Pixel 2 vs iPhone 8: Do these bezels make my phone look fat?

No headphone jack. Lots of bezel. Killer camera. Are these secretly the same phone?

Apple and Google have been walking different paths to the same place for a long time now. With every new generation of hardware and software, it seems like these companies spend more time “borrowing” from one another and less time doing something new and exciting. Last year the camera was the thing, until it was generally accepted that the top three options were largely the same. This year? It looks like Samsung, Apple, Google, LG, and several others have decided bezels need to go.

Well, almost. When it comes to the “base model” for Apple and Google, these bezels are here to stay. That’s not the only thing the iPhone 8 and Pixel 2 have in common, but it’s easily the most obvious by looking at them. Here’s everything else you need to know if you’re choosing between these two phones.

The “small” phone

Apple and Google are two of the biggest companies out there to adopt the big/little strategy when it comes to the big launch each year. Apple has the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, and Google has the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL this year (the iPhone X is another story for another time). The whole plan here is to offer a small version of the phone for folks who prefer that size and a larger version of the phone for people who prefer either a larger display or a noticeable increase in battery life.

Each company works hard to make sure this standard version doesn’t feel like a lesser version of the larger phone. For example, Google stresses how both the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL charge at the same rate, specifically how 15 minutes on a fast charger will give you 7 hours of use. There’s no arguing which of these phones will do a better job getting you through a full day with lots of activity, but it’s important to Google that this smaller phone doesn’t feel somehow less.

Apple’s approach is less focused on that similarity between the two versions of the iPhone, especially when it comes to the camera. There’s a lot of very impressive tech in the dual camera system in the iPhone 8 Plus. Both sensors are hardware stabilized and offer a lot of interesting depth sorcery for very cool photos. By contrast, Google’s Pixel Cameras are identical in both the front and rear cameras. These cameras have all of the same features, which includes Google’s version of the Portrait Mode feature that is limited to the iPhone 8 Plus.

At the same time, it’s clear, looking at these phones side by side, that Apple has nailed the “smaller” phone in a way Google seems to struggle with. The bezels on the Pixel 2 make this phone look and feel much bigger than it should be, and comparing it to the iPhone 8 makes that painfully obvious. Apple is routinely dinged for maintaining its “huge” top and bottom bezel on its phones, and Google shows up and not only says “hold my beer,” but manages to do so without adding anything of use, like the fingerprint scanner.

Software homogeny

The diehard Android and iOS fans don’t like to admit it, but these two operating systems have way more in common these days. Most apps live on both platforms, it’s much easier to switch between these platforms nowadays, and separating the two largely comes down to an order of operations. On an Android phone, apps are all connected and its very easy to share something between apps. On an iPhone, apps only have access to what you give explicit permission to. There are a lot of small examples like this all over the OS, and it really comes down to what workflow is most convenient to you.

Apple owns its ecosystem in a way no other company can claim right now.

Where these two operating systems tend to part ways is when you leave the phone and integrate with the rest of your digital ecosystem. Apple owns its ecosystem in a way no other company can claim right now, but you absolutely pay for the privilege. Being able to open up an iPad and enable the Hotspot on your iPhone so the two can share internet, without ever having to touch your iPhone to enable said hotspot, it just plain cool. It’s a perfect example of the deep integration Apple is able to pull off, and that makes a huge difference when it comes to choosing a phone that will make your life easier in new ways.

Google has its own form of deep integration, but instead of being based on local hardware it’s based on the web. Through Google services, your phone becomes a whole entertainment platform complete with one-tap Chromecast integration across hundreds of streaming apps. Toss a Chromebook in there and you have a lightweight platform built to better sync your mobile self with a larger screen. It doesn’t feel quite as complete as what you see with the Apple ecosystem right now, but it’s clear Google is starting to focus on capturing that same experience.

The camera is probably the most important aspect of these phones’ stories.

You can’t have a conversation about phones anymore without talking about the camera, and increasingly the camera has just as much to do with the software powering it as it does the physical hardware inside the casing. Over the last year in particular, there’s been some very interesting conversations about what makes a smartphone camera great.

Is color accuracy more important than color brilliance? Is detail more important than balanced exposure? How about the ability to treat the phone almost like it is a DSLR complete with an expansive photo and video editing suite? It’s a fascinating conversation, and at the center of it is frequently the folks at DXOMark. Currently, these image benchmark folks say the Pixel 2 is the most capable camera you can get on a phone today. Rather than take these people at their word, we took a few shots of our own.

