Confirmed: iPhone X Features/Thoughts

It’s been a long year so far. Ever since the iPhone 7’s launch in September of last year, thousands speculated on what Apple was working on next. And after countless rumors, leaks and prototypes, we finally know what Apple has been up to. The iPhone X is Apple’s 10th anniversary iPhone and the tech giant is looking to make big waves with the device. But how does it stack up against the rumors and, more importantly, against the competition? Let’s find out.

 

Screen

Rumors had been circulating around Internet for some time regarding the iPhone X’s “bezel-less” screen, and the guesses were spot on. The iPhone X will sport an “edge-to-edge” screen (although there are technically slim bezels around the entire device). The 5.8 inch “Super Retina” display, as Apple is calling it, features a pixel ratio of 2436×1125 at 458ppi. The screen also features HDR as well as True Tone in order to provide a beautiful viewing experience. Compared to the Samsung Galaxy S8’s 5.8 inch Quad HD+ Super AMOLED display with a ratio of 2960×1440 at 570ppi, it would appear that Samsung certainly has the better screen of the two devices (ironically, Samsung is making the screens for the iPhone X).

 

Under the Hood

All of the fancy bells and whistles on new devices aren’t worth a thing if the phone’s processor isn’t able to handle it. Based on the latest benchmark testings of the iPhone X’s processor, the new phone shouldn’t have any problems with handling tasks. The iPhone X is powered by Apple’s new A11 Bionic chip; when compared to Samsung’s Galaxy S8, which features an Octa-core Snapdragon 835 processor, the iPhone X runs circles around the competition. And the Galaxy S8’s processor is no slouch, but when compared to the neural engine, 64-bit architecture A11 Bionic chip, it’s no match. On the popular processor benchmarking site, Geekbench, the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, which use the A11 Bionic chip as well, score 10,170 in multi-core usage compared to the Galaxy S8’s 6,564.

 

Facial Recognition

With the complete redesign of the screen and lack of home button, many were curious as to how iPhone X users would unlock their phones. It turns out that Apple has invested quite a bit of time and money into the front-facing camera of the new device in order to improve security. Instead of using your fingerprint to unlock the phone, you will now use your face. Apple’s front facing camera maps out the user’s face and will unlock the device once it has verified the identity. While this is not a new feature in a smartphone, it is seemingly much more advanced. Apple claims that the facial recognition technology, known as FaceID, in the iPhone X is so advanced that, when working in tandem with the A11 Bionic chip, it can recognize a user’s facial features even if those features change over time (i.e. growing of a beard, hat or sunglasses on, tattoos, etc.). The camera can supposedly also sense depth, thus creating a 3D map of the user’s face as to not be fooled by a 2D photo, which is an issue with other smartphones.

 

While it may seem as if Apple’s iPhone X is lacking in innovation and new features, it is packing more of a punch than the competition. All of the features that I’ve described have existed on several other smartphones before, but that isn’t what Apple is about. Apple either pioneers new technology or takes existing technology and makes it better. It has done this in the past with fingerprint scanning, tablets and even the smartphone as a whole. Many are criticizing the iPhone X for not being as innovative or forward-thinking as it should be in order to lead the way in smartphones, but the amount of technology and processing power inside of the iPhone X is far greater than people realize.

 

That being said, the iPhone X has yet to be released, and we have to wait for real-world tests before we can determine whether or not the phone is a dud or a worthy successor to the iPhone 7 and a true leap forward for smartphones.

Goodbye, Note7. We Hardly Knew Ya.

The Samsung Galaxy Note7 fiasco has seemingly come to a head, with the Korean electronics company temporarily ceasing production of the phone. Since it’s release in August, there have been numerous reported incidents of the mobile device catching fire. It’s literally an explosive issue.

