Category: Android Phone

A few weeks ago I posted my first impressions of the Huawei built Nexus 6P.  I covered a few of the highlights of the device that I had found to be exceptional in using the device but didn’t go into a lot of detail because this more detailed review was forthcoming.  Now that I have been using the 6P as my primary phone for the last 2 weeks, I can say without question it is the best smartphone I have used to date.  It is the complete package and has everything that you would expect a flagship device to have:  Speed, an excellent display, a solid camera and all day battery.  But that’s really just the high level stuff.  There is so much this phone offers and with Android N on its way for it, a Nexus 6P isn’t a bad choice in phone even if it is a few months old.

It wasn’t long ago that Blackberry as a company was on their deathbed.  Blackberry 10 was dying a death and the company switched gears to Android, making the secure and eagerly anticipated Blackberry Priv.  The device got reasonable but not glowing reviews and the price tag of $700 was laughable at best.  Still, the Priv did okay at first and both AT&T and T-Mobile picked up the device.  Now, nearly a year later, T-Mobile has dropped the Priv from their site and AT&T admits that the device is struggling with them.

What went wrong?

There are a lot of things that led to the situation Blackberry find themselves in at this point.  The question is, will we be on death watch once again for a company that just a handful of years ago ruled the enterprise mobile device market?

In Today’s Deal update from Amazon, they have a great price on last year’s Asus ZenFone 2 Laser Android phone.  The ZenFone 2 Laser comes with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage and is unlocked for GSM carriers (AT&T and T-Mobile).  Today you can pick one up for $199 at the online retailer.  It’s a great price for a pretty powerful phone that, as the name suggest, uses laser focusing technology for the 13MP rear camera that is built into it.  Better yet, it is a dual-SIM device and if you need more storage than the 32GB built in, you can expand it up to 128GB more with the MicroSD slot.

I began tech writing back in 1998 and over the course of those 18 years I have reviewed well over 100 different phones, tablets, PCs, Chromebooks and the like.  When it comes to phones, I’m a bit jaded admittedly.  I tend to not get caught up in all the hype of new phones or even phones that are a few months old because, let’s face it, the next new phone is on its way.  That is certainly the case for the Nexus 6P.  The Huawei built Nexus phone has been out since September of last year and you can almost certainly bet that its replacement will be here about that time this year.  But of all the phones I have used over the course of my tech writing, the Nexus 6P may be the most complete package to date.  It is shockingly good on almost every level.  Here are some of my initial thoughts on it as I prep for a larger, detailed review later this month.

The wait for the latest flagship from OnePlus is only 15 days away.  The company announced on the Weibo site that the OnePlus 3 will launch on June 15th at 10AM local time in an online VR experience.  OnePlus has made a name for itself with its “flagship killer” devices in the past, the OnePlus One and the OnePlus 2, and based on the rumors of what is expected to be in the 3, they will likely continue that killer stance.  Based on the TENAA report on the device, it should have a Snapdragon 820 SoC processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of Storage and a 5.5″ Full HD Display.

On Amazon today, they have a stellar deal on the Asus ZenFone 2.  Today you can pick up the 128GB storage version of the phone for just $269.99.  That is $130 off the regular price for the phone and it is good today only at the online retailer.  This phone is packed with 4GB of RAM, an Intel Atom Z3580 Quad-Core processor running at 2.3 GHz, a 5.5″ IPS display that renders 1080 x 1920 and has a 3000 mAh battery to keep you going for the day.  Plus, because Amazon is selling the Deluxe version of the device today, you get two interchangeable backs for the phone:  carbon fiber and metallic silver.