Discord has begun rolling out an overhauled Android app that addresses one of the most consistent complaints with the software. If you follow the company, you’ve probably seen it often announce new features only to note they will launch on iOS and desktop first before arriving on Google’s operating system. We saw that recently with the release of Server Profiles. According to Discord, that’s about to become a thing of the past.

In a blog post published on Monday, the company said it recently rebuilt its Android app using React Native. Discord has employed the framework for iOS development ever since Meta first open sourced React in 2015. Now that both of Discord's mobile apps are on the same underlying codebase, the company notes Android users can expect feature consistency.

Discord

Additionally, the company says Discord users will see a more consistent user experience across platforms. As one example, the Android app will feature a larger default font that is more in line with the iOS version of the software. Discord also anticipates it will release future updates faster.

“As Discord continues to grow across platforms, we want to find ways to support you and your communities as quickly and efficiently as possible, regardless of which device or platform you happen to be using,” the company said. “Utilizing React Native across every mobile platform Discord is on is just one of the tools that helps us support what you do, and we can’t wait to show you how.”

If you already have Discord installed on your Android phone, the company says you can expect the overhauled app to arrive on your device in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, new Android users can download the software from the Google Play Store.

If you missed last month's sale on the base iPad, you have another opportunity to pick up the tablet for less right now. Amazon knocked $30 off the 64GB, WiFi-only iPad, bringing it back down to a near record low of $300. At the time of writing this, both the silver and space gray models have this discount and you can even save on the 256GB model, too, if you want the extra space. The higher-capacity iPad is $50 off and down to an all-time low of $429.

We gave the base iPad a score of 86 when it came out last year and have since dubbed it the best budget slab you can get right now. It runs on Apple's A13 Bionic chip and the company raised the base amount of storage from 32GB to 64GB when it updated the tablet last year. That means you'll have more space for apps, photos, documents and the like by default, which will be important if you plan on using the tablet for work or for the upcoming school year. Speaking of school, the 10.2-inch iPad works with the first-generation Apple Pencil as well as the company's Smart Keyboard, so it could act as your main digital notebook, too.

While it doesn't have as slick of a design as some of the more expensive iPads, the entry-level model still has a lot going for it. Aside from solid performance, it has a 2,160 x 1,620 resolution Retina touchscreen with True Tone technology, a physical Home button with TouchID, an 8-megapixel rear camera and an updated 12MP front-facing camera with Center Stage, which will keep you in the middle of the frame when you're on FaceTime calls. We also appreciate the iPad's solid battery life — while apple promises up to 10 hours of life, we were able to eek roughly 14 hours out of it in our testing.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

Apple has famously bragged that it will never invade your privacy to serve ads, but it does have an ad business on its App Store and elsewhere. The company is now expanding that business by adding a new ad slot to its "Today" homepage tab and on individual app pages, 9to5Mac reported. Those are on top of the ads already found on the App Store's main "Search" tab and in the Search results. 

"Apple Search Ads provides opportunities for developers of all sizes to grow their business," Apple wrote. "Like our other advertising offerings, these new ad placements are built upon the same foundation—they will only contain content from apps’ approved App Store product pages, and will adhere to the same rigorous privacy standards."

The Today tab is the first thing that loads in the App Store and features a curated and personalized selection of apps to browse (it arrived in 2017 with a significant App Store redesign). The other new space is in the "You Might Also Like" section of an app's product page. The new ads will let developers promote apps alongside Apple's own content and are clearly marked as ads. 

The new slots will adhere to Apple's policies on privacy and transparency, by not offering personalized ads to users under 18, never using sensitive data and avoiding hyper-targeting, Apple said. The company didn't say when the new ad slots will appear, but Apple plans to start testing them "soon." 

With the launch of its latest smartphone today, ASUS finally bids farewell to its quirky "Flip Camera" feature, but it still believes that there's a market for compact flagships. The new Zenfone 9 only comes in one size, which has kept the same 5.9-inch screen and 169-gram weight as its predecessor, but packing a bigger processor, main camera, battery and thermal material.

