Keeping your iPhone topped up can be a challenge, but the clever magnetic MagSafe system means you don’t need to fumble with cables or worry about a wireless charging sweet spot. Apple’s MagSafe is an accessory system integrated into the iPhone 12, iPhone 13, iPhone 14, and iPhone 15 range. A ring of magnets on the back of the phone (and in MagSafe-enabled cases) allows you to attach MagSafe chargers that can recharge your iPhone wirelessly.
Snag a MagSafe charger for your nightstand, work desk, and car, and you can easily top up throughout the day. These are the best MagSafe chargers we’ve tested. (And yes, if you have an Android phone with a MagSafe case, some of these chargers may be compatible and do the job.)
Special offer for Gear readers: GetWIRED for just $5 ($25 off). This includes unlimited access toWIRED.com, full Gear coverage, and subscriber-only newsletters. Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.
The Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple, alleging that they engaged in practices to create a monopoly and keep customers reliant on their iPhones. What do you think?
“I’m glad Tim Cook isn’t alive to see this.”
Laylah Estes, Bus Attendant
“I hope those evil bastards get the full slap on the wrist coming to them.”
The Justice Department Thursday filed a massive antitrust lawsuit against Apple, alleging the tech giant unfairly tries to keep users hooked on iPhones, and charges high fees to app developers which ultimately cost consumers money. Jo Ling Kent has details.
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
If Apple opened this up, you could use a cross-platform digital wallet of your choice, making it easier to switch smartphones. You could also use digital car keys in your car manufacturer’s cross-platform app.
Cloud Gaming
The DOJ alleges that Apple resists cloud gaming services and apps because it perceives them as a threat to the “high-performance local compute” that sets iPhones apart from competitors. The idea is that the hardware doesn’t matter if you offload the processing to the cloud. All you need is a fast internet connection and a cheap device (such as a budget Android phone).
The suit also criticizes Apple for insisting that cloud-streaming games be submitted as stand-alone apps for its approval, and for forcing the cloud games it does allow to use its proprietary payment system.
We should see services such as Xbox Cloud Gaming and Nvidia GeForce Now with their own iPhone apps soon, but how subscriptions and game services within those apps will work on iPhones is not yet clear.
If developers could create a single cloud app to run across platforms, it would significantly cut their costs compared with Apple’s current system, and make many more games available on iPhones.
Better Smartwatches
Apple wants you to buy an Apple Watch to go with your iPhone. To that end, the lawsuit points out that Apple only allows third-party smartwatches to access a subset of the application programming interfaces (APIs) that the Apple Watch has access to.
Only the Apple Watch can respond to messages, accept calendar invites, or stay connected to your iPhone when the battery-saving Low Power Mode is on.
Without these restrictions, using third-party smartwatches with an iPhone could be a far better experience.
Apple Watch on Android
The long-reigning champion of every Best Smartwatches guide, including ours, is the Apple Watch. This excellent wearable boasts all kinds of slick integrations with Apple’s wares and services, but you must own an iPhone to use the Apple Watch.
The suit points out that this makes it harder for folks who own both to switch away from Apple (because they’ll need a new phone and a new watch), but it also drives iPhone sales. I would love to use my Apple Watch with my Android phone, but of all the possibilities presented by this suit, this may be the unlikeliest.
Super Apps
The lawsuit talks about Apple’s alleged suppression of “super apps” a lot. Super apps provide multiple functions or mini apps all in one—so they might combine an app store, messaging functionality, and a payment system (like WeChat, for example).
The suit claims that super apps would be good for users and developers, reducing dependence on the iPhone, making it easier to switch to another smartphone, and creating a homogenous experience across platforms. The EU is already forcing Apple to allow third-party app stores in Europe, among other changes, so it might cede some ground here.
Ultimately, Apple will continue to fight this in court, and we may never see some of these proposed changes. An emailed Apple statement said, “This lawsuit threatens who we are and the principles that set Apple products apart … We will vigorously defend against it.”
After its mostly victorious battle with Epic, we would not bet against an Apple win. But many of these changes would be welcome for ordinary iPhone users. Ironically, they may even make the iPhone more attractive for folks who currently use an Android phone.
The US Department of Justice had long been expected to file an antitrust lawsuit against Apple. But when the suit arrived Thursday, it came with surprising ferocity.
In a press conference, attorney general Merrick Garland noted that Apple controlled more than 70 percent of the country’s smartphone market, saying the company used that outsize power to control developers and consumers and squeeze more revenue out of them.
The suit and messaging from the DOJ and 15 states and the District of Columbia joining it take aim at Apple’s most prized asset—the iPhone—and position the case as a fight for the future of technology. The suit argues that Apple rose to its current power thanks in part to the 1998 antitrust case against Microsoft, and that another milestone antitrust correction is needed to allow future innovation to continue.
Like the Microsoft case, the suit against Apple is “really dynamic and forward looking,” says John Newman, a law professor at the University of Miami. “It’s not necessarily about Apple seeing direct competitors,” he says. “It’s more about them trying to grab the territory you would need if you were going to even try to compete against Apple.”
Antitrust action in the tech industry has been a focus of the Biden administration’s agenda, which has seen suits brought against both Amazon and Google by the DOJ and the Federal Trade Commission. “This case demonstrates why we must reinvigorate competition policy and establish clear rules of the road for Big Tech platforms,” Democratic senator Amy Klobuchar told WIRED in a statement.
Rebecca Hall Allensworth, a law professor at Vanderbilt University, says that though the government almost always faces an uphill battle in antitrust cases, the Apple case appears relatively solid. “It’s a lot stronger than the FTC Amazon monopolization lawsuit from last year,” she says. “And yet, it’s very hard to win antitrust cases.”
In a statement, Apple spokesperson Fred Sainz said that the lawsuit “threatens who we are and the principles that set Apple products apart in fiercely competitive markets,” including the way its products work “seamlessly” together and “protect people’s privacy and security.”
Apple has long argued that keeping its mobile operating system, app store, and other services closed offers greater security and safety for customers. But Newman says that the DOJ complaint indicates that Apple doesn’t enforce these policies consistently as would make sense if the goal was to protect users.
“Instead [Apple] heavily targets the types of app developers that pose the biggest competitive threat to Apple,” Newman says. The DOJ alleges that restrictions Apple places on iMessage, Apple Wallet, and other products and features create barriers that deter or even penalize people who may switch to cheaper options.
History Repeating
The antitrust case against Microsoft in the late 1990s accused the company of illegally forcing PC manufacturers and others to favor its web browser Internet Explorer. It is widely credited with causing the company to be slow to embrace the web, falling behind a wave of startups including Google and Amazon that grew into giants by making web services useful and lucrative.
