Year in Review 2016

It’s been a pretty crazy year. Not just for the smartphone industry, but for the whole world in general. I’m here to talk mainly about the smartphone part of course. Looking back, I haven’t actually reviewed that many phones this year. Since this is more of a side hobby, I only buy phones that interests me. So here’s a list of phones I’ve reviewed this year.

• BlackBerry Priv
• Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
• Apple iPhone SE
• LG G5
• HTC 10
• Sony Xperia X
• OnePlus 3
• Apple iPhone 7
• Samsung Galaxy Note7
• Google Pixel
• Lenovo Moto Z

So let’s start by talking about what I think are the best phones this year.

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Apple iPhone 7

You can’t go wrong with an iPhone, and the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus is the best iPhone to date. On top of the stellar performance typical of an iPhone, Apple added IP67 water and dust resistance for added durability. Optical Image Stabilisation is now a standard too even on the smaller iPhone 7, battery life has been improved, and the home button is now non-mechanical (which should help with durability).

Design is its weakest link in the sense that it is clearly inspired by the iPhone 6/6S, but at least the minor tweaks makes the phone better looking. The removal of the headset jack could be a potential pain point for many, but for me it’s a non-issue as I use bluetooth earbuds primarily.

iOS 10 is still a beast when it comes to optimisation, and gives great performance and battery life. Not to mention it will be getting prompt software support from Apple for a long time to come. Great hardware, great software. You simply can’t go wrong with the iPhone 7.

Google Pixel

2016 is a milestone year for Android devices. It’s the first time Google has branded and marketed their own Android device. RIP Nexus. Welcome Pixel. The Google Pixel is basically Google showing their own take on Android. How it should be experienced, and what direction it’s going towards.

That direction is Google Assistant, the smart voice assistant that Google thinks will be the future of smartphones. While in its infancy, Google Assistant shows great promise. It’s just not quite ready to take the world by storm yet in my opinion. On the bright side, even without the Assistant, the Google Pixel is a damn good phone.

It’s the smoothest Android phone I have used. With Google’s optimisation and the best Qualcomm has to offer, speed is something the Pixel has abundance of. Not quite at the iPhone 7’s level, but close. Since this is a Google phone after all, you also get fast updates direct from Google. No need to wait around for months after a new version of Android. It also showcases the result of hardware and software wizardry when it comes to imaging. Google’s HDR+ mode is mightily impressive, along with Google’s electronic image stabilisation. The unlimited full resolution Google Photos upload is a great perk too for happy snappers.

The only minor downside would be the lack of any significant water resistance on the phone, which I think should be a standard feature when it comes to a phone at its price point. Which brings me to its major downside that puts it below the iPhone 7 for me. Price and availability. It’s not available in that many countries, and if you want to import it or buy it from an importer, it costs more than the iPhone 7 does and comes without warranty.

If you can live with that caveat, and love Android, the Google Pixel is a pretty magical device.

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Some other honourable mentions for the Android side of things. If you are not willing to compromise on durability and local warranty, Samsung’s Galaxy S7 Edge is the way to go. Top end specifications, in a package that’s not only premium but also water and dust resistance. While this is an honourable mention, you’re not really compromising on the hardware front.

The S7 Edge is probably one of the prettiest phone this year with its curved edges, and glass front and back. A huge feat for Samsung considering just a few years back this was their weakest area. Camera wise you’re also getting one of the best camera hardware around, with the fastest autofocus system on any smartphone camera to date. Samsung also has the best display I have seen on any phone this year as well.

The only reason it’s not at the top of my list is its software. TouchWiz is no longer the intolerable abomination like it was before. It’s tolerable, but still has lots of room for improvements. It comes with it own set of software enhancements (some useful, some not so much), but in terms of performance, it’s still nowhere near the likes of the Google Pixel. The speed of software updates is a huge downside for the S7 Edge too. It’s almost the end of 2016, and there is no Samsung smartphone running Android Nougat yet.

If you’re on a budget or looking to get a phone off-contract, there is another great alternative available. The OnePlus 3T. It requires a bit of savvy shopping, but it’s worth the effort. This is a phone that costs way less than the other alternatives, but provides 90% of the experience.

It has the same processor as the Google Pixel, with 6GB of RAM, and a big battery at 3,400mAh. The OS is also one of the smoothest around, perhaps just behind the Google Pixel a tiny bit. There is no water resistance, and the camera isn’t quite at the level of the top dogs, but for its price, there isn’t really anything to complain about. Well, you have to live without local warranty, but I think it’s worth the risk. On local shopping site Qoo10.sg, you can find the Chinese variant of the OnePlus 3T at around S$500 since they have coupons going on for Christmas. It’s still available as of this post until the 26th of December. For that price, I don't think you can do any better.

