The Xiaomi 13 Ultra launch date has just been revealed, it seems, as it appeared on Weibo. Do note that this is not an official confirmation. Xiaomi’s alleged poster surfaced, and it sure does look official.
The Xiaomi 13 Ultra launch date has possibly been revealed
You can check out that poster below this paragraph. It does look very similar to the company’s official materials, and it clearly states the phone’s name, and you can even see the Leica branding there.
Towards the bottom, you’ll be able to see that April 17 is mentioned. Even the event kick-off time is listed here, it says that the event will start at 7 PM (local time). Needless to say, we’re talking about an event in China here, as this poster is in Chinese.
If there’s any truth to this, Xiaomi will share this poster via Weibo in the near future. As a reminder, this handset is expected to launch globally too. Xiaomi’s CEO confirmed, a while back, that the next ‘Ultra’ phone from the company will launch globally.
A well-known tipster also confirmed that the Xiaomi 13 Ultra will be available in markets outside of China. The device itself appeared back in February, though we’re still not sure if that leak is accurate or not. It’s possible that it was only a prototype or something like that.
The Xiaomi 13 & 13 Pro launched globally about a month ago
The company’s Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro arrived to the global markets about a month ago. The Xiaomi 13 Pro has almost all the bells and whistles it can have, so we’re wondering what will Xiaomi upgrade with the ‘Ultra’ model.
What the ‘Pro’ model is lacking is a periscope telephoto camera, so perhaps that will be added. Other than that, we’re really not sure. The Xiaomi 13 Pro has the most powerful SoC it could have, the best RAM and storage modules, a 1-inch main camera sensor, Leica lenses, a ceramic backplate, and so on.
Considering that Xiaomi is planning the ‘Ultra’ launch, it probably has some ideas, so… it will be interesting to see what’s coming, that’s for sure.
According to TechRadar, a vulnerability called “aCropalypse” has targeted Pixel devices. Hopefully, Google patched the exploit with the recent March feature drop, but users that haven’t received the path might be at risk.
Security researchers Simon Aarons and David Buchanan found the exploit in Pixel devices after cropping PNG files with the default markup editing tool. The vulnerability was first spotted a few years ago and was caused by an API change on Android 10.
The researchers reportedly found the issue on January 2 and informed Google on the same day. However, Google internally patched the flaw on January 24, but end users got the fix in March, nearly two months after the flaw was discovered.
The “aCropalypse” exploit mostly targets Pixel phones, but its traces are found in other Android phones and custom ROMs. The messaging service Discord is also said to have been targeted by this exploit. Discord’s previous image processing method never stripped metadata or compressed images.
“aCropalypse” exploit targets Pixel phones through a markup editing tool
While it might seem odd that a phone gets infected by a markup editing tool malfunction, some unlucky Pixel users dealt with the case. The way “aCropalypse” works is simple but very tricky. After shortening or cropping an image file, the markup tool still holds some information about the edited image and preserves the cropped pieces.
“So basically the Pixel 7 Pro, when you crop and save a screenshot, overwrites the image with the new version, but leaves the rest of the original file in its place.” Researchers Simon Aarons said.
According to Buchanan’s explanations, a PNG file holds its data in blocks. After a file is edited, one of those blocks still preserves the data about the edited part. “theoretically, an image could be made up almost entirely of back-references to missing data, but in practice, most images aren’t like this.” Buchanan added. Also, the exploit doesn’t seem to affect JPEG files due to the different methods of handling data.
Aarons and Buchanan created a tool that helps you to find exploits in your screenshots and find out if any of your screenshots are infected. The service currently supports almost all Pixel phones, from Pixel 3 to 7 Pro.
According to Montenegro’s minister of interior Filip Adzic, Do Kwon was suspected of being “one of the most wanted fugitives.”
Do Kwon, the co-founder and CEO of Terraform Labs, has been reportedly arrested. Kwon had been on the run for several months before being caught using falsified documents at an airport in Podgorica, the capital city of Montenegro.
