Kia has revealed the first exterior and interior design images for its upcoming electric car, the EV6 – and it certainly looks like a vehicle built for the new era of electrification.
Set to become the first of the South Korean manufacturer's cars to be available exclusively as an EV (rather than alongside a hybrid model), the EV6 – which is scheduled for an official unveiling later this month – is packed to the rafters with gadgets and gizmos that Kia says will embrace interactions between humans and machines.
We'll know more on the car's technical specifications – and what these interactions might mean, exactly – when the EV6 is officially announced worldwide, but these images do provide a glimpse at what sort of tech to expect from Kia's latest entry in the EV market.
The range of the new Volvo C40 electric car will get better with time
The exterior is said to be modelled on a 'Digital Tiger Face', which looks to combine a smart, futuristic aesthetic with practical technology while also keeping aerodynamics in mind (as well as looking like a Tiger, apparently).
(Image credit: Kia)
At the front of the car, dynamic headlights sit above Kia's new 'Tiger Nose Grille' – which focuses on low air intake and channeling airflow underneath the car – while the windshield seems positioned at a noticeably sharper angle than you'd usually expect.
The rear of the EV6 is adorned with a particularly futuristic-looking set of tail lights, while a roof spoiler adds a sportier feel to an otherwise minimalist crossover SUV.
It's what's on the inside that counts
The interior, though, is where things really take a turn for the Blade Runner.
From a technology point of view, the inside of the EV6 is the first to be designed using Kia's new Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP). While we don't yet know exactly what this new system will bring to the car, the EV6 is nonetheless the first vehicle to benefit from the manufacturer's latest interior technology.
(Image credit: Kia)
What we can pick out from these images is a dual-screen, curved HD navigation display of the sort we’ve seen from Mercedes. Extending from the steering wheel across to the centre of the car, the AVN (audio-visual navigation) system appears to display a route map in front of the driver, with infotainment content placed above the centre console.
Interestingly, there looks to be a minimal number of physical buttons on this dual-screen setup, suggesting drivers might navigate the AVN system using only steering wheel controls and voice commands.
For the passengers, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) settings can be controlled using a series of haptic buttons, while Kia says all five seats are created using recycled plastics.
Karim Habib, Senior Vice President and Head of Kia Global Design Center, said of the upcoming car: "With EV6 we aimed to create a distinctive, impactful design by using a combination of sophisticated, high-tech features [...] while providing a unique space as a futuristic EV."
It's not yet clear what the EV6 will look like under the hood – or indeed the exact nature of the technologies to be found inside it – but it's obvious that Kia has designed its latest EV with the future in mind.
Accessibility in video games has been improving dramatically in recent years, with last year being particularly notable. The sheer scope of accessibility features in both the critically-acclaimed The Last of Us Part 2 and Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs Legion was inspirational, while Rare continued to roll out updates that added accessibility improvements to Sea of Thieves. All of these are encouraging examples that developers are becoming more aware of the importance of accessibility options.
This tremendous work has spanned indie and AAA studios alike, but accessibility has been slowly improving across the industry as a whole. Examples include The Game Awards 2020 announcing an accessibility-focused award, alternative text being supplied for visual marketing assets, and trailers with full captions being made more readily available.
Some studios have also made an explicit commitment to accessibility in 2020. David Tisserand, Ubisoft’s Accessibility Senior Manager, explained in an interview with DualShockers that the company wants to embed accessibility into its DNA, starting with a focus on blind initiatives. This saw Ubisoft teaming up with audio description specialist Descriptive Video Works (DVW) to add audio description to some of Ubisoft’s biggest trailers of the year, including the world premiere of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.
TechRadar spoke with DVW Studio Head Rhys Lloyd and Client Services Manager Melissa Hope to learn more about what the company does, its involvement with Ubisoft, and its plans for improving accessibility across the gaming industry going forward.
Founded in 2003, Descriptive Video Works specializes in providing audio descriptions for media. The company was founded on “the belief that there was more that could be done to connect people who are blind or visually impaired to media content”, says Lloyd. When founder Diane Johnson started the company, she believed that, “it was important that not only the service be done, but the service be done well” and “to be done with the right spirit and heart in mind”, Lloyd tells us.
