NOTHING CMF (1) REVIEW

Nothing OS on top of Android 14 The CMF Phone 1 is not afraid of its Nothing roots. On the contrary, as we mentioned, Nothing views the CMF Phone 1 as another entryway into the broader Nothing ecosystem. Hence, it makes perfect sense that the CMF Phone 1 would be running Nothing OS. In this particular case, there is Nothing OS 2.6 on top of Android 14. Nothing promises the CMF Phone 1 will receive two years of major Android updates and three years of security patches. That's decent but not that great as far as software support on modern Android devices goes.

Nothing OS continues to be very "clean" in terms of feature customization and thus near to AOSP. However, at the same time, it is heavily visually customized with a very distinct look and feel. Nothing's signature dot matrix font and overall aesthetic surrounding it permeate the UI. You get a whole slew of custom widgets (24 in total) from everything from clocks and calendars to contacts and weather, so you can retain that consistent Nothing look.

The notification shade and quick toggles are also as much AOSP as they are Nothing. With Nothing OS 2.5, the top two big quick toggle areas were changed from circles to squares with rounded corners. That's what we get in 2.6 as well. Another relatively new addition to Nothing OS is the custom icon pack that, expectedly, is monochrome and has a consistent look. Interestingly enough, despite having an AMOLED display, the CMF Phone 1 seems to be lacking an always-on display feature. An interesting choice, considering even the Nothing Phone (2a) has the AOD option. Nothing OS has a Monochrome UI option for those wanting an even more exclusive, unique experience. It is part of the Do Not Disturb and Bedtime routines, but you can set it up for you however you prefer. The monochrome UI is a display option, and it doesn't affect the UI exactly, so if you take a screenshot or a picture, it will still be colorful. In a bid to innovate and be a part of the "trendy crowd," Nothing is constantly trying its hand at some advanced and experimental features. Our review unit is missing the "Connect to Tesla" menu that the Nothing Phone (2) had, so perhaps that didn't pan out. However, the experimental AirPods support is still present.

There are some less experimental hardware OS-level integrations available as well, like through the Nothing X app, which supports several headphones like the Ear (1), Ear (stick), Ear (2) and CMF Buds, Neckband Pro and Buds Pro. As far as bloatware is concerned, the CMF Phone 1 has none to speak of, assuming you don't count the ever-increasing mandatory Google apps as bloatware. The only custom apps on the phone are the Camera, Weather, and Recorder apps. These expectedly share a cohesive design. The Nothing X app was pre-installed on our unit as well, but if yours is missing, it is available on the Google Play store. Benchmarks and performance The CMF Phone 1 is based on the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 chipset. It's largely based on the older Dimensity 7050 but with a twist - it's manufactured using a 4nm manufacturing process, which should give it up to 25% better power efficiency than its 6nm predecessor. The CPU department has 4x 2.5 GHz Cortex-A78 cores and 4x 2.0 GHz Cortex-A55 cores, while the GPU is the Mali-G615.

Another difference between the older 7050 and the current 7300 is the ISP. The Imagiq 950 12-bit HDR can dual video capture using two cameras simultaneously. It can also capture 4K video, which is not always a given at this price point. The CMF Phone 1 has a trio of memory variants: 6GB/128GB, 8GB/128GB and 8GB/256GB. The first one seems exclusive to India, while the last one is unavailable in India. We managed to tell through speed testing that the storage chips are UFS 3.1. Storage is expandable via microSD. Our review unit is an 8GB/256GB one.

