Increased LCD production hints at more affordable iPhones for 2018

When Apple announced the iPhone X, it was met with a bit of a mixed reaction. On one hand, everyone thought the phone looked amazing, but the $1,000 price tag was a bit much. Despite the phone selling very well during the holiday season, Apple appears to be poised to focus its efforts on more affordable alternatives this year. The Wall Street Journal has reported that Apple’s supply chains are producing a higher number of LCD panels which are used in Apple’s less expensive smartphones.

Apple itself has not directly commented on its plans for the future and has said that the iPhone X was its best-selling smartphone for the first three months of 2018. That being said, many analysts believe that less expensive LCD-based phones make up the majority of Apple’s sales.

This doesn’t mean that Apple is abandoning the OLED displays found in the iPhone X. In fact, it is widely believed that two of this year’s new iPhones will feature OLED panels, whereas only one will make use of an LCD display. Despite this, it has been reported that Apple’s suppliers are producing more LCD displays than OLED displays because the company expects that most consumers will prefer the more affordable option. The OLED panels were a major factor in the high price point of the iPhone X, with some analysts saying they cost about $100 compared to $40 LCD displays used in the iPhone 8.

Regardless of which option consumers choose, they will likely be getting a similar phone to last year’s iPhone X, as it is believed that Apple intends to use the X’s design as the basis for 2018’s smartphones.

If that is true, then it may be the end of the line for the design used by the iPhone 8, which has been a staple since the iPhone 6. At this point the design, while certainly iconic, does feel a bit dated. It can often be difficult to tell the iPhone 8 from the 7 or the 6, which makes this change a rather welcome one. Regardless of where you stand on the iOS v Android debate, there can be little doubt that the iPhone X is one of the best looking smartphones on the market.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Apple iPhone X Plus: News, rumors, specs, and more
• iPhone X: Here’s everything you need to know about Apple’s best phone yet
• Apple iPhone X review
• Shrinking demand forces Apple to slow down iPhone X production
• This $4,600 solar charger comes with an iPhone X attached

Foxconn is coming to America — more specifically, to its new Milwaukee HQ

Craig Ferguson/Getty Images

Foxconn is coming to the United States. The Taiwan-based tech manufacturer, known for providing the requisite parts to bring many of your favorite Apple products to life, has always maintained a larger presence in Asia than in the west. And while that will likely remain the case, Foxconn is indeed extending its reach in the U.S., and is not only establishing a display factory in Wisconsin, but also setting up a brand new North American headquarters in Milwaukee. The tech firm is reportedly purchasing a seven-story building from Northwestern Mutual, and will ultimately employ 500 people to work in the new facility. Sure, that’s a whole lot fewer than the 13,000 jobs it’ll be creating at its display facility just 30 miles south, but it does indicate that Foxconn is serious about its American presence.

As Reuters reported, this recent announcement comes about a year after Foxconn revealed that it would be investing a hefty $10 billion over the course of the next four years  in order to establish its 20 million square foot LCD panel plant. It’s a big move, but at scale with what one might expect from the Taiwanese company. After all, it is the world’s most prolific contract electronics manufacturer, and has an employee roster of more than a million people.

It’s not terribly surprising that Foxconn is doubling down on Wisconsin as its home base, either. Recently, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee launched a co-op program that encourages engineering students to travel to Taiwan in order to pursue further education at Chung Yuan Christian University, while working at a Foxconn facility before attaining their final degrees. This program will kick off come fall with a fledgling class of five students,  who will first work at Foxconn in Wisconsin, and then travel to Taiwan in February. Foxconn is offering similar work-study programs to students in other midwestern universities.

