There’s an entire photo studio in your phone with this AR app

Think augmented reality is just for making silly Snapchat faces? A new app could help photographers experiment with poses, lighting, and setups with nothing but a smartphone. Photo Studio AR is an augmented reality photo studio headed up by a Hollywood visual effects technician that also assisted on Snapchat filters. The app allows photographers to place models, lights, and props inside any scene.

Developed by Superba AR, the new iOS and Android app allows users to conjure up studio settings anywhere without having to buy the gear or even hire a model. Using the smartphone camera, users can choose a model to place in the scene. According to the developer, those models are all based on real people. The app allows users to choose from different poses as well as modifying poses or the model will move around impatiently while you choose the rest of the set.

Photo Studio AR also includes AR lighting, including different types of studio lights and modifiers that can be arranged in the scene. The app even allows users to adjust the direction of the sun. The app applies the light from those AR sources to the models and props in the scene, including the resulting shadows.

The lighting and posing practice also mixes in with props and even entire scenes, swapping the boring office you’re actually sitting in with a beach or a desert. The app can also turn on fake rain and snow. Like other augmented reality apps, the different models and props can be re-arranged and scaled to different sizes. 

Of course, the app includes a built-in camera, so once everything is in place, you can take a photo of the setup and even share on social media. The app’s camera will also apply color corrections via a set of different filters that can be used as you shoot in real time.

The app is designed to help photographers visualize a shoot ahead of time, pre-planning for different lighting setups and poses. That same pre-shoot experimentation could also be useful for new photographers that want to experiment with how different lights work before actually choosing which light to buy in real life.

Developer Superba AR, based in California, also offers a Film Studio AR app, a similar project except that it is designed for pre-visualizing movie sets. The company was co-founded by Raffael Dickreuter, its current CEO, and entrepreneur Donald LeMastus. The CEO moved to the new company after working on visual effects in Hollywood for over a decade, including working on films like Iron Man and Man of Steel.

Photo Studio AR may allow photographers to practice without investing in lighting or hiring a model but the app sells as a $10 download, with in-app purchases for additional models. The app is available from the App Store (including an iPad version) and Google Play.

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Moto G6 vs. Moto G5: Is it time to crown a new budget king?

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Motorola’s range of budget kings has a new model with the arrival of the Moto G6 smartphone. But how does the new model compare to the last major installment in the Moto G line, the Moto G5? Though the Moto G5 was never officially released in the U.S., it was still a massive hit around the world. With the new G6 in the wings, how do the two measure up? We took a look to find out.

Specs

Moto G6
Moto G5

Size
153.8 x 72.3 x 8.3 mm (6.01 x 2.85 x 0.33 inches)
144.3 x 73 x 9.5 mm (5.68 x 2.87 x 0.37 inches)

Weight
167 grams (5.89 ounces)
145 grams (5.11 ounces)

Screen size
5.7-inch IPS LCD
5.0-inch IPS LCD

Screen resolution
2160 x 1080 pixels (424 pixels per inch)
1920 x 1080 pixels (441 pixels per inch)

Operating system
Android 8.0 Oreo
Android 7.0 Nougat (Android 8.0 Oreo update planned)

Storage space
32GB, 64GB
16GB, 32GB

MicroSD card slot
Yes, up to 128GB
Yes, up to 128GB

Tap-to-pay services
No
No

Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 450
Qualcomm Snapdragon 430

RAM
3GB, 4GB
2GB, 3GB

Camera
Dual lens 12MP and 5MP rear, 8MP front
13MP rear, 5MP front

Video
1080p at 60 fps, slow-mo video
1080p at 30 fps

Bluetooth version
Bluetooth 4.2
Bluetooth 4.2

Ports
3.5mm headphone jack, USB-C
3.5mm headphone jack, Micro USB

Fingerprint sensor
Yes
Yes

Water resistance
No
No

Battery
3,000mAh

TurboPower Charging

2,800mAh

TurboPower Charging

App marketplace
Google Play Store
Google Play Store

Network support
All major carriers
All major carriers

Colors
Black, Deep Indigo
Lunar Grey, Fine Gold, Sapphire Blue

Price
$250
$200

Buy from
Motorola

Motorola, Amazon

Review score
Hands on
News

Performance, battery life, and charging

Kyle Wiggers/Digital Trends

We didn’t review the Moto G5, due to the aforementioned lack of a U.S. release, but the G-range has generally brought quite zippy performance for a budget handset. We were impressed with the last release, the Moto G5S Plus. While it certainly doesn’t pack flagship-level performance, the Snapdragon 430 in the Moto G5 is reliable and quick to respond. The Moto G6 is packing the more powerful Snapdragon 450, and offers the option of more RAM, which will give the G6 an edge in multitasking.

