MWC will stay in Barcelona until at least 2030

The GSMA has confirmed Mobile World Congress (MWC) will remain in Barcelona until at least 2030.

The Catalan capital has hosted the industry megaevent since 2006, moving to the current Fira de Barcelona Gran Via venue in 2013.

The previous deal was set to expire in 2023 before the two parties agreed a one-year extension to take into account the cancellation of the 2020 event due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

MWC in Barcelona

The final pre-pandemic iteration saw more than 100,000 people visit the show, which is attended by handset vendors, operators, equipment manufacturers, car makers, major IT providers, app developers and anyone with a remote interest in the mobile ecosystem.

Major new smartphones and partnerships are often announced during the week, while hundreds of companies exhibit their wares, and countless meetings and casual catchups take place across the various halls of the Fira.

A summer edition was held in 2021 before returning to its traditional spring-time window earlier this year, attracting 60.000 visitors.

“We are thrilled to announce that MWC will remain in Barcelona through to 2030,” said Mats Granryd, director general of the GSMA. “Recent global circumstances have created some of the toughest challenges we’ve faced with MWC, and the strength of our partnership with the Host City Parties was a critical element in our being able to bring the show back. 

"In fact, Barcelona is so intertwined in the MWC experience, it’s hard for me to think about one and not the other.”

“Barcelona is so much more than the city where MWC occurs,” added John Hoffman, chief executive of the GSMA. “We’ve not just grown the event since our move to Barcelona but evolved it to include an entire ecosystem. The hospitality and people of the city and the true partnership we experience at every level means Barcelona is an intricate part of what the GSMA wants to create through MWC.”

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iPhone 14 tipped to launch alongside new Apple Watches, iPads and AirPods Pro 2

Apple usually has a bunch of new products launch at the end of each year, but it sounds like the iPhone 14 might get more than its fair share of gadget companions, according to a big name in Apple leaks.

This comes from Mark Gurman, in his weekly Power On newsletter about upcoming Apple news and rumors. Gurman mentions loads of products expected to launch "between the fall of 2022 and first half of 2023" - or peak Apple period.

The main one of these is the iPhone 14, with Gurman saying there will be four models - we've heard this many times before from leakers, with the expected line consisting of the standard model as well as an iPhone 14 Max, Pro and Pro Max.

Much of the other information provided about the upcoming iPhone Pro models are things we've already heard about like its always-on display, high-res rear camera and improved front camera - but the non-Pro versions are supposedly weaker.

Next up is the AirPods Pro 2, though all Gurman says is "I’m also still expecting new AirPods Pro earbuds with an updated chip and support for higher-quality audio", so there's not much information on these.

Apple is said to be releasing new iPad Pros for 2022 that are packed with the new M2 chipsets - Gurman says there will be 11-inch and 12.9-inch versions, but does address the rumors of a larger 14-inch one by saying this could come in the next year or so.

That's not all in the iPad party though, as a new entry-level iPad (2022) is tipped with 5G, a new chipset and a USB-C port - this is all stuff we've heard before.

As the headline says, more smartwatches are expected too, and it's not just the top-end Apple Watch 8 (though not many changes are expected for that device).

No, a new Apple Watch SE 2 has been tipped, as well as a ruggedized version of the standard model intended for extreme sports users.

Gurman also lists plenty of new Macs coming up using multiple versions of the M2 chipsets, with MacBooks and Mac Minis expected.

Finally, Gurman points to a 'mixed-reality' headset using the M2 chip and 16GB of RAM, something that fans expected to hear about at WWDC 2022 (an annual Apple tech launch in the middle of the year) that never actually debuted.


Analysis: one huge iPhone 14 launch?

Let's recap what we've just heard about:

  • Four iPhone 14s
  • Three Apple Watches
  • Several iPad family updates
  • The AirPods Pro 2
  • A mixed reality headset
  • Many, many Macs

Apple usually has one big launch event at the end of each year - usually around September - and normally, we'd see loads of products all show up at the same time.

But given how long that list is, there's no way they're all showing up at one event - not unless they get five seconds of screen time each and Eminem has to do the announcing - so they'll likely show up at multiple events.

This isn't something that's a total surprise - in 2020, the company had two launch events, one for iPads and Apple Watches, and the other for iPhones. Apple will likely have to repeat that in 2022 for all the aforementioned products - or even have a third launch. Gurman does say that some of the devices could come in early 2023.

Either way, if there is a launch event for the iPhone 14 and Gurman's projections don't all come true, that doesn't necessarily mean these devices aren't coming.

