DualSim – JA3Tech

Top Smartphones…2016 Edition

Posted on 12/28/201601/04/2017 by ja3techreviews

Seriously, the year is already over?!?! Really?!?! 2016 was a, well, an interesting year, to say the least. From the Note 7 debacle, to the “wtf was that” called the LG G5, the overall dip in consumer spending as a whole, and Microsoft unable to give away phones, we scoured and identified the Top devices of 2016; the best little nuggets, shall we say, and composed this list ranking them.

For all you newbies and faithful alike, I break this down into two categories, well three this year, but more on that later, described as follows: (i) top premier smartphone – smartphones over $399 (ii) top budget smartphone – smartphones at or under $399. Bear with me as these are my honest opinions based on devices reviewed throughout the year. Hopefully you agree, but if not, just sit back and enjoy.

TOP PREMIER SMARTPHONES
1) Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge – You have to tip your hat to a company that learns from its mistakes. The Galaxy line took some hits in 2015 due to poor battery life, lack of sd card expansion, and overly aggressive RAM management. Call all problems corrected. And just as a caveat, I’m not a big Samsung fan, but even I was amazed by the glory that were these two devices.

2) iPhone 7 and 7 Plus – Another bland offering from Apple this year, but what it lacks in that certain “Je ne sais quoi” is surely offset by the continuation of great software optimization, introduction of dust and water resistance (IP-67 certification), outstanding camera, and improved battery. Again, the design matriculates along the boring scale, so something still to improve on, Tim Cook.

3) Google Pixel and Pixel XL – Didn’t like it and still don’t like it (for my own personal usage) but it still stands as one of the elite devices of 2016 for it’s impeccable camera in all lighting, great software and hardware synergy, and amazing screen. If it was, say, $360 cheaper, it could arguably be the best device of the year, in my opinion.

4) LG V20 – LG may not be winning in overall popularity among consumers, but year-on-year, they keep cranking out gems. The V20 does not deviate from that. The secondary screen continues, and the battery life would make anyone pleased, so another great one from the South Korean maker.

5) OnePlus 3T – Yes, OnePlus devices have finally peaked above the budget threshold. It was always a matter of time, but the company continues churning out the best “bang-for-your-buck” phones. A whopping 6GB of RAM, impressive all-day battery life, all inclusive cellular connectivity, dual-sim capable, and sleek design are propelling Carl Pei’s baby to the head of the class in the industry. For someone who still likes rooting and rom-ing, OnePlus is your ticket to paradise, so pack your bags, we leave tonight.

6) Motorola-Lenovo Moto Z Phones- Modularity done right is a truly splendid thing, and this was done right (take notes G5). Motorola-Lenovo continues its grasp of fantastic designs and innovations, and I’m excited for what they will showcase in 2017.

7) Xiaomi Mi Mix – Bezzle-less? Yup, bezzle-less display! Truly, I don’t know if anything else needs to be said.

8) HTC 10 – So HTC dropped the “One” moniker and the front facing speakers, but kept the smooth, aluminum unibody figure, while improving both software and hardware performance. Still, something was missing from this one, as I could never call it a true “flagship” device, nor worthy of daily driver material. But the once left for dead company finds itself resurfacing towards relevance….continue that climb young one!

9) HP Elite x3 – Everyone who knows me, or reads my articles, knows I have a certain soft spot in my heart for Windows devices. Enter the HP Elite x3, a device that got right what the Lumia 950 got wrong. The hefty $649 price tag keeps this from being an easy recommend, but from performance to style, this was a hot device.

10) Asus Zenfone 3 Deluxe – When the heck did Asus phones get above $300? Well, this was a year of exceptions, and the Zenfone did not escape those nasty clutches! I loved testing this devices, as the pillars making a great device were present, but the only pillar I could not accept, the $659.99 price tag. Much like I stated about the Pixel phones, a steep price reduction would put this in “must buy” territory.

