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The bewildering world of USB-C charging, explained

From cables to power supplies, it pays to know the intricacies of the USB-C spec if you want the fastest charging.

USB-4 Kabel weiß neu mit einem schwarzen Telefon

USB Type-C is the most flexible connection for notebooks and smartphones. The most important of its many capabilities is as a charging socket for battery-powered devices. USB-Cshouldfinally make everything simple: One socket, one cable, one power supply for all devices – from computers to smartphones and tablets to headphones and other peripherals.

So much for the theory, which always sounds simple with USB. The reality is much more confusing.

Not every USB-C power supply is suitable for every device. Not all Type-C ports can be used to charge devices quickly or at all. And not every Type-C cable ensures reliable power transmission.

This guide will give you an overview of the technical possibilities of Type-C charging and recommends suitable power supply units for all devices. If you’d like to avoid all the background and simply know which cords as worth your hard-earned money, be sure to check out our roundup ofthe best USB-C cables. We perform hands-on tests that go far deeper than most other sources on the web.

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USB Type-C: The standard connection for charging

Zwar gibt es viele Symbole, die einen USB-C-Port am Notebook als Ladeanschluss kenntlich machen. In der Praxis finden Sie aber meist nur den Thunderbolt-Blitz (ganz unten) am Gehäuse.

There are many symbols that identify a USB-C port on a laptop as a charging port. In practice, however, you will usually only find the Thunderbolt lightning bolt (at the bottom) on the housing.

Almost all mobile devices can now be charged via USB Type-C: For smartphones, Apple was the last major manufacturer to switch from the proprietary Lightning connector to USB-C last year with the iPhone 15.

Apart from that, there are only very cheap bargain smartphones that still rely on micro USB as a charging port. The situation is similar for tablets, where market leader Apple already favored USB-C over Lightning three years ago with the iPad 9. You will also hardly find any devices without USB-C for headphones, ebook, readers, and mobile speakers.

Only laptops still have numerous models that do not use Type-C to charge the battery: These are often older model series from the entry-level range. More frequently, however, USB-C is not themainconnection for charging.

Although powerful gaming and multimedia laptops have USB-C, they also have a dedicated power connection with a higher charging capacity that fits the power supply unit supplied. Business laptops with a USB-C port and power supply unit often still have the hollow plug connection so that companies can continue to use power supply units from decommissioned models.b

A Type-C connection on a laptop also does not always handle power delivery. The only way to find out whether a Type C socket is capable of power delivery is to look at the technical data. A Type-C port with Thunderbolt supports charging in any case.

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Advantages of power delivery via USB-C

The triumph of Type-C is easy to explain, as the connection offers numerous advantages for users and manufacturers:

Cables can be connected quickly and easily because the symmetrical plug is twist-proof.
The socket takes up little space so that devices can be made lighter and flatter.
And as Type-C can handle data and video transmission as well as charging, ideally a single cable is all that is needed between the computer and peripherals, which keeps the desk tidy.

Ob ein Mobilgerät USB-C Power Delivery unterstützt, steht meist bei den Anschlüssen in den technischen Daten. Dann können Sie ein passendes Netzteil zum Laden nutzen.

Whether a mobile device supports USB-C Power Delivery is usually stated in the technical data for the connections. If so, you can use a suitable power adapter for charging.

Devices can also be charged faster with USB-C: Power supply units for micro USB only deliver up to 10 watts, while chargers with a Type A connection usually deliver 15 to 18 watts. Type-C, on the other hand, supports the improved USB Power Delivery (PD) transmission protocol, which usually allows charging capacities of up to 100 watts and even up to 240 watts in the current version.

However, this does not apply to all Type-C connections, devices, and cables: Although everything fits together mechanically, not every combination has to provide the optimum charging power — for example, because different levels of the Power Delivery standard are supported or devices and power supply units do not implement the standard correctly.

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USB-C and Power Delivery: How the charging technology works

The technical basis for charging via USB-C is the USB Power Delivery (USB PD) standard. It specifies voltage levels of 5 to 48 volts and currents of 3 or 5 amps in so-called “power profiles” or “power rules.” Depending on the power supply unit, power cable, and device, charging capacities of between 10 and 240 watts are possible.

A typical smartphone power supply unit with 30 watts, for example, offers power profiles for a charging capacity of 15, 27, and 30 watts, while a laptop power supply unit also offers power profiles for 45, 60, 65, or 100 watts.

Before transmission begins, the power supply unit (source) and consumer (sink) agree on the required voltage and current: The power supply unit first checks the cable to see whether it can transmit up to 3 or 5 amps and provides a basic voltage of 5 volts.

It then tells the consumer what other voltages it can supply. The consumer answers which one it needs so that both can agree on a suitable power profile.

Einige Mehrfach-Netzteile wie hier von Ugreen nutzen das Halbleitermaterial Galliumnitrid (GaN): Damit lassen sie sich trotz hoher Ladeleistung sehr kompakt bauen. Some multiple power supply units, such as this one from Ugreen, use the semiconductor material gallium nitride (GaN): this allows them to be built very compactly despite their high charging power.

Ideally, any USB-C power supply will charge the device with a Type-C charging socket with optimum performance and as quickly as possible. Even if the power supply does not completely fulfil the requirements of the device, it should provide a minimum charging power, even if the charging process then takes longer.

Conversely, it does not speed up the charging process to use a power supply unit that offers a higher output than the device requires because the consumer cannot call it up.

