Android – SoFun

Huawei P30 Pro Android Smartphone review

REVIEW – I purchased the Pixel 2 XL back in October of 2017 and liked it quite a bit. But WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity issues had me trying alternatives over and over again only to go back to the Pixel because I couldn’t find a phone I liked better enough to spend the cash. I’m happy to say that after trying the Samsung Galaxy S10+, Pixel 3 XL, Essential Phone, The iPhone X Max, and others, that I finally found a phone that I’ve stuck with… the Huawei P30 Pro. Let’s take a closer look.

What is it?

The P30 Pro is Huawei’s flagship Android smartphone.

Hardware specs

Processor: HiSilicon Kirin 980 Octa-core, 2600 MHz, ARM Cortex-A76 and ARM Cortex-A55, 64-bit, 7 nm
OS: Android (9.0 Pie), Huawei Emotion UI
Cellular: LTE (FDD): Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 32
LTE (TDD): Bands 34, 38, 39, 40
UMTS: 800, 850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz
GSM: 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
Data: LTE-A, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA
GPU: Mali-G76 MP10
Screen: 6.47-inch, 19.5:9, 398 ppi (1,080 x 2,340)
RAM: 6GB/8GB
Storage: 128GB/256GB/512GB
Bluetooth: 5.0
Wi-Fi: 802.11 a, b, g, n, ac, dual-band
Battery: 4,200 mAh
Cameras: 40MP + 20MP + 8MP rear + ToF / 32MP front
Dimensions: 158 x 73.4 x 8.4mm
Weight: 192g

What’s in the box?

Huawei P30 Pro
Protective case
USB charger (UK version) and USB cable
USB-C earbuds
SIM removal tool

Design and features

My first impression after taking the P30 Pro out of the box was that it reminded me a lot of the Samsung Galaxy S10+ due the curved sides of the display and sleek style. The top of the phone is all screen and there are also no buttons other than the virtual nav buttons. There isn’t even a speaker grill for your ear, but I’ll talk more about that later.

The back of the phone has a long camera bump with 3 lenses. Next to the bump is an LED flash and a ToF camera. What’s a ToF camera? This article on Pocket-lint explains it pretty well.

The left side of the phone is buttonless, while the right side has a one-piece volume button with a power button below it.

Along the top edge of the Huawei P30 Pro, you will find a microphone and an IR transmitter so that you can use the phone as a universal remote using the included Huawei Smart Remote app and your AV equipment.

On the bottom edge of the phone is the SIM card tray, another microphone, the USB-C port, and the speaker.

The SIM card tray has two sides, one side is for your regular SIM card and the other side can hold Huawei’s proprietary nanoSD card.

Display

Unlike the Huawei P20 that I reviewed last year, the P30 Pro does not come with a pre-installed screen protector which would have been a welcomed feature due to the curved edges.

The P20 Pro’s screen is bright, vibrant, crisp, and clear to my eyes. It has a small teardrop-shaped camera cutout in the top center of the display that doesn’t bother me in the least.

If you dive into the display settings, you’ll find options to turn on a blue light filter, manual adjustments for the color mode that allow you to switch between normal and vivid modes and color temperature settings of default, warm or cool settings. You can also manually choose between the screen resolution of HD+ which is 1550 x 720 or FHD+ which is 2340 x 1080. Or you can toggle Smart resolution which will automatically lower the resolution to save power.

Fingerprint reader

Several months ago I bought the Samsung Galaxy S10+ to replace my Pixel 2XL. The phone was really nice, but the reason I ended up sending it back was the in-screen fingerprint reader. It didn’t work at all for me. So when I read that the P30 Pro also had an in-screen fingerprint reader, I was pretty sure the experience wouldn’t be any different from the Samsung’s. I’m happy to say that I was wrong! The in-screen fingerprint reader on the P30 Pro is AWESOME and works 99% of the time for me which is unheard of when it comes to me and fingerprint readers.

The P30 Pro also has face recognition, so if for some reason it can’t read my thumbprint, my face unlocks the phone. I couldn’t be happier.

When it comes to the look and feel, I can’t complain about the P30 Pro. Although I don’t care about curved screens, it hasn’t caused me any issues. This phone is well made with a solid feel and premium look and feel. I can’t crush it when I do my Gadgeteer squeeze test, so I think it’s built to last.

I even dropped from about 3ft onto the concrete floor in my garage this week and it survived with only two scuffed corners – I didn’t have it in a case at the time. My bad. The next day I put the free case that shipped with the phone back on it.

Camera

The Huawei P30 Pro has a unique camera setup. On top is the 20MP ultra wide angle lens with a 40MP SuperSpectrum camera below that, and a horizontally placed 8MP periscope telephoto lens at the bottom. Next to that trio of cameras is an LED flash with the tiny ToF camera below that. The ToF camera helps with portrait mode pics.

Zoom!

The 5x zoom on this camera is pretty impressive. Check out the pics above which I took a couple of weeks ago during a vacation to Red River Gorge in Kentucky. Note that if you zoom in to the max, that it’s pretty tough to find your subject when you’re zoomed in that far and details definitely suffer. A tripod is really needed if you plan to use the zoom feature.

