New iPhones tend to be rather boring. Not the pricey Pro models that get most of the fancy new features — I’m talking about the regular versions that are ideal for most of us. Apple has historically taken a trickle-down approach to its mainline phone, adding components and features from the previous year’s Pros as part of the annual update. That’s primarily what we’re dealing with on the iPhone 15, which starts at $799. However, the combination of those hand-me-downs, a revamped camera and the switch to USB-C make this year’s regular iPhone a worthy upgrade.

Design

Apple hasn’t made sweeping changes to the “regular” iPhone design in years, opting instead for subtle tweaks that only a careful observer will notice. For the iPhone 15, the company kept the aircraft-grade aluminum frame but gave it a more contoured edge. For this reason, the new model is more pleasant to hold, but you’ll only enjoy that if you aren’t using a case.

Apple also made a significant tweak to the back of the iPhone 15, choosing “color-infused” glass with a matte finish that it says is a first for smartphones. The issue for me here is the colors. Apple’s selection of black, blue, green, yellow and pink lack the pop of previous iPhone generations and are quite pastel in real life.

Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget

This isn’t a problem if you’re a fan of those shades, but they’re not for me. They’re muted to the point I thought I still had a protective covering on the back of the phone. There’s no white, gold or silver option, so you’re only left with the black – that’s really more of a dark gray – if you want something less Easter-y. The iPhone 15 is just as durable and water-resistant as its predecessor, so there’s no upgrades there. You’ll still get a Ceramic Shield display up front for added protection and an overall IP68 rating.

If a distinguishing factor on the iPhone 14 was the lack of a SIM tray, this year you’ll want to venture to the bottom edge. Apple has finally made the change to USB-C, a slightly larger and more pill-shaped port than its Lightning jack. Of course, there’s still no SIM tray as last year’s model ushered in the era of the eSIM, making transferring your number to a new phone much easier and giving you the option for multiple lines on the same device.

Display

Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget

Apple’s decision to not upgrade the iPhone 14’s display last year was disappointing, and while the company didn’t go as far as I’d like on the iPhone 15, there are some worthwhile changes. There’s a new Super Retina XDR display that offers 2,556 x 1,179 at 460 ppi on the iPhone 15 (2,796 x 1,290 on the 15 Plus). That’s not much different from the iPhone 14, which also had a Super Retina XDR panel. But, Apple now offers 2,000 nits of peak brightness and 1,600 nits of peak HDR brightness – both increases over the previous model. Colors continue to be rich and you’ll get plenty of crisp detail, none of which is surprising.

Unfortunately, we’re still saddled with a 60Hz refresh rate on the iPhone 15s; the higher refresh rate is once again reserved for the Pros. Unless you’ve used a phone with a 120Hz display, you can probably live without it, but it’s worth noting that other companies have given their base model phones a higher rate. The Pixel 8, for example, has a 120Hz display, as does the Galaxy S23. And as my colleague Cherlynn Low pointed out last year, when you go from a Pro model iPhone to the “regular” version, the choppiness of the display becomes apparent when scrolling. Of course, the always-on display is limited to the iPhone 15 Pros, too, so you don’t get ever-present time, widgets and wallpapers on the iPhone 15.

The biggest change to the display is the Dynamic Island. This particular feature debuted on the iPhone 14 Pro last year, when Apple replaced the notch with the handy, informative area around the front-facing camera. Just like it does on the Pro models, Dynamic Island on the iPhone 15 provides easy access to alerts, Live Activities and apps that are running in the background.

When music is playing, you’ll see tiny album art and either an audio waveform or an icon for where the audio is broadcast (HomePod, speaker, etc.). Press and hold and you’ll get playback controls similar to what you typically see on the lock screen – only docked at the top of the display. Live Activities can show you things like flight statuses or Lyft arrival times, and Apple says its dedicated API will allow developers to expand how their apps harness the Dynamic Island. Coming from my iPhone 14 I’ve enjoyed having the extra info or controls always just a long press away. It’s one of this year’s trickle-down features that makes life easier.

Cameras

Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget

One of the biggest changes on the iPhone 15 is the new camera. Apple has replaced the 12-megapixel dual-camera with a 48-megapixel setup and quad-pixel sensor. The company said that its photonic engine combines the low-light performance of 12MP images with large quad pixels with the detail of a 48MP version composed of individual pixels. The result, and the default setting, is a 24MP image with increased clarity and better shots in dim lighting. There’s also a new 2x optical-quality telephoto preset, so the iPhone 15 now has three preselected zoom options.

The headline feature of the new camera is portraits in regular photo mode. The iPhone 15 now captures depth information whenever it detects humans, cats or dogs “prominently” in the frame. This allows you to apply the portrait mode effect afterwards with the editing tools in the Photos app. You no longer have to select it before shooting. An “f” icon will appear whenever the camera is capturing depth and tapping it will allow you to preview and activate portrait mode before you shoot. For photos you’ve already taken, opening the editor will show you an obvious portrait button for all shots where depth info is stored. There’s also a shortcut to activate portrait mode for compatible images when you’re viewing a single photo, so you don’t have to jump into the full edit view.

It’s nice to be able to apply or remove the portrait effect later on from certain shots. Whether you add the effect in edits or while shooting, the results are pretty consistent. Apple’s portrait mode struggles at times with the edges of faces, so there were some pictures where my ears or my beard were blurry. But overall, photos taken with the effect enabled and those with it applied afterward look the same.

