Saturday, 4 April 2020

Refurb deal: Save $1,000 on a Microsoft Surface Laptop

Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 press render

Working from home really helps you realize the shortcomings of your laptop. You find that a key doesn’t work or certain programs crash often, and then it’s time to look for a new one. Luckily, you can pick up a Microsoft Surface Laptop on Tech Deals and save 42%.

This is no base model. It packs a Core-i7 processor, 512GB of storage, and 16GB of memory to run your tasks quickly. You can also stay productive all day long with up to 15 hours of battery life. This version of the Surface Laptop features a soft-touch Alcantara cover so you can work comfortably.

One of the best parts about joining the Microsoft Surface family is the sheer number of accessories that you can pick up. The Surface Laptop is compatible with Surface Pens, the Surface Arc Mouse, and more. They’re all designed to pair quickly and easily so that you can work more and spend less time connecting.

The Microsoft Surface Laptop at a glance:

  • Intel Core i7-7820HQ, 2.9GHz: Seamlessly switch between apps without any lag.
  • 13.5-inch LED display: Browse and stream on a wide, clear resolution screen.
  • 512GB: Store and save essential files in the generous device storage.
  • Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity: Go online and easily transfer files anywhere.
  • 15-hour battery life: Enjoy gaming or browsing all day long.

This full-spec Microsoft Surface Laptop has a retail value of $2,499.99 but you can grab it on Tech Deals for $1,448.95.

The laptop is refurbished and grade A condition. That means there may be minor scuffing on the case, but each unit has been reset and tested to factory standards. A 90-day warranty backs that up.

This deal won’t last long and these savings are tough to beat. Check it out via the widget below.

$1448 .95
Microsoft Surface Laptop – Core i7
Save $1051 .04
Buy it Now
Microsoft Surface Laptop – Core i7 Buy it Now
Save $1051 .04 $1448 .95

Is this deal not quite right for you? To see all our hottest deals, head over to the DEALS HUB or follow AA Deals on twitter.



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Cherry Mobile's Flare S8 Max is a budget phone that can help you fight quarantine boredom

Armed with a massive display, big battery capacity, and more, we think that the Cherry Mobile Flare S8 Max is one of those affordable phones that could help you combat quarantine boredom. In particular, here's how:
Cherry Mobile's Flare S8 Max is a budget phone that can help you fight quarantine boredom
The phone with a massive display

Cherry Mobile's Flare S8 Max is a budget phone that can help you fight quarantine boredom

1. It must be great for binge-watching - Cherry Mobile Flare S8 Max is probably the only one for the price with a massive 7-inch display with crisp FHD+ 2340 x 1980 resolution and 19:5:9 screen aspect ratio. This means that it'll let its users enjoy YouTube, Netflix, and more on a bigger display than nearly all phones in its class.

Moreover, it has ample 4GB RAM to keep the performance in check and 64GB expandable storage that the owners of this phone can use to store a lot of movies, pictures, songs, and other files.

We also said that it is great for binge-watching due to its massive 6,000mAh battery capacity with USB-C charging.

For a smoother streaming experience, this device comes with Band 28 700MHz 4G LTE.
Note: The Cherry Mobile Flare S8 Max comes with a FREE GamePad
Note: The Cherry Mobile Flare S8 Max comes with a FREE GamePad

2. It has decent specs for casual gaming - Cherry Mobile Flare S8 Max may not have a newer-gen gaming MediaTek chip, but the 16nm Helio P23 can still run several games on medium settings. It is also paired with 4GB RAM that should prevent it from lagging, 64GB storage for installing a few games, and 6,000mAh for all-day gaming.

And yes, playing games on a large screen should be more fun compared to smaller screens.

Cherry Mobile Flare S8 Max Specs

Display: 7-inch 2.5D curved IPS screen w/ FHD+ 2340 x 1080 at 368 ppi
CPU: 2.0GHz 16nm Helio P23 octa-core processor
GPU: Mali-G71 MP2
RAM: 4GB
ROM: 64GB expandable via microSD card slot up to 128GB
Back Camera: 16MP f/2.0 OV16880 w/ BSI, PDAF + 2MP w/ LED flash
Selfie Camera: 13MP f/2.0 Sony IMX258 w/ BSI
Battery: 6,000mAh w/ fast charging
OS: Android 9.0 Pie
Connectivity: WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz/5GHz), 700MHz 4G LTE, Bluetooth 4.2 LE, GPS, A-GPS, dual SIM (hybrid)
Sensors: Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic
Others: Fingerprint sensor, face unlock, USB-C, Colors: space black, red, blue, iris purple
Price: PHP 6,999

To recall, the Cherry Mobile Flare S8 Max is priced at PHP 6,999. You can order it through Shopee and Lazada online safely in the comfort of your home.

What do you guys think?


