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iPhone, Galaxy S, Pixel: How smartphones evolved to dominate your life

iPhone, Galaxy S, Pixel: How smartphones evolved to dominate your life

This story is part of The 2010s: A Decade in Review, a series on the memes, people, products, movies and so much more that have influenced the 2010s.

Steve Jobs' pitch for the original iPhone in 2007 as a phone, music player and internet communicator was a landmark moment in the tech world. It crystalized the iPhone's almost mythic reputation from the start -- remember the nickname, the Jesus phone? -- and helped usher in the idea that smartphones could be chic. But looking back, those three capabilities barely scratched the surface of what we can do with the modern smartphone.

What can you do with one now? Everything.

"We never imagined how a decade later iPhone would become such an essential part of our lives, from streaming TV shows and playing games, to finding directions when traveling, to managing health and fitness, to opening garages in smart homes, to sharing beautiful memories with stunning photos and videos," Phil Schiller, head of marketing for Apple, said in an email.

As CNET explores the impact of various technologies over the past decade, none has changed our lives as dramatically as the smartphone. When the original iPhone launched, and the first Android phone, the G1, followed in 2008, they were still the stuff of gadget enthusiasts with loads of disposable income. Even 10 years ago, at the launch of the Motorola Droid -- the first Android phone to enjoy mass appeal, thanks to a massive marketing blitz by Verizon Wireless -- we were just getting started with the potential that came with smartphones and mobile applications.

Nowadays we take for granted that we have a virtual supercomputer in our pockets. Our iPhones and Android handsets let us hail a car right to our location, draw from a library of hundreds of thousands of television shows and movies stored online, or livestream our silly antics to millions across the world. You can shoot down cartoonish avatars of your friends in Fortnite. They've literally been revolutionary, with secure messaging apps playing a role in the Arab Spring movement in the early 2010s and the Hong Kong protests against China playing out today.

We never imagined how a decade later iPhone would become such an essential part of our lives.

Phil Schiller, head of marketing for Apple

Think about it: What's the one thing you can't leave your home without? Chances are, it's your smartphone. It's become such a critical part of our lives that we're starting to question whether we're spending too much time on them. Tech giants like Apple and Google have even introduced ways to tell you how much time you're spending on your phone -- with apps found on the phone.

"It's astonishing how quickly we've gone from being astonished to having an always-connected supercomputer in our pockets to somewhat resenting having a supercomputer in our pockets," said Avi Greengart, an analyst at research firm Techsponential. 

No matter where you stand on the spectrum of smartphone dependence, it's undeniable the staggering impact they've had on society, culture and how we live our lives.

"A lot has changed since 1.0," Stephanie Cuthbertson, director of Android, said during her Google I/O keynote speech in May. "Smartphones have evolved from an early vision to this integral tool in our lives, and they are incredibly helpful."

Clumsy to coveted

Smartphones had been around for years before iPhones and Android handsets became the default mobile devices of choice. The white-collar crowd happily tapped on the physical keys of their BlackBerrys. Old-school gadget enthusiasts would've proudly shown off their Palm Treos or their "Pocket PC" phones (with a stripped-down version of Windows jammed behind a smaller screen). Never mind that these devices required a precise stylus to navigate. 

With the original iPhone, Steve Jobs and Apple changed how we interact with the world. 

Getty Images

In 2007, Jobs and the iPhone changed the meaning of a smartphone, making a touchscreen device intuitive -- and fun -- to use, thanks in large part to the full browser experience and tricks like pinch to zoom. It's the only phone that I could pull out at a bar and legitimately impress women with. (That still wasn't enough help.)

In July of 2008, Apple introduced its App Store, opening it up to third-party apps. Google would follow with the G1 smartphone (also known as the HTC Dream) and its own app store a few months later. The G1 catered more toward gadget enthusiasts and lacked the mass appeal of the iPhone, but it was no less influential as the launchpad for Android.

Today, there are more than 2.5 billion active Android devices out there, making Google's OS the most dominant platform in the world.

"Today, everyone has a smartphone, and that's amazing," said Peter Chou, co-founder and former CEO of HTC, which built the G1, who stood on stage with Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page when the device was unveiled.

Smartphones have evolved from an early vision to this integral tool in our lives, and they are incredibly helpful.

Stephanie Cuthbertson, director of Android

But it wasn't until the debut of the original Droid, which next month celebrates its 10th anniversary, that Android catapulted into the mainstream, thanks in part to a huge marketing campaign from partners Google, Verizon and Motorola.

Upping the ante even further, Samsung jumped into Android in 2010 with a willingness to build up its Galaxy S franchise by way of an even more impressive marketing push, which created the two-horse dynamic we see today (Apple vs. Samsung, Apple's iOS vs. Google's Android).

"It's exciting to reflect on 10 years ago launching the first Galaxy S smartphone," said Drew Blackard, head of product management for Samsung Electronics America. "Over the past decade, we've introduced a number of industry-leading innovations that have given our consumers a better mobile experience and changed the way we think about smartphones."

From fart apps to limitless videos

The explosion of smartphone demand wasn't driven just by increasingly advanced, and bigger, hardware. The handset's Swiss Army knife utility came from the sheer number of programs available to us. It took Apple's App Store and the Google Play Store about eight years each to surpass 2 million apps, from standbys such as Instagram and Angry Birds to obscure apps for bird watching.

It's easy to forget that the early experimental days included fart apps that raked in $10,000 a day or useless virtual lighter apps. At that point Android, which initially didn't have the same oversight that Apple gave iOS, was a real Wild Wild West, with tons of junk apps.

You'd never be able to watch all that's available on video streaming sites, even if you stared at your phone all day. 

Sean Hollister/CNET

That's a far cry from the utility of apps today. You pretty much can't get lost, thanks to Google Maps. Protestors use secure messaging platforms like Signal and WhatsApp to coordinate demonstrations. Uber and Lyft mean you're never stuck without a ride -- even a helicopter ride. Apps like Life360 or Disaster Alert can literally save your life.

Entertainment buffs, meanwhile, would need several lifetimes to watch the countless hours of programming found on apps from Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video and HBO Go, among others -- with new options such as Apple TV Plus and Disney Plus emerging all the time.

