Apple has announced new spending plans for the US, including the establishment of a 3,000-employee “campus and engineering hub” in North Carolina and the commitment of an additional $80 billion in investment across the country.
Back in 2018, the firm said it would spend more than $350 billion in the US over the next five years, but today, it announced it is increasing that figure by 20 percent to $430 billion.
“At this moment of recovery and rebuilding, Apple is doubling down on our commitment to US innovation and manufacturing with a generational investment reaching communities across all 50 states,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook in a press statement.
And why not? Like many big tech firms, Apple has done very well during the pandemic, when other industries have suffered and investors have sought safe places for their money. The company likes to spin these investment announcements as a sort of largesse, but they are, of course, par for the course for a hugely successful and ambitious firm like Apple. As today’s press release notes, the $80 billion will go toward “direct spend with American suppliers, data center investments, capital expenditures in the US, and other domestic spend — including dozens of Apple TV+ productions across 20 states.”
The new campus in North Carolina is noteworthy and part of an ongoing trend among tech firms to look outside their traditional California homes. Google is currently investing $1 billion in a New York City campus; Amazon is building its second HQ in Virginia; and Oracle announced last year it’s moving its headquarters from Silicon Valley to Austin, Texas.
Apple’s North Carolina campus will be part of the state’s Research Triangle (named after the trio of nearby universities: Duke University, North Carolina State University, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill). The company will invest more than $1 billion in the area and pledges to create at least 3,000 new jobs in “machine learning, artificial intelligence, software engineering, and other cutting-edge fields.”
Notably, Apple also says it will establish a $100 million fund to support “schools and communities” in North Carolina and will contribute more than $110 million to 80 of the state’s poorest counties to help fund critical infrastructure like “broadband, roads and bridges, and public schools.” The Biden administration has made such infrastructure spending a critical part of its plans for the US, but it seems that when government lags behind, private firms will step in.
You can read Apple’s full press release for further details, including the companies expanding hiring in its teams in California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Texas, Washington, and Iowa, and its investments in new clean energy projects in the US and abroad.
Colette, a short film featured in the Oculus VR game Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond, has won this year’s Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject). Presented by Oculus Studios and Electronic Arts’ Respawn Entertainment, and later acquired and distributed by The Guardian, it’s the first time a video game industry project has won an Oscar.
Directed by Anthony Giacchino, Colette features a French Resistance survivor, Colette Marin-Catherine, returning to Germany for the first time since the end of World War II to visit a slave labor camp where her brother was killed. The documentary is presented in a traditional 2D format whether you watch it in the Oculus TV app or elsewhere.
“The real hero here is Colette herself, who has shared her story with integrity and strength,” Oculus Studios director of production Mike Doran says in a statement. “As we see in the film, resistance takes courage, but facing one’s past may take even more. Allowing us to preserve this pilgrimage for future generations was a true act of bravery and trust. We hope this award and the film’s reach means, as Colette says, that Jean-Pierre’s memory, as well as all of those who resisted, are no longer lost in the ‘Night and Fog’ of Dora.”
“It’s true what they say: It really is an honor just to be nominated. And it’s an incredible moment to win. We’re humbled by this recognition from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and would like to extend our sincere congratulations to all of our fellow nominees. It’s a privilege to stand alongside you.”
Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond was not well-received as a video game, with many reviews highlighting its huge system requirements and 170GB installation size — much of which was down to the inclusion of extensive historical and documentary footage. Now that one of those films has won an Oscar, the project may get more positive attention than before.
You can watch Colette for free online on YouTube, Oculus TV, or at The Guardian.
The Oscars are tonight and despite my best efforts I still haven’t seen all the Best Picture contenders, so will hold off on making predictions (but honestly not sure how anyone beats Chadwick Boseman as Best Actor). Lots of good trailers this week including the return of the most wholesome show on all of streaming and the next big Marvel movie.
Ted Lasso Season 2
You know when you really love a show and it gets popular and everyone else likes it… and you brace for its sophomore season to be not quite as good as its debut? I am hopeful that Ted Lasso will not fall into this pattern, and the trailer for season two looks extremely promising (Ted: “Back home if a team was playing poorly, we don’t call them unlucky, what do we call ‘em, Coach?” Beard: “New York Jets.”) Jason Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt, Hannah Waddingham, and Juno Temple return along with others from season one for Ted Lasso, which drops on Apple TV Plus July 23rd. And if you’re interested in a little bonus Ted Lasso content, developer David Smith managed to figure out the recipe for the shortbread cookies Ted makes for Hannah. So wholesome.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
The next big Marvel movie is the first to center an Asian superhero (and has an almost entirely Asian cast) and it looks very, very fun even if you don’t know the backstory and connection to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Simu Liu plays Shang-Chi, whose father trained him as a child to be an assassin. He tries to escape and live a normal life but as anyone who has ever watched a superhero movie knows, it ain’t that easy. Tony Leung, Michelle Yeoh, and Awkwafina also star in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, coming to theaters September 3rd.
Annette
Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard play a comedian and opera singer who fall in love and have a child they name Annette, “a mysterious little girl with an exceptional destiny.” The trailer has that French cinema feel, for sure, which makes sense, since Annette is the English-language debut of French director Leos Carax. Annette will open the 74th Cannes Film Festival on July 6th.
Fathom
Scientists Michelle Fournet and Ellen Garland embark on separate research trips in opposite hemispheres to try to better understand the songs of humpback whales. No one really knows why whales “sing,” despite decades of research. It’s challenging work that one of the scientists compares to “pointing all of our satellites skyward and listening from a sign from outer space.” The trailer is just beautiful (obviously watch with the sound on). Fathom arrives on Apple TV Plus June 25th.
Here Today
Billy Crystal wrote, directed, and stars in this movie about an aging comedy writer who befriends a woman (Tiffany Haddish) whose boyfriend bet on a date with him at an auction. Who would not be content to just watch Haddish and Crystal just bounce jokes off each other for 90 minutes? The underlying premise, though, is that Crystal is losing his memory and Haddish steps up to help him. Here Today arrives in theaters May 7th.
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It
I continue to be surprised at the endurance of The Conjuring movies, which continue to be quite scary. I have to be honest that I’m not a super big fan of these movies because of the way they often put children in terrifying situations, a theme which seems to persist in this latest installment. Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) are back to investigate a murder committed by a young man who claims he was possessed by the devil. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It premieres on HBO Max and in theaters on June 4th.
