Nother CarGuy

Last year, Samsung walked out of the ashes of the Note 7 debacle and launched the Galaxy S8, which was one of the best phones of 2017 and one of the best products Samsung ever made. So it’s not much of a surprise that this year’s Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus, which will be available for preorder on March 2nd and arrive in stores on March 16th, aren’t hugely different from the S8 phones. In fact, the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus are so similar to their predecessors that on passing glance, they look and feel exactly the same. The S9 pair maintain the S8’s attractive and efficient design, with extra tall 18.5:9 screens, curved sides, and glass front and backs. The 5.8-inch (S9) and 6.2-inch (S9 Plus) screens are the same Super AMOLED panels with 2960 x 1440 pixel resolutions, though Samsung says they are slightly brighter this year. Also interesting, though the phones look and feel the same as last year’s models, they have slightly different dimensions and weigh a little more, so don’t expect to b...

The Geneva Motor Show wouldn’t be the Geneva Motor Show if it didn’t have some new European automaker promising the world with a new hypercar. And this year it’ll be Corbellati’s turn. Corbe-who-now, you ask? Corbellati. And no, we haven’t heard of them, either. But they’re shooting for the moon. Building upon a decades-old fine art and jewelry business, the family is now preparing to unveil the Corbellati Missile. The design is highly evocative of classic mid-engined Italian sports cars like the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale and Ferrari 330 P4, with a low-slung and rounded form. But its spec sheet is the stuff of pure fantasy. The parameters boast of a 9.0-liter twin-turbo V8, with an aluminum-alloy block, four valves per cylinder, a four overhead camshafts. It targets an output of 1,800 horsepower – all of it channeled to the rear wheels through a six-speed transaxle and a limited slip differential. With that much power in a carbon-fiber chassis (and carbon-fiber bodywork),...

Porsche has released the first pictures of the next-generation 911. Described as the “heart of the company” and “not simply a sports car,” the 911 has an evolutionary design which is instantly recognizable. While the pictures don’t reveal much, previous spy photos have shown the car will have an LED brake light strip and a high-tech interior with several digital displays. Porsche isn’t ready to talk about specifics but 911 boss August Achleitner said the model will generate a “driving feeling that no other car can impart.” The company says this includes everything from the “astonishing amount of space” to the “perfect feedback from the brakes, steering and pedal system.” Porsche said these and other characteristics – such as a one-of-a-kind design – make the 911 the epitome of a sports car. There’s no doubt the 911 will be more advanced than its predecessor but Achleitner said its driver assistance systems will have to fit with the character of the car. As Porsche explained...

In this brief 26-second video, Audi isn’t just teasing us with the design of the new-generation A6 saloon, but also with its impending arrival. Does that mean days, weeks? All we know is that the description of the video pretty much translates into: “Audi will soon be presenting the new Audi A6. How designers and engineers have revised the successful model, you will see in the coming days.” We’re also advised to follow the automaker’s Facebook channel, as well as their official blog. Chances are the car is coming to the 2018 Geneva Motor Show next month, which is what we were suspecting all along, although that doesn’t necessarily mean that it can’t be unveiled beforehand. The all-new Audi A6 will reportedly feature Level 3 autonomous technology like the flagship A8, as well as a digital instrument cluster and dual console displays like the recently launched second-generation A7 Sportback. All sorts of advanced driver assistance features are to be expected, as is a wide rang...

With Porsche’s new generation 911 (992) still in its testing phase, it was only a matter of time until we got to see what it looked like on the inside as well. The exterior has been pretty well documented, especially with all the lightly-camouflaged prototypes driving around recently. Its cabin however was a different story. Until now, we only suspected that it borrowed heavily from the all-new Panamera, and from what we can see, it both does and doesn’t. For starters, the touchscreen infotainment display is far from being as large as the Panamera’s 12.3-inch one, and the center console has a lot more physical buttons and switches than you’d find on the 911’s four-door sibling. The overall dashboard design is also different, not just compared to the Panamera’s, but to the current 991’s too. Not only are we looking at a simpler design, but for the first time ever, the central air vents have been positioned underneath the infotainment system, unlike with the 991, 997, 996, 993, ...

