LG G Pad 8.3 Review

Introduction

Struggling to secure its positions on the smartphone market, LG hasn't had much time to deal with the tablet one. That isn't to say LG has never released a tablet. In 2011, the company made its debut in that space by launching the Optimus Pad and its T-Mobile US variant, the G-Slate. In 2012, the company outed a revamped model, named Optimus Pad LTE, with the hallmark feature of all of these tablets being their 3D camera capabilities.

After a lengthy absence, LG is now back with a new tablet, and this time, it seems the South Korean company has come up with an even more ambitious product. Making full use of the hype surrounding the new G2 Android smartphone, LG is gearing up to release the G Pad 8.3 – a mid-sized tablet of premium quality that will take on fearsome rivals such as theApple iPad mini and the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0.

Design

LG has evidently put a lot of love in the design of the G Pad 8.3. It's simply one premium tablet with a very slim and good-looking body. It's not so small (8.54 x 4.98 x 0.33 inches), due to the sizable top and bottom bezels, but it's narrow and light enough (11.92 oz or 338 g) to allow for comfortable holding. Almost the entire back plate is made of aluminum, which gives the tablet a sense of style and class, just like the iPad mini, and unlike the Galaxy Note 8.0. It's a bit surprising to an extent, having in mind that the G2 smartphone sports an entirely different design language. We're definitely glad to see LG employ a more ambitious approach with its tablet.

The high-end design of the G Pad 8.3 is also found with its physical keys, which click happily and reassuringly, making them feel just right. Naturally, the tablet features a microUSB port for charging and wired data connection, but we're also happy to report that there's a microSD card slot on board as well, allowing you to easily expand your storage space. In case you're wondering, there isn't an infrared port.

We'd once again like to congratulate LG for coming up with this premium design - we definitely hope that it'll make its way to the company's smartphone line-up next year. We wouldn't say that it's better than the iPad mini, since Apple's tablet is also quite spectacular, but it easily beats Samsung's offering in this segment, as well as low-cost tablet offerings like the Kindle Fire and the Nexus 7.

Display

LG has equipped the G Pad 8.3 with a wonderful display. It measures the healthy 8.3 inches, making it slightly bigger than the iPad mini's 7.9 inches and the Note 8.0's... 8.0 inches. Its biggest advantage, however, is its 1200 x 1920 resolution and wonderful pixel density of 273 ppi. In comparison, the iPad mini's pixel density is just 162 ppi (terrible), and the Note 8.0's one is 189 ppi (mediocre). Essentially, what this means is that the screen of LG's tablet manages to output some very clean and pixelization-free visuals that make everything look that much more enjoyable, including reading and multimedia content, such as images, video and games.

With this LCD IPS display, LG has just nailed the balance between blue and red, resulting in a perfect color temperature of about 6588 K (kelvin), with the reference point being 6500 K. That's pretty much unprecedented for such a display so far. What's even better is that the third primary color, green, is also very well balanced according to the other two. The result is a display that appears neither bluish (as most LCDs out there), nor greenish (as most AMOLEDs out there), nor reddish (the Z1 Ultra is a rare example for such a display). Cementing the status of perfect balance between the three primary colors is the average Delta E grayscale (measures the amount of color error) value of just 2.58, which is a wonderful figure.
This isn't to say that the image quality of the display is perfect. Sadly, it isn't. For starters, the gamma is somewhat messed up, with highlights being a bit too bright and shadows being a bit too dark. Additionally, the brightness maxes out at around 345 nits, meaning that its outdoor visibility is less than ideal. The colors themselves may be well-balanced, but aren't perfectly accurate, as signified by the Color Gamut chart that you can find below, and the Delta E (rgbcmy) value of 5.61 (fair).

Viewing angles with this display seem to be good enough, similarly to most IPS panels out there.

