Mobile Devices - Page 9

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.

Aspiring filmmakers who can't yet afford a full DSLR camera setup but purchased an iPhone with a USB-C port need an SSD to record Apple ProRes. But who wants to carry around an SSD in their pocket when they are filming?

Introducing the Planck, the world's smallest Phone-first SSD that is designed for creators who need extra storage but don't want to have additional cables and clutter in their pocket/backpack. Planck has been with creators in mind and offers up to 2TB of storage, with variants in 1TB and 2TB models. The small SSD plugs directly into the USB-C port at the base of your iPhone and enables the device's highest-quality video recording setting, Apple ProRes, which actually requires an external storage device to enable.

The tiny device gets lost in the palm of your hand when you are recording, and for those wondering how much additional recording time you will get, Planck will grant as much as 150 mins of recording time at 4K/120FPS ProRes Log. As for images, the small SSD will grant 27,500+ images at 48MP ProRaw quality. After recording, creators won't have to wait long for their footage to transfer as the Planck SSD can move data at 1050Mbps thanks to its NVMe chip.

Apple's new budget-focused iPhone 16e was announced earlier this year, packing the company's first in-house 5G modem called the Apple C1.

Apple's new C1 modem is the most power-efficient baseband chip inside of an iPhone according to the company, with the new in-house 5G modem seeing a combination of TSMC 4nm and 7nm process nodes. The new Apple C1 modem is fabbed on TSMC's newer 4nm process node, while the transceiver is made on TSMC's last-gen 7nm node.

The new iPhone 16e costs just $599 with the new Apple C1 subsystem inside, with this subsystem containing key components including the processor and memory. Apple's new iPhone 16e features the same A18 processor as the rest of the iPhone 16 family, and has the best battery life of all of the 6.1-inch iPhones thanks to its new C1 subsystem.

Apple's new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air has been spotted in some juicy new renders, with a tease of the same camera bar as the Pro models, and more. Check it out:

The new Apple iPhone 17 Air smartphone has appeared in a new video from YouTube channel Front Page Tech, with Jon Prosser telling us the new iPhone 17 Air will measure in at 5.5mm thin at its thinnest point, making it only slightly thicker than both of the iPad Pro models with OLED displays.

Apple's new iPhone 17 Air smartphone will feature a new camera bar on the back, housing all of the required components that you find on the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max handsets. This means we can expect a single-lens camera sensor on the left side of the camera bar, with a mic and LED flash placed on the right.

In another case of Samsung giving its best OLED screen to its competitors, rumor has it Apple's new iPhone 17 family of smartphones will use the latest M14 OLED panel provided by Samsung.

This means that Apple's new iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max smartphones will all use Samsung's new M14 OLED panel, which is a big change over only the higher-end iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max using the high-end M14 OLED display. Now the entire range of iPhone 17 handsets will use Samsung's latest M14 OLED panel.

Samsung's latest M14 OLED panel is the company's most advanced display technology, when compared to the previous generation M13, the new M14 OLED is 20-30% brighter, improved energy efficiency, and longer service life. Apple is expected to roll out 120Hz refresh rate goodness to all of its iPhone 17 handsets.

Apple has been rumored to be working on a new ultra-thin iPhone model that will lack some of the high-end features seen in other models but concentrate purely on aesthetics.

We have been hearing about the rumored iPhone 17 Air for quite some time, with analyst Jeff Pu saying back in August that if Apple were to release a new iPhone variant, it wouldn't be focussed on performance at all but instead visuals, with the main attraction being the thickness of the device. More rumors about the elusive device slated its thickness to be 6mm, which, when compared to Apple's latest iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max at 8.25mm, makes for a stark difference that only can result in praises for Apple's engineering team (depending on the concessions made to achieve this thickness).

The rumors continued, and we began hearing about potential specifications for this iPhone 17 Air, and according to reports, a 6.6-inch display paired with an Apple A19 processor made on TSMC's current 3nm process is what is in the works. Moreover, Pu stated in October the device will feature an aluminum frame, presumably with the titanium coating as seen on the current iPhone line-up, a single 48-megapixel rear camera, and a 24-megapixel front camera. Furthermore, the device would come with support for Apple Intelligence, which means at least 8GB of RAM.

