The Arrival of 2018 Flagship Phones: A New Era of Performance and Innovation

As we welcome the arrival of the first batch of 2018 flagship phones, it's clear that there's a pattern emerging. Many of these devices are utilizing the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset, which was announced back in December and has been eagerly anticipated by tech enthusiasts. The fact that major players like Sony, Samsung, and ASUS are already releasing flagship devices with the Snapdragon 845 in them sets high expectations for what 2018 flagships will be able to deliver.

One of the key areas where we can expect significant improvements is in terms of power and performance. With a 30% increase in CPU and GPU processing speeds, as well as a 30% reduction in power consumption, these devices are going to be more powerful than their predecessors. This upgrade in chipset will undoubtedly result in faster performance, better battery life, and improved overall user experience.

In addition to the boost in performance, we're also seeing some exciting new features that are expected to become standard on future flagships. One of my personal favorites is 10-bit HDR capture, which has been a feature of some high-end devices in the past but is now becoming more mainstream. This means that these phones will be able to capture and display images with more color depth and nuance than ever before. With 10 bits instead of the usual 8, each color now has a lot more shades to work with, reducing banding in images and resulting in a more lifelike image. Furthermore, this new chip will be able to handle the Rec. 2020 color gamut, which supports over eight billion colors - a far cry from the 16 million colors available on traditional displays.

Another feature that we're seeing a lot of is super slow motion, with devices like the Sony XZ2 and Samsung S9 Plus capable of recording footage at 960 frames per second, and even some phones going as high as 240 frames per second. This means that we can expect to see a lot more epic shots in social media feeds, especially when it comes to capturing everyday moments.

But what really sets these devices apart is the advanced camera technology they offer. Not only do these cameras capture stunning images, but they also come equipped with AI and depth-sensing capabilities thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845's hexagon vector processor - commonly referred to as an NPU. This allows for features like real-time AR, which enables users to capture their face using the front camera and turn it into a realistic emoji that can be sent in real-time animated videos.

We're also seeing some impressive advancements in facial tracking technology, with devices like the ASUS Zenphone 5Z offering software-based solutions that don't require any additional hardware. This is particularly notable on the Sony XZ2, which features 3D Creator - a feature that allows users to scan their face or any object using either the front or back camera and create a 3D model.

Another exciting area of innovation in these devices is the integration of AR objects into our world. We've seen this technology start to become more mainstream with previous generations of phones, but the new gen takes it even further. With faster and better performance, these devices can now put AR objects into our world with greater precision than ever before.

On the audio side, we're seeing some significant advancements as well. Hi-res audio is becoming a standard feature on many 845-based devices, including the Sony XZ2 and ASUS 5Z. This refers to better-than-CD quality audio that's capable of delivering high fidelity sound at higher bit rates. Qualcomm's aptX-HD technology allows for this streaming over Bluetooth, making it possible for users to enjoy their favorite music or podcasts without any hassle.

However, there is one feature that's becoming increasingly rare - the headphone jack. As we continue to move towards USB-C as a standard port, it seems like many manufacturers are opting out of including this traditional audio input on their devices. So, if you're planning to use your new phone's audio capabilities, make sure you stock up on 3.5mm to USB-C adapters.

Finally, one of the most exciting features that we're seeing in these devices is Always Listening Hot Word Detection, which enables voice assistants like Google Assistant and Bixby to activate without needing any external input. This means that users can just say a specific keyword or phrase to activate their preferred assistant - all while using minimal power.

