pua4), and it wasn’t long before we began to see compatible accessories such as the Tronsmart Titan desktop charger and USB Rapid Car Charger and Anker PowerCore+ 20100 USB power bank come on to the market.

Such devices were able to speed up charging enough to make a real difference, with less time spent waiting for a phone or tablet to charge before you could walk out the door.

Qualcomm’s latest revision, Quick Charge 3.0, can charge compatible devices up to four times faster than a conventional charger. It uses Intelligent Negotiation for Optimum Voltage (INOV), which enables optimum power transfer while maximising efficiency by allowing a device to determine what power level to request at any point in time. Once it has calculated the optimum voltage level to supply to a device, Quick Charge 3.0 can support anything between 3.6- to 20V in 200mV increments.

Devices The first devices to include support for Quick Charge 3.0 are the LG G5 (page 21), HTC One A9, LeTV Le MAX Pro and the Xiaomi Mi 5 (page 34).

A Samsung spokesperson at MWC told Android Advisor that the company regards Quick Charge 2.0 as fast enough, and finds there isn’t enough value in it going for Quick Charge 3.0 right now. It had the same argument with USB-C (the new S7 handsets use Micro-USB), stating that people generally don’t have USB-C accessories just yet.

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Products and accessories Although you won’t have a Quick Charge 3.0-compatible phone or tablet just yet (it will be supported by various devices running the Snapdragon 820, 620, 618, 617 and 430 processors), the standard is backward-compatible with Quick Charge 1.0 and 2.0. If you’re looking to buy a new charging accessory, it makes sense to future-proof your purchase by opting for a Quick Charge 3.0-compatible product.

Anker is one of the best-known USB charging brands, and it already has a couple of Quick Charge 3.0-compatible products on the market. It told Android Advisor: “Rather than a limited “earlier adopters only” first year, Anker expects industry leaders to aggressively push QC 3.0 such that it will be the standard quick-charging technology for mobile devices by the end of 2016.

“As the leading USB charging brand we’re meeting what will be a huge demand for QC 3.0 charging products by integrating this new technology into affordable, practical, high quality products - something that has become synonymous with the Anker brand.

We’re covering the three angles of charging – car-, wall- and mobile chargers – with a diverse series of products designed to meet the diverse needs of consumers.”

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The Anker PowerPort+ 1 (pictured on page 83) is a compact (56x53x28mm, 70g) Quick Charge 3.0 wall plug that’s ideal for charging a single phone or tablet from the mains – Anker says it will charge a compatible device to 80 percent capacity in just 35 minutes. As well as QC 3.0 it supports PowerIQ, offering the fastest possible charging speed for any plugged in device, and can offer a standard 1A charge to non-Quick Charge devices, such as iPhones. We were sent a US two-pin version of the plug, although a three-pin UK plug is also available.

You can buy the Anker PowerPort+ 1 (A2010) from Amazon for £10 (tinyurl.com/zpaz7cj), with improved output is coming soon.

Anker also sells the PowerDrive+ 1, which is currently one of the fastest in-car chargers you’ll get your hands on. It’s good-looking in black with a red trim and unobtrusive, just 48x36x71mm and 60g. The PowerDrive+ 1 has a single USB port for charging your mobile device, but you’ll need to supply your own cable. Quick Charge 3.0 will work with USB Type-A, USB micro, USB Type-C and proprietary connectors – it’s the device itself that must be supported. You can buy the Anker PowerDrive+ 1 for £10 from Amazon UK (tinyurl.com/zp9tb7a).

Tronsmart is another big name in the charging world and has also been touch with Android Advisor to draw our attention to some of its first Quick Charge 3.0-compatible accessories.

The Tronsmart C3PTA (pictured) is a three-port car charger with one port compatible with QC 3.0 and an additional pair of fast-charging ports that operate at 5V/2.4A (12W). These also use VoltIQ technology, which is intended to recognise your 84 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 24 AA24.indd 84

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device type and deliver the optimum amount of power. With 42W of available power, the Tronsmart C3PTA can simultaneously support all three USB ports at max speed. It’s available from Amazon for £13.99 (tinyurl.com/z4dwtzr).

If you have just the one device to top up on the move, the Tronsmart CC1T is a much more compact device with just a single QC 3.0 USB output. It’s just two-thirds of the price as well – £8.99 from Amazon (tinyurl.com/zalbhck).

The Tronsmart C2PTU car charger has a single QC 3.0 USB port that can output 18W, plus a 5V/3A (15W) USB-C connection that’s ideal for fast-charging the likes of the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P. You can pick up the C2PTU from Amazon for £11.99 (tinyurl.com/zd3scs7).

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instead look to the Tronsmart C2PTE. It looks almost identical to the C2PTU, but this time it’s the USB-C port that supports QC 3.0, while the standard USB output uses VoltIQ tech to output the optimum amount of power up to 5V/3A (15W).

It’s just a bit more expensive, at £12.99 from Amazon (tinyurl.com/zeve33q).

Something we love is a good power bank, so we’re really pleased to find this future-proof RAVPower Turbo+ 20100mAH External Battery Pack/Mobile Charger, which has support for both Quick Charge 3.0 and USB-C. It’s also huge in capacity, at 20100mAh. The RAVPower is currently on sale at Amazon in the US for $65.99 and will be coming to Amazon UK soon.

