Latest news with #JohnVelasco
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
iOS 26 just got a big design upgrade — thanks to your complaints
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Apple released iOS 26 Beta 2 this week, adding some new features while also apparently fixing complaints about the new Liquid Glass user interface for iPhone, iPad, and other Apple devices. Liquid Glass refreshed the interface across Apple's different operating systems with a new look and feel that gave it more of a transparent look. However, initial impressions were mixed. We found the look amazing but with some flaws such as app tinting and how Control Center looks. "This feature allowed you to change the color of your app icons — at least in theory. In practice, the finished result made it look like you poured sauce all over your apps," my colleague Josh Render said of the customizable feature. Tom's Guide's John Velasco found that the transparency caused issues with the way Control Center appears. Mostly it appears too busy and can make the settings panel unreadable. "I noticed how the transparency of Liquid Glass clashes with the way the Control Center appears on top of certain elements, like the icons on my home screen, or very busy web pages," he wrote. We were able to find workarounds for both issues, but it requires some finagling with the settings and does reduce the transparency. With developer beta 2 for iOS 26, Apple has adjusted the background blur which obscures the home screen more and makes it more readable. Here's an example from X user Aaron Perris, a contributor at Mac Rumors. Notifications appears to have received a similar update to make them more readable, though it doesn't look as dramatic as the Control Center change. To be clear, this likely won't be the final look for iOS 26 this is still a developers beta. A public beta won't launch until later this summer followed by the full release ahead of the iPhone 17 launch in the fall. Still, it is clear that Apple appears to be listening to user feedback and adjusting. Apple is reportedly considering buying Perplexity AI in iPhone maker's biggest-ever acquisition Google Pixel 11 could finally catch up to Samsung and Apple on performance — here's how iOS 26 has a huge battery life upgrade — here's the iPhones that get it
Tom's Guide
4 days ago
- Tom's Guide
iOS 26 just got a big design upgrade — thanks to your complaints
Apple released iOS 26 Beta 2 this week, adding some new features while also apparently fixing complaints about the new Liquid Glass user interface for iPhone, iPad, and other Apple devices. Liquid Glass refreshed the interface across Apple's different operating systems with a new look and feel that gave it more of a transparent look. However, initial impressions were mixed. We found the look amazing but with some flaws such as app tinting and how Control Center looks. "This feature allowed you to change the color of your app icons — at least in theory. In practice, the finished result made it look like you poured sauce all over your apps," my colleague Josh Render said of the customizable feature. Tom's Guide's John Velasco found that the transparency caused issues with the way Control Center appears. Mostly it appears too busy and can make the settings panel unreadable. "I noticed how the transparency of Liquid Glass clashes with the way the Control Center appears on top of certain elements, like the icons on my home screen, or very busy web pages," he wrote. We were able to find workarounds for both issues, but it requires some finagling with the settings and does reduce the transparency. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. With developer beta 2 for iOS 26, Apple has adjusted the background blur which obscures the home screen more and makes it more readable. Here's an example from X user Aaron Perris, a contributor at Mac Rumors. iOS 26 beta 2 blurs the background of the Control Center 23, 2025 Notifications appears to have received a similar update to make them more readable, though it doesn't look as dramatic as the Control Center change. To be clear, this likely won't be the final look for iOS 26 this is still a developers beta. A public beta won't launch until later this summer followed by the full release ahead of the iPhone 17 launch in the fall. Still, it is clear that Apple appears to be listening to user feedback and adjusting.
