Things You Didn't Know

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 - 30 Things You Didn't Know!

The Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 has now officially been unveiled by Samsung. This is by far the Phone that I’m most excited for this year so, without any further ado, here are 30 things you probably didn’t know about it! 

1) New Hinge Mechanism 

There is a brand new Hinge mechanism that now allows the Fold to stay open at pretty much any angle that you want, just like the Z Flip did. This means that you can actually prop it up and take a selfie or a group photo using the Front, or even the Back-Facing Camera Module. There are over 60 individual components in this new Hinge and Samsung said that they’ve tried over 100 different prototypes and approaches to make this possible. 

2) Video Controls 

Something else that you can do with this, is keep it semi-open and have certain video controls on the bottom screen while you’re watching a video on the top screen. This could easily be updated for Games as well so that you get the controls on the bottom and the Game itself on the top Display. 

3) Personalise the Hinge

Speaking of the Hinge, when you order your Galaxy Fold 2, you can now customise it. This isn’t live on 'samsung.com' just yet, but you will be able to change the colour of the Hinge when you order your Fold 2 through their website. 

4) Dust Protection

The technology in the Hinge has been massively updated in the Z Fold2 (Source: Samsung)

The technology in the Hinge has been massively updated in the Z Fold2 (Source: Samsung)

Something that I was hoping to be improved with the Fold 2, and it finally has, is Dust Protection. Samsung is calling this the most advanced Hinge design ever, even more so than the mechanism that the Z Flip introduced, with the whole structure of the Phone reinforced to make the Fold more durable to drops and dust.

In fact, they even showed ‘JerryRigEverything’s’ dust and dirt test for the original Fold to point out that they’re now using smaller sweepers in the Hinge, similar to the ones used by Dyson Vacuum Cleaners to keep the debris out. 

5) Water Resistance 

Water Resistance is here too, to some extent at least. Even-though Samsung has not confirmed this directly, Max Weinbach says that the Fold 2 has an Anti-Erosion Waterproof Coating on the main internal components of the Motherboard. It’s not waterproof per se, but it will help survive a quick drop in water or possibly even withstand rain, if you get caught in it.

6) No Wireless Earbuds

Unfortunately, if you were a fan of the free Galaxy Buds that came in the box of the Fold 1, Samsung would not be including any free Headphones inside the box of the Fold 2. Personally, I was hoping of some free Galaxy Buds Live this time, but it seems like this won’t be the case. 

7) Free Galaxy Buds Live 

Or is it? Speaking of the Buds Live, if you pre-order a Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, you do get a pair of Galaxy Buds Live for free. Samsung hasn’t said if they will be doing the same thing for the Fold 2, but I would expect them to do so.

If you do get your Fold after the pre-order window has closed, you would not be able to claim the free Galaxy Buds Live anymore. 

8) Premium Box

However, the box that the Fold 2 comes in is still as premium as before. It’s a gigantic box, which makes me think that Samsung has bundled a few things inside, possibly a free case again. The box itself opens in a unique way so the unboxing experience itself is indeed very premium.

9) Thinner 

Now, one of my main complaints with the Fold 1 was that it was quite thick, especially when closed down. Luckily, Samsung has made some massive improvements here.

First, the entire device is thinner when unfolded. It was still pretty thin before at just 6.9mm, but now it is just 6mm when unfolded.

When folded or closed down, Samsung has managed to make the Hinge close flatter, so the gap that was previously quite big is now noticeably smaller, making the device thinner when closed due to both of these improvements. 

10) Heavier 

Unfortunately, there is no way of making so many improvements to a device without increasing its weight. The Fold 2 is now heavier at 279g, compared to the 263g of the Fold 1. 

11) Camera System

This is very similar to what we saw on the S20’s, but it’s hard to complain at that.

This is very similar to what we saw on the S20’s, but it’s hard to complain at that.

Speaking of improvements, I’m a bit disappointed when it comes to the Camera Module. Rather than this being the Note 20 Ultra’s Camera System, it is actually the same Camera Module as on the Galaxy S20, for the most part. We have a Main 12MP, f/1.8 Aperture Module, which is the same exact one as on the S20’s, with larger Pixels and a larger Sensor overall. I’m very happy with this, as that was an incredible Camera.

The second Module is a 12MP, f/2.2 Aperture, Ultra-Wide Angle Module, the same as on the S20’s. However, the Telephoto Module is not quite as good. 

12) No 64MP

On the S20’s, we have a 64MP Telephoto Module with which you can have 30x Digital Zoom. Unfortunately, the Fold 2 only has a 12MP Module, which gives you a 2x Optical Zoom and 10x Digital. 

13) No 8K

Not only that, but because there is no 64MP Module, there is also no 8K Video Recording on the Fold 2. This is something that we’ve had on all the S20’s as well as both Galaxy Note 20’s. 

14) Why No S-Pen?

Now, one of the early rumors was that the Fold 2 will include an S-Pen, this was one of my main requests as well. I’m not a massive user of the S-Pen myself, but I do have to say that having it on a device as big as the Fold 2 would make a lot of sense.  Unfortunately, there is no S-Pen at all.

Samsung did actually make an official statement on this, saying that they engineered the Fold 2 to have its own special qualities that are suited for Foldables, which makes me think that they couldn’t do it as of yet. My initial guess was that they couldn’t do it, as they would need to make the tip of the S-Pen extremely soft in order for it not to damage the Display. But, if it is really soft, it would flex when you press harder and then the plastic body of the S-Pen itself could touch the Display, which would easily damage it. 

It could also be a case where Samsung wanted to make a thinner Fold 2 and they just couldn’t have done that if they had the S-Pen inside.

15) 120Hz 

Now, one of the big improvements that the Fold 2 gets is a 120Hz Refresh Rate Display, which is absolutely nuts on such a massive Display. 

This jump in Refresh Rate is definitely something you’ll notice.

This jump in Refresh Rate is definitely something you’ll notice.

We don’t yet know if the Display will be able to run at Native Resolution whilst also running at 120Hz.The S20’s can only run at 120Hz if you turn down the Resolution to 1080p and the exact same applies to the Note 20’s, including the Note 20 Ultra. Now, the Fold 2 has a much larger Display, it’s pretty much a compact Tablet really, so we definitely do need this Display to run in Native Resolution as even the text on the Galaxy S20 Ultra was a bit blurry when running the Display in 1080p. We don’t know if Samsung will allow us to do this, but the good news is that the Resolution on the Fold 1 was fixed, you couldn’t change it. So, I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a Native Resolution at 120Hz. 

16) One CPU Model

Now, what gives me hope in terms of this, is the fact that the Fold 2 would only come with one CPU model, as opposed to the Galaxy S20’s or even the Note 20’s. These come with either an Exynos 990 Processor, if you buy the International Version of those Phones, or the Snapdragon 865.

The Fold 2, same as the US Version of the Note 20 Ultra, will feature the Snapdragon 865+ Processor. Since there’s no Exynos at all, and the Snapdragon is around 20-30% more powerful, we could see 120Hz at Native Resolution. 

17) Inner 60Hz 

The Inner Display would still be a 60Hz Panel. 

18) Outer Display Improvements

However, this Display has received some massive improvements, with the biggest one being in terms of the size.The Fold 1 had a tiny 4.6” Display with gigantic Bezels that I was almost never using, but this time we have a 6.23” Bezel-less Display with just a single Punch-Hole Camera Cutout, making this Panel fully usable now. 

19) Inner Display Improvements

The Inner Display is now bigger, more fluid and has that Notch is now gone (Source: Samsung).

The Inner Display is now bigger, more fluid and has that Notch is now gone (Source: Samsung).

But, there are also big changes are on the Inner Display. 

Aside from the 120Hz Refresh Rate, this Display is also getting larger from 7.3”, to 7.6”. Not only that, but that massive Notch has been replaced by a single Camera Cutout, just like on the front, and Samsung has also made this Display way more durable. Just like on the Z Flip, Samsung is using UTG (Ultra-Thin Glass). 

So, the Display assembly is now: a Plastic Layer, then the UTG underneath that, then the Display Panel itself and then the UMC (Under-Metal Cushion). All of these make the Display much more durable than ever before. 

20) LTPO

Speaking of the Display, the Inner Display is also an LTPO Panel, meaning that it can dynamically adjust the Refresh Rate based on the content that you’re watching. It can go from 120Hz, all the way down to 60Hz, 30Hz or even 1Hz, in order to improve Battery Life.

21) Battery 

In terms of the Battery, this is now a larger 4500mAh Battery, compared to the 4235mAh that we had on the original Fold. 

22) Faster Charging

Speaking of the Battery, Fast Charging has also been improved with support of up to 25W Charging, compared to the 15W we had on the Fold One. 

23) Storage Dropped

The amount of Storage that you get has been dropped to 256GB from 512GB, which I think that’s fine. But there are rumors that this wasn’t made to decrease the price, but rather to be able to keep the price the same as before. The price itself is not known yet.

24) SD Support

Speaking of Storage, there is no SD Card Support on the Fold 2 and since 256GB is apparently the only capacity that Samsung will be offering, you will be stuck with that amount of Storage. 

25) Fingerprint Reader 

No In-Display Fingerprint Reader, but we do have the next best thing (Source: Samsung).

No In-Display Fingerprint Reader, but we do have the next best thing (Source: Samsung).

Now, in case you’re wondering if we’re getting an In-Display Fingerprint Reader this time, the answer is no. This is still a Side-Mounted Fingerprint Reader. But, Samsung have indeed mounted it onto the Power Button, as opposed to having a Power Button and then a separate Fingerprint Reader Sensor next to it, like they did with the Fold 1. 

26) Frosted Back

Source: Samsung

Source: Samsung

The back of the Fold does indeed have a Frosted Glass texture, but we don’t yet know if this is just on the Gold Model or the Black one as well. The press images seem to show the Black Model as being Frosted as well, while Samsung’s own 3D Viewer on their own website seems to show this as Regular Glass. 

27) New Leather Case

Apparently, there is a new Leather Case that is now made out of a single piece, rather than two pieces, and I believe it stretches over the Hinge rather than leaving it open, like we had with the Fold 1’s Leather Case. 

28) Thom Browne Edition

As with the Z Flip, the Z Fold2 is part of a Limited Edition ‘Thom Browne’ set (Credit: Samsung).

As with the Z Flip, the Z Fold2 is part of a Limited Edition ‘Thom Browne’ set (Credit: Samsung).

Just like the Z Flip, Samsung will be selling a more exclusive Thom Browne version of it, which will be more expensive. But, you also get a Thom Browne Edition Galaxy Watch 3, as well as Thom Browne Galaxy Buds Live, included in that gigantic box. 

29) 2011

Samsung has stated that work on their first Fold started in 2011, which is the same year that Samsung demoed their Flexible Displays at CES 2011 for the very first time. 

30) 5G and Foldables 

Moving forward, Samsung has confirmed that their main focus would be on Foldable devices, as well as 5G, with more more Foldables being released in the future. 

31) Updates for Three Generations

Finally, interestingly enough, Samsung has also confirmed that you would be getting software updates for the next three Generations moving forward, which is an incredible move.

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The Future of the Mac - Explained!

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Every once in a while, usually once per decade or so, there is one big change that happens in tech that affects everything. Not just that, but it also affects our everyday lives.

A good example would be the introduction of the first iPhone back in 2007, which literally changed how future Phones looked and functioned to this very day. Samsung’s Flexible Display Technology from 2011 allowed us to have the Foldable Smartphones that we have today, with many more to come in the future. Tesla’s Autopilot has redefined, and will continue to redefine, the car industry. Now…there is another big change just around the corner and this time, it’s all about the Processor.

So, get ready for a bit more of a technical video and have those snacks ready and enjoy!

Up until 2006, Apple Macs were using PowerPC Processors. PowerPC were a type of Reduced Instruction Set Architecture Processors, which were created in 1991 by, ironically, Apple, IBM and Motorola. This was also known as the AIM Alliance. 

The whole idea behind PowerPC Processors was for them to be affordable to the average consumer, rather than for high-end business computers. Additionally, they were intended to not just be very powerful for the average user, but also allow Programmers to very quickly and easily write Code for them. This was all good. From 1994 up until 2006, Apple had only been using PowerPC Processors. But at WWDC 2005, Steve Jobs went on stage to make a big announcement. He announced that Apple will be moving from PowerPC Processors, to Intel Processors.

The main reason for this was ‘Performance per Watt. He said that PowerPC Processors gave Macs around 15 Units of Performance per Watt, whereas Intel was giving them 70 Units, almost five times as much. This is why Apple switched from PowerPC, to Intel Processors. Intel’s Chips were more powerful and also consumed less energy, meaning that their machines could be thinner and more portable, which was very important back then. Devices back then were not as thin and portable as they are now.

Apple’s Processors haven’t always come from Intel

Apple’s Processors haven’t always come from Intel

Now, switching to a new Processor, especially when it has a different Architecture, is extremely difficult and PowerPC and Intel were both based on a completely different Architectures. PowerPC CPU’s were based on the POWER Instruction Set Architecture, whereas Intel CPU’s were based on the x86-64 Architecture. What this means was that they were speaking completely different languages. 

This also meant that every single new program had to be re-written from scratch, but macOS in itself was not capable of running on Intel Processors unless of course, they had a Translator. That Translator was called Rosetta, named after the stone that helped us translate Ancient Egyptian, as the top half of it was written in ancient Egyptian, whilst the bottom half was written in ancient Greek. Anyway, Rosetta translated PowerPC instructions into x86-64 instructions, which meant that most, but not all programs that were developed for the PowerPC era, could actually run on Intel based Macs without the need for a full re-write.

It wasn’t perfect, just like when you’re translating between two different languages, some expressions just won’t translate that well. So, while PowerPC Apps could run on Intel Macs, Native Apps that were designed for Intel Macs first would always run better. That transition actually went very smoothly and fast forward 14 years and up until this point, Apple has kept on using Intel Processors in all of their Macs.

However, Apple is now switching from Intel, to their own Apple Series of Processors and this change will be even bigger than the last one. 

Why?

Why switch? Isn’t Intel the market leader when it comes to CPU’s? They are in terms of sales, but they’ve been having some serious issues in the last few years.

You see, the way a CPU works is that they have these tiny Transistors that can pass electrical current through them, which the CPU then reads as one’s and zero’s. Modern CPU’s have billions of Transistors and the smaller and thinner these are, the faster they can pass the current through and therefore, the faster the CPU. It’s like driving a car from NY to LA to deliver a package, compared to driving from your house to your neighbour’s house, to deliver the same package. Obviously, the package will get to your neighbour’s house much faster as the distance is smaller, CPU’s work in the same way.

Apple will soon be making Processors with Transistors that are only twice as thick as Human DNA.

Apple will soon be making Processors with Transistors that are only twice as thick as Human DNA.

The size at which the Transistors inside a Processor are measured at is just in a few Nano-Metres. Intel has been using a 14nm manufacturing process and just to give you an idea of how thin those Transistors are, a human hair is around 90,000nm in thickness. A single strand of human DNA is 2.5nm. Intel’s has been manufacturing transistors at 14nm, which is pretty incredible. But, Intel has been releasing 14nm CPU’s since 2014 and they’ve been trying to switch to 10nm, the next step in the manufacturing process, since. They’ve only been able to do it in 2019. 