Societal changes

When Samsung unveiled the original Galaxy Note in 2011, the then-gargantuan 5.3-inch display provided rich fodder for endless mockery. Remember, the first iPhone had a 3.5-inch display.

Today, the original Note seems quaint in its diminutive stature. Samsung's latest, the Galaxy Note 10, rocks a 6.8-inch display, while the iPhone 11 Pro Max features a 6.5-inch display.

Nowadays, smartphones are almost too large to hold in one hand. 

Juan Garzon/CNET

"The desire for more screen in your hand has exceeded the grasp of your hand," Greengart said.

When the world was transitioning to all-touchscreen phones, there was a constant debate about whether people could let go of buttons. Back in 2009, handset makers were still experimenting with different ways to cram QWERTY keyboards onto handsets, said Gartner analyst Tuong Nguyen. The G1, for instance, had a slide-out physical keyboard. 

Many of us can now blind touch-type on a display by memory.

The desire for more screen in your hand has exceeded the grasp of your hand.

Avi Greengart, an analyst at Techsponential

Smartphones are also notable for what they've destroyed as much as what they've enabled. Those little supercomputers have left a wake of failed businesses over the years.

When was the last time you saw a point-and-shoot digital camera? Google Maps rendered GPS navigation systems irrelevant, and when I want to feel really old, I tell younger reporters about a time when I used physical (paper) Thomas Guide maps to get from one assignment to another. Apple's iPod and other MP3 players, Cisco's Flip video cameras and even voice recorders have virtually disappeared.

Outside of luxury fashion statements, wristwatches became a novelty until companies like Apple brought back the trend by offering smartwatches. They work by connecting to -- what else? -- your smartphone.

Rise of China

The smartphone revolution was radical enough that it destroyed an older generation of handset stalwarts. Nokia and BlackBerry were the kings of the mobile device -- and now neither of those companies makes phones, having licensed out their names to upstarts eager to make the most of once viable brands. US phone pioneer Motorola is owned by Chinese consumer electronics giant Lenovo. 

Microsoft, which dominates PCs with its Windows software, couldn't make Windows Phone work. HTC, the maker of the G1, has virtually disappeared from the scene. 

Some of the most interesting phones are coming out of Chinese companies -- like Huawei, with its foldable Mate X. 

Juan Garzon / CNET

While Samsung remains the king of the hill for smartphones and Apple remains the most profitable player, much of the action in the smartphone world is now coming out of China. Huawei, embroiled in controversial claims by the US that it's a security risk, is the world's second-largest smartphone maker, and that's without selling any phones in America. TCL, a Chinese company best known for budget televisions, has the rights to make phones using the BlackBerry brand. 

Many features, like the addition of multiple cameras, a pop-up camera or the use of slimmer bezels, emerged from companies like Huawei or smaller Chinese players such as Xiaomi, Oppo or OnePlus.

The inevitable backlash

The days when we'd get giddy over each new Android or iPhone release are gone. And though innovation is still on the horizon with the rise of 5G and foldable phones like the Galaxy Fold, enthusiasm has given way to a more critical look at how these tiny slabs of metal and glass have really affected our lives. 

That little buzz or chime creates an almost Pavlovian need to check your phone, a phenomenon dubbed FOMO, or fear of missing out. It has critics worried that the generation raised on smartphones will be too glued to their screens to operate in the real world. After all, older generations are already hooked on their phones. 

"We all seem more preoccupied with what comes out of those little screens than what is going on around us," said Carolina Milanesi, an analyst at Creative Strategies.

The very companies that serve up these time-sucking gadgets are working on apps and tweaks to their operating systems to minimize the amount of time you need to spend on the devices. Through its Screen Time feature, Apple's iOS 13 lets you control access to apps, and allows parents to manage their kids' activities better too.

In November, Google launched a Digital Wellbeing tool to offer many of the same kinds of controls. Part of Google's presentation at its I/O developer conference in May was focused on being smarter and quicker about addressing your needs.

"Looking ahead, we see another big wave of innovation to make them even more helpful," Cuthbertson said.

We've come a long way from simply making phone calls, playing music and browsing the internet.

Originally published Oct. 21, 5 a.m. PT.
Update, 3 p.m. PT: Adds background.

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The Galaxy S21 lineup is here, with a $200 price cut, new design and S Pen support

The Galaxy S21 lineup is here, with a $200 price cut, new design and S Pen support

This story is part of CES, where CNET covers the latest news on the most incredible tech coming soon.

Samsung's new Galaxy S21 lineup is here. And the new Galaxy S21, S21 Plus and S21 Ultra have plenty to attract would-be buyers, including new designs and $200 shaved off the starting price of their predecessors.

The South Korean electronics giant on Thursday, during its first virtual Unpacked event of the year, showed off its three new phones: the $800 Galaxy S21, the $1,000 Galaxy S21 Plus and the $1,200 Galaxy S21 Ultra. (In the UK, the S21 will start at £769, just £30 cheaper than the S20.) It also unveiled new $200 earbuds, called the Galaxy Buds Pro; $30 Tile-like Galaxy SmartTags that can track nonelectronic items like pets; and a $40 S Pen accessory. The event took place on the last day of this year's CES and more than a month earlier than normal. 

Samsung's Galaxy S21 lineup is packed with refinements to the cameras, displays and 5G capabilities. The new phones feature a redesign that accentuates the camera lenses on their backs while linking them with their metal frames, something Samsung calls "Contour Cut Camera" housing. The base amount of storage for all of the S21 models is 128GB, and Samsung boosted the photo and video capabilities for vloggers and others. 

The lower price is a nod to the realities of the world, with the coronavirus pandemic shutting down many global economies and eliminating millions of jobs. Smartphones, serving as a lifeline to friends and co-workers, remain one of the few essential gadgets. This is also one of the first phones in a few years that didn't introduce a brand new technology like 5G, which often justifies a premium. 

"In 2021, our top priority is to bring the benefit of technology to more people," TM Roh, the head of Samsung's mobile communication business, said in a statement, calling the Galaxy S21 series "the most powerful and versatile flagship lineup ever."