Tom's Guide
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Tom's Guide
I drove the Lucid Air Touring for a week — and it actually relieves EV range anxiety
Lucid EVs are still a rare sight on the roads, but that's part of their allure. I know very well what this EV maker is all about after testing out the Lucid Air Pure last year, proving to me that it addresses one of the biggest concerns people have about EVs — their range. It's no surprise that it's one of the best electric cars you can buy. The 2025 Lucid Air Touring is the middle trim in the lineup and offers nearly the same class-leading efficiency as the Air Pure. But that's accompanied with a more premium cabin space that really makes me feel I'm driving something from the future. In fact, this one particular design choice is something I saw in the upcoming release of the Lucid Gravity. However, the Lucid Air Touring does come at a premium that drives up the price to over $100,000 — up from its MSRP of $78,900. Is the difference worth it? 2025 Lucid Air Touring Battery 92 kWh Motor dual-motor AWD 0 to 60 mph 3.4 seconds Range 377 miles Horsepower 620 hp Wheels 20-inches MSRP $78,900 Price Tested $101,850 The best part about the 2025 Lucid Air Touring is that it offers exceptional range that addresses the range anxiety that still plagues many EVs today. I drove a total of 362.1 miles in my week's worth of testing, accumulating an average efficiency of 4 mi/kWh. Few electric cars I've tested in the last year ever get past 3.5 mi/kWh efficiency, and there's less than a handful that reach 4 mi/kWh. In one of my short distance range tests, the Lucid Air Touring manages to get an average 4.42 mi/kWh efficiency, which is outstanding and proves EVs can match gas-powered vehicles. On the highway for long distance driving, it manages 4.29 mi/kWh efficiency. All of this alleviates the range anxiety that people have around EVs. It also beats similar sport-style EVs I've tested like the Dodge Charger EV and BMW i4 M50 Gran Coupe. Over on the charging side, the Lucid Air Touring is definitely one of the faster models with Level 1 charging at home thanks to its included charger. In fact, its 4.27 mi/hr average rate nets decent range with overnight charging. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. After 7.7 hours of charging, it returned 33 miles back to the battery. That might not sound like a whole lot, but it is. That said, I still recommend installing a Level 2 charger to get nearly a full charge with overnight charging. 2025 Lucid Air Touring 2025 Dodge Charger EV Scat Pack 2025 BMW i4 M50 Gran Coupe EV Price tested $101,850 $78,970 $76,575 Total miles driven 362.1 miles 276.3 miles 461.5 miles Average Efficiency 4 mi/kWh 3.5 mi/kWh 2.9 mi/kWh Best long distance driving efficiency 4.29 mi/kWh 3 mi/kWh N/A Best short distance driving efficiency 4.42 mi/kWh 3.8 mi/kWh N/A Level 1 charging rate 4.27 mi/hr 2.64 mi/hr 2.19 mi/hr A post shared by John Velasco (@john_c_velasco) A photo posted by on From the moment I got inside, the glass canopy roof of the 2025 Lucid Air Touring makes it one of the most futuristic EVs I've been in. Like really, its breathtaking view is like something from the future because of how it makes the front passengers feel that they're surrounded by glass. Even the visors are designed differently to accommodate this! I just love how I can see more of the view in front of me because of this panoramic glass canopy, which actually extends to the back as well so that passengers can get a similar look and feel. Luckily, there's a protective UV coating over the top that offers a bit of shade. However, it's an upgrade option that adds an additional $4,000 cost to its base MSRP. Lucid Motor's philosophy centers around designing EVs with outstanding efficiency, and the 2025 Lucid Air Touring is no different. Although I got better efficiency from the Lucid Air Pure, the 4 mi/kWh average I got from the Lucid Air Touring deserves praise, especially considering how it offers a much more powerful 620 hp performance. There's a lot of torque when I switch to Swift mode, which pulls me back into the seat accelerating up to cruising speed. There's definitely a more responsive feel to its steering as well in Swift mode, making it handle tight turns a breeze — adding up to an exhilarating ride overall. Just like the Air Pure, the Lucid Air Touring features a sleek and sporty design that makes this luxury EV look more like a souped-up sports car, but in sedan form. Part of its excellent efficiency is due to its aerodynamic silhouette design, which makes it lower to the ground and a wider base that allows the Lucid Air Touring to have an exceptionally low drag coefficient. Thanks in part to its design, there's a ton of space in the interior of the Lucid Air