These are the Best Android Tablets to buy in 2022

Android tablets have, for a long time, been a divisive issue for Android fans. Some swear by them and love the versatility of having Android running on a bigger display. Other folks absolutely hate them, thinking Android doesn’t really scale well on tablets and that it’s best left as a phone operating system, telling you to get an iPad instead. An iPad has always had the upper hand when it comes to tablets, mostly because of the way iPadOS works.

Love them or hate them though, Android tablets are a thing. They’ve stayed through the years just like good phones and good Chromebooks have. And while we may not be able to get them as easily as we can buy a phone from carriers like AT&T, they don’t seem to be going away anytime soon. Android OEMs want to fight Apple’s current stronghold in the tablet market, and if you want to try one out yourself, we’ve collected some of the best Android tablets currently available.

With options from Samsung to Amazon, there are a lot of possibilities for everyone and every use case, so keep reading to know more.

Navigate this guide:

• Best Overall: Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Plus
  • Also great: Xiaomi Pad 5
• Best Overkill: Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra
• Best for Most People: Samsung Galaxy Tab S8
• Best Mid-Range: Lenovo Tab P11 Pro
• Best Budget: Samsung Galaxy Tab A8
• Best for Media: Amazon Fire HD 10 Plus
• Best for Children: Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Pro
• Honorable Mention: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3

Best Overall: Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Plus

The biggest Android OEM that’s still going at the tablet game is Samsung, and the Galaxy Tab S8 Plus shows just how good their tablets in the premium spectrum can get. This particular model features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, up to 12 GB of RAM, and Samsung’s excellent 120Hz AMOLED panel manages to drive the show, this time around in a 12.4-inch presentation. What makes this particular tablet so good, however, is that it’s not just stretched-out Android. Samsung DeX can be enabled without requiring an external display, and with a keyboard and mouse, it actually manages to take on some productivity tasks, further helped out by the big 12.4-inch display.

With a 10,090 mAh battery driving the show, support for 45W charging, and Android 12, it’s one of the best Android tablets money can buy today.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Plus is the middle-range tablet of the company's latest flagship lineup, featuring a 12.4-inch screen.

Buy at Samsung

Also great: Xiaomi Pad 5

Before the Xiaomi Pad 5, Xiaomi had been absent from the tablet game for a number of years. The company typically makes products with great hardware, and phones such as the Mi 11 Ultra have been some of the best in the Android world. The company finally returned with the Xiaomi Pad 5, and it has an 11-inch, 2560 x 1600 IPS LCD panel that refreshes at 120Hz and can display over a billion colors, as well as support for the DCI-P3 color gamut.

Under the hood of the Xiaomi Pad 5 is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 860 SoC, an 8,720 mAh battery, and 6GB of RAM with 128 or 256GB of storage. These components are obviously not 2022, but they cement the Xiaomi Pad 5 as an affordable, upper mid-range tablet. The tablet is missing a fingerprint scanner, so you must use a PIN code, password, or the not-so-secure face unlock as security. Even without flagship specifications, all of this at a starting price of €349 is a bit of a steal.

Xiaomi Pad 5

The Xiaomi Pad 5 is an 11-inch wide-screen tablet with a face and sides that look similar to Apple’s modern iPads. At a starting price of €349, it's a bit of a steal if you're not looking for a super high-end Android tablet..

See at Amazon

Best Overkill: Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra

While the Galaxy Tab S8 Plus is the best tablet for everyone, the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is that tablet that packs just a bit more in every department, though at a higher premium. It packs the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset and the same speakers, though a lot of the rest of the device has been tweaked. This has up to 16GB of RAM, a larger 14.6-inch 120Hz AMOLED panel, and a dual front-facing camera system. This is an overkill tablet that most people don’t need, though if you need one of the largest screen tablets around, then maybe this is for you.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is the highest-end tablet of the company's latest flagship lineup, featuring a 14.6-inch screen.

View on Samsung

Best for Most People: Samsung Galaxy Tab S8

Samsung is pretty much at the top of the Android tablet game, which is why the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 is also taking yet another top spot based on specifications and quality. It’s pretty much the same package as the Galaxy Tab S7, except in a considerably smaller package. Most of the internals are kept as-is, except we also now get an 11-inch LTPS TFT display (also at 120Hz, by the way) instead of a 12.4-inch AMOLED panel. Whereas the Tab S8 Plus was suitable to be used as more of a laptop replacement than an actual tablet at that size, the Galaxy Tab S8’s size is way more versatile and portable, and you can still use it with DeX, which is Samsung’s desktop mode if you really wanted to.

The same Snapdragon 865+ CPU, up to 8 GB RAM, and the same exact software are also in tow, with the only immediate difference being the smaller 8,000 mAh battery, which is partly due to the smaller display.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8

The Galaxy Tab S7 also comes in a smaller 11-inch flavor while still keeping most of the stuff that makes the bigger model so good, like the same 120Hz panel, S-Pen support, DeX desktop mode, and Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor.

View on Samsung

Best Mid-Range: Lenovo Tab P11 Pro

The Lenovo Tab P11 Pro is really as good as it gets for a tablet with mid-range specifications. Lenovo is a pretty big fish in the Android ecosystem, being the parent company of Motorola and also making some smartphones of their own. They also make tablets every once in a while, and the Tab P11 Pro is currently the best one in their lineup. Featuring an 11.5-inch OLED display and internals such as a Snapdragon 730G processor and up to 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage, the Tab P11 Pro is decidedly a mid-range device at heart, but it excels in aspects such as display quality and battery life thanks to the 8,600 mAh battery inside.

