The Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom is a smartphone with a rather sizable camera on its back. While you’ll find this machine appearing to want o take the place of the Samsung Galaxy Camera, we’ve found it to be attempting to carve out a different category entirely. Here Samsung aims to cross-breed a smartphone with a high-powered pocketable camera. Can it stand the test of the average, everyday user, or better yet, the common hobby-level photographer?
Hardware
This machine comes in at 125.3 x 63.3 x 15.25mm (4.93 x 2.45 x 0.6 inches), quite a bit thicker than any smartphone or tablet from this generation of Samsung devices. It’s not especially wide, nor tall, coming much closer to the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini than it does to the full-sized Samsung Galaxy S 4 if you’re not considering its thickness. It’s certainly not heavy at 208g (7.34 oz), either.
…
Read full post here: https://www.slashgear.com/samsung-galaxy-s4-zoom-review-23291394/
This year has already seen a wealth of new Apple products, including the Apple Watch, the new 12-inch MacBook, a new version of the Logic Pro music-making software, and updates to both the MacBook Airand 13-inch MacBook Pro laptops.For anyone considering a new MacBook purchase, all this new hardware makes choosing which one to buy even more difficult. Unfortunately, there’s not one single perfect MacBook recommendation for everyone, and each model has its strengths and weaknesses. It comes down to a combination of budget, required features, and just how portable you need to be.
Sarah Tew/CNET
The new 12-inch MacBook is a design and engineering marvel, but is also missing features some might find irreplaceable, such as nearly all the common ports and connections, or a mainstream Core i5 processor. It’s also expensive, and costs just as much as the much more powerful 13-inch MacBook Pro(although the same $1,299 initial investment gets you a 256GB solid-state drive in the MacBook, but only a 128GB SSD in the MacBook Pro).
Meanwhile, the 13-inch MacBook Air soldiers on, relatively unchanged year after year. It’s a testament to just how far ahead of the curve this laptop was that it’s only now started to look dated, as the best Windows laptops finally catch up.The Air is stuck with a lower-resolution screen and ugly wide bezel around the display, but it’s also only $999, which makes it a great way to get the Mac experience at a mainstream price (note that for about $100 less, you can trade down to the 11-inch Air). It also continues to break battery life records, with the 2015 update adding a new fifth-generation Intel Core i5 processor for 18 hours of life in our video playback battery drain test, and 10 hours in a tough online streaming test.
Note the larger footprint of the 13-inch Air.Sarah Tew/CNET
The chart below outlines the most important specs for each 2015 MacBook, although there’s no substitute for going to a brick-and-mortar retail store and getting a little hands-on time with each model before making a decision.
In the final analysis, it’s clear that the 13-inch MacBook Pro is the most all-around useful laptop Apple makes. But, it’s not the right choice for everyone.
The Pro is not nearly as portable as the other two models, even if it could still go along with you in a laptop case a couple of times per week without too much aggravation. Meanwhile, the 12-inch MacBook is the perfect portable laptop, and it’s so thin and light, you’ll hardly notice you’re carrying it, but it forces many feature and performance compromises.
That means a lot of MacBook shoppers will still end up looking seriously at the 13-inch Air. While it’s not the superstar it once was, it’s hard to ignore at $999. Our key takeaways include:
The 13-inch MacBook Pro has excellent battery life, a beautiful, higher-res screen, and plenty of ports and connections.
The 12-inch MacBook isn’t powerful enough for more than casual tasks and web surfing, and you’ll be lucky if that battery lasts a full day.
The 13-inch MacBook Air still works well enough for most any mainstream workload, and it has the best battery life of any laptop we’ve ever tested.
The Super Hub 2ac does the job and does it fairly well. Given that this is the standard Virgin Media router all new (and some existing) customers will get, it manages to deliver the goods without much trouble.
