At MobileSyrup, we have the opportunity to test out a variety of flagships throughout the year. We’ve made a list of all the best smartphones you can currently get in Canada, and why we think they’re so great. Let us know your favourite smartphones of the year in the comments below.
iPhone 11
While the iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max are Apple’s flagship, high-end smartphones this year, the standard iPhone 11 has a lot to offer, just like its predecessor, the iPhone XR.
The smartphone, unfortunately, lacks the 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max’s OLED screen, instead opting for LCD. It also doesn’t feature the more premium design or third 12-megapixel 2x zoom lens, but still packs the functionality the average iPhone user likely cares more about.
This includes bright colours like ‘Green,’ ‘Purple,’ and ‘Yellow,’ along with the device’s excellent 12-megapixel f/1.8 wide and 12-megapixel f/2.4 ultrawide camera. The iPhone 11 also sports Apple’s excellent A13 Bionic processor, just like the more expensive iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max.
While the iPhone 11 does have a few shortcomings, it’s the all-around best Apple smartphone for the average iPhone user.
The iPhone 11 is available for $979 outright for the 64GB version of the smartphone. For more on the iPhone 11, check out our review.
iPhone 11 Pro/Pro Max
The iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max, Apple’s 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch highest-end 2019 smartphones, have a lot in common with the iPhone 11. The devices ditch LCD screen technology for a modern OLED screen and feature a more premium design that includes a matte rear that’s resistant to dust, fingerprints and grease, as well as slightly smaller bezels.
The device also sports three shooters this time around, resulting in a sizable camera bump on its rear that looks far better in person than it does in pictures (trust us on that one). The three-camera array measures in as follows: a 12 megapixel, f/1.8, 26mm wide shooter, a 12-megapixel, f/2, 52mm telephoto lens and a f/2.4 13mm ultrawide angle camera.
All of these cameras combine to offer the best photography package Apple has ever included in an iPhone. The cameras are so good that they’re able to match the Pixel 4 in terms of quality in most situations.
The iPhone 11 Pro starts at $1,379, while the iPhone 11 Pro Max starts at $1,519, and check out the full review, here.
OnePlus 7T
OnePlus had a standout year where it stepped its devices up to the level of flagships from other manufacturers. While the OnePlus 7 Pro is the flashier of the two smartphones, with its pop-up camera and full-screen display, the lower cost OnePlus 7T is the handset most people should buy.
The 7T features the same excellent camera, screen and build quality as the 7 Pro, but has a cheaper price tag, and a slightly smaller size that makes it more comfortable to use.
The camera isn’t the only improvement that catapulted this device into flagship-level. The Chinese company implemented a high-end haptic engine that makes physically interacting with the handset a joy. Each keypress, copy/paste and back gesture swipe felt responsive and premium in a way that not many Android phones often are.
Since you spend most of your time interacting with the phone’s screen, this is one of the best improvements a manufacturer can make to a device. It’s also great that the smartphone runs Android 10 out of the box.
The OnePlus 7T retails for $799 in Canada. Read our review to discover what else makes this handset one of the best smartphones of 2019.
Samsung Galaxy S10+
It’s not shocking that both Samsung’s flagships made the list. While similar, they’re excellent in different ways. This is why both devices are getting separate entries this year.
The Samsung Galaxy S10+ features a candy bar design with rounded edges. Additionally, the phone sports dual front-facing cameras in the top right corner. What is cool is that Samsung didn’t design the Galaxy S10 with a notch or much of a top bezel. Instead, the phone features an Infinity-O hole-punch camera, optimizing the device’s screen real estate.
What’s probably the most celebrated design element of the S10+ is its 3.5mm headphone jack on the bottom, giving users the choice to use standard headphones with the smartphone. The Galaxy Note 10+, on the other hand, doesn’t feature a 3.5mm headphone jack, making it Samsung’s first Note not to feature the port.
Spec-wise the handset features a 6.4-inch AMOLED display with a 1440 x 3040 pixel resolution, Snapdragon 855 chipset, up to 12GB of RAM and 1TB of memory. On the rear, the phone sports a triple rear-facing camera setup with a 12-megapixel sensor and a variable aperture with sizes ranging from f/1.5 to f/2.4. Additionally, there’s another 12-megapixel camera with a f/2.4 aperture and 2x optical zoom, as well as a 16-megapixel ultrawide shooter that features f/2.2.
This handset also includes an in-display ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, allowing users to unlock the phone with just their thumb. The ultrasonic fingerprint scanner is a tad slower than the optical variants featured in phones like the OnePlus 7T, but this version of the technology is more secure.
