We may still be getting used to the Samsung Galaxy S24 line after it was released in January this year, but we’re already looking ahead to the hugely anticipated Samsung Galaxy S25 range.

The Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24 Plus and Galaxy S24 Ultra have so far exceeded Samsung’s expectations, with reports last month confirming record sales in the US and around 10 million units sold worldwide within a month of launch. Such early success has seen the tech giant revise sales targets.

That’s despite reports earlier this year that rival Apple had reclaimed top spot over Samsung in European smartphone sales.

As a result, the Samsung Galaxy S25 series will have a lot to live up to when it finally comes around. It’s still early days, so there isn’t a lot of information about what we can expect, but there have been some very early rumors circulating that will no doubt begin to shape fans’ expectations.

When will the Samsung Galaxy S25 arrive?

The Samsung Galaxy S25 series will likely launch in early 2025, which follows the trend of recent Galaxy S generations.

Samsung prefers early-year releases, so we might expect to see something at an event in January 2025, with the official release potentially arriving in February 2025.

What are Samsung Galaxy S25 specs?

While it’s still too early for definite spec announcements, some rumors are pointing to some significant improvements in the Samsung Galaxy S25 series.

Ranging from a better camera to improved AI to a next-generation chip, there’s a lot to potentially be excited about.

Better Camera

The past three Galaxy S generations have seen a consistent combination of 50MP main, 12MP ultrawide and 10MP telephoto camera setups, but tipster Revgnus has claimed via their X account that the S25 will scrap the Samsung IsoCell G3 sensor for something created by Sony.

Leaker @Tech_Reve has gone one further by claiming the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra will have a new 50MP ultra-wide camera, an upgraded main snapper and a variable zoom telephoto lens, allowing for the ability to optically zoom to various distances.

Samsung Galaxy Camera Roadmap

S24U:
– Folded telephoto upgraded to 50MP with 0.7um.

S25U:
– Wide-angle lens upgraded.
– Folded telephoto lens upgraded with variable capabilities.
– Ultra-wide-angle upgraded to 50MP.

S26U:
– Wide-angle upgraded to 200MP with 0.7um and… pic.twitter.com/7FKi6HxMMw

— Revegnus (@Tech_Reve) December 17, 2023

Meanwhile, @BennettBuhner has claimed on X that the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra could have a new 200MP main camera with a bigger 1-inch sensor.

Both, though, have reiterated that these leaks are very early and must not be taken as fact just yet.

Snapdragon 8 Gen 4

The S24 series boasts the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which hits 3.3GHz and makes for impressive processing power for a mobile phone chip. Rumors, though, suggest the Galaxy S25 might see the inclusion of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, which is believed to be able to hit 4GHz.

The one thing that has fuelled this particular rumor is Qualcomm teasing at Snapdragon Summit 2023 that pretty big changes to the next chipset are on the horizon.

That said, similar to the Galaxy S24 series, it’s being reported that we should not expect the Galaxy S25 to have the same chipset worldwide. UK and European users may instead get the Exynos 2500, which is yet to be released.

South Korean site Ajunews claims Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 is expected to power many of the top Android phones in 2025, so that will likely include the S25. It is claimed Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 may support LPDDR6 (Low-Power Double Data Rate 6) RAM.

There is also speculation from Revgnnus that Samsung’s next-gen chipset will be built on a 3nm process, as opposed to the 4nm process the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 is built on. This may lead to a more battery-efficient handset for those running off Exynos.

Improved AI

As a result of improved RAM, on-device AI tasks will naturally get a welcome improvement. Smartphones running LPDDR6 RAM may be able to handle more AI duties without the need for the cloud or an internet connection. This could be a bit of a game-changer as smartphone companies seek to implement artificial intelligence to future handsets.

Currently, AI features on the Samsung Galaxy S24 require the internet to work and they can be quite slow. Additionally, the need to send data to the cloud adds concerns surrounding privacy.

Ajunews has said that there is no guarantee LPDDR6 RAM will be included in Galaxy S25 but, if it is, it will arguably make it the leading handset on the market for AI skills.

Bigger Battery

@BennettBuhner has also claimed on X the Samsung Galaxy S25 series could have bigger batteries than previous generations but did not expand on what that might look like.

If the handsets do include LPDDR6 RAM, it’s a safe bet that Samsung will need to include bigger batteries to handle the additional processing power. Nothing is confirmed just yet, though.

How will the Samsung Galaxy S25 look?

The Samsung Galaxy S24 looks very much like previous generations, but there are some rumors, fuelled that Samsung is planning substantial design changes to the Samsung Galaxy S25 series.

What that looks like is still under wraps, but we are beginning to hear some rumors that might eventually give us an idea of what to expect this time next year.

Larger Screen

@BennetBuhner claims that the Galaxy S25 Ultra could boast a slightly larger screen that’s closer to 6.9 inches, which is only marginally larger than the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s 6.8-inch screen.

Galaxy S25 series – Big, bigger, biggest!

Galaxy S25 series is to all get larger displays, with the base variant getting ~6.36" display and the Ultra variant is to get an ~6.9" display!

Bigger displays are the (short-term) future!

*Provided image does not accurately represent… pic.twitter.com/jQ1Ms1G1LU

— BenIt Bruhner Pro (@BennettBuhner) March 17, 2024

How much will the Samsung Galaxy S25 cost?

Samsung has a history of pricing its smartphones very similarly and while there is hope the Galaxy S25 series will be no different, some of the potential new specs and features may force the tech giant into going for a higher price point.

The Galaxy S24 currently retails at £799, while the S23 was priced at £849 at launch and the S22 hit the shelves at £769. However, if the S25 comes equipped with Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, which is expected to cost more, Samsung may opt to pass those additional costs on to their customers.

What that looks like remains to be seen, while you will expect to be paying more for the Plus and Ultra models, which are currently going for £999 and £1,249 respectively in the S24 series.

