Amazon Prime Day: Save £20 on full Amazon Prime membership – offer ends today!

Amazon has announced its third annual Prime Day will be on Tuesday 11 July 2017 this year.

It is expected to have some amazing deals from the evening of 10 July all the way through to the end of Amazon Prime Day.

In preparation, Amazon Prime membership has been discounted by a whopping £20, from £79 to £59 for a whole year’s membership. New customers can sign up at the lower price until 3 July 2017 – so don’t miss out!

• See all the benefits of signing up to Amazon Prime
• £20 discount on Amazon Prime
• Sign up to a free 1 month trial to Amazon prime to take advantage of Prime deals – cancel anytime

This year marks a change in Amazon’s approach to Prime day as it the deals will begin six hours earlier on Monday 10 July. New deals will then appear every 5 minutes.

Amazon claims that nearly 40 per cent of its deals will be coming from small businesses and entrepreneurs, with hundreds of thousands of bargains over a 30 hour period.

Amazon has confirmed some of the deals that will be coming over the next few weeks:

• Amazon Music Unlimited: Prime members who haven’t yet tried Amazon Music Unlimited can get the best deal in its short history: four months of the full catalogue on-demand service with access to 40 million songs, for just £0.99.
• Amazon Video: From 7-11 July, Prime members will have the chance to win £100,000 in cash just by streaming Amazon Video on their TV via Fire TV, Fire TV Stick or the app on one of the many supported Smart TVs and game consoles.
• Kindle Unlimited: Prime members can save up to 40 per cent on a Kindle Unlimited membership. Enjoy unlimited reading from over one million titles on any device.
• Everyday Essentials: Prime members can save up to 25 per cent off with onsite vouchers on select food and household items in Prime Pantry from 3 July until 6 August.

All deals will be offered to Prime members exclusively and they will be available globally.

Prime Day has expanded to 13 countries this year, with China, India and Mexico joining the US, UK, Spain, Japan, Italy, Germany, France, Canada, Belgium and Austria.

Pocket-lint UK deals of the day: £20 off Amazon Prime ends today

Welcome to Pocket-lint deals of the day where we scour the internet to find you the very best deals that are available in the UK today.

We will be regularly updating this page, so bookmark it and check back regularly to make sure you don’t miss out on some of the best tech deals online.

Amazon have announced Prime day this year will be on Tuesday July 11th with deals starting from 6PM Monday July 10th 2017 onwards. Today is the last day that you can sign up to Amazon Prime for £59. Alternatively, sign up to a free trial to Amazon Prime to take advantage of Amazon Prime day.

• Amazon Prime for £59 – save £20 ending today.
• The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire free Amazon Kindle download.
• Sign up for a 1 month free trial to Amazon Prime – cancel anytime.
• Amazon Prime Music membership – 4 months for 99p.
• Zalman ZM-K400G USB Gaming Keyboard – £5.95 exclusively for Prime members on Amazon.
• Mechanical Keyboard – £19.99 on Amazon today.
• Motorola Moto G5 16GB – £164.99 on Amazon.
• Battlefield 1 (Xbox One) – £21.49 on Amazon today.
• Nintendo Switch Joy-Con Controller Pair – Neon Red/Neon Blue – £61.57 on Amazon.
• Hozelock Starter Hose Set 15m – £9.99 exclusive for Prime members.
• Russell Hobbs 4 slice toaster with Russell Hobbs Kettle – £28.99 on Amazon. 
• DYSON V6 Cordless Vacuum Cleaner – £161.49 with code 15FLOORCARER on Currys.
• MICROSOFT Xbox One S, FIFA 17 & Wireless Controller Bundle – £199.99 on Currys with code XBOX20.
• A Song of Ice and Fire, 7 Volumes (Game of Thrones) – £23.99 on Amazon today.
• Qi Wireless Fast Charger for Samsung Galaxy S8/S8 Plus – £6.99 on Amazon.
• AGM Latest 2nd Generation Micro USB Magnetic Adapter Charger Charging Cable – £4.99 on Amazon.

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Tech and Gadgets

• Corsair Carbide Series MicroATX case – £69.95 on Amazon.
• LaCie Porsche Design 5TB USB 3.0 Desktop 3.5 inch External Hard Drive for PC and Mac – £125.82 delivered by Amazon.
• AMD Ryzen 5 1600 Desktop CPU – £188.99 on Amazon.
• PANASONIC HC-VX870EB-K 4k Ultra HD Camcorder – Black – £399.00 on Currys.
• HP Pavilion 14-al118na Laptop, Intel Core i7, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, NVIDIA 940MX, 14″ Full HD – £599.95 on John Lewis.
• NeeGo Raspberry Pi 3 Kit – reduced from £100 on Amazon today to £39.99.
• HP Pavilion x360 15-bk150sa 15.6-inch 2 in 1 – Silver laptop is £499.00, saving you £150 off on Currys.
• Microsoft Universal Foldable Bluetooth Keyboard is £32.94 today reduced from £99.99 on Amazon.

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Phones

• Sony Xperia XZ – £264 like new on O2 refresh.
• Wileyfox Swift 2 – £109.00 get it today on Amazon.
• OnePlus 5 128GB available now at O2.
• Huawei Honor 5C – £124.95 on Argos.
• iPhone 7 32GB Black with 2GB data – £135.00 upfront, £22.99 per month, £686.76 total cost over 2 years at Mobiles
• Google Pixel 32GB Black with 5GB data – £25.00 upfront cost £27.99 per month £696.76 total cost over 2 years at Mobiles
• Diamond X 4G Andorid 6.0 – £75.68 on Amazon.
• Huawei Honor 5C – £124.95 on Argos.
• Apple iPhone 7 256GB in red – £799.00 on John Lewis.
• Bush Spira D3 – £99.95 on Argos.

