Latest news with #ChristiandeLooper
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
5 new iOS 18.5 features I recommend trying ASAP (plus 3 bonus features you may have missed)
We're coming up fast on WWDC, Apple's annual conference, where we expect some big announcements. In the meantime, Apple launched iOS 18.5 on May 12. iOS 18.5 perhaps isn't the biggest update in the year of iOS 18, but it still introduces a range of helpful updates and features. Every time a new version of iOS is released, I always rush to check out the new features. After all, who knows what additions could make using my smartphone that extra bit easier? Because I've gone through all the new iOS 18.5 features, you don't necessarily have to — but you still might want to. So, after you stop procrastinating and update your iPhone, try out all the new iOS 18.5 features below. I'll also explain why you should give them a closer look. Credit: Christian de Looper / Mashable Apple Mail got a pretty substantial refresh recently, and while the changes in iOS 18.5 aren't quite as major, there are still a few changes that could be helpful. Some of those features include settings that you can control straight from the Mail app itself, instead of having to dig through the iOS settings menu. Now, when you hit the three-dot menu button on the top right-hand corner, you'll be able to toggle contact photos, which you may or may not want activated. Credit: Christian de Looper / Mashable Credit: Christian de Looper / Mashable Not many people know about Back Tap, but it's a pretty handy feature that lets you trigger an action simply by tapping the back of your phone either two or three times. With iOS 18.5, there's finally a setting that lets you get an alert when you've triggered Back Tap — including telling you how many times you tapped the back of the phone. This new feature isn't enabled by default. To access it, you'll have to open the Settings app, then head to Accessibility, then Touch. Go all the way to the bottom of the screen and select Back Tap. Here, you'll be able to toggle on the Show Banner option, as well as access the other Back Tap settings that were previously available. Screen Time is getting some changes in iOS 18.5 too, largely in the form of what parents have access to. With the update, parents will now be notified when their Screen Time passcode has been entered into their child's device, which will alert parents when their kids have figured out the code. It may be hard to stop your child from trying to figure out your code, but at least now you'll know when they do so. Apple is adding more settings to the battery section of the Settings app, too. The common thinking suggests that constantly charging the battery to 100% will degrade its health over long-term usage, and if you plan on holding onto your device for more than a few years, it may be worth setting a battery charge limit to help prevent this. To access this setting, head to the Settings app and go to the battery section. Then tap on the charging option. From here, you will be able to set a charge limit using a slider, with the limit anywhere between 80% and 100%. Of course, it should be noted that if you set the battery charge limit to 90% percent, you'll never be able to use more than 90% percent of the battery – and if you had it set to 100% it would take years before the battery degraded enough to last the equivalent of 90% of a new battery. For most, a better option is to use the 'Optimized Battery Charging' feature, which charges the device to 80% during day-to-day charges but allows your device to reach 100% when your phone thinks you'll need to use it. Credit: Christian de Looper / Mashable Credit: Christian de Looper / Mashable iOS 18.5 also includes a new Pride Harmony wallpaper in celebration of Pride Month. iOS already includes a range of Pride wallpapers, but if you're curious about the new one, you can access it by opening the Settings app, scrolling down to Wallpaper, and following the on-screen prompts to change your wallpaper. You can access a version of the wallpaper for your iPad, iPhone, and Apple Watch. Credit: Apple Since iOS 18.5 was a lighter update, we also wanted to share some of the best iOS 18 features you may have missed. If you want to make your iPhone even more useful, try these new features and tools: Originally introduced with iOS 18.1, this is an incredibly handy feature for journalists — or anyone who needs to take notes on a call. With this feature, you can record a phone calls (and get a surprisingly accurate transcription) directly within iPhone. When you're on a call, click the waveform icon in the upper-left of the screen. Then, you'll see a notification (and the person on the other end of the call will hear a notification) to start recording the call. April's update to iOS 18.4 brought something huge: Eight new emojis. Specifically, we got: Face with Bags Under Eyes Fingerprint Splatter Root vegetable Leafless tree Harp Shovel The Sark flag Adjust the flashlight in this new iOS 18.4 feature. Credit: Timothy Beck Werth / Mashable Do you find the flashlight on your iPhone blinding? You can finally adjust the strength of the flashlight beam, so long as you have an iPhone 14 Pro or newer device. Now, when you activate the flashlight, a new control panel should appear, which allows you to adjust both the brightness and width of the light.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Your New Workout Bud Is 20% Off: This Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 Deal Is a Flex
PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing. Trying to work out with earbuds that don't stay in place is more than enough reason to hit the showers early. But you don't want an audio apparatus to dictate your exercise. Enter the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2, which fit securely, offer excellent noise cancellation, and blast enough bass to keep you focused on your workout. Currently, they're marked down by $50 to $199.95 – the lowest price we've seen them at – making this deal a great excuse to finally upgrade your earbuds. The Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 stay in place, block out distractions with noise cancellation, and last up to 45 hours, so you don't need to worry about charging mid-sesh. Plus, they're sweatproof, so you can keep pushing through those tough sets without a second thought. The bass is solid too, keeping you pumped, and the heart rate monitor tracks your fitness goals without missing a beat. PCMag's expert Christian de Looper gave these Beats an "Excellent" rating in his review, calling them a "game-changer" for workout earbuds. He added that if you like Beats' bass-forward audio profile, you'll be in love with how these sound. For $199.95, the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 are basically your new workout BFFs. They'll probably last longer than your motivation to hit the gym. Plus, they come in four different colors, so you can pick your buddy. If you upgrade today, your future self is going to thank you! Apple AirPods Pro 2 ANC Earbuds With USB-C Charging Case for $169.00 (List Price $249.00) Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 Wireless Earbuds With Heart Rate Monitor for $199.95 (List Price $249.99) Soundcore P20i True Wireless Earbuds (Black) for $24.99 (List Price $39.99) Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 Wireless Earbuds (Hazel) for $189.00 (List Price $229.00) Sennheiser Momentum Sport Wireless ANC Earbuds (Graphite) for $199.99 (List Price $329.95) More Earbud Deals on More Earbud Deals on More Earbud Deals on
USA Today
17-03-2025
- USA Today
We've already reviewed Dell's new UltraSharp 32 4K Thunderbolt Hub Monitor and it's near-perfect for productivity
Pros Deep black levels and high contrast Tons of connectivity options Higher refresh rate Anti-glare screen Cons Slow response time More expensive than most HDR performance is only fine About the Dell UltraSharp 32 4K monitor Credit: Reviewed / Christian de Looper The UltraSharp 32 4K (U3225QE) is the latest IPS Black monitor from Dell. Display size: 32 inches 32 inches Resolution: 3840 x 2160 3840 x 2160 Refresh rate: 120Hz 120Hz Peak brightness: 600 nits (HDR) 600 nits (HDR) HDR support: VESA DisplayHDR 600 VESA DisplayHDR 600 Color saturation: 99% DCI-P3 (rated), 100% sRGB (rated) 99% DCI-P3 (rated), 100% sRGB (rated) Color depth: 10-bit 10-bit Contrast ratio: 3,000:1 3,000:1 Ports: 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x DisplayPort 1.4 out, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x Thunderbolt 4 upstream with 140W PD, 1x Thunderbolt 4 downstream, 1x USB-C, 1x 3.5 audio out, 4x USB-A 10Gbps, 1x RJ45, 1x front-facing USB-A 10Gbps, 2x front-facing USB-C 10Gbps 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x DisplayPort 1.4 out, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x Thunderbolt 4 upstream with 140W PD, 1x Thunderbolt 4 downstream, 1x USB-C, 1x 3.5 audio out, 4x USB-A 10Gbps, 1x RJ45, 1x front-facing USB-A 10Gbps, 2x front-facing USB-C 10Gbps VRR support: HDMI VRR HDMI VRR Other features: Anti-glare panel, multi-source mode Anti-glare panel, multi-source mode Price: $949.99 The UltraSharp 32 4K (U3225QE) is the latest IPS Black monitor from Dell, and sits alongside a similar 27-inch model, the Dell UltraSharp 27 4K Thunderbolt Hub Monitor (U2725QE). It also doubles as a Thunderbolt 4 hub, with a series of rear-facing and front-facing ports. The UltraSharp 32 4K (U3225QE) monitor costs $949.99 ($699.99 for the 27), though you'll likely be able to get it discounted both from Dell and other retailers soon, given it was just released to the market today, February 25, 2025. How we tested In testing the Dell UltraSharp 32 4K, we used the monitor in various modes, connected to different sources, and so on. We also tested things like backlighting, using test videos designed to highlight things like display uniformity and motion blur. We've reviewed hundreds of monitors and other kinds of displays over the years and have a deep understanding of