"[We wanted to] challenge our own assumptions about what was important when it came to describing race in a program."
Rhys Lloyd - Descriptive Video Works
In order to be able to produce quality audio descriptions, DVW’s writers go through a “fairly extensive training program”, and it can be months before they’re placed in the production environment. And, Lloyd adds, “When it comes to engineering, the mixing, and the sound design of the final product, we probably have two of the most experienced audio description mixers in the business.”
Descriptive Video Works operates with an advisory council of blind and visually impaired people on some projects, although this is on a project-to-project basis. Lloyd offers the example of how the company worked with blind and visually impaired people of color in a focus group in 2020 so that the company could “challenge our own assumptions about what was important when it came to describing race in a program”.
“We seek those answers from the community because they're the community we're serving. We want to make sure that we're hitting those notes appropriately,” he continues.
Working so closely with communities is important to DVW as it enables its staff to ensure that terminology and culture are represented correctly. And thankfully, social media is populated with disabled and non-disabled advocates who are part of the #a11y community — a global movement that aims to make more digital content accessible.
This community has encouraged the gaming industry to place greater emphasis on conversations surrounding accessibility, and this, in turn, has led to accessibility consultants helping developers to understand and break barriers in games, as exemplified by Naughty Dog with The Last of Us 2’s comprehensive accessibility options. It’s clear that Descriptive Video Works understands the importance of listening to such voices.
Descriptive Video Works’ step into gaming begins
(Image credit: Telltale Games)
Minecraft: Story Mode, an episodic point-and-click adventure, released on Netflix in 2015, and marked Descriptive Video Works’ first foray into using audio description with interactive media. The company’s work on Minecraft: Story Mode inspired it to look into the medium of gaming beyond the Netflix experience and, towards the end of 2019, DVW began researching how it could implement its accessibility expertise in video games, speaking with gaming communities and people in the gaming industry.
Keyword Studios, a company that provides numerous services to studios in the video games industry, and which acquired DVW in 2019, spoke with Ubisoft as this research was wrapping up. This conversation with the studio led to Descriptive Video Works working with Ubisoft to provide audio descriptions for several Ubisoft trailers.
Melissa Hope describes what it was like working explicitly with a video game studio as opposed to streaming companies such as Netflix: “The great thing about working with Ubisoft on those trailers was how much we could work directly with the people who are making the trailers, and even those who had made the game. That's not always something we have the opportunity to do with a movie.”
Hope detailed how Ubisoft highlighted easter eggs in the trailers to “make sure that a blind or low-vision person watching the trailer would be able to participate in the same conversations”.
She uses Assassin’s Creed Valhalla – the first trailer to come from the partnership – as an example. “I guess in the Assassin's Creed franchise, the knife is on the inside of the protagonist’s forearm, and on this one [Valhalla], it was on the outside,” she says.
“That wasn't something that anybody from outside of the game would know. But fans would realize that, and they would see that in the trailer. So we had to make sure that that detail was included in the description.”
Another detail that Ubisoft wanted to ensure was described was the brief appearance of a cat in one Valhalla trailer. “There's a one-second scene where the hero pets a cat, and they're [Ubisoft] like, ‘Make sure you've mentioned that he's holding the cat because there's a whole online thing’.” With so much happening on-screen, highlighting such details means the user can be included in the excitement.
Breaking the barriers
(Image credit: Ubisoft)
Both Lloyd and Hope have observed the video game industry’s progress on accessibility issues, and are excited to be part of it. “Like everybody who works for us, this is what we're focused on,” Lloyd tells us. “Our whole ethos is around breaking the barriers that prevent people from enjoying content – you're trying to reach people. Why wouldn't you try to reach everyone?”
"Our whole ethos is around breaking the barriers that prevent people from enjoying content – you're trying to reach people. Why wouldn't you try to reach everyone?"
