Apple's iPhones and other devices have become increasingly expensive, and the company may be using alternative sales models to help soften the blow. Bloombergsources claim Apple is developing a subscription service for the iPhone and other hardware. Akin to the iPhone upgrade program, you'd pay a monthly fee rather than an up-front cost or financed instalments.
Other details weren't available as of this writing, including pricing and availability. However, Apple's upgrade program currently requires $35 or more per month to get both yearly iPhone upgrades and continuous AppleCare+ coverage.
Don't worry if you've wanted a 12.9-inch iPad Pro but have been put off by the official price —the tablet is considerably closer to Earth. Amazon is selling the M1-based WiFi model with 128GB of storage for a new all-time low price of $950 after you attach an instant coupon at checkout, or $149 less than usual. The 512GB version is back to a best-ever $1,299 price (down from $1,399) if you need more storage, and even the 2TB version is on sale for $2,050 (normally $2,199) if you demand the most capacity possible.
If this largest iPad Pro remains beyond your reach, you'll be glad to know that Amazon is still running sales for the latest iPad Air and iPad mini models at respective starting prices of $570 and $459. They're both speedy tablets, and they're better fits if you want something more compact.
The 12.9-inch iPad Pro continues to serve as Apple's no-compromise tablet. The M1 gives it performance on par with some well-specced laptops, and the 12.9-inch, 120Hz mini-LED screen is a treat whether you're creating art or catching up on Netflix. A Thunderbolt port helps with expansion, too. The larger display size makes this the best iPad to turn into a pseudo-laptop using peripherals like the Magic Keyboard — it's about as big as many portable PCs and gives iPadOS plenty of visual headroom.
That size does make this iPad Pro somewhat unwieldy if you plan to use it purely as a tablet, so you might want to consider the 11-inch Pro or Air if you want something easier to hold in your hands. You'll also need to be content with iPadOS. While the software has come a long way, it doesn't offer the window-based multitasking or in-depth file management of desktop platforms like macOS or Windows. If the OS fits your needs, though, few rivals can match this iPad's prowess.
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In 2020, Motorola's Edge+ marked a return to form for the company — a renewed focus on flagship phones after years of putting out more affordable devices. And despite skipping an update last year, now the 2022 Edge+ has arrived sporting a new chip and some inspiration Moto cribbed from Samsung's playbook: built-in stylus support. Unfortunately, even with a slick 144Hz screen and a $1,000 list price that undercuts the Galaxy S22 Ultra, the Edge+ doesn't live up to its premium ambitions. And at this point I'm wondering if Moto really has the chops to hang with other top-tier phone makers.
Design and display
Available in two colors (blue and white), the Edge+ doesn't do much to stand out, but I wouldn't call it ugly either. In some respects, it's more confused than anything. Packing a 6.7-inch 2,400 x 1,080 OLED display, the Edge+ is a chunky device, and just barely smaller than Samsung's 6.8-inch Galaxy S22 Ultra. Despite its premium price, the Edge+'s frame is made from plastic, and its lackluster IP52 dust and water resistance won't repel much more than a splash. So you better keep this thing away from sinks and toilets.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
Around back, while I like the gradient effect you get from the phone's Gorilla Glass 5 rear panel, the see-through housing around the Edge+'s triple camera module looks out of place. Actually, I'm not sure why that glass is there at all, aside from possibly making it look a bit more like an iPhone 13. And because the Edge's cameras aren't totally flush, you get more of a camera mound than a full camera bump, which seems like a compromise that won't please anyone.
I'm also sad that Moto axed the previous Edge+'s headphone jack. With so many other Android phones having done the same in recent years, retaining support for 3.5mm audio could have been an easy way for the Edge+ to differentiate itself from the competition. Now it's just a missed opportunity.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
Thankfully, when it comes to the display itself, there's not much to complain about. It's big, it’s colorful and, although its peak brightness of around 600 nits isn't nearly as high as what you'd get from a S22+ (1,750 nits), content looks good anywhere without direct sunlight. Moto also included support for a 144Hz refresh rate, which is slightly faster than the 120Hz screens you get from Apple, Samsung and others. But while the screen does make things look very smooth, it's hard to discern a difference in side-by-side comparisons with an S22+.
