It's been rumored for eons at this point, but Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone looks to be all but confirmed to launch sometime next year, and thanks to recent leaks, we already know the rough shape, size and feature set of the hardware. For my fellow Surface Duo brothers and sisters, it's good news.

While the iPhone Fold won't utilize the Surface Duo's excellent dual-screen form factor, it will take on a similar shape and size. The Surface Duo was famously short and wide, compared to most other smartphones (including foldables) which are narrow and tall.

This shorter and wider shape made for an incredible typing experience on Surface Duo. It also gave apps more space, and made it easy to reach the top of the screen without the device feeling small. At no point did the OS or software ever feel cramped, even with its 5.6-inch screens, and that's because of how short but wide they were.

If the rumors are true, the upcoming iPhone Fold will be 5.5-inches on the outside, and 7.8-inches on the inside. The Surface Duo had almost the same dimensions, which tells me the iPhone Fold is going to try and offer a widescreen foldable display on the inside, which is perfect.

According to Chinese leaker Instant Digital on Weibo, Apple is reportedly preparing to launch the iPad Mini 8 in Q3 2026 with an OLED display. If this proves true, the iPad Mini would become the second iPad to feature an OLED screen, following the iPad Pro.

A leaked roadmap from market research firm Omdia previously suggested that Apple plans to introduce OLED panels to more products, including the 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Air models in 2027. The roadmap also alleged that all Apple products are expected to switch to OLED panels by 2030.

Moreover, reports have indicated that Apple is also working on redesigned MacBook Pro models featuring OLED displays, set to launch in 2026.

Back to the iPad Mini 8, the compact tablet is expected to feature the A19 Pro chip, previously seen in the iPhone Air. With that in mind, another potential upgrade could be increasing the RAM from 8GB to 12GB.

Interestingly, Bloomberg reported in October that Apple has been testing a water-resistant, redesigned casing for the OLED iPad Mini. The company is reportedly experimenting with a new speaker system that uses vibration-based technology, eliminating the need for traditional speaker holes that could allow water to enter the device.

“That’s a different approach than the iPhone’s water-resistant design, which retains holes but adds gaskets and adhesives to prevent damage,” the report added.

Moreover, the same Bloomberg report suggested that adding an OLED display to the iPad Mini could increase its cost, potentially making the device at least $100 more expensive.

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Posted Thursday 27 November 2025 at 5:53 am AEST (my time).

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When Qualcomm announced its high-end Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset in November, it mentioned that a non-Elite version was on the way, designed to power a more affordable tier of flagship phones. Now, that chip has finally arrived, with some drops in performance but the same core feature set.

Qualcomm compares the 8 Gen 5 to 2023’s 8 Gen 3, boasting a 36 percent improvement in CPU performance and 11 percent improvement in GPU performance compared to that chip, along with efficiency improvements. But since the 8 Gen 3 is two years old, and Qualcomm has changed CPU architecture in the meantime, the recent 8 Elite Gen 5 is a more useful comparison.

The 8 Gen 5 has a similar Oryon CPU structure to the Elite, but at slower clock speeds — its six performance cores cap at 3.32GHz, with its two prime cores at 3.8GHz, compared to 3.62GHz and 4.6GHz respectively in the Elite. On paper, that also sets its performance below last year’s Snapdragon 8 Elite, though we’ll have to wait to see how actual smartphones compare in practice.

Those percentage improvements are all compared to the two-year-old 8 Gen 3.

Image: Qualcomm

There are a few other downgrades from the new Elite. The regular Gen 5’s X80 modem has slightly slower peak 5G speeds, though Bluetooth and Wi-Fi performance should be the same, and both satellite and ultra wideband (UWB) are supported. It also has slightly downgraded specs on its Adreno GPU and Hexagon AI NPU, though Qualcomm has gone into less detail on the exact comparisons there, and it can’t use the latest UFS 4.1 storage. But other specs are identical across the two chipsets, including charging capabilities, display support, and the vast majority of the camera hardware options.

Qualcomm says that several manufacturers, including Motorola, OnePlus, and Vivo, have already agreed to use the chip in new phones, with the first devices due to appear “in the coming weeks.” That might mean we’ll see it in the OnePlus 15R, now confirmed to launch in the US on December 17th.

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Posted Wednesday 26 November 2025 at 6:20 pm AEST (my time).

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• Opening and navigating recent chats.
• Reading messages and accessing chat history.
• Sending quick replies, voice messages, and using emoji reactions.
• Receiving call notifications.
• Checking the latest chatsand media instantly.
• Starting new conversations.
• Featuring seamless, auto pairing and sync with a paired iPhone.

Right now, the app is not fully independent from the iPhone. Instead, it works as a companion app, similar to the Wear OS version, requiring a constant connection with the paired phone. For some users, this limitation may feel a bit restrictive, but it's likely to ensure your data remains encrypted.

The update also includes bug fixes and stability improvements. One improvement is that it addresses crashes reported during the first sync process of the Apple Watch app. The update is available now via the App Store on iOS devices, and the TestFlight version remains available for existing beta testers to continue receiving rapid updates.

To get started using WhatsApp on your Apple Watch, you will need to update WhatsApp to the latest version. Additionally, you need to be on iOS 9.1 or newer, have your watch on watchOS 10+, and have an Apple Watch Series 4 or above.

To enable WhatsApp notifications on Apple Watch, get the two devices connected by enabling Bluetooth on your iPhone and ensuring your Apple Watch is connected to Bluetooth. Then go to the iPhone settings and enable WhatsApp notifications and allow notifications on your iPhone. Next, turn on Allow Notifications and enable all alerts. Then go to the Apple Watch app, go to Notifications, and scroll to Mirror iPhone alerts, then turn on WhatsApp.