Toyota has released the first details about the facelifted Aygo ahead of its debut at the Geneva Motor Show. Starting with the exterior, the model has been equipped with a new fascia which features recessed accents beneath the restyled headlights. Toyota says this change transforms the car’s X-shaped front end into a “more powerful, three-dimensional architectural element.” Additional changes are limited but the Aygo features new taillights as well as a revised color palette that includes blue and magenta. Lastly, the model can be equipped with “technical-look” wheel caps or 15-inch alloy wheels. Toyota declined to release interior photos but said the cabin has a revised instrument cluster with new graphics and illumination. Most models have also been equipped with new upholstery and there’s a “more premium color scheme in Quartz Grey and Piano Black.” Three different trim levels will be available and the mid-level Aygo x-play comes with air-conditioning and a 7-inch i...

Sony’s Mobile World Congress plans seem to have leaked out ahead of time: details for its new flagship Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact smartphones have hit the internet a few days early, according to Evan Blass at VentureBeat. According to Blass, Sony will be announcing the 5.7-inch XZ2 (a follow-up to last year’s XZ1 model) alongside a smaller 5.0-inch XZ2 Compact model (which had a prototype show up online earlier this week). Both phones are said to offer Qualcomm’s top-of-the-line Snapdragon 845 processor and ship with Android Oreo. Sony will reportedly be offering the same 19-megapixel, ƒ/1.8 camera from the XZ Premium. (That might not be a good thing, given that my colleague Vlad Savov found it to be fairly unreliable in his tests last year.) Also included is a rear fingerprint sensor, as opposed to the button-based sensors Sony has used in the past. Hopefully the company will continue the trend from the Xperia XA2 and offer fingerprint functionality in the US. There are a few...

Android Go is Google’s latest attempt to build a version of Android specifically designed for low-end phones, and the company has announced that we’ll start to see the first devices running the slimmed-down OS at Mobile World Congress. Android Go was first announced at Google I/O last May as a version of Android that’s meant to work on cheaper, less powerful phones with as little as 512MB or 1GB of RAM. A version of the operating system — awkwardly dubbed “Android Go (Oreo edition)” — was made available to device manufacturers and developers in December, and now we’re finally reaching the point where actual devices will be released. Most of what makes Android Go different comes down to the “Go” versions of Google’s apps, like YouTube, Gmail, and Maps, which take up less space on phones and are built to use less data than the regular apps. According to Google’s post, the first devices should be available to purchase “soon after” they’re unveiled at MWC. Theverge

Built by the Bullitt Group, the so-called “Outdoor Phone” with Land Rover branding features giant truck-like bezels, a mighty 4,000mAh battery, durable IP68 rating that makes it resistant to salt water, and the ability to survive drops from about six feet. Most notably, perhaps, are the hardware packs that can be swapped into place a la Moto Mods: *A dventure Pack with IP68 durability rating that adds an additional 3600mAh battery to the phone and enhances the GPS signal with a 25mm ceramic patch GPS antenna. *B ike Pack case for mounting on the stem or handlebar. *B attery Pack with IP68 rating that adds an additional 4,370mAh of battery capacity. The 5-inch phone with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage ships with Android Nougat and a promised upgrade to Oreo at some point. It also features a custom skin for quick access to outdoorsy information and custom apps for outdoorsy apping. The Land Rover Explore ships with the Adventure Pack for a list price of €649 / £599 (about ...

Volvo has released the official details of the new V60 ahead of its public debut at the Geneva Motor Show. Based on the Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) platform, the new Volvo V60 wants to set a new standard in the mid-size premium segment with its advanced technologies, luxurious interior and advanced connectivity features. The new Volvo V60 is also 117mm longer than the XC60, measuring 4,761mm, while the wheelbase is 2,872mm. These dimensions boost both the interior and the luggage space, which now stands at 529lt with the rear seats up, 841lt with them folded down and 1364lt to the ceiling and with the seats folded. The new mid-size premium wagon is Volvo’s first SPA-based model to be offered with two plug-in hybrid powertrains, at least in Europe that is. The first one is the T6 Twin Engine AWD version that offers 340hp from its petrol-electric powertrain while the range-topping T8 Twin Engine AWD delivers 390hp. The European engine range will also includ...