Hyping a product naturally does well to generate interest, especially when it’s something so different and ambitious. But the RED Hydrogen One has been going through a rollercoaster ride ever since it was first revealed back in July 2017, and multiple delays kept on pushing back its release. RED, for those not familiar, is a company that specializes in making professional video cameras – as in cameras used to shoot actual, feature-length movies, cameras that command a 5-digit price tag. 
The release of the RED Hydrogen One is finally here, and knowing what RED and its cameras stand for, we’re eager to see what this phone’s dual-camera system is capable of. However, this is not a phone following the trends, so it might have a harder time capturing the interest of consumers, unless they have a taste for the unconventional. Let’s see what the deal is.
In the box:

• RED Hydrogen One
• Wall Charger
• USB Type-C charging cable
• Startup Guide

Design

Today’s trends tend to favor phones with skinny frames and slick aesthetics that charm people at first glance. Well, that’s not what the RED Hydrogen One is all about, as it towers over today’s smartphones favoring utility more than aesthetics. It’s a beastly sized thing that’s not afraid of showing off its girth, one that’s packing a considerably large frame with some serious weight behind it as well.

While the phone itself is bulky, the aluminum and Kevlar frame makes it feel built like a tank – able to endure some brutal punishment! The scalloped grips around its sides indicate again the phone’s preference for utility with its design, allowing for additional texture for grasping tightly onto the phone. We do like how it doesn’t have the same kind of fragileness that accompanies today’s all-glass phones. Despite the tank-like construction, the phone has no water-resistant properties. Nevertheless, in an era of glass-covered smartphones, the metal/Kevlar construction of the RED Hydrogen One is a refreshing change of scenery.

The Xiaomi Mi 9 is the company’s first phone with the latest Snapdragon 855 and it’s ready to go head to head with the big-name flagships of 2019. Xiaomi is upping the ante in almost every aspect, but it still had to make compromises to keep the price lucratively low. So what is the final result? Time to find out!

Design

The Xiaomi Mi 9 is designed like most other smartphones in its class. It has a tall, 19:9 display, a small teardrop-shaped notch at the top, and a thin bottom bezel. Size-wise, the Mi 9 is in the same category as most big flagships today, such as the iPhone XS Max, the Galaxy S10+, and the OnePlus 6T. Despite its dimensions, we found it easy to handle and use. Xiaomi did a good job at finding the balance between size and comfort.

On the back, you get what Xiaomi calls “holographic glass design”. What that means is basically “fancy reflective back.” It does look nice, but the downside is that you’ll see every small smudge, fingerprint, and whatever else left its mark on the back, which kind of ruins the nice impression. It’s not as slippery as some other glass-back phones, but you’d definitely want to handle it carefully.

Display

The Mi 9 has a 6.4-inch AMOLED display made by Samsung with a resolution of 1080×2340 pixels and protected by Gorilla Glass 6. Most high-end phones have screens of higher resolution, but even a 1080p one looks sufficiently detailed at this size. Besides, having a lower-resolution screen saves battery and keeps costs down. Colors are vivid and bright, and we found ourselves occasionally unlocking the phone just for the eye candy that the wallpaper provides.

The notch isn’t a problem either. Because of the taller aspect ratio, it does not cover any content whether you’re watching videos or playing games, unless you force a YouTube video to fill the entire screen.

As we are getting ready for the Galaxy Note 9 announcement, Samsung is gearing up to release the Galaxy Tab S4on the 10th of August — its S Pen-equipped, flagship tablet of 2018. It’s the successor to the Galaxy Tab S3, but instead of having the more orthodox 4:3 display ratio, it went the extra-wide route with a 16:10 screen. With a slim bezel, lack of a home button, four speakers tuned by AKG, and last year’s hardware on board, is the Galaxy Tab S4 worth its entry price of $650? Well, let’s check it out!

In the box:

• Samsung Galaxy Tab S4
• S Pen
• Fast charger
• USB Type C cable
• Booklets

Design

As previously mentioned, the Tab S4’s display has an extra-wide display ratio of 16:10. This translates to a rather elongated, yet compact-looking design. The tablet sports a glass back and an aluminum frame, making it look and feel on par with the premium mobile devices of today, but it’s rather hefty as a result, weighing in at about 17 oz (483 g).