Filip Adzic, Montenegro’s minister of interior, announced the arrest in a tweet, saying that Do Kwon was suspected of being “one of the most wanted fugitives” and that authorities were awaiting official confirmation of his identity.
Do Kwon
Kwon’s arrest came after he was accused of playing a major role in the $40 billion Terra/LUNA collapse, which had a significant impact on the cryptocurrency markets.
“Montenegrin police have detained a person suspected of being one of the most wanted fugitives, South Korean citizen Do Kwon, co-founder and CEO of Singapore-based Terraform Labs,” Adzic tweeted.
Kwon had been under investigation for the past 11 months since the collapse of the platform, and in September 2022, Interpol issued a red notice requesting law enforcement agencies worldwide to search for and arrest him.
In mid-February, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission also charged Terraform Labs and Kwon with defrauding U.S. investors who purchased its crypto assets, LUNA and the stablecoin Terra.
Kwon had denied claims that he was hiding from authorities, but prosecutors refuted those claims. The fact that he was caught using falsified documents at the airport suggests that he was indeed trying to evade authorities.
According to reports, Kwon had fled Singapore, where he had been living, and had made stops in Dubai and Serbia before being arrested in Montenegro. The Korean National Police Agency has confirmed that the suspect appears to be Kwon based on checking his age, name, and nationality on his ID card.
The collapse of the Terra stablecoin had a significant impact on the cryptocurrency markets, with about $40 billion being wiped out. Kwon has been accused of financial fraud, tax evasion, and violating South Korean capital market rules. He has denied these charges and claimed that they are politically motivated.
Kwon’s arrest has been welcomed by many who were affected by the collapse of the Terra platform. As more information about the arrest becomes available, it will be interesting to see how it affects the ongoing investigations and legal proceedings against Kwon and Terraform Labs.
The arrest of his alleged aide, Han Mo, is also a significant development in the case. It is likely that more information will come to light as the investigation progresses, shedding further light on the collapse of the Terra platform and the role played by Kwon and Terraform Labs.
This news is a reminder that the cryptocurrency industry is still largely unregulated and that investors need to be cautious when investing in digital assets. It is essential to conduct thorough research and due diligence before investing in any cryptocurrency to avoid significant losses.
The collapse of the Terra platform is just one example of the potential risks involved in the industry, and investors should be aware of these risks before investing.
We look at a current tax scam in circulation which looks to make an Emotet deposit on your PC.
Tax season is upon us and, as with every year, we’re seeing tax scammers rearing their heads.
Below, we have an example of a tax scam currently in circulation along with some suggestions for avoiding these kinds of attacks.
An IRS W-9 tax form scam
A Form W-9 is a form you fill in to confirm certain personal details with the IRS. Name, address, and Tax Identification Number are all things you can expect to fill in on one of these forms.
In this case, the Form W-9 is being used as a lure for people to download something sinister. Our Senior Director of Threat Intelligence, Jerome Segura, found an email being sent out with the title of “IRS Tax Forms W-9” which appears to have been sent from “IRS Online Center”. The email, which contains an attachment and very little text, looks like this:
The rather short message reads as follows:
Let me know if you would like a hard copy mailed as well.
Respectifully [SIC]
Barbara LaCosta
Inspector
Department of Treasure
The attachment, W-9 form.zip, is 709 KB in size.
Opening the attachment up reveals a Word document called W-9 form.doc
This file’s size is 548,164 KB (548 MB), which is very suspicious. You won’t find many genuine Word documents weighing in at 500MB or more. In fact, a file size of 500MB is a potential indicator that Emotet is lurking in the background. Malware authors are artificially pumping up the size of the document in order to try and fool or break security tools. This is because the large file size may prove too difficult for the tools to get a handle on and properly analyse.
Opening the document quickly becomes a game of Macro-related risk. Macros, used to automate aspects of your documents, are a tried and tested way of infecting a PC with malware. This is why you’ll almost always see a message saying that Macros are disabled when opening a downloaded document.
