Mobile Devices - Page 13

Have you ever wondered how big a smartphone could be and still be working? Neither have I, but luckily, that strange question has been answered by two YouTubers who have recently made it into the Guinness World Records book for a 440-pound replica smartphone.

YouTubers Matthew Perkins and Arun Maini undertook the colossal challenge of creating the world's largest working replica smartphone, and the smartphone they chose to supersize was the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The YouTubers ended up with a 6.74 feet tall device that weighed 440 pounds, which got them into the Guinness World Record book under the "Largest smartphone replica" title.

So, how'd they do it? The duo converted an LG Signature 88-inch OLED TV into a responsive touchscreen, which was then placed into an aluminum frame. The frame had all of the respective cutdown for components such as cameras, power button, function button, volume buttons and speakers. The massive iPhone 15 Pro Max was equipped with a Canon EOS R5 and a Sony RX10 Mark 4 to mimic the telephoto lens on Apple's iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Devices with foldable screens are nothing new, but a tri-fold display is, and we now have a name for Huawei's incoming smartphone of this nature.

The official name is the Huawei Mate XT, as shown in a new teaser clip (see above). It's hardly an exciting name and not something that reflects the tri-foldable nature of the device - though the 'T' could stand for tri-fold, perhaps - but at any rate, it's in line with the existing naming conventions for Huawei.

The phone was spotted being used by Huawei's CEO Yu Richard recently, and has been teased several times since then. When fully unfolded, the three displays (connected by a pair of hinges) essentially form a 10-inch tablet.

Update - Meta has provided the following statement in response to the 404 Media report, "Meta does not use your phone's microphone for ads and we've been public about this for years. We are reaching out to CMG to get them to clarify that their program is not based on Meta data" - More information here.

Have you ever been talking about something with someone and then picked up your phone and saw whatever it was you were talking about as an advertisement?

Sometimes, the timing of tailored advertisements on social media platforms, particularly Meta-operated platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, can be incredibly jarring, especially if there is only a matter of seconds between the conversation ending about that product and then it suddenly appears in the middle of your feed. The consistency of this has begged the question for some time - "Do social media companies use the microphone in your smartphone to listen to conversations that are then used to feed tailor advertisements?"

The Google Pixel 9 series hasn't been out for very long at all and users are already reporting battery problems and "odd behavior".

Outlets such as Android Central and 9to5Google are reporting users experiencing charging problems with the Google Pixel 9 XL's wireless charging capabilities. According to reports the new smartphones are experiencing "odd behavior" when placed in wireless charging, with one user reporting they attached a MagSafe puck with a Mous MagSafe case on their device and the smartphone failed to charge. Moreover, the MagSafe Qi charge resulted in sporadic charging and the device generating an uncomfortable amount of heat.

Notably, one user tried their device with five different wireless chargers, and all produced the same results with the Pixel 9 Pro XL, which was compared to the Pixel 8. This isn't the first time a new generation of smartphone from Google has been hit with problems immediately after launch, as the Pixel 8 Pro owners suffered from strange charging port issues related to the USB-C port in their device. These problems lasted a few months after launch.

An infamous leaker has suggested Samsung is currently working on its biggest foldable smartphone yet, and it's reportedly called the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition.

The leak comes from Even Blass, who is known as an industry insider that has accurately called previous rumors. Blass wrote in an X post that the previous rumored names of "Galaxy Z Fold Slim" and "Galaxy Z Fold Ultra" are incorrect and the correct name for the upcoming Samsung device is "Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition" and it will be an improvement of the company's current flagship Z Fold 6.

The rumored device is expected to come with a bigger screen and will take the crown as Samsung's biggest display on Galaxy Z device, with the screen size increasing from 6.2 inches to 6.5 inches. As for the inner screen, it will increase from 7.6 inches to 8 inches. Thickness is on the Special Edition is reportedly decreasing from 6.1 mm to 5.6mm. To achieve this level of thickness Samsung has decided to remove the S Pen port.

Apple has sent out invitations to press for an event its holding on September 9, 2024 at 10:00 a.m PT. The event will be livestreamed and will be hosted at the Steve Jobs Theater in Apple Park.