On the other end of the spectrum, the S21 Ultra is designed for people who want the "best of the best." It features a 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x display, Samsung's best camera of the S21 lineup with four back lenses, and Corning's scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass Victus on the front and back. The S21 and S21 Plus have 6.2- and 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x displays, respectively, and Gorilla Glass Victus on the front. The S21 Plus also has the glass on the back, while the regular S21 features a plastic polycarbonate backing. Both have three camera lenses on the back.

This year, Samsung has brought support for its S Pen, a hallmark of the Galaxy Note lineup, to its Galaxy S family for the first time. Of the three new phones, only the S21 Ultra works with the S Pen, and it comes as a separate accessory that costs $40 for just the pen or $70 when bundled with a specially designed case that stores the stylus. Users can't stow the S Pen away inside the S21 Ultra like they can with Note, but they can use their old Note styluses with the S21 Ultra. The new accessory doesn't work with gestures or many of the other features found in the Note's S Pen, which likely means the Note line isn't dead quite yet.

Samsung will introduce an S Pen Pro later this year, though, that has some of the Bluetooth-enabled features found in the Note's stylus, like gestures. Samsung didn't give a price or release date for the S Pen Pro. 

The new phones come as Samsung faces a tougher market for 5G phones. When the Galaxy S20 lineup hit the market a year ago, there still were relatively few 5G phones available, and they weren't cheap. Now competition is fierce. Prices for 5G phones go as low as $300 in the US, and virtually all companies sell 5G models. Every phone in Apple'siPhone 12 lineup from late 2020 came with 5G by default, something that was expected to help the technology go mainstream. At the same time, the world continues to grapple with a pandemic that's limiting budgets for new gadgets. 

Samsung made the decision to drop the starting price of its new phones by $200 because of a few factors. Components like 5G processors, displays and camera modules now cost less because Samsung has such a high volume of those parts in devices across its portfolio. The company also made some minor trade-offs in its S21 and S21 Plus devices, like lowering the base level of RAM to 8GB from 12GB. 

"For people who want the highest-end, Ultra experience, we still have that, and we're not sacrificing [the features] based on price point," Drew Blackard, Samsung Electronics America's vice president of product management, said in an interview ahead of Unpacked. "For people who want value and an amazing flagship experience at the same time, we still have a great offering for them with the S21. And then we've got something kind of in between for people who want a little bit of both."

The existence of the Ultra is a reminder that not everyone feels the impact of the pandemic equally.

"The people that are buying an S21 Ultra are not feeling the pressure of the pandemic," Creative Strategies analyst Carolina Milanesi said. Samsung "could have decided that maybe [its] entry product was going to be cheaper but leave the two flagships more expensive. But it's not doing that." 

Preorders for the phones begin Thursday at 8 a.m. PT, and the phones hit stores on Jan. 29. The Galaxy Buds Pro are available Thursday on Samsung.com and will be at other retailers on Friday. People who preorder the phones get up to $200 in Samsung credit and also get a free Galaxy SmartTag. In addition, carriers are offering promotions, like AT&T's offer for up to $800 off when trading in an eligible device and purchasing the new phone on a 30-month installment plan.

Say cheese

One of the biggest differentiators for the Galaxy S21 Ultra over the S21 and S21 Plus is the camera. The pricier device comes with four cameras on the back -- ultra-wide, wide and dual tele-lenses -- and an upgraded 108-megapixel sensor. That allows users to capture 12-bit HDR photos with 64 times richer color data and more than three times wider dynamic range. In other words, sharper, better photos. 

"When designing the Galaxy S21, we thought about how people use their cameras today," Stephen Hawke, director of product management for Samsung Electronics America, said during a briefing with reporters ahead of Unpacked. "For instance, there are those fleeting moments when you just don't have time to think about the perfect mode or setting to capture a shot, let alone switch to recording video. We need our phones to do all this for us. With a Galaxy S21, you get photos and videos with the simplicity of point and shoot."

When it comes to video, the Ultra enables users to shoot in 4K at 60fps across all lenses, including those on the front, meaning they can shift to different perspectives with the same quality. A new feature called Director's View lets you see a scene from multiple perspectives simultaneously, while Vlogger View lets you shoot with the front and rear cameras at the same time. Pro Mode lets users capture images in a 12-bit raw file format to make it easier to edit the images later. 

The Galaxy S21 Ultra has four camera and laser autofocus on the back.

Drew Evans/CNET

The S20 Ultra features 100x Space Zoom, like its predecessor, but in this year's phone is a new feature called Zoom Lock that keeps the camera focused on an object for a clearer picture. Samsung said it provides "tripod-like stability with an AI-powered stabilizer." Space Zoom on the S21 Ultra is powered by Samsung's first dual-tele-lens system, which is one optical 3X zoom for midrange and one optical 10x zoom for long-range. Both have dual pixel autofocus to capture ultra clear shots. 

Low-light photography also gets a boost in the Galaxy S21 Ultra. Samsung improved its Bright Night sensor and Night Mode to reduce noise and capture challenging shots like dimly lit rooms or landscapes at night. 

The Galaxy S21 and S21 Plus both have three rear cameras in ultra-wide, wide and tele-lens. They feature 30X Space Zoom with Zoom Lock, as well as Director's View and Vlogger View. Portrait Mode gets a boost from AI, which provides options for virtual studio light and effects to make the subject pop from the frame -- with both the rear cameras and the front-facing selfie lens. 

Samsung has improved its 8K Snap feature to let users grab clear images from 8K video footage, and its Super Steady Video records at an "improved" 60fps. The new Galaxy S21 phones also feature Multi-Mic Recording when paired with the new Galaxy Buds Pro, letting users record with their camera mic and earbuds mic at the same time. 

What's inside

All phones in the Galaxy S21 lineup in the US come with Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 888 processor and integrated 5G modem. The new Snapdragon chip is more effective at connecting to all flavors of 5G, from the slower, more reliable nationwide variant offered by all the US carriers, or the speedier but more finicky millimeter wave version touted by Verizon, and boasts peak download speeds of 7.5 Gbps and upload speeds of 3Gbps.

The new processor with its integrated modem is "really important," Technalysis Research analyst Bob O'Donnell said. By being able to combine different types of 5G airwaves together, there's a "huge potential increase in performance in 5G," he said. 

