oneplus 5 vs galaxy s8 vs iphone 7 plus

oneplus 5 vs galaxy s8 vs iphone 7 plus

outher Unknown   11:15 AM

Not a newbie anymore, OnePlus amassed a huge following in just a few years thanks to its ethos of providing the ultimate performance within a reasonable budget. That budget has been stretched a little further with each generation and the latest model's price tag reads more than $500/€500 for the best-equipped version. Still more affordable than the big guns.

The iPhone 7 Plus is aging, now verging on 10 months old, and rumor has it that it may not be replaced on time to meet the yearly schedule. Either way, it was good enough to serve as inspiration for OnePlus when designing the 5, and it is the incumbent Apple flagship, and we all know how OP is keen on doing bad things to them flagships.

Samsung steps in with the Galaxy S8 one camera short of the other two. Bothe the iPhone and the OP 5 have a pair of cams with zoom capability and some portrait mode trickery. The S8, on the other hand, only has a single cam, and a year-old one too - other than processing tweaks it's the same hardware as the S7's. Which is actually not a bad thing.

We've been on and on about the cameras, but this is going to be a full-blown comparison, not the camera-only shootout we've been known to do on occasion. To get prepped for what's to come check out this quick rundown, or head over to our compare tool for the full scoop.

	OnePlus 5	Apple iPhone 7 Plus	Samsung Galaxy S8
Dimensions	154.2 x 74.1 x 7.3mm, 153g	158.2 x 77.9 x 7.3mm, 188g	148.9 x 68.1 x 8mm, 155g
Waterproofing	No	IP67	IP68
Screen	5.5" Optic AMOLED 1,080 x 1,920px (401ppi)	5.5" IPS LCD 1,080 x 1,920px (401ppi)	5.8" sAMOLED 1,440 x 2,960px (570ppi)
Chipset	Snapdragon 835 (10nm)	Apple A10 Fusion (16nm)	Snapdragon 835 (10nm), Exynos 8895 (10nm)
Memory	6/8GB RAM, 64/128GB storage	3GB RAM, 32/128/256GB storage	4GB RAM, 64GB storage, microSD
Still camera	16MP+20MP (f/1.7+f/2.6)	12MP+12MP (f/1.8+f/2.8)	12MP (f/1.7 DPAF)
Video camera	2160p@30fps, 1080p@60fps	2160p@30fps, 1080p@60fps	2160p@30fps, 1080p@60fps
Selfie camera	16MP (f/2.0, AF), 1080p@30fps	7MP (f/2.2), 1080p@30fps	8MP (f/1.7, AF), 1440p @ 30fps
Loudspeaker	Mono	Stereo	Mono
Battery	3,300mAh	2,900mAh	3,000mAh
Charging	Dash charge (proprietary)	N/A	Quick Charge 2.0 (wired), Qi/PMA (wireless)
Biometrics	Fingerprint	Fingerprint	Iris scanner, fingerprint

There are a few things to note before getting this show on the road. For instance, only the Galaxy S8 boasts a QHD display (with some on top, but that's not the point), while OP and Apple are content with FullHD. Then the OP5 stands out in terms of protection against the elements - it has none, that is, while the 7 Plus is IP67-rated, and the S8 ups the water resistance a notch, securing an IP68 rating.

Meanwhile, the iPhone 7 Plus has as many speakers as the other two, combined - stereo speakers are still much too rare. The Galaxy S8 is the only one with the option for storage expansion - with the other two you're limited to what you get on day one.

In other words, it's tough to pick one on specs alone, although the OS can already be a decider for some. That's also not entirely the point of this three-way fight - it's more like we're shooting to find out if the OnePlus 5 can still rightfully claim the value-for-money crown it once held on to. We'll be kicking it off with a few words on availability and design.

smartphone buyer's guide

smartphone buyer's guide

outher Unknown   11:11 AM

'Tis the season! Or rather, 'Twas the season, because the end of 2017 flew by us while we were putting the final touches on this buyer's guide. So, we are clearly a bit tardy for a holiday shopping guide but that was more or less intentional on our part. What better time for an overview of what are the best phones to get than the start of the year where all major announcements are well behind us and prices have settled after the holiday shopping frenzy.

As goes the tradition, in this guide we will examine all worthy purchasing options on the market grouped by price. We start at the bottom with sub-€100 phones and work our way up to the flagships. Some categories are downright overflowing with options, while others are less busy, but we think we have something for everyone here.