It runs Android 10, features 20W fast charging, and does the job. Lenovo is trying to fill a gap here as there are relatively very few actual tablets with these specifications, and so far they’ve done a pretty good job. While we would’ve liked to see improvements in its software, it’s clearly one of the best Android tablets you can get.

Lenovo Tab P11 Pro

The Lenovo Tab P11 Pro is a decent enough tablet and a decidedly mid-range Android device with a big screen: there's a Snapdragon 730G, up to 6 GB of RAM, an 8,600 mAh, and runs Android 10.

Buy at Amazon

Best Budget: Samsung Galaxy Tab A8

Samsung doesn’t just make flagship tablets. In fact, flagship tablets are actually a rather new venture for them, given that the Galaxy Tab lineup has been going since 2010. The Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 belongs to Samsung’s lineup of lower-end tablets. And honestly? It’s not even horrible. There’s a 1920×1200 TFT LCD panel here, a Unisoc T618 chipset (which Samsung says is 10% faster than the previous Snapdragon 662), up to 128 GB of storage, and 4 GB of RAM, and Android 11 based on One UI. Hopefully, soon it should also be fully upgradeable to Android 12.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 is a good option for everyone that wants a basic Android-powered device with a big display, which is why it’s making our list of the best Android tablets currently available.

Samsung Galaxy Tab A8

The Samsung Galaxy Tab A8 is a decent offering from Samsung in the budget space, with a 1920x1200 TFT LCD panel, a Unisoc T618 chipset, respectable internal specifications, and an excellent price tag to match.

Buy at Samsung

Best for Media: Amazon Fire HD 10 Plus

If you’re looking for a seamless Android experience like the one you’ll get in a smartphone, Amazon’s Fire tablets are not a viable option to look into. While the software is Android-based, you don’t get Google services and you won’t be able to grab apps from the Play Store, not to mention that the internals are barely up to spec, meaning that anything intensive you’re planning to do might be a less than stellar experience. But Amazon is not selling you these tablets for doing that. It’s meant for you to watch movies, series, and videos, and for that, it does the job more than well.

It’s a media consumption-capable device that doesn’t break the bank, which is why we’re adding it as one of our best Android tablets available.

Amazon Fire HD 10 Plus

Amazon's newest Fire HD 10 Plus tablet is an amazing option for anyone looking to buy a tablet for watching videos, movies, tuning into video calls, and more, and the newest model adds features like wireless charging while keeping the price on check.

Pre-order at Amazon

Best for Children: Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Pro

Finally, if you’re a parent and want to get your kid their first tablet as a toy, the Fire HD 8 Kids Pro is an excellent option. We chose the HD 8 version because we think that it’s the sweet spot between specifications, storage, size, and pricing for most kids. Specs-wise, it’s pretty much an Amazon Fire HD 8 with a thick, kids-friendly case to protect against drops and bumps, and it also comes with an adjustable kickstand. Amazon also offers a 2-year “worry-free” warranty for these, meaning that if your kid manages to break it, you can return it and Amazon will replace it for free.

While it’s not up to spec for anything really demanding, it’s still one of the best Android tablets for kids, as it allows them to get games, watch educational videos, and more. Note that this also does not have the Google Play Store on it.

Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Pro

The Amazon Fire HD 8 Kids Pro is probably the best balance of performance, price, size, and durability for children aged 6 to 12, with a quad-core CPU running at 2.0 GHz, up to 32 GB of storage, and an 8-inch display for playing some light games

Pre-order at Amazon

Honorable Mention: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3

Wait, what is a phone doing on this list? Well, it does technically count as a small tablet as well, as the phone unfolds to reveal a 7.6-inch internal display. In fact, Samsung is clearly playing that game here, as these phones with large foldable displays blur the line between a phone and a tablet more than ever. Especially now that the Galaxy Z Fold 3 has fixed many of the flaws that plagued the first-gen Galaxy Fold and the Z Fold 2, this should be a good option for people actually looking for a smaller tablet with top-of-the-line specifications—and don’t really bat an eye at expensive stuff.

It’s one of the best Android tablets and, incidentally, one of the best Android phones as well. That’s foldables for you.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is Samsung's latest foldable phone which has support for the S Pen.

View at Samsung

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We have a lot of options here for everyone, but those with a budget of over $500 should be taking a look at the Galaxy Tab S7 lineup. As I said before, the Android tablet competition is currently pretty much non-existent, and only a few companies have managed to put out products worth considering. But if you’re not a fan of Samsung, Lenovo also has a decent option with their Tab P11 Pro, and Amazon has a few devices under its belt too, which actually sell like hotcakes but will probably let you down if you’re looking to do more intensive tasks on it.

Of course, if you do want the best possible tablet out there right now, look beyond Android and see if you can pick up the new Apple iPad Pro 2021. Sorry Android fans, but it’s the truth.

The post These are the Best Android Tablets to buy in 2022 appeared first on XDA.

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WWDC22 Wishlist: Features we want to see Apple introduce in iPadOS 16, watchOS 9, and macOS 13

The Worldwide Developers Conference  — our favorite time of the year — is inching closer! For many of us, it’s more exciting than the actual iPhone event. Apple will be holding the main WWDC22 keynote on June 6. There’s plenty to expect from this event and even more to wish for. The company will most likely be revealing iOS 16, iPadOS 16, watchOS 9, and macOS 13, followed by releasing the first developer betas of these operating systems. Last year, iOS 15 and macOS Monterey introduced some notable features, including Focus, SharePlay, Safari improvements, and more. This year, we haven’t heard many rumors when it comes to iPadOS 16, watchOS 9, and macOS 13. So there’s much to hope for when it comes to these major releases. Here’s our WWDC22 wishlist for iPadOS 16, watchOS 9, and macOS 13 — including over 25 features!

