Severe solar storms could stop self-driving cars dead in their tracks

NASA

The driverless cars of tomorrow may be programmed to deal with harsh winter conditions, inattentive pedestrians, or even bird poop, but the biggest hazard may be a solar storm that knocks out GPS communication and turns roads into giant parking lots.

According to a report in Bloomberg, space meteorologists are cautioning that over-reliance on satellite data could cause problems for self-driving or autonomous vehicles in the event of a solar disturbance. We usually don’t notice solar storms, other than the colorful auroras in the sky as charged particles collide with the upper atmosphere, but they can be disruptive to communications.

Solar storms, like hurricanes, are rated on a scale from one to five, and the NOAA regularly issues alerts about “space weather” that includes solar activity. Scott McIntosh of the National Center for Atmospheric Research says that space weather forecasts may become as commonplace as terrestrial weather predictions.

“There is a lot riding on this, from an actuarial point of view,” he said. “All it is going to take is a couple of accidents.”

NASA has two STEREO (Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory) spacecraft monitoring solar activity, and the Air Force launched the C/NOFS (Communication/Navigation Outage Forecasting System) several years ago specifically to forecast possible disruptions to communication and navigation systems.

Luckily, we seem to be in a lull of solar activity as driverless cars take to the streets. The eruptions generally follow an 11-year cycle, which last peaked in 2014.

For their part, engineers of automated cars and trucks are taking steps to cope with unexpected disruptions like space weather. Some self-driving systems include onboard data such as regional maps that would let cars find the next freeway exit.

Danny Shapiro of Nvidea says that there’s enough redundancy built into self-driving navigation systems that fears of a Mad Max scenario on an interstate caused by solar activity are overblown. At the very least, the car would just pull to the side of the road and stop. Most cars aren’t overly reliant on GPS data when navigating across town.

“With very detailed measurements like lane changes and bike lanes, you don’t have time to take all this data and send it up to the cloud and back,” Shapiro said. “You go to the cloud when you’re asking, ‘Hey, what’s the fastest route to Starbucks?’”

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Do more with your drone: 5 things you can do with a UAV (aside from taking pics)

Drones are already famous for their incredibly beautiful shots of landscapes, sports, homes, and much more. But 4K images and video are just the beginning: There are many other activities that you —yes, even you, amateur drone pilot— can get involved in to show off your drone, make a difference in the world, and volunteer for some truly exciting opportunities. Here are the top five!

1. Racing Competitively

IDRA

If you have a seriously souped-up drone that you want to show off, then drone racing is absolutely a real sport, and it’s growing around the world with multiple options for joining leagues and testing your skills. They are even showing drone races on ESPN!

Drone racing leagues vary from more casual organizations that encourage amateur participation to very professional players that sign up for big, showy events (if you’ve never seen a drone race at night with all the drones decked out in LED lights, you’re definitely missing something). Of course, no matter how you get involved in racing, you have to have the right drone specifications to qualify, and enough time to invest in a serious hobby. The good news is that you can be part of a growing sport that is working to cement its own standards, laws, and policies.

Find out more: Try visiting Drone Racing MultiGP, a global racing league with a lot of different opportunities around the world. If you want to look for flashier events that are fun to attend even if you don’t necessarily want to race drones yourself, then check out The Drone Racing League and see what cities it’s coming to in the future.

2. Drone Search and Rescue Volunteering

Harrisen Howes

Drones have also proven to be particularly valuable when it comes to emergency services. You can get them off the ground more easily and more quickly than a helicopter, which makes them ideal for a rapid deployment when someone goes missing in nearly any wilderness situation. Drones can also be used for similar emergency services, such as spotting and tracking wildfires, searching disaster zones, and much more.

Obviously this is amazing because it allows drone pilots to help save lives, but it’s also a less costly and fast way of conducting search and rescue efforts compared to traditional solutions.

Find out more: Obviously, you can’t just go out and join a search and rescue team at a whim. First, search your local area to see if there are any nearby programs that allow amateur drone pilots to join efforts as volunteers. There are also many training programs online for gaining experience and potentially certification. The Drone Pro Academy offers classes to introduce you to search and rescue, and various drone companies offer boot camps for hands-on training.

3. Wildlife Conservation with Drones

Here’s an eco-friendly movement that has joined forces with drone pilots: Wildlife conservation organizations are turning toward drones to help them make a difference, and many of them are looking for volunteers to help out.