Featured Image: Photo by Anh Nhat on Unsplash

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It has been reported that iPhone 17 may come with a display feature that can help block reflections and most sunlight, an issue described by many Apple users.

iPhone users have often complained that the screen does not display properly if it is too bright. Although the device’s screen brightness can automatically adjust to its environment, modifying this setting can quickly deplete the battery.

However, there has been speculation that the tech giant is attempting to make it far more pleasant to use your iPhone when the sun is shining. According to MacRumors citing a source from Chinese social media site Weibo, next year’s iPhone 17 will feature an anti-reflective display that is more scratch-resistant than Apple’s Ceramic Shield found on iPhone 15 models.

Leaker Instant Digital claimed on Tuesday (March 19) that the outer glass on the iPhone 17 is set to have a “super-hard anti-reflective layer” that is “more scratch-resistant than you think.” The user added that the coating equipment was recently delivered to China’s supply chain, but not soon enough to be included in the upcoming iPhone 16 series this year.

“Ceramic Shield” refers to a glass-ceramic substance created through a partnership between Corning and Apple. Apple claims that the Ceramic Shield on the iPhone 15 is the most durable smartphone glass available.

Corning Gorilla Armor, used in Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra phones, also has a similar feature. The company claims it reduces reflections by 75 percent compared to typical glass surfaces and is resistant to micro-scratches that accumulate over time on competing glass panels.

The longstanding supplier for Apple has provided Gorilla Glass for a variety of devices in Apple’s product range. In 2021, Apple announced a total investment of $495 million in support of Corning’s research efforts focused on cutting-edge glass technologies.

Apple attempts to make strides amid a declining market

Patently Apple reported that the company had developed an adaptive exterior display capable of blocking out 90 percent of bright light. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has apparently granted the patent, enabling the phone to feature an adjustable element that blocks sunlight.

Despite the advancements, a prominent Apple analyst anticipated a considerable decrease in iPhone shipments this year. An analyst with Barclays stated in January that nothing unique about the iPhone 16 series would help turn around the device’s falling demand.

According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, “shipments of essential semiconductor components” have already decreased by 15%, suggesting a drop in iPhone 15 deliveries to 200 million. Kuo adds, “Apple may have the most significant decline among the major global mobile phone brands in 2024.”

Featured image: Canva

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It will come as no surprise that Apple is expected to be continuing its trend of releasing a Pro version of the latest iPhone. In 2024, that means we can expect an iPhone 16 Pro – and the rumor mill already has an idea of what and when to expect it.

When is the iPhone 16 Pro release date?

Forbes reports that we can expect to see the iPhone 16 Pro in the fall. Judging from the years that have come before, Apple tends to host its iPhone announcement events on one of the first Tuesdays of September. That means we can probably expect it on September 3 or September 10, in keeping with previous years.

Although that is still a few months away, there’s already a fair amount of rumors flying about what to expect from the iPhone 16 Pro, both in terms of aesthetic design and the specs beneath the casing.

iPhone 16 Pro design rumors

Multiple sources on MacRumors report that a key change between the iPhone 16 and the Pro (as well as the Max) will be the size. This will be the first significant size update that iPhones have had for several years, jumping from the iPhone 16’s 6.1 inches to 6.3 inches for the Pro. The Pro Max is believed to measure 6.9 inches, up from 6.7 inches on the iPhone 16 Max.

While the volume buttons will remain the same between the 16 and 16 Pro, Apple will reportedly add a whole new button, known currently as the Capture Button. This echoes existing designs from Samsung, Pixel, and other major smartphones. Found on the side of the iPhone next to the Power button, the Capture button will be mechanical but still respond to pressure and touch. That means it will enable users to zoom in and out by swiping on the button, adjust focus in a photo with a light touch, and activate the camera or start recording with a firm push.

Its position next to the Power button means that the 5G mmWave antenna for American users will have to move to the left side of the device, below the volume buttons.

Other than that, the Pro versions will follow the same design principles as the base versions. Apple has been leaning into the titanium frames they’re known for since the release of the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max and don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.

In fact, the company is making sure everyone knows what metal is in the handset with the rumoured colours that the iPhone 16 Pro will come in: Natural Titanium, White Titanium, Blue Titanium and Black Titanium.

iPhone 16 Pro spec rumors

Of course, what most Apple fans want to know is exactly what will be new in terms of functionality. Will it be worth the predictable price jump?

What is reported so far is that Apple is designing new A-series chips for the iPhone 16 Pro models, built on the latest N3E 3-nanometer node. That means the upgraded handset should offer improvements for both efficiency and performance, although there aren’t many practical details on what this could mean.

There are also whispers of Apple laying the groundwork for improved AI capabilities. With both the A18 chip and the next-generation M4 chip for Mac, the iPhone 16 Pro could be coming out at the forefront of smartphone AI capabilities.

What’s more, reliable Apple leaker Kosutami shared a look at the metal shell of what’s believed to be the iPhone 16 Pro, revealing that Apple could be shifting towards a frosted interior casing, rather than its usual glossy finish. While this casing change wouldn’t be for aesthetic purposes, being hidden by the exterior for all intents and purposes, it does mean that Apple could be putting more effort into thermal management, reducing the chance of overheating handsets.

This comes just a few weeks after Kosutami also reported that “Apple is actively working on graphene thermal system of iPhone 16 Series to solve the heating problem existing before”. If the leaker is to be believed, Apple appears to be heavily focusing on managing issues with overheating.

In addition, Kosutami reports a battery capacity of 3,355mAh. While this is only a slight improvement on the iPhone 15 Pro, this could represent as much as a 25% difference in battery life. That’s a pretty sizable difference for anyone who finds their iPhone seems to die not long after leaving the house

In previous years, camera upgrades have also represented a substantial change from base to Pro versions of iPhones. Many consumers are motivated to buy due to cosmetic changes and perceive improvements in photography, so we can likely expect some sort of new features or performance in the camera as well. However, it’s possible that box has already been ticked by the Capture button.

iPhone 16 Pro price rumors

The best measure of how much we can expect the iPhone 16 Pro to cost is comparing iPhone 15 and 15 Pro prices. Upon release, there was a $200 price increase for the Pro handset. By that marker, we can likely expect the iPhone 16 Pro to sit between $999 and $1,099 for 128GB and between $1,099 and $1,199 for 256 GB.