Navigate this article:

• iPadOS 16
• watchOS 9
• macOS 13

Feature Wishlist for iPadOS 16

Freestyle widget placement on Home Screen

iPadOS 15 finally added support for Home Screen widgets. However, we still can’t place them in random order and leave gaps in between. It still hasn’t evolved into a desktop-like space where you can place shortcuts and folders in any empty space. Being able to do so in iPadOS 16 would be a welcome change. Additionally, it would be ideal if we receive the same treatment on iOS 16.

Pro app support

So, the iPad Pro and iPad Air are now powered by the Apple M1 chip — which was initially designed for the Mac. iPadOS really limits what this powerful SoC can do, though. Without Pro app support, the iPad will never really be a PC replacement — as the Cupertino tech giant wants it to be. Apple should start by bringing support to some of its Pro editing apps, like Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro. While they might not pack all of the features available on macOS, the company could at least support the features the iPad is capable of handling.

3-app Split View

The iPad screen is large enough to support three apps side by side. Think of it as the three apps being in Slide Over mode, except that they’re not floating and it’s just regular Split View. iPadOS currently limits users to two apps in Split View. Being able to interact with three apps simultaneously would take the OS to the next level.

Multi-user support

iPads aren’t as personal as iPhones. Some families share an iPad for light gaming, watching series, and other forms of entertainment. Apple should bring multi-user support to iPadOS 16 to make it easier for several people to use the same device. Ideally, each user would sign in with their own Apple ID, have their own settings and layout, and install their apps independently. To save on local space, when several people download the same app to their separate user accounts, Apple could create one copy of its common files, with separate data folders for each of the unique users.

AirPlay receiver

macOS Monterey allows users to mirror their iDevices to the Mac’s screen through AirPlay. The feature has long been implemented through third-party solutions, but none of them work as reliably as native support. Considering Apple allows users to mirror the Mac’s screen to an iPad through Sidecar, there’s no denying that iPads have decent-sized displays. It would be useful to bring AirPlay support to iPadOS 16 — allowing iPhone users to mirror their screens to the slightly bigger one.

iPhone-only apps in Slide Over

Right now, if you download an iPhone-only app to an iPad, it loads the iOS version of the app. So you get a stretched-out UI that has been designed for a small screen while maintaining the iPhone’s aspect ratio. Apple still limits users from using iPhone-only apps in Split View and Slide Over modes. Considering Slide Over loads an iPhone-like version of an iPad app, it would be interesting to be able to launch iPhone-only apps in Slide Over on iPadOS 16.

Mac-like photo editor

The Photos app on macOS includes additional editing features, such as a re-touching tool and advanced filter controls. Considering the iPad has a large touch screen and is (in some cases) powered by a Mac processor, we want to see some (or all) of these tools on iPadOS 16. The iPad is already many artists’ canvas — powerful default photo editing tools would be ideal.

Calculator, Weather, and Chess apps

It’s 2022, and I can’t believe we’re still asking Apple to add Weather and Calculator apps to the iPad. And since we’re more demanding now, might as well ask for the Chess app that comes preinstalled on macOS. Seriously, there’s literally no logical justification as to why we can’t have these essential apps on a platform that is over a decade old. Please, Apple.

Feature Wishlist for watchOS 9

QWERTY keyboard on all models

When the Cupertino tech giant revealed the Apple Watch Series 7, it highlighted a software exclusivity — QWERTY keyboard support. The company has only made it available on the Series 7 seemingly because it has a larger display. Except that the 44mm Series 6 has a bigger screen than the smaller 41mm Series 7 model. So the company could easily make QWERTY available on older models.

Additionally, a third-party developer has already released a similar solution that works on older models just fine — which Apple eventually took down from the App Store. We only hope that the tech overlord repents in watchOS 9 and supports QWERTY on older watch models.

Third-party watch faces

One of the annoyances of using an Apple Watch is being limited to the company’s watch faces. watchOS indeed comes with dozens of options and supports third-party complications. However, the overall mold remains the same. If Apple adds third-party face support in watchOS 9, we could see developers getting creative in the way they execute them. Additionally, we might see “plain canvas” kinds of faces that allow users to customize them from scratch — similar to the Home Screen widgets. I don’t see the company adding support for this anytime soon, though, as then anyone can flex an Hermès face without paying the Hermès tax.

VoIP call support

I keep my iPhone silent at all times. Don’t ask why — some of us just despise the endless pinging and random noises. The Apple Watch vibrates on my wrist every time I get notified, so it’s really hard for me to miss a notification. However, there’s a major oversight (or intentional behavior, who knows?) when it comes to this department — VoIP call support.

You probably know that you can answer regular phone calls from your Apple Watch. That’s in addition to FaceTime audio calls. However, if FaceTime isn’t your VoIP calling app of choice, you might’ve noticed that third-party apps don’t ring on your wrist. There seemingly is no API in watchOS for developers to adopt. So now when someone calls me on Telegram or WhatsApp, I almost always miss the call if my phone isn’t in my pocket and I can’t feel it vibrating. Can we please have VoIP support in watchOS 9, Apple?

Proper sleep tracking

The Apple Watch already supports “sleep tracking,” but it’s not properly implemented. For the unfamiliar, you have to specify your typical sleep schedule, and the watch will just count the inactivity hours in this interval. So if you nap during the day, your Apple Watch is going to just pretend you didn’t. And if you pick up your iPhone during the night and then go back to sleep, the watch is going to panic, not knowing whether you are asleep again or have just decided to start your day at the early bird hour of 2 AM. The rest of the fitness tracker market implements proper sleep tracking, so maybe Apple can use some of their trillion dollars and add an automatic sleep tracking mechanism in watchOS 9.