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YAMAHA MT 15 V3 REVIEW

Overall, the ownership experience has been good, Things could have gone a whole lot worse than it did. and The MT hasn’t let me down yet. BHPian Grimlock recently shared this with other enthusiasts. Hello Team-Bhp! I see a few mentions of this bike in the motorcycle sections, but no reviews, so I thought I will put in some of my thoughts on the MT15. Basics on the bike – The MT 15 a street-oriented naked bike introduced to the Indian market in March 2019 at 1.36L in a bs4 guise. I have owned the bike for a little more than a year now and if I were to describe it shortly – It’s a simple, enjoyable bike that’s optimized for the city. It’s basically the more accessible version of the R15, the R15, minus the committed ergonomics. The bike has done a little over 12.5K km now, and my usage patterns have always been ~90% in the city, but with the work from home routine now, the MT has gone on a bunch of short trips on the weekends too. Key specs (BS4) Displacement 155cc Max power – 19.3ps @10000 RPM Max torque – 14.7nm @8500 RPM Engine type – liquid-cooled, 4stroke SOHC, 4 Valve. Compression ratio – 11.6:1 Saddle height 810mm Ground clearance 155mm Kerb Weight 138kg Likes and dislikes: The engine – I like the dual nature of the 155cc engine. It feels effortless puttering around 40kmph in 6th gear at 3 to 4k rpm in the city with no fuss or lag or any complaints whatsoever - very commuter-ish. At the same time, this engine has a bit of a wild side. It is rev-happy. On the highways, it pulls cleanly to its 10k indicated redline when pushed. So there's this mild-mannered engine in the city and at the same time a fun-loving engine on the highway. Variable valve actuation (VVA) is activated at 7.4k on paper, but I see it activate as soon as the RPM hits 7k. and when it hits, the little Yamaha is a different animal. Responsiveness is sharpened, making overtakes on the highways easy. It is a small engine that feels happy cruising at speeds of 80 to ’90s at 6.5 to 7k rpm in this band, you feel a very little vibration, and there is power left in reserve if needed. It will do triple speeds, but the lack of wind protection and the sprockets does not feel set up for it. Like I said before, the MT is optimized for the city. Looks – what a looker! The MT15 must be one of the most unique looking 150cc bikes in the segment. The little MT takes its inspiration from the older MT 09 and MT07. Minimalistic, compact, and so, so sharp. Look at those DRL's made to resemble eyes in a samurai’s headgear. That sculpted tank, the midsection that looks like a ribcage, that minimalistic tail cowl with that nice long fender, & those 10 spoke alloys. It all comes together so well. It even looks good with a crash guard. I’ll let these pictures do the talking. Hardware - The MT15 comes with liquid cooling, fuel injection, Variable valve actuation (VVA), a 6-speed gearbox and disk brakes with ABS (single channel), LED headlights and taillights. (indicators are halogen though). It does miss that fancy rear swingarm that the V3, V4 get, but in my opinion, it does not matter one bit. Lightweight – The MT is featherlight at 138 Kilos wet. Moving it around while trying to park is easy, with the low weight you put little to no effort while riding the bike, and long city commutes / long rides don’t feel tiring at all. Slipper clutch – The assist and slipper clutch makes life so much easier. The clutch is very easy to operate, and downshifts can be made easily at will. You must go out of your way to stall the engine in the city. Think you are going a little too fast for that corner? Down 2 gears, slow down without any complaints from the bike. Gearbox – One of the slickest gearboxes I’ve operated on a bike. False neutrals are rare. Finding neutral is not a pain. The gearing is short, making things easy in the city. I could be wrong, but i feel gear 1 and 2 are short, gear 3 is long, 4 is short, 5 is a long gear will take you to near the top speed of the bike and then there's the fabled 6th gear. I’m very glad there’s a 6th gear. It helps the engine breathe a little easier when the RPMs are high. Handling – The same Deltabox frame that is present on the R15 services the MT too, and boy it’s fun to ride. The MT is very nimble and can change directions easily. While it does not inspire confidence at the same level as its faired sibling, be reasonable and plan a line before taking a corner, lean over and the MT will corner flawlessly. Mileage – Arai figures are 52.02 km/l. The console shows that the average fuel consumption on the panel is 1.8L / 100kms. Comes to around - 55kmpl. I’ll be honest. I haven’t tried a tank to tank, realistically the worst it could be is 40. But there are instances on youtube where people claim to get numbers close to the high fifties. These VVA engines are quite efficient. Dislikes: 3k service intervals – When you see some bikes that have a service interval of 6k, some at 10K, Requiring an oil change at 3k feels too short. Ride quality – The ride quality is stiff. That rogue pothole will rattle you. You will have to go easy on the off-roading sessions. NVH – I do admit I am very sensitive towards vibrations and this engine is a little buzzy. The bike lets you know that you’re riding an IC engine. You tend to notice this on the highway. It’s not at a level that puts you off, but it’s there, and it’s restricted to the pegs and the handlebars. That said, there are sweet spots. At 4.5k on 6th, the bike does 55 to 60 - no vibes. Similarly, the bike is quite smooth at 6.5k to 7k in 5th gear where the bike is at 85 to 90 kph. Above those speeds, you feel that slight buzz. I've read that the older R15’s have refinement levels so high that you don't notice the engine being on at speeds of 80? Where did that go I wonder? The mudguard or the lack of it – a small puddle will leave streaks of mud under the seat of the bike. The stock seat – The stock seat is hard & there’s an uncomfortable incline that gives you a wedgie. It’s not comfortable at all. It reminds you of the hard benches of school. Torture. The switchgear – Inverted positions for the horn and the indicators on the LHS switchgear - till this day I get confused between the two during emergencies. Fragile fork seals – Although my bike had a hard life before me (more about that below) I feel the fork seals are fragile. I’ve had fragile seals on the V3 too. An overhaul of both fork seals costs Rs2500. Other notes: Headlights are OK. Typical LED projector that you can’t notice in the city, but I’ve found it to be functional on dimly lit highway rides at night. The throw is pretty good on the high beam. With the cruising speeds, you really do on the MT `80 to 90s, it’s manageable. Brakes- The brakes are ok too. The bite is lacking but stops happening without much drama. Even though the bike comes with single-channel ABS, I haven’t been faced with issues because of this. No fishtailing, no instances of the rear stepping out, nothing of that sort yet. Instrument console- The negative LCD console has all the basics – Speed, tachometer, fuel gauge, 2 trip meters, time, gear position indicator, a neat shift light that blinks when VVA is activated. No complaints. The rear seat is small, and the bike is best-enjoyed solo. If you wear a bag, the bag will take up half the pillion seat. Ok, Storytime! How did I get one? I take you to the pre-pandemic good old days of early 2019 when the mood was great, the weather was nicer, and roads were um, just as bad as they are now. I had been riding an R15 v3, a bike that was on my bucket list on bikes to own and as much as I loved it, there’s always that thought that pops at the back of your head “if only the handlebars were a little higher, this bike would be so much nicer” after long rides after feeling sore on the shoulders and elbows. Learn how to grip the tank with your waist Grimlock!, don’t use your arms to support your weight Grimlock! Is probably what you are thinking, but you can’t do that in B2B traffic! Traffic was a boon! You get to straighten your back! It just wasn’t meant to be. It's not as if I am unfit or anything. It just seemed like it's too much to put up with for a 155cc bike. You need a much faster bike to put up with that level of strain. Or maybe you need to be a teenager. That works too. The MT made a lot of sense to me back only then. Same engine, but without the committed ergonomics. After wave one, when restrictions were eased, I was window shopping on the classifieds and came across this ad where the guy wanted to sell his MT, - the bike was a 2019 model with single-channel ABS, had run 95xx km – about 1K lesser than my bike. The ad mentioned that the guy was looking to buy a V3 – a classic grass is greener on the other side scenario! I took my shot and asked the guy if he wanted to attempt an exchange and then began the negotiations. The MT being a newer model with ABS, I had to pay the guy a reasonable amount of money as I was too the second owner of the V3, and the guy would have to be the third owner of the bike. We both shared some pics and decided on a day to meet up for the first meeting. D day – It was a sunny Saturday afternoon when we first met up and exchanged bikes for a short ride. Boy, I felt right at home on the MT. The engine felt a little bit more refined, and the upright posture felt good. The bike had fancy handguards that lit up on one side. There were a couple of red flags: The forks were leaking oil. Minor scratches on the left side of the tank, & the rear tire hugger Battery was weak. There were a couple of other bits I failed to notice then. But in my defence, it was the first time I had ventured out in months. I had stepped out just for this. Me not wanting the deal to fall apart went forward with this. It was a gamble, I didn’t know what I was getting into, but I did it. My only expectation was to have a comfortable bike to ride around the city in, I thought I would ride it slowly anyway. My other options were to sell the V3 eventually, (complicated because the next guy was going to be the third owner and I’d have to deal with the many Ed Bolinas and Rick Harrisons on the classified sites) or buy a new bike eventually and sell this bike to a dealer where I’d get peanuts as well. The costs of buying a new bike were going to be 6 to 7x more expensive than what this swap deal costs. We decided to meet another day, exchanged papers and I said goodbye to the V3, a bike that had ferried me through some difficult times. The owner of the MT too said that he didn’t anticipate that he’d let go of the bike so soon too. Fate I suppose

