Google devices of all stripes today were treated to a feature drop, which is larger than a security update but smaller than a whole-number OS change. Google drops features every three months or so, and they include large and small updates across myriad devices. The June 2023 Pixel Feature Drop is so wide that it hits Pixel phones, Pixel Watch, Fitbit watches and even the Pixel Tablet and Pixel Fold, which are available for pre-order but won’t be on shelves until late June. 

The most important new feature is the safety check coming to Google Assistant on Pixel phones. You can say “Hey Google, start a safety check for 60 minutes,” and in an hour Google Assistant will check up on you. If you don’t respond to the safety check, Google can notify your emergency contacts and send them your real-time location.

When I talked about this feature with a group of cynical technology journalists, the most common response was “What if I ask for a safety check then get drunk at a bar and forget to answer my phone?”

To be fair, there are certainly ways this can go wrong, but it seems like a very useful feature for a night run or if you’re worried about meeting somebody new on a first date. I’d like to see how the check and response works before I pass judgment, but I don’t share my colleagues' skepticism.

 Macro Focus Video and other photo features

For raw power improvements, the most exciting new feature in the drop is the Macro Focus Video coming to Google Pixel 7 Pro. Google says that the same enhanced macro focusing capabilities found in the 7 Pro’s still imaging will now be available for videography. We’ll be giving this a whirl soon. 

If you have a Pixel 6 phone or newer, there is a new way to trigger a selfie. You can now raise your palm to start a timer, then put your hand away because it looks silly. You have 3 or 10 seconds before it takes the photo. There are similar features on other phones, but this is new to Pixel devices.

If you have a great photo with a sharp subject in focus, Google can create cinematic wallpapers for Pixel devices. We’ll be giving these a try, but Google says that cinematic wallpapers are “dynamic 3D scenes” with a “truly magical look.” If they aren’t magical enough for you, you can mix and match emoji for a customized emoji wallpaper, a popular Pixel feature that is being expanded with more patterns and color combos.

 Health and safety features for Pixel Watch and more

For Pixel Watch owners, the wearable gets a major improvement with blood oxygen (SpO2) tracking. It will monitor your oxygen levels over time and give you periodic updates and alerts through your health apps.

The Pixel Watch will also track your heart rate patterns over time and send you an alert if your heart rate seems abnormally high or abnormally low. While Google isn’t claiming it can diagnose a problem, it is clearly trying to head off a problem before something major occurs. 

Google is also bringing some minor improvements to its car crash detection, which has been a part of Pixel phones since 2019. Between the safety check features, new emergency location sharing, and all of these long term health features, it sure feels like Google is arming its customers against robust future possibilities.

 Even the Pixel Tablet and Pixel Fold get 'new' features 

The Pixel Tablet isn’t here yet, but that doesn’t mean it gets left out of the June feature drop. It is scheduled to arrive on June 20, after all. With the updates to the smart home control screen, Google makes clear that the Pixel Tablet will also get better home controls, and shows off new screens in a blog post and demo animations.

These improved controls are part of the Google Home app (Google has many, many apps), and they will appear on your lock screen if you own a new Pixel 7a phone or the upcoming Pixel Tablet. The new screen will also work on the Pixel Fold foldable smartphone that is available for pre-order and should arrive at the end of this month, if the current best shipping dates of June 27 hold.

 Google shows Fitbit devices some love

Google owns Fitbit so even Fitbit owners get Pixel Feature Drop updates, which is kind of like when you are visiting your friend’s family on a gift-giving holiday that you don’t celebrate and they have to give you something from the pile to make you feel included. 

If you have a Fitbit Charge 5, a Fitbit Luxe, or a Fitbit Inspire 3 wearable, you get new clock faces. Sense 2 and Versa 4 owners can access a new tile for monitoring menstrual health, should you be interested in digitally tracking your cycle from your wrist without needing to open a smartphone app. A wide variety of Fitbit devices will see minor interface improvements, as well.

Analysis: Feature drops are fun but no substitute

Google’s feature drop habit for Pixels and beyond is a fun way to add features and even some mystery to ownership, but is mystery what people really want? Some major features have been announced when a phone is launched then included in a later feature drop, like a Pixel phone feature that made for clear phone calls, a major improvement. 

I’m not sure Google has talked about the macro video feature for Pixel 7 Pro phones, but that is a cool addition for Google’s flagship. As with every Google photo feature, it’s always possible this will creep down into the less expensive models, as Google features often rely on the Tensor platform that every new Google Pixel phone since the Pixel 6 shares. 

We still haven’t seen a major Pixel feature drop that gives us significantly more reason to buy a Pixel device than we had at launch. A minor, unpredictable update once every three months or so is fun, but it’s not what I really want from Google.

Apple doesn’t have feature drops, it has major OS upgrades, and every iPhone that has been produced in the last five or six years will get the same iOS 17 upgrade, depending on the hardware. No other phone maker comes close to that longevity of support. I’d prefer Google commit to supporting its own devices with its own OS for much longer, and drop the feature drops for a while.

Google devices of all stripes today were treated to a feature drop, which is larger than a security update but smaller than a whole-number OS change. Google drops features every three months or so, and they include large and small updates across myriad devices. The June 2023 Pixel Feature Drop is so wide that it hits Pixel phones, Pixel Watch, Fitbit watches and even the Pixel Tablet and Pixel Fold, which are available for pre-order but won’t be on shelves until late June. 

