Less than two months after its US release, Samsung‘s Galaxy S23 FE is receiving the Android 14-based One UI 6.0 update. The company is currently pushing the update to the carrier-locked variants on AT&T and Cricket Wireless networks. A wider rollout covering locked and unlocked units on all networks should follow in the coming days.
The Galaxy S23 FE picks up Android 14 in the US
Samsung launched the Galaxy S23 FE in early October, on the same day Google announced the public release of Android 14. However, the new FE (Fan Edition) phone shipped with Android 13 out of the box. It was a disappointing move from the company and it is making up for that with a quick release of the latest Android version.
International versions of the Galaxy S23 FE received the One UI 6.0 update in the third week of November. Today, the update has reached the US shores. Carrier-locked variants of the phone are picking up the big update with the firmware build number S711USQU1BWK6. Samsung is pushing the November security patch with Android 14.
This update will soon be available for unlocked units stateside. The build number may or may not be the same but the changelog will be unchanged. Samsung’s One UI 6.0 brings a plethora of new features and improvements to Galaxy devices. From UI changes and improved system animations to new camera features and editing tools, there is a lot to look forward to.
Additionally, the November security release for Galaxy devices contains fixes for more than 60 vulnerabilities. At least five of those are critical security issues in Android OS. These vulnerabilities affect various system apps, services, and components that make up an Android phone.
This phone will receive three more major Android updates
Samsung has promised four major Android OS upgrades for the Galaxy S23 FE. The first one is already here, so three more are remaining, i.e. Android 15, Android 16, and Android 17. Had the company shipped the phone with Android 14 onboard, it would have received updates up to Android 18, a generation more than the regular Galaxy S23 flagships.
Nonetheless, if you are using the Galaxy S23 FE in the US and have yet to receive Android 14, your wait shouldn’t be much longer now. Like before, you can check for new updates from the Settings app. Go to the Software update menu and tap on Download and Install. You may also receive a notification when the OTA (over-the-air) release hits your Samsung phone.
Google improves the TV experience of its users all the time, and this year has been pretty big when it comes to the amount and quality of updates Google TV received. Obviously, there’s always room for improvement, so the Mountain View company is making sure that Google TV users know what to expect in the months to come.In a post published on its support website, Google has detailed its future plans regarding the Google TV experience. While some of the changes mentioned have already been rolled out to users, there are quite a lot that are waiting to be greenlit.
After providing Google TV users with an important update earlier this year that boosted the app’s start-up time and reduced RAM usage, Google has found new ways to enhance your Google TV experience.
For starters, Google has improved the response speed for many of the features on the home screen, including preloading rows of movies and shows before scrolling, optimizing the way tabs load, and ensuring results load faster when using search.
Additionally, Google made changes to device setup to reduce the size of preinstalled apps that you don’t use. As a result, your device will have more room for the apps that you actually want to use.
These optimizations and improvements to memory, speed, and storage are already rolling out to Google TV users.
But wait, there’s more! The new and improved Live tab introduced back in April is getting a small upgrade. Two new categories will be available on the Live tab channel guide: Recents and Local news. Also, Google TV users will now see channels in a new “Free live news & opinion” row on the For you tab.
Finally, Google announced it has added 14 new free channels to Google TV, including the Xumo Holiday Movie Channel, DraftKings, and Speedvision.
The Huawei MatePad Pro 13.2 is the company’s latest tablet, and also Huawei’s premium offering. This is the crown jewel in Huawei’s MatePad tablet lineup at the moment. The Huawei MatePad Pro 13.2 just launched, actually, but I’ve been using it for over 2 weeks at this point. It is very similar to other offering from the company this year, design-wise, but it’s also easy to differentiate at the same time, the moment you see it in real life. I’ll talk more about that in the design section, but this tablet definitely does feel like a premium offering. So, as long as you want or are willing to considering a Google-free Android tablet, this one is worth checking out. Let’s dive into it, shall we?
Table of contents
Huawei MatePad Pro 13.2 Review: Hardware / Design
The Huawei MatePad Pro 13.2 is… large. The fact it has a 13.2-inch display is a dead giveaway. So, yes, it’s large in the hand, and yet smaller than you may think. Why? Well, not only does it have a very thin bezels for a tablet, but it’s very thin in general. Its bezels are only 3.4mm thick, while the screen-to-body ratio is 94%. It is easily possible this tablet has the slimmest bezels than any other tablet in the industry, so the highest screen-to-body ratio too. It has a 3:2 screen ratio, and it’s only 5.5mm thick. As if that’s not enough, the Huawei MatePad Pro 13.2 also weighs only 580 grams despite its size, which makes it lighter than many 12-inch tablets in the market. Huawei rarely disappoints when it comes to design, and the company nailed it once again.
Huawei used “durable high-strength glass fibre” on the back
The device is made out of metal and glass. Its frame is made out of metal, while the back is covered by “durable high-strength glass fibre”. Huawei also used a special ink to give the tablet the color it has. The company used nano-scale optical coating to enhance the metallic appearance, while the micro-sand texture provides that fingerprint-resistant finish on the back. It really does do a fantastic job of detering fingerprints. If you care about the exact rating, that back glass is rated at 2H-3H Mohs for durability. Even the dual camera setup on the back doesn’t look as bad, as it blends in with the rest of the design, even though it does protrude on the back. The only thing that may bother you, visually, is the notch on the display. We’ll talk more about that in the display section, but it’s there.
