Review: Motorola Moto E 27 Jun 2014 1:42 PM (11 years ago)
It was a coincidence that got a Moto E in my hands. A relative wanted a cheap device to use until she could get an iPhone 6 when it’s out, so I researched a little bit and came up with the Moto E as it looked like a good deal. I have to admit that if it wasn’t for this circumstances I probably would have never really taken a closer look at this device, because based on the specs and price tag I wouldn’t expect anything particular interesting.
But I was wrong. Motorola made a great effort with the Moto X and continued their success with the Moto G, which became the best selling Motorola smartphone ever due to it’s sheer value. Now they went one step further with the Moto E by going to the <150 $ price segment. All smartphone vendors are looking for the next billion users in emerging markets, and in those countries even the Moto G would be too expensive for the average customer. This is why Motorola introduced the Moto E, in order to give those people a fully functional quality smartphone instead of cheap trash.
Motorola Moto E – Hardware Design & Build Quality
Up to now I didn’t review the Moto X or G so the Moto E is actually my first real contact the Motorolas new smartphone line. And the initial impression was very positive. I love how the Moto E feels in your hand and it was quite a revelation to finally have a smartphone that is not as huge as nowadays flagships but still has a larger screen than an iPhone 5.
The back is made of soft touch material which I prefer to Samsung’s high gloss plastic. I really like the matte black color, even though fingerprint can be seen pretty easily on it. There is also a small Motorola logo on the center and the camera (without flash). Opening the cover is a little bit of a hassle, especially if you plan to use a micro sd card which you want to swap frequently. But at least you have the option for a micro sd card at all, which means that you can easily expand the storage from 4GB to 36GB with a 32GB card.
You can find the power and volume buttons on the side. Both buttons feel sturdy and give good feedback when pressed. I still wonder when HTC will finally put the power button on the side of their phones, but I have the feeling that this will never happen.
On the bottom you’ll find the micro USB slot. The Moto E is shipped with an micro USB cable but no charger, which on one hand keeps the costs down and on the other hand is a nice move regarding minimum waste production. I think all of us have plenty of chargers and cables left at home from other devices, so we really don’t need a new charger with every tech gadget we get.
Like most other devices the earphone plug is placed at the top of the device, which is okay but I still prefer it at the bottom.
Motorola Moto E – Display
With the extremely low price tag Motorola couldn’t integrate a full HD screen, which is no surprise. But you still get qHD with good color reproduction and while the screen certainly looks a bit pixelated it’s still very usable and pretty impressive considering the price tag, as other manufacturers low-end smartphones usually have much lower resolutions.
Having a qHD resolution also helps the CPU to process things more easily as there are less pixels to calculate, so in this case it’s for the better to have a lower resolution screen compared to high-end devices given the fact that the phones CPU and RAM wouldn’t be up to the task of HD rendering.
Motorola Moto E – Camera
If there is a real weak spot besides the low internal storage it has to be camera. The Moto E comes with a pretty poor 5 megapixel camera without flash. This results in at best average pictures in daylight and basically unusable pictures in dark surroundings. So if taking snapshots is one of your priorities then the Moto E is not made for you.
Motorola Moto E – Software/ Performance
Similar to the Moto G you will find a near stock android 4.4.2 experience with the Moto E. Motorola doesn’t provide an own skin like I. E. HTC Sense but instead goes with a near stock approach. Android on the Moto E is as Google has imagined it. There are only a few Motorola apps pre-installed, but most of them are not that bad and make more sense than reskinning Android just for the sake of doing it. (I’m looking at you Samsung). I was very impressed how good the Moto E manages all the tasks I threw at it.
And because Motorola decided to keep Android on the Moto E as clean as possible you will get timely updates and the 4.4.3 version is already being rolled out. This is really unique for an low-end phone, and Motorola deserves praises for that. You essentially have a newer Android version than most smartphones out there with more than 4 times the Moto E price tag.
Motorola Moto E – The Verdict
The Motorola Moto E is a 120 $ smartphone with good build quality, great stock Android experience, nice performance and no unnecessary bloatware. The camera may not be that good and 4GB of internal storage is a joke, but you can use a micro sd card to expand the storage. Furthermore the Moto E has very solid battery lifetime as well as a qHD display which is sharper than all competition in this price range. I guess Motorola just dealt a pretty big blow to all other players looking to get the next billion users. Windows Phones with such an price tag have far worse specs and Firefox OS basically just got killed. Nice job Motorola, I’m really hoping that Lenovo will keep this spirit going in the coming years.
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Review: Microsoft Surface 2 RT 30 May 2014 2:58 PM (11 years ago)
When Microsoft presented the Windows Surface RT I instantly loved the hardware design and could see a lot of potential in combination with the touch cover and Microsoft Office. A lot of reviewers where more skeptical and the sales numbers have proved that the customers didn’t get the Surface as a product. Having a pro and RT edition didn’t make things easier. Now that MS unveiled the Surface 3 (instead of a Surface Mini) you can expect a big price drop for the Surface 2. But let’s see if it makes sense to get one at this point.
Microsoft Surface 2 RT – Hardware Design and Build Quality
Microsoft did a reasonably good job with the surface hardware design. It does look sleek and has its own style which doesn’t resemble any other tablet out there with its hard edges and futuristic look.
You won’t notice that on the front though as there aren’t many ways you can design a front panel on a tablet nowadays. But you can see the ultra wide screen ratio, which basically makes it impossible to use in potrait mode. Furthermore MS has used a specific magnesium material for the tablet case which really feels great and isn’t prone to fingerprints.
The power button is on the right side, while the volume buttons can be found on the left.
There is also a full size USB slot available, which can be used to hook up other devices like a digital camera and import data. This sounds great until you realize that connecting the camera to import pictures means that you will be thrown to the old Windows Desktop UI which is not tablet optimized.
I can remember Microsoft talking a lot about the kickstand feature of the Surface. They claimed that they invested heavily to make sure that the stand feels sturdy and like an expensive car door when it’s closed. It really seems well built, and with the Surface 2 you have two different stand positions which is nice. Surprisingly using the kickstand on your lap is OK. I would have expected a much worse result since the Surface is not a laptop and primarily meant to be used on a table. But it’s still miles away from a laptop in this regard.
Sadly the overall build quality is not as high as I would have hoped for. There are many issues to be found if you look at the details. The components do not always fit perfectly and I could see some places where there is a visible gap between two components that shouldn’t be there. If you are used to iPad or the better Android devices out there you will be surprised to see that the Surface 2 can’t compete in this regard. But the build quality is the smallest problem if you try to use the Surface 2 as a tablet. The thing is that the Surface is supposed to be touch driven tablet device when needed, but I just can’t see that happening due to multiple reasons. One reason is the weight. It’s VERY heavy. In fact it’s so heavy that you wouldn’t want to hold in in your hand at all, and will primarily use the kickstand. And unlike the other tablets out there it looks straight comical to hold the Surface 2 in portrait mode, due to the screen ratio. Personally I prefer portrait mode on my Nexus 7 as well as my iPad, so being basically forced to stay with landscape mode is a setback.