Featured image: Unsplash

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With the next-gen Samsung Galaxy S25 being in the works behind closed doors, there are rumors that Samsung may be changing up its camera in favor of Sony.

Currently, Samsung largely uses their own camera sensors in its Galaxy phones but a recent move by Sony is said to be connecting the two together.

The corporation is planning to bring image sensor wafers made in Japan to Korea, where they’ll then be made into individual chips in the post-process. The reason, according to insiders, is so the Japanese conglomerate can expand and strengthen the image sensors that are supplied to Samsung Electronics.

With Samsung being based in South Korea, this move will bring Sony into close proximity with its desired customer.

This comes as Samsung’s System LSI division, which makes the camera sensors under ISOCELL branding, has faced some difficulties. Last year, Business Korea reported sources saying that the Electronics’ foundry division, including the System LSI Division, had an operating loss of KRW 710 billion in the second quarter of the year.

The total losses of the foundry division in the 1H23 of 2023 were said to be close to KRW1 trillion.

Whilst the use of Sony hasn’t yet been formally confirmed, the rumors are continuing to swirl.

On X, the user @Tech_Reve tweeted a leak back in December saying ‘Great news: The S25 and S25+ will no longer use the dreadful GN3 sensor; instead, they will feature Sony’s image sensor. I’m very happy!’

Great news: The S25 and S25+ will no longer use the dreadful GN3 sensor; instead, they will feature Sony’s image sensor. I’m very happy! https://t.co/P6pxMEmyMl

— Revegnus (@Tech_Reve) December 3, 2023

A date for the new Galaxy S25 series hasn’t yet been publicized, but it’s predicted to launch in early 2025.

What is new in the Galaxy S25 series?

With the Samsung Galaxy S24 series having only just been released in January 2024, the electronics corporation hasn’t made any noise about their new phone just yet. But that hasn’t stopped people from guessing or suggesting improvements.

The S24 series was introduced as being the ‘era of mobile AI,’ with people expecting this to continue next year.

Another rumor is the addition of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4. Qualcomm’s Chief Marketing Officer, Don McGuire, announced that the company will unveil this at the Qualcomm Snapdragon Summit in October 2024.

Featured image: Photo by Zana Latif on Unsplash 

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Details on the chips used in the upcoming iPhone 16 suggest the phone will receive a huge AI boost.

Expected to launch in September 2024, the iPhone 16 will include both the A18 chip and the next-generation M4 chip for Mac, a combination that could “significantly increase the number of built-in AI computing cores”, according to the Taiwanese website Economic Daily News.

Taiwan produces over 60% of the world’s semiconductors and over 90% of the most advanced ones, meaning local news sources are likely to be the ones to break this sort of detail on upcoming releases. Plus, iOS 18 is already largely assumed to see Apple catching up to Google when it comes to generative AI, so it tracks that the next generation of Apple smartphones would harness that AI power.

Apple and AI

Although Apple hasn’t been at the forefront of the AI boom over the last couple of years, Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed in a recent earnings call, as reported by Trusted Reviews, that the company was working on generative AI. What’s more, he stated that the product of that focus would be publicly revealed in 2024 – perhaps in the iPhone release scheduled for later this year.

In addition, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported in November that consumers shouldn’t expect major hardware updates to the iPhone 16, with the focus instead being on the software updates brought in with iOS 18. Not only would this result in new features, but also major performance and security boosts.

iOS 18 will roll out to older iPhones but it’s also rumoured that some features will be exclusive to the iPhone 16 – perhaps with AI capabilities among them. If such features relied on a brand-new advanced neural engine that’s the result of the combined efforts of the A18 chip and the next-generation M4 chip, for example, this would account for why some features are limited to the newer model.

Featured image: Unsplash

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Samsung has partnered with Baidu, one of the major artificial intelligence (AI) players in China, in a bid to win over Chinese consumers.

Baidu AI’s Ernie large language model (LLM) is seen as a straight swap for global partner Google Gemini AI on the Galaxy S24 series.

Google services are currently unavailable in the country and this collaboration, announced last week, was seen as the South Korean electronics titan’s best bet to have a wider share of the world’s largest smartphone market.

Microsoft is promoting Bing Chat in China, but no other U.S.-developed AI such as ChatGPT or Google Bard is officially available in mainland China or Hong Kong.

AI is at the heart of technological development in China as 40 LMMs were approved by the state in the second half of 2023, as we reported late last month.

Huawei to Oppo and Vivo are all domestic vendors in mainland China and are building their versions of AI chatbots and LLMs. This is something Samsung is keen to get ahead of with this partnership with Baidu.

What is Baidu’s Ernie LLM?

Ernie Bot was unveiled at Baidu World 2023 by co-founder and CEO Robin Li Yanhon, becoming the first significant generative AI released from the Chinese tech sector.

“Ernie Bot has completed a series of significant updates in its abilities of understanding, prompting, reasoning and memorizing,” Li said. “Its generalized abilities are by no means inferior compared to GPT-4.”

As reported via Reuters in December last year, Wang Haifeng, Chief Technology Officer for Baidu said that Ernie had reached over 100 million users since its release in August of 2023.

Baidu has also made efforts to expand its offerings in collaboration with the Chinese state-backed Beijing Academy of Quantum Information Sciences (BAQIS). The search giant offered to donate a quantum computing lab, which is integral to developing more AI tools and technology.

China’s AI race

The U.S. has made significant efforts to stop or at least limit China’s access to advanced processors used for AI and high-performance computing (HPC) applications across the past year.