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Samsung Galaxy S23 rumor hints that it won’t use an under-display selfie camera

The rumors around the Samsung Galaxy S23 are starting to pick up pace, and the latest to come to our attention concerns the selfie camera: it sounds as though Samsung isn't going to move to an under-display camera on the front of the phone just yet.

This comes from supply chain sources in South Korea (via Wccftech), and it means the Galaxy S23 phones will still have punch hole notches in the display like their predecessors. We may have to wait for the Galaxy S24 for this particular component to be changed.

There's no reason given for Samsung holding off on introducing a selfie camera under the screen, but there are plenty of possibilities: maybe Samsung isn't happy with the photo quality, or maybe it would push the price of the phone up too much.

All about the selfies

What makes this rumor slightly surprising is that there's a 4MP under-display camera embedded in the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3. Samsung knows how to make the technology and to make it work, even if the resulting photos and videos are relatively low resolution.

And that's probably the key consideration here. While we wouldn't take this as confirmation just yet, it makes sense that Samsung wouldn't want to sacrifice camera quality to be able to have a phone display that's free from any kind of cut out.

A few days ago we heard that the standard S23 and the S23 Plus models would be getting a selfie camera resolution bump to 12MP, so there are changes in the pipeline for this particular spec – even if Samsung is sticking with a conventional approach.


Analysis: perfecting the technology

We've seen under-display cameras on several handsets now, including the aforementioned Galaxy Z Fold 3 and other phones such as the Xiaomi Mix 4, but it's also fair to say that the technology isn't quite ready for primetime just yet.

While these selfie cameras hidden under the screen do work, the engineering challenges mean that the image quality isn't on a par with a conventional selfie camera – one that doesn't have to peer through pixels in order to snap a photo or capture a video.

Of course, over time there will be progress, just as there is in every other smartphone component. However, if Samsung decides to hold off on an under-display selfie camera on the Galaxy S23, it's another sign that more improvement needs to be made.

The Galaxy S23 is expected to launch in early 2023, but other phones launched next year may well feature the technology. It's actually rumored to be appearing in the Google Pixel foldable phone, which should make an appearance this year or next.

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Google Pixel 7 Pro could offer one key display upgrade over the Pixel 6 Pro

We know that the Google Pixel 7 and Google Pixel 7 Pro are real and on the way later this year, but we don't have too much in the way of official information about them. Now newly uncovered details reveal a little bit more about what to expect from these phones.

You may remember that a previous leak suggested that the Pixel 7 and the Pixel 7 Pro would use the same Samsung-made displays as their predecessors – but the latest analysis of tweaked Android source code suggests that's not quite right.

As flagged by Mishaal Rahman (via SamMobile), the Pixel 7 Pro may be using a slightly different Samsung display panel: one with the same 3120 x 1440 pixel resolution, but a higher maximum brightness level.

All bright now

If we're interpreting the Android code correctly – which is being updated in preparation for the Pixel 7 phones – the Pixel 7 Pro will be able to hit 600 nits of brightness in manual mode (up from a maximum of 500 nits on the Google Pixel 6 Pro).

In high brightness mode, we'd be looking at a maximum of 1,000 nits of brightness for the Pixel 7 Pro, beating the 800 nits that the Pixel 6 Pro tops out at. The 2021 flagship phone from Google had a bright display, but the 2022 version could well beat it.

There's a long list of details that Google hasn't revealed about the Pixel 7 handsets, including when we might actually get to see them. Based on previous form though, they should be going on sale and launching fully around October time.


Analysis: building on Pixel momentum

The Pixel 6 and the Pixel 6 Pro felt like something of a watershed moment for Google: for the first time with the Pixel series, the company actually seemed serious about competing with Apple and Samsung at the premium end of the market, and they had a pair of phones capable of doing that.

Now Google will need to build on the momentum that it's generated with the Pixel series – don't forget the Google Pixel 6a either, going on sale next month – and make sure that the Pixel 7 and the Pixel 7 Pro are among the best phones of 2022.

We know that the iPhone 14 is going to be out before the end of the year, and that the Galaxy S23 will launch early in 2023, so there's plenty of strong competition out there that the 2022 Pixel handsets are going to have to go head-to-head with.

The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 need to be more of the same: a powerful chipset, excellent cameras, premium build quality, and a software experience that shows Android at its best (the new phones should come with Android 13 on board). If Google manages to hit an even more competitive price point, so much the better.