Do note that I used the black version of the tablet, which is one of the two colors. It’s officially called ‘Golden Black’, and it was announced alongside the ‘Green’ model. The green variant is very light green, by the way. The sides of the tablet are not flat, they’re slightly curved, and it’s actually a joy to hold. These thin bezels are not a friend of holding the tablet in one hand, though. Also, the whole device is very slippery, which is what you’d expect from a glass build. It does feel utterly premium in the hand, and has the perfect weight in my opinion.
Accessories
Huawei does offer a really nice keyboard accessory as an option, and its M Pencil stylus too. Do note that neither of these are included in the package, though, you’ll need to get them separately. The stylus is a preference type thing, but I’d definitely recommend getting that keyboard/case accessory to everyone. It not only protects the device when you’re not using it, but it’s a really good keyboard… considering it’s so small. Everything connects to the tablet with magnets, and the case comes in two pieces. One piece is the cover for the display, where the keyboard sits too, and the other attaches to the back of the tablet, and it serves as a stand. There are even rubber feet installed on the bottom. The case has a smooth, slightly rubbery feel to it. It’s nice to the touch, but it does leave marks from greasy fingerprints and so on. In other words, it’s not the best at resisting smudges, unfortunately. Still, that’s just a small negative, as it’s a great addition for this tablet as a whole.
Huawei MatePad Pro 13.2 Review: Display
The Huawei MatePad Pro 13.2 has, as its name says, a 13.2-inch display. That panel has a 3:2 aspect ratio, and we’re looking at a 94% screen-to-body ratio. The ultra-narrow bezels (for a tablet), definitely help with the immersion here, even though there’s a notch on this display. That notch is at the top when you hold it in the horizontal orientation, and quite frankly, it didn’t bother me all that much. I got used to it quick, but I am used to notches up to this point, so… that may not be the case for you, of course.
This ‘Flexible OLED’ display is outstaning
That display has a 2880 x 1920 resolution, and it’s a ‘Flexible OLED’ display. The fact it’s a flexible OLED panel actually enabled Huawei to reduce the weight of the tablet even futher. The colors on it simply pop, and it has a 262 PPI. The brightness gets up to 1,000 nits, which is very good considering this is a tablet, actually. Do not compare the brightness directly to smartphones. This display does get plenty bright, brighter than almost any other tablet I’ve used thus far. I didn’t have a problem with it, to be quite honest. On the flip side, it’s winter here, so there’s not much sun, and I used it mostly indoors… as many of you probably will, so… there you have it.
The viewing angles are really good here too, and the touch response is great. I really don’t have a single complaint about this display. It’s bright enough, vivid, has good viewing angles, good touch response, and so on. I’m not really sure about the protection on top of it, but I didn’t get a single scratch in two weeks, so… take that into consideration.
Huawei MatePad Pro 13.2 Review: Performance
first and foremost, let’s just say that the Huawei MatePad Pro 13.2 is fueled by the Kirin 9000s chip. That is Huawei’s new Kirin processor that fuels the Mate 60 series of devices too. Having said that, Huawei also included 12GB of RAM here. Fast RAM and UFS storage modules are used, in case you were wondering, LPDDR5X and UFS 4.0. With that in mind, the Kirin 9000s is not exactly the most powerful chip on the market, but it’s more than powerful enough. You will not notice it lacks behind some of the competition in the power department.
The fact it runs the Kirin 9000s is not a bad thing, at all
The Huawei MatePad Pro 13.2 was immensely fast in basically any scenario. Multitasking was a breeze, as was opening and closing apps, consuming multimedia, and anything else you would regularly do on a tablet. Granted, this is the experience I’ve been getting on Huawei’s tablets for a long time now, even the ones that are far more affordable than this one. Huawei’s EMUI plays a huge part in the equation, and Huawei is obviously doing a good job in that department, but we’ll talk more about that later on, in the software section. I did not notice any lag or anything like that during my usage here.
Some of you are probably wondering about gaming, though. Well, I can’t really get into this without mentioning the AppGallery app store first. This tablet does come without Google services, but it includes Huawei’s own services and app store. AppGallery grew immensely since the US ban came to play, and there are tons of apps and games there. Still, you will not find some high-end games that you’d find on the Play Store, games like Genshin Impact, for example, which is usually my last step in testing the gaming performance on devices. I could install some games from APK repositories, but I wanted to stick with what most people will stick with, AppGallery.
Games from the AppGallery ran perfectly fine
With that being said, I tried out Asphalt 9: Legends, Shadow Fight 4: Arena, and Rise of Kingdoms. All three games ran perfectly fine on the tablet. There was a skipped frame here and there, as is on any device, but in general, the performance was great. If you do decide to sideload Genshin Impact, or something like that, I’m guessing it won’t run as well as it does on more powerful hardware, but I’m still expecting solid performance out of this hardware. Those of you who are interested in benchmarks, to see what tier the Kirin 9000s falls into when it comes to sheer power, check out the stats below.
Benchmarks
Benchmarks are not our favorite tests to do, simply because they don’t really indicate real-life performance of each device. Still, they do show off the hardware prowess of devices, and a number of other indicators mixed into the equation, so… we do run them during testing. On the Huawei MatePad Pro 13.2, we utilized Geekbench 6, PC Mark, and 3D Mark Wildlife Extreme Stress Text benchmarks.