Moreover, Wisconsin has been more than generous in welcoming Foxconn. In total, the state has offered $3 billion in tax breaks to play out in the next 15 years. But if Foxconn manages to bring the number of jobs it’s currently projecting into the state and increase domestic tech manufacturing, Wisconsin could have a lot to gain as a result.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Foxconn to divert 7 million gallons per day from Lake Michigan for LCDs
• 7 of the biggest scandals in tech history
• The best TV brands of 2018
• The best shows on Netflix right now (June 2018)
• Awesome Tech You Can’t Buy Yet: Smart Rubik’s Cubes, diving drones, robot artists

Foxconn is coming to America — more specifically, to its new Milwaukee HQ

Craig Ferguson/Getty Images

Foxconn is coming to the United States. The Taiwan-based tech manufacturer, known for providing the requisite parts to bring many of your favorite Apple products to life, has always maintained a larger presence in Asia than in the west. And while that will likely remain the case, Foxconn is indeed extending its reach in the U.S., and is not only establishing a display factory in Wisconsin, but also setting up a brand new North American headquarters in Milwaukee. The tech firm is reportedly purchasing a seven-story building from Northwestern Mutual, and will ultimately employ 500 people to work in the new facility. Sure, that’s a whole lot fewer than the 13,000 jobs it’ll be creating at its display facility just 30 miles south, but it does indicate that Foxconn is serious about its American presence.

As Reuters reported, this recent announcement comes about a year after Foxconn revealed that it would be investing a hefty $10 billion over the course of the next four years  in order to establish its 20 million square foot LCD panel plant. It’s a big move, but at scale with what one might expect from the Taiwanese company. After all, it is the world’s most prolific contract electronics manufacturer, and has an employee roster of more than a million people.

It’s not terribly surprising that Foxconn is doubling down on Wisconsin as its home base, either. Recently, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee launched a co-op program that encourages engineering students to travel to Taiwan in order to pursue further education at Chung Yuan Christian University, while working at a Foxconn facility before attaining their final degrees. This program will kick off come fall with a fledgling class of five students,  who will first work at Foxconn in Wisconsin, and then travel to Taiwan in February. Foxconn is offering similar work-study programs to students in other midwestern universities.

Moreover, Wisconsin has been more than generous in welcoming Foxconn. In total, the state has offered $3 billion in tax breaks to play out in the next 15 years. But if Foxconn manages to bring the number of jobs it’s currently projecting into the state and increase domestic tech manufacturing, Wisconsin could have a lot to gain as a result.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Foxconn to divert 7 million gallons per day from Lake Michigan for LCDs
• 7 of the biggest scandals in tech history
• The best TV brands of 2018
• The best shows on Netflix right now (June 2018)
• Awesome Tech You Can’t Buy Yet: Smart Rubik’s Cubes, diving drones, robot artists

NASA’s Opportunity Rover is stuck in a giant dust storm — can she make it?

NASA

It’s been a decade and a half since NASA’s Opportunity rover has been home on Earth. Over the course of the last 15 years, this trusty robot has been roaming the surface of the Red Planet, but now, we may have lost her — at least, temporarily. A massive dust storm that is about the size of our continent (that is to say, North America) has now shrouded Mars, and has covered Opportunity for the last several days. Not only is much of the planet in the dark, but so too is Earth about Opportunity’s whereabouts and her status — alas, because the robot’s solar panels have been unable to receive light, its battery status has dropped enough to put Opportunity to sleep, which means she’s no longer transmitting information to Earth.

“It’s gotten so bad she’s not talking to us,” Bill Nelson, chief of the Opportunity mission’s engineering team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, told Mashable. “It’s a bit scary — we like to hear from our rover.”

Well over a week ago on June 8, NASA announced that Opportunity had been covered by the veil of “perpetual night” thanks to the massive dust storm. And although Opportunity has weathered many a storm since it first touched down on the Red Planet’s surface in 2004, this one is particularly bad. Now, we’re all waiting with bated breath to see whether or not the rover will be able to re-power once the storm finally calms.

“If they go completely dead, you’re usually in trouble,” Nelson noted.

But Opportunity has beat the odds before. After all, the 400 pound rover was only meant to be operational for 90 days. It’s exceeded that expectation thus far by a factor of more than 56, and it’s possible that it’ll keep defying expectations.

As Nelson said, “I’m fairly optimistic at this point. I’m hopeful that we may be able to recover.”

That said, the dust storm that Opportunity is facing now is exactly what scientists initially thought would kill the rover. After all, with Martian dust and grime accumulation, it seemed like only a matter of time before the solar panels were obscured enough to make it impossible for Opportunity to keep on keepin’ on. However, Nelson explained, “We’ve been lucky that winds or dust devils have come and blown off the arrays. The wind blows off the bulk of the dust.”

