Yes, we have no tomatoes: Why shelves are emptying in UK stores
From fresh produce to medicines and computer chips, a cocktail of problems is playing havoc with supply chains
Early on Saturday morning, as Paul Crane, a trader at London’s renowned Borough market, was arranging blood oranges from Valencia on his stall, he admitted that his industry is facing some of the toughest conditions in a quarter of a century.
The wholesale price of tomatoes, peppers and aubergines has quadrupled, and English cauliflowers are up too. Some stallholders are not even selling vine tomatoes because they are just too expensive.
Will future computers run on human brain cells? A "biocomputer" powered by human brain cells could be developed within our lifetime, according to Johns Hopkins University researchers who expect such technology to exponentially expand the capabilities of modern computing and create novel fields of study.
‘Scanners are complicated’: why Gen Z faces workplace ‘tech shame’
They may be digital natives, but young workers were raised on user-friendly apps – and office devices are far less intuitive
Garrett Bemiller, a 25-year-old New Yorker, has spent his entire life online. He grew up in front of screens, swiping from one app to the next. But there’s one skill set Bemiller admits he’s less comfortable with: the humble office printer.
“Things like scanners and copy machines are complicated,” says Bemiller, who works as a publicist. The first time he had to copy something in the office didn’t exactly go well. “It kept coming out as a blank page, and took me a couple times to realize that I had to place the paper upside-down in the machine for it to work.”
Meta backs new tool for removing sexual images of minors posted online
Image: The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) has announced a new platform designed to help remove sexually explicit images of minors from the internet. Meta revealed in a blog post that it had provided initial funding to create the NCMEC’s free-to-use “Take It Down” tool, which allows users to anonymously report and remove “nude, partially nude, or sexually explicit images or videos” of underage individuals found on participating platforms and block the offending content from being shared again.
Facebook and Instagram have signed on to integrate the platform, as have OnlyFans, Pornhub, and Yubo. Take It Down is designed for minors to self-report images and videos of themselves; however, adults who appeared in such content when they were under the age of 18 can also use the service to report and remove it. Parents or other trusted adults can make a report on behalf of a child, too.
— National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (@MissingKids) February 27, 2023
An FAQ for Take It Down states that users must have the reported image or video on their device to use the service. This content isn’t submitted as part of the reporting process and, as such, remains private. Instead, the content is used to generate a hash value, a unique digital fingerprint assigned to each image and video that can then be provided to participating platforms to detect and remove it across their websites and apps, while minimizing the number of people who see the actual content.
“We created this system because many children are facing these desperate situations,” said Michelle DeLaune, president and CEO of NCMEC. “Our hope is that children become aware of this service, and they feel a sense of relief that tools exist to help take the images down. NCMEC is here to help.”
The Take It Down service is comparable to StopNCII, a service launched in 2021 that aims to prevent the nonconsensual sharing of images for those over the age of 18. StopNCII similarly uses hash values to detect and remove explicit content across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Bumble.
In addition to announcing its collaboration with NCMEC in November last year, Meta rolled out new privacy features for Instagram and Facebook that aim to protect minors using the platforms. These include prompting teens to report accounts after they block suspicious adults, removing the message button on teens’ Instagram accounts when they’re viewed by adults with a history of being blocked, and applying stricter privacy settings by default for Facebook users under 16 (or 18 in certain countries).
Other platforms participating in the program have taken steps to prevent and remove explicit content depicting minors. Yubo, a French social networking app, has deployed a range of AI and human-operated moderation tools that can detect sexual material depicting minors, while Pornhub allows individuals to directly issue a takedown request for illegal or nonconsensual content published on its platform.
All five of the participating platforms have been previously criticized for failing to protect minors from sexual exploitation. A BBC News report from 2021 found children could easily bypass OnlyFans’ age verification systems, while Pornhub was sued by 34 victims of sexual exploitation the same year, alleging that the site knowingly profited from videos depicting rape, child sexual exploitation, trafficking, and other nonconsensual sexual content. Yubo — described as “Tinder for teens” — has been used by predators to contact and rape underage users, and the NCMEC estimated last year that Meta’s plan to apply end-to-end encryption to its platforms could effectively conceal 70 percent of the child sexual abuse material currently detected and reported on its platform.
A press release for Take It Down mentions that participating platforms can use the provided hash values to detect and remove images across “public or unencrypted sites and apps,” but it isn’t clear if this extends to Meta’s use of end-to-end encryption across services like Messenger. We have reached out to Meta for confirmation and will update this story should we hear back.
As Oil Companies Stay Lean, Workers Move to Renewable Energy Solar, wind, geothermal, battery and other alternative-energy businesses are adding workers from fossil fuel companies, where employment has fallen.
Google Keep is getting a much more capable Android widget
Illustration: The Verge
Google is introducing a new widget for its notes and lists app Keep, which will let you put a single interactive note on your home screen. With it, you’ll be able to check items off a list, which could be handy for a to-do or grocery list.
While you can force one of Keep’s current widgets to show just a single note using the tags system, doing so isn’t as simple as just selecting one to display on your home screen. Plus, Keep’s existing widgets don’t have the level of interactivity that Google’s promising with its new widget; if you try to mark off checkboxes, it’ll just open the app instead of actually checking it off like the single note widget will.
Gif: Google
The new Keep single note widget will let you keep a checklist on your homescreen.
Of course, many dedicated task list apps have let you manage tasks using a widget. However, it’s nice to see that Google’s paying some attention to Keep and adding what feels like an obvious feature to it.
Google also says there are new Keep complications coming for Wear OS 3 and up, which will act as shortcuts to creating notes and to-do lists.
The company hasn’t said exactly when these features will roll out, just that it’ll be “soon,” so keep (ha) your eyes out for them.
OnePlus new concept phone is its coolest yet
Those glowing blue lines on the back aren’t (just) for show. | Photo by Jon Porter / The Verge
OnePlus’ latest concept phone is all about keeping cool. The company showed off the OnePlus 11 Concept device at MWC Barcelona, which features glowing blue pipelines on its back to represent the cooling liquid of its “Active CryoFlux” cooling technology.
Yes, it’s designed to look flashy, but OnePlus argues the cooling system serves an important practical purpose. By keeping the phone cooler under load, the company claims you can get better performance from games, and faster charging speeds. All without the need for the “size, weight, and noise” of a physically spinning fan like we’ve seen from the likes of Nubia or in smartphone cooling accessories from Razer or Asus.
Two quoted performance benefits include a 2.1 degree Celcius (around 35.8 degrees Fahrenheit) drop in temperature during gaming, which OnePlus claims could result in a performance uplift of between 3 and 4 frames per second, or, during charging, the Active CryoFlux system could reduce temperatures by 1.6 degrees Celcius (around 34.9 degrees Fahrenheit), leading to an increase charging speeds by 30 to 45 seconds.