FOR
It’s free
Speedy performance
Gigabit ports
AGAINST
You can’t connect any USB peripherals
Simple backend
Virgin Media has been upgrading its user speeds (and cost of services) almost on a yearly basis. It also regularly updates the router shipped to new customers (and existing savvy customers who might look for a new one) but, as is the case with most vendor-sourced routers – like the BT Home Hub 5 orTalkTalk Super Router – you won’t be able to buy one as it remains the property of the service provider for the entire duration of the contract.
…
Read full post here: https://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/networking-and-wi-fi/modem-routers/virgin-media-super-hub-2ac-1293173/review
The Vodafone Smart 4 Max continues the UK network’s line of affordable self-branded smartphones, offering another solid 4G-ready handset for just £125.
Several months after the first market availability of the original HTC One, the HTC One mini emerges as a compact amalgamation of everything that was right about its predecessor. Working with a smaller body, a lower resolution on a sized-down display, and a processor that’s not quite as powerful as the Qualcomm SoC on the HTC One, can this miniature second wave of a smartphone strike true for those of us with a smaller palm?
Hardware
This machine’s 720 x 1280 display (across 4.3 inches of screen real-estate) does not disappoint. While the HTC One is slightly sharper mathematically, we’re well into the “I wouldn’t have noticed if you’d not said something” zone. This machine’s display is so close to the surface of the glass that protects it, it’s difficult to tell that they are, indeed, two separate pieces of hardware. Right from the moment you turn this smartphone on, you can feel HTC’s efforts continue to hit top-notch.
The HTC One mini comes in at 132 x 63.2 x 9.25 mm in size and 122g in weight, shaving off just about as much on its left and right as it does on its top and bottom, feeling in the end to be essentially the same thickness – even if it is a smidgen different (0.05 mm thinner, to be exact). Where the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini feels like a shadow of the full-sized Galaxy S 4, the HTC One mini feels like a companion to the HTC One – more like an alternate reality approach.
…
Read full post here: https://www.slashgear.com/htc-one-mini-review-26291821/
Motorola needed to reinvent itself, and the Moto X is the result of that forced evolution. Guided – albeit at a remove – by new owner Google, the Moto X attempts to do what, arguably, no other Android phone before it has: step off the “biggest, fastest, brightest” treadmill and focus instead on the sort of real-world functionality that Motorola claims will make a significant difference for users. In doing so, though, Motorola pits itself against handsets that on paper at least are much more powerful than the Moto X, despite being the same price. Crazy strategy, or does X mark the spot for the future of Android? Read on for the full SlashGear review.
Hardware and Customization
Build quality is a topical subject in smartphones at the moment, and the Moto X wades in somewhere in the middle. Unlike the HTC One, it bypasses metal in favor of plastic; unlike the Samsung Galaxy S 4, the plastics themselves are dense and lack the glossy finish that has proved polarizing around the Korean flagship. It’s also splash proof, with Motorola using a special coating treatment to make even the circuitboards inside water-resistant.
…
Read full post here: https://www.slashgear.com/moto-x-review-05292768/
Outfitted with new features from the latest version of Google’s Android Wear OS, the $349 smartwatch is now available through the Google Store.
There’s a new smartwatch rolling out across the world that doesn’t bear the Apple name, and it’s geared toward Android users.
Selling for $349 as of Monday, the LG Watch Urbane is now available in the Google Store for consumers in the US and other countries. And it’s the first watch to be equipped with the latest version of Android Wear, Google’s operating system for wearables.
On the surface, the Urbane could be seen a competitor to the new Apple Watch. Both are available at a price tag of $349, assuming you opted for certain varieties of the Apple Watch Sport model. The Urbane also tries to add some style through its stainless steel body and stitched leather strap. But the Apple Watch is aimed at iPhone users, while the LG Watch Urbane is geared toward Android phone users.
…
Read full post here: https://www.cnet.com/news/lg-watch-urbane-now-on-sale-in-us-and-other-countries/
Instead of tapping out your PIN code on the way-too-small number pad, here’s how you can use your iPhone to unlock your watch.
Jason Cipriani.
