Latest news with #AppleInsider
CNET
7 hours ago
- CNET
iPhone 17 Rumors: New iPhone Battery Could Be Stronger and Smaller
The next iteration of iPhones is just around the corner, with an official announcement expected sometime this fall. With the Worldwide Developers Conference now behind us, we're most looking forward to the announcement of the iPhone 17. There are plenty of rumors about what the next iPhone will look like and what sort of specs it may have. One of the more popular talking points for any new smartphone release is battery life, and the new iPhone is no exception. A rumored iPhone 17 Air with a thinner design has raised the question of whether a slimmer iPhone would have to sacrifice battery life. Regardless of the model type, battery life is a concern across the board. After all, you can't use your new tech if the battery drains too fast and doesn't last more than a few hours. We've sorted through all the rumors and leaks when it comes to the battery for the iPhone 17. Let's break it down. Battery size for the next iPhone Current iPhones utilize a lithium-ion battery, which is less malleable and not really conducive to being used in a slimmer model, like the rumored iPhone 17 Air. So, if they were to shrink the lithium-ion battery to fit a skinnier frame, it would likely have less capacity. However, Apple may be adding a silicon-anode battery to the new slimmer iPhone, according to AppleInsider. Compared with graphite-based anodes, common in lithium-ion batteries, silicon anodes can hold more lithium ions, allowing them to store more energy. In theory, that would mean a more compact silicon-anode battery wouldn't sacrifice power. The iPhone may even charge faster than previous iterations as a result. As for the rumored iPhone 17 Pro Max, according to 9to5mac, it's expected to have a slightly larger battery than the iPhone 16 Max Pro. AI-powered battery management The next iPhones (and the current models after iOS 26 rolls out) will have AI-powered adaptive battery energy management starting this fall, we learned at WWDC. Part of Apple Intelligence, the company will utilize AI to monitor how you use your device and adjust performance and energy consumption settings accordingly, aiming to extend the phone's battery life. Think of Adaptive Power as the first step toward extending your iPhone's battery life and Low Power mode as the last step of doing the same. Another piece of new hardware that'll likely impact battery efficiency is the rumored A19 processing chip. The iPhone 17 base and Air will likely get the A18 chip, which is the same chip that the iPhone 16 uses. However, according to Apple analyst Jeff Pu, the rumored iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are set to include the A19 chip, which would likely come equipped with better optimization, which in turn could impact how long the battery will last on the rumored iPhone, and how efficiently it will run. How accurate are iPhone rumors? Until Apple officially releases its new phone, speculation on the iPhone 17 is simply educated guesswork. While most rumors come from insider knowledge or are leaked from the teams working on these products, until Apple says otherwise, they remain rumors.
Phone Arena
2 days ago
- Phone Arena
Apple's new release window for Siri will give you déjà vu
Last year, Apple showed off its upcoming AI features, amongst which one of the most promising ones was a completely revamped and much smarter Siri digital assistant. That hasn't happened yet, following many delays, but the company is now confident that it can deliver next year with iOS 26.4. If that number sounds familiar, you're not alone. For a long time, it was being reported that Apple would launch its new Siri alongside iOS 18.4. However, that version of iOS has come and gone, and the promised upgrade to Apple's severely flawed smart assistant is nowhere to be seen. Now that the company has rebranded all of its operating systems, the new iOS is version 26. Apple insider Mark Gurman — in today's edition of his newsletter Power On — reveals that the company is confident that iOS 26 .4 will be the one. Similar to iOS 18 .4, this update is expected to come out around March or April of next year. As for iOS 26 itself, the Beta is already out with the stunning Liquid Glass overhaul, and its public release will be later this year. Gurman has previously said that Liquid Glass, as cool as it is, was a way for Apple to distract everyone from the fact that it has fallen behind in AI. Apple Intelligence features were showcased for iPhone 16 last year at WWDC. | Video credit — Apple The much-awaited revamped Siri is supposed to take advantage of modern LLM ( Large Language Model ) AI technology. Currently, Siri often has trouble setting an alarm or turning off the flashlight. Apple plans to change all that by introducing a smart assistant that's actually deserving of that label. Samsung and Google — Apple's main smartphone rivals in the U.S. — both use Google's flagship AI model Gemini. As such, both the Galaxy S25 series as well as the Pixel 9 lineup provide consumers with much better AI features than Apple Intelligence . To remain relevant in this race, Apple has enlisted the help of OpenAI, and is also in talks to bring Gemini to iOS. I do hope that the company is able to deliver this time, and that Siri on iOS 26 .4 is everything that iPhone users have hoped for. If Apple continues to falter in the AI race, it will affect its future products like its AR glasses and the smart home hub.