The phone’s display quality is also superb, which makes videos and pictures look amazing on it.
Another great thing about the S10+ is the phone’s One UI Android skin. OneUI is intuitive, works great and is very different from Samsung’s beleaguered Touch Wiz.
The Galaxy S10+ starts at $1,219 at the Samsung Experience Store. You can read our review here to learn more about one of the best phones in Canada.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10+
The Note 10+ is very similar to the Galaxy S10+ in several ways, however, design-wise it’s quite different.
Instead of the rounded corners, the Note 10+ is far more rectangular. Additionally, the handset features a centred hole punch front-facing camera. Many prefer the Galaxy Note 10+’s form factor and camera placement and believe the phone is more comfortable to hold. Furthermore, thanks to the rectangular display, the device sports even more screen real estate, coming in at 6.8-inches.
The camera setup in the Note 10+ is similar to the S10+, except the Note 10+ features a time-of-flight sensor for depth.
Additionally, the Note 10+ features an S Pen stylus with Bluetooth integration that allows for dedicated gestures and controls. The S Pen lets users navigate through the phone and snap pictures without holding the device. It’s also great for taking notes.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ outright costs $1,459.99. You can read our review of the smartphone here.
Huawei P30 Pro
Even though Huawei is dealing with several issues related to the U.S. government, the P30 Pro is a flagship smartphone with top-of-the-line specs, one of the best cameras on the market and an excellent battery.
The P30 Pro’s 4,200mAh battery was able to squeeze out almost 17 hours of screen-on time just by using the phone’s battery saving settings.
The camera is capable of snapping pictures from 190 metres away thanks to its 50x digital zoom. Night images are also awe-inspiring and brighten up photos to make them clear, even in darkness.
The phone also features a curved display as well, so it fits perfectly in your hand.
Unfortunately, EMUI 9.1 isn’t the greatest, it’s advisable slapping a third-party launcher on the P30 Pro. The P30 Pro sports a 6.47-inch OLED display a 1080 x 2340 pixel resolution alongside a triple rear-facing camera setup.
The primary camera features a 40-megapixel sensor with an f/1.6 aperture, allowing users to take pictures in the dark. Additionally, it sports an 8-megapixel periscope camera with an f/3.4 aperture and up to 5x optical zoom. There’s also a 20-megapixel ultrawide camera and a time-of-flight sensor.
Furthermore, the P30 Pro features an optical under-display fingerprint scanner and a waterdrop notch.
The P30 Pro is available outright for as low as $1,200. Check out our review of the device to learn more.
Google Pixel 4 XL
The Pixel 4 X — not the Pixel 4 to be specific — sports one of the best cameras on the market. It feels great when you’re holding it in your hand and sports a pure Android experience.
The Pixel 4 XL features top of the line specs, including a 6.3-inch display with a 1440 x 3040-pixel resolution and a fantastic 90Hz refresh rate. The higher refresh rate results in scrolling that feels incredibly smooth, making the phone a joy to use. In fact, after using the Pixel 4 XL, it’s hard to switch back to other handsets that don’t feature a high display refresh rate.
Similar to the Huawei P30 Pro, the device snaps fantastic pictures even at night thanks to its excellent ‘Night Sight’ mode. Furthermore, selfie pictures look great.
The device also sports face unlock, allowing users to authenticate and access the phone with just their face. Further, there’s Motion Sense, which works both passively and actively. Passively, for example, is when your alarm or a timer goes off and you begin reaching for your device. The phone automatically reacts and quiets the alarm. Motion Sense’s active functionalities include swiping to dismiss alarms, timers and changing songs in specific apps.
The Pixel 4 XL also receives Google’s updates right away, and sports a Snapdragon 855 processor with 6GB of RAM and a fast-charging battery.
The Pixel 4 XL starts at $1,129. Check out our review of the smartphone, here.
LG G8X Dual Screen
The LG G8X is what we’d consider a sleeper hit. The device’s secondary display is great for multitasking, and it helps users play games like PUBG Mobile.
The G8X’s secondary screen attachment is an exact copy of the main phone’s 6.4-inch display. It even sports a waterdrop notch, which is odd considering there’s no camera in the secondary display.
The G8X rarely experienced any slowdowns even while jumping between apps. The phone can also easily survive the day with about 35 percent battery when the secondary screen is not attached.
LG designed the handset for mobile gamers or anyone who enjoys multi-tasking. You can use one screen with an app like Instagram and the other for Google docs, allowing you to work and play at the same time.
Additionally, the G8X features top-of-the-line specs, including 6GB of RAM, a 4,000mAh battery and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
The phone costs $1,150 outright. You can find more about the LG G8X in our review.
