PC Magazine - USA (2020-11)

(Antfer) #1

7KH0DJ6DIHFKDUJHUOLQHOHWV\RXVQDSDPDJQHWLFFKDUJHURQWRWKHEDFNRI
the phone, which will charge it at 15W. The magnetic system will also work with
cases and a wallet, which can hold your credit cards on the back of the phone.


WHAT THE HECK IS LIDAR?
The two top-of-the-line iPhones both feature LiDAR, a new camera sensor for
phones. LiDAR, or “light detection and ranging,” is primarily for detailed depth-
sensing across a scene. It aggressively amps up the iPhones’ augmented-reality
capabilities, which were already good. But since it can see in the dark, it will
VLJQL¿FDQWO\HQKDQFHDXWRIRFXV$SSOHVDLG


“With LiDAR, we can improve focus time in low light scenes by up to 6 times,”
said Francesca Sweet, product line manager for the iPhone.


That depth vision also lets the new Pro-model phones do bokeh shots in low
light.


SHOULD YOU UPGRADE?
We’re still absorbing all of this information. The iPhone 12 mini is the small
ÀDJVKLSSKRQHDORWRISHRSOHKDYHVDLGWKH\¶UHZDLWLQJIRU7KHQHZRSWLFDO
zoom cameras on the new iPhones look great, and they’re a primary reason to
get the costlier models. If you have an old iPhone (iPhone 7 or older), you’ll see
DPDMRUMXPSLQFDPHUDTXDOLW\IRUWKLVJHQHUDWLRQ


7KHUH¶VQRUHDVRQWRXSJUDGHVSHFL¿FDOO\IRU\HW$7 7¶VLVGLVDSSRLQWLQJ
9HUL]RQ¶V³QDWLRQZLGH ́LVJRLQJWRUXQDWVSHHGV70RELOHKDVGH¿QLWHO\
improved performance where its mid-band 5G is available, but there aren’t
really any applications that take advantage of the better performance yet. The
L3KRQH6(VWLOOORRNVOLNHDJUHDWEX\²DOOWKHL3KRQH¶VVRIWZDUHTXDOLW\IRU
a lower price.


PC MAGAZINE DIGITAL EDITION (^) I SUBSCRIBE (^) I NOVEMBER 2020

Free download pdf