Tag Archives: iPhone X

10 Best Wireless Charging Mats for iPhone X and iPhone 8

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Top 10 Best Wireless Charging Mats for iPhone X and iPhone 8

In September 2017, Apple introduced wireless charging on its iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus smartphones. Whereas Android users have been enjoying this feature for half a decade, with the 2012 LG Nexus 4 being the first Android device to support the technology, Apple is so late to the party that the bar has already closed and there are no untouched alcoholic beverages left to celebrate its arrival.

Knowing that there’s an established wireless charging market, Apple has made the wise decision to meet current industry standards, known as Qi standards. As such, iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus can be charged with any wireless charger that supports the same standards—and there’s no shortage of such chargers. We have selected 10 wireless charging mats that deliver an excellent charging performance at affordable prices.

1. Samsung Wireless Charge Pad for iPhone x and 8 / Plus

It may feel strange to you to charge your iPhone with a wireless charging pad made by Samsung, but we can assure you that the two will get along great. This popular Qi-certified wireless charger from Samsung offers reliability and rock-solid charging performance while giving you a choice between five colors to match your home décor. The charger has a multi-colored LED that indicates the current charging status to let you know when your phone is fully charged and ready.

2. Belkin Wireless Charge Pad for iPhone x and 8 / Plus

Belkin is a well-known American manufacturer of smartphone accessories and consumer electronics. The company has been in the smartphone charging game long enough to know how to design a wireless charger that can deliver up to 1 A output while looking stylish and being affordable. Included with the charging pad is an AC adapter, but Belkin also sells the same pad without the adapter at a lower price.

3. RAVPower Wireless Charging Mat for iPhone x and 8 / Plus

If you want the maximum wireless charging performance achievable, this wireless charging pad from RAVPower is an excellent choice. When connected to the included Quick Charge 3.0 power adapter, the RAVPower Wireless Charging Pad can charge your iPhone X, iPhone 8, or iPhone 8 Plus at up to 7.5 watts, provided you have the latest version of iOS. Compare this to standard wireless charging pads, which charge only at up to 5 watts, and it becomes obvious why it makes sense to pay extra for a fast wireless charger from RAVPower.

4. Seneo Wireless Charging Stand for iPhone x and 8 / Plus

The biggest downside to wireless charging is the fact that it works only if your smartphone lays flat on the wireless charging pad. Once you get a notification and pick it up to look at the display, the charging interrupts. And if you’re someone who keeps getting notifications all the time, the charging progress might slow to a crawl. This wireless charging stand from Seneo has been designed specifically to solve this issue. It features a vertical charging coil that lets you keep your smartphone at such an angle that you don’t even need to pick it up to look at the display. Besides being convenient, the Seneo Wireless Charging Stand is also well made and works with all standard wall adapters.

5. SurgeDisk Bamboo Wireless Pad for iPhone x and 8 / Plus

This ultra-slim wireless charge pad is made from bamboo, which gives it its own unique style that’s a welcome departure from the standard, and rather uninspired, design of most wireless charging pads. With all products that use their design as a selling point, there’s always the danger that their performance will leave something to be desired. Fortunately, the SurgeDisk Bamboo Wireless Pad is approved by FCC, RoHS, and CE, offering reliable wireless charging to all Qi-compatible devices.

6. TOZO Aviation Aluminum Wireless Charging Mat for iPhone x and 8 / Plus

If natural materials are not your thing, perhaps this aluminum wireless charge mat from TOZO will be more up your alley. At just 5 mm, it’s one of the thinnest wireless charging mats on the market, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t deliver the same or even better charging performance as mats that are twice as thick. The second you place your iPhone on the TOZO Aviation Aluminum Wireless Charging Mat, a soft LED light starts to breathe, letting you know when your device is fully charged.

7. Rioddas Wireless Charging Stand with a Built-In Fan for iPhone x and 8 / Plus

Wireless charging produces a lot of residual heat. This is usually not a problem, but it can become one if you charge your phone in a room without air conditioning. If you don’t want to risk overheating your expensive iPhone, you should consider buying this handy wireless charging stand from Rioddas, which has a built-in cooling fan. Apart from protecting your smartphone from damage, the cool air from the fan also makes wireless charging up to 1.2-times faster compared to traditional wireless charging stands.

