Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years, you’ve probably heard rumours about an extravagant, ‘bezel-less’ iPhone. This year, the iPhone X is expected to be the materialization of these rumours (it is, after all, Apple’s tenth-anniversary iPhone). There are little surprises to expect at the company’s 12 September keynote, so we’ve rounded up basically the final specs of the next-generation iPhone. The screenThe iPhone X will most likely have a 5.8-inch display with no bezel save for a relatively large notch at the top for the front-facing camera & other components. This puts the X's display more in the mold of Andy Rubin’s Essential Phone than the Galaxy S8 or LG G6. The display will most likely be a high-resolution AMOLED screen, a first for an Apple device. As for Touch ID, the three rumours leading the pack are: a) the Touch ID sensor is embedded into the display, b) the Touch ID sensor is moved to the power button or back of the phone, and c) Apple drops Touch ID. Personally, option C is my least favourite, but it seems the most likely as Apple is experimenting with ‘Face ID’ (iris scanning). [UPDATE: The iOS 11 GM was leaked shortly after this article went to press. It is now almost certain that Touch ID is being ditched in favour of Face ID.] The cameraMing-Chi-Kuo, an analyst for KGI Securities with a solid track record for Apple product rumours, has said that the camera situation on all of Apple’s new phones will go like this; the 4.7-inch iPhone will have one (most likely 12MP) rear camera, the 5.5-inch iPhone will have two rear cameras similar to the 7 Plus of 2016, and finally a ‘OLED iPhone’ with an unspecified size and dual cameras (this is most likely the iPhone X being referred to). He also mentioned that the telefoto lens will have OIS this year. The X's camera arrangement will also reportedly be in a vertical form factor. As for the selfie camera, it’s expected to have 3-D sensing and modeling features for Face ID. The specsThe iPhone X is expected to carry an A11 Fusion Chip. Given the performance of last year’s A10 Fusion, expect this processor to destroy the competition (that being the Snapdragon 835). It’s also expected to have 3 gigabytes of RAM like the iPhone 7 Plus has. The speaker & Taptic Engine are also rumored to be revamped for 2017. In terms of storage, users on Weibo have suggested the iPhone X will come in three storage capacities — 64GB, 256GB, and a monstrous 512GB. Others have speculated that the 8 might have a microSD card, although this is unlikely. Finally, Fast Company says that the handset will have a “far bigger battery” along with improved battery life thanks to the OLED display. Ming-Chi Kuo believes that Apple will implement USB-C fast charging technology while still using the Lightning port. It’s also been suggested that the iPhone X will include long-range wireless charging in a iOS 11.1 update. The priceRumours suggest that following Apple’s 12 September keynote event, the iPhone X (along with a new Apple Watch, a 4K Apple TV, & the iPhone 8) will be on sale 22 September with pre-orders beginning 15 September. It’s also expected that, like last year’s 7 Plus & AirPods, the iPhone X will be on back-order for a long while. In terms of pricing, it’s been made basically certain that the X will be the most expensive iPhone ever with a starting price of $999. In the future, it’s been said that Apple will only ship bezel-less OLED iPhones rather than just the high-end model as early as next year with the iPhone 9. With only two days to go, we’ll just have to wait and see if any of these rumours materialize. [UPDATE: The iOS 11 GM has confirmed that the iPhone 8 is the name of what was called the 7S and that what we called the iPhone 8 will now be called the iPhone X. The new Apple Watch Series 3 has also been confirmed and will certainly have cellular capabilities.] Roan Thibault is the editor-in-chief of Mirror Journal.