These attempts to stunt the development of AI’s based in China is down to tensions and White House security concerns, which had seen some validation in a recent landmark chip bust to the tune of $11.6 million last month.

Featured image: Omar Markhieh/Pexels

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A new study has ranked the countries of Europe by the average speed of their mobile networks.

A recent report from internet insights firm Opensignal analyzed mobile download speeds across the continent in 2023. The results showed substantial improvements across most markets, with analysis looking at 34 countries including Denmark, Finland, Norway, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom.

Scandinavia leads the pack

The Scandinavian nations of Denmark, Finland, and Norway are leading the way in Europe’s mobile speed race. These countries witnessed massive gains over 2022, with Denmark’s mobile speeds jumping by 25.5 megabits per second (mbps) to reach 98.8mbps, Finland increasing by 17.7mbps to hit 71.6mbps, and Norway boosting speeds by 16.5mbps to achieve 102.3mbps. Their networks now deliver high-speed mobile connectivity.

Behind the front-running Scandinavians, other central European countries like Switzerland, Austria and Germany registered strong mobile download speed increases between 7-12mbps. Southern countries including Spain and Italy lagged top performers, posting more modest 3-4Mbps annual download speed gains.

UK falling behind

The United Kingdom may have the sixth largest economy in the world, but it remains a European mobile laggard, with average download speeds standing at just 33mbps at the end of 2023 – up only 3.2mbps from the prior year.

Compared to the major leaps achieved by Scandinavian and other central European countries, the UK’s networks are slowly improving.

According to the Opensignal analysis, gaps in European mobile speeds can be explained by factors like 5G rollout pacing and infrastructure investments. Leaders have prioritized advanced network deployments, while laggard countries have seen slower fiber and 5G builds.

The data reveals a continent of general mobile download speed improvements but also a growing digital divide. Forward-looking Scandinavian countries continue surging ahead with excellent speeds, while the UK risks falling further behind without accelerated network upgrades. For British mobile users weary of laggy connections, rapid relief remains unlikely.

Sam Fenwick, principal analyst at Opensignal explained to Readwrite.com some of the factors causing the UK to lag behind its Scandic neighbors.

” The requirement to remove Huawei hardware has consumed a lot of UK mobile operators’ time and resources while making it harder to focus on rolling out 5G,” Fenwick explained.

Fenwick also mentions slow 3G phaseouts in the UK as well as less effective use of the 5G spectrum, which makes it harder for the UK to compete on speed.

He adds: “Speaking more generally, a large factor in the Scandinavian and Nordic markets’ success is the close collaboration between operators and two of the main global radio equipment providers, Ericsson and Nokia, which are headquartered in these regions.

“Collaboration between them, together with regulators, has resulted in the high quality of the mobile experience enjoyed by Opensignal users.”

The European countries with the fastest average download speed on mobile networks (2023)

Norway – 102.3mbps
Denmark – 98.9mbps
Netherlands – 81.7mbps
Finland – 71.6mbps
Bulgaria – 71.1mbps
Croatia – 66.2mbps
Sweden – 66.2mbps
Switzerland – 60.3bps
North Macedonia – 58.2mbps
France – 53.5mbps
Lithuania – 52.6mbps
Estonia – 52.2mbps
Germany – 51.1mbps
Austria – 49.9mbps
Portugal – 47.5mbps
Serbia – 45.5mbps
Slovakia – 45.2mbps
Slovenia – 45.1mbps
Latvia – 43.9mbps
Belgium – 43.8mbps
Albania – 41.8mbps
Greece – 41.3mbps
Montenegro – 40.3mbps
Czech Republic – 39.5mbps
Hungary – 35.7mbps
Spain – 34.8mbps
Ireland – 33.5mbps
Romania – 33.1mbps
UK – 33.0mbps
Poland – 32.8mbps
Italy – 32.4mbps
Moldova – 28.9mbps
Bosnia and Herzegovina – 22.0mbps
Kosovo – 18.6mbps

Featured image: Dall-E

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Apple has steadily continued with its world domination ever since the first iPhone was released in 2007. And now, during the tech giant’s first earnings call of the year, CEO Tim Cook shared that the number of active Apple devices has crossed 2.2 billion worldwide.

To put that into context, it’s estimated that there are 2 billion children in the world. So technically, there are more iPhones, iPads, and Macs on this globe than there are literal children.

Tim Cook shared all during Apple’s latest earnings call

“We are pleased to announce that our installed base of active devices has now surpassed 2.2 billion, reaching an all-time high across all products and geographic segments,” Cook said in a press release.

“And as customers begin to experience the incredible Apple Vision Pro tomorrow, we are as committed as ever to the pursuit of groundbreaking innovation — in line with our values and on behalf of our customers.”

This is a 10% increase from the last time Apple recorded its amount of active devices in February 2023. According to Statista, Apple reached 1 billion devices in 2016, meaning that in just seven years, that number has almost doubled. But what’s next for Apple?

As they celebrate the release of the Apple Vision Pro, their new VR headset, there are plenty of rumors about the company’s eventual pivot to AI. At this point, such a pivot would be inevitable — especially since they’re reportedly working on their generative AI dubbed ‘Apple GPT.’

But despite gossip that iOS 18 might bring with it a host of AI-related updates, Cook and the rest of Apple have remained coy, saying only this in their press release:

“As we look ahead, we will continue to invest in these and other technologies that will shape the future. That includes artificial intelligence where we continue to spend a tremendous amount of time and effort, and we’re excited to share the details of our ongoing work in that space later this year.”

Featured Image: Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

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Apple‘s iOS 18 is widely expected to be the biggest software update in iPhone history, as reported by Mac Rumours.

The tech giant is expected to unveil the next big OS update to its iPhone range at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WDCC) in June and while it is yet to reveal any information regarding what it will involve, the rumor mill has already gone into overdrive.

