[Update: 12GB variant goes on sale] ASUS ROG Phone II with crazy specs and a crazier pricing launches in India

Update 1 (12/11/19 @ 00:00 AM EST): 12GB RAM variant of the ASUS ROG Phone II will be available in India starting today.

The original launch article from September 23, 2019, remains unchanged.

ASUS has been making smartphones for quite many years now but if there’s something that has really turned heads is its gaming smartphones. Branded under ASUS’ Republic of Gamers (ROG) trademark, the gaming phones are powered in line with the laptops under the ROG brand name. Back in July, ASUS launched its second gaming smartphone – the ASUS ROG Phone II – in a partnership with Tencent. Outrageously impressive in all senses, the ASUS ROG Phone II is the magnum opus of smartphone hardware and initial benchmarks tell us that it is one of the most powerful devices in the market. ASUS is now bringing the ROG Phone II to India with the same ludicrous hardware and startling pricing.

ASUS ROG Phone II XDA Forums
Buy: ASUS ROG Phone II 8GB/128GB (₹37,999) | ASUS ROG Phone II 12GB/512GB (₹59,999)

The ASUS ROG Phone II is no ordinary smartphone and was the first smartphone to be powered by the Snapdragon 855 Plus. In India too, the ROG Phone II will be the first smartphone to feature the Snapdragon 855 Plus but that’s not the only highlight on the new device. The prime core on the CPU and the Adreno 640 GPU have been overclocked to 2.96GHz and 675MHz, respectively.

The ROG Phone II comes with a superb 120Hz refresh rate, a parameter still unmatched for AMOLED displays. The display is protected under Gorilla Glass 6 and is certified for 10-bit HDR content. Users can either set a global parameter for the higher refresh rate or even choose the refresh rate settings per app. The display has a touch sampling rate of 240Hz and a 49ms latency.

There’s up to 12GB of RAM on the ASUS ROG Phone II and it gets up to 512GB of storage with a UFS 3.0 technology. There’s a 3D vapor chamber to keep heat under control but if that’s not adequate, ASUS has added a couple of heat real vents on the phone. The smartphone doesn’t come with physical fans like on the Nubia Red Magic 3, but you can use one of the external fans available for purchase separately.

The ASUS ROG Phone II is perhaps the only flagship smartphone to have a massive 6,000mAh battery. There are two USB-C ports on the phone – one at the bottom and the other on the side to allow charging in both – landscape and portrait – configurations. The smartphone supports up to 30W fast charging and the proprietary HyperCharge technology allows gamers to use the phone even while charging without any heating. ASUS claims that one hour of charging reaps almost 36 hours of backup while the smartphone can last 7+ hours while continuous PUBG gameplay, but at 60Hz display refresh rate.

For an engaging gaming experience, there’s a dual high-end XYZ vibrational motor for directional vibration. There are two front-facing speakers on the smartphone for a fierce throughput. For India, ASUS has also added an outdoor mode and FM radio to the smartphone. Additionally, the ultrasonic, pressure-sensitive air trigger buttons have been also been added to the smartphone just like the first generation ROG Phone. The functionality of these triggers can be customized and there’s a protection for accidental touches. ASUS says they’ll soon allow customization sliding actions on to the ROG Phone II.

In terms of camera, there’s a 48MP Sony IMX586 camera along with a 13MP wide-angle sensor on the back. On the front, there’s a 24MP camera. Since the rear camera setup is the same as the ASUS ZenFone 6 (ASUS 6Z India)

On the software front, there’s little customization over the stock Android UI. ASUS also allows unlocking the bootloader on the ROG Phone II but there’s currently a dearth of custom ROMs, especially those which support the triggers correctly. In the current interface, you can choose between an AOSP-like UI or a more aggressive ROG UI. There’s only a single app on top of the clean UI and that is the Armory Crate app which lets users to manage gaming-related resources on the smartphone.