Touring. Not only is there ample legroom in the driver's seat, but rear passengers have more room in the back to extend their legs without having them brush up against the seats. This makes for a comfortable ride overall for everyone. However, the low profile roof design can make it feel a little cramped for taller individuals getting in and out of it. Again, I can't overstate how the Lucid Air Touring has a ton of space on the inside. That's also true for its trunk and frunk. With the former, the deep trunk lets me stow my JackRabbit OG2 Pro micro ebike without the need to fold it, while the automatic powered frunk is deep and wide enough to store groceries and other smaller items. Usually frunks are available in larger SUVs and pickup trucks like the Ford F150 Lightning or Rivian R1S, so finding one in a sedan is an extra treat. Much like any other luxury EV I've tested, like the Mercedes-Benz G 580 and Cadillac Optiq, the Lucid Air Touring has a neat unlocking sequence that gives me a dazzling show. With the key fob in hand as I approach it, a brilliant flash of light from the middle of the hood starts things off and cascades to the rest of the headlights. I wouldn't expect anything less from a luxury EV such as this, especially one that costs more than $100K. The adaptive cruise control system in the Lucid Air Touring is responsive at adapting to the road conditions. Not only does it take control of the wheel to assist with steering, but it also applies the necessary braking and acceleration to maintain cruising speed on the road. I also love how the Lucid Air Touring's lane change assist works flawlessly to switch lanes automatically on its own after activating the corresponding turn signal. Thankfully, the adaptive cruise control works well to detect sudden lane changes from other cars on the road; it applies a gentle brake instead of a harsher one I sometimes see in other EVs. As much as the glass canopy roof is a sight to behold, it doesn't offer relief from the sun on those hot and humid days in the summer. Yes, there's a protective UV coating and the rear passenger windows have roll up sun shades, but there's no shade whatsoever with the glass roof — which means that the sun is constantly shining down into the interior space. Although a physical shade would be impractical here due to how the front glass canopy extends all the way to the dashboard, there could be at least a physical shade cover for the passenger side — or Lucid could implement the electrochromic glass shade found in the Rivian R1S and Lexus RZ450e. However, I suspect this would drive up the cost even more. At $101,850 tested, the Lucid Air Touring is obnoxiously priced for any EV — let alone a sedan. For about the same price, you could get yourself bigger EVs that offer more utility, like the Chevrolet Silverado EV and even the GMC Hummer EV. Most of the Lucid's cost is driven by all the options thrown in, like its ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System), glass canopy roof, premium seat trim, stealth appearance, and its comfort and convenience package. Strip away all those options, you still have an incredibly efficient and powerful EV at its base price of $78,900. Between that and the base model I tested, the Air Pure, the Air Touring largely benefits from a strong electric motor performance and all wheel driving. To be fair, the 2025 Lucid Air Touring is still an incredible EV without all of those options and packages. If you want that futuristic look with its glass canopy roof, it's an aesthetic choice that makes the EV look even more futuristic than it is. But I would probably skip it to have more privacy and shading. Beyond the aesthetics, the Lucid Air Touring blends fun and sporty driving with class-leading efficiency that squashes doubt about range distance anxiety. You'll be able to drive farther and longer than most EVs thanks to its efficiency, but the Lucid Air Touring doesn't sacrifice its sporty drive when you need the extra power. I think it's a sound value with the base trim without any add-ons at $78,900.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
I review Samsung phones for a living — and the company's Galaxy lineup is starting to look a little crowded