Geekbench 6
Kicking things off with Geekbench 6. The Huawei MatePad Pro 13.2 did not exactly impress. It scored 1,025 points in the single-core test, 3,092 points in the multi-core test, and 2,312 points in the GPU test. That is considerably lower than the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra, for example, who doubles the single-core test, and almost doubles the multi-core test. It scored a lot better in the GPU benchmark, it’s not even closed, i’ts better several times over. That’s not something you’d notice in real-life usage, hence our dislike of benchmarks in general. Such results are also to be expected considering the SoC differences.
PC Mark Work 3.0
The MatePad Pro 13.2 managed to score 10,444 points in the PC Mark Work 3.0 benchmark. This test simulates using your phone for work stuff, basically, so it’s somewhat more useful than Geekbench. The MatePad Pro 13.2’s score is a lot better here, though unfortunately we cannot compare it to the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra, as Samsung’s tablet is incompatible with the app. Huawei’s tablet did trump the OnePlus Open in this test, and it was very close to the Google Pixel Fold, which has a slightly higher score.
3D Mark Wildlife Extreme Stress Test
The 3D Mark Wildlife Extreme Stress Test is a rather invasive benchmark. It runs 20 rounds of benchmarks on devices, for about 20 minutes. It shows us sustained performance that devices are able to take on. The Huawei MatePad Pro 13.2 had a best loop score of 1,016, while the lowest one was 1,009. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra, on the other hand, scored 3,825 points in the best loop, and 3,092 in the lowest. Samsung had a much higher score overall, but the stability was better on Huawei’s tablet. It had a stability factor of 99.3%, compared to 80.8% of the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra.
Video export test
The last benchmark of sorts that we did has to do with video exporting. We run the same video across devices to test how long does it take a particular device to export it, via CapCut. It took The Huawei MatePad Pro 13.2 21.67 seconds to export a fullHD video at 30 fps. It was slower than the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra,, but faster than the Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel Fold. You can check out the comparisons below for more info. Do note that the shorter the graph, the better the result.
Huawei MatePad Pro 13.2 Review: Battery
The Huawei MatePad Pro 13.2 comes with a 10,100mAh battery on the inside. This thing has a truly large display, and a large battery is required. Is this enough, though? Well, yes, but there’s a catch. It took me quite some time to bring it to a level that required a charge, to be quite honest, but I don’t generally use tablets all that much on a daily basis. I use it as an occasional device, though for the purposes of reviews, my usage increased considerably. That managed to show me that the battery life is not as good as I expected, to be quite honest. It seemed to me that I reached for a charger a lot sooner than I thought I would. To bring a bit more clarity to the table, I decided to run a discharge test, as I noticed that prolonged media consumption does hit the battery life hard, as does gaming. The Huawei MatePad Pro 13.2 has outstanding standby battery life, though.
Video streaming test
Having said that, I fired up a YouTube video at max resolution when the tablet was at a full charge. That’s something we usually do. I was wondering how long will it take it for the tablet to get fully discharged. As a side note, the brightness was manual and tuned up to 100%, and the sound was on. It took the tablet 14 hours and 47 minutes to die, which is a slightly better results than we got with the Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel Fold, but worse than what the OnePlus Open provided, for example.
Charging
What about charging? Well, in that area, the Huawei MatePad Pro 13.2 is not bad at all. It’s actually one of the fastest charging tablets out there. It comes with an 88W charger, and I managed to full charge it in an hour and 10 minutes. That is a lot faster than the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra, for example. That tablet takes over 2 hours to fully charge. Those of you who are wondering about wireless charging, no, it’s not available here.
Huawei MatePad Pro 13.2 Review: Camera
The Huawei MatePad Pro 13.2 has two cameras on the back, and one on the front. A 13-megapixel main camera (f/1.8 aperture) is backed by an 8-megapixel wide-angle camera (f/2.2 aperture, fixed focus). The main camera can record in up to 4K resolution, at 30 fps. The wide-angle camera records up to 1080p at 30 fps, the same goes for the front-facing camera. Speaking of which, the front-facing camera is a 16-megapixel unit (f/2.2 aperture), while there is also a dToF sensor next to it, for face recognition. Face recognition works great, by the way, in case you were wondering.
Not many people use their tablet cameras to take pictures, nor should they. Not only does it look very weird, but tablet cameras are usually not nearly as good as the cameras on your phones. The camera setup here won’t win any awards, but for tablet cameras, they’re actually more than usable. If the lighting is good, you can use both the main and secondary rear-facing camera for some more than usable shots. They can provide enough details, and even do a good job in HDR conditions. The thing is, the colors are at times too saturated, and in other scenarios the images look too washed up. Also, the moment you don’t have as much light in a shot, even during the day, the images do get noticeably worse.
Daylight camera samples:
What about low light? Well, first and foremost, I didn’t really shoot images outdoors in low light conditions, as once again, I don’t think anyone will do that with a tablet (or at least almost anyone). When it comes to indoor shots, well, they’re okay, as long as there’s a light source to boost them. If you go into a room with no light in it, other than the one coming from the room next to it, things do get tricky. The images get very blurry, and you can’t really do anything about that. The Night Mode is there, and it does help a bit in such scenarios, but not much. Chances are you’ll want to use the standard mode most of the time, even in low-light conditions.
Low light camera samples:
The front-facing camera is actually really good for a front-facing camera. The darkness does present an issue, but as long as there’s a decent amount of light present, this camera is not half bad for what it’s supposed to be. It actually looks great for video calls and what not, as that’s its purpose, basically. You can also choose to trigger Beauty Mode from the get-go, if you’d like your face to get a boost. I kept it off, and the results were actually quite good.