Source: WhatsApp via WABetaInfo

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Posted Tuesday 25 November 2025 at 3:58 am AEST (my time).

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Google Assistant was launched in 2016, as a voice-based virtual assistant that users could interact with using natural language and the Hey Google wake word. It was integrated in many of Google's apps and handled many tasks from setting timers, alarms, playing music, navigation in Maps, etc. But things have evolved rather quickly over the past few years, with AI taking over many things. Google even integrated Bard in Gemini in 2023.

It was inevitable really, Assistant was running on borrowed time. Google has been steadily removing features from Assistant since January 2024, including assessing the Assistant from the Google Search bar on Android.  In March this year, the Mountain View company had announced that it would be phasing out Google Assistant on mobile devices, in favor of Gemini. Driving Mode was removed from Assistant in April 2025.

But Google had not revealed the precise timeline for the app's end of support, it had merely said that it would be "upgrading" more users to Gemini, and discontinue Google Assistant in 2025. Android Authority reported (via The SP Android) about a support page on Google's website says that Google Assistant will be available for use until March 2026. That's when it will be sunset.

Google Assistant has been popular on Google Home devices, and reports indicate users haven't found Gemini to be a perfect replacement. Gemini also requires a lot more permissions, and access to user data to function. Perhaps Google is still working out the kinks in Gemini to make it more reliable.

On a side note, Google has denied that it is using user data for training its AI models. Over the past few days, some news outlets reported that Google had secretly enabled some settings in Gmail, opting users in automatically into Smart Features, which gave the email service access to all messages, attachments. In a statement sent to ZDNet, a Google spokesperson had said that the reports are misleading, and that Gmail Smart Features have existed for many years, and that Google does not use Gmail user data to train Gemini's AI model.

Do you use Google Assistant?

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Posted Tuesday 25 November 2025 at 3:57 am AEST (my time).

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Mark Gurman writes in this week’s Power On newsletter that Apple is taking a page from the Mac OS X Leopard release in 2009, focusing on “improving the software’s quality and underlying performance” with iOS 27. This approach applies to all of the company’s 27-branded operating systems, including macOS 27, visionOS 27, tvOS 27, and watchOS 27.

“Aiming to improve the software, engineering teams are now combing through Apple’s operating systems, hunting for bloat to cut, bugs to eliminate, and any opportunity to meaningfully boost performance and overall quality,” Gurman added. He also noted that iOS 27 lays the groundwork for the company’s first foldable iPhone.

While Apple’s approach to iOS 27 is primarily focused on refining performance and quality, this doesn’t mean the release will lack new features. According to Gurman, most of the additions in iOS 27 revolve around AI, aiming to keep the Cupertino tech giant competitive in the AI race.

iOS 27 is expected to introduce the long-awaited enhanced Siri for iPhones, reportedly powered by a Google Gemini model. In addition, the release may include a health-focused AI agent tied to the Health+ subscription, as well as Apple’s AI-powered web search tool, designed to compete with ChatGPT and Perplexity.

Gurman also noted that Apple’s next OS release could feature enhancements for enterprise users, bespoke features for users in emerging markets, and design tweaks to the Liquid Glass interface.

What’s your take on Apple’s strategy for iOS 27? Should the company introduce new features or focus solely on refining and improving the existing operating system?

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Posted Monday 24 November 2025 at 2:50 am AEST (my time).

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They called me mad, they called me crazy. But, what if it's actually genius?

Since the Xbox Full Screen Experience debuted (often called the XFSE), I couldn't help but wonder about other ways it could be applied. Remember Windows Media Center of yore? Back when you could turn your PC into a TV-focused media player designed not for the desk, but for the sofa? Pepperidge Farm remembers. Pepperidge Farm also remembers when it was officially killed off, some ten years ago.

It's perhaps ironic, then, that the Xbox Full Screen Experience is once again trying to do something similar. Windows 11 is trying to become TV and sofa-friendly again, accessible primarily via a Xbox controller (or even Xbox remote), complete with easy multi-tasking, simple access to apps, and more user-friendly access to games and other similar services.

The company said that these search engines can be added easily by long-pressing on a search field on a website and selecting “Add as Search Engine”. Another improvement in Vivaldi 7.7 is the bookmark import functionality to make switching from other browsers pain-free, allowing users to bring all their bookmarks. Exporting bookmarks is also available for backing up or moving them somewhere else.

Aside from improved search engine and bookmark functionality, there are also improvements to the dark mode experience across the browser for more comfortable viewing. In addition, the Dark Mode checkbox for toggling dark mode on web pages has been restored to the Vivaldi Menu.

For those on iOS, the update includes improvements for iOS 26 compatibility. There are also under-the-hood optimizations to ensure Vivaldi runs steadier and quicker on the latest Apple devices. Both the Android and iOS versions have new underlying rendering engines, with both now being on Chromium 142.0.7444.180. The update also includes fixes for the tablet/iPad UI, address field behavior, and dark mode consistency.

To start using the new browser, just head to your respective app store and check for updates. If you don’t have the browser yet, just hit install. If you want to check out the full changelog, head over to Vivaldi’s announcement and scroll down.

Vivaldi 7.7 for the desktop launched last week. It came with a new Privacy Dashboard, cross-device tab syncing, and a new Performance section in settings to give you more power over how the browser uses system resources.

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Posted Friday 21 November 2025 at 3:52 am AEST (my time).

