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Even genuine replacement Apple displays can mess with iPhones
Following the news that the latest iOS update can break phones with non-official replacement screens, repairers are encountering a different, more subtle problem: If you put a genuine Apple replacement display into an iPhone 8, 8 Plus or X, it'll no longer be able to adjust its brightness automatically. If Apple or one of its authorized partners were to put the same display in the same phone, though? No problem. The aftermarket repair community has verified the behavior in phones from the US all the way to Australia. It's confirmed to be an issue with phones running iOS 11.1, 11.2 and 11.3, which led sources to suggest it's been a problem since the launch of the latest batch of iPhones last fall. I was able to confirm that even swapping the displays of two brand-new iPhones causes the ambient light sensor to stop working, despite it not being altered or touched in any way. Experiments have shown that the sensor is disabled by iOS during the boot process.
Apple's red iPhone 8 and 8 Plus go on sale tomorrow
For over a decade now, Apple has worked with HIV/AIDS charity Product RED, raising over $160 million for the non-profit to date. That money comes from the sales of scarlet-colored covers, cases, Apple Watch bands and rarer, special edition devices. A recent rumor suggested the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus would be next to receive the Product RED treatment, which has just been validated by Apple. The deep red editions will be available to buy online tomorrow and in stores from Friday April 13th for the same price as existing models.
The OnePlus 6 will have a notch
Concerned over all of the hate notches have been getting, OnePlus decided to get ahead of the issue and explain to The Verge why it's going the notch route with the OnePlus 6 and why that doesn't make it just an iPhone copycat. The company says that the OnePlus 6's notch will be larger than the Essential Phone's because going that small would've affected the earpiece and front-facing camera quality or required it to omit other sensors and lights. But it will be smaller than the iPhone X's.
The Galaxy S9+ vs. the competition: Beyond the dual cameras
This year's bigger Galaxy handset focuses on its picture-taking capabilities: The S9+ is Samsung's first flagship with a dual camera, which brings it in line with competing phones like the Pixel 2 XL as well as its sibling Galaxy Note 8. There's also a plethora of new software tricks to make the most of its new picture taking rig, which you can read all about in our hands-on. However, if you're all about the number crunching, check out the table below, where we'd laid out the key specs of the S9+ as well as its closest competition, including both flavors of iPhone. Of course, numbers aren't everything, so you'll have to stay tuned for our full review of the S9 and S9+ in a few weeks.
This case turns your iPhone into a modular device
The modular phone trend hasn't taken off as fast as companies like Motorola would have hoped, what with devices like the Moto Z and Moto Z Force not exactly being a hit. But, that doesn't mean there aren't others trying to mimic that style, even if they aren't doing it with their own phone. Here's where Bay Area-based startup Vibes Modular comes in, as it has built a smartphone case that turns your non-modular iPhone or Android device into one that is. So far, the company has a made a Bluetooth speaker and an external charger that attaches to its cases (compatible with 30 different phones), and in the future it plans to roll out a small projector and a drone.
Apple employees keep walking into their new HQ’s glass walls
Apple opened its new campus last year -- a stunning, glass wall-filled space meant to encourage collaboration and cooperation. But Bloomberg reports today that this achievement in design appears to have sacrificed some functionality -- a growing theme in Apple products -- because, apparently, Apple employees keep walking into the glass. Sources told Bloomberg that some individuals started sticking Post-It notes to the glass doors and walls in order to make them more noticeable, but they were ultimately taken down because they distracted from the space's design.
Samsung's Galaxy S9 may offer its own version of Apple's Animoji
Samsung has a history of going toe-to-toe (or sometimes, finger to finger) with Apple on features with its Galaxy S phones, and the Galaxy S9 may be no exception to the rule. ETNews sources have claimed that the S9 will include a "3D emoji" feature that -- surprise! -- counters the Animoji you find on the iPhone X. The smartphone would reportedly use upgraded facial recognition (no word on how closely it matches the iPhone) to create 3D faces that mimic your facial expressions and add a little spice to your messages. The technology would also lead to "more secure financial transactions," which implies that you could use your face for Samsung Pay in the same way that iPhone X owners can stare at their device to use Apple Pay.
Apple’s Animojis may come to iPad and FaceTime this fall
Apple's biggest software updates are always scheduled for a single fall release and today Bloomberg reports on some new features that we can look forward to later this year. First up, third-party apps will be able to work across iPhones, iPads and Mac computers -- a feature we've heard talk of before and will involve both iOS 12 and macOS 10.14. Additionally, the iPhone X's Animojis will be getting an upgrade, with new characters and a better menu reportedly on the way as well as the ability to use them in FaceTime. And they won't be relegated to the iPhone X for much longer. Bloomberg says Apple is working on a new iPad that will have the Face ID camera, allowing iPad users to play with Animojis as well.
Android P might support 'notched' displays
It sounds like Google is taking inspiration from the iPhone X display's notch for the next version of Android. The idea is for Android Pistachio Ice Cream (the software version's internal name, according to Bloomberg) is to win potential iPhone customers over by offering a similar look to its OS. While some like Samsung have outright mocked the cut-out, other manufacturers like Essential (above) have embraced it. This move makes it sound like Google expects more of the latter than the former, which means you can likely expect to find more phones with all manner of sensors tucked into the space in the future. Chinese OEM Huawei is rumored to join the notched-display party as well.
iPhone X owners report trouble answering phone calls
The iPhone X's early teething troubles have largely gone away, but there's a lingering problem for some owners... and it's a fairly serious one. Users have reported that the iPhone X's touchscreen won't turn on for several seconds when there's an incoming call, preventing them from answering or seeing who's on the other line. Complaints started surfacing in December, but the issue has persisted until now.