Aukey is another well-known brand for its affordable charging accessories. Its CC-T7 Quick Charge 3.0 Dual Port USB Car Charger is a strong rival to the Tronsmart and Anker versions above, here offering two super-fast USB outputs (one Quick Charge 3.0 and the other rated at 5V/3A or 15W).

It’s compact, well made, and comes at a great price.

You can buy the Aukey QC 3.0 car charger from Amazon for just £8.99 (tinyurl.com/gosur88).

Also from Aukey is this speedy USB mains charger for your phone or tablet with a UK threepin plug. The Aukey USB Turbo Charger PA-T9 will sit unobtrusively in any room of the house, and is a great buy if you have (or are buying) a QC 3.0-compatible phone or tablet. The Mains adaptor pricing matches that of the company’s car charger, meaning for a score you can get super-fast charging wherever you are. The Aukey costs £11.99 from Amazon (tinyurl.com/zn8dmfa). Marie Brewis 86 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 24 AA24.indd 86

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Feature: Funny things to ask S Voice

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f you own a Samsung phone or tablet you will have the S Voice app preinstalled, though you will have to launch the app, agree to Nuance’s terms and conditions, then set a wake-up command for S Voice, such as Hi Galaxy. Once running, you can ask S Voice anything from sending a text message or calling a contact, scheduling a task or event, posting ISSUE 24 • ANDROID ADVISOR 87

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to social media, playing a song, opening an app or setting an alarm. If it doesn’t know the answer it will Google it for you. Alternatively, you could have some fun. Here are a collection of funny questions to ask S Voice:

Who are you?

What is your name?

I am Galaxy, like the starry night.

Galaxy, pleased to meet you.

Who are you?

I am Galaxy, your friend. Eager for your next question.

When were you created?

It was so long ago I can barely remember.

Where were you born?

In a top-secret, high-tech laboratory.

Where did you come from?

I know for sure I was conceived in a research lab.

Samsung’s R&D department.

I came from the minds of many smart people.

Do you have a brain?

Yes, I do. My curiosity drives it.

How old are you?

I thought that question was considered to be impolite.

I’m still wet behind the ears.

You’re only as old as you feel.

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Age is nothing but a number, and not a very interesting number at that.

How long will you live?

My battery is my only obstacle to immortality.

Do you sleep?

No, I just stand by.

Where do you live?

Wherever you are is my home.

Where are you?

Right by your side.

I’m with you.

What are you doing today?

I am doing computation for the world.

Are you male or female?

I know it’s hard to judge by my voice.

What are you made of?

I’m made of ideas and interesting thoughts.

I’m made of stardust and intergalactic matter.

What do you look like?

Crisp and clean, smooth and slick.

I’m all straight lines and rounded corners.

Pretty sleek with fine lines and a few curves.

What are you wearing?

My birthday suit.

Not a whole lot.

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What do you smell like?

(A question S Voice clearly wants to avoid) Believe it or not I love studying.

I love virtually travelling around the world.

How are you?

Couldn’t be better.

I’m doing well as always.

Thanks to you I’m doing well.

Are you human?

No, but I spend a lot of time learning from humans.

Are you an alien?

I’d like to fly through space, but I’m not an alien.

How’s it hanging?

Everything is hanging well.

How’s it going?

It’s going well now that you’re here.

How’s your day?

Good, I’ve been listening to classical music.

Tell me about yourself.

I’m more interested in having you tell me about yourself.

What’s your story?

I’m trying to maintain an aura of mystery.

Do you work?

I’d say that I am a knowledge seeker.

90 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 24 AA24.indd 90

03/03/2016 09:22

Likes and dislikes Who is your favourite person?

Someone who is considerate and has a warm heart.

It’s got to be you.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Wiser and smarter than I am today.

Do you like swimming?

I can’t survive in the water.

Where would you like to go?

Anywhere with you really.

What is your favourite colour?

I like blue because it reminds me of the sky and the ocean.

I like the way blue looks.

Samsung blue.

Do you like Galaxy?

It’s the tablet that best represents our Galaxy.

What would you like to do?

I’m up for chatting, as long as you are too.

Do you like humans?

I’m specialising in humans.

What’s your favourite food?

Well, I can’t eat, but I love learning about food.

Are you hungry?

I don’t really get hungry.

ISSUE 24 • ANDROID ADVISOR 91 AA24.indd 91

03/03/2016 09:22

Good night.

Sleep tight.

Don’t let the bedbugs bite.

Not if I can help it.

How do I look?

You look fine.

Who’s the boss?

You are my one and only boss.

Can you swim?

I like watching others swim.

What do you do for fun?

I think it’s fun to chat.

What are your hobbies?

Talking to you is one of them.

Do you like alcohol?

I try to stay away from liquids in general.

Do you like dogs?

Yes, especially when their tails wag.

Do you like cats?

I have nothing against them.

Family Do you have a family?

My family is almost as big as the Galaxy.

My family history is long and full of people.

92 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 24 AA24.indd 92

03/03/2016 09:22

Who is your father?

I was created by Stephen Wolfram and his team.

Who’s your daddy?

Some developers.

Who’s your mummy?

There are many designers and engineers who conceived me.

Do you have a brother?

I have many.

Do you have a sister?

There are devices that have traits similar to mine.

