Category: Mobile

iPhone XS review: The best iPhone from Cupertino yet.

Last year when Apple released the X it was interesting. For the first time, the design was changed.

Sporting a 5.8-inch screen, no home button, Face-ID, and coming in at $999 (US price). The phone was a big step for Apple.

In 2018 Apple has carried much of those notions into the phone line up for this year.

3 phones to choose from: Take your pick

For 2018 there are 3 phones in play. I’ll explain each one more later in this post, but without further preamble they are as follows:

iPhone XS coming in 2 models, Max and not, and a new iPhone XR with a 6.1-inch screen. The iPhone 8 and 7 series are still available from Apple should you want to get a device with Touch ID.

Hello Face ID, it’s nice to meet you

One of the reasons why I played it safe last year and got the 8 was to let Face ID mature. This was a fantastic notion on my part, as it means now Apple is using the second-generation Face ID technology, which to put it in their own words is faster when performing facial recognition. Indeed, Locking and unlocking my XS does seem to be faster when using the Face ID.

All three phones are powered by the new A-12 chip, the first nano chip with 3 billion transistors on the logic board. These phones are very fast for every day use. I’m excited to see what app developers do with all that computing power in the next 3-5 years.

Apple is the king when it comes to mobile silicon architecture.

Conclusion

These new phones are worth it 100%, even for an S series, what Apple has produced this year is spectacular.

Rating:

5 Stars Outstanding.

iOS 12 review: The best version yet.

Introduction

I’ve been using iOS, The operating system that powers iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch since 2009.

I still remember my excitement when I got my first 3rd generation iPod Touch with VoiceOver.

Back then the 3GS was hot, And the notion of a screen reader on a flat touch-screen device was new.

Let us fast forward to 2018 and both what we expect from our mobile devices and indeed the power said devices bring to the table has become almost magical.

What’s new

From Siri shortcuts to a much-improved notifications system there’s a lot to love about iOS 12.

I won’t delve much into everything that is new but will say that the experience and speed is noticeable, specially if one is coming from an older iOS device.

Apple claim that the camera app now opens 70% faster, the overall performance is much improved.

Another area I really love is the way now iOS handles notifications. Say you get 20 notifications on Facebook. You can just tap to dismiss them all, or with Vo running double tap on clear all.

Conclusion

With apple’s focus on stability and speed, this update is very much recommended for anyone who can run it.

Big changes like a new home screen are coming in iOS 13.

For now, iOS 12 is the best.

iPhone 7 review. Goodbye headphone jack.

With no headphone jack, the 64 fusion CPU, a double lens arrangement for the larger 7+ this year’s iPhones make a big bold statement for the future.

Introduction

At Apple’s special event held in September CEO Tim Cook and other executives demoed the new iPhone 7 and 7+.

Most of the features this year appear to be subtle upgrades that hint at something bigger to come.

Press my home button

One thing long term iOS users will notice is that the iconic home button is no more, rather it’s become a button controlled by software. If the phone is turned off you’re unable to depress the button at all.

Turn it on however, and you’ll feel a gentle tap to mimic the physical click.

It takes some getting used to but is probably a nice addition as there is one less component of the phone to fail.

Design

Apart from being a tad heavyer you’d be hard pressed to tell apart the 7 and 7+ from what came before) 6s and 6s+).
The only change is a new paint job there calling glossy black.

Sighted members in my family and some friends that have the glossy version tell me it looks wonderful.

I personally went with my favourite standard gold.

For the first time ever for an iPhone you can get the biggest storage quota 256GB an obscene amount of storage.

This will please music and movie junkies or those who love to have everything at hand.

The larger model also comes with 3GB and 2 cameras something that will be welcome for people that take a lot of pictures.

The FaceTime camera has now been upgraded to 7MP.

Optical image stabilisation is also now present in both phones.

Conclusion and overall impressions

With Google rebranding their Nexus line Apple had to bring something to the table and as stated previously it would seem that this year there testing the waters.

If you have a perfectly working 6s or 6s+ I’d stay your hand and wait it out.

For those of you with a 6 or 6+ the upgrades will be huge.
Go for it!

Rating

4 Stars excellent.

Pros

The best mobile software period, feels good in the hand, new home button is interesting.