Now for my favourite phone of the year. The phone that I spent the most amount of time with. The phone that I use in between reviews.

Apple iPhone SE

The thing I like most about the SE is its size. Surprise, surprise. I like phones that I can use one-handed easily, and nothing comes close to the iPhone SE. It has updated internals that gives it great performance on par with most modern phones, and the battery life has been pretty great for my usage. It may not have the latest specifications, but it does everything I need a phone to do, and then some.

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It’s been a pretty good year I think for most manufacturers. OnePlus finally got their act together and put together a solid phone. The HTC 10 is one of my favourite phone this year too. Despite not being the best, it’s a great option if you don’t want something too mainstream. Apple is still putting out great devices, and Samsung isn’t far behind. As a cherry on top, Xiaomi released the impressive looking bezel-less Mi Mix..

On a lower note, BlackBerry has sort of given up on designing their own smartphones. Lenovo hasn’t been doing a great job with the Motorola brand in my opinion. Sony is stubbornly keeping their formula of putting out unremarkable devices at premium pricing. When they did reduce the price a little for the compact series, they took away the high end specifications that used to be a hallmark for the Compact series. LG’s G5 was a flop in my books, and the V20 fails to capitalise on Samsung’s explosive Note7.

Talking about Note7, the way it was handled leaves much to be desired, but you have to respect Samsung for going to such lengths. It's a huge shame considering the Note7 would have been one of the best phone this year if not for the recall.

Despite all that, I think there are plenty to look forward to in 2017 from all the manufacturers. Since LG's modular strategy doesn't seem to be working, it'll be interesting to see what they come up with next. Apple is rumoured to be making some big changes too, and Samsung is bound to have something interesting in the pipeline to make people forget about the whole Note7 debacle. Nokia is even said to be making a comeback. So here's to a better 2017. Merry Christmas to all, and a Happy New Year in advance.

Lenovo Moto Z Review: For Better Or Worse

After years of uncertainty, the Motorola brand found a new home at Lenovo. While the acquisition from Google was completed 2 years back, Lenovo stuck with a familiar looking lineup last year with the Moto X and Moto G. Undoubtedly looking to shake things up a bit this year, Lenovo launched the new Moto Z series back in July, and it’s finally available for sale in Singapore. Its selling point? Mods.

If you recall, back when the Moto X was released, you could go to MotoMaker and customise the look of your phone in your favourite material and colour combination. Moto Z takes this a step further by also allowing you to augment or enhance the functionality of your phone based on your needs.

Lenovo is not the only one betting on this “modular” future. LG launched the G5 earlier this year with its “friends”, and Google’s Project Ara aims to be a truly modular phone. But is it really the future? It has been rumoured that LG is abandoning its modular smartphone platform for next year’s flagship, and Google has all but gave up on the gargantuan effort required to bring Ara to life.

Can Lenovo really make this work with its Moto Z lineup?

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Let’s start by taking a look at the phone. The highlight of the Moto Z's design is undoubtedly its thinness. At just 5.2-millimetre thin, this is one of the thinnest smartphone in the market. Despite that, the phone still feels remarkably solid with its metal and glass construction. Design wise, I can only describe it as sharp looking. It’s not the prettiest or most elegant looking phone, but it fits the “high tech” look of a phone that is striving for the cutting edge of mobile technology.

I do wish that they would go without the “moto” branding to keep the look simpler. The front of the phone looks complicated enough as it is. I think the Motorola “batwing” emblem should be recognisable enough.

Being such a thin and relatively large phone with a 5.5-inch screen, the phone is not exactly the most comfortable thing to use one-handed. Perhaps due to space constraints, the power and volume buttons are placed way higher than I would have liked. They are also pretty tiny with little to differentiate between them other than the power button being textured.

Similar to the iPhone 7, the Moto Z lacks an audio jack, which could annoy some people. I don't really mind it either way since I am using bluetooth earbuds pretty much all the time. A USB Type C to 3.5-millimetres audio jack is included in the box if you still prefer the wired option. The brilliant stereo front firing speakers from the Moto X Style unfortunately didn’t make its way over too. Instead the Moto Z has a single speaker at the top doubling as both the call speaker, and for media playback. At least it is still front firing, and it still sounds pretty decent.

The screen is a 5.5-inch AMOLED display with QHD resolution. Outdoor visibility could be a tad better in bright daylight, but in general it’s a decent looking screen. Just below the screen, there is a fingerprint sensor that can be used to turn the display on and off. It takes a little bit of getting used to as the sensor does not work as the home button like on other smartphones. While the squarish design of the sensor doesn’t look too appealing to me, it works well enough. The fact that I can long press to turn off the screen is a huge plus too considering the inconveniently placed power button.