Most photos from the iPhone 15 weren’t obviously different from those taken with the iPhone 14. Low-light shots from this year’s model are slightly warmer and more detailed as it handles things like the glare from street lights better. That’s likely due to the way the iPhone 15 combines 12MP and 48MP images. On well-lit or outdoor photos though, it’s hard to distinguish between stills from the two phones without peeking at the metadata or zooming in to see that the iPhone 15 is better with things like hair and textures.

You’ll want to use those new 48MP shots via the HEIF MAX mode sparingly though, opting for these means increased file size and will quickly eat up your phone's storage. 12MP low-light images are around 1MB each, 24MP stills clock in at about 2.5MB and the 48MP photos are around 5.5MB. So, when shooting at maximum quality, your snaps will be just over double that of the default setting. Thankfully, Apple gives you one-tap access to HEIF MAX on the main camera UI, but you’ll have to enable resolution control in the camera settings to see it in the top right corner.

Performance and battery life

Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget

Another hand-me-down the iPhone 15 received from last year's Pro is the A16 Bionic. The chip powers all of the “advanced features,” including Dynamic Island, increased outdoor display brightness and the 48MP main camera. Additionally, the A16 Bionic packs a six-core CPU that uses 20 percent less power than the A15 Bionic on the iPhone 14 and a five-core GPU with 50-percent more memory bandwidth than the previous combo. Lastly, the A16 Bionic’s 16-core neural engine is the extra oomph behind features like the updated portrait mode, live voicemail and better autocorrect.

During everyday use, the iPhone 15 performed quickly and smoothly, handling all of the tasks I threw at it without a stutter. That’s doing a mix of Instagram, Gmail, Apple Music, calls, texts and some YouTube TV streaming – all with an Apple Watch connected. The only time I noticed the phone running warm was whenever I was multitasking while streaming video or live TV via picture-in-picture. Even then, the iPhone 15 never got too hot to handle.

Apple has given the iPhone 15 a second-gen Ultra Wideband chip that powers Precision Finding. What’s more, the company has expanded it to Find My friends, so you can get pinpoint directions to someone for the times you might be in a dense crowd. You’ll have to share your location with each other, which can be disabled at any time, and Find My can notify the friend you’re looking for them. I haven’t been able to test this with a fellow iPhone 15 user yet, but having just been to a music festival I can see it replacing the constant barrage of “Where are you?” texts.

In addition to Find My, Apple continues to offer safety features like satellite-powered roadside assistance and emergency SOS, which it introduced last year. The company is making those services free for two years with iPhone 15 so you can still contact AAA via text when you’re out of reach of a cellular signal. Like the previous models, theiPhone 15 also features car crash detection and can also notify your emergency contacts from the Health app. Crash detection also works with emergency SOS via satellite, so it will still contact first responders if there’s no cellular or Wi-Fi connection available. Thankfully, I haven’t had the opportunity to try these. They’re items I’m happy to have, but hope I never use.

Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget

The change to USB-C is a welcome one, albeit long overdue. In addition to giving you a more universal connection consistent with iPad and Mac, you can charge your Apple Watch, AirPods and other compatible devices with the iPhone 15. This came in handy a few times when my Apple Watch Series 7 was running on fumes. It has also been nice to top up my AirPods Pro while in transit if I forgot to charge them before leaving the house. Plus, it’s been nice to remove one cable from my travel stash.

The disappointing thing about USB-C is that Apple has limited data transfers to USB 2.0 speeds of 480 Mbps. I can’t see a scenario where you would use your phone for transporting lots of files, but the low speed does hamper things like transferring data to a new phone. As expensive as the base iPhone is, a faster connection here would be nice.

In terms of battery life, Apple’s claims of “all day” use still hold true. After a day that started at 7AM, the iPhone 15 still had 28 percent left when I plugged it in just before 1AM, with some moderately heavy Instagram scrolling between 8PM and midnight. Even at a music festival where I was constantly using the phone, I never went below 25-30 percent. That’s over three days of running low-power mode for more than 15 hours while shooting a mix of Instagram Stories, photos and video. And in both scenarios, I had an Apple Watch and a Dexcom continuous glucose monitor connected and constantly in use.

Apple says a 20W power adapter can charge the iPhone 15 in about 30 minutes. The phone also supports MagSafe wireless charging with compatible accessories. Despite the shift to USB-C, nothing has changed from the iPhone 14, so if you were hoping for faster charging, that’s not happening (yet, anyway).

Wrap-up

With the iPhone 15, Apple offers enough to make this year’s device a worthwhile upgrade. That’s not always the case, and it certainly wasn’t last year. However, the revamped camera works well, offering higher-quality shots when you need them, and Dynamic Island is genuinely useful. USB-C, even though it’s limited, is a welcome addition too. And since you’re likely going to slap a case on the thing anyway, you can probably live with Apple’s color chemistry experiment if those hues don’t quite excite you. And while it's nice that the iPhone 15 is a more significant upgrade than we've gotten in years, here's hoping that a complete overhaul is coming soon.

New iPhones tend to be rather boring. Not the pricey Pro models that get most of the fancy new features –- I’m talking about the regular versions that are ideal for most of us. Apple has historically taken a trickle-down approach to its mainline phone, adding components and features from the previous year’s Pros as part of the annual update. That’s primarily what we’re dealing with on the iPhone 15, which starts at $799. However, the combination of those hand-me-downs, a revamped camera and the switch to USB-C make this year’s regular iPhone a worthy upgrade.

Design

Apple hasn’t made sweeping changes to the “regular” iPhone design in years, opting instead for subtle tweaks that only a careful observer will notice. For the iPhone 15, the company kept the aircraft-grade aluminum frame but gave it a more contoured edge. For this reason, the new model is more pleasant to hold, but you’ll only enjoy that if you aren’t using a case.

