Apple’s upcoming iPhone 16 lineup will feature bigger battery capacities compared to previous-generation models with the exception of the iPhone 16 Plus, which will have a smaller battery than its predecessor.
That’s according to the Chinese Weibo-based leaker OvO Baby Sauce OvO, a relatively new source of supply chain leaks with an as-yet unproven track record for accuracy.
The iPhone 16 battery capacity details posted by the Weibo leaker match figures previously shared on X by “Majin Bu,” with the notable addition of a figure for the iPhone 16 Pro model, which Majin Bu omitted. That makes this leak the first time we have been provided with alleged iPhone 16 battery capacity changes across the board.
The figures show that the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max will feature larger batteries than their predecessors, but the iPhone 16 Plus is allegedly facing a reduction in terms of battery capacity compared to the iPhone 15 Plus.
Why that would be the case isn’t clear, since apart from the size difference, both the iPhone 16 and the iPhone 16 Plus are expected to have an identical feature set. One possibility is that the capacity reduction turns out to be negligible in real terms thanks to efficiency improvements in other areas. On the other hand, by reducing capacity, Apple could be trying to maximize differentiation between the iPhone 16 Plus and the iPhone 16 Pro Max in an attempt to nudge customers toward the premium features (and prices) of its top tier model.
iPhone 15 Lineup (2023)
iPhone 16 Lineup (2024)
% Change
[Standard]
3,349 mAh
3,561 mAh
+6%
Plus
4,383 mAh
4,006 mAh
-9%
Pro
3,274 mAh
3,355 mAh
+2.5
Pro Max
4,422 mAh
4,676 mAh
+5%
When the iPhone 14 Plus was introduced into Apple’s smartphone lineup to replace the iPhone 13 mini, it gave customers the opportunity to own a device with the same 6.7-inch display as the iPhone 14 Pro Max without paying a premium. In addition, the iPhone 14 Plus also had the advantage of a larger capacity battery than the iPhone 14 Pro Max, allowing Apple to market the device as featuring “our longest battery life.“
However, with the advent of the iPhone 15 series, Apple increased the battery capacity of the iPhone 15 Pro Max to make it the largest battery ever used in an iPhone.
According to another rumor, this year’s iPhone 16 Pro Max will boast an even bigger 30-hour-plus battery life (compared to 29 hours for the iPhone 15 Pro Max). Not only that, both the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are expected to have slightly larger displays. If Apple does intend to reduce the battery in the iPhone 16 Plus, it would widen the gap further between the two tiers. The iPhone 16 lineup is expected to be announced in the fall.
The already had the promise of a better battery life than its predecessors. When you toss a battery grip into the mix, the company says you’ll get over five hours of continuous 4K recording at 30 frames per second (depending on conditions). That’s bound to be pretty enticing for those who like to capture as much footage as they can during a day of action sports or travel vlogging. What’s even better is that a bundle of the camera and battery grip is on sale for $499 at and . The bundle is $100 off the regular price and a record low.
GoPro
A GoPro Hero 12 bundle with several accessories has dropped to a record low price.
Along with 4K footage, you can film in HDR at a resolution of 5.3K at up to 60 frames per second. You can shoot in 4K at up to 120 fps too, while there’s 10-bit color support. A vertical capture feature makes it a cinch to shoot footage for apps like TikTok even while the camera is in a horizontal orientation.
GoPro’s stabilization tech is in full force here as well, with the company claiming HyperSmooth 6.0 can give you “impossibly smooth footage no matter how rough it gets.” A horizon lock option should keep the horizon steady as you move the camera.
There’s directional audio support thanks to the microphone on the included Media Mod, which has a 3.5mm mic port and micro HDMI port too. You can also connect AirPods, Bluetooth earbuds and wireless microphones to the camera and even use voice commands..
The battery grip affords you single-hand control over the camera. It has a built-in tripod and you can remove it to operate the GoPro Hero 12 remotely from up to 30 meters (98 feet) away. Along with the battery grip and Media Mod, the bundle includes a self-explanatory Light Mod and Enduro Battery.
I will note that OnePlus isn’t the first company to try a novel approach to solving smartwatch battery life. Mobvoi’s TicWatch Pro series has long used dual-display technology to conserve battery life, providing similar results to OnePlus. But that watch is bulkier, the software feels clunkier, and the company’s update policy is spotty.
