Samsung Pay works with 19 more banks in the US

Samsung has signed a deal that'll get its smartphone-based payments system accepted with 19 more banks in the US. The agreement means that you'll now be able to use your Galaxy smartphone as a substitute for a PNC Visa and KeyBank MasterCard credit and debit card. In addition, the partnership means that plenty of regional issuers are now signed up, including TCF Bank, Utah Community Credit Union and USC Credit Union. If you've yet to make a splash into the realm of Samsung Pay, you'll need to grab a Galaxy S6 variant or a Note 5 and download the app from Google Play and dash to your nearest franchise coffee house.

First 4K Smartphone! (Sony Xperia Z5 Premium)

This is the world’s first 4K smartphone. It’s called the Xperia Z5 Premium and it’s built by Sony who knows a few things about making good smartphones and 4K content so let’s dive into it.

The look of the Premium is instantly recognizable over its Z5 brothers. And it’s the only one that’s still using glass on both the front and back, the look is unmistakably Xperia. But the size of the Premium is larger than the Z5 in basically every single dimension mainly because it has a larger 5.5-inch display compared to the 5.2-inch display on the standard Z5. Though its display comes in at a whooping 2160x3840 resolution, which means Sony was the first brand to first introduce a true 4K display on a mobile phone and its ppi number is incredible. Are you ready for it? The Z5 Premium has 806ppi. Now that’s crazy. But we’ll go back to the specs in just a second because the other specs are also nothing to scuff at.

The Z5 Premium is packed with a Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, plus the Z5 Premium keeps up with the microSD card expansion thanks to the slot on the left side. And due to the severe amount of rubber surrounding the slot, the Z5 also has IP68 rating.

The other big news of the Z5 family is the new 23MP camera. It’s an all-new sensor this year, which means we can see a huge jump at photo quality. I was able to snap a few photos with the Z5 Premium and compared it to the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+, the king of mobile photography right now. So basically, we’re comparing the 16MP photo stills of the Galaxy S6 edge+ to the 23MP photos of the Sony Xperia Z5 Premium. The result is: it’s kind of hard to say.

Visually, the photos of the edge+ looks a little bit better but the situation was a room full of harsh lighting, which never plays very nicely with mobile sensors. But I definitely want to know your thoughts between these two images, which looks better to you? Make sure to leave a comment below with your answer.

And also, if you want to check out my Galaxy S6 edge skin, make sure to head down to the description and check out Slickwraps for the skins on the Galaxy S6 edge+. Or maybe you want to check out next to the OnePlus 2 skin which is absolutely dope. And speaking of the OnePlus 2, it was the only phone I was really able to compare in size which fits very closely. The Z5 Premium and the OnePlus 2 are very close in size. And basically, the height and width are almost exact but the Z5 undercuts the thickness at 7.8mm.

There are some other pieces of great hardware on the Premium this year. The first is the new fingerprint sensor that lives right on the power button on the side. While at first glance it was really hard to see how this could work, it’s actually super accurate and very great to use. Plus, it’s in an ideal place to use. Secondly, the battery is quite large at 3430mAh. While it sounds big, just think about how many pixels this battery has to power plus all the hardware that runs it. But the Z5 Premium has fast charging 2.0 which will get 60% of juice in about 30 minutes of charging.

Over to the software, the Z5 Premium is running Android 5.1.1 Lollipop with Sony’s UI on top. While most of the elements come from stock Android, like the app drawer and other things, it’s not the smoothest or most user-friendly UI around. Or that’s how it seemed on the surface. We’ll definitely have to take a deeper look at the software when we get one in house.

Now, I’d like to go back to the display. With 806ppi, you expect this display to look sharp and it’s definitely very sharp. But to my human eye, looking at the Z5 Premium and looking at the Galaxy S6 edge+ or the Galaxy Note 5; they all look exactly the same: really sharp and really crispy. At this point, PPI is a very arbitrary number. I did check out some 4K native content on the Z5 Premium and I did check out some native 4K video on the panel and it did look great. But for comparison, watching native 1440p off a Quad HD display have always looked great. I’m just not sure if more pixels in a phone this size will mean a big difference.

