Ever since the Google Pixel 6, the company has released two models of its flagship phones. There’s the regular model and the Pro model. However, back in the day, Google used to have an XL model of its phones. Well, it appears that the Pixel 9 will have an XL model along with a regular and Pro model.
Right now, information about these phones is still trickling in, so there are plenty of details yet to come. This means that you should definitely take this news cautiously. Between now and October, when we expect these phones to launch, anything could change.
We could see a Pixel 9 Pro XL this year
Back in January, we got a leak of what we thought were the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro. However, according to the latest reports, that’s not quite the case. What we were actually looking at were the Pixel 9 Pro and what could be the Pixel 9 Pro XL, allegedly. This bit of news is thrown us for a loop. Thanks to 91 mobiles, we have some leak specs and details for the vanilla Google Pixel 9. If all of this is true, then Google could very well launch three different devices in October under the Pixel 9 line.
First, the Pixel 9 specs
We are still getting information about these phones, but we were able to get some pretty in-depth information about the smallest of the trio. According to leaked specs, this phone will have a 6.03-inch display, which is relatively small. The dimensions could be 152.8 x 71.9 x 8.5mm, and 12mm including the camera bump.
We’re pretty sure that it’s going to maintain the 1080p+ resolution and similar technology to its bigger siblings. We will just have to see.
Moving on to the internals, we don’t have too much information about what will be powering this phone. However, according to the report, the Pixel 9 will most likely sport the Google Tensor G4 chipset. Along with that, you expect Qi2 wireless charging that can grant it up to 15 watts of wireless charging and magnetic alignment.
Below, we see a leaked video showcasing what this phone could potentially look like. In the video, we see the phone in a black color. We’re certain that Google is going to give this color some sort of “Google-ified” name.
It appears to share the same exact design as phones in the previous leaks. The main difference is the lack of a third camera sensor.
The Pixel 9 series could resurrect the XL name
Back when Google launched the first Pixel phone, it introduced us to the Pixel XL series of phones. These were always the larger of the two phones with a sharper screen. The XL tradition continued through the Pixel 4 Series with the Pixel 5 launching as a solo product. With the Pixel 6 series, Google brought the “Pro” moniker, and that pretty much took over the role of the XL phone.
However, with the news that the previously leaked phones were the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL, it appears that Google is looking to switch its strategy yet again.
We have no idea what will make the Pro XL version better than the Pro and Vanilla Pixel 9. One bit of speculation is that Google could launch the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL with the Google Tensor 4 processor and stick the vanilla Pixel 9 Pro with the older Tensor 3 processor. That could be a method to differentiate the Pro line from the vanilla line. However, that’s only speculation.
In any case, we are certain to get more information about these phones between now and the launch. So, stay tuned for more information about these phones to come. We expect Google to make these phones official sometime in the fall.
– But, Judge, I was watching YouTube videos with my eyes closed! Also, there was this construction noise from across the street and I couldn’t hear anything. – Irrelevant. 20 years of solitary confinement!
Are we getting closer to that dystopian reality? In the light of the recent revelations that the government seeks personal information about who watched certain YouTube videos, a lot of people would say: “Oh, yes, we are!”As the report goes, federal investigators have demanded information from Google about some undisclosed number of users: they needed their addresses, telephone numbers, and their YouTube activity.
One case involved undercover agents seeking to identify a suspect known as “elonmuskwhm”, suspected of illegal crypto transactions, by tracking viewers of certain YouTube tutorials.
This, of course, didn’t go well with privacy advocates, who raised concerns and argued such actions by the government may infringe upon constitutional rights, potentially treating innocent YouTube viewers as suspects.
Concerned activists say this is a trend that could expose sensitive personal information without probable cause, challenging the foundational principles of privacy and freedom in the digital age.
Let’s see what people almost 40 years ago thought about privacy leaks… and see if there’s a parallel to be drawn between then and now.
