LG G2 Reviews

It's been a well documented and, some might say, overly-teased affair but it has come to an end. The LG G2 flagship is upon us here in New York city and it brings a ton of innovation in one of the most compact over-5" bodies out there on the market.

The LG G2 comes with an almost bezel-less 5.2" FullHD display in a body not much bigger than the one on the Galaxy S4. It gets even more interesting when we get to the camera. It's a 13 MP unit and it offers optical image stabilization in order to minimize blur and allow higher shooting speeds under unfavorable light.

The LG G2 comes to tackle the competition, especially devices like the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One with a larger screen, more potent chipset, superior camera (on paper), bigger battery, etc.

Take a look at what the LG G2 has to offer.

LG G2 at a glance

• General: Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, quad-band UMTS/HSPA, penta-band LTE support, LTE-Advanced
• Form factor: Touchscreen bar phone
• Dimensions: 138.5 x 70.9 x 8.9 mm, 143 g
• Display: 5.2" 16M-color 1080p (1920 x 1080 pixels) power efficient capacitive touchscreen IPS LCD with Gorilla Glass 3 and ~424 ppi and 450 nit brightness, extremely narrow bezels (2.65 mm)
• CPU: Quad-core 2.3 GHz Krait 400
• GPU: Adreno 330
• Chipset: Snapdragon 800 chipset
• RAM: 2GB
• OS: Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean
• Memory: 16/32GB storage, microSD card slot (region-specific availability of the slot)
• Cameras: Primary 13 MP auto-focus optically-stabilized camera, 8X digital zoom, face detection, HDR mode, panorama, geo-tagging; Full HD (1080p) video recording at 60fps, Secondary 2.1 MP front-facing camera with FullHD video capture
• Connectivity: Dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, standard microUSB port with MHL and USB host, GPS receiver with A-GPS, GLONASS, 3.5mm audio jack, NFC, wireless screen sharing (Miracast protocol)
• Misc: Camera has sapphire glass cover, customizable system key (can assign different functions to back, home, menu buttons); tap twice on the screen to turn it on and off
• Battery capacity: 3,000mAh Li-Po unit (2,610mAh in some markets)

LG purposefully teased the LG G2 relentlessly over the past couple of weeks and it managed to build up the hype, leading to today's event but this move also obliterated any mystery that could have surrounded the just announced flagship.

   
LG G2 live photos

It's clear that LG will be going for the crown with the LG G2. It waited enough so it can release it as an unmatched contender in regards to its size to power ratio and seems to have put a lot of effort into differentiating it. There are a lot of software tweaks to explore and we're very eager to check the camera on board the G2.

Asus Google Nexus 7 Review

A year after the original took the tablet market by storm, the second generation ASUS Nexus 7 has arrived to take part in an altogether different ballgame. With the first generation of the compact slate having established the Nexus 7 brand as the most popular Android tablet available on the market, it is up to the newcomer to elevate it even further and sway potential users away from the Apple iPad Mini and Amazon's Kindle HD.

   
ASUS Nexus 7 (2013) official photos

At a first glance, the new ASUS Nexus 7 appears to be everything a tablet sequel is supposed to be. It is thinner, lighter, more powerful, and better put together. And naturally, in a fashion befitting the release of a new Nexus device, the compact tablet sequel comes with a new Android version out of the box.

Here goes the list of talents, which the second generation ASUS Nexus 7 has to offer.