He added, “We’ve been fairly fortunate in missing the regional and global dust storms.” The same could not be said for Opportunity’s sister, Spirit, who met her end in 2010. That poor rover ended up getting stuck in a part of Mars that didn’t receive as much sunlight, and before engineers were able to move Spirit to a more advantageous location, time ran out. Apparently, Spirit “froze to death.”

In any case, we’ll have to see if Opportunity can live up to her name and battle out this latest obstacle. We’re certainly keeping our fingers crossed.

Editors’ Recommendations

• NASA will send a tiny drone helicopter to fly through the Martian skies
• Get your Sagan on with 60 awe-inspiring photos of the final frontier
• Mars rover Curiosity finds the building blocks of life on the red planet
• It’s so realistic, ‘Surviving Mars’ is turning rocket scientists into gamers
• Robot bees on Mars — NASA funding a swarm of drones to explore the Red Planet

Demystifying Xiaomi’s budget lineup: Should you buy the Redmi Y2, Redmi Note 5, or the Mi A1?

It’s time to find out what each phone in Xiaomi’s budget lineup has to offer.

Xiaomi releases a lot of devices every year, and most of them tend to be in the budget segment. The Chinese manufacturer is nothing if not shrewd about its launch strategy, and by targeting the sub-₹15,000 segment, it managed to get a leg up over its Chinese rivals.

Xiaomi’s intense focus on this segment means there are seven phones currently sold by the brand, ranging from the Redmi 5A to the Redmi Note 5 Pro. Here’s a list of all the phones Xiaomi has launched in the last ten months in India: the Redmi 5A, Redmi 5, Redmi Y1, Redmi Y2, Redmi Note 5, Redmi Note 5 Pro, and the Mi A1.

Let’s start from the top-down and work our way toward the bottom of the list, and see what each phone in Xiaomi’s budget lineup has to offer.

Mi A1 Android One makes this a fantastic option

We’re getting close to a year from the launch of the Mi A1, but it continues to be one of my favorite Xiaomi phones. The device combines Xiaomi’s design chops with pure Android and the promise of quick updates, making it a potent combination in this category.

The camera is one of the best in this category, and while it may not be quite as good as the Redmi Note 5 Pro in low-light scenarios, the overall package makes up for it.

The phone isn’t up for sale online from the looks of it, but you can pick it up from hundreds of Mi Preferred stores from across the country.

Differentiator: Android One.

• Xiaomi Mi A1 review: Best of both worlds
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro vs. Mi A1: MIUI takes on Android One

Redmi Note 5 Pro Xiaomi’s best phone is also its worst

The Redmi Note 5 Pro is the first phone in the world to feature the Snapdragon 636, and it also is the first Redmi phone to come with 6GB of RAM. There’s a dual camera at the back, a 20MP front shooter, and a 4000mAh battery.

As good as the Redmi Note 5 Pro is when it comes to day-to-day usage, the phone isn’t actually up for sale. Nearly four months after its launch, the phone is limited to weekly flash sales that last for mere seconds, so the phones are largely academic at this point. Sure, it has great hardware, but its inaccessibility makes it a non-starter in this segment.

Differentiator: Sheer hardware (that Snapdragon 636 is a beast).

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro review: King of the hill

Xiaomi Redmi Y2 AI-assisted selfies — what’s not to love?

The ₹9,999 Redmi Y2 is the latest addition to Xiaomi’s budget lineup in the country, and it has a similar design aesthetic as the Redmi Note 5 Pro. On the hardware front, it has more similarities with the Redmi Note 5, thanks to the Snapdragon 625 chipset.

The phone is notable for having a dual 12MP + 5MP shooter at the back — the same as the one you’d find on the Redmi Note 5 Pro, but it’s the front camera that differentiates it. The 16MP front camera may just be one of the best you’ll find in the budget category.

Differentiator: Front shooter is one of the best in this category.

Xiaomi Redmi Y2 preview: Perfecting a winning formula

See at Amazon India

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 The runner-up

The Redmi Note 5 is the phone you buy when you can’t get your hands on the Redmi Note 5 Pro. Like most of Xiaomi’s budget phones in 2018, it also has an 18:9 panel, and a much better camera when seen next to its predecessor.

