This week Google Music will stop working for your devices, if it’s not already stopped working today. Over the past year Google’s phased out the Google Music ecosystem in favor of YouTube Music, they’re alternative to each service offered by the former. The Google Music platform allows switching to a YouTube Music account, and costs are similar, but users will need to actively make the change to download the new app and log in.
If you’re still using Google Music right now, you’re living on borrowed time. Google Music will soon cease to work on all of your devices, regardless of platform. The one POSSIBLE exception is as follows.
If you have a desktop computer or mobile device with Google Music and a bunch of downloaded (offline) music, you MAY be able to continue using that app into the future. You would need to keep your internet connection OFF for the rest of the time you plan on using the device with Google Music from this day until your last day… which could be a bummer.
In all other cases, Google Music will require users to switch to YouTube Music on all platforms. That includes Android, Android TV, desktop machines, iOS, and in browsers. If you’d like to initiate a switch to the YouTube Music platform, you’ll find a relatively easy method with the YouTube Music one-click transfer method. You might also want to go ahead and download your music, if you’re lucky, you might be able to do so using the Google Play Music manager tool right now.
If you’re unable to download the files you’ve uploaded to Google Music right now, you might’ve waited a bit too long. Google won’t likely keep your files safe unless you’ve already transferred your account from the original “Google Play Music” system to YouTube Music before now.
Google finally ripped the bandage off and officially shut down Google Play Music. Although, when opening the app it still says that Google Play Music will soon shut down so you have to make the migration to YouTube Music. In other regions, it doesn’t give you any other options except transferring your data to YouTube Music.
There’s also the “Manage your data” button that takes you to the GPM website and lets you download your full library and delete it later. You can also delete your recommendation history.
However, if you have any songs downloaded onto your device, you’d have to either delete the Google Play Music app or at least clear the user data and cache in the App info sub-menu.
Apple’s iOS 14 home screen widgets have been a huge hit going beyond the tech community and making their way into the mainstream. We’ve seen some awesome options like Widgetsmith and Pastel to make custom widgets, and Clear Spaces is another handy app to create a customized home screen layout with transparent iPhone widgets.
Using stock or custom widgets is a great way to create a personalized iPhone home screen, but you’re typically still locked into filling up the entire screen with apps or widgets.
There have been some solutions to create invisible app icons to color-match your home screen, making them blend in but taking up an app space to allow for custom layouts (without jailbreaking). But one of the limitations has been that for the best results, you need to use a solid, or mostly solid wallpaper.
Enter Clear Spaces for iPhone, an app that allows you to create custom transparent widgets that work with any wallpaper background. For now, options are 2×2 or 2×4 (small and medium) widgets. Another app that you can pair with Clear Spaces if you want even more options is Transparent App Icons. As the name implies, you can create individual transparent apps.
Back to Clear Spaces, it works by taking a screenshot of your wallpaper, placing the widget based on the wallpaper, and then selecting what part of the screenshot the transparent widget should mirror.
The developers behind the app Marko Crnkovic and Aurther Nadeem (WWDC scholarship winners) are also working on an option to remove the “Clear Spaces” text under the widgets in a beta version.
As shown in the screenshot above, you can even use the Clear Spaces transparent iPhone widgets to make custom home screen layouts compatible with complex wallpapers.
After opening the app, you can tap the info button at the bottom for full instructions but what you’ll want to do is grab some screenshots of your blank wallpaper.
Head to your home screen, tap and hold to enter jiggle mode
Swipe from right to left to the end of your app pages to see the blank one, grab a screen shot (one for dark mode and light mode)
Open up Clear Spaces, tap the plus image above “No Image Set” and pick your wallpaper screenshots
Now you can head back to your home screen, enter jiggle mode again, tap the plus in the top left corner, look for Clear Spaces to add your new transparent widgets
Once you have it placed on your home screen, long-press on it > Edit Widget to select the position so, or also opt for date/time, both, or none
Here’s how it looks to customize Clear Spaces widgets:
Outside of the iPhone SE, every iPhone that Apple sells today features an “edge-to-edge” display devoid of a physical Home button. If you’re upgrading from a device with a Home button, this refresher course can help you learn how to force restart your iPhone 12, enter recovery mode, DFU mode, etc. Watch our hands-on video tutorial inside for the details.
Getting started
This tutorial will work for all new iPhone 12 releases, including the iPhone 12 Pro, and the forthcoming iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max. Henceforth, when using the term iPhone 12, I’m referring to all iPhone 12 models.
You’ll need to familiarize yourself with the buttons on your iPhone in order to perform any of the following functions. There are two Volume buttons on the left-hand side of the iPhone, along with a Side button on the opposite side.
Since modern iPhone hardware lacks the Home button, the Side button, along with the volume buttons, play instrumental roles when it comes to force resetting, entering recovery mode, DFU mode, etc.
iPhone 12 Volume buttons and Side button
How to turn off iPhone 12
Powering down the iPhone 12 can be accomplished via a couple of methods. The easiest way to power down the iPhone 12 is to hold the Side button along with one of the volume buttons until the slide to power off slider appears at the top of the screen. From there, just slide to power off your iPhone.
You can also go to Settings → General, scroll down to the bottom of the page, and tap the Shut Down button. This will cause the slide to power off slider to appear at the top of the screen.
How to turn on iPhone 12
To power your iPhone 12 back up, press and hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears on screen. If this doesn’t work, your iPhone may need to be charged. If your iPhone has a black screen and the Side button doesn’t function, it could be because your iPhone 12 is in DFU mode. See the tutorial for exiting DFU mode below.
How to force restart iPhone 12
To force restart iPhone 12, perform the following in quick succession:
Step 1: Press Volume up and release.
Step 2: Press Volume down and release.
Step 3: Press and hold the Side button until you see a black screen.
Your iPhone 12 will restart and automatically boot back to the Lock screen.
How to put iPhone 12 into recovery mode
Step 1: Connect your iPhone to your computer with a Lightning to USB cable. If this is your first time connecting your iPhone to this computer, you’ll need to tap the Trust button that appears on the Trust This Computer dialogue that appears. You’ll then have to enter your passcode on your iPhone to confirm the pairing.
Next, perform the following steps in quick succession:
Step 2: Press Volume up and release.
Step 3: Press Volume down and release.
Step 4: Press and continue holding the Side button until you see the connect to computer dialogue on screen.
Step 6: Release the Side button and continue holding the Volume down button for an additional 10 seconds.
When you successfully enter DFU mode, your iPhone should remain on a black screen. If you see the Apple logo appear, then something went wrong and you’ll need to try again.
If you’re connected to a Mac, the Finder should acknowledge that you’ve entered recovery mode. Instead of having the option to Update iOS, you should only see the Restore option, which is another indication that you’ve successfully entered DFU mode.
How to exit DFU mode on iPhone 12
Exiting DFU mode is a little more involved than exiting regular recovery mode:
Step 1: Press Volume up and release.
Step 2: Press Volume down and release.
Step 3: Press and continue holding the Side button until you see the Apple logo appear. Your iPhone should boot back to the Lock screen.
How to disable Face ID temporarily on iPhone 12
To temporarily disable FaceID on iPhone 12, press and hold either of the Volume buttons along with the Side button until the slide to power off slider appears. Tap the ‘X’ button at the bottom of the screen to go back to the Lock screen, and you’ll see a message that says Your passcode is required to enable Face ID. Once your enter your device passcode, Face ID will be automatically reactivated.
How to use Emergency SOS on iPhone 12
Warning: activating Emergency SOS will contact emergency authorities. Please only use this feature in case of a real emergency.
There are three ways to invoke Emergency SOS on iPhone 12:
Press and hold one of the Volume buttons along with the Side button and keep holding each button to trigger Emergency SOS.
Press and hold one of the Volume buttons along with the Side button until the slide to power off slider appears. Use the Emergency SOS slider to activate Emergency SOS.