Key features

• 7" LED-backlit IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels, 16M colors
• Android 4.3 Jelly Bean out of the box with the best update support in the business
• 1.5 GHz quad-core Krait CPU, Adreno 320 GPU, 2GB of RAM, Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset
• 5 MP autofocus camera with face detection; 1080p video recording @ 30fps
• 1.2MP front-facing camera
• 16/32GB internal storage
• Dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n support
• Optional LTE support
• NFC connectivity
• GPS with A-GPS connectivity
• Bluetooth v4.0 LE
• microUSB port with USB host and TV-out (1080p) support, MHL, charging
• Accelerometer, gyroscope and proximity sensor
• Wireless charging (Qi charging standard)
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• Built-in stereo speakers
• 3950 mAh battery
• Thin and light construction; solid build quality

Main disadvantages

• Awkwardly positioned stereo speakers
• Poor video codec support out of the box
• Stock Android does not allow manual re-arrangement of app icons or folder creation
• Memory not expandable
• Limited availability at launch

Unlike the first Nexus 7 whose spec sheet sported some notable hardware compromises, the second generation of the slate appears to be a much more balanced product with no major omissions. The tablet ticks all the right boxes to find a spot in the Android tablets' top league - from the ultra-sharp display, through the capable chipset, all the way to the latest OS version, with timely updates guaranteed by Google itself.

Google has also ramped up its attention towards the tablet realm recently, so the long-standing lack of quality apps for tablets may finaly be taken care of in the year ahead. This would certainly help the cause of the 2013 ASUS Nexus 7 in expanding its reach beyond the current Android users.

   
ASUS Nexus 7 (2013) live photos

Naturally, considering the success of the first Nexus 7, our expectations towards its sequel run quite high. As always, we'll kick the review festivities off with an unboxing, followed by a design and build quality inspection.

Editorial: You might notice that this review is shorter than usual and doesn't include some of our proprietary tests. The reason is it has been prepared and written far away from our home office and test lab. Still, we think we've captured the essence of the device in the same precise, informative and detailed way that's become our trademark. 

LG Optimus GJ Reviews

Waterproof smartphones have become a growing trend this year, and it is slowly turning into a feature that is not so much a bonus as it is a requirement. Enter LG's Optimus GJ. The device is IPX7-certified to withstand submersion of up to one meter for 30 minutes, complete with a removable back panel and a robust 1.5GHz quad-core Krait CPU.

Sony was the first to give a flagship the IP dust-and-water proofing treatment in the Xperia Z, and Samsung, not to be outdone, quickly responded with a rugged version of its own Galaxy S4 - the Galaxy S4 Active. LG is not to be outdone either.

   
LG Optimus GJ official images

Besides an awkward model name, the LG Optimus GJ has got the same internals and Android build as the LG Optimus G, which means that the user experience is, for the most part, identical. Unfortunately, the GJ had to shed its LTE, NFC and FM antennas as well as some of its internal storage to get the waterproofing trick to work, but LG has made up for that by adding a microSD card slot and a beefier battery.

Let's take a closer look at the key features of the LG Optimus GJ:

Key features

• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support, dual-band 3G with HSPA
• 4.7" 16M-color 720p True HD-IPS Plus LCD touchscreen
• Android OS v4.1.2 Jelly Bean; LG Optimus UI 3.0
• Quad-core 1.5 GHz Krait CPU, 2 GB RAM, Adreno 320 GPU
• 13 MP autofocus camera with LED flash, geotagging, Intelligent Auto, image stabilization, Time catch shot, smart shutter and VR panoramas
• 1080p video recording @ 30fps with continuous autofocus and stereo sound;
• 1.3 MP front-facing camera, 720p video recording
• 16GB of built-in storage; microSD card slot
• MHL-enabled microUSB port, USB host support
• Independent content output over MHL (Dual Screen Dual Play), Miracast protocol support
• Bluetooth v4.0
• Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct and DLNA
• GPS with A-GPS
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• Voice dialing
• Multi-tasking with mini-apps and optional app window transparency (QSlide)
• Accelerometer and proximity sensor
• Active noise cancellation with a dedicated mic
• User-replaceable 2,280mAh Li-Po battery

Main disadvantages

• Reflective screen doesn't do too well outdoors
• Doesn't have the latest Android build at launch
• The 13MP camera is only marginally better than the leading 8MP shooters
• 1080p video quality is unimpressive
• Quickly overheats, leading to slower performance
• No FM Radio, LTE, or NFC support

At first glance, it may seem like the Optimus GJ is just plain late to the party. The Optimus G is getting a little long on the tooth, and with no significant upgrade over those specs in the GJ, both of the aforementioned rugged offerings from Sony and Samsung handily outclass the LG device in both processing power and display fidelity.

