Latest news with #smartphones
CNET
14 hours ago
- CNET
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 Specs vs. Motorola Razr Ultra: Comparing the High-End Flip Phones
Samsung's Galaxy Flip 7 was unveiled at the company's July Galaxy Unpacked event, debuting a redesigned cover screen, a slightly thinner body and -- unlike the now-$2,000 Galaxy Z Fold 7 -- will keep the $1,100 price of Samsung's prior Flip phones. Now Playing: Ultra Thin: First Look at the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 02:45 This Z Flip 7 will face Motorola's $1,300 Razr Ultra, which has a similar flip design but takes a different approach. Even though Motorola's phone costs $200 more, the company touts several specs and design enhancements meant to justify the higher price. This includes support for a 165Hz refresh rate on both the cover display and the internal display, whereas the Flip 7 runs at a still very smooth 120Hz. The Razr Ultra includes three 50-megapixel cameras for its wide, ultrawide and selfie cameras, while the Flip 7 goes with a 50-megapixel wide, 12-megapixel ultrawide and a 10-megapixel selfie camera. The Razr Ultra can also be purchased with unique design materials such as wood or Alcantara fabric. The Ultra also starts with 512GB of storage, whereas the Flip starts at 256GB. The Flip 7's 512GB model does still undercut the Ultra on price though at $1,220. The Motorola Razr Ultra comes in a variety of finishes including Alcantara (left) and wood (middle). Numi Prasarn/CNET The Z Flip 7 does have a few other pluses to keep in mind over the Razr Ultra, in addition to the lower price. The Flip 7 has a slightly larger 4.1-inch cover screen than the 4-inch on the Razr, although in exchange the internal display is a touch smaller at 6.9-inches versus 7-inch on the Razr. The Z Flip 7 is a hair lighter than the Razr, although we wouldn't call this a "light" phone like the S25 Edge. Looking at longevity, the Flip 7 has Samsung's seven-year commitment for software updates and security updates, meaning you should be able to use this phone safely all the way through 2032, whereas the Razr Ultra is getting only three years of major software updates and four years of security updates. To further compare the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 and the Motorola Razr Ultra, check out the specs chart featuring each phone below.
CNET
17 hours ago
- Business
- CNET
Your OnePlus 13 Will Get a Dedicated AI 'Mind Space' in Update Rolling Out Now
It's a non-negotiable right now that every phone-maker out there must have a plan for integrating AI into its devices. OnePlus is a little late to the party, but it's arrived nonetheless. Back in May, the company announced plans for bringing its own vision of personalized AI to OnePlus phones, and from this week, it's rolling out to the OnePlus 13 and 13R. At a launch event in London earlier this year I not only got to see the first AI features to land on OnePlus phones in action, but also learn about what the company's future plans are for bringing more complex and sophisticated AI features to its phones down the road. With all Android phone-makers increasingly making use of best-in-class Qualcomm chips and relying on Google's Gemini AI, having a strong AI strategy is one way they can set themselves apart from rivals. I was impressed with how far OnePlus seems to be thinking ahead and not rushing into going ham on AI. Its initial AI rollout will likely capture people's attention, even if its ideas aren't entirely original. The OnePlus 13's upcoming "Mind Space." Katie Collins/CNET OnePlus' statement AI tool is called Plus Mind, which can save, suggest, store and search based on what's currently on your phone screen, ultimately depositing the details in an app OnePlus is calling "Mind Space." Plus Mind can be activated at any time, either by a dedicated button (if your phone has one) or by a swipe-up gesture. If it spots details of an event or reservation, it will propose creating a calendar entry. Mind Space is a place to "organize your fragmented memories," said Arthur Lam, the company's director of OxygenOS and AI strategy. This is a hub where all of your most important content will live. AI search will allow you to find what you need without the information overload