Huawei MatePad Pro 13.2 Review: Software
Android does come pre-installed here, though we’re not sure what version. It doesn’t say in the tablet’s settings, but if I had to guess, I’d say Android 13 is included here. It doesn’t really matter all that much, as Huawei’s HarmonyOS (4.0) skin is in the forefront here, and the tablet does come without Google services either way. Huawei’s own services come pre-installed aka HMS. Along with that, you’re getting the company’s AppGallery app store. There are plenty of apps included there, but the selection is nowhere near as rich as on the Google Play Store, the same goes for games. Luckily, the company also includes Petal Search on the tablet, which can find the app (basically any app) on an app repository for you, and allow you to easily sideload/install it.
There are some caveats here. A very small percentage of apps requires Google framework specifically in order to function properly, so you may run into issues in that regard. Also, even if you sideload Google apps, they won’t work. You can, however, utilize GSpace, which is essentially an emulator for Google apps. It actually works really well these days, and it allows you to install basically any Google app and stay logged in via your account. Yes, push notifications will also work. We’ve been using GSpace across a number of devices, and so far, so good. Though do note that GSpace is not technically Huawei’s product, so be warned. The same goes for installing apps from app repositories.
HarmonyOS 4 was extremely smooth here
Now that we got that out of the way, let’s talk about what HarmonyOS 4 brings to the tablet. If you’ve used the previous version of the software, the changes are minimal, especially in the front-end. Everything works a bit better, essentially. During my usage, I was unable to get this tablet to feel laggy at all, and those animations in HarmonyOS are outstanding. Navigating through the OS feels great, even though I did have a number of nitpics, but that’s only a personal preference. I’m not the biggest fan of the notification shade here, due to its looks most of all. It’s just as functional as any other on Android, though. The quick toggles also do feel more like something you’d find on iOS, but that’s just due to the style Huawei is going for. The app drawer is not there from the get-go, but activating it is simple through the settings.
Widget stacks are a possibility
Huawei has some of its own widgets on offer here. It does allow you to create widget stacks, if that’s something you’re interested in. That’s not something you can activate on most Android phones and tablets. There are some exceptions out there, like Samsung and its One UI. There is an app drawer located at the bottom when you’re on the home screen. It disappears when you enter an app, though, unfortunately. It would be much more useful to have that app strip there at all times, as this display is huge. That bar wouldn’t be a nuisance, and it would help with multitasking. You can, however, call upon a pop-up drawer called ‘Smart Sidebar’. You can do that by swiping from the side and holding until you see the icon changes. That sidebar is customizable, and from there you can activate multi-window mode, or open apps in windows. So, there is at least some multitasking prowess here.
If you swipe from left to right on the homescreen (main page), you’ll access something called ‘Assistant TODAY’. That is basically Huawei’s replacement for Google Discover. You do get news recommendations from there, while you’ll also find some app shortcuts there, and so on. It’s semi-customizable. The app grid on the home screen is customizable. You can also enlarge folders so that you can access app in folders directly with a single tap, and so on. There are a number of such tiny features that are not available in stock Android.
Huawei MatePad Pro 13.2 Review: Should you buy it?
Is the Huawei MatePad Pro 13.2 for you? This tablet is definitely not for everyone, not only due to its price, but its size as well. If you’re looking for a budget tablet, there are other offerings from the company to consider. Such as the Huawei MatePad 11.5-inch or MatePad 11.5-inch PaperMatte Edition, which I reviewed rather recently. Those tablets will satisfy what most people need without a problem. If you’re looking at a premium-tier, and want that larger display that simply pops, advanced facial scanning, more capable cameras, etc., well, the Huawei MatePad Pro 13.2 is a great choice. It looks very sleek, feels premium in the hand, it has a gorgeous display, great performance, and so on. Just keep note that Google services are not included, so as long as you’re fine with that… this tablet is definitely worth considering.
You should buy the Huawei MatePad Pro 13.2 if you:
…need a truly large tablet …don’t care about having Google services …want a truly outstanding display on a tablet …need a tablet with great performance …care about charging speed …love using tablets as small laptops …want to use a stylus
You shouldn’t buy the Huawei MatePad Pro 13.2 if you:
…are heavily involved in Google’s ecosystem …play a lot of games …don’t have a considerable budget
Researchers discovered two vulnerabilities in pfSense CE related to Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) and Command Injection that allow an attacker to execute arbitrary commands on a pfSense appliance.
An attacker with RCE capabilities can control the firewall, monitor traffic on the local network, or target services within the network.
pfSense is a prominent open-source firewall solution developed by Netgate. To create a dedicated firewall/router for a network, the open-source pfSense Community Edition (CE) and pfSense Plus are installed on a physical computer or a virtual machine.
The “world’s most trusted open source network security solution” is a claim made by pfSense, and its r/PFSENSE subreddit, which has over 100,000 users.
A remote attacker can obtain privileges via a crafted URL to the status_logs_filter_dynamic.php page in Netgate pfSense v.2.7.0 due to a Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability. In this case, an unencoded filter string is reflected into a script tag.
A flaw in Netgate pfSense v.2.7.0 allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code by sending a specially crafted request to the interfaces_gif_edit.php and interfaces_gre_edit.php components. In this case, an unescaped user input is used inside a management shell command.
A remote attacker can obtain privileges via a crafted URL to the getserviceproviders.php page in Netgate pfSense v.2.7.0 due to Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability. This is similar to the first Reflected XSS vulnerability.
The Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities and a Command Injection vulnerability that were found could have been utilized by potential attackers to intercept communications or target local network services.
“Attackers can combine the vulnerabilities to execute arbitrary code on the pfSense appliance remotely. An attacker can trick an authenticated pfSense user into clicking on a maliciously crafted link containing an XSS payload that exploits the command injection vulnerability”, SonarCloud said in a report shared with Cyber Security News.
It is necessary for the victim user to be an admin user or to have access to specific sections of the pfSense WebGui.
Affected Versions
pfSense CE 2.7.0 and below pfSense Plus 23.05.1 and below are vulnerable to two XSS vulnerabilities and a Command Injection vulnerability (CVE-2023-42325, CVE-2023-42327, CVE-2023-42326).
Patch Available
The security vulnerabilities are fixed in pfSense CE 2.7.1 and pfSense Plus 23.09.
“To patch Injection vulnerabilities, it is necessary to encode/escape all inserted data for the context it is inserted into,” researchers said.
Regardless of the source, it is advised to encode or escape all variables because there is typically no risk involved. This method also contributes to a Clean Code state by hardening your code against upcoming modifications or problems found elsewhere in the codebase.
December’s Patch Tuesday is a relatively quiet one on the Microsoft front. Redmond has patched 34 vulnerabilities with only four rated as critical. One vulnerability, a previously disclosed unpatched vulnerability in AMD central processing units (CPUs), was shifted by AMD to software developers.
The AMD vulnerability sounds like something from back in the eighties:
“A division by zero error on some AMD processors can potentially return speculative data resulting in loss of confidentiality.”
And AMD’s mitigation advice basically boils down to “so don’t divide by zero,” which as many programmers can tell you, is not as easy as it sounds. Then ensure that no privileged data is used in division operations prior to changing privilege boundaries, AMD adds, which is about as hard as it sounds. We’re not sure how Microsoft solved it, but the company noted that the latest builds of Windows enable the mitigation and provide protection against the vulnerability.
The other vulnerability we wanted to highlight is listed as CVE-2023-35628, a Windows MSHTML platform remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability with a CVSS score of 8.1 out of 10 and in severity listed as “Critical.”
MSHTML is a core component of Windows that is used to render browser-based content. This vulnerability can be used in emails. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending a specially crafted email which triggers automatically when it is retrieved and processed by the Outlook client. This could lead to exploitation even before the email is viewed in the Preview Pane. This could result in the attacker executing remote code on the victim’s machine. In other words, they could install or trigger malware on the target’s machine.
Other vendors
Other vendors have synchronized their periodic updates with Microsoft. Here are few major ones that you may find in your environment.
Adobe has released security updates to address multiple vulnerabilities in Adobe software.
Apache released security updates to address a vulnerability (CVE-2023-50164) in Struts 2. A remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability to take control of an affected system.
Appleissued emergency updates including patches for older iOS devices concerning two actively used zero-day vulnerabilities.
These days, most airplanes have seat-back entertainment. The only real exceptions are the smaller planes, like a CRJ-200 or CRJ-700. This means that every flight you take this holiday season likely has a screen on the back of the seat in front of you to watch all sorts of movies and TV shows, as well as listen to music. The only downside is using wired headphones or the headphones that the airline provides, and they are usually crap.
There’s a solution, and it’s a good one. It’s Twelve South’s AirFly SE. This is a $35 dongle that you can travel with that plugs into the headphone jack and gives you Bluetooth. So you can jump on your Delta flight to Los Angeles, plug in this dongle, and watch whatever movie or show you want with your own headphones or earbuds. Whether those are the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, Google Pixel Buds Pro, or the Apple AirPods Pro 2, they will all work.
Twelve South does sell three different models of the AirFly. There’s the AirFly SE, AirFly Dup, and AirFly Pro. We recommend the AirFly SE for everyone. This is the cheapest option, and the other options really only give you the ability to connect another pair of headphones and a couple of hours longer battery life. And for the price, it’s not really worth it.
I used the AirFly SE for most of 2023, which included flying over 15,000 miles, as well as a long 13-hour flight to Seoul, South Korea. And this dongle has never died mid-flight. It has a 20-hour rated battery life (AirFly Duo is 22 hours, and AirFly Pro is 25 hours). It’s super easy to set up and use. Just flip the switch on, and your headphones should connect. There are volume buttons available on the dongle, and that’s really it.
Unfortunately, I did lose my AirFly SE during my trip home from Google’s Pixel 8 event in October. So I’ve had to buy a new one before I fly to CES in January. That five-hour flight to Las Vegas will be loads better with my AirFly SE intact.
It’s cheap, small and lightweight
Sure, there are other options for a Bluetooth dongle that you could use on a plane, but what sets the Twelve South AirFly SE apart is the price, size, and weight. It weighs almost nothing; in fact, my AirPods Pro 2 weighs considerably more. I can put the AirFly SE into my backpack, in a section that was really made for smaller phones (maybe a flip phone?), and then pull it out when I need it. It stays in my backpack all the time because I only use it when traveling, and oftentimes I forget that it’s even in there because it’s so small and light. So you don’t need to worry about it using up space in your backpack.
While Twelve South typically makes accessories for Apple products, AirFly SE is not limited to just Apple products. I have used it with the Sony WH-1000XM5 and the Google Pixel Buds Pro, in addition to my Apple AirPods Pro 2, and they all worked seamlessly. Essentially, any Bluetooth headphones or earbuds will work with this. Making it super versatile.