Complete independence

Apple recently added support for setting up other family members’ (cellular) watches. This makes it easy for a person who doesn’t own an iPhone to take advantage of the wearable’s features. However, if none of your family members own an iPhone, you can’t set up an Apple Watch independently. Many Android users acknowledge how advanced the Apple Watch is, but they want to stick to their Android phones. By implementing complete independence in watchOS 9, Apple could appeal to a wider range of potential customers. The watch already can do most tasks on its own, including downloading apps, fetching software updates, and more.

iPadOS and macOS support

If Apple doesn’t want to give us complete independence on watchOS, it could at least add a Watch app on iPadOS and macOS. This allows Android phone users with an iPad or Mac to pair and use an Apple Watch. It would also allow iPhone users to customize their watches from any of their iDevices.

Additionally, we want to Apple to allow us to optionally mirror Mac and iPad notifications to the watch as well. This would make the watch the ultimate notification center for all of our Apple devices. Ideally, we also want the watch to unlock the iPad when we turn its screen on, the way it behaves with the Mac.

Better app layout

watchOS currently offers two different app layouts — a grid and an alphabetical list. I find both equally unintuitive to use. I’m not sure how Apple can execute a more practical layout on the tiny screen, but I trust it has the genius brains on board to figure this one out. Maybe a list that shows three app icons horizontally instead of just a labeled one? I’m unsure, but please Apple, spice things up in watchOS 9.

Translation app

The Apple Translation app is currently available on iOS and iPadOS. However, it remains missing from watchOS — even though it makes sense to have it there. Apple could only implement the conversation/audio mode on the watch and allow users to take advantage of it when connected to Wi-Fi/iPhone or offline through downloading the files — as is the case on iOS.

Proper SMS sync

Apple sometimes forgets that not everyone is on iMessage and that sometimes we receive/send SMS for many reasons. I have Messages in iCloud enabled on ALL of my devices, and syncing works just fine — for the most part. When I delete an iMessage from one device, it disappears on all of them. However, when I delete an SMS from a Mac, iPhone, or iPad, it remains there on my Apple Watch. SMS deletion doesn’t sync on watchOS, and it’s a pain to delete a thread from the tiny screen. Maybe watchOS 9 will fix this, and maybe not. A man can dream.

Walkie-Talkie iOS support

The Walkie-Talkie app is a watchOS exclusive that allows two Apple Watch users to instantly communicate with each other through audio — similar to the way a walkie-talkie works, obviously. Literally no one I know uses this feature. One reason could be them being unaware of it. Another possible justification could be not having enough Apple Watch users in their circles. Ultimately, the iPhone is more popular than the Apple Watch. It would be nice to get Walkie-Talkie support on the iPhone in the upcoming watchOS 9 and iOS 16 releases. This way more people will be able to take advantage of it, and it’ll become more known through the obvious iPhone app.

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Feature Wishlist for macOS 13

Widgets on desktop

Do you remember macOS Dashboard widgets from olden times? Don’t you miss ’em? Well, maybe we don’t miss their ancient style, but I certainly miss being able to place widgets on my desktop. The new ones only support sitting in the right widget panel (aka Notification Center). We want to be able to see widgets without needing to access that dedicated area. It’s a Mac — it’s supposed to be more forgiving than iOS and iPadOS. If on the mobile platforms we can do it just fine, it should also be the case on macOS. I’ve assigned the top right hot corner for the Notification Center to access them by just swiping to the top, but it’s not ideal. macOS 13, maybe?

Functional Music app

I can’t believe I’m typing this, but the Apple Music app on macOS randomly crashes from time to time. It still isn’t the smoothest software to use. While it’s faster when compared to its iTunes days, it still can be frustrating sometimes. For example, I often type in the search field, only to get no results. I have to delete the entire keyword(s) and retype them. In addition to building a more solid Music app, we want to see the additional features mentioned in the iOS 16 wishlist on macOS 13.

Refreshed System Preferences

The System Preferences app on the Mac has received some icon overhauls in recent years. However, it still remains not as clean as the Settings app on iOS and iPadOS. A similar vertical arrangement with more uniform icons (size-wise) would be cool to have in macOS 13. The vertical list could expand horizontally when you click on a section — as is the case on iPadOS.

Notification mirroring

Considering all Apple products are aware of and compatible with each other, the company could easily mirror notifications across all operating systems as an optional setting. Being able to read iPhone notifications and reply to them from the Mac would make life so much easier. You can already do so on the Apple Watch — now we want to see it on the Mac with macOS 13.

Party mode

Anghami — a MENA-based music streaming service — offers an innovative feature that I would like to see baked into Apple operating systems. Multiple people within close proximity can play the same song at the same time. This turns each of their devices into a speaker, and the tunes remain in sync. It would be amazing if we could play audio (from any app, on any Apple device) and have all of our nearby, connected iDevices blast out the same output. This is a continuity feature I doubt we’ll see, but I very much need it. It would be ideal for an immersive movie or music night when independent speakers aren’t easily accessible.

Clock, Weather, and Translation apps

macOS still lacks a Clock app. If you ask Siri to set a timer, it’ll just create a reminder in the Reminders app — which is arguably a big fail. There’s no way to set an alarm by default, either. Additionally, Apple still hasn’t blessed us with a Weather app on the Mac, as is the case on iPadOS. Ideally, we would also like to see the Translation app of the iPad brought to macOS 13 as a Universal app.