Cost and Availability

A big part of Apple owning a more mature hardware platform right now is being able to make the phone available everywhere. Google struggled to keep the Pixels in stock throughout most of last year, even though the phone was available in far fewer places. There’s a general hope that will be less of a problem this year, but seeing the Pixel 2 XL fail to ship the same day as the Pixel 2 doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence.

Let’s hope you can at least buy a Pixel 2 this year. That will be a good start.

Pricing is another matter. Both the $649 Pixel 2 and $699 iPhone 8 have starting models with 64GB of onboard storage and are available in multiple colors if you buy unlocked from Google or Apple. You can get a $34.50/month iPhone Upgrade Plan from Apple or the $27.04/month financing plan through Google with no upgrade plan. Either way, the price you’re going to pay is close enough that there isn’t going to be any justifying one over the other.

So which should you buy? It really comes down to the ecosystem you want to live in. Apple has been at this a lot longer and has cultivated a more mature hardware experience across its ecosystem, but at the same time sacrifices for design leaves the iPhone 8 as the undisputed runt of the litter.

Google’s Pixel 2 is a little on the chunky side, but it’s still a very capable phone powered by a great experience and some impressive new software. Choosing between the two largely comes down to your desire to experience something new or your desire to continue using something stable but decidedly less interesting.

Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL

• Pixel 2 FAQ: Everything you need to know!
• Google Pixel 2 and 2 XL hands-on preview
• Google Pixel 2 specs
• Google Pixel 2 vs. Pixel 2 XL: What’s the difference?
• Join our Pixel 2 forums

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Verizon

Charge all your devices at once with Anker’s $33 10-port USB wall charger

Finding the space to charge all the phones and tablets in your house could be so much easier.

Is this deal for me?

Owning multiple devices can be a huge hassle when it comes to finding room to charge everything – especially when friends come over. Thankfully, Anker’s PowerPort10 solves this issue and is on sale for just $32.99 on Amazon at a $9 discount.

The PowerPort10 is a 60watt USB wall charger with ten USB ports and the ability to charge up to 2.4 amps per port. It also features Anker’s MultiProtect safety security system to provide top of the line protection for your charging devices.

Some USB wall chargers will block both AC outlets if you plug into one, but this one has just a simple power cord so you still have access to the other AC outlet as well. This product is also pretty small, making it an easy fit into any packed bag and a great option to bring along on vacation. Pair it with this $17 car power inverter so you can even use it in your vehicle while on-the-go.

TL;DR

• What makes this deal worth considering? – The PowerPort10 is a safe product with an amazing 4.8 out of 5-star rating on Amazon with almost 1,400 reviews. At just $3 above its lowest price ever, now’s a great time to buy if you need enough charging ports for your family.
• Things to know before you buy! – There are tons of other products similar to this that have less ports for less money. The best one for your cash would likely be iXCC’s 50w 6-port USB wall charger for $14. It has pretty good ratings too, but not nearly as many. There’s also Anker’s $25 surge protector which features six AC outlets and four USB ports.

See at Amazon

More from Thrifter

• Amazon Prime Student is now available as a $5.49 monthly subscription
• The hottest toys of the upcoming holiday season

For more great deals be sure to check out our friends at Thrifter now!

Follow the Oculus Connect keynote on October 11 at VRHeads

Oculus is about to put on quite a show.

Whether you are a fan of the Gear VR or the Oculus Rift, this week is a celebration of all the new things for you to enjoy. The annual developer summit, Oculus Connect, is an exercise in communicating with every aspect of the VR community at once.

It all starts with a keynote presentation, and if you are not in San Jose this week to catch the event in person the next best thing is to watch a live stream. Here’s how you watch!

Read more at VRHeads!

Shooting video: 24FPS vs. 30FPS vs. 60FPS

Which format should I use, and when should I use it?

The first phones that came with a camera that could capture video were an amazing breakthrough. No longer did you need to lug around a second camera if you wanted to make sure you could grab a quick video of something memorable or cool. Sure, the quality was pretty bad, but it was a whole lot better than nothing.

Today the cameras in phones like the LG V30 or Google pixel can grab amazing video. It’s clear, smooth, and almost as good as a standalone mid-range video camera. They also have a lot more options than the older models did, and now things can get even more confusing with the ability to shoot in 24FPS (frames per second), 30FPS, or 60FPS. When should you use each?