When asked about the threat the new antitrust lawsuit might pose to Apple’s business, a DOJ official noted that “there are actually examples where companies, after having been charged and had to change business practices because they violated the antitrust laws in the long run, end up being more valuable than they were before.” Microsoft, thanks to its success in cloud services and more recently AI, is now the most valuable company in the world.
That was Apple CEO Tim Cook’s famous response at Vox’s 2022 Code Conference, when a reporter complained that her mother couldn’t see the videos she texted to her mom’s Android phone because they were grainy and slow.
It’s also a quip that US Attorney General Merrick Garland quoted – and sharply criticized – Thursday at a press conference announcing the Justice Department’s landmark antitrust lawsuit against Apple, in which the Biden administration and 16 states allege Apple is illegally abusing the iPhone’s monopoly power in the smartphone market.
The massive lawsuit against one of the world’s largest companies claims Apple is breaking the law by carefully curating its app store and customer experience, designed to lure customers in and keep them buying Apple products and services – to the exclusion of competitors.
Apple, in a statement, said it disagreed with the lawsuit and would fight it vigorously.
“This lawsuit threatens who we are and the principles that set Apple products apart in fiercely competitive markets,” the company said.
If successful, the suit could force Apple to loosen some of the restrictions it has placed on its “walled garden” approach to hardware and software. It could be made to open up its iPhone to alternative app stores and its technologies like iMessage with Android phones.
The Justice Department, in its complaint, highlighted five ways it says Apple is abusing its dominant position to the detriment of Americans.
Green bubbles
With iMessage, Apple created an enhanced text messaging service that allows people to seamlessly communicate with one another, sending rich text, high-quality video and audio that uploads almost instantly – as long as it’s sent to another iPhone customer.
When those messages get sent to people with Android phones, they appear grainy, they can be slow to load, and they can miss out on key features like emoji responses, editing functionality and end-to-end encryption. The dreaded “green bubbles” that mark Android users within iMessage – and particularly the lower-quality performance – are illegal, the Justice Department alleges.
“As any iPhone user who has ever seen a green text message, or received a tiny, grainy video can attest — Apple’s anticompetitive conduct also includes making it more difficult for iPhone users to message with users of non-Apple products,” Garland said on Thursday. “As a result, iPhone users perceive rival smartphones as being lower quality because the experience of messaging friends and family who do not own iPhones is worse — even though Apple is the one responsible for breaking cross-platform messaging. And it does so intentionally.”
Apple last year said it would adopt a new standard of technology for communication with Android phones that will open up some, but not all, of those features. The green bubbles will remain.
Apple Pay exclusivity
Apple helped revolutionize the way we pay for things, tying customers’ credit cards to technology inside iPhones to make payments more secure and seamless. And Apple takes a tiny payment for each transaction.
But Apple Pay is the only way iPhone owners can pay for stuff using that technology on an iPhone. Apple, citing security reasons, doesn’t allow third-party apps to access the chip that allows for iPhones to make mobile payments. It also could entice some customers to stick with iPhones when they’d otherwise switch to a competitor, the lawsuit alleges.
“Apple also deprives users of the benefits and innovations third-party wallets would provide,” the Justice Department said in its complaint. “Cross-platform digital wallets would offer an easier, more seamless, and potentially more secure way for users to switch from the iPhone to another smartphone.”
Making rivals less useful than Apple Watch
Apple Watch, one of Apple’s most successful products, is not compatible with Android phones – on purpose, the Justice Department alleges.
Although some smartwatches work seamlessly with any kind of smartphone, Apple Watches, a market leader, require iPhones to operate. That locks customers into Apple’s ecosystem of hardware and software, forcing Apple Watch customers to buy iPhones.
“Apple uses smartwatches, a costly accessory, to prevent iPhone customers from choosing other phones,” the Justice Department said in its complaint. “Having copied the idea of a smartwatch from third-party developers, Apple now prevents those developers from innovating and limits the Apple Watch to the iPhone to prevent a negative ‘impact to iPhone sales.’”
Banning third-party app stores
The only way to get apps on an iPhone is through Apple’s proprietary app store. Apple has long claimed that its approach to maintaining what apps can and cannot be used on an iPhone helps customers. It prevents spam and harmful apps, Apple says.
It forces apps into Apple’s onerous limitations and expensive 30% commissions, the Justice Department argues. And it limits competition.
For example, the Justice Department cites cloud-based gaming app stores as a service that Apple illegally prevents from appearing on an iPhone. Companies that want to stream games to customers have to load each individual game to the app store, which prevents companies from marketing and selling potentially powerful and popular competitive technology to customers.
Restricting super apps
Apple forces app developers to write code specifically for its operating system, restricting developers from coding using universal languages that could offer a single app experience across any device.
That prevents apps from becoming “super apps” – apps that run identically on Apple’s iOS iPhone operating system and Google’s Android OS. Apple also restricts “mini programs” – apps within apps that effectively run on the web. The Justice Department says that requirement locks developers into Apple’s system.
“Since at least 2017, Apple has arbitrarily imposed exclusionary requirements that unnecessarily and unjustifiably restrict mini programs and super apps,” the Justice Department said in its complaint. “Apple exerted its control over app distribution to stifle others’ innovation.”
Apple is in major legal trouble as the Department of Justice (DOJ) and 16 state and district attorneys filed a lawsuit against the iPhone maker, as reported by the Washington Post Thursday. They accuse Apple of building a monopoly with the iPhone.
Apple Unveils Its iPhone 15 and Apple Watch Series 9
The suit alleges Apple’s changes to its rules and high fees created a “degraded user experience.” Some of the practices cited included the iMessage green bubbles for non-iPhone users, the 30% App Store fee, and privacy issues with the Apple Wallet.
“We alleged that Apple has consolidated its monopoly power, not by making its own products better, but by making other products worse,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a press conference Thursday. “If left unchallenged, Apple will only continue to strengthen its smartphone monopoly.”
Apple says the suit is wrong on the facts and the law.
“This lawsuit threatens who we are and the principles that set Apple products apart in fiercely competitive markets,” the company said in an emailed statement to Gizmodo Thursday. “If successful, it would hinder our ability to create the kind of technology people expect from Apple—where hardware, software, and services intersect. It would also set a dangerous precedent, empowering government to take a heavy hand in designing people’s technology.”
Apple routinely finds itself in legal trouble over its business practices, but the company finds ways to keep winning. Last year, the legal battle between Epic and Apple over the App Store payment options went all the way to the Supreme Court, but Apple prevailed in the end.
