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Showing posts with label iPhone X. Show all posts
Showing posts with label iPhone X. Show all posts

Thursday, July 19, 2018

7/19/2018 01:30:00 AM

iPhone XI could come with a fast charger in the box

And only in the box


It looks like Apple might finally start sticking a fast charger in the box with its iPhones, which might sound logical, yet while the iPhone X, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus all support fast charging, you have to buy said charger separately. But for the iPhone XI, iPhone XI Plus and iPhone 9 (or whatever they launch as) that might change.

This isn’t the first we’ve heard of a fast charger coming in the box, but Macotakara – which has a solid track record with Apple leaks – has reiterated the claim, citing supplier information.

However, the site goes on to add that while Apple’s upcoming handsets might get the charger – believed to be an 18W one – bundled in the box, the company might not sell it separately, at least not for a while, as apparently its suppliers don’t have the capacity to build any extra ones.

Other options

So if you were hoping to buy an extra one or if you’ve got an older iPhone and wanted to get one of these chargers for it, you might not be able to.

You’ll presumably still be able to buy the older fast charger, which is a 30W one, and it’s not clear how the charging speeds of the upcoming 18W one will compare, but if you were planning to hold out for the new one you might want to reconsider.

Whatever charger(s) you end up with though they should be a lot faster than the 5W ones that Apple currently puts in its iPhone boxes.


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Thursday, June 14, 2018

6/14/2018 10:30:00 AM

Samsung Galaxy X tipped to cost considerably more than iPhone X

With a first look rumored for CES 2019


The folding Samsung Galaxy X has been rumored for a number of years, and while it's yet to officially see the light of day the latest rumors suggest it will be shown off to a select few in January 2019 and cost almost $2,000.

That's according to analysts from Shinhan Financial and Golden Bridge Investment, who spoke to The Korea Times, with the latter claiming that the Samsung Galaxy X price could be as high as ₩2,000,000 (which is around $1,850, £1,375, AU$2,400).

If true, that would make the Galaxy X considerably more expensive than the top-spec iPhone X, which caused wallets to tremble when it launched at $1,149 (£1,149, AU$1,829).

Samsung has previously confirmed that it is working on a smartphone that can fold, but has offered no indication of a potential release date or any of the specs.

However, Kim Jang-yeol, head of research at Golden Bridge Investment, says that the Galaxy X will boast a 7.3-inch OLED display which will reduce to 4.5 inches when folded.

A CES sneak peek?

Park Hyung-woo, the analyst at Shinhan Financial, expects the Galaxy X to enter production around November, with a view to launching towards the start of 2019. 

There's a suggestion that Samsung may hold some behind-closed-doors meetings with partners and retailers at the beginning of January during CES 2019, to show off the new foldable handset.

It's likely the device won't be made public until a little later on - potentially at MWC 2019 at the end of February.

While the claims made by the analysts are believable, we've heard so many rumors about the Galaxy X over the years it's always worth taking things with a pinch of salt as firm details are still difficult to come by.


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Thursday, June 7, 2018

6/07/2018 10:15:00 PM

iPhone X is best selling smartphone of 2018 so far

Apple and Samsung dominate the top ten but are selling fewer flagships than before


The iPhone X was the best-selling smartphone during the first quarter of 2018, but the iPhone 7 was shifting more than half as many more this time last year, new figures have revealed.

The handset was unveiled late last year alongside the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus and is the most expensive iPhone ever made.

During the three-month period, Apple sold 12.7 million iPhone X handsets, with the iPhone 8 the second most popular device with 8.5 million shipments and the iPhone 8 Plus fourth most popular with 8 million. This represents a total of 30.2 million.

However, in Q1 of 2017, Apple sold 18.3 million iPhone 7 Plus units and 17.3 iPhone 7 units – a total of 35.6 million.

iPhone X sales

This drop can partly be explained by the high price tag but also because Apple is selling more of its old smartphones than ever before, with the iPhone 7 and iPhone 6 also in the top ten. However, the value of each sale is increasing and has contributed to healthy results for the company.

“Although Apple’s newest model shipment volume declined, the company announced good earnings in the first quarter, mainly because of price increases in the iPhone 8 series and the super-premium price of the iPhone X,” said Jusy Hong, director of consumer devices, for IHS Markit.

In a bid to maintain this, analysts are suggesting that Apple could extend the iPhone X range to three devices later this year, with two devices boasting an AMOLED screen.

“Manufacturers are keen on displays because they are a visible upgrade that can be easily monetized with consumers,” Hong said. “These upgrades will also increase Apple’s share of new models this year.”

Samsung handsets occupied the rest of the top ten, with its top-selling device – just as it was last year – being the low-tier third-place Galaxy Grand Prime Plus, which shifted 8.3 million units. The Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus was in fifth with 7.4 million and the S9 was seventh with 7.2 million.

Apple and Samsung are the world’s two largest smartphone manufacturers, ahead of Huawei and Xiaomi. However, despite the latter two Chinese firms enjoying considerable success, they have yet to strike gold when it comes to an individual model.


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Monday, June 4, 2018

6/04/2018 04:20:00 PM

iPhone X clone? Xiaomi Mi 8 has notch, face unlock, top chipset but far lower price

Xiaomi's new flagship Mi 8 Explorer Edition is the first Android phone with the iPhone X's 3D face unlock.


Xiaomi's Mi 8 Explorer Edition features a transparent glass back.

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has announced the Mi 8, its iPhone X lookalike with a notch and face unlock.

While it's hard not to see the similarities between the Mi 8 and iPhone X, from the notch to the positioning of the rear cameras, the Mi 8 Explorer Edition's eye-catching transparent glass back showing off its internals stands apart -- even though some have cast doubt as to whether it shows actual components.