Privacy breached: a judge rented Hitchcock movies
It’s 1987, Michael Jackson’s Bad album is making teenage girls faint, Hulk Hogan beats Andre the Giant in front of 93,173 people, Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket is on the big screen and Ronald Reagan says to the USSR leader Mikhail Gorbachev: “Tear down this wall!”
Also, a judge by the name of Robert Bork was nominated to the Supreme Court. Some thought he had controversial views on privacy, so they pulled a practical joke on him and the media released his rental tape list.
This episode is known as the Bork Tape saga.
According to the list, Judge Bork’s favorite actor appeared to be Cary Grant, who appeared in 12 of the 146 videotapes, along with Roger Moore and Alec Guinness. His favorite director seemed to be Alfred Hitchcock, who directed 12 of the rented films. No X-rated titles and nothing scandalous, right?
The leak of Bork’s video rental history was intended to illustrate the potential dangers of allowing someone with certain views on privacy to have a significant influence on the Supreme Court. It highlighted the ease with which an individual’s private activities could become public and was used to argue the importance of protecting personal privacy rights.
The incident led to a broader public debate on privacy and, ultimately, to the passage of the Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA) in 1988, which made it illegal to disclose an individual’s video rental or sale records without their consent, underscoring the importance of privacy protections.
Even his opponents came to his defense
When the rental list was made public, Bork got aid from the last place to expect – from those opposed to him and his nomination. Several groups complained that this act had violated Bork’s right to privacy and questioned whether it’s anyone’s business what movie one views on Saturday night.
One of the people who criticized Bork’s nomination most severely urged the District of Columbia to pass a law banning video stores from releasing movie titles rented by private citizens. The American Civil Liberties Union, another Bork opponent, complained to the editor of the paper that leaked the list that its story was “tantamount to breaking into the judge’s home to determine what books he reads“.
Howard Simon, then-executive director of the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) of Michigan, said:
That’s what privacy is all about. It is generally the right to impose limits on what information is collected on you and what information is in general circulation.
Ah, these quotes sure don’t feel like they come from 1987. On the contrary, they sound up to date.
SIM swap scam – can the drama turn into a tragedy?
I can almost hear you say: “Yeah, well, that’s none of my problem, since I only watch these ten YouTube channels. Also, I don’t ever let anyone else use my phone… so I’m good!”
This isn’t going to help you in the slightest when things go south, as we’ll discuss in a moment.
SIM swap fraud is a type of identity theft where criminals deceive a carrier into transferring a victim’s phone number to a SIM card in the fraudster’s possession. By doing so, the attacker gains control over the victim’s phone calls, text messages and potentially access to secure services.
Usually, SIM swap scams are performed to empty one’s bank account. Meanwhile, if the thief decides to watch a bunch of no-no videos while being logged in your account, you’ll have a hell of a time trying to explain to the FBI or some other three-letter institution what you did or didn’t do.
The two problems with someone looking at your YouTube history
There are two privacy problems with the idea of exposing one’s YouTube history. Both are severe, but one can be fatal.
The first problem is what leaks, the second one is who does what with the leak.
For example, you’re wearing a Cannibal Corpse t-shirt and your YouTube history leak reveals that you’re actually headbanging to Taylor Swift, and you’re watching The Kardashians in private.
Joking aside – the real danger, in my humble opinion, is when the concept of a crime changes overnight. You know, if tomorrow’s rulers decide that all of a sudden the same things that were legal yesterday are punishable today. If you think that’s impossible, better think again.
So, is there any bulletproof solution to the problem? Are we 100% sure our web activity won’t get us in trouble in the future? Is there a set of DOs and DON’Ts, when it comes to the way we use our phones and browse the web?
I don’t think there is any solution right now, as these digital times of ours are completely unknown. It’s the wild, wild web years. A whole lot of shakin’ going on will precede the moment when the dust settles. It’s up to the months and years ahead to come up with some sort of adamant rules, if that’s even possible.
I think we’re still navigating through the dark of the night with our eyes wide shut. Whether we raise our phones to capture a beautiful dawn, or we stay in the dark (literally) because of our YouTube history, remains to be seen.
