Philip Michaels
Philip Michaels is a Managing Editor at Tom's Guide. He's been covering personal technology since 1999 and was in the building when Steve Jobs showed off the iPhone for the first time. He's been evaluating smartphones since that first iPhone debuted in 2007, and he's been following phone carriers and smartphone plans since 2015. He has strong opinions about Apple, the Oakland Athletics, old movies and proper butchery techniques. Follow him at @PhilipMichaels.
Latest articles by Philip Michaels

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chip is almost here — can it challenge Apple’s A18?
By Philip Michaels last updated
Here's what to expect at the Snapdragon Summit this week

I've been testing Apple Intelligence — 5 features I love and 4 I don't
By Philip Michaels published
After testing Apple Intelligence, I've seen some hits and misses with Apple's AI

I tried Apple’s new call recording feature — and this iOS 18.1 addition was worth the wait
By Philip Michaels published
Record calls, get transcripts and more, thanks to this new feature

Apple just announced a big change for the iPhone that will help you separate real businesses from spam
By Philip Michaels published
That's no robo-caller, that's my pharmacist

iOS 18 Photos — all the new features available on your iPhone
By Philip Michaels last updated
The Photos app gets a redesign with Apple's iOS 18 update — here's what's new

200-photo face-offs: All of our head-to-head camera phone comparisons
By Philip Michaels published
When we test the top camera phones, we put them through 200-photo face-offs with similar devices. Here's where you'll find every camera comparison we've done on recently smartphones.

Is the iPhone 16 Plus going to be Apple's last Plus model? I certainly hope not
By Philip Michaels published
I was once a Plus skeptic — now I think it's a key part of Apple's phone lineup

I tried Apple Intelligence to improve my writing — here’s what happened
By Philip Michaels last updated
How good is Writing Tools at improving your tone?

iPhone SE 4 vs. Google Pixel 9a: Which budget phone will win?
By Philip Michaels published
Cameras, AI features figure to be where the iPhone SE4 and Pixel 9a battle it out

Apple Intelligence summaries — what apps support this feature and how you use it
By Philip Michaels published
AI-generated summaries help you get through long articles, messages and more

iPhone SE 4 — top 5 rumored changes to Apple's budget phone
By Philip Michaels published
From a new look to Apple Intelligence support, a lot of big changes are rumored for the iPhone SE 4. Here are the most interesting improvements that are reportedly coming next year.

My iPhone 17 wish list — 5 things I want to see from next year's phones
By Philip Michaels published
There's a lot to like about the newly released iPhone 16. But Apple can still improve next year's phones in several key ways with these iPhone 17 additions.

iPhone 16 battery life vs Samsung vs Google — which flagship phones last the longest?
By Philip Michaels published
Here's how battery life compares for the leading smartphones

iPhone SE 4 price — why I don't like what I'm hearing
By Philip Michaels last updated
The rumored iPhone SE 4 could be a swing and a miss for Apple, particularly if it's substantially larger and pricier than its predecessor.

Samsung Galaxy S24 FE vs. Galaxy S24: Here's the biggest differences
By Philip Michaels published
The Galaxy S24 FE is a cheaper version of Samsung's flagship, but what do you end up sacrificing for the lower cost? Our Samsung Galaxy S24 FE vs. Galaxy S24 face-off compares the two phones.

I just tried Apple Intelligence photo search in iOS 18 — and I'm surprised with the results
By Philip Michaels last updated
Apple Intelligence will make it easier to find photos on your iPhone when iOS 18.1 arrives. But improved search could extend to all iPhones, at least based on my testing.

SOS appearing on your iPhone? Here's what that means and how to change it
By Philip Michaels last updated
Here's how to troubleshoot your cellular connectivity issues

Samsung Galaxy S24 FE could be the budget Android to buy — here's why
By Philip Michaels last updated
A major difference this year

iPhone 17 vs iPhone 16: The biggest expected upgrades
By Philip Michaels published
As new as the iPhone 16 models may be, details have started emerging about next year's phones. Here's an early look at how an iPhone 17 vs. iPhone 16 comparison is shaping up.

Best iPhone 15 Pro Max cases in 2025
By Philip Michaels last updated
The iPhone 15 Pro Max is a great piece of kit and you'll want to keep it safe from harm. The best iPhone 15 Pro Max cases can help.

Don't buy Meta Quest 3 right now — a huge price drop is coming
By Philip Michaels published
You used to have to pay $649 to get a 512GB Meta Quest 3. But that's now the storage in the $499 base model now that the Quest 3s is available.

Watch iPhone 16 Pro Max drop tested — you’ve got to see this
By Philip Michaels published
Drop-testing by Allstate Protection Plans shows what a 6-foot drop can do to the front and back of an iPhone 16 Pro Max. And the results aren't pretty.

Apple made a key change with the iPhone 16, and it's made all the difference for the new phone
By Philip Michaels published
After two years of using different silicon in different iPhone models, Apple equipped every iPhone 16 with some version of the A18 system-on-chip. Here's why that's the right move.
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