In order to secure your Apple Watch, Apple asks you to enter a PIN code on initial setup. The watch then knows each time you’ve taken it off your wrist, and requires you to enter your PIN on a tiny number pad to unlock it.
…
Read full post here: https://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-unlock-your-apple-watch-using-your-iphone/
The MSI GT80 is a real treat, with stellar performance, easy upgrades and a mechanical keyboard. However, this gaming rig is a heavy burden on your wallet and back.
FOR
Authentic mechanical keyboard
Unsurpassed performance
Easily upgraded
AGAINST
Virtually non-existent battery life
H-E-A-V-Y
Impossible to use on your lap
INTRODUCTION AND DESIGN
This has been an incredible year for gaming laptops, with Nvidia’s latest Maxwell graphics cards and two new gaming laptop-desktop hybrids – the MSI GS30 Shadow and Alienware 17. But perhaps the craziest addition of this year has been the MSI GT80 Titan, a larger than life, 18.4-inch gaming rig with its own built-in mechanical keyboard.
…
Read full post here: https://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/msi-gt80-titan-1277921/review
Little is known about the Nintendo NX, the company’s mysterious new console. However, during a recent investors Q&A, Nintendo boss Satoru Iwata dropped a couple more hints that should frustrate and intrigue in equal measure.
Update: Now that Build 2015 is behind us, expect the bits of Windows 10 info to come in even more frequently. Check it out before the ‘Cut to the chase’ section below!
With Windows 8 and today Windows 8.1, Microsoft tried – not entirely successfully – to deliver an operating system (OS) that could handle the needs of not only number-crunching workstations and high-end gaming rigs, but touch-controlled systems from all-in-one PCs for the family and thin-and-light notebooks down to slender tablets.
When Microsoft pulled the curtain back on Windows 10 back in September of 2014, it was clear that, with an operating system optimized for PCs, tablets and phones in unique ways, the Redmond, Wash.-based firm was onto something. Skipping the Windows 9 name entirely, Microsoft issued a public preview of the shiny new OS later that autumn, known as Windows Technical Preview (WTP).
…
Read full post here: https://www.techradar.com/news/windows-10-20h1
The Acer Switch line of hybrids was one of our favorites early on in the Windows 8 era, because this low-cost line kept its screen and keyboard connected via a magnetic hinge, which was much easier to use than the physical latches many of the early Windows 8 hybrids used.
The new versions of the Switch use a similar magnetic connection, which Acer calls the Snap Hinge, and the 10-inch model, called the Switch 10 E, now comes in six colors, with a soft textured finish. The Atom-powered Switch 10 has a 1,280×800 display, and will be available in July in the US, starting at $279 (or €299; no pricing yet announced for the UK or Australia for this or any of the other devices announced).
…
Read full post here: https://www.cnet.com/reviews/acer-switch-10-sw5-015-preview/
The ThinkPad family of laptops has had a reputation for reliability since long before Lenovo started making them, and the fervency of their fans is perhaps the only thing that reaches the same level as Apple hardware these days. The X series, Lenovo’s road warrior class of thin and light laptops, remains among the most popular, and it’s not hard to see why. But with Ultrabooks increasingly stealing the limelight, can the ThinkPad X230 keep the same amount of acclaim as its X200-series predecessors? Let’s find out.
Hardware
The X230 is part of a dying breed of full-power, small-sized machines. Its diminutive dimensions hide an upgraded Intel Ivy Bridge processor, in the case our review unit, a Core i5 3320m. It’s also got 4GB of RAM (with one DIMM slot free for easily adding more) and a 320GB traditional hard drive, with an integrated Intel HD 4000 GPU to match the third-generation processor. Like previous members of the X200 family, there’s no disc drive to help cut down on volume and weight. Refreshingly unlike some of the more slinky laptops out there, the hard drive and memory are user-accessible, as is the 6-cell standard battery.
