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Finished Your Wordle For the Day? Try These Puzzles Next

Finished Your Wordle For the Day? Try These Puzzles Next

If you're still playing Wordle and need even more puzzles to keep the mind ticking, there are a ton of games worth your time.

Wordle asks players to figure out a five-letter word in six or fewer guesses (get some tips here). After each guess, the game shows gray blocks for wrong letters, yellow blocks for right letters in the wrong spot and green blocks for right letters in the correct spot. It's addictive, but after you solve the daily puzzle or use up all your guesses, you have to wait until the next day to play again.

You've likely already learned some tips, tricks and lessons from the popular word game, so why not apply your newly honed problem-solving skills to other puzzles, too? After all, Wordle isn't the only game in town. Here are 24 other puzzle games to play.

Multiple word Wordle spinoffs: Quordle, Octordle, Dordle and Sedecordle

Are you up for a challenge? If you love Wordle and want a puzzle game that takes more brain power, you'll want to check out Quordle, Octordle, Dordle and Sedecordle. Each of these four word games look very similar to Wordle, but add more rows, columns and words to solve. Dordle requires you to solve two words at once. Quordle, four at once. Octordle, eight, and Sedecordle a whopping 16. Good luck. 

You can play Quordle, Octordle, Dordle or Sedecordle on any web browser.

Word Master

This Wordle remake gives you six tries to guess a five-letter word but with a slight tweak. Word Master uses gray, yellow and green blocks in the same way as the original. How is it different from Wordle? Word Master offers unlimited games so you don't have to wait 24 hours.

You can play Word Master on any web browser.

Hello Wordl

Hello Wordl -- another Wordle remake -- gives you six tries to guess a word and uses the same colored blocks to track your progress. In addition to unlimited games, Hello Wordl also lets you change the number of letters in the word you're guessing. Guess a four-letter word or use the in-game slider to go all the way up to an 11-letter word. You still get six chances to guess no matter how long a word is, though.

You can play Hello Wordl on any web browser.

Lewdle

Before you play Lewdle, the game's content advisory reads, "Lewdle is a game about rude words. If you're likely to be offended by the use of profanity, vulgarity or obscenity, go play Wordle instead!" Translation: It's Wordle, but with bad words. The words range from mild -- like poopy -- to words that would make a sailor blush. However, despite the numerous bad words the game pulls from, slurs are not included. Like Wordle, you get six tries to guess a five-letter word; gray, yellow and green blocks are used in the same way; and there's only one puzzle per day. Go forth and let the bad words flow!

You can play Lewdle on any web browser.

Absurdle

Absurdle bills itself as the "adversarial version" of Wordle. While Wordle nudges you in the right direction with each guess, Absurdle "is actively trying to avoid giving you the answer," according to the game's website. Absurdle doesn't pick a word at the beginning of the game for the player to guess. Instead it uses the player's guesses to narrow its list of words down in an effort to make the game go as long as possible. The final word might not even include a yellow letter from one of your earlier guesses either. You can guess as many times as you want, which is helpful, and the best score you can get is four guesses. Have fun!

You can play Absurdle on any web browser.

Crosswordle

Sure, Wordle is fun, but what if there was a crossword element to it? Enter Crosswordle. In this Wordle-inspired game, you have to figure out two words of varying lengths that intersect with each other like a crossword puzzle. The gray, yellow and green color blocks are the same, and there's one puzzle a day. However, it looks like you can guess as many times as you want until you either get the words or give up. Unlike other Wordle-based games, Crosswordle lets you create your own custom Crosswordle puzzle to share with your friends. Here's one I made. If Crosswordle wasn't hard enough, the Settings page shows the developers are working on a Hard Mode.

You can play Crosswordle on any web browser.

Antiwordle

Tired of seeing those green blocks plastered all over your social media feed? Give Antiwordle a shot. Where Wordle wants you to guess a word every day in as few tries as possible, Antiwordle wants you to avoid the word by guessing as many times as possible. When you guess, letters will turn gray, yellow or red. Gray means the letter isn't in the word and can't be used again, yellow means the letter is in the word and must be included in each subsequent guess and red means the letter is in the exact position within the word and is locked in place. If you can use every letter on the keyboard and not get the word right, you win. It sounds easy, but I've found this version of Wordle to be much harder than the original.

You can play Antiwordle on any web browser.

Lordle of the Rings

Lordle of the Rings is for the Tolkien fan who wants in on the Wordle fun. The gray, yellow and green blocks are here, and players have six tries to guess a five-letter word from the main Lord of the Rings text. Possible guesses include places like Rohan, well-known characters like Frodo and Smaug and lesser known characters like Turin, Hurin and Idril. There's only one puzzle a day, but you can play that puzzle more than once in the same day if you want.

You can play Lordle of the Rings on any web browser.

Primel

If you are more of a numbers person, Primel is for you. In this game, you get six tries to guess a five-digit prime number. The gray, yellow and green color blocks are back, and you only get one puzzle a day. What makes this game even more frustrating though is the game only accepts prime numbers as guesses, so that alone is difficult. Throw in the Wordle aspect and you're sure to be scratching your head.

You can play Primel on any web browser.

Nerdle

Nerdle is another option for people who are more into numbers. This time though you have to guess the math equation and solution. You get six chances to guess the equation and solution, and the equation must be mathematically sound, too, so don't forget PEMDAS. After each guess, numbers or symbols that are in the correct spot will be green; numbers or symbols in the wrong place in the equation will be purple; numbers or symbols not in the equation will be black. After you finish one puzzle, you have to wait eight hours before the next one. Here's a hint: The "=" sign is always in the puzzle. You can thank us later.

You can play Nerdle on any web browser. 

IYKYK

IYKYK is a combination of Wordle and the card game #CultureTags and was made by the same team behind #CultureTags, too. In this game, you are given an acronym and have to figure out the acronym in three guesses or less. You are given the first letter of each word, how many letters are in each word and a hint after your second guess, and the green, yellow and gray blocks make an appearance here, too. While this game is based off #CultureTags, the acronyms used in that game aren't repeated in IYKYK. 

You can play IYKYK on any web browser. 

