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Applehas announced that the hearing aid mode forAirPods Pro 2, which wasannounced and launched in the US last year, is coming to the UK today, Monday February 24th, 2025. We alreadyknew that it was coming to the UK following a regulatory change, but not when – however, you can expect it to become enabled imminently.
AirPods Pro 2 are able to help with mild to moderate hearing loss, and the hearing aid mode is designed to help people boost particular frequencies that may make it hard for them to hear conversations in loud rooms, for example – especially in combination with Apple’s noise-management tech used in the earbuds.
Using them as hearing aids is a two-step process: first, you take a hearing aid test with them in your ears from your iPhone by listening to a series of tones while in a quiet room. This was already available in the UK, and we recommend everyone tries it –like our writer, you might find interesting things out even if you have no hearing problems, or it might help clarify things for you.
The second step is that the AirPods can take the results of your hearing test and create the hearing aid profile from there, boosting the parts of the world around you that need boosting when you wear them – though there are ways you can adjust how it works. This second part has been missing from the UK so far, but we’ve tried it out in the US, and it can be very powerful.
There are lots of people who resist hearing aids, for various reasons, and being able to use (relatively) inexpensive earbuds as an alternative might help a lot more people to try out hearing augmentation.
Well, that’s as long as they have an iPhone as well, and don’t hearing support all day. There’s no Android support for this feature on AirPods Pro 2, and you’re limited to the roughly six-hour battery life that AirPods Pro 2 have before then need recharging from their case.
But for some people, that will be perfect – they’ll only need them when having lunch with a friend or watching TV for a few hours, and can put them back in the case to charge when they extra nuance they offer isn’t needed.
The feature is only available for the AirPods Pro 2, not any of the otherbest AirPods– even the newerAirPods 4, because it requires the in-ear seal that only the Pro model provides.
If you’re having trouble finding the new feature, make sure your iPhone is up to date by going to the Settings app, then General, then Software Update, to check for an update on that device. AirPods should update their software automatically in the background when charging and not in use, butApple recently finally shared instructions on how to update AirPods.
Samsung wasn’t the first phone maker to adopt wireless charging, but it was the first to make it widely available in its flagship phones. Starting with the Galaxy S5, each Samsung flagship featured wireless charging integrated into the phone itself, and Apple continued the trend with the launch of the iPhone two years later.
However, wireless charging has not improved much since then, and companies have sought individual approaches. Apple launched the MagSafe standard five years ago, and the next generation of wireless charging standards was announced three years later.
It promised to bring the best ofMagSafeto all phones, but much like the original promise of wireless charging, it hasn’t quite worked out that way. Over 300 companies agreed to the standards of Qi2, and two years later, we have yet to see a phone properly support it.
Like USB-C, there are competing speeds, specifications, and approaches, all of which conform to Qi charging standards but do little to ensure there’s consistency. This is why even Samsung and Apple’s support can fix the mess that is Qi charging.
Qi is the universal standard for wireless charging that over 300 companies have agreed to. While some companies also take individual approaches, any phone you buy that’s equipped with wireless charging will almost certainly support the Qi standard.
Much like the USB-C standard for wired charging, Qi is designed to ensure that there’s broad compatibility between different devices and the plethora of wireless charging accessories available. While it achieves that at its core, this approach has had its problems.
The Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) has been trying to evolve the standard with its members, but can you imagine the state of those conversations? 300 different companies, each with its own vision and desire to be involved in helping to shape the wireless charging standard.
Unsurprisingly, we haven’t had any conformity beyond the basic standard, even with companies like Apple, Samsung, and Google involved in shaping the standard. The hope was that Qi2 would solve this, but two years later, it hasn’t rolled out as quickly or as widely as we all hoped.
The magnet on the Galaxy S25 Ultra magnetic wireless charging cover
The main appeal of Qi2 in its current form is the addition of magnets for charging alignment. This is through the addition of the Magnetic Power Profile (MPP), which is based on Apple’s MagSafe charging standard. Essentially, it means that Qi2-compatible devices can add a ring of magnets to ensure the phone aligns perfectly with the charger. It’s essentially the same as MagSafe, and there’s expected to be cross-compatibility between MagSafe and the best Qi2 chargers.
Then there are those chargers that support the Extended Power Profile, which meets the specifications for Qi2 but the manufacturer has opted against including magnets. This should mean some support for faster speeds, but these devices won’t be billed as, or feature, the Qi2 logo. Think of this as the entry-level to Qi2 charging.
So far, that’s easy to understand, but the current implementation of Qi2 by phone makers has led to a third level, and I suspect it’ll prove to be the most popular. Like the three different frequency bands for 5G — low-band, mid-band, and high-band (mmWave) — the three tiers of Qi2 will likely see most companies opt to promote “Qi2-Ready” devices soon.
Qi2-Ready devices essentially mean that the device doesn’t contain magnets, but you can add these via a third-party case. TheGalaxy S25 seriesare Qi2-Ready which essentially means they’re billed as Qi devices, but you use a certified Qi2 Ready case with a Qi2 Ready charger to effectively get the same benefits of Qi2.
I reviewed theGalaxy S25 Ultra Magnetic Charging Coverand while it’s a great addition if you care about wireless charging — and you have a compatible charger — it doesn’t achieve the other expected benefit of Qi2 charging: faster speeds. However, this could be due to the long lead cycle of phone development, but as OnePlus has shown, it’s possible to add everything.
OnePlus 13 with Sandstone case and wireless charging insert
The OnePlus 13 features Oppo’s50W AirVOOC wireless charging, which brings all the benefits of Qi2 charging without the official certification. Magnets in the case keep it aligned to your phone, and the superfast charger even has a fan to ensure maximum efficiency, and to cool your phone. The result is that it wirelessly charges the phone to full in 70 minutes, which is almost three times the speed of the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s wireless charging.
Qi2 was eventually meant to offer improved charging speeds, but so far, all devices only charge at the maximum 15W except for the iPhone 16 series. Thanks to Apple’s tight integration of its ecosystem and accessories, the iPhone 16 series supports MagSafe charging, which offers 25W wireless charging speeds.
The latest MagSafe and the faster charging speeds are limited to just Apple’s latest iPhones, although the new iPhone 16e doesn’t support MagSafe charging. Much like the original introduction of MagSafe, only the latest iPhone has faster wireless charging speeds, and it’s unlike this model will change soon.