…
Read full post here: https://www.cnet.com/reviews/lenovo-thinkpad-x230-review/
This week we’ve been blessed with another look at the most colorful-keyed and unique looking gaming notebook in theAlienware M17X R4, this time complete with Ivy Bridge. This beast works with a quad-core 3rd Generation Intel Core i7 processor, 28nm NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680M GPU, and a lovely 17.3-inch 1920 x 1080 display up front of an extremely thick chassis. This beast is marked by its power as much as it is its ability to have its all-over lighting customized.
The last time we had our hands on a model like this, it was essentially the same model on the outside, but inside it was just a little weaker. Have a peek at our Batman Arkham City review to see what was going on back then. Now we’ve got the same model on the whole, with a case that’s 1.75 inches thick, it weighs in at 10.6 pounds, and the whole thing is covered with soft plastic that’s almost rubbery.
…
Read full post here: https://www.slashgear.com/alienware-m17x-r4-core-i7-ivy-bridge-review-22235326/
Let’s have a peek at the Acer Aspire S5, the ultrabook with the mechanical “MagicFlip” dish in the back with ports that whirrs out when you need to plug in and don’t need all that pesky space this near-thinnest on the market notebook works with. It’s just 0.6-inches when it’s all folded up, and pressing that button in the upper right of your keyboard brings down a flap in the back that has a set of ports you’ll only otherwise get with a laptop twice this one’s size. Inside the S5 you’ve got Windows 7, a 3rd generation Intel Core i& processor, and the whole device looks just fabulous – but is it worth the massive price tag it comes attached with?
Chassis
This device has Acer’s nicest casing for a notebook they’ve ever released, with a lovely off-black for the entirety of its body, the Acer logo up top, bumpers on the bottom, and a smooth shell all around, you’ve got a real looker on your hands. The display is a 13.3 HD Widescreen CineCrystal LCD and is perfectly bright and ready for whatever kind of HD action you’ve got in store at 1366 x 768 pixel resolution, while the whole unit weighs in at a measly 2.65 pounds total.
Lenovo has launched its latest line of IdeaPads, and they’re targeted directly at the mainstream consumer. The Lenovo IdeaPad U410 comes with an eye-catching colored aluminum chassis – we received one in Sapphire Blue, but the U410 is also available in Graphite Grey and Ruby Red – but is this laptop all about looks, or does it have the power under the hood to still get stuff done? Read on to find out.
Hardware
Lenovo’s new IdeaPad line comes with a variety of hardware that’s meant to appeal with a broad range of consumers. The model we received is equipped with an Intel Core i5-3317U clocked at 1.7 Ghz, but other models that make use of a Core i3 or a Core i7 are available as well. Complete with Intel’s freshly-launched Ivy Bridge microarchitecture, the Core i5 will be able to handle most anything the mainstream consumer will need to do with the U410, and when coupled with the 8 gigs of RAM that comes installed, you have a laptop that’s capable of running surprisingly fast.
…
Read full post here: https://www.slashgear.com/lenovo-ideapad-u410-intel-core-i5-ivy-bridge-review-04241667/
What we have here today is the shiny new HP ENVY 4 Ultrabook sporting a 3rd gen Intel Core-i5 dual-core processor and of course those Beats Audio speakers. It packs a lot of power under the hood and all folded up will only be about 0.78″ thick, but is this enough to earn your dollars? Head down past the break and we’ll find out.
This may not be HP’s ultra high end, but the ENVY series has always been one of their better offerings. Back in May we got ourfirst glace at this Ultrabook, and then late last month we were able to unbox it and dig in a bit deeper. To get you started off with full specs, details, and the unboxing you’ll want to start here.
Chassis
This aluminum wrapped machine hit the shelves last month for about $800 and today we’re going to give you a better look, as well as our review and impressions on the laptop. It certainly isn’t HP’s nicest wrapped device but the aluminum has a great feel. For some reason the tip on top has been replaced with plastic, and the aluminum doesn’t extend to the entire edge of the casing. This gives opening and closing it a rather cheap feel, because the plastic is indeed very cheap. Otherwise the entire body is well built, and feels like it too.
