While we’ve heard a lot of leaks about the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, we haven’t seen too many, and our best ideas about the possible design may be wrong.
This is according to TechTalkTV, who claimed on Twitter that the camera layout of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 will be almost identical to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3.
These renders show a camera design that appears to be more inspired by the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, with the lens rising directly from the rear rather than housed in a unique camera block.
But that doesn’t make a huge difference, as both these renders and the Galaxy Z Fold 3 include three vertical lenses with a flash underneath. It’s just that the Z Fold 3 – and according to the latest leaks there’s also the Z Fold 4 – has a metal casing around the lens.
It’s probably a shame if you wish there was an updated design, but it’s not all bad news, as in a follow-up tweet TechTalkTV also claims that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 will “definitely have a 50MP main camera.”
This isn’t a new claim – various other leakers have said this before, but it’s more likely to hear it from another source, which would make the Galaxy’s 12MP main camera an upgrade – at least by megapixels Fold 3 for unit Z.
Analysis: Much-needed camera improvements
If we had to choose between a new design or a new sensor, we would definitely go with the new sensor, as the 12MP primary sensor in the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 is good, but far from exceptional.
The 50MP sensor rumored here is likely to be the same 50MP sensor in the Samsung Galaxy S22, and we’re pretty impressed with its performance. Having said that, given that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is sure to be expensive, we had the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s 108MP sensor earlier.
Previous leaks have also pointed to other camera upgrades, with multiple sources suggesting that the Galaxy Z Fold 4 will feature a 3x optical zoom telephoto camera, up from the Z Fold 3’s 2x optical zoom. Again, this isn’t an improvement as much as we did. Still, from what we’ve heard so far, we’re not sure if the Z Fold 4 will disrupt our best camera phone list.
Asus on Tuesday unveiled two new gaming phones, the ROG Phone 6 and ROG Phone 6 Pro, with the latest Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor and Samsung AMOLED displays capable of running at a 165Hz refresh rate. In addition to the phone, the AeroActive Cooling 6 accessory clipped to the wire claims to reduce the temperature on the back of the phone by up to 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit), while including tactile shoulder buttons.
Both phones also include a 6,000 mAh battery that charges 65 watts, and additional sensors that add game control via the phone’s gyroscope and the phone’s corners. They also include a 50-megapixel main camera, 13-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, and 5-megapixel macro camera, respectively. Both phones also include a 12-megapixel front-facing camera.
The main difference between the Standard 6 and 6 Pro is their storage and memory options: the Standard 6 starts with 256GB of storage, and models include 8GB and 12GB of RAM, while the 6 Pro includes 512GB of storage and 18GB of RAM. The Pro also has a second display on the back that can show notifications, system information, and animations. Instead, the 6 gets an LED logo that can be customized to light up in different situations.
Like other gaming phones, these are specs designed to prioritize power and performance in order to get the most out of Android gaming. The battery is particularly notable, with a 6,000mAH capacity on par with last year’s Asus ROG Phone 5. According to CNET reviewer Patrick Holland, the phone has one of the longest battery lives we’ve seen on an Android phone, and it’s done with two 3,000mAh batteries. Last year’s phone also had a very fast 144Hz screen, though, and this year’s faster 165Hz screen could affect how quickly it burns through a charge.
Having a 165Hz screen should also make animations very smooth, especially for games that can support that threshold. When I reviewed the RedMagic 7, which also has a 165Hz refresh rate, I found that since most phones are capped at 120Hz, only some Android games currently support the feature. 120Hz is smooth enough for most people, but for the gaming crowd this phone is aimed at, 165Hz does make what you see more precise.
While we’ll have to wait for the phone to get our hands dirty to see the Snapdragon chips in phones, this latest chip, along with higher refresh rate displays on displays made by Samsung, is interesting because they could both end up in more mainstream phones eventually.