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Pokémon Go returning player guide: Battles, trading, coronavirus changes, and more

If you gave up in 2016, maybe now is the time to come back

The summer of 2016 was a strange time to be outdoors. Every public space was jam-packed with people playing Pokémon Go, flinging Poké Balls, and taking over gyms. That was really all you could do in the game, and the initial hype wasn't enough to keep most players interested. If you bailed on Pokémon Go after those first few weeks, you might be wondering what's changed in the subsequent four years.

Read More

Pokémon Go returning player guide: Battles, trading, coronavirus changes, and more was written by the awesome team at Android Police.



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Do yourself a favor and buy an iPad during lockdown

They're really the best tablets you can get

We're all consuming a whole lot of content these days as we're stuck at home due to the spread of coronavirus. Most of us have plenty of screens to distract ourselves with, from TVs to computers to the phone in your pocket, and that last one is probably running Android if you're one of our readers. Even so, if you pick up a tablet to watch content at home right now, it should probably be an iPad, for a few key reasons.

Read More

Do yourself a favor and buy an iPad during lockdown was written by the awesome team at Android Police.



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Before and after: Galaxy S20 Ultra camera update is a mixed bag

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra against metal door

The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra is a powerful, formidable smartphone. As is often the case with fresh hardware, however, the software wasn’t quite ready at launch. The Galaxy S20 Ultra camera app suffered from some performance issues. In response, Samsung issued a software update to resolve the problems. Did Samsung get the job done? We took the revised camera software out for a spin to see.

ATCH

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra software update 1 Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra software update 2 Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra software update 3 Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra software update 4

Most Galaxy S20 units shipped with an initial software build of G988U1UEU1ATBN. The release date for that build was February 29 and included the March 1 security update. By now, most S20 owners should have received the latest update, from March 27, which is G988U1UEU1ATCH, or ATCH for short.

The change log for ATCH references only one thing, security. It doesn’t make mention of the camera at all. Lest you be unconvinced, Samsung has confirmed to Android Authority that the ATCH build does in fact bestow new code upon the Galaxy S20 Ultra camera.

What, exactly, does ATCH do? The problem facing the S20 Ultra camera was its ability to focus. The camera app was often slow to snap to focus, or, worse, spent time hunting around for a focus spot. We highlighted the issue in our video review of the S20 Ultra.

How are the results? We have opinions.

Editor’s note: For this comparison, we recreated shots we took during our initial Galaxy S20 Ultra review period. We tried to match the shooting conditions to the best of our ability.

Samples compared

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra laying on its side

The S20 Ultra camera app is slightly better. It is much faster to focus when shooting in bright light. No longer does the software poke around for something on which to lock focus. The same isn’t quite true in low-light situations. I found focus still a bit slow to come by when shooting in dimly lit spaces.

While that is somewhat good news, there’s some bad news. In a bid to improve focus, the software appears to be over-sharpening photos. This makes for noisy, displeasing results on occasion. The noise is most obvious if you zoom in on the images. Here is a series of before-and-after comparisons so you can see the differences for yourself.

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra Photo Sample color 1 Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra camera sample after update color 1

In this color sample, you can plainly see more detail in the shot on the left, while the image on the right is noisier and slightly overexposed. I also think Samsung is boosting the colors a bit more than it was before.

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra Photo Sample bridge falls Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra camera sample after update trellis

The image on the left (above) is less noisy than the one on the right. The image on the right shows more detail. However, look at how crazily the green pops.

Here are more images to compare:

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra Photo Sample rock wall Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra camera sample after update rock wall Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra camera sample under the bridge Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra camera sample after update HDR

These images are curious. The rock wall shows a fairly equal amount of contrast and detail, but the one on the right has more noise. Same is true, though to a lesser extent, of the left and right images under the bridge. Again, it’s striking how much the green jumps out at you in the image on the right, though the sky color is off in that shot.

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra camera sample before update falls Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra camera sample after update bridge

These river shots show better HDR performance on the left, but better sharpness and color on the right. Here (below) are yet more samples taken after applying the software update.

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra camera sample after update color 2 Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra updated camera sample falls Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra camera sample after update perspective Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra camera sample after update tracks

Taking everything into consideration, we’d say the software update delivered mixed results at best. While it’s true that the camera app is less frustrating to use, this small victory is offset by the noisier images. We can lay some of the blame at the feet of the S20 Ultra camera’s main 108MP sensor. Even binned down to 12MP, it relies on the slightly older phase detection autofocus method when compared to the sensor is the S20 and S20 Plus, which use dual-pixel autofocus.

We suggest that if you want the proper balance of size, cost, usability, and camera performance, go with the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus. It’s the better buy.

$999 .99
Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus
Save $200 .00
Buy it Now
Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus Buy it Now
Save $200 .00 $999 .99

More posts about Galaxy S20 Ultra



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