Go to Settings → Emergency SOS, and enable the Call with Side Button switch. This will allow you to invoke Emergency SOS by pressing the Side button 5 times in quick succession.
If you’re upgrading from an iPhone with a Home button, such as the iPhone 7 or iPhone 8, or even the second-generation iPhone SE, then the methods for performing all of the aforementioned functions is quite a bit different than what you may be used to.
Although you may not ever need to use recovery mode, and using DFU mode is even more unlikely, everyone should be familiar with how to force restart their iPhone. Force-restarting is handy for those occasional instances when your iPhone becomes extremely bogged down or outright unresponsive. If you only take one tip from this tutorial, it should definitely be how to force restart.
A welcome advancement for Apple Watch with watchOS 7 is Family Setup, a feature that lets an adult configure the wearable for a child who doesn’t have an iPhone. Family Setup includes multiple features to help manage your kid’s device, follow along for how to setup Apple Watch Schooltime.
Family Setup for Apple Watch is a great way to stay connected to your kids (or elderly parents) without them needing their own iPhone. And one of the new features that are focused on kids is the Schooltime mode (also available for anyone).
It allows parents to setup a school schedule for Apple Watch to remain on a simple yellow watch face that’s easy for teachers or adults to recognize and can be used whether kids are learning at home or back in their classrooms.
In addition to the yellow watch face, Schooltime mode puts on Do Not Disturb and restricts interactions to help kids (or anyone) stay focused.
What you’ll need to use Schooltime
Jump to the bottom of this post if you want to use Schooltime on your own Apple Watch.
To set it up on a child’s watch, you’ll need to be using Family Sharing and have a child’s Apple ID account setup that you’ll connect with their Apple Watch.
How to setup Family Sharing and create a child’s Apple ID on iPhone and iPad
Note: You can also use Schooltime on your own Apple Watch if you are running watchOS 7.
How to setup Apple Watch Schooltime
You will get a prompt asking if you want to setup Schooltime while you’re going through the initial Family Setup, tap “Turn on Schooltime” if so (can skip to step 5 below)
If you are setting up Schooltime after Family Setup, head to the Apple Watch app on your iPhone (adult’s iPhone who did Family Setup) > Choose All Watches > Tap your kid’s watch
Tap Done, then tap Schooltime.
Tap “Turn on Schooltime”
Choose “Edit Schedule”
Pick the days and times you’d like to use Schooltime for you kid
You can also choose “Add Time” to create multiple schedules like 8:00 am to 11 am — 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 pm
How to exit Schooltime
Schooltime can be exited by your child by turning their Apple Watch’s Digital Crown > tapping Exit
This is intentional by Apple so students can check Messages, Phone calls, etc.
As the parent, you can see how many times your kid has exited Schooltime during the day
Head to the Watch app on your iPhone > All Watches > Your kid’s watch > Schooltime
How to use Schooltime on any Apple Watch
If you want to use Schooltime as an alternative to Do Not Disturb or Theater Mode, you can add it to Control Center on Apple Watch
Swipe up from the bottom of your Apple Watch screen to open Control Center (can touch and hold the bottom as well)
Scroll to the bottom > tap Edit.
Tap the add button on the Schooltime button , choose Done
Now in Control Center you can tap the Schooltime button to turn it on
To exit Schooltime, turn the Digital Crown and tap Exit
iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max give pro users everything they want out of their iPhone.
Best iPhone ever features the powerful A14 Bionic, all-new design with Ceramic Shield, pro camera system, LiDAR Scanner, and the biggest Super Retina XDR display ever on an iPhone
Apple announced iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max, introducing a powerful 5G experience and advanced technologies that push the boundaries of innovation for users who want the most out of iPhone. iPhone 12 Pro models feature a new design and edge-to-edge Super Retina XDR displays, the largest ever on iPhone, protected by the all-new Ceramic Shield front cover, which provides the biggest jump in durability ever on iPhone. The Apple-designed A14 Bionic chip, the fastest chip in a smartphone, powers impressive computational photography features including the all-new Apple ProRAW for more creative control in photos, and enables the first end-to-end Dolby Vision video experience, up to 60 fps. The reimagined pro camera systems include an expansive Ultra Wide camera, a Telephoto camera with an even longer focal length on iPhone 12 Pro Max, and new Wide cameras to capture beautiful professional-quality images and video in bright and low-light environments. iPhone 12 Pro models also introduce a new LiDAR Scanner for immersive augmented reality (AR) experiences and MagSafe, which offers high-powered wireless charging and an all-new ecosystem of accessories that easily attach to iPhone.
iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max will be available in four stainless steel finishes, including graphite, silver, gold, and pacific blue. Pre-orders for iPhone 12 Pro begin Friday, October 16, with availability beginning Friday, October 23. iPhone 12 Pro Max will be available for pre-order Friday, November 6, and in stores beginning Friday, November 13.
“This is a huge leap for iPhone, bringing the best 5G experience in the market and delivering our most advanced technologies to users who want the absolute most from their iPhone,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Each generation of iPhone has changed what we expect from a smartphone, and now with 5G, iPhone 12 Pro provides a new generation of performance. Our tight integration of hardware and software enables incredible computational photography features like the expansion of Night mode to more cameras, and introduces support for HDR video with Dolby Vision. A state-of-the-art LiDAR Scanner means users can experience AR like never before, and also offers benefits to the camera with faster autofocus in low light and the introduction of Night mode portraits. These experiences and so much more make this the best iPhone lineup ever.”
The 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Pro and 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max feature the largest Super Retina XDR displays ever on iPhone.
A Superior 5G Experience
iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max deliver an advanced 5G experience on a global scale, engineered with a seamless integration of world-class hardware and world-class software. 5G on iPhone boasts improved speeds for faster downloads and uploads, higher quality video streaming, more responsive gaming, real-time interactivity in apps, FaceTime in high definition, and much more. Customers will also be able to enjoy a secure, fast connection, reducing the need to connect to public Wi-Fi hotspots.
Featuring the most 5G bands on any smartphone, iPhone 12 Pro models offer the broadest 5G coverage worldwide. Models in the US support millimeter wave, the higher frequency version of 5G, allowing iPhone 12 Pro models to reach speeds up to 4Gbps, even in densely populated areas. iPhone 12 Pro models also feature Smart Data mode, which extends battery life by intelligently assessing 5G needs and balancing data usage, speed, and power in real time.
5G on iPhone 12 Pro models enables faster download speeds, more responsive gaming experiences, FaceTime in HD, and more.
A14 Bionic: Powerful and Efficient
Generations ahead of the competition, A14 Bionic is the first chip in the smartphone industry built on 5-nanometer process. Faster and more efficient than ever, A14 Bionic has the fastest CPU and GPU by up to 50 percent compared to the fastest competing smartphone chips, enabling console-quality gaming experiences, powerful computational photography, and more, while delivering great battery life. Pushing the limits of machine learning (ML), A14 Bionic features a 16-core Neural Engine — for an 80 percent increase in performance — that is capable of completing 11 trillion operations per second, enabling improved performance on even the most intense ML models.
Faster and more efficient than ever, A14 Bionic enables powerful computational photography and faster photo and video editing right on device.
New Design and Innovative Display Technologies
Designed with premium materials, iPhone 12 Pro models boast a new, sophisticated flat-edge design that features a gorgeous surgical-grade stainless steel band paired with a precision-milled matte glass back, and introduces the incredibly durable Ceramic Shield. The Ceramic Shield front cover, tougher than any smartphone glass, goes beyond glass and is infused with nano-ceramic crystals to dramatically improve toughness and increase drop performance by 4x.
