Last year's Samsung Galaxy S5 Active didn't make a whole lot of sense. Why make a water and dust resistant variant of the Galaxy S5 when that phone was already water and dust resistant? Sure you got the more rugged casing to withstand drops and bumps, but you could just buy a rugged case for the GS5. Fast-forward to 2015 and the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge are designer phones with glass fronts and backs. They're not resistant to anything. So this year's Galaxy S6 Active makes a whole lot of sense. Exclusive to AT&T in the US, the Active meets U.S. Mil-STD-810G for water-resistance and to withstand dust, shock, vibration, temperature extremes, humidity, and high altitude. It's submersible up to 1.5 m of water for up to 30 minutes. It's also shock-resistant when dropped from less than or equal to 4 feet onto a flat surface according to Samsung. We dropped it from waist high onto a hardwood floor and it survived unscathed.
The Galaxy S6 Active's specs aren't watered down in the least, and you get every bit of GS6 goodness here. We won't go over all the details since it is identical in terms of CPU, RAM, display, cameras, wireless and (lack of) memory expandability. If you haven't already, check out our review of the standard Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge to learn about display, performance and more. The Active's battery is sealed inside, just like the Galaxy S6, so some of you might still opt for last year's Galaxy S5 Active if that's a deal breaker. But wait a moment: the Galaxy S6 Active has a much larger battery--3500 mAh, vs. the 2550 mAh battery in the standard issue GS6. So you're gaining nearly 30% more runtime with the Active, which in our tests translated into 2 hours more screen on time. That might offset the desire for a removable battery. What else is different from the standard S6? It has hardware front buttons rather than capacitive (because capacitive buttons don't work well when wet), there's no fingerprint scanner and it's available in just one storage capacity (32 gigs).
Specs and Features
The phone runs Android 5 Lollipop with Samsung's TouchWiz software on the 2.1 GHz Exynos 7420 octa-core CPU. It has 3 gigs of RAM and 32 gigs of internal storage but no microSD card slot. It has a lovely and bright 5.1" Super AMOLED QHD, 2560 x 1440 display, dual band WiFi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.1, NFC and GPS. The display is covered in Corning Gorilla Glass 4. The phone has the same 16MP rear and front 5MP cameras as the Samsung Galaxy S6, and that rear camera is one of the best you'll find on a phone. The phone supports Qi wireless charging and quick charging (a quick charger is in the box).
Rugged Design
I won't make fun of the Galaxy S6 Active's looks. It's a rugged phone and clearly it won't look like the glass and aluminum design masterpiece that is the Galaxy S6 or S6 Edge. Everyone appreciates good looks and slim designs, but if you're a plumber, landscaper, work in construction or are out in the oil fields, good looks go only so far. The Active is certainly slimmer, lighter and better looking than an S6 in a seriously rugged accessory case (no offense to Otterbox). The phone is available in camo white, gray (with a blue camo pattern) or all black for those of you who aren't cool with the camouflage statement. It's not an ungainly phone, and honestly Samsung doesn't make thick phones. It's heavier than the standard S6 at 5.29 ounces, but not what I'd call a heavy smartphone. It's a little thicker and has a slightly larger footprint than the standard S6. The corners are molded hard plastic to withstand drops and bangs, and the ports are waterproofed so there's no need for annoying rubber covers.
Activity Zone
Like the Galaxy S5 Active, the S6 Active has Samsung's genuinely useful Activity Zone app. You can launch it using the dedicated left side button. That button can launch another app of your choice when you long press it, and you can assign a different app to the short press. Activity Zone has panes for weather, S Health, compass, barometer, stopwatch and a switch to turn on the flash light. It also promotes Samsung's Milk streaming music service, where you can pick different music stations for running, weight lifting and more.
Samsung Galaxy S6 Active Video Review
Benchmarks
The Galaxy S6 Active is one of the fastest Android phones on the market. It slightly outperformed the standard S6 that we benchmarked at launch, thanks to firmware updates and tweaks post-release.
If you're a klutz or work in a field where rugged devices make sense, the Samsung Galaxy S6 Active is a no-brainer. You get all the goodness of the S6, from super performance to a fantastic Super AMOLED QHD display to one of the best cameras on the market, in a dust, water and drop-resistant package. Our only caveat is that like the standard S6, the Active's battery is sealed inside. S5 Active owners looking to upgrade may miss the removable battery, though the S6 Active's big 3500 mAh battery ameliorates that.
Last year, we were eagerly waiting for a refreshed NOOK tablet of some kind, since we assumed that it would follow the path of having a yearly upgrade. After Amazon announced its new line of Kindle Fire tablets over the busy holiday season, we really thought it would only be natural for Barnes & Noble to follow suit – much like they’ve done in previous years. Well, the holiday season came and went, and to our surprise, there was no new NOOK tablet.
Luckily, things are a wee bit different this time around, as Barnes & Noble is partnering with Samsung for its latest NOOK tablet – the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook. Indeed, it’s just like the existing 7-inch sized Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 we’ve reviewed already, but it’s been enhanced on the software side to provide users with the best reading experience. So, does it actually live up to that claim?
Design
We surely remember the previous NOOK tablets: the original NOOK Tablet, then subsequently the NOOK HD and NOOK HD+. Looking at them, most people would have some time difficulty differentiating them because of their identical designs.
