This is everything we know about the OnePlus 6T!

OnePlus is going to end 2018 with a bang.

Ever since it was released this past May, the OnePlus 6 has been one of the absolute best values in smartphones we’ve seen in 2018. The phone’s only gotten better thanks to striking new colors and fast software updates, and right around the corner is its incremental successor — the OnePlus 6T.

The 6T likely won’t shake up the OnePlus 6’s formula too much, but even so, it’s already shaping up to be one of the year’s most interesting smartphones.

Without further ado, here’s everything we know about the OnePlus 6T!

The latest OnePlus 6T news

September 4, 2018 — Retail box reveals an in-display fingerprint sensor and “waterdrop” notch

Our first big OnePlus 6T leak has finally arrived!

A retail box for the phone recently appeared in a few photos online, and while the phone itself isn’t anywhere to be seen, the packaging actually confirms a couple key details about it.

Thanks to an outline of the 6T inside the box, we can see that it adopts a very similar design compared to the Oppo R17 that was announced in mid-August. As such, we’ve got a phone with very slim bezels, a tiny chin at the bottom, and a waterdrop style notch at the top.

This outline also shows a fingerprint near the bottom center of the display — suggesting that the 6T will be the first OnePlus phone to adopt an in-display fingerprint sensor.

August 17, 2018 — OnePlus 6T to launch on T-Mobile in the U.S. in October

A new report from CNET surfaced today, and if you’ve been waiting for more juicy details on the OnePlus 6T, there’s plenty for you here.

OnePlus phones in the U.S. have always been sold exclusively as unlocked handsets through OnePlus’s website, but with the 6T, OnePlus will be launching the phone on its first carrier partner in the States — T-Mobile. The T-Mobile version of the OnePlus 6T is said to be “optimized for T-Mobile’s network” and will work beautifully with the Un-Carrier’s 600Mhz band.

Pricing for the OnePlus 6T is said to be about $550 (a slight increase from the $529 OnePlus 6) and it’ll launch at some point in October.

August 14, 2018 — The new Oppo R17 is likely the phone the OnePlus 6T will be modeled after

If you’ve been following OnePlus for a while, chances are you know that its parent company is Oppo. OnePlus typically uses Oppo phones as references for its own hardware, and this year, the reference device for the OnePlus 6T will likely be the all-new Oppo R17.

While the 6T won’t be identical to the R17, the phone’s biggest features will likely carry over — including the waterdrop notch at the top of the display and all-glass back.

The R17’s notch is one of the smallest we’ve ever seen, and should this make its way to the 6T, it’ll be a big win for the phone’s design. The display below that measures in at 6.4-inches, and to not much surprise, retains a resolution of 1080 x 2280 Full HD.

Where will I be able to buy the OnePlus 6T?

Like previous OnePlus phones, we’re certain that the OnePlus 6T will be sold unlocked on OnePlus’s website.

However, new this year in the U.S., OnePlus has apparently secured its first carrier partner.

In addition to selling the phone unlocked, OnePlus will also sell the 6T via T-Mobile. The unlocked variant will work just fine on TMO, but by having the phone sold directly through the carrier and available to purchase via monthly financing, this should hopefully get the 6T in more people’s hands than previous OnePlus devices.

When will the phone be released?

According to a report from CNET, the OnePlus 6T will launch this fall — sometime in October, to be exact.

Seeing as how the OnePlus 5T went on sale November 21 and sales for the 3T opened up November 28, we have no reason not to believe OnePlus will shoot for an October launch. It’s not uncommon for OEMs to move up launch dates by a month or so compared to previous releases, and seeing as how the next-gen iPhones will be announced on September 12 and the Pixel 3 will be unveiled on October 9, OnePlus appears to be slotting itself in nicely with those big-name launches.

How much will the 6T cost?

Per that same report, the OnePlus 6T will cost $550.

In typical OnePlus fashion, that’s a minor price hike compared to its past releases. Here’s how the $550 OnePlus 6T will compare to previous OnePlus phones:

• OnePlus 6 — $529
• OnePlus 5T — $499
• OnePlus 5 — $479
• OnePlus 3T — $439
• OnePlus 3 — $399

OnePlus 6 review: The matter is settled

OnePlus 6

• OnePlus 6 review
• OnePlus 6 vs. OnePlus 5T: How much changes in six months?
• OnePlus 6 vs. OnePlus 5: Should you upgrade?
• These are the official OnePlus 6 cases
• The OnePlus 6 doesn’t work on Verizon or Sprint
• Join the discussion in the forums

Canada Daily Deals: GoPro Hero6, Bluetooth headphones, and more

Whether you’re looking for new tech gear or household items, we’ve got you covered.

We found plenty of great deals today that include big discounts on GoPro’s latest action cam, Bluetooth headphones for working out or zoning out, roasted coffee beans, and much more!

View the rest of the deals

Each day, the Thrifter Canada team scouts out and shares amazing deals on products you know and love, helping you find the best prices on the ‘net.

For more Canadian deals coverage, be sure to keep an eye on Thrifter CA and follow the team on Twitter.

MacRumors Giveaway: Win a TS3 Plus Thunderbolt 3 Dock From CalDigit

For this week’s giveaway, we’ve teamed up with CalDigit to offer MacRumors readers a chance to win a Thunderbolt Station 3 Plus dock, which offers 15 ports for Apple’s Thunderbolt 3-compatible Macs.

Priced starting at $299.99, the TS3 Plus can replace all of your other dongles because of the sheer number of ports that it offers. Available in both silver and a new space gray option, the TS3 Plus will match Apple’s devices.

Design wise, the TS3 Plus, which is designed to be a desktop dock, is made from aluminum with ribbing on the sides, and it can be positioned either horizontally or vertically to work with any desk setup.

At the front and back, the dock includes two Thunderbolt 3 ports, an SD card reader, five USB-A ports, one USB-C Gen. 1 port, one USB-C Gen. 2 port, a DisplayPort 1.2 port, a Digital Optical Audio port, Audio In & Out, and a Gigabit Ethernet port.

The included USB-C Gen. 1 port offers 5Gb/s throughput, while the USB-C Gen. 2 port offers 10Gb/s throughput, ideal for high-performance SSDs.

The TS3 Plus provides 85W of charging power so it’s able to charge Apple’s 15-inch MacBook Pro models, along with the 13-inch 61W models with an included Thunderbolt 3 cable. It supports one 60Hz 5K display via Thunderbolt 3 or two 60Hz 4K displays using the DisplayPort and Thunderbolt 3 connections.

CalDigit’s TS3 Plus is compatible with 2016 and later 13 and 15-inch MacBook Pro models that support Thunderbolt 3, the 2017 iMac models, and the iMac Pro. We have two of the CalDigit docks to give away.

To enter to win, use the Rafflecopter widget below and enter an email address. Email addresses will be used solely for contact purposes to reach the winners and send the prizes. You can earn additional entries by subscribing to our weekly newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube channel, following us on Twitter, or visiting the MacRumors Facebook page.

Due to the complexities of international laws regarding giveaways, only U.S. residents who are 18 years or older and Canadian residents (excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in their province or territory are eligible to enter. To offer feedback or get more information on the giveaway restrictions, please refer to our Site Feedback section, as that is where discussion of the rules will be redirected.

a Rafflecopter giveawayThe contest will run from today (September 7) at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time through 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time on September 14. The winners will be chosen randomly on September 14 and will be contacted by email. The winners will have 48 hours to respond and provide a shipping address before new winners are chosen.

Tags: giveaway, CalDigit
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Proposed Tariffs Will Impact Apple Watch, AirPods, HomePod, Mac Mini and More

A proposed $200 billion tariff on Chinese goods would affect the Apple Watch, AirPods, HomePod, Beats headphones, AirPort routers, Apple Pencil, Magic Mouse and Magic Keyboard, MacBooks, Mac mini, and a selection of cables, chargers, and adapters, Apple said today in a letter sent to the U.S. government.

Apple’s letter urges the Trump administration not to apply the tariffs that will affect Apple products and to find “other, more effective” solutions instead. According to the company, the U.S. will be the hardest hit by the proposed tariffs, leading to lower U.S. growth and competitiveness and higher prices for U.S. consumers.

Apple CEO Tim Cook with Donald Trump at the Executive Tech Summit at Trump Tower in December 2016

The proposed tariff list covers a wide range of Apple products and the products used in our U.S. operations: Apple digital health and wireless connectivity products, including Apple Watch, Apple Pencil and Air Pods; Apple computing tools such as MacMini; Apple adapters, cables and chargers engineered for efficiency and safety; Apple-designed components and made-to-specification tooling for Apple’s U.S. manufacturing and product repair facilities; specialty testing equipment for Apple’s U.S. product development labs; and servers, hard drives and cables for Apple’s U.S. data centers that support our global services such as the App Store.