Until that day comes, you can check out various VPN solutions and see if there’s anything that works for you.
Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) reports a concerning rise in zero-day exploits and increased activity from state-backed hackers. This highlights the growing cybersecurity threats to businesses and individuals.
In an overview of cybersecurity threats, Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) and Google-owned Mandiant disclosed 97 zero-day vulnerabilities exploited in the wild last year. That’s a score well above and significantly more than 50% of the 62 seen the year before but still comes in below the record 106 exploits in 2021.
It also indicated that among the 30 reported critical vulnerabilities, 29 were made by TAG and Mandiant, showing how much of a risk there is from threats that are not yet fixed. As per Google’s blog post, in its report, Google’s TAG researchers divided vulnerabilities into two categories: one targeting end user-based platforms and products, including iOS and Android devices and browsers, while the other targeted those technologies focused on enterprise-level solutions, such as security software.
One of the key trends pointed out in the report is the continued determination of the threat from state-sponsored actors, more so from the People’s Republic of China (PRC). A notable portion of the exploits were attributed to 12 zero-day vulnerabilities linked to the PRC by cyber-espionage groups, compared with seven the previous year.
The report emphasizes the changing tactics by threat actors, with an increase in targeting levels for technologies specific to the enterprise. According to Google, the trend of cyberattacks against corporate infrastructure continues to rise after the company recorded a 64% surge in the exploitation of technologies specific to the enterprise over the past year.
Most interestingly, these results also point to a shift in focus toward the exploitation of vulnerabilities in third-party components or libraries, which enlarge the overall attack surface for threat actors.
Among the positives, the report points out: that there are big investments from major platform vendors like Apple, Google, and Microsoftto make the security apparatus even better. The investment has also paid off, with few vulnerabilities observed in first-party code and mitigations improving against the worst attacks.
Finally, the report provides practical recommendations for how both individuals and businesses can improve their security situation. Other key recommendations brought out in the report are the adoption of transparency with timely disclosure, prioritizing threat mitigation strategies, and the solid building of security foundations.
“Evolving cyber threats will be responded to through enhanced collaboration and vigilance to protect the digital ecosystem. Google works on ongoing research with its expertise in the ever-growing need for collective resilience to threats.”
Google
There’s much more in the report (PDF) the company published earlier today.
Don’t Forget Ethical Hackers
While Google’s TAG report focuses on the efforts of major technology companies in identifying security vulnerabilities, it’s important to acknowledge the vital role played by ethical hackers, also known as white hat hackers. These individuals contribute greatly to the cybersecurity community by legally working with organizations to discover flaws in their systems.
The impact of ethical hackers is further highlighted by a February 2024 Surfshark report analyzing HackerOne bug bounty program data. This report reveals that ethical hackers were able to identify a large number of vulnerabilities (835) across various websites (105). These valuable contributions not only helped to secure these platforms but also generated significant earnings (€417,000) for the hackers through bug bounty programs.
Aligning with the industry trends, Samsung launched the Galaxy S24 series with a focus on AI. The series comes with a suite of AI features that are branded as Galaxy AI. Although the name suggests that the AI features or the LLM behind it are developed by the company itself, this is actually not the case.
Samsung is using Google’s Gemini to power the AI features. And some of the Galaxy AI features, such as Circle to Search aren’t even exclusive to Samsung’s devices. The feature was built by Google and it also became available to the Google Pixel 8 and Google Pixel 7 series at a later date.
Samsung says that Circle to Search is the most famous among all ‘Galaxy AI features
This is the feature on Android that lets you search what you see on screen, without even learning the app. It just requires you to mark the object and AI does the rest. For this seamless operation, users have appreciated this feature more than anything else.
Samsung says, “Circle to Search with Google revolutionized the way users search, helping it become the most widely used AI feature amongst Galaxy S24 users. It allows them to learn more about almost anything on their screens quickly with a simple gesture, without having to switch apps.”
