Bizarre stork robot uses a drone to compensate for its weak, twig-like legs

We can be suckers for weird robots here at Digital Trends — and they don’t get much weirder than this “Aerial-Biped” robot developed by engineers from Japan’s University of Tokyo. Halfway between a drone and a ground-based robot, the Aerial Biped’s body is comprised of a quadrotor UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) that remains rooted to the ground with thin, stork-like legs.

On a technical level, Aerial Biped is pretty smart. Its walking motion isn’t preprogrammed, but rather the result of a type of artificial intelligence called reinforcement learning. That’s the same type of goal-based A.I. that helped Google DeepMind learn how to play classic Atari games based on nothing more than the visible information on screen. In this case, the robot uses information about the forward velocity of the quadrotor to figure out how it should use its legs.

The idea behind the robot’s design was to create a robot that won’t ever fall over, since its upper body will remain airborne at all times. As we saw when Boston Dynamics’ Atlas robot fell off the stage during a demo last year, even the most sophisticated robots are capable of taking a tumble. As a result, many researchers (including those at the University of Tokyo) are working to come up with alternative designs to the traditional humanoid robots long imagined by science fiction writers. Aerial Biped may not be practical as, say, an equipment carrier, but it’s certainly a unique way of getting around the problem of stability.

Right now, Aerial Biped exists purely as a proof of concept prototype that’s designed to explore this form of locomotion. In the future, however, its creators believe it could be used in an entertainment capacity, potentially for animatronics or various types of performance. With that goal in mind, they are currently investigating different types of motion that it could perform — including a variety of dances.

While it’s highly unlikely that we’ll see robots such as this one ever used in military applications, or as part of search and rescue missions, it’s very easy to picture it finding a future summer job at somewhere like Walt Disney World. Hey, who said all robots needed to be serious?

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Instagram hackers are changing account info into Russian email addresses

Hackers are finding ways into Instagram accounts and changing emails to addresses with Russian domain names. A report by Mashable suggests hundreds of Instagram users could be victims of an odd hack. The report shows half a dozen users with a similar hack and hundreds of related complaints on Twitter.

The hacks are unusual because none of the cases seem to have actually shared new images or deleted old ones, the report says. Instead, users find themselves locked out because the password, phone number, and email address were all changed. The email addresses in several cases were changed to emails with a .ru  at the end, a domain used in Russia. In many cases, profile pictures were swapped to a Disney or Pixar character and the bio information was deleted.

The type of hack presents problems for users since the easiest way to regain access to an account is through the email associated with that account. With the email changed, re-gaining access is a more difficult process.

The report doesn’t suggest who is behind the hacks — or if it is even one group or many. Most hacked accounts didn’t have two-factor authentication set up, though at least one did, suggesting setting up the additional security is helpful but not impenetrable. Instagram’s help page says that users that had an email changed because of a hack can use both the original username and email on the “Get Help Logging In” page.

Instagram says that, once it is aware of a hacked account, access is shut off and the network starts a remediation process. Hacks on Instagram aren’t unheard of but the social network also says that it hasn’t seen a jump in the number of hacked accounts.

Mashable suggests the hacks have been happening since the start of August, noting a spike in Google searches and tweets about Instagram hacks, along with Reddit forums with users trying to find a way back into the accounts.

Instagram’s security page recommends users regularly change passwords, using passwords that mix letters, numbers and punctuation marks and that aren’t identical to the other passwords that you use. The network also encourages users to be cautious with third-party app authorizations. Instagram also warns users to keep email account information secure because email access could allow for access to an Instagram account as well.

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Steam survey shows PC gamers are still mostly playing in 1080p and lower

gstockstudio/123RF

Valve Software’s latest hardware and software survey for July 2018 reveals that 63.72 percent of Steam’s registered members still play games with a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution (aka Full HD). Even more, 13.33 percent of Steam’s gamers play at 1,366 x 768 (HD) while only 1.14 percent are playing at 3,840 x 2,160 (4K). Only 3.12 percent play at 2,560 x 1,440 (QHD).

