Tag: unbox

First Impressions of the Pixel Fold

I recently had the opportunity to unbox and get a firsthand look at Google’s Pixel Fold, their entry into the foldable phone market. This is the first foldable device I’ve ever had the pleasure of handling. My latest video is a rundown of my initial impressions.

As I unwrapped the Pixel Fold, the first thing I noticed was its weight. It felt heavier than the standard smartphones I’ve used, likely due to its dual screens.

The phone sports a screen on the front and unfolds to reveal a larger display. One thing that immediately caught my eye was the visible crease when the phone was fully opened. It’s more pronounced than I anticipated but it’s a characteristic of the current foldable tech.

Both OLED displays are vibrant and crisp, and the concept of transitioning from a standard phone display to a larger tablet-like screen is intriguing. The device isn’t overly thick, but it’s certainly chunkier than a regular smartphone.

Google included some tips for maintaining the screen’s integrity, emphasizing the importance of avoiding getting sand and other materials caught in the crease and not removing the pre-installed screen protector. The box also contained a USB-C charging cable, an OTG adapter, and a SIM popper. However, a notable omission was the charger itself. The phone charges over USB-C and works with Qi compatible chargers too.

The Pixel Fold boasts a Tensor 2 processor, 12GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. There’s no SD card slot. It has a fingerprint reader integrated into the power switch for unlocking the device quickly. The Fold is equipped with multiple cameras: a front-facing one and another inside for video calls, along with three on the back. The rear camera includes a 48MP primary camera, a 10.8MP ultra-wide, and a 10.8MP telephoto lens.

The Pixel Fold is an exciting piece of tech, and I’m eager to delve deeper into its features and capabilities. The ever-present crease might be a point of contention for some, but it’s a small trade-off for the versatility the device offers. I’ll be spending more time with the Pixel Fold and will share a comprehensive review soon. If there’s anything specific you’d like to know, drop a comment, and I’ll do my best to address it in my upcoming review.

Disclosure: the Pixel Fold was sent to the channel free of charge by Google.

Unboxing Some Cheap Gadgets from TEMU.com

As a tech enthusiast always on the hunt for cheap and useful stuff, I couldn’t resist diving into the world of TEMU.com (affiliate link), an online schlock house that offers a variety of inexpensive gadgets and other cheap stuff in just about every product category imaginable.

In my latest YouTube video, I shared my unboxing experience, revealing a mix of surprisingly useful items along with some of the crap I expected.

First the good stuff:

I got a $20 face tracking smartphone camera mount that performed surprisingly well. The best part was that all of its face tracking was done on the hardware itself and did not require an app. Another win was a relatively low cost wireless lavalier microphone kit. While it was not as good as my expensive Sennheiser gear it was pretty good for a couple of bucks. And the super cheap knock-off Apple pencil was recognized as an Apple Pencil by my iPad at 10% of the price. The only feature it was missing was pressure detection.

There were of course a few letdowns in the mix. The tiny action camera I received didn’t work, the $12 “smartwatch” had non-existent health sensors that delivered false results and the $10 1080p webcam delivered a washed out image with a microphone that sounded like I was underwater.

Without a proper customer review system it’s hard to know what you’re getting from TEMU. Many products pop up and disappear when stock runs out only to be replaced by the same item with a different brand name. In short you get what you pay for at TEMU so be prepared for disappointment. But you may encounter some delight when a cheap gadget turns out not to be a piece of junk.

Caveat emptor!