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. I don't know what reaction you had when a report claiming to reveal the camera specs of the Galaxy S25 FE dropped this past week. But I certainly remember what crossed my mind as I read that Samsung would equip this year's FE model with the exact same camera setup as last year's Galaxy S24 FE. "Wait, Samsung's still doing this?" I said to myself. "Didn't they just release a phone?" Indeed, it's been about two weeks since Samsung announced the Galaxy S25 Edge, with that ultra-thin phone going on sale in the U.S. this coming Friday (May 30). It's a good phone, as you can read in our Galaxy S25 Edge review, delivering an incredibly thin design, even if it is at the expense of battery life. Adding the Edge to the Galaxy S25 models released in January, Samsung now has four different Galaxy S flagships to choose from. The Galaxy S25 FE will bring that number to five whenever it comes out. (The rumors say sometime in the fall.) But wait, there's more. In the U.S., Samsung has already released the Galaxy A26 and Galaxy A36, and we're awaiting the U.S. release of the Galaxy A56 that's shipped in other parts of the world. On top of that, this summer figures to bring new versions of Samsung's foldables — at least, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 and possibly a lower-cost version of the flip phone. All told, that's 11 different phones when you add up the flagships, foldables and midrange models, with prices ranging from $299 for the Galaxy A26 all the way up to whatever four-figure price tag Samsung slaps on the new Fold. (The current model starts at $1,899.) I typically applaud companies that offer consumers a lot of choices, particularly if those choices accommodate a wide range of budgets, so it pains me to say this. I think Samsung needs to consider that it's making too many phones. This is no knock on the FE series, which Samsung positions as a lower-cost way of getting the flagship Galaxy S experience, including a full complement of Galaxy AI features. Indeed, my colleague John Velasco actually recommended the Galaxy S24 FE over some of Samsung's other S24 models, arguing that its lower price and Galaxy AI support made up for the lesser camera specs and shorter battery life compared to Samsung's entry-level flagship. The Galaxy A phones serve their purpose, too, offering solid phones for $500 or less. The phones even have some of the AI capabilities you'll find on the more expensive Samsung flagships, though those features get peeled off as you descend down the Galaxy A lineup. I think the issue is forced by the arrival of the Galaxy S25 Edge, which brings a thin design to the mix, but not much else that you can't get from the rest of the Galaxy S25 offerings. And you could even argue that it's a more compromised experience than even the Galaxy S24 FE delivers. After all, there's no telephoto lens on the Edge like you'll find on the other Galaxy S models, including the FE. Our battery tests had the Galaxy S25 Edge lasting three hours less than the entry-level Galaxy S25. And yet, Samsung charges more for the $1,099 Edge than either the $799 Galaxy S25 and the $999 Galaxy S25 Plus. Presumably, when it comes along in the fall, the Galaxy S25 FE will cost even less. And that presents a dilemma for people trying to find the best Samsung phone for their needs. Do you pay up for the Edge's thin design, or get the standard model or the Plus, which seem more fully featured? And is it worth holding out for the FE or opting for one of the Galaxy A models to save even more? We can probably excuse the foldable phones from this exercise, as these remain niche devices with a self-selecting audience. You could even argue that the addition of a lower-cost Samsung flip phone would help the phone maker take on Motorola, which now offers three different Razr models to choose from for 2025. (And two of those are cheaper than the Galaxy Z Flip 6.) That puts the focus squarely on the increasingly crowded Galaxy S lineup, where Samsung is either going to have to figure out a way to distinguish some of its models or cull the herd. Samsung could be solving this issue on its own, if rumors about next year's lineup are accurate. A report out of Korea suggests that Samsung is considering dropping the Plus from the Galaxy S26 lineup next year, with the Edge taking its place. The move would certainly solve a lot of problems, as the Plus has always been the odd phone out in Samsung's flagship lineup. It's more expensive than the standard model, but really just offers a bigger screen, longer battery life and faster charging speeds. Everything else — including the camera setup — is the same. The Edge would not only offer that bigger screen than the standard Galaxy S phone, but a thinner design, too. Yes, Samsung would have to figure out a way to improve battery life, and it should seriously consider bumping up the charging speed on future Edge models to 45W, matching the Plus and Ultra. Do that, and the Edge slots in very nicely as a Galaxy S Plus replacement. Samsung's bigger question is whether there's enough difference between its high-end Galaxy A model and the FE version of its Galaxy S phone to satisfy the different audiences for those phones. With the Galaxy A56 offering a more limited array of AI features, I think there is. Budget-minded