Couple the Tab S4’s weight with its glass back and we have a tablet that is not super-easy to wield around “naked”. Once the device warms up and your hand gets a little sweaty, that glass back may play a nasty prank on you. To top it off, there doesn’t appear to be much palm rejection, so “holding it wrong” might result in you accidentally touching icons and toggles near the edges of the display a bit too often.

Processor and memory

Camera

The Galaxy Tab S4 has nothing fancy in the camera department — a main 13 MP shooter on the back and an 8 MP cam on the front

With no optical image stabilization, the back-facing shooter does an OK job. It captures details well enough, but can get grainy or fuzzy easily. Its color representation is pretty close to reality, though its dynamic range is quite bad. Even if you go into HDR mode, which is a separate menu and will not activate automatically when you need it, the tablet just can’t seem to stop overblowing highlights or blacking out shadows. It’s a serviceable camera when you want to quickly take a snap of something and share it with whoever you are chatting with right now, which is probably its primary purpose. Trying to wield that tablet as a camera is both uncomfortable and a bit embarrassing.

The front-facing camera is pretty good at capturing face details and, while it does burn highlights as well, at least it doesn’t completely black out shadows. It’s a perfectly fine tool for video calls. Of course, we have Selfie Focus (Portrait Mode) on board, which tries to blur out the background and give you an artsy selfie. Well… this one doesn’t do so well at separating subject from a complex background, as you can see in the photo samples.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 sample images

There must be a catch, right? Of course there is, but that doesn’t mean the iPhone XR isn’t a good phone in itself. In fact, it’s a great phone that will probably sell like hot cakes. Here is why…

Unlike the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus from last year, the iPhone XR finally bid farewell to the aging iPhone 6-like design in favor of the new bezel-less aesthetic introduced by the iPhone X. The XR’s design is interesting because it’s like a cheaper version of the X’s design. Actually, it is just that. The polished stainless steel frame has been replaced by a very matte aluminum one (same as on the iPhone 8) that doesn’t feel as nice, but still has a high-quality look to it. Meanwhile, the glass on the back is supposed to be a bit weaker than what’s used in the iPhone XS and XS Max. Be careful not to break it, as those repairs are said to be quite costly! More review on this phone coming up only on Rono’s Caf’e!

The Google Home Hub represents the company’s first first-party smart display and the soft, cute aesthetic clearly gives it away as a Google Home device. Does its software betray the fact that it’s also the company’s first in the smart display space?

In the box:

• Google Home Hub
• Power Cable
• Getting Started and Warranty Guides

Google says the Home Hub is designed to fit seamlessly into “the most intimate spaces,” which seems to specifically mean a bedroom. The Home Hub won’t look too out of place in a family room or kitchen either, but the smaller screen and speaker size as well as the lack of any level of water resistance discourage us a bit from placing the Hub in one of those spaces.

The first thing you’ll notice is the device’s small size and soft, round aesthetic. The screen has a white face with rounded corners, while the back and woven fabric base come in pastel colors which Google calls sand, aqua, chalk, and charcoal. The diminutive footprint and soft colors combine to make this a cute device that straddles the line well between high-tech and home décor.

Continuing with the theme of blending in, the company excluded a camera and included a microphone on/off switch into this design, along with a volume rocker and ambient light sensor for automatic adjustments to display brightness and tones to further match its environment. We’re not entirely sure why a sliding camera cover couldn’t have been installed instead of excluding the camera entirely, as we’ve seen on the JBL Link View’s camera implementation, but we suppose this eliminates the worry of remembering to close the shutter when the camera isn’t wanted. Otherwise, a shutter cover would be preferable for those who would like the ability to use two-way video conferencing on supported devices.

Display

This display looks exquisite in any light, reminding us a lot of e-ink in that it looks so natural and readable, but unlike e-ink, this is the case in every lighting situation. The display’s automatic adjustment of brightness and tone combine to keep the Google Home Hub looking right at home wherever it is – dimming to a near full blackout in night time darkness and rising to the occasion in the light of day . Well, the Google Home Hub should definitely be in your bucket list.