Network and Security

If you’re looking for an affordable smartphone to buy this holiday season and aren’t too keen on a Windows Phone, look no further than the Android One range. Android may be the most popular mobile phone operating system on the planet, but suffers from the problem of fragmentation. With the huge number of hardware and SoCs available on the market, there were no standards manufacturers adhered to, so it got difficult to update phones when new versions of the operating system came out. Carriers made matters worse, and this problem was more apparent in the budget and mid range segment, which actually makes up a bulk of the market. It’s fairly easy to upgrade the more powerful phones since there’s fewer SoC options, but at lower price points, there is far more hardware to deal with, which makes updates difficult. India is one of the biggest market for smartphones, and it would be folly to not tap into the budget segment where most of the sales happen, thus was born An...

The good The 5.7-inch Samsung Galaxy Note 4 has a brilliant high-resolution screen and takes excellent outdoor shots on its 16-megapixel camera with optical image stabilization. Using the stylus is more convenient, and the battery charges very quickly. The bad Low light and indoor shots aren't as good as they should be. The Note 4 costs significantly more than some other phablets, like the LG G3. The bottom line The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 will thrill anyone who loves a fast phone with a large screen, but it's best for compulsive scribblers willing to pay a lot for its winning stylus. CNET REVIEW To stylus or not to stylus, that is the question. The Samsung Galaxy Note 4's S-Pen -- the narrow stylus tucked handily inside Samsung's surprisingly successful, giant 5.7-inch Galaxy Note phone -- stands out in a crowd. No other popular phone comes with a stylus, and this one makes the most of its mouselike properties, and an ability to write and draw on the screen. Every day, I...