Bloomberg’s Chief Correspondent, Mark Gurman, said in the Q&A section of his subscriber-only Power On newsletter over the weekend: “I’m told that the new operating system is seen within the company as one of the biggest iOS updates – if not the biggest – in the company’s history.” Gurman said he plans to provide updates on the changes in iOS 18 in the future.

Rumors, though, are already weighted towards developments in generative artificial intelligence (AI), as well as significant updates to iPhone’s Messages app.

What can we expect to see in iOS 18?

RCS Support for iPhones

Firstly, Rich Communications Services (RCS) support is expected to be implemented in iOS 18, following Apple’s promise in November last year that they would adopt RCS for iOS. While RCS is a messaging standard, it’s believed it will come with several fresh features, including typing indicators, read recipes, audio messages and higher-resolution images and videos.

iPhones don’t currently support RCS universally, only within its iMessage service for iPhone-to-iPhone messaging. But this update could bring all of those features to the entire Messages app, which will mean conversations between iPhone and Android users will now benefit from RCS as standard.

Siri with generative AI

Siri is also expected to receive an important update as Apple attempts to inject generative AI technology into its digital assistant. In his Q&A, Gurman said that it “should improve how both Siri and the Messages app can field questions and auto-complete sentences” while he also hinted that Apple is exploring similar generative AI features for other apps across its platforms, including Pages, Keynote, Apple Music and Xcode.

It was reported last year that Apple intends to incorporate large language models into Siri, which would allow users to automate complete tasks.

Featured Image: Photo by Omid Armin on Unsplash

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Apple’s iPhone was confirmed as the best-selling smartphone in China last year, for the first time, despite tough competition locally as well as Beijing-led prohibitions on the American tech giant.

As reported by IDC, a global provider of market intelligence in IT and communications, the iPhone topped the bill for the fourth quarter and 2023 overall, following their tracker report. A slump in the fourth quarter last year was attributed to the latest generation of hardware installed in iPhones but that was not enough to prevent the landmark achievement.

It came despite a surge for Huawei but other local competitors also saw dips in sales which proved to be greater than Apple’s. Over the year, the US multinational slumped 2.2% but that was just a fraction compared to Honor and Vivo, who both suffered a double-digit reverse.

Last year was the slowest year for smartphone sales in a decade, attributed to weak consumer demand and economic factors by IDC.

Huawei bucked the trend with a significant spike in sales as its Mate 60 series catapulted the Shenzen-based brand back into prominence with a 36% increase in shipments. It also returned Huawei to the top five manufacturers in China for the fourth quarter.

2024 has seen Apple make the rare move to cut prices of its iPhone 15 models in China by around 5%.

Progress and preventative measures

IDC research analyst Arthur Gao commented in glowing terms on the results for Apple.

“Apple’s climb to the top spot in 2023, especially in light of renewed competition from Huawei and the soft spending sentiment, marks a tremendous success,” he said.

“They achieved this thanks to timely price promotions in its third-party channels, which stimulated demand.”

The breakthrough in China came as government agencies have led a crackdown against devices from outside its domestic market. Staff within those organizations were reportedly ordered to stop bringing iPhones and other foreign devices to work, extending the prohibition across various sensitive sectors, as reported by Bloomberg in December.

Apple’s success in 2023 wasn’t just confined to the Chinese market as it also secured the mantle of the world’s biggest smartphone seller, edging ahead of Samsung as iPhone sales fell less than the Korean firm’s Galaxy brand.

Image: Tuur Tisseghem/Pexels.

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Google Pixel just introduced its latest two handsets, packed with new updates from the first Feature Drop of 2024.

The Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are available to pre-order today, starting at $699 and $999 respectively. The new design of the Pixel 8 is smaller than the 7, with a brighter screen and more powerful camera.

What new features are there for the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro?

1. New colour schemes

Most notably, there’s a new color available for both handsets, a mint green color alongside the more standard shades of Porcelain, Bay, Rose, Hazel, and Obsidian. Alongside those new colors, there are also various software updates to take in as well.

2. Upgraded ‘search on web’ feature

An upgrade to Google’s existing ‘Search on the web’ feature, the Pixel 8 phones will feature Circle to Search. Having already been seen in action on the Galaxy S24 series earlier this year, Circle to Search allows users to circle anything on their phone’s screen and do a Google Search for it. It’s activated by pressing and holding the home button/navigation bar.

3. Magic Compose is now powered by AI

Heading over to messages, Magic Compose is powered by Google’s AI and enables people to “rewrite a drafted message in different styles. Make sound more professional, concise, or even Shakespearean.” In the same way that you can copy a message into ChatGPT and ask for a rewrite, you’ll soon be able to do it directly from your phone.

4. Photomojis

Catching up to Apple’s long-standing Memoji feature, Google’s new Photomoji means you can select a photo of yourself, a pet, or any other picture on your phone and transform it into a sticker or emoji reaction to use in Google Messages. This feature won’t be exclusive to the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, but will also be available for any Pixel phone from the Google Pixel 3a and newer.

5. Body temperature sensor

Last but not least, the Pixel 8 Pro also features a temperature sensor that can be used to take your own (or someone else’s) body temperature, using the existing Thermometer app to do a body temperature scan. You can then save the results to the Fitbit app and other compatible health trackers.

Featured image: Google

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A luxury designer smartphone brand has launched a special version of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra with a 24-karat gold dragon, only days after the new phone line was announced.

Caviar Global has embedded a solid gold dragon design on the back of the phone, as part of their Era of the Dragon range. The company called it a “significant milestone” for the partnership, which it says embodies “both luxury and uniqueness.”

The phone does not come cheap. The premium version starts from $8,500 to an astronomical $74,000. The company says that the dragon design is a tribute to Samsung’s “power in the east,” while the three stars model is said to be an homage to the smartphone giant’s history, as the star was the very first symbol of the global company, “derived from its name – Sam Sung, translated from Korean.”