Worldle

Don't like words or numbers? Give Worldle a shot. This geography-based Wordle spinoff gives you six tries to guess what country or territory is shown. Instead of gray, yellow and green blocks marking letters or numbers after each guess, you see distance, direction and proximity percentage, like a game of hot and cold. For example, if you guess Chile, Worldle might show you 13,557 kilometers and an arrow pointing northeast with 32%. This means the correct country or territory is 13,557 km to the northeast of Chile and there is a 32% proximity rate. Translation: You're cold. There's only one puzzle a day, and there are options to make the game harder by either not showing the country or rotating the country shown randomly. 

You can play Worldle on any web browser.

Heardle

Can you guess a song just from listening to the first few seconds? Heardle is for you. In this game, a song is chosen from a list of popularly streamed artists, one second of the song is played and you have to name the song. You have six guesses, and more of the song is unlocked with each wrong guess. You can skip a turn, too, and that also unlocks more of the song. Once you've solved or missed the puzzle, a timer will show how long until the next puzzle.

You can play Heardle on any web browser.

Name That Ride

Are you a gearhead who can tell the difference between a '55 and a '57 Chevy Bel Air? You should try Name That Ride. In this game, you have 20 seconds and six guesses to name the vehicle in the picture, as more of the image reveals itself. When you think you know what vehicle is in the picture, you click Guess -- which pauses the timer -- and type in your answer. There's a preset list of cars, so even if you aren't sure of a car's year, you can make an educated guess.

You can play Name That Ride on any web browser.

Lookdle

Lookdle is similar to Name That Ride, but this game has you guess which famous person is shown in a pixelated picture. You get five guesses, and with each wrong guess the picture comes more into focus. There is also a preset list of names you can choose from, but the list doesn't have every famous person in it. That can be good since it narrows down who can be in each picture, or it can be bad because who you think is in the picture might not be an option. 

You can play Lookdle on any web browser. 

Framed

If you know what movie is showing by seeing a few frames, then give Framed a try. In this game, you have to guess the name of a movie from a series of frames. You have six guesses, and with each wrong guess you are shown a new frame from the movie. You can click back through the frames to re-examine them as well. In my experience, the frames go from pretty innocuous to more specific. Like other games on this list, there is a preset list of movies to guess from which could help narrow down what the movie is without using a guess.

You can play Framed on any web browser.

Words With Friends is a classic, and it's still a popular word game.

Zynga

Words With Friends

What kind of list of word games would this be without this classic? Words With Friends plays like a virtual game of Scrabble and is still popular more than a decade after its original launch. You and your opponent, either another person or the computer, get letters and make words on the board for points and whoever has the most points at the end wins. 

You can download Words With Friends from the Apple App Store, Google Play Store or play it in any web browser.

Word Forward

Word Forward is like Boggle but with power-ups and tools to help you. You play on a five-by-five board of letters and try to make words with those letters. When you make a word, the used letters vanish. You keep going until you clear the board. If you get stuck, you can use your power-ups and tools to eliminate some letters or jumble the board to replace the letters with new ones.

You can buy Word Forward in the App Store, the Play Store, the Nintendo Game Store for the Nintendo Switch or on Steam.

Wordscapes gives players letters and asks them to fill in a crossword puzzle with those letters.

Google Play

Wordscapes

Wordscapes is a mix between Boggle and a crossword puzzle. You are given a bank of letters at the bottom of your screen and there's a crossword puzzle at the top. You make words with the letters in your bank and fill out the crossword with them. Once you complete the puzzle, you're rewarded with a nice landscape picture.

You can download Wordscapes from the App Store or the Play Store.

Kitty Letter

Kitty Letter is a word game from the creators behind The Oatmeal and Exploding Kittens. In the game, you unscramble letters to make words which then turn into armies of cats. What do the cats do? They attack either the player or computer you are playing against, as well as defend your home. It's an absurd tower defense game where your words create legions of cats willing to fight on your behalf.

You can download Kitty Letter from the App Store or the Play Store.

SpellTower

In SpellTower, letters rise from the bottom of the screen and you have to assemble words as quickly as possible. Each word you make eliminates the used letters, and if any letter reaches the top of your screen the game ends. It's like Tetris in that regard. There are also 10 other game modes, including Search Mode, where you try to find the longest word using specific letters. 

You can download SpellTower from the App Store or the Play Store. You can also get it on Apple Arcade -- there's a subscription fee for the service, but you'll get this and other games ad-free and with in-app purchases already unlocked.

For more word game fun, check out CNET's Wordle tips, the best Wordle jokes and how to play past Wordle puzzles. If you haven't downloaded Wordle yet, here's how you can do it today.

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Dji phantom 3 professional 4k drone dji phantom 3 standard review dji phantom 3 advanced review dji phantom 3 se review dji phantom 3 pro dji phantom 3 professional drone dji phantom 3 professional battery dji phantom 3 dji phantom 3 standard

DJI Phantom 3 Professional review: Stunning 4K aerial footage that doesn't break the bank

DJI Phantom 3 Professional review: Stunning 4K aerial footage that doesn't break the bank

DJI's Phantom series have become a benchmark for consumer drones -- or quadcopters, if you prefer -- thanks to their simple setup, ease of flying and relatively low price. The current king of the lineup, the Phantom 3 Professional, raises the bar even higher with the addition of 4K video recording from its stabilised camera.

Its design is almost unchanged from the previous Phantom 2 series , with a chunky white plastic body, and it's still incredibly easy to learn to fly. It has improved image sensors too, which provide superior footage than previously available, and ground-scanning sensors to help it fly indoors. If you want to take your home movies to the next level, but don't want to fork out the many thousands for professional-level drones, the Phantom 3 is a superb starting point.

There are currently three versions of the drone available. The Phantom 3 Professional (which I review here) shoots video in 4K (3,820x2,160-pixel) resolution and retails for $1,259, £1,159 or AU$1,950. The Phantom 3 Advanced is functionally identical, but shoots video in 1080p (1,920x1,080); it costs $999, £899 or AU$1,550. Both of those debuted in April, but they were just joined by a third model, the more affordablePhantom 3 Standard ($799, £649 or AU$1,299), which strips away some of the better features of its sibling models and includes the same controller as the older Phantom 2 Vision+. (Meanwhile, DJI has also scheduled a press conference in Los Angeles later this month, making another new drone announcement likely.)