With impressively larger, edge-to-edge displays with reduced borders in familiar sizes, the 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Pro and 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max feature a Super Retina XDR display with systemwide color management for industry-leading color accuracy. And iPhone 12 Pro Max offers the largest display ever on an iPhone and the highest resolution featuring nearly 3.5 million pixels for a remarkable, true-to-life viewing experience. These OLED displays bring HDR video content to life, reaching 1200 nits peak brightness.
iPhone 12 Pro models come with an industry-leading IP68 rating to withstand water submersion up to 6 meters for up to 30 minutes, and are protected against everyday spills, including coffee and soda.
iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max feature a new, elevated flat-edge stainless steel design and Ceramic Shield front cover for increased durability.
Versatile Pro Camera System
The world’s best pro camera is an even more versatile tool for all levels of photo and video enthusiasts with state-of-the-art camera hardware powered by A14 Bionic. Together with the new image signal processor (ISP), A14 Bionic drives increased image quality and enables powerful computational photography capabilities not possible with traditional cameras. iPhone 12 Pro models also feature the new Apple ProRAW, coming later this year,which combines Apple’s multiframe image processing and computational photography with the versatility of a RAW format. Users can experience full creative control over color, detail, and dynamic range natively on iPhone or with other professional photo editing apps.
The pro camera system on iPhone 12 Pro models includes new Wide cameras for even better low-light performance, an expansive Ultra Wide camera, and a Telephoto camera for capturing stunning images and video.
iPhone 12 Pro features the new seven-element lens Wide camera with an ƒ/1.6 aperture, the fastest ever on an iPhone, for 27 percent improved low-light performance in photo and video; the Ultra Wide camera with a 120-degree field of view, perfect for capturing more scene in tight spots or epic landscapes; and a 52 mm focal length Telephoto camera, great for framing portraits, bringing the optical zoom range to 4x.
iPhone 12 Pro Max takes the pro camera experience even further. The new ƒ/1.6 aperture Wide camera boasts a 47 percent larger sensor with 1.7μm pixels for a massive 87 percent improvement in low-light conditions. It also includes the expansive Ultra Wide camera and a 65 mm focal length Telephoto camera for increased flexibility with closer shots and tighter crops. Combined, this system offers 5x optical zoom range.
Deep Fusion comes to all cameras and uses advanced machine learning to do pixel-by-pixel processing of photos, optimizing for detail, texture, and color in every part of the photo.
iPhone 12 Pro models bring stunning improvements to Night mode, enabling even brighter pictures.
Powered by A14 Bionic and a new ISP, Night mode is now included on more cameras, including the Ultra Wide.
The Ultra Wide camera on iPhone 12 Pro models has a 120-degree field of view, allowing users to capture more scene and frame artistic shots.
Smart HDR 3 offers more true-to-life photos, using machine learning to recognize scenes and adjust sharpness, color, and tone where needed.
The new seven-element lens Wide camera captures even brighter photos and videos in low light.
The Telephoto cameras on iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max are perfect for classically framed portraits, closer shots, and tighter crops.
Improvements to Night mode, now expanded to the TrueDepth and Ultra Wide cameras, allow for an even brighter picture. And Night mode Time-Lapse delivers longer exposure times for sharper videos, better light trails, and smoother exposure in low-light scenarios when used with a tripod. Deep Fusion, now better and faster, comes to all cameras, and with the new Smart HDR 3, users can expect more true-to-life images, even in complex scenes.
iPhone 12 Pro models offer the highest quality video in a smartphone, and are the first cameras and only devices in the world to enable an end-to-end experience for HDR video with Dolby Vision, up to 60 fps, and even better video stabilization for cinema-grade productions. Dolby Vision grading is processed live and sustained during editing, whether in the Photos app or iMovie, and coming to Final Cut Pro X later this year. Dolby Vision takes advantage of the Super Retina XDR display for amazing contrast during capture and video playback, and users can share their videos with support for AirPlay up to 4K Dolby Vision to external devices.
iPhone 12 Pro models are the first cameras and only devices in the world to enable an end-to-end experience for HDR video with Dolby Vision. Film shot in HDR video with Dolby Vision on iPhone 12 Pro, by cinematographer Emmanuel “Chivo” Lubezki.
Realistic AR and Innovative Camera Experiences
An all-new LiDAR Scanner comes to the Pro line, offering the ability to measure light distance and use pixel depth information of a scene. This technology delivers faster, more realistic AR experiences and improves autofocus by 6x in low-light scenes for more accuracy and reduced capture time in photos and videos. This advanced hardware, combined with the power of the Neural Engine of A14 Bionic, also unlocks Night mode portraits, rendering a beautiful low-light bokeh effect.
An all-new LiDAR Scanner on iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max enables Night mode portraits and even more realistic AR experiences.
Innovative New Accessories with MagSafe
MagSafe improves wireless charging for a better, more efficient experience and introduces an ecosystem of easy-to-attach accessories that beautifully complement iPhone 12 Pro models.7 MagSafe delivers a unique experience to iPhone, featuring an array of magnets around the wireless charging coil, optimized for alignment and efficiency, that perfectly connects to iPhone every time. MagSafe chargers efficiently provide up to 15W of power while still accommodating existing Qi-enabled devices. Charging solutions include the MagSafe Charger and MagSafe Duo Charger for use with iPhone and Apple Watch, as well as new silicone, leather, and clear cases that easily snap onto the back of iPhone, and a leather wallet. Customers can also expect innovative MagSafe accessories from third-party manufacturers.
The innovative new MagSafe system enables seamless, high-powered wireless charging and easy-to-attach accessories.
Featuring iOS 14
iOS 14 delivers a reimagined iPhone experience with new ways to customize the Home Screen. Beautifully redesigned widgets present timely information at a glance and can be pinned in different sizes on any Home Screen page. The App Library is a new space that automatically organizes all of a user’s apps into one simple, easy-to-navigate view. iOS 14 also brings new ways to discover and use apps with App Clips, powerful updates for staying connected in Messages, greener ways to explore cities with Maps, and enhanced privacy features for even more transparency and control.
iOS 14 reimagines the user experience on iPhone with customizable widgets for the Home Screen, App Clips, coming later this year, and new updates to Maps and Messages.
Committed to the Environment
Today, Apple is carbon neutral for global corporate operations and, by 2030, plans to have net zero climate impact across the entire business, which includes manufacturing supply chains and all product life cycles. This means that every Apple device sold, from material collection, component manufacturing, assembly, transport, customer use, charging, all the way through recycling and material recovery, will be 100 percent carbon neutral. iPhone 12 Pro models were designed with the environment in mind. For the first time, iPhone 12 Pro models will utilize 100 percent recycled rare earth elements in all magnets, including the new camera, Taptic Engine, and MagSafe, as well as Apple’s MagSafe accessories. Apple is also removing the power adapter and EarPods from iPhone packaging, further reducing carbon emissions and avoiding the mining and use of precious materials, which enables smaller and lighter packaging, and allows for 70 percent more boxes to be shipped on a pallet. Taken altogether, these changes will cut over 2 million metric tons of carbon emissions annually, equivalent to removing nearly 450,000 cars from the road per year.
Pricing and Availability
iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max will be available in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB models in graphite, silver, gold, and pacific blue starting at $999 and $1,099, respectively. Customers can also get iPhone 12 Pro for $29.12 a month or $699 with trade-in and iPhone 12 Pro Max for $30.37 a month or $729 with trade-in from apple.com, in the Apple Store app, and at Apple Store locations.9 iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max are also available through Apple Authorized Resellers and select carriers (prices may vary).
Customers in Australia, China, Germany, Japan, the UK, the US, and more than 30 other countries and regions will be able to pre-order iPhone 12 Pro beginning at 5 a.m. PDT on Friday, October 16, with availability beginning Friday, October 23, and pre-order for iPhone 12 Pro Max will begin at 5 a.m. PST on Friday, November 6, with availability beginning Friday, November 13.
iPhone 12 Pro will be available in India, South Korea, and more than a dozen other countries beginning Friday, October 30.