Finally, the Edge+ has a side-mounted fingerprint sensor built into its lock button, which is totally serviceable. That said, the phone's buttons are close to the top of the device so reaching them can be a stretch, particularly for people with smaller hands. I really wish Moto had opted for an in-screen fingerprint reader (which the 2020 Edge+ also had) or a rear-mounted option, both of which I find more accessible.
Cameras
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
While the Edge+’s rear cameras don’t look out of place, they might be the worst part of the phone’s entire kit. To start, one of the phone's rear “cameras” is merely a 2-megapixel depth sensor, which leaves a 50MP main sensor along with a 50MP ultra-wide sensor that can also take macro shots. Right away, the lack of a dedicated telephoto cam is a serious demerit among premium phones. But it gets worse because the Edge+'s image quality can only be described as depressing.
In well-lit conditions, the phone does fine, taking bright pictures with punchy colors. However, I should mention that with default settings, photos tended to look one or two stops more exposed than I like. You also have to be careful about spotting when Moto's scene optimizer automatically turns on, lest you risk some funky processing. For example, when I shot a very normal picture of some fruit, the Edge+ activated its food mode, which amped up colors to the point where the oranges looked neon.
But the biggest issue is the phone's low-light photography. No matter what I did, unless there were multiple street lights right next to me, the Edge+ struggled to snap a sharp pic at night. Things like leaves and branches routinely came out blurry, with Moto's Night Vision feature consistently capturing grainer photos when compared to the S22's Night Mode. In even darker conditions, the Edge+ felt lost, producing an image of a stained glass window that looked more like an impressionist painting than an actual photo. And let's not forget, I’m comparing Moto’s Night Vision setting to Samsung's Night Mode, which isn't even as good as Night Sight on the Pixel 6. On a mid-range phone, these results might be more forgivable. But for something listed at four figures, it's just sad.
Performance and sound
While the Edge+'s cameras don't impress, thankfully the phone's performance and sound are strong. You get a Qualcomm Snapdragon Gen 1 chip, 8GB of RAM (or 12GB if you buy an upgraded model direct from Moto), and up to 512GB of storage. Overall, benchmarks were within five percent of what we've seen from Samsung's Galaxy S22 line, and in the real world, I didn't experience any hitches.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
The Edge+ also features stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos that deliver relatively rich audio for a device this size. That said, I found that its speakers are better for watching movies than listening to music. For films that support surround sound, the Edge+ was slightly better at delivering layered, directional audio, especially for things like footsteps and explosions.
Accessories and 5G
One of the Edge+'s highlight features is active pen support and Motorola's optional Smart Stylus. In theory, this should help transform the Edge+ into a slightly cheaper alternative to Samsung's Galaxy S22 Ultra. Unfortunately, Motorola did not provide one for review alongside the phone, which doesn't inspire a lot of confidence. On top of that, the phone doesn't have built-in pen storage, so you'll also need to use the folio cover that comes bundled with Moto's stylus to create a more cohesive package that you might actually want to carry around.
As for 5G, support varies greatly depending on your carrier. On Verizon, you get both sub-6GHz and mmWave 5G. On T-Mobile/MetroPCS and unlocked models you only get sub-6GHz 5G, and on AT&T/Cricket, you're stuck with 4G LTE. This discrepancy when it comes to 5G compatibility is borderline infuriating, and unless you're on Verizon and have no intentions of switching, it almost makes the Edge+ a complete non-starter.
Software
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
The Edge+ comes pre-installed with a straightforward take on Android 12, though our Verizon-branded review unit was loaded with a fair amount of bloatware. All your beloved Moto gestures are still around, including my longtime favorite, the double-chop to activate the flashlight. And as a bonus for people new to the Moto ecosystem, there's a handy floating button that guides you through the various gestures, navigation options and more. There's also Moto's Ready For mode, which allows the phone to function like a mini desktop when hooked up to an external monitor. And while it works, it's not nearly as good as Samsung's Dex mode.