Apple also made a significant tweak to the back of the iPhone 15, choosing “color-infused” glass with a matte finish that it says is a first for smartphones. The issue for me here is the colors. Apple’s selection of black, blue, green, yellow and pink lack the pop of previous iPhone generations and are quite pastel in real life.

Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget

This isn’t a problem if you’re a fan of those shades, but they’re not for me. They’re muted to the point I thought I still had a protective covering on the back of the phone. There’s no white, gold or silver option, so you’re only left with the black – that’s really more of a dark gray – if you want something less Easter-y. The iPhone 15 is just as durable and water-resistant as its predecessor, so there’s no upgrades there. You’ll still get a Ceramic Shield display up front for added protection and an overall IP68 rating.

If a distinguishing factor on the iPhone 14 was the lack of a SIM tray, this year you’ll want to venture to the bottom edge. Apple has finally made the change to USB-C, a slightly larger and more pill-shaped port than its Lightning jack. Of course, there’s still no SIM tray as last year’s model ushered in the era of the eSIM, making transferring your number to a new phone much easier and giving you the option for multiple lines on the same device.

Display

Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget

Apple’s decision to not upgrade the iPhone 14’s display last year was disappointing, and while the company didn’t go as far as I’d like on the iPhone 15, there are some worthwhile changes. There’s a new Super Retina XDR display that offers 2,556 x 1,179 at 460 ppi on the iPhone 15 (2,796 x 1,290 on the 15 Plus). That’s not much different from the iPhone 14, which also had a Super Retina XDR panel. But, Apple now offers 2,000 nits of peak brightness and 1,600 nits of peak HDR brightness – both increases over the previous model. Colors continue to be rich and you’ll get plenty of crisp detail, none of which is surprising.

Unfortunately, we’re still saddled with a 60Hz refresh rate on the iPhone 15s; the higher refresh rate is once again reserved for the Pros. Unless you’ve used a phone with a 120Hz display, you can probably live without it, but it’s worth noting that other companies have given their base model phones a higher rate. The Pixel 8, for example, has a 120Hz display, as does the Galaxy S23. And as my colleague Cherlynn Low pointed out last year, when you go from a Pro model iPhone to the “regular” version, the choppiness of the display becomes apparent when scrolling. Of course, the always-on display is limited to the iPhone 15 Pros, too, so you don’t get ever-present time, widgets and wallpapers on the iPhone 15.

The biggest change to the display is the Dynamic Island. This particular feature debuted on the iPhone 14 Pro last year, when Apple replaced the notch with the handy, informative area around the front-facing camera. Just like it does on the Pro models, Dynamic Island on the iPhone 15 provides easy access to alerts, Live Activities and apps that are running in the background.

When music is playing, you’ll see tiny album art and either an audio waveform or an icon for where the audio is broadcast (HomePod, speaker, etc.). Press and hold and you’ll get playback controls similar to what you typically see on the lock screen – only docked at the top of the display. Live Activities can show you things like flight statuses or Lyft arrival times, and Apple says its dedicated API will allow developers to expand how their apps harness the Dynamic Island. Coming from my iPhone 14 I’ve enjoyed having the extra info or controls always just a long press away. It’s one of this year’s trickle-down features that makes life easier.

Cameras

Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget

One of the biggest changes on the iPhone 15 is the new camera. Apple has replaced the 12-megapixel dual-camera with a 48-megapixel setup and quad-pixel sensor. The company said that its photonic engine combines the low-light performance of 12MP images with large quad pixels with the detail of a 48MP version composed of individual pixels. The result, and the default setting, is a 24MP image with increased clarity and better shots in dim lighting. There’s also a new 2x optical-quality telephoto preset, so the iPhone 15 now has three preselected zoom options.

The headline feature of the new camera is portraits in regular photo mode. The iPhone 15 now captures depth information whenever it detects humans, cats or dogs “prominently” in the frame. This allows you to apply the portrait mode effect afterwards with the editing tools in the Photos app. You no longer have to select it before shooting. An “f” icon will appear whenever the camera is capturing depth and tapping it will allow you to preview and activate portrait mode before you shoot. For photos you’ve already taken, opening the editor will show you an obvious portrait button for all shots where depth info is stored. There’s also a shortcut to activate portrait mode for compatible images when you’re viewing a single photo, so you don’t have to jump into the full edit view.

It’s nice to be able to apply or remove the portrait effect later on from certain shots. Whether you add the effect in edits or while shooting, the results are pretty consistent. Apple’s portrait mode struggles at times with the edges of faces, so there were some pictures where my ears or my beard were blurry. But overall, photos taken with the effect enabled and those with it applied afterward look the same.

Most photos from the iPhone 15 weren’t obviously different from those taken with the iPhone 14. Low-light shots from this year’s model are slightly warmer and more detailed as it handles things like the glare from street lights better. That’s likely due to the way the iPhone 15 combines 12MP and 48MP images. On well-lit or outdoor photos though, it’s hard to distinguish between stills from the two phones without peeking at the metadata or zooming in to see that the iPhone 15 is better with things like hair and textures.

You’ll want to use those new 48MP shots via the HEIF MAX mode sparingly though, opting for these means increased file size and will quickly eat up your phone's storage. 12MP low-light images are around 1MB each, 24MP stills clock in at about 2.5MB and the 48MP photos are around 5.5MB. So, when shooting at maximum quality, your snaps will be just over double that of the default setting. Thankfully, Apple gives you one-tap access to HEIF MAX on the main camera UI, but you’ll have to enable resolution control in the camera settings to see it in the top right corner.