Ultimately, the Advanced is arguably the sweet spot, given the fact that its 1080p video will more than suffice for most eyes (discerning the extra detail on 4K displays is a challenge, to say the least). But for those who must have 4K, the Phantom 3 Pro delivers best-in-class video for many thousands less than you'll pay for professional drones.

Design

The Phantom 3 looks pretty much identical to DJI's previous Phantom models: a stout white plastic body, four rotors and narrow, fixed landing legs slung beneath. It's light enough to carry in one hand and, when you unscrew the rotor blades, it's just about small enough to fit into a decent-sized backpack. It's certainly more portable than the much larger Inspire 1 drone.

Andrew Hoyle/CNET

It feels as well built as before, with the capacity to survive both the odd bump into a wall or a small crash while you're getting the hang of flying it. I managed to fly it straight into the roof of my house where it plummeted three storeys to the grass below. Aside from a few cosmetic scuffs, it was absolutely fine, and continues to fly without any trouble.

The rotor blades are easily replaceable if you snap a few. Just unscrew them from the motors on each of the drone's four corners. You'll know how to do it already, since the blades are the only parts you need to assemble out of the box.

The controller is roughly similar to previous versions, with two main sticks and a clamp to hold a tablet -- I used my iPad Mini without a problem -- which acts as the display for the drone's camera via the DJI Pilot app. There are small, fold-down brackets to hold a smartphone, with the app optimised for use with the iPhone 5S , 6 and 6 Plus . It was easier, however, to view the footage and use the app's small on-screen buttons on the the tablet's larger screen. Android device support is thin, with just the Samsung Galaxy S5 and Note 3 , Sony Xperia Z3, Google Nexus 7 II , Google Nexus 9 , Xiaomi Mi 3 and ZTE Nubia Z7 mini listed.

Andrew Hoyle/CNET

On each top corner of the controller are buttons for starting and stopping recording and quickly changing camera settings like the exposure and angle of view. Using these physical controls is much easier than poking at the tiny on-screen controls while the drone is airborne.

Setup

Getting started with the drone is incredibly easy. When you take it out of the box, just start charging the battery and the controller (a supplied lead charges both through one plug), and download the DJI Pilot app onto your iOS or Android device.

Once everything is charged, switch on the controller and the drone, pop your phone or tablet into the bracket and connect your mobile device with its usual charging cable to the controller. Then, after a few simple steps on the app, you're connected and ready to go -- around five minutes of playing around had me up and running.

Before you take off for the first time, you can use the app as a training guide. You pilot a virtual drone around a field on-screen, allowing you to familiarise yourself with the main controls, without risking smashing your new toy into a tree. Even so, the first time you use it should be in a very open space, and you should stick to basic manoeuvres until you get the hang of it.

Andrew Hoyle/CNET

When you first get your drone, it's worth checking DJI's downloads site for any available firmware updates -- oddly, I didn't see an update notification in the app, even though there was one to download. Updating the camera firmware is a long process, albeit fairly straightforward. You'll need to pop the camera's microSD card into your computer, download the firmware, unzip it and put it on the card. After you insert the card back into the drone and turn it on, it'll take about 20 minutes to install it, bleeping the whole time.

Flying the drone

The DJI 3 is every bit as easy to fly as its predecessors. Even just 10 minutes of casual flying around an open area is sufficient time to learn the basics. It helps that the drone is incredibly responsive and can accelerate -- and, more importantly, decelerate -- extremely quickly. If you see you're getting too close to some trees, a quick movement on the stick will instantly change its course to get you out of trouble or simply return the sticks to neutral to stop it in its tracks.

At close range (up to around 30 metres, or 100 feet) I find it easy to pilot the drone simply by looking at it. Once it gets a bit further away -- or it's above you, visibly lost against the bright sky -- then it's more convenient to use the camera view on your tablet, seeing what it's seeing, to help navigate. It automatically corrects for wind, so slight gusts won't throw it off course, but trying to get closeup footage of a tornado is not a good idea.

Andrew Hoyle/CNET

New sensors on the bottom of the drone point down and detect patterns on the floor to lock on to, in order to remain stable when flying indoors, where a GPS signal (used for stability outdoors) isn't available. Although you could technically fly any of the previous drones indoors, the new sensors provide better stability, making it able to hover in a fixed location without any control from you. This made a big difference in my testing as I was able to fly the drone from inside my living room out of the window.

Of course, you have to be much more careful than when flying outdoors as there are various factors which make it less stable. Flying above a plain surface, for example, will give the cameras nothing to lock onto, and above about 2 metres (6 feet), it doesn't detect the ground at all and can easily start to drift off course. I managed to crash it inside the CNET office when I flew it about 6 metres (about 20 feet) above the floor and it wasn't able to hold its position. It was, thankfully, unharmed.

DJI reckons you can get around 20-23 minutes of flight time from a full charge of the drone's battery, which I'd say is accurate. It does depend on how vigorously you're flying though, so if you do plan on really hitting top speed at high altitudes, expect a little less time. Although that's pretty standard for this type of drone, it's still very limiting if you want to take it away to a specific location to capture footage.

The batteries are removable, and you can buy spares, but they'll set you back around £125, $149 or AU$205 each. Batteries compatible with previous models are not compatible with the Phantom 3.

Andrew Hoyle/CNET

A return-to-home function will automatically bring the drone safely back to your location to land when it detects that the batteries are critically low -- it won't simply fall out of the sky. You can also press the return to home button on screen and there's one on the controller too. It will automatically bring the drone back to the location it took off from, which is a handy failsafe option to have if you begin to lose sight of it and want to bring it back to you safely.

Camera

As with the predecessor, the camera is slung beneath the drone -- but this time with a bunch of significant upgrades. It has the same 1/2.3-inch sensor, although it's been tweaked to provide better dynamic range. Exposure is generally more balanced. Bright skies are kept under control, while the darker ground is kept easily visible.

The Phantom Vision 2's camera had a habit of either exposing for the bright sky, plunging the ground into shadow, or exposing for the ground, resulting in a washed-out sky. The Phantom 3 does a considerably better job, producing rich, well balanced footage.

