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Motorola's Edge Plus Puts a 60MP Selfie Camera Up Front for Sharper Video Calls
Motorola's Edge Plus Puts a 60MP Selfie Camera Up Front for Sharper Video Calls
Motorola has announced its new high-end phone for 2022: the $1,000 Motorola Edge Plus. It has a 6.7-inch screen along with sharper selfie and ultrawide cameras than most phones, including the iPhone 13 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. But Motorola makes compromises in other areas, particularly in the camera's lack of a telephoto lens.
The Edge Plus, which first launched in China as the Edge X30, will be available unlocked through retailers like Amazon, Motorola's website and Best Buy. Motorola hasn't shared specific US launch timing yet, but it did say the phone will also be available through Verizon, Boost Mobile and Republic Wireless in the coming months. The unlocked version will be available at a $100 discount at launch.
Motorola designed some of the Edge Plus' features around trends that emerged during the pandemic, said Ruben Castano, Motorola's head of customer experience, in an interview with CNET. Those trends include more time being spent watching TV, playing games and video chatting on phones. As such, the Edge Plus has a 6.7-inch OLED screen that can boost its refresh rate up to 144Hz and features a 60-megapixel front camera.
"The phone has become the center, almost a hub of entertainment for consumers," said Castano. "So that is the one thing that I think that pandemic did dramatically change in terms of consumer behaviors."
There are also two 50-megapixel cameras on the back along with a 2-megapixel depth camera for taking better portrait photos. The device runs on Qualcomm's newest mobile processor, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.
Some of the Edge Plus' characteristics, particularly the sharp selfie camera and high display refresh rate, could help Motorola stand out against Samsung, which dominates the Android smartphone market. A refresh rate of 144Hz isn't new to smartphones -- not even for Motorola -- but it isn't exactly common either.
The Motorola Edge Plus has two 50-megapixel cameras and a 2-megapixel depth camera.
Motorola
The Asus ROG Phone 5, which is designed for gaming, has a 144Hz refresh rate. But a 120Hz refresh rate is more typical for mainstream phones like Samsung's Galaxy S22 lineup. The 60-megapixel front camera is also somewhat rare; Samsung's top-of-the-line Galaxy S22 Ultra has a lower resolution 40-megapixel selfie camera by comparison.
Motorola is also leaning on the Edge Plus' 50-megapixel ultrawide camera to distinguish it from the pack. Popular phones like the iPhone 13 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra each have 12-megapixel ultra-wide cameras, potentially giving Motorola the chance to stand out.
However, it's doing so at a cost. Unlike many phones in Edge Plus' price range, Motorola's new phone doesn't have a dedicated telephoto camera lens. The company says other camera improvements it's made regarding pixel size, sensor size and aperture will enable a good enough digital zoom.
On paper, the Edge Plus' 50-megapixel main sensor also sounds like a step down from the older Edge Plus' 108-megapixel camera. But again, Motorola says it's improved the camera's pixel size and focus on this year's model.
The Motorola Edge Plus uses a digital zoom instead of a dedicated telephoto camera lens.
Motorola
The Motorola Edge Plus also has a 4,800-mAh battery and supports 30-watt fast charging. That's slightly faster than the Galaxy S22's 25-watt fast charging yet not as speedy as the Galaxy S22 Plus' and Galaxy S22 Ultra's 45-watt charging. But Motorola's phone does include an important perk: it comes with a 30-watt charger in the box. Apple and Samsung, meanwhile, don't even include chargers with their phones, let alone fast chargers.
Motorola says the Edge Plus will also receive at least two major Android operating system upgrades and three years of security updates. Samsung, on the other hand, just announced that its Galaxy S22 devices and other recent phones will support four generations of Android upgrades.
Motorola's parent company Lenovo is the third-largest smartphone-maker in the US, capturing 12% of the US market as of late 2021, according to Counterpoint Research. Lenovo doesn't even place in the top five when it comes to global shipments, Counterpoint Research also reports.