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Google Pixel 7 Pro could offer one key display upgrade over the Pixel 6 Pro

We know that the Google Pixel 7 and Google Pixel 7 Pro are real and on the way later this year, but we don't have too much in the way of official information about them. Now newly uncovered details reveal a little bit more about what to expect from these phones.

You may remember that a previous leak suggested that the Pixel 7 and the Pixel 7 Pro would use the same Samsung-made displays as their predecessors – but the latest analysis of tweaked Android source code suggests that's not quite right.

As flagged by Mishaal Rahman (via SamMobile), the Pixel 7 Pro may be using a slightly different Samsung display panel: one with the same 3120 x 1440 pixel resolution, but a higher maximum brightness level.

All bright now

If we're interpreting the Android code correctly – which is being updated in preparation for the Pixel 7 phones – the Pixel 7 Pro will be able to hit 600 nits of brightness in manual mode (up from a maximum of 500 nits on the Google Pixel 6 Pro).

In high brightness mode, we'd be looking at a maximum of 1,000 nits of brightness for the Pixel 7 Pro, beating the 800 nits that the Pixel 6 Pro tops out at. The 2021 flagship phone from Google had a bright display, but the 2022 version could well beat it.

There's a long list of details that Google hasn't revealed about the Pixel 7 handsets, including when we might actually get to see them. Based on previous form though, they should be going on sale and launching fully around October time.


Analysis: building on Pixel momentum

The Pixel 6 and the Pixel 6 Pro felt like something of a watershed moment for Google: for the first time with the Pixel series, the company actually seemed serious about competing with Apple and Samsung at the premium end of the market, and they had a pair of phones capable of doing that.

Now Google will need to build on the momentum that it's generated with the Pixel series – don't forget the Google Pixel 6a either, going on sale next month – and make sure that the Pixel 7 and the Pixel 7 Pro are among the best phones of 2022.

We know that the iPhone 14 is going to be out before the end of the year, and that the Galaxy S23 will launch early in 2023, so there's plenty of strong competition out there that the 2022 Pixel handsets are going to have to go head-to-head with.

The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 need to be more of the same: a powerful chipset, excellent cameras, premium build quality, and a software experience that shows Android at its best (the new phones should come with Android 13 on board). If Google manages to hit an even more competitive price point, so much the better.

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Samsung fined $9.7m over ‘misleading’ adverts

Samsung Australia has been fined AU$14 million ($9.72m) after admitting some of its advertising misled customers about the level of water resistance offered by some of its handsets.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) ruled nine adverts published across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, on its website, and in-store suggested a series of handsets – including the Galaxy S8 – could be used in both pool and sea water.

“Samsung Australia’s water resistance claims promoted an important selling point for these Galaxy phones,” said ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb. 

“We reviewed hundreds of complaints from consumers who reported they experienced issues with their Galaxy phones after it was exposed to water and, in many cases, they reported their Galaxy phone stopped working entirely.”

Smartphone sales

Most modern smartphones have some sort of resistance against water, measured against industry wide standards set by the IP Code. The Samsung devices included in the advertisements were  are rated as ’IP68’, which means they can be fully submerged for half an hour to a depth of 1.5 metres.

However, this protection only covers fresh water. While it is possible that the smartphones offer some protection in chlorine and salt water, most manufacturers don’t offer specific guarantees.

The ACCC’s view was that the adverts offered proof that Samsung devices could be used while swimming in pool or in the sea and Samsung acknowledged that there was a risk that the charging port on these devices could become corroded and stop working if it was charged while still wet.

“Samsung Australia’s ads promoting its Galaxy phones featured people using their phones in pools and sea water, despite the fact that this could ultimately result in significant damage to the phone,” added Cass-Gottlieb.

“This penalty is a strong reminder to businesses that all product claims must be substantiated. The ACCC will continue to take enforcement action against businesses that mislead consumers with claims about the nature or benefits of their products.”

Via Maiel Business News

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Only a fifth of Brits think 5G will improve their lives

Only a fifth of Brits believe that 5G connectivity will change their lives, suggesting that the mobile industry’s belief that next-generation networks will transform society and industry has not captured the imagination of the general public.

The UK is the third-most pessimistic country in YouGov’s rankings, with 36% saying they neither disagreed nor disagreed that 5G would benefit them. 

Worldwide, 51% believed 5G would deliver improvements and only 15% said it would not yield any benefit.

5G rollout

5G networks offer faster speeds, greater capacity and much lower latency than previous generations of mobile technology. 

This means 5G can enable data-intensive, latency-sensitive consumer applications, support mass IoT networks, and connect mission critical industrial systems to cellular infrastructure for the first time.