Don’t overthink it

Here’s the best place to start. If you scour the web while asking this very question, you’ll find a million different answers, but one piece of advice always stands out:

Shoot everything in 30FPS or 60FPS all of the time.

This is because only very expensive cameras can truly shoot video at 24FPS, and the processing programs we have now are designed to convert higher speed videos into 24FPS “cinematic” mode. If you plan to do any serious editing and your camera can handle 60FPS for the full length of the video you’ll be taking, use it. If not, use 30FPS. If you need that cinematic look of 24 frames (actually 24.9 or 25FPS in countries that use the PAL format for video), you do it in your video processing program.

Video shot at 30 or 60FPS and then converted will look better than video shot in a 24FPS mode. Only use 24FPS for special effects once you learn what the raw video looks like from your camera.

Wait. Explain these different speeds or modes to me!

Right!. The advice we started with comes from folks who frequent groups and websites dedicated to videography, and the people giving it are pros who know the what, why, and when. For the rest of us, let’s try to explain it a little bit.

Whether you are talking about 24, 30, or 60FPS you’re considering a number of video frames that will be recorded per second. The higher the number, the smoother the action is, and things like walking or running or anything else that is in motion will look familiar to us. But it doesn’t exactly look natural because we’re used to seeing film viewed at 24FPS with a certain style of effect added to it.

24 frames, when combined with selective editing, makes any video have that classic “film” look.

At least we used to be accustomed to this. When you go to an actual movie theater and watch a film, you’re probably seeing it at 24 frames per second with very specific coloring and grain effects added during production. But when you watch a video or television show, you probably notice it looks a bit different because they are often playing at 30FPS without any of these effects. Our eyes can see a slight difference and even though 30FPS actually shows more information and is more realistic, many of us aren’t in love with that smooth TV look. And no matter which you prefer, it’s pretty easy to see a difference.

24FPS (actually 23.976FPS) is what video professionals ages ago determined to be the slowest playback rate that still looks smooth enough to feel real. It’s also a lot cheaper to produce the final product and even DVD and Blu-ray support 24FPS instead of 30FPS because of costs. According to most pros, without any extra processing or effects, we really can’t see much difference between 24 and 30FPS.

So why do we need 30 and 60FPS if 24 looks good?

Because of a phenomenon called “rolling shutter.” All cameras are different (even digital cameras like the ones in our phones) and will have a variable amount of what’s called wobble or skew when you move the camera during filming. It all depends on how fast the actual sensor can capture movement in the frame while the sensor itself is moving.

The more frames you shoot, the more good footage you’ll have.

The slower the filming speed, the more pronounced any rolling shutter effects will be. It’s really that simple, and you can test it yourself. Grab your phone and take a video of the same thing in motion while moving the camera to capture more of the scene. Shoot each video at a different speed, then play them back. The higher speed video will look smoother, usually a good bit smoother.

Shooting (or filming if you go really old school) at 30FPS or higher, then converting to 24FPS if you want that special look is what is usually recommended. The processing will intelligently cut the extra 7-ish frames per second and produce a video that plays back at the same rate it was recorded. You have the benefit of shooting at 30FPS to fight blur and rolling shutter effects, but you’ll get that “cinematic motion” look by exporting at 23.976FPS.

Of course, this all applies to anyone who is going to export and process their video. When you view a video on your phone or a computer, it plays back at the rate it was shot unless you edit it.

So what speed should I use?

It depends on what you’re planning to do. Pros know what speed to use for most any situation, but the rest of us only have a few things to consider.

Physical media

If you plan on exporting your videos to a DVD or Blu-ray disc, it’s going to be converted to 24FPS. We saw that shooting at 30FPS then exporting at 24 is fine, but there can be issues exporting 60FPS to 24FPS. Your video will still play back at the right speed, but the reduction of each second in the timeline isn’t even. That means certain frames will have to be skipped or repeated and there can be a choppy feel if you don’t take the time to manually edit every frame. Common advice in this situation is to shoot at whatever speed is closest to the playback rate of your distribution media. Only use 60FPS or higher if you plan to use effects like slow motion or still frame capture in your project.

Simply put — if you’re going to make a DVD of your vacation videos or your kids first birthday, shoot it at 30FPS. If you want to get fancy at a specific place with slow motion (imagine a slow shot of the kid blowing out the candles on the cake) shoot it at 60 or higher and take the time to edit it in your self with a proper video effects program.

Social sharing

Many of us will want to put a video clip on Facebook or Twitter. When you’re doing that, file size matters to both the company hosting the video and the folks playing it back. Mostly to the company hosting.