Rhys Lloyd - Descriptive Video Works
The company currently focuses on English-language descriptions, and Lloyd acknowledges that offering localized audio descriptions is one area where there’s potential for growth. He stresses the importance of making accessibility tools available to wider audiences and hopes the company’s acquisition by Keyword Studios - which specializes in localization - will help offer that growth in the future.
As a result of its work with Ubisoft, DVW has already been able to reach more gamers through the use of a new audio track feature on YouTube. This allows users to activate audio descriptions directly within a trailer or promotional video, rather than have to watch a separate upload.
Lloyd wants to see more companies implement audio-described content, and believes that making more content more accessible would lead to “opening up new avenues of customers”.
He adds that DVW has “a handful of irons in the fire” with other studios and projects related to video games. He explains that he can’t provide details due to non-disclosure agreements, but hints that DVW may be experimenting with audio description in games, and “incorporating it at that sort of cinematics and cutscenes level”.
Greater innovation in the field of accessibility will mean more gamers can enjoy immersive experiences, and it’s something we very much want to see. While sticking to tried and tested methods is a safe bet, there’s always room to experiment and invite user feedback. We’re curious to learn what studios DVW is working with, and to see where their collaborations with Ubisoft and The Game Awards lead.
It’s clear that Descriptive Video Works is on a mission – a mission to ensure that the day will come where no gamers feel excluded, or unable to access content, due to accessibility issues. We wish them well, and look forward to seeing more big names in the industry joining the cause.
First they came without a camera. Then they came with a camera. Then secondary and tertiary cameras started popping up, sporting ultra-wide or telephoto lenses, or with auxiliary depth sensors, all in the name of helping your smartphone take better pictures. And now, at the beginning of 2021, it seems a new kind of photography mode for smartphones might be all the rage.
The Xiaomi Mi 11, launched in February 2021, and the Oppo Find X3 Pro, shown off the month after, both have notable macro-photography modes, using bespoke hardware and smart software to take such photos. These aren't just extra modes thrown in to bulk out a feature list, but complicated modes that marry hardware and software.
'Macro' in the photographic sense refers to close-ups, usually of small things, so macro photography consists of taking pictures of often tiny subjects, and capturing those images in loads of detail. Using this kind of photography you can really appreciate the details in the world around you, whether that's in your food, or clothes, or technology.
Some smartphones have had macro modes before, though never great ones, but the fact Xiaomi and Oppo have both developed brand-new macro systems suggests it could be becoming a new trend.
Macro is lacking
The Oppo Find X3 Pro has a ring-light around its microlens, to better light up a subject.(Image credit: Future)
There's a short history of macro cameras on smartphones, but it's a pretty sorry one. Quite a few budget phones come with 2MP depth-sensing and 2MP macro cameras, a duo that's become synonymous with 'cheap phones'.
We've rarely found these macro cameras are actually good for taking macro photos, though, as they don't do anything the main camera doesn't - instead, the inclusion of this duo often seems more a ploy to flesh out a phone's specs list.
Some phones have a different way of doing macro-photography - they use the ultra-wide lens in macro modes, which works better for this than a phone's main camera, but isn't always perfect, particularly thanks to the distortion this kind of lens can cause.
One of the biggest issues smartphones have for macro shots, is that photography needs good lighting. If you've put your smartphone right up against a subject to take a macro shot, there's a good chance you're blocking out loads of natural light with the phone's chunky body. This is an issue that both the Xiaomi Mi 11 and Oppo Find X3 Pro solve.
How these new macro cameras work
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A macro photo of some coffee granules from the Xiaomi Mi 11(Image credit: Future)
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A microscope picture of the front-left coffee granule from before, taken on the Oppo Find X3 Pro.(Image credit: Future)
The Xiaomi Mi 11 and Oppo Find X3 Pro take very different approaches to their macro photography modes.
The Mi 11 has a 'telemacro' lens paired with a 5MP sensor - this lets you hold the phone a fair way from your subject and still get good macro shots. Therefore you're not blocking all the light.