Speaking of, OnePlus is promising two Wear OS updates and three years of security updates. That’s similar to what Google offers for its Pixel Watch lineup, but paltry compared to what you’ll get from Samsung, which promises four Wear OS updates and five years of security updates for its Galaxy Watch6 series. What OnePlus offers here is decent, but it would be nice to see it match Samsung so you can enjoy the watch—with new features, security patches, and bug fixes—for as long as possible.
One of my favorite parts of the OnePlus Watch 2 is the fact that you only need to deal with one app. No need to have two separate apps for the watch’s functions and to access health and fitness data like with its competitors. Everything is managed in OnePlus Health (OHealth). But health and fitness is where the compromises start to creep in.
Puzzling Health
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
I like how everything is laid out in accessible tiles in OHealth, and you can click on them to access more information, but the app has some quirks. For starters, and you’ll see this in the picture above, there are some design issues, like words running into each other (see the step count goal). There are also missing health features like an electrocardiogram, skin temperature sensing, period tracking, and fall detection. All of these are on similarly priced competitors, but the quality of the information available is really the issue.
The discrepancies largely stems from step count and distance traveled. Wearing the Pixel Watch 2 on my other wrist, I noticed a big difference in these two metrics, with the OnePlus Watch 2 frequently undercounting, sometimes by 2,000 or 3,000 steps. On February 29, I traversed around Barcelona, sightseeing, and the Pixel Watch 2 says I walked 12.35 miles with 25,000 steps. OnePlus’s watch says it was 5.82 miles with 24,000 steps. With rudimentary estimates, 25,000 steps equates to roughly 12 miles, so there’s clearly some issue here with the OnePlus.
Apple may be planning to expand the iPhone’s Battery Health menu to upcoming iPad models, based on evidence uncovered in the iPadOS 17.5 beta.
As discovered by MacRumors contributors Steve Moser and Aaron Perris, there are several new references to a Battery Health menu on the iPad within the code for the first iPadOS 17.5 beta, which was released to developers earlier this week. The menu is expected to show an iPad battery’s maximum remaining capacity and cycle count.
A sample of the code strings added in the iPadOS 17.5 beta:
“iPad must be regularly used while not connected to power to show maximum capacity.”
“This is the number of times iPad has used your battery’s capacity.”
“The iPad battery is performing as expected.”
“iPad batteries, like all rechargeable batteries, have a limited lifespan and may eventually need to be serviced or replaced.”
“The original battery was designed to retain X capacity at X cycles under ideal conditions. Actual battery performance depends on a number of variables, including how iPad is used and charged regularly. The one-year warranty includes service for defective batteries in addition to rights provided under local consumer laws.”
There is no visible Battery Health menu on any existing iPad models on the first iPadOS 17.5 beta, leading us to believe that the menu may be limited to the new iPad Pro and iPad Air models that are rumored to launch in May, and likely other new iPads released in the future. Apple has shown battery capacity information on iPhones for many years, but cycle count information is currently limited to the latest iPhone 15 series.
Apple will likely release iPadOS 17.5 to the public in May. Given this is a code finding in a beta, we cannot guarantee that a Battery Health menu will be added to the iPad, but it is certainly something that Apple has been working on.
