Category: Technologies

The battle to create one smart ring to rule them all is truly kicking off. In January, Samsung announced its surprise entry into the market by teasing its Galaxy Ring, which has since become one of CNET’s most highly anticipated product launches of the year.

Samsung’s decision to introduce a smart ring into its family of products is intrinsically linked to its push to be a leader in digital health. Samsung Health now boasts 64 million monthly active users, Hon Pak, Samsung’s vice president and head of the digital health team, said in a roundtable at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Read more: Best Samsung Phone For 2024

It’s against this backdrop that the company is slowly drip feeding more information about what the Galaxy Ring will offer us when it finally goes on sale. I was able to try on an early version of the ring at MWC, which was only the second time journalists have been able to examine the device up close.

I had a choice of gold, silver or ceramic black in nine different sizes. Samsung was keen to emphasize that these were still prototypes and that the specs I saw listed are unlikely to apply to the finished product. The smallest ring in the selection weighed just 2.3g, with the largest size weighing 2.9 grams. Even the larger size weighed less than the Galaxy Ring’s current closest competitor and celebrity favorite, the Oura Ring, which weighs between 4 and 6 grams, depending on the size.

The ring has an array of sensors on the inside rim, three of which were arranged in a series of raised bumps. While it was on my finger, I was aware that the bumps were there, but they caused me no discomfort at all.

My personal preference is for rings with a low-set profile so that my fingers can largely still sit flush against one another. That’s a big ask for any smart ring, which has a lot more hidden inside the metal casing than, say, my wedding ring. Even the slightly concave shape of the ring makes it feel a tad chunky for my liking, and as CNET Senior Editor Lisa Eadicicco noted when she tried the ring at Samsung Unpacked last month, it feels more akin to a man’s wedding band.

That’s not to say it’s not for women — everyone has different preferences when it comes to the kind of jewelry and accessories they’re comfortable wearing for long periods of time. Most of the marketing materials provided by Samsung show the ring being worn on the index finger, for example, whereas I found it to be most comfortable on my pinkie (it will work equally well no matter which finger it’s worn on).

As with all wearables, the first question about the Galaxy Ring on my lips — and I’m guessing yours too — is how often am I going to have to charge it? Again, Samsung is still hammering out the details in its bid to deliver the maximum possible battery life. That said, it did provide battery details for the prototypes I tried.

The smallest ring had the smallest battery with a 14.5mAh capacity. The size of the battery increased incrementally with the size of the ring, up to the biggest model, which had a capacity of 21.5mAh. We can’t draw any conclusions at this stage about what this will mean for battery life in the finished product, but it’s fair to guess that there will be a slight difference in how often you need to charge the Galaxy Ring between the smallest and biggest sizes.

Sleep and cycle tracking

The question of who the Galaxy Ring is actually for is one we’ve explored in detail but will ultimately come down to what you can do with the device.

It’s fair to say of all the health possibilities, that the ring will be most effective at measuring your sleep. At MWC, Pak revealed that the Galaxy Ring will be able track your sleep using four different metrics: heart rate, respiratory rate, night movement and sleep latency.

We already know that Samsung is launching a new tool called My Vitality Score to measure alertness, which is based on a physical recovery measurement model developed by the University of Georgia. We also know that the company will offer feedback through Booster Cards that give personalized and scientifically backed tips based on the data gathered by your Samsung devices, including the sleep data from the Galaxy Ring.

When you wear your Galaxy Ring is, of course, totally up to you, and that doesn’t have to be at night. If you don’t find it comfy to sleep in, you’ll still get plenty of use out of it during the day.

Another key feature of the product will be its ability to provide insight into monthly cycle tracking, making it a rival to Movano’s Evie Ring. Samsung already has a partnership with FDA-approved cycle- and fertility-tracking app Natural Cycles, and this will be further enhanced with the introduction of the Galaxy Ring, Pak said.