Although hardware manufacturers and game developers are pushing for 4K gameplay, the numbers show that a large portion of PC gamers haven’t made the move. Even more, 12.50 percent of Steam’s customers rely on the GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card followed by 9.59 percent with the GTX 1050 Ti. Surprisingly, only 2.23 percent have the GTX 1080 installed.

Overall, Nvidia reigns king on Steam with 76.35 percent of the graphics card usage followed by AMD at 13.91 percent and Intel at 9.58 percent. Meanwhile, Intel leads the CPU pack with 84.8 percent versus AMD’s claim of 15.2 percent. Specific models aren’t listed although Intel CPUs speeding between 3.3GHz and 3.69GHz sit at the top of the charts.

On the operating system front, Microsoft is king of the hill with a 96.77 percent claim on Steam gamers. Break that down and you’ll see 54.40 percent using Windows 10 (64-bit) followed by 36.07 still remaining on Windows 7 (64-bit). The list also shows Steam gamers still playing on the original Windows 8 (64-bit) release and Windows XP (32-bit).

Despite Valve’s former push for Steam Machines and its Linux-based SteamOS platform, only 0.49 percent of Steam’s customers use Linux. Meanwhile, MacOS claims a 2.66 percent stake in the Steam survey with the largest chunk of Mac gamers using MacOS 10.13.5 (64-bit).

According to Valve, the latest Steam Hardware Survey includes fixes for a problem that overcounted cyber café customers and inflated certain results during the last seven months. The problem stemmed from the way these cyber cafes managed their PCs, causing havoc in the results.

“Around August 2017, we started seeing larger-than-usual movement in certain stats, notably an increase in Windows 7 usage, an increase in quad-core CPU usage, as well as changes in CPU and GPU market share,” Valve reports. “This period also saw a large increase in the use of Simplified Chinese. All of these coincided with an increase in Steam usage in cyber cafes in Asia, whose customers were being overcounted in the survey.”

Valve feels confident that its Steam Hardware Survey is no longer overcounting users as of April.

The Steam Hardware Survey is a great way to see what gamers are using to enjoy their Steam games on a month-to-month basis. As we’ve seen in July, a good chunk of these customers play on four-core Intel processors, Nvidia’s graphics cards such as the GTX 1060, Windows 10 (64-bit) and a 1080p resolution. Nearly 41 percent on the survey has 8GB of system memory in their PC followed by 36.62 percent with 12GB or more.

Finally, if you’re curious about virtual reality, the $400 Oculus Rift sits at the top of the July list with a 0.30 percent usage while the $500 HTC Vive fell to 0.29 percent. Only 0.01 percent of Steam’s members use the newer $800 HTC Vive Pro.

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A treasure trove of 3D scientific specimens is now free to see online

The internet is a Wunderkammer, a cabinet of curiosities where you can explore ocean depths, ancient artifacts, and outer space with the click of a button. There’s also a ton of trash online, sure, but if you know where you look, you can find some real treasures.

And the treasure trove just got a little bigger. Thanks to the California Academy of Sciences, you can access more than 700 scientific specimens and artifacts from its world-class collection via the online 3D and VR platform Sketchfab. The collection runs the gamut — from an assortment of rare bones, to Navajo bracelets and intricate basketry. Each 3D model can be accessed and downloaded for free via the Sketchfab website.

“The Sketchfab collection is so easy to browse and be inspired by that we hope it’ll be widely used by everyone …”

The models were first created in 2014 through a partnership with Google that saw scans taken for about 40 skeleton specimens. The tech giant also made one of its proprietary scanners available to staff members toiling away in the academy’s basement for the Institute for Biodiversity Science and Sustainability (IBSS). Over the years, IBSS staff members slowly but surely created the collection of 3D scans, which now includes more than 900 specimens.

“Once we realized what we had — this incredible resource of hundreds and hundreds of stunning models that could be rotated, zoomed through, and studied in-depth from anywhere in the world — there was no question,” Laurel Allen, a community manager for the Academy, told Digital Trends. “We had to make them accessible to the public. Unlike our full collections databases — which are also available online, but require users to know what they’re looking for — the Sketchfab collection is so easy to browse and be inspired by that we hope it’ll be widely used by everyone from scientists and researchers to teachers, students, artists, and anyone dazzled by the natural world.”