Apple, on the other hand, switched to 10nm in 2017, two years ahead of Intel. Not only that, but Apple has since switched to 7nm in 2018 and will switch to 5nm in 2020, with the upcoming Apple A14 Processors. Apple is already three generations ahead of Intel when it comes to the manufacturing process. To be more accurate, TSMC is, they are the actual manufacturers for Apple’s CPU’s. Additionally, AMD is also manufacturing on a 7nm process now, being two generations ahead of Intel. 

Intel launched 10nm in 2019, but even now in 2020, only ‘Y’ & ‘U’ Series Mobile CPU’s come with it. Desktop and high-end Laptop Processors, such as the H-Series that you would find on a 16” MacBook Pro for example, those are still based on a 14nm process.

Even if you take a look at the 10nm ‘Y’ & ‘U’ Series Processors, not even all of the models are based on the 10nm process, some are still 14nm CPU’s. It’s so horribly confusing. The whole point of Intel’s 10th Generation Processors was to finally switch to 10nm, but they’ve only done that on around 20% of their 10th Generation CPU’s, the rest are still 14nm. AMD Processors now out-perform Intel quite substantially and they even do it at a lower price. 

Not only that, but Apple has improved their own Processors so much, that even the 2018 iPad Pro now out-performs most Laptop Processors from Intel. The iPad Pro has significantly better performance than a 2020 baseline 13” MacBook Pro, it’s even better than the higher-end model. The iPad Pro is also significantly thinner than a Laptop and it does not even have a Fan in it, it is all passively cooled, whereas Laptops need to have gigantic Cooling Systems.

The new iPad Pro is a great example of what Apple can achieve with their own technology.

The new iPad Pro is a great example of what Apple can achieve with their own technology.

These are the two main reasons why Apple wants to move away from Intel. They want better Performance and they want that Performance at a lower power consumption than at what Intel offers, which means that they can make way more portable devices with a significantly better Battery Life. Imagine having an iMac that’s as thin as an iPad Pro, or a MacBook Pro that lasts for 20 hours, or more, on a single charge.

But, there is one more reason why Apple wants to switch now. Unlike 2005, when they were just looking for better performance at a lower power consumption, Apple now has the iPhone and the iPad, none of which they had back in 2005. Those devices also run on Apple’s own Processors, which means that Apple can now unify their entire line of devices and have any APPS run on the iPhone, the iPad and on the Mac natively, with no changes in the code required. This means that you’ll be able to run any iPhone App directly on your Mac including Instagram, Facebook Messenger or basically anything. 

Moreover, Mac Apps such as Final Cut Pro X and Logic Pro X will also able to run on iPhone and iPad. In fact, Apple even showed FCP X running on a Mac Mini with an Apple A12Z Processor, the same Processor as in the iPad Pro 2020. While it did have 16GB of RAM, compared to the 6GB on the iPad, and the CPU was likely cooled too, it could actually play three streams of 4K ProRes with effects at the same time, without dropping any frames at all. A 16” MacBook Pro can run around 11 streams of 4K ProRes, which is quite a bit more, this would also be ProRes RAW. But, keep in mind that the A12Z is just a Tablet Processor. Apple already mentioned that they’re working on multiple variants of their own CPU’s to be used in Macs, which Apple hasn’t really showed yet.

Credit: Apple

Credit: Apple

However, they did show us this graph that compared their Processors to the current devices that Apple is offering. Whilst Apple’s range is quite big, we can indeed tell that they are developing Laptop Processors that are just on par with Intel’s lowest-end Desktop Processors, while also having less power consumption than Intel’s current Laptop Processors .That equates to a 12” MacBook or a MacBook Air with a 20 hour Battery Life, having more performance than the regular iMac. Now, if we take a look at the upper part of this graph, we can see that Apple’s even aiming to make Processors better than any Desktop Processors that Intel has now, with just a bit more power consumption than a current Laptop.

These are very bold claims but I do believe that they can pull this off, especially if we take a look at what they’ve already achieved with the iPad alone.

Ok, so now that we’ve covered the ‘Why’, what about the ‘How’?

How?

To help this transition, Apple is bringing back Rosetta. Credit: Apple

To help this transition, Apple is bringing back Rosetta. Credit: Apple

MacOS Big Sur, which is coming out later this year, will be the first macOS that has been developed for both x86-64 Intel Processors and ARM Processors (ARM being the Architecture that Apple’s using for their own Chips). Apple will be using the same Rosetta tool that they used back in 2006 to switch from PowerPC to Intel, which is now called Rosetta 2 and will translate x86-x64 Code, into ARM code. This means that you’ll still be able to run all of your Intel software on future ARM Macs.

Native apps will still run much better, FCP X was a good example and Apple has also shown Photoshop as well as Lightroom, which were both running extremely smooth. Lightroom was able to open up a massive library of RAW photos without any lag or slowdown whatsoever. On the Mac, I always get the beachball and some lag here and there whenever I do that, so that’s crazy.

When?

You’re probably wondering, when is this transition going to happen and how would you be impacted?

We could soon be looking at one unified system for the Mac line-up.

We could soon be looking at one unified system for the Mac line-up.

Well, Apple has said that this transition would take two years. Meaning that by the end of 2022, we should have an Apple Processor in every single Mac that Apple sells, from the MacBook Air, all the way up to the Mac Pro, which is nuts. ARM CPU’s have never been designed for sustained workloads but it seems that this concept has been proven wrong, ‘The Verge’ reports that Japan has developed a supercomputer using ARM Processors and it turns out that this is now the fastest computer in the entire world, with it also being 2.8 times faster than the previous most powerful supercomputer in the world. So, ARM is definitely looking very promising. 

Now, Intel based Macs will still be supported for a number of years, but if you do plan on getting a Mac now, I would highly highly advise you to wait until the end of the year when Apple would be releasing their first Mac with an Apple Processor. Ming-Chi Kuo says that it will be a new 13” MacBook Pro. I’m fine with that, so I can’t wait! 

MacOS big Sur

I just want to touch a bit on macOS Big Sur. This is really the biggest software update since macOS Yosemite, which changed up the design significantly from the previous design language that macOS Mavricks used. ‘Big Sur’ is an even bigger change as it adds a ton of elements from the iPhone and the iPad, to macOS. We even get things such as Control Centre and the same iOS-style Toggles.

While I do really like this design a lot, it kind of looks like it was made for Touch Input first because, well, it was. The iOS UI was made for Touch Input rather than Mouse Input. So, the fact that Apple’s adding the exact same design language and the same UI style makes me think that maybe we will see a TouchScreen Mac in the not too distant future. That would be pretty amazing.

I wouldn’t exactly call this a ‘Unified Design’. Credit: Apple

I wouldn’t exactly call this a ‘Unified Design’. Credit: Apple

The start-up sound is back, which is quite interesting to see, alongside a ton of design elements from iOS. These include the Notification Panel and the indicator that shows amount of battery you have left in hours, is now back. They’ve also just cleaned up the entire UI a lot.

I do have two main concerns regarding Big Sur’s design. Firstly, the UI elements and how they just don’t feel right, they were designed for Touch Input. My second concern is the Icons. Apple is calling this a unified design, but they don’t look the same. They all have this weird shadow that is on the inside, very strange. We don’t have this on iOS and it just looks as if different Icons were designed by different people. The ‘Reminders’ Icon has no shadow at all, whereas the ‘Messages’ Icon does. Hopefully Apple fixes this by October, when macOS Big Sur is said to be released to the public. 

Anyway, I’m definitely looking forward to the future of the Mac and this transition will shape the entire tech industry. It will end up forcing more companies to innovate into the Mobile CPU space and of course, forcing Intel to do something about their CPU offering because at this point, AMD is ahead and it seems like Apple is now ahead as well.

MacBook Pro 13 (2020) - 25 Things You Didn't Know!

I’ve just got my hands on the brand new 2020 13” MacBook Pro, the one that I’ve been waiting for, for a while now. But, I’m not going to open it and give you guys my first impressions just yet, that would be in a different video. In this one, I want to tell you 25 interesting things that you need to know about the new 2020 MacBook Pro!

1) Two Models

First things first, if you plan on buying a new 2020 MacBook Pro, Apple actually sells two very different models of it. If you go onto Apple’s website, you won’t be able to tell which is which, as they both look identical. But, as a matter of fact, these two models couldn’t be any more different.

The base-model starts at $1300/£1300 and then the high-end model starts at $1800/£1800. Think of these two as the iPhone 11 and the iPhone 11 Pro. While the ’11’ has most of the features that the ‘Pro’ has, the ‘Pro’ still has quite a few advantages over the ’11’ that give it its ‘Pro’ name.

2) Four vs Two Thunderbolts 

Now, since you can indeed select a low-end model and spec it out so that it ends up being more expensive than the high-end model, the easiest way to tell them apart is by looking at the number of Thunderbolt 3 Ports that they have. The low-end model will always come with two, while the high-end model will always come with four. 

I would say for most people, two is enough. But if you’re more of a power user and you need to connect a 5K Monitor, eGPU and a few HDD’s, then getting the four Port model is something that I would definitely recommend.  Also, if you have the four Port model, you would be able to charge it from either side of the Laptop. The two Port model has both Ports on the left-hand side. 

3) Baseline 8th Gen

Something else that you should know is that Apple advertises the new Intel 10th Generation Processors on these MacBooks, but the baseline model still has the 8th Generation, from last year.

4) Almost the Same 

In fact, the baseline model is pretty much identical to the 2019 model, with the exception of the Keyboard, which has now been replaced by the new scissor-style mechanism, just like we got in the 16” MacBook Pro and the 2020 MacBook Air. Finally, goodbye Butterfly!

5) Thickness

The 2020 MacBook Air is actually thicker, at its thickest point, that the latest 13” MacBook Pro.

The 2020 MacBook Air is actually thicker, at its thickest point, that the latest 13” MacBook Pro.

Interestingly enough, both models of the MacBook Pro are now thicker at 1.56cm, compared to the 1.5cm of the previous models. Fun fact, while the MacBook Air is much thinner at its thinnest point, measuring just 0.41cm, at its thickest point the Air is actually thicker than the Pro, measuring 1.61cm, compared to 1.56cm. Still, while the 13” Pro did get thicker this year, it is still noticeably thinner than the 16”, which measures 1.62cm. 

Fun fact number two, the new 2020 13” Pro is now thicker than the old 15” from 2019, which was 1.5cm thick. This thickness increase was made in order to accommodate the new Keyboard, which does have quite a bit more key travel. 

6) Weight

On top of this, the new Pro is also heavier at 1.4kg, compared to the 1.29kg of the MacBook Air or the 2kg of the 16” MacBook Pro. However, the footprint is identical to what we had on the 2019 model. 

7) Keyboard 

Speaking of the Keyboard, even though this now uses the old style Scissor-Switch mechanism, just like on the 2015 13” MacBook Pro, the Keyboard is quite a bit different.

We don’t get as much key travel, but the keys are way more stable than before. In a way, it’s sort of like the child of the Butterfly Keyboard and the old 2015 style Keyboards. I personally like it a lot and I can type so much faster from it, with way less typing errors than before. Speaking of that, if you do a lot of typing, the MacBook Air might be a much better choice.

Because of its wedge shape design, it is much more comfortable to type on as the Keyboard itself is at an angle, compared to the straight Keyboard of the MacBook Pro. 

8) Escape & TouchID

We also get a dedicated Escape Key, which is really nice to have and the TouchID Sensor is now a bit raised, just like on the MacBook Air, to bring it in line with the taller Keyboard. 

9) Smaller Trackpad

Another change that we get is in terms of the Trackpad, which is a tiny bit narrower than on the 2019 models. This is probably to prevent any accidental touches when typing. 

10) Double the Storage

You can now get double the Storage, at a price of course.

You can now get double the Storage, at a price of course.

Aside from this, we did get double the Storage on the baseline model, from 128GB, to 256GB, which is nice. Aside from that and the Keyboard, the baseline is identical to last year’s model. 

The high-end model also got double the Storage, by giving you 512GB, compared to 256GB and it also now gives you the option to bump that to 4TB of Storage, up from 2TB. The model with two Thunderbolt 3 Ports can only be configured up to 2TB. 

11) RAM Amount 

Another difference that you should be aware of is that, while the two Port model can be configured to up to 16GB of RAM, the four Port model can now be configured to up to 32GB of RAM. This is thanks to the new Intel 10th Generation Processors, which support LPDDR4X Memory.

12) RAM Speed

On top of that, while the two Thunderbolt Port model supports 2133MHz LPDDR3 Memory, the four Thunderbolt Port model supports much faster 3733MHz LPDDR4X Memory. So, if you’re into photo-editing, that faster RAM would come in handy. 

13) CPU Differences

Ok, but what about the actual CPU? Is it really worth getting the Intel 10th Generation models or is the 8th Generation enough?

On Single-Core Performance, the 2020 13” out-does the 16”.

On Single-Core Performance, the 2020 13” out-does the 16”.

Well, we actually do get around a 35% faster Single Core performance on the 10th Generation model, which is not gigantic but it is a fair gain indeed. In fact, the 13” Pro with four thunderbolt 3 Ports, even the i5 model, now scores the highest in ‘Geekbench 5’. It’s higher than even the 16” MacBook Pro and the Mac Pro, so that’s very impressive.

If you’re mostly into simple tasks that only require one Single CPU Core, you’ll definitely notice an improvement. Multi-Core performance is up by close to 20%, so overall, we are indeed getting some pretty good gains by upgrading to the four Thunderbolt 3 Port model. 

14) i5 vs i7

So, the real question here is, should you get the i5 version of the four Thunderbolt 3 Port model, or the i7?

Well, the difference between the two is pretty much negligible. While the i7 can boost up to 4.1GHz, compared to the 3.8GHz of the i5, it also has 8MB of L3 Cache, compared to 6MB. They’re both Quad-Core Processors and they’re both thermally restricted so they will never be able to sustain that turbo boost clock. This means that they are actually way more similar than you would think. 

If you plan on getting the four Thunderbolt 3 Port model, just stick with the i5. If you plan on getting the two Thunderbolt 3 Port model, it’s same story here, just stick with the base CPU. 

15) Graphics

Something that is a pretty big difference, are the Graphics. First of all, none of these have Dedicated Graphics. If you need a high-end GPU for intensive video editing, 3D modelling or even gaming, just go with the 16” Pro instead. 

Now, while the baseline model still gets the Intel Iris Plus Graphics 645, the four Thunderbolt 3 Port model gets the new Intel Iris Plus G7 Graphics, which is the highest-end Integrated Graphics that Intel make. This new Integrated GPU features improved Video Encoding and 64 Execution Units, compared to 48.  This means a pretty big boost in graphical performance in gaming and video editing. So, if you care about any of those, the four Thunderbolt 3 Port model is much better. 

16) 6K Support

Also, thanks to these new Graphics, the new 10th Generation Intel Processor and a tweaked Thunderbolt 3 interface, the four Port model can now drive a 6K Display, such as the Apple Pro Display XDR. The two Thunderbolt 3 Port model can only drive up to 5K Resolution. 

Not only that, but even the new 2020 MacBook Air, which also comes with 10th Generation Intel Processors, can drive a 6K Display, whereas the baseline 2020 MacBook Pro cannot. 

17) VS MacBook Air 

The TouchBar isn’t for everyone, but I actually quite like it.

The TouchBar isn’t for everyone, but I actually quite like it.

In that case, you might be wondering, isn’t a 2020 MacBook Air just better than the 2020 MacBook Pro? Well, not really. You see, while you do technically get a faster Processor and even G7 Graphics, the Fan on the MacBook Air isn’t connected to the CPU’s Heatsink. In English, the MacBook Air is like a high-speed car that slows down considerably after 2-3 seconds, just to cool itself down. However, the MacBook Pro, even the baseline, doesn’t have this issue at all. 