But that’s in the U.S. Over in the European Union (EU), Apple has been getting spanked by regulations. Not only did regulators make Apple go all-in with USB-C cables for the iPhone 15 last year, but the EU also made Apple open up its software to allow third-party app stores onto its devices.
A research paper quietly released by Apple describes an AI model called MM1 that can answer questions and analyze images. It’s the biggest sign yet that Apple is developing generative AI capabilities.
March 18 (Reuters) – In a significant development, Apple (AAPL.O) is currently in negotiations to integrate Google’s advanced Gemini artificial intelligence platform into its iPhone offerings, according to sources reported by Bloomberg News on Monday. The discussions revolve around the licensing of Gemini to enhance certain upcoming features of the iPhone’s software later this year, though specifics on the agreement’s terms, branding, or the exact implementation have yet to be solidified.
Market Reaction and Strategic Timing
Following the news, Alphabet’s shares saw a substantial increase of over 6% in early trading in the United States, with Apple’s stock also rising by 2.5%. Any formal announcement of a deal is anticipated to be postponed until June, coinciding with Apple’s yearly developer conference.
Apple has been in conversations with OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT, about incorporating its model, highlighting Apple’s keen interest in bolstering its AI capabilities.
Potential Impact of the Deal
Immediate comments from Apple, Google (owned by Alphabet, GOOGL.O), and OpenAI were not available in response to Reuters’ inquiries. A collaboration between these tech giants could significantly extend Google’s AI services across Apple’s vast ecosystem, which boasts over 2 billion active devices.
This move is seen as a strategic effort by Google to strengthen its position against Microsoft-backed OpenAI, while simultaneously addressing Apple’s challenges in rapidly deploying AI applications—a factor contributing to Apple’s recent 10% share price decline and its loss of the title as the world’s most valuable company.
Regulatory Considerations and Future Plans
However, this deal might attract increased attention from U.S. regulators, given Google’s previous legal challenges regarding its search engine dominance and the financial arrangements with Apple to maintain its position.
Daniel Ives, an analyst at Wedbush, highlighted the significance of this partnership, stating, “This strategic partnership is a critical element in Apple’s AI strategy, uniting with Google to leverage Gemini for powering AI features Apple plans to introduce.” He further emphasized the advantage for Google, noting the access to Apple’s substantial user base and the considerable licensing fees involved.
Google’s January collaboration with Samsung, Apple’s competitor, to implement its Gemini AI in the Galaxy S24 smartphone series was part of its broader strategy to enhance Gemini’s adoption following initial setbacks. Apple CEO Tim Cook recently indicated the company’s substantial investment in generative AI, with plans to unveil its applications later in the year.
According to Bloomberg, while Apple aims to deploy its in-house AI models for certain new functionalities in the forthcoming iOS 18, it is also exploring partnerships to drive generative AI features, including image creation and essay writing based on simple inputs.
Medisafe offers short videos for most medications where a doctor describes the medication and explains possible side effects and other useful information. The app will even flag possible interactions if you are taking multiple medications. The free version is excellent, but you can get rid of ads and unlock some extra customization options with a subscription ($5/month or $40/year).
How to Set Reminders on an Android Phone
There are various ways you might set a medication reminder on an Android phone.
Use Google Assistant
Google via Simon Hill
The quickest and easiest way to set a reminder on your Android phone is to use Google Assistant. For example, you can say, “Hey Google, remind me to take my pill every day at 9 am.”
If you have a family group set up, you can also set reminders for other folks in your family by saying something like, “Hey Google, remind Jenny to take her pill every day at 8 pm.”
To review and tweak any reminders you have set, say, “Hey Google, show my reminders.”
Use Google Calendar
You could also set up medication reminders in Google Calendar. Open the Calendar app, select a day, tap the Plus icon, and choose Reminder. You can specify a time and tap where it says Does not repeat, then change to Every day or set another interval. When you are happy with the details, tap Save.
Use a Medication App
As we said above, of the many medication apps available for Android, our top pick is Medisafe’s Pill Reminder and Med Tracker. This slick app is the Android version of the iPhone app we recommend above, and it’s easy to set up and offers the same wealth of features. You can set reminders for multiple medications, track your consumption, set up refill alerts, track symptoms, and get warnings about possible interactions.
How to Set Reminders on a Samsung Phone
Photograph: Simon Hill
Samsung Health App
As well as the methods listed above for Android phones, Samsung offers excellent medication reminders in its Health app on Samsung phones. Here’s how to set them up:
If you’ve owned your iPhone or iPad for a long time, there’s a good chance it has files, photos, apps and other digital clutter on it that’s taking up more space than necessary. Maybe you’ve even gotten to the point where you’re getting warnings about the scant bit of free space you have left on your device. Thankfully, there are plenty of things you can do to declutter your iPhone or iPad, free up some space and otherwise make your gear feel a bit more like new again. This guide will take you through how to reclaim your notifications and your device’s storage.
Delete your unused apps
Igor Bonifacic / Engadget
You don’t need me to tell you to delete apps you don’t use to free up space on your iPhone, but you might not know that iOS has a dedicated tool to help you do this. You can access it by opening the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad, then tapping “General,” followed by “iPhone Storage” or “iPad Storage.” It may take a few moments for the interface to populate, but once it does, you’ll see a handy visual representation of how much of your device’s storage you’ve given over to apps, photos and other types of files. You will also see a list of every app installed on your device, as well as how much space it takes up and when you last used it – all helpful information you can use to decide what to delete.
Depending on the app, iOS will present you with at least two options when you tap on it. You can delete the app and all its related data or “offload” it. In the latter case, iOS will delete the app from your iPhone or iPad but leave your data untouched. As such, when you reinstall the app, you can pick up right where you left off. It will also remain in your App Library for easy access. From the iPhone Storage menu, you can also set your device to automatically offload unused apps when you’re running low on storage, which is useful for all, but especially those with older, low-storage devices.
Igor Bonifacic / Engadget
If you use Apple Music and Messages frequently, tap on them since they offer a few additional options for managing their footprint. The interface for Apple Music includes a list of every download on your iPhone or iPad sorted by artist and album, offering a much better way of culling your library than from within the app itself.
Messages, meanwhile, has a few handy options for serial texters. At the bottom of the interface, you will see a breakdown of all the different attachments you may have received in messaging with your friends and family. Seeing how much storage those old photos, videos and GIFs take up may be eye opening; in fact, iOS will prompt you to review large attachments. That’s a good place to start since the interface does a good job of highlighting the biggest space hogs right at the top. You can also set iOS to automatically delete messages and attachments that are more than a year old. Unless space is at an absolute premium on your device, I would recommend against turning on this option, if only because it might delete a photo or video that has sentimental value to you.