The most important new feature is the safety check coming to Google Assistant on Pixel phones. You can say “Hey Google, start a safety check for 60 minutes,” and in an hour Google Assistant will check up on you. If you don’t respond to the safety check, Google can notify your emergency contacts and send them your real-time location.

When I talked about this feature with a group of cynical technology journalists, the most common response was “What if I ask for a safety check then get drunk at a bar and forget to answer my phone?”

To be fair, there are certainly ways this can go wrong, but it seems like a very useful feature for a night run or if you’re worried about meeting somebody new on a first date. I’d like to see how the check and response works before I pass judgment, but I don’t share my colleagues' skepticism.

 Macro Focus Video and other photo features

For raw power improvements, the most exciting new feature in the drop is the Macro Focus Video coming to Google Pixel 7 Pro. Google says that the same enhanced macro focusing capabilities found in the 7 Pro’s still imaging will now be available for videography. We’ll be giving this a whirl soon. 

If you have a Pixel 6 phone or newer, there is a new way to trigger a selfie. You can now raise your palm to start a timer, then put your hand away because it looks silly. You have 3 or 10 seconds before it takes the photo. There are similar features on other phones, but this is new to Pixel devices.

If you have a great photo with a sharp subject in focus, Google can create cinematic wallpapers for Pixel devices. We’ll be giving these a try, but Google says that cinematic wallpapers are “dynamic 3D scenes” with a “truly magical look.” If they aren’t magical enough for you, you can mix and match emoji for a customized emoji wallpaper, a popular Pixel feature that is being expanded with more patterns and color combos.

 Health and safety features for Pixel Watch and more

For Pixel Watch owners, the wearable gets a major improvement with blood oxygen (SpO2) tracking. It will monitor your oxygen levels over time and give you periodic updates and alerts through your health apps.

The Pixel Watch will also track your heart rate patterns over time and send you an alert if your heart rate seems abnormally high or abnormally low. While Google isn’t claiming it can diagnose a problem, it is clearly trying to head off a problem before something major occurs. 

Google is also bringing some minor improvements to its car crash detection, which has been a part of Pixel phones since 2019. Between the safety check features, new emergency location sharing, and all of these long term health features, it sure feels like Google is arming its customers against robust future possibilities.

 Even the Pixel Tablet and Pixel Fold get 'new' features 

The Pixel Tablet isn’t here yet, but that doesn’t mean it gets left out of the June feature drop. It is scheduled to arrive on June 20, after all. With the updates to the smart home control screen, Google makes clear that the Pixel Tablet will also get better home controls, and shows off new screens in a blog post and demo animations.

These improved controls are part of the Google Home app (Google has many, many apps), and they will appear on your lock screen if you own a new Pixel 7a phone or the upcoming Pixel Tablet. The new screen will also work on the Pixel Fold foldable smartphone that is available for pre-order and should arrive at the end of this month, if the current best shipping dates of June 27 hold.

 Google shows Fitbit devices some love

Google owns Fitbit so even Fitbit owners get Pixel Feature Drop updates, which is kind of like when you are visiting your friend’s family on a gift-giving holiday that you don’t celebrate and they have to give you something from the pile to make you feel included. 

If you have a Fitbit Charge 5, a Fitbit Luxe, or a Fitbit Inspire 3 wearable, you get new clock faces. Sense 2 and Versa 4 owners can access a new tile for monitoring menstrual health, should you be interested in digitally tracking your cycle from your wrist without needing to open a smartphone app. A wide variety of Fitbit devices will see minor interface improvements, as well.

Analysis: Feature drops are fun but no substitute

Google’s feature drop habit for Pixels and beyond is a fun way to add features and even some mystery to ownership, but is mystery what people really want? Some major features have been announced when a phone is launched then included in a later feature drop, like a Pixel phone feature that made for clear phone calls, a major improvement. 

I’m not sure Google has talked about the macro video feature for Pixel 7 Pro phones, but that is a cool addition for Google’s flagship. As with every Google photo feature, it’s always possible this will creep down into the less expensive models, as Google features often rely on the Tensor platform that every new Google Pixel phone since the Pixel 6 shares. 

We still haven’t seen a major Pixel feature drop that gives us significantly more reason to buy a Pixel device than we had at launch. A minor, unpredictable update once every three months or so is fun, but it’s not what I really want from Google.

Apple doesn’t have feature drops, it has major OS upgrades, and every iPhone that has been produced in the last five or six years will get the same iOS 17 upgrade, depending on the hardware. No other phone maker comes close to that longevity of support. I’d prefer Google commit to supporting its own devices with its own OS for much longer, and drop the feature drops for a while.

Amazon may eventually offer Amazon Prime customers cheap or even free cellular service, according to a report from Bloomberg (via Yahoo). If true, the company would buy network capabilities from T-Mobile, Verizon, or even Dish Network’s Boost Infinite network and act as its own mobile virtual network operator, a so-called MVNO strategy. Amazon denies that this is happening. 

Bloomberg says that Amazon could buy airtime and offer it for $10 per month or less to Amazon Prime customers. The company might even offer cellular service to customers who don’t subscribe to Prime. This pricing would significantly undercut even the most aggressive cellular plans in the US right now. Amazon Prime currently costs $14.99 per month or $139 per year. 