The Galaxy S21 Plus gets a bigger battery -- 4,800 mAh versus 4,500 in the S20 Plus -- while the S21 stays steady with 4,000 mAh and the S21 Ultra retains its 5,000 mAH battery. 

Also under the hood, or rather the display, is an improved fingerprint sensor from Qualcomm. The chip giant on Monday unveiled the second generation of its 3D Sonic Sensor that's 50% faster and 77% bigger than the previous generation, making it easier for people to to unlock their devices using their fingerprints. Along with making it simpler to know where to place a finger, the larger size also allows the technology to collect 1.7 times more biometric data, speeding up the unlock time. 

Samsung also included ultra wideband, or UWB, technology in the Galaxy S21 Plus and S21 Ultra. The technology lets a user pinpoint the exact location of phones, key fobs and tracking tags, helping them find lost dogs or automatically unlock their car. UWB calculates precise locations by measuring how long it takes super-short radio pulses to travel between devices. (Note: It's different from the Ultra Wideband terminology Verizon uses for its mmWave 5G network.)

Samsung will eventually have UWB in its Galaxy SmartTags, but the first version available will use Bluetooth Low Energy. The company didn't yet say when the UWB version will be available or how much it will cost, but it sees big opportunities for UWB in the future, especially as it tries to control the smart home. 

"We recently launched SmartThings Find to help you quickly and easily locate your Galaxy devices, even when offline," KJ Kim, chief technology officer and head of mobile R&D for Samsung, said in a statement. "We took this a step further with Galaxy S21 Plus and S21 Ultra, which use expanded UWB capabilities to utilize the AR finder so you can send virtual messages to other Galaxy users during your search."

He added that Samsung has formed partnerships with "major car companies" to provide "a next-generation car experience starting this summer."

And out

The phones in the Galaxy S21 lineup all feature a matte finish that helps minimize fingerprints. In the US, the Galaxy S21 Ultra comes in phantom black and phantom silver, and it has four possible configurations. The silver only comes with 128GB of storage and 12GB RAM, while the black has 128GB or 256GB of storage with 12GB RAM, and a monster 512GB model with 16GB RAM. 

The S21 Plus and S21 have some brighter color options, including phantom violet and phantom pink, the latter of which is only in the S21. There are two storage options for those phones, either 128GB or 256GB, both with 8GB RAM.

Samsung's Galaxy S21 (left), Galaxy S21 Plus (center) and Galaxy S21 Ultra hit stores Jan. 29.

Drew Evans/CNET

Samsung's Bixby voice assistant again makes an appearance in the S21 lineup, but its button can be remapped to other tasks. It's also integrated into SmartThings, Samsung's smart home control app.

The S21 Ultra has some advantages when it comes to the screen. All three use Samsung's Infinity-O Displays, are HDR10+ certified and have an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate that automatically adjusts based on what the users is doing, but the Ultra has a resolution of 3,200x1,440, while the other two are 2,400x1,080. 

The Ultra also has a Quad HD+ display -- versus flat, full HD+ in the S21 and S21 Plus -- and "the best, brightest display ever," Samsung's Hawke said. He noted the picture is 25% brighter than in the S21 and S21 Plus. The Ultra also has a 50% improved contrast ratio to deliver clear, immersive images, even when outdoors, and a brighter screen

"This is going to make content really pop, especially high dynamic range content," said Techsponential analyst Avi Greengart. "People will be able to use it outdoors without [the screen] getting washed out."

For Samsung, the hope is that its lineup has something for everyone. 

"When it comes to shopping for new smartphones, first and foremost, people want choice," Samsung's Blackard said. "That is both in terms of features and in terms of price points. So we're really committed to driving a range of different devices that offer what we think is that diversity of needs that's in the market today."

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Huawei's Mate 40 Pro could be firm's last hurrah in the smartphone world

Huawei's Mate 40 Pro could be firm's last hurrah in the smartphone world

Huawei on Thursday welcomed into the world the latest addition to its flagship lineup: the Mate 40 Pro. But the phone's arrival was bittersweet. The device launched under a dark cloud, with a combination of US sanctions and reputational damage to the company raising the question of whether the Mate 40 Pro will be the last Huawei phone of its kind.

Since 2018, the US government has been imposing increasingly harsh sanctions on Huawei due to the company's purported links to the Chinese Communist Party. That's the reason Huawei's phones, which are popular elsewhere in the world, including Europe, aren't on sale in the US.

It's also why the Mate 40 series is the third lot of Huawei flagships (after the Mate 30 and P40 series) to arrive without access to Google services. Over the past year, Huawei has made great strides to beef up its app offering and homegrown Harmony operating system, but it still doesn't match up to Google and Apple. That's made it hard to recommend Huawei devices over Android rivals.

The lack of access to Android's key services is taking its toll. Despite the company clinging to its No. 1 position in the global smartphone market in the first half of 2022 -- largely because of its strong performance in China -- Huawei's global market share dropped to 16% in August, from 21% in April, according to the latest Monthly Market Report by Counterpoint Research. 

In comparison, its closest competitor, Samsung, has jumped from 20% to 22%. Not only has this seen Huawei drop to second in global rankings, it's also created a 6% gap between first and second place.

"Many of the restrictions imposed on Huawei by the US government are beginning to bite now, so it is losing share in many markets outside China," Counterpoint VP of Research Peter Richardson said over email. "Assuming there is no relaxation in the restrictions placed on Huawei by the US administration, it is likely that its market share will continue to suffer."

It's a bad time to be vulnerable if you're a phone manufacturer, because the global 5G rollout is really beginning to gain momentum. Every jump to the next generation of network technology creates wiggle room at the top for a reshuffle. Ambitious companies can use this to their advantage, but just as there are always winners, there are always losers.

The big loser in the leap from 3G to 4G was HTC -- once one of the most popular phone makers in the world, now nowhere to be seen in global rankings. Huawei will be keen to avoid a similar fate.

It's not as though Huawei isn't well prepared for 5G. As one of the world leaders in building 5G equipment, it has an inside knowledge of what's required of 5G devices. Its homegrown Kirin 9000 chip, which powers the Mate 40, is a prime example of this: It's the first and only 5 nanometer, 5G system-on-a-chip with the modem built-in. 