ASUS ROG Phone II Specifications

Specification	ASUS ROG Phone II
Dimensions	170.99 x 77.6 x 9.48mm
Weight	240g
Body	Aura RGB lighting
Display	6.6-inch 19.5:9 FHD+ (2340×1080), 120Hz/1ms AMOLED, 240Hz touch sampling rate, 108% DCI-P3, 10000:1 contrast, Gorilla Glass 6, dE<1, 10-bit HDR, capacitive touch panel with 10 points multi-touch, SDR2HDR upsampling coming with Worldwide launch
CPU	Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus (1 x Kryo 485 @ 2.96GHz + 3 x Kryo 485 @ 2.42GHz + 4 x Kryo 385 @ 1.8GHz)
GPU	Adreno 640 @ 675MHz
RAM	8GB/12GB LPDDR4X
Storage	128GB/512GB UFS 3.0
Battery	6,000mAh
Software	ROG UI (Android 9 Pie-based) with choice of stock Android-like UI Google ARCore support
Front Camera	24MP
Rear Camera(s)	48MP Sony IMX586 + 13MP (125° FOV)
Audio	3.5mm headphone jack, Dual front-facing stereo speakers with DTS:X Ultra, Quad mics with noise-cancellation, Voice wakeup
Vibrations	Dual high-end vibrating motors XYZ axis for surround feel
Connectivity	Wi-Fi: Integrated 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ad (5G, 2×2 MIMO); Wi-Fi Direct; 802.11ad for low-latency wireless display Bluetooth: Bluetooth 5.0 (EDR + A2DP); Profiles: HFP + A2DP + AVRCP + HID + PAN + OPP GNSS: GPS(L1+L5), GLONASS, BDS, Galileo(E1+E5a), QZSS(L1+L5) NFC
Ports	Side: Customized connector (USB 3.1 Gen 2/DP 1.4[4K]/fast charging [QC 3.0 + QC 4.0/PD 3.0]/direct charge) – 30W HyperChargeBottom: Type-C connector (USB 2.0/Fast Charging [QC 3.0/PD 3.0]/direct charge)
Sensors	Accelerometer, e-compass, proximity sensor, Hall sensor, ambient light sensor, gyroscope, 2 x ultrasonic AirTrigger sensors
Biometrics	Optical under-display fingerprint scanner

Pricing & Availability

The ASUS ROG Phone II comes in two variants in India with the 8GB/128GB variant priced at ₹37,999 (~$535) while the 12GB/512GB variant is priced at ₹59,999 (~$850). These prices are amazing considering the prices for the first-generation ROG Phone was priced at ₹69,999 in India.

The prices for the accessories available for purchase separately are:

• ROG 30W charger – ₹1,999 (~$30)
• AeroActive Cooler II – ₹3,999 (~$60)
• Professional USB-C dock – ₹5,499 (~$80)
• NFC-enabled Lightning Armour case – ₹2,999 (~$45)
• TwinView Dock II for a second display – ₹19,999 (~$285)
• Mobile Desktop dock for console-style gaming – ₹12,999 (~$185)
• ROG Kunai gamepad – ₹9,999 (~$140)

The ROG Phone II and the accessories will be available in India starting September 30th.

Buy: ASUS ROG Phone II 8GB/128GB (₹37,999) | ASUS ROG Phone II 12GB/512GB (₹59,999)

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Update 1: 12GB RAM variant now available in India

The higher variant of the ASUS ROG Phone II with 12GB RAM and 512GB internal storage is going on sale in India today i.e. December 11th at 12PM IST via Flipkart for ₹59,999 (~$850). Along with this variant, you will get an AeroActive Cooler II worth ₹3,999 (~$60) free of cost.

The post [Update: 12GB variant goes on sale] ASUS ROG Phone II with crazy specs and a crazier pricing launches in India appeared first on xda-developers.

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[Update: 12GB variant goes on sale] ASUS ROG Phone II with crazy specs and a crazier pricing launches in India

Update 1 (12/11/19 @ 00:00 AM EST): 12GB RAM variant of the ASUS ROG Phone II will be available in India starting today.

The original launch article from September 23, 2019, remains unchanged.

ASUS has been making smartphones for quite many years now but if there’s something that has really turned heads is its gaming smartphones. Branded under ASUS’ Republic of Gamers (ROG) trademark, the gaming phones are powered in line with the laptops under the ROG brand name. Back in July, ASUS launched its second gaming smartphone – the ASUS ROG Phone II – in a partnership with Tencent. Outrageously impressive in all senses, the ASUS ROG Phone II is the magnum opus of smartphone hardware and initial benchmarks tell us that it is one of the most powerful devices in the market. ASUS is now bringing the ROG Phone II to India with the same ludicrous hardware and startling pricing.

