Here Are 8 Best Dual Camera Smartphones To Buy Right Now, From The Cheapest To Most Expensive!

Dual cameras on a mobile phone is the next big fad that smartphone makers are keen on pushing to consumers.

In fact, this year in the Indian smartphone market, we've seen quite a few devices showing off their dual-lenses, across all budgets- from the low end to the most expensive smartphones. And we've listed them all, making it easy for you to make your next pick.

Xiaomi A1: Rs 14,999

This is Xiaomi's first smartphone running stock Android, just like Google's Pixel devices as opposed to its conventional MIUI that is seen on all of its devices. The device sports a 5.5-inch full HD LCD display. You get dual 12-megapixel shooters at the back along with 2x optical zoom, as well as a 5-megapixel selfie camera at the front.

Under the hood, the device is rocking Qualcomm's Snapdragon 625 chipset paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage which can be further expanded using a memory card. The A1 is powered by a 3080mAh battery.

Moto G5s Plus: Rs 15,999

Motorola refreshed its existing G5 Plus and added another camera at the back, making the current G5 Plus owners frown from top to bottom. Adding dual 13-megapixel shooters at the back and an 8-megapixel selfie shooter, the Moto G5s Plus gets a 5.5-inch full HD display at the front.

This metal-clad smartphone also gets Qualcomm's Snapdragon 625 with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Powering the device is a decent 3000mAh battery.

Honor 8 Pro: Rs 29,999

The successor to the Honor 8, the Honor 8 pro retains the dual-camera setup from its predecessor and improved it to dual 12-megapixel shooters with laser AF and dual-tone LED flash. The smartphone sports a large 5.7-inch Quad HD display housed in an all-aluminium body.

For hardware, Honor 8 Pro gets Huawei's homegrown Hisilicon Kirin 960 octa-core processor paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The smartphone is powered by a large 4000mAh battery.

OnePlus 5: Rs 32,999

OnePlus 5 has been one of the best smartphones to go for, offering flagship-like specifications at a not-so-expensive price point. From the 5.5-inch full-HD OLED panel to the monstrous Snapdragon 835 and 6GB RAM/64GB storage, the smartphone is loaded to the neck.

At the back, you get dual 20-megapixel and 16-megapixel sensors, along with an 8-megapixel selfie shooter at the front. Along with OnePlus' super-fast Dash Charging, the device sports a decent 3300mAh battery to survive the day.

Nokia 8: Rs 36,999

After the long hiatus, Nokia finally unveiled its flagship-the Nokia 8 in India. The device sports a 5.3-inch Quad HD IPS panel. This flagship also comes rocking Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 processor paired with 4GB of RAM.

For the camera, the Nokia 8 packs in quite a few weapons under its armour, with dual 13-megapixel sensors at the back with Carl Zeiss optics, and a 13-megapixel selfie camera at the front. Running on stock Android 7.1 Nougat, Nokia 8 is powered by a 3090mAh battery.

LG G6: Rs 37,990

LG's G6 was one of the first smartphones in the world to adopt a 5.7-inch Quad HD LCD with a wide 18:9 aspect ratio, making it stand out of the ordinary.  Along with IP68 water and dust resistance, the G6 is rocking the slightly dated Snapdragon 821 under the hood, paired with 4GB of RAM, this smartphone can still perform like a pro.

For the camera, the device sports a dual 13-megapixel camera setup at the back and a 5-megapixel selfie camera at the front. The device is running on Android 7.1 Nougat and is powered by a 3300mAh battery.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8: Rs 67,900

After the Galaxy Note 7 debacle, the Note 8 feels like the king of flagships. Sporting a ginormous 6.3-inch Super AMOLED display with an 18:9 wide aspect ratio, this phone is one good looker. Sporting a glass back, the device gets dual 12-megapixel shooters at the back and an 8-megapixel selfie shooter at the front.

The Note 8 in India comes with Samsung's homegrown Exynos 8895 octa-core processor paired with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of Storage. Powering the Note 8 is a 3300mAh battery. 

Apple iPhone 8 Plus: Rs 72,999

Apple's iPhone 8 Plus is a slightly refreshed iPhone 7 with a set of new bells and whistles to awe the crowd. For starters, the device now gets a glass back infused with aluminium as opposed to an all-aluminium body as seen on the iPhone 7. It's still IP67 water and dust resistant.

The glass back also adds support for Qi Wireless charging. Running on Apple's latest A11 Bionic hexa-core chipset, this is one of the fastest iPhones in the market right now. For optics, the iPhone 8 Plus retains the dual 12-megapixel camera from the iPhone 7 with a few software tweaks resulting in better images, along with support for 60fps 4K video recording.

Source: Here Are 8 Best Dual Camera Smartphones To Buy Right Now, From The Cheapest To Most Expensive!

How to Make iPhone Camera Shoot JPEG Pictures in iOS 11

The iPhone camera will now default to taking pictures in a new HEIF format, rather then JPEG. This camera formatting change to HEIF came in iOS 11, but some iPhone users may prefer to have the camera continue to snap photos in JPEG format for broader compatibility with sharing, copying to a computer, and more.

We'll show you how you can change the iPhone camera default image file type so that the iPhone will shoot pictures in JPEG format again. We'll also cover a trick for leaving HEIF image format enabled but have those HEIF images automatically convert to JPEG files upon transfer to a computer.

The iPhone camera image format setting is new to iOS 11 or later. Keep in mind that HEIF (High Efficiency Image Format, HEIF images have a .heic file extension) allows for greater file compression, meaning each HEIF picture file takes up less storage space than a standard JPEG image, sometimes up to half the size per image. While JPEG images are larger, they're also broadly compatible without any conversion, and they might be easier to share for some users. Whether you want to use HEIF or JPEG for shooting iPhone pictures is up to you.

Want your iPhone pictures to be captured and stored as JPEG, as it was before the latest iOS update? Here's how to make the setting change in iOS:

Open the "Settings" app on the iPhone and go to "Camera"

Choose "Formats" and select "Most Compatible" to shoot photos in JPEG format on iPhone camera

Exit out of Settings

With the "Most Compatible" setting enabled, all iPhone images will be captured as JPEG files, stored as JPEG files, and copied as JPEG image files too. This can help for sending and sharing pictures, and using JPEG as the image format for iPhone camera was the default since the first iPhone anyway.

Existing .heic files can be converted manually to JPEG or another file format if need be.

How to Enable HEIF Image Format on iPhone Camera with Image Transfer Compatibility

lf you'd like to shoot and store HEIF images with iPhone camera and have them automatically convert to JPEG only upon copying to a computer, here's the settings to enable:

Open the "Settings" app on the iPhone and go to "Camera"

Choose "Formats" and select "High Efficiency" to capture iPhone photos in HEIF / HEVC format

Recommended, next to go "Photos" and under the 'Transfer to Mac or PC' section choose "Automatic" to automatically convert the HEIF images to JPEG upon file transfer

If you're going to leave HEIF format enabled on iPhone camera, then being sure the automatic image conversion setting is enabled is a good idea, because it will automatically convert the HEIF format images into JPEG format if the pictures are being copied from the iPhone to a Mac or transferred from an iPhone to a Windows PC.

Future iPhone models will likely continue to use the HEIF format, but whether you want to use the new HEIF image format or the old traditional JPEG image format for your iPhone camera shots is entirely up to you. Just remember that while HEIF may save storage space on an iOS device, you may experience less image compatibility (before the pictures are converted anyway), whereas JPEG images will take up more storage but be universally compatible with basically any device, computer, operating system, or image reader.

Source: How to Make iPhone Camera Shoot JPEG Pictures in iOS 11

A Closer Look at the iPhone 8 Plus's Killer Camera

Apple is sending mixed messages to would-be upgraders to its new iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. On one hand it's touting improved capabilities across the board, and on the other, it's saying to wait for the new iPhone X, which comes out in early November. We've already given Apple the business over this odd selling strategy, but until we get the X to test for ourselves won't have a definitive take on which phone is the way to go.