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This year’s newest iPhones included one momentous change that marked a new phase in the evolution of Apple Silicon: the Apple N1, Apple’s first in-house chip made to handle local wireless connections. The N1 supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and the Thread smart home communication protocol, and it replaces the third-party wireless chips (mostly made by Broadcom) that Apple used in older iPhones.

Apple claimed that the N1 would enable more reliable connectivity for local communication features like AirPlay and AirDrop but didn’t say anything about how users could expect it to perform. But Ookla, the folks behind the SpeedTest app and website, have analyzed about five weeks’ worth of users’ testing data to get an idea of how the iPhone 17 lineup stacks up to the iPhone 16, as well as Android phones with Wi-Fi chips from Qualcomm, MediaTek, and others.

While the N1 isn’t at the top of the charts, Ookla says Apple’s Wi-Fi chip “delivered higher download and upload speeds on Wi-Fi compared to the iPhone 16 across every studied percentile and virtually every region.” The median download speed for the iPhone 17 series was 329.56Mbps, compared to 236.46Mbps for the iPhone 16; the upload speed also jumped from 73.68Mbps to 103.26Mbps.

Ookla noted that the N1’s best performance seemed to improve scores most of all in the bottom 10th percentile of performance tests, “implying Apple’s custom silicon lifts the floor more than the ceiling.” The iPhone 17 also didn’t top Ookla’s global performance charts—Ookla found that the Pixel 10 Pro series slightly edges out the iPhone 17 in download speed, while a Xiaomi 15T Pro with MediaTek Wi-Fi silicon featured better upload speeds.

Android phones also sometimes benefit from faster adoption of new technologies and support for 6 GHz Wi-Fi 7 with a 320 MHz channel width. While the N1’s lack of support for these features “does not materially affect performance in real world use for most people,” Android phones like the Pixel 10 series and Samsung’s Galaxy S25 can outrun the iPhone 17 in areas where those technologies are being used.

Note that Ookla’s approach can’t control for things like people’s distance from their Wi-Fi router, what kind of router they’re using, and the upload and download speeds set by their ISP. To control for this and minimize outliers, Ookla only publishes median numbers for the phones it’s tracking; it also lumps together phones from the same product families (the iPhone 17 results also include the 17 Pro and the iPhone Air, for example).

Ookla published similar data about the performance of Apple’s C1 cellular modem, also a first-generation chip design. As with the N1, Ookla’s main finding was that the C1 didn’t support the cutting-edge technologies it would need to top the performance charts, but that its speeds were mostly in the same ballpark as the Qualcomm modems in the iPhone 16 and that the C1 actually fared best in countries with less-robust cellular networks.

Since announcing the N1 in the iPhone 17 series in September, Apple has also launched a new Apple M5 iPad Pro with the N1 inside, though the chip was not included in the M5 MacBook Pro that Apple announced at the same time. The N1’s Thread support also makes it a good fit for Apple’s smart home and smart home-adjacent devices like the HomePod speaker or the Apple TV streaming box. The next time we see hardware refreshes for those devices—and updates are supposedly coming sooner rather than later—we expect to see the N1 included.

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Posted Thursday 20 November 2025 at 11:54 am AEST (my time).

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These are the best Android apps and games available on Google Play in 2025 across various categories, such as personal growth, large screens, hidden gems, cars, best story, best indie, and more.

Here are the names of the winners Google published for the best apps available in the US:

Here are the names of the winners Google published for the best games available in the US:

Google said it has also published localized lists of the Google Play Awards 2025 for India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. The Android app store has had several updates this year, including personalization features, Games on PC, and a new gift card store.

The search has also made developer verification compulsory for all Android apps, including those distributed outside of Google Play. However, it gave some relaxation to power users after facing criticism for the move.

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Posted Wednesday 19 November 2025 at 4:35 pm AEST (my time).

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That's according to the China-based leaker Instant Digital, who said on Weibo that future iPhone cases could feature touch-based sensor layers to act as secondary touch surfaces. Apple will design such cases for its Pro iPhones, the leaker added.

While little is known about the specifics of such a product, Apple appears to have been working on the tech for a while now. A 2024 US patent application spotted by MacRumors talks about "a case for an electronic device that provides input capabilities to enhance the user experience when using the case in concert with the electronic device."

According to the patent, touch-sensitive areas embedded in the case (either capacitive or pressure-based sensors) can trigger actions typically made by a phone's physical buttons, such as taps or sliding gestures. The device will automatically detect the case after it's attached and disable one or more physical buttons to receive input from the case's sensors.

Just in case you're wondering how the phone and the case will talk to each other, the patent describes using NFC (Near Field Communication) for identification and signal transfer. It also discusses versions of the case equipped with a fingerprint sensor for user authentication.

Not just smartphones, the patent suggests the concept can also apply to other electronic devices, such as smartwatches, laptops, remote controls, home appliances, and cases/accessories for these devices.

The rumor comes ahead of Apple's 20th Anniversary iPhone, expected to launch in 2027 with a glass-centric design and a display that wraps around all four edges of the device. It has been reported that Apple has kick-started a three-year cycle of major iPhone redesign.

While Apple might want to replicate the success of the iPhone X, it could aim for a seamless design with an interactive case, rethinking how buttons work on a glass-focused design. Apple has previously explored solid-state buttons as a replacement for the iPhone's volume and power buttons. Still, it can't be said at the moment whether the rumored iPhone case is related to the 20th Anniversary iPhone.

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Posted Tuesday 18 November 2025 at 2:40 am AEST (my time).