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Games

• Formula 1 2017 (F1 2017) Special Edition – £39.85 on ShopTo.
• Rise of the Tomb Raider 20 Year Celebration (PS4) – £21.85 on ShopTo.
• Hitman: The Complete First Season Steelbook Edition – £21.85 on ShopTo.
• WipEout: Omega Collection (PS4) – £21.85 on Base.
• LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham – £9.85 on ShopTo.
• Mario and Luigi: Super Star Saga + Bowser’s Minions (Nintendo 3DS) – £27.99 on Base.
• Horizon Zero Dawn – £26.86 on ShopTo.
• Super Nintendo Entertainment System Classic Edition – £79.99 on Amazon.
• Rayman Legend Definitive Edition (Nintendo Switch) – £29.99 on Amazon.
• Xbox Live 3 Month Gold Membership and Rocket League for free – £14.99 on Amazon.
• Sony PlayStation VR – £319.50 on Amazon.
• Mortal Kombat XL (PS4) – £13.85 on Base.
• Dead by Daylight (PS4) – £19.99 on Amazon.
• Yakuza Kiwami Steel Book Edition (PS4) – £23.85 on Base.
• Rime (PS4 & Xbox) – £17.49 on Argos.
• Need for Speed: Most Wanted (PlayStation Vita) – £7.49 on Base.
• Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Day One Edition (Xbox One) – £8.09 on Amazon.
• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands Inc The Peruvia PS4 – £26.86 on ShopTo.net.

 

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Audiovisual

• LG 49UH770V 49 Inch SMART 4K Super Ultra HD TV with HDR – £512.10 using code TVS10.
• HISENSE H49M3000 49″ Smart 4K Ultra HD HDR LED TV – £369.00 on Currys.
• LG 43UH603V 43 inch Ultra HD 4K Smart TV – £379.00 on Amazon.
• Lenovo 65CDGAC1UK ThinkVision X24 OLED FHD Monitor has been reduced from £179.99 to £119.99 on Amazon.
• Philips 55PUS6401 55 Inch SMART 4K – £499.00 on Amazon.

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Entertainment

• Casio CTK-1200AD Full Size Starter Keyboard – £59.85 on Argos.
• Heroes complete box set in Blu-ray is £17.99 using code BINGE10 on Zavvi.
• John Wick 2 – £19.99 on Zavvi.
• Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Blu Ray – £15.00 on Amazon.
• H. G. Wells: Classics Novels and Short Stories – free for Amazon Kindle download.

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Game of Thrones season 7: When it’s on, how to watch it and full trailers right here

Tired of being the only person who doesn’t know who Jon Snow is or what the heck “winter is coming” means?

No worries. Now’s the time to jump on the Game Of Thrones bandwagon. You have until 16-17 July to catch up on the past six seasons, because HBO and Sky will soon premiere season seven. The much-hyped return will surely be a hit, as fans have already been told they should only expect seven episodes in this series and six more in season 8 – the end is nigh.

Here’s everything you need to know about the premiere, including when, how and where to watch it.

When does Game of Thrones season 7 start?

The start of the seventh season of Game of Thrones is only around the corner now. It will return to HBO on 16 July 2017 in the US, and it’ll be simulcast by Sky Atlantic in the UK on 17 July. As it is being broadcast at 9pm EST in the US, the most dedicated of UK fans will be able to watch the show at 2am BST that morning. Sky is also showing it at 9pm on Sky Atlantic later the same day.

Later episodes will be available in the same time slots (not simulcast) 

Where can you watch Game of Thrones season 7?

Considering each subsequent season of Game of Thrones has broken records for the amount of pirate downloads, it comes as no surprise that episodes in standard and HD (720p and 1080p) will no doubt be available and widely shared on torrent sites. However, if you refuse to head down the less salubrious stealy web route, you might wonder where else you can see the show.

Here we list several ways to do just that. And it’s all above board.

HBO, HBO Go and HBO Now

As HBO makes the show, it screens it in the US. That means it is available on all of the channel’s subscription services – the main HBO channel for TV viewers, through the HBO Go apps and platforms for existing HBO subscribers, or HBO Now for those who don’t pay for the main channel. The first episode will screen at 9pm EST on 16 July.

All of its on demand services will offer the show as catch-up content from that date. A HBO subscription is generally offered as a premium service through cable providers in the States, costing around $15 a month to add to an existing package. HBO Go is a free service for subscribers to the TV channel. HBO Now is for those who don’t have cable TV but still want access to the channel.

HBO Now also costs around $15 a month. There are HBO Now apps for a wide array of devices, including iOS, Android, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Android TV and Roku.

Sky+ and Sky Q

Sky exclusively screens HBO content in the UK, so has the rights to season 7, albeit with adverts. The US screening is ad-free. It will simulcast the show on Sky Atlantic with the first HBO screening, so fans can watch it at 2am on 17 July. As with the repeat showing, all following episodes will be screened in their normal time slot of 9pm on the channel the day after the US airing.

The show airs each Sunday on HBO so will appear on Sky Atlantic on Mondays. Sky+ and Sky Q subscribers will be able to watch them live, record them (with series link) or catch up with each episode on demand, as long as they have their set-top-box connected to the internet. It will be available on catch-up early on Monday 17 July. A Sky Q subscription, which includes Sky Atlantic, starts at £32 a month.

• Sky Q review: The future of multi-room television?
• What is Sky Q, how much does it cost and how can I get it?

Now TV

With a £6.99 a month Now TV Entertainment Pass, you can watch Sky Atlantic live alongside a range of other channels, Sky, and otherwise. That means you can watch the first episode when it airs. However, you can also watch it on demand on the service. And Now TV catch-up is devoid of adverts, save for a few dedicated stings, so you can jump into a mostly uninterrupted version.

Now TV can be viewed through a dedicated Now TV or Now TV Smart Box, Roku media streaming boxes or online through a browser. Apps are also available for iOS, Android, PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, Xbox One, YouView and select LG Smart TVs. You can also use the Now TV app on a smartphone or tablet to play the show through a Google Chromecast.

• Now TV Smart Box review: Is live TV and Sky in one device worth the price?
• Now TV vs Now TV Smart Box vs Sky+HD vs Sky Q: Which Sky package is right for you?

An additional benefit to Now TV is, like with Sky Q and Sky+HD, you can catch up with any of the previous series of Game of Thrones before plunging into season 7.