ASUS ROG Phone II XDA Forums
Buy: ASUS ROG Phone II 8GB/128GB (₹37,999) | ASUS ROG Phone II 12GB/512GB (₹59,999)

The ASUS ROG Phone II is no ordinary smartphone and was the first smartphone to be powered by the Snapdragon 855 Plus. In India too, the ROG Phone II will be the first smartphone to feature the Snapdragon 855 Plus but that’s not the only highlight on the new device. The prime core on the CPU and the Adreno 640 GPU have been overclocked to 2.96GHz and 675MHz, respectively.

The ROG Phone II comes with a superb 120Hz refresh rate, a parameter still unmatched for AMOLED displays. The display is protected under Gorilla Glass 6 and is certified for 10-bit HDR content. Users can either set a global parameter for the higher refresh rate or even choose the refresh rate settings per app. The display has a touch sampling rate of 240Hz and a 49ms latency.

There’s up to 12GB of RAM on the ASUS ROG Phone II and it gets up to 512GB of storage with a UFS 3.0 technology. There’s a 3D vapor chamber to keep heat under control but if that’s not adequate, ASUS has added a couple of heat real vents on the phone. The smartphone doesn’t come with physical fans like on the Nubia Red Magic 3, but you can use one of the external fans available for purchase separately.

The ASUS ROG Phone II is perhaps the only flagship smartphone to have a massive 6,000mAh battery. There are two USB-C ports on the phone – one at the bottom and the other on the side to allow charging in both – landscape and portrait – configurations. The smartphone supports up to 30W fast charging and the proprietary HyperCharge technology allows gamers to use the phone even while charging without any heating. ASUS claims that one hour of charging reaps almost 36 hours of backup while the smartphone can last 7+ hours while continuous PUBG gameplay, but at 60Hz display refresh rate.

For an engaging gaming experience, there’s a dual high-end XYZ vibrational motor for directional vibration. There are two front-facing speakers on the smartphone for a fierce throughput. For India, ASUS has also added an outdoor mode and FM radio to the smartphone. Additionally, the ultrasonic, pressure-sensitive air trigger buttons have been also been added to the smartphone just like the first generation ROG Phone. The functionality of these triggers can be customized and there’s a protection for accidental touches. ASUS says they’ll soon allow customization sliding actions on to the ROG Phone II.

In terms of camera, there’s a 48MP Sony IMX586 camera along with a 13MP wide-angle sensor on the back. On the front, there’s a 24MP camera. Since the rear camera setup is the same as the ASUS ZenFone 6 (ASUS 6Z India)

On the software front, there’s little customization over the stock Android UI. ASUS also allows unlocking the bootloader on the ROG Phone II but there’s currently a dearth of custom ROMs, especially those which support the triggers correctly. In the current interface, you can choose between an AOSP-like UI or a more aggressive ROG UI. There’s only a single app on top of the clean UI and that is the Armory Crate app which lets users to manage gaming-related resources on the smartphone.

ASUS ROG Phone II Specifications

Specification	ASUS ROG Phone II
Dimensions	170.99 x 77.6 x 9.48mm
Weight	240g
Body	Aura RGB lighting
Display	6.6-inch 19.5:9 FHD+ (2340×1080), 120Hz/1ms AMOLED, 240Hz touch sampling rate, 108% DCI-P3, 10000:1 contrast, Gorilla Glass 6, dE<1, 10-bit HDR, capacitive touch panel with 10 points multi-touch, SDR2HDR upsampling coming with Worldwide launch
CPU	Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus (1 x Kryo 485 @ 2.96GHz + 3 x Kryo 485 @ 2.42GHz + 4 x Kryo 385 @ 1.8GHz)
GPU	Adreno 640 @ 675MHz
RAM	8GB/12GB LPDDR4X
Storage	128GB/512GB UFS 3.0
Battery	6,000mAh
Software	ROG UI (Android 9 Pie-based) with choice of stock Android-like UI Google ARCore support
Front Camera	24MP
Rear Camera(s)	48MP Sony IMX586 + 13MP (125° FOV)
Audio	3.5mm headphone jack, Dual front-facing stereo speakers with DTS:X Ultra, Quad mics with noise-cancellation, Voice wakeup
Vibrations	Dual high-end vibrating motors XYZ axis for surround feel
Connectivity	Wi-Fi: Integrated 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ad (5G, 2×2 MIMO); Wi-Fi Direct; 802.11ad for low-latency wireless display Bluetooth: Bluetooth 5.0 (EDR + A2DP); Profiles: HFP + A2DP + AVRCP + HID + PAN + OPP GNSS: GPS(L1+L5), GLONASS, BDS, Galileo(E1+E5a), QZSS(L1+L5) NFC
Ports	Side: Customized connector (USB 3.1 Gen 2/DP 1.4[4K]/fast charging [QC 3.0 + QC 4.0/PD 3.0]/direct charge) – 30W HyperChargeBottom: Type-C connector (USB 2.0/Fast Charging [QC 3.0/PD 3.0]/direct charge)
Sensors	Accelerometer, e-compass, proximity sensor, Hall sensor, ambient light sensor, gyroscope, 2 x ultrasonic AirTrigger sensors
Biometrics	Optical under-display fingerprint scanner

