LG G5 is more than it looks at first glance. Photo: LGLG G5 is more than it looks at first glance. Photo: LG
LG is kicking off Mobile World Congress early this year with the anticipated unveiling of its new G5.
The device sports impressive specifications and an all-new modular design made out of metal, which lets users slot accessories into its bottom edge. LG calls these add-ons “Friends,” and you’ll be amazed at what they can do.
The ReFlex, a prototype flexible smartphone, might make you want to get the bends. Photo: Queens University
I’ve never really understood the appeal of flexible smartphones before I saw this video. Now it’s changed things forever for me. I want a flexible iPhone! Or, better yet, a bendy iPad! Because flex tech is going to open up whole new ways to interact with devices.
It's easy to turn your old devices into cash. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Got an old Android you don’t use anymore? It’s useless to you in the bottom of a drawer, but if you dig it out and dust it off, you can sell it to us for cold hard cash!
We’re buying used and broken Android and Microsoft devices through our new buyback program, and we pay more than Best Buy, Gazelle, and Walmart in most cases. We’ll even buy used wearables, watches, and devices that don’t even work anymore.
We’ve heard for years that Apple could incorporate OLED displays into next-generation iPhones, but over the past few months, those rumors have ramped up, suggesting that the power-sipping display technology could land as early as the iPhone 7.
Now, a new report buttresses those rumors, saying Apple is close to finalizing a supply agreement with Samsung and LG to give future iPhones OLED displays.
As smartwatches grow in popularity, the Apple Watch will continue to be the hands-on - or wrist-on - favorite. Photo: AppleApple Watch is the coolest wearable yet, apparently. Photo: Apple
Apple Watch is by far the most successful smartwatch to date in terms of sales, so perhaps it’s no surprise that Apple has been voted the “coolest wearables brand” by smartphone users.
The Cupertino company not only beat technology rivals like Samsung and LG to the top of the list, but also high-end watchmakers and fashion brands like TAG Heuer, Rolex, and Ralph Lauren.
Apple brings carrier billing for app purchases to Germany. Photo: Cult of MaciPhone no longer offers the best smartphoe camera. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
Apple’s new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus may be packing its best iSight camera yet, but it’s not good enough to topple the latest Android devices.
Windows phones could be about to make a comeback. Photo: MicrosoftCould you fall in love with a Lumia? Photo: Microsoft
Microsoft’s new Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL have arrived, with high-end specifications, iris recognition technology, and the latest Windows 10 software. But do they have what it takes to persuade you to give up Android or iOS?
LG's smartwatches have always been bad, but the W7 is even worse. Photo: LGLG’s new Watch Urbane doesn’t need your phone. Photo: LG
LG today unveiled a second edition of its Watch Urbane smartwatch, which finally frees Android Wear from your smartphone.
Thanks to its built-in 4G and 3G connectivity, the new Watch Urbane makes calls and continues to receive notifications even when you leave your phone behind.
Should the Nexus 6P be your next smartphone? Photo: Google
Following their big unveiling in San Francisco this morning, Google’s new Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P are now available for pre-order. But should you buy one, or is your hard-earned cash better spent elsewhere?
To help you decide, here’s a handy comparison that shows you how Google’s latest devices stack up against the competition from Apple, Samsung, LG, Motorola, and more.
Is it fair to compare (adoption rates)? Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
iOS 9 has been out for two days, and it’s already running on more than 20 percent of compatible devices, according to the latest data. In comparison, Google’s latest Android release, version 5.1 Lollipop, is running on just 5.1 percent of devices ten months after it made its public debut.
These figures highlight the staggering difference between updates on Android and iOS. But is it fair to compare adoption figures between these two platforms, and do users really care?
Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight between Cult of Androidand Cult of Mac as we battle it out over this very topic!
Modern mobile phones need a lot of power; chances are we’ve all got an external battery pack (or at least a second cable and wall plug) tucked away in a bag somewhere that will charge up our Android and iOS mobile phones while we’re on the run.
The thing is, those things need to be taken along with you when you leave the house. If you’re like me, though, that requires a heck of a lot of cognitive overhead and pre-planning.
The whole point of the Nipper, this tiny new mobile phone charger that uses two AA batteries to give you a bit of juice when needed, is to always be available.
Consumers aren’t bored of the iPhone 6 yet. Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
Apple’s iPhones might be on the verge of a big refresh this month, but that doesn’t make them any less appealing to those looking to take a break from Android.
In Europe, 27 percent of smartphone shoppers swapped their Android for an iPhone last quarter, while 9 percent of consumers made the same switch in the U.S.
It's that time of the week again! Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
After the discovery of several dangerous flaws in a few short weeks, Android’s security — or lack thereof — has been big news. Google has acted quickly to eliminate the Stagefright flaw that left 95% of Android devices vulnerable to attack, but others have since wormed their way out of the woodwork.