Apple’s iPhone 13 lineup brings improvements like longer battery life, a new processor, and new camera features, but it’s still hard to know if it’s time for an upgrade. A large part of the decision depends on which iPhone you currently own.
The short answer is that most iPhone 12 and iPhone 11 users will probably skip this upgrade because their phones are likely in good condition and there isn’t much that can meaningfully change the experience. If you have an iPhone from the last two years, you should wait for the rumored iPhone 14, which is expected to launch in September. Here’s how the iPhone 13 compares to its predecessor, let’s take a look!
If you have an iPhone 12, there’s little reason to upgrade right now. That’s because the iPhone 12 has a lot in common with the iPhone 13. They all support 5G, vibrant 6.1-inch OLED screens, fast processors, great cameras, and MagSafe accessory support. The biggest reasons to consider an upgrade are camera updates and better battery life.
All of Apple’s new iPhones, including the standard iPhone 13 and 13 Mini, will get a new video capture feature called Movie Mode, which automatically switches focus between subjects, giving shots a more cinematic aesthetic. This may seem like a neat trick for those who regularly use their phone for video projects. Apple says Movie Mode takes advantage of the new A15 Bionic processor, but it’s worth noting that Apple also has a history of bringing similar enhancements to previous iPhones via software updates.
Apple also introduced a new feature called “Photo Styles” that allows users to apply certain preferences to scenes in photos.
The iPhone 12 still features Apple’s 12-megapixel dual-camera system with wide-angle and ultra-wide-angle cameras, while the iPhone 12 Pro series has Apple’s 12-megapixel triple-lens setup with wide-angle, ultra-wide, and telephoto cameras. Aside from the new features mentioned above that are only available on the iPhone 13 series, most camera features are the same across generations.
Compared to the iPhone 12’s A14 Bionic chip, the iPhone 13’s aforementioned A15 Bionic processor offers faster speeds and longer battery life. Specifically, the iPhone 13 should last about 2.5 hours longer than the iPhone 12, while the iPhone 13 Mini is 1.5 hours longer than last year’s 12 Mini. The iPhone 13 Pro will last 1.5 hours longer than the iPhone 12 Pro, while the iPhone 13 Pro Max will last 2.5 hours longer than its predecessor. The iPhone 13 Pro has up to 1TB of storage, while the iPhone 12 Pro maxes out at 512GB.
The iPhone 11 is almost three years old, but it’s probably running smooth enough for most people. You can at least wait until the iPhone 14 arrives before upgrading. Compared to the iPhone 13, sticking with the iPhone 11 misses out on two major additions: 5G support and a better camera.
The iPhone 11 and 11 Pro phones also lack 5G support compared to the iPhone 12 and 13, but that’s not the main reason for the upgrade right now. Widely deployed 5G networks are only marginally better than 4G LTE networks, and there aren’t really any apps or services available that can take advantage of the faster speeds.
The iPhone 13 also features Apple’s A15 Bionic processor, while the iPhone 11 series uses Apple’s two-year-old A13 Bionic processor. Although it’s not the latest chip, the iPhone 11’s processor is still powerful enough. Apple even uses the same A13 Bionic chip in its new entry-level iPad, another sign that the processor is still capable.
Compared to the iPhone 11, the iPhone 13 also has two hours longer battery life when playing video, supports Apple’s MagSafe accessory, and has twice the storage capacity of the base level. According to Apple’s website, the standard iPhone 13 has similar battery life to the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max. But during video playback, the iPhone 13 Pro should last four hours longer than the iPhone 11 Pro and two hours longer than the iPhone 11 Pro Max.
The iPhone 11 also uses Apple‘s older design language, including rounded corners, with a smooth pastel finish on the standard model and a matte finish on the Pro model. By comparison, the iPhone 12 and newer have flatter edges, similar to the iPad Pro, and the Ceramic Shield coating should make it more durable, with a glossy glass back.
Not long ago, Apple started allowing iPhone users to fix certain glitches themselves, and now Google is starting to offer a similar service to Pixel users.
