Nokia N1 review: the Android iPad [hands-on]

Nokia N1 review: the Android iPad [hands-on]

Quentin Ducreux L. 2015-03-04T20:00:00Z2 months ago Quentin Ducreux L. Quentin is Editor-in-Chief for AndroidPIT.fr. Since his first video game console, a NES, he's been a tech enthusiast. Now that he owns or think he owns all the test devices in the office, he's always trying to find the best apps, the best mods and the last secret about the next Android update.

Nokia has just introduced the Nokia N1 -?an impressive new Android tablet with a neat design, high-end features and a reasonable price. AndroidPIT managed to get?a first look at the Nokia N1 at MWC 2015 - here's our initial, hands-on Nokia N1 review.

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The price of the Nokia N1 tablet will be 249 € when it arrives in Europe sometime during 2015, according to a Nokia spokesman I spoke with during my review.

The design of the Nokia N1 is based on a unibody aluminum shell, which clearly emulates the iPad Mini. Nokia was totally open about this point during my review. The fact is that the construction of the N1 is impeccable. The device's edges encase the screen, with which it is level. The N1 is simple yet very elegant.

The Nokia N1 has an aspect ratio of 4: 3; just like the iPad Mini. c ANDROIDPIT

On the bottom, there are stereo speakers and USB 3.0 port, type C. This is a standard which allows users to plug a USB connector in both directions.

The micro USB socket of the Nokia N1, Type 3.0 C, sits between the two speakers. c ANDROIDPIT

The top has the 3.5mm headphone jack and power button. The back of the tablet is completely devoid of sharp edges or corners. The camera's sensor does not protrude and only a discreet Nokia logo is visible.

The Nokia N1 has a very sober and elegant design. c ANDROIDPIT

From the beginning of my test of the Nokia N1, I found the design attractive. The Nokia tablet is ergonomic and comes in two finishes; gray aluminum and graphite.

The Nokia spokesman told me that, on paper, the Nokia N1 screen is identical to that of the iPad Mini 3. Its 7.9-inch IPS panel has a resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels, giving it a pixel density of about 324 ppi.

The Nokia N1 screen is identical to that of the iPad for size and definition. c ANDROIDPIT

The first test of the Nokia N1 shows that it has a quality screen. The display is good, with ?natural color rendering, plus nice saturation and contrast. The brightness is not the highest I've seen, but it seems sufficient for everyday use.

The Nokia N1 screen is very good. c ANDROIDPIT

The viewing angles looked good to me, though this is probably related to the fact that the slab is rolled and uses zero-gap technology (zero space).

The Nokia N1 tablet runs Android 5.0 Lollipop. The Nokia launcher, Z Launcher, is pre-installed on the N1, but you can replace it with any other.

Z Launcher is a free download from the Google Play Store on all Android smartphones, but is compatible with N1. Beyond the specific features of Lollipop, Z Launcher is transforming the way we use and search for applications on Android. From the main screen, you can draw a letter, all applications that begin with that letter, or include it in their name are displayed.

The Nokia N1 features the Z Launcher. c ANDROIDPIT

In practise, it was?surprisingly effective and I found myself using it instinctively in this first review?of the Nokia N1. The application drawer is displayed as a list and icons are categorized.

During this short review of the Nokia N1, the tablet was very fluid and showed no signs of lag or bugginess. Of course, I'll wait for a full review to tell you more, but my first impression is very positive.

The version presented at MWC 2015 uses an Intel Atom 64-bit Z3580 processor clocked at 2.3 GHz. The version that will arrive in Europe will be equipped with a more powerful processor. A Nokia manager told me that Qualcomm was interested in a partnership, but this did not progress because the Finns do not want to damage their excellent relations with Intel. We'll have to wait and see, then. The N1 also packs 2GB of DDR3 RAM.

All the apps I've tested run smoothly on the N1. c ANDROIDPIT

A quick AnTuTu benchmark confirmed our inklings. It achieved a score of 47,050, just below the Samsung Galaxy Note 4.

Nokia claims battery life of 12 hours for the N1. This seems realistic, as the battery capacity is 5300 mAh. In comparison, the Nexus 7 (2013) - not exactly a model for the device category - has a battery capacity of 3750 mAh.

