Samsung’s latest Galaxy S21 Ultra could spell the end of the Note line — and that’s ok

Earlier last week, Samsung unveiled the much anticipated Galaxy S21 series in typical fashion, with the Galaxy S21 Ultra featuring all the bells and whistles one would expect, alongside the other toned-down S21+ and the vanilla S21 variants. While the latter two models got everyone talking about their respective features — or lack thereof — it is the S21 Ultra that’s got my attention. Of course, with that hefty price tag and such impressive camera hardware, the S21 Ultra is surely made to turn heads around. But as we look at the bigger picture, the S21 Ultra could signal the beginning of a new era where Samsung’s prestigious Note lineup could fade away.

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Samsung Galaxy S20+ long-term review: trusty reliable

With Samsung primed to announce the Galaxy S21 series in a couple of days, I figured out it might be a good time to assess how the Galaxy S20 series has fared so far. I happened to own a Galaxy S20+ since May 2020, more particularly the international Exynos-powered variant which is often frowned upon by the tech geeks around the world. Here’s my long-term review.

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[Update: Fixed] NBA 2K21 players on Stadia are essentially being scammed by 2K

When it comes to basketball video games, 2K and its NBA 2K series are pretty much the only option out there, and, with that, you’ve either got to put up with all of its pros and cons or just vote with your wallet and simply not buy it. For NBA 2K21 on Google Stadia, the latter is definitely what I would recommend.

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Google’s new Pixel Buds are plagued by quality control issues that need to be addressed

Google announced the second-generation Pixel Buds way back in October of last year, but only the white color was first made available to consumers in late April of this year. The three other colors — black, orange, and mint — were just released this month. I’d been wanting a pair of these ever since they were announced last year to replace my current pair of 2018 Samsung Gear IconX earbuds. So, as soon as the “Almost Black” variant was made available this past week, I splurged at bought a pair. Unfortunately, the quality control (QC) issues are real, and I’ll be returning mine.

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The Pixel 5 might not be a flagship, and that’s a good thing

Despite newer generations of mid-range smartphones proving to suit the needs of more people, some people still find the urge to shell out some extra cash on flagship hardware inexcusable. In the past, there was a gulf between both tiers in terms of some crucial aspects, most notably in terms of performance. Fortunately, this difference started to diminish gradually over the years, with mid-range processors becoming more and more capable every generation, and manufacturers bringing more premium features to its mid-range phones lineup. Curiously, Google and LG seem to have recognized how capable newer mid-range processors have become. And if the latest rumors are to be believed, it looks like Google’s upcoming Pixel 5 will be a “premium mid-tier” smartphone instead of being a fully-fledged flagship. While that might upset the tech enthusiasts or the so-called power users a bit, I think this might have just made the Pixel 5 a more appealing offer to the overwhelming majority of average consumers. 

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How well does flagship hardware age in the long-run?

Just as the case with the past years, and despite the calamitous threat of the deadly Coronavirus causing GSMA to call off this year’s MWC, many of the tech companies have unveiled their latest addition to the lineups of their flagship smartphones. But as we drool over the rapid advancements in network speeds and processing power introduced to us every year, it still remains a tough task to guess whether these new smartphones will stand the test of time and prove to be a reliable option a year or two down the road. With the news of my Essential PH-1 will no longer receive official support, I thought it might be the best time to conduct a little experiment to deduce how well do older flagship smartphones stand the test of time.

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Opinion: Android 10’s new gestural navigation is far from ideal

Back in 2017, Apple kickstarted a new trend of UI navigation on our phones via dedicated navigation gestures instead of using on-screen buttons (or a dedicated button tucked in the bottom bezel in the case of the iPhones). There’s no denying the fact that there was a somewhat steep learning curve to go through before getting used to the new navigation gestures on the iPhone X. But ultimately, this became the new trend going forwards that all OEMs sought to join. Google had a go at it the following year, though Android Pie’s navigation gestures looked like a hasty attempt to announce Android as a native supporter of gestural navigation. This year though, Google went back to the drawing board and gave it a more serious thought.

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Why the Pixel 3a is the best mid-range phone you can buy in the US

Ever since the launch of the original OnePlus One, the recipe for a killer mid-range smartphone was very simple: flagship specs coupled with a modest camera hardware setup for nearly half the price of a fully fledged flagship. Things like decent software support and build quality were the icing on the cake, but they were never a guarantee. Over time, as prices kept creeping up, these two factors started to become a bigger part of the picture, even putting some of the bigger names to the sword—OnePlus is talking about updating the OnePlus 5/5T to Android Q while Samsung is yet to roll out the Android Pie update to the Galaxy S8 and S8+. Of course, this incredibly saturated segment of the market features a lot of the endeavors of other companies. But ultimately, they all share the same recipe. Google, on the other hand, had the guts to stray away from that route and create their own recipe for a worthy mid-range smartphone. In this article, we will discuss why Google’s new recipe will pay huge dividends to the Mountain View tech giant.

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Why custom ROM users are quick to dump OxygenOS

Back in November of last year, we discussed how Android 9 Pie on the OnePlus 6 differed from that on the Pixel 2 XL, which can be regarded as nearly stock AOSP. While there might be little to no difference at first glance, a closer look reveals that such a claim couldn’t be more wrong. Not only does OxygenOS offer more features that enrich the functionality of the phone, but it does also have some noticeable design alterations. This lightly-skinned version of Android Pie might appeal to the overwhelming majority of users. However, quite a lot of the tech-enthusiasts feel like being left in the dark following this mindset transition, myself considered. So what is it that makes the die-hard custom ROM enthusiasts dump OxygenOS in a heartbeat and flash a custom ROM on their phones? Well, without further ado, let’s dive in and find out.

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As a longtime Windows user, I made the switch to Chrome OS: How does it fare?

I’m a Google fan, but there has always been one product that I’ve been hesitant to try: Chrome OS, Google’s desktop operating system that powers all Chromebooks on the market. If you’ve ever heard anything about Chromebooks, chances are that you’ve heard the stereotype that it’s just a “glorified web browser.” I’ve been following Chrome OS for years and I know that there is so much more to it now—Android apps, Linux support, etc. But I never actually ditched Windows and exclusively used a Chromebook as my only laptop—until now.

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