Asus ZenFone 6 / ROG Phone II
The Asus ZenFone 6 sports a full display with a unique flip-up camera. Within the flip-up, the ZF6’s camera setup features a 48-megapixel sensor and a 13-megapixel sensor with an ultrawide angle lens.
The Asus ZenFone 6 also features a 5,000mAh battery with 18W quick charging. The phone’s battery lasts for nearly two days. Additionally, the phone features a Snapdragon 855 processor with Zen UI 6, along with a slim user interface that’s both intuitive and unobtrusive.
The ZenFone 6 costs $799 outright. If you want to learn more about this device, check out the review for the handset.
We’ve paired this for the ROG Phone 2 because that phone works similarly to the ZenFone 6 but is faster and lacks the flip-up camera.
The ROG Phone features a Snapdragon 855+ processor, with up to 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage (in Canada). The ROG Phone 2’s screen is also capable of refresh rates up to 120Hz, coupled with 240Hz touch sensing. Due to the high refresh rate, the handset’s display looks and feels incredibly smooth.
The display and touch sensing help make the phone feel incredibly quick, especially compared to other Android devices on the market. The touch sensing and refresh rate are especially great for gaming, offering an experience that is smooth and quick.
The ROG Phone 2 costs $1,482 CAD on Amazon.
Samsung Galaxy S10e
While it may not seem like much, Samsung’s ‘budget’ flagship is arguably one of the best smartphones of 2019. It gets a lot right and doesn’t break the bank.
First and foremost, the S10e is just a bit smaller than the S10 and S10+ thanks to its 5.8-inch display. But while the screen may be smaller, it’s still a large, excellent display. Plus, thanks to the small bezels, the S10e manages to feel more minuscule than it actually is. If you like small phones that aren’t actually that small, it’s a great way to go.
Plus, the S10e sports a ‘flat’ display instead of the curved ‘edge’ style seen on the S10 and S10+. Some may favour the curved screen, but I’m not a fan and the flat display is much easier to use.
The final note about the display is that the S10e features a hole-punch cutout for the selfie camera. Again, some might not like it, but compared to a notch, it looks way better. It’s one of the things that makes the S10e so unique and pleasing for me to use. The hole-punch really adds to the overall experience and looks fantastic.
All that said, the S10e isn’t perfect. It lacks the third telephoto camera found on its bigger brothers, it has a smaller 3,100mAh battery, and it doesn’t have an in-screen fingerprint scanner. However, for the price, these are all things that are easy to forgive for excellent performance, great in-hand feel and a superior price.
You can find the S10e for $869.99 outright in Canada or for as low as $0 on a plan with most major Canadian carriers. Check out the review for the S10e here.
Honorable Mention: Samsung Galaxy Fold
While Samsung’s Galaxy Fold isn’t a perfect smartphone, the fact that a device with a foldable display is finally available in Canada is something to be excited about. While the pricey smartphone initially wasn’t set to make its way to Canada following a string of issues related to the device’s display, Samsung changed its plans and dropped the Fold here in early December.
Despite its several drawbacks including the Fold’s thickness, price tag and lack of other features currently featured in other modern smartphones like water-resistance, Galaxy Fold is an undeniably exciting smartphone. The Galaxy Fold costs $2,635 and is only available at Samsung Experience stores across Canada.
Honorable Mention: Google Pixel 3a
While the Pixel 3a might not be one of the best phones of the year spec-wise, when it comes to value, it’s incredible. And if you like quick Android updates, then the 3a series delivers.
Additionally, it packs a fantastic camera, great battery life and most of the awesome Pixel-specific features like Google’s ‘Now Playing’ passive music detection software, camera software like Night Sight, and much more. It even has a headphone jack!
It might be missing wireless charging and premium-feeling build quality, but if you can look past some of these shortfalls, it’s an excellent phone at a reasonable price.
Although no one likes a know-it-all, they dominate the Internet.
The Internet began as a vast repository of information. It quickly became a breeding ground for self-proclaimed experts seeking what most people desire: recognition and money.
Today, anyone with an Internet connection and some typing skills can position themselves, regardless of their education or experience, as a subject matter expert (SME). From relationship advice, career coaching, and health and nutrition tips to citizen journalists practicing pseudo-journalism, the Internet is awash with individuals—Internet talking heads—sharing their “insights,” which are, in large part, essentially educated guesses without the education or experience.
The Internet has become a 24/7/365 sitcom where armchair experts think they’re the star.
Not long ago, years, sometimes decades, of dedicated work and acquiring education in one’s field was once required to be recognized as an expert. The knowledge and opinions of doctors, scientists, historians, et al. were respected due to their education and experience. Today, a social media account and a knack for hyperbole are all it takes to present oneself as an “expert” to achieve Internet fame that can be monetized.