Unlimited prepaid plans on the major US cellular networks run around $60/month for a single line of service, and restrictions often apply. Plans only get cheaper when you add more lines. Google Fi, an MVNO service run by Google, costs $50 per month for a single line, but can be reduced to $20 per month if you have four lines of service. It is unclear how Amazon would handle families under a possible Amazon Prime MVNO.

This is still a rumor even if it makes a lot of sense

Because of the enormous sensitivity that must be involved, no party will fess up to the possible deal. Amazon denies any mobile offering, telling Bloomberg that it is “exploring adding even more benefits for Prime members, but don’t have plans to add wireless at this time.” The mobile carriers that might sell airtime to Amazon also declined to comment.

That makes sense, because this deal would be very disruptive. Right now the US mobile market lacks competition among the carriers. Ever since T-Mobile engulfed Sprint, we’ve had three carriers offering very similar plans at similar price points.

There are occasionally unique deals on new phones. Carriers also make partnerships with streaming services and offer bundles, so you might get Disney or Apple TV or Paramount Plus with your mobile plan. Amazon Prime has even been offered as a bundle option on US carrier plans, including the now-defunct Sprint.

While numerous MVNO brands have come and gone over the years, none have offered serious competition to the larger nationwide networks that control the cell towers. Some of the largest brands, like Boost Mobile and Metro, have been swallowed up by nationwide networks and used as a prepaid brand.

Amazon would offer unique competition in many ways. It already has a built-in subscriber base paying for services. It already has a robust sales channel for products like connected mobile devices. It manages returns, service, and warranty partnerships. These are usually major roadblocks to entry in the mobile network space, but Amazon has almost every base covered.

One thing remains steadfast – the carriers are in control

That said, Amazon doesn’t own cellular towers. There have been talks of Amazon building out a constellation-type satellite network, which could theoretically drive a mobile network, but that hasn’t happened yet. If Amazon, or any company, wants to become a mobile network operator, it needs to buy airtime from a major nationwide provider. 

The carriers are not fans of giving up control, no matter how large the partner. When Verizon bundles Disney Plus with its monthly plan, you are still buying your cellular plan from Verizon. We don’t see Disney making the sale, offering you Verizon service if you subscribe to Disney Plus. 

Even Apple hasn’t tried to step a toe into the mobile network battle arena. If Amazon offers mobile service with Amazon Prime, the big shakeup would be wrestling control over US customers from the US carriers. The US carriers are incredibly powerful and don’t give up without a fight.

Verizon refused to sell the iPhone for years because Apple wouldn’t give Verizon control over the software. Until the iPhone 4, every iPhone was an AT&T exclusive in the US because Apple wouldn’t load Verizon’s VZ Navigator or even a basic MyVerizon account app. Apple wouldn’t give Verizon any control, so Verizon simply refused to sell the hottest smartphone the world had ever seen. For years. And years.

Eventually, Apple beat a US carrier at its own game, and it never happened again. Every other phone company, from Samsung to Google to Motorola, all bend to the will of the US carriers. Every phone includes carrier software, and some are still locked down to a carrier network.

Amazon and the major networks will deny this is happening until the day it happens, but it makes a lot of sense, and though I’m wary of Amazon’s power, I’m also tired of the triopoly hold on US mobile networks. Three networks isn’t enough.

There hasn’t been enough competition on price or products. Amazon is already taking my money for Prime Video and free shipping. If it can offer a mobile plan for a bit more, the US carriers will need to fight very hard to win me back.

Widgets are one of my favorite iPhone tools, and widgets can turn your boring grid of app icons into a pleasant, useful home screen. Some widgets give you quick info at a glance, but I like widgets that can help me out and remind me to do the stuff that I’ll forget to do. When I’m out and about, these are the widgets I use to make sure I’m on top of everything, whether it’s remembering an important event or just a fun show I want to watch later. 

What is a widget, anyway? A widget is an app, or a part of an app, that sits on your home screen and does its work whether you open it or not. 

You don’t need to open the Weather app to check the weather, you can just add the Weather widget to your home screen. Likewise, you can find widgets that tell you the battery life of your phone and accessories, widgets that show you photos from your gallery, and widgets that track your steps and fitness, just like the best Apple Watch.

Besides widgets that give you information at a glance, I also like widgets that are a quick shortcut to an app, especially making a list. I don’t need to open my Notes or my To Do list app, I can just tap on a widget instead and it will automatically create a new entry.

Finally, I need reminders, and not just a simple alarm or a countdown timer. I like to know how much time I have left in broad terms. How much time until my next vacation, for instance! I also like reminders for some of the habits I’m trying to build. Instead of getting a notification or opening up an app, I can just tap on a widget to keep track of what I’ve accomplished and build upon my streak.

Widgets need to look nice, otherwise I won’t want to use them. This is my iPhone, after all, so my widgets should match my taste and aesthetic, without being too loud or getting in the way. I’ve chosen a selection of the six most useful widgets that I use to help me keep on track, and it doesn’t hurt that they mostly look pretty cute getting the job done, too.