Huawei's 5G credentials should put it ahead of the game. But unfortunately, the Kirin 9000 is the last such chipset the company will be able to produce for its phones. US trade restrictions introduced this year mean Huawei no longer has access to many of the components it needs, and the company stopped manufacturing Kirin chips last month.

It's a big loss for the company. Kirin has been the secret sauce allowing Huawei to get ahead of the competition -- particularly setting it apart from rival upstarts from within China. Boosting everything from speed to camera performance, the chip is responsible for many of the things CNET has praised Huawei phones for over the years in our reviews. Two years ago, Huawei touted that an older version of its Kirin chip was smart enough to power a self-driving Porsche.

During a phone briefing this week, Huawei declined to answer any questions about what the loss of Kirin would mean for phones beyond the Mate 40. But without clarity on what post-Kirin Huawei phones might look like, it's hard not to see the Mate 40 as the last of its kind.

"It is a tragedy to see Huawei's difficulties in its smartphone division," said Ben Wood, chief of research at CCS Insight. "Having once been close to challenging Samsung as the market leader for mobile phones, the division is now fighting for survival as it finds it increasingly difficult to get components and its brand is eroded."

For now the company is still the No. 2 phone maker in the world, and the newest addition to the Mate line, which has always been especially popular in China, could help buoy its sales for the next six months or so. 

But while this might buy it some time, there's a huge question mark over what's next for Huawei phones. If analyst predictions are correct, the company might need to brace itself for a tumble down the global rankings. One report, from Digitimes Research in Taipei, has Huawei slipping down as far as seventh place by April 2021. 

"Outside of China there is a real risk that the Huawei Mate 40 family of devices could be the company's last hurrah in smartphones," said Wood.

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The iPhone at 15: How Apple's Phone Became the Center of Your Life

The iPhone at 15: How Apple's Phone Became the Center of Your Life

This story is part of Focal Point iPhone 2022, CNET's collection of news, tips and advice around Apple's most popular product.

What's happening

On June 29, 2007, the first iPhone went on sale. A decade and a half later what defines the iPhone has shifted away from just design and hardware specs to dozens of Apple-centric features and services.

Why it matters

For better or worse, the iPhone has become home to our photos, music, conversations, ideas, games, identity, work, social media, shopping, keys and money. It will likely continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

Today marks 15 years since the first iPhone went on sale. When Steve Jobs introduced the original iPhone he wryly hyped it as three revolutionary products: an iPod, a phone and an internet communicator. The first iPhone only came in one size and the only decision you had was whether to get 4GB of storage or 8GB. As far as carriers, only AT&T supported Apple's first phone in the US.

At the time, the idea of carrying an iPhone instead of a flip phone and an iPod was enough to convince some people to buy one. For others like me, the iPhone's main appeal was the touchscreen, which seemed unreal and futuristic. 

"From the very beginning, one of the unique things about [the] iPhone was that we wanted to fuse together software, services and hardware to create a simple, powerful kind of magical experience," said Bob Borchers, Apple's vice president for product marketing. "And with the original iPhone, it was that interaction of multitouch and pinch to zoom, where you started to see that come together."

Fifteen years later, Apple sells eight different models of iPhone, five of which have launched in the past 10 months. There is at least one version that works with pretty much every major phone carrier in the world. The iPhone is available in an array of colors, finishes, sizes and storage options that now top out at 1TB. And while the screen is where most of the magic happens, it's no longer the main appeal of the iPhone.

Over the past decade and a half, what defines the iPhone has shifted away from just design and hardware specs. Instead, the iPhone and iOS have become a gateway into Apple services and features like iMessage, FaceTime, Siri, Apple Music, Apple Pay, top-of-the-line cameras and apps like Uber, TikTok, Twitter and WhatsApp. For better or worse, the iPhone has become home to our photos, music, conversations, ideas, games, identity, work, social media, shopping, keys and money.

In 2022, the iPhone continues to extend beyond its svelte metal-and-glass chassis into the world around us. It's the backbone for products like the Apple Watch and AirPods, and will likely play a role in future Apple products like rumored AR glasses.

It also serves as the foundation for Apple's digital services, which have become an increasingly important factor to differentiate the iPhone from competing mobile devices. These services have evolved rapidly in recent years along with the iPhone.

Find My, which started as a tool in 2010 for locating a lost iPhone, has grown into a network for finding Apple devices and pretty much anything you can attach one of Apple's tiny AirTag trackers to. Some products, like VanMoof's S3 bike, even have built-in Find My support, eliminating the need to add an AirTag entirely. As of 2021, Apple's Find My network had hundreds of millions of devices, most of which were iPhones.

Just weeks ago at WWDC, Apple's annual software developers conference, the company announced iOS 16 with expansions to its nearly decade-old Wallet app and Apple Pay service. Essentially, Apple wants to make your physical wallet obsolete. There's also a new feature called Apple Pay Later that lets you split the cost of an Apple Pay purchase into four equal payments spread over six weeks, with zero interest and no fees. It's done entirely through your iPhone.

The 2022 iPhone SE is nearly identical to the 2020 version but gets more durable glass, 5G and the A15 Bionic chip that debuted in the iPhone 13.

Kevin Heinz/CNET

In fact, you need an iPhone to access or use most of these services. Keep in mind that, for years, the iPhone's premium price made it inaccessible to many, and that's still true of Apple's top-of-the-line iPhone Pro models. The recently upgraded iPhone SE gives Apple the opportunity to expand the iPhone's reach even further. It's the purest example of what defines an iPhone in 2022. The SE blends the body of an iPhone 8 with the glass and processor from the iPhone 13. At $429, it's currently the most affordable way to get people into Apple experiences.

I spoke with Borchers ahead of the iPhone SE launch in March about the phone and why Apple added an A15 Bionic chip to it.

"It's actually a really easy decision to put as much capability as we can in today, in order to invest in and create opportunities for those future experiences. It's something that distinguishes us from others," said Borchers.

No other phone maker takes this approach. It would be like Samsung using the body of its Galaxy S8 and putting the Galaxy S22's processing power inside. The upcoming Pixel 6A will be the first budget Android phone that uses the same processor, Google's Tensor chip, as the flagship Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. Of course, Google isn't putting it into the body of Pixel 2 and instead is introducing a new design.