Andrew Hoyle/CNET

The headline feature on the Professional model is its ability to shoot video in Ultra HD 4K resolution. It brings a tonne of detail when viewing the footage on a high resolution monitor, which is particularly noticeable when looking at small details on house roofs far below. The benefit of 4K footage isn't just to look crisp on a 4K monitor, it also gives you a lot of room to crop into the frame, while still maintaining full HD quality or better.

If you're shooting a specific object, this extra resolution allows you to digitally stabilise the footage, smoothing out any slight movements of the drone and ensuring the object stays perfectly central, without sacrificing any quality.

It can do this at frame rates of 24, 25 or 30 frames per second too, the latter of which will be great for long, smooth shots. If your shots require faster motion from the camera and the subject, then shooting at 60fps in Full HD will produce much smoother footage.

With the wheels on each corner of the controller you can tilt the camera up or down, and to pan simply turn the drone on its axis. You can point it exactly down, which gives a really neat view of the landscape, particularly when you take it really high. One of the main differences between this and the pricier DJI Inspire 1 drone is that there's no ability to control the camera using a second controller. If you want to shoot a subject with one person flying the drone past, with a second producer independently controlling the camera (which can pan and tilt in all directions), you'll need to splash more cash for the Inspire.

Andrew Hoyle/CNET

The lens on the camera has a 90-degree field of view, which is narrower than the previous version. That may seem a step down, but it's actually for a very good reason. The extreme wide angles used by the Phantom 2 caused distortion of the image, particularly at the corners, meaning a lot of digital correction had to be used, if the footage was for a professional purpose. It's particularly noticeable when panning around a horizon, as you can visibly see the horizon curving down at the edge.

The narrower angle does make a huge difference, with considerably less distortion of the image. As well as just producing nicer-looking footage for your Facebook feed, professionals among you will appreciate the time saved by not having to digitally correct it.

Andrew Hoyle/CNET

The camera is mounted on the same three-axis stabilising gimbal, which automatically corrects for any slight movements of the drone, and smoothing out vibrations from the rotors. It works incredibly well and results in much smoother footage, without the unpleasant jerks and bumps seen from drones that don't use stabilisation -- including DJI's Phantom 2.

Do keep in mind that when flying the drone at high speeds, or turning quickly, the gimbal will have to move the camera at a more extreme upwards angle to the extent that it's possible to see the rotors in the top portion of the image. Smooth motions will therefore produce the best results. You can see some of our test footage in the following video:

Live streaming

A neat new feature on the Phantom 3 is the ability to stream live video from the drone to YouTube. The DJI app makes it easy to set up live streaming -- you also need to enable your YouTube account for live video on the desktop site. It needs a good data connection, so if you're using a tablet or phone that doesn't have a SIM card, you'll need to tether it to your phone.

Streaming video is no easy task for a mobile connection, so you'll want to make sure you're on a fast 4G LTE connection for it to work properly. When I was on 3G, the YouTube stream being watched remotely was extremely jumpy and froze numerous times. On 4G, however, it was much smoother and gave a good view of the action. Its lower quality and lower frame rate means it's far less smooth than video taken directly from the camera, but it's perfectly watchable, particularly when the drone remains fairly still in the air.

Andrew Hoyle/CNET

It might not be a killer feature for many of you, but it could be handy for news journalists wanting to give a top-down view of an unfolding event. Engineers too may find it useful to be able to fly into a potentially dangerous building and send footage back, without risking injury by entering themselves.

Conclusion

The DJI Phantom 3 Professional drone is simple to set up and incredibly easy to learn to fly, making it an accessible piece of kit even to those with only a vague knowledge of technology. Its drastically improved image quality, addition of 4K resolution and its excellent stabilising gimbal allows it to capture brilliant footage, with none of the jerkiness or exposure issues seen on earlier models.

Ultimately, the stepdown Phantom 3 Advanced -- with all of the same features except a 1080p camera in place of the Pro's 4K one -- is the better choice for most flyers, but anyone who needs the extra resolution (or the comfort of futureproofing) will find the Phantom 3 Pro a solid choice. Either one is a much more affordable entry into aerial videography than any professional drone, and is well worth considering, whether you're an enthusiastic amateur filmmaker or simply want to add cool, creative shots to your home videos.

CNET Senior Editor Josh Goldman contributed to this review.

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https://nichols.my.id/how-to-fix-your-sleep-schedule.html

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iPhone SE vs. Pixel 6A Camera Comparison: One Outshines the Other

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iPhone SE vs. Pixel 6A Camera Comparison: One Outshines the Other

What's happening

Google released the $449 Pixel 6A, which directly competes with the $429 iPhone SE (the 2022 version).

Why it matters

Typically phones under $500 don't have great cameras, but the Pixel 6A and iPhone SE are two of the exceptions.

What's next

We were curious which phone had better cameras, the iPhone SE or the Pixel 6A. So we spent 10 days testing both.

The new $449 Pixel 6A from Google is undoubtedly a great value in terms of cost and the features you get. But in order for a phone to be affordable, companies have to make compromises. Typically the two most common trade-offs involve downgrading a phone's processor and cameras. But with the Pixel 6A, Google took a different route than most low-cost Android phones. It has the same Google Tensor chip that powers the more expensive Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro and the tried-and-true camera hardware from the Google Pixel 5.

The result? The Pixel 6A is both affordable and takes good photos and videos. But luckily for us, it's not the only phone to do so. Apple's $429 iPhone SE (2022) also aims to be thrifty and have a good camera. So naturally, I had to compare the two.

Keep in mind that both Apple and Google use machine learning and processing to counter the limitations from their tiny lenses and camera sensors. The iPhone SE gets its wallet-friendly price because it essentially has an iPhone 8 body and camera hardware but the A15 Bionic chip from the iPhone 13 Pro, which costs twice as much. That processor does a lot of heavy lifting to breathe new life into camera hardware that originally came out in 2017.

After spending 10 days taking photos and recording videos around San Francisco, I realized two things. The first is that the Pixel 6A and iPhone SE are two of the best low-cost phones you can buy that have good cameras. The second is that one of these phones consistently took better photos than the other. And this surprised me.

