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Wednesday, March 4, 2020
Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro With 6GB RAM and Android 10 Spotted on Geekbench
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Tuesday, March 3, 2020
Hands-On With Samsung's New S20 Ultra: Is It Worth $1400?
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Samsung in February announced its most expensive non-foldable smartphone to date, the Galaxy S20 Ultra, which has a starting price of $1,400, which is $300 higher than the starting price of Apple's $1,099 iPhone 11 Pro Max.
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Apple is often criticized for its high price points, but this year, Samsung went above and beyond matching Apple's expensive smartphones. We recently picked up one of Samsung's Galaxy S20 Ultra smartphones to see if it's worth the $1,400 price point.
First off, the S20 Ultra has a 6.9-inch OLED display that looks fantastic. Out of the box, it's set to 1080p with a 60Hz refresh rate, but you can bump that up to a 120Hz refresh rate for super smooth scrolling. If you want to use the QHD setting with a higher resolution, you'll be limited to a 60Hz refresh rate, likely due to battery life concerns.
The Galaxy S20 Ultra includes 12 to 16GB RAM (16GB for the highest-end option priced at $1,600), 128 or 512GB of storage (again for that $1,600 model), an SD card expansion slot, a Snapdragon 865 processor (Qualcomm's latest and fastest chip), an in-display fingerprint sensor, and a 5,000mAh battery, which offers impressive battery life.
Samsung has also outfitted the Ultra with some impressive cameras, though some of what's new is a little bit gimmicky. There's a 108-megapixel wide-angle lens that can take some great photos, but 108-megapixel images are massive in size and aren't super great when you're taking a bunch of photos and using smartphone storage.
The lens uses a large sensor that lets in a lot of light to create natural depth of field effects, but we've had some trouble getting the camera to focus properly due to some bugs that Samsung has yet to address.
There's also a 100X Space Zoom feature that's impressive on the surface because it lets you zoom in super far, but a 100X zoom photo isn't actually usable because it's so grainy and unclear. The more modest 30x zoom, though, is quite good.
You can do 8K recording on the Galaxy S20 Ultra, but with the lack of focus tracking, the huge crop factor, and the large file sizes, it's not really worth it because 4K video is more than suitable and it offers better focusing tools. We're going to do a full camera comparison with the S20 Ultra and the iPhone 11 Pro Max later this week, so make sure to check back for that video.
The S20 Ultra, like the entire S20 lineup, comes with 5G connectivity, which is major selling point. Most people can't really take advantage of 5G networks yet because they're still in the early stages of rolling out, but people who own S20 smartphones will be ready to take advantage of 5G when it's ready.
Right now, 5G is kind of hit or miss. The fastest 5G, mmWave, is limited to some urban areas and suffers from interference from buildings and trees, while 600MHz 5G, designed for rural areas, isn't a whole lot faster than LTE at the current time. 5G is going to get better and it's going to get better quick once 5G is standard across all smartphones, but for now, it's not an entirely necessary feature.
It's not really fair to compare Samsung's February 2020 smartphones with Apple's September 2019 smartphones as Apple is working on upgraded iPhones with specs that better match those found in the S20 lineup, but until those new iPhones come out in fall, Samsung's S20 lineup, and the S20 Ultra in particular, is one of the most powerful smartphones on the market.
Many people may buy their smartphones on plans that split the payments across 24 months and also offer regular upgrades with trade-in, but $1,400 is still a lot to pay even over many months. So is the Galaxy S20 Ultra worth it? No, not for most people.
Just like the iPhone 11 Pro Max isn't for every user, the Galaxy S20 Ultra is aimed at those who want the best of the best in terms of specs. We wouldn't recommend the iPhone 11 Pro Max to the average user over the iPhone 11, and the Galaxy S20 Ultra is also not for the average user, which is why Samsung is selling it alongside the $999 S20 and the $1,200 S20+.