The 93rd Academy Awards (also known as the Oscars) will broadcast tonight, April 25th. This ceremony will recognize the films and their associated talent in a particularly strange and difficult year for the industry, which has been forced to adapt to some big changes during the pandemic. Cinemas weren’t where most people saw newly-released movies. Instead, many of those films were pushed faster than ever to digital distribution platforms like Vudu, Apple TV, and Google TV for purchase or rental. Some were even made available simultaneously with the theatrical release, like some Warner Bros. films on HBO Max.
This year’s Oscars are happening later in the year than usual, apparently to make room for more movies, since the pandemic dried up the release schedule. In addition, this year’s ceremony marks the first time that some streaming-only movies will qualify for an Oscar award.
Despite all that, we’re here to tell you how to watch the show that celebrates the movies of the year and the people who helped make them possible. First, we’ll dig into when and how you can watch the stream, then we’ll dig into the nominations.
WHO’S HOSTING THE OSCARS?
In 2019, the Academy Awards were host-less for the first time in 30 years, and this year will be the same. Instead of relying on a single host, there will be a cast of presenters, including Angela Bassett, Halle Berry, Bong Joon Ho, Don Cheadle, Steven Yeun, Bryan Cranston, Laura Dern, Harrison Ford, Regina King, Marlee Matlin, Rita Morena, Joaquin Phoenix, Brad Pitt, Reese Witherspoon, Renée Zellweger, and Zendaya.
WHAT TIME DO THE OSCARS START?
ABC is handling the televised stream, which starts at 8PM ET / 5PM PT.
HOW DO I WATCH THE ACADEMY AWARDS ONLINE?
ABC is accessible for free in the US via an over-the-air antenna, but otherwise, you’ll have to be a subscriber to a service to gain access to the awards show.
You can watch it on the ABC channel on cable or satellite, or you can watch through your browser by logging in to ABC’s site with your cable or satellite credentials.
Alternatively, several streaming services offer ABC with a subscription. Availability varies by region, but most people who subscribe to YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV, and FuboTV should have access. And if you only want to watch for this one night, you’ll be happy to know that all of these services offer free trials of varying lengths (though all require credit card information to sign up).
Hulu with Live TV
YouTube TV
Sling TV
FuboTV
Finally, if you can wait until May 2nd, that’s when ABC will make the Oscars free to watch on its site without requiring a log-in, according to its FAQ.
HOW DO I WATCH THE CEREMONY OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED STATES?
ABC hasn’t updated its list of international partners that will broadcast the Oscars, though its site says that the Oscars will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
WHAT ARE THE OSCAR NOMINATIONS?
Our sister site Polygon has put together a comprehensive post that has all of the 2021 nominations. You can check that out right here.
And if you’re hungry for opinions on some Best Picture nominees from us, Vox, and Polygon, check out the links below:
Comics have never been bigger: with Marvel TV shows, DC movies, and indie adaptations growing by the day, comic books have never been more prominent in pop culture. This biweekly Verge column recommends comic series new and old, whether you’re a longtime fan or a newcomer.
I’ve played a lot of Fortnite over the years, but I’ve never really thought about the internal lives of the many characters that inhabit the battle royale island. I was always too busy seeking shelter and supplies or exploring whatever big event was happening at the time. But now that I’ve read Zero Point, a crossover between Batman and Fortnite, I can’t stop thinking about what’s actually happening to them as they fight to the death over and over again.
What is it? Zero Point is a new six-issue series — the first is available now — that attempts to make sense of the convoluted world of Fortnite. At the outset, a mysterious crack appears in Gotham’s skies, and Batman heads out to investigate. He spots Harley Quinn by the disturbance and is eventually pulled into it against his will. As you can probably guess, on the other side of the rift is the Fortnite island.
Batman immediately notices some strange things about this unknown place. He seems to be suffering from some form of amnesia; aside from some muscle memory — i.e., the ability to fight and use gadgets — he can’t remember anything about who he is. He also can’t talk, and for some reason, everyone is trying to kill each other. At one point, he posits a possible explanation: “I’ve gone mad.” It isn’t until he sees Catwoman that his memory is jostled just a little bit.
The issue ends without much resolution, but it poses a lot of questions I’ve never really considered much before. Why can’t the characters talk? And is there a reason everyone is actually trying to kill each other? The developers at Epic Games have steadily been building out the lore of Fortnite through in-game events and other means, even tying in some of the many licensed characters that have been added. But the comic goes in a different direction. Reading it is like seeing what goes through Batman’s head in the middle of a battle royale match.
It’s completely weird and utterly fascinating — and I’m very curious where it’s headed.
Who’s it by? Zero Point is written by Christos Gage, with art by Nelson Faro DeCastro, Reilly Brown, and John Kalisz. Donald Mustard — the chief creative officer at Epic — is listed as a story consultant. (He also apparently made a variant cover for the second issue.)
Where can I read it?Zero Point is available both in physical and digital forms, but there are some small complications. If you grab either a physical issue or read through DC Universe Infinite, you’ll get some bonus in-game items via a code; for issue one, that means a Harley Quinn Fortnite character. However, if you pick up an issue via Comixology, you won’t get a code, just the book. Issue 1 is available now, with subsequent issues coming on May 4th, May 18th, June 1st, June 15th, and July 6th.
Apple’s product design is usually very good, setting industry standards for how many of the gadgets and computers we use every day look and feel. But the company’s many hits make the less obvious design decisions stand out that much more.
Thanks to the huge amount of new stuff Apple introduced at its “Spring Loaded” event on Tuesday, we have a lot of new Apple designs to scrutinize. While the company generally did pretty well with this round of updates, there are still a few things that made us raise our eyebrows.
The iMac still has a big chin
The new iMac and its large chin.Image: Apple
I think Apple’s new iMacs look really good — except for that darn chin, which, once again, proudly protrudes from the bottom of the computer’s screen like Johnny Bravo’s impressive jawline.
To be fair, Apple did what it could to make the chin look nice. The pastel colors are really fun, and I’m happy Apple removed the giant logo that graced the chin of previous iMac generations. (Remove the “MacBook Air” text from my laptop’s bezel next, Apple.)
And I get that the chin is necessary to allow iMac to be as ridiculously thin as it is. Instead of putting the computer’s internals behind the screen, Apple has stuffed them into the chin.
The new iMac’s logic board and cooling system, stuffed into the chin.Image: Apple
Someday, though, I’d like to see Apple release an iMac with no chin at all — just a screen that’s a computer.