Sky Go and Sky Q apps

Sky Go offers the show on catch-up or live, but you do need a Sky subscription to access the app for iOS, select Android devices, PS4, PS3, Xbox One and Xbox 360. Or watch it online through a PC or Mac. You used to be able to subscribe to Sky Go from £15 a month without being an existing Sky customer, but no longer seems to be the case.

And, to be honest, at £6.99 a month, Now TV is a better option and is available on all the same devices and more.

Where Sky Go becomes a great option though is if you have a parent or friend with a Sky subscription and they have no interest in registering their free Sky Go accounts on mobile devices. You could ask if they would let you use one of the device slots instead (you can register up to two devices on one account). They might even let you take up a device slot for the duration season 7, and you can deregister it after.

Alternatively, if they subscribe to Sky Go Extra or you upgrade them to Sky Go Extra for £5 a month, you can take one of four device slots. One issue with this method is that the iPhone and iPad app won’t allow AirPlay mirroring or direct connection to get the pictures onto a TV. In this case, you really do get what you paid for. The new Sky Q app cannot be subscribed to separately. It is for Sky Q subscribers only.

• Which is the best movie streaming service in the UK? Netflix vs Amazon Prime vs Now TV and more

Is there a Game of Thrones season 7 trailer?

Yes. Here’s the first full season 7 trailer:

A second trailer is also now available…

Apple iPhone 7S, 7S Plus and iPhone 8: What’s the story so far?

The rumour mill loves an Apple story. It doesn’t matter if it’s so far fetched it will never see the light of day, or whether it is something that might actually happen, it churns them all out anyway.

With the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus having both launched months ago, and no sign of the iPhone 7 Pro, all heads have turned to the next iPhones. This year’s models will mark a decade since the launch of the original iPhone so you can only imagine how much of a twist the mill will be getting its knickers in over the coming months.

Here is everything that has been speculated about the 2017 iPhones so far. Remember to take everything with a pinch of salt because as usual, absolutely nothing has been confirmed, nor will it be until late this year.

Apple iPhone 7S, 7S Plus and iPhone 8: Name

• Expected to be called iPhone 8
• Report suggests might be an iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus too
• Third model rumoured, called iPhone 8 or iPhone X

Traditionally, the next iPhones should be called the iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus, which is exactly what Apple’s Taiwan suppliers suggest will be the case with only one element changing: the processor.

Given they are the anniversary models however, we’re hoping Apple will move straight to the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, skipping the incremental upgrade models and offering something close to what all the other rumours have been speculating.

Despite our wishes however, many of the rumours point towards three phones: a iPhone 7S, 7S Plus and a third model, which is going by the name of the iPhone 8. Fast Company supports the claim of three iPhones this year, as does Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, both suggesting the same naming conventions of iPhone 7S, 7S Plus and iPhone 8.

The iPhone 8 is rumoured to sit at the top of the range. It has also been called the iPhone X, which would also make sense given this is 10 in Roman numerals.

For now, no one currently knows for sure what the 2017 iPhones will be called and how many there will be, except Apple but three models is looking likely.

Apple iPhone 7S, 7S Plus and iPhone 8: Release date

• 6 September is our educated guess for a launch date
• Pre-orders expected to start on 8 September if 6 September launch happens
• Third model rumoured to cost $1000

The Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus both launched on 7 September 2016, while the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus debuted on 9 September 2015. Both launch events were a Wednesday, both were two days after Labor Day in the US and both were the last day of consumer electronics show IFA, which Apple notoriously never attends.

If Apple follows the same release pattern, the next iPhones could be announced on Wednesday 6 September 2017. Labor Day is on 4 September and IFA will run from 1 to 6 September in 2017, meaning a 6 September launch date would allow Apple to steal back some of the limelight from its competitors who do attend the Berlin show. 

We are just guessing for now, but if we are right, we’d expect pre-orders to start on 8 September, and the devices to hit shelves around 15 September. A recent leak shows Apple Black Out days, which is when AppleCare staff apparently cannot take time off, between 17 September and 4 November. This could suggest the new devices will go on sale on 18 September, as 17 September is a Sunday, and therefore the company needs all hands on deck to deal with increased call volumes.

It has been suggested that the mystery third model will come with a premium price tag, with talk of $1000. Ouch. There has also been a suggestion that the iPhone 8 might be delayed until October or November due to technical issues with the OLED screen so nothing is set in stone as yet though it is still expected to be unveiled the same time as the other devices.

Apple iPhone 7S, 7S Plus and iPhone 8: Design

• All-glass model has been rumoured
• Entirely different design to iPhone 7 expected
• Premium ceramic model for 10th anniversary?

The Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus brought a few changes to their design over the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus. The antenna bands on both were removed across the rear, the headphone jack was removed in favour of Lightning only and new colours were introduced in the form of Black and Jet Black. The Plus model also offers a dual-lens camera setup on the rear.

As for the iPhone 8, an all-glass design has been thrown about the speculation field. Glass would at least allow for wireless charging, a feature that has also been rumoured for the next iPhones. There has also been talk of a switch from an aluminium construction to stainless steel though, something Bloomberg also suggests, so it is currently unclear.

That said, we wouldn’t be surprised to see a premium ceramic finish for the 10th anniversary iPhone. Apple used the material for its Series 2 Apple Watch Edition model and OnePlus also used ceramic as a finish for its X device. It could be that Apple launched the Jet Black iPhone last year as a test bed to see how people took to a glossy device, with the aim to introduce a more premium option this year.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the 2017 iPhone will look totally different to the iPhone 7. Apparently the Touch ID fingerprint sensor will be built into the display because Apple’s design chief, Jony Ive, wants the iPhone to look like “a single sheet of glass”.

This idea has been supported by a report from the Economic Daily News, who said sources responsible for the A11 chip have said this will be the case.

Some photos published to Reddit also support the idea of an embedded fingerprint sensor, showing what is claimed to be the front and rear panel of the iPhone 8 with the front only offering a cut out for the speaker and front camera sensor at the top and no sign of Touch ID. A dummy model revealed in a video also supports the idea of the fingerprint sensor built into the display.

It has been claimed the embedded sensor might only appear on one model though and as the Reddit images only show the front panel of one of the three rumoured devices, it is unclear whether the other two devices might also have an edge-to-edge display. 

