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
iOS 18.2 LIVE — latest Apple Intelligence features and how to use them
By Jeff Parsons, Philip Michaels last updated
Apple's iOS 18.2 update is rolling out now to iPhones worldwide and brings with it a raft of new features — including Apple Intelligence
iOS 18 review: A solid update with Apple’s first steps toward AI
By Philip Michaels last updated
Your iPhone gains some new features, as Apple Intelligence arrives for some
iOS 18.2 lets you change your default phone and messaging apps — here's how
By Philip Michaels last updated
iOS 18.2 lets you change your default app for more tasks than ever before. Here's what you can change and where you'll find the new setting.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: All the rumors so far
By Philip Michaels last updated
Samsung is already at work prepping the next premium flagship for its lineup. Here's what we've heard about the Galaxy S25 Ultra ahead of its 2025 launch.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Slim — everything we know so far
By Philip Michaels last updated
Rumors claim Samsung is going to produce a thinner version of next year's flagship as an experiment. Here's all the Galaxy S25 rumors we've heard about this new phone.
Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2025: Likely dates, Samsung Galaxy S25 launch plans and more
By Philip Michaels last updated
Samsung is expected to kick off 2025 with its first big product launch of the year. Here's when Galaxy Unpacked 2025 could happen and what we expect to see.
Cellular bills are out of control — and this unlimited deal for $30 a month puts the big carriers to shame
By Philip Michaels published
A deal at Visible lets new customers cut the price of the phone carrier's unlimited data plans for the next 25 months when they sign up with a special promo code.
iPhone 17 Pro rumor points to a big design change — and I think it's garbage
By Philip Michaels published
A rumor claims that Apple will move away from titanium frames for its iPhone 17 Pro models. But that claim doesn't seem to fit in with how Apple markets its Pro phones.
Rumored OnePlus 13R specs look promising, but there's one thing missing
By Philip Michaels published
The OnePlus 12R was one of my favorite phones last year. The OnePlus 13R will soon replace it, but can it live up to the 12R's standard?
iOS 18 has a neat shortcut to resize your home screen widgets — here's how it works
By Philip Michaels published
iOS 18 adds a quick way to change the size of any widget on your home screen. Here's where to find that shortcut.
Samsung Galaxy S25 vs. OnePlus 13: Which will be the best Android phone of 2025?
By Philip Michaels published
Get ready for an early Android phone face-off
With Samsung Galaxy S25 launch, AI will take center stage
By Philip Michaels published
The Galaxy S25 will see some notable hardware changes, but Galaxy AI should highlight the phone's launch next month. But what can we expect to see in terms of new AI features?
Best cell phone plans in 2024: The best options for your monthly phone service
By Philip Michaels last updated
Looking for the best cell phone plan for your needs? We’ve rounded up the best choices for family plans, unlimited data and low-cost plans from prepaid carriers.
Google Pixel 8a vs. Samsung Galaxy A35: Here’s the budget phone you should get
By Philip Michaels published
Both the Google Pixel 8a and Samsung Galaxy A35 promise a lot of value for not much cash. But which of these sub-$500 phones should you get?
The best 5G phones in 2024
By Philip Michaels last updated
The best 5G phones deliver faster downloads, lower latency and a lot more. Here are the 5G-capable phones worth your attention.
Samsung Galaxy A35 review: How good is this $399 phone?
By Philip Michaels last updated
Samsung's midrange phone faces stiff competition from Google and OnePlus
Samsung Galaxy S25 Slim could have a huge advantage over the iPhone 17 Air — here’s why
By Philip Michaels published
Rumors about slim phones from Samsung and Apple suggest the two companies are taking very different approaches to building ultra-thin handsets.
I tried to use Apple Intelligence's Image Playground to design a Thanksgiving menu — here's what I learned about the app in the process
By Philip Michaels published
Using Image Playground on a Thanksgiving project, I learned about the Apple Intelligence app's strengths as well as its limitations.
I review phones for a living — here’s what I look for when shopping for Black Friday deals
By Philip Michaels published
Not sure if the phone deal you're looking at is a good offer or not? Here are the 5 things I consider when weighing a phone deal.
OnePlus makes the best foldable phone around — of course, it’s going to come out with a OnePlus Open 2
By Philip Michaels published
The OnePlus Open has been our favorite foldable since it came out a year ago. And 2025 figures to bring a sequel despite what any rumors might claim.
iPhone 17 Slim rumors — everything we know so far
By Philip Michaels last updated
The slimmest iPhone ever could be arriving in 2025, but you may want to start saving now.
I used to be a huge iPhone SE fan — but the current model no longer fits in with other iPhones
By Philip Michaels published
I had a chance to use an iPhone SE (2022) recently, and all it did was remind me how badly Apple's cheapest iPhone needs a refresh.
Samsung Galaxy S24 vs. iPhone 16 — how these top flagship phones stack up
By Philip Michaels last updated
A Samsung Galaxy S24 vs. iPhone 16 face-off pits the flagship devices from the world's two top phone makers against one another. Here's how the phones compare after our testing.
OnePlus 13 phones are launching soon, and there's one model in particular that interests me
By Philip Michaels published
One of my favorite phones to come out in 2024 was the OnePlus 12R. With a new R Series phone likely to come out soon, here's what I hope to see.
I shot 200 photos with the Google Pixel 8a vs Samsung Galaxy A35 — here’s the best budget camera phone
By Philip Michaels published
You don't have to spend big bucks on a good camera phone, but which budget model should you buy? Our Galaxy A35 vs. Pixel 8a camera face-off gets to the bottom of this.
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