Above is the Acer Go also known as the Acer Liquid Z220. Acer kindly sent this £49 Pay as You Go phone in for review. The specs are the opposite to a flagship phone, so I wasn’t expecting miracles. However, its not been a dreadful experience. My full review will be published later this week but in the meantime, have a look at the camera shot below from its 5mp rear camera, and let me know what you think. Remember to click on the photo to reveal the full size version.
Samsung has released 2 videos, one on each of their new phones. First up the S6 Edge Plus.
And next the Samsung Note 5.
I will share my views on both devices on a separate post.
Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S6 Edge and Note 5. And then came the shocker. Samsung was not going to bring the Note 5 to the UK or Europe in 2015, and maybe not at all.
Personally, I think Samsung are pulling a PR stunt in poor taste. Tell somebody they cannot have something and they want it more. It is as bad as the OnePlus invite system!
Except this is 2015, and there are plenty of alternative phones available, and more choices to be announced shortly. So Samsung might suffer where it hurts, when loyal fans buy phones from different companies.
Brushing aside my thoughts from above, what do I think of the 2 phones.
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge +
Just a bigger S6 Edge, with a few improvements in software and hardware, mainly dominated with a bigger screen. So if you wanted a bigger phone, this is the phone you would buy. If you are in the UK and Europe this is the only phone you can buy. However, the new phone is only available in 32 or 64gb. That tells me that 128gb was not selling so well. BUT I do wonder if Samsung had offered the 128gb from day 1 whether it might have sold a lot more phones. Either way for most people, 64gb should be enough.
Samsung Note 5
The new S6 Edge type design really makes the Note 5 a premium looking phone. Built in wireless charging (fast charging), the improved stylus and software really make this a classy device. A shame there is no 128gb storage version. But if you needed to save space, you could copy video off the phone onto a usb stick. The battery should have been bigger, but Samsung decided to make the phone smaller. I can see some logic in this. At least with the Ultra Power Saving mode you really can have a phone to make a call or SMS in an emergency. Maybe next year extra colours and a higher storage option will become available as an exclusive to a carrier/network.
Fortunately, for you and I, there are plenty of phones due to be released that might steal Samsung’s thunder, and if a phone does, I hope it teaches Samsung a lesson.
Samsung has just announced the Note 5. After examining the specs here are 8 reasons not to buy one if you have a Note 4. If you own a Note 3, and live in the UK or Europe, Samsung doesn’t love you anymore.
1) Note 5 loses the micro sd card
2) Replaceable battery gone
3) Only comes with a max storage of 64gb. So its really not a power users phone anyway.
4) IR blaster has been removed with the Note 5
5) Note 5 battery is smaller than Note 4
6) Maximum storage is 64gb. Note 4 can hold micro SD cards up to 2TB.
7) Its a slippery glass back. So it will slip out of your hand.
8) We can’t buy a non existent phone in the UK or Europe.
Samsung just launched 2 new devices, the Galaxy S6 Edge+ and Note 5. There was details of Samsung Pay and a peek at their new smartwatch.
I could list all the specs and features of both phones, but I won’t because I am disappointed that Samsung is not selling the Note 5 in the UK anytime soon. In fact it will be more like 2016 before it arrives here.
I’m not panicking as Samsung just downgraded the Note 5 specification versus the Note 4 –
1) Note 5 loses the micro sd card
2) Replaceable battery gone
3) Only comes with a max storage of 64gb. So its really not a power users phone anyway.
4) IR blaster has been removed with the Note 5
5) Note 5 battery is smaller than Note 4
6) We can’t buy a non existent phone!
Now the window is open for another company to steal Samsung’s crown. Or is the Note series finished?
Update – part of me wonders if this is just a PR stunt by Samsung to get more press headlines and that tomorrow they confirm it is coming to the UK after all.
