iPhone 12 Hands-On: Apple’s best contender for a value flagship?

The iPhone 12 series is Apple’s largest lineup ever, with four models, each fitting neatly into a particular market segment: the iPhone 12 Mini is for those who’ve been lamenting the escalating size of phones; the iPhone 12 is for those who do not want to spend too much; the iPhone 12 Pro is the more premium variant; while the iPhone 12 Pro Max is the super-sized, highest spec variant of them all.

The wide variety on offer is great, but it’s likely the standard iPhone 12 that will sell the best. At 6.1-inches and starting at $799, it’s arguably the goldilocks iPhone — neither too small nor too large and not too expensive (relatively speaking). Even the naming suggests this: there’s no need for signifiers like Mini or Max; it’s just the iPhone for this year.

I’ve been testing the iPhone 12 (along with the 12 Pro) for the past four days, and here are my impressions, 96 hours later.

Apple iPhone 12: Specifications

Specification	Apple iPhone 12
Build	Aluminum mid-frame Glass front and back “Ceramic Shield” for glass protection
Dimensions & Weight	146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4 mm 162 grams (Global) 164 grams (USA)
Display	6.1″ Super Retina XDR OLED Display 2,532 x 1,170 resolution
SoC	Apple A14 Bionic SoC: 2x performance cores 4x power efficiency cores 5nm process node 4-core GPU 16-core Neural Engine
Storage Options	64GB 128GB 256GB
Battery & Charging	2,815 mAh battery as per certification listings 15W Wireless Charging with MagSafe 7.5W Qi Wireless Charging
Security	Face ID (TrueDepth camera for facial recognition)
Rear Camera(s)	Primary: 12MP Secondary: 12MP, Ultra-wide angle
Front Camera(s)	12MP, f/2.2
Port(s)	Proprietary Lightning port
Audio	Audio formats supported: AAC‑LC, HE‑AAC, HE‑AAC v2, Protected AAC, MP3, Linear PCM, Apple Lossless, FLAC, Dolby Digital (AC‑3), Dolby Digital Plus (E‑AC‑3), Dolby Atmos, and Audible (formats 2, 3, 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, and AAX+)
Connectivity	5G: Sub 6GHz mmWave for the USA Ultra-Wide Band (UWB) Wi‑Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2×2 MIMO Bluetooth 5.0
Software	iOS 14
Other Features	IP68 Colors: Black, White, Red, Blue, Green

Hardware: 5nm, 5G!

Just from looks, the iPhone 12 doesn’t change much from last year’s iPhone 11, except that the aluminum chassis is now completely flat, making for a boxier look.

The iPhone 12 (White) and the iPhone 12 Pro (Blue)

I find this design slightly less comfortable to hold than the rounded edges of the iPhone 11, but I think the boxier look gives off a more mature, professional vibe. Plus, they allow the iPhone 12 to stand on its own on a flat surface, making my job of taking product shots easier.

I also enjoy how light the standard iPhone 12 feels at 164g since the most recent Android flagships top 200g.

The iPhone SE 2020 (Red), with iPhone 12 Pro (Blue), and iPhone 12 (White)

The bezels around the iPhone 12 are supposedly slightly thinner than last year’s iPhones, but I couldn’t tell. It may be because I don’t have an iPhone 11 to see side-by-side with the 12, and instead, I’m comparing the iPhone 11 Pro Max with the 12.

The iPhone 12 (left) and the iPhone 12 Pro (right)

But go beyond looks, and the iPhone 12 improves on the iPhone 11 quite a bit, more so than the 12 Pro improves on the iPhone 11 Pro. The iPhone 12 display gets upgraded to OLED display (or, as Apple calls it, Super Retina XDR) from last year’s LCD panel, and the main 12MP camera also enjoys a larger f/1.6 aperture for better light intake. The 12MP ultra-wide-angle camera’s hardware remains the same as before, but it now supports night mode for significantly better low light ultra-wide shots.

The biggest upgrade is in the silicon: the Apple A14 Bionic is built on 5nm technology. It’s still early days, but it definitely feels very powerful when editing videos (more on this later). On the Geekbench app, the A14 Bionic scored a 1,596 single-core and 4,027 multi-core, while the Snapdragon 865 Plus in my Galaxy Fold 2 scored 883 and 2,179, respectively.

