How-To Geek

LG

Samsung may have stolen everyone’s thunder a week ago, but LG wants you to know it isn’t out of the Android game just yet. At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the company is introducing three phone designs.

V8 ThinQ

The LG V8 gets the company’s annoying “ThinQ” branding but otherwise looks like a solid if unambitious design. It’s equipped with the latest Snapdragon 855 processor, 6 GB of RAM, and a 6.1-inch display with the familiar rounded corners and notched cutout. That screen is OLED, by the way, with a generous 3120×1440 resolution. And that’s not its only trick: the flat surface of the display is used as an amplifier for the phone’s speaker, a neat extra.

LG

LG is hoping for a bit of differentiation with more hardware flexibility, including 128GB of storage and a MicroSD card slot, a headphone jack, and a choice between a fingerprint reader, face unlock, and “palm vein” biometrics. That unlocks your phone or apps with the unique pattern of blood vessels in your hand, recognized via a dedicated camera on the front. That camera can also handle hand gestures, which sounds less interesting. The conventional cameras are 8 megapixels and 5 megapixel wide-angle on the front, with a dual 12/16 megapixel setup on the back. Confusingly, some international market variations of the G8 will also get a third 12 MP telephoto lens. The battery is 3500 mAh.

LG G8s ThinQ

The company also announced the G8s, a cheaper alternate version of this model that will appear in some markets. It’s mostly the same, but uses a slightly larger 6.2-inch screen with a lower 1080p resolution. The rear gets three cameras, 13 and 12 megapixels main sensors and a 13 MP telephoto lens, while the front is only packing one (plus the vein and gesture sensor cam). Note that it omits the SD card slot and that speaker-screen is nowhere to be found. It also starts at “just” 64GB of storage.

LG V50 ThinQ

The LG V50 is the company’s new flagship in the main line. It has all the features of the G8 above, with a larger 6.4-inch OLED screen, the same camera setup plus a 12 MP zoom lens, and a boosted 4000 mAh battery. The biggest differentiation is that it will launch with ultra-fast 5G wireless support, which is probably what that bigger screen and battery are accommodating.

LG

To ostensibly compete with Samsung’s Galaxy Fold design, the V50 will also have an optional dual-screen add-on case. The “Dual Screen for G V50 ThinQ 5G” (just rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it?) packs an additional 6.2-inch 1080p OLED display, connecting to the main phone via POGO pins. It’s a secondary screen for apps, but it can also be used horizontally as a keyboard or game controller.

Prices and precise release dates haven’t been announced yet. Expect them to be competitive, more or less, with Samsung’s Galaxy S10, S10e, and S10+, respectively.

Source: LG Newsroom

HTC

HTC is partnering with Sprint to offer an unusual 5G hotspot. It has a display, runs Android Pie, and functions as a portable battery pack. It may look like an Echo Show, but don’t confuse it for a smart hub.

You probably shouldn’t buy a 5G phone in 2019, and along the same lines, it’s likely you shouldn’t buy a 5G hotspot either. But if you live in one of the few cities that Sprint is bringing 5G to, HTC has an odd proposition for you.

The HTC 5G Hub is a combination mobile hotspot, battery pack, and Android tablet. The device features Android Pie, a 5-inch display, and a 7,660 mAh battery. HTC claims that it has enough battery to last an entire day, though that depends on the number of devices connected to it and if the display is on.

Additionally, you can charge devices from it, plug it into a TV to get a larger display, and use voice commands to control it. In theory, if Sprint’s 5G service is good enough in your area, HTC says you could replace your Wi-Fi router with the hub. And in the office setting, the Hub can provide a corporate VPN.

It’s not a smart hub though, it doesn’t feature any Zigbee or Z-wave capabilities, and it doesn’t run the same interface as Google Home hub or other similar smart displays. HTC is primarily focusing on the 5G mobile hotspot feature and suggests it as a way to provide faster speeds to your 4G phones and tablets. The other features are there to increase the value.

In addition to everything else, HTC is promising eventual integration with the HTC Vive, stating:

In the future, you will be able to stream VR content from the cloud to your VIVE headsets via the HTC 5G Hub—no PC or unnecessary cables required—to enjoy a mobile, high-end VR experience in real time.

What HTC isn’t saying though is any form of pricing. Like the VR feature, you’ll have to wait on that.

Sources: HTC (1, 2)

Want to watch your favorite movies and media without wires? Whether you want multi-room video or just want to avoid running wires across your living room, a wireless HDMI transmitter can help.

