Mobile Devices - Page 4

Apple will be announcing its new M4 MacBook Air laptops, powered by its new in-house M4 processor... any day this week according to the latest reports, as well as the new M4 iPad Air.

In his latest PowerOn newsletter, Bloomberg writer Mark Gurman reports that Apple plans to launch the new M4 MacBook Air models as soon as this week, with the new M4 iPad Air and iPad 11 "probably won't come in the next few days". We should expect the new M4 MacBook Air announcement on its own, like the iPhone 16e had.

Apple is beginning to wind down inventory of its current-gen iPad Air at its retail stores, a trend Gurman writes is similar to the now-discontinued iPhone SE and existing MacBook Air. This is paving the way for the soon-to-be-announced M4 iPad Air and M4 MacBook Air.

Apple is slated to unveil the next generation of iPhone later this year, and according to a recent leak, we can expect some major design changes.

It has been rumored for quite some time the iPhone 17 generation will introduce some major design changes, which will be a breathe of fresh air for Apple fans that have been enduring the same aesthetics for many generations with incremental upgrades in performance. According to new iPhone 17 CAD renders that have been leaked from Sonny Dickson, the iPhone 17 standard won't look much different compared to the iPhone 16, but the Pro models, the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max, will look different.

Reports indicate the standard iPhone 17 will get the Always-On display and ProMotion features, instead of the design update. As for the Pro Models, the CAD renders show a camera bar but with the lenses being in the same orientation as what we are used to on previous generations. However, the flash, microphone, and LiDAR scanner have been moved to the opposite side of the device instead of being placed above and below the innermost camera lens, as we have seen in previous generations.

Apple only just launched its new iPhone 16e with is first in-house 5G modem, and it seems like the "e" series iPhones will continue with the iPhone 17e in 2026 with a next-gen C3 modem.

Apple isn't the type of company to have a one-time release like the iPhone 16e, spend the millions in marketing it, debut it as the first iPhone with its new in-house C1 modem... to never have a successor. It looks like Apple will have the next-gen iPhone 17e released at the same time of 2026, with the iPhone 16e announced last week, we don't even have a year to wait.

In a new report from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, or CIRP, thinks we'll see the iPhone 17e happen sooner, rather than later: "It appears that "e" phones may be part of the program going forward. Following the core iPhone 17 model launches in September, we expect Apple to announce an iPhone 17e around this time next year. That would mimic Google's introduction of "a" models in its Pixel line months after the annual Spring launch of their flagship and Pro models in recent years".

Samsung is expected to unveil its new ultra-slim Galaxy S25 Edge smartphone on April 16 according to recent reports from the Korean media.

The new ultra-slim Galaxy S25 Edge will be announced on April 16 and made available in May after its Unpacked event. Samsung's new Galaxy S25 Edge will reportedly come in three colors: Light Blue, Black, and Silver, with a small initial production run of 40,000 units which is less than 1% of Samsung's monthly smartphone production volume.

Samsung's new Galaxy S25 Edge is a strategic product for the company, as it will beat Apple's new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air that is rumored for later this year. The new S25 Edge will also make for the fourth model in the Galaxy S family of smartphones, since the release of the Galaxy S10 series in 2019. The Galaxy S20 family had four products: the S10e, S10, S10 Plus, and S10 5G handsets. Starting with the Galaxy S20 series, Samsung had just three variants: Regular, Plus, and Ultra versions.

The first look at the upcoming Galaxy Z Flip 7 has surfaced online ahead of Samsung's official launch, which is expected to occur in July.

The first look at the device comes from AndroidHeadlines, which obtained an official CAD render video of the Galaxy Z Flip 7, giving us a look into some of the specifications of the upcoming device. According to the publication, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 will have a 3.6-inch display that opens up to an internal 6.8-inch display, making the new Z Flip 7 slightly bigger than its predecessor at 3.4 inches and 6.7 inches on the Galaxy Z Flip 6. Additionally, the Z Flip 7 has grown in overall dimensions, not by much, but still, something as it measures 166.6 x 75.2 x 6.9mm, or 9.1mm thick when including the camera bump.

As for the cameras, the Z Flip 7 is slated to continue using the dual camera setup that was present on the Z Flip 6, with a 50-megapixel primary camera and a 12-megapixel ultrawide. AndroidHealines reports that Samsung could upgrade the sensors for these cameras while maintaining the same megapixels. However, that can't be ascertained from the renders. Moreover, Samsung hasn't confirmed which processor it will be going with for the Z Flip 7, but the outlet states it will have the same 12GB of RAM and be offered in 256GB or 512GB storage variants.