How to make a widget on the iPhone

Widgets come bundled with the apps they accompany, so when you download an app, you get its widget as well. For most apps, the widget won't appear as an option until you've opened the app at least once and used it past the welcome screen. Once you've done that, you can search for your widget in Apple's list. 

To create a widget, hold your finger on any empty part of your home screen. The icons will start to shake and shimmy and at the top right of the screen a plus "+" sign will appear. Tap on that sign to see the widget list. 

There are three sizes of widgets on iOS 16 and you cannot resize them. You can have the smaller square, a longer bar, or a very large rectangle. I chose the small square because six widgets fits perfectly on one home screen, giving me one useful page with everything I need.

CuteWeather: weather widget

• Shuffle the color of the widget
• Change your location or keep it static
• Be very careful about subscription prices

Even though I had a weather widget on my iPhone 14 Pro, I was constantly yelling out to my smart speakers, asking for the temperature. I’d almost forgotten that the forecast, highs and lows were sitting on my screen. That’s because they look boring and blend in. I’d forgotten my weather app exists. 

That’s why I downloaded Cute Weather. It looks cute, in the Japanese “kawaii” style, with a modern color scheme and a playful look. I can set the widget to shuffle through colors so that I don’t get bored. It keeps the weather simple, so I know what to wear and whether to bring an umbrella. If I want more than that, I can click through to the app, which has a similarly sweet design and nicely customizable layout.

You can subscribe to Cute Weather, but be very wary of its predatory trial pricing. After the short free period, it costs $3.99 per week, which adds up to a huge amount to spend on a weather app. The $19.99/year price is more reasonable, if you feel the need to subscribe.

Download CuteWeather

Bears Countdown

• Easy countdown timer widget with cute bears
• Lots of bears to choose from, including Gaming, Baby, and Self-Help
• Mac OS app to synchronize as well

Sometimes I need to know when I have 10 minutes left, but often I just want to know how many days until something happens. How many days do I have until the kiddo leaves for summer camp? How many days until the Broadway show? For a friendly countdown, I like Bears, which you can get for your iPhone and your Mac. 

Bears is a simple countdown timer to the day. You cannot set a specific hour, just the day. There are lots of bears to choose from to illustrate your timer, including bears playing video games if you’re counting down to a game launch, or bears engaging in self-kindness, if you’re counting down to your spa day. 

You can make the widget countdown to one event, or if you’re looking forward to a few things, you can cycle through events. There are silly little stories and articles attached to the app, but the widget itself is enough to enjoy. I especially liked being able to set up events on my Mac Mini and have them appear on my iPhone, a rarity these days. 

Download Bears Countdown for Mac

Download Bears Countdown for iPhone

Find My (by Apple)

• Apple app tracks your iCloud devices
• Great for keeping track of your kids and stuff
• Track AirTags as well as mobile devices

There are plenty of Apple-made widgets that are worth checking out, but I keep the Find My widget on my home screen at all times, and sometimes more than one. The Find My widget can track any devices attached to your iCloud account, including your family account. I keep my kid’s iPhone tracked on a home screen widget, just to make sure nothing strange is going on. 

There are separate widget options depending on whether you are tracking a person or an item. You can also track AirTags, so if you have luggage or a vehicle that you need to keep an eye on, the Find My widget can help with that as well. If you have multiple items you need to track, try stacking the widgets on top of each other so you can flip through them quickly. 

Todoist: To-Do List & Planner

• Simple To-Do app that can grow to be more robust
• Create a widget shortcut pre-tagged
• Organize everything later, or not

There are tons of To-Do list apps available, and I’ve tried many of them - but I keep coming back to Todoist. That could honestly be because it has great name recognition and it's been around forever, so I have a history with the app and it hasn’t let me down. 

Todoist can be as simple or complex as you’d like. I use a widget to create new items for my To Do list and send them to my Inbox, then I organize them later if I feel the need. If you want to apply a specific label, the widget can tag your posts automatically as you create them. 

You can also use Todoist to set goals and record streaks, and you can set up commands with Siri that will create precisely the entries you need. I mostly use it as a home screen widget, and since it synchronizes nicely with iCloud, I’ve used it on many different iPhones over the years. 

Download Todoist

Sofa: Downtime Organizer

• For shows I want to watch but forget about later
• Track shows, books, movies, podcasts
• App grabs a title card to make a cool looking widget

It never fails – when I’m out and about I see a poster for a show I need to see. Later, when I’m home, I can’t remember anything good I want to watch. Along comes Sofa, which is a list-making app specifically designed to keep track of the things you mean to watch, listen to, or read. 

What makes Sofa great is that it finds a title card for whatever content you’re trying to remember. You don’t just get a list of stuff, you get pictures of book covers and board games, music albums and podcast avatars. Whatever you like, Sofa gives you a more visual approach that also makes it much easier to remember what you’re seeing. 

I wish more list-making apps were like this, but I’m happy to have Sofa to remind me of everything I need to watch across the vast landscape of streaming services. You can fine tune the look and behavior of the device, and there’s a premium tier if you really love your leisurely lists, but I never found the need to subscribe to make Sofa incredibly useful. 