We’d expect the headphone jack to remain missing and we’d also expect a dual-lens set up on the rear of at least one of the devices, something that has been supported with a recent schematic from Sonny Dickson, showing a vertical camera array. Dickson’s drawing also shows what appears to be the fingerprint sensor on the rear, which would see Apple doing what Samsung did.

There have also been some images of what is claimed to be a mockup iPhone 8 published on BGR. These images show a vertical dual camera on the rear, along with no physical home button, what appears to be glass on both the back and front and a thicker frame than the current models.

There is no headphone jack, as expected, with speaker grilles either side of the Lightning port. It’s just a mock up though so don’t get too excited, though it does appear to be similar to the Reddit image leaks, the dummy video and some leaked drawings from @VenyaGeskin1.

The drawings claim to show both the final designs for the iPhone 8 and the iPhone 7S Plus. The iPhone 8 image appears to show a vertical dual camera array, again, no headphone jack and no home button on the front. The iPhone 7S Plus drawing appears to offer a horizontal dual camera, as the iPhone 7 Plus currently does, and again, no home button appears to be present.

The drawings from @VenyaGeskin1 show the iPhone 8 as measuring 143.4 x 70.77 x 7.5mm, which is slightly bigger and thicker than the current iPhone 7, but smaller than the iPhone 7 Plus.

Additionally, an image showing three metal casings has appeared on Chinese social media site Weibo, claiming to present the iPhone 7S Plus, iPhone 8 and iPhone 7S side-by-side in order to show the size variation.

Based on the image, the iPhone 8 will sit in the middle of the iPhone 7S Plus and the iPhone 7S in terms of size and it will have a vertical dual camera on the rear, as we have seen in other leaks.

Apple iPhone 7S, 7S Plus and iPhone 8: Display

• Same size screens expected, plus additional 5.5-inch model
• Edge-to-edge OLED display reported
• Resolution increase rumoured

We’d expect the Apple iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus to stick with the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch screen sizes, as to go smaller would encroach on the iPhone SE’s territory and well, much larger would basically put the iPhone in iPad mini land, almost. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the same size devices but with larger screens though, as Samsung and LG both did with their recent flagship smartphones.

As we said, there has been talk of a third iPhone, which was originally thought to be 5.5-inches too, though there has been a rumour of 5-inches, as well as 5.8-inches. The leaked drawings from @VenyaGeskin1 suggest a 5.8-inch display with very narrow bezels into a footprint only slightly larger than the current iPhone 7.

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities claims the third device, or iPhone 8, will have a redesigned OLED display, while the others, the iPhone 7S and 7S Plus, will have an LCD display, with rumours suggesting it might not be till 2019 till all iPhones offer OLED. This is supported by a report from BGR that claimed only one of three 2017 devices will have an OLED display.

Apparently OLED screen supply won’t be able to meet Apple’s requirements so the other two devices are said to be launching with LCD displays. The Korean Herald begs to differ however, suggesting all three iPhones will have Samsung-made curved plastic OLED displays. The Wall Street Journal also claims Ive is considering a curved, edge-to-edge OLED screen for the 2017 iPhone, as does Bloomberg.

Bloomberg also claims sources say the display will cover the entire front of the device, like the recent Galaxy S8. This suggests the home button could be placed into the display, which is something a leaked schematic drawing alludes to, the Economic Daily Times report also suggests and the leaked images on Reddit and the dummy video claim. The drawing suggests there will be an edge-to-edge flat display with 2.57mm bezels. 

No doubt 3D Touch will be included in next year’s devices in some form too, probably more advanced than it is currently and we’d also love to see Apple Pencil compatibility, at least on the Plus model. The Investor has claimed Samsung Display is developing a pressure-sensitive OLED touch display for the iPhone 8, suggesting 3D Touch will indeed be on board. It is also thought Apple’s True Tone display, found on the iPad Pro range, will appear on the iPhone 8.

Will Apple up the display resolution for the iPhone 8 models? Who knows. A 2K AMOLED display was reported for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, but it never appeared so perhaps Apple was holding out for the iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus, or the iPhone 8 if Kuo’s and BGR’s predictions are accurate. 

A Quad HD resolution on a 5.5-inch display would put the pixel density at 534ppi, compared to the iPhone 7 Plus’s current 401ppi, while the smaller model would offer 635ppi, compared to 326ppi. A switch to AMOLED would also deliver a greater contrast ratio for brighter, punchier colours.

• What is Apple’s True Tone display?

Apple iPhone 7S, 7S Plus and iPhone 8: Camera

• Two 5.5-inch models expected to have dual camera
• New 5-inch model claimed to have vertical dual-cameras
• Iris or facial recognition predicted for iPhone 8

Apple’s iPhone 7 and 7 Plus both offer great camera capabilities, like the iPhones that have gone before them. The iPhone 7 has a 12-megapixel rear snapper, while the iPhone 7 Plus has a dual camera setup with two 12-megapixel snappers, one wide angle and the other telephoto.

Both devices have a f/1.8 aperture, along with optical image stabilisation and a quad-LED True Tone flash. The front camera is 7-megapixels on both devices with an aperture of f/2.2.

We’d like to see all the new iPhone models offering the same capabilities so a dual-setup on the both, or all three options would be welcomed. After all, opting for the smaller smartphone shouldn’t mean losing out on some of the fun features. Smaller hands want to be able to create bokeh images too.

That said, analyst Kuo believes the two larger phones predicted for 2017 will feature the dual-lens camera setup, while the smaller device will miss out, again. Another rumour contradicts this however, claiming a new 5-inch model will feature a dual-camera arrangement but in a vertical format rather than horizontal as it is now.

The same analyst also suggests the iPhone 8 will feature a “revolutionary” new front-facing camera that will be capable of facial or iris recognition. He believes Apple Pay would then use one of these security methods, over the fingerprint, which matches his previous claims of no physical button on the new device(s). Samsung offers iris recognition on its latest devices, and facial recognition isn’t new either, but whether Apple will jump on the bandwagon is something else entirely.

According to Bloomberg, the iPhone 8 will offer “more advanced cameras” so we can expect improvements somewhere, it is just not clear in what form as yet. 