Malware authors know this, and will do everything in their power to make you enable them. This is no exception. When opening W-9 form.doc, you’ll see the following message:
This document is protected Previewing is not available for protected documents. You have to press “enable editing” and “enable content” buttons to preview this document.
Enabling this will result in Emotet being downloaded onto the system.
Emotet has been around since 2014. Originally created as a banking trojan, later versions added malware delivery and spam services. Mostly featuring in email spam campaigns, a big focus of fake mails helping to deliver the infection include subjects like parcel shipping, invoices, and other forms of payment.
In fact, Emotet features as one of the top five cyberthreats businesses face in our 2023 State of Malware report. Flagged by Europol as “The world’s most dangerous malware”, law enforcement has never quite been able to shut it down permanently despite its entire global infrastructure being taken offline in 2021. Emotet’s ability to push additional forms of malware onto target systems including threats like TrickBot, IcedID, and Conti ransomware make it a formidable proposition for any security team to handle.
Avoiding tax scams
Here are some of the ways you can outsmart tax fraudsters and keep one step ahead of the phishing, malware, and social engineering attacks which come around every year during tax season.
File early. One of the quickest ways to stumble into a trap is to leave filing your tax return until the last minute. That added pressure can mean responding to fake mails you otherwise would have ignored.
Be careful around suspicious refunds. Tax agencies have a proper process for issuing refunds, found on their websites. Some, like HMRC, are very clear that refunds are never issued by email. If in doubt, phone the tax office directly and ask if what you have is the real deal or a fake.
Beware of fake bank portals. Some tax scams will ask you who you bank with, and then open up a phishing page for that bank. Always navigate directly to your banking website, click throughs and redirects typically spell danger.
Avoid the pressure pitch. Tax scammers like to hurry you along to data theft and malware installs. Claims of only having 24 or 48 hours to file for a refund should be treated with skepticism. As with most solutions for these forms of social engineering, contact the tax entity directly.
Malwarebytes removes all remnants of ransomware and prevents you from getting reinfected. Want to learn more about how we can help protect your business? Get a free trial below.
The Google Jacquard app for smart fabrics launched about 9 years ago. This news comes as a shock to the fashion industry, as Project Jacquard seemed promising. Merging the fashion industry with the technology industry was the simple aim of this project.
At its launch, Project Jacquard seemed to be the future of wearable technology. Google was giving users of this technology the ability to control their devices directly from their clothing. To prove that this unique project had a future it led Google to partner with brands like Levi, Adidas (EA Sports FIFA mobile game), Samsonite, and Yves Saint Laurent.
These partnerships brought some smart clothing and accessories to the fashion industry. To make use of the technology these articles brought, users need to have the Google Jacquard app installed on their devices. But that app might be coming to its last days, hence putting the future of Project Jacquard to the test.
Killing the Google Jacquard app might mean the end of the entire project
Project Jacquard brought a mini tag that could be attached to various clothes and accessories. This tag connects to the user’s mobile device wirelessly, giving them the ability to control their device with their cloth. Just swiping along the area where this tag is placed on a piece of cloth will execute certain actions on the user’s device.
With the Levi Trucker Jacket, the tag’s compartment is on the left cuff, and that area was made touch sensitive. For the popular Samsonite backpack, the tag is placed underneath the left fabric strip. This is also the case with other clothing products and accessories that launch with this tag.
With this tag on the piece of clothing, users can pick calls, control the media, take photos, and use the map without touching their smartphones. To customize these controls, users rely on the Google Jacquard app. But the folks at 9to5Google have noted that this app is coming to an end.
They back this up with their findings from the app’s latest description on Google Play Store. This update talks about notifying customers about changes to the “product support in the future” as though it will soon stop receiving support. Also, the 9to5Google APK team took a look at the app to find out more regarding its possible end.
From their findings, they could confirm that the Google Jacquard app will soon stop receiving support. But if the app shuts down, then no one will be able to make use of the Jacquard tag. Does this mean that Google is axing Project Jacquard? More information regarding this issue will be made available once an official statement from Google is made available.