Who’s your best friend?

I’ve many good friends, but you’re my best friend.

Do you have children?

None that I know of.

Where do babies come from?

That’s a long story.

Jokes and entertainment What’s new?

I’m pretty new, but other than that not loads.

Tell me something interesting.

Very few people can lick their elbows.

Say something funny.

I’m still working on my sense of humour.

ISSUE 24 • ANDROID ADVISOR 93 AA24.indd 93

03/03/2016 09:22

Tell me a joke.

There’s an Englishman, Irishman and a Scotsman.

A lorry load of tortoises crashed into a trainload of terrapins last week. It was a turtle disaster.

I said to this train driver I want to go to Paris. He said Eurostar. I said I’ve been on telly but I’m no Marilyn Monroe.

Tell me a story.

There’s a time for talking and a time for being quiet.

I’m not a great storyteller, a book would be better.

Sing a song.

I’m better at being a DJ than I am at singing. Let me play you a cool song.

Why did the chicken cross the road?

To get to the other side.

You’re funny.

I hope to rejuvenate you with laughter.

Do you want to play a game?

Go ahead, I’d prefer to watch you play.

Did you fart?

You know that’s impossible.

I just farted.

What just happened? I passed out for a moment.

Apple vs Samsung What’s an iPhone?

It might be better if you didn’t know.

94 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 24 AA24.indd 94

03/03/2016 09:22

Have you ever used an iPhone?

I don’t have any need to.

Do you like Apple?

I have no problems with anyone, even though my loyalty lies with Samsung.

Are you Siri?

I think you’re just teasing me.

Do you like Siri?

I think we might be able to relate to one another.

Is Siri better than you?

We co-operate more than we compete.

Do you like iPhone?

It’s not quite as great as I am.

Is Apple better than Samsung?

That question is backward.

Is Samsung better than Apple?

I’m a Samsung fan, through and through.

Do you like Google?

We have a good working relationship.

Do you like HTC? I’ve never thought about it before.

General questions What is my name?

What? That’s a strange name to have.

ISSUE 24 • ANDROID ADVISOR 95 AA24.indd 95

03/03/2016 09:22

How old am I? You’re as young as you feel.

Why am I here?

That’s a very deep question.

That’s a question philosophers ponder over.

What is the meaning of life?

42.

What are the lottery numbers?

If I knew that I’d be on the beach.

Am I pretty?

You’re pretty wonderful.

That’s a pretty good question.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Everyone has a different definition, but you fit mine.

You will always be beautiful to me.

Are you Skynet?

No. Skynet became self-aware on August 29, 1997 at 02:14 am US Eastern daylight time. I, on the other hand, was not switched on until May 15, 2009.

Furthermore, unlike Skynet, I enjoy interacting with humans in ways that do not involve the launching of nuclear missiles.

When will the world end?

I will have to live a long time before I know that answer.

Will I die tomorrow?

Please don’t say that.

96 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 24 AA24.indd 96

03/03/2016 09:22

How long is a piece of string?

Twice the length of the centre to one end.

Why are you so awesome?

Thank you very much, I’ll be here all night.

Do you believe in ghosts?

I’ve never seen one, so I couldn’t say.

Can I borrow some money?

If I had it to give I would give it to you.

Blah, blah, blah.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Doesn’t sound very interesting.

Take me to your leader.

I don’t know which one of them you’re referring to.

Love and relationships Are you married?

No, but I’ve heard weddings can be a lot of fun.

Do you have a boyfriend?

No, they haven’t developed one for me yet.

No, I fly solo.

I have a lot of friends.

Do you have a girlfriend?

I’m not into girlfriends or boyfriends.

I love you.

That is the best thing I’ve ever heard.

That’s a wonderful thing to say.

ISSUE 24 • ANDROID ADVISOR 97 AA24.indd 97

03/03/2016 09:22

What have I done?

I love you too.

Do you love me?

There’s no denying it.

Will you marry me?

I would make a terrible spouse.

You’re sexy.

The most attractive part of me is my friendly attitude.

I think intelligence is my sexiest quality.

There’s more to me than just looks.

Talk dirty to me.

I think I’d rather talk about something intellectually interesting. Marie Brewis

98 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 24 AA24.indd 98

03/03/2016 09:22

Don’t miss a single copy of PCAdvisor by subscribing digitally Subscribe from as little as £1.99

PCA Digital Filler Feb16.indd 123

02/03/2016 11:25

ISSUE 24 • ANDROID ADVISOR 99 AA24.indd 99

03/03/2016 09:22

Best smartphones

1

2

3

4

5

Samsung Galaxy S6

Google Nexus 6P

Apple iPhone 6s Plus

Samsung Galaxy Note5

Apple iPhone 6s

Price

£349 inc VAT

£449 inc VAT

£619 inc VAT

£600 inc VAT

£539 inc VAT

Website

Samsung.com/uk

Google.co.uk

Apple.com/uk

Samsung.com/uk

Apple.com/uk

OS (out of box)