In partnership with iFixit, Google now offers parts and repair kits to meet the needs of myriad mobile ailments, from the original Pixel to the Pixel 6 series — though the exact selection of parts and supported phones seems to vary by country.
You can order kits online and it will come with the relevant replacement parts, as well as the tools needed to install them. iFixit also provides detailed repair manuals for all supported fixable issues; available fixes include replacing the screen, rear camera, battery, and in some cases charging components.
Depending on the equipment and the problem, these repair kits can cost anywhere from $22.99/£24.99 (Pixel 2 camera) to $192.99/£189.99/AU$252.99 (Pixel 6 Pro screen). At launch, these kits are available in the US, UK, Australia and EU countries where the Pixel line of products is available.
Of course, these repairs aren’t for everyone—in general, we recommend having your Pixel repaired by a professional unless you’re confident in your work. Either way, another manufacturer that officially supports right-to-repair is great.
It’s a handy option for those with technical know-how or who can’t easily get their phone repaired elsewhere for whatever reason, and will keep their Pixel phones lasting longer — which is good for our wallets and the environment .
Analysis: How does this compare to Apple‘s self-service repairs?
From their perspective, Google’s repair service appears to have some advantages over Apple’s.
For one thing, replacement Pixel parts often look cheaper—though that can vary, depending on the component and region involved.
A key difference between these Pixel repairs is that you buy the related tools from iFixit, whereas Apple Self-Service Repairs just let you rent them. The latter may be more sustainable, but in addition to paying for equipment rentals, you’ll have a hefty sum on your card if you don’t return the kit in full on time. Such a huge cost is because Apple sends a whole suite of tools that will send the same selection regardless of your problem, whereas iFixit only sends the tools you need for your device’s specific ailment.
Another difference between Google and iFixit is that Apple Self Service Repair is only available in the US, although that will change. Still, given The Verge’s hassles when it comes to doing your own iPhone repairs, you might want to skip it, and it remains to be seen if Google’s will be easier.
Apple’s devices are notorious for their closed software. So when I moved from an Android phone to an iPhone a few weeks ago, my main concern was whether I could take my existing data with me. It turns out it is possible. With just a little work, you can easily transfer all your Android contacts, calendar appointments, pictures, videos, SMS texts and more to your new iPhone. You can move Android data to iPhone in the following four ways.
The best option for syncing Android data with iPhone is Apple’s “Move to iOS” app. When you configure your new iPhone for the first time, it lets you wirelessly import most of your important information to your new iPhone. So even before you start using your iPhone, it will be filled with your old Android data.
The only downside to the Move to iOS app is that it only works during the initialization phase of the iPhone. So if you’ve already set up your iPhone, you’ll have to reset it and start over to take advantage of Apple’s Android utility.
To get started with Move to iOS, continue through your iPhone’s setup until you reach the Apps & Data page. Here, select “Move data from Android”. On your Android phone, download “Move to iOS” and launch it. Enter the code displayed on your iPhone and choose what you want to sync. Your iPhone has imported your Android phone’s data. You can now proceed with the setup as usual.
If you’re past the setup phase of your iPhone and can’t reset it, you can try a third-party desktop app called MobileTrans.
With MobileTrans, you can sync your Android’s contacts, media, calendar events, and more with your iPhone. However, unlike the Move to iOS app, MobileTrans requires you to plug both devices into your Windows PC or Macbook.
On the MobileTrans app, with your phone connected to your computer, select your Android device in the source dropdown on the left and your iPhone on the right. Next, choose what to copy to your iPhone and hit the “Start” button. Unlock your iPhone to start the transfer.
Because MobileTrans works locally rather than over a Wi-Fi connection, moving high-resolution images and videos is much faster and takes much less time than “move to iOS”. Disconnect your phone when the screen says “Your iPhone recovery is complete” and you’ll find your Android data synced with what’s already on your iPhone.
