Category: Android Smartphones

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Pixel 2 XL Unboxing & 24-Hour Review! [Black & White]

Although I ordered my Google Pixel 2 XL right as pre-orders were opened, I had to wait over 2 weeks to get my phone as the Black & White version wasn’t shipping until a few days.  While the wait was rather long, I had plenty time to play with the regular Pixel 2 and the wait was well worth it as I like the Black & White version much more.  The Pixel 2 XL is the bigger brother of Pixel 2 and I am really digging it, especially the curved design.

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Pixel 2 4K Cinematic Camera Test! [HandHeld]

In this 4K cinematic camera test, I took the Pixel 2 on a trip to the beach with my daughter Peony to see how well it worked during sunset hours.  To my surprise, the Pixel 2 has an “amazing” stabilization using its OIS/EIS combo.  Now, the original Pixel also had OIS/EIS combo but wasn’t as good as the Pixel 2.  With better processor and better electronic stabilization algorithms, the Pixel 2 behaves like it is on a gimbal during good lighting.   Now, I did find stability does not work as well in low light and I assume this is due to the fact EIS(Electronic Image Stabilization) works by cropping out the mistakes.

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ZeroLemon SlimPower Galaxy Note 8 Battery Case Review!

For those of you who need extra battery for your Samsung Galaxy Note 8, you may want to consider a battery case like ZeroLemon SlimPower, which comes with 5500mAh capacity, enough to recharge your Note 8 about 1.5 times.  The ZeroLemon SlimPower is rather thick and bulky, this isn’t for everyone but for those who absolutely need extra 1-2 days of battery life.

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Galaxy Note 8 4K Cinematic Video Test!

In this video, I take the Galaxy Note 8 into the nature in my backyard and also take my daughters to Ocean Beach in San Francisco.  All shots were in auto-mode hand-held except for the timelapses where I used a tripod. (Timelapses were simply sped-up footage of the video.) Comparing to the older Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus, the added 2X zoom camera proved to be very useful in situations where zoom was needed without losing quality.  I did make use of the manual mode in certain shots where manual focus was needed plus I didn’t want the ISO or shutter speed to flicker my shots.   Overall, the Galaxy Note 8 does have very good 4K video camera that you can use for family videos or even professional-quality videos.  Although still one of the best, I prefer the new LG V30 for videos which I feel have a ton better room for cinematic colors along with LOG mode and better manual mode.