The G6 also has a larger battery than the G5, rising to 3,000mAh from the G5’s 2,800mAh. Wireless charging is a no-go, but that’s not unexpected on a budget phone. Charging speeds via the USB-C port on the G6 are also faster. Motorola’s TurboPower Charging jumps to 15W, giving enough power for six hours of charge in just 15 minutes. The Moto G5 can still charge fairly quickly via its less convenient Micro USB port, but speeds are capped at 10W. Of course, you have to use the right charger to get those speeds.

The Moto G6 is a straight upgrade in every single aspect. The newer model is the clear winner here.

Winner: Moto G6

Design and durability

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

We had some criticisms of the look of the Moto G5 Plus when it was first released, and those criticisms apply to the smaller G5 too. The chunky bezels and rounded style make the G5 look like a much older phone, and while we don’t expect supercar-levels of attractiveness in our budget phones, we do expect a high level of style in 2018. Thankfully, this seems to have been rectified with the Moto G6. The G6 is packing the 18:9 aspect ratio that’s becoming increasingly common, and while the phone isn’t truly bezel-less, the bezels are much reduced while still retaining a style that’s very Moto G and still modern. You’ll also find the fingerprint sensor around the front of both phones.

As you might expect for a budget phone, neither has any significant water-resistance, with a “water-repellent” coating being the only real protection against liquids. In terms of physical durability it’s more of a toss-up. The Moto G5 is covered in a fairly flimsy metal, and it’s debatable whether that metal will fare better than the glass on the back of the G6. Glass is prone to shattering, but that risk can be stymied with a good case.

We’re still torn on the durability issue, but we think it’s clear that the Moto G6 is by far the more attractive phone here. The G6 takes it.

Winner: Moto G6

Display

Both these phones pack IPS LCD screens with Full HD 1080p screens, and they’re both colorful, sharp, and more than good enough for a budget phone. Outside of that, there’s little else in common with these two phones. The Moto G6’s 5.7-inch display covers significantly more of the phone’s front than the G5’s 5-inch display, while the G6’s 18:9 aspect ratio also gives it a longer screen. In displays, bigger is often better, and although the G6’s display isn’t quite as sharp as the G5’s (due to the larger coverage and similar resolution), it’s not a big enough difference to be able to see with the naked eye.

The Moto G6 gives you a bigger screen that’s oh-so 2018, and it wins this category.

Winner: Moto G6

Camera

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Cameras in budget phones have improved a lot over the course of the last year. Since early 2017, we’ve seen dual-lens cameras become more and more prevalent, even on lower-priced phones, and the Moto G6 continues this trend with 12-megapixel and 5-megapixel lenses around the back, and a sizeable 8-megapixel selfie-shooter on the front. We’ll have to see how it performs when we get our hands on it, but even if it’s only just as good as the camera on the G5S Plus we’re fairly sure it’ll be better than the single 13-megapixel shooter on the G5.

In terms of video, the Moto G6 has one-upped the G5 with 1080p recordings at 60 frames per second. The G5 can only manage 30 fps at that same resolution. There’s also support for slow motion recording on the G6, and a time lapse feature.

While we haven’t spent much time with the Moto G6 ‘s camera yet, we’re reasonably sure that it’ll turn out to be the superior of the two.

Winner: Moto G6

Software and updates

Motorola is known for shipping its phones with a version of Android reasonably close to stock, and there’s no difference here in that regard. However, you will find an updated version of Android 8.0 Oreo on the Moto G6, while the Moto G5 is currently stuck on the older Android 7.0 Nougat. While an update is planned for the G5, there’s no sign of it yet.

Going forward, Motorola has stated that the G6 will receive an update to Android P, and up to two years of update support — since the G5 is already partway through its update lifespan, similar support is unlikely.

While there’s nothing wrong with the version of Android on the G5, the G6 has all the latest features and is more likely to be supported for longer. The Moto G6 wins here.

Winner: Moto G6

Special features

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Since both of these phones are close to stock Android you might think there won’t be much in the way of special Motorola-added features. But you’d be wrong. Features like Moto Actions allow you to use physical gestures with your phone to open specific apps — like double-twisting your wrist to open your camera — while Moto Voice allows you to access some phones features or open apps with the phrase “Show me”.