Microsoft Surface 2 RT – Display
The Surface 2 comes with a resolution upgrade to 1920*1080 and nice color reproduction. Reaction to touch input feels good. So you get a pretty decent screen, which isn’t bad but also won’t impress anyone. It’s really nothing standing out compared to the competition.
Microsoft Surface 2 RT – Software/ Performance
At first i was really let down with the Surface 2 performance. Everything was slow and a farcry from the current highend iPads or Android tablets. But after all updates had been installed in the background the performance made a jump. While it still can’t really compete with the mentioned alternatives, it was generally fast and really workable.
The main problem with Windows 8 RT was and still is that you are constantly moving between two totally different worlds. This makes a lot of tasks more complicated than on other OS.
You just never know when the Surface will hurl you back to old Windows UI elements while you are currently using it as touch based Tablet. This is a source of constant frustration even on RT devices which are supposed to give you Modern UI only experience.
Microsoft Surface 2 RT – The Verdict
Microsoft unveiled the Surface 3 recently and they don’t even market the Surface as competition to other tablets anymore but as Laptop replacement which makes more sense to me. The Surface 2 is caught in an uncomfortable space between a laptop and a tablet. It’s sadly not good in any of both modes. As a tablet it doesn’t have enough optimized apps and is way too heavy and as a laptop the screen is too small while not being nearly as usable on your lap as a real laptop. It’s not all bad though, one of the things I like is the hardware design and Microsofts implementation of gestures, which allow for nice navigation and multitasking. Having a splitscreen view with two apps running at the same time is also great, and a lot of people would wish for something like this on other platforms.
But overall I just can’t suggest getting an MS Surface 2 at this point, even if it gets some serious price drops due to the Surface 3 announcement. If you are open to the Surface idea you should definitely put up some more money and take a look at the Surface 3 instead.
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Review: Nexus 5 Hardware Impressions 19 Jan 2014 11:02 AM (11 years ago)
Last year’s Nexus 4 quickly became one of my favorite smartphones of all time, because Google and LG didn’t just manage to produce a very affordable device but also the first one in the Nexus line that didn’t have to hide from the high-end competition in any way. Hardware specs as well as build quality were top notch. I would still recommend it right now to anybody who wants to get a great smartphone without paying the premium price tag of other flagships. But officially Google doesn’t sell it anymore as they released the follow-up Nexus 5 a few months ago. I got a Nexus 5 pretty early on and after using it intensively for the past months, I’d like to share my thoughts on the latest Google Nexus phone.
Google Nexus 5 – Hardware Design & Build Quality
The Nexus One from HTC was a great smartphone in many regards and one of them was the hardware design. HTC created a unique look with the multi color trackball and aluminum casing, which was a compelling start for the new Nexus line. But then Samsung took over the Nexus Device duties and we got some bland plastic devices for two years while hoping to get Nexus One like build quality again. Now it’s LGs second turn after the LG Nexus 4 in 2012, which was really awesome. The Nexus 5 is a little bit taller than the Nexus 4 but thinner and lighter (only 130g).
The front is not sporting any hardware buttons as usual for Nexus devices nowadays, and consists mainly of the big 4.95 inch screen, the front cam and loudspeaker. The bezel is pretty small on all sides which helps keeping the device as small as possible, but I still really really hope that we have finally reached the peak of the display size race at least for Nexus devices and regular smartphones. While it’s a good thing that the Nexus 5 is very light, I wouldn’t want it to be much lighter because at some point it has a negative impact on the perceived build quality.
Sadly the display edges are not curved like on the Nexus 4. That is really a step back in my opinion because it felt great to swipe over the screen edges with the nice curve, much nicer than on the hard edges of the Nexus 5. This can be said about the whole hardware design of the Nexus 5. While the Nexus 4 was more rounded and felt comfortable to hold in the hand, the Nexus 5 is edgier and even though it’s thinner it doesn’t feel as good. So generally the handling was better with the Nexus 4 due to the hardware design decisions, and the use of more rounded edges.
LG got rid of the glass back and replaced it with a soft rubber back, which I surely prefer. I love my Nexus 4 too, but I hated putting it on any hard surface because I was fearing that it might be easily scratched. This is not the case with the Nexus 5, thanks to the new back which by the way has the Nexus label written on it in landscape orientation. Interestingly this doesn’t mean that the default launcher is supporting landscape mode.
Even before you’ll realize the new Nexus logo orientation you will definetly see the huge camera lens on the back. It has been positioned at the top-left corner and leaves the impression that Google focused on good camera hardware this time, even if it means that the device won’t look as pretty anymore. But contrary to that impression the pictures made with the Nexus 5 are average and even after the latest update to Android 4.4.2 the performance by far doesn’t rival the better options out there like the iPhone 5S.
Two loudspeakers and the micro USB plug are at the bottom, while the headphone jack is still at the top (to my dismay). The volume rocker is on the left, and the power button shares the right side of the device with the micro sim tray. Even the ceramic buttons have hard edges now, which fits to the rest of the hardware, but doesn’t make it more comfortable for your hands. I’m not a fan of the buttons because they are very wobbly and even tough the pressure point feels ok, I hate the sound the buttons make when you softly shake the phone. This problem seems to affect only some devices, while others are perfectly fine. So you might not have the buttons issue if you are lucky.
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Even though the glass construction and the glittery back of the Nexus 4 weren’t for everybody, the Nexus 5 looks pretty tame in comparison if not to say boring. The rubber back is not as grippy as you might expect, but this is still a big step forward compared to the extremely slippery Nexus 4.
With the Nexus 4 I constantly wanted to hold in in my Hand just to feel the nice display and the rounded edges even without really needing to use it. But the Nexus 5 isn’t that inviting, it’s not like I want to play with the device just for the fun of holding it. You can get about one day of battery life with pretty frequent usage, which is what most phones nowadays manage to provide.
Google Nexus 5 – Display
Having a high resolution screen with good contrast and color reproduction is absolutely essential these days. You are going to to a lot of stuff on your smartphone and spend a lot of time looking at that screen, so it better shouldn’t tire your eyes quickly. The question is how much pixel you really need on a 4 – 5 inch smartphone screen. The Nexus 4 came with a 720p resolution spread across a 4.7 inch screen (320ppi) and even though I’m very picky when it comes to resolution i was perfectly happy back then. Now with the Nexus 5 we get a 1080p Full HD-IPS display on a 4.95 inch screen which amounts to 445ppi (pixel per inch), and i can’t imagine ever needing more than that pixel density on a smartphone or tablet display. I just don’t think anybody would really notice a difference, and I’m not taking this lightly. A few years back a lot of people thought that they will never need more than HVGA (mostly iPhone users before Steve Jobs finally explained the benefits of a high resolution ‘retina’ screen), but i could see the pixels on-screen and was looking forward to the next generation displays with HD resolution. Now we have reached a point where everybody should be happy and there are other issues which should get more attention by the manufacturers like low energy consumption and readability in bright conditions.