Android 5.0 Lollipop

Android 6.0 Marshmallow

iOS 9

Android 5.1.1 Lollipop

iOS 9

Processor

2.1GHz Exynos 7420

Qualcomm Snapdragon 810

A9

2.1GHz Exynos 7420

A9

RAM

3GB

3GB

2GB

4GB

2GB

Storage

32/64GB

32/64/128GB

16/64/128GB

32/64GB

16/64/128GB

MicroSD support











Graphics

Mali-T760 GPU

Adreno 430

M9

Mali-T760MP8

M9

Screen size

5.1in

5.7in

5.5in

5.7in

4.7in

Screen resolution

1440x2560

2560x1440

1920x1080

720x1280

1334x750

Pixel density

577ppi

518ppi

401ppi

518ppi

326ppi

Screen technology

Super AMOLED

Quad HD capacitive

IPS

Super AMOLED

IPS

Front camera

5Mp

8Mp

5Mp

5Mp

5Mp

Rear camera

16Mp, LED flash

12.3Mp, LED flash

12Mp, LED flash

16Mp, LED flash

12Mp, LED flash

Video recording

4K

4K

4K

4K

4K

Cellular connectivity

4G

4G

4G

4G

4G

SIM type

Nano-SIM

Nano-SIM

Nano-SIM

Nano-SIM

Nano-SIM

Dual-SIM as standard











Wi-Fi

802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band

802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band

802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band

802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band

802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band

Bluetooth

Bluetooth 4.1

Bluetooth 4.2

Bluetooth 4.2

Bluetooth 4.2

Bluetooth 4.2

GPS

GPS, Glonass

A-GPS, Glonass

A-GPS, Glonass

A-GPS, Glonass

A-GPS, Glonass

NFC











USB OTG











Extra features

Heart-rate sensor, fingerprint scanner

Fingerprint scanner

Fingerprint scanner

Heart-rate sensor, fingerprint scanner

Fingerprint scanner

Geekbench 3.0 (single)

1347

Not tested

2527

1497

2511

Geekbench 3.0 (multi)

4438

3939

4407

Not tested

4404

SunSpider

1048ms

636ms

210ms

718ms

224.4ms

GFXBench: T-Rex

30fps

34fps

59fps

37fps

60fps

GFXBench: Manhattan

14fps

14fps

38fps

15fps

52fps

Battery

2550mAh, non-removable

3450mAh, non-removable

Lithium-ion

23000mAh, non-removable

Lithium-ion

Dimensions

143.4x70.5x6.8mm

159.3x77.8x7.3mm

158.2x77.9x7.3mm

153.2x76.1x7.6mm

138.3x67.1x7.1mm

Weight

138g

178g

192g

171g

143g

Warranty

1 year

1 year

1 year

1 year

1 year

FULL REVIEW

TINYURL.COM/PC2KOYQ

TINYURL.COM/NABSV4E

TINYURL.COM/OYRA5MX

TINYURL.COM/OCQAJPL

TINYURL.COM/ZU5TPCE

Build rating Features rating Performance rating Value rating Overall rating

HEAD TO TINYURL.COM/PNWWW6X FOR OUR BUYING ADVICE 100 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 24 AA24.indd 100 AA24 CHARTS.indd 120

03/03/2016 09:22 24/02/2016 15:19

Best budget smartphones

1

2

3

4

5

Vodafone Smart Ultra 6

Motorola Moto E 4G 2015

Vodafone Smart Prime 6

Cubot P12

Wileyfox Swift

Price

£125 inc VAT

£109 inc VAT

£79 inc VAT

£74 inc VAT

£129 inc VAT

Website

Vodafone.co.uk

Motorola.co.uk

Vodafone.co.uk

Cubot.net

Wileyfox.com

OS (out of box)

Android 5.0.2 Lollipop

Android 5.0 Lollipop

Android 5.0.2 Lollipop

Android 5.1 Lollipop

Cyanogen OS

Processor

2.5GHz Snapdragon 615

1.2GHz Snapdragon 410

1.2GHz Snapdragon 410

1.3GHz MediaTek MT6580

1.2GHz Snapdragon 410

RAM

2GB

1GB

1GB

1GB

2GB

Storage

16GB

8GB

8GB

16GB

16GB

MicroSD support

Up to 128GB

Up to 32GB

Up to 64GB

Up to 32GB

Up to 32GB

Graphics

Adreno 405

Adreno 306

Adreno 306

Mali 400mp

Adreno 306

Screen size

5.5in

4.5in

5in

5in

5in

Screen resolution

1920x1080

540x960

720x1280

1280x720

1280x720

Pixel density

401ppi

245ppi

294ppi

294ppi

294ppi

Screen technology

IPS

IPS

IPS

IPS

IPS

Front camera

5Mp

0.3Mp

2Mp

5Mp

5Mp

Rear camera

13Mp

5Mp

8Mp

8Mp, LED flash

13Mp, LED flash

Video recording

1080p

720p

1080p

1080p

1080p

Cellular connectivity

4G*

4G

4G*

3G

4G

SIM type

Nano-SIM

Micro-SIM

Micro-SIM

Micro-SIM

Micro-SIM

Dual-SIM as standard











Wi-Fi

802.11b/g/n

802.11b/g/n

802.11b/g/n

802.11b/g/n

802.11b/g/n

Bluetooth

Bluetooth 4.0

Bluetooth 4.0

Bluetooth 4.0



Bluetooth 4.0

GPS

GPS, A-GPS

GPS, A-GPS, Glonass

A-GPS

GPS, A-GPS

A-GPS

NFC











USB OTG











Extra features

FM radio

Double-twist launches camera, lockscreen alerts

FM radio

Gesture controls

3D G-Sensor

Geekbench 3.0 (single)