MagSafe Charger, Leather Wallet with MagSafe, and iPhone 12 Pro Silicone Case and Clear Case will be available beginning Friday, October 16. iPhone 12 Pro Leather Case will be available beginning Friday, November 6. MagSafe Duo Charger and Leather Sleeve will be available at a later date.
Through Apple’s iPhone Upgrade Program, customers in the US can get iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max with the protection of AppleCare+, choose their carrier (no multiyear service contract required), and have the opportunity to upgrade to a new iPhone every year. The iPhone Upgrade Program is available for iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max at apple.com and Apple Store locations in the US with monthly payments starting at $49.91.
Customers in the US choosing to pay with Apple Card Monthly Installments or joining or upgrading through the iPhone Upgrade Program can use the Apple Store app on their iPhone to get ready for iPhone 12 Pro pre-order until 9 p.m. PDT on Thursday, October 15. From Tuesday, November 3, customers can get ready for iPhone 12 Pro Max pre-order until 9 p.m. PST on Thursday, November 5.
For a limited time, eligible customers who purchase a new iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV, or Mac can enjoy one year of Apple TV+ for free and three months of Apple Arcade for free.
Apple One is the easiest way to get many Apple subscription services at a great value, so customers can choose the one plan that is right for them or their whole family. Customers can sign up for Apple One starting this fall.
Customers are able to find the same great shopping and support services at apple.com and at Apple Store locations. Customers can get shopping help from Apple Specialists, choose monthly financing options, trade in eligible devices, and get Support services and no-contact delivery or Apple Store pickup options. Customers are encouraged to check apple.com/retail for more information on the health and safety measures in place, and the services available, at their local store.
Customers in the US get 3 percent Daily Cash back when they buy directly from Apple with Apple Card. And when they choose Apple Card Monthly Installments, they can pay over time, interest-free.11
Customers can extend their limited warranty with AppleCare+ and get accidental damage protection, or AppleCare+ with Theft and Loss, and get 24/7 priority access to technical support.
Every customer who buys iPhone from Apple can enjoy a free Online Personal Session with an Apple Specialist, to help them explore and discover all the amazing things they can do with their new iPhone.
At Huawei Developer Conference (HDC) 2020 (Together), Huawei launched its latest EMUI version, EMUI 11. This new mobile skin brings new changes in the user interface to make the system experience easier.
The new features of EMUI 11 include the artistic Always on Display designs and clock themes, improved multi-window mode, smoother UI animations, better multi-screen collaboration, and more.
Huawei announced EMUI 11 during its Developer Conference today and even though it’s not based on Android 11, the generational upgrade deserves its name. It brings some visual changes to the table, new animations, features and under the hood optimizations.
Huawei EMUI 11 based Android 10 first look :
One of the most notable changes in the new EMUI are the multi-window and split-screen functionalities. Both are now put in the center so the user can get more familiar with the features instead of tucking them somewhere in the menus. Now there’s a dedicated gesture to bring out the Smart Multi-Window sidebar. You can summon it in every app or menu. A small side window will open with your favorite apps and with a single drag-and-drop gesture you can start multi-tasking. Of course, the windows are free-form and can be adjusted in size.
The always-on screen gets a couple of new customization options as well. There are new styles and even animated always-on displays. Choosing a picture from your gallery is also an option and the system will convert it into an appropriate color palette.
The animations when navigating through the menus have been optimized for high-refresh-rate displays. Huawei says that it poured hours of research into how the user perceives transition animations and where your eyes usually wander on the screen while navigating. Using the data, the company optimized the animations to look even smoother and also faster.
Multi-screen collaboration 3.0 is now part of EMUI 11 allowing you to control up to three Android apps from your PC once you sync your Huawei phone to the MateBook. Quite similar to Samsung and Microsoft’s Your Phone app.
There are other subtle improvements to the system apps and how the system handles permissions. One example would be the permission notification in the status bar. If an app on the foreground is using your microphone, GPS or camera, a status bar icon will let you know.
You can check the full changelog for more details.
EMUI 11 refines the user experience and brings vivid, dynamic visual elements for the Always On Display (AOD). AOD now allows you to customize your screen and showcase your personal style with text and images even when the screen is off.
Multi-Window allows you to open apps in a floating window for multitasking. You can relocate the floating window to the desired location or minimize it to a floating bubble for easier access later.
The brand new, intuitive animations throughout EMUI 11 create a smoother, more unified, and visually pleasing user experience when touching items or sliding on the screen.
Whether you’re toggling switches on or off, subtle effects have been enhanced throughout the OS for greater visual satisfaction.
This is a special feature that enables your devices to work together to achieve their full potential. You can mirror your phone to your laptop’s screen to improve your productivity with multiple app windows readily available. (This feature requires a Huawei laptop with PC Manager of version 11.0 or later.)
When you project your phone onto an external display, messages and incoming calls are displayed only on your phone screen, both protecting your privacy and ensuring the continuity of screen projection
Notepad now supports editing notes simultaneously from multiple Huawei devices. For example, you can insert a photo from your phone to the note being edited on your tablet.
You can now quickly identify and extract text from images or documents, edit the text, and then export and share it. Creating a digital version of a paper document has never been easier.
EMUI 11 will be pre-installed on all new Huawei phones from now on while the final version of the software will hit P40 and Mate 30-series pretty soon. The Android 11-based iteration, however, will be delayed because of the ongoing trade ban. Since Huaweididn’t have early access to Android 11‘s source code, the company has had that for only a couple of days since Google released its latest OS just the other day.
EMUI 10 was announced at Huawei Developer Conference 2019 (HDC). Following this release, Huawei announced the EMUI 10 beta rollouts for the Huawei P30 series devices.
Compared to its predecessor, EMUI 10 delivers faster performance, new UX design including Magazine Style UI layout, Morandi Colors, Dark Mode, Golden Icons, New Animations, New dark mode as well as improved privacy features.
Early 2020, Huawei unveiled Huawei P40 series, pre-installed with EMUI 10.1, a step-up version of EMUI 10 with added new features. EMUI 10.1 comes with new features such as multi-window multi-tasking, multi-device collaboration, multi-device browsing, new smart features, and more.
On September 10, 2020, at HDC 2020 Huawei launched EMUI 11, it brings new smart Always on Display, improved multi-window mode, smoother animations, better multi-screen collaboration, and more.
Which device will get the EMUI 11? Here are some of them. Most of the devices in this list are identical to EMUI 10 and 10.1 and it’s based on their OS upgrades cycles. As usual, the company will remove the devices that have completed their updates cycle.
Apple frequently lays down a gauntlet for Android vendors when it introduces new iPhones, and that’s truer than ever for the iPhone 12 series. While there are places where Apple falls short, the new iPhones also embarrass Android phone makers in a few key areas — and not just simple aspects like performance. Here’s how the iPhone 12, 12 Pro, and 12 Pro Max stack up vs. their Android counterparts.
High-quality designs across whole phone lines
If there’s an area where Android OEMs could most stand to learn from the iPhone 12, it’s in the consistently high quality of the design, even in more affordable devices.
Every iPhone 12 model, from the Mini to the Pro Max, has a string of features you don’t always see in Android equivalents. They all have high-resolution OLED screens; each one has extra-durable front glass thanks to a new Ceramic Shield; they’re all IP68-rated for water resistance; all of them have a new MagSafe wireless charging system (more on that later). That’s not including the consistency in performance-related features, like the A14 Bionic chip, 5G, and strong camera quality. While the lower-end iPhone 12 models have aluminum sides instead of stainless steel, that’s about the only obvious external compromise.
Many mid-range Android phones have stellar features, but there are usually gotchas. Samsung’s Galaxy S20 FE is fast and boasts a great display, but makes obvious compromises in design — unless you like “glasstic,” that is. Google’s Pixel 5 is better-built, but it’s not powered by top-tier silicon. Even the OnePlus 8T may struggle with camera quality. While Xiaomi’s Mi 10 series offers both a quality design and features at good price, it’s not readily available in North America and other parts of the world.
