iFixit: iPhone XS and XS Max Have ‘Notched’ Batteries, XS Max Has Apple-Designed Power Management Chip

The repair experts at iFixit have shared teardowns of the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, providing a look inside the latest models.

iPhone XS on left and iPhone XS Max on right via iFixit
While the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max have improved IP68-rated water resistance, iFixit says it could not find any obvious evidence of increased waterproofing, with the SIM tray gasket and other seals looking more or less the same. Dutch repair website FixjeiPhone had found the iPhone XS was a bit harder to open.

After removing the displays, iFixit uncovered a few differences with the iPhone XS Max compared to the iPhone XS, including a resized Taptic Engine and an extended logic board, with one of the display connectors moved to the bottom. It appears the iPhone XS Max also has a slightly louder earpiece for phone calls.

The teardown corroborates that the iPhone XS has a new single-cell L-shaped battery, while the iPhone XS Max battery remains two cells. As uncovered in Chinese regulatory filings, the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max have battery capacities of 2,658 mAh at 3.81V and 3,174 mAh at 3.80V respectively.

iPhone XS Max on left and iPhone XS on right via iFixit
Since the L-shaped batteries have six sides, rather than four like a rectangle, iFixit says Apple has “notched” the internal corners of the batteries in the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max to prevent undue stress from thermal expansion.

“This dramatic shift opens up a lot of design possibilities, but the large notch is responsible for the decrease in capacity relative to the X,” its teardown email says. “Only time will tell how this new cell performs with age.”

Moving on to the logic board, there is a new Apple-branded power management chip in the iPhone XS Max. Reports had suggested Apple would start using its own power management chip in at least a portion of its 2018 iPhones, as it gradually reduces its dependance on Dialog Semiconductor.

Apple-designed power management chip labeled in green via iFixit
The teardown does not indicate whether the gigabit-class LTE modems in the latest iPhones are supplied by Intel and/or Qualcomm.

iFixit confirms the wide-angle sensor size has been increased by 32 percent in the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max. Pixel size has also been bumped, providing better low-light performance and contributing to the new “Smart HDR” feature.

iFixit gives the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max an overall repairability score of 6/10, with 10 being a perfect score. The repair experts say display and battery repairs remain a priority in the iPhone’s design, but the all-glass design means the entire chassis must be replaced if the back glass cracks.

Related Roundup: iPhone XSTags: iFixit, teardown
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Apple and Tim Cook Celebrate iPhone XS, XS Max, and Apple Watch Series 4 Launch Day

As customers around the world begin getting their hands on the brand new iPhone XS, XS Max, and Apple Watch Series 4, Apple and CEO Tim Cook today shared images from the September 21 launch.

Cook started the morning by tweeting four images of customers in Apple’s retail stores interacting with the Apple Watch Series 4 and iPhone XS, saying that he’s thrilled for users to finally be able to try out the devices on their own.

Thrilled to get these new Apple products into the hands (and onto the wrists) of so many customers around the world. Can’t wait to hear what you think! pic.twitter.com/GHpaDFgqeO

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) September 21, 2018

Apple Stores globally open at 8:00 a.m. local time to allow customers to pick up their reserved devices and make walk-in purchases, and Apple posted pictures of customers at Apple Stores in Singapore, Japan, and Sydney.

Apple Orchard Road, Singapore
The images shared by Apple depict a line of hundreds of people waiting outside Apple Orchard Road in Singapore, and a few show customers inside once the store opened, with their new iPhone XS and Apple Watch Series 4 devices in hand.

Apple Orchard Road, Singapore
Apple Kyoto in Japan was busy as well, with many customers seen trying on the Apple Watch Series 4 in numerous styles.

Apple Kyoto, Japan
In Sydney, Australia, Apple shared a glimpse into the pre-launch preparations performed by employees in the store ahead of customers’ arrival.

Apple Sydney
As usual, customers in New Zealand and Australia were the first to receive their iPhone XS, XS Max, and Apple Watch pre-orders due to the time zone differences. As the day moves on, United States users waiting outside Apple Stores will be able to begin purchasing the new devices at 8:00 a.m. local time, and deliveries will occur throughout the day.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 5, iPhone XSBuyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)
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Huawei’s not-so-subtly trolling the iPhone launch today

September 21 is iPhone XS day, but it’s not only Apple that’s out pushing its products into the hands of eager smartphone buyers. Huawei, the world’s second-largest smartphone manufacturer, has a new phone coming in the next few weeks and wants to remind prospective iPhone buyers what they could be missing out on. (Hint: It’s the Mate 20 Pro) It’s doing so in a not-so-subtle, but rather amusing, way.