However, it is arguable that the leap from 4G to 5G is less revolutionary than it was from 3G to 4G in terms of mobile broadband – at least in the eyes of the consumer. Meanwhile, many of the most revolutionary services, such as in VR and gaming are not yet mass propositions.

The findings demonstrate that operators and the wider mobile ecosystem still has work to do in convincing consumers about the virtues of 5G.

Nonetheless, early adoption of the technology has not been hindered. Ericsson believes there will be more than one billion 5G mobile subscriptions by the end of the year, a figure which will reach 4.4 billion by 2027. Within five years, 5G will account for 90% of all mobile subscriptions in North America, 82% in Western Europe, and 74% in Northeast Asia

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Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 could be the most colorful and customizable phone yet

If you don’t like being limited to a few color options for your smartphone then the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 could be the handset for you, as a new leak has revealed some possible colors, and there’s a wide selection of choices.

According to Ross Young – a leaker with a solid track record – the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 will be available in a choice of gold, gray, light blue or purple – which is a selection of shades we’ve heard before from another source, so this may well be accurate.

But that’s just the beginning because according to Young you’ll also be able to get the Galaxy Z Flip 4 in versions that have different sections in various colors.

See more

The options here include one with a black section and two green sections, one with gold, yellow and white sections, one with a gold section and two yellow sections, one with a silver section and two navy sections, and one with a silver section and two white sections.

And those are just the standard retail options – as with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 there’s expected to be a Bespoke Edition which lets you choose your own color combinations, and according to a recent leak from SamMobile there will be even more options for that this year.

So while we’d take these leaks with a pinch of salt, it currently sounds like the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 could be far more customizable than just about any other phone – and come in more color options, even if you stick to the standard shades.


Analysis: boring always wins

Despite the huge number of color options Samsung might offer for the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4, the company is apparently expecting the gray shade to be the most popular.

This is also according to Young, who claims that gray production is expected to be the highest in the first few months, followed by purple and gold.

The multicolored options and Bespoke Edition meanwhile are expected to be produced in much lower quantities, despite being the most interesting.

It makes sense in a way – boring as gray is, it’s unlikely to be as divisive as, say, purple. But it sure is a shame, as it suggests we might not see many of the best smartphones come in as wide a selection of colors as the Z Flip 4 will apparently offer.

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6 great Samsung Galaxy S22 features you can find on Samsung’s cheaper phones

Samsung makes a big song and dance about its top-end phones like the new Galaxy S22, showing off all the fun and useful features that these devices have. However if you can't afford one of these premium mobiles, you might assume that you don't get to enjoy these tools.

That's not the case though, as plenty of the more affordable Samsung phones also bring lots of the great features shown off on the Galaxy S devices. So if you buy a Galaxy A mobile, like the mid-range Samsung Galaxy A53 or even the budget Galaxy A13, you can use lots of these functions.

To give you an idea of some of the great Samsung Galaxy S22 features you can use on cheaper Samsung phones, we'll run you through six of our favorites right now.

1. Single Take mode

The Samsung Galaxy A53 Single Take mode

(Image credit: Future)

With the Samsung Galaxy S20 series, we saw the launch of Single Take, a mode that makes photography much easier, and it's remained a big feature of subsequent Galaxy S devices.

With the mode, you record a video of your subject, moving around and recording from different angles, and then AI will pick out the best stills from it and edit them for you. 

This lets you take an amazing picture whether or not you know much about photography.

Although it's been a major selling point of Samsung Galaxy S phones, it's actually also available on Galaxy A phones. This lets you take these super-simple snaps whether or not you've paid for the top-end Samsung phone.

Admittedly the AI isn't quite as smart on the budget phones, so pictures won't match those on the S-series phones, but it's still a great feature that you don't need to pay much for.

2. Device care

If you're spending loads of money on an expensive phone, you want it to last a good long while - but depending on how you use it, that might not always be easy to achieve.

Thankfully, Samsung phones offer a way to help with this. In the Battery section of your Settings mode, you can find the Device Care menu. Here, you can see how healthy your device is, with a simple score letting you know how well-optimized the phone is for longevity, and you can also try to increase that score too.

The menu gives you options to optimize the storage, memory and battery, all to make sure your phone is running as healthily as possible.

Even if you haven't paid top dollar for a Samsung phone this mode might be helpful though - after all, you'll want your device to last a few years whether you've paid $400 or $1,400. This menu appears for all Galaxy devices, not just S-series ones, letting you improve the way your phone runs.