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Apps that exceed a "bad behavior threshold" may be flagged on Google Play for negatively impacting battery performance and may affect their visibility in the Android ecosystem.

Developers have until March 1, 2026, to update their apps to comply with a new core Android Vitals metric called "excessive partial wake locks."

The algorithm has been in beta since April 14, and Google developed it in close collaboration with Samsung.

"This is the first in a series of new metrics designed to provide deeper insight into your app's resource utilization, enabling you to improve the experience for your users across the entire Android ecosystem," Google announced.

Apps that go beyond the bad behavior threshold for excessive wake locks may be flagged as battery drainers on Google Play and could be excluded "from prominent discovery surfaces such as recommendations."

What Google will measure

Google Play's Android vitals system will track partial wake locks, the cumulative time the app spends with background work while the screen is off, and prevent the device from entering sleep mode.

The measurement will be per user session and across all sessions over a 28-day window, counting only non-exempt wake locks, meaning locks that aren't system-held, related to audio playback, or user-initiated data transfer.

An application's behavior will be considered excessive when a single user session holds over two cumulative hours of non-exempt wake locks within 24 hours.

Google considers the bad-behavior threshold to be 5% of an app's user sessions over the past 28 days.

Developers with apps that exceed this level will receive an alert on their Android vitals overview page.

Ultimately, this policy change will pressure developers to tighten their apps' behavior, reduce excessive or unnecessary wake locks, release them as soon as possible, and pay closer attention to wake locks initiated by external libraries and SDKs.

When asked whether this feature would be used to detect spyware, adware, and malware, which commonly refuse to sleep to keep network channels open and exfiltrate data, we were told that this is not the intended function of the feature.

"App security is a top priority on Google Play. However, the primary intent of this metric is to level up battery performance and technical quality to better our users' experience," explained Google.

"This metric is targeting 'bad behavior' in terms of excessive resource consumption, irrespective of whether an app is malicious. By enforcing these thresholds, we can identify and take action on apps that are abusing system resources without providing user value – but it is not primarily intended to target malware."

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Posted Monday 17 November 2025 at 3:43 am AEST (my time).

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"The decision I think a lot of people talk about — and one of the most difficult decisions I made when I became CEO — was our exit of what I'll call the mobile phone as defined then," indicated Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. "In retrospect, I think there could have been ways we could have made it work by perhaps reinventing the category of computing between PCs, tablets, and phones."

The quote above discusses Satya Nadella's strategic mistake after becoming CEO, which potentially sealed Windows Phone's huge potential and fate in the Microsoft graveyard. But perhaps more interestingly, former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer indicated that the company "paranoia and confidence" in Windows fumbled its opportunity in the smartphone landscape.

"We were too confident. I don’t think we stuck with Windows too long," Ballmer added. "I think what we did is we tried to put Windows in places that it didn’t naturally go".

And while the Windows Phone ship has seemingly completely sailed for Microsoft, a visionary designer recently shared a stunning concept inspired by Microsoft's Windows Phone dubbed Windows Astria.

Right off the bat, Windows Astria is heavily inspired by Microsoft's modern Windows 11 Fluent Design language. It also brings back Windows Aero from the Windows Vista days back to life, much like how Apple borrowed a page from Microsoft's book with Liquid Glass. The Mica effect is consistent across the operating system, including tiles, settings, and notifications.

Live Tiles made Windows Phone's user experience more appealing, and as you'd have guessed, the feature has also made a comeback in the concept, which as described by the concept designer "is scaled for modern screens, fully dynamic, information-dense, and beautifully integrated with the new visual style."

One of the main reasons that led to Windows Phone's death was a weak app ecosystem. Its unique architecture made it difficult for developers to build apps, but The Windows Phone Revival concept addresses this issue. Windows Astria runs Android apps natively using a technology similar to the Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA). As such, the Windows user experience is consistent across all apps.

Batteries are all around us, in almost all of the tech that billions of people use every day. Our phones, laptops, handhelds, wireless accessories, and more — all reliant on the battery inside.

Most of those rechargeable batteries are lithium-ion, and have been for a long time. That's starting to change with the arrival of new silicon-carbon batteries (especially in high-end smartphones), which promise a range of benefits.

So, what are silicon-carbon batteries, and why should you care about them? I'll try to answer all the questions you have (and a few you didn't know to ask) in this guide, including how they work and when you might see this technology in your next laptop.

What are the benefits of silicon-carbon batteries?

Google will allow 'experienced users' to install Android apps made by unverified developers.

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Posted Thursday 13 November 2025 at 2:56 pm AEST (my time).

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Apple is no longer planning to launch a second-generation iPhone Air next fall and has “already sharply scaled back production of the first version,” The Information reports. The next Air is instead likely to launch in spring 2027 at the earliest, and will be upgraded with a second camera lens, according to a follow-up Information report.

The company launched the super-thin version of the iPhone in September, but it seemingly hasn’t proven to be a big hit, and Apple is apparently making some changes to its plans for the phone’s follow-up.

The Information says that the company was aiming to announce a new iPhone Air next fall that would be lighter and have more battery capacity than this year’s model. The new phone would also have gotten a vapor chamber, like the iPhone 17 Pro lineup this year. It’s not clear how many of those upgrades will be included in the version that eventually launches, which will apparently prioritize a second rear camera lens instead — the lack of an ultrawide was one of the main complaints in reviews of the Air from The Verge and others.

