Author: batteryforpc

Another day, another set of leaks for Google’s worst-kept secret of 2019. It’s probably for the best since fans will have an idea what they’re getting into before the day arrives. So far the leaks have been to everyone’s expectations, but that doesn’t mean there are no disappointing turns. In fact, even in this latest flood of new information, there is one small detail that makes the Pixel 4 look less competitive than this year’s late 2019 flagships.

The appearance of the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL is hardly any secret by now. Google even preempted those leaks by confirming that it will indeed be putting a square camera bump on its flagships this year. More than just renders, though, the past few days have been filled with leaks of actual functional units, most of them coming from Vietnam.

The Verge has been given yet another batch of live photos of the device showing off this year’s rendition of the black and white “Panda” design. Fans of that dual-tone theme might be disappointed to see a different spin on those colors. There’s also the top bezel that’s thicker than the bottom, giving it a rather unbalanced but look for the sake of more functionality.

These photos also reveal the specs of the phone, which is also no secret by now. In addition to the processors and cameras from the photos, XDA dives into the Google Camera app version 7.0 to see the capabilities the Pixel 4 will offer. That includes the earlier features like Audio Zoom as well as new AR-based ones like Measure Mode and a mysterious “McFly” Rewind Mode.

Moving to benchmarks, it seems that the Pixel 4 may have yet one more bad news for fans. In addition to just getting a Snapdragon 855, not the 855 Plus, it seems that Google’s flagships will be using a slightly older UFS 2.1 storageinside. The speed difference might not be night and day compared to UFS 3.0 but it does mean that the Pixel 4 will score lower in benchmarks compared to the likes of Samsung’s Galaxy phones.

Apple’s press event, where it debuted the iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max, came and went on Tuesday. And while a lot of noise was made about the handsets’ creepy-looking camera setups, the 11 Pro’s polarizing Midnight Green color and the obnoxiously termed “slofie,” there were a few other iPhone 11 features that flew under the radar.

It’s understandable why these details were overlooked — either Apple didn’t make them explicit during its keynote or the features, though useful, aren’t exactly “sexy.” Now that the dust has settled from the Tuesday’s hubbub, however, we can take a closer look at some of some small but interesting details about the iPhone 11 you might have missed.

The iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max have Wi-Fi 6

Similar to the Galaxy S10 Plus, the new iPhones have the next generation of wireless networking known as Wi-Fi 6. As CNET Senior Editor Ry Crist puts it, “Devices that support Wi-Fi 6 still speak that same Wi-Fi language to talk to each other — they just talk faster and more efficiently than before.”

Compared to Wi-Fi 5, Wi-Fi 6 “supports faster top transfer speeds; lets devices send more information with each individual transmission; lets routers and other access points service more devices at once; helps sensors and other wireless gadgetsconserve battery power by scheduling transmissions; and facilitates better, faster performance in dense, crowded environments like airports and stadiums.”

But you likely won’t see any perks in your iPhone 11 now. Wi-Fi 6 isn’t officially certified yet, and Wi-Fi 6 routers are expensive. And even if you do have one, your top speeds only reach whatever your service provider caps you off at anyway. Think of this tidbit as more like future-proofing your phone, instead of an immediate benefit.

They have an Ultra Wideband chip

Apple didn’t make a big deal about this feature during the keynote, but it does care enough to point it out on its product site. The company designed a new chip called U1 for “spatial awareness,” and it helps iPhones find other iPhones more precisely when they’re in close proximity.

Apple says this improves AirDrop, a service that lets iPhone users quickly share files with nearby iPhones. Starting Sept. 30 with the release of iOS 13.1, the new chip will allow you to “point your iPhone toward someone else’s, and AirDrop will prioritize that device so you can share files faster.”

Tantalizingly, Apple added that “that’s just the beginning.” Many believe that the U1 chip is actually laying the groundwork for a long-rumored Apple tile tracker.

iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max ship with 18W USB-C chargers

Though fast charging has been available to Android users for years, the feature will now be available to iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max users. Previously, Apple would include 5-watt chargers in the box, but the more premium iPhones will have an 18-watt USB-C charger and a USB-C-to-Lightning cable bundled with the phone. The new charger will apparently charge the iPhone 11 Pro up to 50% in 30 minutes, according to Apple.