Synced alarms

I understand some people use different Apple devices for different alarms — depending on their use cases. However, assuming Apple adds a Clock app to macOS 13, we also want an optional toggle under iCloud Sync for alarms. Some of us want to be able to edit their iPhone alarms from their Macs and dismiss their Mac alarms from their iPads. There’s no harm in asking for it, even though it might never become part of our sad reality.

Find My 2.0

Find My already allows users to erase, view the battery level of, ping, and locate their Apple devices. Considering Find My already ties them all tightly, it would be useful if the upcoming Apple operating systems introduce Find My 2.0. This significant upgrade would allow users to manage Control Center toggles and other relevant settings of any device, from any device. Rather than revolving around finding lost devices, Find My would become a hub where users can control and communicate with the rest of their devices in a more powerful manner.

Streamlining the version numbers

I’m sure it’s not just me — Apple should streamline the version numbers across iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, macOS. It would be much, much easier to pinpoint the release years and feature compatibility across different devices through the identical numbering. We’re not asking the company to jump to iOS 22 and sync it with the year of its release, too. Just give watchOS and macOS a big bump this one time to sync them with the version numbers of iOS and iPadOS. Can we please have that in this year’s macOS 16 release, Apple?

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With WWDC22 being around a month or so away, the hype is further building. There’s not much we can do — apart from sitting still, keeping an eye open for last-minute leaks, and hoping Apple doesn’t put us down with a bug fixing release this year. We know most of our wishlist items probably won’t make it through this year, but we can only cross our fingers. Don’t forget to check our iOS 16 feature wishlist, too!

What’s your personal wishlist for Apple’s operating systems? Let us know in the comments section below.

The post WWDC22 Wishlist: Features we want to see Apple introduce in iPadOS 16, watchOS 9, and macOS 13 appeared first on XDA.

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Cololight Hexagon Light Plus Kit Review: A lot of work goes into installing these affordable light panels

Smart LED light panels are all the rage right now and I can see why. A spectacular set of smart lights can instantly change the atmosphere of a space, whether it’s your office or your living room, adding that bit of flair to your smart home. When done right, you even get capabilities such as voice control through your phone or smart speaker over your intelligent lighting. Names like Nanoleaf and Govee are probably the first to pop up when thinking of wall lights with fancy ambient modes and color customizability options.

You’ll be pleased to know that there is an abundance of cheap alternatives in this category. Options like the Cololight Hexagon Light Plus Kit cost almost half as much as the ones offered by name brands. There are a few tradeoffs that you’ll have to live with, but you still get access to premium features such as Google Assistant, Alexa, and Apple HomeKit integration.

As is the case with most Chinese products though, the software side is a little weak and the physical design could use some work too. Despite the option to extensively customize every single light module, Cololight had to compromise somewhere. My review is going to unravel these problems and assess whether this affordable set of wall light panels is worth your attention.

Cololight RGB Light

The Cololight Hexagon Light Plus Kit is accessible to all thanks to its low price tag. You get a satisfying color payoff, fun options in-app, and voice assistant support. Prepare yourself for a complex installation process and a finicky companion app though.

Pros:

Cons:

View at Amazon

About this review: We received the Cololight Hexagon Light Plus Kit from Cololight for review purposes. Cololight had no input in the contents of this review.

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Cololight Hexagon Light Plus Kit: Design and Hardware

Every module of the Cololight Hexagon Light Plus Kit adopts a regular hexagonal shape. The Plus Kit comes with a power base, a base mount, a number of hexagonal light panels, and Alexa/Google Assistant/HomeKit support. You can purchase this set of smart lights with a single panel or opt for the 7, 9, 12, 15, or 20-pack. Compared to the Nanoleaf Shapes Hexagons which cost about $200 for a set of seven, the 7-pack of the Cololight Hexagon Light Plus Kit is very inexpensive at $100.

To put things in perspective, the Govee Glide Hexa Light Panels go for $200, but that version includes 10 panels. The Pro version of the Cololight Hexagon Light is even cheaper as opposed to the Plus Kit, coming in at $90 for the 6-pack and $130 for the 10-pack. All it lacks is HomeKit support, which is a fine bargain if you’re not in the Apple ecosystem.

As expected, you can always purchase just a single Cololight Hexagon Light module and expand it later. As these smart wall lights are modular by design, there’s nothing stopping you from adding more panels, up to 255 panels in total, to your kit over time. Just keep in mind that you’ll have to purchase a 5V/2A power brick separately as there’s no wall charger included in the box. If you decide to upgrade over time, also stay mindful that you might need to purchase additional connectors separately.

An individual hexagonal panel measures 86mm by 74.5mm by 30.5mm in size. They are a bit smaller than one would expect, however, once you hook up the set of lights it doesn’t make much of a difference. What I don’t like is the chunky nature of these panels. Whether you choose to attach the lights to your wall or place them as a standing showpiece, the thick sides are clearly visible and don’t look good.

The Cololight Hexagon Light panels can output excellent levels of brightness and the color payoff is brilliant.

The lights themselves can output excellent levels of brightness, and the color payoff is brilliant for what you pay. The panels have a soft matte finishing on top. This gives a more edge-to-edge connected feel to the modules when they’re on and the shades appear to flow naturally. The matte coat also dulls the sharp brightness of the light panels, going easier on your eyes.

Each light module of the Cololight Hexagon Light Plus Kit has a microphone built in for sound reactive modes. The only physical button can be found on the power base and pressing it changes the light modes. There are a total of 19 LED bulbs within every panel and you can individually select a custom color for each one. This applies to the dynamic modes as well. These features make it sound like a fun idea to mount the Cololight Kit on your walls, but the 3.5ft power cable interferes with such plans.