So, for very simple tasks such as web-browsing or emailing, the MacBook Air would indeed be better than the baseline MacBook Pro, once you do anything more intensive than that, the Pro will be able to sustain those higher clock-speeds for much longer. Also, the Pro does have a DCI-P3 Display, which makes it much better for photo or video editing. We also have the TouchBar, which some people like and some don’t. I do like it, so I’d rather have it included than not have it at all. 

18) Cooling 

Speaking of that Cooling, there is actually a pretty big difference between the baseline MacBook Pro and the high-end model. The two Thunderbolt 3 Port model only comes with a single Cooling Fan, while the four Port model comes with two Fans. This not only means that the four Port model will run cooler, but it will also be quicker as those two Fans don’t have to spin as fast as that single Fan. So again, if you plan on doing anything more intensive, go for the four Port model. 

19) Old WiFi

Something that I was very surprised to see, is that none of the models come with WiFi 6. In fact, not even the MacBook Air comes with it, meaning that no Macs to this day come with WiFi 6. Instead, they all come with the previous Generation WiFi 5 (or WiFi 802.11ac), which was introduced back in 2013.

This means that you will get slower WiFi speeds than on other 2020 or even 2019 Windows Laptops. What is very strange here is that the new iPhone 11’s, as well as the new iPad Pro 2020, both feature WiFi 6. It’s just Macs that Apple decided to leave it out of. Here’s a fun fact, Intel actually embedded WiFi 6 support onto their 10th Generation Processors. Now, the Chips that Intel made for Apple are exclusive to Apple, meaning that Apple had to intentionally tell Intel to remove the WiFi 6 functionality from their Chips.

My guess is that they’ve done this in order to keep the cost low as we do know that Intel does charge significantly more for their 10th Generation Processors, when compared to the 8th Generation. That could be the reason why Apple managed to double the Storage that they offered, which at the end of the day, for the end-user, is way more important than faster WiFi. 

20) Webcam

Something else that Apple hasn’t changed, is the Camera. We still get a 720p Webcam, which is pretty much a joke when compared to the 4K 60FPS Front Camera that we get with the new iPhones.

I know that the Display of a MacBook is much thinner than a Smartphone, but Apple could’ve at least added a 1080p Camera, like many other Windows Laptop manufactures have done. 

21) Microphones & Speakers 

On paper, you shouldn’t notice any difference between either model…

On paper, you shouldn’t notice any difference between either model…

The Microphones and the Speakers of these two models of the MacBook Pro are identical, at least from what Apple states on their website.

However, some Reviewers, such as Max-Tech, did tests and found out that the four Thunderbolt 3 Port model actually does indeed have noticeably better Speakers. In fact, the MacBook Air 2020 now has more Bass than the baseline 13” MacBook Pro. 

22) Base 13 vs Base Air

If you’re debating between the base Air and the base 13” Pro, for most people I would say that the base Air is more than enough. But for $300 more, the base Pro does give you a better Display that’s brighter and more colourful, you also get a TouchBar and better performance under load. But, the Air is a tiny bit lighter and thinner and also has a one hour longer Battery.  So it’s really up to what you need the most. 

23) High-End 13” vs 16”

Now, if you plan on going for the four Thunderbolt 3 Port model, this is where it gets tricky. It does cost $1800, but the moment you upgrade anything on that, you’re already better off with the baseline $2400 16” MacBook Pro. This offers you a much more powerful Six-Core Processor, a larger Display, better Battery Life and a Dedicated GPU for a massive boost in GPU performance.

So, if you plan on doing any serious work, in terms of video editing, 3D modelling or programming, just get the 16” MacBook Pro. It is significantly larger and heavier, but you do get an even bigger difference in performance. 

24) 14 Inch is Coming

For me, this MacBook Pro is almost perfect. If only it had a larger 14” Display and thinner Bezels just like Apple did with the 16” MacBook Pro. Even though we’ve seen loads of leaks & rumors on this upcoming MacBook Pro 14” this is still pretty much the exact same design.

However, recent rumors are saying that the new 14” has been pushed into 2021, so if you were on the fence about buying a new 13” Pro, it is unlikely that we’ll see another update this year.

25) I might switch

Finally, I might actually be switching to it. You see, I don’t edit videos anymore and the most intensive task that I do is Photoshop and Lightroom, which I don’t even do on a daily basis. The 13” Pro is perfect for me, especially on the go. The only question is, can it run my 5K Monitor and my 4K setup?

Find that out and much more, in the Full Review, which is coming out very soon!

iPhone SE (2020) - 20 Things You Didn't Know!

The Second Generation of one of Apple’s most beloved products, the iPhone SE, which was originally introduced back in 2016, is finally here! The $400 flagship iPhone, kind of. This will indeed be one of Apple’s best selling iPhones of all time.

So, without any further ado, here are not 5, not 10, not 15, but 20 interesting facts about Apple’s iPhone SE 2020.

1) SE Name

Firstly, why is it called the iPhone SE? Why not, for example, iPhone 11 Lite or iPhone 9? Well, “SE” actually comes from “Special Edition”. Back when the original iPhone SE was introduced, in 2016, Apple had already released the iPhone 6S and they were just about to launch the iPhone 7. The iPhone 6S was already the Second Generation iPhone to use the new design. 

A summary of what we got with the original SE.

A summary of what we got with the original SE.

However, many people preferred the old iPhone 5 and 5S design. That and the smaller 4 inch Display, compared to the 4.7” Display that the iPhone 6 came with. So, in 2016, Apple brought back the iPhone 5. But, the iPhone 5, which came out in 2012, already had some very outdated hardware in 2016. What Apple did was put the iPhone 6S’s hardware, the most recent iPhone that they were selling, inside of the iPhone 5’s Body and called it the “iPhone SE”, or “iPhone Special Edition”. This was pretty much like buying an old classic car and refurbishing it with a brand new engine. 

We got the same performance as the 6S, same CPU, same amount of RAM and even the back Camera was identical. The only thing that you were missing out on, was the more modern design of the 6S, the larger & better Display and Front-Facing Camera, which was a bit better on the 6S. But other that that, you literally had the exact same Smartphone, just for $400, compared to the $650 that the iPhone 6S used to cost. 

After the success of the iPhone SE, consumers were eagerly awaiting the Second Generation. We had a ton of leaks on this, showing a smaller iPhone X or even an iPhone 6 Body with updated specs. We made so many videos on the iPhone SE 2, even back in January 2018, but it never ended up happening.

Instead, we got reports that it was cancelled by Apple, for whatever reason. But now we have it. More than two years after we started seeing the leaks, the iPhone SE 2020 is here. 

2) Old Cases 

Now, the second thing that you should probably know, is that since this has literally the same design as the iPhone 8 from 2017, which looks the same as the ‘7’ from 2016, the ‘6S’ from 2015 and the ‘6’ from 2014, at least from the front. Some Cases will fit, but not all of them will.

You see, the ‘SE’ and the iPhone 8 have literally the exact same thickness, at 7.3mm thick. The iPhone 7 on the other hand, and the ‘6S’, were thinner, at 7.1mm whilst the iPhone 6 was just 6.9mm. That was actually the thinnest iPhone that Apple ever made and because of this, not all cases will work. The iPhone 8 Cases will and the iPhone 7 & 6S Cases might, if they were not super tight on the Phone. However, iPhone 6 cases are likely not going to fit the iPhone SE, just because of that extra 0.4mm in thickness. 

3) Design Changes 

Design wise, from the front, you won’t be able to tell the ‘6’ from the ‘6s’, from the ‘7’, from the ‘8’ and from the ‘SE’. They all look identical. From the back, there are a few differences though. 

The ‘8’ and the ‘SE’ both have a Glass back, while the ‘7’ has a Dark Aluminium back and the ‘6S/6’ both have a Light Aluminium back.  Another change is that the Apple logo is now centred like on the iPhone 11’s, as opposed to being more towards the top, like it was on the ‘8’ and the ones before it. 

4) New Colours

Now, another design change that we get is with the colours. We get three (Black, Red and White), compared to the four colours that the iPhone 8 came in, which were Space Grey, Red, Silver and Gold. 

With the colour selection, we lose the Rose Gold option that the iPhone 8 had.

With the colour selection, we lose the Rose Gold option that the iPhone 8 had.

There are a few changes here. The Black is actually darker than Space Grey now and this is the first time, I believe, since the iPhone 6, where Apple isn’t calling an iPhone Space Grey anymore. Also, the White is now much brighter than the previous Silver colour and it also comes with a Black front now, so no more White front on the SE.

Finally, the RED colour is pretty much identical to the one that we got with the iPhone 8. The only small difference here being that before, Apple used to give a percentage of their product RED items sales to fighting HIV. Those proceedings are now going towards fighting COVID-19. 

5) 3D Touch

Something that the SE is lacking, is 3D Touch. This did get removed from all the iPhone 11’s last year and instead, Apple is just using the Haptic Engine and a long-hold to simulate 3D Touch. But if you were a big fan of Peek & Pop and those Force Touch Wallpapers, that’s pretty much gone now. Not entirely, but it just doesn’t work as well as it did before.

Strangely enough, the weight is still the same as the iPhone 8 at 148 Grams, the thickness is the same at 7.3mm and the Battery Life, which I will cover in just a second, is also the same. I’m really not sure what Apple did with that extra inside space. 

6) WiFi Speeds

The next big change is when it comes to WiFI. The iPhone SE now comes with WiFi 6, or 802.11ax, which can give you speeds of up to 9.6Gb/s, compared to around 6-7Gb/s of WiFi 802.11ac. But the biggest difference here is in terms of Bandwidth. WiFi 6 can support four times the number of devices, with longer Battery Life and much improved Network Efficiency. If you have a WiFi 6 Router and a bunch of WiFI 6 devices, they should all run incredibly smooth, even when the network is congested.  Fun fact, not even the MacBook Pro 16” got WiFI 6. The iPhone 11’s did indeed get it as well.

7) Cellular Speeds 

The Cellular Speeds have also been improved. We now have Gigabit-class LTE, so while it’s still 4G, we can now get up to 1Gb/s 4G speeds. Previously, we had a limit of around 300Mb/s. At these speeds, you don’t even need 5G. 

8) No U1

Something that the iPhone SE doesn’t apparently need, is a U1 Chip. This is the Ultra-Wide Band Positioning Chip that the iPhone 11’s added. That Chip will be used for precisely locating those upcoming Apple AirTag Trackers. The iPhone 11’s have it, but interestingly enough the 2020 iPad Pro doesn’t have it either, but that’s likely due to the fact that not as many people would be walking down the street with iPads compared to iPhones. But the ‘SE’ is an iPhone and considering how popular it will be, it’s quite a shame that we won’t get improved AirTag Tracking capabilities with it. 

9) Dual SIM 

But, something that we do get on the iPhone SE, is Dual SIM Support. Now, you don’t really have a Dual SIM Slot, it’s still a single SIM. But, the SE now supports eSIMs as well. 

You can just go into your Settings and select a Carrier from there. Not only does this make it so much easier to add a Smartphone plan but if your Smartphone does get stolen, there is no way for the thieves to remove the SIM Card and block your network connection. Which means that, as long as that iPhone is turned on, you should be able to quickly locate it using ‘FindMyiPhone’.

10) Express Card

A really cool feature that the SE comes with is called Express Card Power Reserve. There’s this feature in Apple Pay, where you can have Express Cards set up. These are essentially cases where you don’t have to scan your face or authenticate, in order to use Apple Pay.

These Express Cards are usually used for public transport. I actually used it when in London, on the London Underground.  Now, what this Express Card Power Reserve feature does is, even after your iPhone discharges completely, as in you cannot even turn it on, allow you to still scan your iPhone and get onto public transport. It essentially saves a tiny bit of power, in order to power that NFC Chip. The iPhone 11’s have this as well, pretty cool stuff. 

11) Camera System

Speaking of the iPhone 11’s, the SE has the same Camera as the iPhone 11’s do, to some extent. We don’t get the Zoom Module that the iPhone 11 Pro’s come with, or the Ultra-Wide Angle Module that both the 11 Pro’s and the regular 11 comes with, instead we get a Single Camera Module.

We only get a Single Module on the SE, but it does the job of more.

We only get a Single Module on the SE, but it does the job of more.

That Camera Module is said to be pretty much identical to the iPhone 8’s Camera, or the iPhone X’s Main Camera, so the quality there is pretty good. But, on top of that, we also get the same Image Processing as found in the iPhone 11’s, thanks to the Apple A13 Processor. Realistically, this is an even bigger improvement than just the Camera System in itself, meaning that the photos coming out of this Smartphone would look almost as stunning as they do on the highest-end iPhone 11 Pro Max. 

In fact, Apple has even shared some pictures, coming out of the iPhone SE’s Camera, and they look absolutely stunning. This might just be the very best Camera on a Smartphone at this price. The only competitor that it has, the the Pixel 3a. 

12) Video Performance 

The Video Performance is excellent as well. It still records in up to 4K60 but now we get an extended Dynamic Range, which is made possible thanks to that new Apple A13 Processor. 

13) Special Video Features

Aside from this, we also get some new video features, such as Quick Take Video. Just like on the iPhone 11’s, it lets you hold the Shutter Button and you would automatically start recording a video. We also get Stereo Audio Recording during video, which is something that we didn’t have with the iPhone 8. 

14) Portrait Mode

To my surprise, the iPhone SE also comes with Portrait Mode, which was introduced on the iPhone 7 Plus back in 2016, by the fact that it had two Camera Modules. Well, this is now all done through software, on the ‘'SE’. We only have one Single Module and this is doable in real time, thanks to that Apple A13 Processor.

Not only that, but we also get all the Portrait Mode effects that we get with the iPhone 11 Pro which, as you know, has three Camera Modules, compared to just one. We get those six effects, such as Studio, High Key Mono and so on. 

15) Front Camera

When it comes to the Front Camera, it is pretty much the same one as on the iPhone 8, which had the same Front Camera as the iPhone 7. This is a 7MP Sensor, with an f/2.2 Aperture.

There’s nothing new with the Front-Facing Camera.

There’s nothing new with the Front-Facing Camera.

Video recording is unfortunately still limited to 1080p 30 on the front, compared to 4K 60 for example, like we have on the iPhone 11’s. But something that is indeed new is that we also get all the Portrait Mode effects on the iPhone SE as well. You know, the ones that actually required the massive FaceID camera system? Portrait Mode Front, those Portrait Mode Lighting effects, those are all still there. I’m quite surprised that Apple managed to add all of this in, with just a Single Camera Module.

But, something that we don’t get are the Animojis. It seems like for now, these still require the FaceID Camera on the front, which creates a 3D Depth Map of your face. Apple cannot just do this with a Single Lens and purely through software, at least for now. But, here’s the thing, if Apple can already do Portrait Mode with just one Lens, I would happily just get rid of that entire Notch in favour of just a small Front-Facing Camera Cutout. Please don’t tell me that the only reason why Apple is keeping that is for Animoji support, please don’t. 

16) Storage

Moving on to the Storage, we still get a 64GB and 128GB option like we did with the iPhone 8, but now, we also get a 256GB model. So, if you’ve always wanted a very portable iPhone, with a ton of Storage, now is a pretty good time to get one.

17) Battery Life 

In terms of the Battery Life, even though we do get the A13 Processor, which is the same extremely power efficient Chip that the iPhone 11’s also got, we don’t really see any battery improvements. Apple’s still rating this at 13 hours of video playback, which is exactly the same as the iPhone 8, iPhone 7 and two hours more than the ‘6S’ and the ‘6’.