Meanwhile our initial take on 8 Plus vs. 7 Plus is fairly glowing, at least in terms of the onboard camera. 

MORE: With the iPhone X, Apple Ushers in the Phrase, "Oh, Yours is Just the 8?"

Just to review, we're still talking about a 12MP sensor, but the actual size of the sensor has increased. And while Apple didn't go into everything that's been upgraded, they did explain that sensor speed has been improved and that because Apple designs its own sensor, their so-called "deeper pixels" translates as less noise, which in our samples manifested itself as reduced color ghosting around the edges of different shapes in a shot. The 8 Plus, like the 7 Plus before it, has dual lenses, one a wider angle and one a 2x zoom. Apple says they've especially improved low-light sensitivity and reduced shutter lag (the delay between when you tap to snap a shot and when the shutter actually opens), and the camera now automatically defaults to HDR, taking several images at once and sandwiching them together, so that highlights are less blown out and shadows retain more detail. HDRs can look artif icial but in our testing so far the defaults are rich, without odd color boosting.

ALSO: Apple Watch Series 3 Adds LTE, Built-In Cellular — But What's It Missing?

Most importantly, the 8 Plus uses both lenses in Portrait mode, one to focus on the subject of the shot, and the other to sample and blur the background, to create the equivalent of short depth of field you'd get shooting with a DSLR. The 7 Plus also has this capability, but as you'll see in our sample, because Apple has enabled fill flash on the 8 Plus, the detail level is greatly improved, with more natural skin ton e. Portrait mode also gains several new settings ranging from Contour Light, which deepens shadows and highlights, Natural Light, which as the name implies, has the least artifice, studio light, which tends to warm up skin tones, and stage lighting, which is the trickiest to get just right, but as several of our samples show, can produce really interesting effects because it knocks out the background entirely (as if your subject was literally in a spotlight on a stage). Apple says each mode isn't a filter, but a remapping of what the sensor actually captures, to reduce the sense of artifice that filters create.

Shoot in stage light mono, as we did, and you'll see some startling clarity—or ultra soft focus, depending on your distance from the subject. We also saw some funky cutout effects, because the sensor is trying to make the background evaporate, and doesn't always seem to read the exact edges perfectly.

Apple continues to push boundaries with its Live Photo functionality as well, with what they call Bounce (like Google Pixel's Boomerang, this plays the footage backwards and forwards) and Loop, that just runs the same short video as a continuous GIF. Note that in our tests we found that the biggest limits of the dual cameras is strongly backlit scenes, where the subject might be hard to capture upon initial focus. We took sample bursts (just holding down the shutter button) while mountain biking and too frequently found faces blur red and backgrounds overly bright. Simple physics are hard to overcome, and we're still talking about a tiny lens that can only capture so much light.

In some ways, beyond the Portrait capabilities, the the iPhone 8 Plus gains the most in video capabilities. It captures 4K video up to 60fps and 1080p slo-mo up to 240 fps. The latter is almost too slow (unless your subject is moving blindingly quick) though across-the-board in-camera video stabilization is especially welcome, because it smooths the shot-through-a-fishbowl jell-o effect that's likely when you're in the field taking handheld slo-mo footage. Note, however, that 4K eats a lot of memory, so remember that before you plan to shoot all your video at super high quality.

At a "mere" 60fps and 1080p we noticed exceptional clarity, especially for a phone camera, and also excellent audio dynamic range. A quick video of a friend's bar band showcases not just clear video but excellent audio capture, too.

So grouse, if you like, that the 8 Plus isn't all that, with the X forthcoming. Because, sure, technically Apple's promising even more specialness for the X, including Portrait Mode for selfies.

Still, we're pretty impressed with the 8 Plus, and believe Apple has already re-set the bar for what to expect from phone photography.

Source: A Closer Look at the iPhone 8 Plus's Killer Camera

The iPhone 8 Plus beats the best smartphone camera from Samsung

The iPhone 8 Plus.Hollis Johnson/Business Insider

Could Samsung's reign as the top smartphone-camera maker be coming to an end?

Samsung has enjoyed the top spot ever since it released the Galaxy S7 in early 2016. But the iPhone 8 Plus has made an incredible impression, and I can safely say that Apple's latest device takes better photos.

In judging the photos taken with each device, I looked at which photos I'd prefer to show friends and family, and which device I'd rather use to capture my memories.

Check out the photos taken with both smartphones:

View As: One Page Slides
Source: The iPhone 8 Plus beats the best smartphone camera from Samsung

The only iPhone 8 camera review you need to read

There's no better camera phone than the iPhone 8 Plus, at least until the iPhone X arrives in early November. One review of the first wave of iPhone 8 reviews focused solely on the new camera tricks made possible by the iPhone 8's hardware and software innovations. One photographer took more than 2,000 pictures over an entire weekend to assess the performance of Apple's newest iPhone and was more than impressed with the results.

But if there's just one iPhone 8 camera review that you're going to read this year, you should make it Austin Mann's.

The pro photographer gave the world amazing iPhone reviews in previous years. He explained the new camera features of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 7 using beautiful imagery and videos to make his points, showing the strengths and weaknesses of these devices when used for pro photography purposes only.

Mann's iPhone 8 photo review takes us on a visual journey in India, and the photographer provides a wealth of images and explanations to go along with them.

The iPhone 8 Plus with its dual lens shooter is the better camera of the two, and Mann focuses a large part of his review on the brand new Portrait Lightning feature Apple introduced with iOS 11. The feature lets users employ various real-time lighting filters for their portrait shots. The best part about it is that you can play with lighting effects after you've saved the image. In fact, you can even turn off Portrait mode and still use the Portrait Lighting tricks. That's right, you can choose to disable and enable the bokeh effect as you see fit.

Mann posted a short video on Vimeo to demo the Portrait Lighting features:

Mann highlights several other new camera features including HDR support, slow sync shutter, lock camera mode settings, the "smarter sensor," and Apple's new photo and video formats.

Read the full review, complete with plenty of photo examples at this link.

Source: The only iPhone 8 camera review you need to read

Micromax Selfie 3 smartphone with 16MP front camera launched at Rs 11,999

The smartphone's front-facing camera is equipped with a Samsung sensor and an LED flash. The device is 4G enabled and is powered by a 3000mAh battery.

Micromax has launched its latest smartphone, the Micromax Selfie 3Where to buy 6272 7000 8999. The phone is priced at Rs 11,999 and features a 5-inch Full HD screen. It is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 435 platform. It comes with 3GB RAM coupled with 32GB of internal storage. The Selfie 3 sports a 13MP rear camera and a 16MP front facing camera, and both feature an LED flash. The smartphone runs Android Nougat out-of-box and is equipped with a 3000mAh battery. The device is available at a price of Rs 11,999.

Read the complete press release below

It's that festive time of the year again when Indians are most excited and happy about the phase. To kick off the season of festival and taking ahead the legacy of the successful Canvas Selfie range, Micromax Informatics, India's leading mobile brand, announced the launch of its new smartphone Micromax Selfie 3Where to buy 6272 7000 8999. The Selfie Phone is made for Indians who like to capture their beautiful memories with their loved ones especially during the time when all the family members and friends gather together. Designed for the selfie aficionados, the new smartphone is equipped with a 16MP front camera which offers a perfect amalgamation of innovation, style, performance promising a superior mobile experience and adding more spark during the season< /p>

Now, take the DSLR quality pictures from the compelling selfie camera of the new smartphone. The phone has the heritage of excellent optics that incorporates 16 MP Selfie Camera with Samsung sensors + 13 MP Rear camera with Sony Sensors. The 16 MP Selfie camera comes with a selfie flash to eliminate the unnatural image under regular flash, allows you to click amazing selfies with front flash Camera and filter with face beauty modes. So you can tell stories through your favourite festive moments, by converting your gallery into an album of tales with the photo sequences which will appear together in a slideshow format in the phone. To add on more panache to your pictures, the phone sports Super Pixel of 5200 M in total that would not only provide the high-resolution pictures but will also give super clear images with less noise and blur. Moreover, the device supports Auto Scene Detection which analyses the type of scene and shooting conditions you're photographing and then automa tically provides the users with options to select the best settings. It also has Portrait mode, HDR Mode, Night Mode that will make your each photo perfect in any mode. Providing a seamless viewing experience, the Selfie 3 comes with 5-inch screen along a full HD display hence watching your favourite Netflix and Hotstar videos is a cake walk now. Additionally, the device comes with the support of 4.2 Bluetooth that helps in multi connection.

up to power-efficient legacy, the phone is equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 processor that supports rich, high quality camera images and stunning graphics with optimum speed that means users can now share their quality pictures on social media captured on Navratri or Diwali with their friends and family. The smartphone also comes with 3GB RAM and 32GB internal memory. The new Selfie 3 offers longer battery life and seamless user experience with its 3000 mAh battery, which means a Standby Time- 250Hrs, a Talk Time of 11Hrs and Music Playback of up to 22Hrs(To be confirmed). The phone also boasts ultra-fast fingerprint sensor which has 360* acceptance angle.  Running on Android Nougat software, the users now have access to several features including voice search, Google Drive, Hangouts for video calls, smart contact prioritization etc.