The biggest upgrades are, as you'd expect, the processor and camera. Much like its very recent ROG Phone 6 series, the Zenfone 9 is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, which is a notable jump from the Zenfone 8's Snapdragon 888. As for the camera, this time ASUS opted for a much larger 50-megapixel Sony IMX766 sensor, which offers a pixel size of 1um instead of just 0.8um on the older IMX686.

Richard Lai/Engadget

The icing on the cake here is the new 6-axis hybrid gimbal stabilizer, which can apparently make corrections at up to plus/minus 3 degrees with no optical deteriorations. This should help capture steady stills and clips — the latter at up to 8K resolution. On a related note, there are only two microphones on the Zenfone 9, as ASUS has nixed the audio focus feature in video recording, hence the lack of a rear-facing mic.

Another significant change here is the overall design. With the return of flat edges (thanks to the iPhone 12), the Zenfone 9 is able to accommodate bigger internal parts, hence the larger 4,300mAh battery and more thermal material (as well as two big "eyes" instead of one boring camera island on the back). Said battery works with ASUS' 30W "HyperCharge" tech, which the company claims is "the most powerful charger of any phone below 6 inches." The phone also swapped out the metallic back with a new plastic material to not only reduce weight, but to also add a high-grip, anti-fingerprint coating. This comes in four colors: "midnight black," "starry blue," "sunset red" and "moonlight white" (which is more of a light beige).

Richard Lai/Engadget

Unlike its recent phones, ASUS ditched the usual in-display fingerprint reader in favor of a capacitive sensor on the power button, dubbed "ZenTouch." This smart key allows for instant toggling of any assigned app with a double click, as this unlocks your phone at the same time. By default, you can also slide down this button to pull down the notification tray for a quick peek, and then slide up to hide the tray. Alternatively, you can set this to refresh webpages, jump to home or end of pages, or skip songs in music players. This is all part of ASUS' grand plan to optimize the one-handed operation on its latest phone.

Appearance and software changes (ZenUI 9 based on Android 12) aside, you'll find the rest of the Zenfone 9 rather familiar. It's exactly the same ultra-wide camera and selfie camera (both 12 megapixels) as before, with the latter punched out in the top-left corner of the 2,400 x 1,080 120Hz AMOLED screen. Both speakers are once again tuned by audio specialist, Dirac, which already delivered impressive results on ASUS' other recent phones; and you still have the option to plug in wired headphones via the 3.5mm jack. As for durability, there's still an IP68 rating for resistance against dust and liquids.

ASUS

To make the most out of this beefed-up camera stabilization, ASUS will offer a "Smart Backpack Mount" which lets you clip the Zenfone 9 onto your backpack's shoulder strap. With the main camera facing forward, you can wear the phone as an action cam. You can also single-handedly pop your phone in or out of its magnetic holder with ease, and with its retractable safety cord attached.

Another accessory option from ASUS is the "Connex" modular case system. Rather than using magnets like Apple's MagSafe design, this protection case has multiple built-in holes that let you snap either a kickstand or a silicone cardholder onto the back of your Zenfone 9. You can also assign an app — YouTube, by default — to auto-launch whenever the kickstand is flipped out.

Richard Lai/Engadget

The Zenfone 9 will be coming to the US, with prices starting from $699 (8GB RAM with 128GB storage), though actual availability will be announced at a later date, so stay tuned.

As to whether the "Flip Camera" will ever make a comeback, ASUS said it'll revisit this idea only if the tech makes it feasible. The company shared that globally, the two Zenfone 8 sizes actually sold similar numbers, with consumers in Japan and Europe preferring the smaller Zenfone 8. So for now, there will be no more Zenfone "Flip" variants in the foreseeable future.

Google has started making good on its promise to update and optimize 20 of its apps for tablets. The tech giant has rolled out a number of new features for Google Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides and Keep, which all take advantage of tablets' larger screens. They're tools you can use to make it easier to juggle multiple tasks and to transfer content from one app to another when you have two windows open side-by-side. You can now easily drag-and-drop text and images from apps like Chrome, for instance, to a Google document or a spreadsheet cell. That could make writing up notes or reports go much quicker than before.

