Royole’s flexible displays promise a future of foldable phones and smart hats

Ever fancied a phone that you could wrap around your wrist, or build into your clothes? At IFA 2018, Chinese company Royole has shown off its range of fully-flexible displays, including panels built into a ski jacket – and a top hat.

A bendy screen is just one of the components necessary to make a foldable phone or smart coat, and Royole also makes a range of flexible sensors, circuits and other electronic systems to make these products possible.

Shape of the future

“While curved displays have been the talk of the tech world this summer, Royole has developed and is now mass-producing the next generation of fully flexible displays,” said Dr Bill Liu, founder and CEO of Royole.

"Our  engineers  are  currently  working  with  over  220  partners  worldwide  to  change  the  way  people  interact  with  technology  in  their  personal  environments."

Royole might not be a household name outside China, but with flexible devices like Samsung's long-awaited foldable phone on the horizon, its tech could soon be in high demand.

  • IFA 2018 is Europe's biggest tech show. The TechRadar team is in Berlin to bring you all the breaking news and hands-on first impressions of new phones, watches and other tech as they're announced.
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Qualcomm’s readying your smartphone for a world without a headphone jack

Qualcomm has announced a new version of its aptX audio platform at IFA 2018, which aims to deliver the same performance and quality of a wired audio connection.

The headphone jack is dying as the rise of wireless continues its march across our devices - Qualcomm says the wired connection is going away - but there’s potentially good news for audiophiles worried about a poorer, wireless audio experience.

AptX Adaptive is the latest version of the firm's wireless sound technology, and Qualcomm claims it provides a robust, hi-res and virtually glitch-free listening experience.

It's not just focused on music playback though, as aptX Adaptive has been tuned to improve audio response for gaming and movies.

Current Bluetooth doesn't address latency issues - which proves problematic when gaming or watching video - and it's an issue you don't get with a wired connection.

What the Adaptive upgrade provides is a wire-like low latency experience which Qualcomm hopes will encourage more users to ditch the wire and adopt wireless headphones.

Dynamically adapts

AptX Adaptive will dynamically adjust wireless audio performance depending on content you are consuming - be it music, video or a game - which takes the hassle of manual adjustment out of the equation.

Qualcomm tells us that aptX Adaptive will be available "on a Snapdragon chip to be named in the future", which we expect to be the Snapdragon 855 which is tipped to launch at the start of December.

That means the first smartphones to boast this new Bluetooth audio technology likely won't arrive until the middle of 2019.

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Sony Xperia XZ3 IFA launch, 2018 iPhones with new OLED technology | Pocketnow Daily

Also on our show, ZTE is back in action with the Axon 9 Pro, the Casio PRO TREK may bring Wear OS to the outback and students are winning with Spotify.

The post Sony Xperia XZ3 IFA launch, 2018 iPhones with new OLED technology | Pocketnow Daily appeared first on Pocketnow.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 takes page out of Find X playbook, employs sliding selfie camera

Though it arguably kicked off the current bezel-free smartphone craze with its original Mi Mix handset, Xiaomi seems to be taking a page out of Oppo's design playbook with a Find X-style sliding selfie camera on its newly announced Mi Mix 3 device.

Posted by Xiaomi president Lin Bin on the company's Weibo page along with a proposed October release date, the Mi MIx 3 image shows a camera that's hidden behind an almost completely bezel-free display. 

Previous Mi Mix devices, like the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2, awkwardly placed the selfie camera at the bottom of the phone's face, forcing the user to either turn the handset upside down, or take self portraits from an especially unflattering angle. 

If you look closely at the bottom left corner of the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3, you'll notice that unlike the Oppo Find X, the entire back part of the device slides – not just the top section. 

Ticket to slide

This unique approach leads us to believe that instead of the camera popping up, the Mi Mix 3's display may actually slide down. Could this mean that the Mi Mix 3's sliding mechanism is not motorized like the Find X, but rather a manual implementation that would see the user simply flick the screen down when they want to take a selfie?