A first look at iOS 18’s rumored visionOS-style redesign may have been revealed by a new image of the Camera app. Alleged iOS 18 design resource. MacRumors received the above iPhone frame template from an anonymous source who claims they obtained it from an iOS engineer. It will allegedly be included as part of the Apple Design Resources for iOS 18, which helps developers visually design apps …
Apple has yet to release the first beta of iOS 17.5 for the iPhone, but two changes are already expected with the upcoming software update. iOS 17.5 will likely allow iPhone users in the EU to download apps directly from the websites of eligible developers, and the update might include some changes to how Apple ID recovery contacts work. More details about these potential changes follow. W…
Nearly one year after it launched in the U.S., the Apple Card’s high-yield savings account will be receiving its first-ever interest rate decrease. Starting on April 3, the Apple Card savings account’s annual percentage yield (APY) will be lowered to 4.4%, according to data on Apple’s backend discovered by MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The account currently has a 4.5% APY. 4.4% will …
Apple today added a handful of devices to its public-facing vintage and obsolete products list, including some older iPhone and iPad models. Apple now considers the iPhone 6 Plus to be “obsolete” worldwide, meaning that Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers no longer offer repairs or other hardware service for the device. Apple says it considers a product “obsolete” once seven…
While the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are still months away from launching, there are already over a dozen rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped new features and changes expected for the devices so far. These are some of the key changes rumored for the iPhone 16 Pro models as of April 2024:Larger displays: The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will be equipped with large…
Best Buy is discounting a large collection of M3 MacBook Pro computers today, including both the 14-inch and 16-inch versions of the laptop. Every deal in this sale requires you to have a My Best Buy Plus or Total membership, although non-members can still get solid second-best prices on these MacBook Pro models. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and…
Apple’s WWDC 2024 dates have been announced, giving us timing for the unveiling of the company’s next round of major operating system updates and likely some other announcements. This week also saw some disappointing news on the iPad front, with update timing for the iPad Pro and iPad Air pushed back from previous rumors. We did hear some new tidbits about what might be coming in iOS 18 and…
Samsung is bringing unlimited battery repairs to Samsung Care+, its premium after-sales service plans. However, the Samsung Care+ and Samsung Care+ with Theft and Loss plans are getting pricier by $2 per month in the USA with this change. This change is happening from May 2024.
Samsung Care+ is getting unlimited battery repairs but also gets pricier
Samsung Care+ is Samsung’s premium after-sales service plan that offers free or discounted repairs for accidental damage. It was launched a few years ago and has two tiers. Both of them are getting unlimited battery repairs. However, there are a few conditions to note. The battery will only be replaced with a new one if the older battery’s health has reduced to 79% or lower. The battery health will be identified by Samsung’s diagnostic test.
Moreover, the battery will be repaired for free only if the device hasn’t received accidental damage. The battery repair option will only be available through walk-in or mail-in modes. All current Samsung Care+ subscribers have been sent notifications for these changes.
Samsung Care+ and Samsung Care+ with Theft and Loss plans don’t come cheap. The prices of these plans also vary by the device. These plans currently cost anywhere from $8 to $18 per month, depending on the device. However, starting May 2024, the prices will go up to $10-$20 per month.
What is Samsung Care+?
Samsung Care+ is the company’s premium after-sales service plan that offers unlimited repairs, drops and spills repairs, and repairs for mechanical breakdowns (after the one-year standard warranty ends). It also offers screen repairs for just $29. Samsung also offers 24×7 expert support for device-related issues.
It also offers users peace of mind, as all repairs are done by Samsung-certified service centers or technicians. Under this plan, only genuine parts are used for repairs.
Samsung Care+ is available for laptops, smartphones, smartwatches, tablets, and wireless earbuds. Samsung Care+ with Theft and Loss plans are available for only smartphones, smartwatches, and tablets. It costs more than the Samsung Care+ plan, though.
Samsung is bringing back one of the most requested features related to battery life statistics to Galaxy devices. Galaxy devices have had a way to check screen-on time and battery life stats since they were last charged, but Samsung removed it with One UI 6.0. The company is now correcting its misstep.
‘Since Last Charge’ battery life stats coming soon with Device Care update
A new version (13.8.06.11) of the Device Care app is now available online which brings back the ‘Since Last Charge’ filter to the battery life graph. While the update is currently unavailable for most people, it can be downloaded from APK Mirror or other safe places (via Mhm7876 on Reddit) and installed even if your phone is running One UI 6.0 or One UI 5.1.
As you can see in the screenshots above, once you’ve installed the APK file of the latest version of the Device Care app, you can see two filters in the drop-down menu: Today and Since Last Charge. The Today selection displays the current day’s battery charging and battery life graph. When you select the Sine Last Charge option, the battery life graph displays the screen-on time since your Galaxy device was last charged.
This new version of the Device Care app may become available soon to everyone via the Galaxy Store.
While Samsung was the best foldable phone maker for a few years, it is sad to see the company losing the race to its competitors from China, at least when it comes to technological breakthroughs. Rival smartphone brands from China are making foldable phones that are thinner, lighter, and they have better specifications than Samsung’s foldable devices.