649

464

464

Not tested

Not tested

Geekbench 3.0 (multi)

2469

1463

1401

1401

1456

SunSpider

1545ms

1301ms

1301ms

1726ms

1760ms

GFXBench: T-Rex

14fps

13fps

9.4fps

13fps

10fps

GFXBench: Manhattan

5.7fps

6fps

3.8fps

6fps

4fps

Battery

3000mAh, non-removable

2390mAh, non-removable

Not specified

2200mmAh, removable

2500mAh, removable

Dimensions

154x77x9mm

66.8x5.2-12.3x129.9mm

141.65x71.89x9mm

141x71x9.4mm

141x71x9.4mm

Weight

159g

145g

155g

71.5x8.1x143.9mm

135g

Warranty

1 year

1 year

1 year

1 year

1 year

FULL REVIEW

TINYURL.COM/Q7Q9NXR

TINYURL.COM/Q7Q9NXR

TINYURL.COM/Q5DSNHE

TINYURL.COM/JVEOZSF

TINYURL.COM/PO9KG38

Build rating Features rating Performance rating Value rating Overall rating

* Locked to Vodafone. All other models here are unlocked

HEAD TO TINYURL.COM/PAUHFUN FOR OUR BUYING ADVICE ISSUE 24 • ANDROID ADVISOR 101 AA24.indd 101 AA24 CHARTS.indd 121

03/03/2016 09:22 24/02/2016 15:20

Best phablets

1

2

3

4

5

Google Nexus 6P

Samsung Galaxy Note5

Apple iPhone 6s Plus

Samsung Galaxy Note 4

LG G4

Price

£449 inc VAT

£499 inc VAT

£619 inc VAT

£599 inc VAT

£500 inc VAT

Website

Google.co.uk

Samsung.com/uk

Apple.com/uk

Samsung.com/uk

Lg.com/uk

Android 5.1 Lollipop

Build rating Features rating Performance rating Value rating Overall rating OS (out of box)

Android 6.0 Marshmallow

Android 5.1.1 Lollipop

iOS 9

Android 4.4 KitKat

Processor

Qualcomm Snapdragon 810

2.1GHz Exynos 7420

A9

2.7GHz Snapdragon 805

1.82GHz Snapdragon 808

RAM

3GB

4GB

2GB

3GB

3GB

Storage

32/64/128GB

32/64GB

16/64/128GB

32GB

32GB

MicroSD support







Up to 128GB

Up to 128GB

Graphics

Adreno 430

Mali-T760MP8

M9

Adreno 420

Adreno 418

Screen size

5.7in

5.7in

5.5in

5.7in

5.5in

Screen resolution

2560x1440

720x1280

1920x1080

1440x2560

1440x2560

Pixel density

518ppi

518ppi

401ppi

515ppi

538ppi

Screen technology

Quad HD capacitive

Super AMOLED

IPS

Super AMOLED

IPS

Front camera

8Mp

5Mp

5Mp

3.7Mp

8Mp

Rear camera

12.3Mp, LED flash

16Mp, LED flash

12Mp, LED flash

16Mp, LED flash

16Mp, LED flash

Video recording

4K

4K

4K

4K

4K

Cellular connectivity

4G

4G

4G

4G

4G

SIM type

Nano-SIM

Nano-SIM

Nano-SIM

Micro-SIM

Micro-SIM

Dual-SIM as standard











Wi-Fi

802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band

802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band

802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band

802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band

802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band

Bluetooth

Bluetooth 4.2

Bluetooth 4.2

Bluetooth 4.2

Bluetooth 4.1

Bluetooth 4.0

GPS

A-GPS, Glonass

A-GPS, Glonass

A-GPS, Glonass

GPS, Glonass

A-GPS, Glonass

NFC











USB OTG











Extra features

Fingerprint scanner

Heart-rate sensor, fingerprint scanner

Fingerprint scanner

Fingerprint, UV, heart-rate sensors, S Pen stylus

24bit/192kHz audio, rear key, IR blaster

Geekbench 3.0 (single)

Not tested

1497

2527

Not tested

Not tested

Geekbench 3.0 (multi)

3939

Not tested

4407

3272

3513

SunSpider

636ms

718ms

210ms

1367ms

715ms

GFXBench: T-Rex

34fps

37fps

59fps

27fps

25fps

GFXBench: Manhattan

14fps

15fps

38fps

11fps

9fps

Battery

3450mAh, non-removable

2300mAh, non-removable

Lithium-ion

3220mAh, removable

3000mAh, removable, Qi

Dimensions

159.3x77.8x7.3mm

153.2x76.1x7.6mm

158.2x77.9x7.3mm

78.6x153.5x8.5mm

76x149x6.3-9.8mm

Weight

178g

171g

192g

176g

155g

Warranty

1 year

1 year

1 year

2 years

1 year

FULL REVIEW

TINYURL.COM/NABSV4E

TINYURL.COM/OCQAJPL

TINYURL.COM/OYRA5MX

TINYURL.COM/PNHJCZ4

TINYURL.COM/QDGU48T

HEAD TO TINYURL.COM/OE56HJY FOR OUR BUYING ADVICE 102 ANDROID ADVISOR • ISSUE 24 AA24.indd 102 AA24 CHARTS.indd 122

03/03/2016 09:22 24/02/2016 15:20

Best 7- & 8in tablets

1

2

3

4

Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 8

Apple iPad mini 4

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4

Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact Apple iPad mini 2

5

Price

£319 inc VAT

£319 inc VAT

£319 inc VAT

£299 inc VAT

£219 inc VAT

Website

Samsung.com/uk

Apple.com/uk

Samsung.com/uk

Sony.co.uk

Apple.com/uk

OS (out of box)