…
Read full post here: https://www.slashgear.com/hp-envy-4-ultrabook-review-08242061/
The Lenovo ThinkPad series is currently celebrating its 20th birthday, and today we have their new ThinkPad X1 Carbon on the chopping blocks. After all these years still producing some of the best business and casual laptops available the X1 Carbon looks to improve on its older sibling, while staying at the top of the Ultrabooklineup. Being touted as “the world’s lightest 14″ business-class ultra book” with a sleek body and powerful dual-core power all under 3 lbs lets take a peek.
The brand new ThinkPad X1 Carbon might not be 20 years in the making, but it almost feels that way. Cramming all the top end specs possibly available into a super lightweight laptop that fits the “Ultrabook” standard, while still being similar to last years original X1. This is certainly an evolution of last years model only better in every way. It’s thinner, lighter, and faster yet still comes with a bigger display and more options. Take a peek at our unboxing video to get yourself started and acquainted, then we’ll dig in.
…
Read full post here: https://www.slashgear.com/lenovo-thinkpad-x1-carbon-ultrabook-review-16243007/
Normally when I hear the words “gaming laptop,” I roll my eyes. It isn’t that I find the idea absurd, it’s just that I much prefer desktops because laptops more often than not end up being a letdown when it comes to gaming. iBUYPOWER has a new gaming laptop available – the Valkyrie CZ-17 – but the question is: can the Valkyrie CZ-17 deliver the gaming goods, or is this laptop just another one you should skip? Read on, because I think you might be pleasantly surprised with the answer.
Hardware
We simply have to begin with the Valkyrie’s screen. You’ve got 17.3-inches to work with on this bad boy, it’s LED backlit, and it’s capable of resolutions up to 1920×1080, which obviously means that we have 1080p resolution at our disposal. The screen is nice and bright (though as with most laptops you can adjust the brightness), but even better is that it sports a matte finish instead of a glossy one. Glossy finishes look nice, that’s true, but for gaming they can cause some headaches. Reflection and glare were never fun to begin with, but when you lose a game because of them, things get frustrating really fast. Thankfully, the Valkyrie doesn’t suffer from this problem, which makes this screen a winner in my book.
…
Read full post here: https://www.slashgear.com/valkyrie-cz-17-gaming-laptop-review-24243867/
Acer first detailed their new Aspire V5 series earlier this year back in March, claiming to offer better laptops over previous generations all while managing to be around 30% thinner than previous models and other laptops in the price range. Now that Acer’s rolled out the lineup to retail stores we’re taking a look at the budget family member in their 11.6-inch Aspire V5. It might come at a budget friendly price but it doesn’t compromise on performance. Take a peek below.
Chassis
To be specific today we’re taking a look at the Acer Aspire V5 171-6867 with an 11.6-inch display. This well rounded little ultra-portable might look like the average netbook, but they’ve managed to pack in a pretty decent punch with the Ivy Bridge Core-i5 under the hood. As far as the chassis you’ll be greeted with a lightweight and rather cheap feeling plastic but the clear coat keeps it feeling smooth, and scratch resistant. That plastic pays off however as the laptop comes in at just 3.09 lbs. Making it rather fun to hold and wander to your nearest Starbucks with. It is 0.8″ thick at the thinnest point, and stretches to barely over 1-inch at the widest thanks to the 4-cell battery.
…
Read full post here: https://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/laptops-and-netbooks/acer-aspire-v5-1186594/review
Ultrabooks, whether you like them or not, are here in full force. Manufacturers left and right are releasing ultrabook after ultrabook, so now the question isn’t “who can make the fastest ultrabook?” but rather “who can make the best looking ultrabook?” Ultrabooks invite style – the entire idea behind them is to give consumers an incredibly portable and speedy laptop, after all. You don’t want your super fast ultrabook to looking boring and plain, right? Of course you don’t. You want your ultrabook to be sleek and well-designed.HP knows this, introducing us to ENVY Spectre XT, and it’s certainly easy on the eyes. But does the Spectre XT have what’s required on the inside, or will it be doomed to using its good looks to get by? Read on to find out.