Recently (on 23 August to be exact), tech giant Samsung revealed their new Galaxy Note8 smartphone. This phone is a crucial rebound from last year’s disaster with the Note7, and Samsung failed to disappoint. So what exactly is new? Let’s dive in. I always like to start off with the design in these ‘hands-ons.’ And the Galaxy Note8 certainly delivers. It has the same stunning ‘Infinity Display’ from the Galaxy S8 & S8+ handsets from April, with a slightly more squared-off frame. In addition, this iteration of the Galaxy Note will not have any carrier branding on the outside of the phone, which is a surefire win for everyone. The display is a gorgeous 6.3-inch quad-HD panel, and it is no doubt the most beautiful display you can buy. The aluminum & glass design on the back side is similar to that of the S8 as well, but since Samsung nailed that design as well, I’m willing to look that over (with the exception of the poorly placed fingerprint sensor, which is just… no). The Note8 comes in four colours, but only one of which are available in North America. Available in American markets is the Midnight Black shade, and elsewhere you can find Orchid Grey, Maple Gold, and Deepsea Blue, which may bring back some nostalgia for previous Galaxy Note5 owners. Completing the back plate are dual cameras, a first for any Samsung product (save for the Gear 360). It has a similar setup to the iPhone 7 Plus’s cameras, meaning that the main camera is a wide-angle 12-megapixel sensor & the second is a telephoto camera. However, the Note8's telephoto camera keeps the same resolution as the main one, meaning that unlike the iPhone 7's telephoto lens, this one will work in low light situations. Samsung’s main sensor can also shoot 4K video and RAW stills. Both cameras retain the larger-than-life saturation that the phones are known for. In terms of normal specs, North American handsets will ship with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 chip atop the latest version of TouchWiz. There’s six gigabytes of RAM to keep all your apps running, and it also works well with intense games thanks to the Adreno 540 GPU. The skin, while admittedly slowing things down a bit, is very pleasant to use, especially with the S Pen, the flagship feature of the Note line. This year’s S Pen comes with an improved launcher, but the hardware itself remains unchanged from last year. The ‘Apps Edge’ screen also as a Note exclusive feature; App Pairs. This takes advantage of the 18:9 (2:1) aspect ratio by opening up two preselected apps in split-screen mode without all the hassle of having to hold the multitasking button (which remains in software) and choosing an app. So why buy the Galaxy Note8? It should seem pretty obvious, right?It’s a fantastic phone with a huge display and a convenient S Pen. But this year, Samsung didn’t take any risks, or even remotely try to make the Note8 stand out. And it’s understandable why *cough cough* Note7 *cough cough.* However, that removes mostly everything special about the Note. When it launched, it was famous for it’s size. Last year, it was famous for it’s features. And this year, it’s basically just a bigger Galaxy S8 with a pen (and of course the dual camera). For a retail price of $960 as a base, that seems like a lot to ask. Roan Thibault is the editor-in-chief of Mirror Journal.
Dual cameras. Large bezels. 1080p screen. One may think this is an iPhone being described, but this is actually Chinese tech company OnePlus’s new flagship, the OnePlus 5. A modest upgrade from the 3 & 3T handsets from last year, let’s dive in and see what’s changed. First off, the design. Many outlets, including us at the beginning of the article, have said this phone strongly resembles Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus. However, the OnePlus 5 was actually modeled off it’s sister company Oppo’s R11. The phone comes in two colors, Slate Grey & Midnight Black, and sports an aluminum build. It has two cameras on the top-left of the device, one being a 16-megapixel sensor with a f/1.7 aperture (which is good), & a 20-megapixel telephoto lens. However, even though these specs seem promising, early reviews point out that the camera continues to lag behind those of Apple & Google, especially in low light situations. Turn the OnePlus 5 around and you’ll see a 16-megapixel selfie camera. Below that camera is a 1080p, 5.5–inch display, similar to that of the 3T. OnePlus has taken a lot of heat for keeping with a 1080p display, but in my experience with 1080p phones it’s hard to even tell that the resolution is low. OnePlus also removed the pee-yellow colour for night mode & introduced ‘reading mode,’ which turns the display to monochrome for books or long articles. OxygenOS, OnePlus’s Android skin, continues to be a pleasure to use. It’s near-stock, but comes with several great improvements, especially for tinkerers. It works well with the OnePlus 5's impressive spec sheet. That means the Snapdragon 825 chip, Adreno 540 GPU, and 8 gigabytes of RAM on the higher end model. It also has a 330 mAh battery, which roughly amounts to 4–5 hours of screen-on time. While the battery is pretty normal, OnePlus is again packing their phones with Dash Charge products, which can charge the phone to around 60% of battery in only 30 minutes. Finally, the price. OnePlus has always been famous for being a budget phone brand, but the OnePlus 5 is it’s most expensive phone yet. The lowest-end model costs $479, while the highest-end model goes up to $539. At these prices, it merits the question: “Why not just spend one hundred dollars more & get a Galaxy S8, iPhone 7, or Pixel?” That’s a question for another article, of course, but it still would be wise to observe the OnePlus 5 for the months to come. Roan Thibault is the editor-in-chief of Mirror Journal. Please note that this is not a review and should not be treated as such.