Wireless HDMI has been around for awhile, but it hasn’t really gained popularity. It’s a bit of a shame, because the HDMI cables that we’ve been using for over a decade have some drawbacks. They create a lot of clutter, and they restrict your TV shows and video games to a single room of the house.

How does Wireless HDMI work? Unlike screen mirroring applications like Apple AirPlay, Wireless HDMI doesn’t require a Wi-Fi connection. A transmitter that plugs into your video source sends out a frequency that’s picked up by a receiver that you plug into a display. And some Wireless HDMI products even have built-in IR transmitters, so you can use a remote control in your bedroom to control a video source in your living room.

But there are a lot of things that you should think about before buying a Wireless HDMI product. What are you going to use it for, and how far is your video source from your TV? Sadly, you can’t just buy the longest-range Wireless HDMI product and go to town. You have to strike a balance between distance and latency. Wireless HDMI products with a long range usually have a high latency, and while they’re fine for TV, they aren’t great for video games. Here are our favorites for each situation.

The Best Long Range Wireless HDMI: J-Tech Digital HDbitT ($350)

If you want a powerful Wireless HDMI setup that can beam signals through walls and ceilings, then you should check out the J-Tech Digital HDbitT. It’s one of the most powerful Wireless HDMI products on the market, and it can transmit a lossless 1080p signal up to 660 feet.

This J-Tech product supports up to two receivers, so you could potentially send a video signal from a single BluRay player or streaming stick into multiple rooms. And since this Wireless HDMI setup has built-in IR transmission technology, you can use a remote in your basement to control a cable box in your living room.

Of course, there are a few drawbacks to the J-Tech’s 660-foot range. This device has a latency of 0.3-0.5 seconds, so it isn’t great for video games or interactive media. But a few seconds of delay time isn’t going to hurt your TV watching experience.

Buy on Amazon For Room to Room TV: Nyrius ARIES NAVS500 ($180)

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If you missed out on some Valentine’s Day deals earlier this month, now’s your chance to snag a new iPad (the latest-generation models, at that) at a fairly decent discount.

The newest 12.9-inch iPad Pro can be had for as little as $899 for the 64GB model. That’s good for $100 off the retail price. The 512GB model, however, can be bought for $150 off, at $1,199.

If you don’t need quite that much screen, the newer 11-inch iPad Pro is selling for $699 ($100 off) if you go for the 64GB variant, and higher storage models also see the same discount.

If you just want the basic 9.7-inch iPad, the latest model is at its lowest price that we’ve seen (matching the Black Friday deals) at $249 for the 32GB model. You can also get the 128GB model for $389.

So if you just couldn’t quite bite the bullet on Black Friday, but are now fully committed, here’s your chance to grab a really solid deal on some new iPads.

Buy on Amazon

There are a lot of tablets on the market, but the Kindle Paperwhite is still the king of e-readers. Luckily, Paperwhites are pretty inexpensive, and Woot has refurbished units at a discount.

Right now, you can buy a refurbished 7th generation Kindle Paperwhite from Woot for just $55. That’s a $45 discount. These Paperwhites have a 6″ display, and 4 GB of internal storage (which is plenty of storage for e-books). They also have special offers on the lock screen, and they’re Wi-Fi only.

Now, this is actually the previous generation of Kindle Paperwhites — that’s part of why they’re so inexpensive. But don’t worry, you’re only missing out on a waterproof display and some extra internal storage.

These are refurbished units, but Kindle Paperwhites are known to be pretty sturdy. Plus, Woot offers a 90-day warranty on products, so there isn’t much to worry about. Just don’t sleep on this deal, it’s going to disappear by the end of the day.

Buy From Woot

You can use Excel to calculate the percentage of change between two values quickly. In our simple example, we show you what you need to know to be able to calculate things like how much the price of gas changed overnight or the percentage of a stock price’s rise or fall.

How Percentage of Change Works

The percentage of change between an original and a new value is defined as the difference between the original value and the new value, divided by the original value.

(new_value - original_value)/(original_value)

For example, if the price of a gallon of gasoline was $2.999 yesterday on your drive home and it rose to $3.199 this morning when you filled your tank, you could calculate the percentage of change by plugging those values into the formula.

($3.199 - $2.999)/($2.999) =  0.067 = 6.7% Let’s Look at an Example

For our simple example, we will look at a list of hypothetical prices and determine the percentage of change between an original price and a new price.