what makes a great monitor—and a not-so-great one. What we like The Dell UltraSharp 32 4K has deep black levels (for an IPS screen) Let's get this out of the way right now. For an IPS screen, the Dell UltraSharp 32 4K offers excellent deep black levels and a high contrast ratio. Previous generation IPS screens have struggled to get past a 1000:1 contrast ratio, but this monitor smashes that number, reaching all the way to 3000:1. And you can tell the difference. IPS screens are known for better color reproduction compared to TN and VA panels but have struggled to reach the same black levels. IPS Black, however, minimizes light leakage to achieve deeper black levels, while retaining that superior color reproduction. OLED, of course, is the elephant in the room, thanks to the fact that OLED panels offer pixel-level lighting control for perfect black levels (or so-called true blacks), and contrast ratios of 1,000,000:1 or even higher. The downside to OLED monitors is the risk of screen burn-in, which happens when you have a static image on the screen for extended periods. That's common on computer monitors when it comes to things like menu bars and other icons. Not only that, IPS screens can get brighter than OLED, though OLED technology is improving when it comes to brightness. So how do the black levels perform in the real world? Well, they're certainly deeper than other IPS screens, but blacks still really look like really dark grays. On an OLED panel, parts of the image that are black can even blend in with a black bezel around the screen, but that won't happen here. The basic gist is that IPS technology is still arguably the way to go when it comes to computer monitors. They're bright and vibrant, and there's no risk of burn-in—plus they now sport deeper black levels. But, those black levels still don't approach OLED panels. The image is crisp and has excellent color reproduction Credit: Reviewed / Christian de Looper A good balance between beauty and affordability. Thankfully, the colors offered by this monitor are vibrant and bright, providing excellent color accuracy overall. The monitor can cover 99% of the DCI-P3 color space and 100% of the sRGB color space, with an average DeltaE under 2. Some monitors offer more accurate colors, though they often cost more. It's no accident that Dell is quoting a DeltaE of under 2. DeltaE essentially measures the difference between the intended color and what's produced on the screen. It's generally considered that the untrained eye can't see a DeltaE below 2. A DeltaE below 1 is usually considered good enough for ultra-color-sensitive work, like professional photo editing and video color-grading. That said, as a casual photographer and videographer, I found the monitor easily good enough for my work. So, unless you're working in a professional setting, your experience will likely be similar. Beyond work that requires ultra-accurate colors, the Dell UltraSharp 32 4K excels. Again, colors are vibrant and bright, and watching movies on the screen is a joy. Games looked stunning, too —this isn't a full-on gaming monitor and can't compete with the best gaming monitors we've tested, you'll still be pleased with what it offers. With a 4K resolution, the monitor is crisp and detailed—nothing new these days, but if you haven't used one regularly before, you'll find that text looks a little more crisp and images a little more detailed than lower resolution monitors. The anti-glare panel limits reflections We are big fans of anti-glare glass on TVs and monitors in recent times. The anti-glare glass used on the Dell UltraSharp 32 4K looks great, even when placed right beside a window in the afternoon when glare can get a little annoying on glossy display panels. You won't have to deal with this as much with the Dell UltraSharp 32 4K. The anti-glare glass doesn't eliminate glare, but it does a good job of minimizing it—you can see what's on the screen better and it's better for your eyes. Speaking of being better for your eyes, Dell says that the monitor is TÜV Rheinland 5-star eye comfort certified. That's thanks to a combination of the higher refresh rate, anti-glare glass, and high color accuracy. It means that it's easier on your eyes than other monitors, and could help reduce eye strain. The Dell UltraSharp 32 4K's brightness isn't stunningly high, but it's easily enough for the vast majority of settings, especially in the professional world. Even in the afternoon when the sun was shining through the window, I was still able to see what was on the screen perfectly well, with the brightness set to around 75%. The viewing angles on the monitor are also quite good, although this is less important on monitors than it is for TVs. Even at a wide viewing angle, we were able to easily see what was on the screen without any degradation in color. The display wasn't quite as bright at wide viewing angles, but again, it was easy to see what was on the screen, and it still looked quite good. There are tons of rear-facing ports and some front-facing ones