9To5Google speculates a reason behind the success of Circle to Search. Samsung has closely integrated most other features of Galaxy AI with its ecosystem of software products. It essentially requires users to use those apps and services, which according to the publication, “aren’t really for everyone.” Additionally, Google has also contributed to advertising Circle to Search, as it is also using it.
Notably, Google’s Pixel 8 series also has similar implementations to Samsung’s other Galaxy AI features, one of which is “Transcript Assist.” The Pixel recorder in Google Pixel 8 can also generate transcriptions of the recordings and can create summaries for a quick glance.
Galaxy AI is rolling out to 2023 flagships
Other Galaxy AI features include Browsing Assist, Call Assist, Note Assist, Chat Assist, Generative Photo Editing, Photo editing suggestions, etc. We previously reported that Samsung has been working on releasing these features to 2023 flagships, such as the Galaxy S23 series, Galaxy Z Fold 5, Galaxy Z Flip 5, Galaxy S23FE, and finally the Galaxy Tab S9 series. Now it seems that the time has finally come for 2023 Galaxy flagship users to experience the Galaxy AI features.
Samsung has announced that OneUI 6.1 will roll out starting March 28 for the above-mentioned devices. It may take a few days for Samsung to complete the rollout. Nonetheless, Galaxy AI is finally making its way to 2023’s Galaxy flagships.
The upcoming Sony Xperia 1 VI flagship’s alleged dimension details have surfaced online. The leak indicates that the phone will be wider and shorter than its predecessor, the Xperia 1 V. The new leak arrived a few weeks after it was rumored that the Xperia 1 VI would forgo the 4K display.
Sony Xperia 1 VI will be a bit shorter and wider than the Xperia 1V
According to a tipster on Weibo, the Sony Xperia 1 VI will measure 162 x 74.4 x 8.45mm. If it’s true, then the phone will be 3mm shorter and 3mm wider than the Xperia 1 V. The latter measures 165 x 71 x 8.3mm. The 1 VI is expected to offer an aspect ratio of 19.4:9 and a screen measuring 6.49 inches diagonally. The device is said to come with a 2K+ resolution as compared to the 4K screen of previous Xperia flagships.
Sony has long offered an aspect ratio of 21:9 on its high-end flagship phones. The first Xperia 1 and Xperia 5 flagships were the first ones to offer this aspect ratio in 2019. This is all going to change with the Xperia 1 VI, which would now match the likes of the Galaxy S24. This will also be the first time the Xperia 1 lineup won’t offer a 4K screen.
The next Xperia flagship could have the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and up to 16GB of RAM
Previous leaks have indicated that the Sony Xperia 1 VI will be carrying the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 under the helm. The handset is expected to come in 12GB and 16GB RAM variants, which will be the first for an Xperia offering. The device could be offered in multiple storage variants with UFS 4.0 flash technology. The phone will boot Android 14 out of the box.
Furthermore, the rumor mill suggests that the Xperia 1 VI will have three 48MP cameras on the back. The main lens will have a two-layer Transistor Pixel technology. The other two cameras will be an ultra-wide angle lens and a telephoto shooter. The selfie camera will be placed inside the upper bezel. As of now, we only have these details regarding the upcoming Sony flagship, so stay tuned for more.
If you rely on your Google Pixel phone to wake you up in the morning, you’ll want to pay attention to this. There’s currently a strange bug within Google Assistant that can unintentionally get you off to a late start.
The bug was initially exposed by Artem Russakovskii, who discovered that a whopping 50+ of his alarms had been wiped clean. Even inactive alarms were unexpectedly deleted. To make matters worse, this happened after a simple attempt to turn off an alarm on a speaker in a different room. Replicating the issue only confirmed this wasn’t an isolated incident, as documented in the below X thread.
Just found that all of my alarms were gone on my Pixel 8 Pro. Has anyone ever had this happen? I have no idea how they disappeared.