I just received an update to Android Wear app, taking it to version 1.3. This is part of the next phase of improving the Android Wear smartwatches. Once the firmwares arrive for the respective smartwatches the following features will work –
-Interactive watch faces that respond to your touch
-Together watch face to keep you connected to a friend
-Weather app to see the forecast for the next 4 days
-Translate app that lets you tilt your wrist to share a translation
However, it would be helpful if LG updated their own apps eg LG Health to sync fitness data properly from the Watch Urbane. This app has still not been updated properly as no heart rate data gets saved from a workout. Shame on you LG! It wouldn’t be so bad if the Google Fit app provided this functionality, but it doesn’t either. So before we get new features, it would be great to fix the original ones!
Source of new feature list – androidpolice.com
“LG has announced a new Hi-Fi music service that will be available to the LG G4, G Flex 2, G3 and the G2. The service will offer high-fidelity tracks with 24bit/192kHz playback, and should you have a qualifying handset, you’ll receive two free Hi-Fi tracks a month, and additional discounts up to 50 percent off the regular price on songs available from LG.
LG mentions that the service will be available to customers in nearly 70 countries, including the United States, Australia, Brazil, China, France, Italy, Russia and the United Kingdom. The Hi-Fi music service is launching later this month, and will be accessible from the LG SmartWorld app and http://www.lgworld.com.”
As you can read, this is a members only club with only the best smartphones in the world being able to apply! It will be interesting to learn more about this offering and what the depth and breath and cost of the service entails.
Source – http://www.androidcentral.com/
“GizChina got hold of a spy shot of a new Huawei device. There appears to be a curved body and a SIM tray alongside a headphone jack at the top of the device. The body features an all-metal design and a premium chassis made of metal and glass.”
The rendered photo looks fabulous. What with the rumoured camera tech and in house processor, this is looking like to be one hot piece of kit (hopefully).
Source – http://www.gizchina.com/2015/08/11/spy-photo-huawei-to-launch-curved-screen-phone-at-ifa/
So what are the 10 most popular reviews on Gavin’s Gadgets?
Ranked with the most popular first. A few surprises too. Notice none of the Samsung phones featured in the top 10!
1 – Oppo HA -2 Portable Amplifier and DAC review
2 – Sony SBH80 Bluetooth headphones review
3 – LG G4 – Full Review plus all 26 additional posts
4 – LG G3 review – 31 Part Review
6 – Oppo PM-3 Headphone review
10 – Xiaomi Mi Note Pro -review
So have a look at the 100 or so reviews here – https://gavinsgadgets.com/review-links/ and let me know which one you preferred and why?
Welcome to my review of the Vodafone Smart Ultra 6.
The phone is manufactured using plastic and glass for the screen. The plastic feels cheap. As you can see from the photos it a non offensive design.
The only criticism I have is the loudspeaker placement being on the rear, meaning it is easy to cover the speaker by accident and that often the true volume of the device gets hidden. Despite its low cost, it has a micro SD slot for your, photos, media and documents.
The Vodafone Smart Ultra 6 (VSU6) costs £125 on pay as you go and is unlockable for a few pounds using eBay. So with this price in mind, let’s look at what you get for your money. First up, take a look at the specifications.
Specifications
– Dimensions (mm) 154 x 77 x 8.35
– Weight (g) 159
– Operating system Android 5.0.2 (Lollipop)
– Screen 5.5 inch 1080p, 441 ppi, Touchscreen, IPS Quantum, 70.3% screen to body ratio,
– Camera 13 megapixels, 4x digital zoom, LED flash, 5mp front
– 2G standby time (hours) 240
– 3G talk time (hours) 15
– Processor – Snapdragon 615, 64 bit,Quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53,quad-core 1.0 GHz Cortex-A53,Adreno 405
– SIM type NanoSIM
– Internal memory 16GB, 2gb ram
– Memory card type MicroSD
– Connectivity
– Network region LTE FDD 2600/1800/900/800 Mhz,
UMTS 2100/900 Mhz,
GSM 900/1800/1900 Mhz
– Bluetooth v4.0, A2DP
– FM Radio included
– Wi-Fi, Wireless tethering
– Battery 3,000mAh
– Micro USB 2
Phone Basics
The beauty of this phone is that it runs near stock android lollipop 5.0.2. Vodafone have added a few of their apps that can on the whole be uninstalled or frozen. In terms of radios, the phone has all the usual wifi, Bluetooth and 4G LTE. NFC is included too which works really well.