But Motorola's approach with the Edge Plus seemingly falls in line with the general direction smartphones are heading. In his story about the future of mobile devices, my colleague Patrick Holland reported that we'll continue seeing more niche phones with targeted appeal. Foldable phones and devices tailored for playing video games, like the Asus Rog Phone 5, fall under that umbrella. With its focus on specific tasks like video chatting and playing games, it sounds like the Motorola Edge Plus does, too.
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Labor Day Weekend Travel: What to Do if Your Flight Is Delayed or Canceled
Labor Day Weekend Travel: What to Do if Your Flight Is Delayed or Canceled
What's happening
An estimated 12.8 million Americans will fly over Labor Day weekend.
Why it matters
While air travel has returned to pre-pandemic levels, many airlines are still plagued by significant delays and cancellations.
Labor Day is here and, despite ongoing flight disruptions and high ticket prices, an estimated 12.6 million Americans will be flying over the three-day holiday weekend, according to data from travel site Hopper.
American Airlines alone estimates 2.5 million customers will board 26,400 scheduled flights through Monday.
Many of those fliers will face delays and cancellations. On average, 23% of flights in August were delayed from departing US airports, an increase of nearly 30% compared to 2019. And cancellation rates last month were more than double their 2019 rates, as airlines mobilize to address staff shortages, pickets, weather disruptions and other issues.
By 10 a.m. ET on Thursday, American Airlines had already reported 100 delayed flights, according to the website FlightAware, and 23 cancellations. Industrywide, more than 800 flights within, into, or out of the United States have been delayed Thursday morning and 102 canceled.
Analysts don't expect schedules will get back to normal until at least the fall, when demand settles down and new hires have had time to be trained up.
If you're flying over Labor Day, here's what you need to know about avoiding a travel nightmare, what the airlines owe you if there's a cancellation or delay, and more.
For more travel tips, here are some great travel gadgets, guidance on renewing your passport online and 19 things to add to your travel checklist. before leaving home.
Why have there been so many delays and cancellations?
Layoffs and contract buyouts during the pandemic have left many airlines short-staffed, fueling ongoing delays and cancellations.
Getty Images
Since Memorial Day, US-based airlines canceled more than 50,000 flights and delayed over a half-million, according to NPR. Delta said it canceled 100 scheduled daily flights in the US and Latin America between July 1 and Aug. 7. Southwest Airlines nixed almost 20,000 summer flights. The biggest factor has been that airlines are incredibly short-staffed. When the pandemic slowed air travel to a trickle, many carriers bought out employees' contracts and encouraged older pilots to take early retirement.
As a result, from December 2019 to December 2020, the number of airline workers shrank by at least 114,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Now carriers are clamoring to staff back up, but they're finding it hard to fill positions.
The shortages extend to ground staff, baggage handlers, gate personnel and other workers, FlightAware spokesperson Kathleen Bangs told CNET. "They did a lot of buyouts during the pandemic. It's a remarkable growth period and they're just back-footed."
It's particularly acute with pilots because it can take up to five years and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to train someone to fly a commercial airplane.
"Most airlines are simply not going to be able to realize their capacity plans because there simply aren't enough pilots, at least not for the next five-plus years," United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said in a quarterly earnings call back in April, NBC News reported.
Extreme weather has also added to the problem: Severe thunderstorms have caused multiple delays and flight cancellations, and that's aside from hurricane and wildfire season. Aircraft can fly at lower altitudes to try to avoid storm systems, but that burns more fuel -- a dicey proposition given the high cost of jet fuel.
How to avoid having your flight delayed or canceled
There isn't much you can do to prevent a delay or cancellation. But there are some common-sense steps that will give you a better shot at making it to your destination -- or at least relaxing at home or in a hotel room, rather than stewing in the airport.
Download your airline's mobile app to keep on top of changes to your flight schedule.