Your video will be compressed and displayed at a low quality but might be a one-to-one copy if someone were to download it. You want to shoot good video, but you don’t want enormous file sizes because it’s going to be compressed and be a low-quality in then end.

Just like a DVD, cutting from 60FPS to whatever format is being used on your social media site can cause some issues. Shooting at 30FPS is a safer bet. Your video will look good if someone were to download a copy at the original quality, and since it’s going to be converted in your timeline, it really doesn’t matter.

YouTube

4K 60FPS video of the awesome S Pen!

YouTube (or any other video sharing websites like Vimeo) will be able to play your video at the quality and speed you shot it in. It will also be able to be viewed at a lower resolution and compressed format without any intervention on your part, and this can be automatic based on the viewer’s internet connection speed.

Film your videos at the speed you like to view them if you’re going to put them on YouTube. Usually, the highest resolution and fastest frame rate are best here, as many other people will be able to view them at that quality. A specific framerate and format really only is necessary if you plan to distribute your video on physical media. Computers and phones are great at making everything work and showing us a good video when we tap the play button.

Your keepsakes

Most of us also have a collection of videos and clips we’re keeping because they are special to us. We’ll view them from time to time, but probably won’t be building the collection into a feature-length film.

Always shoot these videos at the highest quality your camera supports. You’ll be viewing them on your phone or a computer, so the playback speed and format isn’t an issue, but quality can be and will be in the future. I know I can’t be the only one with horrible 320 x 240 .3gp video files saved in the cloud somewhere. We still watch them because they are special, but it would be nice if they looked better.

Any video you shoot today will never get “better.” As tech advances and we move to 8k displays with newer screen tech to support them, we want the old videos we watch on them to look their best. These are the videos you shoot in 4K at 60FPS.

Back to not overthinking it

What’s important is that your videos look good to you. These rules are meant to be broken as needed.

In the end, you should just play with your camera. Try all the features and different shooting speeds, then see what you like. That’s the speed and format you should use.

If you ever need to turn out a Hollywood production with them, you’ll have a team of pros that can make everything work.

Wireless Charging 101 with Modern Dad

Android and iPhone living together with the magical glow of wireless charging. It truly is the future, folks.

This is the first of a series of three videos sponsored by the Wireless Power Consortium (which really does have one of the coolest names in the business). First up, a high-level look at wireless charging. Coming up: a closer look at how my family’s using wireless charging more these days.

I’ve used wireless charging off and on for years. I can’t remember the first phone I used that had it baked in. (I’m pretty old, closing in on 40, and I’ve used a lot of phones.) Maybe it was this one. Maybe something else. But it’s definitely grown in popularity because of a couple things.

First, I think, is the proliferation of the Samsung Galaxy S and Galaxy Note lines. When the world’s most popular Android smartphones added wireless charging, there was no going back. Second is that after years of dueling standards, we have a clear winner. That’s now Qi charging, of course. (That’s pronounced chee.) And that means you don’t have to worry about which standard a device uses, and which standard a charging pad supports. (That the Samsung phones supported more than one standard was interesting, but I’m not surprised one finally won out over the other.)

Read more on Qi charging at the Wireless Power Consortium!

This year I’ve found myself using wireless charging a good bit more, though. And it’s not actually about me. It’s about my wife and kid. My eldest daughter has been spoiled with (read: allowed to try out) her “own” phone, and it’s got Qi charging built in. My wife’s iPhone 7 has a Mophie Case wrapped around it for extra battery life — and wireless charging.

I’ve had a Mophie case on my Pixel XL. And yes, for the past few weeks I’ve been using a new iPhone 8, which supports the Qi standard. (The new iPhone X will as well.)

So that’s three people living under the same roof and three phones (or more) that all support wireless charging. And that means it’s a perfect time to actually rig up the joint for wireless charging. And now that it’s more ubiquitous, it’s also easier (and less expensive) to do than it’s ever been.

How’s all this work? The short answer is magnets. (Because magnets are freaking awesome, right?) The slightly longer answer is this: You just need a Qi-compatible phone, and a Qi-compatible charger. That’s it. Coils line up, electrons flow, and your phones charge. Maybe not as fast as if you plugged in, but then again you no longer have to do the plug-unplug dance dozens of times a day. It’s maybe not perfect for every situation, but I’ve definitely found I’m using it more now that more in my home can use it.