Which phone currently has the fastest wireless charging?
OnePlus AirVOOC 50W charger attached to a OnePlus 13
One of the benefits of the Qi standard is that all phones ultimately face the same limitations, but we’re already seeing companies take proprietary approaches and use the Qi standard as the fallback. Samsung opted to let someone else build the charging infrastructure, so it’s Qi2-Ready and only supports 15W charging when paired with devices like theGalaxy S25 Plus.
Then there’s Oppo and OnePlus. Both use the same AirVOOC charging solution that offers 50W charging when paired with the official case. I’ve tested theFind X8 Proand theOnePlus 13, and both are exceptionally fast when charged wirelessly. Although neither of these is Qi2-certified, both should work fine with any magnetic charger, although you’ll need the official 50W AirVOOC charger to get the full speeds.
Qi2 offered much promise to every phone maker adhering to a single standard for magnetic wireless charging, but it has so far failed to live up to its promise. It will likely take Samsung incorporating it into a future handset for more companies to also want to follow, and that’s unlikely for at least another year, if not longer.
YouriPhoneis essentially a pocket computer and it’ll end up being packed with files whether they’re photos, documents, audio, video and more. At some point, you may want to transfer some of those files to your Mac.
While you could use clunky methods like emailing files to yourself or sending them through Messages, there are some slicker solutions, as we’re about to see. One of these is a more recent addition: the ability tomirror your iPhonein a window on your Mac.
If you’ve tried it, you’ll know just how effective it can be. What’s more, withiOS 18.2,Apple has made connecting your iPhone to a Mac even easier by introducing a new way to trust an unknown computer. So, let’s take a look at how to transfer files from an iPhone to a Mac.
How to transfer files from an iPhone to Mac using iPhone mirroring
Using iPhone Mirroring makes it easy to transfer files.
1. Connect your iPhone
Launch the iPhone Mirroring appon your Mac andfollow the promptsboth on your Mac and iPhone as required.
2. Transfer files
Use your mouse or trackpad and keyboard to navigate the iPhoneon your Mac’s screen andfind a file— perhaps in the Files app. Simplydrag that filefrom the iPhone window to your Mac.
How to transfer files from an iPhone to Mac using AirDrop
Another easy way to transfer files is to use AirDrop
1. Find a file
Identify a fileon your iPhone that you want to transfer to your Mac andtap the share icon.
It could be an image in the Photos app (open an imageandtap the Share icon) or a file in the Files app (tap the three-dot menunext to a file andselect Send a Copy).
In short, if you’re able to share something, AirDrop is likely to be available.
You will see an AirDrop icon.Tap AirDropand you’ll be able to select nearby devices — one of which will hopefully be your Mac.
If you cannot see your Mac listed, then take a look athow to use AirDrop on Macand make sure it’s discoverable.
How to transfer files from an iPhone to Mac using iCloud
If you have iCloud active on your iPhone and Mac, then any files saved on your iPhone will be automatically available on your Mac.
1. Set up iCloud on an iPhone
Go to Settingsandtap your name. If it isn’t there,tap Apple Accountandsign in. Thentap iCloudandselect the itemsyou want to store there.
2. Set up iCloud on Mac
Now on your Mac,select the Apple Menuandchoose System Settings. Be sure the Apple Account is the same one you set up on your iPhone andclick iCloud.
Decide which features you want to sync andclick Done. If they marry up with those selected on the iPhone, the files will automatically be made available across both devices.
How to physically transfer files from an iPhone to Mac
The third way is to use something physical —either a cable or an external storage drive.
When using a cable, plug the charging cable into your phone and plug the other end into your Mac.
1. Launch Finder
When you do this, you canlaunch Finderandselect your iPhonefrom the sidebar.
2. View your files
Select Filesand you will have access to the files on your iPhone.
If using an external driver, it might be beneficial to check out thehow to use an external storage device with your iPhone.
Once files are saved to that drive, you canunplug it,connect it to your Mac, thenlaunch Finderandselect the drive from the sidebarto access them.
And there you go! You now know how to transfer files from an iPhone to Mac. But there’s more. For Windows PC and Mac users, check outhow to transfer photos from an iPhone to a computer. And it’s worth knowinghow to copy and paste images between your Apple devices with Universal Clipboard, andhow to transfer Google Photos to PC or Mac.
Samsung has finally brought its Ultra design into line with the rest of the Galaxy series, with sharp results. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is extremely powerful and long-lasting, with some of the most advanced AI applications yet.
For
Unified design that doesn’t skimp on Ultra appeal
Biggest screen of the lineup
Powerful AI
Excellent battery life
Against
Generative AI doesn’t always deliver
Samsung still shies away from total photo-reality
Google Pixel 9 Pro
The Pixel 9 Pro is a classy-looking, pleasingly compact flagship phone that doesn’t compromise despite its diminutive stature. It takes fabulous pictures, features some of the crispest AI-enhanced software on the market, and has a brilliantly crisp and accurate screen.
For
Fantastic Pixel redesign with premium materials and finish
Excellent cameras rival the best camera phones
AI tricks are unique and creative without crossing lines
Against
Performance lags significantly behind other flagship phones
Some AI tricks feel a bit fake when you use them
Price is high compared to high-performance rivals
TheSamsung Galaxy S25 Ultrais a compromise-free flagship smartphone, but what happens if you want something a little smaller? TheSamsung Galaxy S25is a great phone, but it’s no Galaxy S25 Ultra Mini.
Thankfully,Googlemakes the closest thing you’re going to get to such a device in the form of theGoogle Pixel 9 Pro. For the first time ever, Google has crammed all of its best features into a relatively compact form factor, with virtually no compromises. That’s the sales pitch, anyway.
So, does the Google Pixel 9 Pro actually match up to theSamsungGalaxy S25 Ultra? Is it really as simple a case of choosing your preferred screen size? We’ve reviewed both phones, awarding them a stellar 4.5 out of 5 score in ourSamsung Galaxy S25 Ultra reviewandGoogle Pixel 9 Pro review, respectively. But to declare a winner, we’re going to have to break things down into a point-by-point comparison.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Google Pixel 9 Pro: price and availability
Samsung’s latest flagship phone, the Galaxy S25 Ultra, arrived on February 3, 2025. Google’s Pixel 9 Pro landed in shops a little earlier on September 9, 2024.
