Hello from the New York City heat dome. According to the weather experts, this is a dome of high pressure that traps an unhealthy mix of heat and humidity. I chose not to mention this fact when I dragged the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra out of the lush office air conditioning and into the 98-degree atmosphere of nearby Bryant Park. I had an extreme test in mind, and the less my AI-powered handsets knew about it, the better.
After slathering my bald dome with sunblock and grabbing a lukewarm bottle of water, I walked into the park and found a spare chair and table. I hoped to position myself in the shade with these two excellent flagship phones in direct sunlight.