Pricing & Availability

The ASUS ROG Phone II comes in two variants in India with the 8GB/128GB variant priced at ₹37,999 (~$535) while the 12GB/512GB variant is priced at ₹59,999 (~$850). These prices are amazing considering the prices for the first-generation ROG Phone was priced at ₹69,999 in India.

The prices for the accessories available for purchase separately are:

• ROG 30W charger – ₹1,999 (~$30)
• AeroActive Cooler II – ₹3,999 (~$60)
• Professional USB-C dock – ₹5,499 (~$80)
• NFC-enabled Lightning Armour case – ₹2,999 (~$45)
• TwinView Dock II for a second display – ₹19,999 (~$285)
• Mobile Desktop dock for console-style gaming – ₹12,999 (~$185)
• ROG Kunai gamepad – ₹9,999 (~$140)

The ROG Phone II and the accessories will be available in India starting September 30th.

Buy: ASUS ROG Phone II 8GB/128GB (₹37,999) | ASUS ROG Phone II 12GB/512GB (₹59,999)

---

Update 1: 12GB RAM variant now available in India

The higher variant of the ASUS ROG Phone II with 12GB RAM and 512GB internal storage is going on sale in India today i.e. December 11th at 12PM IST via Flipkart for ₹59,999 (~$850). Along with this variant, you will get an AeroActive Cooler II worth ₹3,999 (~$60) free of cost.

The post [Update: 12GB variant goes on sale] ASUS ROG Phone II with crazy specs and a crazier pricing launches in India appeared first on xda-developers.

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Honor 9X Durability Test – Are Pop-Up Cameras Durable?

The Honor 9X comes in the form of Honor’s budget entry for their 2019 smartphone options. A common sacrifice you’ll find among budget phones is lower quality materials. Using lower quality materials is a logical way to keep costs down while still offering decent specs. The Honor 9X has a simple plastic back and a noticeably softer rim than some of Honor’s flagship phones. The phone still offers great performance with the Kirin 710F and up to 6GB of RAM. We put the phone through a durability test see if this budget option can withstand basic drops and scratches.

While testing the screen against key scratches, the Honor 9X shows no damage at all. The screen also survived several drops onto different surfaces, without any cracks appearing. The “full view” phone doesn’t have any notches or camera holes cut into the screen that could sacrifice the integrity of the display. This results in an overall stronger glass display that adds to the durability of the phone.

An area where we saw the most damage was the soft rim of the phone. Our drop tests showed scratch marks appearing after the very first drop. As long as you don’t have any major impacts on the top of the phone (where the selfie camera and sim tray are located) your Honor 9X should survive with only minor scratches on the rim. The back of a phone is a common place to shatter on impact, for many phones. This is much less likely to happen on the Honor 9X due to the strong plastic material used to make the back of the device.

Honor 9X with minor damage to the corner

The motorized pop-up selfie camera was a big area of concern for durability. Dropping your phone while the selfie camera is out could be a bad situation if your phone falls just right. Honor addressed this by implementing falling detection, which will retract the camera back into the phone when the Honor 9X begins to drop.

It is worth noting that the Honor 9X comes with a silicone case that will protect it from scratches and minor drops. Check out the video to see these tests in action.

Honor 9X Forums

We thank Honor for sponsoring this post. Our sponsors help us pay for the many costs associated with running XDA, including server costs, full time developers, news writers, and much more. While you might see sponsored content (which will always be labeled as such) alongside Portal content, the Portal team is in no way responsible for these posts. Sponsored content, advertising and XDA Depot are managed by a separate team entirely. XDA will never compromise its journalistic integrity by accepting money to write favorably about a company, or alter our opinions or views in any way. Our opinion cannot be bought.