And those sacrifices are a problem. As a rule, iPhone 12 buyers can assume they’re getting first-class treatment no matter what model they buy. You can’t often guarantee that with Android. If someone is comparison shopping, they might pick the iPhone 12 simply because it looks and feels more like a premium device vs. its Android rivals.
Small phones with big features
iPhone 12 Mini is smaller than an iPhone SE, it packs features that put many Android phones to shame, let alone compact models. It has the same A14 chip, cameras, and MagSafe charging as its larger sibling. The OLED screen is only slightly lower-resolution than in the standard iPhone 12. And like we mentioned earlier, there are no major design sacrifices compared to larger versions.
Take a look at your Android options and… it’s not pretty. Many small Android phones are old, slower, or both. Even a Pixel 4a is relatively pokey, and it’s slightly larger than the iPhone 12 Mini (if also considerably more affordable). The Sony Xperia 5 II is an impressive phone all-around, but it’s much more expensive and some could argue that it’s not really a “small” phone.
Simply put, Apple’s offering is one of the better choices in a sea of lackluster small smartphones.
Easier wireless charging
Apple was undoubtedly slow to adopt wireless charging, having introduced it only with 2017’s iPhone X and iPhone 8. It’s catching up, though, and the iPhone 12 family includes a few features that Android vendors could stand to adopt in some form.
MagSafe, which uses magnets to align your iPhone for wireless charging, is the textbook example of a “why didn’t someone think of this earlier?” invention. You don’t have to worry that your phone might be off-center — you just drop it on the pad and walk away. Then there’s the accessories this enables, like snap-on cases and even a wallet.
There are certainly areas where Android phones fare better. MagSafe on the iPhone 12 line charging tops out at 15W where it’s not uncommon to see 30W or more from some Android phones. There’s no mention of reverse wireless charging to top up your other devices, either. But those features don’t address ease of use, and Apple might have an edge simply by eliminating one of the most common hassles of wire-free power.
More camera features aimed at enthusiasts and pros
Android phones are often chock-full of camera features, but they tend to be aimed at everyday users outside of the occasional manual mode. Samsung’s Single Take feature in the Galaxy S20 family is helpful in case you’re unsure of which shot you need, but it doesn’t offer much help if you’re an exacting mobile photographer. The notable exceptions are newer Sony phones like the Xperia 1 II, and they’re a handful of models in a much larger sea.
The iPhone 12 line bucks that trend. Although Apple’s official camera app won’t provide extensive control over shots, all the new phones can not only shoot Dolby Vision HDR videos (they’re the first phones to do this), while the Pro and Pro Max deliver RAW photo support through a new ProRAW format. In other words, you can create images that could be suitable for a TV show or photo spread, let alone your Instagram feed. A Night Mode that works across all cameras is helpful, too.
Yes, you’ve had RAW shooting on Android since Lollipop, but it’s inconsistently available. HDR video recording is also hit-or-miss. And that’s not counting more explicitly hardware-dependent features like sensor-shift image stabilization (again, new to phones) or LiDAR. Simply put, Apple is giving iPhone buyers a series of powerful camera features that are genuinely aimed at enthusiasts and working pros, and that could tip the balance for some buyers.
Custom processing power
As blisteringly fast as the current crop of Android phones can be, they tend to lag iPhones in performance to some degree. AnandTechnoted that even last year’s iPhone 11 models were sometimes outperforming Snapdragon 865 phones released several months later, let alone the iPhone 12. The Android phone market’s progress is largely dictated by one company, Qualcomm, and it hasn’t been moving at a breakneck pace.
Apple, meanwhile, doesn’t have that restriction. It designs the chips it uses in its devices, and the iPhone 12’s A14 Bionic illustrates the advantages of that approach. There’s no outside designer holding it back, and it’s targeting improvements for specific phones rather than trying to make a one-size-fits-all design. Whether or not Apple’s claims of up to a 50% speed advantage over rivals are true, its expected lead is evidence that custom processing power matters.
A few Android phone builders appreciate this as well, even if their execution isn’t flawless. Samsung has its (sometimes underpowered) Exynos chips, and Huawei had its high-end Kirin chips until the US blocked that option. Most others just follow the pack, though, and that lack of customization helps the iPhone 12 stand out that much more.
Where the iPhone 12 falls short
This doesn’t mean the iPhone 12 vs. Android battle is strictly one-sided. Apple falls short in a number of categories, at least if you’re used to what Android has offered. There’s no 120Hz screen. You still won’t find microSD expansion, a USB-C port, or very high-zoom cameras. You won’t even find a 1440p display on the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
There’s also the matter of software. As much progress as iOS 14 has made, additions like home screen widgets, changeable app defaults and iPhone picture-in-picture are catch-up features. You won’t be feeling a twinge of regret if Android’s flexibility is important to you, even if you may wish you had Apple’s timelier and longer-running OS updates.
Even so, the very fact that Android vendors could take multiple major cues from the new iPhones is important. It suggests that Apple is plugging some of the more glaring holes in its iPhone strategy. Android phone creators may have to step up if they plan to go head-to-head with Apple, particularly in that upper mid-range sweet spot occupied by the iPhone 12 and 12 Mini.
We’re just days away from the introduction of the iPhone 12. Apple officially announced its iPhone 12 event on Tuesday, teasing it with the tagline “Hi, Speed.” There’s a lot to expect at the event, and a lot we already know about what to expect.
Read on as we round up everything you need to know ahead of the “Hi, Speed” event this week.
When is Apple’s iPhone 12 event?
Apple’s iPhone 12 event will take place on October 13 at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET. It will be completely virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic, much like Apple’s WWDC keynote and the Apple Watch event last month. We expect a pre-recorded video from Apple Park, featuring Tim Cook and a handful of other Apple executives.
You’ll be able to live stream the event through Apple’s website, on YouTube, and through the Apple TV application.
iPhone 12 models
Next week’s “Hi, Speed” event will focus primarily on Apple’s all-new iPhone 12 lineup. Apple will announce four new iPhone 12 models, ranging from 5.4 inches to 6.7 inches in screen size and from $699 to $1,099 in price.
In terms of design, the iPhone 12 lineup will feature a boxier body that is similar to the iPhone 4 and iPhone 5. This means we can expect a design that looks more like the newest iPad Pro with flat edges. Currently, the iPhone 11 Pro features a blended design between the glass of the display and the stainless steel edges. This differs from the iPhone 4 and iPad Pro, which are completely squared off around the sides.
All four of Apple’s new iPhone 12 models will feature OLED displays for the first time. Previously, only the highest-end iPhone models used OLED displays, with Apple using LCD in the lower-end models. Apple will market these new displays as “Super Retina XDR,” and there will also be a new glass technology on the front with increased durability.
All four iPhone 12 variants will also feature 5G connectivity for the first time. Rumors currently incite that iPhone 12 models in the United States will include support for mmWave 5G as well as sub-6Ghz 5G, while models sold in other countries will only include the latter. There will also be something called Smart Data Mode to allocate 4G/5G according to application bandwidth, such that 5G would only be used when necessary to improve battery life.