With no second-generation iPhone Air, Apple’s fall 2026 iPhone lineup will apparently consist of the iPhone 18 Pro and its foldable iPhone, while the iPhone 18 and iPhone 18E will launch in spring 2027, potentially joined by the new Air. The Information’s sources say it’s “still too early to tell” whether Apple can redesign the Air in time to launch that spring.

Update, November 11th: Added new details from a second Information report.

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Posted Wednesday 12 November 2025 at 12:57 am AEST (my time).

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The Galaxy S26 Ultra is expected to support 45W wired charging. It isn't as fast as what the Chinese OEMs are offering with their flagships, but it is something to boast about for Samsung, as it hasn't been done since the Galaxy S21 Ultra.

Aside from wired charging, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is now also tipped to get an upgrade in wireless charging as well. According to a fresh report from South Korean publication ETNews, Samsung could finally upgrade the wireless charging on its Ultra phone from 15W to 25W.

An industry insider said, "All models in the previous S25 series supported 15W wireless charging, but models released next year will feature faster wireless charging." This could be a welcome upgrade for Samsung Galaxy owners, as the company has stuck with the 15W wireless charging support for the past six years.

Notably, the Galaxy S26 and the Galaxy S26 Plus will also get an upgrade, from 15W to 20W wireless charging. Samsung has taken a cautious approach when it comes to batteries, after the Galaxy Note7 fiasco. So much so that the company now lags behind Apple, which offers Qi2 wireless charging support since the iPhone 16 series, enabling 25W charging.

Even the slim iPhone Air—whose future seems a bit cloudy—supports 20W wireless charging. But with 25W fast wireless charging, the Galaxy S26 Ultra would reportedly charge 40 times faster compared to 15W.

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Posted Wednesday 12 November 2025 at 12:56 am AEST (my time).

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Now, some interesting details about the Galaxy S26 and the Galaxy S26+ have surfaced, courtesy of SmartPrix. The details reveal the camera and battery specs for both models. Based on the latest info, the Samsung Galaxy S26 and S26+ could get new sensors for the primary and telephoto cameras.

Notably, both devices will feature the same camera setup, in which there will be a 50MP primary camera, a 12MP ultrawide camera, and a 12MP telephoto camera. For selfies, the Galaxy S26 and S26+ could feature 12MP sensors.

According to the report, Samsung has dropped plans for using 50MP Samsung ISOCELL S5KJN3 ultrawide cameras in both devices after the cancellation of the Galaxy S26 Edge. However, the 10MP ultrawide camera is finally getting an upgrade in the form of the 12MP Sony IMX564 sensor. This will help rectify the low-resolution image issues, which the models previously suffered because of the 10MP camera.

That's not all. The report also spills the beans about the battery capacities on the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26+. It was previously rumored that the Galaxy S26 and S26+ could get a battery boost, and based on the latest information, it appears to be true. The base Galaxy S26 could feature a 4,300 mAh battery, while the Galaxy S26+ could come with a 4,900 mAh battery.

Compared to this year's 4,000 mAh on the Galaxy S25, the S26 appears to be getting a boost. On the other hand, the Galaxy S26+ could feature the same battery capacity. Furthermore, both the Galaxy S26 and S26+ are expected to feature a slim design. It seems like Samsung is trying its best to justify the price hike that is rumored for next year's Galaxy S26 series.

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Posted Tuesday 11 November 2025 at 1:51 am AEST (my time).

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Now, a couple of details have emerged straight from Samsung's home country, South Korea. According to a Korean daily, Chosun Biz, Samsung has reportedly resolved the issues surrounding the Galaxy S26 lineup, and the Unpacked event could take place as early as late January next year.

Notably, due to low sales and a lack of hype around the Galaxy S25 Edge, Samsung has reportedly decided to discontinue the "Edge" lineup and reintroduce the "Plus" model. Fast forward to now, according to a Samsung Electronics insider:

The hardware verification period was extended when the Edge model was removed and the Plus model was added, which almost delayed the launch, but this issue has been resolved, making a February launch possible next year.

The data from Hana Securities, as of August, reveals that the three-month sales of the Galaxy S25 Edge stood at 1.31 million units, which is a staggering 74% less than that of the Galaxy S25 Plus (5.05 million units). This clearly shows that people don't want a slim phone, but want a device that can last long and has all the features, since they are paying north of $1,000.

The report further adds that Samsung is facing some issues with the Exynos 2600 development. An insider has commented that only the base and Plus models of the Galaxy S26 series will come equipped with the Exynos 2600 processor. On the other hand, the Galaxy S26 Ultra will be shipped with the Snapdragon SoC worldwide.

Rumors have been floating around that Samsung could finally hike the prices of the next year's Galaxy S26 series, all thanks to the rising costs of internal components. For now, let us know in the comments below what you would prefer, an Exynos-powered Galaxy S26 Ultra or the one with a Snapdragon processor.

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Posted Tuesday 11 November 2025 at 1:50 am AEST (my time).

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When iPhone customers lose their phone or it is stolen, they can set a custom message in Apple's Find My app that appears on the lock screen. When lost, this message may include an email address or phone number to contact the owner.

According to the NCSC, threat actors may be using this information to send targeted phishing texts (smishing) through SMS or iMessage to the displayed contact information, claiming to be from Apple's Find My team and stating that their phone had been found.

"Losing your iPhone is always annoying. Not only is the device gone, but your personal data may also be lost," explains the NCSC.

"Once the initial panic has passed, most people are left hoping that someone honest will find it. But if scammers have your phone, they may try to exploit this hope. They send text messages or iMessages that appear to come from Apple, claiming that the lost iPhone has been found abroad."