The Find X3 Pro has a 3MP sensor, but it has a ring light on it to ensure the subject is lit up, and comes with a 'microlens' - this takes really zoomed-in shots, almost like a microscope, to pick out the tiny details of a subject.
So the two phones don't do quite the same thing - the Oppo phone is designed for much closer shots than the Xiaomi phone - but the fact they both have such complex and novel systems for macro photography (at least for smartphones) suggests it could be a trend going forward.
Macro to the future
So is there any likelihood of other brands following suit with Xiaomi and Oppo? Well, there's a precedent.
The Xiaomi Mi 11's telemacro camera is the smaller one to the right in this picture.(Image credit: Future)
Xiaomi was the first company to use 108MP sensors in its smartphones and now Samsung and Realme have followed suit - similarly, Oppo has a history of using bespoke Sony sensors for its cameras, something OnePlus recently also started doing.
It can be seen, then, that the two Chinese companies have each started mini trends with regards to smartphone photography. And a bigger focus on macro photography in other brands' phones would make a lot of sense because, as we've already mentioned, many smartphones already try to do the whole 'macro' thing, just poorly.
So how could we see other phones do it? Xiaomi's telemacro lens method seems easily replicable - more so than Oppo's microlens strategy, at least - but we could perhaps see other strategies.
Perhaps macro lenses could be paired with higher-res sensors, to make that type of phone camera better to use. There are also software solutions that could mimic some of the elements of macro lenses, like the ability to focus on something closer, though traditionally camera software doesn't do as good a job at things as hardware.
We're not the phone designers, though, the phone companies are, so hopefully they're currently working on new ways to create macro phone cameras.
Close-up photography is great fun on smartphones and on standard cameras, as it lets you see small details around you in a new light, and easily take pictures of different subjects. Hopefully, if more phone manufacturers work on creating new types of macro modes, smartphones will just get better for photography.
From Face ID working with a facial covering to Do Not Disturb and longer battery life, all are instantly achievable on your iPhone with some quick settings changes.
If you’re looking to spend around $1,000 / £1,000 on a new smartphone, they probably represent the best and certainly the most popular options available to you in early 2021.
While these two classy handsets are similarly priced, however, there are a number of key differences between them. Let’s take a look and see which phone is best for you.
Samsung S21 Plus vs iPhone 12 Pro price and availability
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus landed on January 29, 2021 in most regions. Prices start at $999 / £949 / AU$1,549 for the 128GB model. There’s also a 256GB iteration, which will cost you $1,049 / £999 / AU$1,649.
The iPhone 12 Pro was released on October 23, 2020, with prices from $999 / £999 / AU$1,699 for the 128GB model. If you want to double your storage to 256GB, you’ll need to come up $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,899, while the top-of-the-range 512GB model costs $1,299 / £1,299 / AU$2,219.
We’re looking at a tie for value here, with a slight edge given to the Galaxy S21 Pro for 256GB. Also, in our experience you’re more likely to find a hefty discount on Samsung’s phones than on Apple’s as time ticks along.
Design
Both phones represent design overhauls for their respective ranges, though they’ve taken refreshingly different approaches.
The Galaxy S21 Plus is arguably less radical a change, though it’s no less impressive. We found the phone to be really quite striking in purple and rose gold tones, though you can also get it in black, white, gray, pink and red.
Whichever color you opt for, your eye will be drawn to the distinctive new camera module Samsung has implemented. The way it swoops and flows into the chassis of the phone is something to behold, and certainly more interesting than the iPhone 12 Pro’s run of the mill ‘squared circle’ approach.
Unlike the regular S21, the back of the phone is clad in glass. Together with a matte finish it has a sophisticated yet sober look and feel. At 161.5 x 75.6 x 7.8 mm and 200g, it’s quite a hefty beast, certainly compared to the 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4 mm and 189g iPhone 12 Pro.
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Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus(Image credit: Future)
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iPhone 12 Pro(Image credit: TechRadar)
That’s partly because the display on the Galaxy S21 Plus is significantly larger than the iPhone 12 Pro’s. It’s similarly flat though, which represents a change in Samsung’s approach. We prefer the practicality of a flatter display - there are fewer false presses and a cleaner picture - but it does take one prominent point of interest away from the phone.