8. iOttie Wireless Charging Car Mount for iPhone x and 8 / Plus

With the iOttie Wireless Charging Car Mount, you can enjoy the convenience of wireless charging even when driving your car. This charging car mount has a strong suction cup that allows you to easily install it on most windshields, and the telescopic arm with a ball joint at the end makes finding the right viewing angle effortless. The iOttie Wireless Charging Car Mount can fit all devices that are between 2.3 inches to 3.3 inches wide, which includes iPhone X, iPhone 8, and iPhone 8 Plus.

9. Thiatoo Wireless Charging Magnetic Car Mount for iPhone x and 8 / Plus

This charging car mount features a strong magnet that makes charging while driving much easier. To use this mount, you need to stick an inconspicuous metal ring on the back of your smartphone so that the magnet inside the mount has something to hold onto. With the metal ring installed, you can simply place your smartphone on the Thiatoo car mount, and instantly enjoy fast wireless charging. Because this wireless charging car mount uses a magnet instead of a spring-loaded clamp, it works with smartphones of all sizes.

10. Apple AirPower wireless charger for iPhone x and 8 / Plus

Apple has recently unveiled their upcoming wireless charging mat for the latest iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods. Called AirPower, this elegant wireless charging mat can charge multiple devices simultaneously, and it works with all Qi-compatible devices. The AirPower is the only charging mat on this list that uses a Lightning cable, making it perfect for Apple fans, who most likely already have several Lighting cables and wall adapters laying around. Unfortunately, the AirPower is not yet available. It will launch in 2018, according to Apple, but we don’t know exactly when.

How-To, iPhone

How to Navigate your new Apple iPhone X with no home button

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So I’m sure you’ve seen by now that unlike every previous iPhone ever created, we have been left without an official home button on the brand new Apple flagship smartphone, the iPhone X. Understandably, you might have a few questions about some of the commands the old home button used to control, and HOW TO adapt to Apple’s new design.

How to Unlock Your New iPhone X

Obviously, there is no TouchID anymore with the absence of the official home button, but not to worry! FaceID looks quite promising (and speedy, too).

It works exactly how it sounds it works. Look at your iPhone X and (given you’ve set up your security preferences) your phone will unlock, with a swipe of the screen to finish the process.

Now that you’ve unlocked your phone, you might want to know how to bring up the home screen?

How to go to the Home Screen on Your New iPhone X

Swipe up from the bottom of the screen. It probably couldn’t be any easier than this (unless we still had a designated button).

What about the Control Centre?

It’s as simple as swiping DOWN from the TOP RIGHT hand side of your new iPhone X.

To bring up your notifications, it’s the exact same action, but from the TOP LEFT hand side of the screen. (Even the centre of the screen will do the same job)

How do I Switch Between Apps?

Okay, imagine that your new iPhone X still has a home button. To swipe right, swipe your finger/thumb from the bottom left corner of the phone and draw an imaginary semi-circle over where the home button used to be. The same goes for swiping left, but swap sides.

Where is Siri?

If you don’t want to do the regular call for Siri – “Hey Siri”, not to worry! Just press and hold the power button on the right side of your new iPhone X.

What about Apple Pay?

This one can take some getting used to.

Double clicking the power button on the right side will bring up your wallet. You will then need to use FaceID to make and complete a payment.

How do I Screenshot?

Super simple! Simultaneously long hold press both the power button and the UP volume button. It’s handy that these two buttons are parallel to each other.

And finally, what about Hard-Resetting my new iPhone X?

It’s a little tricky, and you might not get it your first time, but bare with me.

Really quickly, tap the volume UP button, followed by the volume DOWN button, then HOLD the power button down. You should eventually see your screen go black and the Apple logo appear.

I hope this guide helps you overcome and adapt to the changes that have been made. Nothing is ever too difficult to adapt to for us Apple faithful.

Click HERE for the latest prices on the iPhone X.

iPhone

iPhone X Launch Day. Worth the upgrade?

Image 11/03/2017 Macmint Leave a comment

3/11/2017 – The launch of the brand new, highly anticipated Apple iPhone X in Australia.

There’s no doubt that the new flagship Apple smartphone is stunning with its 5.8inch OLED display, but is the extravagant price really worth it?

Let’s go over a few of the specs of this gorgeous new smartphone

Capacity

Size

Weight

Display

Water Resistence

Chip

Camera

Charging

Operating System

64/256GB

5.65×2.79inch

174g

6.14oz

5.8inch

OLED

IP67 rating

A11 Bionic

12MP Back

7MP Front

Wireless

Lithium-ion battery

iOS 11

First things first, let’s go over the look of the Apple iPhone X

There’s no doubting its aesthetics with a large 5.8inch OLED display holding a screen resolution of 2436 x 1125 pixel resolution at 458 ppi – Which sadly, still hasn’t caught up with Samsung’s Galaxy S8 impressive 2960 x 1440 at 570 ppi, BUT we must also consider the fact that the stock setting for the Samsung Galaxy S8 screen resolution setting is set to 2220 x 1080 at 570 ppi. This is probably to enhance the battery life for the Galaxy S8.