Make sure to stay tuned for our review of the Z5 Premium. That is definitely coming very soon on the channel. Make sure to leave a comment below with your thoughts on the first 4K smartphone. I’m definitely interested in hearing what you have to say. The Z5 Premium is available in three colors: a chrome, black, and gold. It should be available sometime this November. 

Moto X Pure Edition Unboxing and Impressions

Whether you’re an Android fan or just someone who’s always valued a good fan for a good price, the Moto X has always been on the radar. The past two years of the X have been phenomenal, except for a few key areas like the camera. The all-new Moto X Pure or Style (depending on where you live) may be the phone to solve almost all things. So let’s go ahead and dive into the brand new Moto X Pure (or Style).

First off, Motorola has sort of gone in reverse in packaging sizes. While I must say the box looks and feels good, it’s quite massive compared to its last iteration. Just looking at it from an environmental standpoint here. But once you crack open into its shrink wrap, you can lift the lid and there it lies: the new Moto X that I personally designed lying face down. Looks like Motorola wants you to appreciate your hard work in designing the phone rather than a blank and black screen.

On the right side, we see a Moto cover that is on top of this clear bumper case. And while it’s nice to have, it’s rather flimsy and sort of cheap feeling. But again, it’s nice of them to throw this in. beneath that is the charger, which is their Turbo Charger. Interestingly, it’s not a 2-piece set. It’s just a brick with a cord attached to it. Why Motorola, why?

On the opposite side and beneath the Moto X, lies a pamphlet full of reading materials and a SIM eject tool which will come in handy due to the amazing ability of this phone working on all bands, GSM or CDMA here in the States and abroad.

Now back to the Moto X. over the past three generations, the Moto X has changed the most out of any other flagships. The first gen was 4.7 inches, the second 5.2 inches, and now, we hold a healthy 5.7 inches. The change is drastic. But thankfully, it’s not become a monster like the Nexus 6. Its closest companion and probably its biggest competitor is this—the OnePlus 2. The builds on the devices are closer than we think. And the OnePlus 2 now has available swap covers. But you can always slap a Slickwraps skin like the special edition carbon fiber.

It’s also its closest competitor on price. But the Moto X makes a very compelling sale. Now with a Quad HD LCD panel, a 6-core Snapdragon 808 processor, 3GB of RAM, an all-new 21MP camera and thankfully, a micro SD card slot. The 3rd generation Moto X is actually the first phone to have that option. And with the endless customization options available with Moto Maker, you can really spec and design your device like I have here. You can see that I went with the walnut wood backing with grey metallic trims.

Once you’ve booted up here with the Moto X, we are presented with a nearly stock form of Android 5.1.1 Lollipop with the slightest customization from Motorola. I’m talking about Moto Display, Moto Actions, Moto Voice, and Moto Assist. But I’ll definitely cover these more in future videos. But for my first impressions here, the Moto X is silky smooth, as expected. We’ll definitely keep an eye out for battery life due to the switch to LCD panel but also the 21MP camera. My first photos so far are looking good. I’ll definitely keep you updated on that as well. But in the meantime, check out our other videos on the Moto X Pure or Play or whatever this thing is called in your area or neck of the woods.

Microsoft event happening October 6, new flagship Lumia phones and more expected

Windows Phone users have been waiting quite a while for new flagship smartphones, and it looks like Microsoft is finally ready to deliver.

Microsoft is now sending invitations to an event that’ll take place in New York City on October 6 at 10:00 am ET. The invite says that Microsoft as “some exciting news to share about Windows 10 devices,” but it doesn’t reveal any other details about what might be shown.

Previous reports have suggested that Microsoft will show its new Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XLphones in October, so this is likely the event that we’ll see ‘em at. The two phones are expected to have 2560x1440 displays, 20-megapixel rear cameras, 3GB of RAM, and microSD slots, with the Lumia 950 reportedly packing a 5.2-inch screen and the Lumia 950 XL coming with a 5.7-inch screen. The Lumia 950 is also rumored to have a Snapdragon 808 processor, while the Lumia 950 XL could have a Snapdragon 810 chipset.

Also expected to be shown at this October event is a Surface Pro 4. The new model is expected to look largely similar to the Surface Pro 3 on the outside, but some internal spec upgrades are possible. Also rumored to be planned for this event is a new Microsoft Band.