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INFINIX NOTE 40 5G

INFINIX NOTE 40 5G REVIEW; The last two mid-range phones from Infinix that I reviewed - the Zero 30 5G (review) and GT 10 Pro (review) - left a good impression on me. I even got to use the GT 20 Pro (review) for some time and the handset seemed to have a lot going for it. This is why I was keen to get my hands on the Note 40 5G and see if it comes with the same ethos that makes the brand's other recent handsets compelling buys or not. Priced at Rs 18,999 (Rs 17,499 with bank discounts), the Note 40 5G is the most affordable handset you can buy right now that supports wireless charging. While this USP alone makes it worth checking out this phone, there is much more to it. Having spent more than two weeks with the phone, I can now share with you whether you should consider buying the Note 40 5G or opt for another phone in this price range. Without further ado, let's get into the detailed review. Verdict While the Infinix Note 40 5G offers decent performance on most fronts, the key selling point of this phone is that it supports wireless charging. No other phone in its price range can boast of this feature. The phone offers a comprehensive set of features and a clean UI on the software front but performance-wise, it faces stiff competition in its price range. Design and display Infinix Note 40 5G CMF Phone 1 OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite Thickness 7.75mm 8.2mm 8.1mm Weight 190 grams 197 grams 191 grams IP Rating IP54 IP52 IP54 Although design has been a strong point for some of the Infinix phones in the last year, the Note 40 5G feels a bit underwhelming in this department. The handset features a matte finish at the back and a glossy finish on the sides. This means that while the phone doesn't collect fingerprints through its back panel, the sides of the phone act as a magnet for these. Infinix has gone ahead with a very minimalistic design here and apart from the camera setup, nothing sticks out (pun intended). The rectangular protruding camera setup comes with three sensors and an 'Active Halo' circular light with an LED right around it. Infinix says that this is "first-in-segment AI lighting" and that "it effortlessly sparks up engaging conversations and brightens up various scenes with mesmerizing light effects." The lighting effects can be used for different scenarios - incoming calls, notifications, charging, games, music, startup, and voice assistant. You get three settings for the lighting effect - Lively, Rhythmic, and AI. In the AI setting, the colours in the backlight change dynamically, according to the scenario. In all three of these effects, you can choose to either have a primary solid colour or a mix of colours. Although the phone has a blocky design and features a massive display (one of the largest in its price range), the handset doesn't feel unwieldy. Power and volume buttons are located on the right spine of the Note 40 and are easily accessible with the thumb. The USB Type-C charging port is present at the bottom of the phone but there is no 3.5mm headphone jack here. Infinix Note 40 5G CMF Phone 1 OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite Size 6.78 inches (AMOLED) 6.67 inches (AMOLED) 6.67 inches (AMOLED) Peak Brightness 1300 nits 2000 nits 2100 nits Refresh Rate 120Hz 120Hz 120Hz You get an FHD+ AMOLED panel here with a maximum refresh rate up to 120Hz and a peak brightness of up to 1300 nits. These specifications translate well to real-life usage too as the phone holds up well under direct sunlight and provides you with butter-smooth animations. The AMOLED panel offers an impressive contrast ratio that provides a good viewing experience, irrespective of the content you're watching. I enjoyed watching TV shows on Netflix on this handset and the bottom-firing speaker also did a reasonably good job whenever I didn't want to connect my Bluetooth earphones to the phone. phones, some of the features just feel like gimmicks. The dynamic bar feature shows notifications around the selfie camera cutout but this feature is more for the aesthetics than anything else. Talking about the more useful features, The handset also comes with 'Note AI', a group of AI features that help you with content creation, content summarisation, natural language image search and more. In my usage, I found these features to work well and the added convenience does make its presence felt. The brand is offering 2 years of OS upgrades and 3 years of security updates with this phone. However, this is the same issue that plagues the CMF Phone 1, Nord CE4 Lite, and almost all other phones in this price range. It'd be good to have at least 3 years of OS upgrades and 4 years of security updates as a standard for this price range. PHONE PRE-LOADED APPS (OUT-OF-THE-BOX) OS UPDATES Infinix Note 40 5G 35 2 years OS, 3 years security CMF Phone 1 29 2 years OS, 3 years security OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite 50 2 years OS, 3 years security Battery and charging Infinix Note 40 comes with a 5,000mAh battery and supports 33W fast charging. In regular usage, the phone will easily last you a day of usage but will need charging at the end of it. In the PCMark battery test, the phone lasted 10 hours and 3 minutes for us. This is short of the battery life offered by CMF Phone 1 and the Nord CE4 Lite in this test. These handsets registered timings of 15 hours and 11 minutes, and 11 hours and 32 minutes, respectively in the same benchmark test. With a standard charging speed, the phone charges in over an hour. It is pretty much in line with the competition in this price range. However, the standout feature is of course wireless charging support. The Note 40 5G holds the distinction of being the most affordable handset in the market to support wireless charging right now. This is indeed a convenient feature to have and 15W Wireless MagCharge never feels slow either. While the brand initially offered a wireless charger bundled with the phone, it can be bought separately for Rs 1,999. Final Verdict Infinix Note 40 5G comes with a good display, offers decent performance, and acts as an all-rounder. As we mentioned above, the CMF Phone 1 offers a compelling package in this price range too, but the Infinix phone offers a better camera performance. While the OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite offers a better camera performance and faster charging, it doesn't match up to the Infinix handset in general performance. If you have your priorities set in mind, you can easily take your pick out of the three. As one of the biggest feathers in its cap, the Inifinix Note 40 5G supports wireless charging, which comes in handy and helps the phone stand out in its price segment. We earlier reviewed the Pro variant of the phone and it won't be wrong to say that this phone offers a similar experience at a more affordable price point. Editor's rating: 7.5 / 10 Reasons to buy The 120Hz AMOLED display is ideal for watching video content. This is the most affordable phone that supports wireless charging. Night shots are good for the price range. Offers consistent performance under load. Reasons to not buy Powerful competition in the same price range. The camera performance could have been better.