Performance and battery life

Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget

Another hand-me-down the iPhone 15 received from last year's Pro is the A16 Bionic. The chip powers all of the “advanced features,” including Dynamic Island, increased outdoor display brightness and the 48MP main camera. Additionally, the A16 Bionic packs a six-core CPU that uses 20 percent less power than the A15 Bionic on the iPhone 14 and a five-core GPU with 50-percent more memory bandwidth than the previous combo. Lastly, the A16 Bionic’s 16-core neural engine is the extra oomph behind features like the updated portrait mode, live voicemail and better autocorrect.

During everyday use, the iPhone 15 performed quickly and smoothly, handling all of the tasks I threw at it without a stutter. That’s doing a mix of Instagram, Gmail, Apple Music, calls, texts and some YouTube TV streaming – all with an Apple Watch connected. The only time I noticed the phone running warm was whenever I was multitasking while streaming video or live TV via picture-in-picture. Even then, the iPhone 15 never got too hot to handle.

Apple has given the iPhone 15 a second-gen Ultra Wideband chip that powers Precision Finding. What’s more, the company has expanded it to Find My friends, so you can get pinpoint directions to someone for the times you might be in a dense crowd. You’ll have to share your location with each other, which can be disabled at any time, and Find My can notify the friend you’re looking for them. I haven’t been able to test this with a fellow iPhone 15 user yet, but having just been to a music festival I can see it replacing the constant barrage of “Where are you?” texts.

In addition to Find My, Apple continues to offer safety features like satellite-powered roadside assistance and emergency SOS, which it introduced last year. The company is making those services free for two years with iPhone 15 so you can still contact AAA via text when you’re out of reach of a cellular signal. Like the previous models, theiPhone 15 also features car crash detection and can also notify your emergency contacts from the Health app. Crash detection also works with emergency SOS via satellite, so it will still contact first responders if there’s no cellular or Wi-Fi connection available. Thankfully, I haven’t had the opportunity to try these. They’re items I’m happy to have, but hope I never use.

Photo by Billy Steele/Engadget

The change to USB-C is a welcome one, albeit long overdue. In addition to giving you a more universal connection consistent with iPad and Mac, you can charge your Apple Watch, AirPods and other compatible devices with the iPhone 15. This came in handy a few times when my Apple Watch Series 7 was running on fumes. It has also been nice to top up my AirPods Pro while in transit if I forgot to charge them before leaving the house. Plus, it’s been nice to remove one cable from my travel stash.

The disappointing thing about USB-C is that Apple has limited data transfers to USB 2.0 speeds of 480 Mbps. I can’t see a scenario where you would use your phone for transporting lots of files, but the low speed does hamper things like transferring data to a new phone. As expensive as the base iPhone is, a faster connection here would be nice.

In terms of battery life, Apple’s claims of “all day” use still hold true. After a day that started at 7AM, the iPhone 15 still had 28 percent left when I plugged it in just before 1AM, with some moderately heavy Instagram scrolling between 8PM and midnight. Even at a music festival where I was constantly using the phone, I never went below 25-30 percent. That’s over three days of running low-power mode for more than 15 hours while shooting a mix of Instagram Stories, photos and video. And in both scenarios, I had an Apple Watch and a Dexcom continuous glucose monitor connected and constantly in use.

Apple says a 20W power adapter can charge the iPhone 15 in about 30 minutes. The phone also supports MagSafe wireless charging with compatible accessories. Despite the shift to USB-C, nothing has changed from the iPhone 14, so if you were hoping for faster charging, that’s not happening (yet, anyway).

Wrap-up

With the iPhone 15, Apple offers enough to make this year’s device a worthwhile upgrade. That’s not always the case, and it certainly wasn’t last year. However, the revamped camera works well, offering higher-quality shots when you need them, and Dynamic Island is genuinely useful. USB-C, even though it’s limited, is a welcome addition too. And since you’re likely going to slap a case on the thing anyway, you can probably live with Apple’s color chemistry experiment if those hues don’t quite excite you. And while it's nice that the iPhone 15 is a more significant upgrade than we've gotten in years, here's hoping that a complete overhaul is coming soon.

Your latest iPhone update is officially here. iOS 17 brings some substantial new features and a lot of upgrades that streamline how you use your iPhone, especially when connecting with other iPhone users.

While the lock screen customizations introduced in iOS 16 formed the big visual change last year, Apple has now applied a similar makeover to your phone calls and contact lists. And at a time when there is no shortage of video call apps and services, it’s trying to make FaceTime even more compelling.

When I previewed the developer build a month or so ago, I focused on messages and FaceTime, both of which got a lot of attention in this update. After a little more time with the finished product, iOS 17 feels like a big quality-of-life upgrade for iPhone users. Without a big tentpole feature, it’s harder to pinpoint why it’s so much better — but I'll try.

Supported devices

20 different iPhone models support iOS 17, going as far back as 2018’s iPhone XR. As many of the OS updates this year aren’t particularly processor- or machine learning-intensive, you’re not missing out on much with older supported iPhones. One exception is StandBy, which works best (or how it should) with Apple’s best smartphone screens — always-on displays.

StandBy Mode

With StandBy, Apple is dipping its toe in the smart display waters without making you buy another device. (For now.)

If your iPhone is horizontal and charging, iOS 17 will shift into StandBy mode, ditching your wallpaper and icons for giant clocks, calendar info, now playing widgets, photos and the rest. (One curious oversight: no email widget.)