18) Highest Performance

Also, fun fact, I think the iPhone SE might actually be the most powerful iPhone ever made, here’s why.

It does indeed have the exact same Processor as the iPhone 11 Pro Max, the Apple A13 Chip, which is the most powerful Chip in any Smartphone on the market. But, the 11 Pro Max or even the 11 Pro, have much higher Resolution Displays. This would be a 2688x1242 Resolution Display in the case of the 11 Pro Max, compared to just 1334x750 on the ‘SE’.  This translates to 3,338,496 Pixels on the 11 Pro Max and just 1,000,500 on the ‘SE’. So, the ‘SE’ has 3.33 times less Pixels to render than the 11 Pro Max does, meaning that performance would actually be better and you would get more FPS in apps, on the ‘SE’, compared to all the other iPhones. Too bad that the Display is only 60Hz and you won’t be able to see those extra Frames. 

19) RAM

Something else that you won’t be able to see, is the amount of RAM. Apple never tells you how much RAM they have in their phones. On the 11’s, we have 4GB of RAM, which to be honest, was never enough for me. YouTube especially keeps reloading from scratch pretty much every single time I launch it.

The iPhone 12’s are said to come with 6GB of RAM, the ‘SE’ only comes with 3GB. For most people that should be fine, but I just wanted to mention it regardless as you will have half the amount of RAM, compared to the upcoming 2020 iPhones. Multitasking will not be as good on the ‘SE’.

20) Water Damage

Also, with the ‘SE’, we do have an IP68 Water Resistance of up to 1m, for up to 30 minutes. This is the same as on the iPhone 8 and 7 before it. However, as with all the iPhones before it, if it does break when it’s underwater, the warranty would not cover that.  Water Damage is a bit of an odd thing, so many manufacturers do promote it but if your Smartphone does break, they won’t cover that under warranty. 

21) Fast Charging 

Finally, I’m not sure how many of you know this, but the iPhone SE does indeed support Fast Charging, just like the iPhone 8. In the box, you only get the same painfully slow 5W Charger, but if you buy a more powerful Charger or if you simply have a MacBook Charger, all you need to do is buy a USB type C to Lightning Cable and you can get your iPhone charged to 50% in just 30 minutes.

PS5 (2020) – 25 Things You Didn’t Know!

INTRO 

The Playstation 5 has finally been revealed by Sony! Well, some of it, anyway. Mark Cerny, the lead system architect for both the PS4 and the PS5, has gone on stage for almost an entire hour and has talked very in-depth, just the way we like it, about all the main specification of the PS5. So, without any further ado, here are 25 interesting facts that you might not have known about the PS5!

1) World’s Fastest SSD

At Number One, the PS4 came with a traditional HDD. The PS5 now comes with an SSD. But this is not your usual SSD. This is actually a custom SSD module made by Sony, that is ridiculously fast. It turns out that this SSD module that Sony custom made for the PS5 is actually the fastest SSD module in the world right now!

2) 110 Times Faster

Ok, but how fast is this internal storage of the PS5? The PS4 had a traditional HDD, that had around 50MB/s transfer speeds. The PS5 now uses this brand new Custom SSD, which as transfer speeds of 5.5GB/s (or 5500MB/s), which makes it 110 times faster! 

A top of the line MacBook Pro, iMac Pro or Mac Pro, which are known to have the fastest SSD modules on the planet right now, have around 3.5GB/s transfer speeds. The PS5 has 5.5 GB/s, a massive improvement over even the fastest SSD modules out right now. But, how is this even possible? Well, the PS5 is now taking full use of the brand new PCIe 4 standard, this is how it can achieve these incredible speeds.

3) Mark Cerny

The guy that was on the stage and talked about the specs of the PS5 and how the entire system works, is none other than Mark Cerny himself. Mark Cerny was the lead system architect for the PS4. He was the main reason as to why the PS4 was so successful when compared to the PS3. The PS3 had this very complex architecture with the Cell Processor, that developers found extremely difficult to develop games for. 

The PS4 on the other hand, not only had significantly more power than even its competitor, the Xbox One, but it had a more traditional PC like architecture and it was so much easier for developers to take full advantage of it. All of this was thanks to Mark Cerny.

He was not only responsible for the PS4’s success, he was also heavily involved in the development of some very well known 1st party PS4 titles, such as Ratchet and Clank, Crash Bandicoot, Uncharted Drake’s Fortune, God of War 3, Killzone 3, Knack, The Last Guardian, Knack 2, Spider-Man, Death Stranding and so many more.  Not only that, but as an American, he’s also fluent in Japanese and moved to Japan in the 80’s and 90’s.  

He’s given tours of their game development studios to Steven Spielberg and Michael Jackson and he’s well known for developing the “Cerny Method’, this is where developers try to complete just a small portion of the game in pre-production fully and from there they can decide if the whole game is worth taking any further. Now, Mark Cerny has also been directly involved with the PS5’s development by being the lead system architect.

4) Massive Freedom for Developers

Since this new SSD is so insanely fast, it brings some massive freedom for developers. For example, because of how slow the HDD was, in some cases developers had to implement a lift, or a very long staircase, or a subway system or something that would allow the game to load a new part of the world or scene in the background. Masking loading times with a subway ride would no longer be required so developers can now design their games much more freely.

5) SSD as RAM 

We knew it was going to be fast, but this was totally unprecedented.

We knew it was going to be fast, but this was totally unprecedented.

Because of that insane 5.5GB/s speed, the PS5 can actually use the SSD as RAM (to some extent) and offload some of the assets onto it, keeping the RAM free for the most important assets.  But, how much faster is the actual RAM?

Well, DDR1 memory at 266MHz is around 2.1GBs. DDR2 Memory at 533MHz is 4.2GB/s. DDR3 memory at 1066MHz is 8.5GB/s and DDR4 memory at 2133MHz is 17GB/s. So this SSD, while still nowhere near the speed of RAM, is still close in performance to DDR3 memory, which is still very impressive. 

6) Kraken Compressions

Mark Cerny did mention that they’re using something called Kraken Compression to reduce the size of the games by 10%. Not only that, but he also mentioned, last year, that the PS5 will allow you to install or uninstall specific portions of the game. For example, in a game like Modern Warfare, you will be able to just install the campaign and then uninstall it once you’ve finished playing it, then you can install the Multiplayer and so on. This will save a ton of space by letting the user install just what he or she wants, in a game. 

7) SSD Size 

We know that this SSD is fast but how big is it? Well, Mark Cerny hasn’t really said that but, in a slide from yesterday’s livestream, he did mention 825GB as an example for the size. This points to a 1TB SSD, but the usable capacity for developers would indeed be smaller, at around 825GB, due to formatting and the space that the OS will require. 

8) SSD Expansion

The good news is that you will actually be able to expand  this 1TB of internal storage in a pretty genius way. While Microsoft will be selling their own 1TB Proprietary SSD modules for the Xbox Series X, Sony will actually allow you to install any m.2 Drive that you can buy off of Amazon. However, they will need to be at least as fast as the internal storage, and they will need to be PCIe 4 modules. At the moment, there are a few of these drives but the speed varies. Mark Cerny did mention that we should wait until manufacturers start producing these drives, but once they do, you would be able to buy any 3rd party drive as long as it matches the 5.5GB/s speed of the PS5 SSD.

9) Weaker than Xbox Series X?

Speaking of the Xbox Series X, now that we know the GPU power of the PS5 (10.28 TFLOPS), it seems like it is noticeably weaker than the Xbox Series X (12 TFLOPS). However, that might not necessarily be the case, or at least not to the extent that it seems. 

10) CU & Clock-Speeds 

The PS5 has 36 CU’s (compute units) at 2.23GHz. The Xbox Series X has 52CU at 1.82 GHz. Mark Cerny has said that he always prefers a higher clock speed, reason why they decided to go for a lower number of CU, but at the much higher clock speed. We do believe that he does have a very valid point here. 

Think of CU as the cores of a CPU, as an analogy. While some applications, like 3D rendering for example, do prefer a high number of cores at a lower clock speed, games in general prefer a lower number of cores but at a much higher clock speed. Usually games don’t need more than 4 cores. Now this is a GPU not a CPU, so things are quite a bit different but, depending on how the games are optimised, a higher clock speed might be preferred in most cases, to a higher number of compute units. So, while the Xbox Series X does look much more powerful, the gap might be much smaller than it looks. 

11) Xbox Series X SSD

Will less, turn out to be more?

Will less, turn out to be more?

Also, the SSD speed for the Xbox Series X is 2.4GB/s which while still fast, the PS5 has more than twice the speed in their SSD, which could not only mean that games will load noticeably faster on the PS5 but like we mentioned before, developers can also use the SSD on the PS5 as RAM, to some extent. This is quite a bit more difficult to do on the Xbox. 

12) Faster CPU 

CPU wise, we finally know the frequency. We now have an AMD CPU, a Ryzen 3rd gen, based on AMD’s Zen 2 x86-64 architecture. Also, we have 8 cores at 3.5GHz. While this is a pretty big improvement over the PS4’s 1.6GHz 8-core AMD Jaguar processor, the Xbox Series X does indeed have a clear advantage in the CPU department, thanks to a 3.8GHz processor, compared to 3.5GHz on the PS5. 

13) RDNA2 

But, the PS5 does indeed come with AMD’s RDNA 2 architecture (same as the Xbox), which isn’t even out yet for PC. This is AMD’s most advanced GPU architecture, which should hit stores by the end of this year. 

14) Legacy Modes 

Something pretty awesome in terms of the PS5, are the Legacy Modes. Essentially, the PS5’s GPU can turn off some of the Compute Units and the Clock Speeds, in order to make it essentially identical to a PS4 & PS4 Pro. This means that many PS4 games will be natively supported at launch.

15) Backwards Compatibility 

Speaking of this, Mark Cerny said that they tested the top 100 PS4 games and most of them were playable on the PS5, at launch. Without any updates at all required by the developers. That is great, however it does seem like not all the games will work, but a good majority of them should. Of course, if developers do release updates to their games, PS4 games will run at an even higher Resolution and Frame-Rate on the PS5 hardware. 

16) Ray Tracing

Just one example of what RTX will bring to Next-Gen Consoles.

Just one example of what RTX will bring to Next-Gen Consoles.

Probably one of the biggest new features of the PS5 will be Ray-Tracing. Long story short, this will allow for some significantly improved Lightning, Shadows, Reflections and even Audio will be ray-traced. All of this would make the Graphics and the sound look way more realistic than anything we’ve seen up until this point. 

17) Video Memory 

Video Memory is also a very important aspect of the next generation of consoles. Mark Cerny has now confirmed that the PS5 will come with 16GB of GDDR6 memory, up from the 8GB of GDDR5 memory that we had on the PS4. Some of this is used for the OS as RAM, some for games and we’ll go through this and how it comes with the Xbox Series X, in a future video. Lots of interesting things to cover there so do make sure that you’re subscribed. 

18) Memory Bandwidth 

Aside from the amount of Video Memory itself, the Memory Bandwidth is also extremely important. We now have 448GB/s of bandwidth, up from 176GB/s, which is a gigantic upgrade. 

19) Advanced API’s and Tools

Sony will be giving developers a few API’s and tools that will make a big impact on their games. We have a new Geometry Engine, we have Primitive Shaders, which are essentially a heavily improved version of the Shaders that we have now. Long story short, a higher resolution on 3D textures (rocks and bumps in roads etc). These will look much more realistic on the PS5. Primitive Shaders aren’t something that developers need to use out of the gate, but if they choose to, they can take full advantage of them and heavily improve the realism in games. 

20) Cooling System 

Now, one of the mean new features of the PS5, will be its cooling system. We’ve all seen those insane looking Dev-Kits, we were actually the first to reveal the 1st image of an actual Dev-Kit that got sent to us. 

21) Design

Mark Cerny did say that they have made a very special cooling system, and thanks to the many reports that we’ve seen that claimed that the cooling system is an extremely expensive component for Sony, it is quite likely we would see a design similar to the DevKit or at least the 2nd leak that we got. This could quite possibly be something that implements a V-shaped cooling system and still has a modern design.

22) Tempest Engine 

We got a taste of 3D Audio with the PS4, but Sony are really pushing the boat out for the PS5

We got a taste of 3D Audio with the PS4, but Sony are really pushing the boat out for the PS5

Mark Cerny did indeed talk a lot about their new Tempest Engine. Essentially, what this is, is a single Compute Unit dedicated for the new Audio Engine. We would be getting 3D Audio at the hardware level. This means, that no matter what headphones you have, you would be getting 3D audio, just like you used to on the PS4 with Sony’s 1st party 3D headphones. Not only that, but Sony is currently working on optimising the Tempest Engine for speakers as well as sound-bars, in order to be able to provide 3D audio, even if you’re not wearing headphones. This is unfortunately much more difficult to do, but to some extent at least, it is doable. 

23) Release Date 

If you’re wondering when the PS5 is getting released, this will indeed be by the end of the year. We have had many leaks saying that the actual release date would be in mid-November. 

24) Price

Price-wise Sony hasn’t said anything about the PS5, but this is expected to cost $500 in the US.

25) Selling at a Loss 

However, because of the sheer amount of high end components that Sony is packing into the PS5, we’ve seen reports that they are really struggling with the price. In fact, Sony might even have to sell the PS5 at a loss at first, in order to sell it at that $500 price point that many consumers would buy. They will be making their revenue back from the actual sales of games but, when it comes to the actual hardware, they might be at a loss.

iPad Pro (2020) & MacBook Air (2020) – 25 Things You NEED to KNOW!

Apple has unveiled two new products. A brand new iPad Pro and a new MacBook Air. It would technically be three if you included the storage bump on the Mac Mini, but we’re not counting that. In this article we want to cover some interesting facts that you should know about both of these new Apple releases.

1) We Had It!

We actually made this video back in September 2019, showing you a mockup of the 2020 iPad Pro. We showed you the Triple Lens Camera Module on the back. It was smaller than what it ended up being on the 2020 Model, but the main idea was indeed there. That iPad was supposed to be released in October or November 2019 but for reasons that we’re not aware of, it did end up getting delayed. But we do have it now, so here’s a few more interesting facts! 

2) 16” MacBook Pro Keyboard 

The Smart Keyboard on the previous model left a lot to be desired

The Smart Keyboard on the previous model left a lot to be desired

The biggest update that we got, by far, is this brand new Magic Keyboard. From the looks of it, this now replaces the existing Smart Keyboard for the iPad Pro and is pretty much what will bring the iPad Pro closer to an actual laptop. Also, it has actual keys. These are 16” MacBook Pro style keys, with a good key travel, unlike the current Smart Keyboard which have those mushy micro-fibre textured keys. So typing on this should be a significantly better experience. We’re really looking forward to that! 

3) Trackpad Support

This new Magic Keyboard also now has a trackpad which fully works in iPadOS! It supports gestures, just like in macOS, but more importantly, it is also a dynamic cursor. So, unlike on Mac or Windows where you have this arrow all the time, on iPadOS, the cursor will automatically adapt to what’s being displayed on the screen. So, if you have menu buttons, the cursor will turn into a selection box for those buttons. Pretty cool!

4) Floating iPad

We think that the coolest thing here is that the iPad attaches magnetically to this top portion of the keyboard. So it essentially floats.