WWDC, or World Wide Developer’s Conference, is Apple’s yearly event in which the company announces new versions of it’s software, including iOS, macOS, & watchOS, and for the first time since 2013, new hardware. Below we’ve compiled three of the best announcements from the event. iOS 11The latest version of the iPhone’s software, iOS 11, boasts several redesigns, including that of the Control Centre. The new look for the Control Centre can appear very familiar to Windows 10 users, as it is the home to several tiles that can be expanded using 3D Touch. The Notification Centre has also been redesigned. This new Notification Centre takes the user back to the lock screen, with widgets to the left and the camera to the right like in iOS 10. The App Store has also been the subject of a major redesign. Users now enter a “Today” tab, with articles & content featuring new apps. Next is a “Games” tab that promotes in-app purchases for already-owned games, and an “Apps” tab that is largely similar. macOS & watchOSNext up, macOS High Sierra. This is more of a technical upgrade for Apple, as it brings support for the company’s Metal 2 API, which offers VR support and faster performance for things like system animations. High Sierra is also switching to a 64-bit “Apple File System,” or APFS, and H.265 video. Small updates have been thrown in, however, such as Autoplay blocking in Safari, Spotlight Search in Mail, & a new “Imports” tab that will make it’s way to the Photos app. In watchOS 4, Apple has redesigned the Dock, along with the Music & Workout apps. During the keynote, it was also mentioned that the Apple News app is making it’s way to the Watch. Finally, watchOS 4 will bring a predictive “Siri” watch face, a “Kaleidoscope” face, and three Toy Story faces. Lastly, the Activity app in watchOS 4 will soon feature a smart coach for motivation. New hardwareLast but not least are three new pieces of hardware from Apple. First up is a 10.5-inch iPad Pro refresh, with thinner bezels and a super powerful A10X Fusion processor. Headlining the new iPad are improvements in iOS 11, like Drag & Drop, a new keyboard, a new Dock, & even a new app — Files. Next; the iMac Pro. Meant to be a replacement to the 2013 trash can Mac Pro, top-specced iMac Pros will feature an 18-core Intel Xeon processor, an AMD Radeon Vera GPU, & an advanced cooling system to keep it at the same temperature as a normal iMac. It will feature an exclusive space grey design too. Finally, the rumoured Siri speaker is being rolled out as HomePod — a music focused smart speaker with seven tweeters, a 4-inch woofer, & spatial awareness. It has 6 microphones and an Apple A8 chip to run Siri. Like Google Home, Siri is awakened by a special pair of words — ”Hey Siri.” It will be able to play from Apple Music too, but not through Spotify or even Bluetooth. So why care?Apple products are important — and WWDC is when all of them get updated. iOS 11 is set to be adopted by most iPhones & iPads come Fall due to Apple’s aggressive upgrade prompts, and the same can be said for macOS High Sierra and watchOS 4. The iMac Pro is likely to stick around for the next four years, given that Apple doesn’t refresh it often, and the introduction of HomePod in December will mean all four of the major personal assistants will have their own smart speakers; Google Assistant with Home, Amazon Alexa with Echo, Microsoft Cortana with a new Harmon speaker, and now Apple’s Siri with HomePod. And the question on everyone’s mind regarding the HomePod is, “will it even be able to gain traction given it’s price tag?” The iPhones have been able to do it, but a smart speaker? The tech world is a constant battle to one-up each other, one that Apple is losing it's footing in. So will their logo be able to sway users for much longer? Roan Thibault is the editor-in-chief of Mirror Journal.