Here is our sample data containing three columns: “Original Price,” “New Price,” and “Percentage of Change.”  We have formatted the first two columns as dollar amounts.

Start by selecting the first cell in the “Percentage of Change” column.

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If you own a GoPro or a Nintendo Switch, then there’s no such thing as a MicroSD card too large. SanDisk and Micron are both stepping up to the plate with humungous 1 TB microSD cards.

Mobile World Congress is in full swing and taking a break from phones that fold, Sandisk and Micron have both stepped forward to announce microSD cards. But these aren’t just any old microSD cards; they’re 1 TB microSD cards. That’s handy because some systems like the Nintendo Switch need expanded storage. Zelda: Breath of the Wild started at 13 GBs before DLC, which means it used up 40% of the Switch’s internal storage.

Games are only growing more massive, and camera needs are growing too. Every update to an action camera or smartphone leads to ever-expanding picture sizes. More and more smartphones support raw storage for photos, which take up more space than jpegs but provides more information to work with for editing.

1 TB microSD cards should take of the problem, but it will come at a cost. Micron hasn’t announced pricing yet, but Sandisk’s card will cost an eye-watering $450, the same price as a Switch, Mario Oddysey, and Zelda: Breath of the Wild, plus one year of Nintendo Switch Online.

Which company you go with also depends on your preferences for read or write speeds. SanDisk is calling its card the “World’s fastest” and boats a read speed of 160 MB/s. Sandisk claims at that speed, you could theoretically “transfer 1000 high-resolution photos and 30 minutes of 4K video (24GB) in less than 3 minutes.”

Micron may not have the edge in read speeds, but it does bost a faster write speed, albeit just barely. Sandisk write speeds top out at 90 MB/S, while Micros boats 95 MB/S. It may be worth waiting to see Micron’s pricing as well. If it’s lower than $450, that could be a selling point worth considering.

If you can settle for a step-down, SanDisk also announced a 512 GB microSD card, for a more palatable $200. You’ll get the same read and write speeds, half the storage at less than half the cost.

Sandisk, Micron via 9to5Toys

There may not be a whole lot of reasons to take screenshots of the login screen on your Chromebook. If you ever need to, however, it’s a needlessly lengthy process. Here’s how to do it.

First off, you need to know how to take a screenshot, which is surprisingly easy: press the Ctrl and []]] keys at the same time. (The “[]]]” key is located above the 6 key on your keyboard’s number row.) Boom, screenshot taken. This part works anywhere—even on the login screen.

The problem comes when you try to retrieve said screenshot because you won’t find it in the default location on your account. Since you’re not logged in when you take the screenshot, the system can’t associate it with an account on the Chromebook.

So where does it store it? In a temporary directory. The screenshot(s) will stay here even after you log in—you just need to know how to copy it over to your account, which will require some time in the Chrome OS shell.

That may sound intimidating, but I promise it’s pretty simple—you just have to type a few commands, and you’ll be rockin’ and rollin’.

So, go ahead and fire up Crosh by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T. Here, type shell and hit enter.

In the shell, navigate to the tmp directory by typing the following: cd /tmp/

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You’ve probably heard the terms “post-production,” “post-processing,” or simply “post” about movies but they also apply—and are equally important—to photography. Let’s break down what they mean.

The three terms—post-production, post-processing, and post—are, short of Hollywood movies, basically interchangeable. The “production” is what happens on set or location; it’s what you’re doing when you’re wandering around with your camera in your hand shooting photos or video. “Post-production,” then, is everything that happens after you’ve finished shooting, “post-processing” is all the processing that’s done after you’ve finished shooting, and “post” is an abbreviation for the two.

What Is Post?

So, we’ve established above that post is everything that happens after a shoot, but what does that entail? In most cases, it involves some (or all) of the following:

• Importing all the material you’ve shot and backing it up.
• Going through all the material you’ve shot and selecting the good stuff.
• For videos, editing together all the different clips into a single movie.
• For videos, adding music and fixing any sound issues.
• Correcting color, brightness, contrast, and other basic exposure settings.
• Fixing any issues like crooked horizons, distortion, dust spots, or blemishes.
• Applying any color toning or similar stylistic adjustments.
• Prepping the photos or videos for export and printing, sharing, or posting them on the web.

How much post-processing is involved and how long it takes utterly depends on the project. A professionally shot short film will spend months in post-production with each step being done multiple times, on the other hand, I can process a few dozen photos in an hour—as long as I’m not doing any major retouching.