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Accessories Review: Aukey and RAVPower Chargers, Cables, Power Banks, USB Hub, and Storage

Phone accessories can often be indispensable, especially to power users. Whether by trying to extend battery life or listening to some tunes, you probably use some smartphone accessories regularly, if not daily. From earphones to cables, charging bricks, and power banks, these enhance our smartphone experience by accentuating their pros or diminishing their cons. In this article, we will be taking a look at various phone accessories from Aukey and RAVpower, including chargers, cables, and power banks to help you compare and contrast some of the most competitive products in each category.

All accessories in this article were provided by Aukey and RAVPower for review. However, neither had any involvement in the content of this article. All views expressed herein are of the author himself.

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Chargers

AUKEY 63W Dual-Port PD Wall Charger

The Aukey 63W Dual-Port PD Wall Charger is a very nice dual charger. It has two USB C ports with high wattage output. The second USB C port can output a full 60W of power while the first one can only do 18W. If you are using both ports, the charger will limit the first USB C port to 45W to give the second one a full 18W of power. This is useful if you are looking to charge both your laptop and phone quickly, as it should still provide enough power to fast charge both devices.

It does support USB PD-3.0 with dynamic detect, so you’ll be able to get fast charging in phones or laptops that support USB PD-3.0. This makes it a very reliable and relatively universal charger for most Type C devices.

The dual charger uses a GaN technology that actually reduces the weight of the charger by 30% and increases efficiency by 10%, but you probably won’t notice this since most users don’t really look at the power efficiency or weight of a charger. The charging brick is of a good size, coming in at 2.64″ x 2.52″ x 1.14″, so it will easily fit into your bag without issue if you are traveling, and it will also fit into the wall outlet while leaving other nearby outlets open, something that is very rare with high wattage chargers like this.

Aukey Dual Charger

AUKEY 30W PD Wall Charger

The Aukey 30W PD wall charger is an insanely nice charger. It lets you fit a lot of wattage into a pretty small package. This uses the same GaN technology as the 63W dual charger above, which means it’s light and efficient while also being very small. It comes in at 1.42″ x 1.42″ x 1.26″, which is very close in size to the 5W iPhone charger Apple has included with its products for years. It has a single USB C port that outputs 30W with USB PD 3.o. For its compact size, the charger is insanely good.

Aukey 30W Wall Charger

AUKEY 18W PD Car Charger

The Aukey 18W car charger is also a good product. It has a very low profile that causes less obstruction, and for that, this small charger puts out a lot of power. While 18W might not sound like a lot, it is easily able to fast charge my Pixel 4 in the car for a quick top-up while traveling. Unlike the other two chargers, this one uses USB PD-2.0. This difference isn’t a huge deal at 18W, but it should still work out well. It has a single USB C port for power.

Aukey 18W Car Charger

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Cables

Aukey sent me two different cables, the USB Type-C to USB Type-C cable, and the lightning to USB Type-C cable. Both cables are the same in quality and build. They have a very neat braided nylon wrap that protects the cable and feels durable yet premium. This just isn’t something you can say about a lot of cables. They really shouldn’t break from constant bending, but that’s always a possibility if you abuse any cable hard enough. Both cables came with cable ties, but the USB Type-C cable came with a more premium leather band while the Lightning cable came with a cheaper plastic one. The USB C to Lightning cable comes in at a length of 1.2 meters or 3.9 feet. The USB C to USB C cable comes in at 2 meters or 6.6 feet.

The USB C to USB C cable supports up to 60W of power, so you can comfortably use it to charge your USB C laptop. The USB C to Lightning cable supports up to 18W, the maximum power lightning devices can support. Both cables support up to 480Mbps of data transfer. It’s going to be a fast and good cable for your USB C or Lighting devices.

The USB C cable comes in at $16, but at the time of writing, it’s on sale for $10. This is an amazing price for the quality and the length of cable you are getting. The lightning cable cost $22, but at the time of writing, it’s on sale for $16. The lightning cable is a little more expensive and shorter than the USB C cable, but that’s because of the Apple Lightning certification. Even though it’s a little more expensive, it’s not a terrible cable and it’s probably worth the price at $16 if you need a new cable for an Apple product.