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Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ Review

 

Veyron's successor is a car that does things no other car can; one with a distinct personality”

Good stuff

Great steering, incredible engineering, astonishing - and brutal - pace

Bad stuff

It costs £1.9m. And, um, you'll need a long, long road to V-max it

Overview

What is it?

The Veyron’s reign as the world fastest production car is at an end, and the usurper comes from within. Yes, the £1.9m Chiron retains the Veyron’s fundamental proportions and powertrain, but it’s new in every other conceivable way, and built to bend physics to breaking point.

The Chiron is not a hybrid. Unlike its closest competitors – the McLaren P1, LaFerrari and Porsche 918 - it relies solely on fossil fuels. Its engine is a development of the Veyron’s 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16, its gearbox a strengthened version of the Veyron’s seven-speed twin-clutch, and like the Veyron it deploys its immense power through all four wheels.

“If we went with hybrid we would have added additional weight. We would have experienced package constraints, too, because this car doesn't have any areas where you can put additional stuff, so the styling would need to change,” Wolfgang Durheimer, Bugatti’s CEO explained. “We will dramatically raise the bar in terms of top speed, we will dramatically increase the power by 25 per cent, the aerodynamics are better, the road holding is better. We didn't need a hybrid.”

Whereas the Veyron Super Sport produced a piffling 1183bhp and 1106lb ft of torque, the Chiron develops 1479bhp and 1180lb ft. Oh, and at a constant top speed the Veyron could drain its 100-litre fuel tank in 12 minutes, the Chiron can do it in 9.

Clearly this is a game of very senior numbers, so here’s some more. It will accelerate from 0-62mph in less than 2.5 seconds, 0-124mph in less than 6.5 and 0-186mph in under 13.6. Take a moment to let that last one sink in. That’s 2.9 seconds faster than a P1 and a second quicker than the Veyron Super Sport, bearing in mind that at 186mph a second equals a lot of fresh air - 83m of it to be precise.

Then there’s the top speed, which Bugatti has limited to 261mph on the standard Chiron - a token 3mph more than the Veyron Super Sport - but raised to 273mph on the £2.6m Chiron Super Sport. That’s the elongated and pumped-up version that Andy Wallace drove at 304.773mph in 2019 – the first series production car to break the 300mph barrier. Well… a close approximation of it at least. You see, off the back of that speedy day out at Ehra-Lessien, Bugatti announced it would build 30 Chiron Super Sport 300+ special editions, visually and mechanically based on the record-breaking car (albeit limited to 273mph for tyre and life preservation purposes), with the same 8.0-litre quad turbo W16 engine boosted by 100 to 1,578bhp, all 30 in the same black-with-orange-stripes livery and costing £3m each. On top of that there’s the mechanically-identical ‘standard’ Super Sport model available in any colour you like… so long as you don’t copy the 300+ edition

Key to the engine’s swollen power reserves are four larger turbos that work in tandem to deliver maximum torque from 2000 to 6000rpm – that’s across 70 per cent of the engine’s full operating range.  The two-stage system only calls on two turbos up to 3800rpm, to improve throttle response, and all four beyond that. A new titanium exhaust system helps out by reducing back pressure compared to the Veyron and houses two enormous catalytic converters – each six times the size of one you’ll find in a Mondeo. There are six exit pipes in total – four sticking out the back and two pointing downwards to create a blown diffuser – a downforce-boosting technology proven by, then subsequently banned in F1.