Display measurements and quality

	MAXIMUM BRIGHTNESS(nits)HIGHER IS BETTER	MINIMUM BRIGHTNESS(nits)LOWER IS BETTER	CONTRASTHIGHER IS BETTER	COLOR TEMPERATURE(Kelvins)	GAMMA	DELTA E RGBCMYLOWER IS BETTER	DELTA E GRAYSCALELOWER IS BETTER
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8-inch	408 (Good)	4 (Excellent)	1:901 (Average)	6894 (Excellent)	2.12	9.35 (Poor)	2.62 (Good)
LG G Pad 8.3	345 (Average)	4 (Excellent)	1:1168 (Good)	6588 (Excellent)	2.26	5.61 (Average)	2.58 (Good)

These new Olloclip lens sets for iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus let you take macro and wide-angle photos

The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are undoubtedly very good at taking photos, but Olloclip wants to make them even better. Thus, the company announced three lens sets specifically made for Apple's latest handsets: Olloclip Core, Olloclip Active, and Olloclip Macro Pro.

The new sets include an Olloclip Connect interchangeable lens system that easily attaches and aligns to your iPhone 7 or iPhne 7 Plus rear and front-facing cameras, even if you have a screen protector (up to 0.5 mm thick) installed.

The Olloclip Core lens set for iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus is priced at $99.99 and includes three lenses: Fisheye (near 180-degree field of view), Super-wide (120-degree field of view), and Macro 15x.

Costing $119.99, the Olloclip Active lens set includes an Ultra-wide, 155-degree lens that offers an action camera-like field of view, and a Telephoto lens featuring 2x optical zoom (this can be used both with the iPhone 7, and the iPhone 7 Plus - which already has 2x optical zoom).

Finally, the Olloclip Macro Pro lens set is the cheapest among the new accessories, costing $79.99, and including the following lenses: Macro 7x, Macro 14x, and Macro 21x.

All three new Olloclip lens sets can be pre-ordered starting today, and should be released in mid November. They don't work with third-party protective cases, but Olloclip has its own compatible case that can be bought for $29.99. You'll be able to find the new lens sets not just at Olloclip's website, but also at Apple, Best Buy, and other well known retailers.

We liked the quality of the older Olloclip iPhone lenses that we reviewed (see here andhere), so we hope the new ones won't disappoint. Let us know if you're planning to buy any of Olloclip's lens sets for your iPhone 7, will you?

Apple iPhone 7 vs Samsung Galaxy S7

Introduction

There are only two phone companies that can sell $600+ flagships in the millions of units, and that is why the comparisons between the new Apple iPhone 7 and Samsung's top-shelf Galaxy S7 is bound to be intriguing.

Apple upgraded the iPhone 7 with more features than rumored or expected this year, like a wide color screen, new optically-stabilized sensor, and a waterproof chassis. The IP67 rating itself negates one of the advantages that Samsung had with the Galaxy S7 before previous iPhones, but there is plenty more for the iPhone 7 to throw around. 

The Galaxy S7 still has a laundry list of top-notch features that should give it a leg in the race against the newest iPhone, at least on paper. So, can the iPhone, released six months after the S7, make you pause and think even if you are an Android aficionado? Let's see...

Design

The iPhone 7 is a hero of palm and pocket, while the glass chassis of the S7 feels nice in the sea of metal contemporaries.

Both the iPhone 7 and Galaxy S7 aren't thorough redesigns, and yet can hardly be confused with their predecessors. Apple, for instance, moved the iPhone 7 antenna bands to the edges, ditched the physical home key for a pressure-sensitive one, dispensed with the audio jack, waterproofed the chassis, slapped stereo speakers, put a bigger lens on the back, and issued its bread-and-butter device in two new dark hues – matte Black and Jet Black. That's almost enough of a redesign for it to feel like a completely different phone compared to its predecessor.

What stayed with the two 2016 editions, however, are the premium materials, the pocketability and manageability in the palm, as they are equipped with fairly reasonable for today's standards screen diagonals. Still, the S7 is larger and feels a bit heavier. Its thicker chassis contributes to that notion when held concurrently with the iPhone.

Apple ditched the physical home key for a pressure-sensitive one that has an adjustable haptic feedback when pressed, while Samsung kept its elliptical button clickable. The home key of the S7 is protruding, and the finish easy to scuff and scratch with everyday wear, while the iPhone 7's key is much harder to damage. The haptic key on the iPhone 7 takes some getting used to, both if you are coming from Android, and if you are upgrading from an older iPhone, but overall the uptake period is pretty short.