You’ll need an iPhone 14 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro to ensure it works like it should — that is, always on. With all the other devices, you’ll need to tap the screen to get your information, which defeats the point. StandBy also utilizes the same iOS widget Smart Stacks so you can swipe between different information.

With iOS 17, we finally get interactive widgets, too, so you can toggle smart home lights or tick something off your to-do list without having to launch an entire app. (Another helpful feature coming to Reminders and your to-do lists is an automated grocery list feature, which will detect when you’re composing a shopping list, and draw together products you’ll typically find in the same place in the grocery store.)

Apple’s Continuity upgrades mean you can now use widgets on your Mac, even if you don’t have the same app installed on your computer. There are also more curated widgets for iOS 17, so you can select a specific photo album to populate them (no more screenshots or very dated holiday photos) and dedicate widgets to podcasts, Safari or your music.

Contact posters and FaceTime

Photo by Mat Smith / Engadget

Contact Posters remain the big visual twist for iOS 17. However, I’m still waiting for my iPhone-carrying friends to update their devices so I can see the glossy upgrade. Contact posters mix different profile photos, fonts and colors and will appear when someone calls you, FaceTimes you, or when you’re searching through contacts. This image will also appear when you try out NameDrop, Apple’s new feature for contactless… contact sharing. As I noted in my preview, the profile photo you use doesn’t have to be taken in Portrait mode to ensure the cutout effect between the image and text, which is nice.

NameDrop offers a degree of customization, so when you share your details, you can choose what phone numbers and emails to shoot across by bringing two compatible iPhones close to each other. There’s a lovely visual undulation, sound effect and haptic buzz, making it an odd delight to share your details. Apple also teased an upgraded AirDrop, able to transfer content online even if you step away. However, that feature will arrive later this year.

With FaceTime, alongside some new augmented reality gestures, you can leave a video voicemail if someone doesn’t answer your call. Yes, you’re just sending a video, to be honest, but it’s here if you need to do just that.

Messaging gets better and better

So, Messages is good now? It’s taken some time, but I’ll admit it: I want my friends to ditch WhatsApp and return to the other green messaging app. (And to my Android friends, I’m sorry.)

Apple has improved its sticker features, including Live Stickers, animated stickers taken from Live Photos. iOS 17 now collates all of my cut–outs of dogs, selfies and babies into one drawer. This drawer also houses memoji, emoji and third-party stickers. Like static cutout stickers before, you can ‘lift’ subjects out of photos by long pressing on them in the Photos app. With iOS 17, you can add sticker effects, like “shiny” and “puffy” that reflect faux light when you move your phone. Stickers can now also be used from the sticker drawer and added to photos, documents, and screenshots with Markup – that’s the little pencil tip icon.

A new Check In feature, embedded into Messages, can auto-notify someone that you’ve arrived at a destination. If you don’t arrive by a specified time, your iPhone will even ask you to confirm you’re okay, and if you don’t respond, an alert will be sent to whoever you sent the Check In notification to. The recipient can be informed of signal status and battery life. You can even share the route you take, if you’re willing to.

The keyboard is much improved, but I’m not sure how

Photo by Mat Smith / Engadget

Apple has taken on board the criticism of its often spotty autocorrect accuracy. It says it’s using a new “transformer language model” for its autocorrect suggestions in English, French and Spanish. Almost immediately, it worked better and has improved further over the last few weeks. I noticed my phone swapped ‘bbiab’ for ‘Brian’, in an email to Engadget’s head of Video.

This is made even better by the temporary underlining on your autocorrected words, so you can see what’s changed — great for when you didn’t notice your iPhone tweaking your missives.

Tapping on an autocorrection shows a pop-up of the original, so you can easily swap it back if you want. Predictive text suggestions appear mildly improved too. iOS 17 ends Apple’s prudish approach regarding curse words, so you can now save your favorite naughty words, and your iPhone will learn them and (hopefully) use them appropriately.

Live Voicemail and voice note transcription

Live Voicemail is one feature not yet available to me in the UK. And I’d very much like it, please. This voicemail upgrade lets you screen a call through live transcription, with the iPhone parsing what someone says, you can then pick up the call if they’re saying something you’re interested in hearing about – or just let them leave a message.

I had our Executive Editor Aaron Souppouris — whose London accent is incomprehensible to a lot of people — test this feature in the US. If your phone is locked when the call comes in, the system prompts you to unlock to read live. Once unlocked, Live Voicemail caught every word he said, which is pretty impressive.

It’s a different approach to Google, which introduced its own call-screening tricks to the Pixel years ago. In Android’s implementation, the device screens calls and asks the caller questions. It’s a little more… interactive. In iOS 17, you get a live transcript of their message and can choose to interrupt them by leaving the message. Or just get the jist. Google’s technique means people know they’re being screened which I dislike.

Photo by Mat Smith / Engadget

Machine-learning transcription isn’t new on iPhones (you’ve been able to dictate on your phone for years), but it’s the implementation in iOS 17 that is. When someone sends you a voice note on Messages, the iPhone can now auto-transcribe the contents of that voice note, as long as the audio is clear enough. I think I made my point during our iOS 17 preview, but It's my favorite feature this year. 

Improvements beyond the iPhone

Billy Steele/Engadget

The iOS 17 benefits even stretch to your AirPods — if they’re the latest ones. With second-gen AirPods Pro, you’ll get adaptive audio — and dropdown icons on your phone to toggle the new features on and off. This adjusts the level of noise cancellation in a noisier environment and is bolstered by a new Conversation Awareness feature, which, when it detects you speaking, will lower the volume of your music or podcast. Unfortunately, it does the same when you cough. Check out our deep dive on the new features here.