The iPhone 12, like all the other iPhone models this year, supports 5G. This, technically, is the biggest new feature of these new iPhones, but the fact I waited this far down in the article to mention it should show you what I think of it. 5G isn’t ready for prime time right now. In Hong Kong, I tested the iPhone on local carrier CSL’s sub-6 network, and while I got good reception throughout many parts of the city, speeds were just a tad faster than 4G LTE even on the best day. I haven’t tested 5G in the US in 2020 so far, but I highly doubt results would fare much better there. Still, Apple adopting 5G is important for the industry, and I suppose now that carriers have Apple’s backing, we’ll see 5G improve sometime next year.

5G speeds on the iPhone 12 according to the Speedtest app

MagSafe

Another new addition to the iPhones this year is they all support MagSafe charging. Those familiar with the older generation of Apple MacBooks will know MagSafe as the proprietary magnetically attached connector that powered MacBooks from 2006 to 2016. The new MagSafe charger is part of a collection of different MagSafe accessories and resembles a small wireless charger that magnetically attaches to the back of the iPhone 12. The MagSafe disc can also top up several of my Android phones, including the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE and Galaxy Fold 2. Apple’s official press material doesn’t reveal many details about the tech behind MagSafe other than the fact it can charge the new Apple phones at 15W speeds. It is Qi-compatible up to 7.5W for other phones and accessories. I’ll do more testing in the coming days.

It does work quite well: the MagSafe disc clips onto the iPhone 12 with a satisfying snap, and charging begins just like that. It does bring slightly more freedom than wireless charging, as I can lift up the phone and keep charging. However, I could also achieve the same effect by simply plugging in a wired Lightning cable.

iPhone 12 Camera: Dolby Vision!

As mentioned earlier, only the main wide camera of the 12 received any significant hardware upgrade, with a lower/faster F-stop that Apple says boosts low light intake by 27% over last year’s iPhone 11. The difference in photos captured by the iPhone 12 and iPhone 11 Pro Max is virtually negligible during the day. In the below set of photo samples, the 12’s image is slightly better lit all around than the iPhone 11 Pro’s shot — you can see the area under the shading in the bottom right of the photo is slightly brighter sharper — but differences are minimal. I’ve included a shot by the Galaxy Z Fold 2 to compare.

But where you’ll see the biggest bump is ultra-wide-angle photos taken at night. This was a weak point of the iPhone 11’s ultra-wide last year, but now with night mode, the difference is almost literally night and day.

In fact, Apple has improved all the cameras’ software algorithms to find a better balance in real-time. I took this challenging shot (standing under heavy shading while pointing at harsh sunlight) with the iPhone 12, iPhone 11 Pro, and Galaxy Z Fold 2 (in this order below). The 12’s image has the best exposure, not blowing out the bright sunlight leading to the ocean while also keeping the heavily shaded area well lit.

I’ll focus more on still photography in the full review, but in the meantime, check out some more iPhone 12 photo samples captured over the past few days.

I think, for the most part, this phone makes incremental upgrades over last year’s cameras in terms of dynamic range and exposure, but it isn’t a huge noticeable jump — in still photo, that is. In the video department, the iPhone 12 is the first phone in the world to shoot in Dolby Vision, an HDR standard that dynamically adjusts metadata on-the-fly. So if a scene’s lighting or exposure level shifts, the metadata changes too to adapt.

And here’s where that A14 Bionic power I mentioned comes in: the iPhone 12 can also edit these Dolby Vision clips within iOS’ native Photo app. And I’m not just talking about basic editing like trimming the length of a video or applying a filter, but you can crop or rotate a video and have it processed within the Photo app. Check out some Dolby Vision video samples captured by the iPhone 12 in the clip above. Near the end of the clip, you’ll see a side-by-side video comparison against the Galaxy S20 FE. Although Samsung’s video capabilities are excellent, you can see the Apple’s video had better stabilization, more natural colors, and found exposure quicker as I shifted from an indoor shaded scene to outside under heavy sunlight.

Other random tidbits and Early Impressions

Battery life has been okay so far, meaning it’s neither great nor bad. I’ve been using the iPhone 12 heavily every day with 5G connected, and it only managed to go an entire 14-hour-day on a single charge two of the four days of testing so far. On one particular heavy usage day, I left the house at 10 am and shot videos for an hour, streamed Spotify while surfing the web for another hour, and made a couple of WhatsApp voice calls; my battery drained to 25% by just 4 pm.