Unfortunately, this isn’t some fluke. As reported by Android Authority, it seems telling Google Assistant to “turn off all alarms” results in, well, the deletion of ALL your alarms on Pixel 7 and Pixel 8 devices. Testing by Tom’s Guide on a Pixel 6 Pro and Pixel 4a confirmed the bug’s presence there too, and so did my own testing on a Pixel Fold. Furthermore, I have Gemini set as my digital assistant on the Pixel Fold, so this appears to be pretty widespread on Pixels.
The good news is that it seems non-Pixel devices with Google Assistant don’t exhibit this behavior, but the situation is certainly irritating for users who meticulously set and depend on multiple alarms. Likely, this is an easy fix, but its persistence over months suggests Google might be oblivious to the issue. Let’s hope Google gets on this fix quickly to ensure Pixel owners can count on their phones for those essential wake-up calls.
While Samsung is mostly known for making premium and expensive phones, it also has a hand in the mid-range and budget market. The first runner-up after the Galaxy “S” series of phones is the Galaxy “A” series. I was able to test out the Galaxy A53 5G for about three weeks for this review. It’s the middle child of the series, right between the Galaxy A33 and the Galaxy A73. Is this phone a worthy alternative to Samsung’s more expensive phones? Let’s find out.
Design and build quality
Looking at the Galaxy A53 5G, you’d think that the build quality is subpar due to the plastic design. However, once you pick it up, you’ll think again. This is a solidly-built phone, from the frame to the back cover. It’s an unapologetically hefty phone that feels like it can take a tumble or two.
As for the design, it has the design intrinsic to Samsung’s budget phones. While the camera bump melts into the frame with most of the Galaxy S phones, with the Galaxy A53 5G, it melts into the back plastic. The camera island rises from the back in much the same way as a modern Oppo phone’s. It has a nice and elegant look and feel to it. Though it’s half the price of the Galaxy S22, it still has great build quality.
Display
Undoubtedly, one of the best features of the Galaxy A53 5G is the display. You’d think that Samsung put an inferior display in this phone because it’s a mid-ranger, but that’s not the case. It may not be as stellar as the displays on the Galaxy S series, but it’s still a beautiful panel.
This phone has a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1080 x 2400. That makes it a 1080p+ display, and it’s a sight to behold. The colors are punchy, but they don’t go overboard as some other phones do. It gets plenty bright at a maximum of 800 nits. You’re not going to have any trouble seeing this display in the sunlight. To top it all off, it has a smooth 120Hz refresh rate.
Watching movies, playing games, reviewing pictures, and everything else is a treat because of the quality of the display. It’s better than other phones in this price bracket.
Audio
You don’t get a 3.5mm headphone jack with the Galaxy A53 5G, but most people who use Bluetooth won’t really mind. What this phone lacks in that feature it makes up for with great speakers. You have stereo speakers with this phone with one on the bottom and one up top. I compared these speakers to those on the Google Pixel 6 and the Motorola Edge+, and it was able to best them in some categories.
The thing that stuck out to me about these speakers is how full they sounded. Sometimes, speakers tend to prioritize the bass and leave the mids and highs to whither. In the case of the Galaxy A53, there’s some emphasis on the bass, but overall, the speakers create a well-balanced and full sound. It really surrounds the ears in a way that my Pixel 6 couldn’t really do. If you’re wanting to listen to music or watch movies without headphones, you’re going to love using this phone.
Battery and charging
The Galaxy A53 5G comes with a large 5,000mAh battery. This is a pleasant trend in the smartphone industry that we didn’t see too much of before: mid-range phones coming out with batteries as big as or bigger than batteries in most flagships.
Using this phone, I was always able to make it to the end of the day without needing to charge it or pull back my usage. During my review period, I was able to get around 8 hours of battery life from the Galaxy A53 5G. This involved using the phone nonstop with gameplay, video-watching, social media, and other tasks. If you start the day off with a full battery, you won’t need to worry about it dying before you get home.
When it comes to charging, you can charge that 5,000mAh battery in decent time. The Galaxy A53 5G uses 25W of power to charge which is behind most flagships. Charging the phone from 0% to 100% took the phone about 1 hour and 25 minutes. That’s slower compared to the flagship phone nowadays, but for a mid-range phone, it’s not too bad. There is, unfortunately, no charger included in the box.