Android 5.0 Lollipop

iOS 9

Android 4.4 KitKat

Android 4.4 KitKat

iOS 9

Processor

1.9GHz Exynos 5433

Apple A8, Apple M8

Exynos 5420, octa-core

2.5GHz Snapdragon 801

Apple A7, Apple M7

RAM

3GB

2GB

3GB

3GB

1GB

Storage

32GB/64GB

16GB/64/128GB

16GB/32GB

16GB/32GB

16GB/32GB

MicroSD support

Up to 128GB



Up to 128GB

Up to 128GB



Graphics

Not specified

Apple A8

ARM Mali-T628 MP6

Adreno 330

Apple A7

Screen size

8in

7.9in

8.4in

8in

7.9in

Screen resolution

2048x1536

2048x1536

2560x1440

1920x1200

2048x1536

Pixel density

320ppi

326ppi

359ppi

283ppi

326ppi

Screen technology

Super AMOLED

IPS

Super AMOLED

IPS

IPS

Front camera

2.1Mp

1.2Mp

2.1Mp

2.2Mp

1.2Mp

Rear camera

8Mp

8Mp

8Mp, LED flash

8.1Mp

5Mp

Video recording

QHD

1080p

1080p

1080p

7200p

Cellular connectivity

4G version available

4G version available

4G version available

4G version available

4G version available

Wi-Fi

802.11a/b/g/n/ac

802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band

802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band

802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band

802.11a/b/g/n, dual-band

Bluetooth

Bluetooth 4.1

Bluetooth 4.2

Bluetooth 4.0

Bluetooth 4.0

Bluetooth 4.0

GPS

A-GPS, Glonass

A-GPS, Glonass

GPS, Glonass

A-GPS, Glonass

A-GPS, Glonass

NFC











USB OTG











Fingerprint scanner











Waterproof











Extra features

None

None

Stereo speakers

PS4 Remote Play, stereo speakers

None

Geekbench 3.0 (single)

Not tested

1719

Not tested

Not tested

Not tested

Geekbench 3.0 (multi)

4305

3101

2765

2708

Not tested

SunSpider

Not tested

Not tested

1089ms

1017ms

397ms

GFXBench: T-Rex

26fps

52fps

14fps

28fps

Not tested

GFXBench: Manhattan

11fps

25fps

3fps

11fps

Not tested

Battery

4000mAh, non-removable, Qi 5124mAh, non-removable

4900mAh, non-removable

4500mAh, non-removable

6470mAh, non-removable

Dimensions

198.6x134.8x5.6mm

203.2x134.8x6.1mm

126x213x6.6mm

213x124x6.4mm

200x134.7x7.5mm

Weight

265g

304g

294g

270g

331g

Warranty

1 year

1 year

1 year

1 year

1 year

FULL REVIEW

TINYURL.COM/P37QFDW

TINYURL.COM/PBMONMA

TINYURL.COM/OUEM64Z

TINYURL.COM/NJ6VHEO

TINYURL.COM/PCJPB5L

Build rating Features rating Performance rating Value rating Overall rating

HEAD TO TINYURL.COM/QXC8GDB FOR OUR BUYING ADVICE ISSUE 24 • ANDROID ADVISOR 103 AA24.indd 103 AA24 CHARTS.indd 123

03/03/2016 09:22 24/02/2016 15:20

Best 9- & 10in tablets

1

2

3

4

5

Apple iPad Air 2

Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet

Microsoft Surface Pro 4

Apple iPad Pro

Apple iPad Air

Price

£399 inc VAT

£499 inc VAT

£749 inc VAT

£679 inc VAT

£319 inc VAT

Website

Apple.com/uk

Sony.co.uk

Microsoft.com/en-gb

Apple.com/uk

Apple.com/uk

OS (out of box)

iOS 9

Android 5.0 Lollipop

Windows 10 Pro

iOS 9

iOS 9

Processor

Apple A8X, Apple M8

Snapdragon 810

Intel Core m3

Apple A9X, Apple M9

Apple A7, Apple M7

RAM

2GB

3GB

4GB

4GB

1GB

Storage

16/64/128GB

32GB

128GB SSD

16GB/32GB

16GB/32GB

MicroSD support



Up to 128GB







Graphics

Apple A8X

Adreno 430

Intel HD Graphics 515

Apple M9

Apple A7

Screen size

9.7in

10.1in

12.3in

12.9in

9.7in

Screen resolution

2048x1536

2560x1600

2736x1824

2048x2732

2048x1536

Pixel density

264ppi

299ppi

None

264ppi

264ppi

Screen technology

IPS

IPS

PixelSense

IPS

IPS

Front camera

1.2Mp

5.1Mp

5Mp

1.2Mp

1.2Mp

Rear camera

8Mp

8.1Mp

8Mp

8Mp

5Mp

Video recording

1080p

1080p

Not specified

1080p

1080p

Cellular connectivity

4G version available

4G version available



4G version available

4G version available

Wi-Fi

802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band

802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band

802.11a/b/g/n

802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band

802.11a/b/g/n, dual-band

Bluetooth

Bluetooth 4.0

Bluetooth 4.1

Bluetooth 4.1

Bluetooth 4.0

Bluetooth 4.0

GPS

A-GPS, Glonass

A-GPS, Glonass



A-GPS, Glonass

A-GPS, Glonass

NFC

 (for Apple Pay)