Google I/O is a yearly event in which the company announces new products, software updates, and more. We’ve compiled three main points covered during Wednesday’s keynote event below. Android O(reo)Of course, Google devoted a lot of time to explain it’s new innovations with the next Android version, O. The standout feature in O is Picture-in-Picture, which allows YouTube videos and other content to stay active while users perform other tasks. For example, on stage Android engineering lead Dave Burke demonstrated a YouTube video playing in the background while he notated about it using Google Keep. Other features in O include Notification Dots (think iOS), an improved Autofill, and the introduction of Kotlin as an officially supported programming language. Google LensNext up, Google Lens. Some background information first; in 2010, the company released Goggles, which recognized what’s in images using context (location, the Knowledge Graph, & words on screen). Since 2014, it has been all but discontinued. Earlier this year, Samsung launched it’s own version of Google Goggles, called Bixby Vision. So, to explain Google Lens as bluntly as possible: Google Lens is what Google Goggles & Bixby Vision should have been. Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced that Lens will be rolling out to the Assistant platform & it’s Photos app first — and it has new features like the integration of Google Street View to identify businesses. Pichai also demonstrated that with Lens (on Android), users can point their phone at a WiFi SSID & password, and Lens will automatically log them in to the network. Google HomeFinally, Google Home. Announced at I/O 2016 and released in November of that year, Home is a smart speaker that is meant to compete with the Amazon Echo. It runs the Google Assistant (which now has an SDK like Alexa & even an iOS app). Since it’s release, it’s enjoyed several updates, including multi-user support, to continue one-upping Amazon. At I/O, Google announced even more features, like push notifications. Since Home lacks a screen, this will work using the device’s lights. They will blink to inform users of events and traffic, and the user can access the notification’s info by saying “What’s up?” Google is also allowing for information to be beamed to phones or an Android TV to make up for said screen. In addition, Google is adding free voice calling through Home using an anonymous number. Luckily, in the app, users can connect their own number. So what's next?Google’s improvements in the AI realm of tech will most likely drive Samsung, with Bixby Vision to add more improvements to their own software to pull away possible Lens users (however, initial reception to Bixby in general has been mixed & most users have already chosen their preferred assistant). Amazon with Alexa and the Echo is also likely to add even more features to their line of speakers (especially with the introduction of the Echo Look & Show lately) to once again gain the upper hand in this relatively new market. Amazon’s Echo Dot still remains the consumer favorite in the smart speaker market, so it’s also likely that Google may be planning a mini version of it’s Home (however this is speculation). With WWDC ahead, Apple could possibly implement Picture-in-Picture with iOS 11, as it’s already available on the iPad line of products. But who knows? In the tech world, it’s a constant battle to one-up each other in terms of product quality. And that’s the big takeaway from I/O. Roan Thibault is the editor-in-chief of Mirror Journal.
Possibly one of the most leaked phones all year, the Galaxy S8 and S8+ phones were announced at Samsung's Unpacked event in New York to much fanfare. With a nearly bezel-less display that Samsung calls the "Infinity Display," and the porting over of the Edge panels to the base S8, the pair of phones may possibly be the sexiest phones of 2017. The phone will ship in five stunning colors that work well with the cleaned-up, sci-fi style update to the Grace UX skin. The skin now has the same swipe-to-app drawer gesture seen on the Pixel, and makes the jump to software buttons as well. Samsung has implemented a half-hearted version of the iPhone's home button, as it is solid-state and delivers haptic feedback when touched. In addition, the switch to software keys mean that the back and multitasking buttons can FINALLY be switched to a normal implementation in Settings. Even though long pressing this new home button still summons Google Assistant, long pressing the button below the volume rocker awakens Bixby, Samsung's second try at a personal assistant. Swiping left from the home screen summons a Google Now-like stack of cards, along with icons for opening Bixby voice and Bixby camera. So far, however, Bixby can only control first-party phone functions and not give answers to, say, who is running the country. While the battery life is currently unknown, Samsung has reassured the public that the Galaxy S8 will most likely not burst in to flames, thanks to the company's "8-Point Battery Safety Check" that it introduced two months ago. Inside the phone, the S8 is the first to support the Snapdragon 835 chip from Qualcomm (Exynos 9 internationally) and the Bluetooth 5.0 standard. Wireless charging and Samsung Pay return as well. The fingerprint reader once located on the home button has been moved to the back, but, unlike phones like Google's Pixel (2016 Mirror Journal Phone of the Year), this is not a good thing. Samsung decided to place the reader to the right of the camera, and there will be no physical cues to distinguish it from the camera or flash, so get ready for fingerprints on your lens. Speaking of that camera, it is the exact same one we've seen in the Galaxy S7 and ill-fated Note7. While that certainly was a great camera last year, I'm unsure how it will hold up against the Pixel, iPhone 7, and LG G6. The front-facing camera, however, now boasts better facial detection, allowing for Snapchat-like filters straight inside the selfie cam. Let's recapIn conclusion, the Galaxy S8's top-notch display, processor, and build give it a great selling point to consumers. But Samsung's cleaned-up—but still bloated—software remains, with the exact same camera as last year's, unknown battery life, and lackluster personal assistant remove some appeal. The questions we have about the S8 are sure to be answered soon, so it would be wise to take Note (7) about Samsung's latest and greatest flagship. Roan Thibault is the editor-in-chief of Mirror Journal.
