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iPhone 7 camera loses to Samsung in expert tests

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iPhone 7 back
iPhone 7's new iSight camera is better, but not the best.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The new iSight camera packed into iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus is Apple’s best yet, according to tests carried out by the experts at DxOMark. It has been improved by a wider aperture, support for a wide color gamut, and faster autofocus.

But it’s not quite enough to beat the cameras found in Samsung’s latest Galaxy smartphones.

Another new Samsung Galaxy Note 7 has caught fire

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Forget jet black, the Galaxy Note 7 apparently comes in charred black.
Photo: Hui Renjie

Samsung no doubt hoped its Galaxy Note 7 nightmares would be over when it completed its costly recall and reissue of the next-gen smartphones, after the first batch of units were reported as bursting into flames — and even torching one family’s Jeep.

Unfortunately, it seems that problems linger, as one Chinese tech worker found out this week.

Xiaomi beats Apple to embedded ultrasonic fingerprint scanner

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The Mi 5s in all its iPhone 7-inspired glory.
Photo: Xiaomi

Known for ripping off Apple in the past, Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has beaten Cupertino in bringing to market a futuristic ultrasonic fingerprint sensor reported to be the same one Apple plans to use for the iPhone 8.

In its new Mi 5s and Mi 5s Plus handsets, Xiaomi debuts a new “ultrasonic fingerprint sensor,” which promises to be more accurate than current fingerprint sensors. Check out a video of it in action below.

Google plans MacBook rival with new ‘Andromeda’ OS

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Chromebook Pixel
Google's next Pixel could be much more exciting.
Photo: Google

Google is expected to announce to new Pixel phones that will step up Android’s fight against the iPhone next month — and its assault on Apple won’t stop there.

According to a new report, the company is also planning a Pixel laptop powered by a new “Andromeda” operating system that will do battle with the MacBook. It could also steal some of its features, including the pressure-sensitive trackpad.

Google’s mesh router might fix your Wi-Fi problems

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eero
Google Wifi will be a lot like Eero.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Your home’s Wi-Fi could soon be powered by Google, according to a new report that claims the search engine giant plans to get into the router business next month.

Instead of competing head-on with Apple’s AirPort Express, the new Google router will supposedly bring a slew of smart features to the home, allowing users to pair two or more routers together to fix your home’s shoddy Wi-Fi coverage.

Parody video shows new use for Samsung’s Note 7 as mobile meat griller

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galaxy note 7
Cooking meat? That's something the iPhone can't do.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Poor old Samsung: not only did was it forced into rushing out its Galaxy Note 7 by Apple’s iPhone release schedule, or to undergo the humiliation of doing a mass recall of one of its better-reviewed handsets, but now people are poking fun at it, too!

A new parody video from Taiwan shows how the once critically acclaimed Note 7 can be repurposed as a mobile device for cooking meat — provided you’ve got the necessary aluminum foil smartphone case, that is.

Check out the video below.

WhatsApp plans to beef up security with passcode lock

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WhatsApp
WhatsApp could soon become even more secure.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

After protecting your private conversations with end-to-end encryption, it seems WhatsApp wants to give you even greater peace of mind by adding passcode protection to its app.

The feature was uncovered by a team of translators which helps convert WhatsApp into other languages.

New Google Trips travel app makes planning vacations a breeze

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Google Trips puts travel guide for 200 cities in your pocket.
Google Trips puts travel guide for 200 cities in your pocket.
Photo: Google

Planning where to go and what sights to see can take the fun out of a vacation, but Google’s new app is ready to handle all the heavy lifting for you.

Google Trips debuted today on both iOS and Android devices, putting a travel guide in your pocket everywhere you go.

Trips instantly plans each day of your vacation with just a few taps. You set the agenda based on what types of spots you’d like to visit and Google Trips shows you a variety of plans that hit up the most popular local gems.

Galaxy Note 7 review: The best smartphone money can’t buy

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Galaxy Note 7
Don't let a few explosions put you off.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Forget what you’ve read about the Galaxy Note 7 exploding (and wiping out family cars, hotel rooms and homes). Samsung’s latest phablet delivers an improved design, faster internals, an iris scanner, the same great camera we got with the Galaxy S7 and an even better display.

When this baby goes on sale again, without that dreaded battery fault, it will be the best smartphone available — and the iPhone 7 (probably) won’t change a thing.

Take VR photos on iPhone with Google’s new Cardboard Camera app

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Creating 360-degree photos for Google Cardboard is now super easy.
Creating 360-degree photos for Google Cardboard is now super easy.
Photo: Google

Google has finally brought its popular Cardboard Camera app to iOS today, allowing iPhone and iPad users to take perfect VR photos and share them with friends.

Watch out Instagram. If Google has its way, 3D 360-degree photos are about to become the new selfie.

How iPhone 7 and 7 Plus stack up against the hottest Androids

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iPhone 7 colors
iPhone 7 is here, but is it the best smartphone?
Photo: Apple

Now that the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are official, you’re probably wondering whether you should make one of them your next smartphone.

Before making your decision, find out how they stack up against the hottest Androids — such as the Galaxy S7, and Galaxy Note 7, the new LG V20, and the affordable OnePlus 3 — right here.

Whose week sucked hardest, Apple’s or Samsung’s? [Friday Night Fight]

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fnf
It's been a bad week for two of tech's biggest companies.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The past week has been one to forget for both Apple and Samsung. While Cupertino was handed a hefty tax bill by the European Commission, Sammy has had to recall every Galaxy Note 7 unit sold so far for fear of them exploding.

Friday Night Fights bugBut which one will be most damaging, and which will quickly be forgotten? Apple’s tax fight is sure to rage on for months, but will faulty phones leave a bad taste in the mouths of Samsung fans a lot longer?

Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight as we discuss the sad start to September for Apple and Samsung.

Samsung’s exploding Galaxy Note 7 faces global recall

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The Galaxy Note 7 has an explosive new feature.
Photo: Samsung

Galaxy Note 7 owners might want to start getting ready to ship their devices back to Samsung, after a new report from South Korea claims the company is set to announce an unprecedented global recall.

Samsung’s recall could come as soon as this weekend. The company recently launched an investigation into users’ claims that the Note 7 has a tendency to explode while charging.

Samsung stops shipping Galaxy Note 7 after phones explode

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Apple should steal a lot of the Note 7's features, except the exploding one.
Photo: Samsung

Samsung’s new Galaxy Note 7 smartphones have barely made it into the wild, but early reports of the devices exploding in customers’ homes may have caused the company to delay shipments.

In a statement to news outlets today, Samsung said it delayed shipments to do product-quality tests, however, local reports from South Korea reveal the company may be investigating whether the device is prone to spontaneously burst into flames.

Skyrocketing ‘failure rate’ means iOS is less stable than Android

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iOS and Android are killing off the competition.
Want stability? Choose... Android?!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

iOS is generally considered more stable and more secure than Android, but boy how the tables have turned.

According to new data, the failure rate of Apple’s platform rose significantly during the second quarter of 2016, making it more unstable than Google’s for the first time ever.

Galaxy Note 7 gets embarrassed by iPhone 6s in speed test

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Specs aren't everything!
Photo: PhoneBuff

Compare their specifications on paper and the Galaxy Note 7 looks like it would be leagues ahead of the iPhone 6s in performance, but real-world speed tests prove that the reality is very different.

Despite being almost a year older, Apple’s latest smartphone well and truly embarrasses the Galaxy Note 7 in app loading times.