Pavlo Gonchar/Getty Images
Leave extra time for layovers. You might think an hour is plenty of time to get from one gate to another, especially in the same terminal. But if the first leg of your journey is delayed that hour can turn into 30 minutes. And with most airlines closing the plane doors about 15 minutes prior to departure, you could easily miss your connection.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), Denver International Airport (DEN) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) top the list of busiest hubs over the Labor Day holiday, according to Hopper.
Don't book a late-nightflight. If you miss a connection, most airlines will work diligently to get you on the next available flight. But if you booked the last flight of the day to your destination, that may mean having to wait until morning -- and either pacing through the airport for hours or booking a night in a nearby hotel.
Download the airline's app on your phone. Opt into flight notifications and start manually checking the status of your flight regularly, at least 24 hours in advance. As soon as you hear your flight has been cut, find out if you've been transferred to another flight.
Monitor the weather at both your departure and arrival airports. Start checking the weather in both places a few days before your flight. Some airlines will actually reschedule your flight in advance of a major weather front at no extra charge. If a storm is on its way, you might consider leaving a few days earlier or later or finding a different route.
Buy travel insurance. Depending on why your flight is canceled or delayed, the airline might not comp any meals, accommodations or transport you're forced to purchase. The payout for travel insurance may not cover all of your expenses, but it will definitely be more than the cost of a policy, typically 5% to 10% of your trip cost.
What to do if your flight is delayed or canceled
Time is of the essence, so be proactive about rescheduling your flight.
"A lot of the time you can reschedule yourself on the flight of your choice" using the airline's app, said David Slotnick, senior aviation reporter for The Points Guy. "It'll save you a lot of time and aggravation." (Like CNET, The Points Guy is owned by Red Ventures.)
If that's not possible, call the airline. Even if you get sent to an automated system, it may have a call-back function. You can still call if you're already at the airport. Do it while you're in line to talk to an agent and take whichever option is available first.
What does the airline owe you if your flight is canceled?
While some airlines are able to get you booked on a different carrier if your flight is canceled, not all can.
Dmitry Marchenko/Getty Images
In the US, if a flight is canceled because of something that is the airline's fault -- a mechanical issue or a staffing shortage -- the carrier is required to refund your ticket.
"If you get canceled for any reason -- you don't take your flight -- they have to offer you a cash refund," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told NPR. "If you'd rather take miles or a different flight, fine. But that's up to you, not them. They've got to give you a refund. That's a basic rule,"
The Department of Transportation website mandates airlines must also refund the cost of your ticket after a schedule change or significant delay, but the agency hasn't defined what constitutes a "significant delay."
"Whether you are entitled to a refund depends on many factors -- including the length of the delay, the length of the flight and your particular circumstances," according to the DOT website. Whether a refund following a significant delay is warranted is determined "on a case-by-case basis."
If you don't request a refund, the airline is still responsible for getting you to your destination. But it could be much later than your original flight. Under most circumstances, carriers should provide vouchers for meals and hotels.
Make your plans quickly, though: Airport hotels fill up quickly amid widespread delays and cancellations.
Some airlines will work to get you on another flight with a different airline, Slotnick said, but not every airline has relationships with other carriers.
What are airlines doing to address delays and cancellations?
Hiring more employees. "All the airlines are doing major hiring initiatives," Slotnick said. "They're rushing to hire pilots and deploy them." They're also trying to improve work conditions for existing workers: In April, Delta announced it would start paying flight attendants during boarding, rather than just once the plane door closes.
The move, a first for a major US airline, is seen as a countermeasure to a unionization push among workers.
Scheduling more flights. Someairlines are boosting service in popular corridors when they can. "They're trying to strike the right balance between adding flights and creating some slack in the system," Slotnick said.
For example, United Airlines recently launched or resumed 30 flights between the US and Europe, its largest expansion ever. Regular flights from Denver to Munich, Chicago to Zurich and New York to Bergen, Norway, are underway, as well as daily service between Boston and London.