The Nanoleaf Matter smart light took attendees at CES 23 by surprise with some new products. Also on display was a ceiling light system that helps to add some life to your house. Another product seemed to focus on Nanoleaf’s Sense+ controls and a hands-free automation system.
But this article will focus on the products that integrate Matter’s smart home standards. With this integration, the new Nanoleaf Matter smart light series will be able to work together with the smart appliance ecosystem in a user’s house. Well, there are two smart light series that Nanoleaf launched at CES with Matter support.
These lights are now available for pre-order on the Nanoleaf official website. With these products, Nanoleaf hopes to take your living space into the future of connectivity. Let’s now take a look at the two new Nanoleaf smart light series that are currently available for pre-order.
Features of the new Nanoleaf Matter smart light series
This new series comes with smart light bulbs and a light strip, all packing impressive features. One major feature of these smart light series is the support for Matter smart home. This helps improve the connectivity of these smart lights to different devices in the household from where they can be controlled.
Thanks to Matter, these new smart lights from Nanoleaf work with everything. So whether you use an Android (Google Assistant), iOS (Siri), or Amazon (Alexa) enabled device, you can get the new Nanoleaf Matter smart light. They can be controlled via any platform and can even work perfectly over a poor wireless mesh connection.
The smart bulb series comes with various designs, with each featuring a different price tag. In this series are the A19/E29, BR30/E26, GU10, and Downlight bulb types. Buyers can pick from either of these options, with the BR30/E26 and GU10 being the most expensive.
For the light stripe, those pre-ordering can choose between the Smarter Kit (80 inches long) or the Expansion Pack (40 inches long with extendable ends). Both options come with a controller attached to one end for those that don’t want to control the lights with their voice or a smartphone. Aside from this, the new Nanoleaf Matter smart light series comes with a ton of other features.
These include Matter support, customizable schedules, automatic light adjustment to colour temperature, and screen mirroring with your TV or monitor to mention a few. They all also come with 16M colours, giving users a wide spectrum of colours to pick from, hence adding life to their environment. The other smart lights unveiled by Nanoleaf at CES will become available in the coming months.
Notorious dark web hacking forum BreachForums is reportedly shutting down following the arrest of one of its top administrators by the United States’ Federal Bureau of Information (FBI).
The administrator of the site, who went by ‘Pompompurin’ on the site and was named as Conor Brian Fitzpatrick by the FBI, was allegedly arrested by the Bureau on March 15 on suspicion of hosting and running the forum. BreachForums was thought to be the reincarnation of RaidForums, a similar dark web site that was investigated and subsequently shut down by the FBI in April 2022.
It has been used by a number of hackers to break news of data breaches they have committed and as a marketplace for selling the data stolen in these breaches. Large databases of victims’ information have been posted to the site, including those involved in the Medibank data leak, which affected over 9.7 million people.
BreachForums officially closes
On March 21, a new admin for BreachForums, who uses the screen name ‘Baphomet’ made a post via the site’s official Telegram channel. Baphomet said it was the “final update for Breached” and that he would be “taking down the forum”.
“I believe we can assume that nothing is safe anymore. I know that everyone wants the forum up, but there is no value in short term gain for what will likely be a long term loss by propping up Breached as it is,” he added.
The reference to “nothing [being] safe” is likely an allusion to the fact that the FBI has taken control of the forum. When the FBI shut down RaidForums in April 2022, the organization seized all its servers and domains, allowing them access to all posts before it was shut down.
Following his arrest, Fitzpatrick will appear before the federal court on March 24.
Pompompurin hacks into FBI network
Pompompurin has caused issues for the FBI in the past beyond his involvement with BreachForums. He was reportedly responsible for hacking into the FBI’s network in 2021 to send fake emails about a cybercrime investigation.
Fitzpatrick claimed he was able to send the emails across the FBI’s network by exploiting a vulnerability that was designed to help the FBI share information with law enforcement offices at both the state and local level. The FBI later confirmed that a software misconfiguration had allowed an unauthorized party to send the fake emails.