Known Apple insider and Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman shared an image of the Apple invitation on his personal X account, writing that this invitation is for Apple's anticipated iPhone event where it will unveil the iPhone 16 line-up. Gurman writes the announcement has come a day earlier than anticipated, which references his previous prediction of a September 10 announcement event.

Apple Intelligence will be a key part of the overall sales pitch in Apple stores to customers, as the new AI-powered software is a main selling point of this next-generation of devices. The Bloomberg reporter wrote on August 25 employees at Apple retail stores have already started receiving training on the Apple Intelligence features. Apple Intelligence will debut with the release of iOS 18, and we can expect some further examples of Apple Intelligence being used on the iPhone 16 line-up.

Apple has been quiet about when it plans on officially unveiling its new line-up of iPhones, but now we a leaked date from a known, and very credible Apple Insider Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

Gurman recently wrote that Apple will be hosting its iPhone 16 launch event on September 10, which is in-line with Apple's previous iPhone generation launch events which for the past five years have fallen sometime within the first two weeks of September. Additionally, Gurman revealed that Apple is planning on making its iPhone 16 line-up available in-store and starting to send in the mail to buyers on Friday, September 20.

It isn't just the new iPhone line-up that is being announced as the Cupertino company will also unveil its new Apple Watch Series 10, Apple Watch Ultra 3, Apple Watch SE 3, and AirPods 4. On top of all that hardware there will undoubtedly be some further explanation into Apple Intelligence and how its debuting with the release of iOS 18.

It will be quite some time before every device that is commonly found in a household features a USB-C port, and that also doesn't fix all the old devices that have previous-generation ports. This means we will be stuck with the various rogue cables, each dedicated for different devices.

What if you could get rid of all those cables, and have one cable that you can swap the male end off for different generations? Magnetic cables are the answer, but seemingly haven't taken off in the way that one would expect at such a convenient idea. Nonetheless, I managed to get my hands on one and I have been using it for the past week, I can say that the convenience is truly there, but at some costs.

The Connect Pro magnetic cable from Chargeasap is capable of 100W fast-changing, and comes with three magnetic adapters for USB-C, lighting, and Micro-USB, along with the in-built MagSafe charging. This collection of adapters covers all of my devices, and having it cut down the number of cables on my desk significantly as I was able to place all of the adapters on my respective devices and connect them to charging cables when needed, versus already having each of the respective charging cables already on my desk.

Apple hasn't officially announced anything regarding the new iPhone 16 line-up. The only thing known is that Apple Intelligence is going to be a big part of the new generation.

It's highly anticipated that Apple will officially unveil the new iPhone generation in September. Ahead of the purported unveiling, we have gotten a leak of what appears to be dummy units of the new generation. Leaker Sonny Dickson shared a new image, which shows what appears to be iPhone 16 Pro Max models, and what jumps out is the gold-bronze color.

Previous reports mentioned white, black, and the Natural Titanium model, but this is the first look at a gold or a sandy-brown iPhone. Additionally, rumors previously stated Apple is planning on removing the Blue Titanium color. It should be noted that since these are dummy units there is still the possibility none of the color variants seen in the above images will make it to final production.

The iPhone 16 line-up isn't even out yet, and rumors are already starting to fly about Apple's iPhone 17 line-up, which is slated to introduce another iPhone variant, the iPhone "Air" or "Slim".

Analyst Jeff Pu has informed 9to5Mac of the reasons why an iPhone 17 Air could boost sales for Apple and be a welcomed addition to the range of iPhone offerings available to customers. According to the analyst, the iPhone 17 Air would give Apple an opportunity to create a brand new iPhone design that isn't at all focused on performance but on aesthetics.

The Air wouldn't feature the best components as they would be reserved for the Pro models, but it could still be priced equally to the Pro models, as the design changes/appearance would warrant the price, according to the analyst. Pu points out the Air could even be priced higher than the Pro models, as its contrasting design would pique the interest of many buyers that are tired of the seemingly ever-so-slightly-changing iPhone design.

Google has just introduced its next-gen Pixel 9 Pro Fold, a foldable Pixel 9 Pro with a redesigned look and brand-new AI features.

