smartphones

World’s top 7 bestselling smartphones are iPhones

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iPhone 14 in a MagSafe case
iPhone 14 is the world's top-selling smartphone.
Photo: MagEasy

For the first time, iPhones captured the top seven out of 10 spots on a list of bestselling smartphones worldwide, according to Counterpoint Research.

And guess what? iPhone 15 series handsets enter the list not at the top, but at No. 5. Many markets place a greater value on less expensive handsets.

iPhone 15 Pro wins for best camera in MKBHD Smartphone Awards

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MKBHD Smartphone Awards
Big-time tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee loves iPhone 15 Pro for its cameras -- especially for video -- and iPhone 15 Plus's big battery.
Photo: Marques Brownlee

YouTuber and tech influencer Marques Browlee recognized iPhone 15 Pro as the smartphone with the best cameras of the year in his MKBHD Smartphone Awards 2023 on Tuesday, offering his highest praise for the handset’s exceptional video chops.

And that’s not all. He also named iPhone 15 Plus as the handset with the best battery experience. Watch his video below.

England set to ban smartphone use during school day

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A ban would outlaw smartphones in schools during lessons and even on breaks.
A ban would outlaw smartphones in schools during lessons and even on breaks.
Photo: RDNE Stock Project@Pexels.com

England’s ruling Conservative Party plans to issue new guidance Monday banning smartphone use in schools, including during breaks from lessons, according to several sources.

While some schools already have restrictions in place, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan’s new guidance would set a country-wide ban.

Top 5 reasons Android users switch to iPhone

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If you switched from an Android device to an iPhone, what would be your reason?
If you switched from an Android device to an iPhone, what would be your reason?
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

A new report Wednesday from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) revisits the group’s recent finding that Android users increasingly switched to iPhone in recent years and gets into the reasons why.

It gave four specific major reasons and a fifth vague but important one, below.

This clever new desk mat charges your iPhone and AirPods

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The desk mat's charging panel is a convenient place to top off your smartphone and earbuds charging case.
The desk mat's charging panel is a convenient place to top off your smartphone and earbuds charging case.
Photo: Journey

You may not consider the humble desk mat a necessity in your computer setup. But what if you could charge your smartphone and earbuds charging case just by placing them on your desk? You can with the new Alti Wireless Charging Desk Mat. Accessories maker Journey unveiled it Thursday.

“This charging mat is our all-in-one solution to keeping your desk clutter-free while simultaneously charging your devices. We promise that it will soon become your favorite desk companion,” the company said.

New Apple ‘Switching to iPhone’ video makes it easy for Android users

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Thinking of switching from an Android phone to an iPhone? It's easy.
Thinking of switching from an Android phone to an iPhone? It's easy.
Photo: Apple

Apple aimed a new video Monday at Android users who might want to switch to iPhone. The video answers the most common questions switchers ask, from transferring contacts to trading in handsets and much more — all in about 4 minutes.

The video comes as Apple prepares the iPhone 14 series for release and follows Cupertino’s surprisingly positive earnings results Thursday in which the company mentioned a record numbers of switchers from Android to iPhone.

Coronavirus could cause mobile device shipments to ‘plunge’ in Q1 2020

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16-MacBook-Pro
Notebook shipments could fall by as much as 36%.
Photo: Apple

Coronavirus will cause mobile device shipments to plummet during the first quarter of 2020, according to a new report.

Production at major manufacturing plants throughout China is said to be at “way below normal levels” this week after workers returned to their posts last month. Smartphone shipments could slip below 1.3 billion units for the year.

Most Americans say they won’t buy a folding smartphone

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Xiaomi foldable phone
We're not exactly clamoring for one.
Photo: Lin Bin/Xioami

Someone thinks a foldable smartphone is a good idea. That person, for now, is not the consumer.

In a survey of 11,374 Americans, a whopping 82 percent of the respondents said they have no plans to purchase a foldable smartphone. That doesn’t mean companies need to shut the lid on the idea.

Huawei OS could fight Android (and Windows) next year

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Huawei P20 Pro
It’s just a backup plan for now.
Photo: Huawei

Huawei is developing its own operating system that will power its smartphones and other devices if it cannot rely on Android.

Richard Yu, head of the company’s consumer division, has now confirmed the software could be ready in early 2020. Android and Windows remain its top preference for now, however.

Galaxy S10+ tops iPhone XS in new camera rankings

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Galaxy S10+ camera
Can Samsung's top-rated camera system convince you to switch?
Photo: Samsung

The ink on all the press Samsung is getting for its new line of Galaxy smartphones is barely dry, but the camera on the S10+ already has received top marks from testing lab DxOMark.

One of five new Galaxy phones launched this week, the S10+ tied two Huawei handsets as the best-rated smartphones for mobile photographers.

Canon admits defeat in its battle with smartphone snappers

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Canon cameras
The iPhone has been the top choice among Flickr photographers beginning in 2015.
Photo: Flickr

The boss of one of the biggest names in the camera industry says his company cannot compete against the cameras in the iPhone and other smartphones.

Canon CEO Fujio Mitarai says the camera market will shrink by almost 50 percent within the next two years.