It sounds like this October 6 event could be a big one for Microsoft. For us smartphone nerds, the debut of the Lumia 950 and 950 XL will be huge because the last time that Microsoft introduced a flagship Windows phone, it was the Lumia 930 in April 2014. Not only will the Lumia 950 and 950 XL end Microsoft’s flagship smartphone drought, but the two phones will also be some of the first devices to launch with Windows 10 Mobile.

15 Leaked Features From LG Nexus 5X:

The official announcement of the 2015 Nexus 5 is imminent. On September 29th in San Francisco, Google will officially announce and share details of the upcoming LG Nexus 5 and Huawei Nexus device that are both very much in the works and have both been leaking for the past several months. So in this video, I want to recap about 15 leaked features of the LG Nexus 5 that we can expect to see made official on September 29th.

So the LG Nexus 5 2015 is actually rumored to be called the LG Nexus 5X. It will start at around $400 off-contract. The Nexus 5X will be available in white, black and light blue. It will feature a USB Type-C port and will feature a plastic build construction, which I hate saying.

The base model will feature 16GB of onboard storage but it can be upgraded to 32GB of storage for probably an additional $50. It’s a bummer to see that the leaks and rumors suggest that the base model will only feature 16GB of onboard storage because that’s not a lot nowadays. I was already mad at Apple for only including 16GB of onboard storage for their base model iPhone so I can be mad at Google now but I’m optimistic to see that it might feature a microSD card slot for expandable storage. I think it would kind of make sense since Marshmallow now offers native support for microSD cards and it’ll actually merge the microSD card storage with the onboard storage. So fingers crossed that it will feature a microSD card slot for expandable storage.

It is expected to feature Bluetooth 4.2, of course, NFC, and Android Pay—all of which are given. It will feature a fingerprint scanner on the back of the device, underneath the protruding camera sensor and it kind of reminds me of the BLU Pure XL which I just received not too long ago and it does feature a rear-facing fingerprint scanner. And I can just say, if it’s anything like this fingerprint scanner, which it will be, it should work wonderfully.

As for that display, it’s going to feature a very manageable 5.2-inch 1080p LCD display and it will be powered by a Snapdragon 808 hexa-core processor with 3GB of RAM. While the Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor might outnumber the 808 processor, I’m kind of glad Google is going to include the 808 processor in the Nexus 5X because it’s just a safer option. It doesn’t have a lot of overheating issues and just runs a lot cooler overall. It’s definitely just the safer option.

As for that protruding camera sensor, it will be a 13MP camera sensor or 12.7MP camera sensor that will be rounded up to 13MP, most likely. And there will be a 5MP front-facing camera sensor. The device will launch with the updated Google Camera app, which is receiving a ton of new features and design changes to help it stay more relevant. Some of the new features include a 120 and 240 fps slow motion mode, an HDR+ mode, a dirty lens detection feature, and a new interface that will allow you to change between the photo and the video modes simply by swiping from left to right on the screen.

We can’t really expect the camera sensor to produce similar results to the LG G4. Even though it is made by LG, it’s a $400 smartphone and so you can’t expect it to compete with a flagship smartphone that costs twice as much money. I’m just really hoping that the camera sensor and the camera quality is just acceptable and it really should be. It doesn’t have to produce image quality on par with the Note 5 or the LG G4. If it did or if it does, awesome all the better. But realistically, it’s probably be going to be more comparable to the OnePlus 2 or the Moto X Pure Edition or Moto X Style, at least in terms of image quality. And those camera sensors produce pretty good results.

As for the battery life, we can expect the Nexus 5X to be powered by a 2700mAh battery. that doesn’t sound like a whole lot but between the 1080p display and the battery saving improvements of Android’s 6.0 Marshmallow, I’m optimistic that battery life will deliver around 4 hours of screen on-time give or take; which will get most people through a full day of heavy or moderate to heavy usage.

