Technologies

We Tested Night Mode on the iPhone 14 Pro, Pixel 7 Pro and Galaxy S22 Ultra

We compared the best flagship models from Apple, Google and Samsung in a nighttime photo shoot field test.

We’ve been really impressed by the cameras on the Pixel 7 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro and Galaxy S22 Ultra. The Pixel 7 Pro’s zoom skills even gave the Galaxy S22 Ultra a run for its money, as well as offering some genuine competition to a professional DSLR. But how do these top phones perform when things go dark?

All three phones pack impressive nighttime shooting modes, which let you capture bright and clear shots even in almost total darkness. I’ve done some night mode testing on the phones already as part of the main Pixel 7 Pro review, but I wanted to spend a bit more side-by-side time with all three phones to see which one truly takes the best-looking images at night.

So I charged them up, put on my winter coat and headed out into the cold and dark streets of the Edinburgh suburb of Leith, Scotland. All images were taken in JPEG format, with the main cameras (unless otherwise stated) and using the dedicated night modes on both the Pixel 7 Pro and Galaxy S22 Ultra. The iPhone 14 Pro‘s mode kicks in automatically, so I simply made sure it was active when taking photos.

This first test above isn’t a great start for the Pixel 7 Pro. Its shot is darker than its rivals, with quite grungy details on the boat itself.

Zooming in to 100% on the same shots above, it’s clear that both the iPhone 14 Pro and Galaxy S22 Ultra achieved crisper, more balanced images. Between the two, the S22 Ultra did a better job at capturing more natural color tones and its shot wasn’t affected by reflected lights in its lens — something much more noticeable in the iPhone’s shot.

The Pixel 7 Pro did a much better job in the river scene above, with an excellent exposure across the whole image and tons of details visible on buildings in the distance. All three phones captured the scene well, with sharp details and minimal image noise. The iPhone’s image is a bit more contrasty, which I don’t dislike, but it makes the shot look a touch darker as a result.

One thing to note on the Pixel’s shot however is the noticeable lens flare from the streetlight on the left side of the image. While all three phones suffer from flare to an extent, it’s noticeably worse on the Pixel’s image, which is something I’d found on my initial tests for the review. Some shots I took had flares so prominent they ruined the image, and it’s something that you’ll need to keep in mind with bright light sources.

All three phones captured the old pub front above well, with excellent exposures across the board. I’m impressed at how they’ve all captured lots of detail in the shadowy areas of the images, yet managed to balance the bright highlights in the window and on the carvings well.

As with the earlier image of the boat, the iPhone 14 Pro’s shot leans toward a yellow-tinged white balance, which doesn’t look quite as realistic as the Galaxy S22 Ultra’s shot. The Pixel went a little far the other way, with a more magenta-toned image.

Zooming in to 100% on the same images and things switch around. It’s very marginal, but the Pixel 7 Pro achieved a slightly sharper image than its rivals, with the iPhone following close behind and the S22 Ultra bringing up the rear. I have to pixel peep at this point though, and even then the difference is almost negligible. At full screen, all three images are pin-sharp and look great.

The scene above works to summarize the approach the three phones take. The iPhone’s image has a more yellowy white balance which isn’t particularly realistic. The Pixel 7 Pro’s shot is a little darker and more magenta-toned, while the S22 Ultra’s shot seems to strike a better balance between the two with excellent exposure and more even colors.

But what about when we use the zoom lenses on these phones? Well, starting off with the standard cameras, all three phones have managed to capture solid images above.

Both the iPhone and Pixel offer 2x zoom modes (digitally cropping) and there’s not a huge amount to choose between them in the photos above. The digital crop has noticeably reduced the quality on photos from both phones and while the iPhone’s is a touch sharper, the Pixel’s has slightly better dynamic range, with some of the highlights being less blown out.

At 3x optical zoom on the iPhone 14 Pro and Galaxy S22 Ultra (the Pixel 7 Pro has a 5x zoom, which I’ll come to), the iPhone’s shot above is noticeably better than its 2x digital zoom shot, with improved details and dynamic range. And although its shot looks a little darker than the S22 Ultra’s, it has sharper, more defined details and a more even dynamic range which results in a better image overall.

Zooming right in to 150%, it’s clear that the iPhone’s dynamic range is better (look at the bright clock face in the upper left of the scene) and the details are much sharper.

The Pixel 7 Pro and Galaxy S22 Ultra can take their zooms further though, with 5x and 10x optical zooms being offered, respectively. The S22’s image above is obviously a lot more zoomed in, yet it maintains details and exposure. The Pixel’s looks solid too, with good colors and clarity. Given the big difference in zoom levels, there’s little point in deciding which one is better here.

