Eric Zeman

2 months ago | me.pcmag.com | Eric Zeman |Sarah Lord

When Is the New iPhone Coming Out? The iPhone 16 line launched in September 2024, which means the iPhone 17 likely won't arrive until September or October 2025. The most recent iPhone 16e arrived in February 2025. Which Is the Most Powerful iPhone? Every year, Apple introduces faster and more powerful iPhones. If you play a lot of games, surf a lot of image-heavy web pages, or shoot high-resolution video, a faster processor is better. Apple's most powerful iPhones are the Pro models.

2 months ago | me.pcmag.com | Tim Gideon |Eric Zeman

What's the Difference Between Active Noise Cancellation and Passive Noise Isolation? Plenty of headphones and earphones claim to isolate or reduce noise, but that doesn't mean they offer proper ANC. Passive noise isolation, sometimes called passive noise cancellation, is a fancy term for what earplugs do. Simply, when an object (such as a thick earpad with memory foam) blocks sound, it passively (without any battery power) reduces the ambient noise you hear.

2 months ago | pcmag.com | Eric Zeman

BARCELONA—Realme and Xiaomi introduced concept camera devices at Mobile World Congress that harken back a dozen years to something that Sony tried—and failed—to do: lenses that attach to the back of your phone. Can these two companies do what Sony couldn't? Let's discuss. Sony Started ItIn 2013, Sony introduced the QX10 and QX100 cameras. They looked like small camera lenses but were, in fact, full cameras with a micro four-thirds sensor inside but no viewfinder.

2 months ago | pcmag.com | Eric Zeman

BARCELONA—Samsung announced a slew of Galaxy A phones just ahead of Mobile World Congress that span the lower end of the market. While we already took a look at the $299 Galaxy A26 and $399 Galaxy A36, we had to wait until the show floor opened to get some time with the $499 Galaxy A56. The A56 closely resembles the A26 and A36 thanks to its shared 6.7-inch screen, 5,000mAh battery, 50MP camera, and IP67 rating for protection against dust and water.

2 months ago | pcmag.com | Eric Zeman

BARCELONA—TCL announced the 60 XE Nxtpaper phone and Nxtpaper 11 Plus tablet at CES but showed them for the first time this week at Mobile World Congress. The two are notable because they're among the first to use the latest Nxtpaper technology, which creates a paper-like experience for regular use and has a special monochrome mode for extended reading. I got to spend a few moments with the new devices at the show and have some initial impressions.