In another Apple-like move, Xiaomi opted to hop straight from last year's Mi 6 to the Mi 8 to mark its eighth anniversary in the smartphone business.

Regardless of the comparisons to the iPhone X, the Mi 8 lives up to Xiaomi's tradition of cramming high-end features into its Mi flagships and selling them at a far lower price than Apple and Samsung flagships.

The Mi 8 phone runs on Qualcomm's top-of-the-line Snapdragon 845 processor and features a 12-megapixel dual camera on the rear and a 20-megapixel front-facing camera.

It's got a 6.12-inch Samsung OLED screen with the notch at the top that houses the infrared camera and infrared illuminator for face unlock but also has a fingerprint scanner on the rear of the phone.

The Mi 8 Explorer Edition is a step up from the Mi 8, offering the world's first pressure-sensitive in-screen fingerprint scanner, which Xiaomi says will make unlocking faster.

The Explorer Edition also features 3D face unlock, a first for Android, and employs the same 'structured light' technique used by Apple's Face ID to project multiple measurements on the user's face. And like the iPhone X, the Mi 8 features Xiaomi's take on Apple's animoji.

Finally, Xiaomi launched a smaller Mi 8 SE with a 5.88-inch Samsung AMOLED display running on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 710 chip.

The Mi 8 and Mi 8 SE will go on sale in China in June and will cost RMB 2,699 ($420) and RMB 1,799 ($280). The Explorer Edition will cost RMB 3,699 ($575) but Xiaomi hasn't announced availability yet.


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Thursday, May 24, 2018

5/24/2018 09:17:00 PM

OnePlus 6: Not perfect, but it costs less than it does to fix the rear glass panel on the iPhone X

While the OnePlus 6 has some flaws, what smartphone doesn't these days?


The iFixit team have managed to get their hands on a new OnePlus 6, and here's what they discovered during the inevitable teardown.

  1. It appears that the battery is easy to replace. Since this is what concerns most people who like to repair their own handset, this will be good news for those who worry about such things.
  2. Another win for those who like to repair things is that most of the components are modular and can be replaced without having to throw out the entire mainboard.
  3. However, it might be a good idea to not let your OnePlus 6 get into a fight with Sir Isaac Newton because if you break the screen, you're looking at a pretty big job to replace it.
  4. It seems that the glass on the back of the OnePlus 6 is only there to break, and is unnecessary since the handset doesn't feature wireless charging.
  5. Despite the fact that the manufacturer doesn't give the OnePlus 6 a water- or dustproof rating, silicone gaskets can be found around flex connectors, along with gaskets surrounding the SIM tray, speaker grille, USB Type-C port, and headphone jack. Would I trust these? Not without a rating, I wouldn't.
  6. However, as iFixit points out, the OnePlus 6 might not be perfect, but buying it new - it's priced at $549 - is still cheaper than getting the rear glass panel on an iPhone X fixed.


Overall, the OnePlus 6 gets a repairability score of five out of ten (where 10 is the easiest). This makes it harder to repair than the iPhone X and iPhone 8 (which both scored 6), but easier to repair than the Samsung Galaxy S9 (which scored a 4).


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Saturday, May 19, 2018

5/19/2018 09:18:00 PM

iPhone X Tesla: Need to get rid of cash? This $4,500 solar-power phone is an option

If you don't think Apple's $1,000 iPhone X is costly enough, Russian luxury outfit Caviar may be able to help.


Caviar, the Russian accessory maker of gold iPhone editions engraved with Vladimir Putin's or Donald Trump's head, or even both of them together, has released a solar-powered iPhone X 'Tesla'.

The new iPhone X Tesla is even more expensive than Caviar's gold engraved iPhone editions but possibly more functional, assuming the solar panels work as promised and the iPhone isn't constantly in a pocket. If so, it may reduce the time spent connected to a USB power cord for charging.

Who knows what happens to the solar panel in Russia's long, dark winters, but owners nonetheless get a fancy blue solar panel on the rear, gold edges, and a gold plate next to the camera that's embossed with the word 'TESLA' and a unique number ranging from 1 to 999, denoting the total number of iPhone Tesla X units Caviar intends to make.

Caviar says iPhone X Tesla Number 1 will be mailed to Tesla CEO Elon Musk. It will be the only version that has the words 'Made on Earth by humans' in honor of Musk's own marketing stunt earlier this year when he launched a Tesla Roadster into space on the back of Space X's Falcon Heavy rocket.

The non-removable cover is mostly filled by the blue panel that charges an external battery. A gold button on the case can be pressed to deliver a charge to the iPhone X's internal battery.

Caviar's image of the rear of iPhone X Tesla suggests it is considerably thicker than Apple's standard silicon case with the dual camera sunken well beneath the case's top gold plate.

Apparently, the company produced 99 of the iPhone X Tesla's, but after pre-orders exceeded the number the company decided to make 999.

Buyers can expect even fancier packaging than Apple's white cardboard box. Instead, they'll get a "black velvet" luxury wooden lacquered case. The 64GB model costs 284,000 rubles or $4,545, while the 256GB model costs 299,000 rubles or $4,831.


The iPhone X Tesla's non-removable cover is mostly filled by the blue panel that charges an external battery.
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5/19/2018 07:37:00 PM

Your iPhone 8 or iPhone X battery could wear out in 18 months

Wireless charging and fast charging might be a great solution to the pressures that more power-thirsty devices are placing on batteries, but these solutions could very well cause other problems down the line.



If you've recently bought a new iPhone, then you might be looking on at the whole iPhone throttling debacle that Apple has found itself embroiled in and think that you've dodged a bullet. But the battery inside your new iPhone 8 or iPhone X might be worn out in under a couple of years.