Camera
The Galaxy A53 5G’s camera is a mixed bag when it comes to the quality. This phone has a 64MP main camera, a 12MP ultrawide camera, a 5MP macro camera, and a 5MP depth sensor. Performance with the main camera was surprisingly good.
Performance in good lighting is good for the main camera
You get some nicely detailed images from the main camera. It’s 64MP, but you can expect it to be bin down to a lower resolution. Regardless, the images come out rather crisp with some good room to zoom in. Even cropping in the images 100%, the images remain decently sharp.
Pictures came out with good dynamic range punchy colors. I could tell that Samsung punched up the colors beyond what was in the scene. For example, the picture with the rocks wasn’t quite that colorful; most of the rocks just blended with the dirt. In terms of exposure, the camera was able to keep the highlights down without crushing the shadows. Some of the images did come out with some darker shadows, but you can still see details in the darker areas.
Low light is also pretty good
Using the main camera in low-light situations produced surprisingly good results. Taking the camera indoors and using a scarce bit of sunlight, the Galaxy A53 5G was able to brighten up the image nicely without a lot of noise. Detail takes a hit, but it’s still more than serviceable.
There’s a dedicated night mode that will take a longer exposure. Using that mode, I was able to get some brighter images, and I noticed that they had more color.
What about the other sensors?
Once you switch to the other cameras, you’ll notice the performance takes a dip. Starting off with the ultrawide camera, you’ll see the obvious increase in the field of view. The camera does a good job of reducing the distortion on the edges of the picture. Switching from the main camera to the ultrawide, you’ll see the sharpness, color saturation, and contrast take a nose-dive.
The macro camera, I’d say, is pretty decent. The camera recommends that you hold the phone between 3cm and 5cm away from the subject. Overall, the quality isn’t the best, but it can definitely pull some good details.
Performance
The Galaxy A53 5G uses Samsung’s own Exynos 1280 SoC with the MaliG-68 GPU. The version I reviewed has 6GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage. Overall, performance was mediocre to decent. Navigating the interface is okay for the most part. You’re not going to have too much trouble with most mundane tasks like scrolling through social media, checking your emails, and other tasks.
However, when the performance drops, it drops hard. Using the phone for a bit, you’ll start to see lags and stutters in the software everywhere. Everything from summoning the multitasking screen to opening apps becomes a chore. There were times when I’d swipe up to summon the multitasking screen two or three times just to find that it registered the first swipe, but it lagged for a few seconds. I think that the software just isn’t optimized for the chipset, as it’s just not acceptable.
Gaming isn’t too shabby
When it comes to gaming, don’t expect to run Genshin Impact on this phone. However, when it comes to lighter games, this phone is more than powerful enough. Less demanding games like Dragonball Z Dokkan Battle, Dragon Ball Legends, Angry Birds 2, and Crash Bandicoot: Crash On The Run run like a dream. There were some occasional stutters while playing Crash Bandicoot, but they didn’t get in the way of the overall experience.
[Updated March 27th, 2024] Software
Currently, the Galaxy A53 5G uses Samsung’s UI 6.0 running on top of Android 14. This version of Android brings some notable feature improvements over the software that this phone originally shipped with.
Notification shade
For starters, there’s a new layout for the quick panel which increases the size of the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Quick Settings. They sit as large buttons on top of the other Quick Settings making them easier to access, as these are two of the most accessed Quick Settings. Also, the eye comfort shield and dark mode options have their own separate section under the Quick Settings.
The next addition will make accessing you quick settings panel quicker. Currently, you have to swipe down twice to access your full Quick Settings panel. However, you can make it so that you access the full panel with only one swipe.
Rounding out the changes to the Quick Settings panel, the brightness slider is now readily available with a single swipe rather than you having to access the full panel to get to your brightness slider.
