Mobile Devices, Tablets & Phones News - Page 1

Apple is strongly expected to announce the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro families of devices at an event likely to take place this coming September, and we're hearing more and more about the unconfirmed devices as time rolls on and that launch gets closer. We heard recently that it was possible Apple could bring the iPhone 15's color-infused back glass to the iPhone 16 Pro, and now a new report has said that the finish will come to the iPhone 16.

While it isn't yet clear whether this report leaves the iPhone 16 Pro out of the equation because it isn't expected to get the same finish, or if it is just a case of the leaker believing they covered all bases by iPhone 16, time will no doubt tell. However, it does look increasingly likely that at least one of the new models will take the same finish as last year's non-Pro models.

This latest report comes via Weibo-based leaker 'Fixed focus digital' in a post picked up by MacRumors. According to the report the leaker claims to have seen an iPhone 16 color scheme, adding that the same process used on the iPhone 15 will also be used for the back glass of the new models. It's already been suggested that new colors will be added to the mix this year, with a potential for seven colors being offered to iPhone 16 buyers.

Over the last few months, there have been almost never-ending rumors that Apple is getting ready to launch an all-new OLED iPad Pro with both 11-inch and 12.9-inch screen sizes expected. We'd been told to expect the tablets to upgrade the current M2 chips to the latest M3 silicon, as would make the most sense. But a report over the weekend suggested that Apple had chosen to skip the M3 entirely and usher in a new wave of chips with the arrival of the new 2024 iPad Pro.

That was according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman with the chip in question being the unconfirmed M4. We already knew that Apple was working on Macs that would use the M4 series of chips and that it intended to launch them towards the end of this year and the beginning of next. But now it appears that Apple could give the new chip to the iPad Pro first.

Following Gurman's claims 9to5Mac now reports that code found in the iPadOS 17.5 beta suggests that the M4 chip might actually be used despite reservations among those following along with Gurman's report. The code was found to reference new display firmware for the OLED iPad Pros, as expected, but it's the model identifiers that are most notable; iPad16,3, iPad16,4, iPad16,5, and iPad16,6.

Apple has been a bit quiet when it comes to its AI hardware and software offerings, but a next-generation M4 processor inside of a next-gen iPad Pro with AI capabilities will fix that.

In a new post on Bloomberg, Mark Gurman, reiterates that he talked about Apple bringing upgrades to its processors in the form of the M4 chip later this year, with some new iMacs, MacBook Pros and Mac minis. But the "big change" for the M4 chip is a new neural engine that will "pave the way" for fresh AI capabilities.

Gurman says there is a "strong possibility" that the new chip in the new iPad Pro will be the M4, and not the M3, and that he believed Apple will position the new iPad Pro as its "first truly AI-powered device" and that is will "tout each new product from then on as an AI device".

Apple is set to hold a streamed event on May 7 and while it hasn't yet confirmed what that event will be about, the rumors heavily point to some sort of new iPad unveiling. We've been expecting updated iPad Air and new OLED iPad Pro lineups for months now, and now a new report suggests that we can expect something big in the way of accessories as well.

There have been hints that a new Apple Pencil is on the way with Apple CEO Tim Cook saying that people should pencil the date in on the X social network. Now, a new report by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, writing in the weekly Power On newsletter, has added further fuel to the fire by saying that the new Apple Pencil will have something no Apple Pencil has been able to boast to date - haptic feedback support.

Gurman didn't offer much in the way of details but he did say that the stylus would have feedback for the first time. It isn't yet clear what that will look like in terms of new features, but it's possible that the vibration motor could be used to simulate the experience of writing on a piece of paper rather than a glossy piece of glass.

Apple is expected to announce the iOS 18 iPhone software update in June with the annual WWDC event normally the place when new updates are previewed to the world. We've been hearing various things about what that update will offer for months now, and it's believed that there will be a big focus on new AI features. However, there's an expectation that there will be some updates to apps that people use every day as well, and it's those apps that could be the biggest improvement for people who use iPhones on the daily.

Now, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, writing in the paywalled version of the Power On newsletter, has shared details about what he expects from the new iOS 18 software update. He was asked by one reader what would be new in iOS 18 beyond the heavily rumored AI focus, and Gurman said that he believes there will be improvements to a number of Apple's core iPhone apps.

According to Gurman, we can expect that Apple will overhaul the Photos, Mail, Notes, and Fitness apps this year which means that some of the apps people use the most will benefit from whatever Apple has in mind. It's possible that the AI focus could bring new features to those apps as well, with Apple previously rumored to have plans for a new Notes feature that ties in with the calculator app as well.