We already knew about the N1. It is available in China, and should arrive in Europe this year. For 249 €, this level of performance and quality design makes the N1 one of the tablets to follow in 2015. The verdict of the first review of the Nokia N1 is very positive.

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Honor 6 Plus review: powerful device in a solid, simple body [hands-on]

Honor 6 Plus review: powerful device in a solid, simple body [hands-on]

Robert Zak 2015-03-08T15:00:00Z1 month ago Robert Zak A tech aficionado since he first picked up a NES controller, Robert has written about technology, videogames, and film across a range of sites and magazines, including Den of Geek, Gamasutra, and Computeractive. At AndroidPIT, he'll be bringing you the latest Android news and reviews from the front line in the UK.

The Honor wing of Huawei has proven it can deliver solid performance on a rock-bottom budget (see our Honor Holly review), and now it's fighting for a share of the upper end of the smartphone market with the Honor 6 Plus. The 6 Plus?improves on the Honor 6 in several ways, with a bigger screen, bigger battery, and an experimental UltraPixel camera that's caught our curiosity. Read on for our hands-on?Honor 6 Plus?review.

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The Honor 6 Plus release date in the UK and Europe will be around?May 2015. For the first time, Honor will also be offering its phone on a network tariff, as the Honor 6 Plus?will be available on UK network Three. We have no more details on the tariff yet, but Honor said there'd be some 'special deal's in store for people getting the phone on the Three network.

We don't know the exact Honor 6 Plus price?yet, but expect it to come in around the ￡400 mark (around?Rs. 25,700 in India).

The Honor 6 Plus?shows it's serious about being treated as a high-end device, doing away with the plastic exterior of its predecessor. The Honor 6+ is instead made from zinc alloy, which Honor claims is tougher and more rigid than the fashionable aluminum chassis on many premium smartphones of today. We didn't get to test out its toughness in the hands-on of course, but it felt satisfyingly weighty to hold.

The Honor 6+ looks simple but solid with its zinc alloy frame. / c ANDROIDPIT

The Honor 6 Plus?has a metallic rim, which enhances the premium feel, while not exactly screaming originality. Sexing up phone sides was a theme at MWC this year, with the HTC One M9 having super-reflective sides, and Samsung extending its screen to both sides of?the Galaxy S6 Edge. The Honor 6+ looks a bit generic in comparison, but then not everyone wants a diva for a phone.

The volume?rocker, power buttons, and SIM and microSD slots all live on the same side of the Honor 6+, making the buttons easily accessible, if a little prone to the wrong one being pressed.

All in all, the Honor 6+ feels much better in the hand than the Honor 6. The phone still feels like a bit of a smudge magnet, and it's perhaps a bit too much of an iPhone lookalike, but it's not a bad effort.

With a 5.5-inch display, it's understandable that the Honor 6+ misses out a bit on pixel resolution. The Honor 6 Plus?has a full HD screen with 401 ppi, which means it falls a bit short of the clarity offered by rival high-end devices with same-sized or bigger screens. From our hands-on, the screen had?decent brightness, while not exactly being eye-catching.?

Colors and pixel resolution are decent on the Honor 6+, but the screen's strong-point is its size. / c ANDROIDPIT

Judging a screen's quality should take into consideration the price of the device of course, so stay tuned for our full review when we'll establish whether this sizeable, medium-quality display will give you bank for your buck.?

The Honor 6+ has so-called 'Active' dual SIM card slots. This means that you can set the phone up to only have a data connection on one SIM card, while carrying out phone calls with the other, or other interesting combinations that could end up saving you money. If you're abroad and have a SIM card for that country as well as your home country in the phone, the Honor 6 Plus will automatically use the SIM card for that given country, saving you the hassle. It's a great idea, and we're looking forward to seeing it in action.

The Honor 6+ runs Emotion UI 3.0 and ran Android KitKat 4.4.4 when we tested it. However, Honor said that the device is due to get the Android Lollipop update in the summer, which should coincide more or less with its release date in May.