It would make sense for Xiaomi to go with a non-mechanical approach – while a very impressive device in its own right, the Oppo Find X's motorized pop-up camera feels like something that's destined for an eventual breakdown.  

Unfortunately, it's all just guesswork at this stage, with absolutely no information on the Mi Mix 3's specs offered at this time. Stay tuned for more information in the lead up to the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3's (likely China-only) October release.

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Google Pixel 3 leak details the smaller flagship inside and out

While we’ve already had plenty of chances to check out the larger Google Pixel 3 XL in the slew of leaks over the last few months, we’re finally seeing what is very likely to be Google’s smaller Pixel 3 flagship.

The leaked photos and screenshots come from an anonymous Reddit user whose account has since been deleted, so the veracity of the leaks should be taken with a pinch of salt. 

However, given the current volume of new Pixel leaks and rumors, there's a strong possibility we’ve been given a fairly accurate description of the smaller handset.

For instance, /r/GooglePixel moderator Racer_77 stated in the thread that “based on all other leaks and renders seen so far, I personally have enough confidence to say that this is likely the Pixel 3.”

Familiar faces

The three images the Reddit user has taken of the handset give us a pretty good look at the upcoming Pixel 3. The rear of the handset closely resembles the current Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL design with their single-lens camera and fingerprint scanner, albeit with a curved boundary between the glass and aluminum sections.

Similarly, the side of the phone isn’t anything too exciting or surprising – with a volume rocker and power button as we’ve come to expect and a slightly more rounded side profile overall.

The handset’s screen looks a whole lot like the Pixel 2 XL but smaller, with much thinner bezels than the existing Google Pixel 2, and rounded edges on the display that match the curvature of the handset itself, just like the 2 XL.

While it’s a touch difficult to make out, the image of the phone’s face also appears to be sporting two front-facing cameras. This is supported by the specification screenshots which list two 8MP cameras – one with a dual aperture of f/1.8 and f/2.2, and the other with f/1.8.

It’s what’s inside that counts

If this leak does indeed prove accurate, the screengrabs show off a great deal of nitty-gritty when it comes to the inner-workings of Google’s next flagship.

Assuming this is true, the Pixel 3 will be sporting a 2,915mAh battery, slightly improving on the Pixel 2’s 2,700mAh capacity. Its display will also be bumped up from 5.0 to 5.5-inches, increasing the aspect ratio from 16:9 to 18:9 (or 2:1).

Although the slimmer bezels allow for a bigger screen, the resolution of 1,080 x 2,160 maintains the same 440ppi density that the Pixel 2 had. As mentioned before, the specs also seem to confirm a dual front-facing camera, which has previously been speculated to support 3D facial recognition.

While we can't know for sure whether this is in fact a legitimate Pixel 3 and if the specs in the screenshots are accurate, the chances are looking pretty good at this point. For complete peace of mind, however, we'll have to wait for the likely October announcement from Google itself.

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BlackBerry lites up, Lenovo snaps up a new dragon | IFA 2018 Daily: Day -1 and 0

Laptops from Acer, ASUS and Lenovo and a quintet of phones from the well-meaning to the overachieving. You know it's a trade show out there.

The post BlackBerry lites up, Lenovo snaps up a new dragon | IFA 2018 Daily: Day -1 and 0 appeared first on Pocketnow.

iPhone XS release date, price, news and leaks

This week is the highly anticipated iPhone XS launch, with Apple announcing it and the even larger iPhone XS Max smartphone at its September 12 'Special Event'.  

Apple is said be crafting the familiar-looking 5.8-inch iPhone XS as a sequel to last year's iPhone – but expect faster speeds, a better camera, and iOS 12 out of the box.

We're also in for the bigger iPhone XS Max, which is said to have a 6.5-inch screen, and also sport a nearly bezel-less notched OLED screen, according to the rumors.

New iPhone XS photo leaks (below) have already spoiled Apple's surprise scheduled for Wednesday. The designs are shrouded in some artful shadow, but we know plenty about them thanks to several convincing leaks from 9to5Mac.