It also has a 4000mAh battery, making it a battery champion. If battery longevity is your primary consideration, then this is the phone to get. For ₹11,999, the phone offers incredible value for your money.

Differentiator: Two-day battery life.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 review: The best just got better

See at Flipkart

Xiaomi Redmi 5 Mini Mi

If you like what’s on offer with the Redmi Note 5 but aren’t sold on the 5.99-inch form factor, then the ₹7,999 Redmi 5 is the phone for you.

It has a Snapdragon 450 chipset and a smaller 5.7-inch HD+ display, but the compact size is ideal for one-handed usage, and the 3300mAh battery also delivers two days’ worth of use.

Differentiator: Compact size.

See at Flipkart

Xiaomi Redmi Y1 The OG selfie phone

The Redmi Y1 was a great option in this category when it launched late last year, particularly because of its front camera. But the phone is thoroughly outclassed by the Redmi Y2, and if you’re in the market for a new phone today, there’s no reason to choose the Y1 over the Y2.

Differentiator: First Xiaomi phone to be advertised by Katrina Kaif.

Xiaomi Redmi Y1 review: Giving users what they want

Xiaomi Redmi 5A Lowering the barrier for entry

Starting at just ₹5,999, the Redmi 5A is Xiaomi’s most affordable phone to date in India. You get a lot of value for your money, and the best part is that the phone runs MIUI relatively well in day-to-day usage.

Differentiator: Affordability.

Xiaomi Redmi 5A review: Unmatched value

See at Flipkart

Which should you buy?

With so many models to choose from, it’s a gargantuan task to select one that fits your needs. So I’m going to break it down based on key characteristics, like battery life, camera quality, software updates, and so on. As I’ve stated above, I’m ignoring the Redmi Note 5 Pro because you can’t actually walk into a store or go online and pick it up.

• Best battery life: Redmi Note 5
• Best camera: Mi A1
• Best selfie camera: Redmi Y2
• Best display: Redmi Note 5
• Best value: Redmi Note 5
• Best at software updates: Mi A1

So if you’re looking for the best Xiaomi phone to pick up in the latter half of 2018, it’s down to the Redmi Y2 or the Redmi Note 5. The Snapdragon 625 may not be as fast as the newer Snapdragon 636, but both phones offer 18:9 panels, decent cameras, and outstanding battery life.

The Redmi Y2 also has a more modern design, but the fact that the device has an HD+ display makes the Redmi Note 5 a more compelling option all things considered.

See at Flipkart

Jaguar just smashed a world record for the fastest electric speedboat

If you’re looking to satisfy that need for speed, you don’t want to go pounding the pavement — instead, you should be hitting the waves. This week, Jaguar managed to set new world and national records with its battery-powered boat, the Jaguar Vector V20E. The previous world record for an electric speed boat was set in 2008, and stood at 76.8 miles per hour. But Jaguar blew past that old figure, recording an average speed of 88.6 mph on the 1 kilometer course on Coniston Water, England.

#ICYMI earlier – A new world record! @jaguarvector & @Jaguar with @WilliamsAdvEng break the #maritime #electric world #speed record #JaguarElectrifies #AdvantageEngineered Find out more at https://t.co/qvlLQPKVJr pic.twitter.com/DPQLlFiI0W

— Williams Advanced Engineering (@WilliamsAdvEng) June 15, 2018

The small yet mighty boat was developed alongside racing experts at Jaguar Vector, as well as a team from Williams Advanced Engineering, who supplied the components for the electric drivetrain. While we don’t know exactly what the battery, motor, or controller specifications were, it seems that the boat leveraged similar parts and technology to those found in Jaguar’s Formula E all-electric street racing series.

While you may know Jaguar best for its automobiles, this announcement certainly proves that it’s also making waves in the boating industry. Plus, the company is looking to move away from combustion engines — in fact, as the Verge notes, Jaguar will stop producing cars based on these traditional engines by 2020, and its first all-electric car, the Jaguar I-Pace, is due to be released soon.

“Congratulations to Jaguar Vector Racing for setting a new benchmark for an electric boat with this world record,” said Mark Cameron, Director of Experiential Marketing, Jaguar Land Rover, in a statement. “Jaguar is at the forefront of electrification technology and our mission is to ‘Race To Innovate’ on track and on the water. Thank you to the whole team and our technical partner Williams Advanced Engineering for successfully transferring the technology we are using in Formula E with Panasonic Jaguar Racing from racecar to power boat.”