The iMac has white bezels
The white bezels on the new iMac.Image: Apple
Perhaps the most surprising thing to me about the new iMac was its white bezels. Most of Apple’s recent computers have had black bezels, which typically do a better job of hiding the edges of the display and make it less obvious where the screen ends and the bezel begins. (The non-Retina MacBook Air, with its silver bezels, hung around until 2019.)
But again, I have to give Apple some credit for its choice here. Black bezels paired with the bright new iMac colors would be quite jarring — the white looks great with the new iMac colors. And these white bezels are significantly smaller than the giant black bezels on the Intel-based iMacs that are still on sale.
The new iMacs join Apple’s base iPad, the iPad mini, and the iPod touch in the white bezel club. It remains to be seen if the new iMac joining it is foreshadowing others.
The curved corner keys on the iMac’s Magic Keyboard don’t look good
The new Magic Keyboard has some nice upgrades, including a Touch ID sensor (which comes with more expensive models), new function keys, and color-matched aluminum. But the look of just four of the keys on the keyboard makes it much worse than the previous model, in my opinion.
Check out the keys on the four corners of the new Magic Keyboard. Notice how they each have one corner with a much wider curve than the rest?
Apple’s new Magic Keyboard, with the weirdly rounded corner keys.Image: Apple
I just think they don’t look very good. I get that they better match the wider curves of the keyboard itself, but I think they look odd when all of the other keys have four corners with exactly the same curvature.
Here’s an image slider comparing the old keyboard to the new. The uniform corners on the old model look a lot better, in my opinion. Look at that bad right arrow key on the new one!
Apple’s old Magic Keyboard (left) vs. the new one (right).“,”image_left”:{“ratio”:”*”,”original_url”:”https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22461459/Screen_Shot_2021_04_21_at_8.19.05_PM.jpg”,”network”:”verge”,”bgcolor”:”white”,”pinterest_enabled”:false,”caption”:null,”credit”:null,”focal_area”:{“top_left_x”:0,”top_left_y”:0,”bottom_right_x”:860,”bottom_right_y”:449},”bounds”:[0,0,860,449],”uploaded_size”:{“width”:860,”height”:449},”focal_point”:null,”asset_id”:22461459,”asset_credit”:null,”alt_text”:””},”image_right”:{“ratio”:”*”,”original_url”:”https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22461460/blue_keyboard.png”,”network”:”verge”,”bgcolor”:”white”,”pinterest_enabled”:false,”caption”:null,”credit”:null,”focal_area”:{“top_left_x”:0,”top_left_y”:0,”bottom_right_x”:838,”bottom_right_y”:368},”bounds”:[0,0,838,368],”uploaded_size”:{“width”:838,”height”:368},”focal_point”:null,”asset_id”:22461460,”asset_credit”:null,”alt_text”:””},”credit”:null}” data-cid=”apps/imageslider-1619201415_9223_302188″>
Apple’s old Magic Keyboard (left) vs. the new one (right).
And by the way, it looks like the Magic Trackpad that comes with the new iMac has the same wider corners as the new keyboard, too, based on a picture from Apple’s website. So if you want your keyboard and trackpad to have matched corners, you’re going to have to pay extra to get the new trackpad.
Apple’s new Magic Keyboard and Trackpad.Image: Apple
The new iMac does not have a touchscreen, despite looking an awful lot like another Apple device with a touchscreen
Hmm.Image: Apple
The iPad Pro’s front camera is still in portrait instead of landscape
The new iPad Pro’s portrait front camera.Image: Apple
Apple, once again, has released a new iPad Pro with a front camera that’s placed on top of the device in portrait mode instead of on top in landscape mode. That means if you use any keyboard case that requires the tablet to be in landscape and you want to take a video call (which is something a lot of people are doing right now), the camera is awkwardly off to the side instead of right above the middle of your screen.
To try to get around this, Apple upgraded the iPad Pro’s new front camera to make it an ultrawide, and the company debuted a new technology that can automatically keep you in frame during video calls. But we won’t know for sure if that will keep you better-centered until we can test it for ourselves. And it won’t solve the problem of forcing you to look to the side if you want to look directly into the camera.
The new 12.9-inch iPad Pro isn’t compatible with the original Magic Keyboard case
Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge
Apple’s new 12.9-inch iPad Pro isn’t compatible with the original Magic Keyboard case, which fits the 2018 and 2020 models of the tablet. It’s not exactly clear why, but it could be because the new iPad Pro is 0.5mm thicker than the 2020 12.9-inch iPad Pro.
Regardless of what the reason is, though, if you’re planning to buy the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro and want to use a Magic Keyboard along with it, you’re also going to have to pony up $349 to buy the new version of the Magic Keyboard case.
AirTags don’t have a built-in keychain loop
Apple’s AirTag tracker doesn’t have a keychain loop.Image: Apple
Apple’s new AirTag item trackers sure seem like they should have an easy way to directly attach to something, but Apple decided not to include a small hole for, say, a keychain or a string. (Yes, I side with my colleague Chaim Gartenberg in his great AirTags keychain loop debate with Jon Porter.)
The Magic Mouse’s charging port is still on the bottom, five and a half years later
This is still how you charge the Magic Mouse.
I already wrote about this one.
There is some hope: it looks like Apple fixed its TV remote
Apple’s new Siri remote, with its iPod-like scroll wheel, a five-way click pad, and smaller touchpad, looks like it will address complaints about the previous Apple TV remote’s annoyingly oversensitive touch controls. And the new aluminum design with black buttons should make it easier to see the buttons on the remote compared to the mostly black design of the previous model.
This week, Apple launched a new Apple TV 4K streamer complete with a shiny new Siri remote control. But there’s a kicker – the new Siri remote won’t work with motion-controlled video games, DigitalTrends reports.
That’s because it lacks a gyroscope and accelerometer, meaning no Wii-style motion gaming. According to MacRumors, if you try to play a motion-controlled game with the new remote you’ll see the following error message:
“To play this game on your Apple TV, you need to connect the Apple TV Remote (1st generation) or a compatible PlayStation, Xbox or MFi controller.”
Why the change? Apple Arcade is trying to position itself as a more serious gaming platform, with fewer motion-controlled titles, which are seen as frivolous by more hardcore gamers. It stopped insisting that games on the platform support the original Siri controller’s motion controls back in 2016, and in 2019 started supporting controllers from “proper” consoles such as the Xbox One and PS4. It will soon support PS5 and Xbox Series X/S controllers, too.