The models are classified and categorized into 11 separate collections to make them easier to search and explore. Tens of millions more scientific specimens have yet to be scanned in the Academy’s basement.

“There’s a critical need to increase accessibility to the hundreds of millions of natural history specimens that document life on Earth through time and space,” Christina Piotrowski, manager of the Academy’s invertebrate collection, said. “While museum collections are currently accessed by researchers to answer important scientific questions, we can bring the world’s museum specimens off the shelves, using technology like this to increase global accessibility and create irreplaceable snapshots of our ever-changing natural world.”

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The Andromeda botnet still lingers as nations struggle to clean infected PCs

A recent threat landscape report published by Fortinet suggests that although the FBI and European law enforcement ended the Andromeda botnet’s reign in late 2017, there are still systems infected with the malware. The firm indicates that the process of cleaning up the infected PCs isn’t progressing at the same pace across regions, as it’s still a large problem in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.

At its core, Andromeda — or rather Gamarue —  is a platform to deliver a galaxy of malware variants (actually just a mere 80) including ransomware, banking trojans, spam bots, click-fraud malware and more. Between June 2017 and its supposed demise before the start of 2018, Andromeda was on a roll, as it was detected and blocked on more than 1 million machines each month on average.

According to Microsoft, the Andromeda command and control structure spanned 1,214 domains and IP addresses. It also comprised of 464 “distinct” botnets as well as the 80-plus associated malware families. Andromeda was sold on the black market as a “crime kit” that included a bot builder, a command-and-control application, and documentation on how to create a botnet.

What made Andromeda an extremity attractive sell was its modular nature. The kit came with two plug-ins, one of which could turn a PC into a proxy server. For an additional $150, hackers could purchase the keylogger plug-in or grab the Formgetter plug-in for another $250, which captured data submitted through web browsers.

Hackers spread Andromeda through various methods such as social media messages with malicious links, spam email with similar links, trojan downloaders and more. Once it infected a machine, Andromeda contacted a command and control server to become part of a larger network of infected PCs. Once that happened, hackers could do anything with the seized army of machines.

But as the report indicates, getting rid of Andromeda is no simple feat. In Africa alone, Andromeda has the highest prevalence with 25.6 percent followed by the H-worm at 13.8 percent and Ramnit at 10.07 percent. Andromeda tops the charts in Asia followed by Ramnit (9.83 percent) and the H-worm (7.4 percent).

The report suggests that problem with these high percentages is likely tied to the response and remediation capabilities of these countries.

Outside noting the slow progression of cleaning up the Andromeda debris, the report tips its hat at VPNFilter, a Russian-developed nation-state-sponsored attack that targets networking routers. The FBI previously distributed a warning to U.S. citizens, calling on Americans to reboot their routers to cut off possible ties to the malware’s command and control servers.

The report also calls the Smominru botnet a “notable addition,” a Monero mining malware targeting Windows-based PCs. It was spread through the EternalBlue exploit, and as a botnet mined around 24 XMR each day. As of this publication, the value of a single XMR was $81, meaning the hackers were generating around $1,944 per day.

Other botnets that are permanent fixtures on the firm’s Threat Landscape Report each month include Gh0st, Pushdo, Necurs and three others.

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Pandora Premium is now supported by Google Home and Smart Displays

There’s a lot going on with the Google Assistant — let’s break down the important stuff.

In May 2016, we got our very first taste of the Google Assistant with the debut of Allo. The Assistant was a big draw to Allo at the time, with Google marketing it as a helpful bot that could make restaurant reservations, search the web, and more within your conversations.

Since then, the Assistant has gained heaps of new features and expanded to smartphones, tablets, speakers, and more. Google’s shown no interest in slowing down development for the Assistant, meaning that it’s likely here for the long-haul.

Whether this is your first encounter with it or you just need a quick refresher, here’s everything you need to know about the Google Assistant.

The latest Google Assistant news

August 14, 2018 — Pandora Premium now supported by Google Home and Smart Displays

Users have been able to stream Pandora through Google Home speakers for quite some time now, but starting today, you’ll be able to link your Pandora Premium account so you can listen to specific, on-demand songs/playlists in addition to the service’s popular radio stations.