Pricing for the Galaxy S25 Ultra starts from $1,299 for 256GB of storage, while the 512GB model costs $1,419. The top 1TB model costs $1,659. It’s a lot more expensive than the Pixel 9 Pro whichever way you cut it.
Google’s phone starts from $999 / £999 / AU$1,699 for 128GB of storage, moving up to $1,099 for 256GB, and $1,219 for 512GB. US customers alone get the option of a 1TB model for $1,449.
Comparing like-for-like storage options, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is a not-inconsiderable $200 more expensive. First blood, Google.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Google Pixel 9 Pro: design
Samsung has switched up its design language with the Galaxy S25 Ultra to bring it more in line with the rest of the Galaxy range. It’s all flat edges now, albeit with much pointier corners than the regular Galaxy S25.
Google has also taken things a turn for the flatter with the Pixel 9 Pro, though it looks more like the standard Galaxy S25 than the Ultra – and thus, inevitably, a lot more like an iPhone.
Both look and feel like the premium devices they are, though the Galaxy S25 Ultra is undoubtedly the higher-end piece of kit. Its frame is made of titanium rather than the Pixel 9 Pro’s aluminum. Both phones are IP68 certified, so are similarly water and dust-resistant.
From the rear, the Pixel 9 Pro is arguably the more interesting phone of the two. It all comes down to Google’s classy camera module, which stands loud and proud, and covers most of the width of the phone. The Galaxy S25 Ultra’s discrete camera lenses simply don’t have the same wow factor.
Of course, the biggest difference here relates to the size of these two phones. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is huge, measuring 162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2mm and weighing a hefty 218g. The Pixel 9 Pro is much more pocketable, measuring 152.8 x 72 x 8.5mm and weighing 199g.
Samsung’s phone gets an additional point of interest in the form of an integrated S Pen stylus housed in the bottom edge of the phone. Samsung may have robbed it of Bluetooth connectivity this year, but it still offers an input method that the Pixel 9 Pro (along with most other phones) wholly lacks.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Google Pixel 9 Pro: display
That difference in size informs the size of the two displays on offer here. The Galaxy S25 Ultra packs a vast 6.9-inch AMOLED display, while the Pixel 9 Pro has a much smaller 6.3-inch variant.
Both are LTPO panels, so can adjust between 1 and 120Hz refresh rates depending on the task at hand. The Galaxy S25 Ultra technically packs in more pixels – 1440 x 3120 vs 1280 x 2856 – but the difference in size means that the pixel density is similar.
Indeed, you’ll need to dive into the settings to activate the full QHD+ resolution on the Samsung phone in the first place, which feels like a weird decision.
Where the Pixel 9 Pro wins points is for its superior brightness. It can attain a 3000 nits peak inHDRcontent, while the Galaxy S25 Ultra only hits 2600 nits. Both are strong, but Google’s phone takes the edge on sunnier days.
There’s also the fact that the Pixel 9 Pro’s display is a little more natural-looking, while Samsung has ramped up the vibrant colors with the Galaxy S25 Ultra. It’s certainly a look, but it’s not the most technically accurate out there.
Both phones employ ultrasonic fingerprint sensors underneath their displays, which are fast and secure. Our reviewer did encounter more read errors with the Samsung than the Google, but these things tend to vary from person to person.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Google Pixel 9 Pro: cameras
Both of these phones take phenomenal pictures, and are right up near the top of the camera phone tree – albeit for different reasons.
Samsung continues to be the zoom king, having equipped the Galaxy S25 Ultra with two telephoto cameras – one 10MP 3x and one 50MP 5x periscope camera. The Pixel 9 Pro, by contrast, only has the one 48MP 5x unit.
This means that the Galaxy S25 Ultra takes sharper pictures across a wider range of focal lengths, including those hybrid shots that crop in on the sensors for a deeper zoom. It also benefits from a 200MP main sensor that captures more detail than the Pixel 9 Pro’s 50MP main sensor.
Both manufacturers offer a heavily processed look, but Samsung’s color science is perhaps a little less natural and more over-saturated than Google’s. Expect bluer-than-blue skies and super-green leaves.
It’s tough to choose which phone takes better nighttime images. Both Samsung and Google have a strong low-light algorithm game.
Both phones also employ powerful AI features to help you make some creepily effective AI adjustments, including removing background objects and even inserting elements that weren’t there in the first place. It might not be pure photography, but it sure is impressive.
Google’s phone wins out with a phenomenal 42MP selfie camera, which is arguably the best in the business. It also takes the W on video recording, especially with a Video Boost mode that improves sharpness, exposure, and stability at the small cost of longer processing times.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Google Pixel 9 Pro: performance and software
There are two elements to this section: performance and software. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra clearly wins the first one, while the Google Pixel 9 Pro mops up with the second.
Taking performance first, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra uses Qualcomm’s blazing Snapdragon 8 Elite chip. It’s already faster than pretty much any other mobile processor on the market – including fromApple– and this is a slightly overclocked version of that chip too.
In the opposite corner, the Pixel 9 Pro is one of the weakest-performing flagship phones on the market. It would be unfair to label Google’s home-brewed Tensor G4 chip a dud, but it seems to be more than a generation behind the Snapdragon 8 Elite when you take a look at the usual CPU and GPU benchmark numbers. Last year’s Galaxy S24 Ultra handily beats it, let alone the current model.
Google would argue that this is an outdated way to view performance these days, and that its AI performance is where it’s at. It’s certainly true that the Pixel 9 Pro runs some very clever AI tools, and the phone’s 16GB of RAM makes the 12GB of the Galaxy S25 Ultra seem stingy to that end.
There’s no getting away from the fact that the Galaxy S25 Ultra feels much snappier in the hands, however. The Pixel 9 Pro isn’t slow, but there were definitely moments when it stuttered and paused during our review period, such as when we had multiple apps running together. We had no such issues with the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
This could be particularly problematic going forward. Both manufacturers offer generous seven-year software update promises, but only the Galaxy S25 Ultra feels as if it might be sufficiently snappy to still be running well towards the end of its lifespan.
However, when it comes to the experience of actually using that software, the Pixel 9 Pro wins hands down. Google’s stock UI is simply much cleaner and less cluttered than Samsung’s. There’s no duplicate web browser, virtual assistant, or payment app, and the app tray and notification center are both far more intuitive.