Wide angle

Night

32GB selfie cam

Everyday shots look great!

Just like the P20, I love the P30 Pro’s camera. Some might say that the colors are a little too vibrant especially when you use it in HDR mode, but I think the pictures look great.

Audio quality

You would think that as a flagship phone, that Huawei would have gone all out of the audio capabilities of this phone. So you might be surprised that the P30 Pro does not have stereo speakers. It only has one downward firing speaker that is located on the bottom right edge.

If you’re looking for the speaker earpiece for calls, you’re not going to find one because the speaker is actually under the display just like the fingerprint reader.

Is the lack of stereo and a traditional speaker grill for your phone a big problem? Nope, not really. Ok, maybe just a little bit when it comes to calls. But for the main speaker, I rarely listen to music through a phone’s speaker, so wired or Bluetooth earbuds are no problem. But for calls, I do notice that even at maximum volume, that I sometimes wish the sound was louder. Usually, this is when I’m in a noisy environment. If I’m home, there’s no issue.

Software and user interface

Like the P20, the P30 Pro ships with Huawei’s own interface skin that’s called EMUI. EMUI doesn’t make Android look that much different from stock, but it adds extra features like the ability to take screenshots by knocking twice on the screen with your knuckle. You can also knock once and then draw an S to take a scrolling screenshot for really long pages. There’s even a built-in tool to record a screencast.

One thing I don’t like about Huawei is that they include their own versions of the stock Android apps like a browser, app gallery, compass, calendar, clock, calculator, etc. I don’t use any of these apps because I prefer Google’s versions. So it’s annoying that I can’t uninstall them.

Carrying over from the P20, there’s a cool feature that allows the P30 Pro to easily connect to a monitor or projector if you have a USB-C HDMI, VGA, DVI dock adapter. Just plug it in and it will let you choose if you want to mirror the phone display or use a full-screen user interface on the larger screen. In full-screen mode, it’s like the Samsung DEX Station without paying for the extra hardware. It worked great with my BenQ PD2710QC DesignView 27-inch Designer Monitor.

The user interface in full-screen mode is easy to use just like Windows or MacOS and it reinforces my dream of one day using my phone as my one and only computer.

As an added feature, when the P30 is connected to a monitor or projector, the phone’s screen will turn into a touchpad that you can use to move the cursor around on the screen. Otherwise, you’ll have to use your finger or a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard.

Using the Huawei P90 Pro for phone calls

I didn’t have any issues making and receiving calls on the T-mobile network with this phone. Even when I’m in my office (basement) of my house, the phone holds a signal and I’ve yet to have it drop a call.

As far as call audio quality, the volume level on the receiver’s side has been fine. On my side, I’ve wished for a little more volume, especially when trying to hear the other side of the conversation when I’m in a noisy environment.

Overall performance and battery life using the Huawei P30 Pro for day to day tasks

During a typical day, I use my phone to make and receive calls (shocker!). Make and receive text messages, play a rousing game or two of Words With Friends, check my email, send emails, read books, surf, listen to music through Bluetooth earbuds, take pictures for reviews that I’m working on, and occasionally watch a video on YouTube. For all those tasks, the P30 Pro performs wonderfully. Apps open quickly, webpages load quickly, everything works at the speed I’ve come to expect from a smartphone.

When it comes to battery life, the Huawei P30 Pro can easily get me through the day and when I need to top it off before going to bed (I don’t leave my phone plugged in overnight), it recharges quickly either by plugging it directly into power with a USB-C cable, or charging it wirelessly on a wireless charger like the Satechi Aluminum Type-C PD & QC Wireless Charger.

Speaking of charging, the P30 Pro supports reverse charging which allows you to use the phone as a wireless charger for another device that supports wireless charging. Just put the P30 Pro face down and it becomes a wireless charging pad.

What I like

Camera
Battery life
Fingerprint reader
Wireless charging
A clear case is included in the box

What needs to be improved

In screen speaker for calls could be improved as far as volume
No micro SD card slot
Mono speaker
Not officially available in the US

Final thoughts

After trying several phones over the past 2 years, it’s the Huawei P30 Pro that has taken the spot as my daily driver. It has every feature I want in a flagship smartphone. It has a nice display, excellent fingerprint reader, wireless charging, great battery life, a fullscreen desktop mode when connected to a monitor, and an excellent camera. There’s only one downside to this phone and it’s the fact that it’s not officially supported here in the US. That didn’t stop me from buying one though and I’m happy that I did.

Price: $909.00 from Amazon
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The Huawei P30 Pro for this review was purchased with my own funds.

Filed in categories: Featured Items, Reviews

Tagged: Android, huawei, Smartphone

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

Doogie S90 Modular Android smartphone review

REVIEW – If you have a job that requires you to be outdoors in the elements, or in harsh environments, a ruggedized smartphone is a necessity. Trouble is that there just doesn’t seem to be many rugged smartphones on the market these days. I do have one to show you today though and it’s built like a tank on steroids. It’s the Doogee S90. Let’s check it out.

What is it?

The Doogee S90 is a ruggedized Android smartphone that isn’t just built to withstand tough environments, it’s also designed to be modular so that the functionality can be expanded.