These features have been pretty standard across most recent Motorola phones, and at this point we’re not aware of any additional features that could separate them. This is a tie.

Winner: Tie

Price

Both of these phones are inexpensive budget beasts with a lot to offer. The Moto G6 will be available in May, with prices starting from $250. The Moto G5 didn’t officially launch in the U.S., but that doesn’t mean you can’t buy an international variant from Amazon, and current pricing has it at a paltry $160. That’s a real bargain for a phone that’s this good.

Winner: Moto G5

Overall winner: Moto G6

We would have really been questioning Motorola if this had been the other way around. While the Moto G5 is still a great budget phone with a lot to offer, it really is outpaced and outshone by the upgraded design and innards of the Moto G6. The newer phone is the clear winner in this bout, and we’re eagerly awaiting more time with the Moto G6 to find out exactly what it’s capable of.

Editors’ Recommendations

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New Apple patent could help Siri learn newly created words and phrases

While you could honestly debate about whether Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa is the better digital assistant, Apple’s Siri is largely considered to be the worst of the three. Finally, it looks like Apple could be working on changing that — the company has been awarded a patent related to discovering trending topics in speech requests.

As time goes on, new words and phrases are invented and begin being used in society — like “cryptocurrency,” and “bae.” These are the kinds of words and phrases that the patent is aimed at learning.

As the phrases and words get used more often in social media, news articles, and web searches, the patent describes the system as being able to search archives of both live and recent speech traffic to find out if they’re being said to a digital assistant. If they are, notifications are generated to identify the meaning and context of the words and phrases and to provide usage statistics — things that could be helpful in ensuring that a digital assistant knows when a word or phrase is being used appropriately.

The technology could be useful. As Apple described in the patent filing, digital assistants can become outdated as language changes over time, even if those changes are subtle. When digital assistant are outdated, they become less and less helpful — and right now Siri needs all the help she can get in being a little more helpful.

Of course, just because Apple was awarded the patent, it doesn’t mean that it will be used any time soon. This patent is actually a continuation of a patent that was filed in 2015. Still, what the patent does mean is that Apple is actively working on ways to make Siri a better digital assistant and that we could definitely see a better version in the near future.

Apple has been awarded a number of patents of late. Last week, the company was awarded a patent aimed at addressing the so-called “luminescence shock” that can occur when a phone’s display is turned on in the dark. Before that, the company was awarded a patent related to using flexible batteries.

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Android’s texting is outdated, but Google is fixing it

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Google’s effort to come to grips with Android’s messaging problem has arrived via “Chat,” a consumer-friendly name for the Rich Communication Services (RCS) messaging standard.

RCS, which we’ve looked at before, is an evolution of SMS. It introduces many features that have previously been unavailable through texting: Better group messaging, read receipts, typing indicators, animated stickers, and more — things that have long-been available on Internet Protocol apps like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Apple’s iMessage. Chat isn’t a new app from Google, rather the technology based on the Universal Profile for RCS. It will be supported in Android Messages, the default texting app on many Android phones.

Chat, first reported by The Verge, is a carrier service. That means Google worked with more than 50 carriers around the world and almost a dozen manufacturers to support the standard. Sent messages will be inked to your data plan instead of your SMS plan, and charges — set by the carrier — should be minimal.

The idea is for Chat to offer modern messaging features to the default texting app on all Android phones. So it doesn’t matter if you use AT&T, Verizon, or Samsung’s messaging app, you’ll still be able to see read receipts, typing indicators, and more with someone using Android Messages. All these messaging apps will be on the same platform, so everyone will (hopefully) have a modern, seamless experience.

Google is so serious about moving ahead with Chat, that it has suspended development of Allo.

Google expects the Chat standard to be switched on for most Android users some time this year, though the precise timing will be decided by each carrier and region. It already works between Sprint users, and T-Mobile said it will flip the switch on in the second quarter of this year.

If you send a message to someone without Chat enabled, or a non-Android user, the message will be sent as an SMS. The sooner carriers turn on Chat, the better for everyone. It won’t work with iPhone users until Apple supports Chat. At the moment, The Verge reports Google and a group of mobile operators are in talks with the Cupertino company to support the platform.

Google is so serious about moving ahead with Chat, that it has suspended development of Allo, a messaging app it launched two years ago. The team is now focusing exclusively on Android Messages. The default texting app will get a web version very soon, so you can send and receive messages from a desktop. Then expect the Android Messages app to gain a host of features, including Smart Replies, Google Assistant, Google Photos integration, and more.