The new Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold smartphone features the company's next-gen, in-house Tensor G4 processor, with 16GB of RAM and either 256GB or 512GB of storage. There's a 4650mAh battery inside, a 48MP wide camera, 10.5MP ultrawide, 10.8MP telephoto camera on the rear, and a 10MP front (inner) and 10MP front (outer) cameras. This all weighs in at 257g, which makes it a little lighter than the Pixel Fold which weighs 283g.

Google has upgraded the cover display size of its new Pixel 9 Pro Fold, with the cover display spanning out to 6.3 inches from 5.8 inches on the original Pixel Fold. That's the cover display, but when you open the Pixel 9 Pro Fold you'll be greeted with a huge 8-inch Super Actua Flex 1080p 120Hz panel, compared to the 7.6-inch panel on the Pixel Fold.

It's strange to think that mobile phones were originally foldable and then went to a uniform form factor and are now going back to foldable. But what we haven't seen is a tri-foldable smartphone - until now.

Huawei jumped into the foldable smartphone game in 2019 with the Huawei Mate X, and now reports have come out about a possible tri-foldable smartphone, with the company's CEO for Consumer Business Group holding an unannounced device on a plane. The reports cite rumors from a "reliable tipster" called Digital Chat Station, who said they have seen a prototype of the world's first tri-foldable smartphone and that this device is capable of inward and outward folding.

As for more specifications, the tipster says this rumored device has an approximately 10-inch display, a dual-hinge design, and a thickness greater than that of a normal smartphone - by how much isn't mentioned. Moreover, this new tri-foldable device features a single hole located on the far left of the screen, and the device seen in the above photo being held by Richard Yu matches the prototype Digital Chat Station has claimed they saw.

Samsung is completely dominating the foldable smartphone business, with a step further seeing its new foldable Galaxy Z Flip smartphones used as police body cameras.

Samsung is promoting the use of its Galaxy Z Flip smartphones as body-warn cameras for police officers, promoting the fact that some US police officers are using them as body cameras. The South Korean giant started a pilot program with the Kimberling City Police and the Indian Point Police in Missouri, where they started testing the Galaxy Z Flip as a body camera for police officers in the field.

The police officers in the pilot program wore the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip smartphones as body cameras in the field, to better maintain transparency. The program was a success, and expanded to other departments.

Apple has been making some of its iPhones in India for a while now, but rumor has it that higher-end iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max smartphones will be made in India for the first time ever.

According to sources that spoke with Money Control, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will be made in India. One of the sources said it's happening for Apple to "deepen its manufacturing capabilities with partners in India".

The source confirmed that for this generation of iPhone, Apple will "make sure the India-assembled iPhone 16 models are available in the country after the launch".

Two weeks ago, Apple rolled out the public beta for iOS 18, the operating system update that was slated to add Apple's highly anticipated AI features. Unfortunately, the public beta didn't contain any Apple Intelligence features, leaving users somewhat confused as to where they are.

A new report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, a known Apple insider, reveals the Cupertino company will be rolling out Apple Intelligence software updates several weeks after the launch of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequia, which means the touted AI-powered features won't be present at the launch of the new iPhone 16 line-up.

However, software developers will be getting the new Apple Intelligence features in the first betas for iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 as soon as next week. Why is this happening? Gurman writes that the new AI features will be rolled out in a software update in October, and according to people who spoke to Gurman under the agreement of anonymity, the delay is to give Apple developers more time to squash as many bugs as possible.

Microsoft has rolled out a new Windows 11 update to its Insider program that improves the interoperability between Android and Windows PCs.

The Redmond company has been working on improving the connection between smartphones and Windows PCs with its Phone Link app, and now a new update rolled out to the Insider program enables users to access their devices files within Windows File Explorer. The update is just for Android devices and take advantage of the new functionality users must be running Android 11 or higher, along with Phone Link beta version 1.24071 or higher.

To enable this feature users will head to Settings > Bluetooth & Devices > Mobile Devices > Manage Devices and enable the option to show the connected smartphone in File Explorer. Once enabled, users will be able to access the device's files, which means adding/removing files and reorganization - all wirelessly. Notably, files that are deleted through the Phone Link app will be sent to the smartphone's recycle bin, not the Windows PC recycle bin.

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.