Hopefully, this will make the information really approachable and help even the most remedial smartphone shoppers out there. Normally, we advise you to pick a price category and also read through the category above and below. This way you make sure you're not spending too much for the features you want or you're not missing out on something great that's just a few bucks above your target budget.

If you are not sure how to make sense out of all the features offered by the smartphones this year, Angie quite recently prepared a nice video, where she explains which are the most important aspects to consider when getting a smartphone so you are not overpaying for features you might not need or appreciate.

The industry push towards mid-range value continues and we have some great phones in the €200, €300 and €400 categories. These get better and better with each passing year and are already at a point where they can all provide a really solid smartphone experience. Long forgotten are the days when mid-rangers all had glaring weaknesses that would drive even a less demanding user insane.

That said, the upper echelons are still where geeks and power users will be doing their shopping, and they have no shortage of options either. In fact, 2017 provided a surprisingly strong flagship roster. All major players have delivered stellar devices - there are no overheating issues, downright poor cameras or sub-par builds to limit the choice.

Still, there's a less exciting financial observation to be made as well. With top-tier devices officially breaking through the mental, as well as quite literal financial bar of $1,000 MSRP, there is no denying the smartphone realm is changing. One of the most notable smartphone trends of the year is the increase in the average price of the most popular phones.

However, while digging deep through listings and offers, we also noticed a disturbing trend of some older devices, becoming more expensive than they were six or so months ago. This means we might just be experiencing a very subtle price hike all throughout the industry, following in the footsteps of the new-found triple-digit flagship price tags.

Before we let you explore the jungle of phones - a few tips are in order. For each device, we've put down the most important specs so that you don't have to bounce between this page and the phone's specs page. We've also listed any potential issues we see with each phone. Those are certainly not deal-breakers, as otherwise the phone wouldn't have been listed in the first place.

We've reviewed many of the phones mentioned here, and for them, we can offer even more insight. This includes screen brightness, battery life, chipset performance, and the cons section is more detailed too.

xiaomi Mi Mix 2 review

xiaomi Mi Mix 2 review

outher Unknown   11:07 AM

Introduction

Full-view, full screen, bezel-less, tri-bezel-less, FullView, FullVision, Infinity Display - whatever you and your favourite manufacturer decides to call it, the new trend is clear - bezels are so 2016! In the build-up to the flexible display revolution and potentially a long-overdue renaissance of mobile phone design, impressive display aspects and proportions seem to be the most exciting alternative to the boring "slab" form factor.

Any way you cut it, Xiaomi and the original Mi Mix need to be acknowledged in any such design-trend analysis. While last year's model is technically not the first to employ a bezel-less design, its implementation definitely made a big splash on the mobile scene. A pretty progressive one at that, essentially spearheading the new trend.

We have to hand it to Xiaomi. When good value is the game, it has proven more than ready and capable of manoeuvering in a tough market. Equally so, when its time to show off, the Chinese overachiever has a tendency of going all in.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 key features

• Body: Four-side curved ceramic body and metal frame on the regular, Ceramic unibody on the Special edition, Corning Gorilla Glass 4
• Display: 5.99-inch IPS LCD, 1080x2160px (18:9), 403 ppi
• OS: Android 7.1. Nougat with MIUI 9 on top
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, 4x2.45GHz + 4x1.9GHz Kryo, octa-core CPU, Adreno 540 GPU, 6GB RAM, 8GB in the Special edition
• Storage: 64GB, 128GB or 256GB internal (Only 128GB available for the Special edition)
• Rear Camera: 12 megapixels, f/2.0, PDAF, OIS (4-axis), two-tone LED, 4K video
• Front Camera: 5 megapixels, f2.0, 1080p video
• Connectivity: 4G VoLTE, Dual SIM, Bluetooth 5.0, dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11ac, A-GPS/GLONASS, BDS, NFC, USB-C port
• Battery: 3,400mAh non-removable, Quick Charge 3.0 fast charging support
• Misc: Fingerprint sensor

Main shortcomings

• No SD card slot
• No 3.5mm audio jack
• No ingress protection

The Mi Mix 2 takes after its flamboyant predecessor in most ways. However, Xiaomi has also dialed back on some aspects this time around and arguably managed to deliver a more sensible and approachable handset. As great as the original was, it was simply out of reach for most, be it for financial, availability or even practical reasons.