Trim your contacts list
If you’ve had an iPhone for a while, there’s a good chance your contacts list could use an edit. Unless you plan to one day call everyone on that list, why not delete contacts you don’t speak to anymore? Your iPhone will give you a head start by identifying suspected duplicate contacts. Outside of that, there’s not much to this process other than going through each contact and ensuring the information you have is up to date.
Review your notification settings
Igor Bonifacic / Engadget
Something everyone should do every so often is review their notification settings since alerts can be a drain on your device’s battery (not to mention frequently take your attention away from more important things, too). To get started, open your device’s Settings app and tap on “Notifications.” If you haven’t already, I would recommend taking advantage of iOS 15’s scheduled summary feature. Let’s be honest, most notifications don’t require your immediate attention, and you’re better off addressing them all at once instead piecemeal. The schedule feature will help you do that by allowing you to set a few times per day when your device displays some notifications all at once.
For most people, that should make their notifications more manageable, but if you want to take things a step further, you can adjust individual settings for each app. For some of the worst offenders (Instagram and Twitter come to mind), it’s worthwhile to jump into their in-app settings to limit or disable the notifications they send you.
Focus Modes
Igor Bonifacic / Engadget
Another tool you can use to get a handle on your notification is Apple’s Focus feature, which allows you to configure custom do not disturb settings for different activities. By default, your device will come with a few preconfigured ones, and it’s worth reviewing the settings for each to optimize them for your needs.
To create a new custom Focus Mode, open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad and tap “Focus,” which is located in the same subcategory as notifications. You can also create a new Focus mode directly from your device’s Control Center by long pressing on the “Do Not Disturb” icon and tapping “New Focus.”
Once you create a new Focus, customizing it is straightforward. You can specify contacts you want iOS to either silence or allow notifications from. You can do the same for apps as well. After you customize those lists to your liking, tap the “Options” prompt below your contacts and apps lists to see a few additional settings. Specifically, there’s an option to allow silenced notifications to display on your lock screen that you might find helpful.
The last thing I want to draw your attention to are the options around customizing your Home Screen for different Focus modes. By limiting the apps I can easily access, I find I’m less likely to get distracted. For instance, I’ve set my Reading Focus to limit my Home Screen to apps like Libby, Pocket and Apple Music.
A first-edition iPhone with 4GB of storage would run you about $499 back in 2007, but nowadays they cost around $190,000. An auction house is selling one of these rare iPhones, sealed in its original packaging from 16 years ago, but the last one it sold had a 38,000% markup from its original price.
Is USB-C Finally Coming To iPhone?
“One of the most important and ubiquitous inventions of our lifetime, the iPhone,” said LCG Auctions in its product description.
The auction house will take bids on this Original 2007 iPhone for the next two weeks, first reported by 9to5Mac Monday. It’s the third 4GB model LCG Auctions has ever sold, with the first two selling for $190,000 and $133,000 last year. The current bid on this iPhone is $11,000, as of Tuesday morning, but the auction house estimates this model will go for at least $100,000.
Steve Jobs first introduced the iPhone on Jan 9, 2007 at Macworld in San Francisco, noting that Apple was about to “reinvent the phone.” The iPhone quickly became Apple’s best-selling product and was even named Time Magazine’s Invention of the Year. Given the success, it’s strange that the iPhone 4GB was discontinued on Sep 5th, 2007, just two months after its retail release.
The iPhone 4GB was released alongside the iPhone 8GB, priced at $599. For double the storage, most consumers were more than happy to pay the extra $100. So Apple quickly stopped producing the 4GB iPhone and never made a phone with such little storage again. Today, the base iPhone 15 has 128GB and more expensive models have 512GB of storage. The original 4GB iPhone is puny in comparison.
Given that the first edition iPhone 4GB was only sold for two months, despite being so revolutionary, it’s become quite the collector’s item. LCG Auctions notes the box on this specific model has never been opened, and the phone inside has never been activated. The box still has bright colors imbued in 2007, with little signs of fading.
Some lucky collectors will take home this original iPhone, and they may pay a hefty price tag to do so. But it could all be worth it to relive the glory days of Apple.
Motorola Moto G Power 5G 2023 for $200: My main problem with Motorola phones is that there’s no NFC (6/10, WIRED Review), which means you can’t use them to pay your ticket fare on the off chance you left your wallet at home. Motorola also only promises one OS upgrade (with three years of security updates). You can get a much better deal with the devices above. However, there is a headphone jack, a microSD card to expand the 256 GB of storage, and a charger in the box.
The Nokia G400 5G (6/10, WIRED Review) is a fine phone, but its software policy just isn’t as good as our top recommended devices above and its performance can be stuttery when you juggle multiple apps. The Nokia G100 was OK until the display started locking up and wouldn’t accept touch input. I tried a second unit and ran into the same issue. I have also tested the Doogee S89 Pro, a rugged smartphone. While I didn’t run into any glaring flaws, it’s a pain in the butt to carry around and uncomfortable in the hand, too. Sure, there’s a massive 12,000-mAh battery, but it didn’t last as long as I expected. The company has a spotty record with software updates, too.
Sort of. Any of our top picks are excellent choices, but if you can wait until May or June, we’ll have a broader lineup to choose from. Motorola will likely unveil more of its budget Moto G lineup soon. TCL will release its 50-series this summer, HMD Global might have some budget devices in tow by July, and we will likely see a Pixel 8A at Google I/O in May.
Consider Last Year’s Flagship Phones
If none of these phones have the features you want or they aren’t as powerful as you’d like, your best option is to look for last year’s flagship smartphones, which might be steeply discounted. Sometimes they’re easy to find, but manufacturers may stop selling them altogether. Keep in mind that you’ll lose a year of software support, but that’s often still better than the software support available on cheap phones anyway. The OnePlus 11, for example, has dipped as low as $499. Samsung’s Galaxy S23 has started to creep down toward $600.
5G is the latest cellular network and it’s widespread enough that you should try to stick to phones that support it. It’s not completely replacing 4G LTE, so you’ll see this in your status bar as you roam around the country. You can read more about it here, but in short, 5G comes in two major types: sub-6 and millimeter wave (mmWave). The latter is usually only available in flagship phones and allows you to access superfast speeds, but you’ll rarely encounter mmWave (think select areas in major cities and certain venues, like stadiums and airports). Sub-6 isn’t much faster than 4G LTE, but it has a broader range and is more widely accessible these days. Most of the smartphones we recommend here support sub-6 5G, even ones as low as $200.
