Samsung’s latest imaging sensors may rid smartphones of camera bumps

As Apple, Samsung and (perhaps, surprisingly) Google battle to claim the top spot in smartphone imaging, we’ve been left with lenses jutting out of the device, or in the case of the Note 8, a thicker phone. The iPhone 8 and Pixel 2 may be the latest offenders, but Samsung thinks its latest imaging sensor can keep things slim with its duo of new ISOCELL sensors: two different components with different selling points.

Its 12-megapixel Fast 2L9 sensor uses “Dual Pixel” tech to speed up its auto-focus, shrinking pixels to 1.28μm, down from 1.4μm in its predecessor. And what the heck does that mean? It should improve improve the speed it takes for future smartphones to focus, as well as the ability for the camera to keep locked-on and track moving objects. Samsung promises this is all possible in low light too, vowing that it’ll keep your next (presumably Galaxy-branded) smartphone bump-free, while also delivering ‘bokeh’ depth of focus effects with just a single lens.

The ISOCELL Slim 2X7, like its name suggests, will be able to slide itself into even more slender smartphone designs, despite its meatier 24-megapixel spec. It’s the first mobile image sensor to have a pixel size below 1.0μm — 0.9μm apparently, helping shrink that sensor size, but keeping color fidelity and low noise thanks to Samsung’s improvements with its ISOCELL tech and pixel isolation.The Slim is also built for improved low-light photography. It does so by combining four neighbouring pixels to work as one, increasing light sensitivity. It’ll still be able to tap into all 24 megapixels when lighting conditions are better. Samsung pitches it as a sensor that works at its best, regardless of how much light’s around.

Ben K. Hur, Vice President of System LSI Marketing at Samsung Electronics says in the release that the sensors are “highly versatile as they can be placed in both front and rear of a smartphone.” Better selfies too, then.

Source: Samsung

Twitter Updates Apple TV App With Handoff-Like Tweet Interactions Between tvOS and iOS

Twitter today announced an update for its tvOS app, which allows you to pair your Twitter account on an iPhone or iPad with an Apple TV, and easily access Tweets on your iOS device that you see scroll by on the TV app’s live feeds.

The Twitter app for Apple TV focuses on live-streaming video, which you can display simultaneously with a scrolling list of user Tweets in a split-screen mode. Since it’s difficult to engage with Tweets on the TV app, the new update lets you jump directly from a Tweet on the Apple TV to your iPhone or iPad without having to search for a specific Tweet.

All you need to do is make sure your iOS device is on the same Wi-Fi network as your Apple TV, then open Twitter for Apple TV and long press for three seconds on the Siri Remote. This will bring up a menu where you can link your iOS device to the Apple TV Twitter app.

From Twitter TV product manager Ryan Troy: “People love to Tweet while watching their favorite TV shows because it allows everyone to experience what’s happening together. This update combined with Twitter’s daily programming that’s shaped by Tweets from the audience helps enable true interactive TV.”

Afterwards, you’ll be able to send any Tweet that you see on the live timeline on Apple TV to your iPhone, where you can quickly reply, like, Retweet, and send an image or a GIF. Twitter said the feature will work with any of the Apple TV app’s live broadcasts, which cover sports, entertainment broadcasts, and other live events.

📱 + 📺 = 💙

Connect your Apple devices and Tweet while you watch! Update to the latest Twitter app for Apple TV. pic.twitter.com/72FV2fWOAZ

— Twitter Live (@TwitterLive) October 11, 2017

Twitter for Apple TV is available to download from the tvOS App Store for free.

Related Roundup: Apple TVTag: TwitterBuyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Buy Now)
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Microsoft Fully Drops Support for Office for Mac 2011

Microsoft has officially ended support for Office for Mac 2011 as scheduled, nearly seven years after the software suite was first released.

2011 versions of Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint will no longer receive feature or security updates as of October 10, 2017. Any form of paid or free technical support from Microsoft has also ended indefinitely.

Microsoft Lync for Mac 2011 still has an extended support period through October 9, 2018 for any possible security updates.