you may be used to, or it will automatically translate content into another language to make it accessible and searchable. Plus Mind will debut with the upcoming launch of the OnePlus 13S, a phone designed specifically for the Asian market, which comes with a dedicated AI button (the "Plus Key," as OnePlus is calling it) on the side of the phone. That means for those of us in the US and Europe, we'll have to wait a little longer to enjoy OnePlus' vision for AI ourselves. It will eventually be rolling out to the OnePlus 13 as an over-the-air update later this year, although the company is yet to confirm exactly when. The Plus Key on the OnePlus 13S. Katie Collins/CNET Plus Mind and Mind Space: My first impressions On the OnePlus 13, which shipped before the addition of the Plus Key, you instead have to use a three-fingered swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen to activate the AI features. When I tested this in person, it was hit or miss as to whether I could get it to work. There's definitely a knack to it -- you need to start from a couple of centimeters above the lower rim -- and there's a high chance of accidentally displacing what's on the screen. It's clear that OnePlus designed Plus Mind to be used with a dedicated button, and no doubt all future OnePlus phones will feature a Plus Key of their own. It is a shame in retrospect, though, that the key is missing from its most widely available 2025 flagship phone. After using Plus Mind to save a variety of content, I had mixed opinions on how useful it was. The process of capturing and creating events out of details displayed on screen was seamless, and I found that I was able to use natural language within Mind Space to pull up the details of these events after the fact. But when saving articles I thought were interesting, Mind Space wasn't able to provide a summary of the entirety of what I'd been reading -- only of the specific text that was on screen at the time I activated Plus Mind. OnePlus' natural language search within Mind Space worked well for me. Katie Collins/CNET I also struggled to organise the content into collections within Mind Space. This is a manual process, rather than a situation in which the AI takes over to categorize everything you've saved. This feels a little like a missed opportunity. Like other Android phone makers, OnePlus has the benefit of tapping into the best of Google's Gemini phone tools, while also choosing what additional features it wants to bring to its phones to make them stand apart from its competitors. That said, its initial foray into AI with Mind Space is bound to draw comparisons to what Nothing is doing with Essential Space -- its own dedicated hub for saving content, snippets, links and reminders. What's next for OnePlus AI? Plus Mind and Mind Space are just the first part of OnePlus' three-stage AI strategy. Next up is integrating a large language model into Plus Mind, allowing your phone to understand your habits to create a "persona" it uses to understand you. "It will help you understand yourself," said Lam, and could even help you discover something "surprising" or "enlightening" about yourself. Stage 3 is when OnePlus plans to go full AI agent, turning into a personal assistant that can know everything about you. But the company's not quite there just yet. In the meantime it has a few other ideas in the pipeline. Coming first to India (again, not the EU or the US), are AI VoiceScribe, which will provide you with a quick summary after your call on WhatsApp, Snapchat or Telegram, and AI Call Assistant, which provides you with in-call translation in both text and voice. On the more playful side, OnePlus is introducing two AI photo tools. The first, AI Best Face 2.0, will allow you to correct the faces of up 20 people in a group photo so that everyone is looking their best (if they have their eyes closed, for example, or what OnePlus describes as a "suboptimal expression"). AI Reframe, meanwhile, will analyze your carelessly shot holiday snaps and suggest creative cropping and framing to make it look like you weren't three cocktails deep when you shot them. These photo features will be come to OnePlus phones this summer, but for the major OnePlus AI tool rollout, you might have to wait a little longer.