When fully operational, United's transatlantic route network will be more than 25% larger than it was in 2019, before COVID-19 cratered air travel.
Some airlines have ramped up their roster of scheduled flights, while others have pared down to avoid having to cancel them later.
James Martin/CNET
Scheduling fewer flights. Otherairlines are going in the opposite direction, reducing their capacity rather than risk being forced to cancel a scheduled flight. JetBlue has already reduced its May routes by almost 10%, Conde Nast Traveler reported, and will likely make similar cuts throughout the summer.
"By reducing our flight schedule for the summer and continuing to hire new crewmembers, we hope to have more breathing room in the system to help ease some of the recent delays and cancellations that we've seen in the industry," a JetBlue spokesperson told the outlet.
Southwest Airlines, the world's largest low-cost carrier, cut more than 8,000 domestic flights in June "to adjust to capacity," the company told The Business Journals.
Delta "temporarily cut" some Labor Day weekend flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and New York's LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy airports to deal with a large number of airline crew members and air traffic controllers who have already called in sick, The Washington Times reported.
Giving passengers more notice. All the airlines are making a concerted effort to give passengers as much information as possible, Slotnick said, through text updates and other notifications.
"Even a year before the pandemic, airlines were trying to be proactive about informing passengers, even 24 or 48 hours in advance of a possible cancellation," he said.
Offering waivers United, Delta and other carriers are offering travel waivers to passengers to encourage them to move their flights out of busy time periods. All waiving the usual flight-change fees and some are even foregoing the usual fare difference.
The Department of Transportation has stepped in to hold airlines accountable
On Sept. 1, the U.S. Department of Transportation launched a new website that lets fliers know what they're entitled to when their flight is significantly delayed or canceled. The Aviation Consumer Protection site has a dashboard that compares what policies are regarding rebooking, meal and hotel vouchers and complimentary ground transportation for carriers including Alaska, Allegiant, American, Delta, Frontier, Hawaiian, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit and United.
The Transportation Department's Air Consumer Dashboard compares offerings from major carriers.
Department of Transportation
"Passengers deserve transparency and clarity on what to expect from an airline when there is a cancelation or disruption," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. "This dashboard collects that information in one place so travelers can easily understand their rights, compare airline practices, and make informed decisions."
Buttigieg said the goal was to get the airlines to "raise the bar."
"Look, Americans have had experiences with cancellations, delays and poor customer service that just aren't at an acceptable level," he told NPR. "A lot of the airlines are not quite transparent about how and when they'll take care of passengers. "So we're going to put that information out ourselves."
Just knowing that information is out there for air travelers to see has spurred carriers to improve their offerings, Buttigieg added.
The Department is also collecting comments on a proposed rule requiring airlines to proactively inform passengers about their right to a refund. It would also provide a clearer definition of a "significant change" to a scheduled flight and require airlines to provide non-expiring vouchers to passengers unable to fly because they contracted COVID-19 or other communicable diseases.
The proposal would also mandate carriers that receive pandemic assistance issue those passengers refunds instead of vouchers.
Are any airlines better or worse in terms of cancellations?
In 2021, Delta had the fewest cancellations of any major US airline.
Boarding1Now
Without naming names, Slotnick says that, broadly speaking, low-cost airlines have tighter margins with less slack, so theoretically you're more likely to face a cancellation.
But booking with a big carrier doesn't mean you're immune.
"The regionals have parked a lot of planes because they don't have enough staff," Bangs said. "And a lot of people who book on a major airline don't realize they're actually flying with a smaller carrier."
SkyWest, a smaller airline out of St. George, Utah, subcontracts for Delta, United, American and Alaska Airlines. So does Indiana-based Republic Airways.