Cons

No headphone jack is painful, no fast charging, design is getting old, can get inordinately expensive specially if you get all the cases and adapters required.

iPhone 5c review

Just after Apple launched the iPhone 5 last year there were calls for the company to start thinking about offering a low cost version of the iPhone. It was said that Apple needed a cheaper iPhone if it was to continue to gain market share at a time when smartphone ownership was starting to reach saturation. Apple responded by saying that a cheaper iPhone would “never be the future of Apple products.”

And yet the idea that Apple would launch a cheaper iPhone took hold, so when Apple unveiled the iPhone 5c alongside the iPhone 5s many assumed that the C stood for cheap. Perhaps because expectations were set so high (or should I say low) the inevitable disappointment when it emerged that the upfront price of the iPhone 5c was just $130 less than the equivalent iPhone 5s. Starting at $739 AUD the iPhone 5c is not a cheap iPhone.

Is this a big mistake on Apple’s part? I don’t think so. Indeed, I think that producing a cheap iPhone would have cheapened the brand. Now anyone purchasing an iPhone 5c doesn’t need to feel like they are settling for something inferior. Both of Apple’s new iPhones are premium products and anyone should be proud to own one. Indeed, the negative press about the higher-than-expected price for the iPhone 5c means that the value of your new phone will be recognised.

Design:

The other reason why it was assumed that this is a cheap iPhone is the plastic coating. Since the iPhone 4 all Apple iPhones have been crafted from aluminium and glass. Even the stil-on-sale iPhone 4S has an aluminium case. Does the plastic case make the new iPhone 5c look like it belongs in a bargain basement?

On the contrary, I think Apple has proven that plastic doesn’t have to look cheap. The iPhone 5c bears all the trademarks of Apple’s meticulous attention to detail. It is crafted from a single piece of plastic. You won’t find a single seam or joint in the unibody-style design. One benefit for the plastic construction is that the edges are smooth and curved, unlike those of the iPhone 5s and 4S, which by comparison feel a little less comfortable in the hand.

On the inside of the plastic case is a steal-enforced frame. Thanks to this metal skeleton the plastic coated iPhone 5c feels solid. Along with adding rigidity the steal frame and metal plate at the back can double up as an antenna, so it’s unlikely that there will be a repeat of antenna gate, the reception issue that plagued the iPhone 4.

Pick your colour:

It’s pretty clear that when Apple settled on the name iPhone 5c the c stood for colour. This is the first time that Apple has produced an iPhone that isn’t black or white. The 5c comes in your choice of 5 different vibrant colours including: pink, yellow, blue and green, as well as white. The pink one will be a hit with younger females.

There is no black version of the iPhone 5c however, they did release a model for the iPhone 5s called “space grey.” Which replaces the black model.

The Next Generation assessing the processor of the iPhone 5c how does it go against the iPhone 5?

As much as I like the plastic casing of the iPhone 5c there is one fact that I can’t ignore. The plastic case is the only difference between the iPhone 5 and the iPhone 5c. The two phones are identical, sharing the same iSight camera, A6 processor, and the Lightning connector. This has lead many to assume that the iPhone 5c is a repackaged iPhone 5.

Actually it’s not completely true that the two phones are identical. There are a few differences. The iPhone 5c shares it’s internal WiFi and cellular hardware with the iPhone 5s rather than iPhone 5 probably because by sharing common components Apple can save money. This coupled with the steal back providing extra antenna capacity seems, in my tests, to result in a better 3G signal. I haven’t been able to test the 4G signal on the device as my sisters unit which I was reviewing only came with a 3G sim.

FaceTime camera:

The iPhone 5c and the iPhone 5s also share the new FaceTime camera that is capable of clearer FaceTime video calls according to Apple. I tested this and indeed, the iPhone 5c meant that I could be seen in more detail than when I tried with an iPhone 5.

4G support:

The other major difference is that the fact that the iPhone 5c will support all the Australian 4G carriers, where the iPhone 5 cannot support the 4G network of Vodafone all though it’s slowly rolling out it’s 4G coverage. When it’s complete the iPhone 5c will be supported on all major 4G networks.

Despite these internal differences and the new cases – it’s difficult to argue that it is a completely different phone. The big question is whether it really matters.