The drawback is Chat or Android Messages won’t be end-to-end encrypted, therefore it won’t be as secure as iMessage or Signal.

Google’s interest in persuading carriers to turn on Chat is obvious. Its Allo messaging app has failed to build a user base that can compete with the likes of Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, so the company has switched the team to focus on incorporating the app’s best features into Google’s Android Messages, which is preinstalled on most Android devices and has more than 100 million active monthly users.

Anil Sabharwal, the executive leading the team and whose track record includes Google Photos, points out that Android Messages is where all the users are, so it makes perfect sense to divert its efforts toward the app.

The bottom line is that Chat hopes to banish the limitations of SMS to give users a much more enjoyable messaging experience, with support for a wide range of features at little to no cost. What does that mean for Hangouts? Google intends to turn it exclusively into a corporate messaging service — a competitor to Slack — and it’s likely that Allo will be put on the chopping block in the future.

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Robot chefs are the focus of new Sony and Carnegie Mellon research

Flippy, the aptly named burger-flipping robot currently employed by CaliBurger, will soon have some serious competition in the kitchen, if Sony gets its way.

The Japanese electronics giant is teaming up with Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) to collaborate on artificial intelligence (A.I.) and robotics research, beginning with a focus on optimizing food preparation, cooking, and delivery.

They chose this particular area because the tasks involved in food prep and delivery are both complex and varied, and so the resulting technology has a better chance of being applied to a broad range of industries at a later date.

So expect to see the development of robots that can handle “fragile and irregularly shaped materials and carry out complex household and small business tasks,” the team said in a release. Creating robots that are small in size will also be at the forefront of the team’s goals, as much food preparation and delivery work is carried out in relatively tight spaces. Again, such diminutive designs could have the ability to be transferred to other industries once the technology has been refined.

The research team comprises robotics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning experts and will work mainly at CMU’s School of Computer Science in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Sony’s Dr. Hiroaki Kitano, who is leading the team, said the project has the potential “to make the vast possibilities of A.I. and robotics more familiar and accessible to the general public,” adding, “Additionally, it could also assist those for whom daily tasks, such as food preparation, are challenging.”

Andrew Moore, dean of CMU’s School of Computer Science, described making and serving food as “an immense challenge for automation, so we’re excited about the types of machines and software that might emerge as we jointly explore a variety of approaches and solutions.” He said he was confident the research will lead to “technologies that impact robotics across a broad number of applications.”

Creating skilfull kitchen robots has been the focus of a number of technology companies for several years now. Besides Miso Robotics’ Flippy bot, London-based Moley Robotics is also developing what it calls a “robot kitchen,” essentially a pair of robotic arms (complete with five-fingered hands) capable of precision movements that help to knock together your favorite dish. The amazing idea behind Moley’s design is that, once perfected, it’ll be able to learn a recipe by watching any chef and then make it available to anyone, anywhere, at the tap of a button (so long as you have the correct ingredients in, that is!). 

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Say hi to Daisy, an Apple-made robot that recycles old iPhones

Give an iPhone to Daisy and she’ll tear it apart in minutes, reducing it to a pile of bits quicker than you can say, “Hey, Siri, what the heck is she doing to my phone?” No, Dasiy isn’t some psychopathic, Apple-hating maniac. She’s actually a robot designed by Apple to help the company meet its recycling targets.

Apple unveiled Daisy just ahead of this Sunday’s Earth Day, a global event held annually to highlight environmental protection. The remarkable machine is a more advanced version of Liam, a robot unveiled by the tech company two years ago to perform the same task.

Click to enlarge. Apple

Daisy is part of Apple’s efforts to create a healthier planet through innovation, helping it move toward its goal of making its products using only recycled or renewable materials.

Smartphones hold lots of valuable materials — gold, copper, platinum, lithium, aluminum, and steel among them — that can be recycled and used to create new electronic devices. Able to handle nine different versions of the iPhone, Daisy can take apart as many 200 handsets per hour, removing and sorting the materials without damaging them in the process.

Daisy starts off by scanning the phone to work out the make and model so that it knows the precise amount, as well as layout, of the components inside. Using a range of attachments and suction cups, the highly dexterous robot then disassembles the phone with great precision, separating the various parts and metals, most of which can be used again.

To incentivize customers to recycle their old handsets, the company is promising to make a donation to the nonprofit Conservation International for every iPhone handed in at Apple stores and via apple.com through the Apple GiveBack program until April 30. Eligible devices will receive credit that you can use toward an in-store purchase or put on an Apple Store Gift Card for future use.