Since version 3 of USB PD, the power supply unit and consumer can adjust the voltage and current more dynamically. To do this, both must support the optional standard extension PPS (Programmable Power Supply Protocol).

The device can then request voltage and current from the power supply unit that deviate minimally from the prescribed power profiles: This speeds up the charging process, but can also ensure that the battery is less stressed during charging or that a smartphone or notebook receives the appropriate charging power in real time depending on the current system load.

Labels such as Fast Charge or Super Fast Charge 2.0 on Samsung smartphones and power supply units, for example, indicate support for PPS.

How to find out whether a power adapter fits the device

The easiest way to do this is to use the power adapter recommended by the manufacturer for charging. This is common for laptops, as new devices are supplied with a suitable power supply unit.

Smartphones and tablets now often do not come with a power adapter in the sales box: You can buy the right charger from the device manufacturer.

USB-C should make this investment superfluous and put an end to the confusion of power adapters that only fit one device. A power supply unit that can charge all your devices without any problems is therefore ideal.

To do this, the power supply and device must have a USB-C connection and support USB Power Delivery: You should be able to find this information in the technical data, often as an abbreviation such as “PD” or “PPS.” If the power supply unit or device does not support USB PD despite Type-C, charging can start, but only at 15 watts.

So that you can charge all devices with one power supply unit, it should have sufficient charging power for the most powerful device and suitable power profiles for devices with lower energy requirements.

A laptop is usually the device that requires the highest charging power: Ultra-mobile laptops usually need a power supply unit with 45 watts, standard laptops require 60 watts, and particularly powerful laptops 100 watts.

For smartphones, tablets, and portable speakers or headphones, on the other hand, 30 watts or less is sufficient.

To ensure that a USB-C power supply for the laptop charges other mobile devices, it should support power profiles for 15 and 27 watts via USB-PD.

With third-party power supplies, you will often find a list of other devices that can be charged with it in the technical data of a laptop power supply. If tablets such as Apple iPad Pro and smartphones — for example Samsung Galaxy S24 — are listed, the power supply is also suitable for smaller mobile devices.

If you want to use the power adapter that came with your laptop, check the manufacturer’s website for information on its output power: If you find information such as “9 volts – 3 amps,” the power adapter is suitable for smartphones and tablets. These values are usually also printed on the power supply unit under “Output.”

Conversely, notebooks can also be charged with a smartphone power supply unit: This is helpful when travelling if you only want to take the lighter mobile phone charger with you. The power supply unit should offer at least 27 watts of charging power and a voltage of 9 volts. This is sufficient for small and light laptops.

It is best to switch off the notebook when charging, because if it consumes more power during operation than the mains adapter supplies, the battery will be drained even when the charger is connected. However, many notebooks require 15 volts and most require 20 volts as the charging voltage. If your smartphone power supply delivers this, the notebook can also be charged with it – but usually only slowly.

The best cable for charging via USB-C

A good USB-C cable is crucial to ensure that the charging power from the power supply unit to the device is stable. The cables transmit a current of up to3 ampsas standard.

This is sufficient for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Notebooks can also be charged with up to 60 watts using such cables – this is sufficient for small and lightweight laptops. For larger and more powerful laptops, however, charging will take longer depending on the battery size and operating load.

To charge these laptops at optimum speed via USB-C, you need a cable that can transfer5 amps. The fast charging functions of some smartphones and tablets also require an appropriate cable – for example, Super Fast Charging from Samsung.

Many smartphones can be charged faster: However, you need the right power adapter and the right USB-C cable for this, both of which support the PPS standard or a higher current transfer of 5 amps.

These cables contain a chip, the so-called e-marker: It contains information about the capabilities of the cable, such as the maximum power supply capacity, voltage, and current values and supported charging protocols.

It outputs this information when the power supply unit and consumer negotiate the optimum charging power via USB-PD to ensure that the charger delivers the appropriate voltage and current values for the cable and the connected device.

Most manufacturers usually describe the corresponding cables as “100 watt cables.” You will also often find a reference to the e-marker chip in the technical data.

In addition to power transfer, USB-C also supports data and image transfer — if you want to use a cable for all applications, you must pay attention to this in its description: These multifunction cables are usually slightly more expensive than pure charging cables. Cables for Thunderbolt are guaranteed to support all USB-C transmission types.

You can‘t tell how well a charging cable transmits data: In theory, longer cables are more susceptible to voltage loss and limit the flow of current due to a higher resistance. Thicker cables are supposed to ensure more stable transmission.

In practice, however, you cannot use this as a rule of thumb: The quality of a cable depends on its internal workmanship.

A basic tip:Buy cables for higher charging capacities from well-known suppliers such as Anker, Belkin, or Ugreen. They are reliable and usually cheaper than the corresponding offerings from the laptop or smartphone manufacturer.

Chargers with multiple ports: One power supply for all devices

A single power supply unit is usually not enough for a large number of devices: You often want to charge different devices at the same time via USB-C. This is why there are power supply units with several USB-C and USB-A ports, which can be used to charge a notebook, smartphone, and headphones in parallel, for example. This is also useful when travelling if you only have one socket available on the train, for example.

When making your choice, you should first consider how many devices you want to charge at the same time and on which ports: Multiple power supply units are available with numerous connection combinations, so you should always be able to find a suitable model.

Devices with two USB-C ports cost from around $20, while prices with three Type-C ports start at around $40. In most cases, the power supply units also have a charging port with a Type A connection in addition to the USB-C outputs.

You also need to decide what maximum charging power the multi power supply should have: Up to 45 watts is sufficient for a smartphone and headphones. If you also want to charge a laptop, at least 60 watts is recommended.