Check Network Compatibility
If you buy an unlocked phone on this list and try to take it to one of your wireless carrier’s retail stores, they may tell you it isn’t compatible with the network. It likely is. Just use a paper clip or SIM ejection tool to pop the SIM card out of your current phone, then slide that SIM into your new phone. If it doesn’t work at first, reboot the phone or wait a couple of hours.
If you need a new SIM, try ordering one online from your carrier or see if they’ll give you a SIM when you activate a line in the store (if you’re starting coverage). Tell them you have a phone. Many times, reps will want to sell you a phone; that’s one potential reason they might hassle you into buying a different device in the store. Having said that, please make sure whatever phone you buy will work on your wireless network. Listings on retailers like Amazon should state clearly which networks a device will be compatible with. Also, make sure the listing says the phone is being sold “unlocked.”
You can now check in with a friend or family member when you arrive at a destination. If you dillydally for some reason on the way to this destination, the system will try to check in with you. If you don’t respond, it will share location data, battery level, and cell service status with your loved one. Apple says this data is end-to-end encrypted. You can press the “+” sign to find this feature in an iMessage conversation, then tap More until you see Check In.
When someone shares their location with you in iMessage, you’ll now be able to see this directly in the conversation without having to leave the app. If they send an audio message, you’ll see the transcription immediately under it, which is handy if you can’t listen to it immediately.
As for FaceTime, you can now leave a video or audio message for anyone who doesn’t answer your call (about time!). FaceTime is also making its way to Apple TV, and you can use your iPhone as a camera. During the call, you can create augmented reality reactions, like confetti, hearts, or fireworks, with certain hand gestures. You know, in case the person is bored with your normal reactions.
Batch Edit Photos
If you want all your vacation photos to have the same look, you can now batch-edit a whole bunch of photos and videos in one fell swoop. To do this, open a photo in your Photos app and press Edit. Make the changes you want, then save the photo. Press the triple-dot icon on the top right and tap Copy Edits, then go to the next photo, tap the triple-dot icon, and press Paste Edits. Once you have copied edits, you can select any number of photos and paste them, giving a collection of photos a cohesive look immediately.
Sticker Mania
Apple is placing a big emphasis on Stickers in iOS 17, so much so that they’re now built into the emoji keyboard, making them more accessible in third-party apps. Last year’s iOS 16 brought the ability to cut out a subject from any image you capture by just tapping and holding it, and now you can turn these into your own stickers for big meme potential. You can add effects to these stickers and even create Live Stickers with Live Photos. Make embarrassing stickers of friends on demand. Truly, we’re on the best timeline. With iOS 17.2, you can also react to individual message bubbles with a sticker.
iPhone on StandBy
Google Pixel phones have a feature that turns them into a smart display when placed on one of Google’s wireless chargers. Apple is going even further with StandBy. This enables any iPhone to turn into a more useful display while charging in landscape mode. You can have it show the clock (with different clock designs available), photos from your library, or interactive widgets. If you specifically place it on a MagSafe charger, your iPhone will remember your preferred view. Be sure to check out our Best Apple 3-in-1 Chargers guide if you want to take advantage of this feature.
Before iOS 17.1, anyone using an iPhone with an Always-On Display (iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max) would have to tap the screen whenever they want to turn the feature off. The latest update adds a bit more customization. When you head to Settings > StandBy > Display, you can choose between Automatically, which will turn the display off when the iPhone isn’t in use and the room is dark, After 20 Seconds, or Never.
Better Autocorrect
Do you late hate Apple’s autocorrect? You’re not alone. The company is finally making it better. Autocorrect now uses a “transformer language mode” for better word prediction. It corrects more types of grammatical mistakes than ever before, and you can see predictive text recommendations as you type (you can disable this feature with iOS 17.2), just like what you’ll find using Gmail’s Smart Compose. These improvements also extend to voice dictation, which uses a new speech recognition model that purportedly makes it more accurate.
New Communication Safety Features
Photograph: Apple
Apple’s Communication Safety feature, which helps prevent kids from seeing nude images in iMessage, has expanded its reach in iOS 17. Now, it brings these protections to other services and apps in iOS, from AirDrop and Contact Posters to FaceTime messages and Live Stickers. It works with video content too. Adults can also take advantage of the feature, as it can blur sensitive videos and photos and let you choose whether to view them. Apple maintains that all image and video processing for these protective features happens on your device, and nothing is sent back to Apple.
AirDrop Transfers
If someone is sharing high-res media with you and it’s going to take some time to transfer, you don’t need to stand next to them and wait for the transfer to complete. You can step away and the files will be sent over the internet.
Catch-Up Arrow
When you join a chat with dozens of new messages, you’re now able to tap on a new “catch-up arrow” to jump to the first new message. That way, you don’t have to spend time scrolling to find it.
iMessage Contact Key Verification
Apple originally announced this feature last year, and it’s finally here. With Contact Key Verification you have the option to verify who you’re messaging to avoid communicating with someone impersonating a friend or family member. Users will receive a Contact Verification Code they can then cross-reference with the person they’re texting to make sure the codes match.
A New Journal App
Photograph: Apple
There’s a new app as of iOS 17.2 called Journal, and as the name suggests, the idea is to write down your thoughts and memories. You can add photos, audio recordings, and music to your journal entries and even make goals. Apple says Journal uses on-device machine learning to suggest moments to write about during your day. You can read more about it here.
Enhanced AutoFill for PDFs
If you’re frequently working in PDFs, you’ll be excited to use this feature. The software uses machine learning to identify the fields in a PDF so you can quickly add details, and the Notes app now lets you organize, read, annotate, and collaborate in PDFs too.
Health App
Apple is letting you log your daily moods in the Health app, with access to depression and anxiety assessments typically found in clinics (and other resources). Also, if you are using Apple’s Screen Time feature for your kids, there’s now a Screen Distance tool that will use the TrueDepth camera to encourage children to move further away if they are holding the phone closer than 12 inches from their face for an extended period. Apple says this can help lower the risk of myopia and reduce digital eyestrain in adults. Additionally, the Health app is finally available on the iPad. When you update to iOS 17.2, you can use Siri to ask Health app-related questions like “What’s my blood oxygen?” or “How much have I slept this week?”
Hotel AirPlay
Apple is bringing AirPlay to hotel rooms. You can just scan a QR code from the TV to share videos, photos, and music from your device to the big screen. Apple says it’s starting with brands from IHG Hotels & Resorts.
Photograph: Apple
Apple Music
In addition to songs, you can now “favorite” albums and playlists. You’ll then have the ability to filter those favorites based on category.