The differentiator other than screen size between the iPhone 12 lineup will be camera technology. Here are the details, according to a recent report.
iPhone 12 mini:
5.4-inch display
black, white, red, blue, and green
64GB, 128GB, and 256GB
Dolby Vision video recording
Dual camera, wide angle + ultra-wide angle, 1.6
Pre-orders November 6/7, available November 13/14
Starting at $699
6.1-inch iPhone 12:
6.1-inch display
black, white, red, blue, and green
64GB, 128GB, and 256GB
Dual camera, wide angle + ultra-wide angle, 1.6
Dolby Vision video recording
Pre-orders October 16/17, available October 23/24
Starting at $799
iPhone 12 Pro:
6.1-inch display
gold, silver, graphite, and blue
wide angle, ultra-wide angle, telephoto + LiDAR, wide angle of the new 7P lens, 1.6, 52mm focal length telephoto, 4x optical zoom
Dolby Vision video recording
Pre-orders October 16/17, available October 23/24
128GB, 256GB, and 512GB
Starting at $999
iPhone 12 Pro Max:
6.7-inch display
gold, silver, graphite, and blue
wide angle, ultra-wide angle, telephoto + LiDAR, wide angle of the new 7P lens, 1.6, 65mm focal length telephoto, 5x optical zoom, “Expanded” ultra-wide capabilities
Dolby Vision video recording
Pre-orders November 13/14, available November 20/21
128GB, 256GB, and 512GB
Starting at $1,099
You can read our full roundup of everything to except from the iPhone 12 right her ahead of Tuesday’s event.
New wireless chargers
Apple is also said to be developing two new wireless chargers that it could introduce alongside the iPhone 12 lineup. This comes after Apple canceled its AirPower wireless charger in 2019, before it was even released to the public over quality control and overheating concerns.
Whereas AirPower was designed to feature a “drop anywhere” design, Apple’s new wireless chargers are said to use a magnetic system of sorts. In fact, Apple will reportedly revive the popular “MagSafe” branding for two of these new chargers that will be released alongside the iPhone 12.
In September, reported on a video that claimed to show Apple’s magnetic wireless charger prototype. Rumors have also suggested that the iPhone 12 will include a new built-in ring of magnets in the back to allow for new accessories.
According to rumors, Apple will release two versions of the magnetic wireless chargers this year, branded as the MagSafe Charger and the MagSafe Duo Charger. This implies that we will see a smaller MagSafe charger that can only charge one device, and another that is slightly larger with support for charging two devices.
Other details about these MagSafe wireless chargers are unclear, but we should expect to learn more on October 13.
HomePod mini
Something else we should expect at Apple’s “Hi, Speed” event next week is the introduction of the HomePod mini, according to reports. Rumors currently indicate that the HomePod mini will be announced on October 13, made available for pre-order on November 6, and released on November 16.
HomePod mini will reportedly cost just $99 and measure in at 3.3 inches. It is said to be powered by Apple’s S5 processor, which is the same processor that powers the Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch Series 5. This is roughly half the size of the current HomePod, which measures in at 6.8 inches tall.
At $99, the HomePod mini seems like a clear competitor to Amazon’s Echo lineup, which is likely part of Apple’s strategy of expanding Siri to a wider user base. We do not currently expect any updates in 2020 to the full-size HomePod.
Other rumors
While it seems like a lock that the October 13 will include news on the iPhone 12, MagSafe wireless chargers, and HomePod mini, there are a few other possibilities worth mentioning.
AirPods Studio
For over a year now, reports have been circulating suggesting that Apple will soon launch its own pair of over-ear headphones. These are believed to exist separately from the Beats brand and offer features such as head and neck detection, custom equalizer settings, and more.
9to5Mac has also found evidence of so-called AirPods Studio in the leaked iOS 14 beta code, including assets showing at least two color options for the new accessory. As for the price, rumors suggest that it will cost $349 for a lower-end “Sport” variant and up to $599 for a “luxury” version made from leather and metal.
While it would absolutely make sense for Apple to unveil its AirPods Studio alongside the iPhone 12, Jon Prosser recently reported that Apple is not quite ready to announce the product just yet. It’s always possible that this will change, but for now, AirPods Studio seem more likely sometime in November or into 2021.
AirTags
For more than a year, rumors have indicated that Apple is developing its own Tile-like item trackers. In June 2019, reported on assets within iOS 13 that referenced a product type “Tag1,1.” Since then, 9 to 5 Mac discovered evidence of the “AirTags” name and references even appeared in a video published by Apple itself.
We initially expected AirTags to be released during the iPhone 11 event last year, then at WWDC 2020, then during Apple’s September event this year. Most recently, a rumor suggested that Apple had delayed AirTags until March 2021, signaling that we should not expect a release at the October 13 event
.
New Apple TV
Apple is also reportedly working on a new Apple TV and a new Siri remote. Evidence of a new Apple TV hardware refresh has been circling around in iOS code for a while, and a report recently indicated that one of the changes will be a faster chip for improved gaming performance.
As for the new Apple TV remote, Bloomberg has suggested that one of the upgrades will be support for the Find My application. This will make it easier for people to locate a remote when it goes missing in the house. Whether or not other improvements are also in store for the controversial Siri remote remains to be seen.
It’s possible that the new Apple TV is introduced during its October 13 event, but it could also be saved for later this year or early next year.
Apple Silicon
Finally, the Mac lineup is nearly set to begin its transition to Apple Silicon processors. Apple has said that it will release its first Apple Silicon Mac before the end of this year, but current indicators are that the Apple Silicon transition will not be addressed at the October event.
Most recently, Bloomberg reported that Apple will hold a separate event in November to unveil its Apple Silicon hardware. This means we should not expect details during next week’s event.
While the Mi series may be the flagship series of Xiaomi‘s product line, it’s the Redmi series that’s the company’s bread and butter. And within the Redmi series, it’s the Redmi Note series that has everyone’s attention as it encapsulates Xiaomi‘s ethos of offering more bang for your buck.
Continuing the tradition this year is the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro, the flagship within the company’s Redmi lineup. Like the previous phones in the series, the Redmi Note 7 Pro pushes the budget smartphone category further than it has ever been, cramming in as many flagship features as it possibly can without breaking the bank.
The crown jewel this year is the presence of the Sony IMX 586, a 48MP behemoth that is found in nearly every flagship Android smartphone this year but Xiaomi was one of the first few companies to implement it, that too in a budget phone.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro specs
Body: Gorilla Glass 5 front and back, polycarbonate frame
Display: 6.3-inch, 2340×1080 IPS LCD, 409 PPI
Rear camera: 48MP f1.79 PDAF primary, 5MP secondary, 4K30 video
The rest of the kit isn’t bad either. You have a polycarbonate and glass body with a teardrop notch display, a Snapdragon 675 chipset with 4GB or 6GB RAM and 64GB or 128GB storage and a big 4000mAh battery.
When you remind yourself all of this is in what is still essentially a budget smartphone, it seems very impressive indeed. Of course, running on top of all this is Xiaomi‘s MIUI 10 based on Android 9 Pie, which, for now at least, is the latest version of Android available.
The front of the device has a display going nearly edge to edge. There is a small chin on the bottom and on top is the familiar notch, but neither are particularly distracting.
The sides of the phone are made out of glossy polycarbonate, which can feel slippery at times. On the right are the power and volume buttons, placed appropriately and having a decent tactile feedback.
On the top of the phone are two things that are very hard to spot these days, a headphone jack and an IR blaster. The latter is quite common on Xiaomi phones but the former is starting to disappear, even from budget offerings like the Mi A2 so this may just be the last Redmi Note phone with a headphone jack.
On the left side of the phone is a SIM tray with a hybrid design that can hold either two SIM cards or one SIM and one microSD. The tray has a rubber gasket around the rim, which should prevent water or dust from entering.
On the bottom of the phone is a USB-C port flanked by the microphone on the left and a loudspeaker on the right. This phone does not have stereo speakers, so that’s the only loudspeaker on this device.
The back of the phone is also finished in Corning Gorilla Glass 5 like the front and has a beautiful 2.5D gradient reflective surface that changes color from bottom to top. This finish is found on the blue and red variants but not on the black.
On the back is also a fingerprint sensor, which is easy to reach and the camera module, which sticks out a fair bit from the back.
The design of the Redmi Note 7 Pro is really nice, especially in the blue or red variants. It also feels quite premium in hand, something that’s not the case for a lot of budget phones, even ones that do have a glass body. This phone is heavier than most in the segment, which actually helps make it feel more substantial and opulent in hand.