With Apple set to stream an announcement event on May 7, many are expecting that the company will announce not one, or even two, but four new iPads. Two of those will sport OLED displays for the first time, and a new report says that we should expect some of the best displays in the business when they arrive.

The iPad Pro has long been tipped to be getting new OLED displays this year, and that's now expected to happen next week. The switch to OLED has the potential to bring improved colors and contrast to the best iPads, and a new report by the display supply chain watches at DSCC says that we can expect the displays to be particularly impressive. In fact, the report says that the new iPad Pros will feature the best OLED tablet panels available on the market, including support for a 120Hz refresh rate.

The report goes on to say that the displays will use a tandem stack and glass construction which will result in ultra-thin and light displays with a high brightness rating. Despite that, the new displays will reportedly offer extended battery life for those who use their new tablets heavily. The display will also last for a long lifetime, we're told.

You don't need to be the biggest Apple fan in the world to know that the company, generally, announces new iPhones every September. And this coming September Apple is expected to announce four new handsets in the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max. The four handsets have all been leaking in recent months, and now a new leak has given us our best look at the new iPhones yet.

That leak comes via the leaker Sonny Dickson in a couple of posts on the X social network. Those posts show photos of dummy iPhone units that appear to show all four new iPhones in all their glory. And assuming they're legit - and we've no reason to suspect otherwise - these new dummy units confirm almost everything that we've been told to expect in previous leaks.

The first thing that most will notice is the redesigned camera layout of the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, something that has been rumored for some time. The cameras will move to a vertical orientation rather than the diagonal one that has been used since the iPhone 13. That change isn't all about cosmetics, either, with Apple's switch allowing the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus to capture spatial video for the first time. Those spacial videos will then be played back on the Apple Vision Pro.

Apple is strongly expected to debut the iOS 18 iPhone software update at an event that will take place in June and that WWDC 2024 event will likely also see Apple take the wraps off a ton of new software updates for its other hardware platforms, too. But it's iOS 18 that most people are interested in, and the software is tipped to include some big new AI features. As part of the plans for those features, it seems that Apple is increasingly likely to turn to another company to provide some of its smarts.

Apple was reportedly previously in discussions with OpenAI and Google about using their respective chatbot technologies in iOS 18 and now a new report suggests that OpenAI's talks are once again underway. Apple is also thought to continue to be talking to Google about its own Gemini chatbot technology, too. This news comes following the claim that talks between Apple and OpenAI had been slow since the turn of the year, but they now appear to be back underway.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, writing in the weekly Power On newsletter, says that Apple is yet to make a decision as to whether it will work with OpenAI or Google for its upcoming AI features. The report goes on to say that Apple may choose to work with both of the partners, while there is always the possibility that a third party could be added to the mix as well.

While the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro might be the flagship Google phones that everyone turns to and the Pixel Fold is the one that captures a ton of attention, the Pixel 8a could be the most important of them all. It's a phone that will offer a budget option for people who want a solid Android experience without spending huge sums. And it's leaking in a big way of what is expected to be a release next month.

In a leak shared via Android Headlines that detailed a number of different aspects of the new and as-yet unconfirmed Pixel 8a, we learn that Google has plans to make sure that the phone lasts as long as possible. According to what appears to be marketing material for the phone, the Google Pixel 8a will come with seven years of security updates, ensuring that the phone remains as safe and secure as possible for a long, long time. That isn't something that people have always been able to say about Android devices at all.

That is of course excellent news, although there is one question left open. The leak doesn't appear to confirm how long Google will offer Android OS updates for this particular device which means that it could end much sooner than those seven years. For comparison, the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro now come with seven years of Android updates, so it would stand to good reason that the Pixel 8a will as well. We'll await confirmation one way or another.

Apple announced the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro in September of last year and now we expect it to announce their replacements in September of this year. There are likely to be four new iPhones when they are all announced and we've been hearing various leaks here and there ever since the iPhone 15 launched. Now, we've been treated with a new leak that shows some of the features that we've been told to expect from this year's iPhone refresh.

The leak comes in the form of a post on the X social network, with leaker Majin Bu sharing three different CAD renders of what appears to be cases for the new phones.

The cases show one of what is sure to be the biggest addition to the new iPhones in the form of the Capture button, as has been rumored for months. It's going to come in the form of a new button that will reportedly be used as part of the camera setup, allowing people to more quickly and easily capture photos and videos, hence the name. The button is also expected to have pressure sensitivity which means that it will allow people to perhaps press slightly to focus and then press further to take the shot.