3. The 120Hz display

The Samsung Galaxy A52 5G display

(Image credit: TechRadar)

Samsung was one of the first companies to adopt high-refresh-rate displays on its smartphones, with some Galaxy S phones using 120Hz screens before rivals.

High refresh rate screens make motion look smoother, so whether you're scrolling through social media or playing games, you get a more enjoyable viewing experience.

It's a feature we initially saw exclusively in top-end phones - the aforementioned S20 was one of the first to use it - but now, you don't need to pay loads for a premium device to enjoy it.

Now that the feature has been around for a while, we've seen more and more mid-range and budget phones embrace it. In Samsung's case that's partly true, as some of its budget devices now have 120Hz displays.

This includes the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G and A73 - these have 120Hz screens yet don't cost you as much as the top-end Galaxy S alternatives. So if you like smooth-motion screens, you can get one without paying loads.

4. Adaptive charging

A great example of a feature first introduced in Samsung's top-end phones is Adaptive Charging - this mode protects your battery's longevity by using AI to work out when to charge quickly and when to slow the power. With this, you can keep your phone plugged in for ages without it completely ruining the battery.

Originally, this was only available on top-end phones in the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note ranges, but recently, it's started showing up in more affordable phones too.

You do have to be using a Samsung charger for this feature to work which, we should point out, you won't get with certain newer Galaxy A mobiles. You'll need to buy one online if you don't own one - and it's worth it, because in the long run, this could keep your phone lasting longer.

5. Food mode

Samsung Galaxy A13 facing forwards being held in a hand

(Image credit: Future)

While Single Take is the mode that Samsung shows off most often, it's not the brand's only useful way of taking pictures if you don't want to use the standard photo mode.

Another of these is Food mode which, despite the name, doesn't need to be used simply on food. It lets you pick an area of focus, with the rest of the shot having some depth blur - you can select an animal, a pattern or, of course food, and have it stand out from the shot. The mode also edits the snap with a healthy (or unhealthy) dose of saturation to make it pop more.

This mode isn't just useful on Samsung Galaxy S phones, but also shows up on A-series devices. Since the cheaper phones don't have as powerful cameras, it's arguably even more handy on these devices, to ensure you're getting the best snaps possible.

6. Spot color

Once you've taken a photo, it can be fun to edit it so that it's truly social media ready, and Samsung's top-end phones offer you the scope to do that.

The key feature here is Spot Color - when used in Samsung's Gallery app, you can select a color and it'll immediately be changed to monochrome in the photo. This lets you create some rather artistic masterpieces if you play around with it.

As you can probably gather given the headline of this article, this is another feature that's available on Galaxy A devices as well as Galaxy S ones. We've used it before to take some pretty artistic shots, especially when used to make the background of a selfie black and white (but leaving the subject, us, as colored).

Thanks to this, as well as the camera modes we've already looked at, a Galaxy A phone is just as good as a Galaxy S one if you're a prolific Insta poster.

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iOS 16 beta 2 arrives with more improvements for Messages and backups

Apple released updates to the developer betas of iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS Ventura, and watchOS 9 this week (June 22), where there's been some bug fixes and refinements for the new features it announced at WWDC.

While Stage Manager in iPadOS 16 has seen some improvements, by way of making it easier to resize windows, and being able to hide the dock, the Messages app is taking older software versions into account when editing messages.

There'll be two messages sent - one being the original, and the other the newly edited message.

There's also the ability to create backups over iCloud using your cellular data plan, but as other users are awaiting the public beta release of iOS 16 (along with other platform releases), we suspect the wait won't be much longer.


Analysis: when could iOS 16 public beta arrive?

iOS 16 Lock Screen

(Image credit: Apple)

Beta releases from Apple usually arrive two-three weeks after a previous version, whether that's a minor release such as iOS 15.6, or the tentpole releases of iOS 16.

At the time of writing, it's been two weeks since WWDC and when the first developer betas arrived. We usually see the public betas show up when beta 3 does. By then, there'll be a bunch of feedback given by developers who have been using the earlier releases, and all that has been applied to the features across the new software.

For example, WWDC 2021 was June 7, with the public beta arriving three weeks later, earlier than Apple's date of July. While the iOS 14 public beta arrived on July 8, just under three weeks after WWDC 2020 was hosted remotely.

This is why we suspect the public beta of iOS 16 and other updates will arrive around the week beginning July 4. That way, they're released after the federal holiday break, and users can get into how the new updates will benefit them, albeit with caution.