Read more: Google Pixel 6A Review: The Best Android Phone Under $500

Sometimes two cameras are better than one

In a world where companies try to cram as many cameras, even if they're mediocre, into a low-cost phone, it's refreshing to see that Apple and Google don't. Thankfully you won't find a sub-par telephoto camera or a craptacular macro camera on either phone. Instead, the iPhone SE has a single 7-megapixel selfie camera and a single 12-megapixel, wide-angle camera with OIS (optical image stabilization) on the back.

The Pixel 6A has a single 8-megapixel selfie camera, and two rear cameras: a 12.2-megapixel camera with an optically stabilized wide-angle lens and a 12-megapixel camera with ultrawide-angle optics. Right off the bat, this gives the Pixel a bit of an edge as it instantly becomes more versatile to use, especially in tight spaces.

The Pixel 6A can shoot raw or JPEG photos, while the iPhone SE can only take JPEG pictures.

The iPhone SE has a single rear camera while the Pixel 6A has two: one with a wide-angle lens and the other with an ultrawide.

Celso Bulgatti/CNET

Photos taken under good lighting

I am genuinely impressed by photos from both phones. Below are some of my favorite pictures that I took with the iPhone SE and Pixel 6A.

I like the way the Pixel 6A captures the colors of these houses.

Patrick Holland/CNET

A group selfie taken with the Pixel 6A.

Caitlin Petrakovitz/CNET

Notice the texture and patina that the Pixel 6A captured.

Patrick Holland/CNET

This iPhone SE photo was taken under some very bright morning sunshine.

Patrick Holland/CNET

I like the detail and colors in the palm trees in this photo from the iPhone SE.

Patrick Holland/CNET

This iPhone SE photo of the Women's Building in San Francisco has a nice mix of colors and detail.

Patrick Holland/CNET

But let's take a look at some photos from both phones to compare their quality. Below are photos I took outdoors of a cappuccino. The Pixel's photo has more contrast, whereas the iPhone's picture emphasizes brightness.

The photos below were taken while we were filming the companion video for this comparison. I was shocked by the different ways each phone made my pal and CNET colleague Celso Bulgatti look. The iPhone's photo made his hair look all gray, which I must stress it isn't. My guess is that the SE is trying to boost the shadows and reduce the contrast too much in order to make the photo brighter. On the other hand, everything in the Pixel's photo is more accurate.

Pictures taken in medium lighting and indoors are typically where cameras at this price point start to fall apart. Take a look below at photos I took of Maisie the cat. The photo from the Pixel 6 nails the texture of my cat's fur. It also has more detail and a better dynamic range than the iPhone's photo.

Ultrawide vs. wide-angle

One of the most obvious differences between the two phones is the fact that the Pixel 6A has a second camera with an ultrawide-angle lens and the iPhone SE doesn't.

The Pixel's ultrawide perfectly captures the dramatic view from the balcony inside Sightglass Coffee in San Francisco.

Patrick Holland/CNET

It's one of those things that you don't realize how much you use until you don't have it. There were numerous times where it came in handy whether that's capturing a city skyline without cutting off the tops of buildings like in the photos below.

Below are photos I took from the Craftsman and Wolves cafe in the Mission. The iPhone's photo barely fits all of the people in line. The Pixel's ultrawide photo shows more of the restaurant including the bakery counter, menus and ceiling.

Portrait mode: It's all about the cutout

Apple and Google are no stranger to Portrait mode which adds an artistic blur to the background of a photo. Previous iPhone and Pixel models offer some of the best Portrait modes you can find on any phone right now. But they're also very different.

Check out the Portrait mode photos below of my pal and CNET colleague Claire Reilly. The most obvious difference between the two pictures is that the Pixel's photo has a more out-of-focus background. On the iPhone SE, you can change how much background blur there is before or after taking a photo, which is helpful. But in the photo of Claire, I opted to let the SE choose how blurry to make the background.

Claire's cutout is good in both photos, but take a close look at the inside of her elbow. The SE didn't blur the background in that area.

The iPhone SE is missing night mode

Let's move on to night mode, which typically takes multiple images and combines them into a photo in order to improve the brightness and detail. This is an unfair comparison, because the Pixel 6A has a night mode, called Night Sight, and the iPhone SE doesn't.

This photo was taken using the Pixel 6A's Night Sight mode.

Patrick Holland/CNET

I took the photos below of a dark street around 10 o'clock at night. The iPhone's photo is much darker than the Pixel's Night Sight picture. To compensate for the darkness, the iPhone applies a lot of noise reduction, which makes the details soft. In particular look at the no parking signs in the background. You can't really read them in either photo, but you can at least see the words "parking" and "anytime" in the Pixel's picture. In the iPhone's photo, it looks like someone smeared the signs out.

Below are a couple photos I took inside a bar. Again, you can see the iPhone's photo is much darker with the shadows crunched to black. There's a lot less detail. The Pixel's Night Sight photo is brighter. Take a look under the bar where the stools are. Those stools are almost in complete darkness in the iPhone's photo. But in the Pixel's photo, you can see the detail of the wood slats that the stools are pressed up against.

The Pixel 6A offers wide and wider selfies

Each of these phones has a single selfie camera but the one on the Pixel 6A can switch between a wide view to an ultrawide view for group selfies. The iPhone's selfie camera is stuck at a rather narrow field of view. 

In the selfies below, notice the difference in details. The iPhone's picture is soft while the Pixel's photo is sharper and has a bigger depth of field, which helps keep everyone in focus for group shots.

The iPhone's video quality is hard to top

Both phones record 4K or 1080p resolution video at 30 or 60 frames per second. But the iPhone can also record at a more cinematic 24fps. Both phones have video stabilization, but you can dial in what kind of stability you want on the Pixel 6A. For example, there's an option called Cinematic Pan that steadies a panning shot.

In terms of image quality, the iPhone SE is a step ahead here. Videos have good dynamic range, little to no noise and details look crisp. Videos from the Pixel 6A look soft and often have image noise in the shadows. For video examples from both phones check out the companion video to this story.

Final verdict

After all of this testing, I do have a favorite. But let me say this. For phones that are under $450, both the iPhone SE and Pixel 6A are among the best you can buy to capture good photos and videos. But after doing this comparison, I'd grab a Pixel 6A. It's got an ultrawide-angle camera, and that Night Sight mode, which means more versatility. The iPhone SE does capture better video in terms of image quality, but the Pixel 6A's videos are still pretty good.