If you own AirPlay-compatible devices, iOS 17 will offer up speaker options and automatically connect when you play audio on your iPhone, further streamlining the process. However, with my HomePod, I had to be very close for the auto-connect popup to appear.

While we’re talking audio, voice assistant Siri picks up some minor, but notable, improvements. No more ‘Hey Siri’ just ‘Siri’ — they’re cool like that now. Siri now handles back-to-back commands, too.

Cross-device improvements even reach AirTags and other Find My-enabled peripherals. Other people can now track these, so two people can monitor the same item.

Elsewhere, Safari now offers separate browsing profiles for your work and personal – or any other way you’d like to divide up your internet exploring. iOS 17 also introduces group password and passkey sharing.

Another simple upgrade to your iPhone experience is any two-factor authentication codes and messages sent to your email will be automatically inserted into your web browser, a feature that’s been available for codes in text messages for years. Better yet, iOS can now automatically delete these texts or emails after you’ve inserted the code, clearing out space, especially in Messages, for the texts that matter.

Missing parts

During the big iOS 17 reveal at WWDC 2023, Apple noted that some features of the new OS wouldn’t be available at launch. One of the big ones is a Journal app.

Apple says that Journal will glean details from other apps, like Messages and Podcasts, automatically suggesting things you might want to recall and write about. The Journal app is scheduled to land before the end of the year.

There are a few other things not here at the time of public release, too, like the enhanced AirDrop capabilities I mentioned earlier. Music collaboration was also teased, with the ability to invite friends to your playlists and let anyone add, reorder, and remove songs – or react to poor choices with emoji.

Another feature I’m waiting on is intelligent form detection for PDFs. Apple says iOS 17 will eventually be able to identify PDF forms across Files, Mail and any scanned files you’ve snapped. If it means I don’t have to pull out my laptop every time I need to fill in a PDF form, I’m on board.

There are some major accessibility upgrades too, which might get lost in the barrage of features. The big one is Personal Voice. After 15 minutes of talking at your iPhone, (reading set phrases aloud), the iPhone can simulate your voice, a la DeepFake tricks we’ve seen in recent years. While it’s cool to have a robo-Mat, the use case is anyone who may lose the ability to speak, or finds it difficult to do so now. (It also sounds pretty artificial, having toyed with other similar voixe models in Descript and other services.) With Personal Voice, you can convert written text into a voice for FaceTime, Phone calls and other compatible communication apps.

Another feature tucked away in Accessibility settings is the ability to speed up haptic touch. Haptic Touch is the long touch feature that replaced the (arguably better?) 3D Touch first found on the iPhone 6S. A long press on an icon or a photo takes longer than pressing hard on 3D Touch. Now you can tweak the settings (Accessibility-> Touch-> Haptic Touch). This immediately sped up all the menu browsing and secondary features I accessed through long presses — give it a try.

Wrap-up

Photo by Mat Smith / Engadget

With iOS 17, the visual differences are obvious. But underlying those are many small upgrades, especially for iPhone users that communicate mostly with other iPhone users. If you’re using FaceTime, you can leave a video message or use a handful of wacky augmented reality gestures. If you’re calling them or messaging other iOS 17 users, there are Live Stickers, Check In, Contact Posters, NameDrop and voice note transcription — already the standout feature to me this year. (I’m still waiting for more of my acquaintances to get up to speed and download the update, so I, selfishly, can use these features more.)

If you’re already using AirPods Pro, they’re better, too. Conversational Awareness is already making me look less of an ass when I order my drink at the coffee shop.

Alongside broader quality-of-life improvements to typing and Messages, Apple has also continued to push forward with accessibility features, too. We’re still waiting on that journaling app and several more features. Still, there are enough notable changes this year, combining the new (StandBy) with the improved (predictive typing) to keep your iPhone fresh without having to invest in new hardware.

Samsung has unveiled the SmartTag 2, an AirTag-like tracking device that's a successor to the original SmartTag released in 2021. Unlike the original, which had both Bluetooth and ultra-wideband (UWB) variants, the new version will combine both features in a single model. The primary drawback is that it still only works with Samsung smartphones.

The new model sports an all-new ring-shaped design, with metal on the inside of the ring for durability, rather than just having a punch-hole as before. That lets it work better with accessories like clips and keyrings, or attach to bags and luggage. It's now IP67 dust and water resistant as well, letting you do things like track pets outside. 

Samsung

The SmartTag 2 has a new longer-lasting battery as well, with a 700 day range when in Power Saving Mode, or 500 days in Normal Mode — a 50 percent improvement over the last model. Another new feature is the Lost Mode, that lets users input contact information via a message, so that anyone who discovers an itemn with a SmartTag 2 can scan the tag and see the owner's message and contact information. 

As before, the idea is to attach them to important belongings like keys, wallets and suitcases, letting you track them from close range via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) or across the world via UWB. The company's augmented reality (AR) tech can visually guide you toward the item via the Samsung Galaxy smartphone camera. The SmartTag 2 can also control smart home appliances via the SmartThings app. 

The downside to the SmartTag 2 is that it only works with Samsung devices for now, so you'd be relying not only on a Galaxy phone for tracking, but also for the worldwide tracking network. Google's Find My Device network has yet to go live, in part because Google delayed it with personal security in mind as it waits for Apple's proposed spec. Both companies plan to release a specification for unwanted tracking alerts, both iOS and Android, by the end of 2023. 