It makes sense that Apple's cheapest phone has the same processor as its most expensive: It's all about giving people access to Apple experiences. For example, if you buy an iPhone SE, you can use the Live Text feature in iOS 15 to grab text with your camera or copy it from a photo. And while the 2016 and 2020 versions of the iPhone SE sold well, it seems the 2022 version isn't breaking any sales records yet. Apple doesn't disclose a specific model breakdown of how many iPhones it sells, but analyst Ming-Chi Kuo lowered his shipping estimates for the iPhone SE (2022) by 10 million. The lower demand could be an effect of rising inflation and the fact that the 2022 and 2020 versions of the iPhone SE look identical.

The SE showcases how iOS and Apple Silicon become the bedrock for everything you do on your iPhone. Obviously, not every model in Apple's iPhone lineup is equal. More expensive phones like the iPhone 13 Pro come with a contemporary design, high refresh-rate screens, larger camera sensors and tools like the U1 ultrawideband chip and lidar.

These extra perks mean you can use your iPhone in more ways. For example, if you've got the right car, you can unlock it and start it with your iPhone. Borscher describes moments like these as "automagic," meaning it just works. The same way a pair of AirPods can switch from your iPhone to your Mac for watching a video, or the way you can unlock your Mac using your Apple Watch.

Apple first introduced AirPods in 2017 with the release of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, which lacked a physical headphone jack. 

Sarah Tew/CNET

Such growth has consequences. Antitrust concerns over the app store and mobile payments, debates about screen time, Apple's contentious dealings with the FBI, criticism that all these services are part of a strategy to lock people into Apple's ecosystem and, more recently, privacy questions over AirTags are just some of the concerns that have grown alongside the iPhone's meteoric success. There are even questions as to whether Apple can launch another product line that is even half as successful as the iPhone. My CNET colleague and Apple reporter Ian Sherr points out that products like the Apple Watch and AirPods are lucrative lar gely because of their connection to the iPhone.

Over 15 years, the iPhone has become ubiquitous and helped Apple become a nearly $3 trillion company. The next iteration of the phone, likely called the iPhone 14, is expected to launch this September. It will no doubt run on iOS 16 and have the newest version of Apple's A-series processor and will continue to support the Apple experience. As for the long-term, my colleague Lisa Eadicicco thinks the most important part of future iPhones will be how it works with everything around it.

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Walmart Black Friday deals: Save big on AirPods Pro, TVs, smart home tech, fitness trackers and more

Walmart Black Friday deals: Save big on AirPods Pro, TVs, smart home tech, fitness trackers and more

This story is part of Gift Guide, our year-round collection of the best gift ideas.

We've been waiting for a while for Walmart's Black Friday deals to officially kick off, and the time is now here. Walmart officially began its Black Friday deals on Monday, Nov. 22 and will be running hundreds of Black Friday sales through the end of the week. The big box retailer kicked things off with a restock on both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, but as you'd imagine they sold out rather quickly. As it stands now, it's unclear whether or not we will see another restock ahead of Black Friday.

In addition to the restocks, we've seen some incredible Walmart Black Friday deals on Apple's AirPods and AirPods Pro, as well as some cheap 4K TVs, discounted robot vacuums and so much more. Our team is looking for Walmart Black Friday deals and updating this story often as we come across new ones.

You could spend your time looking through the ad yourself, or you could scroll down for an overview of all the best deals. There's a chance that we do see other retailers like Amazon, Target and maybe Best Buy matching these offers. 

Walmart Black Friday deals at a glance

Here are all of our favorite Walmart Black Friday deals that you can take advantage of right now.

Today's best Walmart Black Friday deals

Walmart

If you don't already have an air fryer, Black Friday is a great time to pick one up. This Chefman 8-quart air fryer has a large capacity, multiple cooking presets and more. It's easy to clean and cooks great food, so what are you waiting for?

Instant Pot

This versatile multicooker features seven different cooking functions: pressure cook, rice cook, slow cook, yogurt, steam, sauté and keep warm. It also allows up to 13 customizable programs for quick, one-touch meals, so that you don't have to think about it. The fact that the lid is also dishwasher-safe makes cleanup just as easy.

iRobot

The Roomba i1 Plus empties itself into another container, meaning you don't have to think about it as often. Once you set it up the programming will do the rest, and it can even clean while you're away. The sensors can distinguish between carpet and hardwood, and can even detect the dirtiest part of your home, so it knows where to concentrate its efforts.

Beats

Featuring the Apple H1 chip (which offers fast pairing, Hey Siri support and more), these Beats headphones offer active noise canceling and last up to 22 hours between charges. They are also the first Beats to have an auto on/off feature connected to folding and unfolding the headphones, which makes using and storing them quick and painless, with no unforeseen drain on your battery.

Chris Monroe/CNET

Google's 2nd-gen Nest Hub smart display offers a 7-inch display that you can watch videos on, read recipes, host video chats and so much more. You can ask Google Assistant to help with math problems and conversions, to tell you the weather each day and even to help with controlling your smart home gear. At this price, you may want to just grab two of them since you're going to want them around the house.

Gateway

This 15" laptop is ultrathin and portable. It runs on Windows 10, which is being replaced by Windows 11, but it includes a free upgrade when available and a Microsoft 365 subscription is included for a year.

Walmart

The Instax Mini 7 Plus bundle is available in green, light blue, pink and purple, with the bundled items matching the color of the camera you pick. It comes with a few frames and photo holders for a little less than you can buy just the camera for right now.

Walmart

This cordless vacuum has all the standard capabilities you'd look for in a powerful machine while having the flexibility to transform into a portable machine for use on the go. Now, you can finally get those pesky spots in your car clean without much fuss.

Amazon

It's a robot vacuum cleaner that can suck up any debris in its path, which is a good thing because no one wants a vacuum that leaves crumbs behind. This vacuum can fit right in the tightest spots of your home, and clean both hardwood floors and carpet while you kick back and relax.

Walmart

If you're in the market for a new hard drive and you want one with a lot of storage, look no further than this hard drive from Toshiba. It features a 1TB storage capacity and stores all of your most important data in one location. You just need to plug it in and you're good to go.