Credit: Reviewed / Christian de Looper When connected to a laptop, the monitor can supply up to 140W of power. It also has HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4 inputs, plus there are four USB-A ports and a USB-C port. One of the big selling points of the Dell UltraSharp 32 4K over other monitors is the fact that it doubles as a Thunderbolt hub. In other words, it can connect to your computer through a single Thunderbolt cable and then allow you to plug accessories straight into your monitor for charging and connecting to your computer. For starters, when connected to a laptop, the monitor can supply up to 140W of power, which is easily enough to top off relatively quickly. It also has HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4 inputs, plus there are four USB-A ports and a USB-C port. That's not all—there are a few front-facing ports accessible with a little pop-out hub. We found the hub a little stiff—you practically have to lift the monitor to pop it out, but it then extends down and gives you access to two USB-C ports and one USB-A port, all three of which support data transfer of up to 10Gbps. This is loads of ports and should be more than enough for most users. We might have swapped out one or two of the USB-A ports on the back for another USB-C port or two, but that's down to personal preference. You can also use multiple inputs at once. The monitor lets you place images from multiple sources side-by-side or picture-in-picture. Use for this is perhaps niche, but it's still a cool feature. The Dell UltraSharp 32 4K monitor boasts a sleek and stylish design Credit: Reviewed / Christian de Looper The monitor is made of matte silver plastic, which looks high-quality despite not being metal. We love the look of this monitor. It features relatively thin bezels around the screen, which helps achieve a modern look. The monitor is made of matte silver plastic, which looks high-quality despite not being metal. The stand that the monitor comes with is versatile. It allows for the adjustment of monitor height, as well as the tilt angle, so you can get the perfect positioning for your needs. Additionally, the monitor supports VESA mounting, so if the stand doesn't quite do it for you, you can attach it to a more advanced mounting system. Dell indicates that the materials for the monitor are sustainably sourced. It's made from 87% post-consumer plastic and 100% recycled aluminum. Other materials aren't as sustainable—it uses 50% recycled stainless steel and 20% recycled glass. Hopefully, these numbers will continue to increase over time. As we mentioned, Dell also makes this monitor in a 27-inch size that may be a better fit for buyers who don't need a huge screen space and want to save some money. What we don't like HDR performance is only so-so While the monitor gets decently bright and the black levels are deeper thanks to IPS Black technology, this Dell monitor is still only 'just fine' when it comes to HDR performance. The monitor is VESA DisplayHDR 600 certified, and you can tell the difference. That said, the edge-lighting tech on the monitor means that HDR highlights simply aren't as impressive as they otherwise would be. Dell's own Alienware monitors, like the Alienware AW3225QF gaming monitor we reviewed, offer better HDR support, though. Some Alienware monitors support Dolby Vision and a peak HDR brightness of 1000 nits, at a similar price. But again, the Dell UltraSharp 32 4K isn't a gaming monitor, it's more focused on productivity, which means that HDR support isn't quite as important. At least until you want to watch a movie on it. It's not fully equipped for gaming The Dell UltraSharp 32 4K doubles its refresh rate to 120Hz compared to the previous generation model, which makes for a smoother experience overall. A higher refresh rate is never a bad thing, including when it comes to productivity. Sure, it's not as critical as in gaming, but you'll still get a smoother look and feel, especially when it comes to animations on the screen and scrolling through web pages. The Dell UltraSharp 32 4K also supports HDMI VRR, which means that it's equipped with a widely-compatible variable refresh rate. Unfortunately, however, it doesn't support hardware-specific versions of VRR, like AMD FreeSync or Nvidia G-Sync, so you may not get some optimizations. But, HDMI VRR is open enough to where you'll still get most of the advantages associated with a variable refresh rate in general. The response time on the monitor is a little lower than some gamers would want. Dell quotes a response time of between 5ms and 8ms depending on the mode you use, which is fine at best. Plenty of gamers look for monitors that have a sub-1ms response time, especially when it comes to competitive shooters. This monitor won't give you that. For productivity use, of course, you won't notice a response time like that at all. You may see some motion blur now and then, but we didn't find it to be distracting. Warranty The Dell UltraSharp 32 4K Thunderbolt Hub Monitor (U3225QE) comes