Over the course of the next year and a half, Jaguar Vector will continue to attempt record-breaking stunts across the U.K. and the world, the team noted.

“After 12 months of hard work, this is a fantastic result for the team and our partners and a great first step in bringing the power and versatility of electrification to the marine industry,” said Malcolm Crease, CEO, Jaguar Vector Racing. “It is a great honour for the Vector team to follow in the footsteps of Donald Campbell CBE and to set a world record on the historic Coniston Water.”

Editors’ Recommendations

• Jaguar’s I-Type 3 Formula E electric race car breaks cover and bears its claws
• Despite looming deadline, Jaguar is still tweaking XE SV Project 8 super sedan
• That’s a Jag? How the electric I-Pace broke the brand out of its own box
• A refined 550-hp beast, Jaguar’s F-Pace SVR hits 176 mph with style to spare
• The sound of silence? Jaguar gives iPace electric car a Jetsons buzz

Astronauts install hi-def docking cameras for Crew Dragon, Starliner capsules

It was a busy week at the International Space Station (ISS), with two astronauts making lengthy spacewalks and installing equipment to welcome some new visitors. In preparation for the upcoming test launches of commercial crew capsules, astronauts installed some high-definition cameras on a crucial docking component that was originally designed for the space shuttle.

In a lengthy spacewalk that was broadcast live on NASA TV, commander Drew Feustel and engineer Ricky Arnold spent nearly seven hours connecting the equipment to the exterior of the station’s Harmony module.

The SpaceX Crew Dragon and the Boeing CST-100 Starliner will begin transporting astronauts to the ISS in 2020, ending the U.S. reliance on Russia’s Soyuz program.

To accommodate the commercial crew vehicles, NASA had already retrofitted the module with an International Docking Adapter back in 2016. The new cameras will assist crew members aligning the arriving spacecraft as they dock.

The equipment will also provide wireless access to laboratories and experiment modules on the ISS.

Due to technical setbacks, both SpaceX and Boeing are behind schedule on testing and deployment of their commercial crewed spacecraft. In May, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk denied reports that they were two years away from operational status, saying the Crew Dragon was on schedule for an August test flight and their first crewed mission in December.

For its part, Boeing wants to accelerate the timeline for its Starliner program, turning a crewed test flight into a fully operational mission.

It was the 211th spacewalk for maintenance on the station, and it also marked an important milestone. During the mission, Feustel surpassed recently retired astronaut Peggy Wilson for third on the all-time list of most experienced spacewalkers. It was the ninth spacewalk of Feustel’s career, and he’s now spent a total of 61 hours and 48 minutes working in the airless vacuum of space.

Astronauts have now spent a cumulative time of nearly 55 days outside the ISS.

In an exhilarating moment, Ricky Arnold took a ride on the end of an extendable robotic arm to reach some equipment that was too far away for an astronaut tethered to the station to reach. As he put it on Twitter, “Space was our office yesterday.”

Editors’ Recommendations

• NASA wants to make the first Starliner test flight a fully operational mission
• These astronauts will whiz around Earth 34 times before reaching space station
• Get your Sagan on with 60 awe-inspiring photos of the final frontier
• Watch a NASA astronaut get stumped over how to use a GoPro
• Prepare for liftoff: Here’s a list of upcoming important SpaceX rocket launches

Get the best prices for in-flight Wi-Fi, but beware the ‘gotchas’

Buy before you fly. In-flight Wi-Fi internet access is increasingly available and faster compared to just two years ago, but it’s still not cheap. Whether you fly every week or just once a year, you can almost always save money by paying for internet access ahead of time.

If you wait until after you board your flight to sign up for Wi-Fi internet, you’ll pay a premium. Purchasing access passes from the airlines or directly from in-flight service providers such as Gogo costs less when you buy before you board.

More airlines offer passengers Gogo internet service than any other domestic carrier. Gogo currently provides internet access to Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, American, Delta, and United. All flights for a particular carrier may not offer in-flight internet. Also, some airlines use more than one internet provider depending on the class and age of the plane and regional service agreements.