Pitting the Optimus GJ against the 5-inch 1080p displays and more robust processors found in the S4 Active and Xperia Z seems like a recipe for disaster, but its biggest drawbacks may turn out to be its greatest strength. Here's why.

LG is just weeks away from unveiling its new G2 flagship, which will render the aging Optimus G (read: GJ) firmly into midrange territory. This means that rather than contend with more robust waterproof flagships, the Optimus GJ slips into the category of powerful midranger able to undercut the competition as one of the few IP-certified offerings without a flagship pricetag.

   
The LG Optimus GJ at our office

But we are getting ahead of ourselves by discussing its potential market impact. Let us first take a look at the hardware package offered by the waterproof LG Optimus GJ. Up next, we get underway with our usual hardware tour.

HTC One mini vs Samsung Galaxy S4 mini

Yes, you can call it Round 2 but we don't think it'll be up to the minis to sort out any unfinished business between the flagships. What we do know though is that taking the dispute to the junior league doesn't mean there'll be less pain in losing and less honor in victory.

This doesn't have to be a rerun - the minis don't necessarily have to repeat the result of the flagships. Just like smartphones don't necessarily have to be huge to have premium specs and push the limits of comfortable single-handed use to just prove a point or get noticed.

What we have here is two smartphones that try to deliver a premium experience without getting in the way of their seniors or venturing too far beyond the 4" screen diagonal. However there's a clear difference in how the two makers go about downsizing their flagships.

HTC decided in favor of screen resolution whereas Samsung skimped there. 720p is obviously better than qHD, at around 342ppi versus 256ppi in favor of the One mini. The S4 mini's 4.3-incher on the other hand is a Super AMOLED, which partially makes up for the lower resolution.

Then there's processing power where the two devices share a Snapdragon 400 chipset but the Samsung mini has the upper hand in terms of clock speed. It also gets 1.5GB of RAM against the 1GB of the One mini but more on that in the benchmarks chapter.

   
HTC One mini and Samsung Galaxy S4 mini

The S4 mini goes for 8 gigs of onboard storage but offers a microSD card slot, while the One mini only has 16 gigs on tap. As to software, it's Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2 either way but the One mini has the elaborate visuals of Sense 5 against the feature-packed TouchWiz on the Galaxy S4 mini.

The cameras are opposites too. The Galaxy S4 mini goes for an 8MP unit with plenty of TouchWiz bells and whistles, while the One mini has the 4MP UltraPixel camera with 2µm pixels, F/2.0 aperture and a wide-angle 28 mm lens. The HTC One mini has Zoe but not the optical image stabilization of its bigger brother, the full-sized One. Both devices have 1080p video recording too.

Then there's build quality and looks. Both devices traditionally reflect their manufacturer's design philosophies: the One mini looks the flagship part with its aluminum unibody, while the S4 mini goes for a hyperglazed all-plastic case, which is nowhere near aesthetically, but a user-replaceable battery and memory expansion earn it usability points.

Here are all the points neatly compiled in lists.

HTC One mini over Samsung Galaxy S4 mini

• Aluminum unibody
• Higher screen resolution
• HDR and 60fps video
• More built-in storage
• Better audio quality
• Stereo speakers with Beats audio amplifiers

Samsung Galaxy S4 mini over the HTC One mini

• Faster processor
• Higher resolution camera
• Expandable storage
• More RAM
• Cheaper
• User-accessible battery
• NFC support
• Lighter

So, there's enough to compare in these two but one thing that sees them equal is the desire to fit as much of the flagships' features into more compact bodies at more affordable prices. And we love them for it. But we'll need to sort them out feature by feature, break them down to parts and pit them against each other.