What do you think of Samsung's S20 Ultra? Would you shell out that amount of money for a smartphone? Let us know in the comments.
This article, "Hands-On With Samsung's New S20 Ultra: Is It Worth $1400?" first appeared on MacRumors.com
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Samsung in February announced its most expensive non-foldable smartphone to date, the Galaxy S20 Ultra, which has a starting price of $1,400, which is $300 higher than the starting price of Apple's $1,099 iPhone 11 Pro Max.
Apple is often criticized for its high price points, but this year, Samsung went above and beyond matching Apple's expensive smartphones. We recently picked up one of Samsung's Galaxy S20 Ultra smartphones to see if it's worth the $1,400 price point.
First off, the S20 Ultra has a 6.9-inch OLED display that looks fantastic. Out of the box, it's set to 1080p with a 60Hz refresh rate, but you can bump that up to a 120Hz refresh rate for super smooth scrolling. If you want to use the QHD setting with a higher resolution, you'll be limited to a 60Hz refresh rate, likely due to battery life concerns.
The Galaxy S20 Ultra includes 12 to 16GB RAM (16GB for the highest-end option priced at $1,600), 128 or 512GB of storage (again for that $1,600 model), an SD card expansion slot, a Snapdragon 865 processor (Qualcomm's latest and fastest chip), an in-display fingerprint sensor, and a 5,000mAh battery, which offers impressive battery life.
Samsung has also outfitted the Ultra with some impressive cameras, though some of what's new is a little bit gimmicky. There's a 108-megapixel wide-angle lens that can take some great photos, but 108-megapixel images are massive in size and aren't super great when you're taking a bunch of photos and using smartphone storage.
The lens uses a large sensor that lets in a lot of light to create natural depth of field effects, but we've had some trouble getting the camera to focus properly due to some bugs that Samsung has yet to address.
There's also a 100X Space Zoom feature that's impressive on the surface because it lets you zoom in super far, but a 100X zoom photo isn't actually usable because it's so grainy and unclear. The more modest 30x zoom, though, is quite good.
You can do 8K recording on the Galaxy S20 Ultra, but with the lack of focus tracking, the huge crop factor, and the large file sizes, it's not really worth it because 4K video is more than suitable and it offers better focusing tools. We're going to do a full camera comparison with the S20 Ultra and the iPhone 11 Pro Max later this week, so make sure to check back for that video.
The S20 Ultra, like the entire S20 lineup, comes with 5G connectivity, which is major selling point. Most people can't really take advantage of 5G networks yet because they're still in the early stages of rolling out, but people who own S20 smartphones will be ready to take advantage of 5G when it's ready.
Right now, 5G is kind of hit or miss. The fastest 5G, mmWave, is limited to some urban areas and suffers from interference from buildings and trees, while 600MHz 5G, designed for rural areas, isn't a whole lot faster than LTE at the current time. 5G is going to get better and it's going to get better quick once 5G is standard across all smartphones, but for now, it's not an entirely necessary feature.
It's not really fair to compare Samsung's February 2020 smartphones with Apple's September 2019 smartphones as Apple is working on upgraded iPhones with specs that better match those found in the S20 lineup, but until those new iPhones come out in fall, Samsung's S20 lineup, and the S20 Ultra in particular, is one of the most powerful smartphones on the market.
Many people may buy their smartphones on plans that split the payments across 24 months and also offer regular upgrades with trade-in, but $1,400 is still a lot to pay even over many months. So is the Galaxy S20 Ultra worth it? No, not for most people.
Just like the iPhone 11 Pro Max isn't for every user, the Galaxy S20 Ultra is aimed at those who want the best of the best in terms of specs. We wouldn't recommend the iPhone 11 Pro Max to the average user over the iPhone 11, and the Galaxy S20 Ultra is also not for the average user, which is why Samsung is selling it alongside the $999 S20 and the $1,200 S20+.
What do you think of Samsung's S20 Ultra? Would you shell out that amount of money for a smartphone? Let us know in the comments.