Regardless, these are still early, in-development versions of what will be on the majority of iPhones by the time 2022 wraps up. So be aware that you may encounter bugs and other issues if you do decide to install the public betas...when they arrive.

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iPhone 14 Pro Max could be a downgrade in one major way

When a new model of a phone comes out we expect it to be an upgrade, and that’s certainly the case with iPhones, as each new model usually has some combination of improved and identical specs. But with the iPhone 14 Pro Max at least one spec might be slightly worse.

According to leaker ShrimpApplePro, the phone has a 4,323mAh battery, which would be a slight downgrade on the 4,352mAh one in the iPhone 13 Pro Max. It’s a small enough difference that it’s unlikely to have much impact on life, but it’s definitely a change in the wrong direction.

The source has also revealed the possible capacities of the other iPhone 14 models, with the standard iPhone 14 apparently having a 3,279mAh battery (up from 3,240mAh in the iPhone 13), the iPhone 14 Pro being listed at 3,200mAh (up from 3,095mAh in the iPhone 13 Pro), and the new iPhone 14 Max supposedly having a 4,325mAh one.

See more

So it’s not all bad news on the battery front, with the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro both apparently getting slightly bigger ones, of which the Pro’s boost is the largest.

The iPhone 14 Max could be the battery champ though, as according to this leak it has the biggest battery of all. Its capacity is supposedly only 2mAh higher than the iPhone 14 Pro Max’s, but with the iPhone 14 Max likely sporting a lower 60Hz refresh rate it probably won’t be as battery hungry as Apple’s top flagship.

All that said, we’d take this with a pinch of salt. The source could be wrong, especially as they say that these specs aren’t confirmed. Plus, a much earlier leak suggested every model would be getting a bigger battery than their predecessors.


Analysis: you probably won’t have to worry about the iPhone 14 Pro Max’s battery life

Even if this leak is accurate, the iPhone 14 Pro Max will probably have very good battery life, as the downgrade is only slight, and the iPhone 13 Pro Max is the longest-lasting iPhone yet.

In fact, for our review we found that its battery life was among the best we’ve seen from a modern flagship phone.

So if the iPhone 14 Pro Max has slightly worse battery life it will still probably have more endurance than the average flagship. Plus, its life might not be worse anyway, since its chipset may well be more efficient, and Apple might have made other optimizations.

So while we were – and still are – hoping Apple would deliver a phone with truly excellent battery life, even if it doesn’t, the iPhone 14 Pro Max is unlikely to particularly disappoint – in fact, it will probably be one of the very best smartphones.

Via BGR

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iPhone 14’s OLED displays tipped to come from rival Samsung

When it comes to the shortlist of suppliers providing Apple with displays destined for this year's iPhone 14 series, Samsung has reportedly just found itself to be the top pick through its Display arm.

According to a report from South Korean news publication ETNews, “industry insiders” are claiming that Apple has formally approached Samsung Display with an order for approximately 80 million screens, to be supplied in Q3 (July-September) of this year; ahead of the iPhone 14’s expected release this September.

Details of the order corroborate reports that this year’s crop of devices won’t play host to an iPhone 14 Mini (as has featured in the past two generations of iPhone), with only two display sizes intended to serve across four discrete models.

Based on the device lineup previously suggested by reputable leaker Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro will make use of a 6.1-inch panel, meanwhile just under half of the total order is intended to serve the larger iPhone 14 Max and top-end iPhone 14 Pro Max, both of which will feature a 6.7-inch display as Apple seeks to create it best iPhone ever in 2022.

Samsung Display will use two different manufacturing methods for the OLED displays that form this order: LTPS-TFT and LTPO-TFT, with the latter offering greater power efficiency over the former, thought to be headed to the two Pro models in the iPhone 14 family.

The standard iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max will likely use more modest LTPS-TFT technology, which offers lower display refresh rates and a mildly lower quality of display.


Analysis: screening the competition

While 80 million units to a single supplier would mark a huge win for Samsung Display, it’s not a great sign for Apple fans hoping for more affordable iPhones this year.

The more manufacturers there are able to meet Apple’s demands and quality standards, the greater the competition, meaning lower component prices and, in turn, savings that - theoretically - can be passed onto consumers.

In the past, fellow South Korean manufacturer LG Display has often supported Samsung in providing Apple with displays for its iPhones. More recently, however, the two were joined by Chinese supplier, BOE Technology.

BOE has been making displays for Apple since the iPhone 12, although whether or not the California-based company places any orders with BOE for the iPhone 14 is still up in the air.