Phone Arena
4 days ago
- Phone Arena
Clutter be gone: iOS 26 tidies up the photo mess
iOS 18 introduced a controversial new design to the Photos app. Now, thankfully, iOS 26 aims to make the app less cluttered and also adds the ability for iPhone users to convert 2D images into Spatial Photos. The change of this key app with iOS 18 made many iPhone users unhappy (understandably). Now, iOS 26 's version of the Photos app has to try hard enough to please people. The updates this time around are fewer than what one might expect, but still, there is an improvement. iOS 18 entirely changed the layout of the Photos app. There were no longer multiple tabs of content, and iPhone users were greeted with a single-page design. The Library became a grid in the top half of the screen, and carousels of featured sections were positioned below. Obviously, tabs would make it easier to go to a specific section, but iOS 18 doomed iPhone users to scroll and try to find themselves in the clutter. Now, with iOS 26 , Apple introduces tabs back, backtracking a little bit from the changes made in iOS 18 . The new Photos app now has two tabs, Library and Collections, with the former being the grid view of all your images. There are tabs! | Image Credit - AppleInsider When you swipe down, the tab element is hidden, and you get the option to sort by date. You have a button to revert to the main tab as well. The Collections tab features carousels of images and videos. It includes a section for Albums, as well as Media Types and Utilities. At the top are Memories, which are the generated slideshows Apple seems to like quite a lot. Also, you get a section to generate with Apple Intelligence using text. The search icon is now at the bottom right and has become changes are not immense, basically, they just separate the Library grid from everything else, but this small tweak is actually making the Photos app much easier to navigate! Personally, I was one of the people who got quite frustrated with iOS 18 's Photos app. I still find it frustrating despite using it for quite some time, and I couldn't be more happy to see Apple bring back some order into the chaos. Meanwhile, there's a big update to the Photos app in the face of the Spatial Photos generation feature. Now, the iPhone can convert a 2D image to a 3D version from a small icon in the top-right corner of the Photos app. This feature can be used for Vision Pro, but is also used in the new Spatial Wallpapers feature that Apple showed during the WWDC 2025 keynote on June 9.
Phone Arena
08-06-2025
- Business
- Phone Arena
Apple shaking up carrier promos for iPhone, will allow damaged devices and other exceptions
Sales for Apple devices, including the iPhone 16, have been sluggish due to a myriad of factors currently in play. To counter that, the company is going to announce some major changes to how it handles carrier promotions and deals at its retail stores from June insider Mark Gurman — in the latest edition of his newsletter Power On — reports that the company is relaxing its stance on carrier promos to help boost sales. He expects that this change will net Apple almost double the number of promotions at its retail stores have usually only allowed carrier deals where a customer would have to turn in an old device in good condition. If the company deemed it too damaged, the promotion would be off the table. In addition, deals without required trade-ins, as well as deals for turning in damaged devices, were not accepted. Gurman claims that Apple is even going to allow devices with an appraised value of zero Dollars from June 26. Carrier promotions that don't require any devices to be traded in will also be honored from now on. Turning in your iPhone 16 for the iPhone 17 will net you some credit, though. | Video credit — Apple This is, in my eyes, yet another way that Apple is being forced to diversify and stop clinging to its old ways. The 'walled garden' ecosystem has already come crashing down in regions like the E.U. because of laws like the DMA ( Digital Markets Act ). Apple users in the E.U. can sideload apps, change default app choices, and use third-party NFC payments, amongst other new features. Having to allow more carrier promotions and deals to boost sales was inevitable, perhaps, given the state of the industry. Apple is already considering raising the prices of the upcoming iPhone 17 series to combat the uncertainty of tariff rates. While U.S. carriers like T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon have always offered these promotions at their stores, it'd be nice to have Apple accept them at its own stores as well. Phone manufacturers may also have to get used to American consumers upgrading less often, and opting for older phones instead, due to the current economic situation. But perhaps these companies had already prepared for this in advance, considering that they now offer five or more years of software support for their newest phones.