Design
It has to be said right off the bat: the HP ENVY Spectre XT is a sexy machine, and a far cry from HP laptops of the past. Whereas old HP laptops had a tendency to look cheaply made, the Spectre XP looks like a higher-end piece of equipment. The brushed metal chassis looks great, as do the ports on the side and the speaker grill that has taken up residence above the keyboard. This ultrabook will definitely turn some heads, so if you’re in the market for a machine that will get some attention, you need look no further than the Spectre XT.
…
Read full post here: https://www.slashgear.com/hp-envy-spectre-xt-ultrabook-review-05250142/
If you’re in the market for a no-nonsense travel-ready notebook you can take with you on any business-related trip where data input, web browsing, and typing in general are your game, the Acer TravelMate P243 may be just the device you’re looking for. This machine has proven itself to be both reliable and deceptively simple in the way it both looks and feels, bringing with it more power than you might ever need for a price you’ll be well satisfied with. With features like a spill-resistant keyboard and a lovely 1366 x 768 pixel resolution ComfyView LCD, you might just find that this notebook is just the right combination of light computing in a relatively small package you need.
Hardware
Inside you’ll find several possibilities for what you’ll be able to work with, with a 3rd Generation Intel Core i5 processor to start things off right with current-generation processing power – backed up by Intel Turbo Boost technology, of course. You’ll also be working with 4GB of DDR3 memory (that you can upgrade easily under the hood to 8GB if you wish. You’ve got a SATA hard drive 500GB large as well as a collection of connection ports for several different purposes.
…
Read full post here: https://www.slashgear.com/acer-travelmate-p243-notebook-review-09251112/
Motorola Mobility scored big when they teamed up with Google. If it wasn’t evident enough in the Moto X, then certainly Motorola’s newly optimized experience is ready to shine in the DROID Ultra, the first of three devices coming from Verizon in their newest exclusive brand lineup. If the DROID RAZR HD took the originalDROID RAZR to a place where it was more than ready to be that single unique member of the Android universe that was both top-tier for display and processor quality as well as fully rugged enough to make up for the comparative lack of hype the line received, the DROID Ultra succeeds in replacing the RAZR line in more ways than one.
While you’ll certainly see the DROID Ultra being hyped up inside Verizon stores over the next year or so, you’ll certainly see more fanfare engulfing the Moto X, HTC One, and Samsung Galaxy S 4. Samsung has the cash, HTC has successfully presented a machine that matches the Samsung device with a metal chassis and more reliable camera to boot, and Moto X represents a smartphone boasting a whole lot more than the sum of its parts.
…
Read full post here: https://www.slashgear.com/droid-ultra-review-20294213/
In the DROID Maxx is Motorola’s vision for longest-lasting battery life in a device that’s part of a very close-knit family of smartphones all released in the same generation. There’s a DROID Maxx, a DROID Ultra, a DROID Mini, and the Moto X. These devices deliver essentially the same experience as one another, with only minor differences between each of them. The DROID Maxx provides the most premium experience of the series.
SlashGear has already published reviews of the DROID Ultra and the Moto X, and in describing the DROID Maxx, you’ll find references to both of these Motorola devices throughout this review. Keep in mind that these devices are all being released within the span of a couple of weeks of one another – the DROID Maxx, Ultra, and Mini are all on the market with Verizon today, while the Verizon version of the Moto X will be coming later this month.
…
Read full post here: https://www.slashgear.com/droid-maxx-review-28295236/
As the AT&T iteration of the Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 hits the market, there’s a surprisingly accepting atmosphere for devices with displays of all sizes. Back in 2011 when the original Samsung Galaxy Note was introduced, it was considered daring – a device with a 5.3-inch display? That was massive! Now we’ve got theSamsung Galaxy Note II with a 5.55-inch display and Samsung continuing their “one of every size” method of finding the ideal form for devices – a method they continue to work with in the tablet universe.