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Wireless Charging

• More from the Wireless Power Consortium
• Wireless charging explained
• Android phones & Qi charging
• iPhone and Qi charging

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Check out the Qi gear I’m using!

Oculus announces Oculus Go, a standalone VR headset between mobile and PC

We now have a third headset on the way from Oculus.

At Oculus Connect 4, Mark Zuckerberg announced that Oculus is working a new headset that sits in a “sweet spot” somewhere between Gear VR and Rift.

Officially called Oculus Go, this headset requires no phone and no cables running to the PC. It will be able to play movies, run games, and help you meet up with friends in VR. It is built to be lightweight, is has a new mesh foam interface, and it supposedly has the best visual clarity so far seen in VR, thanks to new lenses and a WQHD LCD fast-switch display with a higher fill-factor than OLED.

Read more at VRHeads

Oculus Santa Cruz offers standalone VR with full motion control

Oculus isn’t limiting its new stand-alone VR experiences to the Go headset. It’s introducing a much more refined version of Project Santa Cruz, the stand-alone VR headset it showed off last year. The new prototype is far sleeker, and importantly includes true six-degrees-of-freedom motion control. This is the first headset with full “inside-out” tracking, Oculus says. There are no wires and no external sensors, whether you’re tilting your head or waving your hands. There aren’t many details as of this writing, but it’ll take a while before you can strap one to your head — it’s reaching developers within a year.

It’s also introducing a brand new controller, simply called the Santa Cruz controllers. They look a little similar to the Touch with a grip button and a touchpad, but it looks different too — a little more streamlined and a little more compact. It uses the same four ultralight sensors on the Santa Cruz that it uses for inside out tracking.

Source: Oculus

Oculus Rift and Touch bundle gets a permanent price cut to $399

That summer sale on the Oculus Rift and Touch combo must have paid dividends. Oculus has announced that the price of a Rift and Touch combo has permanently dropped to $399 in the US. That still isn’t trivial, but it’s inexpensive enough that you can get a high-end VR experience on your PC without paying as much as you would for a high-end video card. And now that the Rift bundle costs $200 less than the HTC Vive, it’s safe to say that Oculus has the price advantage in VR outside of some Windows Mixed Reality headsets — it may be tough to consider anything else until competitors offer price cuts of their own.

Source: Oculus

Facebook brings VR to your office with the ‘Oculus for Business’ pack

While the new standalone Oculus Go stole the spotlight at Facebook’s Oculus 4 event in San Francisco, the company also announced its plans to bring virtual reality into the office space with its “Oculus for Business bundle. It includes a Rift, a pair of Oculus Touch controllers, three sensors, and three “facial interfaces” as well as dedicated customer support and additional licenses and warranties.

Facebook figures that companies can leverage the headsets to replace video conferencing during remote meetings or accelerate new employee training, similar to the system KFC recently implemented. Early adopters include Audi, which uses the headsets in its dealerships enabling customers to modify their vehicle various options before they purchase them. The bundle retails for $900 and is currently available for order from the Oculus website.

Apple Working With LG Display on Future Foldable iPhone

Apple is developing an iPhone with a foldable display alongside LG Display, reports Korean site The Investor. Apple is said to have chosen to work with LG and not Samsung out of fears that Samsung could get ahold of sensitive tech.

This is not the first time we’ve heard rumors of a future iPhone with a foldable display. Back in December of 2016, rumors suggested LG’s display division would begin mass-producing foldable displays for smartphones as early as 2018, with Apple said to be one possible partner.

LG has shown off several foldable display prototypes over the last two years, including one that folds over like a book and a second that rolls up much like a newspaper. LG’s foldable displays use flexible OLED panels and LG has been working to increase durability and yield rate.

LG is said to have recently created a dedicated task force to start developing a foldable OLED display for a future iPhone, while its siser company LG Innotek has a team developing a rigid flexible printed circuit board or (RFPCB) to go along with it.

Folding display technology is a ways off from launch, and unnamed industry sources believe panel production for an iPhone with a folding display won’t kick off until 2020, which is more than two years from now.

Samsung supplies the OLED displays for the iPhone X and is also expected to supply OLED panels for Apple’s 2018 iPhones, but LG recently started OLED production for phones at a factory in China and has plans to begin supplying Apple with panels as early as 2019.

Next year’s devices will not include foldable display tech, but we have heard rumors suggesting an all-OLED lineup with two OLED devices in 5.85 and 6.46-inch sizes.

Related Roundup: iPhone XTag: theinvestor.co.kr
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