Mobile Devices - Page 5

Samsung has just launched its new Galaxy Z Fold 7 with a more premium build and thinner design with a newly-designed titanium backplate, but rumor has it that its next-gen Galaxy Z Fold 8 will ditch it.

The new Galaxy Z Fold 7 has a premium OLED panel and hinge that Samsung has recently tested, reporting that it can handle over 100 folds per day for 10 years, thanks to its titanium backplate. Samsung's next-gen foldable smartphone should be cheaper, with the next-gen Galaxy Z Fold 8 rumored to ditch the hinge and cut costs.

New rumors suggest that Samsung would use a carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) backplate instead of the titanium backplate, with The Elec reporting that the new titanium backplate is harder to source than CFRP ones, and that the trade war between the US and China has had an effect on the supply chain for companies like Samsung, making it harder to acquire the titanium for its backplate.

Samsung Display has announced that its new foldable OLED panel inside of its new Galaxy Z Fold 7 foldable smartphone remained fully functional after a huge 500,000-fold durability test, with it capable of handling over 100 folds per day for over 10 years.

The new Galaxy Z Fold 7 foldable test can has been proven to last over 10 years of folding for regular users, or over 6 years for heavy users who fold their handset over 200 times a day "without durability concerns". Samsung says that advancements in shock resistance further widen Samsung Display's technological lead in the foldable OLED display market.

The foldable panel was tested and verified by the global testing, inspection, and certification company Bureau Veritas, with Samsung Display raising its internal durability testing standard from 200,000 folds to 500,000 folds, which is 2.5x its previous benchmark, with the company explaining that this underscores its confidence in the panel's long-term resilience. The panel in question is from the recently launched Galaxy Z Fold 7 foldable smartphone.

Google has officially teased its next-gen Pixel 10 smartphone, with a reveal of the new handset on its website ahead of its August 20 reveal.

The next-gen Pixel 10 family of smartphones will be powered by its in-house Tensor G5 processor, with the new Pixel 10 tease on Google's website showing us the Pixel camera bar before zooming out to show us the entire phone. Google hasn't said whether this is the Pixel 10 or Pixel 10 Pro smartphone, but from recent render leaks it looks like the higher-end Pixel 10 Pro.

Google's new regular Pixel 10 smartphone is meant to have a few differences inside and out, with a new telephoto camera for the Pixel 10, meaning the new Pixel 10 has a downgraded camera system from the Pixel 9, which is unfortunate. We will see Google unveil its new Pixel 10 smartphones on August 20, with all of the details and new products like the Pixel Watch 4, as well as the foldable Pixel 10 Pro Fold smartphone.

Apple has been rumored for quite some time to be developing a foldable iPhone that is scheduled to be released in 2026, and with the launch of that product, the company will be deviating away from its traditional strategy.

The foldable iPhone is one of, if not the most exciting, product Apple is working on behind the scenes, as many are expecting the device to reshape what we currently know as a foldable smartphone. This assumption comes from Apple's prowess and self-description that when it enters a new product category, it, while it may be late, is typically the best.

That statement is true for the most part as Apple has reshaped many product categories and in many ways legitimized new ones. For example, the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and AirPods were all massive commercial successes that revamped the aforementioned categories.

Apple has reportedly been working on a foldable smartphone for quite some time, and it was only recently that estimated specifications surfaced outlining all of the juicy components within the new device. However, one spec was left out, the battery.

The battery of a foldable device naturally poses a difficult engineering challenge as smartphone manufacturers want the device to be as thin as possible, but have a battery that is capable of running three displays for an appropriate length of time.

Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7 has recently been released, and that has leveled up the design of foldable smartphones as the device measures at just 4.2mm thick unfolded, and features a 4,400mAh battery. Notably, the Z Fold 7 features an 8-inch inner screen and a 6.5-inch cover screen, while Apple's rumored device is pegged to have a 7.8-inch inner screen and a 5.5-inch cover screen.

Google has just announced its upcoming Made by Google 2025 event, which takes place on August 20. We should be introduced to the new Pixel 10 family of smartphones, next-gen Tensor G5 processor, and more.

Normally, we have Apple hosting its iPhone unveiling event in September and Google unveiling its new Pixel smartphones in October, but the US search giant is leaping Apple this year with its Made by Google event in August, getting ahead of the new iPhone 17 family announcement.

Google is also moving its event from Mountain View to New York City, where hand-picked media will be invited to the event, where we'll see the introduction of the new Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, and Pixel 10 Pro Fold smartphones unveiled. It won't just be smartphones, but their new Tensor G5 processor for the Pixel 10 family, and the new Pixel Watch 4 wearable.

Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone is still over a year away, but we've got some spec comparisons between other flagship foldable smartphones, including Samsung's just-launched Galaxy Z Fold 7 smartphone.

In a new report from analyst firm UBS spotted by insider @Jukanrosleve on X, we have Apple's new foldable iPhone launching with Apple's new in-house A20 Pro chip made on TSMC's new 2nm process node, as well as Apple's new C2 5G modem.