If you need to upload anything to Google Drive, you can simply open the app in a split window and then drag-and-drop the files in. You can now even open two Drive windows side-by-side, so you can compare files without losing the current view for whatever's already open. Sounds useful if you're reviewing particularly lengthy PDF files or documents. To access the feature, make sure to click the three-dot menu on a Drive file and choose the "Open in new window" option.

Now, if you want to create links for direct access to specific drive files, you can easily do so by dragging files into Google Keep. And if you have any images in Keep that you want to use elsewhere, you can drag them out of a note and into another app. Finally, you'll now be able to use keyboard shortcuts such as select, cut, copy, paste, undo and redo while navigating Drive, Docs and Slides if you're using a keyboard with your tablet.  

Google hasn't exactly been prioritizing Android tablet users over the past few years, but Android 12L's release seems like a promising start in its attempt to address the platform's shortcomings for larger screens. When it announced that it was going to optimize its apps at Google I/O back in May, the company showed it was getting serious about building apps for Android tablets again. Hopefully, that doesn't change and future updates could continue improving the Android experience for tablet users.

Google’s midrange A phones have quickly become some of the most anticipated launches each year. Like its predecessors, the Pixel 6a is a sub-$500 handset that offers excellent cameras, performance and battery life. This year’s model moves the series over to Google’s own Tensor chip, and brings over the two-tone color scheme and camera bar the company debuted on its flagships last year. With so many similarities to its higher-end siblings, the $449 Pixel 6a feels less like the budget option and more like a smaller version of Google’s best phone.

Design

Similar to recent A-series Pixels, the 6a is basically a scaled-back clone of the company’s flagships. This time, though, Google didn’t skimp on the color options for its budget handset. In addition to white and black, the Pixel 6a comes in sage as well. It has a two-tone palette similar to the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, with a black horizontal camera bar about an inch from the top. The top strip is a paler pastel green, while the rest of the rear is a darker, more muted shade that’s similar to the Pixel 5.

I prefer the mintier color of the Pixel 6, but the 6a’s version is pretty enough. At least the camera bar protrudes less, and the Pixel 6a doesn’t wobble when placed face up on a surface. It’s also rated IP67 for water and dust protection, though I thankfully have yet to drop my review unit or get it wet. I do wish it had Gorilla Glass Victus protecting its screen like its flagship counterparts, but it at least is covered by Gorilla Glass 3. I also wish this thing had a headphone jack like the Pixel 5a, but unfortunately Google saw fit to remove it this year.

Sam Rutherford / Engadget

Though it’s not much smaller than the Pixel 6, the 6a is noticeably lighter and easier to maneuver with one hand. To be specific, the 6a is about 30 grams (or 1 ounce) lighter, but it also has a smaller 6.1-inch screen. Meanwhile, the Pixel 6 has a 6.4-inch display and is a whole 0.05 inches thicker.

In terms of size the Pixel 6a feels like a happy medium, weighing in at 6.3 ounces (178 grams) with a 6.1-inch screen. The latest iPhone SE has a tiny 4.7-inch panel and correspondingly weighs a mere 5.09 ounces (144 grams) while the Samsung Galaxy A53, with its 6.5-inch display, comes in at 6.66 ounces (189 grams).

Display and audio

With a 2,400 x 1,080 resolution and a 20:9 aspect ratio, the Pixel 6a’s OLED delivers a higher pixel density than the Pixel 6. But it also refreshes at just 60Hz, while the 6 and 6 Pro go up to 90Hz and 120Hz respectively.

Sam Rutherford / Engadget

So, while photos, wallpapers, icons and text all look as crisp and vivid on the Pixel 6a as on Google’s higher-end phones, when it comes to scrolling and games the 6a can feel sluggish. High refresh rates aren’t unheard of on midrange phones, either. The Galaxy A53, for example, can get up to 120Hz, though to be fair the iPhone SE is also stuck at 60Hz.

I did find it slightly easier to read things on the iPhone SE under sunlight, though the Pixel 6a wasn’t too difficult to see. Indoors, the Pixel 6a was vibrant and sharp, and I enjoyed watching Instagram Stories and ogling gorgeous landscapes on it.