The new Apple TV supports high frame rate HDR with Dolby Vision at 60fps, and is powered by the A12 Bionic chip, which debuted in 2018’s iPhone XS. It also has a unique approach to setting the colour balance: it uses your iPhone’s sensors to optimise the video output for your particular TV. The light sensor in the iPhone compares the colour balance to “industry-standard specifications used by cinematographers worldwide”. The Apple TV 4K then automatically tweaks its picture output to allegedly deliver more accurate colours and better contrast based on the measurements it takes from your TV.
We can’t wait to try it for ourselves.
MORE:
Apple’s new TV calibration feature is coming to older Apple TV models
Apple launches new Apple iPad Pro with Liquid Retina XDR screen and M1 chip
You may have heard of the new Apple products announced at the company’s “Spring Loaded” event this week — including the redesigned colorful iMac, the location-tracking AirTags, and the boosted specs on the next iPad Pro. But there was another big event focused on Apple this week: on Capitol Hill.
This week on The Verge’s flagship podcast, The Vergecast, co-hosts Nilay Patel and Dieter Bohn discuss Apple’s Tuesday hardware event with Verge news editor Chaim Gartenberg as well as Wednesday’s congressional hearing dedicated to antitrust in the App Store with Verge politics reporter Makena Kelly.
The show bridges the gap between Apple announcing a Tile competitor and Tile speaking in front of Congress the following day.
Listen here or in your preferred podcast player to hear the full discussion.
Further reading:
What we’re learning from the rare cases of COVID-19 in vaccinated people
Alexa can now tell you where to find a COVID-19 vaccine
Doctors are testing a prescription video game for COVID-19 ‘brain fog’
Wisconsin amends Foxconn’s contract to reflect radically smaller project
Apple’s Spring Loaded event: the 8 biggest announcements
Apple Podcasts launches in-app subscriptions
Can Apple get you to pay for podcasts?
Apple AirTag hands-on
Apple’s AirTags don’t have a built-in keychain loop, and we have some thoughts
Apple announces new Apple TV 4K
Apple unveils an improved remote for its Apple TV
Yes, older Apple TVs can also be calibrated with your iPhone
Apple announces thinner iMac with M1 chip and bright colors
New Touch ID Magic Keyboards work with all M1 Macs, not just the iMac
Apple launches new iPad Pro with M1 processor
How the M1-powered iPad Pro compares to other iPad models
Any video conferencing app can use the iPad Pro’s fancy zoom and pan camera
Big iPad, Mini LED: why Apple’s new iPad Pro display is better and brighter
Put macOS on the iPad, you cowards
Congress is diving into the App Store fight
Lina Kahn on Amazon’s antitrust paradox
Apple’s $64 billion-a-year app store isn’t catching the most egregious scams
Sen. Tammy Duckworth on hate crimes, racism, and environmental justice
Asian Activists are tracking the surge in hate crimes as police reporting falls short
Inside the glass fibers connecting our wireless world
Samsung’s free TV streaming service is now available on Galaxy smartphones in the UK. Samsung TV Plus has been available on Samsung smart TVs worldwide and on Galaxy smartphones in the US for a while now. It also launched in South Korea, the Netherlands and Germany last week, and will come to more of Europe later this year, SamMobile reports.
Samsung TV Plus offers over 90 channels for watching both live and on-demand. These include news (CNN, Bloomberg TV+), lifestyle (People TV, Vevo Pop), kids’ shows, movies and sport.
It’s available through the Google Play Store, and is compatible with Samsung Galaxy S10, S20, S21, Note 10 and Note 20 family devices.
Samsung TV Plus will also be available through Samsung Free (formerly known as Samsung Daily) – a news feed featuring info about games, news, media and more. Samsung Free lives on the leftmost homepage on compatible Galaxy devices. It will feature Samsung TV Plus from 28th April.
TV and movie streaming is big business right now. Sony recently confirmed it is testing a new streaming service in Poland as part of PlayStation Plus. Called Video Pass, it currently offers a library of 21 films and TV shows, but could soon grow to many more.
With Disney+ surpassing its subscriber target earlier this year, and Netflix continuing to build on its 200m+ global subscribers, it’s clear streaming isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
MORE:
Check out the best streaming services and devices
These are the best streaming services for TV and movies
Amazon Prime Video vs Netflix – which is better? Find out here
Apple’s new Tile-like AirTags, long-rumored and finally announced at this week’s Spring Loaded event, are now available for preorder on Apple’s website. The small circular trackers work with Apple’s “Find My” app on iOS and have a built-in speaker, accelerometer, Bluetooth LE, and a replaceable battery. They cost $29 for one set or $99 for a four-pack.
Apple says the AirTags’ battery should be good for a year. They should start delivering between May 3rd and May 5th.
The existence of AirTags first became known nearly two years ago, in copies of the iOS 13 beta. Apple accidentally confirmed the AirTags name in a support video last year that has since been deleted.
Also revealed at Spring Loaded was the new purple iPhone 12. It’s identical to the other colors of the iPhone 12; it’s very fast, has a very nice screen, 5G, and great cameras, according to our review. It’s also available for preorder today on Apple’s website and will be widely available starting April 30th.
The 2021 iMac, new Apple TV 4K, and new iPad Pro models Apple showed off at the Spring Loaded event will be available for preorder starting April 30th.
The Evercade handheld that released in 2020 can connect to your TV through its Mini HDMI port, but its 4.3-inch screen proves it was designed more for retro gaming on the go. Now, there’s a version of the Evercade just for your TV. It’s called the Evercade VS, and it can output retro games at 1080p, delivering “top-of-the-line emulation,” with support for up to four wired USB controllers for multiplayer in games. It’ll cost $99.99 when it launches on November 3rd, 2021, and preorders start on May 28th, 2021.
Crucially, the Evercade VS will be able to play games from the same kind of proprietary cartridges used by the handheld, and this home console can store two at a time under the NES-style flap that opens at its top. Each cartridge allows for save and load states in its updated user interface, and you can pick up where you left off by swapping them between the Evercade VS and the Evercade handheld if you own both. In terms of visual options, it will support 4:3, “pixel perfect,” or full-screen modes as well as the option for scan line filters. The company says the handheld will receive these interface features in an update by the end of 2021.
Image: Evercade
Evercade will release its own controller, but you can use other USB controllers, including the Xbox Adaptive Controller, 8BitDo’s wireless controllers that have USB wireless receivers, and likely many others. Even the Evercade handheld can serve as a controller if you purchase a link cable. The console will include a Micro USB power cable but not a wall adapter. It also won’t include an HDMI cable.