with Dell's 3-year limited hardware warranty. This covers manufacturer defects and issues, not damage that you my do to the monitor during the three years. In other words, you'll want to be careful with it. Should you buy the Dell UltraSharp 32 4K? Yes, it's a stunning productivity monitor The Dell UltraSharp 32 4K stays in its lane in a good way. The monitor is perfect for productivity, offering a high level of brightness and a much higher contrast ratio than any IPS screen before it. It's still not quite the gaming machine that some users may have wanted, despite the higher refresh rate, but if you're primarily looking for a monitor for productivity use, this one can still easily be used for casual gaming. Don't forget it serves as a great Thunderbolt hub with loads of ports to choose from. Dell UltraSharp 32 4K Thunderbolt Hub Monitor Perfect for productivity, offering a high level of brightness and a much higher contrast ratio than any IPS screen before it. Read Our Review BUY NOW at Dell Dell UltraSharp 27 4K Thunderbolt Hub Monitor If you love everything about the Dell UltraSharp but prefer a smaller screen size, the 27 may be the way to go. Read Our Review BUY NOW at Dell Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time. The product experts at Reviewed have all your shopping needs covered. Follow Reviewed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, or Flipboard for the latest deals, product reviews, and more. Meet the tester Christian de Looper Contributor @cdelooper Christian de Looper is a consumer tech journalist with over a decade of experience. De Looper has covered all areas of the consumer tech industry, from smartphones to smart homes — and has attended all of the major trade shows, including CES. De Looper has always been interested in consumer technology, but his love for gadgets and electronics blossomed into a full-blown passion when he started writing about it while completing his degree in audio production. Since then, he has written for many of the top tech publications, including [Digital Trends]( [Tom's Guide]( [TechRadar]( and many more. He loves getting his hands on all of the latest gadgets, but when he's not reviewing tech, he can be found hanging out with his family or producing music. See all of Christian de Looper's reviews
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Yahoo
ZTE unveils Nubia Neo 3 series for gamers and Flip 2 foldable at MWC 2025
ZTE's Nubia brand is back at MWC with some big releases for 2025. Alongside the flip-style foldable phone it unveiled last week, the company introduced the Nubia Neo 3 series — designed with gamers in mind. These phones feature RGB lighting and hidden shoulder triggers in the phone's frame. There are other gaming-focused features beyond the shoulder triggers for gaming. Notably, the device has interesting RGB lighting and offers a variety of different designs. It also has a powerful cooling system that should help keep your phone running smoother for longer, which is helpful for those who game for extended periods of time. SEE ALSO: What to expect at MWC 2025 from Samsung, TCL, and more As you might expect, the Nubia Neo 3 is largely designed for gamers. The Neo 3 GT is the top-tier model in the lineup and offers an impressive 12GB of RAM (plus 12GB of so-called virtual RAM that the operating system can use from the storage). Perhaps more impressive is the fact that it has a UNISOC T9100 5G processor — an uncommon choice in a sea of Qualcomm and MediaTek-powered phones. It has an OLED display with a 1080p resolution and a massive 6,000mAh battery. The slightly lower-performing Neo 3 is powered by a UNISOC T8300 processor and has 8GB of hardware RAM. It also features gaming shoulder triggers and a linear haptic feedback motor. Up close and personal with the Nubia Flip 2. Credit: Christian de Looper / Mashable Both phones also feature the new AI Game Space 3.0, which lets you customize game modes, and tweak performance to match your preferences. Perhaps cooler than those phones, of course, is the new foldable device, which was also on show at MWC 2025. The new device, called the Nubia Flip 2, will go up against phones like the Motorola Razr series and has a rectangular display on the front with a larger screen inside. It has a MediaTek Dimensity 7300X processor, along with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. I was able to see the phone in person at MWC 2025, and it felt relatively premium and well-built —though no more so than the other flip-style phones on the market right now. ZTE Nubia phones aren't necessarily the most well-known, but they prove to be great choices for those who want to buy a solid, powerful phone on a budget. All three of these devices will become available over the next few months. The Nubia Flip 2 is perhaps the most notable in price — it comes at only 62,080 yen, which equates to around $410. For now, it'll only be available in Japan. Mashable's on the ground at MWC 2025, covering the best tech products that have Barcelona abuzz.