Here’s an example of an image I’ve taken through the steps above in about 20 minutes. Here’s what it looked like straight out of the camera (I also had another few similar photos that I rejected in post).

And here’s what it looks like after.

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If you’ve ever built a computer and purchased a Windows license, you probably don’t want to buy another license for your next one. With the slmgr command, it’s possible to deactivate your old PC and then activate a new one.

Deactivate an Old PC Instead of Buying a New License

Windows licenses are expensive. At $100 to $200, an official product key from Microsoft costs about the same as a 1 TB solid-state drive, 16 GB of RAM, or a motherboard. And it’s not a good idea to buy cheap keys from sketchy websites. So paying for another license when you want to decommission an old computer in favor of a new one isn’t a great option. The good news is, it’s possible to deactivate a PC you no longer intend to use, then transfer that license to a new computer.

The slmgr command makes this reasonably straightforward, but you’ll want to keep in mind a few limitations. This won’t work for OEM keys, which are keys that came with a computer you bought in a store. Manufacturers embed these keys to the hardware on which they originated, and transferring them to new devices won’t work. And while  slmgr can deactivate any retail key (a key you purchased separately), it will only activate a key that matches the installed operating system.

Windows 7 and 8 keys will still activate Windows 10, but only through the standard activation process and not through slmgr . If you enter a “Pro” key on a “Home” install, that too will fail with  slmgr . To keep things as simple as possible, transfer a Windows 10 Home key to a Windows 10 Home device, and a Windows 10 Pro key to a Windows 10 Pro device. Otherwise, you’ll have to take some extra steps.

How to Deactivate Your Old PC

Before you get started, make sure you have your Windows Key saved somewhere. If you have a product box or digital receipt, grab it from there. Otherwise, there are some ways you can recover the product key from your old PC, including using Nirsoft’s Produkey.

To deactivate your old PC, you’ll need to open an elevated Command Prompt. Having an administrator account isn’t enough. You will need to click the start button and type “cmd” (without quotes) into the search box. Then click on the “Run as administrator” option to the right.

In the command prompt that appears, run the following command and then restart your computer:

slmgr.vbs /upk

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Which PC Game Was The First to Be Flown Into Space?

1. Alpha Centauri
2. Galactic Civilizations
3. Dead Space
4. StarCraft

Think you know the answer?

Lowe’s

Hubs are often the backbone of the smarthome, and you can pick from an extensive list of hub manufacturers. But not all smarthomes are made equal, and not all are worth your consideration. Here’s a few to skip.

Smart Hubs Tie Together Your Devices

The first thing you should learn with smarthomes is that there is no single standard for communication between smarthome devices. Some smart devices use Z-Wave, some Zigbee, and others use either Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. When you want a Z-Wave smart light to work with a Wi-Fi outlet, you need something to bridge the gap. Right now smart hubs are one way to fulfill that role.

Wink and SmartThings are well known smart hubs, but there are numerous other options with varying features. While some of these alternatives may be fine, others you shouldn’t put into your home. They may not stay around for the long haul, or they may not be compatible with enough smarthome devices.

RELATED: Google and Amazon Are Killing the Smarthome Hub, and That’s Great

Iris By Lowe’s is an Abandoned Hub Lowe’s

Even products by big companies fail, and Iris by Lowes is no exception. Iris may have been one of the earliest smart hubs available, first launching in 2012, but despite being competent enough and supported by Lowe’s it never took off. Mistakes were made, including a $10 a month subscription for functionality other hubs offered for free and lack of support for multiple users—eventually, the hardware store wanted out.

Lowe’s first announced it wanted to find a buyer to take over the Iris product line, but later did an about-face and decided on a full shut-down. Iris hubs will not work after March 31st, 2019. You won’t find them in Lowe’s stores anymore, but if you see them for aftermarket sale, you should pass.

Securifi is Radio Silent on Updates Securifi

Securifi has been around for several years and has always made lofty promises. Its Almond 3S device will include both mesh router capabilities and smart hub capabilities, along with promised integration with Alexa, Google Home, IFTTT, Philips Hue and others. The problem is this has been the ongoing promise of an eventual project for years now.

Securifi’s last update on the product came via Twitter promising completion was near in April 2018. It does offer the Almond 3 but describes that as a router that moonlights as a smart hub. Users on Securifi’s forums have been complaining about a lack of firmware updates to address existing issues. Your smarthome setup might break, and there’s nothing you can do about it. So the best step you can take is to avoid a product that already has a dubious track record.