5) Adjustable Angle

Something that we didn’t have with the previous Smart Keyboards were adjustable angles. The 1st gen had none, the 2nd gen had two but now with the new Magic Keyboard, it seems like we can adjust the iPad at almost any angle up to 130 degrees, which makes it way more similar to an actual MacBook.

6) Backlit Keys

Apple has released a TV ad for the iPad and the keyboard and it seems that the keyboard is even backlit. Again, just like on the Macs, you can see the keys at night!

7) USB-C 

Finally, the last thing that I want to mention regarding this keyboard, is that it also has a USB C Port for charging. Since this is on the side, it makes charging the iPad Pro much easier than attaching a cable to the floating iPad’s body. This USB C Port connects to the iPad, via the Smart Connector, which means that you still have the second USB C port on the actual iPad, free to use. Just as a bonus one, the keyboard case even has an horizontal Apple logo on it, that once again, makes it even more similar to the Macs. 

8) LiDAR

Now, aside from the Magic Keyboard, which will be sold separately and will only be available starting May. The second biggest upgrade that we got is the new LiDAR scanner. Long story short, this is indeed that 3D ToF camera that we’ve seen reported before. This heavily improves the AR experience.

Apple claims that AR objects will now appear instantly and that realistic object occlusion, where AR objects can pass in front of, or behind real objects is now further improved and that motion capture and people occlusion is now more accurate than ever.  We’ve made a recent video on the upcoming Apple Glasses so definitely do give that a watch, because this 3D Mapping technology will be used in the 2020 iPhones as well as Apple’s upcoming AR Glasses. 

9) Different Cameras

Screenshot 2020-03-27 at 16.37.40.png

You’ve probably noticed that on the back of this new iPad, we now have a triple lens camera module (Right). So one of those lenses is that LiDAR sensor that I mentioned. The second one is a 12MP f/1.8 module, which still has no Optical Image Stabilisation, while the third module is now an Ultra-Wide Module. However, unlike the Ultra-Wide Module on the iPhone 11 and the 11 Pro’s, this one is only a 10MP module, compared to 12MP and it has a 125 degree Field of View compared to 120, so it’s actually wider.

Interesting enough, Apple does claim that it does have 2x Optical Zoom and 5x Digital Zoom, however this would actually just be all digital, as there is no Telephoto Module.

10) A12Z

Something that I was very surprised to see is that instead of this iPad featuring Apple’s A13X processor, like it should’ve, it features a new A12Z chip. The A12X was introduced back in late 2018, a year and a half ago. So, from the looks of it, it seems that Apple didn’t get the chance to get the Apple A13X ready in time, for whatever reason, and decided to stick with pretty much the same chip as in 2018, just with some very small performance improvements. One of this improvements being that we now get 8 GPU cores, up from 7 that we had with the A12X. That chip however (the A12X), was still way more than most people needed, and it is still Apple’s most powerful mobile chip. So, no need to be worried that this will be slow.

11) RAM

Speaking of specs, we now have 6GB of RAM, up from the 4GB that we got with the previous model. With the 2018 iPad Pro, if you bought the highest capacity 1TB model, you would actually get 6GB of RAM, but the rest of the models only had 4GB. Now it’s 6GB all across the board. 

12) U1

On top of this, we also get the new U1 Chip, the Ultra-Wide Band Position Chip, that the new iPhones also got. This will be very useful for those new Apple tile-like trackers, which should launch at some point this year as well. Essentially, this Chip allows the iPad to very accurately locate other devices that also have that U1 hip. The tile-like trackers are also said to come with the U1. 

13) Studio Microphones

Apple has also improved the microphones in the new iPad. We now have five studio quality microphones, which should sound close to what we get with the new 16” MacBook Pro, when it comes to microphone quality. 

14) Expensive Keyboard

Now, if you want to buy that really cool keyboard that I was talking about before, it turns out that it will also be quite expensive. It will cost you $300 for the 11” iPad Pro or $350 for the 12.9” iPad Pro. Unfortunately, Apple is again applying a 1:1 conversion to the UK, so here it’s still £300 or £350. Apple is out ripping people off outside of the US again.

15) WiFi 6 

But hey, at least we do get WiFi 6, the next generation of WiFi standard. This is something that we don’t even get with the 16” MacBook Pro. The iPhone 11’s do at least have it. 

16) Wait until November!

Source: MacRumours

Source: MacRumours

If you need a new iPad Pro but you’re not fully sure about this one, I would suggest waiting until November because that’s when we would be getting…another iPad Pro! We’ve had many reports that Apple will be launching two iPad Pro’s this year, one in March and one in November.

The November one would actually be the bigger upgrade, as that will be adding 5G, the new Apple A14X processor with some very big performance gains as well as (possibly) that brand new miniLED display that Ming-Chi Kuo talked about. This would be a massive upgrade in terms of the display quality, thanks to local dimming, it will be similar to OLED when it comes to black levels. Not as good but much better than what we have now.

17) MacBook Air Keyboard

Aside from this iPad Pro, we also got a new MacBook Air which is actually a pretty nice upgrade over the previous 2018 model. The biggest upgrade being the keyboard, which is now the same scissor switch keyboard mechanism that we got with the 16” MacBook Pro, which had the same keyboard mechanism as the old pre 2016 MacBook Pro’s. 

18) Quad Core 

The second biggest upgrade is the performance. We now get Intel’s 10th Generation Processors, up from the 8th Gen and the biggest news here is that you can configure the Air with up to an i7 Quad-Core Processor. But, don’t get fooled! These are Intel’s Y series Processors, their most power efficient chips. So even though this is a 1.2GHz quad core CPU that can turbo boost to 3.8GHz, it still doesn’t compare to the U Series that we get in the MacBook Pro 13” or anything else. It’s quite a bit less powerful.  But at least we do get two extra cores, for double the performance compared to the previous model. 

19) Gen11 Graphics

The new MacBook Air also features Intel’s brand new Gen11 Graphics. Not only that, but we also get Intel Iris Plus Graphics as standard, up from the Intel UHD 617, which means that we get 80% faster graphical performance, a pretty massive jump in the GPU too.

20) Much faster RAM

RAM speed is also improved. We still get up to 16GB of RAM but, thanks to the 10th generation Intel processor, we now get LPDDR4X memory, up from LPDDR3. This means that we also get significantly faster speeds of 3733MHz, up from 2133MHz. This is a gigantic upgrade. 

21) 6K Support

If you randomly have Apple’s Pro Display XDR lying around, well the MacBook Air now supports it in Full Resolution, thanks to the new Thunderbolt Controller and the more powerful GPU. Ironically, if you have an iMac Pro 2017, that one does not support Apple’s 6K display.

22) Improved Speakers

The new MacBook Air also comes with improved speakers. Not only do they have Wider Stereo sound now, but they also support Dolby Atmos, so they should sound much closer to what we get in the 13” MacBook Pro.

23) Microphones

While we don’t get studio quality microphones, we do get a 3-microphone array now, with Directional Beamforming. 

24) No WiFi 6

Something that we don’t get unfortunately, is WiFi 6. We still have the old WiFi 5 standard, which is very odd because Intel’s 10th generation processors actually do support WiFI 6 natively. This means that Apple has intentionally told Intel to leave it out of their custom designed chips, those chips are specifically made for just Apple at this point as Apple likely wanted to promote WiFi 6 as just a feature that’s coming in the new MacBook Pro’s. 

25) Price Drop! 

A welcome bump in storage, an even more welcome drop in price.

A welcome bump in storage, an even more welcome drop in price.

However, something that I was very happy to see, what that in-spite of all of the upgrades that we got, Apple actually dropped the price for this MacBook Air. Previously, it used to start at $1100, but now it dropped to $1000. Not only that, but the baseline storage is now 256GB, up from 128GB, so you’re also getting double the storage for a lower price. 

26) Display vs Pro

Unfortunately, even though the MacBook Air seems like the perfect laptop, for me at least, it is not.  The main reason being the display. While this is indeed a Retina display, it is only a 300-400 nit display, compared to the 500 nit display of a MacBook Pro. It also lacks a DCI-P3 color gamut, which means that if you plan on doing any video or photo work, the MacBook Pro is still a much better choice!

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip – 30 Things You Didn’t Know!

Samsung has now released another foldable phone, right after the Galaxy Fold, and it’s called the Galaxy Z Flip.  We had a chance to go to the Unpacked Event ourselves and use it for a while, so here are 30 Interesting things you probably didn’t know about the Galaxy Z Flip!

We did a similar video & article, covering 40 things you didn’t know about the Galaxy S20’s. So feel free to check those out in case you’re curious about the S20’s, as this article is solely focused on the Z Flip!

1 - Crease 

So, since the Z Flip is a folding phone, albeit a vertical folding one rather than the horizontal style, it will have a crease in the middle. Now, is the crease noticeable? We would say no. We’ve used it for probably around 20-30 minutes at the event and while yes, you can see it from certain angles, we didn’t really notice it until we intentionally looked for it, so nothing to worry about.

2 - UTG

Also, unlike the Galaxy Fold, which just like all the other foldable devices that use plastic screens, such as the Royole Flexpai, the Huawei Mate X and the Moto Razr. The Galaxy Z Flip is the world’s first foldable phone to actually use a glass display.

It’s using Samsung’s brand new UTG (Ultra-Thin Glass) technology. We’re extremely curious to learn how on earth they managed to make this fold. Long story short, Corning did this, not Samsung. Samsung’s simply using Corning’s Flexible Gorilla Glass but regardless, this results in a much more durable screen, compared to the plastic display that you could literally destroy by just pressing a bit harder with your fingernail.

3 - Aspect Ratio

Something pretty awesome that Samsung didn’t really talk that much about, is the aspect ratio of this display. On TV’s and Computer Monitors, we usually have a 16:9 aspect ratio. The S10’s from last year had a 19:9 aspect ratio, a much taller and much more cinematic display.

Screenshot 2020-03-13 at 12.15.19.png

The S20’s from this year have a 20:9 aspect ratio, even taller than the 19:9 on the S10. The Z Flip has a 22:9 (well, 21.9:9 to be more precise) aspect ratio display which is actually the tallest display on any smartphone. This is even taller than the Sony Xperia 1 which had a 21:9 aspect ratio and was known to have an extremely cinematic display.

4 - No High Refresh

Unfortunately, the display on the  Z Flip does not have the high 120Hz refresh rate display that the S20’s get, or even a 90Hz refresh rate. Instead, we get a 60Hz refresh rate panel, same as what the S10’s had last year and similar to what we already have on most other smartphones today.

5 - Resolution

Next up, even though the Z Flip has a pretty large 6.7” display, the same size as the S20+, the Z Flip is actually taller than the S20+ by quite a bit because of that 22:9 aspect ratio. Also, the resolution itself is lower than on the regular S20’s. We have a 2636x1080 resolution vs 3200x1440 on the S20’s. This translates to 425 PPI vs over 500, which is what we get on the S20’s.

6 - Bezels

If you do care about Bezels, the Z Flip has thicker bezels than the S20. It’s essentially this uniform border that surrounds the phone, sort of like the border on the iPhone 11 Pro’s, just with no notch.

7 - microSD

Something pretty interesting is that, unlike all the S20’s which do have a microSD card slot. The Z Flip does not, so you’ll be forever stuck with the base storage.

8 - Storage

Speaking of the storage, we do get 256GB as the baseline on the Z Flip which is pretty good. It’s pretty much double of what we get on the S20’s, which only come with 128GB But like I said before, this storage is fixed and you cannot expand it, whereas you can on the S20’s.

Also, the Z Flip now features the new UFS 3.0 storage, just like the S20’s, which gives you double the read and write speeds, compared to the S10. This translates to just over a 1GB/s read which is pretty insane on a smartphone. 

9 - New Hinge

Now, one of the most important things about a foldable phone, is the hinge. Luckily, Samsung has learned a lot from their Fold and the Z Flip now has their latest hinge design. It features synthetic fibres on the inside to protect it from any dust or dirt getting into the hinge but, my favourite part of it is that you can stop it at different angles. 

10 - Split-Screen 

If you stop at a 90 degree angle, the Z Flip will use this split-screen mode, where certain apps will use the two sections of the display as two separate displays. To give you guys a better idea, you can use this in the camera app and prop it up on a table and take a selfie, which is pretty cool. You can also use it in the gallery app and have a preview window of your photos on the bottom section of the display and the main photos on the top. It’s pretty much just a gimmick but at least they are making some good use of it even when the phone is half folded. Really good job Samsung. 

11 - Secondary Display

On the back of the Z Flip we do have a small secondary display, which is very small actually. It’s a 1.1” AMOLED display, with a resolution of 300x112. It’s mostly there to show you the time and the date.

12 - Selfie Display

However, if you close the Flip down, and press the power button, you can actually use this display as a viewfinder and take a selfie with the main camera module – which is pretty cool! The display is indeed extremely small, so it’s quite hard to position yourself, but at least it’s something. 

13 - VS Razr

How does the Z Flip match up to it’s main competitor?

How does the Z Flip match up to it’s main competitor?

Now, in case you’re wondering how the Z Flip compares to the Motorola Razr, which is really the only other vertically foldable phone on the market right now, the Z Flip is better in almost every single way.

It has much better specs, much better cameras and it has a glass display vs the plastic display on the Razr. The display is bigger, 6.7” vs 6.2”, it has a higher resolution as well, you get 4K60 video recording vs 4k30 on the back. You get 4K30 on the front vs 1080p 30 on the Razr and you get Android 10 vs Android 9 on the Razr. The Razr has a gigantic chin too so the Z Flip is the foldable phone to get, in case you’re looking for one that folds vertically.

14 - Fingerprint

Next up, compared to the S20’s, there are a few areas in which the Z Flip is a downgrade, aside from just the Display. For example, while the S20’s have an in-display fingerprint reader, the Z-Flip does not and instead it uses a fingerprint reader that’s embedded into another button.

15 - No 8K

Also, unlike the S20’s which can all record 8K video, the Z Flip maxes out at 4K30.

16 - S10 Cameras

Speaking of the cameras, the Z Flip actually uses the same exact main camera as the S10 did, from last year. The means a 12MP main module, with 1.4 µm pixels. 

17 - Goodbye Variable Aperture 

Unfortunately, we no longer get that f/1.5-f/2.4 variable aperture lens that the S9 and S10 had. Instead, we now get a fixed f/1.8 aperture, so low light performance on the Z Flip is actually worse than on the S10 from last year. The S20’s all get brand new sensors which larger pixels, but the Z Flip does not.

18 - S20 Wide

But luckily, we at least get the very same 12MP ultra-wide angle module that we have on the S20. 

19 - No Zoom

However, since we only get two camera modules on the back, both with 12MP of resolution, we cannot really get the same level of zoom that we get on the other three S20 models. In fact, we don’t really get any Optical Zoom at all, so even the 2x or 5x “zoom” that we’ll get will be purely digital. 

20 - Front Camera

Also, the front facing camera is very similar to the one on the S10. It’s a 10MP sensor, only with a smaller f/2.4 aperture, down from the f/1.9 aperture that we had on the S10. It’s actually a bit worse than the S10 one, however, the front facing camera cutout is actually smaller than on the S10 and Note 10, so at least that’s a plus.

21 - Water Resistance

In case you’re thinking of taking the Z Flip to the pool, don’t even think about it! That’s because the Z Flip doesn’t have any water resistance whatsoever. So avoid using it in rain as well.

22 - CPU

While the CPU is actually a flag-ship level CPU, unlike the Moto Razr, the Z Flip still uses the Snapdragon 855+ processor. Interesting enough, there is no Exynos version of the Z Flip at all. The 855+ is actually just a slightly overclocked 855 so the CPU performance is very similar to the S10’s from last year. The S20’s all get brand new 2020 processors with the Snapdragon 865 for the US & Canada versions and the Exynos 990 for the international version.