CNET
06-06-2025
- Business
- CNET
iPhone 17 Rumors: Latest News and Leaks
We're still months away from Apple's anticipated reveal of the newest iPhone, which we expect will happen in the fall. In the meantime, plenty of rumors are swirling about what the upcoming device, likely called the iPhone 17, could look like, from a redesigned camera module to a slimmer "Air" version of the handset. We might even see a fresh blue color option for the Pro models, and there are rumors about increased RAM on at least some of the upcoming iPhones. Reports also suggest Apple will overhaul the look and feel of its software with the launch of its next version of iOS. Perhaps the biggest news is that iPhones could get pricier, thanks to tariffs. President Donald Trump has said Apple will have to pay a 25% tariff on iPhones made outside the US. This would almost certainly lead to a price hike for consumers. We'll have to wait and see how Apple responds, and if shoppers really do end up shouldering that extra cost. Here's what analysts and leakers predict about the iPhone 17 lineup. A slimmer iPhone 17 'Air' One of the hottest rumors surrounds a possible iPhone "Air," a thinner version of Apple's flagship device that would replace the iPhone Plus option. The Air could feature a 6.6-inch screen, making it slightly smaller than the iPhone 16 Plus and iPhone 16 Pro Max but still bigger than the baseline model, according to analysts Jeff Pu and Ming-Chi Kuo. A Bloomberg report from March supports those rumors, and notes that the iPhone Air could measure 5.5mm thick. The report also suggests the phone will cost around $900, putting it on par with the iPhone 16 Plus and maintaining its place in the iPhone hierarchy. But it's not clear if tariffs will affect that price. See also: Thinking About Buying a New iPhone? Here's Why You Should Wait For Apple to slim down a device, it would need to make hardware trade-offs, and that might include the phone's camera. According to both Kuo and Bloomberg, it's possible this version of the iPhone 17 would have only one main camera, doing without the ultrawide and 5x telephoto lenses that have been staples of Apple's premium iPhones for years. This would place the slim iPhone in the same camp as the $600 iPhone 16E when it comes to cameras, as that phone has only one rear lens. The good news, though, is that the selfie camera on the iPhone Air could get a boost; more on that later. Now Playing: iPhone 17 Rumors: What Analysts Say Apple Is Doing Next 04:06 One key challenge will be maintaining a high battery capacity, since a slimmer build typically means less space for the battery and thus a potential compromise on battery life -- as is the case with the skinny Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge. A May report from AppleInsider suggests the thinner iPhone could use a silicon-anode battery to help extend battery life. Along with tackling battery shortcomings, Bloomberg suggests Apple will pack the iPhone 17 Air with superslim bezels, a Camera Control button and the Dynamic Island. In May, Pu noted the iPhone 17 Air will feature an A19 chip, while the baseline model would have the same A18 chip used in the iPhone 16. The Air could also include the Apple-developed 5G modem, called the C1 chip, which debuted on the iPhone 16E. A higher refresh rate across the board Rumor has it that all models of the iPhone 17 will feature a 120Hz display, bumping the non-Pro models up from their current 60Hz refresh rate. That could be a welcome change, as the discrepancy between the Pro and non-Pro refresh rate is surprising; when Apple debuted the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus with a 60Hz display, there was a bit of an outcry from folks who expected more in 2024. This rumored update could remedy that -- and possibly bring the always-on display to the baseline model. What we likely won't see is a new anti-reflective display that Apple was reportedly working on, according to MacRumors. A source reportedly told the publication that Apple scrapped plans for a more scratch-resistant display coating that could have appeared on the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. This would have made them the first iPhones with an anti-reflective screen, giving them a feature that CNET's Patrick Holland deemed one of the best attributes of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. According to MacRumors, "Apple ran into problems scaling up the display coating process, and it is currently no longer a planned feature for the iPhone 17 Pro models." Camera upgrades James Martin/CNET It's not an iPhone release without a camera upgrade, and there have been plenty of rumors about what the camera module could look like on Apple's upcoming phones. In January, a leaked image from Majin Bu on X suggested the phone could feature a pill-shaped camera bar, essentially resembling what you'd find on Google's Pixel 9 phone. In February, Bu followed up with CAD renders of what's said to be the iPhone 17 lineup, featuring horizontal camera bars, as well as larger rectangular bars on the iPhone 17 Pro