“At Apple, we’re constantly working toward smart solutions to address climate change and conserve our planet’s precious resources,” Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of environment, policy, and social initiatives, said in a release highlighting the company’s ongoing green efforts. “In recognition of Earth Day, we are making it as simple as possible for our customers to recycle devices and do something good for the planet through Apple GiveBack. We’re also thrilled to introduce Daisy to the world, as she represents what’s possible when innovation and conservation meet.”

Plunk Daisy in an Apple Store so that we can all watch her amazing skills and we bet a whole lot more people would turn up with their aging iPhone. Perhaps Apple could use the robot as a ploy to get more people to upgrade!

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Say hi to Daisy, an Apple-made robot that recycles old iPhones

Give an iPhone to Daisy and she’ll tear it apart in minutes, reducing it to a pile of bits quicker than you can say, “Hey, Siri, what the heck is she doing to my phone?” No, Dasiy isn’t some psychopathic, Apple-hating maniac. She’s actually a robot designed by Apple to help the company meet its recycling targets.

Apple unveiled Daisy just ahead of this Sunday’s Earth Day, a global event held annually to highlight environmental protection. The remarkable machine is a more advanced version of Liam, a robot unveiled by the tech company two years ago to perform the same task.

Click to enlarge. Apple

Daisy is part of Apple’s efforts to create a healthier planet through innovation, helping it move toward its goal of making its products using only recycled or renewable materials.

Smartphones hold lots of valuable materials — gold, copper, platinum, lithium, aluminum, and steel among them — that can be recycled and used to create new electronic devices. Able to handle nine different versions of the iPhone, Daisy can take apart as many 200 handsets per hour, removing and sorting the materials without damaging them in the process.

Daisy starts off by scanning the phone to work out the make and model so that it knows the precise amount, as well as layout, of the components inside. Using a range of attachments and suction cups, the highly dexterous robot then disassembles the phone with great precision, separating the various parts and metals, most of which can be used again.

To incentivize customers to recycle their old handsets, the company is promising to make a donation to the nonprofit Conservation International for every iPhone handed in at Apple stores and via apple.com through the Apple GiveBack program until April 30. Eligible devices will receive credit that you can use toward an in-store purchase or put on an Apple Store Gift Card for future use.

“At Apple, we’re constantly working toward smart solutions to address climate change and conserve our planet’s precious resources,” Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of environment, policy, and social initiatives, said in a release highlighting the company’s ongoing green efforts. “In recognition of Earth Day, we are making it as simple as possible for our customers to recycle devices and do something good for the planet through Apple GiveBack. We’re also thrilled to introduce Daisy to the world, as she represents what’s possible when innovation and conservation meet.”

Plunk Daisy in an Apple Store so that we can all watch her amazing skills and we bet a whole lot more people would turn up with their aging iPhone. Perhaps Apple could use the robot as a ploy to get more people to upgrade!

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Here’s absolutely everything we know about the LG V40 ThinQ

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

While we loved the LG G6 and the LG V30, it’s no secret that LG’s mobile division has found itself in dire straits recently. Still, LG has a few tricks up its sleeve, and it’s probably hoping that 2018 will see a revival of its fortunes. Chief among LG’s great hopes is likely to be one of its flagship heavy-hitters — the LG V40 ThinQ. Here’s everything we know about LG’s upcoming blockbuster.

Name

While we don’t know very much about the latest addition to LG’s V-range, the name seems to be fairly set in stone. The first confirmation of the name has come from renowned and usually correct serial leaker Evan Blass, who tweeted that an upcoming LG handset going by the code name “Storm” was in fact the LG V40 — a later tweet also confirmed that the full name of the handset would be the LG V40 ThinQ, to match the LG G7 ThinQ.

LG V40 is codenamed Storm. pic.twitter.com/fNqLUdNzsP

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) April 20, 2018

Release date

LG’s V-range has traditionally been one of the later models to launch in a calendar year, and that tradition seems to be intact, with Evan Blass tweeting that the LG V40 ThinQ should be expected in late summer or early fall of 2018.

V35 ThinQ (Emma) is arriving around the same time as G7 ThinQ (Neo/Judy), while V40 ThinQ (Storm) is the late summer / early fall flagship. https://t.co/dDLeTYwKEf

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) April 20, 2018

Details are thin on the ground at the moment, but expect more leaks to emerge as we get closer to the anticipated release date.