With iOS 17.2, any songs you “favorite” will also be added to a Favorites playlist. There’s also a new Focus Filter that will automatically turn off Listening History. That way, you don’t have to worry about certain songs appearing in Recently Played or impacting future song recommendations. It’s a useful feature if you’re often using the Music app to play songs for your kids and don’t want to mess up your algorithm.
When you’re buying a new smartphone, salesmen love pestering you to buy some increased protection — insurance, a case, and, obviously, a screen protector. The screen protector has long been hailed as a necessity, costing anywhere from $10 to $60. These little slips of plastic and glass have ballooned to a $50 billion industry, but there’s a dirty secret underneath it all. Your screen protector may not be essential anymore.
Is USB-C Finally Coming To iPhone?
You wouldn’t be crazy for wanting to protect your screen. Cracking your screen is the number one way to break your phone, followed by water damage and battery issues. However, the glass in your phone has gotten significantly stronger in the last five years. Some experts say you might be able to skip the screen protector, and even warn about some relatively unknown downsides that salespeople aren’t telling you.
“It’s really not particularly useful,” said Raymond Soneira, CEO of DisplayMate Technologies, about screen protectors in an interview with Gizmodo. Soneira’s company researches how to optimize your phone’s display. He doesn’t use a screen protector, just a phone case, but caveats this by noting he is very careful with his phone and rarely ever drops it.
DisplayMate found that screen protectors make your phone more reflective. This reduces the quality of your display and requires you to increase your phone’s brightness to match the same quality. Over time, he says this will wear down your phone’s battery, and give you a shorter daily battery life.
However, the phone community is mixed on this screen protector issue. iFixit Repairability Engineer, Carsten Fraunheim notes that screen protectors can be useful against scratches, micro-abrasions, and just give you peace of mind. He calls them a “no-brainer” but admits they’re less essential than they used to be.
“As smartphone glass tech becomes more and more shatter resistant, screen protectors will lose their ‘drop protection’ selling feature,” Fraunheim said in an email.
Even the liquid screen protectors have their issues.
“Liquid wipe-on screen protectors are snake oil,” said iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens in an email. He says that this variety of protection actually compromises the structure of your screen, though he had no comment on panel-style protectors.
Trey Barnett, a computer technician at a Manhattan uBreakiFix, has seen a lot of cracked screens in the 14 years he’s been repairing phones. However, he sees fewer iPhones with broken screens than he used to.
“I would say that screens have gotten a bit stronger, but, you know, it hasn’t stopped people from breaking them altogether.”
There is an obvious argument in favor of screen protectors: they cost less than replacing your phone screen. While that’s true, the chances of having to repair your screen are far lower than they used to be. The multi-billion dollar screen protector industry would like to keep that on the down low.
Origins of The Screen Protector
In 2021, Apple’s iPhones started using Ceramic Shield, a new material that claims to be tougher than any previous smartphone glass. It comes from Corning, a glass company that Steve Jobs commissioned to produce the first screen for the iPhone in 2007.
Jobs famously gave Corning a 6-month deadline to produce the iPhone’s screen, which was originally planned to be plastic. Corning got it done, creating an especially strong, thin material called Gorilla Glass. This material would be used in the first decade of iPhones and is still used in most Samsung phones.
Gorilla Glass is stronger than most glass, but it wasn’t great at first. Screen protectors for phones almost immediately popped up, as consumers raced to wrap their phones in protective materials.
Apple forumsin 2008 were full of peoplediscussing early screen protectors. The first iPhone adopters quickly scratched their Gorilla Glass displays. Some users found these early screen protectors were so bad they messed with the iPhone’s touch screen. Screen protectors have gotten much better, but so have screens themselves.
Ceramic Shield was a major leap forward for screen technology. The materials used in Ceramic Shield are much different from typical smartphone glass. Corning describes it as somewhere in between ceramics and glass, and Apple says it’s four times stronger than Gorilla Glass when it comes to drops.
However, these major improvements have flown under the radar. That may have something to do with the growth of the screen protector industry. By 2030, the industry is expected to grow to roughly $85 billion, according to Grand View Research.
Why Screen Protectors Persist
Anyone who has cracked their phone screen will tell you how painful that experience is. Even though phone screens have gotten much better, the replacement process is scarring enough to make anyone just buy the dang screen protector.
It’s totally understandable why you might put your phone in a screen protector still. It is a large investment, but there’s more and more evidence that screens are getting better. A good phone case alone may be sufficient.
So at what point do we ditch the screen protectors? These flimsy films could be degrading the quality of that very expensive screen in your pocket, and they are potentially running through your battery. Screen protectors are slowly becoming a thing of the past.
Not all phones support wireless charging, but most brands have models that do, so look up your phone model first. You’ll usually see “Qi wireless charging” (the default standard) or simply “wireless charging” if it does. Phones that support the latest Qi2 standard, bear the Qi2 logo and have a ring of magnets for easy alignment (just like Apple’s MagSafe).
Do wireless chargers work if you have a phone case?
Yes, most wireless chargers can charge through cases, unless it’s a particularly thick case. Check the product listing—there’s usually a case thickness limit in millimeters. Phones can get hot when charging wirelessly, so don’t worry if your phone is really warm when you pick it up. Most smartphones have limits to stop accepting a charge if they get too hot.
Yes, cords will charge your phone faster
Some manufacturers like Apple and OnePlus make wireless chargers that recharge their respective phones faster than others, but if you’re looking for speed, you’re better off sticking with a cord. Wireless charging is best for desks or nightstands when you’re not really using your phone or in a rush to recharge it.
What’s a fast wireless charging speed?
We said this at the beginning of our guide, but you’ll see “Compatible with iPhones and Android phones” under each slide, and that means the charger has a standard charging speed of 7.5 watts for iPhones or 10 watts for Android phones (including Samsung Galaxy phones). The latest MagSafe and Qi2 chargers can go up to 15 watts, and there are a handful of proprietary wireless chargers for specific phone models that can charge even faster. It’s worth noting that, even where phones support them, the maximum charging rates are only reached some of the time (the charging rate is automatically adjusted to preserve battery health).
Is wireless charging safe to use?
There’s no definitive evidence that it’s harmful. You may worry the phone’s battery might degrade faster with wireless charging, but manufacturers set safe limits for phone batteries, stipulating how much a battery can be charged and how far it can discharge. Regardless of the charging source you use, whether you plug into a wall adapter or use a wireless charging pad, these limits can’t be overridden. There’s no risk of overcharging your phone by leaving it on a wireless charger all night.
How do I keep my phone’s battery healthy?