models. Front Page Tech also shared iPhone 17 Pro renders in a video in February, depicting a larger camera bar that maintains the lens' stacked layout. A separate video on the iPhone 17 Air shows a smaller camera bar, with one lens on the left. In April, Bloomberg reported the "iPhone 17 Pro will look a lot more like the 16 Pro than anticipated," adding, "From the front, the 17 Pro will appear quite similar to the 16 Pro. It's the back camera that will look meaningfully different." The latest rumors suggest the iPhone 17 Pro's three-lens camera arrangement will be maintained, but will sit on a new panel that stretches across the phone's width. Later in April, Bu again posted an image of the purported iPhone 17 lineup, showing those wider camera bars with the stacked lenses still configured to the left. Not until next year, for the 20th anniversary of the iPhone, will Apple be "preparing a major shake-up" for the phone's design, Bloomberg says. That includes a (long-rumored) foldable version and a "bold new Pro model that makes more extensive use of glass." Another camera-related rumor is that the selfie camera on all iPhone 17 models, including the Air, will be upgraded to 24 megapixels, according to Pu. That's a decent bump from the current 12-megapixel front-facing camera on the iPhone 16 lineup, though it's important to remember that more megapixels don't automatically mean better photos. Still, given how much people increasingly rely on their front cameras to snap selfies and record videos for TikTok and Instagram, this will surely be a welcome advancement. A sky blue iPhone 17 Pro It's not clear what colors will be included in the iPhone 17's lineup. But in April, Bu said the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max could include a sky blue option. In an article, Bu wrote that "sources close to the supply chain confirm that several iPhone 17 Pro prototypes have been made in various colors, with Sky Blue currently the frontrunner." Bu describes the sky blue color as being "even more stunning than the much-loved Sierra Blue of the iPhone 13 Pro, with a brightness and refinement that make it irresistible." (My colleague Jeff Carlson isn't so thrilled about this rumor.) iOS 26 (not 19) could bring a fresh look Regarding what's on the inside, Apple is reportedly looking to revamp its mobile operating system -- starting with how it's named. The follow-up to iOS 18 will be called iOS 26, according to Bloomberg, based on the last two digits of the upcoming year. iPadOS, MacOS, WatchOS, TVOS and VisionOS will all reportedly follow this same model, creating more uniformity across the operating systems. The appearance of iOS 26 and Apple's other operating systems will also reportedly get a refresh. According to Bloomberg, this "includes updating the style of icons, menus, apps, windows and system buttons." Sources reportedly told the publication that Apple is "working to simplify the way users navigate and control their devices," and that the design borrows from the Vision Pro's operating system. For instance, VisionOS features more circular app icons and translucent navigation panels. It's possible that what you'll see on your future iPhone could more closely mirror this aesthetic. The software overhaul would also bring consistency across Apple's devices. Bloomberg notes this would be the biggest software shakeup since macOS Big Sur's release in 2020 and iOS 7's release in 2013. Other possible features Rumors on what frames the iPhone 17 lineup will feature have gone back and forth. In February, Pu suggested the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max will all have aluminum frames. He noted that the iPhone 17 Air could be the outlier with a titanium frame. There have also been contradictory reports on whether the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 17 lineup will look any different. In May, Pu said all iPhone 17 models will use a new metalens technology for the proximity sensor, which could allow Apple to reduce the size of the Face ID sensor and the Dynamic Island, according to 9to5Mac. Kuo, on the other hand, said in January that the Dynamic Island would remain "largely unchanged" in the iPhone 17 lineup compared to the iPhone 16. We'll have to see what ends up being true. In February, Kuo noted Apple will swap out Broadcom's Wi-Fi chips for in-house chips across the iPhone 17 lineup, stating this would "enhance connectivity across Apple devices." It's not yet clear what exactly this would mean, but it would be interesting if Apple's C1 chip were also accompanied by its own Wi-Fi chip. In April, tipster Digital Chat Station noted that given the use of Apple Intelligence and AI on a "large scale," the iPhone 17 lineup will come with 12GB of RAM, instead of the current 8GB. Kuo noted the iPhone 17 Air and Pro models would sport that increased 12GB of RAM, but that Apple was still deciding whether to equip the baseline model with 8GB or 12GB of RAM. In May, Pu noted the baseline would remain at 8GB. We'll continue to update this piece as more rumors surface, so be sure to follow along.