According to Apple, the tariffs will increase the cost of its U.S. operations, divert resources, and disadvantage Apple compared to foreign competitors, leading to more expensive Apple products for customers.

Second, because all tariffs ultimately show up as a tax on U.S. consumers, they will increase the cost of Apple products that our customers have come to rely on in their daily lives. For example, the proposed tariffs cover Apple Watch, which has become the top-selling smart-watch in the U.S. and globally.

Since we introduced Apple Watch a few years ago, we have heard from users about how it has changed, and in some cases saved, their lives. Apple Watch is also being used in conjunction with American universities to help individuals to manage health conditions such as epilepsy and post-heart attack recovery.

Apple CEO Tim Cook said in July that Apple was evaluating the fourth tariff the United States plans to implement and would comment on its impact on Apple at a later date, which is what today’s letter pertains to. Cook called the examination of the tariff “a tedious process” because of the need to consider not only revenue, but also purchases being made through other companies unrelated to revenue, such as data centers.

The United States has already put three sets of tariffs in place affecting steel, aluminum, and $50 billion worth of other goods from China, but none of these tariffs have impacted Apple products and devices.

When commenting on tariffs in July, Cook said that while Apple believes the trade agreements the U.S. has with other major economies are in need of modernization, tariffs are not the right approach. Cook said Apple is, however, “optimistic” the tariff issue will be sorted out, and that the company is hoping “calm heads prevail.”

Apple shares dropped following the tariff news.

Apple’s Comments Regard… by on Scribd

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
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What to Expect at Apple’s September 2018 Event: New iPhones, Apple Watch Series 4, AirPods, AirPower and More

On Wednesday, September 12, Apple will hold its annual iPhone-centric event at the Steve Jobs Theater on the Apple Park campus. This year’s theme is “Gather Round,” the line that was on the invitations sent out to members of the media in late August.

This year’s event is shaping up to be quite exciting, with three new iPhones and refreshed Apple Watch Series 4 models on the horizon. Bigger displays seem to be the major draw this year, with Apple introducing both a 6.5-inch iPhone and larger-screened Apple Watch models that have smaller bezels.

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2018 iPhone Lineup

Apple’s 2018 iPhone lineup will consist of three devices: a 5.8-inch OLED device that’s a follow up to the current iPhone X, a larger 6.5-inch OLED device that’s a sort of “iPhone X Plus,” and a 6.1-inch device with an LCD screen and a lower price tag that’s meant to be Apple’s more affordable smartphone.

All three of the iPhones will feature nearly edge-to-edge designs with a notch that houses a TrueDepth Camera System, putting an end to the Touch ID Home button in Apple’s flagship iPhone lineup. While the three iPhones will have almost non-existent bezels like the iPhone X, the 6.1-inch iPhone’s bezels may be slightly thicker due to the LCD display instead of the OLED display.

2018 iPhone dummy models
Internally, Apple employees are said to be referring to this year’s iPhones as an “S” upgrade, a notation reserved for years when upgrades focus on internal components rather than design changes. “S” naming is appropriate given that all three iPhones are using an X-style design even though there are two new devices.

Apple is expected to use the 7-nanometer TSMC-manufactured A12 chip in all of the new iPhones for parity in processing power. The A12 should be faster and more efficient than the A11 for faster processing times, better graphics, and improved battery life. Early benchmarks suggest the A12 is 10 percent faster than the A11.

Leaked information from Apple suggests the 5.8-inch iPhone will be referred to as the “iPhone Xs” while the larger 6.5-inch iPhone could be called the “iPhone Xs Max,” with Apple doing away with the “Plus” moniker that it has used since the release of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

Such a naming scheme makes some sense because the “Plus” designation has traditionally referred to phones that have features non-Plus phones do not, but it does not appear that there are differentiating features between the two OLED iPhones with the exception of screen size, battery life, and price tag.

The iPhone Xs models, which will have resolutions of 2,688 x 1,242 (6.5″) and 2,436 x 1,125 (5.8″) according to rumors, will feature 12-megapixel dual-lens camera systems like the iPhone X, sturdy stainless steel frames, faster Intel LTE modems with support for 4X4 MIMO, 4GB RAM, and up to 512GB of storage space.

Improved battery technology may allow Apple to introduce a two-cell L-shaped 3,300 to 3,400 mAh battery in the 6.5-inch model and a 2,700 to 2,800 two-cell battery in the 5.8-inch iPhone.

Apple’s iPhone Xs devices are expected to be available in silver and space gray like the iPhone X, but leaked images suggest Apple is also planning to introduce a new gold shade. Apple last year intended to introduce a gold iPhone X according to rumors, but was unable to do so due to manufacturing issues. Those problems have presumably been worked out this year, allowing for gold iPhone Xs models.

The 6.1-inch iPhone, which we don’t know the name of, will look similar to the iPhone Xs models, but with lesser features that are meant to keep costs lower. In addition to a 1,792 x 828 LCD display instead of an OLED display, this device will feature an aluminum frame instead of a stainless steel frame, a single-lens 12-megapixel rear camera rather than a dual-lens rear camera, a 2,600 to 2,700 mAh single-cell battery, up to 256GB of storage space, an Intel LTE modem with 2X2 MIMO, and 3GB RAM.

We’ve heard some rumors suggesting the 6.1-inch iPhone’s display won’t support 3D Touch, but it’s not clear if this is accurate. There has also been some speculation that Apple intends to use an aluminum rear shell rather than a glass rear shell, thereby not allowing wireless charging, but we believe all three iPhones will support wireless charging functionality.

Glass panels for the 2018 iPhone models
Faster wireless charging is a possibility for at least one of the iPhones Apple is developing with rumors suggesting Apple is working on a wireless charging coil made from copper wire instead of the ferrite polymer composite used in the current iPhone lineup. A copper wire charging coil would allow for faster and more efficient wireless charging, perhaps bumping up the 7.5W limit in the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and X.

Like the 2013 iPhone 5c, the 6.1-inch iPhone will supposedly come in a multitude of colors, with possibilities that include grey, white, blue, red, pink, black, and orange. The 6.1-inch iPhone will mark Apple’s first real use of bright colors since the iPhone 5c.

6.1-inch iPhone dummy models in red, blue, and white, three color possibilities that have been rumored. From Slashleaks.
The 6.5-inch iPhone Xs Max and the 6.1-inch iPhone may support dual-SIM dual-standby in some countries like China, allowing for two SIM cards to be used at once. It’s not clear if this functionality will be coming to the United States, however. There has also been a rumor Apple could include eSIM functionality in some of the devices planned for 2018, so we’ll have to wait for launch to get a full picture of the SIM situation.

Rumors suggest Apple’s 6.1-inch “low cost” iPhone will be priced at $600 to $700, making it more affordable than the two OLED models that are in the works. The 5.8-inch iPhone Xs could be priced at $800 to $900, making it cheaper than the $999 iPhone X, while the 6.5-inch iPhone Xs Max could be priced at $900 to $1,000.

Chart outlining prospective 2018 iPhone features, via Ming-Chi Kuo
Some of the new iPhone models may ship with a Lightning to USB-C cable rather than a Lightning to USB-A cable plus a more powerful 18W power adapter, which would enable fast charging speeds right out of the box without the need to purchase additional equipment.

While all three iPhone models are set to make their debut at Apple’s September 12 event, rumors suggest the 6.1-inch model may not be available for pre-order alongside the two OLED models due to production difficulties. It is unclear if this information is accurate, but we’ve heard several rumors suggesting production issues for the 6.1-inch iPhone.

For additional information on the three iPhones Apple will introduce next week, make sure to check out our iPhone Xs roundup.

Apple Watch Series 4

The Apple Watch Series 4 is expected to feature a display that’s 15 percent larger than the display of the Apple Watch Series 3, a change implemented through a reduction in the size of the bezels of the device.

A larger display size will provide more room on the screen for apps and it will allow more space for watch faces. Apple is expected to introduce at least one new watch face with support for up to nine complications.

Leaked image of Apple Watch Series 4
While we don’t know the resolution of the 38mm Apple Watch, data found within the beta suggests the 42mm version will feature a resolution of 384×480, up from 312×390 in the current 42mm Apple Watch models.

Aside from the larger display, a leaked marketing image suggests the Apple Watch Series 4 will look similar to the Series 3, with no major design changes. With no significant change in design, Apple Watch Series 4 models will continue to be compatible with existing Apple Watch bands.