Apple builds great synergy between hardware and software so that the iPhone experience is usually more than the sum of its spec sheet suggests

The iPhone 12’s “just 60Hz” panel is fine. Do I wish the new phones had a 120Hz refresh rate? Yes. Do I think animations on my OnePlus 8T look a bit “faster” than on this phone? Yes. But the 12’s UI fluidity and animations are still very smooth. I think Apple does such a great job building synergy between hardware and software that the iPhone is usually more than the sum of its part, and the experience is more than what the spec sheet suggests. The 60Hz panel here feels “smoother” than 60Hz on an Android, closing the gap to the 120Hz screens in Oppo, OnePlus, and Samsung phones.

It sounds weird to say this during the middle of a pandemic, but $800 for the iPhone 12 seems like a good value compared to the $1,000 iPhone 12 Pro (I’ll have a piece comparing these two side-by-side soon), or the $1,400 Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. Now, of course, there’s the matter of the fact that iPhone’s OS is entirely different from Android, so if you’re an Android enthusiast reading this — it’s all a moot point anyway.

Apple iPhone 12

The Apple iPhone 12 is perhaps the best-placed smartphone in Apple's 2020 lineup, with a well-rounded package that delivers great value within the iOS ecosystem. The addition of an OLED display, a larger aperture in the camera, 5G, and design tweaks help the iPhone 12 stand out as its own phone.

See at Best Buy

I’ll be back with more iPhone 12 coverage throughout the rest of this week! Stay tuned, and let us know what you think about the new iPhone in the comments below!

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Google has discontinued the Nest Secure alarm system

Google has confirmed that the Nest Secure alarm system it launched in 2017 has been discontinued. The product, made up of a combination keypad and siren called the Nest Guard and a series of sensors has been unavailable on the Google Store for a week or so, and now we have confirmation that it’s gone for good.

Google has confirmed that although the Nest Secure system is no longer available, it will continue to service customers’ existing devices including the Nest Guard, Nest Connect motion sensors, Nest Tags, and Nest Detect door/window sensors. You may even find products still in stock in some places and can rest assured they will be supported.

Google recently confirmed that its Nest Hub devices will gain presence detection for Google Home in a coming firmware update. Although not a direct successor, it seems that Google is banking on a house full of Nest Hubs and cameras to replace the sensors. Additionally, Google Assistant will accept a PIN-code by voice and emit a siren, negating the need for Nest Guard.

The reality is that Nest Secure was a “legacy” product designed to appeal to those who wanted a smart alarm system that was in a more familiar form factor. But with smart speakers and mobile handsets capable of filling all of Nest Secure’s features, it has become somewhat superfluous. The danger with this direction of travel is that it assumes customers will embrace smart assistants, and yet many people want the benefits of a smart home without any reliance on Google Assistant, Siri, or Alexa.

Google is not the only smart home player not to have fully supported its traditional alarm system. Arlo’s equivalent product was quietly withdrawn earlier this year without a replacement, and without ever reaching beyond the US market.

Amazon-owned Ring offers its alarm system and accessories worldwide, but its products remain stubbornly incompatible with the Google Home ecosystem. Other third-party products exist, offering different features and compatibility.

Last week, Google announced its latest Nest thermostat, which also features presence detection which can be applied to an environment protected by Nest.

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Source: AndroidPolice

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Chrome OS is finally getting a Trash folder to undelete files

Google’s Chrome OS is getting a trash folder. While that sounds like a minor detail, ask anyone with a Chromebook and they’ll tell you it’s really quite exciting. Users of other operating systems running the Chrome browser never had this problem as they can use the native Recycle Bin/Trash functionality.

Although the vast majority of Chrome OS files are held in the cloud, there are plenty of occasions where you might want to restore or ‘undelete’ a physical file you’ve received, only to find you can’t – once you hit that delete button, they’re gone.

However, in the last two weeks, a new flag has appeared in Canary builds of Chrome OS. It’s called #files-trash, and is labeled “Enable Files Trash. Enable trash for My files volume in the Files App. – Chrome OS”. According to 9to5Google, the flag appears to have been submitted by a contributor, rather than being an official Google feature, but has since been reuploaded by an official account.

If you’re on the Canary channel of Chrome OS, be warned, the beta version of the Trash folder will be moving in the coming days, from being a sub-folder of My Files, to being its own virtual volume, in the same way as the Downloads folder already operates. At a later date, there’ll be a second Trash folder added for use by Linux apps run inside Chrome OS, which should allow it to work with Linux file managers without lots of configuration.

At the moment, the only way to find Trash folders, even if the flag has been activated, is to hit Ctrl+. to display hidden folders and files. We’d expect that by the time the Trash folder reaches the Stable channel, it’ll be a lot easier to access. It’s presumed that deleting files will trigger a toast with an option to “Undo”, much as happens within GMail.