OK, first, a little about the battery inside the iPhone. According to Apple, the battery "is designed to retain up to 80 percent of its original capacity at 500 complete charge cycles," and beyond that, the battery is considered worn and heading toward end-of-life. Some batteries can and do retain more than 80 percent charge after well over 500 recharge cycles (I have an iPhone 6 Plus with over 800 recharge cycles that's still above the 80 percent mark), but in my experience, once you hit 500 recharge cycles, your battery is on borrowed time.

So ideally, you need to ration out those 500 recharges over the life of the device. However, you additionally need to bear in mind that as the battery gets older, it won't last as long, so your recharge frequency is going to increase as your device gets older.

Now, in my opinion, two of the best features of the iPhone X and iPhone 8 are fast charging and wireless charging. They've essentially eliminated the low-grade anxiety that I'd feel when my battery was getting below 50 percent during the day. Pop the iPhone on a wireless pad or hook it up to a fast charger and it's always ready for action.

But the ability to easily recharge the iPhone masks a nagging feeling I've had about Apple's latest crop of iPhones -- that the battery life is far from good. And I'm saying that as an iPhone 8 Plus user, which is listed as having the best battery life (at least with regard to internet use, which is what I use it for the most) of the newest iPhones.

So the other day, on a whim, I decided to check out how many recharge cycles my iPhone had been through in the less than four months I've had it and I was horrified to discover that I was already at 82 and that this had increased to 91 by the point I'd owned it four months (I got my iPhone 8 Plus on launch day).


My iPhone 8 Plus after less than four months usage

Note: I used the excellent macOS app CoconutBattery to get access to the iPhone's battery recharge cycle count.

If I've gone through 91 recharge cycles in four months, that means that I could easily hit the 455 recharge cycles after about 20 months of ownership, and since that's not allowing for any battery wear, I'm really expecting that the battery inside my iPhone to hit the 500 cycles mark in about 18 months.

18 months.

Previously I would have expected an iPhone to make it closer to the 36-month/three-year mark before hitting the 500 recharge cycle (working out as a full recharge every couple of days or so).

That's scary, doubly so when I consider that this iPhone hasn't been heavily used in the four months that I've had it (I've been switching between older devices a lot as part of the testing I do).

And it's not just me. I've heard from other iPhone X and iPhone 8 owners who tell me that their battery recharge cycles are in a similar ballpark.

So what's going on here?

It seems that Apple adding the speed and convenience of wireless and fast charging is masking the fact that newer iPhones are placing quite a heavy demand on battery life, and that the device -- even the larger Plus devices -- are needing to be topped up more regularly than older devices, and that this will wear out the battery even faster than we've seen previously.

If you upgrade every year, this isn't going to be a problem for you, but if you're the kind of person who likes to get a few years out of their iPhone before getting a new one, this is something that you need to think about. You either need to take measures to minimize battery usage during the day, or plan for a battery replacement down the line.


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Friday, May 18, 2018

5/18/2018 07:30:00 AM

OnePlus 6 vs iPhone X: almost half the price, but does it beat Apple's top phone?

The most expensive iPhone vs the OnePlus 6


We've just seen the OnePlus 6 for the first time and it manages to pack in a whole lot of spec with a high-end design and it's all for a more affordable price than a lot of other flagship phones.

But how does it compare to one of the most expensive and popular devices on the market? The iPhone X sits in our best phone list right now, but it's going to cost you a lot of money if you decide to buy it.

We've run down the specs, design, price and much more in this guide to help you make your mind up between the OnePlus 6 and the iPhone X.

OnePlus 6 vs iPhone X design


Both the OnePlus 6 and iPhone X have glass backs with metal edges, but that's where the similarities end. 

The OnePlus 6 is a touch bigger than the iPhone X - that's so it can house that larger display - but it's only a touch heavier at 177g compared to the iPhone X's 174g.

Each has a high-end, premium-feel design with both being the most attractive products from each of the respective companies.

The notch is at the top of the screen on both devices, but on the OnePlus 6 you can hide it within the settings on the phone so it blacks out the bits to the side of the notch at the top of the screen.

The OnePlus 6 comes in your choice of mirror black, midnight black or silk white, while the iPhone X is restricted to plain white or black color choices.


There's a fingerprint scanner on the rear of the OnePlus 6, but there isn't one on the iPhone X and instead the company has opted to just use face unlock technology to protect your privacy. The OnePlus 6 has facial unlocking as well, but you may feel safer having the fingerprint option as well.

OnePlus 6 vs iPhone X display

Upon first look, the OnePlus 6 and iPhone X may look to have similar screens but there are a lot of differences you need to know about here.

It's a 6.28-inch optic AMOLED display on the OnePlus 6 with a Full HD+ resolution (that's 1080 x 2280). The Super AMOLED display on the iPhone X is smaller at 5.8-inches, but it has a better resolution at 1125 x 2436.


That means there are more pixels per inch on the iPhone X at 458ppi, while the OnePlus 6 has 402ppi. If you want the larger screen, you'll likely enjoy the OnePlus 6 but if you want an easier to use or higher resolution display you'll probably like the iPhone X.

We can't fully judge the display on the OnePlus 6 yet, so be sure to check back for our full look at the screen quality in our final review.

OnePlus 6 vs iPhone X OS and power

The new OnePlus 6 comes running the latest Android 8.1 Oreo software with the company's own Oxygen OS UI running over the top. It looks top-end and you can expect OnePlus to support OS updates for this phone for at least a couple of years.

The iPhone X comes running the latest iOS 11 software, which if you're used to using iPhones it'll probably be the best for you to run.

Inside the OnePlus 6 is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, which we've seen inside a lot of flagship phones this year and it has impressed us. That's paired with either 6GB or 8GB of RAM, depending on which version of the phone you go for.