However, the phone still isn’t rated for dust or water resistance, which is to be expected in this price range and other than the gasket around the SIM tray we saw no other evidence of this phone being able to ward off the elements, so it’s best to keep it away from water.
Display
The Redmi Note 7 Pro has a 6.3-inch display with a resolution of 2340×1080. It’s an IPS LCD panel with a notch and a 19:9 aspect ratio.
The display has three color modes. The default Automatic contrast makes the colors more saturated with higher contrast and bluer whites. It also changes the display contrast based on ambient lighting and has manual white balance wheel. The Increased contrast option looks similar to Automatic contrast but lacks the automatic adjustment of contrast and white balance. Lastly, there’s the Standard mode, which is based on the sRGB color standard, and it’s what we used for our testing.
The image quality in the Standard mode is decent. The colors look reasonably accurate but the display has a greenish yellow cast. However, you do tend to get used to it and after a while it’s not that noticeable.
In our color checker tests, the display produced mediocre results in the grayscale patterns due to the greenish tint to the whites. However, the rest of the color performance wasn’t too shabby for a budget device.
Overall, the display quality is pretty good for the price but we would have liked to see better color accuracy.
Software
As with all Redmi phones, the Redmi Note 7 Pro runs on MIUI. Our review unit is using the latest MIUI 10 on top of Android 9 Pie.
As we have mentioned in our previous Xiaomi reviews, MIUI is a major departure from stock Android. This is a complete redesign of the user interface and outside of a couple of specific menus you will never see stock Android UI elements here.
This includes a lot of custom items, such as the launcher, the notifications, the app switcher and all of the stock apps. All of these have gone through several changes over the years, with MIUI 10 easily being the best version so far.
The launcher is as we have seen before, lacking a traditional app drawer and instead of placing all the apps and widgets on the homescreen like on iOS. Xiaomi has a different launcher for the Pocophone that does have an app drawer and also some other features and while that launcher can be installed on any Xiaomi phone, for some reason Xiaomi chooses not to integrate the two.
The notifications also sport a custom design. The grid of icons is customizable but for some reason you cannot have fewer than twelve icons. The notifications themselves have seen several improvements over the years and do work more or less in line with stock Android and other Android phones.
Another thing that was improved recently was the app switcher. Instead of the horizontal card layout of previous versions, we now get a tiled view that shows four apps at the same time. This is definitely the most functional layout of any app switcher and there isn’t another phone that lets you jump straight to the fourth last app that you had opened.
Also updated are the volume controls, which now features a much more attractive and easier to use interface. You can also expand it to show all the volume levels for different functions.
The Settings app has gone through some changes as well and the About phone section has now been moved to the top of the list. This is convenient if you like to constantly check for new OS updates or updates for the stock apps that come pre-installed. The rest of it, however, is more or less the same and a lot of it is still a bit convoluted and many of the things aren’t placed where you’d expect to find them on any other Android phone.
Xiaomi has also added dark mode in the latest version of the OS. This works system-wide across all the stock apps as well as every other part of the UI. Well, almost every app as the File Manager app and the Security app for some reason aren’t affected by the dark mode.
As before, there is gesture support built-in. Xiaomi‘s gesture implementation is perhaps the best on Android, possibly because it’s identical to iOS. You swipe up to go home, swipe up and hold for app switcher and swipe from left or right edge of the screen to go back. It works as you’d expect and the animations are done well.
There are tons of other features in the OS that we don’t have time to discuss today. There’s also a lot of customization options built-in. It’s one of the reasons why people like MIUI so much and even prefer it over stock Android.
But while there’s definitely a lot to like here, it can also be quite a nuisance at times. Many of the stock apps that come with the phone will bombard you with notifications throughout the day. If you know how to block these, that’s fine but a lot of people don’t and it’s common to see someone’s phone going off and it’s the Themes app telling you of a new theme. The phone is littered with such apps and even apps you don’t expect to send you notifications will do so at some point or other.
There are also far too many duplicate apps on the device. In the same vein as Samsung, Xiaomi loves to have a version of its own app for every Google app, so the phone comes with two of everything. There are two browsers, two music players, two image galleries, and two app stores. The app store is particularly annoying, as it merely exists so Xiaomi can shove promotional content at you and offers nothing extra over the Play Store. As you can guess, none of these duplicate apps can be removed entirely.
The other nuisance is ads. Xiaomi has gone on record saying it can afford to sell these phones at such low prices because it’s found another revenue model – by pushing ads through its apps. Unfortunately, practically every app that comes built into the OS now has ads built-in. The good thing is these can be disabled but you have to do that on a per-app basis and the option to do it isn’t always easily accessible.
It is possible to spend an hour or so going through every app and setting to disable all the notifications, unwanted apps, and ads. We’d also recommend switching the launcher to something more practical and sensible with a better-looking set of icons. Unfortunately, a lot of this requires knowledge that most people don’t have. Most people just use their phones as they come out of the box and the out-of-the-box user experience for MIUI phones isn’t great.
Unfortunately, there’s no point expecting Xiaomi to fix any of this considering these annoyances are now part of the company’s revenue model. However, it’s good to note that this is not the case on all markets that Xiaomi phones are available on. Users in most Western countries seem to be spared the barrage of ads. For now.
Performance
The Redmi Note 7 Pro comes with a fairly respectable Snapdragon 675 chipset with a choice of either 4GB or 6GB RAM with 64GB or 128GB storage, respectively. The regular Redmi Note 7 (or Redmi Note 7s as it’s known in India) has a Snapdragon 660 chipset instead.
For the price, the performance of both Pro and non-Pro models is really good. Xiaomi generally has very good performance optimization so the phone never feels sluggish or out of breath. Even doing things like switching apps or taking pictures in the camera app feel very quick. You only really notice the difference in performance if you use a much more powerful smartphone side by side but for most users, the performance on offer here is perfectly satisfactory.
Gaming is another area where the Redmi Note 7 Pro does reasonably well. We played a few rounds of PUBG Mobile and even at ‘HD’ setting and ‘High’ frame rate option, the game was perfectly playable and we didn’t have any issues with it.
The single loudspeaker on the bottom of the sounds good but it doesn’t get particularly loud and just having it on one side makes it sound unbalanced when you’re watching a video or playing a game. Fortunately, the phone does come with a headphone jack although there aren’t headphones provided with the phone and you will have to buy those separately.
Lastly, the fingerprint sensor on the back of the phone also works quite well and was generally quite reliable.
Camera
The Redmi Note 7 Pro has the Sony IMX 586 sensor on the back with 48MP resolution in a Quad-Bayer array. If you don’t know how a Quad-Bayer array works, you can check out our explainer here.
The camera has an aperture of f/1.8 along with phase detection autofocus and a dual LED flash. Complementing it is a secondary 5MP depth sensor used for taking portrait images.
The camera application is similar to what we have seen on Xiaomi phones in the last couple of years. The UI is inspired by the iOS Camera app, so on the bottom, you have all the various camera modes and you can tap or swipe to move between them. On the top are toggles for the flash, HDR, AI mode, beauty and color filters.
There’s also an additional menu housing the options for tilt-shift mode, aspect ratio adjustments, countdown timer, and Google Lens. There’s also the Straighten option, which uses the phone’s accelerometer to automatically straighten the image even if you don’t hold the camera perfectly level.
Among the various modes we have the standard Photo mode, a dedicated 48MP mode, Portrait mode, Night mode, Panorama and lastly Pro mode. For video there’s the standard Video mode and also a short video mode that takes quick 15 seconds videos suitable for Instagram.
The Pro mode on the Redmi phones isn’t as elaborate as on the Mi phones, which is a shame considering the sensor on this device. Here we find white balance adjustments, manual focus but without focus peaking, shutter speed and ISO. There’s no option to capture images in RAW.