Optus hacker posts apology on BreachForums
Australian telecommunication company Optus suffered a devastating data breach on September 22, 2022 that led to the details of 11 million customers being accessed.
A person claiming to be the hacker responsible for the data breach posted a small sample of the customer data stolen to BreachForums on September 23.
Using the alias optusdata, the hacker demanded that Optus pay them $1mn ransom, or they would leak the data of all 11 million customers affected by the breach. When Optus did not respond to the ransom demand, optusdata then posted a text file of 10,000 customer data records on September 26, allowing other malicious actors to use the data in their own phishing campaigns.
Victims of the breach reported on September 27 that they had been contacted with demands that they pay AU$2,000 (US$1,300) or their data would be sold to other hackers.
However, on the same day, the supposed hacker posted a new message on BreachForums, rescinding their demand and apologizing to Optus.
The hacker said there were “too many eyes” and would not be selling the data to anyone. They claimed they had deleted all the data from their personal drive, and had not made any copies. They also offered an apology to the 10,200 people who had their data exposed via their posts on BreachForums, and to Optus itself, saying “hope all goes well with this”.
They finished by saying they “would have reported [the] exploit if [Optus] had [a] method to contact” and that while the ransom was not paid, they “dont[sic] care anymore” as it was a “mistake to scrape [and] publish [the] data in the first place”.
After the arrest of the administrator of the Dark Web site BreachForums there was talk about keeping it alive, but now the forums will be shut down for fear of law enforcement infiltration.
At first, a new administrator rose to the occasion and said they were working on a plan to get the forum through the problems caused by that arrest. But on Tuesday March 21, 2023 this new administrator announced the decision to shut BreachForums down.
BreachForums was set up by the arrested administrator working under the handle “Pompompurin” after the FBI seized RaidForums in 2022. On his arrest, 21-year-old Conor Brian Fitzpatrick allegedly confessed he used the alias Pompompurin and that he was the owner and administrator of BreachForums. Fitzpatrick has been charged with a single count of conspiracy to commit access device fraud.
Another forum administrator going by the account name “Baphomet” said they were working through an emergency plan for the forum after the arrest of Fitzpatrick. After taking ownership of the forum Baphomet announced an impending migration to a new infrastructure.
But after Baphomet noticed someone logged in on one of the old servers after the arrest of Fitzpatrick, they said they had serious misgivings about the forums being compromised. The server, which was left unchanged, should only be accessible from Fitzpatrick’s machine.
A statement signed by Baphomet says:
“Any servers we use are never shared with anyone else, so someone would have to know the credentials to that server to be able to login. I now feel like I’m put into a position where nothing can be assumed safe, whether it’s our configs, source code, or information about our users the list is endless. This means that I can’t confirm the forum is safe, which has been a major goal from the start of this sh*tshow.”
There is unfortunately absolutely no reason to assume that your stolen data is now suddenly safe. There are plenty of other forums, and Baphomet talked about plans to revive BreachForums with the help of competitor forum admins and various service operators. Besides that, we have already noticed a shift from the use of forums to Telegram channels that serve the same illicit purposes.
Data breach
There are some actions you can take if you are, or suspect you may have been, the victim of a data breach.
Check the vendor’s advice. Every breach is different, so check with the vendor to find out what’s happened, and follow any specific advice they offer.
Change your password. You can make a stolen password useless to thieves by changing it. Choose a strong password that you don’t use for anything else. Better yet, let a password manager choose one for you.
Enable two-factor authentication (2FA). If you can, use a FIDO2-compliant hardware key, laptop or phone as your second factor. Some forms of two-factor authentication (2FA) can be phished just as easily as a password. 2FA that relies on a FIDO2 device can’t be phished.
Watch out for fake vendors. The thieves may contact you posing as the vendor. Check the vendor website to see if they are contacting victims, and verify any contacts using a different communication channel.
Take your time. Phishing attacks often impersonate people or brands you know, and use themes that require urgent attention, such as missed deliveries, account suspensions, and security alerts.