Now that they’re partnering with Samsung, the Galaxy Tab 4 Nook ditches the old Barnes & Noble design scheme and goes with Sammy’s distinctive one. In all fairness, though, there’s nothing too astounding here with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook, which flaunts the same design used the 7-inch Galaxy Tab 4. Despite the predictable look, it’s still the same plastic constructed tablet that’s pretty manageable for reading – thanks in part to its compact size and lightweight feel.
Display
During the announcement of the tablet, Barnes & Noble’s CEO deemed the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook to offer the best reading experience. Certainly, that’s a tough sell from the onset because it employs a 7-inch 1280 x 800 LCD display, which is a far cry from the higher resolutions of other comparable tablets in its segment. Yes, we’ll attest that the resolution is good enough for reading books and magazines with minimal squinting on our part, but in order for it to “offer the best reading experience,” we would’ve preferred to see something more outstanding.
Regardless of that, we can’t complain about the display’s pleasant qualities. From a quick glance, it exudes a slightly more saturated tone for an LCD-based display, which isn’t a bad thing per se, especially when it allows the screen to come to life when viewing photos and videos. In addition, it features great clarity and wide-viewing angles, which in a way, helps it to offer readers a great viewing experience in different conditions.
Interface
Before its announcement, we presumed that this tablet would offer an experience that adheres to the Nook ecosystem. Indeed, it does exactly that, as it boasts some exclusive Nook experiences that are baked into the platform – like its Nook Shop, Nook Search, and Nook today apps. In fact, these items are exclusive to the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook, which you won’t find elsewhere.
Best of all, unlike previous Nook tablets, this one now has access to the Google Play Store – giving it the depth we sorely yearned with the other Nook tablets. And of course, Sammy’s TouchWiz experience provides users with all of the productivity and multimedia features to make this tablet far superior to everything Barnes & Noble put out to market previously.
Needless to say, if you’re already invested into the Nook ecosystem, you’ll easily adapt to this experience a whole lot more than someone who hasn’t. As a general Android tablet, though, we wouldn’t go far to say that it blows everything out of the water, but it has enough goodies to make it both a fun and play tablet that can be used by everyone in the family.
Processor and Memory
It’s not the shiniest piece of silicon in the landscape, but the tablet’s quad-core 1.2GHz Cortex A7-based chipset with 1.5GB of RAM is more than adequate to give the magazine experience its smooth looking page folding transition effects. Basic operations, of course, are easily handled by the hardware, but you might be pushing it with more intensive stuff – like running today’s latest 3D games, or heavy multi-tasking with its multi-window mode.
Armed with only 8GB of storage, that’s nowhere near enough to appease multimedia buffs. However, there’s a microSD card slot on one of its sides to help supplement its paltry internal capacity.
Camera
Considering that this is meant primarily for reading, we can’t be too critical about its 3.2-megapixel camera. Naturally, it’s there for the mere convenience of being able to shoot something in the event you don’t have anything else better on hand at the time something comes up.
Expectations
From the onset, Barnes & Noble will be selling the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook for the promotional price of $179 – so who knows when that’ll end. Without question, this is the best Nook based tablet to date, easily beating the Nooks of past in terms of functionality and design. However, we still need to point out some of its main rivals, like the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX 7, which sports a higher resolution display at $229. Budget conscious individuals should keep an eye out on this new Nook tablet, but with so many inexpensive tablets out there to choose from, we can’t say that these exclusive Nook experiences are going to be enough to combat the competition.
Late last year, a video showcasing the prototype of a modular phone - Phonebloks - circulated virally around the Web. The idea of a phone that can be whatever you want it to be definitely met with approval, and we might soon see it turn into reality, thanks to Motorola.
Samsung seems to have the same goal, but its approach has been to create a new model for every possible need. Did we hear someone enquiring about a smartphone with a 5.1-inch screen and top-of-the-line specs? We have the Galaxy S4/S5 for you. No? Do you want a slightly bigger screen with a full-HD display and a stylus? Take a look at the Galaxy Note 3. You think that's too expensive but don't mind a slight compromise on the screen resolution and camera specifications? Enter its younger sibling - the Galaxy Note 3 Neo.
For the uninitiated, this cacophony of device names might be unnerving. Did we mention there is also a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo Duos? Now, while we are at the topic of bewildering monikers, check this out.
The Neo is slimmer and sleeker than its namesake, and Samsung is also blowing its trumpet about the hexacore processor housed inside the device. Is the younger sibling rough around the edges? How is the performance compared to the Note 3 which is slightly more expensive? Is there a single redeeming feature for us to recommend the Note 3 Neo? Read on to find out.
Look and Feel
This 'lite' edition also has the faux leather plastic back with a distinctive stitch design running across the border akin to its elder sibling. The Neo feels comfortable to hold if you have big hands, but it isn't too comfortable for single-handed operation. Reaching the top of the screen with your thumb is bound to be a hassle.
Looking at it from the back, the camera and flash modules sit on top of the Samsung logo running across the breadth of the device. Removing the rear cover reveals the removable 3100mAh battery, a slot for the SIM card, and another one for the microSD memory card. It is interesting to note that the NFC module is a part of the battery.
We reviewed the alluring white edition and it is definitely a dust magnet. However, the Neo is also available in classic black and cool mint (which looks rather bland). This phablet has a single physical button for the home function which is flanked on either side by the back (right) and menu (left) buttons. Right above the screen is the earpiece grille. To its right are the proximity and light sensors, and the front camera module. To its left, you can see a discreet (almost invisible) notification LED. A bit too cramped in our opinion.
A chrome trim runs around the border, which houses most of the buttons and ports. The left edge has a volume rocker and the power button sits on the right edge, which is great for accessibility considering the size of the device (we're looking at you, HTC). The bottom is the busiest, with the Micro-USB charging/data port, speaker grille, microphone, and enclosure for the S Pen stylus. The top is also crowded, with the 3.5mm jack, extra microphone for the speakerphone, and an infrared LED.
The oft-used statement 'don't judge a book by its cover' holds true in the case of the Neo, since the faux leather might give it a premium look. Once we pry open the rear cover, it is unmistakably and unapologetically plastic. Despite this, the Galaxy Note 3 Neo is a sturdy device with no signs of flex
Features and Specifications
The USP of this Samsung phablet is the hexacore processor, which includes a quad-core Cortex A7 clocked at 1.3 GHz and a dual-core 1.7GHz Cortex A15, supported by a Mali T-624 graphics subsystem. The Neo has 16GB of internal memory and supports up to 64GB more using a MicroSD card. Two gigabytes of RAM are available for the user, which is a gigabyte less than on the Note 3. The rear camera is an 8MP variant (again stripped down from the Note 3's 13MP) with flash and there's also a 2MP front-facing camera capable of capturing 1080p video for those long Skype sessions.
Coming to the connectivity, Samsung has all bases covered, with 2G, 3G, LTE (no support for 2.3GHz band, though), GPS, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, NFC, and Bluetooth 4.0. Moreover, Samsung has added a multitude of sensors including an accelerometer, gyro, proximity sensor and compass.
Since the Neo is supposed to be a stripped down version of the Galaxy Note 3, Samsung has made a compromise on the screen, which is a 5.5 inch 720p Super AMOLED capacitive touch panel. It translates to a pixel density of approximately 267 per inch. Despite being a PenTile screen, it isn't bad by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, the accurate colour reproduction and impressive viewing angles are an advantage. The screen also has Gorilla Glass 3 for protection just like the Note 3, which should allow it to handle a few scratches.
Software
Colourful wallpapers and icons are standard for TouchWiz - Samsung's custom UI on top of all its Android (4.3 Jellybean, in this case) devices. It is garish, loud, cartoonish, and we are no strangers to it anymore. Nothing's changed in the case of the Galaxy Note 3 Neo.
The Neo carries forward all the software embellishments Samsung introduced with the Note 3. The most interesting of the lot is Air Command, which uses the S Pen (capacitive stylus) exclusive to the Note series. Basically, the moment you detach the S Pen, you'll see a semi-circular wheel of commands on screen. Using the S Pen, the user can select any of the following tools: Action Memo, Scrapbooker, Screen Write, S-Finder and Pen Window. Except for Pen Window which is used to launch apps compatible with Samsung's multitasking scheme, the rest of the features seem to have limited value. Still, we noted that the S Pen works better than any stylus in the market.
A few other features like Smart Stay, Smart Scroll and Smart Pause are present too. They work occasionally, but using Smart Scroll, for example, appeared to bystanders as though we were performing advanced neck exercises.
Samsung provides a panel of applications that the can run on screen simultaneously, and we found ourselves using this quite often, especially when we wanted to watch a video and do other little things such as sending a text message alongside.
TouchWiz offers a plethora of options in the notification panel and frankly, despite looking messy, it is indeed functional. Also, Samsung's default keyboard includes a number row on top of the QWERTY layout which is handy. Another nifty addition is the handwriting-to-text feature on the keyboard that works like a charm.
Users can find the regular set of Google apps, including Chrome, bunched up in a folder. We can always expect Samsung to fill their devices with bloatware, and they don't disappoint in the case of the Neo. Here is the laundry list: Samsung Apps, Samsung ChatON, Samsung WatchON, Samsung Link, Screen Mirroring, S Voice, S Health, Group Play, Story Album, and S Translator.
Samsung also bundles Evernote, Dropbox, Flipboard and Tripadvisor with the device. The apps are placed in a folder called Galaxy Plus. Samsung teams up with Flipboard for content syndication for the Magazine app and tries to emulate the functionality of HTCs Blinkfeed, which in itself shares design ideologies with Flipboard. The user can swipe from the bottom of the screen to pull up Magazine.
Samsung's idea is to give the user plenty of choice, but these apps are a part of the core system, and there's no easy way to delete them.
Camera
Samsung's Note series of phablets tend to deliver great camera results. In the case of the Note 3 Neo, Samsung has bumped down the rear camera's specification compared to the Note 3, which incidentally has one of the best smartphone cameras on the market today. This model features an 8MP rear shooter compared to the 13MP one on its elder sibling, and a 2MP one in front. Both are also capable of recording 1080p full HD videos.
Users accustomed to Samsung's camera interface will feel at home. The various available shooting modes largely eliminate any need for third-party apps. We found ourselves reaching for the Best Photo, Best Face and Sound and Shot modes more often than not.
We tested the image quality of captured photographs under different conditions. At first glance, images captured in broad daylight look great but on closer inspection we found that the leaves on a tree had a bit of chromatic aberration. Indoor shots under incandescent lighting reproduced natural colours with minimal noise. Samsung enhances performance in low light using a feature called Smart Stabilization. Noise levels are high despite using the enhancement. Video captured at 1080p skipped frames and had interlacing issues when panned. All we can say is that the camera could have been better.
Performance
We ran a bunch of synthetic tests to determine the Neo's processor performance and fortunately it performed to our expectations. AnTuTu returned a score of 29,075 and in the Quadrant test, the phablet clocked in an overall score of 11,858. The hexacore processor of the device is definitely a workhorse, and it shows in the buttery smooth performance while sifting through homescreens and the app drawer in general.
For graphically intensive processes we used GFXbench and 3DMark's Ice Storm tests. The scores were 24.3 fps and 9446, respectively. This is definitely not top-tier performance, and a few other devices in the same price range such as the LG G2 and Sony Xperia Z1 perform much better.
SunSpider took 870.8ms to complete and Mozilla Kraken returned a score of 8,106ms. Once again, the other phones performed better. Our disappointment was compounded by the fact that opening multiple heavy web pages at once caused the Neo to stutter.
Video playback is a cause of concern, especially since the default apps refused to play 1080p videos. If the encoded audio is 5.1 channel, the default app throws up the 'audio codec not supported' message. VLC, on the other hand, managed to play all the files we threw at it, but the heavier 1080p files had artifacts cropping up from time to time and dropped frames occasionally. We felt shortchanged with the experience on the 'supposedly' high-end hardware.
The bundled earphones are the same ones that Samsung includes with most of its high-end Galaxy devices, and are mediocre at best. The shrill treble overpowers the muddled bass. The only saving grace was tight mids in songs which emphasise only vocals. Audio purists will have a better experience with third-party earphones, and we noted that the quality of sound improved drastically when we tried our own.
At its highest volume, the loudspeaker is a bit soft but definitely not enough to be a deal-breaker. Once a call was made, the Neo managed to hold on the cellular network signal even where performance is generally supposed to be weak. The 3100mAh under the hood is a revelation since it lasted a good 12 hours, 22 minutes in our continuous video loop test. Discounting the testing process, during normal usage, we reached for the charger only twice in five days.
A look at the aforementioned observations, hexacore processor or not, reveals that the Note 3 Neo is not meant to be a powerhouse device but a workhorse.
Verdict
All points considered; if you are looking for a sturdy phablet with a powerful stylus for note taking, a big, beautiful screen and great battery life, then look no further than the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo as it might just serve the purpose. But be warned, the performance of the Neo is middling for an expensive device.
At the time of this review, online e-commerce websites were retailing it at approximately Rs. 36,500 whereas the Note 3 retails for Rs. 43,500. Give the elder sibling a serious thought before settling on the Neo. If you don't need the stylus and can live with a smaller screen, we would also suggest that you take a look at the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact and the LG G2, which perform better.
Sony’s downsized Z1 might just be the best small Android phone you can buy
For the past several years, high-end Android phones have followed the mantra of “go big or go home.” Five-plus-inch displays, once considered comically large, are now the standard for top-level Android handsets. And big screens definitely have their advantages, giving us more room to browse the web, play games and view photos and movies. But the transition to large displays has left a gap in the market between the 4-inch iPhone and the bulk of the high-end Android space. And that’s precisely where Sony wants to place its latest handset, the Xperia Z1 Compact.
SONY HAS PACKED ALL THE MAJOR HARDWARE FEATURES OF THE Z1 INTO A SMALLER CHASSIS.
The Z1 Compact is in essence a shrunk-down version of the Xperia Z1, Sony’s current 5-inch, 1080p flagship. We’ve been familiarising ourselves with the Z1 since it launched late last year, and we recently reflected on our time with the phone in a three-month look-back feature. It’s one of the better Android phones out there, excelling in battery life and camera quality. But usually when a high-end handset gets a “mini” version there are compromises to be made — with the processor, camera and storage usually being first for the chop. That’s not the case with the Z1 Compact, and that’s actually the reason it’s a “Compact” and not a “Mini” — Sony tells us the “Mini” monicker has been tainted by cheaper, lower-end handsets. “Compact,” on the other hand, implies it’s the same phone in a smaller space.
Instead of cutting down specs along with the device’s footprint, Sony has packed all the major hardware features of the Z1 into a smaller chassis with a 4.3-inch 720p screen. You’ve got the same Snapdragon 800 CPU, 2GB of RAM and 20.7-megapixel rear camera found on the Z1, in a substantially reduced footprint. For that reason it offers much the same experience as its big brother, along with a few unique
Video walkthrough
quirks of its own.
Hardware
A CONTINUATION OF SONY'S 'OMNIBALANCE' DESIGN LANGUAGE
The Xperia Z1 Compact’s chassis is a continuation of Sony’s “OmniBalance” design language, first introduced a year ago with the Xperia Z. While it’s nowhere near as large as other Z series phones, the Compact is just as blocky and angular. The front and back panels are completely flat, with most of the ports and buttons located around the slightly curvy aluminum trim. The trademark rounded power button is found two-thirds of the way up the right edge, within easy thumb reach, and beneath it sits the volume rocker and two-stage shutter key.
Like the Z1, the Compact’s shutter key is more useful as a shortcut into the camera app, rather than a replacement for the on-screen capture button. That’s because applying enough force to press the shutter can result in unwanted movement and motion-blurred shots. The key itself is also extremely small, making it somewhat more difficult to hit. On the left edge are all the main ports — SIM, microSD and microUSB, all hidden behind waterproof doors, along with a magnetic charging port for use with Sony’s charging dock. And if you’re picking up a Z1 Compact, the dock is probably a wise investment, as it gives you a way to charge the device without fiddling with plastic doors. Like its big brother, the Compact is water- and dust-resistant — rated IP55/58 — meaning you can take it for a dunk in the pool or use it outside in the rain without worrying about water damage. Water-resistance basically comes as standard with all Sony's current high-end smartphones, which is great to see.
The Z1 Compact is a little thicker than the Z1 — 9.5mm, up from 8.5mm — but the in-hand feel is much the same. The aluminum border gives the phone a premium feel, even if other areas of it have decidedly plastic texture. And as you’d expect, the Compact’s reduced dimensions make it significantly easier to palm, so one-handed operation isn’t as cumbersome as it is with the full-sized Z1. Overall, it’s just a hair shorter and narrower than the Moto X. THE ALUMINUM BORDER GIVES THE PHONE A PREMIUM FEEL,
EVEN IF OTHER AREAS OF IT HAVE DECIDEDLY PLASTIC TEXTURE
Curiously, the glass back panel of the other Z series phones has been swapped out for a traditional glossy polycarbonate rear, to the detriment of the overall feel of the device. Other Sony phones feature a plastic shatterproof film atop tempered glass — but the Compact’s behind is just straight-up plastic, and the difference is jarring. It’s a fingerprint magnet, even more so than glass-backed Sony phones, and the plastic layer feels unpleasant and slimy in the hand, like the back of the Galaxy S4. It’s a mark against what’s otherwise a premium piece of hardware, and probably the only real physical downgrade from the Z1.
Around the front is the Z1 Compact’s 4.3-inch, 720p display, which bears Sony’s “Triluminos” branding, but has little in common with the Z1’s screen. This time Sony’s using a more traditional IPS LCD display, resulting in vastly improved viewing angles. The display isn’t perfect — dark areas appear a little over-dimmed, and the auto-brightness setting doesn’t seem to ramp up aggressively enough even when maxed out — but it’s an improvement on earlier Sony efforts for sure. And while colors on our Z1 Compact unit appeared a little cooler than they should, this was easily fixed using the built-in white balance tuner, under Settings > Display. We recently bemoaned Sony’s use of anti-shatter film on its phone displays, and sadly the Z1 Compact continues this trend, making the glass of the display feel plasticky, collect lint and scratch more easily than other smartphones. It’s not necessarily a deal-breaker, but if you’re using the phone over the course of a two-year contract then be prepared to pick up several hairline scratches over time.
THE COMPACT’S INTERNAL SPECS ALMOST EXACTLY MATCH THOSE OF THE Z1
The Compact’s internal specs almost exactly match those of the Z1. You’ve got a speedy Snapdragon 800 processor inside — a quad-core 2.2GHz CPU — with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, expandable via microSD. Around the back is the same impressive 20.7-megapixel Exmor RS camera with LED flash, which we’ll look at later in this review. And there’s also a fixed 2,300mAh battery, down from the 3,000mAh unit in the Z1. But fear not — as we’ll discuss in the Battery section, the phone offers phenomenal longevity. As we’ve come to expect from Snapdragon 800 phones, the Compact performs admirably, with quick touch responses and smooth navigation throughout the UI. And the Adreno 330 GPU, combined with the lower screen resolution, should mean you’ll have plenty of power for gaming. On the connectivity side, the European Z1 Compact we’ve been using (model number D5503) supports a bevy of LTE frequencies (Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 20), as well as penta-band DC-HSDPA. In real terms that means you’re good for 3G coverage across much of the world, and 4G LTE (Cat. 4) in Europe and on T-Mobile U.S.
On top of that you’ve got Bluetooth 4.0, NFC and Wifi a/b/g/n/ac support, all of which functions as advertised. So the Xperia Z1 Compact is a monster of a handset despite its diminutive size, taking much of what’s good (and bad) about the Z1 and cramming it into a smaller space. Besides the improved IPS display, Sony hasn’t really addressed any of our pet peeves about that device. But at the same time the company hasn’t taken anything significant away from the equation, with the exception of the cheaper plastic back.
Bad vibrations
THERE'S A STRANGE BUG AFFECTING THE PHONE'S VIBRATION MOTOR.
Here’s one curious bug we’ve noticed on the Xperia Z1 Compact: when the phone is held at a certain angle — for instance, with the screen tilting down slightly — the vibration motor will sometimes fail to fire. When this happens (it’s a relatively rare occurrence) you’ll get no haptic feedback from using the on-screen buttons, and vibration notifications won’t fire either. A quick search of Sony’s product forums reveals this is a somewhat widespread issue with an easy fix — simply tilt the phone back and forth, or give it a quick shake, and the motor will spring back to life. It’s worth underscoring that the glitch seems dependent on the phone behind held in a certain way, and if you’re holding it normally with the screen facing up or level you probably won’t be affected. Nevertheless, it’s an annoyance we don’t recall seeing on any other handset, and so deserves a mention here. This kind of issue can probably be fixed with firmware update, in the meantime it’s a minor irritation. We’ll update this section if it’s resolved in a future software update.
Software
SONY’S UI IS PRETTY LOW-KEY — YOU’RE NOT GOING TO FIND AN ABUNDANCE OF BRIGHT COLORS OR LARGE, CARTOONISH ICONS.
Like its larger (and much larger) siblings, the Xperia Z1 Compact runs Android 4.3 Jelly Bean along with Sony’s Xperia UI. There’s no explicit timetable for getting Android 4.4 on any Sony handset at the time of writing, which has to count against its phones when the likes of Motorola, HTC and Samsung are already rolling out KitKat for their 2013 flagships. But for the most part Sony does a good job with Android 4.3, differentiating itself without bulldozing through Google’s design guidelines. Sony’s UI is pretty low-key — you’re not going to find an abundance of bright colors or large, cartoonish icons. If anything, we might say Sony’s moved a little too far away from the flashiness of some rivals — the embossed, slightly skeuomorphic icons are starting to look a little dated when compared to the latest HTC Sense or stock Android UIs. Nevertheless, it’s clean, easy to use and inoffensive. And for those wanting to break away from the default look and feel of Xperia phones, Sony now offers downloadable themes through the Play Store, in addition to the eight colored skins loaded out of the box.
As a Sony phone, the Xperia Z1 Compact comes preloaded with apps for the company’s content ecosystems. You’ve got Music Unlimited integrated into the built-in Walkman music app, as well as PlayMemories support in the Album (gallery) app. There’s also Video Unlimited for movies and TV, as well as a stub app for PlayStation Mobile. (Unfortunately the latter is still kind of a graveyard.) That's an added convenience if you're bought into the Sony ecosystem; if not, it's all easy enough to uninstall or ignore. “Small apps” — windowed applications accessible from the task-switching button — are included, though these are of limited use on a smaller screen. Options include a windowed web browser, notebook, calculator, timer and voice recorder, and you can also turn some regular Android widgets into windowed apps.
Like just about every other Sony phone, the Z1 Compact has Sony’s “X-Reality for mobile” image and video enhancer, toggleable through the Display menu. The main effect of this has colors becoming brighter and more saturated in the built-in Album app, as well as in video playback in general. Sony also claims it helps to cut down on visible noise, while adding extra sharpness to images. The end result seems to be images that are better-looking, though perhaps less true-to-life. Other preloaded goodies include PlayStation 3 controller support, “Throw” support for transferring content to other Xperia devices wirelessly, and remote device security (including remote wipe) through the MyXperia service. And Sony has a full-featured power management menu within its settings app too, which we’ll discuss in the next section.
Battery life
THE XPERIA Z1 COMPACT'S BATTERY OFFERS EPIC LONGEVITY, RIVALING THE LIKES OF THE HTC ONE MAX AND SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 3.
Power options Whereas the Xperia Z1’s battery life was slowly improved with successive software updates, the Z1 Compact offers epic longevity out of the box. Even without utilizing the “stamina mode” setting, which cuts down on background data consumption, we found the Compact to be among the most long-lasting Android handsets, even coming close to the battery performance of oversized phones like the HTC One Max and Galaxy Note 3. In our first week with the phone we’ve generally finished a normal working day — mostly on Wifi — with around 50 percent charge remaining. Our first day of normal use hopping between Wifi and LTE, with mixed usage consisting of web browsing, messaging and social app usage, we got more than 16 hours out of the Z1 Compact before passing the 50 percent mark, with three hours of screen-on time. And with extremely heavy use moving between LTE and HSPA, we got to the nine and a half hour mark with 20 percent remaining, and 3 hours 20 minutes screen-on time. With that kind of use in those conditions, most Android phones we’ve tested in the past year would’ve been well and truly dead. On both occasions we didn’t make any use of “stamina mode” to extend the Z1 Compact’s battery life. Should you wish to, you’ll find switching it on makes the phone use almost no juice at all when the screen is off. There’s also a whitelist option to allow certain apps to connect in the background even while stamina mode is enabled. With a week of use behind us, we feel confident saying battery life is one of the Z1 Compact’s greatest strengths. It might be small, but it packs enough power to get through even the most strenuous of use cases. In this area the Compact doesn’t just match the Xperia Z1 — it surpasses it.
Camera
ONE OF THE BEST ANDROID CAMERAS, NOW IN A SMALLER PHONE.
The Xperia Z1 Compact’s rear camera is identical to that of the full-size Z1 — a 20.7-megapixel, 1/2.3-inch Exmor RS sensor behind a Sony G lens. Because of the matching lens, sensor and internals, the Compact’s camera performs about the same as its big brother’s, and just about everything we said about the camera in our three-month feature on the Z1 applies to the Compact. You get the same great camera in a smaller device — and the reduced size and lighter weight actually make it a little easier to hold the phone steady when taking pictures. Photo quality across the board is generally great, particularly in outdoor shots. Sony’s camera app tends to be a little aggressive in scrubbing away visible noise though, which can result in some fine detail being eliminated with it in certain conditions. But the still camera’s only real weakness is night shots — low light performance isn’t horrendous, but it’s easier than we’d like to get motion-blurred night shots, on account of the lack of hardware stabilization. On a related note, the phone's use of relatively high ISO levels for night shots produces grainer night-time images than we’d like.
THE Z1 COMPACT HAS A 20.7-MEGAPIXEL CAMERA, BUT YOU'LL BE TAKING 8-MEGAPIXEL SHOTS MOST OF THE TIME
Sony’s modular camera app is present and correct — by default you shoot at 8 megapixels in 16:9 orientation in Superior Auto mode. If you want to switch to 4:3, or step all the way up to 20 megapixels, you’ll need to switch to manual mode. Other shooting options include Timeshift Burst, Sweep Panorama and various gimmicky AR modes. Sony can add and update these camera modes though the Play Store, so there’s plenty of room for expansion in the future. Whichever shooting mode you choose, we’d recommend sticking at 8 megapixels for most shots. The use of oversampling means you’re able to zoom in without losing too much detail, and 20-megapixel images generally don’t look that great anyway. The Z1 Compact shoots video at 1080p resolution with 30 frames per second, and does a pretty good job of it. Footage doesn’t look as amazingly crisp as it does from some rivals, like the Galaxy Note 3 with its 4K-recording camera. And as with the still camera, the video recorder seems to scrub away more fine detail than we’d like. That said, 1080p video from the Z1 Compact looks decent, with a consistent frame rate and accurate colors.
Wrap-up
The Xperia Z1 Compact delivers on a promise broken by so many other 'mini' smartphones — bringing high-end hardware into a smaller handset. Sony's latest retains the performance, aesthetics, camera, waterproof credentials and software experience of its big brother while managing to surpass it in a couple of areas, namely display viewability and battery life. It's still kind of a chunky phone, but being a smaller chunky phone makes it infinitely easier to handle than the 5-inch Z1. If you're after a small Android handset with the best hardware around, it's kind of a no-brainer — no other "mini" Android comes close. In other ecosystems, the Compact's closest competitor is probably the iPhone.
THE Z1 COMPACT DELIVERS ON A PROMISE BROKEN BY SO MANY OTHER “MINI” SMARTPHONES.
So where does the Compact fall short? The most obvious issue to point out (besides the weird vibration motor bug) is the plastic back pane, a noticeable downgrade from the glass rear of the Z1. Upgrade prospects for the device remain up in the air too, with no firm date for Android 4.4 KitKat on Sony phones. Beyond that, you're getting into issues of personal taste — do you like the muted tones of Sony's UI, or the brighter, more approachable stylings of HTC or Samsung? Are you OK with the angular design, or would the more ergonomic Moto X be a better fit? There's also the question of whether the average Android phone buyer has outgrown 4.3-inch handsets, especially when they come with relatively hefty bezels. (We should note the Moto X fits a 4.7-inch 720p display into about the same footprint as the Z1 Compact.) Personally, my own ideal smartphone size lies somewhere between the Z1 and the Compact, but if I had to pick one to use every day, I'd absolutely choose the smaller version — glossy, fingerprinty back panel and all. The main reason for that isn't necessarily the size — instead it's the phone's highly capable camera and battery life that makes it more dependable than many larger competitors. The Xperia Z1 Compact doesn't remedy all of our longstanding issues with Sony's smartphones, and in many ways it's been a repeat performance of our time with the original Z1. But regardless it's an excellent piece of kit, and for the moment the best Android device in its class.
Samsung’s best gets even better in the Galaxy S5 — we take it out for a spin
Behold, the Samsung Galaxy S5. The Korean manufacturer at Mobile World Congress unveiled the fifth iteration of its flagship Android smartphone. And as we’ve come to expect, this one’s better than every one that’s come before it.
Let’s start with the basic Galaxy S5 specs:
5.1-inch display. Android 4.4 KitKat.
16-megapixel rear camera.
2 gigabytes of RAM.
Storage options of 16 or 32 gigabytes.
MicroSD card storage.
Waterproofing with a IP67 rating.
802.11 ac Wifi, with MIMIO (2x2).
Bluetooth 4.0 LE
USB 3.0.
NFC.
IR port.
2,800 mAh (removable) battery.
What else could you want in the Galaxy S5? And we haven’t even mentioned all the software customizations. We’ve gotten a brief look at the Galaxy S5 here in Barcelona. Come with us now as we walk you through the GS5, as only Android Central can.
The Samsung Galaxy S5 video hands-on
Samsung Galaxy S5 hardware
IT'S PLENTY APPARENT THAT SAMSUNG'S LEARNING FROM USER FEEDBACK
Samsung continues to improve on its hardware quality, and the Galaxy S5 shows. Moreover, it's plenty apparent that Samsung's learning from user feedback, and the Galaxy S5 is a reflection of that.
The phone is just a smidgen bigger than the Galaxy S4 — the Super AMOLED display has been upped to 5.1 inches as well. The bezels seem a little larger than we'd expect, but not grossly so. The standard 1080p resolution is at hand here — no "2K" displays yet — and it looks great. That's in part because the default backgrounds and images are designed to show off (as well they should) and also because the Galaxy S5 has an improved "Adaptive Display" that will work the color gamut depending the lighting situation. It doesn't just get brighter or dimmer — it changes the way the colors look.
The Galaxy S5 is unmistakably a Samsung phone — right down to the home button. But this time around it's swapped out the legacy menu button for a proper multitasking key, and it's about time that happened. (We've previously seen this on the company's "Pro" series tablets.)