Image quality in the default photo mode during daylight is largely excellent. The camera has excellent color reproduction that even surpasses some of the more expensive phones on the market, along with really good contrast and exposure. Images captured in daylight have rich details with very little noise or over-sharpening. The only area where it struggles is in capturing bright highlights in moderately lit situations but apart from that there’s not much else to complain about.
Low light is a different ballgame, however. The images in low light come out way too soft at times. The noise reduction algorithm wipes out a lot of the detail and texture in the images. The lack of optical image stabilization also doesn’t help, as the images can also tend to be shaky and the camera has to bump up the ISO instead of the shutter speed to compensate.
There’s also a night mode, but it doesn’t really do much and is basically useless.
The HDR mode works quite well. Images shot in HDR mode have improved shadow and highlight detail without looking too over processed.
You can also choose to shoot images in 48MP mode; however, we didn’t see much reason to. While in bright sunlight you do get some extra detail, it’s not enough to justify the 2 seconds or so where the camera app freezes while it saves the image, nor is it worth the 2-3x increase in file size.
Also, the camera will only actually capture true 48MP images in bright light. In any other situation, it will simply upscale 12MP images, which as you’d expect, don’t look any better than the default 12MP images.
The Redmi Note 7 Pro can also record 4K video. Unfortunately, there is no OIS on this phone and the electronic stabilization is also disabled in 4K mode. This results in a detailed but very shaky video and the camera shake, even when standing still, makes the video unwatchable.
The same is true for the 1080p60 mode, which also does not have any stabilization. On top of that, this mode also suffers from a very soft image as it’s being captured at a fairly low internal resolution and then upscaled to 1080p.
The best mode in our opinion is 1080p30, where you get good image quality, at least in daylight, but also electronic stabilization.
You can also record 120fps slow-motion video in 1080p but the video is soft and there’s no stabilization.
Overall, the camera on the Redmi Note 7 Pro is rather good for the price range. As with the other phones with this sensor, the 48MP description is a bit of a misnomer but even in 12MP mode the phone captures some good-looking images, provided there’s enough light.
Battery Life
The Redmi Note 7 Pro has a 4000mAh battery. We didn’t do our usual battery life test, but in actual usage, the phone easily went through an entire day on a single charge. The battery life has always been a highlight of the Redmi Note series, and the Redmi Note 7 Pro is no exception.
The phone does support Qualcomm Quick Charge 4.0, but the phone does not ship with a fast charger. The bundled charger does charge the phone in under three hours but if you want faster charging you will have to spend extra for a compatible charger.
Verdict
The Redmi Note series has pretty much dominated the budget Android smartphone segment ever since it was released. In markets like India and China that are remarkably price- and value-conscious, the combination of affordable price and robust feature set of the Redmi Note series made it the absolute favorite of the masses and pushed Xiaomi to the top of the sales charts.
With the Redmi Note 7 Pro, Xiaomi is injecting even more of the flagship smartphones into the budget market. The glass body feels premium, as does the large, nearly edge to edge display. The performance is best in class, and the 48MP camera takes some terrific photos. And finally, the battery life is as good as it has ever been.
As a complete package, few phones can compete with the Redmi Note 7 Pro on the market, which is why it has been so challenging to get one since it was released. We would like to see Xiaomi improve its software experience further and make it less of an annoyance with the abundance of ads, notifications, and duplicate apps but apart from that there’s not much to complain about here.
Pros
Good design and build quality
Good display quality
Good performance for the price
Good daylight camera performance
Good battery life
Well priced for the hardware and performance
Cons
Software loaded with bloatware, ads and disruptive notifications
It’s been almost nine months since the Redmi Note 5 series premiered, and it’s already time for an upgrade. The Redmi Note 6 Pro is now official, shaking up the lineup with one of the most recognizable and controversial features on the market – a frame-to-frame display with a notch.
Yes, the Redmi Notes have reached that inevitable moment, where the notched screen would become the default one until something better comes to replace it. Even the cheapest of smartphones have already jumped on the notched bandwagon, so it’s no surprising to see the Redmi Note 6 Pro being the forerunner of change for the Notes to come.
Xiaomi has pretty much thrown logic out of the window for the Redmi Note names. The Redmi Note 5 is widely available as Redmi 5 Plus, the Redmi Note 5A had little to do to with the Note series at all, while the Redmi Note 5 Pro got an enhanced version called Redmi Note 5 AI Dual Camera. So, the Redmi Note 6 Pro is the Note 6 series opener, but please, don’t ask what happened with the Redmi Note 6. Nobody knows.
Anyway, the Redmi Note 6 Pro isn’t a massive upgrade over the Note 5 Pro, but that’s to be expected given the short development cycle. The Note 6 Pro does bring a larger display fitted in the same body, but keeps the same Snapdragon 636 chipset, beefy battery, and plastic/metal design. It borrows the main camera from the Note 5 Pro AI Dual Camera edition, but the selfie photography got a boost with a new dual-camera at the front.
Connectivity: Hybrid dual SIM (4G+3G), 4G VoLTE, dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS/GLONASS/BeiDou, Wi-Fi Direct, FM Radio, IR blaster, microUSB, headphone jack
Misc: Fingerprint sensor
We can’t think of anything that’s missing on the Redmi Note 6 Pro and it’s shaping to be one very thoughtful smartphone with great bang for the buck ratio. And now it’s time to pop this thing out of the box.
Unboxing the Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro
Xiaomi has bundled the Redmi Note 6 Pro with the usual accessories – a 10W charger, a microUSB cable, and a soft silicone case.
Some, or all, Redmi Note 6 Pro units have factory-applied screen protectors.
The Competition
The Redmi Note 6 Pro ticks all the right boxes for a best-seller in its class and price segment. But it’s not the only one. There are plenty of smartphones with big notched screens, Snapdragon 636 chips, dual-cams, and large batteries.
The first market to officially get the Redmi Note 6 Pro is Thailand, but the Indian premiere should be just around the corner, too. And there are quite a few phones to consider before making a decision.
Oppo Realme 2 Pro • Xiaomi Mi A2 (Mi 6X) • Asus Zenfone Max Pro (M1) ZB601KL • Motorola One Power (P30 Note)
The Realme 2 Pro is the first device worth mentioning. It’s cheaper, more powerful (S660), and it has a much better take on how a notch should look like. The Realme 2 Pro also does 4K video recording out of the box, and its base model has more storage and RAM. Oh, and the SIM slot is not a hybrid one!
If you aren’t a notch person, then the Xiaomi Mi A2 might suit you better. All-metal design, more powerful chipset, better dual-camera, and Android One enrolment for a clean OS with regular updates. Worth the extra bucks, if you can live without an audio jack and a microSD slot.
The Asus Zenfone Max Pro (M1) ZB601KL is very cheap, doesn’t have a notch, but has the same Snapdragon 636 chip, and a good enough dual-camera on the back. It boasts a massive 5,000 mAh battery underneath the 6″ screen, which combined with the low price may tip the odds in its favor.
The Motorola One Power is a very good match for the Redmi Note 6 Pro. It packs identical screen and chipset, similar main camera, but is powered by an impressive 5,000 mAh battery. Android One is in charge of One Power, which means Android Pie is coming very soon. The Motorola is more expensive though and can’t beat the Note 6’s bang-for-buck ratio.
The Verdict
It’s the new Redmi Note and for the fans, this is enough of a reason for an upgrade even though the novelties aren’t that many since the Redmi 5 Pro. But the Redmis, and the Notes particularly, are becoming more attractive by the hour for users that are either disappointed by the major companies in the industry, or just tired of the high prices they are charging lately.
The Redmi Note 6 Pro has it all – great display, snappy performance, no-nonsense features, excellent battery life, and very good and hassle-free camera experience. And all this is available at an amazingly low price.
Pros
Big screen with superb contrast and tiny bezels. And a notch.
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