You've also got the choice of 64GB / 128GB or 256GB storage options, with the largest option being the most expensive. More about that down at the bottom of this article.

As for the iPhone X, you can expect the height of iPhone performance here with the A11 Bionic chipset inside paired with 3GB of RAM. Although on paper that may not sound as powerful as the OnePlus 6, we've found the iPhone X can hold its own in terms of performance against the top-end devices 2018 has brought.

OnePlus 6 vs iPhone X camera and battery


Cameras on these two devices are still dramatically different. The OnePlus 6 comes with a dual sensor 16MP and 20MP working together to take photos. Both of those are f/1.7 and can record a variety of video including 120fps slow motion at 720p.

On the front of the phone is a 16MP (f/2.0) selfie camera too.

In terms of raw spec, the iPhone X looks worse off with a dual sensor rear camera that's a 12MP sensor with an aperture of f/1.8 and another 12MP with f/2.4 aperture too. Those are used for a variety of modes including a 2 x optical zoom, which is something you don't get on the OnePlus 6.

It can also do slow motion video at 240fps in Full HD, so if you want to be catching top quality slowed down video this will be the phone for you. The front camera isn't as strong as on the OnePlus 6 as it's a 7MP f/2.2 sensor that can record slow-motion video as well.


We've yet to test the battery life on the OnePlus 6, but it contains a 3300mAh cell inside with Dash Charge fast-charging onboard too.

The iPhone X comes with a 2716mAh cell that has fast-charging too and will go up to 50% full in just 30 minutes of charging. Apple's phone features wireless charging, but the OnePlus 6 doesn't.

Price and availability

You'll be able to buy the OnePlus 6 around the world on May 22 and it should arrive on your doorstep soon after.

Pricing starts at $529 / £469 (about AU$700) for the cheapest version and the most expensive costs $629 / £569 (about AU$840). That's the touch more expensive than the OnePlus 5T that started at a cost $499, £449, AU$599.

The iPhone X is already on sale and it's much more expensive than what the OnePlus 6 costs. The price starts at $999 / £999 / AU$1,579 for the 64GB one, while the 256GB one is much more expensive at $1,149 / £1,149 / AU$1,829.

That makes the OnePlus 6 half the price of the iPhone X in the UK and just over half the price in the US. That may be a big factor when you come to buy your next phone.

Takeaway

Both of these devices are top-end products that are going to satisfy a lot of your flagship phone needs.

One is significantly more expensive with the iPhone X being one of the most priciest phones you can buy right now, but you usually pay that for Apple's devices.

It does have a slightly more feature built-in, so it depends a lot on which design you like the most, whether you want to be on Android or iOS and how much you're willing to spend on your new phone.


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Saturday, May 12, 2018

5/12/2018 10:07:00 PM

iPhone X owners can now watch HDR YouTube videos

A new feature for the iPhone X


Owners of the iPhone X can now enjoy HDR YouTube videos on their freshly smartphones after the feature rolled out quietly to the handset.

There's not been any formal announcement from either Apple or YouTube, but iPhone X users took to the MacRumors forum and then Reddit to report the new playback option within the YouTube app.

To take advantage of the improved viewing experience you'll need to tap anywhere on the HDR video you're viewing, then tap the three dot icon in the corner of the screen and select 'Quality'. From there you'll be able to choose from various HDR resolutions.

Lower resolutions will use less data and load quicker with less buffering - great for poor signal areas - but for the best viewing experience you'll want to select the highest resolution possible.

No iPad love yet

The iPhone X isn't the only Apple device with an HDR-enabled display, but the new iPad Pro models don't appear to have been given the same treatment from YouTube just yet.

It's surely only a matter of time though, so if you do own one of the latest iPad Pros you'll want to keep an eye on the 'Quality' setting in the app.


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Wednesday, April 25, 2018

4/25/2018 09:25:00 PM

Apple iPhone X early adopters: We love everything about the phone, except Siri

iPhone X owners are happy with every aspect their purchase, with one glaring exception.


A new survey of iPhone X owners has found extremely high levels of satisfaction with every single key feature of the device, but just 20 percent satisfaction with Siri.

Although Siri's poor performance in the survey might not be a major surprise, the result for Apple's virtual assistant is a huge deviation from the finding by tech analyst Creative Strategies that overall 97 percent of customers are satisfied with the device.

The company also found that 85 percent of iPhone X owners are "very satisfied" with their device, meaning a large portion of the overall satisfied number is not just satisfied but very satisfied.

Creative Strategies' principal analyst Ben Bajarin said this result is one of the highest 'very satisfied' rankings he's even seen with a tech product.

An earlier study he conducted with Firstly on how Apple Watch owners felt about that device found 97 percent of customers are satisfied, but only 66 percent are very satisfied.

The latest survey looks at satisfaction levels with the iPhone X's design, speed, camera, OLED display, FaceID, battery life, handling, and portrait-mode pictures.

FaceID, which replaced the home button and introduced a major change to how iPhone owners interact with the device, has been well received, with a customer satisfaction score of over 90 percent.

Besides Siri, two features where Apple could eke out higher levels of satisfaction are portrait-mode pictures and portrait-mode selfies. However, even here these two features have respectable scores of over 80 percent and over 60 percent, respectively.

Even though Siri is not unique to the iPhone X, Bajarin justifies its inclusion in the survey because Apple made "unique optimizations with on-device performance and machine learning that exist with Siri on iPhone X due to the new processor design".

That Siri needs to improve is unlikely to come as a surprise to Apple, whose voice assistant is often seen as lagging behind AI voice assistants from Amazon, Microsoft, and Google. To change this situation, Apple recently hired Google's former head of search and AI, John Giannandrea, to lead its machine-learning AI strategy.