The phishing message includes convincing details such as the phone's model, color, and any other information that can be extracted directly from the locked device.

"We are pleased to inform you that your lost iPhone 14 128GB Midnight has been successfully located," reads the phishing text.

"To view the current location of your device, please click the link below: <phishing url>"

"If you did not initiate a lost device report or believe this message was sent in error, please disregard it or contact our support team immediately."

Phishing text stating a lost iPhone was found
Source: NCSC

The phishing message contains a link to the alleged Find My website that shows the device's location. 

However, instead of leading to Apple's official website, it redirects to a phishing page with a login prompt that mimics Apple's Find My website. When victims enter their Apple ID and password, the credentials are sent to the attackers, giving them full access to the account.

Phishing page impersonating Apple's Find My website
Source: NCSC

The cybersecurity agency explains that the scammers' real goal is to remove Apple's Activation Lock. This security feature is used to link an iPhone to its owner's Apple ID and prevents others from erasing or reselling it.

Since there is no known method to bypass this lock, criminals rely on phishing attacks to trick users into giving their credentials.

The NCSC says it is unclear how the attackers obtained the target's phone number, but it could be from the SIM card in the device or from the custom message displayed on the lock screen when a device is marked as lost.

The agency also recommends the following:

•     Never click links in unsolicited messages or enter Apple ID details on external websites.
•     If a device is lost, immediately enable Lost Mode through the Find My app or iCloud.com/find to secure it.
•     Use a dedicated email address if displaying contact details on a lost device's lock screen.
•     Keep the device registered to your Apple account to keep Activation Lock enabled.
•     Ensure your SIM card is protected with a PIN to prevent misuse of your number.

The NCSC advises users to ignore any text messages like these, stating that Apple will never contact customers via SMS or email to report a found device.

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Apple's inclusion of satellite connectivity in the iPhone, such as Emergency SOS Via Satellite, has proven to be extremely useful in a difficult situation. However, while handy when a cellular signal is not available, it can always be improved to expand what it offers to consumers.

In Sunday's "Power On" newsletter for Bloomberg, Mark Gurman writes about some of the satellite-centric features that Apple is working on. This includes expanding the functionality of satellite connectivity so it can be used by third-party apps.

This will apparently involve the creation of an API for app developers to use. However, it's warned that not every single Apple-created satellite feature will be made available in this way.

Expanding the existing Messages via Satellite function is also a possibility. Apple is reportedly trying to add support for photos, bringing it beyond basic text messages.

Likewise, Apple is also apparently hoping to make Apple Maps work with it. While satellites are used for positioning data, Gurman's post implies that map data could be delivered to the user over the satellite connection.

Establishing that connection is also intended to be improved. Currently, users are expected to be in an area with an unobscured view of the sky, and are instructed to physically point the iPhone in the vague direction of in-view satellites.

However, Apple wants this to be a more "natural usage" process for users. This would entail allowing the iPhone to connect to satellites while in a pocket or a car, without necessarily requiring the user to handle the iPhone in a specific way.

Doing so should allow for updates to the various satellite-based features to occur without user intervention.

To help get this underway, Apple's 2026 iPhone range is anticipated to include 5G NTN (Non-Terrestrial Networks) support more broadly. Specifically, allowing for cellular towers to use satellites for increased device coverage.

Continued satellite expansion

The claimed inbound satellite features are a continuation of Apple's work to expand its non-cellular offerings to consumers.

When it comes to non-emergency-based new features, there was an initial hint of what was to come in the iOS 26 developer beta back in June. Weather Updates via Satellite would receive weather updates in a similar manner to Emergency SOS via Satellite.

The iPhone would pull in updated weather data and relevant alerts for the user's location. This would be handy for hikers, campers, climbers, and sailors who depend on accurate local weather forecasts in areas that may not have reliable cellular service.

As for hardware support, Apple confirmed at its September 9 "Awe Dropping" event that the satellite features for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 will continue for another year at no additional charge.

Earlier, in May 2025, Apple expanded its carrier-provided satellite features to all iPhone 13 models as part of iOS 18.5.

As for the actual satellite connection itself, that may also be improved. While Apple currently relies on Globalstar's aging spacecraft, there are ever-present murmurs that Apple could end up working with Starlink in the future.

Apple has invested a hefty $1.1 billion in Globalstar, but that hasn't stopped the rumors of Globalstar selling itself off to a potential suitor. The more probable buyer is Starlink-owner SpaceX, not Apple, as the iPhone maker is reportedly keen to avoid becoming a carrier and face that regulartory burden. 

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Apple did increase the selfie camera's megapixel count to 18MP, but no 24MP cameras were served to any of the iPhone 17 lineup models, not even the Pro models. Tides have now turned towards the next year's iPhone 18 series. A new report now suggests that the iPhone 18 series could feature 24MP selfie cameras.

According to the latest JP Morgan equity research report seen by MacRumors, Apple could introduce another update to the selfie cameras on next year's iPhone 18 series. While 18MP is still a noteworthy upgrade, along with the new Center Stage camera with a square design that allows for automatic zooming and framing of the subject, the 24MP would be significant.

Also, not only the Pro models, but the report says that the entire lineup, which includes the iPhone 18 and the iPhone Air 2, will receive the upgraded selfie camera. The square sensor provides a wider field of view, and the added megapixel count will only improve the quality of selfies that you can take using the front cameras on the upcoming iPhone 18 series.

That's not all. The JP Morgan report also states that the upcoming and much-rumored Apple foldable will be the first foldable in the industry to pack a 24MP under-display camera. Additionally, the budget second-gen iPhone 17e and third-gen iPhone 18e will continue to use the 12MP selfie shooters.