They’re heavier this year

While the iPhone 11 and the iPhone XR weigh the same, the iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max are a tad heavier than their 2018 counterparts (the iPhone XS and XS Max, respectively). As you can see by the chart below, the 11 Pro weighs 11 grams (about 0.4 ounces) more while the 11 Pro Max weighs 18 grams more.

While you may not notice it in real life, especially if you don’t have one in each hand, CNET Senior Editor Scott Stein did say he noticed they felt denser compared to last year’s models during his brief hands-on with them. The added weight is likely due to the extra camera lens and the bigger battery.

iOS 13.1 is coming 11 days after iOS 13

Apple’s latest OS, iOS 13, will be available for download on Sept. 19. And since the iPhone 11 phones ship out on Sept. 20, you can be sure that they will already have iOS 13 right out of the box.

An update to iOS 13, known as iOS 13.1, will come out 11 days later, on Sept. 30. We’re not sure what exactly this small update will include, although we do know that iOS 13.1 will enable the aforementioned U1-powered AirDrop feature.

iPhone 11 says goodbye to 3D Touch for good

Apple began to phase out its 3D Touch feature last year, starting with the iPhone XR. Debuting in 2015 in the iPhone 6S, 3D Touch allowed you to access additional menu options and commands by hard-pressing your finger against the screen. Now, however, the feature is absent on all three new iPhone 11s.

Instead, the company replaced 3D Touch with Haptic Touch. Haptic Touch works relatively the same way, except instead of having to press down harder on the screen, you’ll need to merely long-press on the item. This confirmed rumors that have been floating around since last year, about Apple ditching the technology for either its 2018or 2019 iPhone lineup, according to MacRumors.

Ever since its inception, the iPad has operated in the liminal space between toy and tool. Great for streaming movies and casually browsing, it’s never quite been enough to replace a laptop. Apple’s newest iPad may change that.

At its event in Cupertino this month, Apple revealed the specs on its newest entry-level tablet. The 7th-generation model will feature a 10.2-inch Retina display, A10 Fusion chip, smart connector for a full-sized keyboard and a host of cool new multitasking features in iPadOS.

The net effect: an iPad that’s significantly more powerful than its predecessors — possibly enough so to fill the needs of light laptop users. What’s more, the price is set at a reasonable $329. (Apple’s compatible iPad keyboard will run you an additional $160.)

Will the extra utility and approachability of Apple’s entry-level iPad make the Pro somewhat less appealing? Time will tell…

Microsoft has announced a major launch event in New Yorkwhere it is widely expected to reveal the latest Surface hardware, and it looks like there could be a surprise in store for Surface Laptop fans.

Taking place on October 2nd, the latest information is that Microsoft will be updating the Surface Laptop portfolio to include its first 15-inch model. Although the Surface Book has a 15-inch screen option (and Apple is heavily rumored to up the 15-inch MacBook Pro to a 16-inch display, assuming Apple really cares about this market), the appearance of the 15-inch option with the Surface Laptop opens up a new audience to Microsoft.

I would expect any 15-inch Surface Laptop to follow in the shadow of both the existing Laptop and the larger Surface Book machines to continue using the 3:2 ratio screens. With the higher price of the Surface Book, having a Surface Laptop option with the larger screens opens up a different market segment that is looking for the expansive screen at a lower price point.

I’m more intrigued by the chipset options. Until now Microsoft has worked with Intel, but there have been some indications that AMD has been under consideration in the past, as reported here on Forbes over the summer:

There’s a strong argument that if Microsoft is looking to keep the ecosystem in balance then it should be looking at other manufacturers such as AMD. Not only does that show other manufacturers that Windows 10 is not just for Intel silicon, it ensures that Microsoft and AMD share competencies that can ensure a wide and varied pool of components.

Qualcomm is also an option for Microsoft, especially if it is looking for 4G LTE and 5G connectivity in the future, but I would expect the more mobile and enterprise-focused Surface Go to be a better fit for Qualcomm’s 8CX chipset launched earlier this year.