I had a really hard time trying to find a long enough extension in my living room and even after that was done, the mess of cables was bothersome to look at. To top it off, Cololight uses a propriety power base with a cable attached to it, so you can’t just purchase a longer USB cable to fix this issue. If you’re an unlucky gal like me and your space doesn’t have a wall outlet nearby, you’ll be stuck with an extension cord or might have to scrap your wall-mounting plans altogether.

Desks and tables are ideal spaces for placement as you don’t need to hang the panels so high up and you’ve probably got a power outlet at hand. Alternatively, you could just build a pattern you like and let it stand on the wide base included in the Cololight Hexagon Light Plus Kit. I believe the latter is a better idea owing to the size of the cable and the complex construction process.

Cololight Hexagon Light Plus Kit: Setup and Software

To be very frank, setting up the light panels is a hellish nightmare. I expected the process to be fairly simple, but I ended up being way in over my head. Not only do you have to know exactly what shape you’re gunning for from the start, but you also need to plan where each power connector will be placed. If it doesn’t match the pattern from the one in the app, your lights will not display the dynamic modes accurately.

Just like the flow of water from one pool to the next, the lights follow the path of the connectors in the dynamic lighting modes. It’s not always necessary to follow the templates in the app but if you want to match the output from one of the dynamic modes, you have to follow the instructions. Even if you’re planning to create your own custom static or dynamic mode, you’ll need to select the pattern of the connectors and enter it into the app. I find this unnecessarily complicated and extremely user-unfriendly.

Cololight Hexagon Light Plus Kit templates in the Android app

All that confusing connection also means that before you connect the panels, you’ll need to set up the Cololight Hexagon Light Plus Kit on your 2.4GHz Wi-Fi using your Android or iOS phone. The app installs and sets up fairly easily, but it can be a laggy experience. My Pixel 6 froze a couple of times during the process, leading me to start all over. I assumed that my Pixel was at fault, but testing with three other phones gave me the same result.

After painstakingly assembling your design to match the layout from the app, you have to then replicate the pattern with the backplates.

After you have painstakingly assembled your design to match the layout from the app, you can’t just throw in the towel and call it a day. Next, you’ll have to create the same pattern again using the plastic frames or backplates for support, complete with connector plates and everything. It is a laborious undertaking and I had to sacrifice many a nail in my endeavors. Once the frame is completed, it needs to be attached to the backside of the Cololight panels.

Without the frame, your light panels will just fall out of place. If you attempt to stick them on the wall as is, the entire rig will fall apart as soon as you pick it up. There are two options available to you for mounting on flat surfaces like walls and Cololight thoughtfully includes them in the Hexagon Light Plus Kit.

You get plenty of circular 3M adhesives as well as screws for nailing your panels in place. I can vouch for the durability of the adhesive — those sticky patches don’t budge. That does make it difficult to remove them though, and you should be prepared for some damage to the paint job after removal. So do keep this in mind.

The Cololight app is full to the brim with rich features. You get wonderful presets that can stay stationary, move, and ambiently change according to the music playing. The DIY mode is playful and allows you to exercise your creativity. You can also collectively give instructions to a bunch of different kits if you have multiple Cololight products. This can be done by creating a “Group” inside the Cololight app.

The slow response and laggy nature of the Cololight app take away from what it could have been.

Unfortunately, the slow response of the app takes away from what it could have been. Navigating through the options and modes is hard enough, but you also have to factor in its stability. The Cololight app seems to have a mind of its own and hangs far too often. Sometimes it crashes and other times it freezes. At times, you’re left with no other option except to restart the app. This especially happened with me a lot when I tried to use complicated functions such as creating my own custom dynamic mode.

Voice commands can be executed through Alexa, Google Assistant, or HomeKit. These are limited to simple instructions such as turning the Cololight Hexagon Light Plus Kit on and off or changing the color to a single, static shade. As Cololight is owned by Lifesmart, you’ll have to look for Lifesmart under the Google Home app or any of the other compatible smart home management apps. This is not explicitly mentioned anywhere and I had a hard time figuring it out at first.

Cololight Hexagon Light Plus Kit: Should you buy it?

Overall, the performance of the Cololight Hexagon Light panels is more than satisfactory. They look mesmerizing and the colors are beautiful. You’ll especially enjoy the paper-like appearance of the light panels. The single button situated on the power base makes it easy to switch through the light presets without using voice assistants or the app.

The complicated setup process is what really takes the mickey out of this smart home product. It seems ridiculous and unnecessary that you need to follow the templates to a T to achieve certain results, down to the very connectors. Then there are the hard plastic backplates that require even more time and energy to construct and attach to your Hexagon Light Plus Kit. You can’t just build as you like the Nanoleaf Shapes or the Govee Glide Hexa Light Panels.

HomeKit integration gives Cololight a leg up, combined with the competitive price tag. Personally, I would rather pay a few bucks more just for a more stable app and an easier installation process. If you think that all that time and effort is worth the extra savings, then you should go ahead and grab the Cololight Hexagon Light Plus Kit. Once it’s all fixed up and placed in a nice spot, the cascading smart lights will bring much delight.

Cololight RGB Light

The Cololight Hexagon Light Plus Kit requires a lot of patience. If you're up to the task, these pleasant ambient lights will serve you well. The buggy app, however, will not.