Apple is also ramping up it is hiring engineers to work on Siri. According to Thinknum, Apple has posted hundreds of Siri-related job listings since the beginning of the year. Apple's jobs website currently lists 197 Siri-related vacancies.


The response from iPhone X owners to Siri stands out as particularly bad in an otherwise positive survey.


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Saturday, April 21, 2018

4/21/2018 01:09:00 AM

Apple's 6.1-inch LCD iPhone could cost almost half as much as the iPhone X

Reportedly the same price as the iPhone 7, and with dual-SIM support.


Getting iPhone X features without paying iPhone X prices sounds like a pipe dream, but Apple is said to be planning just that at nearly half its flagship phone's price.

The previously rumored 6.1-inch LCD iPhone could cost as low as $550 (£550, AU$849 based on the iPhone 7 price), according to notable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, reports 9to5Mac.

In the US, that's the same price as the price-reduced last-generation iPhone 7. By the time the 6.1-inch LCD iPhone comes out, the iPhone 8 could occupy that price point.

The trade-off? This cheaper iPhone is said to exchange the X's fancy OLED display for a standard LCD screen. It's still expected to have an all-screen design and TrueDepth camera.

The first dual-SIM iPhone?

The 6.1-inch LCD iPhone rumors point to it being a cheaper version of the iPhone X, but it may have one feature that no other iPhone has had to date: dual-SIM support.

A dual-SIM iPhone at such a cheap price could be a game changer for Apple outside of the US. Switching between two carriers regularly is popular in parts of Europe and much of Asia, and it's where Android phones have taken the lead.

Other new iPhone models rumored for 2018 include an iPhone X2 and iPhone X2 Plus, the latter of which is also expected to get dual-SIM capabilities, says Kuo.

Don't expect a dual-SIM iPhone everywhere

Not everyone should expect a dual-SIM iPhone in their country. Plans for a second version of the LCD iPhone are said to exist with a single-SIM solution for other countries, likely where carriers exert more control.

This is no surprise to us. Last year, we were given exclusive statements from both phone manufacturers and US carriers who told us that Western carriers make too much money off of international plans. It's unlikely we'll ever see a dual-SIM iPhone in the US.

That's a shame for globetrotting consumers because a dual-SIM iPhone would allow you to keep your regular number (everyone knows) active on one SIM while getting cheaper data from a local SIM bought in the country or countries you're visiting.

This could make the supposed dual-SIM iPhone a popular import for those who can only buy the single-SIM variant in their country. US consumers importing the 6.1-inch iPhone and iPhone X2 Plus from Asia at launch? That'd be an interesting switch.


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Friday, April 20, 2018

4/20/2018 04:48:00 PM

iPhone X worldwide benefits alone beat every one of Apple's opponents and it's off by a long shot

Indeed, even Apple's iPhone SE takes a bigger offer of overall handset benefits than any model from Chinese creator.



The iPhone X represented 35 percent of overall cell phone benefits in the last quarter of 2017, in spite of reports of slower than normal deals and despite the fact that it was accessible for two months. 

The gauge originates from another report by Counterpoint Research, which says the iPhone X created five times more benefit than the joined benefits of more than 6,000 Android OEMs amid the quarter. 

Apple general fared very much contrasted and the handheld business, which saw overall benefits contract one percent year over year. Apple's benefits grew one percent year over year. 

Thinking about all iPhone models, Apple rounded up to 86 percent of worldwide handset benefits, with the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus representing 19.1 percent and 15.2 percent, individually. In the interim, a year ago's iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus together represented 11.2 percent of benefits. 

This proceeds with the example of Apple overwhelming handset industry benefits while Android OEMs battle about as meager as 10 percent of the rest of the benefits. 

Of the best 10 iPhones by productivity in the quarter, the main non-iPhone gadgets in the rundown are Samsung's Galaxy Note 8 and Galaxy S8 Plus, which had an offer of 3.9 percent and 1.7 percent, individually. 

Apple hasn't uncovered what number of the $1,000 iPhone X units it sold in Q4 2017, yet said in its Q1 report that it has been the best offering iPhone since it started sending in November. Apple announced $61.5bn in iPhone incomes for the quarter, up 13 percent year over year. Investigator firm Canalys assessed it sent 29 million iPhone X units in the quarter. 

Regardless of a few money-related examiners curtailing Q1 2018 iPhone X deals conjectures, sometimes to as few as 14 million units, Counterpoint Research Analyst, Karn Chauhan, figures there's still space for the iPhone X's offer of benefits to developing. 

"The iPhone X alone created 21 percent of aggregate industry income and 35 percent of aggregate industry benefits amid the quarter and its offer is probably going to develop as it propels promote into its life cycle," said Chauhan. 

"Furthermore, the more extended timeframe of realistic usability of all iPhones guaranteed that Apple still has eight out of the main ten cell phones, including its three-year-old models, producing the most benefits contrasted and current contending cell phones from different OEMs." 

Apple's prosperity implies even iPhones that are two ages behind the present models are still more gainful than new handsets from Chinese OEMs, which altogether created incomes of $1.3bn in the quarter. Huawei was the best entertainer in China, as indicated by Counterpoint Research. 



Top 10 cell phones by the offer of overall handset benefits in Q4 2017.

SOURCE BY ZDNet

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Tuesday, March 13, 2018

3/13/2018 06:00:00 PM

iPhone X/8: Wireless Charging Will Wear Out The Battery Faster Than Cable Charging

Wireless charging is a nice feature, but testing suggests that it will wear out the battery faster than charging with a cable.


As much as I love the convenience of wireless charging, I'm switching back to a cable.

Here's why.

Back in January, I became suspicious that regularly using wireless charging wouldn't be good for the long-term health of my iPhone's battery.