The iPhone 12 Pro arguably represents an even bigger shift in design, albeit one that owes a fair deal to a bygone era. Its sharp edges, dead-flat surfaces, and rounded corners hark back to the iPhone 4 and iPhone 5 before it. But it’s a massive departure from the rounded, slightly bland designs of the post-iPhone 6 years.
You can pick up the iPhone 12 Pro in just four colors: Silver, Graphite, Gold, and Pacific Blue. Not as diverse or eye-catching as Samsung’s offering, perhaps, but we’re suckers for that deep Pacific Blue.
These two phones take a very different approach to housing their front-mounted cameras. Apple’s intrusive notch is well known by now, taking a massive bite out of the top of the screen as it does. Samsung takes a mere nibble by comparison, with a perfectly round hole-punch notch in the centre of the screen.
Apple’s phone is fronted by a ‘nano-crystalline’ Ceramic Shield, which supposedly provides four times the drop protection over regular display glass. It might just stand up to face-plants and scratches better than the Galaxy S21 Plus, though we’re still far too careful/scared to put that to the test.
Interestingly, while both phones boast an IP68 dust/water resistance rating, the iPhone 12 Pro has been tested to a water depth of 6 metres next to the Samsung’s 1.5 metres.
All in all, much of this particular part of the face-off comes to down to personal preference. While we probably prefer the look of the iPhone 12 Pro, its sharp angles make it less pleasant to hold.
Display
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Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus(Image credit: Future)
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iPhone 12 Pro(Image credit: TechRadar)
Both of these phones have beautiful AMOLED displays, capable of outputting rich yet accurate colors and deep blacks. However, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus has the edge in a couple of ways.
For one thing, the Galaxy S21 Plus display is much bigger at 6.7-inches compared to the iPhone 12 Pro’s 6.1-inches. In this way, the Samsung is more like the iPhone 12 Pro Max, while the iPhone 12 Pro is closer to the regular Samsung Galaxy S21.
More importantly, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus display is significantly smoother than its Apple counterpart. At 120Hz, content scrolls past up to twice as fluidly as on the 60Hz iPhone 12 Pro. This is arguably the most glaring omission from Apple’s current champ, and will be the first thing we look for on the iPhone 13 Pro spec list.
In terms of sharpness, the iPhone 12 Pro wins back some of the initiative. Its 2532 x 1170 display packs in more pixels than the 2400 x 1080 Samsung, and in a smaller space too. The result is a pixel density of 460ppi for the iPhone 12 Pro and 394ppi for the Galaxy S21 Plus.
You could argue that this is the most glaring omission for Samsung’s phone, as the Galaxy S20 Plus gave the option of a QHD+ resolution - albeit only at 60Hz. But as we generally recommend that you opt for Hertz over pixels in phones, it’s not really a biggie.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus can get slight brighter than its counterpart, with a 1300 nits peak brightness compared to 1200 nits in the iPhone. Both get plenty bright enough in general usage, though.
While the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus opts for an in-display fingerprint sensor for unlocking your phone and mobile payments, Touch ID is nowhere to be seen on the iPhone 12 Plus. Instead, Apple uses that prominent notch to house Face ID, which scans your face.
This has become a lot less convenient now that we’re all wearing masks whilst out and about. But that’s (hopefully) a temporary snag, and Samsung’s ultrasonic fingerprint technology continues to feel a little laggy and unreliable, despite being 70% larger than before.
Camera
iPhone 12 Pro(Image credit: TechRadar)
Both phones have advanced triple camera set-ups capable of capturing brilliant pictures in a variety of lighting conditions. But we give Apple the edge this round.
The camera setup on the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus seems awfully similar to last year’s S20 Plus. Identical, in fact. You get 12MP main and 12MP ultra-wide cameras, accompanied by a 64MP telephoto snapper with a 3x hybrid zoom facility. It’s possible to extend that up to 30x digital zoom, but we wouldn’t recommend straying beyond 10x. Still, being able to get usable 10x snaps is impressive enough.