And LG did deliver again, as the color reproduction is great and finally the brightness setting is not as aggressive anymore. On the Nexus 4 the screen would become very dim as soon as you weren’t in direct sunlight. And at the same time the automatic brightness would change the display setting way too quickly, even if you where just walking through a shadow for a few seconds. Those two points are a pretty bad combination. Luckily this isn’t the case with the Nexus 5 anymore, but occasionally the brightness is a little bit too high now.
Viewing angles aren’t as impressive as other devices like the HTC One or iPhone 5S. You can clearly see the colors fading when looking at the screen from different angles. But overall LG still did a very good job with the Full HD display even without considering the price tag.
Google Nexus 5 – Camera
One of the big letdowns of the past Google Nexus devices was camera performance. While Apple can rightfully claim that the iPhone camera is actually the most popular camera on earth, Google was never putting much effort into this area. But they acknowledged the importance of the camera feature on a smartphone some time ago and vowed to focus on this feature on future Android updates. The Nexus 5 comes with a new floating lens technology that is supposed to take better images especially by stabilizing the picture to prevent blurry movement shots. Honestly it’s still too difficult getting a clean picture without blur, so the lens seems to be more marketing than true performance if you ask me.
The picture results can range from very good to average depending on the lighting conditions, and the time you take to get a clear shot. Especially in dark conditions the results are not good, and still can’t keep up with the better smartphone cameras out there. Even after a recent software update for the Nexus 5 the shutter time is still not snappy.
Google Nexus 5 – Software/ Performance
The Nexus 4 was blazing fast with Android 4.3 and still is one of the fastest phones out there. This is also true for the Nexus 5 which comes with Android 4.4 KitKat, so the difference is really not that visible on regular usage. You will notice the spec bump of the Nexus 5 mainly on graphically intense games. Having said that it’s really a joy using the Nexus 5, running different apps at the same time, switching between them and browsing the internet. All without any delay or stutter. Android 4.4 KitKat is another iteration on the strong Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich fundament with some tweaks regarding the color scheme (the Tron blue is mostly gone – and i’m very sad about this) and a few great new features like the dialer which will suggest near by locations when you start typing a number.
But the biggest change is the new Google launcher which emphasizes Google Now. Swiping to the left will show you Google Now along with the search feature, so this means all your own homescreen pages are on the right side. I don’t like this approach that much because it means that Google basically reserved a whole homescreen page for Google Now and you can’t change that other than by installing another launcher app. I will write a separate article about Android 4.4 KitKat soon, after finishing some more hardware reviews that i have in the pipeline.
Google Nexus 5 – The Verdict
With each iteration of the Nexus line it seems like Google is getting more and more public attention with their own devices. While the first few Nexus smartphones where primarily meant for showcasing the potential of Android and to be used by developers and smartphone geeks you can see that a competitive price tag combined with great hardware can be successful even without putting billions of dollars into marketing like Samsung. The Nexus 7 (2012) was a huge success and it seems like the Nexus 7 (2013) will follow suit. Even though the Nexus 4 didn’t have the same big impact as the Nexus 7 tablets it was a success, and i’m convinced that the Nexus 5 will sell even better. In direct comparison to the Nexus 4 i’m missing the attention to detail when it comes to hardware design and handling though, as the round body and tight buttons of the Nexus 4 were more pleasant to work with. But taking overall quality into consideration there is simply no other smartphone out there which will give you this kind of specs, build quality, Full HD screen and first class Google support with this price tag.
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Review: Kindle Fire HDX Hardware Impressions 29 Dec 2013 12:29 PM (11 years ago)
My first 7 inch tablet was a Kindle Fire import from the USA, which was a very solid device with a 200$ price tag that was unheard of for any non-china-trash tablet back then. This was also the device which convinced me that 7 inch tablets do work and are not dead on arrival as Steve Jobs famously said. Two tablet generations later I’m taking another look on the current Kindle Fire HDX which you can get starting from 229$, to see if Amazon can keep up with the latest competition from Google and Apple.
Kinde Fire HDX Hardware Design
My first impression of the Kindle Fire HDX was a mixed bag, while it is very compact and feels even smaller than the Nexus 7 due to its form factor, the general hardware design looks like it was taken from an old enterprise movie since it works with hard edges and different angles on the back. This retro-futuristic design choice is more unique than most of the anonymous hardware design decisions of other tablets, but in the end I’m not sure if this is a good thing.
The Kinde Fire has soft buttons which are displayed on the screen, so there is no hardware button on the front. The back is made of soft touch material which feels good to the grip, and is less slippery than the iPads aluminum casing.
Kinde Fire HDX Build Quality
Contrary to most reviews of the original Kindle Fire I was very happy with the build quality, and even more so when considering the price tag. But times have changed and now there are many tablets out there which have competitive prices and good hardware. So this combination is not as impressive anymore as it was a few years ago, even though we get some good build quality here with nice buttons that don’t wobble around and have good pressure points.
There is also no creaking whatsoever and the Kindle Fire HDX makes a pretty solid impression overall. Amazon decided to place the power button and the volume buttons on the back. This feels especially uncomfortable when you hold the Kindle Fire HDX in portrait mode, as the device and the button layout were clearly meant for landscape usage. Since I switch the orientation of my tablet all the time I prefer the hardware buttons on the sides which makes them easier to find.
Kinde Fire HDX Display
So up to here the Kindle Fire HDX doesn’t stand out with anything particular, and the question is why you should consider it anyway. Luckily one of the strong points is the display. The HDX comes with a Full HD screen with very impressive viewing angles, deep blacks and generally very natural color reproduction.
So Amazon apparently knows where to put their money at, as the screen is the most important single piece of a tablet. Especially when you want your customers to consume a lot of media on that device like Amazon does. In fact there are display tests out there which see the Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 (not the 7 inch version though) screen as best overall screen for a tablet at this time.
Kinde Fire HDX Software/ Performance
The Kindle Fire HDX comes with the latest version of Amazons Fire OS 3.0 which is based on Android. You won’t get any Google services though as this is no Google experience device, which means that there is no official way to get the Google Playstore either. And while there are ways to flash other roms, I don’t think that anybody should really do this because if you really need Google services you should go for something like the Nexus devices anyway.
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Amazon still uses the book shelf UI concept instead of a regular homescreen and even though they updated their apps from email to calendar, I just can’t help to feel that this is a pretty crippled experience if you want more out of your tablet than optimized Amazon services support. You can’t really do much with the bookshelf and the whole UI looks pretty boring and static by today’s standards.
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In the end everything that Amazon does on the Kindle Fire HDX which isn’t directly connected to some kind of potential Amazon purchase from the customer feels like an afterthought. Amazon doesn’t aim for the perfect tablet experience, but for the perfect Amazon experience. This is something you need to be aware of before getting one. At least everything is working very fast and without much delay because of the solid hardware specs, and when it comes to gaming the whispersync service is really handy to keep your progress synchronized between your devices.