Pandora Premium costs $9.99/month like the majority of its competitors, but if you own a Google Home, you can get a free 90-day trial to test out the service before handing over any of your hard-earned cash.

You can start listening to Pandora Premium on the Google Home, Home Mini, Home Max, Lenovo Smart Display, and other Google Assistant speakers right now.

August 9, 2018 — Deeper, more specific news coverage is now rolling out

Pretty much since the Assistant’s inception, you’ve been able to say “Hey, Google, what’s the news?” to get a quick overview of all the big headlines for any given day.

Starting today and rolling out to users across the U.S., you can now ask the Assistant about news for specific topics, such as “What’s the latest on NASA?” or “What’s the news on the women’s national soccer team?”. Asking these questions on a Smart Display will pull up related YouTube videos while audio-only speakers such as Google Home will read out excerpts from news articles.

Additionally, this command will also be available for Android Auto, Android phones, and Assistant-powered headphones like the Bose QC35 II.

All the important details

Google Now paved the way for Google Assistant

The Google Now page compared to the new Google Feed.

Before there was the Google Assistant, we had Google Now. Google Now was introduced to the world all the way back in 2012, offering contextual info through the Google Now page and helpful answers to random questions with an “OK Google” voice command.

A lot of what made Google Now so great can still be found in the Google Assistant today, with the exception of the Google Now page. The Google Now page used to be home to cards showcasing the weather, information on packages that had shipped from online orders, boarding passes, and more. It’s since been replaced by the Google Feed – a collection of news stories Google thinks you’ll be interested in – and it’s definitely the biggest departure between the two services.

The Google Assistant as a whole is still more powerful than Google Now ever was, but long-time Android users like myself are still mourning the loss of that Now page. RIP, old friend.

Read more: Google Now is being left to wither and die as Google Assistant takes the focus

It’s available on just about everything

In just a few short years, the Google Assistant’s gone from being exclusive to a now-failed chat app to being integrated into just about anything you can think of.

You’ll find Google Assistant built right into most Android phones, it’s the star of the show for the Google Home lineup, and it’s even making its way into sound bars.

Here’s the full list of devices with Google Assistant

Setting up the Google Assistant is as easy or complex as you want

When you set up a device for the first time that has the Assistant, getting started is pretty simple. Accessing it is just a voice command or tap away depending on what gadget you’re using, but if you want to really fine-tune your experience, Google’s got you covered.

Take a quick dive into your Assistant settings and you’ll find options for just about everything – including your weather preferences, changing the Assistant’s voice, retraining your voice model, picking out preferred news sources, and much more.

How to set up and customize Google Assistant

Google Assistant is available in multiple regions and languages

Of course, a smart voice assistant isn’t any good if you can’t actually use it. Fortunately, Google Assistant will be available in 52 countries —adding 38 countries this year — and 17 languages by the end of 2018.

More: Google Assistant will expand to 38 countries and 17 languages in 2018

Google Home’s the premier way to get the Assistant in your house (at least for now)

It’s great to have the Google Assistant on your phone, but if you want to truly experience just how helpful it can be, you’ll want to consider picking up a Google Home.

Google Home is Google’s line of smart speakers that put the Assistant on full-display, allowing you to control smart devices, ask random questions, set timers, play music, and more by just using your voice.

You can spend as little as $49 for the Google Home Mini, $129 for the original Google Home, or a whopping $399 for the Google Home Max.

However, as great as the Home series is, don’t forget that Smart Displays are just on the horizon.

Announced at CES 2018, Smart Displays are essentially smart speakers with the Google Assistant and a touch screen display that can show you helpful visuals when talking to them. It’s basically Google’s answer to the Amazon Echo Show and Echo Spot, and we can’t wait to see more from them.

Everything you need to know about Google’s Home speakers

Then again, is an always-listening speaker the right fit for your home?

However, the convenience of a Google Home (or any smart speaker for that matter) does come at the cost of privacy. Speakers like the Google Home are “always listening”, meaning they’re constantly on the lookout for a hot word to know when you’re talking to it (such as “Ok, Google” and “Hey, Google”).