Update: The Analysts believe the iPhone XS price will match that of the iPhone X at launch.

iPhone XS

iPhone XS (top) and iPhone XS Max (bottom), both in gold (credit: 9to5Mac)

All of the critical leaks come just days before Apple will announce its new phones at the Steve Jobs Theater on Wednesday, September 12. We'll be there to report on the Apple event live and it will be live streamed.

We're actually anticipating three new iPhones in 2018: the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and a 'cheaper' 6.1-inch iPhone with an LCD screen. We're calling it iPhone 9 for now, but it may simply be called 'iPhone' or even the 'iPhone XC' harkening back to the cheaper iPhone 5C in in 2013. Apple's playbook may repeat itself in 2018.

Previously, iPhone rumors called these phones the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Plus, and the cheaper iPhone 9. That's all going to change if the newest report is correct. 

The iPhone XS Plus name also appears to be out in favor of iPhone XS Max. This may be for two reasons. First, Apple may want to differentiate its 6.5-inch iPhone XS from the 5.5-inch Plus phones. Max does that. Also, Max is all about size, while the Plus was about adding additional features like OIS in the camera or a dual-lens rear camera. We don't expect anything new on the iPhone XS Max besides the screen, battery life and maybe a dual-SIM card slot. 

iPhone XS release date

  • Wednesday, September 12 – iPhone XS launch event date
  • Friday, September 14 – iPhone XS pre-order (estimated)
  • Friday, September 21 or 28 – (likely) iPhone XS release date

The iPhone XS launch and release date will likely happen all within September, and we have some specifics for you – finally.

Wednesday, September 12 is when Apple's is poised to announce the iPhone XS at its 'Special Event' for 2018, and there will be a live stream of this launch event. 

We'll get our first glimpse (and hands-on time) of the phones at the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park in San Jose, California – and yes, that's where the iPhone X was launched last year on the same exact date.

This launch event date means the actual iPhone XS release date is likely to be Friday, September 21, or Friday, September 28. Apple typically launches new iPhones on a Friday, one to two weeks after CEO Tim Cook unveils everything on stage. We're betting on September 21 if Apple doesn't have inventory issues.

Here's another date: September 14. That's when, at midnight in your country, you can expect iPhone XS preorders to begin. 

In the US, pre-orders tend to start at 3am Eastern simply because Apple launches pre-orders at midnight Pacific, its home time zone.

Keep in mind that the iPhone X came out on Friday, November 3, 2017. This is going to cause some people, especially in the US, a problem when trying to upgrade on a year-long plan. 

However, Apple and carriers may announce a solution on September 12, with incentivized iPhone trade-in options. There're not going to turn down your desire to give them more money over the next year.

iPhone XS price

  • iPhone XS price estimate: $1,000 (£1,000, AU$1,579)
  • iPhone XS Max price estimate $1,199 (£1,199, AU$1,714)
  • Cheapest iPhone 2018 may cost $699 (£699, AU$1,079)

The iPhone XS price may be $999 (£999, AU$1,579), inheriting the iPhone X 64GB price tag, while the iPhone XS Max will undoubtedly be more expensive. 

That thinking has been backed up by analysts from Bank of America Merrill Lynch, who also predict that the iPhone XS price will match that of the iPhone X from last year. 

There have been rumors that not all iPhone 2018 models will ship in September – the cheaper LCD 6.1-inch iPhone may slip to October.

New iPhone XS color: gold

  • iPhone XS and XS Max in gold (new), black and white
  • 6.1-inch iPhone LCD in white, black, red, blue and orange

The iPhone XS photo depicts two phones, and both appear to be in the new gold color that's been rumored for several weeks. We're expecting the new iPhones to have three color options: gold, white, and black.

Photo Credit: MacRumors

Surprise: we've actually seen a gold iPhone in 2018, but that was an iPhone X that Apple is said to have canceled at some point prior to the iPhone launch last year. It showed up in some government regulatory filings, so we have a good idea of what a gold iPhone XS will look like.