Kinde Fire HDX – The Verdict
The Kindle Fire Tablets are currently in a very weird space, especially in countries where the Amazon streaming services are not nearly as rich as in the US. You get pretty good hardware with pretty awful software and the Amazon App Store with a smaller selection of apps than the Google Playstore, while losing all native Google services. On the other hand Amazon can’t afford to pull their apps from the Google Playstore, so if you get i.e. an Nexus 7 you will have full Google services and all Amazon services (albeit not as deeply integrated into the OS). No matter how you look at it, the only reason to get a Kindle Fire HDX is if you primarily care about Amazon services and can live with a subpar experience in every other category.
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Review: iPad Air Hardware Impressions 27 Dec 2013 1:16 PM (11 years ago)
The tablet market is very crowded these days, and even though Apple maintained the market leadership when it comes to overall tablet app selection as well as sales figures of any specific device, Android is pulling up fast. It’s not a monopoly anymore, as more and more people opt for cheaper Android devices. While Apple reacted to the big success of 7 inch tablets like the Nexus 7 or the Kindle Fire by releasing the iPad Mini, the question was what will happen to the classic iPad model. As it turns out Apple is not planning to neglect or abandon the 9 inch category anytime soon. Instead they presented the iPad Air which sports the biggest overhaul for the classic iPad yet.
iPad Air Hardware Design
Actually the redesign is based on the iPad Mini, as Apple basically took the hardware design of the Mini and scaled it to the bigger version. And this is definitely not a bad thing. The front hasn’t really changed that much, with the same home button as always and no fingerprint sensor opposed to the iPhone 5S.
But the iPad Air is much more compact now while keeping the same screen size as its previous models. Its bezel is narrower on the sides and it’s 20% thinner than last years model. Apple managed to make the iPad Air weight under 500 gram which is a huge effort. You will immediately notice this when picking up the iPad Air for the first time.
The corners are not as sharp anymore which makes it much more comfortable to hold in your hand. This was something which always bothered me with the previous iPads, because the combination of sharp edges and quite some weight made it difficult to use for longer periods of time without leaning it on something.
The back is made of aluminium and feels as great as ever. Apple changed the color of the black version slightly, which now has the same space grey as you can find on the new iPhone 5S. This is probably due to the color chipping issues of the black iPhone 5 versions, but I still prefer the deeper black instead of space grey.
Overall the result is one of the best looking tablets out there. It has the right balance of being understated while still having this kind of premium look and style that makes Apple products so desirable for the masses.
iPad Air Build Quality
You normally don’t have to worry about build quality when it comes to new Apple products and the iPad Air is no exception. Made out of perfectly fitting glass and aluminum parts with no real weaknesses, this is still among the very best quality you can get.
The same is true for all the hardware buttons and controls. While there are phones out there which can match the iPhone in this regard, there is just no tablet from another manufacturer which feels as premium as the iPad Air does. Only the Nexus 7 2013 comes close with its light build and soft rubber back, but the iPad Air still has a more premium feel due to the aluminum casing. This doesn’t mean though that everybody will prefer premium feel to the more comfortable and grippy soft rubber back of the Nexus 7 as it’s a matter of taste in the end.
What I noticed as an issue on the iPad Air is the fact that the screen seems to sit pretty deep withing the casing, while on other tablets like the Nexus 7 there is basically zero gap between the display and the touchpanel/glass on top. It’s much more impressive when the display is very near to the surface as it will look like the image is printed on the glass instead of being inside the tablet casing. This also results in the iPad Air somehow feeling more hollow than the previous versions.
When working with the iPad Air for a while the great first impression will be just reinforced. Besides the mentioned display issue, every hardware part sits tight and is crafted with incredible attention to detail.
iPad Air Display
There isn’t much of a change regarding the retina display which still sports the same resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixel with 264 ppi and great color reproduction as the previous model. There may be some slight optimizations but nothing which you would notice without somebody telling you. It’s still good to see that Apple still concentrates on natural color reproduction instead of the unrealistic popping color of many other displays out there.
Even though other tablets sport even higher resolution screens, the retina display still does a great job and doesn’t feel outdated. At this point every resolution leap will only add minor details and can’t really wow anyone. It’s noteworthy that Apple seems to have chosen a thinner and more flexible glas to minimize weight. While it definitely helps to keep the weight down, this also has a downside as the iPad Air display doesn’t feel as sturdy anymore.
iPad Air Performance
I’m not much of a gamer on tablets or smartphones, but I think that games will be probably the area which would show the hardware update most clearly. As with the other regular tasks for a tablet, everything runs very smoothly, the iOS7 animations are still too long for my taste and the performance jump from last years iPad is there but not very big. The iPad Air does a great job by keeping up with all of your multi tasking and app switching without any hiccups. Using Safari is also as smooth as ever, and you have to wonder why Google still can’t make scrolling on their Chrome browser for Android as fluid. With the iPad Air you can be sure to have good performance for the next two years.
iPad Air – The Verdict
I never thought that I would seriously consider going back to a bigger tablet after being happy with both Nexus 7 models for quite some time. But the iPad Air proves that you can have a bigger screen while still keeping the tablet very compact and lightweight. Even though the weight is still a little bit too high to be a real threat to 7 inch tablets, you can’t deny that the bigger screen is especially useful for productive use cases. Writing a lot of text is a pain on small tablets, while I could easily write a review completely on an iPad. Actually I did write this review on an iPad, because I’m pretty fast with the onscreen keyboard and don’t need to take out the laptop for some quick blogging.
I’d still take my Nexus 7 over the iPad Air for the daily newsfeed dose and other content consumption like reading an ebook, but the iPad Air is the perfect device if you also want to be productive with your tablet, while still having all the possibilities for laid back use cases. I was a little bit disappointed by the display being too deep within the device frame, in contrast to the zero gap screens of the competition. Therefore it does feel a little bit cheaper than the previous ipad versions. Still if I’d have to go with only one tablet it would be the iPad Air, and this quote really means something from a longtime (primarily) Android user.
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Review: Asus Premium Cover for Nexus 7 (2013) 20 Oct 2013 10:07 AM (12 years ago)
With new Nexus devices you never know when the official accessories will hit the stores. It was harder to find an Nexus 4 bumper than the phone itself. And as much as I loved the first Nexus 7, there wasn’t any cover available that would come near the quality of the Apple smart cover. All 3rd party options either were bulky or ugly or both. There were rumors and images of an official premium cover flying around which actually never materialized for the old Nexus 7 model. And the new Nexus 7 (2013) was no exception at first, but luckily we now got an official Asus Premium Cover that looks very promising.
I ordered the black version, but there is also a white premium cover available. The cover is very thin and lightweight. It looks and feels substantially better than the Travel Cover, which was the best option for the old Nexus 7 in my opinion. Asus uses a nice soft touch material for the premium case, which is similar to the Nexus 7 (2013) back. The front has the usual smart cover structure with two folding positions, but it sadly doesn’t wake the screen when you open it.