So yes, of course, it’ll run stock Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box which is great news and really the main selling point of a Nexus device. we’ve seen a lot of $400 budget-friendly flagship smartphones, the most recent being the Moto X Pure Edition or the Moto X Style, depending on where you live. So let me know if you’re planning on picking up the Nexus 5X when it becomes official if the rumored specs turn out to be true. With the OnePlus 2 and the Moto X Pure Edition already on the market, what makes the 5X stand out to you and what makes you more inclined to buy the Nexus 5X over the competition? I’m curious. Be sure to let me know by leaving me a comment down below.

Just keep in mind that all the features and specs mentioned in this video are based off the rumors so anything can change but I think we’ve got a pretty good idea as to what we can expect to see with the LG Nexus 5X.

Alienware 17 (2015) Review

Subtlety has never been Alienware's strong suit, but with this iteration of the brand's 17-inch gaming laptop, it's what you don't see that deserves the biggest praise. This time around, the Alienware 17 ($2,299 as configured, starting at $1,499) has Nvidia's GeForce GTX 980M GPU under the hood, giving the system a serious graphics boost.
But if Nvidia's top mobile GPU doesn't satisfy your frame-rate lust, you can unlock even more power with Alienware's optional graphics amplifier, which, when paired with a desktop GPU, unlocks a whole new level of kick-ass.

Microsoft Surface 3 review

What is a laptop? What is a tablet? For most people, the answers are obvious. But for Microsoft’s Surface line, it’s been a bit murky.

12-inch MacBook review

Apple's latest laptop is simply called the MacBook.

Actually, I suppose, you're going to see everybody refer to it as "the new MacBook" for a little while, but that's just temporary. The name is a signal. Apple could have called it the MacBook Air 12-inch or the MacBook Slim or any number of other things. But instead, it’s the MacBook. That has to mean something.

The Xiaomi Mi Note is the best phone you can't have

The smartphone business is notorious for eating companies alive. Even giants of industry have fallen: Sony is on the cusp of throwing in the towel on its phone division, Nokia is now out of the game entirely after having been the largest manufacturer of phones in the world as recently as 2011, and even smartphone-centric companies like HTC are struggling. Yet somehow, there are a few upstarts that are navigating these treacherous, Samsung- and Apple-infested waters — sometimes with enormous success.

Dell's super thin, aluminum Venue 8 7000 is a surprisingly solid Android tablet

Android tablets have had a rough go of things since the very beginning. For years, Android tablet makers were chasing one bad idea after another, until Google landed on the Nexus 7 and actually came up with a compelling counter to Apple’s larger and more expensive iPad.

Nexus 9 review

For years, Apple’s iPad has set the bar for tablets. If you are making a tablet, the iPad is what you’ll be judged against and ultimately compete with. In light of this, Google has traditionally worked around Apple’s tablets: the small and cheap Nexus 7 carved out a niche for itself by filling a need Apple’s tablets didn’t.

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge review

I would very much like a flexible smartphone that I could scrunch up like paper and stuff into a pocket. I don’t quite know why I would like that, but it feels like something that the future should create.

Apple iPad Air 2 review

What is an iPad? When Steve Jobs introduced Apple’s tablet in January 2010, he delivered an unequivocal answer. “The iPad, if you were to sum it up, is our most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price,” he said. The words appeared on the screen behind him as he said it, and then he repeated the line. Magical and revolutionary. It became one of Jobs’ most iconic phrases. What he was really saying was even simpler: the iPad is the future.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S review

Samsung's gadget playbook is pretty obvious to anybody who’s been watching. It has created a relatively stable (if uninspiring) design language, chosen plastic as its preferred material, and cranked out device after device — each one based on small, iterative technological updates to the previous models. That's been the strategy for the Galaxy S line of phones for several years running, and it's the strategy that has led the company to release 11 different tablets since the beginning of 2014.

Sony NEX-5R review

Earlier this year, I made a pretty drastic change in my camera set up. I left behind my trusty Canon DSLR, and the lenses and accessories that had served me well for six years, and I picked up a Sony NEX-5N mirrorless camera. My reason for making the swap was purely convenience: I was just tired of lugging around my DSLR and all of its accoutrements every time I wanted better photos than my smartphone could offer. The NEX-5N solved this problem nicely — it's remarkably small and significantly lighter than a full DLSR, yet can capture incredible photos even in difficult lighting conditions. It can also shoot great 1080p video, meaning that I no longer needed to carry around a camcorder for video.