The Apple Watch Series 4 could include a gold stainless steel color for the first time based on the leaked image, and there have been rumors that it could potentially use a haptic side button rather than a physical side button.

Other rumors have pointed towards a longer battery life enabled through a higher-capacity battery and improved health monitoring capabilities related to the heart rate sensor, but we haven’t heard concrete details on what could be included.

Alongside the new Apple Watch, Apple is expected to introduce a selection of new bands as it does with each major event.

For more information on what we can expect to see in the Apple Watch Series 4, make sure to check out our Apple Watch roundup.

AirPower

Apple introduced the AirPower in September 2017 and promised to launch it in 2018, but development issues have delayed its release. Rumors have suggested Apple’s updated timeline included a release in or before September, so we’re hitting that deadline.

We expect to see Apple’s AirPower become available for purchase alongside the new 2018 iPhones and Apple Watch models.

The AirPower is designed to charge the Apple Watch (Series 3 and 4), glass-backed iPhones, and AirPods all at the same time, with a wireless charging case required to enable wireless charging for the AirPods.

AirPods

With the AirPower, Apple is supposed to be introducing a new AirPods Charging Case that adds wireless charging to the earbuds, but because the AirPower has taken so long to launch, we’re set to see updated AirPods with new features.

Rumors suggest that the AirPods will see a minor update this year adding an upgraded wireless chip that supports hands-free “Hey Siri” functionality. With “Hey Siri” support, AirPod owners will be able to activate Siri without needing to double tap on the AirPods with a finger.

An upgraded set of AirPods will also likely ship with the aforementioned Charging Case with wireless charging capabilities, and Apple is also expected to sell that case on a standalone basis so customers who have already purchased AirPods can upgrade to it.

Existing AirPods Charging Case next to redesigned AirPods Charging Case with wireless charging capabilities
No other major changes are expected for the AirPods this year, but there have been some hints that Apple is working on a set of Apple-branded high-end over-ear headphones that could launch in late 2018 at the earliest, so we may see a mention of them. Rumors on a launch date have been mixed, though, so Apple may not be ready to debut these until 2019.

For more information on the AirPods, check out our AirPods roundup.

Software Updates

New versions of iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS have been in beta testing since June, and Apple is likely to provide golden master versions of each of the updates following its September 12 event.

The golden master versions of iOS 12, macOS Mojave, watchOS 5, and tvOS 12 will represent the final version of the software that will be provided to device owners when the software launches.

We expect to see Apple release iOS 12, watchOS 5, and tvOS 12 on Wednesday, September 19, two days ahead of the predicted launch of the 2018 iPhone models. Such a launch date would be in line with past software release timelines. We could also see macOS Mojave on that day, but historically, macOS release dates have varied somewhat.

Additional information on all of the new features included in Apple’s fall 2018 software lineup can be found in our iOS 12, tvOS 12, watchOS 5, and macOS Mojave roundups.

Possibilities for September or October

Several additional updates are on the horizon for Apple’s Mac and iPad lineups, but in past years when there have been a slew of fall updates to unveil, Apple has held two events: one in September focusing on iPhones and the Apple Watch and one in October to focus on Macs and iPads.

While it’s possible Apple could unveil new Macs and iPads at its September event, we believe the company is going to wait until an October event simply due to time constraints and the sheer number of devices that are in the works for the fall.

iPad Pro

Apple is working on updated iPad Pro models that adopt an iPhone X-style design with slimmer bezels and no Home button, with the iPads instead set to gain a TrueDepth Camera System that will allow Face ID to be used for biometric authentication purposes.

While the iPhone X includes a notch for the TrueDepth Camera, leaked iPad Pro designs in the iOS 12 beta suggest the iPad Pro models will not have a notch, instead retaining slim top and bottom bezels. Apple is also not planning to use an OLED display for the iPad at this time due to cost and production issues.

Renderings of 12.9-inch iPad Pro based on alleged CAD drawings
Rumors suggest the new iPad Pro models will be available in screen sizes that are approximately 11 and 12.9 inches, with Apple using chamfered edges that are similar in design to the iPhone SE. The antenna lines on the device may also be located at the top and bottom, similar to the iPhone 7.

Renderings of 12.9-inch iPad Pro based on alleged CAD drawings
Renders based on leaked CAD drawings suggest the iPad Pro has a relocated Smart Connector that’s been moved from the side of the device to the back of the device, but how this would functionally work remains in question, so it’s not clear if the information is accurate.

We’ve also heard that the new iPad Pro models will not feature a headphone jack, with Apple opting to do away with the port as it did in the iPhone lineup beginning with the iPhone 7.

For more information on what to expect from upgraded 2018 iPad Pro models, check out our iPad Pro roundup.

Mac mini

Apple is said to be working on a refreshed version of the Mac mini that’s focused on pro users. The upgraded device will include new storage and processor options, and because of its pro focus, it could be more expensive than previous Mac mini products.

There’s not a lot of additional information available on the Mac mini, but a previous rumor suggested the higher-end version “won’t be so mini anymore” hinting at least one configuration with a larger size to accommodate higher-end components.

Given that this is going to be a pro-focused machine, it’s not clear what chips it will adopt, but Intel this year has announced 8th-generation processors appropriate for both desktop and notebook machines. Past Mac mini models have used the same chips as the 13-inch MacBook Pro, but Apple may be planning to opt for more powerful chips for a pro Mac mini model.

For everything we’ve heard on the Mac mini, check out our Mac mini roundup.

Low-Cost MacBook Air

Apple has a 13-inch MacBook Air replacement in the works, which has been the subject of rumors for more than a year now. It’s been unclear whether Apple plans to position the machine in the MacBook Air family or the 12-inch MacBook family, but some concrete details about the upcoming notebook can be gleaned from everything we’ve heard.

Positioned as an entry-level low-cost machine in Apple’s product lineup, the notebook will be 13 inches in size and it will feature a Retina display. It is said to be similar in design to the current 13-inch MacBook Air, but with slimmer bezels.

It’s not entirely clear how Apple will distinguish this machine from the 12-inch MacBook if it’s going to offer a Retina display, but if the design is similar to the current MacBook Air, the 12-inch MacBook will still be Apple’s lightest machine, justifying its higher price tag.

Various pricing rumors have suggested that it could be available for anywhere from $799 to $1,200, but the most reliable source, Bloomberg, believes it will cost under $1,000.

Whiskey Lake chips appropriate for a MacBook Air-like machine were announced by Intel in August, and so Apple could potentially be planning to use these chips in the device.

For more on the mixed rumors we’ve been hearing about the 13-inch low-cost notebook, check out our MacBook Air roundup.

12-Inch MacBook

Regardless of whether the rumored lower-cost 13-inch notebook is a MacBook Air or a MacBook, Apple is still planning to maintain the 12-inch MacBook lineup and a refresh is in the works.

Upgraded 12-inch MacBooks are likely to feature Intel’s 8th-generation Amber Lake Y-series processors, announced in August. These chips bring processor and battery improvements, so new MacBooks could offer both faster performance and longer battery life.

Aside from upgraded Intel chips, there’s been little information on what else Apple might add to a refreshed MacBook lineup.

For more on the MacBook, check out our 12-inch MacBook roundup.

iMacs

We haven’t heard any iMac rumors in recent months, but Apple refreshes its iMac lineup on a yearly basis and this year is not likely to be an exception.

We’re expecting refreshed iMacs in 2018 that feature upgraded 8th-generation Intel processors, improved GPUs, and perhaps the adoption of the T2 chip that was introduced in the iMac Pro and has since been added to the MacBook Pro.

More details on the iMac can be found in our iMac roundup.

Conclusion

Apple’s 2018 “Gather Round” event will see the introduction of a slew of new flagship products that will build on the success of the Apple Watch Series 3 and the iPhone X. We also likely have a major Mac and iPad-focused event to look forward to in October should Apple not introduce new Macs and iPads at its September event.

Following the debut of the new iPhones and Apple Watch models on September 12, we are expecting Apple to hold pre-orders on Friday, September 14. If Apple sticks to pre-order times from past years, we can expect orders to be accepted starting at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time.

After a September 14 pre-order date, the new devices are likely to see an official launch date on Friday, September 21.

The event will kick off at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, with Apple planning to live stream the product unveiling on its event website and through the Events app on the Apple TV. For those unable to watch, MacRumors will have live coverage both here on MacRumors.com and on our MacRumorsLive Twitter account, along with continuing coverage throughout the rest of September.

What are you most looking forward to seeing Apple introduce this year? Let us know in the comments.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 4, watchOS 5, iPhone Xs, AirPodsBuyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Caution), AirPods (Caution)
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Xiaomi Pocophone F1 review: First impressions

We’d like to thank our friends at GearVita for supplying the device for this review. We’ve placed a link at the end of the review if you’d like to purchase the Xiaomi Pocophone F1 from GearVita.