Galaxy Watch compatibility

If you’re a signed-up Samsung fan, it’s possible that you already have a Samsung wearable in your tech collection in the form of a Galaxy Watch. If that’s the case, you won’t have to choose between wearing the watch and wearing the Galaxy Ring.

Not only can they both be worn and track your health at the same time, they can even deliver higher quality data by working in tandem with one another. “We know that, for example, the performance of sleep staging (the classification of five different sleep stages) goes up when both devices are worn,” Pak said, with a promise of further examples in a similar vein still to come.

On the other hand, there’s absolutely no requirement to wear both devices at the same time — or even own them both at all. You could be a smartwatch person who wants the notifications and immediate feedback right there on your wrist, or you could be a smart ring person who cares about their health but has no desire to add an extra screen into your life.

“We’ve come to realize that people have different needs and preferences — for some, less is more,” Pak said. For some people, having the simplicity of a passive health-tracking device will be the more comfortable, convenient and stylish option, he added.

The Galaxy Beyond Samsung

Until now, the big names dominating the smart ring market are actually quite small names in the grand scheme of things. Samsung is the first household name to throw its hat into the smart ring ring.

It could use the fact that it’s early to the party to try to make itself the biggest name in this new device category. But that’s not what the company is focused on right now, according to Pak. Instead, it’s focused on offering Samsung customers choice and convenience in the form of a new type of product, he said.

Where, then, does this leave iOS users, who may be interested in owning a Galaxy Ring? Out in the cold, it seems — at least for now. “We recognise the iOS/Android challenge, and we ultimately hope that our devices are of such caliber that people will be willing to switch,” Pak said.

But while iPhone users are out of luck at present, Samsung is working on ensuring that the Galaxy Ring will be compatible with other Android devices. “That’s where we are and then beyond? I think it’s TBD,” he said.

There’s a lot still to be decided, or at least to be revealed, about the Galaxy Ring, including when it will go on sale and how much it will cost. No doubt this won’t be the last prototype device we see before Samsung finally commits to an official launch date. In the meantime, we’ll keep a close eye on all of the updates about the ring and be sure to share all of our thoughts and impressions as they come.

TCL’s first US-bound Nxtpaper phones — which have displays that the company describes as “paperlike” — will cost under $229 when they arrive later this year. The company announced the prices alongside additional details for its 50 series of phones on Monday at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

TCL’s 50 XL Nxtpaper 5G will be priced under $229 (roughly 180, AU$350), and the smaller 50 XE Nxtpaper 5G will cost under $199. TCL’s phones are often discounted further by wireless carriers, which is likely why the company provided price ranges rather than specific prices. Both phones are timed to arrive in the third quarter of this year.

Both Nxtpaper phones were revealed, alongside the rest of TCL’s 50 series, at CES 2024 in January. The 50 XL Nxtpaper will have a 6.8-inch FHD Plus display, while the XE will have a 6.6-inch HD Plus display. Both phones will include a normal view for general use with Android apps, a low-contrast color paper mode for comics and a black-and-white ink paper mode, which will act more like an e-reader.

During my colleague Lisa Eadicicco’s brief hands-on, she noticed both phones have a matte finish on the display with virtually no glare. But we’ll have to test that out further when the phones are released.

TCL has also revealed pricing for its phones with more traditional displays, including the $169 TCL 50 XL 5G and the $149 50 XE 5G. The XL model will be available at Metro by T-Mobile in the second quarter of this year, while the XE will arrive in the third quarter. The XL model is one of the cheapest phones we’ve seen so far with a super-smooth 120Hz refresh rate display. The XE will have a 90Hz display.

These phones are joined by the newly announced $99 TCL 50 LE phone. The TCL 50 LE has a 6.6-inch HD Plus display with a 90Hz refresh rate. That cheaper phone will also have a 4,000-mAh battery, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Additional details for it, including its release date, are coming later.