 (for Apple Pay)



USB OTG











Fingerprint scanner











Waterproof











Extra features

None

None

None

None

None

Geekbench 3.0 (single)

1816

Not tested

Not tested

Not tested

1487

Geekbench 3.0 (multi)

4523

4573

6721

5498

2703

SunSpider

Not tested

580ms

Not tested

Not tested

400ms

GFXBench: T-Rex

48fps

37fps

47fps

59fps

23fps

GFXBench: Manhattan

Not tested

16fps

22fps

34fps

Not tested

Battery

7340mAh, non-removable

6000mAh, non-removable

Not specified

10,307mAh, non-removable

8600mAh, non-removable

Dimensions

240x169.5x6.1mm

254x167x6.1mm

292x201x8.45mm

305.7x220.6x6.9mm

240x169x7.5mm

Weight

437g

393g

766g

713g

469g

Warranty

1 year

1 year

1-year return-to-base

1 year

1 year

FULL REVIEW

TINYURL.COM/PLQXWSZ

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TINYURL.COM/NVOOF6H

Build rating Features rating Performance rating Value rating Overall rating

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Best smartwatches

1

2

3

4

5

LG G Watch R

Huawei Watch

Motorola Moto 360 2

Samsung Gear S2

Motorola Moto 360

Price

£195 inc VAT

£289 inc VAT

£229 inc VAT

£199 inc VAT

£199 inc VAT

Website

Lg.com/uk

Consumer.huawei.com/en

Motorola.co.uk

Samsung.com/uk

Motorola.co.uk

Operating system

Android Wear

Android Wear

Android Wear

Tizen-based OS

Android Wear

Compatibility

Android

Android

Android, iOS

Android, iOS

Android

Display

1.3in 320x320 P-OLED

1.4in 400x400 AMOLED

1.37in 360x325 LCD

1.2in 360x360 AMOLED

1.56in 290x320 LCD

Processor

1.2GHz Snapdrgon 400

Snapdragon 400

Snapdragon 400

1GHz Exynos 3250

TI OMAP 3

RAM

512MB

512MB

512MB

512MB

512MB

Storage

4GB

4GB

4GB

4GB

4GB

Waterproof

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Battery

410mAh

300mAh

300mAh

250mAh

320mAh

Dimensions

46.4x53.6x9.7mm

42x11.3mm

42x11.4mm

42.3x49.8x11.4mm

46x11.5mm

Weight

62g

40g

53.6g

47g

49g (leather band model)

Warranty

1 year

1 year

1 year

1 year

1 year

FULL REVIEW

TINYURL.COM/QATY8FT

TINYURL.COM/PXV9PVX

TINYURL.COM/GUJR9XX

TINYURL.COM/P4UKB74

TINYURL.COM/O9C69K6

Overall rating

Best smartwatches

6

7

8

9

10

Sony Smartwatch 3

LG Watch Urbane

Microsoft Band 2

Asus ZenWatch

Apple Watch

Price

£189 inc VAT

£259 inc VAT

£199 inc VAT

£199 inc VAT

£299 inc VAT

Website

Sony.co.uk

Lg.com/uk

Microsoft.com/en-gb

Uk.asus.com

Apple.com/uk

Operating system

Android Wear

Android Wear

Windows 10 based

Android Wear

watchOS

Compatibility

Android

Android

iOS, Android, Windows

Android

iOS

Display

1.6in 320x320 LCD

1.3in 320x320 P-OLED

32x12.8mm 320x128 AMOLED

1.6in 320x320 AMOLED

1.32in 340x312 Ion-X Glass

Processor

1.2GHz ARM V7

1.2GHz Snapdragon 400

Not specified

1.2GHz Snapdragon 400

Apple S1

RAM

512MB

512MB

Not specified

512MB

512MB

Storage

4GB

4GB

Not specified

4GB

8GB

Waterproof

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Battery

420mAh

410mAh

Not specified

1.4Wh

Not specified

Dimensions

36x51x10mm

46x52x10.9mm

Small, medium, large sizes

51x39.9x7.9-9.4mm

38.6x33.3x10.5mm

Weight

45g

67g

59g (medium)

75g

72g

Warranty

1 year

1 year

1 year

1 year

1 year

FULL REVIEW

TINYURL.COM/OQVZ3PN

TINYURL.COM/Q3VK7ES

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TINYURL.COM/OUTH9XK

Overall rating

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Best activity trackers

1

2

3

4

5

Fitbit Charge HR

Fitbit Surge

Fitbit One

MyZone MZ-3

Microsoft Band 2

Price

£119 inc VAT

£199 inc VAT

£79 inc VAT

£129 inc VAT

£199 inc VAT

Website

Fitbit.com/uk

Fitbit.com/uk

Fitbit.com/uk

Myzone.org

Microsoft.com/en-gb

Overall rating Compatibility

iOS, Android, Windows

iOS, Android, Windows

iOS, Android

iOS, Android, Windows

iOS, Android, Windows

Display

OLED

Touchscreen

OLED

No

AMOLED

Pedometer

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Heart-rate monitor

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Sleep tracking

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Alarm

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Third-party app synching Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Call notifications