Spokesperson Quote: Shubhodip Pal, Chief marketing & Commercial officer, Micromax

"With over 93 million selfies being captured every day, people today take and retake pictures of themselves until it mirrors perfection. Moreover, the festive season is around the corner and people love to take selfies with their family and friends. This is the perfect time to launch the Selfie-3, just at the kick start of the festive season, to add on the fervour among the young consumers. The all new Selfie 3Where to buy 2999 5299 6272 is ideal for the users, delivering fantastic images, great beauty editing tools and capture their beautiful festive memories perfectly."

Model No: E460Availability- All retail stores from 22nd September 2017 onwardsPrice: Rs. 11999/-

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Source: Micromax Selfie 3 smartphone with 16MP front camera launched at Rs 11,999

Apple’s iPhone 8 Plus has the world’s ‘best smartphone camera’, according to DxOMark

The owners of the reputable image quality-assessing website DxOMark for standalone cameras, lenses and mobile shooters may have helped "enhance" the OnePlus 5 photographic experience, but when it comes to the company's main area of interest, Google's Pixel phones managed to rule the charts for almost a full year.

Even after implementing a new test "protocol" earlier this month, the first-gen Pixel racked up a remarkable 90 points out of a maximum of 100, narrowly beating the iPhone 7 Plus, Samsung Galaxy S8 and aforementioned OP5 while tying for first place overall in the DxOMark Mobile rankings with the HTC U11.

At long last, a new leader has now emerged, and it's one not a lot of people seem excited about. It's Apple's just-released iPhone 8 Plus, which simply sports "the best smartphone camera ever tested" in the DxO labs.

We're talking of course about the 5.5-incher's dual 12MP rear-facing setup, which is extremely similar but not entirely identical to the dual 12MP cam arrangement on the back of the delayed iPhone X. In other words, this could prove to be the world's shortest reign once the "all-screen" 5.8-incher rolls out in early November with a super-advanced TrueDepth frontal snapper in tow as well.

But we must highlight the iPhone 8 Plus is already just six points short of perfection, with particularly impressive scores in the photo exposure & contrast, flash and color departments, as well as video stabilization, color, autofocus and exposure & contrast.

The Bokeh effects are the best DxO's experts have "seen in a mobile device", but still far from flawless, with some minor autofocus and exposure issues also to blame for the handset's "imperfect" total score.

Meanwhile, the regular iPhone 8, with just the one 12MP rear camera on deck, is deemed a "solid performance upgrade over the i Phone 7", yielding 92 points and following its big brother in second place, ahead of the Pixel, U11 and Galaxy S8. That's… pretty crazy in its own right.

Source: Apple's iPhone 8 Plus has the world's 'best smartphone camera', according to DxOMark

Itel SelfiePro S41 with 8MP selfie camera and VoLTE support launched at Rs 6,999

Itel Mobile, a brand of Transsion Holdings has announced the launch of a new 4G VoLTE smartphone with fingerprint sensor in India. The second largest mobile phone player in the country has launched SelfiePro S41 at a price of Rs 6,990. The selfie-centric smartphone features a 5-inch HD display and offers 8MP front and rear cameras. The handset comes with 3GB RAM, 16GB expandable storage and is powered by a quad-core MediaTek processor. It runs Android 7.0 Nougat and packs a 2700mAh battery.

Read the complete press release below

After being consistently ranked as the 2nd largest mobile phone player by shipment in India, itel Mobile is all set to further fortify its leadership position with the launch of its flagship smartphone, the Selfiepro S41. The latest offering from itel Mobile is the first VoLTE smartphone in the country which comes equipped with premium, best-in-class features like 3 GB RAM and fingerprint sensor – all at a jaw-dropping price point of INR 6,990! Power-packed, visually stunning, and aesthetically designed, the SelfiePro S41 is, without a doubt, the best smartphone in the sub-INR 7,000 category at present. The launch marks a new era for itel as a major disruptor in the Indian smartphone market.

Speaking on the launch, Mr. Sudhir Kumar, Chief Executive Officer, itel & Spice Devices said, "S41 offers the perfect confluence of technology, style, and functionality, something that's hard-to-find in a single product offering at this price point. The final form of S41 has truly emerged as a feather in the cap of itel's extensive product portfolio with a potential to acquire an overwhelming response from users across the country. By providing aspiring smartphone owners with a plethora of features at such a competitive price point in the aggressive offline space backed by superior service proposition, S41 emerges as an all-around winner in the category."

Big on power, big on performance, big on fun

Operating on the latest Android 7.0 Nougat, S41 is designed to meet the diverse requirements of its users and to give them an unparalleled smartphone usage experience. Powered by 1.25 GHz Mediatek quadcore processor and paired with a 3 GB RAM spec makes it one of the most powerful smartphones in its category. The 3GB RAM makes it the perfect fit for resource-intensive applications like games. With its 16 GB internal memory expandable to an additional 32GB, users can store videos and photos, download/update applications, and install the latest games without worrying about their storage space running out. It also handles the other concern of 'running out of juice' with its 2700 mAh Li-Polymer battery, which ensures the fun isn't interrupted by frequent trips to the charging port.

With an 8MP autofocus rear camera with flash as well as an 8MP full-frame front camera with flash, the S41 is designed to capture important moments and turn them into lasting memories. The rear camera comes equipped with a professional camera mode for photo-buffs with an eye for the perfect picture, while 120-degree panorama enables them to capture more within a single shot. The smartphone also comes equipped with face beauty and night mode features, making it possible to take clear, crisp, bright, and high-definition photos with minimal hassle.

Even photo editing is just a matter of a few clicks with the S41, which comes with seven celebrity makeup effects, 10 custom beauty makeup effects, and 17 beautiful makeovers. Popular face masks can additionally be used to add an element of fun and quirkiness to any photo.

Con'fingure'ing it for maximum security and personalisation With the S41 coming equipped with premium features like fingerprint sensor, users no longer need to bother with complicated lock patterns and codes, as a single finger touch allows them to access and keep their private data more secure, more conveniently. Additionally, be it taking a screenshot with three fingers or using customisable insta-gestures to access specific applications within no time, the S41 is designed for maximum functionality with minimum effort. With its back fingerprint scanner, it allows users to click a selfie within 0.1 seconds, answer and record calls, and configure up to five different applications to five fingers for quick app launch, the latest offering from itel literally makes everything accessible at the users' fingertips.

Looks good, feels good

Created for maximum elegance and comfort, the S41 has arc-shaped edges and an ergonomically-designed back cover for a firmer grip. Its good looks are complemented by its 5-inch HD IPS curved full laminated glass display, which enables brighter, more vivid colour reproduction with high contrast ratio to ensure superior screen visibility even in sunlight.