Apple’s iPhone 12 Pro gives you a trio of 12-megapixel sensors covering the usual wide, ultrawide, and 2X telephoto angles. It also adds a LiDAR sensor to improve low light autofocus, as well as potentially bolstering AR applications.
In terms of shot quality, the iPhone 12 Pro wins in most scenarios. Apple’s color science seems more natural, while smarter computational photography features like Smart HDR 3 and Deep Fusion generally gives you preferable results with better dynamic range.
The new ProRAW feature combines the data-packed RAW format with JPEG’s ability to auto-adjust. Meanwhile Apple’s Night Mode is quite a bit better than Samsung’s equivalent, resulting in flat out superior low light shots, and is more seamlessly integrated to boot.
We’d take Samsung’s excellent hybrid zoom system for those extreme 10x telephoto moments, however.
Both phones take clean video, but again the iPhone 12 Pro is the winner. While the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus can take 8K footage at 24 frames per second (the iPhone only goes up to 4K), it does so with an annoying amount of cropping.
The quality of the iPhone’s 4K footage is superior, and it now comes with Dolby Vision enhancements at 60fps. It’s genuinely impressive stuff.
In terms of those selfie cameras, the Samsung packs a 10MP while the iPhone features a 12MP. Both have their own compelling features.
The iPhone 12 Pro can take Night Mode shots with its selfie cam, for example. On the other hand, the Galaxy S21 Plus sports Director’s View, which enables you to take pictures with the front and rear cameras at the same time. Edit them together, and you have yourself a one-device multi-camera vlogging setup.
Single Take enables you to capture a variety of photos and video using all three cameras at the same time with a single shutter press, and it now comes with slow-mo.
Specs and performance
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus(Image credit: Future)
We can’t imagine that you’ll face any performance issues with either of these two phones. They’re both extremely fast, and no modern app, game, or task will force either handset to break a sweat.
It would be inaccurate to call the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus and the iPhone 12 Pro equal on performance, however. Apple’s phone is the more capable by a considerable margin.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 in the US and China, and a Samsung Exynos 2100 everywhere else. We’ve covered this a lot over the years, but Samsung’s split hardware strategy really does feel like a poke in the eye for the majority on the Exynos side.
That said, the gap between these two chip strands has narrowed compared to previous years. Early tests suggest a negligible difference between the Snapdragon 888 and the Exynos 2100 in processing power, but a larger gap in favor of the Qualcomm chip when it comes to the GPU and energy efficiency.
Regardless of which chip your Galaxy S21 Plus comes packing, it’s going to lose out to the iPhone 12 Pro. Apple’s A14 Bionic chip beats the opposition quite convincingly across a whole range of CPU and GPU benchmarks. And this despite the fact that the iPhone 12 Pro comes with 6GB of RAM next to the Galaxy S21 Plus’s 8GB.
In terms of storage, both phones offer 128GB and 256GB of storage, but only the iPhone 12 Pro also offers a 512GB model. You’ll have to pay quite a bit for it, though.
Both phones also offer 5G connectivity as standard, should you be in a position to capitalize on it.
Battery life
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus has a sizeable 4,800 mAh battery. We were impressed by how much use we could get out of this phone from a full charge.
With light to moderate use we could occasionally get through a full 48 hours. With more intensive use, you’ll still be able to get through a long day quite comfortably.
By contrast the iPhone 12 Pro has a tiny 2,815mAh battery. It’s a step back from the previous iPhone model, with an accompanying drop to one hour less of video playback.
However, in practical terms, our experience of using the iPhone 12 Pro wasn’t so dissimilar to the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus. A day of light usage resulted in going to bed at midnight with more than 50-percent in the tank, stretching to a full 48 hours before we needed to recharge.
The important factor here is usage. With the iPhone we hardly did any web browsing or gaming during that 48 hours. It’s a phone that loves to be on standby, where it will sip the juice more efficiently than its Android competitors.