Besides the Plus size and the fresh color choice, you won't instantly notice other differences between the iPhone XS and the current iPhone X. It's expected to have an identical stainless steel frame, while the cheaper iPhone for 2018 may have a aluminum frame, like the current iPhone 8, and it may come it as many as five colors: white, black, red, blue and orange.

iPhone XS size and design

  • iPhone XS may be the same width and height as the iPhone X
  • iPhone XS Max may match (or be smaller than) the iPhone 8 Plus
  • Both phones may be thicker due to camera upgrades

Get ready to use your iPhone with two hands again, because the iPhone XS Max is going to be a monster phone with a 6.5-inch screen. But it won't be too big.

Apple has shaved away the needless bezel at the top and bottom (and axed the home button) in the upgrade to the iPhone X. So the screen size is a bit misleading if you're moving from the 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus or iPhone 8 Plus – it's not a full inch bigger.

A bigger screen, but smaller body for the iPhone 11 Plus? Credit: Forbes / Ghostek

In fact, the dimensions we've seen rumored point to an iPhone XS Max size that's either matching or smaller than the 5.5-inch iPhone 8 Plus. One schematic (above) suggests dimensions of 157.2 x 77.1mm.

An older rumor puts the iPhone XS Max at 158.4 x 78.1 x 7.7mm, only 0.2 inches thicker than the iPhone 8 Plus. 

The same rumor claims the smaller iPhone XS will be the same size as the iPhone X, except again that it will be slightly thicker. This is thought to be because of a larger rear camera sensor and lens, so expect camera improvements.

iPhone XS specs

  • Apple A12 chipset likely to provide a speed boost
  • 512GB of storage may be the new max size (and a maxed out price)
  • Some models may see 4GB of RAM, others may stay at 3GB of RAM

All three new iPhones are thought to have the A12 chip, a natural upgrade on the A11 Bionic chip that appeared in all three of last year's iPhone models. See the pattern?

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has said the iPhone XI might support faster mobile data speeds and come with a dual-SIM card slot, and 4GB of RAM. 

That dual-SIM claim is backed up by lines of code found in the upcoming iOS 12 software update, and it means iPhone users could finally be able to benefit from two SIMs in one phone.

Kuo has also claimed that Apple will probably exclusively use Intel modems for 2018's models, rather than splitting the order between Intel and Qualcomm.

Apple could launch these three phones this year. Credit: KGI Research/MacRumors

We've also had other hints at the iPhone XI's power from a benchmark, which shows an unnamed iPhone as having 4GB of RAM and a 2.49GHz hexa-core chipset.

Apple never details the RAM in its phones, but we could see an upgrade here, too, from 3GB in last year's iPhone to 4GB in the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max. The company historically leaves one model behind, so we expect 3GB of RAM on the cheapest iPhone. We won't know this information until someone does a teardown on the release date.

Apple may add to the existing internal storage sizes, giving us 64GB, 256GB, and a new 512GB option for the iPhone XS – that's bigger than most laptop solid-state hard drives. The cheaper 6.1-inch iPhone may stop short of that, with 64GB and 256GB sizes.

iPhone XS camera

The iPhone XS camera may be a big highlight, but we don't know much about it. Kuo predicts that both sizes will have a dual-lens rear camera, while the cheaper iPhone (the one with an LCD screen) will be the one with a single-lens rear camera.

Photos from the dual-lens camera are expected to be 12MP, with one telephoto lens and one normal lens, both with optical image stabilization (no change here). The difference may come from the backend software. Samsung, Google, and other Android phone makers have given us cameras that use machine learning to enhance photos, and Apple's iPhone X camera has fallen behind in our tests, especially in low-light situations.

On the front, all of the new iPhones are undoubtedly going to sport a TrueDepth camera – we know that because none of them will have a Touch ID home button. The last iPhones to use Touch ID will be the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.

We could see more depth-sensing features in the front-facing selfie camera, with a recent Apple patent pointing to a single-lens camera system that has dual-lens-like features. The question is whether this tech will be ready for the iPhone 2018 or iPhone 2019.

iPhone XS and iOS 12

  • iPhone XS to launch with iOS 12 out of the box
  • iOS 12 may launch on older iPhones on Tuesday, September 18
  • Expect features exclusive to the larger iPhone XS

On September 12, in addition to seeing the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, we're due to find out the official iOS 12 release date. Both phones will run this software.