Social and stylish: The perfect combination

And what will a smartphone be today without high-speed internet connectivity and social media apps? The S41 comes with 4G VoLTE/ViLTE capability and provides users with the option of using two accounts on a single social media app like WhatsApp, doubling the social fun and making it possible to stay connected, faster and better. Priced at INR 6,990, the sleek, stylish, elegantly designed smartphone from itel Mobile comes in shades of slate grey and obsidian black.

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Source: Itel SelfiePro S41 with 8MP selfie camera and VoLTE support launched at Rs 6,999

Great 8: new iPhone offers best camera yet

Great 8: new iPhone offers best camera yet

Independent.ie

There's nothing quite like a new iPhone to get people's tech cogs moving. This is especially true for work users, as the iPhone is now the dominant business handset in Ireland: it stepped in when BlackBerry and Nokia collapsed.

http://www.independent.ie/business/technology/reviews/great-8-new-iphone-offers-best-camera-yet-36153246.html

http://www.independent.ie/business/technology/article36153245.ece/4559d/AUTOCROP/h342/2017-09-21_bus_34767919_I1.JPG

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There's nothing quite like a new iPhone to get people's tech cogs moving. This is especially true for work users, as the iPhone is now the dominant business handset in Ireland: it stepped in when BlackBerry and Nokia collapsed.

So is it time to upgrade?

This year, the choice is slightly more complex. Apple is launching two new separate iPhone systems. The top model, the iPhone X, has a new screen design and facial recognition technology. But it won't be available until November and costs well over €1,000.

That leaves the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, two less radical - but very solid - upgrades launched this week.

Having played with both the iPhone 8 and the iPhone 8 Plus for the guts of a week, we can safely offer a few reasonable views on whether or not each is worth getting.

Here's the verdict:

1/ The cameras are the real upgrade

This is where a lot of the value in the new iPhone is. Apple knows that people will pay more for a phone with a top camera and it has invested quite a bit into its new lenses and sensors. It works. This is easily the best cameraphone on the market to date and, more than ever, a reliable, competent (if limited) replacement for a standalone camera.

The detail, tones, micro-contrast and overall hue of the photos from this genuinely beat any other phone I've ever used.

I completed two series of tests. One was against the older iPhone 7, the other was against a brand new DSLR (Canon's semi-professional 6D Mark ii, which retails for over €2,000 before you buy a lens for it).

Against the iPhone 7, the iPhone 8 clearly had better image files. There was more intricate detail, more texture, better colour and far better performance in low light. This is a serious jump in quality.

Against the DSLR, the results were more varied. But when looked at straight out of the camera, the iPhone 8 largely held its own against the Canon's professional lenses at similar focal lengths (28mm and 56mm) in reasonable lighting conditions. Sure, post-photo editing software widened the gap between the two systems in favour of the DSLR, but this is something that not a lot of people ever do.

It's important to say that the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus retain the camera divisions of the iPhone 7 range, namely that the iPhone 8 has one 12-megapixel (f1.8) rear camera while the iPhone 8 Plus has two 12-megapixel (f1.8 wide and f2.8 telephoto) rear cameras.

The biggest improvement is in how the phone records low-light photos. Apple has made the camera sensor of the principle (28mm) wide angle lens in both phones bigger. This is a big deal. It lets the devices gather more light, thus noticeably improving low-light performance. There's no question about the results: I ran multiple tests comparing dimly lit photo shoots in the iPhone 8 and iPhone 7. The new model is the out-and-out better camera with warmer, sharper, more vivid, more colourful photos. Aside from the sensor, there's a whole load of tech under the hood that makes this the case. But take my word for it: this camera is the best you can get on any phone right now. I scarcely have to say what an advantage this is to anyone interested in using their phone as a camera: the long Irish winter means that many of our photos are taken in poor, artificial light. You're arming yourself with a hell of a weapon here.

Apple prefers to describe the iPhone 8's low light improvements as a result of it having "deeper" pixels than previous iPhones, but a larger sensor almost always means better performance in low light.

Both wide angle cameras on the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 are optically stabilised, which is also critical for low light, non-blurred results. (Neither of the 7-megapixel (f2.2) selfie Facetime cameras are optically stabilised, nor is the telephoto lens on the iPhone 8 Plus.)

Much of the camera's accomplishment is down to help from the new A11 Bionic chip under the hood. This allows the camera to perform some pretty amazing feats, such as 4K video at 60 frames per second, slow-motion at 240 frames per second (at an incredibly sharp 1080p) or the inclusion of crisp high dynamic range (HDR) in each photo. It also feeds into to some nice new effects in 'live' photos, such as looping and long exposure.

(One advantage accruing from iOS 11 is that new codecs make file sizes for the likes of 4K videos are half the size of those taken in iOS 10.) As with the iPhone 7, the iPhone 8 Plus retains its photographic edge over the smaller iPhone 8 because of its second rear lens. As well providing the extra choice of an optical zoom, this also facilitates an improved portrait mode, which separates the person you're photographing from the background by creating a shallow depth of field. Here, Apple has added 'portrait lighting' which is supposed to use facial landmarking and depth maps to get portraits with shadows and spotlight effects. So you get new effects such as contour light, studio light and stage light (colour or mono).

While sometimes impressive, this is the one iPhone camera feature I found not to be completely flawless. Using the stage light, in particular, sometimes results in slightly butchered results with the separation resembling crude photoshop cut-outs rather than impressively smooth graduated filters. Other times it works really well and impresses the person being photographed. Lighting conditions play a big part here: some human photographic judgement is still a big advantage if you want to make this mode really work to its potential.

2/ Wireless charging and all-glass design

Other than different colours, the only real design difference that's immediately apparent is that the rear casing of the iPhone 8 is now made of glass (compared to the aluminium on the iPhone 7).

While this is aesthetically pleasing in itself, it also serves the higher purpose of wireless charging. Just plonk the iPhone 8 down on any wireless charger that uses the open Qi standard (including chargers from Belkin and Mophie, cars from Toyota or even some furniture from Ikea) and it starts powering up.

I found that charging it wirelessly was around the same as using a Lightning cable.

It's important to point out that the iPhone 8's wireless charging feature is an additive rather than a replacement feature: the Lightning charger cables still work as before.

3/ This time, the new chip is worth talking about

It's hard to get excited about a processor, but the A11 Bionic - which is also in the upcoming iPhone X - opens up a hell of a lot of features, both present and planned. While Apple says it's around 25pc faster than the A10 chip in the iPhone 7, some industry benchmark tests are already suggesting that it's faster than around 85pc of the laptops out there (including a couple of last year's MacBooks). Technically, this has six cores, two of which help elongate battery life and four of which contribute to the heavy lifting. The upshot is that the more advanced computer duties, such as augmented reality apps coming on stream will depend on this for smooth performance.

4/ Battery life is fine

For some people, this is a big deal. The bigger the screens, the more advanced our phones get and the more we use them for evermore complex, lengthy purposes.

The iPhone's battery is probably not physically bigger than the iPhone 7's battery (the company never comments on its actual size). However, I have found that it slightly outlasts the battery of the iPhone 7 based on the same activities performed every day (social media, video, camera, email, Google and a handful of other apps). Don't expect this to match some rival devices, such as Samsung's S8 Plus, which has a monster battery life. But it's not a letdown - I was pleasantly surprised.

5/ Other features

(i) Improved screen: Despite being largely made up of the same technical specifications, the new iPhone's screen is a little better than that on the iPhone 7 because of its 'true tone' light sensor that adjusts the screen's white balance based on your immediate environment. This is especially noticeable at night time in lamp lit conditions - the phone has a much nicer, mellow glow instead of a harsh white one. The colour accuracy is also excellent on iPhone 8's screen, without the over-saturation you sometimes see on some rival devices.

(ii) Louder speakers: The iPhone 8's speakers are slightly beefier, with Apple claiming a 25pc jump in audio output. This is increasingly a big deal with people choosing to watch a video or take a call on loudspeaker.