Since the mainstream support period for the rest of the Office for Mac 2011 was already extended beyond the usual five years, there is no extended support period for those apps. In other words, support has completely ended.

Earlier this year, Microsoft said it had not even tested Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Lync on macOS High Sierra, but some users on the web have reported that the suite is mostly functional on the new operating system.

Word 2011 totally works in High Sierra: pic.twitter.com/whpRH0bQeV

— Spider Mann (@spidermann) September 30, 2017

Microsoft recommends users upgrade to Office 2016 for Mac, which is fully supported on macOS High Sierra. OS X 10.10 or later is required.

(Thanks, Jacob Harvey!)

Tags: Microsoft, Microsoft Office
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One Day Sales Hit Leviton HomeKit Switches, Beats Pill+ Speakers, and Sideclick Siri Remote Accessory

A few one-day-only sales today have discounted some useful Apple accessories and HomeKit products, including discounts on Leviton dimmers and light switches over at The Home Depot. The retailer’s “Special Buy of the Day” has eight of Leviton’s products on sale (one of which is now sold out), with 26 percent taken off of each device.

While there are basic, non-IoT outlet and dimmers on sale, Leviton has a few Wi-Fi smart switches that work with Amazon, Google, and Apple ecosystems. Below we’ll list the remaining five Leviton Wi-Fi enabled smart products on sale at The Home Depot today, along with each smart home system that they work with. Also note that each of the products listed below come in a pack of two:

• Decora Smart with Z-Wave Technology 15 Amp Switch (Amazon Alexa, Samsung SmartThings, Wink) – $67.95, down from $89.94
• Decora Smart Wi-Fi 15 Amp Universal LED/Incandescent Switch (Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google, Proprietary App) – $67.95, down from $89.94
• Decora Smart 15 Amp Switch (Apple HomeKit) – $67.95, down from $89.94
• Decora Smart Wi-Fi 600-Watt Universal LED/Incandescent Dimmer (Amazon Alexa, Google, Proprietary App) – $74.95, down from $99.94
• Decora Smart 600-Watt Z-Wave Technology Dimmer (Amazon Alexa, Samsung SmartThings, Wink) – $74.95, down from $99.94

Best Buy has its own one-day-only deal going on today as well, with the Sideclick Universal Remote Attachment for Apple TV at $19.99, $10 off its normal price of $29.99. The Sideclick attaches to your Apple TV Siri Remote (or other previous-generation Apple TV remotes), and lets you connect to a Blu-ray player, sound bar, DVD player, and more.

If you’re looking for the newest Beats Pill+ Bluetooth speaker, Fry’s Electronics is selling the device for just $148, down from its original retail price of $229.95. You can get the Pill+ in Black, White, and Red, and if you’re interested make sure to take advantage of the deal soon since it’ll be ending tomorrow, October 12. You should see the discount price once the speaker is in your cart.

In other deals-related reminders, if you’ve been on the fence about Super Mario Run, be sure to download the full version of the game before the sale price of $4.99 ends tomorrow. Similarly, The Home Depot’s $20 off discount for the Nanoleaf Aurora lighting kit will end tomorrow. For a full refresher on the latest sales going on this week, head over to our Deals Roundup.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors

Related Roundup: Apple Deals
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Review: Ring’s Floodlight Cam Offers Convenient Home Security, but HomeKit Support Still Missing

Back in January, Ring introduced its motion-activated Floodlight Cam, pairing a security camera with two bright floodlights to help protect users’ homes. The Floodlight Cam began shipping in April, and I’ve been using one for about six weeks to monitor the rear of my house. It’s a handy product that lets you keep tabs on movement around your home, with push notifications, live and recorded camera views, and the ability to use two-way talk and a siren to communicate with people approaching your home.

The hardwired Floodlight Cam includes a pair of floodlights with a 270-degree motion sensor, combined with a camera capable of 1080p HD video, enhanced night vision, 140-degree field of view, and a cloud recording subscription plan. It’s priced at $249 (or $449 for a two-pack) and is available in black or white.