In the Chinese calendar, the year 2024 will transition into the Year of the Dragon, a symbol considered to hold great significance in cosmology. Consequently, one of the designs includes a Tourbillon watch featuring a green dial to commemorate the “Year of the Green Dragon.”

In a statement on its website, the Dubai-based company added that Samsung “combines the wisdom of Western and Eastern traditions to enhance greatness and success.

“It is no coincidence that the stars were chosen as the main symbol of Samsung, which brings good luck,” it stated.

It’s not the first time that the companies have teamed up. Caviar provided a variety of designs that were also available on the S23 Ultra, including a pure gold phone.

What other premium Samsung products can I buy?

In 2016, Samsung teamed up with jewelry and watchmaker, de GRISOGONO, to produce a limited-edition jewelry watch designed and sculpted in gold and precious jewels of its Samsung S2 smartwatch. The 18-karat rose-gold time-telling device was priced at $16,100.

And it’s not just Samsung that has this decadent option. Mervis Diamond Importers had a diamond-flanked Apple wrist gizmo for upwards of $30,000. It tricked out Apple’s wearable with 18-karat rose gold and eight rows of top-grade diamonds. In 2010, it also offered a $20,000 iPad, boasting 11.43 carats worth of diamonds.

Featured image: Caviar Global

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An industry group representing TikTok, Meta, and X has issued a lawsuit against the US state of Utah over strict new limits to access social media.

As reported by the Associated Press, Utah instigated a first-in-the-nation law aimed at protecting children from compulsive behaviors and other harms linked to social media use. As part of the proposals, age verification would be required to maintain a social media account in the state and minors would require parental authority to access the apps between 10.30 PM and 06.30 AM.

Following the two laws signed in March by Republican Governor Spencer Cox, it is no surprise to see the social heavyweights returning the serve with legal action of their own and in doing so, they have claimed the regulations are unconstitutional although well-intended.

NetChoice, the trade body representing platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X, (and their parent companies), is arguing the new laws will restrict access to public content, compromise data security and undermine parental rights.

Chris Marchese, Director of the NetChoice Litigation Center stated, “We are fighting to ensure that all Utahns can embrace digital tools without the forceful clutch of government control,” in a move anticipated by Cox.

“I’m not going to back down from a potential legal challenge when these companies are killing our kids,” he intimated.

Burden of proof to be shouldered by social media giants

Under the new laws due to take effect from 1 March 2024, parents will be able to access children’s accounts with an accessible path to take legal action against social media companies if they believe their kids have been harmed.

In effect, the regulations will shift the burden of proof from the families onto the social media giants, requiring them to show their products were not harmful and any platform with a minimum of five million users will be subject to the new legislation.

This news comes after more than 40 US states sued Meta in October, whilst New Mexico filed a lawsuit against the company alleging it failed to protect children from sexual abuse and online solicitation.

Featured Image: Pexels/Stephen Leonardi

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Japanese electronics multinational TDK Corporation has announced it will produce lithium-ion battery cells for Apple iPhones in India, as reports Reuters.

The news provides another boost to the Indian economy, particularly for the state of Haryana, with a factory to be set up in Manesar.

It has been described as a “another big win” for Prime Minister Narendra Modi by State Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, with thousands of new jobs mooted. 

Another big win for PM @narendramodi ji's visionary PLI scheme in shifting the mobile manufacturing ecosystem to India.

TDK, a leading supplier of cells to Apple, is setting up a 180-acre facility in Manesar, Haryana to build cells for batteries which will be used in the… pic.twitter.com/hyJAf6yeqO

— Rajeev Chandrasekhar (Modiyude Kutumbam) (@Rajeev_GoI) December 4, 2023

The battery cells manufactured at the Indian facility will then be supplied to Apple’s lithium-ion assembler Sunwoda Electronics as part of the overall process of creating iPhone products.

TDK joins Apple in India

TDK’s move comes as Apple seeks to switch much of its activity away from China, with India selected as the key location to drive fresh growth and expansion – finding a fit under PM Modi’s PLI scheme. 

Fourteen suppliers are currently in place within India for Apple, which has had their iPhones assembled there since 2017 and in part of this latest expansion, the Tata Group will be involved in the production of the parts.

TDK will now put in place, a top-class manufacturing facility in Manesar which could create as many as 10,000 jobs according to early projections and relayed by Chandrasekhar in his post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Apple reportedly plans to increase production in India to around $40 billion – a more than five-fold increase from its current $7 billion — in the next four to five years.

For the first time, Apple has outpaced Samsung in smartphone export volumes from India, shipping 49% of India’s 12 million total shipments, against 45% for Samsung as of the June quarter.

At the end of November another major US technology firm, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), opened its largest global design center in Bengaluru, often nicknamed India’s Silicon Valley.

The world’s most populous country looks set for explosive tech sector growth in the next decade thanks to an abundance of skilled and English-speaking talent within the Asian country.

Image credit, Dids, pexels.com

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Apple has unveiled the winners of its App Store awards for 2023, recognizing the high-performing apps and games that have displayed ‘the scope of creativity, technical innovation, and design possible across the App Store and Apple’s ecosystem’, as detailed in the press release from apple.com

AllTrails, Photomator, and “Hello Kitty Island Adventure” were amongst the titles to receive the highest acclaim, but artificial intelligence (AI) was singled out as the biggest emerging trend across the latest innovative apps with generative AI in particular for the accolade of Trend of the Year. In total, 37 apps were selected with 14 of those celebrated across 10 categories.

They were selected by the App Store editorial team for what they bring to users, in terms of ‘providing meaningful experiences and inspiring cultural change’.

The Apple App Store Awards 2023 winners were as follows:

iPhone App of the Year winner – AllTrails

iPhone Game of the Year winner – Honkai: Star Rail

iPad App of the Year winner – Pret-a-Makeup

iPad Game of the Year winner – Lost in Play

Mac App of the Year winner – Photomator

Mac Game of the Year winner – Lies of P

Apple Watch App of the Year winner – SmartGym

Apple TV App of the Year winner – MUBI

Apple Arcade Game of the Year winner: Hello Kitty Island Adventure

Positive change

Meanwhile, a further five apps and games were recognized as Cultural Impact winners

Finding Hannah, for connecting women across generations through gameplay.