Everything about the Chiron’s powertrain is super-sized. An improved charge air cooling system means 60,000 litres of air per minute are pumped through the engine, while the coolant pump can circulate 800-litres in the same time. According to Willi Netuschil, head of engineering “temperature management is one of the biggest problems”. In total there are 10 radiators crammed under the Chiron’s skin.

With great power comes great need for big brakes, so the front and rear discs are now 20mm larger, 2mm thicker and made from carbon silicon carbide – a material that’s both lighter and more resistant to fade. Clamping them are eight-piston calipers in the front and six-piston at the rear – each piston a subtly different diameter to keep brake wear even.

The tyres, now 14 per cent wider at the front and 12 per cent wider at the rear, are wrapped around larger rims – 20-inch front and 21-inch rear – and built to withstand otherworldly forces. They need to be, as each gram of rubber is exposed to a centrifugal force of 3,800G. A bigger contact patch on the road means better braking, acceleration and wet-weather grip, while the updated four-wheel drive system uses electronic diffs on the front and rear axles, allowing fine control of the handling characteristics. More on that in a bit...

As a starting point for the world’s fastest car Bugatti uses a new carbon-fibre monocoque (each one takes four weeks to make), with a carbon-fibre rear-subframe attached to save 8kg versus the Veyron and boost rigidity, while the entire package is wrapped in a carbon-fibre skin. Bugatti claims torsional stiffness is now up there with an LMP1 prototype, while a new electric steering system and suspension bolted directly to the monocoque means it should react to inputs faster than a 1995kg car has any right to.

What's the verdict?

“The Veyron’s reign as the world fastest production car is at an end, and the usurper comes from within. Yes, the £1.9m Chiron is built to bend physics to breaking point”

The Veyron’s significance transcends its obvious performance qualifications. Yes, it was the fastest, most complicated, most expensive thing available at the time, but it also prefaced a new technology language – one that virtually all modern fast cars have now adopted: turbocharging, all-wheel drive and perhaps most significant of all, the dual-clutch gearbox. The Veyron was essentially Volkswagen’s then-boss Ferdinand Piëch showing the world what his vast conglomerate could achieve. It was his Saturn V moment. And it was nearly as costly.

And yet the world never fell in love with the Veyron. It was never a poster car in the mould of a Countach or an F40 – somehow Piëch created a kind of million-dollar Audi Quattro that we respected but didn’t crave and desire.

But the the Chiron is so enigmatic – it goes about its everyday business with a competence that belies just how much engineering has been thrown at it to be able to travel at such remarkable speeds. We expected a facelifted Veyron – we expected to come away questioning the Chiron’s reason for being. Instead we drove a car that does things no other car can; one with a distinct personality.

Which model would we go for? Bugatti will only ever build 500 Chirons, but within that will be a mix of Chiron, Chiron Sport, Chiron Pur Sport and Super Sport. The coachbuilt specials – Divo, Centodieci, Voiture Noire – are on top of the 500. In fact, the standard Chiron and Chiron Sport have come to the end of their homologation run, so if you have a spare few million sloshing around, your choice is only between Pur Sport and Super Sport.

The best way to think of the Super Sport is as the Chiron Streamliner - the Chiron Pur Sport and Bugatti Divo lean more towards cornering, lap times and handing ability whereas the Super Sport at its core is about minimising drag and maximising straight line speed. But it can still handle itself around a track, maybe not to the same extent, but its bandwidth is definitely wider than the more hardcore models. Given the Chiron was always designed as a monster GT more than a track rat, it would be a Super Sport all day for us.

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iPhone 15 Pro Max Review

Yesterday I decided to break free from the studio and take the phone out with me for the day. There have been plenty of other days over the past six months that I’ve had the phone with me on days out – but yesterday was a little different.

This was all about the iPhone.

I wouldn’t be plugging it into the car to charge it all – I wanted to stress test the 4,422mAh battery on the 15 Pro Max to see what it was made of.

I was going to be shooting quite a lot of videos and taking many, many pictures as well. I wanted to take a close look at the three focal lengths on the 48MP main camera and use the 5x 120mm zoom as well. And aside from that I’d be streaming music in the car to Apple CarPlay – although as it turned out I didn’t need to use sat nav at all. Bluetooth would be on all day as well. In other words, this was using my phone as I’d normally have it set up.

My normal day finds me at the desk with the phone sitting on my MagSafe charger meaning it’s hard for me to judge what the battery is like – but yesterday it was put through its paces. I left home just before 9.45 AM with 92% charge.

 

As I mentioned earlier, one of the main new feature sets that came to the 15 Pro Max was the three different focal lengths on its main camera.

You can now shoot at 1x with the 24mm lens but then you can also choose to shoot at both 1.2x with a 28mm focal length or 1.5x with a 35mm setting. The speed and simplicity that you can switch between the settings means it’s useable too.

Pixel peeping in Lightroom these images hold up well. There is some serious quality to the images even when I compare them to the RAW files from my Canon. The quality comes from the fact the files are big! That 24mm 48MP lens is capturing a ton of information. The first picture below is the 1x 24mm and that file is 8064 x 6048 and 86 MB…I come from a print & design background and I can tell you that file size would be useable for print…that is a lot of data!

 three images were taken using the 28mm/35mm/120mm lenses and although you may not be able to tell here, even at 120mm 5x on a very dull day the image is crisp, sharp and with virtually no ghosting. It’s the first time that I have looked this critically at the images taken with the iPhone 15 Pro Max – and with a semi-professional eye, I’m impressed. These were taken hand-held and don’t forget the light and conditions were not great.