While the different stand positions work reasonably well, they are not as robust as the Apple smart cover. It can happen that the Nexus 7 falls down from the high stand position due to the fact that the folded cover is not perfectly tight and opens. This already happened twice to me.
You can easily access every slot like the earphone plug or the micro USB slot, and I really like the way the volume and power buttons are covered. The buttons are fully covered but at the same time easy to use since they are cut out at the edges. Of course there are also cutouts for the camera on the back.
I was initially worried that the missing magnet will cause the cover to open unintentionally, but Asus put a patch of some sticky material on the inside which helps to keep the cover shut. Its not as sophisticated as the Apple smart cover, but gets the job done.
The Verdict
While the official Asus Premium Cover for the Nexus 7 (2013) can’t surpass the original Apple smart cover due to missing screen wake and slightly worse stand functionality, it’s still one of the best options for your Nexus 7. It only adds minimal bulk and is lightweight, all while keeping the good looks of the Nexus 7. Compare it to any of those cheap ebay cases and you will notice immediately that the Asus Premium Cover is made of high quality soft touch materials which feel much better than the 3rd party stuff. So if you want a cover that fits perfectly to your Nexus 7 without fake leather or bulk, this is the case to get.
Interestingly there was quite some controversy when the first people got their hands on the Asus Premium Cover, as the Nexus 7 wouldn’t fit well and jump out of a corner for some people. Just check out the Amazon reviews and you can see that there are many customers which are not happy. But this seems to be an issue with the first batch only, as my cover fits without any problems. Just make sure you order the case directly from Amazon or Asus instead of smaller shops which may still have stock from the first production wave. Even if you get a bad one from Amazon, it’ll be much easier and faster to get an replacement.
The post Review: Asus Premium Cover for Nexus 7 (2013) first appeared on smart | PHONE | blogging.
Preview: iOS 7 beta – a step in the right direction 12 Aug 2013 2:26 AM (12 years ago)
It’s flat! Or is it?! Apple made the long awaited step and finally presented an completely overhauled iOS version at this years WWDC. As many rumors suggested they entirely revamped the look of iOS. The best way to see how drastic the changes really are is by simply comparing it to iOS6, so let’s take a look at a bunch of screenshots side-by-side.
Note: This preview is based on information Apple has already made publicly available. No NDAs were broken.
iOS7 beta – Homescreen
You can see the big difference in design language directly on the new home screen. Gone are all those high-gloss faux 3D icons and instead Apple went for the flat look with no or only slight gradients and a brighter color pallette. It did look a little bit too colorful for my taste at first, but after a while I got used to it.
| [iOS7 Beta] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [iOS6] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
I really like some of the new icons i.e. for calendar but overall there is not enough consistency yet. The app icons look like a wild mix of different approaches, from very flat to semi-flat and from bright colors to dark tones. The result is a very colorful new homescreen that somehow looks too busy. I’m pretty sure that Apple will change some of this until the final release, and hopefully also gets rid of the uglier ones like the email icon.
| [iOS7 Beta] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [iOS6] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
Folders have been changed too and are expanded in the display center instead of being positioned relative to the folder that has been opened. Furthermore the folder background is slightly transparent now. While the animations are very fluid in iOS7 it takes too much time until the folder is fully shown or closed. Even on the latest iOS7 beta build (beta 5) it’s just not as snappy as it was with iOS6, i would have preferred shorter animations here.
| [iOS7 Beta] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [iOS6] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
The left-most screen which provided the spotlight search on iOS6 has been taken out and replaced by a down swipe gesture which will pop up a seach bar at the top of the homescreen. Animated wallpapers are also new and when tilting the phone you can see a nice background parallax scrolling which creates a 3D effect where the icons seem to float above the wallpaper. I wonder why this has become such a spotlight feature though, because it’s nothing more than some eyecandy which distracts and is not really useful in any way.
iOS7 beta – Lockscreen
Even though I don’t really care how much ‘inspiration’ iOS7 took from Android or Windows Phone, I have to admit that the default animated wallpaper and lockscreen look eerily similar to one of the default Android 4.0 wallpapers.
| [iOS7 Beta] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [iOS6] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
The clock is bigger now and you won’t find the old slide-to-unlock slider anymore. Instead there is only the text with an arrow to hint that you have to slide to the right.
iOS7 beta – Notification drawer
Android currently has the best notifications concept of all mobile OS, and while iOS7 doesn’t look like it will surpass Android the changes are still more than welcome. With iOS7 you’ll get three tabs in the notification center that will show your notifications for today, all notifications, and missed ones.
| [iOS7 Beta] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [iOS6] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
It’s a thoughtful addition, but my main gripe with the notification center wasn’t solved. I need some indicator that there is actually a message waiting for me in the notification center, similar to Androids small notification icons at the top bar of the screen. Currently I just never think about checking out the notification center on my iPhone, because there is no hint for the user on the homescreen to do so. Most of the time i’ll be looking at past events whenever i finally remember to open the notification center.
iOS7 beta – Control Center
Up to iOS6 you had to open the settings in order to toggle WiFi or other options. This was a real pain, and much behind the competition that is working with widgets and shortcuts for a long time now. With the so called control center, which you can access by swiping up from the bottom of the screen, Apple finally remedies this.
| [iOS7 Beta] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
I was a little bit surprised about the design of the control center. Controls vary in their shapes, and it looks more like a messy Android widget than something I would expect from Apple. It’s also interesting to see that the bottom row of apps uses wireframe-like icons that are totally different from the regular app icons.
iOS7 beta – Multitasking
Double pressing the home button will open the new multitasking view which shows your recently used apps as cards and app icons beneath. It’s basically the same approach as Palm used years ago on webOS and many companies copied afterwards.
| [iOS7 Beta] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [iOS6] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
You can also easily close apps by swiping the card up and out of the screen. This new multitasking view fits well into the design concept of iOS7 and will probably bring more user to actually utilize multitasking as it is visually more attractive and easier to understand than before.
iOS7 beta – Contacts
The redesigned contacts app looks much better and clearer than then old one. There aren’t even any new features to be found but the fact that Apple worked with more white space and got rid of the old blue color scheme is enough to generate a fresh new look. What you can also see on the screenshots is that Apple went away from the buttons at the top and instead uses pure text for navigation on iOS7. This will definetly be confusing for a lot of folks out there, since it affects every single iOS7 app.
| [iOS7 Beta] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [iOS6] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
Many design elements and features in iOS7 have been borrowed from webOS, and it would have been nice if Apple also took some pages from the webOS synergy feature which pulled data from your social media sources like facebook directly into your contacts. Even though iOS incorporates Facebook and Twitter, there is still no way to combine the data with contacts effectively. At least you can pull contact photos from Facebook, but synergy on WebOS went much farther than that.