The OPPO Find X6 Pro launched not long ago, though only in China, at least for now. We’ve already reviewed the device, and considering how good it is, comparing it to other flagship smartphones makes sense. In this particular case, we’ll compare the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs OPPO Find X6 Pro. Both of these smartphones have a lot to offer, though before we begin, it is worth noting that the Find X6 Pro does come with software made for China. You can easily install Google Play Services here, but it’s still not the same experience as it would be with a global version. We do hope OPPO will release a global version.
In any case, we’ll first list the specs of both devices, and will then move to compare them across a number of other categories. We’ll compare their designs, displays, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio performance. That’s what we usually do in such comparisons. Some of these sections may surprise you, actually, so… let’s dive in!
Specs
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
OPPO Find X6 Pro
Screen size
6.8-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display (curved, 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, LTPO, down to 1Hz, 1,750 nits peak brightness)
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs OPPO Find X6 Pro: Design
Both of these phones are made out of metal and glass, though one version of the Find X6 Pro combines glass with vegan leather on the back. It has brown vegan leather on the majority of its backplate, and glass in the top third of its backplate. Both phones have a centered display camera hole, curved displays, and extremely thin bezels. They’re both also quite large, but have different shapes, and feel entirely different in the hand.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra has sharp edges, and flat top and bottom sides. The Find X6 Pro comes with curved edges, and its top and bottom sides are not exactly flat. Both phones are truly slippery, and are not comfortable to use with one hand, that’s for sure. The Galaxy S23 Ultra even less than the Find X6 Pro thanks to its sharp corners and width. Speaking of which, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is slightly shorter, and noticeably wider than the Find X6 Pro. It’s also a bit thinner, and considerably heavier. It is worth noting that the Galaxy S23 Ultra does pack an S Pen stylus on the inside too.
If we flip them around, you’ll notice entirely different camera setups. Each of the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s camera sensors protrudes directly from the backplate. The OPPO Find X6 Pro has a bold, circular camera island on the back, which is huge. It does fit nicely in the design here, and can be a nice anchor for your finger when you’re holding the phone.
Samsung’s flagship has Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the back, while the OPPO Find X6 Pro includes Gorilla Glass 5 on the back. Using a case is recommended for both phones, of course. Due to their size and slippery nature, that would be a smart thing to do. Both phones are IP68 certified for water and dust resistance, and both feel immensely premium in the hand.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs OPPO Find X6 Pro: Display
The Galaxy S23 Ultra packs in a 6.8-inch QHD+ (3088 x 1440) Dynamic AMOLED 2X display. That panel is curved, and it offers a 120Hz refresh rate. Well, up to 120Hz, as it’s adaptive. HDR10+ content is supported, while this panel goes up to 1,750 nits of peak brightness. The Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protects this panel.
The OPPO Find X6 Pro, on the other hand, has a 6.82-inch QHD+ (3168 x 1440) LTPO3 AMOLED display. This panel is also curved, and it can project up to 1 billion colors. It supports a refresh rate of up to 120Hz, and Dolby Vision too. This panel’s peak brightness is at 2,500 nits, and it is protected by the Gorilla Glass Victus 2.
So, both of these panels are outstanding. Both are extremely sharp and vivid, and have outstanding viewing angles. The touch response is really good, and those OLED blacks are deep. The OPPO Find X6 Pro’s display does have one advantage, though, its brightness. It does get noticeably brighter, even though the Galaxy S23 Ultra display is truly bright as well. If you do spend a lot of time outdoors, in the sun, you will notice the difference. Other than that, both of these panels are outstanding, and some of the best on the market.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs OPPO Find X6 Pro: Performance
Both of these smartphones are fueled by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, but the unit in the Galaxy S23 Ultra is clocked a bit higher. The Galaxy S23 Ultra includes 12GB of LPPDR5X RAM, and up to 1TB of UFS 4.0 flash storage. The OPPO Find X6 Pro has up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and up to 512GB of UFS 4.0 flash storage. In other words, both phones have the most powerful chip possible, and the best RAM and storage modules too.