It’s interesting to see what the iPhone did with the ISO on the various focal lengths dropping from 100 ISO on the 24mm to 50 ISO at 120mm. We forget just how clever these phones are – making all these adjustments on the fly in the background. If these were shot on my Canon I’d be having to make all manner of adjustments manually. For those of you who love data – the lens aperture on the 48MP main camera at 24mm/28mm/35mm was ƒ/ 1.78 and on the 12MP 5x telephoto the lens aperture ƒ/2.8. And even on the 120mm zoom lens, there is still useful amounts of data – the file is 30MB and 4000 x 3000.

Oh, by the way, when folks bang on that there is no AI with Apple – just look at the info that the Photo app gave me on these images…pretty impressive huh!

The good and the bad…

The title wasn’t clickbait – promise.

Whilst I had been mighty impressed by the results the camera was giving me, the same can’t be said for the battery – just 2 hours into the day and it was not holding up well as you can see below – oh, and it’s one of the few times that the Dynamic Island comes into use – keeping track on my car park session…

 Battersea is home to both Apple’s head office and also their latest flagship store. Again here you can see the might of the 5x lens – I am becoming quite a fan of it. To give you context the first image is shot with the 24mm 1x lens and the second with the telephoto lens – you can even clearly read the words on that monitor on the desk which is barely visible on the 1x shot – bloody amazing!

In the store, I went to take a quick look around the iPad Pro. As you know I’m thinking of buying one if we get the OLED displays that have been promised – I saw how Stage Manager works on an iPad for the first time – now it makes sense. Perhaps…perhaps I can see myself using one after all…

The rest of the afternoon in London was spent shooting a short on the iPhone and some other shots of the Thames which runs behind the Battersea store. The weather was still dull and dank but the camera did its best to make the best of awkward conditions.

All good things must end

After I finish writing this I’m going to start editing the video. I think I got all the shots & content I needed and possibly having written this I have just thought of a follow-up video as well…

Having pulled apart the camera for the first time – looking closely at the images in Apple’s Photo app, Lightroom & Photoshop I am properly impressed. For everyone but the highest-end professional users the stills camera set-up on this iPhone is going to get the job done.

The same is true of the video camera. Using the native video camera gave great results but all the good came at a cost. You can see from the attached metadata & screenshot I got home almost 8 hours to the minute after leaving home in the morning.

In those 8 hours, the phone was in constant use – 1 long-ish call, no sat-nav but streaming music. I shot around 50 pictures and about 10 videos – none of them long and there was no hot-spotting.

But to get back with only 10% battery was a shock. Surely it would be fair to expect more than 8 hours of use, wouldn’t it? This is Apple’s flagship iPhone – the Pro Max.

Those two words in this context are telling Pro and Max. This iPhone is designed for Pro’s and being the Max it has the biggest battery. If that battery can’t last a full day what does that mean for the other phones in the lineup?

There were many good points to come out of yesterday’s test – but the results of the battery dulled off those highs.

What a sham

 

 

 

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Samsung S24 Ultra Review

Product Review

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: Ultra Level Performance With Pinch of AI

Samsung surprised the world on January 17th 2024, with their new flagships, to be precise the S-series lineup. 

Among the three beasts, the one get’s most hype as usual, which is the Galaxy S24 Ultra, yes you heard that right, “Ultra” meaning you get ultra amazing features, greater build quality and updated specifications.

From the first view, you won’t feel a newer device has arrived, as the Galaxy S24 ultra really looks a lot like your previous Galaxy S23 ultra. There’s a slight differentiating factor that comes down, which is the sharper corners and flat display that really are not going to please you if you were a curved display lover.

You might love the upgraded Qualcomm chipset, new Galaxy AI features and upgraded periscope telephoto camera of course. And to understand all that, let’s dive into today’s review about the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Without further ado, let’s jump right in.

Table of Contents:

• Key Features
• Pros & Cons
• Design & Build
• Display
• Camera
• Performance
• Software & UI
• Battery Life
• Specs 
  

 

 

1. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: New Key Features

While before diving into the detailed Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review. Here are the short key features of the device:

Titanium Frame provides solid build quality;

Higher megapixel from the 50MP Periscope camera with 5x Optical Zoom;

Galaxy AI introduces new AI enhanced feature with your daily productivity;

Newer One UI 6.1 based on Android 14

Flat display with updated 2600 peak brightness

7 years of software & security updates

 

2. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Pros & Cons

Before jumping into the overall Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review, here’s a quick heads up about the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra’s good and bad sites:

Pros:	Cons:
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 delivers incredible power; Top-notch camera performance for shooting gorgeous photos; Dynamic AMOLED 2x gives you amazing content enjoying;  AI featured photo editing seems fun and useful; Stylus gives you functionality for note taking and making creative work smoother.	No 3.5 headphone jack; No MicroSD memory slot; Bit expensive compared to last year’s models.

Latest Price of Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

3. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Design & Build

• Gorilla Glass Armor+Titanium Frame
• 8.6mm Slimmer Profile
• IP68 Water Resistance

Design

Starting off with the design features, you get completely flat edges all-around the display, making the S24 Ultra less curved than it usually were in the previous S23 Ultra. The camera modules are the same as last year’s, while there is still no 3.5mm headphone jack as usual. There’s a Stylus in the bottom, that comes out just like a button press and snugs back in with just a push. Besides that, all the design features are pretty usual as last year’s flagship.