Installation

Installation of the Ring Floodlight Cam is designed to be fairly straightforward, presuming you’re replacing an existing light on the exterior of home. Ring provides all of the tools you’ll likely need to install the Floodlight Cam, and maybe even remove your existing fixture, including a screwdriver with multiple bits. The Ring iOS app walks you through the installation process step-by-step, including videos for many of the steps.

Mounting bracket and tools
The first step is of course to turn off power to the circuit where you’re going to be working, and then remove any existing light fixture at the location. From there, installation requires attaching a mounting bracket to your existing junction box that should already be in place, using an included hook to temporarily hang the Floodlight Cam from the bracket while you wire up the ground, hot, and neutral wires using included wire nuts, and attaching the body of the Floodlight Cam to the mounting bracket.

Installing the Floodlight Cam
A foam gasket on the mounting bracket helps to seal things up, although I did find it a bit tricky to secure the body to the mounting bracket. After sliding the body of the Floodlight Cam over mounting posts on the bracket, two small cap nuts are used to secure everything and offer a finished look to the installation. The instructions describe using the handle of the included screwdriver to tighten the cap nuts, but I found it didn’t serve the purpose very well as the recessed design of the mounting post area didn’t allow the screwdriver to fit in very well around the cap nut. As a result, I simply tightened the cap nuts by hand, which was still a little tricky but seemed to hold tightly enough.

Floodlight Cam installed
Initially, I had planned to replace an existing floodlight mounted on the underside of an overhang over my garage, but Ring provided conflicting information about whether it was possible to install the Floodlight Cam horizontally under an overhang rather than vertically on an exterior wall.

The installation instructions make a passing reference to mounting on an overhang, and I found a support Tweet from Ring claiming it was possible, but it wasn’t clear to me exactly how to accomplish it. Further research led me to an FAQ saying such orientations are not supported, while a support rep informed me over chat that “it should work completely fine.”

I spoke to a PR rep for Ring, who gave me the official word that “after further testing,” horizontal mounting from an overhang isn’t recommended. I could definitely see that trying to aim the camera and floodlights could be difficult within the limitations of the adjustments if mounted horizontally, so I understand why it isn’t supported. Ring really should have sorted that out before launching the product, however, or at the very least made sure that all support representatives were aware of the updated installation guidelines once the change was made.

Setup

With the Floodlight Cam physically installed and the power turned back on, the Ring app continues to walk you through the setup process, allowing you to get it onto your Wi-Fi network and enter email addresses to invite friends and family to have the ability to respond to event alerts. From there, the Floodlight Cam is ready to go, although there are more settings and customizations to adjust to optimize performance.

Ring app walking through installation and setup
The Ring app offers a simple home screen that displays each of your Ring devices for easy access, as well as a list of all events like recent instances of motion being detected (answered or not) and manually initiated live views. With an active Ring Protect subscription, you can access all of the video recordings from these events.

Ring app home screen showing events, starring, and sharing
The list can be filtered to show only motion events, only live views, rings (if you have a Ring doorbell device) or only starred events that you previously selected to be saved. Sliding left on any entry brings up options to star the entry, share it (which generates a link to the video clip embedded on a web page, which can be shared to anyone via a share sheet), or delete it entirely.

The main screen for the Floodlight Cam in the Ring app offers easy toggles for the lights and motion alerts, as well as large buttons to access a live video feed from the camera or to sound the loud, 110-db siren to scare off potential thieves and draw attention to the house. Underneath, you’ll find a paginated series of large buttons for accessing various settings, led by an Event History log showing basically the same log of alerts and events as on the home screen, but limited to the events associated with that specific device.

Main screen for Floodlight Cam (left), Live View screen with controls for intercom, siren, and lights (top right), and confirmation screen for siren activation (bottom right)
Back on the main screen for the Floodlight Cam, the Device Health section gives you stats on your device, including information on the Wi-Fi network you’re connected to, the signal strength, the MAC address for the device, and the firmware version, as well as access to tools for troubleshooting and contacting support.

