What will your smartphone look like in 2025?
Prepare for innovation and excitement as smartphones evolve beyond the candy bar design, shedding ports and buttons and adopting new controls and folding displays. We spoke to Motorola's VP of Design and checked out some ultrasound buttonless controls as we explored the future of smartphone design.
America’s sex ed sucks. Sex tech is trying to fill the void
American sex ed sucks. Each state has varied requirements -- some have none at all -- and many avoids topics like consent, healthy relationships, and pleasure.
How Verizon’s Super Bowl demo finally got me excited for 5G
Verizon spent 80 million dollars blanketing Miami in 5G ahead of Super Bowl LIV. What does that mean? We'll show you how 5G will enhance the fan experience for the big game.
New graphene battery recharges blazingly fast, and it’s already on the market
Battery tech company Real Graphene is adding graphene to lithium batteries to bring the benefits of the material to batteries right now, rather than in the future. The benefits are clear: much faster charging time, more longevity so you can keep your phone longer, and cooler temperatures to improve safety.
From robots to projection mapping: Inside Panasonic’s Tokyo 2020 Olympic tech
Digital Trends visited the Panasonic Center in Tokyo, Japan to see the technology it's working on for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Its interesting Atoun Power Suit will be used at the Paralympics, representing a world first, and its impressive projection mapping technology is going to be part of the opening ceremony.
The Oppo Reno Ace is the fastest-charging phone we’ve ever tried
Oppo has done it again. A year after claiming the fast-charging title with its Find X Lamborghini Edition, it's back with the Oppo Reno Ace, which snatches the crown of fastest-charging-phone we have tested from the older phone. It's not only faster to charge, but the phone has a higher battery capacity too.
MediaTek heralds ‘new era’ of 5G with high-spec Dimensity 800 chip
MediaTek announced the Dimensity 800 series 5G SoC, which although it says is a midrange chip for reasonably priced smartphones, is decidedly more high-end than you may first expect. Digital Trends spoke to the company about its plan for the Dimensity 800, and how it's part of the firm's push to find success with 5G.
TCL is working on more than 30 different folding phone concepts
Alongside a new trio of TCL-branded phones, the Chinese manufacturer showed us an entirely new, working prototype of a folding phone at CES 2020. TCL currently has more than 30 different devices, all with folding screens, some at concept and others at prototype stage, and is aiming at a release this year.
TCL Communication is a sleeping giant about to awaken, and 5G is its alarm clock
At CES, TCL Communication gave us a preview of the new smartphones it will launch at MWC 2020, which will also be sold in North America. The new TCL 10 range includes a sub-$500 5G version, and it turns out that the new network technology is critical not only to TCL's new phones, but also the timing of its global expansion.
Where are they now? A look back at our past Top Tech of CES winners
For years, the tech sages of Digital Trends has been crowning the most impressive products at CES. How well have our picks held up? With CES 2020 on the horizon, it feels like a good time to look back at our favorite tech from years past, and ponder just how important they really proved to be.
10 things your smartphone couldn’t do 10 years ago
Smartphones have come a long way in the last decade and they can now do things that would have seemed unlikely to us ten years ago. We take a look at some of the biggest and best capabilities smartphones have developed in the last ten years thanks to faster networks, smarter software, and better hardware.
5 times Apple won the decade, and 5 times it lost
How good has Apple's decade been? Like all of us, it has been full of ups and downs -- good things, and some considerably worse things. The high points are easy to find, but in the interests of fairness, we've collected 5 things the company would rather forget. Here are Apple's top 5 wins and losses over the past 10 years.
Liars, thieves, and exploding phones: 10 tech scandals from the last 10 years
The last ten years has given us a mass of amazing technology, changing the way we live forever. However, some of the people and companies behind these achievements aren't always on their best behavior, and that has generated some pretty nasty scandals during the same amount of time. Here's 10 of the best -- er, worst.
How 2019 became the year of true wireless earbuds
Fully wireless earbuds have evolved from novelty wearables to must-have devices in record time. From the first AirPods to the latest noise-canceling masterpieces, it's been a long road. But thanks to new models with multiple advancements, 2019 is when it all came together. Here's why it's time to buy.
Why Microsoft is the most exciting hardware company to watch out for in 2020
2020 is a critical year for Microsoft's Surface division as it gears up to launch its most ambitious set of hardware. The company is planning to launch its pair of dual-screen devices, Surface Neo and Surface Duo, its first true-wireless headsets, the Xbox Series X, and more.
These are the coolest tech souvenirs we found in Tokyo’s famous Electric Town
The time limit was two hours, and in that time we wanted to find the coolest tech-related souvenir in Akihabara, Tokyo's famous Electric Town. It's easier said than done, and it certainly won't be a cheap endeavor. Here's what we found, from phones to robots. Which one would you have brought home?
Who is Hikari-chan? She is the mind-blowing future of A.I. in your home
It's easy to pass Gatebox off as a anime-themed smart speaker, but it is far from something so mundane. Inside is a carefully crafted digital character, Azuma Hikari, who uses some clever artificial intelligence to become your friend not your servant. Digital Trends spoke to the CEO of the company about it.