Aukey USB C to USB C Cable || Aukey USB C to Lightning Cable

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Powerbanks

AUKEY 8000mAh Wireless Charging Power Bank

The Aukey 8000mAh Wireless Charging Power Bank carries 8,000 mAh of power for your devices, which can just about charge a lot of modern smartphones twice. Even if it isn’t the biggest capacity ever, the USB output and size make up for it.  It has two USB ports: a Quick Charge 3.o capable slot and another standard USB. It also has a USB Type C input/output port and Micro USB input on the side. This makes it a one-size-fits-all solution that gives you almost every charging option you could possibly need for mainstream mobile devices outside of the Apple ecosystem.

Now, what makes this product even more interesting is that it is also a wireless charger. Wireless chargers aren’t very efficient and they are pretty slow, especially with just 5W of power output through this medium. If you had a choice between wireless charging and USB charging, USB charging is the way to go because it supports QuickCharge 3.0 with an 18W output. That said, you can use it to charge wearables or wireless earbuds and also passively charge devices in case you don’t have access to cables. The use case for wireless charging through this power bank is, therefore, more of convenience instead of speed or efficiency.

Aukey Wireless Charging Battery

RAVPower Portable Charger 10000mAh

The idea of having a small charger with a high-capacity is very good, in theory. In reality, this battery pack ends up being a little too bulky for my taste. RAVPower went for a narrow and thick design. This means it’s uncomfortable in your pocket, while a lot of other batteries are not. Ignoring the shape and size, the battery is great. It has a USB C port for both charging and discharging with Power Delivery. This Type C port can output 29W of power, which is perfect for the size. Along with the Type C port, it also has a iSmart USB A port.

My other issue with this battery is the capacity. While it is a comparatively high-capacity, phones are launching with 4000 mAh to 5000 mAh batteries, making the power bank good for two full charges. Though, there are other units that have better shape and design.

RAVPower 10000 mAh battery

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USB Hub

AUKEY 4-in-1 USB-C Hub with Wireless Charging

This USB C hub is actually one of my favorite accessories Aukey sent over in their Omnipower kit. This is a really cool powerhub for a laptop. You connect it to your laptop with the USB Type C and you’re good to go. It has 2 USB A 3.0 ports, 1 USB C pass-through for power and data, and an HDMI port. Those 4 ports go along with the wireless charger built into the hub. You can connect a few different accessories to it, making it a very useful hub. Though keep in mind that its ideal use case is on a stationary desk rather than on the move.

Aukey 4 in 1 USB Type-C Hub

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Storage

RAVPower Mini External SSD Hard Drive

This SSD is very small and very fast. It has a small aluminum and plastic body. The body is about 4 inches x 1 inch while being very light as well. It makes it feel like an all-around awesome SSD. The unit RAVPower sent me is a 512GB drive but there is a 1TB option as well. This drive has a USB Type-C port with USB 3.1 Gen 2, which is amazing because this allows for a lot of data throughput. The drive supports up to 540 Mbps in data transfer speed. In my usage, this was pretty accurate.

There is a catch, though. RAVPower partitions the SSD with a separate drive specifically for their encryption software. This by itself is not an issue as the partition is just about 100Mb. The issue is with that software itself. Windows Explorer recognizes it as a virus, VirusTotal even found 35 engines in the software. It’s hard to recommend a product that has a “virus” included with absolutely no way to remove it. RAVPower sent me an updated .exe file, but I couldn’t test it because Gmail wouldn’t let me download the file because of a virus scan issue too! We are unable to confirm if the SSD is absolutely safe, hence, we are consciously avoiding a direct link to the product.

READ MORE: If you’re interested in more RAVPower accessories, Adam Conway reviewed the RAVPower PD Pioneer 20,000mAh power bank.

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Accessories Review: Aukey and RAVPower Chargers, Cables, Power Banks, USB Hub, and Storage

Phone accessories can often be indispensable, especially to power users. Whether by trying to extend battery life or listening to some tunes, you probably use some smartphone accessories regularly, if not daily. From earphones to cables, charging bricks, and power banks, these enhance our smartphone experience by accentuating their pros or diminishing their cons. In this article, we will be taking a look at various phone accessories from Aukey and RAVpower, including chargers, cables, and power banks to help you compare and contrast some of the most competitive products in each category.

All accessories in this article were provided by Aukey and RAVPower for review. However, neither had any involvement in the content of this article. All views expressed herein are of the author himself.

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Chargers

AUKEY 63W Dual-Port PD Wall Charger

The Aukey 63W Dual-Port PD Wall Charger is a very nice dual charger. It has two USB C ports with high wattage output. The second USB C port can output a full 60W of power while the first one can only do 18W. If you are using both ports, the charger will limit the first USB C port to 45W to give the second one a full 18W of power. This is useful if you are looking to charge both your laptop and phone quickly, as it should still provide enough power to fast charge both devices.