Generally speaking, if a phone launches a Snapdragon 845 (currently the best mobile processor on the market) 6GB RAM (the gold standard of mobile memory) and most of the must-have amenities of modern smartphones, you’d expect to drop about $700 on it – like the Samsung Galaxy S9, or LG G7, perhaps. If you’re phone-savvy, you might even be able to spend $500 on a Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S or a OnePlus 6.

But $300? For those specs? All-but unheard of.

At least, so we thought. The Pocophone F1 (from the aforementioned Chinese tech giant Xiaomi) crams flagship-caliber hardware into bargain bin pricing, while simultaneously cutting very few corners in the process. Released in August and starting at just $300 for the base model, the F1 features a very impressive spec-sheet worthy of a phone twice its price.

Pocophone F1 Specs At-A-Glance

• Display: 6.18″, 1080p IPS LCD (82.2% screen-to-body ratio)
• Platform: Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 CPU, Adreno 630 GPU
• Memory: 6+64/128GB or 8+256GB RAM/ROM (expandable)
• Rear camera: 12+5MP, f/1.9, 1/2.55″, 1.4µm
• Front-facing camera: 20 MP, f/2.0, 0.9µ
• Connectivity: Bluetooth 5, WiFi 802.11ac
• Audio: 3.5mm jack, “Stereo” Speakers (see below)
• Battery: 4,000mAh battery
• Build materials: Plastic Body, Gorilla Glass display
• Measurements: 6.12 x 2.96 x 0.35 in, 6.35 oz

But is it really that good?

Short answer? Yes, yes it is. It runs just as smoothly as my OnePlus 6, with better battery life and a screen that competes despite being “just” a 1080p IPS LCD. Since it runs on a Snapdragon 845 core, it features the same built-in Bluetooth 5.0 and 802.11ac WiFi modules that you’d see on any other flagship phone. At 4,000mAh, the battery is about 25% larger than your average flagship battery, and the same size battery as the spankin’ new Samsung Galaxy Note 9.

Need more praise? As GSMArena points out, the Pocophone F1 puts up a ridiculous 285k aggregate AnTuTu score, landing it squarely between the OnePlus 6 (286k) and the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 (283k). That’s pretty great company to be in. And granted, that metric only measures raw processing power and doesn’t take into account things like firmware and the performance of accessory modules, but even still – that number blew me away.

Okay, so what’s the catch?

There’s one rather severe catch and a number of smaller ones. The major on – for US users, at least – is that neither the Global nor India versions of the Pocophone F1 support any of the Primary LTE bands of the four major US-based carriers. This means that while the Pocophone will technically run on either of the GSM-based carriers (AT&T or T-Mobile), the best connection you’ll ever see is the HSPA+ “4G” label – never a true LTE connection.

The smaller catches are significantly smaller. The phone doesn’t feature wireless charging or NFC – which is a deal-breaker for very few people, I would imagine. It also features a plastic back, which is a purely cost-cutting move I’m sure most people will be able to handle at this price point. Ironically, perhaps the plastic back makes the Pocophone more drop resistant than many glass-bodied phones on the market.

I won’t sugar coat it for you, the “Stereo” speakers on the Pocophone F1 are not great. In anything other than a quiet room you’ll struggle to hear it even on max volume – and I use “Stereo” in quotes because while the phone has two speaker grates on the bottom, there’s only one speaker in there. Covering up the right one makes sound all but muffled, while covering up the left one doesn’t impact sound in the least. It’s a fake speaker grate, and marketing the phone as having Stereo speakers is rather disingenuous of Xiaomi.

Verdict

And that’s it. Everything else works as you’d expect from a phone running the above specs, which is to say – quite well. Personally, if the couple problems listed above are all that’s wrong with a $300 flagship, I call that a huge win for Xiaomi.

Now if they’d just make a North American version, we might see a true shakeup in the industry. Keep an eye out for my full review in a week, AndroidGuys.

Again, we’d like to thank our friends at Gearvita for supplying this device for review. If you’d like to pick up a Pocophone F1, head over to GearVita and pick yours up today.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Review: A great phone that comes at a price

Samsung always swings for the fences with their Note line up and it should because it is quite literally its biggest phone of the year. Not every year can be a home run though. Most people have all but written off the Galaxy Note 9 as nothing more than an incremental upgrade. They would not be wrong, but even minor upgrades can have a big impact.

A little about this review

The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 used in this review was provided courtesy of AT&T and used on their network for the past three weeks.

Read More: First 10 things to do with your Note 9

Design

Not much has changed here, if you liked the design of the previous Note 8 then you’ll enjoy the Note 9. Samsung is back with the same glass sandwich with metal chamfered frame they’ve been using for the past couple of years now. Just about every phone maker has jumped on this trend, and if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

By utilizing this same design Samsung has also retained some of the best features of the Note 8 such as the IP68 waterproofing, wireless charging, and near flush camera design. However, it also retains some of the flaws of this particular design.

For example, the glass back is a fingerprint magnet and no matter how tough Gorilla Glass 5 is, glass is still glass and is less durable than a plastic or metal back. The Galaxy Note 9 does have some improvements though.

The fingerprint scanner is now in a much better location in the center of the phone. While it is much easier to reach now, it could be a little lower and larger. It is still a little too high and you run the risk of overreaching and smudging the camera lens with them so close in proximity to each other.

Screen

The screen is also slightly larger than the Note 8 and as always it is gorgeous. Others can get close but no one can compete with the beauty of a Samsung AMOLED panel. It is sharp, the colors are vivid, and the blacks are inky.

Samsung regularly wins awards from DisplayMate for having the best displays of the year and it is a title well deserved. Plus, you’re getting a slightly larger screen in essentially the same sized body. It’s really hard to complain about that, especially when they do it without an obnoxious notch.

S-Pen

The Note series simply wouldn’t be the same without the S-Pen. It is a unique feature that Samsung offers that no other phone on the market comes close to replicating. Regardless, Samsung continues to search for ways to enhance and improve the experience. This year we saw the Galaxy Note 9 S-Pen get its biggest upgrade ever in the form of Bluetooth LE.

With Bluetooth LE built in the S-Pen can now act as a remote providing features. By pressing once, long pressing, or double pressing the button you can unlock your phone, launch the camera, take photos, control media playback, control Powerpoint presentations, and more. Samsung even allows you to customize these actions in the settings menu.

The one downside of this upgrade is that Bluetooth devices run on battery power. Similar to Bluetooth speakers and headphones the S-Pen now has a battery inside that must be charged. The good news is 40 seconds of charging is enough to give the S-Pen 30 minutes worth of usage.

Fortunately, if the battery dies in the S-Pen all of the old features still work. You will only lose the ability to use the button to launch apps or control them.

Read More: Tips and Tricks for the S-Pen

Even with all the tricks, the S-Pen is capable of old and new. I still can’t find much of an excuse to use it. Whenever I have a Note phone I always have to force myself to use the S-Pen. Once I send it back I never once miss having the S-Pen. For all intents and purposes, the S-Pen is nothing but a gimmick to me. However, that is only my personal opinion as I’m sure many others out there use it and love it.

Bixby Button

The Bixby button is back and is just as useless as ever. Samsung is determined to force this on their users whether they want it or not. At best this is a worthless button and at worst the button is a major annoyance when you trigger it accidentally.

If only Samsung were to allow a little customization of the button similar to the button on the S-Pen. You don’t have to allow us to assign it to Google Assistant but at least give us the option to assign other actions to it.

Unfortunately, the apps that once made this little button more useful by reassigning it do not currently work with the Galaxy Note 9. Nor do you have the option to disable the button in the Bixby settings like in previous phones. Hopefully, by the time this review is released or sometime in the near future this will change. Until then, we must live with Bixby getting in our way.

Headphone Jack

Yes, the headphone jack is still there. Once again Samsung bucks the trend of nixing the headphone jack and forcing wireless audio on their customers. As an avid music fan who owns several wired and wireless headphones that I use regularly, I dread the day that Samsung and LG give in to this trend. Thankfully, that day has not come yet and I don’t have to live the dongle life.

Speakers

Continuing with their improvements over the Note 8, Samsung has made the stereo speakers even better this year on the Note 9. Between the bottom firing speaker, earpiece speaker, and Atmos processing the Note 9 sounds fantastic. I wouldn’t say it can compete against a phone with true stereo front facing speakers, but the Note 9 gets closer than ever to being one of the best sounding Android phones.