BEST BUDGET SMARTPHONES
1) ZTE Axon 7 – I was over the moon in love with this device and still am (review still coming in a 6-months after format). Great battery with quick charge capabilities, phenomenal audio experience, great screen quality, fantastic call quality, and outlandish RAM capacity makes this my past, current and future daily driver for awhile. At the consumer-friendly $379.00 off-contract, you are getting a flagship-like experience for budget-like bucks.

2) ZTE ZMAX Pro – Get the crown out because ZTE cemented itself as most improved manufacturer of the year banging out two elite phones at pauper prices. The ZTE ZMAX Pro, much like the Axon 7, shares a pleasurably unique user experience with little-to-no sacrifices. Being T-Mobile and MetroPCS exclusives knock down its rating from a potential top placing, but we can hope for the unlocked version, making this a must by for 2017.

3) Alcatel OneTouch Idol 4s – If a girl, or guy for you ladies, can cook, clean, hold you close, buy you presents, and care for you on those down days; they are a keeper. The same can be said about the Idol 4s, as the attractive build, nice user interface, decent battery, came packaged with a Incipio case, screen protector, JBL Headphones, and VR headset for the low price of $399.00. Idol 4s, will you marry me? For all you Windows junkies, she has a cute sister too (Idol 4s Windows).

4) Huawei Honor 5x – Building off their Nexus 6p inspired success in the Western Hemisphere, Huawei launched the Honor 5x budget device at CES earlier this year, and what a launch it was. Nice processing power, dual-sim capable, impressive call clarity, and a fingerprint sensor on a sub-$200 device made this an early recommend. Even today, at retailer discounted prices, I still feel this is one of the better phones of the year.

5) Xiaomi Mi Note 2 – Xiaomi seemingly will be one of the best manufacturers we may never hear about in the US. Churning out another wonderful device in the Mi Note line was a foregone conclusion for one of the top sellers in China, and during my testing, I was suprised by the zippy iPhone-esque clone. Again, its radios are tuned for Asia and Eastern Europe, but for a Wi-Fi only device, you could do no wrong getting this.

6) Nextbit Robin – The startup company hoped on making waves in 2016, but instead, sales indicate merely a belly-flopping thud. Currently going for as low as $179.99, a device sporting a now, only 2-generation old capable processor, front facing speakers, fingerprint sensor, and acclimating cloud storage, this falls in the great budget finds of the year.

7) Huawei Honor 8 – The Honor 8 was the Kat Dennings of phones. It had the most amazing curves, glorious backside and magnificent display jammed into a nice little frame. But the user experience was more like Cait Jenner, as it was marred by poor (and that is being polite) battery life and and a quirky EMotion user interface. That being said, if you value style, and a stunning one at that, over substance, the Honor 8 is for you. And currently going for $299.99 with extras, it’s priced for us all.

8) Motorola-Lenovo Moto G4 and G4 Play – These probably would have fallen in the upper-tier of phones…six years ago, but for 2016, the sub-1080p display and lower-end processors were overcome by the immaculate battery life and zippier than expected performance. Factor in a price tag under $200, and you just found the recipe for a happy entry-level device or a great backup device.

9) LeEco Le Pro 3 – I wanted to use a Pepe Le Pew pun but I shall refrain. This newcomer in the US market has been turning heads with its first, yet quality offering. The launcher and its layout prove problematic for Android experts, but slapping on a new launcher, you have something fabulous all for under $279.99

10) LG K7 – Debuting in January, my initial thoughts were this was merely replacement or interim phone material, but after my testing period, the Snapdragon 210-enabled device performed well above its specs. Accompanied by LG’s stylistic and durable design for under $100.00….I smell a winner!

My father used to tell me, find the humor in a bad situation. So folks, I bring you the new category for this year…

MOST ENTERTAINING SMARTPHONES…FOR THE WRONG REASONS

1) Samsung Galaxy Fireball f/k/a Galaxy Note 7 – Was it going to start a fire or not? Was it going to singe the hairs on your crotch or legs? “Probably” was the answer for both these questions, and because of that, it was the most entertaining device of the year. You may go for your nightly slumber only to wakeup and run screaming for the exits. But you must admit, any phone requiring you keep a fire extinguisher and some burn compound handy makes for good times.