It does support USB PD-3.0 with dynamic detect, so you’ll be able to get fast charging in phones or laptops that support USB PD-3.0. This makes it a very reliable and relatively universal charger for most Type C devices.

The dual charger uses a GaN technology that actually reduces the weight of the charger by 30% and increases efficiency by 10%, but you probably won’t notice this since most users don’t really look at the power efficiency or weight of a charger. The charging brick is of a good size, coming in at 2.64″ x 2.52″ x 1.14″, so it will easily fit into your bag without issue if you are traveling, and it will also fit into the wall outlet while leaving other nearby outlets open, something that is very rare with high wattage chargers like this.

Aukey Dual Charger

AUKEY 30W PD Wall Charger

The Aukey 30W PD wall charger is an insanely nice charger. It lets you fit a lot of wattage into a pretty small package. This uses the same GaN technology as the 63W dual charger above, which means it’s light and efficient while also being very small. It comes in at 1.42″ x 1.42″ x 1.26″, which is very close in size to the 5W iPhone charger Apple has included with its products for years. It has a single USB C port that outputs 30W with USB PD 3.o. For its compact size, the charger is insanely good.

Aukey 30W Wall Charger

AUKEY 18W PD Car Charger

The Aukey 18W car charger is also a good product. It has a very low profile that causes less obstruction, and for that, this small charger puts out a lot of power. While 18W might not sound like a lot, it is easily able to fast charge my Pixel 4 in the car for a quick top-up while traveling. Unlike the other two chargers, this one uses USB PD-2.0. This difference isn’t a huge deal at 18W, but it should still work out well. It has a single USB C port for power.

Aukey 18W Car Charger

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Cables

Aukey sent me two different cables, the USB Type-C to USB Type-C cable, and the lightning to USB Type-C cable. Both cables are the same in quality and build. They have a very neat braided nylon wrap that protects the cable and feels durable yet premium. This just isn’t something you can say about a lot of cables. They really shouldn’t break from constant bending, but that’s always a possibility if you abuse any cable hard enough. Both cables came with cable ties, but the USB Type-C cable came with a more premium leather band while the Lightning cable came with a cheaper plastic one. The USB C to Lightning cable comes in at a length of 1.2 meters or 3.9 feet. The USB C to USB C cable comes in at 2 meters or 6.6 feet.

The USB C to USB C cable supports up to 60W of power, so you can comfortably use it to charge your USB C laptop. The USB C to Lightning cable supports up to 18W, the maximum power lightning devices can support. Both cables support up to 480Mbps of data transfer. It’s going to be a fast and good cable for your USB C or Lighting devices.

The USB C cable comes in at $16, but at the time of writing, it’s on sale for $10. This is an amazing price for the quality and the length of cable you are getting. The lightning cable cost $22, but at the time of writing, it’s on sale for $16. The lightning cable is a little more expensive and shorter than the USB C cable, but that’s because of the Apple Lightning certification. Even though it’s a little more expensive, it’s not a terrible cable and it’s probably worth the price at $16 if you need a new cable for an Apple product.

Aukey USB C to USB C Cable || Aukey USB C to Lightning Cable

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Powerbanks

AUKEY 8000mAh Wireless Charging Power Bank

The Aukey 8000mAh Wireless Charging Power Bank carries 8,000 mAh of power for your devices, which can just about charge a lot of modern smartphones twice. Even if it isn’t the biggest capacity ever, the USB output and size make up for it.  It has two USB ports: a Quick Charge 3.o capable slot and another standard USB. It also has a USB Type C input/output port and Micro USB input on the side. This makes it a one-size-fits-all solution that gives you almost every charging option you could possibly need for mainstream mobile devices outside of the Apple ecosystem.

Now, what makes this product even more interesting is that it is also a wireless charger. Wireless chargers aren’t very efficient and they are pretty slow, especially with just 5W of power output through this medium. If you had a choice between wireless charging and USB charging, USB charging is the way to go because it supports QuickCharge 3.0 with an 18W output. That said, you can use it to charge wearables or wireless earbuds and also passively charge devices in case you don’t have access to cables. The use case for wireless charging through this power bank is, therefore, more of convenience instead of speed or efficiency.