Display

The first phone with wide color display and active color management has also one of the best screens for outdoor activities.

A 4.7” 750 x 1334 pixels LCD display on the iPhone 7, against a 5.1” 1440x2650 AMOLED screen on the S7 – this seems like unfair fight when it comes to pixel density, but the “HD” resolution on the iPhone is perfectly adequate for the diagonal, while the Quad HD panel is a bit of an overkill on a 5-incher, and has a much higher power draw.

Speaking of power draw, the S7 can reach just under 500 nits max in brightness, while the iPhone 7 can exceed 600 nits in bright scenarios, making it a bit easier to see under the sun..

he color representation round is in the iPhone's camp. It is the first phone with active color management that covers the cinematic DCI-P3, or, as Apple calls it, “wide color” gamut, making it futureproof for whatever is thrown at it in the next few years. With the Galaxy S7, you have to deliberately choose a “Basic” color mode so that the display covers the widespread sRGB gamut, whereas in the default Adaptive display regime, it shows pretty cold and oversaturated colors. Apple, on the other hand, has had active color management since iOS 9, so when an image is tagged sRGB internally, it gets displayed credibly as such on the iPhone 7 display, while if it is taken with a richer color gamut like P3, it is automatically shown in full bloom on the new “wide color” display. It doesn't get any easier for the user than that, and there is no need to fumble with screen modes.

When it comes to viewing angles, both phones perform pretty well, though the AMOLED screen, even in Basic mode, becomes colder and blueish with the slightest tilt of the phone. As for extra display perks, the iPhone is equipped with the so-called 3D Touch tech that can recognize between a slight push or a hard press of the screen's surface, and react accordingly. Apple, as well as third-party devs, are finding more and more uses for this feature, though it hasn't proven an everyday necessity just yet. Samsung, in its turn, takes advantage of the OLED technology to offer the so-called Always-on screen that can display time, date, notifications and so on, when the phone is locked – neat, but quite a power drain.

Display measurements and quality

	MAXIMUM BRIGHTNESS(nits)HIGHER IS BETTER	MINIMUM BRIGHTNESS(nits)LOWER IS BETTER	CONTRASTHIGHER IS BETTER	COLOR TEMPERATURE(Kelvins)	GAMMA	DELTA E RGBCMYLOWER IS BETTER	DELTA E GRAYSCALELOWER IS BETTER
Apple iPhone 7	632 (Excellent)	2 (Excellent)	1:1254 (Excellent)	6692 (Excellent)	1.84	2.96 (Good)	5.44 (Average)
Samsung Galaxy S7	484 (Good)	2 (Excellent)	unmeasurable (Excellent)	6852 (Excellent)	2.07	1.26 (Excellent)	2.09 (Good)

Sony Xperia XZ Review

Introduction

Sony is on an aggressive schedule: while most other companies are launching their new flagship phones once in a year, Sony is updating its top-line Xperia phones much more often, with a new phone every six months or so.

Last fall, we had the Xperia Z5, then in the beginning of June 2016, Sony released the Xperia X and Xperia X Performance, and now, just a few months after that, we have another new top-shelf phone: the Xperia XZ.

Despite this quick pace of upgrades, little changes in the Xperia line over time: most of the top-shelf Xperia phones evolve very gradually. The new Sony Xperia XZ is probably the biggest update to the series with a brand new ‘loop’ design that changes the appearance of the phone, but even this does not make it a very significant change: yes, it has a slightly larger screen and a slightly larger battery than the X Performance, but the specs and software are nearly identical.

Under the hood, the Sony Xperia XZ features the same top-shelf Snapdragon 820 system chip, with 3GB of RAM on board and the base version of the handset has 32GB of internal storage, expandable via microSD cards. Sony has, however, improved the camera with a 23-megapixel sensor with 5-axis software stabilization and laser auto-focus that speeds up focusing. Let’s see if there are any other improvements and if Sony can pull out a surprise with the XZ.