23 - RAM

Another downgrade of the Z Flip over the S20’s is in terms of the RAM. While the S20’s come with 12GB and even 16GB of RAM, on the highest end 512GB version of the S20 Ultra, the Z Flip comes with 8GB of RAM and that is the only option that you can get.

24 - Free Case

Screenshot 2020-03-13 at 12.22.18.png

Back to some positives for a bit, the Z Flip does come with a free case in the box, which is pretty useful considering that cases for foldable phones are definitely not the easiest thing to find.

Credit: Samsung (left)

25 - WiFi

If you recently bought a brand new WiFi 6 router, you’re out of luck because the Z Flip doesn’t actually support WiFi 6, or Wifi 802.11ax like the S20’s and even the S10’s do, so that’s quite strange.

26 - Slow Charging 

Something else that you’re missing out on, is fast charging. The Z Flip supports 15W charging which his still pretty good, but comparing this to the 25W charging that we have on the S20’s or the 45W charging that we have on the Note 10 and the S20 Ultra, you can see that the Z Flip is lacking behind again.

27 - Battery Life

Speaking of the battery, I’m a bit concerned when it comes to the battery life of this phone. It has a massive 6.7” display but the battery size is only 3300mAh, which is actually smaller than the 3400mAh that the regular Galaxy S10, that had a much smaller 6.1” display, had last year. So I’m quite concerned in terms of how long this phone will actually last. 

28 - Goodbye DeX?

We’ve tried finding any notes about DeX support on the Z Flip and we haven’t found a single thing that mentions that DeX is supported on the Z Flip. In fact, even on the S20’s, DeX support isn’t listed anywhere on the Specs sheet. You have to go on the main web-page and it is indeed listed there in the Galaxy Essentials app list. 

29 - Concierge

Now, since the Z Flip is a very expensive phone, and I’ll get to that in my last point, it actually does come with a Premium Support service. It is called the Galaxy Concierge and you get 24/7 customer support, 7 days a week plus 1 year extra of free accidental damage cover. This is something that the Galaxy Fold also features.

30 - Screen Replacement

Also, in case you do need to get your screen replaced, it would cost you £99 in the UK for the Z Flip or £115 for the Galaxy Fold which is crazy low. I wasn’t expecting Samsung to only charge this much, considering that Apple chargers £326 for the iPhone 11 Pro Max’s display replacement, which has a more standard, non foldable display. 

31 - Don’t buy it 

And finally, the last thing that we want to mention is that you really shouldn’t buy the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip. That’s because it’s very expensive. At a price of $1400 or £1300, it costs more than your laptop probably does and it’s still just a smartphone.

In many ways, the S10 from last year is actually a better phone. You get a zoom module as well as a better front facing camera and also a better main camera module, alongside a larger battery. Sure, it doesn’t fold in half but the thing is, this is the only reason why the Z Flip is so expensive. It’s because it folds in half and it’s still a brand new technology that’s very expensive to manufacture. If you took all the folding away, what you would be left with would be a Samsung Galaxy S10e, with a larger 6.7” display and that’s it. 

Sure, if you do have some cash to burn and you just want a cool phone and you don’t really care about having the best specs and the best camera, then go for it. Otherwise, either go for a regular phone or go for the Galaxy Fold as that’s essentially a tablet that folds in half, so it’s actually much more useful than the Z Flip is.

Samsung Galaxy S20 - 40 Things You Didn't Know!

The Samsung Galaxy S20 is now here. This is, by far, one of the biggest changes that Samsung has ever made to their line of smartphones. We now have things such as a 100x Zoom camera module, 8K video recording, a massive 5000mAh battery as well as a an extremely fluid 120Hz display.

But, there are a few things that Samsung didn’t tell you about the S20’s, here are 40 of them!

1 - Our First Samsung Event!

Screenshot 2020-03-11 at 11.54.10.png

Even-though this is not related to the S20’s directly, we got invited to the event ourselves, meaning that we attended the Unpacked 2020 Event in London.  This was our first ever Samsung event, so huge thanks to Samsung for having us.

We did get the chance to see all S20’s in person and play with them for quite a bit, which is the reason why we do have some personal thoughts to share in this article as well.

2 - 120Hz Limit

Honestly, this 120Hz refresh rate makes the S20’s feel years ahead in terms of performance. We could definitely tell that it was more fluid than even the OnePlus 7T Pro, which has a 90Hz display. 

However, there is one catch. You cannot use the new 120Hz refresh rate when the display is running at full resolution. You have to switch to FHD+, otherwise you’ll have to stick to 60Hz, which is a shame.

3 - 240Hz

Aside from that 120Hz panel, the touch input actually samples at a whopping 240Hz. Meaning that touch inputs would be twice as accurate as before. 

4 - Haptic Engine 

Next up, all three S20 models use the new Haptic Engine that the Note 10 introduced. This means that you can essentially feel a response back, for example with the Alarm Wheel in the Settings or when you take a photo. This basically makes your phone’s software more like hardware in a weird sort of way.

5 - Charge Time

The S20 Ultra now gets the extremely fast 45W charging that the Note 10+ introduced. So, even with that enormous 5000mAh battery, the Ultra will still be able to fully charge in just over an hour, which is pretty nuts. The other S20’s still get improved Fast Charging, up to 25W from the S10’s 15W. Which will get you up to 50% in just less than 30 minutes.

6 - Actual Zoom 

Now, one of the most unique new features about the S20’s (especially the Ultra) is that unbelievable 100X Zoom camera. There is quite a lot of confusion on this so to clarify, the 100x Zoom is not optical zoom, it is digital.

The S20 Ultra essentially has 10x “Hybrid Zoom” and around 5x Optical Zoom which is still a big improvement from the 2x that we had before. The remaining zoom up to 100x is done digitally, thanks to that massive 108MP main sensor. The other S20’s still have an impressive zoom level as well. They both have 30x Digital Zoom.

7 - Periscope Camera

Credit: Samsung

Credit: Samsung

The reason the S20 Ultra can achieve 5x Optical Zoom is thanks to a new camera module called a Periscope Camera. Essentially, Samsung added a bunch of lenses that can heavily magnify the image. The only problem is that the camera module would stick out about 1cm from then entire phone which no-one wants. So, to fix that, they positioned the camera module horizontally, on its side and then they’re using a mirror to reflect the light from the outside of the phone, through the lenses and finally to the sensor. This works in the exact same way that a periscope from a submarine works. Pretty cool stuff! 

8 - Actual Picture Size

Now, taking a 12MP photo on a phone, usually takes up about 2MB, or so of space. This means that taking a photo with that massive 108MP image on the S20 Ultra, should take up close to 20MB, which is a considerable amount, especially if you’re the kind of person that takes loads of photos. Well, luckily this won’t be the case, because the photos taken with that 108MP sensor will actually be 12MP photos.

9 - Pixel Binning

This is because Samsung will be using something called Pixel Binning technology and essentially combining nine pixels into one. (108MP/9 = 12MP). Samsung also claims that this will provide better low light performance and we did get to experience this in person, and we have to say, the S20 Ultra’s low light is miles better than what we have on the Pixel 4.

10 - Improved Low Light

While we’re speaking about the camera, the low light performance will be improved substantially on the regular S20’s. This is because, even-though they only have a 12MP sensor, as opposed to the massive 108MP sensor of the S20 Ultra, they are indeed newer sensors with larger pixels of 1.8μm. On the S10, they were 1.4μm pixels.

11 - Biggest Camera Upgrade since S7

Ever since the Galaxy S7, Samsung has been using the exact same sensor specs. Yes, they were new sensors every year with slight tweaks, but the sensor size and the pixel size has remained the same from the S7 to the S10.  The only major camera improvement that we got on the main module was with the S9 and that switchable aperture camera. Most of the improvements were done through software. However, this is finally changing with all three models of the S20. 

12 - Goodbye Jack

Something that’s also changing is that we no longer have an MP3 jack, which is something that the Note 10’s got rid off. 

13 - GalaxyBuds+

However, Samsung has launched a new version of their GalaxyBuds headphones, the GalaxyBuds+. Unfortunately, they do not feature any crazy new features, like active noise cancellation or anything like that. Instead, they focus on improving the sound quality and improving the microphone quality whilst almost doubling the battery life to 22 hours. 

14 - GalaxyBuds+ iOS

Samsung has now released the iOS app for the Galaxy Buds. So, if you have an iPhone, the Galaxy Buds will integrate much better into your ecosystem.

15 - Storage Speed

Another big improvement that will make the S20’s feel so fast is the storage speed. All S20 models feature UFS 3.0 storage, compared to UFS 2.1 on the S10’s. Therefore, as with the Note 10, we’ll get double the read and write speeds, to just over 1GB/s read, which is insane! 

16 - microSD

Speaking of storage, all three models of the S20 will keep the microSD card slot. This is pretty amazing because you can actually get a 1TB microSD card and have up to 1.5TB on the S20 Ultra or 1.1TB on the other two S20’s.

17 - Storage Options

This is because, while all three S20’s will come with 128GB of storage as default, the S20 Ultra will have a second storage option of 512GB. Some might not appreciate Samsung not offering more than 128GB on the S20 and S20+. However, keep in mind that you do have that microSD card slot, in case you do need more storage for things such as apps and music.

18 - RAM 

When it comes to the RAM, the standard S20 comes with 8GB of RAM, which is the same as the S10 and S10+ from last year. The S20+ comes with 12GB of RAM, which is the same as the Note 10+ from last year. The S20 Ultra comes with either 12GB of RAM if you go for the 128GB model or a whopping 16GB of RAM if you choose the 512GB storage model. 

Most people don’t even have that in their laptops, so having 16GB of RAM in a phone, is just crazy! Also, all three S20 models will get LPDDR5 memory, which is the latest standard in memory with even lower power consumption than LPDDR4. 

19 - No 4G

Last year the S10e, the S10 and the S10+ all came with 4G and then we had another version of the S10, the S10 5G which had… 5G. This year, things are quite a bit different. The S20 and S20+ both come with 4G and 5G variants. And there’s not that big of a price difference between the two. The S20 Ultra on the other hand, only comes in 5G, which is probably why Samsung decided to pack such as massive 5000 mAh battery in that phone.

20 -  Faster 5G

If you really care about 5G, the Ultra does get mmWave 5G, which is the true next-gen 5G, while the other two S20’s get high band 5G, which is quite a bit slower.

21 - World’s First 8K

We can now record 8K footage on a smartphone for the first time, with limitations.

We can now record 8K footage on a smartphone for the first time, with limitations.

Now, going back to the cameras for a bit, all three S20’s have a very unique feature, the ability to record 8K video. This means that these are the world’s first smartphones that are able to capture 8K footage. Even-though the bitrate isn’t the highest and the frame-rate is limited to just 24FPS. It is still very impressive to have a phone capable of recording this.


So, if you did happen to purchase an 8K TV recently, then getting a Galaxy S20 might actually be a very good idea due to the lack of 8K content, 8K TV’s rely on upscaling 4K footage, whereas now with the S20, you’ll be able to take native 8K footage to watch on your 8K TV.

22 - 8K Requirements

Now, 8K has a resolution of 7680x4320. Meaning that if you want to shoot 8K footage, you need to have at LEAST a 33MP sensor.  Well that’s fine because the S20 Ultra has a 108MP sensor but, what about the other two S20’s? How can they shoot 8K content when they only have a 12 MP sensor?

Well, it turns out that while the S20 Ultra uses the main 108MP sensor, to record 8K footage, the other two S20’s actually use the zoom module instead, which is 64MP in resolution. 

23 - S20: No Optical Zoom

Because of this, Samsung actually removed the zoom lens from the zoom lens module, as they didn’t want you to only be able to shoot 8K content when you are really zoomed in. Therefore, the zoom on the S20 and the S20+ is purely digital and thanks to that massive 64MP sensor, you can zoom in quite a lot and still get a pretty sharp image. 

24 - Video Pro Mode

Samsung also added a Pro-Mode for video, meaning that you can now change the aperture, ISO and shutter speed when recording video as well. 

25 - New Ultra Wide Module

Now, something that needed quite a bit of improvement on the S10’s, was the Ultra Wide Angle module. Luckily, all S20’s now come with a brand new module.  A 12MP module, from the 16MP that we had before, which also has larger 1.4 μm pixels, compared to the 1 μm that we had on the S10. This results in better low light performance with the Ultra Wide module. 

26 - Wobble King

Unfortunately, because of that gigantic camera module, the S20 Ultra wobbles like crazy when it’s on the table. It was pretty much impossible to use while sitting flat, so that’s something to keep in mind.

27 - Chunk King

Something else to keep in mind, is just how thick the Ultra is. At 8.8mm thick, the Ultra is one of the thickest flagship smartphones on the market right now. However, the camera module is around double the thickness of the one on the iPhone 11 Pro Max and because of that, it’s much thicker than you would expect, especially if you put a case on it. 

28 - Goodbye Edge

Something that we’ve immediately noticed when using these phones is that the display is now flat, unlike previous Samsung phones from the S6 Edge, which had a curved display. The Ultra does have slightly more curve to it than the regular S20, but they all have 2.5D glass now, just like the iPhone and the Pixel 4. So you can gladly say goodbye to accidental touches.

29 - Goodbye f.1.5

Also, remember that switchable f/1.5 – f/2.4 aperture that we got with the S9? Well, that’s now gone entirely on all three S20 models and we now get a smaller f/1.8 aperture. 

30 - Smaller Camera Cutout

Additionally. you can say goodbye to the dual camera module cutout on the front that the S10+ and the S10 5G had. We now get a single camera cutout on all three models of the S20, which also happens to be smaller than on the Note 10+.

31 - Bezels

Speaking of bezels, it looks to us that the Note 10+ actually has a thinner chin and thinner bezels on the sides, thanks to those curved edges. Let me know in the comments if you think that’s the case as well.

32 - Goodbye Bixby

Have you noticed that the Bixby Button is now gone? Thank you Samsung!

33 - AirDrop

The S20’s all come with AirDrop now. It’s called QuickShare and you can quickly…share…items between multiple Samsung devices.

34 - New Aspect Ratio

All the S20’s now feature a noticeably taller 20:9 aspect ratio, compared to the 19:9 that we had before on the S10’s.

Meaning that even though these phones aren’t that much wider to hold in the hand, they are quite a bit taller and more difficult to use with one hand, as you cannot really reach to the top. 

Right: The S20 compared to the Note 10+

Screenshot 2020-03-11 at 11.58.10.png

35 - CPU Differences

Also, you will get a different CPU based on where you buy your S20 from.

If you buy it from the US or Canada, you would get the new Snapdragon 865, whereas if you buy it from anywhere else, you’ll get it with Samsung’s own Exynos 990. 

36 - Google Camera App

They’re both almost identical CPU’s, however, if you do get the Snapdragon version, you’ll actually be able to install the Pixel Camera app and get that Google style of image processing, if you’re really into that. 

37 - Weight

We have to say, the S20 Ultra is quite a heavy phone. At 222 grams, it is one of the heaviest flagships on the market, however, the iPhone 11 Pro Max is still heavier at 226 grams. 

38 - All Lenses 

Something really cool about the S20’s is the Single Take mode, which allows  you to use all the lenses on the back to take a photo and then you can pick which photo to use at the very end.  