Like most recent Motorola phones, the Moto Z runs a version of Android that is relatively close to stock Android. Instead of theming and changing the look of the user interface, Motorola added minor enhancements and features to the software to make it stand out. The result is a smooth user interface with minimal bloatware. This has been a winning formula for Motorola since the beginning of the Moto series of devices, and it’s great to see Lenovo sticking to it.

(Wave over the display to wake the screen)

(Double twist to launch the camera)

(Double chop to turn on the LED flashlight)

The use of the Snapdragon 820 chipset along with a near stock Android operating system is one of my favourite flavours of Android. Of course since then we have had newer devices like the OnePlus 3T and Google Pixel, both of which uses the newer Snapdragon 821 chipset. However, the 820 is still more than capable enough to handle most that you throw at it. While in day to day use I do find the Google Pixel and OnePlus 3 to be a bit snappier, most people probably wouldn’t even notice the difference unless they have both phones side by side. I did notice that the phone gets a little bit warm when under heavier use, probably due to the combination of being so thin, and its metal body.

Motorola has never been known for their camera prowess, and the Moto Z is sadly no different. The Moto Z packs a 13-megapixel rear camera, f/1.8 aperture, laser assisted autofocus, dual tone LED flash, and optical image stabilisation. Pretty much in line with other high end smartphones on paper. 

Image quality wise, it is a decent performer, but still trails behind the top dogs. Images in general looks decent, with punchy colours and decent dynamic range. It’s a perfectly serviceable camera in most situations, just not the best. My only complaint would probably be the viewfinder. The resolution of the preview, and the refresh rate is just a bit too choppy for my liking, especially in low light.

Here's the link to the full resolution images.

Despite its anorexic look, the Moto Z still manages to pack in top end specifications which is no easy feat, but there’s a catch though. Space is at a premium when it comes to smartphones, especially one this thin. So something has to be reduced, and in this case it’s the battery capacity.

At 2,600mAh, it just isn’t enough to keep the Moto Z powered long enough for my liking. For my normal usage, I could get it to last a day pretty easily. Your mileage may vary though. Any heavier use, you will probably have to charge the phone before the day is done. I have to commend Lenovo on their optimisations on the phone though. I wasn’t expecting the phone to last nearly as long as it did. Still, a bigger battery would have been nice.

This is where the Moto Mods comes into play, because you can sacrifice that thinness for a much longer lasting phone if you want to. The Moto Z allows you to attach a single back shell on the back of the phone that augments or add functionality to the phone. This is not the first time we have seen the idea this year, but it’s arguably the best attempt yet.

This is made possible by the 16 pins behind the phone which allows it to connect to these mods with a snap. Strong magnets along with the camera hump helps hold the mods in place. Motorola already has a handful of mods like a projector, a speaker, a variety of battery packs, a vehicle dock, a camera attachment from Hasselblad, and a variety of back shells for purely aesthetic purposes. 

They also promised that they will be releasing more mods, and all those will work with the Moto Z series of phones in the future as well. Developer kits are also available to help developers kickstart making their own mods, and Lenovo are hosting hackathons to create new Moto Mods too.

All these sounds promising, but it does mean that you have to really buy into the ecosystem, and really believe in Lenovo to keep their promise.

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The Moto Z is a decent smartphone, and that’s the best way I can describe it. It does what a modern day flagship smartphone should do, in a package that is thinner than most. But, it is a phone that I find hard to recommend to anyone unless they know what they are getting themselves into. Because if you’re looking for a great smartphone, and don’t care about the mods, there are cheaper and better alternatives out there.

While Moto Mods is an interesting idea, and I applaud Lenovo for trying, it is not something that I find exceedingly useful. It is also one that comes with compromises of its own. Instead of having mods to enhance a particular feature, like the speaker quality or battery life, I rather just have better speakers, and a bigger battery to begin with. The Moto Mods are also the reason why the camera hump is so huge. Other than to hold the camera components, it is also to hold the mods in place. To hide the hump, you have to use the style mods. While that gives the phone a nice unique look, it adds thickness to the phone without adding any extra battery life or functionality.

Then there is the matter of price too. This is not a cheap phone. At a recommended retail price of S$899, it costs almost as much as other flagship devices in the market. In the case of the OnePlus 3T, it is actually way more expensive. Furthermore, to get better battery life, better speakers, you will need to shell out additional cash for the Moto Mods. Best part is, those mods only work with the Moto Z series. This is a huge investment considering we don’t even know whether the next Moto Z is going to be any good. A comparable battery pack, bluetooth speaker, mobile projector, or even camera attachment like Sony’s QX10, costs about the same or less. And, those works with most other smartphones.

The whole Moto Mods and Moto Z ecosystem lock-in is one that requires huge amount of trust and faith in Lenovo. From their actions in the past few years after taking over Motorola, let’s just say it’s running a little low for me.