shoppers can opt for the Galaxy A and not feel like they're getting short-changed, while people who want Galaxy AI can pay a little bit more for the Galaxy S25 FE, should it arrive this year. I'm not as convinced that the Galaxy A36 and Galaxy A26 are doing enough to justify their place in Samsung's midrange lineup. Certainly, our Galaxy A36 review found that there wasn't much to recommend the phone beyond a solid design and low price. Unless you were wed to the Samsung brand, you'd be better off turning to the Pixel 9a or Nothing Phone 3a for a more fully featured design. And if you were insistent upon a midrange Samsung phone, why not just pay a little more for the superior Galaxy A56? So if I were making the decisions at Samsung, I'd make a decision between the Edge and the Plus models for next year's lineup — I might lean toward keeping the former, given that its design seems ot have people excited. And I'd probably pare down my Galaxy A lineup to one $499 and a $299 offering to appeal to people who value a low price over everything else. Of course, Samsung has done pretty well for itself without my advice, so we'll see what shape the company's phone lineup takes very soon. Best Samsung phones How the ultra-thin Galaxy S25 Edge compares to other flagships The Galaxy S25 Edge's thinness is wasted — this other Samsung phone deserves it more
Tom's Guide
28-05-2025
- Tom's Guide
Samsung Galaxy S25 FE: All the rumors so far
If you thought the Galaxy S25 Edge put a cap on all the Galaxy S phones Samsung planned on releasing this year, it looks like you're very mistaken. Rumors of a Galaxy S25 FE model are picking up steam, as the phone maker looks to extend its flagship lineup with a lower-cost model to appeal to shoppers who demand premium features. This isn't Samsung's first stab at an FE model, as it's released that kind of phone four times since 2020. (Among Samsung's recent flagships, only the Galaxy S22 went without an FE version.) In fact, my colleague John Velasco argued last year that among the best Samsung phones, the Galaxy S24 FE was the better buy than the regular Galaxy S24, as it offered most of the same features at a lower price. Can Samsung repeat the magic with a Galaxy S25 FE? Based on the rumors that have emerged so far about the new model, it certainly seems eager to try, with early reports painting a picture of a phone that shares a lot in common with its predecessor. Here's what we know about the Galaxy S25 FE ahead of its rumored launch later this year. Samsung's FE release schedule can charitably be called "haphazard." Who can forget the Galaxy S21 FE's 2022 release, happening just a month before the Galaxy S22 rollout? I'm sure Samsung certainly would like to. Since then, though, a more regular cadence for FE releases has emerged. The Galaxy S24 FE arrived in October last year, about nine months after the rest of the Galaxy S24 lineup's debut. Clearly, Samsung likes to keep some distance between when its regular flagships come out and when it releases the FE model as a follow-up. To that end, a lot of the Galaxy S25 FE release date rumors point to an October launch for the phone. It's hard to tell if that's a release window based on concrete evidence or if people are just expecting history to repeat itself. But fall 2025 seems like a respectful enough distance from the Galaxy S25 launch for the S25 FE to make its appearance. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. As for price, there's no firm rumor about what Samsung intends to charge for this phone, though you wouldn't expect details to emerge until we get closer to the launch window. That said, the Galaxy S24 FE sells for $649 — $150 less than Samsung's entry-level flagship phone. That marked a $50 increase over the Galaxy S23 FE. You'd imagine Samsung might try to replicate the S24 FE's price with the new version. Certainly, we'd welcome a return to the $599 price tag of the S23 FE, but with the Galaxy A56 set to cost $499 when it ships in the U.S. later this year, you'd expect Samsung to want to keep some distance between the FE and its midrange Galaxy A devices. Early on, a report about the Galaxy S25 FE claimed that Samsung was looking to make this year's model thinner than the 8mm thick Galaxy S24 FE. That could mean bringing the phone more in line with the Galaxy S25, which measures 7.2mm at its thinnest point; a thinner S25 FE likely wouldn't approach the 5.8mm thin Galaxy S25 Edge, though, as a slender design is that latter phone's calling card. It's worth noting that the report about a thinner FE surfaced in October, back when rumors about the Galaxy S25 Edge — or the S25 Slim as it was known then — were still taking shape. In other words, it's possible that report is actually about Samsung's ultra-thin model, since at one