2) LG G5 – WTF?!?! I know what LG was attempting, finally making the long awaited modular devices a reality, but this turned into a hot mess from jump. If the G5 was a person, she would be that one girl who shows up at a party with a combed over weave, purple top with lime green skirt, and some knock off Jordan’s….like I said, a HOT MESS!

Well everyone, that concludes the top smartphones of 2o16. Tell me what you think in the comments section, whether you agree or disagree. Thanks and stay tuned for more!

BLU LIFE ONE X (2016) REVIEW: BLU’S BUGGY BARGAIN

Posted on 02/18/2016 by ja3techreviews

Blu’s Buggy Bargain, whoa, try saying that five times fast. Not easy, huh? Over the last month, I’ve had the opportunity to use, evaluate and review the Blu Life One X (2016), and for a reasonable $149.00, this is a buggy yet solid. Let me clarify the usage of the wording “solid” by implementing my self-designed definition of the word: solid – (adj) pedestrian; useful without being spectacular. I will be upfront by stating I use this word to describe many of the Life One X features, so always use this as a reference guide.

All-in-all, BLU continues to go about their business of pumping out solid…yup… devices at budget-friendly prices. For anyone willing to make some feature sacrifices, this may be an absolute bargain; with bugs.

TAKING THE TOP OFF: THE UNBOXING
Known in the tech world as the “Budget Phone King”, many would expect an unboxing befitting the budget price in attempt to cut costs. Dare I say this is not completely the case for the Miami-based company, as the “flash factor” is present. I find it somewhat apropos as Miami is synonymous with flash and flair…I’m sending that like out to you Pitbull. More-or-less, we have a simple black rectangular box, but the 3-D device picture and sleek metallic silver branding definitely gives you a hint of style and flair. We observe this metallic silver BLU (“Bold Like Us) themed branding on both the top and bottom interior and exterior housings, the 4G LTE logo, Life One X labeling, the BLU website information (www.bluproducts.com), and FCC/Device identifications in black lettering within an adjoining white dialog box. As I often do for something notable, I give kudos, so kudos to you BLU for a nice unboxing experience.

Inside we are introduced to the phone in its plastic wrap sitting atop a velvet lined support. Seated underneath the phone, we find the standard USB 2.0 cable, charging adapter, and included headphones, all in similar wraps along with our usual manuals. Lastly, similar to other BLU devices, an included screen protector and phone case are found in the bottom of the interior housing. Low quality best describes the protector, as its not as dense or solid as a 9H or tempered one, but still nice to see its inclusion. Also, the case is reminiscent of the S-View for Samsung Galaxy phones, with an upper quadrant opening, allowing for quick view of notifications without unlocking the phone. I never found myself using it as I am not a big fan of this particular style, but again, nice to know BLU maximizes the experience with goodies not usually included by other manufacturers.

THE ENTREE: HARDWARE, SPECIFICATIONS AND PERFORMANCE
No one will mistake this phone as premium feeling, but the continued principle of solid fits so perfectly. On front we get the glossy black display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3, surrounded by a metal band and removable plastic back covering. Giving kudos once again is in order as the devices feels nice in the hand with its tapered edges, curved back that fits fabulously in the palm, and the ergonomic stylization allowing great one-hand use. Without overstating, this is not a phone in league with the HTC One M9, Samsung Galaxy S6 or Apple iPhone 6s, with their respective glass/metal bodies for the premier aesthetics and feel, but maintains a solid, simple charm.

On the right side, we find a top and bottom antenna, accompanied by the volume up/down toggle and power button. The volume toggle sits above the power button, and both have a great tactile feel. Although neither possesses distinguishing traits, I never found myself pressing one while attempting to use the other. On the left side, we find symmetrical antennas to their right counterparts and nothing else. Atop you’ll find the customary 3.5mm headphone jack sitting alone as no noise-cancelling microphone was present, and the USB port and main microphone on the bottom.