Extra tricks included with this phone are adaptive brightness, double tap to wake and on the home screen the ability to open an app of your choice when you swipe right. The phone also has a notification light. Casting the screen is also possible. USB OTG is supported.
But the phone is not about the tricks, it comes with a decent level of hardware components. The 1080p screen offers average viewing angles and is visible in sunlight. The phone radios connected with ease and the call quality was ok too.
The built in video app is neat too. Whilst playing a video, sliding up or down on the left side of the screen adjusts brightness, volume is controlled on the right side, and if you slide your finger across the video you can scrub forward or back accordingly.
The battery is a decent 3,000mAh and the fact it’s only powering a 1080p screen equates to a proper days use, maybe 2 with light use.
Operation. The Snapdragon 615 handles most things really well. However, heavy media and gaming will take a hit with the game frame rates. The AnTuTu score is only 26,199. But the upside is a phone that does not get too hot and maintains decent battery life.
Below some screen shots of the settings and home screen.
Camera Interface and Samples
The camera app is a simple affair with more options than you would expect. Settings in auto for timer, flash, full screen on/off, shutter sound on/off, location tags, review photo on/off and storage location options. The volume keys act as zoom controls. You can use your fingers to achieve a max of 4 x zoom. Camera modes include filters, smile detection (this works as an option when using the front camera), time lapse with either a 30 or 60 second interval, HDR, panorama and multi exposure. The multi exposure allows for a lot of photo trickery with different options from simple, background, collage, brightness and darkness. For example the simple option allows you to merge to photos. The front camera doesn’t include beautify options, but the quality is reasonable.
Even a manual mode is included. The grid option provides nine grids or golden spiral. The level guide is self explanatory. White balance options are incandescent, daylight, fluorescent and cloudy. ISO ranges from 100 to 1,600. Exposure from -2 to +2. There is no shutter control option.
Low Light Shot
The VSU6 really does not like low light from the rear camera. Loads of noise. On the plus side, the Expendable Burger was magnificent. Auto mode used for this shot. But again this is a £125 phone.
Close Up
The lighting was good for this shot, but the result was just passable. Auto mode.
Landscape Shot
Good daylight, and a reasonable photo. I would be happy to share this. Snapped in auto mode.
The Famous Church Shot
I always take a photo of my local church with nearly every phone. That way it is easier to compare phone from phone. This is a much better result, although the sky is blown out by the sun. Taken in auto mode.
The Famous Church Shot – HDR
The resolution drops in HDR, and personally I have not liked any of the other HDR shots snapped on this phone. Avoid using HDR on this phone.
Audio Performance
Surely a £125 will sound rubbish. Wrong actually. Bluetooth apt-x is included. USB Audio is supported only using USB Audio Player Pro app. I honestly didn’t expect USB Audio to be available at all at this price point. The loudspeaker is a bit thin and harsh but the sound level knocked out an astonishing max of 88db. Headphone output was loud and reasonable too. Bluetooth audio is reasonable too. In fact I’m writing this while listening to my music connected via Bluetooth from the VSU6. As I mentioned before, it is a shame the speaker placement is on the rear.
Conclusion
At £125 this is a great value phone and the fact it can be unlocked so easily makes it a steal. Great specification and extra functionality across the board. One of the best budget phones I have reviewed to date!
Vodafone Smart Ultra 6 Smartphone Touchscreen Pay As You Go deal on Amazon UK
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