Before I go any further, a little battery 101.

According to Apple, the battery " is designed to retain up to 80 percent of its original capacity at 500 complete charge cycles," and beyond that, the battery is considered worn and heading toward end-of-life. Some batteries can and do retain more than 80 percent charge after well over 500 recharge cycles (I have an iPhone 6 Plus with over 800 recharge cycles that's still above the 80 percent mark), but in my experience, once you hit 500 recharge cycles, your battery is on borrowed time, especially if you're in a colder climate.

So ideally, you need to ration out those 500 recharges over the life of the device. However, you additionally need to bear in mind that as the battery gets older, it won't last as long, so your recharge frequency is going to increase as your device gets older.

Back in January, my iPhone had hit over 90 recharge cycles after four months of ownership. Now it's March and six weeks later, and I've hit 135 recharge cycles.

That's 135 recharge cycles in under six months. At this rate, by the six-month mark, I expect to hit 150. That means that in 18 months I should be at 450 recharge cycles, and will break the 500 mark after another two months.

Note: I used the excellent macOS app CoconutBattery to get access to the iPhone's battery recharge cycle count.

So my battery is on track to hit 500 recharge cycles in 20 months, and that's not allowing for any battery wear, a rogue app sucking the battery dry, or an iOS update deciding to drain the battery quicker than usual. Realistically I'm expecting to hit the 500 mark in less than 18 months if I don't change my habits.

Previously I would have expected an iPhone to make it closer to the 36-month/three-year mark before hitting the 500 recharge cycle (working out as a full recharge every couple of days or so).

So what's going on here?

The issue is that when the iPhone is being charged using a cable, the phone is being powered by the cord (there is some load on the battery, but it's minimal), but when using wireless charging, the battery is what's powering the iPhone, with the wireless charger only being used to top up the battery. This means that by switching from a cable to a wireless charger, my battery isn't getting a break, and in turn, this is making me go through recharge cycles at an even faster rate.

I have to admit that I'm a heavy iPhone user, and I've become accustomed to leaving my iPhone in a wireless charger when I'm not using it. Previously I'd have it attached to a charging cable.

So, for now, I'm switching back to cable charging. I like throwing my iPhone onto a charging plate -- and I have a lot of them! -- but the idea that my battery could be trash in under two years is frankly worrying.

If you're a heavy user, you might want to consider doing the same. Or plan for a battery replacement down the line.




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Friday, March 9, 2018

3/09/2018 08:36:00 PM

iPhone X: Overpriced or over-engineered?

What's driving the price tag of the iPhone X? Is Apple padding its bottom line, or is the hardware driving the price?


Hearing a lot of chatter lately along the lines of the "iPhone X being a flop" because buyers are put off by the price tag.

So, what's driving the price of the iPhone X? Is it the technology, or is it Apple's greed?

First off, I want to be clear that I don't consider the iPhone X to be a flop or a failure. I don't think that sales, when put in the context of previous iPhones at any rate, have been as stratospheric. It's no iPhone 6 Plus for sure. But compared to other smartphones out there, especially ones with such a jarring price tag, I've confident that sales are stellar, and I'm certain that any other manufacturer would be more than happy to have a "flop" like the iPhone X.

With that out of the way, let's consider the price.

The iPhone X starts at $999 for 64GB of storage, with that price rising to $1,149 for those with deeper pockets who want 256GB of storage.

Is this a crazy price for a smartphone?

Well, first off, that really depends on how you feel about spending that sort of money on a device. It's a lot of money. Keep the iPhone X for three years, and at the low end of the pricing that's a dollar a day, the iPhone is costing you.

No doubt that's a lot of money, and $999 can buy you a lot of non-Apple tech (you could buy a decent smartphone and laptop, and still have change for a meal).

But what about the cost of the iPhone X from the standpoint of materials and components? Is the price tag one that can be justified?

Before we go any further, let me remind you that before the unveiling of the iPhone X that an iPhone 7 Plus with 256GB of storage would have set you back $969.

Just with that bit of extra information, all of a sudden the iPhone X's price tag doesn't seem so crazy. It's still a thousand dollars, but some iPhones have already been selling just shy of that psychological barrier for over a while.


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Thursday, March 8, 2018

3/08/2018 08:03:00 PM

Is Apple planning the death of the iPhone X's most controversial design feature?

For a company that can't seem to put a foot wrong normally, people seemed very divided over the "notch."


While most users seem oblivious to iOS annoyances, visual design changes quickly become one of those "love-it-or-hate-it" things. And no iPhone design feature has been as controversial as the "notch."

But if a report by ETNews is correct, this feature could be gone by 2019.

According to the report, Apple will dump the "notch" used to house the 3D sensor and camera module at the top of the display and move to a full-screen design where the components are embedded into the display.

What's interesting is the reported reason for this move. It's not because of customer feedback.

"Apple is looking for another strategy that will differentiate itself when Chinese Smartphone manufacturers are imitating and applying notch design to their new Smartphones."
So it seems that in a few months the iPhone X "notch" has become so iconic that it's already being copied.

This report, although rather light on details, doesn't surprise me.

The "notch" was always a design compromise, and there were plenty of credible rumors in the run-up to the unveiling of the iPhone X that suggested Apple was working on embedding sensors into the display in 2017. The timeline for the elimination of that "notch" doesn't surprise me either. To eliminate it after a year would make it obvious that it was a mistake, so 2019 feels right. It also gives Apple a chance to refine the technology, both in terms of the hardware, display yield, and cost.

Although there are some who think that this "feature" is going to hang around for some time to come.

So if you fancy spending a thousand dollars on an iPhone, but don't like that "notch," you have a while to save your pennies.