This means the microphone on a Google Home is always active, but it’s not necessarily storing all the audio it hears when it doesn’t detect its hot word.

Most all speakers allow you to restore some privacy by being able to mute the microphone, but if you want to start asking the Assistant questions, you’ll need to unmute it first.

To learn more about these “always listening” speakers, I’ll pass the mic over to Jerry

Big upgrades are coming to the Assistant on Wear OS

Switching gears for a second, the Google Assistant on Wear OS (formerly Android Wear) is about to get a big upgrade.

In the near future, the Assistant on Wear OS will support Assistant Actions (basically apps for the Assistant) and give you the option to hear its responses through your watch’s speaker or a pair of connected Bluetooth headphones.

Along with this, Google will be adding something called “smart suggestions.” After asking the Assistant for the weather, for example, you’ll see little bubbles for “weather tonight”, “use celsius”, and more so you can continue the conversation with just the tap of your finger. Google Assistant on Android offers something similar, and it’s a great tool to have.

IFTTT supercharges the Assistant’s usefulness

IFTTT (If This Then That) is a powerful online tool that allows you trigger something (that) if a certain event (this) happens. You can connect IFTTT to the Google Assistant to create your own recipes using this formula, and it can allow for some incredibly helpful combinations.

Some of our favorite uses for IFTTT and the Assistant include adding contacts to your Google account, setting your Google Calendar status to Busy for a certain period of time, and much, much more.

Getting started with IFTTT can take some time and patience if you’re new to it, but once you’re all set up and ready to go, it can prove to be a lifesaver.

How to connect Google Home and IFTTT to do amazing things with your connected tech

You’ll get the same experience no matter what devices you use

With so many devices capable of running the Assistant, it’d be easy to think that the experience you get on one gadget would be different from another. This is something that Google struggled with for a while at first, but we’re finally in a position where the Assistant experience you get on a smart speaker, for example, is the same you’ll get on your phone.

There are a handful of features here and there that still create for some discrepency, but for the most part, the Assistant you use on your Pixel 2 is the same one found on Google Home.

Google Home and Google Assistant finally offer the same experience

Google Duplex is actually going to be a thing

Google showed off Duplex — Google Assistant making natural-sounding phone calls on your behalf — at I/O 2018, but quickly noted that it was just an experiment. Flash forward a couple months, and Google announced that certain users have started testing Duplex, and a public release will be here in the next few months. Before you know it, Google Assistant will be able to book hotels, dinner reservations, hair appointments and more without you lifting a finger.

More: What is Google Duplex?

Updated July 2018: Added the Google Duplex and language support sections, as well as links to recent Assistant news.

How to completely disable Bixby

Get rid of the Galaxy’s most disappointing feature.

The Galaxy Note 9 is coming August 24, and it also integrates Bixby. While we’re still evaluating the software, we believe that these steps will be the same on the Galaxy Note 9.

Ever since Samsung announced the Galaxy S8 with its onboard assistant, Bixby, people have been asking for ways to disable it and forget the button ever existed in the first place. With the Galaxy S9, that chorus is even louder.

While the hardware’s not going anywhere, we can definitely do something about the software. Here’s how to get rid of Bixby Voice and, if you’re using Samsung’s launcher, Bixby Home.

Why do you want to disable Bixby?

One of the biggest frustrations with the Bixby button is its placement; the button is right under the volume keys and nearly directly opposite the power buttons. On larger phones like the Galaxy S9+ and Note 8, this often leads to accidental presses and unintended Bixby launches, especially when double-pressing the power button to launch the camera.

The Bixby button is also not mappable to another action; Samsung wants you to use it for Bixby, or not at all. This isn’t ideal, so many people will inevitably choose to just forget it exists and move on.

How to disable Bixby Voice

Bixby is divided into two distinct categories: Bixby Voice and Bixby Home. Voice is the feature that lets you get stuff done by holding down the Bixby button for a moment, walkie-talkie-style. It’s useful but can get frustrating when it doesn’t work, so you’re going to want to turn it off before you disable Bixby Home (which is accessed by short-pressing the Bixby button).