On the Internet, nearly every piece of content is self-serving in some way.
The line between actual expertise and self-professed knowledge has become blurry as an out-of-focus selfie. Inadvertently, social media platforms have created an informal degree program where likes and shares are equivalent to degrees. After reading selective articles, they’ve found via and watching some TikTok videos, a person can post a video claiming they’re an herbal medicine expert. Their new “knowledge,” which their followers will absorb, claims that Panda dung tea—one of the most expensive teas in the world and isn’t what its name implies—cures everything from hypertension to existential crisis. Meanwhile, registered dietitians are shaking their heads, wondering how to compete against all the misinformation their clients are exposed to.
More disturbing are individuals obsessed with evangelizing their beliefs or conspiracy theories. These people write in-depth blog posts, such as Elvis Is Alive and the Moon Landings Were Staged, with links to obscure YouTube videos, websites, social media accounts, and blogs. Regardless of your beliefs, someone or a group on the Internet shares them, thus confirming your beliefs.
Misinformation is the Internet’s currency used to get likes, shares, and engagement; thus, it often spreads like a cosmic joke. Consider the prevalence of clickbait headlines:
You Won’t Believe What Taylor Swift Says About Climate Change!
This Bedtime Drink Melts Belly Fat While You Sleep!
In One Week, I Turned $10 Into $1 Million!
Titles that make outrageous claims are how the content creator gets reads and views, which generates revenue via affiliate marketing, product placement, and pay-per-click (PPC) ads. Clickbait headlines are how you end up watching a TikTok video by a purported nutrition expert adamantly asserting you can lose belly fat while you sleep by drinking, for 14 consecutive days, a concoction of raw eggs, cinnamon, and apple cider vinegar 15 minutes before going to bed.
Our constant search for answers that’ll explain our convoluted world and our desire for shortcuts to success is how Internet talking heads achieve influencer status. Because we tend to seek low-hanging fruits, we listen to those with little experience or knowledge of the topics they discuss yet are astute enough to know what most people want to hear.
There’s a trend, more disturbing than spreading misinformation, that needs to be called out: individuals who’ve never achieved significant wealth or traded stocks giving how-to-make-easy-money advice, the appeal of which is undeniable. Several people I know have lost substantial money by following the “advice” of Internet talking heads.
Anyone on social media claiming to have a foolproof money-making strategy is lying. They wouldn’t be peddling their money-making strategy if they could make easy money.
Successful people tend to be secretive.
Social media companies design their respective algorithms to serve their advertisers—their source of revenue—interest; hence, content from Internet talking heads appears most prominent in your feeds. When a video of a self-professed expert goes viral, likely because it pressed an emotional button, the more people see it, the more engagement it receives, such as likes, shares and comments, creating a cycle akin to a tornado.
Imagine scrolling through your TikTok feed and stumbling upon a “scientist” who claims they can predict the weather using only aluminum foil, copper wire, sea salt and baking soda. You chuckle, but you notice his video got over 7,000 likes, has been shared over 600 times and received over 400 comments. You think to yourself, “Maybe this guy is onto something.” What started as a quest to achieve Internet fame evolved into an Internet-wide belief that weather forecasting can be as easy as DIY crafts.
Since anyone can call themselves “an expert,” you must cultivate critical thinking skills to distinguish genuine expertise from self-professed experts’ self-promoting nonsense. While the absurdity of the Internet can be entertaining, misinformation has serious consequences. The next time you read a headline that sounds too good to be true, it’s probably an Internet talking head making an educated guess; without the education seeking Internet fame, they can monetize.
TORONTO – A new survey says a majority of software engineers and developers feel tight project deadlines can put safety at risk.
Seventy-five per cent of the 1,000 global workers who responded to the survey released Tuesday say pressure to deliver projects on time and on budget could be compromising critical aspects like safety.
The concern is even higher among engineers and developers in North America, with 77 per cent of those surveyed on the continent reporting the urgency of projects could be straining safety.
The study was conducted between July and September by research agency Coleman Parkes and commissioned by BlackBerry Ltd.’s QNX division, which builds connected-car technology.
The results reflect a timeless tug of war engineers and developers grapple with as they balance the need to meet project deadlines with regulations and safety checks that can slow down the process.
Finding that balance is an issue that developers of even the simplest appliances face because of advancements in technology, said John Wall, a senior vice-president at BlackBerry and head of QNX.
