The rumors are true - SORA, OpenAI's AI video generator, is launching for the public today...

I've been using it for about a week now, and have reviewed it:

THE BELOW VIDEO IS 100% AI GENERATED

I've learned a lot testing this, here are some new learnings. Thread 🧵 This video has a bunch of garbled text, the telltale signs of AI generated videos. But the cutaways, the moving text ticker, the news-style shots... those were all things SORA decided to do on its own, and those news anchors looked very... real

I recently got to visit some Apple labs where they durability test new iPhones before they come out, and learned a few things (🧵THREAD)

#1: Have you actually seen how they water test phones for IP ratings? (video) #2: There's an entire room of machines for water and ingress testing

Level 1: A drip tray simulating rain, no real pressure. IPX4

Level 2: A sustained, low-pressure jet spray from any angle. IPX5

Level 3: High pressure spray from a literal firehose. IPX6

Level 4: Locking the phone underwater + added pressure to simulate depth for an extended time. IPX8

I got a rare opportunity to ask OpenAI's video generation model Sora for some videos this week! I had 3 prompts. Here's the videos with my prompts and what I learned 🧵 Prompt 1: A medium sized friendly looking dog walks through an industrial parking lot. The environment is foggy and cloudy. Shot on 35mm film, vivid colors.

The MKBHD Smartphone Awards 2023! (SPOILER) Thread

Full video:
Best Big Phone: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

✅ Huge Flagship display
✅ Huge Quad camera array
✅ 5000mAh battery
Somehow still has room for a stylus
Software multitasking features you could ever need

Runner-ups: OnePlus Open
Honorable mentions: Oppo Find X6 Pro, Asus ROG Phone 7

Alright so yesterday Apple revealed that yesterday's event was shot on the iPhone (15 Pro/Pro Max)

They've also now published some BTS, and as expected there's a LOT of gear alongside that iPhone... but there's still a lot to learn here. Here's my biggest takeaways (Thread)

The fact they're able to swap out an iPhone is part a compliment to the iPhone, but also a huge compliment to the production itself

They use a lot of gear for every keynote video - For this one, they just replaced the usual cameras with the iPhone + BlackMagic Camera app

YouTube has had its problems over the years, but then you look around at Twitter, Instagram, FB, Google+ etc and realize it's been one of the most stable, consistent platforms for creators for the better part of a decade

https://twitter.com/verge/status/1626268764508418050

The ez take on Susan leaving is "Yay the source of all our problems is gone" but if we're honest the CEO of YouTube (often unfairly) becomes the scapegoat for literally everything that goes wrong at the company, no matter what actually happens

I’ve put 30,000 miles on Tesla’s flagship Model S PLAID in a year and a half. There are some things that I love, and some that I hate 🧵🧵🧵

Full review: I wanted to give myself a chance to get used to some of the quirks and features. Shoutout to Doug.

So the top 3 things to love are:
1 - Acceleration (never gets old)
2 - Supercharger network (ole reliable)
3 - Storage (Thee's tons in this hatchback. I've fit bikes in the trunk)

DALLE-2 is an AI that can turn any text into a high resolution image, with (sometimes) incredible accuracy and creativity

I made a full video on all my most interesting findings here

Now: All of all the prompts I fed it, and the images it created

THREAD "A blue apple in a bowl of oranges"

[Thread] Alright so we have a fun idea. 1000 mile road trip race: Electric vs gas. A test to truly answer the question: How much time does refueling ACTUALLY add to a road trip? Tesla Superchargers vs Electrify America vs Gas stations ⚡️⚡️⛽️⛽️ So we're doing it! Here we have the competitors: Tesla Model S PLAID (349 mile range) vs Ford Mustang Mach E California Route 1 Edition (305 mile range) vs an Audi Q5 (462 mile range)?

FAQ: Is there anything you learned in 4 years of college that actually applies to your current job?

Answer: Not much, but yes. Here's one thing: I had 1 professor promise that if you ever showed a number in a presentation and didn't give context, he'd fail you on the spot (1/4) That context should always either be a history/trend of that number has changed over time, OR how it compares to its competition (2/4)

Let's play a game: Here are some photos from the X3 Pro's microscope camera. Try to guess what they are before scrolling down 👀

Being a YouTuber is like being an octopus 🐙

I love a good analogy. This is an analogy I've used internally but first attempted to describe to another human when chatting with @reckless here: theverge.com/22231657/mkbhd…

THREAD Being a "professional YouTuber" is actually several jobs in one. In tech, for example, you're a professional video editor, writer/researcher, a professional reviewer and cameraman. Then you manage an inbox, accounting, content strategy, social media, and sponsors deals.

Alright Twitter, welcome back to the ultimate People's Choice experiment

Many smartphones came out this year. Flagships. Cheap phones. All of them had cameras. Only 1 will win

Enter: 16-way blind smartphone camera bracket.

Winners advance every 24 hours

Round 1 incoming 👀 Alright, Round 1 winners have been projected. There will be no recounts. There were some crazy upsets, and some REEEEALLY interesting choices from ya'll.

Here's how the bracket stands now

Round 2 polls incoming!

iPhone 12 Mini (left) vs 12 Pro Max (right) thread.

Judge for yourself.

In this shot: Both were in deep fusion mode. In this shot: Both were in night mode and took the same (2 second) shutter time, as they did with every single other nighttime test for me. Never once saw the Pro ash for a shorter exposure, but others have ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Ok so I got to test drive the new electric Volkswagon ID.4 at the studio this week, and hear me out - while it's not the most thrilling thing in the world, this is exactly the type of thing we need to start seeing more of for electric vehicles to catch on/take over. (Thread) So you know how at the end of the Porsche Taycan video I praised them for not taking the easy route and creating an electric version of something they already make? I'll stand by that for $150K...

Ok so there are 2 very clear reactions to this "iPhone 12 won't come with a charger in the box" story and it's worth understanding BOTH sides because they can both be right: Reaction #1: Is this a joke? $1000 for a phone and the most necessary accessory is sold separately? Has a phone ever shipped with no charger in the box? This is a new level of greed. Classic Apple, about to make a LOT of money creating a problem and selling the solution.

Got to CES. Brought a camera (X1D II and their new 35-75 zoom that I’m pumped about). So this begins my thread of dope tech spotted at CES and my impressions of it!

Also yes there will be videos 🤓 LG set up a massive wall of OLED TVs with a video playing across all of them and all I can think is DAMN that must have taken forever to render

So the “K” reveal story (thread) - It started as a joke years ago that I wouldn’t tell people my middle name because the K in MKBHD was the 1 private thing I had left. I jokingly started saying I’d reveal it at 10 million subscribers because clearly that would never happen Eventually as the channel kept growing and picking up steam, people started digging that up and projecting when we’d reach 10 million and getting pumped for the reveal. People started guessing every name in the book. Whoa.

Alright Twitter, welcome back to the ultimate People’s Choice experiment

This is a 16-way blind smartphone camera bracket

All you have to do is pick the better photo in the upcoming polls

There are flagships. There are cheap phones. Winners move on after 24 hours 👀

Ready? Ok that first round of 16 is always wild. Almost every matchup was a blowout.

Tons of people guessing, thinking they know which phone is which.......

Here are the winners. Let's begin the voting for round 2, shall we?

Daaaaaaamn, I can now say I appear in the second-most disliked YouTube video of all time 😬 The “problem” with YouTube Rewind is pretty simple, actually - the delta between what creators/audiences expect and what YouTube wants to show has never been more clear.