Tag: Samsung
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Apple Restricts Employee Travel to South Korea and Italy, Two Countries Hit Hard by Coronavirus
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Apple is no longer allowing its employees to travel to Italy or South Korea because of the coronavirus outbreak affecting those countries, reports Bloomberg.
Apple had already restricted employee travel to China, which is an issue because Apple engineers often visit China at this time of year to prepare for the manufacturing of new iPhones.
"We have instituted specific travel restrictions in a few countries including China, South Korea, and Italy," Apple said in a memo sent out to employees. Apple recommends employees manage meetings through phone calls and video chats.
Apple only has one supplier in Italy, STMicroelectronics, but it works with multiple suppliers in South Korea. One Apple supplier in South Korea, LG Innotek, shut down earlier this week after a factory worker tested positive for coronavirus. The factory, which is in Gumi, South Korea, is close to Daegu, where many of the COVID-19 cases in the country are centered.
Apple also operates one store in South Korea and 17 in Italy, but none of those have been shut down at this time.
Apple has also said that "deep cleaning protocols" are considered a "top priority" and are in effect across stores, offices, and employee shuttles. Apple recommends that any employee who is sick, especially with a fever or severe cough, should take sick leave "until they have fully recovered."
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Apple is no longer allowing its employees to travel to Italy or South Korea because of the coronavirus outbreak affecting those countries, reports Bloomberg.
Apple had already restricted employee travel to China, which is an issue because Apple engineers often visit China at this time of year to prepare for the manufacturing of new iPhones.
"We have instituted specific travel restrictions in a few countries including China, South Korea, and Italy," Apple said in a memo sent out to employees. Apple recommends employees manage meetings through phone calls and video chats.
"There are many ways to continue to manage our ongoing meetings and activities through calls and video. If you do have travel planned, we suggest you work with your managers to consider delaying or canceling business travel which could be postponed or managed through virtual meetings."At the current time, employees are only able to travel to those areas for business-critical reasons and must have approval from a company vice president.
Apple only has one supplier in Italy, STMicroelectronics, but it works with multiple suppliers in South Korea. One Apple supplier in South Korea, LG Innotek, shut down earlier this week after a factory worker tested positive for coronavirus. The factory, which is in Gumi, South Korea, is close to Daegu, where many of the COVID-19 cases in the country are centered.
Apple also operates one store in South Korea and 17 in Italy, but none of those have been shut down at this time.
Apple has also said that "deep cleaning protocols" are considered a "top priority" and are in effect across stores, offices, and employee shuttles. Apple recommends that any employee who is sick, especially with a fever or severe cough, should take sick leave "until they have fully recovered."
Tag: COVID-19
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Google Assistant broadcast to specific speakers is finally on the way
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Google Cancels May I/O Developer Conference Due to Coronavirus
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Google today canceled its upcoming I/O developer conference that was set to take place on May 12 to May 14 at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak sweeping the United States.
In emails sent out to Google I/O attendees, Google says that it is canceling the physical I/O event but will explore other ways to connect with the developer community. Refunds for I/O will be provided by March 13.
I/O would have taken place in Mountain View, California, but the canceled F8 conference was set to be held at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California, the same venue that Apple uses for WWDC.
Apple has not announced dates for WWDC 2020, but based on past events, June 8 to June 12 are the likely dates that Apple is targeting. If those dates are accurate, WWDC would be a month after F8 and about three weeks after I/O.
Apple may still have some time before it makes a decision about whether to cancel WWDC this year due to coronavirus concerns, but with Facebook and Google both canceling May events, it's not looking good.
The coronavirus has already caused the cancellation of several major events that include Mobile World Congress and the Game Developers Conference.
COVID-19 has infected more than 90,000 people and more than 3,000 have died, primarily in China. COVID-19 is currently spreading in the United States, and in the San Francisco Bay Area, where I/O, F8, and WWDC take place, there have been nine confirmed coronavirus cases, including several in people who caught it from community transmission with no known travel and no known contact with an infected person.