Sometimes, bigger is indeed better: Last year, Delta had the best record in cancellation rates, according to The Wall Street Journal's annual airline rankings. The Atlanta-based airline scrubbed 0.6% of its scheduled departures in 2021, a third of the industry average of 1.8%.
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Tesla Accused of Falsely Advertising Autopilot and Self-Driving Features
Tesla Accused of Falsely Advertising Autopilot and Self-Driving Features
Tesla has been accused by California's Department of Motor Vehicles of false advertising in promoting its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving features as providing autonomous vehicle control.
The DMV alleges the electric-carmaker misled customers with advertising language that exaggerated the technologies' capabilities.
Tesla "made or disseminated statements that are untrue or misleading, and not based on facts," the DMV said in complaints filed with the state Office of Administrative Hearings on July 28 and made public on Friday.
The DMV pointed to Tesla's website for an example of the misleading language used by the carmaker.
"All you will need to do is get in and tell your car where to go," the company promises. "If you don't say anything, your car will look at your calendar and take you there as the assumed destination. Your Tesla will figure out the optimal route, navigating urban streets, complex intersections and freeways."
Tesla cars "could not at the time of those advertisements, and cannot now, operate as autonomous vehicles," according to the DMV's complaint, which was reported earlier by the Los Angeles Times.
Read more: Why I'm More Excited About Self-Driving Trucks than Cars
The DMV's complaint noted that Tesla's website states that "the currently enabled features require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous." But the agency said the disclaimer "contradicts the original untrue or misleading labels and claims, which is misleading, and does not cure the violation."
The agency's proposed remedies include revoking Tesla's license to sell cars in the California and paying restitution to customers who suffered a financial loss due to the advertising.
There are currently no self-driving cars, as defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers, on sale.
In August 2021, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into Tesla's Autopilot driver-assist system, focused on crashes involving emergency vehicles when Autopilot was active. In June, the agency announced it had expanded its inquiry into approximately 830,000 Tesla vehicles equipped with Autopilot.
Tesla, which disbanded its public relations department in 2020, didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G review: Samsung's premier phone is pretty badass
Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G review: Samsung's premier phone is pretty badass
The Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G, unveiled alongside Samsung's Galaxy S21 and S21 Plus phones, proves that sometimes you have to do something twice to get it right. While just as bold as last year's Galaxy S20 Ultra, the S21 Ultra is a refined second take on the concept. There's still the 100x Space Zoom, but it's easier to use. There is still the "big for the sake of being big" design, but it looks more appealing. And there's still a high price, but at $1,200 (£1,149, AU$1,849) it costs $200 less than the S20 Ultra in the US.
If you want the absolute best specs and features, the S21 Ultra is undoubtedly appealing. The phone will also attract camera nerds, thanks to the improvements. The addition of S-Pen support -- it's the first Galaxy S phone to support the stylus -- will likely catch the eye of Galaxy Note users looking for a different option.
Like
Gorgeous phantom black finish
Two telephoto cameras
The screen is spectacular
S-Pen support
Don't Like
It's heavy
Lacks a microSD card slot
$1,200 is still expensive
Last year's Ultra model seemed like it came out of nowhere. It was a phone all about excess that, by sheer fate, was launched at the beginning of a global pandemic and recession. Its bold, behemoth take on the Galaxy S line was undercut by its $1,400 (£1,199, AU$1,999) price and issues with its nearly domino-size camera system.
Overall, the S21 Ultra is a major update both in terms of hardware and software over the S20 Ultra. And when you factor in a lower price, it all kind of makes sense. And that's why the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra earned a CNET's Editors' Choice Award. The whole Galaxy S21 lineup is available to purchase -- here's how you can buy one.
Read more: Samsung Galaxy S21 vs. S21 Plus vs. S21 Ultra
The Galaxy S21 Ultra has the best black finish
I wouldn't call the S21 Ultra's design radically different, but my review unit has the best black finish I've ever seen on a phone. It's the stuff that goth dreams are made of. The color is called phantom black, and seeing it in person makes you understand why Samsung made a nearly three-minute video explaining the blackest black finish. The S21 Ultra also comes in phantom silver and there are limited-edition phantom finishes in titanium, brown and navy, which can only be found on Samsung's website.