This effort is ongoing, and somewhat complex. The FAA has specific regulations for drones used to survey wildlife, and of course not everyone is close enough to the areas that conservation organizations want to survey. However, if you are in the right place and have the right training, this can be an excellent way to help the planet and spot some rare animals. It’s also a particularly cool choice if you don’t mind shipping out as a volunteer to join a research group in one of earth’s many exotic place for a couple months of drone scouting.

Find out more: There are plenty of resources online that you can check out to learn more about these opportunities. ConservationDrones is a great source of information for volunteers, and National Geographic has a good introductory article. You should also contact local colleges and conservation groups to see if they need any help track wildlife.

4. Helping Scientists with Important Studies

Even if tracking wildlife in exotic locations isn’t really your thing, you can still help out scientists in other ways! This typically involves equipping your drone with scientific equipment that can take thermo images or high-resolution cameras that can easily gather information that can help local research.

You’d be surprised just how many scientific purposes drones have: Some conduct surveys, some keep track of fire damage or pest infestations, some watch drought conditions, and…well, there are a lot of different projects, based on research goals. Drones can often find a place where widespread geographical data collection is needed. Plus, you get to make a difference!

Find out more: Check out this article on the legal requirements for flying science drones so that you know what’s expected. This is another good opportunity to connect with local colleges, GIS organizations, and research groups and see what their needs are.

5. Connecting Sick Patients with the Places They Love

For a heartfelt use of your drones, look no further than this outreach. The concept is simple and very touching: There are patients living in hospice care, at home, or in retirement homes and hospitals that have not been able to get out and about for years. Drone pilots can do something about that.

There are volunteers who connect with these patients and learn about favorite spots they had when growing up, whether it be a cabin in the forest, a spot on the beach, a river they loved to fish, or another important memory. Drone pilots then go out to the area in question, send up a drone with a high-quality camera, and send a (real-time, if possible) video feed back to a screen set up for the patient. Patients and their loved ones then get to relive some of their favorite spots through the eyes of the drone, which fortunately cannot shed tears.

Find out more: Visit Flight to Remember to learn more about this effort. You may want to contact hospice organizations in your area and see if they offer any similar programs, too.

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‘Yakuza Kiwami 2’ set for Western launch on August 28th

While Western fans of the Yakuza series are still patiently waiting for Yakuza 6: The Song of Life’s delayed PS4 launch next month, Sega decided to tease further by announcing that Yakuza Kiwami 2, the remake of Yakuza 2 from 2008, is also heading to the West on August 28th. This is surprising considering that there is a 28-month gap between the Japanese debut of Yakuza 6 and its Western counterpart, whereas for Yakuza Kiwami 2 it’s just going to be a nine-month wait — assuming that there will be no delay, of course.

In other news, following the botched release of the Yakuza 6 demo that let folks play beyond the intended limit, Sega said it will finally be releasing the demo back online “early next week.” This should keep fans busy until April 17th, at which point their progress in the demo will be carried over to the full game.

Following Yakuza 6, Yakuza Kiwami 2 is the second game in the franchise using the Dragon Engine, which offers a near-seamless experience when your character enters buildings or encounter street battles. Like the original release, Kiwami 2 is set a year after the first Yakuza story, where Kiryu is tasked with a mission to prevent a massive fight between the troubled Tojo Clan — which he had tried to avoid returning to — and Osaka’s ambitious Omi Family. Because of this, the two dragons of the Yakuza saga would eventually meet: Kiryu as the “Dragon of Dojima” and Omi Family’s Ryuji Goda as the “Dragon of Kansai.”

Much like Kiwami, Kiwami 2 offers a new playable story based on “Mad Dog of Shimano” Goro Majima, which sees him forming his own company, Majima Construction, as well as encountering his crush Makoto Makimura from Yakuza 0.

A typo in ‘Civilization VI’ game code can ‘yeild’ some strange A.I. behavior

If you’ve noticed that the priorities of your A.I. opponents in Civilization VI seem to be a little off, you’re not alone. Straight White Shark, a modder on the Something Awful forums, seems to have been the first to discover a typographical error in the game file that governs the default behaviors of the game’s various leaders.

via @Hentzau, it appears that Civilisation VI's AI was completely broken on release because of… a typo. pic.twitter.com/RufPrcjzQX

— mike cook #notGDC (@mtrc) March 14, 2018

This appears to be the only place where “YIELD” is misspelled, meaning that these priorities are not used by the A.I. As you can see, the programmers meant for the A.I. leaders to emphasize production, followed by gold, science, and culture, with faith as the lowest priority.