Quite a lot of upgrades are planned by Apple for its devices, and it could fit with the new launch schedule, where the standard iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e won't launch till early 2027.

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Posted Saturday 8 November 2025 at 1:39 pm AEST (my time).

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Google’s Gemini model will be used by Apple to handle Siri’s summarizer and planner functions specifically. The planner functions can synthesize information and execute complex tasks. Apple plans to treat Google as a behind-the-scenes technology supplier, meaning its iPhone users will never know that Apple is depending on the maker of Android to power its AI.

The 1.2 trillion parameter custom Gemini system is a big advance from the 150 billion parameter model that’s currently used for the cloud-based Apple Intelligence. Bloomberg also mentioned that the Google model will run on Apple’s own Private Cloud Compute servers, which means it’ll be separate from Google’s infrastructure.

The new voice assistant that is planned for iOS 26.4 is apparently code-named Linwood and the effort to fix Siri with a third-party model is known internally as Glenwood. The new Siri is expected to be released next spring and using Gemini to power it is only an interim solution, with Apple admitting it has fallen behind in AI.

Apple is reportedly working on its own 1 trillion parameter cloud-based model that it hopes to have ready for consumer applications as early as next year and it could replace Gemini. Notably, the Gemini-powered Siri is unlikely to be available in China due to the country’s ban on Google offerings.

In China, Apple is expected to use in-house models along with a filter developed by Alibaba. Apple has also been looking at a partnership with Baidu for its AI offerings in China.

Source: Bloomberg

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Posted Friday 7 November 2025 at 3:29 am AEST (my time).

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Google is in the process of purging Assistant across its products, and the next target is Google Maps. Starting today, Gemini will begin rolling out in Maps, powering new experiences for navigation, location info, and more. This update will eventually completely usurp Google Assistant’s hands-free role in Maps, but the rollout will take time. So for now, the smart assistant in Google Maps will still depend on how you’re running the app.

Across all Gemini’s incarnations, Google stresses its conversational abilities. Whereas Assistant was hard-pressed to keep one or two balls in the air, you can theoretically give Gemini much more complex instructions. Google’s demo includes someone asking for nearby restaurants with cheap vegan food, but instead of just providing a list, it suggests something based on the user’s input. Gemini can also offer more information about the location.

Maps will also get its own Gemini-infused version of Lens for after you park. You will be able to point the camera at a landmark, restaurant, or other business to get instant answers to your questions. This experience will be distinct from the version of Lens available in the Google app, focused on giving you location-based information. Maybe you want to know about the menu at a restaurant or what it’s like inside. Sure, you could open the door… but AI!

While Google has recently been forced to acknowledge that hallucinations are inevitable, the Maps team says it does not expect that to be a problem with this version of Gemini. The suggestions coming from the generative AI bot are grounded in Google’s billions of place listings and Street View photos. This will, allegedly, make the robot less likely to make up a location. Google also says in no uncertain terms that Gemini is not responsible for choosing your route.

How far is 500 feet?

The robot will, however, get involved with the spoken directions. Currently, Google Maps and other navigation systems use vague instructions like “turn in 500 feet.” However, these announcements often arrive far too late to be useful, and can people accurately gauge 500 feet while driving? The Gemini-based solution is to give instructions with landmarks.

Instead of only using distances for turns, Gemini might use a gas station, restaurant, or recognizable sign to help you find your turn. Again, Google says its database of hundreds of millions of locations with accompanying Street View images helps ensure the directions are accurate. Gemini can also alert you to possible slowdowns along your route even if you don’t have Maps open.

Google’s driving alerts for accidents and other traffic complications will also be tied into Gemini. So you’ll be able to just say “there’s an accident” or “traffic jam ahead,” and Gemini will make the report as if you used the multi-step reporting process manually. Gemini in Maps can also connect to other Google services, like adding events to your calendar. And that request can be lumped in with navigation or map-oriented instructions.

If you’re running Google Maps on your phone, Gemini could arrive in the coming days. For those using Android Auto or Google built-in, the rollout will begin “soon.” No, Google doesn’t have anything more specific on that, but that group will get Gemini sooner than Apple Car Play Maps users. Google says it’s still evaluating how to integrate Gemini’s hands-free features with Apple’s more limited platform.

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Posted Thursday 6 November 2025 at 2:59 am AEST (my time).

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I’ve been as much of a thin phone skeptic as anyone. Why would I give up on camera specs and battery life just to shave a couple of millimeters off a phone’s waistline? I asked pretty much exactly that when I first saw Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge earlier this year.

But the Motorola Edge 70 may have made me a convert. It’s a cheaper take on the S25 Edge or iPhone Air, out now in the UK and Europe for £699 / €799 (around $920), but it “will not be a US device,” according to Nicole Hagen, Motorola’s head of global product marketing.

It’s just a third of a millimeter thicker than the Air — an all but imperceptible difference — but meets some of that phone’s failings head-on by offering a bigger battery and more durable design. It introduces a few new flaws of its own, but as a blueprint for where thin phones go next, this makes more sense to me than Apple’s and Samsung’s offerings.

We are truly in silicon-carbon battery season, because this is the second time in as many weeks that I’ve found myself praising a manufacturer for fitting a high-capacity battery into a small space. While the Oppo Find X9 Pro uses the novel battery tech to cram an unusually large 7,500mAh cell into a regular-sized phone, Motorola has instead employed it to fit a regular-sized battery into an unusually thin phone.