Storage

Bravo to Samsung for making the 128GB model the base model for the Galaxy Note 9. This doubles the amount from the previous Note 8 and Samsung also sells a 512GB version. If you really want to go overboard then you can take advantage of the microSD card slot and carry a whopping 1TB in your pocket by adding a 512GB microSD card.

Software

Samsung is notorious for their software skin most commonly known as TouchWiz or Samsung Experience. The name Samsung Experience does it the most justice because that is what Samsung is trying to provide its users. When you use a Samsung phone it is distinctively different from stock Android. Samsung is also the only handset maker to include a skin on an Android Go phone.

This is one way Samsung brands themselves and sets their phones apart from others in the marketplace. However, there are things to love and things to hate about the Samsung Experience.

Some of the things I love are all the extra features that are added to Android. These include extras such as themes, a customizable always on display, calibration options for your display, a sound equalizer, dual messenger, video enhancer, one-handed mode, multi window, and much much more.

Read More: 9 Tips and Tricks for your Note 9

Samsung also includes a couple of extra software goodies which work in conjunction with their hardware. S-Health, for example, uses the sensors on the back near the camera as well as other sensors in your phone to help you keep track of your health.

Samsung Pay also deserves a special mention thanks to the use of Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST) technology in its phones. Thanks to this wonderful technology you can make mobile payments at almost any terminal that accepts a debit or credit card. This by far is one of my favorite exclusive features and I love being able to pay with my phone almost anywhere.

Some of the reasons to hate the Samsung Experience come in the form of delayed OS upgrades and in general some performance lag. In my opinion, all of the advantages outweigh the disadvantages and I prefer a phone packed with more software and hardware features.

Performance

As I mentioned, one of the drawbacks of Samsung’s heavy software skin is performance lag. Fortunately, the Snapdragon 845 SoC and 6GB of RAM offer quite a powerful duo to combat any sluggishness. In my usage, the Galaxy Note 9 was the quickest and snappiest Samsung phone I have ever used. It might still struggle to keep up with some phones running lighter skins, but overall I didn’t notice any lag or performance quirks and it kept up with everything I threw at it.

For those interested in the stats when I personally ran AnTuTu it returned a score of 283533 and Geekbench reported a single core score of 2435 and 8760 for multi-core performance. This ranks the Note 9 as one of the top five fastest phones out right now.

Camera

The same 12MP dual camera setup with dual focal lengths from the Note 8 returns on the new Note 9. This time gaining a new trick with the variable aperture. We first saw this in the Samsung S9 models where the aperture on the main camera can switch dynamically from f/2.4 to f/1.5.

The reason for the dynamic aperture is because when you shoot with a lower aperture such as f/1.5 it keeps less of what’s in the frame in focus. Using a variable aperture allows you to shoot f/2.4 in abundant light keeping more in focus while only switching to f/1.5 in low light allowing the camera to absorb more light.

On top of having a variable aperture, Samsung also makes use of two different cameras giving you options for a 2X optical zoom and portrait modes. In my experience, this dual camera setup works better than the single-camera portrait modes. Due to providing a greater range to capture the subject in portrait mode and offering a warning when it won’t work.

Regular Camera

2X Optical Zoom

One thing to note is the 2X optical zoom camera has significantly worse camera quality in low light conditions. If you are trying to take photos in a low light situation you’ll get much sharper and detailed photos if you use the regular camera. Check the full view of the samples below for an example of this.

Regular Camera

2X Optical Zoom

Samsung also includes a new software enhancement to the camera in the form of scene optimizer. After taking many samples and comparing them, it seemed to me scene optimizer no matter what scene means make it darker and add a yellow tint. That doesn’t always result in the best photo, and generally, I preferred to leave it turned off.

Scene Optimizer Off

Scene Optimizer On

Where it was most helpful was for detecting flawed photos. For example, if something moved and was blurred or someone blinked it would pop up a message immediately after saving the photo giving you plenty of time to snap another.

As far as overall photo quality is concerned Samsung always has one of the top cameras on Android. General second only to the Pixel phones and in my opinion that is the case here as well. The Note 9 continues on with this tradition and if you’re looking for the second best camera with the most features available then you’re looking for the Note 9.

View More Photos on our Google Photos Album

The front-facing camera much like the rear-facing camera is feature packed. This 8MP f/1.7 shooter includes autofocus, beauty modes, built-in stickers, AR emoji, and a portrait mode.

It includes just about everything you could need or want for a selfie camera except for a portrait lighting mode similar to the iPhone X. Personally, I’d prefer a portrait lighting mode over all of these useless stickers and AR emoji.

Unlike the rear camera that provides a decent second place to the Pixel phones, I find the front-facing camera is significantly worse than the Pixel phones. It is entirely due to Samsung’s over processing of the photos, where even with all the beauty filters set to 0 the images still come out soft.

If you were to try the Google Camera app for selfies then the results are much sharper with far better contrast. Which leaves me very disappointed in the front facing camera on the Note 9 unless using third party software.

Battery

With the jump to a 4000mAh battery, I was ready to be impressed by the Note 9. To my disappointment, I wasn’t quite blown away by the battery life. That doesn’t mean battery life isn’t good, on the contrary, it is quite good. I was easily able to end my days with 5 hours of screen on time with at least 30-40% of battery life remaining. If I was a little more conservative I could even see almost up to two full days of usage.

You might wonder, what is there to be disappointed about then? The answer to that question would be that all of this is done on the FHD 1080p resolution. While other phones such as the Pixel 2 XL and LG V35 are able to accomplish similar or dare I say better battery life using QHD resolutions with smaller batteries.

If you increase the resolution to QHD on the Note 9 then you’ll see closer to 6 hours total screen on time. Without a doubt, that’s still great battery life and most general users will be pleased. Personally, though, I expected more from the upgraded battery.

Final Thoughts

Despite a couple of qualms here and there the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 will have no trouble ranking as one of the best phones of 2018. It is fast, it’s premium, it has a great camera, it has great battery life, and it has a new improved S-Pen. There were only a few reasons I could come up with to not buy this phone.

First off, it is $1000 dollars which is no easy sell but unfortunately, this is becoming more common in the smartphone market. Another reason would be that you have a Note 8 and have no complaints about the battery life and no use for a Bluetooth S-Pen. Then there’s the final reason, which is you love the Pixel phones for stock Android, fast updates, and the best camera on Android.

Beyond any of these reasons, the Galaxy Note 9 is going to be one of the top two phones of the year and if you can afford it, then get it. Outside of the price I could not find any one flaw that would prevent me from buying and loving this phone.

Buy from AT&T Buy from Samsung

Devices used in this article were provided by AT&T

Read next:

• When and Where to Buy: Samsung Galaxy Note 9
• You can grab all 12 of the Note 9 wallpapers right now
• Here’s the list of official accessories for the Galaxy Note 9
• Nine things we love about the Note 9

Google’s Pixelbook 2 tablet could debut with fingerprint security

Dan Baker/Digital Trends

Google’s next-generation Chrome OS-powered Pixelbook 2 may be borrowing some biometric security features from Windows Hello. The refreshed Pixelbook could appear as early as October 9 at Google’s hardware event in New York City, and will reportedly boast support for a facial-recognition scanner and fingerprint reader, according to code discovered in a developer build of Chrome OS. Biometric security could make it easier for Chrome OS users to log into their devices without having to fumble with typing in a password using the on-screen keyboard, especially when it’s used with a tablet.

Leaked code found within the Chrome OX 70 Developer Channel suggests that Google is working on adding biometric security support to its operating system, a feature that’s both supported by Windows Hello on Windows 10 and with the Touch ID sensor on MacOS. What’s interesting is that the code comes with an animated tutorial showing users how to register their fingerprint, and the animation features a rendered image of what appears to be a very specific tablet design, which is believed to be for a Google-made Chrome tablet called Nocturne.

“We assume that they will change this particular part of the setup based on the device, but the first device we know of getting a fingerprint scanner is ‘Nocturne’, the assumed detachable set to launch a month or so from now,” Chrome Unboxed said. The render shows the fingerprint sensor on a side edge of the tablet. The position of the fingerprint sensor may be justified given that the render depicts the tablet with extremely narrow bezels surrounding the display.

The referenced Nocturne device may be one of several Google-made Chromebook devices that may be unveiled in October under the Pixelbook branding. Nocturne is widely believed to sport a detachable form factor, similar to HP’s Chromebook x2, where the keyboard could be removed to allow users to use the Chromebook in a tablet form factor.

Developers stumbled upon the code for face unlock a few days ago, and the code mentions Intel’s Face Engine, which would give Chrome OS a similar facial-recognition camera that many Windows devices have adopted with Intel’s RealSense cameras.