39 - OneUI 2

Also, all the new software features, such as the improved night mode and more that we get with all the S20’s will be available on the S10’s as well, with a future software update. 

40 - S20 is enough

And finally, if you’ve been eyeing up the Ultra and you think that you have to get the Ultra for the best features, you actually don’t! In fact ,the regular S20 has all of the main features of the S20 Ultra. It’s just that you don’t get that insane 100x Zoom, you just get 30x, which let’s be honest, for most people that’s more than enough. 

AirPods Pro - 20 Things You Didn't Know!

So just as we were finishing up a video on the final leaks and rumors on the AirPods Pro, Apple went and released them!

So instead of that article and video, here are 20 things you didn’t know about the newest in-ear headphones from Apple.

1. AIRPODS PRO DIMENSIONS

The new AirPods will feature the biggest design change since the original AirPods that came out in 2016. According to Apple the new AirPods are 30.9mm tall and 21.8mm wide. When you compare this to the original AirPods, which were 40.5mm tall and 16.5mm wide, you get the idea of how different these will look. Picture them like Borat and Azamat, Google them and you will get the idea.

 

2. CASE DIFFERENCES

But it is not just the AirPods themselves that have had a design change, the case has received one too. Taking a look at its dimensions compared to the original AirPods case we can see that it is going to shorter but wider, like the AirPods Pro themselves, but also thicker as well.

The case dimensions of the AirPods Pro compared to the AirPods

The case dimensions of the AirPods Pro compared to the AirPods

  • Original AirPods Case: 53.5mm x 44.3mm x 21.3mm

  • AirPods Pro Case: 45.2mm x 60.6mm x 21.7mm

This means that the case will take up more space in your pocket, which I am kind of upset about. I loved how small and portable the regular AirPods case was, and I was expecting something thinner and more portable, but it seems like were not getting that with the AirPods Pro.

 

3. ACTIVE NOISE CANCELLATION

This is the main new feature of the AirPods Pro. How active noise cancellation works is that the AirPod has an outward facing microphone which detects external sounds and the AirPod will emit an equal noise of an opposite frequency to eliminate that noise.

On the AirPods Pro this will continuously be adjusted at 200 times a second, and with the new rubber seals this should make for a great listening experience.

 

4. RUBBER SEALS

As I mentioned in the previous section, the AirPods Pro will come with rubber seals, like we get on many other in-ear headphones. This is another change from the current and original AirPods, which are a single piece of glossy plastic.

There will be three different sizes; small, medium, and large, so these should fit everyone’s ear and I am certainly curious to try these out.

 

5. TRANSPARENCY MODE

Now while we do have noise cancellation and rubber seals to make the listening experience more immersive, I did like being able to hear what was going on around me with the original AirPods. However, we get a ‘Transparency Mode’ with the AirPods Pro which is activated by pressing and holding on a new pressure sensor. What this will do is actually let the noise in from the microphone that works for the noise cancellation in real time! Pretty cool stuff!

6. NEW CONTROLS

Speaking of the new pressure sensor, it can actually do more than just switch on and off the microphone for Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency Mode.

You see on the original AirPods you would double tap and that would be the only control, you could customise the double tap for each AirPod in the settings, and have double tap on the right AirPod to skip to the next song and double tap on the left one to go to the previous song. That’s how I had it.

Then with the second generation we got the ‘Hey Siri’ command to summon her, which worked brilliantly.

And with the AirPods Pro you can now press on that force sensor once to play a song, pause or answer a call. You can tap twice to skip forward and tap three times to skip backwards, and then hold to switch between the Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency Modes that I talked about before.

 

7. VENTS

The air-vents that have been put on the sides are there to help equalise the pressure so that you don’t really feel the AirPods in your ears. According to Apple you’ll feel like there’s nothing in your ear, but I am very sceptical that this will be the case but its another thing I am interested to check out.

 

8. WATER RESISTANCE

I use that heading quite loosely. The AirPods Pro will be IPX4 rated, so that means that they can deal with splashes of water, but they will have no dust resistance at all. So definitely do not take these swimming as they will not hold up. However they would be perfect for use in the gym or even out on a run when its raining.

Its also important to note that the case itself is not water resistant at all, so keep that in mind.

 

9. APPLE WATCH SUPPORT

So whilst there is support for these on the Apple Watches, there is no support on the original Apple Watch. If you are planning to get these make sure that you have a more recent model of the Apple Watch to ensure you are getting the most out of the pairing. If you do have an original Apple Watch then you will need to use the original AirPods that came out in 2016, as the second gen are not supported on it either.

 

10. SUPPORTED DEVICES

On the subject of support and no support here is a full list of devices that the AirPods Pro will be supported on:

  • iPhone SE, 6S and newer

  • iPad Mini 4, iPad Air 2 and newer

  • iPod Touch 7th Gen from 2019

  • Apple Watch Series 1 and newer

  • Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD

  • Mac Pro from 2013 and newer

  • Mac Mini from 2012 and newer

  • iMac from 2012 and newer

  • MacBook Pro from 2012 and newer

11. USB-C CABLE

In the box with the AirPods Pro we will be getting a USB-C to lightning cable as the AirPods Pro will still have a lightning port on the bottom of the case, but at least the cable itself is now the same one as we get on with the iPhone 11 Pro’s

 

12. LIVE LISTEN

This is slightly different to the Transparency Mode I mentioned earlier as this is actually an Accessibility Feature, which also works on the regular AirPods too in case you didn’t know. What this feature does is play back audio to you in real time from the microphone, so would certainly be a useful feature for people who may have trouble hearing.

 

13. WORSE BATTERY LIFE

So although we do get those new feature I mentioned earlier, this does in fact impact the battery life of the new AirPods. The regular AirPods gave 5 hours on each AirPod, and up to 24 hours using the case, whereas the AirPods Pro will have 4 and a half hours each, and up to 24 hours using the case.

However, if you turn off Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency Mode, you can get 5 hours of playback in the AirPods Pro.

 

14. FASTER CHARGE

With the original AirPods, you could get 3 hours of playback and 2 hours of talk time off a 15 minute charge, whereas with the Pros we get 1 hour of playback and 1 hour of talk time off a 5 minute charge. With that in mind we can estimate that you should get 3 hours of playback and 3 hours of talk time with a 15 minute charge. So a slight increase, but whether or not this turns out to be true is another matter.

 

15. TRIPLE MICROPHONES

A breakdown of the AirPods Pro showing the inward facing microphone

A breakdown of the AirPods Pro showing the inward facing microphone

The original AirPods also came with two beamforming microphones, which the Pros also come with. However the Pro also comes with an additional third microphone. It is likely that this is the microphone for Active Noise Cancellation, but it seems odd to have that as an inward facing microphone as it should be taking noise from the surrounding area.

16. SOUND QUALITY

When it comes to sound quality, the AirPods were okay. But with an adaptive EQ, the vent system for pressure equalising, custom high-excursion Apple driver, custom higher dynamic range amplifier, Active Noise Cancellation, and sealed ear tips, the Pros might just have the best sounding wireless headphones on the market! We will of course test them out though to make sure.

 

17. WIRELESS CHARGING

Whats good to see is that we are getting a free wireless charging case in the box with the AirPods Pro, whereas you would have to pay $40 extra to get this with the regular AirPods.

 

18. VERSUS AIRPODS

So compared to the AirPods 2 that came out in 2019, are these worth it? Well, the AirPods 2 cost $200 and these cost $250, so if you’re already paying $200 for the AirPods and another $40 for the wireless charging case, you might as well just pay $50 and get the Pro’s as these are a much bigger upgrade.

However, if you don’t want the Pro’s, then the regular AirPods at $160 are very good already. Aside from wireless charging you don’t miss out on anything. You even have the same Apple H1 processor that the AirPods Pro already have.

 

19. VERSUS POWER BEATS PRO

But the big question here is, how do they compare with the PowerBeats Pro?
You see Beats are owned by Apple, so the PowerBeats Pro, which are their newest model, are the closest thing to the AirPods Pro and they’re also made by Apple

The PowerBeats Pro seem to be focused even more towards fitness users. They have an over the ear clasp that helps them stay secure. They have the H1 processor as well, just like the AirPods and the AirPods Pro, so they will automatically connect to your iPhone and other Apple devices. ‘Hey Siri’ is also supported and the battery life is actually better with up to 9 hours on each earbud and over 24 hours with the case. 
Water resistance is also there, but there is no official rating it seems, just a mention.

In addition they cost $200 compared to the $250 of the AirPods Pro, so they look like a better option, right?

Well, they kind of are. Sound quality should be better with the AirPods Pro, since there’s much more talk about it on Apple’s website, whereas the PowerBeats Pro are focused more towards fitness and use during workouts. Also their case is much bigger than the AirPods Pro case.

 

20. APPLE PUSHING AIRPODS

And the last section in this article is about Apple pushing the AirPods Pro. If you go over to the Apple website you will see the Pros promoted on almost every single Apple product page that they have. They’re featured in the iPad tab, the iPhone tab, the Apple Watch tab, the TV tab, and the Music tab.

CONCLUSION

So there you have it. 20 things you didn’t know about Apple latest product announcement. It is likely that we will hear more from Apple in the coming days regarding other product releases, but make sure to stay up to date with the channel and our articles to find out how the AirPods Pros really are!

Apple Watch Series 5 - 20 Things You Didn't Know!

Apple has just had their September 2019 Event and they’ve not only launched the brand new iPhone 11’s but also a brand new Apple Watch Series 5.

We have done a video on the channel about ‘40 Interesting Things You Probably Didn’t Know About The iPhone 11’s’ so definitely make sure to check that out in case you want to learn more about the iPhones, but in this article it’s all about the Apple Watch!

So here are 20 Things You Probably Didn’t Know about the Apple Watch Series 5!

1. Always On Display

The new Always-On Display means the watch face will always be visible unlike before (Source: Apple)

The new Always-On Display means the watch face will always be visible unlike before (Source: Apple)

So the first new feature of the Series 5 and also the main feature is that we finally have an Always-On Display.

This is something that Android smartwatches have had for years now and it was, in my opinion, the main downside of the Apple Watch, the fact that you could not see the time unless you twisted your wrist or tapped on the display.

But that’s not an issue anymore because we now have that Always-On Display. So you’ll always be able to see the watch face at all times on your Apple Watch, it would be at a lower brightness but when you tilt your wrist, that’s when the full brightness would be enabled.

 

2. LTPO Display

The new LTPO (Low Temperature Poly-silicon and Oxide) Panel allows for varying refresh rates and in conjunction with a low-power driver and ambient light sensor the panel can stay on for up to 18 hours (Source: Apple)

The new LTPO (Low Temperature Poly-silicon and Oxide) Panel allows for varying refresh rates and in conjunction with a low-power driver and ambient light sensor the panel can stay on for up to 18 hours (Source: Apple)

But that is something most of you probably already knew about. So why did it take Apple so many years to do this and how have they done it in the end? 

Well, unlike most of the Android smartwatches that use the exact same 60Hz refresh rate when in Always-On Mode, the Apple Watch Series 5 now features an LTPO display that can adjust its refresh rate, anywhere from 60Hz down to even 1Hz. 1Hz means that it will only refresh once every second, which is realistically what you need in an Always-On Display. You don’t care about fluid animations or smooth effects , you just want to see the time and that’s it.

This in combination with a brand new low power driver, improved power management on the chip, and a new ambient light sensor means the Apple Watch Series 5 actually gets the exact same battery life as the Series 4 did before it. 

 

3. Battery Life

Speaking of the battery life, Apple claims up to 18 hours of battery life on the Series 5 which is the same battery life we had on the Series 4, as mentioned before.

However, my Series 4 could easily last me for 2 days, sometimes even 2 and a half. This is mostly because since I get a ton of notifications I mostly keep mine on Do Not Disturb Mode or Silent Mode, which does help improve battery life. So with my usage I’m very happy with the battery life on the Series 4 and therefore the Series 5 as well, since they do have the same battery life.

However if you go out on a run for example and you only take you Apple Watch with you and you have Cellular Enabled, GPS enabled, maybe you’re even tracking your run in the workouts app and even have the AirPods with you, in that case the battery would only last you for about 3 to 4 hours.

So definitely do keep that in mind!

 

4. Storing Music

Storing music on Apple Watches has been a feature since the first iteration of Watches

Storing music on Apple Watches has been a feature since the first iteration of Watches

Not a lot of people know this but you can actually just take your Apple Watch and your AirPods out and about and listen to music without your iPhone, even if you do not have a Cellular Enabled Apple Watch.

You can do this my manually downloading music to your Apple Watch. You just go to the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, go to Music and just add your favourite playlists and albums to your Apple Watch. It’s as easy as that.




 

5. Storage

How the storing music thing works is that your Apple Watch actually has a fair bit of storage inside. Older models had 8GB, the Series 4 had 16GB of storage, but the Series 5 now has 32GB of storage. A bit funny how the iPhone “Pro” that costs 3 times as much and is an actual phone, only has 64GB.

 

6. Compass

The new Compass chip allows the Series 5 to give you additional support when using maps or if you get lost in the wilderness (Source: Apple)

The new Compass chip allows the Series 5 to give you additional support when using maps or if you get lost in the wilderness (Source: Apple)

Now another new feature to the Series 5 is the Compass. This is a new chip that’s inside your Apple Watch that lets it see the direction that it’s facing when compared to magnetic north. This is something quite common in smartphones but not a lot of smartwatches have this.

The advantage of the compass is that 1. You can now see the direction that you’re facing in the maps app, rather than just having a dot and 2. You have a separate dedicated compass app so that when you’re traveling if you somehow get lost and have no cellular signal for maps you can at least use the compass and get some sort of direction. Really useful stuff!

7. No Roaming

But do you know what is not useful when you’re traveling to a different country? Not being able to use roaming on your Apple Watch. Yes, the cellular features of your cellular Apple Watch are restricted to the country that you bought it from, which really sucks.

 

8. International SOS

However what doesn’t suck is that the Series 5 does in fact support international SOS calls.

So if you are in a different country travelling and something happens to you, even if you do not have internet access or the ability to make standard calls on your Apple Watch, you will still be able to make emergency SOS calls outside of the country that you bought it from, which is something that the Series 4 didn’t support.

 

9. W3 Chip

This new Series 5 actually still has the exact same W3 wireless chip that we had in the Series 4. The W3 is the chip that handles Bluetooth and WiFi connections so the faster this chip is the faster your Apple Watch would communicate to your iPhone, your AirPods and your Mac.

The W3 chip that we got with the Series 4 already introduced Bluetooth 5.0 so there wasn’t that much of an improvement that Apple could do, hence why they stuck with the same W3 chip in the Series 4.

 

10. S5 Chip

The powerhouse of the Series 5, the S5 chip, is almost identical to the S4 chip in the previous model from 2 years ago (Source: Apple)

The powerhouse of the Series 5, the S5 chip, is almost identical to the S4 chip in the previous model from 2 years ago (Source: Apple)

Speaking of the same chips. The Apple S5 chip which powers the Apple Watch Series 5 is almost identical to the S4 chip that was powering the Series 4. It is still 2 times more powerful than the S3 inside the Series 3 so the only improvements here are the addition of the Compass as a separate chip on the SOC, and the controller for the LTPO display.







 

11. Apple Watch Edition

Do any of you remember the Apple Watch Edition? The pure Gold $17,000 Apple Watch that Apple was selling with the original Apple Watch and they ended up discontinuing because it just wasn’t selling well?

Well, they now brought the edition back, kind of. They did have it with the Series 2 and 3, they had a ceramic version which was of course significantly less expensive than the gold option but they did remove that with the Series 4 and now the Apple Watch Edition is back with the Series 5!