USB power supply units with multiple connections:

Manufacturer	Manufacturer Product	Price (Euro)	max. charging power (watts)	Number of type C	Number of type A
Anker	Prime (GaN)	80	100	2	1
Armature	735 (Nano II)	35	65	2	1
Armature	735 Prime (GaN)	50	65	2	1
Armature	323	20	32	1	1
Belkin	Boost Charge Pro	40	65	2	–
Ugreen	Nexode Pro Mini (GaN)	100	160	3	1
Ugreen	Nexode (GaN)	30	65	2	1
Ugreen	Nexode (GaN)	55	100	3	1
Ugreen	Nexode Pro Mini (GaN)	45	65	2	1

It is important to know how the power is distributed over the individual ports: The maximum charging power specified by the manufacturer usually applies to all ports together, only for the combination of certain ports or only if only one port is occupied.

For example, if you choose a 65-watt power supply because you also want to charge your laptop, it will usually only deliver this charging power if a single USB-C port is occupied. If you charge another device on the second Type-C port, the power is then divided between 45 watts on one port and 20 watts on the other – the laptop will then charge more slowly.

If all the ports on a three-port power supply are occupied by consumers, the power on a single port can drop even further. In addition, not all type C connections on the power supply unit have to deliver the same charging power: for example, the laptop may only receive up to 65 watts at port 1. If you connect it to port 2, it will only receive up to 45 watts.

You should therefore look for the technical data for a model on the power supply provider’s website before buying: Well-known manufacturers such as Ankeror Belkin list the charging power that the individual ports offer with single or multiple connections.

The desired power supply should definitely support USB-C Power Delivery and preferably also PPS!

Many manufacturers advertise more expensive models with the abbreviation “GaN”: This stands for the semiconductor material gallium nitride, from which, for example, the voltage converters in corresponding power supplies are made: They work very efficiently without overheating, which enables small power supply units with a high charging capacity.

Microsoft’s Copilot Vision AI is now free to use, but only for these 9 sites

After months of teasers, previews, and select rollouts, Microsoft’sCopilot Visionis now available to try for all Edge users in the U.S. The flashy new AI tool is designed to watch your screen as you browse so you can ask it various questions about what you’re doing and get useful context-appropriate responses. The main catch, however, is that it currently only works with nine websites.

For the most part, these nine websites seem like pretty random choices, too. We have Amazon, which makes sense, but also Geoguessr? I’m pretty sure the point of that site is to try and guess where you are on the mapwithout any help. Anyway, the full site list is as follows:

Wikipedia
Tripadvisor
Williams Sonoma
Amazon
Target
Wayfair
Food & Wine
OpenTable
Geoguessr

CEO of Microsoft AI Mustafa Suleyman announced the release on Bluesky yesterday and shared a few of his favorite use cases.

Usually, when you want to ask Copilot a question, you have to write out the paragraphs of context yourself, and aside from being slow and annoying, this can also be pretty difficult if you’re trying to ask about something you don’t know much about.

With Copilot Vision, instead of trying to describe what you’re looking at or what you’re talking about, the AI model can see itright on your screen.

So, according to Suleyman’s examples, you can search for “breathable sheets” on Amazon and ask Copilot if any of the results are made from appropriate fabrics. Copilot can point the right ones out to you or give you examples of breathable fabric to search for.

On the Food & Wine recipe website, Copilot can help you go hands-free while you cook by answering your questions and reading out parts of the recipe to you. This works because the whole experience is designed to work through voice — you speak directly to the AI and the AI speaks back.

According to one of the videos on theCopilot Vision page, however, it looks like you can type out questions too and receive written responses.

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Microsoft

Microsoft is taking things very slowly and carefully with this feature, almost certainly because it wants to avoid triggeringanother backlashlike it did with Recall. The limited number of compatible sites is connected to copyright issues, and the company makes sure to stress that the feature is “opt-in,” doesn’t record your screen, is only on when you turn it on, and deletes the data as soon as you end a session.

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If you’re interested in testing it out, you can set things up and see a little tutorial through theMicrosoft website.

LG TVs are about to show ads based on your emotions — here’s how

Get ready for ads that read your emotions

(Image credit: LG)

If you thought ads were intrusive before, you haven’t seen anything yet.

LGhas recently signed a multi-year agreement with a company called Zenapse with an aim to leverage “emotional intelligence to deliver more meaningful and measurable brand experiences across 200 million LG Smart TVs globally.”

To make ads more meaningful, Zenapse uses a CTV (Connected TV) platform called “ZenVision” that watches along with the content being played on the screen to better understand the emotional state the viewer might be in.

LG can then use this information to group users into specific subsets and target them ads based on their emotional intelligence. This information becomes psychographic data. Unlike demographic data, which is simpler concepts like age, location, etc, psychographic data gets more personal, diving deep into your psyche and psychological mindset.

Using this data, ZenVision can better “optimize predictions” and thus target you ads that might satisfy your needs a whole lot more. Not only that, but Zenapse and LG can then sell that information to third parties.

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How you’ll be categorized

As reported byStreamTV Insiderand onZenVision’s own website, data groups include abstract personality definers like “social connectors,” “wellness seekers,” “goal-driven achievers,” “digital adopters,” and many more.

Zenapse’s AI goes a step further and specifies the user’s general proclivities, lumps those users together and pushes ads based on these key factors. It’s notjustyour emotions being targeted, but your goals, principles, political affiliations, and more all wrapped up into one generalized market segment.