Does that equal great performance on both phones? Well, yes, it does, actually. That, in addition to software optimization, of course. Both phones are extremely snappy, regardless of what you’re doing. Regular, everyday tasks, are a breeze, while both phones do a great job when it comes to gaming as well. They can probably run any game from the Play Store without an issue. They don’t even get too warm while they do it, even though they do heat up, of course. We did not notice any slowdowns due to that, however.
One thing to note is that the Find X6 Pro does include software made for China at the moment. So, if you do decide to import it, you’ll need to sideload Google Services, which is not a problem. This version of ColorOS does have some limitations when it comes to background apps, and some bloatware too. Despite all that, it works like a charm from the performance standpoint, so… there you have it.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs OPPO Find X6 Pro: Battery
A 5,000mAh battery is included in both of these smartphones, actually. Considering they have the same SoC, and the same RAM and storage units, you’d assume the battery life is similar, right? Well, not really, the software is entirely different after all. The hardware itself is only half the picture. That being said, we got outstanding battery life with both phones, but the Galaxy S23 Ultra did offer a bit more during our testing.
We were able to cross the 9-10-hour screen-on-time mark without a problem on the device, while the OPPO Find X6 Pro was closer to 8 hours. Those are great results for both devices. Now, do note that gaming will affect battery life, as we did not really play games outside of testing. Your usage will also be different, so your mileage may be different too. There are simply too many factors to consider. One thing is for sure, though, both phones do offer excellent battery life.
When it comes to charging, the OPPO Find X6 Pro blows the Galaxy S23 Ultra out of the water. The phone supports 100W wired, 50W wireless, and 10W reverse wireless charging, while it also comes with a charger in the box. The Galaxy S23 Ultra supports 45W wired, 15W wireless, and 4.5W reverse wireless charging, and it does not include a charger.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra vs OPPO Find X6 Pro: Cameras
The Galaxy S23 Ultra has four cameras on the back. It includes a 200-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera (120-degree FoV), a 10-megapixel telephoto unit (3x optical zoom), and a 10-megapixel periscope telephoto (10x optical zoom, 100x digital zoom) camera. The OPPO Find X6 Pro features a 50-megapixel main camera (1-inch sensor), a 50-megapixel ultrawide camera (110-degree FoV), and a 50-megapixel periscope telephoto camera (2.8x optical zoom, 100x digital zoom).
_cuva
Both smartphones are excellent when it comes when it comes to taking pictures and video, but there are notable differences. The Galaxy S23 Ultra tends to provide brighter image and a bit more colorful images in low light, while the OPPO Find X6 Pro tends to lean towards more dramatic shots with stronger contrast. Both companies should optimize HDR a bit, as the Galaxy S23 Ultra sometimes leaves darker areas too dark, while the Find X6 Pro fails to balance highlights at times. These occasions are very rare, though, so keep that in mind.
Other than that, both smartphones are outstanding when it comes to photography. The photos during the day are sharp and extremely well balanced. The Find X6 Pro does offer that creamy bokeh, which makes images look more professional aka closer to professional cameras. Both phones have great macro modes, and both phones do a good job of keeping the colors consistent across all cameras. The periscope telephoto shots from the Find X6 Pro do a better job in low light, you’ll find more detail in them. The Galaxy S23 Ultra does a slightly better job during the day with that camera.
The video is good on both phones, but the Galaxy S23 Ultra has better video stabilization, maybe even the best in the business at the moment. You can’t really go wrong with either when it comes to photography, it’s all a matter of style/preference.
Audio
Neither of the two phones has a 3.5mm headphone jack. You’ll need to use their Type-C ports if you’d like to connect your headphones via a wire. For wireless connections, however, Bluetooth 5.3 is supported on both phones.
Both devices also have a set of stereo speakers. Those speakers are excellent on both end, though they do sound a bit different. The Galaxy S23 Ultra has a bit stronger bass, and seemingly slightly wider soundstage, but the results are very similar.