However, try to keep your battery between 50 and 80 percent for optimum battery health. Keeping your phone fully charged or fully discharging the battery will degrade it slightly faster, and regularly swinging between full and empty will shorten its life. Battery technology has improved in recent years, and phone batteries are more reliable than ever. If you switch phones every two to three years or don’t mind paying a modest fee for a battery replacement on that timescale, it’s not worth worrying too much about how often or when you charge your phone.
Apple is dispelling a piece of conventional wisdom followed by iPhone users who accidentally get their devices wet. The company is warning against putting wet phones in uncooked rice to dry them out.
In new guidance for salvaging phones that come into contact with liquid, Apple is advising users to let them dry out on their own, rather than by submerging them in uncooked rice.
Many people rely on uncooked rice to dry out wet electronics because the grains absorb liquids quickly — but Apple said that the technique can actually damage your iPhone.
“Don’t put your iPhone in a bag of rice”
Apple is telling iPhone users explicitly what not to do when a “Liquid Detected” warning appears on screen.
“Don’t put your iPhone in a bag of rice. Doing so could allow small particles of rice to damage your iPhone,” the company says.
Also, when a “Liquid Detected” alert appears on a phone’s screen, don’t try to charge the device until both the phone and the cable are completely dry, Apple said.
“If you charge your iPhone while the Lightning or USB-C connector is wet, the pins on the connector or cable can corrode and cause permanent damage or stop functioning, causing connectivity issues for your iPhone or accessory,” Apple explains.
Tap the phone and leave it in a dry area
Instead, unplug the phone from its power adapter, and gently tap the phone against your hand, with the charging port facing down, in order to let excess liquid drain from the device. Then leave the iPhone in a dry area with airflow, Apple says.
A wireless iPhone charger also won’t cause damage.
After 30 minutes, you can try to reconnect the device to a power adapter. An alert will indicate if liquid remains in the phone, with Apple noting that It could take up to 24 hours for a device to completely dry out.
Also avoid trying to dry it with an external heat source or compressed air. For example, don’t use a hair dryer, and avoid inserting cotton swabs and other objects into the connector to try to absorb any liquid, the company said.
Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News Streaming to discuss her reporting.
It fell in the toilet. Your clumsy partner knocked a glass of water onto it. You forgot it was in your pocket when you jumped into the pool. That’s just a few of the hundreds of ways your phone could come into life-threatening contact with liquid. Now what? Well, definitely don’t stick it in rice.
Fortunately, waterproofing has become mostly standard on modern phones. New iPhones, Samsung Galaxy devices, and Google’s newest Pixel phones all feature some degree of water resistance or waterproofing. How well a phone resists water is measured on an IP (or Ingress Protection) scale. If your phone is rated with a high number, like IP67 or IP68 protection, congratulations, it’s probably going to be fine if you drop it in the tub. If it’s got a lower rating, or none at all, you should prepare for the worst before you start chilling in the hot tub with your trusty Sidekick. And if your phone gets dropped into salt water or chlorinated water, it’s doubly important to dry it off right away regardless of its IP rating.
So when your phone decides to take a dive, as soon as you’re done freaking out, you’ll probably begin frantically tapping all the buttons, blowing on it, stuffing it into a sack of rice, or blasting it with a hair dryer to quickly get rid of all that water. While those are all well-meaning actions, guess what? Each of those is totally the wrong approach. Here’s the right way to rescue your water-damaged smartphone.
First, retrieve it as quickly as possible. If your phone is still in the bottom of the jacuzzi or the toilet, get it out ASAP. The longer it’s in the liquid, the greater the likelihood of damage will be.
Once the device is no longer submerged, power it off right away. Don’t try to press any of the other buttons or load any apps, just switch it off. Remove the case if you have one. If you have a phone with a removable battery, pop the battery out. You want to cut off power in the device as quickly as possible to prevent the possibility of a short circuit. Most of today’s smartphones don’t have removable batteries, but if yours lets you pop the battery out, do that.
Why No Rice?
If you search the internet or ask a friend, a common piece of advice you’ll hear is to stuff your device in a bag of rice. Don’t do that. Rice was never really a reliable option, but now companies are outright warning against it.
Apple officially pooh-poohs the rice option for dealing with wet phones on its Support site. While uncooked rice is absorbent, it’s incapable of collecting all the moisture hidden deep within your phone. Also, the rice gets mushy and sticky as it absorbs the water, and then you could wind up with gummy bits of rice stuck in your phone’s seams, speaker cavities, and ports.
What to Do
The only solid shot at rescuing your drowned device is patience. As Apple suggests, try keeping your phone in a dry area and gently tapping the device with the connection port facing down to jostle any drops out of there.
Do not blow-dry your wet phone or stick it in the oven. Excessive heat can damage the delicate electronics inside. What you should do is give the naked, case-free phone a quick wipe with a clean towel, making sure no water accidentally ends up draining into its charging port, SIM or MicroSD slots, or headphone jack (if your phone still has one). Chances are, you’re not going to be able to get the water out of there.
Don’t blast it with a can of compressed air, lest you blow water deeper into the phone or damage the sensitive bits inside the phone’s charging port. Also don’t try to blow any water out with your mouth; you’ll risk similar damage, and you’ll probably just get more spit in there.
Plan Ahead
Of course, for the accident-prone and careful alike, it’s a good idea to be prepared for this inevitable phone-soaking well ahead of any actual accidents. The smartest option is to keep synthetic desiccants (drying agents) on-hand. These usually take the form of those small, square packets that you find packed with electronics. You know, the “DO NOT EAT” stuff. These packets typically contain little beads of silica gel, which absorbs moisture around them. They work more quickly and efficiently than rice, and they are far less messy.
You might as well hoard the packets you’re already getting for free. Start now: Every time you see a loose desiccant packet in a box with a new hard drive, a pair of earbuds, or whatever, pull it out and save it in an airtight container. (You can also buy desiccant packets in bulk.) Dump them all into a plastic or glass container you’re certain has an air-tight seal. After you’ve collected a bunch of them, you have an emergency phone-rescue pod ready to go. Just drop the dunked phone into the container so it’s surrounded by packets, seal the container, and wait 24 to 48 hours. (Reminder: Do not eat the packets.)
The trick to all of these methods is that for the desiccant to do its magic, it needs to be in a sealed container so that it can absorb water only from your phone, and not from the outside air. Also, you need to have enough of the desiccant present to absorb all the water.
Following these tips, there’s a good chance your phone could survive its untimely spill. But if it spends an especially long time underwater, you could be out of options. In which case, maybe it’s finally time to get yourself a waterproof phone.
Updated Fed. 20, 2024 to reflect that Apple has outright warned against putting your phone in rice on its support pages. Again, rice is not a great option.