The camera bump is large and melts into the sides of the phone, which are glossy black. And while the regular S21 and S21 Plus looks snazzy in their two-tone colors, the all-black S21 Ultra is cool, elegant and badass all at the same time.
Read more: Galaxy S21 drop test: It broke on the first drop
The S21 Ultra is heavier than last year's S20 Ultra and the iPhone 12 Pro Max. It's the second heaviest phone I have tested in the past year, just behind the Asus ROG Phone 3.
The display is brighter and adds S-Pen support
Around the front is one of the most impressive displays I've seen. It has a Wide Quad HD resolution and a variable refresh rate between 10 and 120Hz, which is determined by what's on the screen. And just to be clear, it can be set to 120Hz without the hit to resolution that the S20 Ultra had. The 6.8-inch display is bright and the contrast is gorgeous. Covering the front and back is Corning's Gorilla Glass Victus.
Support for the S-Pen means you can draw, write, edit photos and sign documents on the S21 Ultra.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Under the screen is a larger ultrasonic fingerprint reader which feels peppy. I had a hard time telling if it was faster than the one on the S20 Ultra. The display also has S-Pen support.
The Galaxy Note phones line always tempted me, but I didn't think I'd use the S-Pen enough to justify getting one. I like the iPad Pro-Apple Pencil approach Samsung took with the S21 Ultra. Without an S-Pen, you can still enjoy using the S21 Ultra. But if you're S-Pen curious, you can buy a new S-Pen or find an old one and it will work. There's a lot you can do like draw, take notes and sign documents. I love editing photos and making adjustments with the S-Pen.
There are a few S-Pen considerations. The S21 Ultra doesn't come with an S-Pen and doesn't support Bluetooth or gesture functionality. For example, the S21 Ultra can't send you a notification if you leave your S-Pen behind. Also, the Ultra doesn't have a built-in slot to store an S-Pen. Samsung does sell cases for the phone that include S-Pen storage.
The S21 Ultra has two telephoto cameras
The S21 Ultra's camera system received several significant updates. There are four rear cameras: one wide, one ultrawide and two telephoto cameras. The time-of-flight sensor on the S20 Ultra is gone; in its place is a laser autofocus module.
The 108-megapixel sensor on the main camera is new and has better autofocus for both photos and videos. There's even a new focus enhancer tool that pops onscreen to help the phone focus faster. The tool looks like it might be switching to a wider view to do so.
Read more: S21 Ultra vs. iPhone 12 Pro Max vs. Pixel 5: Which phone has the best night mode?
There are four rear cameras: wide, ultrawide and two telephotos.
Patrick Holland/CNET
The dual-telephoto cameras add a number of benefits. One has 3x magnification and the other 10x. This means when you zoom in, there are two places in your zoom range where the image isn't cropped and where you'll capture the best image quality. Another benefit is stability. The two cameras are paired to help make zooming in, even at 100x, easier and more steady.
At 30x or higher, a zoom guide appears to help you find the specific spot that you're zoomed in at. You can lock it so the cameras don't move, which turns the guide yellow. This works quite well. Obviously you have to be careful not to move the phone around too much, but it's less finicky and frustrating than the S20 Ultra.
Photos from the S21 Ultra are excellent, with good detail and a wide dynamic range. There is a 108-megapixel mode, but I found that the 12-megapixel photos that come from pixel binning look consistently great.
Below are several photos I took with the S21 Ultra.
The main camera was set to 12 megapixels, which uses pixel binning to combine nine pixels into one.
Patrick Holland/CNET
One benefit of pixel binning is that it can bring out the details in a photo. Notice the different textures and details.