This cross-device approach to the Evercade platform seems well-thought-out. Letting you take the games out of your handheld and pop them in the VS to play on TV is a power play for any kind of proprietary format, especially from a small company that’s paying IP holders a licensing fee for games that it writes to cartridge. That’s notable (and even commendable), but this approach has hit its first major snag in the jump to the home console: some of the Evercade’s most popular retro titles won’t work on the VS. Specifically, the two cartridges featuring Namco Museum collections are licensed exclusively for use on handheld, so the VS simply cannot play Pac-Man, Dig Dug, Galaga, and the other games built into those cartridges.
Blaze Entertainment expects to have over 280 games available to play on its Evercade ecosystem by the end of 2021, and barring other licensing conflicts ahead of the VS’s launch, all games outside of the Namco Museum cartridges will be playable on the TV-based console. Also, the company is committing to all future cartridges supporting both the VS and the handheld.
The Xbox Series S isn’t perfect and won’t be for everyone, but it delivers a near next-gen gaming experience for a reasonable price
For
Attractively priced
Solid AV and gaming performance
Responsive controls
Against
Over-complicated AV set-up
Doesn’t support native 4K gaming
Small hard drive
The Xbox Series S is a tough console to nail down. It’s next-gen, but with one rather large drawback; it isn’t a 4K games console, which will undoubtedly rule out some potential buyers from the off.
But it is about more than just resolution. The Xbox Series S brings features and performance benefits to a price point we’ve never seen a high-tech console hit at launch before. And, after resolution, the price of the Series S is arguably the big talking point.
Price
The Xbox Series S is a remarkably cheap console, costing just £250 ($300, AU$500) – no wonder there was a collective gasp from members of the media when pricing was finally revealed. This compares to £450 ($500, AU$749) for the Xbox Series X.
Using Xbox All Access, where you can pay for the console in instalments, you can get a new Series S on a 12-month contract for £21 ($25, AU$33) per month, compared with £29 ($34, AU$46) per month for the Series X.
Its main rival, the PS5 Digital Edition, comes in at £359 ($399, AU$599). It is also missing a disc drive, but the difference is that it gets all the same 4K gaming performance and specs of the standard PS5 console, whereas the Series S has various performance downgrades on the Series X.
Build
(Image credit: Future)
It’s not just the price tag of the Xbox Series S that catches your attention. Open up the box and you’ll be taken aback by the size of the console. It’s tiny compared with its big brother, the Xbox Series X, but also the PS5 and PS5 Digital Editions too.
Positioned horizontally, the Series S measures 28cm wide and 15cm deep. This is in stark contrast to Sony’s disc-less rival, the PS5 Digital Edition, which is 39cm wide and 26cm deep. This makes the Series S ultra-portable, and you’ll be more than happy to sling it into a rucksack and take it to a friend’s house. The ‘S’ and its relatively small frame will also take up less space on your AV rack.
Xbox Series S tech specs
(Image credit: Future)
Resolution 1440p at 60Hz, 120Hz
Storage 512GB
Outputs HDMI, 3.5mm headphone jack, USB (Type-A) x3
The chassis is essentially an off-white plastic. It doesn’t feel particularly expensive, but that’s hardly a surprise, given the bulk of Xbox’s budget has been spent on what’s inside.
Compared with the striking PS5, the Xbox Series S looks anything but flamboyant. Its only distinctive feature is a circular black grill for the fan, which makes it look more like a wireless speaker than a cutting-edge games console.
In terms of connections, the Xbox Series S doesn’t throw up any real surprises. On the front, there’s a USB (Type-A) socket, a 3.5mm headphone jack and the power button. On the rear, there are power, ethernet, HDMI and a pair of USB (Type-A) inputs.
The only socket we haven’t really encountered before is a slot for expanding the amount of storage on the Xbox Series S. And, depending on the number of enhanced games you intend to buy, there’s a chance you might have to use it sooner than expected.
In fact, storage is one of the biggest drawbacks for the Xbox Series S. On the box, it says it has 512GB of storage, but when you boot up the console and go into the system’s menu, that figure is nowhere to be seen. Before installing a single game, we are down to 364GB. Download a few enhanced games at 60GB+ and you’ll soon be reaching for an expansion card.
Be warned – the official Seagate Storage Expansion Card costs a whopping £220 ($220, AU$359). The good news is that if you already own an external hard drive with backwards compatible games on it for an Xbox One S, you should be able to plug it into the Xbox Series S and use it straight away.
Home screen
(Image credit: Future)
Power up the console and you’re greeted with the traditional Xbox GUI. On the one hand, it’s nice and familiar but we can’t help but think it’s a missed opportunity. Couldn’t Xbox have created a more exciting and inviting interface to wow its customers and usher in its next-gen consoles?
The tile system is still in play and so is the horizontal navigation. You can reach all the relevant areas, such as games and system settings, with minimal button presses. It’s quick to respond to your commands too. This could be down to a combination of more powerful CPU processing, the super-fast solid-state hard drive and even the new low-latency controller.
What’s even more noticeable is the speed at which games load. Compared with the previous generation of Xbox consoles, the Series S is much quicker. Not only does it get you through loading screens with a greater sense of urgency, with Quick Resume, you can now pick up games from where you left off in a matter of seconds. Xbox claims you can have three or four games on the go at any one time.
Controller
(Image credit: Future)
Like the X, the new Xbox Series S gets a new control pad. It’s supposed to be slightly smaller, although the difference is hard to spot. Irrespective of whether it’s shrunk, the controller still feels good in hand. The bumpers are more rounded, while the triggers have been given more sculpted grips and a new texture that also spreads to the rear of the controller.
Your hands and fingertips get better purchase when pressing down hard, and it feels like the texture pattern from the back of an Xbox Elite Wireless Controller (Series 2) has been placed onto the Xbox Series S controller. Which is no bad thing.
The controller also features what Xbox calls Dynamic Latency Input (DLI), which immediately synchronises each controller input with what you see on screen. Of course, your TV’s own lag is also part of the equation here, but at least the console is doing its bit to reduce lag. It feels as though the console is quick to respond to commands, whether navigating the console’s home screen and in-game too.
Another addition to the controller comes in the shape of a new dedicated ‘Share’ button, which means you can capture screenshots and clips and share your gameplay on social media. Those with older legacy controllers from an Xbox One S (or One X) will be pleased to know you can pair them with the Series S.