While it wasn’t announced for the US, TCL’s 50 SE phone for 150 euro (roughly $160) also debuted Monday, has a 6.8-inch FHD Plus display, 12GB of memory and 256GB of storage.

TCL’s phone announcements arrive as other companies as Mobile World Congress continues to ramp up. Anouncements so far include Microsoft announcing plans to use artificial intelligence to stop phone scammers and a rollable phone concept from Motorola.

Google is rolling out a handful of new Android features as Mobile World Congress kicks off in Barcelona. Updates include an AI boost to Messages, Android Auto upgrades and the ability to access boarding passes and tickets right from your Wear OS smartwatch.

Starting this week, in beta, you’ll be able to access AI model Gemini directly from Google Messages on Android. You can have the model draft messages, plan events, help you brainstorm ideas or assist with other tasks, all without leaving the Messages app. (Earlier this month, Google renamed its Bard AI chatbot to Gemini, to match the AI model it rolled out in December.)

See also: Best Android Phone of 2024

Android Auto is also getting an AI update. The interface will use AI to automatically summarize long texts or group chats while you’re on the road, so you’re not distracted. It can also suggest replies, which you can just tap to send, as well as other actions like sharing an ETA or starting a call.

Google is also rolling out its AI-generated image description feature globally. Built into its Lookout app, which helps people who are blind or low-vision identify objects and read documents, the image caption feature generates audio descriptions of photos online or in messages using AI. Google debuted the feature back in September, but it was only available in English in the US, UK and Canada. You can now access image captions in Lookout on Android devices around the world — but still only in English, for now.

And here’s another accessibility update, for the Lens feature in Maps. Lens uses — you guessed it — AI and augmented reality to pinpoint restaurants, transit stations, ATMs and other places around you as you pan your phone around your surroundings. Now, Google’s TalkBack screen reader can also say a location’s information, like business hours, ratings or directions, out loud. This can be helpful for people who are blind or low-vision.

Google is also adding an update to Docs, enabling you to add handwritten annotations from an Android phone or tablet. Now, if you prefer to edit documents the old-fashioned way, you can use your finger or stylus to make notes in different pen colors or highlight certain sections.

Switching between different devices when playing from YouTube Music is relatively simple, thanks to the output switcher on Android’s home screen, which lets you tap where you want to beam a song. Now, that capability is expanding to Spotify, so you can easily hop between playing music on your phone, headphones, smart display or TV with the tap of a button.

There’s also a health upgrade in the mix. You can now get an overview of your health data in the redesigned Fitbit app through Android’s Health Connect feature, which pulls from wearables and apps including AllTrails, Oura Ring and MyFitnessPal. On your Android phone, go to the Fitbit app and tap the You tab to see data from any connected apps, alongside your Fitbit data. The Today tab will show information like steps, calories burned and distance traveled from compatible apps.

And finally, a couple Wear OS updates: You can now access Google Wallet passes like tickets, boarding passes and gym memberships from your smartwatch. You can also get public transit directions on your wrist, thanks to Google Maps support on Wear OS. That means you can see departure times for a bus, train or ferry, as well as guided navigation.

See also: Best Android Smartwatch for 2024

Plugging a phone in to charge all the time can get exhausting very quickly, and if you aren’t careful, you could potentially damage your port over time. That’s especially true as dust and dirt are constantly pressed deeper into the port, culminating in a situation where the USB or Lightning port doesn’t work anymore. Luckily, that’s where wireless chargers come to the rescue, and Anker’s Magnetic Charging Station is one of the best. Even better, there’s a nice little discount on it right now from Amazon that discounts it down to $90 with a $10 coupon, so be sure to clip that before you log out.

The truth is that Akner’s Magnetic Charging station is more than just that, performing the same task as a power strip and then some. That’s because it also has three AC outlets, two USB-C ports and two USB-A ports as well, meaning that you could theoretically charge eight devices in one go. In fact, with 67-watt charging, you can get your MacBook Air up to 50% in around 25 minutes using the high-powered USB-C slot, so it’s quite handy.