On its official U.K. mobile Twitter account, the company posted a picture of a large, Huawei-branded van parked outside the Apple Store on Regent Street in London Friday morning. It’s called the “Huawei Ju%ce Van,” and it’s a mobile phone recharging station, and a place for anyone passing the Apple Store to grab a “brain-boosting drink.” The Twitter post finishes with the words, “A #HigherIntelligence is coming,” which is a reference to the Mate 20 Pro’s launch on October 16.

If that wasn’t enough, in Singapore Huawei spent the night before the iPhone XS launch handing out smartphone power banks — approximately 200 of them, according to a local source — to those patiently waiting in the Orchard Road Apple Store queue. The 10,000mAh pack included a friendly note from Huawei too, saying, “Here’s a power bank. You’ll need it. Courtesy of Huawei.”

Mothership.sg

Huawei hasn’t been hiding its disdain for Apple’s new iPhone models since they launched. Through the Huawei Mobile Twitter account, the firm has posted several short videos, insinuating Apple’s new phones are the same as the old ones, and thanking Apple for letting Huawei be “the real hero of the year.” In July, Huawei overtook Apple to become the second-largest smartphone seller in the world, and clearly feels it has earned the right to send a few well-aimed jabs in Apple’s direction.

The Huawei Mate 20 Pro will launch at an event in London on October 16. It will be powered by the new Kirin 980 processor, and it’s in relation to this that Apple got one over on Huawei. The Kirin 980 will become the second mobile chip manufactured using a 7nm process to be made available. Apple’s new A12 Bionic, inside the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR, will be the first, despite being announced after Huawei’s chip. These things always go both ways.

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• Apple iPhone XS: News, release, specs, and more

How to pair Bose QC 35 with an Android phone

Did you just pick up a pair of Bose QuietComfort 35 headphones and need to pair them with your Android phone? You don’t need to pair, but connecting the two does give you direct access to Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Downloading the app also lets you personalize your settings on the go, so having it is a must. Here’s a full step-by-step guide of what that process looks like.

Products used in this guide

• Amazon: Bose QuietComfort 35 (Series II) ($349)

How pair Bose QC 35 with an Android phone

Before we actually begin the pairing process, we need to first download the companion app that allows you to set up and control the QC 35s from your phone.

Open the Google Play Store.
Search “bose connect”.
Tap the first result that shows the app icon.

Tap the green Install button.

With that done, it’s time to open the app and get these babies paired! Before you open the app, make sure you turn on the QC 35s by moving the power switch to the right so that you see a green dot next to it.

Agree to the app’s terms and tap I Agree.
Tap Grant Location Access.

Tap Allow on the popups.

When you see your headphones, drag down to connect them.

Follow the on-screen instructions.
Bring down your quick settings panel and tap Pair & Connect.

Tap Pair.

Voilà! With that all done, you’ve successfully paired your Bose QuietComfort 35 headphones with your Android phone. Some elements may look slightly different depending on what phone you’re using (a OnePlus 6 was used for this demonstration), but the core elements should remain the same no matter what.

Our top equipment picks

Best you can get

Bose QC 35 (Series II)

$349 at Amazon

Some of the best wireless headphones around.

The Bose QuietComfort 35 (Series II) offers one of the most premium wireless headphone experiences you can find right now. It’s super comfy, has truly excellent noise-cancellation, and sounds downright fantastic.

It can be difficult to find the perfect pair of headphones these days, but trust us when we say that the QC 35s are absolutely deserving of their high price tag. $350 is a lot of money to spend on an accessory, but if you’re willing and able to cover the cost, these headphones will put a smile on your face the second you start listening to them.

How to make Twitter for Android show tweets in reverse chronological order

Twitter made a horrible mistake years ago, and now they’re beginning to make it right again.

Twitter added the option to “Show me the best Tweets first” a while back, and it jumbled up our feeds and showed us old but popular tweets over the latest and greatest tweets from those we follow — and sometimes from those we didn’t follow. Blame algorithms. I don’t want to see old tweets, I don’t want to see recommended tweets, and I sure as sharing don’t want to see tweets from anyone I don’t follow.

Now, we can truly get back to basics and reclaim a reverse chronological Twitter feed.

5/ Meanwhile, today we updated the “Show the best Tweets first” setting. When off, you’ll only see Tweets from people you follow in reverse chronological order. Previously when turned off, you’d also see “In case you missed it” and recommended Tweets from people you don’t follow.

— Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) September 17, 2018

Now, when you disable the “Show the best Tweets first” setting in the Twitter app, you’ll only see Tweets from people you follow in reverse chronological order. Prior to this change, turning this setting off would still show you the “In case you missed it” section of Tweets that broke up the chronological flow.

Open Twitter.
Tap your avatar in the top left corner.

Tap Settings and privacy.

Tap Content preferences.
Tap Show me the best Tweets first to toggle it off and put Twitter back in true, uncluttered reverse chronological order.

Note: if Show me the best Tweets first was already unchecked, tap it twice to recheck it and uncheck it again and turn off the “In case you missed it” tweet blocks.

In the coming weeks, Twitter also says it’ll introduce a feature that allows you to switch back and forth between two tabs on your timeline — one for the latest Tweets and another for what it thinks are most relevant to you.

Save up to 40% on Anker’s chargers, cables, portable batteries and more

ABC. Always. Be. Charged.

Right now, Anker is offering up to 40% off a variety of its charging gear, including wall chargers, car chargers, cables, and wireless charging pads. Anker has built up quite a name for itself in this space by offering reliable, well-built gear that is often times much better than what comes in the box with your latest purchase.

There are a few different options available for each charger type, with the biggest difference being the number of ports available or charging speed and capacity. You’ll want to look at them all to see which will work best for your needs. Some of our favorites from this sale include:

• PowerLine II USB-C Cable – $8.99 (Was $11.99)
• 30W USB-C Wall Charger – $19.49 (Was $30)
• 49.5W Dual USB Wall Charger – $22.99 (Was $35)
• Dual USB Car Charger with Lightning Cable – $11.49 (Was $18)
• PowerWave 7.5W Wireless Charging Pad – $31.99 (Was $50)
• 20000mAh PowerCore Speed PD Portable Charger – $59.99 (Was $80)

Be sure to check out the whole sale and grab what you want before these discounts disappear.

First Impressions From New Apple Watch Series 4 Owners

With Apple Watch Series 4 models wending their way to Apple customers in the United States and many other countries today, some people have already picked up their orders and are sharing their first impressions of the new smartwatch online.

Apple Watch Series 4 owners on Reddit and the MacRumors forums appear to be particularly impressed by the larger screen and redesigned chassis.

Image by Reddit user KaiiXiang
Reddit user bluebear74 said that “coming from a S0 to S4 is amazing,” and expressed surprise at the amount of information the bigger screen is able to display: “There’s so many complications I don’t know what to do with them all!”

Having previously used a Series 1 model, Reddit user KaiiXiang in Singapore said they were “really blown away” by the new watch’s screen and responsiveness, although they noted that Siri “still sucks” since it’s “either slow or fails to pick up what I say most of the time.”

Image by MacRumors forum member implacablewombat
MacRumors forum member Jasonstevens said his new Series 4 “looks/feels amazing,” although he found the haptic feedback on the Digital Crown less impressive: “It feels like it’s just tapping my wrist not my finger.”

Reddit user DisHowWeDo, who has small wrists (170mm) and had never owned an Apple Watch before, said they were “REALLY worried the 44mm would look huge on me,” but ultimately found it to be “flipping perfect” and “definitely the right size.”

Hermès Series 4 image by MacRumors forum member boardiesboi
Likewise, MacRumors forum member Suxamethonium was a little worried about the 44mm size when looking at it in the Apple Store app, but he now felt it was “pretty much perfect” for an average man’s wrist. He also commented that the new watch faces “make much better use of all that real estate.”

Perhaps surprisingly, several customers appear to have been caught off guard by the color of the Gold stainless steel Series 4 model, with one Reddit user calling it “quite pink… Like a rose gold.” Another said they expected it to be a lot more gold and felt a bit disappointed, although they were “sticking with it,” while MacRumors forum member defn felt the color “goes surprisingly well with a lot of watch bands.”

Image by MacRumors forum member defn
Have you just become a new Apple Watch Series 4 owner? Feel free to share your first impressions and your photos in the comments below. We’ll be sharing a hands-on video later today, so stay tuned to MacRumors.com.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 5Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)
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Skype Calling Features Coming to Alexa Devices Later This Year

Microsoft has revealed that Skype is coming to Alexa devices. The partnership between Microsoft and Amazon means that owners of devices in Amazon’s Echo range will soon be able to make outgoing Skype voice and video calls, accept incoming Skype calls, and also make SkypeOut calls to most phone numbers around the world.