The Motion Settings section allows you to customize how the Floodlight Cam detects motion. There are three areas to customize, starting with a simple slider for sensitivity that ranges from all motion to “people only.”

Motion Zones allow you to draw multiple polygons on the live video feed to specify exactly where the Floodlight Cam is looking for motion. And finally, you can set up rules to schedule specific times of day on any or all days of the week during which you do not wish to receive motion alerts from the camera.

Setting up motion zones
Since the Floodlight Cam is also a pair of lights, there is a section for customizing how those are triggered by motion. You can select specific zones around the camera where detected motion should trigger the lights to come on, and you can specify a general distance from the camera using a slider as well. Finally, you can specify how long the lights should remain on for after a motion event is triggered, ranging from 30 seconds to 15 minutes. You can also schedule your lights to come on and stay on for a certain period of time each day.

A Linked Chimes section lets you pair the Floodlight Cam with one or more interior Ring Chime Pro units for alerts, and I’ll discuss that in more detail a bit later in this review.

Finally, a Shared Users section lets you view and manage other Ring app users to whom you have granted access to view event alerts, while a Ring Partners section lets you integrate Ring with security and automation services, such as ADT Pulse, Wemo, Kevo, and Wink.

Cloud Recording

The Floodlight Cam comes with a 30-day free trial for video recording, which saves videos to the cloud to access within the Ring app. As the free trial period runs out, you’ll need to decide whether to sign up for a Ring Protect subscription.

The Ring Protect Basic plan costs $30 per year or $3 per month and covers only one camera, so if you have multiple cameras you’ll need to pay separately for each of them. The Ring Protect Plus plan costs $100 per year or $10 month and covers an unlimited number of cameras at one location, as well as Ring Protect monitoring for the just-announced home security system.

Whenever motion is sensed and an alert activated, the Floodlight Cam will record a video clip for the duration of the motion so you can easily see what’s going on. With cloud recording, you can access past events on-demand, but once that trial runs out, if you don’t subscribe to the cloud recording service you’ll only be able to check in on live video views. It still lets you see what’s going on if you can immediately respond to an alert, but you’ll miss out if you don’t catch the alert until later. Saved recordings can also be extremely helpful to authorities in the event of a crime.

There are no contracts or long-term commitments for Ring Protect subscriptions, but if the free trial runs out or your subscription lapses, your existing saved recordings will be deleted.

Ring Neighborhoods

In an effort to help neighbors work together to reduce crime, Ring offers a beta feature called Ring Neighborhoods. Once you opt in to the feature, you’ll be able to set up a radius around your home to define your neighborhood and then view videos shared publicly to Ring Neighborhoods by other Ring users within that radius. You can share your own videos from a Live View by tapping a neighborhood icon and then entering some details once the video is over.

With Ring Neighborhoods, users can share videos of suspicious people or vehicles, or other incidents of concern, alerting others to be on the lookout. Users can also re-share videos posted by neighbors to other social networks and messaging platforms.

Daily Use

I found that the Ring Floodlight Cam worked well, reliably picking up motion on my back deck and the stairs leading up to it. Most of the motion it picked up was my kids playing in the backyard, but it also picked up a neighbor’s cat that likes to visit our deck from time to time, and even a squirrel on occasion. Adjusting the sensitivity of the motion detection minimized alerts for those smaller creatures, cutting down on spurious alerts.

The Ring app offers reasonably quick access to toggles for the lights and motion alerts, so I could easily turn off motion alerts temporarily while my kids were playing out back.

Fortunately, I didn’t have the need for a real-life test of the two-way intercom or siren for dealing with any unwanted visitors to my back deck, but I did test the intercom function and it worked well, with audio coming through loud and clear outside.

Overall, I found the Ring Floodlight Cam to be a relatively unobtrusive addition to my home security, which is a good thing. An occasional alert on my phone of motion detected on my back deck isn’t particularly bothersome, and in fact I’m still in the phase where I’m eager to check out what caused a given alert, rather than feeling bothered.