The Honor 6 Plus will come with Android KitKat 4.4.4 and EMUI 3.0. It should get the Android Lollipop update in the summer. / c ANDROIDPIT

EMUI 3.0 is a slender, elegant-looking UI that's an?improvement on older versions of the interface. It takes a few pages out of Lollipop's book with identical navigation buttons, and a clean-looking notifications screen, which includes a neat little timeline running down the left of the screen.?

The Kirin 925 octa-core chipset is a slight improvement on that in the Honor 6, and is the same one used in the Huawei Ascend Mate 7?- a phone that we loved, and that achieved a very respectable 42,837 in our AnTuTu benchmark tests, beating the Samsung Galaxy S5. There are other variables that can affect benchmark scores, so these scores are?by no means gospel, but these should give a good guideline of the performance to expect from the Honor 6 Plus - which is very good indeed.

In our hands-on, everything on the phone ran swimmingly, though of course we'll put it through more rigorous testing when we do our full review in May.

The dual 8MP rear camera - or 'Eagle Eye Camera' - on the Honor 6 Plus?is a bit of a maverick. It uses the UltraPixel technology, has an impressive f0.95 aperture and 22mm wide-angle lens, and Honor claims the dual rear cameras equate?to around 13MP when added together.

I'm always drawn to?a company that tries something a little different, so am at the very least intrugued by the Honor 6+ camera. In the shots that we took, the 'Super Night Mode' certainly cleans up dark scenes.

The Honor 6+ also has a 8MP front-facing camera that did a decent job of brightening up the dimly-lit room in which the phone?was unveiled.

With its f0.95 aperture, the Honor 6 Plus does a good job of night shots... / c ANDROIDPIT ... which get even better when you put on the Super Night Mode/ c ANDROIDPIT A group selfie on the 8 MP front camera. Nice and bright, if a bit washed out. There's my growing out of the side of the Honor rep's head. / c ANDROIDPIT

The Honor 6 Plus packs a monstrous 3600mAh, which exceeds that of bigger high-end?phones like the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and the Google Nexus 6. A big battery is to be expected when it's non-removable, but Honor certainly went all out here. This technically means you should get over two days standard use out of the Honor 6+ before it needs a top-up, and it also comes with an ultra-power-saving mode to help it last even longer.

We'll be sure to field-test this impressive battery when we do the full review in May.

Model:Sorry, not yet available! Dimensions:150.5 x 75.7 x 7.5 mmScreen:1920 x 1080 pixels (401 ppi)Android version:4.4.4 - KitKatConnectivity:HSPA, LTE, NFC, Dual-SIM , Bluetooth 4.0

The Honor 6 Plus makes a good first impression, offering some truly high-end specs. The sensible zinc alloy chassis doesn't grab the eye at first, but seeing as the phone will only be available to buy online, it's not necessarily aimed at those looking for a piece of eye candy.

The stand-out features on the Honor 6+ are the massive 3600mAh battery and 8MP dual rear camera. The jury is still out on these, of course, until the full review, but if these wildcard features?deliver on their promise, then they'll certainly make the octa-core Honor 6 Plus a contender in the premium smartphone league.

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HTC Vive review: the best thing in virtual reality yet [hands-on]

HTC Vive review: the best thing in virtual reality yet [hands-on]

Kris Carlon 2015-03-06T08:57:14Z1 month ago Kris Carlon Kris Carlon comes to the AndroidPIT Editorial Team via a lengthy period spent traveling and relying on technology to keep him in touch with the outside world. He joined the Android community while resurfacing in civilization back in 2010 and has never looked back, using technology to replace his actual presence in other people's lives ever since. He can usually be found juggling three phones at once and poring over G+ posts, Reddit and RSS feeds.

HTC has presented an early version of its new virtual reality headset called Vive at MWC 2015. Vive represents the fruits of a partnership with Valve to bring a VR device to HTC’s product lineup and to consumers at large. It’s a bulky thing, like most VR headsets, but the experience it offers is unparalleled. And this was only a prototype with sample demos on board. Get a feel for the ‘new real’ in our hands-on HTC Vive review.