The 5.2” IPS LCD display, with a 1080p full high-definition resolution (approximately 424 pixel-per-inch density) provides a quality viewing experience. I find a close equivalent to the LG Nexus 5X as both having impressive screens, with the Nexus slightly edging out a win because of its brightness and sharper contrast. Don’t get me wrong, the Life One X boasts excellent viewing angles, but still leaves something to be desired. Possibly an uptick of sharpening and outdoor visibility may be the only thing lacking to make this one of the better 1080p, LCD screens, but still well worth the money.

Nestled on top of the front display we get the LED indicator, the earpiece and front 5 megapixel camera. I will touch more on the camera in the software section, but again, the word solid comes to mind. I never got the “oh my gosh” selfie shot, but to capture a quick picture for friends and family, or an adequate shot for social media, it will certainly suffice. At the bottom of the display, we find more BLU branding, with the noticeable subtraction being hardware navigation buttons, replaced by on-screen software ones. On the back is the 13MP camera, accompanied by dual-LED flash, and a bottom mounted grille speaker. As with other BLU devices, the speaker quality proved unimpressive with volume reaching high levels, but with distortion and devoid of great clarity. Similarly, the rear camera generates decent photos, but absent is great contrast and quality of detail. Again, solid and functional are the underlining truths to take away from the hardware aspects.

Removing the plastic back gives access to the dual-sim slots, micro-sd card slot, and the 2,900 mAh non-removable battery. I was pleasantly surprised BLU incorporated such a large battery given the size and screen resolution, and easily obtained all-day usage with above-average screen-on times; that is when the device isn’t acting buggy. Usual on-screen outputs ranged in the 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 hour range of moderate to heavy usage while checking/writing emails, viewing personal photos and video, browsing websites, taking photos, light gaming, and lots of YouTube watching. But one day, the device went berserk and flirted with full-on beast mode, after a random reboot. Even know, I’m still not sure what happened, maybe a software glitch caused something to go haywire, but I just could not drain the damn thing no matter how hard I tried. Included is a screen shot of that day, where I achieved seven (7) hours of on-screen time. The unit was scaring me so much I contacted an old priest and a young priest to be on standby in case an exorcism was needed. A clear indication of the buggy software one could incur when buying this phone. However, one aspect I actually liked quite a bit was this device sips power so efficiently when not in use. On a Tuesday during my review time, I left the phone on my desk at 97% with the screen on and screen timeout set to 30-minutes, and came back an two hours later to 96% battery remaining. Extremely impressive in my book if you ask!

Call quality falls into the okay category as incoming voice sounded clear but somewhat muted, while outgoing voice was detailed as either robotic sounding or accompanied by static interference. Data speeds in the testing area were impressive, though, with speeds averaging 27Mbps on T-Mobiles LTE bands 4 and 12. Again, I find the word solid a great way to describe the performance of the Life One X.

Powering the device is a 1.3GHz Octa-Core MediaTek processor (MT-6753), accompanied by 16GB of internal storage and 2GB of RAM, Mali-T720MP3 graphics card, and a 4G LTE support (Bands 2(1900), 4(1700/2100), 7(2600), 12(700), 17(700)) which is suitable for a majority of T-Mobile LTE bands and some AT&T bands. Although standard for other manufacturers, this is a stark deviation from other BLU devices supporting only 3G or HSPA+ speeds. The MediaTek processor demonstrates to be no match for powerhouse counterparts like the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 series or Samsung Exynos; but, common usage will yield nice results. Additionally, by today’s standards, 2GB of RAM won’t make any jaw drop in wonderment, but my testing showed solid performance with little to no stutter. Having multiple applications opened did bog the device down, but with proper management, any hesitations in performance would be minimal. Snappy certainly is an overestimation of performance, but solid fits the description without a doubt. If we were to hop into a Delorean and go back to 2012, there is little doubt the Life One X would be viewed as an upper-tier phone of the day. Heavy gamers and photographers-in-training may want to stir clear of buying this, but for someone looking for a casual yet solid experience, it’s not a bad selection.