Knowing that I’ll get an alert and lights can be turned on if motion is detected at unwanted times offers good peace of mind, and the live view capability makes it easy to check things out if you hear something that doesn’t even trigger an alert, or even if you just want to take a look outside and make sure everything’s okay.

HomeKit

Ring doesn’t specifically address the possibility of HomeKit support for the Floodlight Cam on the product page, but the company has repeatedly said that it intends to bring HomeKit to the Floodlight Cam at some point in the future. The device hardware is already HomeKit-compatible, so only a firmware update will be needed once Ring is ready to roll out support.

The problem is that Ring has yet to offer a launch date for HomeKit support, and the months continue to tick by. In mid-2016, Ring announced plans to bring HomeKit to the company’s Ring Pro video doorbell by “early next year,” meaning 2017. The Floodlight Cam was the second Ring product on that HomeKit roadmap.

We’re now nearing the end of the year, however, and HomeKit support has yet to go live. The company continues to respond to comments on the announcement blog post, noting as recently as this week that it is an “ongoing project” to bring HomeKit to the Ring Pro and the Floodlight Cam but that it “has been delayed.” A Ring representative tells me the company does not have any additional updates on timing for HomeKit support at this time.

It’s certainly not unusual for launch dates on features like this to slip, particularly when Apple is involved, but it’s a bit frustrating that there hasn’t been any visible progress on this effort in well over a year.

Chime Pro

The Floodlight Cam works fine as a standalone product, but if you want a way to be notified of alerts without having to have your smartphone on you, Ring offers a $49 Chime Pro accessory. The Chime Pro will not only provide you with audible chime alerts within your home, but can also act as a Wi-Fi extender to ensure Ring products that are located far from your base station can receive an adequate signal.

As with the Floodlight Cam, installation of the Chime Pro is simple, with the Ring app walking you through naming the accessory, getting it onto your Wi-Fi network, and linking it to your Floodlight Cam and any other Ring devices so it can sound audio alerts for them.

Chime Pro setup
When you link devices like the Floodlight Cam to the Chime Pro, the Ring app will give you the option of connecting the devices to the Chime Pro’s extension of your Wi-Fi network. If your device’s direct connection to your main network is sufficient and you attempt to switch over to the Chime Pro’s access point, it’ll let you know that the signal is already fine and ask you if you’re sure you want to proceed.

Switching the Floodlight Cam’s connection over to the Chime Pro involves pressing a button on the Floodlight Cam to go through some of the setup steps again, allowing it to use the Wi-Fi settings sent by the Chime Pro rather than those for your main network.

Regardless of whether you choose to connect your Floodlight Cam to the Chime Pro’s extension or directly to your home’s Wi-Fi, the Chime Pro can play audio alerts inside your home for rings on a Ring doorbell or motion detected by a Floodlight Cam. You can choose from several different ringtones for each, making it easy to distinguish between the two types of events if you have multiple Ring devices in your home.

The Chime Pro appears right alongside the Floodlight Cam in the Ring app, although settings are considerably simpler with only Chime Tones, Device Health summary screen, and Linked Devices manager showing as options.

Wrap-up

At $249, the Ring Floodlight Cam requires a little thought before purchasing to be sure it’s right for you, but if the setup works for your home, it packs a good number of features into a single package with a high-quality camera, bright floodlights, and two-way intercom.

Access to cloud recordings is also a really nice feature to have, although at a minimum of $30 per year in subscription fees, it’s another cost to consider before taking the plunge. Subscription fees for cloud recording services on cameras are typical, so Ring isn’t out of line on this, but it does add up over the years. Just recently, competitor Canary was forced to scale back on features offered on its free plan as the company’s cloud infrastructure expenses were starting to mount, so it’s understandable why cloud features are an add-on subscription cost.

The value proposition for Ring increases if you go all in on the company’s ecosystem, and many potential customers for the Floodlight Cam already have a foot in the door with one of Ring’s video doorbells. If you go with a doorbell, a couple of Floodlight Cams, and the new Ring Protect security system, you have an integrated security setup and you can get cloud recording for all of them for $100 per year.