Digital Trends
20 hours ago
- Digital Trends
I saw every Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7 color. This is the best
Most smartphones are variations of the same shades of black or white with a sprinkle of color thrown in here and there, but we've seen a growing trend among the best phones where at least one color is far more unique. Samsung is not immune to this trend and has led the way over the past few years with a core set of colors that are available across many or all retailers and partners, as well as a few exclusive colors that were only available through its online retail channel. Recommended Videos The Galaxy Z Fold 7 follows a similar pattern, with one key change: it features far fewer exclusive colors. Having tried the opposite for years, with more exclusive colors than non-exclusive, Samsung has opted for a less-is-more approach. I saw every color of the Galaxy Z Fold 7, Galaxy Z Flip 7, and Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE during Galaxy Unpacked in New York, and here are the best ones to buy. The best Galaxy Z Fold 7 color Four available colors: Blue Shadow, Jet Black, Silver Shadow, and Mint. Last year's Galaxy Z Fold 6 was available in three core colors, plus four additional, colorful, and customizable options online. The core colors were clearly more popular, as evidenced by Samsung's changes with the Galaxy Z Fold 7 lineup. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is entirely different, with Samsung opting for just one exclusive color: Mint. This offers a light green shade on the front and back, with a slightly darker green shade on the frame. This color won't be for everyone, so there are also three core colors to choose from: Black Shadow, Silver Shadow, and Blue Shadow. Black Shadow is a jet-black colorway that'll be instantly familiar to anyone who has had a phone like this in the past, such as the jet-black iPhone 7. Silver Shadow offers the same silver colorway used in many Samsung phones, including the Galaxy S25 Ultra. The most unique option this year is the Blue Shadow, which bears the most resemblance to the Best Buy exclusive blue Galaxy Note 8. It's a truly unique color that accentuates the sleek lines of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and its unique unfolding design. Given my love for colorful and striking phones, it's no surprise that the Blue Shadow variant is my preferred choice of color. This is the best Galaxy Z Flip 7 color Four available colors: Blue Shadow, Jet Black, Coral Red, and Mint. Unsurprisingly, most colors remain consistent across the Galaxy Z Flip 7 range. However, as Flip phones are inherently more colorful, and the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is competing against some vibrant and incredible Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 colors, Samsung made one key change. The Silver Shadow option would have looked less striking and quite plain compared to its siblings, so Samsung recognized the need for something far more colorful. Its answer? The coral red Galaxy Z Flip 7. This is a truly stunning Flip phone that blends common colors, much like those found in a cocktail beverage or a coral reef. The peach hues look gorgeous in the hand and under any lighting, and it's the type of color that you'll be disappointed to cover up with one of the best Flip 7 cases. My love of colorful phones means I'm torn about which Galaxy Z Flip 7 color is the best. The blue shadow colorway is one of the nicest-looking flip phones you'll find, while the coral red is stunning. I'm leaning towards the Blue Shadow because it's more unique, but the coral red is equally special. This is the best Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE color Two available colors: Black and White. This is the first year that Samsung has launched three folding phones. Joining its flashy siblings is the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE, designed to be the workhorse of the family, making folding phones more accessible to a wider audience. It'll compete directly with the extremely colorful Motorola Razr 2025, but Samsung decided to stick with a standard black or white color. Either is fine, white is probably better, but Samsung definitely should have kept some of the more vibrant Galaxy Z Flip 6 colors. The black and white don't compete with the lime green Razr 2025. Hopefully, the start of things to come I love Samsung's new approach to colors. It's much more focused, and instead of ensuring the most colorful colors are exclusive to its platforms, it has ensured a more balanced offering. Yet, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE proves that it's not all-encompassing. Hopefully, we'll see Samsung continue to adopt more colorful phones, which is part of a growing industry-wide trend to create more colorful and unique devices. Perhaps next year, we'll also see wood and leather finishes like the Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 or one of the more unique flip phone designs?
Motor Trend
a day ago
- Automotive
- Motor Trend
Is Mazda's $120 Per-Year Phone App Worth It? We Use Our CX-70 To Find Out