So before you take that holiday trip for Christmas and/or New Year’s, splurge and get yourself the Twelve South AirFly SE. Trust me, you won’t regret this $35 purchase. And you’ve spent more on less useful products, I’m sure.
It seems like just yesterday that Tim Cook and Apple announced the iPhone 15. But in all reality, that was back in September, and it is now December 2023. That means iPhone 16 rumors and leaks are running wild already.
Despite keeping a relatively similar design, the iPhone 16 is expected to bring in some pretty significant changes for the iPhone. Some of those changes include new, larger sizes for the iPhone 16. The lineup will also get new 3nm processors and new cameras, at least on the Pro models.
In this article, we will be rounding up all of the latest leaks, pricing, specs, and other features to expect on the new iPhone 16 series when it launches in September 2024. It’s hard to imagine that we are already on iPhone 16.
Quick Links
iPhone 16 Release Date
At this point, it’d be very surprising to see the iPhone 16 launch at any other time than in September. Apple has been releasing the iPhone in the fall every year since the iPhone 4s in 2011. For the iPhone 16, it is expected to remain in September. Apple typically announces the iPhone in the second week of September. So far, 2022 was really the only exception, where it was announced the Wednesday after Labor Day. Most of the time, it is the week after, however.
Typically, Apple will announce the new iPhone on a Tuesday, then pre-orders start on Friday, with the iPhone being available in store the following Friday, basically, ten days after the announcement. Sometimes, Apple makes the announcement on a Wednesday, so it is possible that it could be a Wednesday announcement for iPhone 16.
iPhone 16 Prototypes (Image credit: MacRumors)
Price rumors
In the past few years, there have been many rumors about the price of the iPhone going up, at least in the US. Now the pricing has gone up in other regions, but in the US, it has mostly stayed the same since the iPhone X. The iPhone 15 Pro Max did technically get a price bump, however Apple ditched the 128GB model. So the starting price is higher, but the 256GB Pro Max is the same price as before.
Currently, analysts are in disagreement over the pricing of the iPhone 16 series. Some analysts believe that the iPhone 16 could actually be cheaper than the iPhone 15. That’s due to Apple reportedly planning to switch the process it uses to manufacture iPhone chipsets in 2024, and that would impact iPhone prices for the end consumer. However, it could also be more expensive due to rising production costs and inflation. The iPhone 15 Pro Max actually cost Apple $588 to produce, which is a 12% increase over the iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Pricing on the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max (or Ultra) could also go up in 2024, with the two phones getting larger displays and new cameras. It also wouldn’t be that crazy to see the Pro models ditch the 128GB storage variant altogether. At this point, that would only mean the iPhone 16 Pro ditching it, though.
Currently, the pricing for the iPhone 15 series starts at $799. The iPhone 15 Plus is $899, the iPhone 15 Pro is $999, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max is $1,099 in the US. It wouldn’t be too surprising to see each one jump by $100. After all, these prices have not changed much in the past five years. They have also gone up in other regions over the past few years.
iPhone 16 to get larger Displays
The iPhone 16 series is set to finally get some different-size displays. Apple has stuck with these same sizes since around the iPhone 11, with a 6.1-inch and a 6.7-inch model in both the Pro and non-Pro. Of course, we didn’t have a non-Pro 6.7-inch iPhone until 2022 with the iPhone 14 Plus.
But in 2024, it looks fairly certain that the iPhone 16 Pro will jump up to a 6.3-inch display, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max will move to a 6.9-inch display. Display analyst, Ross Young is also reporting that the iPhone 16 Pro models will also get a new taller aspect ratio, 19.6:9. Which is still wider than most Android phones, but it will be narrower than previous iPhones. But not by much. The current iPhone 15 Pro Max has an aspect ratio of 19.5:9.
9to5Mac has created some mock-ups to show us the difference between an iPhone 15 Pro Max with a 6.7-inch display and an iPhone 16 Pro Max with a 6.9-inch display.
iPhone 15 Pro Max vs iPhone 16 Pro Max mock-up (Image credit: 9to5Mac)
The iPhone 16 Pro models are set to get larger displays so more components can fit inside the phones. Both models are expected to see some pretty major camera upgrades. And Apple needs a bit more internal space to make these possible. And it’s rumored that Apple will rely almost solely on Samsung for panels for iPhone 16, as BOE is facing a setback right now.
For the standard iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, we’re expecting that the displays will stick to the same sizes as previously. That means a 6.12-inch display for iPhone 16 and a 6.69-inch display for the iPhone 16 Plus. Both of these would stick with the same 19.5:9 aspect ratio and also stick with a 60Hz refresh rate. Something that got tech Twitter up in arms during the iPhone 15 launch earlier this year.
New design rumors
The iPhone has kept relatively the same design since the iPhone 11; some might argue the iPhone 12 is when Apple went to the flat side. And that’s perfectly fine. No smartphone company needs to do a complete redesign every year or even every couple of years. And that looks to be the same this year with the iPhone 16. The most significant design change we’re talking about is the camera module on the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus.
Apple is rumored to be moving the cameras again on the non-Pro iPhones next year. So it’ll look more like the iPhone 12, where the cameras were lined up versus horizontally. The reason for this is actually for Spatial Video. A feature Apple added to the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max this past year as they gear up for Vision Pro’s release. Spatial Videos are basically 3D videos that you can watch in virtual reality on the Vision Pro. And bringing the feature to all iPhone models is a big deal. Putting the cameras next to each other will result in better Spatial Videos versus the way they are set on the iPhone 15.