The Ring Floodlight Cam is available for $249 directly from Ring, but you can usually save a few dollars buying through Amazon depending on color. Both Amazon and Best Buy are currently offering the white model for just $227. The black models are not currently discounted by Amazon or Best Buy, although a few third-party Amazon sellers are offering small discounts.

The Ring Chime Pro is priced at $49 through Ring, while Amazon and Best Buy currently have it on sale for $46.

Note: Ring provided the Floodlight Cam and Chime Pro to MacRumors free of charge for the purposes of this review. No other compensation was received. MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon and Best Buy and may earn commissions on purchases made through links in this article.

Tags: review, Ring
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Zenge: A charming experience that should not be missed (Review)

We’re celebrating ten years of AndroidGuys with a ton of giveaways!

A lot of developers these days (even on consoles) try to focus only on some aspects of what makes a good video game. For example, some games try to focus too much on graphics, others in trying to provide a decent multiplayer, others provide good gameplay at the cost of audiovisuals, and so on. However, there are also games like Zenge that understand that, in order to provide a good experience, all pieces have to work together flawlessly towards a common goal.

Developer: Hamster On Coke Games
Price: $0.99

Overview

I’m a fan of games in which I don’t have to write a “Setup” section. When you start the game, you get a comically simple puzzle (you just have to swipe right), but it’s the perfect way of introducing you to the only controls you will need throughout your journey.

In essence, you have to solve a puzzle by moving pieces around. Since they all have a distinctive shape, then it’s not hard to figure out which piece goes where. The problem is that their arrangement on the screen means that you have to move them around in order to clear the way for them.

At first, you will only need to move them out of the way and the puzzle will be solved. Afterwards, however, you need to strategically plan how you’re going to make your movements, or it simply won’t work. Later, the game introduces other mechanics, such as rotating elements, or elements that merge into each other, to make your life even more complicated.

The most beautiful thing about the game is that it tells you a story without using any words. Each time you complete a level, Zenge shows you a picture. Even though at first they seem to be completely random, after a few levels you start to notice that they are related to each other. Little by little, they are telling you a story that you can interpret in different ways since there is no dialog. It’s one of the most original ways I’ve seen of telling a story, even if it’s clearly not one of the game’s priorities.

General Impressions

At first, you might think that the game is too easy since its puzzles take you mere seconds to complete. However, things start to get serious afterward, when the game introduces more complex puzzles and mechanics such as rotation of elements. You’ll really have to think through your movements after a while. No puzzle feels Bloodborne-like complicated, though. It never gets to the point that it’s more frustrating than enjoyable.

This game is so well put together from all perspectives. The main goal of it is to relax you through puzzles, and every element in the game is there to achieve that. The art design, the music, the sound effects, the pictures after every level, and the minimalistic interface all work together in order to create a soothing experience.

With that said, this is exactly like a real-life puzzle. Once you are done with it, there’s not much else to do other than maybe revisit your favorite levels. Since there is no movement counter, elapsed time, or rating system, once you are done with a level, there’s no reason to go back to it. You could argue that it makes the game more relaxing since nothing is pressuring you to do well, but it does affect negatively the replay value of Zenge.

Graphics

The developer has opted for a simplistic and minimalistic art design for this game, and it works wonderfully. This is a perfect example of why graphics don’t have to be flashy and cutting edge in order to be good.

The pictures that you get at the end of each puzzle are beautifully done, and, knowing that they kind of tell a story, makes them even better. Because they are simple, they do not tax your device, which translates into better performance. However, there’s a bit more battery drain than expected when compared to more complex games.

Nevertheless, everything flows smoothly and is crafted in a very careful way, providing a superb experience that would easily captivate even the most demanding of players.