Apple's new in-house C1 modem is inside of the new iPhone 16e, with reports that the next-gen C2 modem is in testing and that the future-gen C3 modem will be launching in 2027.

Apple has a licensing agreement with Qualcomm until 2027 where it is bound to use the company's 5G modems, but Apple has been working on in-house 5G modems for a while now, and that came to fruition with the new budget-focused iPhone 16e smartphone.

But in a new post on Weibo, leaker Digital Chat Station didn't say that Apple's new C3 modem is under development (but it would be), rather noting that the company will be launching its next-gen in-house 5G modem in 2027, the same year its licensing agreement with Qualcomm ends. I'd say at that point, Apple will flood the market with iPhones powered by its own in-house C3 modem.

Apple has long been rumored to be quietly working on a foldable smartphone, and with multiple independent industry insiders confirming its existence, it appears the upcoming smartphone is all but officially announced.

At the beginning of the month, reports surfaced that Apple was closing in on a display supplier for its upcoming foldable smartphone, presumably called the iPhone Fold. According to sources, Apple has a laundry list of technical requirements for the foldable display, which includes impact resistance and crease prevention. According to an insider who spoke to ETNews, Apple has made the decision to "eliminate creases completely, regardless of cost, in order to differentiate their foldable phone from existing models."

The insider told the publication Samsung Display will provide the foldable screen, and that Apple has been working with Samsung Display since last year on the design for the upcoming display, ensuring it meets all of Apple's technical requirements. According to the publication, Apple has acquired new materials to "make the crease disappear" and has taken a different approach to overcoming the crease problem by taking a step back perspective of the entire design of display, its materials, the hinge, and the smartphone body.

Samsung is poised to release a "double-folding" foldable smartphone alongside its new Galaxy Z Fold 7 family of smartphones, with the company securing parts for its new double-folding foldable phone in April 2025.

In a new post from ETNews, the outlet is reporting from multiple industry sources that "the double-folding multi-fold phone is being developed and produced simultaneously with the Z series. It seems that they will be released at the same time". Samsung has the Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip foldable smartphones, the former folds left and right, the latter folds up and down... but the new double-folding foldable will change that up radically.

Samsung's new double-folding foldable smartphone will introduce a nifty multi-fold functionality that will move from the single-fold use of the Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip foldables, which will further differentiate their foldable smartphones. Huawei has a tri-fold foldable smartphone, and Samsung Display is providing new foldable OLED panels for Apple's future foldable iPhone expected to drop in 2H 2026.

Apple is reportedly finalizing its selection of material and component suppliers for its foldable iPhone by April 2025, with fresh rumors that we'll see the foldable iPhone debut in the second half of 2026.

In a new report from ETNews, we're learning from industry insiders said "Apple has been preparing for a foldable phone and is now in the final stages of narrowing down candidates before making its final sections". The report suggest that the production timeline for the foldable iPhone is close, with full-scale material and component mass production expected to start in 2H 2025.

Apple normally finalizes technical specifications and supplier selections one year before launching a new product, and that based on this timeline, we should expect to see Apple's first-ever foldable iPhone expected to launch in the second half in 2026. The foldable iPhone is expected to use an inward-folding (in-folding), book-type design with Samsung Display supplying the foldable OLED panels, one of the key components of the foldable iPhone.

Apple recently announced the iPhone 16e, the company's "budget" smartphone offering, which has posed a difficult decision for consumers looking to upgrade.

The iPhone 16e is intended to be a budget smartphone offering, but the price tag of $599 has created a difficult decision for consumers looking to upgrade to the latest generation of iPhone as the iPhone 16e is just $200 less than the standard iPhone. So, should you buy the iPhone 16e or save up a little longer to buy the standard? Below is a list of all of the concessions you will make if you want to save a few dollars and buy the iPhone 16e.

There is one aspect the iPhone 16e has over the standard iPhone 16, and that's battery life. With its reduction in graphics cores and perhaps the inclusion of the new in-house Apple modem, the iPhone 16e has 26 hours of video playback versus the iPhone 16's 22 hours. In summary, the iPhone 16e is a cut-down iPhone 16 standard and omits a range of features that some consumers might find unnecessary anyway. But which one should you choose? That depends on your current smartphone and intended payment method.