The iPhone X is just 5.8mm taller than the iPhone 8, but the iPhone 8+ is a huge 14.8mm taller than the iPhone X. It’s also handy to keep in mind that the iPhone X is the same size as the Samsung Galaxy S8, so if you’re not happy with your current Samsung and are thinking about converting, you’ll be used to this phone in your hand.

With the screen resolution specs out of the way, let’s get back to the actual look of the Apple iPhone X

The most obvious stand-out difference between the iPhone X and the iPhone 8 is the fact that the screen has stretched out to almost the entire length of the phone, consequently abolishing any home button. This change is resulting in a love-hate indifference between Apple enthusiasts. This change means that any full screen viewing will have an annoying black panel (your speaker and front camera) in the way of your viewing pleasure. Though this is a little drawback, I’m sure after a few weeks of use, this will no longer bother you.

Apple are now claiming they have “the most durable glass in any smartphone” – But don’t let this fool you into thinking you won’t need a case. If you drop this iPhone X, it will shatter. Glass is still glass at the end of the day, and we know that glass is fragile, so I don’t recommend leaving things to chance – get a case.

So, there’s no home button now. How am I meant to return to the home screen?

It’s pretty simple – Just swipe up from the bottom of the screen. Now, to get to the control centre of your new iPhone X, you’ll have to swipe down from the top of the screen from the left side. Swiping down from the right will open your notifications. Sounds simple, right?

Obviously with the absence of a home button on the iPhone X, there is no fingerprint scanner anymore, but not to worry! – FaceID has replaced TouchID. One more thing to cover on the absence of the home button. How do I switch between the apps that I’m using? Okay, imagine that your new iPhone X still has a home button. To swipe right, swipe your finger/thumb from the bottom left corner of the phone and draw an imaginary semi-circle over where the home button used to be. The same goes for swiping left, but swap sides.

OLED Display

It’s great to see that Apple have finally upped their screen resolution game and followed Samsung steps in ditching the IPS LED displays (which are still great!) and moved onto the OLED display, giving a much richer display with the ability to turn off and on any pixels that aren’t needed at any time.

Is the Apple iPhone X faster than the iPhone 8?

In short, yes.

Both the X and 8 have the same processor, the A11 chip – but the difference between the two in terms of speed is seen because of the size of the chips. Apple have managed to shrink the size of the new A11 chip for the iPhone X, allowing them more room for additional transistors into their new flagship smartphone. This will help improve the performance and the battery life of the new iPhone X.

Apple are actually claiming that their new flagship iPhone X is going to last 2 hours longer than their former iPhone 7. Not only have Apple upped their battery performance in the new iPhone X, but the new A11 chip has a new Apple designed Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), breaking off their relationship with Imagination Technologies – This means faster processing during game time and creation apps, but if you’re just scrolling through Facebook or checking your emails, you won’t notice a difference.

Wireless Charging of the Apple iPhone X & iPhone 8

Apple have finally introduced wireless charging in the iPhone X and iPhone 8 thanks to the new glass backs. A feature that Samsung have been running in their flagship phones since early 2015 in the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. Although it is important to note that wireless charging does not charge your phone as fast as wired charging (maybe one day it will!)

Apple have designed their own wireless charging accessory called AirPower, which actually has the ability to charge more than one phone at once. It is fair to note that this isn’t the first wireless charger with that ability. Of course, I should mention just in case anyone thought Apple had a change of mind, there is certainly no jack for your headphones (hope you still have that dongle!)

Finally, let’s talk about the camera of the Apple iPhone X & iPhone 8

The biggest difference in cameras from the iPhone 8 and the iPhone X is the latter has the superior aperture rate of f/2.4. Of course, the iPhone X has a dual camera which will allow for greater zoom capabilities and depth-of-field effects. So overall, the difference between camera capability between the iPhone 8 and the iPhone X is not a lot, BUT if you’re coming from an iPhone 6S or 6S Plus, you will notice a more dramatic change in picture quality. The iPhone X can now record at 4K video at 60fps, and even slow-motion at 1080p at 240fps.

Do I upgrade to the Apple iPhone X?

Well we did, and we love it!