The typo means these priorities are never implemented, so faith gets treated with the same importance as production.

How something like this could have survived thousands of hours of testing and evaluation is a mystery, especially for such a high-profile title as Civilization VI. It’s not clear if these errors were in the original release version of the game, or if they’re the result of a recent update.

Shark and others have verified that correcting the code does make a difference in A.I. behavior. PC Gamer used multiple tests to evaluate the differences. When running identical Autoplay games, for example, Pedro II of Brazil produced far less faith over a 100-turn span when using the corrected code.

Firaxis has responded with a statement to PC Gamer, confirming that the errors were not intentional, and they would be corrected:

“We’re aware of a community-reported bug that has a minor impact on AI behavior. We’ve also made sure that everyone knows that I goes before E except after C … or other weird exceptions,” the developer said. “Thanks to all who helped bring this to our attention and there will be a fix included in our next update.”

If you don’t want to wait for the update, there’s also a mod on the Steam Workshop that corrects the priorities.

Spelling errors aside, we found Civilization VI to be one of the best games of 2016. Expanding on the best features of Civ V, it adds new features and systems that integrate flawlessly with the Civ experience you’ve grown to love. If you’re just getting started, we’ve got some hints and tips for you here, and if you grabbed the recent Rise & Fall expansion you won’t want to miss our strategy summary.

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Facebook’s Express Wi-Fi offers internet service to developing countries

Facebook is dipping its toes into the ISP business with Express Wi-Fi. This app allows users in developing countries to buy data packs that can be used at hotspots. The app is currently live in five developing countries. The hot spots themselves are managed by local business owners, and Facebook hopes it can provide an alternative to the slow data plans offered by cell carriers.

Express Wi-Fi isn’t completely new, but Facebook’s Play Store App offers several key improvements over the first version. For starters, it’s available on the Play Store, which makes it a lot easier to find, plus it no longer requires users to reconfigure their phones. The Play Store app also offers a way for users to find various hot spots nearby.

“Facebook is releasing the Express Wi-Fi app in the Google Play store to give people another simple and secure way to access fast, affordable internet through their local Express Wi-Fi hotspots,” a Facebook representative told Tech Crunch.

Facebook has tried something like this in the past with Free Basics, but that option was widely derided, as it only offered a handful of Facebook-approved services, rather than true internet access.

The app marks a major push to expand Facebook’s market into the developing world, where lack of quality internet can make social media sites difficult, if not impossible, to use. The move comes at a time when Facebook is nearly omnipresent in developed nations, though there are signs that it may be declining a bit. In Q4, Facebook saw its U.S. and Canadian userbase decline by 700,000. This was, in part, due to Newsfeed changes, which no longer emphasized viral videos as much.

In order to sustain itself, the company needs to find new members and the developed world may be nearly tapped out. This is partially why Facebook has embarked on a number of initiatives meant to provide developing countries with affordable access to the internet. In addition to Express Wi-Fi, it is working to develop solar drones, which can provide internet service to people. Though the company may have humanitarian aims in mind with these endeavors, it is also an investment in Facebook’s future. After all, the first step towards getting people on Facebook is getting them online.

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Facebook suspends Cambridge Analytica for misuse of personal data

Facebook has banned the analytics firm Strategic Communication Laboratories and its political arm, Cambridge Analytica, for failure to follow its rules regarding the handling of personal data. While some outlets have reported that this was the result of a breach, the social network denies this claim. In the company’s statement, Facebook VP and Deputy General Counsel Paul Grewal said that the reports regarding a data breach were “completely false.”

Cambridge Analytica, which is best known for its work alongside Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, obtained the information from Dr. Aleksandr Kogan, who created an app called “thisisyourdigitallife.” The app billed itself as a personality test and was downloaded by about 270,000 people. By downloading the app, the users gave permission for the app’s developers to access information regarding the city they lived in, what kind of content they liked on Facebook, and other general information.

While Kogan obtained the information legitimately and in accordance with Facebook’s rules, he then proceeded to violate those rules by sharing them with a third party — in this case, Cambridge Analytica.