As for the wireless charger, it’s Qi2 Certified, meaning you get very speedy 15-watt charging, and it works with the latest iPhones as well, so you have no worries there. The whole thing is run by Anker’s internal chip, which optimizes charging and makes sure it’s safe and efficient. Also, it has some solid cooling inside of it so it doesn’t overheat and cause any issues to devices it’s connected to or itself.

Overall, it’s a pretty solid device if you’re looking for something that can handle multiple devices and charge at a high capacity. So if you’re picking up a new phone deal, definitely consider grabbing the Anker Magnetic Charging Station.

I envied Futurama’s Leela for many reasons; awesome boots, purple hair, gets paid to ride around on a spaceship. But it’s her wrist-mounted smart device that got the tech nerd in me popping like an excited toddler with a fresh tub of Play-Doh. And finally — finally — that dream is becoming more of a reality with Motorola’s latest concept. In short, it’s a phone that can work as a regular, flat, candy bar-style device but can then bend around your wrist to be worn like some kind of futuristic gauntlet.

The company teased its “adaptive display concept” last year, but I got hands — and, indeed, wrists — on with the device at this year’s Mobile World Congress. Here’s how it works: When flat, the phone looks like a regular Android device, but the back of it is covered in fabric (for comfort, you understand). You can use it as any other phone, swiping around and emailing and Instagramming to your heart’s content. But when you’re done with whatever nonsense you get up to, you simply bend the phone around until it forms an arch and you slide that onto your wrist.

You’ll be wearing a magnetic strap on your wrist already that essentially looks like an Apple Watch’s Milanese Loop strap, but without the actual watch part. The phone magnetically attaches to this to help keep it in place, as the phone doesn’t form a full circle. The phone then should stay in place while you go about your day, acting more like a smartwatch by showing you incoming notifications. Then, when you want it to be a phone again you simply pull it from your wrist, fold it flat again and away you go. Lovely.

Its bending mechanism also allows it to become its own kickstand, allowing it to stand up on a table to make it more convenient for video calls.

I was really excited to try it on, and I do find the idea of wearing your phone like this quite appealing. But this is firmly a proof of concept from Motorola, and it’s a long way off becoming a real product, if it ever even does. A lot would have to change before I considered spending what would no doubt be a lot of money on this device.

First, I’d want rid of the magnetic wrist strap, instead finding a way for the phone to bend further around my wrist so as to be wearable in its own right. I’d want it to be slimmer so as to be less intrusive while wearing it, and I’d want to see a lot of software optimizations to really make the most of this unusual form factor. So yes, I’m quite demanding, but it’d need to offer a genuine reason to make it useful over simply having a smartwatch.

But I don’t have high expectations that we’ll see this kind of product on sale any time soon. Last year, Motorola showed off a different concept phone that featured a screen that almost magically extended upward, out of the phone body, to give a larger viewing space. Again, it was cool as hell to see, but again, not something Motorola has made any commitment to putting on sale.

Whether the wrist phone makes it to the shops remains to be seen.

Artificial intelligence has already changed how we work, so it makes sense that AI will also change the devices we work with. For example, the Lenovo ThinkBook Transparent Display Laptop rethinks the traditional clamshell into a more collaborative-friendly device for working in a world of AI-generated content.

The proof of concept laptop appeared at MWC 2024 and features a 17.3-inch micro-LED transparent display that allows you to see right through to whatever’s on the other side of the screen. The design allows the overlay of virtual creations onto the real world, essentially becoming a see-through whiteboard. The effect would be similar to how Apple’s Vision Pro mixed reality headset can drop virtual objects into your actual surroundings. (The transparency would also stop anyone from surprising you by popping up from behind the screen…if that’s a thing that happens.)