Photo by Jon Porter / The VergeThe device didn’t feel significantly thicker or heavier than normal OnePlus phones.
Photo by Jon Porter / The Verge
There’s also a blue halo around the phone’s camera bump.
Unfortunately, none of these performance benefits were on display with the OnePlus 11 Concept devices the company was showing off during its MWC demonstration, so we’ll have to take the company’s word on the practical benefits. They sure look pretty, though.
OnePlus says an “industrial-grade piezoelectric ceramic micropump” pushes liquid throughout the device’s pipelines, and that takes up less than 0.2cm² of space. Despite the cooling system, the phone didn’t feel especially thick or heavy in the hand, although it’s unclear if other internal components were made smaller to make space for the cooling system.
Unfortunately it’s not clear when, or indeed if, the Active CryoFlux cooling system might make it into a consumer device. OnePlus has revealed similar concept devices before, including one with a color-changing back and another with disappearing cameras, and we’re yet to see either technology released out into the world. It’d be a shame if the OnePlus 11 Concept was consigned to the same fate.
How ChatGPT mangled the language of heaven | Letter
Asked to generate a story from an English translation of a letter in Welsh published in the Guardian, the AI chatbot came up with a lot of twaddle, reports Fiona Collins
Ian Watson (Letters, 17 February) asks for a translation of my letter in Welsh (13 February). I did include an English translation in my letter, but only the Welsh was published. I sent a second letter asking the Guardian to publish the translation, as I was having a lot of stick from a certain friend who couldn’t read it, but with no luck. Hopefully Ian’s letter will change the letters editor’s mind.
The English version was as follows: “Thank you very much for the excellent editorial article which sang the praises of the Welsh language … Since you are now so enthusiastic about Welsh, may I, from now on, write to you in the language of heaven?”
Ebay parcel was lost, but the courier can’t trace it
Using the platform to book an Evri delivery signs sellers up to Packlink
Before Christmas my husband used eBay to sell two toys, and went on thesite tobook the parcels firm Evri to deliver them. The problem is that they didn’t arrive. In the pastwe have been able to claim whenever a parcel got lostbut not this time.
We have tried logging onvia the website, chat, or the customer service phone linebut to no avail. Whenever we give Evri the tracking number of our parcels,the company says they cannot be found and to follow “our protocols” for lost parcels.
Crochet enthusiasts asked ChatGPT for patterns. The results are ‘cursed’
The widely popular chatbot is churning out uncanny animal designs and we tried one for a ‘hilarious’ outcome
The meteoric rise of ChatGPT has sparked an artificial intelligence frenzy, stoking fears that the technology could upend jobs, search engines and schools. But online creators have identified one realm yet safe from the computer takeover: fiber arts.
A number of TikTok users have deployed ChatGPT to write patterns for crochet creations, yielding “cursed” results that are testing the boundaries of nascent artificial intelligence capabilities.
For more than a decade, those worried about the reputation of parliament have warned that all-party parliamentary groups (APPGs) can be a problem.
Their supporters say they are a place for like-minded parliamentarians to discuss topics of special interest. But despite their unofficial nature, and with no formal role in the legislative process, APPGs can be a magnet for those who want to get close to MPs and peers – or to pretend that they are for the sake of polishing their reputations.
Does gene editing hold the key to improving mental health?
Research suggests traumatic childhood experiences embed themselves in our brains and put us at risk of mental illness, but epigenetic editing may offer us hope of removing them
The way depression manifested itself in mice in the laboratory of the psychiatrist and neuroscientist Eric Nestler was hauntingly relatable. When put in an enclosure with an unknown mouse, they sat in the corner and showed little interest. When presented with the treat of a sugary drink, they hardly seemed to notice. And when put into water, they did not swim – they just lay there, drifting about.
These mice had been exposed to “social defeat stress”, meaning that older, bigger mice had repeatedly asserted their dominance over them. It is a protocol designed to induce depression in mice, but in Nestler’s lab, it affected some more than others: those with a history of early trauma.
Why Do A.I. Chatbots Tell Lies and Act Weird? Look in the Mirror. One of the pioneers of artificial intelligence argues that chatbots are often prodded into producing strange results by the people who are using them.
European Commission bans staff using TikTok on work devices over security fears
Parent company, ByteDance, says action is ‘misguided’ and has contacted commission to ‘set the record straight’
The EU’s executive body has banned its thousands of staff from using TikTok over cybersecurity concerns, a decision the Chinese-owned social video app has criticised as “misguided” and based on “fundamental misconceptions”.
The European Commission sent an email to employees ordering them to delete the app from all work phones and devices, and any personally owned ones that use the commission’s apps and email. Employees have until 15 March to comply.
Yes, we have no tomatoes: Why shelves are emptying in UK stores
From fresh produce to medicines and computer chips, a cocktail of problems is playing havoc with supply chains
Early on Saturday morning, as Paul Crane, a trader at London’s renowned Borough market, was arranging blood oranges from Valencia on his stall, he admitted that his industry is facing some of the toughest conditions in a quarter of a century.
The wholesale price of tomatoes, peppers and aubergines has quadrupled, and English cauliflowers are up too. Some stallholders are not even selling vine tomatoes because they are just too expensive.
Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone
Nokia G22 has removable back and standard screws allowing battery swap in less than five minutes at home
Nokia has announced one of the first budget Android smartphones designed to be repaired at home allowing users to swap out the battery in under five minutes in partnership with iFixit.
Launched before Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Saturday, the Nokia G22 has a removable back and internal design that allows components to be easily unscrewed and swapped out including the battery, screen and charging port.
Whether this is your first VR headset or just your most recent purchase, here are a handful of tips that might keep you from getting sick, tripping on a cord, running out of battery, or — and we hear this is particularly common — thinking Sony shipped you a blurry VR headset when it’s probably just a trick of the light.
In fact, let’s start with that one.
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
This is how to wear most VR headsets, for that matter.
How to wear the PSVR 2 and avoid blur
If you want a clear image and a comfortable fit that doesn’t drag down on the front of your head, you need to wear it properly. Take a good look at the picture above.
See how the entire headset is tilted slightly upward? See how the back of the headband is beneath the back of my colleague Adi’s head, while the front lies on top of her forehead? That’s what you should be aiming for. The PSVR 2 should rest on your head, secured diagonally — not sandwich the front and back of your head in a vice. In fact, I wouldn’t cinch down the headband at all until you’ve aligned the lenses with your eyes.
Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge
The center-most circle is the sweet spot.
Even if you’ve used a VR headset before, you might think the PSVR 2 looks blurry inside. That’s because Sony’s patented custom Fresnel lenses have a remarkably small sweet spot, which is the only place the image looks perfectly crisp. And you’ll need to physically move the headset on your face to find that sweet spot.