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Google today canceled its upcoming I/O developer conference that was set to take place on May 12 to May 14 at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak sweeping the United States.
In emails sent out to Google I/O attendees, Google says that it is canceling the physical I/O event but will explore other ways to connect with the developer community. Refunds for I/O will be provided by March 13.
Due to concerns around the coronavirus (COVID-19), and in accordance with health guidance from the CDC, WHO, and other health authorities, we have decided to cancel the physical Google I/O event at Shoreline Amphitheatre.Google is the second major tech company to cancel a developer event, following Facebook's decision to cancel F8 last week. As with Facebook's F8 event, Google's I/O conference is similar in scale to WWDC, attracting approximately 5,000 developers from around the world.
All guests who have purchased tickets to I/O 2020 will receive a full refund by March 13, 2020. If you don't see the credit on your statement by then, please reach out to io@google.com. Guests who have registered for I/O 2020 will not need to enter next year's drawing and will be automatically granted the option of purchasing an I/O 2021 ticket.
Over the coming weeks, we will explore other ways to evolve Google I/O to best connect with our developer community. We will keep the Google I/O website updated with additional information.
I/O would have taken place in Mountain View, California, but the canceled F8 conference was set to be held at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California, the same venue that Apple uses for WWDC.
Apple has not announced dates for WWDC 2020, but based on past events, June 8 to June 12 are the likely dates that Apple is targeting. If those dates are accurate, WWDC would be a month after F8 and about three weeks after I/O.
Apple may still have some time before it makes a decision about whether to cancel WWDC this year due to coronavirus concerns, but with Facebook and Google both canceling May events, it's not looking good.
The coronavirus has already caused the cancellation of several major events that include Mobile World Congress and the Game Developers Conference.
COVID-19 has infected more than 90,000 people and more than 3,000 have died, primarily in China. COVID-19 is currently spreading in the United States, and in the San Francisco Bay Area, where I/O, F8, and WWDC take place, there have been nine confirmed coronavirus cases, including several in people who caught it from community transmission with no known travel and no known contact with an infected person.
This article, "Google Cancels May I/O Developer Conference Due to Coronavirus" first appeared on MacRumors.com
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Apple No Longer Offers Personalized Engraving on Replacement iPods
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Apple this week discontinued personalized engraving for replacement iPod devices, according to an internal memo shared with Apple Authorized Service Providers and obtained by MacRumors.
In other words, if you have a damaged iPod touch, iPod nano, iPod shuffle, or iPod classic with an engraved message on it, and an Apple technician determines that the entire device needs to be replaced, Apple will simply provide customers with a non-engraved replacement from its repair inventory.
Previously, customers had the option of requesting a re-engraved replacement device shipped directly from China.
Given the iPod touch is a niche product in Apple's lineup, and that all other iPod models have been discontinued for years, this change is unlikely to affect most customers. However, if you had a nostalgic message engraved on an iPod several years ago, know that those words will be lost if Apple replaces the device.
This change does not apply to the iPad.
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Apple this week discontinued personalized engraving for replacement iPod devices, according to an internal memo shared with Apple Authorized Service Providers and obtained by MacRumors.
In other words, if you have a damaged iPod touch, iPod nano, iPod shuffle, or iPod classic with an engraved message on it, and an Apple technician determines that the entire device needs to be replaced, Apple will simply provide customers with a non-engraved replacement from its repair inventory.
Previously, customers had the option of requesting a re-engraved replacement device shipped directly from China.
Given the iPod touch is a niche product in Apple's lineup, and that all other iPod models have been discontinued for years, this change is unlikely to affect most customers. However, if you had a nostalgic message engraved on an iPod several years ago, know that those words will be lost if Apple replaces the device.
This change does not apply to the iPad.
Related Roundup: iPod touch
Buyer's Guide: iPod Touch (Caution)
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