| [iOS7 Beta] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [iOS6] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
iOS7 beta – Calendar
The calendar app always was one of the weak spots of iOS in my opinion. Having a good month view is essential if you have a busy schedule, and this is where the iOS calendar always failed to deliver. I never understood how only having single dots that represent one-or-many appointments on the month view could make any sense. It doesn’t show you how busy the days really are.
| [iOS7 Beta] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [iOS6] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
At the moment the new calendar looks nice but still doesn’t provide the same amount of information as other calendars like the Android Google calendar do.
| [iOS7 Beta] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [iOS6] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
I’m still waiting for some kind of time bars arriving for the month view, so I can see how busy the upcoming 30 days are at a glance. But currently the calendar on iOS7 is primarily a paint job.
iOS7 beta – Email
One of the most boring apps for iOS just got a whole lot better, at least when it comes to UI. The new email app reminds me of the default Android email client and the GMail app which is a good thing. Very straightforward and simplistic design.
| [iOS7 Beta] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [iOS6] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
Typing wasn’t changed in any way, but the new keyboard has also transparency now and i like the white color scheme more than the old one.
| [iOS7 Beta] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [iOS6] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
iOS7 beta – Notes
Interestingly Apple didn’t get completely rid of background textures, as you can see on the notes app. You won’t see any yellow pages anymore but there is still a paper texture that you probably won’t even notice at first sight.
| [iOS7 Beta] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [iOS6] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
iOS7 beta – Reminders
The same is true for reminders. But I’m not a big fan of the way you can open and drag the reminder entries, it just doesn’t feel intuitive at the moment.
| [iOS7 Beta] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [iOS6] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
Compared to iOS6 reminders there is not as much clutter within a single view. While you would see a split view of reminder data and calendar in the last version, with iOS7 this is not the case anymore.
iOS7 beta – Clock
Well, it’s a clock. And it uses more white/black now. You can still switch between digital and analog clocks on iOS7.
| [iOS7 Beta] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [iOS6] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
iOS7 beta – Safari Browser
The biggest change for the browser is the new tab overview which looks a lot like chrome for Android and the URL bar which fades out at the top while still remaining visible when you are scrolling through a webpage. This is a nice idea as the bar will only take minimal screen estate and at the same time provides the option to directly input another URL when needed.
| [iOS7 Beta] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [iOS6] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
| [iOS7 Beta] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [iOS6] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
| [iOS7 Beta] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [iOS6] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
| [iOS7 Beta] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [iOS6] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
| [iOS7 Beta] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [iOS6] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
iOS7 beta – Photos
The new gallery is pretty basic, and i had some difficulties hitting the correct entries in the collections view as the elements were too small.
| [iOS7 Beta] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [iOS6] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
| [iOS7 Beta] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [iOS6] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
| [iOS7 Beta] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
iOS7 beta – Camera
Camera controls have been simplified too.
| [iOS7 Beta] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [iOS6] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
iOS7 beta – Dialer
The dialer looks more modern now and you can see the wallpaper shine through the call button and the dialer.
| [iOS7 Beta] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [iOS6] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
iOS7 beta – Weather
Again Yahoo is the provider of weather data and the iOS7 app provides a very nice and compact way to get the weather forecast.
| [iOS7 Beta] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [iOS6] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
iOS7 beta – Maps
Apples main problem with maps wasn’t the design but the quality of their data, so we have to see how that plays out on the long-term.
| [iOS7 Beta] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [iOS6] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
iOS7 beta – Settings
The settings pages look much lighter now and got rid of that previous dull gray/blueish coloring.
| [iOS7 Beta] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [iOS6] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
| [iOS7 Beta] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [iOS6] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
iOS7 beta – iTunes and App Store
Along with iOS7 also comes an updated iTunes and App store, which didn’t change all that much besides the new white top and bottom bars as well as some new icons.
| [iOS7 Beta] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [iOS6] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
| [iOS7 Beta] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [iOS6] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
| [iOS7 Beta] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [iOS6] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
| [iOS7 Beta] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [iOS6] [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
You can find more iOS7 Beta Screenshots in the iOS Galleries section.
iOS7 beta – The Verdict
So this is finally the big reimagining of iOS so many people have been waiting for. Apple really went the full redesign approach and got rid of most skeuomorphism like leather textures or other faux materials. Some people argue that iOS7 still utilizes skeuomorphism as it plays with glass surface effects (i.e. on the control center) and a new physics engine for in-app behaviour of UI elements, but you can’t deny that it’s not nearly as in-your-face as it was before.
By using much more white space and flat UI elements the whole OS looks and feels much lighter and fresh. But Apple definitely needs to work on the icons as they seem to be all over the place concept wise. Another minor gripe is the fact that there are many (albeit nice) transition animations which just take too long to be finished and will probably get on your nerves after a while.
Overall iOS7 looks decent and while I don’t think that Apple already killed the competition like Android Jelly Bean or Windows Phone 8 when it comes to modern overall UI, it’s still a major step in the right direction. Finally the OS looks as good as the iPhone hardware always did.
The post Preview: iOS 7 beta – a step in the right direction first appeared on smart | PHONE | blogging.
Review: Lumia 920 Hardware Impressions 12 May 2013 12:37 PM (12 years ago)
It has been a long time since I reviewed the last Windows Phone device, namely HTCs Titan which happened to be a nice smartphone that unfortunately didn’t make any impact on the market. So I’m curious to see how the Windows Phone platform evolved, especially with Microsoft releasing Windows Phone 8 and still pushing hard to get their app store going. One of Windows Phones flagship devices is definitely the Lumia 920, which I currently use as developer device version. Even though the Lumia 928 has already been released its still interesting for me to check out the prior model with its distinct look.
Lumia 920 Hardware Design
Nokia continues the hardware design philosophy it started with the Lumia 820, by using the same high quality polycarbon and unique form factor on the Lumia 920. Holding the device in your hand feels good, as it definitely doesn’t have the cheap feel of Samsung Android smartphones despite of being made of plastic too. Additionally it doesn’t feel like you would have to protect it with a case, which is great because I hate having nice hardware design that is being hidden behind an ugly big case. This time you’ll get a 4.7 inch screen and therefore a much bigger phone than the Lumia 800. Its also pretty heavy with 300 g.
| [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
Like many other manufacturers Nokia has also put the power button on the side of the Lumia 920 which makes much more sense than putting it on the top, especially for big phones. Volume controls and the camera button can be found on the same side.
| [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
| [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
The headphone jack is on top, which I’m not a fan of. I prefer having the jack on the bottom as I always put my phone upside down into my pocket. This seems more natural to me, but it really depends on what you are used to.
Lumia 920 Display
The LCD display comes with full HD resolution that amounts to over 326 PPI. This is more than Apples iPhone 5 Retina display and most other phones out there. In my opinion it was a big mistake to use AMOLED screens with pentile Matrix layout on the previous Lumia devices, because Windows Phone modern UI emphasizes straight lines and is text driven, which doesn’t work well on AMOLED pentile screens as the pixel layout will make the lines seem fuzzy. But the Lumia 920 display is very impressive with good colors and nice readability outdoors. Having such a high density screen is perfect for reading news and browsing the web without much eye straining.
| [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
| [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
Readability in direct sunlight is not bad and better than the Nexus 4. But there is still a long way to go until the smartphone screens are really comfortably readable outside.