We know all about iOS 12 thanks to WWDC 2018, but Apple almost always holds onto software surprises – usually ones that have to do with hardware and sensors that would tip off observers about new iPhone models in the works (Animoji was a secret until the iPhone X launch event).

With the introduction of the iPhone XS Max we could see some exclusive changes that give the larger 6.5-inch phone tablet-like powers. There are some large-screen app interfaces reserved for the iPad, namely Mail and Messages, that give you more information on the screen (like messages threads).

iPhone XS battery

  • Analysts predict a 10% and 25% larger battery 
  • iPhone XS Max could go to 3,300mAh or 3,400mAh
  • Fast charger may finally be included in the box

Your next iPhone may have longer battery life, especially if you opt for the larger 6.5-inch iPhone XS Max. Ming-Chi Kuo says the battery in that phone will be 25% bigger than the one in the iPhone X.

That puts the 6.5-inch iPhone XS battery capacity at 3,300mAh or 3,400mAh, a sizable increase over the iPhone X (which sits at just 2,716mAh). The 5.8-inch iPhone XS may see a smaller increase of 10%.

Charging your iPhone may be easier too, as iPhone XS leaks suggest Apple will include a fast charger in the box. Right now, this is a separate purchase (and we've been using our MacBook Pro charger with a Lightning-to-USB-C cable).

We've now heard that more than once, but the latest reports suggest you won't be able to buy it separately – so if you want Apple's new fast charger you might have to buy a new iPhone to get it.

iPhone XS: Five features we’d love to see

There are a few features currently missing from the iPhone that are already present on competing handsets and ones that could technically be easily implemented on an iPhone. 

Dual SIM support 

Apple has long neglected the dual SIM band-wagon, which has almost become a standard on Android phones and is a required feature for many in markets such as India and China. 

Flagship phones from Huawei and Samsung have been supporting dual SIM cards for a few years now. It certainly makes travelling with your phone a lot more convenient and affordable. Many people also use it at home by paying one telco for calls and the other for data. 

There are strong rumors that Apple might be releasing an iPhone with dual SIM this year, thanks to code found on beta versions of iOS, though it's not clear which models of the iPhone will get this feature.

A 120Hz ProMotion display 

Remember when you first saw the retina screen on the iPhone 4 and everything else paled in comparison? Moving to a panel with higher refresh rates has a similar effect and Apple has already done that on the 10.5-inch iPad that features a “ProMotion” display. 

The fluidness of scrolling web pages or the animation effects in iOS really stand out, and would make it into a great feature on the iPhone. Apple could possibly restrict this to the larger iPhone XS Plus to differentiate between the two models and maybe even include support for Apple Pencil.

Launch camera with a hardware button 

Launching the camera on the iPhone requires a tap or swipe on the screen, whereas many Android manufacturers allow launching the camera by double pressing the power or volume buttons. 

This action lets you get to the camera app in the time it takes for you to hold the phone up to take a picture. 

Always on display 

Do you find yourself double tapping the iPhone X every few minutes just to see the time or any notifications? An always-on display is becoming increasingly common on Android phones equipped with an OLED panel and we'd love to see this feature on an iPhone.

OLED screens are quite efficient when it comes to selectively powering up the phone's screen. With Apple switching to OLED last year on the iPhone X, there is little reason to not support this feature and would give us less reasons to pick up or double tap the iPhone.

Replace Lightning port with USB-C Port 

This is one of those things that will never happen, but it would be extremely convenient to charge your Mac and your iPhone with the same cable. However, other than that, there’s no reason for Apple to switch to a USB Type-C port on the iPhone, especially with the incompatibilities that Android users have faced connecting headsets to that port. 

One can dream though, right?

We’ll only know which (if any) of the these features make it to the new 2018 version of the iPhone at Apple's iPhone 2018 launch event, scheduled for September 12.

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