(iii) It's water and dust resistant: I didn't put the iPhone 8 through the same trials I put the iPhone 7 through last year (dunking it in a pint of Guinness, after which it worked perfectly, to prove it could survive an Irish 'accident'). But the phone is rainproof and splashproof. Don't bring it swimming with you, though - salt water plays havoc with it.

PS, for the rest of us, iOS 11 brings some new upgrades

Even if you're not planning on upgrading, older iPhone owners will benefit from the latest iOS update to rollout this week. iOS 11 is one of the bigger redesigns of the iPhone operating system that we've seen in years. It includes ambitious new features for Messages. The most important of these is the ability to transfer sums of money to others in Messages using Apple Pay Cash. In Messages, you select the Apple Pay icon in the new Messages app drawer. Your Apple Pay account is debited while the sendee's Apple Pay account is credited. At a stroke, peer-to-peer payments will likely rocket past all other services combined.

Apple has also extended its 'Do Not Disturb' feature for use in cars. As soon as your iPhone is connected to your car's Bluetooth system, 'Do Not Disturb' is activated. This means that your phone will be silent for calls and messages, giving you ability to pre-programme a message saying that you're driving and will call whoever's calling back.

There's also a new App Store design. But my favourite element so far is the new screenshot feature, which lets you automatically adjust or edit a screenshot you've taken. You can scribble on it, put a digital signature on it or crop it. It's a new PDF system for the smartphone age.

After all is said and done, should you buy the iPhone 8? For most, this will be a good, solid upgrade. It has a much better camera, handy new wireless charging functionality, a better screen and a best-in-class chip. It also has better speakers and, in my experience with it over the last week, slightly superior battery performance. All in all, it's about the best phone you can buy right now.

Despite this, it's almost identical in physical shape and design to the iPhone 7, which might make some feel like holding out for the more radically different iPhone X, due out in November. After all, it is the iPhone X, not the iPhone 8, which has the facial recognition and all-screen design that everyone is currently talking about.

But at €300 less than the iPhone X and fewer availability roadblocks, many will look to the iPhone 8 or the iPhone 8 Plus as their next upgrade right now.

While they may lust after the all-screen iPhone X, they won't be disappointed with the performance of the iPhone 8, which is a stellar smartphone.

After all is said and done, should you buy the iPhone 8? For most, this will be a good, solid upgrade. It has a much better camera, handy new wireless charging functionality, a better screen and a best-in-class chip. It also has better speakers and, in my experience with it over the last week, slightly superior battery performance. All in all, it's about the best phone you can buy right now.

Despite this, it's almost identical in physical shape and design to the iPhone 7, which might make some feel like holding out for the more radically different iPhone X, due out in November. After all, it is the iPhone X, not the iPhone 8, which has the facial recognition and all-screen design that everyone is currently talking about.

But at €300 less than the iPhone X and fewer availability roadblocks, many will look to the iPhone 8 or the iPhone 8 Plus as their next upgrade right now.

While they may lust after the all-screen iPhone X, they won't be disappointed with the performance of the iPhone 8, which is a stellar smartphone.

Indo Business

Source: Great 8: new iPhone offers best camera yet

Samsung Galaxy S9 Poised To Have A 1,000 Frame-Per-Second Camera

We must now turn our attention to rumours that surround the next big Android flagship i.e. the Samsung Galaxy S9. Apple launched three new iPhones last week putting all rumours to rest, but the Galaxy S9 leaks have just begun. 

According to ETNews, the next Android flagship phone from Samsung is expected to have a very powerful camera lens that is capable of shooting video at 1,000 frames per second. ETnews cited industry insiders who claim responsibility for the leak and it also details that the lens will rival cameras on Sony's latest phones. 

© MensXP

The report adds that Samsung will start the mass production of these lenses as early as November 17th and will be outfitted in the Galaxy S9. The S8 has one of the best cameras available on smartphones and it seems like Samsung will up the ante with these latest lenses. Samsung has already introduced a dual camera setup in the Note 8 and we can expect the same setup on the S9 with these new lenses. 

© Samsung

Sony has patented their stacked triple-layer camera sensor, which might create a few hurdles for Samsung. There were no details mentioned as to how Samsung plans to build their own sensor. In order to avoid the patent, Samsung may opt for a two-stacked sensor instead. 

© Samsung

The iPhone X is slated to release on November 3rd and will enjoy record-breaking sales and the only way Samsung can one-up Apple is by introducing a smartphone with a camera that can outperform every flagship device out there. The iPhone X will be able to shoot 1080p video at 24 fps which is way lower than what these leaks about Samsung's plans suggest. The Samsung Galaxy S9 is also expected to have Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845 processor, a 5.8-inch Infinity styled AMOLED display and better facial recognition capabilities. 

Source: BGR

Source: Samsung Galaxy S9 Poised To Have A 1,000 Frame-Per-Second Camera

Samsung’s Galaxy S9 might feature a 1,000 frame-per-second camera sensor

The iPhone X leaks may have come to an end last week when Apple officially unveiled the phone on stage at the Steve Jobs Theater, but the Galaxy S9 leaks have only just begun. On Sunday, ETNews published an article citing industry sources claiming that the next flagship phone from Samsung will feature a camera capable of shooting video at 1,000 frames per second, rivaling the cameras on Sony's latest phones.

According to the source, Samsung will begin mass-producing its brand new sensor on November 17th, which would give the phone maker plenty of time to ready the component for a potential January launch, which recent rumors suggest is when Samsung is trying to get its next phone out to market.

What's still unclear is how Samsung plans to build its sensor. Sony patented its own stacked triple-layer camera sensor for the Xperia XZ1 and XZ Premium, so Samsung will have to go a different route to avoid getting sued. Presumably, the ETNews article posits, the company will use two stacks instead.

With the iPhone X set to dominate the smartphone world over the holiday season, Samsung will be looking for any advantage it can get over Apple's new flagship device. The iPhone X will be capable of shooting 1080p video at up to 240 fps, so Samsung's sensor would blow it out of the water. If the Galaxy S9 isn't going to have a true edge-to-edge display, it needs some other advantages. Other rumored Galaxy S9 specs and features include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, 64GB of storage and a 5.8-inch Super AMOLED Infinity Display.

Source: Samsung's Galaxy S9 might feature a 1,000 frame-per-second camera sensor

Action Camera Showdown: GoPro vs Smartphones

Hitting the slopes is cool, but sharing a first-person view of you catching some sick air is even cooler. While everyone fancies themselves a potential X-Games contestant when they strap a camera to their face, not everyone requires the durability that the sport-friendly action cam provides. For most of us, the answer to catching clips of cool tricks or excursions through nature's grandeur might be inside your smartphone. So, which one works best for you?

Competition Smartphones

Smartphones are often lauded for their photographic capability. Apple uses images shot on iPhones in its own advertisements, professional photographers have turned to smartphones to capture stills and video where larger cameras are a hindrance, and some larger smartphones have features like optical image stabilization, or dual cameras. There's also a veritable shit-ton of accessories to choose from, though most are universal, designed to fit a variety of smartphones, and might be of questionable quality when it comes to cheaper options.

GoPro

The GoPro action cam has become synonymous with first-person video showcasing amazing tricks from the world of extreme sports. At the same time, GoPro cameras mounted on bicycle helmets, skateboard decks, or dog harnesses let people record the more mundane parts of their lives. GoPro cameras are compact, compatible with tons of accessories, and record video at a variety of resolutions and framerates—great for capturing fast-paced action.

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Read more GoPro: A Hammer For Your Action-Packed Nails

GoPro cameras are dedicated video recorders, and built to handle the stresses of an active lifestyle. Additionally, their tiny size and versatility make them perfect for capturing extreme sports: you can mount it on your bike helmet, your DJI drone, the side of your car, even on top of your dog. They're more compact than a smartphone, which has a very large, very breakable screen by comparison.

Be prepared to drop at least $150 on the cheapest GoPro camera, the Hero Session, which records up to 1440p resolution at 30 frames per second, or 1080p at 60 frames per second. You can step up to a Hero5 Session, which records 4K video, for $299. The top-tier action cam, the Hero5 Black, records 4K video as well, and features a small touchscreen (it's also $399).