Micro-LED displays in general deliver amazing color and contrast, and brightness that rivals OLED displays; the ThinkBook’s display was blindingly bright, capable of 1,000-nit brightness. If there were concerns about being able to use this in any environment, indoors or outside, the display’s transparency shouldn’t be an issue. Privacy also seems like it might be an issue, but in the future transmittance will be adjustable to provide more privacy or more transparency to interact with real-world objects, Lenovo said in its announcement.

Another key element to the design is the keyboard, or lack thereof. Instead of physical keys, the concept laptop has a touchscreen keyboard. More importantly, the digital keyboard can be switched into a drawing board to be used with a supported pen.

We were wowed at CES this year by LG’s transparent OLED TV and Samsung’s micro-LED transparent displays, and it’s exciting to see this technology move beyond giant commercial displays or uber-expensive TVs. Obviously, a design like this isn’t for everyone, but it could be the future for creatives who want to see, and want others to see, their digital creations come to life in the real world in real time.

Samsung debuted its upcoming Galaxy Ring last month alongside the Galaxy S24 phones, and this week at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Samsung plans to highlight how the ring will integrate with artificial intelligence.

In a Sunday teaser announcement, Samsung said the Galaxy Ring will be part of a larger Samsung Health push, in which the company will show off how AI will be used to analyze health data collected by the ring or by Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 6.

Read more: Best Samsung Phone For 2024

Samsung’s health plans include integrating that data with its SmartThings smart home platform. The company says this could include features like controlling connected lights based on your sleep needs or setting alerts for medicine.

Samsung’s AI health plans will arrive just as Google’s Fitbit plans a similar program called Fitbit Labs — which Google says will also use AI to provide insights based on health and fitness data collected by devices like the Pixel Watch.

The Galaxy Ring is entering a space that’s been largely dominated by the Oura Ring but will also see new competition from Movano Health’s Evie Ring this year. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported Sunday that Apple has explored the possibility of creating new fitness accessories like its own ring but that the company otherwise isn’t in active development of one.

Even though Samsung has been building smartwatches and fitness trackers for several years, the company hopes the Galaxy Ring will provide a more subtle wearable option. Samsung’s Hon Pak, a vice president and head of the digital health team at Samsung, told my colleague Lisa Eadicicco that it’s one part of the company’s goals for Samsung Health.

“Some people want a more simple form factor, and [the] ring represents that,” Pak said in a January interview.

These AI-powered health features that the Galaxy Ring will integrate with also come as Samsung continues to develop its Galaxy AI features, including bringing them to the Galaxy S23 series of phones following their debut on the Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Last year brought a crowd of superhero movies to the silver screen, and the heroics continued on popular streaming services. Now Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will join the ranks of superhero flicks from 2023.

The new Aquaman movie will hit Max next week, plunging Jason Momoa back into the underwater action. The sequel to 2018’s film sees Momoa’s Arthur Curry team with his nemesis/half-brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) and once again spar with Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), per a synopsis from Warner Bros. Other returning cast members include Amber Heard as Mera, Nicole Kidman as Atlanna, Dolph Lundgren as King Nereus and Randall Park as Dr. Stephen Shin.

Aquaman 2 is directed by James Wan, who also directed the prior movie. (If you need a refresher, that flick is among the DC movies currently streaming on Max). Here’s exactly when you can watch Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom in the US, plus how a VPN may be able to assist with streaming.

When to watch Aquaman 2 on Max

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom splashes onto Max in the early morning hours of Feb. 27 (12:01 a.m. PT/3:01 a.m. ET, to be exact).

Max has an ad-supported plan and two ad-free plans to choose from. In addition to removing ads, going for one of the latter plans gives you the ability to download titles. If you’d rather buy Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, it’s available at services including Apple TV, Amazon and Vudu for $20.