In its second version, the Mix gets a traditional earpiece above the display, in place off the expensive and kind of finicky under-display one of the original. While this hasn't harmed the bezel-less look all that much, it definitely brings costs down. The same goes for the new bill of materials. Ceramic still adorns the back plate of the base Mi Mix 2 model, but now you have to shell out for the Special Edition to get the frame in ceramic as well.

This is all a textbook case of product maturity, if we ever saw one. Refined and no longer in incredibly short supply, Xiaomi now has the means to offer the Mix design to a wider audience and with a RMB 3,299 (€420) starting price - almost $100 less than the launch price of the original. Internal hardware value has been allocated better this time around as well. Besides offering up the Snapdragon 835 powerhouse and a choice between 6GB and 8GB of RAM, combined with equally opulent storage options, up to 256GB, Xiaomi has brought in a major camera upgrade as well.

Armed with a 12MP Sony IMX386, OIS-enabled module, the same one inside the Mi 6, the Mi Mix 2 leaves the sub-par shooter of its predecessor in the dust. Even the 5.99-inch FullHD+ (2160x1080p) display, arguably makes more sense, with its increasingly standard 18:9 aspect ration.

sony xperia z5

sony xperia z5

outher Unknown   11:01 AM

NETWORK	Technology	GSM / HSPA / LTE

LAUNCH	Announced	2015, September
	Status	Available. Released 2015, November

BODY	Dimensions	154.4 x 75.8 x 7.8 mm (6.08 x 2.98 x 0.31 in)
	Weight	180 g (6.35 oz)
	Build	Front/back glass, aluminum frame
	SIM	Nano-SIM
		- IP68 certified - dust/water proof over 1.5 meter and 30 minutes

DISPLAY	Type	IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
	Size	5.5 inches, 82.4 cm2 (~70.4% screen-to-body ratio)
	Resolution	2160 x 3840 pixels, 16:9 ratio (~806 ppi density)
	Multitouch	Yes, up to 10 fingers
	Protection	Scratch-resistant glass, oleophobic coating

PLATFORM	OS	Android 5.1.1 (Lollipop), upgradable to 7.0 (Nougat)
	Chipset	Qualcomm MSM8994 Snapdragon 810
	CPU	Octa-core (4x1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 & 4x2.0 GHz Cortex-A57)
	GPU	Adreno 430

MEMORY	Card slot	microSD, up to 256 GB (dedicated slot)
	Internal	32 GB, 3 GB RAM

CAMERA	Primary	23 MP (f/2.0, 24mm, 1/2.3"), phase detection autofocus, LED flash, check quality
	Features	Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, HDR, panorama
	Video	2160p@30fps, 1080p@60fps, 720p@120fps, HDR, check quality
	Secondary	5.1 MP, f/2.4, 1080p, HDR

SOUND	Alert types	Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones
	Loudspeaker	Yes, with stereo speakers
	3.5mm jack	Yes
		- 24-bit/192kHz audio - Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic

COMMS	WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, hotspot
	Bluetooth	4.1, A2DP, aptX
	GPS	Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS/ BDS (market dependant)
	NFC	Yes
	Radio	FM radio, RDS
	USB	microUSB 2.0 (MHL 3 TV-out), USB Host

FEATURES	Sensors	Fingerprint (side-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer
	Messaging	SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, IM, Push Email
	Browser	HTML5
		- Fast battery charging (Quick Charge 2.0) - ANT+ support - Xvid/MP4/H.265 player - MP3/eAAC+/WAV/Flac player - Document viewer - Photo/video editor

BATTERY		Non-removable Li-Ion 3430 mAh battery

MISC	Colors	Chrome, Black, Gold, Pink
	SAR	0.43 W/kg (head)     0.81 W/kg (body)
	SAR EU	0.47 W/kg (head)     0.47 W/kg (body)
	Price	About 450 EUR

TESTS	Performance	Basemark OS II: 2073 / Basemark OS II 2.0: 1687 Basemark X: 24281
	Display	Contrast ratio: 966 (nominal), 2.525 (sunlight)
	Camera	Photo / Video
	Loudspeaker	Voice 66dB / Noise 65dB / Ring 66dB
	Audio quality	Noise -95.9dB / Crosstalk -95.5dB
	Battery life	Endurance rating 66h

you can watch this : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrHPhFMWhjY