Moto Z Play: 4 Months Later

 By Vaibhav Jain on February 19, 2017       

Four months ago, Motorola launched the first mid-ranged Semi-modular Moto Z Play, and changed the mobile industry as we knew it.

Let's take a look at last few months, and my experience with the Moto Z Play.

Design:

The Moto Z Play is one of the most beautiful and stylish Smartphones, with a flat glass back and aluminum frame at 7mm thick, the device feels premium. But, one should always use the Style Shell (Which comes free inside the box), because the glass back is prone to scratches. I have already got two Fine scratches on my device's back, so better use the Style Shell if you want to protect you device.

Android Nougat:

Few weeks ago, Motorola started rolling out Android 7.0 Nougat for the Moto Z Play and it solved almost every bug and lags which my Z Play was facing when running Android Marshmallow. 

Before Nougat update, I thought it was time to switch to another device because the Moto Z Play was running too slow and was also facing force stops. Thanks to Google and Lenovo-Motorola, the Nougat update solved almost every bug present and now my device is running like fluid.

Camera:

The Moto Z Play's rear camera performance is not that great as compared with other flagship smartphones, but it handles outdoor shots pretty well as long as you're not viewing the results too closely. The Video comes little bit shaky when in hands because of lack of OIS. Yes, you can also shoot 4K videos with the Moto Z Play. The Camera lens is prone to scratches so better use a protector or Camera ring.

The front facing selfie shooter performs well in daylight and is supported nicely by the front-facing LED flash.

Performance:

Moto Z Play comes out with 3GB RAM paired with 32GB Storage and MicroSD card support. Under the hood there's a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor. The device handles High-Graphics games smoothly. Moto Z Play has acceptable performance in this price. There were few lags when running Android Marshmallow, but they were gone after Nougat update.

Moto Z Play's battery is just insane, the 3510mAh battery can go for a full day, with a heavy use. The battery takes Approx 1 hour 15 minutes to get fully charged with Turbo charger. Nougat doesn't affect the battery performance at all!

Moto Z Play still worth in 2017?

If you want a stylish Android Smartphone with Insane battery and Moto Mods support, the Moto Z Play is 100% still worth buying.

YouTube is Removing the Annoying 30 Seconds 'Unstoppable Ads'

 By Unknown on February 18, 2017       

Google's video platform, YouTube is vying to make some decent changes this year. It is now reportedly said that YouTube is planning to ditch the 30 seconds unstoppable ads by the end of this year. 

That said, you no longer have to go through the 30 seconds. However, Google will run the 10 and 20 seconds ads without providing any skip option, the report cites. 

A spokesperson from Google quoted as follows: "We’ve decided to ... focus instead on formats that work well for both users and advertisers,". 

SOURCE

Nougat-based Hydrogen OS 3.0 is now available for the OnePlus 3/3T

 By Vaibhav Jain on February 18, 2017       

Before the starting of 2017, OnePlus started rolling out OxygenOS 4.0 based on Android 7.0 Nougat update for the OnePlus 3/3T. But, now there's a new Nougat firmware for the OnePlus 3/3T, and it's not Oxygen.

The company has released Hydrogen OS version 3.0 which is based on Android Nougat for the OnePlus 3 and 3T. This custom rom is for their Chinese customers with Chinese and English language support. The rom has no Google apps included, but you can download and flash it manually.

Download Hydrogen OS 3.0 for the OnePlus 3/3T here-

Hydrogen OS 3.0 for OnePlus 3: Download Here

Hydrogen OS 3.0 for OnePlus 3T: Download Here

Source: OnePlus

[Updated] Moto G5 Plus: Images, Specs, Price and everything we know so far

 By Vaibhav Jain on February 18, 2017       

Update: 2/18/2017

Moto G5 Plus and Moto G5 (Standard non-plus) accidently got listed by an e-commerce website named ktronix and there's nothing left to know about the upcoming devices except the pricing and variants details. Here are some key features and Images that the listing revealed-

• Moto G5 to come with "Lenovo" Branding on the Bottom Left side

• Upcoming Moto G5/ G5 Plus to Come With Water and Dust Resistant (IP67) Properties

• Motorola Moto G5 Specs

• Motorola Moto G5 Plus Specs

Motorola is widely expected to unveil the much-anticipated Moto G5 and the G5 Plus on February 26th in an event during MWC in Barcelona.

From past a few days, Moto G 2017 has made its appearance on the web - from Case renders to Real life Images, the device has been leaked multiple times.

Summing up all the leaks, Here's everything we know so far about the Moto G5 Plus-

Moto G5 Plus: Design-

So, Starting from the very first leak we exclusively reported, We already knew that it's an all-metal 2017 moto phone, with a similar camera set-up to the Moto Z series (even the flat tire). Our render was later confirmed by series of Real-Life Image leaks of the Moto G5 Plus.

The device kind of reminds us of the original Droid Turbo/Moto Turbo/Moto Maxx from 2014, and it actually looks pretty good. We know it will have a front circular fingerprint scanner like Lenovo ZUK has and will come in Silver and Gold color. 

Moto G5 Plus: Specification-

According to the previous, the Moto G5 will be the next Moto G5 Play and will be a stripped down variant of the Moto G5 Plus. The "Moto G5 (non-plus)" is expected to feature a  5" Full HD display, which is quite impressive as compared to its predecessor. The device will sport a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 Processor , 2GB RAM, 32GB Internal Storage with a memory card slot for up to 128 GB, 13 megapixel rear camera, 5 megapixel front and a 2,800 mAh battery.

On the flip side, the Moto G5 Plus is said to have a 5.5-inch 5.2-inch 1080p display, the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 SoC, 3GB/4GB of RAM, and a slightly bigger 3080mAh battery. Both the phones are expected to feature Motorola's TurboCharge feature as well and will boot Android 7.0 Nougat out-of-the-box. 

Moto G5 Plus: Price and Release date-

Motorola has already sent invites to the press for an event during MWC in Barcelona. The invite shows both Motorola and Lenovo logos and the iconic "Hellomoto" word. The invite says it will all happen on February 26th. Motorola is widely expected to unveil the much-anticipated Moto G5 and the G5 Plus in the event.

As leaked earlier, The 4GB RAM model of the G5 Plus will go on sale in March in India with a starting price of  ₹14,999. There will be two storage options i.e. 32 GB / 64 GB. 

The phones are believed to be priced at 1099 Brazilian Real and 1499 Brazilian Real in Brazil respectively.

Will you be buying the Moto G5 Plus? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

Samsung Galaxy S8 and LG G6 leaked in full glory!

 By Vaibhav Jain on February 18, 2017       

We're weeks away from new flagship phones for 2017, but thanks to multiple leaks and rumors, we already know what the upcoming devices are going to look like.

Samsung and LG are expected to launch their very important handsets - the Galaxy S8 and the LG G6 soon this year. There are already a countless number of leaks and rumors regarding these upcoming flagship smartphone, But, today's leak is coming from the most prominent tipster Evan Blass (@evleaks). 



In his tweet, he posted an image showing case renders of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and the LG G6, which looks absolutely stunning and is on-par with the earlier leaked rumors. 

According to previous leaks, LG is expected to release the smartphone at the MWC 2017 and it will go on sale from March 9, but the US users have to wait till April 7 to get their hands on the device and the reason is still unknown. 

LG is opting for the older Snapdragon 821 SoC to power the G6, due to some production issues between Samsung and others. However, it is also said that the LG G6 will feature a glass and metallic back, USB Type-C port, 5.7-inch wide display, etc. 

The Samsung Galaxy S8 is expected to launch on March 29, rumors also claim that Samsung will tease the Galaxy S8 at the MWC 2017.

Samsung will be using the metal and glass body with the S8. The Galaxy S8 will sport a big 5.7-inch screen, whereas the S8 Plus will feature a 6.1-inch display. 

At the heart of the phone, there will be a Snapdragon 835 SoC and the company will release another variant of the phone with their Exynos 8895 chipset, coupled with 4GB/6GB/8GB of RAM options. Storage on the phones might go up to 256GB, according to previous rumors. 

Galaxy S8 or LG G6? Which are you more excited about?