With smartphones already an integral part of our daily lives, automakers have developed their own mobile apps to help customers stay connected to their vehicles. This isn't a new concept, but it adds a layer of convenience that buyers might find appealing. Mazda introduced the MyMazda mobile app in 2020 for select vehicles equipped with Mazda Connected Services, offering it complimentary for a trial period. That period lasts one year for all 2025 and newer models—except the 2025 CX-70, which gets three years—and three years for vehicles from the 2019 to 2024 model years. After the trial ends, access to the app costs $10 per month. The MyMazda app offers remote vehicle access and notifications but lacks features like a digital key and voice commands. While convenient during the free trial, the app's provides basic but useful features for Mazda CX-70 users during the trial period. This summary was generated by AI using content from this MotorTrend article Read Next We've been using the app on our yearlong review 2025 Mazda CX-70 for the past six months, and although there isn't anything groundbreaking or completely new, we like having it ready to be used. What You Can Do With the App Once you create an account and link your vehicle to the app, you'll gain access to information like the vehicle's location and its current status—including whether it's locked or unlocked. You can also use the app to turn the headlights and hazard lights on or off. One especially convenient feature is the ability to remotely start or stop the engine, something the key fob itself doesn't offer. After starting the CX-70 remotely through the app, the engine shuts off as soon as the door is opened, requiring the driver to manually restart the vehicle before driving off. It's not the most seamless experience, but it's certainly better than not having remote start at all. Because this feature isn't available on the key fob, the extra steps involved in using the app are a small trade-off, and the process is straightforward. While these features aren't groundbreaking, it's reassuring to have access to them. In one instance, for example, we forgot to lock the car before hopping into an Uber. A push notification from the app alerted us that the doors were still unlocked. Just a couple of taps later, we locked the CX-70 remotely. The app also turns your vehicle into a mobile locker. If a friend or family member needs to drop something off or pick something up while you're away, you can simply leave the item in the car and unlock it remotely once they've arrived. The CX-70 typically receives the app's command in about 15 seconds, making the whole process quick and hassle-free. Mazda's mobile app also provides useful vehicle information, including the current fuel level, tire pressures, and odometer reading. You'll receive push notifications if something goes wrong—though not all alerts are perfect. In our case, we received multiple warnings about a headlight system malfunction even though the headlights were functioning normally. The app also allows you to schedule service appointments and sends reminders when it's time for maintenance. What We Wished the App Included Some automakers, like Hyundai, have taken things a step further by offering digital keys on select models, allowing owners to leave the physical key at home. These digital keys use your phone's or smartwatch's near-field communication (NFC) to lock, unlock, and start the car. Even if your device runs out of battery, the system can still function. Mazda, however, doesn't offer this technology on any of its vehicles, so even if you have the app installed, you'll still need to carry the physical key with you to drive. We also wish the app integrated with Siri for voice command. Imagine being able to say, 'Hey Siri, start my car,' without ever opening the app. Unfortunately, that capability isn't supported. Voice control would streamline the process—letting you start the car while you're grabbing your things before heading out, or even from the checkout line at the grocery store. Bottom Line While the app is far from the best in the business, it's better than having no connectivity at all. The convenience features are solid, and overall, the app gets the job done. We just wish it included shortcuts and voice commands for faster access, as well as a digital key option—so we could leave the physical key at home. Although our CX-70 will be leaving our long-term fleet before the three-year trial period ends, we wouldn't recommend paying $10 per month for Mazda Connected Services, as we don't believe it offers enough value. That still won't stop us from making full use of the Mazda app during the free trial. More On Our Long-Term Mazda CX-70: 2025 Mazda CX-70 Long-Term Arrival: A Better Five-Seater Turbo? Going Cross Country in Comfort and Style in Our 2025 Mazda CX-70 Our Long-Term 2025 Mazda CX-70 Has Been Great. Except For This. 2025 Mazda CX-70 Interior Pros and Cons Is Our Yearlong 2025 Mazda CX-70 Actually Luxurious?
Zawya
a day ago
- Business
- Zawya
Kenya: M-KOPA-branded smartphones surpass 1mln sales in first year
Leading fintech company M-KOPA has achieved a remarkable milestone, surpassing 1 million sales of its branded smartphones within just 12 months of launch. M-KOPA's smartphones mark a significant departure from traditional devices by embedding the company's innovative Smart Money Platform, designed to improve financial inclusion across Africa. These smartphones go beyond merely connecting users to the internet, offering customers access to vital services such as health insurance, affordable credit, and device protection. With an M-KOPA smartphone, individuals can transform their financial circumstances, grow their businesses, and achieve their economic goals. Manufactured in M-KOPA's assembly plant in Nairobi, which has rapidly grown to become the largest smartphone factory in Africa by volume, these smartphones are setting new standards for affordability and financial empowerment. Since the factory's inception in 2023, M-KOPA has created over 400 new jobs and was awarded ISO 9001 quality certification in 2024. Since the launch of the flagship X20 model, M-KOPA has expanded its product range to include the X2, M10, and S34 models. These devices are now available exclusively through M-KOPA's network of sales agents in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana, and South Africa. Additional models are expected to be released in the second half of 2025. Jesse Moore, CEO and Co-Founder of M-KOPA, shared his thoughts on the achievement: 'Selling 1 million M-KOPA smartphones within 12 months demonstrates the trust that customers have in our brand and reputation for both quality and innovation. We are not just selling affordable smartphones: we're selling financial inclusion tools that transform lives.'