Hardware specs

Processor: MediaTek Helio P60 octa-core 2Ghz
GPU: Mali G72 MP3 graphics processor running at up to 800MHz.
OS: Android 8.1 Oreo
Display: 6.18″ 1080 x 2246 pixels
Memory: 6GB RAM 128GB storage
Camera: 16 MP (rear) 8 MP (front)
Protection: IP68, IP69K, and MIL-STD-810G
Qi charging capability
Battery: 5050mAh
Height: 3.8 in Width 1.99 in
Weight: 10.8 oz. alone, 15.6 oz. with the extended battery module attached

What’s in the box?

If you opt for the Super bundle, the S90 and modules come packaged in a zippered rigid suitcase which is a nice touch.

Doogee S90 smartphone
Extended 5000mAh battery module (installed on the camera in this photo)
Night vision camera
Walkie talkie module & antenna
USB-C to OTG adapter
USB-C to 3.5mm headphone jack adapter
USB-C cable
Power adapter (EU style)
SIM card removal tool

Doogee is also going to offer a gamepad module but one wasn’t included with my review sample.

Design and features

First of all, the Doogee S90 is probably not a phone that a typical person would want to buy because it’s quite heavy at about 11 ounces. The heft comes from the rugged housing. This phone is built like a tank. It has a raised metal frame around the display so that a fall on a flat surface won’t crack the screen.

The back of the S90 is designed to allow for a variety of modules to attach to the back of the phone by using magnets to securely hold the module in place. This feature reminds me of Motorola moto mods for their moto Z series of Android smartphones.

The back of the phone also has dual LEDs that turn the phone into a flashlight. Below the camera lenses is a fingerprint reader.

But the problem is that when you attach the extended battery module, the fingerprint reader is covered making it no longer accessible. This really didn’t bother me because, like many phones I’ve reviewed, the fingerprint reader didn’t work well for me.

By itself without any of the modules attached to the Doogee S90, the phone weighs 10.8 ounces, but add a module like the extended battery and oh boy, it becomes super heavy at 15.6 ounces which is practically a pound.

The left side of the phone has the SIM card and micro SD card tray. The tray is recessed which makes it harder to eject than traditional phones. Included with the phone is a special SIM ejection tool that has a little hook at the end that you can use to pull out the tray.

Be aware that the Doogee S90 is a GSM phone so it will only work with GSM carriers in the US like T-mobile and AT&T (sorry Verizon). I did all my testing with this phone on the T-mobile network.

In addition to the SIM tray on the left side of the phone, there’s a custom key that you can program to perform shortcuts or launch apps. The key can be programmed to do different things based on one press, a double press, or a long press. It’s handy, for example, to program a double press to toggle the flashlight on and off.

The opposite side of the phone has three buttons, the one on the left is a dedicated shutter button to snap a picture when the camera app is open. The middle button is the wake/power button, and the button on the right (which would be the top of the phone) is the up/down volume button.

The ports on the S90 are protected from dirt and dust with covers, like the USB-C port on the bottom edge of the phone. Note in the image above, the extended battery module is attached to the phone.

I find charging port covers to be annoying to use every time I want/need to charge the phone’s battery. Luckily, the S90 can also be charged wirelessly if you have a Qi wireless charger. Note, that you’ll need to remove the extended battery in order to charge the phone on a wireless charger.

Display

The S90’s display is bright, crisp, and has vivid colors. I had no issues with touchscreen sensitivity and I enjoyed watching video, reading text, etc while testing this phone. The display is very nice.

Audio quality

The S90’s speakers are located on the bottom part of the back of the phone. Even at full volume, audio sounds clear and crisp. I enjoyed listening to video using the built-in speakers. You might be wondering if the modules will block the speakers. I’m happy to report that the extended battery and the camera modules do not block the speakers. However, the walkie talkie module does cover them.

Camera

The Doogee’s camera does a respectable job and I was surprised by how nice the images turned out. I’m not going to trade the S90’s camera for the one in my Huawei P30 Pro, but the shots weren’t bad at all.

Modules

The walkie talkie module turns the phone into an app powered communicator that will let you listen and transmit on a frequency range from 409.75 mhz – 409.9875mhz.

I played around with the module and the app but all the testing was one sided since I didn’t have anyone to talk to.

The night vision module is pretty cool. It’s able to take pictures in total darkness without using a flash. Here are some before and after samples.

The images are super grainy but still cool none the less.

Software and user interface

The S90 runs on Android v8.1.0 (Oreo) so it doesn’t have the latest version of the OS and it’s also not promised that it ever will receive any OS updates or even security updates. That said, the interface is relatively the same as regular Android if you don’t mind the silver, bronze, and black theme / icons.

Using the Doogee S90 for phone calls

I can’t comment on how well the S90 works on other networks like AT&T, but I didn’t have any major issues making and receiving calls on the T-mobile network with this phone except when I’m in my office (basement) of my house. For some reason, this phone seems to have issues holding on to the cell signal down there and on several occasions, people have tried to call me and have gotten my voice mail.

As far as call audio quality, the volume level and clarity on both sides of conversations have been just fine.