Both Samsung and Google go big on AI, and indeed Samsung has adopted many of Google’s tricks, including making Gemini its primary assistant. We’ll go with Google’s more cohesive implementation, but the truth is both phones have a similarly sporadic hit rate when it comes to AI software.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Google Pixel 9 Pro: battery
You’d expect the larger phone to feature superior stamina, and that tallies with our experience. Not only does the Galaxy S25 Ultra have a larger 5,000mAh battery (vs 4,700mAh in the Pixel 9 Pro), but it also has the more efficient processor of the two.
Both phones will last a full day of fairly heavy usage without making you sweat, but the Galaxy S25 Ultra scored much better in our Future Labs tests. While Samsung’s phone lasted more than 17 hours, the Pixel 9 Pro lasted about four hours less.
This isn’t a criticism of the Pixel. It holds up to its fellow small flagships pretty well. It’s just in a different class to the hulking Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Neither phone is hugely impressive when it comes time to recharge times. The Galaxy S25 Ultra supports 45W charging, while the Pixel 9 Pro supports 27W. While the Samsung phone is quoted as being able to get from empty to 65% in 30 minutes, the Pixel 9 Pro will only get to 55% in the same time. It’s not a hugely significant difference, but it’s a win for Samsung nonetheless.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra supports 15W Qi wireless charging to the Pixel 9 Pro’s 12W, though Google wins the wireless round by supporting a faster bespoke wireless solution of 21W, provided you invest in the Pixel Stand.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs Google Pixel 9 Pro: verdict
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and the Google Pixel 9 Pro are two of our favorite phones, and they’re also sufficiently different to make a straight-up winner very tough to call.
If you’re a media hound who likes your screens large and your battery life epic, the massive Galaxy S25 Ultra is clearly the best pick. Elsewhere, its S Pen function makes it uniquely suited to scrawling notes and ideas.
For those after a more compact phone, whether due to having small hands or tiny pockets, the Pixel 9 Pro is for you. It gives you a largely compromise-free flagship experience in a much smaller bundle, and it costs less to boot.
The tit-for-tat continues: Samsung’s phone is much faster, and thus arguably a little more future-proof. Conversely, Google’s software is much cleaner and nicer to use, and buying a Pixel means you’re signing up for the latest and greatest AI features as they arrive. Google makes both the hardware and the software here, which counts for a lot – just ask Apple fans.
Ultimately, you’re not going to be sorry with whichever of these two phones you buy. You just need to make sure you put some thought into what you really value in a smartphone before you make your choice.
Is it worth splurging on the iPad 11, or should you stick with the iPad 10?
Apple’s plain old iPad 10 is a gem.
It offers lplentyof screen real estate to watch your favorite shows, snappy eerformance, and decent battery life ll at a wallet-friendly price. But how does it compare to the upcoming iPad 11, Apple’s new affordable tablet?
The iPad 11 and iPad 10 are expected to be quite similar, but they’ll vary in a few major aspects, namely price and performance.
Apple’s next-gen base iPad will likely come equipped with the hardware chops needed to utilize Apple Intelligence features, which means it’ll offer better overall performance as well.
Are convenient AI features, improved performance, and a likely battery life boost in the iPad 11 worth its potential price hike? Let’s dive into how exactly the iPad 11 compares to the iPad 10 and ultimately help you decide which tablet to pick up.
In ouriPad 10 review, the tablet’s launch price was $449. Due to some slight public outrage and the tablet already going on sale frequently, Apple decided to permanently lower the recommended retail price to $349 at the’Let Loose’ event in May 2024.
Now, you can frequently find theiPad 10 dip as low as $299during major sales, making it the cheapest modern iPad you can pick up.
Switching gears to the iPad 11, which will hopefully launch in March or April, current rumors aren’t clear on how Apple plans to price the new tablet.
That said, the general consensus seems to be that Apple will likely start the iPad 11 at $449, matching the iPad 10’s original price, and possibly run it on sale at $349 a lot.
Because Apple modernized the base iPad’s look in 2022, the iPad 11’s design will likely not be significantly different.
We’re expecting to see the same flat-edge aluminum chassis, similar dimensions and weight, and similar cameras and camera placement.
If Apple keeps the dimensions and weight of the iPad 10 and iPad 11 the same, customers will be much more eager to upgrade, knowing that any cases or folios they’ve already purchased will fit their new tablet.
The iPad 10 gained a Touch ID power button, a USB-C charging port, and support for Face ID, Magic Keyboard Folio,Apple PencilUSB-C, and Apple Pencil (1st Gen) — we expect all of these features to be present in the iPad 11 as well.
The only design area we could see Apple implementing change in is with the iPad’s available colorways. The iPad 10 is currently available in silver, blue, pink, and yellow.
We haven’t heard any rumors suggesting that Apple will keep the old colors or replace them with fun alternatives, but new shades would be the easiest way to give the iPad 11 a flook without changing the overall design.
iPad 11 vs. iPad 10: Display
In ouriPad 10 review, we noted the display as “pretty darn lovely to look at.” It’s a 10.9-inch, 2,360 x 1,640-pixel, LED-backlit, multi-touch, IPS display with a 60Hz refresh rate and 500 nits max brightness, larger than its predecessor’s 10.2-inch display with similar specs.
With a display size increase between 9th and 10th generation iPads, and with most people already satisfied with the iPad 10’s display, we don’t expect to see Apple dole out any major display upgrades this time around.
Apple may consider only a minor upgrade: a laminated display. Upgrading the base iPad to a laminated display would make it slightly thinner and ultimately make it feel nicer for the user, whether using a finger or a stylus to navigate.
iPad 11 vs. iPad 10: Features
Apple probably won’t bring any speaker or camera upgrades to the iPad 11, but that’s not necessarily bad.
OuriPad 10 reviewdescribes the speakers as providing “impactful audio capable of filling a small room” and the rear 12-megapixel camera as “sharp and vivid, managing a level of detail that will alarm you.”
The front camera could be improved, so we wouldn’t mind if Apple treated it to some TLC. However, as Apple changed the front camera placement from portrait to landscape with the iPad 10 and has Center Stage, it’s not likely that Apple will mess with the front camera specs. However, there could be software improvements that enhance the quality of selfies.
Speaking of software improvements, let’s talk about Apple Intelligence. According toBloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, the iPad 11 will feature an A17 Pro chip and 8GB of memory, which means it’ll be capable of utilizing new Apple Intelligence features.