Sony does walk you through a lens alignment tutorial when you first put on the headset — one you can summon again from Settings > Accessories > Adjust Lens Distance if you like — but it only instructs you to twist an adjustment dial on the top left edge of the headset to move the lenses closer or farther apart while the eye-tracking camera estimates the position of your eyes.
Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge
The solid white dots are the locations of my pupils, tracked by the PSVR 2’s eye-tracking camera.
You also need to physically shove the entire eyebox up and down, and maybe even tilt it left or right like you’re straightening a picture on your wall. Want an example? In the photo above, my lenses are the right distance apart, but the entire headset isn’t yet level.
If you’ve done it right, you should see an incredibly sharp image when you’re looking straight ahead, crisp enough to make out the edges of pixels.
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
If you’ve got particularly long or thick hair, you could also put it in a ponytail above the headband.
Then, you can finish cinching down the headset with that clicky dial. It shouldn’t feel like it’s squeezing your brain; just twist until you don’t lose that sweet spot when you shake your head up, down, left and right.
How to deal with the PSVR 2’s cord
The more games my colleagues and I play on the PSVR 2, the more we get tangled up in its 14.7-foot cord. Turns out it’s especially easy to trip when you’re playing intense, death-dodging games like Pistol Whip, Pavlov and Resident Evil Village.
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
We don’t have any perfect solutions, but here’s what we do for now:
1) Put your PS5 on the floor if you can. You don’t want to yank it to the ground. Remember, you don’t need the PS5 plugged into your TV once you’ve set up the headset.
2) Start your game facing away from your PS5 if possible, so the cord’s behind you and not underfoot. With games like Pistol Whip where you don’t need to turn around much, that can sometimes be enough.
3) You can start a game facing any direction you want by holding down the Start/Options button to reset your position in VR.
4) Try sliding your feet across the ground instead of stepping so you can easily feel the cord. Wear socks or go barefoot instead of shoes, slippers and sandals.
5) If you do get tangled, simply turn the opposite direction to face the way you want. Make three lefts instead of making a right, or vice versa.
How to avoid getting sick in VR
Some people don’t get sick at all in VR. Some always feel sick because of how the technology generally works; any headset that puts magnifying lenses in front of a flat screen can trigger a vergence-accommodation conflict. And people who do get sick can sometimes get their “VR legs” over time.
But if you’re in the majority of VR enthusiasts who get occasionally get sick and simply want to avoid it — like us — here are a few tips that might help.
Always turn by turning your actual head and body — never by moving a thumbstick.
Your body might be uncomfortable if you move in the game without moving the same way in the real world. When I flick a thumbstick to turn right, without turning my head right, I typically get the sweats pretty quick. Some games, like Resident Evil Village, suggest you should do it with a thumbstick, but you always have the choice to move your real body instead.
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Turn on comfort settings like tunneling.
Most VR games have dedicated comfort settings, and the best ones will ask you right away. At a minimum, you’ll typically find tunneling, which narrows your field of view whenever you move. That can dramatically reduce motion sickness, and you can typically turn it down (or off) later as you get used to VR games.
If you insist on using a joystick to turn, many games will let you pick snap turns instead of smooth turns, which snap you 30 or 45 or more degrees to the left or right and can be less triggering.
Move by teleporting if possible.
While some games (Resident Evil Village, Pavlov) don’t offer teleport move because it breaks immersion and could be unfair in multiplayer games, many single-player titles will let you aim at a spot on the ground nearby to teleport to that location. Of the many ways to move move in VR, it’s one of the more comfortable — you know where you’re going, but don’t have to experience the act of getting there.
Make sure your headset and controllers aren’t drifting.
One of the quickest ways to get sick in VR is when your virtual head and / or hands start drifting out of place — and with the PSVR 2, that can happen when bright lights are pointed directly at the headset’s cameras, interrupting their motion tracking, or when the room’s too dark to track.
While Sony’s headset may pop up a warning if things are far too dark or bright, I’ve also seen them silently drift when a single bright bulb is aimed at my head. When I aimed the overhead lighting differently, the problem went away.
If you do have a TV in the room, you can also turn on Tracking Support in Settings > Accessories > PlayStation VR2 to use it as an additional marker to stabilize tracking.
Just don’t play overly triggering games.
I will not play Kayak VR again because the act of sitting in a kayak while paddling smoothly set my brain on fire... even though I feel fine driving a car in Gran Turismo 7. Your mileage may vary. Resident Evil Village’s VR mode includes cutscenes where the game takes control of your head and bobs it around, shoves it to the floor, and even drags it along the ground. Forcing your head to move in ways your actual head is not moving is typically a no-no in VR, and Adi and I did not enjoy it here.
Take breaks.
Seriously, if you start to feel the sweats or a twinge in your stomach or a slight dizziness, stop playing right away. Come back later when it’s gone. It’ll be hard to build your VR legs if even the thought of VR makes you feel sick.
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Cutting down on other cables
While there’s no way to get rid of the PSVR 2’s primary cord yet, you can get some other cables out of the way.
For example, the PSVR 2’s built-in earbuds don’t need to dangle when they’re not in use: you can fit them into little tabbed circular openings built into the headset.
And though most replacement headphones might have a longer cable, you can go for completely wireless audio by plugging a headset’s USB wireless audio dongle into your PS5. We tried it with our SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless, though there are plenty of cheaper options too. Bluetooth audio is not supported, though.
You may also want a better way to keep your PlayStation VR2 Sense controller charged, because individually plugging each of them into the PS5 with a pair of USB-C cables can be a bit awkward. Sony sells its own $50 controller charging station with a pair of pogo-pin adapters that slot into the controller’s USB-C ports so you can just set them down to charge, but we can’t necessarily recommend that either: it’s really easy to set them down wrong and find them nearly dead the next day. Though Sony advertises a “click-in design,” it’s nowhere near the reassuring click you get from the company’s DualSense Charging Station for the PS5’s standard gamepads.
The Furniture Hustlers of Silicon Valley As tech companies cut costs and move to remote work, their left-behind office furniture has become part of a booming trade.
The PlayStation 5 bundle with God of War Ragnarök is $30 off at Woot
We’re thankfully beyond the days of restock alerts, so we’re finally getting to some DEALS. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Back in January, Sony said the PlayStation 5 shortage was ending. We’re now starting to see some irrefutable proof of that because not only are the consoles readily available at most retailers but also Woot is selling the PS5 for an actual discount. Right now, you can get the PS5 console bundle withGod of War Ragnarökfor $529.99 from Woot, a $30 discount off the bundle’s normal price. Note: it is exclusively offered through Woot’s app.