Apple iPhone 7S, 7S Plus and iPhone 8: Hardware

• A11 Fusion processor with embedded M11 motion coprocessor predicted
• Same storage options expected
• Wireless charging rumoured

The new devices will no doubt come with a new processor, which if tradition dictates should be called the A11 Fusion with an embedded M11 motion coprocessor. We’d also expect the same storage models as the current iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, meaning 32GB, 128GB and 256GB, as well as the same colour options. 

Of course, we’d love to see a bigger battery as always and it wouldn’t be too surprising to see the Smart Connector introduced to the next iPhone, allowing for the transfer of both data and power at the same time. According to the Wall Street Journal, the next iPhone will come with a “USB-C port for the power cord and other peripheral devices instead of the company’s original Lightning connector.”

That suggests Apple could ditch the Lightning connector, though this seems unlikely. Analyst Kuo suggests Apple will add USB Type-C to one end go the iPhone’s power cord, replacing the current USB 3.0, which seems like a more plausible suggestion.

As we mentioned though, wireless charging has been speculated after it was reported that iPhone manufacturer Foxconn is working on a new system. Apparently it will only be implemented if the yield rate can be deemed profitable though, and it’s also been claimed the technology might only appear on the larger iPhone. Manufacturer Wistron, who makes the iPhone SE, also mentioned the next generation iPhone models will include wireless technology, though it is not clear if this will be the 2017 models.

Another report, also talking about wireless charging, has suggested the iPhone would be able to be charged from a distance of up to 15ft however. This is a technology being developed by Energous and there have been signs to suggest it is working with Apple, though no confirmation as yet.

It is also reported that waterproofing will improve for the next models. The current iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus offer an IP67 rating, while the likes of Samsung and Sony both offer IP68.

• Water and dust IP ratings: What do they actually mean?

Apple iPhone 7S, 7S Plus and iPhone 8: Software

• iOS 11

Apple always launches its new iPhones with the latest software build, which for the iPhone 7S, 7S Plus and iPhone 8 will be iOS 11, assuming they all arrive. Apple previewed some features of the new build at its developer conference in June, including updates to Maps, Control Centre and Siri.   

There were also some big advancements in AR revealed, as well as CarPlay and the App Store is also set to get a whole new look. You can read all about the features coming in September in our separate feature.

• Apple iOS 11: 11 new features coming to your iPhone and iPad

Apple iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus: Conclusion

Nothing is certain at the moment, except for the fact that Apple will launch a new iPhone, or iPhones, probably in September this year and these models will mark a decade since the original iPhone.

Whether the anniversary will mean a whole new design for the iPhone is not yet known, but we can expect it to offer power enhancements and iOS 11 at the very least. We wouldn’t be surprised to see a standard and Plus model again, as well perhaps a premium, or special edition anniversary model or finish that we think will be ceramic.

For now, keep checking back as we will update this feature whenever we see a new rumour appear or a new leak.

• Apple WWDC 2017: When is it, where to watch and what to expect?
• Best upcoming smartphones: The phones to look forward to in 2017

The Morning After: Monday, July 3rd 2017

Hey, good morning!

Yes, it’s Monday, but you might’ve missed some interesting things over the weekend: kangaroos that confuse self-driving cars, some ‘Zelda’ DLC that’s a perfect fit and a new Sony smartphone that could be a contender.

But only in South Korea.
Samsung’s resurrected Galaxy Note 7 launches on July 7th

If you’ve missed the Galaxy Note 7 since it was discontinued over chronic battery fires, you now have a second chance at ownership… if you’re willing to book a flight to Seoul. Samsung has confirmed recent rumors and its own teaser by announcing a refurbished version of the Note 7, the Galaxy Note Fan Edition, that will launch in South Korea on (appropriately enough) July 7th. As you might guess, it’s largely the same phone hardware-wise — the big difference is the use of safer, smaller-capacity batteries, which have, thankfully, passed stricter testing standards.

The same things that made the core game great.The new ‘Zelda’ DLC is all about exploration and survival

Fans were worried Nintendo would stumble when it came to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s DLC packs. Rest easy, Hylian hero, Breath of the Wild’s first DLC drop is light, but actually pretty good. Mostly because it focuses on what made the game great in the first place: survival, exploration and problem solving.

Sony’s latest Xperia is a terrific slow-mo shooter, with caveats.
The XZ Premium is a perfectly capable phone if you can find enough use for its standout feature

At long last, Sony has made a seriously compelling flagship. Not only is the Xperia XZ Premium the best-looking handset the company has made in years but it also boasts a high-end camera capable of extreme slow-mo video recording. Plus it’s one of the first phones to use the Snapdragon 835 chipset, which supports Gigabit LTE speeds where available. And, it has a sumptuous 5.5-inch 4K display that is HDR-ready. That’s a whole lot of reasons to check out the phone, but is it worth splurging $800 on?

The kit serves up a whopping 87 feedback points for under $549.bHaptics’ TactSuit is VR haptic feedback done right.

Every now and then, we come across a new attempt to bring haptic feedback to VR, but we’ve yet to see a fully convincing one; most tend to be both pricey and far from ready for prime time. At HTC’s Vive X demo day in Shanghai, we got some hands-on time with bHaptics’ TactSuit, a wireless kit with a haptic mask (which is a rarity), two haptic sleeves and a haptic vest. The fascinating part, though, is its total of 87 feedback points, which is a lot more generous than what the other suits offer.

But wait, there’s more…

• Recommended Reading: Netflix has another winner with ‘GLOW’
• ThermoReal lets you feel heat, cold and even pain in VR and AR
• Volvo’s self-driving cars are thrown off by kangaroos
• Kanye West reportedly quits Tidal over money dispute

Popular Mobile VPN Services Shut Down in China

A popular virtual private network service has been forced to close in China on orders from the government, it emerged on Monday. Bloomberg reported that GreenVPN sent a notice to its customers saying it would end the service from July 1 after “receiving a notice from regulatory departments”.

VPNs route and encrypt internet traffic to servers outside of the country, making them popular with users in China who have limited access to online content because of government restrictions. VPNs allow access to sites like Facebook and Twitter, which are otherwise blocked by China’s “Great Firewall”.