Which phone takes the best night mode photos?

Overall I’m impressed at how well all three phones have done in these tests. Despite the dark conditions, I got images that are bright, colorful and packed with details, which is amazing to see given that I just took the shots hand-held, without a tripod — which I would need if I were taking the same shot on my professional camera. There’s not a huge gulf between any of them and any photographer would be pleased with the results they’re able to get in night time conditions.

That said, I’d have to give the overall win to the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. Its shots were consistently bright and clear, and crucially produced more natural color tones than the iPhone 14 Pro or Pixel 7 Pro managed to achieve. The iPhone sometimes produced slightly sharper images, but that’s only noticeable when you zoom right into a pixel-level view, which most of us are unlikely to do. For pure, straight-out-of-camera images that are ready to upload to Instagram, the S22 Ultra slightly edges out its rivals.

Technologies

I Made Google Translate My Default on iPhone Before a Trip and It Saved Me More Than Once

Google Translate supports far more languages than Apple’s app, and it’s easy to make the switch.

If you’re traveling overseas this summer, the Google Translate app can come in handy to quickly translate a road sign or conversation. The latest Google Translate update allows you to pick the app as your default translation app for Apple iPhones and iPads running iOS and iPadOS 18.4 and later. Previously, you were limited to the built-in Apple option.

Google began leveraging AI to boost Google Translate’s offerings, adding 110 languages last year to increase its total support for 249 languages. Compare that to Apple Translate, which supports 19 languages. Neither Google nor Apple responded to a request for comment.

Both apps offer voice and text translation, including a camera feature that lets you instantly translate by pointing your camera at text. Both also allow you to use translation features without an internet connection, which can come in particularly handy when traveling to more remote locations.

After using both, I found that the Google Translate picked up speech a little quicker so I didn’t have to constantly repeat myself, and the audio pronunciations were a little easier to understand than on Apple Translate. I switched to Google Translate as the default on my iPhone, and here’s how you can, too.

How to set Google Translate as the default on an iPhone or iPad

Setting Google Translate as your default app is simple on an iPhone or iPad, so long as it’s running iOS and iPadOS 18.4 or later.

Download the Google Translate app or update it to the latest version.
Go to the Settings on your iPhone or iPad.
Scroll down to the bottom then select Apps.
Click Default Apps at the top of the screen.
Then choose Translation.
Select Google Translate.

Technologies

The 20 Best PC Games Right Now

Put your gaming computer to the test with the best PC games out right now, including AAA hits like Elden Ring and Black Myth: Wukong as well as indie darlings.

PC gaming gives you the best of most worlds. With a decent budget and some gumption, you can build a solid desktop rig — or you can invest in one of CNET’s best gaming PCs and gain access to a wide world of PC exclusives, indie games and even some titles that were previously exclusive to Sony’s PlayStation and Microsoft’s Xbox.

There’s a truly unlimited amount of tags, store queues and interactive recommendations to browse through, and it can get overwhelming trying to find the next best metroidvania, boomer shooter, collectathon or whatever your cup of tea is. PC gamers aren’t lacking for choice.

In fact, between Steam, the Epic Games Store, Game Pass and more, there are thousands upon thousands of games to choose from. One of the biggest issues you can run into with a massive backlog is choice paralysis. Just which are the best PC games out there?

We’re here to help. To narrow your game choices, CNET curated this list of the best PC games you can play right now.

Read more: Best Gaming PC Deals Right Now

TL;DR? These are the 20 best PC games for June 2025

Balatro
Warframe
Baldur’s Gate 3
Overwatch 2
Valorant
Disco Elysium: The Final Cut
Elden Ring
Cassette Beasts
Dread Delusion
Celeste
Total War: Pharaoh
Stardew Valley
Lunacid
Black Myth: Wukong
Neon White
Helldivers 2
Risk of Rain 2
Soulstone Survivors
Terraria
Haste

PC gaming FAQs

Recent updates to the list

February 2025: While no new games have been added to the list so far this year, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is an early frontrunner. A spate of stellar seasonal events, maps and new heroes has also put Marvel Rivals in contention for the PC hero shooter crown.

Read more: The Best Heroes to Play in Marvel Rivals

June 2025: Added Helldivers 2, Risk of Rain 2, Soulstone Survivors, Terraria and Haste to the list in order to represent both games industry behemoths and indie gaming hidden gems.