While this deal may be going up in the middle of the night (it started at 1AM) and is scheduled to last a full day, it’s best that you act quickly because there’s a good chance it will sell out before the day is over. If you haven’t yet gotten yourself a PS5, this is a nice opportunity to get one paired with the biggest Sony exclusive of 2022 — buying the bundle means that you’re essentially getting God of War Ragnarök for $30 ($40 off its standalone price). Ragnarök is an excellent open-world follow-up to 2018’s God of War reboot — and one of the biggest games of 2022.
This is the standard version of Sony’s console with a Blu-ray disc drive, in addition to the included 825GB SSD that’s present on both it and the cheaper Digital Edition of the PS5. (Note that about 667GB of that storage is actually usable.) Despite the presence of a disc drive, this bundle gives you its included flagship game as a voucher code for a digital download, which is totally fine but perhaps not ideal if you prefer physical copies to collect or resell later.
Image: Santa Monica Studio
Boy! An actual deal on the PS5!
Rishi Sunak faces calls to ban TikTok use by government officials
PM under pressure to follow EU and US in taking step over fears Chinese-owned app poses cybersecurity risk
Rishi Sunak has been urged to ban government officials from using TikTok in line with moves by the EU and US, amid growing cybersecurity fears over China.
Officials in Europe and the US have been told to limit the use of the Chinese-owned social video app over concerns that data can be accessed by Beijing.
Apple takes another step towards ads on TV Plus
Ads may be coming to Ted Lasso. | Image: Apple
Apple has made a notable hire that could signal its intent to move into ads on Apple TV Plus. The company has hired advertising exec Lauren Fry to “to help build a video advertising business for its Apple TV Plus streaming service,” according to The Information.
Apple has been turning more to ads to help grow its revenues; it added new ad placements in the App Store last year and reportedly wants to bring ads to apps like Maps, Books, and Podcasts, so it’s not surprising that it’s looking at ads for TV Plus as well. And this hire isn’t even the first exploration of ads with its streaming offerings, as it has run ads against its Major League Baseball games and is reportedly building an ad network around its streaming service with Major League Soccer.
Currently, Apple TV Plus is only available with a paid subscription that recently got more expensive, so an ad-supported tier that’s presumably more affordable could be one way for Apple to bring in new subscribers. At this point, having an ad-supported tier of a streaming service is pretty common — Netflix and Disney Plus got them last year, while HBO Max’s ads plan launched in June 2021 — and in hiring Fry, it appears Apple is moving forward with plans to eventually run ads alongside shows like Ted Lasso and Severance.
Apple didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.
Microsoft Reined in Bing and Reddit’s Chief Executive Steve Huffman Defends Section 230 And what Meta’s new paid verification program means for the future of social media.
New mobile puck will allow smartphones to send texts via satellite
Low-cost device launched to solve mobile blackspots with SOS and two-way texting for Android and iPhone
The Defy Satellite link gives any Android or iPhone an instant upgrade with the ability to send and receive text messages via satellite, solving the problem of mobile dead zones for emergencies and wilderness adventures.
Announced ahead of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and produced by the British phone manufacturer Bullitt under the Motorola brand, the Satellite link connects to a normal smartphone via Bluetooth and uses an app to send not only SOS messages but general two-way chat via texts.
How killer robots are changing modern warfare – video
Uncrewed combat aerial vehicles, or attack drones, have become a common feature of the modern battlefield. Russia has deployed them to terrorise civilians in Ukraine and disable essential infrastructure, and Ukraine has also relied heavily on drones for attack, reconnaissance and surveillance. But these aren't the only 'killer robots' that armies are utilising. Josh Toussaint-Strauss explores how the weaponisation of general-purpose robots and the developments of a wider array of advanced mobile robotics and AI powered machine are changing the dynamics of modern warfare in ways that have prompted leading robotics companies and the UN to raise the alarm and call for greater restrictions
After a year-long struggle, the boutique maker of stealthy electric bikes finally gets it right.
Yes, that’s an e-bike, despite the hidden battery and motor that’s so quiet and diminutive that nobody would expect it. It’s built by Ampler, which isn’t a household name — but should be.
Founded in 2014, the Estonia-based company was one of the first to recognize that sleekly designed e-bikes are an ideal form of clean and convenient urban transport for young commuters at a time when bicycles with ugly bolt-on batteries were still the domain of cycling septuagenarians. Now, Ampler is back with five models of e-bikes injected with all the know-how the company has accumulated since.
I’ve been testing Ampler’s Yoda-green Axel in Amsterdam, where the company recently opened a showroom and service center, its fifth in Europe. I actually started this review a year ago, but a series of issues, both in and out of Ampler’s control, created quite a few issues and delays that I’ll go into later.
The Axel e-bike isn’t as aggressively styled as Ampler’s Curt or as relaxed as the Juna or Stellar models. Nor is it as sturdy as the company’s Stout. For me, Axel sits right at the sweet spot of sporty yet practical. It’s for anyone looking to travel long distances on a well-made commuter bike that’s also great for running errands around town — so long as you live in Europe and can afford its €2,790 (about $2,970) price tag.
But hey, shipping is free.
Wait, that’s an electric bike?
Refreshingly, Ampler is an e-bike company, not an e-bike plus services company that tries to tempt you with costly upsells like European rivals VanMoof and Cowboy. Ampler also uses lots of industry-standard parts that your local bike shop can procure and service, assuming the supply chain hasn’t been upended, as it has been for much of the last three years.
The Ampler Axel from the summer of 2022, when this review began (click hereto enlarge).
The first thing you notice about the Axel is that it looks like an ordinary bike. That’s because Ampler integrates the battery into the downtube as it does on every model the company sells. The tiny 250W motor (400W peak) of custom Ampler design is located in the hub of the rear wheel. The result is a great-looking e-bike, though one drawback is a non-removable battery (it comes out only for service), which could complicate charging for many city dwellers. Fortunately, though, should you need to maneuver it inside a building or hoist it up and down some stairs, the Axel is relatively light at 16.3kg (almost 36 pounds).
Axel comes in two sizes to fit riders from 172 to 200cm (5ft 8in to 6ft 7in). The rear carrier on my review bike is a €60 option (about $64), but the excellent front and rear lights, fenders, and kickstand all come standard. Axel is currently only available in this matte-green finish I rather enjoy.
Ampler has also done a better job hiding the cables on its second-generation e-bikes. Not only does that make this Axel e-bike look better — it prevents anything from getting snagged when trying to lock the bike in crowded parking stands.
Okay, but how does it ride?
Riding the Axel is comfortable and intuitive. The saddle felt good even after longer rides, and the grips offer an extra degree of sponginess needed to offset the hand-heavy forward stance. The single-speed Gates Carbon belt drive means no shifting and no maintenance of a messy chain and derailleur. And because Axel is fitted with a torque sensor, the pedal-assisted power is delivered in harmony with the pressure you exert on each downstroke.
