Tech Addicts Podcast is back again with a new episode starring Gareth Myles, Jay Garrett, Leila Gregory, Brendan Arndt and myself. Tech Addicts is released every week. Twitter: @garethmyles ; @gavinfabiani ; @GadgetyNewsCom ; @JayGarrett ; @swanny ; @girlsngadgets ; @wildlime
To listen to the latest episode subscribe by searching “Tech Addicts” within your favourite podcast app, iTunes, Google Play Music Podcasts or use the URL “mobiletechaddicts.libsyn.com/rss” to add directly.
So Samsung launched Samsung Pay in the UK yesterday. This was a day of celebration that turned rapidly sour for several reasons.
Firstly, Samsung Pay is only launching with 3 banks.
Not all is lost as you can use it instead of your Oyster travel card. It is also compatible with the following phones and places.
But the problem with Samsung Pay is two fold. Firstly, you have to decide whether to use Android Pay or Samsung Pay as your default payment system. Why would you pick Samsung over Android Pay which accepts so many more banks and is Google’s own system?.
Secondly, and this really is a big point, Samsung Pay has a major advantage over Apple and Android Pay. It works not only at terminals with a contactless machine but also on the machines without contactless that use the magnetic strip system. That meant Samsung Pay could be used anywhere. However, Samsung decided the UK didn’t need the MST feature and turned it off. WTF Samsung!!
Below are photos taken of St Thomas Church in Thorveton, Devon, all shot on the Samsung Galaxy S8, which did an amazing job. My review will come very soon of the Galaxy S8.
First shot is a macro of a leaf on a headstone.
Here’s another view, shot in auto.
Lovely bokeh here and great colours.
Now you can see more of the church.
There are some superb trees in the graveyard.
Frontal viewpoint.
The church looks superb.
One for the road.
I was pleased with the S8 camera and its output. The video is top notch too and having QHD on the front camera is awesome.
Samsung Gear 360 2017 Review. This is my review of the Samsung Gear 360. I used it on my Samsung Galaxy S8, iPhone 7 Plus and MacBook Pro. The review covers all modes, the pros and cons, the differences using it on a Samsung S8, iPhone 7 Plus or Mac.
Plus there are sample footage of all modes below, with links. This page will get updated as more 360 footage is captured and or any updates arrive that impact the experience good or bad.
The Blockbuster Review of the Samsung Gear 360 2017
Samsung Gear 360 2017 Live Broadcast Sample Footage
Below is a sample of the footage from a live broadcast using the Samsung S8. This was at max quality. Unfortunately the duration is shorter than expected as I lost cell signal.
Samsung Gear 360 2017 4K Video Sample
Samsung Gear 360 2017 Video Looping Mode Sample
Samsung Gear 360 2017 Time Lapse Mode Sample
Samsung Gear 360 2017 Photos
I have embedded the photos below with full 360 and VR headset support. Just click play. If you are wearing a VR headset press the icon top right. I have also uploaded these to my Flickr and Google Photos accounts. Links are at the end of the review.
Landscape HDR photo mode
Normal Photo Mode
Normal Photo Mode HDR on
Low Light Photo
Conclusion
The new Samsung Gear 360 2017 is a win. Much easier to use than last years, easier to hold and good quality output.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 camera is meant to be on paper better than last year’s S7. It has a new Sony 12mp sensor but also has new image processing whereby 3 shots get snapped each time and blended.
This is not the HDR+ mode found on the Google Pixel. This is a natural method of obtaining better images. The benefits should appear more in low light and sports or motion.
So below are 3 photos. All taken in auto. But check out the shots and what level of detail was captured. Epic.
LG G6 review. Welcome to my review of the LG G6. This is Korean G600 version of the LG G6 being reviewed. This review has been compiled by massive input from my wife Ellie and additional input by myself.
The Korean version features double the storage at 64gb versus 32gb for the UK. In addition it has a 32 bit quad DAC which can power headphones up to 600 ohms. If your reading this from the USA, you don’t get 64gb or the quad DAC but you do get wireless charging. Come on LG, one model with an equal feature set please across all markets next time!
Key Specifications
– Body: Aluminum frame, Gorilla Glass 3 front, Gorilla Glass 5 back; chamfered LCD for impact resistance; IP68 certified for water and dust resistance, 148.9 x 71.9 x 7.9 mm
– Display: 5.7″ IPS LCD, 2,880x1440px resolution, 18:9 (2:1) aspect ratio, 565ppi; HDR 10 and Dolby Vision compliant.
– Dual 13 MP rear cameras (f/1.8, OIS, 3-axis, phase detection AF) + 13 MP (f/2.4, no AF), dual-LED flash, check quality, 1/3″ sensor size, 1.12 µm pixel size
– 24-bit/192kHz stereo sound recording mics
– Front camera 5 MP, f/2.2, 1080p video
– Rear camera: 13MP f/1.8 primary camera with 71° field of view, OIS. Additional 13MP f/2.4 wide-angle camera with 125° FOV, no OIS. 1.12µm pixel size on both. 2160p/30fps video recording on both.
– Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 821; quad-core CPU (2xKryo@2.35GHz + 2xKryo@1.6GHz), Adreno 530 GPU.
– Memory: 4GB of RAM; 32GB/64GB storage (region dependent); microSD slot for cards up to 2TB (practically up to 256GB).
– Battery: 3,300mAh Li-Po (sealed); QuickCharge 3.0 fast charging; WPC&PMA wireless charging (US version only).
– Misc: Fingerprint reader; ; 2 mics, single speaker on the bottom; 3.5mm jack.QUAD DAC
– LG G6 G600 Bands – GSM 850/900/1800/1900, HSDPA 850/900/1900/2100, LTE : B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B7, B8, B12, B17, B20, B26, B38, B39, B40, B41
– Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, hotspot
– Weight 163g
– Fast Charging QC3 – 50% in 30 mins
Phone Basics
The LG G6 features a 18:9 aspect ratio meaning the phone is narrow. By far it is the easier phone to hold and manage with one hand. It is doesn’t feature and curved edges, just a practical flat edge to grip. It is also drop proof too as would have noticed from the specification, something the iPhone 7 Plus or Samsung S8 doesn’t feature. The LG G6 is water and dust resistant too. The HDR+ screen is beautiful with good viewing angles. It comes with average readability in bright sunlight. The best screen for sunlight readability comes from the S8. Battery life will last a day, predominately because the standby drain is non existent. Screen on time is 4.5 hours in my heavy setup. Fortunately, the G6 comes with quick charge 3. I haven’t needed to top it up yet during the day, although I did get close one day.
Cellular coverage is excellent. It pulls LTE when Gavin’s iPhone 7 Plus on the same network is only receiving 3g. Bluetooth is superb. WiFi has been buggy from time to time. After phone has been in standby for sometime, if I went to use WiFi it shows connected, but I have had to toggle WiFi on and off for it to be working properly.
Audio vs Quad DAC Audio
If you are in the UK or USA the standard built in DAC is still excellent and IMO better than that found on the S8 or even the iPhone 7 Plus. The standard G6 also has APT-X HD, a Hi-Res Bluetooth codec providing 24bit audio over bluetooth with a compatible headphone. Fortunately, I have been able to test this APT-X HD and the quality is exceptional. However, even normal APT-X is top notch. My AirPods sound better on the G6 than on any other phone including the iPhone 7 Plus or S8.
Now lets introduce the Quad DAC. Plug in some decent wired headphones or any wired headphone to be honest. Sit back in your favourite chair and be prepared to be blown away. The Quad DAC works with headphones up to 600 ohm. I would personally recommend using no more than 300 ohm to get the optimal balance.
Camera
The LG G6 cameras are excellent. With both rear cameras at 13mp the balance is near perfect. Ellie did a 4 way camera comparison with the iPhone 7 Plus, Samsung Galaxy S8, Huawei P10 Plus and LG G6 – CLICK HERE. The LG G6 often nailed the shot better than all the other phones, although the difference is minimal now. So now its about dual lenses and the features these add to the pot. The G6 camera app is great. Lots of ways to take a photo or video in auto, but then there is a brilliant manual mode for photo and video, both of which are better by far than that found on the Samsung Galaxy S8. Square mode and all the other camera modes work really well and are fun to use. See the camera showcase for examples of each option.
Video Review
Camera Showcase Video
Conclusion
Ellie – Gavin gave me the LG G6 to take some photos and provide some first impressions. I haven’t given it back to him. It is brilliant. I adore the camera, phone and everything about it.
Gavin – Looking at the G6 versus the completion it is by far my favourite phone. The headphone output is tremendous and looking at the photos Ellie has captured makes me very envious that she has the G6 and not myself.
The Huawei P10 Plus review comes courtesy of Vodafone UK. who provided the handset on loan for this review. My wife Ellie provided a lot of the content for this review, along with some additional input from myself.
Before I detail the key specifications of the Huawei P10 Plus, I thought it might be useful to illustrate the differences with the P10.
The Key Differences P10 vs P10 Plus
Below are they key differences between the P10 and P10 Plus. The Plus advancements over the P10 are significant from the rear cameras, screen and more.
-P10: 145.9 x 69.3 x 7mm
-P10 Plus: 153.5 x 74.2 x 7mm
-P10 Plus only: Infrared IR controller/blaster and stereo speakers
-P10 Plus only: 4×4 MIMO (up to 600Mbit download speeds)
-Both: 2×2 MIMO Wi-Fi
As you can see there are some significant improvements over the P10 Plus over the P10 from screen, battery, cameras and connectivity.