Insteon Uses a Protocol Separate from Z-Wave and ZigBee Insteon

At $80, Insteon offers a competitively priced hub that boasts an impressive number of integrations. Insteon will work with your Nest thermostat, Google Home, Amazon Echo, and your Logitech Harmony hub. If your house is large, Insteon will still work well as Insteon devices create a mesh network to extend their range.

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A Military Strike On A Korean Airliner Prompted Public Access To What?

1. North Korean Prisons
2. American Embassies
3. ARPANet
4. GPS

Think you know the answer?

Headphone jack-less phones are old news—it was a little over two years ago that Apple announced the iPhone wouldn’t have one anymore. But if you’re new to the experience, here are some handy products to help you survive without.

Bluetooth Headphones

If you use headphones a lot, Bluetooth is the way to go when you don’t have a headphone jack (but if you absolutely need wired headphones, read further down).

There are a ton of great Bluetooth headphones to choose from as well, so even if you’re limited to only Bluetooth, you’ll still most likely find a pair that you like. We have a buying guide that discusses the best picks for all types of styles, including over-the-ear and “truly wireless” models.

Personally, my favorite Bluetooth headphones are Anker’s Soundcore Liberty Air ($79), which sort of resemble AirPods, but are half the price and create a tight seal in your ear canal, which is a necessity for me.

Buy on Amazon Lightning or USB-C Headphone Adapter

If you absolutely must keep your beloved wired headphones, you’re not completely out of luck—you can get a headphone jack adapter that plugs into your phone’s charging port.

Apple makes a Lightning to headphone jack adapter that works with iPhones, and Google makes a USB-C to headphone adapter for their Pixel devices (or any other device without a headphone jack that uses USB-C). Simply just plug them into the charging port and you’ve got your headphone jack.

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Playnite

If you’re a PC gamer, you probably use too many game stores. Steam, Epic, Origin, Uplay, Twitch, GOG, Battle.net, Bethesda—it goes on and on. Playnite is a universal library for all your PC games, and it’s open source.

Using Playnite is simple: Just download and install the free Playnite application for Windows, go through the quick setup process. It will automatically scan your PC for installed games and show them in the Playnite application window. Playnite supports Battle.net, Bethesda, Epic, GOG, itch.io, Origin, Steam, Twitch, and Uplay.

Here’s why this is awesome: Playnite does all of this automatically. Whenever you launch the application, it scans for new games, and you can also manually trigger a scan. Just press F5 or click menu>Update Game Library>Update All. You can even have Playnite connect to your accounts so it can show you games you own but don’t have installed right now, although this feature is optional.

You can also manually add games to the library just by dragging and dropping them into the window, which means you can add Minecraft, any games you purchased from the Windows Store, and anything else you like. Playnite supports emulators, too.

When you want to play a game, click the “Play” button and Playnite will automatically launch the appropriate launcher and start the game. You can also open the full-screen interface (press F11) and use a game controller to launch your games.

Rather than pinning a huge number of game launchers to your taskbar and then trying to remember which games are where, you can see them in a single application. Games like Apex Legends, Fortnite, and Overwatch will be in the same launcher as all the games you own on Steam. Free games you get from Twitch Prime or the Epic Game Store will be right there along with your other games, too.

We keep seeing Playnite recommended in comments on websites, forum threads, and posts on Reddit. That strong word of mouth inspired us to try it, and it’s great.

Console controllers don’t always work as soon as you plug them into a Windows PC or Mac. We’ve compiled a list of guides so you can learn how to make your favorite controller work with your computer.

Most controllers intended to be used on PCs, like USB Logitech controllers, will be HID-compliant devices and support the XInput or DirectInput protocol, which you can use in most games. Some may work out of the box and others may need a custom driver. For console controllers, especially older ones, you may need a hardware adapter if it doesn’t plug into USB, as Bluetooth support is hit or miss.

This guide covers Windows and macOS, but most HID controllers will work on Linux, too. It’ll just take a little configuration, with which Linux users are probably familiar.

PlayStation 4 (DualShock 4)

Windows supports Sony PS4 controllers without additional software as long as you plug them in via USB. You’ll need a hardware adapter to use the controller wirelessly.

Macs also support Sony’s latest controllers by default, even with a wireless connection. Unfortunately, these controllers show up as a generic input device, which may not work in all games.

PlayStation 3 (DualShock 3)

Windows needs a custom driver for PS3 controllers, and it’s a bit complicated to set up.

Macs support these controllers without any extra software. Just wirelessly connect via Bluetooth or plug it in with a USB cable.