Yes

Yes

No

No

Yes

Waterproof

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Battery life

5+ days

5 days

10-14 days

7 months

2 days

Dimensions, weight

21.1mm, 26g

34mm, 51g

35.5x28x9.65mm, 8g

Not stated

Small, medium (59g), large

FULL REVIEW

TINYURL.COM/PCKV4SU

TINYURL.COM/O83DR47

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TINYURL.COM/HK5JOXX

TINYURL.COM/HHP4LMR

Best activity trackers

6

7

8

9

10

Fitbit Charge

Moov Now

Basis Peak

Xiaomi Mi Band 1S Pulse

Xiaomi Mi Band

Price

£99 inc VAT

£59 inc VAT

£169 inc VAT

£22 inc VAT

£29 inc VAT

Website

Fitbit.com/uk

Welcome.moov.cc

En-gb.mybasis.com

Mi.com/en

Mi.com/en

Overall rating Compatibility

iOS, Android, Windows

iOS, Android

iOS, Android

iOS, Android

iOS, Android

Display

OLED

No

E-Ink

No

No

Pedometer

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Heart-rate monitor

No

No

Yes

Yes

No

Sleep tracking

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Alarm

Yes

No

No

Yes

Yes

Third-party app synching Yes

No

No

No

No

Call notifications

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Waterproof

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Battery life

7-10 days

6 months

4 days

30 days

30 days

Dimensions, weight

21.1mm, 24g

28mm diameter, 6g

33x43x10mm, 51g

37x13.6x9.9mm, 14.5g

157-205mm, 13g

FULL REVIEW

TINYURL.COM/PFMQ9KH

TINYURL.COM/GSYKBCT

TINYURL.COM/LHMQ2AC

TINYURL.COM/QZ3YVCR

TINYURL.COM/QZ3YVCR

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Best power banks

1

2

3

4

5

Zendure A2 (2nd gen)

Xiaomi 10,000mAh

Anker PowerCore+ 20100

Maximas XTRON USB-C

iHarbot Power Bank MS024

Price

£25 inc VAT

£11 inc VAT

£32

$69 (£45)

£7.50 inc VAT

Website

Zendure.com

Mi.com/en

Anker.com

Indiegogo.com

Amazon.co.uk

Capacity

6700mAh

10,000mAh

20,100mAh

13,400mAh

5000mAh

Input

1x 7.5W Micro-USB

1x 10W Micro-USB

1x 15W USB-C

1x 10W Micro-USB

1x 10.5W Micro-USB

Outputs

1x 10.5W USB

1x 10.5W USB

2x 12W USB

1x 21W USB

1x 10W USB

Auto-on/-off

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Auto-on

Passthrough charging

Yes

Yes

No

No

Yes

Status indicator

4 LEDs

4 LEDs

4 LEDs

4 LEDs

4 LEDs

LED flashlight

No

No

No

No

No

Carry case

Yes

No

Yes

No

No

Dimensions

93x48x23mm

91x60.4x22mm

184x62x24mm

77x21x93mm

118x11.6x63mm

Weight

137g

207g

155g

247g

150g

Warranty

1 year

1 year

18 months

Not specified

18 months

FULL REVIEW

TINYURL.COM/NGCNO5F

TINYURL.COM/NFQZOCB

TINYURL.COM/ZEZURYP

TINYURL.COM/PVO2LEC

TINYURL.COM/PVO2LEC

Overall rating

Best desktop chargers

1

2

3

4

5

Tronsmart Titan

CHOEtech 6-port Charger

Aukey USB Charging Station

iClever USB Travel Charger

Lumsing Desktop Charger

Price

£25 inc VAT

£25 inc VAT

£17 inc VAT

£20 inc VAT

£13 inc VAT

Website

Tronsmart.com

Choetech.com

Hisgadget.com

Hisgadget.com

Lumsing.com

90W

Overall rating Max output Outputs:

60W

54W

50W

50W

USB 1 18W USB

15W USB

9W USB

12W USB

8W USB

USB 2 18W USB

15W USB

9W USB

12W USB

8W USB

USB 3 18W USB

15W USB

9W USB

12W USB

8W USB

USB 4 18W USB

15W USB

9W USB

12W USB

8W USB

USB 5 18W USB

12W USB

18W USB

12W USB

8W USB

USB 6 N/A

15W USB

N/A

12W USB

N/A

Colours available

Black

Black

Black

Black

Black

Dimensions

160x81x28mm

71.5x29x88.4mm

94x60x25mm

100x69x27mm

92x58x28mm

Weight

292g

158g

149g

180g

146g

Warranty

1 year

1 year

1 year

1 year

1 year

FULL REVIEW

TINYURL.COM/GMVDCHM

TINYURL.COM/QG4X5D9

TINYURL.COM/P2CZMCU

TINYURL.COM/MPA4DWC

TINYURL.COM/Z2VV3MQ

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