Lumia 920 Camera
One of Nokia’s most promoted features for the Lumia 920 was the camera. And especially in low-light conditions the results are very impressive and probably the best you can get on any current mobile phone.
| [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
| [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
But when it comes to taking pictures in bright conditions the Lumia 920 camera makes only average images. This is disappointing as Nokia is marketing the device as camera centric smartphone. Pictures in daylight are not especially bad, but also not any better than most medium range smartphones out there. A lot of times its hard to get the focus right and you have to make sure to hold the phone very steadily to prevent blurry shots.
Lumia 920 Performance
Generally Windows Phone 7.5 was running very smoothly without much lag even on old hardware like the HTC Mozart, with the only major problem being that the app loading time could become quite long. The same is true for Windows Phone 8 on the Lumia 920, even though everything seems to be a tad faster the long app startup times are still there.
| [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
| [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
One thing i also noticed is that the transition animations between apps and the home screen seem to be slightly slower than on windows phone 7.5 devices. They are more fluid than before, but at the same time it takes a little bit longer for the typical Windows Phone paging animation to finish. Internet Explorer still doesn’t support WebKit based mobile pages which is a shame, and still a major letdown.
Lumia 920 The Verdict
Nokia created a great piece of hardware with the Lumia 920, which doesn’t have to hide from the competition. As with the first Lumia Windows Phone devices the build quality is great and definitely feels better than Samsungs Galaxy S phones, despite being made of plastic too. Hopefully Nokia will think about their pricing though, in order to be more competitive. These days you can get a high-end phone like the Nexus 4 for only 350$ unlocked and with a fully fledged ecosystem. Windows Phone still is way behind in terms of app selection, and the available apps often struggle with the modern UI concept because the developers haven’t grasped the design language yet. On the other hand the Lumia 920 has a good camera and easy to understand OS for the average user. If you don’t depend on a lot of 3rd party apps on your current phone and want some refreshing new UI then check out the Lumia 920 or the HTC 8X which also has great specs but is much cheaper to find.
The post Review: Lumia 920 Hardware Impressions first appeared on smart | PHONE | blogging.
Review: Official Nexus 4 Bumper 15 Apr 2013 2:10 PM (12 years ago)
When I saw the first presentation of the Nexus 4 on The Verge, Matias Duarte was proudly showing off the Hardware design with the glass front and back. And he specifically mentioned how they build the hardware so the glass is not directly touching the table. Interestingly this wasn’t the case at all when the device was released. Its slippery like hell and there is no offset on the back to lift that glass up on a surface to prevent scratches. I guess Google realized this problem early on and made an official Bumper available on the Play Store.
| [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
The official bumper is harder to find than the Nexus 4 though and even after the availability of the Nexus 4 seems to be finally stable, the bumper is still sold out in most countries. I couldn’t wait any longer because my Nexus 4 slipped off my table once and I didn’t want to risk this happening again. So I got an official bumper from eBay and paid nearly 40 €. That’s twice the price from the Google Play Store.
| [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
It’s made of medium soft rubber with a nice texture and a plastic silver strip that goes around the rubber. It doesn’t feel as solid as some hardcases out there, and you can even take the silver strip off with a little bit of force. But then again this is not supposed to be a case, instead the bumper is meant to provide security for small drops and when putting the device on a surface to prevent scratches. Putting the bumper on the Nexus 4 is easy and it fits very snuggly.
| [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
The bumper protects the front and back side of the Nexus 4 due to its edges keeping the device from touching the surface beneath it. And it adds some grip to the Nexus 4, which is very important as the Nexus 4 is extremely slippery.
| [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
All slots like the earphone plug and the micro-usb slot can be accessed easily, as the Bumper fits perfectly. And it won’t obscure the nice backcover of the Nexus 4 with the glitter effect.
| [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
I really love how Google realized the power and volume buttons. The bumper basically has its own buttons that have contacts with the real buttons and give nice feedback and without feeling like an add-on at all. I even think that the power button works better with the bumper, because the button on the Nexus 4 is nearly flush with the hardware and therefore not as comfortable to use.
| [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
So is it worth spending 20$ + shipping? I’d say absolutely yes. The bumper fits perfectly and adds protection, while still preserving the good looks of the Nexus 4. The only setback is that it makes the Nexus 4 even wider, which may be just too much for some people. I really hope that the next Nexus device will be 4.3 inches the most, as I think that 4.7 inch is too big to be comfortably used. The only other solution would be to have a practically bezel-less phone with a 4.7 inch display. In any case, if you want some protection for your brand new Nexus 4 you should try to get your hands on the official bumper. There are also some bumpers available from 3rd parties, check out the amazon links beneath for some examples.
The post Review: Official Nexus 4 Bumper first appeared on smart | PHONE | blogging.
Review: Nexus 4 Hardware Impressions 29 Jan 2013 12:27 PM (12 years ago)
It isn’t easy to get his hands on a Nexus 4 these days. When Google released the Nexus 4 on the Playstore it was sold out in a few minutes, and the second time it didn’t last much longer. It seems like Google didn’t anticipate the huge interest, which makes me wonder what they expected after releasing a high-end device for effectively half the price of the competition. Of course this was going to sell like hot cake. At the moment the device is sold out again, and many angry customers are still waiting for delivery of their ordered device or the chance to finally buy one. I was lucky the second time around and got my Nexus 4 before christmas, so let’s see if this device is worth all the hassle.
| [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
The front looks very clean and elegant sporting an impressive 4.7 inch IPS display without any hardware buttons, similar to last years Galaxy Nexus. It doesn’t have a curved display this time, but instead an interesting touch where the left and right display edges are wrapped around the corners. This makes touch gestures like scrolling horizontally feel much more natural, when you start at the edges.
| [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
A front facing camera with 1.3 MP is also there as well as the regular ambient light sensor, but I really appreciate the multi color notification light which is positioned beneath the screen. There is an app called light flow which allows you to specify notification colors for each app seperately, this is a great feature to let you know what the context of the notification you just received is without even turning the screen on. I was very happy to hear that LG used an IPS full RGB matrix screen for the Nexus 4 and turning on the display besides an Galaxy Nexus makes it clear why. This is a real HD resolution screen without any PenTile Matrix garbage that was responsible for grainy and fuzzy text replication on previous Nexus models. Whenever it was possible (Nexus One and Nexus S) I bought an SLCD version instead of the regular AMOLED device because I consume a lot of text on my phone and therefore want the clearest result possible to keep eye fatigue at the minimum.
| [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
Furthermore colors look much more natural without being washed out, while the colors on the Galaxy Nexus have been to bright and had way too much contrast. This is indeed one of the very best smartphone screens I have ever seen, as it is up to par with the iPhone 5 and HTC One X displays. It’s a joy to check emails, social media streams and to play games with this device. There is one issue though that most smartphones with huge display have, it consumes large amounts of battery.
| [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
So while the screen itself creates outstanding results, you can literally see the battery level drop by the minutes you keep that screen turned on. Even though I mentioned earlier that i’m a resolution fan, and I want the highest resolution possible, I think that we have reached a point where the pixel density is high enough. The next big thing I would like to see is the manufacturers tackling the battery issue. Can you remember the old days with our dumb phones, that could be used for days and weeks without recharging? It would be incredible to have something like this for current smartphones, but I know that this is not realistic at the moment. So let’s start with a battery that easily lasts more than one or two days on moderate usage. That would be enough for me. Sadly the Nexus 4 battery doesn’t last more than a day if you use it above average, which is up to par with most phones out there and nothing special. In order to get better results you should deactivate NFC in the settings and turn off instant upload (or set to ‘upload only when charging’) on Google+.