Pok Pok, for helping kids learn, explore, and experiment in a digital playroom.

Proloquo, for supporting communication without speech.

Too Good To Go, for helping to reduce food waste at restaurants, bakeries, and supermarkets.

Unpacking, for crafting soul-soothing puzzles.

Having launched in 2008, Apple described its App Store as ‘the world’s safest and most vibrant app marketplace. Currently, home to 1.8 million apps and visited by over 650 million average weekly visitors across 175 countries and regions, the App Store is an engine of global economic growth, facilitating $1.1 trillion in developer billings and sales in 2022.’

Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO commented on the latest annual awards, channeling the outlook and purpose of the App Store.

“It’s inspiring to see the ways developers continue to build incredible apps and games that are redefining the world around us,” he said.

“This year’s winners represent the limitless potential of developers to bring their visions to life, creating apps and games with remarkable ingenuity, exceptional quality, and purpose-driven missions.”

Apple continues to grow and evolve with its App Store representing the plethora of options available whatever your need or interest. If you have an iPhone, check out the App Store for what could be your new favorite app.

Image credit: pexels.com

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At today’s Google event, the tech giant unveiled a suite of AI-powered photo editing features for its Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro phones, as detailed in a recent post on the company’s official blog.

The standout feature, “Magic Editor,” allows users to effortlessly reposition subjects within photos. This tool uses generative AI to fill in backgrounds seamlessly, offering suggestions based on existing lighting and surroundings. Users can also choose from multiple editing outcomes proposed by the tool.

Another innovative feature, “Best Take,” combines various group photos to create an image where everyone looks their best. If the auto-generated result isn’t perfect, users can handpick facial expressions from different shots and merge them.

In addition to photo enhancements, Google is also venturing into audio improvements with the “Audio Magic Eraser.” This feature allows users to isolate and remove unwanted background noises from their videos, ensuring clearer audio quality. Whether it’s street noise or chatter in the background, users will be able to focus on the primary audio subject, enhancing the overall video experience.

Launching on Oct. 12, both the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro will include the new Magic Editor, Best Take and Audio Magic Eraser features. However, the Pixel 8 Pro boasts additional tools, such as an enhanced version of Magic Eraser that allows for the removal of larger objects in an image, as well as a future “Zoom Enhance” function that uses generative AI to improve the quality of zoomed-in photos.

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For the first time, some iPhone 15 models could be available in India — where Apple has been building some of its famous phones since 2017 — on launch day.

The news — first reported by Bloomberg — follows widespread reports that contractor Foxconn would aim to manufacture more iPhone 15 models at the Tamil Nadu, India facility than before as part of Apple’s plan to diversify manufacturing amid supply chain risks stemming from U.S.-China tensions.

The availability of iPhone 15 models in India — where Apple aims to eventually increase smartphone production from seven percent to 25 percent — on launch day will largely depend on Foxconn’s ability to scale production and the availability of components. However, the expected arrival of Indian-made iPhones alongside more common China-made units is widely heralded as a big win for the tech giant.

Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 15 — which is rumored to have thinner bezels, a titanium frame and USB-C charging — today at its Cupertino headquarters alongside its iOS 17, watchOS 10 and iPadOS 17 operating systems.

This article has been updated with additional information.

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Apple reportedly plans to increase production in India to around $40 billion — a more than five-fold increase from its current $7 billion — in the next four to five years.

The news — which ReadWrite has yet to verify independently — originates from news agency PTI, which cited government sources that said: “Apple has plans to increase production in India to over $40 billion in the next 4-5 years. It has crossed $7 billion in the last fiscal.”

“They don’t have any plans to participate in IT hardware PLI,” the officer added — implying the iPhone creator has no plans to make iPads or Macbooks in India. “They may come at a later stage but as of now their focus is to scale up existing production levels.”

However, The Cupertino-based firm reportedly plans to manufacture Airpods in India from next year.

Apple outpaces Samsung in smartphone exports from India

Apple is the largest exporter of mobile phones from India — where it, for the first time, made its new made-in-India iPhones available on launch day earlier this month. The iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max hit store shelves on Sept. 22, with Indian-made units available both domestically and abroad.

Apple has reportedly outpaced, for the first time, Korean rival Samsung in smartphone export volumes from India — shipping 49 percent of India’s total 12 million shipments in the June quarter versus Samsung’s 45 percent.

Industry sources are widely reported as claiming that Apple’s iPhone 15 series registered 100 percent growth compared to the iPhone 14 series on launch day.

Featured Image Credit: Laurenz Heymann; Pexels; Thank you!

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Most smartphone plans come with data and internet access, so why would you need a separate home internet connection through a cable or DSL connection? Although it seems redundant, there are some reasons to get home internet.

If you’re like most people, you can’t function without the internet at home. Having internet access outside the office has become more of a utility than a luxury in the last decade, especially if you manage social activities with groups, meetups, or community centers. Most people don’t connect solely over phone calls and, instead, prefer using email and social media to keep in touch and make plans.

Even though you need internet in your house, that doesn’t mean you necessarily need a separate internet connection. If you own a smartphone, you can use your plan’s data to access the internet or get a plan with more data if you don’t already have enough. The difference is that with a separate connection, you’ll access the internet via Wi-Fi through your phone rather than directly using your phone’s data. Both are workable options for getting a connection, but they differ in terms of cost, speed, and reliability.

Nine Reasons You Need Home Internet

If any of the following situations apply to you, it’s safe to say you’ll benefit from having a separate home internet connection in addition to your smartphone’s data plan.

1. Home internet is affordable.

When it doesn’t cost much to get an internet connection in your house, why not go for it? If you can afford it and have a use for it, there’s no reason not to get it.