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Motorola moto x pure edition battery motorola moto x pure manual motorola moto x pure 4g reviews motorola moto x pure edition motorola moto x xt1060 google bypass motorola moto x motorola moto e motorola moto e6 motorola moto g play

Motorola Moto X Pure Edition (unlocked) review: Customization champ, but middle-of-the-pack phablet overall

Motorola Moto X Pure Edition (unlocked) review: Customization champ, but middle-of-the-pack phablet overall

I like the Moto X Pure Edition (or Style as its globally known), but I was honestly ready to love it. For one thing, it's an unlocked phone available directly from Motorola at a reasonable price, and it's designed to work on all of the major US wireless carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon and Sprint) -- that's a big step up from most unlocked phones that only work on the first two in that list. Likewise, the international Moto X Style should work on all the carriers in whichever territory it's sold -- and many countries will also get the stepdown Moto X Play phone, which is not currently slated for a US release.

In addition, this 5.7-inch follow-up to 2014's Motorola Moto X also promises the same customization options, like choosing between different trim colors and the material of the backing, that made me buy that model as my personal device. And in this sea of lookalike phones, this is a distinct advantage that the Moto X Pure Edition has over its rivals.

But instead, I was disappointed. Its larger design (up from 5.2 inches) feels far too cumbersome for smaller hands like mine. Battery life was unexceptional, its camera wasn't massively impressive and aside from a few minor tweaks, Motorola's Moto services don't feature anything substantially new.

When you compare it to a top-tier large-screen device like the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 , its drawbacks become even more obvious. And if you consider the current diverse landscape of unlocked handsets with the OnePlus 2 and ZTE Axon Pro , Motorola's phone doesn't quite come out on top. Though the Moto X was one of our favorite budget flagships last year, the same can't be said for the Moto X Pure Edition.

Availability

In the US, the handset starts at $400 unlocked ($100 less than last year's starting price). The price will increase, however, depending on storage capacity and certain design options.

In the UK the Style, as it's known, starts at £399 for 32GB of storage, with 64GB setting you back £434.

In Australia the Style is exclusive to Vodafone and only available on contract. It's available on both the AU$80 and AU$100 plans, for AU$3 of monthly handset repayments. That's a total cost over 24 months of AU$1,992 and AU$2,472 respectively.

Design and build

• 5.7-inch display with 2,560x1,440-pixel (2K) resolution
• 6.1 by 3 by 0.4 inches (154 by 76 by 11.1mm)
• 6.3 ounces (179 grams)

Compared to the 2014 Moto X , Motorola increased the Moto X Pure Edition's display by half an inch, bumping up the device's overall footprint. Though it isn't as big as the Google Nexus 6 (which was manufactured by Motorola before Google sold it off to Lenovo), the size jump still makes it notably bigger than the previous 5.2-inch Moto X . That means -- for some -- it won't fit in your front pockets easily and you can't maneuver it with one hand comfortably. I passed it around for several opinions, and even tall people with large hands noted problems reaching for the notifications shade with their thumbs.

We got our hands on a black variant with a walnut wood backing and silver trim.

Josh Miller/CNET

But putting aside the size, it's still an attractive, quality built handset. Its curved backing conforms to your palm and the screen's glass panel smoothly curves down the side edges. The control buttons are narrow, and the ridges on the power/sleep button makes it easier to identify by touch. And Motorola's metal M-dimple on the back of the previous generation has now shrunken in size and sits in an elegant metal strip that runs between it and the camera lens.

Keep in mind that unlike its cheaper Moto G counterpart that came out this year, the phone is not submersible underwater. It is water repellent though, so you won't have to worry about a few water droplets here and there.

The Moto X Pure Edition also has dual front speakers -- as in both speakers will output audio for music and movies (though only the bottom grille will output phone calls on speaker), resulting in a louder and fuller experience. This is different from last year's, which only used one stereo speaker for media, and the other served as the in-ear speaker for calls.

Most importantly, Motorola continues its legacy to enable users to customize the look of the device. You can start with either a black or white base color, choose the accent colors (as in, the color of the speaker grilles on the front and the metal strip on the back), and the color of the back, which also comes in different materials: plastic, wood, bamboo and leather.

Some may argue that the ability to customize the handsets is trivial. But when the mobile market is saturated with so many phones that look the same, having a say over how yours looks (without the use of a case), is one of the few ways to have it stand out and make it truly yours. That matters to people, and it's a need that Motorola has tapped into well.

Other different design options for the Moto X Pure Edition.

Motorola

As for device's display, it's bigger as I mentioned before. It also has a sharp 1,440p resolution and it's maximum brightness level is bright enough to view comfortably outdoors in sunlight. Likewise, the minimum brightness level is also extremely dim, which is useful for avoiding eye-strain when viewing your handset in the dark.

The screen has a wide viewing angle and is responsive to the touch. I had no problems reading text and playing games, and streaming YouTube videos and watching the HD movie "Gravity" looked smooth and crisp. There's also a new setting under Display where you can choose between two color modes: normal or vibrant. Under normal mode, colors are already bright and vivid. But with the latter, hues are more saturated and richer.

Software and features

• Google Android 5.1.1 Lollipop OS
• Minimal Motorola software
• Useful gesture controls

Despite its name, the Moto X Pure Edition isn't exactly the "purest" Android device, at least not compared to the Google's own Nexus family (understandably) and Play Edition handsets (though the latter has ceased all production since January). Don't be too disappointed, though -- if you want an untouched Android experience, Motorola's Moto line comes pretty close.

First, because you can get it unlocked, you won't get any carrier bloatware and branding. Instead, you'll get the usual set of Google apps such as the Chrome Web browser, Gmail, YouTube and more. Second, while you won't have a manufacturer user interface overlaid on top of the phone in the same way TouchWiz and Sense skins Samsung and HTC devices, respectively, Motorola still included some useful features under its Moto app.

These features are accessible under a single Moto app, which has Moto Assist, Actions, Voice and Display. Assist adjusts your Moto X Pure Edition settings depending on where you are or what you're doing. If you've scheduled a meeting into Google Calendar, for example, the device can switch to vibrate right and reply to any missed calls with a predetermined message.