As exciting as all this is, it’s most definitely a work in progress. The current Canary builds are version 88 and even if development is completed, we won’t see that in the stable channel until January at the earliest. The current stable version – ChromeOS 86 – doesn’t include the flag.

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[Update: Rolling out] Samsung brings Galaxy Z Fold 2 features to Galaxy Fold in new update

Update 1 (10/20/2020 @ 05:26 AM ET): The Galaxy Fold’s update is now rolling out, bringing along One UI 2.5 as well. Scroll to the bottom for more information. The article as published on October 14, 2020, is preserved below.

Samsung is rolling out an update that will bring the latest features from the Galaxy Z Fold 2 to the original Galaxy Fold, including new productivity capabilities and camera experiences. Previously, Samsung updated its original foldable to Android 10 with One UI 2.1.

One of the biggest new features in the update is App Pair, which lets users launch up to three apps at once. Users can access App Pair via the Edge Panel, which can display 22 of your favorite apps.

Users can also choose their preferred split screen layout, so you can launch YouTube, a web browser, and an email in a Multi-Active Window. Speaking of which, Samsung said the arrangement of the Multi-Active Window layout can now also be done horizontally.

The update also now allows the Galaxy Fold to connect to Smart TVs wirelessly via Samsung DeX. With your foldable connected to a Smart TV, you can use it as a touchpad to control the second display with multi-finger gestures, Samsung said.

The Galaxy Fold is also gaining new camera capabilities, including Auto framing, which can track motion and automatically zoom in or out depending on how many people are in frame. There’s also a Capture View, Dual Preview, and Rear Cam Selfie, the last of which will allow users to use the rear camera for selfies while previewing the image on the cover display.

On the video side, Samsung’s original foldable is getting a new setting in the Pro Video Mode, allowing users to shoot 21:9 and 24fps video, along with more assistant functions and a Single Take feature.

Samsung Galaxy Fold Forums ||| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 Forums

Finally, the update will allow users to directly share WiFi passwords, making it much easier for guests to get connected when they visit your home. The update should be rolling out to the Galaxy Fold starting today.

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Update: One UI 2.5 update rolling out to the Samsung Galaxy Fold

The update for the Samsung Galaxy Fold is now rolling out, bringing along One UI 2.5 as well.

Here is the full changelog of the update:

• October security patches
• OneUI 2.5
• The security of your device has been improved
• Samsung DeX
  • Wireless DeX connection support.
  • Wireless connection with TVs through Wi-Fi Direct (compatible with Miracast).
  • Quick panel – DeX
  • Usage of Samsung Smart TVs released after 2019 is recommended.
  • Screen Zoom and Font Size options are supported to allow customization in various display sizes.
• Wi-Fi
  • If quality information on nearby Wi-Fi routers can be measured, this information will appear as Very Fast, Fast, Normal, or Slow.
  • This feature can be turned on or off in “Network Quality Information Display” settings.
  • When attempting to access a Wi-Fi router with a password, a newly added feature now allows the user to request the password of the Wi-Fi router from someone nearby who is saved in their contact list and has already connected to that router.
  • The “Request Password” button will appear on the Wi-Fi password input screen when you can request a password.
• Always On Display
  • Bitmoji Stickers are supported on Always On Display. (Clock style)
• Samsung keyboard
  • A new feature has been added to the keyboard search feature that allows the user to search YouTube.
  • The search function of the “Manage Input Languages” screen in the Keyboard Settings page has been newly updated to make it easy to find keyboard input languages that the user wishes to add or delete.
• Camera
  • The Pro Video feature has been enhanced.
• Messages
  • A feature has been added that allows the user to call a person who is saved as a pre-configured SOS message contact.
  • A feature has been added that allows the user to send SOS location-sharing messages every 30 minutes for 24 hours.

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Microsoft clears the air on recent Office PWA outcry

Microsoft recently pushed a Windows 10 update that covertly installed PWAs (progressive web apps) of Microsoft Office apps without asking users for permission. The update installed Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook PWAs, which are essentially shortcuts to the web versions of these office apps that open up in a browser window. Due to the manner in which the update was pushed, several disgruntled users took to social media to call out Microsoft on its poor practices. As a result, the company has now paused the rollout.

In a statement to The Verge, Microsoft said that the idea behind the update was to convert pinned websites in the Start Menu to more visible tiles and a ‘bug’ resulted in the update adding Microsoft Edge PWAs of Office apps to the Start Menu in the process. The company further revealed that it’s pausing the “migration” that brought web apps to the Start Menu. However, the statement fails to answer a pressing question about the manner in which the update was pushed.