Other quick panel changes include a different layout for notifications, more vivid notification icons, and sorting notifications by time.
Lock screen/home screen
The lock screen now allows you to reposition your clock. This gives you more choice over how your lock screen looks.
Apps on the home screen will have a more simplified look. Firstly, the app titles will have only one line of text. Also, Samsung removed the “Samsung” and “Galaxy” text from its first-party apps.
Lastly, you can drag and drop icons using two hands. One hand can hold the app that you want to relocate, and the other hand can swipe between home screen pages.
Camera
The camera saw a significant number of improvements. Use improvements include a simpler design, custom camera widgets, more alignment options for watermarks, improvements to the document scanner, quicker access to resolution settings, a level line to help you better level your pictures, the ability to disable the swipe gesture to switch between cameras, and the ability to apply filters more easily.
Those were the most significant changes. Samsung also brought several smaller changes to the software, and there are a bunch of them. To read the full list of changes, you can go to the official Galaxy A53 5G changelog.
Should you buy the Galaxy A53 5G?
In a lot of ways, the Galaxy A53 5G is the next best thing if you can’t afford a Galaxy S phone. It’s a mid-ranger through and through, but it punches above its weight in some areas. You won’t find many phones with as good of a media consumption experience as this phone’s with its beautiful display and amazing speakers.
The camera isn’t flagship tier, but it gets the job done with good flair. You’ll be able to take some nice pictures that will look good on social media.
The only letdown in my experience has been the performance. This phone is going to lag at points in your usage, and you won’t be able to play the most graphics-intensive games.
At the end of the day, I recommend picking up this phone if you enjoy consuming content and you want the latest and greatest software from Samsung.
Read more about this phone
If you pick up this phone, why not make the theme your own. Also, if you want to take a screenshot of your new theme and share it with others. Also, the battery life is really good, but you can always squeeze a bit more out of it. You can learn how to do these things with our handy how-to guides.
Political posts on social media are almost impossible to avoid nowadays. However, that might change soon with a simple setting in Meta-owned platforms Instagram and Threads. While some at the top of Meta management aren’t in favor, Meta now allows users to limit the visibility of political posts on their Instagram and Threads feeds.
Recently, Meta applied a restriction on Canadian news for all Canadian users due to the Online News Act, also known as Bill C-18. According to reports, users received no notification about this ban, which led to many complaining about censorship.
You can now choose to hide political posts on Instagram and Threads
Meta has introduced a new setting in the Instagram app and simultaneously in the Threads app. Through it, users can limit recommendations of political content. According to Meta, this new feature isn’t for restricting political content. On the contrary, the feature aims to give users the choice to hide political content if they want. This change comes during a year when the US, Canada, and other countries are going through elections.
Users can head to Content Preferences in Account Settings to find this option on Instagram. Interestingly, Instagram has the option enabled by default, even for those who are unaware of it. This decision by Meta means even if you wish to see political content, this setting limits those posts by default. To show the posts, head to the settings and disable the same option.
While Meta spokesperson Andy Stone confirmed to The Verge that Meta started rolling the feature out a week ago, users weren’t alerted that the setting is set to on by default. The setting set to limit by default has caused much uproar and fueled the “Meta censorship” gossip.
Will this setting cause more harm than good?
In the age of social media, most people get all their news from such apps. Meta apps are one of the most popular and used apps on the planet, and while many use them for entertainment, these apps are also a medium for news. Since Facebook News is shutting down in the US and Australia after its closure in Europe, many users primarily use Instagram and Threads for their news fix.
Limiting political posts can be harmful, especially for those who only receive news from creators and profiles they follow on Instagram and Threads. Fortunately, giving users the choice to limit these posts is not an issue. If someone does not want to see political posts, then it is their right to be able to restrict them. However, turning the setting on by default and not alerting users caused unnecessary confusion.
This feature has its fair share of other problems. It seems like Instagram and Threads are accidentally censoring some posts that aren’t news-related but got caught in the crossfire. If users don’t see the content they like because they’ve enabled the political post-restricting setting, they’ll likely switch it off.