Vivo has launched two new foldable phones—X Fold 3 and X Fold 3 Pro—that are thinner and lighter than the Galaxy Z Fold 5, but still manage to pack much bigger batteries.
Vivo X Fold 3 Pro has a 5,700mAh battery packed in an 11.2mm thin body
The Vivo X Fold 3 Pro is Vivo’s flagship foldable phone for this year. It has a 6.53-inch OLED cover screen and an 8.03-inch OLED foldable inner screen. They both have a 1Hz-120Hz variable refresh rate, 4,500 nits of peak brightness, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision. Both screens have in-display fingerprint readers. It also features an IPX8 rating for water resistance, just like the Galaxy Z Fold 5.
It is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, 16GB RAM, and 512GB/1TB internal storage. It has two 32MP selfie cameras, one each on its two screens. On the rear, it has a 50MP 1/1.3-inch primary camera with OIS, a 64MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom and OIS, and a 50MP ultrawide camera with autofocus. All its rear cameras can record 8K 30fps/4K 60fps videos.
It has stereo speakers, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, IR port, and USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port. It packs a 5,700mAh battery in a body that is just 11.2mm thin and weighs 236g. It has 100W fast wired charging, 50W fast wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging.
In China, the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro is priced at CNY 9,999 ($1,385) for the 512GB version and CNY 10,999 ($1,524) for the 1TB version.
Vivo X Fold 3 has a 5,500mAh battery but is just 10.2mm thin
The Vivo X Fold 3 and the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro have better specifications and a lower price than the Galaxy Z Fold 3. The Vivo X Fold 3, the more affordable of the two Vivo phones, has a 6.53-inch cover screen and an 8.03-inch inner foldable screen. Its LTPO screens reach 4,500 nits of peak brightness, have a 1-120Hz variable refresh rate, and feature Dolby Vision certification.
It uses the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, 12GB/16GB RAM, 256GB/512GB/1TB storage, and a 5,500mAh battery. It has two 32MP selfie cameras (one each on the cover screen and inner screen), a 50MP primary camera with OIS, a 50MP telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom, and a 50MP ultrawide camera with autofocus. All of this is packed in a body that’s just 10.2mm thin, weighs just 219g, and has an IPX4 rating for water resistance.
Other features of the phone include stereo speakers, a side-mounted fingerprint reader, 8K 30fps/4K 60fps video recording, Android 14, Wi-Fi 7, NFC, and 80W fast wired charging.
The Vivo X Fold 3 is priced at CNY 6,999 ($969) for the 12GB+ 256GB version, CNY 7,499 ($1,039) for the 16GB+256GB version, CNY 7,999 ($1,108) for the 16GB+512GB version, and CNY 8,999 ($1,246) for the 16GB+1TB version.
Watch our Galaxy Z Fold 5 review in the video below to know what we liked and disliked about it.
Author’s Note:Both new foldable phones from Vivo are thinner and lighter than the Galaxy Z Fold 5. They also feature bigger camera sensors for all their rear cameras, which should result in better image and quality, especially in low-light conditions. More importantly, they pack in batteries that are much bigger than the Galaxy Z Fold 5’s 4,400mAh battery. While the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is expected to be thinner and have a slightly bigger battery, it will likely not be able to match Vivo’s new phones in terms of thinness, weight, battery capacity, and charging speeds.
This should worry Samsung a lot. Even though these phones won’t likely reach global markets like Europe and the US, people will likely notice that Samsung’s foldable phones have far lower specifications in comparison. And it could reduce Samsung’s value in the eyes of consumers.
Earlier this year, during the launch of the Galaxy S24, Samsung teased the Galaxy Ring for the first time. In the following weeks, the South Korean firm gave us a closer look at its first Galaxy Ring and revealed some of its features. It now looks like the Galaxy Ring could launch soon, as it has appeared in One UI.
The Galaxy Ring has appeared in Samsung’s stock Battery Widget. Once you add the widget to the home screen and go to its Settings menu, you can see the Galaxy Ring entry, along with entries for the Galaxy Buds, Galaxy Fit, Galaxy Watch, and other devices. Since Samsung has added the Galaxy Ring to the Battery Widget already, we think that the company will launch its first smart ring in a few weeks or months.