   
The HTC One mini and Samsung Galaxy S4 mini at HQ

It's a battle in which most of you already have a side to root for, or a downright favorite. HTC and Samsung have always managed to attract different sorts of crowds and the same scenario plays out here too. In any case we're going all in over the following pages so get comfortable - next stop is the hardware checkup.

Huawei Ascend P6 review

The razor-slim Huawei Ascend P6 has snatched the slimmest smartphone title right under the nose of the big guns. The China-based maker is not only keeping up with its high-profile competitors in terms of both hardware and software, but has achieved what few others have lately. The Ascend P6 offers a well-balanced feature set in a beautifully designed body, record-breaking thin at that.

   
Huawei Ascend P6 official pictures

The Huawei Ascend P6 was introduced in June and is now officially hitting the shelves with its record still intact. The Ascend P6's signature feature is the phone's 6.2mm profile, edging ahead of even the impressively slim Sony Xperia Z Ultra.

Sure, there has been word of even thinner phones like the Vivo X3(5.6mm) and the Umeox X5 (5.6mm), but they're the kind of gadgets to give small-time Chinese makers their 15 minutes of fame rather than make a big splash globally. Huawei's vision, on the other hand, goes well beyond the home market - though what a market that is!

The Ascend P6 is powered by the company's home-brewed chipset - the K3V2 - featuring a quad-core 1.5GHz Cortex-A9 processor, a 16-core GPU and 2GB of RAM. Having already seen this configuration on the Ascend Mate phablet, we can confirm that it's a more than adequate match for the 720p screen.

Here is the full breakdown of the Huawei Ascend P6.

Key features

• Ultra-slim 6.2mm profile
• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE; penta-band 3G with HSPA
• 4.7" 16M-color 720p IPS+ LCD capacitive touchscreen with Gorilla Glass, usable with gloves
• Android OS v4.2.2 Jelly Bean with Emotion UI
• Quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A9, 16-core GPU; 2GB of RAM; Huawei K3V2 chipset
• 8 MP autofocus camera with LED flash, 1080p video recording @ 30fps
• 5 MP front-facing camera, 720p video recording
• Dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct and DLNA
• GPS with A-GPS and GLONASS
• 8GB of built-in storage
• microSD card slot, side-mounted, hot-swap
• microUSB port with USB host, USB OTG
• Bluetooth v3.0
• FM radio
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• Accelerometer and proximity sensor
• Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic

Main disadvantages

• Non-exchangeable battery
• No LTE or NFC support
• Video recording could be better
• Disappointing audio output

As you can see, there is very little the Ascend P6 fails to deliver. Some may find the non-removable battery unacceptable, but lots of manufacturers these days are resorting to a similar design in order to keep their phones beautifully slim, yet sturdy enough.

For NFC and LTE, there's the Huawei Ascend P2, which was introduced early on in Barcelona. Actually, the jump from P2 to P6 is not to be construed as a massive improvement in terms of level of equipment. The two handsets are more like alternative versions for those with different design preferences. What's more important is that with the Ascend P series Huawei's looking quite solid in the upper midrange.

  
Huawei Ascend P6 live pictures

Anyway, let's cut to the chase. Follow us on the next page where the Ascend P6 is given a thorough hardware inspection.

HTC One to finally hit Verizon on August 22

HTC One was announced way back in February and launched in March, but the Verizon users were initially left out of the fun. Nearly four months later Verizon and HTC announced the One flagship will hit Verizon's network this summer.

And the great new is the wait if over and it's finally happening! HTC One will become available through Verizon's online and retails stores on August 22. It will cost $199.99 with a two-year contract with the Big Red.