Still, starting the single-speed bike on even a moderate slope can be a bit of a struggle for the bike’s rated 45Nm of max torque, even in the most powerful pedal-assist mode. If that concerns you, then maybe consider the 11-speed Ampler Curt or nine-speed Stout and Stellar models. The Axel’s motor does a better job at leveling out those hills as they arrive during the commute, however. The throttle-less e-bike offers two pedal-assisted riding modes, which can be toggled in the app or by tapping the button located beneath the on-bike display. It shows the basics, like charge level and trip statistics. The button can also be used to turn the bike on and of, as well as the lights, without having to resort to the app.
The Axel’s relatively fat Continental Contact Urban 50-584 tires feel fantastic on a commuter bike. They soak up bumps reasonably well and make the bike feel stable, even while carrying heavy loads like groceries in bags slung from the grips, a Christmas tree laid across the length, or even a new friend perched precariously on the rear rack after a night out. They also survived a direct hit to chunks of shattered glass from a smashed bottle on the street during my testing — damn tourists.
I did all my testing in max power on mostly flat roads, allowing me to take the 48V 336Wh battery from 100 percent to empty in 54km (33.6 miles). A few other range tests petered out in the low 40km range, however. That’s mostly consistent with Ampler’s claim of 50km to 100km on a single charge. You can, of course, ride the Axel without any power at all if you run out of juice or just looking for the exercise. Otherwise, it will recharge in a little less than 2.5 hours using the included 3A charger.
Measuring speed on a Garmin watch, the motor usually stops providing assistance at around 27km/h, which Ampler says is within the 25km/h max speed tolerances allowed by the EU. Two-piston hydraulic brakes at the front and back bring the Axel to a stop with confidence and control, with the added benefit of the rear nighttime running light serving as a brake indicator.
The Ampler motor is essentially silent, easily masked by the din of the city and wind in my ears. Some early Axels I tested had a noisy freewheel, but my final review model sounded just right when coasting. Taken together with the styling, tiny motor, and fact that the display shuts off as soon as you get up to speed, nobody riding next to an Axel will know it’s an e-bike.
Another way Ampler stands apart is with control over its own firmware and app development. The app connects to the bike over Bluetooth and opens to a customizable dashboard showing charge, speed, and range remaining. It can also be used to lock the motor, show the bike’s location, and monitor historical ride statistics. The app is also needed to send firmware updates to Ampler’s new bikes, allowing them to be serviced in the field, sometimes before owners even know there’s a problem. For me, the app strikes a good balance of being useful without trying to do too much, unlike many other e-bike apps out there.
Ampler’s locking feature is a bit underwhelming at the moment. Locking the Axel does two things. First, it prevents the pedal assist from being turned on until the motor is unlocked in the app — but the bike can still be pedaled away. Second, it causes the front and rear lights to silently flash if the bike is jostled.
The new location tracking works, but its precision can be hit-and-miss. Connectivity depends upon the availability of LTE-M and 2G services in the area, and Amsterdam’s narrow streets that cut through block after block of six-story buildings created a challenge for the Axel. For example, as I type this, the bike is parked outside my building (I hope!), locked to a rack with relatively clear views of the sky. However, the Ampler app still shows its location from six hours ago. Unsurprisingly, tracking usually didn’t work on the ground floor of my house, where even my smartphone often fails to connect to my network provider.
Ampler tells me that an upcoming March software update will help the accuracy issue by pulling location information from connected phones over Bluetooth. And it seems to be working fine elsewhere. “We have already plenty of happy customers reporting to us how they found the stolen bike thanks to the GPS,” said Ampler co-founder and CEO Ardo Kaurit in an email exchange.
What about those delays?
While the company considers the launch of the new Ampler lineup announced last year a success, growing sales by 70 percent compared to 2021, the company still wasn’t able to meet covid-induced demand due to a myriad of issues.
Amsterdam’s Ampler showroom and service center opened last year just steps from Central Station (click hereto enlarge).
Long story short: the company’s launch of five new e-bikes built around a new platform developed in-house for the first time was overly ambitious. Early issues with volume production and defective parts were exacerbated by a Russian invasion of Ampler’s Ukrainian neighbors, followed by waves of covid lockdowns in China that turned the global supply chain upside down — at least that’s how Ampler’s Kaurit explained it to me.
More specifically, the company struggled early on with defective displays that delayed assembly at its Estonian factory, where everything is designed and engineered. And when customers did receive their new e-bikes, some discovered a battery issue that required them to send their expensive vehicles back for warranty repairs. The company also had issues with its in-house developed connectivity solution. Fortunately, some of those problems were solved by over-the-air updates to the bike’s firmware and app.
From March to August 2022, I tried — and returned — three different Ampler e-bikes all suffering from a variety of problems. The company is now confident enough with its production that it sent me a new Axel to test a few weeks ago. “I am happy to say that we have solved all those issues,” said Kaurit. And for what it’s worth, I believe him.
Kaurit has always been excessively transparent about Ampler’s successes, failures, and blindspots. Hell, I’ve known the guy since 2016, when he drove almost 1,500 miles from Tallinn to deliver a prototype of the company’s first commercial e-bike to me just so I could test it. The Axel I’ve ridden almost every day for the last few weeks has been issue free and, aside from slow location updates, performs like a premium e-bike should.
Having said that, if I bought an Ampler, I’d want to live close to one of the company’s nine service centers around Europe, just to be safe. But assuring you can get easy service is my advice for anyone that drops over €2,000 for an e-bike, no matter the brand. At that price, you’re buying a daily commuter that should be available every single day without fail for years to come. Service and repairs are an inevitability for a computer-controlled machine used outdoors in all kinds of weather — so it’s best to be prepared.
Ampler’s new range of e-bikes is designed to appeal to every type of rider. Frame geometries support riders both short and tall and those who prefer to cruise along in an upright position or bomb down hills with a forward lean. It took a while to work out the kinks, but in 2023, Axel has proven to be an excellent e-bike that should be on your shortlist if you’re in the market for a sporty daily commuter that looks as good as it performs.
The best phone to buy right now
Photo Illustration by William Joel / The Verge
Bad news: flagship phones cost a small fortune these days. Good news: we can help you pick the right one and get the most for your money.
Modern flagship smartphones are little engineering marvels. And they should be since they start around $800 and can cost well over $1,000. They tend to last upwards of four or five years, so the high cost is a little easier to swallow, but it’s still a major purchase for most of us.
To make sure you get the most for your investment, we’ve picked out the best of the best. The phones highlighted below may be pricey, but they deliver excellent daily performance and great cameras and will keep on running well into the foreseeable future. Just bear in mind that a new crop of flagship phones are likely right around the corner — along with the trade-in deals and carrier freebies that go along with them. Android fans especially may want to hold off and see what the next few weeks bring.
If you’re looking to spend a little less and still get the best smartphone on a budget, you can find something really good for under $500. For those recommendations, you can check out our guide to budget smartphones.