Some users of the GreenVPN iPhone app reported that the service failed to load over the weekend. Apps for GreenVPN and SuperVPN are still listed in the App Store, but users reportedly had trouble downloading them or turning them on. Bloomberg was unable to contact SuperVPN’s offices, while Apple didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

It’s unknown whether the timing of the VPN shutdown is related to the politically sensitive 20th anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong from Great Britain to China. In January, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information announced new priorities for controlling online content which included restrictions on VPNs.

Last year, Apple faced its own issues with Chinese state regulators regarding a controversial independent movie which led to the shut down of iTunes and iBooks in the country.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tags: China, security
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Apple iPhone 8 dummy model revealed in video

Following leaks of renders and pictures, we now have a video showing us a dummy model of the iPhone 8, used by case manufacturers, to reveal exactly what Apple’s upcoming premium flagship will look like.

• Apple iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus: What’s the story so far?

The video is from YouTube user EverythingApplePro, and he obviously doesn’t mind revealing his full identity when showing off the model. Although Apple must expect leaks every year, to have the dummy model quite clearly revealed in a video must be a little annoying.

Anyway, the model. It doesn’t necessarily show us anything we haven’t seen before, but we now get to see the exact dimensions and where everything will be placed. Because it’s a dummy model it won’t turn on, so it looks like a shiny slab of black glass.

On the front is the bezel-less edge-to-edge display we’re expecting, while on the back is a vertically arranged dual-lens camera that protrudes slightly from the surface.

The most interesting thing from this leak is the apparent confirmation that the TouchID sensor will in fact be embedded into the display, as there’s nothing to see on the rear of the phone, nor is there a cutout in the accompanying case.

An embedded sensor is believed to have caused major issues in the production of the iPhone 8, but Apple is thought to have cracked it by using an optical scanning technology. Apple could beat major rival Samsung to the punch with an embedded display, although Qualcomm has now developed an ultrasonic fingerprint sensing technology which can be fitted under an OLED display, or integrated into a metal or glass body.

• These amazing leaked photos show the real iPhone 8 in all its glory
• Apple iPhone 8 in pictures: Renders and leaked photos
• Apple could charge over $1000 for the iPhone 8

The Apple iPhone 8 should be unveiled at Apple’s usual September event alongside the iPhone 7s and 7s Plus, but may not launch at the same time, it may be on shelves in October or November.

From the Editor’s Desk: Coffee

Whether it’s good or bad, it’s all good.

I love good coffee, the kind that takes five minutes to brew with a precise pour over and a steady hand. I love it when the beans are ground so fine, and so fresh, they’re basically illegal. I love the ritual of preparation. It’s a peaceful, focused time.

I love bad coffee, the kind that you buy in drive-thrus and rest stops, the kind you gulp down so fast it burns your throat. I love the quiet waits in line and the gentle small talk at the counter, the contemplation over the perfect accompanying donut. It’s a peaceful, frenetic time.

Coffee culture is a mess of opposites and dichotomies, of loud voices and vested interests, of tiny upstarts focused on quality and enormous subsidiaries of even bigger corporations that answer to investors. And despite the end goal being seemingly the same — the caffeination of a nation — for many people the journey couldn’t be more different.

I try to sample every type of coffee, and the places it’s served. I want to understand the reasons people drink it quickly, sip it carefully, or savor it. I want answers to why someone is willing, on one side of the spectrum, to microwave two-hour-old swill or, on the other side, spend ten dollars for an ounce of something rare.

Coffee culture is loud and opinionated and stubbornly loyal. Sound familiar?

Coffee is a drug; it’s a source of energy for millions, and income for millions more. It’s complicated.

And yet its success, its intense scrutiny and fascination and loyalty and drawn ire alike, all derives from its simplicity.

Some tech companies understand this simplicity better than others. Acaia makes a smart coffee scale that talks to an app while brewing to determine weight, time and, most importantly, flow rates for different kinds of preparations. It’s an understated and beautiful scale that, at $150, is far too expensive for the average drinker. So too is Ember, a smart coffee mug that keeps the brew at a particular temperature through a small heating element inside the container. Some smart coffee things go a little too far in their desire to be all things to all people.

My favorite coffee equipment has nothing to do with a Bluetooth signal. It’s as manual and as painstaking as it comes, and by the end leaves you feeling like you’ve earned that drink. I’ve had a similar realization about my job, which puts me in front of a screen for most of the day and well into the night. A pad of paper and a pen; a good real book. A freaking newspaper. Every once in a while, especially during this time of year, I like to remind myself that there’s more to this life than wireless signals.

Have a healthy, happy and fruitful Fourth of July, and to my Canadians who celebrated — thanks.

☕️

Huawei Watch 2 Sport review: New tricks and 4G’s a hit

The second-gen Huawei smartwatch, the aptly named Watch 2, arrives as part of the Android Wear 2.0 brigade and, therefore, with more features than its predecessor. The Watch 2 is also available in two finishes: Sport, as reviewed here, for the sportier type; and Classic, which is more reminiscent of the original.

Smartwatches have walked a strange path since they first appeared as they try to figure out exactly what they’re supposed to be. Huawei, like Apple, pitched its first watch as a style statement. It was about lifestyle bling. That position has been reassessed for the second-gen device, however, moving to promote sport a little more.

Does the Huawei Watch 2 Sport change direction down a successful, sporty path? We’ve been living with one for some weeks to assess…

Huawei Watch 2 Sport review: Real watch ergonomics, questionable finish

• 48.9 x 45 x 12.6mm; 60g
• IP68 waterproofing
• Plastic casing, rubber strap
• Ceramic bezel

The thing we didn’t like about the original Huawei Watch was some of the design. Not the overall look or the choice of materials, but on the wrist it felt like a watch designed by a technology company and not a fashion company.

There’s a subtle difference that some will never appreciate: some watches are nicer to wear than others and it has nothing to do with price and everything to do with how it fits and how it feels when you wear it. By extension, it’s also about how you feel when you wear it.