Black mobile phone

Courtesy of Gadget 360

The Note7 problem came hard and fast. In September, millions of devices were recalled after Samsung announced they had identified the issue causing the potentially dangerous battery fires. Customers were encouraged to trade in their old phones for a new, safer version. But with this latest announcement— coming just a few weeks later— customers were urged to power down their devices immediately… and not turn them back on.

Luckily, Samsung has announced some good news for customers who bought their ill-fated phone. Customers who now turn in the phone will receive a $100 credit to put towards a new device. As CNET points out, the gesture “softens the blow”, encourages customers who haven’t given up the phone to do so immediately, and attempts to keep loyal customers using a Samsung device.

A product disaster like this couldn’t have come at a worse time. The Note7 is Samsung’s premier phone. It’s meant to compete with the ever-present iPhone, and the fact that Apple’s latest mobile product launched a little more than a month ago means that it’s a pretty attractive alternative. And then there’s the holiday question. How will Samsung perform during gift giving season? While Apple has long held smartphone sales titles, their lead has begun to shrink in part due to feisty competitors like Samsung. But with their most valuable phone out of the question, and their reputation shot (some estimates have the firm losing $10 billion in revenue), we have yet to see how it will all shake out.

If you have a Note7, just turn it in. You don’t want your carelessness to be the cause of a grounded flight.

11 Things the Andriod Phones Can Do That The iPhone Can’t

Upon the launch of it’s latest generation of iPhone (the iPhone 6 Series) and it’s latest iOS 8 software update, Apple has introduced a host of new features that once were not available to iPhone users. And though these updates are very substantial in the context of what the iPhone is capable, that being said, they are all features that have been standard for Android platform phones for quite some time. For example, the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will be Apple’s first generation of smartphones that will come standard with NFC (near field communication) – a technology that allows phones to talk to each other via short-range radio. This essentially means that you can share data and make payments simply by tapping your iPhone against a compatible device. This has been something standard on the Android platform for some time – however, it is now something available on the iPhone platform. But there are still plenty of things Android phones can do that iPhones cannot.

you-can-add-a-bigger-battery-to-most-android-phones-the-iphones-back-isnt-removable11. Battery Swapping

Many Android phones, such as the Droid Razr and the Samsung Galaxy series, allow you to remove the battery from the back of the phone by removing the back cover of the phone. This opens up the availability to swap a low-charge or failing battery with either a new one, or a higher capacity battery. This is an immensely helpful feature for many reasons. Sometimes the battery is well secured with micro screws, but there are plenty that allow you to simply just pop the battery out like a flip phone. The iPhone on the other hand still doesn’t allow you to access the interior of the phone. The iPhone still relies on a single lithium-ion battery pack that can only be removed or replaced by Apple technicians.

10. Opening Multiple Applications

Software layering is an immensely useful feature; many manufacturers will layer their own software over the plain version of Android, which often includes them adding their own features. For example, on Samsung and LG phones you can open more than one application up and run it side-by-side simultaneously as another application. On LG phones, you can even move the apps around and reposition them in such a way to make some applications more transparent or opaque than others, resize them, and do much much more. When you’re doing GoToMeeting on your phone and need to reference a presentation without losing the window, you can open that presentation and view it simultaneously – something that can really come in handy.

you-can-charge-your-android-phone-with-any-micro-usb-cable9. Unchanged Charging Port

With each major overhaul of the iPhone, from the 3 to the 4 to the 5, and now to the 6, you have had a changed charging port-type, requiring a completely new charging chord. The Lightning port is a great charging mechanism, however, with just about any Droid, regardless of manufacturer, all you really need is a micro-USB port, which has served as the charging mechanism for several years now. There’s no change that’s on the books for the charging mechanism, and every single manufacturer seems content to keep it that way.