While on the Samsung home screen, swipe right until you get to Bixby Home.

• Alternatively, press the Bixby button on the left side of the phone, right under the volume rocker.

On the top menu bar, tap the three vertical dots.
Tap Settings.
Uncheck Bixby Voice.

That’s it! Now Bixby Voice won’t bug you when you accidentally hold down your finger on the Bixby button. Next, we have to prevent the Bixby button from accessing Bixby Home.

How to disable the Bixby button

Now that Bixby Voice has been disabled, we have to disable Bixby Home from popping up whenever we accidentally press the side button.

Press the Bixby button on the left side of the phone, right under the volume rocker.
In the top menu bar, tap the Settings button (looks like three cogs).
Uncheck Bixby Key.

That’s it! Now when you press the Bixby button once, it won’t open the Bixby Home

How to disable Bixby Home from the home screen

Now, the final step to disabling Bixby entirely is to disable Bixby Home access from the home screen which, by default, puts it on the left-most panel.

From the home screen, hold down on empty space until the menu appears.
Swipe to the right to reach the left home panel.
Disable Bixby Home.

That’s it! Now neither the Bixby button nor the Bixby Home screen will work and you can move on with your life, Bixby-free.

Should you want to access Bixby again, though, you’ll need to follow these steps in reverse, first enabling Bixby Home from the launcher and then the Bixby button from inside the menu.

Questions? Comments?

Got any questions about this process, or just want to share your sheer joy at being able to disable Bixby? Let us know in the comments below!

Update August 14, 2018: This article is still accurate, and we’re looking into whether the steps still work for the Galaxy Note 9.

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Indy is Verizon’s 4th 5G city, will partner with YouTube TV, too

Verizon workers install 5G radios in Indianapolis — the company’s fourth city announced to receive residential 5G service.

Details are scarce, other than Verizon 5G is coming to Indianapolis.

Verizon today announced that Indianapolis will be its fourth city to receive residential 5G service. And to sweeten the deal, it’s pairing up with Google and Apple for some sort of deal for YouTube TV and Apple TV 4K for subscribers.

Houston, Los Angeles and Sacramento previously were announced and will also partake in the YouTube TV and Apple TV 4K fun.

Verizon said more details on the YouTube TV deal would be announced when its residential 5G service actually goes on sale. Currently, YouTube TV has a flat rate of $40 for its service, with additional add-on channels available. It’s not clear if Verizon will foot the bill for YouTube TV in its entirety, or subsidize it for a fixed amount of time. It’s also not clear if it’s throwing in an Apple TV 4K for free — it merely said that it will “offer” the streaming box. (Which, by the way, is our current pick for the best streaming box for most folks.) While Verizon’s press release didn’t mention this, The Verge notes that you’ll either be able to snag an Apple TV 4K, or YouTube TV, but not both.

But that’s conjecture on our part. For now, all we have is a vague press release. But, Indianapolis, Verizon 5G is coming.

Motorola P30 leaks, and … well, it’s another iPhone X running Android

They aren’t even trying to hide it.

Remember the Motorola One Power that leaked a few months back with an iPhone X-like notch and a vertical dual camera array? It turns out that phone might be going by a different name, the Motorola P30.

According to leaked press renders from AndroidPure, the Motorola P30 looks almost indistinguishable from the iPhone X in most angles. It has a metal and glass design with rounded corners and a wide notch at the top of the display. There’s a vertical dual camera array around back with an LED flash between the sensors, and one feature the iPhone X lacks — a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor integrated into the Motorola logo.

Speaking of Motorola logos … like always, there’s one at the bottom of the display, because Motorola just couldn’t help itself. From the looks of the leaked images, the P30 could practically fit in an iPhone X case, though the volume buttons sit above the power button along the right side of the frame, leaving the left side bare.

As far as specs go, we can expect a 6.2-inch 19:9 display, an unspecified octa-core processor, a 3000mAh battery, 6GB of RAM, and either 64 or 128GB of storage. It looks like the primary camera around back will be a 16MP sensor, while the secondary sensor will be 5MP and the front camera will be 12MP — all with an f/1.8 aperture.