Features
(Image credit: Future)
According to Liz Hamren, Head of Platform Engineering and Hardware for Xbox, the Series S delivers “four times the processing power of an Xbox One console”. On paper, the figures are 4 TFLOPS of power for the Xbox Series S, compared with 12.15 TFLOPS for the Series X.
The Series S is “similar in CPU” to the Series X, but not identical. The Xbox Series X uses an 8-Core AMD Zen 2 CPU running at 3.8GHz (3.6GHz with SMT enabled) while the Series S uses the same CPU working at 3.6GHz (3.4GHz with SMT enabled).
The ‘X’ is powered by a 52CU (compute unit) RDNA GPU running at 1.825GHz, while its cheaper sibling has a 20CU, 1.565GHz GPU.
The Series S doesn’t have the graphics grunt of its sibling, meaning that resolution is a big difference between the consoles. The Xbox Series S has been geared towards outputting 1440p at 60Hz, up to a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz. It can upscale the picture to 4K to match your 4K TV, but you won’t be able to see next-gen games in native 4K. You can only play games in native 4K resolution (at up to 120Hz) on the Xbox Series X.
But we wouldn’t write off the Xbox Series S just yet. While it does lose out on graphical power and resolution, it still has a range of features that will appeal to anyone looking to make the jump from, say, an Xbox One S.
You can still enjoy refresh rates to up to 120Hz. The console also supports VRR, variable rate shading and ray-tracing just like the Series X. You get the same Quick Resume feature, so you can pick up where you left off at the touch of a button, a faster SSD hard drive and a speedier user experience. All of these mean the Series S is a big step up from the previous generation Xbox One S.
All the streaming apps you need are there too, including Netflix, Spotify, Sky Go, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV and Disney+.
Picture
(Image credit: Future)
When it comes to playing games on the Xbox Series S, it’s difficult to find a lot to grumble about for the money. While it’s not native 4K, what it does dish out is easy on the eye. Play Madden 21 and the intro video bursts into life with a colourful and vibrant display of NFL uniforms and impressive-looking stadia shots.
Detail on jerseys and boots is good. The reflections on player helmets are glossy and add polish to the presentation. The motion of the players, whether they’re walking slowly into formation or blitzing the opposing team, is stable and we don’t notice anything in the way of tearing, judder or artefacts.
Gears 5 looks good too, even though it isn’t being rendered in true 4K. Compared with the Xbox Series X, the more powerful console delivers a picture with more ‘wow’ factor, but the Series S is by no means embarrassed. The on-screen detail is good enough, with decent texture on chiselled faces and war-torn body armour. Motion is stable, and there’s good insight in the shadows.
As a streaming device, the Xbox Series S presents a solid case too. Playing Altered Carbon via Netflix, the Series S produces a watchable picture, with none of the artificial appearance that can sometimes be served up by poorer streaming devices.
There’s a good sense of clarity and motion, with detail and definition both excellent too. As Quellcrist Falconer makes Angelfire rain down on her pursuers, the screen lights up with bolts of blue neon. As each soldier is struck down, the flames turn to embers, small pin pricks burning briefly, but ever so brightly, in Dolby Vision HDR. The detail in the shadows as she hides behind a fallen tree is nicely judged and not overly dark.
We’d say the Xbox Series S is comparable to an Apple TV 4K for picture quality, which is a great video streamer in its own right. That’s quite impressive for a games console.
Sound
(Image credit: Future)
Despite being a next-gen console, we’re still left scratching our heads at the way some audio settings have been implemented.
Instead of being able to pass unadulterated audio from your streaming service of choice through to your AV amp, the Xbox needs to decode and re-encode it. You need to navigate the console’s audio settings and pick one format which the console will then apply to everything. You can select from DTS Digital Surround, Dolby Digital, Dolby Atmos for Home Theatre or DTS:X for home theatre. It’s not a particularly next-gen way of going about things.
Click on DTS:X and you’re told you need to download the DTS Sound Unbound app. This unlocks DTS:X for home theatre, but you still need to pay a further £17 to unlock DTS Headphones:X. Similarly, you need the Dolby Access app to get free Atmos support for your home theatre, but if you want Dolby Atmos for Headphones, that will cost you extra too. Seriously?
However, the Dolby Access app is handy for setting up a Dolby Atmos soundbar, AV receiver or TV. You can customise your audio settings and even switch on a built-in audio upmixer if you want some of the Atmos experience, but don’t happen to own a Dolby Atmos speaker package.
Oddly, during set-up we are greeted by a pop-up from the console asking if we want to pass Blu-ray audio directly to our AV receiver – someone clearly forgot that the Xbox Series S is a disc-less console.
Once set up, you get is a perfectly acceptable sonic performance. The console sounds punchy and lively with a decent sense of clarity, and an even tonal balance. It’s not as subtle or refined as a dedicated budget 4K Blu-ray player, such as the Sony UBP-X700, nor does it have the same sense of timing and natural flair with music. But it sounds lively enough when firing out the 80s soundtrack to Cobra Kai and the dialogue sounds clear and relatively weighty.
Switch to the opening chapter of Gears 5, and as Kait, Marcus et al arrive at the opening to the cave, the detail and definition in the whirring rotor blades is impressive. Combine this with the strings of the soundtrack, and the sound of the birds circling around the huge opening and the console creates a fine sense of immersion and atmosphere as you head underground.
Verdict
Xbox has been pretty smart with the Xbox Series S – the price tag alone will be enough for some to give it serious consideration. However, if true 4K resolution gaming or playing 4K Blu-rays matters to you, it won’t even be on your radar.
If you aren’t fussed about those and just want to play Xbox exclusives with some of the other game enhancements, such as VRR and the high frame rates, then the Series S isn’t a bad shout.
It could also be an affordable console for a second room or to keep the kids happy. After all, you still get a huge chunk of future-proofing and day-to-day performance upgrades that make it a decent jump up from the Xbox One S.
The Xbox Series S isn’t perfect. The user interface feels a little dated for a next-gen console and there are still too many quirks when you want to use it as part of a proper home theatre system. While it won’t necessarily appeal to everyone, if you’re happy with what the Series S can offer, you won’t be disappointed.
A federal judge has rejected a motion by Apple to dismiss a putative class action lawsuit over the company’s use of the labels “buy” and “rent” when selling digital content. As first covered by The Hollywood Reporter, the suit can now continue, though could yet be settled before ever reaching trial.
