Mobile Devices - Page 12

Apple has been working on an in-house 5G modem for many years now, but for years it has been using Qualcomm 5G chips inside of its iPhone... but the company is now prepping a couple of new iPhones with Apple's in-house 5G chip inside.

According to analyst and insider Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple will debut its in-house 5G chip inside of two new iPhones in 2025: the iPhone SE 4 and a new ultra-slim iPhone 17. The iPhone SE 4 will launch in the spring, while the new ultra-slim iPhone 17 model will debut in the fall, says Kuo.

Apple won't be using its in-house 5G modem across its entire fleet of iPhones, but in these two models specifically. This means that outside of the upcoming iPhone SE 4 and ultra-slim iPhone 17, every other member of the iPhone 2025 family will be using Qualcomm 5G modems inside.

Apple's work on a foldable iPhone isn't surprising, but now we're hearing that the foldable iPhone is in its conceptual stage, will arrive in a clamshell design, and will be released in 2026.

The Information reported in February 2024 that Apple was in the early stages of developing two foldable iPhone prototypes, but now the outlet is reporting that Apple has settled on a design, which should be a clamshell foldable iPhone codenamed "V68."

Apple's new codename V68 foldable iPhone, according to The Information, "the idea has moved beyond the conceptual stage" and is now "in development with suppliers". Apple is reportedly working on flattening the crease on foldable smartphones we have on the market from the likes of Samsung and Motorola, when the phone is unfolded, as well as Apple wanting to make its foldable iPhone is thinner.

Apple has apparently changed its plans for the iPhone 17 that'll be out next year, and the chances of a slimmer model may just have got, well, slimmer, with this move.

Of course, this is from the rumor mill - so stay skeptical - though the source is one of the better fonts of pre-release knowledge regarding Apple devices, namely analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Kuo tells us that Apple won't use resin-coated copper (RCC) for the boards in the iPhone 17, as was previously the idea, as it doesn't meet the company's quality standards.

A Google insider has claimed the company is planning a major upgrade for the Pixel 9 lineup, which is expected to be released later this year.

In very Google, and particularly Pixel fashion, leaks about the devices have plagued the next-generation lineup reveal slated to take place next month at the Made by Google event. Android Authority posted an extensive leak that showcased Google's entire new lineup of devices, with numerous teardown images showcasing the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, the base Pixel 9, the Pixel 9 Pro, and Pixel 9 Pro XL. These leaks ahead of the event revealed the crease for the Fold for the first time, new battery sizes, charging speeds, and more.

What wasn't mentioned in the initial leak and later posted as an exclusive article by Android Authority was the camera sensor upgrades. According to the publication, the entire series of devices will be adopting new camera sensors, ushering in widespread improvements to photography and video capabilities. More specifically, the base Pixel 9 will reportedly be adopting the Sony IMX858 for its ultrawide sensor, while the primary sensor and front-facing sensor will remain the same.

Emulation on iOS for Apple iPhone, iPad, and the Vision Pro headset continues to mature, with the first free PC emulator, 'UTM SE,' now available on the App Store. Interestingly, Apple rejected the app in June, even though it had changed its policy on consoles and other retro gaming emulators. According to Apple, a PC is not a console; however, with a few changes, the app has been approved for distribution.

UTM SE is a PC emulator for macOS and iOS designed to run various recent and retro PC operating systems, from Windows XP to Windows 11 to Linux and retro versions of macOS. It emulates "x86, PPC, and RISC-V architectures" with graphics-based and text-only operating system support.

That said, the emulator's PC gaming chops have one fundamental limitation. "UTM does not currently support GPU emulation/virtualization on Windows," which means no 3D acceleration via OpenGL or DirectX - so you're limited to software rendering. Still, this covers a long list of classics.

Apple will be enjoying the first waves of TSMC's new 2nm production capacity, with TSMC reportedly kicking off trial production of its new 2nm node this week.

In a new report from Ctee, Apple has the first production capacity out of TSMC in 2025 for its new 2nm process node, with plans to use next-generation 3D advanced packaging platform SoIC (or System on Integrated Chip) on its next-gen M5 chips. SoIC production capacity is scheduled to "increase several times" in 2026, reports Ctee.

Apple is TSMC's largest customer and has taken the lead in booking 2nm advanced process production capacity, with rumors that its next-gen M5 chips and the use of SoIC advanced packaging will hit mass production in 2025. Ctee's supply chain sources said that Apple's upcoming SoIC production is "relatively easy" compared to AI chips.

Arm has announced details on its new Arm Accuracy Super Resolution, or Arm ASR, upscaling for mobile devices. Described as a 'best-in-class open-source solution,' Arm ASR is based on AMD's open-source FidelityFX Super Resolution 2 or FSR 2. Yes, Arm took AMD's FSR 2 and used the open license to create its upscaler for mobile - a significant win for AMD's focus on developing open-source tools.

In its announcement, Arm specifically mentions PC and console games as the inspiration for creating its upscaling tool for mobile devices and mobile games. With Arm ASR, it aims to address the "disparities that exist between PC and consoles" when it comes to rendering and gaming.

However, Arm has tailored the core tech for mobile to deliver more significant performance increases than standard FSR 2 while reducing the overall GPU load by up to half. Rendering on a mobile device with limited power is very different from rendering on a PC or console plugged into a wall socket.

Samsung has just unveiled its new Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6 smartphones during its Unpacked event, with many of the same features between the new handsets, as well as upgrades to the cameras, displays, and pricing.

The new Galaxy Z Fold 6 smartphone features a 6.3-inch AMOLED cover display at up to 120Hz, while the internal display is a larger 7.6-inch AMOLED panel with up to 120Hz. Samsung's new Galaxy Z Fold 6 handset has a 50-megapixel wide camera, 12-megapixel ultrawide snapper, and 10-megapixel 3x telephoto camera. The new Galaxy Z Fold 6 has a 4-megapixel inner under-display selfie camera, and a better 10-megapixel selfie camera on the cover.

Inside, Samsung is powering both the new Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 smartphones with Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, with 12GB of RAM and either 256GB or 512GB of storage, but the Z Fold 6 has a 1TB model on offer.

Apple is expected to unveil its new line-up of iPhones later this year, and now new reports have teased the Cupertino company may have implemented battery life improvements.

Battery technology has somewhat stagnated in terms of getting more capacity in the same size footprint, and efforts have instead been put toward making efficiency as good as possible. An Apple example of this is the common misconception that fully exiting apps by swiping up in iOS saves device battery. In fact, more battery is being used when an app is closed. Despite this and many other battery efficiency techniques Apple has implemented into its devices, it's slightly behind the competition when it comes to charging speeds.

Reports from ITHome state Apple is pushing toward doubling its charging speeds to 40W with the iPhone 16 line-up. This would be an increase of double compared to the previous generation iPhone 15 line-up. Rumors indicate Apple is looking to also increase battery capacity, with the iPhone 16 Pro Max being equipped with a 4,676 mAh battery, versus the iPhone 15 Pro Max's 4,422 mAh battery.

Last month, Apple held its WWDC event, where it unveiled its highly anticipated iOS 18 update, which it will launch alongside its new line-up of iPhones.

A massive part of iOS 18 is Apple integration with artificial intelligence, or as the Cupertino company is calling their version of AI, Apple Intelligence. This integration will come in the form of many features designed to improve the user experience and make communicating through voice much more natural.

These improvements in software functionality will require some extra oomph under the hood, as Apple outlines on its website that Apple Intelligence will be coming to M1-powered devices and above, along with the iPhone 15 Pro models. Not even the iPhone 15, a device that was only released last year.