View at Amazon

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Amazon Echo (4th Gen) Review: Still the King in 2022

The Amazon Echo is one of those products that truly kickstarted a whole category. The best smart speakers now come from far and wide, many using the same Alexa voice platform. Amazon wasn’t the first to bring a voice assistant to the world, in fact coming behind Apple, Google, and Microsoft. Alexa debuted in late 2014 on the original Amazon Echo. The Genesis moment. The rest is history. The competition is fierce but the Amazon Echo continues to not only exist but improve with each iteration. We’re now up to the 4th generation of the Amazon Echo and it looks a lot different from the first. The iconic cylinder is no more, Alexa as a platform has grown with each passing year, and in many homes, it’s become part of the family. My kids don’t really know of the Amazon Echo, they just know to talk to Alexa and ask for the Encanto soundtrack.

That ease of use is part of what has always made the Amazon Echo such a great device. Even if you’ve never owned one, you probably know who — or rather, what — Alexa is. It’s one of those technologies that transcended its hardware and found its way into the wider world. Now, the Amazon Echo is but a piece in the puzzle, Alexa is everywhere. On your speaker, on your wrist, on your TV, or in your car. But it all started on the Echo.

It’s now 2022, almost eight years on from the debut of the Amazon Echo. Google has some first-rate alternatives, Apple has its own, and third parties such as Sonos are onboard with voice assistants. Is there still a place for the Amazon Echo or has it been usurped by a younger, funkier alternative?

Amazon Echo (4th Gen)

The latest generation of the original smart speaker continues to set the bar with a nice design, great sound and the sheer magnitude of possibilities from the Alexa ecosystem.

Features:

Pros: Cons:

See at Amazon

Navigate this review:

• Pricing and availability
• Specs
• Design and features
• Audio
• Should you buy an Amazon Echo?

Amazon Echo (4th Gen): Pricing and Availability

Amazon has pretty wide global support for both the Amazon Echo and Alexa, selling through its own store. Even those using “international versions” have varying services available if not full support.

The Amazon Echo (4th Gen) is, unsurprisingly, available primarily through Amazon with a regular retail price of $100. You get a choice of three colors, too, with white, blue, and charcoal all available. You can also find them at third-party retailers, such as Best Buy in the U.S., for the same price.

The real magic about shopping for an Amazon Echo is grabbing one at one of the regular discount events. The biggest ones are Prime Day and Black Friday every year, but there will also be sporadic sales throughout the year and Amazon isn’t shy about providing big price cuts on them.

Amazon Echo (4th Gen): Specs

Specification	Amazon Echo 4th Generation
Audio	1 x 3-inch woofer, 2 x 0.8-inch tweeters
Connectivity	802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 and 5 GHz) Zigbee Bluetooth Amazon Sidewalk
Ports	3.5mm audio jack
Controls	Voice-activated Play/pause Volume Microphone mute
Dimensions	5.7 x 5.7 x 5.2 inches
Weight	0.96kg
Colors	Charcoal White Blue
Price	$100

Design and Features: The center of your smart home

The latest generation of Amazon Echo moves away from the cylindrical design for the first time. Instead, you now get a sphere, and given the size, I liken it to holding a crystal ball as you extricate it from the packaging. The base is naturally flat, but otherwise, it’s a perfect Echo ball. The controls are still up top, the power connector is still around the back. But the ring light now runs around the bottom with the same iconic blue hue when you trigger it with the magic word.

The newest design for the Amazon Echo is a big departure, and it's a winner.

The move to a sphere means that it’s a lot wider than any of its predecessors. But I also think this design just looks better in the home. That’s subjective, of course, but having owned previous generations right back to the original, the newest is definitely my favorite in appearance. I’ve got the blue one to make a change from past years, and it’s OK. But I wish it was one of the others. It’s not a bad color, but it’s not the greatest shade of blue ever and it clashes with the aesthetics in basically each of my rooms. My tip would be to grab the white one, but maybe the blue does fit into your aesthetics.

The design is supposed to get out of the way and it does. If you need to touch it, you can, but 99% of the time you’re going to be using your voice. The power cable hooks up in the back so you have some possibility of neat cable management, right next to the 3.5mm jack. The Amazon Echo can be hooked up over cable to your existing music system to add some smarts and additional audio power.

Better than this though is the ability to create a stereo pair in the Alexa app. If you also own a Fire TV, this makes for an affordable, easy-to-use home theater setup that you never have to get up from the couch to control. It’s a similar ecosystem play to the Apple TV and the HomePod Mini, and you can’t deny how awesome it is. The last way to get audio out of the Echo is over Bluetooth. This feels more like Amazon couldn’t really leave it out, but it’s nicer to have it and not use it than the other way around.

Inside the Amazon Echo, you also find a Zigbee smart home hub. The most common way of using an Echo with your smart home is through Alexa. But Alexa requires a data connection, a local Zigbee hub does not. Zigbee also uses a different connection with a much lower data speed, so devices are both power efficient and don’t add to network noise on your home Wi-Fi.

I don’t have any Zigbee compatible devices on hand to use with the Amazon Echo, but there are some popular brands that support the technology. Philips Hue is probably the most well-known, along with the likes of SmartThings, Ring, and even some smart door locks. You might not ever touch it, but again, it’s good that it’s there for those who do want it. It makes the Amazon Echo a true smart home hub.

For everything else, there’s Alexa. You can mute the microphone whenever you don’t want the Echo to listen, but other times you just say her name, and away you go. This review isn’t long enough to talk about all the services and skills you can use with the Amazon Echo. Just know that it’s a lot. All the major smart home devices, most of the lesser-known ones, your Xbox, your Fitbit, there’s a ridiculous array of devices that can hook into Alexa.

It means the Amazon Echo can be what you make of it. You could just use it to listen to music and podcasts. Or you could use it to command and automate your entire home. That extends to home security, too, though Alexa Guard probably isn’t the first reason you’d be buying an Echo. Nor is the motion-sensing capabilities, but it sends a clear message about why smart home enthusiasts should look towards Amazon.