Specs

With this phone’s release looking to be at least six months away, we’ve heard very little about any possible specs, and you can expect some details to change as the phone’s release date nears.

However, it’s a fair bet that the LG V40 ThinQ will release with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor. A leaked list of phones from December 2017 included the LG V40 as one of the phones expected to include Qualcomm’s newest and most powerful chipset, and we can’t see that changing between now and later this year.

That’s all we know about the LG V40 ThinQ, but you can expect to see a lot more from this phone as we move through the year. The LG V30 was our sleeper hit of 2017, and we’re expecting LG to pull out even more stops in 2018.

Editors’ Recommendations

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How to get the most out of the Huawei P20 Pro’s fantastic camera

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

The Huawei P20 Pro boasts one of the best cameras ever put in a smartphone, and learning how to exploit it best is a real joy. But if you’re a newcomer to Huawei phones, or to flagship camera phones in general, it can be a little daunting to start out. We don’t want you to feel this way, as once you start, learning how to get the most from it is a pleasure.

To help you, we’ve got tips on how to use the Huawei P20 Pro’s most exciting camera features, taking the intimidation out of using it for the first time, and getting you on the path to creativity and enjoyment quickly. If you’re looking for more general advice, then check out our Huawei P20 Pro tips and tricks.

Night mode

There are two key rules to remember about night mode on the P20 Pro. The first is: Don’t be afraid to use it. The second: Don’t only use it at night. Let’s address each rule in turn. Night mode takes photos with a 6-second shutter speed, which under normal circumstances would require the use of a tripod, or risk incredibly blurry pictures. The P20 Pro uses artificial intelligence and some excellent stabilization techniques to eliminate blur — yes, eliminate — when shooting hand held.

You’ll need to readjust your thinking at first, because it goes against everything you may have learned from cameras in the past. But it really works. The results are often startling, and scenes shrouded in darkness in real life appear to have been floodlit when photographed with the P20 Pro.

Night mode on the Huawei P20 Pro Andy Boxall/DigitalTrends

The second rule is even more unusual. Use night mode to take photos during the day, especially outdoors on sunny days. The shutter time is automatically reduced, so photos aren’t blown out, and instead look almost hyper real, as if you’ve already applied a particularly good HDR filter. No, they’re not always “realistic,” but they almost always look damn cool. Share them on your social networks for an instant flurry of Likes.

Night mode used in the daylight on the Huawei P20 Pro. Andy Boxall/DigitalTrends

To find night mode on the P20 Pro, open the camera app and slide the mode selector above the shutter release to the right. When you’ve lined up your shot, tap the shutter release to take the photo and the phone automatically sets the timer. You just have to hold the phone in one place while it takes the shot. Don’t worry about remaining entirely rigid, but definitely don’t wobble about too much — it won’t work while in a moving vehicle, for example.

It’s also possible to manually adjust the ISO and shutter speed yourself, using the two icons on the bottom left and right of the viewfinder in portrait orientation, but we’d leave this alone until you’re comfortable with the feature and its ability.

Zoom mode

Using zoom on a smartphone used to be a cardinal sin, as it considerably downgraded the quality of your photo, but not so on many modern phones. The Huawei P20 Pro’s zoom mode goes way beyond the 2x zoom on the iPhone X and Galaxy S9, managing up to 5x zoom without quality loss. It does this by using a combination of optical zoom from its multiple lenses, and artificial intelligence to enhance and stabilize the image.

Shot handheld at 5x zoom on the Huawei P20 Pro. Andy Boxall/DigitalTrends

Getting it to work is simple. Open the camera app and you’ll see a circular icon with 1x in it. Tap this to jump to 3x zoom, and again for 5x zoom. Another tap takes you back to 1x. If you pinch the screen you can adjust the zoom value anywhere between these two points, if they don’t provide just the right amount to frame your photo.

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

You will notice that with 5x zoom, even the smallest movements are enough to shake the camera. Huawei’s clever AI deals with this very well, though, and blurry photos taken on 5x zoom are extremely rare.

Slow-motion video

This feature can be found by opening the camera app, swiping the mode selector to the More option, then tapping Slow-mo. Oddly, it’s not part of the video mode, so don’t look for it there. Slow-motion video modes aren’t new, but the P20 Pro stands apart by having a 960 fps setting, giving much more detailed, slower video than many competing phones. This is at 720p resolution, however, meaning they may not look as crisp as you hoped. You can increase the resolution, but the frame rate will suffer. To get 1080p, the frame rate will be 120 fps, so the action won’t be so slowed down. Change it by tapping the 32x icon on the right of the screen. You get the 4x mode, and the 8x mode, which shoots at 240 fps and 720p.