We're to expect the foldable iPhone to launch with 12GB of RAM and have 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage options, while the inner screen is expected to span 7.8 inches, while the cover screen will be 5.5 inches. When folded, the foldable iPhone is expected to measure in at between 9.0 and 9.5mm, while when unfolded we are to expect 4.5 to 4.8mm thickness.

Apple's foldable iPhone, which is expected to debut later in 2026, is apparently set to be cheaper than some were predicting, at least according to one report - though there's another nugget from the grapevine that appears to contradict this idea somewhat.

The former suggestion comes from UBS, as highlighted by Fortune (via TechRadar), which concluded that based on a teardown and cost analysis of Samsung's Z Fold SE, the foldable iPhone could come in around 4% cheaper to make.

UBS believes this could mean Apple can price the device at between $1,800 to $2,000 in the US, which is a good deal lower than the rumored (up to) $2,400 price tag which has been floating around previously.

Samsung only just released its new foldable smartphones with the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7, but the company is hard at work on its next-gen Galaxy S26 family of smartphones that sees the company dropping the Galaxy S26 Plus from the fray.

In a new report from South Korean outlet TheElec, we're hearing that Samsung's new Galaxy S26 family of handsets will include the standard Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26 Edge, and flagship Galaxy S26 Ultra smartphones. As for the display sizes, we're to expect 6.27 inches for the standard Galaxy S26, a bigger 6.66-inch display for the S26 Edge, and the flagship S26 Ultra with a 6.89-inch display.

An official from the parts industry told TheElec: "Two domestic companies, Korea Circuit and DAP, are developing more than half of these nine boards as first vendors," adding, "FastPrint is also developing some boards as a first vendor, but the proportion of boards it is developing as a second vendor has increased".

Samsung will unleash its new tri-fold smartphone by the end of the year according to the company's acting head of the Device Experience Division.

In a new report from the Korea Times, we're hearing that the tri-fold smartphone from Samsung will be released before the end of 2025, with the company noting it plans to introduce new device form factors in the future that will enhance users' AI experience.

Roh Tae-moon, acting head of Samsung Electronics' Device Experience Division, said: "As we dive deeper into AI, the role of smartphones is becoming more important. Through hardware innovation optimized for AI services, we will fundamentally change the user experience. The smartphone is no longer just a tool. It is becoming an AI partner that sees, understands and responds to what users are seeing in real time. Samsung is working on more innovative form factors to lead the AI era".

Google's next-gen Tensor G5 processor will power the company's new family of Pixel 10 smartphones, and has been put through some early benchmarks providing us with a sneak peek of its performance.

The next-gen Pixel 10 family of smartphones will be powered by Google's new in-house Tensor G5 processor, where in leaked benchmarks it is up to 36% faster than the current-gen Tensor G4 processor inside of the Pixel 9 family of smartphones. The new Tensor G5 processor will be made on TSMC's new 3nm process node, shifting over from Samsung Foundry.

Google's new Tensor G5 processor has single-core and multi-core scores leaked from new Geekbench benchmarks, with 2276 points in single-core, and 6175 points in multi-core testing. This makes the new Tensor G5 up to 36% faster than the current Tensor G4, showing some impressive gains using TSMC's second-generation 3nm process node.

Samsung's tri-fold phone is apparently still inbound and should arrive this year, according to one executive at the company - but we're hearing some more doubtful noises from another exec.

The Verge reports that TM Roh, who is acting head of Samsung's Device Experience division, spoke to The Korea Times and, after the lack of any tease at the recent Unpacked event (the phone was teased early this year - see above), clarified that:

Rumors have been circulating about Apple finally jumping into the foldable smartphone market for quite some time, and now we are hearing that production has begun on the display that will be featured in the first foldable iPhone set to launch next year alongside the iPhone 18 series.

Reports from MacRumors state the first foldable iPhone displays are being produced by Samsung Display, which has created a dedicated production line for the upcoming device at its A3 factory in Asan, Chungcheongnam-do. This production line at the factory will be dedicated to creating the new foldable OLED displays headed to the first foldable iPhone, with the facility being capable of producing as many as 15 million displays per year, exceeding Apple's requirements for fulfilling potential orders of the device throughout 2026.

Notably, Samsung Display has reportedly secured an agreement with Apple to provide foldable displays to the smartphone company for at least two years. Typically, Apple likes to diversify its supply chain, but since Samsung Display has unique expertise in foldable display technology due to the company offering its own foldable smartphones since 2019, Apple has reportedly agreed to sign on for a prolonged period of time.

Apple's upcoming ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air smartphone will reportedly have 12GB of RAM, up from the 8GB of RAM in previous rumors.

The new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air with 12GB of RAM will bring it closer to the higher-end iPhone 17 Pro, which is said to have 12GB of RAM. The new rumors suggest that the base models will continue on with 8GB of RAM, while the iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and flagship iPhone 17 Pro Max will all have 12GB of RAM.