In the box:

• Xperia XZ
• 5V, 1.5A (7.5-watt) wall charger
• USB-C cable
• User manual

Design

New and shinier metal back, curved sides, but still on the thick side

Sony has always had a name for a company that makes elegant, stylish devices and the Xperia XZ undeniably looks like one.

While it retains the DNA of a Sony Xperia phone with its sharp corners and somewhat bulky size, it also now comes with edges that are tapered and more comfortable to hold, an approach that Sony calls ‘loop’ design. The back is made out of a special aluminum alloy that Sony calls ‘Alkaleido’. In real life, it’s a shiny metal finish with a very smooth coating that actually makes it feel a bit like glass or glossy plastic. Its slightly colder temperature, however, gives out its true nature. And it looks good when it’s clean, but as all glossy surfaces, it's good at catching fingerprints and getting smudged easily.

Upon closer inspection, however, one can’t help but notice that the sides of the phone are all made of plastic and there is a strap of plastic at the bottom edge of the rear panel for better reception. The physical buttons - all of them are on the right side - are also made of plastic and don’t feel nowhere near as clicky or well made as the ones on Galaxies and iPhones of today. In the international version of the Xperia XZ there is a fingerprint scanner built in the side-positioned power/lock key and it works fast and well, but - quite shockingly for a late 2016 flagship - there is no fingerprint scanner on the U.S. version of the phone. We guess that this has something to do with patents because otherwise this makes absolutely no sense.

Up front, there is a beautifully laminated screen with Gorilla Glass 4 (yet others are already using the tougher Gorilla Glass 5) that uses on-screen Android navigation keys. There are two front-firing speakers, which is a nice addition, while on the bottom of the phone there is a USB-C port for charging, whereas the 3.5mm headset jack is on the top.

The Xperia XZ comes in a choice of three colors: the signature for the model Forest Blue (aka dark blue), as well as a Mineral Black (black) and Platinum (bright gray) versions. We like this good-looking color selection, and as you can see we have the Forest Blue up for review.

Finally, the phone is also conveniently IP68 certified, meaning it is water- and dust-resistant: it can withstand a 30-minute stay in water, up to 3 feet deep, but rather than being made for use in water, it’s mostly meant to survive occurrences like the rain or an accidental drop in the toilet.

Display

5.2” Full HD LCD display with bluish colors

The Sony Xperia XZ features a 5.2-inch Full HD display (1080 x 1920 pixels) of an IPS LCD kind. “Triluminous”, “X-Reality”, Sony does not shy away from throwing in a bunch of pompous marketing names to convince everyone in the superior qualities of this screen.

But first, sharpness: a 5.2” Full HD display is sharp enough so that most users won’t see pixelization. We find no issue with it, hence, no reason to complain about it not being a Quad HD display. To be perfectly exact, there is one scenario when a Quad HD display would actually be more beneficial: if you mount your phone in a VR headset, you can actually see a real difference in sharpness there. But as far as normal usage is concerned, 1080 x 1920 px is a-OK.

Onto the colors, the Xperia XZ features strongly oversaturated colors and cold temperature that would annoy photographers looking for color accuracy, as well as those who care about true colors. We do, and from that standpoint, we are not happy with the color rendition on the Xperia XZ.

At the same time, if you are not particularly picky about color accuracy, the screen is not terrible: again, colors are unrealistic, but they also ‘pop’ more and the screen gets sufficiently bright to be comfortable to use in various conditions

Microsoft Surface Pro 4 discounted again at $150 off the entry level Core m3 model and $100 off the Core i5 model

Today – and only until the end of today – Microsoft has taken $150 off the entry-level Intel Core m3-powered Surface Pro 4 (now $749) and $100 off the Intel Core i5-powered model (now $899). Both feature 4GB of RAM and 128GB of SSD storage.

With this being the third discount in the span of a month, rumors arise that Microsoft is working on a refreshed Surface Pro 4 and a Surface Book laptop, which will be shown at a media event on October 26. However, the next-generation Surface Pro 5 and Book 2 are expected next year.