A few weeks back, Google released the Gemini app for Android phones. This not only brought Gemini’s AI capabilities to the small screens, but it also set the transition from Google Assistant to Gemini into motion. However, many users were disappointed because the Gemini app was not compatible with Android tablets. This is about to change, as a new report points to the Gemini app coming to tablets at some point.
So far, we believe that Google is planning on replacing the Google Assistant with Gemini. When it launched, the app didn’t do too much. However, we’ve seen the Gemini could perform a few limited voice assistant functions. Also, you can summon Gemini on any screen on your device by using the hot word.
This would be all fine and dandy if the company actually properly implemented Gemini into the software before launching it as an assistant. There are still several features that Gemini cannot do, and this makes it a very half-baked assistant compared to Google Assistant. At this point, we don’t know when Google plans on officially putting Google Assistant to rest.
The Gemini app is coming to tablets soon
No one had any doubts about Google eventually bringing the Gemini app to tablets. Be that as it may, we are still technically dealing with leaked information, and you should take it cautiously. 9To5Google did an APK breakdown of the Google app version 15.12 and found some code hinting at it eventually being distributed to tablets. This may also be present in the Gemini app version 1.0.618909562. Specifically, the deep dive found that it is soon going to make its way to the Pixel Tablet (Review).
The fact that it will hit the pixel tablet first comes as no surprise, as this is Google’s first-party tablet. Interestingly, it appears that both Gemini and the Google Assistant will run simultaneously on tablets. Right now, Gemini is still not a proper Google Assistant replacement, so many people using the Gemini app will still default to the assistant.
For some reason, Gemini says that it will take precedence over Google Assistant when the hot word is said. However, according to the report, it appears that it’s not the case. The Google Assistant will pop up rather than Gemini.
In any case, it is still nice to see that Google Gemini is going to make its way to Android tablets. This will only make it much more accessible.
Let’s face it – planning a vacation can be a real challenge. Where do you even start? What should you see? Where are the best places to grab a bite? It’s enough to make you want to stay home. Well, Google Maps just stepped in with a big helping hand, and their recent updates should come in really handy next time you want to plan to travel. Let me break it down for you.
It’s all about the lists and recommendations
You know that feeling when you’re staring at a map, totally overwhelmed because you don’t know exactly what to search for? Google Maps is now tackling that same issue. Now, when you search for a city, Maps will come back with several curated lists full of recommendations from locals and big-name travel sites like Lonely Planet and The Infatuation. Google Maps is even going a step further by showing you lists that you didn’t even know you needed. These are based on ratings and recommendations from other Maps users and will be available across more than 40 cities in the U.S. and Canada this week. The lists are as follows:
The Trending List: The places everyone’s buzzing about, updated weekly. Perfect for catching the wave of what’s hot.
The Top List: Tried and true favorites that always hit the spot.
The Gems List: Local secrets and hidden treasures begging to be discovered. Think cozy cafés or under-the-radar eats.
However, if you are more of the do-it-yourself type, you will also be able to create your own customized list and share it with those traveling with you. Tap on “New List” and proceed to add all the spots you want as you look through the map. You’ll be able to add your personalized notes, re-arrange the list to your linking, and even link to content from your social media accounts. These updates to customized lists will begin to roll out everywhere on Android and iOS later this month.
AI to the rescue: Understanding a place at a glance
And because no update is complete without some AI improvements, Google Maps is now using AI to pull through the key things you need to know about a place you plan to visit. Photos, reviews, the general vibe – it’ll highlight what makes a restaurant, park, or bar worth checking out. As a bonus, it even picks out dish names from the place’s posted food photos and tells you if they’re popular with the crowd.
Sometime this summer, Maps will start to get some new design tweaks to give the app a new look. According to Google, the new design will include a cleaner home screen, fewer tabs, and new pin colors to easily identify places you’ve pinned in the past. Google Maps isn’t just about directions anymore, as it has slowly evolved into an essential travel and planning tool.