3. Sync Android Contacts and Calendar with iOS via Google Account
Your iPhone can also get your contacts and calendar data from the email provider of your choice.
On Android, to make sure all your contacts and calendar appointments are synced with your Google Account, go to Settings > Accounts. Click on your primary Google email address, then click on the “Account Sync” option. Open Calendar and Contacts.
In order to retrieve this data on your iPhone, you must add your Google email address to it. Go to Settings > Mail > Accounts. Select “Add Account” and follow the instructions below to configure your Google Account.
4. Switch to Apple Storage Service
You’ll find most Google apps on the iOS App Store, but none of them are as deeply integrated as Apple’s own services. Likewise, you can’t back up data from iOS apps like iPhone or WhatsApp to Google Drive.
So if you’re going all out to buy Apple products, you should consider importing existing data from your Google account into those products. Apple Photos can replace Google Photos, iCloud can replace Google Drive, and more.
Unfortunately, there is no direct channel that allows you to automate this switching. You have to manually export and import your Google data, which you can easily do with Google’s Takeout tool.
On the Google Takeout website, select Google Photos and Drive, then click Next to download your data archive from there. Visit the iCloud website on your computer and log in to your account. Go to the Photos tab and click the cloud-like button at the top to import your downloaded pictures and videos.
For iCloud Drive, the steps are the same. Return to the iCloud home page and go to iCloud Drive. Click the Import option to upload all the files you got from your Google Drive storage.
If you’re not a fan of the smartphone’s several color options, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 might be the phone for you, as a new leak has revealed some of the possible colors, with a wide variety of options.
According to Ross Young, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 will be available in gold, gray, light blue, or purple, a range of shades we’ve heard from other sources before, so that’s likely accurate.
But that’s just the beginning, because according to Young, you can also get a version of the Galaxy Z Flip 4 with different parts in a variety of colors.
Options here include one black part and two green parts, one gold, yellow and white part, one gold part and two yellow parts, one silver part and two navy parts, and one silver part and two white parts.
These are just the standard retail options – as with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3, a custom version is expected to let you choose your own color combination, with more options coming this year according to recent leaks from SamMobile.
But at the moment it sounds like the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 might be more customizable than almost any other phone – and even if you stick to the standard, there are more shades to choose from.
While Samsung is likely to offer a ton of color options for the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4, the company apparently expects shades of gray to be the most popular.
Claimed grey production is expected to be the highest in the first few months, followed by purple and gold. Meanwhile, multicolor options and custom editions are expected to be produced in much lower quantities, although they are the most interesting.
This makes sense in a way—grey, while boring, is unlikely to be as divisive as purple. But that’s a real shame, as it shows that we probably won’t see many of the best smartphones with as wide a choice of colors as the Z Flip 4 apparently offers.
Samsung shines a light on high-end phones like the new Galaxy S22, showing off all the fun and useful features these devices have. But if you can’t afford one of these premium phones, you might think you can’t enjoy these tools. But that’s not the case, as many of the more affordable Samsung phones also bring many of the great features shown on Galaxy S devices.
To give you an idea of some of the great Samsung Galaxy S22 features you can use on a cheaper Samsung phone, we’ll now introduce you to six of our favorites. Let’s have a look!
1. Single shot mode
With the Samsung Galaxy S20 series, we saw the introduction of Single Take, a mode that made photography easier, and it’s still a big feature on subsequent Galaxy S devices. With this mode, you can record a video of your subject, walking around and recording from different angles, and the AI will pick the best still image and edit it for you.
This lets you take these super easy snaps whether or not you pay for a high-end Samsung phone.
2. Equipment maintenance
If you’re spending a lot of money on an expensive phone, you want it to last a long time. But depending on how you use it, this may not always be easy to achieve.
Thankfully, Samsung phones offer a way to help with this. In the battery section of the setup mode you can find the device maintenance menu. Here you can see how healthy your device is, with a simple score that lets you know how well your phone is optimized for longevity, which you can also try to improve.