I don’t think that it does matter if the 5c doesn’t sell as much. It’s Apple’s colourful new offering design to be on shelves for customers to look at. It will appeal to those wanting a new and fun device or mothers buying their kids a phone. For everyone else there is the iPhone 5s.

The iPhone 5c camera:

Whether it’s an iPhone 5 or not, the iPhone 5c is still a feature packed phone. As I mentioned above the FaceTime camera on the front of the device is improved. The camera on the back of the iPhone 5c features the same 8 megapixel sensor, 3264×2448, backside illuminated, hybrid IR filter, five-element lens, and f/2,4 aperture as the iPhone 5 did. It is by no means a bad camera. If your current camera is an iPhone 4S or older you will notice a marked difference.

The iPhone 5 camera offers faster photo capture, better low-light performance and improved noise reduction compared to those previous models HDR captures are faster when compared to older iPhones.

The camera itself is identical to that in the iPhone 5. the video quality is also identical.

If photography is your thing you may prefer the camera in the iPhone 5s which is greatly improved with a new five-element Apple designed lens that features a larger f-2.2 aperture. The sensor in the iPhone 5s camera is also larger as are the pixels on this sensor.

The iPhone 5c and the iPhone 5 comparison:

Another reason to opt for the iPhone 5s would be if you know that your usage is likely to benefit from the modern platform offered by the iPhone 5s. With an A7 chip and 64-bit processing the iPhone 5s will, no doubt be loved by gamers and will also give you a few more years of use before it becomes obsolete.

On-the-other-hand the A6 chip is still pretty fast and runs iOS 7 very well. So you might not need the added speed of the iPhone 5s.

The display and battery life:

When the iPhone 5 launched the most obvious difference to the iPhone 4S was the size of the display, and like the iPhone 5 the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s feature a 4in Retina display as opposed to the 3.5in display of the older models. Being 176 pixels taller means the display offers a 16:9 aspect ratio — which is the same as an HDTV.

Some people complain that Apple hasn’t bought out an iPhone with a bigger screen. Apple’s own response to that complaint is two fold, when it launched the 4in display last year Apple said that it was designed so that you can hold the iPhone in your hand and reach all parts of the screen comfortably. You couldn’t do this with a bigger display unless you have giant hands. The other reason Apple says is that it doesn’t believe that the quality of the bigger screen is good enough. So if you really want a bigger iPhone then you will have to wait a while longer.

Apple’s says that the battery in the iPhone 5c is larger than the iPhone 5. Apple claims that it offers 10 hours of web browsing on Wi-Fi and LTE networks, up to 8 ours on 3G networks, and up to 10 hours of video playback and up to 40 hours of audio playback. This is almost identical to apples claims regarding the iPhone 5 last year, with the exception that Apple now claims 10 hours over LTE where last year that claim was 8 hours. In my everyday use the iPhone 5c gave good battery life on par with my iPhone 4S. It typically would need a charge by the end of the day. This means you should have no problems with getting through A work or school day.

In my battery torture test where I play a looping video with brightness turned up and Wi-Fi connected the iPhone 5c lasted an impressive 10 hours, 19 minutes (compared to the iPhone 5s at 11 hours).

Verdict:

If you’re trying to decide between the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5c it is a question of whether you need all the extras offered by the iPhone 5s. Perhaps you are enticed by the new camera in the 5s, for example. If you need the latest Technology it is only $130 AUD more so it’s kind of a no brainer.

But not everyone needs the bells and whistles for some it’s not the processor and the high tech features that matter but the way a device looks and feels and whether it helps them express their individuality. If you fit in that camp then the iPhone 5c is well worth a look.

Similarly if you have an iPhone that predated the iPhone 5 it really is about time you upgraded You really don’t know what you’ve been missing.

For those of you with an iPhone 5, upgrading to an iPhone 5c is probably not worth it. Unless you’ve broken your iPhone 5 recently and need a new device otherwise stick with your current phone. It’s a perfectly good iPhone and runs iOS 7 very well. If you must upgrade get the 5s instead or better yet wait until next year to see what Apple has to offer with the iPhone 6.

Manufacturer:

Apple.

Pros:

colourful designs that may appeal to some, more LTE bands supported.

Cons:

Expensive, same design as the iPhone 5, you can get the iPhone 5s for only an extra $130 AUD.

Rating:

4 stars. Excellent.

Reviewed on Friday 25 October.