Previous Chrome OS code revealed hints that Google may be giving the detachable and convertible form factors a push, including supporting a desktop mode whenever a Chrome OS tablet detects a keyboard and mouse.

Editors’ Recommendations

• 5 features we want in Google’s Pixelbook 2
• Chromebook users may soon get the Pixel phone’s best feature: Its camera app
• New Chrome OS features make your Chromebook a better Windows replacement
• The Pixelbook could soon run Windows 10
• Google Pixelbook review

The HP Chromebook X2 is the best Chromebook you can buy

We’re a virtual company made up of tech experts from across the globe. We don’t just write about Chromebooks, we use them every day.

The HP Chromebook X2 is the best Chromebook you can buy today. We base this on the overall value; you get what you pay for plus a lot more. Plus, you get a fine tablet that runs Android apps.

Our Pick

HP Chromebook X2

• $599 from Best Buy
• $599 from HP

The Chromebook X2 is a winner no matter how you use it.

HP’s Chromebook X2 is the first detachable Chromebook, and the category is starting off with quite the bang. This powerful Chromebook does double-duty as a tablet, so that plus its use of Android apps make the X2 something you might also consider if you’re looking for a new Android tablet.

Who should buy this Chromebook

Chromebooks are designed to be simple and secure ways to do everything most of us want to do on a computer. The HP Chromebook X2 fits the bill here, but is also a powerful laptop for folks who fancy themselves as power users and want to do a little more.

Digital artists will appreciate the excellent active Pen, which offers precision drawing and pressure sensitivity. Developers will love the power to open multiple windows and applications while they run and test their code. Business professionals will have the power to work at home or on the go with an ultra thin and light business-class machine. And during any downtime, everyone can appreciate the amazing 12.3-inch display and one million+ Android apps that let you do anything from watching your favorite movie or playing a 3D game.

The HP Chromebook X2 may not be the perfect Chromebook for everyone, but it offers the best feature to value ratio of any you’ll find today.

Is it a good time to buy this Chromebook?

Yes. The HP Chromebook X2 was introduced in 2018 and will be officially supported by HP and Google until at 2024. It’s crafted from the latest components and should have plenty of power throughout its lifespan.

Reasons to buy

• Powerful processor
• Ultra thin and light
• Beautiful vibrant display
• Great battery life

Reasons not to buy

• No keyboard backlighting
• Only 32 GB of onboard sotrage
• No upgrade options

Dollar for dollar, you can’t beat what HP is offering

HP has built a powerful Chromebook that can moonlight as an awesome tablet with the Chromebook X2. We love the Intel Core M3 processor, the 0.3-inch thickness and the functional features like Assistant and Google Lens. But as we’ve seen before in the Chromebook world, the display steals the show.

The display on the HP Chromebook X2 is the very same 12.3-inch 2400×1600 IPS touch panel that you’ll find on the Pixelbook or Samsung Chromebook Pro. It’s beautiful to look at and supports a stylus, which is included and stows in a handy loop on the keyboard.

It’s the best Chromebook you can buy, and a contender for the best tablet, too.

You’ll have plenty of power for the browser or to pull up spreadsheets and presentations in Google Docs and Android apps while you’re working. Or play something from Netflix on the gorgeous screen when you’re not.

With a more power-hungry screen than many other Chromebooks, the Chromebook X2 still has great battery life. It will last most people a full workday (8-10 hours) on a single charge. When it’s time to charge the battery, you’ll appreciate the standard USB-C charging instead of a proprietary input. With the right cable, your Chromebook X2 will charge anywhere your phone does.

The HP Chromebook X2 is a great all-around package, and right now it’s the best Chromebook available.

Alternatives to the HP Chromebook X2

We think the HP Chromebook X2 is the best overall Chromebook you can buy, but we know it’s not going to fit everyone. That’s great because there are plenty of other options available and finding one that suits you perfectly should be easy. We’ve outlined a few in case you’re looking for something different.

Runner Up

Google Pixelbook

If you want or need the very best and are willing to overpay for it, the Pixelbook was made for you.

$999 at Best Buy

As Google’s Halo device, the Pixelbook has the design and specs that make it amazing to use. but it has a price that’s hard to swallow.

It’s thin and sleek, and oozes “premium” when using it, has the best keyboard and trackpad of any Chromebook, and a gorgeous touchscreen. It was also designed from the ground up for Google Play and use as an Android tablet, and it excels at it. While you’ll pay double the price of our top pick; for some it will be worth it.

Value Pick

Acer Chromebook R13

The Acer Chromebook R13 looks and feels like a product that should cost a lot more.

$329 at Amazon

The Chromebook R13 is an excellent choice for anyone who wants a premium product without a premium price.

The Acer Chromebook R13 is the most machine you’ll find under $400. It has a 1080p IPS touchscreen for interaction with Android apps and can fold back into various modes for an all-touch experience. It’s solid, well machined, and is nothing like a typical “cheap” laptop. It’s a great choice for savvy shoppers.

On the Go

ASUS Chromebook Flip 101

The 10-inch Chromebook Flip is the ultimate uber-protable.

$329 at Amazon

Take your digital life everywhere with the light and portable Chromebook Flip.

The original Chromebook Flip took us by surprise when we first saw it, but many have come to love this light, portable, and unassuming little Chromebook. The C101 version takes the portability and Android support we all loved and adds newer components, more storage, and better battery life. It’s perfect for anyone who is constantly on the move.

Bottom line

The HP Chromebook X2 is the overall best Chromebook you can buy and one of the best we’ve ever seen. You’ll love its features and we think it’s the perfect blend of performance versus price. But all of us have different needs and luckily there are plenty of other models out there to fit yours perfectly.

Credits — The team that worked on this guide

Jerry Hildenbrand is Mobile Nation’s Senior Editor and works from a Chromebook full time. Currently, he is using Google’s Pixelbook but is always looking at new products and may have any Chromebook in his hands at any time. You’ll find him across the Mobile Nations network and you can hit him up on Twitter if you want to say hey.

Daniel Bader is the Managing Editor of Android Central. As he’s writing this, a mountain of old Android phones is about to fall on his head, but his Great Dane will protect him. He drinks way too much coffee and sleeps too little. He wonders if there’s a correlation.

Tom Westrick is an information technology specialist and full-time Chromebook user. His job at Mobile Nations keeps him busy and his HP Chromebook X2 keeps him productive.

Update, September 2018: The HP Chromebook X2 is the first convertable Chromebook and the best you can buy.

Chromebooks

• The best Chromebooks
• Chromebooks in education: Everything you need to know
• Should you buy a Chromebook?
• Chromebook Buyers Guide
• Google Pixelbook review
• Join our Chromebook forums

Rockstar has finally delivered Red Dead Redemption 2 plot details

The wild west has never looked this good.

Yes, it’s finally happening my fellow outlaws. Red Dead Redemption II is real and it’s coming to PlayStation 4 this year. After Rockstar Games’ massively successful open-world cowboy game set during the death of the Wild West, fans began clamoring for a follow-up that continued the story of the Marston family or embraced a new gunslinger.

After years of rumors and silence on Rockstar’s end, they finally surprised the world on one random morning in 2016 by announcing a sequel to their critically acclaimed western. It took over a year to get any actual concrete details regarding the game and frankly, it’s still a bit of a mystery but it sounds like it could be a mix of a story of a new outlaw and also fill in a massive gap in John Marston’s story.

See at Amazon

What’s new with Red Dead Redemption 2?

Rockstar Games has been quiet lately regarding the highly-anticipated sequel, but with Red Dead Redemption 2’s imminent launch approaching in just a few short months, the studio is starting to discuss the game some more. We’ll keep you up to date with everything you need to know as it’s released.

September 7, 2018

Rockstar has revealed new plot details surrounding Red Dead Redemption 2 in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter

“Dutch’s presence loomed over the original Red Dead Redemption, and his influence on events was a big inspiration for the setting and direction of Red Dead Redemption 2,” said art director Josh Bass. “We all wanted to know more about him and the gang —what was it like riding in that gang? What led them to the events of the original game? What happened to them along the way?

“In Red Dead Redemption 2 you get to see that gang, including Marston, at the peak of their notoriety and at the very moment things begin to fall apart,” he continued. “This story focuses on Arthur Morgan, Dutch’s most trusted enforcer. Adopted into the gang by the Dutch when he was a young boy, Arthur considers the gang to be his family — Dutch has given his life some much‐needed purpose, and the gang has served as the one positive and constant in Arthur’s life.”

Since this is the tail end of the Wild West, Dutch’s gang is struggling with their old ways of life coming to an end as they flee through the country.