As for accessories, it depends on what you're looking to do with your camera. You can find helmet mounts ranging in price from $20 to $50, dog harness mounts for around $40, and bicycle handlebar mounts for $60, should you choose to purchase GoPro-made accessories. You could shop around, though I wouldn't try to save a buck or two when it comes to securing a camera worth a few hundred bucks. Sites like Amazon have cheaper options, but they're often from brands you've probably never heard of, and while they may have a ton of positive reviews, most of them are probably fake.

Smartphones: Versatile, But Fragile

What's great about a smartphone is, well, you probably have one. Whether it's a brand new iPhone 8, capable of recording in 4K, or a Nexus 5 from 2013, which has optical image stabilization, you can get some pretty high quality video from the device in your pocket, or even your junk drawer.

You shouldn't purchase a smartphone exclusively for action camera action, though it's a pretty functional substitute. That HD camera, combined with a selection of video-editing apps, means you can record, edit, and upload your stunts all from the same device, rather than depending on two devices to handle the job. Larger smartphones, like the iPhone 7 Plus, feature optical image stabilization as well, so your videos won't look too choppy.

Mount a GoPro to Your DSLR Camera With A Couple of Cheap Attachments

If you have a GoPro and a DSLR camera, you may want to use both of them at the same time to capture …

Read more

If you already have a smartphone, turning it into an action camera is pretty easy: just buy a case, a mount, and open your camera app. If you're looking for a particular GoPro mount (like one for your dog) you'll find a corresponding version for your mobile device. You'll need a case that can fit inside the mounts, but companies like Otterbox make cases with mounting capabilities that are designed to take a tumble. Of course, if you hit the pavement along with your Pixel in the wrong way, there's the tiny chance your screen will turn into a kaleidoscope of color and broken glass. Seems a little risky.

Verdict: Got the Cash? Get a GoPro

In the end, the compact size, durability, and single-purpose use case of the GoPro action camera make it the ideal action camera, even when you've got a phone in your pocket. Its one-touch recording capabilities make it simple to grab and go, and you're bound to fret less about it falling on the asphalt when compared to your thin, action-averse smartphone in a bulky case. If money is a concern, buy a helmet mount for your device and test it out, at least to see if you like it. But if you're doing anything more than riding your bike to work, and want to capture the spectacle, get yourself a GoPro and go big (or go home).

Source: Action Camera Showdown: GoPro vs Smartphones

Asus Zenfone 4 Selfie Pro First Impressions: Dual-pixels on a front camera!

I've been a strong critic of Asus all through the last year or so. The company started off strong, but seemed to have lost its way in the smartphone market. My disappointment with Asus was never with the way they managed their smartphone portfolio, but with the fact that the company's immense R&D muscle never seemed to be behind its phone. That's what changes with the new Zenfone 4 Selfie Pro.

The name's a mouthful, like it is for most Asus phones, but the technology is quite interesting. I have some observations about the company's new selfie technology, but let's begin with the technology itself.

DuoPixel selfie

In all of Asus' marketing material, the company advertises the Zenfone 4 Selfie Pro's 24MP selfie-taking capabilities. However, the two Sony IMX362 sensor on the front is a 12MP sensor, incapable of shooting 24 megapixel photos. Why then does Asus say it's taking 24MP photos? The obvious answer is that the company uses its already established super resolution technology again, but that would be inaccurate. In fact, in my experience, the super resolution technology has been a gimmick at best.

The innovation here is in how Asus achieves 24 megapixels. You see, the Sony IMX362 sensor supports dual-pixel technology, which has popularly been used for reducing autofocus speeds. But, Asus doesn't need autofocus on the front camera, so the two pixels usually used for focusing are put to another use. For the record, this is the same sensor used on the Moto G5 Plus' excellent rear camera.

It's a combination of software and hardware here. The two photo diodes shoot the same frame twice when you press the shutter button. This is done in real time, which makes it different from super resolution where four photos are taken one after the other. When both the photodiodes are used for shooting the same frame simultaneously, there's lesser chance for the final data to differ. Asus' software then takes these frames and puts them together to give you the final selfie.

All this data is processed and then placed in your gallery, ready to be shared on your social media of choice. I'm probably jumping the gun here, but the entire mechanism does seem like an innovative use-case for the dual-pixel technology on Sony's sensors. It also makes the dual-cameras on Asus' phone less gimmicky and more fruitful technology.

All of the above may sound like mumbo jumbo to you unless you understand what dual-pixel actually is. For the same, I'd suggest you click here or here, for a more detailed explanation.

Essentially, with each pixel being split into two photodiodes, they can be treated as two separate pixels. With the Zenfone 4 Selfie Pro, Asus has uses both of them to shoot multiple frames (in real time), that are put together using software to create one image. Since the implementation is at a hardware level, the final result should theoretically be better than other software gimmicks. The camera should, ideally, produce more detail.

Does it actually work?

All the technology in the world doesn't make sense if it doesn't have tangible benefits to the common man *cough *force touch* *cough*. It would indeed be too early to pass a judgement on Asus' implementation of the front dual-camera. From the few images I could take at the product demo area, my selfie did seem to have above average detail levels. My skin tone looked nice, soft on Asus' display and the harsh demo area lighting made it difficult to take selfies any way. So, I'd hold on to a final verdict until I actually get to review this phone through and through. 

What I can tell you though is that they're really fast. All this processing usually comes at the expense of a fast shooting experience. The Zenfone 4 Selfie Pro shot selfies fast and without any processing delay worth talking about. That, again is a commendable achievement on Asus' part.

Asus has also placed a Super Pixel engine inside, that works in conjunction with the Qualcomm Spectra ISP. This takes all the data from the 1.4micron pixels of the camera, and processes them when shooting under low light. I took some photos in rather dark conditions at the launch, and they do look quite well exposed.

To be absolutely clear, I'm not recommending Asus' phone just yet. It's priced at Rs. 23,999, so it's not exactly cheap. And a Snapdragon 625 at that price point does leave some questions unanswered. I'm not saying you should ignore it based on specs, just that the phone still needs some testing. I commend Asus for using interesting technology, that's so sorely lacking in the market today, but the Zenfone 4 Selfie Pro we still have some questions about the phone that the review should answer soon enough.

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Source: Asus Zenfone 4 Selfie Pro First Impressions: Dual-pixels on a front camera!

Andy Rubin talks Essential Phone camera, 3.5 mm jack accessory, and Android Oreo in AMA

The Essential Phone is certainly one of the most disruptive smartphones to launch this year. With a full-screen display, impressive build quality, bare-bones software, and a somewhat lackluster camera experience, this new device has been on many folks' minds since it launched a few weeks ago.

The Essential team knows you have a lot of questions about this device, which is why they held an AMA on Reddit earlier today to help clear the air on some things.

Andy Rubin and co. revealed some pretty interesting things during the AMA, especially relating to camera development, when Android Oreo will roll out, when the Essential Phone will be released in Europe, and much more.

There was even some talk about the lack of a headphone jack, and the fact that Essential plans on releasing a high-end audio accessory that will support a 3.5 mm headphone jack. The company also said they couldn't include a headphone jack with the full-screen design unless the phone sported a "chin" or a big headphone bump.

Anyway, I'll let you get to reading. Be sure to check out all the questions and answers here — there are some pretty revealing details in some of them.

What are your plans to address the widespread criticism of the PH-1's camera? What are the challenges and the plans for future software improvements on it?

Hi! We are pretty happy with the hardware design of the camera. We are using computational photography to fuse a monochrome and color sensors. That's the part we're not too happy about, but luckily it's software and we've already done a number of updates to the app to fix bug and add features.

What is essentials stand on custom development? When will kernel sources be released? Will you release factory images like google does with nexus/pixel devices? Will we see a SDK for the dual cameras so third party developers can use both rear cameras/360 cameras in their own apps? Android OREO ETA?

We are excited about supporting 3rd party developers. We'll be releasing our kernel and factory images in the next few days. Android O will be coming in the next month or two.