Overall performance and battery life using the Doogee S90 for day to day tasks

During a typical day, I don’t do anything too crazy with my phone. I use it to make and receive calls. Make and receive text messages, play a rousing game of Words With Friends, check my email, send emails, read books, surf, and occasionally watch a video on YouTube. For all those tasks, the S90 performed flawlessly. Apps open quickly, webpages load quickly, everything works at the speed I’ve come to expect from a smartphone.

When it comes to battery life, the Doogee S90 feels like it never runs out of juice. This is especially through if you use are using the phone with the extended battery module which adds an extra 5000 mAh to the phone’s built-in 5050 mAh battery. The phone will stay on standby for days and days between charges.

What I like

Affordable
Rugged
Expandable with modules

What needs to be improved

Heavy
Allow the extended battery to charge wirelessly

Final thoughts

Should you buy the Doogee S90? That’s the $400 question. Why $400? That’s the price of this phone. Just going by price alone, the S90 is a decent deal. Especially when you consider how rugged the phone is and the great battery life when using the extended battery module. The issues with the phone come from not knowing if it will be supported with security and software updates. My guess is that it’s very doubtful it will ever get Android v9 (Pie). That means you’ll have to ask yourself if running the latest OS version is as important as an affordable rugged Android smartphone that comes with some interesting modules. I’ll be sticking with my Huawei P30 Pro and later in the year plan to get the latest Pixel. But that’s because I personally always want the latest and greatest. What about you? Would you consider a phone like the Doogee S90? Let us know in the comments below.

Price: $399.99
Where to buy: Doogee
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Doogee.

Filed in categories: Featured Items, Reviews

Tagged: Android, Smartphone

Doogie S90 Modular Android smartphone review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 16, 2019 at 10:00 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

Palm Companion review

REVIEW – When I first heard the news that Palm was coming out with a new phone, I was super excited because I’ve been a big fan of Palm devices since they started the PDA revolution with the PalmPilot eleventy million years ago. But then I read that the small credit card-sized Palm Companion was not designed to be a stand-alone smartphone, but a type of sidekick to your existing main smartphone.

The Palm Companion is meant to be a lightweight small phone that you can take with you that won’t demand your attention all the time like your primary phone. It’s supposed to help you stay present and not keep your eyes on your phone when you’re with your friends and family.

As displays get larger and more cameras are added to our smartphones, it means the overall dimensions of the phone expand until you need cargo pockets to carry it. If you’ve ever wanted to leave your bulky phone at home and carry a much smaller phone but don’t want to hassle with switching out SIM cards, the Palm Companion phone is a possible option… maybe. Let’s take a look.

What is it?

The Palm Companion is a small smartphone that uses Verizon’s Numbershare service to share the same phone number as your primary iPhone or Android smartphone. The idea is that you can take this smaller pocket-friendly phone with you when you don’t want to carry your bulkier larger smartphone. You’ll still receive texts, alerts and phone calls on the smaller device which will sync between the two phones even if the primary phone is turned off.

What’s in the box?

Palm Companion
Pre-installed SIM Card (4FF)
Wall Adapter/USB Cable/USB Connector
Quick Start Guide

Hardware Specs

Processor MSM8940, Octa-core 4 x 1.4GHz + 4 x 1.1GHz
Display 720 x 1280 pixels
Memory 3 GB RAM
LTE Advanced With 50% faster peak speeds in more than 450 cities from coast to coast
World Device Works in over 200 countries depending on your plan
Camera 12 MP
Usage Time – Up to 7.5 hrs
Height 3.8 in Width 1.99 in
Battery 800mAh

Design and features

To me, the Palm Companion looks like a miniature version of the iPhone X. It has two pieces of black glass with curved corners and a brushed metal filling sandwiched between them. The only difference is that it’s itty bitty, and runs the Android operating system instead of iOS. That said, you can use the Palm with an iOS device. But there is a caveat. You won’t be able to use iMessage for your text messages. You’ll have to use Verizon’s Messages+ app on the Palm companion if you want to receive a copy of the messages sent to the primary phone too. Google Messages works for sending messages through the Palm, but incoming messages only seem to come through the Verizon Messages+ app. For most die-hard iOS lovers, that will be a big problem. Because iPhone users shun the green bubble.

Look at that camera lens with the LED flash. Even that looks like the iPhone X.

The top edge of the device has a microphone.

The opposite end has another microphone and a USB-C charging port.

Then on the right side, you’ll find the SIM card slot. The Palm Companion has it’s own SIM card, but it uses the same phone number as your primary phone.

On this side of the phone is the power/wake button which also lets you summon the Google assistant if you double press it.

Yes, there are a couple of things missing. There isn’t a physical volume button or a headphone jack. There’s also no fingerprint reader and no home button. The Palm Companion actually uses facial recognition, PIN, or a pattern to unlock the phone.

Display

The display is bright, vivid, and crisp. But it’s only 3.3 inches, which means it’s tiny and might be too small for older eyes to read text and larger fingers to press icons and send text messages.

Camera

What can I say here? It has a camera on the front and on the back. You can take pictures with it but the pictures will not impress anyone. They are soft, blurry, and yeah.

