user December 20, 2017 No Comments

Phone Review: iPhone X

It’s finally fall, which every year brings beautiful leaves, crisp weather, and a new iPhone! This year, Apple launched three new iPhone models, the 8, 8 Plus, and the highly coveted iPhone X. There is so much to talk about with the X, from its powerful A11 Bionic chip to its massive, bezel-less screen. Here’s what we thought of it:

Design

Apple finally gave their iPhone a significant refresh this year with the iPhone X, and it is both refreshing, yet feels familiar to anyone that has used an iPhone before. Instead of an aluminum build, the iPhone X features a glass panel on the back which Apple is claiming to be the most durable glass found on any smartphone.

The glass back also enables wireless charging (more on that in a little bit) which is a welcome feature for the iPhone line. The X comes in two colors, for now, Space Gray and Silver, but they’ve been known to launch special edition colors like the Red Series earlier this year.

Screen

The most standout new feature for the iPhone X is definitely its screen. Sporting a 5.8” Super Retina OLED display, the iPhone X is beautiful and looks even better than the previous models. The screen is responsive as you would expect and the notch at the top really isn’t that noticeable once you start marveling at the gorgeous colors on the screen.

Unique Features

Gone is Touch ID, welcome a new way to unlock your phone: Face ID. Many other smartphones have tried facial recognition software to unlock their device, but Apple has something special here. As you saw in the keynote, the user needs merely to glance at the iPhone X, and it unlocks. Instantly.

The truth is, Face ID actually works as advertised. We haven’t had many issues unlocking the phone via facial recognition, and it works fairly quickly, just as Apple promised.

Another standout feature of the iPhone X is the introduction of wireless charging for iPhone users. They integrated the Qi wireless charging which enables it to work on a variety of pre-existing charging pads.

The Final Verdict

If you love iOS and you’ve been waiting for an iPhone that is a real game-changer, we recommend you pick the iPhone X up.

user December 6, 2017 No Comments

Phone Review: Samsung Galaxy Note 8

After last year’s debacle with the Note 7, Samsung had to bounce back and bring a super-powered phone to the market. The Galaxy Note 8 is just that, a super-powered smartphone with tons of unique features that are familiar to any previous Galaxy user.

Design

The Galaxy Note 8 features an all-glass build on the fronts and back with a metal band going around the edge. The Galaxy Note 8 now features a dual-camera system, combining a 12-megapixel telephoto lens with a standard 12-megapixel lens. This enables users to take more portrait-like images.

Screen

The massive, 6.3″ Super AMOLED screen of the Note 8 is perhaps its most significant selling feature. Bringing the edge-to-edge Infinity Display to the Note 8 is a welcome addition, and you really have to see this phone in-person to get the full effect. The colors are bright and, well, colorful! This is an excellent screen to watch videos and view pictures.

Unique Features

The S Pen is a returning feature that Note users have loved in the past. It hides right inside the device when you are using it, and users can simply pop it out whenever they’re ready. There are some cool features that you can use the stylus for such as drawing on the screen, taking notes, and highlighting text. The pen allows for a much more accurate drawing and note-jotting experience and the Screen Off Memo is an excellent tool for quickly taking a note while the screen is locked.

The Galaxy Note 8 also features a dedicated Bixby button, which enables the virtual assistant with the simple tap of a button. This makes it easy to schedule appointments, set reminders, or look up crazy facts about koala bears in an instant.

The Final Verdict

If you’re a fan of powerful, gigantic phones, you’ll love the Galaxy Note 8. If you were a fan of last year’s Note 7 and were sad to see it recalled, this is your chance to get the same experience with a few more added benefits.