The lead plaintiff in the case, David Andino, argues that Apple is misleading consumers when it tells them it can “buy” digital versions of albums, TV shows, and films from its stores. Why? Because the iPhone-maker retains the power to terminate customers’ access to this content whenever it likes. This can happen, for example, when the company loses distribution rights to content that users haven’t secured by downloading to their device.
“Just like Best Buy cannot come into a person’s home to repossess the movie DVD that such person purchased from it, defendant should not be able to remove, or permit the removal by others of, digital content from its customers,” says Andino’s lawsuit. “Though some consumers may get lucky and never lose access to any of their paid for media, others may one day find that their digital content is now gone forever.”
Apple attempted to have the case dismissed, but a ruling this week by US District Court Judge John Mendez shows that the company’s arguments weren’t entirely convincing.
“Apple contends that ‘[n]o reasonable consumer would believe’ that purchased content would remain on the iTunes platform indefinitely,” wrote Mendez in an order filed with the Eastern District of California. “But in common usage, the term ‘buy’ means to acquire possession over something. It seems plausible, at least at the motion to dismiss stage, that reasonable consumers would expect their access couldn’t be revoked.”
To emphasize his point, Mendez pointed to the definition of the word “buy” in the Mirriam-Webster dictionary (meaning “to acquire possession, ownership, or rights to the use or services of by payment especially of money”) — a timeless move that is, apparently, as welcome in federal legal proceedings as in hastily-written wedding speeches.
Apple tried to argue that Andino’s “injury” was purely speculative, as he has not actually lost access to any content. But, as Mendez summarizes, the injury being presented is not the threat of losing future access, but the deception involved in Apple’s use of the word “buy.” This misleads consumers about the exact nature of ownership, meaning Andino “paid either too much for the product or spent money he would not have but for the misrepresentation.”
Apple did have some success, though, and one element of the lawsuit was dismissed: Andino’s claims to “unjust enrichment,” which would affect how any potential damages would be calculated. Mendez did, though, leave open the possibility of future “injunctive relief” — that is, material changes to how Apple sells content in future. All these questions, though, will have to be settled in future proceedings.
Apple’s new Siri Remote doesn’t come equipped with an accelerometer or gyroscope, which means it won’t work as a motion controller in certain Apple TV games. The omission was initially spotted by Digital Trends, and can be seen on the remotes’ product pages. The old Siri Remote lists an “Accelerometer” and “Three-axis gyro” in the tech specs, but they’re missing from the new listing (we’ve linked to a Google Cache because as of this writing Apple’s store is down ahead of AirTags pre-orders going live).
The change means that the new Siri Remote won’t work with certain Apple TV games that rely on motion controls. According to code in tvOS 14.5 seen by MacRumors, trying to play an incompatible game will lead to the following error message: “To play this game on your Apple TV, you need to connect the Apple TV Remote (1st generation) or a compatible PlayStation, Xbox or MFi controller.” If you’ve got one, you might want to keep an old Siri Remote around for occasions like this.
The lack of motion controls might sound surprising given the new Apple TV box was expected to have a bigger gaming focus, and arrives as Apple Arcade is maturing into a pretty compelling games subscription service. But in recent years Apple has shifted its attention towards more traditional gaming controllers, away from motion controls. It dropped its requirement for games to support the Siri Remote’s motion controls in June 2016 just months after the remote launched alongside the 2015 Apple TV. Then, in June 2019, it announced Apple TV support for Xbox One and PS4 controllers. Support for PS5 and Xbox Series X and S controllers is expected to arrive with tvOS 14.5.
Flagship features and a big, clear screen make this mid-priced mobile a good option for your pocket
For
Good for gaming
Detailed picture performance
Decent built-in speakers
Against
Screen could be subtler
Flat audio performance
Alec Baldwin may be the best known, and arguably most talented, of his siblings but as Trey Parker and Matt Stone once wrote: you know what sucks about being a Baldwin? Nothing! Thankfully for Billy, Daniel, Stephen and the OnePlus 9 smartphone, life always has room for a little brother.
With only two members of the OnePlus 9 family, finding a niche as the more affordable smaller sibling should be no problem at all. The OnePlus 9 is still a big phone and its 6.55-inch display means it can bring some serious scale to your portable viewing.
Not only does the OnePlus 9 have an HDR10+-supporting, 120Hz AMOLED screen, it also has a Hasselblad camera set-up on board too. And it charges so quickly that by the time you remember that you plugged it in, it’s probably full and ready to go.
Granted, there are a few nips and tucks to the specs compared with the OnePlus 9 Pro but, with around a quarter off the Pro’s price tag, this Android handset has the tempting promise of a flagship phone at a mid-range price.
Pricing
The OnePlus 9 is priced at £629 for the Astral Black and Arctic Sky versions, which come with 128GB of storage space and 8GB of RAM in the UK and Europe. The Winter Mist OnePlus 9 is £729 and comes with 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM.
In the US, only the Astral Black and Winter Mist finishes are available, but both come with 8GB RAM and 128GB of storage. The US OnePlus 9 is priced at $729.
Features
(Image credit: OnePlus)
A phone with a 6.55-inch screen is just about small enough to carry out most of your operations one-handed without fear of dropping it, although swiping from the top and bottom without adjusting your grip makes for some pretty intensive thumb yoga. Laid next to the OnePlus 9 Pro, the standard OnePlus 9 is just 4mm shorter at 160mm long and a little thinner at 8.7mm rather than 9mm, but has the same 74mm width.
Despite its fibreglass polymer frame, the finish still feels premium for a non-metal phone. The three-way sliding switch for the silent, vibrate and ring profiles is a particularly nice touch. Underneath that, there is the power button, on the opposite side is the volume rocker with the USB-C port and SIM tray on the bottom edge. Sadly, there’s no 3.5mm headphone socket.
OnePlus 9 tech specs
(Image credit: OnePlus)
Screen 6.55in AMOLED
Resolution 2400 x 1080 (402ppi)
Rear camera 48MP, 50MP, 2MP
Front camera 16MP
Dolby Atmos Yes
Finishes x3
Dimensions (hwd) 16 x 7.4 x 0.9cm
Weight 192g
For wireless audio, there’s Bluetooth 5.2 with aptX and aptX HD included as well as LDAC technology, which allows hi-res audio streaming over Bluetooth at up to 24-bit/96 kHz.
As for that screen, it’s a 2400 x 1080 AMOLED panel with a fixed 120Hz refresh rate and a pixel density of 402ppi. Compared with the 9 Pro (525ppi), it’s a little less sharp and slightly dimmer too, with a peak brightness of 1100nits rather than the 1300nit display on the Pro. On top is a flat piece of Gorilla Glass, under which is a hidden fingerprint reader, though you can also unlock the phone using face recognition.