How to watch Aquaman 2 from anywhere with a VPN

Perhaps you’re traveling abroad and want to stream Max while away from home. With a VPN, you’re able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to access the movie from anywhere in the world. There are other good reasons to use a VPN for streaming, too.

A VPN is the best way to encrypt your traffic to stop your internet service provider from throttling your speeds. Using a VPN is also a great idea if you’re traveling and want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and log-ins when connecting to Wi-Fi networks. Streaming TV can be a bit smoother with a reliable, quality VPN that’s passed our tests and meets our security standards.

You can use a VPN to stream content legally as long as VPNs are allowed in your country and you have a valid subscription to the streaming service you’re using. The US and Canada are among the countries where VPNs are legal, but we advise against streaming or downloading content on illegal torrent sites. We recommend ExpressVPN, but you may opt for another provider from our best list, such as Surfshark or NordVPN.

Follow the VPN provider’s instructions for installation, and choose the United States, where Aquaman 2 will be streaming on Max. Before you open the streaming app, make sure you’re connected to your VPN using your selected region. If you want to stream Aquaman 2 on more than one device, it’s possible you’ll need to configure each one to ensure you’re signed in. Go to settings and check your network connections to verify you’re logged in and connected to your VPN account. Now you’re ready to open Max to stream.

If you run into issues with streaming, first make sure your VPN is up and running on its encrypted IP address. Double-check that you’ve followed installation instructions correctly and picked the right geographical area for viewing. If you still encounter connection problems, you may need to reboot your device. Close all apps and windows, restart your device and connect to your VPN first. Note that some streaming services will restrict VPN access.

AT&T’s outage on Thursday saw users around the country lose service for hours. Now the company says it wants to “make it right” by issuing a $5 bill credit to impacted users’ wireless accounts.

In a tweet on X Saturday night, as well as on a new page on its website, the carrier posted an apology for the disruption noting that it recognizes “the frustration this outage has caused and know we let many of our customers down.”

We recognize the frustration Thursday’s outage caused & know we let many of our customers down. To help make it right, we are applying a credit to potentially impacted accounts to help reassure our customers of our commitment to reliably connect them – anytime and anywhere. It…

— AT&T News (@ATTNEWS) February 25, 2024

“To help make it right, we’re reaching out to potentially impacted customers and we’re automatically applying a credit to their accounts,” the statement on the website reads. “We want to reassure our customers of our commitment to reliably connect them – anytime and anywhere. We’re crediting them for the average cost of a full day of service.”

Looking at the fine print on the page reveals that the credit, while a small proactive gesture, is fairly limited. AT&T is only giving $5 per wireless account, not per impacted line, so if you have multiple lines of service with the carrier you won’t be reimbursed for losing service for all of them.

The carrier is also not providing credits to AT&T Business, AT&T Prepaid or users of its Cricket service. It tells CNET that those users will “have options available to them if they were potentially impacted by the outage.”

Those looking for additional credits for the lost service may be better off calling the carrier.

“We believe we have contacted potentially impacted customers,” an AT&T spokesperson tells CNET. “But if someone needs to talk to us about their situation, our call centers are available.”

AT&T did not disclose how many users were impacted by the outage or how many credits it will be issuing.

The outage appeared to begin early Thursday morning and reports on social media suggested the outage was widespread, with Downdetector, a website where users can report issues with websites and services, showing a spike in problems with AT&T nationwide beginning at around 4 a.m. ET.

While it was not immediately clear what caused the issue, it was revealed Thursday night that it was the result of an issue that occurred during overnight network maintenance and was not the result of a cyber attack.

The new Xiaomi 14 Ultra is all about photography, as indicated by its striking circular camera bump. With a 1-inch camera sensor and a variable aperture lens, as well as dual-telephoto cameras, Xiaomi’s latest flagship phone packs nearly everything photo enthusiasts are likely looking for in a phone. There are even lenses co-engineered with the iconic camera brand Leica.