What's really annoying, though, is that for a premium handset, Motorola's long-term support is weak. You only get two years of Android updates and three years of bi-monthly security patches. In comparison, Samsung offers four years of both for all of its Galaxy S phones and many of its mid-range devices, while the Pixel 6 gets a whopping five years of OS upgrades and security updates.
Charging and battery life
Thanks to its 4,800 mAh battery, even with a large display sucking up juice, the Edge+ lasted a respectable 15 hours and 24 minutes on our local video rundown test. That's about half an hour longer than the standard S22, though still a bit short compared to the S22+ and S22 Ultra's times of 17:33 and 17:16, respectively. And during normal use, the Edge+ fared even better, often finishing the day with more than 30 percent battery left in the tank, due in part to efficient standby power usage that only robbed one or two percent battery an hour while idle.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
Recharging the Edge+ can be done in two ways: wired charging at up to 30 watts (and yes, a power adapter does come in the box) or Qi wireless charging at up to 15 watts. On top of that, the phone supports reverse wireless charging (aka Power Share) at up to five watts, so you can send excess juice to a friend with a device in need or recharge Moto's Smart Stylus.
Wrap-up
Back in 2020, I was cautiously optimistic to see Motorola get back into the flagship phone game with the original Edge+, even if that phone ended up being merely fine. Motorola is the third biggest phone maker in the US, so you'd think it might have a decent shot at making a compelling alternative to Google, Apple and Samsung's high-end devices. But now, having checked out its latest high-end phone, I feel like this whole endeavor might have been a mistake.
Aside from its screen and chipset, the 2022 Edge+ feels more like a mid-range handset than a truly premium phone. It's lacking the telephoto cam that other flagships (and the previous model) have, and Moto's low-light photo quality seems like it's gotten worse, not better. Same goes for some of the Edge+'s other specs like its side-mounted fingerprint reader, which is a step back from the in-screen sensor on its predecessor. Moto even killed the headphone jack, which was one of the 2020 Edge's defining features, and a real rarity among high-end phones.
Sam Rutherford/Engadget
Sure, this year's Edge+ got a small boost thanks to a third year of security patches. But when you look at competing Android devices, Motorola's software support still falls woefully short of what you get from Samsung and Google. With limited or no 5G connectivity on two of the US's three biggest carriers, the Edge+ is a hard phone to like, let alone recommend. And while you might be tempted by some of the phone's promo pricing at launch that could lop $100 to $150 off its price tag, even with those discounts, the Edge+ still feels too expensive. At $700, the Pixel 6 is a better (and cheaper) phone, and if you don’t mind only having sub-6GHz 5G, you can get an unlocked model directly from Google for just $600.
Honestly, the Edge+ feels like a trap: It has the build and cameras of a mid-range phone with a couple high-end features to lure you in. But it's missing a lot of the polish and sophistication you should be getting on a top-tier device. And while I can't tell how much carrier partnerships or the ongoing chip crunch may have held this device back, regardless of how we got here, it really seems like Motorola is struggling to compete in the premium phone space.
OnePlus' latest flagship phone will launch in Europe, North America and India on March 31st. The company previously said the OnePlus Pro 10 would arrive in those markets by the end of March, so that's right on schedule. It released the smartphone in China in January.
The OnePlus 10 Pro is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip and OxygenOS (which is based on Android 12). It has a 6.7-inch 120Hz Fluid AMOLED with LTPO screen which allows for adjustable refresh rates to improve the battery life. The device has a 5,000mAh battery, along with support for 80W fast charging and 50W wireless charging. It comes with up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage.
There's an array of three Hasselblad cameras on the rear: a 48MP wide-angle sensor, an eight-megapixel telephoto lens and a 50MP ultrawide camera. To show off the cameras, their 10-bit color capabilities and the OnePlus Pro 10's color processing knowhow, the company sent the handset 38,000 meters (23.6 miles) up into the stratosphere to take some shots of the horizon.