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Friday, March 2, 2018

3/02/2018 11:10:00 PM

Samsung Galaxy S9+ beats iPhone X and Pixel 2 to claim top smartphone camera DxOMark Mobile score




Want the best camera that a smartphone can offer? The DxOMark Mobile test says that you should bin your iPhone X or Google Pixel 2 and get yourself a Samsung Galaxy S9+.

The Samsung Galaxy S9+ scored 99, highest-ever combined photo and video rating for a smartphone camera, and a photo score of 104 points, again, the highest ever photo score award to a smartphone.

DxO's review of the camera built into the Galaxy S9+ is very glowing:

The Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus is a smartphone without any real weaknesses in the camera department. In both still and video modes, it performs well across the board, delivering consistently good photo and video image quality in all light and shooting situations, thus earning itself our highest DxOMark Mobile score to date. Add one of the best smartphone zooms and a capable bokeh simulation mode to the mix, and the Galaxy S9 Plus is difficult to ignore for any photo-minded smartphone user. With the Galaxy S9 Plus, Samsung is setting the pace for 2018. We'll see if the competition can follow suit.
Also noteworthy is the ability of the S9+ to handle low-light conditions, thanks to its new variable aperture, which allows the lens to adjust to let in more or less light depending on the conditions.

In dim conditions, the rear camera uses a fast f/1.5 aperture, while in bright conditions the aperture closes to f/2.4 aperture, which improves sharpness and detail.

About the only criticism that DxO had of the Galaxy S9+ camera was the autofocus:

The Galaxy S9 Plus autofocus system is not the very fastest we have tested, but close to the best, and also produces very repeatable results. That said, we did find the occasional out-of-focus image in our samples in all light conditions.

However, DxO thinks that this is a non-issue:

The autofocus isn't the very fastest we have tested, but it's more than fast enough not to be an issue for any user.

Is the DxOMark Mobile benchmark the be-all and end-all of camera quality? No. There's plenty of valid criticisms that can be leveled at the test, and a couple of points, either way, is neither here nor there in the grand scheme of things.

But, if you're the sort of person who lives and dies by these sorts of tests, and you absolutely must have the best smartphone camera, then the Galaxy S9+ is the handset for you.




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3/02/2018 09:37:00 PM

Samsung vs Apple: Galaxy S9 screen beats iPhone X's, new display tests say



The iPhone X's screen, left, set records but the Galaxy S9, right, is now the smartphone display to beat.

The Samsung Galaxy S9's display has been given an A+ and ranked the best-performing OLED screen on the market, according to test outfit DisplayMate.

Apple's first ever OLED smartphone, the iPhone X, earned that title from DisplayMate last year with its full HD 2.5K 2,436 x 1,125-pixel resolution display. The iPhone X set records for high absolute color accuracy, screen brightness and performance in ambient light.

But the Galaxy S9 is now the smartphone to beat, despite having the same 2,960 x 1,440-pixel resolution and 5.8-inch display as the Galaxy S8, thanks to Samsung using its manufacturing prowess to target display qualities that matter, such as color accuracy, brightness, outdoor visibility, and reflectivity.

The Galaxy S9 matched or surpassed DisplayMate's records for absolute color accuracy, luminance shifts, peak display brightness, native color gamut, contrast ration, screen reflectance, the contrast in ambient light, viewing-angle handling of brightness and color variation, and its 3K screen resolution.

Instead of packing more pixels into its OLED hardware, Samsung uses precision display calibration to optimize picture quality and color accuracy.

The result is that the Galaxy S9 is "almost certainly considerably better than your existing smartphone, living room 4K Ultra or HDTV, tablet, laptop, and computer monitor based on our detailed lab measurements," wrote DisplayMate.

Unveiled at Mobile World Congress this week, the Galaxy S9's Snapdragon 845 should make it an extremely fast phone, and it comes with improved cameras, speakers, and a fix for the S8's awkwardly placed fingerprint reader.

The S9 and S9 Plus start at $720 and $860, respectively, in the US and will be available for pre-order on March 2.

DisplayMate notes that Samsung needn't deliver 4K 3,840 x 2,160 pixels on a smartphone, which would put a burden on memory and processors, yet wouldn't improve what people see in reality.

OLED displays are taking over the high-end smartphone market due to several advantages they have has over LCDs, including being better suited to edge-to-edge designs, brighter, flexible and more power efficient.





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Wednesday, January 31, 2018

1/31/2018 01:55:00 PM

Apple iPhone X request goads stress, however might be lost in front of Q1 comes about

The vulnerability around iPhone X request is starting a ton of horror on Wall Street. Rest in peace super cycle.



Apple is allegedly cutting requests for the iPhone X as interest for the expensive handset aren't holding up regardless of animoji-drove promoting. The unavoidable issue is whether iPhone X request matters when the main thing up for snatches is Apple's item blend and normal offering cost. 

Basically, Apple can, in any case, indicate solid interest for the iPhone regardless of whether the iPhone X isn't satisfying exclusive standards as a superior gadget. It's profoundly likely that the iPhone X value point- - $999 and up- - is basically driving buys of the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. Review that iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus deals began moderately as purchasers sat tight for the iPhone X to arrive. 

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Play this out and what you have is a premium iPhone X that'll order a sound segment of offers with the heft of income getting from mid-level gadgets. As it were, Apple's income blend will look like general organizations. No other organization other than Apple would be relied upon to offer a top-notch item that will represent the majority of offers. All things considered, if each purchaser just needed to pay for a higher end SKU no seller could ever make a mid-level item. 

The speculating diversion about iPhone X request has been in progress for a considerable length of time. The most recent from The Wall Street Journal is that Apple intends to make 20 million iPhone X handsets in the main quarter, down about half from an underlying arrangement. Investigators anticipate that aggregate iPhone shipments will be up 1.5 percent for the quarter finished Dec. 31. 