The Galaxy Ring is very light and comes in various sizes and colors/finishes. It has a built-in heart rate sensor and sleep tracking. Whether or not it features SpO2 hasn’t been confirmed yet. It could last up to a week on a single charge and is very comfortable, making it an ideal choice to track sleep length and quality. You can watch our hands-on video of the Galaxy Ring in the video below.
The Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro (Ring Battery Pro) is a smart doorbell that gives you the ability to remotely monitor and talk to visitors outside your property via your phone or desktop using Wi-Fi. If it seems a bit familiar, that’s because it looks almost identical to many of the best video doorbells from Ring, but in particular it boasts many of the same features and functionality as the Ring Battery Video Doorbell Plus (Ring Battery Plus), which was released in April 2023.
There are a lot of similarities with the Ring Battery Plus, given this is just a slightly improved iteration with a higher price tag. The Ring Battery Pro once again is a wireless device with head-to-toe visibility thanks to its 1536p camera, which also offers night vision with color. It’s got decent battery life, although Amazon doesn’t tend to commit to confirming just what that is; it’s all very dependent on how much motion occurs around your home and how it is configured. However, in my experience, it doesn’t need recharging more often than once every couple of months.
The Ring Battery Pro can detect motion within a user-defined zone to alert you to any movement or packages that have been delivered even if the doorbell button has not been pressed, as well as notify you when someone comes knocking so you can quickly speak with them – even if you’re away from home.
(Image credit: Future)
I’ve been using the Ring Battery Plus for several months and was perfectly content with its performance and features, except for one thing this year’s Pro model addresses; notification fatigue. The detection zone that I set up for the Plus model included my parked car which is a much larger detection zone than just the path to my front door. Unfortunately, the camera-based motion detector initially detected everything that went past the house; cars, bicycles, deer, cats, and dogs, and after a while, I began to just filter out the notification sounds.
Although the Ring app provides a means of adjusting the detection sensitivity, it proved difficult to find a good compromise between detecting movement around my car that I might object to and detecting any other moving object. On the other hand, the radar-powered 3D motion detection of the Ring Battery Pro is a significant improvement in this respect, resulting in far fewer unnecessary alerts and notifications.
The feed from the camera also includes a moveable Bird’s eye view overlay window on which it plots markers to indicate where the motion was detected and what path was taken. A cool feature? Absolutely, but it feels a bit redundant when you can use the pre-roll feature instead to see what happened in the seconds before the motion was detected or the doorbell was pressed. It also remains to be seen if the feature is of any use at all once the free trial subscription period expires and there is no video to replay.
The only other differences between the Ring Battery Pro and its predecessor are that the Pro also features:
Audio+ (improved microphones and speakers for two-way communication – though I haven’t noticed much of a difference).
Low-Light Sight, a feature presently exclusive to this model that offers low light compensation settings for color, glare and for situations where the camera is used through glass thanks to the enhanced imaging sensors.
The Ring Battery Pro is a bit more expensive than the older Plus model, and while I do think it’s an improvement, in these cost-conscious times, it’s not enough to justify the price difference.
(Image credit: Future)
Price and availability
List price: $229.99 / £199.99
The Ring Battery Pro is available from Ring for $229.99 / £199.99 and is available directly from both Amazon and the Ring website.
The best comparison is to the Ring Battery Plus, which was originally $179.99 / £159.99 but is now available for $149.99 / £129.99. Given that its hardware is only somewhat improved and I’m a little underwhelmed by the utility of some of the new features, that $70 / £70 price difference smarts a little.
There is a great range of accessories and parts for ring doorbells, too; the benefit of a product identity and design that has not changed in years is that there are ample options.