Another design rumor, which seems a bit far-fetched right now, is that the Face ID components could be hidden under the display. It would be very similar to the fingerprint sensors that are under-display on most Android phones (not foldables of course). This is supposedly going to be a stop-gap for Apple, whose goal is to create a completely uninterrupted, cut-out-less iPhone display.
This one does seem pretty far-fetched and something I wouldn’t expect to see on the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max next year. These rumors come out of Korea, including from Ming-Chi Kuo, who is typically spot on, but sometimes his timelines are wrong since he gets info so early.
The last rumor so far is about a new button being added. Apple could be adding a Capture button to the side of the iPhone, in addition to the Action Button. Apple is also set to include the Action Button across the entire iPhone 16 lineup next year.
iPhone 16 Camera rumors
For the iPhone 15 series, the Pro Max model got the big camera upgrades, including a new tetraprism sensor. But with the iPhone 16 series, that sensor is set to debut on the smaller iPhone 16 Pro. That tetraprism sensor that enables 5x zoom will be available on the smaller iPhone in 2024. At the same time, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is set to get a “super-telephoto” sensor.
The term “super-telephoto” is used to describe lenses that are over 300mm in focal length. These are the types of cameras that you see used at sporting events or when trying to capture wildlife. For comparison, Apple’s current tetraprism lens on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which is capable of 5x zoom, is only 120mm. At the same time, Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra with 10x zoom is only a focal length of 230mm. So this could likely be a 12x zoom that Apple is looking to add on the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Both of the Pro models are also expected to see nice upgrades to the ultrawide cameras. It is going from 12 megapixels up to 48 megapixels. This would be a big deal for those macro shots that are using the ultrawide sensor. Giving it more detail that it can pull in, as well as more light.
Meanwhile, the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus are set to get basically the same cameras as the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus. That includes the 48-megapixel primary sensor, as well as the 12-megapixel ultrawide.
Other iPhone 16 Features
It’s pretty much set in stone that the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max/Ultra will be using the A18 Pro chipset. Apple moved to the “Pro” moniker with the iPhone 15 Pro’s A17 Pro chipset. Typically, Apple will change these monikers based on the process that they are using. So moving to 4nm saw the change to Bionic, and now 3nm saw the change to Pro.
So far, we don’t know a ton about this new chipset, but we do believe that it will be built on the N3E 3-nanometer node, which should improve efficiency and performance even more. Other than that, we don’t really know what to expect with this new chipset just yet. That will come in the next few months, however.
Apple is also expected to support WiFi 7 and add a new 5G modem on the iPhone 16 Pro models. WiFi 7 isn’t a big deal, as the standard is only just now getting finalized. This means that WiFi 7 routers are still a few months out, and they will remain at a pretty high price tag for quite some time. But a new 5G modem would help with speeds as well as efficiency.
For battery capacities, we haven’t heard much just yet. But with the larger overall size of the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, we could definitely see larger batteries. Apple was rumored to use a stacked-battery design like what Electric Vehicles use, in the iPhone 15 series. That would be a really great move for the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, though.
So with the iPhone 16 series, we aren’t expecting incredible updates to the lineup, but there are going to be lots of smaller upgrades, which will make for an interesting upgrade, especially for those with an iPhone 13 or older.
Meta has just announced that pinned messages are making their debut on its WhatsApp messaging app. The new feature is currently rolling out to users, but it will take some time for everyone to see it in their app.
An extensive FAQ related to the new feature is now available for users to peruse in order to learn how pinned messages work. The procedure is quite simple on both iOS and Android platforms.
Android users can tap and hold the message, tap the three-dot icon, choose Pin, and then select the pin duration: 24 hours, 7 days, or 30 days. On the other hand, iPhone users must tap and hold the message, tap More options, then tap Pin and select the pin duration: 24 hours, 7 days, or 30 days.
To unpin a message before the time runs out, simply tap and hold the message, and choose Unpin. iPhone users will find Unpin in the More options tab after tapping and holding the message. For web and desktop users, head to the message that you want to unpin, click the arrow down icon, and choose Unpin.
As far as group chats go, WhatsApp mentions that group admins can choose to allow members to pin messages in group chat. This option is available on Android devices by turning Edit group settings on or off in the Group Settings menu.
On iPhones, the option is available in the Group info / Group Settings / Edit Group Settings / select All members or Only Admins. Keep in mind that when a message is pinned in a group chat, a system message will be shared with everyone on the chat.
San Francisco resident Miklos Daniel Brody, 38, took revenge on his former employer, a bank, by hacking valuable computer code and damaging the bank’s cloud system. And the Cloud Engineer Sentenced.
After stealing information from and purposefully damaging a protected computer, he was sentenced to 24 months in prison for breaking the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. He was also found guilty of making false statements to a government agency.
Brody worked as a cloud engineer for a San Francisco-based First Republic Bank (FRB) until March 11, 2020, when he was fired for breaking corporate policy.
Brody Accessed the FRB’s Bank Computer Network
In the superseding indictment, it is claimed that Brody accessed the FRB’s computer network without permission and caused significant damage later that evening and early the next morning using his company-issued laptop, which he failed to return after being fired.
That evening, after breaking into FRB’s computer system, BRODY started executing scripts to delete code and harm the software infrastructure.
After using the VPN to get access to the FRB computer system, BRODY established a connection to the “Jumpbox,” the secured host server.