For iPhone users, the Apple Watch is hands down the best smartwatch you can buy. Unfortunately, the Apple Watch only works with the iPhone, so it’s not really great for Android users. But for iPhone users, there’s more choices than ever for the best Apple Watch. So we have gone through Apple’s current lineup to help you decide on which model is right for you.
In 2023, Apple’s lineup for watches range from $249 all the way to $799 as starting prices. Of course, those prices can go up with the titanium case, or different bands. But those are the starting prices. So without further ado, here is the best Apple Watch you can buy in 2023.
Best Apple Watch you can buy today
In the table below, you’ll find the Apple Watches that we are recommending here, as well as their pricing and where you can find them. We are only recommending the ones Apple are currently selling, along with the Apple Watch Series 7. The Series 7 can still be found at Amazon and other retailers, brand new and not used. So it’s worthwhile to add to our list here.
The Apple Watch Ultra is our choice for the best Apple Watch overall for two main reasons. The titanium case with sapphire crystal glass, and the battery life.
While the Ultra is geared more towards athletes, you don’t need to be an athlete to enjoy the Apple Watch Ultra. It’s actually my Apple Watch of choice, and I absolutely love it. The battery life is a little more than two times as much as the other Apple Watches. Apple rates it at about 36 hours, but of course this number is going to fluctuate depending on how you use your Apple Watch Ultra. I can typically get two to three full days out of mine.
With the Apple Watch Ultra, you get the crown guard on the side, which gives it a unique look compared to the other Apple Watches. On the left side you get an action button, which defaults to starting workouts, but can be used for just about everything.
Now, when it comes to bands, the Apple Watch Ultra does have three different styles of bands available – the Alpine Loop, Trail Loop and Ocean Loop. But if you already have some Apple Watch bands laying around, those will work too. Any 44mm/45mm watch band will work here.
The Apple Watch Series 8 is really our best overall runner-up watch here. Not everyone can or wants to, spend $800 on a smartwatch. Luckily, Apple makes it so that you don’t have to. The Apple Watch Series 8 starts at $399 for the 41mm size. There’s also a larger 45mm model available for $429. The Series 8 also comes in stainless steel for $699 and $749 respectively. Which is a tad cheaper than the Ultra.
With the Apple Watch Series 8, you get a lot of the same features as the Ultra. But you do miss out on the extra battery life, the sapphire display (unless you get the stainless steel option) and the action button. Apple quotes the Series 8 as lasting about 18 hours, but you can usually get a full 24 hours and then some out of the battery here.
Like the other watches on this list, the Series 8 also runs on Watch OS 9, which gives you access to all sorts of features. Like Apple Fitness, Apple Health, MyFitnessPal and many other apps. Apple Pay and Apple Wallet is also available for a quick tap of the wrist to pay.
If you don’t currently have a smartwatch, or use an Android phone and smartwatch and are thinking about switching, the Apple Watch SE is going to be the best option for you. Not only because it’s the cheapest at $249 for the 40mm model and $279 for the 44mm, but because it is pretty bare bones.
It does lack some of the features from the other watches here. For example, it does not have the always-on display. Which for some might be a big deal. Myself, I normally turn that off, so it’s not a huge deal for me. It does run the same chipset as the Apple Watch Series 8, so you won’t have to worry about it losing support sooner.
The Apple Watch Series 7 is no longer sold by Apple, so pricing can be a bit wonky here. But we’ve found over at Amazon, that it starts at $251, and that is not for a “renewed” model either. This makes it just a few bucks more than the Apple Watch SE, and it has all the same features as the Series 8, including that always-on display.
This model also comes in a lot more options over on Amazon, so you can get the specific case color and band color that you want, which is definitely good. It also has the Blood Oxygen and ECG apps on-board, which the Apple Watch SE do lack.
Now, you might be worried about support here. But keep in mind that the Apple Watch Series 7 actually runs on the same processor as the SE and Series 8. In fact, so does the Series 6. So the Series 6 and later should continue to get updated by Apple for quite some time. They only just dropped support for the Series 3, last fall with the launch of Watch OS 9.