In the latest edition of the Power On newsletter, known Apple insider Mark Gurman claimed Apple is preparing to launch a new iPhone "this week."

Gurman writes that Apple is preparing to launch a new iPhone next week, and that hasn't changed, with the Apple insider seemingly being very adamant about the prediction. Notably, Gurman has been spot on with Apple's plans in the past, with the analyst correctly calling the date for Apple's last WWDC, and other Apple-related announcements. As for what new iPhone will purportedly be announced this week, Gurman says Apple will be unveiling a redesigned iPhone SE 4, which will be priced below the $500 mark.

Furthermore, Gurman says that's not all Apple has up its sleeve, as the company is also planning on unveiling a new M4 MacBook Air and its iPad Air lineup. The Bloomberg reporter also states in the Power On newsletter the new iPhone SE will come with a larger screen and look reminiscent of the iPhone 14. Additionally, the new iPhone SE is slated to be the device that features Apple's first in-house cellular modem chip, which will be paired with the A18 processor and Apple Intelligence. Moreover, the home button will be replaced with FaceID, and there will be the inclusion of a USB-C port over the now-outdated Lightning port.

Apple is half a decade behind its competitors in the foldable smartphone race, with the iPhone giant expected to make its move into the foldable market sometime in 2026.

In his latest PowerOn newsletter, Mark Gurman writes on Bloomberg that a foldable iPhone is an "exciting concept" and that if you haven't seen a tri-fold smartphone in the flesh, explains that instead of the device opening up into a full-sized iPad, it can turn into a full-sized tablet.

Samsung is working on one, with Gurman writing that he has used one of Huawei's tri-fold smartphones, saying that "this form factor is incredible, and I wish Apple would make one".

Samsung has not been conservative with using the tech world's favorite acronym. 'AI for All' was the theme of CES 2025, and Galaxy Unpacked teased 'a new era of AI integration'. However, the early reviews of Samsung's Galaxy S25 Ultra are in. And while the overall consensus is generally positive, many of the common criticisms are directed towards the phone's AI features.

Engadget's Sam Rutherford spent some time with the handset. Throughout his experience, he noted the iterative, rather than innovative, nature of the AI tools:

"A lot of what Samsung focused on in this generation feels more like a bonus rather than a must-have feature," Sam wrote.

Samsung officially teased its first triple-folding smartphone at its Unpacked event late last month, and now we have begun to hear rumblings of a possible name for the device.

Samsung didn't provide any details of its tri-fold smartphone at Unpacked 2025 and only showcased a silhouette that revealed a device capable of folding horizontally. According to South Korean tipster yeux1122, the upcoming device is reportedly launching in Q3 2025 and will be called the Galaxy G Fold. Previous rumors indicate the tri-fold will feature a monster display of 9.96-inches, which would make it approximately 30% larger than the 7.6-inch panel on the Galaxy Z Fold 6

As for when it's folded, reports indicate it will measure 6.54 inches, making its height in line with traditional smartphone sizes. As for weight, we can expect the Galaxy G Fold to weigh approximately the same as the Huawei Mate XT, the only other triple-fold smartphone on the market.

Samsung has showcased its new line-up of smartphones for 2025, which include the S25, S25 Plus, and the S25 Ultra, and the latter has undergone a thorough durability test, revealing some questionable design choices.

The tester is none other than popular YouTuber JerryRigEverything, who has managed to get his hands on an S25 Ultra and run it through its durability paces ahead of its full tear down. The YouTuber points out the S25 Ultra is very similar to the S24 Ultra, with very minimal physical design changes. One of which is the camera lenses, where on the S25 Ultra the camera lenses aren't actually attached to the base of the phone, versus the S24 Ultra being wholly connected to the backplate with no gaps.

The YouTuber highlights the metal rings around each of the lenses, which may at first look like they are part of the lens itself, but as we learn, aren't assisting the lens at all besides providing protection from scratches while it's lying on its back. The YouTuber begins the durability test by sliding a razer blade underneath the metal rings, eventually popping them off, and saying they appear to be "glued into place like fake eyelashes."