I also didn’t mind playing music on the Pixel 6a. Its stereo speakers did a decent job of delivering clear vocals and instrumentals on songs like Ariana Grande’s No Tears Left To Cry, though like most smartphones it lacks bass. I used the Pixel 6a and iPhone SE to record a rendition of U2’s I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, and Google’s handset was better at prioritizing my voice over ambient noise, too.

Cameras

Google has long excelled at photography, and the Pixel 6a is a continuation of that tradition. Its pair of 12-megapixel rear cameras and 8-MP front sensor took bright, colorful pictures that rivaled those from more expensive phones.

Details like window panes and individual blades of grass were crisp, and Google continues to deliver superior images in low light. Frankly, at this price, there is no better camera for nighttime photography. Thanks in large part to Night Sight, the Pixel 6a generally captured brighter images in extremely dim environments, retaining greater detail even in shadows. The stationary bicycles in an exercise room at night were clearer in shots from the Pixel 6a than those from the iPhone SE, and I could even read the words on a sign in Google’s version. Apple’s decision to cut the night mode on its budget phone puts it at a real disadvantage here.

Compared to the iPhone SE, the Pixel 6a’s pictures tended to have lower contrast and less-saturated colors. Apple also produces better dynamic range, and it was hard to pick my favorite images between the two.

Google has the upper hand when it comes to versatility, though. Since it has an additional ultrawide lens (compared to the iPhone’s solo rear camera), the Pixel 6a made it possible to zoom out to grab expansive landscapes. And though it doesn’t have a telephoto lens, Google’s viewfinder interface makes zooming into distant subjects easier. Instead of having to pinch on the iPhone, you can switch between preset distances like 0.6x, 1x and 2x just by tapping the onscreen buttons.

I also preferred Google’s Portrait mode, which let me get closer to subjects and applied a shallower depth of field. Both the iPhone and the Pixel took selfies of similar quality, and the differences between them came down to very slight variations in color temperature. Given Google and Apple use 8-MP and 7MP sensors respectively, the similarity in sharpness isn’t surprising.

Despite having the sharpest cameras, the Galaxy A53 delivered photos that were close in quality to the Pixel 6a and iPhone SE. Its 32-MP front camera and primary 64-MP sensor on the back didn’t result in crisper images. Compared to the Pixel and iPhone, though, the Galaxy A53’s camera was noticeably slower and struggled to capture multiple shots in rapid succession.

Though Google did equip the Pixel 6a with some of the tools found on its flagships, like Magic Eraser to edit away photobombers, for example, features like Action Pan and Long Exposure are absent. That’s fine by me, since Magic Eraser is the most useful of the lot, and works as well on the 6a as on the Pro. You also get the ability to shoot in RAW, which you can’t do on the iPhone SE.

Sam Rutherford / Engadget

Performance, fingerprint sensor and in use

As the first A-series phone using Google’s own Tensor chip, the Pixel 6a’s performance should be pretty similar to its flagship siblings. In general, this was true — the 6a barely stuttered when jumping between games, editing photos, browsing Instagram and shooting videos. Just like my Pixel 6 Pro, though, the 6a tended to run warm when playing casual games such as HK Mahjong or the New York Times Crossword for more than 15 minutes. It never got alarmingly hot, but I did want to put it down after a while.

Occasionally, the Pixel 6a would take a few seconds to display information in an app, but that mostly happened in the first hours after I set up the phone, so I’ll chalk that up to early loading issues. I’m more concerned about the long-term stability of the Pixel 6a’s software, especially given all the problems plaguing the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro since they launched. I haven’t encountered anything major during my testing, but most of the bugs on the other two only started showing up weeks after our review period.

For now, I can only say the software behaves as expected, and that Google supports up to five years of Pixel updates. Switching wallpapers and applying new system-wide color schemes generated by Android happened without significant delay, and everything I enjoy about Pixel UI is here. I love being able to just tell my phone “Stop” to silence it when an alarm is going off. (Though, on my Pixel 6 Pro this usually takes around three increasingly frustrated attempts until I’m screaming at the phone.) I also appreciate Assistant features like Call Screening and Hold For Me, which make the excruciating experience of being on the phone a lot less painful.