Announcing the upcoming feature in a blog post, Microsoft said device owners will be able to say something like “Alexa, call Jimmy on Skype,” or if Jimmy is calling you on Skype, they’ll be able to say, “Alexa, answer.”

This isn’t the first time Amazon and Microsoft has seen fit to merge existing products and services. The two companies partnered on Alexa and Cortana integration last year.

“Since then, we’ve added Alexa integration on Xbox and are continuing to work together to bring the best of Skype and Alexa together to enable intelligent communications for our users,” said Gaurav Sareen, corporate vice president for Microsoft. “We’re excited to continue bringing the best of Microsoft and Amazon together.”

Skype calling on Alexa will begin rolling out later this year.

Tags: Skype, Amazon, Microsoft, Alexa
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Instagram feature that lets you reshare others’ posts may be on its way

Facebook has always offered the “share” button for content you want to repost, while Twitter has the retweet button.

But, despite constant calls from many of its billion-plus users, Instagram has always refused to offer such an option. Though this could be about to change.

The company is testing a feature that lets Instagrammers reshare others’ posts that appear on their feed, according to a report on Thursday.

Information obtained by The Verge reveals that the feature is called “seamless sharing” and comprises a “share to feed” option located in the “…” drop-down menu that accompanies each post.

Obtained screenshots show how so-called “regrammed” posts land in the feed beneath the username and image of the person that shared it.

The feature is described as looking “extremely rough,” suggesting it’s in the very early stages of development.

Instagram boss: “We debate the reshare thing a lot”

Instagram CEO and co-founder Keven Systrom said in an interview last year that the idea of adding a regram button is often discussed with his team.

“We debate the reshare thing a lot, because obviously people love the idea of resharing content that they find,” Systrom told Wired. The Instagram boss pointed out that “one of the main ways people communicate over Instagram Direct now is actually they share content that they find on Instagram. So that’s been a debate over and over again.”

But Systrom also insisted that “keeping your feed focused on the people you know rather than the people you know finding other stuff for you to see,” was key to how Instagram functioned, adding that this is “more of a testament of our focus on authenticity and on the connections you actually have than about anything else.”

A regram button could certainly have a big impact on the look of your feed, and may not be to everyone’s liking. But it could increase engagement on the site, something that would surely appeal to Systrom and his top team as they look for further grow the service.

As with all new app features undergoing testing, there’s no guarantee that Instagram’s reshare option will ever see the light of day. But knowing there’s already demand for it, and seeing that Instagram is finally relenting and spending time on developing the feature, there’s a fair chance this particular option could eventually find its way onto the popular photo- and video-sharing app.

If you feel that your Instagram experience is somehow incomplete without the option to reshare posts of those you follow, third-party apps like Repost can solve the issue.

Just getting started with Instagram? Be sure to check out Digital Trends’ comprehensive guide to using the platform, as well as suggestions for some fun and fascinating Instagram accounts to follow.

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Versatile robotic skin gives stuffed horse, other inanimate objects some giddyup

When we think of skin, we picture a thin epidermis that’s designed to protect what’s underneath — whether it be by offering a shield against bacteria, viruses, and other nasty stuff or by allowing us to regulate our temperature through sweating. But what if your skin wasn’t just an outer layer of smart protection, but actually the organ that dictates and drive your body’s movement? That, in essence, is the conceptual basis for a new project from Yale researchers — only instead of tissue-based organic skin, they’ve developed a robot skin capable of turning inanimate objects, such as toys, into functioning robots.

The skins are made out of elastic sheets embedded with a variety of sensors and actuators. When they are wrapped around a deformable object, however, the skin is capable of making it move by animating the legs of a stuffed animal or causing a foam tube to flex, for example.

“We can take the skins and wrap them around one object to perform a task — locomotion, for example — and then take them off and put them on a different object to perform a different task, such as grasping and moving an object,” Rebecca Kramer-Bottiglio, lead researcher on the project, said in a statement. “We can then take those same skins off that object and put them on a shirt to make an active wearable device.”

This ability to use the skin on a variety of different objects is what makes the project so exciting. Rather than having to create multiple robots, the technology could make it possible to use the same robot skin to add motion to a wide range of otherwise motionless items. Using multiple skins makes it possible to create more complex movements — such as bending and compression at the same time.

Prototypes created by the team so far include foam cylinders able to crawl on the ground, a robot gripper that can grasp and move objects, and a shirt wearable that can help correct bad posture. Next up, the lab is set to examine the possibility of 3D printing these components.

A paper describing the work, titled “OmniSkins: Robotic skins that turn inanimate objects into multifunctional robots,” was recently published in the journal Science Robotics.

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