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The HTC Vive release date will be in 2015 for the consumer version, with a developer edition going out in spring. We’d expect HTC to go full throttle to have Vive available in time for Christmas shopping. The consumer version of the Oculus looks like it will appear around the same time too, so you’ll have choices. The HTC Vive price will be disclosed later in the year, but you can expect it to be high.

The HTC Vive packs 37 sensors to accurately track your head movements. / c ANDROIDPIT

It’s impossible to say from this review what the final production version of the HTC Vive will look like, as this is simply a working prototype. But, as with most VR helmets, it’s a bit like an oversized diving mask. It’s surprisingly light though, even with plenty of cables attached (the final version will be wire free, but at this stage you need to have a bunch of cables strapped to your waist).

The elastic straps on the side of the HTC VIve are actually very comfortable./ c ANDROIDPIT

The device is actually quite comfortable, with soft elastic straps on the sides and top, which may well change by the end of the year. But the experience of wearing the headset is so enjoyable you can’t imagine caring even if it were uncomfortable.

These HTC Vive ports may not not appear on the final production version. / c ANDROIDPIT

The prototype has two USB ports on the top of the visor and an HDMI port as well. Just how everything works in the wireless end-product and what kinds of connection options are even necessary remains to be seen. The developer edition will have a headphone port but the final version will have a built-in audio solution.

Soft cups embrace your face, and the dual display is equivalent to two 1200 x 1080 pixel screens. / c ANDROIDPIT

The HTC Vive is not paired to a smartphone like Samsung’s Gear VR is with the Galaxy Note 4. Vive features two separate lenses inside the helmet that are of admittedly low resolution in some of the demos, but as HTC says, Vive is about immersion and accuracy, not just image resolution. And the Vive has immersion in spades.

Once you’ve got the helmet on, your eyes quickly adjust to the visual field and you very quickly ignore the ‘edges’ of your field of vision and get caught up in the VR world right in front of your face. While you can discern ‘pixels’ depending on what demo you are looking at (I expect some have been scaled down to make them as fluid as possible), HTC claims it’s the equivalent of a 1200 x 1080 pixel display in front of each eye running at 90 frames per second. The rest of the HTC Vive specs are unknown at this point.

We don't know too much about the final specs inside the HTC Vive yet. / c ANDROIDPIT

The demo space is room-sized and your movements are tracked with a multitude of sensors via twin IR lasers on opposite sides of the room. The Vive is then connected to a PC running the software platform. HTC told me that it is theoretically possible to make the VR space much bigger, the only limitation is the accuracy of the lasers. You’re going to need a separate room in your home to dedicate to this though, unless you want to constantly move furniture.

The HTC Vive features two hand controllers with haptic feedback, but are not necessarily representative of the final package. They feature triggers for shooting games, which are circular, clickable thumb pads for tracking or selection and are built to comfortably fit in your hand. Sadly, we weren’t able to take any photos inside the demo space or of the controllers themselves.

Looking silly with this on your face is the least of your concerns. Waving your arms about like a mad man is sillier still. / c ANDROIDPIT

Depending on the demo you’re doing you might be looking at disembodied hands floating in space, robot clamp claws or nothing at all. Not knowing what to expect when you look around or down is all part of the fun. Not having a body when you look down is peculiar, but surprisingly not as odd as you might think: the future of brains-in-jars just became a lot more comfortable to me. The HTC Vive just makes you believe what you’re seeing.

In some demos, like the underwater one (the first one you experience) the pixels vanish and all you see is the underwater world around you. While you’re standing on the deck of a ship to provide a stable reference point, the feeling of complete immersion is much like it is with real diving. When that sneaky freaking whale glides by, though, you’ll not only jump if you didn’t see it approaching but you’ll be amazed with the amount of detail produced by what previously seemed to be a little pixelated.

Other demos, like the cooking one, are more cartoonish and have much lower resolution demands. Even in the demos where the images are not perfect you quickly adapt; it’s like looking at the world through sunglasses with dust on them and you quickly get on with the experience of viewing.