To survive, Mitarai says Canon, which produced pioneering autofocus gear popular with professional photographers, will shift its focus to corporate customers in fields like surveillance and medical care.

Samsung Galaxy S9 photos leak online ahead of unveiling

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Samsung galaxy
This is the Samsung Galaxy S9.
Photo: Evan Blass/Twitter

The iPhone X’s biggest competition of 2018 is nearly here and unfortunately for Samsung, the unveiling won’t be much of a surprise.

Photos of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S9 leaked online today revealing some of the new features Samsung has copied from Apple, along with some new colors the iPhone can’t match.

Check it out:

Apple loses spot as world’s second-largest smartphone maker

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Huawei
Chinese smartphone maker Huawei is on the rise.
Photo: AndroidCentral

The title of world’s second-largest smartphone brand no longer belongs to Apple.

New research data from analytics firm Counterpoint shows that Chinese smartphone company Huawei consistently surpassed Apple in smartphone sales during June and July to take over the No. 2 spot. Samsung remains at the top of the heap.

iPhone growth stalls as Chinese smartphones surge

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Product Red iPhone box
The RED iPhone 7 hasn't given sales a boost.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Growth in the smartphone industry isn’t dead yet, according to the latest report from the International Data Corporation which found smartphone shipments grew more than expected last quarter.

IDC predicted shipments would rise 3.6%, but the industry actually saw 4.3% growth in Q1 2017. Unfortunately for Apple, most of the increase in shipments were triggered by a couple of Chinese companies.

Android squeaks past Windows to become internet’s most popular OS

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Android rules the Internet.
Android rules the Internet.
Photo: Google

Windows can no longer claim the crown as the most popular operating system on the internet thanks to the rise of smartphones.

During the month of March, Microsoft finally saw its share of worldwide OS internet get eclipsed by Google’s Android operating system, marking the first time a mobile OS is more popular than the software powering PCs.

From tiny innovations to big brawls, this is how Apple rolled in 2016

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Thank Jobs, 2016 is finally over!
Thank Jobs, 2016 is finally over!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

2016 Year in Review Cult of Mac 2016 sent Apple for a wild ride full of fantastic new products, crazy controversies and tons of extra drama with its rivals.

Tim Cook and his colleagues probably can’t wait to jump into 2017. But before we start looking toward Apple’s future, let’s take a quick look back at all the stories that made 2016 a year Apple fans will never forget.

Consumers say Apple and Samsung make too many smartphones

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The iPhone 6s is selling like hotcakes.
Do you really need to upgrade every year?
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

When it comes to smartphone upgrades, consumers now think that companies like Apple and Samsung release too many new models and don’t put enough effort towards recycling.

A new study from Greenpeace surveyed over 6,000 people in the U.S. China, Russian, Mexico, Germany and South Korea and found that the average person has at least three phones at home, and more than half said they more than half said they would be okay with changing phones less often.

Popular fitness app makes U.S. debut in time for New Year’s resolutions

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No weights, classes or gym. The Freeletics app designs a workout program that uses your body weight.
No weights, classes or gym. The Freeletics app designs a workout program that uses your body weight.
Photo: Freeletics

You have a gym membership, but you’ve talked yourself out of going. You paid for a personal trainer and found reasons to cancel.

Maybe fitness can be achieved through your smartphone or smartwatch, but the excuse that now grinds the revolution to a halt is too many apps from which to choose.

Freeletics, a workout app that made its U.S. debut earlier this month, wants to make this an easy choice. First, it invites you to join more than 7 million other users, a community, the company says, grows by more than 6,000 users a week.

‘Peak smartphone’ is why Tim Cook is so hot for switchers

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Apple CEO Tim Cook gladly welcomes Android users to make the switch.
Apple CEO Tim Cook gladly welcomes Android users to make the switch.
Photo: Roberto Baldwin/The Next Web (2014)

Apple convinced us we couldn’t live without a smartphone. Now many of us have a smartphone in hand and Apple may be facing the curse side of the blessing — finding new customers for the iPhone.

Credit Suisse recently issued a report to investors that further fuels speculation that iPhone sales will dip for the first time since Apple introduced it in 2007. The upshot: Smartphone ownership is approaching 100 percent. We’re nearing “peak smartphone.”

How to shield your kid from smartphone cyberbullies

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kids
It's never too soon to start teaching your kids to be safe online.
Photo: Marcus Kwan/Flickr CC

Gabriella van Rij thinks we all need to be kinder to each other — especially online. To that end, she’s leading a kindness movement aimed at eliminating the cyberbullying that can happen when kids get their mitts on the hottest gifts around: smartphones and tablets like the iPhone and iPad.

“The truth is,” says van Rij, “smartphones can be weapons in the wrong hands.”

Pope says nope to smartphones at dinner

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Pope Francis welcomes the presence of smartphones - but not at dinner.
Pope Francis welcomes the presence of smartphones - but not at dinner.
Photo: Catholic Herald

We know Pope Francis is a fan of technology. He is on Twitter with 8 million followers and when in public, the guy never turns down a selfie request.

But His Holiness wants us all to put away our smartphones when seated at the dinner table.