“The software is getting more complicated and there is more software whether it’s in a vehicle, robotics, a toaster, you name it… so being able to patch vulnerabilities, to prevent bad actors from doing malicious acts is becoming more and more important,” he said.
The medical, industrial and automotive industries have standardized safety measures and anything they produce undergoes rigorous testing, but that work doesn’t happen overnight. It has to be carried out from the start and then at every step of the development process.
“What makes safety and security difficult is it’s an ongoing thing,” Wall said. “It’s not something where you’ve done it, and you are finished.”
The Waterloo, Ont.-based business found 90 per cent of its survey respondents reported that organizations are prioritizing safety.
However, when asked about why safety may not be a priority for their organization, 46 per cent of those surveyed answered cost pressures and 35 per cent said a lack of resources.
That doesn’t surprise Wall. Delays have become rampant in the development of tech, and in some cases, stand to push back the launch of vehicle lines by two years, he said.
“We have to make sure that people don’t compromise on safety and security to be able to get products out quicker,” he said.
“What we don’t want to see is people cutting corners and creating unsafe situations.”
The survey also took a peek at security breaches, which have hit major companies like London Drugs, Indigo Books & Music, Giant Tiger and Ticketmaster in recent years.
About 40 per cent of the survey’s respondents said they have encountered a security breach in their employer’s operating system. Those breaches resulted in major impacts for 27 per cent of respondents, moderate impacts for 42 per cent and minor impacts for 27 per cent.
“There are vulnerabilities all the time and this is what makes the job very difficult because when you ship the software, presumably the software has no security vulnerabilities, but things get discovered after the fact,” Wall said.
Security issues, he added, have really come to the forefront of the problems developers face, so “really without security, you have no safety.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2024.
As online shoppers hunt for bargains offered by Amazon during its annual fall sale this week, cybersecurity researchers are warning Canadians to beware of an influx of scammers posing as the tech giant.
In the 30 days leading up to Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days, taking place Tuesday and Wednesday, there were more than 1,000 newly registered Amazon-related web domains, according to Check Point Software Technologies, a company that offers cybersecurity solutions.
The company said it deemed 88 per cent of those domains malicious or suspicious, suggesting they could have been set up by scammers to prey on vulnerable consumers. One in every 54 newly created Amazon-related domain included the phrase “Amazon Prime.”
“They’re almost indiscernible from the real Amazon domain,” said Robert Falzon, head of engineering at Check Point in Canada.
“With all these domains registered that look so similar, it’s tricking a lot of people. And that’s the whole intent here.”
Falzon said Check Point Research sees an uptick in attempted scams around big online shopping days throughout the year, including Prime Days.
Scams often come in the form of phishing emails, which are deceptive messages that appear to be from a reputable source in attempt to steal sensitive information.
In this case, he said scammers posing as Amazon commonly offer “outrageous” deals that appear to be associated with Prime Days, in order to trick recipients into clicking on a malicious link.
The cybersecurity firm said it has identified and blocked 100 unique Amazon Prime-themed scam emails targeting organizations and consumers over the past two weeks.
Scammers also target Prime members with unsolicited calls, claiming urgent account issues and requesting payment information.
“It’s like Christmas for them,” said Falzon.
“People expect there to be significant savings on Prime Day, so they’re not shocked that they see something of significant value. Usually, the old adage applies: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”
Amazon’s website lists a number of red flags that it recommends customers watch for to identify a potential impersonation scam.
Those include false urgency, requests for personal information, or indications that the sender prefers to complete the purchase outside of the Amazon website or mobile app.
Scammers may also request that customers exclusively pay with gift cards, a claim code or PIN. Any notifications about an order or delivery for an unexpected item should also raise alarm bells, the company says.
“During busy shopping moments, we tend to see a rise in impersonation scams reported by customers,” said Amazon spokeswoman Octavia Roufogalis in a statement.
“We will continue to invest in protecting consumers and educating the public on scam avoidance. We encourage consumers to report suspected scams to us so that we can protect their accounts and refer bad actors to law enforcement to help keep consumers safe.”
Falzon added that these scams are more successful than people might think.
As of June 30, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre said there had been $284 million lost to fraud so far this year, affecting 15,941 victims.
But Falzon said many incidents go unreported, as some Canadians who are targeted do not know how or where to flag a scam, or may choose not to out of embarrassment.
Check Point recommends Amazon customers take precautions while shopping on Prime Days, including by checking URLs carefully, creating strong passwords on their accounts, and avoiding personal information being shared such as their birthday or social security number.
The cybersecurity company said consumers should also look for “https” at the beginning of a website URL, which indicates a secure connection, and use credit cards rather than debit cards for online shopping, which offer better protection and less liability if stolen.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2024.