Successfully shooting eye-catching slow motion video is about patience, timing, and luck. Not everything makes a good slow-mo video, but anything with fast, random movement is a good bet. The thing to remember most is to experiment outside. The slowed down shutter doesn’t enjoy artificial lighting, which introduces a strobe-like effect to slow-mo videos taken indoors.

It takes practice to shoot them well, and it takes luck to be in the right place at the right time. When you get it right, the results can be spectacular.

Monochrome

The Huawei P20 Pro has three camera lenses, one of which shoots only in monochrome, just like previous Huawei phones with cameras co-engineered by Leica. The photos it takes look better, sharper, and more detailed than those achieved by applying a filter, as you would on any other camera phone to get a black-and-white look.

Monochrome mode on the Huawei P20 Pro. Andy Boxall/DigitalTrends

Open the camera app, and use the mode selector to find More, then tap monochrome. Why Huawei has hidden the feature away like this is unknown, as it’s not only a unique part of the phone’s camera, but it’s also creatively exciting. Here are a few tips to use it best.

There are four modes: Normal, Aperture, Portrait, and Pro. The Aperture adds a blurred background effect to your photos, while Portrait is suited to taking pictures of people. The Pro mode lets experienced photographers play around with the settings. If you want to zoom in on a subject, it’s not possible in Normal mode, but switch to Aperture or Portrait and you get a zoom up to 3x added.

If you want to hide the menu showing the different modes, which makes framing photos much easier as they obscure part of the viewfinder, tap the circular icon split into two on the bottom right of the screen in portrait mode. If you’re keen to see what monochrome mode can do, we have got a separate guide on taking spectacular monochrome photos.

Artificial intelligence

Huawei introduced the Neural Processing Unit (NPU) in the Mate 10 Pro, which brings artificial intelligence processing onto the device, instead of solely in the cloud, speeding tasks that use A.I. up considerably. One such task is image and scene recognition, used extensively in the P20 Pro’s camera.

Andy Boxall/Digital Trends

On the Mate 10 Pro, you had no choice but to accept the adjustments made by the A.I., but that has changed on the P20 Pro. Huawei has added the option to dismiss each alteration individually, or turn off the Master A.I. entirely.

Point the camera at something that falls under the 19 categories of scenes recognized by the P20 Pro — anything from a blue sky to a cat — and a message will appear at the bottom of the viewfinder, alerting you the A.I. is about to change the camera parameters to suit the scene. After a few moments, the icon will change to say “Blue Sky” or the mode it has chosen, with an “X” alongside it. Tap the X to dismiss the A.I.’s advice, and shoot on auto.

In portrait orientation, this is along the bottom of the viewfinder. However, in landscape the initial alert appears along the bottom of the screen, but the notification needed to dismiss the switch appears alongside the shutter release. It’s a software idiosyncrasy that’s likely to be fixed in the future.

If you’d rather the A.I. never interfered, tap the Settings cog in the top right of the screen in portrait orientation, then scroll down to find Master A.I. The switch should be on by default, but tap it to turn it off. The A.I. won’t change any of the settings again, and there’s no way to prompt it aside from turning the Master A.I. back on.

That’s almost it for our Huawei P20 Pro camera tips, but the biggest piece of advice we can give is to get out and experiment with the P20 Pro’s rewarding and fun-to-use camera.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Master your Huawei P20 and P20 Pro with these helpful tips and tricks
• Tips on how to take jaw-dropping monochrome pictures with the Huawei P20 Pro
• Huawei P20 Pro vs. the P20: Which smartphone is the right Huawei to go?
• Huawei P20 Pro review
• The best point-and-shoot cameras you can buy

Gaming is just the beginning. Here are 8 innovative ways VR is being used today

Steven Spielberg’s movie adaptation of Ready Player One is introducing virtual reality (VR) to a whole new audience. But while Ready Player One is set in 2044, here in 2018 VR is capable of some pretty darn exciting things. Here are eight amazing ways that virtual reality is being used right now.

Gaming

NurPhoto/Getty Images

Gaming is the most prominent application for VR right now — not that, to quote Seinfeld, there’s anything wrong with that. The VR gaming industry earned an estimated $286.7 million last year, according to SuperData Research, and that number may grow to $2.3 billion industry by 2020.