If you’re interested in using AI to help you respond to emails and texts, edit your photos, manage your overflowing inbox, schedule tasks, and more, the iPad 11 is absolutely worth waiting for over the iPad 10. On the other hand, if you’d rather not have an AI-powered tablet, opt for the iPad 10.
Additionally, Apple will likely bring Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 to the iPad 11, compared to the iPad 10’s Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2. It’s not an intense connectivity boost, but if you have a Wi-Fi 6E router and devices that support newer Bluetooth gens, you’ll be thankful for the slightly increased connectivity speeds.
iPad 11 vs. iPad 10: Which should you buy?
Unless you need a tablet right away, it’s worth waiting for the iPad 11 to launch. The iPad 11 is overall a better tablet compared to the iPad 10, with much snappier performance, likely improved battery life, and Apple Intelligence capabilities thanks to the A17 Pro chip and 8GB of RAM.
Yes, the iPad 11 will probably be more expensive than the iPad 10, but not by much. The iPad 10’s retail price has been slashed to an incredibly affordable $349, and even if the iPad 11 launches at $449, it’ll still be the cheapest new iPad option available. For reference, theiPad ministarts at $499.
The only reasons to consider the iPad 10 vs. the iPad 11 are to save the most money or to avoid an AI-powered tablet for personal security or privacy reasons. Otherwise, the iPad 11 is the best choice for most people.
The Chromecast with Google TV had a good run(Image credit: Google)
Google has stopped selling the Chromecast with Google TV
The gadget made its debut in September 2020
An upgrade is available in the form of the Google TV Streamer
Four-and-a-half years after making its debut, theChromecast with Google TVis no longer being sold byGoogle– joining products likeGoogle Daydreamand theNexus Q(remember that?) in the hardware section of the Google graveyard.
The disappearance of the gadget from the official Google Store was noted by9to5Googleand others, with both the4Kand HD versions no longer available. The HD model launched in 2022, two years after the original.
While you might still be able to hunt one down through third-party resellers, the future is very much theGoogle TV Streamerunveiled in August 2024. That’s now the default Google TV device, yours for $99.
However, as a long-time user of the Chromecast with Google TV (4K edition), there’s no way I’m going to swap the old device for the new one right now. In fact, I’ll probably stick with my current streaming dongle until it stops working, which could still be several years off at this point.
The Google TV Streamer is the future(Image credit: Google)
The Chromecast with Google TV was a significant upgrade to traditional Chromecasts when it made its debut. Before it arrived, Chromecasting was quick and easy enough, but everything had to be controlled on a phone, tablet, or laptop.
With the Chromecast with Google TV, you have a chunky little remote – even more straightforward to use, with its tactile, physical buttons and scroll pad. There’s on-board storage too, and a software interface, making it a truly standalone device.
The Google TV Streamer is by no means bulky, but it needs a flat surface to sit on, whereas my Chromecast with Google TV just dangles out of an HDMI port. The new gadget is more expensive too, packing in more storage that I’m never going to use.
Both the old and new streaming devices make use of Google TV – one of the best and most versatile TV software platforms – so there’s no upgrade there. In an ideal world, I’d love a Chromecast with Google TV, 2025 edition (if anyone from Google is reading), but my current streaming gadget continues to do a fine job.
Master the challenges of coastal locations at low tide with a careful approach to composition
What you’ll need
– Wide-angle zoom lens
– Low-level camera support
– Polariser (optional)
Harbors and marinas are great places to explore with a camera and offer a tremendous range of detail on which we can focus. It’s possible to find subjects for both close-up shots and wide vistas, allowing us to capture the many facets of this fascinating environment.
However, as with all coastal locations, harbors are subject to extreme tidal changes in water level and, unfortunately, it isn’t always possible to be on location at the ideal time of the tidal cycle – when water is rushing in or out of the harbor, drawing attractive lines around the boats and rocks.
During low tide, you’ll often find that the boats are resting on sand and the retreating water has revealed a jumble of rocks, seaweed, barnacles and other debris on the seabed, which doesn’t often make for the most photogenic of foregrounds.
Also, when dry, sand absorbs a lot of light rather than reflecting it, which can make colours appear dull and muted within the frame. This can all add up to produce a boring middle ground in our landscape shots, so we must work to control the relative proportions of all areas of the frame. Let’s explore the best ways to reduce unsightly parts of the scene through careful composition and creative use of exposure.
The key aspect to the success of this technique is to hide areas of the scene that you don’t want the viewer to see. Get the camera as low as possible to hide the dry middle ground. We used our camera bag, rather than a tripod, for the lowest position.
As the camera is close to foreground elements, the depth of field is greatly reduced, so choose an aperture setting of at least f/11. For this scene, f/16 was needed to get both the foreground rocks and the distant castle sharp. Magnify the preview to check this.
3. Crop the foreground
At 24mm on our full-frame camera, there is a little too much foreground. Zoom in to balance the weight of each area of the scene and reduce the middle ground further, keeping an eye on the depth of field as you change the focal length.
4. Focus the scene
Double-distance and hyperfocal focusing aren’t always reliable when objects are located at greatly different distances. We used a hyperfocal distance app for the focus values at our focal length and f/stop, then performed visual micro-adjustments.
5. Wait for the light
With the camera set, wait for a break in the clouds. The harsher summer evening light has some drawbacks, but one advantage is dramatic spotlighting. We took a frame as a cloud moved across the sun, breaking up the lighting structure a little.
6. Underexpose
We used negative 1EV exposure compensation to darken the shadows a little. While harsh shadows are generally avoided in landscape photography, underexposing dull, non-reflective areas can draw attention away from boring middlegrounds.
Pro tip
Try shooting vertically
If the composition isn’t working, try making the foreground a major feature of your landscape scene
Your options to minimise dull middle grounds and foregrounds include pitching the camera up and exaggerating the sky or going all-in on the foreground. Where there is a good amount of detail to focus on close to the camera, try shooting in portrait orientation to capture texture in the rockpools that are often left once the tide has gone out. Use a polariser to cut through reflections and see the detail at the bottom of pools.
Editing steps
1. Balance the range
After setting the Black and White points, manage the distribution of shadows and highlights. In an image with darker rocks in the foreground, these will block up quickly. By waiting for the sunlight to hit them, only a small Shadows increase is needed.
2. Control colour luminance
After making a Curves adjustment to darken the mid tones, we also increased the Luminance of the Greens and Yellows in HSL to prevent the green seaweed from being dulled, too. We then darkened the Blues to deepen the sky contrast.