THE GS5'S GORGEOUS SOFT-TOUCH BACK IS UNLIKE ANY PREVIOUS SAMSUNG DESIGN
The rear of the phone deserves some serious attention. While we'd figured Samsung would continue with its faux-leather (complete with stitching trend), it's nary to be seen on this initial crop of Galaxy S5. Instead, we're treated to a textured soft-touch back — not unlike the 2012 Nexus 7 tablet from ASUS, actually. The Galaxy S5 will initially be offered in charcoal black, shimmery white, electric blue and copper gold — and the colors themselves are pretty stunning.
Ridged edges make up the sides of the phone. The volume and power buttons are in their usual places. The Galaxy S5 most certainly looks and feels like a Samsung product, as it should. But it's probably the best Samsung's come up with so far.
If we had to pick one thing to gripe about, it'd be the camera stack out back. It's not a huge bulge, but it's noticeable. There's also some additional bulk that has to come with the inclusion of waterproofing, and the plastic flap covering the charging port may become an annoyance for some. But that's us looking for nits to pick. The GS5's hardware looks and feels solid, more so than any Galaxy S phone for the past couple of years.
Samsung Galaxy S5 software
The industrial design is but the first way Samsung has improved things in the Galaxy S5. Software's the next. The Galaxy S5 is running Android 4.4.2 KitKat out of the box, and it's paired quite nicely with Samsung's custom user interface.
You read that right. Five years into the Galaxy S line, TouchWiz has come around. Maybe some of that is Google's doing — the white status bar fits right in. Launcher and menu icons have taken a turn for the flat.
Truly, this no longer is the clown-colored user interface we've for so long tried to hide.
THIS NO LONGER IS THE CLOWN-COLORED USER INTERFACE WE'VE FOR SO LONG TRIED TO HIDE.
That's not to say there's not a lot going on — because there is. Samsung has still crammed so many features into this phone. The quick settings, for instance, had 20 buttons when we took a look. There's a veritable armada of Samsung apps. (And plenty more you can download on your own.) And on the whole, they're a little sharper and less visually cluttered than earlier TouchWiz efforts, even if everything remains bright and vivid on the phone's SuperAMOLED panel.
And the ever-clever Samsung has put its Magazine UI where Google Now lives on the Nexus 5 — at the far left of the homescreen.
For enhanced security, the Galaxy S5 also supports biometric authentication through its finger scanner — up to three fingers can be stored, swipe you finger down from just above the home button to unlock the device or perform other security-related functions. One such feature shown to us used PayPal — the company has partnered with Samsung to use the GS5's biometric capabilities — to confirm a purchase with the user's fingerprint.
Another feature we're liking is Private Mode, which lets you keep pictures, music, documents, video and voice files behind a secondary password and away from prying eyes.
So, yeah. There's a whole lot going on in the Galaxy S5, but it's nicely done, and a bit more professional-looking than before.
Samsung Galaxy S5 camera
HDR MODE NOW GIVES YOU A LIVE PREVIEW OF YOUR HDR SHOT.
The Galaxy S5 packs a 16-megapixel rear camera with dual LED flash and a slew of shooting modes, but Samsung is focusing on a handful of new features. Selective focus lets you adjust depth of field after you've taken your shot — we've seen similar stuff from Sony and Nokia in recent months. And HDR mode now gives you a live preview of how your high-dynamic-range image is going to look. Samsung's also touting the speed of the GS5's autofocus as a key camera feature, saying it can focus in as little as 0.3 seconds depending on lighting — and side-by-side with the GS4, the difference in focus speed is pretty striking.
As for image quality, we'll have to reserve judgment until we've spend some more time with the device, but photos shot in our relatively small demo area looked great on the Galaxy S5's screen, and capture speeds were about as fast as any smartphone we've used.
THE GS5'S FLASH DOUBLES AS A HEART RATE SENSOR.
In addition, there's an interesting secondary function for the GS5's camera flash — it doubles as a heart rate sensor when used with the S Health app. Hold you finger over the flash and it'll glow red, allowing the phone to monitor your heart rate. And of course you can track all this stuff over time through S Health, which, as on the GS4, is designed to be your health and fitness hub on your phone.
The bottom line
A STEP FORWARD FOR SAMSUNG IN A BUNCH OF IMPORTANT AREAS.
Our main takeaway from our brief time with the Galaxy S5 so far is that Samsung is has been listening to customers and critics alike, and has finally gotten around to addressing many of our gripes with its build quality, software and UI. It's still a plastic phone, and a plastic phone running TouchWiz at that, but the GS5 represents a clear improvement for Samsung in a bunch of important areas. The new Samsung UI strikes us as something we might enjoy using, rather than software that's just there. And the soft-touch back feels infinitely nicer in the hand than the glossy, slimy plastic of old.
The most interesting development out of the GS5's announcement might be the arrival of waterproofing as a mainstream feature. Other Android manufacturers, notably Sony, have been doing this for a while, but a waterproof GS5 is a big commitment on Samsung's part
We'll be seeing a lot more of the Samsung Galaxy S5 in the months ahead, and our opinions are sure to evolve as we spend more time with the phone. For the moment, though, it's a promising start to 2014 for the world's biggest maker of Android phones.
Conclusion
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