Colors

As for colors, you get newer options now, due to changes in material, Samsung decided to name all the vibrant colors possible. You get “Titanium Black, Titanium Gray, Titanium Violet, yellow, blue, green and orange. Especially the color “Titanium Violet” & “Titanium Yellow” really making a hype, due to its vibrant eye-catchy coloring.

Build

Coming to the build quality, you get newer material all around, as there is the new “Titanium”, hype in the market which promises greater durability and premium finishes. While the titanium build did not make the device lighter, you just 232 grams which is like 1 gram lighter than the previous Galaxy S23 Ultra.

Besides that, you also get similar water resistance like last year’s model, which is the IP68 of up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes straight. There’s also premium materials on the front as well, like the upgraded Gorilla Glass Armor ensuring safety for your display. 

4. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Display

• 6.8’’ Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X
• 120Hz Refresh Rate
• 2600 Peak Brightness
• Gorilla Glass Armor

Moving on, let’s talk about the display, which comes with a similar resolution like the 1440 by 3120 resolution in that large 6.8-inch display. Now this large display is similar to the previous S23 Ultra as well, no new feature, what’s new actually would probably be the flatter display now. Giving you more control over the narrow-edge display section on certain apps like music or web browser scrolling, instead of the curved display from last year.

Samsung made the display brighter from the previous model, making around 2600 nits now, from 1750 nits of peak brightness. Around 48% brighter than the previous S23 Ultra. While other factors, like the 120Hz refresh rate, vivid content viewing from the HDR10+ and AOD feature are still there, just like before. Only the flat panel and higher peak brightness are the new features to notice this year.

5. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Camera

• Quad-Camera Lenses (200MP+50MP+10MP+12MP)
• 12MP Front Camera 
• 8K @30fps Recording | 4K Front

As for the camera features, you get just a few upgrades to be honest. While the rest of the camera capabilities remained the same as usual. 

As for the main 200MP camera, you get a similar f/1.7 aperture with Quad pixel PDAF, that gives you better autofocus with even more reliable and accurate photography results for day and night time. The color contrast of the photos seems vibrant and no noise seen in the daylight shooting.

Periscope Telephoto

There’s a new upgrade for the periscope telephoto lens, which is in the camera megapixel, as now you get a 50MP camera with 5 times zooming capabilities, where it was just 10MP with 10x optical zooming on last year’s S23 Ultra. Now due to this new setup Samsung gives you a better zoom shot with this upgraded camera and smaller f/3.4 aperture.

Telephoto

While the telephoto lens remained pretty the same, like a 10MP camera with f/2.4 aperture, giving you around 3 times optical zoom. The photos look colorful for the 3 times zoom shots, while the sharpness get lower when you zoom up to 10 times.

Ultrawide

As for the ultrawide lens, it comes with a 12MP as well like last year’s with f/2.2 aperture. For daylight capturing you get pretty good shots for artifacts shooting. Even while shooting in darker area’s nighttime photos shows good color accuracy while maintaining shadows and overall lighting of the area.

Recording

For recording though, you get up to 8K resolution with 24 or 30fps shooting capabilities, which is similar as last year, now that recording gives you crisp shots for minimum range of course. While shooting a daytime in 8K shows good sharpness for up to 5 times zoom, surprisingly you get good stable shooting for zoomed videos, even the colors remain accurate as well.

Front

Talking about the front camera with 12MP and f/2.2 aperture, you get similar features like last year’s model. There’s of course no changes, but due to better processing power, your photos will appear faster and with more accurate shots, thanks to the 26mm wide lens. Ther’s Auto-HDR and as well as dual video calling, which literally means you can shoot front and back panel at the same time.

6. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Performance

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (4nm)
• Up To 16GB LPDDR5X RAM
• Up To 1TB

Chipset & Storage

Coming to the performance section, you get the updated chipset from Qualcomm, which is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, that’s a similar 4 nanometer chipset structure with a greater cpu frequency for around .88%, which is not much but obviously will give you some improvement.

Gaming

As for gaming performance, things get aggressive right here with heavy testing for top tier games. With Pubg Mobile you get up to 90fps, for Call of Duty Mobile there is around 60 fps, and for Genshin Impact you will get around 59 to 60 fps, which is pretty good.

Multimedia

Talking about the multimedia section, you get all the top-notch features as expected. There is HDR10+ with a greater AKG audio system gives you immersive sound quality and extraordinary movie experience for high-resolution content viewing.

Connectivity

For greater connectivity, you get updated Wi-Fi features, and location tracking. LIke the Wi-Fi 7 which was previously Wi-Fi 6e, making the download and upload speed improved for your faster content streaming on Netflix or other streaming platforms. 

Stylus

After the death of the Note series, Samsung introduced their signature pen with the most flagship “Ultra” lineup. That brings all the features of the older note features, like quick note taking, make creative artwork and even control your business presentation slides with a click of the S-pen’s dedicated button. And with the newer flat display of the S24 Ultra, you get better precision with the built-in S pen on your creative art creation.

7. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Software & UI

• Android 14 | One UI 6.1
• Galaxy AI

Despite all the new Android features from the Android 14, there are new features like custom app actions and more informative preview results for users and more. What’s exciting is the new software features from Samsung themselves. As Samsung announced groundbreaking “Galaxy AI,” bringing in a new era of mobile AI actions and features.

Galaxy AI

This year Samsung brings newer “Galaxy AI” features with all their devices that revolutionizes the smartphone experience, empowering users to unleash unprecedented levels of creativity, productivity, and possibility. This advanced feature integrates seamlessly into everyday tasks, making your smartphone the ultimate tool for innovation and expression.