What other snap-on attachments can we expect to see? Do you have plans to release a dedicated zoom camera attachment/set of prime lens attachments?

We are under development on a number of Click Connector accessories. The first available should be the charging dock. We are also actively developing a high end audio accessory to support a 3.5mm jack. We are continuing to look at supporting ideas, like cameras. -Joe

Yeah, our head of architecture is in Asia right now getting our high-end audio accessory super dialed. He graciously called me at 3AM today so we could talk about some specifics for our design… We are working literally around the clock around the globe to get your awesome new things ready. – Dave

Why remove the headphone jack? Some people consider it 'essential', what's your team take on that?

Headphone jacks are pretty big components and they don't play nice with all-screen Phone architectures. We studied it very seriously, but fitting a headphone jack into our Phone required tradeoffs we were uncomfortable with. We'd have grow a huge "chin" in the display and reduce the battery capacity by 10%, or we'd need a huge headphone bump! We decided it was more important to have a beautiful full-screen display in a thin device with solid battery life. Then we made sure we to build ya'll a high-quality DAC in a tiny adapter that can elegantly live on your headphones. – Dave

Why not include Qi wireless charging in the phone itself? It doesn't look like the charging coil takes up that much room and the Essential wouldn't have hurt that much to be a little thicker to accommodate it if necessary. Is the material choice what prevented this from being included?

We are solving this with the charging dock, which is much more "Green" than Qi power as its more efficient and solves the "drop and charge" issue. -Joe

When can we expect white?

White is coming! Pure White ceramic is in build trials now. We're looking at a few weeks until they're in boxes and shipping, especially as we fill the manufacturing backlog on Moon Black. – Dave

I know it was stated that a case isn't needed for this phone, but for those that WANT a case, any chance we can get one from you guys? From what I've seen, your design team is top notch and I would love to see a case designed by y'all.

We are working closely with several brands to produce cases for our phone, so they'll be coming from our friends and partners and not from Essential. We play nice with others, so we're supporting lots of requests from accessory companies!- Linda

Can we expect it to be released in Europe?

Working on it as a priority. -andyR

When do you plan on open sourcing the Essential connector?

We have a reference design almost complete. Once ready, it will be made available to 3rd parties so they can easily integrate our connector into their products. This works for hobbyists as well! -andyR

When can we expect more information and the release of the Essential Home? How will it integrate with the Essential Phone?

I'm particularly excited about the home product. It has the potential to unify all the disparate devices in your home, including your phone! Not quite ready to talk details, but development is going well and we'll have something to show soon.

Hopefully some of your questions about the Essential Phone were answered. If not, what are some of the other questions you have about the Essential Phone? Be sure to speak up in the comments.

Source: Andy Rubin talks Essential Phone camera, 3.5 mm jack accessory, and Android Oreo in AMA

Galaxy Note 8 Real Camera Review: the best zoom on a phone (Video)

If you've been waiting for our Real Camera Review on the Galaxy Note 8 before you decide to get off the fence on lodging a pre-order, well, you're sure in luck: for the most expensive prominent Android phone this year, you'd expect pretty damn good results when it comes to imaging and the main rear camera delivers.

Mostly because it's the S8's main sensor. We've reviewed it before, it performed well and we've found it on the Note 8. It's great.

But when working together with this untested zoom lens to its side, what can it really do? Well, let's say that the Note 8's experience contrasts with the iPhone 7 Plus. The device is more needy for light when it comes to the slower aperture on the 2x zoom and there's a couple of slick spots in the software you might slip on. We still think, though, that you're getting the best proximity for your dollar here.

Juan Carlos Bagnell has our Real Camera Review of the Galaxy Note 8. And be sure to check o ut Jaime Rivera's first part of his full review!

Source: Galaxy Note 8 Real Camera Review: the best zoom on a phone (Video)

Apple’s $999 iPhone X packs an edge-to-edge display and dual cameras

The "Super Retina" display is 5.8 inches, with a 2436 x 1125 resolution -- that works out to 458 pixels per inch, by far the highest ever seen on an iPhone. Phil Schiller also notes that it's an OLED screen, the first that's "good enough" for an iPhone. The screen supports HDR, and naturally includes 3D Touch technology and the "True Tone" display found on the iPhone 8 and iPad Pro.

To accommodate this giant display, Apple has ditched the home button and Touch ID. You can raise the phone to wake it up, but you can also tap the screen to do the same. Given that every iPhone has had a home button, this change might even be a bigger deal than the bigger screen. To get home, Apple has added gestures like the ones we've seen on the iPad for years — a swipe up from the bottom gets you back to the home screen, while swiping up and pausing will bring you to the multitasking menu. To access Siri, you can say "Hey Siri" or hold the side button, which Apple has enlarged. The phone is wrapped with stainless steel and has glass on the front and back; surprisingly, it comes in only two finishes: silver and black.

To replace Touch ID, the iPhone X is locked until you look at it and it recognizes you. Apple is calling this "Face ID." It uses the front-facing camera as well as other sensors, including an infrared sensor, flood illuminator and dot projector, to unlock the phone. (Apple refers to it as a True Depth sensor.) It'll update your face scan frequently to account for changes like haircuts, hats and beards. Schiller says it's a one-in-a-million chance that someone else's face would unlock your phone, as compared with one in 50,000 for Touch ID.

Face ID will also let you authenticate Apple Pay purchases -- by clicking the side button twice and looking at the screen, your phone will make the desired payment. And Apple's also using the True Depth sensors to let you create and share animated emojis. The company is starting with a dozen different emojis (most of them animals) that you can animate using your face.

As for the camera, it's a dual camera, much like that on the iPhone 8 -- it has dual 12-megapixel sensors with a f/1.8 aperture on the wide end and f/2.4 on the telephoto lens. The big thing to note here is that both lenses have optical image stabilization, while the iPhone 8 Plus has only OIS on the wide-angle lens. It also features factory calibration on the cameras, for augmented reality, as well as the new software-enhanced "Portrait Lighting" mode found in the iPhone 8 Plus.

The processor is the same as the A11 Bionic chip found in the new iPhone 8, and it sounds like a big step up over last year's processor. It's a six-core CPU, with two high-performance cores. Those high-performance cores are 25 percent faster than the A10's, while the four high-efficiency cores are 70 percent faster than the A10's. Apple also designed the GPU for the first time and says that it's optimized for the company's Metal 2 graphics framework.

Despite all the new features and power of the A11 chip, Schiller says that the phone should last two hours longer than the iPhone 7. Like the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, the iPhone X will also include wireless charging for the first time. To facilitate this, the entire iPhone lineup now has glass backs, just like the iPhone 4 and 4S had many years ago. Somewhat surprisingly, Apple is using Qi, one of the biggest open wireless charging standards. That means that plenty of wireless charging pads out there should work with the iPhone X right out of the box.

Naturally, Apple has made its own charging mat that can accommodate the iPhone X or iPhone 8, as well as the series 3 Apple Watch and the AirPods, provided you buy a new wireless charging case for the latter. It's called AirPower, but it doesn't come out until next year, unfortunately.

There are a few changes when it comes to navigating iOS, to accommodate for the lack of a home button. Since swiping up from the bottom gets you home or to multitasking, you now access Control Center by swiping down from the top of the screen. You need to hit the targets on the left or right, where your status and battery indicator live, to do that, though. Apple hasn't shown the notification center yet, but we're guessing you can get it by swiping down from the middle of the screen.

One of the biggest questions about the iPhone X has been its cost. It'll start at $999 for 64GB, and the 256GB model will likely run an extra $100. Pre-orders start on October 27th, and the phone will begin shipping on November 3rd. Start saving your couch change, folks.

Follow all the latest news from Apple's iPhone event here!

Source: Apple's $999 iPhone X packs an edge-to-edge display and dual cameras

A woman says she was captured on man’s cell-phone camera in the dressing room at Northside Mall.

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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Police are searching for a man who reportedly took photos or videos of a woman on his cell phone while she was inside of a dressing room at a local mall.

