Table of contents for Issue 17 in Android Advisor

Following on from the excellent second-gen Moto X are not one but two new phones: the Moto X Style and Moto X Play. Although it has never enjoyed the popularity of flagship phones from other makers, we've always like the Moto X. It was the first phone to allow you to customise it before buying, and was extremely well built. It never had a microSD slot, but now it does! The Play will available from the end of August 2015. The Style should go on sale in September. The Moto X Play will cost £299 on Moto Maker, and that's for the base 16GB model with a standard back. If you buy an off-the-shelf version, you'll save £20 as it costs £279. The base Moto X Style will cost £359…

The new Note 5 was announced in the US on 13 August, but it won't be coming to the UK this year - not officially in any case. Who knows, Samsung could still surprise us with an IFA European launch, just a couple of weeks away. Samsung's UK Unpacked event focused solely on the new Galaxy S6 Edge+, although we also got the opportunity to spend some time with its new tablet, the Galaxy Tab S2. You can read our hands-ons with each over the following pages. Whether or not the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 officially comes to the UK or not, you will be able to buy it from the US and have it shipped over. We've already spoken to Geekbuying and GearBest, neither of which will be stocking…

£209 • lg.com/uk • There's no official LG G4 mini, but this midrange phone is the closest you'll find to one. Cheaper and smaller than the flagship Android phone, but neither cheap- nor compact enough to turn heads, the LG G4c is something of a disappointment. Find out what is and what's not to like in our LG G4c review. The LG G4c is a cut-down version of the excellent LG G4. It is a smaller, more affordable phone from LG, with a 5in display and a quad-core chip. With an RRP of £229 (and currently £209.99 SIM-free at Amazon) it's not a cheap phone, but it sits nicely in the middle ranks of modern Android phones. It runs Android Lollipop. Build and design The LG G4C revels in…

£369 • dell.co.uk • Dell is the slightly unlikely claimant to the title of world’s thinnest tablet with the Venue 8 7000. It’s also the first device we’ve seen with Intel RealSense technology. As we’ve touched on, the headline design feature of this tablet is how thin it is. At just 6mm, it’s slimmer than the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4, Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact and iPad Air 2, which are 6.6-, 6.4- and 6.1mm respectively. It’s also lightweight in the hand, although 310g makes it a little heavier than its Samsung and Sony rivals. We like the feel of the unibody metal casing that covers most of the tablet. Dell has created a stylish design, although it looks a little odd with the large bezel at one…

£33.99 • choetech.com • After months of seeing multiple variations on the same theme when it comes to power banks, in the past two days we've seen two new functionalities that have been introduced to these portable phone- and tablet chargers. Also this month we have reviewed the MiPow Power Tube 3000 (admittedly just for iPhones, so we haven't included it here), which includes Bluetooth connectivity so you can pair it with an app and monitor the remaining capacity and device temperature - a hot topic, thanks to a recent EE Power Bar fire-safety scare (see page 83). Here we have the Choetech Portable Power Bank, the first power bank we've seen to include support for Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 - and not only for charging your devices but…

Google has a new parent company, Alphabet. But what exactly does Google Alphabet mean for you? What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the name 'Google'? Most likely, you’ll visualise the search engine that pops up as your browser's home page. That's not surprising, given that Google was born in 1998 as a research tool that brought order to the huge amount of info available on the web, making it easier to find specific data. But Google is much more than a search engine company, and co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page's dreams are bigger than the web. They want to expand their views, invest in research, bring about new inventions and contribute to human progress. Many investors and customers might wonder why a search engine…

It's been a little over a year since the OnePlus One was announced and now the Chinese smartphone maker which took the market by storm is back with a second-generation smartphone to take on the iPhone 6, Samsung Galaxy S6, HTC One M9, Sony Xperia Z3+, LG G4 and others. The OnePlus 2 was announced on 27 July via a virtual reality app, making it the world's first product launch to be broadcast in VR. We've got all the juicy details on the OnePlus 2. Keep your eyes peeled in the next issue of Android Advisor for our full OnePlus 2 review. On sale from 11 August in the US, Europe and India, the 16GB model costs just £239 and you'll pay £289 for 64GB. To clarify, that's a little…

An oversized S6 Edge, the Edge+ was announced by Samsung in mid-August. With the new Note 5 not coming to the UK (at least for now), this is your new large-screen option from Samsung. So how does it stack up? The original Galaxy S6 Edge was one of the most expensive phones we've ever seen at £680 (launch price) for the cheapest model. We're expecting the larger model to be more expensive, and MobileFun is already taking pre-orders as £699. The S6 Edge+ will go on sale on 4 September with six months free Google Play Music. Design and build There's not a great deal to say about the design and build of the Galaxy S6 Edge+, since it is really just a bigger version of the current model. It…

£39 • ee.co.uk • If you’re looking for the cheapest 4G phone on the market, then you’ve come to the right place. The Rook is available for the paltry sum of £39 for EE customers. Otherwise you’ll have to pay £49, plus another £10 to top up the phone, though since this is credit you can use to make calls it’s hardly a catch. Even at the higher price, it’s still a very cheap device, with most budget phones with 4G LTE support costing £80 to £100. Even EE’s own Harrier Mini is £99, so the closest rival on price is the impressive Vodafone Smart Prime 6 at £79. As with most budget phones, there’s little to say about the EE Rook in terms of looks and build. The…