The best phones of 2023
Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge
If you aren’t concerned with getting the very latest features, then the iPhone 13 is a great buy in 2023.
The iPhone 14 seems like the obvious choice for anyone who needs a new iPhone but doesn’t want to step up to the 14 Pro. But hear me out: the iPhone 13 does almost everything that the 14 does, and it’s $100 cheaper. Sure, if your carrier is offering you a good trade-in offer or dirt-cheap financing for the 14 or you want the (slight) year-over-year upgrades, then go ahead and get that one. It’s great! But if trade-in deal season is over or you’re paying out of pocket, we think the standard iPhone 13 is the better buy; the $799 14’s improvements are so minor that they’re not worth the extra money.
By opting for the 13, you don’t miss out on anything as far as the screen or processor is concerned. The iPhone 13 features a 6.1-inch screen with a standard refresh rate — no smooth-scrolling ProMotion here — as does the 14. There’s an A15 Bionic chipset in both phones, and although the 14’s is a slight upgrade with an extra GPU core, they both deliver excellent performance. They’re both MagSafe compatible for wireless charging and IP68-rated for robust water and dust resistance.
Upgrading to the 14 does get you a slightly better camera system, but the improvements are subtle. The ultrawide and front-facing cameras do better in low light compared to the 13, and the main camera features a bigger sensor that’s able to hold on to detail in dim conditions a little better. But for the most part, you have to go looking for these differences in fine details — most people viewing their images at web- and social-media-friendly sizes won’t see what’s changed.
You’ll miss out on a couple of emergency features, too. The 14 includes a new Crash Detection feature that uses specialized sensors to recognize when a car crash has happened and automatically call emergency services. There’s a satellite-based emergency messaging service, too, for when you’re out of cell range. For a small group of people, these services might be worth upgrading for, but they’re likely things that most of us can do without.
From the outside, the iPhone 14 and 13 look almost identical. There are some physical differences to note, though. The first is that you can’t just use an iPhone 13 case on the 14 because the camera bump is a bit bigger. And below the glass and aluminum surface of the iPhone 14, Apple made some changes that enable much easier repairs to the back panel. That means out-of-pocket repairs will likely cost less, and if you’re a DIYer, it’s a much less daunting task to take on yourself.
There are a handful of other interesting new iPhone features this time around, but they’re reserved for the Pro models. If you consider yourself an early adopter or you just want the very best iPhone you can buy right now, it’s worth stepping up to the Pro. But if you’re just looking for a reliable device to get you through your day, take great photos and video, and keep the blue-bubble chat a-flowin’, then the iPhone 13 will serve you just as well as the 14 — for a little less money.
Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge
The S23 Plus includes a big screen and a highly capable Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset.
The S23 Plus is a minor update to its predecessor, but the upgrades are good ones. It still has a large 6.6-inch display with a smooth-scrolling 120Hz top refresh rate, and it’s a lovely screen to use — not as high-res as the Google Pixel 7 Pro’s 1440p display, but it’s top-notch. Some tweaks to the display tech and a bigger 4,700mAh battery give the S23 Plus stronger battery performance than its predecessor, so you can get through a full day of heavy use with a little more wiggle room than the outgoing model afforded.
There’s also a new chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. It’s included in all models sold across the globe, and that’s a good thing — it is whip-fast. It handles daily tasks without a problem and heavier tasks like gaming with remarkable ease. Otherwise, there’s a lot that’s familiar about the S23 Plus. It still starts at $999, though the base model now comes with 256GB of built-in storage.
The rear triple-camera system is also recycled from last year’s model, and for the most part, that’s fine. The 50-megapixel main sensor produces punchy, vibrant 12-megapixel photos by default. Portrait mode photos from either the main sensor or 3x telephoto camera are fantastic, with excellent subject isolation. Outside of portrait mode, the 3x camera looks a lot more average. It’s a shorter focal length than the 5x telephoto on the Pixel 7 Pro, so it’s a bit less useful for distant subjects.
Our least favorite part of a Samsung phone is the out-of-box software experience, as it comes with a lot of duplicate apps to replace or accompany Google’s stock apps like Messages, Google Calendar, and Google Assistant. Unless you’re a Bixby fan, you’ll need to take a little time to de-Samsung the S23 Plus. The Pixel 7 Pro offers a much more streamlined experience right out of the gate. But there’s good news: the phone ships with One UI 5.1 and is slated to receive four more OS platform upgrades and five years of security updates. That means you can keep using the phone safely well into the future and get the most out of your investment.
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
The 6.7-inch Pro Max (left) and the 6.1-inch Pro (right) both introduce some worthwhile new features to the iPhone lineup.
For a lot of iPhone owners, this isn’t an upgrade year, especially if you’re coming from a 12 or a 13. But if you do need a new iPhone right now and you want the very best device, then Pro is the way to go. The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max usher in some new ideas from Apple that the standard 14 doesn’t get, like the “Dynamic Island,” a playful mash-up of hardware and software that turns the notch into a shape-shifting status indicator. It’s handy for system-level info, like whether your AirDrop went through, and it’s getting more useful as third party app-makers start to use it. There’s also a new high-resolution camera and an always-on display.
The iPhone 14 Pro, which starts at $999, is the very best iPhone you can buy right now. But it’s a bit of an early adopter special. There’s plenty that’s good but a lot of room for Apple to fine-tune and improve these features over the coming years. If you’re not ready to spend a thousand dollars on the first iteration of a new design, then look at the previous-gen iPhone 13. The standard iPhone 14 is an incremental upgrade over the 13 and doesn’t get you that much more; the 13 is still available and starts at $699. That’s our choice for most people, but the 14 Pro does have a lot to offer.
The 14 Pro comes with a 6.1-inch screen, and the Pro Max has a 6.7-inch screen. They’re both ProMotion displays like the 13 models, with adaptive refresh rates that go up to 120Hz for smooth scrolling and animations. New to this generation is an always-on display: when you lock your phone, the screen dims and drops into a low-power mode, with frame rates as low as 1Hz, but the clock, widgets, and wallpaper all remain visible. This means you can check the time or see if you have notifications without having to wake the display.
The display’s other new trick is, of course, Dynamic Island. Apple took the notch — the area of the screen that houses the front-facing camera and Face ID sensors — and turned it into a pill-shaped cutout that appears to expand dynamically (get it?) to show system indicators and notifications. It’s a handy place to quickly see what your phone is doing, whether it’s playing back music, sending files via AirDrop, or using navigation. It’s nice, but it’s something Apple and third-party developers will keep making more useful over the next few years — definitely not something to upgrade for right now.