Three devices are on deck and ready for some upgrades at the October launch event. One is the aforementioned Surface Laptop which looks a sure bet, as does the next generation Pro in the form of the Surface Pro 7. But anticipation is cooling on the potential of a third Surface Book.

And will we see a dual-screened Surface break cover? We’ll find out at the start of next month.

Microsoft’s latest round of Patch Tuesday updates for Windows 10 were released earlier this week, bringing a number of unexpected issues. First, the Redmond giant confirmed that problems with the Start menu and Windows Search were being investigated. Later, reports started emerging from users regarding audio issues including missing audio effects and volume sounding much lower than usual. More specifically, the problems are being faced by those on build 18362.356.

This doesn’t seem to have been the last of unanticipated issues, however, as some users are experiencing network adapter failures as well (via Windows Latest).

According to a user on the Microsoft community forum, “After installing the latest update KB4515384, my Intel wireless network card and Intel lan card have stopped working. Device Manager reports a device error and cannot start it. Deinstalling KB4515384 solved the problem.”

Another user documented the problem on the Feedback Hub in the following way:

“KB4515384 breaks ethernet and wifi adapters on my PC. Appears to create new devices as they’re labelled ‘#2’ and when exposing hidden devices in Device Manager the previously named devices appear. Uninstalling these / new or old drivers do not fix the issues (i.e. “ethernet unplugged” which it is clearly not). Only option was to uninstall this update.”

Meanwhile, users on Reddit have reported facing similar problems, with one user stating that downloading the latest Intel drivers or performing a fresh install did not help in resolving the problem. As such, Ethernet and Wi-Fi capabilities end up being disabled for these users.

Users affected by this bug can attempt to re-enable the network adapter via Device Manager, and then reboot their systems. However, by all accounts so far, it does seem that the only fix for now is to uninstall the KB4515384 cumulative update. Although Microsoft has not officially acknowledged the issue yet, users will be hoping that a proper workaround is detailed soon.

If you’re pricing out a new 13-inch laptop, you’ve probably considered the HP Spectre and Dell XPS lines—particularly the HP Spectre x360 and the Dell XPS 13.

Both of these laptops are the core workhorses in their respective lines, which are kitted out to appeal to higher-end consumer and business audiences. Hewlett Packard often wins corporate bidding due to its more budget-conscious pricing, though you give up some fit and finish to make those cost breakpoints. Dell machines tend to be more solidly built, but also tack on extra cost to cover those details.

All of the Hewlett Packard Spectre line commonly available are touchscreen 2-in-1 models, meaning that you can flip them over on their hinges and use them as tablets (or in table-tent mode for video viewing.) The XPS 13 does come in a 2-in-1 version, but it’s a bit pricier. I’ve stuck with the standard laptop edition for this review to keep the models in a similar price range. Here’s how they compare:

Hewlett Packard (HP) Spectre x360-13t

The Spectre x360 13t includes a 13-inch screen with HP’s distinctive cut-off corners. This one comes with a dark chassis and gold accents. It draws its power from a quad-core 8th Generation Intel i7-8550U processor, 16 gigabytes (GB) RAMand a 512GB PCIe NVMe Solid State Drive.

Graphics processing is provided by an integrated Intel UHD 620 graphics processor (standard equipment on most laptops in these two lines.) The price tag is quite reasonable for a 2-in-1 with these specs, but the x360 isn’t going to win any medals for sturdy construction.

New Dell XPS 13 9380

The New Dell XPS 13 9380 comes with newer hardware inside, but no touchscreen or 2-in-1 capabilities outside. This model is a handsome rose gold exterior—with a silver interior.

This unit includes an Intel Core i7-8565 processor, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB SSD and a fingerprint reader (which can be used to turn on the laptop). It has the same onboard Intel HD Graphics 620 processor as the Spectre x360, which means that like that model, it’s capable of handling some light photo editing and similar tasks. The screen is a true 4K, and pleasant to look at. You’re paying for better build quality here, though the HP has a minor edge on hardware.