Those looking to dive into some on-the-go TV and film watching will appreciate the HDR10+ and HDR10 support with plenty of HDR compatibility to be found on Netflix and others. You can play locally stored MKV, MOV, MP4, H.265 (HEVC), AVI and other video file formats. The display proportions offer a maximum possible 20:9 aspect ratio, but while most content is edged by a pair of black bars, premium gaming titles use the whole screen width.
Game Mode Pro is a handy feature of Oxygen OS – an otherwise light skin on top of Android 11. It shuts off notifications from popping up on your screen, restricts background app use to divert as much processing power to your gaming as possible and prioritises your network use for game data. We also like the way it brings quick access to options such as WhatsApp messaging, Instagram and screen recording with a small, pull-down menu at your thumb.
(Image credit: OnePlus)
The gameplay itself is well handled. The fast refresh rate of the display helps your gaming feel lag-free, both on and off-line. OnePlus has installed its Cool Play vapour cooling system, but even after one round of PUBG Mobile, the handset still feels pretty warm.
Despite that, and the fixed 120Hz rate, the 4500mAh battery takes us well beyond a day of heavy use. Should you need to recharge more regularly, you’ll be pleased to note that the Warp 65T charger included in the box takes just under 30 minutes to fill your phone.
As with the OnePlus 9 Pro, owners of this handset benefit from a Hasselblad-calibrated camera array. Here, it is a three-lens set-up, with a main 48MP camera, a 50MP ultrawide and a monochrome shooter, but no telephoto. There is 12-bit colour depth stills imaging available in Pro Mode for RAW files and you can capture 8K video at 30fps and 4K video at 60fps.
Telephoto aside, the performance of the camera is right up there with that of the 9 Pro’s. The optical image stabilisation works a treat for the handheld tracking shots around our test facilities. The results look almost as if they were shot using a camera dolly and there’s the odd jump only with fast pans. The colours are bright and rich, if not quite as real-world accurate as the best smartphones.
As with its bigger brother, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chip orchestrates the action with great aplomb. There’s barely a glitch or stutter in our time with the phone and we’d expect it to stay that way with regular updates and fixes to the OS, the UI and third-party apps.
Screen
(Image credit: OnePlus)
If you’re expecting the performance of the OnePlus 9 to match that of the OnePlus 9 Pro, think again – that extra spend goes on more than just an aluminium frame and some curved glass. But there is a lot to like about the OnePlus 9’s picture performance.
It’s easy to lose ourselves in the story of The Witcher in HDR on Netflix. It’s a bright and engaging image with a decent degree of punch and no wanting for detail in light and dark areas of the screen. The opening shots across the shaded interior of a barn reveal lots of detail in the shadows without doing much damage to the black depth. Even when the frame becomes split between that darkness and the bright daylight on the faces of the young lovers outside the barn, the overall exposure levels remain well pitched.
We’re just as pleased with how the OnePlus 9 handles SDR. The Display P3 mode brings a good blend between the natural look of the Missouri countryside and the exciting colours of sci-fi space as we watch Guardians Of The Galaxy 2 in Full HD. If you’d rather not get your hands dirty in the settings, pull the colour temperature towards ‘cold’ or use the Natural preset.
As with the OnePlus 9 Pro, though, there’s room for improvement. The very best handsets maintain a slightly inkier black depth and add a bit more of a dynamic HDR feel, while some displays are a touch more careful with shading. It’s most apparent when looking at faces – the skin complexion of the lovers in The Witcher episode, for example, are fairly uniform in their production, when colour and lighting could be handled a little better.
But these performance compromises are in line with the 9 Pro, which also favours dark detail over black depth. The 9 Pro is sharper, a little brighter and the colours go a touch further before starting to look artificial but, given the difference in price, this is to be expected. The OnePlus 9 still makes for some worthy big-screen viewing at this point in the market.
Sound
(Image credit: OnePlus)
But while the screen can be classed as ‘good’, the audio performance of the OnePlus 9 is firmly in the average category. It plays your favourite tracks faithfully enough but is never going to thrill you. That doesn’t mean that it’s not without its charms, though.
OnePlus’s ‘Dual stereo speaker’ set-up is fine for listening to music or watching a film without headphones. Dialogue is clear and sound effects are identifiable, while music is balanced and not without a sense of presence. We’d recommend listening without the Dolby Atmos music processing, but both ‘Film’ and ‘Music’ modes come across well.
Listening to Biffy Clyro’s Many Of Horror, the OnePlus 9 conveys that powerful sense of emotion. There’s definition and clarity to the vocals and the squeaky slides up the guitar strings of the intro, even if it’s not the most detailed delivery we’ve heard. The volume on the device doesn’t go particularly high but reaches the top with hardly any distortion.
For headphones listening, it’s best to axe the processing and set the OnePlus 9 to ‘None’ under ‘Style Preference’ in the sound settings. It doesn’t do much to make up for this phone’s underwhelming dynamics but keeps music as rhythmic as possible. We play Blue Monday by New Order and the impact of the electro beats and synth sounds is in line with the OnePlus 9 Pro’s performance. The more expensive model has a better stab at organising the sounds but, paired with a decent set of headphones, there’s still plenty to enjoy here.
But with busier tracks, there’s more of a sense of what could have been, sonically. We hit play on Black Hole Sun by Soundgarden, hoping for a taste of moody grunge. But while all the instruments are there and tonally in balance, Chris Cornell’s voice comes across flat and expressionless. Nor is there a change of gear when the drum fills announce the chorus. Ultimately, this phone plugs the music gap while we’re out and about, but not an awful lot more.
Verdict
There aren’t many smartphones that offer so much screen real estate at this price. The fact that it’s such an involving picture performance is a compelling reason to buy the OnePlus 9.
Our doubts are mostly on the audio side, as some rival phones make music on the go a more exciting affair. If you use a dedicated music player or are looking for a mobile phone primarily for its video performance, then don’t let its sonic drawbacks put you off. Between the high-performing chipset, the lag-free gaming, the Hasselblad camera and the scale and quality of the screen, there are plenty of reasons why the OnePlus 9 is a good idea.
SCORES
Screen 4
Sound 3
Features 5
MORE:
Read our guide to the best smartphones
Read our OnePlus 9 Pro review
Read our Sony Xperia 5 II review
Read our Apple iPhone 12 review
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