How we determined CNET’s best PC games

When creating this list of the best PC games, we factored in how unique and enjoyable these games are for most players. We evaluated criteria including graphical quality, innovative gameplay mechanics and compelling narratives. The picks we made cover a variety of genres from fantasy to retro platformers to shooters to strategy games, and while we favored PC-exclusive games and indie titles you won’t find on Xbox, PlayStation or Nintendo Switch, we also included some can’t-miss games that appear on multiple platforms. If you’re looking for help choosing your next game, CNET’s top PC list is a good place to start narrowing your choices.

Technologies

How to Add These Hidden Music and Apple Intelligence Controls to Your iPhone

One control can Apple’s Visual Intelligence to more devices besides the iPhone 16 lineup.

Apple released iOS 18.4 on March 31, and the update brought bug fixes, new emoji and a new recipes section in Apple News to all iPhones. The update also brought a handful of new controls to the iPhone Control Center, including one that brings Visual Intelligence to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

When Apple released iOS 18 in September, the update remodeled the Control Center to give you more control over how the feature functions. With iOS 18, you can resize controls, assign some controls to their own dedicated page and adjust the placement of controls to your liking. Apple also introduced more controls to the feature, making it a central hub for all your most-used iPhone features.

Read more: Everything You Need to Know About iOS 18

With iOS 18.4, Apple continues to expand the number of controls you can add to the Control Center. If you have the update on your iPhone, you can add ambient music controls, and Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhones get a few AI controls in the menu, too. Here’s what you need to know about the new controls and how to add them to your Control Center.

Ambient Music controls

Apple gave everyone four new controls in the Control Center library under the Ambient Music category. These controls are Sleep, Chill, Productivity and Wellbeing. Each of these controls can activate a playlist filled with music that corresponds to the specific control. Sleep, for instance, plays ambient music to help lull you to bed.

Some studies suggest white noise could help adults learn words and improve learning in environments full of distractions. According to the mental health company Calm, certain kinds of music can help you fall asleep faster and improve the quality of your sleep. So these new controls can help you learn, fall asleep and more.

Here’s how to find these controls.

1. Swipe down from the top-right corner of your Home Screen to open your Control Center.
2. Tap the plus (+) sign in the top-left corner of your screen.
3. Tap Add a Control.

You’ll see a section of controls called Ambient Music. You can also search for «Ambient Music» in the search bar at the top of the control library. Under Ambient Music, you’ll see all four controls. Tap one (or all) of them to add them to your Control Center. Once you’ve added one or all the controls to your Control Center, go back to your Control Center and tap one to start playing music.

Here’s how to change the playlist for each control.

1. Swipe down from the top-right corner of your Home Screen to open your Control Center.
2. Tap the plus (+) sign in the top-left corner of your screen.
3. Tap the Ambient Music control you want to edit.
4. Tap the playlist to the right of Playlist.

A dropdown menu will appear with additional playlists for each control. If you’re in the Sleep control, you’ll see playlists like Restful Notes and Lo-Fi Snooze. If you have playlists in your Music app, then you’ll also see an option From Library, which pulls music from your library. Tap whichever playlist you want and it will be assigned to that control.

Apple already lets you transform your iPhone into a white noise machine with Background Sounds, like ocean and rain. But Ambient Music is actual music as opposed to more static sounds like in that feature.

Both of these features feel like a way for Apple to present itself as the first option for whenever you want some background music to help you fall asleep or be productive. Other services, like Spotify and YouTube, already have ambient music playlists like these, so this could be Apple’s way of taking some of those service’s audience.

Apple Intelligence controls

Only people with an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max or the iPhone 16 lineup can access Apple Intelligence features for now, and those people got three new dedicated Apple Intelligence controls with iOS 18.4. Those controls are Talk to Siri, Type to Siri and Visual Intelligence.

Here’s how to find these controls.

1. Swipe down from the top-right corner of your Home Screen to open your Control Center.
2. Tap the plus (+) sign in the top-left corner of your screen.
3. Tap Add a Control.

Then you can use the search bar near the top of the screen to search for «Apple Intelligence» or you can scroll through the menu to find the Apple Intelligence & Siri section. Tap any (or all) of these controls to add them to your Control Center. While Talk to Siri and Type to Siri controls can be helpful if you have trouble accessing the digital assistant, the Visual Intelligence control is important because it brings the Apple Intelligence feature to the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.

Visual Intelligence was originally only accessible on the iPhone 16 lineup because those devices have the Camera Control button. With iOS 18.4, Visual Intelligence is now accessible on more devices and people thanks to the titular control in Control Center. But remember, Visual Intelligence is like any other AI tool so it won’t always be accurate. You should double check results and important information it shows you.

For more on iOS 18, here are all the new emoji you can use now and everything you should to know about the recipes section in Apple News. You can also check out all the features included in iOS 18.5 and our iOS 18 cheat sheet.