How does it work? The AI uses a combination of facets to better derive this data, including its own sophisticated algorithms, existing information on the particular on-screen content (like the script or genre), and even ACR (automatic content recognition) data collated by LG sets on their own.

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The next era of TV advertising

(Image credit: Google)

LG Ad Solutions made theannouncement on Tuesday, however there’s very little details about the longevity of the agreement, which TVs might suffer from the agreement, or how much LG spent to leverage Zenapse’s tech.

Based on what we know about it so far, though, Zenapse’s ZenVision sets a terrifying new precedent in on-screen advertising and gets so much more dystopian the deeper you dive into the rabbit hole.

Google is already well-acquainted with Zenapse, with Google Ads, Google for Startups, and Google Cloud all having strategic deals with the AI firm.

While LG might just be the first to implement it,Googleis already well-acquainted with Zenapse, with Google Ads, Google for Startups, and Google Cloud all having strategic deals with the AI firm.

Though only speculation, it probably won’t take long before ZenVision finds its way onto Google TV — if it hasn’t already. Google TV commands nearly 270M TVs and it’s leveraged by everything from thebest budget TVsbyHisenseandTCLto some of thebest OLED TVsout of Sony.

As stated, Zenapse is ushering in a whole new era of TV advertising and if you thought things couldn’t get worse, think again.

…And maybeturn off ACR on your TVwhile you still have the chance.

What is HDMI 2.2? Everything you need to know

Sony Bravia Theater Bar 8, HDMI ports with cables inserted.

Officially announced at CES 2025, HDMI 2.2 is the next-generationHDMI standardthat promises to double available bandwidth for higher resolution and refresh rate support, and will require a new cable to support these new standards. It will also bring with it advanced features for improved audio and video syncing between devices.

But the new cable isn’t coming until later this year, and there are no signs of TVs supporting the new standard yet. Here’s everything you need to know about HDMI 2.2.

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What can HDMI 2.2 do?

The standout feature of HDMI 2.2 is that is allows for up to double the bandwidth of existing Ultra High Speed HDMI cables using theHDMI 2.1 protocol. HDMI 2.2 is rated for up to 96 Gbps, opening up support for native 16K resolution support without compression, or native 4K 240Hz without compression. Throw DSC on and it should support monitors up to 4K 480Hz or 8K in excess of 120Hz.

While there aren’t any consumer TVs or monitors that support such resolutions and refresh rates at this time, it could be that the protocol finds use in future augmented and virtual reality headsets.

HDMI 2.2 will also support Latency Indication Protocol (LIP), which will help make sure audio is synchronized with video, especially in configurations that include an external A/V system.

To support the new resolutions and refresh rates, you’ll need to use a new HDMI 2.2 certified Ultra96 cable design. The new cables will be backwards compatible with all previous HDMI versions, but will only run at the maximum supported speed of the lowest link in the chain. So an HDMI 2.2 cable plugged into a port that is only compatible with HDMI 2.0 speeds will not be able to use the full bandwidth of the cable.

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HDMI 2.2 vs. HDMI 2.1

HDMI 2.1 was a major innovation for the HDMI standard when it was ratified in 2017, but it was only in 2020 and 2021 when we started seeing real products using the design. It almost tripled the bandwidth over HDMI 2.0, and finally made HDMI capable of true 4K 120Hz support which was super important for this latest generation of games consoles.

HDMI 2.1 also introduced a range of new features. These included:

Dynamic HDR support.
Display Stream Compression 1.2 support.
Enhanced audio return channel (eARC) support.
Variable refresh rates.
Quick media switching.
Quick frame transport.
Auto low latency mode.

Inserting an HDMI cable underneath the Samsung Q990B soundbar

HDMI 2.2 is much lighter on features, merely introducing the new LIP protocol, but that will still have its uses. Like HDMI 2.1, though, HDMI 2.2’s bandwidth uplift is dramatic, and indeed by gigabits per second, the largest in the standard’s history. Doubling HDMI 2.1 from 48 Gbps to 96 Gbps makes HDMI 2.2 the most capable video and audio transmission standard, even eclipsing DisplayPort 2.1 and USB4, both of which can only reach 80 Gbps.

It is however, still weaker than thenew standard out of China known as GPMI.

When is HDMI 2.2 available?

HDMI 2.2 was officially unveiled in January 2025, and will officially launch in the first half of the year. The HDMI Forum who manages its ongoing development has suggested the new Ultra96 cables will be released before the end of the year, but we may not see devices that support HDMI 2.2 until sometime in 2026.

That’s the optimistic take, too. HDMI 2.1 was ratified and launched in 2017, but it wasn’t until 2020/2021 where we started seeing displays making full use of it.HDMI 2.2 could in theory take even longer.

At the time of writing there isn’t a great call for more advanced cable standards in the living room. While PC gaming does have a possible use for higher bandwidth cables to enable higher resolution and refresh rate gaming, most high-end PCs aren’t managing 200+ FPS at 4K — and they have DisplayPort 2.1 support, anyhow. Indeed, most still play at lower resolutions. While in the living room, 4K at 120Hz is the standard for the major games consoles. Without a new generation of Xbox or PlayStation to drive up to TV refresh rates, there isn’t much point in supporting more.

HDMI 2.1 cables can have labels like UHD, or 8K on them, but otherwise look the same as any other HDMI cables.Cable Matters

There are 8K TVs which could conceivably offer 120Hz or higher refresh rates, but games consoles and TVs can’t manage that anyhow, so again, little benefit. There are also no plans for 8K Blu-rays which could use the additional bandwidth for higher bit-rate video or greater HDR metadata.