3. Dodge and Burn
To enhance the pools of light we waited for on the shoot, we used the Adjustment Brush inLightroom(K) with -0.50 Exposure to burn the soft shadows cast by the clouds. We then applied a Dodge to highlight areas with positive +0.40 Exposure.
4. Tone the highlights
The late afternoon sunlight is a little cool, so we applied some Color Grading by adding a Yellow tone to the Highlights and light Magenta to the Midtones for a natural colour depth. Adjust the Balance to ensure that fresh greens don’t turn yellow.
5. Adjust colour calibration
We used the Calibration Tab to adjust the Hue and Saturation of the Green Primary and also adjusted the other colour options to create a saturated but natural colour balance. The final colour step was to reduce the global Saturation by -2.
6. Selective Sharpening
Setting the aperture to f/16 produced sufficient DOF, but diffraction has lowered critical sharpness, especially in the foreground detail. Use the Adjustment Brush or the Sharpen Brush to extract extra texture in the rocks and vegetation.
Before/After
Lack of contrast This scene has a range of detail in the shadows thanks to the lighting from behind the camera but the colours lack depth
Final shot This image has a better structure, with less dead middle ground. The edit enhanced the colours and texture in the foreground
Users won’t have access to the store and its digital currency after August 20.
What you need to know
Amazon is bidding farewell to its Appstore on Android devices starting Aug. 20 this year.
In an announcement to app developers, the company stated that this move was made to shift focus on improving the app store experience on its own devices.
Users will have no access to the store and the digital currency —Amazon Coins will be refunded to them.
Amazon is discontinuing its app store on Android devices starting Aug. 20 this year. In an update to App developers, the company stated that they will no longer be accepting new apps for the store moving forward. Developers can continue to update existing apps on the Appstore until the above deadline.
The Amazon Appstore is currently available in 200 countries and allows users to download games and mobile apps on supported devices. It is a third-party app store that comes pre-installed on all Amazon devices.
However, it has always been an alternative Appstore for Android users that offers free apps and content that isn’t found on theGoogle Play Store.
On its FAQ page, Amazon stated that “any apps downloaded from the Amazon Appstore will not be guaranteed to operate on Android devices,” after Aug.20.
An Amazon spokesperson told Android Central in an email that it has decided to take this step with Android devices as the company is looking inward and wants to focus its efforts “on the Appstore experience on our own devices, as that’s where the overwhelming majority of our customers currently engage with it.”
According to the company, only a small number of customers use the app store outside Amazon devices, which pushed them to take this step.
Amazon added that its virtual currency aka Amazon Coins, which users use to purchase eligible apps and in-app items from the Appstore will also be discontinued. The company will refund unused coins to users after Aug.20. That said, the Appstore will remain untouched on Amazon’s devices like the Fire TV and Fire Tablet.
It looks like Amazon is following suit after what went down with Microsoft devices last year. Windows 11 users at least got a year’s headstart on this shift. As of March 5, even Microsoft devices will no longer support several apps available on the Amazon Appstore once this date arrives.
Xiaomi 14was released in India in March this year. It is one of the best compact flagship phones available on the market. The smartphone boasts a solid set of specifications. However, it lags behind its competitors in some key areas.
If you plan to upgrade to theXiaomi 14(full review), don’t forget to check out its best alternatives, which will help you make a better decision. Before we move on to the alternatives, let’s quickly recall the device via the spec sheet below.
SoftwareAndroid 14, Funtouch OS 14 3 Android upgrades
Connectivity5G/4G/3G/2G Wi-Fi 7/Wi-Fi 6 Bluetooth 5.4 NFC supported
Unlike Xiaomi 14, theVivo X100has a curved display that’s around 6.6% bigger in size. The Xiaomi 14 uses an OLED panel, while the rest of the display specifications are almost similar.
Both smartphones are IP68 certified for dust & water resistance. However, the Vivo X100 lacks protection, whereas the Xiaomi 14 uses Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
The Vivo X100 rocks a big circular camera module that’s easily distinguishable from the crowd, whereas the Xiaomi 14 features a rectangular camera module.
Both smartphones have a 50MP primary camera with OIS and a 50MP ultrawide camera (theVivo X100has a larger field of view). The periscope telephoto lens on the Vivo phone supports 3x optical zoom, while it is 3.2x on the Xiaomi 14).
Both smartphones take stunning photos and videos using the main camera in varying lighting conditions with fine details, sharpness, and colour accuracy. However, the dynamic range could have been better on the Vivo X100.
The Vivo phone takes good shots with its ultrawide cameras in various lighting conditions. It also takes good macro shots. However, the selfies and videos using the front camera are pretty decent, with some sort of skin smoothing.
Notably, the Vivo X100 supports up to 4K video recording using the rear camera, but only 1080p with its selfie camera. In contrast, the Xiaomi 14 can record up to 8K videos using its rear camera and 4K with its selfie camera.
Both smartphones take excellent photos and videos. However, in most cases, the Xiaomi 14 produces better shots, particularly with its rear camera setup. The Vivo X100 might have an edge when it comes to portrait selfies.
The Vivo X100 is powered by a Dimensity 9300 chip, whereas the Xiaomi 14 uses Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Both are the fastest mobile CPUs from their respective manufacturers and have similar benchmark results. They deliver excellent performance, but the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 has slightly better gaming stability. Check out the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 vs. Dimensity 9300 for more details.
The Xiaomi 14 and Vivo X100 have similar connectivity features, except the former has a faster USB data transfer rate.
The Vivo X100 has a larger battery capacity and supports much faster wired charging compared to Xiaomi 14. This means you’ll benefit from more screen time and quicker battery filling on the Vivo phone. However, the Vivo phone lacks wireless and reverse wireless charging.
Connectivity5G/4G/3G/2G Wi-Fi 6E Bluetooth 5.3 NFC (supported) USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 1
The Galaxy S24 (Snapdragon version) is another good alternative to the Xiaomi 14. It’s more compact and lightweight than the Xiaomi 14 and features a 6.2-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X screen — the brightness peaks at 2600nits (slightly lower than Xiaomi 14).
The Galaxy S24 uses the second-generation Gorilla Glass Victus, while the Xiaomi 14 has the first-generation Gorilla Glass Victus protection. Both devices are powered by the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip. There’s also an Exynos version, but it’s difficult to recommend because of Exynos problems.