Software and user interface

The Palm Companion runs Android version 8.1.0 but the interface is different than other Android smartphones. The Palm has a scrolling list of icons that are full sized and shink as you scroll through them. The interface reminds me of the Apple watch. But other than that difference, you have access to the Play store and can install other Android apps that you like.

Special features

Life Mode is a special Palm feature that lets you decide what will get your attention. Think of it as a more powerful do not disturb feature. It turns on Airplane Mode every time the screen is off, unless you’re on a call, streaming music or using GPS. When you wake your screen, your Palm becomes fully connected again and you can control which apps notify you when you wake up the device.

Quick Action menus provide easy access to popular actions by holding down on an icon from the home screen. In the image above, you see the quick action menu when pressing and holding the Gmail icon. Not all apps have a useful quick action menu, but most of the popular apps like Gmail, Twitter, Spotify, and others do.

Gesture pad is sort of a throwback to Palm’s Graffiti feature from days gone by. With this option, you can search and launch apps by drawing the first letter of the app. To use it, you have to swipe up on the left side of the screen from the lock screen.

Missing features

Although the Palm Companion is meant to be a mini-me to your primary phone, it is missing an important feature – mobile hotspot. That’s right, you can’t use this little phone as a hotspot.

Audio quality

If you’re in a quiet room, the audio quality is fine. But I find it really inconvenient not to have physical volume buttons. This is especially true while in a phone call because to change volume you have to take the phone from your ear to adjust the volume slider on the phone’s screen. Bah!

Using the Palm Companion for phone calls

What can I say, it looks like a phone and it works like a phone. Just be aware that if you have both the primary phone and the Palm Companion with you and you don’t have the Palm set to not respond to calls or texts when the screen is off if you get calls or text, both devices will ring and or ping.

Overall performance and battery life using the Palm Companion for day to day tasks

I found that the Palm Companion felt slow and sluggish performing most tasks from launching apps, to updating apps, and even unlocking with Face ID.

Battery life wasn’t impressive either. It’s actually worse than that, it’s awful You’ll definitely need a charge cord handy for this little phone because the battery capacity matches the phone’s size. The loaner I had barely lasted a 4 hrs before the battery was depleted. I guess if you don’t actually use the phone for anything then the battery will last longer… Ummm… yeah.

What I like

Pocket friendly
Shares primary phone number
Cute

What needs to be improved

The screen is too small for texting
Cameras aren’t stellar
Mobile hotspot feature is missing
iPhone users can’t use iMessage
The phone feels sluggish and battery life is short if you actually use the phone

Final thoughts

I understand the idea behind the Palm Companion, which is to offer a smaller sidekick to your primary phone that you can take with you when you don’t want to carry your heavier phone and you don’t want to be as bothered by notifications and calls. The problem is that the Palm Companion runs Android and it has all (most) of the same features as your main smartphone. You can take calls, send text, watch YouTube, read news, etc. So where is the advantage as far as not having a device that will demand your attention? Sure, you can turn on the Lifemode feature, but I’m still not convinced that this little phone is all that useful. The battery life is horrible and it’s just too small if you actually do want to read and/or text people. In my opinion, a better option would be a totally dumb phone that only receives calls and texts.

Price: $349.99 + $10/month for the Verizon NumberShare service
Where to buy: Verizon Wireless
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Verizon Wireless.

Filed in categories: Featured Items, Reviews

Tagged: Android, Palm

Palm Companion review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 17, 2019 at 11:00 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

LG V40 ThinQ smartphone review

REVIEW – It’s been a while since I reviewed an LG smartphone and the new LG V40 ThinQ is a good one to break that dry streak. This phone features 5 built-in cameras if you can believe that! If you’re asking yourself why anyone needs a phone with 5 cameras, you would be asking yourself the same question I did when this phone was first announced. Are 5 cameras better than 2 or 3 cameras which seems to be the norm these days? Let’s find out.

What is it?

The V40 ThinQ is a smartphone from LG that runs on Android v8.1 Oreo.

What’s in the box?

LG V40 ThinQ
Travel Adapter & USB Cable
Quick Reference Guide

Hardware specs

Processor: 2.8 GHz Octa-Core (Qualcomm®SnapdragonSDM845)
Operating System: Android 8.1
Memory: Internal: 64 GB RAM: 6 GB, microSDXC support (up to 2 TB2)
Display: 6.4” QHD+ OLED FullVision Display 3120 x 1440, including notch
Network: CDMA, GSM, UMTS, LTE Frequencies: 1.9 GHz CDMA PCS, 800 MHz CDMA; GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz; UMTS850/900/1900/2100 MHz; LTE Bands 2/3/4/5/7/13/20/28/46/66 Data Transmission: LTE, EVDO Rev
Camera (rear): 12MP Telephoto Zoom, 16MP Super Wide-Angle, 12MP Standard
Camera (front): 5MP Wide, 8MP Standard
Connectivity: Bluetooth: 5.0, 802.11 b/g/n/ac
Battery: 3,300 mAh Lithium Ion, quick charging and wireless charging compatible
Dimensions: 6.25H x 2.98W inches
Weight: 5.96 oz

Design and features

At first glance, the LG V40 ThinQ looks like all the other smartphones that are currently on the market. It has a display with a notch (love it or hate it) at the top and virtual buttons at the bottom of the display. There are no physical buttons on the front of the phone.