“By passing information on to a third party, including SCL/Cambridge Analytica and Christopher Wylie of Eunoia Technologies, he violated our platform policies,” Grewal wrote. “When we learned of this violation in 2015, we removed his app from Facebook and demanded certifications from Kogan and all parties he had given data to that the information had been destroyed. Cambridge Analytica, Kogan, and Wylie all certified to us that they destroyed the data.”

Last week, Facebook received reports that not all of the data had been destroyed as as promised. Facebook has not yet verified these claims, but has chosen to suspend SCL/Cambridge Analytica and Kogan from the site while it investigates these accusations.

Facebook isn’t the only organization looking into Cambridge Analytica. The Guardian has reported that British Election Commission is investigating the organization in regards to the Brexit vote, which saw the U.K. vote to leave the European Union.

“We are investigating the circumstances in which Facebook data may have been illegally acquired and used,” said the Commission’s Elizabeth Denham. “It’s part of our ongoing investigation into the use of data analytics for political purposes which was launched to consider how political parties and campaigns, data analytics companies and social media platforms in the UK are using and analysing people’s personal information to micro-target voters.”

Facebook itself has faced questions regarding how it handles user data as well.

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YouTube’s Kids app suggested conspiracy theory videos

As much work as YouTube may have done to scrub vile videos from its Kids app, there’s still some work to go. Business Insider has discovered that the Kids app was suggesting conspiracy theory videos when you searched for certain keywords. If you looked for “UFO,” for instance, you’d find videos from David Icke parroting numerous discredited conspiracy theories, including the notion that the planet is run by reptile-human hybrids.

YouTube removed the videos after BI got in contact, and was quick to acknowledge the difficulty of keeping the Kids app squeaky clean. The team screens content using “human trained systems,” according to the statement,” but “sometimes we miss the mark.”

The company has lately been taking active steps to fight misinformation, including the use of Wikipedia (much to Wikipedia’s surprise) to debunk hoaxes. However, child-oriented apps unsurprisingly face a much higher level of scrutiny — they’re not supposed to show any false material, contextual help or otherwise. And it’s tough to completely remove that content when hundreds of hours of new videos are uploaded every minute. Unless YouTube can offer virtually flawless filtering, these kinds of incidents may reoccur.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Business Insider

Video: Samsung Galaxy S9+ cameras explained

Let’s talk about the Samsung Galaxy S9’s cameras. If you’re a fan, they’re what truly sets these phones apart from the competition. If you’re a cynic, they’re the only real upgrade in a relatively boring upgrade cycle. Either way, they’re easily the most interesting thing about Samsung’s latest flagship, and more than two weeks with the S9+ has given us a chance to get to know this area of the phone pretty well.

We’ve covered everything that’s new in the S9’s camera setup in our video new explainer: from variable apertures to telephoto to AR emojis. Take a look to find out everything you need to know about Samsung’s latest and greatest smartphone imaging setup!

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Nissan’s electric SUV concept will enter production

Nissan’s current electric car lineup revolves almost exclusively around the Leaf, but it’s ready to diversify its selection. The company’s European design chief Mamoru Aoki has revealed to Autocar that a production version of the IMx concept SUV (above) will arrive sometime in “a few years.” It’s not certain how much the crossover EV would change, but it’s reasonable to presume that Nissan would want to keep the IMx’s performance. The concept promised 435HP and a 380-mile range, giving Tesla’s Model X a run for its money in some cases.

It’s safe to say some concept car indulgences, such as the giant wheels, won’t make the cut. Don’t rule everything out, however. Aoki extolled the IMx’s unique mix of wood and translucent plastic for the interior, suggesting that you might see some form of it in the finished product.

Renault-Nissan has a solid roadmap for electric cars with plans to field eight by 2022 (not including Mitsubishi), but the Nissan brand’s plans have remained relatively quiet compared to Renault — this sheds some light on what its share of the 2022 lineup might look like. It may also answer those concerned that Nissan might lag behind Hyundai, VW and others who’ve been more vocal about their EV roadmaps.

Via: Electrek

Source: Autocar

Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus vs. Apple iPhone X: Tough competition at the top

The Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus has emerged from the wreckage of MWC 2018, big, bad, and ready to take on the world. But powerful and impressive though it is, it has still has its fair share of competitors, and the Apple iPhone X is chief among them. How does Samsung’s latest fare against the best Apple has to offer? We took a look to find out.