Apple only recently resumed iPhone 13 display production with BOE, after the Chinese company was found to have cut corners on its manufacturing processes (as reported by 9to5Mac) in order to reduce costs, without telling the iPhone maker ahead of time.

While BOE’s reinstated position as a parts supplier for the iPhone 13 doesn’t guarantee any involvement in the iPhone 14’s production, according to GSMArena, Apple is re-evaluating their validity as a potential supplier this week, which could lead to greater competition for Samsung Display's order total and, again, the potential for a more affordable iPhone.

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Apple AirTag 2: what we want to see

The AirTag might not seem like it’s crying out for a successor – after all, it only landed back in 2021, and there’s only so much an item tracker like this can do. So it hardly needs yearly updates, yet Apple might be planning an AirTag 2.

A reputable analyst has suggested as much – and we’ll get more into the details of that below. This article will also be used to house any additional news and rumors about the AirTag 2 once we hear anything more.

But for now, as well as the small amount of information we’ve heard so far, we’ve included a wish list of things that we want from an AirTag 2, to make it worth buying.

Cut to the chase

  • What is it? The next generation of AirTag
  • When is it out? Probably not before 2023 at the earliest
  • How much will it cost? Unknown for now

Apple AirTag 2 release date and price

Right now we don’t even know if there will be an AirTag 2, but according to Ming-Chi Kuo – an analyst with a great track record for Apple information – the company might develop an AirTag 2 if shipments of the current AirTag continue to grow.

Kuo’s exact phrasing is that they “believe Apple will develop the 2nd generation” under those circumstances, so it sounds like this might just be an opinion rather than any inside information, and also like development might not actually have started yet.

So we wouldn’t count on seeing an AirTag 2 at all, and if we do it probably won’t arrive before 2023 at the absolute earliest.

There’s no news on what the Apple AirTag 2 might cost, but for reference the original AirTag retails for $29 / £29 / AU$45 if you buy one, or $99 / £99 / AU$149 if you buy a pack of four. We’d think the AirTag 2 would probably have a similar price, but it might not depending on what upgrades it has.

Apple AirTag attached to a keyring

(Image credit: TechRadar)

News and leaks

Other than a vague suggestion that Apple might make an AirTag 2, there’s no news at all about it yet. We’ll fill out this section as soon as that changes.

What we want to see

The AirTag arrived fully formed, so there’s not a huge amount of room for improvement, but there are a few things that Apple could do with an AirTag 2, such as the following.

1. Android support

This is Apple we’re talking about, so it’s no surprise that AirTag doesn’t work with Android, but it would be a far more desirable and popular device if it did.

Obviously, that would open it up to Android users, of which there are far more globally than iPhone users. But it would also make it more appealing to those who own an iPhone now, but who don’t necessarily plan to always do so.

And AirTag isn’t the sort of thing that would convince someone to switch to iPhone for, so there’s really no obvious reason to lock out Android. So while we’d be incredibly surprised if AirTag 2 did support Android, we really hope it does.

2. A more durable design

an Apple AirTag in a brown leather key fob holder, attached to some keys on a wooden surface

The AirTag is easy to scuff (Image credit: TechRadar)

While we don’t feel the AirTag is overly fragile, our review noted that it did become easily scuffed in just a few days of use, so for the AirTag 2 we’d like a design that’s easier to keep pristine.

Given the nature of the AirTag that might be tricky, particularly if you’re attaching it to a bag, or some other thing where it’s exposed to the outside world, but we’re sure Apple can manage it.

3. Better waterproofing

The original Apple AirTag has an IP67 rating, meaning that it’s splash and water resistant to a depth of up to 1 meter for up to 30 minutes. That should probably be plenty, but it’s less than some phones (such as the iPhone 13 line), and given that your AirTag might be more exposed to the elements, we’d like to see an improvement here.

At a minimum then we want the AirTag 2 to have an IP68 rating, matching most flagship phones, but the more waterproof it is the better.

4. Shared access

One handy feature of some rival location trackers such as Tile is the ability to give other people (such as family members) access to them, so that they can help you track down your misplaced item.

This could be especially handy if, for example, you’re out and think you left the item you’re tracking at home. In that situation, giving a family member or housemate access to your AirTag could speed up the process of locating it. So we’d like to see this added for the AirTag 2.

5. A lower price

In the world of Apple devices and tech in general, an AirTag isn’t wildly expensive. In fact, it carries a similar price to most rival trackers. But if you want to purchase one of Apple’s key fobs or straps in order to actually attach the AirTag to something then the price rockets up, with these accessories often costing more than the AirTag itself.