This menu gives you options to optimize storage, memory, and battery, all to ensure your phone runs as healthy as possible.
3. 120Hz display
Samsung was one of the first to adopt high-refresh-rate displays on its smartphones, with some Galaxy S phones using 120Hz screens before competitors. It’s a feature we’ve only seen in high-end phones at first — the aforementioned S20 was the first to use it — but now, you don’t have to pay for a premium device to enjoy it.
4. Adaptive charging
A good example of a feature introduced for the first time in Samsung’s high-end phones is adaptive charging — a mode that preserves battery life by using artificial intelligence to determine when to fast-charge and when to reduce power. With this, you can keep your phone plugged in for long periods of time without completely destroying the battery.
Originally, this was only available on high-end phones in the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note series, but more recently, it’s starting to show up in more affordable phones as well.
When the Google Pixel 7 series was teased in May 2022, we were told it had a Tensor 2 chipset, a Google-made chipset that inherited the chip it debuted in the Google Pixel 6 series. We’ve just heard the first leak about this upcoming component, and it’s a surprising one.
Bear with me here as the source is puzzling: someone managed to buy a locked Google Pixel 7 Pro prototype and sent its launch log to the Telegram channel Google News | CN (Opens in a new tab) (presumably with Google itself The news tool of the same name has nothing to do with it).
The channel then shared key information: the upcoming phone will apparently have the same screen as its predecessor, while the Tensor 2 chipset is apparently very similar to the original.
If there are limited changes to components in the chipset, that means the Pixel 7 probably won’t have as much processing power as its predecessor, the Pixel 6 — but that doesn’t mean it’ll be exactly the same, as Google could add more AI smarts , but don’t expect a super-powerful Android.
That fact might put you off — after all, newer models of phones are expected to be more powerful — but in reality, it’s really not an issue.
Analysis: the worse the better
Every new iteration of the Android processor should be faster than the last. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 should be faster than the 888, the 888 should be faster than the 865, and the 865 should be faster than the 855.
In practice, however, things are not that simple, and we can demonstrate this by looking at benchmarks. At TechRadar, we use the Geekbench 5 test to see how fast the phone is in the lab, although other sites use alternatives. It has shown us some really interesting things recently.
Phones using 2021’s high-end Snapdragon 888 chip typically perform as well as phones using its predecessor’s 865 chip, while the latest 8 Gen 1 phones tend to perform below both. That’s partly because these newer chips have horrific overheating issues that can cause performance to drop off quickly with use — and there’s something to be said for newer chips that excel in areas that benchmarks haven’t found.
But the simple fact is that cell phones are getting fast enough. If your fingers aren’t fast enough, or if gaming graphics already outpace what a small screen can do, then you don’t need your phone to be nimbler. Instead, the new chips focus more on power optimization and efficiency, new camera capabilities and improved AI intelligence. Being strong or fast is no longer as important as being smart.
So it’s likely that Google is just catering to audience usage and is less about power and more about everything else. If the Pixel 7 doesn’t excel in benchmarks, that’s fine — the phone could improve in many other areas, and it’ll remain a contender for our best smartphones list.
A phone that always reboots for no reason is a worry for any user, as it will increasingly cost you to repair or replace it with a new unlocked phone, in addition to being unusable during continuous reboots . However, before spending money, we can try to solve the problem by applying some simple tricks at home without having to contact a professional technician.
Below we’ll show you in detail what causes your phone to keep restarting and what we can do to reset a phone that keeps restarting, let’s take a look!
Battery or CPU overheating
If phone restarts don’t repeat often, but seem to happen randomly, the problem could be caused by an overheating battery or processor (CPU), especially in summer.
In this case, solving the problem is very simple: remove the phone cover or any other rubber protection, close it for at least 5 minutes, then try to open it again. With any luck, the reboot will never come, especially if we avoid leaving the phone in the sun in the middle of summer.