PlayStation 1 and 2 (DualShock 1 and 2)

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Which Television Show Contains An Entire Movie Hidden Within It?

1. Doctor Who
2. South Park
3. The Simpsons
4. Cheers

Think you know the answer?

PNG files are a great way to store images (like logos) that require transparency and fading. They do this all the while maintaining their original appearance on any color background. We’re going to go over a couple ways you can convert your images into PNG format.

What Is a PNG File?

PNG, or Portable Network Graphics, is a popular image format used in internet graphics for its ability to support transparency in browsers. It was first developed in the 1990s as an open alternative to GIF, which uses a proprietary compression algorithm. PNG is royalty-free.

PNG supports both 8-bit and 24-bit color, just like GIF and JPG, respectively. They also are considered a lossless file, which means that they will not degrade in quality, regardless of how many times you open and save the file.

RELATED: What’s the Difference Between JPG, PNG, and GIF?

How to Convert an Image to PNG

One of the main benefits of PNG over formats like JPG or GIF is that PNG is a lossless format with 24-bit color support. If you’re converting from JPG, take into consideration that JPGs are lossy files and may lose some quality from their initial compression. However, because PNG is lossless, your file won’t lose further quality any time you open or save the image again.

RELATED: What Lossless File Formats Are & Why You Shouldn’t Convert Lossy to Lossless

There are two main ways you’re able to convert an image into PNG format. You can either use an image viewing program on your computer or use one of the many file conversion sites available on the web.

Converting an Image With Windows

I know we say it a lot, and you may be getting tired of hearing about it, but IrfanView is one of the best, free image viewing programs on Windows. Period. You can do the same kind of conversion we’re about to show you in most editors (including Paint), but we’re going to use IrfanView for our example here.

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Seasontime/Shutterstock

Facebook is shutting down Onavo, the controversial data collecting app. But the company plans to continue spy-like research in the future.

For those of you who are out of the loop, here’s a quick rundown. Facebook offered a free VPN app called Onavo on the Apple App Store and Google Play. Unsurprisingly, Facebook spied on everyone who used that app. This has been going on for a few years, and it’s had real-world implications. According to Buzzfeed, data obtained by Onovo is the primary reason why Facebook bought WhatsApp.

About a year ago, Facebook was forced to remove Onavo from the Apple App Store, as it conflicted with the Apple privacy policy. But until today, the app remained on the Google Play store. Right now, it’s impossible to download the Onavo app on an iPhone or Android phone. But Facebook will continue supporting the app on phones that downloaded the app before it was taken down, supposedly to spy on any uninformed kids.

Facebook’s (reluctant) decision to discontinue Onavo is a good sign for privacy… Maybe? Facebook says that it will focus on an app called Facebook Research in the future. Facebook Research, which was violently removed from the Apple App Store last month, is an app that pays users $20 a month to be spied on. As you can imagine, most Facebook Research users are kids that haven’t realized the value of their privacy.

Facebook Research is still available on Google Play, but it isn’t accepting new users right now. Since Facebook is continuing support for existing Onavo users, it’s fair to assume that the company is also supporting remaining Facebook Research users.

RELATED: How to Choose the Best VPN Service for Your Needs

via The Verge

Samsung

As smartphones get more powerful and run more and more complex applications, phone memory gets more important. To that end, Samsung wants it known that if you buy a Galaxy S10 or S10+, you’ll get at least 8 GB of RAM.

The company said as much to Android Police when asked about the RAM situation on the new models. Apparently, some of the pre-release demonstration hardware showed “just” 6 GB when its specifications were checked in the Settings menu, causing confusion among the enthusiast community.

Samsung’s own website is feeding some of that misinformation, with its specs page not making it clear which versions of the phone get 6 GB, 8 GB, or a massive 12 GB of memory. At the moment it looks like only the cheapest version of the less expensive Galaxy S10e (the “e” stands for “essential”) will be equipped with 6 GB of memory—all the “regular” S10 and S10 Plus models get at least 8 GB. Some versions of the most expensive 1 TB storage Galaxy S10+ will have up to 12 GB, matching the bombastic specification of the Galaxy Fold.

8 GB might seem like overkill for a phone, especially considering that some new laptops are still being sold with just 4. But mobile memory is a big deal, especially among those phone buyers most likely to pre-order new devices. One of the most common complaints about Google’s own Pixel 3 phones is that they have “just” 4 GB at their high price level.

Source: Android Police