point, it looked the Edge might be Samsung's new take on the FE model. Regardless of how thin the phone winds up being, most people seem to expect the Galaxy S25 FE to keep its predecessor's larger display. The Galaxy S24 FE got a boost in screen size to 6.7 inches, compared to the 6.4-inch panel on the S23 FE. The current FE also features a 120Hz refresh rate, another feature you'd think that the S25 FE's screen would replicate. Don't look for many changes to the camera setup on the Galaxy S25 FE, as a report claims the new model will adopt the Galaxy S24 FE's camera setup. That means a 50MP main lens, supported by 12MP ultrawide and 8MP telephoto cameras. The zoom lens on the FE uses a lower resolution sensor than the main Galaxy S flagships, but its 3x optical zoom matches what the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Plus offer. It's also worth noting that should the Galaxy S25 FE feature a telephoto camera like its predecessor, it would offer something the Galaxy S25 Edge does not. Samsung's ultra-thin phone is so slender, there's no room for a dedicated telephoto camera. At least the report forecasting an unchanged rear camera array sees a modest bump to the Galaxy S25 FE's front camera. The current FE features a 10MP selfie cam, but that could get bumped to 12MP for the Galaxy S25 FE. At the moment, it's hard to make heads or tails out of what kind of system on a chip the Galaxy S25 FE would use, but I'll do my level best to keep you informed about the leading contenders. Early reports claimed that Samsung would simply re-use the Exynos 2400e chipset featured in the Galaxy S24 FE. That's not necessarily an encouraging rumor since the Exynos 2400e had a hard time keeping pace with 2024's leading silicon, like the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, in performance benchmarks. And Android phones have only gotten faster since then thanks to the arrival of the Snapdragon 8 Elite system on a chip that powers devices like the rest of the Galaxy S25 lineup. A subsequent rumor claimed that Samsung might turn to the Mediatek Dimensity 9400 for the Galaxy S25 FE — but only if it couldn't produce enough Exynos chips to meet the S25 FE demand. In May, though, leaked benchmarks show a Galaxy S25 FE running on an Exynos 2400. That's a modest step up from the 2400e that powered last year's phone, so you'd see some improvement to performance even if the S25 FE would still lag behind flagship phones. Still, that's the trade-off you would make to get a lower-cost device that still offers a telephoto lens and full Galaxy AI support. (More on that below.) Battery life could be another area where the Galaxy S25 FE makes compromises, particularly if that rumor of a thinner design pans out. The Galaxy S24 FE featured a 4,700 mAh battery, and if Samsung shrinks the size of this year's model, the size of the battery could drop as a result. When we tested the Galaxy S24 FE last year, it held out for just under 11.5 hours on our Tom's Guide battery test. That's more than an hour better than the average smartphone, but it's well off the pace set by other Galaxy S models. Without a more power efficient processor and potentially smaller battery, the Galaxy S25 FE may be hard-pressed to even match the Galaxy S25 Edge's battery life, which is several hours shy of the other S25 models. By the time the Galaxy S25 FE is released in the fall, Android 16 will be out. We're also expecting Samsung's One UI 8 interface to ship in the summer, so the S25 FE would be in line to run on the latest version of both Android and Samsung's skin. A chief selling point for the Galaxy S24 FE last year was the fact that it didn't skimp on Galaxy AI features — the same AI-powered tools found on the more expensive Samsung flagships also worked here. Given the lack of rumored improvements to the cameras and chipset in the new phone, you'd hope that the Galaxy S25 FE would pick up the Galaxy AI features Samsung introduced with the S25 launch in January. In other words, the reason to get this particular model is the chance to experience Galaxy AI capabilities for less. Like Samsung's other flagships, the Galaxy S24 FE comes with seven years of software and security updates. There's no reason to expect the Galaxy S25 FE to offer anything less. There are many months to go before a Galaxy S25 FE model sees the light of day. And that means more opportunity for rumors to emerge that give us a more definitive idea of the changes Samsung plans to make. However, a pattern seems to be emerging from what we've heard so far. Samsung isn't looking to reinvent the wheel with the Galaxy S25 FE — rather, it seems to be making the Galaxy AI features and low starting price the draw for this model, leaving the rest of the S25 lineup to wow you with superior specs.