Sound

This is definitely one of the highest points of Zenge. The piano music that plays in the background, coupled with the relaxing puzzles and minimalistic art design makes up for one of the most relaxing experiences I’ve seen on a mobile game. The developer understood that music is part of the package, and made sure that it was perfectly aligned with the other parts of the game in order to fulfill its goal.

The sound effects are also top-notch, although there are very few of them. They are mostly present when you shift pieces around in a puzzle.

Conclusion

When I downloaded Zenge, I thought it was going to be a decent puzzler with Monument Valley-like visuals that could keep me entertained for a while. However, I’ve been pleasantly surprised and definitely got much more out of it than I ever imagined. It is not trying to provide flashy gameplay or technically impressive visuals, but rather an experience. Every single element in this game serves a greater purpose, and the cohesion between them results into an astounding experience that should not be missed. Even if you are not fan of puzzle games, give Zenge a chance. I assure you that you will be amazed at how good this game is.

Download and install Zenge from the Google Play Store.

Huawei Honor 7X packs an edge-to-edge screen and dual cameras for $300

Why it matters to you

Huawei’s Honor 7X is an impressive package for the price tag, but it’s exclusive to China for now.

Leave it to Honor, Huawei’s fast-growing middle-market brand, to launch an uncompromising new phone at a compelling price. On Wednesday, it took the wraps off the Honor 7X, an edge-to-edge phone with a 5.93-inch screen, dual rear cameras, and a speedy eight-core processor.

The Honor 7X is the spiritual successor to last year’s Honor 6X, and it looks every bit the part. It has an all-aluminum unibody that’s curved on all four sides, exceptionally narrow edges right and left of the screen, and IP67 waterproofed lining that repels water up to three and a half feet deep for 30 minutes.

The Honor 7X’s high-end housing packs a curved 5.93-inch edge-to-edge screen with a 2K resolution (2160 x 1080 pixels) and an 18:9 aspect ratio, an upgrade from the 6X’s Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) screen. Under the hood is Huawei’s homegrown eight-core Kirin 659 system-on-chip, Malit-T830 MP2 graphics, 4GB of RAM, a Bluetooth 4.1 chip, and a fingerprint sensor.

Huawei

But the processor isn’t the only thing filling out the Honor 7X’s insides. A 3,340mAh battery with support for Huawei’s fast-charging SuperCharge tech supplies a “full day” of power, and a internal memory chip (in 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB sizes) and microSD card slot provide ample space for video, music, and photo storage.

The Honor 7X doesn’t disappoint when it comes to photography. It has a dual rear camera — a 16-megapixel primary sensor and a 2-megapixel secondary sensor — which can capture Portrait Mode-like bokeh shots with in-focus foregrounds and blurred backgrounds, and an 8-megapixel selfie camera.

On the software side of things, the Honor 7X ships with Honor’s custom-designed EMUI 5.1, which is based on last year’s Android 7.1 Nougat. Judging by the aggressiveness of Huawei’s Android Oreo rollout (the newest version of Android), though, we wouldn’t be surprised to see the Honor 7X upgraded with new firmware soon after its release.

Huawei

The Honor 7X is available for pre-order starting October 11 in black, gold, and blue colors, with sales kicking off on October 17. The 32GB model retails for 1,299 yuan ($200), the 64GB model is 1,699 yuan ($260), and the 128GB model is 1,999 yuan ($305).

The only bad news is that the Honor 7X won’t be shipping globally anytime soon. It’s only available in China, and Honor has yet to announce availability for the U.S. or Europe. That may change in the near future, but for now, the Honor 7X is a mainland exclusive.

Apple’s next iPad camera may be compatible with Face ID

Why it matters to you

Apple’s next iPad Pro might come equipped with Face ID sensors.

A lot of time and talent went into developing Apple’s Face ID, and the iPhone maker wants its money’s worth. Case in point? Next year’s iPad Pro may inherit the iPhone X’s Face ID-compatible cameras.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has a proven track record when it comes to Apple rumors, wrote in a note to investors that the next 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro will have a Face ID experience “consistent with the iPhone X.” The report doesn’t speculate as to what might happen to the fingerprint-scanning Touch ID sensor on the current-gen iPad Pro models, but it’s possible it will coexist with Face ID.