OnePlus
Folks in North America, Europe and India will be able to pre-order the OnePlus Pro 10 from the OnePlus website and Amazon on March 31st at 10:20AM ET. You'll get the OnePlus Buds Pro as a freebie if you pre-order. Those who order from Amazon or elsewhere will need to claim their earbuds through the OnePlus store app.
Since launching in 2020, Apple’s digital car key feature has only been available on a handful of BMW models. In January, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman claimed the feature would expand to include select vehicles from Hyundai brands like Genesis “by the summer.” It now looks like those plans may be ahead of schedule. In a change spotted by MacRumors, Apple has updated its CarPlay website to indicate that the 2022 Genesis GV60, 2022 G90 and 2022 Kia Niro now support the feature.
It’s unclear if CarKey functionality is already widely available on those models or if Hyundai is only now in the process of rolling it out. A spokesperson for Kia told the outlet it would “have more information about Digital Key availability in the coming weeks."
While car manufacturers have offered remote lock controls through smartphones for a while, CarKey is different in that it treats your iPhone and Apple Watch like a physical key. To use the feature, you simply bring your phone or wearable up to your car’s door handle to unlock it. Some vehicles also allow you to start them by placing your device near the ignition button. With more recent iPhones that come with Apple’s U1 chip, you don’t even need to remove your phone from your pocket to access your car.
It took several months, but Apple Wallet can finally hold your state driver's license. Arizona residents can add their driver's license or state ID to Wallet on their iPhone or Apple Watch. You're currently limited to presenting the digital cards at certain TSA checkpoints in Phoenix's Sky Harbor International Airport, but this may save you the trouble of reaching for conventional IDs when your phone or smartwatch is at the ready.
Apple is also promising wider availability beyond the eight states already announced. Colorado, Hawaii, Mississippi, Ohio and Puerto Rico have also committed to supporting ID cards in Wallet.
The process remains as involved as Apple mentioned last year. In Wallet on your iPhone, you can add a driver's license or state ID by scanning the card, taking a selfie and making head movements to prove the identification is yours. When it's time to present your info to the TSA, you'll provide consent through Face ID or Touch ID. The TSA will also take your photo to verify cards. You'll need at least an iPhone 8 running iOS 15.4, while you'll want an Apple Watch Series 4 or newer using watchOS 8.4 if you want the feature on your wrist
Apple maintains that cards in Wallet can be more secure than their real-world counterparts. You only share necessary info, and you don't need to show your device to an official. All driver's license and state ID data is sent over an encrypted connection, and the requirement for biometric authentication should prevent others from viewing your sensitive details.
Android has had the framework for digital driver's licenses as of version 11, but it typically relies on third-party apps. Google hopes to standardize these IDs through an Android Ready SE Alliance it formed last year, although that will likely take time as vendors come aboard. For now, Apple appears to have the edge when it comes to digitally stored credentials.
Nothing will release its first handset, the phone (1), this summer, the company confirmed on Wednesday ahead of its “The Truth” livestream. In the usual marketing style of its CEO, OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei, Nothing shared a handful of details about the upcoming device while promising to reveal more over the coming months.
It announced the phone will feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset and run Nothing OS, a modified version of Android that “captures the best features” of Google’s mobile operating system while distilling it “to just the essentials.” The company promised Nothing OS would offer a fast and smooth experience, with a user interface that features “bespoke” fonts, colors, design elements and sounds. Nothing will offer a preview of its software vision in April through a launcher those with select Android phones will have the chance to download.
In short, it seemingly looks like Nothing hopes to continue where OnePlus left off before Pei departed the company and it merged with Oppo. By that point, many longtime OnePlus fans felt the company had effectively stopped catering to them with its decision to expand into the budget phone market by offering what they saw as rebranded Oppo devices. While most assumed Nothing would eventually announce a phone given Pei’s history, those assumptions became a lot more real at the start of March when a report came out that Nothing had shown off a smartphone in private meetings at Mobile World Congress. Just days later, leaker Evan Blass shared a photo of one such meeting Pei took with Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon where you can see Pei holding what looks like an unannounced phone.