Patrick Holland/CNET
I used the single-take mode in the camera app to capture photos and videos of this cute dog. Here's one of the pictures my S21 Ultra chose.
Patrick Holland/CNET
There's so much for the S21 Ultra to capture correctly here: the barren tree branches, the water and the white fluffy clouds in the blue sky.
Patrick Holland/CNET
Here are three different photos I took from the exact same spot using the wide 1x camera (left), the 3x telephoto camera (middle) and the 10x telephoto camera (right).
Patrick Holland/CNET
In low light, the S21 Ultra's night mode is outstanding. Flaring on the lens is minimized and photos look bright without a bunch of image noise or noise-reduction smearing. Below are a few night mode photos I took:
This might be my favorite night mode photo of the bunch.
Patrick Holland/CNET
Here's another night mode capture. I like how the S21 Ultra brought out the colors in the sculpture.
Patrick Holland/CNET
Night mode on any of the S21 Ultra's cameras. I took this shot with the ultrawide.
Patrick Holland/CNET
For selfies there's the same 40-megapixel camera that the S20 Ultra had. You now have an option to change the color tone to either bright or natural which is excellent.
Here is a selfie I took with the natural setting.
Patrick Holland/CNET
Samsung added the ability to take raw 12-bit color photos. There's a new video feature called Director's View, which gives you a thumbnail preview of the video feeds coming from all of the cameras on the phones. As you record, you can switch between them. Within Director's View, there's a vlogger setup that gives you a side-by-side video view or a stacked one if you're shooting vertically. This means you can record yourself with the selfie camera and show what you're seeing or reacting to with any of the rear cameras.
On paper, Director's View seemed like something I might try once and not really use. But after some time using it, some people will definitely be into the feature. A downside to Director's View is that the final video is saved in HD instead of 4K or 8K. I'd love to see a similar thumbnail preview interface of all the rear cameras when recording a regular 4K video.
I'm excited to pit the S21 Ultra and its cameras against the iPhone 12 Pro Max and Google Pixel 5. Each phone takes a different approach to photography and will appeal to different people.
S21 Ultra has a Snapdragon 888 chip and 12 or 16GB of RAM
Powering the S21 Ultra is the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chip, along with 12GB of RAM, or 16GB in the most expensive model -- which also has 512GB of storage (see the chart below for prices). In my benchmark tests, the S21 Ultra scored better than last year's S20 Ultra. And in use, it handled everything I threw at it, even playing Xbox Game Pass Ultimate games on it.
You can use the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate app to play Xbox games on your S21 Ultra.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Supplying juice to the phone is a 5,000-mAh battery. I've easily been averaging a day and a half on a single charge. Battery tests on the S21 Ultra for continuous video playback on Airplane mode clocked an average of 22 hours and 57 minutes with the refresh rate set to Auto 120Hz. That's actually an hour less than the S20 Ultra lasted in the same test. Though keep in mind, in real world use my colleague Jessica Dolcourt found the S20 Ultra's battery drained like it was being bitten by a "thirsty vampire."
Below are the results of my benchmark tests for the S21 Ultra.
3DMark Slingshot Unlimited
Note:
Longer bars indicate better performance
Geekbench v.5.0 single-core
Note:
Longer bars indicate better performance
Geekbench v.5.0 multicore
Note:
Longer bars indicate better performance
Android 11 and 5G support
The Galaxy S21 Ultra runs Android 11 with Samsung's OneUI 3.1 top layer. And I like it a lot. I can now default to Google Pay or Google Discover News feed instead of Samsung's versions. The look for everything from settings to pop-up windows is clean and contemporary. And with a phone this big, OneUI helps make it easier to use one-handed.
Last, the Galaxy S21 Ultra has 5G and supports both sub-6 and mmWave flavors of 5G. You shouldn't get the Ultra for its 5G. But as 5G networks get better, so will your 5G speeds and connection. And then we'll really have something to talk about.