TELL ME MORE: SOFTWARE AND CAMERA
The words buggy and inconsistent come to mind whenever I review a BLU Device, and this is no exception. I say this with the utmost conviction, never have I reviewed a device from this manufacturer incorporating like software or devoid of glitches, and this one continues that trend. The Life One X sticks mostly to stock Android Lollipop (version 5.1); with a few icon pack tweaks, an inclusion of software customization, and other software gesturing additions. I would not call these inclusions a skinned version of Lollipop, but perhaps that is a good thing. Keeping Android closer to pure as possible is what most users appreciate, especially since the software is not at optimal performance. The included App Drawer was also a welcome inclusion, resulting in decreased need to install a third-party launcher, a big difference from previous BLU phones devoid of such feature. But, software continues to be the bane of BLU’s existence. There were several useful features included such as: double-tap to wake, screen drawing gestures to open applications, flip to silence and snooze, pocket mode, and voice unlocking, all diminished by lag and app stuttering. One such example was the screen draw gesture to open the camera, in which you would draw the letter “c” for quick access. I love this feature on all my OnePlus devices, and hoping for similar success on the Life One X. Unfortunately, the experience was marred by inconsistency in successful usage and even phantom activation. I don’t know if it was me, or if the magical camera fairy waved her wand, but this feature worked marvelously when in my pants. Trust me when I say I know possess some great photos of the inside of my pants’ pocket. Joking aside, these inclusions would be a delight if BLU provided updates to improve performance when bugs are apparent, but I am skeptical due to the company’s previous track record. The same can be said about the operating system upgrades, as we are now entering month five of Android Marshmallow, and no word from BLU Headquarters on when the switch will occur. I see this as a potential deal breaker for those looking for updates to make a more fluid experience. However, at such a great price point, many may end up overlooking this inconvenience.

Much like everything on this phone, the cameras are solid without being spectacular. The application is easy to use with almost no hiccups, and utilizes a great button layout. As stated earlier, the back camera is 13 megapixels, with a 4:3 aspect ratio, or you could drop down to 10 megapixels for a 16:9 aspect ratio. A degradation of quality is apparent in switching to the lower resolution, but proved quite nominal. One quick note about the flash I learned the hard way, it is bright and can cause some serious shadow-effect problems when used, so proceed with caution when using. I did enjoy how quickly photos were taken, with a near instantaneous render. However, I did find touch to expose quite fickle. Some of the included sample photos should show it, but if you touch on one point of a subject, you can get a near perfect shot. But if you focus just slightly off-center of that subject, there was a tendency for blown-out highlights. It was a very odd occurrence and definitely one worth noting. The back camera also records video in 720p with your choices of high, medium or low frame rate quality. I saw little difference in video quality between the high and medium settings, but a noticeable one at the low settings. Unfortunately, no 1080p video recording was included, but overall camera quality for both photo and video were; say it with me…solid.

BRING IT ON HOME: CONCLUSION AND FINAL THOUGHTS
As customary in each of my reviews, I attempt to answer the question who I would recommend this phone. Over and over I contemplated this and still have no solid answer. I guess the best answer shifts back to that word I used throughout this article: solid. If you are looking for a solid but not spectacular device at a great price, this is a device to consider. If you are not one desiring constant updates and not dissuaded by the possible lack of OS upgrades, this may be the device for you. I see this more as something a parent would buy their pre-teen or teenager as a starter phone, or for someone in need of a “filler” device until the new flagship season kicks off. I also see this as recommendation for someone traveling overseas needing an unlocked and/or dual-sim device, or for someone looking to add another decent phone to their roster. Solid, albeit with some buggy quirks, clearly defines what it is like to use the Blu Life One X. And if you are someone who can live with this, you will be pleased what your $149 buys you. One final note, if current pricing is steeper than what you would like to pay, Blu has a history of lowering prices as a device ages; so be on the look out for that in the near future.