Following years of litigation, Canadian “patent monetization” firm WiLAN has signed a licensing agreement with Apple. With the deal, the two companies have settled all court cases that were ongoing between them in the US, Canada and Germany related to a series of wireless technology patents. The terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
WiLAN’s dispute with Apple dates back to 2014 when the two companies went to court over two patents WiLAN claimed covered voice over LTE technologies featured in a variety of iPhone models at the time. Before today’s announcement, the most recent development in the dispute was that a jury reduced the damages Apple had been ordered to pay in 2018 from $145.1 million to $85.2 million. The decision came after a judge ordered a retrial after agreeing with Apple that WiLAN had used a flawed process to calculate the size of the damages owed to it by the iPhone-maker.
While this saga has come to a close, we don’t expect it will be the last time Apple and WiLAN lock horns. As something of a notorious patent troll, WiLAN has sued Apple a handful of times in the past, sometimes to mixed results. As one of the successful smartphone designers in the mobile industry, Apple makes for a seemingly irresistible target.
Following years of litigation, Canadian “patent monetization” firm WiLAN has signed a licensing agreement with Apple. With the deal, the two companies have settled all court cases that were ongoing between them in the US, Canada and Germany related to a series of wireless technology patents. The terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
WiLAN’s dispute with Apple dates back to 2014 when the two companies went to court over two patents WiLAN claimed covered voice over LTE technologies featured in a variety of iPhone models at the time. Before today’s announcement, the most recent development in the dispute was that a jury reduced the damages Apple had been ordered to pay in 2018 from $145.1 million to $85.2 million. The decision came after a judge ordered a retrial after agreeing with Apple that WiLAN had used a flawed process to calculate the size of the damages owed to it by the iPhone-maker.
While this saga has come to a close, we don’t expect it will be the last time Apple and WiLAN lock horns. As something of a notorious patent troll, WiLAN has sued Apple a handful of times in the past, sometimes to mixed results. As one of the successful smartphone designers in the mobile industry, Apple makes for a seemingly irresistible target.
Mobile gaming has been a huge thing for a decade now but it’s only recently that accessory makers like Razer and Logitech have taken it seriously, offering gaming headsets made especially for phones. On the controller front, however, SteelSeries has been ahead of the curve for some time, selling the Nimbus line of gamepads for Apple devices, and Stratus for Android and everything else. Today the latter gets a big upgrade with the addition of the $60 Nimbus+.
Kris Naudus / Engadget
At first glance it doesn’t seem like a big change for the gamepad; once again we’re looking at a matte black, Xbox-style controller. But this time around, the Nimbus comes with a phone grip in the box: no more buying a separate accessory. The clip is thin when folded, with two long metal prongs that you can push out to plug them into the top of the gamepad. It’s kind of satisfying to slide the clip and not difficult — which is good, because if you screw up you’re likely to scratch the finish on the gamepad, and the matte texture can only do so much to hide it.
In hand, the Nimbus+ is solid and doesn’t feel heavy, even with a phone attached to the top. The clip holds the phone securely, though placement is an issue since I have a Pixel 3, meaning the volume control sits midway on the right side, putting it right under where the clip would grip the phone. So yes, I ended up turning my volume down a lot if I wasn’t careful. That’s probably the hardest part of using the Nimbus+, since connecting via Bluetooth is super easy now.
Kris Naudus / Engadget
I fired up Brawlhalla on my device and started punching and kicking my way through levels. The buttons had satisfying bounce and were incredibly responsive; it’s always nice when the character does what they’re supposed to, especially in a fighting game where timing matters. Poor responsiveness is generally why I shy away from playing most action games on a touchscreen.
Which gets to the bigger question of whether I actually need something like the Nimbus+. I play games on my phone, sure, but it’s usually the kind of stuff I can play one-handed and that doesn’t require a lot of nimble finger work. (I had to download Brawlhalla for testing.) But at least for PC gaming it’s a solid option if you prefer Xbox-style wireless controllers.