So for the AirTag 2 we want either the device itself to be cheaper or for these accessories to be. Or better yet, both.

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Google Pixel 7 could be weaker than expected – and that’s okay

When the Google Pixel 7 series was teased in May 2022, we were told that it had the Tensor 2 chipset, the Google-made chipset that follows on from the chip it debuted in the Google Pixel 6 series. We've just heard our first leak about this upcoming component, and it's a surprising one.

Bear with us here, because the source is convoluted: someone managed to buy a locked Google Pixel 7 Pro prototype, and sent its boot logs (the only remaining bit of accessible information) to Telegram channel Google News | EN (presumably nothing to do with Google's own news tool of the same name).

This channel then shared the key information: the upcoming phones apparently will have the same screens as their predecessors, and the Tensor 2 chipset will apparently be incredibly similar to the original. Take all of this information with a pinch of salt, due to the curious nature of the source - but it's interesting to dig into.

If there are limited component changes in the chipset, it means the Pixel 7 likely won't have that much processing power over its Pixel 6 predecessor - it doesn't mean it'll be identical, because Google could add more AI smarts, but don't expect a super-powerful Android.

That fact might disappoint you - after all, newer models of phones are expected to be more powerful - but in reality, it really isn't an issue.


Analysis: better is worse

Each new iteration of Android processor is supposed to be faster than the last. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 is supposed to be faster than the 888, which is supposed to be faster than the 865, which is supposed to be faster than the 855 (for example).

However, in practice things aren't that simple, and we can prove that by looking at benchmarks. At TechRadar, we use the Geekbench 5 test to see how fast phones are in a lab, though other sites use alternatives. And it's been showing us something very interesting of late.

Phones using 2021's top-end Snapdragon 888 chip generally performed equally to ones using its predecessor, the 865 - and those on the newest 8 Gen 1 frequently underperform both.

Partly, this is because these newer chips have horrible overheating issues, which can cause performance to drop rapidly under use - and there's something to be said for newer chips excelling in ways that benchmark tests don't pick up on.

But the simple fact of the matter is, phones have gotten to the point where they're fast enough. You don't need a mobile to be any snappier if your fingers aren't fast enough to need it, or if game graphics have topped out what small screens can do.

Instead, new chips focus more on power optimization and efficiency, new camera capabilities and improved AI smarts. Being powerful or fast isn't as important anymore as being smart is.

So it's likely that Google is simply catering to audience use, and is focusing less on power and more on everything else. And that'd fit with its modus operandi - it's always leaned heavily on AI smarts for things like photography and smart assistants.

So if the Pixel 7 doesn't wow in benchmark tests, that's okay - the phone will likely have improvements in many other areas, and it'll still be a contender for our list of the best smartphones.

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Wait, did Tim Cook just confirm Apple’s AR headset and glasses?

Apple CEO Tim Cook seems to have confirmed that his company is working on some kind of AR device – the first time any Apple exec has talked about its AR hardware projects publicly.

Speaking to China Daily USA, Tim Cook was asked about what AR headsets and products need to consider to be successful. In his response, Cook said that “putting humanity at the center of it” should be the priority of any successful tech product.

He then went on to explain Apple's current approach to software in the newly forming AR technology sector and said, "I couldn't be more excited about the opportunities we've seen in this space.

"Stay tuned and you'll see what we have to offer."

While Cook hasn't outright confirmed the existence of Apple's AR/VR headset or equally long-rumored Apple AR Glasses, he's definitely hinted that Apple is working on something.

Apple Glass - Apple logo seen through a pair of glasses

The Apple logo seen through a regular pair of glasses (Image credit: Shutterstock / Girts Ragelis)

Alongside AR experiences for its iPhone and iPad devices, Apple is rumored to be working on two pieces of dedicated AR hardware.

The first is a headset that will be similar to Meta's Project Cambria device. It would offer a more premium experience than the likes of the Quest 2 and would be designed to deliver AR as well as VR.

The second device is a pair of AR glasses. These so-called Apple Glasses would likely be more feature-heavy than the Nreal Air AR glasses available today – perhaps something more akin to Google Glass (though Apple likely hopes they'll be more successful). 

We'll have to wait for Apple to make a more definitive announcement before we know exactly what tricks it has up its sleeves.  Nothing was announced at WWDC 2022, but with a 2023 launch rumored for its AR/VR headset Apple, there's hopefully not too much longer left to wait. Based on the excited grin we could see creeping onto Tim Cook's face during the interview, we might be in for a real treat when Apple finally does reveal what it's been working on.

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