HDMI 2.2 is likely to be the future of connecting all sorts of devices and has the bandwidth and features to compete with the best alternatives elsewhere, but it’s likely not going to become mainstream for some time to come.

What is aperture in photography? The “f-number” is actually key to taking better photos

What is aperture in photography? Here’s what you need to know – and how it affects your images

Learning photography often feels like a never-ending list, but one of the first and easiest concepts that I picked up when I first started is called aperture. But what is aperture in photography? Aperture is a setting that controls how much or how little light comes into the lens. By controlling the aperture, photographers can make a photo brighter or darker, like opening or closing a curtain to let more sunshine into a dark room.

But while aperture is one of three camera settings that influenceexposure, or how light or dark a photograph is, light isn’t the only thing that aperture controls. When I first learned what aperture was, I assumed that I could just keep the aperture wide open all the time to let in the most light. However, I quickly learned that that assumption led to photos that were never quite sharp enough.

Learning aperture is one of the first steps to getting a camera out of auto mode. The concept can be tricky for beginners. But, by understanding the two things that aperture affects and how to adjust the aperture, beginners can quickly pick up this new skill.

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What is aperture? Aperture effects a photo’s exposure or “brightness”

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Aperture is actually more of a lens setting than a camera setting. The term aperture refers to how wide or narrow the opening in the lens is. A wide aperture will let in lots of light, creating a brighter image. A narrow aperture won’t let in much light, resulting in a darker image. Think of aperture like opening and closing a curtain to let more or less light into a room, only the “room” is a photograph.

A lens’ aperture blades create a hole that light passes through to reach the camera. These aperture blades can widen to let in more light, or narrow to let in less light. By changing your aperture, you can control how much light enters the camera sensor from your lens. This control allows photographers to brighten or darken an image.

Here’s our aperture cheat sheet, previously formatted forDigital Camera Magazine. Download the image and save it to your phone’s camera roll for quick reference

The size of the aperture opening is calibrated in “stops” of light – also known as f-stops. This numerical value also describes the ratio of a lens’ focal length (the “f”) to the diameter of the opening. A lower f-number, such as f/1.8, is a wider opening that lets in more light. A higher f-number, such as f/8, is a narrower opening that lets in less light.

Each successive stop is half as bright as its predecessor. That means that an f/2 is half as bright as f/1.4, f/2.8 is half as bright as f/2, and so on. But, if that sounds confusing, the most important thing to remember about aperture is thata low f-number creates a brighter image, while a high f-number creates a darker image.

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Aperture also controls how much of the photograph is in focus

Okay, so if a wide aperture lets in the most light, photographers only need to touch the aperture setting when a photo is too dark or too bright, right? Not exactly, because the aperture also controlsdepth of field, or how much of the image is in focus.

Think of a professional portrait. Often, these portraits have a very blurry background. This blurry background is controlled by the aperture.

A wider aperture (which is a lower f-number) creates more background blur. An f/1.8 aperture setting, then, will both let in more light and create more background blur! This extreme background blur is called a shallow depth of field.

That background blur is often considered a good thing, after all, even the iPhone tries to imitate it with portrait mode. But more background blur means less sharpness. For example, if you take a portrait photo at f/1.2, one eye may be in focus while the other one is soft.

Using a narrower aperture (which is a higher f-number) will leave more of the image sharply focused. If you take a photo and it’s not very sharp, an aperture that’s too wide could be the culprit (the other common culprit isthe wrong autofocus setting). Using an aperture of f/8 or f/11 will leave more objects in the photo in focus, which is called a deep depth of field.

Download this cheat sheet as a handy reference to aperture and depth of field that you can take on the go

Let’s put that concept into practice. If you are taking a group photo of your family, an f/1.8 aperture is going to make the people in the second row blurry. If you narrow the aperture to f/8, you can get both the front and second row perfectly focused.

In short, a wider aperture lets in more lightandadds more blur. A narrower aperture limits the light coming into the lensbutleaves more of the image sharply focused.

Aperture is one of the three fundamental pillars ofthe exposure triangle, (the other two beingshutter speedandISO). Learning all three allows a photographer to have full control over the photograph to capture acorrect exposure. But, it’s perfectly fine to take baby steps and learn aperture before moving on to the other two exposure elements, thanks to a setting called aperture priority mode.

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How do you adjust the aperture on a camera or a lens?

Turn the camera’s top dial to the A to control aperture

Once you understand the basics of how aperture works, it’s time to put it into practice. The first step is toget your camera off of auto mode.

Instead of the green camera icon or auto mode, turn the mode dial on the camera to A (or Av, if you have aCanoncamera). Most cameras will have that mode dial but some do not, so if you can’t find the setting, consult your camera manual. If you are working with a budget compact camera, your camera may not even have aperture priority mode at all, but DSLRs and mirrorless cameras have this setting, along with high-end compact cameras.

Whataperture priority modedoes is allow the photographer to control the aperture while leaving the other settings on automatic. That means you can control aperture before you learn about shutter speed and ISO. Aperture priority mode is a great learning tool, but I even use it often as a professional photographer at times because it is quick and simple.

Once your camera is in aperture priority mode, you’ll adjust the aperture itself. Most cameras do this in one of two ways. The first is on a control dial directly on the camera, often near the shutter release, or the button that takes the picture. The second common location of the aperture setting is on the lens itself. This looks like a ring around the lens, which is often (but not always) labeled with those f-numbers. Because the method to change the aperture depends on what camera and even lens you are using, if you aren’t sure, consult your camera manual.