Experience the convenience of “Circle to Search,” a magical feature that simplifies information retrieval. Simply circle the object or feature, and relevant information instantly appears, streamlining your interaction with the device.

Travel effortlessly with “Live Translate,” providing real-time translation support for seamless communication abroad. Whether you’re exploring new destinations or conducting business globally, the Galaxy S24 Ultra ensures language barriers never hinder your interactions.

Maximize productivity with “Note Assist,” a smart note-taking feature that enhances multitasking efficiency. From jotting down quick reminders to organizing detailed plans, staying organized has never been easier.

You can also edit better photos and enhance your captured photo with the “Photo Assist” feature, empowering you to edit and manipulate photos effortlessly. From adjusting objects to perfecting snapshots, elevate your photography skills to new heights.

Software Updates

Stay ahead with extended OS and security updates, offering three years of additional support for a total of seven years. This extended support ensures longevity and reliability, making the Galaxy S24 Ultra a wise investment for the future.

Security Features

Samsung Knox ensures your privacy and security remain solid. And Samsung has been providing this security feature for their flagship users along with midrange as well. This continuation of including these useful security features that safeguard user data from external attacks is really appreciable.

8. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra: Battery Life

• 5000mAh Battery
• 120W Wired
• 100% in 18 Minutes (Advertised)

Lastly, let’s discuss the battery features of this beasty device, which is surprisingly the same 5000mAh Li-Ion battery, consistent with previous models. To be honest after all this year’s of including the similar five thousand ampere battery, Samsung could’ve made some space to add a few extra milliamp battery inside. As they literally deleted the 3.5mm headphone jack, so an inclusion of a higher battery was expected.

While Samsung promises impressive battery life on their website, real-world usage may vary. In continuous battery tests, the device can get warm, yet retains a substantial 68% charge after a full-length feature film like Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer.”

Charging options include a 45W wired capability with a Type-C Cable, though notably, this cable is not included in the box as in previous iterations. Samsung claims a 65% charge in 30 minutes with PD3.0, but users often experience around 70% in under 45 minutes.

Wireless charging is also available at 15W, requiring Qi-certified chargers. Additionally, the Galaxy S24 Ultra features a 4.5W reverse wireless charging option, offering assistance to friends in need or during emergencies. Despite minor discrepancies between advertised and real-world performance, the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s battery features provide versatility and reliability for everyday use.

9. Overall Specs

While still understanding all the major details inside the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review, here are the more technical specifications of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra down below:

Specs	Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
Display	6.8‑inch, 1440 x 3120 pixels, 505 PPI, Dynamic LTPO SUPER AMOLED 2x, 120Hz, HDR10+, 2600 nits, Always-On Display
Protection & Weight	Corning Gorilla Glass Armor | Titanium Frame | IP68 Dust Or Water Resistant (Up To 1.5 Meters For 30 Minutes)
Camera	Main:  200MP, f/1.7 (Wide) | Laser Autofocus, OIS           50MP, f/3.4 (Periscope Telephoto) | 5x Optical Zoom           10 MP, f/2.0 (Telephoto) | 3.0x Optical Zoom            12MP, f/2.2 ( Ultrawide) | Super Steady Video Features: Night mode, Auto-HDR, Panorama, Photo Assist by Galaxy AIVideo: 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60/120fps Features: Dual Video Calling, Auto-HDR, HDR10+Front Camera: 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide)Video: 4K @30fps/60fps, 1080p@30fps
Platform	OS: Android 14, One UI 6.1 CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (Up to 3.39GHz) GPU: Adreno 750
RAM & ROM	256GB+12GB RAM, 512GB+12GB RAM, 1TB+12GB RAM UFS 4.0
Audio & Video	Stereo Speaker | Tuned by AKG | HDR10+ Video Supports
Battery	5000mAh, 45W Wired, 15W Wireless (Qi Certified) , 4.5W Reverse Wireless
Sensors	Fingerprint (under display, ultrasonic), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7, Tri-Band, 5G, LTE, Bluetooth 5.3
Features	Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support) Ultra Wideband (UWB) support, Nano-SIM and eSIM/ Dual eSIM or Dual SIM
Colors	Titanium Black, Titanium Gray, Titanium Violet, Titanium Yellow, Titanium Blue, Titanium Green, Titanium Orange

10. Verdict

Last of all, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has really newer features and updated chipset in the market to attract their users. Although it seems like mostly Samsung loyal fans will truly feel the purchase option. As you only have a few major upgrades from last year’s model, and a bit of magic AI seems like a sprinkle on top of a cake.

You can really choose the newer Ultra from Samsung on the basis of few certain factors, as you literally get a upgraded chipset on board, higher periscope camera megapixel for taking zoomed shots, 7 years of OS and security updates and Galaxy AI is will make you feel like a magician on certain actions like photo editing, translating languages easily and so on. There’s also better build quality from the Titanium frame and flatter display that gives you specific touches on those certain apps.

Do remember, there are few drawbacks that give you a hint to rethink your investment on Galaxy S24 Ultra. Like there’s still no upgrades in the battery portion, the headphone jack and memory slot is missing, still no adapter in the box that might cost you a little bit extra to buy if you don’t have one already and lastly the updated price tag from last year’s model. 

And if you don’t have any issues with all the drawbacks, and really need those internal greater upgrades, titanium and super useful Galaxy AI features, then the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra can be your next cool flagship phone to go for.

 

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