Hardware
This device takes the Samsung Galaxy S 4 and blows it up to a monstrous size. While the Samsung Galaxy Note III hasn’t quite been revealed (we’re expecting it to appear in early September), this Galaxy Mega device is more akin to a larger “S” series device simply because, without the pen, a Note just isn’t a Note. That said, the Galaxy Mega may look like a giant Galaxy S 4, but it’s not quite as powerful – nor nearly as sharp.
…
Read full post here: https://www.slashgear.com/att-samsung-galaxy-mega-6-3-review-29295043/
LG’s “G” brand continues to represent the cutting edge in top-tier smartphone hardware. LG cut the mold for the Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor last year with the LG Optimus G, brought one of the first Snapdragon 600 quad-core processors to the market with the LG Optimus G Pro, and again aim to be the first with the newest in new Qualcomm processor technology (in the USA) here at the tail end of the summer in 2013. That processor is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 and this smartphone is the LG G2.
Hardware
This device delivers the same amount of pixels* as the Samsung Galaxy S 4 and the HTC One with 1920 x 1080, doing it here with a 5.2-inch display with what’s as close to a borderless body as we’ve seen on a smartphone. This device works with IPS LCD technology with a pixel density of 423 PPI.
…
Read full post here: https://www.slashgear.com/lg-g2-review-14297733/
We’ve come to expect evolution not revolution from the “S” update to Apple’s iPhone range, but the iPhone 5s could be enough to buck that trend. Inside the familiar metal casing beats a new processor, the Apple A7, making the iPhone 5s the first smartphone – and iOS 7 the first smartphone platform – to transition to 64-bit; the home button has lost its square sigil but gained a biometric sensor that might be the first to actually convince owners to use it; and the camera may still be 8-megapixels in resolution on paper, but those pixels – and the way Apple uses them – are quantifiably better than before. Does that make the iPhone 5s the automatic choice in smartphones? Read on for our full review.
Design
It may now come in three colors, but the iPhone 5s doesn’t stray too far from the iPhone 5 before it. Whether you go for silver, “space gray”, or gold, each uses the same 7.6mm thick metal casing as before and the same 4-inch Retina display screen running at 1146 x 640 resolution. Apple still refuses to go bigger than 4-inches, arguing that single-handed use still works most successfully when the screen is relatively compact.
…
Read full post here: https://www.slashgear.com/iphone-5s-review-17298032/
Could the iPhone 5c be the most misunderstood iPhone so far? From early whispers of a budget model for emerging markets, though chatter of a new entry-level phone, the iPhone 5c in fact slots right in the middle of Apple’s range, relegating last year’s flagship to early retirement and leaving the iPhone 4S to survive another day. It also borrows some color from the iPod line, not to mention launching with iOS 7 and a case material we’ve not seen since the days of the 3GS. So, plastic fantastic? Read on as we put the iPhone 5c through its paces in the full SlashGear review.
Design
Apple left plastic behind several years ago, switching first to glass with the iPhone 4 and then to metal with the iPhone 5. Even back then, the iPhone was a sober, monochromatic affair, available only in black or white.
…
Read full post here: https://www.slashgear.com/iphone-5c-review-17298116/
Apple reinvented touchscreen smartphones; now it’s reinventing iOS. The new iOS 7 for iPhone and iPad has no small legacy to live up to, and it’s pulling no punches in doing so, refreshing not only the design but going deeper, streamlining commonly used features, paring back unnecessary bloat, and polishing up things like Siri. It’s the iOS update that we’ve been waiting for, and it’s coming not only to the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c, but a brace of older iPhones and iPads. Read on for our full review.
Design
Skeumorphic no more: gone are the fake textures, the faux metals and leathers, the attempts to ape real-world date planners and calculators. iOS 7 is the most significant aesthetic refresh to the platform that we’ve seen, and it doesn’t stint in dropping icons and UIs that had begun to look dated in comparison to Android and Windows Phone’s digital honesty.
…
Read full post here: https://www.slashgear.com/apple-ios-7-review-18298203/