This is an aperture ring on a camera lens(Image credit: Future)

Next, use the control dial or lens ring and watch the f-numbers on your camera’s screen or viewfinder change. Learn by experimenting. Try taking a photo at a low aperture, then another at a high aperture and compare the differences between the two photos.

Once you are comfortable with aperture, dive into the two other settings that are essential to exposure:shutter speedandISO.

How does aperture come into play when buying a camera lens?

(Image credit: Chris George)

An aperture itself (the opening) is formed by intersecting blades. Different lenses have a different number of blades, and these can move to make the opening larger or smaller depending on the f-stop that you select.

The aperture assembly is located in the barrel of the lens, between the lens elements. A motor opens and closes the aperture as you adjust the aperture setting.

The different aperture settings that you have to choose from will depend on the lens that you have. Camera lenses have a maximum aperture setting, or the brightest, widest opening possible. This varies from lens to lens.

If you have a mirrorless camera or DSLR and a basic kit lens that came bundled with the camera, you may have a lens that goes as wide as f/4 or f/5.6. More advanced lenses will have brighter apertures. A prime lens, which is a lens that doesn’t zoom, can have a wide f/1.8 or even an f/1.2 aperture. Lenses that have zoom will often have a narrower maximum aperture, like f/2.8 or f/4.

That means that, if you have more than one lens, one might have a wider aperture than the other. Photographers often refer to this as a “brighter” lens. Now that you know what aperture is, you should keep that in mind whenever you shop for a new camera lens. The maximum aperture is listed right in the lens name. For example, a lens with “f/1.2” in the name is going to be brighter than a lens with “f/4” in the name.

Aperture explained at a glance

Aperture is calibrated in f-stops.
A wide aperture opening creates a brighter image with more background blur.
A narrower aperture opening creates a darker image, but with more objects sharply focused.
An aperture of f/22 is narrower than f/4.
Your maximum or widest aperture is determined by your lens.

Nintendo quietly removes mentions of VRR support from its US and Canada Switch 2 websites

It seems that VRR support will no longer be a feature at launch

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Nintendo has quietly removed the mention of VRR support from some of its regional Switch 2 websites
The US, Canada, and Japan websites no longer feature the mention of VRR support
As of writing, the UK website still mentions VRR, but could still be removed

Nintendo has quietly removed any mention of variable refresh rate (VRR) support from some of its regionalSwitch 2websites, suggesting the console may not offer the feature after all.

That’s according to Digital Foundry’s Oliver Mackenzie (viaVGC), who spotted that the US website has been updated since theNintendo Switch 2 Direct, and no longer mentions VRR support for docked play.

Now it reads: “Take in all the detail with screen resolutions up to4Kwhen you connect the Nintendo Switch 2 system to a compatible TV using the dedicated dock. The system also supportsHDRand frame rates up to 120 fps on compatible TVs.”

It’s not just the US website that has been updated, but theCanadaandJapansites too.

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As of writing, theUKsite still mentions that the Switch 2 “supports HDR, VRR, and frame rates up to 120 fps on compatible TVs,” but Nintendo may be in the process of removing it from all its regional sites.

It’s unclear why Nintendo has made changes, but Mackenzie theorises that VRR support may not be available at launch. However, the Switch 2 in handheld looks like it will still offer VRR thanks toNvidia G-Sync, which will ensure “ultra-smooth, tear-free gameplay.”

Everything we needed to know about theSwitch 2’s specswas revealed during the Direct earlier this month, where it was also confirmed that the console will have a bigger screen, from 6.2 inches to 7.9 inches, 256GB of internal storage, and a mouse function for its magnetic Joy-Con controllers.

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The Nintendo Switch 2 is set to launch on June 5, 2025, for $449.99 / £395.99 or $499.99 / £429.99 for aMario Kart Worldbundle.

Farewell, iPhone 6S – Apple marks classic phone as ‘vintage’ alongside this Mac mini

On the path to obsolescence

The iPhone 6S (above) is now officially ‘vintage’ – despite not looking radically different to today’s iPhones

Apple has just labeled the iPhone 6S as “vintage”
The same designation has been applied to the 2018 Mac mini
This means repairs are more limited should something go wrong

Are you still using aniPhone 6Sor a2018 Mac mini? If you are, we’ve got some bad news:Applehas just declared both products to be “vintage” on itsvintage and obsolete products page, which means you’ll get much more limited service and repairs for them if anything goes wrong.

The iPhone 6S andiPhone 6S Pluswere released in 2015 and came with a few notable milestones. They were the first iPhones to come with Apple’s 3D Touch tech, while they were also the last to featureheadphone jacks.

In addition, Apple strengthened the chassis of the devices to prevent the kind of ‘bendgate’controversy that befell the iPhone 6. The iPhone 6S was last offered for sale by Apple in 2018.

The 2018 Mac mini, meanwhile, was the last Mac mini to come with anIntelprocessor rather than anApple silicon chip(the first of which – the M1 – debuted in 2020). And it was the first (and so far only) Mac mini to come in a space gray finish.

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What does this mean for you?

The 2018 Mac Mini (above) has joined the iPhone 6S on Apple’s perilous ‘vintage’ list

Other than taking many of us on a trip down memory lane, this news has some practical implications for those who are still running an iPhone 6S or 2018 Mac mini.

Apple labels a product as “vintage” when at least five years have passed since the company last offered it for sale. Products that last went on sale seven or more years ago are designated as “obsolete.”