Specs

Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
Apple iPhone X

Size
158.1 x 73.8 x 8.5 mm (6.22 x 2.91 x 0.33 inches)
143.6 x 70.9 x 7.7 mm (5.65 x 2.79 x 0.30 inches)

Weight
189 grams (6.67 ounces)
174 grams (6.14 ounces)

Screen Size
6.2-inch AMOLED display
5.8-inch Super Retina AMOLED display

Screen Resolution
2,960 x 1,440 pixels (529 pixels-per-inch)
2,436 x 1,125 pixels (458 pixels-per-inch)

Operating System
Samsung Experience 9 (over Android 8.0 Oreo)
iOS 11

Storage Space
64GB
64GB, 256GB

MicroSD Card Slot
Yes, up to 256GB
No

Tap To Pay Services
Samsung Pay, Android Pay
Apple Pay

Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
A11 Bionic

RAM
6GB
3GB

Camera
Dual sensor 12MP rear, 8MP front
Dual sensor 12MP rear, 7MP front

Video
2,160p at 60 frames per second, 1080p at 240 fps, 720p at 960 fps
2,160p at 60 frames per second, 1080p at 240 fps

Bluetooth Version
Bluetooth 5.0
Bluetooth 5.0

Ports
3.5mm headphone jack, USB-Type C
Lightning

Fingerprint sensor
Yes
Yes

Water resistance
IP68
IP67

Battery
3,500mAh
2,716mAh

App Marketplace
Google Play Store
Apple App Store

Network support
T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint
T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint

Colors
Midnight Black, Coral Blue, Lilac Purple
Space Gray, Silver

Price
$840
$1000

Buy From

Samsung, Amazon, Target

AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Apple

Review Score
4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5 stars

Performance, battery life, and charging

The Galaxy S9 Plus comes with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 845 and the power increases you’d expect from a chip that’s a faster, improved version of the Snapdragon 835. Our benchmarks of the chip in the S9 Plus show mixed results. The S9 Plus beats the iPhone X’s A11 Bionic chip by a large margin in the AnTuTu 3D Bench test, with a score of 263,591, compared to the iPhone X’s 206,010. However, the iPhone X trounces the S9 Plus in Geekbench 4, with scores of 4,231 single-core and 9,877 multi-core, compared to 2,415 single-core and 8,191 multi-core for the S9 Plus. More importantly, in real world situations, the iPhone X feels smoother.

The S9 Plus has double the RAM of the iPhone X, but since Android and iOS handle RAM differently, that doesn’t mean much. Both phones offer base models with 64GB of storage. Only the iPhone offers a larger 256GB version (for $150 more) — but that’s more than offset by the MicroSD card slot in the S9 Plus.

Packing a 3,500mAh battery, the S9 Plus made it through to 6 p.m. with 25-percent battery left after heavy usage. The iPhone X’s testing also saw out the day, with a similar level of battery left.

Moving over to charging speeds, Samsung chose to stick with QuickCharge 2.0 for the S9 Plus, despite having the Snapdragon 845, which can support QuickCharge 4.0. It’s still able to match the fast charging of the iPhone X. Unlike the S9 Plus, however, the iPhone X does not come with a fast charger out of the box — that’ll set you back another $25 for the right cable. But at least you’ll be able to wirelessly charge with any Qi-compatible pad, as both of these devices come with Qi-standard wireless charging.

Winner: Apple iPhone X

Design and durability

The iPhone X represented a huge shift for Apple away from the established style that debuted with the iPhone 6. It’s a luxurious design, with glass laid over a stainless steel body, and a gorgeous 5.8-inch OLED panel dominating the front of the phone. The notch is a sore point, but it seems that Apple is slowly being proven right on that as Android manufacturers continue to copy the trend.

By contrast, Samsung chose to refine rather than redesign with the S9 range, and it means the S9 Plus looks very similar to the S8 Plus at first glance. That’s no bad thing — it’s not an old design, and it’s gorgeous. Look closer and the changes are more obvious — the unpopular fingerprint sensor position has been shifted to below the camera lenses, and some of the front-facing tech has been made less obvious. It has the same glass over aluminum build that gives the device a pleasing amount of heft, and the curved display is a thing of beauty. The Samsung phone still has a headphone jack, though the influence of that port continues to wane as more and more manufacturers drop it.