Sam Rutherford / Engadget

Maybe I’ve grown used to the Pixel 6 Pro’s sluggish, in-display fingerprint sensor, but the Pixel 6a’s scanner didn’t feel as tricky. It’s still slower than Samsung’s, but it’s serviceable.

Battery life

The A-series has long stood out for excellent battery life, and once again, the 6a is a winner. It clocked a whopping 19 hours and 10 minutes on our video rundown test, which is shorter than the Pixel 5a, Pixel 6, and Galaxy A53, but still hours longer than the iPhone SE.

While the iPhone SE offers wireless charging, unfortunately the Pixel 6a doesn’t. It also only supports fast charging with wired 18W chargers. The good news is though, the 6a is also compatible with the M3/T4 hearing aid standard, as well as sub-6 and mmWave 5G.

Sam Rutherford / Engadget

Wrap-up

I think it’s time we stopped seeing the Pixel A series as a “budget” line. With its refined design, powerful processor and satisfying cameras, there are more similarities than differences between the 6a and its flagship siblings. It is easily one of the best phones for the money. Yes, it would be nice to get a faster, brighter screen and wireless charging, but those aren’t a given on a midranger. If you can’t live without a higher refresh rate and can spend no more than $500, the Galaxy A53 is an alternative, though be warned that its performance is questionable. In the US, there is no better Android phone under $500 than the Pixel 6a.

Key specs

Android audio switching is finally a practical reality — provided you have the right earbuds. Google has started rolling out the automatic toggle to Android devices paired with the Pixel Buds Pro. If your phone or tablet supports Bluetooth multipoint connections, Android will intelligently switch sound from one product to the other using a priority system. You'll switch from your tablet's audio to your phone for an incoming call, for instance, but you won't have to worry about incoming notifications. You can always switch back through a notification if the OS made a mistake.

The feature will expand to JBL and Sony headphones sometime in the "coming weeks," Google said. The functionality will also reach non-Android platforms in the future, although the company didn't provide an exact timeframe. You can enable switching by using Fast Pair to connect your headphones and link them to your Google account.

The concept isn't unique. Apple devices paired with AirPods have offered audio switching since 2020, and Sony has offered a similar approach. It's a welcome addition if you want to use one set of Bluetooth earbuds for all of your Android gear, though, and Google's technology won't restrict you to any one headphone manufacturer.

If you want a tablet just for browsing the internet, watching videos and playing games, you won’t need anything fancy. Amazon’s Fire tablets are exactly that. Most of them are under $200, and the Fire 7, which has been updated for 2022, starts at just $60 ($75 if you don’t want ads on the lock screen). It offers upgraded internals, as well as Amazon’s Fire OS 8, which adds minor improvements like a dark mode. Yet, it still suffers from many of the same limitations that plagued older models, like the lack of Google apps.

Updated hardware

The 2022 Fire 7 tablet has 2GB of RAM (double that of previous generation) and is powered by the same quad-core 2.0GHz processor as the Fire HD 8. Amazon also promises longer battery life and, importantly, now uses a USB-C port instead of micro-USB. That alone makes this worth the upgrade, since USB-C is fast becoming the new charging standard.

Aside from that, the overall look and feel of the Fire 7 is unchanged. It’s made out of plastic, with thick bezels surrounding its 7-inch display. Yet, it does feel durable. I also didn’t mind the bezels, as they gave me room to grip the tablet without accidentally launching apps.

The screen is one of the bigger disappointments with the Fire 7, though. Its 1,024 by 600 resolution just looks terribly dull, with fuzzy images and muddy colors. Even for a budget tablet – and granted, there aren’t that many in this price range – a display that’s less than full HD in this day and age seems outdated.

The rest of the Fire 7’s hardware is the same as its predecessor. It has 2-megapixel cameras on the front and rear, 16 or 32GB of built-in storage (expandable up to 1TB with microSD card) and a 3.5mm headphone jack. As expected, the camera quality isn’t impressive, but it’ll work for a quick video chat. Just don’t expect to use it for actual photography, unless you’re really into super grainy, washed out images.