“We’ve aimed to capture a wide slice of American life in 1899, a rapidly industrializing nation that would soon have its sights on the world’s stage — and would do whatever possible to ‘modernize,’ ” said director of art Aaron Garbut. “It’s a brutal landscape with a sordid history, but also one that’s full of opportunity. One of the most satisfying aspects of creating a world of such scope and scale is the ability to experience a whole range of stories and characters in your journey across that world. The gang’s journey and the game’s epic scope makes room to touch on all aspects of turn of the century America in a meaningful, substantial way.”

Though Rockstar’s previous title, Grand Theft Auto V, switched between the perspectives of a few different characters, Red Dead Redemption 2 is centering all on Arthur Morgan.

“Sticking with a single character felt more appropriate for the structure and narrative of a western,” said Bass. “Arthur lives with and fights alongside the other members of the Van der Linde gang, and they are a group of fully realized characters with relationships to each other and to Arthur, but this is Arthur’s story and we are placing players firmly in Arthur’s boots as he and the gang deal with a rapidly changing world. We think people will really love the feeling of being in the gang. It isn’t like anything we’ve done before.”

Rockstar also revealed the entire Van der Linde gang, all 23 members, along with short character bios for each.

August 15, 2018

Digital Foundry has given us our best look yet at Red Dead Redemption 2 running on a PlayStation 4 Pro. According to the outlet, which analyzed a 68mbps version of the trailer provided by Rockstar, RDR2 appears to run at native 1920×2160 on the PS4 Pro, “halving the pixel count on the horizontal axis from a proper 4K.” This is still a 12.5% increase in pixels over a 1440p image.

They were unable to get a reading on gameplay performance as the game is set to run at 30FPS and the video itself only supported 30FPS.

August 10, 2018 — New Red Dead Redemption 2 gameplay has arrived!

Rockstar today released new gameplay footage for Red Dead Redemption 2, giving us our deepest look at the wild west open world game yet. The 6-minute trailer showed us a great deal of the gameplay mechanics, a bit of the world, and more.

For starters, we got to see the sheer scope of the open world. Red Dead Redemption 2 will be massive in size, and there will be a variety of environments to explore both on foot and on horseback. From mountainous terrain and forested countrysides to those growing towns chock full of saloon-goers and merchants, it appears players will be able to take in the full breadth of the cowboy experience.

Rockstar says it was important for the game to be massive not just in size, but also in depth. That means the player — taking the reigns as Van Der Linde gang member Arthur Morgan — will have a living, breathing society around him to interact with.

Red Dead 2 may set a new standard for open-world gameplay.

You can go into shops and sell the pelts you’ve skinned off the back of your latest game hunting prey. And if you get caught trying to steal or shortchange the shop vendor, well, don’t be surprised if you have to knock him out in the street. That the townspeople gathered around to watch the confrontation as it went down is a testament to the emphasis Rockstar is placing on immersion.

That sort of interaction can be coerced out of the game by your own will, too. You can interact with almost everyone and everything. Meet some passersby on the road with a quick greeting and be on your way, or question someone you think might be doing dirt in the city. These interactions seemingly have the potential to escalate into something more, whether that be a new opportunity for Arthur Morgan and Co. or more fisticuffs to keep people in their place. And yes, that also means you can defuse certain situations.

Should the fighting become so fierce that you resort to weapons, you’ll find a new combat system that makes the deed more fluid and fun. Hand-to-hand combat, especially, seems far more involved than the original game. As far as shooting is concerned, Dead Eye is back, and it’ll be cooler than ever to put bullets into the heads of six of your enemies simultaneously.

At the end of your daily musings, you’ll head back to camp to meet up with your gang. This is likely where you’ll be getting the bulk of your missions, but it’s also a chance for the player to get to know the other characters in the group. They’ll share stories and sing and dance with you as you eat, and you can also play various games to keep morale high. There’s a gameplay benefit to all this, as Rockstar says spending time with these people could unlock new secrets.

As a pillar of the gang, you’ll be tasked with helping keep them afloat by regularly replenishing food, water, and other supplies. We’re not sure what would happen should their morale get too low, but apparently that will play a part in how others in the gang approach you.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is slated for an October 26th release on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Head to Amazon and pre-order yours today.

See at Amazon

August 8, 2018

Rockstar has announced that we will see new gameplay for Red Dead Redemption 2 on August 9. This should be our first significant look at gameplay since the game’s announcement. The trailer will air 11AM Eastern, and can be viewed on Rockstar’s website or YouTube channel. We’ll be updating this post with details about the gameplay announcement once it arrives.

August 6, 2018

The big question on everyone’s mind: When are we finally getting gameplay? All signs point to soon. Rockstar has recently sent out Red Dead 2 care packages to members of the press, and with Gamescom taking place in just a few weeks, the developer could be gearing up for a big reveal. Red Dead II was notably absent at E3 2018, so the next biggest gaming convention seems like a good bet for it to make an appearance.

During a recent financial call, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick took the chance to hype up Red Dead 2 even more, saying, “My belief is that Red Dead Redemption 2 will shatter expectations and that the online experience also will be extraordinary, but unexpected.”

Its online aspect was a bit contentious when rumors of its existence began floating around since Red Dead’s identity was tied to its single-player, but it looks like Rockstar may have something special they’ve got cooking up if they’re hyping it up so much.

He continued by saying that Red Dead II will “redefine the industry” and “captivate audiences around the world.”

PC release?

Though Rockstar only announced PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of the game, there’s still hope it could come to PC. It appears that a programmer at Rockstar, who previously worked on GTA V and L.A. Noire, listed Red Dead II on his LinkedIn profile with its platforms being labelled as “PS4/Xbox1/PC.” This was eventually amended once word got out, but it’s unknown if this was a simple mistake or a PC version is indeed in the works.

The story so far…

Rockstar Games appears to be returning to the traditional one playable character route after successfully experimenting with three playable protagonists in Grand Theft Auto V but he’s not John or Jack Marston. Players will travel back to 1899 (12 years before the first game) to fill the boots and don the hat of a much less noble man that goes by the name of Arthur Morgan, a brute that’s running with Dutch van der Linde’s gang during their prime. While little is known about Arthur, we know he’s a much more sinister cowboy who doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty. In the second trailer, we see him interrogating and roughing up several people who appear to owe money to Dutch’s Gang, perhaps for protection. He’s a brutal force that is loyal to Dutch and likely only Dutch.

It’s likely we’re going to see the rise and fall of the gang, with Arthur Morgan playing a pivotal role.

The story will see Morgan and Van der Linde’s gang stealing, running, and fighting to survive the rugged and cruel world that is the Wild West. Order has not yet been established, technology is slowly beginning to evolve into something far more advanced, and people like Dutch believe it’s important that things stay the way they are. The Van der Linde gang was always viewed as a Robin Hood-type of bandits, stealing from the rich to give to the poor and resisting the government in favor of a structure where it was an “every man for himself” situation.

The gang eventually evolved into something far more dangerous and unhinged according to an anecdote provided by John Marston, leading him to realize their Robin Hood act was all a front for their evil actions and crimes. The event that likely leads to the start of the downfall of the gang seems to be a heist in Blackwater which later became known as the Blackwater Massacre. In the plot synopsis for the game provided by Rockstar, it’s revealed that the gang is being hunted after they botch a robbery in the wealthy town that is seen toward the end of the first RDR.

Within the lore of the series, the Blackwater Massacre was a massive shootout that took the lives of over 30 people. Civilians, cops, and criminals were among the casualties of the bloody shootout, actual details of why the battle took place remain a mystery to the residents of Blackwater because the officials went to great lengths to cover it up. Why? Well, we’ll likely find out in Red Dead II.

Most people involved died or were criminals who escaped but one of the few survivors was the legendary lawman, Landon Ricketts. Ricketts is in the first game and Marston teams up with him in Mexico, Marston knows him for his status but the two don’t seem to know each other. It’s entirely possible that Marston was uninvolved in the heist or was playing coy and using him to further his quest for redemption.

How does it connect to the original Red Dead Redemption?

So, what’s the connection to the first Red Dead Redemption? Well, Rockstar is being very, very careful not to say much about this game and how it connects to the first game but it will shed light on the stories John told in the first game as well as provide more depth to the men we hunt down in that same game.

John Marston is indeed in the game but Rockstar has noted that this is Arthur Morgan’s story, not John’s.

Given this game takes place long before the events of the original game and has a direct link to it via Dutch van der Linde and his gang, it’s hard to imagine Rockstar isn’t trying to expand John Marston’s story in some way. With games like Grand Theft Auto, there have been very subtle connections tying the games together but none of them are direct sequels or relate to each other in any way. With Red Dead Redemption II, Rockstar had the chance to name the game something like Red Dead Revolution, Red Dead Retribution, or something along those lines given that the series so far has gone Red Dead Revolver and then Red Dead Redemption. They purposely named it in a way that links the two games.