Motorola's suite of software features (left), including Moto Voice commands (right).

Lynn La/CNET

Actions is all about gesture controls: Twist your wrist with the phone in your hand to launch the camera or chop your hand in the air to turn on and off the flash to use as a flashlight.

Motorola's voice input, called Voice, works similarly to Google Now, so if you've used that feature before, you have a good idea of what to do here. It works with both built-in and third-party apps and you can set an alarm, navigate to a destination with Maps, look up a song title that's playing at the moment, begin a Twitter post and more.

Display shows any missed notifications you have, even while the device is sleeping, with a wave gesture. The current time and any missed notifications will pop up in white. You can preview a missed notification by longpressing its app icon, or press-and-swipe to launch it directly from the screen.

Because it offers a nearly vanilla Android experience, you won't get any carrier bloatware.

Josh Miller/CNET

Two other apps, Moto Connect and Migrate, round up the last of the handset's Motorola software. Connect manages all peripheral Motorola gadgets you may have like the Moto 360 smartwatch or a pair of its wireless headphones. Migrate helps you port over your contacts, apps and other files from a previous phone onto your new Moto X Pure Edition.

For the most part, Motorola's software works well. I am a fan of Moto Display, which doesn't sound like much, but it saves you from having to press the power button throughout the day to see any missed notifications. And while it isn't a new feature, flicking the device to fire up the camera is convenient and saves a lot of time.

The handset is, however, loaded with your standard line of Google apps.

Josh Miller/CNET

I did run into some issues, however. For one thing, you'll need the latest version of the Moto app to update your status on Facebook hands-free through Moto Voice. Otherwise, the handset will reply that it can't connect to "the cloud" after you dictate a post. And while you can dictate Facebook posts and text messages, you can't do the same on Twitter. Voice just activates a small Twitter window so you can begin posting, but you'll need to type out the actual message.

It's also unclear what requires you to say your PIN when you use Voice commands while the phone is locked. For example, posting to Facebook prompts a PIN confirmation, but sending a text doesn't. The chopping gesture to activate the flash also doesn't feel natural or work as smoothly, and half the time I'm afraid I'll end up chucking my device across the room.

But perhaps the most disappointing thing is that compared to its predecessor, the Moto X Pure Edition doesn't offer anything substantial in terms of new software. A small amount of tweaks have been made, but overall, nothing substantial has been added. In some ways that's understandable since Motorola is purposely staying as close to the pure Android experience as one can get. But it's still a bit of a letdown to know that your new handset carries the same bag of tricks as it did last year.

Cameras and video

• 21-megapixel rear-facing camera
• 5-megapixel front-facing camera
• Can record 4K (rear) and 1,080p (front) video
• Night mode shooting and wide-angle front-facing camera has its own flash

The native camera app isn't loaded with tons of editing features, but both cameras do have HDR (high dynamic range) shooting, a touch-focus module where you can adjust the exposure as well, a digital zoom, a timer and geotagging. They also have a flash (yes, even the front-facing camera so you can brighten up your selfies) and a new shooting mode called "night mode" for low-light environments. Photos can be taken in either the wide 16:9 aspect ratio or the more squarish 4:3.

As for video, both front and rear cameras can record 1,080p HD footage and slow-mo videos in 720p (a change from the predecessor's better 1,080p slow-mo capabilities). While shooting video, you can also take pictures and pause recording.

The rear camera in particular can also take panoramic photos and scan QR codes and bar codes to look up via Google or copy onto the clipboard. And on top of already shooting 1,080p video, it can also record ultra-HD 4K video, which -- at 3,840x2,160p -- offers four times the resolution of 1,080p. That's state of the art -- albeit of dubious value, however.

Say cheese! The front-facing camera comes with its own flash. Josh Miller/CNET

In this well-lit indoor photo, objects are still clear and easy to make out, and lighting is evenly exposed. Lynn La/CNET

As for picture quality, photos looked decent, and the camera does well for everyday informal shots. Though they didn't manage to blow me away, it's still adequate enough to post online or print out a small photo.

Pictures taken outdoors or in amply-lit indoor environments looked great: colors were accurate, objects were clear with defined outlines and you can still see a lot of details retained at full resolution. There were a few times when the phone took a couple of tries to focus on an object up close, but eventually it'd lock on and snap a clear picture. Photos taken in low-light environments didn't fare as well, which is a common occurrence in smartphone photography. Though night mode improved exposure somewhat, I still saw a noticeable amount of digital noise, graininess and muted colors.

Because the front-facing camera has a wide-angle lens, my photos captured more content and space into the frame. As such, however, do expect to get some elongated angles near the corners of your pictures. For more information on camera quality, click the photos below to view them at their full resolution.

Video quality was solid. Nearby and distant audio was picked up well without any noticeable noise distortion, and both moving and still objects looked smooth and sharp. There was no discernible lag between my moving of the camera and what I saw in the viewfinder, and the camera was able to swiftly shift focus and exposure as I moved it around.

Night mode brightened up this dimly lit bar a tad -- but the photo is still not so great.

Lynn La/CNET

In our standard studio shot, these items look clear and defined, and the flash didn't leave any harsh reflections against the background.

Lynn La/CNET

This photo taken on a sunny day shows true-to-life colors and images that are sharp and in focus.

Lynn La/CNET

Though the stems and leaves on the right are clear, the right pomegranate gets blurry around the edges.

Lynn La/CNET

With its wide-angle front-facing camera, you can capture more content with your selfies (or groupies if you have friends).

Lynn La/CNET

Hardware performance

• 1.8GHz 6-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808
• 600MHz Adreno 418 graphics processing unit
• 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of internal storage with up to 128GB of expandable memory
• 3GB of RAM
• 3,000mAh nonremovable battery

Though the Moto X Pure Edition's processor has a lower clock speed than its predecessor (from 2.5 to 1.8GHz), its Snapdragon 808 processor still operates swiftly and smoothly. For one thing, the CPU is no slacker (it's the same one featured in the LG G4 ) and the RAM has been bumped up to 3GB. In general, I didn't notice any stuttering issues or lag while executing a number of everyday tasks like calling up the app drawer, opening the camera and switching between apps. Images for graphics-intensive games like Riptide GP 2 and Kill Shot were rendered fast and smooth, and the overall gaming experience was solid. It took about 37 seconds to power off and restart the device and 1.38 seconds to launch the camera.