Engadget

Meh performance, but solid battery life

Though the new Fire 7 has more RAM and a quad-core 2.0GHz processor, don’t expect lightning-fast performance. Navigating the Fire OS interface feels smooth for the most part, but it’s still sluggish at times. I experienced some lag when switching apps and scrolling through Instagram, for example. It can handle basic tasks like checking email, but the Fire 7 won’t be as fast as modern smartphones.

My favorite thing about the new Fire 7 is its long battery life. Amazon says it should last up to 10 hours on a charge, but of course that depends on how you use it. In the usual battery test we run for Android devices (where we play a locally stored video on loop), the Fire 7 lasted for close to 15 hours. I mostly used it to watch Prime videos, read books on the Kindle app, check Instagram and Twitter, and play a few rounds of Candy Crush Saga. After several days of occasional use (an hour or so a day for a week), the Fire 7 still has around 48 percent battery. I should note, however, that the Fire 7 doesn’t offer wireless or fast-charging. It comes with a 5W charger, which took around four hours to top up the battery. 

New software, but same ol issues

The Fire 7 comes with Fire OS 8, which adds Android 11 features like a system-wide dark theme. Yet, the interface looks the same. Like all other Fire tablets, it runs Amazon’s proprietary skin that forced me to use Amazon-approved apps rather than ones from the Google Play Store. As someone who relies a lot on Google apps, I was frustrated by this. Instead of the native version of Gmail or YouTube, for example, I had to use inferior third-party apps that just didn’t look or feel as intuitive.

If you’re an Amazon die-hard, however, you’ll benefit from Fire OS. As soon as I logged in, all of my favorite Amazon content showed up on the home screen, like TV shows on Prime Video, personalized recommendations on Kindle Unlimited, suggested Audible books based on my purchases and more.

Of course, the caveat is that you won’t be able to delete Amazon-related apps like Kindle, Goodreads and Prime Video. Plus, you won’t see recommendations for shows and content that’s not on Amazon – no Netflix suggestions, for example. It makes sense that Amazon would push its own services, but it’s still annoying.

Like other Amazon products, the Fire 7 features hands-free Alexa, which makes controlling my smart home devices easier. It’s also helpful for getting the weather forecast, the latest sports scores or answers to random trivia questions.

Amazon

Wrap-up

The thing you should know about Fire tablets is that they aren’t typical Android devices – you’ll need to sideload the Google Play Store, for example, if you want to use Google apps. Amazon’s proprietary interface prioritizes its own apps like Prime Video and Kindle over others. But if you already heavily rely on Amazon services, I can see how the Fire 7 might be tempting – it delivers an Amazon-curated experience for cheap.

Unfortunately, if you want a tablet in the $60 price range, you don’t have many non-Amazon options. Two of the more affordable non-Amazon tablets at this time appear to be the Lenovo Tab M7 (starting at $96) and the Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite (starting at $100). We haven’t reviewed them just yet, but both at least let you use Google apps without resorting to third-party options.

If you’re dead set on a budget Fire tablet, I actually recommend the Fire HD 8 instead. It has a superior HD display, longer battery life and wireless charging. It also supports Show Mode, which basically turns it into a portable Echo Show. At $90 (with ads), it’s $30 more than the Fire 7, but I think it’s well worth the extra cost.

It’s tempting to import the Nothing Phone 1. The combination of eye-catching design, well-rounded performance and a reasonable price can make it more appealing than other mid-range smartphones, and even some pricey flagships. But is it really worth the effort to bring the Phone 1 to the US? Not necessarily. There are a number of challenges you’ll have to overcome, even once the device reaches your hands.

Importing may cost more than you think

The Phone 1 is priced at £399 in the UK and €469 in EU countries, or about $478 US as of this writing. However, you can’t just send one to an American shipping address. We haven’t found a major UK or EU retailer that will ship Nothing’s product to the US, and it’s unlikely that you will given the Phone 1 hasn’t received the FCC certification needed for legal sales inside the country.