At the top of the phone are two front-facing cameras. One is the standard lens and another one is a wide angle lens so you can show more in your selfies.

Flip the phone over and you’ll be greeted with 3 camera lenses, an LED flash, and a fingerprint sensor.

The left side of the phone has individual volume buttons and a Bixby… I mean Google assistant button below it. And just like Samsung’s Bixby button, this button is kind of annoying. I always seem to press it by mistake when I’ve meant to press the volume buttons while in a call.

On the opposite side of the LG V40 ThinQ, you’ll find the power button and the SIM card tray.

The SIM card tray holds the SIM and a microSD card for expanding the phone’s file storage.

Along the bottom edge of the phone, you’ll find a 3.5mm headphone jack, a microphone, a USB-C connector, and a speaker.

On the top edge, you will find another microphone.

The LG V40 ThinQ is a solid phone and didn’t cave in to my Gadgeteer squeeze test. Nope, no flexing, creaking, or cracking was observed.

Display

The V40 ThinQ has a bright, crisp display with vibrant colors. I have no complaints at all about the quality of the display and as far as the notch goes…

I think it’s time for people to get over the “stigma” of the notch. It’s here to stay folks, get used to it. I never really could understand why some people hate it in the first place. It doesn’t bother me in the least.

But if you’re someone who just can’t accept the notch, you can hide it by changing the color scheme of what LG is calling the “second screen” in the settings.

LG lets you squeeze as much info as possible on the display by allowing you to hide the virtual nav buttons at the bottom of the display. See that little dot on the left side of the nav bar? If you tap it twice…

You can see that the buttons are gone. Need to get them back? Just swipe up from the bottom of the display and tap the dot again.

The LG V40 ThinQ has of my “must have” features in a phone which is an always on display. What does that mean? It means that you can use your phone as your clock/watch because it displays the time of day and some notification icons on the screen when the phone is idle.

You can even customize the clock face style, add 2 clocks if you like to keep track of 2 time zones, or even add a picture. Turning on the always-on display feature will use more battery life, but I think it’s worth it.

Fingerprint scanner

My alien DNA must be getting weaker because the last few phones that I’ve tested with fingerprint scanners have all worked great for me. If you’ve been following my smartphone reviews over the years, you’ll remember that I had trouble using them until I bought the Pixel 2 XL. That seemed to be the turning point. Since then I’ve had really good luck with scanners. The one of the V40 ThinQ is placed in the perfect location – on the back of the phone, and it works consistently for me.

If you have probs with fingerprint scanners like I used to, you can always switch to typing a passcode, pattern, or even using face recognition which works without even pressing a button, just pick up the phone, look at it, and it will unlock. It’s a bit slower than the iPhone XS Max though.

Camera

More is always better right? That must be what LG was thinking when they decided to put 5 separate camera lenses in the V40 ThinQ. There are 3 camera lenses on the back and 2 on the front. Check out these sample pics using the standard lens on the back. Click to see the full-sized image.

I think the colors are true to life and the macro capability and sharpness really excite me.

I also love the wide angle and telephoto lenses. Here are some more samples.

I’m standing in the same location to take all 3 pics.

Same with the images above.

Then there are the front lenses.

By default, the built-in software softens your features because my skin isn’t that flawless in real life. You can also change settings to make your face look thinner. The software does do a decent job blurring the background for selfies.

You can also choose to change the style and color of the portrait background. The software does have a little trouble making a perfect cutout of your head sometimes. Check out the right side of my cheek in the first pic to see what I mean.

Software and user interface

LG has their own “skin” called UX 7.1 on top of Google’s stock Android user interface. The differences over stock Android Oreo interface aren’t too different though. There’s the virtual button hide feature we already talked about above, the ability to have scrolling home screens that list your apps instead of an app drawer.

You can also add a pop-out sidebar that can have a quick access panel of your favorite contacts, screen capture tools, media controller, and app shortcuts.

Audio quality

The LG’s down firing speaker sounds good when listening to music or watching videos without using headphones. Even at full volume, audio sounds clear and crisp.

Using the LG V40 ThinQ for phone calls

For the most part, I’ve had no issues making and receiving calls on the Verizon network with this phone except when I’m in the basement of my house. For some reason, this phone seems to have issues holding on to the cell signal down there and on several occasions, people have tried to call me and have gotten my voice mail.

As far as call audio quality, the volume level and clarity on both sides of conversations have been just fine.

Overall performance and battery life using the LG V40 ThinQ for day to day tasks

When it comes to performance, I think the LG V40 ThinQ does very well and felt comparable to other phones I’ve reviewed recently. That’s not a huge surprise since most phones are all running with the same Qualcomm® Snapdragon 845 processor.

This phone has a 3300mAh battery that easily kept it running for a full work day of normal use and with wireless charging, it is convenient to keep it topped off. With my typical usage level, I had no problems with battery life.