Also, unlike the previous two versions of the Moto X, Motorola added a MicroSD card slot that can hold up to 128GB of extra memory -- giving you more breathing room for your photos and files.

But while the handset provides plenty of power to satisfy your daily smartphone needs, its benchmark scores falls behind its competitors. That's not surprising since the Galaxy Note 5 belongs to a more premium caliber, and both the OnePlus 2 and the ZTE Axon Pro sport the 8-core Snapdragon 810 processor. In that sense, the Moto X Pure Edition performed well for itself, but aside from having the second-highest single-core Geekbench 3 result among the latter two, it altogether fell a bit short of the other devices.

Benchmark test comparison

Motorola Moto X Pure Edition 19,725 1,271 3,528 Samsung Galaxy Note 5 24,589 1,488 4,939 OnePlus 2 22,645 1,142 4,461 ZTE Axon Pro 25,742 868 3,958

• 3DMark Ice Storm (unlimited)
• Geekbench 3 (single-core)
• Geekbench 3 (multi-core)

Note: Longer bars indicate better performance

Call quality and data speeds

• GSM/GPRS/EDGE: (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
• CDMA: (800/850/1900MHz)
• UMTS/HSPA+: (850/900/1700(AWS)/1900/2100MHz)
• LTE B1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/17/25/26/38/41
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/g/b/n/ac + MIMO
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/g/b/n/ac + MIMO

For US customers, Motorola's handset is unique because it works for carriers that operate on either GSM or CDMA technology. Meaning, for example, the phone can make calls and surf the Internet on AT&T and T-Mobile's network (which uses the GSM standard) and do the same on Verizon and Sprint (which uses CDMA). This isn't a huge deal if you don't plan on leaving your carrier, but for those switching from a GSM to CDMA carrier or vice versa, or already have two devices on these different platforms, know that you can use the same Moto X no matter what network you go with.

Motorola Moto X Pure Edition average data speeds

4G LTE download rate	11.7Mbps
4G LTE upload rate	15.82Mbps
CNET mobile site load	4 seconds
CNET desktop site load	4 seconds
Temple Run 2 app download (44.52MB)	34 seconds
"Gravity" movie download (1.7GB)	24 minutes and 31 seconds

As for call quality, I tested the unlocked handset using AT&T's cellular network. Call quality was great. Volume range was appropriate (with the maximum volume being satisfyingly loud), my calling partner was clear and easy to understand and I didn't pick up any extraneous buzzing or static. Audio speaker was also reliable. As I mentioned before, speaker calls only comes out from the bottom grille, but that's still enough to hear my partner well, even when I was outdoors nearby noisy traffic. Likewise, I was told that I sounded good too, and when I stepped outdoors, my partner did not pick up any background sounds from the surrounding environment.

The phone's fast-charging Turbo Charger.

Josh Miller/CNET

Data speeds on AT&T's 4G LTE network were fast. According to Ookla's speed test, it had an average download rate of 11.7Mbps and upload rate of 15.82Mbps. It took about 4 seconds to load each of CNET's mobile and desktop site and 34 seconds to download and install the 44.52MB game Temple Run 2. One attempt to download the 1.7GB, high-definition movie "Gravity" took 24 minutes and 31 seconds.

Battery Life

With heavy usage, the Motorola X Pure Edition's non-removable battery can deplete quickly. After spending a workday surfing the Web, downloading apps and making calls, I hit 30 percent by late afternoon. To last the rest of the evening, I had to plug in the device for a charge.

During our battery drain test for continuous video playback, the handset lasted an average of 8 hours and 46 minutes. Although last year's Moto X had a smaller screen, its lower-capacity 2,300mAh battery lasted over 10 hours. And compared to its rivals, the OnePlus 2's 3,300mAh battery lasted 9 hours and 46 minutes (though we weren't very impressed with that performance either), and the Axon Pro's 3,000mAh battery lasted shorter at 8 hours and 8 minutes (again, not the best from all parties). I you want to know what does impress us, the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 -- while admittedly a higher-tiered phone and expensive than all these devices -- lasted a whopping 15 hours of continuous playback on its 3,000mAh battery.

Motorola's handset, however, does come with a 25-watt Turbo Power charger, which promises to juice up your battery quickly. It does, in fact, charge the phone in a jiffy. When completely drained, it took only about an hour and 15 minutes to charge to 100 percent. And if you need to charge in a pinch, shutting it off and plugging it in for 10 minutes will gain about 20 percent battery life.

Conclusion

The Motorola Moto X Pure Edition is a great device for specific users. Google Android fans who can't wait until late September for the next Nexus reveal will enjoy the handset's nearly unsullied Android experience. The $400 phone bucks the current trend by offering external storage, and loops in support for the world's most prevalent network technologies -- CDMA and GSM -- so it should work with almost every carrier.

And with its numerous choices of color accents, engravings and materials, having a Moto X Pure Edition means having a device that reflects your own style. Heavily consider this handset if that's an important asset for you.

If it's not, however, there are lots of viable alternatives. If money isn't an issue, the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is the reigning Android supersize phone: It's powerful, stylish and has a long-lasting battery.

The Moto X Pure Edition is witnessing a far more competitive landscape for unlocked handsets than its predecessor.

Josh Miller/CNET

In addition, the mobile landscape for unlocked phones has changed a lot since last year's Moto X came out. They are getting more powerful at a lower cost.

For US customers, the $500 ZTE Axon Pro costs $100 more but has a 8-core Snapdragon 810 processor, 4GB of RAM and tons of native camera features. Globally, you can try and nab the OnePlus 2 . Due to its limited availability it can be hard to get, but if you do, it starts at the very competitive price of $330 (£215 or AU$450, converted). It's also equipped with the 810 CPU and if you're keen on wood backings like the ones that come with the Moto Xs, the OnePlus 2 has that as well.

All in all, the Moto X Pure Edition is a reliable and quality-built device, but if you have the previous model, don't feel like you're missing out on anything. The competition is fierce these days, and while the Moto X may be partially to blame for setting my expectations too high, the X Pure Edition just doesn't deliver that winning combination of style, power and value that I've come to expect.

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