Download Sofa

Streaks

• Create one or multiple streaks to make a habit
• Great to remind to take meds, write in journal, drink water
• Add notifications for streaks or don’t, your call

It’s one thing to seek self-improvement, but if you really want to get better, you need to change your habits. That begins with tracking your habits and making a streak. To do this, I like Streaks, the very simple tracking app. I keep a few habits listed on the Streaks widget and it reminds me whether I’ve done them today. 

This is especially useful if you’re someone who needs to take a daily medication and have trouble remembering if that’s done. I’m also using Streaks to remind myself to start every day by drinking water, and I’m building a bullet journal habit.

I like Streaks because it doesn’t notify me needlessly, it just reminds me that there are 3-4 things I want to do, and keeps track of whether I’ve done them. For simple habit-building, it’s an effective start. It helps that there are cool color options and stylish graphics that make it a pleasure to use. 

Download Streaks

Did you doubt that we would be getting a Pixel Fold from Google soon? I find your lack of faith disturbing. With a nod to May the Fourth and Star Wars Day, Google has announced the Pixel Fold on Twitter and launched a supporting site with a good look at the upcoming folding smartphone. 

The new phone will be launched at the Google I/O event on May 10, and we will be there to take a proper look. Google gave up the timing and location on Twitter, along with officially naming the device Pixel Fold, as we expected. We don't know much more about the device besides what we've learned from rumors and leaks, but we're excited nonetheless. 

Along with the announcement tweet came a promo video showing the new phone opening and twirling. It gives us a good, clear look at the back of the phone, the large internal display, and even the external screen, in passing.

Here's what the Pixel Fold video shows us

This promo video confirms that the Pixel Fold will have a more generous aspect ratio than the tall and stingy Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4. The Z Fold is very narrow when closed and its aspect ratio is much taller than a normal smartphone. The Pixel Fold seems to be wider, which should make it more usable when closed.

On the back of the phone, we can clearly see a triple-camera array, and one of those cameras resembles the folded zoom lenses that manufacturers are using for longer-range shooting.

As the phone opens, it is unclear how much of a crease will be present on the unfurled inner display. The glass itself is shrouded in darkness in the unfolding sequence, so it is hard to get a good look at the inner edges.

Once the Pixel Fold is open, we get a good look at its home screen. It doesn't seem much different than the Android 13 home screen on our Pixel 7 phone. The widgets are all available now, so nothing new has been shown yet in terms of software features. It's unclear if the Pixel Fold will ship with Android 13, or if there is some new software variant, perhaps an Android 13L, like Android 12L was for larger screens.

Finally, we get to see a glimpse of the external display, but it seems to be in an Always-On Display mode, so the screen is totally black except for a few white notifications and highlights. Rumors suggest that the external display could be very large, but this new video doesn't give us much to work with.

Pixel Fold coming soon, but when can we buy it?

Now we know the Pixel Fold is definitely being announced on May 10, but when can we buy one? That seems less clear. The Pixel 7a, which is also rumored to be announced on May 10 at Google I/O, has recently been spotted on eBay. This tells us that retail units are being shipped. That phone may be available very soon. 

The Pixel Fold, on the other hand, has only shown up in early leaks. We haven't seen packaging, and nobody is selling a device on eBay or secretly unboxing one in an employee break room. That tells us availability could be farther off.

We know that Samsung holds a regular, yearly event in August that has been focused on Folding phones for the last four years. We expect a Galaxy Z Fold 5 and a Galaxy Z Flip 5 in the second half of the year.

OnePlus is also rumored to be launching a OnePlus folding phone around the same time frame. The latter half of 2023 will be dominated by folding phones. The big question is whether Google will be the first to the party, or whether it will show up fashionably late.

The only thing more surprising than learning that Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds had purchased an ownership stake in the new Mint Mobile was learning that his new network had some of the best mobile deals in the US mobile market. 

T-Mobile acquired the MVNO last month, and its first changes actually seem positive for new and existing customers. Here’s why Mint Mobile is still an astonishingly good deal. 

Mint Mobile has always run on T-Mobile’s network, but its offering was somewhat unique, halfway between a Prepaid wireless and Postpaid wireless plan. Customers can buy three, six, or twelve months in advance, and the more you buy up front, the cheaper the plan costs. 

Mint Mobile’s cheapest plan is an admirable $15 per month, if you pay $180 up front for the full year. For that price you get Unlimited LTE data, and up to 4GB of 5G network use. You can even use your phone as a mobile hotspot without an extra fee, but that data comes out of your monthly 4GB cap. After you run out of data, you just get much slower network access.

No other major US carrier offers a plan so inexpensive, even for a prepaid plan. Both AT&T and Verizon offer prepaid plans with a data cap. AT&T will give you 5GB of data, including faster 5G networking, for $30. Verizon offers a 15GB cap on its smallest prepaid plan, and you pay $45.

The big problem is that both of those plans charge extra if you run out of data, they don’t simply slow you down to 2006 network speeds.

Perhaps noticing what Mint Mobile offers, AT&T also has a prepaid plan that lets you pay for up to a year in advance. You can pay $300 for the year, or $25/month equivalent, and get 16GB of data instead of just 5GB. You get a lot more data for less if you pay up front.

T-Mobile is giving every Mint Mobile user more data

Maybe this is why T-Mobile has announced it will be improving the Mint Mobile offering. Subscribers on the 4GB plan will now get 5GB. Mint used to offer 10GB per month for $20, or 15GB per month for $25 if you pay a full year up front, similar to AT&T. Now you get 15GB or 20GB per month for the same price. 