More great Walmart Black Friday deals

In addition to all of the deals above, we've curated a list of more deals that are worth checking out as well. 

Expired deals

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Best subcompact suv 2022 rankings best subcompact suv for seniors best subcompact suv for mountains best subcompact suv for towing best subcompact suv for off road best subcompact suv 2022 best subcompact cars 2022 best subcompact 9mm

Best Subcompact SUV for 2022

Best Subcompact SUV for 2022

Bigger doesn't always mean better. Despite being seen by many as affordable mass-market machinery, subcompact SUVs can provide everything a growing family needs at a great value. It's not the largest market at the moment, but the growing appeal means that more competitors are showing up every year.

Whether you're looking for something fancy, something efficient or something simply good, these are our choices for the best subcompact SUVs your money can buy. It's also worth noting that some of these subcompacts may be larger than others, but rest assured: Everything we mention here is quite small.

Hyundai

For years now, the Hyundai Kona has remained one of our absolute favorite small SUVs. And despite an influx of new competition, the Kona still stands out as one of the best subcompact vehicles available for purchase.

There isn't just one reason, either. The Kona drives superbly, whether with its tiniest engine or the honkin' turbo four-pot in the Kona N. There's also an electric variant available for those ready to embrace EVs. For its price, styling and build quality are surprisingly high. We could keep going, too. It's a great value.

Emme Hall/Roadshow

Step aside, Kona; you're not the only high-quality game in town anymore. Even though the Kona has long been one of our top choices for a subcompact SUV, Japanese automaker Mazda has a new offering that gives the Kona a serious run for its money.

The CX-30 packs an excellent powertrain by way of an optional turbocharged I4 producing 250 horsepower and 320 pound-feet of torque, which makes it pretty darn sprightly for something this small. And it does that engine justice by virtue of being a great car to drive. Sure, the infotainment system leaves a bit to be desired, but excellent styling and driving characteristics make the CX-30 a proper value. 

Jon Wong/Roadshow

There aren't many small luxury SUVs on sale, but of the few choices on offer, Audi's subcompact Q3 crossover leaves the best impression.

The Audi Q3 grew a bit in its second generation, but dimensions only tell part of the story. Build quality and style are top-notch, and the infotainment system standard on every Q3 is one of our favorites across the entire car industry. It may not win many races, but it'll definitely look the best when it arrives. And with a starting price well below the average new-car transaction price, the Q3 is a good way to break into a luxury marque without breaking your wallet in two.

Hyundai

The Hyundai Kona is traditionally a pretty sedate mass-market crossover, but not in this form. The Hyundai Kona N is a kick in the pants in a segment that doesn't generally offer this kind of experience.

The Kona N gets its power from a turbocharged 2.0-liter I4 making 276 hp and 289 lb-ft, which is sent to the front wheels by way of an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. It's loaded with all sorts of fun tricks, like overboost, racing-game-inspired cabin tech and a variable exhaust tone. It's a beast.

Kia

Electrified subcompacts aren't quite ubiquitous yet. But that's good for the Kia Niro, because its many variants have a lock on the market until enough competitors arise.

The Kia Niro Hybrid is a standard gas-electric hybrid sandwiched into a capacious hatchback body. It isn't exactly powerful, nor does it love to get tossed around, but that's not the point of the car; instead, it's going to keep you away from gas stations for longer and provide a ride that's comfortable with tech that's easy to use. What's not to like? 

Kia

Plug-in hybrids allow buyers to go electric with the comforting backup of a proper gas engine. There are even fewer PHEVs in this segment than there are hybrids, but again, that's a good thing for Kia.

The Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid takes the same formula as the standard hybrid and adds a 8.9-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery. That might not sound like much, but it allows for about 26 miles of electric driving at a time, which could cover a commute. And, like every other Niro variant, the car wrapped around that powertrain is pretty darn good.

Volvo

The Volvo C40 Recharge is the automaker's first full battery-electric vehicle, although many, many more are on the way. Yet, despite being a first effort of sorts, our time with the Recharge proves this feels nothing like a first attempt.

Relying on a 78-kWh battery and a pair of electric motors, this tiny SUV offers up an impressive 408 hp and 487 lb-ft, with 60 mph arriving in 4.5 seconds. Volvo expects this little guy to get around 225 miles on a charge, which isn't as much as some competitors, but the whole experience is polished in a way that, say, a Hyundai Kona isn't.

Read our 2022 Volvo C40 Recharge Pure Electric review.

Hyundai

Some of these cars on this list are easier to pick than others. This category was simple, because we didn't have to pick a favorite, the US government did.

The EPA rates the Hyundai Kona as more efficient than any other non-electrified subcompact SUV, with an estimated fuel economy of 30 mpg city and 35 mpg highway. Then again, this little utility vehicle is all about thrift, making just 147 hp from its 2.0-liter inline-4. Its CVT is smooth, and the interior quality is higher than what you'd maybe expect from one of the least expensive vehicles on sale today.

Kia

With the average new-car transaction price shooting well past $40,000 this year, it's no surprise that so many people are clamoring for a new car that's not going to break your wallet in half. Well, friends, you're in luck, because the Kia Soul exists, and it's great.

The 2022 Kia Soul starts at $20,545 including $1,175 for destination, making it one of the most affordable new cars on the market. And it's a good one, too, offering about 33 mpg highway and a standard 8-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Throw another $900 into the mix and you can fit the Soul with every active and passive safety system Kia offers. Not a bad deal!

Jon Wong/Roadshow

There are plenty of fine subcompact products from the usual players in the luxury game, like BMW and Mercedes-Benz. But none of them looks like a million bucks as much as a Range Rover Evoque does, especially now, when its latest refresh puts its looks closer to the big-boy Range Rover than ever before.

That counts both inside and out, too. The Evoque is full of clean lines and minimal visual clutter. Most of the center stack is a screen, and the seats can be outfitted with the same soft Windsor leather we enjoy on far more expensive Land Rover products. It's hard to find a plusher subcompact SUV than this one.

Craig Cole/Roadshow

You won't be tackling Moab in any subcompact, because the wild hardware required isn't really available in this segment. That said, if you do plan on tackling some trails and maybe finding a more remote place to camp, and you need something small for the task, the Subaru Crosstrek is a pretty good way to get there.