The complaint claims that it allowed him to access the code repositories on “Devbox” and “Github.” Utilizing the “grand.sh” script concealed under a network information folder, he terminated nearly every instance within Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Additionally, he sent himself a proprietary bank code that he had worked on while employed; the code was worth more than $5,000.
The DOJ claims that BRODY deleted the bank’s code repositories, erased logs containing malicious scripts, left taunts for former colleagues in the bank’s code, and initiated sessions under the identities of other bank workers.
Judge Orrick calculated the overall cost of the system damage to the bank to be at least $220,621.22 during the sentencing hearing.
The superseding indictment also claims that Brody committed several evasive and dishonest acts in the days and weeks that followed his termination, such as submitting a police report in which he lied to the San Francisco Police Department that his company-issued laptop had been stolen from his car while he was exercising at the gym.
Brody doubled down on that false allegation in statements he made to USSS agents during an interview following his arrest in March 2021.
Brody acknowledged making a false claim regarding the company-issued laptop in his guilty plea application, and he acknowledged that he was aware of the dishonesty of the claim at the time.
The Sentencing
Miklos Daniel Brody was given a 24-month prison term today for both hacking into a network and lying to a government organization.
Judge Orrick not only sentenced Brody to jail but also mandated that he pay $529,266.37 in restitution and serve three years of supervised release following his prison term.
Organizations must prioritize employee engagement to thrive and achieve growth. A strong workforce enhances productivity and performance. It also fosters a positive work environment where individuals can flourish.
One vital factor that significantly influences employee engagement is the dynamics within teams. This article will delve into the underlying psychology of team dynamics and how they contribute to employee engagement.
Understanding Team Dynamics
Team dynamics encompass the patterns and interactions among a group of individuals working together towards a goal. It includes communication, collaboration, conflict resolution, and decision-making. Successful team dynamics promote trust, cohesion, and mutual respect among team members, creating an environment that boosts morale and job satisfaction.
Building Trust Through Communication
Establishing communication forms the foundation of team dynamics. When team members feel heard and valued, they are more likely to participate in discussions and freely share their ideas. Teams prioritizing communication can foster trust, encourage perspectives, handle conflicts constructively, and generate solutions.
To enhance team communication, managers should encourage check-ins where each member can express their thoughts or concerns. Additionally, incorporating technology tools like mobile apps for employee engagement, messaging platforms, or project management software can support collaboration efforts by breaking down barriers between teams.
Fostering Collaboration for Teamwork
Teams can work together as a unified force by leveraging their strengths to achieve shared goals. Collaboration promotes knowledge sharing and skill development while fostering innovation and minimizing project delays or errors caused by limitations.
Creating an environment that encourages collaboration beyond task-related activities is crucial. It can be accomplished through organizing meetings or providing learning opportunities, such as workshops or training sessions. By prioritizing collaboration over competition within teams, organizations cultivate a culture that values perspectives and enhances employee job satisfaction.
Resolving Conflicts in a Positive Manner
Conflicts are inevitable when individuals with different perspectives join forces to accomplish objectives. However, conflicts within teams can be constructive if they are effectively managed. Successful teams view conflicts as opportunities for growth and employ conflict resolution strategies to find solutions that benefit all parties involved.
Managers should establish an environment where team members feel comfortable openly expressing their opinions and resolving conflicts. Conducting conflict resolution workshops or training programs equips team members with the skills needed to handle disagreements in a manner that preserves relationships while strengthening team dynamics.
Encouraging Empowerment in Decision Making
In the context of workplace teams, autonomy and empowerment play vital roles in driving engagement levels. When employees have a sense of ownership and the freedom to make decisions, they become more committed to their roles, creating an environment of accountability. It boosts job satisfaction and ultimately leads individuals to contribute to the success of their teams.
To encourage employee empowerment in decision-making, managers should delegate responsibilities, provide autonomy within boundaries, and offer opportunities for growth through training and development programs. These measures enhance employee engagement. Also, they increase motivation levels among team members.
Applying the Psychology of Team Dynamics
Applying insights to understand team dynamics allows organizations to create an environment promoting employee engagement. By prioritizing trust-building through communication, encouraging collaboration, facilitating conflict resolution, and empowering decision-making, organizations can enjoy the benefits of engaged teams.
The impact of team dynamics on employee engagement is significant. Effective team dynamics directly lead to increased job satisfaction and improved organizational outcomes. When employees feel connected to their teams and have a sense of belonging, they are likelier to be engaged in their work.
Here are some ways in which team dynamics influence employee engagement;
1. Promoting a Sense of Belonging
Positive team dynamics foster a sense of belonging among its members.
When team members feel valued, supported, and included, they develop a connection to their work and the organization as a whole. This sense leads to higher levels of employee engagement and commitment to achieving shared goals.
2. Motivation and Collaboration
Effective teamwork motivates employees by providing opportunities for growth and skill development. Collaborative environments encourage communication, sharing of knowledge, and generating ideas, which boosts creativity and innovation within the team. The motivation that comes from being part of a team drives individuals to exceed expectations in their roles, resulting in levels of engagement.
Conclusion
The dynamics within a team have an impact on employee engagement. Effective team dynamics involve communication channels, collaborative efforts, constructive conflict resolution strategies, and autonomous decision-making – all crucial elements for fostering employee engagement and cultivating a work environment.
By investing in building team dynamics based on psychological principles, organizations can tap into the potential among employees, leading to increased productivity and overall improved performance.