Now fans are asking how these flaws made their way into public Android releases, compromising the security of more than 1 billion users worldwide. Could Google be doing more to prevent it? And are its hardware partners doing all they can to patch holes in their own software?
Join us in this week’s Friday Night Fight between Cult of Android and Cult of Mac as we fight it out over these questions and more!
Android Pay will arrive to take on Apple Pay this fall. Photo: Google
Google will finally launch Android Pay, its brand new mobile payments service, alongside a refreshed Nexus 5 from LG in October, a new report claims. The Apple Pay competitor will take advantage of Android M’s native support for fingerprint scanners.
In an effort to prevent rivals from stealing its ideas, Apple patents everything it invents — from the iPhone and the iPad, to app icons and even “magic” tactile gloves. But compared to its biggest competitors, Apple’s patent portfolio from 2015 looks surprisingly bare.
Microsoft, Sony, Google, and LG have all outrank Apple in the patent department this year, while arch rival Samsung has absolutely crushed it.
Apple leapfrogged the desktop competition last year with the 5K Retina iMac, but according to its display partner LG, Apple is going to announce an is going to release an ‘iMac 8k’ later this year.
The Korean display manufacturer published an explainer on its website last week claiming a super-high resolution iMac will be hitting stores later this year. It’s probably just an error or typo, but the comments have led to a lot of speculation among Apple fanboys on Reddit.
Now that we know more about the long-awaited Apple Watch, it’s time to find out how it stacks up against Google’s Android Wear platform and the growing number of wearables that support it.
There are lots of similarities between the two, but there also some big differences in software, hardware, and price that will likely help you decide which one is right for you.
Becoming a supplier for an Apple product is big competition among Asia Pacific suppliers, but Apple will rely on just one supplier to make all of its Apple Watch displays this year, reports J.P. Morgan analyst J.J. Park.
LG Display will be the sole supplier of the p-OLED display for the Apple Watch, according to Park’s recent note to investors. His firm also predicts LG’s stock could jump as much as 25% because of the new deal.
Apple shattered records again this quarter. Illustration: Cult of Mac
Things couldn’t be going better for Apple on the iPhone front. The company just posted the most profitable quarter ever in the history of corporations thanks to strong iPhone sales. And according to the latest report from Cannacord, Apple is basically the only company in the world making money off smartphones.
Apple accounted for 93% of smartphone profits in Q4 2014 reports Canaccord Genuity’s Mike Walkley who has also raised his target price on AAPL shares up to $145. That’s bad news for LG, Samsung, HTC and anyone else that makes smartphones, and to make it even worse, Cannacord estimates one third of all smartphone users will own an iPhone by the end of 2018.
See the full breakdown of profits per company below:
The iPhone 6 dominated 2014. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac
Apple enjoyed historic sales this holiday season, and while the company won’t reveal its official earnings until January 27th, based on the latest smartphone activation report from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, Apple dominated the holiday shopping season and accounted for 50% of all smartphone activations in Q4 2014.
Tim Cook is likely to announce another record breaking quarter as Apple nearly doubled the number of activations of its closest competitor Samsung, which accounted for a modest 26% of the market.
Android has yet again increased its lead in U.S. market share as its rivals give up precious points, according to the latest data from Kantar WorldPanel. Google’s popular platform now commands an impressive 61.8 percent share of the smartphone market, which is close to double the 32.6 percent now held by iOS.
You'll want one. Along with 50 million other people. Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac
Apple is reportedly aiming to sell upwards of 50 million Apple Watches in 2015.
The news comes via a new report from Digitimes, which claims that Apple has placed orders for shipments of up to five million AMOLED panels per month throughout the year. These screens will be used as the innovative touch-sensitive display for Apple’s wearables debut.
Design questions aside, the true mystery about Apple’s long-rumored iWatch lies in exactly what types of health-related sensors the wearable might include. A recent report claims the iWatch will sport an astonishing 10 different sensors, including one for sweat.
While pedometers, accelerometers, thermometers and every other o-meter Jony Ive can get his hands on might all make sense for a smartwatch, we’re wondering what Apple could do with a sweat sensor? Other than verify that, yes, your sweat glands are pouring out more fluid per minute than Niagara Falls during your jog?
It turns out that adding sweat sensors would do more than differentiate the iWatch from smartwatches by LG, Motorola and Samsung right out of the gate. It could make the iWatch the most “personal” device you’ve ever shackled yourself to, with surprising applications that go far beyond fitness and health.
The iPhone 6 is poised to become the thinnest, lightest iPhone Apple’s ever made, but all that thinning might mean the iPhone still won’t be able to hold a charge for more than 10 hours.
Eight iterations of iPhones have been released and we’d love to see true all-day battery life added to the features list, but according to a report on the the iPhone 6’s battery, the thinification of the iPhone 6 means it will see minimal battery gains when it launches this fall.