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Row 0 – Cell 0
US
UK
AU
Chime
$34.99
£29.99
AU$59.00
Chime Pro
$59.99
£49.99
AU$89.00
Quick Release Battery Pack
$34.99
£24.99
N/A
Charging Station
$29.99
£25.99
AU$65.00
Plug-in Adapter
$24.99
£20.99
N/A
Metallic Interchangeable Faceplate
$24.99
£21.99
AU$40.00
Interchangeable Faceplate
$14.99
£14.99
AU$23.00
Holiday Interchangeable Faceplate
$14.99
£14.99
AU$25.00
Intercom Kit
$17.99
£16.00
N/A
Solar Panel for Doorbells
$39.99
£49.00
AU$59.00
Solar charger 2nd generation for Battery Doorbells
$44.99
£39.99
AU$79.00
Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro review: Specs
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Dimensions
12.8cm x 6.2cm x 2.8cm
Colours
Silver/black
Hub required
No
Smart home compatibility
Amazon Alexa, IFTTT
Connectivity
Wi-Fi 2.5 GHz
Mobile compatibility
iOS, Android
Field of view:
150 degrees x 150 degrees (h x v)
Video resolution:
1536
(Image credit: Future)
Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro review: Design
It’s a ring doorbell, and looks the part
Rechargable and removable battery
Easy installation
There is nothing wrong with the design of the Ring doorbell. I like how the device is packaged, but I am ambivalent about how it looks, and I suppose that’s the point. Split into a black top section housing its 1536p camera and a matte silver bottom section with the doorbell button, it’s neither quasi-iconic nor Quasimodo; I wouldn’t say it’s ugly, but it doesn’t exactly set the pulse racing. Familiarity breeds contempt, and Ring’s design is a victim of its success.
As can be seen in the price and availability section above, there are benefits to keeping things consistent when it comes to accessories and spares. The problem here is that there is now a bewildering array of Ring doorbells available online that all look the same.
It’s straightforward to install and I like the included angled mounting bracket and spare screws; these both make the Ring Battery Pro a far more configurable video doorbell to set up than older models.
Like the Ring Battery Plus, the Pro features a removable battery. Do I often drop the little screw when I remove the battery to charge it? Yes, but is it annoying enough to warrant buying the power adapter and running the cable from inside my home to the doorbell? No. A small magnet on the case to stick the screw onto once you removed it would help. I do like that it comes with its own screwdriver and USB cable, though.
Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro review: Performance
(Image credit: Future)
Once the battery is charged and the doorbell has been attached to your home the next task is to download the Ring app, set up an account and add your new device to the app. This is as straightforward as all of the other steps so far, and Ring has sensibly put the pairing code on the box and the manual as well as on the back of the device itself.
From the app, you can easily check your Ring Battery Pro’s live feed, communicate using two-way audio and set up features like motion and privacy zones. These zones as a feature can be immensely useful, helping to maintain your and your neighbors’ privacy, but as I’ve found in my previous Ring testing experience, editing the motion zones is frustrating. Moving the markers to adjust the area is very hit-or-miss and would sometimes erroneously move the entire zone. I tested this on an iPad as well in the hope that a bigger screen would increase accuracy, but alas, it was just as frustrating.
Much like the Ring Battery Plus, the Pro’s HD+ 1536p camera has HDR and night vision with color, which are switched off by default to increase battery life. It’s worth experimenting with these features to figure out if you need to use them in your home; the battery life could become a real issue if you have a lot of activity outside of your home and keep these features on. I, for one, didn’t find the color night vision particularly illuminating, which says more about where I live (grey and boring) than the usefulness of the color night vision feature.
The head-to-toe view, much like in the Ring Battery Plus, is an excellent evolution of the older Ring models’ aspect ratio, allowing you to see much more of your entryway and even spot any packages. As I suggested before, I really can’t tell much difference between the Ring Battery Plus and Pro in terms of audio, despite the newer model supposedly featuring enhanced microphones and speakers, meaning the audio can still be a little muffled when visitors aren’t facing the doorbell directly.
There is another similarity between the Ring Battery Plus and the Ring Battery Pro; reliability. I have many smart devices running on 2.5 GHz inside my house and some of them have random connection issues and buggy software. The Ring Battery Pro, however, is on the outside of my house and is relentless in its detection duties.
All in all, the Ring Battery Pro offers excellent performance. As always, though, it’s worth highlighting its full potential is unlocked with an added Ring Protect subscription. As ever, it’s a shame to see some of the most useful features like smart home trigger responses, advanced motion detection, package detection, and recorded video events be so gated, but, unfortunately, that’s the nature of many video doorbells these days.
(Image credit: Future)
Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro review: Should I buy?
Ring Battery Video Doorbell Pro review: How I tested
I have several other Ring devices and compared the settings within the app to find any new features and test them.