Gogo in-flight internet passes and subscriptions

Gogo sells internet access passes and subscriptions. There are limitations and restrictions with both, so be sure to read the qualifications carefully before buying.

If you’re not a Gogo monthly or annual subscriber and forget to buy a pass before you board your next flight, you could end up paying as much as $30 per flight and up to $40 for a full day (24 continuous hours) — and that’s if you only fly domestic routes (U.S., Canada, and Mexico) with the same airline.

Gogo passes

A Gogo 1-Hour Pass for 60 minutes of continuous access with one device on a single domestic flight costs $7.00 if you buy it before boarding. You can purchase multiple passes, but be sure to use them within 30 days or they’ll expire. Once you activate a 1-Hour pass, the clock keeps running. You can log off and log back on, but the logged-off time still counts against your hour allotment.

A Gogo All-Day Pass costs $19 and is good for 24 hours of continuous access on domestic Gogo-flights on a single participating airline. If your trip includes multiple flights in the same 24 hours you’re covered, as long as you stick with the same airline. If your itinerary includes multiple airlines, buy All-Day passes for each airline, mix All-Day and 1-Hour passes, or buy an All-Day pass for the airline with the most legs or longest flight times. The All-Day Pass expires one year from purchase.

If you are traveling internationally and know ahead of time you’ll be on Gogo-equipped flights; the $28 Delta Global Day Pass is the only current Gogo access plan for international flights. The Delta Global Day Pass is good for 24 continuous hours once activated and expires one year from purchase.

Gogo monthly and annual subscription plans

If you spend a lot of time traveling on commercial airlines, the least expensive in-flight internet access is with a monthly subscription. Gogo’s monthly plans start at $50 a month. All subscriptions cover access for a single airline, which you select when you pay for the first month’s subscription.

The $50 Gogo Monthly Airline Plan covers the use of a single device for internet access on domestic flights for your selected airline. If you need to connect two devices or are traveling with someone else, the Gogo 2-Device Plan costs $60 per month.

If you fly both domestic and internationally with Delta, the $70 Global Delta Plan provides internet access for one device on all Gogo-equipped Delta Air Lines domestic and international flights.

There’s no price advantage with the $600 Gogo Annual Airline Plan, but you do enjoy the simplicity of paying once a year rather than monthly. The annual plan is good for domestic flights only on a single Gogo participating airline.

We strive to help our readers find the best deals on quality products and services, and choose what we cover carefully and independently. If you find a better price for a product listed here, or want to suggest one of your own, email us at dealsteam@digitaltrends.com.Digital Trends may earn commission on products purchased through our links, which supports the work we do for our readers.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Demystify home audio with our ultimate A/V receiver buying guide
• These Wi-Fi router deals can boost your internet speeds, save you more than $100
• Board 350 passengers in 20 minutes? Facial recognition passes testing at LAX
• Buy Before You Fly fot the Best In-flight Internet Access Prices
• Bleacher Report steps into the live TV arena with sports streamer B/R Live

Speed test: Galaxy S9 Plus vs. S8 vs. S8 Plus vs. Note 8

The Galaxy S9 Plus is Samsung’s latest flagship, and arguably its best. In our S9 Plus review, we characterized it as “a statement of best-in-class hardware,” commending the phone for its svelte design and stunning camera capabilities. The S9 Plus also sports a cutting-edge Snapdragon 845 processor, but does that give it a noticeable edge over the other phones in Samsung’s roster?

To find out, we pitted the S9 Plus and three other Samsung phones — the Note 8, S8, and S8 Plus — against one another, allowing us to see which phones could launch a variety of apps and games the quickest. It wasn’t the most rigorous test, but it did provide some insight into the relative power of these different models.

For the test, we opened a host of popular apps — Twitter, Facebook, Pokémon Go, and Super Mario Run, among others — and timed how quickly they launched.

What were the results? Surprisingly, for most apps, the four phones finished in about the same time. The S9 Plus performed the best when it came to Google Maps, and tied for first when launching a few other apps. The S9 Plus was the slowest at opening Facebook and Pokémon Go, however, and clocked in nearly 15 seconds after the S8 when launching the latter. This falls in line with the observations we made in our S9 Plus review, in which we noted the headset’s occasional stutter despite its ability to handle day-to-day tasks with the utmost ease.