The 14 Pro also has a new 48-megapixel main camera, which uses pixel binning to maximize light sensitivity and produce 12-megapixel images. The real-world improvements are subtle, with more fine detail in shadows and in low light, but the differences compared to a standard 12-megapixel sensor in the iPhone 14 are hard to see unless you’re looking really closely. The higher-resolution sensor also enables a 2x telephoto mode that’s essentially a 12-megapixel crop from the middle of the sensor. It’s the new default view for portrait mode, and it’s one that feels like a happy medium between the wide and 3x telephoto that have been the only options on iPhones past.
Outside of the new stuff, there’s a lot that’s familiar. The phone’s battery gets through a moderate day of use, though it seems to run down a little faster than the 13 Pro. The camera may not be the leap forward in photography that Apple claims it is, but it’s still one of the best in the game and records stunning video clips. And the new A16 Bionic chipset handles intensive tasks like gaming without a problem.
Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge
The Galaxy S23 Ultra stands alone with a maximalist feature set.
The S23 Ultra is Samsung’s kitchen sink flagship phone. It’s a maximalist experience with a built-in stylus, four rear cameras (including two telephotos), a massive 6.8-inch screen, and the top-shelf Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset. It’s hard to imagine what you could cram into this device without turning it into a foldable (please turn it into a foldable, Samsung).
All that hardware comes at a high starting price of $1,200, so it’s not our top pick for just anyone looking for a great Android phone. But if you’re looking for the best of the best — particularly if you live in the US where choice is limited — it’s at the very top of our list. The camera system is impressive; portrait mode photos are excellent, and it’s capable of very good images all the way to 30x zoom. There’s a new 200-megapixel main camera sensor at the heart of the rear camera array, and it does a good job of bringing out fine details in both good lighting and low light conditions.
The integrated S Pen isn’t new or updated for 2023, but it’s still a nice tool to have at the ready when you need to jot down a quick note. That massive screen is detailed and scrolling is smooth, with a variable refresh rate up to 120Hz all the way down to 1Hz. The sizeable 5,000mAh battery powers it through a day of heavy use, but don’t count on getting a lot more than one day out of it.
Our usual gripes with Samsung software apply here, too, and if anything they’re a little more glaring on such a pricey phone. The phone will happily download a bunch of extra apps you probably don’t want during setup, although you can opt out of a fair chunk of them and hide most of the ones you can’t uninstall. But Samsung’s healthy software support policy is fitting of a $1,200 phone: you’ll get four OS platform upgrades and five years of security updates. Not quite as good as Apple, but among the best on Android.
Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge
The iPhone 13 Mini has all the same cameras and features as its siblings but packs a smaller battery for light users.
The iPhone 13 Mini is one of very few small phones on the market with top-tier features and specs; you don’t have to compromise on performance, build quality, or cameras. Apple didn’t announce a new Mini with the 14 series, instead opting for a big-and-bigger approach with the 6.1-inch 14 and 6.7-inch 14 Plus. The 13 Mini is likely your last shot at a small, highly functional iPhone, so get it while you can.
Though it’s much smaller in size than pretty much every other modern smartphone, the Mini’s 5.4-inch screen is still big enough for text messaging, email, web browsing, apps, video, and games, and if you’re coming from an iPhone 6, 7, or 8, it will feel quite spacious. But it’s also small enough that most adults, even those with small hands, will be able to comfortably reach all of the screen with their thumb. You won’t need a PopSocket on this one.
One important downside to a smaller phone: the iPhone 13 Mini has a smaller battery that probably won’t last a power user through a whole day without a charge. It’s really designed for someone who isn’t glued to their phone all day. Otherwise, the Mini is the same phone as the iPhone 13: it has the same design, processor, cameras, 5G support, and build quality as the larger model. It’s just smaller and has a smaller price tag — about $100 less.
If you prefer Android, the Asus Zenfone 9 is a good alternative. It’s a little bigger than the 13 Mini, with a 5.9-inch screen, and it doesn’t work on Verizon, but it’s otherwise a very similar proposition: great build quality, top-notch processor, and high-end features like a 120Hz screen are all tucked into a pocket-friendly device.
Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge
The less expensive 6A offers most of what the pricier flagship models include, starting with the custom Tensor chipset.
The Pixel 6A follows the same budget phone recipe Google has used for years: deliver core Google features in a stripped-down device with just the basics. In previous years, that meant getting the same camera system as the flagships. That recipe changed slightly with the 6A. Now, you get the same Tensor custom chipset as the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro but an older camera system. It’s a recipe that works: the Pixel 6A is a great all-around budget device, and even without the latest hardware, it still offers one of the best cameras in its class. And although its processor is one generation behind the very newest Pixel phones, you’re not missing out on much in terms of new features, and performance is still top-notch.
The 6A includes a 1080p 6.1-inch screen with a standard 60Hz refresh rate, and this is one area where Google made a sacrifice to hit a lower price point. The 6 and 6 Pro feature faster refresh rate screens, and you’ll even find other budget phones with faster refresh rates, like the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G. This is only something you’ll miss if you’re coming from a phone with a high refresh rate screen, so don’t worry about it if your current phone has a regular ol’ 60Hz display. There’s also no wireless charging, and it’s rated IP67, so water resistance isn’t quite as robust as on the Pixel 6.
The cameras are a step behind Google’s current flagships, but the stabilized main 12-megapixel camera and 12-megapixel ultrawide are still highly capable — especially compared to the rest of the midrange class. Google’s image processing is smart, and Tensor enables some interesting software features, like Face Unblur, which uses information from both rear cameras to keep human photo subjects looking sharp, even in dim lighting.
Most of all, Tensor puts the Pixel 6A’s day-to-day performance on par with the 6 and 6 Pro. And it should keep up for a long time: the phone will get security updates through July 2027. Sure, the 6A misses out on a few nice things, but it’s got it where it counts.
Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge
The Flip 4 is a modern take on the classic flip phone format.
When the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is flipped open, you get a big 6.7-inch screen that handles just like the slab-style smartphone you’re used to. But fold it in half, like the flip phones of yore, and you can use its small outer screen to see basic widgets and read notifications. It’s unconventional, but it’s also fun and kinda stylish. It’s a great choice if you’re feeling a little bit adventurous — it’s still the early days for this form factor — and you’d appreciate a way to quickly check info on your phone without having to fully engage with it.
The Flip 4 is the definition of an incremental upgrade, but when you’re talking about a phone that folds in half, that’s still a pretty impressive achievement. It’s the same basic size and shape as the Flip 3, with a slightly slimmer hinge and some squared-off corners. It’s still IPX8 water resistant (no dust resistance, so please don’t take it to the beach), and the cover screen is still a tiny 1.9 inches — big enough to read an email subject line or check the current weather but not big enough to do much more than that.
The inner screen is protected by stronger ultrathin glass than the Flip 3. There’s a non-user-replaceable screen protector in place, as there was on the previous model, but the adhesive that attaches it is stronger this time around. That will hopefully avoid the bubbling problem seen by some owners of previous-gen foldables.