Audio: The Amazon Echo (4th Gen) packs a punch

For those who hunt for the highest quality audio, the Echo Studio exists. For those who just want something that sounds good, the Amazon Echo is generally excellent. That starts with what Amazon crammed inside this ball of fun. There’s a 3-inch (76mm) woofer paired with two 0.8-inch (20mm) tweeters, so you get a ton of bass. I’m not the biggest fan of overpowering lows, but generally, the output from the Echo is pleasing.

The Amazon Echo packs a punch with its three speaker setup delivering big sound.

On stock settings, you have a warm tone but you can lose a little clarity and volume from vocals. The sound doesn’t suffer from distortion at higher volumes and it’s a nice room filler. The Amazon Echo sounds like a much larger speaker than it actually is.

You do have some basic controls to tweak the audio, but they are pretty buried in the settings. Amazon could definitely do a better job at putting audio controls for your devices within easier reach. When you find them, though, you have sliders for bass, mids, and treble. Equalizer presets would be nice, but at least you can customize them manually.

If you find yourself looking for even more bass you can link the Amazon Echo to the Amazon Echo Sub. With a stereo pair and one of these, you’ll have a real room shaker.

The sound from the Amazon Echo is good, though, especially for something that costs just $100 and has all the smart features included. The Google Nest Audio perhaps sounds a little better for music, but the Echo will surprise you with how good it is.

Should you buy an Amazon Echo (4th Gen)?

The $64,000 question; should you buy an Amazon Echo in 2022? The answer is a resounding yes. For most people, the Amazon Echo is the perfect addition to their homes. If you’re a music fan it’s worth the extra spend over the Echo Dot for the added, well, everything. The new design is the best yet and while the blue is probably the worst looking, it’s not a disaster.

Perhaps the only thing really missing from the latest Amazon Echo is the LED clock found on the Echo Dot. It would be a nice little addition, even if it was an optional model that cost a little more. But on the whole, it’s really hard to pick fault with this thing.

Amazon’s eight years of making smart speakers show through. When the Echo first debuted and Alexa was new, it was exciting and a device to get enthusiastic about. To some degree that’s worn off. It’s the best at what it does, absolutely anyone can use one, it doesn’t cost a lot and you can’t really, truly find anything meaningful wrong with it. Honestly, the Amazon Echo is so good you could also say it’s actually a bit boring. But is there anything wrong with that?

Amazon Echo (4th Gen)

The Amazon Echo is the best all-around smart speaker for most people with a nice design, great sound and the immense power of the Alexa ecosystem at its disposal.

See at Amazon

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Skyline is an in-development Nintendo Switch emulator that actually works

You can do a lot with an Android smartphone, and the number of emulators that you can get for modern and retro systems alike is incredible. From age-old systems like the NES right up to the Nintendo 3DS, you can play them all from the comfort of your phone. Emulating more recent systems, such as the Nintendo Switch is, a bit more difficult. However, following a conceptual Nintendo Switch emulator launch and then a shady emulator that required a particular gamepad to use, Skyline is the first proper Nintendo Switch emulator that actually works, and you can test it out already.

To roll back a little bit, Skyline has been in development for over a year now, and only recently did some games become playable. As I was told by one of the developers, Skyline is extremely specific to just Android devices and has been built from the ground up following that philosophy — all while making use of community projects to assist its development. For example, Ryujinx is used as a reference throughout the project thanks to its accuracy, and the shader compiler used in Skyline is a fork of yuzu’s. Both the teams behind Ryujinx and yuzu have provided assistance in Skyline’s development, with the Skyline team also being granted a license exemption when it comes to yuzu.

At the moment, the developers tend to focus on getting one game at a time running. The first was Sonic Mania, the second was Celeste, and now the third that’s currently undergoing work is Super Mario Odyssey. This is because when one game runs nearly perfectly, incidentally, other games will start to work, too.

The Skyline app

The Skyline app itself is pretty bare-bones, though it has all of the features that you need. You can set a theme, the layout, performance statistics, change how logs are saved, username, language, and more. There’s also controller support with support for more than one, so that you can play multiplayer with friends. All you need is to ensure that you have your production keys and title keys along with your games, and you can get those by dumping your keys with Lockpick RCM on your Nintendo Switch.

Game compatibility is hit or miss

Currently, Skyline isn’t in a completely playable state right now — in fact, far from it. A lot of games don’t work, and the playable section of the compatibility list is rather short. That being said, we tested out both Super Mario Odyssey and Celeste to give you an idea of what to expect, and it’s quite impressive, to say the least. We also tried to play Animal Crossing: New Horizons but it didn’t run. Note that while the below recording’s audio is out of sync, the audio was not out of sync when playing.

Celeste

Celeste is a fun platformer that’s available on a lot of platforms, though not on Android. It runs between 40 and 60 FPS on my OnePlus 10 Pro with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, making it perfectly playable. It’s a lot of fun, though the touch controls are a little bit dodgy, though that’s because the game requires pretty precise input.

Super Mario Odyssey

Super Mario Odyssey is a game that is the latest focus of the Skyline team’s efforts. Currently, it can kind of show the menu, but the world itself doesn’t load on my OnePlus 10 Pro. 3D games are harder than 2D games to emulate, so it could be a while before you see this one running properly on a device.

Download and install Skyline

If you want to give Skyline a try, be sure to join the team’s Discord to see the latest APKs available for download, and read the rules before talking on the server as well. You will need a GitHub account, and typing “.rl ftx1” in the bot commands channel will give you a link to download the latest APK for your device. Otherwise, you can build the app yourself from its source code on GitHub by following the team’s build instructions.

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