It’s been a slow process, but the Internet of Things is finally paying off, and suddenly, it feels like everything has an internet connection and a smart assistant. Everyone loves it when their cutting board has an app to critique their knife skills, but it does mean your phone has to do a lot more heavy lifting, and the brains and brawn behind that come from Qualcomm!
It’s only been a few weeks since my review of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5, which included a comparison of the Z Fold5 to the Google Pixel Fold. With the launch of the OnePlus Open, we now have a third 2023 full-size foldable to explore. Finally, we are getting real U.S. market competition in this exciting smartphone-to-tablet category! Offering impressive specs that include highly capable cameras, the largest foldable inner and main displays in their class, 16GB RAM, 512GB storage, and the current top-of-the-line Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform, the Open offers more for less with little compromise.
Good morning! I’m in Ft. Worth today with Michael Josh Villanueva of GadgetMatch and Marcel Campos of OnePlus for an Open Table Talk following the OnePlus launch event in India. In advance of my full review, which will be posting in the next day or two, you can join us to learn more about this exciting new US foldable and enter to win your own!
Back in 2019, Motorola ushered the era of the folding flip phone with the nostalgia-infused (but ultimately flawed) Moto Razr. The next year, the company followed suit with the Moto Razr 5G, and Samsung refined the idea with its Galaxy Z Flip and Z Flip 5G. But it wasn’t until Samsung launched the Galaxy Z Flip3 in 2021 that the folding flip design finally gelled.
This year marks a significant shift for Samsung, a company with five generations of the Z Fold series under its belt. What sets this year apart is the emergence of new competitors in the US market, with the Google Pixel Fold already making its presence felt and an upcoming OnePlus foldable on the horizon. With these fresh contenders in the arena, the question naturally arises: Now that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 isn’t necessarily the only choice, is it still the best choice for someone who wants a phone that can unfold into a tablet?
During their keynote titled “Unfold Tomorrow,” CEO George Zhao introduced the Honor Magic V2 as the brand’s slimmest and lightest inward-foldable smartphone. Not content to announce only one impressive new foldable at IFA, Zhao then segued to the Honor V Purse. This outward-foldable smartphone concept was described as blurring the lines between technology and fashion. While the Magic V2 seems like the natural progression for Honor’s foldable line, the V Purse concept (if ever made) will be a tougher sell that begs answers to many immediate questions.
Hey, are you on the hunt for a flip phone that’s not only compact but also folds like a champ? Well, guess what? The OPPO Find N3 Flip might just be your dream come true! Freshly announced today and already up for pre-sale in China, it won’t be long before they spill the beans on when the rest of the world can get in on the action.
TCL has made some really impressive phones that punch well above their category. They’re budget devices loaded with eye-popping screens and excellent cameras. Now TCL is adding a new angle to what makes their phones great by combining it with a different area of screen expertise — NXTPAPER’s paper-like screens on the TLC 40 NXTPAPER Series!
The next big thing is always around the corner in the tech world, and artificial intelligence is the newest and most exciting innovation. Sure, AI can power ChatGPT and other engines, but it can also make devices more efficient, learn our habits to adjust our tech to meet our needs, and even improve everything from emailing to photography. MediaTek is looking to help boost that to the next level with their partnership with Meta, Facebook’s parent company, to use the Meta Llama 2 LLM (Large Language Model) to bring on-device generative AI to our pockets and homes.
If you’re a fan of Google Pixel devices, as I am, and you’re curious about their first folding device, you’re going to want to check out these deals on the Pixel Fold from Verizon. I’ve had the 512GB version in Obsidian for a couple of weeks, and I really like it!
Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event is coming up on July 26th, and to celebrate, Samsung is bringing back its Galaxy Experience Space in locations around the world, including one at 50 W 34th St in Herald Square in New York, which will run from Wednesday, July 26th and running through Sunday, August 20th.
If you haven’t yet upgraded to the OnePlus 11 5G and are a Genshin Impact fan, your wait has paid off. For just $50 more than the regular price of the OnePlus 11, on July 21st, you can order the OnePlus 11 5G X Genshin Impact Custom Gift Box. This limited collectible will only be available in an edition of 1000, so you’ll likely have to act fast to score one!
Connectivity isn’t just about being able to post fun selfies on Instagram. It’s a lifeline to a world that’s become increasingly digital. So it’s become incredibly important to offer 5G at every phone level, whether the budget line or the ultimate flagship. MediaTek aims to bring 5G to the masses, and they’re getting one step closer with the new MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ series!
We’re in an era where there’s a plethora of phone options, especially for Android phones. If you need a bigger screen, a sharper camera, or a more pocketable device, there’s one out there to fit your criteria. We had the chance to test the new Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G, and the camera blew us away!
We depend on our phones for so much, and the baseline expectation of what you expect just keeps getting higher. Luckily, Qualcomm is ready to keep up with the demand, and they’re consistently refining their Snapdragon platform, from the highest flagships to everyday devices. Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 is coming to bring the power to more budget-friendly devices worldwide!
The OnePlus Nord series is known for mid-range smartphones that deliver better-than-expected cameras, impressive performance for their class, vibrant displays with fast refresh rates, ample RAM, and features that are generally found on more expensive models; the new OnePlus Nord N30 5G is no exception. The unlocked N30 features a refined slab style, a 108-megapixel main camera, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G processor, 8GB RAM (adjustable to 16GB), 128GB user memory, a 5,000mAh battery, and more for just $299.99. Read on to see if this might be a good choice for you.
Realme is known worldwide for offering feature-rich smartphones at affordable prices, and their latest model, the realme 11 Pro+ 5G, is no exception. Available in China last month and soon to be available in India and Europe (and available in the US if you don’t mind using a reseller), the 11 Pro + 5G boasts a 200-megapixel camera, 5,000mAh battery, 100W fast wired charging, and impressively, the base memory option starts at 8GB RAM and 256GB storage for well under $500.
We get quite a few good phones in the USA, but there are a lot of great devices out there beyond our borders. Vivo makes phenomenal phones, and we were given the chance to check out the Vivo V27 and V27 Pro devices. Are they worth seeking out if you have access in your country or if you’re willing to buy on the gray market? Read on to find out!
I reviewed the CZUR Fancy Pro scanner some time ago and was impressed. So I was excited when the company reached out about an Indiegogo campaign for their newest product, the StarryHub AI projector. As they explain, “This revolutionary device combines a high-resolution projector and camera, offering an unparalleled immersive and interactive experience.” Let’s take a look.
Remember the satisfaction of snapping your Motorola Razr flip phone back in the day? In 2019, the brand reinvented the Razr as a full Android Smartphone with a folding display, and now they’ve announced the next iteration with the motorola razr+.
As car interiors get more advanced, vehicle electronics rely on the same technologies found in today’s smartphones, like advanced AI, 5G connectivity, and computing capabilities. MediaTek and NVIDIA have just announced a partnership at Computex that will provide a complete range of AI cabin solutions for the next generation of software-defined vehicles to meet the demand for smarter vehicles.