Face ID, you might recall, uses a neural engine to map the contours and shapes of faces in real time. It isn’t confused by hairstyles, hats, or beards, and it even works in the dark. And even with that flexibility, Apple says there’s only a one-in-a-million chance someone could circumvent the system (as opposed to a one-in-50,000 chance with Touch ID.)

Kuo predicts that this will spur development of augmented reality and facial recognition apps, and that it could encourage Android manufacturers to pursue Face ID-like technologies of their own.

But it might be a while before the competition catches up. In a previous report, Kuo estimated that Apple’s TrueDepth camera module — the hardware behind Face ID — is “one to two years” ahead of comparable technologies. The sophisticated combination of infrared cameras, proximity sensors, ambient light sensors, and dot projectors is reportedly a challenge to mass manufacture, so much so that Apple’s suppliers are said to have shipped just 40 percent of the components originally expected.

The problem might be severe enough to impact availability of the iPhone X, which launches on November 3. According to Kuo, Face ID production problems might lead to tight inventory in late October through the end of the 2017 holiday season.

It’s unclear how Apple plans to improve yields ahead of the new iPad Pro’s launch, but one thing is for sure: Apple’s competitors have their work cut out for them in matching the capabilities of its upcoming lineup of products.

Best microSD Cards for the Moto G5 Plus

Which microSD card is best for the Moto G5 Plus? Well, it depends what you need…

The reality is this: if you are buying a budget phone, you’re kind of over the idea of paying a lot for accessories. No fancy, expensive case; no insanely high-performance microSD slot. You just want something that works.

Even though the $229 Moto G5 Plus has a pretty hefty 32GB of storage out of the box (and double that for an extra $70), if you’re in need of extra storage for movies, music, or even large games, a microSD card can come in real handy.

The Moto G5 Plus even supports Adoptable Storage, which means that you can make the inserted SD card a permanent part of your phone’s storage.

So which cards do we recommend? Take a look below!

• SanDisk Ultra 128GB
• Samsung EVO 128GB
• SanDisk Ultra 200GB
• SanDisk Extreme 64GB

SanDisk Ultra 128GB microSD

SanDisk is a well-known company when it comes to memory cards and storage products, and cards like this show you why. The SanDisk Ultra 128GB (around $44) is a Class 10 card that comes with a 10-year warranty, and has quick transfer speeds (up to 80MB/s), so it should check many of the boxes that you look for in a microSD card.

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Samsung EVO 128GB microSD

Samsung’s EVO 128GB microSD card (about $49) isn’t the company’s top offering, but it comes with decent speeds and a price tag to match. With up to 48MB/s read and write (Class 10 or U1 classification), it can handle 1080p video without a problem. If you want a well-regarded card that doesn’t break the bank, this is the one to go with.

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SanDisk Ultra 200GB microSD

If you’re looking to add a lot of extra storage at a relatively low cost, the SanDisk Ultra 200GB microSD card (around $74) is the way to go. This Class 10 card provides transfer speeds of up to 90MB/s and can record Full HD video. If you like to keep your digital library with you at all times, you’ll want one of these.

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SanDisk Extreme 64GB

The Moto G5 Plus can shoot 4K video which takes up a lot of space on the phone’s storage. With SanDisk’s Extreme microSD card, which is rated U3 and supports maximum write speeds of up to 100MB/s, you can force the phone’s 12MP sensor to record directly to the external storage.

Though the SanDisk Extreme 64GB is a bit more expensive on a per-megabyte basis, at $35 it’s a relatively inexpensive way to shore up the storage on your new phone.

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Moto G5

• Moto G5 Plus review
• Moto G5 Specs
• Top 10 things to know about the Moto G5 + G5 Plus
• Moto G5 Plus vs Moto G4 Plus
• Join our Moto G5 forums!

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Launch a lucrative IT security career with this Zero to Hero Hacker bundle

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See at Android Central Digital Offers