It's unclear if Samsung's devices will support that spec as well — so you may want to wait a bit before jumping in. The SmartTag 2 launches globally on October 11 for $30 in black or white options.

If you're rocking an iPhone 15, it's probably a good idea to update to the latest version of iOS swiftly. Apple has released a fix for the overheating issues that have plagued its latest batch of iPhones. The company says that iOS 17.0.3 "provides important bug fixes, security updates and addresses an issue that may cause iPhone to run warmer than expected." An iPadOS 17 update is also available.

Apple partially blamed the overheating issue on an iOS 17 bug. It noted that there were also "some recent updates to third-party apps that are causing them to overload the system." The company has been working with the developers of those apps (which included Uber, Instagram and Asphalt 9) to resolve the problem.

Your iPhone may be configured to update to the latest version of iOS automatically during downtime when it's charging. You can also update your device manually, by going to Settings > General > About > Software Update on your iPhone. If iOS 17.0.3 is available to you (Apple rolls out updates gradually), you'll be able to install it right away and hopefully keep your iPhone from getting too toasty.

After weeks of teases and leaks, Google has formally taken the wraps off its next flagship smartphone, the Pixel 8 Pro. The handset adds a host of new camera and AI features, a brighter OLED display, an improved Tensor G3 chip, seven years of software updates and, oddly, a built-in temperature sensor. It costs $100 more than its predecessor, however. For more on how all of this feels in practice, you can check out some early hands-on impressions from Engadget's Deputy Reviews Editor, Cherlynn Low.

Here, though, we've broken down how the Pixel 8 Pro compares on paper to two other large, pricey and well-known flagships, Apple's iPhone 15 Pro Max and Samsung's Galaxy S23 Ultra. As always, raw specs won't tell the whole story, but if you're curious about how Google's latest and greatest stacks up, here's a quick overview. If you're more interested in the smaller Pixel 8, meanwhile, we have a similar breakdown for that device too.

Follow all of the news live from Google’s 2023 Pixel event right here.

Google has officially spilled the details on its new Pixel 8 phone. While the handset looks broadly similar to last year's Pixel 7, it packs a new Tensor G3 chip, a faster 120Hz display, a smaller frame that should be easier to hold with one hand and, perhaps most notably, seven years of promised OS and security updates. It starts at $699, though, which is $100 more than before, and it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the larger Pixel 8 Pro. 

Engadget's Deputy Reviews Editor, Cherlynn Low, got some hands-on time with the new Pixel phones ahead of Google's launch event on Wednesday, so check out her report for more details on what to expect. To help put the device into context, though, we've broken down how the Pixel 8 compares to two high-profile peers, Apple's iPhone 15 and Samsung's Galaxy S23, on the spec sheet. Specs aren't the be-all and end-all — between its new camera features and AI tricks, many of the Pixel 8's biggest updates are software-based — but if you want a better sense of what kind of hardware your $699 will get you, here's a quick rundown. If you're more interested in the Pixel 8 Pro, we have a similar breakdown for that phone too.

Follow all of the news live from Google’s 2023 Pixel event right here.

The day many Android users have been waiting for is finally here. Google is rolling out the public build of Android 14. As ever, Pixel users will be able to download the new version of the operating system first on supported models (Pixel 4a and newer). Compatible Samsung Galaxy, iQOO, Nothing, OnePlus, Oppo, Realme, Sharp, Sony, Tecno, vivo and Xiaomi devices will gain access to Android 14 later this year.

Deeper customization is a major focus this time around. You'll be able to choose from a variety of lock screen templates. There's the option to add new clocks and shortcuts (such as the QR reader or the Google Home app) to the lock screen for swift access. Switching between wallpapers should be easier too.

You'll have more ways to customize your wallpaper thanks to the addition of generative AI capabilities. Select a text prompt and the AI will whip up a related image for you (this feature is coming to Pixel 8/Pixel 8 Pro first). Google is also rolling out support for Ultra HDR images and a monochromatic theme.

There are welcome updates on the accessibility front. New features include non-linear font size scaling to make certain sections of text easier to read. There's a Quick Setting tile for font sizing too. Google says it has improved the magnification options and made them more intuitive thanks to the addition of things like a pinch-to-zoom function you can enable only for specific apps. As for hearing accessibility updates, the company says it added hearing aids improvements and introduced flash notifications that light up your device's screen or camera LED when there's an alert for you to check out.

Google aims to give you more control over your data and security in Android 14 as well. Health Connect is now baked into the OS settings to help you manage privacy aspects of health, fitness and wellness apps. Google says such data is encrypted on your device. After you install Android 14, you should find it easier to understand how your data is being used by apps that request access to it, thanks to data sharing updates.

Follow all of the news live from Google’s 2023 Pixel event right here.

During its Made by Google event on Wednesday, Google announced that it will begin rolling out several new Pixel features, including the Pixel Fold’s dual-screen interpreter mode. The novel translation feature, which Engadget tested earlier this year, uses the phone’s folding display to translate both sides of a live conversation.

Dual-screen interpreter mode uses the Pixel Fold’s inner and outer screens to let two people who speak different languages speak face to face, viewing the other person's translated words on their screen in real time. For example, the Pixel Fold owner holds the device while viewing the other person’s live-translated text on the inner screen. Meanwhile, the other person will see the Pixel owner’s spoken words translated on the outer display.

Although there are translation options for viewing both sides of a conversation on the same display for non-folding phones (the standard Google Translate and Apple Translate both do this), dual-screen interpreter “cuts down on the typical back and forth that happens when everyone has to share a single screen,” Engadget’s Sam Rutherford noted after testing the feature. He described it as part of “a growing number of functions available on foldable you simply can’t get when using a traditional glass brick.”