HTC will likely make a much nicer looking final consumer version than this. / c ANDROIDPIT

In my review, the Vive demo took me through a few different scenarios. They include standing on the deck of a sunken ship as fish, manta rays and a giant whale silently float by; in a kitchen preparing a variety of dishes to a set recipe, on a table-top battlefield observing a firefight between a marauding army and a fortified castle (complete with the ability to crouch down and get up close with the action, even see the skeletons buried below ground level); and a quick internship in a robot repair workshop.

There was also a painting space where you could draw in the air in three dimensions with a variety of brushes, effects and colors, and then interact with your creations. Drawing in space with fire, for example, and then seeing it in 3D as you move around it and through it, was a very cool experience. You’ll even be able to send your artworks to others to experience in the final version. To make all this possible, you’re going to need a high-end video card and presumably a serious gaming PC to drive it all.

I did notice the occasional lag or glitch during my review, but this is very early demo software and hardware and all-in-all the HTC Vive experience was very impressive. The fluidity of movement and accuracy of the sensors and controllers was incredible and bodes extremely well for the final version. The controls are also very intuitive and easy to get used to, whether they represent hands, in-game controllers or nothing at all.?

HTC Vive: 37 sensors, two IR cameras and a whole lot of processing power. / c ANDROIDPIT

For a prototype to be this good already is phenomenal. HTC may not be the first company that comes to mind when you think about VR, but it soon will be. The partnership with Valve brings some serious VR credentials to the project and I expect HTC will produce a beautiful piece of hardware for the final version.

The HTC Vive will require some serious processing power and will cost an arm and a leg, so it won’t be for everyone. But, like game consoles that used to be ridiculously expensive and at first only appealed to the hardcore and wealthy, the HTC Vive will quickly become a gadget that you simply have to have, regardless of the cost. Just try it and tell me you don’t want one of your own.

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Huawei Watch review: the most customizable smartwatch yet [hands-on]

Huawei Watch review: the most customizable smartwatch yet [hands-on]

Kris Carlon 2015-03-13T00:00:00Z1 month ago Kris Carlon Kris Carlon comes to the AndroidPIT Editorial Team via a lengthy period spent traveling and relying on technology to keep him in touch with the outside world. He joined the Android community while resurfacing in civilization back in 2010 and has never looked back, using technology to replace his actual presence in other people's lives ever since. He can usually be found juggling three phones at once and poring over G+ posts, Reddit and RSS feeds.

The Huawei Watch was a bit of a surprise at MWC 2015. Sure, we knew it was coming, but we didn't expect it to look so darn good or cause such a huge splash. We spent a little time with Huawei's stylish new timepiece and bring you everything you need to know in our hands-on Huawei Watch review.

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The Huawei Watch release date will be sometime mid-2015. No exact timeline was given but Huawei did tell us it would be ''in the middle of the year.'' The Huawei Watch price is unconfirmed but online retailer leaks out it in?the vicinity of 349 – 399 USD, depending on the color you choose (silver and black are cheaper, gold is more expensive).

The Huawei Watch is classically styled and the same size as standard watches. c ANDROIDPIT

Huawei has gone down the classic styling route perhaps more so than any other manufacturer with a smartwatch out right now. The Huawei Watch comes as close as possible to a traditional watch design, with a thin profile, elevated bezels in a diver's watch style and round format with a button on the right towards the top.

Along with the LG G Watch R, the Huawei Watch is the only smartwatch out right now that has a fully circular face. The Huawei Watch features a diameter of 42 mm, which matches the current standard for a classic timepiece, as opposed to bulkier watches like the G Watch R that comes in at 46 mm. The Huawei Watch is also very light, although we don't yet know its exact weight.

The Huawei Watch in comparison with the LG G Watch R (right). c ANDROIDPIT

The Huawei Watch is made of hypoallergenic 316L surgical steel, so the back of it shouldn't suffer the cracking problems that have plagued the Moto 360's plastic back. All told, the Huawei Watch has six sensors including a heart rate monitor along with a barometer for measuring altitude and air pressure. The physical button functions like any other Android Wear device: a long press to access settings or turn the screen on or off with a quick press.

The straps on the Huawei Watch are a standard 18 mm and can be easily changed. c ANDROIDPIT

The Huawei Watch is all about customization though, with three different metal bands available and two leather ones. The strap pin is 18 mm so it can be switched out for any other watch strap you prefer.