8. Micro HDMI Connectionsome-android-phones-come-with-a-micro-hdmi-connection

Some Android phones come with micro HDMI ports, which allow you to hook your smartphone directly up to your television. This isn’t all that common in most flagship products, but many Motorola phones come with this capability. The only ports that you have on your iPhone are your headphone jack and your Lightning jack. Not to say that this is a huge deal; when you think about it, in all smart televisions, you can wirelessly impose your screen on to your television through an Airport type of mechanism – which eliminates the need for this type of port in the first place completely. But, if, say, you don’t have a smart television, then maybe having a micro HDMI port to show your favorite Youtube video on a large screen could come in handy.

on-the-moto-x-you-can-give-your-phone-instructions-without-even-having-to-touch-it7. “Touchless Voice Controls”

The Moto X, one of the more superior Android phones in my opinion, is a feature called “Touchless Voice Controls”. In the device’s settings, you can configure them so that Google listens for your voice to perform search queries, set reminders, get directions, and so much more. On most other phones, you would likely need to hold down some kind of button, such as on the iPhone with Siri, or a microphone voice controls application would need to be opened. With the Moto X, you can train your phone to answer to your voice specifically, when it hears some kind of trigger phrase.

6. Additional Storage Capacityyou-can-add-more-storage-to-android-phones-with-a-micro-sd-card

Androids allow you the ability to replace existing SD cards for ones with greater capacity. Generally phones, when they are first issued out with SD cards that don’t have a great deal of capacity – and generally the amount of storage capacity is directly related to the price of the smartphone. So, you can get away with getting a cheaper Android that has limited space, and then bulk it up with a larger SD card separately. Androids will generally come with a separate SD card slot to add a larger card, but with the iPhone, you’re limited to the amount of local storage you have based on the type of iPhone you purchased. You can always store files in iCloud and upgrade once that’s full, but there’s no expandable storage option for the iPhone’s hardware.

5. Shortcuts to Settings

Most Android phones, specifically those made by Samsung and LG come with a ton of “quick settings”, similar to on most Mac-type of devices, that are accessible when you swipe down from the top of the screen. The Galaxy S5 comes with 20 quick settings, including power saving mode, Bluetooth/Wi-Fi Buttons, and controls for proprietary features such as Stay and Smart Pause. By comparison, the iPhone comes with roughly 10 shortcuts when you swipe from the bottom-up, and none of them are customizable.

4. More room for Customization in General

If you’ve ever used both platforms before, then you know that the Android is basically just a much more customizable smartphone on the whole. Essentially, if you’re somebody that likes to customize their phone, then Android is just simply a better option for you. Apps like Aviate and Buzz Launcher, you can actually change your Andriod’s interface entirely. In Aviate, for example, apps are arranged alphabetically in a more list-like format rather than the standard grid layout. With Buzz Launcher, you can decorate your smartphone in such a way so that your design capabilities are boundless.

3. Widgets, Widgets, and Widgetsadd-widgets-to-your-android-phones-home-screen

This is huge. The fact that the iPhone cannot support widgets yet is ridiculous. Embedding widgets directly into your phone’s home screen, and then being able to move them and shape them as you please is a pretty fantastic feature. It allows you to get the information you need, without even having to open an application – which is sort of where everything is going at this point. Embedding a widget in your home screen also allows you to give your phone a little more personality. With iOS 8, there are some widget functionalities, such as with the calendar and notification drawer, but you can’t move them around or put them on your home screen.

2. You Can Use Your Droid as a Remote Control

The HTC One, Galaxy S5, LG G3 and other flagship Android products come with an infrared blaster – which is exactly what your remote control is, essentially. This means that you can set it up as a remote control to control your television, instead of using a regular remote, which are big and not nearly as much fun. But the fun doesn’t stop there, you can also use it to replace the remote for your air conditioner, speaker, and nearly any other household device.

1. Swap Out the Back Cover

Like I said earlier, you can’t remove the back of your iPhone. How are you supposed to put on an awesome back cover for your phone, while also keeping it naked without a case? You can’t. But, if you want a transparent back to your phone, you can do that with your Android product pretty easily.