If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. This helps support our journalism.Learn more.
I don’t like big phones. They are cumbersome to carry, they don’t fit into most of my size of pockets or purses, and I’m constantly dropping them. I wasn’t made for larger phones. But I can’t deny that they have their advantages. The bigger the phone you go, the longer the battery you’ll have so you can watch TV and chortle on the train. Plus, most of the latest large phones have extra photography capabilities you won’t get with a small phone, like the ability to zoom in at a farther distance.
Samsung Galaxy Flip 5: Hands-on first Impressions of Samsung’s Pocket-Sized Folding Phone
Bigger phones also cost more, which can drag if you’re on a budget. So be strategic: if you go for a device with more display, you should know what the rest of the phone can do for you. Not all mega-phones are created equal—some are better at taking photos, while others exist simply for multitasking. If you’re not penny-pinching, you might also consider the latest large foldables, some of which are now offered with a discount that makes them easier to afford than when they initially debuted. Here’s what the big phone market looks like, including the ones that fold into tablets.
This year’s phones are some of the biggest they’ve ever been, though Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra has the largest display as a traditional smartphone—it’s a 6.9-inch Super AMOLED display compared to, say, the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display. Part of that extra screen on the Ultra makes it possible to enjoy the stowed S Pen on the bottom, which also acts as a camera remote for when you’re taking selfies from afar—I use it all the time to snap pictures of myself on my walks. How else would I prove that I take them?
The iPhone 15 Pro Max is another big phone favorite. There’s a bit more width to the Pro Max than the OnePlus 12, a narrow type of smartphone. You also get the added benefit of its three-tiered camera system and larger battery. One advantage to this big phone compared to an Android offering is the built-in Emergency SOS and Roadside Assistance via satellite offerings, which are nice to have when life gets unexpectedly perilous.
If the Pro Max’s $1,200 starting price range is a little steep and you want to stay on iOS, the iPhone 15 Plus is just as worthy. It also has a 6.7-inch display with a spectrum of pastel offerings.
The front of the OnePlus 12 is a 6.8-inch QHD+ display with up to 4,500 nits brightness in direct sunlight.Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
If you’re considering carrying around this much product, you might as well get something with the best battery life. For Android users, that’s the OnePlus 12. It was the longest-lasting Android device in Gizmodo’s battery benchmarks. The OnePlus 12 is a 6.8-inch device with 16GB of RAM and a whopping 5,400 mAh battery—that’s how it managed up to 27 hours and 43 minutes of battery in our rundown tests.
Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro Max has the next best battery offering with 25 hours, followed by the newest Galaxy S24 Ultra with 23 hours and 22 minutes. Apple and Samsung devices have both been pretty steady about battery life. Your mileage will undoubtedly vary depending on how you use the devices. Our tests determine how long the phones last on screen for extended periods at around 200 nits.
How far do you want to zoom in? If you don’t mind a ton of algorithmic help, the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s four-part camera system can manage up to 100x digital zoom. If you need to peep at something too far away or too high up, that’s where the telephoto can help. It’s also nice to have different framing options offered by the Ultra’s varying focal lengths. The Ultra is capable of up to 5x optical zoom on its secondary 50-MP camera and up to 3x optical zoom on its tertiary 10-MP telephoto camera.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max has telephoto lenses that stick out and can manage up to 5x optical zoom.Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro Max and Pixel 8 Pro can also zoom in from far away. Both phones max out at 5x optical zoom, though the iPhone 15 Pro Max can handle up to 25x digital zoom and the Pixel 8 Pro up to 30x with “Super Res Zoom.”
I said that I don’t like big phones. But I adore the large folding ones because you can fold them up and put them into something else when you are not using the screen. I’ve shared my thoughts on Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 5 in our full review, and my opinion has remained largely the same: they are still too expensive to justify outright. That said, whenever I pick up the Z Fold 5, I am reminded of its utility as a tablet on the go.
Foldables are a great way to get a big phone that can fold up and disappear. Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
The Z Fold 5 has other things going for it besides its 7.6-inch inner display. If you intend to use it like a tablet, you can buy an S Pen to unlock a few extra features. (Though I would recommend toting the S Pen around some other way than the official Slim Case because it falls out periodically.) There’s also a triple-lens camera system, plus up to 3x optical zoom.
OnePlus became a contender in the foldable game when it launched the OnePlus Open, one of the best foldables we reviewed last year after the Z Fold 5. There’s plenty to like about it: a solid hinge, a screen with no discernable crease, and a UI that is quite good at handling the multi-app experience of the inside screen. It even has 16GB of RAM, a hefty amount for a device with many screens.
Also, if you like to type with both thumbs and that’s why you’re looking to adopt a larger device, the foldable is the way to go. I’ve found it much faster at typing two-handed than the iPhone 15 Pro Max or Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Circle to Search can be used with the built-in S Pen on the Galaxy S24 Ultra.Photo: Florence Ion / Gizmodo
AI is a thing in this day and age, so we might as well lean in. Android is better suited for the so-called “AI future,” as it waves the freak flag for all to see. Apple’s approach is much more subdued, with its AI offerings sprinkled throughout iOS and the rest of the well-tended walled garden.
If you want to be on the equivalent of the cutting edge, then sign up for life with the Pixel 8 Pro. It’s the flagship from Google, which means it will be the device that showcases what Google’s AI smarts can do. One of our favorite features, Circle to Search, is limited to Google’s latest, anyway, and the Galaxy S24 Ultra. But it’s hard to tell how much feature parity Samsung’s Galaxy AI will have with Google’s Pixel hardware going forward.
Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.
The life of a business leader or entrepreneur can be quite demanding and high stakes. When you’re trying to build something or maintain its growth, you need to protect yourself from all possible hazards, even something as simple as your phone dying during an important meeting or sales opportunity. Do you have an easy and fast-charging solution in your workspace to prevent such a preventable issue?
To help you stay connected, you can get this Speedy Mag Wireless Charger for iPhone, which is on sale for just $39.99 (reg. $119) during our Presidents’ Day sale. Its wireless design works with a solid, sleek, and slim charging base that you can rest your iPhone on for rapid charging to keep you juiced when you’re holding that same phone up to your ear.
Entrepreneurs and business leaders, your time is your greatest asset. If you’re not thinking ahead about ways to protect that time, even in as simple terms as having a reliable and transportable phone charger, then you’re not giving yourself or your business the best odds of success. Turn that corner with this special deal.
Don’t miss your chance to get this Speedy Mag Wireless Charger for iPhone, which is on sale for just $39.99 (reg. $119) during our Presidents’ Day sale — a price that beats Walmart’s!