The luxury Apple Watch Edition watches had previously been discontinued due to a lack of sales(Source: Apple)

The luxury Apple Watch Edition watches had previously been discontinued due to a lack of sales

(Source: Apple)

 

12. Ceramic

The Ceramic Series 5 with a Lemon Leather Loop (Source: Apple)

The Ceramic Series 5 with a Lemon Leather Loop (Source: Apple)

And with the Apple Watch Edition the Apple Watch Ceramic is also making a come back! This is the same casing style that we had before and I do think that it looks absolutely stunning!

We have a black crown which contrasts perfectly with the back bezels of the display and the white ceramic case. Also this is the most premium and most expensive Apple Watch that Apple offers with a starting price of $1,300.

In addition to that it is the most durable Apple Watch that Apple sells, as Ceramic is 4 times harder than stainless steel, of which the Black Stainless Steel finish is still my favourite model. 

 

13. Thickness

Now if you go for the Ceramic model your Apple Watch would actually be slightly thicker. All other models measure in at 10.7mm, while the ceramic one is 11mm.

(Source: Apple)

(Source: Apple)

14. Titanium

The Titanium model of the Series 5 (Source: Apple)

The Titanium model of the Series 5 (Source: Apple)

We also get another new material which is Titanium. This is something that we haven’t had on Apple Watches before.

Now, Titanium as a material is lighter than stainless steel but also stronger, which means that the Titanium Apple Watch is a very good blend between the Aluminium and the Stainless Steel models.

It comes in 2 colors, Space Black and the regular Silver Titanium. But they look like the Aluminum one just with a brushed texture to them. They’re not as shiny as the Stainless Steel and personally I don’t think I would get the Titanium one. I’ve already ordered one for review but my personal one would still be black stainless steel.

Also the Titanium Apple Watch is $100 or £100 more than the Stainless Steel and personally I don’t think it’s worth it. If you want a light watch just go with the Aluminum, it looks almost the same as the Titanium ones.

 

15. Apple Watch Studio

This section is something that I’ve been waiting for for years and it is finally here!

You can now customize the Apple Watch with any casing and band that you want and order it! Before you had pre-made configurations by Apple and you could only order those. Now the watch itself and the band gets shipped separately as separate products and this is how Apple is able to make this level of customization possible.

With Apple’s new Apple Watch Studio, you can design the perfect watch for you (Source: Apple)

With Apple’s new Apple Watch Studio, you can design the perfect watch for you (Source: Apple)

 

16. Extra Band

However if you do decide to go for an Apple Watch Edition you actually get 2 free bands inside the box. You get a sport band as well as a sport loop band both of which costs $50.

So you actually get those $100 extra that you’ve spent on the Titanium, upgrading from the Stainless steel back or $50 since the Stainless Steel will come with a band of your choice.

You will now get 2 bands in the box on specific models of the Series 5, the Titanium and Ceramic(Source: Apple)

You will now get 2 bands in the box on specific models of the Series 5, the Titanium and Ceramic

(Source: Apple)

 

17. Up to 32G

Now, if you decide to take your Apple Watch in a spin in a fighter jet the Series 5 will sustain up to 32G of acceleration. So while you’ll probably faint the Apple Watch will keep on ticking.

 

18. Nike Edition

Buy purchasing the Nike Edition Apple Watch you get access to exclusive watch faces like this one (Source: Apple)

Buy purchasing the Nike Edition Apple Watch you get access to exclusive watch faces like this one (Source: Apple)

If you plan on getting the Aluminium version of the Apple Watch don’t, get the Nike Edition instead. The Nike Edition is the same Aluminum version of the Apple Watch but comes with a more unique watch band, the Nike perforated sport band, which you can also buy separately.

But the most important thing here is that it does come with some unique Nike watch faces which you can only get on the Nike version of the Apple Watch and not on the other ones, and guess what? It costs the same as the regular Aluminium models so there’s no reason not to get the Nike edition instead of the regular Aluminium version.


 

19. Series 3

If you’re looking for an inexpensive alternative to the Series 5 but with the experience of the Series 5, the Series 3 now starts from $200 (£200) brand new (Source: Apple)

If you’re looking for an inexpensive alternative to the Series 5 but with the experience of the Series 5, the Series 3 now starts from $200 (£200) brand new (Source: Apple)

But probably an even better deal is getting an Apple Watch Series 4 refurbished or an Apple Watch Series 3, which now starts from $200 brand new!

Yes, it does come with a smaller display and the slightly outdated design but you still get the exact same Apple Watch experience; a very fast processor, a speaker, ‘Hey Siri’ support and even 50m water resistance for swimming.

The display is just as bright, at 1000 nits so you’re not really missing out on much and it’s half the price of the Series 5.



 

20. WatchOS 6 Features

Finally, during the September event Apple made it look as if the new watch faces or features such as cycle tracking are only available to the Series 5.

But nope, the Series 4, 3, 2 and even 1 support watchOS 6 so you’ll get most of the watchOS 6 features anyways, including the brand new watch faces on your previous Apple Watches as well!

Regardless of the model of Apple Watch you have, it will be compatible with watchOS 6 (Source: Apple)

Regardless of the model of Apple Watch you have, it will be compatible with watchOS 6 (Source: Apple)

So there you have it, 20 things you may or may not have known about the Apple Watch Series 5. Which of these did you know and what was the most interesting point? Let us know in the comments!

iPhone 11 and 11 Pro - 40 Things You Didn't Know!

So Apple has just had it’s September 2019 Event and whilst they did announce some interesting things regarding a new 10.2” iPad, and the Apple Watch Series 5. However, the product that everyone was waiting to hear about was also announced, the new iPhone line up!

So here are 40 Things You Didn’t Know about the iPhone 11 & 11 Pro!

1. Night Mode
Google has it, Samsung has it, Huawei has it, OnePlus has it and now Apple has it as well!
This massively improves the low light photography on the iPhone 11’s.

The Night Mode example that Apple showed at their September Event (Source: Apple)

The Night Mode example that Apple showed at their September Event (Source: Apple)

2. Exclusivity of Features

However, even-though this is a software feature - Night is restricted to the iPhone 11’s only.

And the same thing applies to “Quick Video Recording” which allows you to record a video by just holding on the shutter button when in Photos mode which previously was for burst shots.

Source: Apple

Source: Apple


3. U1 Chip

New U1 chip allows the iPhone to very accurately detect the position of another U1 equipped device, with an error margin of just 5cm.

This will be extremely useful when Apple releases the competitor to the Title tracker.

4. Thicker Body

The iPhone 11 Pro & Pro Max now got thicker than the XS & XS Max from last year, by 0.4mm.
The iPhone 11 however, kept the same thickness as the XR from last year, at 8.3mm thick.

5.No 5G

This pretty much says it all. No 5G until 2020 actually.

The OnePlus 7 Pro which costs £649 comes with a 90Hz Refresh Rate display

The OnePlus 7 Pro which costs £649 comes with a 90Hz Refresh Rate display


6. No Pro Motion Display

And no 120Hz or even 90Hz refresh rate display that other Android smartphones are starting to have now.

This is pretty disappointing considering that Apple already uses a 120Hz Pro-Motion Display on the iPad Pro, yet not on the iPhone Pro.



Some flagships, like the Samsung Galaxy S10 (Above), now come with reverse wireless charging. The iPhone does not.

Some flagships, like the Samsung Galaxy S10 (Above), now come with reverse wireless charging. The iPhone does not.

7. No Reverse Wireless Charging

This was supposed to be coming but it apparently got removed because of some inefficiency issues that Apple was experiencing.

However the hardware might still be present (according to Sonny Dickson), which means that you might just see this enabled through a software update in the future, although highly unlikely.

Case manufacturers were designing cases to accommodate an S-Pen style stylus for the iPhone (Source: Olixar)

Case manufacturers were designing cases to accommodate an S-Pen style stylus for the iPhone (Source: Olixar)







8. No Apple Pencil Support

Another feature that was leaked heavily and was supposed to be coming, apparently got removed as well.

Not too fussed about this myself, as I wouldn’t have used it unless the Pencil was built into the iPhone (like the Samsung Galaxy Note does it), but the leaks suggested that it would just be a standalone Pencil, just like the 1st gen Apple Pencil.






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9. Improved Telephoto

If you care about telephoto (zoomed in) shots, the iPhone 11 Pro lets 40% more light into the sensor, by have a larger f/2.0 aperture vs the f/2.4 aperture that the iPhone XS’s had.

Also - you can now use either the telephoto or the regular module, when taking Portrait Mode shots.

10. Wide Angle Panoramas

Thanks to that 3rd ultra-wide angle module, Panoramas are also much wider now!

A wide angle panorama taken in Chine (Source: Austin Mann)

A wide angle panorama taken in Chine (Source: Austin Mann)

When using the camera you can access this zoom wheel, which will transition smoothly between the lenses depending on the shot you’re taking (Source: MKBHD)

When using the camera you can access this zoom wheel, which will transition smoothly between the lenses depending on the shot you’re taking (Source: MKBHD)

11. Flawless Transition

And you can fluidly switch between all 3 lenses, by using the new zoom wheel! Extremely intuitive and easy to use!



12. Auto Focus and Exposure

And the iPhone 11 also keeps the exact same focus point and exposure level, across all 3 camera modules!

13. 100% Focus Pixels

The main (regular) camera module on the iPhone 11’s, also have 100% Focus Pixels now, which means that every single pixel on the camera sensor, would now be used for focusing. So you get faster and more accurate focus.

14. True Tone Flash Improvements

The True Tone Flash is now 36% brighter

15. Smart HDR Improvements

The SmartHDR functionality that we got with the iPhone XS’s last year is now even better, thanks to the Apple A13 processor.

16. 4K 60 on all Lenses

And unlike all other smartphones that also have 3 camera modules - the iPhone 11’s are the only ones capable of recording 4K60fps on all 3 modules, as most other phones are restricted to 4K30, when using the wideangle lens for example.

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With apps such as Filmic Pro you will be able to view and record multiple camera streams (Source: Apple)

With apps such as Filmic Pro you will be able to view and record multiple camera streams (Source: Apple)

17. Simultaneous Recording

The iPhone 11’s also allows you to record multiple video streams using all the cameras, at the same time (using 3rd party apps such as Filmic Pro)!

18. Extended Dynamic Range

And you can now record in Extended Dynamic Range in 4K60 as well! Previously, this was restricted to 4k30.

19. 4K 60 Front Camera

This is huge! Previously we had 1080p60, now we have full 4K60 video recording, with the front facing camera!

When held in landscape, the front facing camera will automatically switch to a wide angle lense (Source: Apple

When held in landscape, the front facing camera will automatically switch to a wide angle lense (Source: Apple

20. Wide Angle Front Camera

Front camera is also wider now. It uses a larger 12MP sensor but only saves the photos in 7MP.

However, you can also shoot wider shots, by using the full 12MP sensor.


21. Deep Fusion

This will be coming in a future software update, but it will allow the iPhone to combine multiple photos into a very high resolution image.

22. Water Resistance

This has been increase to 4m of depth on the iPhone 11 Pro’s (from 2m on the iPhone XS’s) and up to 2m of depth of the iPhone 11 (from 1m on the iPhone XR). Up to 30minutes of submersion on all of them.

23. Water Damage

BUT if your phone does get damaged by water, this will not be covered under warranty. Pretty odd that they’re promoting such a feature, but if your phone breaks, you’ll be on your own.

24.Improved Audio

Audio has also been improved by adding spacial audio and Dolby Atmos Support.

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25. Improved FaceID

FaceID is now faster by 30% BUT this is thanks to iOS 13 and NOT any new FaceID hardware. Many reviews got this wrong and said that FaceID comes with new hardware but it does not.

26. WiFi

WiFi 6 is here on the iPhones 11’s! Not only does this mean that we can get speeds of up to 9.6Gb/s but you can say goodbye to traffic congestion (only if you’re using a WiFi 6 router, alongside WiFi 6 enabled devices on that network).

The new iPhone shares the same display panel as Samsung’s Note 10 (Above)

The new iPhone shares the same display panel as Samsung’s Note 10 (Above)

27. Note 10 Display

Apple introduced the new Super Retina XDR display. But this is actually the same display that Samsung uses on their Note 10 and S10 line of smartphones.

Source: Apple

Source: Apple


28. Display Brightness

Brightness is up to 1200nits from 1000 (when viewing HDR content) and up to 800 nits from 625 nits (outdoors).



29. Contrast Ratio

Contrast ratio is now double. 2M:1 up from 1M:1

3D Touch Demo

3D Touch Demo

30. Goodbye 3D Touch

This has now been completely removed and replaced with Haptic Touch.

So instead of pressing harder for that secondary tap, you now hold for longer. I don’t mind this, as I wasn’t using 3D Touch at all, but those who have been using it, will miss it.

31. Improved Haptics

The Haptic engine has now been improved with the iPhone 11’s. Most likely because of the removal of 3D Touch and the focus towards Haptic Touch.

Like on Samsung Flagships, if you pinch and zoom, the audio will become louder as well (Source: Samsung)

Like on Samsung Flagships, if you pinch and zoom, the audio will become louder as well (Source: Samsung)






32. Audio Zoom

Same as the Note 10 & the Note 10+, when you zoom into a video, the audio will also get louder. Pretty cool!








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33. Improved Battery

We now get up to 5 hours of more battery life on the 11 Pro Max vs the XS Max, up to 4 hours on the 11 Pro vs the XS, and up to 1 hour on the 11 vs XR.

This is the biggest battery life improvement we’ve ever had in an iPhone.

34. Fast Charging

Not a lot of people know this, but all iPhones from the 6 onwards supported fast charging.

35. Fast Charger

We finally get one inside the box of the iPhone 11 Pro & Pro Max, the regular 11 doesn’t get one unfortunately.

This has been extremely long overdue, as Android manufacturers have been including a faster charger in the box for the past 5+ years.

Source: Apple

Source: Apple

36. eSIM

The iPhone XS was one of the first phones in the world to get eSIM support.

What this means is that you do not need to have a physical SIM inside your phone to make phone calls. Instead, you can just register to a carrier from the settings menu and always be connected.

This also makes your iPhone theft proof, since if it gets stolen, there’s no SIM to remove which means that it will always have an internet connection, unless it’s turned off.

37.Matte & Glossy

It’s quite interesting how the iPhone 11 has a glossy back and a matte camera module, while the iPhone 11 Pro’s have a matte back and a glossy camera module.

The back of the iPhone 11 Pro (Source: Apple)

The back of the iPhone 11 Pro (Source: Apple)

38. Strongest Glass

Strongest Glass in a smartphone, so Apple claims. However they claimed the same thing with the XS, and mine shattered when it fell from my couch onto a wooden floor. 20-30cm drop and my iPhone was a goner.

Source: Apple

Source: Apple

39. Storage Letdown

64GB is the baseline. On a “Pro” smartphone. If this was $600-$700 I wouldn’t complain but for £1150? Ouch, that’s bad!

Source: Apple

Source: Apple

40. Lower & Higher Price

The iPhone 11 is now $50 less than the iPhone XR used to cost ($700 vs $750)

iPhone 11 Pro’s are the same price as the XS & XS Max from the year before, however outside the US they are quite a bit more expensive. £50 more in the UK and even more in some other countries.

The iPhone 11’s price compared to its predecessor, the XR (Source: Apple)

The iPhone 11’s price compared to its predecessor, the XR (Source: Apple)