Unless you know someone willing to serve as a go-between, you’ll need to enlist the help of a package forwarding service that will ship the Phone 1 to a US address. In the UK, your options include companies like Forward2Me, MyUS and Reship. Many of them will handle single shipments, but you may need to sign up for a membership (typically $10 per month). And an individual order can be expensive. Forward2Me, for instance, currently estimates that you’ll pay between $29 to $47 to ship a common smartphone box.

You might not have to pay significant import fees, at least. While US Customs and Border Protection does require a Merchandise Processing Fee (between $2 and $10 for informal entries like this), you can import personal-use products duty- and tax-free when they’re worth less than $800. Package forwarders will handle the paperwork, and will frequently quote the true shipping price. With that said, be sure to read the terms for these services and prepare for the possibility of extra charges.

The phone might not work properly

Mat Smith/Engadget

The expenses may not be the real dealbreaker. If anything, you’ll need to worry more about network compatibility. While the Nothing Phone 1 does support some US carriers’ 5G and LTE frequencies, it lacks long-range bands for T-Mobile and Verizon. You won’t get as robust coverage, and the performance may fall short. In testing, PCMag’s Sascha Segan noticed that the Phone 1 only managed 100Mbps downloads on 5G in areas where other phones reached 400Mbps.

This is assuming you can get the handset to work in the first place. Without certification from the FCC or American carriers, there are no guarantees you’ll get connected. Nothing warns that the Phone 1 can’t place 5G or LTE calls on AT&T as an uncertified device, and Segan lost Verizon service after two hours of use. Don’t expect the functionality to improve, either. As Nothing founder Carl Pei explained to PCMag, US certification wasn’t worth the trouble without a local carrier agreement; any broken connectivity is likely to stay broken.

After-sale support is a problem, too. Nothing’s warranty only covers service within the original purchase region, so you can’t ask for official help. We also wouldn’t expect independent repair shops to fix the Phone 1. You’ll probably have to buy a brand new phone if something breaks, in other words.

What are the alternatives?

Google

Pei has indicated that community investors in the US might get the Phone 1 through a closed beta program. Nothing also has “big plans” to launch a US-friendly phone at some stage. If you’re not part of that beta and aren’t willing to wait for a sequel, though, you’re probably better off buying an alternative device. Thankfully, there are a few viable models in the sub-$500 range.

Google’s Pixel 6a (launching July 28th) may be the easiest choice. It won’t have the Phone 1’s smooth 120Hz screen, wireless charging or dual 50-megapixel rear cameras, but you will get a speedy processor and the latest Google software features for a modest $449. If you crave a high-refresh screen, Motorola’s 144Hz-capable 2021 Edge is on sale for $400 as we write this. And yes, the iPhone 11 is still surprisingly capable if you don’t mind the three-year-old specs.

We’d advise against Samsung’s sluggish Galaxy A53 5G, but it is an option if you’re determined to get a 120Hz display or simply prefer the safety of a large brand’s ecosystem. You might also want to wait awhile. Apple should have a better $500 device when it updates the iPhone lineup in September (possibly the iPhone 12), and the solid Galaxy S21 FE may see further price cuts.

It looks like our slow gadget summer is about to end, with Samsung ready to launch its next slate of products soon. The company today sent out invites to its next Unpacked event (after sharing a teaser puzzle this morning), which is set for August 10th at 9am ET. The keynote will be streamed online via Samsung's website, and there will be no in-person component. If you are dying to get ahead of other shoppers, you can already sign up to reserve the upcoming products, too.

Like it's done in previous years, Samsung is giving early birds special offers via its Reserve program. This time, you have till August 10th to register. According to Samsung, this is a "no-commitment offer" and you'll only need to provide your name and email address. Those who sign up can get:

The company is widely expected to launch the next generation of its Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip foldable phones, alongside a pair of new smartwatches and a set of wireless earbuds. We don't know much yet about the upcoming products, although reports suggest Samsung might be selling the foldable devices for a lower price than before. 

We'll be hosting a livestream of Unpacked, along with a live Q&A session after Samsung wraps. Join us at about 8:40am ET on August 10th on the Engadget YouTube channel, so we can all react together in real time. Chances are, we'll have answers for your questions about the new products, so come through to get all the details!