This shameless iPhone X clone costs just $160
What? A company has made a phone that borrows heavily from Apple's design? (And LG, Samsung while we're here.) At least the notch is real this time. Oukitel's U18 is up for preorder, priced at $160, making it the cheapest iPhone X that... isn't an iPhone X at all. But, you could get six of them for the price of a real one. The hardware design is all over the place: look at that Samsung chin, or the LG-inspired button on the back. Meaning, for some reason, Oukitel's brought together all the things that I hate. However, it is backed it up with a 4,000mAh battery, at least. (It's the same company that debuted that insane 10,000mAH smartphone a way back.)
Apple sold the most smartphones over the holidays
Smartphone sales were so slow during the holiday season of 2017, that Apple overtook Samsung to capture the first place in the market, according to IDC and Strategy Analytics. This, despite the fact that iPhone sales dropped during the holidays -- down 1.3 percent from the same period the year before -- and that the iPhone X hasn't been doing as well as Cupertino hoped for. Smartphone manufacturers apparently only shipped 403.5 million units during the holidays last year compared to 430.7 million units in 2016. Samsung, which usually sits at the top of the list, shipped 74.1 million phones in the last few months of 2017, down 4.4 percent from the year before.
iOS 11.3 will let iPhone X users approve family purchases with Face ID
iPhone users will a get a handful of new capabilities when Apple releases iOS 11.3 this spring, one of which is sure to be welcomed by parents with an iPhone X. With the introduction of Face ID, some processes got a little easier for iPhone users, but parents who approve their children's purchases through the Ask to Buy feature have been a little irritated with the system. That's because while Touch ID-enabled iPhones let parents use their fingerprints to approve a child's purchase request, the iPhone X has been forcing parents to input their password each time. However, that's about to change because it appears iOS 11.3 will allow Face ID for purchase approvals.
Apple isn't really killing the iPhone X
When KGI Securities' Ming-Chi Kuo pens a research note, it's not just his clients who tear into the results -- the tech community does too, because of his almost uncanny track record with Apple predictions. A recent note of his begat a series of unfortunate headlines though. Depending on who you read, the iPhone X could be scrapped or killed or cancelled suddenly, as though Apple -- utterly disheartened by theoretically lackluster sales -- simply decided to call it quits.
‘Skullgirls’ relaunches on mobile as developer ditches publisher
Stylized fighting game Skullgirls came out for mobile in May of last year. It was developed by Autumn Games and initially published by Line. Now, the developer has decided to part ways with the publisher and go back to being independent. As a result of this transition, the developer launched a new version (basically Skullgirls 2.0) and shut down the old one (now called LINE Skullgirls) on the App Store and Google Play.
Watch a developer erase his face with the iPhone X
The iPhone X's Face ID sensors have shown great potential for art, gaming and just weird apps, but a Japanese developer has taken another tack with the device. Using Unity, ViRD game developer @noshipu, aka Kazuya Noshiro, completely erased his face, except for his mouth and eyes, as shown in the 10-second clip below. Calling the trick "optical camouflage," Noshiro admitted that he has no clue what it can be used for. "If you want to make your face transparent, we're recruiting," he joked.
The best gadgets of 2017
2017 hasn't been the easiest year to live through, but we've found joy and comfort in some of the hardware we've tested over the last 12 months. Last year, we saw VR surge in prominence, but our picks this year are more conventional -- not to mention more diverse. The usual suspects include the iPhone X and Surface Laptop for getting helping us get things done, and the Nintendo Switch and the Sonos One for their ability to let us luxuriate at home and on the road. There's some more unexpected stuff on our list, too, like the easy-to-use DJI Spark drone as well as the Mighty, a tiny music player that won over much of the Engadget staff. Ultimately, we appreciated these picks for the ways they made our lives more pleasant, even if only a little.
iPhone X owners can't use Face ID to approve family purchases
Face ID on the iPhone X is helpful for authorizing a purchase for yourself, but don't expect to use it if you're approving a purchase for your kids. Numerous owners have discovered that the face authentication feature doesn't work for family purchases (that is, where a family member asks you to buy apps or music on their behalf) like Touch ID does on earlier iPhones. It's not a tremendous pain, but you probably won't relish the thought of punching in your password every time your little ones want a new game for their iPads.
Apple has finally caught up with iPhone X demand
The iPhone X was an elusive unicorn on launch. If you didn't snag one of the earliest pre-orders or get lucky waiting in line, you were looking at a weeks-long wait -- more than a few people flipped their units for a tidy profit. Now, however? They're practically growing on trees. Multiple Apple online stores (including the US, UK, Canada and Japan) list the iPhone as in stock and delivering within 1-2 days if you commit to a purchase. Carriers and third-party stores are carrying the phone, too.
'Rainbrow' is an iPhone X game you play with your eyebrows
If you were eagerly awaiting the day you'd get to control a smartphone game with your eyebrows, the time is now. At least, if you own Apple's thousand-dollar iPhone X. "Rainbrow" (see what they did there) is the brainchild of Washington University computer science grad Nathan Gitter. The game harnesses the flagship's TrueDepth camera and ARKit augmented reality platform to deliver a headache-inducing arcade trip. Think Frogger, but instead of a frog dodging freeway traffic, you control a smiley across what looks like a Pride flag, dodging other emoji in order to amass points.