This is what's extremely going on: This quarter is the first with iPhone X in the overlap. Accordingly, there's a ton of vulnerability about normal offering costs and item blend. Apple doesn't know how the redesign cycle will play out since it hasn't had a trio of new iPhones sometime recently. 

Experts are anticipating that Apple should convey income of $87.06 billion in its fiscal first quarter with profit of $3.83 an offer on a non-GAAP premise. 

What's lost is the iPhone X unit shock is that Apple's top-notch gadget is just losing deals to its more affordable iPhones. Dislike a client taking a gander at the iPhone X is bouncing to Android. As a stage play, Apple can, in any case, expand its benefit on a client by means of administrations. 

Apple's most concerning issue is that the super cycle that experts envisioned about hasn't played out. Oppenheimer expert Andrew Uerkwitz noted: 

It shows up the "supercycle" we as a whole needed isn't here...$54B in free income (FY18) should do instead...We bring down our March '18 and June '18 iPhone shipment appraises by 10M and 8M units, separately. We trust high cost and absence of convincing highlights in iPhone X will keep a lower than anticipated number of clients from exchanging or overhauling. We accept not even the X could break the substitution extension cycle. 

Over the long haul, Uerkwitz stresses that Apple is made a beeline for slowing down development as gadgets change to man-made brainpower drove highlights. 

Macquarie investigator Ben Schachter as of late featured Apple's administrations income potential. "Basically Services and the application biological system will probably be in charge of a huge level of Apple's future benefit development (we really appraise more than 80%). In any case, Apple needs to ensure that designers keep concentrated on the Apple biological community and increment the utility of applications for its clients. Tim Cook's emphasis on AR is plainly fixing to this," he said. 

We can banter about whether the iPhone X is a flounder, however it may not make any difference as long as Apple keeps its clients in the biological system and purchasing extra administrations.



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Friday, January 26, 2018

1/26/2018 01:37:00 AM

Your iPhone 8 or iPhone X battery could destroy in around year and a half

Remote charging and quick charging may be an extraordinary answer for the weights that more power-parched gadgets are setting on batteries, however these arrangements could cause different issues down the line.



On the off chance that you've as of late purchased another iPhone, at that point you may look on at the entire iPhone throttling fiasco that Apple has gotten itself entangled in and imagine that you've avoided a projectile. In any case, the battery inside your new iPhone 8 or iPhone X may be exhausted in less than two or three years. 

Alright, initial, a little about the battery inside the iPhone. As indicated by Apple, the battery "is intended to hold up to 80 percent of its unique limit at 500 finish charge cycles," and past that, the battery is viewed as worn and making a beeline for end-of-life. A few batteries can and do hold more than 80 percent charge after well more than 500 energize cycles (I have an iPhone 6 Plus with more than 800 revive cycles that is still over the 80 percent stamp), yet as far as I can tell, once you hit 500 revive cycles, your battery is on re-appropriated time. 

So preferably, you have to apportion out those 500 energizes over the life of the gadget. Be that as it may, you furthermore need to hold up under at the top of the priority list that as the battery gets more seasoned, it won't keep going as long, so your revive recurrence will increment as your gadget gets more established. 

Presently, as I would like to think, two of the best highlights of the iPhone X and iPhone 8 are quick charging and remote charging. They've basically disposed of the second rate uneasiness that I'd feel when my battery was getting beneath 50 percent amid the day. Pop the iPhone on a remote cushion or attach it to a quick charger and it's constantly good to go. 

In any case, the capacity to effectively energize the iPhone covers a bothering feeling I've had about Apple's most recent product of iPhones - that the battery life is a long way from great. Also, I'm stating that as an iPhone 8 Plus client, which is recorded as having the best battery life (in any event with respect to web utilize, which is the thing that I utilize it for the most) of the freshest iPhones. 

So a day or two ago, spontaneously, I chose to look at what number of energize cycles my iPhone had experienced in the under four months I've had it and I was astonished to find that I was at that point at 82, and this had expanded to 91 by the point I'd claimed it four months (I got my iPhone 8 Plus on dispatch day). 



My iPhone 8 Plus after under four months use 

Note: I utilized the phenomenal macOS application CoconutBattery to access the iPhone's battery energize cycle tally. 

On the off chance that I've experienced 91 energize cycles in four months, that implies that I could undoubtedly hit the 455 revive cycles after around 20 months of possession, and since that is not taking into consideration any battery wear, I'm sensibly expecting that the battery inside my iPhone to hit the 500 cycles check in around year and a half. 

year and a half. 

Already I would have anticipated that an iPhone would make it nearer to the three year/three-year point before hitting the 500 revive cycle (working out as a full energize each couple of days or somewhere in the vicinity). 

That is startling, doubly so when I consider that this iPhone hasn't been intensely utilized as a part of the four months that I've had it (I've been exchanging between more established gadgets a great deal as a feature of the testing I do). 

Also, it's not simply me. I've gotten notification from other iPhone X and iPhone 8 proprietors who reveal to me that their battery revive cycles are in a comparable ballpark. 

So what's happening here? 

It appears that Apple including the speed and comfort of remote and quick charging is covering the way that more up to date iPhones are setting a significant overwhelming interest on battery life, and that the gadget - even the bigger Plus gadgets - are waiting be bested up more consistently than more seasoned gadgets, and that this will destroy the battery considerably quicker than we've seen already. 

On the off chance that you redesign each year, this won't be an issue for you, however in the event that you're the sort of individual who likes to get a couple of years out of their iPhone before getting another one, this is something that you have to consider. You either need to take measures to limit battery use amid the day, or plan for a battery substitution down the line.



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