£150 • vodafone.co.uk • It’s becoming increasingly common for mobile networks to offer their own products and EE now has its own range, including an action camera. Vodafone isn’t far behind, but is sticking to core devices such as smartphones and tablets. We were impressed by its Smart Prime 6 budget phone, so our hopes were high for the Tab Prime 6. This is a simple tablet in terms of design, looking a little like the Google Nexus 9 but without the premium materials. Despite the lack of any metal, it looks and feels good, with the anthracite rear cover, which is smooth and slippery. The camera sticks out a little way, but that’s not a big problem and the back also has a flap hiding the microSD- and…

EE has launched a scheme where its customers can get a free Power Bar portable smartphone charger. It has since transpired that there is a dodgy batch of Power Bars, so here we explain not only how to claim your free EE Power Bar but also how to check you don't have a dodgy one. If you're with EE then you can get a free Power Bar. The cylindrical portable charger will help you avoid running out of power when you're out and about away from a mains socket. Not only is the Power Bar free for mobile- and broadband customers, once the power is depleted you can swap it in store for a fully charged one at no extra cost (as long as it's not broken). A Power Bar…

Motorola has unveiled three new Moto phones: the Moto X Style, Moto X Play and new Moto G. Here we reveal all there is to know about the new Moto G (third-generation). Keep your eyes peeled in the next issue of Android Advisor for our full Moto G review. The new Moto G went on sale on 28 July in 60 countries. It has an RRP of £159 from retailers such as Amazon, but prices start at £179 (8GB; £209 for 16GB) on Moto Maker. What to expect from the new Moto G The Moto G is Motorola's most successful phone ever, and it claims an exceptional phone at an exceptional price, delivering on everything customers care about. Perhaps the biggest news about the new G is that it now…

Samsung wasn't the only smartphone manufacturer to announce a new Note on 13 August. Xiaomi has also unveiled the new Redmi Note 2 and Note 2 Prime running the new MIUI 7 operating system. Xiaomi's Redmi Note 2 and Note 2 Prime went on sale in China on 16 August. Xiaomi phones are not officially available in the UK, but it's likely you will be able to pick one up through a grey-market site. The new Xiaomi Notes are much cheaper than their closest rivals. Xiaomi has given pricing in Chinese Yuan- the Note 2 costs 799 (£80) or 899 RMB (£90) depending on whether you have 4G on one or both SIM slots, while the Note 2 Prime costs 999 RMB (£100). Features and specifications A notable feature for…

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 models are the successors to last year's original Galaxy Tab S range, which featured the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 and the Galaxy Tab S 10.5. We thought they were the firm's best-ever tablets, so we had been looking forward to the arrival of the second-generation. We're pleased to say that, so far, they don't disappoint. They're thinner, lighter and more powerful, and it turns out we won't be waiting much longer than the US for them to go on sale. Price and availability The Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 is set to become available to buy in the UK on the 4th September, which coincides with the release of the new Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+. In the US they're expected this month, so we're pleased to…

£499 • sony.co.uk • The Xperia Z4 Tablet is Sony’s latest 10in Android tablet and is the successor to the Japanese tech giant’s Z2 Tablet. In comparison with Apple’s market-leading iPad Air 2, the Z4 is the same thickness, though a decent 45g lighter, so tops marks to Sony. The Xperia feels great in the hand too, with the weight making it easy to handle. Sony continues to offer dust- and waterproofing, this time to an IP68 rating, which is the highest available. We’ve got used to the headphone port not needing a cover or flap to keep the moisture out, but now the Micro-USB port doesn’t either, which is a great addition. Only having one flap for cards is ideal as you rarely need to open it. Aside…

£259 • lg.com/uk • With its design and build superior to most Android Wear smartwatches, the LG Watch Urbane fetches a higher price. While most cost between £150 and £200, the Urbane costs £259. (It’s still cheaper than the Apple Watch.) Looking very much like its predecessor, the G Watch R, the Urbane has been upgraded to a full metal casing, and is available in a silver option and a more blingtastic gold. A watch like this is supposed to be big and heavy, and if that’s what you’re looking for then great, but some may find this device too bulky and unwieldy for their wrist. Weighing 67g and measuring 46x52x10.9mm, the Urbane is hardly svelte, though it’s thinner than the G Watch R because it doesn’t have the…

Android security is hitting the headlines following a report from cybersecurity firm Zimperium that suggests Android phones can be infected with a picture message, allowing hackers to take complete control of a phone. Before you panic, here's how to avoid the Stagefright Android MMS virus. We should note that although there is a patch for the flaw, known as Stagefright and to which some 950 million devices are said to be vulnerable, the various flavours of Android in use and the need for both mobile operators and phone manufacturers to be involved in any software updates makes it impossible for Google to automatically roll out a patch to all Android users. Those using older handsets will likely never get the patch. Traditionally, Android malware comes through the installation of dodgy…