There was also quite a bit of controversy regarding Googles decision to accept LG as the Partner for the new Nexus device. LG wasn’t exactly a big name in the Android market, as most of their devices have been mid-level phones which never gained the attention of other manufacturers high-end phones. One specific thing which got many people worried was the glass back of the Nexus 4 that could be seen on the first leaked images. It looked like the back has a glitter effect to it like the famous Billie Jean glove of Michael Jackson. Luckily the final product is much more unobtrusive than it appeared on the first images.
| [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
Basically you won’t notice any glitter effect at all most of the time, as it will only be visible when the light hits the back on the right angle. And even then the effect is very subtile and only adds to the stylish looks instead of looking over-the-top. It’s not possible to open the back cover without the use of screwdrivers, so you won’t be able to switch your battery on-the-fly. And there is also no Micro SD card support to upgrade the storage of the Nexus 4. So this is another manufacturer following the footsteps of Apple, and it seems like Google is happy with this approach for their Nexus lineup too as the last Nexus device providing an Micro SD card slot was the Nexus One.
| [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
Make no mistake though, this is an 4.7 inch device which means it’s pretty big. I have been using an iPhone 4S as my second smartphone for a while now and the screen looks tiny in comparison, I can’t understand how somebody could work with this small screen for more than 15 minutes. But on the other hand the Nexus 4 size has also setbacks. It’s a little bit too wide for my taste, which makes it a somewhat uncomfortable to hold and use in one hand, as you can’t reach all areas of the display easily. The good thing is that LG got most of the basic stuff right, as the power button is not located at the top but at the side of the phone which makes it much more convenient to turn on the display compared to other phones like the HTC One X which have the button positioned at the top. On the other side you can find the volume controls as well as the micro sim card slot, which can only be opened using a pin. The buttons feel good and give nice feedback when pressed. If there is one hardware decision that I don’t like (besides the non-existence of an Micro SD Card slot) its the earphone plug being at the top and not the bottom of the device. I just don’t get how you are supposed to put the Nexus 4 in your pocket and take it out comfortably when you are listening to music. I always put my phones upside down into my pocket, as it seems the natural thing to do when you want to be able to take it out quickly and in the right orientation so having the earphone plug at the top makes this nearly impossible as the cable gets into your way all the time.
| [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
Interestingly you can see the screws at the bottom very clearly, and LG made no efforts to cover them up somehow. This is only a minor gripe to the overall excellent look though. Being made of a glass panel on the front and the back side makes the Nexus 4 prone to scratches and worse if you ever let it drop. So you better get a case or a bumper (just don’t try to get the official one, because its even harder to find than the Nexus 4) if you are one of those persons dropping their phones every now and then. I actually never have dropped my phone in the past 10 years on a hard surface, but only at home on carpet from short height. The Nexus 4 changed this. Well, I didn’t really drop it, it was more like the Nexus 4 jumped off my shelf on its own like a Lemming. When I put it on the shelf on top of an iPad sleeve, everything looked fine. But after about 20 minutes i heared a bang and saw that the Nexus 4 somehow slid extremely slowly down the iPad sleeve and dropped on the next smaller shelf. Luckily it didn’t get any scratch but one thing is for sure, the Nexus 4 is slippery like hell. And I also don’t like the fact that the glass back directly sits on the surface beneath, there is no offset at the edges that would prevent the glass to touch i.e. the table it sits on. So just some sand on a table is enough to scratch the back. I guess that’s one reason why the official Bumper was sold out immediately after being available for just a few minutes.
I still love the way this device feels in your hand, the glass panels look great and are perfectly manufactured. The Nexus 4 is generally build with such a high quality that it can compete with the iPhone 5, this clearly wasn’t the case with the Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S plastic build approaches.
| [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] | [See image gallery at smartphoneblogging.com] |
Most US blogs mainly criticized the absence of LTE, but as the LTE coverage is pretty small at the moment I don’t see this as huge setback. Especially considering the price and overall hardware quality of the Nexus 4.
The Verdict
Google did it again. After going all-in with the Nexus 7 that came with great specs and a competitive price tag, they followed up with their Nexus smartphone lineup. Incredible build quality and hardware that is up to par with the iPhone 5 and other current flagships like the HTC One X, but for only half the price. Google is serious with their latest Nexus offerings, and they seem determined to shake the market. While the first estimated sales figures are still quite behind iPhone or Galaxy S3 sales, the demand is clearly ramping up and i’m pretty sure that Google would have sold much more if the Nexus 4 wouldn’t have been sold out all the time.
Generally I love the 4.7 inch IPS HD display, which can easily keep up with Apples iPhone 5 retina screen. This is especially noteworthy as it wasn’t the case with the previous Nexus phones since they all used AMOLED screens with Pentile Matrix layout that effectively created a much worse resolution, even if all the marketing material was talking about AMOLED HD screens. It wasn’t real HD, it was wannabe HD hoping that nobody would see the clear resolution difference between PenTile Matrix and traditional full RGB displays. Don’t believe me? Just put the Galaxy Nexus side by side with a Nexus 4 or an HTC One X and you’ll see that the latter display images and text crisper. Not having a Micro SD card slot doesn’t come as a surprise since all Nexus devices except the Nexus One didn’t have that, but i’d still love to see this option again at some point. I understand that Google wants us to put as much as possible into the cloud, but even if I did that the current games and apps get bigger day by day approaching GB sizes, and 16GB is just not sufficient anymore. A 32 or 64GB option should be offered, and there are some rumours that Google plans to update the Nexus 4 hardware similar to what they did with the Nexus 7. Missing LTE doesn’t really bother me at the moment, but i can understand that this might be a major setback in some countries like the USA.
So is it worth all the hassle? If you want a high-end smartphone with great hardware, nearly perfect build quality and stylish looks, all the Android updates first in line, pure Android UI, the best of Google apps and don’t mind to pay only half the price of other comparable devices out there, then you should order a Nexus 4 as soon as it’s available again. Just make sure that you get the 16GB version as 8 GB doesn’t make sense if you want to use the Nexus 4 to its full extend.
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