The additional specifications of the P10 Plus are –
-OS Android 7.0 (Nougat)
-Processor HiSilicon Kirin 960,CPU Octa-core (4×2.4 GHz Cortex-A73 & 4×1.8 GHz Cortex-A53) GPU Mali-G71 MP8
– Rear Cameras Dual 20 MP + 12 MP, f/1.8, OIS, Leica optics, phase detection and laser autofocus, dual-LED (dual tone) flash,
– Front camera 8 MP, f/1.9
– Stereo speakers
– IR blaster
– Front fingerprint sensor with control functions
– Fast charging
Phone Basics
The phone looks good with its thin profile and cameras that do not protrude. Call quality and signal was excellent. WiFi and bluetooth worked well. Screen viewing angles were good. Battery life was 5-6 hours screen on time with a strong standby time. This was without using any of the extensive power saving options. The 6gb of ram made this phone feel really nimble with no slow downs coming from the Kirin 960 processor.
The phone comes with a pre fitted screen protector. If you remove this, you will discover the P10 Plus does not come with an oleophobic screen covering which reduces screen fingerprint smudges. In the box was a plastic clear case too.
The phone runs on EMUI 5.1 which is vastly improved over EMUI v4. There are options to tweak nearly every aspect of the phone too.
Camera and Audio
The camera continues Huawei’s tradition of providing a full featured camera app. Loads of different shooting modes including HDR, panoramic, night, light trails as well as a full features Pro mode which allows raw capture. The photo quality is excellent from the rear cameras too. New to the P10 Plus is a Portrait mode which works well capturing people portraits. Video is good too, but not as good as the iPhone 7 Plus when it comes to stabilisation. Also its 4K video resolution is filmed using the new codec H265 which saves a lot of storage space. To upload this to YouTube or Google Photos it is necessary to convert it first using a third party app. 1080p video does not need to be altered. Below are some photo samples.
A really lovely shot of the church. Shot in auto. All photos uploaded in full size too.
Monochrome mode. A bit different for sure.
And now in full colour and in auto mode.
Some macro shots, truly amazing too.
A tree stump.
Flag pole and another monochrome shot.
Panoramic Shot.
The P10 Plus loudspeaker goes relatively loud and clear. The headphone audio is good as well as bluetooth audio. It is not at the same quality as the LG G6 though.
Video Review
Now sit back and enjoy the second part of the Huawei P10 Plus review.
Conclusion
All things considered, the Huawei P10 Plus is a good phone. I personally enjoyed using it as it was quick to unlock and very nimble to navigate. The cameras are excellent and the included IR Blaster was an added bonus. However, the flagship fight at the top of the ladder is brutal but at least there is choice.
First up it’s new design over last years ball style is vastly improved in terms of holding it instantly.
The Samsung Gear 360 (2017) is currently only compatible with a number of Samsung flagship and Samsung A series along with the iPhone. Other android phones don’t work with this. I will cover off more of the what does and doesn’t in my full review.
There are 2 apps for the MacBook to install. One is a gallery photo and video app that stitches the media on your MacBook. Samsung recommend a core i7 processor. Then there is the Samsung Gear 360 iOS app.
At this stage everything worked well, from the mac software to the iOS app. No bugs. There are limitations on a few features that are available with the Samsung Galaxy S8 but not via the iPhone 7 Plus.
These currently include –
– Live broadcast (only available using mac not iPhone )
– No live video feed
– Resolution is reduced when stitching slightly on iPhone. Full resolution can be maintained using mac software.
Then menu system is a breeze to use and there are a few tweaks to be had to improve the results.
If you have any questions on this please let me know for the full review.
NB. Photo shot in portrait mode on the iPhone 7 Plus.
Tech Addicts Podcast is back again with a new episode starring Gareth Myles, Jay Garrett, Leila Gregory, Brendan Arndt and myself. Tech Addicts is released every week. Twitter: @garethmyles ; @gavinfabiani ; @GadgetyNewsCom ; @JayGarrett ; @swanny ; @girlsngadgets ; @wildlime
To listen to the latest episode subscribe by searching “Tech Addicts” within your favourite podcast app, iTunes, Google Play Music Podcasts or use the URL “mobiletechaddicts.libsyn.com/rss” to add directly.
The iPhone 7 Plus is a beast of a phone with its dual rear cameras and it might be over 6 months old now yet it can still can hold its own up against the competition, often winning. These are the same shots taken at the same time as the previous days posts covering the Huawei P10, S8+ and LG G6.
Macro shots.
Some lovely natural details and colours.
Mainly good focus. Some shots were out of focus.
Quality is as good as the competition.
Normal lens. A really good shot of the church. Colours are well balanced. I could have used the 2 x optical zoom lens too.
Overall, the iPhone 7 Plus holds its own ground against the competition. It also has the second lens for portrait mode and 2 x optical zoom. Then there are numerous third party apps that work really well to create silky water, night trails and star lights. Then there is Live Photos and super smooth 4K video.
So have a look at the shots on the previous posts from the LG G6, Huawei P10 Plus and Samsung Galaxy S8, and ask yourself, which ones do you prefer?
Gavin's Gadgets & Photography 