Google

The Pixel Tablet, which we said in our review earlier this year could have a “potentially bright future” with the right software updates, is also receiving a few updates today. The tablet’s Kids Space, a child-friendly mode to teach and entertain little ones, now has a new navigation bar. The streamlined controls make it “easy to switch between apps and get to the home screen.” Additionally, Pixel Tablet owners can now ask Google Assistant to play podcasts and the news without unlocking the device while in Hub Mode (the smart display state it switches to when docked).

In addition, Google is pushing several other Pixel software updates, including a new camera interface. “It’s even easier to discover Pixel’s amazing camera features with a new camera interface that makes navigating photo and video features a breeze,” the company wrote in a statement provided to Engadget ahead of the launch. In addition, Android 14 brings new clock and wallpaper collections and the ability to customize lock screen quick actions. The company is also adding new monochromatic themes to use with Google apps via Material You’s wallpaper-matching dynamic color system.

The updates will roll out to the Pixel Tablet and older Pixel phone models (Pixel 5 / 5a and 4a) beginning today. Owners of newer devices (Pixel 7 series, Pixel 6 series and Pixel Fold) may have to wait as Google says their updates will arrive “over the next few weeks.”

I never really understood Samsung’s fan edition branding, and after not making an FE version of the S22 last year, I thought that designation might have been killed off for good. But now in 2023, Samsung is bringing the FE tag back with a bit of a twist. Instead of standing for “fan edition,” the moniker will simply be used to denote devices that share some features and design traits with the company’s flagship devices but with lower prices. Additionally, on Tuesday Samsung expanded the line, announcing four new FE models including the Galaxy S23 FE, Galaxy Tab S9 FE, Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ and the Galaxy Buds FE.

The S23 FE may be the most straightforward of them all. It features an almost identical design to the regular model, but with a 120Hz 6.4-inch OLED display that fits between the standard S23 (6.1 inches) and the S23+ (6.6) in size. Around back, you still get three rear cameras including a 50-MP main sensor, a 12-MP ultra-wide and a slightly lower-res 8-MP telephoto with a 3x optical zoom. Notably, unlike Samsung’s A-series phones, the S23 FE still features a glass design with metal sides, the difference is that the FE uses Gorilla Glass 5 instead of Gorilla Glass Victus like on the standard S23. However, there is a refreshed range of colors including mint, purple, cream and graphite in addition to a couple of exclusive hues on Samsung.com.

Inside, the other major difference is that the S23 features an older Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip (instead of a Gen 2 processor). So even though that silicon is still relatively speedy, you’re not getting full flagship performance. Battery capacity has also increased slightly to 4,500 mAh. But aside from that, the specs are pretty similar. You can choose from either 128GB or 256GB of storage, with the phone also offering features like an in-screen fingerprint reader and an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance.

Next, we have the Galaxy Tab S9 FE and S9 FE+, which sport nearly identical specs aside from the latter having an extra camera, a larger battery and a bigger display (10.9 inches vs. 12.3 inches). The biggest departure from the regular Tab S9 is that the FE models feature LCD displays instead of OLED panels. At first, that was a bit of concern as Samsung’s OLED screens are some of the best in the business and have become a signature feature on its mobile devices. But after seeing them in person, even with a slightly lower max refresh rate (90Hz vs. 120Hz), I’m not that worried. The Tab S9 FE’s displays are bright, colorful and even support the company’s Vision Booster tech for increased viewability outdoors.

Photo by Sam Rutheford/Engadget

Similar to the S23 FE, the Tab S9 features less powerful silicon (an Exynos 1380 chip) instead of a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. But even so, Samsung says the Tab S9 FE delivers 38 percent better CPU performance and 73 percent faster GPU performance when compared to the Tab S7 FE from 2021. Granted, comparing the new one to a two-year-old model may not be super convincing, but if you’ll recall, there was no Tab S8 FE. But the thing I really appreciate is that Samsung hasn’t messed with the tablet’s general design. It still features a super sleek aluminum chassis and a bundled S-Pen, just like you get on the normal model.

Finally, there’s the Galaxy Buds FE which are essentially a cheaper version of the standard Galaxy Buds 2 but without wireless charging. The case is identical right down to the USB-C port in back, the only change is on the sides of the buds themselves. Compared to their more expensive counterpart, the Galaxy Buds FE feature a flatter touch panel which Samsung says was altered due to customer feedback that a curvier design makes tap gestures harder to perform.

The buds still come with both active noise cancellation and support for passthrough ambient sound, though interestingly their expected battery is a touch longer at around six hours with ANC on or nine hours with it off. The two new additions are the ability to locate the buds using SmartThings Find and Easy Pair/Auto Switch which makes it faster and easier to control audio when connected to multiple devices.

Of course missing out on some performance or a few features might be worth it in order to get more affordable devices, which is sort of what the FE line is all about. For the type of people who don’t care about wireless charging, at $100 the Galaxy Buds FE could be a great alternative to the $150 Galaxy Buds 2. It’s a similar situation for the Tab S9 FE line which isn’t quite as fast but starts at $450 compared to $800 for the regular model. And then there’s the S23 FE, which $600 presents a $200 savings over the standard S23 despite featuring a larger display and battery. So if you’re OK with devices that aren’t quite as fancy, but come with a more palatable price, the new Galaxy FE family could be worthy alternatives.

The Galaxy Tab S9 FE/FE+ and Galaxy Buds FE will be available on October 10, followed by the Galaxy S23 FE on October 26.