I predominantly used the app on an iPhone for changing settings. I also investigated the app on an iPad as well as the Ring website.
I connected the Ring Pro to Apple Homekit via Homebridge.
I installed the Ring Pro next to my home’s front door on the angled bracket and adjusted the motion zone so that I could detect movement at the front of my house and around my car.
To compare what was going on outside with any notifications from the doorbell, I monitored the video output on an ongoing basis using Apple Homekit (via Homebridge) while working on the computer. It is possible to do that via the Ring website, but you won’t find the battery charge information.
I enabled all of the default disabled features to test if the impact on the battery life rendered the features impractical. The battery performed as expected; it drained faster with everything switched on but did not need to be re-charged incessantly.
I set off the default windchimes alert tone in the supermarket to test how many customers had Ring doorbells… I changed the Ring alert tone to something else shortly after.
I’ve been using smart home devices for several years now, and have a whopping 30+ years (gulp) of tech enthusiasm and experience under my belt.
Like many premium electric rides, Cowboy’s e-bikes make short commutes easier, especially those involving hills or a lot of stop-start traffic. Its latest bike is an attempt to address another challenge: comfort. The Cowboy Cross is the company’s first “all-road” model, with thicker, bigger tires, seat suspension, inverted fork suspension and a substantially bigger battery for more extended trips—or simply fewer trips to the charger.
It’s a substantially different offering from Cowboy, which previously aimed its products at European cities with established cycling communities and infrastructure. With the Cross, the addition of a rear rack fused to the frame and an expanded range of 120km (in ideal conditions) both mean it’s designed for more involved trips beyond a simple jaunt around your neighborhood.
With that larger battery and suspension, the Cross ST weighs 26.5kg – over 58 pounds – more than the company’s and C4 models, while the standard Cross is even heavier at 27.9kg. It’s a substantial e-bike. Once again, you can choose between step-over and step-through frames, and the Cross will launch in three colors: dark green, dark brown and black. All of them have an almost-satin finish, and the company has changed up the paint it uses to make it more resistant to scratches and grazes.
Image by Mat Smith / Engadget
Compared to its predecessor, the Cross is far better equipped for curbs and random road bumps, resulting in a much smoother ride that I immediately felt during a brief test ride in central London. The e-bike launched up curbs, instead of the bounce and shudder I usually get on other e-bikes. It’s a single-gear bike, again, with a carbon belt drive system and the suspension is split between inverted fork suspension on the front wheel and seat suspension, both with 40mm of travel.
It’s easy to forget, due to the assistance you get pedaling, but e-bikes can be heavy – almost always heavier than their manual counterparts. So suspension makes a lot of sense when you’re riding something that weighs in at well above 20 kilograms. The ride, otherwise, was very similar to the . Adaptive power is also on-board, ensuring the bike controls are simple and comparable to a standard bike. You just squeeze the brakes, and the bike will handle acceleration and thrust.
Cowboy couldn’t help tinkering with its companion app, and these bikes will launch with new social aspects for your rides, adding league tables between groups of riders and incentives to pump those pedals using your legs. (Excuse me, Cowboy, but I ride e-bikes in order to do that less). Fortunately, the onboard phone holder doubles as a wireless charger too.
While I love the Cross, I’m unsure about the in-app mini-games. Madly pedaling to reach your app goals in a place like London, where you might miss a junction, cyclist or runaway baby stroller if you blink, simply doesn’t seem wise. Cowboy says it’s still working on ways to gamify your trips in a way that’s fun and not, well, so dangerous.
Image by Mat Smith / Engadget
Adding suspension and a bigger battery cell, however, also contribute to the price. The Cross will be available at an early-bird price of £3,099 (just shy of $4,000) for a limited time, and will eventually go up to £3,499 (almost $4,500). In mainland Europe, it’ll cost at 3,500 Euros at launch and will increase to 4,000 Euros. You can order one now and the bikes will start shipping near the end of May or in early June 2024.
There are no US prices though, because the Cross won’t be headed to the US for now. The company says it’s continuing to focus on the European market, as it – getting all TechCrunch on you here – chases profitability. For some business context, rival premium e-bike maker VanMoof . However, the company still plans to roll out its rides to the US. But only when it’s ready.