The Flip 4’s cameras are mostly the same as the Flip 3’s, and they’re still a bit behind what you’d expect from your garden-variety flagship phone. There’s a 12-megapixel main camera with slightly bigger pixels than the last one, a 12-megapixel ultrawide, and a 10-megapixel selfie camera. Most other phones priced at $999 will throw in a telephoto lens of some kind, but not the Z Flip 4. Still, it’s a lot of fun taking pictures and recording videos in the phone’s L-shaped Flex mode. (Just try and name another phone that comes with its own built-in kickstand.)
If you’re a Flip 3 owner, there’s nothing about the Flip 4 worth upgrading for. In fact, many of the new software-based features introduced with the 4 are already making their way to the 3. And there are still plenty of ways Samsung could improve on its design: making it slimmer, more durable, and increasing the size of the cover screen, for a start. The Flip 4 offers some valuable refinements over the 3 that make it feel like a more mature product and less of a concept. There are likely significant improvements coming down the line for the Flip series, but right now, it’s undeniably fun and different.
Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge
The Z Fold 4 is pricey, but there’s nothing else quite like it on the market.
The Fold 4 is Samsung’s latest folding phone, and it is a pricey multitasking powerhouse — a phone and a tablet wrapped up in one device. Like the Fold 3 before it, it’s sized like a skinny smartphone that fits in your pocket, but it unfolds to reveal a tablet-sized 7.6-inch display on the inside.
That inside screen makes everything from reading books and browsing the web to watching videos and playing games more enjoyable and immersive. When you’re done using it, just fold it back up and stick it in your pocket just like any other phone. You can use the 6.2-inch outer screen for simpler tasks like you would on a slab-style smartphone, but the big screen is there when you need it. The Fold 4 is undeniably a gadget person’s gadget, best suited for someone who wants to get the absolute most out of their mobile device, cost be damned.
The Fold 4’s outer screen looks and handles like any other slab-style smartphone screen; unfold the device and you’re looking at something quite different. For starters, there’s a non-user-replaceable screen protector glued to the inner display to protect against scratches — the ultrathin glass that allows it to fold is easily damaged without it. The whole device is IPX8-rated, meaning it offers robust water resistance but no dust resistance. Folding phones: not recommended for the beach.
On the software side, the Fold 4 provides a lot of ways to get the most out of that big screen. There are new multitasking interface options that make it easy to open apps in multiple windows or use it in an L-shape like a laptop. These features are already becoming available to the Fold 3, so nobody should run out and upgrade from the previous-gen folding phone just for the software improvements.
The Galaxy Fold 4 is just brimming with cameras, including a 3x telephoto zoom lens, upgraded from a 2x zoom on the outgoing model. There are also 12-megapixel standard wide and ultrawide cameras on the rear panel, plus a 10-megapixel selfie camera on the outside and a 4-megapixel under-display camera on the inside. Image quality is on par with the S23 and S23 Plus, including a great portrait mode. You’d get a more powerful set of cameras on the significantly less expensive S23 Ultra, but the Ultra doesn’t fold in half.
The Fold 4 has evolved beyond the early hardware hiccups of the first Fold phones in the series, and it’s a device you could actually use as your daily driver — not just as a cool gadget that stays at home. The refinements over the Fold 3 are minor, like slightly wider aspect ratios on the screens and better adhesive on the non-user-replaceable inner screen protector, but they push the Fold a little closer to the mainstream. With apologies to the also-ran Microsoft Surface Duo 2, there’s just nothing else like it on the market — if you’re willing to pay the very high $1,800 premium.
Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge
The OnePlus 11 5G performs like a flagship but doesn’t cost quite as much as one.
After a little journey of self-discovery, OnePlus has finally come back around to its strength: making not-quite flagship phones that cost less than the high-end devices from Samsung and Google. The OnePlus 11 costs $699, includes a fantastic Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, has an excellent 6.7-inch screen, and comes with a great software support policy with four OS upgrades and five years of security updates. That alone makes it a very competitive option.
However, OnePlus cut a couple of corners to get to that relatively low price. It comes with an IP64 rating for splash resistance, which is less robust than the IP68 rating most devices in this price bracket carry — they can withstand full immersion in water. There’s also no wireless charging, another feature that virtually every other phone over $500 includes. Instead, you get super-fast wired charging: 80W if you’re in the US and 100W elsewhere. That’s enough to fully charge the phone in less than 30 minutes. You have to use the included charger and cable, and they don’t deliver the same speeds as other devices — bummer. But hey! There’s a charger in the box.
That’s the bad news. Back to the good news: the OnePlus 11 works on all three major 5G networks in the US right out of the gate — previous devices came with patchy 5G support at launch. The fan-favorite three-stage alert slider is back after taking a hiatus on the OnePlus 10T. And the 1440p OLED offers excellent detail along with smooth scrolling thanks to a 120Hz top refresh rate. It’s a great screen for the price.
The OnePlus 11’s bottom line is that it delivers excellent performance for less than you’d typically pay for a phone with the flagship chipset du jour. If you can live without wireless charging and you’re not concerned about the lack of waterproofing, then you’ll find it’s a great deal.
Other good phones
There are a few other devices that didn’t quite make the cut for any of the above categories but are still worth mentioning. The Samsung S23 Plus just edged out the Google Pixel 7 Pro as our pick for the best Android phone for most people. It’s still a great device, and the $899 price tag is attractive (and often marked down). We like its software out-of-the-box better than Samsung’s, and its camera system sometimes outdoes the S23 Plus’ — especially with its longer 5x telephoto lens. But while its custom Tensor G2 chipset is capable, it’s unclear how it will hold up in the long run.
Pixel 6 and 7 owners have also reported their fair share of software bugs and unusual hardware problems. Google seems to be doing the right thing and repairing phones under warranty, and the Pixel series’ frequent updates mean that bugs are usually fixed in a timely manner. Samsung, on the other hand, is pretty much on cruise control with the S23 Plus.
The iPhone 14 Plus is worth considering if you prefer iOS and you like a bigger phone. If the 14 Pro feels like overkill but you want a big screen and a big battery, then the 14 Plus is a good alternative. It costs less than the $1,099 Pro Max, though its $899 price isn’t exactly cheap. But like the iPhone 14, the 14 Plus offers very few appreciable updates over the iPhone 13 and doesn’t quite lend itself to a broad recommendation.
The Samsung Galaxy S23 stands tall — er, small — in a field dominated by huge screens. Its 6.1-inch display makes it a little bigger than the Asus Zenfone 9 and its 5.9-inch screen, but compared to the 6.6-inch-plus screens that are much more common in this category, the Galaxy S23 is your best (maybe only?) option for flagship specs in a reasonably sized phone.
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