The Crosstrek isn't really a subcompact, but it's small and we're rounding down. All-wheel drive is standard, as is 8.7 inches of ground clearance, the latter of which should be pretty important in the event of a few stray rocks on the trail. In addition to being small and fordable, the Crosstrek has an attractive cabin and some impressive on-road efficiency, meaning it won't be totally annoying to pilot once you're back on solid ground.

Read our 2021 Subaru Crosstrek review.

Emme Hall/Roadshow

A few of these categories don't have a clear winner. Since automakers share so much of their tech between their vehicles these days, it only felt right to talk about our favorite tech-laden cars as a group.

In this category, Hyundai and Kia reign supreme. When their vehicles don't include the full suite of active and passive safety systems, those upgrades are often available for a low price. Nearly all their vehicles across the price spectrum come standard with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but if you do prefer the in-house interface, these automakers have one of the best infotainment systems on offer today. These are easy cars to recommend for tech aficionados.

Craig Cole/Roadshow

Again, we have a tie. Automakers have offered long warranty periods as a way to offer buyers peace of mind for a longer stretch of time, which these days can often extend to a full decade.

Mitsubishi, Hyundai and Kia all offer impressive warranties. In terms of bumper-to-bumper coverage, all three offer a 5-year, 60,000-mile warranty. All three also give the buyer a 10-year, 100,000-mile warranty for the powertrain. It's never fun calling the dealership, but knowing you're protected against unforeseen costs can help soften the blow.

Craig Cole/Roadshow

This category would have had a different winner a few months ago. Prior to the release of VW's latest SUV, the subcompact with the most cargo room was the Kia Seltos. But now, thanks to some clever packaging, the Volkswagen Taos has taken the crown.

Despite its diminutive frame, the VW Taos offers nearly 28 cubic feet of cargo space with all seats up. That number jumps even higher to 66 cubes once that second row is folded down. Simply put, that's a ton of capacity. The number shrinks a bit if you opt for all-wheel drive, given the extra hardware required to get those wheels to move, but the Taos is a hard act to beat either way.

Read our 2022 Volkswagen Taos review.

Tim Stevens/Roadshow

You're not going to be towing horse trailers or entire double-wides with a subcompact SUV, but some of these little utes are able to tow a couple thousand pounds, which should help you get more of your stuff around town.

The Jeep Renegade, Kia Seltos and Mazda CX-30 are all capable of towing 2,000 pounds, but that's not the highest figure among small SUVs. Volvo has them all beat, with the XC40 SUV offering an impressive 3,500-pound tow rating. Need to get a race car across town? Now you can, and you don't have to buy something the size of a small apartment building to make it happen.

Craig Cole/Roadshow

Most vehicles these days carry the same kinds of active and passive safety systems -- forward collision warning, lane-departure warning, all that good stuff. Which is why, to settle this category, we went straight to the experts at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. According to their figures, the Mazda CX-30 reigns supreme in safety.

Safety is more than the sum of the aforementioned tech systems. In every crash test, the CX-30 achieved the IIHS' top rating of Good. It also received full marks for vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian crash protection. Surprisingly, what puts the CX-30 ahead of its rivals, however barely, is its child-seat LATCH system, which the IIHS rated Good+ thanks to its ease of use.

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Comparison of the best subcompact SUVs for 2022

Category	Name	Base Engine	Output	Fuel Economy (mpg, city/hwy/combined)	Base Price
Best subcompact SUV	Hyundai Kona	2.0-liter I4	147 hp / 132 lb-ft	30 / 35 / 32	$22,545
Best subcompact SUV runner-up	Mazda CX-30	2.5-liter I4	186 hp / 186 lb-ft	25 / 33 / 28	$23,425
Best subcompact luxury SUV	Audi Q3	2.0-liter I4 turbo	228 hp / 258 lb-ft	22 / 30 / 25	$37,595
Best subcompact performance SUV	Hyundai Kona N	2.0-liter I4 turbo	276 hp / 289 lb-ft	20 / 27 / 23	$35,445
Best subcompact hybrid SUV	Kia Niro Hybrid	1.6-liter I4	104 hp / 109 lb-ft	51 / 46 / 49	$25,945
Best subcompact plug-in hybrid SUV	Kia Niro Plug-In Hybrid	1.6-liter I4	139 hp / 195 lb-ft	105 MPGe	$30,845
Best subcompact electric SUV	Volvo C40 Recharge	Dual electric motor	408 hp / 487 lb-ft	TBD	$59,845
Best subcompact SUV for fuel economy	Hyundai Kona	2.0-liter I4	147 hp / 132 lb-ft	30 / 35 / 32	$22,545
Best affordable subcompact SUV	Kia Soul	2.0-liter I4	147 hp / 132 lb-ft	28 / 33 / 30	$20,545
Best subcompact SUV if money is no object	Land Rover Range Rover Evoque	2.0-liter I4 turbo	246 hp / 269 lb-ft	20 / 27 / 22	$46,050
Best subcompact SUV for off-roading	Subaru Crosstrek	2.0-liter H4	152 hp / 145 lb-ft	28 / 33 / 30	$23,820
Best subcompact SUV for cargo space	Volkswagen Taos	1.5-liter I4 turbo	158 hp / 184 lb-ft	28 / 36 / 31	$24,690
Best subcompact SUV for towing	Volvo XC40	2.0-liter I4 turbo	187 hp / 221 lb-ft	23 / 32 / 26	$36,195
Best subcompact SUV for safety	Mazda CX-30	2.5-liter I4	186 hp / 186 lb-ft	25 / 33 / 28	$23,425

How we made our list

We drove them, of course! Over the past year, and for many years prior, Roadshow's editors have evaluated the entire new-car spectrum, which gives us all the context we need to figure out which cars are best for you, dear consumer. We have decades of collective experience in determining what provides the best value, and those efforts have led to the list you're reading right now.

Of course, it bears mentioning that this list shouldn't be taken as canon. Your experience matters most, so take these recommendations to your local dealerships and get to test driving. Once you've actually had some time with a car, you'll be in a better place to make a decision that takes your interests and preferences into account. And don't forget to take the above prices with a grain of salt; haggling is, for better or worse, still part of the buying experience for most people.

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