Who needs 5G? In Japan, this smart city does what its citizens need, right now
Smart cities are often seen as hives of future tech, only made possible with high speed connections and autonomous cars. In the Japanese city of Fukuoka, messaging app Line is already operating a smart city -- just in a different way than you may expect. Instead of focusing on the future, it concentrates on helping its citizens right now.
iPhone 11 Pro vs. Google Pixel 4 in a portrait mode camera shootout
How good is the portrait mode on the latest flagship smartphones? We took the iPhone 11 Pro and the Google Pixel 4 along to a photo shoot to find out, and threw the Galaxy Fold and the Huawei Mate 30 Pro in the bag too. Here's what happened when we played with portrait mode, and the different modes and lighting effects.
How Sony’s camera guru is transforming Sony Mobile, starting with the Xperia 5
The man who was responsible for changing the fortunes of Sony Imaging has turned his attention to Sony Mobile, and is utilizing a similar plan to turnaround the struggling phone department. We spoke to members of the team in Tokyo, Japan to understand more, and to find out why it's blending pro-level tech into its new phones.
How messaging app Line thrives on a culture of chaos, not cuteness
Messaging app Line may be best known outside Asia for its cute characters and stickers, but there is a massive team of developers working behind the scenes on the innovative platform. We visited Line's Developer Day in Tokyo to speak to the company's CTO, and discovered it's not driven by cuteness, but thrives on chaos.
Interview: The Snapdragon 865 will make today’s smartphones look downright basic
Qualcomm sees the Snapdragon 865 as more than a simple performance enhancement for the latest high-end phones. It's placed a huge emphasis on artificial intelligence to not only make your life easier, but safer too. With 5G's proliferation, big data isn't just getting bigger, it's getting faster and more capable.
EXCLUSIVE: MediaTek failed to win at 4G, but it won’t do the same with 5G
MediaTek, by its own admission, didn’t capitalize on the 4G rush, but it has no intention of doing the same with 5G. Along with a new chip, deep changes in the way the company produces products have transformed the firm, and CEO Rick Tsai sat down with Digital Trends to talk about this, and its 5G plans.
The new RAZR is cool, but we can’t forget about Motorola’s biggest design flops
While there’s already an overwhelming rush of optimism for the new Razr, not all of Motorola's ambitious efforts yielded success for the company in the past. While Moto's shown us again that it dares to innovate with bold designs, being first isn't always best, and experiments sometimes fail.
4 things I like about the Motorola Razr and 4 I don’t
The jury is still out on folding phones, and there's plenty room for innovation. Enter Motorola with a revamped Razr sporting a folding OLED screen. The nostalgia aspect makes me warm and fuzzy and that folding action looks sweet and seamless, but there are some less likable issues here.
Switching back to a dumbphone was the smartest thing I’ve ever done
Smartphones are designed to hold our attention, and we often end up spending hours on them each day. I set out to see if a smarter feature phone, like the Nokia 8110, can help us break those habits and restore balance in our digital lives. With support for WhatsApp and more, I really didn't miss my smartphone.
Can an app help your kids to sleep? I tested Moshi Twilight to find out
Many kids have trouble falling asleep after the lights go out, but the Moshi Twilight app is purposely designed to carry them off to the land of nod with special sleep stories. I tested it out with my seven-year-old daughter and spoke to the Mind Candy CEO to find out more about how it was developed.
Why would Google want to buy Fitbit?
Why would Google want to buy Fitbit? Though Fitbit is a big player in the wearables market, it is struggling to transition from fitness trackers to smartwatches. Google's Wear OS has not given it much of a foothold, and it has smartwatch ambitions. Could this be a marriage made in heaven or a disaster?
The $440 Realme X2 Pro has what it takes to be one of 2019’s best phones
The Realme X2 Pro is a contender for one of 2019's best phones. Wait, who? Realme has a similar lineage to OnePlus, Oppo, and Vivo, and its X2 Pro packs flagship specs inside a phone that costs the equivalent of $440. But this is far from a cheap experience. In fact, it's great.
Huawei and Honor’s latest wearables push is a key part of a much bigger plan
Huawei and Honor are both releasing a range of new wearable products over the coming months, including true wireless headphones and smartwatches, but despite what it seems, this is not a strategy created out of necessity. It is a part of Huawei's overriding plan to create "The Seamless AI Life."
I asked 10 U.S. banks when they plan to support Google Pixel 4’s Face Unlock
Google's Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL come with new Face Unlock technology that makes unlocking the phone fast. But if you want to use it to access bank apps or authenticate purchases in third-party apps, it's looking like you'll have to wait a while. I asked a handful of banks when they expect to add support.
Pixel 4 XL vs. iPhone 11 Pro vs. Note 10 Plus vs. OnePlus 7T: Camera shootout
The Google Pixel 4 is here with another winning camera, despite its battery woes, so how does it stack up to competitors like the iPhone 11 Pro, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus, and the OnePlus 7T? We took all four phones for a spin on a photo walk to find the best in this smartphone camera shootout.
How the 5G network is progressing hand-in-hand with Qualcomm
During the 5G Summit that took place in Barcelona, the Digital Trends Español team spoke with Qualcomm to learn more about the development of 5G technology. Ignacio Contreras, Qualcomm's marketing director, said 5G has advanced by leaps and bounds, at a pace that has surprised many.