The Edge 70’s 4,800mAh battery is as big as many flagships’, breezing past the iPhone Air’s “all-day battery life” to last well into a second day. It won’t last a full two days unless you use it lightly, but heavier users will struggle to run the phone dry in a single day.

The silicon-carbon battery fixes the single biggest fear most prospective buyers have about this year’s wave of thin phones, comfortably outclassing the 3,149mAh battery in Apple’s Air or the 3,900mAh cell in Samsung’s Edge. Those phones force buyers to give up battery life. Motorola’s does not.

The Edge 70 tops up quickly with 68W wired charging, and 15W Qi wireless is also available. There isn’t Qi2 support, though Motorola includes a magnetic plastic case with the phone in EMEA if you’re jealous of the Qi2-enabled Pixel 10 phones.

The camera bump isn’t too thick, and I like the way it slopes out of the body.

 

It’s six credit cards thick, if that helps any.

 

That blue button is a shortcut for (you guessed it!) AI stuff.

 

Slim as the case is, it inevitably detracts from just how thin the Edge 70 feels. I’ve only used Samsung and Apple’s thin phones in passing, and after sticking with this phone for a week, I was surprised to find that thin feeling never really got old. I marvel at the phone every time I pick it up, that it can be so thin, so light, so comfortable in the hand.

I’m sure the Air and S25 Edge feel much the same. Where Motorola diverges is in how it built the Edge 70, with an aluminum frame and textured silicone rear that feels less vulnerable than the glass backs of its rivals. This is the only phone of the three to have both an IP68 rating and meet the tougher IP69 standard, and it also meets the MIL-STD-810H military testing standard for durability.

That’s not to say the Edge 70 is indestructible — far from it, especially since the Gorilla Glass 7i used on the screen is more vulnerable than the ceramic-hardened versions on those other phones. But free of the fear of shattering the back, I’ve found myself more carefree about using the phone as is, rather than trapping that thin design in a bulky case.

The camera accents match the AI button.

So that’s that; the Edge 70 has solved thin phones for good. If only, eh? It may have improved on some of Samsung and Apple’s failings, but not all of them — and it introduces a few of its own.

The cameras are the most obvious compromise, though less than you might think. The 50-megapixel main camera isn’t bad, even doing a decent job in dim conditions, though the combination of dark skies and bright lights at an evening soccer game proved too much for it to process perfectly. Unlike the iPhone Air, you get an ultrawide lens alongside it, though there’s still no telephoto — what looks like a third camera is really only a light sensor. You can get a half-decent telephoto for less in the likes of the Galaxy S25 FE or Xiaomi 15T Pro.

Simple photos in bright light come out well from the main camera.

 

The room was dimmer here, but there’s still plenty of detail.

 

This market scene is mostly well lit, but some of the lights are blown out.

 

It handled this restaurant lighting well.

 

And did a great job capturing the various colored lights here.

 

This, however, is… not what my cat’s face looks like.

 

The main camera struggles with the stadium lights at this Arsenal game.

 

And the ultrawide does even worse.

 

Simple photos in bright light come out well from the main camera.

Spec-heads might also take umbrage with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 chipset inside. It’s not a bad chip, but you’ll find flagship silicon in similarly priced devices. It’s plenty of power for most people, but on paper it’s less capable than other phones at this price, even if competitive gamers are likely the only ones who’ll notice.

Expect lots of preinstalled apps.

 

And a few ads for apps you haven’t installed.

 

This looks like my lockscreen, but it’s an ad too.

 

Motorola’s take on Android is the bigger problem, and it’s probably the only version of the operating system getting worse.

Quite simply, a £699 phone — hell, any phone — shouldn’t ship packed to the rafters with ads and bloatware. There are at least 14 Motorola-branded apps preinstalled, and other apps including Candy Crush Saga, Microsoft Copilot, Monopoly Go, Pinterest, and something called Toon Blast.

Worse, the first slot in the app drawer is taken up by a games “folder” that actually just suggests more time-killers I should download, including gems like Block Blast! and Stack Ball. Above that, a suggestions row dynamically recommends three of my own apps I’m likely to need at that moment in time based on my past behavior (which is useful enough), along with a fourth app I don’t have and never want, ranging from payment app MoneyGram to the musical Simply Guitar.

I’m not done yet! The Live Lock Screen is the most egregious of all. Suggested during setup, this replaces your lock screen with a cycling stream of images paired with links to articles from the web on a predefined set of broad interests like “food” or “tech.” These are ads in disguise, but every three or four, you’re rewarded with something more overt — usually a full-screen banner advertising Temu.

It’s easy to turn all of this off and uninstall the apps, but it shouldn’t be there in the first place. Motorola is embarrassing itself by including it.

All the phones’ colors come with a small Pantone swatch on the back.

 

I’m not sure if the way its compromises shake out make the Edge 70 a better phone than the iPhone Air. But as I look forward to where this form factor might go next, Motorola’s phone feels like a better blueprint than Apple’s, and suggests that adopting a silicon-carbon battery is what’s required to elevate the Air’s second generation.

The Edge 70 preserves battery life while shaving down the bulk, and feels just tough enough to risk going case-free so all that hardware R&D doesn’t go wasted. The cameras are basic, but so are the iPhone’s, and it may be underpowered, but who’s buying the year’s third-thinnest phone and hoping for a powerhouse? You want it to feel great and last all day, and on that count, the Edge 70 has nailed it.

Photography by Dominic Preston / The Verge

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Posted Wednesday 5 November 2025 at 6:22 pm AEST (my time).

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