Error installing update
Another reason your phone keeps restarting is incorrect updates: If your phone updates are not installed properly, the phone will cycle through and restart constantly.
Fixing this isn’t easy at all, but we can still try something before sending it in for repair. First, we restarted the phone in recovery mode (Android) or DFU mode (iPhone), then we followed the dedicated procedures on two dedicated guides to format the device and restore the operating system to default settings. If even these two modes don’t fix the problem, there’s no other way but to bring your phone in for help.
Error charging device
Even if we charge it all night, it doesn’t have to be charging properly, our phone keeps restarting due to lack of stored energy.
This problem is also easy to fix: we shut down the phone completely, check that the charger is well connected to the wall outlet, and try charging with the phone turned off. If the phone won’t charge, we immediately buy a good fast USB charger and a suitable data cable depending on the type of phone used.
Corrupted MicroSD
Another unexpected cause for Android phones to keep restarting is microSD. If the memory card is damaged and we have saved system files on it through an extension, the phone will enter a boot loop in case of a damaged memory card.
To fix this, we shut down the phone completely, remove the microSD from the slot, try to reboot the phone, if it keeps restarting or shows no signs of life, we visit the phone recovery and try to restore it to the system to factory settings.
After the reset, the phone should be fully functional again without rebooting; the damaged microSD can no longer be used on this phone and should be replaced with a larger and faster memory card.
You might think the iPhone 14 is the biggest smartphone to launch this year — after all, the last few months of the year are usually dominated by Apple and its latest line of devices — but you might be wrong.
It sounds like the Mi 13 might launch early, and if it ends up being as exciting as we hope, it could end up stealing some of Apple’s thunder.
Apparently, the Mi 13 could be launched in November 2022 – which is earlier than we expected since the Mi 12 was launched in December 2021. The leaker said the progress was a month earlier than last year, which hinted at an earlier launch.
It’s all about the launch of the Xiaomi flagship in China – if you’re wondering why you didn’t see an ad for the 12 long after December, it’s because the global launch is March 2022. We expect the Mi 13 to repeat this pattern. If the digital chat station is correct, the Mi 13 could land a month early and thus be a closer competitor to Apple’s latest iPhone, which probably won’t land too long before then, although it will be a Surprisingly early release. We may also see an early global launch, which could make its global launch around the same time as the Samsung Galaxy S23 series.
The leaks continue, the new phones – note the plural, which mentions two, which could mean the Mi 13 Pro and the standard model – will get a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset and will use Android 13, while one of the phones will have a 2K display Screen.
None of these specs are completely game-changing — they’re basically what we’d expect — but they’re starting to paint a picture for the upcoming phone lineup.
Analysis: What if the real opponent comes?
With the Mi 12 series, the company has steadfastly competed with other similarly priced flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S21 and iPhone 13 by downsizing its vanilla flagship to create a small phone.
But Xiaomi may not be able to launch a full complement of phones to compete with Apple, judging by only two of the 13 phones, and Xiaomi typically staggers the launch of its flagship series.
Since the Mi 13 Ultra will likely only be launched in mid-2023, a real competitor to the iPhone 14 Pro Max may not appear, although the standard and Pro Xiaomi and Apple phones may be comparable, it is unlikely that will be the Mi 13 device, comparable to the expected iPhone 14 Max.
Xiaomi may be able to offer what Apple can’t: an affordable alternative. The Mi 12T series will likely launch in August or September as a mid-range Android phone with the features of the Mi 12 series, but at a lower price than it (and the iPhone), and we may see the Mi 13 Lite at some point as well.
Apple and Xiaomi target different audiences, so while they’ll have some competing devices, it makes sense that they both have devices that stand out. But people who can afford a high-end phone and want top-notch camera features may find it difficult to choose between each of the Pro phones on offer – we’ll have to see both the Mi 13 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max on our list The best camera phone in the position.