What I like

Multiple camera lenses for wide angle, telephoto, etc.
Always on display
Headphone jack
Free 2nd year warranty

What needs to be improved

Runs on an older version of Android instead of the latest version

Final thoughts

I wasn’t sure what to expect with the LG V40 ThinQ, but I have to say that I’ve been impressed with this phone. It has every feature I want and need in my daily smartphone. It has snappy performance, good battery life, nice display, and an excellent camera(s) for the types of images I take. My only knock on this phone is that it didn’t come with Android v9 (Pie). But without the latest and greatest version of Android, I still think the LG V40 ThinQ is a great phone and one I would seriously consider if I were in the market to replace my current Android smartphone.

Price: $979.99
Where to buy: Verizon Wireless
Source: The loaner sample for this review was provided by Verizon Wireless.

Filed in categories: Featured Items, Reviews

Tagged: Android, Smartphone

LG V40 ThinQ smartphone review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 29, 2018 at 8:06 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

HUAWEI MediaPad M5 Android tablet review

When it comes to buying an Android tablet, there aren’t many choices if you are looking for a premium device. Sadly, even Google themselves have gotten out of the tablet category, which is a real shame. If you haven’t been a fan of the expensive glass-backed tablets from Samsung, I have another option for you to consider. It’s the HUAWEI MediaPad M5, and it’s a beauty.

What is it?

The MediaPad M5 is actually a series of Android tablets from HUAWEI that include an 8.4-inch, and two 10.8-inch tablets. One of the 10.8-inch versions of the tablet is the Pro version. I was sent the 10.8-inch regular version of the M5 for this review.

Hardware specs

OS: Android 8.0 Oreo
CPU: 2.1GHz Kirin 960 Series Chipset
Memory: 4 GB RAM+32 GB ROM, or 4 GB RAM+64 GB ROM
microSD card slot
Display: 2560 x 1600 pixels, Enhanced ClariVu 10.8-inch display
Network: LTE FDD/LTE TDD/WCDMA/GSM (Enabled only on the CMR-AL09 version)
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, 2.4 GHz & 5 GHz
Camera: Rear camera: 13 MP, F2.2, Auto Focus (PDAF), Front camera: 8 MP, F2.2, Fixed focus
Audio: Quad stereo speaker, HUAWEI Histen sound effect, Harman Kardon audio certified, Supports Hi-Res Audio
Battery: 7500 mAh Quick Charge 9 V/2 A
Dimensions: 10.18 x 6.76 x 0.29 inches (258.7 mm x 171.8 x 7.3 mm)
Weight: 1.1lb (About 498 g)

What’s in the box?

HUAWEI MediaPad M5 10.8-inch Android tablet
Charger
USB Type-C Cable
USB Type-C to 3.5 mm headset jack adapter cable
Eject pin for the microSD card holder
Quick Start Guide
Warranty card

Design and features

The HUAWEI MediaPad M5 is a big beautiful tablet. Although I wish it had ultra-thin bezels like the HUAWEI P20 smartphone that I reviewed recently, I can deal with the relatively narrow bezels that it does have.

The MediaPad has the HUAWEI logo on the bottom edge with the tablet when you are using it in landscape orientation and the fingerprint reader is on the right edge.

In landscape orientation, the front-facing camera and status LED are located along the top edge above the display.

The back side of the MediaPad is made of aluminum that has a smooth feel. It’s so smooth that the tablet is pretty slippery. So you will definitely want to consider some type of back cover or case if you purchase this device.

The right side of the tablet (in landscape orientation) has a one-piece volume button at the top and a smaller power button below it. Also on that side is the microSD card slot. There is an issue with the location of these buttons when you use the tablet in portrait mode because the buttons end up on the bottom edge of the device which is the opposite side I would expect them to be. Granted, the MediaPad is designed to be used primarily in landscape orientation. That said, even in that orientation, the fingerprint reader seems to be is in a strange location on the right side of the display. However, the location of the fingerprint reader works out for a reason you’ll understand when I talk about navigating the user interface.

Along the bottom edge of the MediaPad is a set of built-in speakers that have been tuned by Harman Kardon and provide 360-degree surround sound. In the center are 3 electrical contacts for a future accessory.

In the upper right corner is a rear-facing camera and another set of speakers along the top edge of the tablet.

Last year I purchased a Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 to replace a Tab 2. In the image above, the Samsung tablet is on the right with the MediaPad M5 next to it on the left. The larger screen size of the 10,8-inch MediaPad makes a huge difference when reading, surfing, and watching videos on this device in either orientation.

Display

The 10.8-inch MediaPad M5’s 2K IPS display is bright and crisp with vibrant colors. I have been impressed by how nice everything looks on it from websites to viewing my Google Photo image collection, and watching a video using the Netflix app.

The 2D curved screen edges are a nice touch as well. 2D curved screens aren’t a new feature for smartphones, but I believe this is a first for an Android tablet and I like the way it feels when holding the tablet between my two hands because there are no uncomfortable edges.

Camera

I think it’s safe to say that 99% of the people who shop for a new tablet are not going to base their decision on the built-in camera. Yes, the M5 has a built-in camera yes, it takes pictures. But the image quality is not going to blow you away and again, 99% of the people who buy this tablet aren’t going to care about the camera quality because who goes around using their tablet as a camera anyway? All that said, here are a couple example images.