Windows 10 typically alerts users whenever a new update is ready and gives them the option to install the update during off-hours unless it includes a fix for a critical issue. Since the aforementioned update wasn’t critical in nature, it doesn’t make sense for Microsoft to force restart systems during active hours. Not only does this practice of forcing updates detract from the user experience, but it also gives us a clear look at Microsoft’s high-handedness when it comes to Windows updates. As The Verge points out, the move is another “proof that it (Microsoft) doesn’t respect your ownership of your own PC.”

In case you’re one of the several users who received the update before Microsoft paused the rollout, there is some good news. You can easily uninstall the Microsoft Office PWAs from your system by following a few simple steps. To do so, head over to the Apps & Features page in the Settings app, locate the PWAs in the list of installed apps and then click on Uninstall to remove them from your system.

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Via: The Verge

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MX Player is adding YouTube support and pinch-to-zoom for videos

While there is no dearth of video players on Android, there are a few options that are way more popular than the rest. MX Player is one such example, which rose to popularity because of its useful feature set. The video player includes several useful features, like picture-in-picture mode, subtitle gestures, file sharing, casting local files, and more, that make it one of the best video players on the Google Play Store. Now, with a recent beta release, MX Player is getting even more handy features like YouTube support and pinch-to-zoom for videos.

As per Android Police, the latest beta update for MX Player (v1.30.2 beta) brings support for pinch-to-zoom for videos. The feature will let you easily zoom into videos using the familiar pinch gesture on your device. The update also includes video playback speed controls, that will let you speed up or slow down video playback.

Additionally, the update also brings YouTube support to the app, which will let you easily search and play YouTube videos without the need to open up the YouTube app. And finally, the beta update also includes improvements for the file management feature on the app, which will now let you copy and move your audio and video files easily.

MX Player XDA Forums

Since MX Player is currently testing these features in a beta update, it might be a while before they roll out to users on the stable channel. However, in case you want to use the features right away, you can download the beta release from APK Mirror by following this link.

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Via: Android Police

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Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 launched in 32 variants for as low as $25

The all-new Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 has launched officially. A successor to the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3+, the new variant comes more than a year after the Raspberry Pi 4 was introduced. According to the company, it will be offered in 32 variants and you can order one today starting at $25. The new Compute Module 4 is built on the same 64-bit quad-core BCM2711 application processor as the Raspberry Pi 4. It is said to offer faster CPU cores, better multimedia, and more interfacing capabilities compared to the previous-gen Compute Module 3+. For the first time, the company is also going to offer a choice of RAM densities and a wireless connectivity option.

The Compute Module 4 comes is said to bring in a new form factor and a compatibility break with earlier Compute Modules. Instead of the JEDEC DDR2 SODIMM mechanical standard that came with I/O signals on an edge connector, you now get I/O signals on two high-density perpendicular connectors — one for power and low-speed interfaces, and one for high-speed interfaces. In doing so, Raspberry has managed to reduce the overall footprint of the module letting users achieve smaller form factors for their products.

Coming to specifications, the Compute Module 4 offers support for dual HDMI interfaces at up to 4K resolution, a single-lane PCI Express 2.0 interface, 28 GPIO pins, dual MIPI DSI display, and dual MIPI CSI-2 camera interfaces. It will be offered in 1GB, 2GB, 4GB or 8GB LPDDR4-3200 SDRAM, and optional 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB eMMC flash storage.

Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 Lite without eMMC Flash Memory

For graphics, you get VideoCore VI, OpenGL ES 3.x, 4Kp60 hardware decoding of H.265 (HEVC) video. There is also support for 1080p60 hardware decoding and 1080p30 hardware encoding of H.264 (AVC) video. Apart from Gigabit Ethernet PHY with IEEE 1588, the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 has optional 2.4GHz + 5GHz 802.11b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 wireless connectivity.

IO Board

Additionally, there is a new IO Board that has been launched alongside the Compute Module 4. According to the company, this will break out all the interfaces from the Compute Module to standard connectors. You get two full-size HDMI ports, two USB 2.0 ports, a MicroSD card socket, Gigabit Ethernet jack, PCI Express socket, 40-pin GPIO connector, 12V power input jack, camera and display connectors, and a real-time clock with battery backup. The IO board will cost $35.

Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 with Antenna Kit

There is also the new Compute Module 4 Antenna Kit that comes with a whip antenna, a bulkhead screw fixture, and a U.FL connector to attach to the socket on the module.

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