Aukey Wireless Charging Battery

RAVPower Portable Charger 10000mAh

The idea of having a small charger with a high-capacity is very good, in theory. In reality, this battery pack ends up being a little too bulky for my taste. RAVPower went for a narrow and thick design. This means it’s uncomfortable in your pocket, while a lot of other batteries are not. Ignoring the shape and size, the battery is great. It has a USB C port for both charging and discharging with Power Delivery. This Type C port can output 29W of power, which is perfect for the size. Along with the Type C port, it also has a iSmart USB A port.

My other issue with this battery is the capacity. While it is a comparatively high-capacity, phones are launching with 4000 mAh to 5000 mAh batteries, making the power bank good for two full charges. Though, there are other units that have better shape and design.

RAVPower 10000 mAh battery

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USB Hub

AUKEY 4-in-1 USB-C Hub with Wireless Charging

This USB C hub is actually one of my favorite accessories Aukey sent over in their Omnipower kit. This is a really cool powerhub for a laptop. You connect it to your laptop with the USB Type C and you’re good to go. It has 2 USB A 3.0 ports, 1 USB C pass-through for power and data, and an HDMI port. Those 4 ports go along with the wireless charger built into the hub. You can connect a few different accessories to it, making it a very useful hub. Though keep in mind that its ideal use case is on a stationary desk rather than on the move.

Aukey 4 in 1 USB Type-C Hub

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Storage

RAVPower Mini External SSD Hard Drive

This SSD is very small and very fast. It has a small aluminum and plastic body. The body is about 4 inches x 1 inch while being very light as well. It makes it feel like an all-around awesome SSD. The unit RAVPower sent me is a 512GB drive but there is a 1TB option as well. This drive has a USB Type-C port with USB 3.1 Gen 2, which is amazing because this allows for a lot of data throughput. The drive supports up to 540 Mbps in data transfer speed. In my usage, this was pretty accurate.

There is a catch, though. RAVPower partitions the SSD with a separate drive specifically for their encryption software. This by itself is not an issue as the partition is just about 100Mb. The issue is with that software itself. Windows Explorer recognizes it as a virus, VirusTotal even found 35 engines in the software. It’s hard to recommend a product that has a “virus” included with absolutely no way to remove it. RAVPower sent me an updated .exe file, but I couldn’t test it because Gmail wouldn’t let me download the file because of a virus scan issue too! We are unable to confirm if the SSD is absolutely safe, hence, we are consciously avoiding a direct link to the product.

READ MORE: If you’re interested in more RAVPower accessories, Adam Conway reviewed the RAVPower PD Pioneer 20,000mAh power bank.

The post Accessories Review: Aukey and RAVPower Chargers, Cables, Power Banks, USB Hub, and Storage appeared first on xda-developers.

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You can now send an email as an attachment in Gmail

Gmail as an email service from Google needs no introduction. Launched in 2004, Gmail boasts of more than 1.5 Billion users as of last year, showing off how many users rely on it for their daily emailing needs. If you count yourself as someone who uses Gmail every day, you would be glad to know that you can now send emails as attachments to emails, without needing to download them either.

Get attached to this #gmail update: You can now attach emails to other emails without downloading them. Learn more → https://t.co/pINcInu7bh pic.twitter.com/nstzFdN0Im

— Gmail (@gmail) December 9, 2019

Many users would find themselves in situations where a few emails need to be forwarded to the same set of recipients. Conventionally, all of these emails would be separately forwarded to the set of recipients, in turn littering their inboxes with threads of emails that they now need to keep track of. While this worked to serve its purpose, it wasn’t the most ideal solution.

Now, Gmail lets you attach emails to emails. This makes the most sense in the abovementioned scenario, where multiple emails all relate to similar topics and are intended to be sent to the same set of recipients. Sending emails as an attachment thus opens up the possibility to write a summary email message and then attach the entire set of supporting emails, which can then be opened up by the recipients in their email client. This helps keep the recipient’s email cleaner and better organized.

To attach emails to an email, you can drag and drop them into the draft window, or select the emails and then from the overflow (three-dot) menu select “Forward as attachment”. To reply to an existing thread with an attachment, you can pop-out the compose window and then drag and drop emails to it. The attached email in all these instances becomes a .eml file. When a .eml email attachment is clicked on, it will open in a new window.

This feature is rolling out to Gmail users gradually. To check if you have received this feature, you can try to locate the “Forward as attachment” option in the overflow menu.

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