The two pictures on the left where taken with the 13MP rear camera the picture on the front used the 8MP front-facing camera. Neither are especially great. But the front camera should work fine for video calls.

Fingerprint reader

The fact that I had some issues with the fingerprint reader won’t come to a surprise if you’ve read more than a few of my device reviews. Yes, fingerprint readers tend to have problems with my alien DNA. The MediaPad’s fingerprint reader worked for me some of the time, but not all of the time. The real unfortunate thing here is that the MediaPad does not share the face unlock feature that the HUAWEI P20 has. It’s a shame because that unlock method has worked really well for me. As it is, I have been using a combination of the fingerprint read and a good old-fashioned PIN number with the M5.

The fingerprint reader does have a second use besides scanning your fingerprints. It can also be used to navigate the tablet by using gestures like the ones shown above. How well does that work? Pretty well since the reader is on the right side of the display where your thumb would naturally rest while using the tablet in landscape orientation.

I do wish the MediaPad also had traditional onscreen navigation icons for back, home, and running app list. The really weird thing is that my device DID have onscreen navigation buttons. You can even see them in a few of the images in this review. But they disappeared and now I don’t know how to get them back. I even read a few other reviews where people complain about the lack of onscreen buttons, but they don’t mention anything about the buttons having been on their MediaPads in the first place like my device. I know I didn’t imagine them because the images in this review are proof that they existed at one point. So, what gives HUAWEI?

Audio quality

The 10.8-inch MediaPad M5 has 4 Harmon Kardon speakers built into the long sides of the tablet and they have terrific sound when using the tablet in either orientation. I enjoyed listening to music through Spotify and watching video on Youtube and Netflix. It was loud enough for two people sitting side by side watching a movie on Netflix with the tablet propped up about 3 feet away.

If you prefer to listen to audio in private, the MediaPad lacks an earphone jack so you’ll need to use the USB-C to 3.5mm adapter or Bluetooth headphones which brings up a pretty big issue with this tablet which I’ll talk about next.

Bluetooth and WiFi problems

If you want to use a pair of Bluetooth earbuds or headphones with the tablet, they will work just fine, but there is a caveat. The tablet uses the same antenna for Bluetooth and WiFi, so trying to use both at once results in slow WiFi speeds.

You can see examples of this in the image above where I used the Speedtest application to test the WiFi speed with Bluetooth turned off, with it turned on, and with a device connected and turned on. With Bluetooth turned off, my WiFi speed on the tablet is typically between 15 – 17Mbps, but as soon as I turned on Bluetooth and tried the Speedtest test again, the WiFi speed fell to 5-7Mbps. Then if Bluetooth was enabled AND a paired Bluetooth device was active, the speed dropped even further to as low 2Mbps at one point.

Is this problem a deal breaker? It depends on the types of activities that you use your tablet for. I mainly tested the tablet surfing my favorite sites while listening to music using Google Play, and using Bluetooth earbuds while watching Netflix shows. Did I notice a problem? Not too much other than lag while a Netflix video was buffering that longer than normal before the video started to play. Other than that, I didn’t notice a problem. But you have to understand that I used a T1 line at my home for a decade, so I’m used to slower (sub 2Mbps) network speeds.

Software and user interface

Like the HUAWEI P20 and the HUAWEI Mate 10 Pro that I’ve reviewed, the MediaPad M5 ships with Huawei’s own skin on top of stock Android Oreo. That skin is called EMUI. EMUI doesn’t make Android look that much different from stock Android Oreo, but it does include Huawei’s versions of the stock apps like the calendar, clock, calculator, etc. There are more apps (aka Bloatware) included on the MediaPad like Booking.com, Kid’s Corner, Game Suite, Quik video editor, and WPS Office, but they can be uninstalled if desired.

The MediaPad M5 also includes a special desktop mode that allows the M5 to have a Windows-style look and feel with multiple movable windows and a taskbar at the bottom. But unlike the HUAWEI smartphones, the MediaPad does not have the ability to output to a large monitor when used with an HDMI USB-C adapter.

Battery life and performance

The 10.8-inch MediaPads have a large 7500mAh battery which does an impressive job of powering the tablet for several days with light use and easily through a full day of moderate use. The performance with the tablet has impressed me. I feel like it’s snappier than the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3. I had no problems launching apps, scrolling pages, etc.

What I like

Vibrant display
Good value for the price
Great audio
microSD card slot

What needs to be improved

Bluetooth and Wifi speed issue
Odd power and volume button location
No earphone jack

Final thoughts

The HUAWEI MediaPad M5 lives up to its name with its large display and Harman Kardon speakers. This tablet is a great device for surfing, and watching videos on your favorite streaming service. The tablet isn’t perfect though due to the issue with using WiFi and Bluetooth at the same time. If you can get past that problem, the price and features of the HUAWEI MediaPad M5 do make it one of the nicest Android tablets that are currently available.

Price: $359.99
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by HUAWEI.

The post HUAWEI MediaPad M5 Android tablet review appeared first on The Gadgeteer.

Filed in categories: Featured Items, Reviews

Tagged: Android, tablets

HUAWEI MediaPad M5 Android tablet review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 26, 2018 at 11:00 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.