Weibo-based leaker "Fixed Focus Digital" says that the three higher-end iPhone 17 smartphones will have 12GB of RAM, while the base iPhone 17 sports 8GB of RAM. This creates a much wider gap between the non-Pro iPhones, as the iPhone 16 Plus featured the same A-series processor and RAM configuration as the base iPhone 16.

Samsung has unveiled its new Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 foldable smartphones, with its new Galaxy Z Flip 7 featuring a bigger battery, a sleeker design, and powered by the company's new in-house Exynos 2500 processor.

The new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 smartphone has multiple new tweaks, with a sleek new design that has flat edges and rounded corners, measuring in at just 13.7mm thick folded and 6.9mm when unfolded. The new Galaxy Z Flip 7 weighs in at just 188g, making it a tiny bit heavier than the Galaxy Z Flip 6 and thinner.

Samsung's new Galaxy Z Flip 7 has a new cover display with a new 4.1-inch Super AMOLED Flex Window, while the main display has been increased from 6.7 inches on the Galaxy Z Flip 6 to a larger 6.9 inches on the new Galaxy Z Flip 7. It's also smoother with a 120Hz refresh rate, and higher peak brightness of up to 2600 nits.

Samsung has just unveiled its new Galaxy Z Fold 7 smartphone with a beautiful new design, which is thinner than the previous Galaxy Z Fold 6, with a bigger display, the lack of the S Pen, and powered by Qualcomm's flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite processor.

The new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 smartphone is now thinner than ever before at just 4.2mm when unfolded and only 8.9mm when folded, compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 6, which was much thicker at 12.1mm when folded. The new flagship foldable smartphone also weighs only 217g compared to the 239g of the Galaxy Z Fold 6.

Samsung has also boosted the size and resolution of the outer display, which is now wider with a 6.5-inch panel and 2520 x 1080 resolution, which makes it around the same aspect ratio as a regular smartphone. Inside, the inner display is 8 inches making it nearly as large as an Apple iPad mini 7, bridging the gap between a small tablet and smartphone.

Apple's new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air smartphone has been teased in a new video on X, showing a dummy model of the rumored design of what will be Apple's thinnest iPhone ever. Check it out:

We've been hearing tons of rumors that Apple's ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air smartphone will be just 5.5mm thick at its thinnest point, passing the iPhone 6 at its thinnest point with 6.9mm. In order to get the iPhone this thin, Apple has had to make some compromises including decreased battery life, a single rear-facing camera, a single speaker, and the A19 processor over the A19 Pro.

Inside, we should expect a 6.6-inch display, Apple's new in-house A19 processor, 8GB of RAM, a 24-megapixel front-facing camera, 48-megapixel rear-facing camera, Face ID technology, titanium casing, Apple's in-house C1 5G modem, and charging speeds of up to 35W power.

Apple is expected to launch its new iPhone 17e smartphone in spring 2026 using the same budget-friendly OLED display that will be reused from the current iPhone 16e smartphone.

In a new report from TheElec, picked up by insider @Jukanrosleve on X, we are hearing that the same budget-friendly OLED display on Apple's current iPhone 16e will be reused for next year's iPhone 17e, with the company aiming to maintain its annual iPhone shipments at between 220 and 230 million units.

BOE and Samsung Display are reportedly involved in the OLED development project for the iPhone 17e, with a "high probability" that LG Display is also involved. BOE, Samsung Display, and LG Display are supplying OLED panels to Apple, while BOE will provide the largest volume out of the three display manufacturers.

Apple is moving full steam ahead with the production of its foldable iPhone, requesting its partners to complete trial production of the foldable iPhone by the end of 2025.

In a new story from UDN, picked up by insider @Jukanrosleve on X, we're hearing that the current plan is to start final product testing in the first half of 2026. Following this, mass production and an official external announcement are expected in the second half of 2026. This move is interpreted as an attempt to challenge Samsung's dominance in the foldable phone market.

Samsung already has many generations (six) of foldable smartphones on the market, and is about to launch its new Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 foldable smartphones in the days ahead. Apple is many years behind, but they won't be launching with a so-so foldable iPhone, it should be -- in Apple's words, I'm sure -- magical and revolutionary.

Apple's new iPhone 17 Pro Max will be released later this year, with a new rumor suggesting the flagship handset will feature the biggest battery in an iPhone yet.

In a new post from Weibo leaker "Instant Digital", we're hearing that Apple's new flagship iPhone 17 Pro Max smartphone will reportedly feature a 5000mAh battery, up from the 4676mAh battery inside the iPhone 16 Pro Max. If we rewind back to the iPhone 11 Pro Max which had a 3969mAh battery, Apple has slowly been squeezing in more and more battery life into its iPhones over the years.

Apple says that its current-gen iPhone 16 Pro Max has up to 33 hours of battery life, up from the 29 hours of battery life on the iPhone 14 Pro Max, so we should expect the new iPhone 17 Pro Max to feature over 35 to 36 hours of battery life. The increased battery life won't just come from the bigger internal battery, but from improvements and increased efficiency squeezed out of Apple's new in-house A19 Pro chip, and the use of Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon X80 5G modem.