Marston was also a substantial part of Dutch’s Gang, he was taken in by Dutch when he ran away from the orphanage he lived in. He was raised by this gang and lived with them for a large majority of his life and in the fallout of him abandoning the gang, it all went to hell and it was more or less disbanded. John Marston is indeed the game, he’s heavily featured in new screenshots and is seen in the newest trailer once or twice but Rockstar says this is Arthur’s story, not John’s. That doesn’t mean that we can’t expand on the character, it just means he will not be the focal point of the narrative.

Major gameplay innovations are coming in the western sequel

Since Rockstar has been pretty prude about Red Dead Redemption II, we only have the word of the press who have seen the game in action to understand how the game plays. There will be more details in the future regarding what the gameplay will look like but for right now we’ll just give you the basic rundown of what we know. For starters, Rockstar seems to be creating their most realisitic world yet and abandoning some of the most video game-y aspects in their formula for something with more depth.

According to Rockstar, they’ve been developing Red Dead Redemption II for eight years, starting as they were wrapping up the first game. In that time, they’ve been handcrafting a world with lots of detail and creating systems that may be fairly unexpected from them. A large portion of the game is centered around managing the gang, Arthur is Dutch’s right-hand man and he helps keep everything running smoothly. This means you’ll help perform odd jobs for gang members, go hunting to get food for the camp or get money to line their pockets with, and so on.

Rockstar has been very clear that you don’t have to do this and you won’t be severely punished if you don’t but the gang will make comments if you leave them hanging for days on end. If you do choose to take care of your gang, you’ll be rewarded in ways that have not yet been revealed and your gang will grow stronger.

Also on tap is a new dialog system that allows you to approach situations with more options than just shoot and kill. Each NPC has their own set of branching dialog, with the player able to talk niceties or show a degree of impatience in any given encounter. And this isn’t just a black and white morality system either. Some choices will be gray areas, some will be lore-advancing, some will lead to friendships, and others will most certainly erupt into bloodbaths. It’s unclear if there will be any more to this system – such as a relationship mechanic that gauges each NPC’s level of warmth toward you – but it’s something.

If you do choose to go off and do things like hunting, you’ll be able to see the amount of depth that Rockstar has added to its hunting system since the original game and Grand Theft Auto V. You’ll find yourself stalking animals, choosing your weapon carefully so you don’t damage pelts/meat, and tracking an animal by following blood trails after you’ve hit it. Once you’ve tracked the animal down, you may find it still alive, bleeding out and yelping. Arthur will then take out his knife and stab the animal in the heart to end its suffering and take what you want from it.

You can then string up your kill on the back of your horse and take it back to camp to feed your people or sell it in town and take the money for yourself. Regardless of what you choose, your hunt will rot and decay over time so the longer you have it on the back of your horse (yes, it’s literally on your horse, not in an invisible pouch), the less valuable it’ll be. If you were to kill an animal (or even a person) behind and let it sit in the wild, vultures, coyotes, and other creatures would come and munch on the remains.

It looks as if Rockstar will be carrying over the heists from GTA V as we see Arthur Morgan robbing a bank and holding up a train in the second trailer. It’s unclear how much of a focal point these will be in the game since it was the core of GTA V’s campaign but one has to imagine it plays a similar role given you’re a gang of notorious western criminals.

We do know there will be some depth to those heists, though. Players can go loud or quiet, create distractions, choose who you bring with you (some can be done solo but isn’t recommended), and use a bunch of other different variables to create different outcomes throughout the heists. All of this will result on if and when law enforcement shows up amongst other things. It’s unclear if you can have gang members die or get critically wounded in these heists like in Grand Theft Auto V or just how dynamic these systems are. Grand Theft Auto V’s heists were heavily scripted, if you chose a certain crew member to come with, they’d always die on the same mission in the same spot because it was coordinated by Rockstar’s writing. It was more of the illusion of choices having consequences rather than them actually having any meaning at all.

Some major changes are also coming in combat with the ability to dual wield weapons like Max Payne, bows and arrows used for hunting and maybe even some stealth combat as we see Arthur Morgan taking a knife to someone’s back in the dead of night. We also see Arthur brutally beating people up in the third trailer, suggesting Rockstar has refined their melee combat to create more intense and fun brawls.

A cowboy’s best friend

A cowboy’s best friend isn’t his fellow outlaws/lawmen, it’s his horse. In the original Red Dead Redemption, your horse was almost supernatural in the sense it teleported to you and was basically immortal. You didn’t have much of a connection to it because outside of its speed and stamina, there was nothing too special about the horses. In Red Dead Redemption II, Rockstar plans on changing that.

Your horse in the sequel will be very special. Perhaps the most significant change from the first game or any Rockstar game for that matter is that you won’t be able to carry every single weapon with you. The joke of pulling an RPG out of your rear end in GTA wouldn’t apply in this game as you’ll only be carrying small weapons such as handguns on your person, rifles and other gear will travel via your horse. We’re not sure if you can sling at least one rifle over your shoulder while walking around but you can expect most of your guns to be unavailable if your horse isn’t nearby.

Your horse won’t be disposable in this game, it’ll mean a lot more to you because it has lots of value. You’ll grow a bond that effects how scared it gets when put in danger, how far it gets from you, and more. Rockstar hopes that this bond won’t just serve a gameplay effect but a personal and emotional one to. If your horse gets critically wounded, you can attempt to heal it with medical supplies, if you don’t have any you can try and run into town quickly and gather some and run back. You may come back to your horse dead, making you realize that you left that poor animal that loved you to die thinking you abandoned it in its final moments. Brutal stuff, I know. Should it die, you’ll have to start that bond all over with a new horse and presumably any gear you can’t carry off of that horse’s corpse is lost.

It adds a whole new layer to an aspect that’s iconic to westerns but doesn’t have a lot of attention paid to it.

When you can play it and when we’ll know more

The only questions remaining are when we can play the game and when we can expect more firm details from Rockstar. The game is currently scheduled to release on October 26th, 2018 for PlayStation 4 as well as Xbox One, and we can likely expect some news regarding the game in June or July via a Game Informer cover story or a new breakdown directly from Rockstar. As of right now, we’ll just have to hold our breaths and keep waiting to saddle up again.

Where to buy Red Dead Redemption 2

You can now pre-order Red Dead Redemption 2 ahead of its October 27th release date. You’re in for some nice goodies if you decide to give Rockstar your cash early. All pre-orders for Red Dead Redemption 2 come with the War Horse mount and the Outlaw Survival Kit. The former is a grey-colored steed that has better courage and stamina than others, while the Outlaw Survival Kit gives you extra health kits, Dead Eye replenishment, and more.

If you pre-order the digital copy on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, you’ll also get some extra in-game cash to start your game, as well as a treasure map, though you’ll need to pre-order the game by July 31st to get those.

There’s also a special edition of the game available. It comes with 2 extra side missions, a black thoroughbred horse, gameplay bonuses through medllian and talisman charms, in-game cash bonuses, gameplay boosts, and discounts, a gunslinger outfit, and three additional weapons. You’ll also get a real map of the game world.

If that’s not enough, the Ultimate Edition comes with everything that the Deluxe Edition does, but you can add two more in-game outfits, another black thoroughbred with an exclusive saddle, a Survivor camp theme for the game’s online mode, three additional free weapons, and XP bonuses for online play up to rank 25.

As an added bonus for Grand Theft Auto 5 players, all digital pre-orders also come with in-game currency for GTA Online. Standard Edition gets $500,000, Special Edition gets $1,000,000, and Ultimate Edition gets $2,000,000.

Then there’s the big kahuna reserved for the most die-hard Red Dead fans. It’s a full-blown Collector’s Box, a red-tinted metal tithing box with a lock and key that comes with an assortment of real world goodies. There’s a collectible coin, a double-sized puzzle, a red bandana, a treasure map, a pin set, commemorative playing cards, a real 150-page Wheeler, Rawson and Co. catalogue, and 12 collectible cigarette cards.

You can pre-order your preferred digital edition of Red Dead Redemption 2 at the PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, or direct from the Rockstar Warehouse. Those opting for the Collector’s Box, however, can only get it through the Rockstar Warehouse.

Wanting to catch up and play through the original Red Dead Redemption before the sequel drops? You can find the Game of the Year Edition for $20 at Amazon

See at Amazon

Updated September 2018: Rockstar revealed new plot details surrounding Red Dead Redemption 2.

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