On AT&T you get 16GB per month, but on Mint you get 20GB per month for the same yearly price. 

For subscribers on an unlimited plan, the amount of 5G hotspot data you can use before Mint slows you down has increased. Now you can use up to 10GB of hotspot on 5G. Other subscribers still draw hotspot data from their monthly data cap. 

New customers will find the deal available this week, and existing customers don’t need to do anything. Your cell plan will automatically get more data. It’s common for cell carriers to leave existing subscribers out of new deals, so this is great news for Mint Mobile users. 

You don’t need to pay for a full year of Mint Mobile up front. If you only want to buy three months in advance, you still only pay $45. That’s the price Verizon charges for 15GB of data on its cheapest prepaid plan, with no discount for paying for a bunch of months in advance. It’s clear that the big carriers have their eye on Mint Mobile and are aggressively circling its price options.

What makes Mint Mobile the clear winner is that its 20GB monthly plan is a red herring. If you buy only three months at a time, the unlimited plan is cheaper. Even for a full year, unlimited data costs only $60 more than the cheaper plan with a data limit. For $360 you get a year of unlimited 5G, or for $300 you get 20GB per month. If you run out, the network runs slower, you don’t get charged extra.

More data for a lot less money, so what is Mint missing?

One serious disadvantage for Mint Mobile is that it will only let you stream video in SD format. That’s standard definition, or the same resolution as your grandpa’s old DVD player. Forget about Full HD, and don’t even dream about 4K UHD resolution. 

In fact, only AT&T and T-Mobile, on the most expensive monthly plans, will let you stream in full 4K glory. If you pay anything less, video quality suffers. 

The other things that Mint Mobile doesn’t offer are bundles of streaming services and subscription services that only confuse your budget. Verizon throws in a fruit salad of Apple Arcade, Apple Music, Hulu, and Disney Plus.

T-Mobile currently gives you Netflix and Apple TV Plus, or possibly Paramount Plus, depending on your plan.

It’s smart for Mint Mobile to forgo these bundles, as they only confuse customers, especially when it’s time to switch. It’s easy to abandon your carrier for a better deal, only to remember a month later that your monthly plan was paying for your Amazon Prime Video subscription.

Ryan Reynolds helped T-Mobile make its original buyout announcement, and the company said that Reynolds would remain around for creative purposes, ie. those great Mint Mobile commercials. Even without the MCU’s Merc with a Mouth, it’s good to see that Mint Mobile is staying friendly to customers.

Future Android phones running Android 14 and later could work together to make devices easier to find, even when the devices are turned off. Current iPhone 14 and older iPhones dating back to the iPhone 11 can already perform the same function, but Google is baking the feature into an upcoming Android upgrade and hoping for wider support from phone makers. 

There are a number of ways a phone can remain findable even when the device is technically powered off. Google’s model, according to tipsters who leaked the news to 91Mobiles, will keep sending power to the phone’s Bluetooth module after you’ve shut down. The Bluetooth feature can broadcast a variety of data to nearby devices, including location data and personal identifiers. 

All modern iPhones and some of the best Android phones also have ultra wideband radio (UWB) for location. This is the tech Apple uses in its AirTags, and it works wonderfully. Google is rumored to be working on a UWB locator tag as well, perhaps to launch with its next Pixel phones. 

Samsung includes UWB in the Galaxy S23 Plus and S23 Ultra, but not the base model Galaxy S23. Samsung tags are inexplicably pricier than Apple’s AirTags and the battery doesn’t last as long, but you need to use UWB locators that are compatible with the phone you own, so that’s your only option if you have a nicer Galaxy. 

Finding a way to find a phone

Google could presumably also use the UWB feature for location even when the phone is turned off, as it is designed to draw minimal power for battery-enabled tags. The 91Mobiles leak suggests that Google will brand this feature Pixel Power-Off Finder, which is quite a mouthful. Whatever it’s called, it will be nice to have this working. 

The best way for phones to be discoverable using Bluetooth is when devices can talk to each other, which is why Google is encouraging phone makers to adopt a power-off Bluetooth module in upcoming devices. The code for this leak was apparently spotted in an early build of Android 14 that is being sent to manufacturers for future development. It’s therefore not clear if any current devices on the market can support this feature, including Google’s own Pixel 7 family. 

Both Apple and Samsung offer extended warranty plans (at least in the US) that include accidental theft and loss protection. For the iPhone, at least, you need to make sure the Find My iPhone feature has been turned on, or else your lost iPhone will not qualify for a claim. 

The fine print for Samsung’s similar warranty doesn’t seem to have any such requirement, though that will likely change if Samsung and other manufacturers adopt Google’s new power-off plan. 

Future Android phones running Android 14 and later could work together to make devices easier to find, even when the devices are turned off. Current iPhone 14 and older iPhones dating back to the iPhone 11 can already perform the same function, but Google is baking the feature into an upcoming Android upgrade and hoping for wider support from phone makers. 

There are a number of ways a phone can remain findable even when the device is technically powered off. Google’s model, according to tipsters who leaked the news to 91Mobiles, will keep sending power to the phone’s Bluetooth module after you’ve shut down. The Bluetooth feature can broadcast a variety of data to nearby devices, including location data and personal identifiers. 