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In that regard, the Huawei Watch 2 Sport does a lot right. The Metal ring to the back (the centre around the optical heart-rate sensor is plastic) adds a cool metal feel to things that gives a sense of quality, while the lugs have been designed to make the watch fit well on the wrist. 

Strap it on and it fits like a watch, whereas some smartwatches don’t. This is something that’s being rapidly learned by technology companies and it seems to have paid off here.

The Watch 2’s size is good too. Some commentators will tell you that every smartwatch is horrifically chunky, but this watch is no larger than a watch like the Rolex Submariner. It’s 12.6mm thick and has a 45mm diameter, with lugs that take a bespoke strap.

The strap is contoured to fit into the body, although we daresay you could swap it out with a 20mm strap, or pins to equip the watch with a fabric strap. As it is, it’s not as readily changeable as the Huawei Watch 2 Classic, which boasts a standard 22mm strap fitting.

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Back to fit and fitting: the thing that’s really wrong with the Huawei Watch 2 Sport’s design is the choice of finishing materials. The plastic of the body doesn’t quite carry off the “active” watch in the way that Garmin or Polar have for years. Additionally, that strap feels a little basic – like the sort of strap you’d find on a £30 watch, not a £300 watch.

That’s all the huge shame, because the overall fit, looks and design of the watch are great, but the finish doesn’t achieve the level it could. As we said, watches are about subtle nuances. In this instance it’s the Huawei Watch 2 Classic – with its stainless steel body and leather strap – that looks the part, whereas the Watch 2 Sport doesn’t quite make the team.

On the positive side the Sport is IP68 rated, so there’s no need to worry about water or dust. Whether that’s washing up, running in the rain or dripping with sweat – you’re all good with the Sport.

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There’s also a ceramic bezel. This looks like the sort of bezel you get on a diver’s watch and everyone we’ve shown it to has tried to rotate it, like you can on the Samsung Gear S3. On the Huawei it doesn’t move, however, as the ceramic material is designed to reduce scratches. That’s a traditional watchmaking decision and it’s generally a good move, although it likely helped to push the price up too. The question remains whether you need that enduring protection on a smartwatch that you’ll likely replace within two years, compared to a classic timepiece that you’ll want to keep for generations.

Huawei Watch 2 Sport review: Two button control, 2.0 software advances

• Android Wear 2.0
• Two button control 

The Huawei Watch 2, according to rumours, was designed before Android Wear 2.0’s functionality was nailed down. While the LG Watch Sport offers a rotational crown, which is one of Android Wear 2.0’s greatest new features, the Huawei Watch 2 misses out. This is a two button affair. As a point to note, the 4G version has silver buttons, the Wi-Fi version has black buttons.

The top button carries out your normal Android Wear actions: press it to return to the home screen or to your apps menu; a long press will launch Google Assistant, aiming to let you talk to your watch and get it doing things for you.

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The bottom button as standard launches Huawei’s sports app, simply called Workout. You can use that button to pause a workout, which is convenient, but you can also reprogram it to launch any app you choose. Prefer music? No problem at all.

The buttons are well placed to and have a distinct action to them, acting as useful support for the touch-based control of the 1.2-inch display. That display responds well enough and it’s just about big enough to take advantage of another of Android Wear 2.0’s introductions: an on-screen keyboard. We just about managed to tap in replies to messages on the move, giving a whole load more flexibility than the previous software version. 

Of course, one of the slight limitations that comes with this design encircled by the bezel is that you soon hit it when you swipe. That perhaps explains some of the larger watches and those that are bezel free: it makes touch feel nicer because you don’t hit a physical barrier.

Huawei Watch 2 Sport review: Hardware rundown

• Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100, 768MB RAM, 4GB storage
• Optional 4G/LTE
• 1.2-inch, 390 x 390 pixels, 326ppi

The hardware load-out of the Huawei Watch 2 Sport is fairly typical of this type of device. There’s a Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 chipset with 768MB RAM and 4GB of internal storage, available to let you take your music offline. 

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Some versions of the Huawei Watch 2 also offer a SIM tray hiding behind the strap connection. This is one of the biggest changes with Android Wear 2.0 and one of the appealing things about this model of watch – as you can go completely independent with it so you don’t need your phone to be connected. 

In our opinion, integrated 4G is one of the stars of the show here. There’s a lot you can do with your watch when it has its own connection, like get messages when you’re out running, find directions in Google Maps or ask Google Assistant things, without relying on your phone. You don’t even need your phone present, as you can place calls from the watch. 

Sure, there’s a trade-off in terms of battery life – which we’ll talk about later – but Huawei also gives you the option of turning the 4G radio off, so you’re not unnecessarily draining the battery when you don’t need to be. 

There’s that optical heart-rate sensor on the back and GPS support built-in, plus a compass, barometer and motion sensors. In other words, you’re well supported on the hardware front, meaning this watch can be applied to a whole range of apps, gathering data to monitor your sports performance.

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This is where the Watch 2 Sport fall into that grey area of what it wants to be, though. Huawei has thrown everything into this watch, but there’s still the feeling that some of it is superfluous. The hardware loadout reads like a top-spec multi-sport watch, but there isn’t really the software experience that they offer. That might lead some to question the spec sheet, as we’re sure the price could have been more competitive if things were slightly lower key on the hardware front.

Huawei Watch 2 review: Performance and battery life

• 420mAh battery
• 2 day life (Wi-Fi only) 

We’ve used both versions of the Huawei Watch: a pre-production version of the 4G model, and a full release retail version of the Wi-Fi model.

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The Huawei Watch 2 is as fast and slick as other Android Wear devices running on the latest software. We’ve found that it worked reliably enough throughout our testing – faster to access those apps and reliable enough in connection to an Android phone, or a friendly Wi-Fi network. 

For the 4G version, we had no problems connecting to the 4G network. Sure, it might take a little time to load in the latest maps, for example, but we found it to be solid enough. One thing to note about the 4G version particularly is that some apps you choose need to connect to a phone to sign-in, so although they’ll run independently, they often need to be setup on a phone first.

The display of the Huawei Watch 2 has been bright enough and the Android Wear always-on option is great, although you can save power by turning this off so it only illuminates when you actually need it. There’s also a “watch only” mode that will just give you the time and last far longer as a result.