As we welcome the arrival of these new flagship phones, it's clear that 2018 is shaping up to be an exciting year for tech innovation. With improved performance, advanced camera capabilities, and innovative features like AR and AI-powered audio, these devices are set to revolutionize the way we interact with our technology.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- So the first batch of2018 flagship phones arealready arriving andmmm, there's a pattern.A lot of the devices are utilizingthe Qualcomm Snapdragon 845that I spoke about when itwas released back in Decemberand I was actually really excited about.And even though it's onlybeen a short bit sincethe chipset was announced, allof the normal major playersare already releasing flagshipswith the Snapdragon 845in it and the features that it enables.Which means that alreadywe're kind of getting a set ofexpectations on what2018 flagships will beand all of these coolfeatures that they'll have.So firstly, they're allgoing to be more powerful.Duh.30 percent more powerfulin terms of CPU and GPU,processing speeds actuallyas well as 30 percent less power hungrythanks again to that Snapdragon 845.So as usual, with an upgrade in a chipset,faster performance, betterbattery life, check.Next, we have one of myfavorite features that I hopewill make it into more and more flagships:10 bit HDR capture.The Sony XZ2, for example,is the first devicethat'll be able to support this.Now without getting tootechnical, basically this meansthat there's a lot more datafor videos to work with.Instead of just having eightbits like we're used to,there's now ten and that means each colornow has a lot moreshades that can be shown.This reduces banding in imagesand it makes for a more lifelike image.In addition to the color depth,there's just more colors to work with.So instead of the Rec. 709space that we're used tothat has sixteen million colors,this new chip will be ableto handle Rec. 2020which supports over eight billion colors.This type of color gamut anddepth isn't even available oncameras that cost thousands of dollarsand now it's going to be on phonesthat we all carry around, shortly.Another feature regarding the camerathat you're going to see alot of is super slow motion.From the 960 frames persecond short burst slow mothat the Sony XZ2 and theSamsung S9 and S9 Plus have,to prolonged high frame ratesat 240 frames per secondin all of these devices.Expect your social feeds tohave a lot more epic shotsof people throwing crap in the air.Combined with the cameras onthese devices come a bunch ofAI and depth-sensingtechnology thanks in big partto that Qualcomm Snapdragon845's hexagon vector processor,what other companies wouldprobably call an NPU.For example, prepare tosee a lot of realtime AR.AR emoji on the S9, for example,allows you to capture yourface using the front cameraand turn you into an emojithat you can send realtimeanimated videos and other thingswith your facial expressions.The Sony XZ2 has 3DCreator which you can usethe front or back camera to scan your faceand make a 3D modelor you can actually even scan any object.And the ASUS Zenphone 5Zhas ZenMoji which is similarto the S9's AR emoji.And this shows that, like, facial trackingwithout having all thiscrazy hardware on the frontusing just software and thecameras is getting pretty good.Right?The last thing I'llmention about the camerason these things is the puttingof AR objects into our worldeasier without that added hardware.Now we've seen this withplenty of 835 devicesand iPhones so far, but thisnew gen is even more precise.It just has faster, better performance.Now I still don't really havea huge use for AR like thisbut it's still justreally cool in my opinionto see how far this tech is comingand how quickly it's happening.Now on the audio side, hi-res audioand even hi-res audio over bluetoothis becoming a standardin all of these phones.Now if you're not familiar,hi-res audio is kind of the branding termor standard that meansbetter than CD quality audio.Now many 845-based devicesincluding the Sony XZ2and ASUS 5Z use the Qualcomm Aqstic codecor DAC that can deliverhigh fidelity audioat these high bit rates.Now for bluetooth, theprevalent tech for hi-res audiois furnished by Qualcomm'saptX-HD instead of justthe normal apt-X that wesaw a lot of last year.It allows for that 24-bitaudio to be streamedover bluetooth to a compatible headset.Basically, all of theflagship devices announcedat Mobile World Congress andprobably a lot going forwardthat utilize that 845 haveall of these features enabledso audio files can probably rejoice.But, just make sure that you stock upon 3.5mm to USB-C adaptersbecause the headphone jackit's becoming an endangered species.Now another feature along theline of audio is the fact thatthanks to the same codec in these devices,they can enable AlwaysListening Hot Word Detectionwhile utilizing pretty much no power.The Sony XZ2, for example,can activate Google Assistantwithout needing to be plugged inor even having the screen on.Same for Bixby on the Samsung S9.So you can just say \"HeyGoogle\" or \"Hi Bixby\"and it'll just be ready to gomaking it a lot more useful,in my opinion, makingit a lot more like thevoice assistants that I'm usedto dealing with in my houselike Google Home and the Amazon Echo.Now along with all of this,it seems that more and moreof the flagships arefinally getting onboard withnot only Gigabit LTE,more info on that in myvideo below that I'll link,but with second genGigabit LTE, from the 845giving them peak downloadingspeeds of up to 1.2 gigabitsper second which, by theway, is already availablein some markets and justfuture proofs them for the onesthat are all coming shortly.There you guys.There's just a couple of the featuresthat I'm super excited abouton flagship 2018 phonesthat are all coming out.I think it's kind of coolbut let me know what you guys thinkin the comments below.We love to hear from youguys about this video,about all these features,the new phones that areall being announced.You can check out my othervideos on those as well.I've linked those down below.But yeah, if you liked this video,please thumbs up it or share it.It's greatly appreciated.Please subscribe if you'renot already and make sureto hit the bell next to\"Subscribe\" to be notifiedwhenever I do new videosif you're interested.And, as always, regardless,thanks for watching.(Upbeat music)\n"