It’s understandable if you want to avoid paying for yet another internet connection. A smartphone is an investment. You probably paid a good amount of money for your device, a durable, rugged phone case, and monthly plans aren’t always cheap. However, if you can get a home internet connection without overpaying, why not get one so you don’t have to worry about being charged for using too much data?

2. You need a high-speed connection.

If speed matters, and you can’t compromise here, then you need an internet connection in your house. No matter how fast the internet connection on your phone gets, it won’t compare to the fastest home connection speeds offered by the top cable internet companies. All wireless internet connections are slower than wired connections by default. Although some cell phone connections can get pretty fast, they still don’t compare to home internet.

For those still using 4G LTE, you can expect download speeds of between 5-12 Mbps. If you have access to a 5G device and network, you can get download speeds of up to 450 Mbps. With other devices, like the Meshforce M7, you can get up to 867 Mbps (theoretically).

When it comes to home internet, Xfinity’s download speeds range from 50 Mbps to 6 Gbps. T-Mobile’s home internet download speeds are still fast, but slightly slower, ranging from 33-182 Mbps.

Why the difference? T-Mobile only offers a fixed wireless connection. Wireless connections are always slower than if you were to use a cabled connection. When your internet connection is wired, as with Xfinity, you have the option of using a router to create a Wi-Fi connection, but you still have the option of using an Ethernet cable. You don’t have any hardwired options with a fixed wireless connection.

For most people, speed won’t be an issue. Hardly anyone would complain about any of the speeds mentioned above. However, if you need to perform work that requires super high speed, like downloading and uploading massive files on a regular basis, you probably need home internet.

3. You live in a remote area with poor or no cell reception.

No matter how great your smartphone is, even the fastest internet connection can’t overcome the problem of no service. If you live in an area that doesn’t get much or any reception at home, the only option you have is to get a home internet connection.

There are many rural areas that don’t have a lot of cell towers nearby, and some areas don’t even have the infrastructure for fiber optic cable internet connections. However, as long as you have a physical landline phone connection, you can at least get DSL in your home. Or, you can buy the equipment for satellite internet, like Starlink, if it’s available in your area.

4. You need to work on a standard laptop or desktop.

One of the biggest advantages of home internet is being able to broadcast a Wi-Fi signal throughout your house. If you need to work on a desktop or laptop computer, then home internet is a must.

It’s possible, but not practical, to use your smartphone as a hotspot or tether your internet connection to another device. Tethered connections via USB and Bluetooth tend to be slow, and it’s not easy to set up. While many people use both of these methods to get online at home, it can be a frustrating experience.

When you have a separate internet connection in your home, you only need to plug in an Ethernet cable or connect to Wi-Fi to get online from your laptop. If you use DSL, you have to set up a PPoE connection, but that’s just entering a username and password. It’s still relatively easy compared to tethering.

5. A mobile hotspot didn’t work for you.

If you need internet outside of what your smartphone can provide, you may have looked into hot spots. At first glance, they seem like a great idea. You get this little device that you can take anywhere and use with any device, even your phone if you want to preserve your data. However, there are several downsides to hot spots.

First, you have to pay more money upfront to buy a hot spot that is capable of higher speeds. Then, you have to pay a monthly fee for the connection. This can be done on a month-to-month prepaid basis, or you can sometimes pay for a full year in advance and get a discount. However, the prices aren’t that cheap and the speeds can be pretty slow.

If you tried using a hot spot and that didn’t work out for you, consider getting home internet. Your connection and speed will be more reliable and you’ll probably end up paying less.

6. You play games or stream movies often.

Smartphones are more than capable of streaming movies and running games, but that doesn’t mean your experience will be smooth. Even when your device has the resources required to stream movies and run games, that doesn’t mean your internet connection can keep up the pace.

If you’ve noticed your movies or games slowing down, glitching, getting frozen, or crashing your smartphone, it could be caused by a slow internet connection. If this is your experience, and you want to play games or binge-watch Netflix and YouTube videos, get a home internet connection fast enough to meet your needs. Also, if you’re the only one using the connection, you can get away with a slower speed than you might think, which will cost you less per month.

7. You need multiple, simultaneous connections.

Do you have multiple people in your home who want to stream movies and access the internet for other purposes? If everyone in your house is using their phone’s data to use the internet all night long, it makes more sense to get a home internet connection, connect a router, and broadcast the Wi-Fi signal for everyone to share.

8. You plan to rent out a room or area on your property.

If you’re planning on renting out a room in your home, or another building on your property, it’s a smart move to get a home internet connection so that you and your tenant can share the Wi-Fi. Most renters expect the internet as a perk, and it’s actually a great way to get a renter to move in quickly.

Instead of charging for rent plus internet, include internet in the rent and just bump the price up by around $20-$30 per month. For example, if you’d normally charge $550 for the room, rent it for $570 with internet included.

9. You pay too much for streaming TV services.

If you’re fed up with how much you pay for streaming services just to watch television and movies, consider getting a home internet connection to get TV and internet in one. You can also connect your game systems, tablets, and phones to the Wi-Fi and avoid using your phone’s data.

Is Home Internet Worth It? Absolutely.

Using the internet connection on your smartphone is convenient, but it can be costly and slow. It can also be inconvenient if you need a better connection that just isn’t possible with your device.

When you get home internet, you’ll not only be able to consolidate your TV and internet bills into one company, but you can usually get a good new customer deal that will last for a year or two. You’ll have the ability to share your connection with the rest of your household through Wi-Fi, and you’ll probably end up saving money in the long run.

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Features & Guides:

• User can use phone default camera for capture current photos
• User can pick up photos from gallery
• Set the photo smoothness
• Set brightness
• Adjust focus
• Set shade or filters
• Save the photo

Beautica is now available in Tizen store for the Samsung Z1, Z3 & also Samsung Z2 smartphones. Downloadable from the Tizen Store with a size of 1 MB MB.

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