Currently Verizon isn't taking pre-orders, but we guess it will start in a few days. You can keep an eye on this page to make sure you are among the first to reserve your LTE-capable HTC One for Verizon

Motorola Moto X coming to AT&T stores from August 23

Starting August 23 you can go to an AT&T store and pick up (or at least try out) a Motorola Moto X. The Woven black and woven white models will go for $199.99 for 16 GB and $249.99 for a 32 gig model with a two-year subscription. With AT&T's Next you can go for a lease where it's $27 a month for the 16 GB and $32 per month for the 32 GB model.

Devices that have been customized online using the Moto Maker service can expect their devices to ship on August 23 with a lucky few registered users getting it earlier on August 19.

Major AT&T stores (read not all) will have a customization table (like the one in the image) which will let you see the Moto X in its different varieties.

For a limited time AT&T will include a free Motorola Skip accessory with all orders placed via the Moto Maker. Skip is a wearable accessory, which lets you bypass the Moto X's lockscreen just by tapping the phone against it.

And here's an AT&T video teasing the upcoming Motorola Moto X launch.

Apple will launch 128GB iPhone 5S

It is all but certain that Apple will be unveiling two new iPhone models, iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C, onSeptember 10. Both devices have been leaked numerous times and have provided us some valuable information and now, we have an interesting prediction from a popular analyst, who claims that Apple will be launching a 128 GB model of iPhone 5S.

According to KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple will also be selling its iPhone 5S with a whopping 128 GB of storage. If the predictions from the analyst, who has been quite accurate in the past, turn out to be true, then iPhone 5S will be the second Apple product after iPad 4 to feature the massive storage capacity.

The 128 GB model of the iPhone 5S would cost $499 (on contract) under the Apple's current pricing scheme.

Ming-Chi Kuo also expects the upcoming iPhone to be powered by a new A7 chip that features 1 GB of LPDDR3 RAM. The latest chip is said to be built on the ARMv8 architecture and will be 20% more energy efficient than previous A6 SoC.

The analyst also confirms that the iPhone 5S will indeed house an upgraded camera with bright F/2.0 aperture and dual-LED flash. This means that the iPhone 5S camera should have better low-light performance than the previous models.

Lastly, Apple is also expected to unveil a gold color option for the iPhone 5S in addition to the classical Black and White paintjobs.

Nokia 207 Specification Price Review

GENERAL	2G Network	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
	3G Network	HSDPA 900 / 2100
	SIM	Micro-SIM
	Announced	2013, July
	Status	Coming soon. Exp. release 2013, Q3

BODY	Dimensions	114.2 x 50.9 x 12.8 mm, 65.2 cc (4.50 x 2.00 x 0.50 in)
	Weight	91.3 g (3.21 oz)

DISPLAY	Type	TFT, 256K colors
	Size	240 x 320 pixels, 2.4 inches (~167 ppi pixel density)

SOUND	Alert types	Vibration, MP3 ringtones
	Loudspeaker	Yes
	3.5mm jack	Yes

MEMORY	Card slot	microSD, up to 32 GB
	Phonebook	1000 entries
	Call records	Yes
	Internal	256 MB, 64 MB RAM

DATA	GPRS	Up to 85.6 kbps
	EDGE	Up to 236.8 kbps
	Speed	HSDPA, 7.2 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps
	WLAN	No
	Bluetooth	Yes, v3.0 with A2DP
	USB	Yes, microUSB

CAMERA		No

FEATURES	Messaging	SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, IM
	Browser	WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML
	Radio	Stereo FM radio with RDS; FM recording
	Games	Yes
	GPS	No
	Java	Yes
	Colors	Cyan , Red, Yellow, Black, White
		- SNS integration - MP4/H.263 player - MP3/WAV/AAC player - Organizer - Voice memo - Predictive text input

BATTERY		Li-Ion 1020 mAh battery (BL-5C)
	Stand-by	Up to 490 h (2G) / Up to 500 h (3G)
	Talk time	Up to 12 h (2G) / Up to 4 h 30 min (3G)
	Music play	Up to 29 h

MISC	Price group