The Huawei Watch is apparently water-resistant but no specific certification was listed. All in all, it feels great, is a perfect size for anyone put off by the large dimensions of most smartwatches available right now and stylistically is a mix between the Moto 360 and LG G Watch R, albeit a much more lean version of the latter.

The Huawei Watch display is the best in class, and only about 80 percent the size of the Moto 360 (right). / c Huawei, Motorola, ANDROIDPIT

The Huawei Watch features a 1.4-inch AMOLED display covered in sapphire crystal (like the Apple Watch). It has a 400 x 400 pixels resolution, bringing a class-leading pixel density of 286 ppi. In terms of face size, though, it's about 80 percent the screen size of the Moto 360.

The Huawei Watch display is bright and sharp and looks good, although it did seem to be pushing reflections an awful lot under the bright glare of the MWC 2015 spotlights. We'll bring you more on viewing angles, outdoor visibility, brightness and reflections when we get a final version of the Huawei Watch in our hands mid-year.

The elevated bezels on the side are reminiscent of the G Watch R. Those of you that like the edge-to-edge display of the Moto 360 may not be a fan of the raised frame, and it may interfere with your finger swipes at first, but it is easy enough to get used to and avoids that unsightly chromatic aberration at the edges of the Moto 360 where the screen is beveled into the chassis.

The Huawei Watch looks great and has plenty of functionality too. / c Droid-Life

The Huawei Watch we tested runs a completely stock version of Android Wear v5.0.2 and was stuck in the standard demo loop, so we couldn't look for any additional functions or even check the available watch faces. We'll bring you more on the specifics of Android Wear running on the Huawei Watch when it is finalized and shipped out for review. Huawei tells us that there are more than 40 available watch faces out of the box.

As mentioned, the Huawei Watch was running a demo loop of Android Wear so it was impossible to get much of an idea about performance in real-world conditions. Nevertheless, there were no glitches, hiccups or stutters during our time with the device and the Huawei Watch specs include pretty standard smartwatch fare: a Snapdragon 400 clocked at 1.23 GHz, 512 MB of RAM and 4 GB of internal storage.

The Huawei Watch's six-axis sensor means you will be able to differentiate between runs, climbs, walks, biking and more, and it also features a built-in microphone and barometer for calculating altitude and air pressure. Of course, we were unable to see how well the Huawei Watch worked when paired with a smartphone for the reasons listed above.

# The back of the Huawei Watch is stainless steel and uses a pogo pin dock charger. ?c ANDROIDPIT

This is perhaps the most disappointing part of the Huawei Watch. While it comes with pretty standard specs for a smartwatch and sits right up there in terms of look and feel, it is let down by a very small battery. It's 300 mAh?to be precise.

While it is possible that Huawei has worked some battery magic no one else has yet managed, don’t hold your breath. Of course, the stainless steel back means you won't be wirelessly charging the Huawei Watch either and will require a charging dock like most other smartwatches (except the Moto 360).

The Huawei Watch comes in a wide variety of looks and feels. / c Huawei Model:Sorry, not yet available! Dimensions:Sorry, not yet available!Weight:Sorry, not yet available!Screen:400 x 400 pixels (404 ppi)Front camera:Sorry, not yet available!Rear camera:Sorry, not yet available!Flashlight:Sorry, not yet available!Removable storage:Sorry, not yet available!Chipset:Sorry, not yet available!Connectivity:Sorry, not yet available!

Even if you put aside the more subjective criteria like design and material preferences, the Huawei Watch is one of the better-looking smartwatches around right, if for no other reason than it looks the most like the classic watches we already know with styling that has been refined over decades. The many options for watch bands and watch faces make the Huawei Watch the most customizable we've yet seen on Android Wear, even if the OS itself can't be tweaked.

Huawei got the look right, they got the form factor right, they got the display right, they got the customizations right and?they got the size right. But the biggest thing Huawei slipped up on just so happens to be the biggest issue facing all smartwatches right now: battery life. Even with the best design and the best features, no watch will take off until it has class-leading battery life.

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( Labels: customizable, handson, Huawei, Review, smartwatch, Watch ) Read more