How is it possible that the S9 Plus, which has a Snapdragon 845 instead of a last-gen 835, fared so poorly? There are a couple of possibilities. One is that the phone was experiencing issues, such as excessive cached data, which had a direct impact on performance. Another thing to consider is that, although smartphone processors are becoming more advanced, the apps themselves don’t require any more processing power; if the load you’re carrying is small enough, it doesn’t matter how big your engine is.

David Cogen — a regular contributor here at Digital Trends — runs TheUnlockr, a popular tech blog that focuses on tech news, tips and tricks, and the latest tech. You can also find him on Twitter discussing the latest tech trends.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Samsung Galaxy S8 vs. Galaxy S8 Plus: Which galactic star should you pick?
• HTC U12 Plus vs. Galaxy S9 Plus: Clash of the plus-sized phones
• The best screen protectors for the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus
• Smartphone speed demons! Is Samsung’s Galaxy S9 Plus the fastest off the line?
• Huawei P20 Pro vs. Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus: Are three better than two?

A Father’s Day tribute to beloved music in the age of smart speakers

Turn it up to 11. For dad.

In 2001, my dad bought me my first “hi-fi”, the classic Altec Lansing 641 computer speakers, which included four oversized satellites and the biggest subwoofer I’d ever seen. The system put out 200 watts RMS, and had among the beefiest amplifiers ever put inside a standalone system. The sub alone weighed over 30 pounds (maybe more, it’s hard to remember) and could shake my whole house with the right bass-heavy song.

Of course, such a system was built less for precision than power — a truck, not a sports car — and in 2001, teenage me associated plentiful bass with high-quality sound. That I was mainly listening to poorly-compressed MP3s of already-compressed rock music didn’t help, but I didn’t know any better. One floor below, my musical salvation was sitting in wait — my dad’s extensive collection of jazz, classical, and remastered classic rock CDs and a perfectly balanced stereo speaker setup highlighted by a Technics amplifier and a pair of imported Mordaunt-Short tower speakers. I would eventually come to prefer precision over power, but it would take until my mid-20’s to really appreciate just how deep the well of audiophile equipment truly goes.

It’s with this lens that I view the latest crop of “audiophile” smart speakers, the Sonos Play:5, Google Home Max, and Apple HomePod, among others. My home is filled with speakers of all kinds, from cheap waterproof shower speakers to that same pair of Mordaunt-Short towers paired with a great amplifier, but lately they’ve stayed idle as voice assistants from across the spectrum have removed the last vestige of labor from the music-listening experience.

From a sound quality perspective, Amazon’s Echo series doesn’t even enter the contest. Even the “premium” Echo Plus emits sound that’s thin and hollow and optimized more for voice than melody. My Echo Spot serves as a consummate podcast player in the kitchen, and Alexa is still my preferred method to control my smart home. I have a few Google Home speakers peppered throughout my house, but they too have served largely as vessels for Assistant.

Instead, the last few months have been split between a Sonos Play:5 in my office and a Google Home Max in my living room, and they’re both lively, versatile room-fillers that evoke the emotion I want to feel when listening to my favorite albums. The Play:5 is a better speaker, but the Google Home Max gets more play.

At $399, the Home Max is a bit too big and needs some equalization — at its default setting, the bass is too muddy for all but the most cavernous of rooms — but it’s a better deal than the $499 Play:5 and far more versatile than Apple’s Siri-dependant HomePod.

At the same time, bouncing between smart speakers of varying quality has only reinforced the disconnect between the audiophile’s perpetual dissatisfaction and the current generation of connected speaker buyers that just want things to work.

To honor my father, who would have been 65 yesterday, I’m listening to that old school system today, but tomorrow, when the weekday returns and life once again picks up speed, you can bet that I’ll be yelling at Google to play me whatever its algorithm thinks I’ll be into on a Monday afternoon — and damn well liking it.

Happy Father’s Day!

Google Hardware

• Google Wifi review
• Google Home review
• Chromecast Ultra: all you need to know
• Which Chromecast should you buy?

Google Wifi: Google
Amazon
Google Home: Google
Best Buy
Chromecast Ultra: Google
Best Buy