Meet the Nokia 3310. It's the 2017 refresh of what is considered one of the greatest phones ever made. The 3310's nostalgic return stole all attention at the Mobile World Congress trade show this year, surpassing search interest for the BlackBerry KEYone, LG G6, and even Nokia's other smartphone offerings at the show (that being, the 3, 5, & 6 Android phones). But the big question is; why? Why would a simple little dumbphone, or more kindly, feature phone, be the center of attention at a trade show where the focus is the "future of mobile?" The simple answer to this whole equation is that MWC 2017 wasn't a very exciting show this year. Samsung dropped it's Galaxy S8 launch slated for the show to allow for more time following the Note7 debacle, the general public has pretty much lost interest in LG following the disappointing G5, and consumers in the West have no idea what Huawei is. That leaves only BlackBerry, who's KEYone phone was already shown off in less detail at CES in January. It was refreshing to see Nokia swoop in and drop a nostalgia nerd's dream phone, which comes complete with the old 3310's trademark ringtone and even a reincarnation of Snake. Nokia's new owners, HMD, chose the perfect time to re-release a classic at a trade show which offered no real competition this year, creating what YouTuber Michael Fisher called a "public relations grand slam." The feature phone no one saw coming was a sweet release from the rectangular slabs with big screens everyone else announced at Mobile World Congress, and took the tech world by storm. It will be sure to find it's way into the hearts of tech aficionados when it comes out for €49 in the second quarter, and most likely soon after in the United States (right now the 3310 won't work on American 2G bands). Expect some more Nokia 3310 coverage in the near future. Roan Thibault is the editor-in-cheif of Mirror Journal.
In the iOS 10.1 beta a few months back, we covered a pop-up notification that Apple added in old apps that may slow down the device. In the new iOS 10.3 update, Apple takes this warning further by adding that these apps may not be around for a long time. Apps in this 32-bit format have been around since the iPhone 5S, which was the first to support the new 64-bit app format. However, apps like Ocarina, one of the most famous iOS apps ever, have still failed to update to this format. This means Apple may clear its app store of these applications in the upcoming iOS 11 update. Feel free to click "Read More" for a screenshot. Roan Thibault is the editor-in-cheif of Mirror Journal.
A new feature in the iOS 10.3 beta, along with "Find My AirPods" and cricket scores on Siri, allows articles in Safari to be opened in Apple's proprietary News app, rather than the browser. It works within the Share Sheet and only works with Apple News partners, which is understandable. However, it still does not work with some websites like Mirror Journal, so there is obviously some work to go. Feel free to click "Read More" for a look at a screenshot. Roan Thibault is the editor-in-chief of Mirror Journal.
Imagine this: You're sitting in you're living room, playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on your television, and then you're parents walk in to watch a sports game. Instead of saving your game and making way for the sports game, you pull a companion tablet out of it's charging dock and presto: Now you're playing Mario Kart on a tablet, and you can bring it into your bedroom for some privacy. That's exactly the idea with Nintendo's latest console—announced in October of 2016 with some more details released this January, and a release date of March 3, 2017. The device successes the massive failure of the Wii U console announced in 2012, and serves as Nintendo's chance to bounce back from it's lackluster sales of the Wii U and it's "New" Nintendo 3DS handheld. Games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Splatoon 2, and even some third-party content like Skyrim are slated to launch this year for the Switch, and they're all played with Nintendo's latest odd controller; Joy-Cons. These so-called "Joy-Cons" are kind of like two pairs of Wii remotes, and can snap on and off the Switch tablet and a 'grip' that turns the two Joy-Cons into a more conventional game controller. In addition, some developer communities have been suggesting a concept of "different Joy-Cons for different games," which may or may not be adopted by Nintendo. Other parts of the Switch's hardware include a USB-C port for charging and a 720p display (if you play on your TV it goes all the way up to 1080p), but Nintendo decided to follow in Apple & Moto's footsteps and remove the headphone jack. This means there will be no private listening without using the USB-C charging port. The major concern with the hardware, however, it the issue of battery life. Nintendo says one will get six hours of battery life on a charge, but for more high intensity games, that will only equate to three hours of gaming. That's an inferior amount of play time than the social media/casual games/web browsing combo that usually kills today's phones in a few hours. Another concern is content. While there will certainly be more than enough games from Nintendo itself, the company's consoles have always been famous for lacking third-party titles. As said earlier, games like Skyrim will make an appearance in the Switch's catalogue, but that may just be where it stops. For more adult games, and just overall more games, it seems that consoles like Sony's PS4 and Microsoft's Xbox One lineup will reign superior when it comes to content. So, with all these downfalls, will it be worth a buy? That question remains to say answered, as it has not been released. Our recommendation? Wait a month after its release and then check sales figures. If it seems like people are buying the Switch, give it a go. There's nothing wrong with getting a Switch of your own. Roan Thibault is the editor-in-chief of Mirror Journal. Please again note that this is NOT A REVIEW, and do not treat it like such.
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September 2017
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