Generally speaking, the Wi-Fi version of the Watch 2 has lasted through two days. This will vary with use, especially if you’re using it for recording exercise with GPS tracking, where you’re more likely to get about a day and a half.

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The 4G version has been more variable. With 4G set to auto mode, we’d often put it down in the evening with some charge and find the battery drained by the morning. This could be because it’s wasn’t a final retail device, it could be that it needs better software management during downtime (like Android Doze), or – and most likely – it could simply be that 4G means it just doesn’t last as long as Wi-Fi only.

However, the Wi-Fi version performs surprisingly well considering the 420mAh battery capacity. Yes, it will need charging every couple of days, but currently that’s the going rate from a smartwatch.

As far as the other sensors are concerned, we’ve found the GPS is fairly fast to locate; heading out the door to run, you’ll usually need about a minute to get the workout app to lock on. Thereafter, tracking is accurate enough and the results in Huawei Health match our path with a fair degree of accuracy.

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The same applies to heart rate. We’ve recently seen a number of devices that struggle to settle on an accurate reading in the early stages of a run, but the Huawei Watch 2 seems to work well in this regard. We’ve found it to deliver results within our expected range, with annoying extraneous results.

Huawei Watch 2 review: A note on Huawei Health and sports

• Huawei Health app
• Links to Google Fit, Jawbone, MyFitnessPal
• Accurate HR and GPS

From a performance point of view, this all makes the Huawei Watch 2 Sport rather good as a sports watch. Sure, the need to use the Huawei Wear and Huawei Health apps to get access to your data is a little clunky, but Huawei Health also offers sharing with MyFitnessPal, Jawbone and Google Fit – so there’s the chance to connect things up more widely.

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Huawei Health is where you can natively view the data from Watch 2, but it also wants to be a constant tracker on your phone, recording your steps as you walk around with your phone in your pocket. In some ways that’s good, because it doesn’t matter if you’re wearing the watch or not, but the constant steps notification can’t be turned off, which is a pain. Ideally, we’d prefer to disable the functions that revolve around tracking your phone and leave it to the Watch 2, but that can’t be done.

On the watch itself, sports tracking is only a button press away and we’ve found it pretty good for run tracking. You can customise the view with a long press to have the information you want front and centre for metrics like pace, distance, time, or even a regular clock. A swipe to the left reveals the maps for route tracing and a swipe up will reveal a more detailed information panel with lots of information. You can pause a workout by tapping the screen, or by pressing the bottom button. 

There’s also the option to set goals for your workouts, whether a time, a distance or calories burned for your run. At the end of the run you’re given a summary with a dial to show the impact of your workout on a scale, as well as giving you an estimate as to when you should next train based on your efforts. Run hard and you’ll be told to give yourself a few days to recover.

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It’s not as refined an experience as you’ll get from the likes of the Polar M600, and as sports watches go we’d sooner take the better endurance and app experience of a Garmin watch. But, that said, this Sport version of the Huawei Watch 2 will be perfectly adequate for a lot of people.

Verdict

The Huawei Watch 2 is something of a surprise package: great for on-the-go independent control without a phone thanks to (optional) 4G, well built and full of top-spec hardware and features.

If anything the Sport version is not as showy and outlandish as it could be. Well, unless you choose the orange finish, but in black it’s rather muted. Ignoring the plasticky strap and its bespoke fit, the fundamentals of the Watch 2’s design are otherwise good, making it nice to wear.

However, as one of the first Android Wear 2 devices to launch, the Watch 2 has failed to incorporate the rotational input that’s perhaps the biggest physical change in the new operating system. Huawei Health’s constant alerts could be better managed too.

Overall, what the Huawei Watch 2 does is have a jolly good go at things. It misses the exuberance of the Casio WSD-F20 and it doesn’t quite have the sporting prowess of the Polar M600 behind it, but as a smartwatch that will deal well with sports, it’s actually pretty good in many areas.

Alternatives to consider

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Polar M600

If it’s sport that you’re interested in, but you’re determined to have the benefits of an Android Wear smart watch too, then the Polar M600 is one of the hottest choices out there. Unlike the Huawei, it’s been designed with sports in mind first, so the design is a little less conventional and a lot more like Polar devices. The real advantage it offers is the integration with Polar Flow and the excellent exercise analysis that the software offers, but there’s no 4G option and it’s a little small compared to Huawei’s option.

Read the full review: Polar M600 review

Casio WSD-F20

If it’s the great outdoors that you’re a fan of, then the Casio WSD-F20 blends outdoor skills with Android Wear smartwatch thrills. This is a little larger, making a bit more of a statement, but some of that comes from the solid protection this watch offers against the elements. It’s fully featured, fast and fluid in operation, but it is expensive.

Read the full review: Casio WSD-F20 review

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 back on sale 7 July… in Korea

We heard back in February that the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 would return, with Samsung replacing the batteries in refurbished devices and selling them in certain markets. Now that has been confirmed; it will re-release the Galaxy Note 7 in its homeland of South Korea from 7 July.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Fan Edition, as it is called, will have a lower capacity battery, but one that has been approved by Samsung’s new, more stringent safety testing measures. Apart from that, the devices, built from unsealed, recalled handsets and parts, are the same as originally launched last year.

That means it has a 5.7-inch, 2560 x 1440 curved-edge display, Samsung’s own octa-core Exynos processing unit (or Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 if its opted for that version), and 4GB of RAM.

• Samsung Galaxy Note 8 vs Galaxy Note 7: What’s the rumoured difference?

Those specifications are still particularly strong – even more so when it is considered that the Note 7 Fan Edition will cost 699,500 won (around £470) and therefore markedly cheaper than when released last year.

Whether that will be enough to get “fans” flooding back to a phone that represents one of Samsung’s biggest disasters is yet to be seen. It will release just 400,000 Fan Edition phones in the country, so it is seemingly testing the water to find out.

It also plans to sell refurbished Note 7s in emerging countries at some point this year.

We do have to laugh at the name though: Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Fan Edition. It is somewhat ironic that, had the original contained a fan, we might not have had the overheating mess in the first place.