"That is pretty sick," said shopper Jennifer Moore.

The voyeurism incident happened on Saturday night at Castleton Square Mall. According to a police report, a 49-year-old woman who was trying on clothes inside of a dressing room at Macy's says she was caught on camera by an unknown man.

"There are a lot of crazy people out there," said shopper Patricia Woerner.

The woman told police that she noticed someone standing directly in front of her dressing room door while she was changing. She says she looked down and saw a cell phone underneath the door, pointed directly at her.

"You are in the dressing room just minding your own business and there are these creepers," said Moore.

The woman yelled for help and the man with the phone took off. Police are now reviewing surveillance footage to try and identify the man and track him down.

"I think that it is a bit disturbing and I would never personally want to go through that. I'm sorry for that the woman but not totally shocked," said shopper Kaci Halfhill.

"I hope they catch him," said Woerner.

We reached out to Simon Malls about the incident. They say they are working with law enforcement on the case. A spokesperson says they will continue their security plan to patrol the mall.

If you have information on this incident, call the Marion County Sheriff's Department or Crime Stoppers at 262-TIPS.

Source: A woman says she was captured on man's cell-phone camera in the dressing room at Northside Mall.

Samsung Galaxy C8 with facial recognition and dual rear camera setup launched

Samsung Galaxy C8 is the third smartphone after the Galaxy Note 8 and Galaxy J7+ to feature a dual camera setup. The premium mid-range smartphone will be available in gold, rose gold and black colour options.

Samsung has announced the Galaxy C8, its third smartphone featuring a dual rear camera setup in China. The Galaxy Note 8 was the first Samsung smartphone to feature dual cameras and the company introduced the Galaxy J7+ with dual cameras in Thailand last week. Dual cameras have emerged as one of the biggest trends among smartphone makers in the past year alone and Samsung is joining Huawei, Apple, Motorola and others with its latest offerings.

The Galaxy C8 sports a dual rear camera setup with 13MP primary colour sensor and a 5MP secondary monochrome sensor. The primary 13MP sensor features f/1.7 aperture while the secondary sensor comes with f/1.9 aperture. The setup seems similar to the Galaxy J7+ with support for features like double photo where users can click a photo and later adjust the focus. It also includes a Live Focus mode for clicking pictures with a blurred background. The phone houses a 16MP selfie shooter with f/1.9 aperture and dedicated selfie flash.

The Galaxy C8 is a premium mid-range offering with a metal unibody design and will be available in black, gold and rose gold colour options. In terms of features, the Galaxy C8 sports a 5.5-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display with support for ambient display mode. The smartphone is powered by an Octa-core chipset coupled with 3GB RAM, 32GB storage further expandable up to 256GB via SD card slot.

The Galaxy C8 runs TouchWiz UI based on Android 7.0 Nougat along with support for the company's Bixby digital assistant and secure folders feature. The smartphone offers a front mounted fingerprint sensor and supports facial recognition technology, which security experts claim is not that secure. The Galaxy C8 supports connectivity options like Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS with GLONASS and microUSB port. The smartphone also features a 3.5mm audio jack and weighs around 180 grams. There is no word on pricing or availability of the smartphone but expect it to be priced higher than the Galaxy J7+.

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Source: Samsung Galaxy C8 with facial recognition and dual rear camera setup launched

Lenovo K8 Plus: Performance and Camera analysis

As far as companies are concerned, smartphones have just over a six month life cycle in the market. What's good today will certainly be outperformed in the next six months or so, and few know this better than Lenovo. The Chinese giant has settled its own brand in the budget segment, while using its Motorola acquisition for premium phones. And this, the Lenovo K8 Plus is its newest addition to the market.

The Lenovo K8 Plus is an update to last year's K6 Power, and it brings somewhat improved internals in the same basic form factor. The processor this time is a MediaTek Helio P20, while the phone sports 3GB of RAM. There's 32GB storage on board and the big addition this time is the dual-camera, which allows Lenovo to justify a slightly increased price tag for the phone as well.

We received our review device just a day or so ago, so we've been able to gain some insights on the device so far. Here's the low-down.

Performance

The Lenovo K8 PlusWhere to buy 10999 is only the second Lenovo smartphone to sport a stock Android-like interface, following the recently announced K8 Note. It sports slightly altered camera, contacts and some other apps, while there are a few pre-installed apps that can be deleted if you need to. For the most part, the phone has a stock Android UI, which should work in Lenovo's favour.

At the time of writing this, we do not have confirmation on update cycles, but MediaTek's Helio P25 is a recent enough chipset to inspire some confidence in this regard. What the K8 PlusWhere to buy 10999 doesn't seem to offer though is out-and-out snappy performance. It's not laggy in any way, but app load times seem slightly high, though in-app performance has been mostly fluid so far. We can't draw conclusions without further testing, but initial impressions make this seem like a budget phone for budget buyers.

We have run our suite of benchmarking tools on this device, and the results correspond with most budget smartphones today. You would notice that the K8 PlusWhere to buy 10999 is at par with phones like the Mi A1 and Moto G5S Plus, while it is ahead of the Nokia 6 in some respects. If sold below Rs. 12,000, this makes for a decent value proposition, at least on paper. The Helio P20 isn't the fastest processor out there, but it's certainly an upgrade over the Snapdragon 430 from last year.

Camera

Processor aside, the change Lenovo wants to sell this phone on is its camera. The company has placed two cameras on the back this time, with 13MP and 5MP resolutions. Naturally, that means it cannot allow seamless switching between the two cameras. Though the Lenovo K8 PlusWhere to buy 10999 has a built in "depth mode", it's more of a software gimmick than a really useful feature.

In the depth mode, the K8 Plus presents a toggle to change focus. That automatically means you'll take more time to shoot bokehs with it. Also, when you do try, you'll end up with blurry photos often, instead of the cool background blur you want, that is of course if you're not well versed with cameras already. Simply put, the Lenovo K8 PlusWhere to buy 10999 makes you work for those bokehs, which basically makes the feature a gimmick. Also, when you do get the right bokeh, you don't get the quality of blur other dual-camera phones are capable of, even in the budget range. Lastly, the depth mode freezes the phone for a substantial period while processing photos.

In much the same way, the Lenovo K8 PlusWhere to buy 10999' camera seems to offer nothing that you'd expect from a dual-camera. It's capable of decent photos at times, but there's a distinct "budget" element to what you click here. Colours are somewhat subdued and you can see grains in indoor photos, while low light shots are average at best. The camera certainly works for a budget device, but Lenovo is contending against phones like the Honor 6X here, which do seem better than this device.

Shot with Lenovo K8 PlusWhere to buy 10999 in indoor lighting

Shot with the Lenovo K8 PlusWhere to buy 10999 in indoor lighting

Shot with Lenovo K8 PlusWhere to buy 10999 in daylight

Trying to create bokehs sometimes leads to the wrong kind of blur on the Lenovo K8 PlusWhere to buy 10999

Lenovo K8 PlusWhere to buy 10999 Image Samples (Click to view full size)

Build, Design and Display

The overall form factor of the K8 PlusWhere to buy 10999 remains almost the same as its predecessor, although this phone does feel heavier. It also feels sturdier and the metal on the K8 Plus feels thicker than that on the K6 Power.

Other than that, there's little to mention in terms of design and build. You will find a fingerprint sensor on the back, and the 5.2 inch form factor is just enough to use with one hand when you absolutely need to. In terms of design, this again feels like the budget phone that it is meant to be.

There's also a 5.5 inch FHD display on the device, that seems quite ordinary. Colours are fine, but nothing worth writing home about, and touch performance is good.

Summing up

There's more testing to be completed before we can rate the Lenovo K8 PlusWhere to buy 10999. However, we can confirm that the device is an evolutionary update over its predecessor. If it's an upgrade you want, the Lenovo K8 Plus isn't the phone you'd want. However, for entry level buyers looking for phones in this price range, the phone does have some redeeming features.

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Source: Lenovo K8 Plus: Performance and Camera analysis