The Surface pro 4 is a Windows 10 Pro-powered tablet that converts to a laptop by adding a keyboard cover. It boasts a 12.3-inch display and works with the Surface Pen stylus, which comes included. In addition to the two discounted models, the Surface Pro 4 is also available in configurations with Core i7 processors, 256GB of SSD storage, and up to 16GB of RAM.

Windows 10 Mobile-powered HP Elite x3 finally hits the market with a $799 price tag

Announced at this February's Mobile World Congress, the HP Elite x3 has finally reached the market. This is a pricy $799 Windows 10 Mobile-powered dual-SIM phablet with a 5.96-inch, 1440 x 2560 resolution AMOLED screen that's powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of expandable storage. The microSD slot shares the same slot as the secondary SIM card, though, which means you can't have both dual-SIM connectivity and a microSD card installed.

Anyway, the HP Elite x3 also rocks a 16MP rear camera, an 8MP front-facing cam, an iris scanner for eye recognition security, a fingerprint reader, NFC, USB 3.0 Type-C, and stereo speakers along with a big 4,150mAh battery. The specs-intense device is also IP67-certified for waterproofing. The HP Elite x3 is also bundled with a bespoke Desk Dock that features a DisplayPort, Ethernet jack, power port, and three USB ports. Connecting the HP Elite x3 to it and adding a monitor, keyboard, and mouse turns the phablet into a Windows PC.

While Microsoft seems to have given up on producing its own smartphones, it's still pursuing the Windows 10 Mobile dream with the help of manufacturing partners like HP. There's no question that the Elite x3 is a capable smartphone, but does it have what it takes to steer buyers away from the familiar, comfortable and no less accomplished Android and iOS?

Transforming into a PC isn't really something that many consumers are after, seeing that they prefer to use their smartphones instead of a desktop. Meanwhile, the business professionals that this smartphone obviously targets seek the kind of mobility provided by laptops and tablets. So, cool and technologically accomplished as it is, Microsoft's Continuum trick doesn't seem to have arrived in the right time and place.

Moto G4 Play Review

Introduction

Earlier this week, Google launched its new Pixel phones, and while both make for some pretty impressive hardware, the $650 starting price has got to have many Android fans feeling nostalgic for the days of $350 Nexus phones.

But even as companies like Google move on to more flagship-priced pastures, other manufacturers are still carrying the banner of eminently affordable smartphone hardware, bringing their users phones that run the same apps as more expensive models, and connect to the same internet, but do so for a fraction of the price.

Earlier this year, we checked out some pretty budget-friendly Androids from Lenovo's Moto brand, with the release of the Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus. Those were two solid mid-rangers, priced at $200 and $250, respectively. But now they're joined by an even more affordable Moto G4, with the start of sales for the $150 Moto G4 Play.

What do you have to give up in terms of design, functionality, and performance in order to sell a phone that costs so little? Do those cuts justify the price, or is maybe smarter to pay a little more and spring for one of the better-equipped G4s? Let's find out.

In the box:

• Moto G4 Play
• Micro-USB charger
• Intro guide
• Safety notice

Design

While it lacks the refinement of pricier handsets, the Moto G4 Play comes together with a pleasing-enough body

The Moto G4 Play has a lot in common with its G4 brethren, but can't avoid looking a little less refined either. Part of that has to do with the chunky-looking bezels, both at the top and bottom, and flanking the sides of the screen. The phone's back panel is another textured piece of plastic with a nice, soft touch to it, and the by-now-familiar Motorola dimple in the middle. 

Unfortunately, that dimple's just a little low for your index finger to live there while holding the phone, and instead your fingertip's likely to drift up to the rear camera (hopefully not smudging the lens in the process). 

The back panel's of the peel-off variety, and while we appreciate the ease at which that affords access to the SIM card, microSD slot, and removable battery, these things always make us feel a little nervous, like we're ripping the phone apart. And it seems like we always miss at least one of the snap-on connectors when putting the phone back together.

An analog headphone jack lives up top, and below there's micro USB below for power and data connectivity – no USB Type-C here. On the right side, we've got our volume rocker and power button. Having the power on top of the volume feels a little unnatural to our hands, but that's due more to the influence of other phones than anything.