Unveiled at an event during Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the new phone is made by Chinese company Xiaomi. According to a report from International Data Corp. Xiaomi had the third-largest market share last year, beaten only by Apple and Samsung. And while the new Xiaomi 14 Ultra won’t be sold in the US, it will be available, alongside the regular Xiaomi 14, in Europe and the UK in March. Both phones have already been released in China.

Read more: Best Phone To Buy For 2024

The Xiaomi 14 comes in two models each with 12GB of RAM. There’s a 849 variant with 256GB of storage, and a 899 model with 512GB of storage — the prices convert respectively to $1,080 (AU$1.640) and $1,140 (AU$1,740). The 14 is available in black, white and jade green.

Meanwhile, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra has a single configuration with 1TB of storage and 16GB of RAM, comes in black or white and costs 1,299 (roughly $1,650, AU$2,510). There’s no word whether the special edition Xiaomi 14 Ultra, which is made with titanium instead of aluminum will get a launch outside China. The special edition follows the trend we saw Apple take with the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max and Samsung with its Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Like the OnePlus 12, Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro and the Galaxy S24 series, the Xiaomi 14 and 14 Ultra run on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor. Both phones are rated IP68 for water and dust resistance, meaning they can be submerged under a meter of water for 30 minutes. They also support 90-watt wired charging and 50W wireless charging. Both have a handful of AI features, including image search within photo albums and, like the Galaxy S24 series, the ability to generate extensions at the top, bottom and sides of a photo, beyond its original framing.

Xiaomi promises four generations of Android OS upgrades, and five years of security patches for each. It’s not as long as the seven-year commitment that Google and Samsung made for their newest phones, but it is good.

The Xiaomi 14 Ultra

The 14 Ultra’s biggest features by far are its four rear cameras. The main camera has a 50-megapixel 1-inch sensor, which actually isn’t an inch across. The term or naming convention for 1-inch sensors, or 1-inch-type sensors, is based on measuring cathode ray tubes for broadcast TV cameras from decades ago — well before smartphones and digital cameras.

That said, the 14 Ultra’s 1-inch sensor (which is closer to 0.6 inches diagonally) is larger than most other camera sensors currently used in phones. Larger sensors gather more light resulting in brighter photos with more detail and less image noise. The Oppo Find X7 Ultra, which was unveiled in January, also has the same sensor.

Xiaomi combines that big phone sensor with a 23mm lens (full-frame equivalent) that has a variable f/1.63 to f/4.0 aperture. Meaning you can adjust the lens aperture to let in more light or to have a longer depth of field allowing more of your subject to be in focus. Last year’s Xiaomi 13 Ultra had a similar variable aperture, but the 14 Ultra’s is about a stop faster.

The 14 Ultra also has 3.2x 75mm telephoto lens, a 5x120mm telephoto lens and a 12mm ultrawide angle lens.

You can buy the optional Xiaomi 14 Ultra Photography Kit accessory to mount on the 14 Ultra, which gives you more nuanced controls of the cameras. The grip has a two-stage shutter button, a zoom lever, a customizable video recording button and an additional custom dial. It also functions as an external charging 1,500-mAh battery bank.

The 14 Ultra has a 5,000-mAh battery. Around the front there’s a 32-megapixel selfie camera and a 6.78-inch variable refresh rate display (1 to 120Hz) with a peak brightness of 3,000 nits.

The Xiaomi 14

The Xiaomi 14 packs has a 4,610-mAh battery and a 6.36-inch variable refresh rate display (1 to 120Hz) with a peak brightness of 3,000 nits. It trades in the 14 Ultra’s massive circular camera bump for a smaller square one that houses a trio of lenses: wide, ultrawide and telephoto.

Like the 14 Ultra it has a 32-megapixel selfie camera. Instead of using Xiaomi Shield Glass over the display like the Ultra, the Xiaomi 14 has Gorilla Glass Victus.

Both phones are available to preorder and will go on sale in March.