Stepping away from the safety of our home broadband, into the wild world of mixed 4G and 5G usage, and using the phone for intensive web browsing and playing games, that battery figure dropped way quicker. Expect to lose between 10–15% per hour.
If we were to some it up in pithier fashion, the iPhone 12 Pro’s battery life is acceptable, while the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus’s battery life is decent.
Neither phone wows when it comes time to recharge. Samsung dropped support for 45W chargers from last year’s models, and the Galaxy S21 Plus can only hit 25W. Samsung does claim that it’s improved that 25W charging, but it still trails rival efforts from the likes of Oppo and OnePlus.
Apple isn’t any better, with support for up to 20W fast charging. Both phones support 15W wireless charging, but only the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus can also charge your AirPods. Which is somewhat ironic.
Neither phone comes with a charger in the box, by the way. That’s 2021 for you.
Takeaway
We can’t knock the experience of using either of these premium phones. Both offer slightly more affordable alternatives to the very best that Apple and Samsung has to offer, which should prove plenty enough for 99% of people.
In terms of direct comparisons, it’s hard to pick a winner. For one thing, we scored these two phones an identical 4 out of 5 in our reviews, reflecting their shared status near the top of the pile.
For another thing, they’re surprisingly different when you get past their shared price tag. The Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus has a bigger and more fluid display, which makes it better for heavy web surfing sessions and general media playback. Conversely, the iPhone 12 Pro Max has the better camera system and more performance on tap.
Ultimately the choice could well come down to your own preferences in terms of aesthetics, as well as which side of the iOS/Android ecosystem divide you fall on. Either way, rest assured you’re going to be getting a beautiful, capable, and future-proof flagship phone.
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Since its inception as the Uniform Penny Post by Rowland Hill in 1840, the UK postage service has let people and businesses across the country stay in touch, send and receive packages, and much more.
But as the world changes and becomes more digitised, the need to overhaul the postage system has become paramount - and one start-up thinks it has the key.
Edinburgh-based Stamp Free says it has now launched the world’s first independent digital postage stamp, aiming to take the industry firmly into the modern age.
After years of apparent decline, the postal services in the UK have enjoyed somewhat of a renaissance in the past 12 months or so, driven by the huge rise in online shopping prompted by the coronavirus lockdowns.
Now, the question of how to keep the service relevant and tech-friendly has led Stamp Free to unveil its platform. The company says its Stamp Free Digital Postage Solution allows consumers and businesses alike to send parcels, letters as well as return consumer goods without the need for a postage stamp or print a postage stamp at home.
The company operators through three distinct services - Digicode for the consumer market, Shipcode for businesses, and Easycode for consumer goods returns. Stamp Free says that all three are set to launch within the next 12 months, with Digicode the first to arrive.
Digicode allows users to an select the mail product (letter or parcel) and pay the exact postage amount via the Stamp Free app, or integrated postal carrier app. They then receive a Digicode which is written on the mail item, which is scanned/validated by the app before being mailed as normal.
When it comes to returns, Easycode does away with the need for return labels being included with shipped items, or again the need to print extra labels. Instead, customers request and receive an Easycode via the Stamp Free mobile app or the retailer’s website, write this on the item, then return it via a local locker, drop-off point or by posting directly
Shipcode looks to replace the traditional franking machines or parcel shipping services currently used by many businesses, making the process more efficient and cost-effective, especially for small businesses who post frequently F
Stamp Free adds it can also benefit the postal carriers by removing issues associated with postage stamps such as fraud, liabilities and cost of printing. By having access to data on the postings made through the app, ensures they are paid correctly for the items they handle.
Google offers an easy way to find, lock, and erase all data on your Android phone – if you lose it. There’s a dedicated space provided to users that will allow then to locate the handset, lock it by remotely setting a pin, passcode, or pattern to keep away unwanted eyes. The feature also allows users to erase all data on your Android phone so that the finder doesn...
The third round of stimulus checks has been approved, but their imminent arrival during tax season means that things could get messy. Here are answers to the biggest questions you may have about it.