Now that the iPhone 6S and Mac mini have been declared “vintage,” that means your repair options are more limited. You can get them fixed at Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers (AASPs), but only if the required parts are available. Third-party shops might be able to repair your device if Apple or its AASPs won’t.

The next step – declaring a product to be “obsolete” – means that Apple Stores and AASPs generally will not repair your device, with Apple declining to provide replacement parts. In that case, you have no option but to either rely on a third-party repair shop or upgrade your device.

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So, if you are still using an iPhone 6S or 2018 Mac mini, you’ve still got a little longer before Apple stops offering repairs. That said, with these devices getting long in the tooth – and products like theiPhone 16andM4 Mac minioffering far better performance – now might be a good time to look at upgrading to one of thebest iPhonesandbest Macsyou can get.

Windows 11 is about to get a nifty shortcut for copying out all the text from an image

Snipping Tool feature now in testing will sort you out in a jiffy

Windows 11 is powering up the Snipping Tool in testing right now
A new feature allows you to copy all the text from an image straight away
There’s no need to take a screenshot first, as was previously the case, so this is a neat time-saver

Microsoftis making it even easier forWindows 11users to be able to extract text from images (or any content) on the screen.

Windows 11 already has this OCR-powered (Optical Character Recognition) ability, as you may be aware, but at the moment, it’s necessary totake a screenshot first with the Snipping Toolbefore you can extract text from that image.

With a new update for the Snipping Tool that’s just been released (which was leaked previously), you don’t need to grab a screenshot to perform text extraction any longer – although bear in mind this is still in testing at this point (so may still be wonky).

AsNeowin reports, with previewversion 11.2503.27.0of the Snipping Tool, you can simply hit theWindows + Shift + Skeys together, and this will pop up the capture bar for the tool.

However, instead of having to create a snip (screenshot), the ‘text extractor’ option will be right there in the bar, so you can just click that, with no need to save a screen grab first.

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(Image credit: Microsoft)

Analysis: Power(Toys) to the people

Essentially, this is directly integrating the ability to extract text from images (or any screen content) into Windows 11, with no additional steps needed, mirroring the functionality present in Microsoft’sPowerToys suite of tools(for advanced Windows users) – and it’s definitely going to be appreciated by folks who use this capability.

It’s obviously less of a hassle than having to clear the hurdle of actually grabbing a screenshot, if all you’re interested in doing is copying all the text that’s currently visible on your monitor.

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I sayallthe text, but that’s only what happens if you use the ‘Copy all text’ option provided. If you just want a specific portion of text, you can manually select and extract only those words (it’s also possible to remove line breaks if you want).

Microsoft is slowly expanding Windows 11’s OCR powers, and you may recall that late last year, thePhotos app got Optical Character Recognition built into pull text from images directly within the application.

Google Messages is testing some useful upgrades – here are 5 features that could be coming

The Google Messages revamp continues

Google is testing even more new features in its Messages beta app
These include an expanded 14-line message view and new RCS message labels
While these are still in beta testing, they could start rolling out to users this month

Over the past couple of months,Googlehas been doubling down on eradicating all traces of Google Assistant to makeGeminiits flagship voice assistant, but amidst the organized Gemini chaos, Google has been paying a lot of attention to improving its Messages app, giving it some much-needed TLC.

It’s safe to say that the new revisions to the Google Messages app have significantly improved its UI. Itsnew snooze function for group chats alsocomes to mind, but Google is still in its beta testing era. For a while, Google was experimenting with aneasier way to join group chats,followingWhatsApp’s footsteps. Now, it’s testing five more features that could make up the next wave of Google Messages upgrades this month.

Although these features are in beta, there’s been no comment on whether they’ll be officially rolling out to users. With that said, we’ll be keeping an eye out for any further updates.

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Google expands its 4-line text field limit

(Image credit: 9to5Google)

Just a few weeks ago, we reported on a new upgrade found in Google Messages beta indicating thatGoogle would get better at handling lengthy text messages.

For a while, Google Messages users have been restricted to a four-line view limit when sending texts, meaning that you would need to scroll to review your entire message before sending. This is particularly frustrating when sending long URL links.

But that could soon be a thing of the past, as9to5Googlehas picked up a new beta code that reveals an expanded message composition field on thePixel 9athat now reaches up to 14 lines.

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New RCS labels

Recently, Google has been testing new in-app labels that could distinguish whether you’re sending an SMS or RCS message.

Thanks to an APK teardown fromAndroid Authority, the labels found in beta suggest that soon you’ll be able to see which of your contacts are using RCS in Messages, adding a new RCS label to the right side of a contact’s name or number.

Unsubscribe from automated texts

This is a feature we’re quite excited to see, and we’re hoping for a wider rollout this month. A few weeks ago, anunsubscribe buttonwas spotted at the bottom of some messages, which could give users an easier way of unsubscribing to automated texts and even the option to report spam.

When you tap this, a list of options will appear asking you for your reasons for unsubscribing, which include ‘not signed up’, ‘too many messages’, and ‘no longer interested’ as well as an option for ‘spam’. If you select one of the first three, a message reading ‘STOP’ will be sent automatically, and you’ll be successfully unsubscribed.

Read receipts gets a new look

(Image credit: 9to5Google)

Google could introduce another revamp of how you can view read receipts in the Messages app. In November 2024, Google tested a redesign of its read receipts that placed the checkmark symbols inside the message bubbles, which used to appear underneath sent messages.

In January, Google tested another small redesign introducing a new white background, which could roll out soon, and while this isn’t a major redesign, it’s effective enough to make read receipts stand out more.