In terms of durability, you’re looking at similar results — you’ll want a case for both the iPhone X and the S9 Plus. Glass just isn’t that durable. There is some decent waterproofing on both phones, though the S9 Plus’ IP68 certification places it slightly above the iPhone X’s IP67 — we’re talking about the ability to handle 1.5 meters for half an hour compared to 1 meter for half an hour, respectively.

This is a tough one to judge. These are both gorgeous phones with decent water resistance.

Winner: Tie

Display

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

The curved 6.2-inch AMOLED screen in the S9 Plus is every bit as bright and colorful as you could want a display to be. Apple’s 5.8-inch Super Retina AMOLED screen is not far behind, but it’s slightly smaller and slightly less sharp, with a lower pixel density. You won’t be disappointed by either, but the S9 Plus takes it.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus

Camera

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

It’s dual-lens city here on these devices. The iPhone X is packing two 12-megapixel lenses, one of which is a telephoto lens with a slightly wider f/2.4 aperture, compared to the f/1.8 aperture in the standard lens. It’s a top-tier camera, worthy of its place on our top camera phones list, and capable of creating some stunning shots with bokeh effects that could easily pass as professional DSLR snaps.

The Galaxy S9 Plus sports the S-range’s first ever dual-lens camera suite, with two 12MP lenses blinking at you from the rear. The S9 Plus’s amazing mechanical aperture can also shift between a smaller f/2.4 and larger f/1.5 aperture, delivering fantastic shots in a wide variety of light levels and locations. However, it does suffer from blurriness in portrait modes, which is one place the iPhone X excels.

On the video front, these phones have similar capabilities, though the S9 Plus gains an edge with the option for super slow motion 960 fps video, while the iPhone X can only shoot at 240 fps.

While the S9 Plus’ camera is a technological marvel, with the first mechanically changing aperture that we’ve seen in years and some of the best camera tech we’ve ever seen on a smartphone, it still lacks in a few areas that the iPhone X really shines in. Based on our testing so far, we can’t say that one is clearly better than the other. This one is a tie.

Winner: Tie

Software and updates

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

We’re not going to get heavily into the iOS vs. Android debate here. Both operating systems have been around for long enough now that you likely know which of the two you prefer. At this point, both systems have advanced to the point where differences in presentation and design are fairly minimal anyway, so personal preference plays a larger role here than most people are likely to admit. If you’re a fan of customization, then iOS probably isn’t your bag — but Apple’s design is super slick.

You’ll get AR emojis on both devices, but Apple’s implementation is better. Samsung offers a better virtual reality experience, if you want to try that out.

The decider here is software updates. Apple will push out new versions of iOS to the iPhone X immediately, while you’ll need to wait for Samsung to test Google’s latest Android releases, before tweaking its own user interface to roll them out. This can mean you’ll sometimes be left waiting for the latest security updates and new features on the S9 Plus.

Winner: Apple iPhone X

Special features

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

The Galaxy S9 Plus wins points here for the Dex Station support, which allows you to turn your phone into a kind of desktop computer. But we have to give the iPhone X some kudos for Face ID, which offers a seamless unlocking experience that’s definitely slicker than Samsung’s iris scanning and more secure than face unlock.

Winner: Tie

Price

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

The iPhone X is currently available (but who knows for how long), and prices start at $999. Getting the 256GB model will set you back another $150, making the iPhone X cost a whole lot of pocket change. As an Apple flagship, it’s available from pretty much everywhere phones are sold, with most carriers offering some sort of package for it.

The Galaxy S9 Plus began shipping on March 16. It’ll set you back $840, making it almost $200 cheaper than the iPhone X. Like the iPhone, you’ll be able to find this phone pretty much everywhere, with most U.S. carriers having their own version to sell.

It’s clear which phone is the better value for money — the S9 Plus takes this final round.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus

Overall winner: Apple iPhone X

Brenda Stolyar/Digital Trends

We’d love to sit on the fence here, but we can’t. Honestly, the S9 Plus is probably the better choice for Android fans, but the iPhone X is one heck of a machine, and one of the most gorgeous devices that Apple has ever manufactured. We marginally prefer the overall experience offered by the iPhone X, but the S9 Plus does not disappoint.