We don’t know exactly when the phone will be announced (rumor has it it might be tomorrow) or how much it’ll cost if and when it launches in the U.S., but it’s certainly a departure from Motorola’s unique Moto Z lineup. No Moto Mods, no ultra-thin design … just an iPhone X running Android One.

That’s not the most exciting way to sell a phone, but at the same time, hardware is hardly a problem with the iPhone X. Is an iPhone running Android really the worst thing in the world?

Read more: Moto Z3 review: Verizon’s middle child

Hands-On With 6.1-Inch and 6.5-Inch 2018 iPhone Dummy Models

Before every new iPhone release, we’re often inundated with rumors, part leaks, mockups, and dummy models, giving us a clear picture of what to expect when the new devices come out.

This year is no exception, and we’ve managed to get our hands on dummy models that are said to resemble the rumored 6.1-inch and 6.5-inch iPhones that are coming in 2018, both of which offer up a look at the sizes and designs we can expect from the 2018 iPhone lineup.

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Apple’s 2018 iPhone lineup, like the 2017 lineup, will include three phones, but the lineup’s composition is unlike anything we’ve seen before. Apple is planning to introduce a 5.8-inch OLED iPhone that’s a follow up to the iPhone X, a 6.5-inch OLED iPhone that can be thought of as an “iPhone X Plus,” and a 6.1-inch LCD iPhone that’s going to have a much lower price tag than the two OLED iPhones.

We don’t have a dummy model of the 5.8-inch OLED iPhone to go along with dummy models of the upcoming 6.1 and 6.5-inch iPhones, because it’s going to look identical to the existing iPhone X, so we’ve used a real iPhone X to compare to the two dummy models.

iPhone X (left), 6.1-inch iPhone dummy (center), 6.5-inch iPhone dummy (right)
All three of the 2018 iPhones feature an edge-to-edge display that adopts Face ID and a TrueDepth camera system, marking the official end of Touch ID for new iPhones. To house the TrueDepth camera, there will be a notch on all three iPhones, just as there was on the iPhone X.

The middle-tier 6.1-inch iPhone uses an LCD display instead of an OLED display to keep costs down, which means that the bezels of that device are slightly thicker than the bezels of the 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch iPhones. The 6.1-inch iPhone dummy also features a single-lens camera, in line with rumors that Apple will stick with a single camera for cost purposes.

6.1-inch iPhone dummy model
A dual-camera setup is expected for both the second-generation 5.8-inch iPhone X model and the 6.5-inch “iPhone X Plus” model, and we can perhaps expect some camera improvements, as Apple typically introduces new camera features with each iPhone upgrade.

Rumors have also suggested the 6.1-inch LCD iPhone will have an aluminum frame rather than the more durable stainless steel frame expected in the two more expensive devices, but other than the frame, the camera, the slightly thicker bezels, and the screen sizes, these devices are expected to be nearly identical.

6.1-inch and 6.5-inch iPhone dummy models
All will include Apple’s next-generation A12 processor, according to rumors, along with faster Intel-made LTE chips. RAM could be a differentiating factor, though, with the 6.1-inch LCD iPhone offering 3GB RAM and the OLED iPhones offering 4GB RAM.

We have absolutely no idea what Apple is planning to name its next-generation iPhones given the current iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X naming scheme. Most of the possibilities sound a little off, such as “iPhone Xs” or “iPhone X Plus” or “iPhone 9” or “iPhone XI.” The naming of the 2018 iPhone lineup is perhaps the biggest mystery, given the myriad rumors and part leaks we’ve seen so far.

iPhone X with 6.5-inch iPhone dummy model
Pricing for the 2018 iPhones could start somewhere right around $600 to $700 for the entry-level 6.1-inch LCD model, based on rumors, while the 5.8-inch OLED iPhone could cost between $800 and $900, and the 6.5-inch OLED iPhone could cost between $1,000 and $1,100.

For a complete rundown on all of the rumors we’ve heard about the 2018 iPhone lineup, make sure to check out our 2018 iPhone roundup.

What do you think of the iPhones Apple is planning to introduce this year? Which one will you buy? Let us know in the comments.

Related Roundup: 2018 iPhones
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