Factor in the growing number of headsets and some pretty darn impressive immersive haptic technology research and you have VR’s most exciting use-case here in 2018.

Surgery

Don’t be surprised if the surgeons of the future are more about VR than ER. Virtual reality could be a handy tool for not just training the surgeons of tomorrow, but actually helping them carry out their jobs too.

The company Fundamental VR is busy developing VR scenarios which allow trainee surgeons to carry out virtual operations using haptic controls. These controls simulate what it’s actually like to perform procedures like sleeve gastrectomies without the whole, you know, risk of actually cutting into a human being.

Just as potentially transformative is work being carried out by an orthopaedic surgeon in Santa Catarina, Brazil, who is using augmented reality tech to help him perform spinal surgery in a safe and affordable manner. With the rise of medical robots capable of performing procedures without the risk of shaky hands, we can’t help but think that surgical VR may have an application here, too.

Live events

Imagine being able to get the best seat in the house at the hottest sold out Broadway play, visit all the top museums in the world without spending a dime on travel, or soak up the live experience at every sports game in a season.

All three of these scenarios have already been investigated by forward-looking organizations. Ten years from now, this will be standard fare.

Collaboration

Slack is about as thrilling as workplace collaboration tech tools get, but VR could offer a more exciting next step. Using VR, teams who are distributed around the world can log in to the same virtual space to work together on projects. That’s the basis for an existing VR collaboration solution called Vizible from the company WorldViz.

It’s already been used by the footwear designer Deckers, who have utilized it to work together on designing new shoes. Whether you’re a graphic designer or an architect, the ability to be in the same “room” as clients or colleagues could be a game changer.

Therapy

The ability to allow a person to face their fears in a safe virtual environment is understandably appealing to therapists. With that goal in mind, Lithuanian software company TeleSoftas has developed VR scenarios which let people confront phobias — ranging from a fear of heights to getting up and speaking in public — while wearing a VR headset.

In addition to wearing the headset, the software also monitors your stress levels, based on eye movement, heartbeat, perspiration, and skin temperature. A demo was shown off at this year’s Mobile World Congress 2018 in Barcelona, Spain.

VR has also been used for helping soldiers deal with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and allowing people to swim with dolphins for therapeutic effect.

Education

Don’t get us wrong: we don’t think you’ll be putting on your VR headset and learning in a virtual classroom any time soon. Nonetheless, virtual reality could play a valuable role in education.

Being able to go on a virtual field trip back in time, learn about the risks of polluting the ocean by experiencing it for yourself, or participate in an ethics class using a VR experience designed to put you in someone else’s shoes are just a few of the exciting possibilities.

Driving vehicles

Toyota

But surely autonomous cars are going to do all the work for us in the future, aren’t they? That’s certainly true, but there are still some innovative projects in this space which hint at intriguing future possibilities.

United Kingdom defense giant BAE Systems has pioneered a system that would allow a submarine captain to pilot a sub using VR. The tech works by collecting data from various sensors dotted around a submarine, and then relaying it back to the submarine captain in the form of a detailed VR simulation. The idea is that this would allow the captain to “teleport” themselves around their submarine to get multiple different views of it as they pilot it, a bit like switching perspectives in a racing game — but with the benefit of real-time information.

Not only could this mean that a captain wouldn’t have to physically be present in order to command a vessel, it also hints at a future in which bosses will be able to teleport around their workplace to virtually drop in on whoever they like. Depending on what you think of your boss (I love mine, just in case he reads this!), this could be the most fear-inducing suggestion on this list.

Porn

Inti St Clair/Getty Images

We had to mention it! There have been entire treatises written about the way that pornography has been a driver of innovation and new technologies throughout history. Why would VR be any different?

According to Pornhub, a website we’ve never heard of, VR is one of the fastest- growing categories of video on the website, in terms of both videos uploaded and users watching them. On a typical day, VR porn videos are viewed 500,000 times — and that’s before VR headsets have really even hit the mainstream in a big way.

Heck, there are even creepy adult industry gas masks for sale which add a smell component to your adult VR experience. But we don’t really want to think about that for too long!

Editors’ Recommendations

• Haptic VR surgery isn’t for the faint of heart, but it could help surgeons
• VR takes you to the top of a skyscraper to help you face your fear of heights
• Start your 57th character when ‘Skyrim VR’ hits Rift and Vive this April
• Simulate a simian in ‘Crisis on the Planet of the Apes’ VR game this April
• Free Pluto VR chat and messaging app for gamers enters Early Access on Steam