The Galaxy S24 packs a lesser battery capacity than the Xiaomi 14, and as you may already know, Samsung is not a fan of superfast charging. Hence, you only get 25W charging support, while the Xiaomi 14 supports 90W fast charging. Both devices support wireless and reverse wireless charging, although they are faster on the Xiaomi phone.
Samsung phones are better known for software updates. The Galaxy S24 is promised seven years of Android and security updates, while the Xiaomi 14 will only get 4 Android updates and five years of security patches.
3. OnePlus 12
OnePlus 12 Specs
Body164.3 x 75.8 x 9.2mm 220g
Display6.82″ 120Hz LTPO AMOLED 1440 x 3168 pixels resolution HDR10+, Dolby Vision, 4500nits (peak) Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2
ChipQualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (4nm) Adreno 750 GPU
Connectivity5G/4G/3G/2G Wi-Fi 7/Wi-Fi 6E Bluetooth 5.4 NFC (supported) USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 1
The OnePlus 12 is another solid alternative to the Xiaomi 14. It’s slightly bigger and bulkier and has an IP65 rating for dust and water resistance. Both smartphones have the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, which delivers superior performance.
The OnePlus 12 has a 6.82-inch LTPO AMOLED screen with 120Hz refresh rate, Dolby Vision support, and 4500nits of peak brightness. Compared to Xiaomi 14, it has a bigger display with more pixels and higher peak brightness for better outdoor visibility. Also, it is protected by a Gorilla Glass Victus 2, while the Xiaomi 14 uses first-gen protection.
Both smartphones come with Android 14 out of the box and have been promised four years of Android updates from their respective brands.
The OnePlus 12 boasts a circular camera module featuring a 50MP primary sensor with OIS, a 64MP periscope telephoto lens with OIS, 3x optical zoom, and a 48MP ultrawide lens with 114-degree field of view (FOV). The camera setup is made in collaboration with Hasselblad to achieve better colour accuracy. There’s a 32MP camera for selfies.
SoftwareAndroid 14, Funtouch OS 14 3 Android upgrades
Connectivity5G/4G/3G/2G Wi-Fi 7/Wi-Fi 6 Bluetooth 5.4 NFC (supported) USB Type-C 2.0
iQOO 12 was released last year with a strong spec sheet. It boasts a slightly larger LTPO AMOLED screen than the Xiaomi 14 with a higher refresh rate and a peak brightness of 3000nits.
The iQOO device is fueled by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, the same chip inside the Xiaomi 14. It’s the most powerful chip for Android phones, ensuring superior performance and efficiency.
Let’s get to the cameras. The iQOO 12’s main camera takes detailed, sharp daylight images with excellent dynamic range. The overall image processing is sound, but sometimes, you may observe various imperfections due to weak processing.
The telephoto cameras are excellent, offering great details, colours, right sharpness, and less noise. The dynamic range and overall contrast are also impressive. The 64MP high-res zoomed images are okay(ish) with a good amount of details, accurate colours and good dynamic range, but they are pretty noisy.
Connectivity5G/4G/3G/2G Wi-Fi 6 Bluetooth 5.3 NFC (supported) USB Type-C 3.2
The Pixel 8 has similar pricing to the Xiaomi 14 and offers good value for money. Hence, it is an alternative to the Xiaomi 14 worth exploring.
The Pixel 8 is a compact flagship phone featuring a 6.2-inch OLED screen, although it’s not an LTPO panel and has a lower peak brightness than the Xiaomi 14.
The smartphone is powered by an in-house Tensor G3 chip, which isn’t as powerful as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 on the benchmarks. That doesn’t make it a bad choice for high-end phones. The chip can still deliver great performance.
The Pixel 8 has only two camera sensors on the back — a 50MP primary camera with OIS and a 12MP ultrawide camera with a 126-degree FOV. It is also equipped with a 10.5MP camera for selfies.
The smartphone takes good daylight shots with nicer details, consistent white balance, and good saturation. The ultrawide camera also shoots great images. It also has an autofocus that enables both general close-up shots and macro shots.
The Pixel 8 does an impressive job in low-light conditions, all thanks to good image processing. However, the portrait shots are just acceptable. The device takes nice selfies with good details. The video quality of the Pixel 8’s main camera is impressive. The ultrawide camera outputs an average video quality at night but does a fantastic job in daylight.
note:
The Xiaomi 14 is a solid flagship phone. However, these five phones are better than that in one or more key areas. Would you pick Xiaomi 14 or any of these alternatives? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
OPPO’s 100W charging tech is incredible, and it is available on all OnePlus phones as well.
All Android phones have fast charging built in, but not all standards are created equal. While several brands rely on USB’s standard Power Delivery, Chinese manufacturers use their own tech instead, delivering significantly higher charging speeds on their phones.
OPPO’s SuperVOOC is the industry leader in this area, with the brand able to push battery charging to as much as 240W. That’s an outlier, but on most OnePlus and OPPO phones available today, you’ll see 65W and 100W charging as standard, allowing these devices to fully charge their batteries in under 30 minutes.
To put that into context, Samsung uses 45W charging on theGalaxy S24 Ultra, but the device takes over 60 minutes to charge the battery — more than twice as long as the OnePlus 12. The best part is that you don’t get any downsides to 100W fast charging; I used OnePlus and OPPO devices based on the 100W tech for three years now, and long-term battery degradation is in line with other phones.
So here’s everything you need to know about the SuperVOOC charging standard — how it evolved over the years, how it works in the latest devices, and how it’s different to other fast charging solutions.
OPPO introduced its VOOC charging tech back in 2014, and if you’re curious, it is an abbreviation of Voltage Open Loop Multi-step Constant-Current Charging. VOLMCCC doesn’t quite have the same allure, so OPPO shortened it to VOOC. In the early days, the standard went up to 20W (5V/4A), allowing devices at the time — like theOnePlus 6T— to charge up to 60% in just 35 minutes, a sizeable achievement.
Then came SuperVOOC in 2006, going up to 50W by pushing 10V at 5A, but not many devices used this standard. The biggest upgrade came in 2019 with the debut of VOOC 3.0, which made 30W charging standard across most OnePlus and OPPO devices. The tech switched to 5V/6A to deliver faster charging, with devices like theOnePlus 7Tgoing up to a 70% charge in just 30 minutes.