All modern iPhones and some of the best Android phones also have ultra wideband radio (UWB) for location. This is the tech Apple uses in its AirTags, and it works wonderfully. Google is rumored to be working on a UWB locator tag as well, perhaps to launch with its next Pixel phones. 

Samsung includes UWB in the Galaxy S23 Plus and S23 Ultra, but not the base model Galaxy S23. Samsung tags are inexplicably pricier than Apple’s AirTags and the battery doesn’t last as long, but you need to use UWB locators that are compatible with the phone you own, so that’s your only option if you have a nicer Galaxy. 

Finding a way to find a phone

Google could presumably also use the UWB feature for location even when the phone is turned off, as it is designed to draw minimal power for battery-enabled tags. The 91Mobiles leak suggests that Google will brand this feature Pixel Power-Off Finder, which is quite a mouthful. Whatever it’s called, it will be nice to have this working. 

The best way for phones to be discoverable using Bluetooth is when devices can talk to each other, which is why Google is encouraging phone makers to adopt a power-off Bluetooth module in upcoming devices. The code for this leak was apparently spotted in an early build of Android 14 that is being sent to manufacturers for future development. It’s therefore not clear if any current devices on the market can support this feature, including Google’s own Pixel 7 family. 

Both Apple and Samsung offer extended warranty plans (at least in the US) that include accidental theft and loss protection. For the iPhone, at least, you need to make sure the Find My iPhone feature has been turned on, or else your lost iPhone will not qualify for a claim. 

The fine print for Samsung’s similar warranty doesn’t seem to have any such requirement, though that will likely change if Samsung and other manufacturers adopt Google’s new power-off plan. 

The original Nothing Phone 1 is an important independent launch, if only because the phone world is dominated by so few players. With the Nothing Phone 2, founder Carl Pei hopes that lightning will strike again and again, and this time it looks like he is bringing more of his winning original OnePlus formula to the upcoming handset. 

Even though Nothing is a smaller player in the phone market, it has some big name tech investors backing the company, including former Apple and Next executive Tony Fadell. Nothing CEO Carl Pei built OnePlus from the ground up into Oppo's performance brand, and founded Nothing when he left. 

OnePlus started as a bargain phone company offering handsets with premium performance. It sacrificed some camera specs and durability features like water resistance in favor of faster chipsets and dazzling displays. 

The original Nothing Phone 1 looked more like a design concept, and the cool lighting and software features stood out, but performance was seriously lacking. The next Nothing Phone 2 looks to change that formula and compete more directly with serious flagship phones. 

The first Nothing Phone also launched in limited markets, without US availability. Even though Nothing offered the phone to the US in a beta program, local carriers were hesitant to sing its praises without proper local testing. This year, we expect the Nothing Phone 2 will launch more widely, and Pei has hinted that the US market will be a top priority for the company. 

Cut to the chase

• What is it? Nothing's sequel to its design stand-out, now with more power
• When is it out? Later in 2023, probably Q3 but could be sooner
• How much does it cost? The last 1 was cheap, but this one is more powerful, so...

Nothing Phone 2: release date and price

The first Nothing Phone 1 arrived in July, 2022, and we expect the sequel will take a bow some time after the first anniversary, and probably later in the year. Leaks suggest a Q2/Q3 timeframe for this year, per the Indian local phone market site 91Mobiles, and with the aggressive new components we're hearing about, we'd think a later date is a safer bet. 

The original Nothing Phone 1 was available for £399 / €469 / AU$749 when it launched, with no US availability. The phone was briefly available under a so-called 'beta' program in the States, and you could buy the model with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage for $299. The company's site shows no models are currently available to US customers, however. 

Nothing CEO Carl Pei has said that not only will the Nothing Phone 2 launch in the US, he expects the US market will be a priority for this upcoming phone. What does that mean? It means support for more US 5G bands than the Nothing Phone 1, hopefully, because the original phone didn't work properly on every US network. 

We don't have specific specs for the next Nothing Phone, but we're hearing 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage are likely, at least in one configuration. Many premium-bargain phone makers are consolidating the model variations, so hopefully every Nothing Phone 2 will come with plenty of RAM and storage. 

Nothing Phone 2

• 256GB/12GB = Price TBD

Nothing Phone 2: design and display

The biggest mystery about the Nothing Phone 2 should be the design, because the design of the Nothing Phone 1 and its unique design features were the standout reason to buy the phone. We don't know if Nothing will keep the same sort of lighting features, evolve into something more advanced, or try something entirely new. 

Rumors suggest that the next Nothing Phone will get a slightly larger display, up to 6.67 inches from the original 6.55-inch screen. If the resolution doesn't also increase, that would mean the display will be slightly less sharp, but it shouldn't be noticeable. We're also hearing the Phone 2 will refresh at 120Hz, like the original Nothing. 

Otherwise we don't know if there will be significant new design improvements. The original Nothing Phone 1 was only IP53 water resistant, which is good for a light splash but not a heavy downpour. It used Gorilla Glass 5, which was Corning's best glass in 2016. Phones today need to be much more durable all around. 

In any case, rumors of the new design will also give us an idea of the phone's expected launch and availability. We generally see near-final phone design around three months or so before launch, and the fact we haven't gotten any good hints yet could mean that we have much longer to wait in 2023. 