Camera and gallery redesign, and sending ‘original quality’ media

We first noticed that Google Messages was prepping anew photo and video quality upgrade. In March, more users started to notice a wider availability, but it’s still not yet fully rolled out, meaning it could be one of the next new updates in the coming weeks.

Essentially, Google could be rolling out a new option that allows you to send media, such as photos and videos, in their original quality. This will give you the choice of the following two options:

‘Optimize for chat’– sends photos and videos at a faster speed, compromising quality.

‘Original quality’– sends photos and videos as they appear in your phone’s built-in storage.

I pitted Galaxy AI’s photo editing tool against Apple Intelligence’s Clean Up, and let’s just say the results aren’t even close

The difference is unbelievable

I’ve been an iPhone user since 2009 when I got my first iPhone 3G, and since then I’ve been a loyal customer, upgrading annually to the best smartphoneApplehas to offer.

WhenSamsungreleased the S25 series of smartphones earlier this year with AI at their core, I knew I had to finally give Android a proper go and see whatGoogle’s mobileoperating systemwas capable of.

Over the next few weeks I’m going to pit my S25’sGalaxy AIfeatures against my iPhone 16 Pro Max’sApple Intelligencecapabilities to see which smartphone has AI features worth using compared to those that are just a gimmick.

When I received the S25, early last week, the first thing I decided to do was test Galaxy AI’s photo editing prowess, after all,Clean Upon iPhone is one of the most complete Apple Intelligence features to date, or so I thought.

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The dog

Original

Galaxy AI

Apple Intelligence

To start my Galaxy AI Generative Edit versus Clean Up comparison, I decided to start by erasing my French Bulldog, Kermit, from his very plain grey bed. I thought this was a good starting point as while the bed is a plain background, there would be the shadow of the dog coming from the natural sunlight of the window in front of the camera.

Galaxy AI had no issue removing Kermit from his bed, in fact not only did it remove the shadow, it continued the brown stitching of the bed’s border, and smoothed out the surface to completely erase any sign of Kermit from the photo.

Apple Intelligence’s Clean Up, on the other hand, failed miserably at this simple task, leaving Kermit’s shadow while removing the dog from the bed. This AI editing created a sort of blur effect that would never pass for an edited image, let alone an original one.

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Galaxy AI 1-0 Apple Intelligence

The croissant

Original

Galaxy AI

Apple Intelligence

Next up, I took my two smartphones to my local coffee shop to test AI photo editing out in the wild. As I went later in the day, there were only two croissants left, one regular and one pain au chocolat.

For this test, I decided to remove the pain au chocolat from a photo as the coffee shop’s branded paper underneath was monochrome and a repeating pattern that I thought would make for an interesting comparison.

Again, Samsung’s AI editing was impressive, to say the least. Not only did the pain au chocolat completely disappear from the image, but Galaxy Ai replicated the branded pattern perfectly, keeping some crumbs for added realism.

The iPhone’s attempt was again, pretty rubbish, creating a sort of crumpled paper effect and leaving the pain au chocolat’s shadow in plain sight. This was again pretty disappointing from Apple Intelligence, there may be a trend appearing here…

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Galaxy AI 2-0 Apple Intelligence

The coffee cup

Original

Galaxy AI

Apple Intelligence

I asked the barista behind the bar if he could pour a Flat White so I could try and remove the coffee cup from his hands using Galaxy AI and Apple Intelligence.

I thought it was worth trying just to see how the AI photo editing tools handle pouring liquid, and again the results are night and day.

On the S25, the cup disappeared, Galaxy AI recreated the barista’s thumb, inserted some objects on the surface, and tried to create the impact of the hot milk on the sink below.

While the liquid’s physics is somewhat off, the editing of the hand and the recreation of what Galaxy AI perceived to be behind the cup were seriously impressive.

As for Apple Intelligence… I’ll let the image do all the talking.

Galaxy AI 3-0 Apple Intelligence

The empty shop

Original

Galaxy AI

Apple Intelligence

、

At this point, I had completely accepted the disparity in effectiveness between Samsung and Apple’s offerings, so I decided to push Generative Edit and Clean Up as far as these flagship smartphones would allow me to.

I took a photo of the busy coffee shop, and after erasing one of the people from sight I decided to go even further and just erase everything from the photo, leaving nothing but the seating.

Again, Galaxy AI passed with flying colors, recreating the shops outside the window, and extending the sofa where I had removed my table and coffee cup. Apple Intelligence, well… It mushed everything together and was absolutely useless.

Galaxy AI 4-0 Apple Intelligence

A whitewash

It’s fair to say there’s a clear winner when it comes to AI photo editing between these two devices, and if you follow any smartphone news you’re probably not surprised.

What was surprising to me, was just how amazing Galaxy AI’s photo editing is, and how bad Clean Up on my top-of-the-line iPhone is.

I’ve used Clean Up in the past and found it did a decent, but hardly mind-blowing job when it comes to removing a subject from a photo. After using the S25, I can’t believe Clean Up has even shipped in its current state knowing what alternatives are out there.

I want to emphasize that both companies have taken a different approach to AI photo editing. Apple wants to keep the image as close to the original as possible, while Samsung is happy to showcase its AI power and offer more emphatic editing.

While I think that’s worth keeping in mind, I do still think Apple’s Clean Up approach should be capable of some of the simple edits you’ve seen above. Instead, it’s come incredibly short of the mark when Samsung’s offering is capable of truly achieving what it sets out to do.