The next evolution occurred in 2020 with SuperVOOC 2.0, which introduced the 65W standard that’s still in use today. It moved the charging tech to deliver 10V over 6.5A, introducing the ability to fully charge devices in under 40 minutes. When I tested the OnePlus 8T that year, I saw that the battery charged in just 38 minutes, a record at the time.
OnePlus used OPPO’s charging tech from the very beginning, but because it was set up as a standalone entity, it changed the moniker. The 20W standard was called Dash Charge, and with the switch to 30W came Warp Charge. And when 65W charging became available, the manufacturer went with Warp Charge 65.
There was a derivative of this — dubbed the 65T — on theOnePlus 9 Pro, which allowed the device to maintain a sustained voltage for an extended duration, and it unlocked a full charge in under 30 minutes. The biggest advantage to the SuperVOOC standard is that it doesn’t overheat your device; that’s because most of the charging circuitry is built into the wall unit.
This is why you can only get the quoted charging speeds only when you use a SuperVOOC charger; while USB PD also has 65W charging, the voltages are different, so you don’t get the same benefits.
How does SuperVOOC work? A standard smartphone battery is highly reactive, which is why phone companies have several safeguards built into the charging circuitry. Lithium-Ion batteries are able to take in more power initially, tapering out as the charge builds. It is on this principle that fast charging works.
Qualcomm’s Quick Charge technology delivers a higher voltage to the battery to expedite charging time. Quick Charge 5.0 is fully compliant with the USB-C Power Delivery (PD) spec, and while some manufacturers like ASUS use Qualcomm’s solution, most brands have switched over to USB PD instead.
Samsung, for instance, switched to USB Power Delivery’s Programmable Power Supply (PPS) spec starting with the Galaxy Note 10 series, offering 45W charging. This is still the case on its latest devices, but most of its mid-range phones still use a 25W standard.
SuperVOOC’s differentiation comes by way of using a dual-cell battery; theOnePlus 12has a 5400mAh battery, but it is made up of two 2700mAh cells. This way, the 100W charge is split over both batteries at the same time, allowing the device to charge in under 30 minutes.
The key difference between SuperVOOC and other charging standards is that while USB PD uses higher voltages to charge batteries, OPPO instead focuses on delivering a higher amperage. For instance, USB PD pushes 20V at 3.25A to send 65W to devices, whereas SuperVOOC delivers 10V at 6.5A to attain 65W. But because all the associated circuitry is in the wall unit, you’ll get all the advantages of fast charging without any of the downsides (overheating).
SuperVOOC 100W: Charging your phone in 30 minutes
One of the main benefits of SuperVOOC is its ability to keep temperatures low while charging. The fast charging option allows you to watch videos or play games while the phone is charging, with no net drop in speeds. That isn’t the case with other charging solutions, as the higher voltages invariably lead to the phone reverting to normal speeds to prevent overheating.
With SuperVOOC 100W, you can easily charge a phone battery in under 30 minutes, and it is a proven technology by this point — I used it on dozens of phones. There’s also a SuperVOOC 150W standard, but that was available on just a few devices, and while OPPO showcased SuperVOOC 240W as well, it isn’t practical on its flagships.
Like other charging standards, SuperVOOC takes more than twice as long to go from 50% to a full charge, and that’s to prevent damage to the battery (and more importantly, you), with the wall charger limiting output after hitting 70% and going even lower after reaching 80%. With the OnePlus 12, the phone goes up to 72% in just 15 minutes, but takes an additional 15 minutes to go the rest of the 28%.
The dedicated microcontroller unit inside the phone constantly monitors the charge level to determine the desired amperage to be delivered. This is a good thing, because it ensures that everything doesn’t burn down when you plug your phone in overnight. Of course, the main downside is that you’ll need to use OnePlus and OPPO’s bundled chargers to get the full charging potential.
That said, OPPO has licensed the technology to third-party vendors like Anker, and the charging brand is delivering SuperVOOC 65W on select power banks and chargers, including the Prime 27,650mAh power bank that goes up to 250W. This is a huge deal, as it allows you to get all the advantages of the charging tech on the go.
An additional thing to mention here is that while you get 100W charging in most regions, OnePlus limits the chargers to 80W in North America. This has to do with voltages again, so if you’re using the OnePlus 12 in the region, you’ll only be able to use 80W. In real-world use, that means the device will take roughly eight additional minutes to charge.
A key update introduced in 2022 is the ability to increase battery longevity. Even with SuperVOOC 100W, OPPO is guaranteeing 1600 charge cycles before battery degradation, and that’s a huge achievement. Also, the best part about using the SuperVOOC 100W charger is that it doubles as a USB PD charger as well, going up to 65W. So if you have other devices that leverage PD, you can charge those easily.
What is AIRVOOC 50?
TheOnePlus 8 Probecame the first device from the manufacturer (globally) to offer wireless charging, and in usual OnePlus fashion the company outfitted the phone with 30W wireless charging. AIRVOOC 30 — also called dubbed Warp Charge 30 Wireless on OnePlus devices — could deliver up to a 50% charge in just 30 minutes, allowing it to become a standout option in the wireless charging segment.
To deliver sustained 30W wireless charging, OnePlus used two charge pumps and clever charging tech. The charger coil itself sends 20V at 1.5A (netting 30W) to the first charge pump, which then halves the voltage to 10W while boosting the amperage to 3A (once again creating 30W). The second charge pump halves the voltage yet again to 5V, with the amperage doubled to 6A. That 5V at 6A charge leads to 30W, and it’s this charge that’s sent to the charging coil on the back of the phone.
OPPO is using this technique because there’s no way to safely deliver a 6A charge directly from the induction coil on the wireless charger to the one on the phone. That would create a lot of heat and inevitably burn things down, so it’s instead relying on two charge pumps. The technology is very interesting, and it continues to be one of the best wireless charging solutions around.
With the OnePlus 9 series, OnePlus introduced 50W wireless charging, and this is still the same tech that’s used in the Find X7 Ultra and the best OnePlus phones. It is called AIRVOOC 50, and the tech is able to charge a device in under 45 minutes, but you’ll need to use the dedicated wireless charger, and that’s no longer available in most markets.
OPPO continues to lead the way with its charging tech, and SuperVOOC 100W allows you to easily charge your phone in under 30 minutes — and do so safely. With the Find X8 and OnePlus 13 set to launch soon, it is interesting to see how the charging tech will evolve in the coming years.