Nothing Phone 2: camera and battery

One of the earliest leaks we heard about the upcoming Nothing Phone 2 suggested that it would have a new camera lens and sensor, in addition to the two 50MP cameras on the Nothing Phone 1. The next phone should get a third camera at the same resolution, though we don't know anything more about its capabilities. 

The Nothing Phone 1 had a wide and an ultrawide camera, so it would make sense for a successor to get some level of zoom photography. Even a 3X zoom would be welcome, both for longer reach and better portrait shots. We also haven't heard if the sensors themselves will get an upgrade for the next generation. 

What sensor Nothing chooses for its new addition could make a dramatic difference. In our Nothing Phone 1 review, we noticed that the wide camera, which apparently uses a common Sony sensor, performed much better than the ultrawide camera. The latter packs the same 50MP, but on a much smaller sensor, so those pixels collect less light. 

In other words, the Nothing Phone 2 could use better sensors on the secondary cameras, not just more sensors. 

The selfie camera is rumored to double in resolution, from the 16MP shots on the Nothing Phone 1 to a new 32MP sensor for the Phone 2. The original phone situated that selfie camera in the upper left corner of the display. We're not sure where the new selfie cam will find itself. 

For the battery, a bigger display means more room for a bigger battery, and we're hearing the modest screen increase will also bring a modest battery boost. The cell should step up from 4,500 mAh to 4,700 mAh, a marginal increase. 

Thankfully, we're hearing that Nothing could boost its charging prowess, and the new phone could double the wattage to a 67W wired charging rate. That should provide a full charge in less than thirty minutes, if Nothing Phone 2 charges at a comparable rate to competitors. 

Nothing Phone 2: specs and features

While the original Nothing Phone 1 was all about design, delivering middling performance with a low price tag to match, the Nothing Phone 2 will get an upgrade. Qualcomm executives recently dropped blatant hints that the Nothing sequel will get 2022's best Snapdragon, the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1. 

If you're worried that the Nothing Phone 2 won't stand up against 2023 flagships with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 platform, remember that powerhouse phones like the OnePlus 10T and the Galaxy Z Fold 4 premiered with Qualcomm's updates Gen 1. It will provide a serious boost over the Nothing Phone 1's Snapdragon 778 mid-range chipset. 

Otherwise, little is known about the upcoming Nothing Phone 2 and what it can do. We can be sure it will run the Nothing OS on top of Android, likely Android 13, as the timing suggests the phone will launch before developers would have a chance to test and upgrade Google's next Android iteration. 

The primary feature on the Nothing Phone 1 is the LED array on the back of the phone, which can be lit in a variety of patterns to display specific notifications, show your battery and charging levels, or provide a light for the camera. It would be nice to see Nothing take this a step further, and it would be a shame if the signature LED lighting were abandoned for a next generation. 

The Nothing Phone (2) has been spotted on a Bureau of Indian Standards government site, spotted by 91Mobiles, a phone blog covering the local market. This means production may be finalized and a launch could be imminent. 

This is good news for anyone interested in Nothing Phone, not just Indian fans, as Nothing CEO Carl Pei has pledged to bring the upcoming Nothing Phone (2) to more markets, making the US a real priority this time, and not just a late round beta testing zone. 

We'd heard recently from loose-lipped Qualcomm executives that the Nothing Phone (2) would likely use the company's late-2022 flagship mobile platform, the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1. The current top-of-the-line is the 8 Plus Gen 2 platform, but the latter chipset is powerful enough to run phones like the Galaxy Z Fold 4 portable tablet. That makes it a serious upgrade for Nothing. 

The 91Mobiles leaks also suggest that the phone could get 12GB of RAM as a standard. Paired with the fast chipset, that would make the Nothing Phone (2) a serious performer. If Nothing can deliver the phone near the bargain price of the original, that would make it an interesting contender.

Other leaked specs for the Nothing Phone (2) include a fast-refresh display with FHD+ resolution. It won't be very sharp, but it should look nice and smooth, especially with that high-performance platform.

There could also be a 5,000 mAh battery, the standard large cell for flagships and big phones. The Nothing Phone (2) could support 67W charging, which is faster than any Samsung, Apple, or Google phone, another indie win for Nothing.

The camera specs haven't been super impressive so far. We're hearing about 50MP sensors, but that doesn't tell us much. The camera could have some sort of image stabilization, but mileage varies greatly. A 32MP seflie camera up front will handle influencer portraiture.

This (2) sounds like one plus one

Nothing Phone is helmed by Carl Pei, the founder of Oppo's OnePlus performance brand. OnePlus started as an indie phone maker offering the OnePlus One, a high-performance handset that cut other corners for bargain pricing. It didn't have a great camera or superior durability. 

While Pei's Nothing Phone (1) was all about design and cool looks and features, it didn't offer much for performance to draw serious phone fans away from flagships. 

If the Nothing Phone (2) boosts the benchmarks significantly, those specs, plus a unique design that Nothing is sure to deliver, could be the right mix for today's budget-conscious phone market. 

We've heard that the Nothing Phone (1) will be launched later this year, and there is no rush, especially with US availability in the cards. We want to see a refined phone that works well on our networks, and nothing less.